China, Pakistan pledge to enhance pragmatic cooperation in various fields

Xinhua) 09:18, May 16, 2024

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar attend the fifth round of the China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue in Beijing, capital of China, May 15, 2024. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi co-chaired the fifth round of the Foreign Minister-Level China-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Beijing on Wednesday, with the two sides pledging to enhance pragmatic cooperation in various fields.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners. Over the years, Pakistan has firmly adhered to the one-China principle and offered China valuable support without reservation on issues concerning China's core interests. China also firmly supports Pakistan in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and in playing a bigger role in international and regional affairs.

It is believed that under the leadership of the new government, Pakistan will enter a new stage of political unity, social stability, controllable security and sustainable development. China and Pakistan will support each other, share weal and woe, and work hand in hand to push China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership to a new level, Wang added.

China is willing to work with Pakistan to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, pool efforts to promote the construction of an upgraded version of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and work together to build a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, Wang said.

In addition, China will not waver in its determination to deepen cooperation with Pakistan, and hopes that Pakistan will continue to do its utmost to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan and eliminate the worries of Chinese enterprises and personnel, he added.

The Pakistan-China friendship is the cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy, Dar said, adding that Pakistan abides by the one-China principle, firmly supports China without hesitation on all issues concerning China's core interests, and looks forward to further deepening bilateral practical cooperation in various fields. Pakistan will do its utmost to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and institutions in Pakistan.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar attend the fifth round of the China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue in Beijing, capital of China, May 15, 2024. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
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Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed and issued a joint statement on deepening China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu appealed to an anticorruption court to exonerate him from all charges in the Kes.588 million graft case.

Waititu testified before trial Magistrate Thomas Nzyuki, alleging that the corruption charges were fabricated due to his strong support for President William Ruto during the 2022 succession politics.

Baba Yao told the court that he was a prominent advocate for the TangaTanga movement in Kiambu. He claimed that his support for Ruto led to his arrest and subsequent prosecution by the then-ruling class.

I supported the President so much. At the time he was the deputy president. I was sacrificed in a wider political war linked to the 2022 succession politics, he said.

Waititu claimed that the corruption case against him was orchestrated to force him out of office.

It was a scheme. This was a political witchhunt. The case was started to hound me out of office. They succeeded because when I was charged, one of the conditions when bail terms were set was that I should not go back to the office, Waititu said

He recounted how his impeachment followed his indictment, allegedly under the direction of the former government. He alleged that bribery influenced the Senates decision during his impeachment proceedings.

Senators were bribed to uphold my impeachment, he claimed.

In his plea for acquittal, Waititu urged magistrate Nzyuki to consider the numerous cases that former Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji withdrew due to alleged misleading information from then Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti.

He highlighted that the former DPP had publicly admitted that many corruption cases during the former regime were influenced by political pressures.

It is equally important to highlight that the former DPP has gone on live and on the record to admit that the majority if not all corruption cases instituted during the former regime were actually informed by the prevailing political forces, Waititu said.

He also argued that it wasnt unusual for his account to receive Kes. 600,000, citing his wifes involvement in selling fuel products and imports.

Even today my wife sells fuel products and importsits not unique for Chege to pay the Ksh.600,000 to the account, the politician explained.

In 2019, Waititu, his wife Susan Wangari, Testimony Enterprises, its directors, and others were charged with irregularly awarding a Kes.588,198,328.20 road tender in Kiambu County.

The prosecution concluded its case last year after presenting 32 witnesses and numerous documentary pieces of evidence.

The proceedings will resume today for further hearing.
A mob has killed a man who fatally attacked his stepbrother over a meat dispute last week in Papa village, Teso South, Busia County.

According to Kaujakito location chief George Okemer, James Osaba, the suspect who had been hiding since killing his stepbrother Grashio Obula, 40, last Friday night, was ambushed and killed by villagers.

He had been hiding in the sugarcane fields and at times coming out armed with a panga and an arrow. People from Kosera teamed up with villagers to chase him and beat him to death, said the chief as quoted by Citizen.

After the killing, the mob also set fire to his two houses and destroyed other properties in his home, including plants.

The altercation began last Friday when Osaba and his brother attended a relatives funeral in Papa village and were assigned roles. Osaba was designated as the funeral organizing secretary, while Obula was tasked with looking after the store where food was stored.

Trouble arose at midnight when Osaba demanded access to the store after meat from a slaughtered cow was placed there, but Obula refused.

This prompted the suspect to take a knife and stab him in the stomach, causing severe injuries, Okemer explained.

Family members and villagers allege that this was not the first violent incident involving Osaba. A few months ago, he had attacked another villager with a panga, inflicting severe injuries, although the victim survived.

Despite pleas from local administrators and family members for Osaba to surrender to any police station, he remained elusive.

His body was later removed from the scene and taken to Kocholya hospital mortuary, where his brothers body was also taken.
Radio personality Mwalimu Rachel recently joined Kiss 100 after six years as NRG Radios head presenter.

She joined the radio station after turning down two previous attempts by the Radio Africa Group-owned station to poach her earlier in her career.

Mwalimu Rachel disclosed that she turned down lucrative offers from Kiss 100 due to her commitment to her then-flourishing show at HomeBoyz Radio.

The first time Kiss wanted me to join their team, I was still at HomeBoyz, which was a rival station at the time. My show was flourishing, and they were asking me to jump ship, Rachel recounted.

She added, Nikaangalia hivi nikasema noo! Something tells me its not the right time. They came for me twice and with every offer they increased the salary offer. It was very tempting, but I felt I hadnt given my all to the show, which was just starting to make a name for itself I had not expressed as much as I wanted to. So I said no to the money.

Rachel said she chose to prioritize patience and industry understanding over immediate financial gain.

Sometimes, when you have a dream and you want to see it to the very end, you have to turn down great packages, and money. It takes patience, understanding the industry, and not focusing so much on the money but on building your brand, she explained.

When Kiss 100 FM tried a third time, Mwalimu Rachel says the timing aligned perfectly with her career aspirations and personal growth.

The time was right. Everything sort of aligned. I am in that period where you can see I am transitioning. I have more to offer because I am now getting into a new space in my life, she remarked.

Rachel is co-hosting the Kiss Drive show with DJ Xclusive.
President William Ruto has urged the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) to play a pivotal role in addressing the pressing issue of climate change, emphasizing its significance for the nations development.

Speaking at the Defence Forces Recruit Training School in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, during a pass-out parade for KDF officers, President Ruto called upon the military to take the lead in the governments ambitious tree-planting initiative, aiming to plant 15 billion trees in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment.

I ask KDF to lead the way by providing mechanisms, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, of achieving the 15 billion tree-planting programme, said Ruto.

He highlighted climate change as a major threat to the countrys prosperity, citing recent floods that caused loss of lives and property, and emphasized the need for proactive measures from the military to address emerging challenges.

As you secure our nation from emerging security threats, climate change is also going to be our biggest threat. This is why we must mobilise the military to provide solutions to such emerging issues, he added.

President Ruto commended the KDF for its effective disaster response during floods and reaffirmed the governments commitment to supporting affected families and enhancing national disaster response capabilities.

Additionally, he praised the KDF for its significant peacekeeping role, which enhances Kenyas diplomatic and security standing regionally and globally, reflecting competence and efficiency.

Whether in peace support missions abroad or national development projects at home, your actions reflect competence and efficiency worthy of our trust and the esteem in which our nation is held on the global stage, the President said.

President Ruto assured KDF officers of the governments unwavering support and commitment to enhancing their capabilities and welfare to meet current and future challenges.

He also commended the Defence Forces Recruit Training School for its dedication to training soldiers to the highest standards of professionalism.

Your collective efforts have enabled this school to continue producing service members who meet the highest standards of professionalism, he said.

The President led the gathering in a moment of silence in memory of the late Chief of Defence Forces General Francis Ogolla and other officers who perished in a helicopter crash, praising General Ogollas exemplary leadership and dedication as a beacon of professionalism for the KDF and all Kenyans.

The President said General Ogollas legacy will continue to inspire many in the military and public service.
Dubai [UAE], May 15 (ANI/WAM): Abdulaziz Al Ghurair, Chairman of the UAE Banks Federation (UBF), affirmed that the national domestic card scheme, Jaywan, is poised to generate substantial financial savings for numerous companies and retailers across the country, amounting to AED 1 billion compared to conventional cards such as Visa and MasterCard. During remarks made at a meeting hosted by the UAE Banks Federation in collaboration with local and international media at the Mashreq Bank headquarters in Dubai, Al Ghurair elaborated on the cost efficiency of Jaywan. He highlighted that the adoption of this system and the utilization of new cards would significantly reduce expenses for businesses. Consequently, it is anticipated to save companies and retailers between AED 600 million and AED 1 billion, factoring in pricing or discount fees relative to current card schemes. Al Ghurair noted that banks are unable to replace more than 10 million cards simultaneously. As a result, the implementation of the Jaywan direct debit card, designed for local in-store transactions, will occur progressively. Customers will receive the new card upon renewal, ensuring a seamless transition. Moreover, he emphasised that while customers may opt for another international card based on personal preference, the new Jaywan card will be recognized across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region and numerous other countries through bilateral agreements. (ANI/WAM)
Initially reported as a citizen being gunned down by an ''unknown individual'', further investigation revealed the unexpected perpetrator to be the victim''s own son, Ali Hassan. The incident, which occurred in the town between Multan and Vehari, stunned the local community.

Following diligent scrutiny of CCTV footage, the police swiftly apprehended Ali Hassan, who subsequently confessed to the crime. He recounted how his father, inebriated from alcohol consumption, had subjected his mother to verbal and physical abuse, prompting Ali to take drastic action.

The murder weapon was recovered from Ali, and the authorities initiated a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.

This incident echoes a similar one from April 24, where another family was shattered by violence.

In Nankana Sahib, a man named Advocate Sajid was fatally shot, along with his brother, allegedly by his own son, Zain.

The confrontation arose after Advocate Sajid reclaimed his car from Zain, leading to a deadly altercation.

Law enforcement revealed that the attack occurred as Advocate Sajid and his brother, Waqas, were returning from the court. Zain intercepted them and unleashed gunfire, resulting in the tragic demise of his father and uncle.

He then fled the scene with the vehicle, ARY News reported. (ANI)
PRNewswire Dubai [UAE], May 16: As anticipation builds for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) decision on Ethereum Spot ETF applications, Bybit, one of the world's top three crypto exchanges by volume, has launched "Ethereum Euphoria: The ETF Expedition." This event offers Bybit users the chance to win USDT and a Tesla Cybertruck while learning about the impact of major market events. The "Ethereum Euphoria: The ETF Expedition" campaign features two main activities: 1). Daily ETH Price Prediction: Users can predict the daily price of the ETHUSDT perpetual contract at 10:00 AM UTC the following day. The user who accurately predicts or comes closest to the actual price will win 1 ETH. This activity runs for 20 rounds over a 21-day period, with a total of 20 ETH up for grabs. 2). ETH Spot Trading Pair Price Trend Prediction: Users can predict the price trend of eight ETH-related spot trading pairs (ETHUSDT, WLDUSDT, ARBUSDT, STRKUSDT, MATICUSDT, MNTUSDT, SHIBUSDT, and OPUSDT) and earn points to exchange for generous rewards.To maximize their chances of winning, users need to achieve a daily cumulative derivatives trading volume of $500 or more or take advantage of the daily free prediction chances available between 2 PM and 4 PM UTC. Bybit is offering 1000 free chances per day on a first-come, first-served basis. And participants whose points rank in the top 200 will have a chance to win Tesla Cybertruck. "As the crypto landscape evolves, it's crucial for traders to stay informed and capitalize on rare events like the Ethereum ETF decision," said Joan Han, Sales & Marketing Director at Bybit. "We believe that informed traders are empowered traders, and this campaign is designed to foster that spirit." Bybit invites all traders and crypto enthusiasts to join the "Ethereum Euphoria: The ETF Expedition" campaign. Don't miss this golden opportunity to participate in Ethereum Euphoria and win big rewards. #Bybit / #TheCryptoArk About Bybit Bybit is a top-three cryptocurrency exchange by volume with 25 million users established in 2018. It offers a professional platform where crypto investors and traders can find an ultra-fast matching engine, 24/7 customer service, and multilingual community support. Bybit is a proud partner of Formula One's reigning Constructors' and Drivers' champions: the Oracle Red Bull Racing team. For more details about Bybit, please visit Bybit Press.For media inquiries, please contact: media@bybit.comFor more information, please visit: https://www.bybit.comFor updates, please follow: Bybit's Communities and Social Media Discord | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Reddit | Telegram | TikTok | X | Youtube Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/Euphoria_Predict_Market_Movements_ETH_ETF_Win.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2267288/Logo.jpg (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
SMPL New Delhi [India], May 16: Symbiosis Law School (SLS), Hyderabad (A Constituent of Symbiosis International Deemed University, Pune) renowned for its excellence in legal education, actively promotes the holistic development of its students with a series of dynamic and impactful events. Through a diverse range of initiatives, including expert-led lectures and competitive workshops, SLS Hyderabad is dedicated to enriching the academic and practical experiences of its students, thereby maintaining the highest standards of legal education. These events are designed not only to educate but also to inspire and prepare students for the complexities of the legal world. A Spectrum of Educational Events Recently, SLS Hyderabad conducted an Online Guest Lecture titled "Exploring Challenges in International Maritime Law and Nations' Responsibilities," led by Dr. Sanjeet Ruhal, a renowned lecturer on International Maritime Security Law from IMLI Malta. This session provided students with profound insights into international maritime law, enhancing their research interests and specialization skills. The school also hosted the Contract Drafting quiz competition, organized by the Centre for Finance, Accounting, Corporate Governance, and Transparency (C-FACT). This event tested students' knowledge of contract law, emphasizing the importance of legal expertise through friendly competition. Community Outreach Initiatives Further demonstrating its commitment to societal contributions, SLS Hyderabad organized an Emotional Well-Being Camp for Senior Citizens. This initiative aimed to increase awareness of mental health issues among seniors and provided essential legal assistance, underscoring the school's dedication to community service. Diverse Legal Discussions and Industry Integration SLS Hyderabad facilitated a broad range of events covering vital legal domains such as Animal Cruelty, Taxation of Public Trusts, Labour Laws, and Women's Property Rights, among others. These events fostered meaningful discourse on critical legal issues, contributing significantly to the academic environment. Additionally, the school strengthened ties with the legal community through Alumni Engagement sessions and Corporate Synergy competitions. These events connected students with industry experts, offering them valuable exposure to real-world legal scenarios. Call for Aspiring Law Students In line with its ongoing pursuit of academic excellence, SLS Hyderabad invites applications for its BA/BBA LLB Programmes. These programs are designed to provide students with a deep understanding of legal principles integrated with business concepts, equipping them with both knowledge and practical skills. Following the close of SLAT registration, the institute has set May 16, 2024, as the application deadline for these comprehensive law programs. Prospective candidates who have registered for SLAT are encouraged to apply for SLS Hyderabad's BA/BBA LLB Programmes through the official link provided. To know more, visit: https://www.slsh.edu.in/ (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by SMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
Amity University Bengaluru and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) collaboratively organized a workshop focusing on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Analytics, and Astrobiology. According to a press release, the event exemplifies the vision of Dr Ashok K. Chauhan Founder and President of the Amity Education Group, who aspires for Amity to become a premier R&D and academic partner of ISRO, making substantial contributions to the space research sector. The workshop was graced by S Somanath, Chairman of ISRO, Dr Prakash Chauhan, Director of the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) in Hyderabad, and Dr Sudheer Kumar N, Director of Capacity Building & Public Outreach at ISRO, along with other distinguished ISRO scientists. Dr Ashok K. Chauhan virtually inaugurated the event, extending his blessings and gratitude to the participants. The event was also attended by Chancellor Dr Aseem Chauhan, Dr W Selvamurthy, President of Amity Science, Technology & Innovation Foundation (ASTIF), Dr A K Singh, Senior Vice President of Amity Food & Science Technology Innovation Association (AFSTIA), Dr Neeraj Sharma, Deputy Director General of AFSTIA, Dr D Subhakar, Vice Chancellor of Amity University Bengaluru, Dr A W Santosh Kumar, Vice Chancellor of Amity University Mumbai, and other notable scientists from various Amity campuses who specialize in AI, Data Sciences in Space, Science & Technology, and Astrobiology. Chancellor Dr Aseem Chauhan welcomed the attendees, expressing deep gratitude to S Somanath for his invaluable presence and guidance. He highlighted the collaborative efforts aimed at aligning Amity's and ISRO's goals, appreciating the dedication of all involved in this initiative. Dr W Selvamurthy presented Amity's significant contributions to space science and technology, highlighting projects such as the "Amity Space Mission," the Amity Ground Station in Dubai, the Amity Centre for Astrobiology at Amity University Mumbai, the Amity Centre of Ionosphere Studies at Amity University Chhattisgarh, and the Amity Centre for Artificial Intelligence at Amity Noida. He also celebrated the achievements of students from Amity International School, Noida, who have thrice won the first prize in the NASA Space Settlement Design Contest. Dr Selvamurthy concluded by echoing the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an "Atmanirbhar Bharat" (self-reliant India) and Dr. Chauhan's mission for Amity to be the foremost R&D and academic partner of ISRO. Dr Prakash Chauhan from NRSC discussed the vast datasets available and the necessity of leveraging advanced technologies like Machine Learning, AI, and Astrobiology for optimal utilization. S Somanath praised Amity University for its initiative in collaborating with ISRO, emphasizing the importance of understanding industry challenges and focusing on translational research with concrete deliverables. "I believe that Amity University has the capacity that they can build a strong ecosystem for Space, Science & Technology", stated Dr Somanath. He assured ISRO's support in identifying areas for collaboration and mutual growth, recognizing Amity's potential to build a robust ecosystem for space science and technology. Dr Ashok K. Chauhan expressed deep gratitude to S. Somanath, stating, "Amity pays deep gratitude to Dr S Somanath for showing strong faith and confidence in us and I feel obliged by his presence today in this workshop". He emphasized, "We will leave no stone unturned to become No. 1 R&D and Academia partner and to prove that Indians have the best brains in the world". Dr A K Singh highlighted a spiritual Hawan ceremony conducted across all Amity campuses during the Chandrayaan-III launch, aligning with the Amity Space Mission initiated by Dr Chauhan. He thanked everyone for their meticulous planning, underscoring the workshop's role in fostering collaboration and outreach activities. He concluded with optimism for fruitful collaborations resulting from the workshop. The inaugural session included introductions from scientists of both ISRO and Amity. Dr Sudheer Kumar N presented ongoing research, focusing on India's goal of a moon landing by 2040, enhancing payload capacity, and capacity building for space missions. The workshop featured presentations and discussions on AI, Data Science, and advancements in Astrobiology, showcasing the collective research achievements and future directions of both institutions. (ANI)
In a big revelation by the Rajasthan Railway Police, the team exposed the kidnappings of infants by a juggler gang (madari gang), before they could have turned them into street performers (jamura). Police have arrested five members of the juggler gang, namely, Mukesh Madari, Karna, Arjun, Prem and one woman named Lajjo. According to the police officials, these accused have lived as nomads and earned money from juggling, but they are native to Bhiwani, Haryana. This case came into view when a child from Kota Railway Junction was kidnapped when his father went to collect tickets on May 5. His father reported a complaint and the team started an investigation. Upon checking over 500 CCTVs, it was found that the gang members kidnapped the child from the railway station and took him to Bhopal via Jhalawar. "The teams got certain leads and connecting them; they reached Jaipur, where an intense search operation was conducted at multiple places on Tuesday night. During the search operation, the four-year-old boy and another minor who was abducted ten years ago were rescued," said Additional Director General (GRP) Anil Paliwal. In a search operation, a four-year-old innocent boy was rescued from a camp in Vidyadhar Nagar. Police also rescued another boy who was kidnapped 10 years ago from Gangapur City. Upon interrogation, these miscreants confessed to kidnapping this child too. The police officials are now trying to reach the child's family by searching the records of the missing children. (ANI)
Eight people were killed and another was injured after an SUV they were travelling in collided with another vehicle on the busy Indore-Ahmedabad Highway near Betma in Madhya Pradesh's Indore district late on Wednesday night, police said. According to officials, the victims were travelling to Guna when their SUV collided with an unidentified vehicle on the four-lane highway. "We received about a Bolero car accident on the Indore-Ahmedabad Highway in Betwa Police Station limits. There were nine people in the vehicle, and 8 of them were killed. All the people were going towards Guna," DSP (rural) Umakant Chaudhary said. "Of those eight people killed in the accident is a police constable. All the bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination, and the other person injured in the incident has been taken to the hospital," he added. More details are awaited. Earlier on May 6, four children and a driver were killed while two other children sustained injuries after a tractor overturned in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district. The accident occurred in Tineta village under the jurisdiction of Chargawan police station in the district, the police added. (ANI)
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday ordered a CB-CID (Crime Branch-Crime Investigation Department) probe into the Sangamviduthi village water tank incident. The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that cited a complaint of mixing cow dung in an overhead tank in Sangamviduthi village in Pudukkottai district in Tamil Nadu. The division bench of Justices P Velmurugan and K Rajasekar ordered the CB-CID probe and posted the matter on June 5. Shanmugam of Pudukottai filed a Public Interest Litigation in court, stating, "There was a complaint that cow dung was mixed in an overhead tank in Sangamviduthi village on April 25. Many people who drank this water became ill. The case does not appear to have been properly investigated. In Pudukkottai, the two-tumbler system is still practiced. Scheduled caste people were not allowed to drink from the same tumblers used by those from the intermediate castes. SC people were asked to sit in separate places and they were also not allowed to use common ponds and community halls." He also demanded that the government be directed to provide adequate compensation to the villagers and eliminate all forms of caste discrimination in the district. The case of mixing human faeces in a water tank at Vengaivayal, also in the Pudukkottai district, is yet to be closed, and another incident of water contamination by mixing cow dung was reported in Sangamviduthi village. (ANI)
Driving school unions in Kerala called off their strike against the driving license test in the State after the government agreed to modify some of the directives, State Transport Minister KB Ganesh Kumar said. The minister said that the government had arrived at a truce with the unions after a meeting with them. "The strike is over and they all have cooperated with the government... The quantity of the licence is not the issue, the quality of the licence is the issue. We have decided to give good quality education in the driving sector to avoid accidents. This is the first thing in road safety," said the Kerala Transport Minister on Wednesday. "Driving tests will be very strict and we will record everything in the dashboard cameras. This will ensure transparency," he said. The unions were protesting against government's directives about installing dashboard camera in vehicles used for learning and testing and the imposition of a ban on a vehicle older than 15 years for the purpose of testing and learning. Earlier, some unions also moved the Kerala High Court against the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) circular that decreed the reforms but the court refused to stay the circular, which also mandated that only 30 driving tests would be held per day. After the government modified the directives, it was stated that the dashboard cameras would now be procured by the MVD and placed inside vehicles during a test, and four-wheelers up to 18 years old can be used for testing and learning. (ANI)
People internally displaced in the face of tribal conflicts continued streaming into Peku Chara in Tripura's Panisagar, with the situation turning graver by the day following the influx of new families. It has been nearly five days since the initial influx of internally displaced people. However, it was alleged that no measures have yet been taken by the authorities to rehabilitate the displaced families. Meanwhile, the area continues to experience an ever-growing influx of people fleeing violence and conflict each day. The initial wave of internally displaced people arrived on Saturday, last week, with 14 families settling in Ward No. 5 of Peku Chara. The following day, this number swelled to 27 families. Over the subsequent days, the number skyrocketed, and currently, over a hundred families are living under an open sky, braving the elements with no proper shelter or facilities. The crisis stems from conflicts involving local tribes that have forced these families to flee their homes. These tribal disputes have escalated tensions in the region, leading to large-scale displacement and contributing significantly to the evolving situation in Peku Chara. The alleged encroachment on forest land prompted a visit from AM Kanpode, the principal chief conservator of forests, accompanied by other senior officials, including the North District forest officer. The delegation arrived at Peku Chara around noon on Wednesday to inspect the area occupied by the settlers fleeing internal conflicts. Despite the prevailing state of affairs, the officials concluded their visit without making any public statements or announcing any relief measures. The displaced people, many of whom are living in makeshift shelters, continue to await assistance amid growing uncertainty and deteriorating living conditions. Residents and humanitarian groups also raised calls for the state government to urgently address the crisis while stressing the need to provide adequate shelter, food, and medical aid to the affected families. The situation remains critical, and the delay in the government's response has compounded the hardships faced by the refugees. As the number of displaced families continues to rise, the need for swift and effective intervention has become increasingly urgent to prevent further escalation of the humanitarian crisis. "We have been here for about five days now. We have been facing hardships due to the inadequate provision of water, food, and electricity. We are also worried about mosquito bites. The foresters are also creating problems. The government is yet to extend support. Some of us are battling medical issues. Many are starving. Officers of the forest department visited the area but did not interact with us. Pressure from the tribal communities is largely to blame for our current plight. They disturbed our way of life and displaced us from our homes. We want strict action against the perpetrators and support from the government," one of the refugees told ANI. (ANI)
Coming down heavily on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal by the former's personal assistant, the BJP's Delhi chief Virendraa Sachdeva alleged that the supremo of the ruling party in the national capital supports 'oppression of women'. Speaking to ANI on Thursday, the BJP's Delhi chief said, "Last night, Arvind Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh and Bibhav Kumar (the CM's aide accused of assaulting Maliwal) were seen together at the Lucknow airport. The person accused of assaulting Swati Maliwal is roaming around with him. This goes to show that Kejriwal supports the oppression of women. The real, anti-women, face of the AAP now stands exposed." Amid the fierce political showdown with the AAP over the alleged assault on the former DCW chairperson, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala claimed earlier on Thursday that CM Kejriwal was shielding his aide. It was alleged that CM Kejriwal's aide assaulted the former chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women at the former's residence. After initially reserving silence in the matter, the AAP owned up to the incident, with senior party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh saying that the CM had taken due cognisance of the incident and strict action would follow. However, sharing an image of AAP leaders at the Lucknow airport in which party boss Kejriwal, along with Sanjay Singh and Bibhav Kumar are seen, Poonawala posted from his official X handle on Thursday, "72 hours No FIR on Bibhav Kumar instead Kejriwal is protecting him! Roaming around with him.." The BJP spokesperson claimed that the assault on Maliwal was done at the behest of Kejriwal and she was subjected to violence."It is clear: attack on Swati Maliwal was done at (the) behest of Kejriwal himself Sheesh Mahal is Apradh Mahal & just like Draupadi cheerharan--a woman Rajya Sabha MP was subjected to violence, assault," Poonawala added. The BJP spokesperson claimed that Maliwal is now being forced by her party to keep silent or change her story which is why she has not approached the police. "Now she is being pressured to keep silent or change her story as is evident from statements of Naveen Jaihind & Nitin Tyagi of AAP hence she hasn't approached the police yet True face of AAP - Anti women anarchist party," Poonawala said. Meanwhile, leading the BJP's efforts to campaign in the far corners of the city and reach out to voters ahead of polling in the national capital on May 25, Sachdeva, on Thursday, headlined an event at Hathoda Ram Park to rally support Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his bid for a third, straight term in office. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the campaign event, Sachdeva said, "Our workers are going to the far corners of the city and urging people to demonstrate their electoral support for PM Modi. The people are with PM Modi and we will make sure that the BJP wins all seven Lok Sabha constituencies of Delhi." Earlier, on May 12, the BJP's Delhi president and Union Minister General (retd) VK Singh flagged off a bike rally in support of PM Modi in the national capital. The rally, organised by the Sikh community, was led by party leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa. "The youth have taken out a bike rally to show support of the Sikh community for PM Narendra Modi (for Delhi Lok Sabha seats). He has made untiring efforts to strengthen our community, be it taking action against the 1984 riots accused, opening the Kartarpur Sahib corridor, marking Veer Bal Diwas to commemorate the sacrifice of the four sons of Guru Gobind Singh, or rescuing members of the Sikh community from war-torn Afghanistan," Sirsa told ANI during the rally. The BJP came up with several new names as its choices for Delhi's Lok Sabha seats including Bansuri Swaraj, Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Praveen Khandelwal, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Harsh Malhotra, and Yogendra Chandolia. However, the sitting BJP MP from North East Delhi, Manoj Tiwari, earned a fresh ticket to seek a fresh term from the constituency. The BJP won all the seats in the national capital in the 2019 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections and are eyeing an encore this time. The Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress are fighting the elections in alliance in the national capital, with the former contesting four seats and the latter three. The counting of votes in Delhi and elsewhere across all phases is scheduled for June 4. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asserted that in the coming five years, Modi and Yogi are going to change the "picture" and "fate" of Purvanchal, adding that he aims to make India a 'Viksit Bharat'. Addressing a rally in Jaunpur, PM Modi asserted that winning even a single seat in UP is difficult for the INDIA bloc. "I pledge to build a developed India and the growth engine of developed India will be Purvanchal, Eastern India. This entire region is becoming a strong hub of health and education. In the coming five years, Modi-Yogi is going to change both the image and the fate of Purvanchal," PM Modi said. He further emphasised that the world is discussing Kashi and Ayodhya instead of Delhi and Mumbai. "You have seen it in Kashi and you are seeing it in Ayodhya how a strong government works. Earlier, when people used to talk about development, they used to discuss Delhi and Mumbai but now the country and the world discuss Kashi and Ayodhya," the Prime Minister said. He further said that there are two models before the country: one is the BJP's "santushtikaran," and the second is the 'ghamandiya' alliance's "tushtikaran." "In this election, the country has 2 models before it - on one side it's we- Modi, BJP, NDA whose path is 'santushtikaran'; on the other side, be it the SP, Congress or 'ghamandiya' alliance, their path is 'tushtikaran'. This game of SP and Congress is dangerous. They seek votes here and while in South India, they abuse and humiliate the people of Uttar Pradesh and use absurd language for the people of UP and Sanatana Dharma," he added. PM Modi said that this Lok Sabha election is an opportunity for the country to choose a leader who can run a strong government. "This election is an opportunity to choose the prime minister of the country. Such a Prime Minister who runs a strong government that cannot be dominated by the world but that makes the world aware of India's strength," he said. Hitting back at Samajwadi Party heavyweight Ram Gopal Yadav over his comment on the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, PM Modi said that they are saying all this to make their 'vote bank' happy. "On one hand, Modi is trying to provide true social justice, on the other, the Samajwadi Party and Congress' INDI alliance are falling deeper into the pit of appeasement politics. It never comes out of vote bank politics. After waiting for 500 years, the country got the Ram temple. The country is happy, but the 'parivarvadi' are abusing. The uncle of the SP 'shezada' (Akhilesh Yadav) is calling the Ram temple 'bekar Mandir'. The SP shezada makes fun of Kashi. They have regularly played with Hindu-Muslim religious sentiments for the past 70 years," he said. The Prime Minister also assured the people that if any of the members of their family fell ill, then it was his responsibility to ensure their treatment. "Modi is giving you one more guarantee. Families have elderly people who are above 70 years of age, and a huge amount of money goes into treating the ailments of these elderly people. So, Modi guarantees that any of your family members who are above the age bracket of 70 years, if they fall sick, then I will take responsibility for their treatment," he said. PM Modi also singled out two children who had dressed up as UP CM Yogi Adityanath and him at his public rally in Jaunpur for appreciation. The Prime Minister was addressing an election rally in support of BJP candidate Kripashankar Singh from the Jaunpur parliamentary constituency. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Jaunpur seat went to the Bahujan Samaj Party. BSP candidate Shyam Singh Yadav, who contested the election under the SP-BSP alliance, had won this seat. The Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded Kripa Shankar Singh, who was active in Maharashtra politics, from Jaunpur. The voting in Jaunpur and Machhlishahr will take place in the sixth phase on May 25. The counting of the votes will be held on June 4. (ANI)
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will be visiting the Darbar Sahib in Punjab on Thursday, the first time after his interim bail in the Delhi excise policy case. The visit will follow a joint press conference he held with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav earlier in the day. "I have reached Punjab after holding a press conference with Akhilesh ji in Lucknow. I will go to Darbar Sahib in some time. I am going for the first time after coming out of jail. After that, I will take blessings at Durgiana temple. Tomorrow I will go to Ram Tirtha," Kejriwal said in a post on 'X'. Kejriwal is slated to hold a mega roadshow in Amritsar to mark the start of the Aam Aadmi Party chief's election campaign for Lok Sabha polls in Punjab. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will also be part of the roadshow that will kick off at 6 pm on Thursday, the party said. Earlier on Wednesday, Kejriwal held a rally in the national capital in support of the Congress candidate from North West Delhi Udit Raj and the Congress candidate from North East Delhi Kanhaiya Kumar. The Congress and AAP are contesting the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi in a seat-sharing arrangement in which AAP is contesting four seats whereas the Congress party is contesting three. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal exuded confidence in the alliance's victory in the national capital after campaigning for the AAP and Congress candidates in Delhi. The Supreme Court gave interim bail to the Aam Aadmi Party convenor till June 1 ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in the national capital. However, as per the terms of his bail, the Delhi Chief Minister cannot make any comment about his role in the Delhi liquor scam case. (ANI)
The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued notice on Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha's plea seeking bail in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case related to the alleged liquor policy scam. The court has also sought the response of the CBI on her plea challenging CBI arrest and the trial court order remanding her to CBI custody. The bench of Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma fixed the matter for May 24, 2024. On the same day, the hearing of K Kavitha's bail plea in the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) case is also fixed. K Kavitha, in her plea challenging her arrest in a CBI case, stated that the entire proceedings leading to the arrest and incarceration of her in the case are anathema to law and violative of the fundamental postulates on which the interplay of powers vested with the investigating agency as well as with the Court qua a person who is already languishing in custody in another (ED) case is concerned, thereby resulting in the violation of the petitioner's fundamental rights under Articles 21 and 22(1) & (2) of the Constitution, apart from such an action being not supported by any provision or procedure in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. Last week, the Delhi HC issued notice to ED on Kavitha's bail plea moved by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Leader K Kavitha in the money laundering case pertaining to the scrapped excise policy of Delhi. Recently, the ED filed a supplementary prosecution complaint (chargesheet) in the excise policy case in Rouse Avenue Court. The chargesheet was filed against BRS Leader K Kavitha and others, containing 224 pages (operative parts). This is the sixth supplementary chargesheet in the ED case. The plea moved by K Kavitha stated that she is the mother of two children, one of whom is a minor, presently under shock and is undergoing medical supervision. Kavitha, in her fresh bail plea, alleges that there have been attempts to drag her into the scandal by the members of the ruling party at the Centre. Neither has any corroboration to the allegation of the actual cash transaction nor any money trail is forthcoming, therefore, the satisfaction of guilt as expressed in his arrest order is merely a sham and a pretence, she stated. On May 6, the Rouse Avenue Court of Delhi dismissed the bail petitions moved by Kavitha in connection with CBI and ED cases related to the Delhi excise policy. K Kavitha was arrested by the ED on March 15, 2024 and by the CBI on April 11, 2024. Earlier, CBI, through a remand application, stated that "Kavitha Kalvakuntla was required to be arrested in the instant case to conduct her custodial interrogation for confronting her with the evidence and witnesses to unearth the larger conspiracy hatched among the accused and suspect persons regarding the formulation and implementation of the excise policy, as well as to establish the money trail of ill-gotten money generated and to establish the role of other accused/suspect persons, including public servants, as well as to unearth the facts which are in her exclusive knowledge." The CBI inquiry was recommended based on the findings of the Delhi Chief Secretary's report filed in July showing prima facie violations of the GNCTD Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR)-1993, Delhi Excise Act-2009, and Delhi Excise Rules-2010, officials said. The ED and the CBI had alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, the licence fee was waived or reduced and the L-1 licence was extended without the competent authority's approval. The beneficiaries diverted "illegal" gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection, the probe agencies said. As per the allegations, the Excise Department had decided to refund the earnest money deposit of about Rs 30 crore to a successful tenderer against the set rules. Even though there was no enabling provision, a waiver on tendered licence fees was allowed from December 28, 2021, to January 27, 2022, due to COVID-19, the probe agency said and there was an alleged loss of Rs 144.36 crore to the exchequer. (ANI)
The National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has taken cognizance of the information about a boy and a Muslim cleric being injured in an explosion in a Madrasa in Saran, Bihar. NCPCR chairman Priyank Kanoongo stated that he would be reaching the spot on Friday and conducting a fact-finding investigation. Taking to 'X' NCPCR chairman Priyank Kanoongo said, "NCPCR has taken cognizance of the information about a boy and a Muslim cleric being injured in an explosion in a Madrasa in Saran, Bihar. I will reach there tomorrow with a team and conduct a fact-finding investigation into the matter. Persons willing to give information on this subject can contact me directly or through the District Child Protection Officer, Saran." Earlier in a press release Saran police said that on May 15 at 6:00 pm, information of an explosion was received near the Madrasa located in Motirajpur village under Garkha police station in Saran in which two people got injured. "According to the initial information, firecrackers were being manufactured there by both the injured persons Maulana Immuddin (40 years) and Noor Alam (15), but only after their statement the cause of the explosion would be known. The FSL team has been called and further research is being carried out. The injured are being treated in Patna," Saran police said. (ANI)
An FIR has been filed in connection with the alleged assault of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Swati Maliwal, Delhi Police officials said on Thursday. According to the police, the name of the Delhi Chief Minister''s personal secretary, Bibhav Kumar, has been mentioned in the FIR. The FIR has been registered under sections 354, 506, 509, and 323 among other sections of IPC for offences including assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, criminal intimidation, word gesture or act of intent to insult and assault. Earlier in the day, the National Commission for Women (NCW) summoned Bibhav Kumar to appear on May 17 in connection with the alleged assault. "The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo moto cognizance of a media post captioned ''DCW chief Swati Maliwal accuses Arvind Kejriwal''s personal secretary of assaulting her''. The post reported that Ms Swati Maliwal, RS MP and former DCW chief, has alleged that the Private Secretary of (the) Chief Minister of Delhi had brutally assaulted her at the Chief Minister''s residence," read the notice issued by the NCW on Thursday. "In view of the above, the Commission has scheduled a hearing in this matter on May 17, 2024, at 11 AM. All concerned parties are required to appear before the Commission in person," it added. The alleged assault on the former chairperson of the DCW triggered a major political slugfest between the BJP and the AAP, with the former accusing the CM of shielding his accused aide. All India Mahila Congress President Alka Lamba had said that Swati Maliwal is a strong woman who would come forward and take the legal route on the issue. "In the case of Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, after the press conference of AAP leader Sanjay Singh ji, it has been confirmed that some unpleasant incident has happened with Swati Maliwal ji in the CM residence, and her party stands strongly with her. Swati Maliwal is a strong and aware woman, I am confident that she will come forward and take the legal route and fight for justice," Alka Lamba said. When reporters asked Kejriwal, during a joint press conference with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, about the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, the AAP supremo refused to answer any questions. During the press conference when the issue was raised, Akhilesh Yadav brushed aside the question saying "There are other issues that are more important than this." It was then left to AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh to defend his party. The AAP MP accused the BJP of playing political games on the issue and alleged that the BJP had been behind Swati Maliwal being dragged and manhandled by Delhi police during the wrestlers'' protest at Jantar Mantar. "Aam Aadmi Party is our family. The party has taken a clear stand on this issue...Can they answer the case of Swati Maliwal, when she went to fight for justice for women wrestlers at Jantar Mantar, they made the police drag and beat her up. Don''t play political games on this," Singh said speaking to reporters. The BJP accused the AAP of failing to act against Bibhav Kumar the PA to Arvind Kejriwal who was allegedly behind the assault on Maliwal. Sharing a picture of Bibhav with Arvind Kejriwal at the Lucknow airport the BJP questioned the AAP for not acting against him despite an assurance from party MP Sanjay Singh. Meanwhile, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday weighed in on the alleged assault on Swati Maliwal saying that her party stood with women against any atrocity. Speaking to ANI while on the campaign trail in Raebareli, Priyanka Gandhi said, "If any atrocity happens to any woman anywhere, we stand with the woman. I always stand with women - irrespective of which party they belong to. Secondly, AAP will discuss amid themselves and make a decision. It is up to them." (ANI)
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday accused the Congress of having looted the hard-earned money of the people of the country when the party was in power. "It's not hidden from anyone that Congress and such parties have looted the hard-earned money of the people of the country. Before 2014, rarely a day passed without any corruption," Dhami said at a public rally in Yamunanagar. By pointing out the emergency imposed during the Congress government led by Indira Gandhi, he questioned the credentials of the party's commitment to democracy. "Because of the Modi government's zero tolerance towards corruption, the dynast politicians are in jail or on bail. Because of this strong action by the government, these corrupt politicians, who do appeasement politics, are misleading the people against the Modi government. The Congress who now cry for democracy, once imposed an emergency, committing a lot of atrocities against the people," he said. He exuded confidence that the BJP will sweep Haryana in the Lok Sabha election. "We are winning with a huge majority. People are full of enthusiasm, they want to see Modi ji, the Prime Minister for the third time," he said. While replying to the reporters' questions on Char Dham Yatra, he said that all arrangements are in place for the yatra and that twice as many pilgrims are arriving as compared to previous years. "There has been some trouble due to the excessive number of devotees but our effort is to overcome them as soon as possible. Pilgrims should start the journey with registration and must follow the rules," Dhami said. Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Director General of Police Abhinav Kumar held a high-level meeting in the state secretariat on Wednesday over the unexpected rush of devotees coming for the Char Dham Yatra."In view of the unexpected crowd at the four Dhams, we have written a letter to the Director Generals of Police of all the states of the country and requested them not to send any VIP from their respective states for the Char Dham Darshan till May 31," Abhinav Kumar told ANI. Over 26 lakh devotees from all across the country and abroad have registered for the ongoing Char Dham Yatra, said Commissioner Garhwal Division Vinay Shankar Pandey."Char Dham Yatra is going on in the state. So far, 26.73 lakh devotees have registered for the Char Dham Yatra... More than 1.42 lakh offline registrations have been done in Haridwar and Rishikesh counters. This time double the number of devotees are coming as compared to last year," he said. (ANI)
The Crime Branch of Mumbai Police arrested the main accused Bhavesh Bhide from Udaipur and is bringing him to Mumbai, said the Mumbai Police.

"16 people were killed and about 75 people were injured when hoardings collapsed in Ghatkopar, Mumbai," added the police.

Expressing grief over the hoarding collapse incident in Ghatkopar, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani said earlier on Thursday that it was a tragic incident and informed that the rescue operation has been completed.

"This was a tragic incident in which 16 people died. The rescue operation has been completed. Here is an active petrol pump; that's why our rescue operation was delayed," Gagrani said.

Earlier, Mumbai police had registered a case under IPC 304, 338, 337, and 34 against owner Bhavesh Bhide and others at Pantnagar police station.

A massive hoarding collapsed in Mumbai's Ghatkopar area on May 13 amid strong winds where 16 people were killed and about 75 people were injured.

Bhavesh Bhide is the director of Ego Media, the advertising agency and hoarding company responsible for erecting the collapsed hoarding in Ghatkopar. (ANI)
CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Thursday said that TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's statement that she will give outside support to the INDIA bloc if it comes to power means that her party is not part of the alliance. "After the four phases of elections, it is clear that NDA government will not be formed. Since the chances of the INDIA alliance forming the government have increased, TMC's Mamata Banerjee is saying that she will support from outside. She says that she played a major role in the formation of the INDIA alliance and then says that she will support from outside. This means that she is not part of the INDIA alliance," Yechury told ANI here. He said that an INDIA bloc government or a government that is secular and believes in democratic values is good for the country and the people. Alleging that the "BJP is a party full of thieves", Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that she would extend outside support to the INDIA bloc. She said that she would extend her support so that "in Bengal, our mothers and sisters and those who work in the 100 days' job scheme never face a problem". In Bengal, CPI(M)-led Left and the Congress in Bengal are fighting the 2024 Lok Sabha election in alliance. Mamata Banerjee said that the TMC is not in alliance with the CPI(M) and the Congress in West Bengal but is in alliance with it at the national level. Meanwhile, in a scathing and unsparing attack on his Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee and the ruling Trinamool Congress, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma accused her of leading a government for 'appeasement'. Campaigning for the BJP's candidate for the Howrah Lok Sabha constituency, Dr Rathin Chakraborty, the Rajasthan CM said on Wednesday, "You are all aware of the state of affairs here. This is a government being run on the basis of appeasement politics. The people of Bengal are fed up with the government for its brazen appeasement of a certain vote bank and rampant corruption. However, they have decided to rise against the misrule this time and vote for change." Later, taking to his official X handle, CM Bhajan Lal posted, "Kolkata is Modi-fied. Lotus is sure to bloom at every booth. Today, during my visit to West Bengal, I established a positive dialogue with the migrant industrialists of Rajasthan in Kolkata and called upon everyone to form the Modi government again with a historic majority in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024." The Congress and the Left Front entered into a seat-sharing pact for the state as part of which the former is contesting 12 seats while setting aside the remaining 30 for the latter. Polling for 18 seats in Bengal was conducted across the first four phases, while the remaining 24 seats will go to polls in the next three phases on May 20, May 25 and June 1. The constituencies polling in the fifth phase include Bangaon, Barrackpur, Howrah, Uluberia, Srerampur, Hooghly and Arambagh. (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party president JP Nadda on Thursday attacked the ruling Biju Janata Dal in Odisha alleging that there was "corruption" and urged the people to bless the BJP in the assembly and Lok Sabha polls. Addressing a public meeting in the Bargarh district on Thursday, ahead of the fifth phase of polling for Lok Sabha elections on May 20, Nadda said BJP will implement welfare schemes for people including women if voted to power. "Is corruption taking place under BJD rule or not? Officers are indulging in corruption or not...they have embezzled crores of rupees," he said. "Will you let these people come to power again?...This is the time to bless the BJP party by making it win," he added. Nadda said that the Chief Minister of Odisha should be a leader who knows the culture of the state, speaks its language and is your brother. "It is a question of Odisha's self-pride," he said. Nadda said Modi transformed politics after coming to power, focusing on development and performance. He accused the opposition parties of trying to create divisions and indulging in appeasement and vote bank politics. "The strategy was 'divide and rule'. However, in the last decade, Modi has transformed the definition of politics. Today, politics is about development and performance." Nadda also talked about India becoming the fifth largest economy during the rule of BJP-led government and said the country will become the third largest economy in three years if the party-led NDA is re-elected in the Lok Sabha polls. "Today, under Modi's leadership, India has surpassed Britain to become the world's fifth-largest economy. Now, let's make Modi the Prime Minister again... Modiji will become the Prime Minister for the third time, and within three years, India will become the world's third-largest economy," he said. Nadda also talked about the speed of bringing out vaccines against coronavirus and India's progress in drug manufacturing. The assembly and Lok Sabha polls in Odisha are being held across four phases--from May 13 to June 1. The counting of votes will be held on June 4. In the last assembly elections in 2019, the BJD won 112 out of 146 seats. BJP won 23 seats and Congress got nine seats. (ANI)
According to recent research, dopamine is essential for the growth of neurons. Researchers have shown that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and disrupted impaired developmental dopamine signalling are related. Their findings open the door for future targeted therapies by highlighting the significance of researching developmental signalling pathways to comprehend the aetiology of ASD. Their research is published by Elsevier in The American Journal of Pathology. Lead investigators Lingyan Xing, PhD, and Gang Chen, PhD, Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration of Jiangsu and the Ministry of Education, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Tissue Engineering Technology Products, Nantong University, explained, "While dopamine is commonly recognized as a neurotransmitter, its significance in the developmental aspects of autism is largely unexplored. Recent studies have highlighted the crucial roles of dopamine and serotonin in development and their importance in the construction of neural circuits." "In addition, studies have indicated that the use of dopamine-related drugs during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of autism in children. Armed with these tantalizing clues, we embarked on a mission to bridge the gap between dopamine's known functions and its potential impact on neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly autism. Our quest was to uncover a novel therapeutic target that could revolutionize the way we approach autism treatment." Investigators studied the role of disrupted dopaminergic signaling in the etiology of ASD by integrating human brain RNA sequencing transcriptome analysis and a zebrafish model, recognized for its high degree of conservation with humans. To analyze the developmental deficits in ASD systematically, two large publicly available data sets were retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Gene Expression Omnibus database and RNA sequencing data from Arkinglab. Transcriptome analysis of human brains revealed significant correlations between changes in dopaminergic signaling pathways and neural developmental signaling in patients with autism. This suggests a potential link between disrupted developmental dopamine signaling and autism pathology. To explore this link further researchers used the zebrafish model to study the effects of disrupted dopaminergic signaling on neural circuit development. They found that perturbations in developmental dopaminergic signaling led to neural circuit abnormalities and behavioral phenotypes reminiscent of autism in zebrafish larvae. The study also uncovered a potential mechanism by which dopamine impacts neuronal specification through the modulation of integrins. Dr. Chen commented, "We were surprised by the extent of the impact that dopaminergic signaling has on neuronal specification in zebrafish, potentially laying the groundwork for circuit disruption in autism-related phenotype. Furthermore, the unexpected involvement of integrins as downstream targets of dopaminergic signaling provides new insights into the mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders." Dr. Xing concluded, "This research sheds light on the role of dopamine in neural circuit formation during early development, specifically in the context of autism. Understanding these mechanisms could lead to novel therapeutic interventions targeting dopaminergic signaling pathways to improve outcomes in individuals with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders." ASD is a developmental disorder that usually manifests itself in early childhood. Although clinical outcomes vary greatly from case to case, autism is characterized by both a restricted interest in social interaction and repetitive behavior. This coincides with disruptions in brain connectivity shown by diffusion tension imaging. Studies have shown that several neurodevelopmental processes may be affected in ASD, including neurogenesis, neural migration, axon pathfinding, and synaptic formation, all of which can lead to neural circuit disruption. (ANI)
The Biden administration will send further military aid worth USD 2 billion to Ukraine amid its ongoing conflict with Russia, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday (local time) as he concluded his two-day visit to Kyiv intended to underline Washington's support, the Washington Post reported. Blinken said the USD 2 billion for Ukraine would come in the form of a "first-of-its-kind defense enterprise fund" that would channel assistance to the country in the coming months. The aid, in the form of new weapons systems and support for Ukraine's defense industry, comes partially from a USD 61 billion package that the US Congress approved last month, while USD 400 million comes from a separate pool of money earmarked for general foreign defence aid, which is now being directed to Ukraine. However, Blinken also stressed that the Biden administration remains opposed to Ukraine striking targets inside Russian territory with US weaponry -- something Ukrainian policymakers have been pushing for with increasing urgency. The visit coincided with Russian military advances that highlighted Ukraine's defenses in an "extremely vulnerable" light. Russia in recent days has mounted an assault on towns near Kharkiv -- Ukraine's second-largest city. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday cancelled a planned trip to Spain as concern mounted about the latest Russian assaults. "We have not encouraged or enabled strikes outside of Ukraine," Blinken told reporters Wednesday at the end of his first visit to Ukraine since September. "But ultimately, Ukraine has to make decisions for itself about how it's going to conduct this war, a war it is conducting in defense of its freedom, of its sovereignty, of its territorial integrity," Blinken said. "And we will continue to back Ukraine with the equipment it needs to succeed." Notably, Ukraine is able to use weaponry supplied by other countries, including the United Kingdom, to hit targets on Russian soil, the White House has forbidden American equipment from being used to hit Russian territory for fear of inciting a direct military conflict with Russia, the Washington Post reported. This has proved 'frustrating' for Ukraine, especially in recent weeks, as it witnessed a military build-up on Russian territory close to Kharkiv but found its ability to strike it very limited, the report added. Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, appreciated the US help, but also acknowledged the "difficulties" faced by Kyiv due to more than six months of 'congressional inaction' that preceded April's approval of the aid. "Every delay of supply results in setbacks on the front line. This is the general rule," Kuleba said. "When a Ukrainian infantryman or artilleryman has everything that he or she needs, we are winning. Every time there are delays in supplies and insufficient supplies, we are not winning. The law of war is cruel but very clear." The report cited analysts and US officials in stating that Russian forces do not appear poised to capture Kharkiv city, but that they are probably trying to cause enough of a challenge there to draw Ukrainian military assets away from other front-line positions farther south. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based independent research group, said Russia's attack on the northeast Kharkiv region appeared to have slowed, indicating that it was probably an effort to create a buffer zone on the border, not an effort to capture the city. It added that Russia continued to make small but steady gains farther south, Washington Post reported. (ANI)
France has declared a state of emergency on the Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia after violent protests flared up against electoral reforms killing one police officer and three others, the Washington Post reported. Notably, New Caledonia is a French overseas territory located hundreds of miles off Australia's eastern coast. The violence -- the worst in decades -- is the latest flash point in long-running tensions over Paris' role in the archipelago. "On behalf of the government, I reiterate before you the call for calm and appeasement," government spokeswoman Prisca Thevenot said Wednesday at a news briefing following a ministerial meeting. She paid tribute to the four people who lost their lives in the unrest and called for "the resumption of political dialogue" to find a solution to the violence. The state of emergency came into effect at 8 pm (Paris time) on Wednesday and 5 am in Noumea, the island's capital. According to French law, a state of emergency can be declared in situations of "imminent danger resulting from serious breaches of public order." It grants local authorities expanded powers, to cut off public access to certain areas, for example, and to execute searches and prevent certain individuals from entering those areas if they are deemed to represent a threat to public safety, the Washington Post reported. "All violence is intolerable and will be the subject of a relentless response to ensure the return of order," a statement released by French President Emmanuel Macron's office on Wednesday read. Reacting to the violent protest, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said, "Since the start of the week, New Caledonia has been hit by violence of a rare intensity." He added that a state of emergency "will allow us to roll out massive means to restore order." https://x.com/GabrielAttal/status/1790843748928135470 The unrest began on Monday as French lawmakers prepared to vote on a decision to expand voting rights in the territory. However, critics argue that this could marginalize the Indigenous Kanak population and benefit pro-French politicians. The National Assembly adopted the revision overnight. But, for the legislation to become a law, both chambers of parliament still must vote a final time, the Voice of America reported. Groups representing the Kanak people -- who make up about 40 per cent of the territory's 3,00,000-strong population -- have long sought independence, while the descendants of European colonizers wish to remain part of France, according to the Washington Post. Under the 1998 Noumea Accord, which helped end a decade of unrest, voting was to be restricted to Kanaks and individuals born before 1998. But, the new constitutional measure will allow anyone who has been a resident of New Caledonia for 10 years to vote in local elections -- diluting the power of the Kanaks. "We feel oppressed, we're angry," Voice of America quoted a woman as saying to the Caledonia TV. She questioned whether people in France were listening to Kanaks like herself. French Minister of the Interior and Overseas Territories Gerald Darmanin told RTL French radio early Wednesday that "hundreds" of people were injured, including about 100 police officers and gendarmes whose barracks were attacked with axes and live ammunition. "Calm must absolutely be restored," he said. "There are hundreds of injured in New Caledonia, dozens of houses and businesses that have been burned, set alight." The French High Commission informed on Wednesday that at least 130 people had been arrested. It also reported "numerous" incidents of arson and looting against businesses, infrastructure, and public buildings. The mission added that there had been an attempted 'prison break'. The French government has announced the deployment of additional police officers and gendarmes as reinforcements. French authorities also imposed an overnight curfew and banned gatherings in the capital, Noumea. New Caledonia's La Tontouta International Airport is closed to commercial flights. The mineral-rich New Caledonia was annexed by France in 1853, and all inhabitants were given French citizenship in 1957. However, the territory has seen decades of tensions between Kanaks and European descendants over the issue of independence, according to the Washington Post. In addition to the rules on voting rights, the 1998 Noumea agreement set out provisions for three referendums to decide New Caledonia's future, but each one rejected 'independence'. Notably, the last vote, held in December 2021 was boycotted by pro-independence parties, because of the coronavirus pandemic. (ANI)
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) said that 19 of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's southwest sector and eastern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ).

It further stated that the Taiwanese Armed Forces have "responded accordingly."

"27 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. 19 of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's SW and eastern ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded accordingly," Taiwan's Ministry of national Defence stated in a post on X.

https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/1790911751070085178

The increased activity in the Taiwan Strait region comes amid growing geopolitical tensions between Taiwan and China, as reported by Taiwan News.

Taiwan has long been a point of contention for Beijing, which considers the island a renegade province and has repeatedly expressed intentions to reunify it with the mainland, even if by force.

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) has issued daily reports on Chinese military activities for the past few years, including identifying those Chinese aircraft, drones, and balloons that are found to have crossed the Taiwan Strait median line to the Taiwan side.

The median line of the Taiwan Strait served for decades as a tacit border between China and Taiwan, but China's military has more freely sent aircraft, warships and drones across it since former United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022.

The MND earlier informed that it has tracked Chinese military aircraft 126 times and naval vessels 62 times in May so far.

Since September 2020, China has increased its use of grey zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships operating around Taiwan.

Grey zone tactics are defined as "an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempts to achieve one's security objectives without resort to direct and sizable use of force," Taiwan News reported. (ANI)
Anita Mukhey (66) was stabbed by the accused in Burnt Oak Broadway on May 9.

She worked part-time in the National Health Service as a medical secretary.

The police reached the spot on reports of stabbing. But, the victim succumbed to her knife wounds.

"Officers, London Ambulance Service (LAS) and London's Air Ambulance (HEMS) all attended the scene, where a 66-year-old woman was treated for knife wounds. Sadly, despite the best efforts of emergency services, she died at the scene. Her family have been informed," the police statement read.

The accused, Jalal Debella (22) was arrested on suspicion of murder in the Colindale area on the same day of the incident.

He was charged with murder and possession of an offensive weapon at Willesden Magistrates' Court on May 11.

The victim's family issued a statement via police as a tribute to Mukhey and requested privacy in this "difficult time."

"Anita Mukhey, 66 years old, was a married mother and grandmother devoted to her family, who also worked part-time in the NHS as a Medical Secretary," the family statement read. "The family ask for privacy at this difficult time." (ANI)
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed support for China's peace plan amid the ongoing military conflict with Ukraine, describing it as a "genuine desire" to bring an end to the hostilities, Al Jazeera reported. In an interview with China's Xinhua state news agency amid his ongoing two-day visit to China to meet President Xi Jinping, Putin commended Beijing's approach, asserting that it comprehended the conflict's 'root causes' and its 'global geopolitical significance'. China's 12-point proposal for ending the conflict had received a lukewarm response upon its release last year. However, Putin lauded the additional measures unveiled last month as "pragmatic and constructive steps" that "elaborate on the imperative to transcend the Cold War mindset", Xinhua quoted the Russian president as saying. Xi Jinping's supplementary principles, outlined during discussions with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, advocate for de-escalation, the establishment of conditions conducive to peace and stability, and mitigating the impact on the global economy. Responding to Putin's comments regarding potential negotiations over the war, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak dismissed them as 'hypocritical', according to Al Jazeera. Putin arrived in Beijing on Thursday, marking his first overseas trip since his re-election in March and his second visit to China in just over six months. Additionally, he plans to visit the northeastern city of Harbin for a trade and investment exposition. The relationship between Russia and China was declared as one of 'no limits' just days before Moscow's alleged invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. While Beijing has refrained from providing direct military support to Russia, it has emerged as a vital economic partner amid the unprecedented sanctions imposed by the West in response to Russia's military actions. Both nations have seen a surge in trade, with China benefitting from affordable Russian energy imports and access to abundant natural resources, including consistent gas shipments via the Power of Siberia pipeline. Despite the economic benefits, China remains cautious due to its ongoing trade dispute with the United States. The recent imposition of substantial tariffs by the US on various Chinese exports has further strained relations between the two economic giants. Moreover, China has faced punitive measures over its perceived support for Russia's actions in Ukraine, with the US imposing sanctions on numerous entities, including Chinese firms, to hinder Russia's military capabilities, as reported by Al Jazeera. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated Washington's commitment to imposing sanctions on enterprises involved in China's alleged support for Russia's war efforts in Ukraine, expressing deep concern over the matter. Russia views the conflict in Ukraine as a struggle against a 'collective West' that disregarded its security concerns by advocating for the expansion of NATO and conducting military activities near its borders. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been advocating for peace, urging China's participation in a peace summit scheduled for June in Switzerland. However, Russia, excluded from the summit, dismisses the initiative as inconsequential, insisting that negotiations must reflect 'new realities'. Zelenskyy's efforts to secure support for Ukraine have included a request for Patriot missile defence systems from the US to protect the city of Kharkiv, located near the Russian border, amid ongoing advances by Russian forces in the region, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)
Ahead of Imran Khan's anticipated appearance via video link in a Supreme Court hearing, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokesperson Raoof Hasan expressed concerns regarding the security conditions at Adiala Jail, where the party's founder is detained, Dawn reported. This will be Imran's first public appearance since his arrest in last August in a Toshakhana case. Justice Athar Minallah on Tuesday said that the apex court could not deny Imran Khan an audience if he wished to appear in person for a case concerning alterations to the country's accountability laws. Consequently, a five-judge bench, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, deliberated before instructing the federal and Punjab governments to facilitate Imran's appearance via video link from Adiala Jail on Thursday, as reported by Dawn. While historically convicted individuals were barred from representing themselves in court, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar committed to complying with the directive, despite this norm. PTI and Imran Khan's family have raised concerns about perceived restrictions imposed on him ahead of the hearing. Imran's sister, Aleema Khanum, highlighted sudden changes in his security detail and the cancellation of scheduled meetings. Addressing reporters, PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan alleged recent deteriorations in jail conditions, particularly in the last three to four days. He mentioned the replacement of Imran's security guards on Monday and claimed that stringent security measures prevented lawyer meetings and weekly interactions with political leaders. Hasan further noted the cancellation of hearings in the Al Qadir Trust case within Adiala Jail and the postponement of proceedings in the cipher and Toshakhana cases, all following the Supreme Court's order for Imran's video appearance. The spokesperson condemned these alleged security enhancements, attributing them to the state and its officials' apprehension towards Imran Khan. Hasan asserted that Imran's potential appearance via video link posed a threat to those in power, who had refrained from broadcasting his voice or face for the past nine months. Highlighting the broader context, Hasan referenced recent controversies, including a letter by six Islamabad High Court judges alleging intelligence apparatus interference in judicial proceedings. The spokesperson concluded by emphasising the need to address the situation comprehensively, echoing concerns over potential obstruction of Imran Khan's video appearance, which he deemed the authorities' actual objective, Dawn reported. (ANI)
Russia has escalated its aggressive campaign in Ukraine, employing psychological, tactical, and economic tactics to complicate Kyiv's defence. The recent developments have prompted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to acknowledge the challenges at hand, remarking on the "challenging moment" unfolding, Al Jazeera reported. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko highlighted the intensification, revealing Russian soldiers' training with Belarusian military in tactical nuclear weapons. This move, coupled with the Kremlin's insinuation of battlefield use in Ukraine, has heightened concerns. "An escalation is ongoing. What should we do in this situation? We need to keep powder dry, including these lethal weapons," Russian official news agency TASS quoted him as saying. The Russian Army has opened a new front in Ukraine's northern Kharkiv region, capturing villages near the border - an offensive Ukrainian officials had warned about days earlier, as reported by Al Jazeera. President Vladimir Putin of Russia has made strategic manoeuvers, appointing an economist to streamline the Ministry of Defence and nationalise Russian defence industries. This action is interpreted by some observers as a signal of long-term preparations for potential conflict with NATO. Russian forces have opened a new front in Ukraine's northern Kharkiv region, seizing villages near the border, despite earlier warnings from Ukrainian officials. This escalation aims to divert resources, sow panic, and facilitate territorial gains, particularly in Ukraine's eastern regions. In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the nation, acknowledging the intention behind the strikes in Kharkiv Oblast to undermine Ukraine's defensive capabilities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his Sunday evening address: "The intention of the strikes in Kharkiv Oblast is to stretch our forces and undermine the moral and motivational basis of Ukrainians' ability to defend themselves." The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), based in Washington, characterised the Russian offensive as an initial phase of a broader operation to draw Ukrainian forces away from critical sectors in eastern Ukraine. "[Russian forces were] likely conducting the initial phase of an offensive operation north of Kharkiv City that has limited operational objectives but is meant to achieve the strategic effect of drawing Ukrainian manpower and materiel from other critical sectors of the front in eastern Ukraine," said the think tank. Reports indicate a significant deployment of Russian troops, with forces engaging in combat along multiple fronts. The conflict has intensified, with Ukrainian forces striving to hold defensive lines amidst challenging circumstances. Despite the escalation, it remains uncertain whether Russia's distraction tactics have achieved the desired effect. Ukrainian defences have proven resilient, with instances of repelling Russian advances. The UK Ministry of Defence has noted a substantial increase in Russian attacks, particularly in eastern Ukraine, where Russia aims to solidify control over Luhansk and Donetsk. The buildup of Russian forces near the border was anticipated by Ukrainian officials, who also warned of Moscow's intentions to seize Kharkiv city. This strategic move aligns with Putin's broader plan to establish a "sanitary zone" within Ukraine's territory. Ukraine's military capabilities face significant challenges, with weaknesses in air defences and low weapon stockpiles. Russia aims to exploit this window of vulnerability to achieve territorial gains before Ukrainian forces are reinforced by US and European weapons, according to Al Jazeera. Russian air superiority has enabled devastating attacks on Ukrainian positions, with a significant number of glide bombs deployed. Despite efforts to counter incoming missiles, Ukraine's success rate in intercepting them has declined, posing additional challenges to its defence. US military aid to Ukraine faced delays due to opposition in Congress, impacting Ukraine's ability to effectively counter Russian aggression. However, recent approvals signal a renewed commitment to support Ukraine's defence efforts. Amidst the conflict, Ukraine has continued to launch retaliatory strikes targeting Russian energy infrastructure and supply lines. These actions demonstrate Ukraine's determination to retaliate and disrupt Russian operations. Putin's appointment of an economist as defence minister signifies a strategic shift towards mobilising the Russian economy and defence industries to sustain a prolonged conflict in Ukraine and potentially prepare for future confrontations with NATO, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)
PM Modi further wished the Slovak PM a speedy recovery.

Moroever, he expressed support for the people of Slovakia.

Taking on social media X, PM Modi stated, "Deeply shocked at the news of the shooting at Slovakia's Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Robert Fico. I strongly condemn this cowardly and dastardly act and wish PM Fico a speedy recovery. India stands in solidarity with the people of the Slovak Republic."

https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1790946804709879953

Robert Fico, who is a four-time Prime Minister of Slovakia, was wounded in a shooting incident on Wednesday (local time) in Handlova, reported the local newspaper, The Slovak Spectator. He was hospitalised following the attack.

Several shots were fired at the scene when the PM came out to meet the people. The alleged shooter was arrested on-site and the area was evacuated.

According to witnesses, shots were heard when the PM came out to meet the people who welcomed him. Fico was then seen on the ground with blood stains.

The incident took place after a government meeting in Handlova, following which the PM was hospitalised.

Yesterday, reactions poured in from across the globe condemning the shooting attack on Slovak PM Robert Fico and wishing for his speedy recovery.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that he was "shocked" to hear about the incident.

In a post on social media platform X, Sunak wrote, "Shocked to hear this awful news. All our thoughts are with Prime Minister Fico and his family."

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the act of violence against Slovakia's head of state.

"The attack on Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico is appalling. We strongly condemn this act of violence against our neighbouring partner state's head of government," Zelenskyy wrote on X. (ANI)
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has warned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan of consequences if the "non-serious party" refuses to apologise over the May 9 riots, reported Geo News. "No one should be permitted to commit terrorism. The opposition leadership committed terrorism on May 9 by disrespecting the monuments of martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country," Bilawal said while speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, the Pakistan publication reported on Wednesday. Notably, the incarcerated PTI founder, in an informal conversation with journalists in Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail on May 8, a day before the first anniversary of the violent protests, turned down the military's demand to apologise for the May 9 riots. Moreover, he also distanced his party from the violent protests that broke out in the country last year, soon after his arrest. Bilawal further urged the opposition party to avoid practicing "double standards" in politics, Geo News reported. He described the opposition members of the PTI as "non-political and non-serious" and lacking interest in the country's politics. He claimed that their leader was "crying" in jail for release. Bilawal added that the PPP has been struggling to strengthen democratic ninstitutions for three generations and this struggle for Pakistan will continue. "They (PTI) want resolution of their personal issues. I want to condemn their non-serious attitude, as on one side, they are claiming to struggle for the supremacy of the Pakistani Constitution, and on the other side, they are insisting on holding dialogues only with establishment," Bilawal said. He added that the PTI-SIC leadership has no interest in democracy, the Constitution or the law, except for redressing their personal grievances. During the address, he highlighted that both the federal government and the opposition should work together to address public issues collectively. Bilawal advised the opposition to provide input in the upcoming budget, particularly during Pakistan's current financial crisis, reported Geo News. He urged the government to take decisive action to resolve the wheat import controversy and hold accountable those responsible during the interim set-up in the wheat import scandal. (ANI)
Slovakian Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba provided reassurance amidst the chaos following an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico, CNN reported. "Fortunately, as far as I know, the operation went well and I guess in the end he will survive," Taraba stated in an interview with the BBC's Newshour program, as quoted by CNN. Taraba described the severity of the injuries sustained by the Prime Minister, indicating that one bullet had entered his stomach while another hit his joints. He recounted the immediate response to the attack, highlighting the swift transportation of Fico to the hospital and subsequent surgery. The assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico has sent shockwaves throughout Slovakia. The incident occurred following an off-site government meeting in the central Slovak town of Handlova. The suspected gunman, among a small crowd awaiting the Prime Minister outside the cultural centre where the meeting took place, reportedly targeted Fico. Footage from the scene captured the Prime Minister being rushed into a vehicle by his staff before being taken to a local hospital and later transferred to a major trauma centre in Banska Bystrica. Fortunately, no other injuries were reported in the attack. Defence Minister Robert Kalinak and Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok condemned the shooting as "politically motivated." Sutaj Estok revealed that the suspect's decision to carry out the attack occurred shortly after the presidential election. Despite the severity of the situation, Deputy Prime Minister Taraba expressed optimism about Fico's recovery, emphasizing that the surgery was successful and the Prime Minister's condition was not life-threatening, as reported by CNN. Slovak President Zuzana Caputova confirmed the detainment of the suspected gunman by police, urging the public to await further information from law enforcement agencies. Caputova condemned the attack as a "brutal and reckless" assault on democracy. She underscored the significance of the incident as an attack not only on an individual but on the democratic principles of the nation. Amidst rising tensions, Defence Minister Kalinak emphasized the need for unity and introspection. He denounced hate speech and division as contributing factors to the political atmosphere that led to the assassination attempt. Interior Minister Sutaj-Estok echoed Kalinak's sentiments, calling for calm and urging against any calls for revenge. He urged the media to use its influence responsibly to quell tensions and promote unity. The attack on Prime Minister Fico comes at a time of deep political polarisation in Slovakia. Fico's return to power last year sparked widespread division, with supporters viewing him as a caring leader while critics perceive him as a populist with concerning pro-Russian leanings. The government's controversial domestic reforms have further fueled public dissent, leading to weeks of peaceful protests, according to CNN. The shocking assassination attempt has drawn condemnation from world leaders. Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the attack as a "monstrous crime" and wished Fico a speedy recovery. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen denounced the violence, emphasizing its detrimental impact on democracy. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed shock and solidarity with Fico, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered support to the people of Slovakia in the wake of the assault. US President Joe Biden expressed alarm at the attempted assassination, describing it as a "horrific act of violence." He extended his thoughts and prayers to Fico's family and the people of Slovakia. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres joined in condemning the attack, highlighting the need to uphold democratic values in the face of such violence, CNN reported. (ANI)
Following Russian President Vladimir Putin's arrival in Beijing, China's President Xi Jinping expressed readiness to work with the Russian leader to jointly steer the future direction of bilateral relations between the two countries, reported Xinhua. During large-group talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China's President said that the two sides should take the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties as a new starting point, further synergize development strategies, and continue to enrich bilateral cooperation, to bring greater benefits to the two countries and peoples. As Putin's motorcade of nearly 20 vehicles, escorted by a formation of motorcyclists dressed in ceremonial white uniforms, arrived outside the Great Hall of the People, the two countries' anthems were played to the accompaniment of a gun salute, before the two leaders walked along the red carpets, Al Jazeera reported. Xi expressed his readiness to make new plans for cooperation between the two countries in various fields, as reported by Xinhua. China's leader, Xi, noted that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of China and said that the country is advancing Chinese modernization on all fronts and moving faster to foster new productive forces through high-quality development, which will add new drivers to global economic growth. He further stressed that both China and Russia are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and major emerging markets. It is the shared strategic choice of both countries to deepen strategic coordination, expand mutually beneficial cooperation and follow the general historical trend of multipolarity in the world and economic globalisation, Xinhua reported. Xi highlighted that this is the Russian President's first foreign visit after he began his new term as president, stressing that this shows the great importance President Putin and the Russian government attach to developing China-Russia relations. Later, in discussions, the Chinese President greeted Putin as an "old friend" and said that China and Russia's relationship had stood the test of time and that they had provided each other with "strategic guidance" in their more than 40 meetings over the past decade. As part of Putin's visit to China, he was scheduled to travel to Harbin, the capital of China's northeastern Heilongjiang province, where he would attend trade and cooperation forums. The region, historically plagued by border tensions between China and Russia, has seen increased connectivity in recent years, fostering closer economic and cultural ties between the two neighbours. Additionally, Putin's itinerary included a visit to the Harbin Institute of Technology, a university-sanctioned by the US government for its alleged involvement in supplying items to China's military. This engagement underscored the importance of educational and scientific cooperation in enhancing bilateral relations between China and Russia, CNN reported. (ANI)
Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq indirectly blamed the leaders of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) that was behind protests in Muzaffarabad on Monday, Pakistan-based Dawn reported. He said that a tragedy could have been averted if JAAC leaders had called off their protests after their demands were accepted. Haq was referring to the deaths of three young men who died after being shot by paramilitary personnel at a press conference held at the Civil Secretariat on Wednesday, along with 24 members of the PoJK cabinet, where all coalition partners were represented. Despite Chaudhry Anwarul Haq's assurances that internet services would be restored in PoJK by Wednesday, the services continue to remain disrupted for the second day, according to Dawn report. Chaudhry Anwarul Haq said that notifications about the wheat flour subsidy and reduced power tariff were issued after Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif approved Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 23 billion to address the problems of PoJK. He said that notification received by JAAC leaders should have been sent to people that their demands were accepted. However, he did not mention anyone's name and said that some people amongst the JAAC doubted the credibility of these notifications, Dawn reported. Haq said, "Had they announced in time, the tragedy in Muzaffarabad could have been averted." He said the JAAC had a right to protest. However, he condemned what he termed "mischief," which led to the death of one public sub-inspector and injured 257 police personnel. After several days of intense protests and violence which led to the death of three people in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), the protestors on Tuesday announced to call off the protests after the Pakistan government accepted their demands and announced a huge relief package, ARY News reported. This comes as Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a Pakistan currency (PKR) 23 billion subsidy package for the people of PoJK. "The government accepted all the demands of the protesters yesterday," the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) said in a statement. However, the JAAC said a state-wide shutdown will be observed till 3 pm on Tuesday to honour the people who were killed in the protests. Highlighting the notification of the constitution of a judicial commission on the issue of perks and privileges enjoyed by the ruling elite, the JAAC representative said that all those arrested during the protests would be freed as well and the cases registered against the demonstrators would be annulled. It is pertinent to mention here that PoJK witnessed violent clashes between the police and activists of a rights movement amid a wheel-jam and shutter-down strike across the territory, which left at least three people dead and several others injured, ARY News reported. At least a man was killed and two others were injured as clashes between the protestors and law enforcement agencies once again erupted in Muzaffarabad on Monday. During the clashes, the cop was also killed while several others were injured. As violent protests and a shutter-down strike in Pakistan-occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) came to a halt, the UK-based United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP) issued a statement reaffirming the region's long-standing grievances. In the statement, the UKPNP highlighted the decades-long denial of fundamental human rights, citing injustice, inequality, and systematic plundering of natural resources as enduring issues. The party condemned the eruption of violence, attributing it to the deployment of para-military forces such as the Punjab Constabulary and Frontier Constabulary, notorious for their alleged inhumane actions. UKPNP expressed concern over the re-deployment of paramilitary forces, fearing further suppression of the people's movement. The party voiced its full endorsement of the peaceful struggle led by the Awami Action Committee, asserting its pro-people and pro-peace stance. It vehemently rejected accusations of foreign financing, dismissing alleged links with India, the Taliban, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), the Baloch Liberation Army, or any purported Jewish lobby. (ANI)
Abduweli Ayup, a Uyghur linguist and poet, declared, "It is genocide because of the population transfer. The Chinese government forcibly transfers Uyghurs as labourers to provinces across China. Approximately 900,000 Uyghur children are currently enrolled in boarding schools, which disconnects them from their families and culture."

Ayup also accused the Chinese government of implementing forced sterilisations and abortions among the Muslim minority in Xinjiang, stating, "Up to 3 million people have been detained in camps, where women are subjected to sterilisation. This systematic sterilisation constitutes genocide."

Demanding international action, Ayup urged the world to boycott products associated with Uyghur forced labour and refrain from engaging in economic transactions that support Chinese companies.

"We must cease accepting Chinese funding and selling infrastructure to Chinese firms. Enriching dictators who commit genocide against the Uyghur people is unacceptable," he asserted.

Chemi Lhamo, a Tibetan-Canadian human rights activist, emphasised the biased nature of Chinese documents concerning Tibet, stating, "Any document issued by China regarding Tibet reflects the oppressor's perspective. Such documents are filled with lies propagated by the Chinese government and Xi Jinping."

Lhamo highlighted the dire situation in Tibet, where freedom scores have plummeted to zero.

Expressing gratitude to India for providing sanctuary to Tibetans and the Dalai Lama, she stated, "As a Tibetan born in South India, I am indebted to the Indian government. His Holiness the Dalai Lama resides in Dharamshala, and I hope India's solidarity continues for the safety of Tibet and India alike."

Rei Xia, a 27-year-old Chinese dissenter and human rights activist, recounted her harrowing experiences of detention. She revealed, "I was held in solitary confinement twice, once for 37 days and again for 28 days, for peacefully advocating for freedom of expression."

Xia condemned China's treatment of Uyghurs and Tibetans, describing Xinjiang as the "world's largest open prison" and denouncing the pervasive censorship across China.

The activists collectively called for global intervention to halt China's human rights abuses against the Uyghur and Tibetan communities. (ANI)
Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi voiced his displeasure in response to the latest Dubai Leaks controversy, saying it is unjust to depict his lifetime profits as unlawful, according to ARY News. The interior minister disclosed that his wife has a home in London during a media conference in Lahore. He claimed that his wife had owned a property in Dubai since 2017 and that it was sold in 2023. Mohsin Naqvi, the interior minister, stressed the importance of looking into the people listed in the Dubai leaks to see if any illicit funds were utilised to purchase homes overseas. Mohsin Naqvi restated that there should be no cause for media attention if he bought homes using legal means and in accordance with the law, reported ARY News. The minister emphasized that all his financial activities, including property purchases, have been transparently reflected in his election returns. Naqvi drew attention to the fact that he did not hold any governmental office when he purchased the home in question ten years ago. The Minister expressed disapproval of the targeting of persons who own houses overseas, pointing out that thousands of people possess such assets but that just a select few are being singled out. He demanded that people who conceal their assets face consequences, stressing that respectable commercial endeavours, like as overseas ventures, must not be associated with shame. Naqvi contrasted this with the unfavourable image of businessmen in Pakistan by drawing a comparison with India, where businessmen are supported for development, ARY News reported. He stressed the need for businessmen in Pakistan to be treated fairly and equally and stressed the validity of making legitimate investments outside. (ANI)
The Islamabad High Court's (IHC) Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani has summoned a report from the defence secretary on the alleged role of state intelligence agencies in the abduction of Kashmiri poet and journalist Ahmed Farhad Shah, Dawn reported on Thursday. Shah was allegedly abducted from his home on Wednesday. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan had called on the authorities for his immediate release. A petition was filed by Shah's wife in the IHC the same day, requesting that he be found and produced before the court and to identify, investigate and prosecute those responsible for his disappearance. Justice Kayani had conducted the first hearing on the matter a day ago and ordered Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jameel Zafar to retrieve Shah at any cost, warning that he would otherwise summon the defence secretary. Shah's wife was represented in court today by Advocates Imaan Zainab Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha, while SSP Zafar, Assistant Attorney General Usman Rasool Ghuman and other officials were also present, Dawn reported. During the hearing, Justice Kayani asked the SSP whether he had ever received a "positive response" from institutions in investigations related to missing persons cases. Justice Kayani further remarked that an investigation was not completed in any of the missing persons cases registered so far in the year. "Shamefully, the whole nation knows who is doing what, the whole of Pakistan knows, including me, but we have closed our eyes," he remarked. "What a great system, the missing person can't even come back and say anything. When the missing person turns up, he and his family are told to keep quiet," he added. Justice Kayani opined that there should be legislation against enforced disappearances and that those involved in the practice "should be hanged." "The fact is, those who are critical of the state are missing, most of them being journalists and social activists," the judge said. "I am summoning the ISI sector commander [for Islamabad] and defence secretary in a personal capacity. If the secretary cannot ensure the recovery, then I will summon ministers, and then the prime minister." He added that "if someone goes missing from the jurisdiction of the Islamabad High Court, the punishment will have to be borne by the IG." Justice Kayani also asked whether writing a letter to the security agencies would solve the problem. Pakistan-based news daily reported citing a copy of a written order that said that the SSP informed the court that an investigation was underway for which a special investigation team was also constituted. The SSP also said that geo-fencing was underway and CCTV footage of the incident was collected, after which multiple suspected vehicles were checked and letters were also issued to other law enforcement agencies, Dawn reported. "At this stage, learned counsel for the petitioner contends that the petitioner has specifically nominated Inter-Services Intelligence in abduction; therefore, the secretary, Ministry of Defence, is directed to submit concise report after seeking reports from relevant quarters of Inter Services Intelligence as well as from Military Intelligence, with an explanation as to how and under what circumstances the detenue has been kidnapped and abducted from Islamabad Capital Territory, on the next date of hearing," the order reads. The case was adjourned till Monday. Politician Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said he attended the hearing and was "glad to see the court taking a categorical position" on the matter. (ANI)
Shizuoka, May 16 (News On Japan) - Two men have been arrested for throwning a friend off a pier causing him to drown during a birthday party in Yaiz, Shizuoka Prefecture.

Mitsuki Matsuura, a 20-year-old demolition worker, and Kento Hayashi, a 21-year-old construction worker, were arrested on suspicion of throwing 20-year-old construction worker Takuya Yasuda into the sea from a quay in Yaizu City around midnight on May 15th, causing his death.

According to the police, around ten people were present at the scene during the incident. One of them called the police, reporting that "a friend is drowning."

Yasuda was found submerged at the bottom of the sea and was confirmed dead at the hospital to which he was transported.

The group reportedly met through social media and had gathered to celebrate a friend's birthday.

Source: ANN
TOKYO, May 16 (News On Japan) - The president and seven employees of The Grand Shield, previously featured in Japanese media due to financial troubles with dental braces, have been arrested for selling high-yield bonds without registration, promising annual returns of 20%. It is believed that two women among the suspects collected 4.6 billion yen alone.

Eight Arrested for Violating Financial Instruments and Exchange Act

Yoshitaka Nakamura (June of last year): "Our company is in a situation where we are hit with a double punch. I have also been asked why this has happened consecutively, but I would like to ask that myself."

One year ago, Nakamura, president of The Grand Shield, gave an exclusive interview. Seated on a large chair adorned with gold decorations, the room was filled with gold bars and wine cellars.

The Grand Shield has also been involved in financial troubles with recruiting monitors for dental braces. Customers were promised "virtually free" dental corrections if they paid close to 2 million yen upfront, but both treatments and refunds were halted.

This arrest, however, is not related to dental braces but to the violation of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act concerning bonds. Promising high returns of around 20% annually, the suspects are believed to have collected about 8 billion yen from approximately 1,300 investors. Eight individuals have been arrested.

Three Women Arrested for Competing in Bond Sales

Nakamura (September 2018): "Thank you all for gathering here today."

The footage is from a birthday party held in 2018. Attending were members of Trustel, a management consulting firm that issued the bonds, and The Grand Shield, which sold the bonds. Six of the eight arrested were present.

Nakamura (September 2018): "Thanks to all the intense people, I feel like I've had an intense life. Probably, I am the richest person here today."

Nakamura reportedly began selling Trustel bonds a year prior. Participants were all smiles, indicating successful fundraising.

Three women who attended the birthday party, smiling and appearing close, were arrested: 38-year-old Hiromi Akimoto, 35-year-old Keiko Satake, and 34-year-old Chie Kagii.

The three competed in bond sales and were sales rivals. Satake is believed to have collected approximately 1.964 billion yen, and Akimoto approximately 2.65 billion yen.

Satake (September 2018): "I have always had a desire to succeed and believed I would, but I couldn't quite achieve it. It was a frustrating 30 years, but meeting Nakamura and receiving guidance on various methods has finally allowed me to take steps towards my success."

How Did They Gather the Funds? A Former Employee Speaks

How did Akimoto and Satake collect such large sums of money?

Former Grand Shield Employee: "They were good at what is known as 'dating sales tactics,' having worked in nightlife in their early twenties. They were skilled in that area."

Many male employees were attracted to Satake's charm and supported her in closing deals.

Satake: "Those people over there, I call them 'Satake's Children' (laughs)."

According to a former employee of The Grand Shield, the two women were "tightly bonded with Nakamura."

Former Grand Shield Employee: "They went on sales calls with Nakamura and secured contracts with various wealthy individuals. Earning a lot was seen as a virtue, and The Grand Shield was that kind of company. They revered Nakamura as a god, and their belief was reflected in their sales performance."

Akimoto reportedly used the surname "Watanabe" until just before her arrest. The victims are outraged.

Victim: "She may have changed her surname to avoid being identified upon arrest."

When asked why she changed her name before the arrest, her mother said:

Akimoto's Mother: "My daughter divorced her husband and changed her surname to my former husband's about six months ago. I don't know the reason, but she said she wanted to start anew with the new surname."

Dental Braces Customers Also Induced to Buy Bonds

The eight arrested are believed to have collected a total of 8 billion yen, promising annual returns of 20%. Some dental brace customers were also induced to purchase bonds.

Former Grand Shield Employee: "Some people bought bonds worth millions or tens of millions of yen. Generally, the wealthy were targeted. The dental braces were recommended to salaried workers and young women. Initially, both the bonds and braces payments were properly made, building trust, and leading people to want to try both products from The Grand Shield."

A woman in her 30s who bought dental braces and bonds worth 3 million yen: "They said there were guarantees at multiple levels, so even if there was a problem, the money would be returned."

Woman in her 30s who bought dental braces and bonds worth 2 million yen: "I was told I would never lose money."

Laughing at the Emergency Meeting

Nakamura (November last year): "(Q: Nakamura, will you not refund the victims? Have you fulfilled your responsibility?)"

Nakamura silently got into a taxi, covering his face with his phone, and left the scene.

In last year's interview with the program, he said, "Our company hasn't made a profit or received any money." However, The Grand Shield's office was filled with luxurious furniture, gold bars, and lavish ornaments, along with a cellar storing dozens of bottles of wine.

At the emergency meeting in February last year with The Grand Shield and Trustel, they discussed the money collected from customers as follows:

Grand Shield Employee: "We can only wait for a month. The bank is already halted payments. But we'll still transfer."

Trustel Member: "We can't blame it on Ukraine (invasion)."

It was evident that they did not take the inability to make interest payments seriously.

On the scheduled transfer date, a suspicious victim visited Trustel's headquarters directly when the interest payments were not made.

Woman in her 40s who bought bonds worth 2 million yen: "The place was empty. My legs gave out."

After the scandal broke, employees disappeared.

Confronting Trustel's President... "Return the Money"

In September last year, based on information that Trustel President Akira Takahashi (61) appeared in court, victims waited outside the courthouse to confront him.

Creditor: "You are President Takahashi, right? President Takahashi, return the money. The victims are suffering. Is there no apology? My family and I are all in trouble. Are you ignoring us? President, answer us. There was no explanation, and suddenly we lost contact. Is it Nakamura's fault?"

Takahashi: "I have nothing to say."

"(Q: Don't you have anything to say?) I told you, I have nothing to say."

Creditor: "Hundreds of people have used their family or company money."

Where did the 8 billion yen go?

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is investigating to uncover the full extent of the case.

Source: ANN
TOKYO, May 16 (News On Japan) - The power of AI has been harnessed to soften the voices of angry customers. A technology aimed at mitigating customer harassment in call centers was announced on May 15th. Additionally, a scientifically proven method to control anger in daily life has been discovered. We spoke with a university professor from the research group for tips on this technique.

SoftBank and University of Tokyo Joint Development

Takayoshi Fujii, newscaster: "A technology to mitigate customer harassment in call centers, known as 'customer harassment' or 'kasuhara,' using AI was announced on May 15th. SoftBank, in collaboration with the University of Tokyo, developed a system that converts angry voices into softer ones."

"Let's listen to a demo of an angry male customer in his 30s: 'You people, are you neglecting the customers who have been using your services all this time? This is how you treat a customer who has been with you for five years?' This kind of harsh tone is unpleasant to hear at any time of the day."

Mild Transformation by AI: What's the Background?

"What happens when AI softens this? It suddenly sounds like an anime voice actor. The intonation of the voice is slightly subdued, giving a milder impression. Why was this function developed?"

Izumi Oguri, Chief Commentator at Nippon TV: "The background includes the high turnover rate of call center operators, such as new hires quitting quickly. They aim to put this into practical use by the next fiscal year."

Methods to Control Anger in Daily Situations?

Fujii: "This is a countermeasure for call center harassment, but there are many situations in daily life that can make us angry. It seems there is a good way to control it."

Oguri: "It is a scientifically proven method for the first time. In the experiment, it was done when feeling angry, but first, write down the anger on paper."

Rihito Itagaki, actor and 'news zero' Wednesday partner: "I start cleaning late at night."

Fujii: "I am often mistaken for a colleague of Hatori-san. People often talk to me on the street, thinking I joined Nippon TV with Hatori. While we did join at the same time, I am not Hatori's colleague."

Dividing Students into Two Groups for the Experiment

Oguri: "Not only write it on paper, but also crumple it up and throw it away. Throwing it away is crucial. Anger should be written down and discarded. This new method was discovered by Professor Nobuyuki Kawai and his research group at Nagoya University Graduate School, specializing in cognitive science."

"In the experiment, students who were actually feeling angry were divided into two groups. One group wrote it down on paper and left it, but their anger did not subside. On the other hand, the students who threw away the paper showed a reduction in anger."

Tips for Objectively Handling Anger Towards Others

Fujii: "Before throwing it away, I crumpled it up, and even at that moment, I felt surprisingly relieved. The sound effect might also play a role. It seems the way of writing also makes a difference."

Oguri: "Professor Kawai mentioned that the key to writing is to be objective rather than emotional, be specific, and detail your anger towards others."

Fujii: "Is there anything you do to keep your anger in check?"

Itagaki: "When I feel irritated, I try to distance myself from the situation. I often draw, and expressing emotions like anger and sadness through drawing fuels my creativity. I can relate to this. Although I don't throw away what I draw..."

Fujii: "Sometimes, talking to someone can help, but when that doesn't work, writing it down and letting the paper absorb the anger might be a good option."

Source: NEWS
TOKYO, May 16 (NHK) - Police in Tochigi Prefecture have arrested two Vietnamese men. They are investigating whether the two men were involved in a series of robberies that have taken place over the past month in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, and the nearby prefectures of Nagano, Gunma and Fukushima.

One robbery occurred in Tochigi Prefecture's Nikko City on April 30. Two men broke into a house and tied up a 75-year-old resident. They stole over 30,000 yen -- about 200 dollars -- and a cash card before fleeing.

After launching an investigation, police discovered that the stolen cash card had been used at a convenience store ATM in another Tochigi city.

They analyzed security camera footage and identified one of the men as 25-year-old Vietnamese national Hoang Huu Hoa. Police arrested him on Wednesday on suspicion of attempted theft. He reportedly has denied the allegations.

Police also arrested 23-year-old Mai Van Sy, another Vietnamese national who was with Hoang, on suspicion of overstaying his visa.

Prefectural police departments have set up a joint investigation team to look into the two men's alleged involvement in the other robbery cases.

Investigative sources told NHK that a security camera near the robbery site in Gunma captured a car that resembled the one used by the two suspects. The investigation team have seized the car.

Related: Victims in Four Prefectures Held Down in Midnight House Robberies
The public is invited to discover the wonders of fishing on DeSoto Lake with a refuge volunteer and certified youth fishing instructor.

A family fishing clinic will take place at the South End Recreation Area Fishing Dock at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon, according to a news release.

Fishing poles, tackle and instruction will be provided. Youth age 15 and younger can fish without a license; fishing license requirements for Nebraska and Iowa residents age 16 years and older still apply.

The fishing clinic is free but regular entrance fees to the refuge still apply.

DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge is located along on Highway 30 east of Missouri Valley.
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Timber smuggling, estimated to be worth $23 million a year, from Mozambiques ancient forests to China is helping to fund the countrys Islamic-State linked militants operating in its northernmost province of Cabo Delgado, according to a new report by Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA),

A multi-year investigation by the NGO, which campaigns against alleged environmental crime, has found that since 2017 an average of over 500,000 tons per year of timber has been exported from Mozambique to China in violation of the countrys log export ban, and a portion of this trade also fund the brutal Islamist insurgency as well as a large criminal network. According to the EIA report, the laundering of this illegal and conflict timber is made possible by systemic corrupt practices in the timber sector, while the transport between Mozambique and China relies on insufficient due diligence from global shipping lines. This illicit trade in Mozambique rosewood, a tropical hardwood that is highly prized for luxury furniture in China, is protected under an international treaty, meaning only very limited trade that does not threaten the species is allowed.

Most of that trade is in the form of unprocessed logs, more than 90% of which are exported to China, carried by global shipping lines, all in violation of Mozambiques log export ban, the report says. EIA also found that Chinese traders purchase conflict timber for export from Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jamaah (ASWJ) insurgents that have since 2017 occupied Cabo Delgado, terrorizing the population and trafficking in timber, among other illicit goods, to finance their activities. Mozambique is on the international Financial Action Task Force (FATF) gray list due to the high risk of money laundering from wildlife trade and terrorist financing. Therefore, EIA urges Mozambiques government to commit more resources to forest governance and transparency in the timber trade sector, calls on global shipping lines to cease transporting illegal timber from the African country, and on China to cease importing it.
George Wallace, John Anderson, and Ross Perot. Photo: Intelligencer; Photos: Getty Images

Whatever you think of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his independent candidacy for president this year, hes already accomplished something thats fairly rare in recent American politics: registering support from over 10 percent of the electorate in national (and many battleground state) polls. Hes currently at 10.8 percent in the RealClearPolitics polling averages and 10.2 percent at FiveThirtyEight in surveys of the presidential race that include non-major-party candidates. This has only happened four times in the last 75 years: in 1968, when former Alabama governor George C. Wallace ran on a so-called American Independent Party ticket; in 1980, when former Republican presidential candidate and Illinois congressman John Anderson launched an independent candidacy after dropping out of the GOP race; and in 1992 and 1996, when Texas billionaire Ross Perot twice built a strong independent campaign on his own wealth and message.

It stands to reason that campaigns like these, which show some promise but not enough to make their candidate a realistic prospect for victory, will lose altitude as Election Day approaches and voters start worrying about wasting their votes. A lot of observers expect the KennedyNicole Shanahan ticket to lose support as it becomes obvious its likely to become a spoiler for either Joe Biden or Donald Trump. But its worth a look back at the notable independents of recent memory to see if that was true for them, and if so, how rapidly and thoroughly they faded.

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1968 independent Wallace differed significantly from Anderson, Perot, and Kennedy in that he was essentially a southern regional candidate. A reactionary populist Democrat (he ran in Democratic presidential primaries in 1964, 1972, and 1976), Wallace represented white resistance to the civil-rights revolution that was transforming the South. While he ran a quasi-national campaign and was on the ballot in all 50 states, Wallaces explicit strategy was to win enough southern electoral votes to throw the close Humphrey-Nixon contest into the the House of Representatives, where southern congressmen could use their leverage to slow down civil-rights and voting-rights implementation.

Wallace didnt miss the target by much: He won 46 electoral votes, and Nixon won just 31 more than the minimum necessary to win. The Alabaman finished second, ahead of Humphrey, in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, which Nixon won after a powerful Republican effort to undercut Wallace among southern conservatives (Nixons southern strategy, which he took into the White House, was Wallaces true consolation prize). In the polls, Wallace had an autumn surge, racking up 21 percent in both Harris and Gallup polls in late September. But his support dropped as Election Day approached, and he wound up with 13.5 percent of the vote. Since there were no presidential debates in 1968, Wallace never got to share the spotlight with the major-party candidates.

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In some respects, John Andersons 1980 campaign most resembles Kennedys. Like RFK Jr., he was a major-party contender who launched an independent candidacy after underperforming in the early GOP primaries, arguing that neither Republican Ronald Reagan nor Democratic incumbent Jimmy Carter offered a compelling agenda to meet the countrys needs. He mostly offered a mix of fiscal conservatism and social liberalism in a year when many of his fellow Republicans were alienated by Reagans hard-core conservatism, and many Democratic liberals (particularly those who backed Ted Kennedys unsuccessful candidacy) were estranged from the outsider-incumbent Carter.

Anderson went independent in April, and almost immediately, Gallup showed him polling at 20 percent or higher. At his peak in June, he was at 24 percent, per Gallup, trailing Carter by 9 points and Reagan by 11. Carter, however, refused to participate in any debates that included Anderson, so the independent was consigned to one meaningless debate with Reagan. He steadily lost ground in late summer and the autumn, eventually abandoning his centrist stance and on some issues running to Carters left. Anderson wound up with 6.6 percent of the vote and wasnt near second place in any state. Since Reagan won a majority of the popular vote and beat Carter by nearly 10 percent, carrying 44 states, Anderson really couldnt claim to have significantly affected the outcome.

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The most successful independent candidate since Theodore Roosevelt in 1912, Perot exploited George H.W. Bushs unpopularity (especially with conservatives) and Democratic ideological divisions to throw a scare into both major parties in 1992, using his vast wealth to secure universal ballot access and make folksy yet substantive pitches on TV talk shows and in paid ads. He argued that both major parties were damaging the country through fiscal profligacy and free-trade policies, offering himself as a disinterested business executive willing to do what was needed to eliminate both budget and trade deficits. Upon announcing his candidacy in March, he was immediately running even with Democrat Bill Clinton, and in June, Gallup showed him running first, with 39 percent to Bushs 31 percent and Clintons 25 percent.

But suddenly, the wheels began falling off the Perot bandwagon, which suffered from campaign-staff and volunteer infighting and the candidates own paranoia about attacks on him and his family, especially from the campaign of his fellow Texan Bush. In the middle of the Democratic convention, Perot suddenly dropped out of the race, conceding the Democrats had revitalized themselves under Clinton and that he saw no path to the presidency that didnt go through a disruptive election in the U.S. House. As his hopes that one of the two major-party candidates would endorse his economic proposals faded, Perot abruptly dropped back into the race at the beginning of October and began to rebuild his support even as Clinton built a sizable lead over Bush. Perot managed to make the stage in all three presidential debates, but never regained his mojo. He finished with nearly 19 percent of the vote, nothing like his June peak but still impressive. He won no electoral votes, though he did finish second in Maine and Utah. Some Republicans at the time claimed Perot had spoiled the election for Bush, but exit polls showed Perot voters being drawn from both major-party candidates columns, which means Clinton would have won in any event.

Perots second campaign in 1996, at the helm of the Reform Party he created as his vehicle, peaked in the Gallup poll at 19 percent in June but then steadily lost ground. He was excluded from the October Dole-Clinton debates as a nonviable candidate, and was at 6 percent in the final Gallup survey. He eventually received 8.4 percent of the vote, less than half of his 1992 total; Clinton defeated Dole by 8.5 percent (49.2 percent to 40.7 percent). You could argue that Perots balanced-budget message influenced the major-party candidates to make clear and responsible budget proposals, but otherwise his impact was ephemeral.

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This is obviously a limited dataset, but modern independent presidential campaigns have routinely lost momentum as Election Day approaches and voters focus on viable candidacies. Its hard to know what might have happened in 1992 had Perot not dropped out for nearly two months, but in the end, his campaign never regained its early momentum.

But we know that unlike Wallace in 1968, Kennedy has no particular regional base or realistic hope for obtaining a significant bloc of electoral votes. Unlike Perot in both 1992 and 1996, Kennedy has no crystal-clear and limited set of policy proposals with which his campaign is identified. And like Anderson in 1980, he seems to be drawing from both major-party candidates in a way that gives both campaigns an incentive to marginalize him as a spoiler. Indeed, the odds are high that the Trump and Biden campaigns will go harshly and heavily negative on the Kennedy-Shanahan ticket just as voters begin to drift away from nonviable candidates. Yes, there is significant voter frustration with the major-party offerings in 2024, but that was also the case in 1968, 1980, and 1992. At this point, we cant even be sure that RFK Jr. will gain ballot access in every state, which the previous independent bids did all achieve. So theres no particular reason to imagine that a Kennedy boom is in Americas immediate future.
Photo: Mike Segar/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Another day of Donald Trumps hush-money trial, another day of Republicans acting weird in lower Manhattan. On Thursday, the antics were led by Florida representative and all-around disliked guy Matt Gaetz, who was there to show support for the former president by standing behind him and posting the photo on X. According to his caption, Gaetz fancies himself a Proud Boy:

Standing back and standing by, Mr. President. pic.twitter.com/gGPeTLtWmv  Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) May 16, 2024

Gaetz was referencing Donald Trumps comments from the first presidential debate in 2020, when he directed the Proud Boys  a far-right paramilitary group with a heavy presence at the Capitol riot  to stand back and stand by ahead of the election. Despite some Republican efforts to distance themselves from the group, Gaetz did what he was best at  making people angry for the sake of it.

Gaetz, who is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over allegations he had sex with a minor, was not the only scandal-prone Republican at the scene on Thursday. Colorado representative Lauren Boebert also traveled up to New York to speak outside the courthouse, where she said that Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen has lied in front of all branches of Congress. As she began to speak, all of her Republican colleagues walked away, leaving her alone to face crowd chants of Beetlejuice  referring to the musical she was kicked out of last year for vaping and fondling her date.
Fordham University pro-Palestinian student protesters yell at university employees as they lower a tarp to prevent people seeing fellow protesters inside being arrested on Wednesday evening, May 1, 2024, in Manhattan. Photo: Barry Williams/TNS/Getty Images

By the second week of May, Israeli forces had killed thousands upon thousands of civilians. Israel has killed aid workers, journalists, and academics and turned universities, hospitals, mosques, and countless homes to rubble. The war has displaced over 1 million people. Whistleblowers told CNN that incarcerated Palestinian men face torture at a detention center in the desert. Most of the enclave faces famine. A full-scale invasion of Rafah, where a million Palestinian refugees are gathered, would be a horror. Yet horror is what Israel promises next.

The news out of Gaza is unbearable. The videos, the photos, the reports all reveal tragedy after tragedy, which accumulate like the dead. The terrors of October 7 won Israel sympathy from the world; now it is becoming a pariah state. For eight months, Israel has pursued vengeance, and that vengeance, indiscriminate and cruel, has set the country on a path it cannot easily depart. As the Israeli government walks into hell, it drags its allies along  allies who dont understand the danger theyre in. Whether Gaza costs Biden the election or not, it could cost him something else: his moral witness.

Perhaps its unfashionable to say so. The language of morality is often the language of the right wing. Deployed poorly it invokes the Moral Majority, gender traditionalism, and hate. But the left should not surrender this concept to its opponents. That was true before Israels latest assault on Gaza, but it is urgently true now. What is happening in Gaza demands a moral response  from us, from Biden, from the world. Some have responded accordingly, though they may be outnumbered. On Monday, U.S. Army Major Harrison Mann announced his resignation, citing the American governments material support for Israel. My work here  however administrative or marginal it appeared  has unquestionably contributed to that support, Mann wrote in a letter he later published on LinkedIn. The past months have presented us with the most horrific and heartbreaking images imaginable  and I have been unable to ignore the connection between those images and my duties here. This caused me incredible shame and guilt.

If Biden wrestles with similar emotions, it doesnt show. He has said that campus protests have not influenced his foreign policy, which is believable enough. In public remarks he has reserved most condemnation for the protesters and has said nothing about the violent repression those protesters have faced. At UCLA, law-enforcement officers fired rubber bullets at peaceful demonstrators even though the rounds can maim and even kill. On April 30, pro-Israel protesters attacked the encampment at UCLA for three hours before police intervened. Though Biden has frequently expressed sorrow and even rage over 10/7, his response to Palestinian suffering has  to put it charitably  been muted. Dr. Nahreen H. Ahmed, who worked in Gaza, attended an April meeting with the president and said that when she showed him photos of malnourished and suffering children, he responded by saying hed seen the images before. But he hadnt. The doctor had taken the photos herself and printed them from her phone. This speaks volumes to the dismissive nature of the administration when it comes to strong-willed action toward a permanent cease-fire or, at a bare minimum, a red line on the invasion of Rafah, Ahmed told NBC News.

Indeed, though the Biden administration says it opposes an invasion of Rafah and has paused the transfer of powerful bombs to Israel, recent history demands a measure of skepticism. On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that Biden is moving forward with a $1 billion arms sale to Israel. Its hard to take Biden seriously on Gaza when hes shown such little care for the dead. As protesters put their bodies on the line, and people end their careers over Gaza, Bidens position looks weak, at least in a moral sense. Here, pundits will say that Bidens opponent is not a man of robust moral character, and theyre correct to a point. Theres no doubt Donald Trump will be worse on Gaza. The same pundits might also say that Biden cannot unilaterally end a war he did not directly start, which is true, again to a point. But what is a person of conscience to do? Conventional wisdom prefers silence, and silence is fatal. People are being killed right now.

Protest, then, is not an Ivy League luxury but a moral necessity. It is salvation  not only for ourselves but for Gaza. The circumstances in Gaza are too dire to forget, even temporarily, and I am not convinced that our pundits, from atop their sinecures, will begin to care about Gaza if Biden wins in November. There will be another excuse, another reason to look away. And that is exactly what we cannot do. Protesters have called this a genocide for months; Aryeh Neier, co-founder of Human Rights Watch, has at last agreed. In late December, when South Africa brought to the ICJ its accusation that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, I did not join some of my colleagues in the international-human-rights movement in their support of the charge, he wrote in the New York Review of Books. Israel had a right to retaliate against Hamas, he believed. And yet, even believing this, I am now persuaded that Israel is engaged in genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, he continued. What has changed my mind is its sustained policy of obstructing the movement of humanitarian assistance into the territory.

Neiers article is a sign that the narrative is shifting. Not everyone is willing to walk into hell. Now the world, faced with genocide in Gaza, must respond according to the scale of the crime. The kids might not be perfect, but theyre right. Moral rightness is not perfection, after all, but something else, an act of conscience that can push anyone toward the light. The future beckons, and it will judge us by the actions of today.
needs a ticket price cap or regulation like EU has or what is even the point.

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it should always be like that.



Hotels have gotten better about that to a degree...but then they slap on the RESORT FEES in some cases, which is ANOTHER thing to worry about (but varies from what site you get your hotel booked at, and what stage it shows it).



Anyhow, this is a good video on concert tickets





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resort fees are fucking wild. like if you're charging them ostensibly for pool access and shit then at least make them optional and bar entry to the pool if you didn't pay them! and what the fuck am I paying for at a regular ass hotel?? insanity



I knew Vegas did them because they're known for advertising rooms at like $10/night and then oops it turns out it's another $100 but like. whatever. it's how the game is played there and everyone knows it and the price still turns out semi-reasonable. but now I'm seeing it other places at hotels whose base rate is already kinda high... it's the Airbnb cleaning fee shit all over again

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I think the hotel is like....sure, we can just add the resort fee into the price of the room, but it makes it look like the room costs more on first glance.



I just hate that every hotel is different.



And then dont get me started with hotels that charge for parking. Unless the parking lot is secured by gated entrance, the fuck do i need to pay 20 to 30 dollars a night??



I love me a hotel that doesn't charge for parking if im staying longer than 1 night.

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This bill reminds me of when California and New York passed laws requiring salary ranges be included in job listings. Like shouldn't it already be like that? I guess better late than never but still.

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It should, and its helpful, but its still not fool proof. I found out after getting laid off that my subordinate (white male) was getting paid 10k more a year than me.the fucking General manager. Which set me tf off.

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Ugh, that sucks! I'm glad that salary ranges have to be included in job listings now so that people don't waste their time applying for jobs that don't pay enough. It sucks to write a cover letter and get interviewed only to find out that this cheap ass company is paying $15k less than they should for a position.

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Thats why I left a job with a boss I adored. The guy hired after me had 2 years more experience and was making $20k more. They left his salary info in the printer and I saw it right after I got my raise of $2000. I couldnt afford to move out of my parents house and they paid a guy $20k more than me because he had a penis. I smashed the piece of paper on my boss desk, grabbed my purse and left (for the day - it was like 10 am). They gave me $2500 more in raise and I left a few weeks later. My boss, also a woman (and the managing attorney at that branch), left a few years later after learning her lower-level male colleague made significantly more than her. There was no way she could have ever seen that coming!!!







Edited at 2024-05-16 12:30 pm (UTC)

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I wish it was required nationwide.

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We have that in Colorado and it's worthless because employers will post the salary or wage as some ridiculous range where it's still impossible to figure out what the pay is until you're made an offer.

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I work at a nonprofit and every year, you can search for the LM2 for the company showing exactly what everyone makes. I avoid it because it's so depressing to see that person down the hall who you KNOW does jack shit making so much more. But I do like the transparancy.

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Now please get rid of platinum pricing bullshit.

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And surge pricing.

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Yes! This is a huge issue. The last couple of shows I've tried to get tickets to, the platinum tickets (which were all that were available) were more expensive than scalped tickets. Absolute bullshit.

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Yes! I had no idea about that at all! I waited in the queue that day tickets went on sale and nabbed one of the few remaining tickets, I thought it seemed really expensive but I figured that the seat was good and that was just the price of it and got it anyway. Then I found out about the dynamic pricing stuff, really it should have been like $100 cheaper!! Crazy.

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The price including every fee/tax etc should be the case for any product or service, shopping in the US is so annoying, it's a mystery how much you will actually pay once you reach the cashier

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I love living in a state without sales tax, prices just being what they are is so nice.



Sales tax is really annoying across the whole United States though. I say this as someone who buys and sells in multiple states for my business. It is a whole ass confusing mess.

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Honestly its wild to me that you guys only add tax at the till. I get why its a thing with no flat rate of tax and intrastate and municipality variations, but why is taxing so complicated lol

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I think it's because every state has its own taxes? Still doesn't explain why it's not just priced accordingly on the shelf.



When I was in Florida (lol, can you guess why) I was buying paracetamol/tylenol and had $5 in my wallet, went up to the till and it was like $7 or something. I was so confused.

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Each state or county has different taxes. PA doesn't have sales tax on clothes, but VA does for example.

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when I briefly lived in Delaware I was paying for shit with checks semi-regularly because I knew exactly how much it would be and could fill it out while waiting in line lol

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Good. Though a lot of fees are bullshit and there needs to be both limits and investigations into what fees are for if you are going to put all that in a price.

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I remember when I was a little kid in about 1980/81, a friend of mine was going to a concert (cant remember who - Kiss maybe?) and the ticket was $23 and I was gobsmacked at the idea of spending that much money on a concert ticket. Thats about $85 in today money. Imagine getting a concert ticket that cheap nowadays.

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I had to do something today so naturally I missed out on Olivia Rodrigo tickets. But it sounds like Ticketek fucked it up again. God I fucking hate Ticketek..

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This is good tbh. Biden sucks but some of his domestic policies haven't been half bad at least

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They need to do something about fees, period. I wanted to see Fever Ray last year. Tickets were $50 but after taxes and fees it was $96. Outrageous. I passed because I wasn't going to pay that.

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A few years ago, I bought tickets to a local performance that cost $20 each. I thought awesome, finally an affordable show! The venue charged a $2 fee per ticket (which I am not complaining about) and Ticketmaster added a $10.80 service fee for each ticket.

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How is that legal?? Is this common in the US?

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Unfortunately it is. Ticketmaster has monopoly here and if they could give you a fee for breathing they would.

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Yep. If you want to see a small venue artist you're paying $50-60 minimum unless you buy at the box office, which is what I do lately because often the face value ticket is $25 with $25 of fees basically added for buying online. The only annoyance about box office ticketing is that times are so limited now so you can't plan on that for popular artists

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All the extra ticket fees drive me crazy (service fee, order processing fee, facility fee, ticket printing fee, etc)





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this isn't enough. surge pricing needs to go. when trying to get olivia rodrigo tickets when she announced this tour she is on, during presale a single ticket was 800 dollars due to "high demand." it's outrageous.

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the ERAS tour in europe is full of americans bc flights to europe+hotels+food+concert is still cheaper than an US ticket. madness

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I moved to Europe a few years ago but have been broke until now. Traveling around the continent this summer to see all my faves touring and it's blowing my mind how cheap it is. I'm seeing Janelle Monae 3 nights in Manchester for 25 bucks a night, fees included????? Mannequin Pussy for 20 bucks?! I even got a VIP pass for a 2-day festival for like 100 and it includes an open bar, like wtf why does ANYONE go see live music in the states when it's like this over here?!

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i lived in europe for most of my upbringing (army brat).

Of course, i did my share of traveling for school or family trips, but i regret not really doing it when i was older and able to appreciate it more.



Especially when i started the whole love of going to shows.

I would have been going to all those great european festivals

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the worst offender is airbnb  the extras fees often cost more than the actual price staying there. honestly i stopped using airbnb few years ago because of it. im not paying ridiculous cleaning fee and also have to clean up myself.

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So many people complained about it that they actually show the full price on the listings now. $150 cleaning fees for me staying in a twin bed in your attic is absurd, though, and I hate that the site still allows that sort of shit.

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i used airbnb for a year when i was particularly broke, and i only charged a $25 cleaning fee because that's about how much i'd spend at the laundromat to wash all the bed linens and towels. airbnbs now have entire rulebooks printed out and it's so expensive and restrictive, i'd rather stay at hotel, tbh.

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https://twitter.com/HRHDeets/status/1787907551524438389



Just $36.75 (Canadian dollars) to see Madonna during her arguably biggest tour? Ticket prices for her at least 10x that now! Insanity. How are we here?



This reminds me of a tweet I saw going around last week with the video of the Toronto police threatening to arrest Madonna during the Blonde Ambition Tour, and someone who had attended that exact show posted their ticket with the price on it.Just $36.75 (Canadian dollars) to see Madonna during her arguably biggest tour? Ticket prices for her at least 10x that now! Insanity. How are we here?

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Asian refiners are reducing their intake of Middle Eastern oil in favor of crude from the United States and Brazil. The move comes amid shrinking margins and rising Saudi oil priceseven as international benchmarks remain largely range-bound.

Yet the diversification is, for the time being, quite moderate, with Saudi Arabia still the top supplier to Asia as a whole, far ahead of both the United States and Brazil. Whether this would turn into a trend is uncertain because there are all those barrels of relatively cheap Russian crude, too.

Reuterss Clyde Russell reported this week that Asian imports of crude from Saudi Arabia fell to 4.88 million barrels daily last month, which was down from 5.07 million barrels daily in March, per LSEG data. The April average of Saudi imports was even more markedly lower than the February daily, which stood at 5.52 million barrels.

The decline came on the back of repeated Saudi oil price hikes, which, together with weaker demand for fuels, led to slimmer refining margins for Asian oil processors. Naturally, that made refiners turn to bargain hunting.

Saudi Arabia raised its official selling prices for oil in all three months since March. The latest hike saw the price of its flagship Arab Light rise to a premium of $2.90 over the Oman/Dubai benchmark. This is already quite a bit more expensive than West Texas Intermediate, at over $83 per barrel versus $79 per barrel for WTI. So WTI-linked crudes from the U.S. begin to look more affordable, and so does Brazilian crude, which is also commonly priced against the U.S. benchmark.

Oil from the Americas is not Asian refiners top choice because of the longer journeys that add to the cost, potentially wiping out any price discount in the oil itself and making the switch largely pointless. Yet the data about rising Asian imports of both U.S. and Brazilian crude suggests that the switch might make sense for some refiners given the current conditions.

Related: Texas Freeport LNG Reportedly Operating At Full Capacity

The diversification may yet gather pace as the market widely expects OPEC+ to stick to its production cut policy at its next meeting on June 1. This means that even if Saudi Arabia arrests the trend of hiking prices, it is unlikely to cut them, leaving its crude expensive compared to alternatives, including from its OPEC+ partner Russia, which is already Chinas biggest oil supplierand Indias, too.

Reuters Russell expects Asian refiners to continue buying more U.S. and Brazilian oil until the Saudis cut their prices. Yet he notes that their available capacity for processing lighter, sweeter U.S. crudes would limit this potential increase in purchases. Most refining capacity in Asia is calibrated to work with medium and heavy crude, which refiners buy from the Middle East and Russia.

There is also the question of demand, which would shape refining margins in the coming months. There has been concern about demand strength in Asia as a whole and China specificallyafter its crude oil intake declined from the previous month.

Asian oil imports dipped by 440,000 bpd in April from March, according to LSEG data cited by Reuters Russell in early May. The four-month daily average was higher, by 300,000 bpd, which the report suggested was disappointingespecially for OPEC, which had predicted more robust demand growth.

Growth may yet pick up, especially in China, where Rystad Energy expects a pickup later in the year with a new refinery starting up and higher fuel export quotas motivating more production. Where the crude for filling those quotas will come from, however, is the more interesting question. It seems that less of it may come from the Middle East and more from Brazil and the U.S., at least for the time being.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
There is no large international bank without a net-zero plan. These plans invariably include curbs in lending to the oil and gas industry. Yet despite these plans. Most of the worlds top lenders continue doing business with the oil industryand theyve been doing more of it lately.

The revelation comes from the 15th annual Banking on Climate Chaos report authored by an organization called Oil Change International, part of a group of climate NGOs committed to putting an end to the oil and gas industry.

According to this report, the worlds 60 largest banks have invested $6.9 trillion in the oil and gas industry since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2016, marking the official start of the global net-zero shift. Of this, Oil Change International reported, $3.3 trillion went towards expanding the production of hydrocarbon energy.

This is bad enough news from the climate NGO perspective, certainly, but it is not the only bad news. Whats worse than a total of $6.9 trillion in hydrocarbon investment is an investment of $705 billion for 2023 alonewith some segments of the industry seeing increases in bank funding. This, in a world with a net-zero agenda, should not be happening, especially when banks are making decarbonization pledges and officially shrinking their business dealings with oil and gas producers. Yet not all of them are doing it. Related: Texas Freeport LNG Reportedly Operating At Full Capacity

Oil Change International, for lack of other tools, uses naming and shaming to sound the alarm of banks financing oil and gas, calling what it sees as the worst net-zero offenders The Dirty Dozen.

Those are led by JP Morgan, which invested $430.9 billion in the oil and gas industry between 2016 and 2023. At number two, we have Citi, with oil and gas exposure of $396.3 billion for the period, followed by Bank of America, which invested $333.3 billion between the signing of the Paris Agreement and last year.

The Dirty Dozen also includes lenders such as Barclays, MUFG, Scotiabank, and HSBC, as well as RBC and the report includes a lot of language aimed at making these banks feel embarrassed about their business practices. What it doesnt do is ask the question that this information begs: why are banks investing so much in oil and gas?

The answer, of course, lies in the financial reports of oil companies and news reports such as the one that Global Witness released this February, stating Big Oil majors paid their shareholders a record $111 billion in dividends on the back of record profits for 2022. Those record profits were driven by the energy crunch in Europe that highlighted the importance of energy security in a way that everyone could understandexcept climate NGOs, it appears.

The Oil Change International report says that financing for liquefied natural gas increased last year, hitting $120.9 billion. From their perspective, this must be a worrying trend. From the perspective of the banks themselves, this is good businessbecause demand for LNG is on the rise with Europe switching from pipelines to LNG carriers. Even record electricity generation from wind and solar in 2023 did not depress demand for liquefied gas.

Worse still for climate NGOs, funding for fracking increased last year as well, reaching $59 billion, provided to a total 236 companies by lenders including already named and shamed JP Morgan, Citi, and BofA, along with Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo. The reason this happened was that demand for oil, including shale oil, was also on the rise, just like demand for natural gas.

The energy demand conundrum is the ultimate challenge for the climate NGO crowd. Protests and road-gluing spectacles may attract attentionalthough sometimes it is the wrong kind of attentionbut the net-zero agenda cannot be followed if demand for hydrocarbons remains as strong as it has been in all the years since the signing of the Paris Agreement.

Attempts to destroy this demand, however, have invariably failed. The buildout of alternative sources of electricity to gas and coal are thriving, with governments spending billions on supporting them. Even so, wind and solar have been unable to cope with the rise in electricity demand and now there are warnings that more gas power plants would need to be built to respond to the expected surge in that demand that the IT sector will drive.

In transport, EV sales have grown strongly thanks to equally strong government support and yet even in Norway, which has the highest per-capita adoption rate, oil demand has not declined. Some of the worlds top carmakers are losing hundreds of thousands on the EVs they produce and they only keep doing it because their gasoline and diesel vehicles are still selling well.

Pointing the finger at banks for their lending to the oil and gas industry without acknowledging the reasons they are doing it would, in any other context, be considered sloppy work. Yet in this case, the reasons for banks to continue funding oil and gas are too inconvenient for the activists tracking this funding. These reasons are that oil and gas make money and that it is very good moneybecause people want reliable, affordable energy.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
A continuously fading war risk premium and signs that regional oil markets look well supplied prompted traders to slash last week their bullish bets on crude oil at the fastest pace in over a year.

The net long positionthe difference between bullish and bearish betsdropped to a three-month low as money managers liquidated longs, also prompting technical selling that pushed Brent Crude prices to the low $80s and the U.S. benchmark, WTI Crude, to below $80 per barrel so far in May.

Portfolio managers were net sellers of crude and fuel futures and contracts in the latest reporting week to May 7, with the equivalent of 143 million barrels sold in the six most important futures and options contracts, according to data from exchanges compiled by Reuters columnist John Kemp.

Brent and WTI saw the biggest drop in bullish positions, but there was selling in U.S. gasoline and European gas oil derivative contracts, too.

The sentiment among hedge funds and other money managers flipped from moderately to highly bullish in early Aprilamid flare-ups in the Middle Eastto more bearish in early May, as the Iran-Israel tensions subsided and oil stock movements and inventories started to point to a looser market than previously thought. Related: Memorial Day Travel Expected to Near Record High

In early April, hedge funds and other portfolio managers began to include a higher risk premium in their oil price trades as tensions in the Middle East spiked.

A month ago, the crude oil net long in WTI and Brent reached a six-month high in the week to April 9, driven by Brentthe international contract most exposed to geopolitical events. Brent Crude saw the net long position triple since early December, just before the Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea started adding higher geopolitical risk to oil prices.

In early April, analysts were not ruling out a run to $100 oil, but they noted that it would take further escalation in the Middle East with a direct threat to oil supply from the region for oil prices to spike to triple digits.

A month later, $100 oil looks like a long way off amid a waning war risk premium in prices. At the end of April, hedge funds and other money managers started dumping long positions in the most important petroleum contracts after Israel and Iran chose not to escalate the standoff in early April.

In addition, commercial crude and fuel inventories in the most transparent market, the U.S., built at the end of April and early May, prompting traders to dump more of their bullish bets as stockpiles across the markets worldwide looked more bearish than expected.

As a result, long positions on crude oilbets that prices will risewere cut in the week to May 7 at the fastest weekly pace since March 2023, Ole Hansen, Head of Commodity Strategy at Saxo Bank, wrote this week in an analysis on the latest positioning in commodities.

Due to the liquidation of longs, the energy sector saw continued selling, which led to technical selling of the crude and fuel contracts. In all commodities, selling was concentrated in crude oil, gas oil, and RBOB gasoline, Hansen added.

The combined net position in Brent and WTI slumped to 378,000 lots, the lowest in three months.

Speculators reduced their net long in ICE Brent significantly over the last reporting week. Speculators sold 60,125 lots to leave them with a net long of 260,648 lots as of last Tuesday, a move which was predominantly driven by longs liquidating, ING commodities strategists Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey wrote in a note this week.

NYMEX WTI also saw a large amount of selling. Speculators cut their net long by 55,038 lots to 117,651 lots, the smallest position held since February, they added.

European gasoil also saw a large amount of speculative selling over the week to May 7 as the market became more bearish towards middle distillates, the strategists say.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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The United States is fast-tracking $2 billion in military aid for embattled Ukrainian forces, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, as they struggle to stave off a Russian advance in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

Blinken, who made the announcement at a news conference in Kyiv on May 15 with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, said the funds, which are part of a recently approved $61-billion U.S. military aid package for Kyiv, are earmarked "to provide weapons today" for the outgunned and outmanned Ukrainian troops.



The package was approved several weeks ago following months of delays due to political bickering in the U.S. Congress.



Blinken's announcement came after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed to him the previous day to speed up deliveries of desperately needed Patriot air defense systems, particularly in Kharkiv and its surroundings.



"We're rushing ammunition, armored vehicles, missiles, air defenses to get them to the front lines," Blinken said, adding, "For anyone who is tempted to bet against Ukraine, don't. It will be a big mistake."



Blinken, who has engaged in a round of personal diplomacy on a trip highlighted by meals at a local pizza place and a guest stint as a guitarist in a basement bar in the capital, said a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine could be signed in the coming weeks as most of what he called "the heavy lifting" of the negotiations had already been done.



"We've been through challenging times together, I have every confidence that together we will get through these difficult moments."



The top U.S. diplomat said President Joe Biden could meet with Zelenskiy within weeks and voiced strong American support for a peace conference in Switzerland that is expected to be held next month.



He said Washington will be "robustly represented" at the event.



Blinken said that while the United States is not in favor of Ukraine's using American weapons to strike inside Russia, such a decision ultimately belongs to Kyiv.



"We have not encouraged or enabled strikes outside of Ukraine, but ultimately Ukraine has to make decisions for itself about how it's going to conduct this war," Blinken said.



In a sign of the difficulties Ukrainian forces face on the battlefield due to lack of weapons and ammunition, Zelenskiy on May 15 postponed all his upcoming foreign trips.

Zelenskiy was due to visit Spain and Portugal in the coming days and sign a bilateral security agreement in Madrid with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on May 17. He was also due to meet with Spain's King Felipe.

"Volodymyr Zelenskiy has instructed that all international events involving him scheduled for the coming days be postponed and new dates coordinated. We are grateful to our partners for their understanding," Zelenskiy's press secretary, Serhiy Nykyforov, wrote on Facebook on May 15.

No specific reason was given for the postponement, but Nykyforov wrote that Zelenskiy held a meeting on May 15 with his military commanders, including commander in chief Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskiy, where the situation in the Kharkiv region was discussed.

"Additional reserve forces are being deployed to the area," he wrote.

Russia has been pressing forward into the north of the Kharkiv region, and the Ukrainian military said on May 15 it was taking steps to prevent Russian forces from moving into the northern part of the disputed town of Vovchansk, situated just 5 kilometers from the Russian border.

Vovchansk has become the focal point of Russias latest offensive as the Kremlin's forces attempt to take settlements just east of Kharkiv -- Ukraine's second-largest city, with a prewar population of some 1.4 million people.

Moscow's troops entered the Kharkiv region on May 10, opening a new, northeastern front. The advance could draw some of Kyiv's depleted forces away from the east, where Russia has been slowly advancing.

Analysts say Russia is attempting to gain maximum momentum on the battlefield before a new wave of military aid for Kyiv from the United States and Kyiv's European allies arrives in the coming weeks.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov told Ukrainian television on May 15 that despite constant Russian shelling, there are currently no plans to evacuate the city.

However, Ukraine's Emergency Situations Ministry said some 8,000 people have been evacuated from Kharkiv region.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, a Russian strike on the city of Dnipro killed two people on May 15, regional administration chief Serhiy Lysak said on Telegram.

Separately, Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russian-installed governor of Ukraine's occupied Crimea, said a "massive" Ukrainian missile attack was repulsed over the city of Sevastopol early on May 15.

Razvozhayev said several missiles were shot down over the sea and in the area of the Belbek airfield. No casualties have been reported.

Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses had shot down 10 long-range missiles over Crimea.

The Russian claims could not be independently verified. Moscow in recent weeks has accused Ukraine, without providing evidence, of having started using the U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS).

By RFE/RL

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Chevron is preparing to launch a sale process to divest all its remaining operations in the UK North Sea as it looks to focus on the most profitable assets in its portfolio and finalize the $53-billion acquisition of Hess Corporation.

With the planned divestment of its UK assets, Chevron would exit the basin after 55 years, the U.S. supermajor told Reuters in a statement on Thursday, confirming the plans.

Chevron, which has been active in the UK North Sea for more than 55 years, holds a 19.4% non-operated working interest in the Clair Field and associated assetsone of the largest oil and gas fields offshore the UK.

Chevron also has a small stake in the Sullom Voe oil terminal on the Shetland Islands, which will also be put up for sale, as well as the interest in the Ninian pipeline SIRGE pipeline systems connected with Sullom Voe, the U.S. supermajor told Reuters.

Chevron is expected to launch the process to sell its remaining UK assets next month, and they are expected to raise up to $1 billion excluding tax benefits, industry sources told Reuters.

Six years ago, the U.S. major quit its only asset offshore Norway as the international energy giants started reorganizing their portfolios.

Chevron has now carried out another review of its global portfolio and has apparently concluded that its UK assets are no longer core to its development strategy.

Chevron is currently focused on completing its acquisition of U.S. firm Hess but has yet to finalize the deal.

Last month, Hess said that Chevrons acquisition could be delayed until next year due to Exxon Mobils arbitration case.

Chevrons proposal to buy Hess is getting increased scrutiny from regulators and politicians, while the supermajor is locked in an arbitration procedure with the other U.S. giant, Exxon, regarding Exxons right to first refusal for Hesss stake in the Exxon-led huge oil projects offshore Guyana.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has appointed Magda Chambriard as the new CEO of Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras), pushing her to accelerate investments in refineries and natural gas expansion, according to anonymous sources who spoke to Bloomberg.

This leadership change follows Lula's dismissal of former CEO Jean Paul Prates amid dissatisfaction with his handling of the company's strategic plan.

Chambriard's appointment raises concerns among investors about increased government intervention in Petrobras as Lula's administration seeks to leverage the state-run oil giant to bolster Brazil's sluggish economy. Key areas of focus include the $17 billion earmarked for refinery investments and $9 billion allocated for natural gas and alternative energy projects within Petrobras's $102 billion five-year plan.

Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira, a vocal critic of Prates, conveyed Lula's directives to Chambriard, emphasizing the need for accelerated investments. Chief of Staff Rui Costa echoed this sentiment, highlighting the president's desire to expedite Petrobras's investment activities.

The transition also includes discussions on Petrobras's fuel pricing policy and its exploration plans in the environmentally sensitive Equatorial Margin near the Amazon River's mouth. The new CEO's alignment with Lula's administration has deepened investor apprehensions, given her previous role as head of Brazil's oil regulator under former President Dilma Rousseff.

Despite her close ties to the government, Chambriard faces significant challenges in balancing the interests of private shareholders, government directives, and consumer sensitivities to fuel price changes. Refinery expansions in the region are notoriously prone to delays and cost overruns, complicating the push for swift investment execution.

Chambriard's agenda includes navigating Petrobras's role in petrochemical producer Braskem, where the company is the second-largest shareholder. The potential acquisition of Novonor's stake in Braskem remains a contentious issue, with Lula advocating for Petrobras to strengthen its petrochemical operations.

Additionally, Petrobras is negotiating its return to managing the Acelen refinery in Bahia, sold to Abu Dhabi's Mubadala in 2021. The discussions aim to establish a new business model by mid-2024.

Petrobras continues to be a focal point of controversy within the Brazilian government, balancing increased oil production ambitions with environmental goals. The exploration plans in the Equatorial Margin have sparked internal disputes, particularly with Environment Minister Marina Silva, a key figure in Lula's climate agenda.

Chambriard, an engineer with a long tenure at Petrobras since the 1980s, supports the perspective that increased production in the Equatorial Margin is vital for financing Brazil's energy transition efforts. As she takes on her new role, Chambriard will navigate these complex challenges, balancing government ambitions with the operational and financial realities of Latin America's largest oil producer.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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If Donald Trump wins the presidential election, he is expected to push the International Energy Agency (IEA), for which the United States provides about a quarter of the funding, back to energy security and fossil fuel supply, Reuters reported on Thursday, quoting sources with knowledge of the matter. [if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif]

The Paris-based IEA was created to ensure the security of supply to developed economies in the aftermath of the Arab oil embargo in the 1970s.

In recent years, however, the agency has shifted from this purpose to endorsing the net-zero by 2050 goal and is advocating for a major change in the global energy system to include more electric vehicles (EVs), renewable power supply, hydrogen, and all other low-carbon energy sources. The IEA has even infamously said that no new oil and gas developments would be needed if the world stands a chance of reaching net zero by 2050.

But Trump, if elected U.S. president in November, is likely to pressure the IEA to pivot back to maximizing fossil fuel supply, according to former Trump Administration officials and people familiar with Trumps thinking on energy who spoke to Reuters.

Trump has not expressed any views regarding the IEA in public, while his campaign declined to comment on the report for Reuters.

According to Reuterss sources, Trump would seek to replace the current executive director of the IEA, Fatih Birol.

The IEA is currently focused on pushing the net zero and clean energy transition agenda. It has also started to diverge significantly in its oil demand growth forecasts from the OPEC group.

Just this week, the IEA cut its growth forecast for 2024 by 140,000 bpd from its assessment last month, and now sees global oil demand growth at 1.1 million bpd.

With the latest downward revision to oil demand growth, the IEA is further widening the gap in projections with OPEC. The agency sees half the growth, at 1.1 million bpd, compared to OPECs continued optimistic view of 2.25-million-bpd global oil demand growth this year.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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(The American Village branch is easy to find on the main road.)

A moment in time cast the die that sent Yoshiro to the other side of the world. His parents died when a bomb exploded. Searching for a new life, a ship took him far away to the Argentine Pampas. Eighteen-year-old Yoshiro, lacking in skills but full of promise, was taken under the wing of the Gaucho, the nomadic and yet fiercely loyal horseman of cattle, learning how to raise Angus Cattle.

He went where his heart took him, like a migratory bird, but he was on a journey of no return. You cant stop birds from flying, he told his daughter Rika. Of course, birds fly by instinct she countered, puzzled by her fathers mix of openness and secrecy as if he was trying to protect her from something.

When faced with doubt, she asked herself, What would my dad say to me right now? Knowing little of her dads life in Okinawa, Rika returned as a chef in Okinawa trying to recreate the aromas of the Sunday asado grills her dad so lovingly made for his family.

You dont have to look far to see the legacy of those times here. From the old grandfather clocks to the sounds of jazz, there is a mixture of new and old, a potpourri of East and West. On arrival, a maneki-neko cat adorned with Day of the Dead motifs greeted me, the Mexican equivalent of Obon or All Souls Day. Next to the cat was an Ebisu-like laughing Buddha, holding a totem with an orange Halloween pumpkin, a nod to the nearby American Village.

Japanese efficiency comes into play with the reservation machine, where you type in the number of adults and children in your group, so they can prepare the best dining table for you.

The small teppanyaki tables for four persons means everyone can chat easily with each other on the rectangle table with the steel plate on one side and the chef taking one side of the table, tempting me to take up a lesson in the ways of Kobe beef. The chefs here may be friendly but deadly serious with their cooking, chopping the wagyu steak into bite-size pieces, while not losing any of its juiciness and taste. In nearby Ishigaki Island, the rich minerals in the soil help with creating a delicious and nutritious steak, one grown in a stress-free sub-tropical environment.

(Like many buildings from its time, it is built to withstand the elements) (The Wagyu beef with garlic chips is designed to be shared in a small group)

The side of stir-fried bean sprouts is a standout along with garlic rice, which though a touch on the oily side makes it a perfect complement to a glass of beer. Speaking of which, what do Okinawans eat after drinking? Instead of ramen on Honshu, many people here would make a bee line for steak, making this diner a popular choice at night.

Four Seasons was founded in 1972, the year when the American government handed back the Ryukyu Islands to Japanese sovereignty. It was a time of change and hope, one that Four Seasons took on its mission to make quality food accessible to people of every season and culture. Today I can see many Japanese and American people enjoying the communion of eating together. Besides Wagyu beef, they also serve hamburger steaks, lobster, Okinawan pork, and chicken. While this can be a fun date out, the menu is more suitable for small groups or families, with a middle-of-the-road menu that is best shared.

GETTING THERE

Buses 28, 43, and 120 from Naha Bus Terminal take between 50 and 60 minutes to make their way up to the Mihama American Village Iriguchi bus stop. There is a car park outside as well. Four Seasons has four branches, in Urasoe as well as Okinawa City.

Japan Travel
(Yagi sashi is as local as you can get, with yagi meaning goat, and sashi as in sashimi)

In the byways that time forgot lies a goat of wisdom and determination. You may not hear its bleating, but it lives in the spirit of the 70-year-old chanteuse reliving her glory days in her impossibly short dress, her youth preserved in time in the black and white photographs. It was like she was channeling that goat like determination of Sherry Cola, who belted out her war cry, Watch us light up the room. Passionate and powerful, yes, we are ready to bloom.

We are not in Mesopotamia or the goatskin tanneries of Fez, but the other side of the spice and silk routes, where Arabian sailors once traded the medieval equivalent of Ikea pottery, dinner plates crafted for the upwardly mobile across the sea from Naha. Inspired by the Quran which said, it is he who appointed the stars to you, that you might guide yourselves by them through the darkness of land and sea. For almost 700 years, this hazardous but very profitable trade between the Arabs and Tang dynasty was the precursor to the trades in goods and ideas, whose hub was Naha and its spokes extended to Fuzhou, Java and Siam. Who said the ancestors of these Okinawan dancers cant learn fast?

The ode to the 70-year-old is not far-fetched, as the only other patrons in this dated eatery, whose decor resembles some relic from the 1960s, are silver haired Okinawans. Just dont write them off, for they are fitter, healthier, and more alert than most of us mere mortals, us who only live to 80, while these aspiring centenarians can transform themselves as a nimble dancer in a heartbeat. All it needs is for someone play a folk song on the sanshin, and the place spontaneously combusts into an all dancing all singing festival, with these previously sedate leprechauns balancing heavy bowls on their head while they let their fingers and hips do the talking.

(Goat + Beer + Awamori = Party Animal X 3) (The streets of Sakaemachi may seem abandoned in the morning, but they, like Misaki, come alive after dark)

Anthropology of goat cuisine

Goat meat, like Chui jhal, Boodog or Kaldereta, is usually associated with Bengal, Mongolian or Filipino cuisine. It is not what you normally associate with Japanese cuisine, so how did it make as a powerhouse dish in this oversized counter bar and dining room they call Misaki?

In the medieval times the Ryukyu Islands rode the wave of maritime trade, its sailors bringing back Hindu-Buddhist and Islamic folklore and culinary traditions from China, Malaya, Siam, Luzon and beyond, so it is not a stretch to see goat cuisine introduced to Okinawa, its hardy nature adapting to the land constrained archipelago. On the Malay coast closest to Okinawa, the villagers crafted sculptures of Makara, a mythical creature with features of a crocodile, fish, goat, and elephant, with possibly magical if not medicinal qualities. The Makara is the vehicle of the Hindu River goddess Ganga, a water spirit that channels fertility, traversing the oceans to the islands of the Far East. What is interesting is that the Makara, like Buddhism has made its way from India to Japan on the silk route, both on the land and maritime routes. This idea of blending aspects of different animals in a single creature survives in the form of the Merlion in Singapore and the Shisa or lion dog in Okinawa.

(This Makara may be linked to the Okinawa goat, its journey around these islands reminding me of the story of the sweet potato which sailed around the Pacific to Asia.)

If you go further back, goats featured in Mesopotamia. A girl tripped over a goat, long dead and dry as a bone in the desert, and the guts inside vibrated in the hollow stomach, making a vibration sound through the goat skin, and inspiring her to create a musical instrument. Today, goat skin is still used for musical instruments in the Middle East, while python skin are imported to make the Sanshin in Okinawa.

Why would you come here

You are what you eat. A goat. An eel. These animals represent stamina and determination, qualities that can transform us, if only we can partake their very essence. Traditionally eaten in summer, the goat is said to help in enduring the intense heat, a bit like Unagi or Eel in Nagoya.

If you are a food anthropologist, or just someone looking for something off the beaten track, like the tender succulent bite of raw goat or yagi sashimi, this authentic non nonsense eatery is just the right place, a far cry from the crisp tablecloth fine dining restaurants like Kanro at Hyakuna Garan Resort.

(Yagi sashi is as local as you can get, with yagi meaning goat, and sashi as in sashimi) (Channelling the inner chanteuse) (This restaurant yearns back to the days when they had left hand drive with Ryukyu Islands Number Plate, with singers sending off soldiers to the war) (f we are what we eat, then we have the strength of the Koi fish, not that our skin turns red as a result) (It used to take days to travel by train and ferry from Tokyo to Naha. While these days it is just over 3.5 hours by plane, places like Misaki are decades away from the glitz of Ginza.)

According to Government officials, the custom of eating goat meat started in the Fifteenth Century, eventually goat broth became a treat at festivals. These days, it can be terribly hard to find young Japanese who eats goat, so much so university researchers are trying to dissect all the reasons why they are not eating it, in an attempt to get the next generation to eat it. So you are, by being here, passing this tradition to future generations.

Why you would not come here

It can be hard to stomach the thought of putting goat meat in your mouth, without thinking about the all the social and historical baggage about goats entering my mind.

The bible tells us that the old legalisms of food restrictions are gone, yet there was a part of me that felt uneasy drinking something like goat soup, despite it being cooked to a chocolate brown stock and losing its blood red fluidity. No amount of cooking or hiding the pungent aroma with herbs can disguise the thought that I am some kind of vampire in partaking this dish, which was even more mind boggling than dipping the goat sashimi in the native ginger herbs and soy sauce.

(Chiirichi is goat blood soup, cooked with vegetables which does little to disguise its animal origins.) (More like an old kitchen than a restaurant, the bottles of awamori are stacked one on top of another, as if you are visiting someone who has hoarded every bottle they ever drunk)

There is little that you can do here, to pretend that it is not goat, while the locals watch your reaction, as the only visitor trying to nibble this ancient recipe. It smells like goat, especially the adult male. And by some miracle and you lost your sense of smell, they even dot the eatery with cute pictures of a goats frolicking in the grass, like something straight out of a childrens bedtime story. So, chances are, you feel wrong on multiple counts.

(Just in case you are out of your mind and forgotten that you are eating goat, there are pictures of it all over the restaurant in plain sight)

Lastly the place looks like it hasnt been renovated since gramps was young  the decor is old, the programs on the old bulbous TV are old, and no one here speaks a word of English. Dont even ask for an English language menu, it does not exist, though chances are the food is 100% gluten and lactose free.

GETTING THERE

While medieval sailors had to wait for the prevailing wind to take them to Naha, today you can catch a monorail to Asato station. Misaki is 1 min walk from the station and opens at 5pm. Just dont miss the last train, which like Cinderella, departs a good 15 minutes before midnight.

Japan Travel
Buddhist Association of China observes Buddha's birth anniversary

Xinhua) 09:53, May 16, 2024

BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The Buddhist Association of China on Wednesday held a commemorative event at Guangji Temple in Beijing to observe the birth anniversary of the Buddha.

Sutra chanting and Buddha bathing rituals were held during the event, which was attended by representatives from China's major Buddhist communities, as well as foreign envoys.

Addressing the event, Master Yanjue, head of the association, lauded generations of Buddhists for building bridges of harmony, mutual respect and common development among people of different countries.

The Chinese Buddhist community is willing to join hands with Buddhists and peace-loving people around the world to jointly promote the harmonious coexistence of diverse cultures and different civilizations, as well as mutual learning and exchange, he said.

According to Chinese Buddhist tradition, the birth anniversary of the Buddha is celebrated on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
IPOB Leader, Nnamdi Kanu

Kanu said to hold an emergency live broadcast tonight, described the act as politics of savagery.

In a statement on his official Facebook page, Kanu placed curse on President Mohammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari, saying they will never know peace. His statement read:

The barbaric and disgraceful attack against peaceful IPOB protesters today by South African police is proof that state-sanctioned politics of savagery has taken firm hold in Cyril Ramaphosas South Africa. A thoroughly ugly and distasteful development that pales the White apartheid regime into insignificance in terms of its brutality and incredulity.

We hereby place it on record that this Sudanese impostor Jubril Al-Sudani on whose account Cyril Ramaphosa ordered his police to open fire on peaceful Biafran protesters will never know peace, neither will Abba Kyaris cabal in Aso Rock that has reduced Nigeria to an archetypal impoverished, backward 19th century Fulani emirate.

Let them know that Jubril will be disgraced, hounded and exposed in every country he sets foot upon even if it happens to be in totalitarian glorified Banana republics in Africa.

The crass display of primitive police brutality and anti-democratic antecedents of the South African police is confirmation if any is needed, that black Africa is hopeless and doomed.
Nigerian rapper M.I. comes through with his highly-anticipated EP titled Judah. The industry heavyweight announced his exit from Chocolate City and the creation of his new label, Incredible Music with this 10th project he recently released.

M.I. joined Chocolate City in 2007 and became the CEO in 2015, and has so far dropped five albums, three mixtapes and one playlist (nine projects in total).

His new body of work, Judah houses nine tracks featuring artists such as AQ, Buckyraw, Nawe, Alpha Ojini, and Kauna. The rapper who ended his 13-year association with Choc boys made the announcement on Instagram writing:

There is a lot of truth in my new EP the Judah EP

1. I had a dream that CBN would be the greatest group the world had ever seen.. it was on me and today I announce my decision to finally let go and move on to something new! Thank you for your support and love for 13 years.. and if youre still with me!! Lets go please follow @imthetribe

Fans have taken to Twitter to express their opinion on the matter

#JudahtheEp MI cannot Rap.

Blah blah blah How MI Abaga showed up pic.twitter.com/ZIm5sM4aS9  Connel Asikong (@ConnelBlaze) March 6, 2020

When @MI_Abaga said When the family thrives, then I have arrived. I think this is how everyone should measure their success. #JudahTheEP  Problem child ?? (@tor3ll) March 6, 2020

I swear, this Industry, it be a lot boy

Only few niggaz are solid as a Rock boy

A lot of shit you see will have you shocked boy

Only one commandment, never fuck with any fuckboys- @MI_Abaga 2020#judahtheEp  Kemi SmallzZ (@kemismallzz) March 6, 2020

The bars on this track are not for you if you havent done ur Masters The HolyGhost was literally on this track .

This is fire ? ? @MI_Abaga @thisisAQ #JudahTheEP #JudahTheEP #JudahTheEP pic.twitter.com/MCFLLRRW2i  oyeyemi (@yemiiiiiiiii) March 6, 2020

Only album better than MI Abagas #JudahTheEP in last two years is olamides #999EP pic.twitter.com/tJ79aidua9  loose mouth*YBNL Soldier* (@oluwaremisneh) March 6, 2020
US Based block, TBD, which is focused on creating open and decentralized technologies to connect the financial world is set to hold workshop series in three different African Countries targeting the training of developers in the the usage of tbDex, an open source liquidity and trust protocol to unlock unlock frictionless, compliant cross-border payments settled in seconds.



The workshop is slated for May 16 in Accra, Ghana, May 24 in Cape Town, South Africa and May 28, Nairobi Kenya.



The workshop series will focus on crucial areas to ensure participants gain a comprehensive understanding of how tbDEX operates as a catalyst in liquidity exchange.



It will also help participants acquire hands-on experience in developing a financial application that uses the tbDEX messaging protocol.



Furthermore, participants will learn how Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable Credentials (VCs) address your compliance requirements.



Advancing the Growth of tbDEX in Africa and partnership with Chipper Cash



Highlighting the Challenges of Currency liquidity and access to global financial system in Africa, CEO of TBD, Mr. Mike Brock emphasized on the need for a tbDEX ecosystem in Africa, which already includes Yellowcard, the largest and only licensed stablecoin on/off ramp on the African continent.



He added that the partnership with Chipper Cash will help to accelerate global cross-border payments and decentralized identity.



The alliance also aims to reduce the cost of remittances on the continent. The firms highlighted that the partnership would explore ways to empower small businesses while deepening financial inclusion.



Speaking at Press meeting with tech journalists and media Personalities, Co - founder for Chipper Cash, Maijid Moujaled noted that "it's really about how to reduce cost of remittances". He added that Africa still remains one of the expensive destinations to send money and Chipper Cash offers an open network that allows for multiple participants that enforce competition to drive down the cost of remittances.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has announced the successful completion of the first Proof of Concept (PoC) as part of Project, Digital Economy Semi-Fungible Token (DESFT) which demonstrates the successful execution of a cross-border transaction payment making use of digital credentials, the eCedi and an approved stablecoin from Singapore.



The BoG in collaboration with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) initiated Project DESFT in June 2023.



The first Phase of the project saw the design and development of a trusted credential system that enables SMEs to transform key information such as basic credentials, licences, certificates, and trade records into verifiable digital credentials on a secure distributed ledger system, allowing potential trade partners and financial institutions to efficiently verify the authenticity of such information.



Expanding upon this groundwork, in April 2024, Phase 2 of the Project DESFT successfully executed a cross-border trade between Ghana and Singapore, leveraging the DESFT solution, Universal Trusted Credentials (UTC), a Singapore Stablecoin (xSGD), the recently piloted Ghanaian Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), the eCedi, and the Purpose

Bound Money (PBM) protocol.



The live transactions, according to the BoG, further demonstrated the feasibility of utilizing the proposed Ghanaian domestic retail CBDC platform, the eCedi in cross-border transactions.



This affirms the potential of the eCedi system demonstrated for future interoperability with various cross-border credential and payment platforms, the central bank said.



The Director of FinTech and Innovation Office at the Bank of Ghana, Mr Kwame Oppong in a remark during the press launch of the successful completion of cross-border trade using digital credentials at the just ended 31 Africa Summit in Accra on Thursday, May 15 said The prospective introduction of the eCedi is poised to significantly enhance Ghanas dynamic payment ecosystem, fostering inclusive growth and innovation while improving consumer experiences. With its interoperability with the DESFT system, and verifiable credentials via UTC, the eCedi has the potential to facilitate the participation of Ghanaian Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in international trade in a cost-effective manner.



Project DESFT is aimed at supporting SMEs in Africa to engage in international trade by removing significant obstacles they face, such as establishing trust with overseas trade partners and obtaining support in cross-border payments and supply chain finance. We believe that the new generation of financial technology offers innovative approaches to

these challenges. After nearly a year and two phases of development, we have crafted a reliable information exchange solution founded on UTC standards and Semi-fungible Token technology.



Furthermore, we have rigorously tested a cross-border payment solution built upon the principles of Purpose Bound Money (PBM) and conducted real trade experiments which fully align with our predetermined objectives.



The next phase of the Project DESFT will continue to build upon the current achievements, focusing on highly automated digital credential processes, programmable payments across multiple digital currencies, and support for supply chain finance.





Source: 3news.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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Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has extolled the Overlord of the Asante kingdom, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, for preserving the historic vintage Rolls-Royce in his palace.



Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly called "NAPO", was delighted that this vehicle which spans from the 1900s is well-utilized by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and, to him, this affirms Otumfuo's commitment to upholding the values and traditions of the Asantes.



He wrote; "Ghanaians would recall with nostalgia, that, during the 63rd Independence parade held in Kumasi in 2020, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, graced the occasion with a triumphant entry, riding in his gleaming, black vintage Rolls-Royce Phantom, to the adoration of the cheering crowd.



"In fact, for many, this act of showmanship deepened the incontrovertible power of the king and the Golden Stool whose values he personifies. For others, it was the ever flamboyant, rich Asante culture in an endless, almost seamless loop  the ancient readily and warmly embracing the modern.



"Steeped in history and adorned with symbolism, this Rolls-Royce serves as a tangible link to the past, connecting three successive Asantehenes  Otumfuo Sir Osei Agyemang Prempeh, Otumfuo Opoku Ware II and the incumbent Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II."



The Minister continued; "The story is told that this is the same vehicle Otumfuo Prempeh II rode in 1949 from Manhyia Palace to Sofoline, to open a new boys secondary school, my own beloved alma mater, Prempeh College. According to credible sources, this particular model of Rolls-Royce, was sold only to buyers whom the manufacturer held in high esteem and deemed worthy of honour. These included the British monarchy and some heads of state."



"As Otumfuo Osei Tutu II marks 25 years of occupying the Golden Stool, the unscathed existence of this Rolls-Royce, serves as a poignant reminder of the responsibilities that come with leadership. Beyond the trappings of power, there lies a solemn duty to safeguard the heritage entrusted to his care. In the painstaking preservation of this venerable vehicle, the Asantehene reaffirms his commitment to upholding the values and traditions that have sustained the Asante kingdom for centuries", he hailed the Asantehene.



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The Senior Management Team of Telecel Ghana has paid a courtesy call on TogbeAfede XIV, the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli Traditional Area, an entrepreneur and Executive Chairman of the World Trade Centre, Accra. This visit follows Telecel Ghanas rebranding in March 2024.



The team has been actively engaging with key traditional leaders across the country, including His Royal Majesty, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, in the Ashanti Region, His Royal Majesty Nii Tackie Tsuru II of the Ga State, His Royal Majesty, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, Okyenhene of Akyem Abuakwa, the Choggu Naa, Naa Mahamadu Alhassan II, under the delegation of Yaa Naa Abubakari Mahama II of the Dagbon State and Nana Kobina Nketsia V, the Omanhene of Essikado. The engagements form a crucial part of the rebranding process to introduce the Telecel brand to key stakeholders and highlight the organizations commitment to technological growth, innovation, and community collaboration.



During the visit, Togbe Afede XIV emphasized the critical role of the telecommunications industry in national development and encouraged Telecel Ghana to continue innovating and strengthen collaborations with traditional authorities to enhance societal impact.



He added that during economically challenging moments, businesses had to continuously innovate to remain competitive in the industry. Additionally, he suggested Telecel Ghanalisting on the Ghana Stock Exchange to deepen its indigenous connection to the Ghanaian people.



Togbe Afede XIV further commended the team for its commitment to gender equality and its proactive approach toward fostering economic growth and supporting future advancements in the telecommunications sector.



On her part, Ing. Patricia Obo-Nai CEO of Telecel Ghana said, We are deeply honoured by the warm reception from Togbe Afede XIV and his insightful remarks about the potential of our sector to significantly contribute to the country's economy. She further highlighted the importance of ongoing innovation and deeper collaboration with traditional leaders, to ensure that technological advancements benefit all aspects of society.



Telecel Ghanas goal is to build a robust network that supports local enterprises and enhances the quality of life for every Ghanaian, so we are dedicated to working closely with traditional leaders to leverage their insights and leadership for community development., she added.



Following the visit, Telecel Ghana will maintain its dialogue with traditional leaders to discuss future partnerships and community-focused projects.



The organizations recent brand launch in Kumasi and its ongoing outreach reflects its renewed commitment to driving growth and innovation in Ghanas telecommunications landscape.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The Interior Minister, Henry Quartey says the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government was ready to hand over power peacefully to whoever wins the December 2024 presidential election.



The President has given me a marching order, and the order is to ensure that this years elections, before, during and after go on peacefully, and that, by the grace of God, I shall do, Mr Quartey stated while speaking to journalists on Wednesday.



His statement was in response to concerns by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), that the NPP was not ready to hand over power.



To the NDC, they are convinced that the party will be re-elected into office in December and has expressed concerns about recent comments made by President Akufo-Addo, which to them, was a sign that President Akufo-Addo was not ready to hand over power.



Addressing some NPP supporters in Doboro in the Greater Accra Region, following a visit to the premises of Blue Skies Limited last week, President Akufo-Addo said: When the time is up for the voting, our job is simple. The person [John Mahama] I defeated [in 2016 and 2020 presidential elections], my work since I took over, seems not to please him. I cannot hand over power to such a person. He will destroy whatever we have done when he comes.



Reacting, the Interior Minister, Mr Henry Quartey noted that regardless of the election outcome, the NPP remained devoted to upholding democratic norms and facilitating a peaceful transfer of power.



What will profit us, as a political party, if we encourage violence. Who are we going to serve in this country? Are we going to serve the people who are dead and buried?, he questioned.



He expressed hope for another mandate based on the party's achievements but affirmed readiness for a peaceful handover if the people decide otherwise.



As a politician, as a political party, it is our hope, it is our wish, it is our belief that by the grace of God, the good people of this country, per the good work that we have done in infrastructure and in other interventions, they will give us another mandate.



Perish the thought, and I say again, perish the thought, if they [voters] decide to give their mandate to somebody, we will handover peacefully and walk away, go to the drawing board and come back Insha Allah. But I know that the grace of God abounds and so we shall break the 8," he said.

Source: Graphiconline









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The Ghana Police Service has told organizers of the #DumsorMustStop protest to change their choice of location.



Yvonne Nelson and other organisers of the protest were also told to adjust the timing for the upcoming demonstration scheduled for Saturday, May 25, 2024.



According to Yvonne Nelson the protest is to demonstrate our frustrations over the unacceptable erratic electricity supply to give the president ocular evidence of the debilitating effect of the erratic power supply on us.



The #DumsorMustStop protest is against the current power outages being experienced in the country.



Read the statement from the Police below







Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Mr. Tweneboa Kodua Fokuo has taken over from Mr. Samuel Sarpong as the Managing Director of the National Investment Bank (NIB).



His appointment took effect from Monday, May 13, 2024.



In a memo sent to the staff, the Bank explained that Mr. Fukuo was appointed by the Majority shareholder of the bank.



It further explained that Mr. Philip Ofori-Asante has been nominated as Deputy Managing Director following in Mr. Fokuos footsteps.



However the appointment of Mr. Tweneboah Kodua Fokuo has encountered a lot of criticisms from the minority and other Economists over his political affiliations and interest, indicating that his appointment by the president will worsen the already distressed bank.



The Minority in Parliament has raised concerns about the governments handling of the National Investment Bank (NIB), alleging it has become a platform for members of the New Patriotic Party.



In a press statement, the Minority caucus vehemently opposed the appointment of the NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Manso Nkwanta in the Ashanti Region as MD for the bank.



The Vice President of IMANI Africa, Bright Simons, was the first to raise alarm over the appointment, questioning why the Bank of Ghana approved it considering that the MD would be engaged in rigorous campaigning for political office.



The Minority caucus believes that such appointments undermine public trust in the governments ability to manage national resources effectively.



The caucus further claims that the situation is exacerbated by the banks Deputy Managing Director, who was also a politically active individual who previously contested the Fomena Member of Parliament seat.



On Wednesday, while addressing Journalists in Accra, the Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, expressed his reservations about such a development.



He said President Akufo-Addo is destroying the governance of our country.



"In the sense that even banks, a typical example like the NIB has been turned into a hub where they harbour foot soldiers of the party. You have a bank that is struggling, a bank that is almost collapsed, a bank that we know that the governance structure regime is extremely poor but we all want to nurture the bank because obviously it is a state bank, he added.



Prove Critics Wrong



Reacting to this development, A Governance Analyst and a lecturer at the Central University, Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah in an interview with Peace FM news challenged the newly appointed Managing Director of National Investment Bank (NIB), Mr. Tweneboah Kodua Fokuo to see his appointment as a task to work and prove his critics wrong.



Dr. Otchere-Ankrah said in as much as he is a politician vying to be voted for on a ticket of the NPP in Manso Nkwanta, he should put his political affiliation behind and work for the sustenance of the bank from its current distress position.



Dr Ankrah indicated that every individual is a 'walking politician' who belongs to a political party, "but if we allow professionalism to thrive in our dealings and works, we will be able to undertake any assignment given, irrespective of one's affiliations."



Nonetheless a Banking Consultant Dr. Richmond Atuahene says calls for the removal of Tweneboah Kodua Fokuo as Managing Director of the National Investment Bank are without any basis.



Calls for Fokuo's removal unjustified



Dr. Richmond Atuahene says once the person in question has met all the criteria set to head a bank by the Bank of Ghana, the call for his removal is not justified.



Dr Richard Atuahene believed that, if the concern raised by the minority group is about time commitment, then they have no reason to protest for his removal.



Speaking with Peace FM News, he explained that the President of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Ado has never breached any constitution or statutory for appointing Mr. Fokuo as the new MD since he followed all the norms before the appointment.



He said their concern is unjustified since there is no law against a political figure holding a public office when he qualifies.



Also the Director-General of the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA), John Boadu, stated that the concern of the Minority in parliament about the recent appointment of Tweneboah Kodua Fokuo as the Managing Director of the National Investment Bank (NIB) is without basis.



But the Director-General of SIGA, John Boadu argues that if Mr Fokuo lacked the qualifications to save the bank from collapse, it would have been a matter of concern.



NIB Managing Director Clears Air Over Role As Parliamentary Candidate



Tweneboa Kodua Fokuo, the newly appointed Managing Director (MD) of the National Investment Bank (NIB), has dismissed concerns over his dual role as the New Patriotic Partys (NPP) Parliamentary Candidate for the Manso Nkwanta Constituency in the Ashanti Region.



Fokuos appointment has sparked controversy and criticism, particularly from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), who questions the Bank of Ghanas decision to approve a Parliamentary Candidate as the Chief Executive (CEO) of a struggling state bank during an election year.



However, in an interview on Joy FM on Monday, Kodua Fokuo emphasized his commitment to his work at NIB, stating that he has never left the office for party work unless it was his leisure time.





Source: Patricia Sefa Fisher/Peace FM Newsroom









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Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, holds talks with Speaker of the Moroccan House of Representatives Rachid Talbi Alami in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Zhao Leji, China's top legislator, held talks with Speaker of the Moroccan House of Representatives Rachid Talbi Alami on Thursday in Beijing.

Zhao, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, the China-Morocco strategic partnership has developed rapidly in recent years, bringing tangible benefits to the two countries and two peoples.

China is ready to work with Morocco to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, consolidate political mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation, promote cultural exchanges and mutual learning, enhance China-Arab states and China-Africa cooperation, and push for the greater development of bilateral relations, Zhao said.

He noted that China appreciates the firm support Morocco has given China on such issues as those related to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and human rights. China appreciates Morocco's support for the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and its participation in the GDI, and welcomes Morocco to support and participate in the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative.

China stands ready to join hands with Morocco and other Arab countries to work toward a China-Arab states community with a shared future in the new era. China welcomes Morocco's active participation in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit to be held this autumn, and invites the country to participate at a higher level in the joint construction of a China-Africa community with a shared future, Zhao said.

He noted that China's NPC is willing to maintain the momentum of high-level visits with the Moroccan Parliament, work with Morocco to learn from each other's legislation and supervision experience, promote exchanges between political parties, localities and people, and strengthen coordination and cooperation on multilateral mechanisms to safeguard the interests of the two developing countries.

Alami said that the Chinese civilization has a long and splendid history, and that Morocco cherishes its solid strategic partnership with China and admires the tremendous development achievements of the Chinese people.

Morocco abides by the one-China principle and supports China firmly in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Moroccan House of Representatives is willing to strengthen friendly exchanges with the NPC and contribute to promoting mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, Alami added. 

Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, holds talks with Speaker of the Moroccan House of Representatives Rachid Talbi Alami in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)
Former Central regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan has stated that the Electoral Commission has been vindicated following the emergence of minors and non-Ghanaians at the ongoing limited voter registration exercise.



The Electoral Commission had been advocating for the use of the Ghana Card as a sole document for identification.



According to the Commission, the aim of using the Ghana Card as the sole document for identification is to help in streamlining the registration process and to minimize disputes as a result of eligibility in terms of age and nationality since the Ghana card clearly shows the age and nationality of the bearer.



The Electoral Commission added that the use of the Ghana Card will help do away with the guarantor system.



However, this advocacy was vehemently kicked against by the major opposition party, National Democratic Congress and some Civil Society Organisations.



In the face of the violence and confusion that has characterised the ongoing registration exercise, Kwamena Duncan posited that, Electoral Commission foresaw that if the Ghana Card is not used, the incidence of violence and confusion will inundate the registration process.



According to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) communicator, the lack of cooperation from the NDC led to the withdrawal of the advocacy being championed by the Electoral Commission.



Speaking on Wednesdays edition of Peace FMs 'Kokrokoo' morning show, Kwamena Duncan said, The Electoral Commission knows the inside out of the Ghanaian political terrain. In their quest to avoid the incidence of violence and confusion that is why the commission wanted to use the Ghana card as the sole document for identification."



"The constitution clearly stipulates the conditions needed for one to be a registered voter in Ghana.



"The constitution states in Article 46 that the person should be a Ghanaian, and should be 18 years and above and of sound mind. That is what the constitution says. It is for this reason that the EC decided to use the Ghana card to get the right data. If we want to have a clean register, then this is the way to go but it was fought against by the NDC. We are now back to the use of the old system where a guarantor has to guarantee for someone."



The confusion and conflict happening now is clear indication that the commission has been vindicated.



The assertion by the Mr. Duncan is in consonant with the observation made by the Electoral Commission as reasons for the violence and attacks at the registration centres.



Deputy Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Eric Bossman Asare stated that, we have also noticed that some of the disturbances occurring at some of our registration centres are due to the fact that some people are doubting the ages of some of the applicants.



Watch video below





Source: Kobina Darlington/peacefmonline.com









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James Kwabena Bomfeh, popularly called "Kabilla", has cautioned the Electoral Commission against committing errors as it's happened in the ongoing limited registration exercise.



The EC commenced this year's registration exercise on May 7 and will end on May 27 but the Commission recorded some errors while tabulating the figures of the number of registrants in the Day 2 and 3 of the exercise.



The former General Secretary of the Convention People's Party (CPP), Kwabena Bomfeh expressed concerns over the errors stating the Commission should not take their infographics for granted.



Although he commends the EC for their good works in previous exercises and how they are conducting this year's registration exercise, Kabilla however hoped the EC not to repeat errors again.



"To develop is to stop repeating or making errors . . . EC must be told; don't repeat errors. Your credibility is beyond reproach; maintain it!", he advised the Commission while speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" on Wednesday.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The Director of Communications for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah has accused the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, of fueling the menace of illegal mining, popularly referred to as galamsey.



According to Richard Ahigabah, the former President and the largest opposition party, NDC, are promoters of galamsey adding that, the decision by John Mahama to use Artificial Intelligence to fight the canker is a political gimmick to solicit for votes from Ghanaians.



Former President, John Mahama, while speaking at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in the Sunyani on May 15, during the 3rd Annual Transformational Dialogue on Small-Scale Mining, announced that during his tenure as President, he will employ Artificial Intelligence to fight galamsey.



Mr. Mahama said, We will introduce and encourage technological innovation to improve capacity for coordinated monitoring of the small-scale mining sector and reduce environmental impact.



This will include using AI to locate all small-scale mining and galamsey operations, track excavators, and geo-fence all concessions to ensure mining operations are not conducted in unapproved areas, including water bodies, John Mahama said.



However, posting on his official X page, the NPP Director of Communication posited, the NDC are promoters of galamsey. Therefore, H.E Mahama's promise to use AI powered plan to combat galamsey is a vote-seeking gimmick. Galamsey is an existential problem that requires inputs from all strata of society to combat. Resolving the galamsey menace is impossible with H.E John Mahama and the NDC because they are promoters and beneficiaries of galamsey.



According to him, there have been some evidence to buttress his assertion that, the NDC propelled the practice of galamsey under the leadership of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama.



He referred to the widely publicized 2020 video of Kwaku Boahen, then, Deputy Communications Officer of the NDC, promising a golden age of galamsey to voters in mining communities across the country."



H.E Mahama promised to free galamsey convicts in 2020, at a campaign event at Mpohor, and has repeated the same promise following his selection as the flagbearer of the NDC for the 2024 presidential election.



Richard Ahiagbah stated that, the fight against galamsey will be a futile venture under the leadership of John Mahama and the NDC government.



Solution to the fight against galamsey is impossible with Mahama & the NDC."



"Vote Bawumia for a bold solution to the galamsey menace. It's possible, he said.

Source: Kobina Darlington/peacefmonline.com









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The flagbearer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has propagated the gospel of co-existence between persons of different faiths and religious dispositions.



According to Dr. Bawumia, the beautiful cohesion of the various religious bodies has been beneficial to Ghana.



Dr. Bawumia made this known during an interactive session with the Clergy in the Northern region as part of his nationwide tour.



Dr. Bawumia said that he feels confident and comfortable associating with Christians, which to him, is a virtue directed by the Holy Prophet Mohammed.



Dr. Bawumia said, "I dont think that being a true Muslim means that you cannot get close to Christians. I dont see how being a true Christian, you cannot get close to Muslims."



Prophet Mohammed said to the Muslims that of all the religions and faiths of this world, Muslims should get closer to the Christians. That is what the Prophet Mohammed said and so I am very much comfortable and confident in getting close to Christians. My brothers and sister are Christians and I cannot say that I will not get close to them.



The NPPs flagbearer further encouraged Ghanaians to co-exist peacefully as it promotes unity and avoids the entry of plotters of discord and dispel the entry and activities of jihadists, who he said are often lurking to take advantage of disagreements between believers of different faiths and religions.



He added, There are many people who are uncomfortable with us [Muslims] getting closer [to Christians] and that is how jihadists and all of the extremists benefit. We are a peaceful country and we always get closer and so let us keep it that way.



Dr. Bawumia is embarking on a nationwide tour where he is expected to meet with religious and traditional leaders to seek for their inputs on what they would want him to do when he comes to power come 2025 after the elections are held.

Source: Kobina Darlington/peacefmonline.com









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Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah, a Governance lecturer at the Central University, has admonished the Electoral Commission to be wary about their activities, especially with committing errors in their computation and collation of figures.



The Electoral Commission has come under intense criticisms for failing to accurately tabulate the number of registrants on the Day 2 and 3 of the ongoing limited registration exercise.



The EC has however apologized for their mistake saying the Electoral Commission has corrected errors in the previously released daily voter registration numbers. The inaccuracies were in the cummulative totals for days two and three, though the regional numbers were correct. The Upper Easts day threes total was mistakenly repeated for day four. These have been amended.



Joining a panel discussion on Peace FM's morning show "Kokrokoo", Dr. Otchere-Ankrah slammed the EC wondering why they keep recording errors.



According to him, although to err is human, it is however incumbent on the Commission to do a thorough work to avoid mistakes that will generate conflict.



"Some of the errors you commit are unpardonable...Though you are humans and can make mistakes but there are some mistakes that you do which cannot be understood. You have to be extremely careful!", the lecturer advised.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has reassured his commitment to protect the public purse if elected president.



He also maintained that the size of his government would be small to cut government expenditure.



I have made it clear and even stated that I want to bring down government expenditure and the size of government by at least 3 percent of GDP, which is about GH30 billion over the next four years and I have also made it clear that I will have no more than 50 ministers, which is also to say I want to bring the size of government down. Dr Bawumia told the clergy in the Northern Region during his Bold Soltutio campaign ahead of December polls.



He pledged to protect the public purse and efficiently disburse public funds to undertake socially beneficial and impactful projects.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com









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This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

An artist's impression of VFTS 243 in the Tarantula Nebula. Credit: ESO/L. Calcada. eso.org/public/images/eso2210a/

A new study in Physical Review Letters explores the conditions of black hole formation from dying stars, particularly the role of neutrino-induced natal kicks in the formation process.

Black holes are some of the most mysterious objects in the universe, with gravitational forces so strong that even light can't escape them. As of now, with the evidence we have, black holes are stellar corpses, meaning they are born when stars die.

However, the exact mechanisms of their formation are still a mystery. The new study addresses some of these mysteries by studying processes like stellar mass ejection and neutrino emission, which play a crucial role in black hole formation.

Phys.org spoke to first author Dr. Alejandro Vigna-Gomez, a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Germany.

When asked about his motivation to study black hole formation, he said, "Over the past decade, my work has revolved around the intersection of binary star and supernova physics."

"My interest has grown in the wake of recent breakthroughs in black hole astronomy. In recent years, I realized that heavy black holes could offer significant insights into the processes of stellar collapse that result in their creation."

Natal kicks and neutron stars

When a star bigger than our sun reaches the end of its life, it leads to an extremely bright and violent explosion called a supernova explosion. These explosions are so bright that they can outshine the luminosity of an entire galaxy briefly and release a large number of neutrinos to leave behind a neutron star.

The stellar mass ejected during the explosion has a velocity of thousands of kilometers per second but is not always equally distributed. This asymmetry leads to large-scale asymmetries in the remnants of the explosion, which has been observed for neutron stars.

This asymmetric ejected mass causes a recoil to the neutron star called a natal kick, which causes it to move at high speeds throughout a galaxy. Natal kicks have been previously seen for neutron stars but not for black holes.

Black holes are formed when, instead of an explosion, a dying star collapses in on itself. So, we come to the question posed by the researchers: Could natal kicks also play a role in the formation of black holes?

Black hole binaries

"In recent years, several black-hole binaries have been discovered within our galaxy and its surroundings. They are usually detected via X-ray emission, but only a few have been detected via single-lined spectroscopy [a different method] as X-ray-quiet binaries," said Dr. Vigna-Gomez.

These binary systems do not emit significant amounts of X-rays, which can be indicative of the stages of evolution of the stars in the binary system.

The researchers chose the galaxy VFTS 243 for their study as it houses one of the most massive black holes among these binaries.

The binary system consists of a black hole and a massive star. The researchers wanted to study the conditions under which the black hole was formed like the stellar mass lost and the natal kicks associated with its formation.

The researchers were building on recent observations of disappearing stars, which are stars that died and became black holes without an explosion. Additionally, these stellar-mass black hole binaries (this is the official term) are inert, meaning that there is little interaction between the star and black hole after the black hole is formed.

Constraints on natal kick

The researchers used a semianalytic approach to calculate the probability that a natal kick during the formation of the black hole would lead to the observed configuration of the system.

For analyzing the formation of the system, the researchers used various constraints like orbital period, eccentricity, and systemic radial velocity of the system. They additionally performed estimations for long-term neutrino asymmetries during the formation of the black hole (assuming that it happened due to a complete collapse and not an explosion).

Dr. Vigna-Gomez summarized the findings, saying, "We find that the black hole of VFTS 243 formed without an explosion and had a low neutrino natal kick, if any. This suggests that neutrinos were emitted nearly equally in all directions when the massive progenitor collapsed into a black hole."

For VFTS 243, the researchers constrained the natal kick velocity to be less than or equal to about 10 kilometers per second. They found that the most likely scenario is that approximately 0.3 solar masses were ejected, presumably in neutrinos, and the black hole experienced a natal kick of about 4 kilometers per second.

Future work

These findings have implications for the formation of other black holes, suggesting that some can be formed via complete collapse, with no explosion.

Further, long-term neutrino emission is preferentially spherically symmetric (equal in all directions), which explains the lack of a strong natal kick to the binary system.

Dr. Vigna-Gomez added, "It seems that the theoretical intuition we have built on black holes having reduced natal kicks with respect to neutron stars was right."

"This analysis shows that VFTS 243 can be used as a benchmark system for the simulation of core-collapse supernovae, i.e., simulations of stars that collapse into black holes that are around ten solar masses should align with the small neutrino asymmetries and natal kicks that we inferred for VFTS 243."

Building frameworks for a population of black holes would be the next step for the researchers in their attempt to understand the evolution of massive stars.

More information: Alejandro Vigna-Gomez et al, Constraints on Neutrino Natal Kicks from Black-Hole Binary VFTS 243, Physical Review Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.191403. Journal information: Physical Review Letters

 2024 Science X Network
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Water shortages are expanding across the Earth. This is particularly acute in desert areas of the Middle East that are subject to both drought and extreme conditions such as flooding. As a result of these uncertainties, there is an increasing reliance on shallow aquifers to mitigate these shortages. However, the characteristics of these aquifers remain poorly understood due to the reliance on sporadic well logs for their management.

To address this challenge a team of researchers at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering along with collaborators across the world, developed a new prototype for what the team is calling an "Airborne Sounding Radar for Desert Subsurface Exploration of Aquifers," nicknamed "Desert-SEA."

The new technique will map the top of the aquifer, called the water table, spanning areas as large as hundreds of kilometers using a radar mounted on a high-altitude aircraft. According to the researchers, Desert-SEA will measure, for the first time, the variabilities in the depth of the water table on a large scale, allowing water scientists to assess the sustainability of these aquifers without the limitations associated with in-situ mapping in harsh and inaccessible environments.

"Understanding how shallow groundwater moves horizontally and vertically is our primary objective as it helps us answer several questions about its origin and evolution in the vast and harsh deserts. These are questions that remain unanswered to this day," says Heggy, a research scientist at USC who specializes in radar remote sensing of deserts and the lead author of the paper outlining the technology in the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine.

How it works

The technique uses low-frequency radar to probe the ground. The radar sends a series of pulsed waves into the ground, which are reflected when interacting with the water-saturated layer. From the reflected signal, and using an array of advanced antennas combined with computational techniques, the water table can be mapped with relatively high vertical and spatial resolution.

When imaged, a stable water table usually appears as flat reflector as the amounts of water withdrawn and the amount of water that enters the system (its "recharge") are nearly equal. However, if there is any imbalance, this will be reflected in the resulting image showing an upward or downward deflection in shape of the water table.

A similar technique is widely used for probing ice in the Antarctic and planetary bodies; however, adapting it to sense shallow aquifers in the deserts required resolving several challenges in the radar design that took three years of hard work with industry partners in Carlsbad, CA, to resolve it.

"In particular, we had to resolve the blind zone near the surface. The highly radar-attenuating ground, unquantified sources of noise, and complex clutter can mask the detection of shallow aquifers. Our system's probing and surveying capabilities surpass those of commercial ground penetrating radars, whether surface or drone-mounted. Our system transmits stronger signals, has more sensitive receivers, and operates faster by several orders of magnitude," says Heggy.

Current shallow groundwater maps in several parts of arid deserts, such as the Sahara, rely on data from wells that are tens, hundreds, and sometimes even thousands of miles apart, which could lead to inaccurate estimates of their volume and dynamics.

Heggy suggests that this would be like finding out data about groundwater in the entire United States solely by looking at data from a well in New Jersey. (The desert area of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula is twice the size of the continental United States). Thus, well logs alone cannot give a proper assessment of their rapid evolution, cautions Heggy.

According to the researchers, Desert-SEA's capability to transmit high-power signals and use advanced onboard processing can fill the gaps in the data presented by well logs' geographical distribution.

With this new prototype, Heggy predicts that even with a small airplane flying at two hundred miles per hour, the team could cover in an hour what researchers would normally cover in a year from well log data.

Co-author Bill Brown was the lead engineer on the project. Brown says, "The Desert Sea Radar represents a significant advancement in airborne sensing and environmental engineering. By integrating high-frequency radar with AI technologies, it can generate real-time, three-dimensional mappings of subterranean water sources. This capability is crucial for securing sustainable water management in arid regions."

While this technology will be tested in the Middle East, it has wide application to other places that are subject to extended droughts, notably in central Asia and Australia, and even in US deserts.

This technology works best in very dry areas like sand and its particular importance goes beyond understanding the current water supply. It can also be deployed for repeated assessments to understand sustainability for agriculture and, consequently, for ensuring food security for inhabitants of these extreme environments.

"Having the ability to peer more than 100 feet deep through dry sand, across vast deserts and in record time, is going to allow us to answer fundamental questions about the ebb and flow of groundwater in these regions and how we can use it in a more sustainable way," said Elizabeth Palmer, a Fulbright Fellow working on the project.

"I am always glad to participate in airborne research missions. However, because the Desert-SEA mission will have a humanitarian impact on relieving water stress, it gives me unique feelings of motivation and pride," Akram Amin Abdellatif, a researcher at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) noted.

The next step for the research team is to take this designed prototype and build a flight model to be implemented on helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.

More information: Essam Heggy et al, Airborne Sounding Radar for Desert Subsurface Exploration of Aquifers: Desert-SEA: Mission concept study [Space Agencies], IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine (2024). DOI: 10.1109/MGRS.2023.3338512
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Our research shows that emerging fire regimes are pushing the very character of our forests. Picture: Tom Fairman, University of Melbourne

Fire is a natural part of the Australian landscape. But the more frequent fires we've seen recentlyparticularly the high severity bushfires that consume or scorch the canopies of whole forestsare a major concern to our country's ecosystem health, carbon storage and biodiversity.

We often see devastating footage of those eucalypt forests in flames, but we should also be concerned about the effect of bushfires we can't always seesometimes below ground.

More to forests than trees

Most of our understanding of the impacts of fires comes from the trees that form the overstory of these forests.

For example, we know that more frequent severe fires lead to the loss of fire-sensitive trees like alpine ash and a decline in otherwise fire-tolerant snow gum forests.

The overstorythe layer of vegetation formed by the tallest trees in the forest that typically receive the most sunlight and form the upper canopy of the forestis where most of the carbon is stored and where we find the hollows for animals to live in.

While the overstory is important, there is much more to forests than its trees.

The understorythe shorter trees, shrubs, and plants that grow beneath the overstoryis where we find most of the plant diversity.

And the soil beneath that is where the "hidden" understory residesthe understory species' seeds lie dormant in the soil seedbank, sometimes for decadeswaiting for their opportunity to germinate.

The soil seedbank is a vital extension of aboveground plant diversity.

It represents the legacy of understory plants which may have died long ago, and act as a source of new growth for future generations.

Think of the soil seedbank as an insurance reserve of plant diversity in the event of something calamitous happening to the living understory plants.

In a world of frequent severe fires, that calamity is becoming a reality.

So what happens to these deeper, darker but important parts of the forests in an extreme bushfire? We have started to answer this question in our recent research published in the journal Fire.

Montane forests have higher precipitation, so the forest generally becomes taller, wetter, darker and more dense. Credit: Benjamin Wagner

Into the 'hidden' understory

In our two recently published papers, with the other being published in Forest Ecology and Management, our team investigated how the plant understory responds to more frequent, severe fires across a range of forest types.

We looked at the dry shrubby forests at low elevations and the montane forests at high elevations, all the way through to the snow gum forests that fringe Victoria's alpine peaks.

Montane forests have higher precipitation, so the forest generally becomes taller, wetter, darker and more denseforming the most extensive zone in the Australian Alps.

We found across all of these forest types, there was a shift in plant community compositionboth in the living vegetation and the soil seedbankwith more frequent fire.

If we look at the living plants of the understory, more frequent severe fires have led to a decline in plant diversity at the lowest and highest elevations.

But the overall character of understory communities also changes. With more fire, there's a shift towards grassy and herb-dominated understories, particularly at higher elevationsas many shrub species fail to cope with frequent fire.

Mountain beardheath (Acrothamnus hookeri)a small shrub with white flowers and fleshy red fruitcharacteristic of the understory of subalpine woodlands one such species now absent from frequently burnt sites.

In montane and lower-elevation forests, the shrubs that did survive more typically reached reproductive maturity faster, produced seeds that survived in the soil for a long time, and seeds that germinated in response to fire.

Box-leaf Bitter-pea (Daviesia buxifolia) is one of the shrubs that has increased with more frequent fireand is common in both the living vegetation and soil seedbank.

Each of these adaptations helps these plants survive when fires become more frequent.

Across all forest types, we found a decline in the diversity of the soil seedbankwhich suggests that the insurance role the seedbank plays is being eroded by frequent fire.

This erosion in the buffering capacity of soil seed banks points to an increase in reliance on other mechanisms for maintaining plant diversity.

These mechanismsincluding post-fire resprouting, or long-distance dispersal from areas protected from firefavor some species over others, producing a shift in the species that make up understory communities.

With more fire, theres a shift towards grassy and herb dominated understories, particularly at higher elevations. Credit: Tom Fairman

The changing character of Australian forests

Our research shows that emerging fire regimes are pushing the very character of our forestsnot just the trees, but the shrubs, grasses, herbs, and soil seedbankinto new territory.

These changes in the type and diversity of species shouldn't only be a concern for botanists.

When ecosystems become dominated by new or different kinds of vegetation, there are consequences for the animals that rely on that habitat, and more broadly, consequences for the flammability of these systemswhich may lead to more firewhich continues to compound the problem.

So how can we manage this?

Currently, when areas of forests are burned by multiple fires, governments often act to resow these areas with the tree species that have been lost. This usually focuses on species like mountain ash and alpine ash, which are killed by fire.

Our research highlights a possible need to broaden this approach.

With more frequent fire changing the composition of our forests' understory, we may need to include important species that are facing being scorched out of existence by frequent fire.

This is a major restoration undertaking, but one we should not shy away from.

The biggest challenge is collecting enough seed. This would require a multi-pronged approach including harvesting seed from the wild as well as establishing seed orchards for a wide range of species.

Another challenge is the scale of the problem.

A recent study on alpine ash forests alone predicted that an average increase of 110 hectares per year would be burnt before the forest was old enough to produce seed and regenerate.

Given frequent fire erodes understory diversity across multiple forest types, the scale of the restoration challenge is much greater than current efforts to restore any single overstory species.

If we wish our forests to be resilient to future fires, we will have to get used to giving them a helping hand along the way.

More information: Sabine Kasel et al, Short-Interval, High-Severity Wildfire Depletes Diversity of Both Extant Vegetation and Soil Seed Banks in Fire-Tolerant Eucalypt Forests, Fire (2024). DOI: 10.3390/fire7040148 Emily Duivenvoorden et al, Short-interval, high-severity wildfires cause declines in soil seed bank diversity in montane forests of south-eastern Australia, Forest Ecology and Management (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2023.121627 Journal information: Forest Ecology and Management
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Maps showing study area (a) the location of the study area in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (black square), (b) the location of Catchment 1, Catchment 2, Catchment 3, glacier, meteorological stations (AWS1, AWS2, DXG, AWS3) and hydrometeorological stations (UG1HMS, ZKHMS and HXHMS) in three catchments and (c) the close-up view showing the Catchment 1 and Catchment 2. Credit: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrh.2024.101772

Glacier runoff plays an important role in both contributing to and regulating river runoff. The contributions and regulating effects of various hydrological components can only be revealed through comparative studies on catchments with different glacier coverage.

In a study published in the Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, a research team from the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences investigated three sub-basins in the Urumqi River Basin, with glacier ratios ranging from 4% to 46%, to assess glacier ice melt runoff characteristics within a single basin.

The researchers used the HBV-light model to simulate the glacio-hydrological process in the Urumqi Glacier No. 1 sub-basin, the Zongkong sub-basin and the Houxia sub-basin, and to analyze the characteristics of glacier ice meltwater runoff.

The glacier coverage in the three sub-basins is 46%, 12%, and 4%, respectively. Meanwhile, the ratios of glacial meltwater runoff to basin runoff are 28%, 10%, and 6%, respectively. Due to seasonal variations, different components of runoff occur at different times, extending and stabilizing the high-flow period of basin runoff.

Among these three sub-basins, Houxia sub-basin has both the longest duration and the highest stability during peak flow.

In the three sub-basins, the meltwater runoff in August accounts for the highest proportion of the monthly total with 39%, 19%, and 13% respectively. The second highest proportions are in July, with 29%, 12%, and 7%. These proportions exceed the contribution rate of annual meltwater runoff, which are 28%, 10%, and 6%, respectively.

These results show that even in basins with low glacier coverage, the contribution of glacier meltwater runoff to annual runoff is not high, but it is crucial for summer water resource use.

In addition, a linear relationship between glacier coverage and the contribution rates of meltwater runoff and glacier runoff was identified in three sub-basins, mainly due to extensive summer melting of glaciers in the Urumqi River basin.

The coefficient of variation (CV) for the runoff in three sub-basins decreases with decreasing glacier coverage due to factors such as basin runoff composition and underlying surface characteristics.

This study provides information on glacier runoff and its impact on river flow in a single basin of the Tien Shan region, and improves our understanding of the role of glaciers in contributing to and stabilizing river flow.

More information: Yufeng Jia et al, Characteristics of glacier ice melt runoff in three sub-basins in Urumqi River basin, eastern Tien Shan, Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrh.2024.101772
TEHRAN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran has rejected the U.S. accusations that it was "transferring weaponry" to the Yemen-based Houthis, enabling them to carry out attacks on ships in the Red Sea and elsewhere, the official news agency IRNA reported on Thursday.

Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani made the remarks in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and President of the UN Security Council for May 2024 Pedro Comissario Afonso, in response to the remarks made on Monday by U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Robert Wood at a Security Council meeting on the situation of Yemen.

Wood told the meeting that there was extensive evidence that Iran was providing "advanced weapons, including ballistic and cruise missiles, to the Houthis in violation of UN sanctions."

Iravani regretted that the U.S. representative once again used the Security Council's platform to, by spreading such disinformation against Iran, safeguard America's "short-sighted political interests and justify and legitimize its illegal action and constant military aggression against Yemen's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

He added that Iran strongly rejected such "baseless claims," stressing that his country was committed to the Security Council resolutions on Yemen and had not carried out any activity in contradiction with them.

Iravani noted that Iran supported the peaceful resolution of Yemen's crisis through diplomatic channels and underscored its commitment to ensuring maritime safety and freedom of navigation.

Since last November, the Houthis have launched attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden as a gesture to show solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza under Israeli strikes.

In response, the United States and Britain have conducted air and missile strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen since mid-January. However, instead of deterring the Houthi group or weakening its capabilities, these strikes appeared to have led to further escalation of attacks by the Houthis. 
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Visible light being used to check if a sample made of perovskites and gold is correctly loaded for experiments to test the luminescence of the sample. Credit: NTU Singapore

Scientists have made a breakthrough in significantly improving the sharpness of X-ray imaging and potentially boosting the speeds at which X-ray scans can be processed. This lays the groundwork for both better medical imaging and faster security clearance.

Key to the advance is a layer of gold added to devices that help visualize X-rays.

X-rays used in health and security scans are invisible, but they can be pictured using detectors that have "scintillating" materials that absorb the radiation and "light up" in a way similar to glow-in-the-dark paint. The visible light emitted by the scintillating materials is captured by sensors to create images based on the X-rays. The brighter the light, the sharper and more detailed the visuals.

The researchers, co-led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Poland's Lukasiewicz Research Network-PORT Polish Center for Technology Development, discovered that adding a gold layer to the scintillating materials made the visible light they gave off 120% brighter. On average the light emitted had an intensity of around 88 photons per kiloelectronvolt, data from the study published in Advanced Materials showed.

As a result, the X-ray images produced were, in general, 38% sharper and the ability to distinguish between different parts of the images was improved by 182%.

With the gold layer, the time the scintillating materials took to stop emitting light after absorbing the X-rays was also shortened by 1.3 nanoseconds on average, or nearly 38%, meaning they were ready for the next round of radiation more quickly. This suggests the potential for gold to speed up the processing of X-ray scans.

Rippling electrons

These boosts can be explained because gold is "plasmonic," meaning the electrons in the metal react to radiation by moving in synchronized wave-like patterns, akin to ripples forming after a pebble is dropped into water.

A light detection set-up used in experiments done by researchers from NTU Singapore to determine the efficiency of samples made of perovskites and gold. Credit: NTU Singapore

These rippling electrons, also called plasmons, can interact with scintillating materials to accelerate the emission of visible light by the materials after they react with X-rays. This then causes the light given off to become more intense.

This contrasts with non-plasmonic materials, whose electrons do not interact with radiation in the same way. As a result, they do not move in a coordinated wave-like manner and do not speed up visible light emission by scintillating materials.

For the research, the experiments used gold just 70 nanometers thick, or about 1,000 times thinner than a strand of hair. Using a thin layer of gold helps to keep material costs down and keeps the size of future X-ray detectors compact.

The researchers added the plasmonic gold layer to a scintillating material called butylammonium lead bromide, from the "perovskite" family of compounds. Perovskites are known for their ability to convert sunlight into electricity in solar cells.

This "nanoplasmonic" study was conducted in collaboration between the CNRS-International-NTU-Thales Research Alliance, an NTU-based French-Singaporean joint research laboratory; Institut Lumiere Matiere CNRS based in Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1 in France; and Nano Center Indonesia.

Nanyang Assistant Professor Wong Liang Jie, study co-lead from NTU Singapore's School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, said, "Our results highlight the enormous potential of nanoplasmonics in optimizing ultra-fast imaging systems where high spatial resolution and high contrast are needed, such as X-ray bioimaging and microscopy."

Asst Prof Wong said that the improvements in X-ray detection demonstrated by the study stand to benefit airport security clearance too, as items in luggage might be more easily detected with crisper and higher-quality X-ray images, while bags could be screened more quickly.

Dr. Muhammad Danang Birowosuto, study co-lead from the Lukasiewicz Research Network-PORT Polish Center for Technology Development and a former NTU researcher, said, "Combining this improvement with other technologies will result in state-of-the-art functionalities in radiation imaging, such as to enhance X-ray analysis done in color or improve the accuracy of 'time-of-flight' X-ray medical imaging."

NTU Singapore research associate Liliana Tjahjana (left) loading a sample made of perovskites and gold onto a visible light detector, with Nanyang Assistant Professor Wong Liang Jie, also from the University, monitoring the set-up. Credit: NTU Singapore

A spokesman for multinational corporation Thales said that "the idea of combining the physical phenomena of photonic structuresstructures that change how light behaveswith scintillating materials for X-ray detectors represents an interesting concept to increase the efficiency of the current generation of detectors."

"Thales continues to monitor scientific advances in this area with great interest and welcomes Asst Prof Wong's breakthrough in this area," the spokesman added.

Golden opportunity

The inspiration to use gold as a plasmonic material together with scintillating materials arose from a marriage of two research areas that had not been explored before for X-ray detectors.

Members of the research team previously found that after certain substances absorbed visible light, they also gave off visible light, which could get brighter if thin plasmonic gold at the nanometer scale was added.

At the time, other members of the team, who study how nano-sized structures enhance X-ray generation, were also working on X-ray detection.

Looking at the nanoplasmonic findings, an idea struck the team: Since X-ray detection in X-ray scanners also depends on substances absorbing radiation to emit visible light, could nanoscale plasmonic materials augment detectors in these scanners?

The scientists then set out to prove this experimentally with gold.

The research team from NTU Singapore includes (front row from left) PhD student Ye Wenzheng, Nanyang Assistant Professor Wong Liang Jie, Dr Francesco Maddalena and (second row) research associate Liliana Tjahjana. Credit: NTU Singapore

The researchers are next planning to add nano-sized notch-like patterns to the surface of the gold layer to boost the visible light given off by X-ray absorbing scintillating materials, as earlier research has shown that tiny notches can enhance visible light production.

Dr. Dennis Schaart, head of the medical physics and technology section in the radiation science and technology department at the Netherlands' Delft University of Technology, said that the findings "open a new avenue for the improvement of radiation imaging detectors based on scintillators."

Scintillators convert X-ray or gamma-ray photons into measurable light signals for applications such as medical imaging in computed tomography (CT) scans, non-destructive testing like those for quality assurance in industrial production, and security clearance using airport baggage scanners.

Dr. Schaartwho researches novel technologies for medical imaging and radiation oncology and was not involved in the studysaid that the performance limits of commonly known scintillation mechanisms are close to being reached. But there remains a persistent demand for even better solutions.

"The findings presented in this latest research point the way towards a new class of scintillation detectors in which the intensity and speed of light emission are enhanced through the manipulation of quantum-mechanical phenomena," he said.

"In principle, this offers highly exciting prospects for scintillator developers to engineer optimal materials for a wide variety of applications. If the results presented in the research can be reproduced and scaled towards industrially produced scintillators, this will likely contribute to, for example, more accurate, more affordable and more accessible medical diagnosis, as well as faster security scans."

More information: Wenzheng Ye et al, The Nanoplasmonic Purcell Effect in Ultrafast and HighLightYield Perovskite Scintillators, Advanced Materials (2024). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202309410 Journal information: Advanced Materials
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Kenya's worst flooding in decades highlights the urgent need for more robust mitigation efforts, including flood risk maps and early warning systems, say climate scientists.

Weeks of heavy rainfall and flooding across East Africa have triggered landslides, destroyed crops and infrastructure, and engulfed homes, leaving hundreds of thousands of people displaced across Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Ethiopia and Tanzania.

In Kenya, at least 210 people have died in the floods, with many more injured or missing.

John Recha, a Nairobi-based climate scientist at the International Livestock Research Institute, said climate change and unsustainable human activity were driving the extreme weather events.

"Climate change and variability are influencing weather patterns, precipitation levels, and the intensity of storms," he told SciDev.Net, adding that this results in frequent and severe flooding.

Recha said human activities such as deforestation, urbanization, and changes in land use can alter natural water flow patterns and increase the risk of flooding.

"Loss of vegetation cover can reduce soil absorption capacity and increase surface runoff during rainstorms," he told SciDev.Net.

Reducing flood risks

According to Recha, mitigating flooding in Kenya involves structural and non-structural measures aimed at reducing the risk of floods and their impacts on communities.

He said a multi-pronged response was needed, including better water management, flood risk maps, warning systems, and natural flood control using reforestation, as well as stronger infrastructure, community training and more robust government policies.

"[We need to] foster multi-sectoral collaboration and coordination among government agencies, civil society organizations, academia, and private sector stakeholders to address flood risk comprehensively, Recha said.

He pointed to the need to enforce and strengthen land-use regulations and building codes to prevent development in high-risk flood zones and promote resilient infrastructure.

Maasai Mara floods

On 1 May, scores of tourists were evacuated by air from Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve after more than a dozen hotels and camps were flooded by the heavy pounding rains.

The accommodation facilities were submerged after the Talek River in Maasai Mara, south-west Kenya broke its banks on Wednesday morning.

The Kenya Red Cross in collaboration with the National and county government of Narok, the Mara Elephant Project and community members, rescued more than 36 people by air and another 25 through an aqua rescue team.

Natural flood defenses

In an address to the nation on 3 May, Kenyan President William Ruto stressed the need for nature-based flood mitigation.

"We must prioritize environmental conservation efforts and implement aggressive reforestation and wetland restoration programs," he said.

"Scientific evidence indicates that restoring our natural habitats is our best defense against escalating weather extremes."

In late April, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development's Climate Prediction and Applications Center (ICPAC) received funding from Google.org, Google's philanthropic arm, and the UN's World Food Program for a project to strengthen early warning systems using artificial intelligence.

ICPAC director Guleid Artan told SciDev.Net:"The project aspires to revolutionize early warning systems in the IGAD region and enable communities to prepare and act pre-emptively against impending hazards."

Other partners involved include the University of Oxford, the Ethiopian Meteorological Institute, Kenya Meteorological Department, and the World Food Program.

Artan told SciDev.Net that in the fight against climate change, early warning systems are crucial.

"Early warning systems provide empowering information to climate change stakeholders for early action to save lives," he said.

"It also helps in monitoring major hazards in regions prone to floods or drought to help responsible institutions stay informed in case of an imminent threat to a region."

Artan, however, stressed the importance of accurate data.

"The critical gap is accuracy and reach of early warning information, but most importantly taking early action is essential," he added.

Provided by SciDev.Net
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A visualisation of the agenda independence score, which shows how the three nominally independent outlets in Nicaragua decline in independence over time. The visualisation also shows how one outlet (Canal14) declines more steeply than the other two. Credit: Democratization (2024). DOI: 10.1080/13510347.2024.2331694

Worldwide news media are facing increasing pressure from autocrats to report favorably about their leaders and party politics, so political scientists have launched a new computational method that can detect such media censorship by states while it is happening. This method provides valuable insights for communicating regime-driven media capture to the public. It is now described in detail in an article published in the journal Democratization.

One of the first steps of would-be autocrats is to control the media, as seen in recent cases in Russia, Hungary, and Turkey. Most autocratic regimes today execute control not by monopolizing media production, but by using legal, economic, and physical measures to sway the editorial choices of both public and private media in their favor. All to portray themselves and their party politics favorably to the public. Prominent examples of such measures are loosely defined laws, like anti-terrorism and anti-fake-news laws, used to silence opposition voices.

So far, expert surveys were employed to detect instances of such media capture by states. While these surveys are valuable, the authors argue they are inadequate. Their new computational method has the precision to uncover the influence of media capture on editorial decisions, assess immediate impacts from new censorship laws, and differentiate between various media outlets.

Comparing agenda and tone

Very simply explained, the computational method compares media agenda and tone of independent versus regime-owned outlets through time. "Agenda and tone are two crucial components that autocrats aim to influence to emphasize topics favorable for their legitimacy and force a positive tone when mentioning the regime, especially its leader," explain the authors.

Through this comparison the loss of editorial independence at the level of individual outlets are brought to the surface on a monthly or even weekly basis. "This takes into account that the process of media capture often does not progress uniformly across the media landscape. While some outlets remain independent from the regime, others, such as those owned by the state, the ruling party, or the leader's family or allies, are already fully captured."

Tested as a valid method

To test the validity of this method, the authors applied it to the case of Nicaragua, where the regime has intensively cracked down on the media sector in the last years. "The country made for an ideal candidate, because it has experienced a steep deterioration of its media freedom in the last decade and the regime's attacks on opposition media are well documented," state the authors.

Their method proved able to show how outlets responded differently to regime pressure. "We found clear differences in agenda and tone between the regime-owned outlets and the opposition outlets. And during and after the regime's media crackdown, independent outlets shifted from a more critical stance to approximating regime preferences in tone and agenda."

The defense of media from state interference

According to the authors, future research should evaluate the validity of their method across different media systems and stages of autocratization or democratization. "But the methodology could potentially revolutionize the future study of media capture," they conclude.

"It provides valuable insights for both researchers and for communicating regime-driven media capture to the public. It has the potential to reveal differences in outlets' resilience to repressive laws and allows for the timely assessment of the impact of seemingly innocuous fake-news or libel laws."

More information: Hennes-Michel Barnehl et al, Media capture, captured: a new computational methodology to measure deteriorating media freedom, Democratization (2024). DOI: 10.1080/13510347.2024.2331694
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

For many NASA scientists, flying aboard a decked-out Douglas DC-8 plane provided them some unique glimpses of Earth: the Moai on Easter Island, Central Park in New York and Mount Vesuvius in Italy.

On May 15, some of the same scientists who worked on that "flying laboratory" looked on as it made one last flight over Ames Research Center in Mountain View before its retirement.

Reem Hannun, a research scientist in the atmospheric science branch, attended the flyover with her two children before taking them to school. As the twins played around the trees and commented on the big plane that flew close to the ground for them to see, she recalled how she got her start at NASA doing science and reading field measurements on the plane.

"It's just cool to see all these different measurements for atmospheric composition, and it's a great community to be a part of, and you get to travel the world doing science," Hannun said.

The plane, owned by NASA, was one of seven DC-8 planes still in operation internationally. Thomas Matthews, lead operations engineer for the aircraft and main mission director, said that NASA used the plane for 37 years, but the aging aircraft needed to be replaced as it was getting harder to sustain. A new Boeing-777 will replace the DC-8, which will retire at the aircraft maintenance school at Idaho State University in Pocatello.

Jhony Zavaleta, a project manager with the Earth Science Project Office, said he normally does not need to ride the plane for missions, but that he took every opportunity he could to climb aboard. He recalled one of the many flights the plane had taken over Antarctica between 2011 and 2017, calling it the "most amazing scenery you could see."

The flight was part of Operation IceBridge, which aimed to continue collecting data on polar ice while NASA was switching satellites. Zavaleta recalled seeing mountain ranges and glaciers as far as the eye could see.

"I'd never seen anything so beautiful as that, (and) at the same time, so inhospitable," Zavaleta said. "It was pretty nice, it was like being on another planet."

The plane was originally a passenger aircraft with Alitalia, the former national airline of Italy, changing ownership to Braniff International Airways before it was eventually sold to NASA to be used at Ames Research Center in 1986, Matthews said.

Matthews also reflected on his own experience seeing the awe-inspiring visuals while riding the plane over the Hudson River to record atmospheric conditions: The plane was flying about 2,000 feet above Manhattan, following the island's coast and around the Statue of Liberty.

The momentcoming in low over America's biggest citywas a culmination, he said, of all the coordination required to do some "low-level flying in some of the busiest places you can possibly fly while doing it safely."

"It was an amazing thing to accomplish with amazing scenery as well, with all of the towers and seeing Central Park," Matthews said.

The plane underwent numerous modifications to perform the research work, Matthews said, with added ports and racks for scientific components, new landing gear and engines at one point.

Those changes made it possible for the aircraft to gather data on air quality and climate investigations. Chris Scofield, a former research scientist on the DC-8, wiped away tears as she watched the plane fly off for the last time and recalled one of the most significant uses of data gathered on the aircraft.

Before she was brought onto the plane, Scofield said, the research was used to locate and measure a hole in the earth's ozone layer in the 1980s, finding where chlorofluorocarbonschemicals commonly used as refrigerantswere destroying ozone in the atmosphere. This discovery led to the passage of a 1987 global agreement phasing out the use of the chemicals and leading to a natural repair in the hole.

"The DC-8 actually was another part of the picture, so you could see, yes, it was really happening the way we think it is chemically," Scofield said.

Aside from being a main research vessel, the plane was a workplace with fond memories for many NASA employees. Jim Podolske, a research scientist who flew on the DC-8 for 21 years, praised the interactive community effort of about 40 scientists calling out interesting observations and making decisions together in real time.

"They have done some pretty amazing science, so I think the triple-7 has big shoes to fill," Zavaleta said, mentioning the new plane that will replace the DC-8. "Through all this time, it kind of became the perfect platform for people to do research."

2024 MediaNews Group, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured this image of an X5.8 solar flare peaking at 9:23 p.m. EDT on May 10, 2024. The image shows a subset of extreme ultraviolet light that highlights the extremely hot material in flares. Credit: NASA SDO

May 2024 has already proven to be a particularly stormy month for our sun. During the first full week of May, a barrage of large solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) launched clouds of charged particles and magnetic fields toward Earth, creating the strongest solar storm to reach Earth in two decadesand possibly one of the strongest displays of auroras on record in the past 500 years.

"We'll be studying this event for years," said Teresa Nieves-Chinchilla, acting director of NASA's Moon to Mars (M2M) Space Weather Analysis Office. "It will help us test the limits of our models and understanding of solar storms."

The first signs of the solar storm started late on May 7 with two strong solar flares. From May 711, multiple strong solar flares and at least seven CMEs stormed toward Earth. Eight of the flares in this period were the most powerful type, known as X-class, with the strongest peaking with a rating of X5.8. (Since then, the same solar region has released many more large flares, including an X8.7 flarethe most powerful flare seen this solar cycleon May 14.)

Traveling at speeds up to 3 million miles per hour, the CMEs bunched up in waves that reached Earth starting May 10, creating a long-lasting geomagnetic storm that reached a rating of G5the highest level on the geomagnetic storm scale, and one that hasn't been seen since 2003.

"The CMEs all arrived largely at once, and the conditions were just right to create a really historic storm," said Elizabeth MacDonald, NASA heliophysics citizen science lead and a space scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

When the storm reached Earth, it created brilliant auroras seen around the globe. Auroras were even visible at unusually low latitudes, including the southern U.S. and northern India. The strongest auroras were seen the night of May 10, and they continued to illuminate night skies throughout the weekend. Thousands of reports submitted to the Aurorasaurus citizen science site are helping scientists study the event to learn more about auroras.

"Cameraseven standard cell phone camerasare much more sensitive to the colors of the aurora than they were in the past," MacDonald said. "By collecting photos from around the world, we have a huge opportunity to learn more about auroras through citizen science."

By one measure of geomagnetic storm strength, called the disturbance storm time index which dates back to 1957, this storm was similar to historic storms in 1958 and 2003. And with reports of auroras visible to as low as 26 degrees magnetic latitude, this recent storm may compete with some of the lowest-latitude aurora sightings on record over the past five centuries, though scientists are still assessing this ranking.

"It's a little hard to gauge storms over time because our technology is always changing," said Delores Knipp, a research professor in the Smead Aerospace Engineering Science Department and a senior research associate at the NCAR High Altitude Observatory, in Boulder, Colorado. "Aurora visibility is not the perfect measure, but it allows us to compare over centuries."

MacDonald encourages people to continue submitting aurora reports to Aurorasaurus.org, noting that even non-sightings are valuable for helping scientists understand the extent of the event.

Leading up to the storm, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center, which is responsible for forecasting solar storm impacts, sent notifications to operators of power grids and commercial satellites to help them mitigate potential impacts.

Warnings helped many NASA missions brace for the storm, with some spacecraft preemptively powering down certain instruments or systems to avoid issues. NASA's ICESat-2which studies polar ice sheetsentered safe mode, likely because of increased drag due to the storm.

A coronal aurora appeared over southwestern British Columbia on May 10, 2024. Credit: NASA/Mara Johnson-Groh

Looking forward

Better data on how solar events influence Earth's upper atmosphere is crucial to understanding space weather's impact on satellites, crewed missions, and Earth- and space-based infrastructure. To date, only a few limited direct measurements exist in this region. But more are coming. Future missions, such as NASA's Geospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) and Dynamical Neutral Atmosphere-Ionosphere Coupling (DYNAMIC), will be able to see and measure exactly how Earth's atmosphere responds to the energy influxes that occur during solar storms like this one. Such measurements will also be valuable as NASA sends astronauts to the moon with the Artemis missions, and later, to Mars.

The solar region responsible for the recent stormy weather is now turning around the backside of the sun, where its impacts can't reach Earth. However, that doesn't mean the storm is over. NASA's Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO), currently located at about 12 degrees ahead of Earth in its orbit, will continue watching the active region an additional day after it is no longer visible from Earth.

"The active region is just starting to come into view of Mars," said Jamie Favors, director for the NASA Space Weather Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "We're already starting to capture some data at Mars, so this story only continues."

Provided by NASA
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Joelle Abi-Rached and Allan Brandt discussed their contribution to the NEJM series on key historical injustices in medicine, including the rise of Nazi Germany. Credit: Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer

In December, the New England Journal of Medicine began a process of self-examination, publishing articles about the journal itself and its handling of a series of key historical injustices in medicine, including eugenics, slavery, oppression of Native Americans, and, in an issue published in April, the rise of Nazi Germany.

One major challenge, according to two medical historians, is how little the NEJM had to say about Nazism and its systematic and genocidal oppression of Europe's Jews beginning in 1933, when Adolf Hitler came to power.

That came as something of a surprise to Allan Brandt, the Amalie Moses Kass Professor of the History of Medicine and professor of the history of science, and Joelle Abi-Rached, Ph.D. '17, the Mildred Londa Weisman Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.

The pair contributed to the series, which was initiated by David Jones, the A. Bernard Ackerman Professor of the Culture of Medicine. Brandt praised the publication for its willingness to face what may be an uncomfortable history.

With so little material available, the two researchers, in a conversation with the Gazette, discussed their dilemma: How do you parse a near silence? This interview was edited for length and clarity.

Knowing the prevailing attitudes toward race and ethnicity in the World War II era and the decade leading up to it, were you expecting to find a complicated situation?

Brandt: Yes. The New England Journal's effort is very similar to what Harvard did in its exploration of slavery on campusHarvard faculty and administrators held slaves and did not challenge slavery often. These are the kinds of institutional self-observations that I think are important. It's often been perceived as a reputational risk in opening up the archives and facing these things. But I think the reputational risk is in not doing it and NEJM very appropriately recognized that.

When we look at your specific findings, what do you think is most important?

Brandt: When our colleagues were working on other papers in this series and ran their digital investigations, they literally came up with hundreds of hits. For us, the experience was like putting a search term into Google and getting no response. We expected that, given the dimensions and the horrors of the Holocaust, we would find that NEJM said a lot during that time. But our initial finding was that there was almost nothing.

Abi-Rached: The omission, absence, and silence startled us, so we made an extra effort to find anything that was written on the rise of Hitler. We did come across a few items and these became the backbone of the paper. They were illuminating.

One piece published in 1933 is a very short piece that even people who have read our paper have trouble finding. It's a short communique published at the end of a very long and tedious paper on surgery. The communique, "The Abuse of the Jewish Physicians," is revealing because the concern was not discrimination or persecution but the fact that these Jewish physicians were dismissed and lost their livelihood. That was the only piece published in 1933.

Then there is a controversial, longer piece published in 1935 by Michael Davis, an eminent health reformer, with a German nurse who later research would reveal was a Nazi sympathizer. And then there was nothing until 1944.

In 1944, NEJM published its first editorial, an important piece in which the journal takes a stance on the humanitarian disaster that the "Nazi tyranny" had caused in occupied Europe.

Then you have another key article published in 1949, long after the conclusion of the Second World War, by Leo Alexander, who was a Viennese-born neuropsychiatrist who gathered evidence for the trial of the doctors at Nuremberg. So, this absence of debate around the rise of Nazism and its persecutory, racist laws became our guiding thread.

How would you describe what must have been the journal's approach during those years?

Brandt: Joelle and I talked about how we could understand silence, or an omission. We speculated about structural or institutional racism and thought about whether, in a medical or scientific journal which is typically reporting clinical findings and new knowledge, it might have been possible for editors to say, "This isn't really part of our remit. It's terrible, but that's not what we do."

So we decided to go to other leading journals, Science and the Journal of the American Medical Association, to see if that held upsometimes you have to go outside to look on the inside. We couldn't get to it in an article of this length, but I think if we more closely examined Boston medicine at the time, between academics at Harvard Medical School and NEJM, we might have gotten additional insight. It was not a diverse group.

Abi-Rached: The point we make is that the silence, the omission, was not banal. It was not mere ignorance. The discriminatory nature of these policies that were implemented by the Nazi regime were reported in the U.S. press.

JAMA and Science did report on what was happening in Germany vis-a-vis the Jewish physicians, who were the victims of such policies. The Dachau concentration camp was established in 1933 and Davis and Krueger, for example, mentioned labor camps in their piece, but they omitted the term "forced" labor camps, rendering them somehow unproblematic.

These camps were mentioned in other journals, the persecution of Jewish physicians was mentioned in JAMA, decried in Science. They were more explicit. Science was more forthcoming and did not mince words at all. They mention repression, active antisemitism, and the weaponization of education. That was probably what alarmed Science most.

JAMA was more interested in the persecution of Jewish physicians, especially the restriction of their practice, of their education, and the consequences of laws that were persecutory in nature. And this was two years earlier than the publication of the Davis and Krueger paper.

Your critique of the Davis paper was that it focused on economic issues and read as if nothing outrageous was happening outside of the economic sphere?

Brandt: The Davis piece is remarkable for its opacity, its ability to focus on a reform and not have any context around it. Davis' response to one critic of the article makes that clear. He said, "Of course I'm concerned about what's going on with Jews in Germany. But we were writing about a social reform, a health reform."

The kind of denial that it takes to dissociate the social and political context from what you're centering your attention on is why we use the term "compartmentalization." These are the psychological and institutional structures that permitted racism to persist.

Joelle and I explored the fact that Davis had done much for the poor. He was trying to expand insurance coverage in the U.S., so in this instance, this narrowness was really shocking, especially given the fact that his ancestors were Jewish.

Was there a change among the editors after the war when coverage changed?

Abi-Rached: The evidence was so obvious that the doctors were part and parcel of the genocidal nature of that regime that a journal like NEJM could not remain silent. It's an important moment in the history of medical practice and medical research that had a profound effect on how experiments were conducted later on, in the second half of the 20th century.

A paradigm shift happened: You could not be silent and blind and not engage with what was happening especially because it concerned medical practitioners. It also laid bare how the Hippocratic Oath was insufficient to protect patients or anyone else. There was a clash between the very paternalistic nature of the Hippocratic Oath and how institutions, even regimes, can politicize that oath to their own advantage and how medical doctors are enmeshed in that institutional framework, whether they serve the state or an insurance scheme.

NEJM could not remain silent, and it is only in the 1960s onwards that you come across editorials, perspectives on the ethics of medical experimentation, and so on.

Are there lessons for today here?

Abi-Rached: An important conclusion is that silence is not neutral. It says as much as it hides. Reading the past also tells us something about our contemporary moment, our failings, including our moral failings.

Another point is that medicine cannot be dissociated from social and political issues. They are intertwined. Medicine is the product of societal beliefs, norms, and prejudices. NEJM is a reflection of wider social, political, and moral biases. It's a reflection of a wider society.

Provided by Harvard Gazette

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Proposed topological platforms. Credit: Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.ade0850

Named after an Italian theoretical physicist, Majoranas are complex quasiparticles that could be the key to building next-generation quantum computing systems.

Most materials contain many electrons, each of which has a negative charge and a type of intrinsic quantum momentum known as spin. Interactions between electrons in some materials can produce emergent particles, or particles that have entirely different characteristics from the electrons that comprise them. Examples include materials in which spin and charge part ways and materials in which the unit of charge breaks down into smaller fractions.

Majoranas, which fall into this category of emergent particles, can exist in certain types of superconductors and in a quantum state of matter known as a spin liquid. Two Majoranas combine to form an electron, so scientists aim to identify materials in which these Majoranas can exist separately. Doing so would enable researchers to observe the unique capabilities that these particles demonstrate on their ownincluding efficient methods for storing and transferring information across great distances.

In pursuit of this goal, a team of researchers that includes Harvard University's Amir Yacoby, a member of the Quantum Science Center headquartered at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has published a review paper in Science on the state of the field of Majorana research. The QSC is a DOE National Quantum Information Science Research Center.

The team, comprising researchers from Harvard, Princeton University and the Free University of Berlin, is focused on studying Majorana behavior to bolster knowledge of these particles' potential applications and of their impact on fundamental scientific phenomena.

"These peculiar particles only exist in certain materials," Yacoby said. "So, the questions are, in which materials do they exist and how? And what kinds of tests can we do to determine whether a particular material has the potential to host Majoranas? Answering these questions is one of the main challenges in this field."

In their paper, the researchers describe progress made over the past decade and primarily focus on the four platforms that show promise for isolating and measuring Majoranasnanowires, the fractional quantum Hall effect, topological materials and Josephson junctions.

Nanowires, which are the most studied option for realizing Majorana-based quantum systems, are thin rods made of a semiconducting material. Another way to create an atmosphere hospitable to Majoranas is to enable the fractional quantum Hall effect, which occurs when electrons move in a plane subject to a strong magnetic field.

Many topological materials are also potential hosts for Majoranas because of their seemingly contradictory structure of interior regions that act as electrical insulators and exterior regions that easily conduct electricity. Finally, Josephson junctions consist of two superconductors separated by a normal piece of metal or a semiconductor. Previous QSC studies have indicated that these superconductor sandwiches could be engineered to comfortably house Majoranas.

"When we apply new techniques to these different types of materials, what often happens is we discover things we didn't expect," Yacoby said. "Part of our goal is to better understand what exactly we're seeing in the signatures we observe."

This research aligns with QSC priorities. The researchers are working with other QSC members, including Prineha Narang at UCLA and Stephen Jesse at ORNL, to continue devising new theoretical and experimental methodologies aimed at screening materials for Majoranas.

"Through the QSC, we've been able to take advantage of new technologies that are emerging within the quantum science community," Yacoby said. "These include new ways of measuring and probing matter to devise new tests that will tell us whether a material is worth considering as a possible host for Majoranas or not."

More information: Ali Yazdani et al, Hunting for Majoranas, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.ade0850 Journal information: Science
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Comparison of risk implications and resilience pathways in resilience-related policy documents across the five cities. Credit: Jing Ran, Qionghui Li, Joe Ravetz, Tristram C. Hales, Adrian Healy, Zorica Nedovic-Budic, Omar Perez Figueroa, Anna Taylor

In the context of urban studies and urban planning, future cities' development and prosperity is highly related to their capacity to adapt and recover from shocks and changes caused by diverse types of hazards. Hence, resilience has emerged as a fundamental concept exemplified by frameworks like the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (20152030).

The United Nations also published several guidebooks outlining pathways to build hazard-resilient cities. This reflects a growing acknowledgment of the intricate challenges posed by cascading and non-stationary risks within interconnected and increasingly globalized societies.

Although the globalized nature of initiatives helps align objectives for resilient future and develop resilience strategies at national level, it has sparked critiques regarding their effectiveness in enhancing local risk management and practice, particularly for lower-income countries.

These critiques underscore chronic governance issues often exacerbated by colonial legacies, different governance cultures and approaches, and economic challenges related to neoliberal economic models.

A study, in Landscape Architecture Frontiers, provides a comparative analysis of the journey toward hazard-resilience by examining the resilience-related policies and local practices in five exemplary cities worldwide: Cape Town (South Africa), Greater Manchester (UK), Changsha and Wenchuan (China), and San Juan City (Puerto Rico). The work is titled "Towards Hazard-Resilience Cities: Comparative Research on Resilience-related Policies and Local Practices in Five Cities Worldwide."

Based on previous research, a framework is developed to decompose the resilience of urban systems into seven closely interrelated dimensions: social/community, technology/ infrastructure, environment-climate, economic/livelihood, political/ governance, cultural/worldviews, and urban-rural-spatial.

This framework holds three significant implications for comprehending disaster risk and proposing effective pathways for resilience construction.

Firstly, it acknowledges that elements influencing disaster risk and resilience encompass both material factors and human factors. Secondly, the seven dimensions offer insights into both risks and resilience pathways. Thirdly, theoretical exploration of hazard-resilience cities necessitates a top-level design view and systematic understanding of city mechanisms as complex social-environmental systems.

This study has integrated policy analysis and local practice examination, to offer nuanced insights into resilience pathways across diverse urban contexts. An in-depth analysis of five case citiesCape Town, Greater Manchester, Changsha, Wenchuan, and San Juan Citywithin a hazard-resilience policy framework, reveals distinct approaches to addressing disaster risk and building resilience.

Cape Town's resilience in water infrastructure adaptation, Greater Manchester's focus on climate adaptation and multi-sector cooperation, Changsha's emphasis on government-led planning and community engagement, Wenchuan's multifaceted post disaster recovery methods, and San Juan City's response to various urban disaster risks collectively underscore the significance of government, financial support, and community participation in enhancing resilience.

However, a common trend across most case cities is the relatively little consideration on the cultural/worldviews and urban-rural spatial dimensions, especially within governmental planning. Bridging this gap is paramount for effectively managing direct technological risks and mitigating the impact of interconnected social risks. Moreover, respect for traditional concepts can foster community participation and enhance cooperation among stakeholders to bolster urban resilience.

In conclusion, the insights derived from this research offer valuable lessons for cities worldwide grappling with climate changes and natural disasters, contributing to the ongoing pursuit of resilient and sustainable urban futures.

More information: Jing RAN et al, Towards Hazard-Resilience Cities: Comparative Research on Resilience-related Policies and Local Practices in Five Cities Worldwide, Landscape Architecture Frontiers (2024). DOI: 10.15302/J-LAF-1-020091

Provided by Higher Education Press
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A recent study by researchers from the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University has shed light on how to reward employees more fairly and improve team dynamics.

The study found that when less skilled employees report their performance voluntarily, they often exaggerate their achievements and ask for higher bonuses. These employees also tend to put in less effort and are less concerned about fairness when sharing their contributions voluntarily.

Interestingly, the researchers discovered that requiring employees to explain their contributions leads to fairer decisions about bonus allocation and improves team dynamics. Employees became more honest and diligent when explanations were mandatory, which helped managers make better decisions.

Kelsey Matthews, a professor of accounting at Waterloo and co-author of the study, explained, "if management would like this information to be voluntarily provided, it is important to require an explanation to prevent self-interested bias among team members with lower abilities. This bias not only decreases the usefulness of the communication, but also compromises managers' reward allocation decisions and team dynamics."

The study involved 192 undergraduate students from a Canadian university, randomly assigned to different roles in a fictional company and placed in teams of four. After completing decision-making tasks, participants filled out a questionnaire about the process and their demographics.

Matthews noted, "We also observe that among low-ability team members, the greater strategic bias observed when the relative contribution communication is voluntary, compared to mandatory, diminishes when an explanation is required."

The research, conducted by Matthews along with Leslie Berger, Lan Guo, and Christopher Wong from Wilfrid Laurier University, was published in Behavioural Research in Accounting.

This study provides valuable insights for managers seeking to foster fairer reward systems and improve teamwork in their organizations.

More information: Leslie Berger et al, Strategic Bias in Team Members' Communication about Relative Contributions: The Effects of Voluntary Communication and Explanation, Behavioral Research in Accounting (2024). DOI: 10.2308/BRIA-2022-056
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Scientists from Cardiff University have used brewer's yeast that resides in the gut microbiome of killer honeybees in Namibia and applied it to develop a unique craft beer.

The Cardiff microbiologists originally visited Namibia as part of a project that unites Cardiff University and the University of Namibia for sustainable environmental development, when the scientists became interested in the Africanized honey beealso known as the killer bee.

The beer has been developed by a group of scientists working at Cardiff University's School of Pharmaceutical Sciences. The Pharmabees project is exploring how the pollination of certain plants could lead to the development of drugs to treat superbugs and antibiotic resistance.

"Saccharomyces cerevisiae, commonly known as brewer's yeast, is found in the gut microbiome of honeybees. When working on a project in Namibia, we isolated the brewers yeast from killer bees that died naturally, " says Professor Les Baillie. Professor of Microbiology at Cardiff University. "When we got back to Cardiff, we used the isolated killer bee brewer's yeast, along with yeast from Welsh honey bees, to make several batches of beer."

The project has placed numerous bee hives around Cardiff University, as well as specific plants, to encourage the production of super-honey and aid the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences' superbug research.

The Killer Beer aims to combine scientific understanding of microbiology and Cardiff's research into bee-related products to produce something unique. The scientists are now looking for a brewer to collaborate with to bring the killer bee beer to market, with proceeds helping to support bee research in Wales.

"By using brewer's yeast from bees that have died naturally, we can not only produce a beer that draws attention toas well as fund[s]research like this, but also broadens the understanding of bees at a microbiological level," Professor Baillie adds.

"Our Killer Bee Beer is a fun side project to our wider Pharmabees studies. Our research into bees is uncovering how honey, beeswax and other bee biproducts can play a role in solving some of the world's biggest challengesincluding tackling antibiotic resistance and superbugs."
SUVA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 49 years ago, Fiji has always been clear about its support for the one-China principle, which is "fully embedded in our relationship."

Fijian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Viliame Gavoka made the remarks at a Talanoa (dialogue) session held by the Chinese Embassy in Fiji on Thursday.

Gavoka reaffirmed his country's commitment to developing friendly relations with China, adding that the two sides could explore more possibilities for win-win cooperation.

He also expressed his appreciation to the Chinese government for its continued assistance and support to Fiji, such as Juncao and rice planting technologies, which he said have helped improve the lives of Fijians and boost the country's economy.

The deputy prime minister, who has been to China many times, said he was very impressed by the country's rapid development and the Chinese path to modernization.

"Every time I went to China, things changed," said Gavoka, whose latest visit to China was in October last year to attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

Chinese ambassador to Fiji Zhou Jian thanked Fiji's adherence to the one-China principle. He said China has always supported Fiji in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.

The mutual support has jointly built the foundation of China-Fiji friendship, he said, adding that common development is the goal of China's cooperation with Pacific Island Countries.

The ambassador said China is willing to carry out more practical cooperation projects with Fiji, including solar energy, electric vehicles and waste management, under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative. 
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Volcanic ash and mollusc shells surround a deep-sea hydrothermal vent at the vent field in the Kingdom of Tonga, Pacific Ocean. URI researchers had a unique opportunity to study the biology of the organisms living at the site of a volcanic eruption in the southern Pacific, able to see how life there is impacted by dramatic environmental change, whether natural (volcanic activity) or human (deep-sea mining). Credit: Roxanne Beinart, chief scientist, URI. Funder: NSF Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

A University of Rhode Island oceanographer leading her first research cruise in the southern Pacific uncovered a surprise when her vessel looked below the waters in the Polynesian nation of Tonga.

While there in 2022 to research underwater biology living around deep-sea hot springs in the region, Roxanne Beinart, a professor in the URI's Graduate School of Oceanography, learned that the entire local ocean floor around the area was blanketed in ash due to the Hunga volcano eruption which had happened just a few months before, decimating the animal populations living there.

Beinart, a microbiologist, normally focuses on miniscule microbes and creatures that are hand-size. Suddenly, her scope of focus was field size and she was getting a primer in volcanic activity when she found her site of study covered in ash from the volcano's eruption, even 1.5 miles underwater.

Eruptive activity at the Hunga volcano began in December 2021, ending with a record-breaking explosion that sent a plume of material as high as 36 miles in January 2022. The impact of the eruptions were felt up to 50 miles away, with waves traveling even further, as far as South America and California. Beinart visited the sites just three months later, in April of 2022.

While scientists analyzed the impact of the eruption at sea level and around the world, Beinart had sailed to the area on a long-delayed research expedition. That April, Beinart's team conducted a series of remotely operated vehicle dives at six hydrothermal vent fields in the Lau basin.

Beinart summarized her findings in a paper published in Communications Earth and Environment.

Although mass mortality of marine animals due to volcanic ash deposition has been seen beforein fossil formit's rarely been documented in real time. Beinart and her team gathered video footage to gain insight into ash deposits on the seafloor.

With explosive force estimated to surpass an atomic bomb, endangered and vulnerable species living on the volcano's underwater hydrothermal vents (deep-sea hot springs) stood little chance of survival. Populations of mussels and snails had previously thrived at the site but were extinguished by the resulting ash blanketing the region. Other animals, like crabs and shrimp, seemed to do fine, surprisingly.

The foundation species living on the vents rely on bacteria for the bulk of their nutrition and simply could not survive in the suddenly changed and altered environment. After the eruption, the active vent field (Tow Cam) with the greatest ash deposit, which in some places was almost five feet deep was almost completely devoid of life; empty snail and mussel shells littered the area.

Further observations of the impacted vent fields can expand scientists' knowledge of natural disturbance in such ecosystems and the mechanisms by which such systems recover, Beinart said. Such observations will yield important insights on the resiliency of deep-sea ecosystems.

The microbial world

The microbes Beinart studies exist just about everywhereon us, in our guts' microbiome, in the natural world, in the ocean. She has made oceanic microbes her focus.

"The interaction of the animal and the bacteria fascinates me," she says. "It's a cool relationship."

Beinart's work could have taken her in many directions, but she made her way to the marine world and ultimately to URI's Graduate School of Oceanography to explore microbes in the marine environment.

The deep sea environment is one most people never see, and she still gets a charge out of uncovering its depths: "I often think it's like an alien world. It's exciting to be a part of. You feel like you're visiting another planet."

Voyage fulfilled

This research voyage was a long time in coming, Beinart says. The original expedition to the Pacific was rescheduled from the start of COVID-19 pandemic, delayed from its initial scheduled sailing in April 2020.

When the eruption happened, she had a unique opportunity to study the biology of the organisms living at the site, to see how they'd react to dramatic environmental change.

The ash she discovered blanketing the research field was a surprise, not something she normally sees in her study of deep-sea ecosystems. The ash covered the area, almost like underwater snow. With the unexpected addition of such an unusual element in their research environment, and so much of it, the ship's biology team had to quickly determine the best way to study it.

"We had to figure things out on the spot," says Beinart, noting researchers are used to adapting quickly on ships.

"There's a lot of thinking on the fly in the research ship environment, whether you're dealing with weather delays or technical problems. There is a lot of working in the moment. It's one of the things I like most about this kind of oceanographic research. It's a bit of an adrenaline rush, and a real team effort with this kind of science, really all-on-board creative thinking."

Beinart said she was grateful for good internet connectivity, so she could consult with colleagues like GSO's Adam Soule and Katie Kelley. Beinart also pulled in Andrew Davies, who specializes in special video analysis, to help analyze the images she gathered.

While devastating, the eruption was an all-natural occurrence, so there was some consolation that this was not a man-made event, Beinart said. But it was still hard to see.

"Having gotten to know this part of the world, the devastation was heartbreaking to witness, even if it was a natural event," Beinart says. "This huge, dense ecosystem was almost entirely gone. There was just complete devastation."

She has no idea how the organisms there will fare when they return on their next expedition to the region. At that time, she'll be able to see how the ash has changed over time and what the recovery process looks like.

Beinart says study of the region is important for understanding the natural disturbance of marine ecosystems and predicting the effects of human-caused disturbances like deep-sea mining on these unique seafloor habitats.

More information: Roxanne A. Beinart et al, Deep seafloor hydrothermal vent communities buried by volcanic ash from the 2022 Hunga eruption, Communications Earth & Environment (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s43247-024-01411-w Journal information: Communications Earth & Environment
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Seagrass habitats are expanding in some areas, to the surprise of researchers. Credit: Matthew Floyd, CC BY-ND

Swimming through the crystal clear waters of the Maldives, a nation renowned for its marine life, it could be easy to forget that these delicate ecosystems stand on the frontline of climate change and that seagrass habitats are in crisis globally.

Now, my research, which combined hundreds of hours of fieldwork with thousands of satellite images, has uncovered something unexpected: Maldivian seagrasses have expanded three-fold over the last two decadesand island populations could be playing a part.

I also discovered that seagrass is surprisingly three times more likely to be found next to inhabited islands, rather than uninhabited. So this flowering plant seems to benefit from living in seas close to humans.

Seagrasses grow along coasts all around the world. They can help guard against climate change yet they are frequently underappreciated. In the Maldives, seagrass meadows are dug up to maintain the iconic white beaches that are a frequent feature of honeymoon photos.

Important marine habitats have declined in the Maldives. Amid this backdrop of environmental uncertainty, I have spent more than three years studying seagrasses here alongside a team of scientists. We found that seagrasses are faring remarkably well and one of the most plausible drivers could be the supply of nutrients from densely populated areas, such as tourist resorts.

Every day, human activities could provide valuable nutrients for seagrass habitats in an otherwise nutrient limited environment. Food waste is traditionally discarded into the sea from the beach and rain can wash excess fertilizers from farmland into the ocean. As human populations and fertilizer use have both increased, we suspect that seagrass meadows have started to thrive and expand as a result of this increased nutrient supply.

Additionally, building work around islands may create more suitable habitats for seagrass. Land reclamation is widespread across the country as the population has expanded by 474% since 1960.

(A) Trends in overall seagrass extent in the Maldives from 2000-2021, (B) Seagrass area trends detailing changes across all 26 atolls from 2000-2021

During this development, sand is dug up from the seabed and some inevitably spills into the water. The structure of seagrass meadows can slow down local water currents, promoting suspended sand grains to sink and creating more sediment for future generations of seagrass to grow into.

Currently, nutrient inputs seem to be creating just the right conditions for seagrasses. But if nutrients continue to increase, there is a risk that the seagrasses will be outcompeted by seaweeds and smothered. Continued land reclamation works that disregard seagrass may also remove this important habitat. So the future of this Maldivian success story may therefore largely lie in our hands.

The ecotourism paradox

Although seagrass removal has done little to curb habitat expansion, it highlights a troubled relationship with the tourism industry upon which so many jobs in the Maldives depend. Because it can ultimately make water depths shallower, seagrass can limit boat access and mooring, and therefore interfere with daily life. The proliferation of seagrass in areas of domestic refuse has understandably damaged its image in the eyes of the public.

But, by making coastal waters shallower, seagrasses reinforce coastal protection. And by growing close to refuse sites, they absorb excess nutrients and clean the water of pathogens. Despite being a vital tool in the fight against climate change, seagrass clearly has an image problem on the islands.

As a marine ecologist, I firmly believe that conservation scientistsand ecotouristshave an important role to play in conveying the value of seagrasses. Conservationists must also fully appreciate the challenges that meadow expansion can bring to local communities, and understand how the needs of conservation and tourism may differ.

There is hope. A campaign called #ProtectMaldivesSeagrass, recently launched by Blue Marine Foundation and Maldives Underwater Initiative, led to 37 resorts (out of a total of 168) pledging to protect their seagrass meadows. Additionally, the data from my research can be used to protect seagrass habitats and quantify their value to people and nature.

Hopefully, the unexpectedyet welcomesuccess of seagrass in the Maldives is a cause for conservation optimism. And perhaps tourist resorts can learn to love their newly expanding neighbors.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Ocean Networks Canada infrastructure map. ONC operates world-leading observatories in the deep ocean, coastal waters and land of the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic coasts of Canada, and in the Southern Ocean. ONCs cabled observatories supply continuous power and internet connectivity to scientific instruments, cameras and 12,000-plus ocean sensors. ONC also operates ocean mobile and land-based assets, including coastal radar. ONC provides continuous live ocean data accessible through the Oceans 3.0 data portal on the ONC website. Credit: University of Victoria

The powerful solar storm driving the aurora borealis over global skies last weekend was also triggering the movement of compasses deep in the ocean, as revealed in new scientific findings shared today by Ocean Networks Canada (ONC), a University of Victoria initiative.

ONC's subsea observatories on the west and east coasts of Canada recorded the temporary distortion of the Earth's magnetic field on instrument platforms deployed as deep as 2.7 kilometers under the ocean surface, potentially some of the most remote recordings ever captured.

The most significant magnetic shift moved the direction of the compass within a range of +30 to -30 degrees and was recorded at a depth of 25 meters at the Folger Passage subsea site, which is part of the ONC NEPTUNE cabled observatory off the coast of Vancouver Island.

Geomagnetic disturbances can pose risks to power grids, satellite networks, and navigation systems as well as impact animals' own navigational abilities.

"The reach of these data recordings kilometers under the ocean surface highlight the magnitude of the solar flare over the past weekend and suggest that the data may be useful for better understanding the geographic extent and intensity of these storms," says Kate Moran, ONC president and CEO.

The discovery of these solar storm magnetic disturbances happened during data quality control checks. ONC primarily uses compasses to orient its Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP) instruments which measure ocean currents.

Compass data captured by ONCs major cabled subsea observatories VENUS and NEPTUNE off Vancouver Island, at Burrard Inlet on the Pacific Coast, and at Conception Bay on the Atlantic coast shows the magnetic field distortion occurring during a solar storm from May 1012 (UTC), 2024. Credit: Ocean Networks Canada

Alex Slonimer, a scientific data specialist at ONC, was completing a daily check on the data in late March when he first noticed an anomaly in the numbers showing up in the Ocean 3.0 Data Portal.

"I looked into whether it was potentially an earthquake, but that didn't make a lot of sense because the changes in the data were lasting for too long and concurrently at different locations," Slonimer explains. "Then, I looked into whether it was a solar flare as the sun has been active recently."

This past weekend's much larger solar storm event reinforced the observation, he adds, with the peaks in the compass headings closely correlated to the peaks in the visible activity in the aurora.

Justin Albert, professor of physics with UVic's Department of Physics and Astronomy, welcomes the new subsea geomagnetic detections.

"The next two years will be the peak of the 11-year solar cycle. After a decade of relative inactivity, aurora events like this past weekend are likely to become more frequent over the next couple of years, although solar variability makes precise prediction of such events impossible," says Albert.

"ONC's network might provide a very helpful additional window into the effects of solar activity on the Earth's terrestrial magnetism."
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Larinioides sclopetarius, commonly known as bridge spiders, helped researchers from Binghamton University investigate how spiders listen to their environments through webs as a way to inspire future designs for microphones that would also be able to respond to sound-driven airflow. Credit: Junpeng Lai

The best microphone in the world might have an unexpected source: spider silk. Spiders weave webs to trap their insect snacks, but the sticky strands also help spiders hear.

Unlike human eardrums and conventional microphones that detect sound pressure waves, spider silk responds to changes in the velocities of air particles as they are thrust about by a sound field. This sound velocity detection method remains largely underexplored compared to pressure sensing, but it holds great potential for high-sensitivity, long-distance sound detection.

Researchers from Binghamton University investigated how spiders listen to their environments through webs. They found the webs match the acoustic particle velocity for a wide range of sound frequencies. Ronald Miles presented their work May 16 at a joint meeting of the Acoustical Society of America and the Canadian Acoustical Association, held May 1317 at the Shaw Center located in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

"Most insects that can hear sound use fine hairs or their antennae, which don't respond to sound pressure," said Miles, a professor of mechanical engineering.

"Instead, these thin structures respond to the motion of the air in a sound field. I wondered how to make an engineered device that would also be able to respond to sound-driven airflow. We tried various man-made fibers that were very thin, but they were also very fragile and difficult to work with. Then, Dr. Jian Zhou was walking in our campus nature preserve and saw a spiderweb blowing in the breeze. He thought spider silk might be a great thing to try."

Before building such a device, the team had to prove spiderwebs truly responded to sound-driven airflow. To test this hypothesis, they simply opened their lab windows to observe the Larinioides sclopetarius, or bridge spiders, that call the windowsills home. They played sound ranging from 1 Hz to 50 kHz for the spiders and measured the spider silk motion with a laser vibrometer.

They found the sound-induced velocity of the silk was the same as the particles in the air surrounding it, confirming the mechanism that these spiders use to detect their prey.

"Because spider silk is, of course, created by spiders, it isn't practical to incorporate it into the billions of microphones that are made each year," said Miles. "It does, however, teach us a lot about what mechanical properties are desirable in a microphone and may inspire entirely new designs."

More information: Technical program: https://eppro02.ativ.me/src/EventPilot/php/express/web/planner.php?id=ASASPRING24
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Credit: Water Resources Research (2024). DOI: 10.1029/2023WR036214

Land surface models are an indispensable tool for environmental scientists to map the natural features of our world, particularly when they monitor the effects of climate change or assess conservation efforts.

However, large-scale models that cover massive regions like continents often use grid sizes that don't adequately capture the variation that can exist within each box. This can be an especially big problem for hilly terrain, in which the elevation, temperature, and water content can be very different, even within a single map pixel.

In a study recently published in the journal Water Resources Research, researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, demonstrated a new method for visualizing vegetation gradients in hilly terrain.

First, the researchers aggregated pixels into bigger hydrological units to represent the hillslope. Then, they discretized the data into vertical height bands to estimate the profile of the slope. This allowed the dominant land cover type in each height band to be determined, and regions where vegetation pattern is affected by hillslopes could then be identified.

"The difference in moisture between hills and valleys due to a sloping terrain can create unique dynamics and vegetation patterns. In fact, an elevation change of just a few meters can lead to dramatic changes in local flora," lead author of the study, Shuping Li, explains. The researchers called this phenomenon "hillslope-impacted vegetation."

The extent of hillslope-impacted vegetation was not previously known, or even if it could be identified across the world in different climates. The new analysis of high-resolution topography and vegetation data showed that it is actually a very common global phenomenon.

Regions identified as exhibiting hillslope-impacted vegetation are widely distributed across the world in a variety of climatic zones. Some examples newly discovered in the study are located in northeastern Russia and the Horn of Africa.

This demonstrates that the impact of water dynamics from sloping terrain on vegetation patterns can occur even in dry boreal and semiarid regions.

The researchers also demonstrated that simply calculating the effects of elevation, as with the "tree line" on a mountain above which no trees grow, is not enough.

"We show that just taking into account the impact of altitudewhich is mostly due to changes in temperatureis not sufficient to explain the vegetation heterogeneity. The water dynamics on sloped landscapes cannot be ignored as an important factor," says senior author, Dai Yamazaki.

The researchers believe that their method can be applied to data all over the world to improve our understanding of the effect of elevation changes on plant life, which can significantly assist climate modeling efforts to provide more detailed climate change information.

More information: Shuping Li et al, Where in the World Are Vegetation Patterns Controlled by Hillslope Water Dynamics?, Water Resources Research (2024). DOI: 10.1029/2023WR036214 Journal information: Water Resources Research
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Three panels are shown showing an increasingly small area of the PRIMER galaxy field. The first image shows a large field of galaxies on the black background of space. The second image shows a smaller region from this field, revealing the galaxies in closer detail, appearing in a variety of shapes and colors. The final image shows the ZS7 galaxy system, revealing the ionized hydrogen emission in orange and the doubly ionized oxygen emission in dark red. Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, J. Dunlop, D. Magee, P. G. Perez-Gonzalez, H. Ubler, R. Maiolino, et al

An international team of astronomers have used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to find evidence for an ongoing merger of two galaxies and their massive black holes when the universe was only 740 million years old. This marks the most distant detection of a black hole merger ever obtained and the first time that this phenomenon has been detected so early in the universe.

Astronomers have found supermassive black holes with masses of millions to billions times that of the sun in most massive galaxies in the local universe, including in our Milky Way galaxy. These black holes have likely had a major impact on the evolution of the galaxies they reside in. However, scientists still don't fully understand how these objects grew to become so massive.

The finding of gargantuan black holes already in place in the first billion years after the Big Bang indicates that such growth must have happened very rapidly, and very early. Now, the James Webb Space Telescope is shedding new light on the growth of black holes in the early universe.

The new Webb observations have provided evidence for an ongoing merger of two galaxies and their massive black holes when the universe was just 740 million years old. The system is known as ZS7. The study is published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Massive black holes that are actively accreting matter have distinctive spectrographic features that allow astronomers to identify them. For very distant galaxies, like those in this study, these signatures are inaccessible from the ground and can only be seen with Webb.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, J. Dunlop, D. Magee, P. G. Perez-Gonzalez, H. Ubler, R. Maiolino, et al, N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb) Music: Noizefield - Expect the Unexpected

"We found evidence for very dense gas with fast motions in the vicinity of the black hole, as well as hot and highly ionized gas illuminated by the energetic radiation typically produced by black holes in their accretion episodes," explained lead author Hannah Ubler of the University of Cambridge in the U.K. "Thanks to the unprecedented sharpness of its imaging capabilities, Webb also allowed our team to spatially separate the two black holes."

The team found that one of the two black holes has a mass that is 50 million times the mass of the sun. "The mass of the other black hole is likely similar, although it is much harder to measure because this second black hole is buried in dense gas," explained team member Roberto Maiolino of the university of Cambridge and University College London in the United Kingdom.

"Our findings suggest that merging is an important route through which black holes can rapidly grow, even at cosmic dawn," explained Ubler. "Together with other Webb findings of active, massive black holes in the distant universe, our results also show that massive black holes have been shaping the evolution of galaxies from the very beginning."

"The stellar mass of the system we studied is similar to that of our neighbor the Large Magellanic Cloud," shared team member Pablo G. Perez-Gonzalez of the Centro de Astrobiologia (CAB), CSIC/INTA, in Spain. "We can try to imagine how the evolution of merging galaxies could be affected if each galaxy had one supermassive black hole as large or larger than the one we have in the Milky Way."

This image shows the environment of the galaxy system ZS7 from the JWST PRIMER program (PI: J. Dunlop) as seen by Webb's NIRCam instrument. Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, J. Dunlop, D. Magee, P. G. Perez-Gonzalez, H. Ubler, R. Maiolino, et al

The team also notes that once the two black holes merge, they will also generate gravitational waves. Events like this will be detectable with the next generation of gravitational wave observatories, such as the upcoming Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, which was recently approved by the European Space Agency and will be the first space-based observatory dedicated to studying gravitational waves.

"Webb's results are telling us that lighter systems detectable by LISA should be far more frequent than previously assumed," said LISA Lead Project Scientist Nora Luetzgendorf of the European Space Agency in the Netherlands. "It will most likely make us adjust our models for LISA rates in this mass range. This is just the tip of the iceberg."

This discovery was from observations made as part of the Galaxy Assembly with NIRSpec Integral Field Spectroscopy program. The team has recently been awarded a new Large Program in Webb's Cycle 3 of observations, to study in detail the relationship between massive black holes and their host galaxies in the first billion years.

An important component of this program will be to systematically search for and characterize black hole mergers. This effort will determine the rate at which black hole merging occurs at early cosmic epochs and will assess the role of merging in the early growth of black holes and the rate at which gravitational waves are produced from the dawn of time.

More information: Hannah Ubler et al, GA-NIFS: JWST discovers an offset AGN 740 million years after the big bang, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2024). DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stae943 Journal information: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Maria Lindsays family thought she was on the path to recovery when the 72-year-old was sent to the Hammonton Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare in early 2020 after a brief hospital stay for a urinary tract infection.

But Lindsay never recovered at the nursing care facility located in northwestern Atlantic County, about 30 miles outside Atlantic City.

Her stay at the Hammonton Center was marked with red flags, according to her family: An improperly placed catheter. The wrong antibiotics. Long spells where she couldnt reach her water cup or food, resulting in dehydration. Ignored lab results. Empty hallways devoid of staff members. A burst pipe spraying water onto another patient.

You could see her decline every time we visited her, said her daughter Michele Abbamondi, recalling her moms time at Hammonton. Understaffed is an understatement. Id watch her sit in the hallway with no one attending to her. It was shocking the condition she was in after being in their care such a short period of time. She never came back to the way she was the day she walked in that place.

The last straw, Abbamondi said, was a six-hour delay in sending Lindsay, who had acute kidney failure, to the emergency room. Lindsay died a few months later in another nursing home, but what her family saw at the Hammonton Center was harrowing and left them devastated and shocked, Abbamondi said. The family filed a lawsuit against the facility and its parent company, Centers Health Care, for negligence but ended up dropping it due to expense.

Lindsays family is still trying to process the circumstances of her death.

Meanwhile, investigations mount into Centers Health Care and the facilities it runs in New York and New Jersey, resulting from alleged patient mistreatment and Medicaid fraud.

You cant describe a loss like that, Abbamondi said of her mom. Every play, she was there. Every dance recital, she was in the audience.

A Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism Team and Press of Atlantic City investigation into the Hammonton Center found years worth of patient safety concerns and questionable payments to companies controlled by the Hammonton Centers owners.

In 2022, for example, the Hammonton Centers owner and CFO Daryl Hagler reported to the state that the nursing home paid $4.5 million in rent. The building is owned by a separate real estate company also controlled by Hagler. However, the nursing home didnt report making a rent payment to a so-called related party, despite being required to disclose such non-arms length transactions under state and federal law.

New Jersey officials have been investigating the situation at Hammonton and the Deptford Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare, another Centers facility in Gloucester County, after the state of New York brought a lawsuit against Centers Health Care.

That suit, which is ongoing, alleged concerning gaps in patient care at the companys nursing homes, while owners Kenneth Rozenberg and Hagler profited handsomely by allegedly extracting $83 million in Medicaid funding that was supposed to support patient care.

Instead, those millions helped Rozenberg finance the purchase of an Israeli airline and allowed Hagler to add to his New York real estate portfolio, New York prosecutors have alleged. Hagler and Rozenberg are both owners of the Hammonton Center, the 240-bed Atlantic County facility, according to 2022 cost reports filed with the state of New Jersey.

In New York, the two are men accused of prioritizing their personal enrichment by minimizing staffing expenses while maximizing revenue from admissions and ignoring and violating many state and federal laws designed to protect nursing home residents, according to the lawsuit, which pertains to Centers facilities in Buffalo, the Bronx, Queens and White Plains, New York. The company also runs facilities in Glens Falls and in Canandaigua near Auburn.

Though the case is ongoing, a New York Supreme Court judge has already stated there is evidence of repeated and persistent fraud by the owners, through routinely understaffing the facilities below patient need and entering contracts with favored people and/or companies they control.

Centers Health Care, Rozenberg and Hagler are also facing medical malpractice lawsuits in Kansas and Missouri federal courts.

Now, New Jerseys Office of the State Comptroller is investigating potential Medicaid fraud in New Jersey, though its unclear whether other state agencies such as the New Jersey Attorney Generals Office are involved. Dan Prochilo, spokesperson for the Attorney Generals Office, said in a statement that it does not confirm or deny the existence of investigations, and we have no further comment at this time.

The center, which pulled in more than $86 million in New Jersey Medicaid funds over the last seven years, according to the state, was to be cut off from the funding as of May 24 unless its current ownership cedes financial control of the facility.

State officials have since extended that deadline to June 17 to avoid a potential closure of the facility, they said.

Through a spokesman, Centers leadership declined to respond to questions about its finances and practices in New Jersey and New York. Previously, the company has denied wrongdoing. Haglers attorney also did not respond to Lees questions.

The findings

A Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism Team and Press of Atlantic City investigation of Hammonton Centers financial records, business transactions and health department records found similar self-dealing and patient safety concerns mirroring many of the allegations in the New York fraud lawsuit. The findings include:

Hammonton Center, which is primarily funded by taxpayer-funded Medicaid dollars, paid millions to real estate and software companies controlled by its owner, Daryl Hagler, and Centers Health Care. Some of those transactions werent reported to state or federal regulators despite requirements that nursing homes disclose such so-called related-party transactions. One of the entities Hammonton paid was specifically named in the New York lawsuit as a vehicle through which the owners siphon up-front profit out of the nursing homes.

Hammonton Center failed to meet state of New Jersey staffing requirements multiple times in recent years, putting patients at risk. Last June, for example, New Jersey health inspectors found an immediate and serious threat to resident health and safety at the Hammonton Center due to staffing deficiencies, finding at least 30 patients who failed to get the proper medications on time, putting them at risk of serious injury, harm, impartment or death. The state of New Jersey forced the facility to suspend admissions temporarily after that.

Family members of multiple former Hammonton Center patients told the Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism Team and the Press of AC that their family members care did not meet basic standards of decency. Public health inspections revealed instances where Hammonton staff failed to treat residents in a dignified manner. The New York lawsuit outlines how the chronic understaffing of Centers facilities led to heart-wrenching illustrations of the nursing homes neglect of their residents, which the (owners) failed to prevent or stop.

As Tina DeSilvio walked down the corridor at the Hammonton Center last summer, she came upon her grandmother, Barbara Ann Heritage.

DeSilvio was shocked to see Heritage slumped over in a wheelchair, completely alone in the hallway.

The brakes werent on, and no one was with her, DeSilvio said. I was blown away with the lack of empathy. Youve got to be kidding me.

On another occasion, DeSilvio said the staff there put her grandmother through pain and agony by failing to administer morphine to her as expected. Heritages stay at Hammonton occurred during the period in June last year when New Jersey health inspectors found the safety threat and banned new admissions to the facility.

Fear for the residents safety caused DeSilvio to lose sleep, she remembers.

It was personal for me, but it wasnt just my grandmother crossing my mind through the night, DeSilvio said. How can anyone in their right mind witness any of this and sleep at night?

Fishy' payments

An analysis of The Hammonton Centers finances by the Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism Team revealed multiple transactions and payments to companies controlled by Hagler personally or Centers Health Care. Some of those transactions werent reported as related-party transactions to state or federal regulators, which is required.

For example, the Hammonton Center in 2022 reported to the state of New Jersey that it paid $4.5 million in rental fees for its building, part of about $5.7 million in building costs that year.

The owner of the Hammonton Center building and land at 43 N. White Horse Pike in Hammonton is Atlantic Health Land Holding LLC, according to Town of Hammonton property records, a company controlled by Hagler. According to various public sources, the company is registered to addresses including the Centers Health Care headquarters and Haglers personal residence.

The company declined to answer Lees questions about the rent payment.

The building costs accounted for 25% of the Hammonton Centers total expenses that year, which is significantly higher than most nursing homes across the state pay, according to an analysis conducted by Ernest Tosh, a national nursing home finance expert, on behalf of the Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism Team.

This facility is paying more than twice and really close to three times the state average for their building, and so its clear from that that there is an overpayment to the related party, Tosh said.

One of the allegations in the New York lawsuit includes entering the nursing homes into collusive real estate arrangements that  forced them to pay falsely inflated rents to real estate companies owned by Hagler, and then failing to disclose those transactions to regulators.

Its one thing to pay rent, said state Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, who has led the charge on nursing home financial transparency in the state Legislature. Everyone pays rent. What has to be reasonable is the amount of rent being paid. Is it over market rate? Then thats inappropriate and its not the way they should be spending taxpayer resources.

The Hammonton Center didnt report its rent payments as related-party transactions on its federal or state cost reports, despite being required by state and federal law to disclose transactions to companies that are owned or controlled by the nursing home owner on its financial reports.

They need to report that theyve moved money from the left front pocket to the right front pocket, so we know what has happened with that money and they have not done that, Tosh said.

The practice is common but controversial among nursing home owners, which reported sending $11 billion to related parties in 2015 alone, according to KFF Health News.

Consumer advocates including The National Consumer Voice For Quality Long-Term Care have suggested nursing homes may be hiding profits in related party transactions, allowing them to portray their nursing homes are operating at a financial loss or making small profits, when in reality they are making money, according to the groups 2023 report.

They can make the nursing home look very unprofitable but somehow the owners are still buying jets and yachts, Tosh said. You can apparently go buy an airline. The general public needs to know that. They need to know because grandma doesnt need to go into a facility like that. As taxpayers, you need to understand where your money is going.

The one related-party transaction that the Hammonton Center did disclose to the state of New Jersey in 2022 was a $145,795 charge in software rental costs to BIS Funding Capital LLC, a company that is 99% owned by Hagler. His son owns the other 1% of the firm. Though the transaction appears on Hammontons state cost report, it is missing from the centers federal cost report that year.

Though it purports to centralize costs for Centers-affiliated nursing homes to help them obtain competitive prices for technology goods and services, according to the New York Attorney General lawsuit, the company is actually an entity through which Hagler and Rozenberg siphon up-front profit out of the nursing homes.

From October 2019 through July 2021, 57 nursing homes paid BIS Funding about $17.2 million, yet the software company spent merely $4.5 million [on] information technology, software, or communications expenses, according to the New York lawsuit.

Thus, either BIS Funding did not provide the goods and/or services it billed for, or it charged these nursing homes an exorbitant mark up, according to the lawsuit.

Vitale, the state senator, said the transaction certainly seems fishy but said it was for state Medicaid fraud investigators to sort out.

On the surface, it sounds not appropriate, he said. (Investigators) are doing their job, and theyre doing it well.

Dangerous' underspending

The cost reports to federal and state agencies by the Hammonton Center also show concerning staffing patterns and longer-than-average patient stays, according to the analysis by Tosh, an attorney and national expert in nursing home financing who has served as an expert witness in multiple elder abuse cases.

The facility has reported staffing levels that provided 3.8 hours of patient care per day in 2022. However, the federal recommendation is 4.1 hours per patient per day to prevent harm to residents.

Tosh said the consequences of understaffing can be life-threatening for nursing home residents.

That reckless endangerment hurts people, Tosh said.

Specifically, the facility reported in 2022 that residents received on average 26 minutes of registered nurse time per day, along with 48 minutes of care from licensed practical nurses, and 2 hours of care from certified nursing assistants.

An hour of registered nurse time (per patient per day) is whats expected, Tosh said. As soon as you see this staffing pattern you know this is a for-profit facility. RNs are the most expensive labor, so they cut those to the bone and try to replace them with LPNs, but LPNs cant do what RNs can do, Tosh said. Youre either shorting the patients half of the RN time they need, or youre having LPNs practice outside of the scope of their license. Either one is bad.

Registered nurses, LPNs and CNAs perform very different functions, Tosh said, all of which are important to the function of a nursing home.

If you dont have RNs, you dont really have anyone monitoring at a higher level this persons care, Tosh said. If you dont have aides, you dont have anyone to turn and reposition, you dont have help to go to the restroom, so people will fall.

Tosh said its important to understand that nursing homes are paid by Medicare and Medicaid based on the medical needs of each patient, as reported to those government programs by the facility.

Your reimbursement is based on the acuity of that patient  how much care do they need? Tosh said. You are paid according to their need, and then youre staffing below the need. The difference between those two is fraud.

The Hammonton Center brought in $22.3 million in net patient revenues in 2022 but reported losing $482,448 that year, despite paying more than $4.6 million to the companies owned by Hagler.

When you take into account that they may have had an overpayment to their related party leasing company of $2 million, theyre clearly killing it financially, Tosh said. They clearly did not lose money in 2022.

Tosh also questioned the average length of stay at the Hammonton Center.

The center reported an average length of stay for Medicare patients between 43 and 54 days in its 2019-22 federal cost reports. However, the U.S. average length of stay in nursing homes for Medicare patients is 28 to 32 days, according to a 2022 study.

When you see numbers above 30, you start questioning whether they were holding patients longer just to get their Medicare money, Tosh said.

A spokesperson for Centers Health Care did not respond to questions about the facilitys length-of-stay rates.

Meanwhile, Michael Brusca, a New Jersey nursing home medical malpractice attorney, questioned the Hammonton Centers reliance on outside contract workers.

The Hammonton Center paid $2.9 million in salaries to direct nursing-related employees in 2022, but $3.8 million in salaries to contract nurses, according to its filing to federal regulators.

These people may have never worked in the building before, Brusca said. They dont even know where the bathroom is. When you hire a contract person, it costs more money. You have to pay the person and the agency.

It is unclear which staffing firm the Hammonton Center used to acquire the contract labor, but the New York lawsuit details that Centers-affiliated nursing homes paid more than $34 million between December 2017 and October 2021 to Skilled Staffing, a firm owned in part by Kenneth Rozenbergs daughter-in-law. The Centers spokesman did not respond to a question about whether the staffing firm used by the Hammonton Center was connected to any company executives.

Gaps in care for vulnerable patients

Barbara Rodgers knew something was wrong at the Hammonton Center every time she visited her father, Freddie Sykes, at the facility in 2019.

People were not turning (him) and not taking proper care while he was there, Rodgers said. One time, staff had him confused with another patient, so they werent giving him anything to eat or drink, falsely thinking he was due to have a procedure.

Who said that? Rodgers recalls asking. Let me see the chart. Thats not even my dad. Really? Go get my dad some food. This is unacceptable.

Sykes ended up with a large sore on his backside that didnt heal.

He was in so much pain, Rodgers said. I said, Nobody needed to suffer like that. It was total neglect.

Sykes died in September 2019. Rodgers ended up suing the Hammonton Center for negligent care on behalf of his estate in 2021 and settled with the company.

He walked in there, and he didnt walk out, Rodgers said.

A Lee Enterprises review of five years worth of health inspections at the Hammonton Center by New Jersey officials, and interviews with patient families, revealed troubling instances of patients suffering from inadequate nursing care.

The short staffing meant that the facility implemented a liberal medication policy, according to what one LPN told a state inspector in 2023, meaning that medications were administered to patients earlier or later than specified times.

In June 2023, state inspectors found that critical medications were not being administered to patients. Those significant medication errors put residents at risk of harm, impairment or death, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.

The staffing issues also meant that residents were routinely sitting for hours in their own bodily fluids, and that the smells permeated the facility, according to a 2023 inspection.

One May morning around 9:45 a.m. last year, an inspector noticed multiple residents sheets saturated, according to the inspection form. In one instance, a CNA delivered a meal tray to a resident who was lying in bed in saturated sheets, not having been changed since 4 a.m.

The CNA on duty stated that the residents sheets were always saturated in the morning.

The resident sat up and ate breakfast on the side of the bed  on top of wet sheets while (the CNA) began to collect meal trays on the nursing unit, the inspection report reads.

There was also alleged abuse at the facility.

At least four times between 2019 and 2021, health inspections revealed issues with abuse, according to New Jersey Department of Health inspection and complaint reports obtained by Lee via public records requests.

On two occasions in 2019, the facility failed to properly report or document an instance by a staff member to a resident. In March 2019, for example, a patient reported that an LPN pushed a resident in a wheelchair, hit them with a clipboard and stated, "When I get done with you, you will never want to come back to this wing." However, an incident report form was not completed, according to health inspectors.

In 2021, inspectors noted the facility failed to ensure residents were free from abuse from fellow residents. In 2022, an inspector found that a staff member broke a residents arm but was allowed to continue working.

Pandemic worsened conditions

The COVID-19 pandemic also resulted in breakdowns in patient care across Centers nursing homes, including the Hammonton Center. More than 40 patients at the Hammonton Center died of COVID-19 between April and October 2020 alone, according to data submitted by the facility to the state.

The Press of Atlantic City reported in 2020 that the Hammonton Center had emerged as a hotbed of COVID-19 in the early stage of the pandemic, causing state health officials to ship more personal protective equipment there. At the time, a Hammonton Center nurse told a Press of AC reporter that the facility did not provide personal protective equipment to staff until April 6, 2020, weeks into the pandemic.

The New York lawsuit and patient interviews provide additional context on how the Hammonton Center leadership responded to COVID-19.

The lawsuit outlines that in April 2020, Centers administrators conducted facility-wide staff testing at both the Hammonton and Deptford centers, learning that as many as 60 staff members tested positive at those nursing homes, despite very few having exhibited symptoms.

Prosecutors alleged that Centers administrators knew COVID-19-positive staff members were caring for residents at various facilities but ignored the risk.

New Jersey health inspectors also cited the facility in November 2020 for exposing COVID-19 positive patients to other patients, putting them at risk of disease. Staff members also were cited for failing to wear PPE.

Russell Rodjinski experienced just that during his stay at the Hammonton facility, according to an interview with his wife. When he was brought there for rehabilitation after a short hospital stay, he was negative for COVID-19.

But his roommate wasnt.

Nobody was wearing masks, said his wife, Donna Rodjinski. For his roommate to have COVID, they werent taking any precautions. When he was at Virtua (Hospital), they had special suits on and masks. Here, he said, the nurses were saying, Its not a big deal.

Russell Rodjinski only spent a night at the Hammonton facility but still caught COVID-19 from his roommate.

I had to take him out of there, Donna Rodjinski said. Russell Rodjinski died in 2022 of unrelated causes.

An air of uncertainty'

Now, state officials are seeking more answers from Centers officials about whether fraud occurred at Hammonton.

Laurie Facciarossa Brewer, the long-term care ombudsman for the state of New Jersey who runs the independent state agency that advocates for the rights of nursing home residents, said the allegations as part of the New York lawsuit will absolutely make you sick to your stomach to read.

The Comptrollers Office, I think very much to their credit, are being very aggressive on this issue of protecting taxpayer dollars in long-term care, Brewer said. Theyre using the authority they have to debar or suspend Medicaid payments to the owners of facilities that have a demonstrated poor track record.

Representatives from Brewers office are visiting the Hammonton Center weekly as the state investigates.

My role is to make sure the resident care is OK in these facilities while this is going on, Brewer said. There is certainly an air of uncertainty until we get to the next step. From my perspective, you cant allow people with a demonstrated track record of extracting profit on the backs of residents to operate in New Jersey.

Vitale, the state senator, also is pushing for nursing home financial transparency legislation but said lawmakers are getting a lot of pushback from the nursing home industry.

We want them to be successful and have enough resources to provide the right kind of care, and want to make sure the money is being spent appropriately, Vitale said. If theyre seeking additional funding, which they mostly always are  we have to know how its being spent.

Meanwhile, family members of those who had bad experiences at the Hammonton Center are seeking their own justice and answers.

DeSilvio, whose grandmother died in the Hammonton Center in June 2023, said she wasnt surprised when she saw the facility and its owners were being investigated.

Rather, she said, I was kind of reassured.

It wasnt just me being like, Nothing is good enough for my grandmother, DeSilvio said. The care there was just atrocious. I dont understand how anyone in their right mind could witness any of this and sleep at night.

GALLERY: Hammonton Center for Rehabilitation
Saima Bibi was serving tea to guests at her quarters in Punjab Province, Pakistan when her Muslim employer dragged her outside and pushed her towards an electric chaff cutter, tearing off her ear and cutting most of her scalp, her husband said.

The 24-year-old Christian mother of two children was working last month with her husband, Shahzad Masih, on the farm of two Muslim landlords in Ram Diwali Chak No. 6 village, Faisalabad District, he said. Relatives had come to visit them on April 12, the third day of the Muslim festival of Eid Al-Fitr, Masih said.

His wife was making tea for them when one of the landlords, Muhammad Mustafa, arrived and rebuked them for not cutting fodder for the cattle, he said.

I immediately got up and started to cut the fodder in the electric chaff cutter, but as soon as my wife came outside to give me tea, Mustafa started hurling abuses at her and told her to get to work, Masih told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. When Saima said that shell begin work in 10 minutes, Mustafa pulled her from the hair and pushed her towards the chaff cutter, causing her to fall and hitting her head in the running machine.

Besides the wounds to her right ear and the skin of her head, the chaff cutter also injured her right eye, he said.

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Blood started gushing out of Saimas head, and she screamed and cried in pain, Masih said. Seeing her in a bloody mess, Mustafa fled the scene.

Her cries brought a large number of villagers to the site, including the other Muslim landowner, Muhammad Imran, who took her to a hospital in his car, Masih said. Upon reaching Government Allied Hospital, however, Imran warned them not to tell anyone how she had been injured.

Imran threatened me with even more serious consequences if we did not say that the incident was the result of an accident, he said. Saima was in great pain, and naturally my priority was to get her treated immediately. The doctors gave her first aid and shifted her to the plastic surgery ward, where shes still under treatment.

The impoverished Catholic laborer said that on April 24 he tried to file a case against Mustafa with the Nishatabad Police Station in Faisalabad, but officers refused to accept it.

We were occupied with Saimas treatment, which is why I couldnt file a complaint earlier, Masih said. When I went to the police, they showed reluctance in filing a case against Mustafa because of his influence. Instead, they pressured me to withdraw the application and settle the matter directly with the accused. Its been nearly a month now that we are trying to register a First Information Report [FIR].

Attorney Akmal Bhatti, chairman of the Minorities Alliance Pakistan, said the aggrieved family had contacted him to obtain justice.

The polices inaction and bias against the victims minority status exemplifies systemic challenges and discriminatory practices prevalent in rural policing, he told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.

Bhatti said that he had filed a petition in the Faisalabad sessions court asking it to direct police to register a case against Mustafa and initiate legal action against him.

Ive also filed applications with senior police officials to apprise them about the intentional negligence of their subordinates to give access to justice to Saima, he said.

Bhatti said the Muslims also hindered medico-legal examination of Saima Bibi, resulting in an inordinate delay.

The medical examination has finally been done, and now we are waiting for the police to register an FIR and arrest the accused, he said. The perpetrators tried to show this incident as an accident and have used all their political and financial powers to not let the medico-legal certificate be issued, which is essential to the pursuance of the case.

The counsel said that the incident underscored deep-rooted issues of intolerance and discrimination against Christians.

Saimas case shows the vulnerability of religious minorities, particularly women, in rural settings where power dynamics and societal hierarchies often perpetuate injustice and impunity, he said, adding that there was an urgent need for comprehensive legal reforms, enforcement of existing protections and community engagement initiatives to combat religious discrimination and violence against minorities in Pakistan.

We demand that authorities must expedite efforts to apprehend the accused and ensure that the victim is given justice, he 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.
Omari Braxton was trying to stop a fight when he died.

Rock Island County authorities said Braxton, 21, Rock Island, was shot to death around 4:45 p.m. Saturday at the Maple Ridge Apartment Complex in the 3700 block of 5th Street, Rock Island.

Two women were fighting in the parking lot and Braxton attempted to break up the fight, according to court records. Documents did not describe the fight or Braxtons attempted intervention in further detail. Records also did not state whether either woman knew Braxton.

One of them, though, was dating another Rock Island man, Derrick B. Nephew Jr., 29, records state. Nephew was nearby when Braxton got involved in the womens quarrel and authorities allege Nephew then fired a gun several times.

On Monday, Rock Island County Coroner Brian Gustafson said preliminary autopsy results indicate Braxton died from a gunshot wound to the head.

Nephew has been charged with first-degree murder in relation to Braxtons killing.

After the shooting, Nephew left the area in his car, but police found witnesses that were able to identify him as the gunman, records state.

When they searched Nephews residence, police recovered the box for a Taurus handgun, two magazines and 9mm ammunition. The casings recovered from the shooting scene were also 9mm.

The account of the shooting provided in the court records also does not state whether Braxton and Nephew knew each other.

Davenport police officers arrested Nephew early Sunday and he remained in the Scott County Jail awaiting an extradition hearing.

The jail website lists a 30-day jail sentence for Nephew in relation to a contempt of court charge from a child support case. This is in addition to the pending extradition to Rock Island County.

Scott County court documents related to the extradition state Nephew must resolve the Iowa case before his transfer to Illinois to face the murder charge.

When Nephew drove from the shooting scene, Steven Strickland, a friend, was with him, according to Rock Island County court records. Strickland was wearing a GPS monitoring device because he was on probation and police later found it at a Davenport construction site. It had been cut off.

In assisting the Rock Island police with the shooting investigation, Davenport officers responded just before 1 a.m. on Sunday to the Relax Inn on Brady Street, according to Scott County court records.

Authorities allege Strickland, 28, of Davenport, knowingly helped a shooting suspect avoid capture by fleeing the scene with that person, crossing state lines and getting them a hotel room, records state.

Strickland also harassed officers as they executed the search warrant and told police Nephew was not there, records state. Police later found Nephew in the room.

Scott County authorities also referenced the GPS device and accused Strickland of cutting it off.

Strickland faces charges of accessory after the fact and harassment of a public official in Scott County, according to court records.

Strickland was being held outside of Scott County, according to the Scott County Jail website, which did not specify in which county he was being held. He has a $2,300 bond.

His next court hearing has been set for May 21, records state.
Jeff Fountain, a journalist by trade, is the founder and director of the The Schuman Centre for European Studies. Originally from New Zealand and now living in Holland, he led Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in Europe for 20 years. He also helped create Hope for Europe, an umbrella initiative for evangelical groups on the continent.

In a three-part series by Christian Daily International, Fountain shares his perspectives for evangelicals on the spiritual landscape driving Europe, both past, present and future.

In this third of three articles, the former YWAM leader urges Christians to pray for Ukraine and what will come after the Russia-Ukraine war will end.



The unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022 showed some of the worst traits of humankind, according to Gavin Calver, CEO of the UK Evangelical Alliance.

Writing in March of that year, Calver called on Christians to pray for all concerned, voice opposition, give sanctuary to refugees, and respond with hearts, hands and wallets. Similar voices were raised by evangelicals across Europe and beyond.

Two years later, thousands of Ukrainians and Russians have died in what has become an intractable war  so how should Christians react now, when there is still no end to the conflict in sight? Jeff Fountain, director of The Schuman Centre for European Studies, emphasizes the importance of prayer and practical help as before, but also highlights that it is critical to prepare for the future aftermath.

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Its essential that we realize that this is not just business as usual, said Fountain. We have reached a new phase. The order that was established with Christian roots after the Second World War is under strong attack from Putin right now.

That's not to say the West has always kept its hands clean and that it's only good and bad. But we do need to recognize that this order that has led to 70 years of relative peace, really we are coming to a new chapter. And if we don't succeed at this phase, the future of Europe will be very different. So that's a point for prayer.

Fountain also stressed the importance of seeing the big picture with the Ukraine conflict. This means understanding the role of the gospel within the shaping of the European integration process. He acknowledged that not everything that's happened in the European integration process has been wonderful.

Yet there is arguably a real desire for Europe within Ukraine, compared to a more indifferent European country such as Holland where Fountain resides.

Looking at the last several decades, he sees a sequence of events including the world wars, and the fall of the Berlin Wall, marking a new chapter with Ukraines fight for autonomous freedom.

I said before, hardly any Dutch person knows what Europe Day is [on May 9]. But if you go to Ukraine, most of the people will be able to tell you what Europe Day is.

Fountain himself has seen 50,000 Ukrainians celebrating Europe Day previously on May 9.

Now, there's not even a European flag to be seen in Holland. Nobody knows what Europe Day is here. We take it for granted. We've taken all the peace and the stability that's come as a result of what took place at Europe Day for granted.

But the people who don't have it know what they're missing out on and want it. And that's why this war is going on right now. It is actually a struggle for Europe that's based on these Christian values we talked about before, and we need to be praying for Russia and the Russians at the same time, for God's purposes for them to be fulfilled.

Fountain referenced the Christian values of love and forgiveness, which led to former French politician Robert Schuman making the Schuman Declaration heralding the beginning of postwar modern Europe.

But the same message that Schuman had about needing to love and forgive, that's not going to be an easy thing for Ukrainians.

We work very closely with our YWAM colleagues there. We have regular zoom meetings, prayer meetings and so on for Ukraine. And the relationship is not easy between the Russian brothers and the Ukrainians, but eventually we will have to be confronted with the need for forgiveness.

But that could only happen in Germany after Hitler was gone, and there were new people to be able to rebuild the future. And that's what we pray for Russia.

"Appeasement is not going to be a settlement at all"

Fountain encouraged Christians to keep persevering in prayer in spite of being tired of the whole thing. He agreed with Ukrainian President Zelensky that the frontline in Ukraine is a frontline for the whole of Europe and what we stand for.

Putin is not going to stop even if he was able to dominate Ukraine, he wants the Baltics back and he wants to reestablish hegemony of Russia back into central Europe, said Fountain, who sees the present-day situation influenced by the Atlantic Charter in August 1941.

This involved a secret meeting between Churchill and Roosevelt agreeing to self-determination for territories and agreeing on a number of things that shows this is what is at stake right now in Ukraine.

And Roosevelt went on to say that a dictator's peace will never lead us to generosity, never lead us to democracy, to freedom of expression, freedom of religion, etc., added Fountain. And therefore, what Christians need to do is when they hear talk saying, well, Ukraine just needs to come to an agreement with Putin. We need to recognize that that's appeasement.

That's not going to be a settlement at all. That's going to invite a much worse future for Europe.

Fountain said the Wests response is far too little, far too late, far too slow. People need to wake up to the fact that we are all engaged in a war and not just think, well, we've come to the end of a 70-year period.

We cannot just bury our heads in the sand, he said. There are many parallels with the late thirties, and we need to recognize the danger of far-right movements, and the parallels with how Hitler came into control.

We face it here in Holland, you face it there in England, they face it in France and Germany and so on. And too many Christians are voting for these far-right parties without realizing how dangerous it is. It's flirting with disaster. We need to do our homework.

As the Ukraine conflict continues to impact Europe, the Christian input into legal frameworks such as the European Convention on Human Rights is affected and weakened, according to Fountain.

We're losing that because our memories are fading and short memories breed shortsightedness, and unfortunately, so much of our voting pattern comes out of shortsightedness. We need to recognize this bigger picture and need to discern God's fingerprints in history, not only in the distant past, but also even now in our contemporary Europe.

Love and forgiveness will be needed when the war ends

Fountain also looks at how Robert Schuman, the architect of modern Europe, suffered solitary confinement by the Nazis when they invaded Paris, but reacted in a Christlike way.

He once spoke to a man who worked with Schuman, and this unknown individual allegedly saw a note from Schuman to the French resistance, in which he reportedly said: We French will have to learn to love and forgive the Germans to rebuild Europe after the war.

These radical values of love and forgiveness will be needed when the Ukrainian war ends, asserted Fountain.

That's like saying to the Ukrainians, we Ukrainians will have to learn to love and forgive the Russians to rebuild after the war. But this was Schumans motivation when he announced this plan for the European Coal and Steel Community to be launched on May 9, 1950.

We need to look at the whole thing again, to pray.
Montana will receive nearly $32 million in federal funds next year to make child care more accessible for low-income families. How it will use that money  and the similar amount it will receive each year through 2027  is currently being discussed by state officials.

There are a lot of great things that are going to come out of this plan that we have been hoping for, said Tori Sproles, executive director of Child Care Connections, a Montana nonprofit that focuses on improving access to high-quality child care.

In a state with a persistent child care shortage, it stands to reason that this kind of money could make a big difference.

Even as the number of young children whose parents are in the labor force has declined in Montana since 2020, there still arent enough child care spots to meet demand. According to the Montana Child Care Gap Assessment report in 2022, rural areas face a 55% gap between the number of children with working parents who need child care and the number of spaces available. The gap is 38% in the states urban centers.

The report was produced by the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington, D.C., think-tank.

There are 1,040 licensed providers in the state capable of providing care to 22,879 children, according to DPHHS data. There are 44,166 children under the age of 6 with working parents. Counties with the largest gaps were Yellowstone and Missoula counties. Closely behind are Flathead, Gallatin and Cascade.

The federal government has funded child care for decades. Its current mechanism for doing so is known as the Child Care Development Fund, last amended and reauthorized by congressional lawmakers in 2014. States receive money on a three-year cycle. Before renewal, the agencies tasked with administering the funds which, in Montana is the Department of Public Health and Human Services, must submit a comprehensive plan to the federal government outlining how it will use this funding in a way that aligns with the programs goals.

DPHHS is currently drafting its three-year plan that will go into effect Oct. 1 and last through September 2027.

In years past, Montana has used CCDF dollars to fund a slew of critical resources to improve the quality of child care. Perhaps the most notable is the Best Beginnings Scholarship, which subsidizes parents making at or below 185% of the federal poverty line so they pay less for child care on a sliding scale. The state pays facilities directly at the end of each month of care, assuming children meet certain attendance standards. Families cover a copay, the amount of which is set by the state.

Montana legislators allocated an additional $7 million in state funds toward the program last year.

About 2,680 Montana families are using the Best Beginnings scholarship each year. A family of four must make $57,720 or less to qualify. A family of two must take $37,814 or less. Advocates say child care is still out of reach for many who make just over the income threshold in higher-cost areas or struggle to navigate the required paperwork and bureaucracy.

Under Montanas CCDF Draft Plan, the state would soon start to pay child care providers that accept Best Beginnings Scholarship at the start of a month before care is provided as opposed to after the fact. A survey of center- and home-based facilities found that over 40% felt retroactive payment created month-to-month budgetary challenges that made it harder to accept scholarship students.

Jody Lehman, the Child Care Bureau chief at DPHHS, explained that the agency would apply for a two-year waiver for this new federal regulation so that it could continue the transition to a new data system. Once that overhaul is complete, he said, DPHHS would be able to pay ahead of time rather than in arrears.

Affordability continues to be a top concern for parents and providers alike.

The draft plan proposes that DPHHS may not charge a family receiving subsidies for child care a co-payment for day care or after-school care thats more than 7% of their gross income. This would bring the state into compliance with recently released federal standards. Currently, Montana sets the limit at 8%.

Lehman said theyre working through numbers to figure out exactly how to make this work, but feel theyre already operating close enough to make the jump.

Montana can be a great role model for that moving forward for everybody, said Sheryl Hutzenbiler, the owner of a day care facility in Billings.

The federal government also recommends  though doesnt require  that states waive all co-pays for parents making up to 150% of the federal poverty line as well as for those with children with disabilities, families experiencing homelessness and foster care children.

Montana doesnt plan on making these optional modifications at this time. But Lehman noted that whats encouraged today often becomes the rule tomorrow.

All this comes on the heels of a recent announcement that DPHHS would increase reimbursement rates to providers who accept Best Beginnings Scholarship attendees. An additional 15% premium will be added on top of that to providers in counties designated as high growth areas: Flathead, Gallatin, Missoula, Ravalli, Yellowstone and Lewis and Clark counties.

At nearly 200 pages, the draft plan is a mix of fully fleshed-out policy proposals and looser aspirations.

There are strategies for how to best leverage the required 3% of total funding on infant and toddler initiatives including one-time grants to providers of up to $3,000 to bolster capacity, higher payment rates to providers that work specifically with infants and toddlers and early childhood mental health consultations.

It concretely outlines licensure type as well as health and safety standards, largely set by federal law. But it seeks input on how to define a special population and track progress among these communities. DPHHS proposes expanding the apprenticeship program to grow its early childhood workforce, suggests the idea of a credential specific to infant and toddler care and describes tools to improve retention such as subsidies for staff who also need child care but earn below a certain income.

Members of the public can provide public comment here through May 17. DPHHS will submit the plan to the Office of Child Care at the end of June. Assuming approval, it will go into effect on Oct. 1.

DPHHS can amend the plan throughout the three years its in effect as it responds to changes in rules and policies. For example, an administrative rules package thats currently under formal objection is currently set to be implemented at the conclusion of the next legislative session. If that stands, the CCDF plan would need to be amended to reflect those requirements.

There are a lot of changes coming our way, Lehman said. We can update it to reflect those rule changes.
The public discussion Wednesday night about siting a repository for Superfund wastes in Butte sounded a bit like deja vu all over again.

Centerville residents emphasized they did not want a wastes repository near their community.

Bill Foley, a candidate for chief executive for Butte-Silver Bow County, decried what he described as secret meetings held to make repository decisions. J. P. Gallagher, the incumbent chief executive whom Foley hopes to unseat, pushed back, denying secret meetings.

But there was a new wrinkle.

The Repository Siting Committee has submitted to EPA three repository site candidates. That submission completes the committees task.

Josh Bryson of Atlantic Richfield/BP said possible repository sites include an area off Shields Avenue on Montana Resources property, the already contaminated Berkeley Pit and corporation-owned land north of the Kelley Mine Area that is adjacent to Centerville. The existing Butte Mine Waste Repository is also in the mix.

Eric Hassler, Butte-Silver Bows Director of Reclamation and Environmental Services, said potential repository sites must be technically feasible, scientifically feasible and legally feasible.

It gets complicated, he said later, given that the Berkeley Pit is already a Superfund operable unit and that contaminated materials in the targeted Silver Bow Creek Corridor are not homogenous.

EPA, in consultation with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, will have the ultimate say about repository locations.

The update occurred Wednesday during a meeting of the Butte-Silver Bow Council of Commissioners.

Commissioner Josh ONeill articulated the bottom line.

A repository site, or sites, must be identified before real remediation work can begin in the Silver Bow Creek Corridor and the community can move forward with completing Superfund cleanup, he said.

The primary contaminants of concern in the Silver Bow Creek Corridor are arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury and zinc. Any wastes dumped at a land-based repository would be capped with about 18 inches of soil and topped with vegetation, according to Atlantic Richfield/BP.

Hassler suggested that wastes capped with soil and vegetation could actually improve the historic and non-reclaimed mining property north of the Kelley Mine Area and in the vicinity of Centerville.

Atlantic Richfield/BP has said the Berkeley Pit remains high on the list of preferred alternatives for a wastes repository but that analysis must determine, among other things, what sorts of wastes would be appropriate for deposit there.

The Berkeley Pits property and mineral rights are owned by Montana Resources. It and Atlantic Richfield/BP share in the sites environmental liability. Montana Resources has expressed support for using the infamous Berkeley Pit as a repository.

Bryson said work continues to evaluate whether and how materials from cleanup areas in the Silver Bow Creek Corridor could be transported in a slurry to the Pit, an option that could keep some heavy haul trucks off public roads.

Sites in the corridor include Diggings East, Northside Tailings, the Butte Reduction Works and others. One estimate has suggested roughly 850,000 cubic yards of material contaminated with heavy metals would be excavated from sites in the Silver Bow Creek Corridor.

Were meetings public?

Gallagher and Commissioner John Sorich rejected allegations that meetings of the Repository Siting Committee have been secret. A meeting held in March was available for virtual viewing. But if previous meetings of the committee were publicly announced it did not happen widely.

In October, residents of Centerville packed the Centerville Fire Hall to hear Brysons presentation about the proposed repository north of the Kelley Mine area. During the meeting, both Bryson and Gallagher were asked whether meetings of the Repository Siting Committee were public. Bryson deferred to Gallagher, whose responses were equivocal.

Foley was the first person to publicly identify, question and actively protest plans to dump wastes in the vicinity of Centerville and the historic Dublin Gulch. He raised concerns about the plan at an EPA meeting in late August.

At the time, the EPA insisted that even then-remedial project manager Nikia Greene was not aware of the plan. Greene did not respond to questions from The Montana Standard about that knowledge.

Bryson later said Atlantic Richfield/BP would avoid dumping materials in Dublin Gulch.

He has reiterated that the company likely will need more than one repository site because of the varied wastes its contractors will encounter, ranging from sediments contaminated with heavy metals to solvents; from soils polluted by petroleum products to municipal wastes.

Atlantic Richfield/BP is responsible under federal Superfund law for remediation of historic mining and smelting pollution in Butte, Anaconda and elsewhere in the Upper Clark Fork River Basin because Atlantic Richfield acquired the original polluter, the Anaconda Co., in 1977.
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I love my job because:

"I am surrounded by colleagues who care not only about me, but the department as a whole. I am taking talents that I never imagined I could expand upon and bringing them into a unique setting."

"Every day I come in, our team attacks the day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind. Having a group of people that are genuinely happy to be a part of the team is absolutely amazing."

"I am able to make a material impact to the success of the company, and due to department growth, create jobs with excellent pay and benefits. This provides financial security for my team and their families."

"I am part of an organization that cares about not just its customers but its employees."

"I get the opportunity to improve my skills with various available trainings they provide, and Estes always uses the latest technologies which makes me feel I am working on updated technologies."

"I get to support thousands of employees who are essential to keeping America running."
Among the testimonies that the Brazilian Evangelical Alliance (Alianca Evangelica Brasileira, AEB) collected during the ongoing rain emergency in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, a woman approached Pastor Cassiano Luz, executive director of the alliance. Can I ask you for something? she said, and when he responded affirmingly, she whispered: I just want a Bible.

Pastor Luz shared his reflection on the very emotional moment on his Instagram account, saying, I passed by a shelter, there are 6 in [the municipality of] Cruzeiro do Sul. As I was talking to the people they started asking for some things, like wet wipes, diapers, big clothes, etc. And then I said, well bring it tomorrow, tomorrow I will come early and bring food.

As I was leaving, a lady, a little old lady called me, and she said quietly in my ear, can I ask you for something? And I said, sure, I don't know if I can help, but yes. And then tears started rolling down her eyes and she said, can you get me a Bible? Because mine got washed away in the flood. It's one of those moments when you break down, isn't it? It's already getting dark here, but I told her, I'm going to come back today to give you the Bible, he said.

At a time when people lost everything, the only thing she asked for was a Bible. Although she must have had many other needs because the water ruined her material possessions and she may even have lost her house, she only had that one request for what is most important in her life: the Word of God.

Volunteers at the forefront of relief work

The AEB continues working with volunteers coming from different parts of the country. They had to create a waiting list of people whom they ask to be prepared because at any moment a place will be assigned to them, Pastor Luz said. He himself has been in the affected areas for days, supporting the local population.

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We continue to receive more volunteers and a greater volume of donations. Trucks are arriving every day, he said. Therefore, he asked the municipal authorities, to please take over emergency management in the municipality, AEB said in an Instagram post.

At the moment, the vast majority of rescue and care work is handled by volunteer civilians who simply came in solidarity, bringing whatever tools and material they had to lend a hand, according to a CNN journalist.

As it rains again, the civil defense department ordered no one to go to the city of Porto Alegre. However, the volunteer assistance to the rescued people hasnt stopped: They feed them, provide them with personal hygiene kits, clothes to change, they listen to them, hug them and cry with them, according to reports. The volunteers left the comfort and safety of their homes to come to the aid of those in need. And the requests for help keep coming in.

Today our team of volunteers was called to help 'rescue' a school that was being flooded and was at risk of losing everything that was left, including the donations they had already received, said the AEB.

Increasing concern as rivers rise again

In recent days, the rains were again torrential and the little water that had receded began to again increase the flow of the rivers. In a region already devastated by floods that have left more than 140 dead and hundreds of thousands of people displaced from their homes, the rising rivers are of great concern.

Practically all the large rivers in the state show a tendency to rise, reported the Civil Defense agency of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, which is experiencing the worst climate disaster in its history. The historic floods caused by heavy rains since the end of April have affected more than two million people. The National Water and Basic Sanitation Agency (ANA) reported that the level of the Guaiba river in Porto Alegre now reached 4.78 meters. Authorities expect that it will continue to rise and could reach 5.5 meters.

On social media, Ronaldo Lidorio, a Brazilian theologian and writer, is among those who call for continued prayer and support. Pray for the people of Rio Grande do Sul during this difficult time that the rains brought. Let us also support the Church of Christ that is at the forefront of several charities in that region, he said.





Originally published by Diario Cristiano, Christian Daily International's Spanish edition.
Cozumel prisoners vote in first-ever exception for non-sentenced Mexican inmates

Cozumel, Q.R.  Several dozen Cozumel prisoners were supervised Wednesday as they cast their presidential vote. The 47 Cozumel prisoners participated in the first-ever exception made to allow non-sentenced prisoners to participate in a political vote.

Prisoners began casting their ballots Tuesday in a vote for the next president of Mexico. The incarcerated islanders were escorted to INE voting booths by jail guards in small groups Tuesday and Wednesday to cast their votes.

The casting of ballots was made in special as part of the countys new exception to non-sentenced prisoners under the Early Voting Mechanism for People in Preventive Prisons.

Over two days, 47 inmates awaiting sentencing were permitted to vote for the next president. Cozumel is one of the 11 municipalities of Quintana Roo participating in the special inmate votes.

On May 11, eligible prisoners in the men and womens Cancun Penitentiary system were escorted to public voting areas where they were able to cast their ballots. A total of 651 Cancun prisoners not yet sentenced voted.

A Cozumel prisoner is seen here casting his vote at an INE booth. Photo: May 15, 2024.

Prisoners incarcerated in the Chetumal prison system will be next in the municipality to cast votes at booths set up by the National Electoral Institute (INE). Voting will continue until May 20.
The globally recognized evangelist Billy Graham will be honored with a statue raised at the US Capitol Statuary Hall today, May 16. Representing the state of North Carolina, the seven-foot bronze statue will accentuate Billy Grahams lifelong commitment to the gospel and his obedience to Christ.

He served as an evangelist around the world for more than 80 years. Over the course of his ministry, he preached to nearly 215 million people in six continents. He provided spiritual counsel to 12 sitting U.S. presidents and dozens of world leaders. He contributed to several humanitarian efforts comforting nations, all while staying obedient to God's calling in his life. Under his leadership, the global Church came together in greater unity to spread the gospel and serve the poor and oppressed.

Puerto Rican former professor of theology at Harvard University and founder of the Centro de Reflexion Teologica de Puerto Rico (Center for Theological Reflection of Puerto Rico) Dr. Samuel Solivan said that two of the greatest contributions made by Billy Graham were his personal integrity, [as well as] his modeling a personal testimony and ministry of a non-Pentecostal, non-tongue speaking Christian full of the Holy Spirit. His person and ministry serve as a biblical example of inclusion and diversity in unity which honored Christ's prayer that we would be one.

He recalls how the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) translated various evangelistic materials into Spanish that churches could use in their own evangelistic and discipleship efforts. The BGEA also promoted the inclusion of Hispanic pastoral participation in stadium events.

Bishop of the Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal Movimiento Internacional Region de Puerto Rico (Pentecostal Church of God International Movement Region of Puerto Rico) Hernan Rivera Rivera recalls using the movies offered by the BGEA for his evangelism events. At the beginning of my pastoral ministry, I used many of the films of [Billy Grahams] ministry to present them in parks, fields, communities, schools and evangelize.

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The greatest thing is that his influence was not only during his lifetime but even after his death, he continues to have relevance, he added.

The unveiling of his statue will be held in a private ceremony at the National Statuary Hall. House Speaker Mike Johnson, the North Carolina Statuary Hall Committee, and several Graham family members will be present at this ceremony. The accompanying music will be led by three-time Grammy-winner Michael W. Smith.

Son of Billy Graham and president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and Samaritans Purse Franklin Graham said his father would be humbled and grateful to receive such a great honor. At the same time, he would not want the attention on himself but on Gods Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, he added.

The legacy of Billy Graham is based on his simple message of forgiveness based on John 3:16, said Senator Ted Budd, who was part of the bipartisan effort to place the Billy Graham statue in the Capitol. His lifelong commitment to preaching the gospel, his fight for civil rights, his opposition to communism, and his spiritual guidance provided hope to hundreds of millions ... his likeness should stand in the US Capitol forever.

In 2023, North Carolinas General Assembly unanimously appointed the late evangelist as the states Favorite Son. This allowed then-Governor Pat McCrory to sign House Bill 540 into law in 2015 which decreed that, a statue of Graham would be commissioned to represent the state in the US Capitol. The House Bill states that, There have been many great North Carolinians, but few have impacted the world more than Billy Graham.

The National Statuary Hall allows only 100 statues at a time; with each state being represented by two statues of important historical figures; the addition of the Billy Graham sculpture is considered a rare and unique opportunity. With this, Graham holds three of the highest honors from the US Congress: the Congressional Gold Medal, lying in honor at the US Capitol, and now a statue in the Statuary Hall.

The statue of Rev. Graham was sculpted in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina at Chas Fagan Fine Art. The statues base is engraved with two Bible verses that shaped Grahams ministry around the world John 3:16 and John 14:6. His statue also holds a plaque similar to the one on his grave marker that says, Preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In 2018, Billy Graham passed away at 99 years old. His latest honor reflects his lifelong service. However, as Graham himself once said, I look forward to the day when I can see Jesus face-to-face and lay at his feet any honor I've received, because he deserves it all."
Officials hold Chetumal security review meeting due to increase in criminal activity

Chetumal, Q.R.  State officials held a security meeting today in Chetumal given the recent increase in criminal activity in the southern region of the state.

The meeting was headed by Governor Mara Lezama in the Government Palace of Chetumal Wednesday where results of the most recent security operations were reviewed.

Among those was the recent arrival of 160 military elements and two helicopters.

In a brief statement, Lezama pointed out that 69 new intelligent monitoring points will be installed that will be added to the 20 already existing, which will increase current surveillance camera numbers to 356.

She said they will be added to the three new security highway arches being built in the south, all of which will be outfitted with license plate reading ability.

Abductions and other forms of violent crime have been on the rise in the south. Days earlier, Navy personnel from Isla Mujeres and Chetumal intercepted a small speed boat transporting more than 3 tons of cocaine.

That interception also took place in the southern region of the state.
Year old baby collateral damage in Cancun shooting

Cancun, Q.R.  Authorities in Cancun continue to search for a gunman responsible for the death of a 14 month old baby. The baby was killed Wednesday night along with a male family friend when gunmen stormed the home and opened fire.

The deadly shooting that left both dead happened in SM 251. According to available information, two armed men entered the home in Paseos del Mar and began shooting. According to witnesses, at least 10 shots were fired. A woman inside the home was injured. The child and the man, Darwin T, were killed.

The injured woman Karla G, the childs 22-year-old mother, was taken to hospital by neighbors who came to the Pascua Street home in response to hearing the gunfire. She was treated for a bullet wound to her right leg.

The two shooters reportedly took off on foot toward a nearby plaza. Police scoured the area for those responsible but have not announced arrests. However, they have said they have a description of the likely gunmen.

According to Karla G, the now-deceased was a friend who told her he was a hotel supervisor. He was the target in the shooting. He had just arrived at her apartment when moments later, gunmen stormed her home and began shooting.

On Thursday afternoon, the FGE announced the arrest of a man in Cancun but have not said if he was arrested in relation to the Wednesday night shooting.

In a brief note, the State Attorney General (FGE) reported that they have started an investigation into the shooting and, according to their investigation, the man shot was involved in illegal activity.

The State Attorney Generals Office reports that it initiated an investigation after an armed attack that occurred in the Paseos del Mar neighborhood in SM 251 in Cancun where two people, a male and a minor whose identity is withheld, lost their lives as a result of gunshot wounds.

Also, an adult woman was injured, who is being treated at a hospital in this city.

A baby and adult man were killed when gunmen entered a home Wednesday night and fired at least 10 times.

Photo: May 15, 2024.

The first investigations indicate that the deceased is a friend of the attacked family and is allegedly involved in illegal activities. Likewise, it is reported that the characteristics of the alleged perpetrators have been identified.

The Prosecutors Office Specialized in Combating Homicide Crime works in coordination with the security authorities of this municipality and maintains a search operation in order to find the whereabouts of those responsible for this unfortunate event. Information in process
ROCKY MOUNT  Moonshine has a long, rich history in much of Southwest Virginia that has become an increasingly popular draw for tourists. Efforts are now underway to create a trail highlighting heritage sites, museums, music venues and distilleries to showcase that history.

Franklin, Floyd and Patrick counties unveiled Virginias Mountain Spirit Trail just last month in collaboration with the West Piedmont Planning District Commission. Kevin Tosh, director of tourism and marking for Franklin County, said he has been working with the other tourism departments since 2022 to create the trail.

Tosh said a map should be completed sometime this fall, giving tourists places where they can learn more about the regions moonshine heritage, which also includes music and motorsports. He expects 20 to 25 points of interest on the trail for tourists to visit, but said that number could grow in future updates.

The trail will be designed so that there can be future expansions, Tosh said.

The goal of the trail, Tosh said, is to provide a way for people to learn more about the regions history of moonshine in an authentic and respectful way. He sees the trail as a more complete history of spirit distillation in the region.

Moonshine culture has long been a big draw in the region for tourists, especially in Franklin County which is often referred to as the Moonshine Capital of the World due to its production in the area in the years of Prohibition and beyond. The county has capitalized on that with tourism slogans such as Virginia is for Moonshine Lovers created in 2019.

The Blue Ridge Institute and Museum in Ferrum sells a variety of moonshine items in its gift shop. Beth Worley, the museums executive director, said the items are the shops biggest sellers.

Tucked away inside the museum is a vast collection of moonshine artifacts. Multiple handmade copper stills, tubes and pipes are gathered in a corner of one of the rooms.

The entrance to the museum also has a small display of items highlighting the regions moonshine history. Worley said the display is changed often with new items from the collection.

We have the largest collection of moonshine memorabilia in the country, Worley said.

The museum is expected to be another stop on the trail for tourists interested in learning more about the history of moonshine. Worley said, in addition to the artifacts, they also have several photographs pertaining to moonshine production. That collection continues to grow as things are donated by families in the region, she said.

Distilleries in the region are now offering up a legal version of the moonshine that became so legendary. Some of those distilleries are expected to be stops along the trail with plans to highlight that history while offering up their homemade spirits.

Twin Creeks Distillery in downtown Rocky Mount will be one of those stops. Nearing its 10th anniversary in operation, owner and head distiller Chris Prillaman is said to make moonshine using the same techniques he learned as a young man when production was still illegal.

Those illegal operations have all but disappeared in the past 20 years. A raid dubbed Operation Lighting Strike in 1999 effectively marked the end of illegal moonshine production in the county.

Anna Prillaman, Chris Prillamans daughter and manager of Twin Creeks Distillery, said they want to highlight that history of moonshine production and are looking forward to being a part of the trail. They are in the process of expanding into a new tasting room in downtown Rocky Mount. Once completed, they expect to provide tours of an operating still on the premises as well as details of the communitys moonshine history from people who were directly involved.

We want people to get the truest, most meaningful experience when they come here, Prillaman said.

Another stop expected along the Virginia Mountain Spirit Trail is the Rakes Building located along Main Street in Rocky Mount. It is now the location of Olde Towne Social House, a wine bar that opened last year.

Owners Greg and Elizabeth Graham said they had no idea of the historic significance of the building when they purchased it with plans to open a business. They later learned the building was once the location for the Helms Farmers Exchange, which was raided during Operation Lighting Strike. During that time the business was said to supply raw materials such as sugar for moonshine producers in Virginia and North Carolina.

They also learned of another historical event that occurred in 1930 when a bootleggers car loaded with moonshine pulled into what was the Turner Motor Co. at the time and led to an explosion, destroying a portion of the building. According to an article from The Franklin News-Post of a man retelling the incident, the car had been pursued by law enforcement and pulled into the building. A leaking fuel pump sparked and ignited the gasoline as well as the moonshine.

When the fire was eventually put out, the debris from the fire was never removed after falling into the buildings lower level. It was just walled up with a new floor built on top of it.

Graham said the buildings previous owner, Amy Pendleton eventually discovered the remains of the fire along with burnt out cars from that era while doing renovations on the building. Since people learned of the discovery, he is often asked for tours down into the basement.

It has kind of taken on a life of its own, Graham said of the people wanting to see the remains.

It became such a draw for visitors that Graham said he eventually decided to build a museum around the remains of exploded and burned car parts. The museum opened just two weeks ago, but he expects more to be added in the coming months.

Known as the Moonshine Explosion Museum, it will be another stop along the trail for those interested in the communitys moonshine history. Graham said the museum as well as being included as a stop along the trail is an added bonus to their growing business.

This was not in the plans when we purchased the building, Graham said.
Proclamations commending a security guard and four law enforcement officers for their courage and quick response when a man set off a bomb in the Santa Barbara County Courthouse in Santa Maria were presented to the individuals Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors.
U.S. should stop arming Taiwan: spokesperson

Xinhua) 10:00, May 16, 2024

BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday urged the United States to fulfill its commitment of not supporting "Taiwan independence" through concrete actions and to cease all forms of military assistance to Taiwan.

Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, told a press briefing that the United States should stop sending wrong signals to separatists in Taiwan.

Commenting on a recent legislation on military assistance signed by U.S. President Joe Biden, Chen reiterated that the Taiwan question is purely China's internal affairs and brooks no foreign interference. China expresses strong discontent and firm opposition to the U.S. move, the spokesperson said.

In response to recent remarks by U.S. State Department officials regarding Taiwan, Chen said that the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758, adopted in 1971, resolved once and for all the question of the representation of the whole of China, including Taiwan, in the United Nations as a political, legal and procedural issue.

The U.S. side has repeatedly misinterpreted and challenged the authority of UNGA Resolution 2758, revealing its disregard for historical and legal facts, which confronts the international community and contradicts the serious political commitments made by the U.S. government in the three China-U.S. joint communiques, he said.

"We urge the United States to fulfill its commitment of not supporting 'Taiwan independence' through concrete actions, abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and stop sending wrong signals to separatists seeking 'Taiwan independence'," Chen said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
PJI Urges Texas Supreme Court to Uphold SB 14, Preserving Parental Rights in Medical Care for Minors

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Pacific Justice Institute

May 16, 2024



AUSTIN, Texas, May 16, 2024 /Christian Newswire/ -- Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) is weighing in on a Texas case involving a challenge to Texas' Senate Bill 14. This bill prohibits gender-changing procedures for minors. Loe v. State of Texas is now at the Texas Supreme Court, where PJI's Texas attorney, Emily Cook, filed an amicus brief on Friday, April 19.



There are two conflicting state responsibilities involved in this bill: parental rights and protection of children. Pacific Justice Institute contends that the Court can resolve this case by preserving parental rights in caring for their children, which is fundamental to the organization's mission.

Critics who declare SB 14 unconstitutional are arguing that the low scrutiny applied to regulating the practice of medicine in the bill would essentially give minors the right to make medical decisions without parental consent. Given the evidence of the permanent medical and psychological harm experienced by many youth who have distorted their gender, parental rights in these cases must be reconsidered.

At the same time that laws and policy must recognize the rights of parents, Pacific Justice Institute contends in its friend-of-the-court brief that strict scrutiny in these matters will preserve the rights of parents while granting preeminence to the protection of children. Children must be defended from harmful, irreversible procedures to their physical bodies. "All forms of major child abuse, including incest, masochism, and gender distortion, should never be allowed to victimize America's youth," stated PJI President, Brad Dacus.

Since its founding 27 years ago, Pacific Justice Institute has been committed to preserving parental rights and protecting children from harm. Texas S.B.14 is a constitutional bill that should stand, preserving the rights of all parties involved, both now and in the future.



SOURCE Pacific Justice Institute



CONTACT: Christian Davis, 916-860-4939


Also known as the Fresno alien, the tiny white cryptid was first spotted on video in late 2007 by a Fresno, California, resident who identified himself as "Jose." A little after midnight on Nov. 5, the man was awakened by his barking dog and decided to check his surveillance camera footage to see why.

And there, on the screen, he saw two unusual creatures strutting across his front lawn.

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Afraid and needing answers, the Fresno resident shared this intriguing footage with the city's Univision affiliate station.

Enter paranormal investigator Victor Camacho.

Public Debut

The host of the radio show "Los Desvelados" played a pivotal role in bringing the Fresno Nightcrawler phenomenon into the public eye. His experience with the Nightcrawler began when Univision asked him to come on air to review the footage and declare that the cryptids were indeed extraterrestrials.

He had never seen such a creature and refused to make this confirmation based on the grainy footage alone. Months later, Jose reached out, hoping for new information, and Camacho visited his home to see where the creatures were first sighted.

Later that year, the paranormal investigator premiered Jose's footage at a UFO conference in 2008, sparking widespread interest and debate within the paranormal community. His presentation increased scrutiny and speculation, with various experts and enthusiasts trying to decipher whether the creatures were extraterrestrial, supernatural or simply a hoax.

However, after meeting with the Fresno resident, the investigator firmly believed the footage was legitimate.

Jose was filled with fear after the sighting, Camacho told the Fresno Bee. "He didn't even want to go out of the house. He stayed home for a couple [of] weeks  It wasn't possible that someone tried to make this video just to fool you or the TV station."

Camacho has continued to discuss and investigate the Nightcrawlers, deepening the public's intrigue and helping the cryptids become a notable subject within the field of ufology.

Rare Appearances

Ultimately, the creature is nowhere near as prominent as heavy hitters like Nessie, partially due to the rarity of its sightings. Only a handful of people have reported spotting Fresno's most famous cryptid since that fateful night on Jose's lawn.

Four years after its rise to fame, the Fresno alien was allegedly spotted in Yosemite National Park in 2011. Apparently Fresno Nightcrawlers were also captured on camera in Poland in 2017 and Montana in 2020. However, there's still no hard evidence that the creatures actually exist; sign point to a hoax.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has walked back comments he made calling migrants excellent swimmers while discussing a shortage of lifeguards.

The remark stemmed from conversations the mayor had with migrants in shelters, he said in an interview with a reporter from The City, noting that in one instance, he asked a group of people how many of them knew how to swim and hands went up.

On Wednesday, Mayor Eric Adams tried to walk back remarks in which he referred to migrants as excellent swimmers (AP)

We have these capable people who know how to swim from West Africa, from Ecuador, from South, Central America, from Mexico and we have a shortage of lifeguards, Mr Adams said. We need to allow people to work If we start planning now we could be prepared next year.

Mr Adams faced backlash this week for his initial comments on the subject that he made at his weekly news conference on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Mayor Eric Adams tried to walk back remarks in which he referred to migrants as excellent swimmers. (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

How do we have a large body of people that are in our city and country that are excellent swimmers and at the same time we need lifeguards, he said. The only obstacle is that we wont give them the right to work to become a lifeguard.

Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, called the comment racist.

New Yorkers are looking to Mayor Eric Adams to unite our city, not foment more division, he said. His comments on asylum seekers being excellent swimmers implies that because some immigrants had to swim or wade across water on their dangerous journeys to seek safety in the US, that they would make good lifeguards.

The Mayor should not be making light of the perilous and often life-threatening journeys people are forced to make to escape violence and persecution.

Mr Adamss comments were also challenged by at least one conservative lawmaker.

Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn publicly posed the question: Do other Democrats like Joe Biden think breaking the law is qualification for employment in our country?

In fiscal year 2023, the US Border Patrol encountered over 2 million people crossing the border illegally, according to enforcement statistics posted on the agencys website. Over 200,000 migrants have arrived in New York City over the last two years.

Building off his controversial comments, Mr Adams suggested that migrants could fill other vacant roles in the city, including nursing and food service positions.

Why people want to just hang onto swimming when I listed that we need to allow people to work... he said, trailing off. Let people work.
SIOUX CITY  Alissa Williams, assistant principal at West Middle School, will keep her job after approaching the school board and asking them to reject her termination.

Williams has been assistant principal at West Middle for one year. Her termination was listed on the human resources report effective June 30.

Williams and a group of staff from West Middle attended the regular Sioux City School Board meeting on Monday. She asked the board to vote against her termination, as she didn't know why it was happening.

"I don't know why my termination is on this board report," she said. "I have had zero communication. I was blindsided."

Superintendent Rod Earleywine told The Journal Tuesday because of the actions by the board, she will have a contract for next year to continue employment.

The board on Monday voted 3-3 to approve the human resources report, with Jan George, Dan Greenwell and John Meyers in favor, Treyla Lee, Bob Michaelson and Earl Miller opposed. The item failed.

District administration questioned the decision, stating the human resources report had new salaries for all employees listed, as well as other resignations, hirings and recruitment stipends. The board decided to vote again on the human resources report, but removed the termination section. The vote passed unanimously.

Michaelson taught at West Middle for 30 years. He said he would trust many of the West Middle employees who attended the meeting "with everything that I have." He said he also trusts the district administration.

"I don't personally know what to do with it," he said.

George said they had received guidance from outside legal counsel before the meeting, stating they could not discuss the issue.

Iowa code says that a school board can only discuss the appointment, hiring, performance, or discharge of an employee in closed session if that employee specifically requested it. Williams publicly stated she wanted the topic discussed in an open session.

The board took a short recess to discuss the topic with their legal counsel. Dan Moore, the district's attorney, directed the board to follow the guidance provided to them by outside counsel and to discuss the situation with the attorney on Tuesday.

Williams was hired in August 2023 and had formerly been an English-language arts teacher in the district. She said on her first day, she had a meeting with the other administrators at West Middle where they said the only way to be successful in her role was to build trust and relationships with students and staff.

"I took that to heart," she said.

While she said she made mistakes in her first year as an administrator, she said she hoped people would be able to make mistakes as long as they were willing to "own it and commit to progress, all of which I feel as though I have done." She said she had not received any negative feedback.

Previous version of this story

SIOUX CITY  The Sioux City School Board decided not to vote on the termination of Alissa Williams, assistant principal at West Middle School, Monday.

Williams has been assistant principal at West Middle for one year. Her termination was listed on the human resources report effective June 30.

Williams and a group of staff from West Middle attended the regular school board meeting Monday. She asked the board to vote against her termination, as she didn't know why it was happening.

"I don't know why my termination is on this board report," she said. "I have had zero communication. I was blindsided."

The board voted 3-3 to approve the human resources report, with Jan George, Dan Greenwell and John Meyers in favor, Treyla Lee, Bob Michaelson and Earl Miller opposed. The item failed.

District administration questioned the decision, stating the human resources report had new salaries for all employees listed, as well as other resignations, hirings and recruitment stipends. The board decided to vote again on the human resources report, but removed the termination section. The vote passed unanimously. No information was given on the future of Williams employment.

Michaelson taught at West Middle for 30 years. He said he would trust many of the West Middle employees who attended the meeting "with everything that I have." He said he also trusts the district administration.

"I don't personally know what to do with it," he said.

George said they had received guidance from outside legal counsel before the meeting, stating they could not discuss the issue.

Iowa code says that a school board can only discuss the appointment, hiring, performance, or discharge of an employee in closed session if that employee specifically requested it. Williams publicly stated she wanted the topic discussed in an open session.

The board took a short recess to discuss the topic with their legal counsel. Dan Moore, the district's attorney, directed the board to follow the guidance provided to them by outside counsel and to discuss the situation with the attorney on Tuesday.

Williams was hired in August 2023 and had formerly been an English-language arts teacher in the district. She said on her first day, she had a meeting with the other administrators at West Middle where they said the only way to be successful in her role was to build trust and relationships with students and staff.

"I took that to heart," she said.

While she said she made mistakes in her first year as an administrator, she said she hoped people would be able to make mistakes as long as they were willing to "own it and commit to progress, all of which I feel as though I have done." She said she had not received any negative feedback.
The highly contentious discourse surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict seems to have seeped into every corner of the globe. Last week, it even reached the so-called preeminent week-long desert event for "radical self-expression" in Nevada: Burning Man.

The Burning Man Pro-Palestine Sculpture Controversy

The controversy stems from its approval of a tent-sized sculpture depicting a sliced watermelon, dubbed "From the River to the Sea," which is a reference to the often-chanted phrase in pro-Palestine movements.

The 8 by 14 feet fruit piece consists of the same colors as those on the Palestinian flag: red on its pulp, green-and-white on the rind, and black coating the seeds. These same hues are now considered a symbol of solidarity for the country and the cause fought in its name.

The piece was only one among a dozen art installations that are expected to be strewn about near the festival's main camp during the event proper.

However, following the ciruclation a petition initiated for the removal of the art piece, the sculpture is now nowhere to be found on Burning Man's website. It is still unclear whether or not the watermelon piece will be displayed at the festival, which will run from Aug. 25 to Sept. 2.

A response from Burning Man has since come out, with spokesperson Dominique Debucquoy-Dodley writing to The Times that the sculpture was submitted anonymously and is therefore in violation of the event's art placement submission terms and conditions.

"Additionally, the listing's content contained language understood by some to be hate speech," shared Debucquoy-Dodley. "We do not tolerate the use of violent, hateful, or incendiary language on our platforms."

That said, the spokesperson added that the individuals who submitted the piece could appeal if they wanted to. The artist was only identifiable by what is believed to be a pseudonym, "Decolonize Now."

"Based on the circumstances around the way the listing was submitted, we believe that this is likely not an actual art piece coming to Black Rock City, but that the listing was instead intended to stir an emotional response within the Burning Man community," Debucquoy-Dodley continued.
This is part of Sly as Fox, a short series about the perils of underestimating Fox News in 2024.

At the beginning of April, on his namesake prime-time Fox News program, Jesse Watters brought his viewers some alarming information. We have a new hoax, Watters announced, a message that was doubly reinforced by no fewer than two descriptive on-screen graphics. (One of these graphics, reading NEW HOAX, was rendered in a melty red horror-movie typeface.) The bloodbath hoax didnt work out too well for Democrats, Watters continued, without bothering to explain what the bloodbath hoax was. It was debunked in five minutes. Today the medias out with a freshie: the animal hoax.

The animal hoax, in Watters telling, was yet another misbegotten liberal-media ploy to disparage Donald Trump. It had been disseminated by CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, who had devoted a recent segment to a Trump campaign speech in which the presumptive GOP presidential candidate had ostensibly referred to illegal migrants as animals. But according to Watters, CNN had selectively edited the tape to conceal the fact that, far from applying the term to all migrants, Trump had actually been referring to one specific migrant: the Venezuelan man charged with killing nursing student Laken Riley. Hack job! said Watters, with the confidence of a frequent practitioner.

Was it, though? I watched Trumps full, unedited speech, delivered to a Grand Rapids, Michigan, audience in front of a living backdrop of uniformed sheriffs. In it, he noted that Riley had been barbarically murdered by an illegal alien animal. The Democrats say, Please dont call them animals. Theyre humans. I say, No, theyre not humans. Theyre not humans. Theyre animals. Nancy Pelosi told me that, she said, Please dont use the word animals, sir, when youre talking about these people. I said, Ill use the word animal, cause thats what they are. 

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To me, Trumps use of the plural animals and theyalong with his invocation of an alleged conversation he presumably had with Pelosi before Riley was killedcertainly implies that he was referring to a group of people, as opposed to just one guy. At most, I might say that the matter is open to interpretation. But then again, I am not Jesse Watters. Migrant crimes real. The animal hoax? Fake, Watters said in summation, as his face settled into the resting smirk of the bulletproof moron.

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On any given weeknight on Fox News, at any given moment on the two programs he hostsThe Five, a panel show that airs at 5, and Jesse Watters Primetime, his solo joint, which airs at 8the odds are pretty good that Watters is smirking, or sneering, or chuckling, or otherwise evincing censorious glee about the shameful doings of hoaxers, weirdos, migrants, protesters, media elitists, loony liberals, and other such partisan straw men. On The Five, Watters plays the nominal ringmaster, smugly opining from the center seat as he loosely guides the panel through breezy discussions of the days top stories in conservative triggerdom. On Jesse Watters Primetime, the hosts glib punditry and C-students-run-the-world charisma take the spotlight; in his nightly opening monologue and the shows subsequent interview segments, Watters seeks less to persuade than to jeer the liberal malefactors whose alleged misdeeds he is lazily exposing. A night of anarchy on the West Coast, as kaffiyeh antifa got their hands on more weapons than Zelensky was his derisive, and confusing, intro to a recent segment on the Gaza protests at UCLA. Kaffiyeh antifa. Got em, Jesse!

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Of late, Watters has been turning his oafish bemusement to Donald Trumps in-progress New York criminal trialand the jurors charged with determining Trumps fate. In a mid-April episode of The Five, after praising Trump for holding a photo-op at a New York bodega and complimenting the ex-presidents poise while facing dozens of felony criminal charges in multiple jurisdictions, Watters asserted, They are trying to rig this jury. They are catching undercover liberal activists lying to the judge. (They were doing no such thing, of coursebut the emptiness of Watters accusation didnt stop Trump from passing along an embellished version of it on his Truth Social account soon thereafter. This very troubling post later became one of the key pieces of evidence offered by prosecutors in Trumps first contempt-of-court hearing, in late April.)

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Endlessly bashing and belittling anyone to the left of Jim Jordan is, of course, the Fox News formula more generally, and every prominent opinion host on the network interprets this brief in a slightly different way. Sean Hannity relies on choleric theorizing; Laura Ingraham deploys smart-girl sarcasm; Greg Gutfeld tosses off curdled libertarian open mic riffs; the Fox & Friends hosts (Steve Doocy occasionally excepted these days) give their early-rising viewers a cheery cryptofascist kaffeeklatsch.

Watters isnt as angry as Hannity or as smart as Ingraham; his riffs arent as funny as Gutfelds, and hes nowhere near as chipper as Fox News morning crew. His immediate predecessor in the 8 p.m. weeknight slot, Tucker Carlson, spun baroque ethnonationalist theories while fluffing dictatorial strongmenbut Watters is hardly articulate, imaginative, or ambitious enough to follow in Carlsons jackbooted footsteps. Instead, Watters relies on low-effort mockery and lazy analysis, delivered in a mellow tone, often paired with a mirthless laugh. It is the mean-spirited snort of the frat brother when he spies a man with long hair; the smarmy chuckle of the righteous prick, intent on mocking, rather than forgiving, all those who trespass against himeven and especially if those trespasses are purely imaginary ones.

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If I were Watters, I suppose Id be chuckling too. Since joining Fox News as a production assistant in 2001, the 45-year-old Watters has climbed to the top of the networks talent ladder. If there is anything at all remarkable about Watters, it is the way he has somehow become the most popular man on Americas most popular cable network. Its my contention that he has achieved this not despite his profound mediocrity but because of it. Like a restaurant that you keep returning to, despite its subpar food, because you like the vibe, Watters caters to an audience that will swallow pretty much anything as long as its served with the requisite flair. Originality is not actually part of his job descriptionafter all, a new chef who tries to fiddle with the menu can alienate longtime dinersand, indeed, originality in punditry can come back to bite those commentators who do not realize until too late that they were trying too hard.

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Have you ever bought a new smart appliance thats proved to be more trouble than its worth? After struggling with the thing for a while, you might decide to just pack it in and go back to the old, dumb, reliable model. This familiar situation basically describes the recent history of Fox News marquee 8 p.m. weeknight time slot. From 1996 to 2016, this time slot was filled by Bill OReilly, an exInside Edition host whose plain-spoken right-wing bombast was, in retrospect, almost comforting in its smug laziness. OReilly preached a meat-and-potatoes New York Post conservatism that rejected weirdos and liberals (usually presented as one and the same), valued straight talk and Judeo-Christian aesthetics, presumed that Hollywood was full of perverts and the mainstream media was full of liars, and conflated xenophobia with security and bigotry with honesty.

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Watters first gained notice as a producer on OReillys program, when he was occasionally charged with conducting ambush interviews out in the field, often of people who had displeased OReilly by prudently declining his offers to appear on his terrible show. From there, OReilly began to entrust Watters with additional funny segments, which ran under the rubric of Watters World. In 2016 Watters was forced to apologize when one of these segments, which had been filmed in New Yorks Chinatown, quickly defaulted to hacky ethnic stereotyping. (Its gentle fun, OReilly said in defense of the segment.) Then, not long thereafter, OReilly was swept away on a tide of lawsuits and sexual harassment charges, and Fox News decided to go in a different direction with its 8 p.m. hour.

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You will notice that Fox News does not make a habit of poaching existing conservative media stars. The network isnt going out of its way to sign someone like Ben Shapiro, for instance, a guy who has made his own name and commands his own audience outside Fox News. These sorts of people are fundamentally ungovernable, since they have made their own way and do not owe their careers to Fox News. Fox prefers to create its own stars, to cast people who wouldnt have prominent careers were it not for the network, people who can be counted on to stay loyal and do what theyre told.

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When he took over the 8 p.m. time slot in 2017, cable-news retread Tucker Carlson very much fit into that mold. Carlsons star had dimmed since his stint on Crossfire in the 2000s, and before Fox promoted him back to prime time he had been exiled as a weekend host of Fox & Friends. Carlson was surely aware that assuming OReillys time slot was likely his last chance to resuscitate his television career. But Carlson wasnt made in OReillys mold, and he apparently didnt want to just coast along and continue his predecessors adventures in careless tabloid populism. Instead, Carlson fully embraced weird alt-right online populisman entirely different and ultimately more troubling thing.

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Taking his cues from Trumpian political aesthetics, Carlson embraced Jan. 6 trutherism, and European strongmen, and great replacement theorizing. Although Carlson definitely found an audience for his weird rhetorical obsessions, his show conceptually outperformed his colleagues in a way that I can only surmise made Fox bigwigs uneasy. All that Fox needed out of Tucker Carlson Tonight was for its host to shout about fake news for an hour each evening while occasionally interviewing Lara Trump; the network did not need Carlson to go to Hungary to chat with Viktor Orban. Carlsons prominence, combined with his unique line of punditry, caused the anchor to see himself as bigger than the network. This hubris meant that he could not be counted on to maintain editorial discipline, which presented a problem for Fox at a time when it was reeling from a historically expensive libel suit that had come about because of editorial laxity, while trying to do its subtle best to prevent Donald Trump from attaining the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

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So Fox News abruptly fired Carlson last April, not long after it settled the aforementioned libel lawsuit brought against it by Dominion Voting Systems. After casting around awhile for his replacement, the network ultimately decided that it had had enough of smart appliances and preferred to revert to an old, dumb model that might not have a bunch of novel new features but could be relied upon to just do its job. And this is how Jesse Watters came to host the networks most prominent prime-time program.

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I will say this for Watters, whose work I have been watching on Fox News for a very long time now: He started from the bottom and climbed the ladder to the top, and I suppose there is something admirable about that, even if merit clearly had very little to do with his ascent. Watters is just a guya smug, soft guy who is content to toe the party line and settle into the lazy reactionary populism that is really all that the job requires. He does so with an air of entitled smarm, as if Goofus had disguised himself as Gallant and turned to inept virtue signaling to complete the ruse. He is resoundingly average, doesnt seem to think too hard about his biases or his opinions, never bothers to plug the logical holes in his weak arguments, and blithely passes along a steady stream of inept liberal hoaxes to a viewership that doesnt actually care whether those hoaxes are true.

A week after presenting the animal hoax, atop a chyron reading The Media Is Trying to Stir Things Up, Watters was smirking about another topic. The media knows which way the winds blowing, so theyre trying to stir things up. The George Floyd death and the riots that followed energized the base and kept the Black vote in the Democrat column, Watters said. And now the medias trying to run it back. But we caught them. On Jesse Watters Primetime, they always do.
The Supreme Court delivered a vehement smackdown to a rogue and lawless lower court on Thursday, upholding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureaus funding structure by a 72 vote. Incredibly, Justice Clarence Thomas, the courts staunchest conservative, wrote the majority opinion emphatically rejecting the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals claim that the CFPB, a consumer watchdog agency, is unconstitutional. In the process, the court exposed the 5th Circuits hackish manipulation of history to reach a far-right partisan result with zero basis in law.

That said, Thursdays decision in CFPB v. Community Financial Services Association is not a sign that SCOTUS is tacking toward the center. Rather, its evidence of just how far off the rails the 5th Circuit went after it was stacked with Donald Trumps aggressive appointees. Trumps judges are auditioning for a Supreme Court appointment if Trump wins a second term by disregarding all known limits on judicial power to hobble the Biden administration. SCOTUSs docket is increasingly dominated by the 5th Circuits most nihilistic big swings, and Community Financial wont be the last decision of the term that humiliates the lower court with a lopsided, vehement reversal. These rulings are not really progressive victories, because they involve frivolous cases that should never have existed in the first place. We should not overpraise the Supreme Court for declining to leap into every abyss that the 5th Circuit invites the justices to jump into.

Congress created the CFPB through the DoddFrank Act after the financial crisis of 2008, directing the agency to protect consumers against fraud and deception in home mortgages, credit cards, consumer loans, and retail banking. It also gave the agency a broad mandate to guard against abusive practices in financial services, which led to a crackdown on high-interest payday lenders. One common practice of these predatory businesses is to repeatedly attempt to withdraw money from a borrowers account long after its clear that there are insufficient funds. The business then demands fees from each failed withdrawal. These fees add up, because once payday lenders have identified an account with low funds, theyll attempt withdrawal over and over againas many as 11 times a dayto maximize profit.

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The CFPB finally banned this practice in 2017. But an association of payday lenders represented by the conservative law firm Jones Day challenged the rule on the grounds that the CFPB is funded unconstitutionally. At least seven appeals courts had previously considered and rejected this argument (as did another last year). But Jones Day maneuvered its case before the 5th Circuit, whichstanding alone, as usualagreed that the agency draws its budget unlawfully and effectively struck it down. That was no surprise: In recent years, this heavily Republican circuit has veered to the fringes of the conservative legal movement, issuing a series of precedent-defying, hard-right decisions that expand its power to new heights.

To understand the 5th Circuits ruling against the CFPB, its best to close your history books, toss your pocket Constitution, and open your mind to the possibility that these judges are just making up whatever arguments are necessary to blow up the parts of the federal government that they dislike. (Hint: most of it.) Judge Cory Wilson, a Trump appointee, embraced a theory first put forth by Judge Edith Jones, a Ronald Reagan appointee and crude, unapologetic partisan. (Judges Jennifer Walker Elrod, Don Willett, Kurt Engelhardt, Kyle Duncan, and Andrew Oldham also endorsed this now-discredited theory.)

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This collection of shameless firebrands rooted their hostility toward the CFPB in the Constitutions appropriations clause, which states that no money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law. The Supreme Court has said that this means simply that no money can be paid out of the Treasury unless it has been appropriated by an act of Congress. And the CFPBs budget is appropriated: By statute, its drawn from the Federal Reserve, which in turn is largely funded by interest earned on securities. The 5th Circuit, though, made up a new rule: Appropriations, it proclaimed, must be funded directly by Congress, and must be done so regularly. The CFPBs perpetual funding, combined with its insulation from the congressional appropriations process, renders it unconstitutional.

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Dont even try to make sense of this blatheryou cant. The 5th Circuit conjured the theory from thin air, in direct violation of numerous Supreme Court precedents that say the exact opposite. Taken seriously, the theory would throw the nation into chaos. First, it would undermine the constitutionality of many other financial regulators, including the Federal Reserve, potentially destabilizing the economy. Second, it would jeopardize the legality of many other government programs, like Medicare and Social Security, that are perpetually funded and amount to trillions of dollars in annual mandatory spending. Third, as housing lenders warned, it would crash the economy by ripping away key legal protections provided by the CFPB to home lenders and investors, setting off a chain reaction that would topple the national mortgage market and risk another recession.

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Thankfully, as none other than Clarence Thomas explained on Thursday, the 5th Circuit is dead wrong. In his opinion for the court, Thomas started with the Founding-era meaning of the word appropriations, which were understood as nothing more than a legislative means of authorizing expenditure from a source of public funds for designated purposes. This identified source and purpose of money is all that is required for a valid appropriation, the justice wrote, echoing what constitutional historians told the court. He then canvassed the history of appropriations in England (from the Middle Ages to the Revolution), the American colonies, and post-Revolutionary Americaall of which confirmed his broad interpretation of the constitutional text.

In a concurrence, Justice Elena Kagan extended the history lesson into the 19th and 20th centuries. She pointed to a continuing tradition of Congress creating a variety of mechanisms to pay for government operations for over 200 years now, none of which were second-guessed by courts. And Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote a brief solo concurrence urging the judiciary to defer to the democratic process instead of fabricating excuses to invalidate Congress handiwork. Only Justice Samuel Alito, joined by Justice Neil Gorsuch, dissented, reprising the 5th Circuits allegation that the Framers would be shocked, even horrified, by the CFPBs funding scheme.

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These three opinions shine a light on the choose-your-own-adventure aspect of originalism: Pick your preferred time frame, your favored scholars and sources, and you can mount an originalist argument for pretty much any position you want. Here, Thomas put the most emphasis on the practice of the American colonies and the First Congress, deeming this era the most relevant. Kagan went further, highlighting congressional practices into the late 20th century. To side with the 5th Circuit, Alito had to fixate on a somewhat random period of English history in the 17th centuryfrom James I to Charles Ito assert that the Constitution empowers courts to strike down appropriations that they dislike.

Are these kings squabbles with the British Parliament over tonnage and poundage duties especially germane to the meaning of the U.S. Constitution? Of course not. Alito just zeroed in on this chapter of dubious relevance because he believed it bolstered his foregone conclusion. Which means, as Thomas wrote, that he largely ignores the historical evidence that bears most directly on the meaning of appropriations at the founding.

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Community Financial is best understood as a memo to the 5th Circuit to cut it out with the nuttiness. Chief Justice John Roberts sent that message loud and clear by assigning the majority opinion to Thomas, the most conservative justice and a longtime foe of the administrative state. Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett sent the message, too, by signing on to both Thomas and Kagans opinions, putting up a cross-ideological front against the 5th Circuits extremism. Jackson got a dig in, too, reminding the lower court that the Constitution lets Congress address new challenges by enacting new laws and policieswithout undue interference by courts.

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The big question now is whether this coalition of sanity will hold for the remainder of the term. Some of the biggest outstanding cases involve 5th Circuit decisions that granted domestic abusers a right to possess guns, invalidated the federal bump stock ban, destroyed the Securities and Exchange Commission, strictly limited access to medication abortion, upheld Republican censorship of the internet, and prohibited the Biden administration from communicating with social media companies about disinformation. Affirming even one of these wild decisions, which the conservative justices are likely to do, will embolden the 5th Circuit to keep swinging for the fences.

Then again, maybe nothing will stop the judicial arsonists who keep jamming the Supreme Court with these gonzo rulings. Republican Party leaders have expressed dissatisfaction that Trumps appointees do not unfailingly do their bidding. Lower court judges with Supreme Court ambitionsi.e., most Trump appointeeshave internalized the lesson that absolute fealty to the GOP, expressed through cartoonishly lawless decisions, is the path to promotion. They cannot be embarrassed into respecting the law when they lack the capacity for shame in the first place.
On March 27, a large group of artists and creators from across the web noticed the frightening extent to which a once-beloved, highly influential community platform of theirs had, like so many others, fallen prey to the artificial intelligence juggernauts plundering the internet.

As VFX animator Romain Revert (Minions, The Lorax) pointed out on X, the bots had come for his old home base of DeviantArt. Its social accounts were promoting top sellers on the platform, with usernames like Isaris-AI and Mikonotai, who reportedly made tens of thousands of dollars through bulk sales of autogenerated, dead-eyed 3D avatars. The sales werent exactly legitan online artist known as WyerframeZ looked at those users followers and found pages of profiles with repeated names, overlapping biographies and account-creation dates, and zero creations of their own, making it apparent that various bots were involved in these purchases.

Its not unlikely, as WyerframeZ surmised, that someone constructed a low-effort bot network that could hold up a self-perpetuating money-embezzlement scheme: Generate a bunch of free images and accounts, have them buy and boost one another in perpetuity, inflate metrics so that the art gets boosted by DeviantArt and reaches real humans, then watch the money pile up from DeviantArt revenue-sharing programs. Rinse, repeat.

After Revert declared this bot-on-bot fest to be the downfall of DeviantArt, myriad other artists and longtime users of the platform chimed in to share in the outrage that these artificial accounts were monopolizing DeviantArts promotional and revenue apparatuses. Several mentioned that theyd abandoned their DeviantArt accountsall appearing to prove his dramatic point.

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Worse still, DeviantArt showed little desire to engage with these concerns: Film concept artist Reid Southen (The Woman King, Jupiter Ascending) pointed out that the sites social media managers had hidden dozens and dozens of critical replies to the tweet that boosted Mikonotai. Right after this blowup, DeviantArts Twitter account posted artwork from Nozomi Matsuoka, who was forced to clarify that shed already wiped her DeviantArt library in protest of its A.I. integrations. The account took down the post soon after.

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The death of DA is truly heartbreaking. It was a starting point for many of us. & our community, inspiration & home for a large portion of our creative lives. To see WIX take it, and turn against all of us who made it the success it is today. Is maddening, and depressing to watch https://t.co/UnvEalOJih  Key  @Zzzz (@KeyFeathers) March 27, 2024

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This isnt the first (or most recent) time the 24-year-old social network has invited such rancor over its A.I. experiments. Much of the ire comes from current and former members, whod made it an essential resource for illustrators, photographers, cartoonists, and other visual masterminds hoping to show their works, network with peers, and break into creative industries. The first real round of A.I. furor hit DeviantArt in late 2022. As generative-A.I. tools like DALL-E 3 and Midjourney breached the mainstream, DeviantArt partnered with the startup Stability A.I. to roll out an internal image-generation tool called DreamUp, which had the ability to scrape every single piece of art on the platform for training purposes, per Artnet News.

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Outcry from users caused a quick walk back from the company, which noted that deviationscreations shared to DeviantArtwould now be automatically labeled as NOT authorized for use in A.I. datasets. This did not satisfy the platforms Deviants, who noted that DreamUp was still based off the underlying architecture of Stability A.I.s popular Stable Diffusion toolwhich had already scraped tens of thousands of DeviantArt entries to train its model without creators permission, as writer Andy Baio reported and as DeviantArt itself later admitted.

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In January 2023, three prominent illustrators (Sarah Andersen, Kelly McKernan, and Karla Ortiz) filed a copyright-infringement and unfair-competition class-action lawsuit in federal court against DeviantArt, Stability, and Midjourney, whose own app trained on the same database that powers Stable Diffusion. Notably, they alleged here that more than 3 million DeviantArt images had been scraped in the training sets used by all three companies.

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The suit hit a legal barrier last October, when the judge advanced only Andersens infringement claim against Stability while dismissing the rest of the chargesalbeit allowing the plaintiffs to refine their case and try again if they chose. And refine it they did, by bringing on seven other artists as fellow plaintiffs. This extended the suit to include popular A.I.-creation firm Runway, which helped to craft Stable Diffusion.

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They also amended their complaint against DeviantArt to specify that its rollout of DreamUp constituted direct copyright infringement, a breach of its terms-of-service agreements with DeviantArt users, and a theft of revenue from the artists whose works were expropriated as training data. This updated lawsuit, which added pages of visual evidence demonstrating A.I. output that looked nearly identical to users artwork, now had additional support from famed artists like Adam Ellis, Gregory Manchess, and Jingna Zhang.

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1/ Mega pleased to give you all a hell of a class action update!



Our MASSIVE 96 page amendment is out! Look at the AMAZING roster of artists joining @GeraldBrom, Greg Manchess, @zemotion,@GrzegorzRutko14,@upandoutcomic,@adamtotscomix & @HawkeSouthworth !https://t.co/F9OcIM9usP pic.twitter.com/mRWnjmblEa  Karla Ortiz (@kortizart) November 30, 2023

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In Zhangs case, this is neither her only courtroom appearance nor her sole advocacy effort on behalf of artists in the age of mass reproduction. On Friday, she prevailed in a yearslong plagiarism suit against Luxembourgian artist Jeff Dieschburg, who used a 2017 magazine photograph shot by Zhang as a model for a 2022 painting he showcased at the Strassen Contemporary Art Biennaleand for which he won a cash prize. Zhang celebrated this verdict, which found that Dieschburg had violated copyright law by using the photo as a source for his art without adding due credit, as a win for artists and photographers everywhere  especially in [the] time of AI where our rights seem to be quickly eroding.

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Zhang told me in an interview that this same copyright principle was what she wanted to bring to the fore in joining the stateside A.I. suit, although this battle is no less personaland not just because hundreds of her works have been scraped by these companies. Ive had an account on DeviantArt for 22 years, she said. I actually dropped out of school because I grew a following on DeviantArt. My first job for Mercedes-Benz happened when I was 20 years old because they found my work online.

Shes far from the only DeviantArt success story. Southen, who joined DeviantArt in the mid-2000s, told me hed established friendships there that have lasted to this day.

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It was a super important place that had a lot to do with my development as an artist and where Im at today, Southen said. He added that the folks he connected with on the site have helped get me work, and Ive helped get them work.

R.J. Palmer, a concept artist who worked on Detective Pikachu, claims to have gotten that gig thanks to the Realistic Pokemon illustrations hed shared on DeviantArt back in 2012, which subsequently went viral. Ive been on the site for almost 20 years, Palmer told me. I met my long-term partner on DeviantArt in 2009. We live together now.

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Although Palmer and Southen are not directly involved with the litigation against DeviantArt, theyve found themselves drawn into the battle for artist rights and protection as generative A.I. swallows up more of their industry. In many cases, the tech eats into creative opportunities once readily available to them and their peers. That goes for everything from big-budget movies to even the opportunity for publicity and revenue offered by online platforms like DeviantArt and even Etsy.

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Some people I know that use Etsy have basically seen their income dry up entirely over the past 18 months, Southen said. Which is really disturbing to see, because whats happening is they get buried, and then 50 A.I. people all making $300 a month are effectively making it so someone else cant pay their bills.

Why would a site like DeviantArt allow for thisespecially when it had once so closely mentored its human users and curated promotional opportunities for them? It seems to have been a long time coming. When it started in 2000, DeviantArt was an early and popular prototype for what we now know as social media, predating the rise of Facebook. It was a casual mixer for artists of all stripes that turned into a serious enterprise as more users across the world logged on to the web throughout the 2000s.

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A Canadian illustrator and educator whos had a DeviantArt account for 17 years (and preferred to stay anonymous) told me that DeviantArt, in contrast with early art-focused message boards where community members offered substantive feedback, was more of a place for young up-and-coming amateur artists to post their work and get an ego boost with people commenting, I love it.  Since it also provided a centralized portfolio gallery, it was soon used as a recruiting tool for art directors and people looking for artists for board games.

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DeviantArt was just big enough, and early enough, that it made careers for a lot of people, Zhang explained.

By the time streamlined social platforms began to emerge in earnest, the site had trouble catching up. For one, it never branded itself as a place to go professional, and it never intended to be. That role was played by now-dead sites like CGHub, a platform Zhang helped to build, and successors like ArtStation, whose users have also revolted against its A.I. policies. DeviantArt took a different tack by allowing free rein to more friendly interactions and unorthodox drawings. (As Southen bluntly characterized this dynamic: It became flooded with a lot of really low-effort hentai and porn stuff.)

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Plus, highly capitalized and mobile appoptimized platforms like Tumblr and Instagram offered more organized feeds with smoother user experiences. Because Tumblr specifically allowed multiple images per post, it was much easier to showcase comics and image sets, Palmer said. Another problem is DeviantArt didnt have an app for a long time. When that finally launched in 2014, it was just terrible.

Not only did DeviantArt lose users and revenue opportunities to the bigger social platforms, but it lost the kingmaking clout it had gained from its early web presence. So it missed out on potentially sizable revenue streams. It become another one of those places that served more ads and made you pay for a premium service, which I did for several years, the Canadian artist said. The site-building company Wix acquired DeviantArt in 2017 and relaunched it two years later with a new design called Eclipse, even though Deviants made clear theyd much preferred the earlier iteration.

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As artists delved more deeply into professional and traditional realms, their DeviantArt accounts remained on the backburner, albeit with a long-reaching effect. Even these days, when Im writing about generative A.I. or something about my Luxembourg lawsuit goes viral, people will be like, I recognize your avatar. I used to follow you on DeviantArt 15 years ago when I was a child,  Zhang said. Its the only reason I keep the same avatar, so that it helps people to find me.

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Palmer, who was in so deep with DeviantArt that hed become friendly with its staff, was awakened to its A.I. efforts in a Twitter Space that DeviantArt executives set up in late 2022, when DreamUp was introduced.

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Lots of artists were pissed off about it the morning it launched, he said. On the Space, the leadership came off looking like bullieslike out-of-touch tech people that just want to make money off this thing. They wanted the artists to be like, This is OK for you to do. That burned DeviantArt for a lot of people. DeviantArts social media managers later deleted the tweet on which theyd hosted the Space.

It wasnt the first time DeviantArt had incorporated a new tech innovation and gotten burned. Look no further than the NFT flood of the early 2020s, which DeviantArt attempted to monetize by offering an exclusive, subscription-based protection tool to notify artists when their works got ripped off into salable nonfungible tokens. While DeviantArt could take a cut of proceeds from price-inflated digital apes, it could make even more with small transactional fees from A.I. works uploaded quickly and in bulk.

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Making $25,000 or $12,000 as a DeviantArt user, like those A.I. accounts did, thats not typicalthats on the high end for a lot of stuff, said Southen. If you have to have almost 10,000 images up and sold to make $25,000, thats a sheer volume game. Its not a quality game, and its not an interest game. And these days, its a game thats ever easier to automatically engineer.

If 30 people on a set will lose their jobs when a photoshoot is generatedI care!



So what if ppl are willing to adapt? AI causing multiple industries to downsize means wherever they go there are no jobstheres nothing to adapt to. People feel it now. 2/ https://t.co/WXzYJY2XYe  Jingna Zhang (@zemotion) April 13, 2024

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Now artists who made their way into the industry via platforms like DeviantArt are working to figure out how to preserve such avenues for another generation of artists.

To take it from the publishing industry, A.I. is already decimating once-common job prospects. An April report from the Society of Authors found that 26 percent of the illustrators surveyed have already lost work due to generative A.I. and about 37 percent of illustrators say the income from their work has decreased in value because of generative A.I.

Related From Slate One of Our Best Websites Died While No One Was Looking Read More

Theres little relief to be found in other sectors like gaming, where companies like Activision are already hiring young artists to polish generative-A.I. output. Or even in cinema, per the Canadian artist: Ive heard stories about companies going all in on A.I. imagery for matte paintings for moviesthose sorts of things that used to be done by a digital artistand then discovering that A.I. cant take feedback.

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Jingna Zhang is hoping thatby suing her old home of DeviantArt and in suing Google over its Gemini image generators in a proposed class-action suit she filed with other artists last monthshe can center these knotty discussions of artist ownership and copyright. Its anyones guess as to how the DeviantArt suit will go, especially as other litigation continues against these A.I. firms from journalism outfits, actors, and audio narrators. In one promising sign for these plaintiffs, though, the district judge overseeing the case indicated earlier this month that he will likely allow the amended copyright-infringement complaints to proceed to discovery. (He may also dismiss the breach-of-contract charge against DeviantArt, whose attorney continues to argue that the sites actions constitute classic fair use.) Here, Zhang may have help from other advocates like Southen, whos published results from experiments with Midjourney that have spit out copyright imagery from big-name intellectual property titans like Marvel and DC.

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In the meantime, Zhang has also been running Cara, a volunteer-controlled digital portfolio and social app that explicitly ensures that the work shared there is human-made. Incidentally, one of its users is Angelo Sotira, who co-founded DeviantArt back in 2000. On his most recent post, he wrote that hes so sad to see the abandonment of real artists by other platforms in favor of AI generated stuff and that its so nice to check into Cara and see the soulful communication happening between real artists.
Looking for things to do in Bratislava? Visit student music festival Orfeus 2024 or set out on a trip to a forest park.

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Festival

Orfeus 2024

May 22, 21:00 Orfeus Fusion KS Dvorana (Zochova 1)

For 23 years, the Orfeus Festival has been presenting the work of talented students of the Department of Composition and Conducting of the HTF VSMU and guests.

The aim of the festival is to support the development of contemporary music creation and to provide composers with the opportunity to premiere their compositions in a creative and inspiring environment, where they can receive feedback from their colleagues and the listening public.

https://en.frame.mapy.cz/s/mebotupaje

Meetup

(Source: Facebook - Make Friends events)

Make friends in Bratislava

Tuesday, May 21, from 19:00-21:00, at Andersen Cafe & Bar, Rajska 7 in Bratislava

Meet new people, speak with them in any language, and make new friends during the weekly event at Andersen Cafe & Bar.

You can read all the details and rules here at the Facebook event.

https://en.frame.mapy.cz/s/golanuseru

Nature

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Hiking tip for a forest walk

This walk is simple. It generally follows unmarked paths that veer off the main path and into the forest. The walk's destination is Bratislavsky Drienovec, after which it will pass through Dieliky and arrive at the village of Liscie Diery.

The trail is roughly 13 km long and should take about 4.5 hours.

If you would like to go on a hike, use this map.

https://sk.frame.mapy.cz/s/judokuhako

If you have tips for free events in Bratislava or you would like to share your hiking or cycling trip ideas with readers, let me know at kseniia.husieva@spectator.sk.
The interior minister says that the BBC has spread lies about Fico. Hate has increased in Slovakia after the attack.

Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (foreground) and Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (c) during a press conference on May 16, 2024. (Source: SITA)

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On Thursday morning, police charged Juraj C., a 71-year-old man who fired five shots at Prime Minister and Smer party leader Robert Fico on Wednesday afternoon.

He shot Fico outside the cultural centre in Handlova, a town in western Slovakia, where the government was holding its meeting. The man got close to Fico without any problem.

Juraj C. from the town of Levice, southern Slovakia, has been charged with the crime of attempted revenge murder against a protected person as reported by TV Markiza. If convicted, he may face a life sentence. The assailant is currently being held in Nitra, in the western part of the country.

According to TV Markiza, Juraj C. is proud of what he committed on Wednesday. He allegedly stated that his sole objective was to inflict harm upon Fico, rather than killing him.

Furthermore, it has come to light on Thursday that Juraj C. was a member of the group that participated in the protest against Fico and his government in late April, specifically on April 24. The government held a meeting in the village of Dolna Krupa, Trnava Region. They arrived to support Ukraine and to express their opposition to Fico's and his government's stance on the conflict in Ukraine and the government's intention to abolish the public broadcaster, RTVS, replacing it with a government-friendly medium.

They yelled, "Traitors." Another cry used by the small crowd was "Stop Fico."

https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1qEtUCekjqle4qG-8d6qAYDlD_6jQuVw&ehbc=2E312F

Security Council meeting

On late Thursday morning, the Security Council and the government held their meetings.

Before their start, Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenicky (Smer) blamed the media for the attack, citing critical stories about Fico's government as the reason. Deputy speaker of parliament and MP Lubos Blaha (Smer), who often attacks the opposition, journalists, and the Slovak president on his social media, asked people who have been attacking Smer politicians for years for repentance.

""We are probably the biggest targets here, apart from Robert Fico," said Blaha after the Security Council meeting.

Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Hlas) accused the BBC of writing lies about PM Fico and his views, asking the service to fix the problem.

"Please, verify the information that you spread about Slovakia," the minister told a BBC journalist.

President Zuzana Caputova and her successor, president-elect and Hlas party leader Peter Pellegrini, held a press briefing on Thursday morning.

"We are standing here together because we want to send out a signal of understanding in this tense situation. We are politicians who know what is most important for people, and that is calming the situation," said the president.

Pellegrini also called on political parties to stop or dampen the campaigns ahead of the European elections, which will take place in early June. Several political parties, including Smer and Progresivne Slovensko, confirmed that they would reduce their campaign activities.

Caputova and Pellegrini both attended the Security Council meeting, too.

video //www.youtube.com/embed/o6w6449QDWM

After the Security Council, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Hlas) announced that there is only one version of events, and that the attack was politically motivated. Juraj C. acted as a lone wolf who became radicalised on the internet, the minister claimed. He attended anti-government protests and demonstrations during government meetings in Slovak regions, the minister also said. As the minister added, the attacker did not agree with the government's decision to suspend military help for Ukraine from the armed forces, nor with the dismissal of Judicial Council head Jan Mazak and the cancellation of the Special Prosecutor's Office.

The remaining information on the case is under embargo.

Still, Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer) responded to Juraj C.'s alleged link to the pro-Russian group Slovenski Branci (Slovak Conscripts). He explained that Juraj C. met with the group in 2016. He asked them not to use weapons. He also recited his poems to them during the group's event.

video //www.youtube.com/embed/zkrW2ZeqBUI

Hatred on the rise, Fico's condition 'serious'

All risk groups will have enhanced protection, the interior minister added, promising that the police would investigate alleged threats received by Smer MP Richard Gluck (he became infamous after he said in parliament that women should immediately report a rape), newly-elected Judicial Council chair Marcela Kosova (she supported the cancellation of the Special Prosecutor's Office), as well as certain journalists.

During a press conference, Sutaj Estok also criticised the leakage of the medical report on Prime Minister Fico's health. Kalinak (Smer) added that the PM only has a limited ability to communicate.

Pellegrini, Fico's ally, visited Fico in hospital on Thursday afternoon. He said that Fico is exhausted.

"His condition continues to be serious," the president-elect said, noting that critical hours and days await the prime minister.

Meanwhile, the attack on Fico has led to another wave of hatred on the Internet. According to elv.ai, a firm that moderates online discussions, the toxicity of comments under the posts of 60 media outlets and public institutions increased up to 60 percent, compared to the worst day in the history of monitoring their profiles. They recorded a total of 71,818 comments on Wednesday, while the rate of hateful comments reached up to 21.62 percent.

"The attack on Prime Minister Fico increased hatred on social networks to a level we have not seen before," said elv.ai CEO Jakub Suster.

Unanswered questions

After the May 15 attack, several questions have been raised about the prime minister's security, including whether special agents monitored the crowd outside the cultural centre in Handlova to identify a potential threat, and whether Fico's earlier claim about a potential attack on a coalition potential was properly investigated.

"Apparently chaos reigned there, and that's not good," former police chief Stefan Hamran told the Dennik N daily. "I don't understand why the security guards were still hanging around and running towards the attacker. There were police officers [to handle him]."

But according to the interior minister, the security situation and measures at the meeting in Handlova were at the maximum possible level. Stricter measures were adopted only at the recent meeting of the Slovak and Ukrainian governments in Michalovce, Sutaj Estok noted.

The office that protects government officials has been headed by Pavol Krejci, chair of the Slovak Judo Association and Hlas party official, since November 2023, when the Fico government had already been in power for several weeks. Hlas is one of the two parties in the coalition with Fico's Smer party.

"They could practice this situation a thousand times, it's different on the ground," Economy Minister and former interior minister Denisa Sakova (Hlas) said about the men supposed to protect the premier.

Meanwhile, the police inspectorate, which deals with police officers who violate regulations, announced on May 16 that it has initiated an investigation into the police's handling of the Wednesday attack, including a leaked video that features the detained attacker at the police station.

When asked if he was going to resign, the interior minister said that he is not glued to the ministerial chair.

"I'm thinking about guaranteeing the safety of all citizens, constitutional officials, and the media," he said.
UNICEF will no longer support the Ukrainian school.

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In Bratislava, an extraordinary school opened several months after Russias invasion of Ukraine, in 2022, welcoming dozens of refugee children. But it may shut down in the near future due to the lack of funding.

More than 200 Ukrainian refugee children have been coming to the Ukrainian School in Evacuation in the Old Town since its opening to study in the afternoons. In addition to Ukrainian, Slovak, Maths, History and English, they learn about career counselling, financial literacy and art therapy.

Although the school does not issue any certificates, the school matters to many.

For these children, this school is support in a new country, where they can feel at home at least a little bit, said psychologist Bohdana Lyulko. It may seem to Slovak people that all children should be integrated by now, she said, but in practice this is not quite the case.

Nine teachers - Ukrainian refugees - work at the school, as well as a psychologist.

All this has been possible thanks to UNICEF, and in part thanks to the Bratislava City Hall, but the global organisation will cut off funds to the school in the weeks to come. All the school needs is to collect less than 5,000 to reach its target of 40,000 and to continue its mission.

We will use the funds for employee salaries, teaching aids and the payment of direct costs associated with teaching, pledges the SME SPOLU civic association.

So, who is in?
Its time to coffee fest, or cest lheure du festival du cafe, as Google Translate no doubt accurately avers. Back for its second year, Cafe Collectif (not to be confused with Coffee Collectif) is coming to Montreal for two days of provincial specialty coffee roasters and community in Quebecs largest city.

Taking place Friday, May 31st and Saturday, June 1st, Cafe Collectif is organized by a team of passionate roasters and touts itself as the first festival in [the] province dedicated to bringing together and promoting the exceptional talents of local roasters with a mission to celebrate specialty coffee and build community around a shared passion. This years event brings over 30 roasters from around Quebec under one roof at Cafe SAT inside the Society for Arts and Technology.

Split over two days, the participating roasters include Hubert Saint-Jean, Rabbit Hole, Microespresso, 94 celsius, Nordik, Artery, Saint-Henri, and Nucleus. Along with so much coffee, Cafe Collectif includes learning opportunities like a barista training course, tastings, as well as a bean-to-bar chocolate learning session, including a tasting. And as a bonus, an official barista competition will take place Friday night that individuals can attend or even participate in if they are feeling up to it.

Ticket pre-sales last through Tuesday, May 21st, with early bird prices as low as $22. Afterward, prices go to $25, with add-ons for the additional learning experiences. All tickets ban be purchased on the Cafe Collectif website . Make sure to follow Cafe Collectif on Instagram for up-to-date details on the attending roasters and events. For more information, visit Cafe Collectifs official website
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/canada-sanctions-4-israelis-over-extremist-violence-in-west-bank---foreign-ministry-1118484205.html

Canada Sanctions 4 Israelis Over Extremist Violence in West Bank - Foreign Ministry

Canada Sanctions 4 Israelis Over Extremist Violence in West Bank - Foreign Ministry

Sputnik International

The Canadian government imposed sanctions on four Israeli individuals over their involvement in extremist settler violence in the West Bank, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) said on Thursday.

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"Todays measures represent a significant step in Canadas response to this ongoing [settler] violence. The individuals listed below have engaged directly or indirectly in violence and violent acts against Palestinian civilians and their property. These measures will impose a prohibition on dealings related to the listed individuals and render them inadmissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act," GAC said in a statement. Canada sanctioned David Chai Chasdai, Yinon Levi, Zvi Bar Yosef, and Moshe Sharvit. This is the first time Ottawa has taken measures to list extremist Israeli settlers, GAC highlighted.Attacks by Israeli settlers have "alarmingly escalated" in recent months, leading to a situation that undermines Palestinians' human rights and prospects for a two-state solution. It also poses a significant risk to regional security, GAC added.In early February, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Ottawa was mulling imposing sanctions to hold accountable people that engage in settler violence in the West Bank. Trudeau said such violence was unacceptable and endangered the prospects for peace and stability as well as the path toward an "absolutely essential" two-state solution to the conflict.In February, US President Joe Biden imposed sanctions on four Israeli settlers. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich blasted the action, calling on Israeli banks to ignore the order. Nevertheless, the Bank of Israel announced that financial institutions in the country have to comply with the sanctions.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240202/eu-continuing-talks-on-sanctioning-israeli-settlers-in-west-bank---spokesperson-1116564821.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/endgame-for-ukraine-peaceful-settlement-still-blocked-by-anti-russia-west-1118459668.html

Endgame for Ukraine? Peaceful Settlement Still Blocked by Anti-Russia West

Endgame for Ukraine? Peaceful Settlement Still Blocked by Anti-Russia West

Sputnik International

Jim Jatras, a former senior foreign policy advisor to Republicans in the US Senate, joined Sputniks Political Misfits program to discuss Russian President Vladimir Putins meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, where the two will reportedly discuss the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war.

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analysis

volodymyr zelensky

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jim jatras

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President Vladimir Putin arrived in China early Thursday for the Russian leaders first foreign visit since beginning another term in office earlier this month.Recent reporting suggests discussions over the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war will take place when Putin meets with his counterpart Chinese President Xi Jinping before touring the Asian country. China released a 12-point peace plan to end the conflict last year, identifying eastward NATO expansion as the origin of the conflict. Beijing has stressed the importance of addressing Moscows security concerns in any peace settlement, criticizing Western efforts that exclude Russian participation.Putin has praised the genuine desire of our Chinese friends to help stabilize the situation, endorsing Beijings view of the roots of the war.Jim Jatras, a former senior foreign policy advisor to Republicans in the US Senate, joined Sputniks Political Misfits program to discuss the meeting as the attempted assassination of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico demonstrates enduring tensions over the conflict throughout Europe.Let's remember, too, that Xi just got back from his trip to Europe where he had a very contentious meeting with [French President Emmanuel] Macron, noted Jatras. The Chinese plan, remember  we're talking about many months ago when developments were very, very different from what they are now, especially now with this new [Russian] offensive coming in the north of Ukraine. It's possible that the Russians would [previously] settle for some kind of minimalist plan.Although Zelenskys defenders frequently cast the crisis in the Donbass as a struggle to uphold Western democratic values, the Ukrainian leader has been heavily criticized for his undemocratic policy since taking office. Zelensky has insisted elections will remain suspended while the country is at war while also banning opposition-aligned political parties. In 2021, the controversial leader banned three opposition television networks, then blacklisted eleven opposition parties in March 2022.Tensions between pro-Russian supporters of Donbass independence and pro-Western Ukrainian nationalists, neo-Nazi gangs constituted a major cause of the current political and military crisis. Polling consistently revealed that only a minority of Ukrainians supported the pro-Western protests that led to 2014s so-called Euromaidan coup. A survey in 2019 showed only 9% of Ukrainians expressed confidence in the regime that took hold afterwards, the lowest support for any government in the world.Yet Zelenskys Western backers continue to block a negotiated solution with Russia even as support for the Kiev regime remains low. Questions remain over how Moscow may choose to end the conflict as Russian armed forces continue to make gains in the Kharkov region.What do the Russians intend? asked Jatras. What do they want to see as the endgame? Because whatever it is I think they're in the position to impose it. The question is, politically, what have they decided to do?These people are ideologues, said Jatras of Ukraines Western backers. They have no way of actually coming to a reasonable accommodation for Russian interests, no matter how many people in Moscow might actually welcome such a thing. So I think they're still looking at the calculus to say, well, how much could we still hurt the Russians?

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240515/putin-goes-to-china-in-first-post-re-election-visit-agenda--expected-takeaways-1118444515.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240225/at-long-last-uk-media-blasts-wests-support-to-euromaidan-coup--ukraine-conflict-1116974378.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240515/putin-visits-beijing-as-biden-bogged-down-in-efforts-to-undermine-russia-china-1118436022.html

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putin xi meeting, putin xi ukraine, china ukraine war, china russo-ukrainian war, nato anti-russia, west anti-russia, zelensky authoritarian, zelensky anti-democratic, zelensky centralization of power
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/ficos-enemies-risked-slovak-civil-war-to-keep-eu-leaders-in-line-on-ukraine-1118477119.html

Ficos Enemies Risk Slovak Civil War to Keep EU Leaders in Line on Ukraine

Ficos Enemies Risk Slovak Civil War to Keep EU Leaders in Line on Ukraine

Sputnik International

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico survived an assassination attempt Wednesday, suffering serious wounds to his stomach, arms and legs, but remaining alive. The attack sparked a major spike in tensions in Slovakia and across Europe. Sputnik asked a pair of prominent European political analysts why Fico may have been targeted, and what happens next.

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volodymyr zelensky

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nato

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Slovakia is facing the most dangerous period in its modern history in the wake of the attempt on the prime ministers life, with Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok warning that the country is on the brink of a civil war following Wednesdays politically motivated shooting.I want to appeal to the public, to journalists and to all politicians to stop spreading hatred, Estok urged, asking media and ordinary Slovaks alike to stop attacks and hatred on social networks and media.Fico, 59, is now in serious but stable condition after undergoing hours of emergency surgery following Wednesdays shooting. It remains unclear whether he will be able to return to his duties.A career wildcard politician with a penchant for stepping on powerful toes, Fico has served as Slovakias prime minister for 11 of the past 18 years, with his Smer Party, running on a distinct blend of economic social democracy, social conservativism and Slovakian patriotism, forming four governments (three coalitions and one outright majority)  the latest in October 2023.Throughout his career and particularly during his latest term, Fico made an array of enemies, including:Unprecedented Social PolarizationThere is social polarization and political antagonism in all of Europe, but usually nobody is shooting at prime ministers. [This happened] only in Slovakia, Dimitris Konstantakopoulos, a former security and foreign policy advisor to late former Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou, told Sputnik, commenting on the dangerous situation which has developed in the heart of Europe in the wake of the attempt on Ficos life.Pointing to Prime Minister Ficos very different policy from that of most European nations when it comes to the conflict in Ukraine and ties with Russia, and recalling the campaign of hate from the Western press Fico has faced in recent months over his policy positions, Konstantakopoulos said that while it may be too early to say with certainty who was responsible for his attempted murder, the mood in the European street is clear.The turn to violence may indicate a new readiness by Fico's would-be assassins to take non-political extra measures to impose discipline on all members of the bloc, in addition to other tools in their toolbox which have already been deployed.Violence isnt the only means available to hardline anti-Russian forces seeking to discipline Europe's unruly leaders, according to the observer, who recalled that in neighboring Hungary, Viktor Orban has been privately threatened with the utter destruction of his economy if he vetoes Ukraines bid to join the EU.Ficos government is a potential threat to the forces that be precisely because it represents a unique phenomenon in Europe, in Konstantakopoulos view, with the politician proving able to push through his agenda of engagement with Russia and staying out of the Ukrainian quagmire. The observer recalled that in his home country, Greece, while 75 percent of the population is against sending arms to Ukraine, this has not been an obstacle to the government to continue sending arms.Pretext for Free Speech Clampdown?Dr. George Szamuely, an author and research fellow at the Global Policy Institute, a London-based international affairs think tank, told Sputnik that the very concerning and alarming development in Slovakia could result in new attempts to crack down on political speech and social media in Europe, with the powers that be desperately wanting to expand censorship, and would have no qualms about using the attempt on Ficos life as a pretext.The powerful forces within the EU, what do they have within their crosshairs? They have within their crosshairs the populist movements. They hate the populist movements. They're afraid of them. And they're going to use this to censor and crack down on the populist movements. I wouldn't be surprised if, again, within the next six months the Alternative for Germany party will be banned altogether in Germany, he added.Obviously, Fico antagonized a lot of powerful forces. And it's very important to note that the things he said about Ukraine and the origins of the war in Ukraine went far beyond anything Viktor Orban has said. Viktor Orban has simply made it a pragmatic issue, saying it has nothing to do with Hungarians, Hungary just wants this war to end. But he never really got into what really happened in Ukraine - Fico did. He said that this war was caused by fascists murdering Russians en masse. That's quite a serious charge to make. And he has done it. He said this in interview after interview. When you say things like that, you're clearly antagonizing powerful forces, Szamuely said.* Classified as an extremist organization and banned in Russia.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240515/slovak-prime-minister-fico-injured-in-shooting-at-govt-field-meeting-1118453332.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/russia-strongly-condemns-attack-on-slovakias-fico-calls-it-great-tragedy---kremlin-1118465787.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240422/sponsor-of-tiktok-ban--iran-palestine-sanctions-gets-1400-bump-in-aipac-donations-1118047522.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240321/why-slovak-wildcard-robert-fico-could-bring-eu-house-of-cards-crashing-down-1117477241.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/is-west-fanning-euromaidan-style-public-protests-in-georgia-1118481393.html

Is West Fanning Euromaidan-Style Public Protests in Georgia?

Is West Fanning Euromaidan-Style Public Protests in Georgia?

Sputnik International

The US, EU and NATO have slammed the newly-passed foreign agents law in Georgia, while the foreign ministers of Iceland, Lithuania and Estonia took part in protest rallies against the legislation in Tbilisi. Sputnik's pundits called these actions foreign meddling in Georgia's affairs.

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lithuania

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kakha kaladze

tiberio graziani

european union (eu)

nato

foreign agents registration act (fara)

opinion

us

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Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis expressed support for the "European" aspirations of Georgian protesters at a protest rally in Tbilisi on May 15."In a democracy, the government owes it to you, the Georgian people, to follow the direction your moral compass is showing," Landsbergis told the crowd. "I am speaking out because I am... on the side of a European Georgia."But Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, the secretary-general of the ruling Georgian Dream party, called their actions hostile and aimed at dividing Georgian society."This is not friendship, this is enmity, this is an attempt to deepen polarization in our country," Kaladze told the Rustavi 2 TV channel. "Could you imagine our minister of foreign affairs going to Yerevan and speaking at an [Armenian] opposition rally?"Direct Foreign Interference in Georgia's AffairsIt was not the first time that Lithuanian officials have fanned public protests in a foreign state, according to Dr. Eduardas Vaitkus, Lithuanian politician who was an independent candidate in the 2024 Lithuanian presidential election.Vaitkus cited earlier precedents for Lithuania's meddling in the domestic affairs of Ukraine and Belarus. Vilnius has spent millions of euros supporting Belarusian self-declared opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, backed by the West, who advocates for a coup d'etat in Minsk.He recalled that the Lithuanian foreign minister's grandfather, then-European Parliament member Vytautas Landsbergis, was spotted during the 2013 Euromaidan events in Kiev calling for a wider revolt in Ukraine.The politician condemned the Lithuanian government's "double and triple standards" in its unwillingness to recognize the will of the Crimean people to reunite with Russia  while rushing to embrace the self-declared independence of Kosovo alongside the West.Russian Senator Konstantin Dolgov believes that Vilnius' political agenda is not independent, but is dictated from the West."What can you expect from Lithuania and Estonia? These are countries that have long lost their independence and have become 'appendages' of Washington and Brussels," Dolgov said, arguing that foreign ministers Iceland, Lithuania and Estonia could be sent by their Western patrons to fan unrest in Georgia.Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN Dmitry Polyansky noted that the foreign ministers' presence at Georgian protests is reminiscent of US and European politicians' conduct during the 2013-2014 Euromaidan unrest in Kiev.US Trying to Exert Pressure on Georgia as Its Hegemony WanesThe US, EU and NATO have criticized the newly-passed foreign agents bill in Georgia, with US Assistant Secretary of State Jim OBrien announcing on May 14 that Georgian MPs could be subjected to sanctions for "undermining democracy".While attacking the bill, which obliges Georgian media and NGOs to register as "pursuing the interests of a foreign power" if they receive over 20 percent of their funding from abroad, US policy-makers avoid mentioning that the Georgian legislation is reminiscent of the US' own Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).FARA requires individuals acting on behalf of foreign governments, organizations or persons foreign to the US to register with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and to disclose their relationship, activities, receipts, and disbursements in support of their activities.Under to US law, such individuals are described as "foreign agents" while the FARA Unit of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES) is responsible for the Act's enforcement.The fierce US opposition to the Georgian bill under the guise of the "protection of democracy" and sanctions threats is an attempt to keep Tbilisi in line with the collective West's agenda, according to Tiberio Graziani, chairman of Rome-based think tank Vision and Global Trends."Any [country] that attempts to operate and act in the international context to responsibly promote the defense of its national interest is demonized by the US. Examples of this practice include, just to give a few examples, the so-called color revolutions," he continued.The US is believed to be behind a series of color revolutions in the former Soviet Union, including the Rose Revolution in Georgia in 2003, the Orange Revolution in Ukraine in 2004, the Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan in 2005 and the failed Jeans Revolution in Belarus in 2006.According to the expert, the threat and use of sanctions against foreign politicians pursuing national sovereignty constitutes a form of long-term US hybrid warfare.Now that the world is becoming multipolar, the US is feeling the loss of its role as hegemon and could act irrationally with dramatic consequences for the rest of the world population, Graziani warned.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240505/hand-of-soros-georgian-prime-minister-denounces-us-color-revolution-tactics-1118262117.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230504/cia-staged-color-revolutions-hacker-attacks-around-globe--chinese-cybersecurity-center-1110083713.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240225/at-long-last-uk-media-blasts-wests-support-to-euromaidan-coup--ukraine-conflict-1116974378.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221125/us-ned-global-meddler-and-rightful-heir-of-cia-1104671859.html

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georgian foreign agents bill, protests in tbilisi over foreign agents bill, us threatening georgia lawmakers with sanctions, foreign interference in georgian affairs, lithuanian foreign minister attended protests in tbilisi, euromaidan, us-backed color revolutions in the former soviet union
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/living-in-an-alternate-reality-blinken-performs-with-rock-band-in-kiev-bar--1118462731.html

Living in an Alternate Reality: Blinken Performs With Rock Band in Kiev Bar

Living in an Alternate Reality: Blinken Performs With Rock Band in Kiev Bar

Sputnik International

The stunt divided opinion in Ukraine, with some viewing it as a gesture of support, and others acknowledging the bizarre optics of performing in a bar while soldiers lose their lives on the frontlines.

2024-05-16T06:03+0000

2024-05-16T06:03+0000

2024-05-16T06:03+0000

analysis

antony blinken

mark sleboda

russia

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kiev

ukraine crisis

ukrainian crisis

us arms for ukraine

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Following a number of high-level meetings in Kyiv, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken played a rendition of Neil Youngs Rockin in the Free World accompanied by a Ukrainian rock band, The Guardian reported. According to the outlet, the stunt divided opinion in Ukraine, with some viewing it as a gesture of support, and others acknowledging the bizarre optics of performing in a bar while Ukrainian soldiers lose their lives on the frontlines of the US proxy war with Russia.Moscow-based international relations and security analyst Mark Sleboda joined Sputniks The Critical Hour on Wednesday, and lambasted Blinkens bizarre stunt.But, besides that, it's pretty much, just a quizzical look in a way, the analyst continued. It is rather bizarre and, as the Guardian notes, within the Kiev regime, it's not simply regarded as laughable, but there are critics, including from some Ukrainian soldiers who spoke to the Guardian that said it was inappropriate that he was singing in a bar when Ukrainian men are dying and having their limbs blown off in trenches.It was reported on Tuesday that Blinken said Ukraine will hold elections when all Ukrainians, including those who now live in Russia, decide to participate. A recent article from RT suggests that doing so essentially permits Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to postpone a vote unless Ukrainian territories are recaptured. Ukraine was scheduled to hold a presidential election on March 31, but Zelensky canceled the vote last year citing martial law and the ongoing conflict with Russia.It was also reported on Tuesday that UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said the UK would not support any solution to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine that involves what it sees as concessions to Moscow. Earlier that day, the defense secretary said that the UK would also provide Kiev weapons to strike Russias Crimean Peninsula, because London considers the region to be an integral part of Ukraine. Shapps added that he does not think it plausible at all for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to win this war.And it is a tragedy because he is sending hundreds of millions of pounds of British taxpayers' money again and again and again to weapons, to this regime that is not changing the reality on the ground at all. These weapons are shoved into the hands of people that are press-ganged forcibly off the streets of little villages and Transcarpathia is not going to win this war against Russia for Grant Shapps.

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russia, ukraine, blinken, us, kyiv, kiev, us ally, us hegemony, ukrainian crisis, ukrainian conflict, ukraine crisis, russia wins, russia is winning, russia is losing, russia loses, russian attack, russia attacks, ukraine retreats, guitar hero, musician, polical music, support ukraine, us supports ukraine
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/ny-times-blames-us-congress-funding-delays-for-ukraines-battlefield-struggles-1118464243.html

NY Times Admits Russian Success on Battlefield, Blames Congress Funding Delays

NY Times Admits Russian Success on Battlefield, Blames Congress Funding Delays

Sputnik International

The New York Times published an article this week acknowledging Russias upper hand in the conflict in the Donbass, although a convenient excuse was found to explain the struggles of the US-backed Ukrainian regime.

2024-05-16T05:03+0000

2024-05-16T05:03+0000

2024-05-16T05:38+0000

analysis

us

vladimir putin

volodymyr zelensky

russia

ukraine

the new york times

congress

media

us media

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The New York Times published an article this week acknowledging Russias upper hand in the conflict in the Donbass, although a convenient excuse was found to explain the struggles of the US-backed Ukrainian regime.White House Worries Russias Momentum Is Changing Trajectory of Ukraine War read the headline in the Tuesday edition of the controversial US newspaper. The authors identified a number of factors contributing towards Moscows recent success, including advances in Russian technology and battlefield tactics. But the article focuses heavily on a delay in the provision of US aid to Kiev while Congress debated the wisdom of doubling down on Americas support for the Zelensky regime.The authors referenced the delay in support from Washington at least five times throughout the short article.A monthslong debate in Washington about whether to send Ukraine a $61 billion package of arms and ammunition created an opening that Russia has clearly exploited, even though Congress ultimately passed the legislation, the article reads. The authors also noted the Biden administrations increasing reliance on the talking point, characterizing Secretary of State Antony Blinkens comment that theres no doubt theres been a cost as an understatement.The article blames the funding delay for Russias huge artillery advantage, claiming Ukraine would be able to neutralize Russian airpower if it possessed more anti-aircraft weaponry.However, the authors also conceded that Moscow has refined its strategy over the course of the war, allowing it to bring its huge military infrastructure and population advantage to bear. Stephen J. Hadley, a national security advisor under former President George W. Bush, is quoted as recognizing that Russia often finishes strong in military conflicts, adapting its tactics along the way.The article also acknowledges Russias successful use of electronic warfare to disable drones and artillery provided by the West.Throughout the article, the authors find little room for deep interrogation of the wisdom of the conflict or the US role in perpetuating it.Critics note that the US newspaper of record has played an instrumental role in upholding US imperialism, never failing to offer support for any Washington-backed coup or US war. Self-critique simply is not part of The New York Times mission statement. To question US foreign policy would be to risk undermining the manufacturing of consent that makes it possible.Palantir CEO Alex Karp summarized the risk thusly, explaining the threat of deep reflection on US global policy represented by ongoing protests in support of Palestine: We think these things that are happening across college campuses are a sideshow. No, they are the show. If we lose the intellectual debate, you will not be able to deploy any army in the West, ever.Institutions like The New York Times are part of how elites win the intellectual debate or, preferably, prevent it from taking place. Any suggestion that the United States and its warfighting machine may be wrong, guilty, or even fallible cannot be allowed. People employed in the sacred work of spreading freedom and democracy must never second-guess themselves.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240417/new-york-times-gaza-war-memo-apologetic-to-israel--report-1117973188.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231228/cause-du-jour-to-yesterdays-news-western-medias-evolving-2023-coverage-on-ukraine-1115862086.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240515/conflict-at-home-and-abroad-as-clock-ticks-down-on-us-empire-1118441105.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/playing-catch-up-us-japan-ink-deal-to-co-create-hypersonic-weapon-interceptor-1118468905.html

Playing Catch-Up: US, Japan Ink Deal to Co-Create Hypersonic Weapon Interceptor

Playing Catch-Up: US, Japan Ink Deal to Co-Create Hypersonic Weapon Interceptor

Sputnik International

The United States and Japan have signed an agreement to jointly develop weapons that would be able to shoot down incoming hypersonic missiles.

2024-05-16T11:29+0000

2024-05-16T11:29+0000

2024-05-16T11:29+0000

military

us

japan

hypersonic

hypersonic weapons

interceptor

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The United States and Japan are forging ahead with their plans to jointly develop weapons that would be able to shoot down incoming hypersonic missiles.With both Russia and China successfully pioneering hypersonic weapons on a scale that has left the US biting the dust, this ambitious agreement was signed on Wednesday between the Pentagon and Japans Ministry of Defense.By pursuing an agreement on [glide-phase interceptor] development, the US and Japan will strengthen regional deterrence while enhancing long-standing missile defense cooperation between the two countries, the DOD news release stated on its website.The Japanese Defense Ministrys statement lamented the fact that, missile-related technologies, such as hypersonic weapons, have improved dramatically around Japan," and added: The proposed project is scheduled for completion in the 2030s.The announcement specified that the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) will spearhead the creation of interceptors designed to target missiles during the glide-phase portion of hypersonic flight. According to the deal, Japan will take the initiative in developing rocket motors and propulsion components for the proposed hypersonic missile interceptors.Reports that the US and Japan intend to earmark more than $3 billion to jointly create a new type of missile capable of intercepting hypersonic weapons surfaced earlier in the year. It was reported that the Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) project is expected to be completed by the 2030s, and Japan is anticipated to commit $1 billion to the project. Originally, the program was agreed upon by President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in August 2023, during the trilateral summit between the US, Japan, and South Korea.The new missile will be designed to shoot down incoming hypersonic missiles during their most vulnerable glide phase of flight before re-entering the atmosphere from space.Previously, the Pentagon said that in Japan, the GPI would likely be installed on "the future ASEVs - Aegis System Equipped Vessels - of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force". The Aegis is a US system designed to defend against short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.Washington acknowledged the compelling urgency of developing such interceptor weapons in light of the ongoing Ukraine crisis and soaring tensions in the Middle East. More recently, Pentagon officials revealed that North America's skies are defenseless not only against Russian, but even Iranian missiles.A new American missile, supposedly hypersonic, called Mako, was unveiled at the Sea Air Space 2024 conference. It is designed to be carried by F-35 stealth fighters. However, assessments from US military observers have been cautious and reserved, while Russian experts have expressed serious doubts about any potential success. Currently, US defense contractors are undertaking a number of hypersonic projects, but they fail to match the speed, power, and maneuverability that Russia's Kinzhal, Zircon or Avangard missiles boast, military pundits told Sputnik.Meanwhile, Russias nuclear-capable Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles have rendered such massive US investments into the creation of a missile defense system useless, Vladimir Putin noted in a March when speaking to Dmitry Kiselev, director of Sputnik parent media group Rossiaya Segodnya.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240503/us-and-japan-to-spend-3-billion-on-new-hypersonic-weapon-interceptor-1118238114.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240509/us-defenseless-against-russian-hypersonic-missiles-and-iranian-drones---explosive-dod-testimony-1118360351.html

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Svetlana Ekimenko

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/putin-arrives-at-great-hall-of-people-in-beijing-for-talks-with-chinas-xi-1118463387.html

Putin Arrives at Great Hall of People in Beijing for Talks With China's Xi

Putin Arrives at Great Hall of People in Beijing for Talks With China's Xi

Sputnik International

Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing for talks with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Thursday.

2024-05-16T03:36+0000

2024-05-16T03:36+0000

2024-05-16T04:00+0000

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The Russian president arrived in China for a two-day state visit and will travel to Beijing and Harbin. Putin will hold restricted attendance talks with Xi in China's capital on Thursday, which will be later followed by an enlarged meeting with the participation of delegations of the two countries.Elementary school students in Beijing greeted President Vladimir Putin with flowers and Russian and Chinese flags as he arrived at the Great Hall of the People.In addition to the guard of honor and the orchestra, there were several dozen schoolchildren. They were elementary school students from Beijing's Shi-jia School and Russian children from the Russian Embassy School in China.The Great Hall of the People is located on the west side of Tiananmen Square. Construction began in October 1958 and was completed in less than a year, in September 1959. It is the venue for congresses of the Communist Party of China and sessions of the country's parliament, the National People's Congress. Other major official events, conferences and receptions of foreign leaders are also held here. In 2007, the Beijing authorities decided to include the building in the list of protected monuments of modern architecture.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/putin-pays-state-visit-to-china-1118459127.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/russia-islamic-world-to-make-major-contribution-to-multipolarity-1118470312.html

Russia, Islamic World to Make Major Contribution to Multipolarity

Russia, Islamic World to Make Major Contribution to Multipolarity

Sputnik International

Interaction between Moscow and the countries of the Islamic world will make an important contribution to the safe development in the multi-polar world order, said Rustam Minnikhanov, head of Russia's Tatarstan republic and chairman of the "Russia - Islamic World" strategic vision forum, during the groups international conference.

2024-05-16T12:05+0000

2024-05-16T12:05+0000

2024-05-16T12:05+0000

world

rustam minnikhanov

yevgeny primakov

russia

west

tatarstan

organization of islamic cooperation (oic)

islam

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The event takes place within the international economic forum "Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum" involving Russia and the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)."When it comes to key spiritual and moral values, Orthodox Christianity and Islam are similar and close," Minnikhanov told the conference. "This applies, in particular, to human rights and family fundamentals. I am sure that positive interaction and partnership between Russia and the Islamic world will make an important contribution to secure development in a fair multipolar world order,"The collective West, Minnikhanov noted, is trying to replace international law with a system of self-serving "regulations".In seeking to maintain a dominant position the West has employed many forms of leverage, including wars, sanctions, blackmail and modern forms of colonialism.Minnikhanov stressed that those benchmarks are directly related to security, which includes not only ensuring the stability of the political system, economic potential and defense capabilities of Russia, but also maintaining and developing cultural, spiritual and moral values.The governor said Russia and the Islamic world have a huge potential for cooperation in those fields.The "Russia - Islamic World" strategic vision group was established back in 2006 under the leadership of former Russian prime minister Yevgeny Primakov and former Tatarstan governor Mintimer Shaimiev as an advisory body for expanding cooperation between Russia and Islamic countries. Between 2006 and 2009, the team held five meetings in Moscow, Kazan, Istanbul, Jeddah and Kuwait.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240515/russia--islamic-world-kazanforum-in-pictures-1118447063.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240515/russia---islamic-world-forum-plenary-session-on-multipolarity-1118438894.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/russia-strongly-condemns-attack-on-slovakias-fico-calls-it-great-tragedy---kremlin-1118465787.html

Russia Strongly Condemns Attack on Slovakia's Fico, Calls It 'Great Tragedy' - Kremlin

Russia Strongly Condemns Attack on Slovakia's Fico, Calls It 'Great Tragedy' - Kremlin

Sputnik International

Russia strongly condemns an assault on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, calling the incident a great tragedy.

2024-05-16T05:08+0000

2024-05-16T05:08+0000

2024-05-16T12:04+0000

world

robert fico

dmitry peskov

zuzana caputova

russia

slovakia

kremlin

slovak pm fico assassination attempt

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"We, of course, condemn in strongest possible terms this assault, and we believe it we consider it absolutely unacceptable, it is indeed a great tragedy," Peskov told Russian newspaper Izvestia. Peskov recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message to Slovak President Zuzana Caputova, in which he expressed sympathy and wished Fico a speedy recovery.He said that Slovakia did not ask for Moscow's help in the investigation of an assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who opposes weapons deliveries to Ukraine and Kiev's accession to NATO.Peskov said that Moscow wishes Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico a speedy recovery.Fico was shot Wednesday during the government's field-meeting in the city of Handlova located 190 kilometers (118 miles) northeast of Bratislava. The prime minister was rushed to a hospital, reportedly with wounds to his abdomen and chest.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240515/slovak-prime-minister-fico-injured-in-shooting-at-govt-field-meeting-1118453332.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/russian-chinese-partnership-constantly-improving-diversifying-due-to-new-areas---putin-1118473086.html

Russian-Chinese Partnership Constantly Improving, Diversifying Due to New Areas - Putin

Russian-Chinese Partnership Constantly Improving, Diversifying Due to New Areas - Putin

Sputnik International

The Russian-Chinese partnership is constantly improving and diversifying due to the new areas of cooperation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

2024-05-16T11:52+0000

2024-05-16T11:52+0000

2024-05-16T11:52+0000

world

russia

china

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What is especially important, the Russian-Chinese partnership is constantly developing, improving, diversifying due to the new formats and spheres, its legal basis is expanding, Putin said, addressing the concert dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Russian-Chinese diplomatic relations. The strategic development course of the bilateral relations meets the interests of the both nations, Putin said, adding that these relations are built on the basis of good neighborliness, equality and support. Russia and China voiced their mutual support for a multilateral, transparent global Internet governance system with the need to ensure security of national segments, in the joint statement following the talks.Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that his negotiations with Chinese President Xi Jinping were intense and meaningful.Putin added that the joint statement following talks with Xi set long-term guidelines for the development of ties.The next meeting of the heads of government of Russia and China will be held in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday."The mechanism of regular meetings between the heads of government of Russia and China has proven its effectiveness in practice, including in the implementation of the entire array of agreements reached at the highest level. The next negotiations at the level of prime ministers should take place in Moscow, here. We are waiting for you [Chinese Premier Li Qiang] in Russia," Putin said at a meeting with Li.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/russian-chinese-cooperation-is-one-of-main-stabilizing-factors-in-international-arena---putin-1118465296.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/putin-xi-adopt-joint-statement-on-deepening-comprehensive-partnership-1118467484.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/russias-rossiya-segodnya-chinas-xinhua-agree-to-hold-brics-expert-forum-in-early-june-1118469182.html

Russia's Rossiya Segodnya, China's Xinhua Agree to Hold BRICS Expert Forum in Early June

Russia's Rossiya Segodnya, China's Xinhua Agree to Hold BRICS Expert Forum in Early June

Sputnik International

Dmitry Kiselev, the director general of the Rossiya Segodnya international media group, Sputnik's parent media company, and the head of China's Xinhua News Agency, Fu Hua, signed a memorandum on holding the BRICS expert forum on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in early June.

2024-05-16T09:08+0000

2024-05-16T09:08+0000

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The signing ceremony took place at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing as part of Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to China, his first foreign trip since the inauguration. The expert panel's agenda is expected to include discussions by senior economists, political scientists and international relations specialists from 10 countries  Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia  aimed at resolving the issues that BRICS has been facing and exchanging views on BRICS' role in the modern system of international relations. The 2024 SPIEF will take place from June 5-8 in the Russian city of St. Petersburg.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240515/over-110-countries-confirm-their-participation-in-russias-spief-2024-forum-1118452534.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/scott-ritter-belousovs-appointment-signals-revolution-in-russian-military-affairs-1118462070.html

Scott Ritter: Belousov's Appointment Signals 'Revolution' in Russian Military Affairs

Scott Ritter: Belousov's Appointment Signals 'Revolution' in Russian Military Affairs

Sputnik International

Russia is integrating lessons from the conflict in Ukraine to write the military doctrine of the future, according to former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter.

2024-05-16T04:58+0000

2024-05-16T04:58+0000

2024-05-16T04:58+0000

scott ritter

andrei belousov

sergei shoigu

russia

ukraine

west

military doctrine

russian military doctrine

the critical hour

military

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Russian President Vladimir Putins appointment of Andrei Belousov to serve as the countrys new Minister of Defense has provoked speculation in the West.The Kremlin cited the need to appoint a civilian as a head for the Defense Ministry to foster an environment open to innovations and advanced ideas to explain Putins decision to reshuffle the ministry, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitri Peskov clarified. In addition, the official noted that it is very important to integrate the economy of the military bloc into the country's economy to match the dynamics.Former US Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter claimed Belousovs appointment goes beyond simply trying to bring economic structure and discipline to an expansive and expanding military industrial base in a post on the X social media platform. The former UN weapons inspector joined Sputniks The Critical Hour program Wednesday to discuss what he described as Russias new revolution in military affairs.What wins the war is the arsenal of democracy, said Ritter, pointing to the Allied Forces victory in World War II. The ability of the United States to kick in its industrial capacity to just produce tanks, produce aircraft, shipping an endless stream of military goods that gets fed into the meatgrinder of conflict and you basically out-produce your enemy. That helped us not just build up our military, but prop up the British.Russia has invested significantly in arms and ammunition production over the last several years as Ukraines allies struggle to provide the country with sufficient weaponry. Observers have acknowledged the weakened state of Europes arms production capabilities as the continent fell into dependence on the US military presence after World War II. The military reliance on the United States has allowed Washington to shape European foreign policy in important ways.But concerns have been raised over US military capabilities as well, as a policy of military Keynesianism has geared arms production in the direction of private profit and economic stimulus. Additionally, the War on Terror has caused US armed forces to adapt to fighting irregular guerrilla armies in the Middle East rather than large state-sponsored militaries. The result is that two decades of technological development have left the country ill-equipped to combat a sophisticated foe such as Moscow.However, Russias military innovation carries its own set of concerns, warns Ritter, claiming the Soviet Union became overly-focused on its defense sector during the Cold War.This is the problem that the Soviet economy ran into in the 1970s, when the percentage of the economy that was dedicated to defense industry reached over 7.5%, said Ritter. That was an imbalance that the Soviet economy couldn't sustain You need to continue to have the defense industry churning along to produce what it's producing, but it has to be balanced with economic realities.This is a man who knows the Russian economy inside and out, claimed Ritter. He predicted the 2008 turn around, he predicted the 2012 dip. He has the ear of the president and the respect of everybody and he's being brought in to ensure that the defense industry keeps chugging along but it doesn't overheat, to find that balance with the civilian economy.But Ritter claimed Belousov would focus not only on macroeconomic concerns, but also on innovation within Russias defense industry: the revolution in military affairs.Ritter explained that Belousov would be tasked with integrating everything Russia has learned from the Ukraine conflict into its new military doctrine, taking note of both tactical and technological innovations. The realities of drone and electronic warfare will be fused with strategic insights to transform the countrys approach to fighting conflicts, he claimed.Russia will also adapt to an increasingly-belligerent NATO, said Ritter, responding to the expansion of the bloc to Sweden and Finland as well as the hostility of the Baltic states.Nobody else in the world is ready for the kind of revolution in military affairs that Russia is getting ready to unleash, and this is what makes Mr. Belousov the most dangerous man in the world as far as the West is concerned.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240309/europes-arms-industry-decades-behind--dassault-ceo-1117217948.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240513/how-new-defense-minister-belousov-may-create-problems-for-russias-adversaries-1118413681.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240514/russias-belousov-shoigu-to-take-part-in-informal-putin-xi-meeting---kremlin-aide-1118428069.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/slovakias-fico-remembers-circumstances-of-assassination-attempt---president-elect-1118484712.html

Slovakia's Fico Remembers Circumstances of Assassination Attempt - President-Elect

Slovakia's Fico Remembers Circumstances of Assassination Attempt - President-Elect

Sputnik International

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico remembers the circumstances of the assassination attempt on him and is shocked by how quickly it unfolded, Slovak President-elect Peter Pellegrini said on Thursday.

2024-05-16T22:23+0000

2024-05-16T22:23+0000

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"He remembers, he is shocked by how this happened, how quickly this happened," Pellegrini told Slovak broadcaster Ta3, adding that Fico was conscious when he was taken to a hospital and remembers how he was given first aid. Earlier in the day, Pellegrini paid a brief visit to the prime minister and had a chance to speak to him for a few minutes. He said that Fico's condition remained "serious." Fico was shot on Wednesday after a government field-meeting in the city of Handlova located 190 kilometers (118 miles) northeast of Bratislava. The prime minister was taken to a hospital and underwent a five-hour surgery. He remains in a stable but serious condition. The shooter, Juraj Cintula, 71, was detained immediately following the attack and charged with attempting to commit a premeditated murder. The Slovak Interior Ministry said the attack was politically motivated as Cintula did not agree with the actions of the government, in particular, he was against stopping the supply of weapons to Ukraine.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240515/slovak-prime-minister-fico-injured-in-shooting-at-govt-field-meeting-1118453332.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/ukrainians-mobilized-in-kherson-kept-in-big-cage-unable-to-contact-families---source-1118467992.html

Ukrainians Mobilized in Kherson Kept in 'Big Cage,' Unable to Contact Families - Source

Ukrainians Mobilized in Kherson Kept in 'Big Cage,' Unable to Contact Families - Source

Sputnik International

Ukrainian nationals, who have been mobilized in the city of Kherson, are being kept in a big cage without access to personal hygiene measures and contact with their families, sources familiar with the matter in the Kherson underground network told Sputnik.

2024-05-16T07:06+0000

2024-05-16T07:06+0000

2024-05-16T07:06+0000

world

volodymyr zelensky

ukraine

kherson

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mobilization

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"All those captured men are taken to the same place, to the territory of a former driving school, where a detoxification center was located earlier. They keep the conscripts in one big cage without even providing the basic hygiene standards," the sources said. The mobilized Ukrainian nationals are denied the opportunity to contact their families and friends to prevent the former from receiving any documents that "might confirm their right to deferment or reservation," the sources also said. Moreover, military commissars from western Ukraine may have been "bribing pensioners" from the Kiev-controlled part of Kherson, paying them $25 each for information about the place of residence of men subject to mobilization, the sources added. Martial law was introduced in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The next day, Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on general mobilization. The martial law and mobilization have been continuously extended since then. On May 9, Zelensky signed bills to extend mobilization and martial law in the country for another 90 days. Under martial law, men aged from 18 to 60 are prohibited from leaving Ukraine.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240515/ukraine-prepares-total-mobilization-in-5-controlled-cities---russian-official-1118443641.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/us-watchdog-says-12-of-us-aid-to-ukraine-in-2nd-quarter-delinquent-or-unaccounted-for-1118476861.html

12% of US Aid to Ukraine 'Delinquent or Unaccounted For' - Defense Inspector General

12% of US Aid to Ukraine 'Delinquent or Unaccounted For' - Defense Inspector General

Sputnik International

Some 12% of US security aid provided to Ukraine from January 1 through March 31 was delinquent or unaccounted for, the US Defense Department Inspector General said in a quarterly oversight report of US support for Ukraine on Thursday.

2024-05-16T15:39+0000

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2024-05-16T17:50+0000

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"Based on information provided by the ODC-Kyiv [US Office of Defense Cooperation], at the end of the quarter, 88 percent of defense articles were compliant and 12 percent were delinquent or unaccounted for," the report said. However, the latest data represents a 13% increase in the compliance rate compared to the previous quarter, the report said. The Defense Department Inspector General said it continues to conduct an ongoing series of evaluations regarding compliance with the requirements for tracking end-use monitoring of US-supplied equipment in Ukraine. Russia has consistently warned against the collective West's continued arms deliveries to Ukraine, saying that they only prolong the conflict.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240515/us-working-on-sending-additional-patriot-battery-to-ukraine---report-1118439784.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/why-cant-macron-afford-to-lose-french-pacific-territory-of-new-caledonia-1118471324.html

Why Can't Macron Afford to Lose French Pacific Territory of New Caledonia?

Why Can't Macron Afford to Lose French Pacific Territory of New Caledonia?

Sputnik International

The government of France has deployed troops to New Caledonia amid continuing civil unrest in the French South Pacific territory.

2024-05-16T17:43+0000

2024-05-16T17:43+0000

2024-05-16T17:43+0000

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The French government has deployed military units to New Caledonia amid continuing civil unrest in the French South Pacific territory.The troops will back up police efforts to secure ports and the main airport in the capital. French President Emmanuel Macron has declared a state of emergency to last at least 12 days.Mayhem swept the French island territory after Frances parliament passed a new law overnight on Wednesday.The French National Assembly voted 351-153 to pass a Paris-proposed constitutional amendment granting voting rights to French citizens who have lived in the overseas province of France for at least 10 years.Declaring that restricting the voting franchise to indigenous Kanaks and citizens who lived in the territory before the accord was "undemocratic", French Home Affairs and Overseas minister Gerald Darmanin tabled the bill to extend voting rights to residents arriving from mainland France.Critics of the legislation including the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) immediately pointed to the risk of the indigenous population becoming "marginalized" with the new law cutting their political representation in local institutions such as provincial assemblies and the local parliament.Clashes erupted once the law was passed, with public buildings and cars torched. There have been reports of gunfire exchanged between rioters and civil defense groups and an attempted prison break-out.Hundreds of people, including around 100 police and gendarmes, have been injured. At least five people have reportedly died in the violence gripping Noumea, including a gendarme. A curfew was declared and TikTok banned. FLNKS has condemned the violence, urging dialogue to resolve the crisis.In another twist to the developments, France was urged to stop a smear campaign against Azerbaijan after Gerard Darmanin alleged links between Baku and the leaders of the independence movement of New Caledonia during an interview with France-2.Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizad emphatically rejected the claim and condemned the French sides insulting expressions.Why New Caledonia MattersThere are several underlying causes of the current crisis in New Caledonia.Firstly, New Caledonias natural wealth. New Caledonia ranks third among the top nickel producers, boasting around 11 percent of the world's total nickel reserves. This highly versatile metal is a crucial component in the transition to electric vehicles. New Caledonia produced 193,800 tons of nickel in 2023, according to GlobalData, out of 3.3 million tonnes globally.Secondly, New Caledonia is one of five island territories straddling the Indo-Pacific region that France wishes to keep control over. It is located at the heart of the geopolitically important maritime region witnessing heightened jostling for influence.New Caledonia as viewed by France a regional hub to implement its Indo-Pacific strategy, relying on its military presence on the island. The New Caledonian Armed Forces (FANC) have three army bases, the Pointe Chalaix Naval Base, and Air Force and Naval Aviation based at the Paul Klein Air Base. In 2022 France announced it would increase its military surveillance potential in the Pacific by building a new docking quay at the Chaleix naval base.Continuing to retain its grasp on New Caledonia can be seen as central to Macrons ambitions of boosting French influence in the Indo-Pacific.Thirdly, the developments in New Caledonia also come as Macron has been seeking to recover his reputational losses over the debaccle in France's former African colonies.New Caledonia's political future remains uncertain. The pro-France outcome of the 2021 referendum, was rejected by all independence parties including the oldest  the Union Caledonienne (UC)  which boycotted it. French Loyalists have claimed that existing voting restrictions exclude thousands of potentially pro-France voters. With local elections looming in May, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin indicated the need for a solution  which came in the form of the constitutional amendment on voting rights. But this needed to be pushed through in time for the May vote, offering up a broader electorate. The president of then New Caledonian Congress, elected under previous rules, is Louis Mapou  an indigenous Kanak. The congress also has a pro-independence majority.Emmanuel Macron has delayed ratifying the amendment, allowing for negotiations with representatives of the French territory in Paris, but has set a deadline of June for a settlement to be reached.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240503/macron-is-afraid-to-go-down-in-history-as-the-leader-who-lost-africa-1118245820.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240504/us-france-fleeing-to-last-bastion-of-franafrique-1118248131.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240412/what-sahel-russian-troops-replace-french-in-niger-1117896062.html

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On the shoulders of a packed card at The Raceway at Western Fair District on Wednesday, May 15, Major League N returned to the winner's circle in impressive fashion in the top class, the $11,600 Fillies and Mares Preferred Pace.

Controlling the timer, Major League N posted panels in :28.2, :58.2 and 1:26.3 before winning by two lengths in 1:55.2. Saulsbrook Olympia (Colin Kelly) finished second with Sweet Cheeseus (Todd Ratchford) third.

Ed and Ashleigh Hensley own the 11-year-old Gotta Go Cullen-Candlestick Park mare, who won her third race from 12 starts this year. In 165 career starts, Major League N has earned a record of 40-35-17 to go along with $389,135 banked. She paid $22.30 at 10-1 odds.

Following the Distaff Preferred were four races of the City Of London Series for Ontario-sired horses four-year-old and younger, with divisions for male pacers and female pacers. The City Of London Series is open to non-winners of $10,000 lifetime as of midnight March 1, 2024. After the first leg for pacers contested on Wednesday, with divisions worth $8,000, the second leg is scheduled for Wednesday, May 22 with the $20,000 final scheduled for Friday, May 31 at the London, Ont. oval.

Cold Beer Calling ($8.50) was the first up to the plate in the first division for the horses and geldings. With Brett MacDonald in tow, the Darryl Laver student got away fourth through the opening panel in :27.4 before moving first over through the half in :58.2 and three-quarters in 1:27. At the top of the stretch, Cold Beer Calling achieved the lead and he fended off a stretch drive against All Bets On Red (Travis Henry) to win by a quarter length in 1:56.2. Jimmy Billie B (Tyler Borth) completed the triactor.

Rick Rier and Leanne Davidson co-own the sophomore Hes Watching-Mets N Jets gelding, who recorded his third win in 19 career starts.

La Sun Control ($3.90) took the second male division with Colin Kelly holding the lines for Rick Edwards. The four-year-old gelded son of Control The Moment-Sunbather sat fourth through panels in :28 and :57.3 before moving to the outside through the three-quarters in 1:25.4. He met pacesetting Rustys Bett (Henry) nose-to-nose in the final turn and the pair sprinted tandem towards the wire. In a photo finish, La Sun Control prevailed by a nose in 1:55. Farmers Beach (Jody Jamieson) completed the top three.

Edwards co-owns the winner of four races from six starts this year and seven races from 15 career starts with Michael Tam.

In the first division for the fillies and mares, Sauble Lila ($8.40) and Anthony Haughan got away third at the :28.2 first quarter, moved first over through the :58.3 half and 1:27.1 three-quarters, then charged home to win by 3-1/4 lengths in 1:56.1. Stilton Gold (Borth) took second and Acefortyfour Lady (Daryl Thiessen) completed the top three.

Otis Hall trains the daughter of State Treasurer-Performing Art for breeders Sauble Hill Farms and Nasussito Racing Inc. She won her sixth race from 10 career starts.

Think Ahead ($3.50) 'thought ahead' in her division of the City Of London Series for fillies and mares as she controlled the tempo through the mile. Posting panels in :29.3, :59.2 and 1:28.1, Garrett Rooney and the Robert McIntosh trainee won in 1:56.3 by 2-3/4 lengths over Wine Delight (Natasha Day) and Maple Shadow (Colin Kelly).

Robert McIntosh Stables Inc. owns the sophomore Thinking Out Loud-Ready Set Roll filly, who earned her second career victory from nine starts.

The first Prospect Series events of the season for Ontario-sired sophomore pacers were contested on Wednesday with four $8,000 divisions, two for the ladies and two for the lads. The Prospect Series is contested over five legs with the $15,000 final for three-year-olds hosted by Grand River Raceway on Friday, Sept. 27.

Jody Jamieson drove Carl Jamieson student Ireland Seelster ($2.70) to victory in the first split for the fillies and mares, a gate-to-wire triumph in 1:58 by a half length. Carl Jamieson, 1140545 Ontario Ltd., and Robert Edwards co-own the winning daughter of Sportswriter-I C Maggie May who earned her third career tally in 21 starts.

In race three's Prospect split, there was an accident involving four of the pacing fillies. Before the three-quarters, Rosean Tea (Tyler Borth) made a break and fell to the racetrack. Leavinwithasmile (Jason Ryan) and Pretty Missy May (Dale Spence) were unable to avoid while Crytel Shadow (Brett MacDonald) was charted with an interference break. After EMS paramedics examined Borth, Ryan and Spence, Borth and Spence were cleared to return to drive and Ryan was excused from driving.

Officials with Western Fair indicated that Rosean Tea had to be euthanized as a result of the accident.

Well Assessed ($2.60) won the second split for the girls as the pacesetter for the mile. Rooney and McIntosh teamed up again for the second gate-to-wire mile off panels in :29.1, :59.1 and 1:28 before fending off a charge from pocket-sitting Porch Pirate (Borth) to win by a neck in 1:57.4. The Sunshine Beach-Well Pondered filly is owned by Robert McIntosh Stables Inc. and Tyrone Valley Farm, and she picked up her third victory in eight lifetime starts.

Honolulu Vacation ($2.30) opened up the Prospect Series action for the colts and geldings with a gate-to-wire victory in 1:57.4 by 3-3/4 lengths. Michael Whelan provided the winning drive for trainer, owner and breeder Cody Hawkins. The sophomore Betterthancheddar-Luxury Vacation colt earned his first career win in seven starts.

Bettors Rush ($7) and Travis Henry completed the series action, waiting through panels in :28 and :58.1 before pulling first over en route to the three-quarters in 1:28.4. The Blake MacIntosh-trained gelding was still fourth in the final turn, but charged home to best Acefortyfour Duke (Brett MacDonald) at the wire by a neck in 1:58.2. The sophomore Bettors Delight-Sister Pippa gelding is owned by Hutt Racing Stable, Blake MacIntosh and Patrick Woods for his third win in 16 career starts.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of Rosean Tea.

To view Wednesday's harness racing results, click the following link: Wednesday Results - The Raceway at Western Fair District.

(Standardbred Canada)
Clinton Raceways Legends Day is one of the highlights of the summer harness racing calendar. It is a time for fans to mix and mingle with many of their racing idols and to watch some of the best in the industry participate in the Legends Day Trot, sponsored this year by HPI Bet.

The 2024 edition of Legends Day, scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 30, will also feature the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame (CHRHF) Reunion at Legends Day providing an opportunity for racing fans to meet with CHRHF members and their families, share memories or have a favourite Hall of Fame member autograph a piece of treasured memorabilia.

If you are a CHRHF honoured member or family member who has lost touch with the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, please reach out to Linda Rainey by email at [email protected] or by phone at 416-417-9404 for additional information about how you can participate in this very special day.

A list of CHRHF honoured members scheduled to attend will be announced in the coming weeks.

(CHRHF)
Growing concerns about the health impact of ending the wearing of masks in North Carolina could lead to less restrictive legislation, according to Senate bill sponsors.

House Bill 237 bars the wearing of masks, even for people who are immunocompromised. It would also bar the wearing of masks during a pandemic.

The hope of preserving certain exemptions dimmed when Senate Republicans voted Wednesday against two Democratic amendments that would have kept masking in order to assist in preventing the spread of contagious disease.

The revamped Senate version of House Bill 237  now titled Unmasking Mobs and Criminals  cleared the chamber by a 30-15 vote along party lines.

The bill returns to the House, which is expected to reject the Senate change in order to create a concurrence committee that could yield more precise language on who may or may not be affected by reinstating public masking restrictions that were in effect from 1953 to July 2020.

Senate Republicans approved HB237 even as Democratic opponents claimed a ground-swelling of public pushback against ending the exemptions.

According to Sen. Sydney Batch, D-Wake, about 700,000 North Carolinians are dealing with immunocompromised health issues, including herself following her fight with non-invasive breast cancer.

A Change.org petition urging lawmakers to rethink the bill has already gotten nearly 3,700 signatures. The petition cites concerns about people who wear masks for medical reasons.

Sen. Danny Britt Jr., R-Scotland, told the Senate Rules and Operations committee earlier Wednesday that were still in discussions with the House on how to tailor the medical exception to this mask policy for folks who may suffer from communicable diseases.

We want to ensure that this doesnt violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, so there will be some tweaking along the way.

Sen. Jim Perry, R-Lenoir, said trying to find the right language on public masking restrictions is akin to trying to thread a needle, realizing this is an imperfect law.

Its important to try to find the best ground we can on it.

Who is affected

Masking has been credited by state health officials for reducing the spread of not only COVID-19 over the past four years, but also allowing those undergoing treatment for diseases, such as cancer, to feel more safe in conducting public activities.

Tara Muller, policy attorney for Disability Rights N.C., cited as examples of people subject to punishment under the revamped HB237 including:

Older adults with illness or disease.

Chemotherapy patients or others with weakened immune systems.

Children and adults taking immuno-suppressants or with auto-immune disorders.

People with contagious diseases while wearing a mask in a public health department.

The public comments in opposition to HB237 center on two primary concerns.

The first is that ending the public masking exemptions could lead to increased exposure to communicable diseases.

The second is that a person wearing a mask for public health and safety reasons could face arrest and prosecution for a Class 1 misdemeanor  a potential that Senate bill sponsors downplay by saying they cannot find an example of someone being arrested for public mask wearing for health reasons.

A Class 1 misdemeanor carries a potential punishment in a range of 1 to 120 days of active, intermediate or community punishment with a maximum jail sentence of 120 days. A judge has complete discretion on any fine amount.

This bill means that wearing a mask in public, particularly for health reasons, means you are breaking the law even though wearing masks in public has become accustomed to because of COVID-19, said Sen. Dan Blue, D-Wake, and Senate minority leader.

An amendment proposed by Batch would have required a masked individual to remove their mask temporarily to identify themselves to a law enforcement officer or the owner or occupant of public or private property. Sen. Buck Newton, R-Wilson, and Senate bill sponsor, has signaled his support of such a requirement.

Sen. Julie Mayfield, D-Buncombe, said that society and public health are in a different place because of the pandemic.

Masks saved tens to hundreds of thousands of lives, Mayfield said. We have gone through a pandemic. We may go through another pandemic. Masks are a tool to keep people healthy, and people because of their health situation continue to wear masks on a daily basis.

Mayfield said that bill sponsors are mandating that if people want to express their First Amendment rights (by wearing a mask in public) that they may not.

You are removing peoples freedom in this bill right now as it stands to protect their health.

Overshadowing

Ending the public health and safety masking exemption is overshadowing what Senate Republicans say is the main goal of the bill: to expand the criminal penalties for wearing a mask in public while committing a crime.

State senators in support and opposition to HB237 acknowledge they are hearing from constituents opposed to returning North Carolina to pre-pandemic public masking restrictions.

This bill is simply to unmask people who are hiding their identity to engage in a crime, Newton said.

Newton said bill opponents are trying to scare people to death by putting the focus on the potential for mask-wearing individuals being considered as breaking the law.

Sen. Warren Daniel, R-Burke, said the reason behind the bipartisan support for public masking exemptions in Senate Bill 232 in July 2020 was trying to avoid a smorgasbord of individual county, municipality and state agency COVID-19 masking mandates.

Some of these concerns (about ending the mask exemptions) are just hyperbolic, said Daniel, who has questioned the effectiveness of masking in limiting exposure to communicable diseases.

Sen. Natasha Marcus, D-Mecklenburg, claimed Senate Republicans are trying to score political points with the anti-mask groups at the expense of the public trying to protect themselves.

Marcus said during the floor comments that she and other Democrat senators want to make clear they do not oppose expanding the criminal penalties for people wearing a mask in public while committing a crime.

Marcus said they are concerned that Senate Republican bill sponsors will try to politicize their no vote on HB237 as opposing the unmasking of criminals.

Counties with the highest rates of high blood pressure in North Carolina Counties with the highest rates of high blood pressure in North Carolina State-level statistics #25. Chowan County #24. Hyde County #23. Sampson County #22. Columbus County #21. Bladen County #20. Wayne County #19. Tyrrell County #18. Jones County #17. Cumberland County #16. Greene County #15. Martin County #14. Wilson County #13. Richmond County #12. Lenoir County #11. Washington County #10. Anson County #9. Vance County #8. Northampton County #7. Warren County #6. Edgecombe County #5. Hertford County #4. Scotland County #3. Bertie County #2. Halifax County #1. Robeson County
Transmission towers near San Marcos in April. A new assessment shows an increased risk of emergency Texas power grid conditions or blackouts on hot evenings in August. Brandon Bell/Getty Images A general view of a transmission towers in a field on April 17, 2024 in San Marcos, Texas. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) have asked power generating companies to postpone scheduled maintenance to help alleviate potential setbacks as temperatures have risen to the mid 80s. Rising temperatures has the potential to lead to an increased power demand during scheduled maintenance times, creating a power emergency. Brandon Bell/Getty Images Transmission towers run alongside a road on April 17, 2024 in San Marcos, Texas. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) have asked power generating companies to postpone scheduled maintenance to help alleviate potential setbacks as temperatures have risen to the mid 80s. Rising temperatures has the potential to lead to an increased power demand during scheduled maintenance times, creating a power emergency. Brandon Bell/Getty Images A general view of a transmission towers in a field on April 17, 2024 in San Marcos, Texas. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) have asked power generating companies to postpone scheduled maintenance to help alleviate potential setbacks as temperatures have risen to the mid 80s. Rising temperatures has the potential to lead to an increased power demand during scheduled maintenance times, creating a power emergency. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Texans are facing heightened risk of power failures on hot evenings this August as demand could outstrip resources, according to a new assessment from the entity responsible for setting and enforcing electric reliability standards.

As solar power dips after sundown, the risk of emergency conditions on the statewide grid overseen by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas will top 18%, according to the North American Electric Reliability Corp. The risk of rolling blackouts will be 14.6%.

The riskiest period will be from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., after the grid loses its cushion of generation from solar power but demand remains high amid lingering heat. The risk is also being increased by often-overloaded transmission lines in the San Antonio area. The troublesome circuit was blamed for emergency conditions in September that brought the Texas grid closer to rolling blackouts than it had been since a deadly winter storm in February 2021.

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As a result of continued vigorous growth in both loads and solar and wind resources, there is a risk of emergency conditions in the summer evening hours when solar generation begins to ramp down, the reliability corporation wrote. Contributing to the elevated risk is a potential need, under certain grid conditions, to limit power transfers from South Texas into the San Antonio region.

Texas isnt alone. The assessment said grids across the nation will struggle this summer to keep up with growing demand and increasingly severe weather.

A large amount of North America could be at risk of supply shortfalls during heat waves and extreme summer conditions, Mark Olson, the corporation's manager of reliability assessment, said during a media briefing.

September scare

In Texas, ERCOT is heading into summer having already issued its first weather watch this month  six weeks earlier than its first such watch a year ago. It didnt call on Texans to conserve power, but conditions got tight the evening of May 8 after an unseasonably hot afternoon and with the grid facing a high number of seasonal gas- and coal-fired plant outages.

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Last summer, the state grid operator called for conservation 11 times as record-setting heat waves plagued the state into September. On Sept. 6, the overloaded transmission lines out of South Texas and into San Antonio contributed to a frequency drop  a condition that can cause equipment failure and plant shutdowns. ERCOT issued a Level 2 Energy Emergency Alert but didnt resort to blackouts.

Thats the same kind of emergency that regulators worry could play out this August.

Conditions could cause overloads on the lines that make up the South Texas export and import interfaces, necessitating South Texas generation curtailments and potential firm load shedding to avoid cascading outages, the new assessment says. The risk is greatest when ERCOT has extremely high net loads in the early evening hours.

ERCOT officials are well aware of the issues posed by the crowded transmission lines. The grid operator brought up the risk of cascading outages during peak-demand months during a March 22 meeting with the Public Utility Commission.

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ERCOT is now seeking applications to create a new energy-saving demand program in the San Antonio region as a temporary remedy while CPS Energy builds out the strained transmission lines. Those beefed-up transmission lines likely wont be carrying power until summer 2027.

Those who opt into the program, likely large manufacturing plants and data centers, would be paid for hopping off the grid at times that capacity is tight and ERCOT needs to keep the problematic transmission lines from crowding.

ERCOT assessment

The combined amount of demand response  which moves demand off the grid during peak use or tight periods  is about 3,500 megawatts across Texas, according to the new report. The program ERCOT wants to create would add about 500 megawatts of conservation focused in the areas closest to the San Antonio choke point. Experts have called it a tall order that might be difficult to fill in a couple of months.

ERCOT does its own monthly risk assessments, but its report for August wont be published until June 3. That report will also give percentage risks for the three levels of emergency grid conditions the grid operator could call. ERCOT considers a risk probability that passes 10% as elevated. In January, ERCOT determined that the grid had a 17% risk for rolling outages during a storm or severe cold snap.

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Power demand in Texas traditionally peaks in August and is expected to do the same this summer. Daily demand usually peaks in the 3 p.m. hour. Historically, that had been when the grid was at its riskiest period. But the industrys rapid expansion of solar farms has put the grid in a position to comfortably handle those peaks  until the sun sets.

Its when the sun is down and hot evenings keep demand high that ERCOT faces challenges.

Last summer, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. said there was a 4% chance ERCOT would declare a level-one emergency during peak demand conditions. That probability rose to 19% in the hour of 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

In the battle to build software-driven connected vehicles, General Motors Co. CEO Mary Barra knows the "industry is so fierce, you have to have the very best talent."

That's one reason Barra is heading to California for an event celebrating the opening of the automaker's new Mountain View Technical Center in the Silicon Valley, home to 200 employees and a sign that GM's talent search stretches far beyond its Michigan roots. The move comes as the Detroit automaker is preparing to abandon its Renaissance Center headquarters for smaller corporate digs in the Hudson's Detroit development amid a steady decline in RenCen headcount and upgrades at its Warren Technical Center.

GM is "going to go to where the talent is," Barra told The Detroit News in an interview. "It's not to say that our people aren't great, but if you haven't been a software engineer and doing the type of software that is needed, you don't have time to learn. Bringing in the right talent, wherever they are, is going to be important."

State stakeholders, experts and business executives say Michiganeven with three global automakers headquartered here and several tier-one auto suppliersbadly lags other states in the knowledge-based economy, forcing companies to look elsewhere for the tech talent they need to be competitive in the global marketplace.

The 50,000-square-foot Mountain View center centralizes the labs and offices GM operates in the area for the automaker's software team to collaborate. The office space will eventually have a software quality lab. Leaders, including Baris Cetinok, GM's vice president of product, software and services, will work out of the office building.

Michigan is still "where the core and the bulk of our talent are," Barra said, but in Silicon Valley, "there is a lot of software talent there. And you have to tap into that."

GM employs more than 25,500 at its three southeast Michigan offices with most of those employees working out of the Global Technical Center in Warren. GM still calls the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit its global headquarters but will be moving its HQ to the Dan Gilbert-backed Hudson's Detroit development in 2025.

GM has not said how many people will work out of the Hudson's building. As the development's anchor tenant, the automaker will lease the top two office floors of the 12-story mixed-use office, retail and event-space building for 15 years, The Detroit News previously reported.

"It will be our true corporate headquarters," said Barra, noting she'll be there along with corporate staff.

GM's presence in the RenCen has noticeably dwindled post-pandemic. The automaker no longer breaks down the employee count at each of its southeast Michigan offices, but The News in December reported 1,320 employees worked there, a 67% decline since early 2020.

A few years back, GM shifted its sales and marketing team to work closely with engineers and designers stationed at the Warren campus, Barra said.

The automaker will work with Gilbert's real estate firm Bedrock on a redevelopment plan for the Renaissance Center, which opened in 1976 and was purchased by GM in 1996.

"We are reimagining what our headquarters will be, but we're very proud Detroit is our home and we've said that it will be our home," Barra said.

Still, GM and other companies have to go beyond the Great Lakes state when trying to attract and retain talent, which researchers say will affect Michigan's prosperity.

In 2004, economist Donald Grimes of the University of Michigan's Research Seminar in Quantitative Economics and Lou Glazer, president of Michigan Future Inc., a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on "recreating a high prosperity Michigan," found that manufacturing was no longer the driver of growth for the state. Instead, prosperity would come from having a knowledge-based economy. That shift has not occurred in the last 20 years, resulting in the state dropping from 16th in 1999 to 39th in personal income per capita among the 50 states as of 2022.

The researchers found that if the same trends continue, Michigan in 2045 would be ranked 48th. To prevent this and push for a knowledge-based economy, Michigan needs to create vibrant cities for young professionals and encourage students to obtain degrees.

"You need to design an education system ... so all kids are prepared to complete four-year degrees," Glazer said. "Secondly, you need consistent messaging that four-year degrees are the best path to successful, prosperous 40-year careers, and we're not doing either of those things."

Barra says the state has "to fix the public school system."

"Education is foundational because when someone has a great education, they can do anything," she said. "When we're not serving the children in this state well with a solid quality education, we put them at a disadvantage."

She added the colleges here "do a fabulous job."

"We have to fix the core issue in K through 12," she said. "But I think our university system here is incredibly strong."

Glenn Stevens, executive director of MICHauto and the Detroit Regional Chamber's vice president of automotive and mobility initiatives, has heard from multiple executives it's important to "build your own and keep your own." That means ensuring Michigan youth go on to attend higher-education institutions here.

"You have to have career-path planning for these kids ... and we are 48th in the country in the ratio of counselors to students in our schools," Stevens said. "That's a problem to me."

Erik Gordon, a professor at the University of Michigan's Ross Business School, said companies like GM have a "double-barreled problem" of having difficulty in attracting talent to Michigan and then in California having to compete with other, potentially more appealing companies.

"Even the advanced manufacturing the car companies do is not glamorous on the coast," he said. "Who can you get to come here and work here? How do you compete with the snazzy companies on the coast if you go there?"

2024 detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Boeing's 737 MAX experienced two infamous crashes in 2018 and 2019 that together claimed 346 lives.

The Department of Justice said that Boeing can be prosecuted for violating a 2021 criminal settlement over the certification of the 737 MAX.

The DOJ determination, filed in US court in Texas on Tuesday, comes on the heels of a near-catastrophic Alaska Airlines flight in January that made an emergency landing after a panel on the fuselage blew out.

US officials gave Boeing until June 13 to respond with input the United States "shall consider in determining whether to pursue prosecution of (Boeing)."

What was the 2021 settlement?

In January 2021, the Department of Justice announced a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) in which Boeing agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle fraud charges over certification of the 737 MAX, which experienced two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 that together claimed 346 lives.

In addition to the financial penalties, the agreement required Boeing to strengthen its compliance program, meet regularly with US anti-fraud officials and submit annual reports documenting its progress.

The agreement, announced on January 7, 2021 in the waning days of Donald Trump's administration, was designed to expire after three years if Boeing met its requirements.

What did DOJ conclude?

The letter from DOJ to US Judge Reed O'Connor said the agency determined Boeing "breached its obligations" under the DPA, citing a number of provisions in the accord.

These included measures requiring Boeing to implement a compliance and ethics program, beef up its internal controls "to effectively detect and deter violations of US fraud laws" and prohibit Boeing from providing "deliberately false, incomplete or misleading" information about its compliance.

Other provisions require Boeing leaders to model excellent behavior supporting compliance as part of creating and fostering "a culture of ethics."

Is this a result of the Alaska Airlines problem?

The DOJ letter did not mention the Alaska Airlines incident, which has spurred "multiple governmental and regulatory investigations," according to a Boeing securities filing.

The Alaska Airlines incident follows numerous other unflattering revelations about Boeing manufacturing problems and complaints from whistleblowers, heightening scrutiny of the company.

The FAA in January opened an investigation following the Alaska Airlines episode on whether jets delivered by Boeing "were in condition for safe operation."

The FAA on February 28 gave Boeing 90 days to develop "a comprehensive action plan to address its systemic quality-control issues to meet FAA's non-negotiable safety standards."

What punishments does Boeing face?

Family members of the 737 MAX victims, who have slammed the 2021 agreement as a mere slap on the wrist, have called for prosecution of Boeing and top officials, as well as the appointment of an independent monitor.

DOJ is set to gather input from victims at a meeting on May 31.

Columbia Law School Professor John Coffee said straightforward remedies for DOJ could include extending the DPA and appointing a monitor with extensive oversight capacities, but considers prosecution of senior executives unlikely.

How does DOJ's action affect the crisis at Boeing?

The DOJ's action adds to pressure on Boeing, which has reported a string of financial losses and has significantly slowed its delivery of new jets while it addresses quality control issues.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, said the DPA failed to address Boeing's "rotten corporate culture" because it held "no one accountable," adding that he looks forward to hearing from Boeing leaders at a hearing.

Blumenthal and other lawmakers critical of Boeing have characterized the company's success as essential, alluding to economic and national security priorities.

Coffee cited an "economic" rationale for not criminally prosecuting Boeing.

"The company is badly injured and a criminal trial would get considerable attention, causing even greater economic damage and possibly fueling a backlash from retail passengers," Coffee said in an email.

"Air carriers would be scared of a world in which Boeing shrank into relative insignificance, leaving Airbus holding a monopoly and predictably charging higher prices."

 2024 AFP
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Chinese shopping app Temu has on average around 75 million monthly active users in the EU.

European consumer groups on Thursday accused Chinese shopping app Temu of using "manipulative techniques" to make users spend more and other violations of a landmark EU tech law.

One of the fastest-growing apps, Temu only entered the EU market in April 2023 and says it has on average around 75 million monthly active users in the 27-country bloc.

Europe's BEUC umbrella consumer rights group filed a complaint with the European Commission while 17 member organizations in Europe including in France, Germany and Spain have done the same with national authorities.

The groups accuse Temu of "failing to protect consumers and for using manipulative practices which are illegal"known as "dark patterns"and demanded an investigation.

They believe Temu is distorting or impairing consumers' ability to make "free and informed decisions" while shopping online, in violation of the EU's mammoth online content law known as the Digital Services Act (DSA).

Contacted by AFP, the company said it took the complaint "very seriously". It promised to "study it thoroughly" and to cooperate with the relevant stakeholders.

"Where we identify areas for improvement, we are eager to work together to enhance our service and to rectify any shortcomings," Temu said in a statement.

"We are committed to transparency and full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations."

Under the DSA, digital platforms must remove illegal content quickly, be more transparent about how they use users' data and ensure the safety of shoppers online.

BEUC charged that Temu fails to provide enough information about traders on the platform, "frequently leaving consumers in the dark about who they are purchasing products from".

And there is not enough information about how its "opaque" recommendation system works, it added, despite transparency being mandatory under the DSA.

Under scrutiny elsewhere

Temu, owned by China's PDD Holdings, has already come under pressure in Europe.

German consumer groups warned Temu earlier this year about similar issues, which led to the platform announcing it would no longer display notices telling consumers to "Hurry up! Over 126 people have this item in their shopping cart".

It has faced fierce scrutiny elsewhere including in Asia and the United States.

South Korean regulators in April began investigating Temu on suspicion of false advertising and unfair practices.

The EU is expected to add Temu to its list of "very large" digital platforms under the DSA, which will force the company to comply with stricter rules, including providing regular information about how it is mitigating risks.

Brussels has already added Chinese-founded online retailer Shein to that list, which also includes AliExpress, Amazon, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube among a total of 23 platforms.

 2024 AFP
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A team of experts, including Monash University researchers, has developed a new technique to implement quantum-safe digital signatures twenty times faster, resulting in speedier and safer online transactions than ever before.

The research, published recently in IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems, is the first to develop a much faster way to implement Falcona post-quantum digital signature schemefor graphic processing units (GPUs).

Co-author of the research and quantum-safe cryptography expert, Associate Professor Ron Steinfeld from Monash University's Faculty of Information Technology, said the world is increasingly moving toward quantum-safe computer systems and Falcon is one of the leading quantum-secure digital signature schemes approved by the the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the United States.

"Falcon and other quantum-safe signature schemes are quite detailed and time-consuming algorithms to implement for GPUs," Associate Professor Steinfeld said.

"Through this research, we have successfully developed new techniques to solve the unique challenges of efficiently implementing Falcon on GPUs, resulting in 20 times faster generation of quantum-secure digital signatures compared to current state-of-the-art CPU implementations."

First author of the research and parallel implementation expert, Associate Professor Wai-Kong Lee from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, said many researchers have been working on optimizing the practical performance of Falcon since its recent introduction as a NIST standard.

"Falcon is particularly hard to implement on GPUs compared to other NIST standardized signatures, due to its special signing process. This work is the first attempt to fill the research gap and hopes to stimulate more significant breakthroughs in implementing Falcon," Associate Professor Lee said.

Digital signatures are used widely across all GPUs and computer networks across the world to process and authenticate all types of digital transactions.

One of the research co-authors, Dr. Raymond Zhao from CSIRO, Australia' national science agency, said governments across the world are moving to standardize computer networks to safeguard against attacks for quantum computers in the future.

"In recent years, with the increased use of computers for various activities including e-commerce, consumption of all forms of media and the use of artificial intelligence, there has been a rising demand for better performing GPUs which typically handle more complex computational processes," Dr. Zhao said.

Dr. Zhao added that GPUs are usually used where huge amounts of data or transactions need to be processed on a daily basis.

"For example, in the case of e-commerce website Alibaba, we see around 583,000 orders per second during its peak time and online payments typically adopt digital signatures to secure the payments.

Assuming that it conducts two signature verifications for each transaction, in merely one second, the system needs to handle up to 583,000 signature generations and 1,166,000 verifications. This can be a very challenging task if all the signature generation and verification tasks are to be computed using only CPU, even for a very powerful server," Dr. Zhao explained.

"Accelerated generation of digital signatures would positively impact all online transactions, especially for e-commerce transactions and Internet of Things (IoT) because those applications need to process millions of digital signatures per second on the server side during the peak time."

More information: Wai-Kong Lee et al, High Throughput Lattice-Based Signatures on GPUs: Comparing Falcon and Mitaka, IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems (2024). DOI: 10.1109/TPDS.2024.3367319
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The probe is the second looking into Meta's Facebook and Instagram under the EU's new Digital Services Act.

The EU on Thursday opened a formal investigation into Facebook and Instagram on suspicion the platforms owned by Meta are causing addictive behavior in children.

The probe is under a mammoth law known as the Digital Services Act (DSA) that forces the world's largest tech firms to do more to protect European users online and clamp down on illegal content.

It is the second investigation into Meta. An earlier one was launched by the European Union last month over fears Facebook and Instagram are failing to counter disinformation.

"We are not convinced that it has done enough to comply with the DSA obligations to mitigate the risks of negative effects to the physical and mental health of young Europeans," the EU's internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton, said.

"We are sparing no effort to protect our children," he added.

A Meta spokesperson defended the company's efforts to protect young users.

"We want young people to have safe, age-appropriate experiences online and have spent a decade developing more than 50 tools and policies designed to protect them," the spokesperson said.

"This is a challenge the whole industry is facing, and we look forward to sharing details of our work with the European Commission."

'No effort to protect children'

In Thursday's announcement, the European Commission, the EU's tech regulator, said it suspected the platforms' systems "may stimulate behavioral addictions in children".

Another issue the commission raised is the so-called "rabbit hole" effectwhich occurs when users are fed related content based on an algorithm, in some cases leading to more extreme content.

The commission is also worried that Meta's age-verification tools may not be effective.

The DSA has strict rules to protect children and ensure their privacy and security online, and the EU fears Meta might not be doing enough to meet these obligations.

The EU stressed in a statement that the "opening of formal proceedings does not prejudge its outcome".

There is no deadline for the probe's completion.

Raft of probes

The DSA sits within the EU's powerful legal armory to rein in Big Tech.

Facebook and Instagram are among 23 "very large" online platforms that must comply with the DSA or risk fines that could reach as high as six percent of a platform's global turnover, or even a ban for serious and repeated violations.

Other platforms caught up in DSA scrutiny include Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.

Brussels has launched a wave of investigations, showing online giants it means business.

In February, the commission began a probe into TikTok, which is owned by Chinese firm Bytedance, on suspicion the hugely popular video-sharing app may not be doing enough to address negative impacts on young people.

The EU also forced TikTok to suspend its spinoff Lite app's reward schemes in April after warning its "addictive" nature could risk serious damage to users' mental health.

Other investigations have targeted Chinese online retailer AliExpress and social media platform X, which is owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk and used to be called Twitter.

The DSA's remit is wide and also forces digital shopping platform like AliExpress and Amazon to do more to counter the sale of fake and illegal goods online.

 2024 AFP
City Manager Erik Walsh and City Council members give a press conference after attending a closed door meeting to discuss the City Attorney Andy Segovia's performance at City Hall on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 in San Antonio. Salgu Wissmath/San Antonio Express-News (Left to right) Councilmembers Marc Whyte, Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, Melissa Cabello Havrda, Marina Alderete Gavito, and Teri Castillo give a press conference after attending a closed door meeting to discuss the City Attorney Andy Segovia's performance at City Hall on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 in San Antonio. Salgu Wissmath/San Antonio Express-News City Manager Erik Walsh and City Council members give a press conference after attending a closed door meeting to discuss the City Attorney Andy Segovia's performance at City Hall on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 in San Antonio. Salgu Wissmath/San Antonio Express-News Security stands outside a closed door meeting in the Presidio Conference Room where City Council held an executive session to discuss City Attorney Andy Segovia's performance at City Hall on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 in San Antonio. Salgu Wissmath/San Antonio Express-News City Attorney Andy Segovia (right) chats with Mayor Ron Nirenberg at the City Council meeting on Thursday, Feb 16, 2023. Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer

City Attorney Andy Segovia is likely to walk away unscathed from a City Council uprising over his performance, but members are still roiling over his contention that they can't be trusted not to leak information from closed-door meetings about contract talks with the firefighters' union.

Five council members last week demanded to meet with City Manager Erik Walsh to express their concerns about Segovias alleged lack of transparency and inconsistent legal advice and to discuss potentially finding a new top attorney.

The group rattled off a handful of problems with Segovia, but said the breaking point was his role in a spat over when council could discuss ongoing negotiations for a new labor agreement for firefighters.

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Walsh emerged from a closed-door meeting with the council Wednesday saying he had complete confidence in Segovia and his office. The city manager, who has the sole power to hire and fire the city attorney, said he plans to talk with Segovia about concerns some members raised.

Im not seeing that as discipline, Walsh said of his upcoming meeting with Segovia. But I do think that there is some follow-up that needs to happen in order to address some of the issues that were shared with me today.

The dispute has flared up as the city and the San Antonio Professional Firefighters' Association remain sharply divided over pay raises for the city's more than 1,800 firefighters. The union's current contract expires at year's end.

The council is made up of 10 members and Mayor Ron Nirenberg. Members Melissa Cabello Havrda, Marina Alderete Gavito, Teri Castillo, Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and Marc Whyte called for the meeting with Walsh.

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Several of them had asked to recess into a closed-door meeting on May 8 to further discuss contract negotiations, which have stalled and could impact the city budget. Nirenberg shot them down, saying council members can have individual conversations with Segovia and Walsh to get updates.

The five submitted a memo in an effort to force a meeting, but Segovia swiftly turned them down. On May 9, the group publicly questioned Segovias suitability as they called for a meeting with Walsh. (A public meeting about the union negotiations was scheduled for Thursday. However, in an unexpected turn, most of council's discussion took place behind closed doors.)

Segovia shot back with a comment to reporters that appeared to accuse unnamed members of leaking information from closed-door meetings. At minimum, he implied that he doesnt trust members to keep details to themselves.

As City Attorney, I have an ethical duty to maintain the confidentiality of our executive sessions, he said in a May 9 statement. Based on information that was relayed to me, I have no confidence that what is said there with respect to the collective bargaining agreement  the Citys second largest contract  will remain confidential.

A city spokesman said Segovia, a former corporate lawyer for General Motors who was hired as city attorney in 2016, would not elaborate on his comment. It's unclear if he has evidence of a leak. Segovia was not present at Wednesdays council meeting.

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Walsh also refused to answer questions about a possible leak.

And City Council members are receiving mixed messages about Segovia's cryptic statement.

District 4 Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia  who approves of Segovia's performance  said she spoke with him and Assistant City Attorney Elizabeth Provencio last week. They told her that council members would be briefed on the contract negotiations individually because they believed information from an executive session had been leaked, though they provided no details about what had been released or by whom.

When McKee-Rodriguez spoke to Walsh this week about the city attorney's remark, he was told Segovia wasnt certain that someone was spilling the beans about executive-session talks about the contract negotiations, but that he was concerned someone might do so.

It wasnt that it was actually happening and that there was proof or evidence or that there was a suspect, or suspicion of any individual person  but there was a worry that it was possible, McKee-Rodriguez said.

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City Council has met in executive session to discuss negotiations with the firefighters' union four times.

Cabello Havrda, a likely 2025 mayoral candidate who is the most outspoken of the group of five dissidents, said members leaking information from closed-door meetings has been "a festering problem for years that should have been corrected long ago. But the timing and manner of Segovias clampdown strike her as illogical.

If your concern is to prevent leaks, why give us one-on-one meetings? Those can generate leaks as well, Cabello Havrda said.

Though McKee-Rodriguez noted he was unaware of any evidence that information about the contract talks had leaked, he said there have been past instances of information from executive sessions falling into the hands of reporters and business leaders. And he named District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez as the source of those leaks.

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I can talk to a member of city staff and say something about Manny leaking information, and its a point where everyone laughs because we know whats true, and it is what it is, McKee-Rodriguez said. And thats a real problem.

McKee-Rodriguez said as the council prepared to reprimand then-Councilmen Clayton Perry and Mario Bravo for bad behavior, Pelaez talked to outsiders about what council members said about the two in closed-door meetings. (Perry had been arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated and fleeing the scene of an accident, and Bravo was accused of berating then-Councilwoman Ana Sandoval. Both incidents took place in late 2022.)

Pelaez denies ever sharing information from an executive session.

What happens in executive session is like Las Vegas  if it happens in executive session, it stays in the executive session, he said.

Pelaez said he doesnt see a problem with Segovias actions or recent comment about leaks. He said that as an attorney, he believes Segovias actions were an effort to protect the council.

Sometimes we have to take precautions to help our client when our client isnt helping themselves, he said. Thats what we lawyers do.

Cabello Havrda and Whyte are also attorneys.

Whyte doesnt buy Segovias remark about leaks being the reason that he shut down executive sessions about union negotiations.

My belief is it was really a divide-and-conquer strategy, Whyte said. They thought by having individual meetings with us, they could turn our opinion on what we should offer our firefighters.

The City Council has largely backed pay raises for firefighters, though nobody has said they want to grant the union what it was seeking as of April  a 33.7% pay hike over three years. City staff claims the current union ask could leave the city with a massive deficit. But city estimates are based on a union proposal that includes an expensive request to change how shifts are staffed, which may not make it into the final contract.

Pelaez and Cabello Havrda are likely to face off in the 2025 mayoral election. Pelaez has already announced his candidacy, and Cabello Havrda is gearing up to run.

Derailed meeting

After Wednesdays closed-door session about Segovias performance, Cabello Havrda spoke for the group of five in a brief news conference outside of City Hall. She said that meeting was the beginning of the process and that she and her colleagues had a great discussion with Walsh about accountability and transparency.

Our goal is now and always has been to make sure that this government is working for the people of San Antonio, she said. Our goal will continue. Were looking for transparency. Were looking for accountability. And were going to continue this process with the city manager and his office.

Last week, Cabello Havrda said she was ready to see a new city attorney take the reins.

On Wednesday, she told the Express-News it was too early to make that call.
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Google chief executive Sundar Pichai says the AI revamp of its online search engine will soon spread to countries other than the United States.

Google's use of artificial intelligence to sum up answers to search queries has publishers wondering if traffic to their websites will wither.

The internet titan announced Tuesday it is introducing AI-generated answers to online queries in the United States, in one of the biggest changes to its world-leading search engine in 25 years.

The change will soon spread to other countries, arguably reducing the importance of links and web pages for more than a billion people.

And bloggers, news outlets and others who benefit from people clicking on their links via Google's search results could see audiences dwindle if people are sated by what its "AI Overview" serves up.

"It's going to create a negative impact on brands and publishers who rely on organic search traffic for sure," Marketing AI Institute CEO Paul Roetzer said of such a scenario.

"We just have no idea how much, and we don't really know what you can do about it."

AI blurbs generated by Google's Gemini technology will offer succinct summaries of what it found on the internet with only a few links to the online sources that supplied the information.

Research firm Gartner predicts traffic to the web from search engines will fall 25 percent by 2026 because of increased reliance on AI in general.

Roetzer noted that Google has not provided much information about how the change might affect advertisers or publishers, essentially asking them to have faith.

"It's just going to be a grand experiment happening in real time that will move people's businesses one way or the other, depending on how it plays out," Roetzer told AFP.

For now, marketers and publishers have little choice but to keep doing what they are doing, and diversify where they appear online to get noticed in places other than Google searches, he added.

But online audiences have already been splintering as people spend time on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and other venuesso opportunities exist to connect with people there, Roetzer added.

Aware of the negative reactions from publishers and content creators, Google executives insisted on Tuesday that the new formula would encourage users to click on a wider variety of websites, not the other way around.

"We're committed to ensuring a vibrant ecosystem," promised Hema Budaraju, a Google search director, at a press roundtable. In the new version, "sites receive more traffic" than before, she said.

AI-journalism opportunity?

Roetzer said news outlets and other media creators rich with fresh information could strike deals with Google to make money from licensing the data used in AI models.

"There's a chance that AI in a weird way saves journalism, because these (AI) model companies need real-time data," Roetzer said.

"What if these AI companies just fund journalism because they need it?"

CUNY Graduate School of Journalism professor Jeff Jarvis said he didn't blame Google for trying to improve an online search experience that had become "a mess."

He was leery of AI being used in search, however, because "it has no sense of fact."

Jarvis also advocated news outlets make deals with AI titans to provide credible current information, saying "there's an opportunity here for our industry."

"If you have unique and credible authoritative information, you might benefit," he told AFP.

The advertising industry, meanwhile, could take a hit of billions of dollars, according to Jeff Ragovin, chief executive of Semasio.

His company specializes in using semantics for the better targeting of ads.

"For businesses dependent on search rankings, the uncertainty surrounding AI Overview is alarming," Ragovin said.

Still, Google relies on ads for its revenue, so it's not likely to undermine that part of its business to win the AI race against Microsoft and OpenAI, said Media Growth Partners consultant David Clinch.

"They have to bake advertising into it," Clinch insisted.

"Otherwise, they're creating AI just to kill themselves."

Google pushed back at the suggestion that ChatGPT-style AI interactions could impact its business, saying it has found that people use Search more, and are more satisfied with their results when using Overview.

 2024 AFP
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Guide dog and robotic guide dog. Credit: Zinj Guo

What features does a robotic guide dog need? Ask the blind, say the authors of a recent paper. Led by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a study identifying how to develop robot guide dogs with insights from guide dog users and trainers won a Best Paper Award at CHI 2024: Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI).

The paper is published in the Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.

Guide dogs enable remarkable autonomy and mobility for their handlers. However, only a fraction of people with visual impairments have one of these companions. The barriers include the scarcity of trained dogs, cost (which is $40,000 for training alone), allergies and other physical limitations that preclude caring for a dog.

Robots have the potential to step in where canines can't and address a truly gaping needif designers can get the features right.

"We're not the first ones to develop guide-dog robots," says Donghyun Kim, assistant professor in the UMass Amherst Manning College of Information and Computer Science (CICS) and one of the corresponding authors of the paper.

"There are 40 years of study there, and none of these robots are actually used by end users. We tried to tackle that problem first so that, before we develop the technology, we understand how they use the animal guide dog and what technology they are waiting for."

The research team conducted semi-structured interviews and observation sessions with 23 visually impaired dog-guide handlers and five trainers. Through thematic analysis, they distilled the current limitations of canine guide dogs, the traits handlers are looking for in an effective guide and considerations to make for future robotic guide dogs.

One of the more nuanced themes that came from these interviews was the delicate balance between robot autonomy and human control. "Originally, we thought that we were developing an autonomous driving car," says Kim. They envisioned that the user would tell the robot where they want to go and the robot would navigate autonomously to that location with the user in tow.

Donghuyn Kim, Ivan Lee, Dog Handler and Hochul Hwang. Credit: Zinj Guo

This is not the case.

The interviews revealed that handlers do not use their dog as a global navigation system. Instead, the handler controls the overall route while the dog is responsible for local obstacle avoidance. However, even this isn't a hard-and-fast rule. Dogs can also learn routes by habit and may eventually navigate a person to regular destinations without directional commands from the handler.

"When the handler trusts the dog and gives more autonomy to the dog, it's a bit delicate," says Kim. "We cannot just make a robot that is fully passive, just following the handler, or just fully autonomous, because then [the handler] feels unsafe."

The researchers hope this paper will serve as a guide, not only in Kim's lab, but for other robot developers as well. "In this paper, we also give directions on how we should develop these robots to make them actually deployable in the real world," says Hochul Hwang, first author on the paper and a doctoral candidate in Kim's robotics lab.

For instance, he says that a two-hour battery life is an important feature for commuting, which can be an hour on its own. "About 90% of the people mentioned the battery life," he says. "This is a critical part when designing hardware because the current quadruped robots don't last for two hours."

These are just a few of the findings in the paper. Others include: adding more camera orientations to help address overhead obstacles; adding audio sensors for hazards approaching from the occluded regions; understanding "sidewalk" to convey the cue, "go straight," which means follow the street (not travel in a perfectly straight line); and helping users get on the right bus (and then find a seat as well).

The researchers say this paper is a great starting point, adding that there is even more information to unpack from their 2,000 minutes of audio and 240 minutes of video data.

Winning the Best Paper Award was a distinction that put the work in the top 1% of all papers submitted to the conference.

"The most exciting aspect of winning this award is that the research community recognizes and values our direction," says Kim. "Since we don't believe that guide dog robots will be available to individuals with visual impairments within a year, nor that we'll solve every problem, we hope this paper inspires a broad range of robotics and human-robot interaction researchers, helping our vision come to fruition sooner."

Other researchers who contributed to the paper include:

Ivan Lee, associate professor in CICS and a co-corresponding author of the article along with Donghyun, an expert in adaptive technologies and human-centered design; Joydeep Biswas, associate professor at the University of Texas Austin, who brought his experience in creating artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms that allow robots to navigate through unstructured environments; Hee Tae Jung, assistant professor at Indiana University, who brought his expertise in human factors and qualitative research to participatory study with people with chronic conditions; and Nicholas Giudice, a professor at the University of Maine who is blind and provided valuable insight and interpretation of the interviews.

Ultimately, Kim understands that robotics can do the most good when scientists remember the human element. "My Ph.D. and postdoctoral research is all about how to make these robots work better," Kim adds. "We tried to find [an application that is] practical and something meaningful for humanity."

More information: Hochul Hwang et al, Towards Robotic Companions: Understanding Handler-Guide Dog Interactions for Informed Guide Dog Robot Design, Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (2024). DOI: 10.1145/3613904.3642181
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Oscar Wilde once said that sarcasm was the lowest form of wit, but the highest form of intelligence. Perhaps that is due to how difficult it is to use and understand. Sarcasm is notoriously tricky to convey through texteven in person, it can be easily misinterpreted. The subtle changes in tone that convey sarcasm often confuse computer algorithms as well, limiting virtual assistants and content analysis tools.

Xiyuan Gao, Shekhar Nayak, and Matt Coler of Speech Technology Lab at the University of Groningen, Campus Fryslan developed a multimodal algorithm for improved sarcasm detection that examines multiple aspects of audio recordings for increased accuracy. Gao presented their work May 16, at a joint meeting of the Acoustical Society of America and the Canadian Acoustical Association, running May 1317 at the Shaw Center located in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Traditional sarcasm detection algorithms often rely on a single parameter to produce their results, which is the main reason they often fall short. Gao, Nayak, and Coler instead used two complementary approachessentiment analysis using text and emotion recognition using audiofor a more complete picture.

"We extracted acoustic parameters such as pitch, speaking rate, and energy from speech, then used Automatic Speech Recognition to transcribe the speech into text for sentiment analysis," said Gao.

"Next, we assigned emoticons to each speech segment, reflecting its emotional content. By integrating these multimodal cues into a machine learning algorithm, our approach leverages the combined strengths of auditory and textual information along with emoticons for a comprehensive analysis."

The team is optimistic about the performance of their algorithm, but they are already looking for ways to improve it further.

"There are a range of expressions and gestures people use to highlight sarcastic elements in speech," said Gao. "These need to be better integrated into our project. In addition, we would like to include more languages and adopt developing sarcasm recognition techniques."

This approach can be used for more than identifying a dry wit. The researchers highlight that this technique can be widely applied in many fields.

"The development of sarcasm recognition technology can benefit other research domains using sentiment analysis and emotion recognition," said Gao.

"Traditionally, sentiment analysis mainly focuses on text and is developed for applications such as online hate speech detection and customer opinion mining. Emotion recognition based on speech can be applied to AI-assisted health care. Sarcasm recognition technology that applies a multimodal approach is insightful to these research domains."

More information: Technical program: https://eppro02.ativ.me/src/EventPilot/php/express/web/planner.php?id=ASASPRING24
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Modern warfare is awash with cutting-edge technologyfrom AI to drones to hypersonic missilesyet one technology that is more than a century old is still proving its worth: Morse code.

The staccato streams of tones that would be instantly recognizable to a railroad man from more than 150 years ago are still in use by the Russian military in the Ukraine war.

Even today, many people would be able to identify the characteristic sound of Morse code, in particular, the widely known pattern three short, three long, three short (   ), forming the emergency signal SOS.

Today Morse code messages are being sent from Russian bombers to their control centers, or from ships of the Baltic Fleet to their shore-based headquarters.

The shortwave bands used by amateur radio enthusiasts are similarly filled with the beeps known by enthusiasts as "dits" (.) and "dahs" (-), or as dots and dashes by the wider public. Even spies still tune in to the shortwave bands to listen to clandestine stations broadcasting Morse code.

Invented in the 1800s

Why then, is a technology created in the first half of the 1800s still in use today?

First, Morse code was envisioned not by an engineer or technological wizard, but by a man who painted portraits for a living. Samuel Morse initially designed what we today would call a teleprinter, a device that receives and prints text on paper.

The sound of morse code.

Morse enlisted the help of the more mechanically inclined Alfred Vail, a machinist, to work out the details. It was the latter who created the dots and dashes to represent the code, and came up with the idea of using sound to convey information.

Initially, the sound was merely intended to be used to test a connection. Before long, Morse and Vail realized that the concept of printing was impractical. By adding sound, however, they had stumbled upon a concept more brilliant and useful than they could imagine.

The remarkable characteristic of Morse code is that in sound form, it forms a rhythm. Thus, it shares common ground with music. In fact, it has been noted that people with musical talent are able to start learning morse more quickly.

By stimulating the innate human sense of rhythm, Morse code also activates our sense of pattern recognition. This is a skill deeply embedded in our brains, and one that has great potential to decipher messages even if they are incomplete.

An experienced Morse code operator can fill in the blanks caused by interference, poor reception, noise or equipment malfunction. In a neurological sense, morse inhabits a very peculiar niche, likened to "reading with the ears" but where transmitting and receiving it resembles the act of speaking more than writing.

The other remarkable aspect of Morse code is its technological simplicity. Anyone with basic technological skills can build their own transmitter using standard components.

The signal generated by a morse transmitter is similarly minimalistic, using an extremely narrow bandwidth of only 100150 hertz (standard voice communications use 2,5003,000 hertz). This also means that receivers can use very narrow filters and thus remove much of the surrounding noise generated by various forms of interference.

Since it is so effective, morse only needs a minimum of power to travel significant distances. Amateur radio enthusiasts demonstrated in 1956 that as little as 78 milliwatts can be enough power to transmit from Massachusetts to Denmark. This is less than a tenth of what a single LED lightbulb uses. A standard coffee maker preparing most people's favorite morning brew uses more than a thousand times more power.

This combination of technological simplicity and efficiency came in handy during the second world war, when resistance members and Allied commandos used their portable Morse transceivers to maintain contact with London from deep inside German-occupied territory.

This was a very risky enterprise, since the Germans were constantly listening in on the airwaves. Morse code, while being unintelligible to the untrained ear, offers no security in and of itself.

Today, even those without training can use software to decipher the contents of a message sent using Morse code. However, any message can be made secure by encrypting it before sending it, as proposed by Vail in 1845.

In fact, one of the most secure forms of encryption, the one-time pad, requires nothing more than pen and paper. In essence, a one-time pad is a random string of characters, at least as long as the message that is going to be encrypted.

The sender uses his or her pad to encrypt, while the recipient uses a copy of the same pad to decode the message (there should be only two copies, and each should be destroyed immediately after use). As long as a pad is never reused, it remains theoretically unbreakable even with the most modern technology (although, truly random sequences of characters are difficult to produce).

While there are more efficient digital modes of communication today, nothing can rival the unsurpassed combination of simplicity and efficiency that has allowed Morse code to survive for more than 150 years.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Recent deepfake ads targeting House Speaker Dade Phelan. Campaign mailer Recent deepfake ads targeting House Speaker Dade Phelan. Campaign mailer

A recent deepfaked ad targeting House Speaker Dade Phelan could inspire further legislation to crack down on doctored imagery in political ads.

At the end of an April hearing of the House Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies, political attorney Andrew Cates suggested the committee should recommend an update to Senate Bill 751 from 2019, which created a Class A misdemeanor offense for distributing a deep fake video created with the intent to deceive voters.

Not to bring up sensitive stuff, but the speaker got hit a couple days ago with a fake image, or a deceptively altered image, Cates said. Its not against the law here.

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That mailer, paid for by the Jeff Yass-bankrolled Club for Growth Action PAC, depicted Phelan in an intimate hug with former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, apparently a remake of Pelosi hugging new House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Less publicized was the flip side of the mailer, which falsely depicted Phelan at a lectern speaking at a Texas House Democratic Caucus news conference.

If the ad was a sore subject among the members of the Texas House, committee Chair Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, didnt seem to mind.

It was multiple images, one on each side, and whats a video but multiple images played really quickly? Capriglione said, adding that the Legislature may need to update the law.

The reason, though, is because its unfair, Capriglione continued. Its deliberately made to deceive individuals  especially because AI can make things look so realistic and, obviously, neither of those two images actually happened.

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In addition to the ad containing photos, not videos, SB 751 only outlawed deep fake videos within 30 days of an election, and the ad was sent just outside of that time frame.

Cates suggested that the Legislature also expand the law to include radio, sound, speech and text. He also suggested making it a third-degree felony, as that would get the attention of groups who are scared of felonies but unaware of misdemeanors.

The committee isnt conducting official interim hearings yet, but Capriglione also co-chairs an AI panel that is set to submit recommendations before the end of the year. Assume this could make either panels list of recommendations.

Phelan hasnt shied away from talking about the ad, recently using the doctored photo in his own ad to show the lengths at which David Covey would go in his primary challenge against the speaker. Phelan didnt respond to a question asking whether he would support updating the deep fake law.
York County is set to elect what is likely one of the youngest people to hold office in Nebraska history.

Eighteen-year-old Joe Burgess on Tuesday won the Republican primary election for the York County District 5 commissioners seat, beating out a 79-year-old retired farmer and a firefighter for the spot. Burgess, who graduated from York High School on Sunday, is set to be the only name on the general election ballot  meaning the spot on the board is likely his.

Ive been putting a lot of work into this, Burgess said from a hotel room in Omaha Tuesday night, where he attended the state high school track meet on Wednesday.

I knocked on nearly 600 doors and handed out door hangers for ones that werent home, he said with clear excitement in his voice.

I learned a lot of stuff talking to people in my district, Burgess said.

Burgess won 152 votes, according to unofficial election results shared with the York News-Times on Tuesday evening, while Dean Heine, the retired farmer, won 124 and Erick Brekke, the firefighter, won 112.

Jail bond issues fail

It was not a good night for counties seeking bond issues to build new jails.

In Keith County, voters decisively rejected a $46 million jail bond issue proposal by a nearly 10-to-1 margin. Commissioners there had proposed building a new justice center on the south edge of Ogallala.

The proposed new jail would have had a capacity of 72 inmates. The current jail, which is 50 years old, has a single-cell capacity of 14.

Voters in Dixon County, in northeast Nebraska, also voted down a $20 million bond issue for a new courthouse and jail.

The county had proposed replacing its historic 140-year-old, two-story courthouse and its three-story addition built in 1940. Plans called for construction of a courthouse and law enforcement center, including a 12-bed jail, on a 5-acre plot on the southeast side of Ponca along Nebraska 12.

The bond issue failed by a 1,022-725 vote, according to unofficial results.

Shelton pool bond passes

Shelton residents voted approved a $3.5 million bond for a new swimming pool in the Buffalo County village.

The final tally was 167 votes in favor and 86 against, according to unofficial results from the Buffalo County Election Commission.

Mixed bag on sales tax increases

A couple of proposed sales tax increases had different results Tuesday night.

Bellevue residents voted down a half-cent sales tax increase that would have paid for infrastructure improvements in Nebraskas third-largest city.

On the other end of the state, voters in the small Scotts Bluff County community of Minatare, voters approved a 1-cent sales tax increase by a more than 2-1 margin.

The city will use half of the additional sales tax for infrastructure, while 25% will fund downtown revitalization and the other 25% is designated to fund community safety.

Sutherland now a sanctuary city

Sutherland, a Lincoln County village about 20 miles west of North Platte, appeared to have passed an ordinance making it an anti-abortion sanctuary city.

In unofficial vote totals from Tuesday night, 54% of people voted in favor of the ordinance.

This report contains material from the York News-Times, North Platte Telegraph, Omaha World-Herald, Sioux City Journal and Scottsbluff Star-Herald.
Destiny Marie Cardona, 28, was arrested and charged with injury to a child by omission. Bexar County Sheriff's Office Michael Aguilar, 37, is accused of injury to a child by omission and injury to a child with intent to cause bodily harm. Bexar County Sheriff's Office

A woman charged with retaliation in connection to a deadly dog attack last year now faces a child abuse charge.

Destiny Cardona, 28, was charged with injury to a child by omission. Her bond was set at $75,000.

Arrest records show that Cardonas boyfriend, Michael Aguilar, 37, also faces the same charge and a count of injury to a child with intent to cause bodily injury. His bail totaled $125,000, but he was released after posting bond.

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Cardona is the sister of Abilene Schnieder, 31, who was arrested last year along with Christian Alexander Moreno, 31, after police say their dogs killed 81-year-old Ramon Najera Jr. on the West Side as he was visiting a neighbor. Cardona is accused of making verbal death threats to a neighbor who witnessed the dog attack.

According to a preliminary police report from the San Antonio Police Department, Cardonas child arrived at the hospital on May 9 for surgery on a broken humerus bone. The child also had bruises all over their body and burns on their forearms, back and legs, according to the report. Police did not reveal the age or gender of the child.

The report states Cardona said the burns were from the child grabbing a cake pan from the oven, but police said it appeared the burns were old and no medical treatment was sought to heal them.

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The burns on the back of the childs legs looked like they were cigarette burns, the report states. The child also had missing and rotting teeth, the report adds.
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16/05/2024

In another massive hit to the multi-club model they wanted to bring to Everton, a Brazilian judge has acted to take Vasco da Gama out of the hands of 777 Partners while the firm's assets in Belgium have been seized.

The Brazilian club, that has been owned by 777 since February 2022, have had a preliminary decision accepted through a Rio de Janeiro court to suspend the effects of the sales contract between Sociedade Anonima do Futebol (SAF) and 777 and hand control to the association's director, Pedrinho.

As a result, 777 co-founders Josh Wander and Steven Pasko, together with Andres Blazquez, Donald Dransfield and Nicolas Maya, have been removed from Vasco's board of directors.

Vasco had their request approved by using article 477 of the Civil Code which permits a party to 'suspend contractual performance if its counterparty has been financially affected as a result of a supervening fact, which affects, or sheds doubt on, the counterpartys ability to perform'.

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Judge Paulo Assed Estefan. said: I give the requested injunction and suspend the effects of the investment agreement and the shareholders agreement, which grant the current control of Vasco da Gama to Sociedad Anonima do Futebol.

"As a result, the corporate rights (political and patrimonial) of 777 Carioca LLC are also suspended and control of the company is returned to Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama, removing the advisors appointed by 777 Carioca LLC from the SAF Board of Directors.

Meanwhile, Belgian authorities have followed through on a request by the chairman and former owner of Standard Liege, Bruno Vernanzi, and the shareholders of the club's Stade Maurice Dufrasne to have the Miami-based company's assets in that country seized.

Vernanzi alleges that 777 still owe them a second installment of funds for the purchase of Standard two years ago while supporters are outraged that the club has been handed a third transfer ban in 12 months for failing to pay its players and transfer fees due to other clubs. A similar situation played out at Vasco last year.

Without a response from [777 Partners], we will take new actions to protect our interests and those of Standard de Liege," Vernanzi said in a statement. "Our priority is to ensure the continuity and stability of the Club in the short, medium, and long term. We are available to the Club's management to help them find a lasting solution for Standard de Liege."

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Chainalysis, the blockchain intelligence platform, has inaugurated its headquarters for Southern Europe, Middle East, Central Asia and Africa in Dubai.

This move follows three years of exponential growth in the region for the company, as it has established itself as the leading provider of crypto investigation, Web3 growth, and crypto risk solutions to government and private sector entities.

Chainalysis provides data, software, services, and research to government agencies, virtual asset service providers, financial institutions, and insurance and cybersecurity companies in over 70 countries.

Solving cases

The company's data has helped solve some of the worlds most high-profile criminal cases involving North Korean hacking, ransomware, darknet market activity, and more, resulting in seizures of more than $10 billion by law enforcement agencies.

In support of the UAEs push to be a global crypto hub, Chainalysis has been actively engaging with key government stakeholders to offer guidance and best practices for the development of the regulations and frameworks necessary to foster a thriving crypto ecosystem.

This includes partnering with the UAE's Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications to set up a Centre of Excellence that helps government employees upskill on blockchain technologies. Most recently, Chainalysis signed an MoU with Emirates NBD to support the banking leaders Digital Asset Lab programme.

Crypto revolution

The UAE government has spearheaded the crypto revolution with forward-focused regulations, and business-friendly policies. At Chainalysis, we have been actively driving the maturity of the regions crypto ecosystem in line with the latest developments across the globe, said Michael Gronager, CEO at Chainalysis. The true potential and value of cryptocurrencies lies in their ability to transfer value, and we're seeing an upward trend of overall transfer activity. Utilisation is the underlying success story of the industry, and the UAE is strongly positioned to lead innovation with novel use cases that deliver tangible value to consumers and businesses.

With the opening of its Dubai office, Chainalysis is establishing new regional headquarters which support other emerging and fast-growth markets including India, Africa and Central Asia. The company aims to recruit skilled professionals specialising in traditional finance, regulatory compliance, and Web3.0 technologies to operate from its Dubai headquarters.

Nicola Buonanno, VP Southern EMEA at Chainalysis, said: The UAE market is at a tipping point, with institutional-sized transfers now accounting for the lions share of the countrys crypto activity. The need for our investigation, compliance, market intelligence and data solutions is greater than ever. The inauguration of our regional headquarters in Dubai, UAE signals our commitment to delivering not only the technologies, but the knowledge and support local entities need to capitalise on this tremendous opportunity.--TradeArabia News Service
Saudi Arabias Nahdi Medical Company has posted a first-quarter (Q1) net profit of SR233 million ($62.12 million) and a net margin of 10.3% along with revenue growth of 7.2%.

Exceeding its previous guidance, Nahdi achieved SR2.26 billion in revenue in Q1 2024, representing a 7.2% increase compared to Q1 2023 and 2% increase compared to the previous quarter, a release said.

Nahdi's Medicine segment continues to experience solid year-over-year growth, driven by prescription referrals from NahdiCare clinics, investments in provider pharmacies, and strategic partnerships with medical insurance companies.

Positive results

The company's investment in Front Shop sales, which began in the second half of 2023, yielded positive results. Particularly in the beauty category, the momentum started building in Q4 2023 with 3.3% growth in sales.

This upward trend continued into the first quarter of 2024 with a double-digit growth. The positive results in Front Shop sales, especially in the beauty category, were driven by Nahdi's strategy of prioritising fair value for its guests.

Further, Nahdis emerging businesses continued to perform strongly. The Company witnessed a growth acceleration of its online business, to reach 20% revenue contribution in Q1 2024, up from 16% in Q1 2023, mainly driven by the expanded product assortment on Nahdi Global.

44 new pharmacies

In Q1 2024, Nahdi continued to expand its healthcare business, experiencing a growth of 121%, while its UAE operations witnessed an increase of 173%. In the first quarter of 2024, Nahdi continued to invest in its future by opening one new clinic in Madina Al Munawara, 44 new pharmacies in Saudi Arabia and 6 new pharmacies in the UAE.

In line with its previous guidance, Nahdis gross margin delivered 38.1%, due to its investment in sales growth. In the face of short-term sales growth investments and ongoing investments into strategic growth areas, Nahdi managed to improve its operating expenses to reach 28.2% vs 29.9% Q1 2023. The savings are the outcome of Nahdis established efficiency programmes.

Nahdis cash position remains strong and holds zero debt, with returns from Islamic Murabaha time deposits supporting the profitability of the company. Moreover, the companys sustained a healthy cash flow supported by strong operational fundamentals and efficient working capital management.

The quarterly performance is a reflection of the companys investments in sales growth and advancing strategic initiatives, while enhancing the efficiency of its operating expenses, exceeding its previous guidance.--TradeArabia News Service
Al Hassan Ghazi Ibrahim Shaker Co has posted a first-quarter (Q1) net profit of SR32.25 million ($8.6 million), up 12.09% YoY, driven by strong revenue growth, enhanced operational performance, and lower finance costs.

Saudi Arabias leading manufacturer, importer and distributor of air conditioners and home appliances saw a Q1 revenue of SR413.24 million, up 19.24% year-on-year (YoY), driven by higher sales in the HVAC solutions segment and balanced growth across the companys brand portfolio.

Gross profit of SR97.77 million was up 12.24% YoY in line with higher revenues and a favourable portfolio mix.

Operating income

Operating income of SR31.35 million rose 9.59% YoY, primarily driven by higher revenues, and gross profit, offsetting the higher SG&A expenses in line with increased strategic marketing efforts.

EPS of SR0.67 per share, improved by 12.09% YoY.

Mohammed Ibrahim Abunayyan, Chief Executive Officer at Shaker, said: "Shaker's Q1-FY24 results are a strong start to the year, building on the momentum we established throughout 2023. Our focus on core business segments, brand diversification, and operational efficiency has continued to cement our market leadership.

We are especially proud of achieving a strong balance across our brand portfolio, demonstrating our agility and commitment to catering to evolving customer preferences. This customer centricity is a cornerstone of our vision, and it's reflected in our ongoing efforts to expand our digital footprint and enhance the user experience on our e-commerce platform. These factors, combined with our commitment to innovation, as exemplified by the recent MoU with LG Electronics and MISA, position Shaker for a future of industry leadership.

Looking ahead, we are excited to share our new growth strategy by mid-2024. This will guide our future direction while positioning Shaker at the forefront of innovation and sustainable growth."

Reduction in net debt

Demonstrating its commitment to achieving sustainable growth while strengthening its financial health, Shaker achieved a significant 24.08% reduction in net debt.

This strategic deleveraging along with optimising the usage of short-term loans and Letter of Credits (LC) has resulted in a decrease in finance costs, positively impacting net profit. Additionally, further improvements in inventory management and working capital resulted in strong cash generation from operations, reaching SR30.98 million.

In February 2024, Shaker signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with LG Electronics and the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA) to explore local manufacturing of AC compressors in the kingdom. This marks a significant leap towards localising the production of the most technologically complex component of AC units.

Localisation

In March 2024, Shaker also announced the localisation of manufacturing of LG Electronics Multi V5 unit featuring the Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) technology at its LG-Shaker factory in Riyadh. This cutting-edge technology is known for its energy-saving capabilities, space-efficiency, and reliability which will primarily target large residential projects as well as commercial and hospitality projects.

These strategic developments mark a new era in the Saudi market, while aligning with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, and strengthening Shakers value chain in its HVAC segment.

Shaker continued to expand its digital footprint, as its e-commerce platform experienced strong growth driven by ongoing efforts to improve user experience and broaden online offerings. Additionally, the upcoming transition to SAP's S/4HANA ERP system, on track for full roll-out by Q3-FY24, will further optimise operational efficiency and e-commerce capabilities.

The unveiling of a new growth strategy is expected by mid-2024, and will position Shaker for long-term growth.--TradeArabia News Service
JJ Velasquez is the managing editor of audience for the San Antonio Express-News. He can be reached at jj.velasquez@express-news.net.

He is a journalist with 15 years of experience in newsrooms throughout Texas, namely the Victoria Advocate, Laredo Morning Times, Community Impact Newspaper and the San Antonio Report. Velasquez holds a bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.
With the Middle East spearheading some of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in the world, including the $500 billion NEOM city project, the upcoming International Geotechnical Innovation Conference (IGIC 2024) in Jeddah is set to attract over 400 delegates, including more than 30 industry-leading speakers.

To be held from May 6 to 7, the IGIC 2024 aims to foster the Middle East & Gulf regions ambitious growth plans, where tall buildings and skyscrapers form the core of its vision.

The conference aims to discuss best practices in optimizing the geotechnical aspects central to improving the design and construction of deep foundations, ground improvement and underground infrastructures, to enable safe, cost-effective and sustainable structures, said the organisers.

As a premier gathering in the field of geotechnical engineering, IGIC 2024 will feature two intensive workshops, eight keynote presentations, over ten insightful sessions, and five plus comprehensive case studies, making it an essential forum for professionals seeking to delve into the future of geotechnical engineering.

The forum further discusses the latest case studies from the regions biggest construction projects, recent metro projects, bridges, tunnels and city development works and delves into core areas including innovative soil improvement and deep foundation solutions, soil structure interactions, AI and advanced technology solutions in geotechnics.

The Chairman of IGIC 2024 Technical Advisory Committee Dr. Marwan Alzaylaie, Senior Manager of Geotechnical Engineering at the Dubai Development Authority said: "We are on the brink of a transformative era in geotechnical engineering. The International Geotechnical Innovation Conference offers a unique platform to exchange innovative ideas and advanced methodologies that can dramatically improve the effectiveness and sustainability of foundation projects."

"It's an opportunity for the global community to align on best practices and pioneering technologies that will define the future of our industry," he added.

The conference features a series of keynote presentation from world-renowned professionals in geotechnical engineering. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Rolf Katzenbach from the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany, will share insights on innovative foundation technologies for the foundation of high-rise buildings.

Prof. Robert Liang from the University of Dayton, USA, will discuss advancing data-driven site characterization techniques in the age of Artificial Intelligence. Additionally, Dr. Rod Eddies of Fugro will bridge the gap between academic research and practical applications, emphasizing solutions to common industry challenges.

The expertise extends with Prof. Jie Han from the University of Kansas, USA, known for his work on geosynthetics and reinforced soil systems, and Prof. Deepankar Choudhury from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, an expert in earthquake geotechnical engineering.

According to the organisers, IGIC 2024 will not only serve as a hub for knowledge exchange but also feature an exhibition showcasing cutting-edge technologies and solutions in geotechnical engineering.

This gathering is a must-attend for engineers, project owners, development authorities, and academics aiming to stay at the forefront of industry advancements.

Strategic partners of the event include International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE), International Geosynthetics Society and Geo-Institute, Deep Foundation Institute, Society of Engineers  UAE among other prestigious institutions globally.

A major global event, IGIC 2024 has the backing of leading solution providers in geotechnical engineering such as Fugro, Gulf Consult, Geoharbour, and Soil Improvement Contracting Company among plethora of other contractors, equipment and service providers, ensuring a rich collaboration of ideas and innovations.-TradeArabia News Service
Travel & tourism experts from across the industry convened at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2024 Future Stage this morning to discuss the complexities of navigating the transformation of hospitality.

Slow travel, a movement that encompasses sustainable travel, mindful travel, and low-impact travel, sustainable practices and the use of AI and data to enhance the travel experience emerged as key actionable strategies for futureproofing travel and hospitality businesses in the Middle East region.

The opening session entitled Trends Shaping the Future of Hospitality in the Middle East, brought together senior representatives from IHG Hotels and Resorts, Marriot International, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Banyan Tree Dubai, Mastercard and Silkhaus.

The diverse panel provided a broad perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing today's hospitality industry.

Haitham Mattar, Managing Director, Middle East, Africa and South West Asia, IHG Hotels & Resorts, initiated the hospitality trends session with an insightful discussion on the dynamic transformation within the hospitality landscape.

Addressing a packed venue of trade professionals, Mattar highlighted the importance of how destinations and hotels identify their respective source markets: "The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way generations choose travel, with outdoor adventure now taking the No. 1 spot away from beach, sun and sand.

For the industry to stay afloat in difficult times, the private sector needs to mirror the vision of their respective tourism authorities and work together to ensure appealing spending packages for those markets, he noted.

He also outlined how generational shifts and emerging travel behaviours are giving rise to global travel trends such as slow travel and similarly, with the hospitality industry responsible for 10% of global emissions, consumers are now willing to spend up to 31% more on hospitality companies that execute sustainable practices.

Lastly, he highlighted how innovation in the hospitality industry is triggering the pace of digitalisation.

"The future use of technology and AI will be critical for us to get a clear idea of how to enhance consumer preferences. Specifically, travel anxiety is starting to reduce with technology, and the focus should now be firmly on the traveller's experiences," he added.

Also speaking about the transforming needs of the market, Sandeep Walia, Chief Operating Officer, Middle East - Marriott International, echoed Mattars sentiments as he highlighted slow holidays, sustainability, the rise of AI and dupe destinations  similar to traditional holiday destinations but closer in geography  as some of the key travel trends for the next three years, according to the Marriott Bonvoy Travel Trends report 2024 and beyond.

"The insights shared today go beyond theories to offer direct reflections of the transformations we aim to foster through ATM. As we continue to drive innovation and entrepreneurial spirit within the travel industry, sessions like these equip our attendees with the knowledge and tools necessary to lead the hospitality industry forward," remarked Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market.

The 31st edition of ATM, under the theme 'Empowering Innovation: Transforming Travel Through Entrepreneurship,' also hosted the fascinating Global Stage Welcome: The Gateway to Global Insights session, outlining Dubai's key tourism objectives for the coming years.

Elsewhere today, the Market Insights Summit also took centre stage, exploring the potential of developing markets such as China, India and Latin America as they emerge as key players in global tourism.-TradeArabia News Service
Dubai-based Almal Real Estate Development has announced the appointment of the Design & Architecture Bureau (DAR) as the lead design consultant for its flagship development on Al Marjan Island, consisting on two properties: The Unexpected Al Marjan Island Hotel and The Unexpected Al Marjan Residences.

This key project marks a significant milestone in the development of Al Marjan Island, one of the regions premier tourism and investment destinations, said a statement from the developer.

It boasts more than 422 hotel rooms and fully managed residential units that open out to uninterrupted views of the picturesque Arabian Gulf.

The Al Marjan Island project, which will take the form of a fully managed hotel and residential units, aims to diversify the hospitality offerings on Al Marjan Island, catering to the discerning needs of travellers seeking a vibrant and dynamic experience.

Situated a one-hour drive from Dubai, the project strategically capitalises on the island's prime location, offering unparalleled views of the sea and the community of Al Marjan Island.

A key player in the region, DAR has been a cornerstone of the architectural landscape in the UAE since its establishment in 1985, later re-structured in 1996 by Engineer Hussain Lootah and Architect Ibrahim Salem.

Today, DAR with nearly 800 successfully completed projects to its name, has cemented its reputation as a leading practice in the UAE, Gulf, and Middle East regions.

"We are thrilled to collaborate with DAR on our upcoming Al Marjan Island projects," said Mohammad Khader, Head of Project Development, Almal Real Estate Development.

"Their expertise and innovative approach to design align perfectly with our vision for creating a landmark destination that redefines luxury hospitality in Ras Al Khaimah," he noted.

As per the deal, DAR will be responsible for comprehensive design and engineering consultancy services throughout all stages of the project lifecycle, ensuring the realisation of Almals vision for the development.

With a focus on conceptualisation, planning, design development, procurement, project and construction management, quality assurance, and project closeout, DAR will be delivering a contemporary and visually stunning building that sets new standards for luxury hospitality in the region.

On the contract win, Mahdi Abu Aisheh, the Director of Development & Projects for DAR, said: "Being entrusted as the lead design consultant for the Al Marjan Island project is a tremendous honour for DAR. We are excited to embark on this journey with Almal Real Estate Development, and our team is committed to delivering a design that not only captures the essence of luxury and vibrancy but also sets a new benchmark for hospitality excellence in Ras Al Khaimah."

"This project offers an exciting new opportunity to showcase our expertise and innovation in crafting a truly distinctive and timeless masterpiece," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
UAE-based total facilities management service provider Emrill has announced that it is making significant progress towards its sustainability targets for 2024.

The organisation is on course to meet its goals in critical areas of environmental impact reduction, demonstrating Emrills commitment to sustainability in complete alignment with the UAEs vision for a greener future.

Emrills sustainability strategy includes ambitious targets over a 10-year period. The organisation aims to reduce its carbon footprint by 15%, reduce waste generation at its head office and stores by 20%, reduce water usage by 15%, and divert 15% of waste from its head office and stores from landfills. Emrill has set quarterly targets of 0.5% to ensure it achieves these goals and has established a points system to monitor and encourage continuous improvement.

United for Sustainability

Central to Emrills sustainability strategy is the launch of United for Sustainability, which builds on the success of Together for Sustainability. These programmes comprise several targeted sustainability initiatives that aim to reduce the environmental impact of Emrill's operations and improve efficiencies for clients while enhancing the overall performance of buildings and communities.

In 2023, Emrill achieved significant reductions in CO2 emissions, with a decrease of 801 tonnes of CO2e, equivalent to removing 664 cars from the roads or providing the CO2 absorption of 138,000 mature trees.

Additionally, Emrill reduced water consumption by over 2.25 million litres, which is the equivalent of filling more than 162 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Through energy and cost savings initiatives across Emrills 235+ contracts, the organisation has saved 7,639,125kWh, enough electricity to power 713 households for a year. Emrill has also made significant strides in waste management, diverting 22% of total waste away from landfills, far exceeding the regional average.

Philip Rawlinson, Emrills head of HSSEQ, said: Our top-down approach drives the progress Emrill has made on its sustainability journey. A key success factor has been the involvement of every Emrill employee and a shared commitment to accountability. In addition to rolling out sustainability initiatives across our projects, Emrill holds an annual Sustainability Week to focus on the importance of environmentally friendly processes and how we can continue to positively impact the environment.

Green goals

Emrill has also introduced Sustainability Champions across our contracts to bolster our sustainability efforts on-site and work closely with our clients to ensure we are helping them meet their green goals. This commitment to sustainability extends beyond our work and is having a positive knock-on effect for our employees, with 88.46% of our team members saying they are now managing their own energy and water consumption more efficiently.

Partnerships have also formed a core pillar of Emrills sustainability strategy. Emrill Energy, launched in 2023, has collaborated with regulatory authorities to provide insights on and reporting strategies aligned with recently implemented energy efficiency policies.

Partnering with sustainability-focused social enterprises, Emrill is also actively identifying and developing new sustainability goals and implementing strategies to achieve them with a view to fighting climate change more actively.

Stuart Harrison, Emrills CEO, said: "Our sustainability journey is integral to our operational ethos. Were empowering our teams to understand the value of sustainable facilities management strategies and execute them in our day-to-day operations to create environments that help our clients and the UAE achieve a greener built environment. Our achievements are a testament to the hard work of our dedicated team and the innovative strategies weve implemented across the board."

Among the innovative measures undertaken by Emrill is the introduction of advanced and environment-friendly technologies. The organisation has implemented a new Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) platform, providing a centralised system to track, analyse and consolidate ESG data using the latest standards and methodologies. This has enabled Emrill to make more informed decisions and foresee trends to improve the ESG performance organisation-wide. In addition to using battery-operated and sustainable cleaning machinery, Emrill has also implemented Internet of Things (IoT) monitoring systems to reduce the use of unsustainable materials and enhance operational efficiencies.--TradeArabia News Service
Drake & Scull International, a leading contracting and engineering company, has announced that one of its key subsidiaries, Passavant Energy and Environment, has clinched a subcontract for providing the design-and-build services for an expanded wastewater treatment plant in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The main contract value of the project coming up at Al Khobar in the kingdom's Eastern Province is SAR789 million ($215 million). Under this, an advanced waste-to-energy plant - with a 200,000 cu m per day capacity will be built.

The project scope includes various components, including an integrated wastewater treatment plant, supporting buildings and facilities, a terminal pumping station, heavy waste treatment tanks, effluent treatment units, water distribution pipelines, and an odor control system.

These components will work together seamlessly to ensure that wastewater is treated and managed efficiently and effectively.

Drake & Scull International said the subcontract won by its subsidiary Passavant Company is worth $48 million. Its scope of work includes process engineering, procurement, equipment supply, plant installation and commissioning supervision.

A specialist in waste water and water treatment technologies, Passavant said the contract was

awarded in co-operation with one of the major contracting companies in Saudi Arabia.

It aims to significantly enhance the existing infrastructure and contribute to sustainability efforts in the Eastern Province.-TradeArabia News Service
Leading UAE-based real estate entities Bloom Holding and Lead Development have announced a joint venture agreement with Spains high-end residential developer, Mabel Real Estate, a division of Mabel Capital, to co-develop a luxury residential project in the city of Marbella.

A high-end project - Mabel Marbella Residences - will span over 100,000 sq m of land in the coveted Golden Mile, a premier residential area in the Spanish city.

Marbella enjoys a robust real estate market paired with unparalleled climate and cultural richness. The demand for prime real estate in this coastal city is driven not only by international buyers but also by Spanish nationals seeking second homes.

Speaking at the launch, Bloom Holding CEO Carlos Wakim said: "This announcement marks a major milestone in our journey to fulfill our international expansion strategy, explore opportunities in high-growth real estate markets, and launch our premium projects in Europe."

"By joining forces with Lead Development and Mabel Capital, we can leverage our expertise, strengths, and common approach to developing residential properties as we mark our first expansion in Europe and enter this mature market," he stated.

"Spain, and Marbella in particular, remains a global destination for luxury homes that continues to attract both investors and homeowners from across the globe presenting an attractive entry point for Bloom Holding. This strategic partnership aligns with Bloom Holdings forward-looking aspirations to broaden its development horizons," he added.

Manuel Campos Guallar, Chairman of Mabel Capital, echoed this sentiment, adding: "We are honoured to collaborate with such high caliber partners as Bloom Holding and Lead Development in such a prime location and project."

"We plan to develop Marbellas most exclusive gated community, creating an environment of refinement, tranquility, and breathtaking sea and mountain views. Architecture will blend the Al-Andalus traditional heritage of the region with cutting-edge contemporary features, surrounded by a majestic landscape," he added.

Mounir Haidar, the co-founder and Managing Partner of Lead Development, said: "We are excited to embark on our first international opportunity and pleased to collaborate with Bloom Holding and Mabel Capital, who will lead our entry into Spain, Europe, and potentially beyond."

"Leveraging the expertise and experience of both Bloom Holding and Lead, we are poised to make a significant impact in one of the most sought-after real estate markets in Europe," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Saudi Red Sea Authority (SRSA), the official regulator and key enabler of Red Sea coastal tourism, has issued the first three licences for operators of the following tourist marinas: Al-Ahlam Marina in Jeddah and Jazan, and Red Sea Marina in Jeddah.

A key Saudi entity, SRSA has been mandated to issue licences and permits for the navigational and marine tourism activities, in line with Saudi Vision 2030 to develop a thriving coastal tourism sector.

Announcing the awarding of new licences, SRSA said this move was aimed at developing operational and technical procedures for marinas, enhancing the quality of services provided to tourists and visitors and preserving the marine environment as well as ensuring sustainability.

In addition to this, it will help regulate marine watercrafts operating model, and enable coastal tourism, in line with SRSA's objectives, it stated.

The Saudi regulator said the new licences were a significant step towards the development of coastal tourism in the kingdom, reflecting SRSA's commitment to enable navigational and marine tourism activities, by providing a suitable and safe environment for both local and international visitors, to make the Red Sea a leading global tourist destination.

This was achieved through field visits by SRSA to tourist marinas in Jeddah, Jazan, Al Laith and Yanbu as a proactive step to provide essential technical, administrative, and consultative support to grant licenses to marina operators, and ensure compliance with international standards.

It also ensures the readiness and suitability of these facilities to receive local and international visitors and tourists, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
Alef Group, a leading real estate developer in Sharjah, has announced the launch of the second building at the last cluster, Nama, within its premium development, Al Mamsha Raseel Sharjah (Zone 3).

The announcement was made at the Acres Real Estate 2024 expo in Dubai featuring top real estate executives, brokers, developers, investors and asset managers.

A specialised event for decision makers and experts in the real estate sector from across the globe, Acres opened its doors today (May 16) and will run for the next three days.

The Nama 2 launch comes following the massive success of sales of Nama 1 and 3 amid overwhelming demand from the general public and investors, said Alef in a statement.

The Nama cluster consists of 1,029 units spread across six buildings, with Nama 2 featuring 174 apartments with a mix of one- to three-bedroom apartments, it stated.

These residences offer expansive interiors with lofty ceilings, stylish floor tiles, and expansive windows that flood the space with natural light and offer breathtaking park vistas, it added.

Alef Group CEO Issa Ataya said: "We are proud to announce the successful launch of Nama 2 within Al Mamsha Raseel. Aligned with Sharjah's development goals, Alef Group has dedicated extensive efforts to provide exceptional investment prospects with this project."

"Our commitment remains steadfast in enhancing community experiences through upscale residential and retail offerings," he noted.

Nama at Al Mamsha Raseel (Zone 3), represents the final concluding phase of residential clusters.

This addition to the development is a result of major success in sales of the first Darb cluster of buildings which also seek to provide residents with a thoughtfully curated aquatic living experience and serene lifestyle here in Sharjah.

On Nama 2, Alef said the project boasts innovative art fixtures and fittings, including superior wall insulation for noise regulation, double-glazed windows for temperature regulation, energy-saving air conditioning and lighting systems and high quality cabinetry and plumbing fixtures.

The buildings will be positioned strategically and built sustainably to optimise airflow and ventilation, utilizing air pressure to minimize energy usage.

Residents will also get to enjoy a range of amenities including swimming pools, children's play areas, parks, convenient access to retail outlets, and scenic views of water features, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
Addleshaw Goddard, a leading international law firm with over 2,600+ employees across 19 global offices, has announced the appointment of Rachel Hill as a partner in its regional employment practice.

Her appointment quickly follows the arrival of Anna Zeitlin from PwC to develop a Fintech practice.

A UK-qualified lawyer, Hill joins Addleshaw Goddard from Hadef & Partners, where she was instrumental in driving the growth and maturity of the employment practice.

With more than 16 years experience in both litigation and employment, Hill has spent the last 10 years in the Middle East providing strategic advice on employment law and immigration procedures.

At Addleshaw Goddard, she will focus on Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), and UAE onshore employment laws and advice.

With an extensive understanding of the local UAE court system, Hill has developed an integral understanding of the procedural requirements of filing litigation before the Dubai Labour Courts  a unique capability and achievement for a non-Arabic speaking lawyer.

Thanks to her familiarity with the employment regimes in other regional jurisdictions, she brings valuable insight to other Middle East offices and clients where required in this critical service line.

Lauding the appointment, Robin Hickman, Head of Middle East, said: "We are delighted to welcome Rachel to Addleshaw Goddard to further strengthen the employment partner team alongside Gorvinder Pannu. Increasing our specialist capabilities will enable us to grow our market share at a time when the regions economies are on a robust path of diversification and expansion."

Hill has gained valuable experience throughout the different positions she has filled, starting off in McCartan Turkington Breen Solicitors, then moving to DLA Piper Middle East, followed by Al Tamimi & Company, before joining Hadef and Partners and now moving to Addleshaw Goddard Middle East.

She also boasts robust experience of the Common Law Courts of both DIFC and ADGM.

Her work in this new role will also include advising multinationals locally-based UAE companies government entities and financial institutions, among others.

On her new role, Hill said: "Its an exciting time to join AG, especially following a period of significant growth for the business across the Middle East. The firm has clear ambitions to continue to grow and I'm very much looking forward to playing my part, working with a really talented team to attract a greater share of more complex, higher value work."

Addleshaw Goddard has more than 20 partners operating across four offices in the Middle East.-TradeArabia News Service
Over 500 global players from 35 countries are participating in the three-day SaudiFood Manufacturing show, which was opened on April 30 by Eng Majed Al-Argoubi, CEO of the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON).

Opening the Food Forward Summit, Al-Argoubi stressed the importance of the event for showcasing the economic transformation of the kingdom and advancing the industrial base to realise the Saudi Vision 2030.

Bringing together manufacturers and industry, Saudi Food Manufacturing is enforcing global partnerships and solidifying the kingdoms vision to be the perfect destination for industry.

Impressive growth

Al-Argoubi commented: The industrial sector is going to increase both the GDP and abilities of youth in the kingdom. We are making impressive growth through Saudi Vision 2030 and Made in Saudi is remarkable for expanding cities across the country and achieving our goals.

Al-Argoubi was followed on stage by leading food futurist Tony Hunter of Future of Food Consulting, speaking for the first time ever in Saudi Arabia, who outlined the technologies advancing the personalisation of food and showcased the tools increasing access to nutritious food.

Saudi Food Manufacturing is looking into the future, optimising and maximising the opportunities based on new technologies. There is a will to make things happen in the Kingdom with a vision for the future and everyone pushing in the same direction to make Saudi Arabia one of the hubs for food manufacturing for the region.

SaudiFood Manufacturing Awards

The first day of SaudiFood Manufacturing also saw the winners of the inaugural SaudiFood Manufacturing Awards announced. Aimed at recognising innovative products and technologies that enhance productivity, offer greater convenience, and promote sustainability within the F&B manufacturing sector, the awards were organised in three categories.

Brenntag won the Best Ingredients Innovation Award for its ingredient solution for a plant-based Greek-style cheese alternative, Multivac scooped the Best Packaging Innovation Award for its TX series and smart services, and DC Norris & Co came out top in the Best Processing Innovation category for the DCN Jet Cook, which uses advanced steam technology for sustainable food production.

SaudiFood Manufacturing is affiliated with leading trade event Gulfood Manufacturing.--TradeArabia News Service
The Rio Grande shimmers as the sunrises near the border between Ojinaga, Mexico and Presidio, Texas, Tuesday, June 4, 2019. Jerry Lara/Staff photographer A resident installed a fence reinforced with constantina wire along the part of their property that lies up against the Rio Grande and US/Mexico Border after a it becomes a high traffic zone for migrants crossing the border, as seen on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, in Eagle Pass . Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer The Rio Grande flows near Las Cruces, N.M., on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023. Water managers have called this season a success given that there were increased allotments due to more supply from snowpack and spring runoff. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) Susan Montoya Bryan/Associated Press Oscar Martinez crosses back into Piedras Negras after attempting to enter the United States through Eagle Pass, saying he returned because a US National Guardsmen in Eagle Pass told him he would be immediately deported because of Texas law SB4 on Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Piedras Negras , Mexico . Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer

WASHINGTON  Texans in Congress are threatening federal funds for Mexico, escalating a dispute over Mexicos obligations to deliver water to the United States.

A bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers are demanding House and Senate appropriators withhold funds for the country until Mexico lives up to its end of a 1944 water treaty that requires it to send 1.75 million acre-feet to the U.S. every five years. Mexico has until October of next year to fulfill the requirement, but has more than 700,000 acre-feet left to deliver, according to the International Boundary and Water Commission (Acre-feet is the amount of water needed to fill 1 acre of land with 1 foot of water.)

The inconsistent deliveries from Mexico have exacerbated water shortages impacting South Texas farmers, the lawmakers say. The Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers sugar mill had to close in February due to repeated water shortages after 50 years. It was the last sugar mill in Texas employing over 500 workers. Hidalgo County had to extend a drought disaster declaration in April.

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Farmers and ranchers across South Texas remain under continued financial strain and could suffer a similar fate as the sugar industry, should Mexico continue withholding water, the lawmakers wrote in a Friday letter to House and Senate appropriators.

They continued: As efforts at negotiating a reasonable compromise between our countries have failed to produce an amenable solution for our constituents, we urge you and your colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to withhold designated funds from Mexico until Mexico has agreed to provide more reliable and consistent water deliveries to the United States.

Mexico asserts it is limited in its ability to deliver water due to drought conditions on its side of the border. It has technically not violated the terms of the treaty because it does not require water to be released in even intervals during the five-year period.

The lawmakers Friday letter does not specify what kind of federal funds to Mexico should be impacted. The U.S. government committed over $138 million in assistance to Mexico in the last fiscal year.

Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz and U.S. Reps. Monica De La Cruz, R-McAllen; Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen; Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo; Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Nathaniel Moran, R-Tyler; Ronny Jackson, R-Amarillo; Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock; and Keith Self, R-McKinney all signed on. Cuellar and Gonzales are both on the House Appropriations Committee.

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Texans on the border have been highlighting the water treaty in Congress and with the White House for months.

Cornyn has repeatedly pushed the point with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Cruz and Cornyn said in a February statement that The U.S. must use every diplomatic tool at its disposal to ensure Mexicos compliance. We will continue to look for ways to support South Texass agriculture community, which is suffering from a lack of water.

There is only so much Congress can do to enforce a treaty already on the books. The State Department is largely responsible for negotiating more water to be released.

Gov. Greg Abbott has similarly pushed the issue. Officials from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality negotiated with the Mexican government in 2020 along with the Trump administration to push Mexico to release its water before the end of the last five-year cycle.

Mexico has also had its own complaints about the treaty. The countrys government has said Abbotts use of floating buoys to deter migrants from crossing the Rio Grande violated the terms of the treaty because the buoys were potentially on the Mexican side of the river.

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Mexico and the United States ratified the 1944 treaty to equitably distribute water from the Rio Grande and to cooperate in managing its flow.
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), one of the worlds largest aluminium smelters, has inked an agreement with SAP, a market leader in enterprise application software, to upgrade its enterprise resource planning solution (ERP) to SAPs latest software  S/4HANA Cloud.

With this move, Alba will accelerate its digital transformation journey and Industry 4.0 adoption to adapt to ever-changing business needs.

The new SAP S/4HANA Cloud is a complete, modular, and award-winning ERP software designed for the cloud offering scalable architecture, real-time data processing, integrated advanced analytics, better optimisation for speed and performance as well as enhanced user experience for Alba users, customers and suppliers.

Alba's extensive partnership with SAP, spanning over 25 years, is clearly evident in applying SAP solutions across the Companys core functions like production, maintenance, sales, procurement, and HR, it stated.

On the key SAP partnership, CEO Ali Al Baqali said: "At Alba, we are not just transforming digitally, we are revolutionising aluminium production. This advanced solution isn't just about our digital transformation, it's rather the catalyst that propels Alba to the forefront of Industry 4.0."

"Embracing advanced computing and unlocking real-time data will not only optimise our operations but empower every facet of our business to innovate the future of aluminium production in line with Bahrain Economic Vision 2030," stated Al Baqali at a key signing ceremony held recently in the Albas premises.

It was attended by Senior Vice President of SAP Middle East Africa  North, Ahmed Jaber Al Faifi, along with senior officials from Alba and SAP.

Additionally, Saquib Ahmad, Managing Director, Bahrain, SAP, said this new deployment represents a significant milestone in Albas digital transformation journey and aims to further align its operations with Bahrain Economic Vision 2030 while enhancing services to customers and partners.

"By streamlining, integrating, and automating core business functions and processes, Alba will be free to focus on innovating its core business and setting new industry standards," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
The global diamond industry, civil society and world governments will gather in Dubai next week for the Kimberley Process mid-year intersessional meeting.

This was announced by DMCC  the worlds flagship free zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise.

The KP Intersessional, taking place in DMCCs Uptown Tower headquarters in Uptown Dubai, will see a global gathering of diamond industry representatives, civil society and world governments arrive in Dubai for a week-long series of meetings and discussions. The UAE is currently chairing the UN-mandated KP for a historic second time in 2024.

Mid-year stocktake

The five-day intersessional meeting serves as a crucial mid-year stocktake in this year's KP programme, offering a platform for members and participants to assess progress and tackle pressing issues impacting the global diamond trade. Under the UAEs 2024 programme titled Year of Delivery, which is focused on delivering concrete results to secure the bodys long-term security, efficiency and operationalisation, the UAE has secured a historic special plenary to accelerate decision-making during the week.

Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC, who is also the UAEs Chair of the Kimberley Process for 2024, said: With a confluence of geopolitical pressures and market forces, the global diamond industry stands at a critical juncture. The intersessional gives us a golden opportunity to propel our agenda forward and take decisions to drive the long-term future of the Kimberley Process for 2024 and beyond. This is why I am delighted that the UAE has secured a special plenary session, which will fast-track our ability to drive discussions and resolutions which are critical for the prosperity of the global diamond community and producer nations, especially Africa that depend on the Kimberley Process.

The Kimberley Process (KP) is an international group tasked with regulating the global diamond trade. Established in 2003 by the United Nations, 85 participating countries seek to ensure that unregulated rough diamonds do not enter the legitimate diamond market as a means to finance conflict. In 2016, the UAE was the first and only Arab country appointed to the annual Chairmanship.

Kimberley Process Certification Scheme

The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) in the UAE falls under the Ministry of Economy, which has, in turn, authorised DMCC to manage the nations import and export procedures for rough diamonds. Last year, the UAE recorded multiple year growth for its trade in rough and polished diamonds which reached a combined value of $38.3 billion.

The UAE is home to the Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE) at Almas Tower, Dubai. This building houses the UAEs main KP office, ensuring the legitimate trade of diamonds through the entire country. The DDE is the largest diamond tender facility in the world and home to over 1,300 diamond companies, providing members and industry professionals with state-of-the-art infrastructure, facilities, products, and services to grow and trade with confidence. The DDE is an active member of the World Diamond Council, the World Federation of Diamond Bourses, the World Jewellery Confederation, and the Responsible Jewellery Council.--TradeArabia News Service
Autel Energy, a global leader in electric vehicle (EV) charging products and services, will show the 640 kW MaxiCharger DC HiPower for fleet operators and heavy-duty transport at the Electric Vehicle Innovation Summit (EVIS) 2024. The event will be held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, from May 20 to 22, 2024.

In the swiftly evolving electric vehicle (EV) realm, the need for swifter, more effective charging solutions is now more urgent than ever, particularly for heavy-duty transportation.

The MaxiCharger DC HiPower sets a new standard in ultra-fast charging, boasting a maximum output power of 640 kW and liquid-cooling technology. With the ability to provide up to 250 miles of range in just 10 minutes, it addresses the pressing need for rapid charging solutions, catering to fleet operators and stakeholders in heavy-duty transportation.

Key features of the MaxiCharger DC HiPower include:

Reliable Performance

Reliable equipment: Power modules with a failure rate below 0.2% and isolated design ensure uninterrupted system operation.

Reliable Communication: 3-channel distributed communication technology.

Reliable Charging: Up to 99.5% vehicle compatibility and a 99% first-time charging success rate.

Intelligent Solutions

One-click guided commissioning ensures a step ahead in site construction.

Enjoy intelligent dynamic load balancing for on-demand charging, improving the efficiency of grid electricity utilisation.

Utilising advanced vehicle recognition technology to estimate charging time and enhance the charging experience.

Scalable

Adapt the dispenser count based on demand, enabling simultaneous charging for up to 8 vehicles.

The power capacity of the cabinet can be expanded from 320 kW to 640 kW by adding modules.

Fast Charging

A robust 640 kW power pool ensures ample power output.

Max. 480 kW single cable output power with liquid cooling system, allowing for one second of charging to drive one kilometre.

Robust Design

Engineered to thrive in extreme climates, our DC HiPower operates flawlessly in temperatures ranging from -35 to +55, with IP54 protection against dust and water.

Kemin Zuo, Regional Director of Autel IMEA (India, Middle East, Africa and Turkey), said: MaxiCharger DC HiPower represents a new milestone of Autel's comprehensive intelligent charging ecosystem. Autel Energy is steadfast in its commitment to crafting more integrated solutions tailored to diverse customer needs and scenarios, and aims to play a pivotal role in fortifying sustainable transportation networks in UAE.

Consumers visiting Autel Energy's booth at EVIS will have the opportunity to experience firsthand the innovation and performance of the MaxiCharger DC HiPower along with other product lines for both commercial and residential applications. Reservations and on-site purchases will be available.--TradeArabia News Service
AD Ports Group has signed an MoU with the Chittagong Port Authority to explore the future development and operation of the Multi-Purpose Port in Chittagong Port and other ancillary opportunities in Bangladesh.

The MoU was signed in presence of Abdulla AlHmoudi, UAE Ambassador, Head of the UAE Mission to Bangladesh and Mr. Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, MP, Honourable Minister of State, Md Mostafa Kamal, Senior Secretary, Ministry of Shipping  Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh, by Rear Admiral Mohammad Sohail, Chairman, Chittagong Port Authority and Ahmed Al Mutawa, Regional CEO, AD Ports Group.

Rear Admiral Mohammad Sohail, Chairman, Chittagong Port Authority, said: The Multi-Purpose Port in Chittagong is a priority for the Government of Bangladesh. It will be a game changer for the regional economy in general and Bangladesh economy in particular. We are pleased to collaborate with AD Ports Group on the development of this vital project, leveraging their expertise and capabilities as a global trade and logistics player. We hope that this MoU will pave the way for further cooperation that will attract more foreign direct investments to Bangladesh.

Increased trade volumes

Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO, AD Ports Group, said: We are excited to explore the development and operation of the Multi-Purpose Port and other ancillary opportunities in Chittagong, the main seaport of Bangladesh, and look forward to leveraging our experience and capabilities to assist our partners in addressing increased trade volumes in one of the fastest growing economies in South-East Asia, guided by the vision of our wise leadership.

Over 90% of Bangladeshs international trade is conducted through the ports of Chittagong, furthermore Bangladeshs seaports are an integral part of the multimodal network that links the republic to the hinterland, in addition to providing sea access for the landlocked Himalayan countries Nepal, Bhutan and Indias Northeast region.

Both nations have celebrated 50 years of bilateral ties earlier in March this year, with ongoing talks to ink a Comprehensive Economic Partnership (CEPA) aimed towards enhancing economic cooperation and opening new avenues for trade and investment, the MoU signed between AD Ports Group and the Chittagong Port Authority is aligned with the aforementioned efforts.

The UAE is considered Bangladeshs second-largest remittance source, a leading trading partner with a significant base of investment for Bangladesh, the volume of non-oil trade exchanges between the two countries exceeds $2 billion.--TradeArabia News Service
Huawei has launched its Xinghe Intelligent Network products and solutions at the Middle East and Central Asia leg of its Network Summit 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The event brought together more than 1,000 thought leaders, industry experts, and ecosystem partners to explore the development trends and best practices of intelligent networks in the new era.

At the summit, Huawei delved into trending topics, including campus networks, wide area networks (WANs), data centre networks (DCNs), and network security, as well as commercial and distribution business. These purpose-built offerings and insights empower customers to seize new opportunities for intelligent development and maximise digital-intelligent productivity.

Golden era

The global digital economy is in its golden era, with numerous industries actively exploring and advancing intelligent transformation while ramping up digital transformation. The AI penetration rate in core business scenarios across diverse industries is expected to reach 30% by 2026, while AI is projected to contribute $13 trillion to global GDP by 2030.

Several countries in the Middle East and Central Asia, such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kazakhstan, have announced their intelligence strategies and released a series of AI-related industry policies to propel the prosperity of intelligence across industries.

Embrace opportunities for intelligent transformation

Intelligent transformation across industries requires leading and solid technical support. As one of the most important ICT infrastructures, networks play a very important role in the intelligent era. In his keynote speech, Yang Chaobin, Director, President of ICT Products & Solutions, Huawei, said in the keynote speech: "Huawei is committed to network technology innovation and collaboration with customers and partners to build Net5.5G-based network infrastructure that can power all industries with intelligence. Together, let's work hand-in-hand to advance intelligence and move faster towards the intelligent world."

Xinghe Intelligent Network

Keeping in mind network requirements in the intelligent era, Huawei continues to develop more best-in-class products and solutions. Leon Wang, President of Huawei's Data Communication Product Line, further elaborated on the company's vision during his speech.

"All industries are accelerating intelligent transformation, and networks are evolving to all intelligence. As such, we fully upgrade our data communication solutions from Intelligent Cloud-Network to Xinghe Intelligent Network based on Net5.5G, thereby building a network foundation for the intelligent era," he stated.

Huawei launched more than ten innovative Xinghe Intelligent Network products and solutions at the event, catering to diverse scenarios such as campus networks, WANs, DCNs, and network security. Examples include all-scenario Wi-Fi 7, the industry's highest-density 400GE modular data centre switch (a total of 640 400GE ports), the industry's unique switch with flexible cards from GE to 400GE, the industry's first 220 mm deep 400GE router, an all-in-one intelligent converged gateway, and Net Master (a network large model application).

The company also announced nine industry-specific solutions and flagship distribution products for customers in public services, finance, electric power, and education sectors, reaffirming its efforts to dive deep into the commercial and small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) markets. By the end of 2024, Huawei plans to provide 73 models of distribution products for markets outside China, joining forces with partners to help numerous enterprises easily go digital.

Thought-provoking viewpoints

Bruno Tomas, CTO at the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), said: Wi-Fi 7 is the next generation of wireless networks. Huawei Wi-Fi won the best enterprise award, standing out for its cutting-edge smart antenna, radio switching, and IoT sensing technologies, and provides best-in-class, high-quality Wi-Fi 7 products to global customers.

As a leader in the campus network domain, Huawei launched the "Imagine Wi-Fi 7" programme, inviting tech enthusiasts to imagine innovative Wi-Fi 7 application scenarios via short-form videos. At this event, Huawei presented the Imagine Wi-Fi 7 Contest awards to excellent contributors. Until now, the programme has ignited a wave of adopting Wi-Fi 7 in various industries

In the AI model era, data centre networks face unprecedented technical and application challenges. At the summit, Huawei and Ankabut jointly released the cloud data centre showcase to global audiences, deepening their cooperation in High-Performance Computing (HPC) networks and cloud computing data centres to promote the digital transformation of the education industry in the UAE.

Enterprises in the Middle East and Central Asia have the urgent need for intelligent upgrades of network security. That's why Huawei announced the Xinghe Intelligent SASE experience programme, which covers five modules, including network deployment. Participants can demonstrate, test, learn, and communicate with each other through DemoCloud anytime and anywhere to gain hands-on experience with the benefits of the Xinghe Intelligent SASE solution.

New upgrades

Huawei also announced all-new upgrades to its IP Club member programme, offering more rights and interests to members in the Middle East and Central Asia. Members can gain fresh insights into the latest cutting-edge technological innovations, connect with top industry experts and opinion leaders, and participate in an elite member brand plan. The event also recognised IP Club Diamond members with awards.

The world stands at a critical juncture in advancing from digital transformation to intelligent transformation. Huawei remains committed to constantly upgrading its Xinghe Intelligent Network offerings. By building leading network infrastructures, the company aims to help all industries accelerate their pace into the intelligent era and unlock the full potential of digital-intelligent development.--TradeArabia News Service
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.

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 specialised 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 centres, 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.

"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 utilisation and the fastest to adopt advanced applications.  TradeArabia News Service
Six films supported by the Doha Film Institute (DFI) have made it to the selection of the 77th Cannes Film Festival being held from May 14-25.

The institute has supported compelling films from across the globe this year too, with its latest co-financed project Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot (Meeting with Pol Pot) by renowned Cambodian director and screenwriter Rithy Panh, selected to the Cannes Premiere section in the Official Selection.

Diverse projects supported by the DFI Grants programme will be screened for global audiences, including three projects in the parallel section of Critics Week (Semaine de la Critique) and two in Directors Fortnight (Quinzaine des cineastes).

Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, Chief Executive Officer of DFI, said: Once again, the eclectic selection of DFI backed projects selected at Cannes this year demonstrates the Institutes commitment to support compelling voices and powerful stories that have the potential to shape world cinema.

We are honoured to partner with internationally renowned creative visionaries and emerging talent from the Arab world and beyond to offer a captivating window into different cultures and perspectives to foster a sense of global unity.

Cannes Premiere, Official Selection

Co-financed by DFI, Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot (France, Cambodia, Taiwan, Qatar, Turkiye) by critically acclaimed filmmaker and Un Certain Regard Grand Prix Winner Rithy Panh draws from his moving personal experiences to revive unrecorded memories of his native Cambodia.

Based on a true story, the film recounts the adventurous journey of three French journalists invited to Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge in 1978 to meet with Pol Pot.

Panh directed numerous internationally acclaimed films, including The Rice People, selected for the Official Competition of the Festival de Cannes in 1994 and The Missing Picture, nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2013 and winner of the Grand Prix in the Un Certain Regard section at the Festival de Cannes.

His most recent directorial effort, Exile, once again considers the grave crimes and abuse of the Khmer Rouge regime and won wide critical and public acclaim at Cannes in 2016.

Critics Week (Semaine de la Critique)

The Brink of Dreams (Egypt, France, Denmark, Saudi Arabia, Qatar), by Nada Riyadh and Ayman El Amir, tells the story of a group of Coptic girls who refuse the roles forced upon them by forming an all-female street theatre troupe.

Locust (Taiwan, France, USA, Qatar) by KEFF is set in Taiwan, where a mute twenty-nothing struggles to find meaning in the injustice of everyday life.

Across The Sea (Morocco, France, Belgium, Qatar) by Said Hamich Benlarbi in Seance Speciale follows Nour who immigrated illegally to Marseille in 1990. With his friends, he lives a marginal and festive life.

Directors Fortnight (Quinzaine des cineastes)

East of Noon (Egypt, Netherlands, Qatar) by Hala Elkoussy is a fable about musician Abdo, who rebels against his elders, seeking freedom through his art in a confined world outside of time.

To a Land Unknown (Palestine, UK, Greece, Netherlands, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Qatar) by Mahdi Fleifel is about two Palestinian cousins who are forced to take extreme measures to escape a hopeless environment before it is too late.

Three other DFI supported projects will participate in industry platforms during the festival including The Myth of Mahmoud (Palestine, USA, Lebanon, Kenya, Yemen, Jordan, Qatar) by Mayar Hamdan & Shaima Al Tamimi and My Fathers House by Mahdi Fleifel in the Cannes Docs programme; and LMina (Morocco, France, Qatar, Italy) by Randa Maroufi in the Focus Work in Progress section organised by the Short Film Corner.  TradeArabia News Service
The UAE cabinet has approved the implementation of the National Youth Agenda 2031 and the introduction of the "Blue Residency", a 10-year residency granted to individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to environment protection.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, chaired the UAE Cabinet meeting at Qasr Al Watan, Abu Dhabi.

The cabinet also approved the creation of the position of Chief Executive Officer of Artificial Intelligence in all main federal entities and classification of higher education institutions in the UAE, said a Wam news agency report.

The youth agenda focuses on five key pillars: economic empowerment of youth, developing their scientific skills, consolidating their national identity, enhancing their community contributions, and activating their role in representing their country internationally.

HH Sheikh Mohammed said: The Cabinet approved a new framework for classifying higher education institutions across the UAE. We are set to reveal the national classification results for over 70 institutions, assessing them based on quality of education, the labour market's demand for their graduates, their research prowess, and their global academic affiliations. The national classification is a milestone in elevating the caliber of our higher education and advancing transparency, thereby empowering families to make informed decisions for their children's futures.

He said: In alignment with the national directives declared by the UAE President, to designate 2024 as the year of sustainability in the UAE, we introduced the "Blue Residency" a 10-year residency granted to individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to environment protection, whether in marine life, land-based ecosystems, or air quality, sustainability technologies, the circular economy, or related fields. The sustainability of our economy is now linked to the sustainability of our environment Our national orientations are clear and firm in this area.

Sheikh Mohammed added: Today, within the country's strategy to establish its position in the field of artificial intelligence, the cabinet approved the creation of the position of Chief Executive Officer of Artificial Intelligence in all main federal entities, which will contribute to the adoption of artificial intelligence tools in these entities and will help solidify the process of transitioning to a new phase, in which we further consolidate the use of advanced technologies in our federal entities.

He said: Today, we reviewed the latest developments of the UAE space sector. The representation of young Emiratis working in international space projects reached 38%. Spending in the field of space research increased by 14%. We remain dedicated to advancing our youth in promising sectors, protecting our environment, integrating the best global technologies into our government, and enhancing our higher education systems. Together, these efforts ensure a brighter future for our youth.

National Youth Agenda 2031

The agenda aims to qualify more than 100 young Emirati to represent the country in global organisations and forums related to the national sectors of priority, and to provide 100% suitable career pathways for youth in the labour market.

The agenda seeks to place the UAE among the top 10 countries globally in terms of the quality of life provided to youth. It aims to enhance the national consciousness among the youth, ensuring that Emirati youth are the proudest of their identity and national affiliation, and to launch the National Charter for Youth in this field.

The agenda aims to make the UAE the easiest country in the world for young people to access basic services, and to double the number of youth projects in promising and future sectors, in addition to doubling the number of young Emiratis who obtain academic and vocational qualifications that suite the future skills and labour market needs, in addition to launching the honorary medal for elite youth.

Blue Residency for Sustainability Experts

The "Blue Residency" is the first long-term residency for individuals with exceptional contributions and efforts in the field of environment action and sustainability both inside and outside the UAE.

The Blue Residency aims to amplify and maintain the UAE's efforts in sustainability and goes in line with the directives of the UAE President to extend the initiative of the Year of Sustainability of 2023 to include the year 2024.

The Blue Residency will specifically be granted to supporters of environmental action, including members of international organizations, international companies, members of associations and non-governmental organizations, global award winners, and distinguished activists and researchers in environmental work from both Emirati nationals and responsible residents advocate of environment protection.

Sustainability advocates and experts who are interested in the UAE Blue Residency are invited to submit their applications directly through the services of the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security, or through nominations by competent authorities in the state for the individuals recommended for it.

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence Technologies

The Cabinet approved a comprehensive guide for the controls and guidelines of the use of generative artificial intelligence technologies within the UAE government. This guide is designed to standardise best practices for the ethical, responsible, and safe application of AI across vital sectors including education, healthcare, and media, aiming to enhance governmental work efficiency and performance.

The guide outlines key principles such as adequacy of government data, governance of applications, collaboration with stakeholders, users rights, data collections for training purpose, sustainability, and limiting and combating misleading information through a risk management based and results-driven regulatory framework.

Additionally, the Cabinet has established a new role, the "Chief Executive Officer for Artificial Intelligence," across ministries and federal entities. This position is pivotal in positioning the UAE as a global leader in AI applications, focusing on strategic AI planning, promoting best practices, and fostering AI integration and governance. This initiative not only aims to enhance innovation and the digital economy but also focuses on developing individual competencies in AI, ensuring the UAE remains at the cutting edge of technological advancement.
The UAE cabinet has approved a decision giving priority in federal government jobs to citizens who have worked in the private sector for at least three years.

Experience in the private sector will be added as one of the items to be relied upon when appointing an employee to the federal government, the Cabinet said, according to a report in Wam news agency.

The decision aims to consolidate the federal government sector by integrating national expertise from the private sector, thereby enriching the variety and diversity of knowledge within government entities. The decision promotes the broad dissemination of insights and practices gleaned from private sector companies, enhancing the overall effectiveness and innovation within the public sector, it said.

Scholarship system

The Cabinet reviewed a new system for financing federal government higher education institutions on the basis of scholarships, with the aim of enhancing the quality of educational outcomes in these institutions and continuing alignment with the labour market and available career opportunities.

The new system operates by granting financial scholarships after reviewing and defining the number of new academic seat to be created, and the specialisations required according to the needs of the labour market, using a predetermined mechanism.

Cold calls

The cabinet approved a decision that aims to regulate marketing calls (cold calling) to ensure consumer privacy and comfort.

This includes setting specific guidelines for telemarketing practices, establishing compliance obligations for companies, and setting penalties for violations. The resolution also facilitates effective coordination between federal and local authorities to enforce these regulations optimally.

The cabinet also approved the issuance of the technical regulations to monitor the quantity of products in pre-packaged containers, aimed at enhancing the quality and competitiveness of domestically produced goods and safeguarding consumers rights to meet international standards.

The cabinet approved a decision to extend insurance protection to GCC citizens working across GCC states and set employment guidelines for students work in the local labour market to ensure they balance between their ongoing education and work commitments.
Two India-based groups - WeCare Foundation, that works for sustainable development, and The Harmony Foundation, a social welfare organisation - have entered into a strategic partnership in Riyadh to advance social impact initiatives and foster youth engagement in the non-profit sector.

As part of the partnership, unveiled at the Intercontinental Hotel in Riyadh, WeCare will set up its first regional headquarters in the King Abdullah Economic City, Makkah, that will serve as a central hub for its operations, enabling the foundation to expand its reach and enhance its impact across the region.

Founded by Saad Kassis Mohamed, an Indian entrepreneur, investor and equestrian, WeCare strives to address pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges, laying the groundwork for sustainable development and lasting change.

The Harmony Foundation was founded in October 2005 by Dr Abraham Mathai social reformer, a philanthropist, to establish social cohesion between various communities, castes and work towards the benefit of all the communities.

"We are thrilled to partner with Harmony Foundation in this transformative initiative," said Saad Kassis Mohamed, Chairman of WeCare.

"By leveraging our collective resources and expertise, we aim to empower Saudi youth and drive meaningful change in areas such as education, health, and technology."

The partnership between Saad Kassis Mohameds WeCare and Harmony Foundation underscores a shared commitment to youth empowerment and social innovation. Through joint initiatives and collaborative programs, both organisations seek to create a dynamic platform for knowledge sharing, skill development, and community engagement.

"We believe that by working together, we can unlock the full potential of Saudi youth and create lasting impact on a global scale," said Dr Liam Chang, CEO of Harmony Foundation.

"This partnership represents a unique opportunity to harness the collective strength of our organizations and drive positive change for future generations."

The proposed establishment of WeCare's regional headquarters in the King Abdullah Economic City will provide a state-of-the-art facility for innovation, collaboration, and social entrepreneurship. By fostering an environment conducive to creativity and impact-driven initiatives, WeCare and Misk aim to inspire and empower the next generation of changemakers.  TradeArabia News Service
Orders for mining dump trucks made in Chinas Shaanxi soar in overseas market

People's Daily Online) 10:04, May 16, 2024

A worker assembles the chassis of an off-road wide-body mining dump truck at the general assembly shop of Shaanxi Tonly Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. in Xixian New Area in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province on May 14, 2024. (Peoples Daily Online/Weng Qiyu)

A group of Peoples Daily Online reporters recently visited the Shaanxi Tonly Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. in Fengdong New City of Xixian New Area , northwest Chinas Shaanxi Province on May 14, where workers were manufacturing off-way road wide-body mining dump trucks bound for overseas markets.

The trucks, featuring increased steadiness, lower prices, and settings according to the different terrains of mines, have won market recognition.

In recent years, the company has expanded the international market, with revenue from overseas up 68.52 percent from 2023. Its products have been exported to countries and regions like Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia.

(Intern Xing Yawen contributed to this story.)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
An American Airlines jetliner waits on a runway for departure from Denver International Airportin September. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines both reported quarterly losses Thursday. David Zalubowski/Associated Press file photo

After years of frustration, the city of San Antonio is close to securing what to other major U.S. cities isnt that big a deal: nonstop air service to Washington, D.C.

San Antonio is widely expected to land a nonstop route to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) after Wednesdays passage in Congress of a bill re-authorizing the Federal Aviation Administration. The legislation, which is going to President Joe Biden for his signature, opens five new round-trip flights out of the D.C. airport.

San Antonio International Airport is teaming up with American Airlines to secure one of those slots, city officials said Wednesday.

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Thats a big deal for the Alamo City.

Local business leaders and elected officials have long sought a nonstop flight to DCA, saying the citys military, medical, cybersecurity and information technology sectors need easier access to the nations capital. But they were repeatedly thwarted by airlines and public officials who backed strict regulations limiting traffic to Reagan National, known as the slot rule and the perimeter rule.

The slot rule reduces congestion at DCA by controlling the number of takeoffs and landings at the airport. The perimeter rule prohibits flights to or from airports outside a 1,250-mile boundary around DCA.

Air travelers arrive and make their way through the San Antonio International Airport ahead of Memorial Day weekend on Thursday, May 25, 2023. Kin Man Hui/Staff photographer People check in for their American Airlines flights in Terminal B at San Antonio International Airport, Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 27, 2022. Sam Owens/Staff photographer Air travelers arrive and wait their turn at the airline ticket counters as they make their way through the San Antonio International Airport ahead of Memorial Day weekend on Thursday, May 25, 2023. Kin Man Hui/Staff photographer

Once Biden signs the FAA Reauthorization Act  approved by the House of Representatives on Wednesday and the Senate last week the U.S. Department of Transportation will have 60 days to award the five slots to airlines.

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We have been working for more than a decade to give residents of Americas seventh-largest city the same access to our nations leaders as nearly every other major city in the country, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a statement.

Fort Worth-based American Airlines' sole application for one of the slots will be to serve San Antonio. Airport Director Jesus Saenz said San Antonio could see a direct flight to DCA as early as late summer or early fall.

This is yet another giant step in our commitment to transform our airport and improve the traveler experience, Saenz said.

San Antonians have long had to make connections to DCA through other airports or fly into nearby airports and drive to D.C.

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DCA is one of the largest unserved markets from San Antonio, the airport said.
Ford Middle East has carried forward its robust 2023 sales momentum into the first quarter of 2024, recording 29% year-on-year growth in Q1  the highest since Q2 of 2016. The Ford torch bearers were Territory, Everest and Taurus driving the GCC to impressive sales and market growth for the brand.

The Ford Territory played a pivotal role in the brands success. It was Fords best-selling SUV across Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE  less than 18 months after its launch.

The Ford Everest also enjoyed a growing launch momentum through Q1, with a record sales month in March 2024 solidifying its position as Fords third volume pillar in the Middle East.

Sedan category

In the sedan category, Taurus retained and built on its popularity in the GCC, particularly Saudi Arabia, where Fords Brand Health Report saw improvements in perceptions of the brands competitiveness in terms of quality, authenticity and trustworthiness.

While our sales and market share grew over the first quarter of 2024, we continued our close collaboration with our valued distributor partners, said Ravi Ravichandran, President of Ford Middle East.

Our remarkable Q1 performance is a testament to the effectiveness of our Distributor Center of Excellence model  which has been instrumental in driving our business turnaround. By collaborating strategically with our distributor partners, weve been able to prioritise customer satisfaction, streamline operations, and uphold a culture of excellence across the region.

With markets such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait demonstrating strength and consistency, Ford Middle East saw its market share progress by 0.5% year-on-year across the region.

Ambitious plans

Ford Middle East has ambitious plans for the rest of the year. We aim to leverage growth opportunities offered by new nameplates sch as the all-new Ford Everest and Lincoln Nautilus, said Ravichandran. Were focused on maintaining the positive momentum weve witnessed with Territory, in addition to getting ready to bring a new Ford F-150 to the region.

The company is also laying the groundwork for the 2025 launch of its first EV in the Middle East, part of Fords long-term goals outlined in its 2024 Integrated Sustainability and Financial Report.

Ford Middle East will continue developing a robust sales and production plan for 2025, while also prioritising customer satisfaction as a key pillar of our strategy  we recognise that customers are our biggest advocates, and will always strive to treat them like family, added Ravichandran.

Sustained appetite

Were also seeing a sustained appetite for Ford Performance-driven power among consumers here, and Im proud that ours is the only region home to all three Raptor nameplates  F-150, Bronco, and Ranger.

This year, Ford celebrated the 60th anniversary of another icon, the Mustang. The legendary muscle car has a strong following here in the Middle East, and we just recently launched the all-new Mustang Dark Horse, said Ravichandran.--TradeArabia News Service
Qatar Gas Transport Company Limited (Nakilat) has announced the signing of a long-term agreement to charter and operate nine QC-Max class LNG vessels, as part of QatarEnergy's programme to expand its fleet of LNG carriers.

The agreement was signed by Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, President and CEO of QatarEnergy, and Abdullah bin Fadhalah Al-Sulaiti, CEO of Nakilat during a special signing ceremony at QatarEnergys headquarters today.

Al-Kaabi said: We are very proud to have Qatars flagship LNG shipping and maritime champion join a list of world-class shipowners to operate our state-of-the-art QC-Max LNG vessels - the largest ever built. There is no doubt that this is another testament to Nakilats significant capabilities.

Enhancing value

Al-Sulaiti said: We are proud of our partnership, and of being selected, once again, by QatarEnergy as a partner in its historic fleet expansion project. Through this partnership, we aim to enhance value in the LNG transportaion market as active enablers in meeting the requirements of the North Field expansion projects.

We are fully committed to adopting the latest technologies and expertise to ensure that these vessels are operated according to the highest standards of safety, environmental sustainability, and reliability.

These nine (QC-Max) vessels, each with a capacity of 271,000 cubic metres, will be 100% owned and operated by Nakilat and chartered to affiliates of QatarEnergy. The vessels will be built in China at Hudong-Zhonghua shipyards, reflecting top-notch craftsmanship and technology. They are part of QatarEnergy's historic programme to support its LNG production expansion capacity from the North Field.

This signing follows QatarEnergy's recent agreements with Nakilat for the ownership and operation of 25 conventional-size LNG vessels. The current agreement includes the charter and operation of nine additional QC-Max vessels, thereby increasing the total number of LNG vessels secured by Nakilat to 34.--TradeArabia News Service
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, a leading luxury hospitality company, has announced its participation in the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), set to take place in Dubai between May 6 and 9.

The resort will highlight its latest achievements in the industry, which span recent and upcoming property openings, elevated culinary and wellbeing experiences, new summer offerings, and more.

With a focus on unlocking business potential across all travel sectors, including MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) and luxury travel, Arabian Travel Market stands as the premier event that unites the entire industry.

During the event, Adrian Messerli, Four Seasons President of Hotel Operations, EMEA, will take part in the Trends Shaping the Future of Hospitality in the Middle East session, having an in-depth discussion with other executives in the industry.

Hotel Openings

Four Seasons participation at the event shines a spotlight on its newest hotel openings, marking the brands strategic expansions into iconic destinations in the MENA region and beyond.

This includes the launch of Four Seasons Resort and Residences at The Pearl-Qatar, which is now welcoming international travellers and local guests with an all-new luxury lifestyle offering. The brand has also announced new destinations set to open in 2024, such as Four Seasons Hotel Rabat at Kasr Al Bahr and Mumbai Private Residences, in addition to Ocean Club Private Residences in the Bahamas, which will start welcoming guests in 2027.

Upgrades and Renovations

Committed to elevating the standards of luxury hospitality, the company has also been upgrading its rooms and amenities across various properties.

At Four Seasons adria, guests can enjoy the newly refurbished outdoor heated pool, providing year-round relaxation and luxury, while at Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza, newly renovated premium guest rooms and suites feature designs enriched with local art that reflects Egyptian culture.

Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheikh has introduced The Palace, a magnificent three-bedroom beachfront residence designed for royalty and the elite, while in Hong Kong, Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong has upgraded its guest rooms and suites to offer a blend of modern design and comfort.

Unrivalled Dining Experiences

As the leading luxury operator of restaurants, bars, and lounges with over 600 unique outlets globally, Four Seasons is committed to developing category-defining culinary concepts around the world.

The company maintains its leadership position, holding the most Michelin stars of any single luxury hospitality brand, with 34 stars across 25 restaurants in 20 hotels and resorts. The brands extensive restaurant portfolio has achieved the highest possible accolades from revered organisations such as Black Pearl, Gault&Millau, and numerous 50 Best Awards.

At Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre, the hotel is now welcoming discerning diners to the newly opened Pierre Herme Paris Patisserie, offering an exquisite taste of pastry artistry.

Sea Fu restaurant at Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach presents marine-inspired dishes and a six-course Royal Tasting Menu, while the iconic Mercury Rooftop provides guests with panoramic views and an excellent dining experience.

At Four Seasons Hotel Dubai DIFC, the recently renovated Luna Dubai and Penrose Lounge terraces offer uninterrupted views of Burj Khalifa with contemporary design touches, adding to the allure of dining in the city.

Four Seasons continues to elevate the gastronomic experience across its properties beyond the MENA region. Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, for instance, boasts the highest number of Michelin stars and the world's best bars under one roof.

The recently renovated Upper Cut at Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita promises an in-demand dining destination with premium cuts of meat, fresh seafood, and stunning ocean views, while at Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca, diners can indulge in gourmet cuisine at Poolside Perch Lounge & Restaurant where exquisite dishes are served against the backdrop of a pristine poolside oasis.

Champions of Wellbeing

As part of its holistic approach to guest wellbeing, Four Seasons is proud to introduce a host of wellness experiences across its hotels and residences. At Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, guests can enjoy Ayurvedic treatments inspired by ancient traditions, while Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at First Residence offers a special spa retreat by the Nile in addition to a timeless Turkish Hammam ritual.

For a holistic healing experience inspired by the elements of nature, Four Seasons Resort Seychelles provides a natural haven of wellbeing for guests seeking total equilibrium and relaxation.

Summer Escapes

With the arrival of summer, Four Seasons is preparing to unveil an array of exclusive experiences. Visitors of Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square can indulge in a Chefs Table in their private residence, while Four Seasons Hotels Istanbul offer rooftop dining under the stars at Sultanahmet and nocturnal open-air cinema by the Bosphorus waters.

Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest beckons with new adventures on a private Venetian-style speedboat, and Four Seasons Hotel Milan invites guests to discover Franciacorta and Lake Iseo then embark on a luxurious lake cruise on an Italian motorboat.

For the ultimate luxury, San Domenico Palace, Taormina, a Four Seasons Hotel in Sicily, offers a thrilling helicopter experience to elevate your stay, while Four Seasons Montreal invites guests to immerse themselves in hospitality excellence with special suites and a decadent Maple experience.

Guests can also embark on a quintessential picnic fare combined with sublime views of the countryside at Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire Prague, or spend an evening enjoying authentic Japanese food on the rooftop of MIRU, a culinary haven named after the Japanese word for view.  TradeArabia News Service




Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) will showcase Japan as a premier travel destination at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2024, a leading travel and tourism exhibition in the Middle East that will take place from May 6-9 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

As the world transitions from Expo 2020 Dubai to Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, JNTO said it is eager to seize the opportunity to highlight Japan's unique cultural heritage, breathtaking landscapes, and diverse experiences to the Middle Eastern market.

With a focus on fostering stronger ties between Japan and the GCC region, JNTO aims to capitalise on the momentum generated by the strong international travel demand from the region.

Key Highlights

Rising Interest from GCC Nationals: In 2023 the number of GCC nationals visiting Japan increased to 33,212 visitors, a notable 401.3% increase compared to 2022 figures, which is also a robust 17.7% increase compared to 2019 numbers, reflecting a growing appetite for exploration and discovery.

Increased co-exhibitors at Visit Japan Stand: JNTO is excited to announce that the number of co-exhibitors at the Visit Japan stand at ATM has grown from 9 organizations in 2023 to 14 this year. This increased participation underscores the growing interest and collaboration between Japanese tourism stakeholders and their counterparts in the Middle East.

Expanded Flight Connectivity: JNTO is pleased to note the expansion of flight connectivity between the GCC region and Japan. Airlines such as Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways have increased their flight frequencies and launched new routes, enhancing accessibility for travellers from the Middle East. Japan Airlines, in particular, made history this spring by launching a daily flight from Tokyo-Haneda to Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, offering unparalleled Japanese-style customer service.

Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai: As Japan prepares to host Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, with its theme focus of Designing Future Society for Our Lives, JNTO will leverage its presence at ATM 2024 to promote this global event. The Expo aims to serve as a platform for innovation and collaboration, offering opportunities for visitors to engage with cutting-edge technology and ideas. Notably, more than 150 countries/regions have officially announced their participation at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, highlighting the events significance on the global stage.

JNTO Executive Director, Dubai office, Kobayashi Daisuke, said: "We are excited to participate in the Arabian Travel Market 2024 and showcase Japans rich cultural heritage and vibrant tourism offerings to the discerning Middle Eastern audience seeking luxurious experiences.

With the increasing interest from GCC nationals, we see tremendous potential for further collaboration and growth in the tourism sector. Given that Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai will be positioned between Expo 2020 Dubai and Riyadh Expo 2030, we anticipate heightened attention from the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Through our participation at ATM, we aim to strengthen partnerships with industry stakeholders and inspire travellers from the Middle East to embark on memorable journeys to Japan.  TradeArabia News Service
Visit Qatar will participate in the 31st edition of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) this year in Dubai to showcase upcoming destinations Qatar offers to the travel and tourism industry.

Exhibitors and visitors at the show from May 6 to 9 will have the opportunity to explore new areas in the tourism market, highlight the benefits of cooperation, and attract additional investment in the tourism sector.

During its participation, Visit Qatar will lead a diverse team consisting of 43 representatives of tourism sector, in the Qatari Pavilion at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

The Visit Qatar double-decker stand, spans over 600 sq m with 150 sq m for the upper deck.

The stand has a digital inspiration wall featuring videos that showcase Qatar as a tourist destination. Visit Qatar, together with Heenat Salma, present a cultural area at the stand including four activities: Sadu weaving, kohl, and body oil making. These activities highlight Qatars rich heritage and traditions, offering attendees to indulge in local, Qatari culture. In addition, the stand features Visit Qatar Cafe in collaboration with Qinwan.

The Qatar Pavilion will also include an interactive activity with an augmented reality device, where visitors will be able to take photos and receive them as souvenirs.

ATM 2024 is considered the leading travel and trade show for travel and tourism industry professionals both locally and internationally. ATM 2024 is returning under the theme, 'Empowering Innovation - Transforming Travel Through Entrepreneurship'.

Visit Qatar is ramping up its presence at trade exhibitions to firmly establish itself at key events, showcasing its premier offerings to the region. This provides a platform for meaningful discussions and exchanges with leading figures in the Middle East's travel and tourism industry.

Eng Abdulaziz Ali Al-Mawlawi, Chief Executive Officer of Visit Qatar, said: Qatar has solidified its position as an attractive tourist destination, having already welcomed almost 1.7 million visitors since the beginning of the year. At Visit Qatar, we believe it is crucial to increase our participation in conventions, exhibitions, and conferences worldwide to highlight Qatars tourism offerings and future developments, in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030 that seeks economic diversification in the upcoming years. By participating in this years edition, we look forward to conducting fruitful discussions and exchanges with leading industry experts and officials from the travel and tourism sector in the region. This will support the tourism industry, stimulate demand, and attract more investment both regionally and globally.

Qatar continues to be a highly attractive world-class tourist destination for GCC visitors. Visitors from the GCC make up a large portion of travellers coming into Qatar, facilitated by multiple points of entry including land, air, and sea. This was seen during the first quarter of the year, when Qatar hosted major events such as the AFC Asian Cup 2023, the 20th anniversary of the Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhibition, the 13th edition of the Qatar International Food Festival, the Web Summit, and Doha Expo 2023.

Qatar welcomed almost 1.7 million visitors in the first quarter of 2024, with 44% being from the GCC. The leading number of visitors was from Saudi Arabia, followed by Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, and UAE. With the highly-anticipated unified GCC tourist visa, Qatar aims to further welcome more visitors from the region and offer them unparalleled touristic experiences with a dedication to Service Excellence. In addition, Qatar Airways, the countrys award-winning national carrier, facilitates seamless travel to the country from 177 international destinations. -TradeArabia News Service
Sharjah Museums Authority (SMA) is gearing up to captivate visitors at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2024, scheduled for May 6 to 9 at Dubais World Trade Centre.

As part of its participation under the umbrella of Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) at Sharjah Emirate Pavilion, SMA will showcase the Emirate's tourism offerings and unique attractions, its vibrant art and culture scenes and the latest innovations in museum experiences.

With the theme Explore Sharjah Museums,' SMA aims to further promote its 16 museums located across Sharjah from its heart to its eastern coast including Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah Calligraphy Museum, Bait Al Naboodah, Sharjah Archaeology Museum, Sharjah Fort (Al Hisn), Hisn Khor Fakkan, Sharjah Maritime Museum, Sharjah Science Museum among others.

An exhibition featuring unique exhibits categorised in history, culture, heritage and arts will be the highlight of SMAs participation which aims to further elevate Sharjah's status as the capital of Arab culture and tourism.

Immersive displays at the exhibition that will take visitors on a journey through Sharjahs rich past which stretches back 125,000 years, include archaeological artifacts discovered in Sharjah such as a 250 BC tombstone adorned with Musnad script inscriptions, a form of Southern Arabic Script that originated over 4,000 years ago in Yemen. Archaeologists have discovered examples of this script in Sharjah dating back to the 7th century BC.

Exhibited artifacts also feature an intricately engraved ceramic dome believed to be a cover for an incense burner from 600 BC, a detailed model of the historic Sharjah Fort (Al Hisn) and a masterpiece titled Abandoned Books by renowned Emirati artist Najat Maki.

The Authoritys recent launch of online booking services that offer visitors seamless access to a myriad of cultural offerings, and virtual tours of the iconic Sharjah Fort and Sharjah Art Museums via mobile phones, are other key highlights of SMAs presence at the event.

Guests will also immerse themselves in a sensory journey, discovering Emirati hospitality through firsthand encounters with traditional coffee rituals. They will learn about the significance of the dallah, the art of coffee preparation, and the etiquette of serving this beloved beverage.

They will also enjoy a unique opportunity to write their names in Musnad script.

The Authority will additionally further enhance visitor engagement through an interactive box, providing insight into the self-guided workshops, year-round events, and exhibitions available at its 16 museums that collectively foster direct interaction with exhibits, enriching understanding of history, art, and culture, while also enhancing both local and global cultural landscapes.

Sharjah Museums Authority invites all attendees of the Arabian Travel Market 2024 to visit Sharjah Emirate Pavilion to embark on a captivating journey through the rich heritage and artistry of Sharjah.
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, is showcasing its successful growth story, ambitious plans, and investment in guest experience at the ongoing Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.

The UAEs national airline expects to welcome thousands of visitors to its stand including distinguished guests, travel trade customers, members of the media and tourism partners.

Javier Alija, Vice President Sales and Distribution, Etihad Airways, said: "Were looking forward to a great week ahead at the Arabian Travel Market, where we have the opportunity to showcase the growth story at Etihad Airways, in partnership with Zayed International Airport, our new home in Abu Dhabi."

The new airport, which opened in November 2023, offers streamlined check-in including dedicated spaces for families, First and Business class, as well as biometric self-check in and security facilities.

In Departures, guests will find world-class duty-free shopping and dining, as well as Etihads stunning First and Business class lounges for guests travelling in premium cabins and eligible Etihad Guest members.

"We look forward to welcoming our trade and tourism partners and industry peers to our stand and look forward to a fruitful week for the important travel trade industry," he stated.

At the Arabian Travel Market, Etihad will be showcasing its significant network development undertaken since last years event with 15 new destinations announced or launched, including recent inaugural flights to Boston and two new destinations in Kerala, India.

Over the next two months, Etihad will begin operating to Jaipur and Bali, as well as summer destinations, Al Qassim, Antalya, Malaga, Nice, and the Greek islands of Mykonos and Santorini.

The Etihad stand is being presented in partnership with Zayed International Airport, showcasing the stunning new home of UAE national carrier.

Visitors to the stand will also have the opportunity to see and experience the airlines significant investment in guest experience, with the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner seats on display, said the Emirati airline.

Etihads newest Boeing 787 Dreamliners joined the fleet in February and feature an exclusive Business class offering enhanced privacy and state-of-the-art technology. The Economy cabin seats are also on display at ATM, showcasing the comfort and convenience offered on board.

Also on display are the airlines brand-new amenity kits launched in partnership with celebrated designer Giorgio Armani and leading skincare brand ESPA; as well as the Etihad and Armani/Casa Business class experience, and the Economy class elegant dining solution.-TradeArabia News Service
Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabias new world-class airline and Saudi Tourism Authority (STA), have signed a key memorandum of understanding (MoU) that will enhance the travel experience for passengers to and from the kingdom.

Riyadh Air aims to fly to over 100 countries by 2030, and through this partnership signed at Arabian Travel Market (ATM), both entities will collaborate on various initiatives to enhance the level of service for tourists.

STA CEO Fhad Hamidaddin said: Increasing Saudis connectivity with the world is a key pillar of our tourism strategy and will ensure we sustain our rapid growth and meet our new ambitious target of 150 million visits by 2030.

Supporting goals

This exciting new partnership with Riyadh Air will support our goals and ensure more visitors can travel to experience the cool mountains, pristine waters and dynamic cities that make Saudi a great year-round destination.

We are currently connected to over 180 destinations and are aiming to triple annual passenger traffic to 330 million by 2030 and this new agreement will help turbocharge these efforts.

Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas added: This is another momentous day for Riyadh Air. Working alongside the STA to elevate the travel experience for our guests and those coming to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signifies what were all about. We are elevating standards across the board in aviation to previously unseen levels. We have a shared commitment to travel and tourism in the Kingdom along with our forward-thinking approach to innovation, sustainability, and the satisfaction of our guests.

The partnership will focus on several key areas:

New routes and destinations

Riyadh Air and the STA will jointly announce new routes and destinations to raise global awareness among travellers.

Joint Marketing Activities

Riyadh Air and the STA will promote Saudi Arabia along with any new destinations with an aligned strategy to attract and inform guests around the world. Riyadh Air is expected to contribute to KSAs non-oil GDP growth by $20 billion while directly and indirectly creating over 200,000 new jobs globally and locally.

Sponsorship opportunities

The agreement will see Riyadh Air and the STA engage in sponsorship opportunities and enable both parties to leverage each others networks and resources to source and activate with relevant partners, which will contribute to the promotion of tourism in the Kingdom.

Presence at key roadshows and international events

Working in unison, Riyadh Air and the STA will ensure they have a notable presence in key industry trade shows along with major international events in the travel and tourism sector. Their participation will enable both Riyadh Air and the STA to showcase their offerings, make new announcements, and unveil key developments while showcasing Saudi Arabias tourism hotspots to travellers and industry figures.

Marketplace and accessibility to STOCH

The MoU will ensure accessibility to tourism-related platforms such as the Sustainable Tourism Observatories in Cities (STOCH) to keep Saudi Arabia and Riyadh Air visible and accessible to tourists and guests year-round. Riyadh Air aims to become the worlds most forward-thinking carrier, embracing the aviation industrys best sustainability practices.

Exploring collaboration in loyalty programmes

Guests will benefit from collaboration between Riyadh Air and the STA thanks to joint benefits with their respective loyalty programs. Travelers will reap the rewards through exciting joint promotions and incentives which will encourage further visits to Saudi Arabia, and beyond, with Riyadh Air.

Distribution and payment solutions

Airline booking processes will be made simpler than ever due to collaboration on payment solutions, leveraging world-leading technology and new digital methods, which enhance the overall booking experience for Riyadh Air guests and tourists coming to Saudi Arabia.

Engaging in the Tourism Accelerator Programme

Riyadh Air and the STA will both be active in the Tourism Accelerator Programme, driving innovation, growth and sustainability within the tourism sector. The programme will see both working together to implement initiatives that support the travel and tourism industry. Riyadh Air is also a catalyst for Saudi Arabias National Transport and Logistics Strategy and is playing a key role in contributing to Saudi Arabias wider economic diversification and jobs creation, toward realising Vision 2030 goals.

Cooperation in the development and design of tourism products

As globally recognisable entities, both will work in unison to develop and produce various travel and tourism products to enhance the overall experience for travellers. Riyadh Air is committed to elevating the standards of service in the aviation industry making the entire process, from booking to landing, completely seamless for its guests.

Coordination in conducting visitor experience assessment and setting the necessary tools and mechanisms in place

As part of the agreement Riyadh Air and the STA will gather invaluable feedback and information from travellers to improve services and the overall experience where necessary. Insights will be used to enhance the Kingdoms tourism offering and both Riyadh Air and the STA will put tools in place to ensure feedback collected is efficiently analysed.

Riyadh Air recently celebrated its first anniversary, having signed major agreements and partnerships with global partners, as it continues to build towards its maiden flight in mid-2025.--TradeArabia News Service
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE and JetBlue, New York's Hometown Airline, have announced the addition of loyalty benefits starting today (May 8) as part of its long-standing codeshare partnership.

The agreement was signed by the two airlines at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai.

Under this deal, members of JetBlues TrueBlue loyalty programme and members of Etihad Guest, the loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, will now be able to earn and redeem Miles in the programme of their choice when flying across the network of either airline.

This partnership complements the respective programmes portfolio of redemption options with Etihad Guest miles redeemable against a wide range of experiences from flights and worldwide hotel stays to converting miles into a reward card for shopping.

In addition, last year JetBlue launched its new TrueBlue loyalty programme, offering members more value with the introduction of tiles to track status, Perks You Pick, expanded Mosaic levels for the airlines most loyal customers and more ways to earn perks and status than ever before.

Understanding that no two travellers are alike, TrueBlue gives customers the ability to choose the rewards that are most valuable to them and earn points whether they fly, buy, drive or shop.

The customer loyalty offerings build on both airlines near decade of partnership, which delivers access between New York and Boston to Etihads global network of more than 70 destinations and over 40 destinations across JetBlues network within the Americas.

Mark Potter, Managing Director Etihad Guest, said: JetBlue has been an important partner for Etihad for almost a decade and were thrilled to be extending this partnership to our loyalty programmes, benefitting both of our airlines valued members. We look forward to welcoming and rewarding TrueBlue members.

This also further bolsters Etihads commitment to the US market, following the recent launch of our direct service connecting Abu Dhabi and Boston, as well as introducing our popular A380 onto the New York route, expanding capacity.

As a successful partner since 2014, we are excited to introduce loyalty benefits as part of our codeshare partnership with Etihad, said Christopher Buckner, Vice President Loyalty and Partnerships, JetBlue.

This partnership extension delivers both JetBlue TrueBlue and Etihad Guest members more ways to earn and redeem on travel, making exploring either airlines network of top global destinations even more rewarding.  TradeArabia News Service
Global travel brand, Expedia, announced at ATM Dubai (May 6-9) the launch of a web experience in the United Arab Emirates market, with a Gen-AI enabled app that will be introduced later in May.

The announcement comes as the region celebrates a booming $25 billion travel and tourism industry, with the UAE leading the sector growth.

Dubai has become one of the top global destinations for travellers in recent years. Expedia, which currently operates in over 30 markets, will offer worldwide flights and access to hundreds and thousands of lodging options globally so citizens and residents of the United Arab Emirates can book the best staycations in the country and most memorable vacations globally.

Visionary leadership, a strategic long-term plan, a business-friendly environment and a vibrant multicultural society are driving the remarkable growth in the UAE, across multiple industries including travel and tourism, said Rehan A Asad, vice president of global markets at Expedia Group.

Expedia Group is an innovative technology company as much as it is a travel company, and we want to grow with the UAE and with the region. We want to grow together.

Were excited and committed to serving UAE citizens and residents and offer them the comfort, convenience and confidence that they have a trusted partner for their family and friends to travel together. We want to provide the best product, all in one place.

Expedia is at the forefront of technology innovation in the global travel industry, and its UAE app-offering, will host features that will help travellers overcome barriers.

Expedia was the first travel company to integrate ChatGPT into its app, offering a convenient source of travel inspiration.

This feature will be available in the UAE to help travellers seamlessly plan and make more of their trips, along with Expedias Price Tracking tool for account holders. The tool shows price history and price predictions on future flights, as available, and offers alerts when prices change, so travellers can find the best price, save time and book with confidence.

UAE citizens and residents who create an Expedia account can also enjoy access to Member Prices, with savings worth 10% or more on over 100,000 properties.

As Expedia ramps up its efforts in the UAE, the brand has also kicked off a new brand campaign, aligned to its global Made to Travel brand platform  we are all made to travel, and Expedia is made to help you do it.

The campaign kicked off with three new digital creative spots, which went live on May 8. The content will be published across YouTube and paid social channels, with further marketing channels, including Out of Home activating later this year.

The films titled Chaos, Home and Birthday each focus on a barrier to travel, show how Expedia can help overcome that and spotlight the emotional benefit of taking that trip and heading out to see the world.  TradeArabia News Service
Dancers, Tejano music fans and community members were seen at the free Seniors Conjunto Dance, the long standing unofficial kickoff event for the Teanjo Conjunto Festival, at VFW Post 9186 on May 15, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Christopher Lee Dancers, Tejano music fans and community members were seen at the free Seniors Conjunto Dance, the long standing unofficial kickoff event for the Teanjo Conjunto Festival, at VFW Post 9186 on May 15, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Christopher Lee Dancers, Tejano music fans and community members were seen at the free Seniors Conjunto Dance, the long standing unofficial kickoff event for the Teanjo Conjunto Festival, at VFW Post 9186 on May 15, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Christopher Lee Dancers, Tejano music fans and community members were seen at the free Seniors Conjunto Dance, the long standing unofficial kickoff event for the Teanjo Conjunto Festival, at VFW Post 9186 on May 15, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Christopher Lee Dancers, Tejano music fans and community members were seen at the free Seniors Conjunto Dance, the long standing unofficial kickoff event for the Teanjo Conjunto Festival, at VFW Post 9186 on May 15, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Christopher Lee Dancers, Tejano music fans and community members were seen at the free Seniors Conjunto Dance, the long standing unofficial kickoff event for the Teanjo Conjunto Festival, at VFW Post 9186 on May 15, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Christopher Lee Dancers, Tejano music fans and community members were seen at the free Seniors Conjunto Dance, the long standing unofficial kickoff event for the Teanjo Conjunto Festival, at VFW Post 9186 on May 15, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Christopher Lee Dancers, Tejano music fans and community members were seen at the free Seniors Conjunto Dance, the long standing unofficial kickoff event for the Teanjo Conjunto Festival, at VFW Post 9186 on May 15, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Christopher Lee

Olga Flores has traveled from California to her hometown of San Antonio every year for the past 26 years.

The reason she makes the hours-long drive is not to visit relatives, but to gather with another type of family  her fellow conjunto music fans.

Were getting older so weve got to do it while we can, said Flores, 76, who has made the trip from her Apple Valley, Calif., home to San Antonio for the annual Tejano Conjunto Festival since 1998.

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This years Tejano Conjunto Festival en San Antonio is underway, as festivities of the 42nd edition of the event kicked off Wednesday and continue through Sunday.

A free Seniors Conjunto Dance, which has kicked off the annual festival since the mid-1980s and is its only non-ticketed event, took place Wednesday morning at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9136 on the South Side. The location change from the usual Guadalupe Theater was necessary because of renovation work at the historic venue.

A Conjunto Music Hall of Fame ceremony that includes a dinner and dance took place at 6 p.m. Thursday at the VFW hall. The festivals concert performances start at 5 p.m. Friday at Rosedale Park and conclude at 10 p.m. Sunday.

A native of the citys West Side, Flores first started attending the conjunto festival in its early days in the 1980s. She reunites with many of the same music fans and longtime festival goers every year.

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This year, she drove with a couple  her compadres, she said  who also live in California and have made the same trip to the festival every year. They talked of seeing other festival goers on the highway or at various stops along the way as they all headed to San Antonio.

Flores said she recognized many of the couples at Wednesdays free conjunto dance and knew of others who are traveling from out of state to attend the festival that is known to attract music fans from all over the world. Longtime festival volunteers said theyve met fans from Germany, Canada, Mexico and Japan throughout the years.

Among the highlights for Flores and her travel companions, Daniel Flores and his wife, Mary Lou Hernandez Flores, is seeing music students and other young musicians take the festival stage.

Theyve got it in their soul, Olga Flores said.

Student musicians are scheduled to perform on Saturday and Sunday, along with several veteran acts, including the legendary Flaco Jimenez, who takes the stage with Los Texmaniacs on Sunday.

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Festival organizers strive to showcase young musicians and introduce new bands in the concert lineup, said Juan Tejeda, founder of the Tejano Conjunto Festival who served as its longtime director and continues to be involved in an advisory role.

He said there has been some criticism from longtime festival goers that too many of the same musicians perform every year.

Well, thats the way a tradition works, Tejeda said. A big part of the festival has been to honor the music and the older generation.

READ MORE: Grupo Frontera announces San Antonio concert date at Frost Bank Center

Cristina Balli, executive director of the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, which hosts the annual conjunto festival, said conjunto music remains popular because of its roots in working class Mexican American communities. Many people grew up hearing it, she said.

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The music is a living folk tradition, Balli said. Its the soundtrack for so many lives.

Though conjunto music, which features the accordion and bajo sexto and is characterized by a strong beat, isnt heard on most mainstream outlets, it has a loyal following, fans say.

Its definitely alive in dance halls, in family celebrations, weddings, quinceaneras and in backyards, said Balli, who is the conjunto festival director and curates its lineup with Tejeda.

A grassroots campaign that includes targeted yearlong promotion at other music events and an active social media presence has helped keep attendance strong in recent years, Balli said.

A part of that grassroots campaign is longtime festival participant Nelda Saenz, whos worked at KEDA Radio for 21 years and has served as the conjunto festivals stage coordinator for the past decade. Her festival duties include introducing the acts and making sure all the performers are where they need to be.

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Known as La Reina del Conjunto to KEDA listeners, Saenz said the festival is special because its a big family. We all have conjunto music in common.

Another thing that makes it special, she said, is the quality of music that can be heard at the conjunto festival, from veteran musicians to up-and-coming performers.
Travel is one of the most sought-after pursuits in peoples lives, so much so that they would sacrifice just about anything to get away, said Marc-Antoine Simon, Industry Manager, Travel and Tourism  Mena, TikTok.

Unfortunately, the high likelihood of a trip leading to unwanted disappointment is why, ahead of a trip, people go the extra mile to ensure that the reward is maximised and the risk is neutralised, he told a session at the Arabian Travel Market on How To Build Influence with Gen Z in Just 30 Seconds.

According to research commissioned by Exodus Travels in 2023, only 45% of vacations lived up to or exceeded the perfect picture they had imagined. On average, travellers search through 38 different travel sites to figure out where to go, how to get there and where to book, with 58% admitting to abandoning a booking because the process has been too stressful.

Enjoyable journey

Simon explained that today, this desire to take control of the search experience sees travellers swapping keywords for human words, queries for communities and information for immersion. This allows them to discover, on their terms, and transform a daunting endeavour into an enjoyable journey, proving that travel is at the cusp of a new search era fuelled by people.

Travellers need a search platform that offers fast results with visual content that is mobile and community-led. By creating their own platform, they have eliminated major barriers to travel that once hindered the pre-booking journey, and these communities are making destinations viral overnight, he added.

A perfect example of the power of user-generated content is Albania, a country often overlooked as a tourist destination. However, in 2022, the country suddenly gained popularity thanks to an influx of videos showcasing its tourism attributes. The impact was significant, with Skyscanner reporting a 44% increase in flight searches to Albania from the UK, and searches from the US also saw a significant uptick.

Notable figures

The expert panel included other notable figures, including Joshua Roche, CEO of Bulla Connect Ltd; Keith Herman, CEO of Trending Travel; and His Excellency Harris Whitbeck, Minister of Tourism Board of Guatemala. Their discussion focused on social media's pivotal role in influencing Gen Z's travel decisions and how these platforms can be leveraged to convert interest into tangible tourist engagements.

During the discussion, HE Whitbeck highlighted Guatemala's successful strategies for attracting Gen Z tourists, with a special emphasis on sustainability and eco-friendly initiatives that align with their values.

Gen Z is a massive market for Guatemala, being highly educated and curious. With 78 million people using TikTok in Latin America, marketing the destination becomes a blank slate. However, while community-led coverage from Tiktok is welcome, Guatemala would prefer visitors who have a lower impact on our resources. To achieve this, we would need to leverage tools such as AI and Big Data to tailor our messaging to the right audience, he explained.

Tourism strategies

As the 31st edition of Arabian Travel Market approaches its final day tomorrow, Thursday, 9 May 2024, at DWTC, more than 2,300 exhibitors from 165 countries and 41,000 attendees from around the world will look to embrace insights such as these to innovate and transform tourism strategies effectively.

Held in conjunction with Dubai World Trade Centre, ATM 2024s strategic partners are the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), Destination Partner; Emirates, Official Airline Partner; IHG Hotels & Resorts, Official Hotel Partner; and Al Rais Travel, Official DMC Partner.--TradeArabia News Service
With the summer just around the corner, Experience Abu Dhabi has introduced 101 Abu Dhabi Dos unveiling the vast diversity of the emirates travel landscape.

From creating art beneath Louvre Abu Dhabis iconic dome to driving on an F1 track at Yas Marina Circuit, visitors can blend relaxation, discovery, and excitement across the 101 experiences.

101 Abu Dhabi Dos is a curated selection of enriching moments that highlight opportunities for adventure and discovery at every turn, a statement said.

#45 Art tours from a new POV

Louvre Abu Dhabi Saadiyat Island is a work of art best viewed from the water. Blend art, history and adventure with an on-the-water experience, kayaking around the iconic Louvre Abu Dhabi dome. The regions first universal museum is surrounded by water, where you can catch sunset views.

#83 Take the plunge

Scuba dive with more than 330+ species at The National Aquarium, Al Qana. If youre looking for aquatic adventures, head to Al Qana and visit The National Aquarium, where you can dive into the underwater realm and partake in an exhilarating swim with sharks, rays, and thousands underwater animals.

#30 Wake up on the wild side

Book breakfast with a giraffe at Emirates Park Zoo, Al Bahya. Elevate your morning with a one-of-a-kind adventure, dining with some of natures most incredible mammals  along with guided tour, and so much more.

#41 Learn centuries-old skills

Through the generations, House of Artisans, Al Hosn, keeps vibrant traditions alive. At this centre dedicated to Emirati crafts, visitors can not only purchase handmade mementoes, they can also participate in living traditions such as Sadu, Khoos and Talli handicrafts.

#87 Outwit a true trickster

Test your limits at the Jokers Funhouse, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, Yas Island. With mind-bending tricks, tests and surprises, kids and families will encounter The Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Penguin, and many more of Gotham Citys most infamous residents.

#61 Step into the spotlight

More than 50 projectors light up Qasr Al Watan, Abu Dhabi Corniche, for an audiovisual spectacle. Delve into the nation's history and culture and wander through majestic halls, taking in the best of Arabian craftsmanship. Afterwards, enjoy the stunning nightly light show projected onto the exterior of the palaces walls.

#94 Roadtrip at 120mph

Power around an F1 circuit Yas Island with the Formula Yas 3000 experience. Boasting a V6 Jaguar engine, this powerful race car is the closest thing to an F1 car that most people will ever drive. Test your skills on a legendary track with top speeds of up to 275km/h.

#71 Weave your way through a masterpiece

Walk on the world's largest hand-woven carpet at the UAEs largest mosque, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. The predominantly wool, single-piece carpet is 5,400 sqm and was hand-crafted by approximately 1,200 artisans. The total project took two years, including eight months for the design and 12 months for the knotting.

#22 Drop in from 104 feet high

Try the world's biggest indoor flight chamber at CLYMB Abu Dhabi, Yas Island. Whether youre an absolute beginner or an expert flyer, dedicated instructors will guide you throughout this thrilling experience. The flight chamber measures 32 feet wide and a record-breaking 104 feet high.

#4 Become a ninja warrior

Take on the inflatable arena at Air Maniax in Yas Mall. Take on family and friends with this test of balance, strength, speed, and agility. Jump and swing your way around the course before tackling the inflatable arena  and a huge variety of obstacles.  TradeArabia News Service
Boutique Group, a pioneering ultra-luxury hospitality group, showcased its game-changing ultra-luxury concepts steeped in heritage, at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2024 in Dubai.

Fully owned by Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund, the group reiterated its commitment to redefining the luxury hospitality experience by transforming some of Saudi Arabias most iconic former royal residences, among other cultural and historic landmarks, into ultra-luxury hotels.

Boutique Group also announced details of a new Memorandum of Understanding signed with Altanfeethi luxury concierge service to exchange knowledge and expertise to develop and enhance guest experience at airports in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Its portfolio includes the stunning Al Hamra Palace in Jeddah, known for hosting some of the world's most prominent international public figures, the Red Palace in the heart of old Riyadh. It adorned the SAR 100 bank note and served as the home to the Council of Ministers for three decades, and the Aga Khan Award-winning Tuwaiq Palace, an architectural masterpiece inspired by Saudi Arabias iconic forts, tents and oasis landscape.

Across its palaces, Boutique Group said it is dedicated to designing bespoke modern luxury offerings rooted in a strong sense of place, backed by strong partnerships and an authentic representation of Saudis vast heritage.

This years ATM theme explores gateways. This is particularly poignant for Boutique Group, because our properties are in essence a gateway to a new model of hospitality, and a more sustainable future. Inspired by Saudi Arabis rich heritage and powered by its talent, we are creating a gateway to a more resilient and diversified economy, said Mark De Cocinis, Chief Executive Officer at Boutique Group.

Marco Franck, Chief Hospitality Officer at Boutique Group, who took part in a panel discussion titled Next-level Luxury: How to Stand Out as Truly Premium in an Oversaturated Market, shed light on the groups efforts to steep its guests in the culture and heritage of Saudi Arabia, while also maintaining the most opulent standards of luxury service.

He said: Its always a pleasure to connect with fellow industry leaders, who are passionate about exploring new ways to raise the bar and elevate industry standards. Boutique Group takes great pride in reflecting the sights, smells, sounds and cultures of the regions our properties call home  from our architecture and interiors to our spa and F&B offerings.

ATM 2024 that was held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from May 6-9, welcomed more than 46,000 visitors, setting a show record.  TradeArabia News Service
Red Sea Global (RSG), the developer behind regenerative tourism destinations The Red Sea and Amaala, has teamed up with global tech giant Oracle to introduce its hospitality technology solutions, including Opera Cloud Central Hospitality platform, into the Kingdom for the first time.

With this move, RSGs premier luxury resorts  Thuwal Private Retreat, Shebara and Desert Rock  are set to become the first resorts in the Kingdom to leverage Oracles cutting-edge cloud hospitality technology solutions.

This follows the companys decision to invest in bringing these solutions to Saudi Arabia via its Oracle Cloud in Jeddah.

"The Oracle Hospitality Opera Cloud Central platform truly is best-in-class, but until now, it was not accessible to the industry in Saudi Arabia. Oracle was eager to be part of the exciting transformation happening in the Kingdom, especially within the hospitality industry," said John Pagano, the Group CEO at Red Sea Global.

"With their expertise and support, we now have the technology in place to deliver exceptional guest experiences, responding to the needs of our discerning visitors before they themselves know what they want," he stated.

Previously hosted outside of Saudi Arabia, the Oracle Hospitality Opera Cloud Central platform was inaccessible to customers due to data residency rules.

By investing in bringing these solutions to the Kingdom, for the first time the entire Saudi hospitality industry can benefit from its technological services.

Alex Alt, the Executive Vice President and General Manager, Oracle Hospitality, said: "Saudi Arabia is one of the most exciting hospitality market stories in the world today, and by pioneering a regenerative approach to tourism, Red Sea Global is at the heart of that transformation."

"Now, Oracle will be a part of shaping the future of the sector in the region as well, which is why we are investing heavily in bringing our solutions to the Kingdom. Through OPERA Cloud, RSG now has a scalable hospitality platform that empowers its guest services staff to provide faster, hassle-free, personalized experiences," he added.

The Oracle Hospitality Opera Cloud Central platform unites data and functionality under a common user interface and experience.

With it, customers can get a comprehensive view of their hotel business, including distribution, sales, service interactions, loyalty programs, and more to help make faster decisions that can benefit staff and guests.

According to RSG, the all-in-one platform helps hotels remove silos and friction across various functional areas both on as well as above property.

Single image rates and inventory, as well as reservations, groups, and profiles, combined with a unified end user experience, makes information accessible to all key stakeholders at all customer touchpoints.

Last year, The Red Sea destination welcomed its first guests, and the Red Sea International Airport has been receiving a regular schedule of domestic flights since September 2023  international flights also began last month.

Three of the destinations hotels are now open, with two additional resorts on track to open later this year, it stated.

Thuwal Private Retreat will also open this year, while Amaala remains on track to welcome first guests to Triple Bay in 2025, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
Raffles The Palm Dubai has appointed a new Managing Director, who with a wealth of knowledge and a proven track record of success, will work to establish Raffles The Palm Dubai as a beacon of ultra luxury hospitality in the region.

Aaron Kaupp has a deep-seated passion for luxury hospitality, and has over 25 years of extensive experience.

Kaupp will be leading one of Dubai's most iconic properties, with the brand continuing its journey under the visionary leadership of CEO Omer Acar.

Kaupp said he is excited to contribute to Raffles' legacy of excellence and innovation with a commitment to fostering a culture of greatness, elevating standards, and strengthening community partnerships.

"We are delighted to welcome Aaron Kaupp to Raffles The Palm Dubai," said Omer Acar, CEO, Raffles Hotels & Resorts.

"His extensive experience and remarkable achievements in the hospitality industry make him the perfect fit to lead our team at Raffles The Palm Dubai, where I know he will elevate the guest experience to new heights.

Prior to his joining Raffles The Palm Dubai, Kaupp served as General Manager of The Jumeirah Carlton Tower in London and as regional vice president for Jumeirah in the UK.

He also previously served as the General Manager of Le Royal Monceau  Raffles Paris, where his strategic initiatives resulted in significant accolades.

Kaupp said: "I am thrilled to join the esteemed team at Raffles The Palm Dubai. With its unparalleled reputation for elegance and hospitality excellence, I look forward to leading the property towards continued success and delivering exceptional guest experiences.

One of my primary goals is to foster a culture of greatness and teamwork among our staff, empowering them to deliver flawless service and attention to detail. Infusing the legendary service of the Raffles brand with a European flair, I aim to elevate our standards even further. Our Master Artisans are at the heart of the exclusive experiences that we curate to enchant our guests during their stay.

In addition to his roles in London and Paris, Kaupp has held leadership positions at properties such as Villa San Michele  Belmond, Florence, and Armani Hotel  Emaar, Milano, among others.  TradeArabia News Service
Turkish Airlines is entering to a new era in terms of distribution technologies with the launch of new distribution capability (NDC) platform, Tkconnect, empowering travel agents with exclusive content and services.

Starting from October 1, 2024, Tkconnect will provide a tailored marketplace, offering differentiated products and benefits.

The platform marks a significant milestone in Turkish Airlines' mission to enhance passenger experience and to support commercial partners.

Advantages awaiting the travel agencies are; a wide range of exclusive features and privileges, including differentiated ticket pricing, NDC only promotional fares, rich content supported with visuals and descriptions, enhanced and promoted ancillary services such as excess baggage, seat selection and special equipment.

Turkish Airlines Chief Commercial Officer Ahmet Olmustur, said: Our new distribution capability platform, Tkconnect, will be an important milestone in our mission to enhance passenger experiences and support our commercial partners.

As Turkish Airlines, we offer Tkconnect to our business partners and travel agencies as a result of our goal to always offer advanced technology in a user-friendly way.

Tkconnect is offered as three alternative options to meet the needs of Turkish Airlines extensive network of commercial partners.

Tkconnect Direct offers Instant fare, inventory and additional service opportunities with direct access to Turkish Airlines content via IATA-certified NDC APIs.

Tkconnect via Aggregator is a facilitated integration point to Turkish Airlines products and services provided by industry-leading, IATA registered and Turkish Airlines certified technology partners.

Tkconnect User Interface provides instant fare, inventory and additional service opportunities with a user-friendly web-based booking portal that simplifies booking, ticketing and post-ticketing services.

Agencies not yet onboarded as Tkconnect partners can keep their current setup to Turkish Airlines' legacy content through Global Distribution Systems (GDS).

However, starting from 1 October 2024, bookings made via GDS will incur a distribution cost charge and our differentiated rich content products will only be available for Tkconnect users.

Travel agents interested in Tkconnect can discover more details on the Turkish Airlines Partners Landing Page (ndc.thy.com) or getting in touch with Turkish Airlines Sales Team.  TradeArabia News Service
Kerten Hospitality will manage Baheej Tourism Development Companys hotel in Yanbu under the premium Cloud 7 brand, an innovative hotel and residence lifestyle brand, under a strategic agreement signed at the Future Hospitality Summit in Riyadh.

Cloud 7 brand is known for its vibrant designs, dynamic check-in lobbies, healthy food options, and curated retail boutiques.

The collaboration between Baheej Tourism Development Company, a joint venture between Asfar, the Saudi tourism investment company owned by PIF, and the Tamimi-AWN Alliance, and Kerten Hospitality, a global leader in the integrated living and hospitality sector, aims at enhancing the hospitality sector and demonstrates Asfars ability to leverage its extensive network for the benefit of its partners and subsidiaries.

Kerten Hospitality said its commitment to taking an innovative approach to shaping modern hospitality offerings and its dedication to fostering vibrant communities reflects Baheejs dedication to not only uplift the hospitality experience in Yanbu but also to positively impact the local community and tourism sector.

The PKF hospitality group, a global leader in hospitality consulting, elaborated the feasibility study and performed the operator search that led to Kertens appointment.

Nils Heckscher, head of Middle East and Africa at PKF Hospitality group, said: Being involved from the conceptual stage and being present at the signing of this great partnership was special. Now we are looking forward to the project being built.

Stefan Catic, Head of operator search at PKF Hospitality, said: Finding the right operator for projects characterised by such uniqueness and complexity remains a significant challenge in the market and is crucial for success.

Kerten has demonstrated an ability to leverage this complexity as an asset, deviating from the standardization commonly seen in larger hotel groups. This factor is often overlooked, which can lead to suboptimal outcomes and reduced profitability for both individual hospitality projects and larger developments as a whole. This is why spending a bit more time on the operator selection process is crucial.

Stefano Lopez, Tourism Projects Director of Baheej: Thanks go to Nils Heckscher and Stefan Catic and their team, your input and the advice that the PKF hospitality group brought to the conversation were determining for the projects strategy and feasibility analysis. We look forward to more exciting announcements to come.  TradeArabia News Service
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.
Daniel Perry enters the 147th District Courtroom at the Travis County Justice Center for his sentencing, Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in Austin, Texas. Perry, a U.S. Army sergeant convicted of murder in the fatal shooting of Air Force veteran Garrett Foster, 28, an armed protester during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Texas, could be facing up to life in prison, even as Gov. Greg Abbott presses for the chance to pardon him. Mikala Compton/Associated Press U.S. Army Sgt. Daniel Perry, center, and his attorney Doug O'Connell, left, walk out of the courtroom during jury deliberations in his murder trial, Friday, April 7, 2023, at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center in Austin, Texas. Perry was convicted of murder on Friday for fatally shooting Garrett Foster, an armed protester in 2020, during nationwide protests against police violence and racial injustice. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP) Jay Janner/Associated Press

Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday pardoned Daniel Perry, the Army veteran who was convicted of murdering a Black Lives Matter protester in Austin in 2020.

The move came shortly after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles recommended a full pardon for Perry, who had been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the killing, which turned him into a cause celebre among some Republicans who argued that he acted in self-defense.

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Its the first time in at least decades that a Texas governor has pardoned someone for a serious violent crime, let alone murder. Perry was released from custody shortly after the announcement.

Texas has one of the strongest Stand Your Ground laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive district attorney, Abbott said in a statement. I thank the Board for its thorough investigation, and I approve their pardon recommendation.

The move comes days before Abbott is set to address the National Rifle Associations convention in Dallas alongside former President Donald Trump. As part of the pardon, Perry regains his right to own and carry a firearm.

Abbott had asked the board last year to take up Perrys case and expedite it. The board unanimously agreed to recommend a pardon after a thorough examination of the amassed information, the agency said in a release.

Perry had been driving for Uber on the night of July 25, 2020, when he turned into an intersection full of protesters in downtown Austin and was confronted by Garrett Foster, who was carrying an AK-47 rifle. Seconds later, Perry used his revolver to shoot and kill Foster, who is white. Both men were legally armed.

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Both were on opposite sides of a protest movement that had reached a crescendo after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Perrys defense team attempted to portray the protesters as an angry mob and said Foster, an Air Force veteran, was carrying his rifle in a threatening manner, which meant Perry had the right to shoot him under Texas self-defense laws. Prosecutors contended that Perry deliberately drove into a group of peaceful protesters and lost his right to self-defense by provoking the confrontation with Foster.

Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza denounced the pardon on Thursday, saying the governor and the board put politics over justice and made a mockery of our legal system.

Their actions are contrary to the law and demonstrate that there are two classes of people in this state where some lives matter and some lives do not, he said in a statement. They have sent a message to Garrett Fosters family, to his partner, and to our community that his life does not matter.

Abbott cannot grant a pardon without an endorsement from the board, but he appoints all the board members and can remove them at any time. Attorneys with experience in pardon cases have said the governor can pressure the board when it works to his favor, or defer to it when its not.

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Its a complete perversion of justice and its a sad moment in criminal justice, Gary Cohen, an Austin attorney who has specialized in pardon and parole law for nearly 40 years, said of the announcement Thursday. It sets a horrible precedent. Its disrespectful for the judicial process, for the judges, for victims  all the signals it sends are horrible.

Perrys verdict ignited conservatives across the country. Kyle Rittenhouse, who was acquitted of killing two protesters in Kenosha, Wis., in 2022, immediately called for Perrys pardon. So did former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Less than a day later, Abbott announced his intention to do so.

But when court documents unsealed after the verdict showed that Perry, who is white, had previously written about wanting to kill protesters, Muslims and Black people, Abbott seemed to change his tone.

Thursdays announcement was the first time Abbott has pardoned someone in the middle of the year, and it comes as he is campaigning heavily for several hard-right conservatives in runoff elections later this month. Typically, the pardon board makes its recommendations throughout the year and Abbott announces final decisions in late December, shortly before Christmas.

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The board had similarly considered recommending a posthumous pardon for Floyd related to a 2004 drug arrest in Houston. The panel unanimously agreed to recommend one in October 2021, but before Abbott could make a decision, it reversed the recommendation, citing procedural errors.

Douglas OConnell, Perrys lawyer, said Thursday that Perry was thrilled and elated to be free. He said he intended to push the Army to upgrade Perrys service characterization to an honorable discharge.

The action by Governor (Abbott) and the Pardon Board corrects the courtroom travesty which occurred over a year ago and represents true justice in this case, OConnell said in a statement.

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Whitney Mitchell, Fosters fiancee, said Abbotts decision has made us all less safe. She called Foster the love of her life and said she was heartbroken by this lawlessness.
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.
Hasely Crawford and Keshorn Walcott are among the household names in Trinidad and Tobago who made an impact through success at elite-level sport.

To date, Crawford and Walcott are the countrys only individual Olympic gold medallists. They serve as examples for young T&T athletes with big ambitions.

Some will become world-beaters; others will not. And thats the reality of sport. Many participate, but a relative few reach the elite level. Even fewer get to the top of the podium in global competition.
Protesters gather outside the Board of Regents meeting at the University of Houston Downtown during Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Houston. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer

The nations largest Muslim advocacy group is challenging Gov. Greg Abbotts executive order directing universities to crack down on pro-Palestinian groups, which it calls an attempt to illegally suppress a viewpoint critical of one particular foreign country.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations filed the lawsuit Thursday on behalf of student activists at the University of Houston and the University of Texas, as well as the Democratic Socialists of America, which has chapters at universities across the state. It names Abbott, as well as both UH and UT and their leaders.

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Shaun, who declined to give his last name, speaks during a press conference Thursday, May 16, 2024, at the office of Council on American-Islamic Relations Houston in Houston. He is a member of the Young Democratic Socialists of America from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A man listens during a press conference Thursday, May 16, 2024, at the office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Houston in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Frances, who declined to give her last name, speaks during a press conference Thursday, May 16, 2024, at the office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Houston in Houston. She is a member of the Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer William White, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Houston, speaks during a press conference Thursday, May 16, 2024, at the office of CAIR Houston in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A phone records as James, who declined to give his last name, speaks during a press conference Thursday, May 16, 2024, at the office of Council on American-Islamic Relations Houston in Houston. He is a member of the Houston chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer

Since that executive order, Governor Abbott has revealed a boundless resolve to suppress students and others from expressing common and typical criticisms of one particular foreign country  Israel, the lawsuit says.

In March, Abbott directed public universities to update their free speech policies to include the states definition of antisemitism and to establish appropriate punishments, including expulsion from the institution for those who spread anti-Jewish sentiments on campus.

The Republican governor at the time singled out pro-Palestinian student groups, including the Palestine Solidarity Committee and Students for Justice in Palestine, which he said should be disciplined for violating the new free speech policies. He said pro-Palestinian students have been chanting phrases including from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free, which Abbott described as antisemitic. Defenders say the slogan is a rallying cry calling for Palestinian liberation.

Texas supports free speech, especially on university campuses, but that freedom comes with responsibilities for both students and the institutions themselves, Abbott said at the time.

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Frances, who declined to give her last name, listens during a press conference Thursday, May 16, 2024, at the office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Houston in Houston. She is a member of the Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer

In response to the lawsuit, a spokesman for the governor said acts of antisemitism have grown in number, size, and danger to the Jewish community since Hamas' deadly attack on October 7th.

Texas will always stand with Israel and our Jewish neighbors here at home and across the world, the statement said.

The order came as tensions were building on college campuses amid the war in Gaza. Last month, police broke up student-led pro-Palestinian demonstrations at both universities, including at UT Austin, where state troopers arrested dozens of protesters in a show of force that the Department of Public Safety said was directed by Abbott and requested by the university.

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The lawsuit says Abbotts order violates student protesters' First Amendment rights by targeting their past, present, and future speech. It says the pro-Palestinian student groups regularly use the from the river to the sea chant as a shorthand for their peaceful calls demanding dignity and freedom for everyone in that geographic area.

The First Amendment is a better guide for our public discussions than Governor Abbotts whims, and this lawsuit insists that all public officials adhere to their obligation to respect the free speech rights of the students we are teaching in our public schools, it says.

The University of Houston said in a statement that, after Abbott issued his order, it added language to its anti-discrimination to define antisemitism according to the state's statutory definition. The statement said the university's "commitment to free speech and free expression has not changed."

"We have met with the Students for Justice in Palestine and reiterated our commitment to freedom of expression," the statement said. "Our policies are uniformly applied across all situations and individuals without regard to the viewpoints of any specific group."

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The University of Texas declined to comment on the lawsuit.

A phone records as Gadier Abbas, a litigation attorney with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, speaks during a press conference Thursday, May 16, 2024, at the office of CAIR Houston in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer
Jimmie Tramel Tulsa World Scene Writer Follow Jimmie Tramel Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Worlds collided for Taylor Hanson this week.

He is one-third of the Tulsa pop rock trio Hanson, which has accumulated fans from around the world.

In addition to music, one of his passions is Food on the Move, a nonprofit focused on combating food insecurity and ending food deserts in his hometown of Tulsa (and around Oklahoma).

On Wednesday, 200-plus Hanson fans from across the globe shared a meal with the music figure/Food on the Move founder because he hosted a sold-out lunch and learn event at the Tulsa Food Hub, 3829 E. Apache St. The event allowed Hansons fans (theyre in town for an annual Hanson Day celebration) to enjoy a locally sourced meal while also learning more about what Food On The Move does and the importance of its mission.

Hanson fans who were motivated to travel to Tulsa this week likely didnt need another reason to heart the group, but Taylor caring enough about others to battle hunger provided bonus appeal. The fans chipped in to raise money for Food on the Move and nearly doubled their initial $4,000 goal.

Taylor could be involved with any number of charitable organizations. Why this one? What led him to Food on the Move?

Well, Food on the Move was really started not because I knew anything about hunger, but because I was interested in learning from a U.S. ambassador that really inspired me, he said.

Taylor connected with Edward J. Perkins, a former ambassador to Liberia, South Africa, the United Nations and Australia, because Perkins was a professor emeritus at the University of Oklahoma and was close with former OU President David Boren.

Taylor said Perkins wrote a wonderful book (Mr. Ambassador, Warrior for Peace) that everybody should read. Taylor described Perkins as sort of a hero who didnt ask to be recognized. Read the book for the full story, but Perkins crowning achievement was being an agent of change in apartheid-burdened South Africa.

Perkins story is connected to Food on the Move, assured Taylor during a pre-event interview.

He changed the entire structure of the way ambassadors had behaved in South Africa when he showed up, Taylor said.

Instead of Perkins doing business in his office, where he was safe and protected, he ventured out among the people, according to Taylor.

And what he did was he listened, and he learned, Taylor said. And, by learning, he built trust.

Taylor credited Perkins for that strategy and for building relationships. He said you cant walk in someones home and tell them how to, for instance, clean up the living room or clean the dishes. You might get ordered out of the house. Perkins didnt operate that way.

And so communities all over our state and our city have their own challenges, Taylor said. Theyve got families. Theyve got jobs. Theyve got whatevers going on. And if we want to see change happen, its got to start by showing that we trust one another and that we want to work together and that were there to do it together. And so thats really what Ambassador Perkins did. He set a tone that was real change starts by coming down from whatever you think your pedestal is and coming alongside people and saying, how can we do this together?

Taking a page from Perkins playbook, Taylor wants to be out in the community building relationships to see how we can end food deserts together.

Taylor said he was blown away when he met Perkins. Taylor pitched this to Perkins: If we were to celebrate your life... and we were to honor your story as an ambassador, where would you have me start? How would you strengthen our community?

Perkins replied that he would start with food. Theres a photo of Perkins and Taylor together on Food on the Moves website.

Launched in 2014, Food on the Move is celebrating a 10th anniversary. Between then and now, the pandemic provided a reminder that access to food should be a bigger priority.

When COVID happened, the world suddenly realized how broken our food systems were, where our food was a thousand miles away and people were hungry and our grocery store shelves were (lacking)  and we were talking about that two years before it, Taylor said. Guys, our food is not here. Like, we dont know where our foods coming from. And the reason why its important for people in food deserts is because theyre the the first people to fall because they dont have the resources to pay for the cost of that expensive food that we all eat.

Asked if Tulsa qualifies as a food desert, Taylor said Tulsa has many food deserts. He said food desert is a term coined in the past 20 years, and it became more broadly used to identify areas that are too far away from a grocery store. He likes to say a neighborhood without a grocery store is like a house without a kitchen.

If you live in a neighborhood where you cant even buy bread or get milk or get some eggs, its almost like youre just not really living, right? he said. Youre going way out of your way. So if you have a one-car family or a zero-car family or maybe you have got three kids and (its a single-parent family) theyre just going, how do I even manage? How do I even get this thing done, this family thing?

Maybe, because theres not a grocery store, you visit a gas station and buy a fried something to feed kids whatever you can, suggested Taylor.

Food on the Move is working with partners to accomplish the elimination of Tulsas food deserts. Taylor said we need to grow more food locally, support local farmers and lower the cost of quality produce so people who have less resources have a better chance of being able to buy the good stuff that helps us feel better and live better.

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After rain and thunderstorms this week, hotter and drier weather will settle in for an extended period of time. Climate Prediction Center

The last few days have been pleasant in South Central Texas with low humidity and dry weather. Mornings have been comfortable with lows in the 60s, but the afternoons have been hot with highs in the 90s.



Clouds, rain, and storms are expected today before a period of dry and hot weather arrives in the Lone Star State.

We have been monitoring an upper-level disturbance over Mexico and the far southwestern United States, which is moving northeast toward the Southern and Central Plains today. Several frontal boundaries across the state will help initiate storms, including a dry line out west, a cold front to the north, and a warm front nearby. All these will work together to produce scattered rain and thunderstorms.



The Storm Prediction Center has placed portions of South-Central Texas under the threat of severe weather. San Antonio has a marginal risk for the afternoon and evening, while areas north of Interstate 10 are under a slight risk, a 2 out of 5 threat level.

The Storm Prediction Center has San Antonio under a marginal risk of severe weather for Thursday. The main threats will be hail and strong wind gusts. Storm Prediction Center

According to the National Weather Service, any thunderstorm today could bring large hail and damaging wind gusts. Additionally, heavy downpours are possible, with a quick 0.25 to 0.50 inches of rain expected in San Antonio, and 1 to 2 inches east of the city.

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Rain totals on Thursday and Friday will be much higher north and east of San Antonio. However, any rain will help with our 1.6 inch deficit for the month of May. Pivotal

Temperatures will be near our average high of 86 degrees, along with light east-to-southeast winds. Some spotty showers are possible on Friday morning as a cold front moves overhead, but gradual clearing is expected for the rest of the day with highs near 90 degrees.



Our next significant weather event will be the heat building over the weekend. A ridge of high atmospheric pressure typically brings calm weather and clear skies, and will slowly move across Texas. This will bring an extended period of dry weather along with some of the hottest temperatures so far this year. Our highest temperature recorded this year was 95 degrees on Thursday, just a week ago.



This weekend, our afternoon temperatures will be in the mid to upper 90s, then approaching the century mark early next week.

The heat is on next week with several locations reaching the century mark. Here's a look at the forecast highs on Monday in South Central Texas. Pivotal

Is it too early for triple-digit heat? Well, the answer is both yes and no. Over the past 100 years of weather records, the average date of the first 100-degree days does not arrive until June 30. However, if you look at more recent records from 1990 until now, the average date of the first occurrence of triple-digit temperatures is June 26.

The earliest triple-digit high recorded in San Antonio? That was on Feb. 12, 1996.



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Steve Metzer Tulsa World Capitol Bureau Staff Writer Follow Steve Metzer Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

OKLAHOMA CITY  Gov. Kevin Stitt opted not to attend a fourth summit meeting of state legislative leaders held at the Capitol on Wednesday.

The governor didnt comment about why he chose to forego the meeting. An email sent earlier by Stitt to House Speaker Charles McCall and to Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, obtained and published by The Oklahoman, referenced productive conversations held so far by leaders trying to hammer out a state government budget for fiscal year 2025.

(However,) Id like to make space for the Appropriations chairs from each chamber to have a more robust conversation in a public setting without the pressure of the principals in the room, the governor wrote.

McCall appeared only briefly during a morning session of the summit. He commented that he hoped differences that remain in the Houses and the Senates opening budget positions will soon be resolved. Then he left.

McCalls office later said he wouldnt make any further comment on Wednesday but would be available for press questions on Thursday.

That left Treat, who has clashed with the governor and House speaker over the feasibility of cutting state income tax revenues this year, as the senior lawmaker in the room.

The morning session wasnt terribly productive, as noise and music emanating from a rally being held at the Capitol made it difficult to hear anything said in the second-floor conference room. That led Treat and budget chairmen of the Senate and House, Sen. Chuck Hall, R-Perry, and Rep. Kevin Wallace, R-Wellston, to adjourn and agree to reconvene in a quieter room later in the day.

Eventually, the leaders, along with other lawmakers who chair various committees and subcommittees in the House and Senate, were able to meet and reach some common ground on several portions of the emerging fiscal year 2025 budget. They apparently came to terms on spending on such areas as the Department of Tourism and Recreation, the Oklahoma Historical Society, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and the state Conservation Commission.

Leaders continued to meet well into the afternoon and werent available to comment on whether an agreement may be reached soon on the next budget blueprint for the state. It wasnt clear whether any debate might continue over the proposed income tax cut.

Work during the current legislative session is supposed to be completed by May 31.

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BANSKA BYSTRICA, Slovakia -- Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is no longer in a life-threatening condition after he was shot in an assassination attempt when leaving a government meeting on Wednesday, a government minister said.

The gunman shot Fico, 59, five times, initially leaving the prime minister in critical condition and undergoing surgery hours later on Wednesday evening.

"I was very shocked ... fortunately as far as I know the operation went well - and I guess in the end he will survive ... he's not in a life-threatening situation at this moment," Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Environment Minister Tomas Taraba told the BBC's Newshour.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is transferred at the F.D. Roosevelt University Hospital after he was wounded in a shooting incident in Handlova, in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, May 15, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Taraba said one bullet went through Fico's stomach and a second hit a joint.

News outlet Aktuality.sk cited an unnamed source saying Fico was out of surgery and in stable condition.

A person is detained after shooting incident of Slovak PM Robert Fico, after a Slovak government meeting in Handlova, Slovakia, May 15. Photo: Reuters

Defence Minister Robert Kalinak told a news briefing hours earlier that Fico had suffered "serious polytrauma" after several shot wounds.

Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok had said earlier that Fico was in a life-threatening condition while he remained in the operating room.

A person is detained after a shooting incident of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, after a Slovak government meeting in Handlova, Slovakia, May 15. The incident shocked Slovakia, a small central European nation with little history of political violence. Slovakia's partners in the European Union and NATO condemned the shooting. Photo: Reuters

"This assassination (attempt) was politically motivated and the perpetrator's decision was born closely after the presidential election," Sutaj Estok said, referring to an April election won by a Fico ally, Peter Pellegrini.

The shooting in the central Slovak town of Handlova, which Slovak media said was carried out by a 71-year-old man, stunned the small central European nation and drew international condemnation.

An area of the F.D. Roosevelt University Hospital where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was taken after a shooting incident in Handlova, is cordoned off, in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, May 15, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Slovakia, a member of NATO and the European Union, has little history of political violence.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden joined Slovakia's EU partners in expressing shock and condemnation of the shooting.

The country of 5.4 million has seen polarised political debate in recent years, including the hard-fought presidential election last month that helped tighten Fico's grip on power.

Slovak Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok, flanked by Defence Minister Robert Kalinak, speaks during a press conference at F.D. Roosevelt University Hospital, where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was taken after he was wounded in a shooting incident in Handlova, in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, May 15, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Since returning as prime minister last October, Fico has shifted policy quickly. Opposition critics call it a power grab.

His government has scaled back support for Ukraine while opening dialogue with Russia, sought to weaken punishments for corruption and dismantled a special prosecutor's office, and is revamping the RTVS public broadcaster.

Police work at the scene after a shooting incident in which Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was wounded, outside the House of Culture in Handlova, Slovakia May 15, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Fico has long been critical of Slovakia's mainstream media, refusing to speak to some outlets. Members of his party blasted media and opposition actions in recent months.

"I ask all to stop piling attacks, expressions of hate, on social networks, in the media, which are aimed at that or another political camp, regardless if it concerns the (government) coalition or the opposition," Sutaj Estok said.

After the attack, Fico was rushed to hospital in Handlova where he had been chairing a government meeting. He was then transported by helicopter to regional capital Banska Bystrica for urgent treatment, it said, adding that his condition was too serious for him to be taken to Bratislava.

A Reuters witness heard shots as Fico exited a building to shake hands with a crowd of people who had been waiting to greet him. Police then wrestled a man to the ground.

Members of Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico's security detain a man during a shooting incident when Fico was approaching people after a Slovak government meeting in Handlova, Slovakia, May 15, 2024 in this screen grab from a video. RTV PRIEVIDZA/Handout via Reuters

Slovak news media reported the shooter was a former security guard at a shopping mall, an author of three collections of poetry and a member of the Slovak Society of Writers. News outlet Aktuality.sk cited his son as saying his father was the legal holder of a gun licence.

"I have absolutely no idea what my father intended, what he planned, what happened," it quoted the son as saying.

Broadcaster TA3 reported the leftist prime minister had been hit in the abdomen in the attack.

"I don't think I will wake up from this," 66-year-old Lubica Valkova told reporters on the scene. "This kind of thing just can't happen in Slovakia."

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico speaks during a press conference, before a shooting incident where he was wounded, in Handlova, Slovakia, May 15, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Veteran leader

Fico, a dominant force in Slovakia for two decades, has drawn criticism for taking a more pro-Russian stance in the Ukraine war.

Describing the shooting as a "monstrous" crime, Putin said in a telegram sent to Slovakia's President Zuzana Caputova: "I know Robert Fico as a courageous and strong-minded man. I very much hope that these qualities will help him to survive this difficult situation."

Biden offered U.S. help to Slovakia, saying in a statement: "We condemn this horrific act of violence."

Police and security officers stand guard outside F.D. Roosevelt University Hospital, where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was taken after he was wounded in a shooting incident in Handlova, in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, May 15, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Slovakia's biggest opposition party Progressive Slovakia called off a planned protest and called for restraint to avoid escalating tensions. Parliament suspended debate indefinitely after the attack.

In his career, Fico has moved between the pro-European mainstream and nationalistic positions opposed to EU and U.S. policies. He has also shown a willingness to change course depending on public opinion or changed political realities.

An admirer of Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Fico has grown increasingly critical of Western support for Ukraine in its war with Russian forces.

Fico was forced to resign as premier amid mass protests in 2018 triggered by the contract killing of Jan Kuciak, a journalist who had been investigating high-level corruption. Those protests exacerbated divisions in Slovak society that still linger.
Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Stepanovich Bezdetko remarked that Russia advocates Vietnams possible engagement in BRICS, a group of major emerging economies, while addressing an information sharing session in Hanoi on Wednesday.

Bezdetko made the statement in response to questions regarding Russias stance on Vietnam joining the bloc.

He said that he would be delighted if Vietnam opted to join BRICS.

The Russian diplomat added that BRICS is increasingly asserting its role in the world and that BRICS members have played crucial roles in promoting global financial and economic growth.

The ambassador also affirmed that BRICS is a united bloc on a journey of expansion and development, making it appealing to many countries around the globe.

According to Bezdetko, BRICS does not impose stringent regulations on its member countries and generally advocates membership expansion.

At a regular press conference on May 9, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs discussed the possibility of Vietnam joining BRICS this year.

Spokeswoman for the ministry Pham Thu Hang said that as a responsible and active member of the international community, and following the policy of multilateralization and diversification of foreign relations, independence, and self-reliance, Vietnam is prepared to take part in and actively contribute to global and regional multilateral mechanisms, organizations, and forums.

Like many other countries, Vietnam is paying attention to membership expansion within the bloc, Hang said.

Originally an acronym coined by Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O'Neill in 2001, BRICS was founded as an informal four-nation club comprising Brazil, Russia, China, and India in 2009.

It added South Africa a year later, according to Reuters.

On January 1 this year, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates formally joined the bloc.

Following the membership expansion, the group now accounts for some 37 percent of the global GDP and represents 46 percent of the worlds population.

Russia is currently the rotating chair of BRICS and Moscow is planning to host more than 200 events during its one-year chairmanship, including the annual BRICS summit scheduled to take place in October in Kazan, the capital city of Russias Tatarstan.

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Vietnams Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Wednesday sent a letter of congratulations to his new Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong, who took office on the same day, the Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs reported.

Wong took his oath of office during an oath taking ceremony held at the city-states presidential palace on Wednesday as Singapore's fourth prime minister, in the presence of participants from all walks of life in the island country.

The new PM, 51, succeeded Lee Hsien Loong, 72, who stepped down after two decades at the position.

On May 13, Lee submitted his resignation to Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and nominated his deputy Wong to replace him.

President Tharman affirmed that he has full confidence in Wongs ability to lead the country.

He will be his own person, with his own approach to building consensus and finding the best way forward for the country. And he will no doubt do so to his own rhythm and beat, Channel NewsAsia cited Tharman as saying.

In February last year, Wong, who was then deputy PM, had talks with PM Chinh when the Vietnamese government leader paid an official visit to Singapore.

At the meeting, Wong affirmed that Vietnam is an important partner of Singapore in the region, and promised he would do his best to contribute to promoting the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Vietnam and Singapore established diplomatic relations on August 1, 1973 and elevated their bilateral ties to a strategic partnership in 2013.

Singapore is currently Vietnams fourth-largest trading partner in ASEAN and the second-largest foreign investor in Vietnam, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade.

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Check out the latest news in Vietnam today:

Politics

-- Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Wednesday sent a letter of congratulations to Lawrence Wong as the latter took office as Prime Minister of Singapore, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

-- Standing Vice-Chairman of the lawmaking National Assembly Tran Thanh Man hosted a reception in Hanoi on Wednesday for Andre Flahaut, member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, Minister of State, and former President of the Chamber of Representatives. Man affirmed that Vietnam always considers Belgium an important partner in the European Union, reported the Vietnam News Agency.

-- Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Stepanovich Bezdetko said on Wednesday that Russia threw its support behind Vietnams plan to join the BRICS bloc.

Society

-- Nearly 100 workers from a firm, located in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam, were hospitalized with food poisoning symptoms such as abdominal pain and headache after their dinner on Wednesday.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee has ordered relevant units to review inadequate traffic infrastructure projects and remove obstacles facing the citys traffic system growth to ease traffic jams and minimize accidents.

-- Police in Cam Khe District, Phu Tho Province, northern Vietnam said on Wednesday afternoon that they had busted a major wildlife trafficking ring, detaining three individuals and rescuing a live tiger.

-- Heavy downpours hit Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday afternoon, flooding many streets and leaving traffic paralyzed. This is the heaviest rainfall to have been recorded in the southern metropolis in the year to date.

-- Moderate to heavy rains are forecast to continue sweeping through many parts of Vietnam on Thursday and Friday, with a rain volume of up to 120 millimeters, according to the national weather center.

Lifestyle

-- The second Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF) will take place in the capital of central Vietnam in early July, according to the Da Nang City Department of Culture and Sports.

-- Tien Giang Province in southern Vietnam will organize a fruit festival at Hung Vuong Square in My Tho City from June 10 to 12, in the hope of treating fest-goers to various local fruits and a wide array of cultural performances.

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A South Korean music fest will be organized within the framework of the 2024 Da Lat Flower Festival, which will kick off in Da Lat, a popular tourist site in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, this November.

The provincial Peoples Committee said on Wednesday that the Korean Digital Platforms Industry Association would hold the South Korea - Da Lat music festival and open a trade promotion space at Da Lat Stadium in November.

The music show will be part of the 2024 Da Lat Flower Festival, according to the provincial administration.

The organizer was told to work with local authorities to complete all relevant procedures to roll out the event.

The provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism was tasked with supervising the organizer to ensure that the festival would run smoothly.

The Da Lat Flower Festival is expected to be a feast for the eyes and ears with music, colorful flowers, and a variety of fascinating cultural and culinary activities prior to the end of the year.

Several Lam Dong - South Korea cultural exchange activities have taken place in the Central Highlands province, including a Da Lat - Chuncheon cultural exchange night held in December 2023.

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A drainage system along Vo Van Ngan Street in Thu Duc City, an administrative district under Ho Chi Minh City, was put into operation in late April, but heavy downpours on Wednesday inundated the street and washed away manhole covers and bricks.

The situation has sparked concerns over the efficiency and quality of the system, which carried a price tag of VND248 billion (US$9.7 million).

Thu Duc Market was completely flooded, while at some sections of Alley 153 on Vo Van Ngan Street, the asphalt was seen carried away by rainwater.

Houses and stalls at the market were filled with garbage brought in by the deluge.

Rainwater floods a house near Thu Duc Market in Thu Duc City. Photo: Le Phan / Tuoi Tre

After floodwater recedes, mud is left on a street in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre

The rain also dislodged manholes and bricks along the street, endangering commuters.

Many locals believed that the rain was the heaviest to have ever been recorded in Thu Duc City since the beginning of the year.

Before the drainage system was put into use on Vo Van Ngan Street, the area would become inundated, but the floodwaters would recede quickly," said Kim Ngan, who lives in Linh Tay Ward.

"The rainfall on Wednesday, however, caused severe flooding."

The drainage system along Vo Van Ngan Street was expected to ease the flooding in Thu Duc Market and the surrounding area, which many consider a hub of inundation.

A 10-meter-long wall in Thu Duc City collapses after a heavy rain on May 15, 2024. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre

Downpours wash out bricks on a sidewalk on May 15, 2024. Photo: Le Phan / Tuoi Tre

Rainwater inundates a section of Dang Thi Ranh Street in Thu Duc City, May 15, 2024. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre

A motorcycle wades through a flooded street in Thu Duc City. Photo: Le Phan / Tuoi Tre

Part of the surface of Vo Van Ngan Street in Thu Duc City cracks severely after a heavy rain on May 15, 2024. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre

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Sunday's election results indicated that the populist party of former prime minister Robert Fico, which opposes military aid to Ukraine and is critical of the European Union and NATO, has won in Slovakia.

The SMER-SSD party received 23.3 percent of the vote, surpassing the centrist Progressive Slovakia (PS) with 17 percent of the vote, the Slovak Statistics Office announced early on Sunday morning after counting 99.98 percent of the votes from approximately 6,000 polling stations.

Pro-Russia Ex-PM Wins Slovakia's Election

The referendum on Saturday was a test of the small Eastern European nation's support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. Per CNN, Fico has pledged that Slovakia, one of Europe's largest donors to Ukraine in proportion to its gross domestic product (GDP), will not ship "a single round of ammunition" to Ukraine and has advocated for improved relations with Russia.

After the breakup of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the country of 5.5 million people has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine, donating arms and opening its borders to refugees escaping the conflict since Russia invaded in February.

In the absence of a clear majority, the party with the largest share of the vote will have the first opportunity to form a coalition, while the composition of any government will likely depend on a half-dozen minor parties.

Fico, who served as prime minister from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2018, is likely to become prime minister if he can secure the support of the third-place Hlas (Voice) party, which received 14.7% of the vote.

Another prospective coalition partner, the ultranationalist Slovak National Party, which is unambiguously pro-Russian, received 5.6% of the vote.

Read Also : Pakistan Suicide Bombings: Twin Attacks Kill At Least 57 at Two Mosques

Robert Fico Vows To Block Ukraine Aid

With seven political parties reaching the 5% threshold needed to enter the parliament, coalition negotiations will almost certainly include multiple players and could be long and messy. While not a landslide, SMER's result is better than expected - last opinion polls published earlier this week showed SMER and PS neck and neck.

According to CNN, Fico also pledged to block Ukraine's NATO ambitions in what would upend Slovakia's staunch support for Ukraine. Michal Simecka, the leader of PS, said the result was "bad news for the country."

Slovakia's President Zuzana Caputova said before the election that she would ask the leader of the strongest party to form the government, meaning Fico will get the first stab at forming a government. Simecka said his party would do "everything it could" to prevent Fico from governing. Meanwhile, Peter Pellegrini, the leader of Hlas, said his party was "very pleased with the result."

Hlas has been vague about its position on Ukraine in the election campaign. Pellegrini has previously suggested Slovakia "had nothing left to donate" to Kyiv but also said that the country should continue to manufacture ammunition that is shipped to Ukraine.

Slovakia, an eastern European nation of about 5.5 million people, was going to the polls to choose its fifth prime minister in four years after seeing a series of shaky coalition governments.

A SMER-led government could have serious consequences for the region. Slovakia is a member of both NATO and the European Union, was among the handful of European countries pushing for tough EU sanctions against Russia and has donated a large amount of military equipment to Ukraine.

But this will likely change under Fico, who has blamed "Ukrainian Nazis and fascists" for provoking Russia's President Vladimir Putin into launching the invasion, repeating the false narrative Putin has used to justify his invasion.

While in opposition, Fico became a close ally of Hungary's Prime Minister Victor Orban, especially when it came to criticism of the European Union.

There is speculation that, if he returns to power, Fico and Orban could gang up together and create obstacles for Brussels. If Poland's governing Law and Justice party manages to win a third term in the Polish parliamentary elections next month, this bloc of EU troublemakers could become even stronger.

Meanwhile, the liberal PS party had been pushing for a completely different future for Slovakia, including continued support for Kyiv and strong links with the West. Fico previously served as Slovakia's prime minister for more than a decade, first between 2006 and 2010 and then again from 2012 to 2018.

He was forced to resign in March 2018 after weeks of mass protests over the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, Martina Kusnirova. Kuciak reported on corruption among the country's elite, including people directly connected to Fico and his party SMER.

The campaign was marked by concerns over disinformation, with Vera Jourova, the European Commission's top digital affairs official, saying in advance the vote would be a "test case" of how effective social media companies have been in countering Russian propaganda in Slovakia.

Polls suggest Fico's pro-Russia sentiments are shared by many Slovaks. According to a survey by GlobSec, a Bratislava-based security think tank, only 40% of Slovaks believed Russia was responsible for the war in Ukraine, the lowest proportion among the eight central and eastern European and Baltic states GlobSec focused on.

In the Czech Republic, which used to form one country with Slovakia, 71% of people blame Russia for the war. The same research found that 50% of Slovaks perceive the United States - the country's long-term ally - as a security threat.
A man who resides in Quang Nam Province, central Vietnam has been fined VND15 million (US$585) for beating and injuring his younger sister.

The provincial Peoples Committee said on Thursday that an administrative fine has been imposed on Nguyen Tan Hiep, 31, for his acts of domestic violence.

Hiep was ordered to cover all medical examination and treatment fees for the victim, who was identified as N.T.Y., 26.

The provincial Department of Public Security has been assigned to oversee Hiep's compliance with rectifying his behavior, as well as ensuring payment of the fine and fees.

According to the provincial department, a conflict broke out between Hiep and his younger sister at their parents house at 4:00 pm on February 11, reported Bao Quang Nam (Quang Nam newspaper).

Hiep threw a glass tray to the woman, injuring the latter with an injury rate of three percent.

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Dao Trong Ly, a Vietnamese national living in Thailand, has painted more than 100 portraits of late President Ho Chi Minh over the past decade as a showcase of love and respect for Vietnams national hero.

Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969), affectionately called Uncle Ho by generations of Vietnamese, was the founder of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Lys fifty-five oil and watercolor paintings of Uncle Ho will be introduced to the public at an exhibition which opens on Friday at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum in Hanoi.

The museum has coordinated with the Association of Thai People of Vietnamese Origin in Nakhon Phanom Province, Thailand to organize the exhibition as a commemorative event for the 134th birthday anniversary of late President Ho Chi Minh.

A painting of Uncle Ho (L, 2nd) with Vietnamese soldiers

Ly was born in 1951 to a patriotic overseas Vietnamese family in Nakhon Phanom.

He used to work as the chairman of the Association of Thai People of Vietnamese Origin in Nakhon Phanom.

He now serves as head of the advisory council for the general association of Vietnamese in Thailand.

Ly has been a passionate painter since he was young, though he chose to be a Vietnamese language teacher rather than an artist.

The artist and many other Vietnamese people in Thailand shared a love for the Vietnamese national hero since they were young.

A painting of Uncle Ho with children by Dao Trong Ly

In Lys eyes, late President Ho Chi Minh was not only a preeminent hero and politician but also a simple man with a great love for the people.

To show his love, Ly began painting portraits of Uncle Ho in 2018 when he started managing a memorial to Uncle Ho in Nakhon Phanom.

Lys paintings are a symbolic diary of Uncle Hos life.

A portrait of Uncle Ho by Dao Trong Ly

He hopes his paintings will help nurture the love of Uncle Ho among both Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese alike.

The artist said he would donate his artworks to the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum following the exhibition.

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Paul Fenech returns to 7mate next week, this time with an unfiltered doco Outback Outlaw Comedian filmed during his Live comedy tour.

In the first episode, after a comedy show in remote Western Australia, Pauly has gone missing while partying with the locals. The dancers take the opportunity to get some questionable piercing done to themselves.

The live show of the same name, which toured Australias outer suburbs and regional centres, was a two-hour extravaganza featuring punter games, parody songs, stand-up comedy and never-before-seen footage in a bourbon-fuelled Boganomical Multimedia comedy spectacular complete, of course, with Paulys now patented and world renowned Thongings!

Now snappily repackaged into a TV show, the screen version of Paul Fenech: Outback Outlaw Comedian offers not just an Access All Areas pass into Fenechs hard-charging shenanigans, but also behind the scenes footage and commentary that will have you crying with laughter.

8:30pm Tuesday May 21 on 7mate.
Eva Longoria set to host Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain following her series Searching for Mexico.

I am thrilled to be partnering once again with CNN to bring this culinary and cultural journey through Spain to life, said Longoria in a statement. I have always been captivated by the people, energy, and vibrant culture of Spain, and I am excited to explore my own ties to this region and share the hidden gems that have helped make it a personal favorite.

Stanley Tucci created the Searching For series with Searching For Italy.

Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain is expected in 2025, and could screen on SBS where both previous editions have aired.

CNN is rumoured to be considering for other places to explore in the Searching For franchise, perhaps with other celebrity hosts.

Source: Hollywood Reporter
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin made a state visit to China on Thursday where he was greeted by China's Xi Jinping.

What are the main takeaways from the visit?

* Xi and Putin declare a "new era" partnership:

In a joint statement, 7,000 words long in Russian, Xi and Putin pledged a "new era" of partnership between the two most powerful rivals of the U.S., which they cast as an aggressive Cold War hegemon that was sowing chaos across the world.

They proclaimed opposition to the United States on a host of security issues and a shared view on everything from Taiwan and Ukraine to North Korea and cooperation on new peaceful nuclear technologies and finance.

There was little detail on what actual deals they agreed, though the meat of the meeting was expected to be hashed out informally over tea.

Putin took his new defence minister, Andrei Belousov, and a large delegation with him.

* Putin's China trip signals priorities:

By picking China for his first foreign trip since being sworn in this month for another six-year term, Putin is sending a message to the world about his priorities and the strength of his personal ties with Xi.

Xi greeted Putin on a red carpet outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where they were hailed by marching People's Liberation Army soldiers, a 21-gun salute on Tiananmen Square and children waving the flags of China and Russia.

* Russia and China detailed a host of grievances against the United States:

- Russia and China have serious concerns at "U.S. attempts to violate the strategic balance"

- Examples of this include: U.S. global missile defence involving the deployment of parts of it in regions around the world and in space.

- Developing high-precision non-nuclear weapons for potential decapitation strikes

- "Extended nuclear deterrence" with allies including Australia.

- Plans to deploy ground-based intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles (INF) in the Asia-Pacific and European regions, including their transfer to its allies.

- "The parties strongly condemn these extremely destabilizing steps, which pose a direct threat to the security of Russia and China."

- "The parties oppose the hegemonic attempts of the United States to change the balance of power in Northeast Asia by building up military power and creating military blocs and coalitions."

* Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller was not on the trip:

Gazprom, which holds about 16% of global gas reserves and employs 492,200 people, was once one of Russia's most powerful corporate empires - so powerful it was known as "a state within the state".

But the loss of a massive chunk of the European gas market due to Russia's war in Ukraine has hit it hard.

"Alexei Miller held talks with the Iranian leadership on the dates of Putin's visit to China," Gazprom said, referring to a working visit by Miller to Iran this week.

It was not immediately clear what Miller was talking to Iran, a major producer of natural gas, about. Miller, 62, is a close ally of Putin who has run Gazprom since 2001.

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge, Editing by William Maclean)
By Ali Kucukgocmen

TBILISI (Reuters) - Dimitri Chikovani, a member of Georgias opposition United National Movement (UNM) and an active protester against a controversial new law said he was attacked by five people last week, blaming the government for seeking to intimidate opponents.

Mass protests have swept through the capital Tbilisi over the past month since the first reading of the so-called "foreign agent" bill was passed in parliament.

Activists and prominent opposition figures have spoken out about being attacked, including opposition leader Levan Khabeishvili, who appeared in parliament with a bandaged head and said he was beaten by police at a protest, leaving him with broken bones.

Chikovani said he was headed home on Wednesday (May 8) when five people attacked him, kicking and punching him after he fell to the ground with the impact of the first blow, security camera footage outside his house showed.

It was a very quick (and) quite painful process but before that, there were numerous calls, threats. And I know for sure that it was not only towards me, but thousands of individuals, Chikovani said, adding that three others were assaulted the same night.

A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry declined to comment on the allegations.

The bill would require organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as agents of foreign influence, imposing onerous disclosure requirements and punitive fines for violations.

The Georgian government has said the law is necessary to ensure the transparency of foreign funding for NGOs, combat "pseudo-liberal values" promoted by foreigners and preserve the country's sovereignty.

One ruling Georgian Dream party MP rejected allegations of intimidation, accusing the opposition of staging the attacks themselves.

"If the brutal beating of people is in anyones interest, it is definitely not Georgian Dream, but the radical opposition," senior ruling MP Gia Volski was cited by Georgian media as saying on the Chikovani case.

Chikovani suffered a broken nose, broken cheekbones, a concussion and various bruises, including two black eyes. He said he did not go to the police and they have not contacted him, even though they have a responsibility to investigate cases when victims report their injuries to hospital Emergency Rooms.

"I have no faith in our police that they want to investigate, he told Reuters outside the parliament, where thousands gather daily to protest. He called the police "puppets" of Georgian Dream.

Georgia's parliament on Tuesday (May 14) passed the third and final reading of the bill.

Opponents say the bill is similar to a law that helped quash dissent in Russia against President Vladimir Putin and see it as a test of whether the Georgia stays on a path towards integration with Europe or pivots back towards Moscow.

The U.S., European Union and NATO have all expressed concern over the bill saying it takes Georgia in the wrong direction.

After passage on third reading, the bill now goes to President Salome Zourabichvili, who has said she will veto it, but her decision can be overridden by another vote in parliament, controlled by the ruling party and its allies.

Crowds in the tens of thousands have mounted some of the biggest protests in Georgia since it regained independence from Moscow in 1991.

Chikovani said the protests will continue despite the intimidation.

We are determined to bring this protest until this Russian law is taken back, he said. These methods, which may work in Belarus, is working in Russia - it won't work on Georgians. Georgians like their freedom and we will fight for our freedom.

(Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
By Felix Light

TBILISI (Reuters) - Grigory Sverdlin says he has seen this story before.

A Russian activist now living in exile in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, Sverdlin has watched over the past month as thousands of Georgian protesters have taken to the streets to voice their opposition to a draft law on "foreign agents".

Domestic critics dub the bill "the Russian law" and say it is a copycat of Russian legislation that has been wielded for more than a decade to target critics of President Vladimir Putin's Kremlin.

The Georgian government says the law - which cleared parliament on Tuesday and now heads to Georgia's president for review - is needed to ensure transparency in the foreign financing of non-profit organisations. The Kremlin has denied any association with the bill.

Sverdlin, for his part, agrees with the comparison. The 43-year-old was himself branded a "foreign agent" by the Russian government last September in connection with a non-profit he runs from Georgia advising Russian men on how to avoid military conscription to the Ukraine war.

Sverdlin fears the Georgian bill's passage will make non-profit work difficult and give the government free licence to crack down on its critics.

"It is almost impossible to live in Russia now being declared a 'foreign agent'," Sverdlin told Reuters in an interview in Tbilisi.

"Georgia has just adopted the same 'foreign agents act' using the very same arguments. It is quite obvious that this act will be used to oppress dissidents," he said.

Sverdlin, who previously ran a homeless charity in Moscow, came to Georgia in April 2022, shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.

He set up his current non-profit, Idite Lesom, which roughly translates as "Get Lost", in September 2022, after Putin ordered a partial mobilisation of 300,000 reservists to fight in Ukraine.

The move sent hundreds of thousands of Russians, mostly young men, fleeing to neighbouring countries including Georgia.

If the Georgian bill passes, charities receiving at least 20% of their funding from abroad will have to register with the government as "foreign agents" and submit onerous financial reports.

Many Russians have fled abroad after the government labelled them "foreign agents", a term which carries negative Soviet-era connotations. Nearly all Russian opposition media now works from exile.

Sverdlin says if the bill becomes law, Georgia will witness a similar exodus of its brightest young people, who have spearheaded the recent protests.

"I think a lot of people in Georgia want to move along a different path - they want to move towards European integration", he said. "I do hope and wish the people of Georgia to protect their independence and their dignity".

(Reporting by Reuters in Tbilisi; Writing by Lucy Papachristou in London; Editing by Alex Richardson)
By Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Lai Ching-te takes office as Taiwan's president on Monday, facing a China that calls him a "dangerous separatist" and has ramped up military drills, as well as a fractured parliament at home where no party has a majority.

Lai, vice president for the past four years, succeeds President Tsai Ing-wen at a time Beijing has been increasing military and political pressure to assert sovereignty - a claim he and Tsai reject - over democratically governed Taiwan.

In the run-up to Lai's election victory in January, Beijing repeatedly denounced him as a supporter of Taiwan's formal independence, framing the vote as a choice between war and peace.

China says any move by Taiwan to declare formal independence would be grounds to attack the island. The government in Taipei says Taiwan is already an independent country, the Republic of China, and that it does not plan to change that. The Republican government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong's communists.

Lai, 64, widely known by his English name William, has offered talks with China many times, including this week, which Beijing has rebuffed. He says only Taiwan's people can decide their future.

Beijing will be closely watching the inaugural speech by Lai, a doctor by training and son of a coal miner, at the Japanese-colonial era presidential office in central Taipei.

Puma Shen, a lawmaker for Lai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) who sits on parliament's foreign affairs and defence committee, says Lai wants to show Taiwan is not a "troublemaker" and is looking for peace.

"But no matter what he says during the inauguration, China will always disagree," Shen said.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office, asked on Wednesday about Lai's speech and how China would respond, said the "Taiwan region's new leader" had to make a clear choice between peaceful development or confrontation.

"Taiwan independence is incompatible with peace in the Taiwan Strait," spokesperson Chen Binhua told reporters.

Since Lai's win, China has maintained pressure on Taiwan but has avoiding mentioning Lai by name, unlike in the run-up to the vote, when it called him and his running mate Hsiao Bi-khim, formerly Taiwan's de facto ambassador to Washington, an "independence double act".

In the days leading up to Lai's inauguration, China has escalated its daily military activities, including staging mock attacks on foreign vessels near Taiwan, sources say.

"They are trying to pressure the new Lai government, wanting him to make concessions under military pressure," a senior Taiwan security official, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters.

Taiwan is expecting high-level foreign delegations for the inauguration, including former U.S. officials sent by President Joe Biden, in a show of international support from other democracies.

Although it is Taiwan's most important arms supplier and international backer, Washington transferred diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei in 1979. Only 12 countries now formally recognise Taiwan diplomatically, mostly poorer developing nations like Guatemala, Haiti, Palau and Eswatini.

FRACTIOUS PARLIAMENT

Domestically, Lai also faces problems after the DPP lost its parliamentary majority in the election that brought him to power.

Taiwan's largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT) - several of whose senior members have visited China this year - has more legislative seats than the DPP but not a majority. The small Taiwan People's Party, which has no love for the DPP, holds the remaining seats.

DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming said last week the KMT was abusing its position to try to force through legislation without consultation. The KMT says it strictly follows the correct procedures, and that the DPP complaints are sour grapes.

Lai has pledged to keep boosting Taiwan's defence modernisation with big-ticket items like submarines, but those spending plans could be more challenging to pass given the DPP's lack of a majority.

Chen Yi-fan, an assistant professor of diplomacy and international relations at Taiwan's Tamkang University who advised the KMT's presidential campaign, said Lai will have to learn how to compromise but the KMT must also behave responsibly, especially on issues like defence spending.

"If the KMT wants to win back executive power in the next four years, I think they have to block the budget reasonably - they can't just blindly block all the budgets," he said.

KMT Chairman Eric Chu this week called on the DPP to give proper consideration to things it was proposing, like reforms to give lawmakers the ability to question the president in parliament.

"The DPP should be open-minded and not merely boycott anything the opposition proposes," Chu said.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee; Additional reporting by Fabian Hamacher; Editing by William Mallard)
Infamous serial killer David Berkowitz, more commonly known as the "Son of Sam" is equating his decades-long prison sentence to Anne Frank's writings, calling her his inspiration behind bars.

Berkowitz added that he sees himself as a sort of "father figure" among other inmates.

His comments come just days before he's set to face a parole board.

"My favorite book is the Holy Bible. But the most inspirational book for me throughout my years of incarceration is 'Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl,'" Berkowitz shared with The New York Post,

"Little did she know the influence her life and her writings would have in the future," said the 70-year-old from the maximum-security Shawangunk Correctional facility in Wallkill.

The Jewish teen author documented her life in hiding from the Nazis in her diary before it was published around the globe following her death during the Holocaust.

Berkowitz reflected on the impact Frank had on the lives of millions using just her pen and asked himself,

"What can I do with my trusty typewriter? Maybe I can change lives, too, with my message of hope in God."

The serial killer paralyzed New York City when he began his murder spree in 1976, leaving six dead and seven wounded in his wake of terror.

The media dubbed the deranged killer, "The.44 Caliber Killer," as he always used a .44 caliber on his victims.

Over the next nine months, an unhinged Berkowitz preyed on the public several more times, but in early 1977, he changed course and left behind a note after killing a young couple.

"I am a monster. I am the Son of Sam."

When finally apprehended on Aug. 10, 1977, he told police,

"I am Sam. David Berkowitz. What took you so long?"

At the time of his capture, Berkowitz was quoted as saying,

"I love to hunt. Prowling the streets looking for fair game tasty meat," most of whom were young women with long, dark hair and couples sitting in cars.

He would later tell psychiatrists that a demonic dog was the driving force behind his killing spree.

Berkowitz converted to Christianity after a court sentenced him to 547 years in prison in June of 1978.

The self-proclaimed father figure claims he has found God.

"Jesus has allowed me to survive and thrive," he told The Post.

In 2002, Berkowitz became eligible for parole, with a board deciding his fate every two years since.

Though he knows he has zero chance of release, he attends the hearings as a way to "openly apologize for my past crimes and to express my remorse," adding that he also wants to share his faith in God and how He can forgive, heal, and restore even the "worst" offenders.

In a 2017 interview with CBS host Maurice Dubois, Berkowitz was asked what he would tell 23-year-old David Berkowitz today.

In response, the notorious killer replied, "Uh, turn around before it's too late because destruction is coming, you know."
Biryani and Modi's New Found Secular (Poll) Strategy

In addition to Modi propagating his secular image by having never apparently spoken about Hindu-Muslims along communal lines, he should perhaps also consider speaking about biryani from a secular angle!



Thursday May 16, 2024 10:12 AM , Nilofar Suhrawardy

[Image tweeted by BJP]

So, how seriously should Prime Minister Narendra Modis words be taken about his never having expressed anything against Muslims, talked about any Hindu-Muslim communalism and so forth?

Prime Minister Modi even stated that if he said anything of this nature, he would not remain fit for public life.

What an irony! It has taken several decades for a die-hard saffron activist to come somewhat close to understanding that communal extremism has limited temporal as well as political reach against deep-rooted strength of Indian secularism. If he was still confident about communal rhetoric having greater electoral power than secular expressions he has attempted, he may not have tried this strategy.

His communication strategy is exclusively targeted towards the goal of returning to power. Irrespective of however communal his image, that of other BJP-stalwarts and saffron-brigade may be, if need be, he has no qualms about displaying a totally different image to the general public through various tools of media. He is trying to propagate this (secular image) through his team as extensively as possible.

Of course, till June 4, prospects of this strategys impact remain fairly blurred for several reasons. However genuine Modis secular mask may be viewed as, voters are well aware that if this were not the electoral-phase, in all probability, he would not have tried it. Besides, this is also suggestive of his going overboard to please secular Indians, including religious voters, whether Hindu, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians or of other communities.

There is no denying, in Indian elections, defeat by even a single vote amounts to losing a seat in the Lok Sabha. As of now, Modi doesnt want to face any such risk. Enthusiasm displayed by his political rivals together with increasing importance being gained by them in media circles seem to have rung alarm bells for Modi and other BJP-stalwarts. But while he has begun giving more importance to his secular mask, specifically linked with saffron brigade being infamous for its communal bias against Muslims, all BJP-stalwarts dont seem to be even attempting the same secular approach. These include Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath.

What else can be gauged by Shah hitting out West Bengal Chief Minister while expressing at Serampore in Hooghly:

Mamata Banerjee came into power with the slogan of Ma, Maati, Manush but this slogan has lost now and Mulla, Madrasa and Mafia is there at the ground. Tell me should mullas (clerics) be paid from Bengals state treasury?

This is his way of linking Muslims with mafia while Modi is trying to distance his own image from anti-Muslim bias held by those extremely close to him. Besides, Shah and Yogi have time and again reportedly lashed out at Congress during their respective rallies for having fed biryani to terrorists. Usage of biryani as a political missile, however, has too many limitations.

Of course, Shah and Yogis aim has been to target Congress for favouring Muslims, as in their perception biryani is a favourite dish of primarily Muslims. They certainly need to do a little research on this. Popularity of biryani among those fond of fried rice is not confined to it as a non-vegetarian dish. Vegetarian biryani is equally popular among vegetarians, without meat being used at all. Instead, various vegetables are cooked along with fried rice.

In addition, whether vegetarian or non-vegetarian- types of biryani recipes popular in various parts of the country differ in keeping with what is favoured most by the people of different areas. Hyderabadi biryani isnt the same as Lucknowi biryani. In addition, non-veg and veg-biryanies differ in style of cooking and ingredients used from place to place. Difference in taste and choice also depends on which type of rice, oil, etc. is used in different households. Biryani is not just biryani - its taste, ingredients and style of cooking differs in numerous ways across the country. Handi-biryani (cooked in traditional clay vessels) is just not the same as that cooked in pressure-cooker, ordinary pans and so forth.

With biryani - vegetarian or non-vegetarian, being an extremely favourite dish across the country, the question is whether its usage as an electoral strategy can have the desired appeal upon voters at large?

Nobody is likely to instantly believe that biryani was actually served by the Congress to terrorists. People are well aware that such manufactured strategies are used by politicians at large as a part of their negative campaigns against their rivals. But, many may deliberate on why was biryani chosen?

You see, quite a few advertisements of basmati-rice, refined oil, menu of restaurants and so forth focus primarily on biryanis  veg as well as non-veg. Well, chances of biryani-electoral tactics prompting these to change nature of their advertisements are non-existent. Their prime agenda is to keep their business doing well and that is totally dependent on their being no change in demand of consumers for their products.

So far, irrespective of whatever politicians may think or say about biryanis, it appears to have had no impact. It continues to be a favourite, whether cooked at home, ordered online or eaten outside as and how desired by those wishing to do so. Chances of their considering themselves as terrorists simply because they eat biryanis dont prevail.

Interestingly, Banerjee has countered the BJP leaders fairly aggressively on their targeting rivals for eating non-vegetarian food. She has openly talked, as reported, about being ready to cook fish-biryani for these leaders. This is just another indicator about the popularity of biryani.

Certainly, it is rather strange that certain respected politicians have linked biryanis with terrorists. This is only suggestive of their having limited knowledge of Indian food culture as well as national and international popularity of biryani. They have certainly aimed to spoil the image of Congress by linking it with biryani.

This strategy is least likely to help them politically as it is not going to have any appeal with a greater population of India being non-vegetarians, including Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and of other communities. Rather, chances of these sections being amused and even angry for usage of such tactics cannot be side-lined.

Think seriously, why should politicians decide who should eat what? It would be wise to exercise food-strategy by giving some importance to feeding the hungry, ensuring no one sleeps with an empty stomach, people dont die because of hunger and similar such moves.

Interestingly, from halwa-puri, cakes, chole-pature, idli-dosa, biryani, shami kebabs and countless other dishes, Indians from North to South, East to West, give greater importance to regions, where they are most popular and hardly any to religious factors. Biryani - Hyderabadi, Lucknowi, Kashmiri, Vegetarian, Chicken, Mutton and so on - as suggested earlier, is not linked with just Indian Muslims religious identity.

Neither can any political partys image be associated exclusively with biryani.

Simply speaking, biryani should be spared in being used as political missiles targeting rivals. Let its role remain that of building bonds among Indians fond of eating tasty food, whether non-veg or veg.

In addition to Modi propagating his secular image by having never apparently spoken about Hindu-Muslims along communal lines, he should perhaps also consider speaking about biryani from a secular angle!

[The writer, Nilofar Suhrawardy, is a senior journalist and writer with specialization in communication studies and nuclear diplomacy. She has come out with several books. These include: Modis Victory, A Lesson for the Congress? (2019); Arab Spring, Not Just a Mirage! (2019), Image and Substance, Modis First Year in Office (2015) and Ayodhya Without the Communal Stamp, In the Name of Indian Secularism (2006).]





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Anti-Minority Hate and Venom - Has Modis Juggernaut Backfired?

Prime Minister Modi, who relied on his own carefully crafted image and easy-flowing rhetoric, found himself in an unchartered territory facing an electorate more skeptical of his promises and less interested in his anti-minority tirades.



Thursday May 16, 2024 9:17 AM , George Abraham

As India completed the 4th phase of the national elections, it has become increasingly clear that it is in no way a walkover by the BJP towards a third term. Prime Minister Modi, who relied on his own carefully crafted image and easy-flowing rhetoric, found himself in an unchartered territory facing an electorate more skeptical of his promises and less interested in his anti-minority tirades.

North South Divide

Instead of focusing on either his accomplishments as head of the administration in the last ten years or the plan of action, he has stooped down low in further fomenting hatred and divisions within the country. Sam Pitroda, the father of the telecom revolution in India, made an innocuous statement to bolster his advocacy on pluralism by comparing the looks of South Indians with those of Africans. Anyone who knows Pitroda would say that he doesnt have a racist bone in his body. Having come from a backward caste background, he fully understands the dimensions of caste discrimination and its impact on people across the nation.

However, the real shock was not in what Pitroda had to say but how the Prime Minister picked upon it to further create a racist controversy. Modi said that it was an abuse that filled him with anger when he heard such a statement. Having come from the southern state of Kerala, I would categorically state that I am neither angry nor insulted by being compared to Africans. It only shows the depravity of a man who harbors such hatred and bigotry in his mind.

I was often told how South Indians are referred to in the North in certain circles as Kaala Saala Madrasi and people from the Northeast are called Chinky and often frowned upon. We know the stories of African students in the North who have been subjected to name-calling and dehumanizing treatment. Various matrimonies, even in respected newspapers, invite alliances based on skin color. Inside the booming beauty industry, creams for fair skin have become the primary source of revenue. There is little doubt that a segment of the nation is obsessed with skin color, and it is that type of mindset that harbors these deep-rooted racial biases, and the recent outbursts are borne out of it.

Anti-Muslim Hate

What I described above was not an isolated incident during this campaign cycle from the Prime Minister. Modi recently called Muslims infiltrators  who would take Indias wealth if the opposition gained power. Addressing voters in the state of Rajasthan, Modi claimed that the Congress party would distribute wealth to those who have more children, to infiltrators. In addition, he made an emotional appeal to women, my mothers and sisters, saying that his Congress opponents would take their gold and give it to Muslims.

There are two hundred million Muslims who live in India. They are an integral part of India and, in every sense, citizens of the country. A Prime Minister doesnt serve one religious or ethnic group but all its citizens regardless of caste, creed, language, religion, or region. What we have witnessed here from a Prime Minister is nothing but a brazen and divisive rhetoric that is demeaning to the people of India while raising eyebrows abroad. It contrasts very much with what he says on an overseas trip, which extols India as a mother of democracy and invokes the philosophy of Vasudeva Kutumba'.

Modi's silence on Heinous crimes

Modi was feeling no anger or hurt when the Manipur Police personnel drove two Kuki-Zomi Christian women , who had sought refuge in their official gypsy, to a mob of around 1000 Meiti rioters in Kangpokpi district. The women, one of whom was the wife of a Kargil war veteran , desperately asked the police to drive them to a safe location but were refused. Moreover, 450 churches were burned to the ground or destroyed in Manipur last year.

According to government figures, as of February 28th, 2024, 219 people have been killed in the pogrom unleashed by the suspected Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun with the support of the BJP government in power with every Kuki-zomi was ethnically cleansed from Imphal, the capital of Manipur.

Modi was feeling no anger or hurt when suspected vigilantes approached a Muslim man, identified as Akbar, transporting two cows from Rajasthan to his village in nearby Haryana state and thrashed him to death on suspicion of smuggling the animals. Modis years of campaign against the pink revolution finally bore fruit under his majoritarian rule. It would be pretty interesting to see how one justifies cow slaughter bans when human slaughter for that cause goes unnoticed!

There is little doubt that Modi has been exploiting religious divisions and weaponizing investigative agencies to perpetuate his power. What goes unnoticed is the systematic consolidation of power by bending the courts, muzzling the media, destroying civil society, and weakening the legislature through subtle ways.

The reconstitution of the Election Commission is another example of power grab by the Modi administration with the intent to replace Indias secular democracy with a majoritarian Hindu ideology and supporting framework. Although Modi often rails against the vote bank politics, he created his own Hindu vote bank.

Do not get deterred by the diversionary tactics of hateful speeches that divided society, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said in a message to the voters. Rahul Gandhi, leader of the main opposition Congress party, said that the election would decide the future of democracy. Strengthen democracy by applying the balm of your vote to the wounds inflicted on the nations soul in the last ten years and defeat hatred.

The question the Indian voters are facing this election cycle is whether they have had enough of these polarizing religious debates that do not contribute anything to their well-being. Analysts increasingly doubt that BJP can win a landslide election as promised. All eyes will be on the EVMs as well.

We will find out on June 4th from those 969 million voters who are eligible to vote in this history-making election.

[The writer, George Abraham, is a political commentator.]





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Why the forces behind 3 assassinations in USA must be exposed

The three lives lost were those of President John F. Kennedy followed by the loss 5 years later of prominent civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy.

Thursday May 16, 2024 5:39 PM , Bharat Dogra

As increasing numbers of people in the USA, also in the entire world, agonize over the never-ending, highly destructive wars of the USA. They also seek to trace the roots of where exactly things went so wrong that the US polity drifted towards its endless aggressions.

Many scholars and historians also try to find this answer, and increasingly many of them are led back to those three terrible days when three of the greatest leaders of the USA were assassinated.

One of the most important aspects of these assassinations was that these were used to silence forever the most promising voices of peace and justice in the USA. There is increasing evidence that the conspiracies to kill these great leaders started shaping up soon after they had declared their strong commitment to peace as well as their determination to oppose wars.

During 1963-68, the USA was shaken by the assassinations of its three most promising and popular leaders. The overall impact was in terms of a big loss to the forces of peace and civil rights, and a boost to forces of foreign aggression and domestic injustice. The three lives lost were those of President John F. Kennedy followed by the loss 5 years later of prominent civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy.

John F Kennedy assassination

On November 22, 1963 President John F. Kennedy, the popular and young President of the USA, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. The youngest US President died at the age of only 46.

Two days later the man accused of this assassination, Oswald (who had been denying any role in this) was also killed. Since then there have been widespread allegations of some wider planning behind these two killings (as well as of a local police official).

Various polls reveal that 60 to 75% of US citizens do not believe the official version of Oswald killing Kennedy on his own. In 1979, the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) concluded that President Kennedy was probably assassinated in a conspiracy and that Oswald did not act alone.

After returning from the funeral of President Kennedy to France, President Charles de Gaulle confided to his Information Minister Alain Peyrefitte (as described in the latters book Letait de Gaulle):

What happened to Kennedy is what nearly happened to me. His story is the same as mine The security forces were in cahoots with the extremists But you will see. All of them together will observe the law of silence. They will close ranks. They dont want to find out. They wont allow themselves to find out!

Despite the huge cover-up, researchers have over the years exposed very widespread official efforts to tamper with evidence, ignore evidence that is not in line with official line, and intimidate witnesses. In fact a very large number of witnesses whose testimony may have gone against the official line have died in mysterious circumstances.

Lists of over 50 such witnesses have been drawn up by researchers and published. As a reported estimate by actuaries revealed, odds of 18 material witnesses dying within three years of the assassination were one hundred thousand trillion to one!

It is extremely difficult to believe how the police could have failed in the elementary duty of transferring Oswald to a nearby jail, how someone running strip clubs and known to be close to criminals was allowed to gain entry in police premises and later get so close to someone who had been accused of assassinating the President of the country. This man, Jack Ruby, was allowed to kill Oswald when he was surrounded by policemen and in broad daylight, in the presence of reporters, covered live on TV!

On the day of the assassination, many serious security lapses were noticed and a local police officer who was courageous enough to draw attention to this faced several threats later.

Earlier monitoring of related intelligence and action based on this was also found to be deficient. The HSCA Report stated: The secret service was deficient in the performance of its duties. Robert Blakey, Chief Counsel of HSCA stated that they were not able to conduct an appropriate investigation of the CIA as it had obstructed the availability of important information to the HSCA and also to the official Warren Commission, including information relating to plots to kill Cuban President Fidel Castro. Senior officials tasked with implementing the law enacted in 1992 for transparency on Kennedy assassination papers confirmed in writing that the CIA had obstructed the efforts for unraveling the truth.

Many researchers and books on this subject have pointed the accusing finger towards the military-industrial complex, powerful intelligence officials, mafias and hostile politicians who opposed the increasing tendency of President Kennedy in preceding months to favor an agenda of peace, disarmament, reducing nuclear weapon dangers for world and decreasing hostility with the Soviet Union.

These forces and mafias were not happy also with his increasing emphasis on civil rights, curbing racism and strong legal actions, led by the Presidents brother Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy against organized crime. The role of the military industrial complex and intelligence agencies was also emphasized in Oliver Stones popular film JFK (1991) which has been an important part of this discourse since its release.

Therefore the cover-up attempted by the official Warren Commission has been badly discredited by now. The former CIA head Allen Dulles who had been fired by President Kennedy had been put in as one of its key members. Member of US Senate Select Committee Senator Richard Schweiker had called it one of the biggest cover-ups of history.

Martin Luther King assassination

Martin Luther King Jr. emerged in the 1960s as the most prominent civil rights activist of the USA, as the most visible symbol of black resistance and struggles. His powerful oratory and inspiring struggles were attracting not just the black population but an increasing number of other supporters as wellall those who stood for justice, equality and peace.

With the passage of time, King went one step ahead and emerged as a more committed anti-war activist he raised a strong voice for ending the Vietnam War. At the age of only 35 he became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

This alarmed and enraged powerful persons in the military-industrial complex (about whose escalating clout and dangers President Eisenhower had warned with great foresight in his farewell speech) and the intelligence agents and politicians colluding with it.

Hence the hostility towards him arising from his civil rights actions was further aggravated. It was in these conditions that attacks against him were stepped up by powerful forces. One effort was to depict him as a communist enemy of the USA.

Another was to depict him as a man of loose morals in personal life. The FBI sent him blackmailing letters which sought to put pressure on him to give up his public life and even intended to increase the pressure on him to such as extent that, as King himself stated, he would be driven towards suicide.

When all this failed, Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4 1968. He was only 39 at that time. Imagine what he would have achieved if he had been allowed to lead his full life. The establishment presented this as the work of one assassinator Ray and this view was persisted with for several years despite most glaring loopholes. Dexter King, son of Martin Luther King Jr., later considered this to be the most incredible cover-up.

Coretta Scott King (wife of Martin) and other friends of Martin continued efforts to expose the cover-up and bring out the truth of this most tragic assassination. Finally in December 1999, a jury in Memphis, Tennessee, reached the verdict that Martin Luther King Jr. was killed as a result of a conspiracy involving the FBI, CIA, US Army, Memphis Police and the mafia. This verdict came after a 5 week trial and examination of 70 witnesses.

Coretta King called this verdict a great victory for justice and truth. Judge James Swearenges deserved great credit for this, as also attorney William Pepper. The jury exonerated Ray, who however had already died in prison by then. These legal efforts were more or less ignored by the establishment, in so far as effective follow-up action was concerned.

Kennedy Sr assassination

Robert Kennedy Sr., younger brother of President John Kennedy, also served as Attorney General during his tenure. During this time he was known for his strong and determined efforts against organized crime and mafias.

Subsequently, he became even stronger in his commitments for civil rights and peace. When he and his wife attended the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr. he was the one white political leader who received the most welcome and appreciation of people assembled there.

In 1968, after a lot of reluctance and dithering he finally joined the Presidential race. He was the candidate who appeared to be getting the most support of the minorities, the poorer people, the youth dedicated to peace and justice. When he scored some important victories, he was assassinated on June 6, 1968. He was only 42 then.

This was described as the act of one Sirhan Sirhan acting alone, but there were many loopholes in the official explanation of events. John Pilger, prominent journalist present at the site, pointed out evidence relating to the presence of more than one killer. Another prominent witness mentioned 12 to 14 shots being fired.

While these three assassinations were highly tragic and had a huge adverse impact on the national as well as international scene, and the forces of peace at both these levels at that time, their enduring impact has been that after this no US President has stood for any firm commitment to peace, and no social activist in the USA has been able to emerge as the voice of peace and justice in the way that King could emerge.

Hence the role of assassination, intended and achieved, was to silence and push back the voices of peace and justice in the USA, a terrible internal push-back from which the most powerful country has not yet recovered.

In fact, despite so many shocking facts regarding these assassinations having been uncovered since then, thanks to the efforts of many hard-working researchers, the US government and establishment have still not come out with any convincing and credible explanation of the many shocking discrepancies in the official versions of these highly tragic assassinations.

America must still take justice to its logical conclusion to expose the real culprits of these three murders must foul which have crushed the nations soul for so long. This must be done even if the culprits are long dead and gone, so that the nations honor can be redeemed and it can take an important step forward, to the delight and relief of its people as well as the entire world, to strengthen the forces of peace and justice.

[The writer, Bharat Dogra, is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Planet in Peril, Protecting Earth for Children, Man over Machine and A Day in 2071.]





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HA NOI  The State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) will need to introduce a combination of solutions to stabilise the gold market over the worry that skyrocketing domestic prices might hamper economic development, Deputy Miniter of Public Security Le Quoc Hung said at a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Wednesday.

Hung said that scrutiny needs to increase in the gold market, along with efforts to prevent smuggling, speculation and manipulation so that the domestic gold market can operate with stability and transparency.

Stressing that the current domestic gold prices are extremely complicated, Hung said that a combination of solutions must be raised to tighten the monetary security.

One of the important solutions would be to increase gold reserves and tighten the management on SJC gold bar production molds at the National Money Printing House.

The SBV should also bring in mechanisms to intervene in the market, such as managing buying and selling prices, regulating supply and demand, as well as defining specific responsibilities of relevant agencies for gold bar management.

Hung proposed that the Ministry of Finance make e-invoice issuance compulsory for every gold transaction to enhance the market transparency.

With domestic gold prices skyrocketing in recent weeks, the central bank resumed gold bar auctions in late April, after a pause of 13 years, in a bid to rebalance the market through increasing supply. However, this did not solve the problem with only modest winning bids, so domestic gold prices kept rising to set new records.

SJC gold bars hit a record of VN92.5 million (US$3,614) per tael last week and cooled a little to be at VN90 million at 1pm on Wednesday afternoon. However, the difference between the domestic and world prices remains huge at VN17 million per tael.

The sixth auction held on Tuesday had the highest winning volume of 8,199 taels after the central bank lowered the minimum bidding volume to 500 taels compared to 700 taels in previous auctions.

The central bank said another auction will be held this week.

The SBV also urged people to be cautious when trading gold to avoid risks from the price fluctuations from the world market and the impacts of any tightened market control measures.

Inspection urged

Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai requested that all relevant ministries and sectors assign officials to join a concerted effort to inspect the gold market and gold trading activities, during a meeting discussing gold market management measures on Tuesday in Ha Noi

Participants suggested that the State Bank take responsibility for stabilising the market, creating a level playing field to ensure the harmony of interests among stakeholders. They also proposed addressing law violations, speculation and manipulation in the gold market.

They stressed urgency in the need to create synchronised solutions both in increasing supply, enhancing inspection, monitoring and handling violations to stabilise the gold market.

The SBV said that it has proposed the establishment of an inter-sectoral inspection team with the participation of representatives from the Ministry of Public Security, the Government Inspectorate, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Finance.

The inspection will focus on clarifying and strictly handling violations related to gold speculation and price manipulation, SBV Deputy Governor Pham Quang Dung said, adding that the work will help propose optimal solutions to effectively manage the gold market in the coming time.

Deputy PM Khai urged relevant ministries, sectors and localities to promptly implement measures to address the current shortcomings of the gold market, toward stabilising the price of gold bars.

He requested that an inspection decision must be announced no later than the end of this week.

The issuance of e-invoice for every transaction must be completed within the second quarter of this year, Khai said.

He also asked the SBV to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the gold market, especially the market demand and the smuggling situation.

In another move, Minister of Finance Ho uc Phoc has asked the General Department of Customs and the General Department of Taxation to increase measures to prevent smuggling cross borders and the illegal trading of gold.

With regard to long-term solutions, the SBV said that it is critical that Decree No 24/2012/N-CP on managing gold business towards removing the monopoly of SCJ-banded gold bars, is amended. Accordingly, gold bullion will be managed following its quality of 9999 purity while jewelery gold is considered a normal product.

A recent report by the World Gold Council showed that Viet Nam registered the strongest bullion demand in the first quarter of this year since 2015, at over 14 tonnnes.  VNS
HA NOI  British businesses are eager to explore Viet Nam as a new market to introduce a variety of high-quality food and drinks, according to the UK  Viet Nam agri-trade report released by the British embassy in Ha Noi on Wednesday.

The Connecting the UK and VN in Agriculture, Food and Drinks report, commissioned by the embassy and done by Edelman Global Advisory, delves into the dynamics of the bilateral agricultural trade relationship, identifying growth opportunities for their agriculture sectors.

Speaking about the report, British ambassador Iain Frew said: This report sets out how we can build on trade partnerships to fully realise the opportunities presented by both markets. I look forward to the continued positive trajectory on agri-trade between the UK and Viet Nam, and thank you for your interest in buying British products.

The report points to the facts that Viet Nam's economy is likened to a rising dragon in the Asia Pacific region and that, with its youthful and increasingly affluent population, and growing middle class and sophisticated consumer preferences, the market has demand for high-quality and foreign-sourced products, presenting a great opportunity for UK food and drink exports.

Food and drinks is the largest manufacturing sector in the UK, and has rigorous regulations and certification processes, it says.

Moreover, the UK - Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) has been opening new avenues for Vietnamese consumers to access high-quality British foods and drinks, it says.

Furthermore, the UK's impending accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in 2024 promises even closer bilateral trade relations, it adds.

Speaking at the launch, UK Trade Commissioner for the Asia Pacific, Martin Kent, said: UK products are internationally renowned for high quality and adherence to world-leading food safety, animal health, and welfare standards. Were very excited that Vietnamese consumers will soon get to experience the best of British.

Major UK agricultural exports to Viet Nam include whisky, seafood and confectionery, while its imports are of tropical fruits, coffee, nuts, and seafood.  VNS
QUANG NAM  More than 200 live streamers, entrepreneurs and representatives from cooperatives gathered at a forum on innovation and e-commerce on digital platforms in the central province of Quang Nam on May 15 as part of TechFest Quang Nam 2024, an innovation startup promotion event.

The forum offered an opportunity for the participants to expand their connectivity, thus introducing their innovative startup projects and products, One Commune-One Product items, and typical agricultural products of Quang Nam.

It also provided updates on modern distribution channels, policies and market information, while helping stakeholders to sell products on digital platforms, and optimise technologies to raise production and business efficiency.

On this occasion, representatives of the Agency for Enterprise Development under the Ministry of Planning and Investment presented orientations for sustainable e-commerce development, and outstanding models rolled out by some localities and businesses in this regard.  VNS
Astronomers studying ultra-cool stars discovered a new, earth-sized planet, just 55 lightyears away, it was announced in a paper published on May 15, in the journal Nature Astronomy.

The newly discovered planet - dubbed SPECULOOS-3 b - was discovered by an international team of scientists, involved in the Search for Planets EClipsing ULtra-cOOl Stars (SPECULOOS) project.

Like the cookie it's named after, the SPECULOOS program has origins in Belgium - but the team also features scientists from the United States, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

"We designed SPECULOOS specifically to observe nearby ultracool dwarf stars in search of rocky planets that lend themselves well to detailed studies," said astronomer Michael Gillon.

"In 2017, our SPECULOOS prototype using the TRAPPIST telescope discovered the famous TRAPPIST-1 system made up of seven Earth-sized planets, several of them potentially habitable. This was an excellent start."

Ultra-cool stars are abundant in the Milky Way but they're fainter, smaller and colder than our sun. They're also expected to be among the last stars present at the end of the universe, said exoplanetology expert Amaury Triaud according to Phys.org

"The discovery of SPECULOOS-3 shows our worldwide network functions well and is ready to detect yet more rocky worlds orbiting very low mass stars," he said.

While the star may not burn as brightly, the planet itself is still quite warm, receiving 16 times more energy per second than Earth.

"Though this particular red dwarf is more than a thousand times dimmer than the Sun, its planet orbits much, much closer than the Earth, heating up the planetary surface," Steve B. Howell, one of the planet's discoverers told NASA.
HA NOI  The Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Jacob Jensen, is leading a high-level delegation to visit Viet Nam on 14-16 May 2024.

Together with a group of Danish agri-food companies with advanced technology and know-how on sustainability and green transition, the aim of the ministers visit is to intensify high-level policy dialogue with Vietnamese counterparts with a focus on a more sustainable food production and a resource efficient supply chain.

Viet Nam and Denmark have developed a close and long- term bilateral relation on food safety. Since 2017, the bilateral cooperation has concentrated on facilitating co-operation within feed and food safety. The co-operation is a crucial part of the Green Strategic Partnership launched by the two Prime Ministers last November, where the two countries have committed to promote green transition and green growth, supporting Viet Nam in building a green economy and fulfilling the countrys commitment to achieve net-zero emission by 2050.

The SSC Food programme between Viet Nam and Denmark has been implemented by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (DVFA) and the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). The first phase of the programme focused on improving framework conditions for animal feed production through capacity development of government officials and on the legislative framework for prudent use of veterinary drugs. In phase 2, which ran from April 2020 to April 2024, the main themes of cooperation are enhancing capacity across various stages of the food chain from farm to fork, combating anti-microbial resistance (AMR), feed control and traceability and recall of unsafe food.

During his visit, Minister Jensen has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Vietnamese Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Le Minh Hoan extending the government-to-government co-operation. For the coming years, the co-operation will have increased focus on the green transition of food and agricultural production, aiming to promote a more sustainable and resilient food system.

Jensen said: Denmark's green transition in sustainable food production has led to the development of strong, innovative methods and approaches throughout the value chain, which boost production yield and improve product quality but at the same time consume less water and energy.

"We look forward to sharing these insights and inspire further collaboration with our Vietnamese partners. Our agreement is a strong testament to our fruitful cooperation where the two ministries do not only share common needs and interests but more importantly a common goal and vision: a sustainable and resilient food system.

During his visit, the Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries also made a keynote speech at a workshop on Antimicrobial Resistance in agriculture and aquaculture. Antimicrobial resistance is a big threat to public health and human health nowadays. Therefore, this has been an important track of the Strategic Sector Co-operation Food programme.

The ministers visit to Viet Nam this time, the second Danish high-level visit within just two months, has been also accompanied by a group of Danish companies and producers who own world leadings solutions in food production and processing, storages, optimising the use of food and agriculture resources, drainage and water techniques.

Viet Nam is an attractive destination for Danish businesses in the agricultural sector. At present, Denmark has been one of the EU countries with the highest export per capita to Viet Nam and the agri-food sector constitutes approximately half of the total Danish exports to Viet Nam.

Viet Nam has become an important and attractive market for Danish businesses and investors," Jensen said.

"Although Viet Nam and Denmark are geographically very far from each other, we are facing many of the same challenges and we have to continue working together to find ways to use resources effectively. In a smart way to increase competitiveness and sustainability.

During his visit in the South of Viet Nam, the minister will visit Food Bank Vietnam, an important partner for the efforts to combat food waste and food loss. He will also pay site visits to a catfish aqua-farm in Tien Giang and an aqua-feed factory in Ben Tre, where close partnerships between Vietnamese and Danish research institutions and companies promotes the use of new green technologies and solutions for a sustainable aquaculture production in Viet Nam.

On his last day of the visit, he will deliver a keynote speech at the seminar on Sustainable agri-food production  Danish innovative technologies and financing opportunities. The seminar will provide a forum to connect and facilitate exchange of experiences, technologies, financing and business opportunities between authorities, local decision-makers, sector managers as well as Danish and Vietnamese entrepreneurs.  VNS
HA NOI  The Export Development Canada (EDC) has publicised an article titled Doing business in Vietnam: Catch this rising star in the Indo-Pacific in which its author, international trade writer Carol Fragiskos, emphasises that strategic location makes it an ideal logistics and distribution hub.

In his writing, Fragiskos says that Viet Nam is called the Land of the Ascending Dragon. While its unique geographical shape may have inspired the original nickname, these days, it could be referring to its rapid economic growth

Based on data from World Economics, in the last 10 years, its compound annual growth rate has been more than 8 per cent. Last year, Viet Nams gross domestic product (GDP) grew by more than 5 per cent, with forecasts for this year and next, sitting at 6 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively.

"With numbers like these, its no wonder EDC chose Viet Nam for our next representation in the Indo-Pacific," he wrote.

Scheduled to open in fall 2024, the in-market team will be led by Nathan Nelson, EDCs first chief representative in Viet Nam and innovation director for the Indo-Pacific.

In his new role, Nelsons intention is clear: Double the amount of trade from Canada to Viet Nam in the next five years.

The article says Viet Nam lies at the centre of the Indo-Pacific region. Located near major markets in Asia - with access to key global shipping routes - its strategic location makes it an ideal logistics and distribution hub. But its more than geography that makes this country a strong bet, Fragiskos emphasises.

Viet Nams middle-class growth is outpacing all others in the region. Though smaller than some of its neighbours, Viet Nams population of close to 100 million is significant, especially considering that half are under the age of 30.

According to the International Labour Organisation, although minimum wages are rising, Viet Nams labour costs are still lower than similar countries in the Indo-Pacific. As it shifts to higher-value industrial activities, its becoming an increasingly sought-after market for those with manufacturing interests.

The article also stresses that the politically stable Vietnamese government is committed to economic reform and liberalisation. Its progressive foreign investment environment offers tax incentives and preferential rates in certain priority sectors and geographic areas. Perhaps more importantly, a transparent legal framework and predictable regulatory regime provide additional confidence for companies looking to do business in this market.

Viet Nam is investing heavily in infrastructure development. Committed to net zero by 2050, the country is also looking to rapidly increase its renewable energy mix. Multiple nationwide projects are underway in green energy, waste management and sustainable urban development.

In addition, Viet Nam has a healthy digital economy that is expected to reach US$38 billion by 2025. Multiple sectors - including e-commerce, financial technology and artificial intelligence - have been boosted by initiatives that support innovation and entrepreneurship.

As a member of several bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements - including with China, India, the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) - Viet Nam is a country thats wide open for business.

Canadian exporters have preferential access to this fast-growth market through the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which eliminates tariffs and reduces barriers for 98 per cent of exports to member states.

Viet Nam is Canadas largest trading partner in ASEAN, with bilateral trade in goods totalling C$14 billion (US$10.2 billion) in 2023.

However, that trade is one-sided, with Canadas exports to Vietnam under C$1 billion.

Nelson says, as quoted in the writing, that after a lot of market analysis, EDC can confidently say that Viet Nam has something for everyone. Its the new star in the Indo-Pacific, especially for companies looking to diversify beyond China.

Nelson also says that now is an important time for Viet Nam. The country has been investing heavily in infrastructure development and is already an incredible manufacturing hub. For those reasons, he has focused on identifying which advanced manufacturing and infrastructure projects mesh closest with Canadian capabilities, so he can foster connections and build capacity.  VNS
HCM CITY  The 20th international exhibition on automobiles, motorcycles, electric vehicles and supporting industries (Autotech & Accessories 2024) was launched at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC) in District 7 on May 16.

The event, themed "Create momentum for intense development," with a total area of over 15,000m2, features more than 400 booths from nearly 300 enterprises from Viet Nam, the United States, South Korea, Thailand, China, and Taiwan (China).

The exhibition has the participation of vehicle manufacturing enterprises such as SAMCO, MIV, electric car AIE, Sunway Bike, Vien Pham and Jiangsu Aitefu.

In addition, there are more than 300 brands such as Minh Thanh Phat, Minamoto, New Super Power and MYS Viet Nam.

President of Asia Trade Fair & Business Promotion JSC (ATFA) Nguyen Minh Ngoc said Vietnamese supporting industry currently consists mainly of components and parts with low technology. There are about 5,000 domestic businesses involved in supplying components and parts for the automobile and mechanical industries, but only 30 per cent are able to participate in the global value chain.

Vice president of Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vo Tan Thanh said, The exhibition is expected to be a bridge for trade, enhancing commercial and investment promotion activities between Vietnamese enterprises and international ones in the automobile, motorcycle, electric vehicle and supporting industries.

The exhibition will become a stepping stone to promote the development of enterprises, helping them easily access new technology trends, new methods in production and business to seize development opportunities, and deeply participate in the global supply chain, he added.

The event also includes networking events, seminars, and other activities.

This year features the "Innovation Day" event, showcasing 14 technology, engineering, product, and creative topics in fields such as automobiles, motorcycles, electric vehicles, and supporting industries.

It aims to encourage research and innovation activities, and to become a platform for inventors and researchers to showcase their creations, seek pathways to reach consumers and identify investment opportunities.

Additionally, the event features a daring car performance themed "Subaru 2024 Super Daredevil Car Show." This is a free show with performances concentrated on May 18 - 19, featuring the participation of Russ Swift, a driver with numerous Guinness World Records.

The event is organised by ATFA under the auspices of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Vietnam Association of Supporting Industries, and the Vietnam Auto Motorcycle Bicycle Association.

The event will last until May 19.  VNS
THAI NGUYEN  A delegation from the European Union (EU), the Netherlands, and the Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore held a working session with leaders of the northern province of Thai Nguyen on May 16 to explore potential investment opportunities in the province.

Their focus was on projects related to landslide prevention, clean water, wastewater treatment, and tea industry.

Pham Hoang Son, Permanent Vice Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial People's Council, highlighted Thai Nguyens strategic location and economic potential.

The province has actively sought foreign investment in 2024, with investment promotion conferences held in the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands. It also collaborated with the Climate Fund Managers (CFM) to connect with potential investors.

The province hopes for further support from the EU, the Netherlands and the Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore, he said.

Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Kees van Baar said many Dutch enterprises are interested in developing the semiconductor industry in Southeast Asia, with a specific focus on Vietnam and Malaysia, adding that the Dutch Embassy in Vietnam is ready to act as a bridge connect Thai Nguyen with Dutch firms.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Mai Phuoc Dung also committed to introducing more Singaporean companies to Thai Nguyen in the future.

On the occasion, local tea producers and traders expressed their desire to expand export markets to EU countries.

Earlier, the delegation attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the Phu Binh water plant in Huong Son town, Phu Binh district.

The 14,000 sq.m plant, built with total investment of nearly VN96 billion, part of which was funded by the Netherlands' CFM Investment Fund, is expected to have a daily capacity of 10,000 cu.m upon completion in mid-2025.

The plant will ensure water supply for Phu Binh district and surrounding areas. - VNS
HA NOI  The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and its partners on May 16 inaugurated a Vietnamese tourism information centre in India.

The move comes in the context that India has emerged as a high potential South Asian market of Vietnam, with air passengers travelling between the two countries reaching 900,000 last year, nearly tripling the number recorded in 2019.

The centre is set to create a tourism bridge between the two countries, and contribute to enhance their multi-faceted cooperation, said a representative from the carrier, adding its biggest objective is to optimise the Indian market and lure more visitors from the country.

Vietnams outstanding tourism products will be introduced at the centre, making it easier for travel firms and holidaymakers to select destinations for their trips.

The same day, Vietnam Airlines, Vietravel, VinGroup and SunGroup, and Indian travel companies launched a programme in New Delhi, under which they will work together to promote tourism in both nations.

From May 15, the national flag carrier will operate four flights per week between Hanoi and New Delhi on every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and three others on the Ho Chi Minh City  New Delhi route on the remaining days.

It has officially run direct flights between Hanoi/HCM City and the Indian capital city since June 2022, followed by those on Hanoi/HCM City-Mumbai routes since May 2023. - VNS
BAC GIANG The drive in Bac Giang Province to spread the reading culture more widely within the community is already having positive results, said Director of the Bac Giang Provincial Department of Information and Communications, Tran Minh Chieu.

Events have included exhibitions, book launches and community-based discussions such as Resounding Echoes of ien Bien to facilitate exchanges and conversations with veterans of the ien Bien Phu Historical campaign.

The province has also organised a Cultural Reading Ambassador Competition, along with a display of photographs that showcased the remarkable achievements in the province's economic, cultural and social development.

The movement to promote reading and book exchanges has been implemented widely within Bac Giang Province with the local authority actively encouraging the establishment of libraries, reading clubs and providing guidance on reading skills.

With messages such as 'Good books need readers' 'Precious books for you' and 'Good books: For the eyes and ears,' the celebration of Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day on April 19 in Bac Giang was aimed at spreading a reading culture in the community, particularly among teachers, students and young people and the community.

It affirmed the hugely important role books play in enhancing knowledge, skills, developing thinking abilities, education and personal growth. It promotes a reading movement within the community, emphasises the significance of self-learning and cultivating a habit of reading books within families, schools, organisations and institutions throughout the province.

Through these efforts, it contributes to building a cultural and spiritual life, promoting moral values and preserving the traditional thirst for knowledge of the Vietnamese people.

In recent years, the reading movement in Bac Giang Province has been growing with many positive results. The libraries of institutions and units throughout the province, such as the Provincial Police, the Provincial Military Command, the Provincial Youth Union, Bac Giang University of Agriculture and Forestry and Ngo Gia Tu Bac Giang College, have all received investment in their facilities and have added millions of new books of various genres to meet the local reading needs.

Books are the versatile key that unlocks the long-lasting intellect and soul of individuals. They are extraordinary teachers that illuminate our boundless source of knowledge, teaching us to live meaningfully, love, share, and sacrifice, said Director of the Bac Giang Provincial Department of Information and Communications, Tran Minh Chieu.

He emphasised the need for all local organisations, schools and the community to continue to focus on building and upgrading library systems, digitalising those libraries and developing electronic publications as part of the transformation programme to meet the diverse needs of readers.

On Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day, Bac Giang presented awards to eight groups and 12 individuals who excelled in the Online Book Reading Contest 'Read to Change Yourself'.

The Provincial Youth Union, in collaboration with other units, donated two bookshelves, 472 books, and one printer with a total value of VN120 million (US$4,700) to the Hiep Hoa 1 High School.

Meanwhile, Ngo Gia Tu College presented 275 books to underprivileged children in highland areas and Alpha Books Joint Stock Company, KBS Company and the Four Directions Book Collection Store donated books to several schools. VNS
NEW YORK  A member of the UNESCO Executive Council, Viet Nam always supports the organisations role in promoting education globally, Ambassador ang Hoang Giang, Viet Nam's Permanent Representative to the UN, said on Wednesday.

At an ambassador-level session of the Group of Friends for Education and Lifelong Learning in New York, Giang also spoke highly of the groups efforts in pushing ahead with contents and commitments relating to education.

He suggested holding activities between the group and UN member countries to step up dialogues and share information, initiatives and experience in education.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J.Mohammad emphasised the need to focus on ensuring finance for education and rights for teachers, and to optimise digital transformation in this field.

Launched on January 24, 2019, the group champions advocacy and outreach on the global commitments on education, including through concrete contribution to intergovernmental processes as well as the organisation of high-level and expert-level meetings.  VNS
BUENOS AIRES  Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina Ngo Minh Nguyet on Wednesday presented her credentials to Argentinean President Javier Milei, during which the diplomat expressed her hope for close cooperation with the Argentinean Government to further expand and deepen Viet Nam-Argentina ties in all fields.

Nguyet conveyed the regards from General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Nguyen Phu Trong, Acting President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to President Milei.

She also conveyed Prime Minister Chinh's thanks to President Milei for his invitation to visit Argentina in 2024.

Viet Nam and Argentina set up their diplomatic relations on October 25, 1973 and comprehensive partnership in 2010.

Over the past half century, relations between the two countries have continuously been developing and strengthened in all fields, especially in politics, economy, trade and culture, and via all channels of Party, government people diplomacy.

The two sides have maintained the exchange of high-level delegations as well as exchanges among ministries, sectors and localities, while effectively implementing the political consultation mechanism between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the Inter-Governmental Committee.

Economic, trade and investment cooperation has become the foundation for long-term relations between the two countries.

In the 2004-23 period, two-way trade increased by nearly 17-fold to US$3.45 billion in 2023.

Viet Nam is currently Argentina's sixth largest trading partner and fifth biggest export market, while Argentina is Viet Nam's third largest trading partner in Latin America.

Argentina has supported Viet Nam during negotiations for a free trade agreement with the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) which comprises Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.

Later the same day, Ambassador Ngo Minh Nguyet laid a wreath at the statue of Argentinean Hero San Martin in Buenos Aires.  VNS
HA NOI  General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong on Thursday presided over the ninth plenum of the 13th-tenure Party Central Committee that opened in Ha Noi and is scheduled to last until Saturday.

At this convention, the Central Committee will discuss the outline of documents to be presented at the 14th National Party Congress, preparations for the congresses of party committees at all levels at the 14th Congress and other important issues.

In his opening speech, the party leader said that the 14th National Party Congress will take place in early 2026, marking a full five-year term during which the entire Party, people and army strive to implement the Resolutions of the 13th national Party Congress and the 10-year Socio-Economic Development Strategy 2021-30.

This congress coincides with the commemoration of 40 years of (oi moi) renovation (1986), 50 years of the complete liberation of the South and reunification of the country (1975) and will be looking forward to the 100th anniversary of the Party's founding (1930).

This will be a significant political event and an important milestone on the country's path to prosperity and sustainability, Trong noted.

He said it would inspire and motivate the entire Party, people , and army to "confidently push ahead under the Party's glorious flag, remain steadfast in the goals of national independence and socialism, promote comprehensive and sustainable national development, resolutely protect the fatherland and build an increasingly rich, democratic, prosperous, civilised and happy Viet Nam."

General Secretary Trong remarked that in recent times, the Economic-Social Subcommittee and the Party Charter Subcommittee have been efficient in preparing drafts of the Political Report, Socio-Economic Report, Party Building Report and Party Charter Implementation Report, seeking opinions from the Politburo for further refinement to present to the Party Central Committee at this plenum.

He requested the Party Central Committee thoroughly study the documents and discuss and provide feedback on specific proposals outlined in the submissions and draft outlines, particularly on major issues highlighted in the detailed draft Political Report and the Subcommittee's submissions.

During discussions, he stressed the need to clarify the nature, objectives, requirements , and scope of each report and their interrelationships.

The Political Report, as Congress's central document, must encapsulate the Party's viewpoints, policies, and directives

Regarding the Socio-Economic Report, Party Building Report and the Party Charter Implementation Report, these should align consistently with the major orientations in the Political Report but without overlaps or redundancy. Particularly, the Party Building Report and Party Charter Implementation Report should elucidate the theoretical and practical basis for any amendments to the Party Charter (if any) and draft a new Party Charter for consideration at the 14th Congress.

The document presented at this plenum must be instructional and open-ended, with multiple options for the Party Central Committee to consider and select, followed by further research and preparation through discussions at various party committee congresses, leading up to a decision by the Party Central Committee to present to the National Party Congress, Trong said.

Regarding the guidance for preparing the congresses of party committees at all levels leading up to the 14th National Party Congress, the Party leader stressed the need for unified leadership in the preparation and conduct of these congresses.

The Politburo should issue a directive on this matter to ensure the success of the congresses at all levels, contributing to the success of the 14th National Party Congress.

Recently, the Politburo has ordered an assessment of the implementation of Directive No.35-CT/TW, dated May 30, 2019, of the 13th Politburo, reaffirming the results and lessons learned to be inherited and promoted and identifying limitations and shortcomings to be addressed and promptly adjusted.

Based on this, a new draft directive has been developed and presented to the Central Committee for feedback before being made final and then issued.

General Secretary Trong suggested that the Central Committee focus on discussing the submission and draft directive, clarifying the requirements of the congresses at all levels, as well as personnel preparation and election for party committees, especially the structure, number and composition of provincial and city party committees; the proportion of young, female, and ethnic minority members; the standards and ages for re-election and first-time participation in party committees considering the increased retirement ages (60 for women and 62 for men); and the election of party committees and delegates to higher-level party congresses.

The Party leader urged the Party Central Committee to use all their intellect to study and discuss and provide feedback to complete the reports, projects and review and come to a decision at the end of the session.  VNS
Nadine Menendez is receiving treatment for breast cancer and is expected to undergo a double mastectomy, her husband, New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, revealed while appearing in the Federal District Court in Manhattan during the second day of his corruption trial.

"As a result of constant press inquiries and reporters following my wife, she has asked me to disclose her medical condition," the senator said, in a statement released during his court date.

"We are, of course, concerned about the seriousness and advanced stage of the disease."

While both Menendezes are facing a litany of felony charges, only the senator is scheduled to appear in court this month. Last month, Judge Sidney H. Stein agreed to delay Nadine's trial until July because she was suffering from a "serious medical condition."

In his statement, the senator also disclosed that Nadine's diagnosis was "grade 3" and could possibly require radiation.

"We hope and pray for the best results," he said. "We ask the press and the public to give her the time, space and privacy to deal with this challenging health condition as she undergoes surgery and recovery."

Prosecutors allege that the couple conspired with the Egyptian government and a group of New Jersey businessmen, to enrich all involved parties while also increasing Cairo's influence in Washington, D.C. The senator remains in office, even though many officials have called on him to step down.

Documents that were made public after a group of media organizations petitioned Stein indicate that the senator's legal strategy may depend on delineating his actions from those of his wife.

"These explanations, and the marital communications on which they rely, will tend to exonerate Senator Menendez by demonstrating the absence of any improper intent on Senator Menendez's part," the court filings read.

"They 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."

This is not the senator's first brush with legal trouble. In 2015, he was indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and making false statements. The case ended in a mistrial and all charges were dropped, however, the Senate Ethics Committee "severely admonished" Menendez for his actions. It was not until 2018 that Menendez began his relationship with Nadine.
BAC GIANG  The 2023-2024 National Science and Technology Contest for students has been officially launched in Bac Giang Province.

Co-organised by the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), the Central Committee of the HCM Communist Youth Union (HCYU), the Vietnam Fund for Supporting Technological Creations (VIFOTEC) and the People's Committee of Bac Giang, the competition features 74 institutions, including 62 out of the 63 Departments of Education and Training, 12 universities and colleges and the Vietnam National Institute of Educational Sciences.

A total of 149 projects have been carefully selected from provincial and school-level competitions across 21 fields.

Pham Ngoc Thuong, Deputy Minister of Education and Training, emphasised that the contest provides a valuable platform for students to actively explore their creativity and foster research capabilities from middle to high school levels.

"Through the contest, we have identified many outstanding projects and contestants to represent Viet Nam in international competitions, contributing to our country's high rankings," said Thuong.

Le O Pich, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Bac Giang, highlighted the opportunity the contest offers for local students, teachers and education officials to engage in experience exchange with counterparts from across the country.

"It encourages students to pursue scientific and technological research, motivates universities, research institutes and organisations to support such endeavours and strengthens experience exchanges between provinces," said Pich.

According to the organisers, the projects will be ranked and awarded First, Second, Third and Fourth prizes based on their scores, but the total number of prizes will not exceed half of the projects.

First, Second and Third prize winners will receive Certificates of Merit from MOET, while First and Second prize winners will also be awarded the "Youth Innovation Badge" by HCYU.

Fourth prize winners will receive Certificates of Merit from VIFOTEC. Teachers who guided students to First prizes will be honoured with Certificates of Merit by the National Education Union of Vietnam.

The top projects from the contest will be selected to represent Viet Nam at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in the United States in 2024.  VNS
GENEVA  Viet Nam has never received such attention, reflected through the establishment and signing of economic deals and partnership agreements with foreign partners, according to an article highlighting Viet Nams outstanding position in the region, posted on the Tribune de Geneva newspaper by Alain Jourdan.

The author affirmed that a series of economic reforms initiated from 1986, along with globalisation, have transformed Viet Nam from one of the poor countries in the world to a middle-income country in just one generation.

Viet Nam attaches great importance to multilateral mechanisms and forums, as its foreign policy, built over the past decades, has looked towards becoming a friend of every country in the world, most specifically the agreements with the US and China in 2023.

It can be said that Viet Nam is on track to become a key country at the heart of the region that the world is looking towards, the reporter wrote.

He also shared more impressions with Viet Nam's economic development situation, highlighting his expectation that the country will record the highest growth rate in Southeast Asia in 2024, at 6-6.5 per cent.

Talking to Vietnam News Agency reporters in Geneva, Jourdan shared his assessment about Viet Nams bamboo diplomacy.

He said that Viet Nam shows ingenuity in managing its relations with major countries, and its hope to establish balanced relationships to increasingly demonstrate its role in the international arena and at multilateral forums.  VNS
HA NOI  The Government has ordered harsh punishments on any violation of vessel-monitoring-system (VMS) rules in a move to get the European Commission (EC)s yellow card against the Vietnamese seafood products for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing lifted.

In a dispatch sent to the Ministers of Agriculture and Rural Development, Information and Communications, Justice, Public Security, and Defence, and chairpersons of the Peoples Committees of coastal cities and provinces on May 15, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated that after six years carrying out harmonious measures against IUU fishing, the country has recorded achievements in fishery management, particularly the installation of the VMS devices.

However, illegal fishing in foreign waters remains complicated, he said, adding this is due to violations of VMS regulations and a lack of attention from competent authorities.

If stiff penalties are not meted out, it will be hard for Viet Nam to have the yellow card removed, and the country may even get a red card warning in the ECs upcoming inspection slated for September-October this year.

Against the backdrop, the Prime Minister asked competent ministers and chairpersons of local Peoples Committees to focus on strictly carrying out solutions against IUU fishing, and detecting and settling VMS violations.

They must join hands to review the system and better manage the fleet of fishing vessels to find out in a timely manner any ships having the device switched off or removed. The work must be completed in Q3.

A communications mechanism must be set up to share related information among the ministries and provinces, and raise public awareness about the issue.

Competent authorities must keep a close watch on and maintain regular contacts with fishing communities, while carrying out regular inspections on the VMS quality and installation to detect and handle those who are against the regulations.

The Peoples Committees of coastal cities and provinces must ensure resources for the VMS installation on fishing boats measuring from 15 metres.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is assigned to make reports on the implementation of the dispatch to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang  head of the National Steering Committee for IUU Fishing Prevention and Control. VNS
PHU YEN  Local authorities in Phu Yen Province are searching for two construction workers who went missing while traveling by boat on the Ba River on Wednesday night.

According to the Phu Hoa District Police Office, at around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, six male construction workers working on a sub-project of the Chi Thanh - Van Phong section of the North-South Expressway project took a boat from Vinh Phu hamlet in the district to Tay Hoa District.

When they reached the construction site for the a Rang Bridge, the boat collided with the bridge and capsized.

Three individuals survived: Mai Chi Thanh, 45, Nguyen Van Hue, 32, and Le Kim Vang, 29.

Three others drowned: Nguyen Cuu ong, 34, Nguyen Manh Nguyen, 31, and Le uc Cuong, 46. Nguyen died after being taken to Phu Yen Provincial General Hospital for treatment. The other two individuals remain missing.

Late on Wednesday night, Cao Thi Hoa An, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, and Le Tan Ho, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, visited the scene and ordered search and rescue forces to continue searching for the missing victims throughout the night.

A Vietnam News Agency correspondent reported that heavy rains hit the province early Thursday morning, causing water levels in the Ba River to rise significantly, making the search for the missing victims more difficult.  VNS
A NANG  The central city has approved the smart health care development project in 2025-30, promising all hospitals and health care centres we go digital in procedures, examinations and treatments.

The city said the project will be receiving total fund of VN488.95 billion (US$19.56 million) for building data and infrastructure.

By 2025, all hospitals and health centres will be using digital medical records and cashless payment, offering online medical check-ups and examinations and medical consultancy or using database of patients and national database-connected ID cards.

The smart health system will provide facilities for doctors giving medical consultancy to patients with online medical examination and treatment.

It also includes global positioning system (GPS) tracking of ambulances for doctors providing first aid instructions on the way to hospital.

Deputy director of the citys health department Vo Thu Tung said the citys health data will be connected with the national health data centre, supporting doctors with patients medical records nationwide.

The smart health care system would start using AI Robot in treatment and examination in 2030 as well as medical training, he said.

Tung said doctors will use digital images or online photos instead of checking films in examination of patients.

Last year, the city put into operation the first Intelligent Operation Centre (IOC), starting the first service of the smart city plan, allowing local people and businesses to apply for paperwork from home via the citys online public one-stop service.

The system has helped speed up the procedure schedule, saving $44.2 million and cutting 20 per cent of other costs in manpower payment.

A total fund of VN2.14 trillion ($95 million) has been allocated for the smart city plan in 2030-45, in which information technology and communication will play a key role in the digitalisation process.

The central hub has targeted becoming the first in Viet Nam to join the ASEAN smart city network by 2030.

A report from the citys information and communication department said 16 health centres and hospitals have been using digital records

a Nang, in co-operation with the military-owned telecommunications group Viettel, and FPT Group have been jointly developing a 5G network, an Internet of Things (IoT) service, a digital database centre, cyber security services and digital transforming.  VNS
KIENG GIANG  Border guard units in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang are rolling out measures to strictly deal with violations relating to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Managing over 1,000 offshore fishing vessels in the locality, the Border Guard Station of Hon Chong Port in Kien Luong district has kept strict inspection and supervision of fishing activities. Special attention has been paid to communications and law dissemination to raise ship owners and fishermen's awareness.

Nguyen Van Tung, captain of a fishing boat at the Hon Chong estuary in Kien Luong districts Binh An commune, said officials from the border guard station, the district's agriculture and rural development division, and the coast guard force, have come to meet and distribute documents and leaflets on relevant regulations to ship owners and fishermen. They have also examined vessel monitoring systems (VMS), fishing tools, fishing licences, and papers of fishermen.

Fisherman like him are now aware that they should only operate in the waters of Viet Nam and not come near or fish in foreign waters, he added.

Lieutenant Colonel Danh Nguyen Thanh Hai, deputy head of the Hon Chong port border guard station, said that in addition to performing regular tasks, the station has coordinated with other units to launch peak campaigns to detect and handle violations such as lacking fishing licences, not installing VMS, or disrupting VMS connection.

A mobile team and five checkpoints at wharves have been arranged to strictly control documents, people and vehicles, he said, vessels without certificates that prove their seaworthiness will not be allowed to leave fishing ports.

Colonel Doan inh Tranh, Deputy Political Commissar of the Border Guard Command of Kien Giang, said as the province's sea area is adjacent to Ca Mau's, the local border guard force has maintained communication with the Ca Mau border guard force, Naval Region 5, and Coast Guard Region 4 to strengthen inspection at sea and prevent IUU fishing practices.

Viet Nam has been working hard to carry out the European Commissions recommendations about IUU fishing prevention and control, towards the goal of having the EC's "yellow card" warning against seafood lifted.

The EC issued the yellow card warning against Vietnamese seafood in 2017. The "yellow card" is followed by a "green card" if the problem is resolved or a "red card" if it is not. A red card may lead to a ban on aquatic exports to the EU. VNS
A NANG  a Nang Airport has become the country's first airport to introduce breastfeeding rooms at convenient and accessible locations.

Six breastfeeding rooms were opened for use at the airports international terminal on Thursday.

Supported by the Embassy of Ireland in Viet Nam, FHI 360s Alive & Thrive and Rotary a Nang, the newly established rooms provide a safe and tranquil environment for mothers to breastfeed their babies or to express breast milk. The breastfeeding rooms are strategically positioned near washing facilities yet distanced from lavatories, have soundproofed walls and have comfortable chairs.

inh Anh Tuan, head of the Maternal and Child Health Department under the Ministry of Health, said Viet Nams laws, including labour laws, laws on social insurance and on health insurance, have strict regulations on mothers breastfeeding, encouraging people to believe that breastfeeding is best.

Viet Nam is among only a few developing countries which has six months of maternity leave and the healthcare sector has taken lots of measures to encourage breastfeeding with a Nang leading the way, he said.

a Nang Hospital for Women and Children was the first healthcare facility nationwide to launch a mother milk bank initiative, since then five other banks and two satellite operations opened across Viet Nam. The system of milk banks is expanding, aiming to provide safe donated human milk to at-risk babies in need nationwide, he said.

o Trong Hau, chief operating officer of a Nang International Terminal, said: "We are delighted to introduce this pioneering initiative at a Nang International Terminal, setting a new benchmark for breastfeeding support in public spaces nationwide.

"The breastfeeding rooms smart design, co-created by lactating mothers and international lactation consultants, serves as an excellent complementary solution to enhance lactation space accessibility for breastfeeding mothers alongside mother and baby rooms already installed."

Paul Zambrano, acting regional director of Alive & Thrive East Asia Pacific, said: "With a Nang International Terminal leading the charge in supporting breastfeeding, a Nang is on the way to becoming a breastfeeding-friendly city, bolstered by an ecosystem of initiatives aimed at creating a supportive environment for breastfeeding. This investment transcends nutritional benefits, yielding economic and environmental dividends through breastfeeding."

The central city currently hosts five centres of excellence for breastfeeding, benefiting over 21,000 babies every year and thanks to the milk bank at a Nang Hospital more than 100 preterm, low-birthweight and sick babies are helped every day.

The city also boasts a 100 per cent installation rate of lactation rooms within workplaces, which employ more than 1,000 female employees, empowering 15,000 working mothers to sustain breastfeeding upon their return to work. VNS
HA NOI  A wave of solidarity has brought relief to Vietnamese nationals affected by the devastating fire at the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw, Poland.

As of Tuesday, about VN6.5 billion (US$270,000) was raised to support the victims.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Poland played a pivotal role in coordinating the support efforts. Immediately following the fire, the embassy collaborated with Vietnamese associations in Poland to launch fundraising initiatives and distribute emergency food aid to those impacted.

A dedicated fund was formally established during a meeting on May 12 between embassy officials, association leaders, and representatives of the Vietnamese community at Marywilska.

This fund will provide direct financial assistance to the fire-affected small businesses.

Several Polish Government agencies, non-governmental organisations, and citizens have also reached out to the embassy, expressing their willingness to offer various forms of support.

A notable gesture came from the Poland-Viet Nam Friendship Association, whose executive board conveyed their regards and donated 5,000 PLN (US$1,270) during a meeting with embassy leaders on Tuesday.

In response to the call for support, Vietnamese embassies and communities in neighbouring countries like the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria also initiated fundraising activities.  VNS
HCM CITY  Ho Chi Minh City always appreciates and highly values the substantial contributions of EU countries to its development process, Vice Chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee Duong Anh uc remarked at the celebration of Europe Day 2024 held by the EU Delegation to Viet Nam on May 16 evening.

In his speech, uc said the southern metropolis looks forward to favourable conditions conducive to its effective utilisation of funding sources from the blocs Global Gateway Strategy and Horizon Europe Programme to further strengthen economic relations with the EU and jointly achieve sustainable development goals.

He also pledged commitments to ensuring stable socio-political environments, protecting the rights and legitimate interests of investors, and facilitating long-term and effective operations of European businesses in the city.

EU Ambassador to Vietnam Julien Guerrier said the Vietnam-EU relationship is evidence of peaceful cooperation leading to a bright future. Over more than three decades, they have worked together and achieved numerous accomplishments.

Guerrier announced that the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), coordinated by the EU and the UK, is ready to provide around 15 billion EUR to support climate change mitigation in Vietnam.

The ambassador expressed confidence in the development of the Vietnam-EU ties, contributing to the Southeast Asian nations goal of becoming a developed country by 2045 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. - VNS
In the first days of May, the Ministry of Industrial and Trade (MoIT) completed a draft decree on direct power purchase agreements (DPPAs) between renewable energy generators and customers via private transmission lines and the national grid.

Regarding DPPAs through private lines, the MoIT offers two options: maintaining the current policy (generators with electricity retail licences only can sell), and building regulations allowing renewable energy generators to sell electricity directly to large electricity buyers via private lines.

The MoIT also proposed two options for DPPAs through the national grid: All renewable energy generators including solar, wind, small hydro powers, biomass, tidal, geothermal powers are allowed to participate in DPPAs through the national grid with large electricity customers for production, services, and commerce.

DPPA decree may require supplements

In another option, renewable energy generators, including solar and wind powers, can conduct DPPAs through the national grid with large electricity users for connection production from 22kV or higher and an average monthly consumption of 500,000kWh or according to the registered output (for new buyers).

Tran Viet Hoa, director general of the MoITs Electricity Regulatory Authority, said that the draft decree aimed to help businesses to flexibly and proactively negotiate competitive prices, and meet their specific needs. The ministry will build a clear legal and regulatory framework, ensuring openness, transparency, and protecting the interests of participating parties.

DPPAs will encourage the development of renewable energy and be a driving force for businesses to participate in the market, building a fair and transparent business environment, Hoa said. However, the mechanism through the national power grid will raise difficulties. Specifically, to operate the power system safely and stably, with higher-capacity transmit power, infrastructure should be upgraded or expanded.

Many renewable electricity investors would like to expand buyers, as many customers want to buy clean energy for enough green credits.

Nguyen Quoc Viet, general director of Vinasol JSC providing energy-related solutions, said the mechanism was for large renewable power farms, not for residential solar power, small rooftops, or factory roofs.

Regulations that buyers must have an average monthly consumption of 500,000kWh are difficult for most small- and medium-sized enterprises to participate in, as they often consume only 200,000kWh each month, Viet said. For businesses that use less than 500,000kWh, what mechanism will we follow? The mechanism should loosen the conditions for buyers.

Specifically, in the case of DPPA via private lines, the draft only allows large electricity users to participate, while other ones have to wait for the next phase.

Because they use private lines, the impact on the national electricity system is insignificant, so the decree should not limit buyers in large customers, said a representative of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

In the case of concerns about negative impacts when excess renewable electricity capacity is generated on the system, the draft decree should supplement regulations that both parties must install a device to prevent backflow to the power grid.

Tran Dinh Long, vice chairman of the Vietnam Electrical Engineering Association, said that the decree was a step forward in the process of building an electricity trading market, and could be considered a pilot that has not yet resolved issues in the industry, especially in renewable energy.

Priority for electricity consumption still requires safe grid connection. However, very few investors can spend a lot of money to build their own lines for selling, Long said.

The option of buying directly through the national grid with electricity safety commitments will be more popular. However, the DPPA mechanism needs to be built for a longer period and be easier to apply.

To build a competitive electricity market, Vietnam should extend buyers without distinguishing large or small ones. The role of the state management authorities is to invest in expanding the power grid for transmission, leasing the grid for the market to buy and sell with each other, Long added.

Previously, numerous big corporations like Samsung, Apple, Heineken, Meta, and Nike sent letters to the prime minister to express their support for the DPPA mechanism between renewable energy generators and large customers. The average monthly electricity consumption of these buyers exceeds one million kWh.

An MoIT survey on the need to participate in DPPAs showed that demand is considerable. Both renewable electricity developers and large customers (using one million kWh per month or more) want to implement DPPAs to achieve green development goals.

Specifically, about 24 wind and solar power schemes with a total installed capacity of over 1,770MW want like to participate in the mechanism, and 17 projects with nearly 2,850MW are considering participation conditions and the ability to find and sign contracts with customers.

For buyers, mainly for production purposes from 22kV or higher, there are currently 20 customers with a total demand of almost 1,000MW.

Commerce chamber advocates power purchasing agreement, bypassing state utility EVN The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) has recommended allowing all businesses and individuals to purchase renewable energy directly, rather than through state utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN).
Several Hollywood stars are backing Kevin Spacey's return to acting following sexual misconduct allegations in 2017.

Sharon Stone, Stephen Fry, and Liam Neeson are a few who have voiced their support, calling for Spacey's return to the big screen.

The once-disgraced actor was found not guilty last year of all charges of sexual assault against four men between 2001 and 2013, and in 2022, a US court dismissed a sexual assault lawsuit against him.

Vocal support for Spacey emerged following the release of a Channel 4 documentary called 'Spacey Unmasked,' which was broadcast earlier this month and featured testimony from several of the men accusing the actor.

Spacey has vehemently denied the allegations of inappropriate behavior featured in the documentary.

"I take full responsibility for my past behavior and my actions," he told BBC News.

"But I cannot and will not take responsibility or apologize to anyone who's made up stuff about me or exaggerated stories about me."

"I can't wait to see Kevin back at work. He is a genius. He is so elegant and fun, generous to a fault, and knows more about our craft than most of us ever will,"Sharon Stone told the media outlet.

Stephen Fry and Liam Neeson also advocated for the actor, with Fry stating that while Spacey has often been "clumsy and inappropriate," to "devote a whole documentary to accusations that simply do not add up to crimes, how can that be considered proportionate and justified?"

Neeson doubled down on the sentiments, revealing,

"Kevin is a good man and a man of character. Personally speaking, our industry needs him and misses him greatly."

Spacey maintains his innocence and, in an interview with The Telegraph, said there was a "rush to judgment" against him as the MeToo movement was growing in Hollywood.
Innolux Footwear, a European-owned manufacturer in Vietnam, was detected evading total mandatory insurance contributions worth over VND7 billion ($292,000) between March 2022 and March 2024.

Harsher actions demanded for insurance evasion, illustration photo

According to the Vietnam Social Security office in the south-central province of Binh Thuan, the company was established in July 2021. During the operation process, the company only completed the mandatory insurance responsibility for workers as of February 2022.

The authorities urged the company to pay the insurance and applied a fine of $6,200 due to the delay. However, Innolux Footwear merely paid the fine and continued to neglect fulfilling its insurance obligations.

On March 1, the company suddenly ceased activity at its ground facility and removed all machinery and equipment from the registered working site, disappearing without trace. As a result, nearly 700 workers have yet to close their social insurance book.

According to the regulations, the total time for closing the social insurance book should not exceed 14 days, meaning that their rights and benefits have been neglected.

According to a report from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, by the end of October 2023, the total amount of late-paid and evaded social insurance and unemployment insurance premiums was roughly $565 million, a considerable increase from the average amount of about $400 million per year during 2016-2022.

Fines for foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) failing to pay social insurance premiums have been specified in Decree No.28/2020/ND-CP released in 2020 on providing penalties for admin violations in labour, social insurance, and overseas manpower supply under contract.

In the case of failing to pay compulsory social insurance premiums on schedule, insufficiently but unintentionally, and completely, violating FIEs may be fined 12-15 per cent of the total amount of the compulsory social insurance.

If an FIE fails to pay compulsory social insurance but not to the extent of criminal prosecution, the violating enterprise may be fined 18-20 per cent of the total social insurance payment. If companies are evading these contributions but not to the extent of criminal prosecution, the violating FIE can be fined up to $3,200.

Ngo Duy Hieu, vice chairman of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) said that although the legal system has identified a legal corridor to resolve the delay or evasion in paying social insurance payments, there are still many inadequacies and inconsistencies.

For example, during administrative penalty proceedings, social insurance agencies can only determine whether payments were missed, insufficient, or incorrectly calculated according to regulations - without sufficient tools or methods to conclusively identify evasion, Hieu said. Thus, the implementation faces barriers, causing the increase in mandatory insurance debt with complex variables.

This leaves employees not wanting to devote themselves to and work for companies for a long time, thus affecting labour productivity and competitiveness.

It is also one of the reasons for disputes and conflicts between employees and employers, leading to spontaneous and collective strikes that cause social instability, Hieu added.

The VGCL recommends the Ministry of Public Security considering and beginning legal proceedings on several cases related to social, health, and unemployment insurance to create deterrence, while guiding trade unions at all levels in how to begin legal proceedings against legal violations regarding insurance payment obligations.

Worker insurance gets livestream attention The application of livestreams to provide information about voluntary social insurance and household health insurance schemes next month will demonstrate the determination of Vietnam Social Security in widely disseminating policies to the people and helping participants ensure long-term rights and benefits.

Worker protection required after spate of lay-offs persists With the labour and employment market entering choppy waters in the last months of the year, social stability could be threatened if policymakers do not address the issue, experts say.
Having been operating in Vietnam since 1996 with a huge network of husbandry farms, one Indonesian husbandry company is being forced to relocate many of them from residential areas built after the farms opened.

Livestock farms face up to mass relocation challenge, illustration photo/ Source: freepik.com

The 2020 Law on Livestock Production prohibits livestock production in cities, towns, and near living quarters, with the exception of raising ornamental animals and those in laboratories without polluting the environment. According to the law, that specific regulation comes into effect in 2025 and localities will be given five years to relocate livestock facilities that do not comply.

A representative of the company told VIR, Our company has many outsourcing livestock farms in many provinces forced to remove out of residential areas. We are concerned about the feasibility of these relocations due to a lack of land, but the deadline is coming closer. Our companies and other livestock companies have worked with local state management agencies to ask for new locations to set up facilities, but there is no specific information.

Many other livestock facilities across the country are being affected, particularly in Hoa Binh, Ha Nam, Quang Tri, and Dong Nai provinces, among others.

Last month, the state management agencies of Dong Nai began to review livestock facilities with environmental violations and facilities that failed to meet standards. According to the decision of its peoples committee in 2023, the province required the relocation of 2,100 breeding farms and to shut down approximately 900 breeding facilities before January 2025.

The reason for the drastic move is to remove livestock facilities from residential areas, which are causing untold amounts of environmental pollution. Land for the sector is further narrowed because the province wants to extend planning for industrial parks to draw in high-quality ventures.

The southern province of Dong Nai is a hub for some of the largest livestock companies in the country, such as C.P. Vietnam, CJ, Masan, and Hoa Phat. These groups manage farms under outsourcing and rental facilities.

Nguyen Tri Cong, chairman of the Dong Nai Livestock Association, said, The relocation will face challenges because the province currently exhausted the land to remove these livestock facilities. The province also does not license new ones.

Nguyen Xuan Duong, chairman of the Animal Husbandry Association of Vietnam, said, Many domestic and foreign-invested livestock companies complained to the association about the delay of many localities in allocating power sources and land for this relocation. The policy was promulgated five years ago, so it has been enough time for localities to prepare. However, many of them are still ignoring this problem.

Along with the problem relating to land, the companies are also concerned about the approval of environmental impact assessment reports, which needs the involvement of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Duong added.

The legal framework is complete but enterprises still suffer difficulties in approaching the authorities to get the licence and they need the support from authorities to clarify the criteria framework, he said.

A representative from a Vietnamese poultry production company which has facilities in the southern provinces of Binh Duong and Tien Giang said, We expect that the authorities will guide companies in detail during the process to get the new construction and environmental licences for the new farms to assist the companies production and breeding plans.

Another major problem is that new roads will have to be developed for many of these relocations. The relocated breeding facilities will likely be far from residential areas and far from main highways, with the result that the transportation will be more difficult and cost more if the road system is incomplete, he said.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has built a draft resolution to support households in the relocation of farms, but it has yet to be approved.

Livestock companies latch onto gains involving circular economic model The circular economy is hitting its stride among livestock companies across the country, and are expected to gain increased revenues in the next few years thanks to applying fresh and greener methods.
In a draft decree on encouraging the development of rooftop solar power, which is in consultation for submission to the government, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has proposed to install such power in homes, offices, and buildings with solar for self-use. If connected to the national grid, the transmission price will be set at zero.

Rooftop solar proposal deemed precautionary step, illustration photo/ Source: Shutterstock

This has sparked controversy, with some saying the policy is counterproductive as a way of encouraging the public and businesses to participate.

Ngo Duc Lam, former vice president of the MoITs Institute of Energy, said that not being able to sell excess electricity will lead to poor performance of solar power, and with no set purchase price, it will be difficult to encourage investment.

If excess electricity output from the solar power system is sold to the grid, it will support the economy and calm retail electricity prices, he said.

Nguyen Quoc Viet, deputy director of the Vietnam Institute of Economic and Policy Research, said the policy was against market principles.

Its very hard to get businesses and individuals to invest in rooftop solar power. For households, a rooftop solar system can cost tens of thousands of US dollars. If people cannot sell the excess electricity, they will be very hesitant to invest in the power system, Viet said. In the case of not selling to Vietnam Electricity, we should consider deducting the output consumed in the payment period, or calculating it by a percentage compared to the grid electricity purchase price.

Nguyen Anh Tuan, vice president of the Vietnam Energy Association, said the policy was a precautionary and necessary step to prevent policy exploitation in a new industry. However, exceptions should be considered for cases in which there are urgent power needs due to rooftop solar powers ability to be deployed quickly.

Clear definitions are needed to minimise possible misinterpretations, he said. The MoIT should consider remote areas with difficult electricity transmission to become exceptions and be granted special status. Perhaps, households with storage systems could sell electricity to the grid during peak hours at a higher price to encourage storage installation and support the system.

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien said that with the current transmission and distribution system, measures to prevent backflow and buying prices at zero were appropriate to prevent policy profiteering. A self-producing and self-consuming system is a breakthrough in efforts to remove legal barriers to power source development, while numerous specialised legal regulations have not kept up with reality, the minister said. Allowing trading in energy produced by a self-producing and self-consuming system could lead to market shocks, potentially causing an imbalance in power sources.

On the other hand, the MoIT has advised the government that self-generated rooftop solar systems can be connected to the grid without requiring a permit. In addition, owners of structures equipped with such systems do not need to amend their land uses, as under current regulations.

Self-generated rooftop solar power is exempt from some legal provisions while enjoying various incentives. Allowing commercial activities means businesses and investors must comply fully with current regulations, the minister said.

If rooftop solar power were allowed to be traded, according to Dien, there could be rapid and volatile developments and difficulties in managing power sources and ensuring safety. Traditional sources of power such as coal, gas and hydroelectric projects and their investors could also lose some of their current benefits.

However, the zero price policy would be only temporary and a different approach to rooftop solar powers financial utilisation could be taken in the future.

According to the MoITs Electricity Regulatory Authority, total rooftop solar capacity is currently about 7,660MW, accounting for more than 9 per cent of total capacity, or nearly 4 per cent of the entire national electricity systems output. In terms of installed capacity, rooftop solar power has a higher proportion than many other types of renewable energy power, such as wind and biomass.

Vietnam has set a target of having half of its office and residential buildings equipped with solar panels by 2030, as per the Power Development Plan VIII. The country is prioritising the development of solar and wind power in residential areas, industrial structures, and offices.

Deputy PM highlights incentive policies for rooftop solar power installation Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha highlighted the importance of rooftop solar power in ensuring energy security, saying that there needs to be mechanisms and policies to encourage organisations and individuals to invest in solar power.
Samsung Vietnam early this month coordinated with the National Innovation Centre (NIC) to launch a technology talent development programme called Samsung Innovation Campus 2023-2024 at the NIC Hoa Lac.

The move is part of an MoU on implementing high-tech education and development projects for the young, between Samsung Vietnam and the NIC, signed in October 2023 to foster human resources in technology to turn Vietnam into an innovation destination.

Participating in these training classes, students have the opportunity to meet engineers working at Samsungs research and development (R&D) centre to gain more career guidance related to IT field. After participating in the programme, students with excellent achievements will have the opportunity to intern and work at Samsungs R&D centre in Hanoi.

It is well documented that Vietnam is striving for thousands of new engineers for semiconductors, Photo: Le Toan

Choi Joo Ho, CEO of Samsung Vietnam, said, The current environment brings great opportunities for Vietnamese young people. For Vietnamese youth to develop into technological talents and maximise their abilities, it is necessary to have the cooperation and active support of the government, businesses and training institutions.

Currently, more than 50 semiconductor manufacturers are operating in Vietnam, including Intel, Amkor, Hana Micron, Ampere, Marvell, Cadence, Renesas, and Synopsys. Technology giants such as Hana Micron, Synopsys, Siemens, and Intel have signed agreements with local authorities and universities to train the labour force in chips and semiconductor sectors.

US semiconductor maker Synopsys will share training textbooks and licence the use of chip design tools and software for VNU-Ho Chi Minh students. It will receive students for internships and introduce job opportunities at domestic and foreign businesses for semiconductor engineers graduating from this school.

Synopsys opened its first office in the country in 2016 and now has four offices in Ho Chi Minh City and the central city of Danang. Of 500 employees, approximately 400 are in R&D.

Meanwhile, at the Hana Micron Vina semiconductor plant in the northern province of Bac Giang, the company has received more than 110 internships from the provinces colleges since the start of 2023. At present, over 60 of them are working at the plant.

Chung Won Seok, general director of Hana Micron Vina, said, The company wants to take advantage of the local manpower, and so we signed joint contracts with colleges in the province to train the labour force for outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing or back-end manufacturing. Hana Micron targets to invest long-term in Vietnam. The recruitment demand is always available.

Vietnam will spend over $1 billion by 2030 to develop a well-prepared workforce for the semiconductor industry, with over $700 million coming from the state budget.

A draft plan for training 50,000 engineers for the semiconductor industry has been developed by the Ministry of Planning and Investment. Under which, there will be 15,000 chip designers and 35,000 engineers in semiconductor-tied sectors, with at least 5,000 having AI expertise. There will also be some 1,500 world-level lecturers.

Vietnam currently has 160 of its 240 universities boasting specialisation relating to technical training. These universities can convert these technical specifications to chip labour. In addition, there are currently 35 training facilities with specialisation related to chips and semiconductors.

This will be an important basis for ministries, central authorities, institutes, and businesses to collaborate to implement training programmes, including classes for students and intensive and advanced training courses for engineers so that Vietnam can supply the high-quality labour resources for the chips and semiconductor sector as fast as possible and as much as possible, said Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc.

To reach these targets, the country will need initial support from the government and resources to be mobilised through public-private partnerships for investment in scholarships, infrastructure, training, R&D centres, and incubators, added Ngoc.

Supporting industry required for semiconductors Experts are warning that Vietnams semiconductor industry can strongly develop only when it has a supporting industry.

Bac Giang makes its play for investment in semiconductors Vietnam is hoping to emerge as a top market for semiconductor production. Luong Van Nghiep, deputy director of Bac Giang Department of Planning and Investment, told VIRs Minh Oanh about the northern provinces potential and its strategies to draw in foreign investors in the sector.

South Korea to invest $7 billion in AI by 2027 South Korea will invest almost $7 billion in artificial intelligence by 2027 in an effort to become a global leader in cutting-edge semiconductors, President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday.
Over the past weeks, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labours (VGCL) recommendation to reduce standard working hours from 48 to 40 hours per week have been under debate. Several foreign-invested enterprises are expressing their concern about the potential negative impact of the proposal on companies.

According to Nguyen Phuoc Dai, chairman of the Trade Union of Japanese sewing manufacturer Juki Vietnam in Tan Thuan Export Processing Zone in Ho Chi Minh City, although some workers would be pleased to have their working hours reduced, the current time is inappropriate to implement this.

Vietnam has one of the highest average working times and number of hours worked per year worldwide, Photo: Duc Thanh

Businesses have already faced numerous difficulties due to the pandemic and economic downturn in recent years.

Juki has been experiencing a prolonged shortage of orders from August 2023 to February 2024, with no signs of improvement. As a result, the factory is only operating for 12 working days per month, leading to a decrease in workers income. Given the current circumstances, it is understandable that the labourers are hoping for a salary increase rather than a reduction in working hours, Dai said.

According to Truong Thi Linh, head of human resources at South Korean apparel company Wooyang Vina II in Ho Chi Minh City, the basic salary of workers is currently based on an eight-hour working day, equivalent to 48 hours per week. However, this salary level is relatively low as most businesses only pay equal to or slightly higher than the minimum wage in the region, while overtime pay and additional allowances account for a significant portion of the total income.

If the working hours are reduced to 40 or 44 hours per week, the company will likely have to decrease the salary, Linh said. Assuming the working hours are reduced to 44 hours per week, each worker will have a reduction of two working days per month, along with the minimum annual leave of one day per month. To maintain the same salary as before the reduction in working hours, the workload of these three days must be evenly distributed among the remaining days, creating significant pressure for the workers.

A representative of a South Korean shoemaker with more than 35,000 workers in the southern province of Dong Nai told VIR, There will be no optimal policy for both employers and workers, and it is also understandable when having different opinions about a new policy proposal. The important thing is that the two parties need to try to harmonise to benefit each other.

For example, when workers want to improve their income, and simultaneously have more time to take care of their health and their family, they are forced to hone their skills and improve capacity and productivity. If the workers productivity is still maintained, while the working hours are reduced, it is certain that the burden will be put on the businesses. In reality, Vietnamese workers productivity is lower than that in the region, he said.

According to a survey by the International Labour Organization across 154 countries and territories, Vietnam belongs to the group of countries with the highest average working time and number of hours worked per year worldwide, equivalent to 48 hours per week.

However, an average worker in Vietnam made products worth $6.40 per hour in 2020, compared to $9.70 in the Philippines and $12 in Indonesia, according to a recent report by the Asian Productivity Organization published in February.

The World Bank has said that although Vietnam has been among the worlds fastest-growing economies in the last 30 years with an average growth of 5.3 per cent annually between 1990 and 2021, higher than any country in Asia except China, it needs to increase productivity growth to maintain this record.

Although many businesses consider reducing working hours as unfeasible at the current time, there are pioneering companies that have successfully implemented this approach.

Fujiimpulse Vietnam, a Japanese company that manufactures vacuum-sealing machines based in Linh Trung I Export Processing Zone in Ho Chi Minh City, has allowed workers to take one or two Saturdays off per month. On the weeks they work on Saturdays, employees can leave one hour earlier, equivalent to working seven hours on that day. On average, workers at Fujiimpulse Vietnam only work between 43.5 and 45 hours per week.

Dang Van Nhon, chairman of the Trade Union at Fujiimpulse Vietnam, said, In addition to arranging reasonable rest time, the company also organises one to two trips per year for employees. Workers can maintain their health and have a relaxed mindset with this working arrangement.

In terms of overtime, Vietnam is at the global average, but violation of overtime regulations is common. On the other hand, the number of annual leave days in Vietnam is among the lowest in the world, with approximately 12 days, and the number of public holidays and Lunar New Year holidays is relatively low compared to other countries.

According to Ho Kim Ngan, deputy head of Labour Relations at the VGCL, reducing working hours is necessary, but it is also important to adjust the salary accordingly.

Even if workers only work eight hours per day as regulated, they should still be able to earn enough income to meet their needs without having to sell their labour excessively, Ngan said.

The average per capita income in Vietnam has reached $4,500 per year. China previously implemented a reduction in working hours to less than 48 hours when the average per capita income was around $2,300, but labour productivity did not decrease, and instead continued to improve.
Museum visits gaining popularity among young people

Xinhua) 10:05, May 16, 2024

SHIJIAZHUANG, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Museums are evolving into popular destinations for young Chinese people to engage with history and culture.

Zhou Lizhuang, a resident of Hengshui City in north China's Hebei Province, was enthralled during a recent museum visit that sparked his interest in the 2,200-year history of his hometown.

Upon entering the Jizhou Museum in Hengshui, visitors are transported back in time through 3D technology showcasing historical events and ancient legends.

For Zhou, this immersive experience brought history to life, offering a deeper understanding of his hometown's ancient past.

"Traditionally, museums were places for reminiscence and cultural appreciation, especially among the elderly. But now, visiting museums to explore history has become a fashionable trend among younger people," said Du Xiangli, the director of Hengshui Museum.

Du noted that the Hengshui Museum organizes over 100 study tours in collaboration with schools each year, attracting over 8,000 visitors annually. It also hosts a variety of cultural activities in schools and communities.

To further engage visitors, museums across the country are innovating their approaches by organizing creative exhibitions and special events, making museum visits more dynamic and appealing to young people.

During a recent trip to the Langfang Museum in Hebei, Chai Yutong, a college student, was drawn to a limited-edition puzzle stamp card set. Intrigued by the challenge of collecting nine stamps, each representing distinct calligraphic styles of the Chinese character for "loong" from various historical periods, Chai eagerly went on to explore the entire museum.

"The profoundness of Chinese culture is truly awe-inspiring. Each historical period's calligraphy represents the traits of its time, and understanding the evolution of the character 'loong' has deepened my cultural confidence," Chai said.

The cultural enthusiasm extends beyond museum visits. Cultural and creative products inspired by historical artifacts are also gaining popularity.

After visiting the Chengde Museum in Hebei, Li Xiaoling and her friends left the store with a bag of cultural products. "Finding such symbolic and high-quality souvenirs each time we visit adds to the experience," Li said.

According to Wang Minghao, a professor at Hebei Normal University, the sustained museum craze reflects the vitality of historical culture, bridging ancient civilizations with contemporary life.

In recent years, interest in traditional Chinese culture has experienced a resurgence. Items blending historical elements with modern expressions are favored by younger generation.

This fusion has sparked a "new wave" in China's cultural tourism industry, Wang said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
A defense lawyer for Donald Trump pressed Michael Cohen, a critical witness in the former president's hush money trial, about comments he made expressing his desire that Trump would end up in prison and suggested Cohen was upset that he didn't get a position inside the White House.

Todd Blanche on Thursday continued his cross-examination of Cohen on the stand, picking at his credibility, motivations against Trump and playing clips of Cohen relishing in Trump being indicted in New York City last year for the $130,000 in payments to former porn star Stormy Daniels.

In his podcast, Cohen said, "I truly f---ing hope this man ends up in prison."

"It won't bring back the year that I lost or the damage done to my family. But revenge is a dish best served cold," Cohen said on the tape. "You better believe that I want this man to go down."

Prosecutors say Cohen, Trump's former fixer who once said he would take a bullet for Trump, paid Daniels to silence her about allegations that she and Trump had a sexual affair in 2006 just weeks before the 2016 election.

They contend that the former president then falsified business records to repay Cohen, leading to the 34 criminal charges against him in Manhattan criminal court.

Blanche also questioned Cohen about a job in the Trump White House.

"The truth is, Mr. Cohen, you really wanted to work in the White House, correct?" Blanche asked.

"No sir," Cohen responded.

Blanche then brought up text messages from November 2016 in which Cohen told his daugther that he could become the president's chief of staff.

Cohen admitted that he may have wanted the post for "ego reasons," he had hoped to become Trump's personal attorney.

"I don't think you're characterizing this correctly at all," Cohen said. "My conversations with my daughter, I wanted a hybrid position where I would still have access to President Trump but I would not be a White House employee."
Black Hawk County area law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty

Black Hawk County area law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty include:

Adam Liddle, 2015  Waterloo Police Department officer who suffered a fatal heart attack following a shift in which he responded to a burglary in progress and a shots fired call.

Lance Dietsch, 1989  Iowa State Patrol trooper, originally from Waterloo, died when the patrol aircraft he was flying in a search mission crashed in Cass County.

Charles Whitney, 1985  State Patrol trooper died June 16 when he was struck by a car on Interstate Highway 380 near the River Forest Road exit in Evansdale.

William Mullikin, 1981  Detective sergeant with the Black Hawk County Sheriffs Office died in a two-car accident July 14 while answering a call.

Wayne Rice, 1981  Waterloo police officer shot by James M. T-Bone Taylor July 12.

Michael Hoing, 1981  Waterloo police officer shot by James M. T-Bone Taylor July 12.

Gabriel LaFromboise, 1976  La Porte City police officer killed Dec. 9 when his vehicle collided with a semi-trailer rig during a high-speed chase.

William Mehlhorn, 1956  Waterloo police officer shot by a burglar fleeing from the scene of the crime in January.

Everett Dutcher, 1945  Cedar Falls police officer who was assisting firefighters when the fire truck he was on collided with a train.

W. Fay Dilworth, 1932  Black Hawk County sheriffs deputy shot while attempting to serve a rape warrant.

Vinton Margretz, 1925  Waterloo police officer who died in a motorcycle accident while responding to a call.

William Goodenbour, 1920  Waterloo detective shot while questioning a suspect about a forged check.

Fred Widmann, 1908  Waterloo police officer killed during regular patrol downtown.

John Bailey, 1902  Waterloo police officer who was operating a team of horses attached to a buggy while on the job when a passing street car frightened the team and the officer was thrown.
DES MOINES  Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds will direct $17.5 million in federal pandemic relief dollars to fund opioid use prevention and treatment projects after lawmakers failed to agree on spending from the state's Opioid Settlement Fund this year.

The funding will go to some of the projects Reynolds included in a proposed bill to use the state's opioid settlement dollars during this year's legislative session. The session ended with lawmakers unable to agree on how to spend more than $47 million in settlement funds, leaving them unspent until next year.

Im disappointed that a bill to spend a portion of Iowas opioid settlement money never reached my desk this session," Reynolds, a Republican, said in a statement. "As a result, $47.5 million remain unused in the fund. Since legislation was not passed, Im leveraging federal funds to make this investment in the health and well-being of Iowans.

The money will come from American Rescue Plan funds, Reynolds' office said.

The funding will go to the following projects:

$10 million for a grant program to improve physical infrastructure and capacity at existing treatment and recovery providers, administered by the Health and Human Services Department and Iowa Economic Development Authority

$3 million to complete a recovery center in Story County for teens ages 12 to 18

$3 million for the HHS Department and Iowa Finance Authority to build a network of sober living environments

$1 million for a program to train physicians in prescribing opioids to surgery patients

$500,000 to an Opioid Use Prevention Campaign through the HHS Department

Iowa is set to receive more than $144 million over the next several years from multi-state settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors over their role in the opioid crisis. The funding will be split between state and local governments.

State lawmakers created the Opioid Settlement Fund in 2022 to hold that money, and it can only be spent by an act of the Legislature. A spokesperson for the Iowa Treasurer's Office confirmed the balance in the fund is just over $47.7 million.

Lawmakers this year advanced competing proposals over how to spend the funds in the last days of the legislative session. Negotiations over the bills broke down, and lawmakers ended the session without approving any spending.

House Republicans called for creating an advisory council that would review and approve grants applications for expenditures of the funds. Senate lawmakers, though, wanted to split the funding between the Department of Health and Human Services and the attorney general's office, and give the departments authority to spend it as they see fit.

The problem is much greater than anyone can imagine, Rep. Timi Brown-Powers, the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, said last month. And we dont have the beds, and we dont have the programs. It is vital for those persons with the addiction and for those families that we do better, and we just didnt do anything. And thats too bad.

The funding announcement comes a day after Reynolds signed into law a large reorganization of the state's mental health and substance use treatment networks. The law combines the two systems into one behavioral health network with seven regional providers.

Reynolds and advocates said at the bill signing Iowa's mental health and social services have been fractured and difficult to access. The reorganization will streamline those systems and improve access, Reynolds said.

How access to naloxone medication like Narcanused to reverse opioid overdosesvaries in each state Overview Naloxone access by state #1. Alabama #2. Alaska #3. Arizona #4. Arkansas #5. California #6. Colorado #7. Connecticut #8. Delaware #9. Florida #10. Georgia #11. Hawaii #12. Idaho #13. Illinois #14. Indiana #15. Iowa #16. Kansas #17. Kentucky #18. Louisiana #19. Maine #20. Maryland #21. Massachusetts #22. Michigan #23. Minnesota #24. Mississippi #25. Missouri #26. Montana #27. Nebraska #28. Nevada #29. New Hampshire #30. New Jersey #31. New Mexico #32. New York #33. North Carolina #34. North Dakota #35. Ohio #36. Oklahoma #37. Oregon #38. Pennsylvania #39. Rhode Island #40. South Carolina #41. South Dakota #42. Tennessee #43. Texas #44. Utah #45. Vermont #46. Virginia #47. Washington #48. Washington DC #49. West Virginia #50. Wisconsin #51. Wyoming
A Buffalo, N.Y., woman has been arrested for locking her bruised and battered 2-year-old son in a filthy, feces smeared "makeshift cage" and refusing to take the toddler to the doctor after she said he fell down the stairs, the New York State Police said.

Naesha Lumpkin, 24, was arrested on child endangerment charges in February after police searched her home and discovered the horrible conditions in which the boy lived.

"This child was inside a makeshift cage, a play pen that was covered by a piece of a crib tied down on three sides to the top not allowing the child to stand or exit the play pen. The cage and 2-year-old were covered in human fecal matter," the state police said in a news release issued on Thursday.

"There was fecal matter on the walls. The child and bedding were soaked in urine and fecal matter," it added.

The officers alerted Erie County Child Protective Services and took him to Oishei's Children's Hospital.

A medical examination at the hospital found that the child had bruises on his "face and body."

The 2-year-old also had two fractured ribs that were in the process of healing and that appeared to have happened about two weeks earlier.

Lumpkin told authorities that the child fell down the stairs in late December 2023 or early January.

"Lumpkin went on to explain the child was crying as a result of the incident, but Naesha did not seek professional medical assistance," the state police said.

Lumpkin was issued an appearance ticket for Buffalo City Court.

No updated charges have been filed.
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If you or someone youre traveling with has a disability, there are a few changes happening at Disney parks you may want to know.

Disney is updating its Disability Access Service (DAS) program on May 20 at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, and June 18 at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.

Members only

DAS provides special accommodations for people with developmental disorders, such as autism, who are unable to wait in long lines for rides. Visitors approved for DAS essentially skip waiting in the physical line and can explore other attractions at the park before returning to the ride at their designated time.

A Disney spokesperson says DAS has become the most requested accommodation in its theme parks with usage tripling in the past five years. The steep rise in people using the service prompted executives to look at the policy and make changes to avoid misuse of the program.

Previously, customers could request the service in person at the park or online through a videoconference. Now, Disney says people must apply through videoconference  either two to 30 days before their visit, or by meeting on the day of their visit with a Disney staff member. The staff member will then set up a videoconference on a computer tablet outside the entrance. During video chats, the person applying for DAS will meet with a trained Disney employee with the assistance of health professionals from an outside group, Inspire Health Alliance.

In addition to DAS, Disney will continue to offer other services for people with other disabilities, including mobility problems, deafness and hearing loss, and blindness and low vision.

Guests with disabilities including mobility problems can find accessible services at Disney parks. Credit: Jeff Gritchen/Getty Images

More than 1 in 10 travelers 50 and older require accommodations for a disability, according to the AARP 2024 Travel Trends report. If you think you qualify for DAS, apply early, says Becky Gandillon, coauthor of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2025. Absolutely set up a call before you go to the park. She anticipates those applying at the park will find long lines waiting for a videoconference to get approval.

Park experts say the DAS policy change is long overdue because it had been abused. Things had to change, says Len Testa, owner of Touring Plans and coauthor with Gandillon of the Unofficial guide.

He says he was recently visiting the park with family and overheard two parents talking about how to get access for their children even though they didnt qualify. When guests are telling guests how to game the system, the system is broken.

Other theme parks offer similar programs tailored to people with disabilities. For example, before visiting the parks, Six Flags and Universal Studios require guests to register online for their special accommodations, Individual Accessibility Cards (IAC). Check park websites for details as they may vary per location. At Sea World, the Ride Accessibility Program (RAP) offers guests accommodations such as alternative entrances and options for guests who are unable to wait in lines.
The U.S. soldier detained in Russia earlier this month confessed to charges of theft after he was accused of stealing money from his girlfriend, Russian state media claims.

Army Staff Sgt. Gordon D. Black was arrested May 6 in Vladivostok.

Black, 34, "admitted guilt and is cooperating with the investigation," a Russian law enforcement representative said, TASS reported Thursday.

Black  a married father in the middle of a divorce  was stationed in South Korea and was traveling to his next duty station in the United States, when he made a stop in Russia to visit his girlfriend, identified as 32-year-old Aleksandra Vashchuk.

The pair reportedly had a tumultuous and violent relationship and "fought like cats and dogs," Black's mother, Melody Jones, previously told Reuters.

"I told them both: You don't need to be together. One of you is going to get hurt one of these days," Jones said. "You know, because if you fight, it's not a good thing if it's all you do."


Promarker Technology Used For Diagnosing Plant Dieback

Perth, May 16, 2024 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Proteomics International Laboratories Ltd ( ASX:PIQ ), a pioneer in predictive diagnostics is pleased to confirm the successful collaboration with Curtin University's Centre for Crop and Disease Management (CCDM), with researchers making an important breakthrough in understanding how dieback impacts plants.



- Proteomics International and Curtin University's Centre for Crop and Disease Management collaborate to improve understanding of how dieback impacts plants



- Phytophthora cinnamomi causes root rot (dieback) and can spread rapidly, having a devastating impact on native vegetation and premium crops



- Researchers have discovered the commonly used dieback treatment phosphite works in three ways, with findings published in the Journal of Proteomics



- The discovery could assist in developing an early detection tool to help limit the spread of dieback



Phytophthora dieback is a plant disease that can spread rapidly and have a significant impact on native vegetation and premium crops such as avocados. Phytophthora cinnamomi is considered the species of dieback that has the greatest impact on biodiversity, and also causes tens of millions of dollars of crop losses annually in Australia alone.



Researchers from both Proteomics International and CCDM have discovered the widely used dieback treatment phosphite can impact P. cinnamomi in three ways - targeting the pathogen directly, increasing the plants natural defence against dieback, and increasing photosynthetic protein production.



The findings have been published in the Journal of Proteomics.



Phosphite resistance has been confirmed in P. cinnamomi and it is hoped the new information will assist in detecting resistant dieback and learning more about the specific vulnerabilities of dieback, to assist in ensuring phosphite remains useful for producers in the long term.



Proteomics International Managing Director Dr Richard Lipscombe said it was pleasing that the Promarker technology could play a role in learning more about what can be a devastating plant disease. "By understanding the biochemical intricacies of phosphite's interaction with both pathogen and host, we are better equipped to develop diagnostic tools to accurately detect dieback in the soil, which would be of significant benefit to the agricultural industry, and others."



About the PromarkerTM Platform



Proteomics International's diagnostics development is made possible by the Company's proprietary biomarker discovery platform called Promarker, which searches for protein 'fingerprints' in a sample. This disruptive technology can identify proteins that distinguish between people who have a disease and people who do not, using only a simple blood test. It is a powerful alternative to genetic testing. The technology is so versatile it can be used to identify fingerprints from any biological source, from wheat seeds to human serum. The Promarker platform was previously used to develop PromarkerD, a world-first predictive test for diabetic kidney disease, that is currently being commercialised. Other tests in development include for endometriosis, asthma & COPD, oesophageal cancer, diabetic retinopathy and oxidative stress.





About Proteomics International Laboratories Ltd





Proteomics International Laboratories (ASX:PIQ) is a wholly owned subsidiary and trading name of PILL, a medical technology company at the forefront of predictive diagnostics and bioanalytical services. The Company specialises in the area of proteomics - the industrial scale study of the structure and function of proteins. Proteomics International's mission is to improve the quality of lives by the creation and application of innovative tools that enable the improved treatment of disease.

Related Companies
A Florida man was arrested this week after a dog he adopted just days earlier was found decapitated and wrapped in a plastic bag in park, authorities said.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to a report of a deceased dog wrapped in a plastic bag in the area of East Beach at Fort Desoto Park, south of St. Petersburg on Mullet Key, at around 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday.

Deputies arrived to find "a male bulldog mix with its head decapitated, floating in the mangroves."

The dog was implanted with a microchip, which was scanned by Pinellas County Animal Services, revealing him to be a 4-year-old named Dexter. The dog had been adopted from Pinellas County Animal Services just days earlier, on May 10, by 66-year-old Domingo R. Rodriguez.

Deputies visited Rodriguez's residence, where he admitted adopting Dexter and said he must have run away overnight on May 10. Rodriguez also admitted to traveling to Fort Desoto Park on May 11, however, and gave investigators "several inconsistent statements."

Rodriguez was arrested and charged with one count of animal cruelty and one count of disposal of bodies of dead animals.

The sheriff's office said the investigation is ongoing.

-- with reporting by TMX
The Houston Chronicle, one of the largest newspapers in the United States, was founded in 1901 and was acquired by Hearst in 1987.

In addition to delivering in-depth coverage of local issues, the Chronicle is committed to covering state, national and international news. The newspaper operates a news bureau in Washington, D.C., that provides coverage of issues of special interest to residents of Houston and Texas.
The Bombay High Court on Thursday, May 9, issued a strong verdict against those defaming and disseminating misinformation across social media platforms against Malabar Groups scholarship programme that provided education scholarships to 77,000 underprivileged girl students across the country.

The Court granted interim relief to Malabar Gold Limited and directed the opposite party to immediately remove the defamatory content from the defendants Twitter handle and restrain the person from issuing further defamatory statements.

The Court also directed social media platforms X (Twitter), Instagram, and Meta Platforms Inc to take down any posts or comments related to the defamatory content and prohibited the uploading of similar content in the future from specified URLs.

The Court criticised the defendant/ opposite party for selectively choosing one photograph that captures scholarships extended to girls from a particular community while ignoring the broader initiative of empowering girls through education. The Court also emphasised that this selective posting is damaging the reputation and goodwill of Malabar Group, with the potential to create divisions in society. Moreover, the dissemination of misleading information on various social media platforms is an intentional effort to harm the Malabar Groups reputation, the court opined.

Malabar Gold is a prominent company engaged in the manufacturing and retail of jewellery and other articles crafted in gold, silver, precious stones, diamonds and premium watches, under the brand name Malabar Gold & Diamonds.

The court emphasised that Malabar Groups philanthropic endeavours, particularly its provision of scholarships to young girls regardless of their caste, creed, or religion, should be acknowledged. Unlike discriminatory practices, the scholarships are awarded based on the girls talent and potential rather than their religious or caste affiliations, the court noted.

The court acknowledged the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives undertaken by the Malabar Group, including the provision of scholarships to over 77,000 girls nationwide, along with substantial spending totalling Rs 246 crore on various social welfare activities, notably womens empowerment.

The presiding judge of the Bombay High Court underscored that the actions of the defendants have tarnished the reputation of the global brand- Malabar Group, known for its philanthropic endeavours benefiting the impoverished and marginalised. The verdict highlighted the Groups ongoing charitable efforts for societal welfare. Adv. Lawyers, led by Karl Tamboli, represented the Malabar Group in the proceedings.

MP Ahammed, Chairman of Malabar Group, stated that the Bombay High Court has issued a strong order against those who defame activities aimed at the larger benefit of society and misuse them for hate propaganda. He emphasised that the Malabar Group will take stronger action against those involved in such activities.
Excitement is building up as the date for Indias biggest advertising festival approaches. This year, Goafest will be held from May 29 to 31, with a major change in venue to Mumbai due to the ongoing Lok Sabhs elections. Being held in Indias financial capital, this years Goafest is expected to see a hike in participation by the advertising industry.

In conversation with Adgully, Shrenik Gandhi, Co-founder and CEO, White Rivers Media, shares insights into the significance of the Goafest theme, the venue change, expectations from the event, and more.

In the bustling realm of advertising and marketing, Shrenik Gandhi highlights the significance of Adaptability as the prevailing theme of Goafest 2024. With a keen eye on the pulse of the industry, Gandhi affirms, The Age Of Adaptability theme at Goafest Abbys 2024 resonates seamlessly with the ever-evolving A&M space in the contemporary times.

In a landscape perpetually reshaped by technological advancements and shifting consumer behaviours, adaptability emerges not merely as an option, but as a fundamental survival strategy. Embracing new platforms and pioneering groundbreaking strategies become imperative in navigating the dynamic terrain of advertising and media, he notes.

As anticipation mounts for Goafest 2024, Gandhi shares his expectations, stating, Adaptability is not just a choice; its our lifeline, driving us to embrace new platforms and pioneer groundbreaking strategies. With the theme serving as a guiding beacon, attendees can anticipate thought-provoking discussions, insightful sessions, and innovative showcases that illuminate the path forward in an ever-evolving landscape. Amidst the convergence of industry stalwarts, emerging talents, and visionary leaders, Goafest stands poised to catalyze meaningful dialogue and inspire transformative action.

On the venue change for Goafest, Gandhi opines, Relocating Goafest to Mumbai this year is an exciting change that opens new avenues for the festival. While Goa has long been cherished as the festivals home, the move to Mumbai introduces a fresh perspective and an opportunity to explore untapped potential. Mumbais vibrant atmosphere, coupled with its robust industry presence, presents a fertile ground for fostering deeper industry connections and attracting a broader audience. This strategic shift ignites anticipation for a revitalized Goafest experience, infused with the energy and dynamism emblematic of Indias commercial capital.

While the prospect of Goafests relocation to Mumbai brims with promise, Gandhi acknowledges potential apprehensions from sponsors. Yet, he remains optimistic, asserting, This move offers a fresh perspective and a chance to explore newer possibilities. Embracing change inevitably entails a degree of uncertainty, but it also presents an opportunity for growth and exploration. By leveraging Mumbais rich tapestry of culture, commerce, and creativity, sponsors can unlock new avenues for engagement and forge deeper connections with their target audience.

In navigating the transition to Mumbai, Gandhi reflects on the logistical considerations and the potential impact on participation. Mumbais vibrant atmosphere and dynamic industry presence can inject new energy into the event, he observes, adding, While logistical challenges may arise, the allure of Mumbais cosmopolitan charm and its status as a hub of innovation and enterprise hold the promise of a higher turnout. As industry stakeholders converge in the bustling metropolis, they converge not only to celebrate excellence, but also to chart a collective course towards a future defined by adaptability, resilience, and creativity.
If Alabama public libraries want to get millions in state funding, they now must move inappropriate material for children, mandate library cards specifically for minors, and obtain advanced approval for obtaining materials -- and they need to make changes this summer.

After more than 6,000 letters and 87 public comments, many in opposition, the executive board approved new legislative code changes Thursday. Legislators had made $6.6 million in state aid contingent on the changes.

The library service, with a staff of about 40 people, also is facing budget cuts.

Before Thursdays meeting, board member Amy Dozier Minton recommended changes that would make requirements even stricter, so that books for children remain free of material containing obscenity, sexually explicit or other material deemed inappropriate for children or youth.

Children also will need to get their own library card with restricted access; some systems already offer this, but many dont. Books on religion, history, biology, or human anatomy will still be available to minors.

I hope that the vast majority of us can agree, that material is not something that we want a child stumbling across, an innocent child stumbling across accidentally, said board member John Wahl, who also leads the state GOP.

Board chair Ron Snider voted no on the amendment and abstained from the code vote, saying he had already agreed with general restrictions on childrens access to content, and did not want to invite lawsuits by making them even stricter.

All of this dissension I think has hurt the libraries of this state generally, Snider said.

The state library service will manage changes as it also manages a 9% budget cut, according to Snider.

I think it is a tragedy in terms of what the agency does and what were being asked to do more and more of, Snider said. Given the agencys effort to accommodate Gov. Kay Iveys policy requests, he hoped there would be level funding. For a small agency, a nine percent cut is a devastating cut that will have long-range negative effects on what we can provide to the people of Alabama.

Local libraries, too, will have to make changes to policy fast in order to keep state funding flowing. They will need to turn in updated policies about inappropriate content by July.

Circulation librarian Alyx Kim-Yohn, who attended the meeting, said these changes will lead to censorship and hurt local residents ability to access content.

For example, they said advanced crafting or mathematics books are in the Huntsville-Madison County Public Librarys adult section. So, now an adult will have to check these books out for children. This administrative issue goes beyond books that have mature content.

Any time youre establishing guidelines this granular, its going to lead to self-censorship, so that its not even going to get to the floor for folks to complain about, Kim-Yohn said. That is my primary concern.

Kim-Yohn also noted that the nonsensical policy will be a huge time commitment for local libraries.

The code changes will be certified in July. The next executive board meeting is July 18.

The legislative code changes include (amendments are in bold):

In order to receive state aid, a library board must approve written policies for the public library which cover the following:
Federal investigators say they found six underage workers at a large poultry plant in north Alabama and are asking a judge to stop the sale of chicken produced with child labor.

Lawyers representing the plant in Jasper say the move is unprecedented and would create undue hardship for more than 1,000 workers at Mar Jac Poultry, the largest employer in Walker County.

Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Labor filed a civil action against Mar Jac on May 7 to stop the production and sale of all goods tainted with child labor through May 31.

On May 1, 2024, investigators with the Wage and Hour Division, U.S. Department of Labor, discovered oppressive child labor at Defendants poultry processing facility, namely children working on the kill floor deboning poultry and cutting carcasses, the court documents said. The children had been working at the facility for months, and Defendant continually removed goods from the facility the entire time.

Attorneys for Mar Jac Poultry said in court filings that the employees had used forged documents, passed the E-verify system, and were terminated after their real ages came to light.

Lawyers for Mar Jac also said the teens were not employed in hazardous areas and worked in areas hanging chickens and removing wings, which didnt require the use of heavy machinery. The operations where the children worked resembled a commercial kitchen more than a kill floor, the company claimed.

But the Labor Department announced last year it would use the hot goods provision to prevent companies from profiting from child labor. The company argued that forcing the temporary pause in chicken sales would hurt other workers.

A 30-day hot goods injunction would result in approximately 1,000 employees being laid off for 30 days, the company said in court documents require the destruction of millions of chickens placing them in landfills, the destruction of a million pounds of meat, interrupt the delivery of feed to growers and the delivery of birds for processing, result in all of the chicken house to miss a full cycle and the resulting economic disaster to the farmers, causing seismic economic consequences on the community.

A sign near the Mar Jac Poultry plant informing workers they must be 18 to get a job at the plant.Amy Yurkanin

An attorney for Mar Jac did not respond to requests for comment.

Its not the first time Mar Jac has faced penalties for labor violations.

The company, which is headquartered in Georgia and has locations in Mississippi and Alabama, received fines of more than $200,000 after a 16-year-old worker in Hattiesburg, Miss., died while cleaning machinery. The teen was pulled into a machine in the deboning area that hadnt been fully deactivated, according to OSHA.

Debbie Berkowitz, an expert on worker safety in poultry plants, said child labor became a big problem during the COVID pandemic when plants lost many employees.

Enforcement of workplace safety regulations decreased before the pandemic and some plants began hiring teens under the age of 18, Berkowitz said. Federal laws prohibit 16- and 17-year-olds from working in most meat and poultry processing jobs.

Reporting by The New York Times found that an increase in children and teens immigrating from Mexico and Centra America fueled an increase in child labor.

Berkowitz said the increase in child labor cases has pushed the Department of Labor to impose tougher penalties. In March, the agency required a Tennessee company to set aside $1.5 million in profits as a punishment for using illegal child labor.

The investigation began when the agency received a tip that workers under age 18 were employed hanging live chickens on hooks attached to conveyor belts, documents said. Investigators found two 16-year-olds and two 17-year-olds working on a floor where workers eviscerated and hung chicken carcasses. In later court filings, attorneys said two more underage employees had been identified.

Berkowitz said the teens were working on the kill floor, one of the harshest environments in the plant and an area where workers face high risks of injury. She said the company was already under scrutiny after the death in Hattiesburg last year.

To then find that there are kids in Mar Jac in the neighboring state is just showing that this is not a one off, Berkowitz said. That this is how this company does business. That they just thumb their nose at the law.

In a court filing, lawyers for Mar Jac said the company should not be barred from selling or shipping chicken because a handful of underage workers used falsified documents.

If the District Court grants a TRO prohibiting the transportation of tens of millions of pounds of chicken products and throwing a thousand workers out of their jobs based on the discovery of three alleged child labor violations already conclusively abated, it will be boldly going where no court has gone before, the filing said.

Berkowitz said the recent cases against Mar Jac show the company has a pattern of employing underage workers.

There wouldnt be children in these plants if the companies didnt put out the word that they would look the other way, Berkowitz said.
A former Mississippi police officer pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges he assaulted a handcuffed suspect while working for a federal task force in 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

John Winstead was a Mississippi Bureau of Investigations officer who had been assigned to the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Task Force.

On Sept. 4, 2021, Winstead was working with the task force in Hinds County, Miss., when a suspect, identified in court records as K.K.H., was taken into custody. The suspect was not resisting arrest, had already been handcuffed and was being escorted safely by another task force officer when Winstead struck the suspect forcefully in the face, knocking him to the ground.

The assault resulted in bodily injury to K.K.H., according to the criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court.

Winstead pleaded guilty Wednesday to Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law, according to the DOJ.

Law enforcement officials in our country are entrusted with the responsibility to protect and serve communities, not to exploit and abuse them, said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division.

This defendant violently abused his power by using excessive force against an arrestee in his custody who was handcuffed and posed no threat. The Justice Department is committed to holding accountable officers who violate the civil and constitutional rights of people in their custody.

The defendant assaulted a handcuffed arrestee who posed no threat to him or to the other escorting officer, said Assistant Director Michael Nordwall of the FBIs Criminal Investigative Division. The FBI will not tolerate violation of anyones civil rights, regardless of incarceration status.

Winstead is free on $10,000 bond pending a sentencing hearing at a later date. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and three years of post-release supervision.
Its been 500 days since a New Years Eve revelry in downtown Mobile ended in gunfire, leaving one person dead and 9 others shot.

Almost 400 days ago was the mass shooting in Dadeville, resulting in four deaths and 32 injuries during a tragic 16th birthday celebration.

These two tragedies, and others in Alabama, have something in common: The gunmen were armed with firearms with small - and cheap - devices called Glock switches or auto sears that converted the weapons into machine guns.

We encounter these devices daily around our state and locally, said Montgomery Sheriff Derrick Cunningham.

Though illegal under federal law, Glock switches are abundant in Alabama. It has become such an issue that the states Big 10 mayors (those who represent the states largest cities), police chiefs, district attorneys and sheriffs called on Alabama lawmakers this spring for the creation of a new state law to criminalize them.

But for the second time in two years, law enforcements wishes brushed up against a political reality in ruby red Alabama in the form of powerful gun right interests. By the end of session last week, HB36  which would have outlawed Glock switches under Alabama state law  died as time expired on the 2024 legislative session.

In 2022, a similar scenario played out over a debate authorizing permitless carry in Alabama despite law enforcements objections.

Our Legislature is not being proactive as it relates to protecting our citizens, said Cunningham, a Democrat. We wait until its a big problem and then we try to be creative with enforcement.

Said Republican Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch, There is just no good intent of someone carrying a handgun with a Glock switch on it. I am one of the biggest proponents of the 2nd Amendment that youll find, but that has to be common sense.

State penalties

Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl Bailey speaks at the Alabama State House in support of a bill to create a state law against possession of guns with Glock switches or other devices that convert them to automatic fire.(Mike Cason/mcason@al.com)

The proposed legislation, sponsored by Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Montgomery, would make anyone caught with a Glock switch on a pistol subject to a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

A person caught with a gun modified with a Glock switch already can be charged under federal law that labels the devices an illegal possession of a machine gun and carries penalties up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The Glock switch, a device that can be purchased for around $100 or less, is attached to the rear slide of a handgun and converts the pistol into an automatic weapon considered by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to be illegal under federal law.

Obviously, I wanted it to pass this year, Ensler said. Its a public safety issue, and having the law on the books this year, I believe it could have held accountable some of those involved in gun violence.

He added, Ultimately, the bill did not pass this session because of opposition. It got caught up in the last few days when there was other stuff such as gambling and lottery and disputes between the House and Senate.

Alabama, had it adopted HB36, would have joined 22 other states that prohibit auto sears, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a network that advocates for common sense gun law. Three states  Mississippi, Maryland, and Virginia  signed their laws this year.

The Alabama legislation, according to Everytown, took a narrower approach compared to other states in that it prohibited pistols outfitted with Glock switches, but did not criminalize the possession or the transfer of the auto sear itself.

Auto sears can be used on semiautomatic firearms that are not pistols as well, said Gillian Gurney, spokesperson for Everytown.

NRAs position

Convention attendees line up at the registration booth at the NRA Annual Meeting held at the George R. Brown Convention Center Thursday, May 26, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)AP

Bama Carry and the Alabama Firearms Association did not respond to requests for comment.

The National Rifle Association, in a statement, said conversion devices are already covered by federal law, and blamed President Joe Bidens administration for not taking a stronger stance against them.

Possession of these conversion devices is already a felony under federal law and their use in a violent or drug trafficking crime carries a 30-year mandatory minimum sentence, Randy Kozuch, executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, said in a statement to AL.com. The Biden Administration has the tools it needs to deter their use under federal law, but their soft-on-crime policies have left it up to the states to deal with this issue.

Fredrick Vars, a professor at the University of Alabama School of Law, said that state laws are being sought because federal law is underenforced. He said that only 5% of criminal prosecutions are federal.

Ensler said the NRA is holding a neutral stance on the legislation. But Vars said any legislation that might lead to a reduction of gun sales will be opposed by the nations largest gun lobby, including HB36.

Vars said that HB37, also sponsored by Ensler, established a voluntary do-not-sell firearms registry that would allow someone to submit their own name if they do not believe they should have a firearm sold to themselves.

HB37 would have allowed people who know fear impulsive suicide to voluntarily suspend their own ability to purchase a firearm, Vars said. This law would have had no effect on gun owners, including NRA members, because they obviously wouldnt sign up.

He added, What these two bills have in common is a potential to reduce gun sales. The NRA doesnt care that machine guns are already illegal or that a gun is being purchased for a suicide attempt. Money is money.

Gun rights, public safety

The type of guns that applied under HB36, came under scrutiny during the April 30 debate in the Alabama House before it passed out of the chamber on a 60-38 vote.

Rep. Rick Rehm, R-Dothan, said Enslers bill was too expansive, in that it would have prohibited any gun from being outfitted with a Glock switch. Ensler said he was committed to making sure HB36 was focused on pistols, and not long guns.

The gun didnt do anything, Rehm said while debating the legislation with Ensler on the House floor. A gun is an inanimate object, its a tool. A human being chose to do evil. Whether that gun is a semi-automatic, bolt-action or whatever, it takes a human being to do these crimes.

The concern about how the bill was written almost led to shelving the bill on the House floor after Rep. Craig Lipscomb, R-Gadsden, called the matter a dumpster fire. Ensler said that killing the bill in the Alabama House would have been akin to turning our backs on the blue, or law enforcement in Alabama.

I think it is difficult and hard to reconcile for those who publicly say they back the blue and pay lip service that they back law enforcement, but then their votes are opposite to what law enforcement wants, Ensler said.

His comments are like arguments that were raised in 2022, when lawmakers debated and ultimately voted in support of doing away with gun permits for people to carry concealed firearms. Law enforcement, two years ago, raised concerns about losing a tool they felt enhanced public safety in screening people who should not possess a gun.

I realize not every lawmaker aligns 100 percent of the time, but it is frustrating to have people say they support law enforcement, but then go and vote opposite on what (law enforcement) wants on significant issues when it comes to the gun-related bills, Ensler said.

Ongoing debate

Ensler said he doesnt believe HB36 died because of general or specific objections to it, but because of the clock running out on the session.

Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Josephine, said the legislation likely fell victim to last-minute scrambling by legislative leaders to get a gambling and lottery package approved.

Still, he had concerns about language in the bill that may have outlawed binary triggers, or gun parts that allow someone to fire two rounds per trigger pull.

We were walking a tight line there where you end up getting into a 2nd Amendment argument quickly, Elliott said. That wont go over well in a Republican-controlled legislature.

Ensler said he feels confident enough in the legislation to give it another go, in 2025.

Knowing how far it got, and even to get it on the Senate calendar, it is a lot of progress, he said. In this state, to have any sort of gun-related legislation go that far is significant.

He added, My hope is that each individual lawmaker listens to their sheriffs and different police departments and stand and support (HB36).
Huntsville continues to pull away from Alabamas other large cities, gaining thousands of new residents each year.

The states largest city added 3,534 people, or nearly 10 per day, from 2022 to 2023, according to new U.S. Census Bureau estimates released today.

No city in Alabama added more people in one year. Huntsville is now home to 225,564 people.

Of Alabamas four major cities, Huntsville is the only one thats growing.

Birmingham, home to 196,644 people, saw a slight population decline with the loss of 246 residents in the new estimates.

Montgomery, home to the state capitol, lost more than 1,650 residents. The third-largest city, its now home to 195,287 people.

The census data shows that Mobile shrank by 695 people from 2022-2023. But, last summer, shortly after the census survey period ended, the city annexed 19,789 people. The addition will make Mobile the second largest city in Alabama at the next federal estimate, with about 205,000 residents.

The latest census numbers once again show pockets of rapid growth at the beach and in the states college towns, with population decline concentrated around parts of the Birmingham metro and the Black Belt.

In terms of percentage, the fastest-growing city was also in the Huntsville metro area. From July 1, 2022 to July 1, 2023, Athens grew faster than any other Alabama city with at least 10,000 residents.

The city in Limestone County is now home to nearly 31,000 and grew by nearly 8% in one year. Thats a continuing trend as Huntsville growth spills west.

Foley was just behind Athens. Now home to almost 25,000 people on the coast in Baldwin County, Foley was the second-fastest growing city from 2022-2023. Foley added more than 1,000 in a single year to jump almost 5%.

Nearby Fairhope was the third fastest. In fact, half of Alabamas 10 fastest-growing cities are in Baldwin County.

Tuscaloosa, home to the University of Alabama, added just more than 760 residents from 2022-2023. Tuscaloosa is the fifth largest city in Alabama and now home to more than 111,000 people.

Auburn, home to Auburn University in Lee County, added more than 1,600 residents. Now home to more than 82,000 people, the city is the seventh largest in Alabama.

In Alabama, there are 66 cities with more than 10,000 residents. Of those, 46 are growing and 21 are shrinking.

In the Birmingham metro, a few cities in Shelby and St. Clair counties saw some growth, but cities across Jefferson County continued seeing population decline.

In fact, eight of the 21 Alabama cities that saw population decline are located in Jefferson County.

But the fastest-shrinking city in Alabama is Selma, the iconic civil rights town in the Black Belt. Selma lost 341 residents from 2022-2023, bringing its population to 16,666.

Heres how each Alabama city ranked in the latest census data:
As Senior Editor for Features, Melissa Aguilar oversees the Zest, Renew, Preview and Flavor teams, as well as the Chronicle's niche products such as Luxury Life magazine and Houston Gives. In her years at the Chronicle, she has held many positions, from features editor and entertainment editor to fashion writer, copy editor and city hall reporter.

During her tenure, the features sections have won writing and design awards, as well as the prestigious Best Features Section award from the Society of Features Journalists.

Melissa has two adult children, Tessa and Dylan, and a white lab named Sunny. She has completed the Houston Marathon seven times, has ridden the MS 150 eight times and loves to travel, write and shoot pictures. She is a native Houstonian and a magna cum laude graduate of The University of Texas at Austin.
Alabama public school students are attending more racially diverse schools than they were 20 years ago, but most Black students are still concentrated in high-poverty schools, according to an analysis of historical school enrollment data by AL.com.

The rising racial diversity in public schools is a good thing, said Erica Frankenberg, a Pennsylvania State University professor and Alabama native who studies the impact of racial and socioeconomic diversity on students.

Given the benefits of racially integrated schools for students of all races, she said, this is a good trend to see.

The U.S. Supreme Courts Brown v. Board ruling in 1954 declared state-mandated racially-segregated schools were unconstitutional. Alabama and other southern states resisted the federal courts orders, and meaningful integration efforts of public schools didnt get underway until the late 1960s.

In many areas, white families fled to private schools or created segregation academies to avoid enrolling their children in a school with Black children.

By the 1980s, according to UCLAs Civil Rights Project, the share of Black students in majority white schools in the South reached a peak of 43%. After the Supreme Court directed ending desegregation plans in 1991, it declined to about 16% by 2021.

In Alabama, 30% of all Black students in 2004 attended majority white schools. That share decreased to 24% in 2024.

But inequalities remain: According to an AL.com analysis, the majority of Black students in Alabama attend high-poverty schools. The legacies of economic and housing discrimination, then, remain present in the states educational system.

Racial isolation has decreased

Alabamas public school enrollment shows fewer white students and fewer Black students than there were 20 years ago, while the number of Hispanic students has increased five-fold.

There are a number of ways to measure the degree of racial isolation, and for this analysis AL.com defined racial isolation as a school where 90% or more of students are of one race. The only races that are concentrated at that percentage in Alabama are Black students and white students.

By that measure, across the state, the percentage of students in racially-isolated schools has declined significantly over the past 20 years while the overall number of schools statewide has remained nearly the same.

Heres a look at the number of racially-isolated schools at those three 10-year increments:

2004 - 243 schools had 90% or more Black students enrolled, while 265 schools enrolled 90% or more white students,

2014 - 190 schools enrolled 90% or more Black students and 190 schools enrolled more than 90% white students.

2024 - 113 schools enroll 90% or more Black students and 98 schools enrolled more than 90% white students.

Even though the number of racially-isolated schools has decreased, a higher proportion of Black students attend racially-isolated schools than their white peers in each of the three years noted:

In 2004, 42% of all Black students attended a school where 90% of more of students enrolled were also Black,

In 2014, that number was 34%, and

In 2024, that percentage was 17%

The proportion of white students attending a school where 90% or more students enrolled were also white was as follows:

In 2004, 30% of all white students attended a racially-isolated school,

In 2014, that percentage dropped to 20%, and

In 2024, that percentage dropped to 11%.

Black students are far more likely to attend high-poverty schools

While measures of racial isolation have improved, Black students are still disproportionately enrolled in high-poverty schools, meaning that 75% or more of students are economically disadvantaged.

The number of high-poverty schools - where 75% or more of enrolled students are identified as being economically disadvantaged - has increased from one in four schools in 2004 to one in three schools in 2024.

2003-04 - 342 schools, or 25% of all schools

2013-14 - 447 schools, or 34% of all schools

2023-24 - 486 schools, or 36% of all schools

Six of every 10 students in high-poverty schools are Black while only two in 10 students are white. That means Black students are three times as likely as white students to attend a high-poverty school.

The graph below shows the proportion of students enrolled at each of the four levels of poverty: low, mid-low, mid-high and high. Use the drop-down bar to choose either 2024, 2014 or 2004. Click here if you are unable to see the graph.

That has implications for students and schools. Experts recognize that a higher concentration of students in poverty presents additional challenges.

The racial gap in attending high-poverty schools should really be a cause for concern, Frankenberg said.

Social science research has documented that attending high-poverty schools can limit students access to high-quality educational resources. It can be hard to attract and retain high-quality, certified, experienced teachers in these schools, offer the same array of curricular and extracurricular options, have facilities that are welcoming, etc.

Schools have a role to play, she said, but so does the larger community. Trying to address and alleviate poverty for households with children would be an important foundational effort.

Schools have some options they can implement, too.

Districts should look closely at how students are distributed across schools, Frankenberg said, and they have a range of different student assignment policies they can use to address segregation by race and class, which, given the research about the benefits of integration, should help them achieve other educational goals.

Education officials can rezone students and implement magnet schools and other choice options that further integrate schools both racially and socioeconomically, she added.

The role of school funding

State education budget chairmen in both chambers are leading an effort to study whether Alabama should modernize the formula it uses to fund schools. The current formula, called the Foundation Program, was created in 1995.

The Foundation Program does not consider additional factors, such as whether a child is economically disadvantaged or is an English language learner - both of which require more monetary resources to address - something the budget chairmen have said is likely needed.
A 29-year-old woman is charged with murder in a domestic shooting in Selma that left her boyfriend dead, and a woman injured.

Taylor Monique Thomas is being held on $1 million bond in the slaying of 36-year-old Titus Chaney.

She is also charged with first-degree assault in the wounding of another woman who was shot when she tried to break up the argument between Chaney and Thomas.

Selma police responded on Friday, May 3, to a report of a shooting at a home in the 100 block of Alabama Avenue. Once officers got on the scene, they learned two shooting victims had been taken by private vehicle to Vaughn Regional Medical Center.

Witnesses told police that Chaney and Thomas were involved in a physical altercation. Thomas was armed with a pistol, according to court records.

The surviving victim, Shatavia Jackson, told investigators she stepped between Chaney and Thomas to try to diffuse the situation and shots were fired, striking Chaney and Jackson.

Chaney was eventually transferred to Baptist South Hospital in Montgomery where he was pronounced dead on May 4.

Selma police searched for Thomas for more than a week before she was taken into custody Monday.

A judge set Thomass bond at $1 million following an Aniahs Law hearing.
Authorities are searching for family members of an Alabama prison inmate who died Wednesday at a Birmingham hospital.

Jerry Paschal, 65, was serving a life sentence at William Donaldson Correctional Facility for 1987 convictions of robbery and murder in Marshall County.

Paschal was found unresponsive in a general population dorm at 7:05 p.m. April 29. He was taken to UAB Hospital where he remained until his death Wednesday, May 15.

Jefferson County Coroners Office officials said an autopsy showed no signs of trauma or foul play. The cause of his death is pending further laboratory studies.

Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said authorities have been unable to locate any family members of Paschal.

He was previously married, and his mother and sister have passed away, Yates said.

Paschal had past ties to Etowah County and to Albertville.

Family members are asked to call the coroners office at 205-930-3603.
Leaders in the city of Moody are turning up the spigot in talks to reclaim their water system from Birmingham after more than 30 years.

Moody is home to more than 13,800 people in St. Clair County, one of the fastest-growing counties in the state.

Mayor Joe Lee said the city has long desired to buy back the system from the Birmingham Water Works board, in order to set water rates and plan for growth.

Weve been working with Birmingham for a few years to try to make some sort of way where we could buy the system back, Lee said. It is a pretty complicated thing to get it done. Wed hope to get it done because wed love to have our water back.

The Birmingham Water Works Board at its last meeting May 8 approved spending $81,720 with financial consulting firm Raftelis to study the value of the Moody system and the feasibility of a sale.

To give serious consideration to this request, we must undertake an analysis of the costs and benefits for either continuing to own and operate the system, sell the system to Moody or various potential options in between, said water works public relations manager Rick Jackson. Given that the Moody portion of the system is on the outer reaches of our system, there may be benefits to us to sell the system to Moody. We cannot know until we complete such an analysis.

Reclaiming the water system would cost Moody millions of dollars and require a bond transaction to finance.

Four water systems currently serve the city: Birmingham Water Works, Leeds Water Works, Odenville Water Works, and the Moody GUSC, which is owned by the city.

The Birmingham Water Works serves the citys commercial district.

The Water Works bought both the Moody water and sewer systems in 1991 following environmental litigation regarding contamination into the Little Cahaba River. Moody bought back its sewer system about a decade ago.

Moodys purchase would reclaim its distribution system, but not an actual water source. Even if a sale is completed, the citys relationship with Birmingham would likely remain as it would continue to buy water from the utility to distribute to local customers.

The renewed move to divest assets from the states largest water utility was not unanimous and generated strong opposition from one water board member.

George Munchus questioned the financial sense of selling an asset that sits in the fastest growing part of the region.

This is a bad deal in my opinion, Munchus said before voting no. It seems to me this is ass-backwards.

Munchus said the water works should consider expanding rather than shrinking its assets. Recent census numbers put St. Clair County just a few points ahead of Shelby County in suburban growth. St. Clair is closing in on 100,000 residents, up 1.8% between 2022 and 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

This is just unbelievable that somebody would consider selling anything, Munchus said.

Munchus questioned just how far the utility would go in whittling away its assets at the request of other customers outside the city of Birmingham.

Are we going to do this for all other cities? he asked.

Board member Lucien Blankenship, who abstained on the vote, also questioned the move.

Whats our business philosophy for even considering a sale? Land and water are extremely valuable, they go up and down and the Moody area is growing.

Hints at selling the Moody water system go back to 2014 when former water works leadership commissioned a study from Raftelis to evaluate the system. The board approved spending $35,000 to $58,000 for the study.

That study was conducted in a highly charged political environment when the utility had hired a team of lobbyists to fight state legislation to expand the boards membership to include seats from outside Birmingham, including from St. Clair County. It was that legislation that sparked calls to divest parts of the system.

The legislation passed and the board was expanded but talk of selling to Moody quelled.

The initial study was commissioned by then board chairman Jackie Robinson. Robinson in 2014 said the study would remain secret and not publicly released until the board was ready to vote on a sale. That vote never occurred.

The board at that time refused multiple requests from AL.com to see the Raftelis analysis. Jackson recently told AL.com that the 2014 study was never completed.
The Alabama Death Row inmate set to die by lethal injection in two weeks currently has two federal lawsuits pending, one challenging the states execution method and another arguing his innocence.

Jamie Mills, 50, is set to die by Alabamas three-drug lethal injection cocktail on May 30 at William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore.

Mills and his then-wife, JoAnn Mills, were convicted in the June 2004 beating deaths of Floyd and Vera Hill. The elderly couple were beaten with a machete, a ball-peen hammer, and a tire iron at their Marion County home before, prosecutors said, the Mills stole cash and prescription medication.

Hes represented by lawyers with the Equal Justice Initiative, who have been seeking relief through different lawsuits.

Mills two federal lawsuits are pending in the Middle District Court and the Northern District Court of Alabama, under two separate federal judges.

In his Northern District claim, Mills argued his wife who testified against him in 2007 only did so because of a prearranged plea agreement that would spare her the death penalty.

Last month, Mills lawyers filed a motion asking a federal judge to reopen his case, arguing newly discovered evidence calls into question not only the reliability of the capital trial verdict in this case, but also the integrity of the court.

Mills lawyers pointed to a new affidavit from JoAnn Mills former attorney. That attorney said that in 2007, prior to either of the Mills facing trial for capital murder, he met with the then-district attorney and the victims family. At that meeting, the attorney said, the DA agreed to let JoAnn Mills plead guilty to the lesser charge of murder and avoid the death penalty in exchange for her testimony against her husband.

Prosecutors from Marion County and the Alabama Attorney Generals Office have long argued there was no deal in place before JoAnn Mills took the stand.

But Mills lawyers argue that he was convicted primarily based on JoAnn Mills testimony. While the victims blood and DNA was found on clotheswhich had Mills name on the tagswas found in Mills car. The murder weapons did not have Mills DNA present, and his lawyers have argued the items could have been put in the trunk without either Jamie Mills, or his wifes, knowledge.

This is a case primarily built on the testimony of a single witness: JoAnn Mills, said the filing. Without her testimony, the States case was very weak. The physical evidence was consistent with Mr. Mills theory of defense that he was innocent and being framed by (a man who is referred to as a local drug user) who was identified as a suspect in the murders and arrested with the victims pills and a large amount of cash.

That man had access to the car on the day of the murders, Mills argued.

But the state replied that Mills lawyers have argued about the supposed plea agreement for 17 years and have only now spoken to JoAnn Mills former attorney. The AGs Office still argues there was no prearranged deal for JoAnn Mills and called the filing untimely and meritless.

Jamie Mills brutally murdered Floyd and Vera Hill after he and his common law wife, JoAnn Mills, went to the elderly couples home with the intent to rob them one afternoon in June 2004. Three years later, JoAnn testified against Mills in his capital murder trial, offering graphic testimony of what he did to the victims and what the two of them did thereafter in an effort to cover their tracks.

Prosecutors said that after Mills conviction and death sentence, the Hill family was satisfied with JoAnn Mills getting a lesser sentence because of the remorse she showed. She pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life in prison. She will be eligible for parole in 2027.

Lethal injection suit

In Mills other lawsuit, his lawyers argued that he is at imminent risk of being subjected to an unnecessarily prolonged and torturous execution process at the hands of State officials with unreviewable authority, without the presence of counsel or access to the courts.

Mills is set to die by lethal injection after he didnt opt-into the states new execution method, using nitrogen gas, when inmates had the opportunity to do so in June 2018.

That lawsuit points to the most recent lethal injections and the two that were aborted in 2022 after the state ran out of time to start an intravenous line for the lethal injection.

His lawsuit is asking for his lawyers to be present during the process when execution team members from the prison start the IVwhich typically only prison officials are present for.

The state argued that case should also be dismissed.

To prevent Mills from being on the gurney longer than necessary, the state said prison officials affirm that Mills will not be taken to the execution chamber until any stays of execution are lifted, and should a stay be granted while he is in the chamber, he will be removed from the gurney and returned to the holding cell.

The Hills deserved far better deaths than the bloody end Mills gave Floyd and the protracted death in hospice that Vera endured. His efforts at gamesmanship through untimely last-minute litigation should not be rewarded.
The man killed Thursday night by Athens police has been identified.

Limestone County Coroner Mike West told AL.com the man was Maurice White. He was 40 years old and suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

Whites body was sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for an autopsy, said West.

The coroner said he could not provide any other details, including the events that led to Whites death.

Athens police responded to a call of a suspect threatening a homeowner with a gun around 5:30 p.m. on Songbird Drive, the department told WHNT.

Efforts by AL.com to reach Athens police were unsuccessful.

A spokesman for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which investigates instances where police officers shoot a suspect, told AL.com he had no information to confirm.

The suspect discharged the gun and fled the area when officers attempted to convince him to surrender the weapon.

Officers then tased the suspect, who was pointing the gun at officers while he was tased.

He was then shot and killed around 7:20 p.m. Wednesday, Athens Police Chief Anthony Pressnell told WHNT.
A north Alabama man was convicted of murder Wednesday for killing his wife two years ago, court records showed.

A Jackson County jury found Bradley Austin Grey, 29, of Section guilty in the April 15, 2022 shooting death of his wife, Olivia Gabriella Grey, according to online state court records.

Jackson County Circuit Court Judge M. Brent Benson scheduled Bradley Greys sentencing for June 27.

Jackson County sheriffs deputies responded to a reported shooting on County Road 265 in the Macedonia community about 3 a.m. April 15, 2022, the sheriffs office said at the time.

Officers found Olivia Grey shot inside the residence and arrested her husband.

Olivia Grey received treatment from the Macedonia fire department and Highlands Ambulance Service before she was airlifted from the scene to a hospital. .

Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) bomb technicians were also contacted to investigate a suspicious device located inside the residence. Several weapons were located and seized, the sheriffs office stated.

Bradley Grey was initially charged with attempted murder but the charge was upgraded to murder when his wife died.
An officer reportedly shot and killed a gun-toting suspect after the suspect pointed the weapon at police while being tased Wednesday night in north Alabama.

Athens police responded to a call of a suspect threatening a homeowner with a gun around 5:30 p.m. on Songbird Drive, the department told WHNT.

Efforts by AL.com to reach Athens police and the Limestone County coroner were not immediately successful.

A spokesman for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which investigates instances where police officers shoot a suspect, told AL.com he had no information to confirm.

The suspect discharged the gun and fled the area when officers attempted to convince him to surrender the weapon.

Officers then tased the suspect, who was pointing the gun at officers while he was tased.

He was then shot and killed around 7:20 p.m. Wednesday, Athens Police Chief Anthony Pressnell told WHNT.

Limestone County Coroner Mike West told the station the suspect, who was not immediately publicly identified, died of multiple gunshot wounds.
A Montgomery massage therapist was arrested Thursday and charged with two counts of sexual misconduct, announced the Alabama Board of Massage Therapy.

Nicholas Vines, a licensed massage therapist and the former owner of Therapeutic Touches Massage in Montgomery, was taken into custody following an investigation into complaints sent to the board, the panel said.

The board did not detail the allegations but it said the investigation revealed Vines and his actions were considered to be a danger to public health and safety of the general public.

Resulting from those actions, an order of the board was drawn up for an emergency suspension of his licensing.

Vines was taken into custody by Montgomery police, who charged him with two counts of sexual misconduct.

Vines and his business were served with the suspension order April 4, which meant he could not not continue the business until a hearing is held.

He surrendered his licenses temporarily on April 4 pending the boards final decision.
Members of The Kefi Dancers wait for their turn to perform at the Houston Greek Fest. Marie D. De Jesus/Houston Chronicle

This weekend, Houston offers a diverse lineup of cultural and entertaining events. Celebrate Greek heritage at the Houston Greek Fest, and explore Asian traditions at the Sakura Festival. Additionally, space enthusiasts can embark on a virtual journey into space with the "Space Explorers: The Infinite" and music lovers can enjoy the Houston Symphony's performance of "The Music of Star Wars."

Houston Greek Fest

Nicoletta Varcados, 14, a member of The Kefi Dancers performs at the 2016 Houston Greek Fest, Sunday, May 15, 2016, in Houston. ( Marie D. De Jesus / Houston Chronicle ) Marie D. De Jesus/Houston Chronicle

The Houston Greek Fest, now celebrating its 25th anniversary, takes place at St. Basil the Great Cathedral. The event features traditional Greek music and dance performances, an outdoor marketplace, and a selection of authentic Greek cuisine.

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When: Through May 18

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Where: 1100 Eldridge

'Space Explorers: The Infinite'

Participants stand in an art installation by Ryoji Ikeda called The Universe with the Universe 2021 during Space Explorers: The Infinite at Silver Street Studios. Karen Warren/Staff photographer

Participants can enjoy a 60-minute immersive virtual- and augmented-reality adventure to the International Space Station using never-before-seen footage captured by astronauts for the 2021 Emmy Award-winning film Space Explorers: The ISS Experience.

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When: Through June

Where: Silver Street Studios, 2000 Edwards

Houston Symphony: 'The Music of Star Wars'

Houston Symphony presents "The Music of Star Wars" at Jones Hall, conducted by Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke. Matt Baker

The Houston Symphony will host a Star Wars concert series, playing selections from the entire Skywalker saga, "Rogue One," and "Solo." The set will include pieces like Reys Theme, Yodas Theme, and The Imperial March. Additionally, under exclusive permission from John Williams, the event will include the Texas premiere of "The Rise of Skywalker Suite," conducted by Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke.

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When: May 17: 8 p.m., May 18: 2:30 and 8 p.m., May 19: 2:30 p.m.

Where: Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana

Houston Grand Opera: 'Madame Butterfly'

Houston Grand Opera presents Madame Butterfly at Miller Outdoor Theatre Lynn Lane

Houston Grand Opera presents Puccinis iconic "Madame Butterfly" at The Miller Outdoor Theatre for two nights, under the direction of Tony Award-winner Michael Grandage. The opera, a tragic story of love, betrayal, and cultural conflict, features soprano Raquel Gonzalez and tenor Eric Taylor.

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When: May 17-18: 8 p.m.

Where: Miller Outdoor Theatre, 6000 Hermann Park Drive

Reptilian Nation Expo

NRG Center hosts the Reptilian Nation Expo. Reptilian Nation Expo

The Reptilian Nation Expo returns to NRG Center, featuring thousands of reptiles, amphibians, and arachnids. The event includes numerous vendors, informative presentations, and a wide range of supplies for enthusiasts.

When: May 18: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and May 19: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Where: NRG Center, 1 NRG Park

Sakura Festival

Almeda Mall hosts the inaugural Sakura Festival in Houston. Sebastian Condrea/Getty Images

The Sakura Festival features a celebration of Asian culture with cosplay, anime, more than 120 vendors, along with food and games.

When: May 18: Noon- 9 p.m. and May 19: Noon- 8 p.m.

Where: Almeda Mall, 555 Almeda Mall

Pasadena Strawberry Festival

Kendra Maayah of Pasadena picks up a piece of strawberry cake during the annual Pasadena Strawberry Festival. Marie D. De Jesus/Houston Chronicle

The annual festival features live music, the worlds largest strawberry shortcake, mutton bustin', a car show, carnival rides and a BBQ cook-off.

When: Through May 19
In Surviving Mann Season 2 Episode 6 Don Mann and Mark Lamb put the contestants thru one of the toughest Log Physical fitness training courses ever recorded. The contestants also shoot some amazing rifles from cobalt kinetics. Watch and see how American Gun Chic competes and will she survive the brutal South Georgia weather in Episode 6 of Surviving Mann!






You know youre flying over the target when youre getting flak, the WWII saying goes. It means, If youre not a threat, they can safely ignore you, but when youre directly over the target, they start shooting.

United Sovereign Americans (USA), a 100% volunteer, nonpartisan organization, has been working for the last two years to expose errors and demand honest and accurate elections. They now share their technical and legal expertise with teams in 24 states. Their peer-reviewed audits of state voter rolls have found millions of errors that violate multiple federal election laws. Recently they joined an election lawsuit in federal court in Maryland, alleging that diluting real votes with fake and illegal votes violates our civil rights to honest elections. More lawsuits are on the way.

Looks like their efforts have struck a nerve.

Its obvious that anyone elected in this new climate of anything goes voting rules probably wouldnt want those rules to change. Instead, laws have consistently been weakened to the point where absentee ballots are mailed like sportswear circulars. In some states, signature verification on mail-in ballots has been reduced to a bored election worker clicking a mouse in one or two seconds, when a proper review takes up to thirty seconds.

This means that anyone who picks up an unclaimed ballot from an apartment complexs postage room floor can fill it out with no fear of getting caught. In a blockbuster poll that should have made front-page national news, Rasmussen Reports revealed that 21% of Likely U.S. voters who voted by absentee or mail-in ballot in the 2020 election say they filled out a ballot, in part or in full, on behalf of a friend or family member, such as a spouse or child, and 17% of mail-in voters say that in the 2020 election, they cast a ballot in a state where they were no longer a permanent resident.

This is more than enough to have changed the results in 2020, and to confirm Americans suspicions that our elections are out of control. Inaccurate voter rolls allow for millions of extra votes to be cast by unscrupulous actors, as well as ordinary citizens with an extra ballot in their mailbox.

But challenges to the 2020 and 2022 election results have mostly failed, possibly because prosecutors and judges also run for election, and/or dont want to make waves.

Until now, USA efforts have been largely ignored, but the Maryland lawsuit means that any additional conflicting rulings will automatically be sent up to the Supreme Court prior to the November election  and this has the Uniparty coalition worried enough to start cranking up their propaganda machine.

A recent article by the L.A. Times is a textbook case of shamelessly of using trigger wording to slant a narrative to oppose USAs efforts.

(Trigger words in italics...)

The headline says it all: Inside the far-right plan to use civil rights law to disrupt the 2024 election.

The USA is not far-right, but strictly nonpartisan. Voters from both sides should want fair and honest elections  in primaries, too. Ensuring accurate vote counts would restore confidence, not disrupt it.

Marly Hornik, the unpaid CEO of USA, is labeled a self-proclaimed election integrity activist, and chairman Harry Haury is called a man who helped push former President Trumps baseless challenges to Joe Bidens election in 2020. The Rasmussen poll proves that the challenges were not baseless.

The authors call the groups plan to file civil rights lawsuits in multiple states and demand changes a legal long shot and say their 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.

Justin Levitt, a former deputy assistant attorney general who specializes in voting rights, says, The groups legal arguments rely on faulty interpretations of federal election law and are likely to fail in court.

More trigger words...United Sovereign Americans is part of a cottage industry of far-right election deniers that has sown disinformation since Trump lost his reelection bid.

They discuss Horniks first group, New York Citizens Audit, whose members spread conspiracy theories about the results of the 2020 and 2022 elections at events across the state.

They bring up a cease-and-desist letter from New York attorney general Letitia James telling 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 explained that at the time of the letter, no one from their group was knocking on any doors.

They describe how she met future USA chairman Harry Haury 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 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. Haurys background as a software engineer has largely been focused on energy technology.

Haury has been involved with election matters for decades, including consulting on the design and creation of the Help America Vote Act of 2002. He has worked extensively with the U.S. military, the Department of Homeland Security, and the banking and intelligence communities. He is a recognized subject-matter expert on cybersecurity forensics, attack, and defense. He was directly involved with elections systems analysis after 2020 and was the first to advocate focusing on the massive election misconduct. He submitted expert testimony in several election challenges in 2020, including testimony before the Supreme Court.

Haury is much more than a software engineer.

The authors continue, David Becker, who leads the Center for Election Innovation & Research, a group focused on restoring trust in the nations election system, described the work of Paine [from EIPCa] and Hornik as an effort to dismantle election integrity under the auspices of election integrity amid an ecosystem of grift[.] ... Hornik and Haury have asked for donations at public events and on far-right media, saying they need millions of dollars for their lawsuits.

If these two are grifters, theyre the worst grifters on the planet. Neither takes a penny of compensation for their 100-hour workweeks. All funds go to retain lawyers for their federal lawsuits and minimal operating expenses.

Surprisingly, the authors quote Hornik accurately about USAs plans.

We believe that this very simple approach can advance rapidly, she said. It doesnt matter if you werent allowed to vote or if your vote was drowned and suffocated by invalid ballots, either way, you didnt really get to vote.

The writers continue: 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. Horniks allies at Election Integrity Project California claim to have counted 257,894 people who voted in the states 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.

Election Integrity Project California is not USA. All USA analyses are based on official state data and are meticulously peer-reviewed by a team of statistics and database experts.

Congratulations to USA for flying directly over the target.

Image: cagdesign via Pixabay, Pixabay License.

This post has been updated to clarify that Rasmussen Reports, a company that Scott Rasmussen founded but with which he is no longer affiliated, conducted the poll. Scott Rasmussen conducts his work through RMG Research.
Forty-nine years ago, a kind of ideological Fifth Column comprising members of Americas New Left hailed the triumph of their comrades in Hanoi over the embattled Republic of [South] Vietnam. After over a half a century of agitation and propaganda, they lauded a communist conquest logistically enabled by the Soviet Union and Communist China, achieved by conventional military means and effected through a blitzkrieg involving half a million men and several hundred tanks, as an achievement on behalf of peace.

In similar terms, at once pacifist, humanitarian, and false, they would have us believe, and perhaps believe themselves, that a totalitarian communist victory was the just and necessary end of nearly twenty-five years of bloody conflict in the former states of Indochina. Had the radical activists of the New Left been willing to learn from history, had they been willing merely to consider the historically verifiable effects of Marxist theory translated into democidal practice, then they might have foreseen that the decade of peace that followed the fall of Saigon would build up more misery and death in Indochina than the previous quarter-century of war. Perhaps they did not care, or perhaps they were too busily engaged in restructuring the academic values of the universities from whence they came. Whatever the cause of their selective, intellectual blindness to historical reality, any earnestly objective historical assessment must surely number the American peace activist among the victors of the Second Indochina War. And in America no less than in silenced and subjugated Indochina, history is the prized and zealously defended possession of the victorious, who portray themselves as the heroes of that masterfully misrepresented war.

Perhaps, most ominously of all, the victors have been ensconced for decades within imitation-ivory towers, from which they have enjoyed and exploited to the full the benefits of unrestricted academic fields of fire. Not surprisingly, therefore, they have managed to inspire and train succeeding generations of their students to boldly go where they have gone before. The laudable objective, in keeping with the standard-issue Orwellian nightmare they helped to inflict on Indochina, is a societal Utopia awash with peace and social justice. From historical myopia, an activist dystopia emerges in the making. What they espoused so vociferously for Indochina, they would wish, today, upon America.

Having set a victorious, historical precedent for what is to be done and how to do it, these victors are now entitled to evaluate and celebrate their progress. From a radical left perspective, there is much to celebrate: thus far they have taken America, one nation under God, indivisible, and relentlessly and tirelessly divided it. They have taken a once-great nation and rendered it unable or unwilling to live up to the ideals that have constitutionally defined it and within which rest the secrets of its greatness and longevity.

Are we not, therefore, entitled to ask where things went wrong, and to inquire by what lawful democratic means they might be righted? There is little doubt that the current politico-cultural malaise began with Vietnam, during a war that was willfully and deceitfully rendered controversial by activist ideologues whose ideological sympathies lay with the other side. In the organized phenomenon of campus protest, the resultant and ongoing failure of administrators of tertiary educational institutions to live up to their responsibilities, defend the sanctity of academic values, and ensure that students were taught how to think and not what to think, the seeds of Americas potential ruin were sown.

The great universities of America existed to teach the youthful, intellectually elite whom they admitted and to safeguard the intellectual freedom necessary not just to challenge the Establishment, but to probe with equal intellectual rigor the ideologies and methodologies of those who seek to overthrow it! If such an educative process were universally restored, there seems to be little doubt that the result would be a concomitant increase in thoughtful young Americans and a much needed decrease in the production of indoctrinated pawns. Open, free, and respectful discussion of issues can bring understanding, but when it comes to the ideological disparagement and toxic silencing of alternative voices, the casual skipping classes to demonstrate under circumstances in which the ignorance of the cause is equaled only by passion of the activist in protesting it, none of this seems conducive to a genuinely liberal education. Forgiving students out of fear or sympathy for the missing of classes, disruption of invited speakers, and the commission of activist vandalism suggests an education institution that has abandoned its duties to provide safe, conducive learning environment for students who are paying for their education, and would prefer to influence American society after they have graduated.

Albeit late in the day, educative institutions must return their educators to their academic role and recognize that the scholar-activist is an oxymoronic contradiction in terms  and particularly so when the scholars intellectual honesty is compromised by their activist conceit. A responsible university administration would also resolve to suspend and, if necessary, expel students who prefer activist disruption to scholastic endeavor, and pre-empt their return, either singly or in the company of others, by the enforcement of the laws of trespass. They must redefine what the process of education should entail within and according to the principles of a free and democratic society, in which all is permissible within the law short of the activist subversion of democracy itself. If they fail to do this or prefer to do otherwise, if they choose to model themselves upon totalitarian principles, then the American taxpayer should not be burdened with supporting them. Nor should the American taxpayer, especially those among them unable to enjoy a college education, be required to pay for the indoctrination of American students by tenured activists who regard America and democracy in general with haughty, pseudo-intellectual contempt.

As a civilized society, and in the interest of that societys self-preservation, instead of tolerating violent demonstrations, we must ensure that the participants are punished under law. For the offensively militant, non-citizen protesters who prefer to demonstrate within and against a country other than their own, deportation may assist them in finding nations more ideologically conducive to their aspirations. Similarly, neither a state nor a federal government should be under any obligation to financially support an activist who receives government assistance with the one hand and throws the aptly named Molotov cocktail with the other.

When we see today the left-wing campus and community protests in support of the genocidal ambitions of Hamas, let us consider what our views might be if the protesters were demonstrating on behalf of white supremacists and the political agenda of a racist lynch mob. Both ideologies are hateful and repugnant, but even the KKK stopped short of microwaving their victims babies. And still, we hear the chants in favor of Israels destruction from the river to the sea. We are reminded of the pathologically self-righteous chanting heard throughout the Second Indochina War, including the memorably ignorant and asinine Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Minh  the NLF is gonna win. (Ho Chi Minh was never a member of the NLF; he and his Stalinist associates invented it.) Let us give them their due: they knew how to work a united front scam, the kind of thing that explains today why a dyed-in-the-wool communist radical is passionately concerned about global warming, racial discrimination, and the provision of tuck free swimwear but seems remarkably devoid of any sustained concern about what as formerly referred to as the workers. One wonders why the American New Left apparently knew nothing of a textbook communist united front deceit  unless, of course, they were actively complicit in supporting it.

There seems little doubt that the America that defeated fascism in Europe and the Pacific during WW2, and that made irreversible advances in the cause of racial equality thereafter, has neither the time nor the tolerance for subversion perpetrated by racist right-wing extremists. But one wonders how it is that for nearly fifty years a radical leftist Fifth Column has managed not only to divide the nation, but to transform it into an America that grants cultural and academic security of tenure to activist apologists for tyranny and the advocates of an ideology responsible for the democide of millions in Stalins Russia, Maos China, and Ho Chi Minhs Vietnam.

Stephen Sherman was a first lieutenant with the U.S. Army 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Vietnam, 196768. He is currently a founding director of Vietnam Veterans for Factual History (VVFH.org) and editor of that groups publications.

Image via Pexels.
The Obama-Biden administration (a name I use for obvious reasons) has been taking a lot of harsh criticisms for being disloyal to their primary Middle Eastern ally lately. Sen. Roger Marshall, (R) Kansas, went so far as to call the Obama-Biden national security policies schizophrenic. I must disagree with that assessment. The Obama-Biden policy in the Middle East has been laser focused on helping its ally, ever since they worked so tirelessly to create an executive agreement called the JPCOA. Even going so far as to air-lift pallets of cash to Tehran at the end of their first administration. In the past year, the tireless efforts of their second administration to exert every means necessary to support their friends, can only leave one question: What more can an ally do?

Didnt the Obama-Biden administration lift the sanctions on Iran on February 21, 2021, a month after they took office, in order to allow their ally access to oil markets and to enrich themselves with $100s of billions since? That is an ally. Didnt the O-B Administration offer to resume the JPOCA, which will fund and pave a legitimate path for Iran to develop a nuclear arsenal?

Wasnt it the O-BA that abandoned the vitally strategic air base of Bagram, Afghanistan, on July 2, 2021? A fully functional American military asset that took 20 years of blood and treasure to build and secure, and which created an American foothold and a measure of security in the Midde East? Has not the O-BAs principal ally benefitted immeasurably by acquiring the air base, plus $Billions of modern weaponry? Didnt the manner of withdrawal from Afghanistan inspire the surrender of the Afghan army and hand two new subsidiary Islamic states to Iran, paving their way to regional political hegemony?

One would think this enough for anyone to attest, the Obama-Biden Administration knows how to help their friend.

In August, 2023, the O-BA liberated $10 Billion in Iranian assets with no strings attached, and then in September paid Iran $6 Billion for the transfer of five hostages.

On October 7, the O-BA got what they paid for. Among the 20 different proxies which Iran directly funds with oil revenues and unfrozen assets, Hamas invaded Israel with no provocation. Hamas butchered 1,400 people, 1,100 of whom were unarmed, over 600 were too old or too young to fight, hundreds of women were raped and then murdered, over 2,000 other Israelis were wounded. 253 innocents, including a number of Americans, were taken hostage. The Izzudin Al Qassam Brigade of Hamas said: We thank the Islamic Republic of Iran who provided us with weapons and money

In Israels darkest hour, President Biden assured: we will always have Israels back. While the O-BAs Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured: there is no evidence of a connection between Iran and the Hamas invasion.

A further benefit of the invasion was the scuttling of the Trump Administrations Abraham Accords, which was bringing peace to the Middle East by isolating Irans terrorist ambitions.

Israel formed a unity government representing the political spectrum of that nation to deal with Hamas for the purpose of self-preservation. Hamas was openly vowing to invade Israel again and again. So, Israel answered with an invasion of Gaza using military techniques that West Points John Spencer called an unprecedented -- gold standard offensive which spared the most civilians possible. The IDF were making great progress, the end of the military phase of the war was in sight. So, the O-BA aggressively called for a cease-fire. What else could an ally do?

On March 13, the O-BA unfroze another $10Billion in Iranian assets. Then the U.S. ODNI put out a report stating distrust of Israeli PM Netanyahu has deepened and broadened we expect protests demanding his resignation.

On March 14th, Chuck Schumer took to the Senate floor to say the Israeli PM had lost his way, saying he could no longer accept Netanyahus leadership, and that the U.S. will have no choice but to play a more active role in shaping Israeli policy.

On April 21st, after a long-fought effort, the House and Senate passed a compromise foreign aid bill which provides $15 Billion in aid to Israel, the attacked nation, and $9 Billion for Gaza/Hamas for the laughable purpose of humanitarian aid.

In keeping with helping its primary ally, on May 7th, the O-BA issued a sanctions waiver, allowing arms sales to Qatar, where Irans proxy -- Hamas leadership is living. And where Irans other proxy, Hezballah, controls the military.

On May 8th, the O-BA threatened to withdraw the aid authorized by Congress, if Israel made any move to finish the war by taking Rafah.

While O-BA is funneling aid to Gaza/Hamas to go to four remaining brigades of Hamas butchers.

Biden further mentioned he has been holding back intel on Hamas whereabouts in the tunnels under Gaza, but would share it, if Israel doesnt use it.

Finally, Secretary of State Blinken is telling Israel to get out of Gaza, in order to save civilian lives.

What would save civilian lives is to demand the immediate surrender of the butchers. What would save the lives of whatever hostages survive is to demand their immediate release. War over.

But that would not be of help to the Obama-Biden administrations principal ally in the Middle East.

Americas ally is Israel. Obama-Bidens ally is Iran.

So what more can an ally do?

Richard C. Lyons, author of But By The Chance Of War is a third-generation printer, whose early career centered on religious and special education publishing. Lyons has since engaged in literary pursuits as a poet, essayist, screenwriter, and indie publisher. richardclyons.com

Image: Orly Orlyson
Why does the left exist? It did not always exist. There was no left in ancient or medieval politics, or anywhere outside the West until modern times. In fact, there were no ideologies and no revolutions. Some might also wonder why the right exists, but explaining the left will also explain the right, which followed the birth of the left and has been following it ever since.

The question is imperative now, because over the last four years the left has taken control, almost unchallenged, in the United States, with other Western democracies close behind. Why? We can hardly confront the lefts power or dislodge its hegemony over us if we do not even know what it is and why it exists.

The Origins of Radical Politics

Conventional wisdom dates political radicalism from the French Revolution, because that was the first secular revolution. But that does not explain the emergence of a wholly new kind of politics. In any case, the French Revolution was not the first. The first revolution was in England, and it was not secular at all. It was driven by religious ideology.

Leftist ideology is sometimes depicted as a secular religion, replete with its own dogmas, heresies, and inquisitors. A historical reality undergirds this characterization, because secular radicalism has its origins in religious radicalism.

Westerners do not understand radical religion, even though we invented it. It was English Calvinists who first carried religious dissent to the point of inventing the modern revolution. Some Americans are uncomfortable at the thought that religious radicals founded what became the United States  a blind spot that seriously inhibits them from fully understanding their own origins. Puritans began populating New England just as their comrades back in Old England were perpetrating the worlds first revolution. Their successors then agitated for the worlds next revolution in America, far surpassing in numbers (and possibly influence) the Enlightenment figures we venerate as our Founding Fathers.[1]

Here a conspiracy of silence operates between modern left and right, neither of whom wishes to acknowledge any of this. The left wants to forget its religious pedigree, and the right is reluctant to accept Christianitys radical past and its role in inventing and fomenting political revolution.

But this perspective changes the equation fundamentally. It suggests that the content of leftist ideology  which has changed to the point where it would be unrecognizable to its inventors  may be less important than the style of politics it created. It suggests that the left exists not because it is necessarily right. The left may exist because it devised political methods that have other advantages beyond its actual grievances. Perhaps those methods achieve its aims more effectively; perhaps it satisfies emotional and psychological needs not served by traditional politics. Different explanations are possible. By the same token, it opens the possibility that some leftists concerns may not be without merit, but that the political means they adopt to address them can have consequences that they themselves have not foreseen or intended. Finally, it opens another possibility: if the left did not always exist, then possibly the day may come when it will exist no more.

The few leftists who bother to examine the agenda of their progenitors, the Puritan revolutionaries, are hard pressed to understand and sympathize with it[2]  any more than they do with todays radical Islamism. Conservatives are hardly more empathetic in coming to grips with what were once called our Puritan Fathers.

Raised on the left, I spent quite a few years trying to understand them and even came to admire them. For todays purposes, one lesson I would draw from the Puritans is that leftism thrives on resentment. It does not necessarily encourage resentment, and it is not always fair to blame leftists for its existence. Every society has multiple sources of friction and resentment, many of which are never politicized. Moreover, the Puritans expended considerable energy trying to repress it. But leftism takes resentment that already exists and, sometimes in the very process of repressing it, also controls, disciplines, and channels it into its own purposes.

I do not deny that some resentments may be justified, and I will not say that some purposes into which leftists divert it are necessarily bad. But the merits of the grievances are secondary. What is critical are the methods: the left harnesses and organizes resentments into ideologies, revolutions, and similar means to achieve its aims.

The right rejects the leftists agenda and claims to resist it, but it often imitates their techniques. The result is a kind of de facto collusion, whereby leftist assumptions worm their way into our politics and culture without our being fully aware of it.

The Right Is Left Behind

The left has changed forms and reinvented itself many times over the centuries  from religious to republican, nationalist, socialist, anarchist, communist, and most recently sexual. Certainly the left has had successes, some of them deserved.

But it is also skillful at surviving failure. Its grievances are constantly updated, and failure leaves it undeterred. If we cannot reform church government and eliminate idolatry, perhaps we can eradicate poverty, and if that does not work, we can liberate women and people with fetishes.

Some are always ready to declare that designations of left and right are obsolete, and that we have reached the end of ideology. Such declarations are always premature. Certainly, there are often elements on both left and right that are ready to forget their principles and collude with the other. But that is not the same as rendering those principles obsolete. I believe that what is happening today is best understood not as the end of ideology, but as another collusion between the two. But the collusion is not symmetrical. Invariably the left still leads, and the right follows.

Leftists, after all, thrive in opposition, and they adhere most fiercely to their principles when they are engaged in the romance of struggle.

When they are most likely to jettison those principles is when they begin to sniff the sweet smell of success and assume power, as George Orwell depicted of the pigs in Animal Farm. We see it vividly today, as leftists become the plutocrats and militarists and even racists they once despised.

The right, by contrast, finds opposition distasteful and seldom does it well; those on the right prefer to be in charge, and their most prominent leaders usually enjoy power and wealth. They are most likely to abandon their principles not when they are successful, but when they are unsuccessful and flailing, as they are now. When the left is winning, the right becomes diffident and weak and envies the lefts success, power, and wealth. That is when the right wants to tag along and share in the lefts success, which it finds any excuse to do. The right then  especially the establishment right, which retains a measure of power within the organizational fiefdoms it has created  looks for opportunities to ingratiate itself among leftist elites and to compromise its principles.

In short, when the right dominates, then both left and right are most likely to act out of principle. This is the default position in which we have existed for most of modern history, a state of at least apparent and relative stability. When the left dominates, by contrast, then both sides are most likely to sell out their principles in order to enjoy the intoxication of power. This is the slippery slope down which we are now sliding into tyranny and destruction. We show no signs of knowing how to reverse it.

Where Has This Left Us?

There can be little doubt that leftist ideology persists over the centuries because it is constantly fed from the ranks of the young. Coupled with larger trends whereby the young progressively increase their presence in society and influence in politics, it might seem that the triumph of the left is what the Puritans said it was: predestined.

The appeal of rebellious politics to youth hardly requires explanation. What does demand understanding is that we have now entered a new phase that may mark the logical conclusion of leftist and modern politics. In this phase, not only the rebellious style of leftist politics, but also its content militates toward enlisting youth. This involves the domination of the left by the politics of sexuality, whereby families and children are intentionally politicized in order to liberate and empower, first, women (and quasi- and pseudo-women like homosexuals and transsexuals) and then children themselves.[3]

I have described this extensively elsewhere[4] and will not elaborate here. But it can hardly be denied that the most significant ideological innovation of our time is the shift from social and economic grievances to sexual ones at the vanguard of the radical left. It is also the most difficult to understand. The bottom line is that massive numbers of children now grow up without fathers and effectively without any parental authority or family structure to civilize, discipline, and acculturate them into a stable social and civic order. Given that rebelliousness and sexuality tend to emerge at roughly the same age, it is hardly surprising that sexual politics presents an especially alluring and explosive combination for adolescents to rage out of all control. Their susceptibility to the most extreme leftist ideology renders them eager to destroy every pillar of the civilized order, as well as themselves, mutilating their own bodies in the name of ideology.

The government they have ushered into power in the United States is rooted in this ideology and encourages self-destruction. But most debilitating is that even the opposition  the Republican Party, conservative pressure groups, law firms, think-tanks, media, universities  all show no understanding of how to oppose this, and most are too frightened of it even to try. Remarkably, for reasons given above, some even add their own voices in advancing it. More than any previous leftist agenda, sexual radicalism neuters its own opposition. It feminizes and infantilizes even those most intent on extolling manhood.[5]

Next to this, leftist campaigns to recycle racial or class politics are unimportant. Todays apparent racial militancy is largely a front, a flanking operation to divert attention from the lefts truly cutting-edge agenda, which is sexual. Black Lives Matter, after all, is the creation and operation of black feminists, and persistent demands for welfare, affirmative action, and reparations do not benefit black men in any way. On the contrary, they empower black women to emasculate the men, with government assistance, and deprive the men of their roles as providers and protectors and leaders.

The sexual left has brought us to the reductio ad absurdum of ideological politics, targeting working-class men and lower-middle-class families as oppressors and condoning the physical mutilation of children. More variations may yet come, but we have already seen enough to realize that civilizational survival requires that we undertake to renounce ideological politics altogether.

This cannot be done until we venture forth from our comfort zone, discard our reassuring illusions, and stop trying to extricate ourselves from the grip of the far left by following the same foolish habits and feckless leaders that betrayed us to it in the first place.

Stephen Baskerville is Professor of Political Studies at the Collegium Intermarium in Warsaw and author of Not Peace But a Sword: The Political Theology of the English Revolution (Routledge, 1993; Wipf & Stock, 2018). His book on politics in the United States since early 2020, Why Did It Happen? Why America Went Communist, is forthcoming from Arktos.

Image: Chris Dodds via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
In 2016, America was introduced to the Never Trump voter, people who contended that they were conservatives but that Donald Trump was such a disgusting human being that they couldnt vote for him. By 2020, two things had happened: Some of them decided that, given his four years of successful conservative governance, they could vote for him despite his personality; others overtly or covertly joined the Democrat party. Now, its 2024, and were seeing a new breed of Never voter: The Jewish Never Bidens of the Democrat party.

I first learned that there was a name for these awakening Jews when a friend sent me an email with an incredible quotation: My Never Again is trumping my Never Trump these days. In other words, the fear of another Holocaust is so great that Trump seems like a great option when compared to Biden.

I eventually traced the quotation to an Eli Lake essay at The Free Press entitled The Rise of the Never Bidens: Donors who once worried more about Donald Trump now see the presidents bid for a second term as the greater threat to America. Lake wrote about four very generous Jewish political donors, all of whom have been open about the fact that Bidens decision to back Hamas, a genocidal, anti-American terrorist group, has given them second thoughts about their prior sense of revulsion when it comes to Donald Trump. Heres the full context for that amazing quote about Never Again versus Never Trump.

Cliff Asness, a Republican donor who says he spent well over seven figures to support Trumps primary opponent Nikki Haley, told The Free Press that My Never Again is trumping my Never Trump these days. Biden is a huge disappointment, really a moral outrage with this arms embargo being only the latest and greatest outrage, continued Asness, the co-founder of AQR Capital Management. Despite my long opposition to him, this makes me more likely, though I havent quite gotten there yet, to see Trump as the better of two bad alternatives.

Some might say, Well, Asness is a Republican, so of course hell return to the home base for elections. Maybe, but what about Haim Saban, a major Democrat party donor, who issued a strong warning to the Democrat party about Bidens decision to support Hamas:

Democratic mega-donor Haim Saban wrote an email to Biden's aides Steve Ricchetti & Anita Dunn about Biden's decision to put on hold a weapons shipment to Israel: "Let's not forget there are more Jewish voters who care about Israel than Muslim voters who care about Hamas" pic.twitter.com/HdeI9iOL3W  Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) May 9, 2024

Theres also the Democrat hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, who suddenly figured out after October 7 that academia, to which hes donated staggering amounts of money over the years, is a hotbed of virulent, genocidal antisemitism. I find his X account endlessly amusing as I watch him try to persuade himself that the Democrat party can be saved. That hope is fading as he slowly realizes that its the Republican party that recognizes that Israel must be defended for two primary reasons: (1) Its the morally right thing to help a liberal democratic ally fight a terrorist group and (2) that same terrorist group (backed by Iran) is coming for America once its done with Israel. In other words, Israels enemy is our enemy.

Ben Shapiro is also a Never Trumper whos become positively enthusiastic about Trump. I dont know what Shapiro did in the 2016 election when he was terribly worried that Trump would govern as a dictator. By the 2020 election, when his fears failed to materialize, Shapiro became a very reluctant Trump supporter. Now, Shapiro has said that he would walk over broken glass to vote for Trump:

Why I'm Giving Money To Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/lHUZmfSrOp  The Ben Shapiro Show (@BenShapiroShow) March 15, 2024

Im seeing this same shift in the Democrat-run pro-Israel Facebook group to which I belong.

Heres how I understand the shift: Over their 4,000 years of existence, a span that has been distinguished by almost non-stop war and persecution, there are nevertheless three primary traumas that have shaped the Jewish psyche: The Babylonian exile, the destruction of the Second Temple, and the Holocaust. The Holocaust is the most recent and the one that Israels and world Jewrys enemies are openly anxious to repeat.

Every Jew fears another Holocaust. After WWII, the Democrat party impliedly promised to be philosemitic and to protect the Jews from a new Holocaust. Even for those Jews who were not already leftist (as many are, thanks to old anti-Tsarist sentiments and academia), that promise drew their vote. Republicans, with their casual white shoe, banker, country club antisemitism, were just too risky.

Now, though, Jews have reevaluated that risk. Its the Democrat party that threatens them at home. And while its true that Jews cannot shift the vote in Michigan or Minnesota, its also true that Democrats have long received a great deal of money from Jewish voters. If that money dries up and the Jews stay home, the Democrats may find themselves wishing that theyd picked the other side in the Israel-Hamas war.

Image by Andrea Widburg
According to the ancient myth, the twelfth and final labor imposed upon Hercules by Eurystheus, the king of Tiryns, was to bring back Cerberus, the three-headed cur with a snakes tail, from the underworld. Hercules believed that this task was imposed upon him because Eurystheus thought it was impossible to do.

In our modern times, we have a much more vicious three-headed beast: the Svengali media (or the elite media), the global financial system (Wall Street for short), and the rule of lawyers (Harvards and Yales law schools).

These institutions are virtually unassailable and, technically speaking, immortal  like Cerberus. Attack one head of the vicious cur, and the other two will tear you to pieces. Is it a hopeless dream to be free when these institutions have grown and grown in power and are now practically omnipotent? Is submission to a corrupt society that they sustain all that is left?

And here is the worst possible conclusion: does it even matter? Does anything matter?

I cannot go through life with the feeling that nothing I do has any consequence at all. Therefore, I will not surrender to a cultural revolution that these three snapping, snarling power structures force upon the world that surrounds me.

If Hercules was able to drag the hideous beast up from the underworld, then so can we, but it will take a Herculean effort.

Change is always resisted. There are minions of feckless careerists who will always agree with the beast, no matter what it is. (Just watch CNN or Fox News, and you will see fecklessness in action.) Humanity is greater, though, than what the left head of Cerberus, the media, can spew at the world. Nevertheless, the cur is so arrogant that it believes that it can make 2 + 2 = 5 simply by saying 2 + 2 = 5 over and over again. The cur believes that it can convince mortals that the oceans are filled with red wine simply by saying the oceans are filled with red wine over and over again. We humans are not as stupid as the beast believes.

Wall Street, the right head of Cerberus, believes that everyone can be bought off. Once we lowlife humans realize that the global financial system is an omnipotent source of power in the world, we will give in and believe in nothing except our personal relationship with our wallets. Humanity is greater than this.

Then there is Harvard and Yale Law School, the central head of Cerberus, which snarls at any uppity human who dares to act out or voice heresy and not submit to the rule of lawyers. They threaten to build millions more prison cells for these hapless humans. (There are already almost two million souls incarcerated in the pit. Why not five million, or ten million? The left head of Cerberus will never call it what it is: a gulag.)

All these institutions are out of control and have perverted everything in life. It is not as the Irish poet says. It is not things fall apart. It is things get out of control.

The politically empowered beast is not invincible, but we must bide our time, make our plans, and strike at the right moment  just as Hercules did in the ancient myth.

Image via Picryl.
There is a World Health Organization meeting at the end of this month in Geneva. As a result of that meeting, Joe Biden is expected to relinquish U.S. pandemic sovereignty to the WHO and its director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, through executive order, thereby bypassing the two-thirds vote in the Senate needed for treaties. Yes, the same WHO that covered for China and was about as competent in handling COVID-19 as Anthony Fauci gets to be in charge of the same thing all over again, only on a larger scale and with greater enforcement powers.

Much has been written about how such an agreement could result in forced lockdowns, WHO control of our medical system, health and vaccine passports, internet censorship of pandemic misinformation, mandatory U.S. funding of WHO pandemic initiatives abroad, and as yet undefined annual contributions. All of this is frightening enough, and I dont want to rehash everything that has been written, except to point out that even if the legality of this agreement is questionable, as always, it takes time to undo the damage. The been link above quotes Gordon Chang as saying that even if Trump wins in November and cancels the WHO pandemic agreement as soon as inaugurated, it will take three years from then to get out of WHO treaties, whatever that means.

But even January 2025 may be too late.

This brings us to Joe Bidens re-election campaign. Lets say that in return for Bidens consent to the WHO agreement, at some time in the next several months the WHO announces there is a new pandemic  more deadly than COVID-19  and to avoid it killing us all, we must immediately lock down indefinitely, on a scale even more drastic than the last time, and the U.S. government, with plausible deniability, announces we must follow the WHO protocol. The only way we will be able to vote in November is through mail-in ballots or internet voting implemented under emergency conditions. Surprise, surprise: Biden wins again.

Why assume the worst with the WHO arrangement? Tell me Im a paranoid conspiracy theorist, but after everything weve witnessed the left doing with regard to elections  election shenanigans, using COVID policy for election gain, setting Trump up to be a Russian spy, the lawfare against him  it is apparent that losing in November just is not an option. WHOs on first. If that doesnt work, whats on second?

W.A. Eliot is a pseudonym.

Image: spencerbdavis1 via Pixabay, Pixabay License.
From the New York Post comes the story of Joshua Cobb, a black Marine Corps veteran who was in the planning stages of a mass casualty shooting spree in which he planned to target whites:

A black Marine Corps vet went on a months-long, hate-filled screed threatening to cause mayhem by gunning down white victims and aspiring to progress into a serial killer, federal prosecutors said. Joshua Cobb, 23, of Trenton, New Jersey, penned a string of online posts and text messages vowing to gun down white people, and boasted he would probably OD on my own adrenaline after the 10th body goes down, the US Attorneys Office in New Jersey said in a release Monday. Its all a fing game and you all are going to die, Cobb allegedly wrote in one text message last year. I currently lack the means necessary to kill as many as I intend to but one day I will have the available resources (finance) to purchase the appropriate weaponry for my killings.

Heres more, from Kevin Shea at NJ.com:

I want to cause mayhem on the white community. The reason i [sic] specifically want to target white people is because as a black male, they will NEVER understand my struggles. Same way I will never understand their struggles, but I dont care to. I want to erase them. All of them really, but in this case as many as I possibly can, Cobb posted on social media in December 2022, according to authorities.

Those facts alone, black-on-white race-based hatred that was the root of a planned shooting spree, means its a news story that wont be touched by establishment media; but even more so when you consider what Cobb said about where he planned to kickoff his attack. From the Post:

In a social media post on Dec. 17, 2022, Cobb allegedly said he had chosen targets for armed attacks. I have not chosen a [sic] exact date but I am going to be sure it is close to an important holiday to their race, prosecutors said he wrote. I have a location in mind already which I have frequented for the past year and I am certain nobody there is armed to be able to stop me from spraying them to the ground.

I am certain nobody there is armed and therefore, nobody will be able to stop him.

So youre telling me that Cobb, a would-be mass shooter wishing to kill as many people as possible, took into consideration whether the people in his chosen location may or may not be armed? And, he chose a place where he was sure people wouldnt be carrying? I mean, this is exactly why advocates of an armed society think the way we dowe dont want anyone to be the sitting ducks for whom Cobb was hunting.

According to the report, two of the locations on Cobbs list included a local gym and an Aldi grocery story; now, after a spate of high-profile shootings in 2019, Aldi announced a new store policy that prohibited customers from open-carrying, unless they were law enforcement:

At ALDI, the safety of our employees, customers and the community is our highest priority. Alongside many other businesses, we are asking that our customers refrain from openly displaying firearms in any of our stores, except for authorized law enforcement personnel.  ALDI USA (@AldiUSA) September 9, 2019

As for the gym, try as I might I could not find company policy on whether it allows a person to carry or not, but New Jersey has some of the strongest gun control laws in the country, according to Democrat lawmaker and Senate president, Nicholas Scutari.

Now, if Cobb is convicted of the charges he faces, his punishment could be up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

Thats all?!

Here are a couple of crimes that with harsher sentences than planned shooting sprees based on skin color:

Taking an unauthorized tour of the Capitol building while waving a little American flag;

Temporarily blocking abortion mill doors and disrupting the baby-killing business for a couple of hours;

Having a lawyer who pays a nuisance money grubber then bills you for the expense and you pay the bill;

Asking for government transparency in the election process;

What did I miss?

Image: Free image, Pixabay license.
Chef Jay Forrest, left, and his grandfather, Jonathan Levine, executive chef and owner, pose for a portrait at the newest location of Jonathans the Rub in the East End Brett Coomer/Staff photographer

All-American classics with some Gulf Coast influences  think bacon-wrapped scallops or blackened redfish  may not win a restaurant a prestigious James Beard award, but the crowd favorites can turn fair-weather customers into regulars.

Jonathan Levine knows the formula well.

The chef-owner of Jonathans the Rub, which started as a catering company more than two decades ago, has built a devoted following in the Memorial community. Levine originally opened the restaurant in 2007 at 9061 Gaylord in Hedwig Village, where Bar Bludorn recently debuted, before operating his current two locations in the area.

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When you do something well over and over again, people will come back, Levine said.

On May 23, this neighborhood favorite is opening a third location at 2929 Navigation in Houstons East End. Levines first expansion outside of Memorial will add to the restaurants comfort-food focus by jumping on the current craze over another dependable dish: pizza.

HOUSTON EATS: The Chronicles top 100 restaurants

Eight different types of pizzas are slated for the opening menu at Jonathan's the Rub in East End

There will be at least eight pies on the menu, which also features burgers, steaks, pastas and a few seafood items.

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Levine is adding pizza for the first time to not only jump on the trend but as a nod to his New York City roots. A born-and-bred New Yorker who grew up near Coney Island, he wanted to showcase Brooklyn-style pizza.

Classic pizza flavors such as cheese, margherita and veggie are served on dough thats sturdier than Neapolitan-style pies with a floppy center. Its meant to be foldable, even with a thicker crust and base, with a crunch to the undercarriage.

These pizzas are nostalgic for him, said Levine, 70, and he wanted to share that experience with Houstonians.

Many of the all-American classics at Jonathan's the Rub will be on the menu in East End

His 21-year-old grandson, Jay Forrest, a recent graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in San Antonio, helped perfect the pizza.

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The dough recipe was tested countless times over six months as he experimented with different flours, salts and oils, Forrest said.

The dough, which ferments for two days, will also be used for a special Mexican-flavored pizza. Its on the menu as a recognition of Houstons love of tacos, Tex-Mex and Mexican dishes.

Cumin is mixed in the sauce and layered with a cheese blend (Oaxacan cheese with mozzarella and Parmesan). A touch of Italian-Mexican fusion can be seen with toppings of chorizo, al pastor, corn and three types of chiles (poblano, serrano and jalapeno) for some heat.

There are seats in the dining room surrounding the pizza kitchen, where each pie slides into a gas oven at nearly 575 degrees Fahrenheit and cooks for about seven minutes.

(Levine) had an idea for it, and I helped put it into the world, Forrest said.

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MORE FROM BAO ONG: This neighborhood is home to Houstons buzziest restaurant openings

Before Levine entered the restaurant world, he worked as a commodities trader on Wall Street. But he said he felt unfulfilled by corporate life and eventually took over ownership of three restaurants on Cape Cod, where he did everything from cooking to greeting customers.

By 2000, Levine moved to Houston to join his sister following a divorce he described as rocky. He never left.

Im a Jewish guy from Brooklyn, and I was accepted by a city full of Baptists and megachurches, Levine joked.

Chef Jay Forrest, left, his grandfather, Jonathan Levine, executive chef and owner, and Jessica Levine, general manger, who is also Levine's daughter and Forrest's mother, pose for a portrait at the newest location of Jonathans the Rub in the East End Brett Coomer/Staff photographer

Jonathans the Rub will continue to be a family affair.

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Forrest  who is working in the kitchen alongside head chef Fernando Bautsita, a Los Angeles native whos cooked at Bretts BBQ in Katy  is joined by his mother, who is the general manager for the East End location. One of his sisters will work as a hostess.

The family didnt have plans for the East End until they started working on a location in Cypress, Levine said. A broker told them about the developing East End and they decided to jump at the opportunity.

The nearly 6,000-square-foot space includes 125 seats indoors and a sprawling patio for 80 people. Levine said he hopes the restaurants proximity to Minute Maid Park will attract more customers.

Jonathan's the Rub in East End is located at 2929 Navigation

No matter how busy it may get, Forrest said he expects Levine will continue to make time for the familys Monday night dinners.

This is what he loves doing, said Forrest, about his grandfather opening another restaurant in his 70s. I hope people can appreciate that a little bit.
Mayor Eric Adams of New York City took illegal immigration to another level. Who knew that this whole thing could get any crazier? I guess that the Trump "hush money" trial is not the only farce floating in New York.

Here is the story:

New York Mayor Eric Adams has just the job for the city's growing legions of illegal aliens, many of whom were bussed or flown in from distant locations like Texas where the illegal situation is far worse. But before I tell you what it is, I'm going to ask you to sit down and swallow that sip of coffee because I don't have the budget to replace everybody's keyboards. Ready? OK. Adams on Tuesday said the illegals should be hired as lifeguards -- the city has quite a shortage -- because theyre excellent swimmers."

Wait a minute -- I thought that Venezuelans were great shortstops and the women were top Miss Universe candidates. I've got the evidence: Luis Aparicio, Omar Vizquel, and lots more. Have you checked the Miss Venezuela candidates over the years? They lead the league with those beauties from down there.

What gave the mayor the idea that these people could swim? He was the same man who said migrants would wreck the city and got no backlash from the media. I guess Democrats can say those things and the media just forgets about it.

On a serious note, whatever happened to young men who served as lifeguard over the years? It was a decent job, as my son told me. I did it for a week and watching all those girls in their Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikinis. It reminded us that boys and girls were different and nobody questioned it.

As for the mayor, I feel his pain specially having to work with the City Council and state legislature in Albany.

P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.

Image: RawPixel.com
It's well known that polls show that President Trump is ahead or closing in on critical swing states. By some counts if he takes just three he wins the election.

But the Trump campaign, which is polished and disciplined, has a lot more in mind than swing states.

A week ago, President Trump confided to donors at a dinner that now even Minnesota (and Virginia) are in play, according to the New York Post:

Donald Trumps presidential campaign is bullish about its prospects in solid-blue Minnesota and Virginia against President Biden  despite losing both states by wide margins in 2020. States like [Arizona], [Nevada], [Georgia] and [North Carolina], based on public polling averages, are clearly slipping out of Bidens reach, a Trump campaign official told The Post this week. States that should be safe Biden states like [Minnesota] and [Virginia] are now falling into play.

There's Virginia, of course, which has a significant rural pro-Trump population outside the Beltway and probably a disgruntled-with-Biden one inside the Beltway, but, as the Post continued:

Minnesota is an even tougher ask for Trump, with the state having voted Republican just three times since Franklin D. Roosevelt won his first term in 1932. Dwight D. Eisenhower won the Land of 10,000 Lakes in both 1952 and 1956, while Richard Nixon also took Minnesota in his all-conquering 1972 landslide. Trump, 77, lost Minnesota by 7.1 percentage points to Biden in 2020 and was defeated in Virginia by double digits.

But the Trump team, despite not having the money advantage that Biden has, is spending money to go after Minnesota.

According to the Associated Press:

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  Former President Donald Trumps planned campaign visit to Minnesota on Friday will mark his return to a traditionally Democratic state that he has long argued he could carry. Trump will take a break from his hush money trial in New York to speak at the Minnesota GOPs annual Lincoln Reagan fundraising dinner. Tickets start at $500, ranging up to $100,000 for a VIP table for 10 with three photo opportunities with Trump. The dinner coincides with the partys state convention.

AP's tone throughout the piece is jaded and biased, but they did go through some numbers:

Trump came close to taking Minnesota and its 10 electoral votes in 2016, when he fell 1.5 percentage points short of Hillary Clinton in a state that no Republican presidential candidate has won since Richard Nixon in 1972. He returned to Minnesota several times in 2020, but Democrat Joe Biden beat him by more than 7 percentage points when he tried for a second term.

And though they interviewed (and dismissed the views of) experts who said the Trump team could very well be right, they did put their quotes in:

University of Minnesota political scientist Larry Jacobs said that while 2020 was a good year for Biden in Minnesota, hes not sure the president will be so well positioned this time. It looks to me like Minnesota is in play, he said. And if Minnesota is in play, Trumps investment of time and money make sense.

Which makes sense to a lot of us. And must give the Biden team the night sweats.

Why would Trump, who is cash-and-time strapped, spend any effort at all to win Minnesota if he weren't sure victory were in reach? Everything seems more intense this time, all the issues are trending towards Trump, and the broad drift toward the GOP in that state is obvious. The trend is Trump's friend.

Trump is particularly strong on the economy, on illegal migration, on keeping the U.S. out of foreign wars and avoiding messy foreign policy disasters. The presence of Rep. Ilhan Omar, and her anti-American and antisemitic views, probably draws some voters closer to Trump, too.

But winning Minnesota? While it's hard to imagine this scenario, we all remember how surprised we were in 2016 when blue Wisconsin was won by Trump.

Maybe it's Minnesota's turn this year. If Trump is spending time in this state, internal polls have got to be very good. One can only ask now: What other pleasant surprises for us do they have in store?

Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License
Its a standing joke in my family that I love Keanu Reeves. It started in my 30s when I loved how he looked, but over the years, its morphed into respect for a man who works in a filthy industry but seems to have retained a strong moral compass and avoids all of Hollywoods worst trends. It says something about the man that the Hamas lovers have come after him.

One of the hallmarks of totalitarians is hit lists. Indeed, if youre at all familiar with Giovannino Guareschis delightful Don Camillo books from the 1950s, which describe a small Italian village divided between communists and Catholics, you know that one of the stories describes how the communist mayor, Peppone, tries to protect Father Don Camillo, whos been put on a list when a rumor goes around that the Communists have won the national elections. Because this is Guareschi, the story is both amusing and imbued with a deep humanism, but the underlying point is the same: leftists make kill lists.

When I was in Vietnam, in Hue, which was the heart of where the Tet Offensive was fought, our guide told us that once the Americans pulled out, the Viet Cong took their list and began the slaughter. An older man, it was clear from how he spoke that he remembered those days.

Thats why it shouldnt be any surprise that the Hamas folks have been making lists. A list emerged last week on which people could get answers to whether your fav author [is] a zionist. The list is color-coded, telling people whether the person is Pro-Israel/Zionist, trying to remain balanced, silent on the subject, Its complicated, or Pro-Palestine/Anti-Zionist. The list includes dead writers as well as the living.

Naturally, Im tempted to go out and read every single book written by someone Pro-Israel/Zionist, but the real point is that the list should never have happened. We know from bitter past experience that when you give a totalitarian a list, that list is used to harass people, limit their civil rights, and, eventually, kill them. If theyre dead, count on their graves being desecrated. The communists among us, the ones who have moved to the heart of the Democrat party, and the Islamists are all cut from the same totalitarian cloth.

Not content with books, which too few Americans read, the list-makers have now gone after Hollywoodand Keanu Reeves is at the top of the list:

The X account Zionists in Film has called out Keanu Reeves  the poster child for Hollywood civility  for transgressions: Attending a 2014 Malibu party where Benjamin Netanyahu was also in attendance, and being trained by an ex-Mossad agent for combat scenes in the John Wick franchise. Need more? Reeves failed to speak out when the Israeli government used a pic from The Matrix in an X post last year. Never mind that the actor didnt actually like or endorse the post and probably has no idea it even exists.

Keanu is one of the most popular actors in America. Hes made an extraordinary string of hit movies, everything from Speed to the Matrix series to the John Wick movies. (I happen to be particularly fond of Constantine and Destination Wedding.)

Hes also just so darn decent. Keanu stays out of politics, understanding that his fans come from both sides of the aisle. Hes a crack shot, which means hes not anti-gun. And theres the endless supply of stories about his...well, nicenessthe donations to charity, the seats given to women in the subways, the bus rides with stranded passengers, etc. As I said, in an indecent industry filled with people always chasing the spotlight, Keanu stands out.

The list makers are also coming for Zionists in Music, with people such as Lady Gaga, Rhianna, Justin Bieber, and Elton John making the list. I suddenly decided that I dont really hate Rhiannas and Justin Biebers music after all...

I sincerely hope that these pernicious lists have the opposite effect of that which the totalitarians clearly desire. They want these pro-Zionist writers, actors, and musicians to be destroyed, both professionally and personally. Instead, people should be lining up to buy their products, with Keanus legion of fans at the head of the line.

Image: Keanu Reeves. YouTube screen grab.
In Europe's first major assault on a state leader since the assassination of Olaf Palme in Sweden in the 1980s, a socialist opened fire and injured Slovakia's conservative prime minister, Robert Fico Wednesday.

There has been an assassination attempt on PM Robert Fico of Slovakia.



This man has denounced the WHO Pandemic Treaty, support for Ukraine, and global mass vaccinations.



Obviously I will stay silent, because bringing any attention to his policies does not serve me politically. pic.twitter.com/tP4Nndw2ja  Justin Trudeau's Ego (@Trudeaus_Ego) May 15, 2024

He held a lot of controversial views and stances on causes dear to the globalist crowd, but there is no clear motive thus far.

Still, there has been interesting speculation as to what it might mean. Slovakia is a small country and not viewed as particularly pivotal, but David Goldman, who knows a thing or million about geopolitics and realpolitick, thinks it may be bringing Europe closer to war. His must-read essay in AsiaTimes, under his pseudonym Spengler, is a must-read:

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Europes toughest opponent of military backing for Ukraine, was shot multiple times May 15 by an as yet unidentified assailant. He was transported by helicopter to a trauma center at Banska Bystrica, where he is fighting for his life. His condition is not known. Few details have been published about the would-be assassin, who was captured after the incident.

He noted this:

So far, we have only questions about the shooting of Fico and no answers. But the strategic background to Ukraines military position is dire, the countrys military itself reports, as undermanned and exhausted Ukrainian units succumb to the relentless pounding of Russian air attacks and artillery.

Could it have been someone opposed to his Ukraine stance? The Czech Republic is said to be thinking about following its neighbor, which could lead to a chain reaction, even as U.S. credibility comes under duress, he notes.

The attempted assassination of a determined, credible and duly elected East European leader might prove to be the writing on the wall.

Mark Wauck, another foreign policy expert always worth reading, explores the Ukraine angle, too, citing this tweet:

Fico is best known as a supporter of Putin. His party, Direction  Social Democracy, is considered left nationalist/populist. What does this mean in Slovakia? Megatron @Megatron_ron  Who wanted to kill Slovak Prime Minister Ficho? These are some characteristics about him: - He is against the war in Ukraine and is in favor of negotiations. - He stopped the delivery of weapons to Ukraine. - He called the regime in Ukraine a Nazi regime. - He announced a veto for Ukraine to join the EU and NATO. - He opposed the globalists in Washington. It is more than clear that the CIA and the Ukrainian regime have crossed the red line in Europe for the second time after blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipeline. 10:05 AM  May 15, 2024

At the same time, the Daily Mail ran a piece by David Averre, unrelated to the assassination attempt, arguing that Europe is hurtling towards war.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 saw the horrors of a large-scale war darken Europe's doorstep for the first time since the end of World War II. For a short while, hope endured that a swift resolution to the conflict would materialise, but before long the prospect of a speedy diplomatic solution lay in tatters as Moscow's drones and missiles continued to batter Ukraine's cities. Now more than two years into the conflict, Vladimir Putin has doubled down. His forces have made noticeable gains on the frontlines in recent weeks as they pressure war-weary and ammo-starved Ukrainian defenders, and his decision to appoint civilian economist Andrei Belousov as defence minister suggests the Kremlin is committed to sustaining its war economy over the long run. Meanwhile, the president's long-serving and intensely loyal foreign minister Sergei Lavrov earlier this week challenged what Russia calls the 'collective West', declaring Moscow's troops are ready to meet NATO on the battlefield.

Which again supports what Goldman was saying. The attempt to take out Fico by either pro-Ukraine or pro-globalist forces, then, could be a scenario worth watching, given that so much is at stake and they've all played dirty in the past. This one may well be something that goes beyond local politics and could be well worth watching.

Image: Twitter video screen shot
Far-left Rep. Eric Swalwell seems to see some kind of writing on the wall.

He started a fight with Oakland's unpopular Soros-backed district attorney, Pamela Price.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle:

An online feud has erupted between two East Bay Democrats, Rep. Eric Swalwell and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. Swalwell criticized the embattled prosecutor as soft on crime, and Price implied in a retort that his remarks were racist. The battle comes at a time when Price is politically vulnerable and could use all the help she can muster, particularly from an East Bay House member like Swalwell who regularly appears on national media. The Alameda County Board of Supervisors is set to decide Tuesday when to schedule a recall election for Price. Swalwell hasnt officially endorsed recalling Price, according to the recall campaign, but his online criticism is highlighting how Democrats, even in deep blue Alameda County, are divided over the controversial prosecutor.

He'll probably endorse her as the Democrat machine commands, but at that point, no one will be paying attention. The damage is done.

Obviously, Swalwell is reading some kind of bad wind blowing ever since Oakland went to hell based on Price's failure to prosecute criminals and the city itself being led by a very unpopular wokester mayor, Sheng Thao, who remains clueless about any problems in her city. The Chronicle reports that Price is so unpopular she's now up for a recall.

It's not hard to see why.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that crime is soaring (and they have good charts at the link):

Overall, reported crimes in Oakland rose 18% in 2023 compared to 2022, with violent crime up 21% and property crime up 17%.

If you lived there, you'd feel that difference and that's just reported crime; with not enough cops to answer calls, many don't bother reporting crimes anymore.

As a result, the city lost 3.2% of its population in the last year, while homelessness has risen 9%.

Sound like a well-managed city?

Actually, it's one of these, according to Wikipedia:

Rather than reassessing the situation and recognizing that it's usually a small group of habitual criminals who are creating the biggest plagues on society and going after them, Price claims that Swalwell's complaint about her is racist. Get a load of her "logic" as the Chronicle reported:

Since when did Rep. Swalwell start blaming the Alameda County DA for mail carrier robberies in the East Bay? When Alameda County residents historically elected the first Black woman as District Attorney, thats when! posted an account run by Prices campaign team Monday. The account posted links to stories about mail carriers being attacked during OMalleys tenure. As you can see from these links to news stories dating back to 2019, Rep. Swalwell did not blame the previous DA for mail carriers being robbed in the East Bay, Prices campaign team wrote. These news reports clearly indicate that crimes against postal workers in the East Bay are a long-standing problem that predates the current DA. So, I guess that makes the previous DA soft-on-crime, too, but for some reason, you never attacked her politically for it.

See, he's only attacking her because she's a "historic first," not because she's a lousy district attorney. If she's a "historic first" she couldn't possibly be a bad D.A., which is utter nonsense.

Swalwell at that point told her to tweet less and prosecute more.

But that doesn't excuse Swalwell, who's been silent about this incompetence for years and supported Price otherwise even as the city fell apart on Price's watch.

Seems that Swalwell is reading the writing on the wall about Price being a goner at this point, now that the recall is chugging ahead, and knows very well what happened when Chesa Boudin got his recall on the ballot in nearby San Francisco. He doesn't want to be on the losing side.

Which suggests he reads political reality better than Price does, but not because he cares about what's happening, but because he's a political opportunist who seeks to steer clear of the excesses of Soros-backed district attorneys. Now that Price is turning on the spit, Swalwell is pretending he was always against her formula for Oakland.

What a nasty mess, except that for Republicans, it's nice to see these leftists eating their own now. That's what happens when you run a one-party state, and all it does is open a few political doors for breaking that hammerlock and getting some actual diversity of opinions in that city. Let's hope this shoutathon continues and more blue cities fall into this kind of blue-on-blue warfare.

Image: Twitter screen shot
President Trumps policy for four years was to support oil companies and low energy prices. That is still his policy. And it will be Trumps policy whether or not oil company executives donate to him.

Bidens policies are to destroy the oil companies.

So what would be the problem with Trump meeting with oil company executives and requesting political donations? Heres this, from The Guardian viaYahoo News:

Top US ethics watchdog investigating Trump over dinner with oil bosses A powerful watchdog group that has been at the forefront of efforts to hold Donald Trump accountable for constitutional violations is investigating whether his Mar-a-Lago meeting with oil company executives last month merits legal action. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (Crew) has told the Guardian that it is investigating the dinner at Trumps club with more than 20 oil and gas company executives. Trump asked them for a $1bn presidential campaign contribution, while at the same time vowing to undo Joe Bidens restrictions on natural gas export permits, oil drilling and car pollution, the Washington Post reported.

Calling CREW a top ethics watchdog group is intentionally misleading the public. They are a leftist group. It is like calling George Soros a philanthropist.

Have you seen a headline reporting that CREW was investigating Joe Biden, or any other Democrat meeting with their political supporters for ethics violations?

What about all the times theyve met with green pusher executives, taken their money, and given them billions in taxpayer dollars in return?

Would it be a problem if Biden met with car company executives and promised to use the government to force people and industries to convert to electric vehicles

How about having lunch with Planned Parenthood supporters, and giving them hundreds of millions in taxpayer money every year?

How about meeting with teachers unions and using the government to keep schools closed? The Democrats received huge donations from these unions, and in return they get massive amounts of taxpayer funding and government favors.

What about getting donations from lawyers and never supporting tort reform?

What about getting massive support from Google, Microsoft, Apple, Meta, Netflix and others and giving them Net Neutrality?

Or federalizing student loans, and then dictatorially paying them off for support from academia and college kids?

Or requiring adherence to racist prevailing wage laws and receiving huge donations from Democrats?

And, as you can see, theres a major difference between what Trump did, and what Democrats like Biden (and Obama before him) doTrump solicited donations while iterating his intentions to get government out of the market where it doesnt belong, and let business survive or fail on its own merit; Biden uses the government, and taxpayer dollars to reward chosen industries and allies for lining his personal pocket. These are two totally different things.

CREW is purely a leftist organization that targets politicians it doesnt like. They dont really care about ethics, just pushing a leftist agenda. From Wikipedia:

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) watchdog organization devoted to U.S. government ethics and accountability.[2][3][4] Founded in 2003 as a counterweight to conservative government watchdog groups such as Judicial Watch, CREW works to expose ethics violations and corruption by government officials and institutions and to reduce the role of money in politics.

Here are some of the organizations that have allegedly funded CREW:

The Foundation to Promote Open Society (controlled by liberal billionaire financier George Soros and his family): $740,000 since 2010

The Open Society Institute (another foundation controlled by Soros): $150,000 in 2010

The Bohemian Foundation (controlled by Colorado Democratic donor Pat Stryker and her political operatives): $850,000 since 2010

Gill Foundation (private foundation of Colorado Democratic mega-donor Tim Gill): $608,615 since 2010

Dyson Foundation (family foundation of the late Charles Dyson, an FDR Administration official, leveraged-buyout titan, and longtime board member of liberal group Common Cause): $500,000 since 2011

Steven M. Silberstein Foundation (run by Steven Silberstein, a Democracy Alliance financier and member of the board of advisers for U.C. Berkeleys public policy school who made his money in the software industry): $500,000 since 2010

Marisla Foundation (environmentalist foundation run by J. Paul Getty oil fortune heiress Anne Getty Earheart): $425,000

Leland Fikes Foundation (controlled by Lee Fikes, Texas oilman and major donor to Democrats and abortion-rights causes): $200,000

Daniel and Janet Mordecai Foundation (foundation controlled by major Colorado Democratic Party donor Janet Mordecai): $100,000

There is nothing ethical about CREW!

Image: Free image, Pixabay license.
Today, AT&T announced that it entered into a deal with AST SpaceMobile to launch a satellite-to-smartphone service soon. AT&T has been working closely with the satellite network company since 2018. Notably, AST SpaceMobile is a potential rival to SpaceXs satellite network Starlink.

AT&T comes together with AST SpaceMobile to launch a satellite-to-smartphone service

In todays announcement, AT&T adds that it has been working together with AST SpaceMobile under a Memorandum of Understanding. Last year, as a test, AST SpaceMobile launched a prototype satellite. Interestingly, it managed to deliver a download bandwidth of up to 14Mbps. Besides, it showcased voice calls, texts, and video calls using 4G LTE and 5G connectivity in the same year. Although AST hasnt launched a production satellite to date, AT&T seems pretty confident that AST will be able to provide fast and reliable internet to its users.

AT&T also added that AST is planning to deliver its first commercial satellites to Cape Canaveral for launch into low Earth Orbit. The smartphone carriers giant says that the first five satellites will allow the beginning of satellite-to-smartphone service as demonstrated previously. Lets not forget that, in January AT&T invested $110 million in AST SpaceMobile. Worth noting that the satellite network company also received funding from tech giant Google.

The commercial agreement which extends until 2030 has a goal to offer a space-based broadband network to everyday cell phones. In other words, users can receive cellular connections without worrying about a few signal towers in far-flung areas. With AT&Ts satellite-to-smartphone service in place, users just need to ensure their phone has a clear view of the sky to receive cellular signals.

Major telecom companies have entered into similar deals

Previously, many other company that has secured a deal to bring satellite-to-smartphone service to life soon. For similar purposes, major telecom companies like T-Mobile and Verizon have already entered an agreement with SpaceX and Amazon, respectively.

Moreover, Apple has already integrated satellite connectivity into iPhones for a long time now. Time will tell when exactly AT&T will launch satellite-to-smartphone service, but it will be a thing to watch out for down the line.
Mohamad Iweinat cuts a piece of Knafeh at Royal Roastery on Friday, May 10, 2024 in Houston. Knafeh is a traditional Arabic dessert, made with spun pastry called kataifi, soaked in a sweet, sugar-based syrup called attar, and typically layered with cheese, or with other ingredients such as clotted cream, pistachio or nuts. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Mohamad Iweinat cuts a piece of Knafeh at Royal Roastery on Friday, May 10, 2024 in Houston. Knafeh is a traditional Arabic dessert, made with spun pastry called kataifi, soaked in a sweet, sugar-based syrup called attar, and typically layered with cheese, or with other ingredients such as clotted cream, pistachio or nuts. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Mohamad Iweinat cuts a piece of Knafeh at Royal Roastery on Friday, May 10, 2024 in Houston. Knafeh is a traditional Arabic dessert, made with spun pastry called kataifi, soaked in a sweet, sugar-based syrup called attar, and typically layered with cheese, or with other ingredients such as clotted cream, pistachio or nuts. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer

Middle Eastern shops in Mid West Houston exude vibrant colors from the many nuts, spices and candy they sell. But Royal Roastery has something its counterparts don't: knafeh na'ameh.

A crispy top and thin bottom hold together sweet, gooey cheese that stretches at least a foot long before tearing off. It might be cheese, but each bite is overwhelming in sweetness, perfect with a strong cup of Turkish coffee.

MORE FROM SONIA GARCIA: The cocktail of 2024? Why bartenders are pushing for the batanga to be front and center

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Mohamad Iweinat, manager of Royal Roastery, says it's one of his favorite things to eat. It reminds him of his childhood when he lived in Jordan.

"When we started making it, it brought back memories for me," Iweinat said. "A lot of customers react the same way, especially when they get that first taste, and they realize the cheese is actually from there, because some people make it but make it with the wrong cheese or the wrong dough. People love it."

Royal Roastery opened last year from New Orleans and is making and serving traditional Knafeh, a Middle Eastern sweet cheese dessert, using all imported ingredients. Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle

Knafeh is enjoyed like cake for Americans in Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Turkey. When guests are visiting or there is a celebration, there is sure to be knafeh. And it's easy to find in those countries.

In Houston, not so much. The ingredients are hard to find, Iweinat said. Royal Roastery imports everything from Jordan and surrounding countries, including the ingredients used for knafeh.

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There are two versions of knafeh. The softer, harder-to-find knafeh is na'ameh. Khishneh, known as the "coarse" knafeh, has a spongy interior. It is more commonly made and can be found in some Turkish restaurants in Houston.

The two knafehs have a similar taste because they use almost all the same ingredients. However, for knafeh na'ameh, ground semolina dough called farkeh is used to make the crust. This is more difficult to make because the ground dough is compressed by hand to hold the cheese in the center. Knafeh khishneh uses shredded phyllo dough called kataifi that more easily holds the cheese together. When made at home, the tradition is to dye the dough orange.

Salem Shams Aldeen makes a makes Knafeh, using all imported ingredients, at Royal Roastery on Friday, May 10, 2024 in Houston. Knafeh is a traditional Arabic dessert, made with spun pastry called kataifi, soaked in a sweet, sugar-based syrup called attar, and layered with sweet cheese. Brett Coomer/ Staff Photographer

Knafehs are made in a thin copper tray. Both use ghee. The ghee in the na'ameh is hot; cold in the khishneh. The sweet cheese is drained of its water before it's placed on the dough. The stacked ghee, dough and cheese are heated and spun on a burner until ready. Then it's flipped in the tray so the slightly thicker layer of crust sits on top. Knafehs take around 30 minutes to make in total. Lastly, they are topped with Turkish pistachios.

Iweinat said knafeh na'ameh wasn't sold in Houston until Royal Roastery expanded from New Orleans about a year and a half ago at 6467 Westheimer. A few months later, nearby food truck Abutair Kunafa began selling late-night knafeh. There is some variation in the thickness and additions to the cheese depending on where you go, Iweinat said.

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While knafeh is widely known in the Middle Eastern community, it's less well known by others.

During holidays like the upcoming Eid-ul-Adha, Muslim customers order whole trays (broken up into 30 slices) of knafeh from Royal Roastery. But the Arabic nut shop makes both the soft and coarse knafeh daily, and customers can stop in for a slice.
Recently news broke that Google could bring ChromeOS to the Pixel 8. Android Authority learned that Google was working on a project called Ferrochrome. Ferrochrome was an OS based on Chromium OS that was designed to run virtually on top of Android. While this sounds exciting, Google has confirmed that ChromeOS on Pixel 8 is just a proof of concept.

Google reportedly demoed ChromeOS running on a Pixel 8 at a private event with close industry partners. Android Authoritys Mishaal Rahman sat with top officials from the Android team, like David Burke and Sameer Samat at Google I/O 2024. During the interview, He asked them about Googles future plans for the Ferrochrome project.

ChromeOS can run on a virtual machine on devices like the Pixel 8

This interview revealed how capable Android devices are of virtualization. Ferrochrome uses the Android Virtualization Framework (AVF) introduced in Android 13. This framework provides a private and isolated environment for sensitive code to run. AVF is only supported on ARM64 devices like the Pixel 8. Android 15 improves AVF with better support for running operating systems with GPU acceleration. To take the improved AVF for a test drive, Google chose its other operating system, ChromeOS.

Android Police reports that the Google team wanted to see what AVF was capable of and what interesting challenges would arise from running Ferrochrome on Android devices. Unfortunately, Google has not revealed its future plans for the Ferrochrome project. It may develop into a fully-fledged feature with support from Google hardware partners. Or, it may join a host of other fun experiments by Google in the graveyard.

If you want something like ChromeOS on Android, your only option is Samsung DeX

The closest alternative we have to Ferrochrome is Samsung DeX. DeX is Samsungs vision of a desktop mode for Android devices. The issue is that, unlike Ferrochrome, DeX is not a different operating system. It just provides a larger display to run apps and even though youre on a bigger display, you are still limited by the fact that the apps youre running are made for mobile. This means they are less capable than their desktop counterparts.
Google recently made tons of announcements related to Artificial Intelligence in its Google I/O 2024 annual event. It made some huge decisions such as the opening of Google Homes APIs, and the announcement of Project Astra during the event. However, shortly after the event, Google received a warning notice from law forcing authority of Turkey. The authority has also imposed a huge fine on Google.

Turkish competition board fines Google

The Turkish Competition Authority, which is a competition regulator in Turkey, said on Thursday that it has decided to fine Google. The Government of Turkey established this authority to prevent any threats or irregularities in the competitive process within the region. It uses the power granted by law to ensure equal competitiveness in the market.

The authority fined Google for not following the rules for local search services. The authority says that the fine is due to the firms negligence towards the law and order. Google will have to pay five-tenth thousand of its 2023 revenue every day. This fine will be imposed on Google until it starts following the boards orders and regulations.

Google faces fine in Turkey because of non-compliance with regulations

The board says that Google received a substantial penalty because it did not properly include hotel searches in the protections it had already set up. These protections aimed to address competition authoritys concerns about the fairness and competitiveness of local search services. Despite Googles attempts to resolve some concerns, the decision to exclude hotel searches turned out to be a big mistake, leading to significant penalties.

The order is already in force, which means Google has already started paying the fine starting May 15th. Google still has enough time to comply with the regulations of the authority, or else it will have to pay heavy fines. It is supposed to pay the fine daily. This means the total amount of the fine or the penalty accumulates over time.
Google is replacing traditional history and pattern-driven recommendations for Google TV with Generative Artificial Intelligence. At the Google I/O, the search giant has indicated that Gemini AI will make smarter recommendations based on user behavior.

Google TV will have Gemini AI recommending content to viewers

Recommendations by streaming services have been rather simple. Services have heavily relied on viewers watchlists, user activity on the platform, and connected streaming services to suggest content.

Moving forward, Gen AI will make recommendations to viewers about what to watch. Google has confirmed that its Gemini AI will make recommendations on Google TV.

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Traditionally, streaming platforms offered a lot of choice to users. However, users do tend to spend a lot of time searching for what to watch. Alternatively, users change or adjust their preferences to get better suggestions. Moving forward, Gemini AI will observe the content users are watching and suggest what they should watch.

For example, if a user has watched a political or courtroom drama, Gemini AI will recommend they watch a new series that premiered recently. Gemini AI could also accept and register users actions and choices to finetune recommendations.

Why is Gemini replacing traditional recommendation techniques?

According to Google, Gemini will take the content recommendation process, and the platforms per-user customization or personalization, to the next level. Gemini AI can theoretically tailor its recommendation based on the genre, actor, plot, story, and even actor preferences.

Google is reportedly using Gemini AI to fill in missing or untranslated descriptions. This will help Google TV hold a lot of relevant information about movies, series, and other content. Viewers do tend to skip watching some shows simply because the descriptions or context is missing. In other words, Gemini could help improve content discovery and consumption too.

Google could be positioning Gemini AI as an AI-driven virtual assistant dedicated to TV watching. Interestingly, Google unveiled a new Flash version of Gemini. Simply put, it is a snappier version of the Gen AI.

10. Gemini Flash 1.5: A lighter-weight model optimized for tasks where low latency and cost are crucial. Developers can now use it with up to 1 million tokens in Google AI Studio and Vertex AI from today.pic.twitter.com/w1SdHv19bQ  Vensy (@vensykrishna) May 15, 2024

Google has designed the Flash version of Gemini AI to offer quicker responses to smaller tasks. Simply put, this version of Gemini is built for speed. As Google TV viewers would welcome near-instant responses, Google may be optimizing the Flash version for this platform. However, Google has cautioned that AI-based recommendations might not be accurate.

Gemini might not be able to align perfectly with users preferences. However, it is important to note that Gen AI is still evolving, and Gemini should get better as viewers start interacting with it.
Samsung is preparing to soon launch the Galaxy M35 as its new mid-range proposition in select markets. Originally expected to be a rebadged Galaxy A35 launched in March, the upcoming M series phone may deviate significantly from its A series equivalent. Not just in terms of specs, but design too. Leaked renders show the Galaxy M35 will look nothing like the Galaxy A35.

Galaxy M35s design revealed by leaked renders

Noted X tipster Evan Blass recently posted GIF files showing 360-degree images of the Galaxy M35 in three colors. The device has a standard Samsung look substantially different from the Galaxy A35. For one, the rear panel has curved edges instead of a completely flat back. The M series phone also misses out on the Key Island design. The new design element adds a bumper around the power and volume buttons.

Speaking of the buttons, the Gaalxy M35s power key is recessed, confirming a side-mounted capacitive fingerprint scanner. The Galaxy A35 has an optical under-display sensor. The positioning of the SIM tray is also different. It sits on the top edge of the A series phone, while the upcoming device has it on the left side. The renders dont show its top and bottom edges, so we cant tell if it has a similar coin slit-like cutout for the speaker.

The display bezels appear a little wider, though there may not be a huge difference. The back panel has a stripped design but the camera arrangement is unchanged. Samsung has kept the same camera design on almost every phone it has launched since the beginning of 2023. It is creating a brand identity for the camera layout, so anyone can identify a Galaxy phone from afar by just seeing its rear cameras.

A 6,000mAh battery is confirmed

The Galaxy M35 has been rumored to feature a 6,000mAh battery, something Evan Blass has confirmed. The phone will likely support 25W charging. It previously surfaced on a few certification listings, revealing some specs. It boasts Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and NFC connectivity technologies along with sub-6GHz 5G support and Android 14. Samsungs Exynos 1380 SoC will power the handset with at least 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage.

The rest of the specs are currently under wraps. However, it may not be long before Samsung takes the wraps off it all. The company has already started putting up official support pages for the Galaxy M35 on its website. It might be targeting a similar launch timeline as the Galaxy M34 for its new M series phone. The 2023 model debuted in the first week of July. We will let you know when Samsung announces its successor.
Days after rolling out One UI 6.1, Samsung is following up with another update for the Galaxy S22 series. It is pushing the May security patch to the 2022 flagships. Other models, including the Galaxy S23 series, should also get the latest security update in the coming days.

Galaxy S22 gets Samsungs May security update

Samsung recently started updating the Galaxy S22 series to One UI 6.1 globally. Some users may have yet to install the new One UI version but the company is already ready with the next update. The phones are currently getting the May security maintenance release, aka SMR, in Europe. The new firmware build number is S90*BXXSAEXE3. A global rollout might follow shortly.

As the build number tells us, this update is all about security fixes. For the uninitiated, the sixth character from the last specifies whether it is a feature update or just a security patch. S denotes the latter, while Samsung uses U for a feature release. For example, the One UI 6.1 update for the Galaxy S22 series in Europe had the build number S90*BXXU9EXE1.

This update may not have any new features to look forward to, the latest SMR contains plenty of important security fixes. Samsungs updated monthly security bulletin says the May release patches 55 vulnerabilities across the Galaxy family, at least three of which are critical Android OS flaws. You should install new security patches as soon as possible to plug these flaws.

If you are using a Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, or Galaxy S22 Ultra in Europe, this months security releases should be available to you anytime now if it hasnt already. You can navigate to Settings > Software update > Download and install to check for updates manually. To check the current security patch level, go to the About phone section in Settings and then to Software information.

More Galaxy devices will get the May security patch soon

Samsung released the May SMR early in May but hasnt pushed it to many devices, likely because it got caught up in the One UI 6.1 update. The Galaxy S24 series is the only phone to receive the new security patch globally. The Galaxy S22 series has just joined the party and it should mark the beginning of a wider rollout. We will let you know as and when Samsung updates other Galaxy devices to this months security patch. We will also keep you posted on the One UI 6.1 update.
Currently, the US government is still trying to figure out the best ways to regulate AI technology. So far, there arent any solid laws, but different people and organizations are proposing bills that could help police companies and how they use AI. The US Senate just proposed a $32 billion AI regulation roadmap, and it was met with both positive and negative responses.

Theres no doubt that AI technology has become extremely powerful. Recently, Google hosted its Google I/O AI keynote where it talked about a ton of different innovations coming to its Gemini platform. The company showed off features like Project Astra. This is basically an AI-powered viewfinder for the Gemini app. It allows Gemini to see things in the real world and answer questions based on what it sees. Its Googles answer to the vision feature introduced with GPT-4o.

The US Senate proposed a 32-billion-dollar AI regulation roadmap

This road map was proposed by four Senators on Wednesday. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Todd Young (R-IN). Right now, the road map is a little bare bones, as its not meant to address every aspect of AI. Also, its not meant to bring forth any laws surrounding the technology.

The four senators held AI Insight forums over the past couple of months. These forums included other individuals like Amba Kak (co-executive director of AI Now), Rashad Robinson (president of civil rights group Color of Change), and Divyansh Kaushik (vice president at national security advisory firm Beacon Global Strategies). The forums also included notable AI figures, Sundar Pichai and Sam Altman.

The road map points to certain areas where the Senate should concentrate on AI. These areas are for non-defensive AI, which is a whole different can of worms. However, the roadmap calls for at least $32 billion to be spent on AI each year, as noted by The Verge.

A few of the main areas mentioned are child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and election content. These are two major areas where AI technology can, unfortunately, have a major effect. While this 20-page roadmap does hit on some important details, its still only a minor step away from the governments dream of having fully regulated AI.
Google just confirmed when it will carry out the Google One VPN shutdown announced a few weeks ago. The company decided to remove this feature from its paid subscription to focus on developing other functions or improving the most used ones. The VPN will stop working starting June 20 of this year (2024).

One brings together Google Cloud storage along with additional services. The free tier only includes 15GB of free cloud space for all Google accounts. However, paid plans include more features, such as advanced AI editing options in the Google Photos app. Another benefit was a VPN at no additional cost.

On June 20, Google One VPN will stop working

In case you dont know, a VPN basically helps you camouflage yourself on the internet. They are widely used to bypass geographic restrictions in services that limit their content or offers by region, for example. It also serves to browse more privately. However, it seems that this feature did not catch the attention of too many Google One subscribers, so the company decided to remove it to focus its efforts and resources on other things.

Google had warned about the Google One VPN shutdown in April. Now, the company is confirming the date of the death of the feature. Its noteworthy that Google previously announced other important changes regarding services included in Google One paid tiers. For example, many of the advanced editing features in Google Photos will soon be free.

Google Fi or Pixel VPNs will not be affected

You should not confuse Google One VPN with Google Fi VPN. The companys mobile carrier will continue to offer this service to all its eligible customers. Google Pixel devices will also continue to include a free VPN service as one of their perks. However, the company is working on unlinking the Google Pixel VPN from the Google One app. They already did this in the Pixel 8 series which includes a separate VPN by Google feature.
Last week, TikTok sued the US government after President Joe Biden signed a law to ban the app in the country. The company has received support from creators on the platform. A group of creators have filed a lawsuit opposing the potential ban on the popular video app. The lawsuit seeks to block the newly passed law that will ban TikTok in a year unless its Chinese parent company ByteDance sells the US arm of its business.

US TikTok creators sue the government over the new law to ban the app

The US lawmakers and security agencies have long labeled TikTok a national security threat due to its Chinese origin. ByteDance is alleged to have backdoors for the Chinese government, potentially exposing its user data. As such, the country plans to ban the app. The video-based social media platform is already banned from government devices in most US states. A bill that bans it across the nation also passed the House and Senate last month.

President Biden promptly approved the bill, turning it into law. ByteDance now has a year to either sell the US division of TikTok or face a ban. However, as expected, the company wont go up without putting up a fight, and potentially winning the battle to continue its operations in the country. Two weeks after the law passed, TikTok filed a lawsuit challenging the US government and calling the law unconstitutional.

Eight TikTok creators have now followed up with a similar lawsuit. Petition for review and complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief, the lawsuit is titled. Petitioners are among the 170 million Americans who create, publish, view, interact with, and share videos on TikTok, the creators begin their complaint. Deep down into the lawsuit, they echo TikToks sentiment by calling the law unconstitutional because it violates their First Amendment rights.

The eight creators want the US government to retract the law and not enforce a nationwide ban on TikTok. They say a ban will shutter a discrete medium of communication that has become part of American life. The creators add such a move will be an extraordinary restraint on speech. While ByteDance can sell the platform and let Americans continue using it under someone elses ownership, it says this option is infeasible.

TikTok is backing creators with legal fees

TikTok creators in the US likely wouldnt have challenged the impending ban if the company hadnt publicly announced that it would rather face a ban than sell the app. Perhaps it is a well-thought-out strategy from the Chinese firm. When Montana announced a statewide ban on the app last year, several creators sued the state and won. The ban never went into effect, and TikTok likely hopes for a similar outcome this time.

To that end, the company is backing the eight creators participating in this lawsuit by covering their legal fees. The creators are represented by the same law firm as the Montana creators last year. It remains to be seen whether TikTok can avoid a ban in the US. This could be an intense legal battle over the next year.
A built-in pull out step helps in the kitchen, enabling you to reach things in her cupboards. Special renovations allow homeowners to keep living at home as they age. ROBIN LAYTON La-Z-Boy recliners have gotten more streamlined, more stylish and more high tech. They are an option for homeowners who want to age in place. La-Z-Boy Gene and Sallie Carr recently remodeled their home in Hendersonville, N.C. An increasing number of Americans in their late 50s and older are staying in their houses, some by choice, others because they're locked into low mortgage rates that are too low to give up. Chris Carlson, STF / Associated Press A grab bar next to the bathtub is shown in the recently remodeled home of Gene and Sallie Carr on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, in Hendersonville, N.C. An increasing number of Americans in their late 50s and older are staying in their houses, some by choice, others because they're locked into low mortgage rates that are too low to give up. Chris Carlson, STF / Associated Press Gene and Sallie Carr recently remodeled their home in Hendersonville, N.C. An increasing number of Americans in their late 50s and older are staying in their houses, some by choice, others because they're locked into low mortgage rates that are too low to give up. Chris Carlson, STF / Associated Press Gene and Sallie Carr recently remodeled their home in Hendersonville, N.C. An increasing number of Americans in their late 50s and older are staying in their houses, some by choice, others because they're locked into low mortgage rates that are too low to give up. Chris Carlson, STF / Associated Press

Brenda Edwards considers the four bedroom ranch-style house where she has lived for 20 years her forever home. Its where the 70-year-old retired nurse and her 79-year-old husband want to stay as their mobility becomes more limited.

So she hired an interior designer for $20,000 and spent another $95,000 to retrofit their house in Oakdale, California. She had the kitchen aisles widened to accommodate a wheelchair in case she or her husband ever need one. The bathroom now has a walk-in steam shower and an electronic toilet seat that cleans the user when activated.

We felt comfortable, Edwards said in explaining why the couple decided to invest in the property instead of downsizing. We have a pool. We have a spa. We just put a lot of love and effort into this yard. We want to stay.

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Even if they wanted to move, it wouldnt make financial sense, Edwards said. Their house is almost paid for, and it would be too hard to purchase anything else, she said.

Like Edwards and her husband, a vast majority of adults over age 50 prefer the idea of remaining in their own residences as long a possible, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll. But staying put is becoming less of a choice. Some baby boomers and older members of Generation X are locked into low mortgage rates too good to give up. Skyrocketing housing prices fueled by lean supply further complicate the calculations of moving house.

Despite feeling tied down, a subset of these older adults have enough extra cash to splurge on upgrades designed to keep their homes both enjoyable and accessible as they age. The demand for inconspicuous safety bars, lower sinks, residential elevators and other amenities has given home improvement chains, contractors, designers and architects a noticeable lift.

Home Depot, the nations largest home improvement chain, is revamping its Glacier Bay brand to include sleeker grab bars and faucets that are easier to use. Rival Lowes created a one-stop shop in 2021 that offers wheelchair ramps, teak shower benches, taller toilets and other products geared toward older boomers.

They aspire for bathrooms that exude beauty and elegance, with essential accessibility features seamlessly integrated, Lowes Trend and Style Director Monica Reese said of the target customers.

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Toto USA, a subsidiary of a Japanese company that introduced a luxury bidet toilet seat in 1980, markets the bathroom fixture to older people by saying it can help prevent urinary tract infections and reduce the burden on caregivers.

Toto USA research showed a 20 percentage point spike in ownership of the Washlet seats among consumers ages 46-55 between early 2020 and the end of last year. The increase indicates customers are thinking ahead, said Jarrett Oakley, the subsidiarys director of marketing.

The growing older demographic is more knowledgeable about renovations and planning for their future needs, especially as they prepare to age in place, Oakley said. Theyre looking to future-proof their homes thoughtfully and with a focus on luxury.

Wendy Glaister, an interior designer in Modesto, California, who worked with Edwards, reports more clientele in their late 50s and early 60s remodeling their homes for the years ahead. The typical bathroom renovation in California costs $45,000 to $75,000, she said.

Your home is your safe place, Glaister said. Your home is where you hosted your family for holidays.

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The need to age-proof properties will become more urgent in the decade ahead. By 2034, people age 65 and older are expected to outnumber those under age 18 for the first time in U.S. history, according to a U.S. Census report revised in 2020.

But the issue has exposed a divide between well-heeled and lower-income boomers regarding their ability to remain in place safely.

Cathie Perkins, 79, a retired teacher who has chronic fatigue syndrome, had a local non-profit group modify the first-floor apartment she owns in Beaverton, Oregon. The changes, which cost about $3,000, included replacing her tub shower with a walk-in version and installing a higher toilet.

Perkins values her independence and said retirement facilities are beyond her means. I am on a fixed income, she said. I have Social Security, and I have a pension.

According to a 2023 analysis of the 2011 American Housing Survey by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, less than 4% of U.S. homes combine single-floor living with no-step entry, and halls and doorways wide enough for wheelchairs.

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The Harvard center analysis found that 20% of survey respondents age 80 and above with incomes below $30,000 reported accessibility challenges, compared to 11% for those with incomes of $75,000 or more.

Jennifer Molinsky, director of the centers Housing an Aging Society program, urges policymakers to address the shortage of affordable housing thats a good fit for older adults.

There are all these options for those people who have a lot of money, Molinsky said. But theres a lot of disparity. There are people, through no fault of their own or for systemic reasons, who may not have the money to modify.

Gene Carr, 67, and Sallie Carr, 65, have lived in their two-story, four-bedroom house in Henderson, North Carolina, for 27 years. The married couple had the money and vision to renovate in August 2022, hoping to stay in their home for at least another 20 years.

They hired builders to put a master bedroom and a bathroom on the first floor, both wheelchair-accessible. As the project neared completion a year ago, Gene Carr had a minor stroke that he describes as a wake-up call. His condition has improved, but the renovations make it easier to deal with ongoing balance issues, Carr said.

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Weve got two pets that are old, and they dont like going up and downstairs anymore either, he said.

As retailers respond to the discomfort with aging itself in U.S. culture, Nancy Berlinger, a senior research scholar at the Hastings Center in Garrison, New York, who collaborates with Molinsky, encourages future home renovators to stay open-minded.
Andy Murrays preparations for the French Open suffered a setback following a straight-sets defeat to Gregoire Barrere in Bordeaux.

The Scot, playing his second match since damaging ankle tendons in March, was beaten 6-4 6-2 by the world number 115 in the second round of the Challenger event.

Murray on Wednesday returned to action following an injury which put his participation at Roland Garros in doubt when he overcame Kyrian Jacquet after the Frenchman retired in the second set.

The 37-year-olds quest to gain further clay-court practice looked set to be extremely short-lived as he dropped the opening game from 40-0 up en route to swiftly falling 5-0 behind following three breaks of serve.

He responded impressively to move within a game but Frenchman Barrere survived the fightback to wrap up the opening set in a little more than 45 minutes.

The three-time grand slam winner, who showed no visible discomfort, again failed to hold serve in the third, fifth and seventh games of the second set as his 30-year-old opponent deservedly eased into the quarter-finals.

British number three Dan Evans, also competing in Bordeaux in a bid to find form after a tough spell, earlier defeated Frances Harold Mayot 6-3 7-6 (3).
Bodies have been left to decompose at NHS hospitals across England, according to reports by inspectors.

Officials from the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) have told how inadequate storage facilities and lack of freezer space means some bodies have been left for too long at unsuitable temperatures.

Official HTA guidance says that bodies should be moved into frozen storage after 30 days in fridges or before, depending on the condition of the body.

However, a series of reports show NHS trusts are not always adhering to these rules and keep bodies for far longer in fridges.

The General Infirmary in Leeds (Paul Barker/PA)

In one case at Leeds General Infirmary, reported last year, the HTA said: The inspection team noted a body that had been in storage for 70 days that had not been placed into frozen storage despite being released by the coroner.

This body showed signs of decomposition and had soiled shrouding.

A second body had been in storage for 47 days, had also been the subject of a coroners release notification and had not been placed into frozen storage and showed signs of decomposition.

Inspectors also found there was no cleaning schedule for the body store at Leeds General, and the door from the visitors area to the staff office is not fitted with a lockThis allows potential access to the main mortuary.

At the Royal Blackburn Hospital, inspectors in 2022 found major flaws, including discovering two bodies in an advanced state of decomposition as a result of not being moved into frozen storage after 30 days.

Elsewhere, at Kings College Hospital in London, inspectors reported critical shortfalls in 2022, with mouldy and infested conditions for body storage.

The report added: At the time of the inspection there were several adult bodies which had been stored in excess of 30 days in the fridge units.

Whilst these bodies were subject to regular condition checking, signs of deterioration were present.

Bodies required movement to freezer storage to prevent further deterioration however the long-term storage unit was at capacity.

The John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford (Steve Parsons/PA)

Meanwhile, inspectors in 2022 to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford found inadequate storage space and identified a number of bodies which had been held in refrigerated storage longer than the recommended 30 days which were beginning to show signs of deterioration.

The Royal Bolton Hospital said it had increased capacity after inspectors there identified a body that had been in refrigerated storage for 84 days.

The Health Service Journal (HSJ), which first reported on the issue, said it had found at least 10 cases across the country since 2022 where inspectors discovered one or more bodies had started to deteriorate.

A spokeswoman for the HTA said: The management of the deceased in some licensed mortuaries was identified as a concern through the HTA on-site inspection process.

The deceased should be stored at temperatures that preserve their condition and there should be sufficient storage provision and alternatives in place if needed.

We expect all licensed establishments to be compliant with our standards and ensure the dignity of the deceased is maintained.

When we find shortfalls we work with establishments to ensure an action plan for improvement is put in place, lessons are learnt and the issue is escalated within the establishment where necessary.

Dr Magnus Harrison, chief medical officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: Our aim is to provide a safe and dignified service in our mortuaries for people who have died, and unfortunately in this instance, this was not the case.

We now have improved systems in place including better communication with our coroner and respective partners to ensure this doesnt happen again.

Duty of Candour procedures are followed when next of kin information is available.

A spokeswoman for Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: Following an inspection report in 2022 by the HTA, we have significantly increased the size of our mortuary provision.

An Oxford University Hospitals spokeswoman said: We take great care to ensure that our patients are always treated with compassion and dignity, including after death.

Some deterioration of the deceased is expected in refrigerated storage, even for short periods, and would not normally fulfil criteria for notification under duty of candour guidance.

Usual practice is to transfer deceased to frozen storage if they are to be stored for more than 30 days, though this depends on the condition of the deceased, location and availability of appropriate freezer space, and the likely timing of transfer to funeral directors, for whom receiving the deceased in a frozen state brings additional challenges and could delay a funeral.

Freezing itself affects the appearance of a body, and therefore tends to be avoided when the deceased is likely to be moving to a funeral directors care in the very near future.

The OUH mortuary has recently been refurbished and expanded to increase its capacity in the context of rising regional and national demand for mortuary facilities.

In 2021, David Fuller was convicted of the murders of two young women in Tunbridge Wells.

He worked at Kent and Sussex Hospital and the Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Pembury from 1989 and sexually abused the bodies of 101 women and girls in the hospital mortuaries between 2005 to 2020.

An NHS spokesperson said: The NHS takes its responsibilities in this area seriously and all NHS trusts must follow the Human Tissue Authoritys guidance on mortuary storage practices.
Boy, five, dies after falling from upper floor of east London apartment block

A five-year-old boy has died after falling from the upper floor of an apartment block in east London.

The child is said to have fallen from the 15th floor of Jacobs House on New City Road, Plaistow, shortly before 6am on Thursday.

Air ambulance paramedics, police, and the fire brigade attended, but the boy died at the scene.

Police said the death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.

A neighbour who called the emergency services from an apartment block in east London said the boys father was inconsolable.

A general view of Jacobs House in Plaistow (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

Ansert Davis, who lives in Jacobs House, said he saw the boys father after the incident.

I just ran down and tried to speak to the dad but hes inconsolable, he told the PA news agency.

Mr Davis said the boys mother was distraught, and that he saw another neighbour run out to help.

She came running around, took one look at the child and turned back shaking.

Visibly emotional, he added: I keep seeing the image in my head. Its so sad, Ive got a grandkid about this age. Oh my God, its like seeing your own kids.

Another resident of Jacobs House, who gave his name only as JJ, said the boy lived on the 15th floor.

He said he witnessed a man attend to the boy and cry out: No, my son.

The resident added: The paramedic was shaken up.

The paramedics were here about 6.00, 6.10 maybe. They were here quickly.

Jacobs House in Plaistow, east London (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

Another resident, who did not give their name, said the boy was an Arsenal supporter.

They said: Hes a nice boy, a really nice boy.

Floral tributes have been left at the scene of the incident.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: Police were called at 05.58hrs on Thursday to reports of a child having fallen from height at New City Road, E13.

Officers, London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service and Londons Air Ambulance attended. At the scene, a five-year-old boy had fallen from an upper floor of an apartment block.

Despite the efforts of emergency services, he sadly died at the scene. His family are aware and are being supported.

The death is being treated as unexpected and inquiries are under way to establish the full circumstances.

Our thoughts are with the childs family at this time. There were no arrests. A scene remains in place.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: We were called at 5.59am today to reports of a person fallen from height on New City Road, Plaistow.

We sent resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast response car and an incident response officer. We also dispatched a trauma team in a car from Londons Air Ambulance.

Our first paramedics arrived on scene in approximately four minutes. Very sadly, a child was pronounced dead at the scene.

A Newham Council spokesperson said: We are deeply sorry to hear about this devastating incident, we extend our sincere condolences to all those affected.

We have staff at the location to provide reassurance to residents at this difficult time while we work with partners to establish the full facts.
British artist David Shrigley said he had an ill-informed prejudice towards printmaking during his time art school, considering it boring at the time.

Macclesfield-born Shrigley studied at Glasgow School of Art in the late 1980s, where he said the printmaking department was seen as something of a poor relative to the other departments.



Secretly I considered the printmakers to be losers who werent good enough to be in the cool departments, the 55-year-old said.

David Shrigley at the Jealous Gallery in Shoreditch, London (Lucy North/PA)

Printing was old-fashioned. Perhaps even boring. A side-project for serious elderly painters. In short, I wasnt interested.

My ill-informed prejudice subsided about a decade later when I made my first etchings in Copenhagen.

The Danish capital has been a focal point for Shrigleys artistic practice since the 1990s.

Michael Schafer (left) and David Shrigley at the Jealous Gallery in Shoreditch, London (Lucy North/PA)

To celebrate the historic printmaking methods he learned in Denmark, Shrigley has collaborated with Danish printmaker Michael Schafer on a new exhibition of works titled Copenhagen Prints.



The exhibition will run at Jealous Gallery in East London from Thursday May 16 to Saturday June 1 and features more than 40 monochrome prints created using traditional printmaking methods, including etching, woodcut and lino printing.

I quickly learned that the mark of a pen or a brush on paper is an expression whereas the mark you make on a printing plate is a small, controlled act of violence, Shrigley said.

David Shrigley at the Jealous Gallery in Shoreditch, London (Lucy North/PA)





Printmaking is a medium that has been used for centuries. It is direct. It is vibrant. In a world of digital processes, it is as analogue as art can be.

All prints featured in the exhibition were hand-made in Schafers Copenhagen studio, where Shrigley has worked since 2002.

The exhibition also features a selection of original plates and tools from Schafers studio, offering an educational insight into printmaking techniques used throughout history.

David Shrigley (left) and Michael Schafer at the Jealous Gallery in Shoreditch, London (Lucy North/PA)

It also marks Shrigleys only show in the UK this year.

Shrigleys first exhibition was in 1995 in Glasgow, rising to fame after one of his drawings was featured on the cover of Frieze Magazine later that year.

He was nominated for the Turner prize in 2013 for Brain Activity, and in 2016 he created a sculpture of a bronze hand giving a thumbs up sign titled Really Good, which appeared on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square for 18 months.
Council workers are to be balloted on strike action after being left in limbo as local authority leaders delay making a pay offer, a union has said.

GMB Scotland and Unites care worker members employed by Scottish councils will receive a ballot on strike action next week, with the vote to close on June 19.

Unison will also be balloting its refuse and recycling worker members in the coming days, with members in schools and social care to be balloted later in the summer.

The unions have accused council leaders of time wasting and creating uncertainty among workers.

GMB Scotland members have already voted overwhelmingly in a consultative ballot to back industrial action if the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) does not make an acceptable pay offer.

The union said council leaders were told on Wednesday that GMBs residential and home care workers will make a decision on strike action after no offer was received, despite being told one was due.

Workers in other areas are also being balloted on industrial action as council leaders reputedly discuss an offer of 2%, the union said.

Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland senior organiser in public services, said: This offer is already far too late and, from what we have heard, is almost certain to be far too low.

Our members have already shown great patience, but enough is enough.

Council leaders must already suspect their offer will not be accepted but continue to waste time and inflict uncertainty.

They claim to have no money but have made no serious attempt to persuade Scottish Government ministers to provide the money needed for a realistic, acceptable offer.

They are leaving our members in limbo and Scots relying on frontline council services facing disruption.

Our members in social care are among the lowest paid council workers delivering some of the most important frontline services.

They deserve better than this. So do their colleagues, and so does every Scot relying on them to deliver the services Scotland is built on.

Graham McNab, Unites industrial officer, said on Wednesday the lack of action from Cosla is history repeating itself.

Unions said social care staff deserve better (Alamy/PA)

He added: There isnt even an offer on the table for our local government membership to consider.

Unite has no choice but to initiate an industrial action ballot process which will in the end force Cosla into making a credible pay offer.

It really is a sorry state of affairs and the pay negotiation process has clearly demonstrated that is not fit for purpose.

Lets also be clear that the Scottish Government are equally to blame for this unacceptable situation.

Unison Scotland lead for local government David OConnor said: The employers promised an improved offer would come this week. Council staff have made it very clear that theyre not willing to be strung along.

If Cosla makes a better proposal soon, itll be considered. Strike action is always the last resort but, as it stands, theres no choice but to start an official ballot.

A Cosla spokesman said: Learning from the last few years, we are working hard to maintain a dialogue with our SJC trade unions partners, whilst we explore all avenues.

We are doing all that we can to get the best possible offer on the table. It is important to reiterate that this is against the context of a flat-cash settlement from Scottish Government, which leaves very little room to manoeuvre without service reductions and job losses, which we want to avoid at all costs.

We understand our unions frustrations over the difficulties in getting a realistic pay offer to them given the constraints noted above.

We remain committed to doing the best by our workforce, who deliver essential local services in every community across Scotland.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: Local government pay negotiations are a matter for unions and local authorities as the employers.

Ministers recognise the crucial role councils and their employees play in communities across Scotland.

Thats why, despite UK Government cuts, this year the Scottish Government has made available over 14 billion to local councils  a real-terms increase of 2.5% compared with the previous year.

The Scottish Government urges all the parties involved to work together constructively to reach an agreement which is fair for the workforce and affordable for employers.
A dog named Faye in Orange County is safe after firefighters had to use sledgehammers to free her after she was trapped inside of a wall next to a bathroom in Garden Grove, California.

Faye was trapped inside of the wall for over two hours.

WBKO reports "At first I thought she could still, I thought there was space for her to move, Julian Nguyen, Fayes owner, said. So, I was getting my hand kneeling down and trying to reach my arm all the way through to pull her back but she was way too far inside.

Nguyen said he then tried to entice Faye out with some chicken on a fork, thinking the dog would be able to turn around and get to it.

When she wouldnt budge for the chicken, he knew something was wrong."

Related: Mans Heroic Rescue of Puppy Trapped Between Walls Is Awe-Inspiring

If a dog won't come out for chicken, that's when you know it's time to call the professionals!

It seemed that Faye had climbed into an access door about six months ago but it was filled with plumbing equipment so they never assumed that she would get trapped in there. Thank goodness they were able to get Faye out with no injuries.

How Firefighters Train To Rescue Animals

SkazovD/Shutterstock

Not only are firefighters trained to rescue humans, firefighters also go through training to learn how to rescue both domestic animals and wildlife.

Basic Animal Rescue Training or BART, has been designed to provide firefighters, law enforcement, and EMS personnel with not only the first responder-type skills necessary to provide basic medical care, BLS resuscitation skills, and animal rescue techniques, but also the animal specific equipment necessary to accomplish it.

Firefighters learn about the behavior patterns of different animals and understanding how animals may react in stressful situations helps them anticipate movements and plan their rescue strategies accordingly. Firefighters use things like animal rescue poles, stretchers, and inflatable rescue boats for water rescues.

Firefighters often work with animal control officers and veterinary professionals during animal rescue operations, and they learn how to rescue animals in all sorts of situations, like fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, animals trapped in mud or in extreme temperatures.

Firefighters work so hard to save humans, and animals, and so many animals have been saved thanks to these brave heroes. Including dogs who have gotten stuck in walls like Faye!

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.
US film director Francis Ford Coppola saluted the crowd with his straw hat as he posed with stars Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel and Grace VanderWaal at the world premiere of his epic film Megalopolis.

Hollywood stars descended on the red carpet of the 77th Cannes Film Festival for the first official screening of the film, which marks a decades-long passion project for The Godfather director Ford Coppola.

It has been reported Ford Coppola had the idea for the story more than four decades ago.

Driver plays an architect who is in competition with the mayor of New York, as he wants to build the city into a utopia after a disaster.

Francis Ford Coppola at the Megalopolis premiere during the 77th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France (Doug Peters/PA)

Ford Coppola, who reportedly funded the big-budget film himself, is competing for a third prestigious Palme dOr award at the French festival, having received his first for The Conversation and his second for Apocalypse Now.

It is understood that Megalopolis is yet to secure a distributor in the US.

British actress and Game Of Thrones star Emmanuel posed on the red carpet wearing a custom white Chanel Haute Couture gown, while co-star and Saturday Night Live comedian Chloe Fineman debuted a strapless red sparkly Celine number.

The White Lotus star Aubrey Plaza arrived on the red carpet wearing a custom long-sleeved cream Loewe gown with Casadei shoes, while Driver opted for a white dinner jacket and black bow tie.

Nathalie Emmanuel on the Megalopolis red carpet (Doug Peters/PA)

The film features a large ensemble cast including Transformers star Shia LaBeouf, two-time Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman and Breaking Bad actor Giancarlo Esposito, as well as Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Kathryn Hunter and DB Sweeney.

Ford Coppola, 85, has won six Academy Awards.

He won his first Oscar in 1971 for writing epic biographical war film Patton about US General George S Patton during the Second World War, before picking up awards in the same category in 1973 and again two years later for The Godfather and its sequel.

He also won the gong for best director in 1975 for The Godfather II, about Vito Corleone, the head of a mafia family, which also won best picture in the same year.

In 2011, Ford Coppola was awarded the Irving G Thalberg Memorial Award.
Further searches for the remains of a woman who was kidnapped for ransom more than 54 years ago are to be carried out at a Hertfordshire farm, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Muriel McKay, the wife of a newspaper executive, was kidnapped in London and held ransom for 1 million by a pair who had mistaken her for Anna Murdoch, the then-wife of media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

Ms McKay, 55, was the wife of Mr Murdochs deputy Alick McKay, who like Mr Murdoch was Australian.

Nizamodeen Hosein, pictured aged 22 (PA Archive/PA Images)

She disappeared in December 1969 and was traced to Stocking Farm near Bishops Stortford, but her body was never found and brothers Arthur and Nizamodeen Hosein were convicted of her kidnap and murder.

Arthur died in prison in 2009, while Nizamodeen was deported to Trinidad and Tobago after serving his sentence.

The farm was searched at the time of the murder and again in 2022, with 30 police officers, ground penetrating radar and specialist forensic archaeologists used, but nothing new was found.

In December last year, Ms McKays family were provided new information by Hosein about the possible whereabouts of her remains and visited him in Trinidad and shared information, including footage, with the Metropolitan Police investigation team.

The decision to search the farm again was made after the investigation team visited Hosein to speak to him in person and interviewed him over three days following his offer to show her family where she was buried.

Commander Steve Clayman said that while they have concerns about inconsistencies in his account, officers will search an area where a manure heap once stood.

He said: Id like to thank Muriels family for their patience while we have taken time to really carefully consider all the information gathered in relation to this case. I know it has been a frustrating time for them.

We have decided we will carry out a further search at the Hertfordshire farm where it is believed Muriels remains may be. We carried out an extensive search there in spring 2022 but unfortunately it was unsuccessful.

Our recent inquiries mean other areas have been highlighted as being of potential interest and it is these we will search.

The main area is where a manure heap once stood  we know now this was probably larger than we previously thought and therefore that area was not entirely searched in 2022.

While we have concerns about inconsistences in the account provided by Nizamodeen Hosein, for completeness, we want to do this.

At this stage we have not set a date for the search to begin, but will keep Muriels family updated and informed.

The owners of the farm are fully aware and supportive and we thank them for their continuing help and co-operation.

We all share a hope and desire to find Muriels remains and bring some closure to her family after all these years.

We sincerely hope the search is successful. However, we have informed the family that if Muriels remains are sadly not found, it would not be proportionate to carry out any further searches or investigations.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga premiered at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival, where it received a 7-minute standing ovation. (FilmMagic) (Marc Piasecki via Getty Images)

Mad Max prequel Furiosa had its world premiere at Cannes on Wednesday, 15 May and it was met with a huge response from critics and attendees.

The film sees George Miller return to his iconic franchise to tell the origin story of Furiosa, Charlize Theron's protagonist from childhood up to the events of 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road. Theron is replaced by Anya Taylor-Joy and Alyla Browne, who portray the character at different stages of her life after she is kidnapped by bikers led by Dr Dementus (Chris Hemsworth).

Taylor-Joy, Hemsworth and their co-stars stepped out onto the red carpet at the prestigious festival to help celebrate it, with the stars shining brightly in their best outfits. Taylor-Joy exuded elegance in her ivory gown, looking like a Hollywood starlet of the Golden Age as she posed for pictures with Miller, Browne, Tom Burke, and a casual-chic Hemsworth.

George Miller, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Elsa Pataky and Tom Burke at the Furiosa premiere at Cannes, which was celebrated by critics. (Getty Images) (Lionel Hahn via Getty Images)

Furiosa received a big response at the end of its premiere, with the crowd giving it a 7-minute standing ovation. Hemsworth was reported to have grown "teary-eyed" because of the reaction it received, while Taylor-Joy is seen to have been delighted by the celebration.

Read more: The most exciting films at Cannes 2024

Critics shared their thoughts on the film in reviews, with most heralding the movie as one of the best prequels ever made. The Independent's Geoffrey Macnab said Furiosa was "made with purposeful savagery, and with considerable wit and lyricism" and remarked how well the film works with minimal dialogue and big action.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, is coming to cinemas in 2024. (Warner Bros.)

It was the cast that the critic was most moved by, as Macnab wrote: "Taylor-Joy is still able to convey plenty about Furiosas raw inner emotions. Her eyes, captured in extreme close-up throughout, are endlessly expressive."

Read more: Fury Road stunt double looks back at Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron's feud

Commending the spectacle of it all, the critic went on to say the director is "unleashing sheer carnage at every turn", and wrote: "The wonder here, though, is that a film with so many bells and whistles also bears such an emotional kick."

The film sees George Miller (right) return to his iconic franchise to tell the origin story of Furiosa, Charlize Theron's protagonist from childhood up to the events of 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road. (WireImage) (Samir Hussein via Getty Images)

The Telegraph's Robbie Collin was equally as impressed by the movie, saying Furiosa "is cinema at its most soul-pricklingly primal" and adding: "Its the sort of film that makes you feel like the past century of Hollywood might have been a detour, and the machine has now been hauled back on course."

Collin added: "Miller and his co-writer Nico Lathouris have structured their screenplay like an epic told by firelight... Despite its vast scope, Furiosa wastes no time setting the scene. It just tears off from the starting line  and like Max always had to, we grab what we can on the hoof."

The Telegraph wrote that the Furiosa 'is cinema at its most soul-pricklingly primal', and the cast received praise from critcs across the board. (Getty Images) (VALERY HACHE via Getty Images)

Deadline's Pete Hammond proclaimed Furiosa to be perhaps "the greatest Max yet", writing that it's "a wheels-up, rock-and-rolling epic". The critic heaped praise on Hemsworth, who "instantly becomes one of the great villains, complex and [is] endlessly watchable and charismatic like all of the most misguided leaders."

Hammond also wrote that Taylor-Joy is Hemsworth's match, and "she does it all with the eyes and a physicality she probably didnt realise she was capable of".

Continuing to praise the film's casting, the critic said that Miller "hit a bulls-eye, not just with Hemsworth and Taylor-Joy but also the brilliant Burke, who nails Praetorian Jack with abandon. Browne as the younger Furiosa is also extraordinary in a role that is much more than just a gateway for Taylor-Joy to take over."

Anya Taylor-Joy and Alyla Browne portray the character at different stages of her life, and both actors were celebrated for their take on the protagonist. (FilmMagic) (Marc Piasecki via Getty Images)

Variety was one of the few outlets not as taken by the prequel, namely because of critic Owen Gleiberman's passion for the franchise. The critic argues that the film doesn't quite live up to the starry heights of the Mel Gibson original, nor does it top Fury Road.

Reflecting on the film's large cast, its spectacle and narrative, Gleiberman wrote: "What it all adds up to is a movie that can be darkly bedazzling, and that will be embraced and defended in a dozen passionate ways  but its one that, to me, falls very short of being a Mad Max home run."

The critic argued that the film is "a touch impersonal" because of its expansive cast of characters and its narrative approach, writing: The film seems more invested in Millers elaborate and, at moments, overly digitised extensions of the Wasteland than in the people who inhabit it. In that way, its got a touch of Marvel-itis."

Watch the trailer for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

"In attempting to inflate his universe into something larger, Miller clutters it with pretension and makes it mean less," he adds.

Consequence of Sound's Liz Shannon Miller also wasn't as enamoured by the film, writing that while there is "masterful filmmaking on display" and the cinematography is like "poetry" the film "doesnt sync up perfectly with Fury Road".

The critic added: "The strengths of Furiosa do not eclipse Fury Road, to be clear, nor does the latter film shine as far superior. Instead, they really are two pieces of the same puzzle, different in their scope but connected not just by characters, but by ethos and aesthetic. Its the ultimate double-feature, and afterwards, youre gonna want to drive fast."

Furiosa is released in cinemas on Friday, 24 May.
China's cross-border e-commerce accelerates

People's Daily Online) 10:10, May 16, 2024

China's cross-border e-commerce is developing at an accelerated rate through favorable policies, comprehensive pilot zones for cross-border e-commerce, companies going global faster, and more young people engaging in the sector.

An exhibitor talks with a visitor at the 4th China Cross-border E-commerce Trade Fair in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province. (Photo/Xie Guiming)

The country's cross-border e-commerce trade rose 9.6 percent year on year to 577.6 billion yuan ($79.95 billion) in the first quarter of this year, data from the General Administration of Customs showed.

In 2023, China's cross-border e-commerce developed rapidly, as exports rose by more than 1.8 trillion yuan, up 19.6 percent. Last year, Shanghai's airports saw export declarations from three Chinese e-commerce platforms increase by over 10 times over the previous year, according to the customs of Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

The rapid development of cross-border e-commerce exports has helped Chinese products reach global markets, and has injected new momentum into international trade.

China has more than 100,000 cross-border e-commerce entities and over 200,000 independent cross-border e-commerce sites.

The country's support services for cross-border e-commerce have also improved. As of 2023, China had over 1,800 overseas warehouses, and Chinese banks could provide full-chain and full-cycle services for domestic cross-border e-commerce operators.

The building of comprehensive pilot zones for cross-border e-commerce has also played a vital role in boosting China's cross-border e-commerce.

Since 2015, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) has established 165 comprehensive pilot zones for cross-border e-commerce. The scale of cross-border e-commerce of enterprises in these pilot zones has accounted for over 95 percent of the national total.

Staff members sort parcels at a conveyor belt at a logistics center of a cross-border e-commerce park in the Heihe Area of China (Heilongjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone in Heihe, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Xie Jianfei)

China has also stepped up efforts to roll out support policies for comprehensive pilot zones for cross-border e-commerce.

Recently, an official with the MOFCOM said that the ministry would work with relevant departments to steadily advance the construction of cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zones, continuously improve supporting policies, enhance regulatory facilitation, accelerate the establishment of industrial chains and ecosystems adapted to the development needs of cross-border e-commerce, and promote the high-quality development of cross-border e-commerce.

In September 2022, Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo launched its cross-border e-commerce platform Temu. To date, the platform has helped quality products at over 100 manufacturing industry belts in provinces like Zhejiang, Guangdong, Shandong, and Anhui reach over 50 countries and regions.

To support more companies in industrial belts in seizing new opportunities to go global and build new foreign trade channels, since this year, Temu has continued to hold dozens of industrial belt matchmaking events in the Yangtze River Delta region, the Pearl River Delta region, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and Jiaodong region.

Photo shows a scene from a job fair for cross-border e-commerce talents in Suzhou city, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Photo/Wang Jiankang)

More and more Chinese companies, especially manufacturing enterprises with innovation capacity, have paid more attention to exploring overseas markets by selling their products globally through cross-border e-commerce platforms, said Chen Gang, president of the cross-border e-commerce branch of China Association for Small & Medium Commercial Enterprises.

This has not only brought more profits and business opportunities to these companies, but also enriched overseas consumers' consumption choices.

"Cross-border e-commerce will be an important trend in the transformation and development of international trade, and will play a crucial role in helping Chinese enterprises go global, build global brands and channels," said Li Mingtao, chief researcher of e-commerce at China International Electronic Commerce Center.

In recent years, many young Chinese people have chosen to host cross-border e-commerce livestreams.

Lyu Shuxi, a student from the School of Foreign Studies at Yiwu Industrial and Commercial Vocational College in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, is a part-time host of cross-border e-commerce livestreams.

She usually arrives at work at 9 a.m. at the Yiwu International Trade Market, dubbed "the world's supermarket." In her livestreams, most of her overseas consumers are from the U.S., with a small portion from the U.K., Malaysia, and Singapore.

"Nowadays, I contact with over 100 overseas consumers on average every day, with a sales conversion rate exceeding 90 percent. My income is quite decent among my peers," said Lyu.

China faces a shortage of 15 million talents in industries like livestream e-commerce and cross-border e-commerce, according to Li.

At a press conference in early 2024, Wang Shouwen, vice commerce minister and China international trade representative, said China will cultivate 100,000 cross-border e-commerce talents this year.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Activists Marc Meave, co-founder of #ACTOUTHTX, holds a candle at a vigil for Marisela Castro on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, at Buffalo Bayou Park in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee / Staff photographer

A Houston man was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday, after pleading guilty to murder over the 2022 shooting death of a transgender woman in east Houston.

The murder trial for Oscar Ariel Sierra, 19, had already begun when he entered his plea, according to the Harris County District Attorneys Office.

Sierra was accused of killing Marisela Castro, a transgender woman, on July 9, 2022.

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Prosecutors said Sierra lured Castro, 39, into an early morning meeting with plans to rob her. After she drove him around east Houston, they stopped on a street south of Herman Brown Park. Surveillance cameras from the neighborhood showed both Sierra and Castro getting out of the car. As he walked behind her to the middle of the street, he raised a handgun and shot Castro in the back of the head, according to prosecutors.

This was a cold-blooded murder that the defendant planned out, set up and went through with, District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement announcing the sentence. Shooting a defenseless person is cowardly and despicable, and we hope this defendant spends the rest of his life behind bars.

Marisela Castro pictured with her friend Jorge Luis Lizardo at a friend's home Courtesy

Castro was a Honduran immigrant who spent much of her life in North Carolina, but had moved to Houston in recent years to live with family. She was the third transgender Texan to be killed in 2022, and among at least 23 homicides involving transgender people in the U.S. that year.

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Houston police investigate a fatal shooting at the 11600 block of Wood Shadows Drive near Centerwood on July 29, 2022. OnScene.Tv

Sierra was arrested in March 2023. A second person, a juvenile, was arrested in May 2023. That person was referred to Harris County Juvenile Probation authorities on a charge of capital murder. The district attorneys office didnt mention the second person in its press release announcing Sierras conviction.

Sierra was 17 years old at the time of the shooting. Because of his age, if he had been convicted of capital murder by a jury, he would have been eligible for parole in 40 years, according to the DAs office. As a result of the plea deal, he is now eligible to be paroled in 30 years.

As a result of his plea deal, Sierra wont be able to appeal his conviction, according to the district attorneys office.
Furiosa producer says crew on set woke up with reality we could kill somebody

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga producer Doug Mitchell has said the film crew would wake up and go to set with the reality that we could injure somebody or kill somebody.

The latest Mad Max film, directed by George Miller, tells the origin story of Furiosa, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, and stars Chris Hemsworth as warlord leader Dementus.

Speaking at a press conference in Cannes, Taylor-Joy, 28, said the action-laden film had an absolutely unbelievable stunt department.

Responding to Taylor-Joys comments, Mitchell added: The other aspect of what this film represents is that every day we all wake up, especially George, with the reality that we could injure somebody or kill somebody.

So the stunt department isnt just there, as talented as they all are, to manually do something, this is broken down from the get-go.

Witness the Epic Battle for the Wasteland. Tickets are on sale NOW. #FURIOSA : A MAD MAX SAGA  only in theaters May 24, Memorial Day Weekend. https://t.co/xLoPFPBz2A pic.twitter.com/piT5AbNWqd  MAD MAX: FURIOSA (@MadMaxMovie) May 8, 2024

He added: There are 264 women and men on that stunt department. One of the sequences took 79 days to shoot, every day youre subjected to bad weather, Covid, or just exhaustion.

And its important. Our one priority, led by George, is not to injure anybody. Thats our first responsibility. The second is to make the film that we enjoy.

The Queens Gambit star, Taylor-Joy, also reflected on what it was like to watch the film and said: Its really quite extraordinary to experience something through the eyes of an audience.

Anya Taylor-Joy (Doug Peters/PA)

I think all of us are so in love with film, but that naturally kind of means that you always have a moment where you know too much, you know too much of the tricks behind the camera, you cant really distance yourself.

And yesterday, for the first time, I really felt like I could watch it like an audience member.

And I was so blown away by it, blown away by the pacing, the sound design, just absolutely every single element that our incredible team brought to it.

And thats really a testament to George, because there are people that have worked on this movie that were retired and they come out of retirement for George Miller. They come out of retirement to make Furiosa.

Miller then joked that he had also come out of retirement.

Chris Hemsworth, George Miller and Anya Taylor-Joy (Doug Peters/PA)

At the press conference the director, 79, spoke on having Australian voices in the film and said even Hollywood actress Meryl Streep has been unable to nail the accent in the past.

Miller, who has served on the jury in Cannes several times, said: Great people have tried it, really great people. Its not a common sort of accent.

After an audience member offered Meryl Streep, who played an Australian woman in the film A Cry In The Dark (1988), as an example, he said: Well, yes, but even Meryl at that time, genius as she is, didnt quite nail it, I believe.

Look, when I first went to the United States and we said we were from Australia, they said: Do you speak English? They thought we were Austrian.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga had its red carpet premiere at Cannes Film Festival on May 15, nine years after Mad Max: Fury Road.

The talent reunited again on Thursday for a photocall, with Taylor-Joy dressed in a chic-looking cropped white jacket and matching skirt.
Google boss Sundar Pichai has said he believes the tech giant, and wider industry, is well placed to combat AI-generated misinformation around elections.

Concerns have been raised about the potential for AI-generated audio and visual content to be used by bad actors to interfere with elections around the world  in a year where billions of people in many of the worlds major democracies are due to go to the polls.

Speaking during the technology giants annual developer conference, Google I/O, Mr Pichai said he was cautiously optimistic about the his own companys ability to handle this threat, as well as the wider industry.

He said Google had invested heavily in projects to monitor technological threats, including artificial intelligence, while also looked to develop its own AI tools in a safe and responsible fashion to reduce the potential for them to be used nefariously.

I think we all have come a long way as an industry over the past few years. I think as Google, we have invested in elections integrity as one of our highest priorities as a company, particularly in our products like search and YouTube and as we deploy AI, part of the reason were doing work like AI-assisted red teaming is to stay ahead of these problems, Mr Pichai said.

He added that the company had internal projects which identified threats to society and built technology to counter them, and also worked with governments on safety issues.

He said: We undertake a lot of research through projects like Jigsaw as well so we can understand patterns in the world and report on them. And we share information where appropriate with the right governments and so on. So, I think weve made a lot of progress.

Having said that, I think given the pace of the progress with the technology weve all been worried about deepfakes.

A number of senior politicians, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, have all been victims of AI-generated deepfakes, and Mr Pichai acknowledged that the issue did pose a threat, but would be more of an issue in years to come.

So far, I think were in a fortunate place where I still think we are in a moment where as a society we are able to more easily adjudicate what is real versus what is not, and in combination with all the work were doing, Im cautiously optimistic well be able to do our part handling all of this well, he said.

I think the stakes get higher in the future, but for this year, I am cautiously optimistic.

Speaking to reporters at the Google conference, where the company unveiled an array of new AI tools and features, the tech giants chief executive also spoke on the subject of AI regulation, another key issue in the sector, with many countries currently debating how to best monitor the rapidly evolving technology.

He said he believed regulation would be vital to the growth of AI, but it needed to strike a balance with allowing freedom to innovate.

It makes sense to me that countries are thinking about this extraordinarily important topic, I think, as governments, when youre thinking about the impact that AI will have on society, it seems right to me that theyre debating these topics, Mr Pichai said.

I think regulation will play an important role. I think its important to strike a balance.

AI is going to drive a lot of opportunities  economic opportunities  which could pretty much affect industries across the board.

So allowing for AI innovation to happen in your country is going to be important, otherwise you risk getting left behind. So getting regulation in a way you can promote and you can embrace innovation, while mitigating the harms is the balance that countries are grappling with.

He added that global standards and a united approach to the technology, much like how the internet worked today, would be a positive model to follow for AI.

I think over time, were going to need more global frameworks, he said.

Part of what makes the internet the force it is today is its a global good  we all agree on common standards and a way of working on it together, and hopefully the same thing applies to AI as well.
Leon Edwards will make the third defence of his UFC welterweight title against Belal Muhammad on July 27 at the Co-op Live in Manchester.

The fight serves as the headliner for UFC 304 as the organisation returns to Manchester for the first time since October 2016, while Tom Aspinall, Paddy Pimblett and Muhammad Mokaev are also on the card.

Jamaica-born, Birmingham-raised Edwards was crowned 170lb champion with a last-round knockout of Kamaru Usman in August 2022 and he outpointed the Nigerian-American the following year in his first defence.

Edwards claimed a unanimous decision victory over Colby Covington in a grudge bout in his most recent outing in December to extend his unbeaten streak in mixed martial arts to 13 fights.

The only blemish in that time came against Muhammad in March 2021, with a no-contest called after Edwards accidental eye-poke early in the second round rendered his opponent unable to continue.

Interim heavyweight champion Aspinall will also be looking to correct the record and avenge his only UFC defeat when he takes on Curtis Blaydes in the co-main event.

In their original fight two years ago, Salfords Aspinall lost after suffering a freak knee injury 15 seconds into the first round although he has bounced back by beating Marcin Tybura and Sergei Pavlovich to capture the interim title in the top weight bracket.

Liverpools Pimblett can claim a spot in the top-15 lightweight rankings with a win over Bobby Green while flyweight Mokaev is set to take on Manel Kape.
Lewis Hamilton has called on Mercedes boss Toto Wolff to replace him with 17-year-old Kimi Antonelli.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton will leave a vacant seat at the Silver Arrows when he joins Ferrari in 2025.

Wolff has flirted with Max Verstappen while Carlos Sainz  making way for Hamilton at Ferrari  is also a contender for the seat.

Lewis Hamilton has touted Kimi Antonelli as his replacement (David Davies/PA)

Carlos is a great driver so wherever he goes he would be a positive for any team, said Hamilton ahead of this weekends Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola.

I have no idea what Totos plans are, but for me, if it was my job and my role, I would take on a youngster, and I would take on Kimi.

Verstappen is under contract with Red Bull until 2028, and despite the teams off-track troubles this season, looks set to stay put.

Fernando Alonso and Alex Albon were both linked with Hamiltons seat but have since signed new deals at Aston Martin and Williams respectively, leaving Mercedes protege Antonelli and Sainz, 29, as the apparent frontunners.

Ferraris Carlos Sainz is said to be a frontrunner (David Davies/PA)

Antonelli, who turns 18 in August, has recently tested Mercedes machinery in Austria and Imola as the Silver Arrows weigh up their options. The Italian is expected to be given further running by Mercedes later this year.

Hamilton recorded his best result of a so-far underwhelming Mercedes farewell in Miami a fortnight ago after he finished sixth, but the optimistic 39-year-old added: The energy in the team is amazing.

They are so resilient and continue to push all the time, even though we have been knocked down quite a few times this year.

There is a long way to go. But I am excited with what I know we have coming in the pipeline now. We have found our North Star and we know what we want to do and what to change.
Tyson Fury refused to engage in the face off with Oleksandr Usyk in a muted final press conference ahead of Saturdays undisputed world heavyweight showdown in Riyadh.

While Usyk stood staring at his rival in the customary ritual 48 hours out from the fight, Fury turned to the crowd and folded his arms.

The British WBC champion, wearing a flame suit in a nod to the events Ring of Fire billing, began flexing his muscles and mouthing the words of Rocky IV theme music Hearts on Fire.

When he eventually turned his body to face Usyk he was still looking into the crowd and his Ukrainian opponent eventually bowed and left the stage, having had enough of the mind games.

Usyk spoke the final words at the press conference, summing up the attitude of both fighters by declaring let the hands do the talking.

Fury has been happy to stoke the flames this week but he was far more reserved on Thursday night as the biggest heavyweight clash for 25 years draws close.

I want to thank God for the victory Ive received already. I want to thank people for putting this event on and I want to thank Oleksandr Usyk for challenging me, Fury said.

Im ready. Ive got nothing else to say apart from Im ready for a good fight.

When asked why he didnt look at Usyk, Fury said: Hes a scary looking dude.

Perhaps in a nod to the death of London-based boxer Sherif Lawal when making his professional debut on Sunday, Fury offered a measured response when pressed for a message to Usyk.

God bless him. Ill say a prayer for him before the fight for us both to get out of the ring safely, he said.

Tyson Fury takes on Oleksandr Usyk this weekend (Nick Potts/PA)

Usyk, who won his WBA, IBF and WBO belts by outpointing Anthony Joshua, arrived for the press conference wearing a white suit with a black and white sash showing a traditional Ukrainian pattern.

In a sign of his boredom as Sugar Hill Steward spoke at length, he mimicked Furys trainer.

Positioned behind his belts, he also spent time doodling with a pen and paper and when asked what he was drawing, he replied its my homework. Its a poem, but would not elaborate any further.

Im happy to be here. Im excited. Lets make history. Enough, was the former undisputed cruiserweight champions longest answer.

Lennox Lewis was in the crowd at the press conference (Nick Potts/PA)

To underline the bouts place in history, Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield were among the crowd.

Lewis was the last man to rule the heavyweight division when he defeated Holyfield in 1999, before being stripped of the WBA belt the following year. Larry Holmes was also present.

This is a great fight, its the fight weve all been waiting for, Queensbury Promotions boss Frank Warren said.

Theyre the two best heavyweights in the world, both undefeated. The two best heavyweights of a generation.
Products featured in this Yahoo article are selected by our shopping writers. We will earn a commission from purchases made via links in this article. Pricing and availability are subject to change.

Shop M&S's Summer Beauty Bag for a reduced price when you spend 35 on home and clothing. (Yahoo Life UK)

It's official, summer is within arms reach! And to mark the occasion, Marks & Spencer has only gone and launched its hugely popular annual Summer Beauty Bag  bursting with 12 hero products that span skincare, haircare, bodycare and fragrance.

Back for another year and likely to sell out fast, M&S's Summer Beauty Bag is filled with a huge 170 worth of products for just 30. We'd go as far as to say this is one of the best M&S beauty bags we've ever seen in terms of the excellent value, high-end brands included and the variety of products. One shopper said "Ive already found a couple of new favourites in this collection which I will be replacing when theyre finished."

We even had a first glimpse of the highly-anticipated summer buy before it launched and you can see what it looks like in real life below.

Much like all the other years since the beauty bags inception in 2018, there is one caveat. In order to bag the 30 bargain, you have to spend 35 on full-price clothing, home or beauty in-store or online. But let's be honest, hitting that spend cap won't take long. In order to get the discount simply add the 170 bag to your basket along with the other additional items and the money will come off at the checkout.

Although higher in price compared to 2023's iteration that was priced at 25, this year's buy does come with an additional product which compensates for the extra cost.

Inside there's a mix of miniature and full-sized picks that have been hand-selected by the M&S beauty team, including everything from fruity fragrances to quality SPF and hydrating moisturisers.

There are 12 items in total six of which are full-sized  which each come carefully packaged in a green reusable bag (that could absolutely double up as your new make-up bag). Shoppers particularly love this year's designs. One shopper said, "Love the transparent bag too. Can take this when travelling, can see what's inside without having to feel around."

This year the Summer Beauty Bag is worth a whopping 170. (Marks & Spencer)

Shop now

Kicking off the item selection, there's the viral Color Wow Extra Large Bombshell Volumiser, a hydrating hairspray that adds *just* the right amount of volume and bounce.

This is followed by a travel-sized edition of REN's Daily Glow Tonic (a Yahoo shopping editor favourite), which works to reduce the appearance of enlarged pores and give your complexion a tight and glowy finish.

There's also two highly rated moisturisers, both a full-sized version of Marks & Spencer's Fresh Elements Hydrate Overnight Moisture Cream: a multi-tasking overnight cream which works to restore and retain skin's hydration levels, and a small tub of Clinique's Moisture Surge: a lightweight oil-free moisturiser with hyaluronic acid and aloe vera that gives an instant glow.

The beauty bag comes with everything you need to overhaul your self-care routine this summer. (Yahoo Life UK)

It comes with a mix of mini and full-sized products. (Yahoo Life UK)

30 170 at Marks & Spencer

To cover all the bases this summer and stay protected, there's also an Ultrasun Face SPF50+ as well as Dr Paw Paw's SPF Lip Balm.

For those who love a spot of bodycare, there's the LOccitane Verbena Shower Gel and This Works Perfect Body Butter, ideal after an "everything" shower.

What's inside M&S's Summer Beauty Bag?

Color Wow Extra Large Bombshell Volumiser - 50ml

Floral Street 10ml Arizona Bloom EDP - 10ml

REN DAILY GLOW TONIC - 100ML - 100ml

Pixi Lip Lift Max - Honey Sheen - 3.5g - Full Size

Ultrasun Face SPF50+ 25ml - 25ml - Full Size

Fresh Elements Hydrate Overnight Moisture Cream - 50ml - Full Size

Discover Ltd Etd - Sunrise - 30ml

LOccitane Verbena - 250ml - Full Size

Clinique Moisture Surge - 15ml

This Works Perfect Body Butter - 250g - Full Size

Dr Paw Paw SPF Lip Balm - 8ml - Full Size

Formula Sleep Cream - 15ml

Expect to find top picks in categories across skincare, bodycare, haircare and fragrance. (Marks & Spencer)

Not one but two fragrances make an appearance, including a travel-size bottle of Floral Street in the scent Arizona Bloom, and a 50ml bottle of M&S's Discover Sunrise Eau de Toilette; described as "the essence of summer days in a bottle".

For some help to get a restful night's sleep, there's also Formula's Sleep & Replenish Cream that shoppers describe as their "favourite night cream". And to complete the pampering, there's even a gorgeous lip gloss from Pixi.

What the reviews say

Shoppers have been quick to snap up the beauty bag and it's receiving rave reviews.

"I think this was great value- love having a few full size products- my faves are the L'occitane shower gel, the This Works body butter and the travel size of Colour Wow hair volumiser because I use this anyway. I also like the travel sized of SPF, summer fragrances and Clinique Moisture surge which will be perfect for summer holidays. Even the bag is great!"

"Often, these curated collections contain a lot of duds; things that are neither useful nor pleasing, but this is a great selection and offers exceptional value for money. I appreciate the opportunity to trial products before investing in the full size/price version. Ive already found a couple of new favourites in this collection which I will be replacing when theyre finished."

"I actually use 4 of the products, I feel the price has given me a chance to try all the other products for free. Excellent value. I recommend people try. Love the transparent bag too, can take this when travelling, can see whats inside without having to feel around."

"This is a fabulous beauty offer - incredible value - the full size L'occitane shower gel, full size body butter and Clinique product are worth way over 50 on their own and then there are all the other products all of which are useful - sometimes with these offers there are products which never get used but not with this one! Well done M&S."

"Wow, wow, wow!! This has go to be the best beauty bag ever! So many full size products, everything will be used. Also love the bag itself! Its just fabulous!"

Shop now: The Summer Beauty Bag | 30 (Worth 170, simply add 35 worth a full-price items into your basket to get the discount)

Shop now

Need some M&S shopping inspiration? Here are the items we're loving
'Taking on the longest possible term was the obvious decision for me' - Madeleine Ross

On Wednesday I will become a homeowner. It is a dream that I have achieved precociously, thanks to the generous support of my parents.

But the joy (and relief) is accompanied by the knowledge that when I am handed the keys, I am placing a 40-year burden on my shoulders. If I never move again, I will pay off this mortgage in 2064, when I am 63.

My 40-year mortgage might not quite be into my retirement but this is only because I am lucky enough to be a first-time buyer more than 10 years before the London average of 35, and because the idea of an early retirement is a fantasy.

It doesnt change the fact that the interest which will be added over those four decades is eye-watering. Once my five-year 3.99pc fixed term ends, my mortgage will revert to NatWests variable rate.

If I dont remortgage, current predictions show that Id repay 489,266.76  or 3.14 for every 1 borrowed  over the 40-year term.

Yet after talking to my mortgage broker, taking on the longest possible term was the obvious decision.

Why wouldnt I, I reasoned, when it will mean my monthly repayments are 400 less than the rent I was paying to live in a shared flat? Nothing is worse than paying rent and watching money effectively go down the drain. Even without a great sage to tell me what Ill be doing in 10 years (or even in 10 minutes), the stability offered by being a homeowner overrides most of my concerns.

But its likely that this will not be the only time I take on a very long mortgage term. Im moving into a two-bedroom flat in Zone 2, so predicting that I will live here for 40 years would be tantamount to saying I will never marry or have children.

When I sell, Ill likely pay off the remainder, pay back my dad, and take on another lengthy term on my own  which will stretch long past any attractive retirement date. This is the real worry; will starting on such a long term mean that I can effectively never secure a shorter one?

For older first-time buyers, being unable to secure another longer term mortgage in five or 10 years time might mean they cant afford to size up. Theyll be stuck in starter homes, effectively blocking those trying to get on the ladder behind them.

The news this week that more than 40pc of mortgages being taken out will require repayments into retirement age is no great surprise, given the unaffordable nature of the current housing market.

Former pensions minister Sir Steve Webb said that serious questions should be asked about whether borrowing that runs into retirement was in the best interest of homeowners.

But the truth is that I couldnt, even with my familys help, afford to do this without stretching my loan as far as I can  despite earning well over the national average for my age. Neither could many others, and this is the true indictment of the housing market.

When I spoke to the UK chief executive of a major lender earlier this year, he said he would be open to more innovative mortgage products if it would help more homeowners on the housing ladder.

But even when they are offered, many of the schemes are not made widely available. Critics of Yorkshire Building Societys 99pc mortgage said in March that its restrictions on new builds and flats would mean most buyers would not be able to use it.

Focusing on mortgage products is ignoring the true root of the problem. Trying to regulate demand can not be as powerful as increasing supply.

House building targets should be brought in line with those of other similar developed countries and the Government should cut through the red tape that is stopping them being met.

Then lenders might not need to risk mortgages that stretch into retirement, which simply store up problems for later life.

But theres no point me worrying about it now. Ive got a flat to furnish.
Nigel Farage is fronting Action on World Health, which encourages people to protest against powers that the WHO says it does not have and does not want. Photograph: Omar Havana/Getty Images

The World Health Organization has accused Nigel Farage of spreading misinformation after he launched a campaign to block an international treaty designed to improve global pandemic preparedness.

WHO member states are negotiating a deal to shore up cooperation against new pathogens. If adopted, the legally binding treaty would commit countries to helping each other in the event of a pandemic, increase research and sharing of data, and promote fair access to vaccines.

But populist figures including Farage and a number of Tory MPs are lobbying the UK government to block the deal, claiming that it will give the WHO power to enforce lockdowns on countries, dictate policy on mask wearing and control vaccine stocks.

Farage is fronting the campaign group Action on World Health (AWH), which was registered on Companies House last week.

The AWHs website lists supporters including the Tory MPs Henry Smith, Philip Davies and David Jones, as well as peers and others. Companies House filings show that it has three directors including the barrister Paul Diamond, whose work has included high-profile cases on behalf of socially conservative Christians and cases where the use of vaccines has been disputed.

Visitors to the AWHs site are helped to locate and lobby their MP using template suggested text emails that claim the WHO treaty will strip away the UKs decision-making powers.

The potency of what some on the right view as a potential new wedge issue was underlined in contributions by Tory backbenchers such as Philip Hollobone, who echoed populist language by describing the WHO as being under the influence of the global elite and urging against the UK backing the treaty.

The UK health minister Andrew Stephenson urged MPs in parliament this week to dismiss what he described as myths being spread about the treaty, which the UK is considering whether or not to support.

Lockdown mandates are not part of the deal and a claim by Farage that the treaty would require countries to give away 20% of their vaccines was simply not true, said Stephenson.

His comments were echoed by the WHO directly. Responding to AWHs claims, a spokesperson said a draft of the treaty reaffirmed the principle of sovereignty of member states.

Claims that the draft agreement will cede sovereignty to WHO and will give the WHO secretariat power to impose lockdowns or vaccine mandates on countries are false and have never been requested nor proposed. This agreement will not, and cannot, grant sovereignty to WHO.

Farage, who denies that the campaign is sharing misinformation, claimed the UK government was running scared and that Conservative MPs had suddenly been shouting about the treaty on Wednesday.

The governing party are very scared of me and of anything that would look like a surrender of sovereignty after Brexit. Im trying to bring to the publics attention something that is not being debated  thats what I have done throughout my career  and I think we are getting traction already, he said.

This may not be a campaign with mass populist appeal but we can influence the governments position when they get to Geneva in a couple of weeks time.

European ambassadors who met at the WHO headquarters in Geneva on Wednesday are understood to have voiced concern about misinformation of the type that the AWH has been accused of promoting.

A leading WHO envoy who was the face of the body in the UK during the pandemic said that he feared public health workers and policymakers were having to work in an increasingly difficult environment.

We are being identified with particular behaviours as public health types and of doing things that we are not actually doing. It means that I fear that people who work in public health have become almost a despised community by certain groups and various organisations, said David Nabarro, co-director and chair of global health at Imperial College Londons Institute of Global Health Innovation.

Nabarro said: What we are trying to do above all is to help people to avoid death and to avoid misery. Theres no effort by any of us to go for any kind of the political action we are being accused of and yet we do seem to have become seriously disliked.

Other online campaigns targeting the WHO are already under way in the UK. Two of them  Say No To WHO and Save My Vape  are linked to an anti-EU pressure group run by Brian Monteith, a PR consultant and former Brexit party politician.

Negotiators from the WHOs 194 member states had hoped to have a final draft agreement by Friday, with a view toward adopting the legally binding text at the World Health Assembly later this month.
Sir Keir Starmer looked like a disgraced deputy headmaster in a local paper - LEON NEAL/GETTY IMAGES EUROPE

Whats worse than the Labour conference? Mini-Labour conference  or rather, a campaign launch that looked a lot like one. At least in the annual display of mass embarrassment you can have a drink and its usually somewhere fun, like Brighton or Liverpool. At 10am in Purfleet no one can hear you scream.

Wed had literature to prepare us for this nightmare  like Jehovahs Witnesses brandishing copies of the Watchtower, grinning Labour flunkies waved copies of Sir Keirs My First Steps leaflet at all and sundry. The title, of course, makes it sound like a potty-training scheme from Mothercare, and the stern black and white photo of Sir Keir made him look like a disgraced deputy headmaster in a local paper. None of this stopped Labour from going big on it; theyd even manufactured some credit-card sized versions to take away.

Before we reached the speeches, the shadow cabinet assembled behind the main stage like some sort of dystopian school photo. It was faintly reminiscent of the Soviet politburo lining up beside Lenins tomb, except this time it was David Lammy and Emily Thornberry perched on a piece of crudely adapted scaffolding. By the time theyd finished, the line-up resembled the knock-off version of Guess Who? that they sell in Poundland  but more difficult because, mercifully, you havent heard of most of these people (yet).

The shadow cabinet assembled behind the main stage like some sort of dystopian school photo - LEON NEAL/GETTY IMAGES EUROPE

Half the shadow cabinet had a stump speech, beginning with Angela Rayner, who earned a standing ovation before shed even said anything. She credited the Blair government for all her opportunities as a struggling single mum. (Not a word, alas, for Mrs Thatcher and Right to Buy.)

Everyone in this room will owe a debt of gratitude to the NHS, declared Wes Streeting, before giving way to a man who was dying of cancer because the NHS had failed to detect it.

Labours big beasts were interspersed with videos from a series of generic moaning heads  new mum, pensioner, Oxygen user etc  who flipped from detailing their personal woes to reading very obviously from an autocue about the minutiae of Labours policy in that particular area.

Introducing Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, was Tito  not the marshal, but an eloquent LSE student who spoke of her wonderful education at Queen Elizabeths in Barnet, a non-selective state school. With grim inevitability, the eagle-eyed Guido Fawkes blog revealed that she had also attended a private school in Hampstead. Every. Single. Time.

The eloquent LSE student who spoke of her 'wonderful' non-select state school education while introducing Bridget Phillipson - LEON NEAL/GETTY IMAGES EUROPE

Ed Miliband boasted about Labours new clean energy company Great British Energy, to be funded by asking the oil and gas companies to pay more, as if they were being invited to take part in a tombola at a village fete. Miliband adopted a hard-man pose and licked his lips before the big finale. Im in politics because I know how much this fight matters and that we can win it, he said, glowering into the middle distance. It all rather harked back to that period in Labours LSD phase, when they actually put this man in charge. Was he tuss enough? Hell yeah.

Perhaps the richest embarrassment of all was found in Sir Keirs personal introduction video, featuring him in such obviously non-contrived settings as hugging nurses, squinting at some school children through a fence, and wandering through a town centre with Angela Rayner (who he definitely doesnt hate).

The speech was not without its surprises. For instance, Sir Keir informed us, placing hand on heart, that he had previously worked as the director of public prosecutions. Groundbreaking.

Otherwise, it was dull going. The Westminster rumour mill had swirled about the possibility of another Tory defection to Labour  possibly from an Essex MP. In the end, none was forthcoming. Alas, this was one of those rare occasions where Mark Francois jumping out of a cake might actually have improved matters.
Conspicuously well hung  Untitled by Tom of Finland. Photograph: 1964 Tom of Finland Foundation

Hate the politics, love the uniform, would pretty much sum up Touko Valio Laaksonens attitude towards the Wehrmacht soldiers he encountered as a young, conscripted anti-aircraft officer in the Finnish army, fighting alongside the Germans in the second world war. After the war, Laaksonen began signing his commercial drawings for physique magazines with the moniker Tom of Finland, and the very different uniform of the sexual outlaw, inspired by American biker culture (and in particular by Marlon Brando in the 1953 movie The Wild One), replaced field grey with leather and denim, a hyper-masculine look that developed in gay culture from the 1950s onward.

Pert-bottomed and conspicuously well hung, six-packed and nipples erected, poured into their jeans and their leather trousers, Tom of Finlands groups of hunks and Muscle Marys indulge in all sorts of horseplay. They suck, they rim, they fist, they fuck. They pose and they cruise, they watch and, given half a chance, they join in. Theres a bit of lighthearted BDSM, but not much else to vary the routine. What a tiring round their days must be. Away from the magazine page or beyond the edge of the drawing they might complain, if they had the time, about their onerous moisturising regimes, the daily workouts and depilation routines. Never mind the same old outfits every day, or that as soon as one scene has ended anothers begun. Even when theyre tied to a tree and being thrashed with a belt they seem happy enough, and no one ever screams their safe word.

Tom of Finlands drawings depict men doing things with other men, all the time. Even when theyre trying to look butch or mouthing the occasional yelp, theyre cheery, strong-jawed types who never say no and never take offence, living the lifestyle, 24/7. All of which is a fantasy, of course, and thats mostly the point. I go from drawing to drawing, in search of something Ive never seen before, some novel practice or overlooked kink I can try at home later, but its the same old same old. This was one of the creative problems the Marquis de Sade faced, writing his 120 Days of Sodom. There are only so many variations to play with before the characters get snuffed out, in one unspeakable way or another. And then it all starts up again.

I can imagine Beryl Cook, always a gay ally, doing an affectionate parody of Tom of Finlands world, but she wouldnt have got much of a look in, back in the day, at the exclusively male Mineshaft in Manhattans Meatpacking district, or the Backstreet bar in Londons East End, for which Tom of Finland designed the clubs logo. If Plymouth had a leather bar, any visits Cook might have made are not recorded. Tom, on the other hand, would probably have preferred to snap all his pencils rather than go cruising at the Ladies Bowls Club, or spend much time in the back bar of the Lockyer Tavern in Plymouth, a welcoming, lairy pub where they let all sorts in, commemorated in one of Cooks paintings.

Cook did venture beyond Plymouth. She took in the sights and the frisson of danger in Marseille, where she painted a hooker out walking her dogs. She painted a pair of fur-coated lesbian ladies off for a martini at New Yorks Algonquin Hotel bar (once Dorothy Parkers home from home), and brothel madam Cynthia Payne (otherwise known as Madam Cyn) giving a neatly moustachioed, manacled gent in a bra and a pair of very high heels a bit of a seeing-too with a cane, at one of the sex parties Payne organised at her London home.

Related: Bottoms up! The joyfully lewd art of Beryl Cook and Tom of Finland

Both artists are good at minor details: with Tom of Finland it is zippers, biker jacket insignias, motorcycles, the sheen of leather, bulging crotches, puckered assholes and tumescent cocks. Cook does good eyebrows and sniggers, a cup of tea and a sausage sandwich, big fat cigarettes, platform heels and sensible shoes, all the accoutrements of the everyday that give her work flavour. Tom of Finland does smouldering looks and a boot pressing down hard on a mans groin, while Cook does girls nights out (all dressed up as Lyons Corner House waitresses), alarmingly fluorescent eyeshadow, a male stripper and lugubrious, affable blokes downing pints. Tom of Finland salutes the improbably muscled and engorged, and nipples that have seen a lot of work, while Cook celebrates people  mostly, but not always women  who do not care to watch their weight. Theyre all too busy having a giggle and an ogle and another little drinkie. Everyone in these paintings and drawings is comfortable in their skins, though some of Toms yearn to get even more comfortable inside someone elses.

This is a small show, but I wouldnt want more. The artists are minor but good fun, and both say something about the social mores of the very different worlds they inhabited, which overlap only slightly. Cook remains an enduring fixture in British popular, largely working-class culture, while Tom of Finlands significance went beyond being a commentator or a recorder of a queer subculture. He helped shape that cultures codes, its look and behaviour. His early work often features construction workers, a rumpus in a logging camp, cops and prisoners in a jail. Both artists, in their very different ways, wanted to give pleasure and to show us things (though I rather doubt if Tom of Finland cared about an audience outside the international community he inhabited) and ways of being we might otherwise not have noticed. Neither liked moral hypocrisy. Tom of Finland wanted to get his viewers horny, and Beryl Cook wanted to make us laugh. On my way out I didnt know whether to find some friendly, raucous pub somewhere, or a quiet corner where I could do myself a mischief. Perhaps both. Everythings possible.
Meyerland Performing and Visual Arts Middle School parents and students demonstrate against the resignation notice of Principal Auden Sarabia on Monday, May 13, 2024 in Houston. Sarabia told staff he must either resign by Tuesday or go before the district's Board of Managers. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer

U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia called for a federal audit into pandemic funding sent to the state of Texas for Houston ISD as the district grapples with an estimated $450 million funding gap.

The Houston congresswoman wrote to the U.S. Department of Education Wednesday to request that it audits all supplemental pandemic funding for HISD. She requested the dates when Texas received the funding, the dates it paid out that funding to HISD, how HISD spent such funds to date and what remains of those funds.

Her call for an audit comes as the one-year anniversary of the districts state takeover approaches on June 1.

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It pains me that my home school district has been taken over and is seemingly being intentionally run into the ground and request any additional assistance you can provide to protect our schools and our students, Garcia wrote.

The audit request touches on one of the main reasons HISD says its strapped for cash  the expiration of school pandemic relief funds called ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief).

Earlier this month, Miles blamed former Superintendent Millard House IIs administration for using $1.2 billion of that money for recurring expenses over the last four years.

The district chose to spend a lot of (ESSER money) on recurring expenses, salaries, making up the difference on enrollment  and Im sure thats a bad strategy because at some point, the money goes away and the salaries do not, Miles said.

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U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee tweeted Thursday she believed HISD needs federal intervention. Garcia and Jackson Lee stand alongside state representatives from the Democratic-majority city whose demands range for Miles immediate removal to data around student enrollment and teacher employment in special education and emergent bilingual programs.
James Anderson claims stories are being made up about him faking his charitable work - SWNS

A tradesman dubbed Britains kindest plumber and who reportedly received a donation from Hugh Grant is alleged to have faked stories about helping the vulnerable to raise money.

James Anderson, 56, has accused online trolls and the BBC of trying to shut down his charitable company which raised 2 million to help fund home repairs for the sick and elderly.

He said they had accused him of fabricating stories about vulnerable people to bring in money.

One of the allegations, set out by the BBC, suggested he had written a post about saving the life of a suicidal elderly woman, who had in fact died years earlier.

Her daughter later told the broadcaster that Mr Anderson, who won a Pride of Britain award, had been using her mother as a money-making machine.

The BBC also said Mr Anderson misrepresented a mother as a thief and claimed she was a victim of domestic violence in a post that had included pictures of her children.

It further suggested he had exposed the sexuality of a gay man in his 90s, who had told Mr Anderson he didnt want to be pictured due to his fears over discrimination.

The BBC also alleged Mr Andersons company, Depher CIC, had purchased a home for 73,125, which was rented out to a member of his extended family.

And an ex-employee told the broadcaster Mr Anderson had also used the enterprises funds, which rose to 1.2 million in April 2023, to purchase cars to ride around in.

The Fundraising Regulator said on Thursday that investigations into Depher CIC were currently ongoing following complaints from members of the public.

James Anderson has hit out at 'online trolls' and the BBC - SWNS

But Mr Anderson, from Burnley, claimed in a post on his personal Facebook page that the accusations against him had emerged through malicious online criminal trolls.

He wrote: The BBC News and online trolls are trying to shut Depher CIC community initiative down.

There are questions that they have asked me about my personal life, that have unfortunately come from online criminal trolls.

Unfortunately, the BBC have decided that these individuals have the right to ask, even after being reported to Burnley and Padiham Police on many occasions.

They also said that we were never contacted by Age UK or British Gas.

We gave the undeniable proof to show otherwise.

They also accused me of purchasing a house with donations.

I purchased a house with profits for Depher and it is in Dephers name.

The rent from the property has allowed us to reopen the food drive, and the community benefits from this, massively.

The tenant is my wifes ex-stepfather of 20 years, but she still looks at him as a father figure.

His son, who works for Depher, lives with him and cares for him as he is very ill.

Mr Anderson went on to say he had launched legal action against an ex-employee who he believed had spoken to the broadcaster.

He added in an update: The witch hunt by these individuals continues.

A spokesman from the Fundraising Regulator confirmed Depher CIC was under investigation.

They said: Having received a number of complaints from members of the public, the Fundraising Regulator has opened an investigation into Depher CIC to determine whether or not its fundraising has breached sections of the Code of Fundraising Practice.

While the investigation is ongoing, the Fundraising Regulator can not prejudice the outcome by publicly commenting on the details of the investigation.

Depher is a Community Interest Company, rather than a registered charity, meaning its operations are regulated by the CIC regulator  though the Fundraising Regulator is, of course, investigating potential fundraising breaches; there are some charitable objects in Depher CICs rules.

Depher CIC and Mr Anderson were contacted for further comment.


Breed in 2001 as Lib Dem shadow agriculture secretary with Ruaridh the Irish Setter - Alamy

Colin Breed, who has died aged 77, was a former bank manager who was Liberal Democrat MP for South East Cornwall between 1997 and 2010, and for much of his time in the Commons a front-bench party spokesman.

A Methodist local preacher, he opposed a ban on hunting and the extension of gay rights, voted against the Iraq War and regularly visited the Middle East trying to promote greater understanding.

Amicable and bearded, Breed both locally and at Westminster built a reputation for trying to find out what lay behind the obvious in any issue affecting Plymouths Cornish hinterland across the Tamar.

He campaigned against the neglect of Cornwall by national government, the closure of community hospitals, and water charges he saw as excessive, and sought the renationalisation of Devonport naval dockyard.

Colin Edward Breed was born in London on 4 May 1947, the son of Alfred Breed, a chef, and the former Edith Smith. He spent his childhood in Wandsworth, then after his father took up a job in Torquay attended the towns grammar school.

He joined the Midland Bank at 17, working his way up to area manager. From 1981 he spent a decade in asset management as managing director of Rowan Dartington, now part of St Jamess Place. After a brief corporate finance consultancy, he was a director of Gemini Abrasives from 1992 until his election to Parliament.

Breed joined the Liberal Party in 1966, and in 1982 was elected to both Caradon District Council and Saltash Town Council; he was twice mayor of Saltash.

For the 1992 election, he was agent to the local MEP Robin Teverson in his campaign to oust the moderate Conservative Robert Hicks as MP for South East Cornwall. Teverson finished 7,704 votes short.

Five years on, Hicks retired and the Conservatives chose Warwick Lightfoot, a Kensington councillor who had been special adviser to three Chancellors, to succeed him. His opponents lack of local roots, and the strong national swing against John Majors government, helped Breed capture the seat by 6,480 votes; he would retain it comfortably in 2001 and 2005.

Breed, left, and Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Paul Tyler MP presented the French Ambassador with an 8lb joint of prime British beef and warned of a possible trade war with his country in an attempt to persuade France to revoke its beef ban, 1999 - Alamy

In his maiden speech Breed welcomed the 40 million Lottery grant that launched what became the Eden Project, because of its effect on preserving plant varieties. He went on to promote an Energy Efficiency Bill to make such data compulsory in a mortgage survey, being livid when the maverick Tory Eric Forth talked it out.

Paddy Ashdown soon appointed him a front-bench spokesman on trade and industry. Charles Kennedy, taking over the leadership in 1999, brought Breed into his shadow cabinet, giving him the agriculture portfolio. At this time, he also served on the General Medical Council.

At the start of 2001 Breed formed an All-Party Group on the countryside with the Conservative David Curry and Labours Bob Blizzard, in an effort to heal the divisions in Parliament caused by the ongoing strife over banning foxhunting.

As foot-and-mouth disease spread that Spring, forcing postponement of the general election, Breed called for the replacement of Maff  whose handling of the outbreak came in for heavy criticism  with a Department for Rural Affairs. Post-election, Tony Blairs government relaunched the ministry as Defra; Breed kept the agriculture portfolio, but now outside his leaders inner circle.

Kennedy moved Breed to defence in 2002, giving him a higher profile as British and US forces struggled to take control of Iraq. After the 2005 election he was once again a Defra spokesman, under Kennedy, Menzies Campbell and Nick Clegg.

Breed stood down from Parliament at the 2010 election, aged 62. The Conservatives retook South East Cornwall by 3,220 votes, and with the election deadlocked Clegg took the Lib Dems into coalition with David Camerons Conservatives.

Out of Parliament, Breed was until 2017 one of a dozen former MPs with Global Partners Governance, delivering specialist technical advice worldwide.

Colin Breed married Janet Courtiour in 1968. She survives him, with their son and daughter.

Colin Breed, born May 4 1947, died May 9 2024
Bob Menendez, who is accused of bribery, fraud, extortion, obstruction of justice and acting as a foreign agent, with his wife, Nadine - Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images North America

A US senator on trial for bribery and corruption was dazzled by his wife and kept in the dark about gold bars stashed all over their house, his lawyers have argued, as they blamed her for an alleged cash-for-influence scheme to benefit foreign governments.

Bob Menendez, a former chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, is on trial for a string of charges connected to allegations that he sold his office and took bribes.

Gold bars were found all over the Menendezes' house - US Attorney's Office Southern District of New York

The Democratic senator is accused of bribery, fraud, extortion, obstruction of justice and acting as a foreign agent of Egypt, after $400,000 (316,000) in cash and a stash of gold bars were discovered at his home.

On Wednesday, Mr Menendezs defence lawyers blamed his wife, Nadine, who they said was dazzling and had kept financial secrets from him, including the alleged bribery payments.

Bob Menendez is a former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee - Andrew Kelly/REUTERS

Mrs Menendez is also accused of acting as a go-between in the alleged scheme, and will stand trial herself on 15 of the 16 charges faced by her husband after she has recovered from recent surgery.

The tall, glamorous 56-year-old has previously appeared partying with reality stars on The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Her husbands lawyer claimed she had acted without his knowledge in soliciting payments from others, including three businessmen.

She kept him in the dark about what she was asking others to give her, Avi Weitzman, the defence lawyer, said, claiming that she had run into financial trouble he did not know about.

Avi Weitzman, right, Mr Menendez's defence lawyer, claimed that Nadine Menendez had run into financial trouble - Elizabeth Williams/AP

She wasnt going to let Bob know that she had financial problems, he said, adding: Nadine was dazzling to Bob.

The governments allegations that the senator sold his office and his loyalty to this country are outrageously false, Mr Weitzman said. Bob was doing his job, and he was doing it right.

Lara Pomerantz, a prosecution lawyer, told the jury on Wednesday that Mrs Menendez did play a central role in her husbands corruption, but said he hid behind her while using her as a conduit to the businessmen who delivered bribes.

He was careful not to send too many texts, she said. He used Nadine as his go-between to deliver messages to and from the people paying bribes.

On Wednesday, Mr Menendez announced that his wife was being treated for stage-three breast cancer.

We are of course concerned about the seriousness and advanced stage of the disease, he said.

We hope and pray for the best results.

Mr and Mrs Menendez both deny the charges. The trial continues.
World Health Organization logo

The crunch is coming. Later this month, global health ministers will decide in Geneva whether to endorse the proposed new World Health Organisation (WHO) pandemic treaty.

This treaty actually stems from a British initiative by the then-prime minister Boris Johnson in March 2021. In a joint article with other leaders, he argued that the world needed a more coordinated approach to managing pandemics in future.

Sadly, since then the Government has never set out its actual negotiating objectives. This was a mistake.

When I was leading the Brexit negotiations, despite the chaos of the first wave of Covid, we still made sure that we published, in a public document, clear aims for our talks, because we knew that this would help sustain confidence when difficult moments arrived.

The failure to do this on the pandemic treaty has unfortunately created suspicion about what the Government is really trying to do and what it is willing to defend  all the more so as the conclusion approaches. Thats why the lead minister, Andrew Stephenson MP, was reluctantly forced to the House of Commons on Tuesday.

So are we right to be concerned? Yes  but not always for the reasons you will hear if you follow the debate on the treaty.

Some commentary is too alarmist. There isnt a plot to impose vaccines and compel lockdowns. Indeed, the current draft makes clear that the WHO has no authority to alter domestic laws or ban or accept travellers, impose vaccination mandates or therapeutic or diagnostic measures, or implement lockdowns.

That is welcome. But it is also exactly why it is not reassuring when ministers say, as Stephenson did this week, that this Government will only sign up to measures that respect our national sovereignty. Thats not really in doubt. The risk lies elsewhere.

It lies in the actual point of the treaty: the creation of a new system of pandemic management under the WHO authority and binding under international law.

The director general of the WHO, Dr Tedros, can declare the existence of a pandemic. Member states take on an obligation to cooperate with the WHO to the fullest extent possible, to share information and pandemic-related health products, to establish a supply chain network, and much more  and of course to fund it. This is all new.

Now it is true that agreeing to this in a treaty does not give away British sovereignty. Thats because in our constitutional system treaties cannot change our domestic law unless Parliament specifically agrees  as it did on the EU exit treaties. Parliament can always refuse to implement an international legal obligation, and governments can always act contrary to international law.

How easy that is in practice  that is, not easy at all  we have discovered in the past few years. First with the UK Internal Market Bill, then the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, and now with the Rwanda saga, the Government has either shied away from breaking international law or been blocked from doing so by its own backbenchers.

And that is the problem with this treaty, too. Our sovereignty is not formally affected, but we are taking on an international law obligation to work with the WHO system. When the next pandemic comes, government lawyers, MPs, and commentators will say you must do what the WHO says, or you are breaking international law.

A robust government can ignore this, but only if it doesnt mind being called a rogue state. Consider all the opprobrium poured on Sweden during the pandemic. Can we really be confident that our ministers, of any party, would be as tough as they were?

This would matter less if we could be confident of the neutrality and competence of the WHO. In fact we can be confident of no such thing: it has a track record of incompetence, poor decision-making, and politicised conduct, not surprising considering the extent of Chinas influence. Giving it a blank cheque is highly risky.

That is why we need the Government to show caution. Andrew Stephenson rightly said in Parliament that the current text is not acceptable to us. Therefore, unless the current text is changed and refined, we will not be signing up to it.

That current text is public. So, if the UK signs up anyway, we will be able to see what changed, and the Government can then come to Parliament and explain why it improved it. It must also provide a proper vote in Parliament, a point on which it was very evasive this week.

But no foreseeable alterations will change the fact that we are taking on an open-ended international law obligation to work with the WHO. If it signs up, the Government must explain to Parliament how it intends to manage this. That wont be straightforward  and in any case it is in all likelihood leaving these arrangements to a Labour administration, which will have very different concerns.

So its surely best to be cautious. This treaty has been rushed. Any text will be cobbled together and not properly thought through. Nothing requires us to sign it and nothing will happen if we dont. Pause for thought, argue for a wider delay, think it through properly. And dont sign till its right.
Joe Biden's 100pc tariffs on Chinese EV imports pose a risk to international trade - Win McNamee/Getty Images

Rishi Sunak had an interesting take on the Russia question this week: Keir Starmers policies would embolden Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister claimed. It was quite the claim from the leader of a party that has repeatedly taken money from Russian donors and allowed Britain to become a refuge for dirty Russian money and Putins cronies.

Still, if one thing is clear from Putins vainglorious pow-wow with Xi Jinping this week, its that he already feels emboldened by the way things are shaping up on the global stage. China-Russia ties are stabilising for the world, Putin declared as thousands of Ukrainians in the Kharkiv region fled a barrage of Russian glide bombs, artillery and drones.

Putin was basically trolling the West during his high profile overseas state visit  with China no less  which tells you everything there is to know about our failure to defend Kyiv from Moscows terror.

While Putin engages in yet more deranged propaganda, and Xi indulges him further with talk of welcoming an old friend, Western companies are increasingly making their own minds up about Russia and Chinas so-called stabilising effect.

Chinese president Xi Jinping and Russian president Vladimir Putin have been emboldened to act against the West - Rao Aimin/Xinhua via AP

Reports that Microsoft has asked hundreds of employees in China to consider transferring outside of the country are another reminder of how quickly the walls are coming up between East and West.

Is the great era of globalisation that turned China into the workshop of the world effectively over? Its still too early to say for sure but there is clearly a dramatic correction taking place  the big question is how severe and painful it will be.

Donald Trump has called it decoupling. Brussels prefers to talk more diplomatically about de-risking. With more than an eye on getting re-elected, Joe Biden has seemingly chosen to go in the other direction and turbo-charge the realignment into a full-blown divorce.

His decision to whack 100pc tariffs on electric vehicles from China is uncharacteristically bold for a man who has repeatedly shown himself to be a desperately weak international statesman.

After all, it was Bidens woeful hesitancy over Ukraine  suggesting Western powers would tolerate a minor incursion  that at least partly encouraged Putin to go ahead with the invasion. Meanwhile, Americas wavering support for Israel is a gift to its many enemies around the world, not just a regrouped Hamas.

The tariffs are hypocritical, too, coming from someone who once accused Trump of harming American farmers and manufacturers with his trade war against China. Even worse, it risks being reckless. Bidens tariff smackdown applies not just to electric cars but solar cells and lithium batteries  an attempt to prevent his Made in America green agenda from being undermined by cheap Chinese goods.

In total, $18bn (14bn) of Chinese imports will be affected. However, it is the decision to quadruple the levy on electric cars that has shocked trade experts most because it effectively cuts off one of the worlds biggest car markets from the planets largest producer of electric vehicles in one fell swoop.

Some have dismissed the move as symbolic since very few of the electric cars found on US roads come from China  it accounts for just 2pc of Americas EV imports, according to the Washington-based think-tank CSIS  but that misses the point. Tariffs of this magnitude mean Chinese car manufacturers can kiss goodbye to any hopes they may have had of breaking into the US.

There are those that will argue China has brought this on itself with its growing anti-Westernism, which has spilled into outright hostility and attempts to seriously undermine Western interests.

Yet, in the end it may be American politics that turns deteriorating relations into a catastrophic trade war. Bidens bet is that in taking an increasingly hardline stance against Beijing, he stands a better chance of defeating Trump in the polls.

Trump is having none of it, accusing the White House of dilly-dallying and promising to go much further by hitting Chinese cars with 200pc tariffs, as well as imposing a 10pc surcharge on imports from everywhere. Its an unabashed appeal to Rust Belt voters from two candidates determined to prove they will erect an impregnable wall around American industry.

European leaders will be watching nervously. Bidens actions mean that cheaper Chinese goods will increasingly be directed to the continent, forcing Brussels to ramp up its tariffs in a bid to prevent European markets becoming overwhelmed by Beijings dumping.

As all this plays out, the risk of a corporate exodus from China becomes much greater. Ultra-sensitive jobs in technology will move first.

Bankers and accountants will be next, then eventually the big manufacturers. If multinationals dont go voluntarily, it may get to the point where the US government forces them out. If theres one thing Democrats and Republicans agree on, its a need to lock China out of the West. That should send an icy chill through every major boardroom from Tesla and Nvidia to JP Morgan, Ford and Intel.

Perhaps it was always going to come screeching to a halt at some point. China was never going to become more democratic as Bill Clinton and David Cameron naively believed.

We should all mourn the passing of globalisation. On the current trajectory, the engine of prosperity that has propelled growth since the Cold War is about to be switched off, and that is bad news for the UK in particular, given we have always been one of the worlds most open economies.

It is not in anybodys interests to see a return to the sort of blanket protectionism ushered in by Smoot-Hawley. That particular piece of US legislation cast a long shadow over the 1930s by prolonging the effects of the Great Depression, torpedoing world trade, and even complicating international efforts to contain Hitler. What a grim legacy.
Only small people make a big deal about small talk - Retrofile

What is wrong with people these days? Why is everybody tripping over themselves to take offence? When did hypersensitivity become a lifestyle choice?

Thats what I might have said had I stood on the steps of the Old Bailey this week, channelling Elle Woods (yes, we are clearly related) in Legally Blonde after an employment tribunal ruled against a Japanese academic and in favour of small talk.

Whats that? Employment tribunals arent heard at the highest court in the land, but in drearily municipal buildings without Sicilian marble floors, allegorical paintings or even a single ornate mosaic arch between them? Oh, and also the Old Bailey is a criminal court and its not an offence to sue your bosses because a colleague mentioned a fondness for sushi?

Sushigate kicked off at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London when academic Claire Ozanne said to Japanese co-worker Nano Sato-Rossberg that she enjoyed eating sushi. Banal but hey, thats chit-chat for you. Nothing to scare the horses. Just a remark to lubricate social interaction.

In the inimitable words of Giles Brandreth: The purpose of small talk is not to be controversial, clever or even interesting. Its simply to fill the silent void with a small gesture of common humanity. Its a spoken smile, a verbal handshake.

Uh-oh. Not in this instance. Cue a meltdown, with Sato-Rossberg interpreting the comment as racist, accusing Ozanne, who was her manager, of prejudice and bullying before demanding she be replaced due to her racist microaggression.

The university started an investigation into claims, during which time Sato-Rossberg was promoted. When it rejected the allegations last year, Sato-Rossberg sued Soas for race discrimination, harassment, victimisation and unfair treatment for whistleblowing.

You might even say (if you dared), she completely lost her tempura. At the ensuing tribunal Sato-Rossberg stated that Ozanne would not have said to a German person, I like sausage.

But its quite likely she would have. And heres the rub; if she did, the German colleague would no doubt have been both pleased and interested to find out which sausages in particular she favoured; Berlin currywurst or Thuringer rostbratwurst? Blutwurst or weisswurst? Most pressing of all; with traditional mustard or moderniste ketchup?

I have a Masters in German. I can speak about art, politics, literature and that nations baffling hero worship of David Hasselhoff  but not from the get-go. Sausage is a much safer starting point for a conversation with strangers.

Food unites people Everywhere. Except Soas, self-evidently. Incidentally, the tribunal heard that Sato-Rossberg had told a different colleague: people like me  a non-white female  must constantly consider the possibility that they are treated unfairly because of gender or ethnicity.

In response, the judge ruled that Sato-Rossberg, now a professor, was hypersensitive and predisposed to finding fault in her colleague. Wisely, Ozanne has since moved to a different university; the silence in the canteen at Soas must be deafening.

The thing is, I dont disagree that discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity happens and it most certainly should be called out. But its really not hard to differentiate between targeted abuse and trivial pleasantry.

Sato-Rossbergs passive-aggressive paranoia hurts us all by fuelling the idea that certain topics are off limits and groups of people must be treated with deference for no good reason other than they might complain. All at the expense of small talk, that unseen glue that binds our patchwork nation together.

Ive lost count of the number of times my children, aged 21 and 15, have yelled, You cant say that! when I bring up subjects they consider to be taboo; race, religion, the proliferation of genders, stop and search. And this is before Ive even expressed a view: We know what you are going to say and you cant.

This censorship feels like an affront when Im seated at my own kitchen table  but even I would concede none of these qualify as chit-chat. Frankly, the only good thing about climate change is that theres plenty of weather to burble on about and, yes, I do realise I Cant Say That.

All the same, the sands of whats acceptable keep shifting and Im sure Im not the only one who thought there but for the grace, etc when poor Lady Susan Hussey was all but defenestrated back in 2022 for repeatedly asking charity boss Ngozi Fulani where she really came from.

I had on a red, gold and green headband, a cowrie shell necklace and the ankh (an ancient Egyptian symbol meaning life that some black people, and Rastafarians, wear in recognition of its sanctity). I think thats what drew Lady Hussey, she later told the media.

Any time I go to these spaces, I must bring my history with me; I walk with my ancestors without apology. And that was what, I think, was under attack.

Was it though? Or was it an octogenarian clumsily trying to make small talk? She clearly hadnt received the woke ask about heritage not birthplace memo but to denounce her as some sort of villain who meted out horrific abuse was uncalled for.

Couldnt Fulani have simply corrected her at the outset and used the opportunity to gently educate Lady Hussey about her use of language and indeed those ancestors?

Sadly, these days there is more mileage to be had from hurt feelings than adult discourse. Even where malice is not intentional, manufactured outrage is fast becoming the ugly look-at-me default reaction.

But playing the victim is a senseless game that hurts everyone involved; only small people make a big deal about small talk.
Migrant flights to Rwanda are set to take off in June - Andrew Matthews/PA

Home Office officials fear the number of migrants deported on the first Rwanda flight could be in single figures because of legal challenges.

The concerns are believed to be behind moves to expand the flagship scheme to include all failed asylum seekers on top of the initial cohort of 5,700 migrants so far earmarked for deportation.

Hundreds of migrants have been detained in the past two weeks ready for the first flight scheduled for the end of June or beginning of July.

Lawyers are, however, preparing to mount legal challenges to individual migrants deportation under the Safety of Rwanda Act, even though the legislation was designed to restrict appeals.

A source close to the planning of the flights said: We will do well to get to double figures on the first flight because of the attrition rate due to legal challenges.

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 are expected to be based on articles two and three of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which protect the right to life and guard against torture.

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 will also have a strong case.

The first flight scheduled to depart for Rwanda in 2022 had just seven migrants on board before it was blocked by European judges.

Deterrent is working

The claim that the upcoming flight would have a small number of deportees on board is however disputed by official sources.

A Home Office spokesman said: The deterrent within the Rwanda policy is simple and already showing signs of working. If you come to the UK illegally, and now if you are a failed asylum seeker with no right to be here, you will be removed. That was always the aim and is neither new nor rushed.

He added: We do not recognise these claims and they do not reflect our current operational planning. Detentions for those in line for removal are continuing and we are working at pace to get flights off the ground in July.

One said: Its not about numbers on one plane but exactly as the Prime Minister laid out a regular rhythm of flights that just continue to remove people from the UK.

The claims have emerged after James Cleverly, the Home Secretary, announced on Wednesday that all failed asylum seekers will now be eligible for enforced removal to Rwanda after a deal to extend the scheme to them was agreed between the UK and Rwanda.

This goes beyond the previous criteria of people who arrived in the UK illegally since January 2021 and is in addition to a voluntary scheme where failed asylum seekers are offered up to 3,000 to move there. One migrant is so far known to have taken up the offer.

Critics claimed it was evidence of desperation by the Home Office to boost their chances of securing sufficient numbers of migrants for the drumbeat of regular flights that the Prime Minister has pledged for the summer.

Legal sources suggested it could also reduce the likelihood of legal challenges as the Home Office could argue asylum claims had been fully tested unlike other migrants who have been barred from lodging claims under the legislation.
Watson, the MEP for South West England between 1994 and 2014, has Italian citizenship. Photograph: Sir Graham Watson

A former British MEP is hoping to stage a return to the European parliament in June after being invited to run in Italy by an alliance backed by the countrys former prime minister Matteo Renzi.

Sir Graham Watson, a Liberal Democrat, used to represent South West England between 1994 and 2014 and is running with the pro-European coalition Stati Uniti dEuropa (United States of Europe).

It involves an alliance between Renzis Italia Viva party and Piu Europa, a party led by the former Italian foreign minister Emma Bonino, and other groups including the European Liberal Democrats, who proposed Graham as the groups candidate.

Watson, who is married to an Italian and has Italian citizenship, has been given the top slot on the list of candidates for the coalition in the North-East Italy constituency, which represents cities including Venice and Bologna.

His chance of being elected was 50/50, he said.

Success in the ballot would also provide people in the UK with proof there was still a place for them in the heart of Europe, a key message in the run-up to an election expected to deliver a change of government, he said.

I think to be a Brit in the European parliament is a way of sending a message to British people: that other Europeans are not opposed to individual British people, they are opposed to the government which made itself thoroughly unpopular and disliked in the EU, he said.

Though Watson, who was born in Scotland, was once the president of the ALDE group of liberal politicians in the European parliament, anti-European narrative in the UK meant that his work was probably better known in France, Germany and Italy, he said.

Im over 65 now, and it wasnt in my life plan to go back. I wouldnt have sought to do this, said Watson, before explaining that the rise of the far right and the threat Russia that posed to the EU had compelled him to accept the invitation to stand in Italy.

The need for liberals in the European parliament at the moment is greater than ever because what we are seeing across Europe is a sharp swing to the right, he added.

The north-east of Italy is one of the strongholds of the far-right Lega party, which is led by the deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, who is an influential ally of Marine Le Pen in France.

Giorgia Melonis Fratelli dItalia party is expected to secure the greatest number of seats in the EU elections  held on 8 and 9 June in Italy  which concerns Watson.

On the international stage, Meloni is very strategic, but look at what her government is doing in Italy, he said, referring to threats to journalists and free speech at the public broadcaster Rai and a new law giving anti-abortion activists access to abortion clinics.

Meloni is also standing in the European elections, a move designed to boost her far-right Fratelli dItalia and consolidate her position in the European parliament, potentially shifting the balance of power to an alliance between her party, Law and Justice in Poland, Vox in Spain, and the far-right Reconquest in France.

The parliament is made up of seven political groupings, with the centre-right in top place followed by socialists, with liberal parties ranking as the third biggest and the Greens in fourth place.

The size of the first three groupings has meant they have generally dictated the legislation of the five-year term. But the election of radical and far-right parties could tip the balance of power, particularly if there is a surge in support for Meloni, Le Pen and Alternative fur Deutschland.

 This subheading of this article was amended on 16 May 2024 to better reflect its content.
The American remake will be overseen by Hat Trick Productions, the company behind the British show - MATT CROCKETT/BBC Pictures

Have I Got News for You is to be remade for American audiences, in the latest attempt to transfer the British comedy show across the Atlantic.

The US version will be broadcast in the autumn on CNN as part of its new Saturday night line-up. Hat Trick Productions, the company behind the long-running British original, will make it.

Mark Thompson, the former BBC director-general who is now the chief executive at CNN, announced plans to run Have I Got News for You in a double-bill with Bill Mahers Real Time.

Both are very, very smart shows, he told Ad Week. The idea is: lets see what Saturday nights are like when were sitting back and enjoying and laughing at whats happening in the world  as well as still exploring it.

The launch of the series is timed to coincide with the presidential election.

Previous attempts to translate Have I Got News for You for US viewers have fallen flat. Sam Seder, the comedian, hosted versions in 2009 and 2012, for NBC and TBS respectively, but neither made it past the pilot stage. Comedy panel shows are not commonplace in the US, as they are in the UK.

Mark Thompson, the former BBC director-general, is now head of CNN, the group overseeing the American remake - DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA

Jimmy Mulville, the executive producer of the show and the co-founder of Hat Trick, said: To bring Have I Got News for You to such an iconic network as CNN is a great honour and career highlight for us all at Hat Trick.

I just hope there will be something interesting going on in the fall for us to talk about!

The shows host has not been announced.

Have I Got News for You has been running in the UK since 1990, with team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton plus a rotation of guest panellists.

It was hosted by Angus Deayton until 2002, when he was sacked over sex and drugs revelations. Since then the show has been hosted by guest presenters, including Boris Johnson and Brian Blessed.

Amy Entelis, the executive vice-president of talent for CNN Originals and the creative development for CNN Worldwide, said: We have been looking for innovative ways to explore new formats and expand the boundaries of CNN programming.

The series is the standard-bearer of the genre and ripe for its American reincarnation as we revitalise Saturday nights on CNN.
Kate Forbes

It was inevitable that Kate Forbes wouldnt be able to escape the slings and arrows of Scotlands political battleground forever. And having decided to throw in her lot with John Swinneys supposedly brand new, squeaky-clean administration, it was only a matter of time before an issue got up and bit her - hard.

Its not any ordinary piece of politicking, either. It concerns the tragic death and another near fatality that both occurred in Ms Forbess constituency of Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch in the aftermath of, of all things, a music festival at the weekend.

One woman died and another was in a serious condition after both had taken ill - separately - only a short distance from Portree Community Hospital, in the north of Skye, which tragically, was closed and shuttered despite the efforts of ambulance staff and others to get help.

It was the main cause for concern at Holyroods Question Time, when Tories, Lib Dems and Labour MSPs united to condemn the situation that first responders encountered when they tried to help the women.

And it led to a candid this could never have happened response from Mr Swinney to the Tories Douglas Ross, with the First Minister acknowledging opposition claims that an independent and high-powered report six years ago had strongly argued that the Portree hospital should remain open.

Furthermore, he also revealed that the hospital had stayed open for only three years after that report was published but had been closed for the last three years, thanks to decisions taken by the local health board.

Why this should be the case is what everyone wants to know and it would now appear that it is up Ms Forbes, newly restored as finance minister in the Scottish Government but also elevated by Mr Swinney to the post of Deputy First Minister, to provide the answers. And quickly.

Everyone knows that Ms Forbes is a bit of an expert at finance and proved to be a first-rate performer as Holyroods chancellor when she served briefly in that role before resigning after Humza Yousaf beat her narrowly in the race to be first minister last year. But the current issue on her desk is not some dusty old budget paper but a genuine life and death matter involving one death and one serious health incident only yards from a closed hospital that should have been open.

She has now demanded that the local health board tell her why this was the case and shes given us a taste of the urgency she expects this to be dealt with when she said that she and locals had been campaigning about the hospital for a long time.

And she added: Enough is enough. It has been six years, and the timescales keep shifting.

For his part, Mr Swinney joined in, saying it was a matter of deep concern to the Government that the community hospital is not open 24/7 despite the recommendations in the report six years ago. He pointed out that there was a three-year period where the hospital was open overnight, but that had since changed because of staffing issues.

This, said the First Minister, was not good enough.

It certainly isnt and to most observers is another example of the shoddy state of the NHS in Scotlands rural areas. But Skye is also a significant part of Ms Forbess constituency.

And in a party riven with factions, more than a few nationalists are suspicious of the supposed merits of Ms Forbes. They dont like her religious faith, believing theyre not progressive: on issues like sex before marriage and abortion - shes a member of the Free Church of Scotland.

But by putting herself at the forefront of finding answers to this tragic event and the unwanted closure of this hospital, can Ms Forbes prove to the doubters that shes a natural leader?
State Rep. Christina Morales speaks during a civil rights forum with local community members held at the LULAC East End Council 22503 building Saturday, May 11, 2024 in Houston. Michael Wyke/Contributor State Rep. Christina Morales, center, speaks as panel moderator Diane Olmos Guzman, left, President of LULAC Council 22503, and Michele Williams, right, TSTA Local President, listen during a civil rights forum with local community members held at the LULAC East End Council 22503 building Saturday, May 11, 2024 in Houston. Michael Wyke/Contributor Panelists, from left, Jessica Campos, parent advocate; Michelle Williams, TSTA Local President; and State Rep. Penny Morales Shaw during a civil rights forum with local community members held at the LULAC East End Council 22503 building Saturday, May 11, 2024 in Houston. Michael Wyke/Contributor Panelists, from left, Jessica Campos, parent advocate, and Michelle Williams, TSTA Local President, listen as State Rep. Penny Morales Shaw speaks during a civil rights forum with local community members held at the LULAC East End Council 22503 building Saturday, May 11, 2024 in Houston. Michael Wyke/Contributor The panel discussion is attended by local residents during a civil rights forum with local community members held at the LULAC East End Council 22503 building Saturday, May 11, 2024 in Houston. Michael Wyke/Contributor

Houston politicians called for the removal of state-appointed Mike Miles from his position and demanded information on bilingual and special education as job loss and resignations flood Houston ISD.

State representatives in the Democrat-majority city are calling for action and scrutiny as HISD approaches the one-year anniversary since the Texas Education Agency replaced its local leadership. The district is asking teachers and principals to leave due to its views of their performance and is also slashing jobs tied to an expected $450 million budget shortfall.

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The appointed Board of Managers is scheduled to talk about the budget Thursday. Protests are planned for Friday morning at The School at St. George Place by the Galleria after their principal wrote to parents he will not return next year, Friday evening outside the distirct's Educators of the Year celebration downtown, and Saturday morning by City Hall. Crockett Elementary School parents organized Friday evening's protest, and Briargrove Elementary School parents organized Saturday's. Students also plan to walk out Friday, social media pages suggest.

State Rep. Jarvis Johnson wrote to Miles on May 10 to demand his immediate removal after "widespread surprise firings of decorated and high-performing educators." Johnson called for Miles to submit his resignation and immediately reinstate all terminated principals and teachers.

State Sen. Molly Cook, who is scheduled for a Democratic primary runoff against Johnson on May 28 for Mayor John Whitmire's former seat in the Legislature, also called for Miles' immediate resignation and "the immediate exit of the TEA (Texas Education Agency) from HISD" on Facebook. She also called for a third-party investigation alongside the union Houston Federation of Teachers after Spectrum News reported that Miles' former charter network, Third Future Schools, illegally used money from its Texas campuses to subsidize its Colorado schools.

"Witnessing this level of incompetence and weaponization of power you are displaying is truly all my greatest fears about the takeover coming to fruition," Johnson wrote to Miles.

State Rep. Christina Morales, whose district stretches from the northwest to the southeast across Houston, and State Rep. Penny Morales Shaw focused on the potential impact of the shakeup on bilingual and special education.

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Noting she has repeatedly requested data on HISD, Morales wrote to the Texas Education Agency Tuesday requesting the number of students and teachers in special education and emergent bilingual programs for the past five years.

"My office has fielded many calls and complaints from parents who feel their children are not being treated appropriately or provided the services to which they are legally entitled."

On Saturday, State Rep. Penny Morales Shaw said the job loss and resignations were "unconscionable" while acknowledging that Texas has at-will employment.

"HISD has a legal obligation to provide certain services to students with special needs or emerging bilingual students, and they are just blatantly violating those laws and those rights that people have," Morales Shaw said. "So we are crossing over from things that are just immoral and unconscionable to things that are now illegal and that are against it violates state law. And we're going to look into that."

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Calling the takeover a "Republican War on Public Education," Rep. Gene Wu called for a reevaluation of the layoffs and a plan so that no HISD employee loses their pension or job unnecessarily in a Monday press release.

"It's unconscionable that we find our school districts in such dire financial straits when solutions like adequately increasing the per-student funding and providing meaningful raises to our teachers are within reach," Wu said in the Monday statement.

State Rep. Harold Dutton authored the amendment that would allowed the Texas Education Agency to take over a school district's board or close campuses that had failing accountability grades for five consecutive years. Dutton, calling the job loss sad, said he wanted to learn about the reasons for the job loss.

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There will be no quick fix to the deep problems Labour will inherit if it wins the next election, Keir Starmer has said while unveiling his partys six election pledges amid a fanfare of endorsements from senior public figures.

The Labour leader said most reasonable, tolerant people in the country wanted what his party wanted for Britain, before he received an extraordinary endorsement from the Boots chief executive, Sebastian James, an Old Etonian who was a member of the private all-male Bullingdon Club alongside David Cameron.

James, who is pictured in the infamous club photograph (see below) alongside Cameron and Boris Johnson, appeared in a video message endorsing Rachel Reeves plans for economic stability.

Related: Starmers gear change shows inevitability of Labour election victory

The Labour leader told the launch event in Essex, attended by the entire shadow cabinet: There is no quick fix to the mess that the Tories have made of this country.

He said the public could expect to see his six pledges materialise within two terms of a Labour government, noting we wont be forgiven if were not prepared on day one if we are privileged enough to come in to serve.

Starmer rejected suggestions the pledges were unambitious, saying that restoring stability must be the partys first step before it embarks on any more ambitious plans to change the nation. This is a very different moment to 1997, after the damage thats been done in the last 14 years, he said.

Starmer said he had recently spoken to a couple in Wolverhampton who had decided they could not afford to have a second child.

Im not prepared to let an incoming Labour government ever do that kind of damage to working people, he told the audience. Thats why I can hardly believe Im saying this: stability is change, and thats why it has to be our first step.

The party has distributed a physical and digital pledge card with key promises, such as stabilising the economy, cutting NHS waiting times, setting up Great British Energy, cracking down on antisocial behaviour and recruiting 6,500 new teachers, which are the latest steps in his national missions.

Starmer addressed an audience packed with longstanding Labour figures and prospective parliamentary candidates in a grand room at the Backstage Centre film studios in Purfleet-on-Thames.

Before his speech, shadow cabinet ministers Reeves, Wes Streeting, Ed Miliband, Yvette Cooper and Bridget Phillipson took turns to expand on the personal challenges people are facing across the country in relation to their briefs, which they said was driving their ambition for change.

Rayner, the deputy leader, kicked off the event, saying the party had no illusions about the scale of the climb ahead. We arent promising the world, she said, but we are promising what we are confident that we can deliver on.

Reeves, the shadow chancellor, said Labour was ready to serve, ready to lead and ready to rebuild Britain, but suggested the work of returning to economic stability could take two terms of a Labour government, and would require tough choices. It will take hard work. A decade of national renewal.

Jamess endorsement was designed to demonstrate the breadth of support the party was receiving. Nodding to Labours five-point plan to save Britains high streets he said a thriving high street helps to build communities and will be a really important gamechanger in the next few years.

Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said Labour would provide the NHS with 40,000 more appointments each week, at evenings and weekends. Healthcare for the many, paid for by the few, investing more in the NHS and reforming the way the service works, he said.

Streeting introduced Nathaniel Dye, who has terminal cancer and waited more than 100 days for treatment when the governments target is about 62 days. Dye said he hoped to see a Labour government so other people can avoid ending up like me.

Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said she would make Labour a government of law and order, putting the safety of communities right at its very heart, citing plans for 13,000 more neighbourhood police officers and police community support officers, 100 new youth hubs and stronger laws to tackle violence against women and girls.

Miliband, the shadow secretary for energy security and net zero, relayed a core argument the party is likely to lean on in the election: people will face higher bills and energy insecurity with the Tories. Internal Labour polling has found more than 60% of Tory voters back the partys ambition of setting up Great British Energy.

Responding to a question from the Guardian, Starmer stressed housing and workers rights were integral to his six steps, and the fact that there were only a limited number of steps did not mean other issues would be put to one side.

Labour paraded a number of endorsements including one from Neil Basu, a former assistant commissioner at the Metropolitan police.

Starmer was introduced by Haruna Hamza, a Thurrock resident who said he was switching his vote from the Conservatives to Labour because the Tories had let the country down.

The event has kicked off the partys biggest advertising campaign since 2019. Billboards and vans will be seen in key battleground seats in London, Rochester, Stoke-on-Trent and Darlington and there will be a number of regional newspaper adverts. The shadow cabinet will also take Labours message to the country on a number of visits in areas such as Wolverhampton, Leigh, Aldershot, Doncaster and Bassetlaw.
Anthony Albanese says the phrase from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free is inappropriate but WA Labor senator Fatima Payman says it is about liberation from violence and occupation. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

A Coalition senator accused the Labor backbencher Fatima Payman of supporting terrorists and then withdrew the claim, just hours after the Senate passed a motion opposing inflammatory and divisive comments.

The NSW Liberal senator Hollie Hughes denied she had directly referred to Payman as a terrorist, which is what was alleged by some senators who were sitting in the chamber at the time and did not wish to be named.

Hughes told Guardian Australia she said you are supporting terrorists, which she withdrew shortly afterwards.

Hughes was overheard interjecting numerous times in Senate question time on Thursday, while the opposition pressed the Labor government to say whether it had taken any action against Payman, a first term senator for Western Australia.

Related: Fatima Payman accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza in significant rupture with Labor party position

Payman on Wednesday broke ranks with her partys position by directly accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and by using the politically charged phrase from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said the phrase used by Payman was inappropriate, and the Coalition successfully moved a motion in the Senate urging all senators to engage in debate and commentary respectfully.

In opposing the motion, the Greens said the attempt to frame criticism of the state of Israels policies as antisemitic is utterly inappropriate.

The motion, which was supported by Labor, included a clause stating that the slogan from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free was frequently used by those who seek to intimidate Jewish Australians via acts of antisemitism.

On Wednesday, Payman characterised the call as signifying freedom from the occupation, freedom from the violence and freedom from the inequality. Payman was not present for the vote on the motion on Thursday, although she was in attendance for Senate question time.

The independent senator Lidia Thorpe criticised Labor for appalling treatment of their own backbench senator, accusing the party of silencing its members.

They should be ashamed. [Payman] was speaking honestly from the heart about something important she cares about. I commend her for that, Thorpe said.

Prominent mainstream Jewish groups have labelled the river to the sea chant as hateful, but defenders of the phrase say it has a variety of meanings and can also refer to equal democratic rights and freedom for all Israelis and Palestinians.

Alex Ryvchin, the co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, a peak group, said it was an old Arab supremacist slogan calling for the destruction of Israel and the ethnic cleansing of its Jewish population.

Under this reading, the phrase calls for full Palestinian control in the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea and excludes the possibility of a state of Israel.

The Australian Jewish community is grateful for this [Senate] motion and to the vast majority of senators who had the decency to vote for it, Ryvchin said.

But advocates, including the Palestinian-US writer Yousef Munayyer, have argued the phrase reflects a desire for Palestinians to live in their homeland as free and equal citizens, neither dominated by others nor dominating them.

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, from the Likud party, said in January he would not compromise on full Israeli security control west of the Jordan River. In 1977, Likuds original platform said: between the Sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty.

The Greens senator Jordon Steele-John told the Senate his party recognised the reality that the policies of the state of Israel are increasingly rendering a two-state solution unachievable.

The president of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, Nasser Mashni, said the Senate motion appeared to be an attempt to shrink the space for Palestinians and civil society groups to defend human rights.

Were outraged that the major parties and the mainstream media have contorted the words of a liberation movement  a movement advocating for the end of Israeli apartheid in Palestine, and defending global values such as freedom, and equality for all  into words of hate, Mashni said.

The Coalitions Senate leader, Simon Birmingham, said too many Australians of Jewish background now go about their lives in Australia in a state of fear.

We call on the prime minister to take appropriate action and to ensure members of his government, members of his party, do not act in ways and repeat phrases that incite, fuel or are used by those who incite and fuel hatred or antisemitism, Birmingham said.

Related: From the river to the sea: where does the slogan come from and what does it mean?

The Liberal MP Julian Leeser told parliament the phrase demands the destruction of the Jewish state and he asked whether Albanese would show strong, not weak, leadership and remove Senator Payman from the joint standing committee on foreign affairs, defence and trade.

Albanese avoided the specific question, but praised Leeser for the principled stance that he has taken about the rise in antisemitism.

The chant from the river to the sea has been used from time to time by some in the pro-Palestinian movement; [and] by some who argue that Israel should be just one state as well and that Gaza and West Bank should be wiped out, Albanese said.

It is inappropriate. I very strongly believe in a two-state solution. I strongly believe in the right of Israel to exist within secure borders. I strongly believe as well in the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people.

Further comment was sought from Payman.
Keir Starmer

At last a Scottish politician has come up with a persuasive argument in support of Scottish independence.

The Scottish government this week declared the latest in its ongoing series of national emergencies. This week, we had the national housing emergency. Unfortunately, from the evidence presented so far, the actual declaration of an emergency seems to be the only action ministers are prepared to take in order to tackle the crisis. No extra money or special initiatives were announced by Shirley-Anne Somerville, the shadow justice secretary, when she made the much-trailed announcement.

To suggest that Somerville is the minister responsible for housing  or indeed, justice  would be wrong however. This is an administration that survives on its ability to evade responsibility for anything and everything that has gone wrong in its 17-year rule. Even before she made the formal announcement, observers knew with certainty that she was not about to stand up, declare the latest emergency, and accept, on behalf of her party and her government, responsibility for this sorry state of affairs. In fact, its difficult to name a single failure that has manifested itself under this devolved administration  historically high NHS waiting lists, declines in school standards, lack of progress on vital roads infrastructure projects, the aforementioned and shamefully high drug death record in Scotland  for which a minister has acknowledged as his or her fault.

It was no different this time. As Minister Somerville patiently explained, its all the fault of Westminster. Well, of course it is. One might draw the uncomfortable conclusion that if Scottish ministers are so helpless in the face of all these crises, we might as well scrap devolution altogether.

What is the point of drawing up an election manifesto for the Scottish Parliament elections, even concocting a programme for government at the start of each parliamentary session in Edinburgh, if every single failure is to be blamed on the UK government and parliament?

Its no coincidence  in fact it is precisely the aim of Somervilles and all her ministerial colleagues strategic incompetence  that such a conclusion should be invited. No degree of devolution can give Scotland the powers it needs to run things better, say the SNP. So best give us them all and everything will be great.

Accountability for one policy or another is all very well, but as arguments for tearing apart the territorial integrity of a sovereign state, its pretty weak. In fact, the danger for the nationalists is that their constant determination to avoid all responsibility for everything they do, for every one of their failures plays right into the hands of their opponents. All Labour has to say is: we actually believe in devolution, well work with the UK government to sort things, not constantly oppose them in everything they do.

The housing crisis is a particularly vulnerable subject for the SNP, given that it was at least partly exacerbated by former first minister Nicola Sturgeons failed attempt to impose rent controls, thereby driving significant numbers of private landlords out of the market and making even fewer affordable homes available for rent.

So what happens when the UK government is a Labour one rather than a Conservative one? Labour has never won a single general election at UK level during the SNPs time in government at Holyrood. Its fair to say that they have probably not game-planned such a scenario, which would begin with the Scottish electorate breathing an almighty sigh of relief. Will the nationalist refrain of a big boy done it and ran away work quite as well when the big boy in question was voted into office by Scottish as well as English and Welsh votes?

The SNP barely even make a secret out of the fact that a Labour government at Westminster would be politically disastrous for them. They have advanced with their petty cry of evil Toaries! for nearly two decades, and even before Labour resumes office, it is an excuse that has started to wear thin.
The Meta headquarters in Menlo Park, California. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Meta revoked a job offer to a prominent cyber-intelligence analyst immediately after he criticized Instagram for failing to protect children online.

Paul Raffile had been offered a job as a human exploitation investigator focusing on issues such as sextortion and human trafficking. He had participated in a 24 April webinar on safeguarding against financial sextortion schemes, during which he criticized Instagram for allowing children to fall prey to scammers and offered possible solutions.

The only reason I can think of for the offer being rescinded is me trying to shine a light on this big issue of these crimes happening on Instagram, and Instagram doing little to prevent it so far, said Raffile.

Raffile was a co-organizer of the webinar, which featured the parents of four children who had died after being scammed on Instagram. Among the 350 attendees were staffers from Meta, the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), law enforcement agencies, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Visa, Google and Snap.

Raffile told the Guardian he made some quick introductory remarks at the webinar, which took less than a minute to deliver.

With a contract already signed, Raffile was due to start his new $175,000-a-year role the following Monday, but he received the call rescinding the offer within hours of the webinar concluding. Metas hiring manager did not share the reason for his firing, stating the directive came from many pay-levels above us, Raffile said.

Meta said in a statement: Its not accurate to imply the offer was rescinded because of the NCRI report, the webinar or the candidates expertise in this space. The company did not provide a reason for rescinding Raffiles offer.

Raffile said: It shows that Meta is not willing to take this issue seriously. Ive brought up legitimate concerns and recommendations, and theyre potentially unwilling to be aggressive enough to tackle this issue.

Financial sextortion schemes have soared in the past two years, with more than 26,700 cases of underage victims reported to NCMEC in 2023 alone. According to the FBI, sextortion is the fastest-growing cybercrime in the US.

The victims are mainly teenage boys, who scammers approach by pretending to be attractive girls. After coercing victims into sending sexually explicit images of themselves, a scammer threatens to distribute the photos to their friends and family unless they pay a ransom.

A significant portion of these cases are the result of cybercriminals in Nigeria targeting teens abroad. Scammers refer to themselves as Yahoo Boys, and most commonly operate on Instagram and Snapchat. The crime can be deadly. Minors are often overwhelmed by scammers threats, and financial sextortion led to at least 20 teenage suicides between October 2021 and March 2023, the FBI has said.

Meta said in a statement it had strict rules against non-consensual sharing of intimate imagery.

Raffile questioned the reasons Meta and other social media companies have not managed to take effective action against financial sextortion.

I had squared off against Yahoo Boys at previous employers, which were financial institutions and tech companies, he said.

He previously held positions at the consulting firms Booz Allen Hamilton and Teneo.

He said: We were able to eradicate them from our platforms in four to six months. Yet, the social media platforms have had two years to deal with this.

A Meta spokesperson said its expert teams were aware that sextortion actors are disproportionately based in several countries, including in west Africa.

Related: How can parents protect their children from sextortion?

Raffile said Instagrams design features help facilitate these cybercrimes, including plans to encrypt direct messages, which offers greater privacy but can handicap investigations. Another major issue is the inability of users to keep their followers and following lists private, which means a blackmailer can access the friends and family of their victims, he said.

They message the victim and say: Hey, I have your nudes, and Ive screenshotted all your friends and family, your followers. Meta isnt taking teen privacy seriously enough, Raffile said.

Raffile criticized Metas April announcement that it would blur images detected as containing nudity as a default setting for under-18s. But teens can still opt to view them.

It sounds illegal to allow minors to transmit these images on their platform, he said. Why not just block them?

Meta said in a statement: This feature aims to strike the balance between protecting people from seeing nude images and educating them about the risks of sharing them, while not preventing or interrupting peoples important conversations.
Michael Cohen in court in this artists sketch. Photograph: Elizabeth Williams/AP

Donald Trump, flanked by his son Eric and staunch congressional supporters Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz, returned to the Manhattan courthouse on Thursday for the 18th day of his hush-money trial.

The former president sat and occasionally glowered as he watched Michael Cohen, his former attorney and fixer, testify. Cohen answered questions about Trumps reimbursements to Cohen  seemingly disguised as legal fees  for Cohens payment to the adult film star Stormy Daniels.

During several hours of cross-examination, Trumps lawyers sought to discredit Cohen as a vindictive and lying former employee with animosity towards Trump. Cohen largely remained calm.

Here are the key takeaways:

Defense plays Cohens anti-Trump podcast clips

Trumps defense team kicked off its cross-examination of Cohen by playing several clips from his podcast Mea Culpa, in which he boisterously celebrated Trumps indictment last year.

The clips featured Cohen sounding excited and high-pitched, saying that he hoped Trump ends up in prison and that revenge is a dish best served cold. Other clips played in front of the court included Cohen saying, You better believe I want this man to go down and rot inside, and, Thinking about Trump in Otisville prison makes me giddy with joy.

Prosecutors have spent the last few weeks setting up Cohen as someone with an exaggerated personality and occasionally contemptible behavior. This strategy seeks to ensure that there is nothing left to surprise jurors about Cohen and his anti-Trump attitude during his cross-examination. Still, as the defense played the clips, Cohen looked visibly upset.

At one point, Trumps lawyer Todd Blanche asked Cohen whether he believed his podcast and interviews played a role in Trumps indictment. Cohen said: I took some credit, yes.

Defense tries to frame Cohen as serial liar

Blanche sought to paint Cohen as a serial liar, confronting him with various false statements he made while under oath.

One statement Blanche brought up was Cohens testimony in front of the House oversight committee in 2017 when Cohen lied about the number of times he spoke to Trump about a Trump Tower project in Moscow. Cohen has repeatedly said that he told lies out of his loyalty to Trump. Blanche pushed on with the suggestion that Cohen is someone who lies easily and out of convenience.

Blanche also pointed to Cohens guilty plea in August 2018 for federal tax evasion and false statements in New York.

Nobody induced you or threatened you to plead guilty, correct? asked Blanche.

Cohen said: As I stated previously, I was provided 48 hours within which to accept the plea or the southern district of New York was going to file an 80-page indictment that included my wife, and I elected to protect my family.

Blanche asked whether Cohen felt induced to plead guilty.

I never denied the underlying facts. I just did not believe that I should have been criminally charged for either of those six offenses, said Cohen. Blanche then asked, That was a lie? to which Cohen said, That was not true.

Cohen also admitted a track record of shifting blame on to others. Youve blamed your bank, your accountant, you blamed federal prosecutors, the judge, President Trump, said Blanche. Cohen said: Yes, sir.

The defenses cross-examination of Cohen, which did get slightly confusing and granular, was intended to suggest a clear message to the jury  that Cohen is a deceitful and opportunistic person whose small and large lies blur with his truths.

Defense yells at Cohen over 2016 call

The defenses cross-examination of Cohen became heated when Blanche questioned Cohen about a string of phone calls he received in October 2016 from a 14-year-old prankster  a move seemingly used by Blanche to reaffirm the defenses framing of Cohen as a liar.

Blanches questioning appeared to suggest that the prank calls and Cohens need for help to address them was why he called Trumps bodyguard Keith Schiller at the time. Cohen previously testified that he instead called Schiller to confirm to Trump his plans to facilitate the hush-money payment to Daniels.

Showing several texts between Cohen and Schiller about the prank calls with zero mention of Daniels, Blanche told Cohen: You can admit [that you lied]. Cohen remained steadfast, saying: No, sir, I cant.

Part of it was the 14-year-old, but I know that Keith was with Mr Trump at the time and there was more potentially than this, Cohen said.

Blanche raised his voice, and suggested it was not possible for Cohen to complain about the calls to Schiller and also confirm the plans for the hush-money payment in under two minutes.

Five minutes ago, I asked if you remembered harassing calls, and then I refresh and you said you dont remember. Now, you say you have enough time in a 1min 26sec call to update Schiller and update Trump on the status of the deal? Blanche said. He pressed on: That was a lie. You did not talk to President Trump. You talked to Keith Schiller. Can you admit that?

Cohen replied, No sir, I dont know that its accurate, before adding: I always ran everything by the boss immediately, and in this case, it would have been saying everything has been taken care of, its been resolved.

Cohen also said he believed he spoke to Mr Trump about the Stormy Daniels matter. Blanche yelled back: We are not asking what you believe  The jury doesnt want to hear what you think!

Defense attempts to dismantle Trumps core charge of record falsification

At the end of his questioning, Blanche asked, Make no mistake, this was a completely legal binding contract, correct? in reference to Daniels technically entering a legal contract with Cohen to purchase the rights to her story about the alleged liaison. Cohen replied: Yes sir.

Blanche continued, And theres nothing illegal about a settlement contract between two parties, both of whom have lawyers?, to which Cohen agreed.

Blanche also pointed to the NDA signed between Peggy Peterson and David Dennison  pseudonyms for Trump and Daniels, suggesting that such an agreement is not anything out of the ordinary.

A non-disclosure agreement, an NDA, a settlement between two parties  happens all the time? asked Blanche. Yes, Cohen replied.

Blanches line of questioning and Cohens responses appeared to suggest that it was perfectly legal for the Trump Organization to classify the payments as legal expenses due to the legal work that was performed  an argument that strikes at the very heart of prosecutors charge that Trump falsified business records as part of his alleged 2016 election interference efforts.
Michael Cohen departs his apartment building on his way to Manhattan criminal court on Thursday. Photograph: Andres Kudacki/AP

Donald Trumps lawyer on Thursday attacked the core charge against the former president as he sought to undercut Michael Cohen, the former attorney whose $130,000 hush-money payment to the adult film star Stormy Daniels is at the heart of the criminal trial in New York.

The defense, led by the Trump lawyer Todd Blanche, had Cohen admit that technically Daniels entered into a legal contract to sell the rights of her story about a sexual encounter with Trump, apparently in an attempt to justify labelling the repayments as legal expenses.

During the hours-long cross-examination, the defense forced Cohen to concede that he had previously lied to protect Trump because it affected the stakes for him personally, and that he lied to the federal judge when he was prosecuted for tax evasion and false statements.

As Cohen returned to the stand for the third day, Blanche suggested Cohens latest objective was to see Trump go to jail, seeding the possibility that he might have also lied about the extent of Trumps involvement in the hush-money scheme with Daniels.

Related: Good chance well leave US if Trump acquitted, Stormy Daniels husband says

Blanche also directly accused Cohen of lying in his trial testimony. Cohen said earlier in the week that when he called Trumps then bodyguard Keith Schiller on 24 October 2016, it was to apprise Trump that he was moving forward with paying hush-money to Daniels.

But relying on texts Cohen sent to Schiller complaining about prank calls from a 14-year-old, Blanche raised his voice to tell Cohen he must have phoned Schiller primarily about the prank calls and that he could not have had enough time in a one-minute 30-second call to tell Trump about the Daniels deal.

You can admit, Blanche said, that you lied. No sir, I cant, Cohen responded, sticking to his account.

Trump was joined in court on Thursday by his son Eric Trump and the US representatives Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz. The trio appeared to be engaged in a dynamic conversation, at times smiling, laughing and whispering into each others ears shortly before Cohen took the stand.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of felony falsification of business records. Prosecutors must prove Trump authorized what he knew to be hush-money repayments to be falsely characterized as legal expenses in the Trump Organizations records, with an intent to commit a second, election crime.

The criminal case against Trump  the first against a US president  stems from his attempts to suppress negative stories about alleged sexual encounters he had with Daniels and others for fear that they could negatively affect his campaign just weeks before the 2016 election.

Cohen has been a dramatic witness for the prosecution as he recounted how he used a home equity loan to raise $130,000, which he then wired to Danielss lawyer through a shell company he established. Cohen did so in the belief that Trump would reimburse him, he testified.

In January 2017, Cohen previously recounted, he discussed with Trump and the former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg about being repaid for the $130,000, an overdue bonus, and other expenses he incurred doing work that benefited the Trump 2016 campaign.

Cohen produced 11 invoices seeking payment pursuant to a legal retainer that did not exist according to Cohen, that led to 11 checks being cut to Cohen and the Trump Organization recording 12 entries for legal expense on its general ledger  totaling 34 instances of alleged falsifications.

Under New York law, prosecutors need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump either made or caused a false entry to be made in the business records of an enterprise. Cohens testimony provided the first direct evidence that Trump directed the nature of the reimbursement to be obscured.

But Blanche relentlessly attacked Cohens credibility and motivations in recounting that story.

Blanche played clips from Cohens podcast Mea Culpa, including when Cohen said thinking about Trump in Otisville prison makes me giddy with joy. He also got Cohen to concede that he believed he played a large role in the indictment being brought against Trump  and bragged about it.

The defense later dug into Cohens previous lies under oath and how he seemingly lied about details big and small. When Cohen testified to Congress in 2017 about a Trump real estate deal in Moscow, Blanche elicited, Cohen lied about how many times he spoke to Trump about the deal.

And although Cohen told William Pauley, a US district court judge, in 2018 that he had not been induced to plead guilty to federal tax evasion and false statements charges, Blanche elicited, Cohen later said he felt he was cornered into pleading guilty so that his wife wouldnt also be charged.

The reason you lied to a federal judge was because stakes affected you personally? Blanche asked. Yes, Cohen replied, affirming that he told lies not just to protect Trump, as he has previously claimed, but for his personal benefit, when it suited him.

In an apparent effort to undercut Cohens testimony on direct examination that Trump was responsible and involved in the effort to cover up the hush money to Daniels, Blanche elicited from Cohen that he had a track record of trying to shift blame for his own actions on to other people.

Youve blamed  Your bank? Your accountant? You blamed federal prosecutors? The judge? President Trump? Blanche asked. Yes, sir, replied Cohen to each of the questions.

The cross-examination of Cohen is expected to conclude on Monday morning. The redirect-examination is unlikely to take longer than an hour, prosecutors told the judge. After Cohen is done, Trumps lawyers may call Bradley Smith, an expert in federal elections law.

Smiths potential testimony is not likely to take particularly long, in large part because the judge imposed limits on expert testimony in a pre-trial ruling. Smith would only be able to testify about general definitions about federal campaign contributions.

Whether Trump testifies in his own defense remains uncertain, even if Trump has suggested he wants to take the stand. Should Trump not testify, closing arguments in the case could come on Tuesday. But the judge still has to issue jury instructions, which means the jury might only start deliberating on Thursday.
Mr Cohen has signalled he is primed to play a central role in Mr Trump's potential arrest - Yuki Iwamura/AP

For a decade, Michael Cohen served as Mr Trumps lawyer and backroom fixer, working, in his own words, to cover up his ex-bosss dirty deeds.

But Mr Trumps one-time henchman has transformed from arch-defender to arch nemesis as he steps up as a key witness in the former presidents Manhattan hush money trial.

It was Cohen who facilitated, and was later jailed for, the payment to the porn star Stormy Daniels that led to Mr Trump becoming the first former US president to be indicted, and now to stand trial.

Since then, Mr Trumps legal woes have snowballed, and Cohen has already faced off against his former boss in court, testifying against him last year in his $250 million civil fraud trial.

Cohen, a key figure for the prosecution, told the court that he worked to boost the supposed value of assets belonging to the Trump Organization. Mr Trump was ultimately ordered to pay more than $355 million in penalties after a judge ruled he had lied about his wealth for years.

Ahead of Mr Trumps historic first criminal indictment, Cohen stood on the steps of a New York courthouse and signalled he was primed to play a central role in prosecutors efforts to pursue Mr Trump.

This is all about accountability. Donald Trump needs to be held accountable for his dirty deeds, he told reporters, before testifying to the grand jury which ultimately voted to indict the ex-presidents fate.

The former president sits quietly in the New York courtroom as his trial continued on Tuesday - REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid/Pool

The New York criminal case against Mr Trump centres on a $130,000 payment to silence Ms Daniels, real name Stephanie Clifford, over an alleged affair.

Mr Trump has always denied the claim and denounced the case as a politically motivated witch hunt.

Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to campaign finance violations over the hush money and other charges, including tax evasion and lying to Congress about a Trump business deal.

He served more than a year in jail and testified in court that Mr Trump directed him to commit a crime by making the hush payment with the express intention of influencing the election.

After Mr Trumps indictment last year, Cohen said his goal in cooperating with prosecutors was to speak truth to power.

However, making Cohen a star witness is by no means risk-free for Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney bringing the case.

Mr Trumps defence team have already signalled that they will highlight the credibility issues around a disbarred lawyer with a conviction for lying during cross-examination.

A copy of a cheque paid to Michael Cohen by Donald Trump is central to the case against the ex-president - Chip Somodevilla/Getty

During opening statements, his lawyers told the jury that Cohen cannot be trusted and was obsessed with the idea of seeing President Trump go to prison.

Described as a former mega fan of Mr Trump, 77, Cohen landed a job with the real estate mogul and reality TV star in 2006 after impressing him with his ability to anticipate his needs.

Cohens career route to becoming the personal lawyer for a US president was far from orthodox.

A native of Long Island, New York, Cohen attended Western Michigan Universitys Cooley Law School, which has since earned a reputation as one of the worst in America.

He worked as a personal injury lawyer for a time, but built his wealth buying and selling taxi medallions in New Yorks murky taxi badge industry.

Later, as the personal lawyer to one of New Yorks biggest real estate magnates, he handled business deals worth considerably more.

Cohen believed his remit extended beyond official business. Im the guy who stops the leaks. Im the guy who protects the president and the family. Im the guy who would take a bullet for the president, he told Vanity Fair during Mr Trumps first year in office.

However, Cohen was said to be hurt that Mr Trump did not offer him a role in the White House.

Pressure mounted on Cohen when the FBI raided his home and offices and seized hundreds of items in relation to investigations into Mr Trump.

A row over who would foot the bill for his legal fees and the looming threat of a lengthy stretch in prison then paved the way for Cohen to later turn on his former boss.

He has since taken a scorched-earth approach, publishing a book titled, Revenge: How Donald Trump Weaponized the US Department of Justice Against His Critics.

In an interview with The Telegraph in 2022, Cohen hinted at what is driving his continued animus toward his former boss.

Donald has never accepted responsibility for any of his improper actions and never will, he said.
Patricia Mills told The Telegraph she became unwell as a result of the action taken by West Suffolk NHS Trust

NHS bosses hunting a whistleblower demanded fingerprints from a doctor who has warned that medics dont stand a chance if they raise concerns.

Patricia Mills, a consultant in anaesthetics and critical care, said she would never be the same again after being hounded by managers who also demanded handwriting samples from her.

They were trying to identify the author of a letter sent to a widower that made claims about one of the staff involved in the care of his late wife, who died at the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds in 2018.

A report commissioned by NHS England found that the hospitals request for fingerprints from staff was incendiary and unprecedented. The hospitals chief executive later resigned over what was described at the time as a witch hunt.

Doctors want the Government to create a new criminal offence of causing detriment to whistleblowers after accusing NHS managers of targeting them for daring to speak up.

It comes as other whistleblowers accused the NHS of protecting managers who have been criticised for their handling of patient safety warnings. Many have been given other senior roles in the health service.

The Telegraph has highlighted concerns raised by more than 50 doctors who say they were targeted after sounding the alarm about upwards of 170 patient deaths and almost 700 patient harms, though the true number of avoidable deaths has been described as astronomical by one consultant.

Instead of trying to address problems that might be putting patients at risk, the whistleblowers claim NHS bosses are spending millions of pounds of taxpayers money hiring law firms and private eyes to investigate them.

Dr Mills was one of several staff whom bosses at West Suffolk Hospital wanted to fingerprint after an anonymous letter was sent to Jon Warby, whose wife, Susan, died after surgery on a perforated bowel.

The letter alleged a cover-up by the hospital of an anaesthetist involved in Mrs Warbys surgery, claiming he had injected himself with drugswhile in charge of a patient and it was all hushed up. The author of the letter has never been named.

Those who refused to hand over fingerprints claim they were told by the trust that refusal to provide consent or refusal to provide an adequate rationale could be considered as evidence that the individual was involved in writing the letter.

Dr Mills  who refused to be fingerprinted or give a handwriting sample  told The Telegraph that the action taken by West Suffolk NHS Trust caused her to become unwell, as she feared she could lose her career.

She said whistleblowers absolutely dont stand a chance against the power of NHS managers, who often spent vast sums of public money investigating the whistleblowers themselves.

Dr Mills told The Telegraph: I was off work at the time for six months. Ive never, ever had any time off work, ever. It made me very unwell.

I will never be the same again, she said, adding that: But it wasnt just me. It had a profound effect on everyone who was persecuted, really, by their employer. I wasnt the only one, there were several others.

Dr Mills contacted the National Guardians Office, the body set up to ensure health and care employers comply with whistleblowing protections, to ask for help challenging the trusts demand for her fingerprints, but described their response as literally useless.

A report into the matter commissioned by NHS England later stated: The requests for fingerprints were incendiary. No evidence was produced to me that fingerprinting had previously been used in the NHS in a potential disciplinary investigation such as this, where the police had already confirmed that there was no evidence that a criminal act had been committed.

It said the trusts pursuit of the whistleblower had lacked fairness, balance and compassion and was disproportionate and inappropriate.

Steve Dunn, the trusts chief executive at the time, resigned after the hunt for the whistleblower was made public in 2020. Dr Mills continues to work at the trust.

Dr Mills believes she was able to return to work because, unusually, her case led to senior executives losing their jobs.

The whistleblower is calling for the way NHS managers are assessed to be reformed.

She said: I think theres a very good case for a fit and proper persons test deciding that if you have persecuted someone who has raised patient safety concerns, then theres no place for you in the NHS.

An inquest into the death of Mrs Warby concluded that the anaesthetist named in the letter was not directly responsible for her death.

Dr Ewen Cameron, chief executive of West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, said: We accept full responsibility and have apologised to the staff and family affected by the failings surrounding the whistleblowing case

Whilst weve come a long way, we know there is more to do.

Justice for Doctors, a group for whistleblowers that was founded during the pandemic and has held regular online meetings ever since, held its first in-person patient safety conference on Thursday at the Royal Society of Medicine in London.

Salam Al-Sam, the groups founder, told attendees that the persecution of whistleblowers was a system failure in the NHS, where a fear culture stopped many people from speaking up.

Responding to The Telegraphs investigation, Victoria Atkins, the Health Secretary, said on Thursday: The ability for professionals to report their concerns, to me, is a vital part of ensuring that our healthcare system meets the needs of patients and indeed of other staff members.
Whistleblowers are supposed to be protected by law from being unfairly treated as a consequence of raising the alarm

Doctors want the Government to create a new criminal offence of causing detriment to whistleblowers after accusing NHS managers of targeting them for daring to speak up.

Medical staff have a professional obligation to report any concerns of patient safety and, like all whistleblowers, they are supposed to be protected by law from being unfairly treated as a consequence of raising the alarm.

But many whistleblowers say the law lacks teeth and has failed to prevent them from being victimised by managers who they say are more concerned with protecting reputations.

They believe that by creating a new criminal offence of causing detriment to those who speak up, there will be a dramatic reduction in cases of whistleblowers being forced out of their jobs, as reported by a Telegraph investigation this week.

Doctors also want the Department of Health and Social Care to require hospitals and other employers to bring in an independent medical expert to assess whether a whistleblower has a case.

If, for example, a doctor raises concerns about the safety of patients in a cardiology unit, they want a cardiologist with no connection to that hospital to assess the merits of the whistleblowing claim. This, they say, would prevent hospitals from effectively marking their own homework by launching internal investigations into complaints about patient safety.

Justice for Doctors, the independent pressure group calling for the changes, also wants the Government to make it illegal to suspend or exclude doctors from work for speaking out about patient safety.

Victoria Atkins, the Health Secretary, has said that the Government has made changes to protect whistleblowers but acknowledged on Wednesday that there is still more to do.

The law that is meant to protect whistleblowers is the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, under which workers have the right not to be subjected to any detriment by any actby his employer done on the ground that the worker has made a protected disclosure.

Anyone who believes they have been targeted by their employer has the right to take their case to an employment tribunal, though many doctors believe this is an inadequate forum for raising complaints and some have taken their cases to the High Court instead.

Dr Naru Narayanan, president of the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) union, which represents hospital doctors, said: There needs to be a new criminal offence of causing detriment to people who have spoken up, so those who put reputation before patients are punished for it.

The toxic culture of silencing those who speak up must be stamped out. Too many lives are ruined and patient safety is compromised as a result.

It is clear the problem is endemic across the NHS and must now be dealt with externally. Doctors and other NHS employees need somewhere to go to report patient safety concerns without fear of backlash from their employers.

HCSA is calling for the establishment of an independent statutory national whistleblowing body, outside of the NHS, to register protected disclosures and protect individuals against recriminations.

The whistleblowers will discuss their concerns and their demands for changes in the law at a conference in London on Thursday.

The General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates the profession, requires doctors to take prompt action if they think patient safety, dignity or comfort is being seriously compromised. If they do not do so they can be struck off.

NHS managers, however, are not regulated by a professional body, making it harder for whistleblowers to complain about their managers if they believe they are trying to cover up bad practice.

In its written guidance of good medical practice, the GMC tells doctors they must promote and encourage a culture that allows all staff to raise concerns openly and safely.

If a patient is not receiving basic care to meet their needs, you must immediately tell someone who is in a position to act straight away, it says.

Where doctors have concerns that a colleague may not be fit to practise and may be putting patients at risk, doctors must ask for advice from a colleague or the GMC.

If they remain concerned, the GMC says you must report this, in line with our guidance and your workplace policy, and make a record of the steps you have taken.

Failure to do so may amount to misconduct and a finding that a doctors fitness to practise is impaired. Good Medical Practice states that: Serious or persistent failure to follow this guidance will put your registration at risk.
Mile Ludovit outside the apartment block in the central Slovakian town of Levice, where the 71-year-old former security guard and amateur poet Juraj Cintula had lived for decades. Photograph: Pjotr Sauer/The Guardian

Mile Ludovit, like other residents of the unassuming grey apartment block on the outskirts of the sleepy central Slovakian town of Levice, considered Juraj Cintula a reliable neighbour and friend.

Having lived side by side with him for more than 40 years, Ludovit could never have imagined the 71-year-old former security guard and amateur poet would be suspected of perpetrating the worst political attack in Slovakian modern history  shooting the prime minister multiple times at point-blank range.

I have known him for decades. If he was planning something, there were no signs. But I cant look into his head, said Ludovit, 68, on Thursday, a day after the attempted assassination of Robert Fico that left the divisive politician in a critical condition.

Our whole building is trying to understand why he did this.

They were not alone. On Thursday, the whole of Levice, like much of Slovakia, was struggling to make sense of the attack. Shootings of heads of state or government are virtually unheard of in recent European history, and the attempt on Ficos life has caused deep shock inside Slovakia and throughout Europe.

But while the alleged perpetrators motives remain murky, the attack comes on the back of growing polarisation in Slovak society.

Ludovit said he would occasionally discuss politics with Cintula and that his neighbour did not appear to have strong political opinions, but had expressed anger over the growing attacks on free speech under Ficos leadership.

But I would never have thought he would be capable of such awful actions. He never talked about using violence. He was not radical, said the neighbour.

Slovak police have not yet officially named Cintula as the attacker, but they have said the shooting appeared to have a clear political motivation.

The Slovak interior minister said a lone wolf who had been radicalised recently, after the [spring] presidential election had been charged with attempted murder.

A video posted online hours after the shooting appeared to show Cintula in detention saying he did not agree with the governments policies, particularly what he described as the liquidation of the media. It was unclear who had taken the footage and how it had surfaced online.

Related: He is borrowing from Trump: the rise of Robert Fico, Slovakias populist leader

Ludovit said he had last seen Cintula on Monday when he appeared to be his usual self. Wearing shorts and slippers, Ludovit strolled past a police guard stationed outside the apartment block and pointed to the top-floor flat belonging to Cintula and his wife. I dont have an explanation for why he did what he did, he said, shaking his head.

Initial available information depicts Cintula as a contradictory figure, a Fico critic who rallied against violence, while also occasionally aligning himself with ultra-nationalist narratives.

In an unearthed 2015 YouTube video, he claimed that, together with other people, he was founding an anti-violence group in Levice. Every normal person rejects violence. Our goal is to unite people, preserve peace and restore democracy, he says, announcing the creation of the group. The world is full of violence and weapons. People seem to be going crazy.

A year later, however, Cintula was pictured attending a meeting alongside the fringe pro-Russian paramilitary organisation Slovak Conscript. In a Facebook post at the time, Cintula praised the group for protecting the countrys tradition and culture.

A member of the Slovak Writers Association, Cintula sometimes tapped into anti-migrant narratives in his writing. According to an analysis by the Slovakian outlet Postoj, in at least one of his published works he expressed xenophobic views against the Romany community in Slovakia, a popular topic among the countrys far-right parties.

In February, Cintula was photographed joining a protest in Bratislava against Ficos proposed changes to criminal law, aimed at reducing penalties for corruption and economic crimes. In the last few months, thousands of Slovaks have been rallying against what they perceive as plans by the populist Fico government to dismantle democratic institutions, in particular the public broadcaster.

Related: Fico shooting could trigger media crackdown in Slovakia, editors fear

Slovakias political landscape has been sharply separated for years between pro-European and nationalist-leaning factions led by Fico. This split has been further intensified by the recent elections, which, say critics, were characterised by disinformation and verbal attacks on social media by Fico and his supporters

The conflicting reports about Cintulas motives, which slowly began to emerge on Thursday, appear to have caused further division and confusion in Levice.

Of course, everyone talks about this right now. Nothing like this ever happened here, said Martin, who lived not far from Cintula and occasionally saw him walking around but did not know him personally. Martin declined to give his last name.

Some say he was some pro-Russian activist, others call him a leftwing terrorist and blame the opposition for stoking the attack. It depends on who you ask and who they voted for, said Martin, adding that Levice, like much of Slovakia, was divided along political lines.

The shooting is, of course, tragic and every single Slovak should condemn it, Martin continued. But at the same time, Fico and his party were the ones contributing to this climate of hate in society.

Sensing spiralling tensions, officials in Slovakia were urging restraint on Thursday.

The hateful rhetoric we have witnessed has to stop, said Slovakias president, Zuzana Caputova, at a news conference in the capital, Bratislava. Last June, Caputova announced she would not run for re-election after receiving death threats.

What happened yesterday was an individual act. But the tense atmosphere of hatred was our collective work, she said, adding: Let us step out of the vicious circle of hatred and mutual accusations.

Appearing alongside Caputova at a news conference, the president-elect, Peter Pellegrini  a friend and ally of Fico  said: Slovakia must walk on the path of peace, not reply to hatred with hatred.

But some in Levice said they feared Wednesdays attack would further contribute to the fractious atmosphere dominating Slovakia. I hope I am wrong but I believe this will not be the last shooting, said Jana Bacik, a 22-year-old student.
James W. Crawford III is announced as sole finalist for Texas Southern University president on Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Houston . Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer James W. Crawford III shakes hands with TSU chairman Brandon Simmons after he is announced as sole finalist for Texas Southern University president on Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Houston . Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer James W. Crawford III is announced as sole finalist for Texas Southern University president on Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Houston . Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer TSU chairman Brandon Simmons announces James W. Crawford III as sole finalist for Texas Southern University president on Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Houston . Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer

U.S. Navy Vice Adm. James W. Crawford III will serve as Texas Southern University's 14th president, filling a post in need of longevity and stability as the institution has encountered mounting scrutiny from the public and legislature in recent years.

TSU regents voted Thursday on the selection of Crawford, a former president of Felician University in New Jersey and current trustee at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina. He served in the U.S. Navy for more than 30 years and retired there as the judge advocate general, the military branch's most senior attorney.

Crawford's term will begin June 1.

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"This is a very significant move," said Regent Richard A. Johnson III, who is heading the university's presidential transition committee. "Probably the most important thing that the board will ever do is to hire a new leader to carry out our mission."

The serviceman will take the position after a more recent entry into higher education administration. Crawford's Naval career ended amid allegations that he attempted to meddle in the prosecution of a Navy SEAL accused of rape, according to the Navy Times. He then served as Felician's interim president before taking the permanent role at the private Catholic university from 2021 to 2023, and while there, he oversaw major capital projects and advanced STEM education, TSU Board Chairman Brandon Simmons has said.

The vice admiral's military career had taken him to some of the highest posts in the country. He served as head of the Naval Legal Service Command, legal counsel to the chairman of the U.S. Department of Defense's joint chiefs of staff, and commander of the NATO Rule of Law Field Support in Afghanistan. Crawford was also the lead counsel to the principal military advisers of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Crawford, 66, is a Charlotte, N.C., native. A graduate of Belmont Abbey College, he also obtained his law degree from the University of North Carolina and holds master's degrees in law as well as national security and strategic studies.

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"I was taught that the most significant gift one can ever receive or give is the gift of service," Crawford said last month. "To be selected to be the finalist for the presidency of Texas Southern University, a proud and accomplished HBCU, is an honor beyond measure."

The regents chose Crawford as sole finalist for the position in April and cemented the decision at the end of a 21-day public comment period. He will take the reins from Interim President Mary Sias, a board member with decades of higher education experience. She came out of retirement to steady the university during its search for a new leader.

"This is the beginning of a new era for the institution, and I wish you well," Sias said after the board's vote.

TSU was among the dozens of historically Black colleges and universities that faced a troubling trend of presidential exits in the past couple years. Nearly a quarter of presidential seats at the nation's roughly 100 HBCUs had opened since 2022, two-time HBCU president Walter Kimbrough told the Washington Post last fall.

TSU Board Vice Chair James Benham, who co-chaired the presidential search committee, declined to confirm the number of applicants and finalists but said the group was lucky to choose from a pool of qualified candidates.

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The committee included members such as Andrew Card, former Chief of Staff to Bush, and alumnus and "Good Morning America" host Michael Strahan. They sought a president who would work to improve student outcomes, prioritize how the university spends its resources, build trust with the community and expand TSU's reach on and off campus, according to recruitment documents. The regents had also looked for a leader who would stay for a longer tenure, Benham said last month.

Former TSU President Lesia Crumpton-Young announced in 2023 that she would step down after serving in her role for two years. She left many initiatives in their early stages, setting ambitious goals for more students, higher graduation rates and increased research dollars.

READ MORE: Texas Southern University excluded from state endowment pool, fueling debate on HBCU underfunding

Crumpton-Young had also been working to restore trust in Texas Southern after an admissions scandal in the law school toppled her predecessor, who had been in office for four years. As president, she found herself facing unrelated lawsuits, including a now-settled case from a former law school dean who alleged she was stripped of tenure without cause. The other involved a school police chief who sued to keep her job while facing an anonymous complaint that alleged she unlawfully raised several officers salaries.

Crawford will inherit some of the issues Crumpton-Young left behind, even as many in the TSU community have credited Sias for progress made in the transition. Sias has said that she sees a need for more on-campus housing, and six-year graduation rates remain far below the national average. About 20% of the 2017 undergraduate cohort graduated in six years, school officials said, compared to 62.2% nationally.

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TSU is also seeking to increase its research standing alongside 10 other HBCUs that hold a "Research 2" status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Higher status typically elicits prestige and larger federal grants, and HBCUs such as Texas Southern are attempting to overcome a history of underfunding from state and federal governments.

Several regents have applauded Crawford as a smart choice for furthering student and faculty initiatives, partly due to his emphasis in interviews on student services and faculty relationships.

Many alumni have also celebrated the decision, although a contingent online said they were uneasy with the court decision that coincided with his retirement from the military: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces in 2018 found he illegally placed pressure on an officer to convict a SEAL accused of raping a girlfriend, according to the Navy Times.

I was asked about that, certainly," Crawford previously told the Chronicle. "Theres really no comment to offer there. I spent almost 30 years in an extraordinary organization as a U.S. naval officer. I was trusted to serve in that entire time, and I bring all those lessons and experiences in their fullest dimension to Texas Southern University.

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Benham said the committee reviewed Crawford's background as well as cases he was involved in, and they obtained positive feedback from the former chair of the joint chiefs of staffs, the former chief of naval operations and the former chairman of the Felician University Board of Trustees. They also engaged alumni and considered the varying input on where they hoped to find a president.
Choir members perform in Rochester Cathedral, Kent

An almost 100-year-old recording of a choir has been unearthed and handed back to the cathedral that hosted the performance. It is believed to be one of the oldest recordings of a live choir singing in their home venue.

The sound of Rochester Cathedral choir singing in 1926 was preserved on a 12-inch shellac record, which has been rediscovered by a sound expert. It has now been transferred on to a CD and returned to the Kent cathedral. Older recordings of choirs exist but they were recorded inside a studio.

The audio of the Rochester choir was sent live by telephone lines to Columbia Studios in London where the record was made.

The eight revolutions-per-minute record contains the choristers singing Magnificat in B flat and the hymn All People that on Earth do Dwell conducted by Charles Hylton Stewart, then director of music.

The performance also features Percy Whitlock, the composer, playing the organ in the choir he served in various roles between 1911 and 1930.

The recording was found by Michael Curling from the City of London Phonograph and Gramophone Society.

Alistair Taylor, owner of a specialist record shop in Rochester, transferred the audio onto a CD.

The recording will be played at a choral evensong service at the Cathedral on Sunday.

Adrian Bawtree, director of music at Rochester Cathedral said: We are delighted to be sharing this historic recording with you all.

To hear the choir in such good heart back in 1926 and to hear the famous Percy Whitlock at the organ is just simply fantastic.
Muriel McKay was murdered in 1969 but her remains have never been found - Keystone/HULTON ARCHIVE

Detectives investigating the 1969 kidnap and murder of Muriel McKay are to carry out fresh searches at a farm in Hertfordshire, Scotland Yard has confirmed.

Mrs McKay, the Australian born wife of a newspaper executive, was kidnapped from her home in Wimbledon 55 years ago after being mistaken for the wife of Rupert Murdoch. Two men were convicted of her murder in 1970 but her remains have never been found.

Police conducted searches at Stocking Farm in Stocking Pelham, Hertfordshire in 2022 but nothing of significance was recovered.

In a statement, Scotland Yard said recent enquiries had identified other areas at the site which it was believed would be worth searching.

Her family have been informed of the development but it is not clear when the work will begin.

Kidnappers demanded 1m ransom

Mrs McKay was the wife of Alick McKay, an executive at News Limited and deputy to Rupert Murdoch.

She and her family had moved to the UK from their native Australia in 1958 and had settled in the Wimbledon area.

On December 29 1969 she was abducted from her home while her husband was at work, with the kidnappers later demanding a 1 million ransom.

In 1970 two brothers, Arthur and Nizamodeen Hosein, were arrested on suspicion of kidnap, blackmail and murder. They were convicted and jailed for life in September 1970.

Arthur died in prison in 2009, but Nizamodeen was released after 20 years and was deported back to Trinidad.

While it was long believed Mrs Mckays remains had been buried at the Hertfordshire farm, they have never been located.

In 2023 Hosein provided fresh information to the family about the potential whereabouts of the body and the police also travelled to Trinidad to interview him.

No further search if remains not found

Announcing the decision to carry out fresh searches, Commander Steve Clayman said: Id like to thank Muriels family for their patience while we have taken time to really carefully consider all the information gathered in relation to this case. I know it has been a frustrating time for them.

We have decided we will carry out a further search at the Hertfordshire farm where it is believed Muriels remains may be. We carried out an extensive search there in spring 2022 but unfortunately it was unsuccessful.

Our recent enquiries mean other areas have been highlighted as being of potential interest and it is these we will search. The main area is where a manure heap once stood  we know now this was probably larger than we previously thought and therefore that area was not entirely searched in 2022.

While we have concerns about inconsistencies in the account provided by Nizamodeen Hosei, for completeness, we want to do this.

At this stage we have not set a date for the search to begin, but will keep Muriels family updated and informed. The owners of the farm are fully aware and supportive and we thank them for their continuing help and cooperation.

We all share a hope and desire to find Muriels remains and bring some closure to her family after all these years.

We sincerely hope the search is successful. However, we have informed the family that if Muriels remains are sadly not found, it would not be proportionate to carry out any further searches or investigations.

This is a police matter

In a statement, the current owners of the farm said: Our position has been consistent from the very first request of the family of the late Mrs McKay for a dig at our home.

We have always said that this is a police matter  they are the experts in investigating evidence and determining its credibility.

We have at all times provided the police with access to our land and granted permission to dig when requested by them, including when we have not been obliged to do so.

We agreed to support the decision of the police, whatever it was. They have now made their decision, which we respect, although we understand from the police that this was a finely judged call considering the unreliability of the evidence provided by the murderer.

In fact, the evidence is insufficient for the police to apply for search warrant. It now means that once this dig is concluded there will be a close to the debate and that no further searches on our land will happen.
The Queen was greeted with cheers from crowds who waited for her in the damp weather - Chris Jackson/Getty Images

The Queen has revealed that the King is getting better during a garden party in East Sussex, before joking: Well, he would be if he behaved himself.

Her comments came during a conversation with guests at Lamb House in Rye, where she was treated to a performance by actors Timothy West, 89, and Hayley Mills, 78, while sat alongside Prunella Scales, 91.

The Queen, 76, said the King was quite cross he could not be there, adding that he was a big fan of author EF Benson, who used to live at the property.

The King has recently returned to public duties following his cancer diagnosis and the Queen has made no secret of her concerns that he is working too hard.

On arrival, the Queen was given a short tour of the National Trust property, also once home to novelists Henry James, and Rumer Godden.

After being shown a first edition copy of Miss Mapp by Benson, she joked: I might make off with that in my pocket, before commenting that it was wonderfully battered.

The Queen, who could not read the novel without her glasses, exclaimed: Goodness, its been thumbed through.

After being led into the Oak Room on the ground floor, where a game of Bridge was laid out on a card table, she was told that Benson had never been a fan of the room.

What was his problem? Camilla asked. I wonder why he didnt like it.

Camilla told one well-wisher: 'I'm afraid I haven't brought the weather' - Mark Cuthbert

The Queen then marvelled at a 1930s song book on her way through to the Telephone Parlour, before being taken upstairs to the Green Parlour.

Here, she was shown an array of early editions, including Bensons Dodo, which she was told had been written while the author was at university and sent to Henry James, who was known to be a fearsome critic.

A prolific writer of fiction, ghost stories and non-fiction, Benson is best known for his Mapp and Lucia novels, which were set in the fictional town of Tilling, based on Rye. Lamb House was the inspiration for Mapps home, Mallards.

Just as the rain stopped, the Queen was ushered outside to join guests for a garden party in celebration of Ryes literary history, where she was given a typically enthusiastic welcome from Gyles Brandreth, president of the Friends of Tilling.

She was then introduced to other members of the Friends of Tilling, the EF Benson Society, alongside staff and volunteers from the National Trust.

Ladies and gentlemen, here is the sunshine, Brandreth said. The National Trust never lets us down.

The Queen appeared delighted to have been given a limited edition copy of poems written by Pepino, the late husband of Lucia in the Mapp & Lucia books. The book, Fugitive Lyrics, is described by Benson in some detail.

How wonderful, thank you very much, she beamed.

The Queen was later shown a framed poster commemorating her visit, created in the style of a poster displayed at Lamb House marking George VIs 1937 coronation and originally designed by Benson.

Chatting with guests, the Queen said: I cant believe Im in Tilling. Its such a treat to be here.

A great way of getting the community together

The Queen also joked that Rye should be renamed Royal Rye as she met volunteers in the East Sussex town.

Camilla met representatives from local community organisations at the Church of Saint Mary, where the church bells rang to welcome her.

The Queen was greeted with cheers by a large crowd waiting in the damp weather and was given a bunch of tulips as she made her way up the narrow, cobbled street to the church. Sorry its a bit damp, she said.

She was welcomed by Paul White, the rector, who said: When Queen Elizabeth I visited Rye in 1573, she dubbed this town Royal Rye. So if you felt that was in your gift today, we will alter the signs before you go. The Queen laughed and replied: Why not?

Those gathered included representatives of the Royal Voluntary Service, the Mothers Union, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the Royal British Legion.

Among those the Queen met from the Royal Voluntary Service, of which she is patron, was Inga Davie, who turns 94 in two weeks and was wearing a long service medal for her 45 years of service.

The Queen told her: You must be one of our longest standing members. You do such a wonderful job. You literally are the skeleton of the country.

Pauline Sanders, of the Mothers Union, told the Queen about a project called Ministry of Cake, which delivers weekly cakes to parents in the neonatal unit at the local Conquest Hospital in Hastings.

The Queen exclaimed: Ministry of Cake! before asking: Are there any favourites? She was told that sponge always goes down well.

As she met the bell-ringers, the Queen said: Its a lovely thing to do, a great way of getting the community together.

As she strolled along, someone shouted Long live the Queen! Camilla said to one well wisher: Im afraid I havent brought the weather.

En route, she shook hands with two-year-old Bobby Neal. His mother, Emma Russell, from Rye, said: It was amazing  what a memory to have for life.
The foundation said Lebohangs work experimented  by combining photography and archival material from her family. Photograph: Lebohang Kganye

The South African artist Lebohang Kganye has won the prestigious Deutsche Borse Photography Foundation prize for her work that uses large-scale cutouts and elements of set design to trace and depict her family history during the apartheid era.

The Johannesburg-based artist took home the 30,000 prize for her winning exhibition, which is on display at the Photographers Gallery in central London and is called Haufi nyana? Ive come to take you home.

In it Kganye  who was born in 1990, in the dying days of apartheid, uses cutout figures and objects that depict scenes from stories she was told by her family. The artist sometimes appears in the scenes, acting them out dressed as her relatives.

Combining oral history, family photo albums and theatrical stages, the result is work that the judges said reflects on the realities and consequences of apartheid and colonialism.

Anne-Marie Beckmann, the director of the Deutsche Borse Photography Foundation, said: It was a strong shortlist full of powerful images and long-term projects but we thought that Lebohangs work experimented with the medium by combining photography and archival material from her family in a new and fresh way.

Claire Grafik, the chair of the judging panel and acting director of the Photographers Gallery, said: Her work implicated the audience through the installation and the use of these freestanding collages where audiences become part of the experience. Theres no distance between the work and the audience  her use of theatre to bring the audience into conversation with the artwork was something that we really loved.

The themes of family and story have been central to Kganyes work since she emerged in the early 2010s. A breakout early work was Her-Story, in 2013, where she recreated images of her late mother, dressing up as her and overlaying images of herself depicting the same scene.

Kganye briefly worked in TV production and her cutout work was inspired by set designers, while she also used elements of theatre, literature and sculpture.

Haufi nyana?, which means too close in the Sesotho language, recalls stories about her familys migration, caused by land acts and apartheid law, while she also explores the alternation of her familys surname, which means light in Sesotho.

This years other nominated artists, who will each receive 5,000, all created work that touched on the themes of trauma or displacement.

Valie Export, the Austrian artist whose work has long focused on the female body, was also nominated alongside the Indian artists Gauri Gill and Rajesh Vangad  shortlisted for their book Fields of Sight, which combined photography and intricate Warli painting.

Hrair Sarkissian, the grandson of Armenia genocide refugees, who was born and raised in Damascus, was shortlisted for his work about loss, trauma and untold stories rediscovered after conflict.

Sarkissian, who has previously created work about the mass killings in Spain during the Franco era, was nominated for Last Seen, an exhibition that focuses on disappeared people who went missing during conflicts and is a series of images taken in their last known location.

Beckmann said the 2024 shortlisted work all played with questions of displacement, heritage and giving voices to unheard communities.

If you look at Sarkissians work, hes been going to different countries whether in Kosovo or Argentina or other regions. Its putting a light on work that is perhaps hidden. The same goes for Gauri Gill and Rajesh Vangads work and Valie Export, who was creating very provocative work about feminism in the 1970s  which is definitely still needed.
People protest in front of the ICRC building in Gaza City in support of Palestinians held in Israeli jails, 6 May 2024. Photograph: Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu/Getty Images

Red Cross officials are to hold talks with the UK over a Foreign Office plan to visit Palestinian detainees held by Israel. Critics say this bypasses a duty on Israel under the Geneva conventions to give the Red Cross access to detainees.

Israel has suspended the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from access to Palestinian detainees since the Hamas attack on 7 October, and says it will not rescind the policy until Hamas grants access to Israeli hostages.

Thousands of Palestinians are in Israeli detention. The UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, has said he was deeply troubled by reports of inhumane treatment of detainees.

Fabrizio Carboni, the ICRC director for the near and Middle East, is in London to hold talks with the Foreign Office in which the issue of ICRC access to detainees and the implications of the UK alternative are due to be discussed.

David Cameron, the foreign secretary, has unilaterally negotiated a deal with Israel in which two UK legal observers and an Israeli judge would visit some prisoners. Details have not been published.

Related: Everyone has friends in jail: how Palestinian prisoners became central to Gaza ceasefire talks

The deal came after UK government lawyers visited Israel to underline Britains belief that denying access to the ICRC was a breach of the Geneva conventions. The ICRC has made repeated appeals to both sides in the conflict to give its officials access to those detained, as set out in the conventions.

British officials argue even circumscribed visits to detainees is better than nothing, and is a valid way of checking whether reports of wholesale mistreatment of prisoners have validity.

Cameron told the BBC at the weekend: Its not all bleak. On the issue of the treatment of detainees I went to see [the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin] Netanyahu. I said it [the lack of access to detainees] was not good enough, that we needed to have a proper independent system for inspecting and regulating, and the Israelis have announced they are now doing that.

The concern is that the UK government, by endorsing an alternative to ICRC visits, is weakening the rule of law and setting a dangerous precedent for how detainees are treated in other conflict zones. Supporters of the ICRC insist this is not about a territorial turf war, but about the unique scale of the ICRC, its experience in handling such cases in the region, and support for its legally defined powers as set out in the Geneva conventions.

The ICRC values neutrality and confidentiality in its dealings with governments. In a statement to the Guardian, it reiterated that under the Geneva conventions, Palestinian detainees from the occupied territories should be treated as protected persons with access to the ICRC.

The statement added: We have seen the reports of a government of Israel decision to allow observers to visit some places of detention. The ICRC remains hopeful that suitable steps are taken that could protect the health and welfare of detainees, which remains paramount. We reiterate our readiness to resume our mandated detention activities.

Chris Doyle, the director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, said: There is no transparency about Camerons alternative. What it risks doing is setting up a procedure that bypasses the ICRC  I very much doubt that two Foreign Office-appointed lawyers in the company of a judge from the occupying power are going to have the expertise of the ICRC, but will instead be taken around sanitised prisons.

What has happened to the thousands of Palestinians taken from Gaza to Israel is a huge issue. [Neither] we nor their families know where they are, whether they are combatants or children, or why in some cases they are being stripped to their underpants. We have heard nothing from the UK government about this.

Natasha Hausdorff, the legal director for UK Lawyers for Israel, has argued that Gaza is not occupied territory, since Israel vacated the Gaza Strip in 2005 and has no effective control of the area. As a result, claims by the ICRC that the Palestinians have protected status or a right of notification fall, she has argued. She has also said the ICRC had lost any claim to neutrality by calling for a ceasefire that, she said, would leave Hamas terrorists in power.

The UK government recognises Gaza and the West Bank as occupied territories.

As a sign of the scale of the ICRC programme, in the first six months of 2023 more than 29,000 prison visits from family members in the occupied territories were enabled through the Red Cross.

The ICRC helped facilitate the handover of 105 hostages taken by Hamas on 7 October to Israel, in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, during the week-long truce in November.
Ukrainian fighters fire a rocket towards Russian troops in Kharkiv on Wednesday - ROMAN PILIPEY/AFP via Getty Images

Russian forces have launched a bid to capture the village of Lyptsi as they continue a new offensive on Ukraines north-eastern region of Kharkiv.

Next is the settlement of Lyptsi  our guys are already on the outskirts. Work is beginning to liberate it, aviation and artillery are working constantly, they do not stop, said Vitaly Ganchev, a pro-Russian official installed in occupied eastern Ukraine.

It came as Ukraine repelled a separate assault on the northern town of Vovchansk, a highly sought-after target by Moscow since it launched a wider incursion last week.

The Ukrainian army said it had managed to push back enemy troops from the outskirts of the town, adding that Russia had lost more than 100 soldiers in the latest attack.

The capture of Vovchansk, which is close to the Russian border, would mark the most significant territorial grab for Russia in its latest offensive, though Ukraine says it is of little strategic value.

The enemys plans to penetrate deeper into the town of Vovchansk and gain a foothold there were thwarted, the Ukrainian General Staff said in a statement.

Another spokesman for the Ukrainian military said its efforts were focused on stopping Russia from gaining any footholds in the region, which could be used as staging areas for setting up troop deployments and equipment.

Our units... detect separate enemy units, the location of artillery deployments and inflict damage to prevent the enemy from accumulating forces and equipment in the northern part of the town of Vovchansk, Nazar Voloshyn said.

In a Thursday morning update, the Institute for the Study of War reported some Russian advances in northern Kharkiv, near the town of Siversk and west of Donetsk city.

The city of Kharkiv came under renewed attack on Wednesday - Federico Quintana/SIPA/Shutterstock

It came as the Russian FSB spying service claimed to have arrested two Ukrainian agents in annexed Crimea, accusing them of passing on sensitive details about air defences in the area.

Russian state media also claimed the pair had attempted to blow up railway lines in Crimea, which is of major symbolic importance to Ukrainian forces as the territory was illegally annexed by Vladimir Putin in 2014.
Mr Khan said he was 'worried' about the prospect of a second Trump presidency - MATT ROURKE/AP

Labour should do more to call out Donald Trump for racism and sexism, Sadiq Khan has suggested.

Mr Khan, who recently won a third term as the Mayor of London, broke with his partys attempts to woo the former president before this years US election by calling for Labour to criticise Mr Trump.

David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, has launched a charm offensive on the presumptive Republican nominee, praising him for raising defence spending during his first term and suggesting the two men have common ground.

On a trip to Washington last week, Mr Lammy met with Chris LaCivita, Mr Trumps campaign manager, and several of his allies on Capitol Hill.

On Thursday, Mr Khan said he was worried about the prospect of a second Trump presidency, and suggested the party should criticise him for his views on minority groups.

Referring to Mr Lammys comment last week that Mr Trump was misunderstood in Europe, the mayor told Politico: Im quite clear I understand Trump.

Special relationship

Hes a racist. Hes a sexist. Hes a homophobe. And its very important, particularly when youve got a special relationship, that you treat them as a best mate.

If my best mate was a racist, or a sexist or a homophobe, Id call him out and Id explain to him why those views are wrong.

He added that he had more latitude as a mayor to criticise Mr Trump.

I worry about a Donald Trump presidency, he said. Ive been speaking to governors from America. Ive been speaking to mayors from America.

Of course well have a relationship, whoever the president is. But we shouldnt be literally rolling out a red carpet for a state visit.

Its really important that we, of course, have good relations with Democrats and Republicans.

But I lost count of the amount of Republicans Ive spoken to who are also worried about a Trump presidency.

Mr Khan and Mr Trump have previously criticised each other. Before Mr Trumps last visit to London, he took to Twitter to call Mr Khan a stone cold loser and very dumb, after the mayor authorised protesters to erect a large balloon effigy of the Republican leader depicted as a baby.

In 2016, Mr Khan said Mr Trumps comments about Muslims were ignorant. In return, the American challenged the mayor to an IQ test.
The Slovakian prime minister, Robert Fico, is in a stable condition but not out of the woods yet, officials have said, as the countrys president-elect pleaded for unity after a shooting that laid bare the deep political divisions of recent months.

The shooting, the first major assassination attempt on a European political leader in more than 20 years, sent shockwaves across the continent, with leaders linking the violence to an increasingly febrile and polarised political climate across its countries in the run-up to European parliament elections in June.

It is shocking to see that someone can become the victim of his political ideas. Three weeks ahead of the elections, that is extremely alarming, said Belgiums prime minister Alexander De Croo, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency. Lets make it an intense campaign when it comes to words, but not beyond that.

Related: Fico shooting could trigger media crackdown in Slovakia, editors fear

Slovakias interior minister, Matus Sutaj Estok, described the attack as politically motivated and said the suspect was a man who had acted alone and who had participated in anti-government protests. This is a lone wolf who had radicalised himself in the latest period after the presidential election, Estok told reporters.

That election, won by Ficos ally Peter Pellegrini in April, heightened tensions in the country, where Fico has pursued a divisive agenda since returning for a third stint as prime minister in October.

The defence minister, Robert Kalinak, said Fico was in a stable condition, though it was too early to say the outlook was positive. Hes still not out of the woods yet, Kalinak said. I cannot say yet that we are winning or that the prognosis is positive.

At least five shots were fired at Fico, 59, on Wednesday as he met a small group of supporters after a government meeting in the town of Handlova, about 90 miles (150km) north-east of the capital, Bratislava. The suspect, identified by local media as Juraj Cintula, 71, has been charged with premeditated attempted murder.

Pellegrini said he had been able to have a short conversation with Fico in the hospital but said the leaders condition remained critical. He is able to speak, but only a few sentences and then he is really tired because he is on some medication, he told reporters. We cannot say at this moment that the prime minister is completely safe.

Prime minister Robert Fico escaped death by just a hair. If those gunshot wounds were just a few millimetres to either side, we would be talking about him as the late prime minister.

Pellegrini appealed for unity in what he described as a divided Slovakia, calling on people to temper their emotions. Regardless of their political or religious leanings, people needed to realise that we crossed a red line with the shooting, he said. I would like to ask everyone in Slovakia to reject any violence in any form, please let us not escalate this violence.

Earlier in the day Pellegrini called on parties to suspend or tone down their campaigning for the EU elections. Michal Simecka, the leader of the biggest opposition party, the centrist Progressive Slovakia, said his grouping had already done so.

Leaders from across the political divide in Europe have denounced the assassination attempt, calling it an attack on democracy.

The Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, said he had received threats since the shooting. There was a lot of it yesterday, he said in a post on X illustrated with a screenshot of a comment, also on X, saying, Today, Slovaks gave us an example of what should be done with Donald Tusk if he decided not to carry out investment in a big airport in central Poland.

The Polish website Wp.pl, citing a source at the state protection service, said Tusks protection would be strengthened.

The Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, a political ally of Ficos, claimed he was now fighting for peace alone in the EU. Orban, like Fico, advocates for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, and has characterised next months European elections as a referendum on the issue. Polls suggest populist and hard-right parties will make gains in the 27-nation bloc.

The suspect, Cintula, is said to be a former security guard at a shopping centre, the author of three books of poetry, and to have spoken on YouTube of his desire to form a political movement.

On Thursday, several police officers were stationed at the entrance of the unassuming grey apartment block where Cintula had lived for 40 years.

The news outlet Aktuality.sk cited the suspects son as saying his father was the legal holder of a gun licence.

In an undated video posted on Facebook, a man  whom Reuters verified as the alleged attacker  was seen saying: I do not agree with government policy.

Fico was taken to a hospital in the city of Banska Bystrica after the shooting.

Related: Who is Robert Fico?

On Thursday morning, Miriam Lapunikova, the director of the hospital, said the prime minister had undergone five hours of surgery with two teams to treat multiple gunshot wounds.

At this point his condition is stabilised but is truly very serious, he will be in the intensive care unit, Lapunikova said.

As Slovaks commuted to work on Thursday, many were still processing the news. Maria Szabo, a shopkeeper in Bratislava, said: I dont have words for this. This should never have happened in the 21st century, no matter who you vote for. Our country is heading in the wrong direction.

Fico, a veteran populist politician, returned to power in elections last year after promises not to send another bullet to Ukraine, criticism of sanctions targeting Russia, and campaigns against LGBTQ+ rights.

The first months of his return have proved divisive, with thousands of people taking to streets across the country to protest against measures that critics have warned will imperil freedom of the press, and the elimination of a special prosecutor post that deals with major crime and corruption.

Fico has fiercely criticised Slovakias mainstream media and refused to speak to some outlets, while members of his party have taken aim at media and opposition actions in recent months.

The outgoing president, Zuzana Caputova, said she would invite all parliamentary party leaders for a joint meeting in an attempt to calm the political tensions that have been exacerbated after the shooting.

Let us step out of the vicious circle of hatred and mutual accusations, she said at a news conference in Bratislava. What happened yesterday was an individual act. But the tense atmosphere of hatred was our collective work.

She made her statement alongside Pellegrini, her political rival, in a joint effort to temper the recent political tensions.

Gabor Czimer, a political journalist at the Slovakian news outlet Ujszo.com, told the Associated Press that Ficos return to power had laid bare how Slovak society is strongly split into two camps  one that was friendly towards Russia and another that pushed for stronger connections with the EU and the west.

At the same time, I couldnt imagine that it would lead to physical violence, Czimer said.
Indian spices - Shutterstock

Spices from India on sale in British stores may be contaminated, the food standards watchdog has warned.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has applied for extra controls on all spices being imported from India after safety concerns over pesticide residue in two brands.

Last month, Hong Kong stopped sales of three spice blends made by MDH and one made by Everest, citing high levels of a cancer-causing pesticide ethylene oxide in the products.

The FSA said it had applied extra control measures for pesticide residues in spices from India, which includes ethylene oxide. It did not elaborate on the more stringent measures.

Maximum residue levels in place

James Cooper, the deputy director of food policy at the FSA, told Reuters: The use of ethylene oxide is not allowed here, and maximum residue levels are in place for herbs and spices.

The US Food and Drug Administration is also investigating products from the two brands over contamination concerns, according to Reuters.

A Reuters analysis of the US regulatory data from 2021 found that 14.5 per cent of MDH shipments to the US were rejected because bacteria was present.

The European Union has raised concerns after discovering a cancer-causing substance in samples of chilli peppers and peppercorns from India. The Maldives, Bangladesh and Australian food regulators have also launched investigations, according to reports.

MDH and Everest were contacted for comment.
Theresa May insisted the result of the next general election is not a 'foregone conclusion' - Mark Kerrison/Alamy Live News

Theresa May has pointed to her own election disaster as evidence that Rishi Sunak can defy the polls and deliver a shock victory over Sir Keir Starmer.

The former prime minister said her failure to secure a parliamentary majority in 2017 despite polling 20 points ahead of Labour for much of the campaign proved the Tories could still clinch a win, as she insisted the contest was not a foregone conclusion.

She said: We have seen one or two unexpected election results. I think I was probably 20 points ahead in most of the election campaign for the 2017 election, and look what happened to that.

Mrs May also said that the view on the doorstep was very different from how things felt in the lead-up to Sir Tony Blairs landslide victory in 1997, meaning Labour still had to put a lot of work in on the ground to get over the line.

And she warned against a pact between the Tories and Reform UK, as suggested by Sir Jacob-Rees Mogg, as she argued Nigel Farage and Richard Tice were not Conservatives.

Mrs May was viewed as the definitive favourite going into the 2017 election, but ended up losing her majority and relying on the Democratic Unionist Party to prop up her administration after the Tories lead in the polls failed to translate into the commanding victory she had been hoping for.

Now, with Labour some 20 points ahead, the former premier suggested Mr Sunak could turn the tide and deliver a shock result at the next election.

When asked about Sir Jacobs suggestion that Mr Sunak should offer Mr Farage a role in a future Tory cabinet, she said: I disagree with Jacob on that. Absolutely disagree with Jacob on that. I dont think Nigel Farage is a Conservative. I dont think Richard Tice is a Conservative. Theyre a different party, and thats it.

As I look to the next election, I actually think the election is not a foregone conclusion. And Im very happy to give you the reasons why I think its not a foregone conclusion.

Starmer is not Blair

First of all, on the doorsteps that I go on, Keir Starmer is not Tony Blair. The view on those doorsteps is different to the feel pre-1997.

Secondly, actually, and Im sure members of the Labour Party would accept this, winning the number of seats they need to win  its a tough call. Youve got to put a lot of work in on the ground to be able to do that.

And thirdly weve seen one or two unexpected election results. I think I was probably 20 points ahead in most of the election campaign for the 2017 election, and look what happened to that.

Later, she said theres every chance it could be Rishi who wins the next general election.

Theresa May, seen with her husband, Philip, has previously expressed frustration with the European Convention on Human Rights - Eddie Mulholland for The Telegraph

Meanwhile, Mrs May argued that Britain should stay in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as she warned that the Government has shown a willingness to row back on international law.

The former prime minister has previously expressed frustration with the ECHR and in 2016 suggested the United Kingdom should leave the treaty as it could bind the hands of Parliament.

But when pressed on Thursday as to whether she still thought the UK should look to leave or reform the convention, Mrs May said she now thought Britain should stay in.

She said: Thats partly because circumstances have changed, also because sadly we have shown as a country a willingness to row back sometimes on certain aspects of international law.

I think we should stay in something that we helped to create in the first place.

Highly damaging issue of social care

She also said wealthy people should not expect the state to pay for all their social care needs as she warned the Conservative Party seemed to have lost the sense that the public should put some savings by for a rainy day to be able to look after themselves.

The issue of social care proved highly damaging during Mrs Mays 2017 election campaign, when she was forced into an about-turn after Labour branded her proposals a dementia tax.

On Thursday, she acknowledged that her party had not rolled the pitch for the policy, and that it had been a mistake to insist that nothing had changed following the about-turn.

But she added that there were real challenges that needed to be addressed at some stage in the coming years.

I hope Trump doesnt hold their hand

Mrs May opened her speech with a joke about political books, suggesting that the journalist Tim Shipmans latest deep dive into the Brexit years ought to be in the horror section, while Liz Trusss new title, Ten Years to Save the West, was best categorised as science fiction or fantasy.

She added that if Boris Johnson were to write a memoir, it would undoubtedly be shelved under current affairs.

When asked how she thought Mr Sunak or Sir Keir might get on with Donald Trump if he wins the next US election in November, she joked about her own awkward encounter with the former president, saying: All I can say is I hope he doesnt hold their hand.

She added that while she thinks the special relationship between the UK and United States will continue to be built on shared values, she views Mr Trump as unpredictable and suspects he might fail to deliver on some of his promises.
Ibrahim Islam, a UH junior, and other protesters gather outside the Board of Regents meeting at the University of Houston Downtown during Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Houston. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer Protesters gather outside the Board of Regents meeting at the University of Houston Downtown during Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Houston. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer Reyna Valdez, sits in the overflow room along with other protesters who gathered for the Board of Regents meeting at the University of Houston Downtown during Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Houston. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer Protesters gather outside the University of Houston Downtown during the Board of Regents meeting Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Houston. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer Protesters gather outside the Board of Regents meeting at the University of Houston Downtown during Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Houston. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer Protesters gather outside the University of Houston Downtown during the Board of Regents meeting Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Houston. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer People applaud a Board of Regents meeting speaker they sit in the overflow room listening to the meeting at the University of Houston Downtown during Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Houston. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer People applaud a Board of Regents meeting speaker they sit in the overflow room listening to the meeting at the University of Houston Downtown during Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Houston. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer Ibrahim Islam, a UH junior, and other protesters gather outside the Board of Regents meeting at the University of Houston Downtown during Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Houston. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer Fayha Iqbal, a recent UH graduate, left, applauds a Board of Regents meeting speaker as she and others sits in the overflow room listening to the meeting at the University of Houston Downtown during Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Houston. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer

More than 100 students  many wearing kaffiyehs or Free Palestine T-shirts  sat hushed in an overflow area at the University of Houston Downtown on Wednesday, all eyes on a livestream of a meeting next door.

The big screen displayed something more subdued than the scenes marked by arrests that are unfolding at college campuses around the country. Students watched their friends take the podium one by one and ask regents at the University of Houston System to divest from weapons manufacturers that do business with Israel amid the war in Gaza.

Im sure youre sick and tired of ways to find excuses to relinquish yourself from responsibility, but allow me to make it clear: Your students are sick and tired of you, said Reem Abdelaziz, a UH student and member of the schools chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. Your students are not convinced by your insincere explanation as to why your hands are tied.

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Police stood by but took no action against the students who urged regents to divest from death, or those who attended the sit-in in support. The quiet turned to chants after the meeting, however, and the protesters were allowed to continue their display for several minutes until they were directed out of the building.

The UH System Board of Regents had not placed divestment on its agenda despite a request from the University of Houstons Student Government Association, but the speakers had still pressed them to consider the issue at a future board meeting. They were also not deterred when they walked outside of the building, keeping up their chants of, UH your hands are red, 40,000 people dead.

Regents did not acknowledge the specific requests but recognized the seven students and one faculty member who spoke in open forum.

Thank yall for being so respectful, we appreciate it, Chairman Tilman Fertitta said.

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UH officials have said that divestment is not possible, citing interpretations of state law that would prohibit higher education institutions from boycotting Israel. Political scientists have said that the laws are murkier than the political retribution they would expect to result. Earlier this month, Gov. Greg Abbott posted online in response to a news story about University of Texas at Austin student protests for divestment, This will NEVER happen.

While we appreciate our students exercising their free speech on issues important to them, like the boycott, some of the demands made by protesting organizations are inconsistent with Texas law. These actions are not under consideration, a UH statement reads. Texas state agencies, including public universities, are forbidden from engaging in such boycotts or contracting with companies that do.

Students at UH Downtown on Wednesday appealed to the regents sense of morality. They pointed to millions that the system has invested in weapons manufacturers including Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, and said that the university can make a difference with its investments.

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President Renu (Khator), you continue to drive us forward and tell us to be among leading institutions," speaker Belal Salama said to the board. "Its not about profitability, its about morals. I ask you, please, we need to be leading in our moral and ethical values.
Graduates

The Department for Post-Feminist studies needs extra staff. A new meeting room for the decolonising arithmetic research group needs to be finished. And it would be a shame if the summer trip to Cuba for a conference on imperialism couldnt be paid for.

With the Government finally starting to restrict the visa bonanza fuelling the dizzying growth in student numbers, the Left and the university lobby are beginning to panic.

The bleating is delicious to listen to. We are, we are told, about to shoot ourselves in the foot, hampering one of our premier export industries.

This is nonsense. Universities cannot expect the UK to organise its immigration system solely to suit their business model.

If they cant get by on selling visas they will have to get by selling education instead. Its time for the fat cat vice chancellors to earn an honest living rather than rubber stamping the applications of Deliveroo riders and expecting bailouts from a country increasingly weary of their industry.

After all, they must have known that the visa boom wouldnt last forever. The absurdly generous system put in place after we left the European Union allowed anyone studying for an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in the UK to stay and work in this country for up to two years after graduation, and even more significantly, bring dependants as well.

In the year ending last September, 153,000 dependants of the 486,000 people on study routes were given visas to come to the UK, compared to just 15,000 in the year ending September 2019.

This was a clear absurdity, pushing immigration to ludicrous heights. Universities that were designed to be places that primarily advance human understanding of the world were being turned into visa machines; their main role in our new high skill, high wage economy was to keep Deliveroo and Uber supplied with low-cost drivers from anywhere in the world.

It is possible the Government simply didnt anticipate this behaviour, trusting universities to exercise restraint. If so, it was badly mistaken and Rishi Sunak has rightly clamped down on this route. The number of dependants being brought to the UK by foreign students has fallen 80 per cent, and it is likely that there will be further reductions as the year goes on.

This is good news for Britain but terrible news for the college High Table. As such, we are now witnessing an alliance between the open borders Left  taking a brief pause from its calls to bring half of Palestine to Britain on refugee visas  and the self-interested bureaucrats of the Higher Education machine worried their cushy gigs and over-inflated paychecks may suddenly be unsustainable.

Between them, they make two arguments why the clampdown is a terrible mistake. The first is that without the revenue from foreign students, fees for British students will have to rise. The second is that it might even mean that some universities go bust, destroying jobs in regional towns and cities where they are often major employers.

Seriously? If thats the best they can come up with, then it might be time for a few first-year refresher courses. We could start with introductory economics.

Everyone agrees that higher education is a world-class British industry and one that deserves to be nurtured. Foreign students bring in valuable export earnings and some go on to be world class academics in our institutions. Others work overseas but retain links to, and affection for, Britain. No one would want to end any of that. It is a valuable asset, and one that is second only to the United States.

But that doesnt mean that the current regime is fit for purpose. If we are bringing in the best and brightest, thats hard to square with the explosion in visas for taught masters courses at lower ranked institutions. Britains economy would tick over just fine without them, as it did before the post-Brexit liberalisation.

And given the strong public opposition to the measure, the universities can hardly expect Westminster to allow immigration policy to be dictated by the need to keep their cashflow healthy. The current rate of net migration has become politically unsustainable, and students, with the graduate visa extensions, are playing a major role in the explosion.

We simply do not build enough homes to meet the growing demand. For that matter, we dont build the reservoirs or transport capacity, either.

Given that we would be unlikely to change our immigration policy simply to suit other industries, theres no reason why we should design it solely to keep higher education in good financial shape either. Policy needs to be set for the health of the overall economy and the social fabric of society, and if that means some sectors need to make changes to the way they operate then thats just the way it goes.

If a few universities go bust in the process, so be it. There is no iron law that says the UK needs 160 odd universities. If a dozen or so were forced to merge, consolidate, or even close their doors completely, it is quite likely to be healthier for the entire system, proving that their existence cant be guaranteed and forcing a few to rethink their business model.

If the universities can just find a professor of economics or business somewhere on the campus, they will be able to explain what happens to companies that fail to adapt to changing circumstances.

Its time to let universities swim  or sink  on their own.
Michael Cohen is a star prosecution witness in the former president's hush money trial, but suffers from credibility issues as a convicted felon - Andres Kudacki/AP

Michael Cohen admitted to lying under oath as Donald Trumps lawyers sought to paint him as a serial liar out for revenge after being turned down for a White House job.

Cohen is a star prosecution witness in the former presidents hush money trial, but suffers from credibility issues as a convicted felon who has been vocal about his hatred for Mr Trump, for whom he spent 10 years working as a fixer.

As his second day of cross-examination began on Thursday at a court in New York, he was repeatedly accused of lying by Todd Blanche, Mr Trumps normally soft-spoken lawyer.

In an exchange that could prove critical in the former presidents criminal trial, Mr Blanche claimed a phone call, in which Cohen said he had finalised a hush money payment to a porn star with Mr Trump, was made to discuss a totally unrelated matter.

Mr Trump is accused of falsifying business records to conceal payments to Stormy Daniels, an adult film star, to prevent stories of their alleged affair emerging before the 2016 election.

Prosecutors claim Cohen was at the centre of a criminal conspiracy, paying her $130,000 from his own pocket before being reimbursed by his employer.

Mr Blanche stands while cross-examining Cohen, as Mr Trump (left) looks on with Judge Juan Merchan presiding - Elizabeth Williams via AP

In a key development in the cross-examination, Mr Blanche repeatedly asked Cohen on whether he had been pressured into pleading guilty to campaign finance violations and tax evasion in 2018 by the authorities.

Cohen confirmed this, saying that prosecutors had threatened to bring an 80-page indictment against his wife if he did not accept the plea deal within 48 hours.

Mr Blanche noted that Cohen had testified in his criminal trial that he had not been pressured or induced to accept the plea deal. That was a lie? the lawyer asked.

That was not true, correct, Cohen answered, eventually clarifying  after further questioning  that it was a lie.

Donald Trump at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on Thursday - MIKE SEGAR/AFP via Getty Images

Mr Blanche followed up by suggesting Cohen had lied to the judge by pleading guilty in the hope of receiving a shorter sentence for cooperation.

His questioning grew steadily more aggressive until, on the verge of shouting, he accused Cohen of lying about a key phone call in 2016. Cohen claimed the call was made to discuss the Stormy Daniels matter with Donald Trump when he testified on Monday.

However, text messages presented to the court showed Cohen had texted Mr Trumps bodyguard  Keith Schiller, whose phone was used to make the call  for advice on how to deal with prank calls he was receiving from a teenager.

That was a lie, Mr Blanche told the witness.You were actually talking to Mr Schiller that you were getting harassing phone calls from a 14-year-old.

Repeatedly pressing Cohen, he said  using dramatic emphasis  That. Was. A. Lie. You did not talk to President Trump.

I believed Cohen began to answer at one point, before Mr Blanche went on the attack. We are not asking about your belief, he said scathingly. This jury doesnt want to hear what you think happened.

Todd Blanche, Mr Trump's normally soft-spoken lawyer, went on the attack when cross-examining Cohen on Thursday - JEENAH MOON/AFP via Getty Images

Text messages shown to the court seemingly show Cohen threatening the teenager with having to explain their prank calls to the Secret Service.

Please dont do this, the 14-year-old wrote to him. Cohen responded: Please have your parent or guardian contact me, before Secret Service reaches out to them.

Cohen, a normally volatile personality who has been characterised as a jerk by previous witnesses, stayed composed during the interrogation.

He claimed that his phone conversation with Mr Trump, which lasted just over a minute and a half, had turned to Ms Daniels. His exchange with the then-Republican candidate may have been as short as everythings been taken care of, its going to get resolved, he said

Mr Trumps defence team attempted to sow doubt about Cohens evidence throughout Thursdays cross-examination, characterising him as a vengeful ex-employee seeking to damage his former boss.

In an extract from his podcast series, played to the court, Cohen said he was delighted Mr Trump had been indicted because he was about to get a taste of what I went through when he was incarcerated.

In another, Cohen is recorded saying he truly f---ing hope[s] that Mr Trump goes to prison: I want this man to go down and rot inside for what he did to me and my family.

If convicted in the trial, the former president faces up to four years in prison.

Donald Trump gives a thumbs-up when asked by reporters how his defence attorney was performing - ANGELA WEISS/AFP

The defence also suggested that Cohen was bitter about being overlooked for a White House job after nine-and-a-half years working for Mr Trump.

Mr Blanche pressed Cohen on whether he was embarrassed at having been named Mr Trumps personal attorney, instead of being given a job inside the administration.

I always said there was no shame being personal attorney to president of the United States, Cohen responded.

At times his voice grew impatient as he was questioned on whether he wanted to be appointed White House chief of staff or general counsel.

Cohen said he was crystal clear that he wanted to be made personal attorney to the then-president. I could monetise that  which I did, he insisted.

Mr Trump seemed to approve of Mr Blanches performance, giving a thumbs-up outside the courtroom when asked how his lawyer was doing.

For much of Cohens cross-examination, Mr Trump adopted the same posture he has had during his last four weeks in court, closing his eyes and slumping back in his chair.

09:38 PM BST

What happened today

Todays live coverage has ended. Here are some of the days key events:

Todd Blanche, Donald Trumps defence attorney, painted Michael Cohen, the star prosecution witness, as unreliable and a liar.

Trump grinned and the courtroom laughed as Cohen was pressed about recording 40 conversations with reporters.

Blanche said Cohen was lying about a phone call he claimed to have had with Trump over hush money payments to Stormy Daniels.

Cohen, who was once one of Trumps closest allies, testified that the former US president would blow up at him if he failed to get positive stories about Trump into the press.

09:11 PM BST

The view from inside the courtroom

Donald Trump was largely passive throughout todays proceedings, although he occasionally opened his eyes to glare at his former fixer on the witness stand.

A number of jurors appeared to be intent on Michael Cohens cross-examination, leaning forward and taking notes as he spoke. There were several moments when Cohen looked at them directly during his answers.

09:03 PM BST

Michael Cohen gets his knees chopped out by Trumps defence, say CNN

Todd Blanches attempt to discredit Michael Cohen, the star prosecution witness and former Trump fixer, has been decidedly successful, CNN has said.

I dont think Ive ever seen a star cooperating witness get his knees chopped out quite as clearly and dramatically as what just happened with Michael Cohen, analyst Elie Honig said.

Mr Blanche, who is Donald Trumps defence attorney, has tried to paint Michael Cohen as a serial liar and unreliable person during his cross-examination of the witness.

08:52 PM BST

Cohen denies having a retainer agreement when working for Trump

Michael Cohen, the prosecution witness, tells the court that he never had a retainer agreement when doing legal work for the Trump family.

Todd Blanche, Donald Trumps attorney, says this was because he was employed by the Trump Organisation so did not have need of one. So its not just January 2017 you never had a retainer agreement, he notes.

Cohen was allegedly reimbursed for the hush money payment by Donald Trump in a series of $35,000 cheques sent monthly over 2017 - supposedly in legal retainer fees.

08:41 PM BST

Trumps lawyer turns to Stormy Daniels NDA

Todd Blanche, the defence attorney, has turned to the NDA signed between Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels and her lawyer, Keith Davidson.

He reminds Michael Cohen of his previous statement that the pair were engaging in extortion against Donald Trump.

He then notes that Donald Trumps name does not appear on the agreement. He asks Michael Cohen if he believes that then and now, this is a perfectly legal contract?

Yes, sir, Cohen responds.

08:32 PM BST

Pictured: Trump raises first as he returns to trial

Donald Trump gestures as he returns to court after a lunch break - Mike Segar/POOL Reuters

Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court before his trial in New York - Steven Hirsch/POOL New York Post

08:29 PM BST

Judge speaks to attorneys as jurors appointment could affect trial

Juan Merchan, the judge, has asked to speak to an attorney from both sides privately.

He reportedly wants them to talk to a juror who said they have an appointment next Thursday afternoon, which could affect proceedings.

08:24 PM BST

Trump waves to media as court takes a break.

Donald Trump has left the courtroom during a short break. He waved to assembled media on his way out.

08:18 PM BST

Blanche presses Cohen on conversation he recorded with Donald Trump

Todd Blanche, the defence attorney, is concentrating on the conversation that Michael Cohen recorded with Donald Trump.

The recording cuts off abruptly while they are talking - because Cohen received a phone call, he says.

Youre in a meeting with President Trump talking to him about the financing or cash for the [Karen] McDougal story and youre recording him, but the phone rings and you just answer that call, Mr Blanche asks.

Cohen confirms this. And what was the bank calling you about? Mr Blanche continues.

Cohen said he could not remember why he was being called but said it was a big issue. He said it could have been related to identity theft but was not completely sure.

08:16 PM BST

Cohen chooses words carefully as Trump watches on

Michael Cohen is speaking in a slow, halting tone  choosing his words carefully as Donald Trump, turned towards the witness, pays close attention to his testimony.

08:01 PM BST

Cohen contradicting previous testimony on Playboy bunny affair story

Todd Blanche mentions Michael Cohens fear that Karen McDougals story - the Playboy bunny claimed to have had an affair with Donald Trump - would harm the Trump campaign in 2016.

President Trump didnt share your view did he? Mr Blanche asks the witness.

Cohen pauses to consider the question for a long time. Im not sure I agree with that, he says eventually.

Mr Blanche says Cohen is contradicting his previous testimony to the government and there is a pause as the witness reviews the manuscript.

07:54 PM BST

Cohen questioned over unethical Trump recording

Todd Blanche, the defence attorney, has moved on to a recording Michael Cohen made of a conversation with Donald Trump, which has previously been played to the court.

You understand that its not ethical for a lawyer to record a conversation with their client, Mr Blanche asks.

Except of course the crime fraud exception, Cohen responds - before clarifying that he was not recording it because he believed a crime was being committed. I was just giving you the example, he adds.

Mr Blanche tries to get back on track. You surreptitiously recorded your client so that you could play a privileged recording communication with a third party, correct?

Cohen confirms this.

07:48 PM BST

Cohen asked about recording journalist conversations  Trump grins and courtroom laughs

Michael Cohen is being asked whether he recorded a lot of conversations he had with reporters.

No sir, I wouldnt characterise it as a lot, he responds. Asked how many he recorded, he answered, 40? - prompting laughter from the court overflow room, where much of the press is gathered.

Donald Trumps eyes are still closed, but the former president has his chair angled towards Michael Cohen and appears to be listening closely.

He grinned briefly when the witness admitted he had recorded the 40 conversations.

07:45 PM BST

Cohen says Trump would blow up if he didnt get positive press stories  Trump shakes his head in response.

Todd Blanche, the defence attorney, presses Michael Cohen on his years working for Donald Trump. Mr Cohen testifies that Mr Trump would blow up at him if he failed to get positive stories about the former US president into the press.

Cohen says: It was my routine to always advise Mr. Trump because the story that I was going to put out is not the way he would want it. One, it would cause him to blow up at me and two, it would probably be the end of my job.

Trump shakes his head.

07:36 PM BST

Blanche questions Cohen over whether Trump indictment was leaked

Michael Cohen is back on the stand. Todd Blanche, Donald Trumps defence attorney, begins by asking Cohen whether he has evidence that anybody at the district attorneys office leaked the Trump indictment before it was unsealed.

No sir, Cohen responds.

Cohen then says he did TV interviews on the Trump indictment based on a New York Times article he had read, after the indictment was made public.

Blanche is pressing Cohen to admit whether the indictment was leaked to Cohen by Jeremy Rosenberg, a now-retired detective from the district attorneys office, before the office had publicly filed the case.

07:20 PM BST

Court is back in session

The court is back in session as Juan Merchan, the judge overseeing the trial, returns to the bench.

Donald Trump re-entered the courtroom with a fist-bump and a wave.

07:04 PM BST

The dispute over the alleged Stormy Daniels hush money phone call

Todd Blanche, Donald Trumps defence attorney, accused Michael Cohen of lying about a phone call Mr Cohen said he had with Mr Trump in 2016.

Mr Cohen testified that he told Trump on the call that the Stormy Daniels hush money payment had been made, and that the issue was resolved.

Cohen also said he was receiving multiple harassing phone calls from a 14-year-old.

Mr Blanche showed call logs and text messages that he said show Cohen was asking Keith Schiller, Trumps former bodyguard, about the harassing phone calls and not the Stormy Daniels payment.

According to CNN, the call issue could be a problem for prosecutors, as Cohen has reportedly never mentioned in previous testimony that it was about Stormy Daniels.

06:50 PM BST

Pictured: Balloons with apparent images of judges face on them are released outside courthouse

A balloon released by protesters floats by the Manhattan Criminal Court - Andrew Kelly/REUTERS

A flag with an image of Donald Trump flutters as balloons with images of judge's face attached to them are released by protestors - David Dee Delgado/Reuters

06:36 PM BST

Court dismissed for lunch break

The court has been dismissed for a lunch break.

The defence will continue to cross-examine Michael Cohen when the court returns.

06:24 PM BST

Pictured: Protester holds sign saying bootlickers outside court

A protester holds a sign behind US representatives Anna Paulina Luna, Matt Gaetz and Andy Biggs as they speak during a press conference after attending the trial of former US President Donald Trump - Andrew Kelly/REUTERS

06:11 PM BST

Trumps lawyer pulls up text messages between Cohen and former Trump bodyguard

Todd Blanche, Donald Trumps attorney, has cited text messages from conversations involving Michael Cohen and Keith Schiller, Mr Trumps former bodyguard.

Michael Cohen texted Keith Schiller: Who can I speak to regarding harassing calls to my cell and office? The dope forgot to block his call on one of them. Just minutes after the phone call, Cohen texts the number of the teenager who had been prank calling him to Mr Schiller. According to Mr Blanche, he responded immediately: Ok.

06:04 PM BST

Pictured: Ralph Norman shows support for Trump outside Manhattan Criminal Court

Congressman Ralph Norman backs Trump outside Manhattan Criminal Court - Andrew Kelly/REUTERS

05:59 PM BST

Cohen stays composed in explosive confrontation with Trumps lawyer

Michael Cohen stayed composed as the defence team sprang their trap, saying that he had spoken about the 14-year-old but then addressed the Stormy Daniels situation.

His talk with Donald Trump could have been as short as, Everythings been taken care of, its going to get resolved, Cohen told the court.

He added: Always run everything by the boss immediately.

05:56 PM BST

Cohen accused of lying about Stormy Daniels hush money phone call

Michael Cohen was accused of lying about a phone call in which he claims to have told Donald Trump about paying for the Stormy Daniels hush money, in an explosive confrontation with the former presidents lawyer.

Todd Blanche claimed that Cohen had not discussed the alleged deal, but said he had spoken to Keith Schiller, Mr Trumps bodyguard, about a harassing phone call he had received from a 14-year-old.

Noting that the call lasted just one minute 36 seconds, Mr Blanche, his voice rising, accused Mr Cohen of lying as his cross-examination reached a crescendo.

That was a lie because you were actually talking to Mr Schiller that you were getting harassing phone calls from a 14-year-old, he claimed.

05:25 PM BST

Trumps lawyer suggests Cohen was disappointed he was not offered White House job

You were disappointed after all the work you had done for President Trump for nine and a half years nobody, including President Trump, offered you a job in the White House? Todd Blanche asks.

In a follow-up question, he asks if Michael Cohen was embarrassed that he had not been given a job in Mr Trumps administration, being named personal attorney instead.

Thats the role that I wanted, Cohen insists. I could monetise that - which I did.

05:23 PM BST

Todd Blanche, Donald Trumps attorney, cites text messages exchanged between Cohen and his daughter

Todd Blanche is citing text messages exchanged between Michael Cohen and his daughter.

Cohen says the conversation is being characterised incorrectly. He says he wanted to be personal attorney to Mr Trump in the White House, and wanted access without being a White House employee.

Cohen claims he did not want to be named general counsel, his voice growing impatient as he adds: I made that crystal clear.

I always said there was no shame being personal attorney to president of the United States, he tells the court.

05:16 PM BST

Blanche asks Cohen about claim he said he would like to be attorney general

You told people that you would like to be attorney general, correct? Todd Blanche asks Michael Cohen, citing a conversation with lawyer Keith Davidson.

Cohen said he did not remember expressing that desire to Mr Davidson.

You wanted to be named special counsel to President Trump - which was the same title you had for nine and a half years, correct? Mr Blanche asks.

Cohen answers No sir, saying he had been Donald Trumps personal attorney instead.

05:11 PM BST

Pictured: Eric Trump returns to the courtroom

Eric Trump returns to the courtroom following a break in Donald Trump's trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs - JEENAH MOON/AFP

05:08 PM BST

Trumps defence attorney hammers away at Cohens credibility

Todd Blanche is still hammering away at Michael Cohens credibility, suggesting to the court that he is a serial liar.

Cohen definitively stated under oath to Congress that he did not want to work at the White House, he says. Cohen confirms this.

The truth is Mr Cohen you really wanted to work at the White House, correct? Mr Blanche asks.

No sir, Cohen says.

Not just be considered but be named the White House chief of staff, correct? Mr Blanche followed up.

Cohen: No sir.

05:05 PM BST

Todd Blanche, the defence attorney, turns to Cohens desire to work at the White House

Lets talk about your desire to work at the White House, Todd Blanche says, changing the subject.

Cohen says he would have liked to have been considered for ego purpose as the White House chief of staff.

He also confirmed he wanted to serve as general counsel in Donald Trumps administration.

05:03 PM BST

Cross-examination of Cohen resumes  Trumps defence appears to be trying to paint him as unreliable

Michael Cohen admits under questioning that he has made three or four attempts to have his supervised release from prison terminated early.

In all four of those, one of the reasons stated was your ongoing cooperation with prosecutors, Todd Blanche says.

Cohen pushes back, saying he had also earned work credits during his time in Otisville, the medium security prison where he spent more than a year.

Mr Blanche trying again, asks: You wanted the judge to release you early because of your cooperation?



For both those reasons - yes, Cohen answers.

05:00 PM BST

Pictured: Court sketch of defence attorney Todd Blanche swearing-in

Defence attorney Todd Blanche stands making the "swearing in" hand gesture when cross-examining Michael Cohen, as Donald Trump, left, looks on - Elizabeth Williams /FR142054 AP

04:52 PM BST

Court resumes after a break

Court has resumed after the break. Michael Cohen is back in the witness stand.

04:51 PM BST

Pictured: Trump returns to the courtroom

Donald Trump returns after a break in his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs - Angela Weiss/AFP

04:32 PM BST

Trump gives thumbs-up on his attorneys performance

Donald Trump, who has stepped out of the courtroom, gave a thumbs-up when he was asked by reporters how Todd Blanche was performing.

The court is now taking a short break.

Donald Trump gives a thumbs-up as he leaves the courtroom - ANGELA WEISS/AFP

04:31 PM BST

Trumps attorney continues the attack over Cohens 2019 testimony

Todd Blanche says Cohen asked Robert Costello - a lawyer connected to Rudy Giuliani - to reach out to people in the administration including Mr Giulinai about the possibility of a pardon.

When he testified under oath less than one year later that he would not accept or ask for a pardon from Donald Trump - that was a lie wasnt it? Mr Blanche asks Cohen.

At the time it was accurate, Cohen insists.

He claims that a presidential pardon was being dangled and that he simply wanted this nightmare to end.

04:28 PM BST

Trumps attorney turns to Cohens 2019 Congress testimony, in which he threatened to torpedo Trump presidency

Todd Blanche has returned to Michael Cohens testimony in front of Congress in February 2019.

You gave a statement under oath that you never asked for or would accept a pardon from President Trump. That was false, correct? he says.

No, sir, Cohen answers.

Mr Blanche asks Cohen whether 10 days later whether he told a deposition he had directed [his] lawyer to explore the possibility because you [he was] 100 per cent open to accepting it.

Yes, sir, Cohen says.

04:14 PM BST

Under pressure from Trumps attorney, Cohen hardens his answers

Do you have any doubt in your mind that the outcome of this federal trial affects you personally? Todd Blanche asks.

Michael Cohen squints and shakes his head, asking Mr Blanche to clarify. His answers have more of an edge to them now, and he seems to have dropped the sir from his earlier responses.

04:10 PM BST

Trumps attorney continues to attack Cohen on the lying point

Todd Blanche is still hammering away at Michael Cohen on the lying point, suggesting he lied under oath when he pled guilty to get a lighter sentence.

Youre lying - thats not accepting responsibility for your conduct is it? Mr Blanche asked. Cohen pushes back: I accepted responsibility.

Mr Blanche says: When you got the credit at sentencing for accepting responsibility, you got that credit even though you lied. You lied to the judge when you pled guilty.

I dont know Judge Pauleys determination, Cohen answers.

03:59 PM BST

Trumps attorney appears to be trying to get under Cohens skin

Todd Blanche appears to be trying to get under Michael Cohens skin in a way he did not on Tuesday.

Im not asking for a speech, he said as Cohen began one answer. Are you finished, Mr Blanche asked at another point.

Cohen, a famously volatile personality, has stayed composed so far - but the last comment drew a slightly spikier response. For now, yes, he said.

03:56 PM BST

Donald Trump remains composed as Cohen is cross-examined

Donald Trump has stayed fairly impassive while Michael Cohen is cross-examined by his defence team.

His eyes are shut and he is slumped back in his seat, occasionally shifting his posture and interlacing his fingers.

03:54 PM BST

Defence keeps up the pressure on Cohen over 2018 plea deal

Todd Blanche, Donald Trumps attorney, is keeping his fire on Michael Cohens plea deal, saying he had claimed the charges bogus and 100 per cent inaccurate in his book.

Cohen also called it the most corrupt prosecution in one hundred years in a TikTok stream, Mr Blanche adds. Cohen confirms the statements.

03:49 PM BST

Pictured: Trump supporters wave flags outside the court

Trump supporters wave flags outside Manhattan criminal court - Andres Kudacki/FR170905 AP

03:45 PM BST

Trumps attorney continues to try to paint Cohen as a serial liar

There is a long pause when Michael Cohen is asked whether he was pressured to accept a guilty plea for campaign finance violations and tax evasion in 2018.

He eventually says he was told that if he did not accept the deal within 48 hours authorities would serve an indictment against his wife.

I elected to protect my family, he concludes.

You felt that you were induced or put under pressure because you were given two days, correct? Todd Blanche asks.

Correct, Cohen answers.

Todd Blanche notes that Cohen had said under oath in his criminal trial that he had not been threatened or induced to accept the plea deal.

That was a lie? the defence lawyer asks. That was not true, correct, Cohen asks, eventually clarifying - after further questioning - that it was a lie.

03:33 PM BST

Blanche questions Cohens claims about lying under oath

Todd Blanche is questioning Michael Cohen over his claims that he lied under oath out of loyalty to Donald Trump.

Cohen, referring to a document that he submitted to Congress referring to Mr Trumps business in Russia, said he had crafted a two-page document in order to stay on message.

It was what we knew Mr Trump wanted, he continued, adding: Including Mr Trumps attorney at the time.

Pressed by Mr Blanche, Cohen said he was accepting responsibility for lying to Congress.

03:30 PM BST

Trumps defence ratchets up attack on Cohen, suggests he is a serial liar

Michael Cohen is being questioned about the numbers of times he has lied under oath.

In addition to the times that youve testified under oath youve also met with federal agents I believe somewhere around 17 times, Todd Blanche said.

Sounds right, Cohen responds.

You were told that if you made a false statement, that was a felony, that was a federal crime, is that right? Cohen confirms this.

Questioned by Mr Blanche, he admits he lied under oath to Congress. The defence seems to be gradually ratcheting up an attack on Cohen, suggesting he is a serial liar.

03:21 PM BST

Cohen admits he has taken some credit for getting Donald Trump indicted

Another short podcast extract is played - first to Michael Cohen, who listens through earphones, and then to the court.

I truly f---ing hope that this man ends up in prison, Cohen says on the recording.

Revenge is a dish best served cold and you better believe I want this man to go down and rot inside for what he did to me and my family.

Repeatedly pressed by Todd Blanche, Michael Cohen admits he has taken some credit for getting Donald Trump indicted.

03:19 PM BST

Todd Blanche, Donald Trumps attorney, questions Michael Cohen

Todd Blanche asks Michael Cohen: That wasnt the first time that you said you wanted President Trump to get a taste of what you went through? Cohen answers in the affirmative.

Todd Blanche, attorney for former US President Donald Trump, sits in the courtroom at Manhattan Criminal Court - Pool/Getty Images North America

03:16 PM BST

Spotlight turns to Cohens podcast attacks on Trump

The spotlight is now turning on Michael Cohens podcasts - specifically his attacks on his former boss Donald Trump.

The prosecution objects before it is played to the court but it is overruled by Juan Merchan, who said they discussed the matter during their sidebar.

The court hears a short section of Cohens Mea Culpa podcast, reacting to Mr Trumps indictment. He is about to get a taste of what I went through, he says on the recording.



It fills me with delight and with sadness all at the time - sadness I say because what an embarrassment it is to the office of the presidency, he continues.

03:15 PM BST

Cohen repeatedly questioned on Rosenberg

Michael Cohen is being repeatedly questioned on whether Jeremy Rosenberg told him that Donald Trump had been indicted - before the indictment had been formally unsealed.

No, sir, Cohen answers. Before that, he had repeatedly asked Todd Blanche to clarify his questions, saying they were confusing.

He said he did ask Mr Rosenberg for a heads-up on a New York Times article that said Mr Trump was going to be indicted.

03:14 PM BST

Pictured: Trump appears in court

Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments - Pool/Getty Images North America

Donald Trump attends his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs

03:02 PM BST

Cohen keeps his answers short

Michael Cohen has kept his answers short and to-the-point in the opening minutes of his cross-examination today.

On Tuesday he often danced around questions  saying various insulting descriptions of Donald Trump sound like something I would say, for example.

Today he has given brief, respectful answers, often saying yes sir and no sir while being questioned by Todd Blanche.

02:58 PM BST

Michael Cohen begins his testimony

Michael Cohens testimony is now underway. Todd Blanches first question is about a supervising investigator in the Manhattan DAs office called Jeremy Rosenberg.

Asked if he knows someone by that name, Mr Cohen answers: He works with the district attorneys office.

He said he had exchanged texts with Mr Rosenberg on his work and personal phones.

Donald Trumps legal team have previously attempted to subpoena Mr Rosenberg - but served the papers on the wrong person who had the same name.

02:57 PM BST

The sidebar concludes  Michael Cohen takes the witness stand

The sidebar has finally concluded. Michael Cohen, wearing a pale tie is being led into court and fiddles with his glasses as he takes the witness stand.

02:49 PM BST

More than a dozen join Donald Trumps entourage, including Republican representatives

More than a dozen people have joined Donald Trumps entourage for court today, among them Republican representatives Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert.

Eric Trump has turned up to court again and is seated a short distance away from his father in the front row, wearing a baby-blue tie.

The prosecution and defence are still conferring with Juan Merchan. It isnt clear what they are talking about, but the sidebar has taken well over ten minutes now.

Lauren Boebert looks on as former U.S. President Donald Trump appears at Manhattan Supreme Court - Mike Segar/Reuters

Matt Gaetz pictured as former President Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court in New York - Mike Segar/Pool Reuters

02:47 PM BST

Lawyers confer with the judge as Trump adopts a familiar posture

The prosecution and defence teams have clustered around the bench and are conferring with Juan Merchan after a request by Todd Blanche.

Mr Trump is in a familiar posture: eyes closed, occasionally shifting about in his seat and scratching his chin.

02:37 PM BST

The trial begins as Trump says supporters kept away by Fort Knox-style security

Justice Juan Merchan is now seated on the bench. The court is now in session.

Before heading into court, Donald Trump complained that supporters had been kept away by Fort Knox-style security and that the trial was an attempt to damage his re-election bid.

He told reporters: Outside, if you take a look, it looks like Fort Knox. So many police and they dont allow people to come. Youre not allowed to have friendly protests, were not allowed to have anything here.

This was a crime that wasnt going to be done but when I announced I was running, they wrote it up. They could have done it seven years ago, seven years ago, but they wanted to do it right smack in the middle of the election.

Mr Trump continued: And its a shame what theyre doing what theyre doing in terms of suppression. And election interference has never been anything like that. The good news is the polls are through the roof.

02:34 PM BST

Pictured: Michael Cohen, Donald Trumps former lawyer turned star prosecution witness

Michael Cohen departs his apartment building on his way to Manhattan Criminal Court - Andres Kudacki/FR170905 AP

02:30 PM BST

Trump enters the courtroom wearing a cheeto-dusted golden-orange tie

Donald Trump has entered the courtroom after speaking to media on the hallway outside, on the fifteenth floor of Manhattan Criminal Court.

As on Tuesday, he is accompanied by a number of political allies, among them the right-wing Florida congressman Matt Gaetz.

Trump is wearing a golden-orange tie - of a shade that Michael Cohen might describe as cheeto-dusted.

He has taken his seat where he is flanked by his lawyers, and spent some time speaking to Emil Bove on his left before turning to Todd Blanche, who will shortly resume his cross-examination of Cohen.

02:26 PM BST

Pictured: People queue outside Manhattan Criminal Court

People queue outside Manhattan Criminal Court for the trial of former US President Donald Trump - Angela Weiss/AFP

02:20 PM BST

Trumps motorcade arrives at Manhattan Criminal Court

Donald Trumps motorcade has arrived at Manhattan Criminal Court. The former president is expected to speak to media gathered outside the courtroom before heading inside, with proceedings scheduled to begin within minutes.

02:17 PM BST

Outside the court in Manhattan: ponchos, plaid shirts and medical marijuana

The scene outside Manhattan Criminal Court is a sea of umbrellas as press and the public queue for the second day of Michael Cohens cross-examination.

Most people were dressed in coats or waterproof ponchos - those who stood in line since last night had come armed with tarpaulin and shower curtains against the rain.

However, one man, who gave his name as Jim, had been queueing since 10pm yesterday evening in shorts and a colourful plaid shirt that he brought with him from Florida.

If you really want to know - Im a little high, he said cheerfully, producing what he said was medical marijuana from his pocket.

Jim said he wanted to see Donald Trump convicted - the guy is obviously all kinds of crooked - but had doubts about how strong the case against him was.

He was torn on Michael Cohen, who will be grilled by Mr Trumps legal team when proceedings resume. I dont like the guy, he said. But I like what hes doing now - go Michael.
Ming-Tung Mike Lee poses on campus in Rohnert Park, California, on 10 April 2023. Photograph: Beth Schlanker/The Press Democrat via AP

A public university in California has placed its president on leave for insubordination after he agreed to student demands for an academic boycott of Israel.

Mike Lee was suspended from Sonoma State University following an announcement on Tuesday that the liberal arts college north of San Francisco had agreed with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) to become the first US university to refuse to work with Israeli academic institutions.

None of us should be on the sidelines when human beings are subject to mass killing and destruction, Lee said in a message to students announcing the move.

But following a swift backlash from pro-Israel groups and the wider California state university system, Lee apologised for agreeing to the boycott, saying that it marginalised other students and caused harm.

The dispute comes amid a surge in demands from pro-Palestinian students across the US for their universities to cut financial and academic ties with Israel as the death toll in Gaza continues to climb. The majority of those identified among the more than 35,000 Palestinians killed are women and children.

Lee said in his original message to students that Sonoma State does not presently have exchange programmes or academic collaborations with Israeli universities and that that will not change.

SSU will not pursue or engage in any study abroad programs, faculty exchanges, or other formal collaborations that are sponsored by, or represent, the Israeli state academic and research institutions, he wrote.

Lee added that the university will only engage with Israeli academics acting in a personal capacity. He also said the college would review its investments to find ethical alternatives to Israel and set up a Palestine studies programme.

The move drew immediate criticism from pro-Israel groups, who accused the SJP of glorifying Hamas and discriminating against Jewish students. The Anti-Defamation League told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that Lee capitulated to protesters and agreed to a dangerous set of demands in one of the most offensive and outrageous agreements to date with encampment protesters.

California state senator Scott Wiener accused Sonoma State of aligning the campus with the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign, which he described as a movement whose goal is the destruction of Israel.

Sonoma State is part of the larger California State University system. On Wednesday, CSUs chancellor, Mildred Garcia, said Lee had not sought authorisation for the agreement with the student protesters.

That message was sent without the appropriate approvals, she wrote. For now, because of this insubordination and consequences it has brought upon the system, President Lee has been placed on administrative leave.

Lee then issued a second statement.

In my attempt to find agreement with one group of students, I marginalized other members of our student population and community, he wrote.

I realize the harm that this has caused, and I take full ownership of it. I deeply regret the unintended consequences of my actions.

The demand to cut academic ties is rooted in the broader BDS campaign to sanction Israel. It follows a call from Palestinian intellectuals in the West Bank city of Ramallah for an international boycott of Israeli universities starting two decades ago.

In 2009, American academics founded the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel in response to an attack on Gaza that year and to counter what it said was the censorship and silencing of the Palestine question in US universities, as well as US society at large.

Members of the American Studies Association voted in 2013 in support of a resolution to boycott Israeli institutions but not individual academics. Eight former presidents of the ASA opposed the move, calling it antithetical to the mission of free and open inquiry for which a scholarly organization stands.

The ASAs president at the time, Curtis Marez, told the New York Times that the US has a particular responsibility to answer the call for boycott because it is the largest supplier of military aid to the state of Israel.

Since then, the call for an academic boycott has gathered support from other academic and student groups, but no university has agreed to cut ties with Israeli institutions.

Supporters say the campaign is in part a response to suppression of Palestinian universities by the Israeli military and government, and their wholesale destruction in Gaza in recent months, along with what they see as the complicity of Israeli universities with the government and military in human rights abuses against Palestinians.

Some opponents accuse the boycott movement of singling out Israel as part of an antisemitic campaign to delegitimise the Jewish state. Others say it is counterproductive because US universities should seek to influence Israeli institutions, not shun them.

There has also been stinging criticism of deals between university administrators and pro-Palestinian students at other universities trying to avoid a confrontation between police and protesters as seen at Columbia University, the University of California at Los Angeles and other campuses.

Northwestern University agreed to establish an advisory committee on university investments in return for students dismantling a tent encampment. The American Jewish Committee accused the university of succumbing to the demands of a mob.

Brown University agreed to vote on divestment from companies affiliated with Israel in a deal with student protesters.

On Tuesday, students at Harvard University ended their encampment after the university agreed to discuss demands that it divest from Israel. Harvards endowment is estimated at about $50bn, but its investments are not made public.

The Evergreen State College agreed with students to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and to explore divesting from companies that profit from the occupation of Palestinian territories.
A ship is seen off the coast of Gaza near the floating pier that will be used to facilitate aid deliveries. Photograph: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP

The US military has said the installation of a floating pier for the delivery of humanitarian aid off Gaza has been completed, with officials ready to begin ferrying supplies into the territory, where much of the population faces imminent starvation owing to the continuing Israel-Hamas war.

Ordered two months ago by the president, Joe Biden, the US military transported the system overnight from the Israeli port of Ashdod, about 20 miles north of Gaza.

The US militarys Central Command said in a statement on Thursday: Today at approximately 7.40am (Gaza time) United States Central Command personnel supporting the humanitarian mission to deliver additional humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in need anchored a temporary pier to the beach in Gaza. As part of this effort, no US troops entered Gaza. Trucks carrying humanitarian assistance are expected to begin moving ashore in the coming days.

The full operation will involve pallets of food and other humanitarian aid being loaded on to ships in Cyprus and transported to a large floating dock a few miles off the Gaza coast, where they will be put on trucks. Smaller US naval ships will take the trucks the last few miles to the floating pier, near the end of the militarised Netzarim corridor. The trucks will be driven off the ships and along the pier roughly 500 metres to the landing zone, where the pallets will be unloaded for collection by UN vehicles.

According to officials, the delivery of food and other crucial aid is expected to start within 24-48 hours.

The installation of the dock and pier were delayed for nearly two weeks because of bad weather. Sea conditions had previously made it too dangerous for US and Israeli troops to secure the pier to the shore, US officials said.

Central Command said the UN would receive the aid and coordinate its distribution in Gaza, although it was not immediately clear which UN agency would be involved. The US has designated the World Food Programme as its partner in delivering food inside Gaza. The UN relief agency Unrwa has by far the most staff and resources in the besieged coastal territory, but Israel refuses to deal with it.

US authorities fear aid provision in a region close to famine could be overrun by hungry people, leading to chaos and putting civilians lives at risk. Aid agencies have previously documented rare deliveries getting mobbed by desperately hungry Palestinians.

US officials made clear that its troops would not set foot in Gaza while acknowledging the danger of operating near a war zone. The security situation would be monitored closely, they said, adding that the maritime route could be shut down if needed, even just temporarily.

Humanitarian agencies have said the famine conditions in parts of Gaza have been caused by Israeli restrictions on aid entering the territory. Officials say the population needs at least 500 daily lorry-loads of food, fuel and other essentials but have received a fraction of that amount.

The Israeli military said it had worked throughout the seven-month war to allow and facilitate the entry and delivery of extensive humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, out of its commitment to international humanitarian law.

The Rafah crossing to Egypt has been closed for more than a week, since Israeli forces seized control of the Palestinian side at the beginning of the offensive into the territorys southernmost city.

The nearby Kerem Shalom crossing into Israel was operational, UN officials said, but continuing fighting and multiple logistical obstacles, such as a lack of staff, were limiting deliveries of aid to a bare minimum.

UN officials said on Wednesday that two trucks of fuel had reached southern Gaza, enough for aid operations for around eight hours, as well as 27 trucks of food. In the days before the Israeli offensive, the daily total was approaching 350 trucks, they said.

There are concerns that perishable food and medicines among the 80,000 tonnes of supplies waiting in Egypt to enter Gaza will soon be unusable. Another 180,000 tonnes was expected to arrive soon, officials said.

More than half a million people have fled Rafah after warnings from Israel to evacuate before a new advance by its forces towards the centre from eastern neighbourhoods. Most have moved to the expanded humanitarian zone along the coast, where conditions of overcrowding, poor sanitation and limited water were described as horrific by aid workers.

However, high demand for fuel, vehicles, wood and plastic sheeting have forced prices to levels that many cannot afford, preventing further flight from the city.

One Gaza resident, Muhammad al-Najjar, 27, said he and his family could not afford to leave Rafah despite the dangers of staying. I was displaced to Rafah more than four months ago from [the city of] Khan Younis and my house is just rubble now. If the fighting comes here, we will not move to another area. We do not have the money to make another shelter and it would cost as much to move the one we have got. So well stay here.

Samar Abu Shamlakh, 43, said she had been displaced several times after fleeing her home in the north of Gaza and injured by an airstrike when queueing for bread at the beginning of the war. She is living with six children in a former school.

We have enough canned food and flour, but thats all. Sometimes I buy some vegetables, but in small quantities, like three tomatoes. Weve used up all our savings. Here, there is not much bombardment, she said.

The situation at school is not bad for hygiene and electricity. There are specific workers who clean the toilets and throughout the school. As for electricity, an hour a day comes through solar panels only to charge batteries and phones. Water is also available in some small quantities. I really hope that this war will be stopped now, before tomorrow, as we are psychologically tired and exhausted. It is so difficult for our children, and thats what is hardest to bear.

Meanwhile, two Egyptian security sources said Egypt had rejected an Israeli proposal for the two countries to coordinate to reopen the Rafah crossing between Egypts Sinai peninsula and the Gaza Strip, and to manage the crossings future operation.

Egypt and Israel have traded blame this week over the border crossings closure and the resulting blockage of humanitarian relief.

Officials from the Israeli security service, Shin Bet, presented the proposal on a visit to Cairo on Wednesday, amid rising tensions between the two countries after Israels military advance last week into Rafah.

The Israeli plan included a mechanism for how to manage the crossing after it withdraws, the Egyptian security sources said. Cairo insisted instead that the crossing should be managed only by Palestinian authorities, they added.

Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report
Russias expulsion of a British diplomat is a desperate move from Vladimir Putin, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said.

Captain Adrian Coghill, a Royal Naval officer based at the British Embassy in Moscow, was given a week to leave the country on Thursday, according to a post on the Russian foreign ministrys Telegram channel.

The move was a tit-for-tat response after the UK ordered Russias defence attache in London to leave, claiming he was a spy.

Russias expulsion of the UKs defence attache (DA) is a desperate move. Whilst Russias DA in the UK was acting as a spy, Putins only issue with ours was that they personified the UKs unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of his illegal and barbaric invasion.  Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) May 16, 2024

Mr Shapps said: Russias expulsion of the UKs defence attache (DA) is a desperate move.

Whilst Russias DA in the UK was acting as a spy, Putins only issue with ours was that they personified the UKs unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of his illegal and barbaric invasion.

The Kremlins move follows the expulsion on May 8 of Russias defence attache in London, Colonel Maxim Elovik, on the grounds that he was an undeclared military intelligence officer.

In its Telegram post, Russias foreign ministry said it had summoned an official from the British Embassy to protest over Col Eloviks expulsion, which it described as politically motivated and Russophobic.

It added that this would not be the end of the matter, and further retaliatory steps would be announced.

As well as expelling Col Elovik, Home Secretary James Cleverly told the Commons on May 8 that he was revoking the diplomatic status of two Russian-owned properties in the UK that were believed to have been used for intelligence purposes, and placing new restrictions on Russian diplomatic visas.

Announcing the measures, Mr Cleverly predicted that they would be met with accusations of Russophobia, adding: This is not new and the British people and the British Government will not fall for it, and will not be taken for fools by Putins bots, trolls and lackeys.

The decision followed news that five men had been charged with offences under the National Security Act in connection with alleged espionage activities in the UK on behalf of Russia.
Sir Ringo Starr said I never really was excited about the original Let It Be documentary, but he loves the new version.

The original film, directed by Sir Michael Lindsay-Hogg, was first released in May 1970 in the wake of the Beatles break-up, but was restored and launched on Disney+ earlier this month and captures the group writing and recording their penultimate album.

The film was remastered using the same technology used for Peter Jacksons epic 2021 docuseries The Beatles: Get Back.

The Beatles (PA)

I thought the re-edit of Let It Be was great, Sir Ringo said.

The original one has just come out again that Michael Lindsay-Hogg did, and the edit  I love the edit.

I never really was excited about the original documentary, but this one is great, because its just on the lads and the playing, and the music and the chat about the songs.

Its really good, and its only two hours long.

The comments come as Sir Ringo is set to release a new EP titled Crooked Boy, featuring four new songs written and produced by Songwriters Hall Of Fame star Linda Perry.

Crooked Boy EP cover (PA)

The Beatles star said there is only one thing he demands from writers he works with.

If youre writing me a song it can be a downer, but its got to have some up at the last verse, or in the middle, or wherever. I dont want it to stay down, the peace and love activist said.

Sir Ringo said he asked Perry to write him a rock song for the EP in which Nick Valensi from US band The Strokes played on the guitar, who was a great vibe and plays really well.

While fellow Beatles star Sir Paul McCartney also appears on the EP.

It was great, its always great, he said of working with Sir Paul.

Sir Paul McCartney (right) and Sir Ringo Starr (Yui Mok/PA)

I love it because Ive done about 10 fully-fledged CDs in this room and Paul is on like four of them, if hes in town I say bring your bass over, Ive got a track.

Its better when were in the room, hes an incredible bass player, incredible guy and he has a big heart  and now Ive found out hes had a camera all these years, he said, of Sir Pauls National Portrait Gallery exhibit which featured unseen photographs taken during the early days of The Beatles.

We were so close together in 1964, really the only thing we could take photos of was each other.

Its always great to work with Paul, I love the man and hes my friend, Sir Ringo said.

The 83-year-old also spoke about an upcoming country music project with US producer T Bone Burnett, who he met by chance at Olivia Harrisons reading of poems for her late husband, Beatles star George Harrison.

The late George Harrison with his wife, Olivia Harrison (PA)

Ive loved country music since I was a lad, it was great loving country music in Liverpool because its a port and a lot of the guys in Liverpool  and I was nearly one of them  join the merchant navy to go and see places.

All the lads would go to America and come back with records.

It was great when we finally became the Beatles the four of us, wed all really been listening to the same stuff which was great, from Buddy Holly on.

Sir Ringo also addressed the fear that surrounds artificial intelligence in music.

He said he doesnt think about it that much, but in many ways for us its helpful, referencing using the technology to extract late bandmate John Lennons voice from an old demo used to create the groups final song titled Now And Then.

Sir Ringo Starr (Scott Robert Ritchie)

Its helpful when we did Now And Then, John is there because of AI, Sir Ringo said.

Peter Jackson has a mad machine and from a cassette he brought John out of the cassette and gave his voice some strength.

The first time we heard Now And Then was in 1996 I think, and (we thought) who is it, you were wondering a bit who is itso we have to thank it for that.

But I know theres a lot of fear out there that itll steal your soul.

Last year, the song Now And Then topped the official UK singles chart for the first time in 54 years.

Sir Ringos new EP Crooked Boy is out worldwide on May 31.
United Utilities has insisted it takes its role in protecting the environment very seriously as it revealed annual earnings jumped by nearly a fifth just days after being engulfed in a scandal over a massive sewage spill.

The water group reported a 17.5% rise in underlying operating profits to 517.8 million in the year to March 31.

It said: We take our environmental commitments very seriously and are proud to have a sector-leading track record on minimising pollution for over a decade.

But on Wednesday, a fresh row broke out over the state of Englands waters after reports that millions of litres of raw sewage were pumped into Windermere in the Lake District.

Documents from United Utilities seen by the BBC showed that a fault at a pumping station in Bowness-on-Windermere in Cumbria left sewage being illegally pumped into the famous lake for 10 hours in February.

The situation was labelled a scandal by opposition politicians, while Downing Street said it was completely unacceptable and the Environment Agency had the power to launch a criminal prosecution if necessary.

United Utilities said on Wednesday that the spill was caused by an unexpected fault on the third party telecoms cable network in the area, which United Utilities was not notified about and which affected both the primary system and United Utilities backup.

It said engineers took urgent steps to resolve the situation and we informed the Environment Agency within an hour of the pollution being confirmed.

In its full-year results on Thursday, United Utilities said it was bringing forward around 400 million of investment in its systems to reduce spills at more than 150 storm overflows.

The group added it was moving to accelerate environmental schemes in communities such as Windermere, where we are fast-tracking investment to drive improvements earlier.

Chief executive Louise Beardmore said: We take our role in protecting the environment very seriously; our ambitious business plan would see us investing more than ever before to improve services across the five counties of the North West.

This would deliver a genuine step-change in infrastructure for the benefit of customers and the environment, and support 30,000 jobs.
Civil rights, technology and labor advocates are warning that the bipartisan artificial intelligence (AI) guidance Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) released Wednesday is not adequate to address the risks posed by the advancing technology.

The guidance released by Schumers bipartisan working group encourages committee work to address threats of AI and recommends new funding to boost domestic innovation of AI.

But groups that have been calling for Congress to quickly regulate AI said the guidance doesnt do enough to address the incoming threats as the industry speeds ahead with advancements.

We welcome a bipartisan agreement as a beginning towards a transformational future of fairness, justice, and opportunity. But to create a transformative and sustainable nation of opportunity with emerging technologies like AI, we must have a powerful set of preventive guardrails, Maya Wiley, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the Leadership Conference Education Fund, said in a statement.

Unfortunately, the frameworks focus on promoting innovation and industry overshadows the real-world harms that could result from AI systems, Wiley added.

The guidance, dubbed an AI Roadmap, was released by Schumer along with the bipartisan working group he assembled of Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.).

It encouraged $32 billion in nondefense AI funding by 2026 to maintain U.S. competitiveness on A.I. But beyond the details about spending, the report largely leaves the rest to Congressional committees and the private sector rather than endorsing or advocating for any specific regulations.

I dont know that I read too many legislative proposals in todays report  maybe I got that wrong. I did read a lot of send to committee to consider, said Amba Kak, co-executive director of AI Now, Wednesday at an AI roundtable discussion with Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and other tech and labor advocates.

Schumer said the report released was intended to supplement committee work.

Were not kicking the ball down the road. Thats the next logical step. Were not deferring or delaying. We always thought the committees should be the next logical step, and I believe a good number of them will come out with bipartisan legislation that we can pass  not all of them  but that we can pass before the end of the year, Schumer said at a press conference Wednesday.

The report was a result of a series of AI Insight Forums held throughout the past year, in which tech industry leaders, researchers and civil society groups discussed AI risks and benefits in closed-door discussions with senators.

Accountable Tech co-founder and executive director Nicole Gill said the report is but another proof point of Big Techs profound and pervasive power to shape the policymaking process and called the forums a dream scenario for the tech industry.

The report itself is most concrete in offering a roadmap for industry priorities while merely hand-waving toward many of the most pressing challenges associated with the widespread adoption of AI: ensuring AI applications do not further entrench existing inequalities, regulating its use in the upcoming elections, and preventing an even more rapid erosion of our climate through the demand for energy, to name a few, Gill said in a statement.

Michael Khoo, a climate disinformation program manager at Friends of the Earth, criticized the report for not addressing the energy impacts of AI in the guidance for regulation as the group has been advocating for.

Senator Schumer is slow-walking real regulations, giving Silicon Valley a free pass to put profits over people and the planet. Despite the claims from Big Tech companies that AI will fix the climate crisis, it is currently doing the opposite, increasing carbon emissions by its enormous energy requirements, Khoo said in a statement.

He also said that absent crucial guardrails, AI will turbocharge the spread of climate disinformation.

Since the first forum was held last summer, as the bipartisan group worked on the guidance report, some lawmakers already started to draft and unveil bills aimed at regulating AI as it relates to different topics.

Three bipartisan election-related AI bills led by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) advanced out of the Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday. Klobuchar and other lawmakers have also introduced bills that aim to protect artists from AI recreations.

A bipartisan bill led by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) would create a framework that would require AI companies to apply for licensing, among other measures.

But as the U.S. approaches a critical election and as the tech industry is speeding ahead with innovations, no federal legislation has been passed to regulate AI.

I think theres a lot of talk in the US about legislation. Im going to call this out. Theres nothing thats been passed, and the US is almost unique in that, said Deborah Raji, a fellow with Mozilla, during the Wednesday roundtable.

There has been movement in other environments in ways we havent seen in the US, Raji added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Jason Palmer, the little-known Democratic presidential hopeful who notched a lone, surprising primary win in American Samoa this year, ended his campaign Wednesday.

Palmer, an education technology investor and former staffer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, already endorsed President Joe Biden for re-election last month. But he stopped short of the usual next step of dropping out of the race at the time, citing discussions and negotiations with the Democratic National Committee and convention leaders to determine our precise role at the convention and in the drafting of the Democratic platform.

Palmer won three out of the nearly 4,000 delegates to the Democratic convention by besting Biden in American Samoa, the lone state or territory Biden has lost this year. Palmer hadnt visited the territory before he won its Super Tuesday contest, but he said he held four virtual campaign events there.

You can never expect to beat an incumbent president, but I love the people of American Samoa, and theyve been so wonderful to me this past month, Palmer told NBC News after his projected victory.

At the time, Palmer also told NBC News he hoped Biden would step aside in the race and make way for the next generation of leaders, name-checking himself and several Democratic governors, including Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Jared Polis of Colorado and Gavin Newsom of California. Palmer also said then that he believed they would have better chances to beat former President Donald Trump in the fall.

The delegates put Palmer in a tie for third place on that front, even with Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, according to NBC News projections. Phillips spent more than $7 million on his long-shot challenge against Biden before he dropped out in March, according to federal campaign finance records. Palmer spent less than $1 million through the end of April.

Biden has notched 3,526 delegates, far surpassing the 1,975 delegates needed to win the nomination, and 27 delegates will be uncommitted.

Palmers final showing as a candidate came Tuesday in West Virginia, where he got more than 11% of the Democratic primary vote. Biden won the primary with over 70%.

Palmer plans to stay involved in politics, his campaign said in details shared first with NBC News. In conjunction with TOGETHER!  a platform that aims to empower young, independent-minded Americans to raise money for their causes, companies and campaigns  Palmer plans to endorse congressional candidates committed to shaping the future of American democracy, he said in a statement.

He said he will also personally make donations to 10 efforts to get reproductive rights on the ballot in 10 states.

Palmer said discussions about what he will do at the convention continue, adding that his team will attend it.
President Joe Biden has now joined former President Donald Trump as a tariff man, leaving all of Trump's China tariffs in place and imposing his own set of levies.

Biden's announcement this week aims to keep certain Chinese imports out of the US economy and protect the domestic production of semiconductors, green energy technology, and other favored industries.

And whether Biden or Trump wins the election in November, more protectionism is coming to US trade policy.

Like most political rivals, Biden and Trump have different rationales and strategies for boxing out China. But both men have important reasons to continue what they started.

The most important target of Bidens new tariffs are electric vehicles made in China. The new rules raise the import tariff on Chinese EVs to 100% from 25%, meaning a Chinese-made EV with a base price of $12,000 would now cost $24,000, up from $15,000 previously.

There are almost no Chinese-made EVs on sale in the United States right now. The Biden plan is to keep it that way.

President Joe Biden announces increased tariffs on Chinese products to promote American investments and jobs in the Rose Garden of the White House on May 14, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) (Win McNamee via Getty Images)

But theres a giant loophole, which everybody in the US auto industry is fully aware of and quite worried about.

The new Biden tariffs, like all of Trumps China tariffs, only apply to products shipped to the United States from China. They dont apply to products made by Chinese companies in any other country, or products made in China and shipped to the United States via third-party nations to avoid China-specific tariffs.

Chinese automakers have already established operations in Mexico and announced plans to enter the US market. Chinese automakers could set up shop in Canada too.

Both nations belong to a free trade agreement with the United States, which allows them to import products to the United States with no tariffs or very low ones.

And neither Biden nor Trump has outlined a clear solution to this problem  which somebody is going to have to do.

Drop Rick Newman a note, follow him on Twitter, or sign up for his newsletter.

The [Biden] tariff announcement is only a first step, research firm Capital Alpha Partners explained in a May 14 analysis. It is one thing to tariff Chinese-made EVs that originate in China. Its another thing to tariff EVs made by Chinese manufacturers in third countries such as Mexico, Canada, the EU nations, and other third countries.

Trump said in March that if elected to a second term, hed put a 100% tariff on Chinese cars made in Mexico. Bidens tariff plan prompted Trump to up the ante to a 200% tariff.

But its far from clear whether the president can single out products for tariffs if they come from a free-trade partner, especially if those products comply with domestic content rules such as those in the US-Mexico-Canada trade pact.

At a White House briefing on May 14, a reporter asked US Trade Representative Katherine Tai what the Biden administration planned to do about Chinese vehicles made in Mexico. I would just ask you to stay tuned, Tai said.

Capital Alpha thinks Congress will have to pass new laws giving the executive branch added authority to block or heavily tax imports within a trade pact if they trace back to an economic competitor such as China.

We dont think Congress is ready to answer the question at this time, the research firm said in its May 14 report. But we expect to see hearings and possibly some draft bills this spring and summer. The real legislating, though, will have to happen next year, after the presidential election.

Its also entirely possible crafty Chinese automakers could build cars in China and Mexico while abiding by all the trade pact rules and still sell them in the US market for less than competitors.

Given that China has identified electric vehicles and the supply chain for green energy technology as critical industries crucial to the nations economic development, these industries get a special assist from the Chinese government. Government subsidies at home could help make up the difference if they cant turn a legitimate profit.

The US president could take executive action and hope that litigation ties up the matter for years. But that would probably not deter the Chinese. Theres now convincing evidence that some Chinese exporters evaded the Trump tariffs by shipping goods to the United States through other countries, such as Vietnam.

And not only is China known for playing the long game on economic policy, but it could win a court challenge if its products check all the boxes under the three-nation trade deal.

Even so, expect both Biden and Trump to continue railing on Chinese efforts to grab US market share and displace American producers. Especially given how this issue resonates in electoral swing states dependent on manufacturing like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, which will go a long way toward determining who wins in November.

So, there are political points to win by convincing voters youre tougher on China than the other guy.

But either candidate will face a continued challenge protecting American manufacturers and their workers.

Rick Newman is a senior columnist for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter at @rickjnewman.

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Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church Senior Pastor, Rev. Dr. Marcus D. Cosby makes comments to media Wednesday, May 15, 2024, regarding the passing of Rev. William A Lawson, Founding Pastor Emeritus in Houston. Kirk Sides/Staff photographer The cathedral seen left, and sanctuary, attributed to Rev. William A. Lawson, Founding Pastor, built in 1985 is seen right, on the campus of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church Wednesday, May 15, 2024 in Houston. Kirk Sides/Staff photographer The corner stone of the sanctuary, built in 1985, references William A. Lawson, Founding Pastor, seen on the campus of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church Wednesday, May 15, 2024 in Houston. Kirk Sides/Staff photographer A corner stone in the wall of the cathedral at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church references Rev. William A Lawson, Founding Pastor Emeritus Tuesday, May 15, 2024 in Houston. Kirk Sides/Staff photographer A memorial on the campus of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church honors Rev. William A Lawson, Founding Pastor Emeritus Wednesday, May 15, 2024 in Houston. Kirk Sides/Staff photographer

Services to celebrate the life of beloved Houston pastor and civil rights leader Rev. William Lawson will take place next week at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church. Officials expect a turnout as large as the legacy he leaves behind.

We will thank God for the commitment that he had not only to God, but to all of Gods people wherever he found them, senior pastor Marcus Cosby said about the celebrations  two events he encourages the entire city to attend.

The news of Rev. Lawsons death took the Houston community by storm Tuesday morning.

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Less than 24 hours after the announcement, leadership at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church hosted a news conference to address his influence on the church and community.

Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church Senior Pastor, Rev. Dr. Marcus D. Cosby makes comments to media Wednesday, May 15, 2024, regarding the passing of Rev. William A Lawson, Founding Pastor Emeritus in Houston. Kirk Sides/Staff photographer

Cosby took to the podium with a heavy heart as he expressed what he described as sadness yet gratitude at the passing of Rev. Lawson  his predecessor.

We celebrate our founders life, Cosby said. Were grateful for the impact that he has made not just here at Wheeler Avenue but in Houston and in Texas and across this nation around the world.

Rev. William "Bill" Lawson, left, founding pastor of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, with his wife, Audrey, and two of their children, daughter, Cheryl Lawson, and his son, Eric Lawson, right, during a community celebration of his 80th birthday on Saturday, June 28, 2008, in Houston. The program at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church included a roast and toast. Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle

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Church officials said in a social media post Tuesday, the 95-year-old founder of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church had completed his time of service here on earth and is now enjoying eternal rest.

Followers flooded the comments, offering condolences and sympathies to the Wheeler congregation and the Lawson family. Rev. Lawson leaves behind three daughters, two grandchildren, two great grandchildren and a host of other family and friends.

We want to thank God for the Houston community and for all that they have done to make sure that we have been able to remember and celebrate our founding pastor, Cosby said. So many well wishes and thoughts of love and care and concern have come to us and were grateful for that.

Known for being a civil rights advocate, Rev. Lawson stood in the gap early on supporting his students at Texas Southern University and around the Houston community. Cosby took time to reflect on his mission to make the world a better place.

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Rev. Lawson loved Houston, Texas and he was significantly concerned about the underclasses, about those who were impoverished, disenfranchised and he was blessed to hold a position of honor that allowed him to build bridges between those who were the have and those who were the have nots, Cosby said. He was able to stand and be a catalyst for those who needed to know that they had a voice in this community and that they had a seat at the table.

In reminiscing about Rev. Lawsons legacy, Cosby encouraged others to take a page out of his book when it comes to leaving a mark on the world. Cosby said because of his work in Houston and beyond, Rev. Lawson's legacy would be remembered for generations to come whether people knew his name or not.

A memorial on the campus of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church honors Rev. William A Lawson, Founding Pastor Emeritus Wednesday, May 15, 2024 in Houston. Kirk Sides/Staff photographer

Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church will honor the life of Rev. Lawson during a Community Service of Celebration at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 23. The next day, May 24, the church will host a Congregational Service of Celebration at 11 a.m.

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Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) will travel to numerous swing states later this year in an effort to bolster support for President Biden among Black voters, according to his office.

The South Carolina Democrat is slated to travel to Michigan, Arizona, Nevada and Ohio later this year to tout Bidens achievements, Cyburns office confirmed to The Hill.

PunchBowl News was the first to report on Clyburns swing-state tour.

The initiative comes amid recent polls showing Biden losing support among young, Black and Hispanic voters, all groups that are crucial to his voting coalition.

Clyburn, who stepped down from House Democratic leadership earlier this year, brushed off the recent polling in an interview with PunchBowl News.

I dont know what this polling is all about, Clyburn told the outlet. Joe Biden does not have a problem with Black voters. Whatever you hear to the contrary, thats just not true.

One poll from the New York Times/Siena College/Philadelphia Inquirer, released earlier this week, found Biden leading former President Trump among Black voters, 63 percent to 23 percent. This is a significant decrease from the 87 percent of Black voters who voted for Biden in 2020.

That same poll found Trump leading in five out of six swing states, with Wisconsin being the only state where the incumbent is in front. Results showed Trump leading Biden by 3 percentage points in Pennsylvania, 5 points in Michigan, 7 points in Arizona, 10 points in Georgia and 12 points in Nevada. Biden led Trump by 2 points in Wisconsin.

Clyburn spent last week in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia addressing Black churches and local Democratic party events, where he emphasized the risk of the November election, PunchBowl reported.

I want young people to look at this years campaign and be selfish about their vote, Clyburn reportedly said.

The lawmaker has also discussed the importance of voting in this election at historically Black universities, the outlet added. Clyburn introduced Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at South Carolina Universitys commencement last week.

Clyburn has remained a steadfast supporter of Biden, repeatedly downplaying the incumbents loss of support among Black voters.

When asked whether the president has maintained a strong standing among Black voters earlier this year, Clyburn pointed to Bidens win in the South Carolina primary in February.

I think the answer is emphatic yes, Clyburn said on CNNs State of the Union. And the best illustration of that, he got 96 percent of the vote in this primary, but its largest percentage  over 97 percent  was in the town of Orangeburg where there are two HBCUs and a community college.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Celebrated makeup artist Daniel Martin, known for his work with Hollywood stars like Michelle Yeoh, Jessica Alba and Meghan Markle, appeared on "CBS Mornings" to discuss his rise in the beauty industry and the significance of his roots.

Martin  who crafted Markle's iconic 2018 royal wedding day makeup look  has been honored for his contributions to the industry as part of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. CBS News partnered with Gold House, an organization that champions AAPI creators, to celebrate its A100 list that recognizes the most impactful AAPI leaders this year.

"To be recognized by your community for your creative contributions to culture is massive," he said. "I never thought someone like me would be able to do that. So yeah, it's such an honor."

Martin, who has been in the beauty industry for 25 years, expressed his gratitude for being recognized by his community, especially during a time when anti-Asian hate has seen a rise. Martin said he has experienced micro-aggressions, such as instances when he would arrive on a set and people would assume he was an assistant or a nail technician.

"Daniel Martin is such a white name. My father's White, my mother's Vietnamese, and they just made this assumption," said Martin.

Martin's treatment led to feelings of imposter syndrome, which he now addresses by encouraging others to communicate to avoid confusion.

"If you need to understand how to pronounce someone's name, just ask them," he said.

Martin is known for using makeup to enhance women's features, particularly Asian-American women and other women of color. He said there is power in embracing features and bringing confidence.

"Historically, people wore makeup for adornment," he said. "To be able to use makeup to really understand your symmetry, enhance what you have, rather than cover everything up, and then bringing that all out is something that I think for me, personally, I've always wanted to do. I suffered with horrible acne growing up. And I just wanted to cover up my face. So when you have something that you're proud of, you have to pull it out. That's where confidence comes from."

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Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) sharply criticized Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on the House floor Wednesday after Johnson made an appearance at former President Trumps criminal hush money trial in Manhattan.

Look at the cover of todays New York Times, Mr. Speaker. This is unbelievable. Heres a picture of the Speaker of this House of Representatives, second in line to the presidency, standing in front of a courthouse, acting as a prop for Donald Trump, trying to interfere with a criminal trial, because apparently, Republicans like law and order unless it applies to them, McGovern said.

He continued, addressing fellow House members on the floor, saying the stunt Johnson and several other Republican lawmakers pulled by supporting Trump in New York, diminishes this House of Representatives.

Their candidate for president has been indicted more times than hes been elected, McGovern said in comments highlighted by Mediaite.

The Massachusetts lawmaker was interrupted and asked to follow House rules and refrain from engaging in personalities towards presumptive nominees for the office of president.

McGovern said he didnt think he was breaking the rules and said Republicans have the nerve to complain about the criminal justice system.

Give me a break. Their credibility on this issue has evaporated. It is pathetic, he said.

McGovern continued his speech, saying the American people deserve better than the Speaker of the House spending time attempting to influence the court system in New York. He argued there are real problems that we need to deal with, but Johnson is spending his time trying to rationalize all of the former presidents crimes.

Johnson, along with Sens. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and other Republican allies, like Vivek Ramaswamy, attended Trumps Tuesday court proceeding. In remarks outside the courthouse, Johnson slammed the case against Trump as election interference and said prosecutors are trying to keep the former president off the campaign trial.

The Speaker said Trump is innocent, and he is a friend.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Rodin Eckenroth

Ethan Hawke knows his place in history  with Swifties, at least.

In an interview released Wednesday, May 15, the 53-year-old actor spoke with Sirius XMs The Jess Cagle Show about making a surprise cameo in Taylor Swifts Fortnight video alongside his Dead Poets Society costar, Josh Charles, 52.

I think theres some kind of psychic connection she was trying to provide for the fans about The Tortured Poets Department and the Dead Poets Society, he said. She was kind of doing some little homage, and so she asked a couple of us old dogs to come out and make our presence known.

Its so amazing because its a completely different realm for you, host Julia Cunningham said, adding that within the whole Swiftie, larger culture  theres a whole Swiftipedia  it lists you as, you know, appears in Fortnight video, as if thats the only thing youve ever done.

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Its funny you say that because I thought, as I was flying out there, I thought, you know, Ive worked so hard in my life, and I have a feeling this will be in my obituary, Hawke confessed, conceding that he might get a few other mentions.

Last month, Swift unveiled her moody Fortnight clip in tandem with her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department. Hawke and Charles play scientists experimenting on Swifts character after a failed relationship. Post Malone, who collaborated with Swift on the song, also makes an appearance.

Swift, who wrote and directed the music video, praised the Dead Poets actors on Instagram, writing, Im still laughing from getting to work with the coolest guys on earth, @ethanhawke and @mrjoshcharles (tortured poets, meet your colleagues from down the hall, the dead poets).

Last week on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Hawke said that he had signed an NDA ahead of the videos release and so he couldnt tell his kids about his top-secret role. He also recalled walking through an airport with Charles, his friend of 35 years and [watching] all the young people with their Eras [Tour] sweatshirts on and their Taylor Swift things, and we got something on them. Were going to meet the queen ourselves.

We laughed ourselves silly the whole day, he said. We felt like the biggest rock stars in the world.

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Hawke, who has starred in a long string of popular and acclaimed films from Before Sunset to Training Day, is currently promoting Wildcat, a drama he directed featuring his daughter, Maya Hawke.

Swift, meanwhile, kicked off the European leg of her Eras Tour earlier this month with four shows in France, surprising fans with a new setlist, new costumes and songs from Tortured Poets, including Fortnight.
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland delivered an impromptu history lesson the House floor Wednesday, correcting Rep. Dan Bishop for mistakenly saying that Thomas Jefferson signed the Constitution.

Bishop, R-N.C., made the error as he tried to counter Raskin's argument during a House floor debate about a bill introduced by Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., that would change criminal sentencing codes in Washington, D.C.

The Constitution that Thomas Jefferson signed said the Congress shall have power to exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District, Bishop said.

Raskin, who was a professor of constitutional law at American University Washington College of Law before he was elected to Congress, responded by pointing out an error in Bishops statement, saying Jefferson did not sign the Constitution.

I do have to correct my friend in his history, because there might be some students watching this, Raskin said. Thomas Jefferson never signed the Constitution. He was, of course, on a diplomatic mission when the Constitution was being signed in Philadelphia, but he did write the Declaration of Independence.

Raskin had argued that the GOP bill bristled against a core allegation of Jefferson's founding document by dictating [to] the people in Washington, D.C., how they should order their affairs on matters of criminal law.

"If you read the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson set forth a bill of particulars against King George and the Parliament, and one of the central allegations of it was that they were denying the colonists the right to define criminal offenses for themselves," Raskin said.

During Wednesday's floor debate, Donalds had argued that his bill requires that we treat adult criminals as adults, like the rest of the country does.

The legislation was introduced in March after the D.C. Council passed a public safety package that paved the way for stricter punishments for a variety of crimes.

The legislation, titled the D. C. Criminal Reforms to Immediately Make Everyone Safe Act of 2024, would amend the D.C. Councils Youth Rehabilitation Act by lowering the eligibility for youth offender status in Washington from under 25 years old to 18 or younger. The House passed the bill after Wednesday's floor debate.

Raskin won his primary race in Marylands 8th Congressional District on Tuesday as he seeks a fourth term representing the heavily Democratic district.

A spokesperson for Donalds did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday evening. Neither did spokespeople for Bishop and Raskin.
Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said he would back codifying Roe v. Wade abortion protections and called himself pro-choice in a new interview, as he seeks Democratic support in his match-up against Prince Georges County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D).

His comments to the The New York Times come just two days after he secured the Republican nomination for Marylands open Senate seat.

I support restoring Roe as the law of the land, Hogan said in an interview published Thursday. Ill continue to protect the rights of women to make their own reproductive choices just like I did as governor for eight years.

The former two-term governor would not commit to supporting legislation that codifies into law the right to abortion when asked about the issue in March. He said he would not vote for a federal abortion ban, but he did not elaborate on how he would vote regarding legislation to codify Roe v. Wade, as specified in the 1973 Supreme Court decision.

But he said in the latest interview that voters could trust him to protect abortion rights as a senator  a position that would put him at odds with most of his party.

I think Marylanders know and trust that when I give them my word, Im going to keep it, and Ive protected these rights before, he said. And Ill do it again in the Senate by supporting a bipartisan compromise to restore Roe as the law of the land.

Hogan was asked whether he would consider himself pro-life or pro-choice.

Given the definition of what Im supporting  womens rights to make their own decision  I would say thats pro-choice, Hogan told the Times.

The moderate Republican immediately started courting Democratic support after his primary win. President Biden carried Maryland by more than 30 points in the last presidential election, and Hogan is seeking to replace Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat who entered the Senate in 2007.

Alsobrooks beat Democrat Rep. David Trone (Md.) Tuesday in the states contentious Democratic primary. Alsobrooks, who is looking to become the first Black woman to represent the Old Line State in the upper chamber, received the backing of a bevy of Democrats on Capitol Hill on her way to winning the partys race.

Hogan this week has promoted compliments from multiple Democrats. In a video released Wednesday, his campaign showcased past praise from prominent Democrats, some of whom have endorsed Alsobrooks for November.

Not everyone is sold on Hogans new remarks regarding abortion.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who endorsed Alsobrooks last year, said he agrees with the former governors new position, but said his flip-flop on the issue warrants further scrutiny from Marylands electorate.

This is a total flip-flop, Van Hollen told The Hill on Thursday. Larry Hogan has tried to present himself as a non-politician, above politics. I agree with his new position, but lets be clear, this is a total political move and so the question is, do you believe the old Larry Hogan or the new Larry Hogan and if you have to ask that question, voters have reason to worry.

Reproductive Freedom for All, an influential abortion-rights group, stated that Hogans remarks on abortion are a lie.

Larry Hogan has vetoed legislation expanding abortion access, refused to say whether he would support protecting IVF, and dismissed the need to protect abortion rights in Maryland. Lets call his latest statement what it is: a lie, the group said in a statement on Thursday. There is only one candidate in this race who will fight tooth and nail to lock the federal right to abortion into lawand thats Angela Alsobrooks.

Al Weaver contributed reporting

Updated: 3:33 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
More than 100 immigration and civil rights organizations are urging Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to abandon his plans to bring a bipartisan Senate immigration deal to the floor after it was cast aside by the GOP earlier this year.

In a Thursday letter, the groups said the bill constitutes a deep betrayal of immigrant communities.

The Senate GOP blocked advancement of the package in February after former President Trump criticized it as something only a fool would support. It had been negotiated by Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) alongside Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.).

But it was also opposed by various immigration allies because it would sharply curtain asylum rights for those fleeing danger and persecution.

The package would raise the credible fear standard those seeking asylum would need to meet to further pursue their claim.

It would also only allow migrants to seek asylum if they cross at a port of entry, but that option would also cease if certain border crossing limits were triggered.

Among many concerns, this bill would, for the first time ever, allow the U.S. government to deny people the opportunity to apply for asylum at our border simply based on border apprehension numbers, the groups write in a letter, spearheaded by Humans Rights First.

Instead of supporting a proposal that would exacerbate the challenges at the border, we need Congressional leaders to invest in increasing processing capacity to meet humanitarian and operational needs, the letter added, arguing Schumer had been critical about efforts to restrict immigration during the Trump administration.

Schumer has told colleagues he plans to bring the legislation to a vote next week.

And on the Senate floor this week, he asked Republicans to join Democrats in backing it.

Were not walking away from trying to resolve the problems at the border. We hope Republicans will change course and join us. Instead of just making a lot of speeches, pointing a lot of fingers, blame, blame, blame, lets get something done. It is right within our grasp, a bipartisan bill that, when shown to many Republicans, they said, Wow, Schumer said.

It wasnt until Donald Trump said, I want the border to remain in chaos so I can win reelection, that Republicans backed off. Well, shame.

The American Civil Liberties Union, Immigration Hub, International Refugee Assistance Project and the National Immigrant Justice Center were among the groups that asked Schumer to keep the bill shelved.

Schumers initial consideration of the bill followed demands from Republicans that aid to Ukraine would only be mulled if it was paired with immigration reform.

However, the GOP later shifted on that demand, passing an aid bill for Ukraine and other allies last month.

Now, aid for Ukraine is not an issue. Sending this harmful and counterproductive bill to vote, again, constitutes a deep betrayal of immigrant communities, the groups wrote.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
For more than a decade, authorities have been trying to uncover who tortured and killed the three people found dead in a vehicle in Georgia. Last week, an Alabama middle school assistant principal was one of four people charged in the crime.

Deputies in Clayton County, Georgia, arrested Keante Harris last week after a grand jury indicted him on three counts of malice murder in the cold case. Three other suspects  Kenneth Thompson, Kevin Harris and Darrell Harris  received the same charges and were all taken into custody across three states without incident, the sheriff's office said.

Keante Harris is listed as assistant principal on McAdory Middle School's website, and his LinkedIn account says he's worked in the county's district for five years and 11 months, holding the most recent position since January 2023.

Now his and the other three arrests bring a much-needed step toward closure in the case that began Jan. 13, 2013. Officers with Georgia's Union City Police Department were patrolling I-85 in Fulton County that day when they found an abandoned 2010 Dodge Charger with three deceased victims inside, Clayton County Sheriff's Department said in a press release.

An investigation thereafter revealed the three victims were lured to a residence in Jonesboro, Georgia, where a suspect forced them inside at gunpoint, officials said. Then they were tortured, put into the backseat of the Dodge Charger and taken to Fulton County, where the sheriff's department says they were "dumped."

Eleven years later, Clayton County Police Chief Kevin Roberts and his team provided the district attorney with the "proper information to successfully get murder indictments from the grand jury," the press release said.

The sheriff's office received 12 murder warrants for the four suspects, each with three charges, on May 8, and within 48 hours, the group were individually taken into custody. It wasn't immediately clear if the three Harrises charged in the case are related.

In a statement to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Walter Gonsoulin, the superintendent of Jefferson County Schools, which includes McAdory Middle, said he was aware of Keante Harris' arrest.

"At this time, we still are gathering facts about the specifics of this situation," Gonsoulin told the outlet. "However, early indications are that the charges are not related to this individual's employment with Jefferson County Schools. Per standard procedure, Mr. Harris has been placed on paid administrative leave. As more facts become available, we will act according to our district's policy."
Amanda Kovar, right, walks with her husband, Matthew, and daughter, Zoe, through their neighborhood in North Woodland Hills after severe flooding, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in the Houston neighborhood of Kingwood, Texas. Jason Fochtman

A flood watch is already in place Thursday to highlight the risk of flooding that's expected later in the day.

Several inches of rain are possible in Houston, with the heaviest rain likely to fall north of Interstate 10. This area of Southeast Texas has been hit hard in recent weeks with multiple rounds of heavy rain and flooding.

FLOOD WATCH DETAILS: A flood watch is in effect for Houston through Friday morning ahead of several inches of rain to come

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In addition to the heavy rain risk, strong storms could pose a damaging wind and hail threat.

Multiple hazards Thursday

Fortunately, the Thursday morning drive was free of problems caused by inclement weather. The potential for heavy rain and strong storms approaches Southeast Texas late Thursday afternoon and into the evening.

KNOW YOUR FLOOD RISK: Use our interactive flood tracker to see what your risk of flooding is.

High-resolution weather models depict vigorous thunderstorm growth north of Houston during the afternoon hours. This means towns like Conroe and Huntsville will likely see heavy rain arrive in time for the evening commute between 4 and 6 p.m. For Houston, storms are expected to arrive closer to between 7 and 9 p.m.

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Widespread rainfall totals of between 1 and 3 inches are expected across Greater Houston. Higher totals are forecast north of I-10, where the Weather Prediction Center has a rare high risk flash flooding. Rain totals of 2 to 4 inches are expected north of Houston, with locally higher amounts of over 6 inches possible.

Onshore winds and an approaching cold front work together Thursday to produce the likelihood of heavy rain. Flooding will be the biggest concern Thursday, especially in portions of Trinity, San Jacinto, Polk, and Walker Counties. Portions of these counties have seen 600% of normal rainfall, or 20 to 30 inches, since mid-April.

Shown are forecast rainfall totals through Sunday morning across Southeast Texas, according to the Weather Prediction Center. Greater Houston is likely to see between 1 and 3 inches of rain, while higher totals of up to 6 inches are possible north of I-10. Weather Prediction Center / Pivotal Weather

The Storm Prediction Center has an enhanced risk of severe weather near and north of Houston, which is a level 3 out of 5. This designation means that strong storms may be a bit more numerous in nature, especially closer to Huntsville and College Station. Damaging winds and large hail are primary severe weather threats, but a secondary tornado threat is also on the table through Thursday evening.

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Shown are for maps highlighting Thursday's severe risk in Texas, according to the Storm Prediction Center. The top left image shows the severe storms outlook, which has an enhanced risk depicted in orange. This includes much of Greater Houston. The top right image shows the risk of tornadoes Thursday. The bottom left image indicates where large hail is expected and will be likely northwest of Houston. Finally, the bottom right image shows the risk of damaging winds. As storms merge into a line late Thursday, Houston's main risk of severe weather will come in the form of damaging straight-line winds. Storm Prediction Center / Pivotal Weather

Showers and thunderstorms will hug the Upper Texas Gulf Coast through early Friday morning.

Friday showers possible

Friday will be a bit of a transition day for us weather-wise.

The morning starts with storm chances, particularly for areas south of I-10 towards the coast. Intermittent showers and storms may linger through the afternoon in this area as an upper-level disturbance rides along the stalled boundary.

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Shown is the High Resolution Rapid Refresh model's depiction of what future radar may look like in Southeast Texas Friday afternoon. A stalled boundary along the coast coupled with an upper-level disturbance will result in numerous showers between I-10 and the coastline. WeatherBELL

If you're planning to head to Crystal Beach for Jeep weekend, plan on dodging off-and-on storms through Friday afternoon. By no means will Friday be a washout, but there will be a decent chance for rain showers towards coastal communities.

IS HAIL BECOMING MORE COMMON?: Houston has had a lot of severe weather this spring. Is large hail becoming more common?

After a long stretch of rain every couple of days, dry weather is here to stay.

Hello, summer!

No reason to rub your eyes to make sure you read that last sentence correctly.

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High pressure aloft will establish itself into next week, resulting in a much-needed break from rain. Day after day of sunshine will bring about highs in the lower 90s with heat index values possibly getting above 100 degrees.
Major Hollywood stars have Kevin Spacey's back in his fight to get his career back.

Sharon Stone and Liam Neeson are defending Spacey amid the premiere of the British documentary "Spacey Unmasked," which aired Channel 4, and detailed sexual assault allegations leveled at the two-time Oscar winner. The pair provided statements to British newspaper The Telegraph in support of Spacey.

"I cant wait to see Kevin back at work. He is a genius. He is so elegant and fun, generous to a fault and knows more about our craft than most of us ever will," Stone told The Telegraph, adding that it's "terrible" that past aspiring actors "are blaming him for not being able to come to terms with themselves for using him."

Hollywood stars like Sharon Stone and Liam Neeson are coming to the defense of Kevin Spacey, who is pictured arriving at a London courthouse last year.

Kevin Spacey hits back at documentary set to feature allegations 'dating back 48 years'

Sharon Stone, Liam Neeson defend Kevin Spacey

Meanwhile, Neeson told The Telegraph he was "deeply saddened to learn of these accusations against" Spacey.

"Kevin is a good man and a man of character. He's sensitive, articulate and non-judgmental, with a terrific sense of humor," Neeson added. "He is also one of our finest artists in the theatre and on camera. Personally speaking, our industry needs him and misses him greatly."

Earlier this month, the "House of Cards" alum slammed the British TV network Channel 4, which aired the two-part documentary "Spacey Unmasked" on May 6- 7 alongside streaming service Max in the United States.

He posted on X that the network did not allow him enough time to respond to allegations "dating back 48 years" and did not provide him "sufficient details to investigate these matters."

"Channel 4 has refused on the basis that they feel that asking for a response in seven days to new, anonymized and non-specific allegations is a 'fair opportunity' for me to refute any allegations made against me,'" Spacey claimed, adding that he "will not sit back and be attacked by a dying network's one-sided 'documentary' about me in their desperate attempt for ratings."

In July 2023, the New Jersey native was acquitted of nine sexual assault charges after a four-week-long trial in London. He was charged with sexual and indecent assault and causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent after accusations by four men in Britain.

Three of the men accused the actor of grabbing their crotches. The fourth said he woke up to the actor performing oral sex on him after going to the "Usual Suspects" actor's London apartment for a beer and either passing out or falling asleep.

The accusations date from 2001 to 2013.

In first TV interview in years, Kevin Spacey thanks friends and says he wants to 'get back to work'

In his first live TV interview in several years, Spacey told Chris Cuomo Thursday night on NewsNations "CUOMO" that he's grateful for his friends in the industry who have backed him.

"I am enormously pleased that my friends have stood up for me this past day, but quite frankly, they've been standing up for me for a long, long time," he said.

Spacey did a live interview with Chris Cuomo on NewsNation and revealed he's eager to get back to work.

"I believe that it's beginning to move in a direction that is much more positive," he told Cuomo. "And I think that I'm trying to show that I've listened, I've learned, I've got the memo, I'm not going to behave in any way, in the future, that is questionable. And that I've tried to spend these past seven years going into myself asking a lot of questions and listening, having conversations with people that I felt I owed amends to."

He added, "At a certain point, I just want to get back to work."

Since he was the subject of several cases in the U.S. and the U.K. over the past few years, Spacey said, "I have to work very hard on rebuilding the trust that some may have lost in me. I have to demonstrate every single day in every single experience an environment that I'm in, that I have, in fact listened that I am ready to move forward that I am."

He later revealed, "I'm so much happier today, living a more authentic and open life.

In 2022, a jury found Spacey did not molest actor Anthony Rapp when he was 14. The following year, a London jury acquitted Spacey after he was accused of sexual offenses against four men in Britain.

Civil judgment overturned in the UK: Kevin Spacey to go to trial in UK for alleged sexual assault

Kevin Spacey: Pendulum has swung 'in the direction of unfairness' since #MeToo

During the interview, Spacey also shared his thoughts on the #MeToo movement, which started in October 2017.

"I think that we have to be cautious and look back and say, look, there was some tremendously important and valuable things and an impact happened with the Me Too movement," he told Cuomo. "However, as these sort of pendulums swing from one side to the other, as you will know, I think it's swung very, very far in the direction of unfairness and not allowing people  and I'm not just talking about myself, but a whole lot of people."

He acknowledged that Cuomo himself had faced a sexual misconduct allegation in 2021.

He continued, "We have to also be careful to make sure that the pendulum now doesn't swing so far in the other direction, even though I  and a lot of other people  believe it's moving in the right direction, because we have to be conscious that the Me Too movement was an important one and a valued one.

Spacey said he's taken accountability for some of his actions while maintaining his innocence in allegations of "thing I didn't do."

"I accept my accountability; I think it's incredibly important," he said. "I am not going to be accountable for things I didn't do or that were exaggerated or greatly changed. But I absolutely believe that my role in it was my role in it."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kevin Spacey breaks silence as Sharon Stone, Liam Neeson support actor
A high-stakes union election is underway at a Mercedes-Benz plant near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the only plant for the luxury automaker in North America.

The fallout will be significant whether the workers at Mercedes-Benz vote to join the United Auto Workers union or not. The UAW is hoping to carry its strong momentum right now, as its decision to use a stand up strike strategy hitting the Big Three automakers all at once brought unprecedented attention and record contracts for workers. And last month, it won a union election at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, its first victory in three attempts to organize the factory.

Winning the Alabama vote would mean the UAWs biggest push to grow its membership in decades will keep going. The UAW watched for decades as non-unionized factories owned by companies from Kia to Toyota to Tesla to Rivian popped up across the country, especially in the southern United States.

But under relatively new UAW president Shawn Fain, the strategy has changed.

In an interview with Car and Driver, Fain said the profit margins for the Japanese, Korean and German automakers were obscenely more gross than they were at the Big Three, and yet their workers get less.

I truly believe were going to see a huge shift this year. I think were gonna win in the South, he said in the interview.

But a loss could stall those efforts  and reaffirm the Souths reputation as a union-free, corporate-friendly region.

In November 2023, the UAW said it began an effort to organize workers at 13 non-union auto US factories. The effort included three US-based electric vehicle makers  Tesla, Rivian and Lucid  as well as 10 foreign automakers that build cars in the US  BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Mercedes, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo.

The Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance, Alabama, near Tuscaloosa, has about 6,000 hourly workers. Voting is set to end Friday morning.

Mercedes response

In a statement, Mercedes-Benz US International said it fully respects our Team Members choice whether to unionize and we look forward to participating in the election process to ensure every Team Member has a chance to cast their own secret-ballot vote, as well as having access to the information necessary to make an informed choice.

But that doesnt mean Mercedes would let its workers unionize without putting up a fight, as the company has used language and tactics common to corporations that are resistant to organizing efforts.

We believe open and direct communication with our Team Members is the best path forward to ensure continued success, the statement said.

In a separate statement, MBUSI said that it has a proven record of competitively compensating Team Members and providing many additional benefits.

And the company is allegedly pushing back against unionization efforts in other ways, according to six unfair labor practice charges filed by the UAW.

The National Labor Relations Board said it is investigating six unfair labor practice charges filed by the UAW against Mercedes-Benz since March. Those charges allege Mercedes has disciplined employees for discussing unionization during work, prohibited distribution of union materials, surveilled employees, and forced employees to attend captive audience meetings, which is a mandatory meeting during work meant to discourage unionizing.

Mercedes-Benz US International denied these claims, and said in a statement it has not interfered with or retaliated against any Team Member in their right to pursue union representation. It continued, We do not believe these claims have merit and we look forward to presenting our case to the NLRB.

Building off momentum

Last month, hourly workers at Volkswagens plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, overwhelmingly voted to join the UAW  73% of the 3,600 workers at the plant who cast ballots had voted to join the union.

The victory didnt come easy for the UAW. Volkswagen didnt win until its third union drive, said Art Wheaton, director of labor studies at Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations Buffalo office. And this is the Mercedes plants first strong push.

Its not a catastrophe if they dont win (the first time). Primarily because theyre facing a very active Mercedes Benz trying to block them from organizing, you got governors in the South trying to block them from organizing, and they dont have the same track record or history or infrastructure in Alabama, Wheaton said.

Even more broadly, unions have enjoyed a successful run  they won pay increases of 10% or more for nearly a million union members last year, according to an analysis by CNN. Strikes were at a decade high in 2023, and organizing activity also increased.

Labor has something to bring to the table. You see the successes at the bargaining table. It makes people more aware that the union may have something to offer, Wheaton said.

Why this election matters

This election has huge implications for the UAWs organizing efforts beyond the Big Three unionized automakers  GM, Ford and Stellantis. The South has a much lower level of union representation than workers in industrial regions in the North.

But a labor expert says a loss would not be the end of the UAWs efforts in organizing in the South.

Its not horrible if they lose, because it gives the UAW the chance to see where theyre at. They can gauge how much support they have, Wheaton said.

There are about 150,000 workers at nonunion auto plants in the United States today. Thats roughly the same amount of workers represented at the Big Three.

The UAW is at the point where more than a majority of autos that are sold in the US are assembled and produced in plants that dont have UAW representation, which weakens their bargaining power at the Big Three, Harry Katz, professor of collective bargaining at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations said.

Since 1990, the Souths share of auto jobs has doubled from around 15% to 30% today, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. Meanwhile, the Midwests share has declined from 60% to 45%.

So much of auto production is occurring in plants not represented by the UAW. The management then threatens to move production to those other sites, Katz said.

A lot at stake

Katz said a win would not be a bellwether event, and the consequences of the union losing the vote will be even greater than the positive outcome if they win, he said.

It would be an important victory, but it wouldnt signal that theres necessarily signs that unions are going to have a cakewalk, an easy path to winning in either the other transplants or in many other organizations, Katz said.

Though a union win could generate momentum, it doesnt mean a victory will mean other plants can overcome management opposition at other foreign-owned plants. Non-union automakers have already begun their response to the big union victories thus far.

Toyota, Honda and Hyundai all announced raises for their US factory workers within two weeks of tentative contract agreements with Ford, General Motors and Stellantis. And workers at those plants might be content with the non-union status theyve worked under already.

Those plants management has a lot of communication engagement strategies that rightfully or not  seem to satisfy the worker, Katz said, who said those workers are already earning significantly more than their local labor markets.

And there is pressure from local politicians as well.

Six southern governors from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas issued a joint statement in April discouraging the union campaign, warning it could put workers jobs, as well as the auto industry in the South, in jeopardy. The statement came a day before workers at Volkswagen voted on joining the UAW.

The reality is companies have choices when it comes to where to invest and bring jobs and opportunity. We have worked tirelessly on behalf of our constituents to bring good-paying jobs to our states. These jobs have become part of the fabric of the automotive manufacturing industry, the statement said.

CNNs Chris Isidore and Nathaniel Meyersohn contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Chinese fast-fashion e-commerce retailer Temu was hit with a European Union complaint on Thursday over a potential breach of online content rules by the PDD Group-owned business.

Under the European Union's Digital Services Act, online marketplaces and intermediaries are required to fight illegal and harmful content as well as counterfeit products on their platforms.

Pan-European consumers organisation BEUC said it has lodged a grievance with the European Commission while 17 of its members in countries including France, Italy and the Netherlands have also filed complaints with their relevant national authorities.

Temu, with 75 million monthly EU users as of March, often failed to provide consumers with crucial information about the sellers on its platform and whether their products met EU product safety requirements, BEUC said.

The complaint said that Temu uses manipulative practices such as dark patterns to get consumers to spend more than they may want and that there was insufficient information on how it recommends products to consumers.

"Temu is being complacent here because it is breaching the EU's Digital Services Act," BEUC Director General Monique Goyens said in a statement.

"Products sold on marketplaces, whether online or offline, whether they are European, American or Chinese, must be safe and comply with European law if they sell to European consumers."

Temu, which entered the EU market just over a year ago, said it actively adjusts its service to align with local practices and preferences and that it is committed to full compliance with the laws and regulations of the markets where it operates.

"Regarding the BEUC complaint, we take it very seriously and will study it thoroughly. We hope to continue our dialogue with the relevant stakeholders to improve Temu's service for consumers," the company said in a statement.

(Reporting by Foo Yun CheeEditing by Richard Chang and David Goodman)
The two-week turnaround between the Kentucky Derby and Preakness is a relic of horse racings past, a time when Thoroughbreds were sturdier and the big money for owners was made on the racetrack rather than the breeding shed.

Back in the 1940s and 50s, it wasnt unusual for horses to run every two weeks. Now, top-class colts that run once a month are a rare breed.

The general trend toward more space between races and the desire to have a fresh horse for big summer and fall races like the Travers and Breeders Cup Classic explains why so few horses from the Derby continue through the entire Triple Crown anymore. There is no other context in the entire sport where a trainer would enter their 3-year-old in a 1 and 3/16th-mile race just 14 days after running them 1 1/4 miles.

Typically, horses respond to this grueling task one of two ways. Either they exit the rigorous Derby as fit and ready to run as theyve ever been in their life, or they struggle to bounce back and run lethargically in the Preakness.

The physical effort it took for Mystik Dan to win the Kentucky Derby was undoubtedly at the front of trainer Ken McPeeks mind during the week he spent waffling about whether to run in the Preakness.

Mystik Dan, with rider Robbie Alvarado, walks to the track with assistant trainer Ray Bryner at Pimlico Race Course as he prepares for Saturday's Preakness Stakes.

As McPeek noted moments after the Derby win, Mystik Dan did not respond well as a 2-year-old when he was asked to run two weeks after breaking his maiden. Also, the Derby was a hard race, with Mystik Dan slowing down near the finish line and hanging on by a desperate nose. Had he not won the Derby, its unlikely Mystik Dans connections would have even considered contesting the Preakness.

At the same time, all the physical signs from Mystik Dan point to him being one of those horses that comes out of the Derby thriving and ready to put on an even better performance at Pimlico. And with Arkansas Derby winner Muth scratching out of the race Wednesday due to a fever, Mystik Dan is by far the most accomplished horse in a relatively weak eight-horse field. Hell go into the gate Saturday as a deserving favorite.

But unlike the Derby, a race where the 20-horse field puts a premium on who gets the cleanest trip around the track, the Preakness can usually be handicapped in a more traditional manner. And one of the oldest maxims in handicapping should apply for this Preakness in particular: Pace makes the race.

Among the eight horses in the field, only one has shown an affinity for early speed: Bob Baffert trainee Imagination.

Purchased as a yearling for $1.05 million, Imagination didnt move into the top tier of Bafferts 3-year-old armada until winning the San Felipe on March 3. After backing it up with a good second in the Santa Anita Derby, Imagination would have been an intriguing Derby longshot if not for the suspension Churchill Downs extended a third year for Baffert-trained horses.

So instead he was pointed to this race, which  to Bafferts delight  came up shockingly devoid of frontrunners.

Breaking from the outside post position, Imagination will almost certainly be sent to the lead under Frankie Dettori, the 53-year-old riding legend who left Europe last year to finish his career on the American circuit.

And from there, jockeys of the other contenders  including Brian Hernandez Jr. on Mystik Dan  will have to make a decision. Do they push their horse early to press Imagination and risk using up too much energy early in the race? Or do they back off and let Dettori control the pace, risking a situation where Imagination gets away with an easy first half-mile and never looks back?

Assuming Dettori can avoid a suicidal pace, chances are pretty good that Imagination will be in front as the horses make their way around the far turn. Youd expect Mystik Dan to lay three or four lengths off the pace and make the same kind of move he did in the Derby, confronting Imagination with a quarter-mile to go while the closers start to gear up.

All things being equal in this scenario, Mystik Dan is the better horse and should win the race. But all things arent equal: Imagination comes into the Preakness off a six-week rest, while the stretch run will test whether Mystik Dan has enough in the tank to win another hard race off the two-week turnaround.

A couple of things point to Imagination being able to hold on and win. First and foremost, Baffert is the master of the Preakness, winning this race a record eight times. Also, the Preakness has recently been a coming-out party for 3-year-olds with considerable upside who skipped the Derby, including the races last three winners: National Treasure (2023), Early Voting (2022) and Rombauer (2021).

Though theres not going to be much betting value in either option, Imagination  6-1 on the morning line but sure to be bet down a bit from there  should at least offer a little bit of a juicer price on either straight win bets or exotics.

Combined with the natural skepticism of whether Mystik Dan can put forth another top-quality effort, Imagination is the pick for a wire-to-wire win, giving Dettori his first victory in one of the American classics after 21 combined wins in the Triple Crown races of England, Ireland and France.

Mystik Dan should run well, but this time it wont be quite good enough to get to the wire first. The question is whether he can hold on for second place against Tuscan Gold, the lightly raced but talented Chad Brown trainee, or Catching Freedom, who closed well in the Derby to finish fourth.

Though American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018 proved its still possible to win the Triple Crown, the task gets harder and harder with each generation. Not only does the Derby-Preakness turnaround cut against all modern training methods and theories, the presence of fresh horses like Imagination and Tuscan Gold often makes it an unfair fight.

If Mystik Dan can defy those trends, it will arguably be an even more impressive feat than winning the Kentucky Derby. Given the horses history on short rest and McPeeks initial skittishness about going to the Preakness at all, its fair to be skeptical that he can pull it off.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mystik Dan's biggest hurdle at Preakness: racing fresh horses
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spent a week dogged by self-damaging rhetoric, leaving him to defend the state of his health and scramble to rework his position on abortion after facing dissent from within his own campaign.

But on Monday, he had something to celebrate: the prospect that he had earned a spot on the ballot in Texas, a coup for an independent candidate in a state that forces independents to gather at least 113,000 signatures from registered voters across the state, a much larger haul than required in most states. The campaign delivered boxes of signatures to the Texas Secretary of State's Office, a spokeswoman for whom told ABC News the campaign's petition is "under review."

Kennedy touted the accomplishment at an Austin rally alongside his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, whose appearance itself was noteworthy, as the California lawyer had maintained a reclusive approach to the campaign trail since she was announced as Kennedy's running mate in late March.

MORE: RFK Jr.'s 'clever move' to help earn ballot access nationwide: Allying with little-known parties

Texas is the 14th state in which the Kennedy campaign says it has met the criteria for ballot access. The signature requirement also made it the most grueling.

"If you can get on in Texas, you can get on everywhere," Kennedy said on stage in Austin.

Yet the campaign still faces hurdles to gain ballot access in each state, a goal Kennedy and his aides say they will achieve.

Already, they face the prospect of starting their signature-gathering from scratch in Nevada after they submitted petition forms that lacked the name of a vice presidential candidate, violating the state's rules.

And Democrats will likely try to obstruct Kennedy's progress, as they already attempted in Hawaii, where the state ruled against the Hawaii Democratic Party after it challenged the ballot access petition of a new political party created just for Kennedy.

What the campaign says it does not lack, though, is the money to complete its ballot access efforts. Shanahan, who had already put millions of dollars toward helping elect Kennedy prior to April, pumped $8 million more into the campaign last month, a total that the campaign said would cover its ballot access expenses from here on out.

PHOTO: Independent Vice Presidential running mate, Nicole Shanahan speaks to attendees during a campaign rally at Brazos Hall on May 13, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Shanahan makes trail debut, but some Kennedy voters still skeptical

Much of the spotlight this weekend was on Shanahan, who made her debut on the campaign trail in Houston on Saturday before accompanying Kennedy at the Austin rally two days later.

The Houston event was an intimate panel-like forum that focused on criminal justice reform and allowed Shanahan, who has invested time and money into addressing issues in the justice system, to showcase her most tangible attribute: her authenticity and passion for the things she cares about.

MORE: Month after announcement, RFK Jr.'s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, remains in the shadows

Before she addressed the audience in Houston, she turned to each panelist, all of whom had described scarring experiences with the law, and thanked them one by one. She then fought tears during her remarks as she discussed the "legacy of the ruthlessness of the American psyche."

She even came prepared with a quote from the psychologist Carl Jung, reading it with dramatic effect.

But at times during her Texas appearances, her delivery felt dissonant with the desires of her audience, especially among attendees of the Austin rally, who seemed more eager for an injection of energy than a perfectly woven soliloquy.

The crowd of about 800 cheered loudly when Shanahan was introduced, but soon fell quiet when the candidate, whose appearance marked one of her first public events, opened her speech by saying, "I want to talk about soil," prompting a minuteslong metaphor about the need to fix America's "foundation."

Shanahan eventually hit the populist and anti-establishment themes that tie together many of Kennedy's supporters, criticizing Democrats and Republicans and painting politicians as out for themselves. But her appearance left some Kennedy supporters still trying to figure her out.

"I don't know much about her," Tammy Markham, a 54-year-old entrepreneur, told ABC News after leaving the event. "So I want to find out more about her. I just know that when he announced that he was going to have her as vice president, I know a lot of us supporters were like, woah, OK, who is this?"

Markham said she was impressed with Shanahan's speech in Austin, but, she cautioned, "it takes more foundation and rock-solid knowledge for me to be impressed than just the brouhaha."

A week of damage control

Though they were a united front on Monday, Kennedy and Shanahan seemed confused last week about Kennedy's abortion stance.

Kennedy told podcast host Sage Steele in an interview released last week that "we should leave it to the woman" to choose to have the procedure, "even if it's full term."

When Steele relayed Kennedy's position in a separate conversation with Shanahan, the running mate appeared visibly surprised.

"My understanding is that he absolutely believes in the limits on abortion," she told Steele. "And we've talked about this. I don't know where that came from."

PHOTO: An attendee holds a flyer during a campaign rally held by Independent Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at Brazos Hall on May 13, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

At the same time, Angela King, a Kennedy staffer and anti-abortion activist, aired her dissent to Kennedy's "full term" comments on social media, an embarrassingly public undressing of the candidate she advises, which led Kennedy to walk back the abortion comments in a lengthy X post Friday night.

"I support the emerging consensus that abortion should be unrestricted up until a certain point," he wrote, in part. "I believe that point should be when the baby is viable outside the womb."

MORE: RFK Jr. claims doctor said parasite 'ate' part of his brain

Kennedy also found himself last week responding to unearthed comments where he claimed a doctor told him that a parasitic worm was found in his brain more than a decade ago. Also, that he suffered from mercury poisoning -- both of which he said gave him "cognitive problems."

Kennedy assured he has made a full recovery from each issue and even tried to lean into the worm issue, which garnered significant media attention: making a surprise appearance at a Los Angeles comedy show on Friday, he cracked, "My brain worm wrote some jokes for me." He also joked last week on X that he would "offer to eat 5 more brain worms and still beat President Trump and President Biden in a debate."

On Friday, the candidate issued an explanation for an admission he made on a podcast that he offered his children fake vaccine cards during the COVID-19 pandemic so they could attend universities, which required the shot without actually getting one (he said his children did not accept his offer since "they didn't want to lie.")

"Coercion to force submission to illegal vaccine mandates became the norm during Covid," Kennedy wrote on X. "As Martin Luther King, Jr. observed, 'One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.' I acted accordingly."

After trying week, RFK Jr. brings Nicole Shanahan on campaign trail for rare appearance originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Flames were spotted at the back of the 747-400 aircraft as it lifted off the runway

A Boeing passenger plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Indonesia after an engine caught fire during take-off.

Streaks of flame were spotted shooting out the back of the 747-400 aircraft as it lifted off the runway with 468 passengers onboard.

The flight, operated by Garuda Indonesia, was departing from the city of Makassar bound for Medina in Saudi Arabia, where many on the flight intended to make the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

The incident forced the pilots to circle back immediately after take-off, safely completing the emergency landing 90 minutes later, with all passengers and crew evacuated safely.

The fire is the latest incident involving an aircraft made by Boeing, which is under scrutiny for the safety and quality of its planes.

Last week, scores of passengers were forced to flee a burning Boeing plane after it aborted take-off and veered off the runway in Senegal.

Footage of the incident at Dakars Blaise Diagne airport showed passengers screaming as they fled the flames, with 16 people injured.

The accidents follow allegations against the manufacturer by Santiago Paredes, a whistleblower who claimed one of Boeings largest suppliers regularly allowed aircraft fuselages to leave its factory with up to 200 defects.

Mr Paredes told the BBC he often found defects on parts being prepared for shipping to Boeing.

Boeing declined to comment to the BBC on Mr Paredess claims.

There are wider fears that the safety crisis at Boeing may set off a wave of flight cancellations this summer as airlines scramble to secure enough planes.

Avia Solutions, the worlds largest aircraft leasing company, said that European airlines would probably slim down their schedules in the coming months after a slowdown of deliveries in the sector.

Boeing has not yet issued a statement regarding the incident in Indonesia.

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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.
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In this guide

Your money can leave a lasting legacy and live on much longer than you do. And when set up properly, your assets can be transferred to family members easily after you die. Planning ahead of time can keep things tidy and ensure money in your bank accounts go to the right place at the most difficult time for your loved ones.

Heres what happens to your bank account when you die  including how the process works for beneficiaries and joint account holders  and steps you can take now to avoid complications down the line.

What happens to a bank account after death?

What happens to your bank account when you die largely depends on whether youve named a beneficiary to receive your assets after you die or you share the account with a joint owner.

While the process varies, once the bank is notified of a death, it typically freezes or places a hold on the account. It might also cancel transfers and access to debit or credit cards associated with the account. After that, additional steps depend on the circumstances of the account.

What happens to your bank account when you die and have a beneficiary

If youre the sole owner and named a beneficiary on your bank account  whether savings, high-yield savings or a checking account  its a pretty smooth process: the bank either contacts your beneficiary on notice of death, or your beneficiary can provide a certified copy of the death certificate and proof of ID to the bank to receive the funds.

For bank accounts, this process is typically referred to as payable on death  or POD. Investment accounts have a transfer on death (TOD) designation. In both cases, these designations transfer your assets to your beneficiaries, so its clear who will get the funds in the associated accounts.

In addition to providing clarity, adding a bank account beneficiary can help you avoid the headache of dealing with probate. Probate can be a potentially time-consuming process that involves a court that manages the distribution of assets after someone has died. For context, probate court can take months to years to complete.

When the account holder passes away, the beneficiary must provide evidence to the bank of the account holders death, namely a death certificate, and then the bank will distribute the remaining account assets to the beneficiary and close the account, without the need to open a probate, explains Lauren A. Klein, Esq., LL.M at Flourish Law Group. Generally speaking, if there is a beneficiary designation on a bank account, this overrides the estate plan, including the last will and testament and/or revocable living trust.

If there is a revocable living trust, the bank account will be in the hands of a trustee whos in charge of distributing the assets to the beneficiary. If theres a will in place, the appointed executor manages the estate as directed by the document.

What happens to a joint bank account

Joint account holders have shared responsibility over the account. So if you die, the other account holder typically has the right of survivorship, which means funds can be transferred to the surviving account holder. But it may depend on the terms of your account and state law, so double-check.

Joint accounts are also subject to changes from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Typically, individual account holders are insured for deposits of up to $250,000, while joint account holders are insured for double that amount, at $500,000.

The FDIC insures the full joint amount of $500,000 for a six-month grace period after the death of a joint owner. After the grace period, the amount insured drops down to the sole owner. In other words, only $250,000, if that account is insured.

If you are a joint account holder responsible for an account after a death, you might want to move some assets, if you have more than $250,000, to another type of bank account or a new bank.

Dig deeper: 6 best ways to FDIC-insure your excess bank deposits

What happens to your bank account when you die with no beneficiary or joint account holder

If you die with no named beneficiary or joint owner on your bank accounts, it gets more complicated. Without them  and the clear instructions they bring on who the money goes to  the money in your bank account becomes a part of your estate and is likely to go through the probate process.

If a bank account does not have a beneficiary and is not held within a trust, then your family members will generally need to open a probate in order to gain access to the account, says Klein. Probate can be very expensive and time-consuming, and requires court oversight in order for your beneficiaries to gain access to the account. This can be disastrous if those funds are needed immediately. Probate can be easily avoided with proper planning with a qualified estate planning attorney.

Estates with limited assets may qualify as small estates and have fewer requirements. Check with your state law on the criteria and process. If there is a will, an executor of the state should be named. In the event that there is no will, a family member will typically become the estate administrator.

In both cases, the bank account is part of the estate. A will can direct where the funds should go, and if there is no will  called intestate  how the money is divided will depend on state probate laws.

If there is no action taken on the account for three to five years, the funds are transferred to the state in a process called escheatment  in essence, the state considers the money an unclaimed account, holding it until a beneficiary or account holder shows up to claim it.

Dig deeper: Can you lose money in a savings account? Its unlikely  but heres what to watch out for

3 ways to avoid complications and probate after you die

It can be tough to think about our own death. But taking action ahead of time can be a gift to your mourning family, who is left to pick up the pieces.

Here's what you can do today to avoid future complications and bypass the complications of the probate process.

Name a beneficiary on your bank accounts

Designate a beneficiary for each of your accounts with the bank, credit union or financial institution that manages them. If you have more than one beneficiary, the balance is split among them.

Depending on the type of account, youll have a POD or TOD designation. This process helps you avoid probate court and can make for a smooth transfer of your account funds.

Be sure to revisit and update beneficiaries as needed, such as after divorce, marriage or other big life changes. Beneficiaries have no access to your accounts while youre alive, only after you die, and with proper documentation like a death certificate.

Consider adding a joint account holder

If youre worried about what happens to money in the bank when you die, adding a joint account holder can ease the process, as ownership will typically default to the person designated as sharing the account. To do that, contact your bank to get the process started.

Be aware that a joint account holder is different from a beneficiary in that they have rights to the account while youre alive. It can make sense, if youre married, to add your spouse. For other types of relationships, understand the implications of adding a joint account holder, such as sharing the responsibility of debts and fees.

Create an estate plan

Adding a beneficiary or a joint account holder to your bank accounts is a great way to transfer assets to your family in a clear-cut way. You avoid the hassle of probate, and your assets are distributed according to your wishes.

But thats just the beginning. Creating a comprehensive estate plan when youre alive and healthy ensures all your bases are covered.

You need to get your affairs in order before you get sick, hurt or pass away. You cannot wait until something happens to create these documents, because at that point it is usually too late, says Kelsey Simasko, elder law attorney at Simasko Law in Mount Clemens, Mich. Generally, everyone needs a patient advocate, durable power of attorney, will and sometimes a trust.

Reach out to an estate-planning attorney, a trust and estates lawyer or financial advisor for legal advice and help in creating and finalizing your estate documentation.

Dig deeper: How to find a trusted retirement advisor: Factors to consider for your golden years

How to claim money from a bank after a death

Joint account holders, designated beneficiaries, and will administrators or executors can claim money from a bank after an account holders death. If you dont fall into one of those categories, you dont have legal rights to the account.

To claim money from a bank account after death, you'll follow these five general steps:

Contact the bank. Get in touch with the account holders financial institution to let them know about the death. Youll need to provide the account holders full name and Social Security number. Typically, a bank puts a hold or freeze on these accounts to prevent fraud. Provide documentation. Youll need to provide a government-issued I.D. and a certified death certificate to access funds in the account. Depending on your relationship and role, you may need to provide additional documentation, such as a marriage certificate, last will and testament, formal trust or court-issued probate letters Complete the required paperwork. The bank provides forms for you to fill out to complete the transaction and tell them where to send the funds. Receive funds. After all paperwork is submitted, the bank processes your request. Every bank and situation is different, so the amount of time it takes to receive money after someone dies varies, but it may take several weeks. Understand any tax implications. The money you get from a bank account after someone dies typically isnt considered income on your federal tax return. But interest earned on that money in the future might be taxable, and more than 15 states tax inherited wealth through estate or inheritance taxes. The IRS provides an interactive tax assistant that can help you determine if your inheritance is taxable.

If you're not sure which banks your loved one kept accounts at, make sure you or a designated representative of the estate carefully reads through the will, trust or other planning documents for lists of assets that might include bank accounts. If you still can't find accounts, look for the person's last tax return for clues or call local tax preparers to ask if your loved one is a customer.

Routinely check the mailbox for account statements, and contact any bank or financial institutions that you don't immediately recognize. It might not hurt to also contact your state's comptroller or unclaimed funds department for guidance.

Which states tax inherited wealth?

Seventeen states and Washington D.C. tax inherited wealth through estate or inheritance taxes, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:

Connecticut

Hawaii

Illinois

Iowa

Kentucky

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Minnesota

Nebraska

New Jersey

New York

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

Vermont

Washington

Washington D.C.

Because laws can change frequently, its best to talk to a tax professional about whether your inherited assets are taxable.

Related reading: What not to do after losing a spouse or partner: A financial checklist

FAQ: Bank accounts, beneficiaries and more

Can a minor be a beneficiary on a bank account?

Yes, many people name their children or other younger loved ones as beneficiaries on assets like bank accounts. But note that minors under age 18 often cant legally own large amounts of money, and so it makes sense to appoint a guardian or trust as the beneficiary instead. Talk with a legal professional to understand the implications of naming a minor as a beneficiary when deciding how to protect your money.

Can a spouse claim money within an account?

A surviving spouse can claim money within a bank account if theyre a joint account holder, designated beneficiary or will administrator. Otherwise, they dont have legal rights to the account, and it may need to go through probate if you die without a will or trust.

How long does it take for a bank to release money after death?

If the person who died designated a beneficiary on the account, the bank should be able to process the release of the money on receipt of government ID and a certificate of death. It's good to ask the bank explicitly when you'll receive the asset so that you know what to expect.

If the money is part of an estate, the process of settling the estate can take up to six months or longer, depending on how many assets are within the estate.

How can I check whether Im due unclaimed funds from old accounts?

Each state supports an unclaimed property program, though when funds or accounts are considered unclaimed depends on the states escheatment laws.

If you think there might be money or unclaimed property youre due, start by searching the official site of the National Association of State Treasurers. You can search and initiate a claim through a simple form in minutes.

What happens to my mortgage after I die?

Your home's mortgage is treated a little differently from your other debt, which is typically settled through your estate before any assets are passed along to your heirs. Most mortgages arent transferable, which means the home must be paid off in full to transfer the property title.

But that also means only those who signed on to the loan can be held liable for a mortgage. Learn more about what happens to your mortgage after death.

What happens to a CD after I die?

As with a savings account, what happens to a certificate of deposit after death depends on who owns the account. If there's a joint account holder and a designated "right of survivorship," your share passes to the surviving account owner without involving probate. Without a right of survivorship, the share passes to your estate.

If you've named a beneficiary for your CD, your share passes to that beneficiary, who can either transfer cash out the CD, transfer the CD to their name or reinvest it into a different CD term.

Sources

About the writer

Melanie Lockert is an L.A.-born and Brooklyn-based freelance writer with a decade of experience in personal finance. Melanie started the Dear Debt blog in 2013 and chronicled her journey out of $81,000 in student loan debt. She published a book of the same name in 2016. Her personal finance expertise has been featured on Fortune Recommends, CNN Underscored, Yahoo Finance and Business Insider, among other publications. She is also the host of the Mental Health and Wealth Show and cofounder of the Lola Retreat, a finance event for women.


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Rev. Bill Lawson, founder of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church addressees the crowd after a march with George Floyds family on Tuesday, June 2, 2020, at City Hall in downtown Houston. Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer 05/31/1984 - Rev. Bill Lawson, pastor of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, stands in front of the new facility under construction. Ben DeSoto/Houston Chronicle Civil rights protest rally with Rev. William Lawson in Houston in May 1965. HOUCHRON CAPTION (12/12/1999): Speakers take turns on a megaphone to protest continued segregation in Houston at a downtown rally in 1965. HOUSTON CHRONICLE SPECIAL SECTION: THE HOUSTON CENTURY. Curtis McGee/Staff

In Montgomery, Ala., in the mid-1950s, a young Black preacher wrestled with the challenge of harnessing what the writer Milton Viorst described as the latent dynamism of the Black church, as a religious and social force, and put it to the service of civil rights.

In Houston, a few years later, a young Black preacher wrestled with similar challenges. Like the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., in Montgomery and beyond, the Rev. William A. Bill Lawson in Houston found ways to apply the power and persuasiveness of Jesus teachings to the holy cause of racial justice. The founding pastor of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church died this week at home, a few weeks short of his 96th birthday. Along with the late Congress members Barbara Jordan and Mickey Leland, Lawson is the third and last of the icons who could be considered Houstons civil rights triumvirate. His legacy is a city shaped and influenced by his words, his deeds and the example of a long and influential life well lived.

Even years after his retirement from the pulpit in 2004, Lawson and his fellow faith leaders, Catholic Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza and Rabbi Samuel Karff, who called themselves the Three Amigos, employed their humor, wisdom and mutual respect to appeal to the better angels in this diverse, complex city. They banded together to address everything from homelessness to the need for a public defender office to the so-called school-to-prison pipeline.

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Worshipping God is not complete unless you help your neighbor, Lawson said in 2011 while being honored as part of the dedication of Kings memorial in Washington, D.C. That theology drew me long before I knew of civil rights.

As a young man growing up in Kansas City, Kan., Lawson studied graphic arts and dreamed of being a cartoonist, but even before responding to a call to become a minister, he recognized the dynamism of the Black church, which had nourished new roots in African American communities where slavery had severed them.

The urgency of the Black churchs mission, Lawson explained in a 1974 oral history interview housed at the Houston Public Library, is not only to save souls but also to save lives in the here and now.

It has furnished an outlet, he said, for the necessary in-bred rage of a slave people who had to, at some point, turn loose their reactions to the new and foreign background into which they were thrust. And I think that the Black church prevented mass schizophrenia, perhaps even mass suicide, certainly mass rebellion.

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Lawson came to Houston in 1955 to teach and serve as the chaplain of the Baptist Student Union at Texas Southern University. He and his wife, Audrey Hoffman Lawson, arrived on the same day that young Emmett Till was lynched in Mississippi.

Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, founded in 1962, originated with 13 members meeting in the living room of the Lawsons Blodgett Street apartment in Third Ward. These days, more than 12,000 worshippers call Wheeler Avenue their church home.

Lawson and King, a year apart in age, became friends and associates; Wheeler Avenue served as home to the Houston chapter of Kings Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

During a 2021 interview with his daughter Melanie Lawson, a TV anchor with KTRK in Houston, Lawson recalled that Houston churches refused to allow King, an ordained Baptist minister, to preach after the FBI accused the civil rights leader of being a communist. The young Houston preacher welcomed him into the pulpit of the new congregation. From then on, King and his SCLC associates stayed with the Lawsons when they came to town.

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While both men shared an abiding commitment to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice  to quote Kings celebrated Letter from a Birmingham Jail  their tactics differed. King perfected nonviolent confrontation. Lawson was inclined to work from the inside.

When 14 of Lawsons TSU students, inspired by students in North Carolina who organized sit-ins at segregated lunch counters, asked him to help arrange a sit-in at the segregated lunch counter at Weingartens grocery store on Almeda, they didnt get the answer they hoped for.

I said to them, Are you serious? Your parents, grandparents worked their tails off to get you into school, and thats the last thing you ought to want to be involved in, Lawson told a Chronicle reporter years later. 'You dont want to get a chance to be arrested and have a jail record. What you want to do is to finish college, which is what they dreamed of for you.

His students ignored his advice and, of course, got arrested. The Lawsons raised bail money for them. The couple also continued to push, in their own way, for racial and economic justice. Years later, Lawson would say, he came to understand and accept the strength of the students' commitment to change.

The Lawsons were keenly aware that their new home, a city that had known racial violence and cruel injustices over the years, was on the verge of becoming an American metropolis. To keep growing and achieve greater prosperity, the challenge would be to avoid becoming another Birmingham, with its white supremacist public safety commissioner, Bull Connor, with its vicious police dogs ripping the flesh of demonstrators and its brutish cops knocking youngsters off their feet with stinging, high-powered water hoses. The model for Houston would be Atlanta, the city too busy to hate.

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A group of predominantly white downtown business owners and Black leaders, including Lawson, concocted a plan during a series of meetings at the Rice Hotel in 1960. They likely were aware of the irony that the Black Houstonians had to enter the hotel through an alley door and ride up the freight elevator. The plan as it evolved was for Houston to abolish segregation in Houstons restaurants and businesses quietly, seemingly overnight. Local media agreed to abide by a news blackout until the day the change-over went into effect.

The issue was not moral, it was not ethical, Lawson told the Chronicle in 2016. The issue was not whether or not it was right to segregate. The issue was, what is going to be the economic potential of Houston at this time in its history if it doesnt do something like this.

Of course, the struggle wasnt really over. Lawson and other Black leaders turned their attention to the inequalities that remained.

In his quiet, bridge-building manner of activism, Lawson advocated for fair housing, education, jobs, criminal justice reform, voting rights, single-member city council districts and, above all, Blacks penetrating the power structure, elected and silent.

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And political leaders often listened, especially when he brought his Amigos to the meeting.

Bill Lawson has changed Houston, then-Mayor Bill White said in 2008 at a Third Ward reception honoring Lawson on his 80th birthday, Not just by one action, but by his life and what he represents and the example he sets, more than any other person who has ever lived in our city. And despite all the recognition and success, White said, Hes the most humble man.

Lawsons passing comes at a time of bitter divisions in this nation, a time when many churches seem to have surrendered moral leadership, a time when interfaith leaders struggle to maintain dialogue amid cataclysmic world events. We worry: who will rally the hopeful now, who will remind us of our kinship, who demand justice and dignity when todays harried humanity favors expediency?

Lawson and his revered contemporaries set the example. Lawsons legacy in Houston compels todays leaders to follow, to continue the quiet, hard, humble work of caring for our neighbors. And echo, with clear-eyed pragmatism to the challenges ahead, Pauls admonition to the Galatians, to not grow weary in well-doing, for in due course we shall reap if we faint not.
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS.The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the United States Agency for International Development(USAID) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor, to further enhance connectivity between Asia and Europe, via the South Caucasus.

According to a statement from the EBRD press office, the partnership will focus on expanding trade, green energy, investment in new industries, as well as transport and digital infrastructure in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.

Strengthening the Middle Corridor will create new, transformative economic opportunities across the region and provide an alternative transport route to existing commercial corridors.

The MoU seeks to enhance the planning, design and construction of critical energy, transport, digital and agricultural infrastructure in the region. It also aims to: improve the efficiency of customs, tariff and border operations; attract private capital investment into the South Caucasus economies for the development of the Middle Corridor; and adopt the highest international standards to promote economic connectivity with Europe and among South Caucasus countries, the statement reads.

Other cooperation priorities focus on expanding investments in carbon-free energy opportunities and advancing policy and governance reforms to combat corruption and expand engagement with civil society.

The MoU was signed by EBRD Vice President, Banking, Matteo Patrone, and Erin Elizabeth McKee, Assistant Administrator in the Bureau for Europe and Eurasia at USAID, on the margins of the EBRDs Annual Meeting and Business Forum taking place in Armenia.
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. New Caledonia's Pacific neighbours called for de-escalation and a return to dialogue between France and the island territory's political parties, after a third night of violent riots that have killed four people and led to hundreds of arrests, Reuters reports.

France declared astate of emergencyin New Caledonia, giving authorities additional powers to ban gatherings and forbid people from moving around the island.

Rioting broke out over a new bill, adopted by lawmakers in Paris on Tuesday, that will let French residents who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years vote in provincial elections - a move some local leaders fear will dilute the indigenous Kanak vote, the report adds.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters called for all sides to de-escalate a situation that was "of serious concern across the Pacific Islands region".

Vanuatu's prime minister, Charlot Salwai said the indiscriminate destruction of property would affect New Caledonia's economy in a big way and have a cascading effect on the lives of all New Caledonians, including Kanaks.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong called for calm and said Australia supported discussions between all parties.

According to the report, in three municipalities on the French-ruled island, gendarmes faced about 5,000 rioters, including between 3,000 and 4,000 in Noumea. Two hundred people have been arrested, and 64 gendarmes and police injured.

Main and secondary roads in Noumea were blocked by barricades, cars were set on fire.

Three young Kanak have died in the riots, and a 24-year-old police official died of a gunshot wound.

Police reinforcements adding 500 officers to the 1,800 usually present on the island have been sent after rioters torched vehicles and businesses, and looted stores, the report adds.

France has deployed troops to New Caledonia's ports and international airport.
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. The government approved the housing provision program for forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno Karabakh, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan presented the relevant project.

Presenting the project, the minister noted that the project has three components.

"The first option involves getting a certificate to buy an apartment or a house. The second option is getting a certificate to build a house. The third option is receiving support to pay off an existing mortgage loan," Mkrtchyan said.

The amount of certificates varies depending on the number of family members and the location. For instance, families can receive up to 5 million AMD for projects in 242 urban and rural areas, up to 4 million AMD in 148 other areas, and 3 million AMD in remaining areas, excluding specific zones in Yerevan. Additionally, those with existing mortgage loans can receive 2 million AMD, except for properties in certain zones of Yerevan, noted Mkrtchyan.

The minister also presented the main conditions of the program and who can become beneficiaries of the program.

"After September 27, 2020, a family forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh is considered a beneficiary if all family members, including minors, have or have received the citizenship of the Republic of Armenia.

The area of the house to be purchased should not be less than 12 square meters per family member, the price of the house to be purchased cannot exceed 55 million AMD," Mkrtchyan said.
YEREVAN, 16 MAY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 16 May, USD exchange rate up by 0.57 drams to 388.09 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 2.44 drams to 421.93 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.02 drams to 4.27 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 3.28 drams to 491.67 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price up by 76.22 drams to 29415.43 drams. Silver price up by 5.33 drams to 359.54 drams.
Superloop has bolstered its stance with SD-WAN and cloud security services by earning Palo Alto Networks managed security service provider (MSSP) accreditation for its Prisma SASE solution.

To earn the certification, the telco had to develop a service implementation plan (SIP), demonstrating Superloops maturity in sales, pre-sales, service delivery and operations as a trusted MSSP.

It also had to meet certification criteria, which included earning accreditations for SASE Sales Specialists, Professional SASE Prisma Access Remote User Operations, Remote Network User Operations, SD-WAN Support Engineers, SD-WAN Deployment Engineers, Prisma Access Support Engineers and SASE Delivery Assurance.

Daisey Stampfer, group executive for business and wholesale at Superloop, said receiving the MSSP accreditation was a terrific endorsement of the telcos ability to configure and implement integrated SASE solutions.

This milestone demonstrates Superloops commitment to creating new opportunities for Australian enterprises to take charge of their cyber security and adopt best-in-breed solutions. Collaborating with industry-leading partners, like Superloop, ensures our market-leading security solutions are accessible to more Australian businesses, added Janet Docherty, director for channel sales and alliances for Australia and New Zealand (A/NZ) at Palo Alto Networks.

In March, Superloop signed an exclusive six-year contract with Origin Energy to provide wholesale internet services after the latter terminated its while label agreement with Aussie Broadband.
NEW DELHI: Panic ensued aboard a Delhi-Vadodara Air India flight at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport after a crew member discovered a tissue paper with the word bomb written on it in the aircraft's washroom, according to police reports on Thursday.

The incident unfolded on Wednesday evening when the crew member spotted the alarming note just as the aircraft was preparing for takeoff at 7 pm. Swift action was taken as the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the Delhi Police were immediately alerted, leading to the evacuation of passengers from the flight.

Authorities conducted a thorough search of the aircraft but found nothing suspicious. Passengers were subsequently accommodated at a nearby hotel while the situation was addressed.

In response to the incident, Air India released a statement confirming the detection of a specific security alert on Flight AI819 bound for Vadodara before departure. The airline assured that all passengers were safely deboarded, and the aircraft was subjected to mandatory security checks in cooperation with relevant agencies.

Expressing commitment to passenger safety, Air India emphasised its adherence to stringent security protocols and apologized for any inconvenience caused. The affected passengers were later transported to Vadodara via a special flight on Thursday morning.
The Maldives diplomatic confrontation with India and Males crusade with Beijing. New Delhis promotion of the Lakshadweep archipelago, the commissioning of the naval base INS Jatayu to enhance the Indian Navys operational reach, and the rescue of pirate-hijacked vessels in the Red Sea and elsewhere. The inauguration of an airstrip and jetty in the Alagela Islands with Mauritius. Beijings renewed claims to Indian territories and the hostile positioning of border troops coupled with sunshine diplomacy. This years events have again brought the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and the broader Indo-Pacific, which links the Indian and Pacific Oceans and houses three of the worlds largest economies, to the forefront of global affairs.

Males closeness with Beijing comes as no surprise, given the Maldives pro-China President Mohammed Muizzus election victory following an India Out campaign to remove Indian military forces from the islands. While some voices within India might prefer a more muscular Maldives policy, and Twitter wars notwithstanding, New Delhi response to its small neighbours demands demonstrates Indias commitment to a peaceful IOR. Indian troops on aviation platforms stationed on the island have been withdrawn, with the third batch leaving this month. Having invested over $100 million dollars in development assistance for the Maldives, including roads, bridges and airports, India did not call off its $500 million grant -- not loan -- for the Greater Male Connectivity Project. After Bhutan and Nepal, the Maldives is the recipient of the third highest Indian foreign aid allocation. Along with disbursing development aid, the Indian Navys rescue of Sri Lankan and other vessels hijacked by pirates also emphasises Indias overall position as a key maritime security provider in the region.

The bigger challenge, however, remains, considering the mere 2,142 km of maritime boundary separating India and the Maldives. The recent signing of an MoU between Male and Beijing allowing the latter to reclaim land on an atoll close to India has given rise to speculation that China may be building a military base in the Maldives. According to the official explanations, the land will facilitate the construction of an economic zone, but analysts point to the prior role of the concerned Chinese company in militarising other islands. If so, this would be yet another example of Beijings expansionism such as in Ladakh and the South China Sea.

In response to the deployment of 60,000 Chinese troops across the Line of Actual Control, India had to move its own contingent previously deployed on the western borders to the Himalayan frontier.

China has also refused to recognise the British colonial McMahon Line demarcating Tibet and Indias Arunachal Pradesh, and recently reiterated claims over the latter, which it calls Zangnan, and considers as South Tibet, along with renaming 30 more places, including residential areas, mountains, rivers and a lake. Under these circumstances, it is difficult for India to accept Beijings position that territorial disputes are only one component of India-China relations and that bilateral trade should be normalised.

New Delhis engagement in the Indo-Pacific is a part of its larger Act East Policy, which was launched at the Asean-India 2014 summit. It includes creative projects such as Sagarmala, to promote infrastructural and port-led development by threading together a garland of flowers, such as with the Agalega Island on Mauritius and Assumption Island on Seychelles to improve marine and air transportation facilities. This has been necessitated by Beijings string of pearls strategy to build ports along the Maritime Silk Road as an encirclement trap. An investment in the Lakshadweep archipelago and the commissioning of INS Jatayu is also to be seen in this geostrategic context. Another initiative is Mausam. While discussions of Indias soft power tend to commonly focus on Bollywood, Project Mausam develops more creative and expansive links such as historical and archaeological engagements with ancient trade routes, seasonal patterns of the monsoons, and contextual, textual (including religious) and shared cultural heritage and people-to-people exchanges.

In other words, and as I emphasised to a talented group of Indian scholars during my recent lecture on Indias maritime diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific, India has built key connections between the strategic, material, and cultural, rather than only focusing on military cooperation.

Through the diplomatic framework of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR), a primary thrust has been on multilateralism, peaceful resolution of disputes, socio-economic development and environmental sustainability by developing the infrastructure to respond to natural disasters like tsunamis, which assumes importance in maritime contexts with fragile ecosystems and vulnerability to climate change. Successful tourism, too, depends on environmental preservation. Unfortunately, Indias principled efforts are being challenged by Beijings militarism.

One solution for India would be to develop a more formal alliance with the United States. However, great powers can be quite transactional and this will come at a cost for India, including trade concessions as well as Washingtons demands that New Delhi vote on American lines at the UN. This will, in turn, jeopardise the principled policy positions and delicate balance that New Delhi has maintained in its relations with the countries in the Middle East. Speaking of the Israel-Palestine issue, for instance, New Delhi recognises Israels security needs amidst the challenges of cross-border terrorism that India too has faced, and has condemned Hamas attack on civilians. At the same time, it has conscientiously voted for a ceasefire, urged a diplomatic resolution, and sent humanitarian aid, in a war that has taken 35,000 Palestinian lives and whose continuation was enabled by American veto at the UN.

So, unless the Dragons military aggressiveness necessitates a policy change, New Delhis best bet may be to continue strengthening its security base, including via multi-alignment platforms such as Quad, alongside economic growth and cultivating human well-being through education, gender inclusivity and public health initiatives. New Delhi must also foster deeper ties with islands with substantial diasporic Indian populations such as Fiji and Mauritius, alongside blue economy engagements with Seychelles and other island nations through the Indian Ocean Commission and the Indian Ocean Rim Association.

Like other democracies, Indias democracy too is not perfect, but India is surpassing its role as a traditional provider of security to emerge as a force for the collective good. When external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who commands the respect of many across the political spectrum, was asked by a journalist whose side India was on, his bold and principled response was that India was large and strong enough to make independent foreign policy decisions. This is Indias best possible future.
NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate, probing the excise policy case, told the Delhi high court on Tuesday that the Aam Aadmi Party will be named as a co-accused in the case in its next prosecution complaint.

The submission was made by the ED counsel while the high court was hearing former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodias bail petition in the money laundering case pertaining to the excise policy.

The AAP is going to be made a co-accused in the next prosecution complaint (chargesheet) to be filed in the case, the ED's counsel contended before Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma. The high court, which was hearing arguments on Mr Sisodias bail pleas filed in the money laundering and corruption cases lodged by the ED and the CBI, respectively, has reserved its orders.

Another petition by AAP national chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal contending that a political party is not covered under the anti-money laundering law is already pending in the high court.

While upholding Mr Kejriwal's arrest in the case, the high court had recently held that the rigours of Section 70 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, which deals with companies, are attracted in this case. The ED had likened the AAP to a company and Mr Kejriwal to its director.

Last month, it was reported that the ED was likely to file its latest prosecution complaint -- equivalent to a supplementary chargesheet -- against the AAP along with Mr Kejriwal, possibly before May 15, meeting the 60-day deadline since the March 15 arrest of Telangana MLC and co-accused in the case K. Kavitha.

A senior ED official said that naming the AAP as an accused party was an unprecedented move, but the probe agency has taken legal advice to back it.

During the chief ministers remand hearing in a Delhi court in March, the ED had explicitly alleged that the AAP has committed the offence of money laundering through Mr Kejriwal

Earlier, the ED disclosed before the Supreme Court that it is contemplating making the AAP an accused party in the case and invoking Section 70 of the PMLA to probe the aspect of vicarious liability.

In the high court on Tuesday, the ED's lawyer said there are concerted efforts by the accused persons to delay the process of framing charges in the case. The CBI, which adopted the submissions made by the ED, also opposed Mr Sisodia's bail plea in the corruption case and said the delay was totally attributable to the accused persons.

While seeking bail for Mr Sisodia, his counsel submitted that the ED and the CBI are still arresting people in the money laundering and corruption case and there is no question of an early conclusion of the trial. Mr Sisodias lawyer Mohit Mathur said the trial court judge, while dismissing his bail plea, has not shown how the AAP leader has contributed to the delay.

Mr Mathur said: I had filed an application to physically meet my wife. Thereafter, I moved an application to sign a cheque. How does it delay the trial? How have I contributed to the delay in the proceedings? The trial court has said that out of 38 applications, 13 were filed by Mr Sisodia. But the court has not said how my application contributed to the delay.

Post-dismissal of my earlier bail, three accused have gotten some relief from the Supreme Court. Benoy Babu in the ED case. Sanjay Singh, again in the ED case and Mr Kejriwal most recently. There is no threat as far as my running away is concerned. I (Mr Sisodia) have been in custody for 14.5 months, Mr Mathur argued.

Showing the conduct of the accused persons, the ED counsel said 250 pleas have been filed before the trial court, despite there being only 17 arrests. He said the investigation officer needs to be there in the court almost every day. He argued that the offence of money laundering has been held to be as grave an offence as terrorism.

The conspiracy was to see that the AAP makes wrongful gains in the form of bribes and, in the process, ensures additional benefits to the persons who gave bribes. The present accused (Mr Sisodia) was part of the GoM as he was a member of the highest body of the party. He was holding the position of deputy CM and was minister incharge of the excise department, the ED's counsel argued and added that the agency has digital evidences and statements of bribe givers that the accused reached to them. He contended that the bribe money was used by the party in the Goa elections.

Elaborating on the point of delay, the ED counsel referred to one of the accused persons and said that in the last two months, he has only inspected 100 documents and 1,600 out of 1,700 remained to be inspected by him. He said: Where most of the accused persons have said that they have inspected the documents and only digital devices are left, I am showing the concerted effort on the part of other accused persons in not letting the arguments on framing of charges commence The delay will benefit this present accused. I am showing the conduct of the accused persons. They are conducting it in a concerted manner... Accused number 31 is the spokesperson of this party, which will also be made an accused in the next prosecution complaint."
New Delhi: In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court on Tuesday held that lawyers did not come under the purview of the Consumer Protection Act and hence could not be tried for "deficiency in service" before consumer courts.

A bench of Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal said the legal profession is sui generis (of its own kind) and the nature of work was specialised and could not be compared with other professions.

The top court said the very purpose and object of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 as re-enacted in 2019 was to provide protection to consumers from unfair trade practices and unethical business practices. The legislature never intended to include either the professions or the services rendered by professionals within the purview of the Act.

The apex court said: "A service hired or availed of an advocate is a service under 'a contract of personal service', and therefore would fall within the exclusionary part of the definition of 'service' contained in Section 2 (42) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. A complaint alleging 'deficiency in service' against advocates practising the legal profession would not be maintainable under the Consumer Protection Act , 2019."

The top courts judgment came on a plea filed by the bar bodies and other individuals challenging a 2007 verdict of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, which has ruled that advocates and their services came under the purview of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 and that advocates could be sued for deficiency of service.

The apex court said that the object of the Consumer Protection Act was to provide to the consumers timely and effective administration and settlement of their disputes.

The bench said: "If the services provided by all the professionals are also brought within the purview of the Act, there would be a flood of litigations in the commissions/forums established under the Act, particularly because the remedy provided under the Act is inexpensive and summary in nature.

The apex court said, "It cannot be gainsaid that the role of advocates is indispensable in the justice delivery system. An evolution of jurisprudence to keep our Constitution vibrant is possible only with the positive contribution of the advocates. The advocates are expected to be fearless and independent for protecting the rights of citizens, for upholding the Rule of law and also for protecting the independence of (the) judiciary.

"People repose immense faith in the Judiciary, and the Bar being an integral part of the judicial system has been assigned a very crucial role for preserving the independence of the judiciary, and in turn the very democratic set up of the nation. The advocates are perceived to be the intellectuals amongst the elites and social activists amongst the downtrodden," it said.

That is the reason they are expected to act according to the principles of uberrima fides the utmost good faith, integrity, fairness and loyalty  while handling legal proceedings of the client, it added.

The top court said, "The legal profession is different from the other professions also for the reason that what the advocates do, affects not only an individual but the entire administration of justice, which is the foundation of the civilised society. It must be remembered that the legal profession is a solemn and serious profession."

Being a responsible officer of the court and an important adjunct of the administration of justice, an advocate owed his duty not only to his client but also to the court as well as to the opposite side, it said.
Meyerland Performing and Visual Arts Middle School parents and students demonstrate against the resignation notice of Principal Auden Sarabia on Monday, May 13, 2024 in Houston. Sarabia told staff he must either resign by Tuesday or go before the district's Board of Managers. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer

Miles of questionable decisions

Regarding "'Heartbroken': HISD principal departures send families reeling," (May 11): Seeing layoffs throughout the district this week has been disturbing. It's becoming increasingly clear that Mike Miles was sent to Houston ISD not to improve our schools, but to dismantle them. We are facing a huge brain drain as our most talented teachers, and school leaders are being forced to leave the district. It begs the question: Why would anyone choose to stay?

As the parent of an incoming kindergartner, I should be worrying about her making new friends, behaving well in a classroom and learning the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. Instead, I spend my nights worrying that she might not have a qualified, caring teacher to greet her that first day.

If Miles was set on improving outcomes for students, he would build consensus as he made tough decisions. He would keep our former principals of the year instead of asking them to resign. He would want them to help him gain support for his ideas. He would want his changes to outlast his tenure. But no. Miles does not seem to be thinking, "how do I leave a lasting, positive impact on the states largest district when I'm gone?"

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He will leave this district in a pile of rubble, and it will take us years to rebuild what was dismantled. But who will stay to rebuild it? Families with money and power will be long gone. And communities that are already facing massive struggles will be expected to rebuild on their own. Who will be left after his reign of terror is over?

Sarah Miller, Houston

Regarding "HISD parents protest job cuts and forced resignations: 'How do you fire the Principal of the Year?'" (May 13): I am writing in support of the principals, teachers, librarians, custodians and all the support staff at every HISD school in which employees are facing the "resign or be terminated" policies of the autocratic, appointed Superintendent Miles.

Specifically, I am writing in support of principal J. Auden Sarabia, who works at Meyerland Performing and Visual Arts Middle School in southwest Houston. Sarabia knows every student by name. He greets them every morning when they come to school and says goodbye every afternoon. He knows if they have a problem and helps them. He works with his teachers and other staff to teach the students and give them opportunities to succeed. He cares about everyone on the Meyerland PVA campus.

To ask him to resign now is absurd and shortsighted. What HISD needs is strong principals and teachers and librarians. It is obvious that Miles has been sent by Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Education Agency to destroy the public schools of Houston.

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Sandra Walsh, Houston

I am writing to express my deep concern as a parent of a student within the HISD community. Last week, to our shock and dismay  and without any discernible justification  we were informed that Alexis Clark Vale, the esteemed principal of Crockett Elementary, will not be returning to campus. This decision directly contradicts assurances made by the district, causing considerable distress among parents, students and faculty alike.

Under the exceptional leadership of Vale, Crockett Elementary has flourished into a nurturing environment where my kindergartner has thrived. However, the recent announcement that Crockett will be absorbed into Miles' New Education System school network is alarming. It is evident that this shift in leadership is part of a broader agenda, one that jeopardizes the very essence of what makes our school exceptional.

Moreover, the removal of our esteemed librarian, who was rightfully honored as Librarian of the Year, is a disheartening blow to our school community. Additionally, there are growing concerns that the cherished performance arts magnet program, which has garnered statewide recognition for Crockett, may be at risk.

As parents, we refuse to remain silent witnesses to the erosion of our public education system. We demand transparency, accountability and most importantly, a commitment to placing the needs of our children first. The unilateral decisions made by unelected officials, such as Miles and the current board of managers, undermine the principles of democracy and parental involvement.

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I implore your esteemed publication to shed light on these troubling developments and to amplify the voices of concerned parents within our community. It is imperative that our collective concerns are heard and action is taken to preserve the integrity of our public schools.

Haley Robinson, Houston

Is it not the quintessence of asininity to force the resignation of the best in HISD in order to improve the educational process? How does that make sense? I've remained quiet, thinking that there must be a reasonable explanation ... not the wildly ridiculous social media explanations. But this week has left me baffled.

How is HISD going to recover? How is Houston going to survive a plummet in housing prices if no one will attend the public schools and people choose to move to the outlying areas where they have functioning school systems? With so many teachers voluntarily leaving HISD, and now dozens of others fired or forced to resign, where are the good teachers going to be coming from? And now two people who received the Principal of the Year award in 2023 have been fired?

We, as community members and taxpayers, need to have answers from the state as to what the goal truly is. I naively thought it was to fix what was broken in HISD and to improve the education for our children. Is this truly a plot to destroy Houston? Is this a ploy to send parents to private schools so they will vote to support the voucher program?

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Our children lost more than a year during COVID, and now these same kids have suffered through a stressful year with distracted, angry and depressed teachers. Miles and his team turned Teacher Appreciation Week into Hell Week.

I am so sad for the Meyerland Performing and Visual Arts Middle School and all the other schools impacted by this travesty; I'm sad for the parents, the students, the teachers, the administration, for all those who have been invested in their neighborhood schools or their children's school of choice. It seems that all those hundreds and thousands of hours invested have been for naught. I am praying for a brighter future and hope that someone can step in and answer the questions that so many of us have.

Becky Edmondson, Houston

Regarding Houston ISD school board OKs 'reduction in force' for dozens of staff, teaching jobs by 2024-25 year," (May 9): HISD and Miles have celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week in a unique manner. They have used a reduction in force agenda item to cut teachers and other campus-based positions such as librarians. Just when you thought Miles could not get any worse, he did. The hallmarks of a good school district superintendent  being transparent, an effective communicator, professional, visionary, and empathetic with students, parents and school personnel  are lacking in Miles. But of course, being a capable superintendent has never been the top priority for this state-appointed position.

Sadly, the fired professionals who have worked so diligently will have nothing to celebrate as the school bell rings an end to the academic year. We can only imagine Miles telling them, Have a great summer. Youre fired.

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Melissa Daggett, Houston

What the district has proposed is something so many companies tried to do in the '90s and, in spite of evidence to the contrary, continue to do: Cut people to improve performance and keep salaries for those at the top. Cutting does nothing more than reduce costs. It doesn't improve performance and it does not improve participant commitment.

What HISD lacks, and so many companies as well, is a strategy and plan. The district doesn't seem to have stated the true performance goals that these cuts will accomplish nor the milestones to hold them accountable for their success or failure. It just reduces dollars.

When organizations fail, they seem to always blame the participants. In most cases, it's about the leaders. And it seems like this won't be any different. It's about the leaders, the deciders, the superintendent and the school board. Yet they keep trying to blame the teachers and the principals.

Patricia Garris, Spring

Regarding "HISD protests planned Friday and Saturday after job cuts, forced principal resignations," (May 14): The takeover of Houston ISD has been bad for students, families and teachers. My friends children go to a school in which 27 of 38 teachers and the principal are being let go or are leaving. There is no scenario in which this is good for students. If the governor is trying to do great damage to our school district, he is succeeding, but I hope he also realizes the damage he is doing to the people he has taken an oath to serve. I urge the governor to fire Miles immediately and give management of the district back to our elected school board.

Carol Denson, Houston

Follow the money

But then what would we do on Friday nights?

Phil Huffman, Katy

Democratic lawmakers, led by state Rep. Jon Rosenthal, D-Houston, are now calling for a special session to increase public school funding. There was no increase in state funding for public schools in Texas from 2015 to 2019; and after an increase in 2019, our spendthrift governor pledged that there would be no further increase in state funding for public education until the Texas House and Senate passed his voucher measure (now known as the Buckley Bill). This is not because Texans in general are calling for school vouchers, but because Abbott is owned lock, stock, and barrel by Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks, two oil-rich billionaire Christian nationalists. Their ultimate goal is to eliminate public schools in Texas and replace them with their version of "Christian" schools. My quotation marks are because Jesus of Nazareth would not recognize their vision as having anything to do with his teachings or his Way.

You go, Democratic lawmakers! Yes to your special session!

Al Lindsey, Austin

The Republican Party has been trying to dismantle public schools for decades, and now their hard work has come to fruition. I doubt most parents wanted this to happen.
NEW DELHI: Invalidating Newsclick founder and editor Prabir Purakayastha's arrest in a terror case, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered his release. The apex court held that the Delhi police had failed to provide Mr Purakayastha with the grounds of his arrest while taking him into custody.

In its judgement, the top court noted that a copy of the remand application in the "purported exercise of communication" of grounds of arrest in writing was not provided to Mr Purkayastha or his counsel before the passing of the order dated October 4, last year, which "vitiates" his arrest and subsequent remand.

"As a result, the appellant is entitled to a direction for release from custody by applying the ratio of the judgement rendered by this court in the case of Pankaj Bansal, a bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and Sandeep Mehta said, adding, "Accordingly, the arrest of the appellant (Mr Purkayastha) followed by the remand order dated and also the impugned order passed by the Delhi high court are hereby declared to be invalid in the eyes of law and are quashed and set aside."

The bench said a copy of the written grounds of arrest has to be furnished to the arrested person as a "matter of course and without exception at the earliest".

The apex court verdict came in response to Mr Purkayastha's plea challenging the Delhi high court's October 13, last year, order dismissing his petition against arrest and subsequent police remand in the case.

Mr Pukayastha was arrested by the special cell of the Delhi police on October 3 last year in the case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against the news portal over allegations that it received money to spread pro-China propaganda.

In its judgement, the top court said: "Though we would have been persuaded to direct the release of the appellant without requiring him to furnish bonds of security, since the chargesheet has been filed, we feel it appropriate to direct that the appellant shall be released from custody on furnishing bail bonds to the satisfaction of the trial court.

Later in the day, a Delhi court directed Mr Purkayastha to not comment on the merits of the case or tamper with the evidence.

In compliance with the apex court, additional sessions judge Hardeep Kaur imposed certain conditions while issuing the release order for Mr Purkayastha. The ASJ directed the accused to submit a personal bond of '1 lakh and two sureties of like amount in the case lodged under the UAPA.

The judge also directed Mr Purkayastha not to contact any witnesses or approver Amit Chakravarty in the case.

The accused has been directed not to leave the country without the prior permission of the court.

The apex court, however, made it clear that none of its observations should be treated as a comment on the merits of the case. Additional solicitor-general S.V. Raju, appearing for the Delhi police, said since the arrest was declared void, it should not preclude the police from exercising the correct powers of arrest.

"We need not observe anything on that. Whatever you are permitted in law, you are permitted in law," Justice Gavai said.

On October 13, last year, the Delhi high court had dismissed the pleas of Mr Purkayastha and NewsClick's human resources department head (Mr Chakravarty) against their arrest and subsequent police remand.

Mr Chakravarty had earlier withdrawn his petition against his arrest in the case. A Delhi court had in January allowed him to turn an approver in the case.

According to the FIR, the news portal allegedly received a huge amount of funds from China to "disrupt the sovereignty of India" and cause disaffection against the country.

The FIR also alleged that Mr Purkayastha conspired with a group -- People's Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) -- to sabotage the electoral process during the 2019 parliamentary polls.

On April 30, a Delhi court took cognisance of a chargesheet filed against Mr Purkayastha in the case.
NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW: At four back-to-back rallies in Uttar Pradeshs Lalganj, Jaunpur, Bhadohi, and Pratapgarh on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued his unrelenting attack on the Opposition, accusing the SP and the Cong in particular of selling appeasement, lies, parivarvad and corruption.

The Prime Minister said that the ongoing general election is an opportunity for the country to choose a leader who can run a strong government, which makes the world aware of India's strength. He also repeated his claims that the I.N.D.I.A. bloc wants to make five Prime Ministers in five years and that the Opposition alliance will crumble after June 4.

Hitting out at the Samajwadi Party and the Congress for fielding a Trinamul Congress (TMC) candidate in Bhadohi, Modi said that they want to try out the TMC brand of politics in Uttar Pradesh.

There is no chance of the Congress-SP emerging victorious in Bhadohi. They wish to do the TMC-style politics of West Bengal in Uttar Pradesh that is modelled on tushtikaran (appeasement). They want to create a replica of preventing the celebrations of Ram Navami and violence against Hindus and women. They wish to replicate the model of governance where they want to promote political protection for terror, he said.

In Azamgarh, Modi said that earlier people used to think of Azamgarh every time a blast took place anywhere in the country. He asserted that Azamgarh's identity changed a decade ago due to the appeasement politics of the previous SP governments in Uttar Pradesh.

"Terrorists accused of explosions were pardoned. Sleeper cells were given the cover of politics. Due to this attitude, terrorism rose across the country. These people still have the same attitude," Modi said, adding, "The SP and the Congress are two parties but have one shop where they sell appeasement, lies, 'parivarvad' and corruption.

Speaking about Modis guarantee, the Prime Minister said, The CAA is a testimony to Modi's guarantee. Many people have received the certificates under the CAA, belonging to the six minorities who faced the harsh consequences of the partition of India. The I.N.D.I.A. bloc never cared for them as they weren't a part of their votebank and created a web of lies against the CAA. The law will stay and will provide citizenship to all affiliated with India.

Addressing an election rally organised at a college ground in Jaunpur in support of BJP candidates Kripashankar Singh and B.P. Saroj from the Machhlishahr (reserved) seat, Modi said, "This election is an opportunity to choose the Prime Minister of the country. A Prime Minister who runs a strong government that cannot be dominated by the world but that makes the world aware of India's strength. Therefore, when you vote for our Kripashankar Ji from Jaunpur and Saroj Ji from Machhlishahr, your vote forms a strong government. The votes given to them will go directly into Modi's account."

In Pratapgarh, Modi slammed the Congress and the SP for their lackadaisical attitude towards development, mocking their belief that progress happens effortlessly and dismissing hard work. The SP and the Congress say that the countrys development will happen on its own. Whats the need to work hard for it?" he said.

Amid slogans of "Jai Shri Ram" and "Har Har Modi", the Prime Minister said, "Your enthusiasm shows that you have made it difficult for the INDIA bloc to win even a single seat in Uttar Pradesh."

"We got the Ram temple in Ayodhya after a wait of 500 years. The entire country is happy. Every Indian living across the world is happy. But these parivarvadis (dynasts) are hurling abuses. The shehzada (prince) of the SP and his uncle call the Ram temple useless (bekar), he said in apparent reference to a recent statement of SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, who had said that the Ram temple has been built in a useless manner but not as per 'Vaastu'.

Attacking SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Modi said, "The SP's shehzada also makes fun of Kashi. They are crossing every limit to please their votebank. I am surprised that it is the 21st century and they are roaming around with the flag of triple talaq."

Accusing the leaders of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc of advocating reservation on the basis of religion, he said, "They advocate reservation on the basis of religion. They want to take away the right of reservation of the SCs, STs and OBCs by changing the Constitution of the country."

Repeating his assertion of not allowing religion-based reservations, Modi said, "As long as I am alive, they will not be able to take away the reservations of the OBCs, SCs and tribal people. As long as I am alive, I will not let them do this politics."

In Pratapgarh, the Prime Minister said that the I.N.D.I.A. bloc wants to replace the stable NDA government and make five prime ministers in five years.

"Many things will happen after June 4. The I.N.D.I.A. bloc will disintegrate and they will look for a scapegoat after the defeat. The shehzade of Lucknow and Delhi will leave for abroad on summer vacations," said Mr Modi, adding, "They have gone from Amethi and will go even from Rae Bareli."
Mumbai: Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for resolution of the Ram Mandir issue and facilitating is construction. Addressing an election rally in Maharashtras Dhule, where he campaigned for BJP candidate Subhash Bhamre, Mr. Shah alleged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray did not visit the Ayodhya temple because they feared losing Muslim votes.

Rahul Gandhi and Uddhav Thackeray were invited for Ram Mandir inauguration. But they did not come because they were worried about their vote bank. The temple should have been built long ago. But the Congress and Sharad Pawar kept the issue unresolved. PM Modi not only helped resolution of the issue, but he also facilitated its immediate construction, Mr. Shah said.

The BJP leader further said that the Congress allowed Article 370, which provided special status for Jammu and Kashmir, to continue for the same reason  to protect its vote bank.

Accusing Uddhav Thackeray of abandoning Hindutva and his father Balasaheb Thackerays ideology, Mr. Shah challenged him to clear his stand on issues like triple talaq, common civil code and Article 370. He said Uddhav Thackeray will not speak on those issues in order to protect his alliance with the Congress and NCP)Sharadchandra Pawar).

Let Uddhav Thackeray answer my five questions, if he has courage. Rahul Gandhi said abrogation of Article 370 was wrong. Uddhav Thackeray should answer if abrogation of Article 370 was right or wrong. Today Congress leaders are supporting Ajmal Kasab and Uddhav Thackeray is sitting with them. He should clarify whether he supports those Congress leaders, Mr Shah said.

The Union minister also challenged Uddhav Thackeray to clarify his stand on triple talaq and Muslim personal law. Congress leaders regularly insult Veer Savarkar. But Uddhav keeps quiet on it. He must answer if it is accepted to him. Congress and alliance partners insult Sanatan Dharma. Uddhav should clarify if that is also acceptable to him. If he has guts, he should answer my five questions, he said.
New Delhi/Muzaffarpur/Hajipur/Saran: Reminding Bihar of the jungle raj during the earlier RJD rule in the state and a huge legacy of crime and atrocities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday lashed out at the Opposition INDIA bloc, calling its leaders cowards who were scared of Pakistan's nuclear power, in reference to recent statements by INDIA bloc leaders. Mr Modi addressed three back-to-back rallies in Bihar's Hajipur, Muzaffarpur and Saran Lok Sabha constituencies. He also recalled the scars of Naxalism faced by Bihar for decades and claimed that previous governments had fostered and exploited Naxalism against its people.

Mr Modi, who later held a roadshow in his parliamentary seat in UPs Varanasi, from where he will be filing his nomination on Tuesday, also visited the Patna Sahib gurdwara and performed seva there and served langar. The PM was offered a samman patra from the gurdwara committee and a portrait of Mata Gujri, whom the PM hailed as a beacon of courage and sacrifice.

The INDIA bloc seems to have leaders who are scared of Pakistan and have nightmares about its nuclear power If Pakistan does not wear bangles, we will make the country wear these. I knew they did not have foodgrains. Now, I come to know they do not even have an adequate supply of bangles, said the PM, whose remarks came in the backdrop of comments by National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah about Pakistan having atom bombs and not wearing bangles.

But, we must look carefully at the Opposition which seems to be full of cowards and timid people, who give a clean chit to Pakistan on terrorism, raise doubts on surgical strikes their Left allies even want our nuclear arsenal to be dismantled, he said.

Maintaining that the INDIA bloc had worked out a formula, which would allow five of its leaders, if the coalition came to power, to enjoy a year of premiership each, Mr Modi said: Just imagine what type of a mess we would get to see if the bloc's plan to have a different PM, every year, for five years, succeeds. However, they are a motley group that is bound to fail.

He asserted that the ongoing elections were for having a government that will give a further boost to the standing and clout enjoyed by the country.

Asserting that money recovered in raids against politicians belonged to the countrys poor, the PM said: I will tell you why they are crying hoarse against the action of agencies like the ED. During the previous Congress regime, the ED seized only Rs 35 lakhs, which could be contained in a school bag. Ever since we took over, the agency has recovered Rs 2,200 crores, which would require 70 small trucks to be carried.

The Prime Minister said unlike his opponents, who were concerned about promoting their offspring, I have no waaris (successor). The common people are my waaris.

He reiterated the charge that parties like the Congress and the RJD will give away reservations to Muslims to pursue their vote bank politics, but added that as long as I am alive, I will not let this happen.

Kidnapping and extortion flourished during RJD rule in Bihar the NDA fights for social justice, 60 per cent Union ministers from OBC/SC/ST categories, he asserted.

It has been several days since I challenged the Congress-led Opposition to give it in writing that it will not give reservations on religious lines. They are yet to respond, Mr Modi said.

The PM also alleged that the Opposition had plans to impose inheritance tax but Modi would stand like a wall in their way, thwarting attempts to rob people of their wealth.

He accused the Opposition parties of deliberately hurting people's sentiments by making obnoxious statements about the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Targeting RJD leaders Lalu Prasad Yadav and his son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav, mentioning neither by name, Mr Modi referred to the fodder scam, the land for jobs scam and attempts to take credit for work done by our ally (chief minister and JD-U president) Nitish Kumar.

Speaking on a day when the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections were underway, he urged the people to turn out in large numbers and vote for the NDA to enable formation of a strong government.

In his speech, Mr Modi also touched upon his government's track record on development, citing construction of highways at a rapid rate and underscoring commitment to social justice and empowerment, while accusing the Opposition of trying to put hurdles in the way of measures like women's reservations.
Kolkata: A day after the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections, Union home minister Amit Shah asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had achieved absolute majority with 270 seats to come to power at the Centre for third consecutive time.

Four phases of polls, totalling 380 seats, which included 18 in Bengal, were held. I can tell you clearly that Modiji has received absolute majority getting 270 seats out of the 380. What now lies ahead is the battle to surpass the target of 400 seats, he said at campaign rallies at Bongaon in North 24 Parganas and Uluberia in Howrah of West Bengal.

Shah lambasted West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for lying on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and tried to woo the Matuas, a community of Hindu migrants, to apply for citizenship under the Act.

Referring to Union minister Shantanu Thakur, a Matua community member who is seeking his re-election from Bongaon, Shah told the crowd, If you give us 30 seats (in Bengal), Thakur will visit each and every door and ensure the CAA roll-out on behalf of the BJP. I assure the Matua community that Didi is lying when claiming that whoever would apply under the CAA would face problems.

He added, I guarantee that none of you will face any problem. All will get citizenship and can live in the country with honour. No power in the world can stop my migrant brothers of the Hindu, Buddhist, Jain communities from becoming citizens here. This is the promise of Narendra Modi. You don't need to be scared. File your applications and upload them. If there is any problem, go to Thakur. He will help you.

Lashing out at the Trinamul Congress supremo, Shah alleged, Didi gives citizenship to infiltrators illegally after allowing their entry for her vote bank politics but opposes the CAA for the Matuas. She said the CAA won't happen here. How can you stop it? Citizenship is a Union subject. Didi, your time is over. As soon as the BJP gets 30 seats, you term will also end and the BJP under the leadership of Modiji will form government here.

Shah later targeted Congress scion Rahul Gandhi at Uluberia rally in a veiled jibe at his grandmother and former prime minister Indira Gandhi for his vow to repeal the CAA and remarked, Rahul baba, forget yourself, even if your grandmother comes up, the CAA can't be repealed.

Shah further slammed Banerjee for alleging that the BJP had manipulated EVMs. Ms Banerjee now complains about EVM malfunctioning. Didi, these were the same EVMs when you became CM. You were happy then. Now when people have woken up and want to oust you, you are leveling allegations on EVM.

Shah also said: TMC came to power with the Ma, Mati, Manush' slogan which has become Mullah, Madrasa, Mafia now. Imams of masjids get salary but pandits of mandir get nothing. Tazia can be taken out in a procession but Durga and Kali Puja immersions can't happen here.
New Delhi, Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday filed his nomination for the Varanasi parliamentary seat for the third time. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and his proposers, including Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid, who had predicted "subh muhurat" for the Ram Mandir consecration, accompanied Mr Modi to the collectorate when he filed his papers. Later in the day, the Prime Minister addressed a rally in Jharkhand's Giridih, where he resolved to curb Naxalism in his third term and claimed that the abrogation of Article 370 has brought democracy to Jammu & Kashmir.

The BJP-led NDA used Mr Modi's nomination filing in Varanasi as an occasion to show its strength. Senior BJP leaders and Union ministers, along with the leaders of BJP allies including TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, Apna Dal's Anupriya Patel, RLJP's Pashupati Paras, LJP's Chirag Paswan, Nishad Party's Sanjay Nishad, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party's O.P. Rajbhar and chief ministers of the BJP and the NDA-ruled states, joined the Prime Minister at the Varanasi collectorate.

Lalchand Kushwaha and Baijnath Patel, both OBCs, and Sanjay Sonkar, a dalit, along with Ganeshwar Shastri, are the four proposers of Mr Modi. Mr Kushwaha has been associated with the BJP since its earlier avatar -- the Jana Sangh.

Sporting a white kurta-pajama and a blue sadri, Mr Modi reached the district collectorate after a busy morning, which included an aarti on the banks of the Ganga at the Dashashwamedh ghat and prayers at the city's Kaal Bhairav temple. Immediately after filing his papers, the Prime Minister headed for the Rudraksha Convention Centre to address local party leaders and workers.

A local spokesperson of the BJP said Mr Modi, during his interaction, gave the party's office bearers the "mantra of victory" and asked them to make people aware of his government's schemes.

Mr Modi also told them to ensure that every booth records at least 370 more votes than it did in the last general election, in celebration of the abrogation of Article 370.

After filing his nomination, Mr Modi posted on X, "Filed my nomination papers as a candidate for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat. It is an honour to serve the people of this historic seat. With the blessings of the people, there have been remarkable achievements over the last decade. This pace of work will get even faster in the times to come."

"I am honoured by the presence of our valued NDA allies in Kashi today. Our alliance represents a commitment to national progress and fulfilling regional aspirations. We will work together for the progress of India in the years to come," he added.

In a separate post in Hindi, the Prime Minister said, "Heartfelt gratitude to my family members in Kashi... The love and blessings I have received from all of you in the last 10 years have inspired me to work with full determination. With your support and participation, I will continue to work with new energy for the all-round development of this place and the welfare of the people in my third term as well. Jai Baba Vishwanath!"

BJP president J.P. Nadda and Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Hardeep Singh Puri, Anupriya Patel and Ramdas Athawale were among the leaders who flanked Mr Modi as he emerged from the collectorate after filing his papers.

Others who were present when PM Modi filed his nomination included Maharashtra chief inister Eknath Shinde, Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma, NCP leader Praful Patel, RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary, PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss, Tamil Maanila Congress chief G.K. Vasan, BJP leader Devanathan Yadav, BDJS president Thushar Vellappally and Asom Gana Parishad president Atul Bora.

Bihar chief minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar did not attend the event due to health reasons.

Before Mr Modi filed his nomination, the Prime Minister posted in Hindi on X, "My relationship with Kashi is amazing, inseparable and incomparable... All I can say is that it cannot be expressed in words!"

Addressing a public meeting at Jharkhand's Giridih, the Prime Minister said, The Congress forced the nation to Naxalism and destroyed several families, whereas the BJP contained Naxal violence in the country."

Asserting that the tribal region of Jharkhand bore the brunt of Naxalism, Mr Modi promised that during his third term as Prime Minister, he will wipe out Naxalism and terrorism from the face of the country.

Mr Modi attacked the Congress, accusing it of plotting to send "Ram Lala to the tent" again. He said: "Shameful statements are being issued by the Congress leaders over the Ram temple. Their leaders are plotting to send Ram Lala to the tent once again and talk against the Supreme Court judgement."

Alleging that the JMM, the Congress and the INDIA bloc have become the biggest models of corruption, appeasement and dynastic politics, Mr Modi said he has resolved to free India from these vices.

The Prime Minister also said that the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir is one of the biggest steps in the interest of the nation and he is happy that the people there celebrated the festival of democracy on Monday after decades.

The Srinagar constituency witnessed voting on Monday in the first Lok Sabha election in the Valley since the scrapping of Article 370. He said INDIA bloc leaders are "dreaming of digging Modi's grave", but he is well protected with "suraksha kavach" of love and affection from people.

A day earlier, on Monday, the Prime Minister had held a massive roadshow in Varanasi and vowed to do a lot more to serve the holy city in his third term. He spent the night in the city.

Mr Modi posted a clip from the roadshow on X and said, "The love and blessings that my family members of Kashi showered on me during the road show has become an unforgettable moment in my life."

In another post in Hindi, he said, "My day started with paying respects to Maa Ganga in Kashi I prayed to Maa Ganga for happiness, prosperity and health for Kashi residents as well as my family members across the country. Jai Maa Ganga."

Voting in Varanasi will take place in the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha elections on June 1. The Congress has fielded its state unit president Ajay Rai in the seat and the BSP has nominated Athar Jamal Lari.
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena UBT on Wednesday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has to himself come out to the streets as the sign of his defeat. The party said that the 400 paar slogan has failed and the NDA is not going to win a simple majority in the 2024 election.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut denouncing BJP leaders as election mafias and questioned the timing of PM Modis road show in Mumbai. He claimed that the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) have forced the Prime Minister to come on the streets of Mumbai. Due to fear of defeat, the BJP has roped Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold his rally at every nook and corner. We are contesting on six Lok Sabha seats of Mumbai. Since we have determined to win all six seats, Modi has been camping extensively, he said.

Calling Mr. Modi a liar, the Shiv Sena UBT leader said the country does not need such a liar. The entire Mumbai was shut down for Modis road show. He has held 28 election rallies in Maharashtra. But let him hold as many road shows and rallies, Maharashtra will never stand behind him. Wherever he is holding rallies, the BJP and its alliance partners are losing. This is decided by the people. BJP is losing the battle here. PM Modi fears losing the elections that is why he is campaigning everywhere, Mr. Raut said.

Referring to the incident of billboard collapse on Monday that led to deaths of 14 people, the Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson said the PM is holding a road show in the same area. They (BJP leaders) just have to contest the elections and get ahead of the elections at any cost. They are election mafias, he said.

Another Shiv Sena UBT leader Chandrakant Khaire, who is also the partys candidate from Aurangabad (Sambhajinagar) constituency, said it was a tragedy for the BJP that the PM has to campaign for them everywhere. The PM is holding the roadshow because the BJP is losing. In Mumbai, there is a sympathy wave for Uddhav Thackeray and there is curiosity about Maha Vikas Aghadi. It is a foregone conclusion that Shiv Sena UBT and MVA are winning in Maharashtra. PMs roadshows and rallies will not make any difference, he said.
MUMBAI, KALYAN, DINDORI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said Congress-led I.N.D.I.A. bloc plans to divide people on the basis of religion. He said while he was being accused of doing politics of Hindu-Muslim divide, he was only exposing the Congress and I.N.D.I.A. blocs politics of appeasement.

The Prime Minister addressed two rallies in Maharashtras Dindori and Kalyan districts and later in the day held a mega road show in Mumbai ahead of the May 20 Lok Sabha polls in the city.

Speaking at a rally at Kalyan in Thane district, the Prime Minister said the Congress can never speak of development, but it can only create a rift between the Hindus and Muslims.

Development for the Congress is the development of those who vote for them. I expose this ecosystem, and I am blamed for (doing) Hindu-Muslim (politics), he said.

Asserting that the Congress divided the country in the name of religion earlier, the Prime Minister said, If the I.N.D.I. alliance comes to power, they would divide the country on religious lineswe have to keep the country together. He further asked people if it is good to divide Indians and if such people should be allowed to win a single seat in Maharashtra.

Modi also dared the nakli (fake) Shiv Sena of Uddhav Thackeray to make Rahul Gandhi speak five lines in favour of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. The I.N.D.I.A. bloc leaders have asked the shehzade to stop mentioning Savarkar due to the fear of elections. Therefore, he does not mention Savarkar in his speeches, the Prime Minister claimed, referring to Gandhis past criticism of Savarkar.
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday accused the BJP of spreading misinformation regarding food rations in India, asserting that the 'Anna Bhagya' scheme, 10 kg free rice guarantee scheme, successfully implemented in Karnataka, will be extended nationwide under an I.N.D.I.A. bloc government.

In response to claims made by the BJP regarding food rations, the Congress emphasised its commitment to the 'Anna Bhagya' initiative during a press conference. The party's assertion came a day after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced that if the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A.) is voted to power, it will double the quantity of free rations provided by the BJP government to the poor.

In a statement posted on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh accused the Prime Minister and the BJP of misleading the public on food rations in India.

This is the real chronology' of recent events: The National Food Security Act, passed in September 2013 by the Manmohan Singh Government, provided grains for 80 crore Indians (based on 2011 Census). It was opposed in writing by only one CM: the-then CM of Gujarat. As PM, Narendra Modi did nothing to implement the National Food Security Act, 2013, Ramesh claimed.

Ramesh further criticised the rebranding of the National Food Security Act, 2013, as the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) during the Covid-19 pandemic, labelling it as a mere marketing ploy. He argued that the delay in conducting the decadal Census scheduled for 2021 has deprived at least 14 crore Indians of essential benefits, emphasising that the Census is still pending three years after its due date.

Referring to the political context in Karnataka, Ramesh said, After being decisively rejected by the people of Karnataka during the Assembly elections in May 2023, the outgoing PM took his revenge on Kannadigas by sabotaging the Congress's Anna Bhagya 10kg free rice guarantee. But the Congress state government stood up to him and is implementing Anna Bhagya robustly across the state.

At a press conference in Lucknow on Wednesday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge reiterated the party's commitment to extending the 'Anna Bhagya' scheme nationwide under the I.N.D.I.A. Janbandhan government if elected on June 4. Kharge pledged to increase the current allotment of grain under the National Food Security Act/Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.

The Congress's announcement underscores its determination to prioritize food security and welfare measures, positioning itself as a viable alternative to the ruling BJP ahead of the upcoming elections.
NEW DELHI/ SITAMARHI/MADHUBANI: Asserting the need for a strong prime minister over a rotating leadership, Union home minister Amit Shah remarked on Thursday that the I.N.D.I.A. bloc lacks a clear candidate for the prime minister's post, suggesting that the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A. bloc plans to rotate the PM's chair among its members if elected.

Speaking at consecutive election rallies in Sitamarhi and Madhubani Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar in support of NDA candidates, Shah claimed that the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A. bloc was considering rotating the PM's chair among its constituents if they come to power.

"They don't have a prime ministerial candidate. The country has chosen to give Modi ji a third term. But who will be the I.N.D.I.A. bloc's PM candidate? They are not coming to power at any cost... But if they do... Will Mamata Banerjee, M.K. Stalin, or Lalu Prasad become PM? They have decided to rotate the PM's chair among themselves if they form the government," he stated.

"They have decided to rotate the PM's chair among themselves. Leading the country is not akin to managing a grocery store. If a situation like the Covid pandemic arises, can they steer the country? Will they be capable of safeguarding it from terrorists? India requires a strong PM, not one on a yearly basis," Shah asserted.

"When Article 370 was revoked, Rahul Gandhi predicted bloodshed. Five years have passed, and not a single stone has been thrown. Yet, Congress ally Farooq Abdullah attempts fear-mongering by suggesting we cannot reclaim PoK because Pakistan possesses nuclear weapons," Shah remarked in Sitamarhi.

Describing Sitamarhi district, bordering Nepal, as the birthplace of Goddess Sita, Shah declared, "From the birthplace of Goddess Sita, I affirm that Bharat and its 1.4 billion people fear no one."

Asserting India's claim over Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Shah insisted, "PoK belongs to us and will remain so. We will reclaim it at any cost."

"In its third term, the NDA government will ensure complete security along the India-Nepal border," he added.

Emphasizing Bihar's need for development rather than lawlessness, Shah criticized the RJD for aligning with the Congress, which opposed the Mandal Commission's recommendations and delayed the Kakasaheb Kalelkar Commission report of 1955, which examined the conditions of socially and educationally backward classes.

"The Congress ruled the country for 60 years but neglected the welfare of 600 million OBCs. Neither the Congress nor the RJD proposed conferring Bharat Ratna on former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur... It was done by Modi ji alone," he remarked.

Accusing I.N.D.I.A. bloc leaders of involvement in "Rs 12 lakh crore corruption," Shah reiterated the NDA government's commitment to ending corruption.

Claiming that Congress and RJD leaders did not attend the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya despite being invited due to vote bank politics, Shah announced the NDA government's decision to develop 'Punaura Dham Mandir,' a temple in Sitamarhi district, as an international pilgrimage site.

"The NDA government opposes cow slaughter... We will not tolerate it. Those found involved in cow slaughter will face dire consequences during Modi ji's third term," he emphasized.

Supporting the Centre's decision to ban the Popular Front of India, Shah alleged that the PFI aimed to establish an Islamic state.
Chinese police solve over 90,000 economic offenses since 2023

Xinhua) 10:21, May 16, 2024

BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese police investigated and solved approximately 95,000 cases related to economic offenses from 2023 to March this year, the Ministry of Public Security said Wednesday.

According to the ministry, police forces across the country carried out a number of crackdowns on various economic crimes over the past year, including the transfer of illicit funds abroad via offshore companies and underground banks, currency counterfeiting, and tax-related offenses.

To strike economic crimes that affect the interests of a large number of people, Chinese police have launched special operations targeting peer-to-peer lending, illegal fundraising in the elderly care sector, and online pyramid schemes.

The police have also worked with securities regulators to investigate and solve cases involving insider trading and manipulation of the securities and futures markets, according to the ministry.

The police will further coordinate with administrative law enforcement, criminal justice and industry regulation departments as well as financial institutions to raise public awareness of economic crimes, according to an official with the ministry.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Palestinian children wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip are brought to the hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) Adel Hana/Associated Press

Forty-eight hours had passed since I last slept. In the middle of a surgical case in the operating room without power, there was a sudden stream of screams: Mass casualty coming in. Mass casualty coming in. Please come help us.

In April 2024, Id departed for a medical mission to Gaza with FAJR Scientific, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization. The team consisted of 13 physicians including me, Dr. Abdullah Ghali, an orthopedic surgery resident physician training in the Texas Medical Center. We were based at the European Gaza Hospital  one of the last standing health care strongholds on the strip.

The wounded masses poured in. Among them was a 6-year-old boy, without his legs and arms. Medics had dug him out from under the rubble with their bare hands. The boy survived the bombing, though his family did not. He arrived screaming in agony, bleeding profusely, and our team could do little. We had no tourniquets to prevent him from bleeding out, no pain medications and minimal anesthesia to numb the nightmare. But using a rope with a syringe for compression, and despite lacking proper surgical equipment, we performed surgery on this young boy with no limbs, no family, not even a wheelchair to support him.

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I wish I could tell you this was rare in Gaza, but what I witnessed was the devastation of a generation of children. In December 2023, 10 weeks into the relentless Israeli bombardment and military response in Gaza, UNICEF spokesperson James Elder declared the Gaza Strip the most dangerous place in the world to be a child.

My team arrived in Gaza on the day after seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen were killed by three Israeli airstrikes. The fear of no return circulated among our team. Our first night in our assigned safe house, we were notified that our coordinates did not match the deconflicted zone. With no light outside, no transportation and no reliable communication, we remained there until sunrise, hearing strike after strike around us, knowing that we could be killed.

The European Gaza Hospital, our base, was strained to its limits. The 200-bed hospital was serving as a refuge for over 35,000 displaced Gazans. Bathrooms were split between 1,000 and 2,000 people, without proper sanitation or effective infection control. Tents were set up throughout the hospital, lining both sides of every hallway. We lacked basic medical supplies and had no access to lab testing or functional blood banks. My team donated as much blood as was physically possible to make up for this. Access to basic needs including food, water and medicine were so severely limited that, along with acute traumatic injuries, countless families with children flooded the hospital seeking care for infections, dehydration, malnutrition and worsening chronic conditions.

The state of carnage right outside the European Gaza Hospital, as seen by Dr. Abdullah Ghali. Abdullah Ghali

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In writing this op-ed, I am joined by my fellow concerned health care professionals, Dr. Sarah Siddiqui and Shraddha Shah, in Houston, which has the worlds largest medical metroplex. We stand in solidarity to make this plea, as there is need for action both on the ground in Gaza and locally in our communities.

We are making a plea to our health care community to uphold our oath to do no harm, and to uphold the ethical integrity of our professions that promise to serve humanity at large. We cannot afford to stay silent or be complicit during this man-made catastrophe. The worst humanitarian crisis in modern history is unfolding in front of our eyes, a plausible genocide according to the International Court of Justice provisional ruling. We especially owe this to the children who have been killed and injured in disastrous numbers. We must advocate for an immediate and sustained cease-fire and call for the mobilization of a massive and unhindered humanitarian response.

We owe it to the children of Gaza.

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We owe it to our children and grandchildren who will ask us one day:
The eerie silence that pervaded the area around Nayanseina village near the Churachandpur-Bishnupur border in Manipur stood shattered a little past midnight on April 27, 2024, when a bomb exploded in the India Reserve Battalion camp harbouring a company of CRPFs 128 Battalion. Four CRPF personnel were seriously injured, two of whom succumbed to the injuries later. Though Kuki militants were suspected to be the culprits, the security adviser, Kuldeip Singh, a former director-general of the CRPF, wisely chose to refrain from naming any group.

The northeastern state has been roiled by clashes between the Imphal Valley-based Meitei community and the Kuki-Zo tribes, who inhabit the hills largely towards Churachandpur and Kongpokpi for the past one year. After a brief lull for a month, the violence returned when extremists from the two communities exchanged fire in the Tengnoupal-Kakching area on April 12. Two men were injured. While the Kuki-Zo tribals are Christians, the Meiteis are largely Vaishvanite Hindus, with a fair sprinkling of Christians and Muslims among them.

Two Kukis guarding their village were killed and their bodies brutally mutilated in Kamu Saichang village on Imphal East-Kangpokpi border on April 13 by the Arambai Tenggol, a radical outfit that claims to protect the interests of Meiteis with a call to return to their erstwhile religion Sanamahi. The video of brutal killing and dragging of the two slain Kukis went viral, leading to tensions between the two communities.

The withdrawal of 50 companies of the BSF and CRPF from Manipur for deployment in West Bengal added to the consternation of both communities. They blocked the roads to prevent the departure of the Central forces, which speaks volumes for the confidence they repose in these forces. Despite the Assam Rifles playing a significant role in containing the violence, there was a clamour among the Meiteis for the withdrawal of this oldest paramilitary force in the country. According to the Reporters Collective, a report prepared by the Assam Rifles blames Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singhs political authoritarianism for the conflict, though the authorities deny having prepared the report.

With over 5,600 weapons looted from police armouries along with about 6,50,000 rounds of ammunition, of which just about 1,500 weapons and 20,000 rounds have been recovered, the fear looms large that these weapons are being used to attack the Kukis. The arms looted include sophisticated weapons like AK assault rifles, light machine-guns and explosives.

If the weapons are in the possession of militant outfits like the Peoples Liberation Army, Peoples Republic of Kangleipak, United National Liberation Front (now surrendered without weapons) and Arambai Tenggol -- though not declared a militant outfit -- the return of normalcy cannot be expected. Despite appeals to deposit the looted weapons, the response has been poor. Of late, weapon drop boxes have been placed at vantage points with the message that the looted weapons be dropped in these boxes. The response needs to be monitored.

As the Arambai Tenggol enjoys the patronage of the erstwhile maharaja and parliamentarian Leishemba Sanajaoba, and even the incumbent CM, this outfit, with a strength of over 50,000, calls the shots. No one dares to disobey its diktats. On January 24 this year, 37 MLAs and two MPs were directed to take an oath to convey their demands to the Centre. Among its demands are the abrogation of the Suspension of Operation, better known as SoO Agreement, with the Kuki-Zo, border fencing along the Indo-Myanmar border, the Assam Rifles withdrawal from Manipur, the relocation of Myanmar refugees from Manipur to Mizoram and the removal of illegal migrants from the Scheduled Tribes list.

The SoO, that was signed in 2008 by the Kuki National Organisation and United Peoples Front combine, a conglomeration of 24 surrendered Kuki outfits, the Centre and the Manipur government, which was extended on a yearly basis till February 29, 2024 has not been extended further. The state withdrew from the agreement in March last year and failed to send its representative to the meeting convened to extend the agreement this year. The agreement is now in a limbo.

The death toll since the ethnic conflict began on May 3, 2023 has risen to 230, with over 65,000 displaced people languishing in 320 relief camps. Over 1,100 people from both communities have sustained serious injuries in the unabated violence that continues to rock the state.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that because of the timely intervention of the Government of India and efforts made by the Government of Manipur, there has been a marked improvement in the situation in the state, much more still needs to be done. Any claim of normalcy having been restored would fall flat until the Meiteis can freely move to the hills, and the Kuki-Zo tribals confidently venture into the Imphal Valley without fearing any attack by Meiteis.

The denizens of Churachandpur have had to face inconceivable misery since the mayhem of May 3 last year. The district hospital is handicapped for want of an adequate number of specialists and para-medical staff as all Meiteis have chosen to stay safe in Imphal.

Those requiring specialised treatment have to visit Aizawl in Mizoram by the meandering road through the hills, covering a stretch of over 400 km via Thanlon and Parbung. Air travellers must go to Aizawl or Silchar to board a flight, though the nearest airport at Imphal is just 60 km away. The state needs to step in to mitigate the peoples misery by deputing specialists and other staff from Central institutions like the AIIMS.

While the Kuki-Zo have been demanding a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo dominated areas, the Meiteis oppose this. The Union home ministry needs to step in to restore peace in the state by inviting the Kuki MLAs and the representatives of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum, the All-Tribal Students Union Manipur, Kuki Inpi and the Meitei leaders for peace talks, and extracting a promise to abjure violence. The Naga tribal leaders and their MLAs, who surprisingly have remained aloof so far, need to be roped in as intercessors.

The restoration of peace will remain a far cry until the rank and file of the Arambai Tenggol and Manipur Leepun, the two radical outfits, are reined in. That most of the weapons looted last year from state police armouries are still in the hands of the miscreants poses a serious threat. A massive drive to retrieve these weapons through specific and accurate intelligence needs to be carried out.
Perhaps stung by all the criticism of the changes to the current laws, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) is actively seeking input from the directors-general of police across all states and Union Territories on a proposal to modernise and streamline over a dozen pre-Independence laws. This significant move is notably timed alongside the Lok Sabha elections and aims to update antiquated laws such as the Registration of Foreigners Act, Official Secrets Act, and Explosive Substances Act, among others.

In March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed Union government secretaries to prepare reform plans for the initial 100 days of the new government, spurring this effort. According to sources, one major proposal is to merge the Registration of Foreigners Act, Passport Act and Foreigners Act into a single law, provisionally titled the Immigrants and Foreigners Bill. Discussions on this possible consolidation have already taken place with the law ministry.

Updating the Official Secrets Act (OSA) to keep pace with technological advancements is also under consideration. The OSA, which deals with espionage and unauthorised handling of sensitive information, has a draft bill prepared with inputs from key intelligence and defence agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing, and the defence ministry, among others.

Moreover, the MHA aims to combine two Acts concerning explosive substances, currently overseen separately by the MHA and the department for promotion of industry and internal trade. The ministry has also sought feedback on updating laws within state jurisdictions, including a new Police Act, based on the MHAs Model Police Act of 2006, which has already influenced legislation in at least 15 states.

The exit of a go-to babu

It went down to the wire, with babus in a quandary until the last moment, whether to throw a farewell party or quietly bid goodbye to a colleague. Finally, the uncertainty over the completion of the Central deputation tenure of Sunil Kumar, senior joint secretary at the ministry of petroleum and natural gas, ended with the issue of a final relieving order.

Despite efforts by the ministry to prolong his tenure, Mr Kumar was relieved of his duties, and granted earned leave until July. Initially proposed for a two-year extension, the ministrys offer of a shorter extension was rebuffed by the department of personnel and training (DoPT).

Sources have informed DKB that Mr Kumar had quite a fan club in the ministry, thanks to his simplicity and down-to-earth vibe. What made him so special to his peers and colleagues was that he had become the go-to babu for all things upstream, downstream and everything in between. He looked after upstream exploration and production matters, petrochemicals, import and export of crude oil and petroleum products, ethanol blending programme and other biofuels, green hydrogen and renewable energy, etc. Thats a lot to deal with, for any babu. But even the most dedicated and popular babu is not irreplaceable, and so Mr Kumar had to finally exit.

IAS privileges vs medical ethics, Kerala clash under scanner

Tensions are high in Keralas babu circles. A recent incident has shed light on the tricky balance between administrative authority and medical ethics.

The IAS Association has called on chief secretary Dr V. Venu to address the recent doctors protest triggered by Thiruvananthapuram district collector Geromick Georges. The 2015-batch IAS officer caused an uproar when he summoned a doctor from a busy outpatient surgery to treat his nail infection at home.

Sources have informed DKB that the doctor reportedly ended up waiting an hour at the collectors residence before finally treating and clearing the infection before returning to the hospital. The entire situation set off a wave of anger among the doctors, raising serious questions about the abuse of administrative privileges.

The IAS Association, however, defended the collector, citing the civil service rules, which allow doctors to visit civil servants at home for medical exams, with the timing decided by the medical officer and the costs reimbursed. The babus have also slammed the breach of medical ethics in making the collectors health condition public.

On the flipside, the state medical officers association reported that the health secretary had spoken with the collector to ensure this kind of incident doesnt happen again.

But as the controversy builds up, chief secretary Venu has stated that he will review a detailed report submitted by the health secretary before deciding on the matter.
The Indian Ocean-facing Iranian port of Chabahar, the only Iranian port outside the Straits of Hormuz, is back in the news. A 10-year agreement between India and Iran to further develop it, worth $370 million, was signed earlier this week, on May 13.

The basic concept for the joint development of Chabahar was first mooted during the 2003 state visit to India by then Iranian President Muhammad Khatami. There was then close strategic convergence between India and Iran. Both saw Pakistans active political interference in Afghanistan as detrimental to their interests. Consequently, both backed the Northern Alliance led by Ahmad Shah Massoud, who opposed Pakistan-backed Pashtun elements seizing control of much of the country. Thus, the joint development of Chabahar, located strategically on Irans Indian Ocean coast, was a natural corollary to the Indo-Iranian partnership.

With Indias preoccupation with the nuclear deal with the United States, while Iran was being sanctioned after its clandestine nuclear activities were discovered in 2003, Chabahar fell off the main agenda. In fact, Iran resented India, a non-signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, being mollycoddled, while Iran was singled out for harsh treatment for its clandestine nuclear programme. It ignored the distinction between a signatory, that is Iran, breaching the treatys terms, compared to a conscientious objector like India, which rejected it as a discriminatory convention. Eventually in 2015, a bilateral agreement was signed to develop the port. During Prime Minister Narendra Modis Iran visit in 2016, a trilateral agreement was also signed between Afghanistan, Iran and India to establish an International Transport and Transit Corridor. Chabahar was seen as providing a safe route to Afghanistan and the Central Asian nations, bypassing the existing link via Pakistans ports.

In 2018, the Indian company India Ports Global Limited set up a subsidiary to run Shahid Beheshti Port, one of the two terminals at Chabahar. The present agreement is part of the Iranian scheme for its four-phase development, lifting its annual cargo-handling capacity from the existing 2.5 million tonnes to 82 million tonnes. At present, Bandar Abbas, Irans main port on the Gulf, handles 85 per cent of Irans maritime trade. This has caused serious congestion and time delays.

In principle, this sounds logical and achievable. But nothing involving Iran is ever that simple or straightforward. Iran is ranged against Israel and the United States, and is seen as stoking the Gaza hostilities. Iran, for the first time ever, directly launched a massive missile and drone attack on Israel in retaliation for the Israeli bombing of Iranian diplomatic premises in Damascus. Israel also symbolically responded by a calibrated attack on Iranian anti-missile sites near its nuclear facilities. With Israels Rafah operation now underway, despite repeated American objections, the US obviously was unlikely to be pleased by any India-Iranian hand-holding.

Vedant Patel, the deputy spokesman of the US state department, warned that India needs to be aware of potential risk of sanctions. The US has already imposed sanctions on 600 Iranian entities or individuals. So far, India has been able to obtain a US exemption regarding Indian activities in Chabahar, arguing that the port was critical to keep humanitarian assistance flowing to Afghanistan, especially when it came under Taliban control, after the US withdrawal in August 2021. Now, however, the port is being advertised as also a transit corridor running via the Caspian Sea to St. Petersburg. This underscores the Iran-Russia bonhomie and cooperation, both nations seen to be joining the Chinese attempt to reconfigure the global order.

The North-South Corridor via the Caspian is not a new idea. It was seriously in play when this writer was the Indian ambassador to Iran (2003-05). However, it faced a number of hurdles. One was the extremely high Iranian charges for transshipment of containers from the Gulf to the Caspian Sea. That covered unloading at Bandar Abbas port, transportation overland and reloading on ships at the Caspian. Next came the money demanded by the Russian mafia on the arrival of the cargo at Russias Caspian ports. Finally, because of an imbalance of trade, the containers got stuck in Russia as there were not enough products to send back to Asia from the Russian end.

The China factor is also significant in any deal with Iran. The India-Iran deal is being justified as a strategic counter to Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China has invested heavily in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), terminating at Gwadar, which is barely 200 km from Chabahar. China is thus keen to keep a foot in the door at Chabahar, to remain informed about its development and possible challenge to Chinese interests in Pakistan. China had earlier signed a 25-year cooperation agreement with Iran worth $400 billion. It is unclear what if any of that China proposes to invest in Chabahar. In any case, Chinas first priority would be to safeguard its investment in Gwadar as the entrepot for Central Asia. Chabahar having an identical purpose, in addition to feeding the North-South Corridor leading to Russia, creates for China conflicts of interest.

Interest in the North-South Corridor has now revived due to the regional impact of the Gaza conflict. The US-envisioned India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), planned to run from India to Europe via the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Israel, is now defunct in the immediate future due to the Gaza hostilities. The Suez Canal transit route has the Houthi threat disrupting it. Thus, an alternative route via the Caspian and Russia seems plausible. But this ignores the Ukraine war and the Western sanctions against Russia. How can St Petersburg be a practicable European end of the corridor with the hostilities in Ukraine persisting?

Iran shall always be a difficult partner for fashioning a new security and trade paradigm in West Asia. It values strategic independence like India. As a Shia power it vies with Saudi Arabia for the leadership of the Islamic world, with major influence over the Shia crescent of nations running from Iran to the Mediterranean. It is also seen as a prominent member of the Russia-China-led group of nations defying US hegemony.

Until the two wars in Gaza and Ukraine come to an end, Indias Chabahar plans will see incremental growth rather than strategic leaps. Balancing interests in a conflict-laden world shall remain a challenge for Indian diplomacy.
Sources told AsiaNews that two members of the underground Catholic community in Hebei have not been heard from for days, raising serious concern. It is thought that, like in other cases, they have been subjected to restrictive measures by local authorities. The diocese is the same where, a century ago, the Council of Shanghai pushed for the Marian shrine in Donglu. At present, pressure remains very strong on communities that refuse to join the various bodies of Chinas official Church.

Baoding (AsiaNews)  More people have been reported missing in the Diocese of Baoding (Hebei), most likely victims of restrictive measures by the authorities. The province is home to one of Chinas largest underground Catholic communities.

Sources recently spoke to AsiaNews about two cases. One involves Fr Chi Huitian, a priest in Zhao County, who has been missing from home since 17 April.

Born into a devout Catholic family, he was a keen servant of the Lord from childhood who became a priest dedicating himself to serve the parish, said some of his parishioners. We ask our brothers and sisters to pray for him and ask the Lord to fill him with the Holy Spirit to guide and protect him."

A few days later, on 29 April a layman of the community, Prof Chen Hekun, also disappeared, in Zhangjiakou (Hebei).

"His family and friends are looking for him," sources told AsiaNews. We hope those who know where he is can help us. At the same time, we ask you to pray for him, that the Lord may sustain him.

Baodings underground Catholic community is one of the most affected by Chinas crackdown on religious freedom.

In the past, several priests have been subjected to guanzhi, a restriction on movement and activity that can last up to three years, during which they are subjected to political sessions and coercion to join the official Catholic bodies controlled by the Communist Party of China.

Bishop James Su Zhimin of Baoding too was arrested in 1997 in connection with pilgrimages to Donglu, a place linked to an alleged Marian apparition during the Boxer Revolt in 1900 and where a shrine dedicated to Our Lady of China was built at the behest of the Council of Shanghai, the historic meeting of bishops in 1924 whose centenary falls this year.

The prelate, who was born in 1932, reappeared only once after his arrest, in 2003, at a Baoding hospital. Since then, nothing is known about his fate.

The official diocese today is led by Bishop Francis An Shuxin, 77, who was auxiliary bishop of Baoding. He was arrested in 1996 and spent ten years in captivity, but then decided to leave the underground community and join the official Church. This has caused a rift within the community with underground priests and faithful no longer recognising him as their bishop.

It should be noted that the Diocese of Baoding is also where, as AsiaNews reported, local authorities adopted exceptional security measures last Christmas, such as traffic barriers and bus route diversions to avoid the cathedral area, as well as preventing children from attending Christmas Vigil and banning the display of Christmas-themed objects in university dormitories.
by Steve Suwannarat

She was one of the three candidates to succeed Phu Trong at the head of the Party, the most important post. Forced to resign by the 'fiery furnace' anti-corruption campaign, which is intertwined with the manoeuvres ahead of the Congress scheduled for January 2026. Politburo reduced to 12 members from the previous 18 with incumbent Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Security Minister To Lam in the top positions.

Hanoi (AsiaNews/Agencies) - The "fiery furnace" campaign within the Vietnamese Communist Party does not stop, and the week that is drawing to a close has seen perhaps the largest number of personalities excluded from the leadership of the party and the country.

The settling of accounts in the political establishment - which had already seen the resignation of two heads of state and the president of parliament in recent months - also affected Truong Thi Mai on Tuesday, the woman (the first to reach a position of this level) to head the Central Organisational Commission of the Communist Party of Vietnam and a member of the party secretariat.

A personality of great experience and following, who joined the party's Central Committee in 2006 and was elected to its Politburo (the political bureau) in 2016, Mai was one of the three remaining favoured candidates to aspire for the post of general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (the most important position in Hanoi) to replace Nguyen Phu Trong, during the 14th congress scheduled for January 2026.

With the compulsory resignations of Pham Binh Minh, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Vo Van Thuong, and Vuong Dinh Hue - which took place in December 2022 - the shortlist of candidates (who by internal rules must necessarily have served more than two terms in the Politburo) was thus narrowed down to the incumbent Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and To Lam, Minister of Public Security since 2016.

The latter is responsible for the moralising campaign that is gaining momentum with regard to the party founded in 1930 and that led the independence struggle and subsequently steered the country towards significant economic development, while yielding little in the way of dirigisme and authoritarianism that continues to hit any dissent hard.

Many observers are beginning to wonder when the selection for the congress will end, with a Politburo now reduced to 12 members from the previous 18 and with three of the personalities closest to the general secretary having fallen from grace in the last three months.

Among the excellent 'victims' in recent days is Pham Thai Ha, assistant and deputy to the deposed National Assembly Speaker and National Defence Commission member Vuong Dinh Hue, who was also expelled from office and from the party on 2 May for violating its rules.

Ha had been arrested on 21 April for abuse of power and use of his influence for personal gain in connection with the involvement of political figures in the interests of a large construction group. The same fate also befell Duong Van Thai, former party central committee member and influential head of the northern province of Bac Giang.

The Secretariat meeting on 14 May also expelled three other prominent figures from the party: the former vice-chairman of the People's Committee of Vinh Phuc Province, Nguyen Van Khuoc; the former secretary of the Luong Tai District Party Committee, Le Tuan Hong; and the former chairman of the Vietnamese Motherland Front Committee in Gia Lai Province, Ho Van Diem. Other prominent members of the Central Committee, as well as the heads of the Communist Party Committee in Ho Chi Minh City and that of Vinh Phuc Province, ended up under investigation for corruption and malfeasance. Among the personalities whose expulsion has been requested are the current Minister of Labour, Dao Ngoc Dung, and his predecessor.
The Home secretary handed out certificates to 14 people yesterday. Promulgated in 2019 and implemented in March this year, the CAA provides easier access to Indian citizenship for members of religious minorities from Muslim majority countries. Analysts argue that religion is being used by the BJP to rouse its electorate in the ongoing elections.

New Delhi (AsiaNews)  For the first time, India has granted citizenship to people under the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a piece of legislation much discussed and challenged because it discriminates against Muslim refugees.

Although numbering 200 million, Muslims are a minority in India, and have been repeatedly targeted by the current ultranationalist Hindu government.

Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla yesterday handed out the first citizenship certificates to 14 recipients in the capital New Delhi after they applied online at a special portal, a Home Affairs ministry spokesman said.

Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah told the ANI news agency that some 300 people were granted Indian citizenship under the CAA across the country.

The law, approved by the Indian Parliament in 2019, only came into force in March this year because its promulgation sparked violent clashes and protests that left 53 people dead, most of them Muslims.

The CAA grants retroactively Indian citizenship to people from Muslim-majority Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh who belong to religious minorities (Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Christians).

Specifically, migrants who arrived in India before 31 December 2014 due to "religious persecution or fear of religious persecution" in their country of origin can take the fast track to naturalisation, since residency requirements were reduced from 11 to five years.

Human rights groups have pointed out that migrants who belong to a religious majority can also be persecuted, like Afghans fleeing the Taliban.

India has never ratified the Refugee Convention.

After the CAA came into effect, Human Rights Watch said that New Delhi should establish non-discriminatory asylum procedures with a path to citizenship regardless of religion.

The opposition accuses the government of stoking religious fears, while Prime Minister Narendra Modis ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) says that the main opposition party, the Indian National Congress (INC), is pro-Muslim.

Recently, Prime Minister Modi said that if the opposition came to power, it would take Hindu wealth and give it to those who have more children, i.e. Muslims, whom he also described as infiltrators.

Other BJP leaders have accused the INC of seeking to implement Islamic law or eliminating quotas in education and public administration for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Modi is running for a third term. Elections are currently underway across the country, in seven phases until 1 June, with results announced three days later.

According to analysts, by focusing on sectarian divisions, the BJP is trying to rally its Hindu base, after voter turnout in the first phase was not very high.
by Santosh Digal

Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, who chairs the Bishops' Conference, calls on faithful to accompany" the civilian supply mission promoted by the Atin Ito Coalition NGO. About 200 volunteers, 100 fishermen, and five boats evaded Chinas naval blockade reaching the disputed Scarborough Shoal.

Manila (AsiaNews)  The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines has waded into the dispute pitting Manila against Beijing in the South China Sea.

With global trade passing through the sea each year estimated at more than three trillion dollars, the area is a major source of tensions that could escalate.

CBCP President, Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan, recently called on the faithful to pray for the country and for a future of peace in a region where relations between the two sides have progressively worsened.

Let us accompany the civilian supply mission to the West Philippine Sea with our prayers, the archbishop said. Let us pray to the Lord that no untoward incident happens to the fleet of five civilian marine vessels and one hundred small fishing boats that are presently navigating their way through our exclusive economic zone to deliver fuel and food supplies to our fishermen in the vicinity of the Panatag Shoal.

A stubborn civilian presence instead of a joint military show-of-force is indeed a peaceful, nonviolent approach to this conflict. This is also a positive test case of civilian supremacy over the military, which is essential in a true democracy, he explained.

We must reject imperialist bullying and geopolitical warmongering. Yes, to peace and mutual respect for sovereignty among civilized nations! God bless our homeland, the CBCP president added.

Bishop David was referring to a civilian mission near the Scarborough Shoal, also called Panatag Shoal. Civilian boats can help end the Chinese siege without resorting to military force.

Today, Atin Ito Coalition, the NGO behind the expedition, reported that the boats were able to bypass the Chinese naval blockade and arrived near the atolls.

Despite China's massive blockade, we managed to breach their illegal blockade, reaching Bajo de Masinloc to support our fishermen with essential supplies. Mission completed!" said Akbayan Rafaela David, Atin Ito co-convenor and president.

The group that reached the disputed area includes about 200 volunteers and 100 fishermen and five boats.

An advance party left on 14 May, followed the next day by the rest of the boats involved in the civilian operation.

The next day the crew landed about 25 to 30 nautical miles from the Scarborough Shoal area, bringing fuel, food, and other essential goods to Philippine fishermen operating in the area.

David reported that the mission distributed two hundred food packages and a thousand litres of diesel.

Such an operation is not without risks since at least 43 Chinese boats, including two warships, have been deployed at the shoal to hinder the Philippine supply operation.

The supply group also placed 12 symbolic orange buoys bearing the inscription "WPS ATIN ITO!" (The West Philippine Sea Is Ours!).

For years, China and several coastal states have been embroiled in territorial disputes over large swathes of the South China Sea, including the Philippines and Vietnam.

China has not recognised the 2016 ruling by the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which declared its claims legally unfounded and invalid.
by Silvia Torriti

Cranes and excavators are back at work after they were halted in June 2020 following local opposition and academic criticism, social media in China report. Ostensibly, the goal is to modernise rural life by merging a fifth of 70,000 villages, forcing people into new neighbourhoods on the outskirts of medium-sized cities. Anyone who fails to comply can expect violence.

Milan (AsiaNews)  Recent reports suggest that forced demolitions in rural villages have resumed in Shandong, a province in eastern China, after the authorities stopped them in June 2020.

One of the worst cases occurred on 19 March, when demolition teams in riot gear allegedly invaded Xizhifang, a village in Jinan prefecture, sparking local protests.

Calls to the police to intervene were useless, as agents went after protesters, searching their mobile phones, beating them, even forcing some to be under house arrest.

The practice follows a well-known pattern, generating the umpteenth show of dissent against the "village merger campaign, he cun bing ju in Chinese.

Considered the feather in the cap of the rural revitalisation strategy" (xiangcun zhenxing zhanlue), the policy involves destroying entire rural villages and the consequent transfer of residents to modern, larger "communities" (shequ), on the outskirts of medium-sized cities.

These new settlements, consisting of blocks of flats or detached dwellings, are set to include all amenities, like hospitals, schools, hospices, police stations, and waste collection zones.

The purpose of village mergers is to accelerate the natural process of urbanisation, promote the modernisation of rural areas and the local economy, and improve the standard of living of farmers.

To this end, the authorities in Shandong launched an ambitious plan in October 2019 to merge a fifth of the provinces 70,000 traditional villages, to be completed by the end of the following year.

During the implementation, numerous mistakes and excesses were made on the backs of the rural population, courageously exposed by some Chinese researchers and academics.

He Xuefeng, a well-known sociologist at Wuhan University, is one of them. In describing the pain caused by this policy to farmers, he went so far as to call it "the Great Leap Forward of modern times".

In fact, the practice of "village merger" is in many ways reminiscent of Maoist policy, starting with the way it is conducted.

The stories collected by Chinese scholars show serious cases of violence and abuse of power by local officials who, also driven by personal gain, force residents to sign contracts for the demolition of their homes.

Families who refuse to do it are labelled "saboteurs" (dingzihu) and subjected to horrific retaliation, their domestic utilities cut off, their homes vandalised, and their crops damaged.

People who tried to oppose demolitions have even been beaten or arrested, while others have been fired or pressured to quit their job.

Often the demolition notice comes so unexpectedly that families do not even have enough time to remove their belongings, which remain under the rubble of their homes.

Another widespread practice is "first destroy, then build" (xian chai hou jian), whereby rural homes are torn down before new ones are ready, leaving people with few options: turning to friends or family, seeking rental accommodations, or making do with makeshift shelter, like simple straw and mud huts or tents set up on the edge of plots of land.

Although ramshackle, such accommodations are sometimes preferable to the new homes in modern rural communities. Indeed, once they move into their new flats, families must pay for furniture, furnishings, appliances, and pay for various utilities, since local governments in Shandong cannot pay any subsidies even though they were promised.

"I don't like the new house, a farmer from Juancheng (Heze prefecture) said. We have to spend money from the moment we open our eyes in the morning.

Speaking about his old life, he noted that In the village we used to draw water from a well and cook rice with the firewood we collected. Now we have to pay for water even when we flush the toilet, or for electricity when we cook [...]. It's so unusual [...] and then we don't have any money. It's easy to survive in the village without too much money."

Moving away from ones village of origin means having to give up one's work, as the distance no longer allows residents to farm as they once did. For this reason, many are forced to give up their right to cultivated plots, becoming for all intents and purposes "landless peasants" (shidi nongmin).

Such a decision means giving up on ones main source of income. Although people might be compensated for ceding the rights to land, this will not be sufficient to ensure their livelihood for long.

What is more, they are not guaranteed to find employment in the place where they are going to live or in its immediate vicinity.

Economics is not the only factor that make the prospect of moving to new communities unattractive. There are also sentimental reasons that raise concerns among rural residents.

Since most of them are elderly, it is quite difficult for them to leave the house built thanks to the efforts of generations and start their lives elsewhere.

Once they have moved, farmers are forced to integrate into a new social context and rebuild interpersonal relationships.

This process is long and complex, since the residents of the new communities, although coming from neighbouring villages, often are different in economic and cultural, as well as habits and lifestyle.

Lu Dewen, a researcher at Wuhan University, is quite correct when he says: If Covid-19 was a natural disaster [. . .], the fusion of villages is a man-made calamity; [it] weighs menacingly and has no consideration of human feelings. It goes against the mindset of farmers.

Although the authorities initially tried to hide rural unrest, sometimes censoring online pictures and comments, criticism from Chinese scholars have found a vast echo in the media, giving rise to a rare example of "constructive journalism" in the Middle Kingdom.

As a result, the authorities in Shandong have had to admit mistakes and temporary suspend the village merger campaign in June 2020.

But recent rumours in Chinese website suggest that cranes and excavators are back at work in the province's countryside.

Indeed, the policy papers published after 2020 on 'three rural issues' (san nong) - agriculture, rural areas, and farmers  suggest that this policy will continue, provided that the will of those involved is respected. The latest news raises serious doubt that this is really the case.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

The 13th Usaid-sponsored trade forum with the five countries of the region was held in Almaty. Agreements were signed for 10.8 million dollars of credit for companies in strategic sectors, such as IT and green energy, which will provide work for over 8,000 citizens, with particular attention to women, young people, and the most marginalised groups.

Almaty (AsiaNews) - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has organised the 13th Central Asian Business Forum in Almaty these days, under the theme "Trade Integration: Building Bridges Globally".

The US Embassy in Kazakhstan described the initiative as 'a major trade event that helps the development of cooperation, entrepreneurship and economic policy in the region'. In previous years, the Forum has been attended by over 10,000 representatives of state and business structures from 25 countries of Central and South Asia, Europe, and the US, concluding contracts worth over USD 32 million.

The Almaty Forum was dedicated to opening up new internal and external perspectives for the economies of the countries involved, with sessions on digitising the customs system, transport and logistics, respecting local trade agreements, and focusing on World Trade Organisation standards. Usaid Regional Mission Director Luis Rivera noted that the success of the Forum is ensured by the constant presence of politicians, leading entrepreneurs, and experts in the various sectors involved.

Special events have been organised to attract even more stakeholders to the Forum's programme, with a large exhibition of all kinds of items with 40 companies from all five Central Asian countries, in the fields of agriculture, textile and tailoring production and other areas. Added to this was another Pakistani-Kazakhstan exhibition to demonstrate Pakistan's trade potential and possible international agreements involving it.

There was also the regional meeting of the national committees for the simplification of trade procedures between the Central Asian countries, with the participation of the administrative bodies of the countries concerned, responsible for border controls, and also many representatives of the private sector. Route maps were reviewed, taking into account the many border negotiations in these areas, in order to optimise the different relations in these areas.

The meeting followed on from last October's meeting in Samarkand between the ministries in the 5+1 format, with the participation of USAID administrator Samantha Power, when agreements of various kinds were signed, starting with the activation of green energy and the reduction of carbon dioxide derivatives, and moving on to new technologies and increasing their effectiveness.

Another topic was the simplification of trade procedures, with the modernisation of border exchanges, expanding the use of common and automated protocols, while respecting the rules of individual states.

Investment in the private sector will be stimulated, and USAID has agreed to grant USD 10.8 million to start up 100 small, medium and large enterprises. These will primarily be start-ups entrusted to representatives of marginalised social groups and active in crucial sectors, such as IT and green energy, which will employ more than 8,000 citizens of the Central Asian countries, with a focus on women, young people, and the less-valued groups of the population, projecting them into the jobs of the 21st century.

1.5 million will be allocated to a new programme to improve the quality of information on the internet and in the press, to raise awareness of disinformation and the fight against it. All programmes emphasise business transparency in Asian countries, providing all the innovative techniques possessed by American companies, for greater integration between East and West.
Today's news: Violent clashes continue in New Caledonia; US imports from Vietnam grow, supported by Chinese exports; Facebook removes and then republishes posts with news of Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim's meeting with a Hamas leader; A former Indian army officer the UN official killed in Gaza in an alleged Israeli attack; Thailand exchanges foreign dissidents for Thai political activists abroad.

CHINA - RUSSIA

Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin, who arrived in China today for a state visit. "China is ready to always be a trusted neighbour, friend and partner of Russia," Xi, who recently returned from a European tour during which he promised not to sell arms to Russia, said in his opening speech. Trade between China and Russia reached a record 0 billion in 2023, more than double the 8 billion reached in 2020, largely driven by Chinese imports of Russian oil and exports of cars, electronics and industrial equipment.

US - VIETNAM

The US, which has increased tariffs against China, has also significantly increased imports from Vietnam, which relies on Chinese inputs for much of its exports. In other words, the export boom from Vietnam has been fuelled by imports from China. The Southeast Asian country last year recorded a surplus with Washington close to 5 billion, 2.5 times higher than in 2018 and now has the fourth highest trade surplus with the United States, after China, Mexico and the European Union.

NEW CALEDONIA

Protests continue in New Caledonia: so far four people have been killed and armed forces have been deployed in defence of the airports and port. About 200 people have been arrested and 64 gendarmes injured. France, which governs the island, has imposed a state of emergency. The riots broke out over a bill adopted on Tuesday in Paris, which will allow French residents who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years to vote in provincial elections, reducing the weight of the indigenous Kanak vote, according to locals.

MALAYSIA

Meta restored the Malaysian media's Facebook posts regarding the 13 May meeting in Qatar between Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, saying they had been removed in error. The Malaysian government, which supports the Palestinian cause, had protested against the removal of the news. Anwar emphasised that despite his good relations with Hamas political leaders, he has no relationship with the military.

INDIA - GAZA

The Indian government said it was 'deeply saddened' by the killing of one of its army officers in an alleged Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip. Waibhav Anil Kale, 46, had retired as a colonel in the Indian Army in 2022 and was working as a security coordination officer with the UN Department of Safety and Security in the Rafah area. He was on his way to the hospital when his vehicle was attacked.

THAILAND

According to Human Rights Watch, there has been an increase in repression against foreign activists and dissidents in Thailand over the past 10 years. A recent report by the humanitarian organisation states that the Thai authorities have handed over foreign dissidents in exchange for critics of the Thai government living abroad, mainly with China, Bahrain and other Southeast Asian countries. In most cases, arrests and repatriations took place without due process.

ARMENIA

After the march from the border areas to Yerevan, the Armenian opposition movement 'Tavows in the name of the Homeland', led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan of the Tavows eparchy, was formed with the support of the leadership of the Apostolic Church to demand an end to negotiations with Azerbaijan and the resignation of PM Pasinyan.

KAZAKHSTAN

The Kazakh press discusses President Kasym-Zomart Tokaev's resistance to Russian proposals to build a new nuclear power plant in the country, in order to cope with the electricity deficit that is becoming increasingly heavy. According to political scientist Dosym Saltaev, 'Tokaev does not want to be dependent on Moscow, ending up like Lukasenko'.
Interstate Highway 10  also known as I-10 orThe Katy Freeway  is the most famous example of the phenomenon known as induced demand: If you make it easier for people to drive, more people will drive. (Above: Interstate Highway 10 westbound, as seen from Cohn Street Bridge.) Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer

One day in June 2014, Jay Blazek Crossley was sitting at his desk in Houston watching C-SPAN. A native Houstonian and a graduate of the University of Texas at Austins Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, Jay had just taken over as executive director of Houston Tomorrow, a sustainable development nonprofit his dad founded in the 1990s. That day, the U.S. House of Representatives had convened to debate an annual housing and transportation appropriations bill.

For the third year in a row, Rep. John Culberson, a Republican from Houston, had inserted an amendment barring federal money from being spent on a light-rail line that had been proposed in an affluent Houston neighborhood. It was wasteful government spending, he said. His constituents didnt want it. Another Houston representative, Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble, moved to strike Culbersons amendment from the bill. Houston voters had approved a transit referendum in 2003, Poe said. The people of Houston had made it clear they wanted more bus and rail infrastructure, and it would set a dangerous precedent for the federal government to overrule local voters.

Its a throwback to Houston when our only transportation plan was to build highways as far as the eye can see and block any attempt to do anything else, Poe said. We can only build so many roads. We can only build so many concrete monstrosities like the I-10 West corridor.

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Culberson sprang to the lectern in rebuttal. Im very disappointed and disheartened that my friend Mr. Poe would stand up and offer this amendment and call the Katy Freeway a concrete monstrosity, he said. The Katy Freeway is my pride and joy. I got it built in five years and three months. It went from eight lanes to twenty-two lanes. That freeway is moving more cars in less time at more savings to taxpayers than any other transportation project in the history of Houston.

Crossley scoffed  a highway was Culbersons pride and joy? And then he wondered: Were cars moving faster than they had been before the highway was expanded? He looked at Houstons travel time data, comparing how long it took to drive on Interstate 10 during rush hour from downtown Houston to the far-flung suburb of Katy. In 2005, the 30-mile trip took 52 minutes at rush hour. In 2014  only six years after the state had spent $2.8 billion to widen the highway  during rush hour that same trip took 70 minutes, an increase of 33%. The highway was wider, but traffic was worse.

The Katy Freeway soon became the most famous example of the phenomenon known as induced demand: If you make it easier for people to drive, more people will drive.

Thats precisely what happened in Houston. The greater Katy area boomed, in part because of the ease of access provided by the wider highway. People moved into new housing subdivisions that sprouted alongside I-10 (and, later, the Grand Parkway). Many of those people commuted back to Houston to work or study  increasing demand on the once free-flowing highway.

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Houston is not an outlier. Between 1993 and 2017, the hundred largest urbanized areas in the United States spent more than $500 billion adding new freeways or expanding existing ones, according to a report by the nonprofit Transportation for America. In those same cities, congestion increased by 144%, significantly outpacing population growth.

And yet, the Texas Department of Transportation continues to insist it can fix traffic congestion by expanding highways. Since 2015, the Texas Transportation Commission, which oversees TxDOT, has allocated more than $65 billion to expand highways that run through our states cities. Nearly $10 billion will go to the North Houston Highway Improvement Project, the massive project to add lanes to I-45 and rebuild and reroute Houstons downtown loop.

This time, TxDOT promises, it will be different.

Between 1993 and 2017, the hundred largest urban areas in the U.S. spent more than $500 billion adding new freeways or expanding existing ones. In those same places, congestion increased by 144%, significantly outpacing population growth. (Above: I-10 as seen from Washington Avenue.) Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer

When I began reporting my book, City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Future of Americas Highways, I had one question. If widening urban highways doesnt fix traffic  if adding lanes will in fact almost certainly increase congestion, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, not to mention displace thousands of families from their homes and uproot local businesses  why were we spending billions of dollars to widen urban highways? Why didnt we spend that money on buses and trains instead?

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There are many ways to answer this question, including by telling a story of political corruption, the deep pockets of highway contractors and oil companies shaping our states politics. But here is perhaps the most essential: For nearly a century, Americans have been sold the idea that automobiles create freedom and prosperity. The more we drive  the faster we can get where we are going  the more prosperous we will all be.

As a result, planners and elected officials often treat vehicle miles traveled, the basic measure of how much we all drive, as a proxy for economic vitality, writes Kevin DeGood, the director of infrastructure at the Center for American Progress, a nonpartisan think tank.

For decades, vehicle miles traveled and gross domestic product appeared to rise and fall in direct correlation. But in the mid-1990s, VMT flattened while GDP continued to climb. Since then, multiple studies, including one by the Federal Highway Administration, have shown that ease of driving and economic growth are not correlated.

For the majority of Americans, driving is incidental to economic production and consumption; biking, walking, or taking transit would result in the same levels of productivity and consumer expenditure, DeGood writes.

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Transportation has not always been so politically polarized, with liberals lining up behind buses and trains, conservatives rallying for roads.

In 1972, four decades before Culberson introduced his amendment barring federal money from being spent on a single transit project, Congress considered an amendment that would have allowed cities to use federal money from the Highway Trust Fund to build and expand transit systems.

John B. Anderson, a representative from Illinois, and the chairman of the House Republican Committee, testified on the floor of the House in support of the amendment. When the interstate highway program began in 1956, he said, energy supplies were abundant, urban air pollution had not yet reached really serious levels  and few of us were far-sighted enough to see that merely expanding the mileage of modern urban freeways would be a treadmill-like proposition due to the increased traffic that we now know such routes inevitably generate. Yet, if we could not know these things then, we are aware of them now.

A year later, the 1973 Federal-Aid Highway Act diverted $800 million of gas tax revenue to transit programs. At the signing ceremony, President Richard Nixon said, The law will enable (cities) to relieve congestion and pollution problems by developing a more balanced transportation system where that is appropriate rather than locking them into new highway expenditures, which can sometimes make such problems even worse. (Emphasis mine.)

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Nixon understood induced demand. When will TxDOT?
16 May 2024 22:00 (UTC+04:00)

Fatima Latifova Read more

Protests have been going on in Kanak (New Caledonia) for a long time. Additionally, natives of the island are fighting for independence in the last French colonies of Maohi Nui (French Polynesia), French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Corsica.

Even French President Emmanuel Macron held a meeting of the Security Council in this regard. It seems that the colonial state is facing harsh realities brought by the new century.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin blamed Azerbaijan for the events in New Caledonia. He said that Baku "interfered" in the unrest in New Caledonia. Darmanin claimed that supporters of independence allegedly made some "deal" with Azerbaijan.

As for the baseless accusations of official Paris against Azerbaijan, this has already become a tradition in France. It should be remembered that when Azerbaijani lands were occupied by Armenians for 30 years, mines were buried in these areas, and nearly 1 million Azerbaijanis became refugees, the French government accused Azerbaijan of aggression instead of Armenia, and tried to conduct a biased policy in addition to interfering in the internal affairs of the South Caucasus region. Also, the French media was trying to portray Azerbaijan as an aggressor by spreading pro-Armenian disinformation.

Even after Azerbaijan liberated Garabagh from Armenian occupation in 2020 after the 44-day Patriotic War, France's position did not change. Paris accused Baku of carrying out an ethnic cleansing policy against Armenians.

However, if we look at history, we can see that France has been known for centuries for its trade in slavery and colonial policy. It is no secret that France, especially in African countries, carried out ethnic cleansing for many years, spilled human blood, and looted natural resources. Now, when the local people want to regain their freedom, France blames other countries, especially supporters of freedom like Azerbaijan.

For many years, France has been replenishing the colonialists in order to reduce the number of native Kanaks in these areas and has pursued a policy of suppressing the local population. Today's protests in New Caledonia are part of an independence movement that is more than 50 years old. These protests are directed against the colonial policy of France. But, as usual, Paris blames Azerbaijan.

It is no secret that Azerbaijan has always been one of the biggest supporters of these nations in the fight against neocolonialism. That is why, during the protest actions that took place in March, the participants of the protests carried Azerbaijan's flag in the front row and pinned it to the tribune to express their gratitude. Some participants even had Azerbaijan and Kanak flags on their shirts.

However, baseless accusations that the protests were initiated or even planned by the Azerbaijani government make France's discredited policy even cheaper. It is worth noting that the reason for the protests is that the French Senate and the National Assembly started making illegal constitutional changes in New Caledonia.

Thus, the parliament has approved a draft law providing the right to participate in regional elections to those who have lived there for more than 10 years.

The proposed changes aim to enlarge the electorate at the expense of non-Kanaks in a purposeful manner. This has rightly caused people's dissatisfaction, including the protests and demonstrations.

Unfortunately, in New Caledonia, over proposed constitutional amendments, French security forces have been mobilised and a curfew imposed after a general strike and protests in the capital city of Noumea and surrounding settlements. The police resorted to serious violence against the local population. Footage shared in the media confirms the brutal policy of France against the local population. According to the latest information, 82 protesters were arrested.

Without a doubt, the current government in Paris continues to discredit the country. At the moment, France is trying to prevent the independence protests in New Caledonia by accusing Azerbaijan.

Official Paris still does not understand that interfering in the internal affairs of individual countries and creating panic and conflict that will undermine the sovereignty of those countries, on the contrary, lowers the reputation of the French authorities. Because what is happening today in New Caledonia and the Kanak people's anti-French slogans are just a sign of failure in French policy.

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16 May 2024 19:33 (UTC+04:00)

Elnur Enveroglu Read more

Warm relations between Azerbaijan and Belarus, two post-Soviet countries, span more than three decades. Belarus has always closely supported the country, both in the political and economic arena, since the time when Azerbaijan regained its independence for the second time.

Belarus defended Azerbaijan in the war of rights during the Second Garabagh War, and most importantly, the country never officially recognised the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh.

Belarus-Azerbaijan relations can be considered quite dynamic through the prospects of economic relations as well. Thus, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Belarus last year amounted to 48 million US dollars, of which USD 43.4 mln went to Belarus and USD 4.9 mln went to Azerbaijan's exports to Belarus. It should be noted that the trade volume between Azerbaijan and Belarus increased from 100 mln US dollars to 146 million dollars in 2008-2010.

Today, the state visit of the President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, to Azerbaijan is aimed at the development of cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

In accordance with official protocol rules, an official welcome ceremony was held for Aleksandr Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Belarus, who arrived in the Republic of Azerbaijan for a state visit.

In addition, official documents on cooperation in various fields were signed between the parties along with the ministers observing them.

A number of memoranda signed between the ministers of customs, economy, MFA, and the heads of the executive committees were each a step that further strengthened the close cooperation between the two countries.

During the meeting, in one-on-one and expanded formats, meetings were held between the heads of both countries. In addition, President Ilham Aliyev and President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, made a statement to the press.

During the meeting between the presidents, President Ilham Aliyev expressed his satisfaction with the initiative to strengthen cooperation between the two states to his Belarusian counterpart and emphasised that this meeting was extremely effective.

'We have had a very detailed conversation on many issues of the bilateral agenda, as well as regional and international matters. We have once again confirmed the strategic nature of our relations. We highly value the trusting and creative partnership between our countries, which is based on mutual respect, friendship, and cooperation," President Ilham Aliyev said.

President Ilham Aliyev also talked about the meetings between the ministers of the two countries and said that this meeting contributed a lot to mutual understanding prior to the signing of the memoranda.

"Members of our delegations had the opportunity to communicate yesterday, and as far as I know the contacts were also very effective and positive. There are a lot of topics that need to be addressed. Looking at the prospects of our interaction, we are observing huge potential, an increase in trade turnover, and continued expansion of industrial cooperation, and collaboration in agriculture.

In turn, the President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, told his counterpart that he highly values comprehensive relations with Azerbaijan and that Belarus should contribute to the ongoing construction works in Garabagh in the future.

"Now it is necessary to revive these lands. It takes time, it takes a lot of effort. It is difficult to do it all in five, perhaps even in 10 years.

Therefore, Ilham Heydarovich, if we can help with anything, if we can help by contributing to this. We have certain technologies, and your specialists and ministers know these technologies well. If they are suitable, if our equipment can be present and work here, I asked Ilham Heydarovich during the one-on-one talks whether it is possible to give some room to Belarus. Ilham Heydarovich has supported this approach. I want our ministers to hear this as well," the Belarusian President said.

At the same time, during the conversation at the meeting in the expanded format, President Ilham Aliyev highly valued the work of Belarusian companies in Garabagh and noted that Azerbaijan envisions cooperation with Belarus in a more diverse and broad format.

"Of course, we would be glad if Belarusian companies and enterprises participated in the restoration of liberated territories. Members of our delegations have also held discussions on this topic. The composition of delegations also speaks volumes. It speaks a lot about the issues that are on the agenda. But, of course, they are not limited to the issues members of the delegations are responsible for. So our cooperation is quite multidimensional, with a good history and a good future," the president added.

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16 May 2024 08:30 (UTC+04:00)

Nazrin Abdul Read more

The Republic of Italy holds a significant position in Azerbaijan's foreign policy, marked by mutually beneficial relations steeped in a tradition of friendship and cooperation. These ties, characterized by a partnership founded on mutual respect for each other's interests, occupy a pivotal space within Azerbaijan's international engagements.

Italy stands as Azerbaijan's foremost political, economic, and trade partner within the European Union. Moreover, beyond bilateral ties, Italy plays a crucial role in multilateral cooperation endeavors.

Economic and trade cooperation stands as a cornerstone of the strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Italy. In the context of Azerbaijan-Italy relations, an event on "Azerbaijan and Italy - for better food production" was held in Baku this week, jointly organized by the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) and the Export and Investment Promotion Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (AZPROMO) in order to promote exports and attract foreign investments.

Twelve Italian companies operating in the agriculture and food industry sector, along with approximately 100 Azerbaijani businessmen, are participating in the event, alongside representatives from relevant state institutions, local authorities, and international financial institutions.

The event serves as a platform for exchanging views on diversifying Azerbaijan's economy, enhancing production in the agricultural and industrial sectors to meet international standards, optimizing opportunities in these fields, and facilitating experience sharing. Additionally, the event includes B2B meetings between entrepreneurs.

Addressing the gathering, Tural Hajili, Deputy Executive Director of AZPROMO, highlighted the favorable conditions in Azerbaijan's liberated territories for Italian companies to establish production facilities, fostering a conducive business environment.

He emphasized that today's meeting will lay the groundwork for further expansion of relations in the future.

Addressing the event, Ricardo Cursi, the head of the delegation from the Italian embassy in Baku, highlighted the common values shared by Azerbaijan and Italy, emphasizing the ongoing development of bilateral cooperation across all sectors.

"Today, we are forging new collaborative ties with Italian companies, opening up fresh opportunities through B2B meetings. Italy has a rich tradition in agriculture, and Azerbaijan's diverse climate zones offer tremendous potential. Agriculture plays a significant role in providing employment for Azerbaijan's population. Therefore, investments in agriculture should be substantial and sustainable to enhance productivity, while also considering environmental factors. This is particularly pertinent for Azerbaijan as it hosts COP29," remarked R. Cursi.

It should be noted that a delegation of Italian companies visiting Azerbaijan with the joint support of the Italian Federation of Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers (FederUNACOMA) and the Italian Federation of Machine-Building and Engineering Industries Associations (ANIMA) will visit agricultural industrial regions as part of the visit, as well as the 17 They will visit the Azerbaijan International Agricultural Exhibition ("CaspianAgro 2024") and the 29th Azerbaijan International Food Industry Exhibition ("InterFood Azerbaijan 2024").

Over 100 Italian companies operate across various sectors in Azerbaijan, with a notable presence in industries, construction, trade, agriculture, communication, and services. Furthermore, Italy's involvement in reconstruction and restoration efforts in Azerbaijan's liberated territories underscores the depth of cooperation between the two nations.

In December 2020, a supply agreement was signed between Azerenergy OJSC and the Italian company Ansaldo Energia for mutual cooperation. According to the contract, Ansaldo Energia is responsible for supplying equipment for four 110 kV substations built in the districts of Aghdam, Fuzuli, Kalbajar, and Gubadli.

Energy collaboration is notably robust, with Azerbaijan leading Italy's oil supply and ranking third in gas supply. Projects like the Southern Gas Corridor and the Trans-Adriatic Gas Pipeline (TAP) significantly bolster bilateral energy cooperation and Italy's energy security.

Italy ranks as Azerbaijan's primary trading and export partner, with trade turnover exceeding $11 billion by the 8th month of 2022. Azerbaijan constitutes over 90 percent of Italy's trade in the South Caucasus region.

It should be remembered that during a state visit on February 19-21, 2020, a total of 28 documents were signed, covering various domains including politics, defense, trade, energy, technology, transportation, infrastructure, culture, science, tourism, sports, and food safety.

Notably, the "Joint Declaration on Strengthening the Multidimensional Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Italy," directly signed by President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, underscores the political significance of this relationship.

It should be noted that the inaugural meeting of the Strategic Dialogue between Azerbaijan and Italy, held on April 2, 2022, during the visit of Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Luigi Di Maio to Baku, marked the establishment of a new institutional mechanism aimed at fortifying the multidimensional strategic relations between the two nations.

The trajectory of Azerbaijan-Italy relations indicates a consistent upward trend across all sectors. From strategic partnerships to collaborative ventures, the relationship continues to strengthen, reflecting a shared commitment to mutual growth and prosperity.

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16 May 2024 12:26 (UTC+04:00)

Ulviyya Shahin Read more

On May 15, the "Azermemarlayiha" Senior State Design Institute under the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the "Order of the Red Banner of Labour "Institute Belgosproekt OJSC signed a Memorandum "On Cooperation and Interaction," Azernews informs.

The document was signed by the director of "Azermemarlayiha" SSDI J. Mammadrzayev and the chief architect of "Institute Belgosproekt OJSC V. Skrobot.

The Memorandum envisages the establishment of a partnership aimed at designing facilities and the development of long-term beneficial cooperation between the parties.

According to the document, the parties agreed to develop concept and sketch projects for objects of various purposes, design objects in the territory of both countries, promote business and social projects in the field of architecture and urban planning, exchange experience in the application of BIM technologies, and conduct training for the purpose of training specialists, etc. agreed on directions.

This is the second memorandum signed between Azerbaijan and Belarus in the field of urban planning.

The purpose of signing the document is to further expand mutual cooperation by contributing to the development of urban planning and architecture in both countries.

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16 May 2024 18:15 (UTC+04:00)

The international conference, hosted by Azercell, brought together international industry leaders in Baku

The second iteration of the GSMA M360 Eurasia series in Azerbaijan commenced today. Similar to last year, the event is held with the support of the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan and host sponsorship of Azercell Telecom LLC, bringing together executives from leading mobile and vertical sectors, as well as regulatory figures across the region in Baku.

The opening of the conference took place with the participation of the Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan Samir Mamedov, Regional Director of the International Telecommunication Union for the CIS Natalia Mochu, General Director of the Regional Commonwealth of Communications Alexey Borodin, CRO of GSMA and President of the Mobile for Development Foundation John Giusti and other high-level stakeholders. This years edition is centered around the theme of The Power of Digital.

The first day of the event was focused on the latest digital trends, featuring discussions on the impact of AI across various sectors, policies for the connectivity ecosystem, and more.

Executive Advisor to the CEO of Azercell, Okan Chimen, addressed the session on Digital DNA, highlighting the importance of preparing future generations for the evolving labor market: The topic holds immense relevance for all market players. The emergence of new technologies and rapid industrial advancements presents both opportunities and challenges for telecom companies. To maintain a leading position in this landscape, we must apply cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions, which is possible only through a strong human capital base. Consequently, we prioritize the continual development of our employees. In 2023 alone, Azercell allocated US$1.3 million towards human capital development, underscoring our commitment to nurturing talent. I believe that the innovative ideas and successful experience presented at the conference will further enhance the efficiency of efforts in this realm within the country.

It is worth mentioning that this years conference features speakers from the top management of international companies such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon Web Services, Word Bank, e& International, Beeline, Vodafone Group, Turkcell, East Telecom, and others. The second day of the two-day conference will cover topics such as ESG, green technologies, next-generation networks, cybersecurity, etc.

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Jeremy Wallace has covered politics and campaigns for more than 20 years. Before joining the Hearst Texas newspapers in 2017 he covered government and politics for the Tampa Bay Times, The Miami Herald and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Previously he covered Congress for the Boston Globe and Detroit Free-Press. Originally from San Antonio, he attended the University of North Texas and earned his bachelors degree from the University of Missouri.

Jeremy also authors the Texas Take with Jeremy Wallace newsletter, where he shares insights from inside the Capitol along with the occasional Willie Nelson reference. You can sign up here.

You can follow him on Twitter, @JeremySWallace, or email him at Jeremy.wallace@chron.com.
16 May 2024 14:55 (UTC+04:00)

Nazrin Abdul Read more

The "Climate and Water Summit Towards COP29" takes place at ADA University in Baku on May 16, Azernews reports.

The Institute of Development and Diplomacy, in collaboration with the UN Azerbaijan delegation, the Sustainable Future Commission, Bogazici University, and TUBITAK, hosted a Climate and Water Summit. The event brought together representatives from government, academic institutions, international organizations, and the private sector to discuss global climate and water issues and explore potential solutions.

Experts from the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, FAO, and the UN Resident Coordinator's office in Azerbaijan provided insights into the current state of water resources and offered forecasts for the near future.

At the ceremony, attended by esteemed guests including Fariz Ismayilzade, ADA University's vice-rector for State, foreign, and student affairs, Dogan Basaran, Chairman of the "Sustainable Future Commission," Aynur Seyidyusif, an expert from "Food Control System Assessment Tool" FAO, Mirmovsum Dadashov, director of the Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency, Orkhan Mikayil, the executive director of "Aqualink" company and Azerbaijani chairman of the "Sustainable Future Commission", Azerbaijan Milli Majlis deputies Jeyhun Mammadov and Jale Elekberova, drawing participation from, academic institutions, international organisations, and private sector experts.

Welcoming the attendees, Fariz Ismayilzade, ADA University's vice-rector for State, highlighted the need for heightened academic and scientific discussions at the upcoming COP29 event in Azerbaijan.

During a recent conversation with COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev, we explored the notion of enhancing academic and scientific discourse at the upcoming summit in Baku. Unlike previous ones, this year's event is anticipated to prominently feature scientists, with dedicated platforms designed for their active involvement in discussions regarding contemporary developments. Their insights will facilitate the provision of recommendations to policymakers, informed by the deliberations, he stated.

Highlighting ADA University's contribution to academic discourse, Ismayilzadeh revealed that ten conferences have been hosted this year alone, including a significant event in April attended by President Ilham Aliyev.

"We have already organized 10 conferences of different scales starting from this year. The largest of these conferences was held in April with the participation of Mr. President. At that conference, Mr. President discussed climate changes, the COP summit and other topics with foreign experts for four hours. We will continue such events this year among scientists, researchers, and politicians."

Dogan Basaran, Chairman of the "Sustainable Future Commission," underscored the historic significance of Azerbaijan hosting COP for the first time in a Turkic state, advocating for global collaboration to combat climate change.

Head of the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan Kanako Mabuchi said that greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 43 percent until 2030 compared to 2019.

The next few years will largely determine whether we can limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees and stay within this limit, she emphasized.

The UN representative mentioned that gas emissions should already peak by 2025.

The UAE Consensus, which was adopted at COP28 in Dubai, calls on all countries to divest from fossil fuels to achieve net zero and calls on them to introduce nationally targeted contributions for the entire economy, added Mabuchi.

Aynur Seyidyusif, an expert from FAO, warned of potential conflicts arising from water scarcity, urging international cooperation for sustainable water resource management.

She highlighted the adverse effects of water scarcity on domestic consumption, agriculture, and industry.

"In the face of climate change, water scarcity has sparked debates. To prevent water supply reductions, immediate action is needed." emphasized the expert.

She mentioned that efforts in this domain are underway domestically and internationally, involving diplomatic and technical dialogues on water management between nations.

"These endeavors will be pivotal in conserving and augmenting water reserves. Considering agriculture stands as one of the most significant water consumers globally, FAO's endeavors reflect a commitment to utilizing water more sustainably by integrating new technologies and innovations," Seyidyusif noted.

Mirmovsum Dadashov, director of the Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency, outlined plans to mitigate the impact of climate change on water resources through innovative technologies and adaptation measures.

Azerbaijani MP Jeyhun Mammadov called for intensified efforts to combat climate change, highlighting Azerbaijan's proactive measures towards water security and environmental sustainability.

As preparations for COP29 continue, Azerbaijan's commitment to addressing climate change and safeguarding its water resources remains steadfast, signalling its active role in tackling these pressing global challenges.

Experts highlighted the significant utilization of water resources in agriculture, emphasizing an observed 15% decrease in our country's water resources attributed to climate change. The event proceeded with panel discussions on this topic.

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16 May 2024 11:30 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

The 2nd Baku Modern Music Days is fast approaching, Azernews reports.

The music festival will take place on May 20-26 with the support of the Ministry of Science and Education and the Culture Ministry.

Azerbaijani musical groups (Cadenza Contemporary Orchestra, BCMS Ensemble), as well as ensembles and soloists from Austria, Germany, Hungary, Norway, the USA, and Russia.

Among them are Schallfeld Ensemble, Moscow Ensemble of Contemporary Music, Center for Electroacoustic Music of the Moscow Conservatory, Sergei Chirkov (accordion), Gleb Khokhlov (violin), Jeyran Hasan (flute), Gias Zeidi (conductor), Rauf Farkhadov (musicologist), Elmir Mirzoev (composer , musicologist, culturologist) and other musicians will participate in the festival.

The festival will greet viewers with a rich program, including the performance of more than forty works that will be performed for the first time in Azerbaijan, as well as seven world premieres.

The festival program consists of morning, afternoon and evening sessions and is open to the public. During the festival, open master classes, seminars and lectures will be organized daily at 12:00 at the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts and the International Mugham Center for both professional musicians and anyone interested in modern music.

At 16:00, the International Mugham Center and the Baku Museum Center will host performances by invited performers as part of the concert series "Portraits".

Each festival day will end with evening concert programs at the International Mugham Center. Concerts start at 19:00.

The final concert of the project will take place at Azerbaijan State Academic Philharmonic Hall on May 25.

Nizami Cinema Center will screen the film "Su uzrind iz | Abbado  Nono  Pollini" with subtitles in Azerbaijani on May 26 at 19:00

Detailed information about the project and events can be found on the official website of the festival and pages on social networks.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az and Milli.Az.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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Azerbaijan has been represented at an international conference of librarians of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Azernews reports.

The event was organised within the framework of the interstate program "Samarkand - the Cultural Capital of the CIS-2024 on the theme "Union of libraries: partnership and innovation".

Judge of the Samarkand region Erkinjon Turdimov, First Deputy Culture Minister Bahadir Ahmadov, Director of the Information and Mass Communication Agency under the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Uzbekistan Asadjan Khojayev, Advisor of the CIS Interstate Humanitarian Cooperation Fund Kamol Rahimov, the Russian State General Director of the library, and President of the Eurasian Library Assembly Vadim Duda participated in the international conference.

At the international conference, Deputy Director for Scientific Affairs and Library-Information Service at Azerbaijan National Library Adiba Ismayilova delivered a report and presentation on the topic "Advantages of using artificial intelligence in the field of libraries and information".

The Deputy Director spoke about the application of artificial intelligence technologies to various fields of human activity and emphasised that the scientific-theoretical and practical problems of these technologies are widely studied in the world's leading scientific centres.

She underlined that the application of artificial intelligence to the library-information field opens up opportunities for the development of new services, helps improve library processes, and provides more efficient information services to users.

The application of artificial intelligence to the library and information field allows for improving the search capabilities of bibliographic databases and, first of all, the electronic catalogue.

Adiba Ismayilova stressed that the use of artificial intelligence makes it possible to automate many daily tasks, such as indexing and cataloguing materials, processing user requests, and analysing data. This allows libraries to save time and resources and improve the efficiency of processes.

The Deputy Director also participated in a scientific conference on "Information culture of the digital generation: new directions for the implementation of the project of media and information literacy formation of children and youth in the libraries of Uzbekistan" held in the Samarkand Regional Library and Information Centre. The conference was organised in partnership between the National Library of Uzbekistan and the Moscow State Institute of Culture.

She also joined a practical seminar and a special meeting of directors of cross-border libraries of Central Asia within the framework of the Eurasian Library Assembly on "Cross-border cooperation of libraries: new perspectives of international interaction".

Notably, the Azerbaijan National Library is a treasure trove of knowledge for bookworms.

With over 5 million books, manuscripts, and maps, the Azerbaijan National Library is considered one of the largest libraries in the Caucasus region. Since 1939, the library has borne the name of the eminent playwright Mirza Fatali Akhundov.

The library has an extensive collection of literature in Azerbaijani, Russian, English, and other languages. It has collected and preserved national editions, works of Azerbaijani and foreign authors about Azerbaijan published abroad.

The National Leader, Heydar Aliyev, visited the National Library four times in 1995-1997 and donated nearly 300 books from his personal library.

In 2004, the Mirza Fatali Akhundov Library was granted the status of a national library by the decision of Azerbaijan's Cabinet of Ministers.

The building of the library is no less impressive. The library's faade is decorated with the statues of eminent poets and writers like Nizami Ganjavi, Mahsati Ganjavi, Uzeyir Hajibayli, Shota Rustaveli, Alexander Pushkin and many others.

The scope of the library's activities is constantly expanding. In 2005, on the basis of legal copies received from publishing houses and printing companies, the library published the yearbook "Books of Azerbaijan" for 1990, 1991, 2000, and 2001.

Over the past years, the National Library has signed a memorandum on bilateral mutual cooperation with about 80 libraries.

In 2021, the Culture Ministry and Mirza Fatali Akhundov Library launched a joint campaign, "Let's go to Garabagh with a book", to restore libraries in the Garabagh region.

A large number of books were donated to the Garabagh Book Fund by a number of international organisations working in the field of culture, Turkic-speaking countries, famous foreign and local authors, publishers, and print houses.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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16 May 2024 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

Fatima Latifova Read more

On May 15, a solemn ceremony dedicated to the completion of the mission of the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation was held at the Khojaly Airport, Azernews reports.

The ceremony was attended by the official representatives of the Ministry of Defense of the Azerbaijan Republic, the Ministry of Defense, the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation, and the Russian Embassy to the Azerbaijan Republic, as well as servicemen and media representatives.

After viewing the photo exhibition showcasing the activities of the Russian Federation's peacekeeping contingent in the Karabakh economic region, the guests were invited to take their seats in the tribune, and the ceremony's program was announced.

First, the memory of the fallen servicemen was honored with a minute of silence. This was followed by the national anthems of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation, performed by a military orchestra.

Afterwards, the First Deputy Minister of Defense  Chief of the General Staff of the Azerbaijan Army, Colonel General Karim Valiyev delivered a speech.

Afterwards, the Chief of General Staff of the Land Forces of the Russian Federation, Colonel General Yevgeny Nikiforov spoke about the activities of the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation, temporarily stationed in the Karabakh economic region of Azerbaijan. He expressed deep gratitude on behalf of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Chief of General Staff and his behalf to the military personnel of the Russian peacekeeping contingent for the commendable fulfillment of their military duties, and to the military leadership of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan for effective joint cooperation and the understanding achieved.

Following the speeches, medals were presented to military personnel awarded by the orders of the Ministers of Defense of Azerbaijan and Russia, gifts were exchanged between the official guests.

The event ended with a concert program presented by creative teams of the Defense Ministries of Azerbaijan and Russia.

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16 May 2024 15:35 (UTC+04:00)

The Environmental Protection First Coalition, which brings together NGOs fighting against Armenias illegal mining industry, released a map of Mineral raw material resources of the Republic of Armenia at the Baku Business Centre today, Azernews reports.

The map has been prepared by the Azerbaijan Cartographers Public Union, which is also part of the Coalition, in three languages  Azerbaijani, English, and Armenian.

The map contains important information exposing the adverse environmental impacts of Armenia's mining industry. It is clear from the map that Armenia has deliberately concentrated mining industry enterprises, causing the most severe damage to the environment, mainly in the Western Zangazur region  in territories bordering the Republic of Azerbaijan and close to transboundary rivers.

It should be noted that Azerbaijan's NGOs have recently carried out some exemplary work.

The donor of the Azerbaijan Cartographers Public Unions cartographic work project dedicated to the important topic is the State Agency for the Support of Non-Governmental Organizations.

We recall that on July 11 last year, during a meeting dedicated to the socioeconomic results of the first six months of 2023 chaired by President Ilham Aliyev, the head of state said: Garabagh and Eastern Zangazur were very close to the environmental disaster zone. Armenia has dealt a severe blow to our nature as a result of the activities of its enterprises and also as a result of the ruthless exploitation of our natural resources in the occupied lands of Garabagh and Eastern Zangazur... The cross-border threats must now be taken into account, and Azerbaijan's position here is still based on international experience and international conventions, including the Espoo Convention. Anyone can review them on the Internet. It is stated there that the pollution of transboundary rivers and the establishment of enterprises that can be considered a source of ecological threat close to the border with other countries must be agreed upon with such neighbouring countries, and we demand this from Armenia. Today, the Azerbaijani public and non-governmental organisations have already issued an appeal to the Armenian authorities regarding this issue, and international experts and representatives of non-governmental organisations working in the field of environment have also joined this appeal. Therefore, I think that the government of Azerbaijan should also join this process.

During the meeting, the head of state also praised the activities of Azerbaijans civil society in this direction and urged Armenia to give up these dangerous practices. If they want to create an enterprise, we certainly can't have anything to do with that. It is their internal business. But if this enterprise is located 500 meters from our border, if dangerous substances are going to be used there, and if these substances are going to be spilled into the Araz River and the Okhchuchay River, this is very much an issue for us. How can we ever agree to that? Of course, we must pay attention to these issues within the framework of law, within the framework of international conventions, and within the framework of diplomacy (https://president.az/az/articles/view/60429).

The NGO meeting at the Baku Business Centre considered it important to carry out environmental monitoring of Armenias mining industry enterprises.

The Environmental Protection First Coalition has stated that civil society organisations operating in the field of environment and healthcare in Armenia and other countries are ready to conduct environmental monitoring of Armenias mining industry enterprises together with international institutions.

The author of the map is Mugabil Bayramov, an engineer-cartographer with 43 years of experience in the field of cartography, former director of the Baku Cartography Factory, head of cartographic groups that have developed the National Atlas of the Republic of Azerbaijan, South Caucasus, 1903, Map of the Caucasus - Tbilisi 1847, and chairman of the Azerbaijan Cartographers Public Union. In 2020, he was awarded the Order of Labor of Third Category in recognition of his services in the field of environmental protection.

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16 May 2024 13:56 (UTC+04:00)

Speaker of Azerbaijans Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova arrived Wednesday in Geneva, Switzerland, for a working visit, Azernews reports.

As part of the trip, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova will attend the first meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, as well as hold meetings with the female parliamentary speakers with respect to the preparations for the upcoming Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament.

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16 May 2024 17:12 (UTC+04:00)

We completely reject yet another claim by the Minister of the Interior of France, Gerard Darmanin, against Azerbaijan and on alleged relations between Azerbaijan and New Caledonias independence leaders in his interview with France-2 on May 16, 2024, Azernews reports, citing the spokesperson of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Aykhan Hajizada, as he said in the statement.

First and foremost, we once again strongly condemn the French sides insulting expressions against Azerbaijan and urge to stop the smear campaign against Azerbaijan with unacceptable accusations, such as the massacre of Armenians.

It would be more appropriate if the French Minister of the Interior recalled the history of his country committing crimes against humanity towards local peoples and the brutal murder of millions of innocent people as part of its colonial policy implemented for many years.

Moreover, instead of accusing Azerbaijan of allegedly supporting pro-independence protests in New Caledonia, the Minister of the Interior of France should focus on his countrys failed policy towards the overseas territories that led to such protests.

We once again call on France to stop baseless claims against our country, reads the statement.

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16 May 2024 16:40 (UTC+04:00)

Aleksandr Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Belarus, who is on a state visit to Azerbaijan, visited the Alley of Martyrs in Baku, Azernews reports.

President Aleksandr Lukashenko paid tribute to Azerbaijani heroes, who sacrificed their lives for the countrys independence and territorial integrity. He also laid a wreath at the Eternal Flame monument.

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16 May 2024 18:50 (UTC+04:00)

Fatima Latifova Read more

At the invitation of the Baku Initiative Group, representatives of the political movements fighting for independence in the last French colonies of Kanaki (New Caledonia), Maohi Nui (French Polynesia), French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Corsica organised a video conference called "Solidarity with the People of KANAK", Azernews reports.

Representatives from New Caledonia gave detailed information about the atrocities committed by the French police and gendarmerie forces in the capital Noumea and surrounding areas in recent days. The speakers strongly condemned the atrocities committed against the Kanak people. The participants of the meeting called on the international community not to turn a blind eye to the unjust colonial policy of France, to raise the voice of truth, to raise the alarm to the UN member states through the Security Council, and to prevent gross violations of norms and principles of international law by France.

The Baku Initiative Group, for its part, called on the international community to unite around the idea of "Unity, Freedom and Independence" for the peoples of the regions suffering from colonialism and to say "NO" to French colonialism and "YES" to the fair struggle for independence.

Within the framework of the video-conference, a flashmob was held, which included the calls for independence of the regions suffering from the colonial policy of France.

It should be noted that today the Baku Initiative Group and 14 political movements fighting for independence in the last French colonies of Kanaki (New Caledonia), Maohi Nui (French Polynesia), French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe and Corsica issued a joint statement.

The Baku Initiative Group declares that it will always support the just struggle of the peoples suffering from the colonial policy of France.

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16 May 2024 12:09 (UTC+04:00)

Ulviyya Shahin Read more

The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and Russias Tatneft have signed a new roadmap for cooperation in the capital of Russias Republic of Tatarstan, Kazan, SOCAR President Rovshan Najaf wrote on X, Azernews reports.

As part of XV international economic forum 'Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum 2024' we held a fruitful meeting with Director-General of Tatneft Nail Maganov. During the meeting, a new roadmap for cooperation was signed and an exchange of views took place on various issues of mutual interest, Najaf wrote.

Details of the signed document are not provided.

On November 3, 2023, SOCAR and Tatneft also signed a roadmap for cooperation. The document provided for interaction in the areas of oil production and refining, sales of oil and petrochemical products, human capital development and exchange of experience.

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Texas State Rep. Shawn Thierry during a campaign event alongside over 50 African American pastors at Sunnyside Park on Saturday, May 11, 2024, in Houston. Karen Warren/Staff photographer Lauren Ashley Simmons, running for the state representative of district 146, gives a supporter a hug during a campaign event at the Texas State Employees Union Local 6186 on Saturday, May 11, 2024, in Houston. Karen Warren/Staff photographer Block walkers, including Herbert Archer, left, prepare to campaign for Texas State Rep. Shawn Thierry after a campaign event at Sunnyside Park on Saturday, May 11, 2024, in Houston. Karen Warren/Staff photographer Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett speaks on behalf of Lauren Ashley Simmons, running for the state representative of district 146 during a campaign event at the Texas State Employees Union Local 6186 on Saturday, May 11, 2024, in Houston. Karen Warren/Staff photographer

When yard signs popped up around South Houston last month calling for an end to genocide, they weren't condemning an overseas war.

Instead, they were part of an unusually heated Democratic primary runoff election between two Black women that has escalated as state Rep. Shawn Thierry and her supporters accuse her opponent of supporting the castration of Black boys, the sterilization of Black girls and the genocide of Black Americans.

Thierry told the Houston Chronicle that she had nothing to do with the signs, which read Stop the Genocide of Black Children. But she said she understood the sentiment  she has used similar rhetoric.

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We're talking about genocide in Gaza  which is real, the Israelis in Gaza  what about genocide right here? she said on a local podcast last month. And so I stood up, hand before God, and said, 'No.

As she fights for her political career after joining with Republicans a year ago to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth, Thierry has leaned heavily on her Black Christian support and ramped up her use of inflammatory and controversial language.

Her teary House floor speech last year explaining her decision to vote for the bill  which blocked minors from accessing medicines such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy, as well as surgeries, which are rare for minors  elicited heavy criticism from fellow Democrats. It eventually landed her with two Democratic opponents, marking her first truly competitive primary since she was first elected to the bright blue, majority-minority district in 2016.

In the upcoming runoff May 28, Thierry is seeking to fend off a challenge from Lauren Ashley Simmons, a union organizer who identifies as queer and who came within 100 votes of beating her outright in March.

Since then, Simmons has picked up endorsements from nine of Thierrys House colleagues and two Democrats in Congress, who dont typically weigh in on state primary races. She is looking to leverage the support of big-name Democrats such as former U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke and current Reps. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas and Lizzie Fletcher of Houston to boost her campaign.

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Thierry has the backing of several Christian ministers and six of her House colleagues, including Harrold Dutton, another Houston Democrat who voted with her on the ban on gender-affirming care.

As Thierry and her volunteers spent a muggy afternoon last weekend knocking on voters' doors on what she called a "faith walk," Simmons was 4 miles away outside the Texas State Employees Union office rallying supporters, including Crockett.

Asked about Thierrys use of the word genocide, Simmons said it was disappointing.

When you live in a place like Houston, you would expect that your Democratic state representative would align with your values and see what's going on and not kind of fall into the culture war nonsense, Simmons said.

Drawing a dark parallel

Thierry said that for many in her community, the notion of hindering Black people from reproducing brings to mind the dark history of castrating slaves and the decades-long Tuskegee syphilis study in which medical workers left hundreds of Black men with the venereal disease untreated even after a cure was found.

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I don't think it's appropriate for anybody to tell a Black man how to feel about castration, she said. Any time you're going to do something that may impact the Black community's ability to be fertile or create, you're going to get strong reactions. Just like on the trans side of the community, there are strong reactions.

According to the Mayo Clinic, puberty blockers can have long-term effects on fertility and hormone therapy can limit fertility.

The treatments pose significant risks to fertility potential and outcomes, ranging from potentially impaired fertility rates to full elimination of reproductive potential depending on the type of treatment pursued, according to a recent Mayo Clinic review, which added that fertility preservation options are sometimes available but that more research is needed.

Many major medical associations recommend that transgender patients be counseled on the effect of their treatments on fertility, as well as about fertility preservation options, before transition.

Doctors say gender-affirming care can be helpful to youth who have gender dysphoria, meaning they have psychological distress about their gender identity not matching their sex assigned at birth, and most major medical organizations oppose bans on the treatment.

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The Houston area's four major Black ministerial groups have joined forces to back Thierry  a rare show of solidarity that centers on her transgender care stance, according to M.D. Morrison Sr., president of the Ministers Coalition of Harris County and Vicinity and senior pastor of Phillipian's New Faith Missionary Baptist Church. In early May, dozens of ministers from the Houston area showed up to support her at a news conference outside Mt. Hebron Missionary Baptist Church.

"It's very seldom that something kind of pulled us all together like that, and this cause was worth it," Morrison said.

But Morrison hesitated to agree with Thierry's views on genocide.

"I don't see anything in the law that would force a certain ethnic group to undergo that type of procedure, and so I can't call it that," Morrison said. "I can call it child abuse  to expose an underaged child to that type of choice and freedom can be detrimental."

Regardless, Thierry's campaign is a welcome departure from the status quo, according to Morrison, who said Black church leaders can wield great influence with voters but often find themselves without a candidate to support.

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"The Democratic Party has gone so far in some cases to where they seem to be anti-God, anti-church," Morrison said. "And then at times the Republicans show such an insensitivity that they don't reflect the heart of God adequately, although they try to carry the flag of a godly party."

Thierry has said her decisions on some controversial bills, which include new limits on book publishers that Democrats worry will lead to censorship of LGBTQ content, were guided by the majority of her constituents.

But March primary results show that the South Houston district is divided. Thierry's support is concentrated on the east side of the district, which is home to Sunnyside, a historically Black neighborhood. Simmons' support comes primarily from the western half of the district, made up of mostly White neighborhoods south of Brays Bayou.

Thierry has long insisted that opinions on this issue within her district fall along racial lines. A 2023 Pew Research Center survey showed that Black Americans overall are slightly more likely than the general public to think gender is determined by sex at birth. Theyre also split over the level of acceptance that transgender people ought to receive.

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Though Thierry has stressed that her campaign isn't about just one issue, her position on transgender youth has attracted some of her strongest supporters.

Cedric Boyd, a Black father with six kids who attended her weekend event, said he was motivated to volunteer for Thierry's campaign because he has a transgender child of his own who waited to make decisions about transitioning until after they turned 18.

"I think that after raising them that the best decision was for them to make that choice once they became grown, and that's what Shawn Thierry voted for and that's why I support her," Boyd said.

The signs warning against genocide appear to have been posted by a group called the Black Fathers Alliance, which describes itself on Facebook as a community organization dedicated to the uplifting and supporting the advancement of black fathers everywhere.

Thierry said the group, which also posted signs urging voters to oppose Simmons, is acting on its own behalf.

The group is not registered as a political committee and did not respond to the Chronicles request for an interview.

Depths of the mud and dirt

In an interview after Simmons weekend event, Crockett condemned Thierrys use of provocative language as a way to score points with her supporters and said her characterizations of Simmons views on transgender medicine are false and ridiculous.

When you have to sink into the depths of the mud and the dirt, that tells you that you don't have anything to run on, she said. "It's despicable. Lauren ain't advocating for nobody's genocide.

Diamond Stylz Collier, executive director of the Texas-based national nonprofit Black Trans Women Inc. and a member of the Harris County LGBTQIA+ Commission, said she finds that rhetoric from Thierry disgusting and an overstep similar to the one shes making into medical decisions of families.

Its especially disheartening, Collier said, when we have an increase of trans people dying of violence around the country and a real-life genocide happening in other parts of the globe.

In 2023, at least 32 transgender and gender-expansive people were killed by violent means, including through gun and interpersonal violence, according to the Human Rights Campaign, a nonprofit that tracks the issue. Most were people of color; half were Black trans women.

Simmons, whose campaign has tried to frame Thierry as aligned with Republicans  pointing out that her top funders are GOP or GOP-associated donors  said this is another example of Thierry being out of touch with her district.
16 May 2024 09:00 (UTC+04:00)

A conference themed COP29 - IEA high-level energy transition dialogue dedicated to the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was held at the headquarters of the International Energy Agency (IEA) in Paris, Azernews reports, citing Azertag.

The function was graced by appropriate ministers of various countries, COP26, COP27, COP28 and COP29 Presidents, heads of international organizations, and ambassadors of various countries accredited in France.

Azerbaijani Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, COP29 President-Designate Mukhtar Babayev, and IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol co-chaired the conference.

Opening the conference, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol highlighted the importance of the event.

Speaking at the conference, Azerbaijani Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, COP29 President-Designate Mukhtar Babayev thanked the countries that supported the initiative to prepare clean food for African countries at the Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa organized by the IEA. He highlighted the importance of contributions to making 2024 a turning point for clean cooking in Africa. Mukhtar Babayev underlined that Azerbaijan is committed to building on this success and continuing ongoing efforts at COP29.

COP29 President-Designate pointed out that the COP29 presidency presented two directions of its plan to enhance ambitions and take action in Berlin last month. These two directions mutually reinforce each other. Each country should draw up its national plans, identifying the funding needed to achieve the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees, he added.

Highlighting the key thrust of the COP29 presidency plan, Mukhtar Babayev said that the ability to implement the Global Stocktake targets would be largely determined by the ability to expand climate financing. He described providing the means of implementation as the basis of the plan and mandate of COP29 presidency. Mukhtar Babayev noted that the COP29 presidency works on reaching an agreement on a fair and ambitious new climate financing target, and trying to reinforce global financial institutions. He outlined the International Energy Agency`s role as a crucial in helping the countries hosting the COP conferences, and emphasized that the COP29 presidency will rely on its continuous support as well.

In order to contribute to the ongoing efforts of developing countries to prepare and finalize biennial transparency reports (BTR) and achieve universal participation within the enhanced transparency, Azerbaijan, as the host-country of COP29, with the support and cooperation of the UN Secretariat on Climate Change (UNFCCC), will organize a series of trainings and workshops, he added.

The conference also featured speeches by 40 participants who voiced their proposals regarding climate change and the transition to green energy.

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16 May 2024 08:00 (UTC+04:00)

The court of the Southern District of New York has selected jurors to try the case of US Senator Robert Menendez from the state of New Jersey, who is accused of corruption, Azernews reports, citing the ABC TV broadcast.

The jury included a former economist, physiotherapist, and lawyer. The names of the jurors are not disclosed.

It should be recalled that in September 2023, the senator was accused of having corrupt relations with three businessmen from New Jersey and receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes together with his wife Nadine Menendez (Arslanyan). The senator bought cash, gold bars, expensive cars, and other valuables.

In addition, the US Department of Justice filed additional charges against pro-Armenian Senator Robert Menendez from New Jersey, accusing him of working as an unregistered foreign agent for Egypt.

Later, it became known that Menendez, who was elected with a strong pro-Armenian position, was additionally accused of accepting bribes and spying for Qatar.

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16 May 2024 19:09 (UTC+04:00)

By News Centre

"With the Public Savings Package announced yesterday, our farmers will also benefit. Settlements and agricultural lands in many regions of the world have suffered damage from excessive rainfall.

Our concern is our farmers' concern, and their joy is our joy. Farmers have dedicated hearts. Whatever we give to our farmers, whatever we do, is insufficient. The increase in input prices is the main complaint of our villagers and farmers.

The excise tax and VAT issues should be addressed for our farmers. We wish for the fertiliser and diesel support given to our farmers to be increased within budgetary means.

We will not allow anyone to oppress our farmers. I express that we will stand behind our farmer brothers under any circumstances, and I congratulate our farmers on Farmers' Day," MHP leader said.

"The vampires who drink blood should come to their senses"

There is a conspiracy going on with the suspension of a few police chiefs. Nowadays, those nestled within the police and judiciary are plotting against Turkiye again. The vampires who drink blood should come to their senses. Crypto gangs are making calculations. They should look at the night of July 15th for their fate.

We are monitoring all of them. We are aware of all illegal connections and networks. There is a conspiracy going on with the suspension of a few police chiefs. We are aware of illegal relationships. The target is the AK Party, the MHP, and the People's Alliance, it is Turkey. We are following those who use pawns. Whoever supports defaming honourable names with secret witness statements is a traitor, an assassin.

They must be dealt with. Let's see how the clean hands operation goes. Those who are uncomfortable with the regulation regarding espionage in the 9th Judicial Package should be investigated. The so-called journalists will soon pay the price."

The emergence of a third type between man and woman has been a warning sign.

MHP Chairman Devlet Bahceli made important statements at his party's group meeting. Bahceli pointed out the genocide committed by Netanyahu in Gaza, stating, "Genocide cannot be an excuse. The murder of 35 thousand people cannot be covered up."

Additionally, Bahceli reacted to the displays at Eurovision showcasing LGBT deviation, stating, "The Eurovision song contest has once again revealed the threat humanity faces. The moral decline of a competition that has turned more into a political show than an art event, and the emergence of a third type between man and woman, is a warning sign. If this is called modernity, then down with such an understanding of modernity."

MHP Leader Devlet Bahceli made important statements at his party's group meeting. Here are some highlights from Bahceli's statements:

"The international community must take concrete steps.

If Netanyahu wants to see terrorists, he should look in the mirror.

The democratisation of the UN should be urgently addressed within an action plan.

Those who support Israel while babies are being slaughtered in Gaza, and those who resort to the veto weapon in the UN Security Council, will not be able to account for it.

Genocide cannot be an excuse. The murder of 35 thousand people cannot be covered up.

No one should turn Gaza into a political tool.

Trade with Israel was erased in one stroke.

Defending Gaza means defending Gaziantep."

Reaction to Eurovision: Down with such an understanding of modernity

"The Eurovision song contest has shown what kind of threat humanity faces.

The moral decline of a competition that has turned more into a political show than an art event, and the emergence of a third type between man and woman, is a warning sign.

The dosage of marginality is at terrifying levels. The victory of the male artist appearing in the contest with a furry jacket and a pink satin skirt is confirmation of shameful corruption. If this is called modernity, then down with such an understanding of modernity.

I want to state with determination that we will seek modernity and modernism in our essence and our own value judgements."

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16 May 2024 21:22 (UTC+04:00)

Ulviyya Shahin Read more

"After contract modifications related to current projects for urban security between ASELSAN and the Presidency of Defence Industries, a total of $353,863,000 worth of additional orders were placed.

Contract modifications were made between ASELSAN and the Presidency of Defence Industries of the Republic of Turkey regarding current projects for urban security.

According to the statement made by ASELSAN, with these contract modifications, additional orders for urban security management systems totaling $353,863,000 were placed.

The statement noted, 'Within the scope of these contract modifications, it is planned to complete deliveries by the end of 2027 with the contribution of stakeholders in the Turkish defence industry ecosystem."

Aselsan is a Turkish defense industry company based in Ankara. It was founded in 1975 by the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation to fulfil the military communication requirements of the Turkish Armed Forces.

Aselsan has consistently broadened its customer base and product portfolio by leveraging advanced technology since its inception.

Today, it has transformed into a cohesive electronic industry organisation encompassing the development, production, installation, marketing, and after-sales of contemporary electronic devices and systems. It operates facilities in Azerbaijan and Ukraine.

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16 May 2024 21:50 (UTC+04:00)

By Alimat Aliyeva

Russia and China are expanding cooperation in the energy sector, Azernews reports.

According to the document, Russia and China agreed to develop cooperation in the fuel and energy sector on a market basis, creating conditions for the unhindered transportation of energy resources.

"To continue to strengthen the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership in the energy sector, to carry out its development at a high level in the interests of ensuring the economic and energy security of the two countries. Strive for stability and sustainability of the global energy market, strengthening supply chains in the fuel and energy complex," the statement said.

Russia and China also intend to "develop market-based cooperation in the fields of oil, natural gas, liquefied natural gas, coal and electricity, ensure the stable functioning of the relevant cross-border infrastructure and create conditions for the unhindered transportation of energy resources."

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Tami Pierce, right, listens in the courtroom at the Harris County Civil Courthouse, Monday, April 1, 2024, where arguments are being heard before Judge David Peoples regarding Pierces loss to 180th District Court Judge DaSean Jones in the 2022 general election. Kirk Sides/Staff photographer

A visiting judge from Bexar County on Wednesday ordered a new election in Harris Countys November 2022 180th District Court judicial race that Republican candidate Tami Pierce lost by just 449 votes to Democratic Judge DaSean Jones.

Jones is expected to appeal the ruling, his attorney, Oliver Brown, said.

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In the wake of the 2022 election, 21 Republican candidates for county offices filed lawsuits challenging the results. Though Judge David Peeples previously upheld the results in all of the other cases, he has ruled that the true outcome of the Pierce-Jones race could not be determined given its significantly narrower margin.

The court has found that 1,430 illegal votes were cast in the race for the 180th District Court and that it is not realistic or feasible to determine which candidate received those votes, Peeples wrote.

Harris County Republican Party Chair Cindy Siegel called the ruling monumental in a statement on Wednesday.

Judge Peepless decision to order a new election confirms what the Harris County GOP has been saying since 2022: The previous election administrations' handling of our elections was beyond negligent, resulting in voters confidence in our elections being damaged, Siegel said.

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But Mike Doyle, the Harris County Democratic Party chair, defended the results of the election.

Theres no justification for redos and redos just because election deniers arent happy with the results of Harris County, Doyle said.

Erin Lunceford, who lost the 189th District Court race to Democrat Judge Tamika Craft by 2,743 votes, was the first to go to trial in August 2023.

Peeples ruled that while he found many mistakes and violations of the Election Code, there were not enough votes in doubt to justify ordering a new election in Luncefords race.

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Though Luncefords case initially relied heavily on a ballot paper shortage on Election Day that her attorneys said had prevented voters from casting ballots, the argument expanded as volunteers with the Harris County GOP conducted what amounted to their own audit of the election. Ultimately, they presented the judge with records they argued showed that thousands of ballots cast in the November 2022 election should not have been counted for numerous reasons, including that they were missing required information or cast by voters who resided outside out of the county.

In his ruling in the Lunceford case, Peeples agreed with much of their findings. After reviewing the GOPs arguments, Peeples determined that a total of 2,041 illegal votes had been cast, while up to 850 votes had not been cast due to the ballot paper shortage. Since not all of those 2,891 affected votes would have been cast in the judicial race in question, Peeples concluded the outcome of the race with a 2,743-vote margin was not in doubt.

Months later, Pierces case was the last to go before the judge. It was set on a separate, delayed track when Jones filed a motion meant to deter meritless lawsuits.

In his ruling on Wednesday, Peeples admonished Jones and his attorney for filing that motion.

This court held a hearing on Joness motion to dismiss, denied the motion, and sanctioned Jones and his attorney because the motion was frivolous and calculated to delay the election contest, Peeples wrote.

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Pierces attorney, Paul Simpson, credited the volunteers with the Harris County GOP for compiling voluminous, detailed evidence that revealed many problems with the election.

The court also ordered that opponent DaSean Jones owes Ms. Pierce over $65,000 in attorneys fees due to his frivolous actions that have so long delayed this case, Simpson said in a statement. We hope judge Jones will not further delay justice by appealing but, instead, face Harris County voters in a new election when ordered by the court.

In his ruling, Peeples noted that much of the evidence presented by Pierces team was the same as what he reviewed in the Lunceford case.

In Pierces case, Peeples ruled that 606 voters clearly lived outside of Harris County and another 146 voters likely shouldnt have counted because their residences were located in nearby city and didnt specify their county. He determined those 752 votes were not lawful and should not be counted.

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Adding to the tally, Peeples found another 231 votes did not include sufficient address information to determine if they should be counted, 40 mail-in ballots lacked a required signature and eight ballots werent mailed on time. He also deemed six provisional ballots unlawful, along with 445 votes that did not meet requirements related to photo identification.
Illegal immigration and the EU Green Deal are squarely in the crosshairs of the new rightwing coalition government formed in the Netherlands after months of negotiation under the government program they have published. The coalition consists of two populist nationalist anti-immigration parties, Geert Wilders Party for Freedom, the largest in parliament and the recently formed New Social Contract, together with the staunchly conservative farmers party, the Citizen Farmer Alliance, which is the largest party in the Dutch Senate, and the traditional conservative VVD that led the last government. The VVD has had a major leadership change as globalist former Prime Minister Mark Rutte has been replaced by his former Minister of the Interior who is an immigration hardliner.

Party for Freedom leader Wilders is not seeking the Prime Ministers position for himself, but the four parties agreed that he is to select the new prime minister. A poll by one of the larger newspapers found widespread public support for the new coalition.

"Concrete steps are being taken to get the strictest regime on asylum admissions, and the most comprehensive package on controlling migration ever," the adopted govenrment program proclaims. Specifically, it calls for a big increase in deportations "by force if necessary" and giving actual Dutch citizens a prefence on things like housing. Slated for repeal is a Dutch law allowing the national government to force local communities to accept migrants. The Dutch government plans to seek an opt-out like that recently given to Denmark on the EU's new migration pact, and until it gets that, rely on Dutch law to crack down on illegal immigration. It also calls for implementing border controls to stop entry of illegal aliens.

The new program also calls for a reversal of many of the "green" policies of the previous globalist coalition including those that put a huge burden on farmers, and supporting tax relief for Dutch workers, reduction of energy taxes, cuts in foreigh aid, and implementing new healthcare reforms.

The 26 page coalition agreement is entitled "Hope, Courage, and Pride."

https://rmx.news/article/wilders-promises-strictest-asylum-policy-ever-from-dutch-right-wing-government-including-push-for-eu-opt-out/

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2024/05/16/veteran-populist-wilders-one-step-closer-to-forming-dutch-government/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13427291/Brussels-warns-Netherlands-opt-EU-rules-strict-asylum-policy.html
Three bills in the Mississippi legislature that would allow advanced practice registered nurses to practice without physician supervision have been killed, according to a May 16 report from the American Medical Association.

The bills includes one that would have let certified registered nurse anesthetists to independently administer anesthesia. The three bills  House Bills 821, 1490 and 1652  died in committee in March.

Other states across the country are facing the battle to expand nurse practitioners' scope. In March, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed a bill that would have permitted certain nurse practitioners to prescribe medicine without physician supervision.
A Muncie, Ind. physician has pleaded guilty to Medicaid fraud, among other charges, Muncie Star Press reported May 14.

William Hedrick, MD, who was previously convicted of illegally prescribing drugs, pleaded guilty April 25 in three different cases  which include unlawful dispensation of controlled substances, Medicaid fraud, obstruction of justice and harassment. His plea agreement calls for a dismissal of seven pending charges, including attempted bribery and unlawful dispersion of a controlled substance.

Dr. Hedrick, who worked at his medical office Indiana Pain Center, allegedly submitted fraudulent information to Medicaid. His sentencing is scheduled for June 13.

He was previously sentenced to two years of house arrest after he was found guilty of forgery. According to the report, his decisions at the clinic contributed to the overdose deaths of five patients.
The Illinois Senate has unanimously passed a bill that will require insurance companies in the state to cover all colonoscopies deemed medically necessary.

Currently, insurers in the state are only required to cover colonoscopies if they are part of a follow-up exam referred by a physician, according to a May 15 press release.

The state House of Representatives passed the bill with near-unanimous approval in April, with just one House member, who works in the insurance industry, voting "present."

The Senate made a slight amendment to the bill, changing the effective date from 2025 to 2026. As a result, the bill is going back to the House for an additional vote.

Illinois Sen. Willie Preston sponsored the legislation.
Erie, Pa.-based Family Eye Care's former business manager has been accused of embezzling over $100,000 from the practice, according to a May 16 report from the Erie Times-News.

Carol Harrington is accused of writing herself checks from the practice and making unauthorized purchases using company funds.

Ms. Harrington was arraigned May 14 following a criminal complaint filed by city police. She is facing second-degree felony counts of forgery and theft, and third-degree felony counts of bad checks, access device fraud and receiving stolen property.

She allegedly stole $101,139.65 from Family Eye Care between 2017 and 2022.

Police launched an investigation into Ms. Harrington in January 2023 after a physician with Family Eye Care reported theft of funds. At the time, it was estimated that $50,000 was missing from the practice.

A forensic audit done on four of Family Eye Care's business accounts determined the total amount was closer to $100,000. Ms. Harrington reportedly took the money by making unauthorized purchases and writing unauthorized checks, which she signed by using a stamp containing a physician's signature.

An audit of her bank account revealed checks deposited into the account that represented the total of fraudulent checks taken from the practice.

Mr. Harrington worked at the practice from 2015 to 2022. Just before she left the practice, a physician noticed discrepancies between QuickBooks entries and the copies of checks received.

Entries were found to vendors and reimbursements to Ms. Harrington, but the checks corresponding to those entries were made directly to Ms. Harrington and labeled as pay advances, bonuses and other things, according to the affidavit.

Ms. Harrington allegedly tried to write the practice's physician a check for $5,000 to make up for the embezzlement and admitted to having a gambling problem.
St. Louis-based Ascension has brought in additional cybersecurity experts to help with its restoration efforts after the organization was hit by a ransomware attack on May 8.

According to a May 15 update on Ascension's website, cybersecurity experts from Palo Alto's Unit42 and Cypfer are aiding the organization with its rebuild and restoration efforts.

"We are focused on getting systems back up and running as safely and as quickly as possible," the website reads. "We are also working on reconnecting with our vendors with the help of our recovery experts."

Ascension said it will "take some time to return to normal operations."

The health system has already been working forensic experts from Mandiant to conduct an investigation into the incident. Mandiant, which was acquired by Google in 2022, has helped both investigate and address the 2020 SolarWinds cyberattack on the U.S. federal government and has aidied in the inquiry into the 2021 Colonial Pipeline ransomware incident.

This comes after Ascension reported that the ransomware attack is having differing effects on its facilities by state.
Healthcare leaders are praising St. Louis-based Ascension for its communications response to a recent cyberattack, pointing to the health system's transparency and speed in divulging information.

The 140-hospital system took its IT network offline May 8 after discovering hackers had breached its systems. Ascension confirmed it had fallen victim to a ransomware attack three days later. The Catholic health system also launched a website with state-by-state updates on the outage.

"Ascension can serve as an example of providing rapid, full transparency and communications, especially working with the FBI and the federal government to help warn the nation," John Riggi, national adviser for cybersecurity and risk for the American Hospital Association, told Becker's.

After discovering the cyberattack, Ascension immediately contacted the FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and informed its vendors to disconnect from its network, said Sean Fitzpatrick, vice president of external communications for the health system.

"We also have prioritized very straightforward and honest conversations with our associates, vendor partners, patients, and the communities we serve," Mr. Fitzpatrick said. "From day one, our focus has been continuity of patient care and providing timely and accurate information to our patients and communities as we continue to respond to the attack."

Healthcare consultant Rhoda Weiss, PhD, regularly meets with health system marketing and communications executives from around the country. She said several have noted to her in recent days how impressed they have been with Ascension's openness about the cyberattack.

"Everyone I talk to agrees this may be the most transparency any of us has seen in our careers," she said.

Ascension has been balancing getting information out quickly with making sure it is accurate, running updates through teams across communications, information security, legal and operations, Mr. Fitzpatrick said. "Transparency is important in these communications, but so is credibility," he added.

Other healthcare organizations have drawn criticism for their delay in relaying information about cyberattacks. For comparison, Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health took 10 days to confirm it was the victim of a ransomware attack in 2022, while Change Healthcare didn't disclose that ransomware was the reason for a recent IT outage for eight days.

Mr. Riggi, however, noted that in some cases law enforcement may advise organizations to stay tight-lipped about a cyberattack if it would hamper the ability to disrupt the hackers or retrieve data.

"It's important to acknowledge that there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to responding to cybersecurity incidents," Mr. Fitzpatrick said. "Any cybersecurity incident can present its own unique challenges and response needs based on the operational impact of the ransomware attack. What's important in these plans is prioritizing open and honest communications and getting out necessary updates so that associates, vendor partners, patients, providers and our communities can plan accordingly. Thats what we are striving for and will continue to prioritize throughout our response to this incident."

Providing accurate, speedy information also ensures local hospital staffers have the latest updates on operational status and backup procedures, while sharing facts with the public and other organizations can bolster the industry's cybersecurity defenses overall, he added.

"Ascension is a shining example, quite frankly, in that area of cooperation and transparency," Mr. Riggi said. "We hope, first of all, there are not other ransomware attacks. But unfortunately we do not see these attacks ceasing anytime soon. And we would hope that they would serve as a role model for other victim organizations."
Kansas City, Kan.-based Providence Medical Center, part of Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare, plans to close its labor and delivery services, effective June 30, due to a declining rate of labor and delivery patients at the hospital.

Twenty-two employees will be affected by the service closure.

The hospital hopes to transition those employees to open Providence positions and other MOKAN Prime Hospitals like Blue Springs, Mo.-based St. Mary's Medical Center, Leavenworth, Kan.-based Saint John Hospital and Kansas City-based St. Joseph Medical Center, a spokesperson for Providence Medical Center confirmed with Becker's.

The hospital is looking into partnerships with other Kansas City hospitals and clinics to help with the service transition for patients, Karen Orr, RN, CEO of Providence Medical Center, said in a statement shared with Becker's.

Gynecological services will still be provided through a Providence Medical Group location in Kansas City.

"We want to thank all our past, and present, hard-working staff and community partners that worked tirelessly to provide Labor and Delivery healthcare services in Wyandotte County and surrounding counties for over 100 years," Ms. Orr said in the statement.






Weight loss drugs have the potential to bankrupt the U.S. healthcare system, according to a May 15 report from Sen. Bernie Sanders' office.

Mr. Sanders chairs the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, which opened an investigation into Novo Nordisk's list prices for Ozempic and Wegovy in April.

Medicare total spending hit $5.7 billion in 2022 for GLP-1s, up from $57 million in 2018, according to a March analysis from KFF.

"Today's report makes it crystal clear: The outrageously high price of Wegovy and other weight loss drugs have the potential to bankrupt Medicare and our entire healthcare system," Mr. Sanders said. "The unjustifiably high prices of these weight loss drugs could also cause a massive spike in prescription drug spending that could lead to an historic increase in premiums for Medicare and everyone who has health insurance."

Novo Nordisk charges $969 per month for Ozempic in the U.S., compared to $155 in Canada, $122 in Italy, $71 in France and $59 in Germany. The Danish drug manufacturer lists Wegovy for $1,349 per month in the U.S.

"It's easy to oversimplify the science that goes into understanding disease and developing and producing new treatments, as well as the intricacies of U.S. and global healthcare systems," a Novo Nordisk spokesperson told Becker's in April. "However, the public debate doesn't always take into account this extremely complex reality."

Four key report findings:

1. If half of Americans with obesity took weight loss drugs, it would cost $411 billion annually.

2. If half of all Medicare and Medicaid enrollees with obesity took weight loss drugs, it would cost the government $166 billion every year.

3. Weight loss drugs could raise total annual prescription drug spend by Americans to $1 trillion.

4. If Wegovy was sold in the U.S. for the same price as it is in Denmark ($186 a month), the U.S. healthcare system could save up to $317 billion dollars annually if half of adults with obesity took the drug. Medicare and Medicaid could save $128 billion per year under those conditions.

Wider context

Ozempic, Trulicity, Victoza and Mounjaro are approved to treat Type 2 diabetes, though these drugs are prescribed off-label for weight loss. Wegovy and Saxenda are specifically approved for weight loss.

Medicare is barred from covering GLP-1s for weight loss only. In March, the FDA approved Wegovy for obese and overweight adults with heart disease; 3.6 million Medicare beneficiaries are in the expanded patient population. The same month, Elevance Health, Kaiser Permanente and CVS Health said they will cover Wegovy for Medicare members with certain heart conditions  CMS also issued guidance in March that allows Part D plans to cover anti-obesity medications if approved for additional health benefits and used for those conditions.

Five state Medicaid programs provide unrestricted coverage of Wegovy and Saxenda. The country's largest Medicaid managed care organization, Centene, said in April that few other states are implementing similar policies.

Notably, state health plans and self-insured employers have publicly grappled with how to cover the expensive medications, with some large organizations dropping coverage entirely.

In April, North Carolina's State Health Plan stopped covering weight loss drugs for public employees. The health plan spent $52.3 million on Wegovy and Saxenda specifically during the first half of 2022, accounting for 2.6% of Novo Nordisk's North American profits on the two products. Spending on the two drugs was projected to exceed $170 million in 2024, and increase to more than $1 billion over the next six years. In contrast, Illinois is expanding coverage of weight loss drugs to state employees in July, a move that could cost the state up to $210 million annually.

Health systems such as St. Louis-based Ascension and Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic have recently ended or limited coverage for weight loss drugs through their employee health plans. Some Blue Cross Blue Shield companies have reported recent losses in part because of the rising cost of covering weight loss drugs.

Cigna executives told investors in May that the number of employers covering the cost of weight loss drugs is around 50%, a "modest increase" from previous quarters.

The country's largest insurer, UnitedHealth, said in October that it wants to lower the price of GLP-1s, but it needs drug manufacturers to get on board.

"We're very positive about the potential for another tool in the toolbox to help folks manage their weight," UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty said. "We recognize that has potential benefits, but we're struggling, and frankly our clients are struggling, with the list prices which have been demanded of these products in the U.S., which are running at about 10 times the level of prices paid in Western Europe."

"We need the manufacturers to move. It's as simple as that. And we remain extremely open minded to any model that works," he said.
Nurses around the country continue to raise their concerns about artificial intelligence use in healthcare, with the country's biggest nursing union calling for a pause on the technology.

Hundreds of nurses protested AI April 22 in front of a Kaiser Permanente hospital in San Francisco, while nearly 100 gathered April 27 in Nashville, Tenn., in part to bargain for the "responsible implementation" of AI at Nashville-based HCA Healthcare, the nation's largest health system.

National Nurses United released the results of a survey of over 2,300 registered nurses and union members May 15 that found 60% didn't trust their employers to implement AI with a focus on patient safety.

"The survey and reports from nurses across the country demonstrate that we need an immediate pause on implementing AI in healthcare settings," said Deborah Burger, RN, president of National Nurses United, in a statement. "As patient advocates, it is our duty to assess the evidence in front of us and question the unfounded marketing claims that AI will complement our bedside skills or improve the quality of care for our patients."

Here are more findings from the survey, according to National Nurses United:

 Half of the respondents said their employers analyze EHR data with algorithms to deduce patients' acuity and predict the number of nurse hours needed. Of those nurses, 69% said their assessment doesn't align with the AI, as it doesn't take into account the "educational, psycho-social, or emotional needs" of patients.

 About 12% of nurses said their employers are using AI-assisted nurse handoffs. Of those respondents, 49% said their assessments don't match the computer's.

 In facilities that employ images and sounds to score pain and wound severity, 29% percent of nurses say they're unable to revise assessments or categorizations generated by AI.

 In facilities where AI predicts patients' outcomes, risk for a complication, or discharge timelines, 40% of nurses say they can't change the scores based on their own clinical judgment.
Two pastors at Chillicothe, Ohio-based Adena Health System walked out of a May 14 pastor meeting due to disagreements over the governance structure at the health system.

Adena's board of trustees and the corporate member churches hold responsibility for the organization's governance structure. The two parties have been on a "two-year journey to discuss governance structure and diversification of the board" in an attempt to bring advancements and new ideas to the health system, Steve Hirsch, Adena board chair, said in a May 16 statement shared with Becker's.

"While there was a disagreement during the recent scheduled vote at the corporate pastor meeting, we are hopeful that through continued collaborative discussion between the board and the corporate pastors we can resolve the issue of governance structure and chart the best path forward to continue to provide our communities with the care they deserve," Bob French, vice chair of Adena board of trustees, said in a May 16 statement shared with Becker's.

News of the disagreement comes after a recently unsealed federal lawsuit against the health system, filed Oct. 10, was brought to light. The suit claims that Adena Health System, Adena Medical Group and Adena Health Center performed unnecessary heart surgeries and filed false claims.

"Adena cannot comment on ongoing legal matters or on any of the specifics outlined in this initial complaint and its accuracy," a system spokesperson said in a May 15 statement shared with Becker's. "However, we have protocols in place that ensure the privacy and protection of any employee that comes forward with any complaint. These issues are taken extremely seriously and investigated to ensure that appropriate actions are taken."






Nurses at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia have approved a new three-year contract that includes signing bonuses.

The agreement, approved May 15, covers 485 members of the St. Christophers Hospital for Children Nurses United, an affiliate of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, according to a union news release shared with Becker's.

Under the deal, full-time nurses will receive a $1,600 signing bonus; part-time and per diem nurses will receive $1,100, according to the union. Some nurses are seeing increases of as much as 10% over the life of the contract.

Union representatives said the agreement also includes:

A new weekend program

A commitment to add a resource nurse in the emergency department

A commitment to maintain a resource nurse in med-surg

Measures to address workplace violence, including installing weapons detectors, and agreeing to, in time, remove the last names of nurses from badges

"We worked incredibly hard, over four long months, to prioritize the needs of our patients  to increase safety, excellence in patient care, and staff retention," Becky Murphy, RN, vice president of the St. Christopher's Hospital for Children Nurses United, said in the release. "This contract does that and more."

The hospital's parent organization, West Reading, Pa.-based Tower Health, shared the following statement with Becker's: "We are pleased with the results of the negotiations, and we appreciate the hard work of all involved to find common ground. We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with St. Christopher's dedicated and talented nurses to provide the high-quality care to our patients, their families, and the community that has been the hallmark of St. Christopher's for almost 150 years."






Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador has completed his investigation into potential breaches of Idaho's antitrust regulations involving Coeur d'Alene, Idaho-based Kootenai Health and Grangeville, Idaho-based Syringa Hospital and Clinics.

The investigation, initiated in 2023 in collaboration with the Federal Trade Commission, occurred after Kootenai Health and Syringa entered into a management agreement in 2017. According to a May 16 press release from Mr. Labrador's office, Kootenai Health assumed responsibility for Syringa's CEO by hiring and compensating them, effectively integrating the CEO into Kootenai Health's workforce and granting the health system access to Syringa's confidential information.

Additionally, Kootenai Health acquired Cottonwood, Idaho-based St. Mary's Health and Orofino, Idaho-based Clearwater Valley Hospital from an out-of-state owner in 2020. According to the release, St. Mary's Hospital was Syringa's closest competitor, therefore providing Kootenai Health with access to both hospitals located in Idaho County.

The investigation concluded that St. Mary's and Syringa engaged in conduct violating Idaho's Competition Act. As a result, both Kootenai Health and Syringa have agreed to terminate their management agreement and sign a consent decree under the oversight of Mr. Labrador.

Key provisions of the consent decree include the termination of the employment of Syringa's CEO by Kootenai Health and the termination of all existing agreements between the hospitals, except those sanctioned by the attorney general. Additionally, the hospitals are required to notify the attorney general of any proposed agreements in the future.
Louisiana lawmakers have unanimously approved a bill restricting physician noncompete agreements. The legislation heads to Gov. Jeff Landry's desk to be vetoed or signed into law, nola.com reported May 15.

Under Senate Bill 165, physician contracts can only contain noncompete clauses for up to five years depending on physicians' specialties. If physicians exit a position while under a noncompete clause, they would be subject to those agreements for up to two additional years and be barred from practicing medicine in up to three parishes surrounding their employer, according to the report.

Louisiana hospitals can include noncompete clauses in contracts for as long as they want and there is no restriction on the number of parishes the deals can cover under current state law, according to nola.com. Stakeholders who are against noncompetes argue that the clauses prevent physicians from moving freely between jobs and push physicians out of the state.

Last month, the Federal Trade Commission voted to implement a sweeping noncompete ban that would have seismic effects on the healthcare industry. There are questions around which nonprofit hospitals and other providers may be affected by the federal ban and how far the FTC's jurisdiction reaches under its final rule.

Lawsuits challenging the noncompete ban have already begun to roll in, and a lengthy legal battle is likely in the cards.

Becker's has reached out to the Louisiana Hospital Association for comment.
A University of Michigan study found that on telemedicine calls, a physician's background impacts how the patient perceives the provider  with most patients preferring a physician office background.

The study, published May 15 in JAMA Network Open, surveyed a random sample of adults between February 22, 2022, and October 21, 2022, who completed an in-person or virtual outpatient visit at Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan or Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System. Participants were shown photographs of model physicians in different environments and asked to select their preferred background. Scores, ranging from 1 to 10, were calculated across six domains: how knowledgeable, trustworthy, caring, approachable and professional the physician appeared, and how comfortable the physician made the respondent feel.

The study found the most preferred background was the physician office displaying diplomas (7.8), followed by a solid color background (7.7). The backgrounds with the lowest scores were the bedroom (7.2) and kitchen environments (7).

More than 34% of participants preferred the physician office and physician office displaying diplomas, compared to 3.5% who preferred the bedroom and 2% who preferred the kitchen background.
HHS has plans to debar the infectious disease nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance from being awarded federal funds due to lack of "responsibility."

The letter to EHA President Peter Daszak, signed by HHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisitions Katrina Brisbon, outlines a conflict between the nonprofit and National Institutes of Health over acquiring documents and records from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, to which the EHA had awarded federal funding for studying chimeric viruses. Critics have questioned whether the Institute's research may have led to a lab-leak that caused the global pandemic, and EHA has maintained that the research could not have done so.

The letter outlines instances throughout the pandemic where EHA's assertions regarding the Institute's research did not align with experts and points where the nonprofit failed to provide requested records. The letter accuses EHA with lack of oversight of its grant recipients, failure to submit progress reports on time, failure to notify NIH when viruses studied grew beyond permitted threshold and inability to disprove they violated the terms of the grant.

"A thorough investigation determined that there is adequate evidence that EHA has not been compliant with federal regulations and grant terms and conditions, which affects EHA's present responsibility," an HHS spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill. "As a grantee administrator, EHA's role is to provide oversight of the activities of its subawardees, including reporting requirements back to the National Institutes of Health (and other federal government agencies), to ensure compliance with all grant terms and conditions and federal regulations. The record establishes EHA did not fulfill these responsibilities."

The debarment took effect May 15, one day before Lawrence Tabak, principal deputy director of NIH, was scheduled to testify before a subcommittee on "discrepancies" between what NIH officials and EHA have said in previous testimonies, according to The Hill.

EHA said in a statement to The Hill that "EcoHealth Alliance is disappointed by HHS' decision today and we will be contesting the proposed debarment. We disagree strongly with the decision and will present evidence to refute each of these allegations and to show that NIH's continued support of EcoHealth Alliance is in the public interest."
Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, leaves the House chamber on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Washington. Federal authorities have charged Cuellar, 68, and his wife Imelda Cuellar, 67, of accepting the money from 2014 to 2021 in exchange for the congressman advancing the interests of the former Soviet republic and the Mexican bank in the U.S. He says they are innocent. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) Jose Luis Magana/AP FBI agents are seen at the home of Congressman Henry Cuellar, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. Danny Zaragoza Federal agents search the home of U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar in Laredo, Texas, on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (Valarie Gonzalez/The Monitor via AP) Valerie Gonzalez/Associated Press U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, talks to a member of the media during a campaign event, on Wednesday, May 4, 2022, in San Antonio. Eric Gay, STF / Associated Press

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar's bribery trial will begin March 31, 2025, a federal judge declared Thursday after rejecting his defense team's request to set it for next fall.

Thats too far away, U.S. District Court Judge Rosenthal said, after Cuellar attorney Chris Flood proposed a September 2025 trial start.

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Cuellar, a Democrat from Laredo, and his wife are accused of accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes from the government of Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank in return for official favors, according to an indictment. They have denied the charges.

Prosecutors said they were ready to begin a trial at whatever date Rosenthal chose. When it begins, prosecutors anticipate they will need four to five weeks to present their case, said Marco A. Palmieri, the acting deputy chief of the Justice Departments public integrity section.

Flood said after the hearing that he wasn't concerned about Rosenthal's decision.

"We can be ready any time," he said, adding the date was mostly a consequence of scheduling issues.

Neither Cuellar nor his wife appeared in person. Both attended the hearing by Zoom but didnt speak.

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At one point of the hearing, Cuellars screen blacked out. One of his attorneys explained that Cuellar had stepped on to the floor of the House of the Representatives, before he returned less than a minute later.

During the hourlong hearing in a Houston courtroom, Rosenthal worked with lawyers to craft a protective order limiting either side from disclosing the contents of the governments discovery materials

Rosenthal narrowed the governments proposed protective order, saying she was concerned it would violate First Amendment rights. Defense attorneys argued the order would hurt their ability to question witnesses as part of their defense investigation.

Palmieri didnt describe what discovery materials they wanted protected, but in a motion, the government wrote that it wanted to protect information that might impede [the] investigation, substantially impair the privacy of third-party witnesses and jeopardize the defendants right to a fair trial.

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In a discussion on introducing classified materials, a government prosecutor said while they wanted to set deadlines according to the Classified Information Procedures Act, they dont anticipate disclosing classified materials during the trial.
Orthopedic surgeons were the highest-paid physician specialists this year, earning $22,000 more than plastic surgeons, who took the second spot, according to Medscape's 2024 "Physician Compensation Report" published April 12.

Orthopedic surgeons earn an average of $558,000 a year, according to the report. Here is the difference in pay between orthopedic surgeons and the highest- and lowest-earning physician specialties:

Highest-paying specialties:

2. Plastic surgeons: $22,000 less than orthopedic surgeons

3. Cardiologists: $33,000 less than orthopedic surgeons

4. Urologists: $43,000 less than orthopedic surgeons

5. Gastroenterologists: $46,000 less than orthopedic surgeons

6. Radiologists: $60,000 less than orthopedic surgeons

Lowest-paying specialties:

1. Diabetes and endocrinologists: $302,000 less than orthopedic surgeons

2. Pediatricians: $298,000 less than orthopedic surgeons

3. Infectious disease specialists: $297,000 less than orthopedic surgeons

4. Public health and preventive medicine specialists: $295,000 less than orthopedic surgeons

5. Family medicine specialists: $286,000 less than orthopedic surgeons
Jonathan-James Eno, MD, has joined Pacific Permanente's orthopedic surgery group at Maui Memorial Medical Center and the Maui Memorial Medical Center Outpatient Clinic in Wailuku, Hawaii, according to a May 15 report from Maui Now.

Dr. Eno previously held roles at New York City-based Hospital for Special Surgery and at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco, where he was team physician for the Golden State Warriors.

He joins Pacific Permanente from a private practice in Maui. Dr. Eno specializes in minimally invasive shoulder, elbow, hip, and knee surgery, cartilage restoration, fracture care and orthobiologics.

He will join orthopedic surgeons Warren Ayers, MD, and Kenneth Smith, DO, at the practice.
Sian Brooke has praised the writers and creators of Blue Lights for being brave enough to deal with a messy history by highlighting the daily troubles police officers in Belfast still face.

She hailed the hit BBC cop dramas ability to tackle difficult issues with heart and humour.

Speaking to Ryan Tubridys show on Virgin Radio, the actress  who plays lead character Grace Ellis  said: I think thats also why its gone down so well  there is an appetite to understand Belfast now, Northern Ireland now.

I think we have a sort of hangover from what the past is, from what we've been fed and this drama shows what it is now as a cosmopolitan city, as a modern city with everything, you know, all of the nuances and all of the colours that it is now. And that is down to their writing.

And that's great drama. They're brave enough to deal with a messy history and also if you don't talk about it, how can you move forward?

"And so for me I think it works on so many levels. It's a drama that tackles difficult issues, but yet it also has heart and humour which I think is quite unique.

Brooke, who is from the English city of Lichfield and whose father was a police officer, also noted how much the shows co-creator, Declan Lawn, genuinely loves [writing] it.

Lawn, a former investigative reporter for BBCs Panorama and Spotlight, is originally from Ballymena. Working alongside his creative partner Adam Patterson, he has also written and directed the multi-award-winning short film Rough and written BBC factual drama, The Salisbury Poisonings.

Brooke added that Lawn doesn't take it [Blue Lights] for granted, which I think, you know, is infectious as well, because you sort of savour it all, every moment.

Were so lucky. We've done series one and series two, and then the BBC have sort of nailed their colours to the mast and they've given us season three and season four.

Declan Lawn

The acclaimed Belfast-based programme was renewed for a third and fourth outing before the second season had even gone to air.

The second series is still currently airing weekly on BBC One also, with the sixth and final episode set to broadcast this coming Monday at 9pm.

Ryan Tubridy, the former host of RTEs Late Late Show, now has a UK mid-morning programme slot on Virgin Radio.

Speaking to Brooke, he noted that the past is very present, if you will, in Belfast.

And if you do it in, say, the Black Taxi Tour, where they bring you round to the peace wall, so-called, there's a lot of division  physical, intellectual, religious.

But I don't want that to overshadow the hope which programmes like this offer. That's what I think is so remarkable about Blue Lights, because you do deal with some of the past as well.
The much-needed food project is being funded to the tune of 100,000 by the Housing Executive

Gerard Flynn (Housing Executive) at The Pantry along with Fionnuala Black (Ashton Centre), David McErlean (Housing Executive), Christine McKeown (Ashton Centre) and Patricia McAllister (Housing Executive)

Ashton Centre operations manager Fionnuala Black (left) shows Housing Executive north Belfast manager Gerard Flynn and his colleague, patch manager Una Burns, how The Pantry social supermarket functions

Food essentials and everyday groceries are available at The Pantry, a social supermarket and community fridge, based at the Ashton Centre in Churchill Street.

With three years funding from Housing Executives sustaining tenancies team, the project supports people affected by the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and who are experiencing extreme financial hardship.

Families are referred to the social supermarket from a range of agents such as schools, GP surgeries, community organisations, Housing Executive patch managers and food banks.

We are delighted to have received this funding from the Housing Executive, which is essential for this scheme to continue, says Christine McKeown, head of childcare and family support at the Ashton Centre.

Our project works directly with 80 families per year and they each attend the social supermarket for a period of 12 weeks.

For a small membership fee, families can avail of approximately 45 worth of food, personal hygiene and cleaning supplies.

Families can also attend a benefit advice appointment to ensure they are maximising their household income, avail of budgeting support, and have an opportunity to volunteer and engage with training and employability support and information, explains Christine.

Gerard Flynn (Housing Executive) at The Pantry along with Fionnuala Black (Ashton Centre), David McErlean (Housing Executive), Christine McKeown (Ashton Centre) and Patricia McAllister (Housing Executive)

Many of the beneficiaries experience poor health and can be socially isolated.

Housing Executive funding goes towards the salaries, over three years, of dedicated co-ordinators who support families using The Pantry, working alongside them to build their confidence and esteem.

The community fridge supports households experiencing financial difficulties who wish to, but are unable to, immediately benefit from The Pantry, says Christine.

By attending the fridge regularly, we can build relationships with local people, which in turn enables support networks to flourish. Our customers can also access a wide range of community-based support services.

The community fridge works with 100 individuals and families each year.

The community fridge is delivered in partnership with Lidl. Its part of our range of environmental projects and helps repurpose food which would otherwise go to landfill.

The Pantry coordinator Noeleen McMahon and Ashton Centre operations manager Fionnuala Black

Gerard Flynn, the Housing Executives area manager for north Belfast, says: We are very pleased to support such a worthwhile scheme helping those who are struggling.

Projects like this are an important part of our work to try to ensure that tenants can sustain their tenancies, and, in particular, to help vulnerable customers at greater risk of tenancy breakdown, which leads to more stability for them and for the community in general.

Were delighted that so many tenants in north Belfast are able to benefit from this funding, says Emma Geddis, sustaining tenancies grant funding programme manager.

Not only are they getting practical assistance when it is most needed, but they are also supported in the longer term to develop resilience and coping skills relevant to poverty, health and wellbeing, family support, training, employment and volunteering, which in turn helps to prevent tenancies breaking down.
Award-winning volunteer from Limavady reflects on her 25 years of volunteering with NSPCC Northern Ireland

Fiona Simpson has always loved keeping busy. As a mother of 10 children, and grandmother of 11, who spent her career as a full-time primary school teacher while also being an active member of four local choirs, it is hard to imagine there would be room in her life for any other activities.

However, Fiona also worked tirelessly as a volunteer with no less than three of NSPCC Northern Irelands services due to her absolute commitment to protecting children and helping to keep them safe from abuse.

Fiona has recently retired from volunteering with the charity, and she reflects on her years of service to the Belfast Telegraph and why she believes passionately that volunteering is one of the most rewarding activities anyone can ever do.

The 72-year-old, who is originally from Belfast and has been married for over 50 years, moved to Limavady in 1980, where she still lives.

Fiona and her family

I spent many happy years doing exactly what I loved  working with children. I was a teacher at St Anthonys Primary School in Magilligan, for 18 years, where I taught P1 and P2 classes and also had the huge pleasure of teaching music throughout the school.

I took early retirement when I was 57 but there was no way that I wanted to stop working completely. For a while, I was a supply teacher in local schools and while that was very enjoyable, I decided I wanted to do something new.

I knew it had to involve helping people  ideally children. So, I enrolled for a four-year Counselling degree at North West Regional College  it was a brilliant opportunity to learn new skills and it was really refreshing to be on the other side of the classroom for a change.

Its no surprise that Fiona chose to work with young people as she was one of five children herself and describes growing up in such a big, happy family.

My own childhood was lovely, growing up in Belfast and it was secure and fun. There was always the sound of someone practising their scales on the piano! she laughs.

Christmas in our house involved everyone singing carols around the piano and I suppose thats why I always wanted a big family of my own  to replicate my own secure and happy childhood.

I truly thought that this was just normal life and as a young girl, I didnt know that so many children were having a hard time and didnt have the care and support I enjoyed.

As part of the degree course, Cormac Nolan who worked for Childlines Foyle told Fiona and her class about the service and the reasons children and young people got in touch.

I was so saddened to hear about some of the calls the service received and clearly, there were many children with nowhere else to turn, she says.

When I heard there were opportunities for volunteer counsellors, I made up my mind straightaway that I wanted to be involved. I knew I could communicate well with children of all ages and my new qualification in counselling would help me too.

Saying that, when I started with Childline, I met many other volunteers who had limited formal experience with children and no experience of counselling and they were all brilliant!

While juggling family life, being a member of several local choirs and taking regular trips to Belfast to care for her mother, Fiona completed her degree and embarked on a 14-year stint of service with Childline as a volunteer counsellor.

Fiona and David on their wedding day

While Fiona was volunteering at the Foyle base, she spotted a poster about NSPCCs Young Witness Service, a free and independent service, funded by the Department of Justice NI and the only one of its kind in the UK. The Service was created to support children who need to go to court as prosecution witnesses.

It provides help and guidance to young people under 18 years of age and operates in every crown, magistrates and youth court in Northern Ireland.

Prior to being involved with the Young Witness Service, I hadnt really thought about what it was like for children to have to go to court, says Fiona.

But I realised that it is difficult enough for an adult so just imagine what its like for a young person. I took the plunge and it was great to work directly with children and again, the service provided terrific training.

Last year, it provided support to 500 children and their families but, like Childline, the Young Witness Service could not survive without its amazing team of volunteers.

Volunteers for the service work in pairs and meet the young person on the day of the case or before it starts and then support them throughout it  its really important work because parents or guardians arent allowed to stay with their children when they give evidence and obviously this can be very upsetting for a young person, explains Fiona.

My role included explaining to them what to expect at court, who they will meet and how the system works. Although volunteers arent allowed to speak to the children once cross-examination starts, we are a much-needed supporting presence throughout the process.

Fiona volunteered with the Young Witness Service, in the North West, for two years, while continuing her work with Childline. She was soon eager to volunteer with a third service offered by the NSPCC  Speak out Stay safe (SOSS)  which started in 2012.

Through school assemblies and in-person workshops, delivered by trained volunteers, SOSS covers topics like bullying and abuse  without using any scary words or adult language. It is designed to help primary school aged children understand how to recognise abuse in all its forms.

I was delighted to volunteer with the Speak out Stay safe service. It felt like being part of a family and it was lovely to be involved in delivering straightforward messages about such an important topic, to a huge number of children. The assemblies are fun, interactive and are a wonderful way to impart such vital information, says Fiona.

To date, NSPCC Northern Ireland has delivered this service to over 90% of primary schools in Northern Ireland.

I loved being back in schools again and it gave me the opportunity to work directly with children  which is such a privilege and joy for me, says Fiona.

The volunteers work in pairs so it was also an excellent way to meet more new people of all ages and backgrounds. It was also a great pleasure to visit so many different schools across the North West  from Coleraine to Strabane and sometimes as far as Belfast if the need arose.

David and Fiona celebrating their wedding anniversary

In 2016, her commitment to voluntary services was recognised officially: she received NSPCCs first Childhood Champion Award which was presented to her at a London ceremony by HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh, NSPCCs President. A local honour followed, in 2018, when Fiona received a Charity Champion Award at the Sunday Life Spirit of Northern Ireland Awards.

I was absolutely astonished and humbled to have these acknowledgements. I like to keep busy and am at my happiest, zooming about and doing what I can to help people in the best way I can.

Saying that, I was hugely honoured and proud and it was wonderful to go to London and receive my award from the royal patron, along with Dame Esther Rantzen who founded Childline and is such a wonderful inspiration to me.

It was another huge surprise and honour to receive the Spirit of Northern Ireland Award in Belfast where I had a truly memorable evening, meeting so many celebrities, including the cast of Derry Girls!

Fionas family is now scattered across the globe  from Holland to Dublin and Limavady to San Francisco.

Her children are adults now, with only one still living at home. Her grandchildren are aged from nine months to 24 years, and they all get together regularly  Christmas is a busy and happy time at the Simpson household with between 30 and 40 people enjoying the day together.

Fiona with Sir Peter Wanless, CEO of NSPCC and The Duchess of Edinburgh

Fiona still sings in four choirs, including the Cancer Focus Sing for Life choir, which is based in Belfast. She also enjoys Irish lessons, and her life continues to be as busy and full as ever.

Although Fiona now has some problems with her mobility, she still enjoys a busy and full life with her husband.

The couple have been together, happily, for the last 52 years and celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 2022 with their children and grandchildren around them.

They are both looking forward to their next holiday in Spain.

I am fortunate to have been able to do what I love  raise my family, work with children and volunteer with The NSPCC, she says.

David and I still keep very busy going to language classes and exploring the beautiful surroundings of Limavady. I need to use a mobility school quite a bit now but it doesnt really stop me doing the things I enjoy. Were going on holiday to Spain soon and the mobility scooter is coming too!

For further details, how to volunteer with NSPCC, visit: www.nspcc.org.uk/volunteering
A prisoner who has served the minimum term for murdering his girlfriend and dumping her semi-naked body into the boot of a car in Belfast is not legally entitled to be transferred back to his native China, the Court of Appeal ruled.
The widow of an IRA man whose murder was investigated as part of the 40m Operation Kenova has secured a date for her High Court challenge to the decision not to prosecute anyone over the killing.
Cormac McKervey, Head of Agriculture at Ulster Bank pictured at the 155th Balmoral Show. Picture: Aodhan Roberts/Belfast Telegraph.

Weather and climate change can have major impacts on farming

An agricultural expert has warned of the impact climate and carbon will have on the farming industry in Northern Ireland.

Ulster Bank Head of Agriculture Cormac McKervey believes the biggest single issue affecting farming this year was the weather.

Speaking at the Balmoral Show, which Ulster Bank is the main sponsor for, Mr McKervey said it has been a difficult year for many farmers.

It was a very, very poor spring. It was a late spring for farmers but thankfully it has improved, grass growth has picked up, they have got crops into the ground and cattle have been turned to grass, he said.

Cormac McKervey, Head of Agriculture at Ulster Bank pictured at the 155th Balmoral Show. Picture: Aodhan Roberts/Belfast Telegraph.

Mr McKevery feels due to the ongoing climate crisis, the weather will continue to cause farmers issues.

Farming will always continue, people need fed, we produce a lot of food here, they have a very good demand for it, its top quality, he said.

Its fully transferable so there is no issue with that, the bigger issues are probably around climate and carbon and that will be a challenge, he said.

Zara Davis of Laurel View Farm in Templepatrick agrees with Mr McKervey, saying the weather this year has hugely impacted her familys farm.

I would say the weather and the ground conditions are probably the biggest problems we have at the minute, she said.

Despite being a small farm, Laurel View is still hugely affected by the recent shift in weather patterns.

We dont have the same scale that a lot of farmers face but even so we have really struggled with getting cows out and finding good enough ground to get them on to, she said.

Zara admits she is worried the weather will have a knock-on effect on the agricultural industry.

We have run out of silage for our cattle and I think it is things like that which is forcing a lot of farmers to sell stock they might not have necessarily wanted to sell yet, she said.

And then they are having to sell at a lower price because everyone is selling at the same time.

Thousands attend opening of the 155th Balmoral show

However, despite his weather concerns, Mr McKervey believes the overall picture for the agriculture industry in Northern Ireland is quite a positive one.

Price is relatively good for most sectors, he said.

Theres one or two maybe where farmers would be hoping for a bit better  input costs have lowered a bit compared to what they were a number of years ago  so all in, the industry is in a relatively healthy position, he said.

Mr McKervey also said Ulster Banks figures support the idea that the agricultural industry in Northern Ireland is a thriving industry.

The level of debt farmers have is slightly below a billion, among all farmers across Northern Ireland, he said.

That is relatively high but it has been higher in the past and then the amount of money that farmers have in deposit, that they have saved, is around 600m  so it is a good overall sign that the business is healthy.
Now that the TikTok ban bill has been passed into law, its parent company ByteDance will have no other choice but to divest its US business or Shit down operations in the US. Since TikTok is a popular app, anyone who can afford it might jump at the chance to acquire it, and there are already a couple who are interested.

Frank McCourt Will Bid on TikTok

Also known as a billionaire real estate mogul, the former Los Angeles Dodgers owner is reportedly interested in acquiring the social media giant TikTok. He will have to compete with others who have already expressed their intentions as well.

Some of the competitors include former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and reality show host Kevin O'Leary, as reported by Gizmodo. Of course, that won't matter if ByteDance decides that it doesn't want to sell, which is already looking that way.

McCourt has his own intentions and vision for the platform, saying that he plans to make "a new and better version of the internet, where individuals are respected and they own and control their identity and their data."

If people want to bank on someone who is capable of creating a secure and safe environment for the app, McCourt is arguably one of the best bidders. He already has a background in such projects which makes him well-suited for ownership of a huge app.

Back in 2021, the real estate mogul formed an initiative called Project Liberty, which advocates for open internet protocols. Even the creator of the web, Tim Berners-Lee, applauded McCourt saying that he will "embrace the critical values of privacy, data sovereignty, and user mental health."

The other two have a more specific plan in mind, particularly putting the company in American hands. Mnuchin has a more steady argument saying that China would never allow the US to have a company as big as TikTok in China.

O'Leary, on the other hand, is peddling a more ambitious tone. After saying that he would buy TikTok once the order went through, the show host said that he would purchase the assets into a new American company, as mentioned in Fox Business.

" I'll guarantee the servers are on American soil. I'll guarantee you will close the Chinese back doors in the code. I'll guarantee it becomes safe for the users, the parents, small business, and large business," O'Leary stated.

Read Also : TikTok Implements Content Credential Tagging for AI-Generated Posts

ByteDance Has No Intention to Sell

All these pitches are rendered moot if ByteDance doesn't want to sell, and it looks like the parent company would rather put its business out of the US instead of granting an American buyer ownership of the TikTok company.

After stating that ByteDance doesn't have any plans to sell TikTok, the company sued the US government in an attempt to block the ban, as per CNBC. As expected, the social media company said that the law violates the First Amendment.

In addition to that, the divesture is "simply not possible: not commercially, not technologically, not legally," which is stated in TikTok's legal filing. Admittedly, there will be a lot of complications in separating the US business from TikTok as a whole.
Ex-Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd admitted PSNI took a lot of criticism over its handling of event

Former chief constable of PSNI Alan Todd arrives at the Clayton Hotel in Belfast to give evidence to the UK Covid-19 inquiry hearing. Niall Carson/PA Wire

What happened on the day of IRA man Bobby Storeys funeral was wrong and strengthened the case of those looking to break Covid regulations during the pandemic, a former senior officer has said.

Former PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd, who was in charge of the police response to the pandemic and retired in July of last year, made the comments in his evidence to the Covid inquiry.

Mr Storeys funeral in June 2020 sparked controversy due to widespread claims that Covid guidelines had been broken at the event, which attracted large crowds onto the streets of west Belfast and was attended by senior Sinn Fein politicians, including then deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill.

At the inquiry on Tuesday Ms ONeill publicly apologised for attending the funeral for the first time.

Mr Todd was asked by Nick Scott, counsel for the inquiry, about the impact of Mr Storeys funeral on compliance with Covid regulations.

The former PSNI officer said: You havent sought to draw me [on this], but I think its important, if not on a personal basis, on behalf of policing and the men and women who police Northern Ireland [to say]  what happened on the day of Bobby Storeys funeral was wrong.

Michelle O'Neill

I said so at the time. I said it throughout the various investigations into it, and Ive said it every day since. I think people who were involved in it have now come to that position.

I think it was wrong and I dont think it should have happened  either for the politicians or the other people present.

Mr Todd added that he does not believe there was a policing solution to what happened.

Asked why he is of this view, Mr Todd said: I dont think there was a solution and neither have the reports into it identified one.

Nick Scott asked if there was a critical mass of people at which point it becomes impossible to provide a policing response.

Mr Todd said when relying on low level regulations where the top of the fine scale is a fixed penalty notice and there is a lack of guidance, its not a good space to be in.

The notion that you would start to deploy large numbers of police, with the potential disorder, and theres a requirement to exercise the use of force, thats untenable, he added.

Mr Todd said the PSNI took a lot of criticism over its handling of the Belfast funeral and it made life very difficult for my officers.

He said that while he didnt see a significant shift in the data in terms of compliance with Covid regulations after the funeral, it shifted the tone and strengthened the case of people who were seeking not to adhere to the rules.

I think the event undermined confidence in the very people who were making the regulations, and that was never going to make it easy for the body charged with enforcing them, he said.

At another point during his evidence, Mr Todd said Covid regulations were changing so frequently it made it difficult for the PSNI to do its job.

Mr Todd said policing likes to operate on the basis of no surprises.

Unfortunately the pandemic was full of surprises and that, to some degree, points to a lack of preparedness and a lack of planning.
DUP WhatsApps not interesting or of note says Gavin Robinson

More than 1,000 messages between senior DUP figures were published on Wednesday

DUP WhatsApps not interesting says Gavin Robinson

Liam Tunney and Jessica Rice Thu 16 May 2024 at 15:37







More than 1,000 WhatsApp messages in which senior DUP figures mocked the Catholic Church and insulted their rivals are not interesting or of note, party leader Gavin Robinson has said.
An 11 storey buy-to-rent apartment block suited to young professionals in the Sandy Row area of south Belfast has been approved, despite opposition from the DUP.

At the Belfast City Council Planning Committee this week, elected representatives approved on a knife-edge vote an application by Artemis Development Ltd at lands bounded by Glenalpin Street, Wellwood Street and Norwood Street, just beside Sandy Row.

The major development will involve the regeneration of an existing surface level car park for the erection of an 11 storey residential development comprising 205 units, and landscaping. The proposal includes 11 car parking spaces at ground floor level, two for disabled users.

DUP members complained the application, which had been previously accepted on an outline basis, had no plans for social or affordable housing, and was unsuitable for families with its proposed mix of one and two bedroom apartments. There will be 166 one-bed and 39 two-bed apartments in the development.

A representative for Artemis stated that as outline permission for the application was given before the new Local Development Plan was passed, they were not obliged to include a social housing element. Last year councillors agreed a new LDP guaranteeing 20% social and affordable homes in any new housing development.

The new apartment development was recommended for approval by council officers. A total of 10 objections were received by the council. Objectors included local DUP councillor Tracy Kelly, a representative of Belfast South Community Resources, and neighbouring residents.

Objectors said the proposed 11-storey building would be too high next to nearby two storey housing, and added there would be detrimental noise impacts and a severe loss of light. They complained there was no social housing included in the plan, insufficient parking, insufficient green space for residents and no safe space for children to play.

They added there were too many high rise buildings in the area and not enough smaller-scale housing in the area. There were also concerns that adding more tall apartments facing Hope Street would make acquiring homes there even more challenging.

The council officer report on the application states: In response to these objections, officers advise that the principle of development, including the scale parameters of the building, are established through the outline planning permission.

Noise, amenity impacts, traffic, parking, amenity and open space are considered in the original committee report, appended. There is no evidence that the proposal would result in an unacceptable safety problem; in any event the principle of residential apartments on this site is established through the outline planning permission.

Any impacts on property values is not a material consideration. Social housing would have had to be secured at outline stage  there was no policy basis at the time of the granting of the outline planning permission in June 2019 for requiring social housing as the decision pre-dated adoption of the Plan Strategy and Policy HOU5. The committee is unable to stipulate the requirement for social housing at the reserved matters stage.

Last December at Belfast City Council members unanimously refused a plan at the same site for the erection of a new 11 storey student accommodation building comprising 354 units. The application was again by Artemis Development Ltd. It was not recommended by council officers.

The student block plan prompted 166 objections from the public, along with a 271 signature petition. Objectors, as with the apartment block application, raised issues including the need for more social housing in the area, loss of privacy and light, and the impact of noise.

A representative for the developer said at this weeks Planning Committee meeting: The overall approach taken in the outline is clearly important, because members consider with great care the issue of social and affordable housing at the outline stage. In fact, they deferred the original application to re-consult with the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, and to confirm there was no social housing requirement at that time.

Asked why there was no inclusion for family-size three and four bed apartments, another representative said: The building is intended for the build-to-rent market, that is typically looking at the one bed unit, studios for young professionals. But they can be attractive to retirees. The two bed units could be attractive to smaller family units.

He said: There is variety in the size of the units, there is also variety in the layout of the units. They are not all of a uniform size, there is a variety in how those units are provided within the building itself.

The DUPs Dean McCullough said: The options are clearly very, very limited. When you look at the social mix, it is clearly not overly desirable to families, particularly those families that would be seeking three and four bedroom accommodation.

There are clearly objections to this particular proposal on the record. The first question is: has there been meaningful engagement with objectors, local representatives and the local community, who will be impacted by the development?

Secondly, has there been a more up-to-date engagement with the Housing Executive? I appreciate the principle is in place, and (the developer) is not bound by the new policy, but was there any thought given to any percentage of social housing within the mix. And if not, why not?

The developers representative said: There was no engagement (regarding) the social housing mix, because that had been dealt with at the outline planning permission stage. There is no requirement as a matter of policy or law to revisit that. That is the straightforward answer to that.

He said: As regards community engagement, that takes place at the outline stage, and the principles of development have been set and established.

DUP councillor Sammy Douglas said: I understand this was a reserved matter three years ago, but the world has moved on in three years. As a former resident of Sandy Row, where I was born, I would like to think (the developer) would come in and be a good neighbour.

Does (the developer) not think it is important to come in, look at the surroundings, look at the way things have changed in Sandy Row and other areas, and just be a good neighbour?

The developers representative said: I understand the point that is being made. The difficulty is the law says there is extant permission for a period of years, and if the reserve matters application is made within the required period of time as a matter of law, that fixes the design and fixes the application that is going to be made.

Mr McCullough proposed the Planning Committee reject the planning application. The vote was not recorded, but eight councillors voted in support of the DUP proposal for rejection, while nine councillors voted against it. The proposal fell and the application was accepted.
There were 1,353 racist incidents and 839 racist crimes recorded by the PSNI in the year to the end of March 2023  the highest figure for race hate incidents since police records began in 2004/05.

Almost half of recorded incidents were in Belfast.

Amnesty International has expressed concern at the figures, published in a report today by the PSNI and the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) which tracked reported crimes and incidents for the 12 months to the end of March 2024.

The last year also saw 1,091 sectarian incidents and 730 sectarian crimes reported to the police, as well as 452 incidents and 282 crimes with homophobic or transphobic motivation.

The number of reported racially-motivated hate incidents in Northern Ireland has exceeded the number of sectarian incidents since 2016/17.

Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty Internationals Northern Ireland Director, said: The rate of incidents motivated by racism now outstrip those motivated by sectarianism, despite the relatively small numbers of people in Northern Ireland from ethnic minority backgrounds.

That means that a member of an ethnic minority community is vastly more likely to be a victim of hate crime.

We need a zero tolerance approach to racist and other hate-motivated crime in Northern Ireland. Yet that is not what victims of these crimes see, with all too few offenders held to account.

The latest PSNI crime report reveals that from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 there were 104,344 crimes recorded in Northern Ireland, a decrease of 7,067 (-6.3%) on the previous year.

The report showed how stalking and harassment crime levels are growing.

In 2017/18, there were 2,751 cases of harassment recorded, but by last year that had exploded to 7,517.

Over the same period, malicious communications increased from 905 to 1,920  although during the pandemic, more than 5,800 cases were reported in both 2020/21 and 2021/22.

There were also 185 cases of stalking recorded in 2023/24  up from 169 the previous year  and 744 cases of controlling or coercive behaviour, a decrease from 916.

Overall, the total crime figure was down 7,067 to 104,344 in 2023/24  a decrease of 6.3%.

There were 10 murders in the 2023/24, down from 17.
(L-R) Zara Davis and Aimee Davis at the 155th Balmoral Show on Wednesday 15th May 2024. Picture: Aodhan Roberts/Belfast Telegraph.

Jonny and Ruby Farmer at the 155th Balmoral Show on Wednesday 15th May 2024. Picture: Aodhan Roberts/Belfast Telegraph.

Roberta Maxwel and grandson Noah Maxwell at the 155th Balmoral Show on Wednesday 15th May 2024. Picture: Aodhan Roberts/Belfast Telegraph.

Declan and Andrea with children James and Niamh McCaffrey at the 155th Balmoral Show on Wednesday 15th May 2024. Picture: Aodhan Roberts/Belfast Telegraph.

Lisa Dorman and husband Johnny Dorman with Reggie the ram at the 155th Balmoral Show on Wednesday 15th May 2024. Picture: Aodhan Roberts/Belfast Telegraph.

From family reunions to honouring lifelong traditions, the 155th annual Balmoral Show has begun  and once again, family and community are at the heart of the agricultural industry in Northern Ireland.

Thousands of visitors gathered in the Eikon Exhibition Centre in Lisburn yesterday morning to celebrate the first day of the show.

Thousands attend opening of the 155th Balmoral show

Roberta Maxwell was reunited with some of her family who live in Australia at the show yesterday.

Im with my grandson Noah who is just over from Australia. Noah comes over here every couple of years and then we go out every other year, she said.

Roberta Maxwel and grandson Noah Maxwell at the 155th Balmoral Show on Wednesday 15th May 2024. Picture: Aodhan Roberts/Belfast Telegraph.

Roberta was excited to see everything the show had to offer.

He loves all of the machinery and the cattle  he loves it all.

Noah wasnt the only one enjoying the cattle showing, as crowds gathered to see the Beef Shorthorns, Aberdeen Angus, Hereford, Irish Moiled, and Dexter breeds on display yesterday.

Roberta said she visits the show every year but experiencing it with her young grandson has made the day much more special.

We are having a lovely day, the weather is good, we are just having a great time, she said.

Roberta planned to spend the whole day visiting the many stalls and exhibitions the Balmoral Show had on display.

Its going to take us all day to get round it all because theres a lot of stopping off at different things and going on all the machinery, so we are spending the day here, she said.

She hopes that as Noah grows up he will continue to enjoy going to the Balmoral Show when he visits Northern Ireland.

Another family steeped in the tradition of the Balmoral Show is the appropriately named Farmers.

The sheep farmers from Ballymena attend every year.

Jonny and Ruby Farmer at the 155th Balmoral Show on Wednesday 15th May 2024. Picture: Aodhan Roberts/Belfast Telegraph.

We are just going for a wee day out, to spend as much money as possible, Jonny Farmer joked.

As a child, Jonny attended the show every year and now takes his daughter, Ruby, with him to enjoy the festivities.

Jonny admitted he has only ever missed the show once.

We have come every year, since Ruby was one  its like a family tradition. She is 11 now, tomorrow  the year she was born I missed the Balmoral Show because I was in the maternity ward, he said.

Now all grown up, Ruby enjoys visiting the festival just as much as her dad. And while the Farmer family didnt have any sheep showing this year, they enjoyed seeing all of the animals.

We like dandering about, we can usually take a look at the sheep, Jonny said.

From one family celebrating tradition to another breaking tradition, Lisa Dorman is originally from north Belfast but after meeting her husband Johnny, she decided to embrace the farming lifestyle.

The 155th Balmoral Show underway on Wednesday 15th May 2024. Picture: Aodhan Roberts/Belfast Telegraph.

My parents cant get over it but I love it. Its just a totally different life and I love being down, cleaning them, scrubbing them, I just love it. Who would have known? Lisa said.

Lisa now lives in Derrylough, Co Down and farms a rare breed of sheep with her husband and father-in-law.

Oxford Down is a rare breed, there are only five farms in the north that have Oxford Down sheep, Lisa said.

The Oxford Down is a larger-than-average sheep with a fluffier-than-normal coat. Despite the breeds scarcity, Lisa says she loves it.

They are a special breed, I think they are beautiful, she said.

This is Lisas second year showing at Balmoral after her sheep performed exceptionally well previously.

We did very well last year, the lamb there was champion and the one we left at home [this year] was reserved champion overall, she said.

Lisa is hopeful this years sheep will keep up the good form.

I really hope they do well but at the end of the day you dont know until they are out there.

(L-R) Zara Davis and Aimee Davis at the 155th Balmoral Show on Wednesday 15th May 2024. Picture: Aodhan Roberts/Belfast Telegraph.

While Lisa patiently waited for her showing, sisters Zara and Aimee Davis of Laurelview Farm in Templepatrick were celebrating a successful showing of their Irish Moiled cattle.

We have done all right, all our showing for today is done. Our bull got second and our two heifers got fifth and sixth so they didnt do too bad, Aimee said.

The sisters have attended the show ever since it moved from Belfasts Kings Hall to its current former Maze Prison site in 2013, to exhibit their familys cattle.

Before the move, there was no Moiled Class.

So when they moved they had the Moiled Class and we have come ever since, Aimee said.

The girls have more cattle to show later in the week and they are not alone.

Over 5,000 livestock have been entered into competitions this year so visitors can look forward to more cattle, sheep and equine showings as the week progresses.
A man charged with the gangland murder of Kevin Conway in west Belfast is to be denied permission to attend his godsons first Holy Communion, the High Court ruled today.

Aidan OKeefe, (27), was seeking temporary release from custody for the religious ceremony at a church in the city on Friday.

But a judge refused compassionate bail amid concerns it could put others attending the event at risk.

Mr Conway, (26), was gunned down in his flat at Rossnareen Park on January 9 this year.

He had been associated with notorious crime gang The Firm and was on bail for the murder of Shane Whitla in Lurgan, Co Armagh in January 2023.

Police revealed that he was shot multiple times just minutes after sending his partner a message to say he was relaxing at home on the Playstation.

The killers are believed to have entered the property and opened fire with a shotgun and a pistol.

OKeefe and co-accused Fergal Kane, (54), are jointly charged with the murder.

Both men, whose addresses in Belfast cannot be reported, face a further count of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Prosecution counsel said they allegedly travelled in convoy by van and car to the scene of the assassination.

It was claimed that they are connected by CCTV evidence, a vehicle tracking device and registration plate sightings on the night of the murder.

OKeefe left the Royal Victoria Hospital earlier that evening and drove his Toyota Proace work van through a number of streets in the west of the city before linking up with Kanes BMW car, according to the police case.

The vehicles were said to have parked up a short distance from the victims home before two masked men in dark clothing got out and walked towards the property.

Based on CCTV footage and GPRS tracking data, the van and car then left the area and split up.

Two suspected gunmen were also observed walking on foot in the neighbourhood for a period after the shooting.

Kanes BMW was seized and forensically examined as part of the investigation.

Initial tests revealed three particles indicative of cartridge discharge residue were located in the car.

The court heard three men made a subsequent attempt to get rid of the work van but were chased off by plain-clothes police officers keeping the vehicle under observation.

OKeefe was seeking to be released from Maghaberry Prison for a five-hour period to attend the church ceremony.

A defence lawyer offered to act as a chaperone throughout his release.

But Mr Justice OHara queried: Since when did solicitors provide an escort role?

Lawyers are there to provide a legal service, not to be a chaperone for family events.

Despite being told Prison Service staff would not perform the role, the judge ruled that compassionate bail must be refused.
A giant puppet of a Syrian child refugee has arrived in Belfast this evening for a three-day festival, which will focus on diversity and inclusion.

Little Amal was created in 2021 and has become a global symbol of human rights.

Since then, she has travelled over 9,000km across 15 countries on a journey called The Walk.

The 12-foot-tall artwork represents all children fleeing war, violence and persecution and has become an international symbol of compassion.

She has been welcomed by over two million people and tens of millions online, through creative events led by artists and local communities.

Presented by The Walk Productions, Little Amal landed in Belfast by boat on Thursday.

Over the weekend, visitors will be able to see and meet the structure at a series of free events.

She came along the River Lagan in a colourful opening event, with a spectacle theatre performance at Custom House Square to start her journey around the city.

She will go on to visit the peace walls, share food at a Big Lunch picnic at City Hall, find sanctuary at a special music concert in St Annes Cathedral and explore our streets as she finds her place in Belfast, before finally leaving to venture on a walk southward to Dublin.

She will also be the guest of honour at a short piece of theatre created by young people that will how far Belfast has come since the violence of the Troubles.

Belfast is the 16th location for Little Amal, who has travelled to 160 towns and cities, and won a range of awards, including being named New Yorks No. 1 Art Event by Time Out magazine in 2022.

The trip to the city is organised by The Walk Productions and is the first leg of an all-island collaboration delivered in partnership with the ArtsEkta social enterprise and Belfast-born creative director Des Kennedy.

For details of the full programme of events, visit www.artsekta.org.uk or www.belfastcity.gov.uk/belfast2024/the-programme/little-amal-the-walk
Malcolm McKeown (left) and the four men accused of his murder. From top: Simon Apsley Smyth, Stevie Lee Watson, Andrew Martin (bottom left) and Jake O'Brien (bottom right).

Police and forensic officers at the scene of the murder of Malcolm McKeown in Waringstown in 2019 (Credit: Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph)

A 999 call alerting police to the bloodstained body of Malcolm McKeown was played at the trial of four men accused of his murder.

Mr McKeown was shot at least six times as he sat in his silver BMW at the back of a service station on Waringstown's Main Street on Monday, August 19, 2019.

Jake O'Brien (29) from Rectory Road in Lurgan, Stevie Lee Watson (35) from Princeton Avenue in Lurgan and Simon Smyth (34) from Hazelgrove Avenue in Lurgan, all deny murdering Mr McKeown on August 19, 2019.

Andrew Thomas Kenneth Martin (28) from Bridge Street in Banbridge, pleaded guilty earlier this week to aiding and abetting the murder of Mr McKeown and was handed a life sentence by trial judge Mr Justice Fowler.

However, the basis of this plea was not accepted by the Crown who said it would have to be adjudicated upon the basis of the evidence before the trial judge who is sitting alone without a jury.

Today, Belfast Crown Court heard that on the evening of the shooting, the PSNI received a 999 emergency call at 8.59pm from a member of the public.

The caller stated: I am just ringing from Dewart's petrol station in Waringstown. There seems to be a body in a silver BM[W] with blood on his chest. He doesn't seem to be breathing. The registration number is XEZ 5518.

Asked by the police call handler if he recognised him, the man replied: I don't know who it is. He is on his own.

Minutes later another police operator rings the caller back to check the details surrounding the incident.

What's the registration of that silver BMW? she asks.

The caller gave the number plate before the PSNI operator asked the caller how they found the body.

I'm at Dewart's petrol station, said the caller. The car is parked round the side of the petrol station. I don't think he is breathing.

The PSNI operator asked: What do you think happened? Have you any idea? Has he been shot?

All I can see is a cut on his arm and blood on his stomach, replied the caller.

The caller was then asked if there were any weapons at the scene or in the car, and the caller said: No, I can't see.

A witness gave a statement to police saying he stopped at Dewart's garage on Monday, August 19, to put diesel in his black Mitsubishi jeep and noticed two young boys by the cash machine.

He stated: I parked at the pump nearest the shop. After paying for what I got, I got back into my jeep. A white people carrier vehicle pulled in... the driver approached me and said, Alright. I recognised him.

He told me the [young] boys said that there was a man in a car round the corner with blood on him. I got out of my jeep and we walked together and told the boys to stay where they were.

As we came round the corner we could see the car. It was a silver BMW, either three or five series.

The driver's door was open. A foot was hanging out and it was then I realised something was wrong. I approached the door and there was a male slumped over the passenger footwell.

It gave me the impression he was leaning into the passenger side to retrieve something.

He was wearing a light-coloured T-shirt and grey tracksuit bottoms. His right arm was cut near the elbow. There was staining on his T-shirt. I tapped his foot with my foot but there was no visible movement or breathing. I suspected he was dead.

He said they returned to the other man's car and the owner of the white people carrier phoned the police who arrived a short time later, followed by an ambulance.

He added: I helped police lift him out of the car. I lifted him by his feet. He was a dead weight. His face was covered in blood. I recall police recording that he had multiple gunshot wounds.

It wasn't until later night that I saw a post on Facebook that Mal McKeown had been shot.

A witness statement from an 11-year-old boy was also read to the court by the prosecution.

CCTV Footage showing last movements of Malcolm McKeown

The schoolboy told police: I was out on my bicycle with my two friends around Dewart's garage when I heard eight shots. I stopped riding my bike.

I said to my friends: Guys, get out of here. I have heard shots fired.

It is the prosecutions case that Mr McKeown was last seen alive at 7.19pm when he walked out of Dewart's garage shop.

Approximately 52 seconds later, a navy Passat car is captured on CCTV speeding away from the scene.

Seven minutes later, a car was found on fire at Glenavon Lane, Lurgan. It was later found to be a navy Volkswagen Passat.

Senior prosecution counsel Ciaran Murphy KC told Mr Justice Fowler: It was clearly, we suggest, the vehicle used by those who committed the murder and who had lain in wait for their target from 6.26 pm.

The trial continues.
A man in his 70s has died in Co Londonderry and two other men have been injured following what police described as a farm incident.

The emergency services including the PSNI are at the scene in the Cullyrammer Road area of Garvagh.

Police said the two men injured have been taken to hospital for further treatment. One of the men has reportedly suffered a broken leg.

A PSNI spokesperson added: The death is not being treated as suspicious at this time. Officers will provide assistance to the Health and Safety Executive's investigation.

The Belfast Telegraph understands that the men affected in the accident were contractors working at the farm, and that the wall of a silage pit collapsed.

A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said they received a 999 call at 10:48 on Thursday, 16th May following reports of an incident in the Cullyrammer Road Area, Garvagh.

NIAS despatched three Emergency crews, one Ambulance Officer and two Ambulance Doctors to the incident. The Charity Air Ambulance with HEMS on board was also tasked to attend, they added.

Following initial assessment and treatment at the scene, one patient was taken to Causeway Hospital by Ambulance. One patient was taken to Royal Victoria Hospital by Air Ambulance.

An HSENI spokesperson added: HSENI is aware of in an incident in the Garvagh area and is in attendance.

UUP councillor for the area, Richard Holmes, said that the whole local community is shocked and saddened at this awful and tragic loss of life.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all concerned.

Sinn Fein councillor Sean Bateson added: The death on the farm at Cullyrammer Road has shocked the entire community.

I have no doubt the community will continue to rally around the families of the bereaved and the those injured.

I send my sympathies to the family and friends at this very sad and difficult time.

News Catch Up: Tuesday 14th May 2024
Three arrested in murder investigation

Kathryn Parton is the 19th woman to be killed in Northern Ireland since 2020 as Womens Aid expressed their condolences following her death in east Belfast.

She was officially identified by the PSNI following the discovery of her body on Wednesday.

A murder investigation has been launched by police following the death of the 34-year-old  who police said was pronounced dead at the scene, having sustained serious injuries to her head.

Her body was discovered at a house on Madrid Street shortly after 4pm on Wednesday.

It has been confirmed a woman aged 43 and two men aged 22 and 23  were arrested on suspicion of murder.

Police said all three remain in custody.

A local resident told UTV: I seen the father at the front gate and he seemed shaken, and he said he found his daughter dead in the bedroom, it's devastating.

Womens Aid offered their sympathy to her family and the charity said she is the ninth woman murdered here under the age of 35 in the same period.

A statement from the organisation reads: Please know our thoughts are with you all at this incredibly challenging time. We cannot fathom the depth of your pain at losing your loved one.

Kathryn is the 19th woman to be killed in Northern Ireland since 2020, and is the ninth woman murdered here under the age of 35 in the same period.

Kathryn Kat Parton

Police remain at the scene of the incident as detectives from the PSNIs Major Investigation Team continue enquiries.

PSNI Detective Inspector Michelle Griffin said: A murder investigation was launched following the discovery of a body in a house in the Madrid Street area of the city on Wednesday afternoon, 15 May.

Kathryn, who was known as Kat, was sadly pronounced dead at the scene, having sustained serious injuries to her head.

Three people  a woman aged 43 and two men aged 22 and 23  were arrested on suspicion of murder. All three remain in custody at this time.

Detective Inspector Griffin continued: My thoughts at this time are first and foremost with Kathryns family, who are left trying to come to terms with their loss.

Our investigation is at an early stage and enquiries are ongoing to establish the exact circumstances. I am asking anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to contact detectives on 101. Please quote reference 1190 of 15/05/24.

DUP party leader Gavin Robinson posted his condolences to the womans family.

"Deeply saddened to hear about the shocking murder in Madrid Street. My thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones at this devastating time, he wrote.

"The @PoliceServiceNI are incredibly grateful for support of the community as they continue their investigations.

Alliance East Belfast MLA Peter McReynolds said the community was shocked.

Mr McReynolds said: I am deeply saddened to hear about the death of a woman in east Belfast. This is an extremely sad and distressing incident and my thoughts and sympathies are with the family of the victim.

This tragic event has shocked local residents and the wider community upon hearing this upsetting news.

There is absolutely no place for violence in our community and I appeal for anyone with information that could help the police in their investigations to get in touch with them immediately.

Local Alliance councillor Fiona McAteer added: I am deeply saddened to hear about the shocking death of a woman in East Belfast. My thoughts are with the family and the local community. Anyone that has information please get in contact with the police.
(Photo : UNSPLASH/Bram Van Oost)

Tesla's attempt to dismiss a lawsuit alleging Musk and the electric company of misleading vehicle owners about having their cars equipped with self-driving capabilities was soon rejected by a US judge on Wednesday.

Nationwide Class-Action Lawsuit Against Elon Musk's Tesla

The proposed nationwide class action accused Tesla and Musk of falsely advertising Autopilot and other self-driving technology since 2016, claiming they were functional or just around the corner to make drivers pay more.

San Francisco US District Judge Rita Lin ruled that owners could pursue negligence and fraud-based claims if they relied on Tesla's statements about the vehicles' hardware and their ability to drive coast-to-coast across the US Without merits on the ruling, Judge Lin plainly alleges the complaint of sufficiently demonstrating falsity after Tesla conveyed to be reaching high or full automation.

The judge dismissed some other claims. Tesla, its lawyers, and vehicle owners did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Tesla Vehicle Owner's Fraud-Based Complaint

The case was led by Thomas LoSavio, a retired California lawyer who said he paid an $8,000 premium in 2017 for Full Self-Driving capabilities on a Tesla Model S, believing it would make driving safer as his reflexes deteriorated with age. However, after six years, Tesla still could not come close, not even remotely, to make a fully self-driving car.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for individuals who bought or leased Tesla vehicles with Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot, and Full Self-Driving features since 2016.

READ ALSO: Tech CEO Says Tesla's Full Self-Driving Technology a Failure Following Backlash of Super Bowl Ads Campaign

Tesla's Self-Driving Technology's Credibility

Tesla has long been under federal investigators' radar for many years, involving hundreds of crashes and fatal accidents with Autopilot engaged, leading to a widespread recall by the automaker.

Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems help with steering, braking, and lane changes but are not completely autonomous. While Tesla admitted that neither technology makes vehicles fully autonomous or excuses drivers from paying attention to the road, the Justice Department scrutinizes other statements implying that Tesla cars can operate autonomously.

Reuters exclusively reported on the US criminal investigation into Tesla in October 2022 and is now the first to report the specific criminal liability that federal prosecutors are examining.

According to two sources, investigators are exploring whether Tesla committed wire fraud, which involves deception in interstate communications, by misleading consumers about its driver-assistance systems or whether Tesla committed securities fraud by deceiving investors.

The investigation, which does not imply wrongdoing, could lead to criminal charges, civil penalties, or no action. Prosecutors are still considering their next steps, with one source noting they are analyzing numerous documents provided by Tesla in response to subpoenas. The case is known as In re Tesla Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Litigation, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California under case number 22-05240.

RELATED ARTICLE: GM's Driverless Mission: Relaunching Human-Driven Fleet to Create Maps and Collect Road Data After Robotaxi Incident

 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Stay Well: Why do I have a dowagers hump and what can I do to fix it?
A man and a woman have been charged with attempting to make explosives under suspicious circumstances and possessing firearms and ammunition in suspicious circumstances.

It comes after the search of a house in the Holylands in south Belfast.

The house was searched by detectives from Musgrave, after which a number of items were seized. The man and the woman, both of whom are aged in their 40s, were arrested.

Detective Inspector Tom Phillips said: We would like to thank the residents of Jerusalem Street and the surrounding areas for their patience over the past few days while this operation took place.

"If anyone has any information which they feel may assist us in our investigation, we would ask them to contact us on 101 quoting serial 1586 14/05/24.

The man and woman are due to appear before Belfast Magistrates' Court today, Thursday 16 May. As is usual procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service.
Sharon Askin holds a picture of her parents Patrica and Paddy, who was killed in a bombing in 1974, at her home in Armagh city (Niall Carson/PA)

The daughter of one of the victims of a bomb attack in Co Monaghan has said that despite 50 years since the blast, they are still searching for answers.

Sharon Askin was just two years old when her father Paddy was killed in the bomb in Monaghan.

On May 17 1974, three no-warning bombs went off across Dublin city centre and one in Monaghan town, which claimed 35 lives, including two unborn babies.

No-one has ever been convicted over the bombings that have been blamed on loyalist paramilitaries.

A hand is placed on the memorial at a wreath-laying ceremony to mark the anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings (Brian Lawless/PA)

Paddy had picked up his wages and was having a drink in a local bar when the bomb exploded.

Friday will be the 50th anniversary of the attacks.

Sharon, who lives in Co Armagh, will travel to Monaghan with her twin sister Sonia and two brothers, Patrick and Paul, to take part in an event to remember the victims.

Myself and Sonia have no memories of our father. We can only go by what people have told us about him, Sharon told the PA news agency.

The two boys can remember him, like meeting him after work and driving the tractors.

We have one photograph with him. So its tough.

It makes you feel that you have lost out on a lot.

People say how laid-back he was and I imagine as a father he would have been a soft touch. It would have been nice to have him.

Mum (Patricia) did everything and we missed out on nothing. But he missed first Holy Communions and weddings and he never met his grandchildren. He missed all those opportunities.

It was tough growing up as it wasnt really talked about so we never knew for a long time what happened him, only that he was dead.

Mum didnt talk about it as it brought back memories. The blast got him down one side of the body so the whole side of him was disfigured and she saw him like that.

As we got older we took more of an interest in what happened.

Fifty years after the attacks, the victims families are still searching for the truth of what happened that day.

An Irish Government inquiry in 2003 found that the bombings were carried out by loyalists.

The report found it likely that members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) either participated in the attacks, or were aware of the plans.

This week, the Dail supported an all-party motion which called on it to press the British government to provide access to relevant material in connection with the Dublin and Monaghan bombs.

Sharon added: After 50 years there are still no answers. Thats the feeling. Its hard to believe that there was so little effort made at the time to find out who did it.

The name of baby Martha ONeill added to the names of the 33 victims on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings memorial of May 17 1974 in Talbot Street, Dublin (Niall Carson/PA)

Still to this day, 50 years later we are still asking the same questions. How and why and who told them to do it?

Its one step forward and two back all the time.

We would like them say why it happened because this came from high up, and we want to know why and who is responsible. The governments have the information but arent willing to release it.

Answers would be nice, admission would be brilliant and apology would be a miracle.

The British Government want to hide the information from us and other victims as they dont want to admit they took part in bombings and shootings in Northern Ireland and in Dublin.

They want to leave it hard for people to get answers.

Sharon will be among many family members who will attend the event in Monaghan.

We will all be there and our children will be there. If we dont win our fight, the next generation will win it for us, she added.

Last month, the High Court dismissed the British Governments attempt to throw out a civil action taken by survivors and victims families.

The legal battle against the State alleges collusion and failure to investigate the bombs.

Speaking on the eve of the anniversary, solicitor Kevin Winters, of KRW Law which represents a number of the families, said: The recent court success couldnt be any more timely coming as it does within a few weeks of the 50th anniversary.

It means we can now revisit the discovery order and we can now proceed to a long-overdue full hearing.

Its also timely given recent positive commentary by the Chief Constable Jon Boutcher on the need for a revised victim-centred approach on Troubles-related cases.

I welcome this and his specific endorsement of the need for greater accountability by State agencies where wrong has occurred.

This couldnt be a more timely antidote to the approach taken by the State to date in the Dublin Monaghan litigation.

I am confident the six-year reargued attempt to throw this case out would never have occurred under Jon Boutchers watch. If proof be needed, we need look no further than his recent interim Kenova report on the alleged agent Stakeknife.

Kenovas citing of the need for greater transparency hopefully signposts a long-overdue change of policy on conflict agitation.

The comprehensive ruling delivered last month complements precisely what the new chief constable has recently endorsed in Kenova.

If his well-intentioned expressed views are to take root then all current legally driven State lawfare needs to cease immediately.

It is systemic and punitive. It is anything but victim centered.
The makers of Guinness are to invest 100 million euro in decarbonising its brewery in Dublin city centre.

Diageo said the plan will reduce water and energy consumption in the brewing process and underpins the goal to accelerate to net zero carbon emissions at St Jamess Gate.
Irish government returned migrants by train to NI months before row broke out

Asylum seekers part of group of 25 people caught trying to enter South

Six migrants were returned from ROI to NI by train in February

Liam Tunney Thu 16 May 2024 at 07:25

The Irish government has sent six migrants who tried to cross the border from Northern Ireland back to Belfast with a one-way train ticket.
Major commemorative events will be held in Portsmouth and Normandy on June 5 and 6 (Phil Dye/MoD Crown Copyright/PA)

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will lead tributes commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day at major events in Portsmouth and Normandy next month, including a large-scale parachute re-enactment and flypasts by the Red Arrows.

In Normandy, where the landings took place on June 6 1944, hundreds of Armed Forces personnel will parachute into a historic D-Day drop zone in a recreation of the regions airborne liberation.

Hundreds of schoolchildren from Plymouth will meet D-Day veterans on June 3 before a Battle of Britain Memorial Flight flypast later in the day which veterans will watch from Southwick House  the allies headquarters on D-Day.

Some will then set sail from Portsmouth across the Channel ahead of events on June 5 and 6, mirroring their pivotal journey 80 years ago, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on Thursday.

The national commemorative event in Portsmouth will feature testimonies from veterans and military personnel as well as musical performances by a 79-piece military orchestra.

The commemorative events in Portsmouth and Normandy will include flypasts by the Red Arrows and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (Peter Byrne/PA)

It will involve more than 500 members of the Armed Forces, a 25-strong choir and Royal Marine drummers alongside a guard of honour formed of personnel from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force.

The MoD said the moving climax of the June 5 events in Portsmouth will be a stunning light show.

The events in France include a joint UK-French thanksgiving service held in Bayeux Cathedral and a vigil around the Bayeux War Cemeterys stone of remembrance as the 25,000 names of the fallen are read aloud.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps will also join D-Day veterans to mark the occasion.

On June 6, the MoD and Royal British Legion will host the UKs national commemorative event at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer.

It will conclude with a two-minute silence, accompanied by a special tribute flypast from the Red Arrows and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

D-Day veterans will witness a Battle of Britain Memorial Flight flypast on June 3 (Kevin Walton/MoD Crown Copyright/PA)

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister began the anniversary commemorations as he handed a torch of commemoration to a 99-year-old veteran of the landings.

It was part of a relay which will see the Commonwealth War Graves Commissions torch accompany veterans on the ferry to Normandy and form the centrepiece of a light show at the war cemetery in Bayeux.

Mr Sunak said: This June the nation will come together to honour our greatest ever generation.

The country will pay tribute to the heroes who fought against the odds to liberate Europe 80 years ago.

We can never forget those who sacrificed so much to defend the freedom of the UK and our closest allies.

The June 6 event in Normandy will conclude with a two-minute silence (Craig Williams/MoD Crown Copyright/PA)

The D-Day operation  codenamed Operation Neptune  brought together the land, air and sea forces of the allied nations in the largest amphibious invasion in military history and began the process of ending the war in Europe.

Mr Shapps said: The 80th anniversary of D-Day serves as a reminder never to forget those who fought and died so we might live in freedom and at peace.

Their testimony serves as a timeless symbol of the importance of unity, the value of peace and the pursuit of freedom in the face of tyranny.

The eyes of the world will rightfully once again be on these men and women, and I am proud of the work being done by the Armed Forces to pay tribute to the heroes of D-Day at the commemorative events in June.
Donald Trumps lawyers have accused the prosecutions star witness in his hush money trial of lying to jurors.

They portrayed Trump fixer-turned-foe Michael Cohen as a serial liar who is bent on seeing the presumptive Republican presidential nominee behind bars.

As Trump looked on, defence lawyer Todd Blanche pressed Mr Cohen for hours with questions that focused as much on his misdeeds as on the cases specific allegations and tried to sow doubt in jurors minds about Mr Cohens crucial testimony implicating the former president.

Mr Blanches voice rose as he interrogated Mr Cohen with phone records and text messages over Mr Cohens claim that he spoke by phone to Trump about the hush money payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels that is at the heart of the case, days before wiring her lawyer 130,000 dollars.

Mr Blanche said that was a lie, confronting Mr Cohen with texts indicating that what was on his mind, at least initially, during the phone call were harassing calls he was getting from an apparent 14-year-old prankster. Mr Cohen said he believed he also spoke to Trump about the Daniels deal.

Former president Donald Trump in court (Mike Segar/Pool Photo via AP)

We are not asking for your belief. This jury does not want to hear what you think happened, Mr Blanche said, his voice growing even louder, prompting an objection from the prosecutor.

The heated moment was the crescendo of defence cross-examination over two days designed to portray Mr Cohen  a one-time Trump loyalist who has become one of his biggest foes  as a media-obsessed opportunist who turned on the former president after he was denied a White House job.

Whether the defence is successful in undermining Mr Cohens testimony could determine Trumps fate in the case.

Over the course of the trials fourth week of testimony, Mr Cohen described for jurors meetings and conversations he said he had with Trump about the alleged scheme to stifle stories about sex that threatened to torpedo Trumps 2016 campaign.

Prosecutors have tried to blunt the defence attacks on their star witness by getting him to acknowledge at the outset his past crimes, including a guilty plea for lying to Congress about work he did on a Trump real estate deal in Russia.

But the cross-examination underscored the risk of the prosecutors reliance on Mr Cohen, who was peppered repeatedly with questions about his criminal history and past lies. Mr Cohen also testified that he lied under oath when he pleaded guilty to federal charges, including tax fraud, in 2018.

Michael Cohen is prosecutors star witness in the case against Donald Trump (Andres Kudacki/AP)

It was a lie? Correct? Mr Blanche asked Mr Cohen about whether he lied to the late US district judge William H Pauley III at a court hearing about not being pressured into pleading guilty.

Correct, Mr Cohen said.

He is by far the prosecutors most important witness, placing Trump directly at the centre of the alleged scheme to silence women who claimed to have had sexual encounters with Trump. Trump denies the womens claims.

Mr Cohen told jurors that Trump promised to reimburse him for the money he fronted and was constantly updated about behind-the-scenes efforts to bury stories feared to be harmful to his 2016 campaign.

Mr Cohen also matters because the reimbursements he received form the basis of 34 felony counts charging Trump with falsifying business records. Prosecutors say the reimbursements were logged, falsely, as legal expenses to conceal the payments true purpose.

Trump, who insists the prosecution is an effort to damage his campaign to reclaim the White House, says the payments to Mr Cohen were properly categorised as legal expenses because Mr Cohen was a lawyer. The defence has suggested that he was trying to protect his family, not his campaign, by suppressing what he says were false, scurrilous claims.

The crime is that theyre doing this case, Trump told reporters on Thursday before entering the courtroom, flanked by a group of congressional allies.

A court artist sketch of Michael Cohen (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

Mr Blanche confronted Mr Cohen with profane social media posts, a podcast and books he wrote about the former president, getting Mr Cohen to acknowledge that he has made millions of dollars from criticising Trump. In one clip played in court on Thursday, Mr Cohen could be heard using an expletive and saying he truly hopes that this man ends up in prison.

It wont bring back the year that I lost or the damage done to my family. But revenge is a dish best served cold, Mr Cohen was heard saying. You better believe that I want this man to go down.

Mr Cohen acknowledged he has continued to attack Trump, even during the trial.

In one social media post cited by the defence lawyer, Mr Cohen called Trump an alliterative and explicit nickname, as well as an orange-crusted ignoramus. Asked if he used the phrase, Mr Cohen responded: Sounds correct.

Mr Cohen  the prosecutors final witness, at least for now  is expected to return to the witness stand on Monday. The trial will take Friday off so Trump can attend the high school graduation of his youngest son, Barron.

Manhattan district attorney Alvin Braggs office has said it will rest its case once Mr Cohen is done on the stand, though it could have an opportunity to call rebuttal witnesses if Trumps lawyers put on witnesses of their own.

The defence is not obligated to call any witnesses, and it is unclear whether the lawyers will do so.

Trumps lawyers have said they may call Bradley A Smith, a Republican who was appointed by former president Bill Clinton to the Federal Election Commission, to refute the prosecutions contention that the hush money payments amounted to campaign finance violations.

Defence lawyers said they have not decided whether Trump will testify.
FM spokesperson refutes U.S. wrongful remarks on UNGA Resolution 2758

Xinhua) 10:25, May 16, 2024

BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The past few weeks saw repeated ill-intentioned comments from some U.S. officials to challenge the authority of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday, noting that those comments distort the facts and history, tread on international law and the basic norms of international relations, and breach the U.S. own commitment.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a daily press briefing in response to a relevant query that Taiwan has been part of China since ancient times. This is a historical fact; it is also the international consensus. The 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation clearly stipulated that Taiwan, a Chinese territory stolen by Japan, shall be restored to China. These documents with international legal effect formed an integral part of the post-WWII international order and also affirmed Taiwan's status as China's inalienable territory from a legal perspective.

He noted that on October 25, 1971, the 26th session of the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 with an overwhelming majority. The Resolution resolved once and for all the question of the representation of the whole of China, including Taiwan, in the United Nations as a political, legal and procedural issue.

It made clear that there is only one China in the world and that Taiwan is a part of China, not a country. It also made clear that there is only one seat of China in the United Nations, and the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal representative, precluding "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan," Wang said.

The United States is a signatory to the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, the spokesperson noted that in the three China-U.S. joint communiques, the U.S. side clearly states that "the government of the United States of America recognizes China's position that there is only one China and Taiwan is part of China." U.S. leaders have, on multiple occasions, reaffirmed the commitment of not supporting "Taiwan independence," "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan."

However, the U.S. is now publicly questioning and misinterpreting UNGA Resolution 2758, fudging and hollowing out the one-China principle, and trumpeting for the participation of Taiwan in the UN system which requires sovereign statehood. The spokesperson said what the U.S. is doing violates its own commitment and aims to turn back the wheel of history.

Wang stressed that the U.S. distortion and slander of UNGA Resolution 2758 is reminiscent of the U.S. recent claim that UNSC Resolution 2728 demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza is "non-binding." Both cases reflect the U.S. selective approach to international law and the basic norms of international relations, and U.S. bullying and double standards.

However, gone are the days when hegemony and power politics dominated international relations. Any country, including the U.S., that tries to challenge the UNGA Resolution and the one-China principle will only find it futile, Wang said, noting that fifty-three years ago, before UNGA Resolution 2758 was adopted with an overwhelming majority, the U.S. came up with the so-called "dual representation" proposal in an attempt to create "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan" which was discarded. Today, any U.S. attempt to go against the trend of the times, play the "Taiwan card" and use Taiwan to contain China will only end up in greater failure.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
(Photo : Unsplash/Kelly Sikkema)

US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Chair Martin Gruenberg assured skeptical lawmakers on Wednesday that he would address deep-seated cultural issues within his agency and his own conduct.

FDIC Chair's Commitment to Address Cultural Issues

Lawmakers cast doubt on the suitability of the bank regulator for the job. He spent almost two decades in leadership roles at the agency and was also the subject of some employee complaints about his temper.

While Gruenberg expressed remorse for not recognizing the widespread sexual harassment and other issues outlined in an independent report, as well as for instances where he lost his temper with subordinates, he remained determined to remain at the agency and oversee the implementation of necessary changes, during several hours of testimony before Congress. Gruenberg acknowledged that it was important for him to be more aware of how employees might perceive his behavior and to recognize that their perception matters more than his own, mentioning he would even enroll in an anger management course to address this issue.

READ ALSO: US Tech Giants Involved in Alleged Child Labor Case, Dismissed as "Ordinary Buyer-Seller" DRT Transaction

Lawmakers' Skepticism on FDIC Chair's Suitability

Gruenberg encountered consistent criticism from Republicans and Democrats, who expressed frustration, disappointment, and doubt regarding the extent of the issues within the FDIC, where hundreds of employees reported mistreatment to an external law firm hired to investigate the matter following a November Wall Street Journal expose.

While Republicans swiftly called for Gruenberg's resignation or termination by President Joe Biden, Democrats took a more cautious approach, expressing frustration with the agency's challenges and Gruenberg's leadership but indicating a willingness to afford him the chance to address and resolve the issues.

It became evident that Gruenberg would be under pressure to demonstrate improvement at the agency. Representative Nydia Velazquez, a New York Democrat, expressed dissatisfaction with Gruenberg's responses regarding his plans to prevent similar incidents at the FDIC and voiced serious doubts about his ability to reform and lead the agency's culture effectively.

The Biden administration's push for stricter regulations in the banking sector is closely linked to Gruenberg's tenure at the FDIC. His departure would result in a deadlock within the agency, with two Republican and two Democratic board members, and Vice Chair Travis Hill, a Republican, would lead the agency.

FDIC's Overhaul Initiative

The FDIC is collaborating with the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on various ongoing regulatory initiatives, most notably a comprehensive endeavor to revamp how banks assess risk, which would significantly increase capital requirements for large banks.

Gruenberg confirmed his acceptance of all the recommendations from the independent review, including the appointment of a monitor to oversee the agency's cultural overhaul and a third-party expert to assist with this initiative. He also announced plans to establish a new independent office of professional responsibility within the agency.

Gruenberg emphasized that the agency will increase its focus on its 70 field offices, where some of the most severe cases were reported, acknowledging that much work is needed to address these issues.

RELATED ARTICLE: FDIC Facing Workplace Harassment and Bullying Accusations, Sparked Ouster of Chair and Leadership Overhaul

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Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has said that a foreign influence Bill passed by parliament that critics have called a threat to free speech is unacceptable.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Ms Zourabichvili criticised the ruling Georgian Dream party for pushing the Bill, which is widely seen as a threat to Georgias aspirations to join the European Union.

The Bill requires media and non-governmental organisations and other non-profit groups to register as pursuing the interests of a foreign power if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad.

The government says the Bill is needed to stem what it deems harmful foreign actors trying to destabilise politics in the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million people.

Thousands have protested against the Bill (Zurab Tsertsvadze/AP)

Its unacceptable because it reflects a turn of the Georgian attitudes towards the civil society, towards the media and towards the recommendations of the European Commission that are not consistent with what is our declared policy of going towards a European integration, Ms Zourabichvili told the AP.

The president reaffirmed her intention to veto it because it goes directly against the spirit or the letter of EU recommendations.

Ms Zourabichvili is increasingly at odds with the Georgian Dream party, which has a majority sufficient to override it. She has until May 28  14 days after its passage  to act.

She emphasised it is her duty under the constitution to make everything in my capacity possible to support the European integration and to consolidate it.

Huge crowds of protesters have blocked streets in Georgian capital Tbilisi and milled angrily outside the parliament building after lawmakers on Tuesday approved the legislation despite strong criticism from the US and the EU.

The Bill is nearly identical to one that the Georgian Dream party was pressured to withdraw last year after street protests. Renewed demonstrations have rocked Georgia for weeks, with demonstrators scuffling with police, who used tear gas and water cannons to disperse them.

The opposition has denounced the Bill as the Russian law because Moscow uses similar legislation to crack down on independent news media, non-profits and activists critical of the Kremlin.

European Council President Charles Michel said on Tuesday that if Georgians want to join the EU, they have to respect the fundamental principles of the rule of law and the democratic principles.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the US was deeply troubled by the legislation, which she said runs counter to democratic values and would move Georgia further away from the values of the European Union. And lets not forget also Nato.

Enacting the law will compel us to fundamentally reassess our relationship with Georgia, she added.

US assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia Affairs James OBrien met Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday and told journalists that if the law goes forward out of conformity with EU norms, and theres undermining of democracy here and theres violence against peaceful protesters, then we will see restrictions coming from the United States.
South Africa has urged the United Nations top court to order a ceasefire in Gaza during hearings over emergency measures to halt Israels military operation in the enclaves southern city of Rafah.

It is the third time the International Court of Justice has held hearings on the conflict in Gaza since South Africa filed proceedings in December at the court, based in The Hague in the Netherlands, accusing Israel of genocide.

The countrys ambassador to the Netherlands, Vusimuzi Madonsela, urged the panel of 15 international judges to order Israel to totally and unconditionally withdraw from the Gaza Strip.

The court has already found that there is a real and imminent risk to the Palestinian people in Gaza by Israels military operations.

Palestinians walk through the debris after an Israeli air and ground offensive in Khan Younis (Saher Alghorra/AP)

This may well be the last chance for the court to act, said Irish lawyer Blinne Ni Ghralaigh, who is part of South Africas legal team.

Judges at the court have broad powers to order a ceasefire and other measures, though the court does not have its own enforcement apparatus. A 2022 order by the court demanding that Russia halt its full-scale invasion of Ukraine has so far gone unheeded.

During hearings earlier this year, Israel strongly denied committing genocide in Gaza, saying it does all it can to spare civilians and is only targeting Hamas militants. The country says Rafah is the last stronghold of the militant group.

The latest request focuses on the incursion into Rafah.

South Africa argues that the military operation has far surpassed justified self-defence.

Judges enter the International Court of Justice (Peter Dejong/AP)

Israels actions in Rafah are part of the end game. This is the last step in the destruction of Gaza, lawyer Vaughan Lowe said.

According to the latest request, the previous preliminary orders by The Hague-based court were not sufficient to address a brutal military attack on the sole remaining refuge for the people of Gaza.

Israel will be allowed to answer the accusations on Friday.

In January, judges ordered Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza, but the panel stopped short of ordering an end to the military offensive that has laid waste to the Palestinian enclave. In a second order in March, the court said Israel must take measures to improve the humanitarian situation.

South Africa has to date submitted four requests for the international court to investigate Israel. It was granted a hearing three times.

Most of Gazas population of 2.3 million people have been displaced since fighting began.

Judge Nawaf Salam, centre, presides at the International Court of Justice (Peter Dejong/AP)

The war began with a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7 in which Palestinian militants killed around 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages.

Gazas Health Ministry says more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, without distinguishing between civilians and combatants in its count.

South Africa initiated proceedings in December 2023 and sees the legal campaign as rooted in issues central to its identity.

Its governing party, the African National Congress, has long compared Israels policies in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to its own history under the apartheid regime of white minority rule, which restricted most black people to homelands. Apartheid ended in 1994.

On Sunday, Egypt announced it plans to join the case. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Israeli military actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law, humanitarian law, and the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 regarding the protection of civilians during wartime.

Several countries have also indicated they plan to intervene, but so far only Libya, Nicaragua and Colombia have filed formal requests to do so.
A view of the Motor Pool district of Noumea on May 15, 2024 during protests against a French constitutional bill that would enlarge the electorate in the Pacific island territory of New Caledonia and dilute indigenous Kanak voting power.

France imposed a state of emergency on New Caledonia as it attempts to quell several days of unrest triggered by its move to diminish the voting power of the Pacific island territorys indigenous Kanak people.

Frances High Commissioner Louis Le Franc said four people have died in the rioting centered on the capital Noumea - three Kanak independence supporters and a police officer who was reportedly shot.

Significant means continue to be implemented by the state to restore order and ensure the protection of the population, Le Franc said in a statement Thursday. An air bridge between France and the territory will make it possible to quickly transport internal security, civil security and military reinforcements.

Despite a curfew and ban on gatherings, businesses have been torched, roads blocked and gunfire exchanged between security forces and thousands of independence supporters in the three days of violence that Le Franc said was a dangerous spiral - a spiral that is deadly.

After condemning the violence, French President Emmanuel Macron asked his Council of Ministers to declare a state of emergency, which went into effect before dawn in New Caledonia on Thursday and gives authorities sweeping search, arrest and censorship powers.

All violence is intolerable and will be met with an unwavering response to ensure the return of order, a statement from Macrons office said.

The Kanak Front de Liberation Nationale Kanak et Socialiste independence movement appealed for peace to be restored, but also condemned the constitutional amendment and Frances rejection of calls to withdraw it from consideration.

France and political leaders in New Caledonia should resume dialogue and reach an internationally recognized agreement allowing New Caledonia to continue its path towards emancipation, FLNKs said in a statement.

Masked residents of neighborhoods south of New Caledonias capital Noumea set up roadblocks to block pro-independence activists on May 15, 2024. [Delphine Mayeur/AFP]





The unrest is the worst political violence to hit the Pacific island located between Australia and Fiji since the 1980s. Five alleged leaders of the uprising are under house arrest and about 200 people in total have been detained, Le Franc said. More than 60 security personnel were injured.

The rioting erupted as the lower house of Frances parliament debated and subsequently approved a constitutional amendment to unfreeze New Caledonias electoral roll, which would give the vote to thousands of French immigrants and create a significant obstacle to the autonomy aspirations of Kanaks.

Final approval of the amendment requires a joint sitting of Frances lower house and Senate. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told the lower house that it was undemocratic for some 42,000 peopleabout one in five possible voters in New Caledoniato be disenfranchised.

Kanaks are about 40% of New Caledonias 270,000 people but are marginalized in their own land - they have lower incomes and poorer health than Europeans who make up a third of the population and occupy most positions of power in the territory.

New Caledonias pro-independence government - the first in its history - could lose power in elections due in December if the electoral roll is enlarged.

The president of New Caledonias pro-independence government, Louis Mapou, addresses a press conference in Noumea on May 15, 2024. [Theo Rouby/AFP]





The message I have on behalf of the government is to have confidence in the future. You have to have faith in the future, said Louis Mapou, a pro-independence Kanak politician who is president of the islands government.

You need to trust the ability of your political leaders to get the country out of the situation we are in, he told a press conference. Theres no choice, no other way out.

Frances control of New Caledonia and its surrounding islands gives the European nation a significant security and diplomatic role in the Pacific at a time when the U.S., Australia and other Western countries are pushing back against Chinas inroads in the region. New Caledonia also has valuable nickel deposits that are among the worlds largest.

The Kanak independence movement, like the West Papuan movement for independence from Indonesia, has significant support in Pacific island nations that shook off colonial rule last century.

The Melanesian Spearhead Group - which groups Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and the FLNKS - has opposed Frances constitutional amendment.

These events could have been avoided if the French Government had listened and not proceeded to bulldoze the Constitutional Bill aimed at unfreezing the electoral roll, said MSG chair and Vanuatus Prime Minister Charlot Salwai in a statement, supporting the FLNKS call for the appointment of a mutually agreed mediator.

New Caledonia voted by modest majorities to remain part of France in referendums held in 2018 and 2020 under a U.N.-mandated decolonization process. Three votes were part of the Noumea Accord to increase Kanaks political power following deadly violence in the 1980s.

A contentious final referendum in 2022 was overwhelmingly in favor of continuing with the status quo. However supporters of independence have rejected its legitimacy due to very low turnout - it was boycotted by the independence movement - and because it was held during a serious phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, which restricted campaigning.

Loyalist and pro-independence groups earlier in the week released a joint statement calling for calm.

We are convinced that it is through dialogue and resilience that we can collectively get out of this situation, it said.
A priest leads a thanksgiving prayer for volunteers who sailed with the Atin Ito!s civilian convoy to mark what they said was the successful end of their South China Sea mission, May 16, 2024.

Vessels in a Philippine civilian convoy were sailing home late Thursday after claiming that an advance boat had successfully delivered food and fuel to Filipino fishermen near Scarborough Shoal despite a Chinese blockade.

The coalition that organized the convoy said that a 10-member advance team had set sail toward the contested shoal in the South China Sea unannounced on Tuesday, on the eve of the departure of its much publicized flotilla.

The advance boat sailed to about 30 nautical miles from the shoal to deliver its supplies even as a Chinese navy ship shadowed it, convoy organizers said.

The mission achieved a major victory when its advance team reached the vicinity of [Scarborough] Shoal on May 15, despite Chinas massive and illegal blockade, said Atin Ito! (This Is Ours!), a coalition of Filipino nationalists and civilian organizations, that staged the convoy.

About 100 fishing boats began the journey on Wednesday  most returned after participating in a ceremony about 20 miles from shore  while four larger boats sailed on toward Scarborough Shoal. As of publication time, those boats were sailing toward Subic, in Zambales province, northern Philippines, and were expected to arrive early Friday.

Fishermen from FB Bing Bing, a lead boat of the Atin Ito! civilian convoy, pull their net as the sun sets on the South China Sea, May 16, 2024. [Jojo Rinoza/BenarNews]

Scarborough Shoal, known as Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines, is 125 nautical miles (232 km) from the west coast of Luzon, the main Philippine island. The shoal lies within Manilas exclusive economic zone (EEZ), but has been under Chinas de facto control since 2012.

Filipino fishermen who venture into the shoals rich fishing ground say they are routinely harassed by Chinese ships.

3 objectives

The coalition said it accomplished its three main objectives: A solidarity and peace regatta of 100 small fishing boats in waters within the Philippines EEZ; the placement of symbolic buoys or markers to delineate Philippine territory; and the distribution of food and fuel to fishermen in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal.

Long live our victory! The West Philippine Sea is ours, the coalition said, using Manilas name for South China Sea waters within the EEZ.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the flotillas launch on Wednesday, Rafaela David, one of coalitions leaders, said her group had learned from a similar convoy in December 2023, whose attempted destination was another disputed shoal, Second Thomas (Ayungin) Shoal. She added that the boats in this weeks convoy would sail toward Scarborough Shoal at a safe distance to avoid confrontation.

The earlier convoy did not reach the shoal because of constant shadowing by Chinese ships. On Wednesday evening, boats in the Philippine convoy reported seeing ships from the China Coast Guard, although they were still a long way from Scarborough Shoal.

A China Coast Guard ship shadows a convoy of Philippine civilian boats, May 16, 2024. [Jojo Rinoza/BenarNews]

Meanwhile in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin called on Manila to stop its provocations in the South China Sea.

We once again urge the Philippines to face the facts, honor its word, stop infringement and provocations at once and return to the right track of properly settling maritime differences through negotiation and consultation. If the Philippines does not change course, China will take necessary measures to firmly defend our legitimate rights and interests, he told reporters on Thursday.

Wang was responding to a question during a news conference about a previous incident between the two nations and not specifically about the flotilla. He reiterated Manilas arrangements with Beijing over the South China Sea.

Whether its the gentlemens agreement, or the internal understandings, or the new model on properly managing the situation in the South China Sea, they all have clear timelines and are supported by solid evidence. No one can deny their existence, Wang said.
No one knows where she came from, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told reporters on Thursday.

Alice Leal Guo, mayor of Bamban town in Tarlac province, attends a Senate hearing in Metro Manila, May 7, 2024.

The Philippine government is investigating a town mayor accused of involvement in illegal gaming operations and ties to China amid heightened territorial tensions between Manila and Beijing over the South China Sea.

Senators this month began questioning Alice Leal Guo, the mayor of Bamban town in Tarlac province on both allegations, although she has maintained she is a Philippine citizen and denied her involvement in unlawful gaming.

The probe comes amid a controversy over an alleged phone conversation between a Chinese official and a senior Filipino military commander about an agreement on a new model for Manilas resupply missions for forces at its base on a contested shoal in the South China Sea.

The Philippines said Monday it was investigating whether Chinese embassy staff in Manila had engaged in a disinformation campaign related to the contested sea by making public the alleged phone conversation, which was released recently, amid allegations of illegal wiretapping.

In the midst of these accusations about clandestine operations, opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros grilled Guo in the Senate last week about her mysterious past and alleged involvement in two gaming operations in Bamban.

We nearly drowned in numerous revelations that led to more questions.  is it true that Mayor Alice Guo is a Chinese national? asked Hontiveros, who is leading the Senate probe into what are referred to as Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGOs).

The two allegedly illegal POGOs in Bamban were operating on property apparently owned by Guos company. Documents presented to the Senate allegedly showed that Guo had personally applied for one of the twos permits in 2020.

Questionable business partner

Guo read out from a prepared statement at the hearing.

It is sad that I have been judged prematurely. I was tried publicly based on baseless allegations and made-up stories, she said.

Guo acknowledged that she had once owned half of the company on which the two POGOS were operating, but had divested from the business as required, before running for public office  in this case, the post of Bamban mayor  in 2022.

POGOs are online gaming firms that cater to foreign customers, especially nationals from China, where gambling is illegal. They are subject to government regulation, and flourished under the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Thousands of Chinese nationals work in the Philippines for POGOs, according to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), a government-owned entity.

POGOs hired at least 69,000 Chinese nationals for their language skills, PAGCOR says. But some lawmakers believed that number may be higher if undocumented Chinese nationals working in POGOs were included.

In recent years, Philippine authorities have accused these POGOs of being involved in various crimes such as human trafficking, hacking, and online scams.

In fact, one senator, Sherwin Gatchalian, accused Guo of having a fugitive as a business partner.

He cited Philippine immigration records as indicating that Huang Zhiyong, the chief of one of the POGOs linked to Guo, was apparently evading a Chinese arrest warrant.

An asset that China sent?

Allegations about Guos business partner aside, what struck the senators and the public the most when she was questioned, were the mayors fishy answers on May 7 to basic personal questions about her family, school and similar facts.

For instance, Sen. Hontiveros, who had in her possession a copy of Guos birth registration, asked the mayor whether her birth had only been registered when she was 17 years old.

Guo said she could not remember.

She said her father is named Guo Jianzhong, and his English name is Angelito Guo, while her mother is a certain Amelia Leal. But she said she has no idea if they were married.

So bizarre did Filipinos find these and other answers that the video clip of this interrogation  the Senate proceedings were aired on television  went viral on social media, with many people creating memes from Guos answers.

Hontiveros asked Senate members: Is Guo  an asset that China sent to enter our government for them to have an influence in Philippine politics?

Senators said they suspected Guo had infiltrated the Philippine administration by winning the 2022 mayoral election in Bamban town on the countrys main island of Luzon.

Guo has yet to respond to allegations about her links to China but has continued to assert she is a citizen of the Philippines.

No one knows her

Meanwhile, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told journalists on Thursday that he supported the probe, local media reported.

I know all the politicians from Tarlac [province], no one knows her, he said.

So, we are wondering where she came from? We don't know. Thats why an investigation is really needed.

BenarNews on Thursday sought comment on Guo from the Chinese Embassy in Manila but did not hear back.

Members of the Philippine House of Representatives are eyeing a parallel probe into Guo, citing possible implications to national security.

Its possible to have a parallel investigation here in the House of Representatives, House Assistant Majority Leader Rep. Raul Angelo Bongalon told reporters on Wednesday.

This is very serious and at the same time very alarming. This is a national security issue.

The solicitor generals office on Thursday also said it was investigating Guo.

The Senate, which took a short break from questioning, resumes the investigation on May 22.

Jeoffrey Maitem in Cotabato City, Philippines, contributed to this report.
ASEAN Special Envoy Alounkeo Kittikhoun (left) poses for a photograph with Myanmars junta chief Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, in Naypyidaw, May 15, 2024.

A Southeast Asian envoy this week met Myanmars junta chief to discuss a peaceful resolution to the civil war in the country, a junta controlled newspaper reported on Thursday, but a shadow government opposed to military rule said there could be no solution without its involvement.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been trying to help restore democracy and peace in Myanmar after the February 2021 military coup there led to insurgent groups fighting with the juntas forces to end its rule.

But the junta, led by Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, has largely shunned the efforts of the 10-member regional bloc of which it is a member.

ASEAN special envoy Alounkeo Kittikhoun and other bloc officials on Wednesday met the junta chief for talks in Myanmars capital, Naypyidaw, on Wednesday, the Burmese newspaper reported.

They discussed which issues the regional bloc would assist in, how to find a peaceful resolution to the current situation, and the possibility of ASEAN-Myanmar cooperation.

Myanmars crisis has raised questions about the efficacy of the grouping in tackling problems in a region where both China and the United States compete for influence.

ASEAN had in April 2021 drawn up a five-point peace plan aimed at ending the violence and promoting dialogue.

The plan includes talks with leaders of all sides, including the imprisoned democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi. But she remains in jail while fighting between junta forces and insurgents opposed to military rule has intensified.

While ASEAN has excluded Myanmars leaders from most of its summits, some members, including neighbors Thailand and current ASEAN chair Laos, have engaged with the junta. Others, however, have condemned the Myanmar military for the coup and subsequent crackdowns on dissent.

The ASEAN humanitarian center has overseen a Thai aid delivery to Myanmar, raising the possibility of an expanded cross-border humanitarian role for the grouping.

One-sided talk

A spokesperson for Myanmars shadow National Unity Government (NUG), which claims the right to represent the country at the international level, dismissed the latest ASEAN effort as doomed, saying the military would not heed its peace plan.

If they meet and hold a one-sided talk with the military council, nothing will happen, said Nay Phone Latt, a representative of NUGs prime ministers office.

It is also necessary for ASEAN representatives to meet and discuss with ethnic armed groups, [and] the National Unity Government, which are the main players in Myanmar.

Envoy Kittikhoun held talks with the NUGs foreign minister, Zin Mar Aung, in Myanmar in January.

Pro-democracy activists loyal to the NUG have formed militias in various parts of the country to fight the military in cooperation with ethnic minority insurgent groups that have been battling for self-determination for decades.

Junta forces have faced setbacks in several places since their opponents launched offensives late last year while the fighting has displaced about 3 million people.

The ASEAN envoy and the junta chief also discussed humanitarian assistance while the military explained its strategy to prepare for promised elections , the newspaper reported.

Political analyst Sai Kyi Zin Soe told Radio Free Asia, a news organization affiliated with BenarNews, that it was not clear how much talks brokered by international parties such as ASEAN could really help Myanmar.

The international assumption is that issues in Myanmar could be resolved through dialogue. Thats why it is urging the military council to meet and discuss.

But we will have to wait and see how far that would help in practice.
'Nana and other stories' at Gladstone Gallery Seoul expands upon the painter's 2023 Met show

By Park Han-sol

In Cecily Browns 2.1-meter-long portrait, Nana, her frenzied brushstrokes summon a woman, chestnut-haired and nude, lolling on a bed, with her coquettish gaze directed toward spectators beyond the canvas.

The piece borrows its title from Edouard Manets controversial 1877 painting of a young courtesan in a boudoir with her awaiting client, but reimagines Nanas original dainty figure as a feverishly expressive  and liberating  form.

Its one of the latest paintings representing the recognized oeuvre that has made Brown the second-most-valuable living female artist after Yayoi Kusama. Her most expensive work, Suddenly Last Summer, sold for $6.7 million at a 2018 Sothebys auction.

Her visual cornucopia of textured strokes, colors and provocative bodies  many of which radically reinterpret motifs from Western modern art history  makes it impossible for onlookers to hastily scan the surface and move on. In fact, in her art, where there is always something recognizable even when it is at its most abstract, things only reveal themselves slowly over time. Even when you think youre done with the piece, there is always going to be something new that catches the eye.

New York Times art critic Roberta Smith once described Brown as a painter of excess, offering endless possibilities for looking and interpreting  more than some viewers can easily handle.

I like the idea that its changing before your eyes, that its elusive and very hard to hold onto in a way that youre always chasing after it, the 55-year-old remarked at Gladstone Gallery Seoul last month during her first visit to the country. Its almost a battle; you want to look at it, but its sort of vibrating in place.

Nana is a striking prelude to the New York-based painters solo show at the Seoul gallery titled Nana and other stories, which comes on the heels of her compact mid-career survey, Death and the Maid, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art last year.

The exhibition is, in a way, an extension of Browns Met show as the seven new sumptuous paintings on display result from her revisiting  and expanding on  her previous series and subjects spotlighted at the New York museum.

I feel the works here deal with my processing of the exhibition [at the Met] and what it meant, she said. Its almost like my personal retrospective, [staged] after looking back at all my past works and seeing threads that I had forgotten about or had never taken up in another direction.

These introspective moments and changes are more evident in some pieces than others.

In Lavenders Blue, displayed on the second floor, the artist fills the scene with pastel tones of blues and purples, deviating from her usually favored palettes of reds, yellows and pinks. For the first time, she also opted for a paint roller instead of a brush to bring the melancholic nude to life.

I always try to change the size, scale, color and subject [of my art] but I realized in the Met show that I never changed my brushes, she noted, adding that her newfound tool, which helps her cover larger areas at once, fights against my desire and impulse to get really intense and neurotic.

The paintings in the basement lean more heavily toward the fantastical and the gestural.

Good Queen Mab recalls a fairy referred to in Shakespeares play Romeo and Juliet and Victorian fairy art, capturing the uneasy feeling of something percolating in the undergrowth.

Meanwhile, in The Sorcerers Apprentice, the London-born artist puts a manic spin on the still-life of everyday domestic items. You might think its a lemon one minute, but the next time you look, maybe its a dead rabbit or a screaming dog, she said with a chuckle.

Such a frantic accumulation of colors and motifs in Browns art is what make the viewing experience a wonderfully confounding one.

Nana and other stories runs through June 8 at Gladstone Gallery Seoul.
ro-democracy protesters, joined by Sitanun Satsaksit, sister of Thai activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit, who went missing in Cambodia in 2020, commemorate the first anniversary of his enforced disappearance with a candlelight vigil in Bangkok, June 4, 2021.

UPDATED at 10:23 a.m. ET on 2024-05-16

Thailand, which was long considered a safe haven in Southeast Asia for exiles fleeing from persecution, has been helping neighboring countries repress refugees and dissidents, a human rights group said in a report Thursday.

During the past decade Thailand facilitated surveillance, violence, abductions, enforced disappearances and forced returns, while authorities also engaged in acts of transnational repression against Thai activists in exile, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in its report.

Governments in Southeast Asia have long been suspected of engaging in quid-pro-quo agreements about refugees and asylum seekers, colloquially known as swap mart arrangements, the New York-based watchdog group reported.

HRW said the government of then-Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha, a Thai army chief who led a coup that toppled a civilian government in May 2014, had repressed dissidents from abroad, including from Cambodia, Vietnam and China. A new civilian-led ruling coalition took over from Prayuths administration after last years general election, but it includes parties with military ties.

Thailand has long had a reputation as a sanctuary for those fleeing persecution. Even if refugees couldnt stay in Thailand legally or long term, many people waited here for third country resettlement, Elaine Pearson, HRWs Asia director, told BenarNews.

But now many asylum seekers and refugees do not feel safe in Thailand. This practice of forced returns escalated since the 2014 military coup and particularly during the period of military-led government of 2014 to 2023.

The repression in Thailand had often occurred even though the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had recognized the dissidents as refugees, HRW said in the report titled We thought we were safe  Repression and Forced Return of Refugees in Thailand.

Pearson said the administration of new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin should also investigate allegations of harassment, intimidation and forced returns by Thai authorities against exiled nationals in Southeast Asia.

There are serious concerns about freedom of expression in Thailand. Certain politically sensitive topics cannot be discussed without the threat or risk of arrest or jail, she said. Since the coup we have seen an increase in lese-majeste [royal defamation] prosecutions, with hundreds of people arrested and detained  often for peaceful acts of free expression.

After Human Rights Watch released its report, BenarNews tried to contact Chai Watcharong, spokesman for the Prime Ministers Office, and Maj. Gen. Choengron Rimpadee, spokesman for the polices Immigration Bureau, to seek comment on it, but they did not immediately respond.

Late Thursday, however, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a response to the report by Human Rights Watch.

Although Thailand is not a party to the 1954 Refugee Convention, we have continued to take care of various groups of persons fleeing from conflict and persecution from other countries into Thailand to take refuge in areas along our border as well as in an urban setting, ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura said as part of a statement to Radio Free Asia (RFA), a news organization affiliated with BenarNews.

We are committed to respecting and upholding humanitarian principles, including the principle of non-refoulement. We have also cooperated with various partners to provide support and assistance as well facilitate durable solutions for these persons.

Thai laws prohibit government agencies and officers from forcibly repatriating a foreign national, if there are reasonable grounds that the person could be tortured or disappeared upon his or her return home, Nokorndej said.

This regulation should serve as a deterrent to the alleged actions, which if they actually took place, will be subjected to legal procedures under the [anti-torture and enforced disappearances] Act, he said.

25 cases

HRW based its report on the analysis of 25 cases in Thailand between 2014 and 2023.

A year after the 2014 coup, Chinese dissidents in Thailand started going missing, HRW said, suggesting that authorities had acted apparently at the request of the Chinese government, for arrest and refoulement to China.

In November 2015, democracy activists Jiang Yefei and Dong Guangping, who fled China and received refugee status from UNHCR, were deported from Thailand shortly after their arrests. The deportations occurred even though Canada had granted them asylum.

Months earlier, Thai authorities deported at least 109 ethnic Uyghurs to China. They were among more than 500 Uyghurs who fled Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to Southeast Asian countries in 2013 and 2014, according to Thai officials and NGOs. Turkey had offered many of them asylum.

Thailands then-military government, facing criticism from the United States and other Western countries over the 2014 coup, was keen to forge closer ties with China, analysts said.

Worachat Awipan, a scholar at Payap Universitys Institute of Religion, Culture and Peace Lab, said efforts to force the return of dissidents to their home countries reflected negatively on Thailands international image.

The problem of human rights violations against refugees and political dissidents from foreign countries, facilitated by our own state officials, is something that Thai society should be aware of and prioritize, Worachat told BenarNews.

If we truly want to resolve this issue, we must strictly respect and comply with the obligation to not force people back to places where they are not safe, and seriously and transparently investigate and punish Thai officials who support these legal violations, Worachat said.

Repression

While Thai authorities moved against foreign dissidents, Thai activists seeking refuge in neighboring countries also faced repression.

Several left-wing dissidents who left Thailand after the 2014 coup disappeared in Cambodia and Laos, with two found dead in the Mekong river, which forms the border between Thailand and Laos.

Detainees stand behind cell bars at the police Immigration Detention Center in central Bangkok, Jan. 21, 2019. [Sakchai Lalit/AP]

In 2020, prominent Thai activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit was allegedly abducted in broad daylight by gunmen from in front of his apartment complex in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. He remains missing.

Human rights activists said they believed Thailand and Cambodia had agreed on his abduction, while both governments denied any involvement.

HRW said Cambodian opposition members and activists made up many of the cases it had documented in Thailand, practices that it said were facilitated by the close relationship between the neighbors then-leaders, Prayuth and Cambodias Hun Sen.

While the rights group said the existence of a swap mart between governments was difficult to verify with regard to Thailand, arrangements with other abusive governments to facilitate transnational repression would be consistent with the evidence gathered.

Despite the restoration of an elected government in Thailand last year, the ill-treatment of dissidents has continued, HRW said as it called for change.

The new Thai government of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin that resulted from the May 2023 election has an urgent obligation to end the swap mart and other such arrangements, and take action to resist and expose transnational repression of all forms by foreign governments pursuing exiled dissidents in Thailand, HRW said.

Given these cases occurred during the period of military-led rule, there is a real opportunity for the Srettha government to show it is different and make a commitment to resist and expose transnational repression by foreign governments, Pearson said.

The Srettha government should launch an investigation into allegations of harassment and intimidation of foreign nationals in Thailand and the role of Thai officials in those actions.

Pearson noted that the new government pledged to continue with lese-majeste, the strict anti-royal defamation law, although U.N. experts had raised concerns about how it is applied, including use of pretrial detention to punish critics of the monarchy.

Meanwhile, Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, director of the Cross-Cultural Foundation, a Thai NGO, called on Sretthas administration to stop deporting refugees.

The report by Human Rights Watch should serve as evidence for the global community that such violations by the government are unacceptable. Now, with Thailands Anti-Torture Act, which prohibits sending people back to face danger, both of these should make the government aware and prevent the deportation of refugees, as well as hold accountable officials who attempt to carry out such deportations, Pornpen told BenarNews.

Nontarat Phaicharoen and Jon Preechawong in Bangkok contributed to this report.

This report has been updated to include comments from Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs in response to the report published by Human Rights Watch.
By Pyo Kyung-min

Visitors exploring Korean artifacts at the British Museum are in for a special treat: audio explanations narrated by the members of K-pop icon NewJeans.

Ador, the agency representing NewJeans, announced Tuesday, through an official press release, that the group's five members  Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein  volunteered to lend their voices for audio introductions to key exhibits in the Korean Gallery of the British Museum.

In the narrations, NewJeans introduces significant pieces such as a porcelain moon jar from the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom, a 14th century blue-and-white inlaid celadon vase, a mural depicting the Four Heavenly Kings of Buddhist mythology and a recreated 18th-century study room built using traditional Korean techniques.

The quintet also provided commentary on select Roman-British artifacts, including a bronze head of Emperor Hadrian.

The Korean audio tour featuring NewJeans' voices is accessible through the museums guide app.

"It's truly an honor and joy for us to be a part of showcasing the rich beauty of Korean culture through these artifacts," the members stated through the release. "We hope many will listen."

Meanwhile, NewJeans is gearing up for a musical comeback next Friday with its new album, "How Sweet." This anticipated release includes an eponymous titular track along with the pre-released hit "Bubble Gum," totaling four songs.

Following this, the group will debut in Japan with an album titled "Supernatural" on June 21, coinciding with a fan meet-and-greet event at the Tokyo Dome. The fan event highlighted the group's substantial global following, with tickets for the two-day event selling out immediately upon release.
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BENNINGTON  New Bennington Deputy States Attorney Artemas Richardson has lived all over. He was born in New Hampshire, one of four children, to a career Navy family. He spent a lot his formative years in different corners of the world, at an international high school in South Korea and a NATO compound in Italy, as well as time in and around Washington DC. While in the Navy himself, Artemas served in places as far off as Diego Garcia, by the Horn of Africa in the British Indian Ocean.

An admittedly obsessively, obedient child who harbored a secret desire to be a science fiction animator, he was urged by his parents to consider that law as a career.

The law was never on his radar.

I always resisted it, Artemas said. I loved art, storytelling, fantasy, and science fiction as a kid. I wanted to one day become an animator. Knowing me better than I knew myself, my parents wanted me to go into law from the beginning. We didnt have any family members that were lawyers, and I didnt know any lawyers; I had never even met any lawyers. I wasnt familiar at all with what they did. The only impressions I got of lawyers were from television, which were usually portrayed as negative characters. I was concentrating on doing something real with my life.

To Artemas, real meant something that had a positive, measurable, even physical impact on the world, careers like a police officer or the military, maybe a social worker or Peace Corps volunteer. These were all far removed from the obscure world of the law.

His parents: a father who was a career Naval Officer serving for a time at the Pentagon and a mom who was an intel officer for NCIS (The genuine Naval Criminal Investigative Service, not the popular television show,) nonetheless instilled a sense of duty and service from an early age, despite the hardships of living overseas.

Artemas left for college while his family was still stationed in Korea, attending Skidmore College in New York without much direction as to where he was going. After graduation, with a bachelors degree in government philosophy, a wife, and two daughters, he still felt rudderless. He decided to join the Navy, starting Officer Candidate School soon afterward.

It was the life I was most familiar with, he says.

He soon found himself as a Surface Warfare Officer, navigating ships and overseeing a division of sailors on the Antietam, the Dewey, a missile-guided destroyer, and the San Diego, an amphibious warfare ship.

Artemas eventually grew disillusioned with his role in the military and ended his career after eleven years as a Lieutenant due to the abstract nature of what he was doing.

I [remembered I] wanted to do something real with my life, Artemas said, I found myself working hard, knowing that the mission in a strategic sense was valuable, but the visible impact you see every day is not the same. We would spend days cruising around in a circle in the middle of the ocean as part of a certain mission, but, day-to-day, youre looking out at the same ocean. I didnt feeling like I was making anybodys life any better than it was. That was important to me.

During his time in the Navy, Artemas eventually did meet some real lawyers, naval attorneys in the JAG unit. They left a significant mark on the direction his life would soon take.

They talked about their jobs, and I got to know them, Artemas said. Ive always been sort of an argumentative and rules-oriented person throughout my life, which is why my parents wanted me to become a lawyer. Speaking with the JAGs, I finally felt like these are my people. Thats when I thought that maybe I should give this a try, that maybe (he laughs) my parents could have been right all those years ago.

In 2020, Artemas began attending Albany Law School. By then, he was living with his family near his now-retired parents in Bennington. He graduated Albany Law Magna Cum Laude in December 2023 and credits a lot of his success on the work ethic he learned in the military.

"I wasnt a great student when I attended Skidmore all those years ago, Artemas said. I learned a lot about work ethic, studying, focus, and getting things done on time in the Navy. It made a big difference.

Hoping to work close to home after being away from his family for so long and hoping he could work in his community to see the direct impact his work could have daily, Artemas first worked for a local law firm, then learned of the Bennington States Attorney opening. He applied, was hired in April 2024, and hasnt looked back since.

Whats most important to me is to get a fair result for everyone, Artemas said while discussing how he feels about the law and his new responsibilities in Bennington. I want to protect the community and do my best to help people experience justice. There have been so many people over just these last few week...[and] some of these people have been dealt a pretty raw hand. Poverty, mental illness, and substance abuse can all play a part in that. I want people to trust the system, [the] victims, and the community.

That dream of making a difference from so long ago  that real impact  how does that fit in right now? Does Artemas feel like he's still on a big ship in the ocean, making constant circles?

I certainly hope not, Artemas says with a laugh. You can see the impact every single day on the decisions you make. You go to an arraignment on the first day, and its just a name on a sheet of paper. But then, you have to look them in the eyes. Its real life. I have this responsibility to do the right thing. The things that I say about this person can change the course of his or her life, for the victims as well. I feel like, based on my experience, Im going to do my best to be considered worthy of that responsibility.
MONTPELIER  With the Legislature anticipated to consider a bill next year to bring a ranked choice voting system to Vermont for the 2028 presidential primary, municipal clerks are looking ahead at what implementation would mean.

"It's important to remember that an election requires extensive planning, preparation and communication," said Brattleboro Town Clerk Hilary Francis. "We really need to make sure that we're maintaining the integrity of the election and ensuring that the public will trust in the system, and that's our primary goal when we're running elections."

Francis and Sarah Montgomery, assistant city clerk in Burlington, were invited to speak with Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas in the second of two webinars about ranked choice voting hosted by the League of Women Voters of Vermont this month. League President Sue Racanelli called the system "a new and powerful way of choosing our leaders."

Ranked choice voting contemplated in Vermont MONTPELIER  A bill anticipated in the next legislative session could bring a ranked choice 

Now in her eighth year as Brattleboro's town clerk, Francis previously worked in non-profit advocacy and organizing. With a nonprofit in Maine, she promoted ranked choice voting.

Montgomery recently participated in efforts to expand ranked choice voting in her community. The system allows voters the ability to indicate a first choice, second choice and so on.

In 2006 and 2009, Burlington used ranked choice voting for mayoral elections only.

"This was repealed in 2010 by a citizen initiative," Montgomery said.

Burlington adopted ranked choice voting for city council races only in 2022 and expanded it the following year to include all local official races. Montgomery said the process involved requesting a charter amendment through the Legislature after voters approved it, then the adoption of an ordinance describing how the process would work.

Voter outreach included an informational document and video. Info sheets were posted in voting booths at polling locations and sent with ballot mailings.

"We do automatically mail our local election ballots out to all of our active registered voters," Montgomery said. "So we sent that information out to around 24,000 voters with their ballot. We also had community partners that helped share the information we created but also that created their own information and shared that out with our community."

Some errors in voting have been observed but "it was pretty minimal," Montgomery said. She cited duplicate rankings as an example.

Tabulators will let a voter know if they're about to overvote, whereas mailed ballots do not. A new ballot can be requested if a voter realizes they made a mistake.

Unofficial results from tabulators come in "pretty quickly," Montgomery said.

"As soon as all of the tabulators and memory cards are centralized, we can run that report," she said. "It just takes a minute or two. It's the official results that take a little bit longer."

Montgomery said election officials need to tally all of the individual writings marked on the ballot before the official results come in, and adjudication of write-in candidates can delay the process.

"I would imagine we could get it done within two to three days at the state level," she said. "That's a little bit bigger of a consideration on how that would be done."

In Burlington, some voters chose not to use the ranking system. They just filled out their first-choice candidate.

"It's good to know that that doesn't disenfranchise that voter," Copeland Hanzas said. "They can vote for their one strong preference and if they have other candidates who they feel would do a good job if their first choice doesn't win then they can go ahead and fill out that ranked ballot."

Montgomery said the system provides voters with the opportunity to "make multiple selections."

"They can really vote their first rank as the candidate that they like best, even though it might not be the candidate that they think is going to win," she said. "So if that candidate gets eliminated in that first round or second round, they're still able to have that vote go toward their second favorite candidate."

Francis said the system helps do away with strategic voting and reduces negative campaigning.

"It really encourages candidates to really promote themselves and their platforms and not tear down their opponents," she said. "There's definitely interest in Brattleboro."

A non-binding resolution approved at annual Representative Town Meeting March expresses support for ranked choice voting and requests "additional education about the option" for all elections.

Francis encouraged lawmakers to think beyond the presidential election to ensure the system could potentially be adopted for local elections if Vermonters like it.

"The way we had envisioned moving towards ranked choice voting for the presidential primary is that we would have the Legislature direct our office to lead a group of stakeholders who would come together and really think through some of these implementation issues," Copeland Hanzas said.

Francis and Montgomery urged heavy voter outreach before rolling out the new system.
MONTPELIER  The Democrat-controlled Vermont Legislature has passed one of the strongest data privacy measures in the country aimed at cracking down on companies' use of online personal data, which would let consumers file civil lawsuits against companies that break certain privacy rules.

However, Republican Gov. Phil Scott has concerns about how part of the legislation could affect small businesses. He hasn't seen the final bill that passed early Saturday before the Legislature adjourned. He will make a decision once he's had a chance to review it, his spokesperson Jason Maulucci said Tuesday.

The bill prohibits the sale of sensitive data, such as social security and drivers' license numbers, financial or health information. It also sets meaningful limits on the amount of personal data that companies can collect and use, according to the nonprofit Electronic Privacy Information Center based in Washington, D.C.

More than a dozen states have comprehensive data privacy laws. Vermont's is "among the strongest, if not the strongest" in the country, said Caitriona Fitzgerald, deputy director of EPIC.

State Rep. Monique Priestley, a Democrat and a sponsor of the bill, told colleagues Friday night that without thoughtful and comprehensive measures, gaps can be exploited, undermining the protections legislators were seeking.

"At a time when everything we do and everything we are is monetized in a surveillance economy, the urgency of this moment cannot be overstated," she said, according to EPIC.

A big step in the legislation is allowing consumers to sue, which Fitzgerald said has been the most effective way to ensure that companies comply with privacy laws. State attorneys general do not have the resources to enforce these privacy regulations, Fitzgerald said.

If there is a violation and a person wants to sue, the company has 60 days to remedy that problem, Priestley said Tuesday. The governor has been concerned about the private right of action and what it could mean for Vermont small businesses and "mom and pop" shops, his spokesperson said.

The Vermont Chamber of Commerce said Tuesday that it shares the governor's concerns. "Ultimately this will make it harder and more expensive for Vermont businesses to compete," said Megan Sullivan, vice president for government affairs, by email Tuesday.

Legislators decided to limit that action to violations by data brokers, which are companies that make a majority of their revenue selling data, as well as large data holders, which are companies processing data from 100,000 Vermonters or more a year, Priestley said.

"The biggest feedback we were getting is that this would catch small businesses before they're ready basically. We haven't had any data privacy policies in place, so they really need to learn what good data standards," she said. "But the big companies, they already know."

The bill also includes parts of previous legislation aimed at protecting children.

"What's left is really a product and safety liability bill as far as minimizing addictive features and things like that," Priestley said.

The passage of Vermont's legislation came the week after Maryland's governor signed two measures into law aimed at better protecting personal data online from Big Tech, including a bill to try to create limits on information collected on children. The other Maryland law will create consumer protections and rights as well as disclosure obligations relating to online personal data controlled or processed by certain entities that conduct business in Maryland or provide services or products that are targeted to residents of the state.

Much of Vermont's bill, if signed by the governor, would go into effect in 2025. The ability for consumers to sue wouldn't take effect until 2026 and would sunset in 2028, with a study to look at its effectiveness and risks, Priestley said.
Williams College students dismantle their encampment and will meet with board of trustees The college averted a possible crisis with its June 2 graduation ceremony, as students were encamped right where the commencement is set to take place.

As a result of negotiations between Williams College students protesters and school officials, the encampment that stood on the Sawyer Library Quad for nearly two weeks has disappeared.

On behalf of the colleges graduating Class of 2024 and their families, were glad that this development should allow commencement to proceed as planned on June 2. More importantly, though, were thankful that this localized chapter in the sweeping story of nationwide campus protests has modeled a different way forward than the chaotic scenes weve seen elsewhere.

At Columbia University, pro-Palestinian protesters illegally occupied Hamilton Hall, leading to scores of arrests and significant property damage. At UCLA, violence broke out between factions of demonstrators after pro-Israeli counterprotesters attacked a pro-Palestinian encampment. And here in Western Massachusetts, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Colson Whitehead pulled out of his speaking engagement at UMass Amhersts upcoming commencement after campus police arrested 132 protesters last week while breaking up a pro-Palestinian encampment.

To be sure, the Williams campus and the protests that percolated there are far more insulated from the outside agitator influence and mass media sensationalizing that contributed to the unrest in other college communities. Still, its worth noting  and commending  the tack taken by student protesters and leadership alike at Williams compared to some of their peers across the country. The protesters for the most part exerted not only message discipline but an actual interest in clearly communicating their demands; when they saw that opportunity, they wisely took it. College leadership not only recognized the students rights to express themselves but offered them a seat at the table to do so; that approach is far more appropriate than the heavy-handed crackdowns seen on some other campuses that have been neither principled nor productive.

As a result, the encampment has been dissolved in time for Williams to hold its commencement in exchange for brokering two meetings between campus protest leadership and the colleges Board of Trustees.

In those meetings scheduled for later this month and September, representatives from Students for Justice in Palestine and Jews for Justice, the groups that organized the demonstrations, will be able to present their demands for financial transparency, ethical investment and investment from weapons manufacturers supplying Israel to trustees as the board reviews recommendations from its advisory committee on shareholder responsibility.

The ongoing war in Gaza  the vicious Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack that started it, American support for an Israeli campaign that has killed thousands of Palestinian civilians, the painfully complex history that frames it all  has ignited strenuous debate amid an already politically pressurized election year. Based on the many letters to the editor weve received amid the conflict, we know our readers and neighbors run the full spectrum of opinions on the matter. Whether one heartily agrees or fiercely disagrees with these protesters, we must always defend the right to protest  even and especially when the subject of that protest is discomfiting or controversial. That doesnt mean that protesters have the right to break the law and intimidate or harm others, as weve unfortunately seen in demonstrations like those at Columbia or UCLA.

We must maintain a careful balance. Campuses have to protect students critical rights to expression, including the rights of those not protesting to attend class and other activities in peace. Student protesters can and should question our national conscience as they have so often in the past, and fulfilling that sacred duty requires resisting the pernicious impulses that threaten not only those around them but their own messages.

Amid the controversy that has curdled so many campus communities, its good to see all parties at Williams hold up their ends of that social contract.

In a statement released after the agreement to end the encampment was finalized, Williams College President Maud Mandel summed up the great power and responsibility that individuals and institutions have in moments like these:

In a year when personal, political and moral commitments are being tested, I have seen our diverse community members  including people in the encampment, and people who question or oppose it  try to engage with each other across differences, looking for ways to exchange views without trading insults. None of us does this perfectly, but the Williams community as a whole continues to impress me with its focus, thoughtfulness and desire for mutual respect.

We, too, are impressed by and grateful for how Williams has handled this tough conversation compared to other campuses. Protest is patriotic not because of any one cause but because of its vital role in the great conversation that is democracy. While a meeting between student protesters and trustees cant solve the worlds most stubborn and excruciating issues, it does give hope that even the most impassioned moments can give way to productive dialogue rather than destructive division. And if we need anything right now, it is hope and dialogue.
Regulator expects more competition with first new commercial bank in 32 years

By Lee Yeon-woo

DGB Daegu Bank is embarking on a new chapter as a commercial bank, 56 years after its launch as a regional bank. It is the first new commercial bank to be launched in 32 years, following the now-defunct Peace Bank of Korea in 1992.

The Financial Services Commission (FSC) on Thursday held a regular meeting and approved DGB Daegu Bank's transition from a regional bank to a commercial one, three months after the bank filed its application.

"With the bank's transition to a commercial bank, competition among banks is expected to increase in the newly entered business areas, potentially enhancing consumer choice," the FSC said in its statement.

"Over the next three years, the bank plans to establish 14 new branches in Seoul, the Chungcheong provinces and Gangwon Province, improving financial accessibility for consumers in these areas."

This decision is based on the financial authorities' intent to break the oligopolistic banking industry by introducing new players. Among regional banks, DGB Daegu Bank was the only one that met the legal conditions allowing it to transition into a commercial bank.

There were concerns that a financial incident involving the illegal opening of securities accounts at the bank's branches might hinder its transition. However, after thorough investigations, the authorities concluded that the bank has implemented various tailored preventive measures.

Following the approval, the bank will change its name to iMBank in June. Its headquarters will remain in Daegu.

The bank plans to enhance customer accessibility and reduce costs by upgrading its own non-face-to-face channels, such as its application, and expanding partnerships with external platforms. This will allow them to offer various low-interest products to consumers.

Furthermore, leveraging its accumulated know-how as a regional bank and its risk management capabilities, the bank plans to increase credit offerings to small and medium-sized enterprises with medium credit, as well as to individual business owners.

The bank will also continue its efforts to revitalize the regional economy by expanding business loans in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province.

However, the bank's ability to foster competition in the oligopolistic industry remains questionable.

This skepticism arises because of the significant difference in scale compared to the existing major commercial banks. Additionally, the bank lacks differentiation from other medium-sized banks, including internet-only banks that outperformed regional banks in profits during the first quarter of this year.

"Differentiation is key to DGB Daegu Bank's future success," a market insider said.
Annapurna comes with more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry

Takeda Biopharmaceuticals India (formerly known as Baxalta Bioscience India Private Limited), part of a global values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader, has announced the appointment of Annapurna Das as General Manager for its India operations.

In her new role, Annapurna will lead the company in India, ensuring patient access to its highly innovative medicines and vaccines, and advancing valuable collaborations to contribute to the growing domestic healthcare and pharmaceutical market.

Annapurna comes with more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry across India and Southeast Asia.

Before joining Takeda, she held key leadership positions at various multinational healthcare companies, including Miltenyi Biotec, Sanofi, GSK, MSD, Pfizer and Organon, where she demonstrated exceptional leadership in sales, marketing, corporate strategy and business development across both pharma and vaccines businesses.

Commenting on her new role, Annapurna Das said, I am truly honoured to be entrusted with this responsibility by Takeda. India is one of the key countries for us, given its diverse population and the significant healthcare challenges. We are fully committed to serving patients in India by providing them with greater access to our innovative medicines and vaccines, ensuring they receive the best possible care. I look forward to working closely with our stakeholders and partners to strengthen our commitment in India while positively impacting the lives of patients across the country.
The investment will help the company improve healthcare accessibility and quality

Artemis Medicare Services has completed the fund raise of Rs 330 crore in the form of Compulsorily Convertible Debentures (CCDs) as part of the definitive agreements signed with International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group.

The company aims to increase bed capacity, introduce advanced speciality services, and enhance patient care to bridge demand-supply gaps and bolster its presence in Delhi NCR. Leveraging brownfield and greenfield opportunities, it aims to expedite growth and extend services to all sections of society in the coming years.

The investment will help the company improve healthcare accessibility and quality by supporting its growth plans in bed capacity, introducing newer medical treatment specialities, and establishing cardiac care centers in Tier 2 and 3 cities.

It aims to foster job creation and professional development in the medical field, particularly among women, driving a sector-wide shift towards more affordable and high-quality healthcare solutions in areas where they are needed most.

Artemis operates a total of 713 beds predominantly in the Delhi NCR region, including a 541-bed Joint Commission International and National Accreditation Board of Hospitals and Healthcare Providers certified quaternary care, super speciality hospital based in Gurugram and five hospitals under the Artemis Lite and Daffodils brands. Additionally, the company runs seven centres under the Artemis Cardiac Care brand in a Joint Venture with Philips.
Korea's trade industry said Thursday it has agreed with the United States to launch an electronic certification system (eCERT) for the export and import processing of steel products.

The agreement will connect the eCERT, operated by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, with the Korea Iron & Steel Association's export quota management system, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

When the association submits export approval certificates through the platform, the U.S. will compare them with import declarations and proceed with customs clearance. The results will be sent to the association, allowing it to check the status on a real-time basis.

"While it previously took more than a week for exporters to verify the customs clearance status through U.S. importers, they can now check the status with a single click," Deputy Minister for FTA Negotiations Roh Keon-ki said.

"The system is expected to significantly enhance exporters' convenience and predictability." (Yonhap)
FSS chief vows cooperation with US SEC chair, CFTC chairman

By Anna J. Park

Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) Governor Lee Bok-hyun and heads of financial groups and companies travelled to New York this week to promote Korea's capital market as well as its government-led corporate value enhancement program.

According to the financial industry on Thursday, Lee and Korea Exchange (KRX) CEO Jeong Eun-bo are jointly hosting an investor relations event at a hotel in New York on Thursday, local time.

At the New York event, the FSS chief is expected to introduce the Korean government's latest commitment to improving the country's capital market structures, such as efforts to abolish the financial investment tax, overhaul the short-selling system and promote the government-initiated Corporate Value-up Program for the domestic stock markets. The financial authorities launched the program in February to address so-called the "Korea discount," referring to the Korean stock market's persistent undervaluation.

Aiming to attract investment and expand global business operations, financial moguls will also participate in the event, including KB Financial Group Chairman Yang Jong-hee, Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Jin Ok-dong, Samsung Life Insurance CEO Hong Won-hak, Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Vice Chairman Cho Yong-il, Mirae Asset Securities Vice Chairman Kim Mi-seop and Korea Investment & Securities CEO Kim Sung-hwan.

KB Financial Group has a global network of 697 branches in 14 countries. In particular, KB Kookmin Bank's New York branch, established in 1999, has been focusing on corporate finance, including international investment and loans. Shinhan Financial Group operates 253 branches and offices in 20 countries. Shinhan Bank operates overseas through its 170 networks in 20 countries, including a New York branch and Shinhan America Bank, a subsidiary of the financial group.

Samsung Life Insurance and Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance operate overseas offices in many countries, both active in the New York market. Korea Investment and Mirae Asset Securities also seek to expand their global businesses and networks further.

Meanwhile, the FSS chief has held high-level meetings with U.S. financial regulatory bodies since arriving in the U.S. on Tuesday.

The FSS head met with Gary Gensler, chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), earlier this week, agreeing to strengthen mutual cooperation on various joint financial regulatory issues and reaffirm the need for close cooperation between the two countries.

The FSS announced Thursday that Lee also met with Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Rostin Behnam, discussing trends in U.S. virtual asset legislation and ways to strengthen information sharing between the two countries.

Based on mutual agreement between the agencies, the specific topics and details of their discussions will remain confidential.

Prior to Lee's leg in the U.S., he attended the meeting for the Group of Central Bank Governors and Heads of Supervision (GHOS), the oversight body of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) in Switzerland on Monday.
US film director Francis Ford Coppola saluted the crowd with his straw hat as he posed with stars Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel and Grace VanderWaal at the world premiere of his epic film Megalopolis.

Hollywood stars descended on the red carpet of the 77th Cannes Film Festival for the first official screening of the film, which marks a decades-long passion project for The Godfather director Ford Coppola.

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It has been reported Ford Coppola had the idea for the story more than four decades ago.

Driver plays an architect who is in competition with the mayor of New York, as he wants to build the city into a utopia after a disaster.

Francis Ford Coppola at the Megalopolis premiere during the 77th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France (Doug Peters/PA)

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Ford Coppola, who reportedly funded the big-budget film himself, is competing for a third prestigious Palme dOr award at the French festival, having received his first for The Conversation and his second for Apocalypse Now.

It is understood that Megalopolis is yet to secure a distributor in the US.

British actress and Game Of Thrones star Emmanuel posed on the red carpet wearing a custom white Chanel Haute Couture gown, while co-star and Saturday Night Live comedian Chloe Fineman debuted a strapless red sparkly Celine number.

The White Lotus star Aubrey Plaza arrived on the red carpet wearing a custom long-sleeved cream Loewe gown with Casadei shoes, while Driver opted for a white dinner jacket and black bow tie.

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Nathalie Emmanuel on the Megalopolis red carpet (Doug Peters/PA)

The film features a large ensemble cast including Transformers star Shia LaBeouf, two-time Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman and Breaking Bad actor Giancarlo Esposito, as well as Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Kathryn Hunter and DB Sweeney.

Ford Coppola, 85, has won six Academy Awards.

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He won his first Oscar in 1971 for writing epic biographical war film Patton about US General George S Patton during the Second World War, before picking up awards in the same category in 1973 and again two years later for The Godfather and its sequel.

He also won the gong for best director in 1975 for The Godfather II, about Vito Corleone, the head of a mafia family, which also won best picture in the same year.

In 2011, Ford Coppola was awarded the Irving G Thalberg Memorial Award.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga producer Doug Mitchell has said the film crew would wake up and go to set with the reality that we could injure somebody or kill somebody.

The latest Mad Max film, directed by George Miller, tells the origin story of Furiosa, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, and stars Chris Hemsworth as warlord leader Dementus.

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Speaking at a press conference in Cannes, Taylor-Joy, 28, said the action-laden film had an absolutely unbelievable stunt department.

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Responding to Taylor-Joys comments, Mitchell added: The other aspect of what this film represents is that every day we all wake up, especially George, with the reality that we could injure somebody or kill somebody.

So the stunt department isnt just there, as talented as they all are, to manually do something, this is broken down from the get-go.

Witness the Epic Battle for the Wasteland. Tickets are on sale NOW. #FURIOSA : A MAD MAX SAGA - only in theaters May 24, Memorial Day Weekend. https://t.co/xLoPFPBz2A pic.twitter.com/piT5AbNWqd Advertisement  MAD MAX: FURIOSA (@MadMaxMovie) May 8, 2024

He added: There are 264 women and men on that stunt department. One of the sequences took 79 days to shoot, every day youre subjected to bad weather, Covid, or just exhaustion.

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And its important. Our one priority, led by George, is not to injure anybody. Thats our first responsibility. The second is to make the film that we enjoy.

The Queens Gambit star, Taylor-Joy, also reflected on what it was like to watch the film and said: Its really quite extraordinary to experience something through the eyes of an audience.

Anya Taylor-Joy (Doug Peters/PA)

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I think all of us are so in love with film, but that naturally kind of means that you always have a moment where you know too much, you know too much of the tricks behind the camera, you cant really distance yourself.

And yesterday, for the first time, I really felt like I could watch it like an audience member.

And I was so blown away by it, blown away by the pacing, the sound design, just absolutely every single element that our incredible team brought to it.

And thats really a testament to George, because there are people that have worked on this movie that were retired and they come out of retirement for George Miller. They come out of retirement to make Furiosa.

Miller then joked that he had also come out of retirement.

Chris Hemsworth, George Miller and Anya Taylor-Joy (Doug Peters/PA)

At the press conference the director, 79, spoke on having Australian voices in the film and said even Hollywood actress Meryl Streep has been unable to nail the accent in the past.

Miller, who has served on the jury in Cannes several times, said: Great people have tried it, really great people. Its not a common sort of accent.

After an audience member offered Meryl Streep, who played an Australian woman in the film A Cry In The Dark (1988), as an example, he said: Well, yes, but even Meryl at that time, genius as she is, didnt quite nail it, I believe.

Look, when I first went to the United States and we said we were from Australia, they said: Do you speak English? They thought we were Austrian.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga had its red carpet premiere at Cannes Film Festival on May 15, nine years after Mad Max: Fury Road.

The talent reunited again on Thursday for a photocall, with Taylor-Joy dressed in a chic-looking cropped white jacket and matching skirt.
Sinn Fein TDs have clashed with the speaker of the Dail and the Tanaiste after a row erupted over previous housing commitments made by the Government.

Ceann Comhairle Sean O Fearghail was moments away from suspending the House after he accused Sinn Feins Pearse Doherty and Eoin O Broin of engaging in strategic interruption during Leaders Questions.

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Micheal Martin had been questioned about a commitment he gave to deliver 50,000 affordable homes to buy at prices less than 250,000 when the row escalated.

I know were at a certain point in the electoral cycle where people are getting excited, Mr O Fearghail said.

Ceann Comhairle Sean O Fearghail was moments away from suspending the Dail (Maxwell Photography/PA)

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I know hostages have been given to fortune, but theyve been given by lots of different people on lots of different sides.

The public are looking at this, and they expect the debate here to be conducted in an orderly they expect the debate to be conducted.

Strategic interruption and heckling is no way to conduct an orderly debate.

Addressing Mr O Broin, Sinn Feins housing spokesman, Mr O Fearghail said: You sir, are the arch strategist, you know very well what youre doing. You know very well what youre doing and youre strategically heckling constantly.

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The next time this occurs I am going to suspend the House.

He then ordered the TDs to sit down.

Minister of State Mary Butler was also overheard saying amazing what a poll can do, in reference to an opinion poll which showed that Fine Gael is on 23 per cent, up four percentage points, while Sinn Fein is on 23 per cent, down five points.

Addressing the Fianna Fail leader, Mr Doherty said that a report from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on Wednesday revealed that house prices have risen by more than 7 per cent in the last year.

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Where are the 50,000 affordable homes at prices less than 250,000 which you promised, Tanaiste?



Where are they? Because nobody can find them anywhere pic.twitter.com/46UohzShB6  Pearse Doherty (@PearseDoherty) May 16, 2024

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Since this government took office, the average house price in Carrigaline in your own constituency, Tanaiste, has increased by almost 100,000 euros, Mr Doherty said.

Nearly half the houses in Carrigaline are now being sold for more than 400,000 and under this government homes are becoming less affordable.

This has been seen right across the State in every county and in every community and yet your government says that the housing plan is working and claims that youve turned a corner.

Yet, across the State first-time buyers are now facing an average price of 400,000 to buy a new build home.

On what planet is this affordable for ordinary workers and families?

Mr Doherty told the Dail that the number of new homes coming on to the market to buy and own fell last year.

He added: Im going to ask you a very simple question, Tanaiste, and its one that you personally gave.

We are now over four years since the general election. You personally gave a commitment to the electorate that if elected, you would deliver 50,000 affordable homes to purchase at prices less than 250,000.

My question, and Im sure many people are scratching their heads asking the same question, where are those homes today?

Because nobody can find them anywhere. Theyre not in Cork. Theyre not in Donegal. Theyre not in Dublin.

Mr Martin defended the Governments housing policies, saying that around 18,000 new homes commenced in April this year.

He claimed this was 600 per cent more than last year.

In the first four months of 2024, there were over 30,000 houses commenced, he said.

There is momentum in terms of house construction in this country.

Mr Martin went on to compare Mr Doherty to a Jekyll and Hyde.

You told Davy stockbrokers that you would support the Future Ireland Fund and you voted against it in the Dail yesterday.

Its the classic you know, youre Dr Jekyll to Davy stockbrokers but youre Mr Hyde when it comes into the Dail.

I know which personality I believe in. But I would ask what should the Irish people believe when it relates to Sinn Fein and housing policy?
There is a bizarre focus on accommodation for asylum seekers, the Taoiseach has said.

The Government remains in a position where it cannot provide accommodation to all asylum seekers.

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There are currently 1,780 male international protection applicants who have not received an offer of State-provided accommodation, amid an increasing number of arrivals.

However, Simon Harris said the conversation on migration cannot begin and end with accommodation.

Tents pitched by asylum seekers along a stretch of the Grand Canal in Dublin. Photo: Niall Carson/PA.

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Speaking on Thursday, he said: I dont think migrants are well served, I dont think people of Ireland are well served by the only aspect of the conversation around immigration that weve been having on a loop for quite a period of time is around accommodation.

He said while accommodation is extremely important, there was a need to examine other aspects such as the welfare system and comparisons with other EU countries.

Asked about a prediction that 30,000 asylum seekers could arrive in the country this year, Mr Harris said: Different people can make different predictions.

At the moment, if you were to extrapolate the data to date youre probably at a figure of between 20,000-22,000.

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But its a dynamic situation. Numbers go up, numbers go down. But at the moment thats roughly what you get.

Mr Harris defined getting on top of it as a situation where tented shelter is provided on State-owned land with access to sanitation.

Thats what the short term looks like, weve got to be honest about that.

However, he added: Its bizarre that the only part that we want to discuss is accommodation.

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We also have to discuss why are so many more people coming to our country, and discuss that in the round.

Migration is a good thing by the way, our economy benefits, our country benefits, our society benefits.

But weve had an immigration system that has been used to processing maybe 3,000-3,500 people a year, to one that is now used to seeing over 20,000 people.
Container shipping costs from Europe to Korea rose more than 30 percent on-month in April amid ongoing tensions surrounding the Red Sea, the customs agency said Thursday.

The average shipping cost for a 40-foot container from the European Union to Korea went up 32.8 percent on-month last month to 1.85 million won ($1,369), according to the data from the Korea Customs Service.

It logged the third consecutive on-month increase, it added.

Carriers have been forced to suspend transit through the crucial Middle East maritime route, which has led to longer shipping times and an increase in shipping costs, as tensions remain high over strikes on ships in the Red Sea by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels based in Yemen.

The average shipping cost from Korea to the EU fell 6.9 percent on-month to 3.95 million won, the second straight on-month decline.

Compared with a year earlier, however, the shipping cost for exports to the EU marked a 42.6 percent increase.

Costs for shipping from Korea to the U.S. west coast rose 4 percent on-month and 7.2 percent on-year in April to 5.07 million won.

Those to the U.S. east coast declined 4 percent in April compared with a month earlier to 4.99 million won, though the figure marked a 38 percent increase in an on-year term.

The shipping cost to China rose 12.1 percent on-month to 560,000 won, and that to Japan advanced 16.1 percent to 772,000 won, the data showed.

The figures include freight rates, commissions and other charges reported by local exporters, according to the agency. (Yonhap)
A 52-year-old Roscommon farmer who made a false statement to gardai that his cattle were missing when they were actually in his neighbour's shed has failed in a bid to overturn his conviction and 6,500 fine.

The Court of Appeal noted that Gerard Harrington (52) submitted 81 grounds of appeal, of which he continued with 34 including a submission that hot weather during his trial meant the jury members were subjected to oppressive conditions.

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There was clearly sufficient evidence, viewed from the high water mark of the prosecutions case, to allow the case to go to the jury and for a jury properly charged to convict upon it, said Mr Justice John Edwards today (THURSDAY), dismissing an appeal by Harrington.

Harrington, of Marian Road, Boyle, Roscommon, was convicted on July 26th 2021 at the Circuit Criminal Court in Tullamore of making a false report or statement tending to give rise to apprehension for the safety of persons or property. He was sentenced by Judge Francis Comerford in October 2021 and fined 6,500.

The background to the case is that in October 2015, the appellant reported to gardai that ten of his cattle were missing and gave details of the breed, tag number and value of each.

After making enquiries, the gardai were led to a shed at Breedogue, Roscommon, where they found a number of cattle, six of which had tag numbers matching those reported missing by the appellant.

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The gardai spoke to the owner of the shed, a cattle farmer whose land adjoined the appellants, who gave evidence that his own cattle had broken out and were later located in a neighbours field, mixed in with between seven and ten of the appellants cattle.

This farmer brought the cattle to the shed, later meeting the appellant and making him aware of the location of the cattle belonging to him.

As the appellant had been made aware of the location of some of his cattle prior to making his statement, the gardai advised him that he was suspected of making a false statement.

Mr Justice Edwards said that the appellant submitted 81 grounds of appeal, but that a great many of these complaints appeared on their face to be patently misconceived. He said that the appellant subsequently continued with 34 grounds of appeal.

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He said that Harrington complained that the trial judge erred in ruling admissible a garda interview, with his legal counsel submitting that the appellant had been inveigled to attend the garda station in a manner that prevented him from having the opportunity to get legal advice.

There was not a scintilla of evidence to support the suggestion that the appellant had been tricked or trapped in any way, said Mr Justice Edwards.

He said that the mans defence had submitted that the trial judge had been wrong not to discharge the jury after a garda witness made reference to a memo of interview that was redacted during the trial.

However, as the trial judge subsequently gave supplementary instructions to the jury on this matter, he said that the Court of Appeal was completely satisfied that the trial judge dealt appropriately with this issue.

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In our view, it would have been a disproportionate response to discharge the jury, said Mr Justice Edwards.

Harrington also submitted that the trial judge erred in permitting the prosecution to mention certain matters that were prejudicial to him, including references to a previous trial that resulted in the jury disagreeing.

Mr Justice Edwards said that the prosecution had been seeking to put to Harrington a previous inconsistent statement and there was no inhibition in law to prevent them doing this.

He said the court was also rejecting a submission by the appellant that the jury should have been discharged as they could not hear a part of the oral evidence, as well as the hot weather during the trial meaning the jury members were subjected to oppressive conditions.

Mr Justice Edwards said that the trial took place during Covid 19 restrictions, when social distancing meant that the jury were not seated together but dispersed throughout the courtroom.

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He said there was no indication that the jury had missed any of the evidence, nor had they requested that any of the evidence be played back to them.

The court also dismissed a complaint by the appellant that the charge against him was vague and inchoate, with Mr Justice Edwards pointing out that no challenge was made during the trial.

Concerning the alleged oppression of the jury in hot weather, Mr Justice Edwards said that the only complaints during the trial emanated from the defence, while the jury made no complaint.

He also dismissed a submission about the alleged failure by the trial judge to summarise the defence case in his charge to the jury, saying that no requisition was raised concerning this at the time. Mr Justice Edwards said that the trial judge made a detailed charge to the jury and thoroughly reviewed the appellants evidence.

There was clearly sufficient evidence, viewed from the high water mark of the prosecutions case, to allow the case to go to the jury and for a jury properly charged to convict upon it, said Mr Justice Edwards.

Concluding that the trial was satisfactory and that the verdict was safe, the court dismissed the appeal.
TV and radio presenter Dermot O'Leary will present an ITV series promoting tourist destinations across Ireland.

Dermots Taste of Ireland, will be a five-part series taking place in Kinsale, Cork city, Wexford, Dublin and Belfast, and is supported by Tourism Ireland.

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The series will follow Dermot as he tours, tastes and bakes his way around the island of Ireland, meeting with local food producers, chefs and restaurateurs along the way.

Alice Mansergh, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, said: Tourism Ireland was delighted to support the production of this new five-part series, Dermots Taste of Ireland.

"With millions of people across Britain set to tune into the series later this year on ITV1 and on the streaming service ITVX, its a great way to shine a spotlight on the island of Ireland  showcasing our delicious local produce, wonderful culinary offering and beautiful landscapes.

Publicity and broadcasts like this are a key element of Tourism Irelands programme of promotional activity, to encourage travellers in Britain, and elsewhere around the world, to put the island of Ireland on their holiday wish-list.
The daughter of one of the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings has said that despite 50 years since the blast, they are still searching for answers.

Sharon Askin was just two years old when her father Paddy was killed in the bomb in Monaghan.

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On May 17th 1974, three no-warning bombs went off across Dublin city centre and one in Monaghan town, which claimed 35 lives, including two unborn babies.

No-one has ever been convicted over the bombings that have been blamed on loyalist paramilitaries.

A hand is placed on the memorial at a wreath-laying ceremony to mark the anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA.

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Paddy had picked up his wages and was having a drink in a local bar when the bomb exploded.

Friday will be the 50th anniversary of the attacks.

Sharon, who lives in County Armagh, will travel to Monaghan with her twin sister Sonia and two brothers, Patrick and Paul, to take part in an event to remember the victims.

Myself and Sonia have no memories of our father. We can only go by what people have told us about him, Sharon told the PA news agency.

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The two boys can remember him, like meeting him after work and driving the tractors.

We have one photograph with him. So its tough.

It makes you feel that you have lost out on a lot.

People say how laid-back he was and I imagine as a father he would have been a soft touch. It would have been nice to have him.

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Mum (Patricia) did everything and we missed out on nothing. But he missed first Holy Communions and weddings and he never met his grandchildren. He missed all those opportunities.

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It was tough growing up as it wasnt really talked about so we never knew for a long time what happened him, only that he was dead.

Mum didnt talk about it as it brought back memories. The blast got him down one side of the body, so the whole side of him was disfigured and she saw him like that.

As we got older we took more of an interest in what happened.

Fifty years after the attacks, the victims families are still searching for the truth of what happened that day.

An Irish Government inquiry in 2003 found that the bombings were carried out by loyalists.

The report found it likely that members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) either participated in the attacks, or were aware of the plans.

This week, the Dail supported an all-party motion which called on it to press the British government to provide access to relevant material in connection with the Dublin and Monaghan bombs.

Sharon added: After 50 years there are still no answers. Thats the feeling. Its hard to believe that there was so little effort made at the time to find out who did it.

The name of baby Martha ONeill added to the names of the 33 victims on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings memorial of May 17th 1974 in Talbot Street, Dublin. Photo: Niall Carson/PA.

Still to this day, 50 years later, we are still asking the same questions. How and why and who told them to do it?

Its one step forward and two back all the time.

We would like them say why it happened because this came from high up, and we want to know why and who is responsible. The governments have the information but arent willing to release it.

Answers would be nice, admission would be brilliant and an apology would be a miracle.

The British Government want to hide the information from us and other victims as they dont want to admit they took part in bombings and shootings in Northern Ireland and in Dublin.

They want to leave it hard for people to get answers.

Sharon will be among many family members who will attend the event in Monaghan.

We will all be there and our children will be there. If we dont win our fight, the next generation will win it for us, she added.

Last month, the High Court dismissed the British governments attempt to throw out a civil action taken by survivors and victims families.

The legal battle against the state alleges collusion and failure to investigate the bombs.

Speaking on the eve of the anniversary, solicitor Kevin Winters, of KRW Law which represents a number of the families, said: The recent court success couldnt be any more timely coming as it does within a few weeks of the 50th anniversary.

It means we can now revisit the discovery order and we can now proceed to a long-overdue full hearing.

Its also timely given recent positive commentary by the Chief Constable Jon Boutcher on the need for a revised victim-centred approach on Troubles-related cases.

I welcome this and his specific endorsement of the need for greater accountability by State agencies where wrong has occurred.

This couldnt be a more timely antidote to the approach taken by the State to date in the Dublin Monaghan litigation.

I am confident the six-year reargued attempt to throw this case out would never have occurred under Jon Boutchers watch. If proof be needed, we need look no further than his recent interim Kenova report on the alleged agent Stakeknife.

Kenovas citing of the need for greater transparency hopefully signposts a long-overdue change of policy on conflict agitation.

The comprehensive ruling delivered last month complements precisely what the new chief constable has recently endorsed in Kenova.

If his well-intentioned expressed views are to take root then all current legally driven State lawfare needs to cease immediately.

It is systemic and punitive. It is anything but victim centered.
The High Court has refused horse trainer Tony Martins bid for a pause to a three-month suspension he received from the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) for an alleged breach of anti-doping rules.

Mr Justice Rory Mulcahy rejected Mr Martins claims regarding the IHRBs use of a UK barrister at his appeal of the temporary revocation of his trainers licence.

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The judge refused to permit the Co Meath-based trainer to further pursue his judicial review request for the suspension to be overturned.

The suspension will begin with immediate effect, as the judge refused to grant a stay that would have lasted while his court proceedings are in being or any shorter pause while Mr Martin considers whether to appeal the rejection.

His suspension was due to start on Wednesday of this week. However, the IHRB did not object when the case came to court on Tuesday to Mr Martins horses running in a race on Wednesday, given the court was due to rule on Thursday.

The suspension is due to lapse in about mid-August, meaning Mr Martin, a multiple Cheltenham festival winner, will not have runners at the Galway festival.

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At an original IHRB hearing last December, Mr Martin was fined 11,000 and given a six-month licence suspension that was suspended for two years. It came after Firstman, a horse he trains, failed a drugs test after winning in Dundalk in January 2023.

The horse tested positive for lidocaine, a local anaesthetic used to block pain, which is prohibited on a race day.

Mr Martin and the IHRB appealed the ruling. He argued the penalty was too severe, while the IHRB contended it was too lenient.

An appeals panel chaired by retired High Court president Peter Kelly ruled that a three-month suspension plus the fine would suffice.

Mr Martin issued his High Court proceedings in response to the latter decision. He alleged the appeal hearing occurred otherwise than in accordance with law.

His lawyers argued that a barrister presenting the IHRBs case to the appeals panel was not qualified to practice in this State, contrary to rule in the 2015 Legal Services Regulation Act.

On Thursday, Mr Justice Mulcahy rejected the claim and refused his application for leave to seek judicial review. He awarded the IHRB its legal costs of defending the application.
A judge has rejected Gemma O'Doherty's claim that he is biased against her as a basis for not continuing to hear a High Court action over her alleged harassment of a woman.

However, Mr Justice Conor Dignam said while he was satisfied she had not met the legal test for bias and for him to recuse himself, another judge can be available to hear further matters in the action.

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The case is being brought by Edel Campbell of Kingscourt, Co Cavan, against Ms ODoherty, trading as The Irish Light, over the alleged unauthorised use of an image of Ms Campbell's son Diego Gilsenan, who took his own life. The photo was used in an Irish Light article linking unexplained deaths to the Covid-19 vaccine.

Ms O'Doherty rejects all Ms Campbell's claims against her.

As part of her defence of the case, she sought the recusal of Mr Justice Dignam, who granted the original injunction preventing harassment of Ms Campbell, from hearing a further Campbell application to have Ms O'Doherty sent to prison for contempt over the alleged breach of the injunction.

Ms O'Doherty claims the judge would be biased because, as a barrister, he was part of the legal team which represented former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan at the Disclosures Tribunal.

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She says Mr Callinan had her dismissed from her job as a journalist with Independent News and Media and for which she got an apology in court from the newspaper.

She also said a judge in another case being brought against her had recused himself last September on the basis that he too had acted for Mr Callinan and a precedent had been set.

She also said Mr Justice Dignam would not be objective because he had brought her research on German history and the Second World War into the Campbell case.

On Thursday, in a written decision, Mr Justice Dignam rejected her arguments as a basis for recusal.

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He said the test for objective bias is whether a reasonable person, who has knowledge of all of the facts, would have a reasonable apprehension that the party would not have a fair hearing from an impartial judge.

The mere fact that a judge represented a person when in practice as a barrister was not sufficient.

"There must be something more. The defendant did not point to anything more", he said.

He said Ms O'Doherty had not discharged the onus of showing that a reasonable person, armed with all of the correct facts, would have a reasonable apprehension that she would not get a fair hearing on the basis that he represented Mr. Callinan.

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In relation to the German history matter, he accepted that if a judge has regard to something which is entirely irrelevant may be a basis for a finding of objective basis.

Ireland Conor McGregor accused of playing 'ducks and drake... Read More

However, it was Ms O'Doherty who had brought up German history during her public statements in relation to the Diego Gilsenan death, he said.

She had compared the Gilsenan case to what she described as the holocaust hoax and how questions are not allowed about the holohoax because we will offend the Jews, he said.

She also described it as the exact same playbook because it comes out of the Jewish Communist playbook.

The judge was satisfied these matters were relevant to what he had to decide in the Campbell injunction case. However, if he was wrong on this, that is a matter for an appeal rather than a basis for recusal.
A man who repeatedly sexually abused a young girl in his home has been jailed for six years.

Edward Cruise (66) with an address in Raheny, Co Dublin pleaded guilty to nine sample counts of sexual assault.

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The girl was aged between six and 14 when the abuse occurred between 2009 and 2017.

A local garda told Eoin Lawlor BL, prosecuting, that the victim became friendly with a close relative of Cruise's, who would stay with him for two weeks during summer holidays and at other times of the year.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the abuse began the first time the young girl went to Cruise's house and occurred whenever she was at the property, often multiple times in one day.

This relative would also stay with Cruise during other holiday periods and when the victim visited, Cruise sexually abused her, up to 15 times a day.

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The abuse included inappropriate touching over and under her clothes, masturbation and oral sex. Cruise told her to keep the abuse secret and on one occasion, offered her 5 to come to his house.

The girl made a complaint to gardai in 2020. Cruise was arrested and when interviewed, suggested the victim had fabricated the allegations out of spite.

After hearing facts on Thursday, Judge Martin Nolan handed Cruise a global sentence of six years.

He said the victim was only six years old when the abuse started and should have been protected from this type of behaviour.

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To some degree she trusted this defendant. He was a grandfather at the time and I think she was entitled to trust him, the judge said, adding that Cruise had abused that trust.

Victim impact statement

A victim impact statement was handed to the court, but not read aloud. In response to a query from Judge Nolan, the garda said it was too difficult to estimate how often the victim was abused by Cruise.

Judge Nolan said the court would have to infer from the evidence that the abuse took place dozens or hundreds of times.

Cruise has a number of previous convictions, including two for indecent assault and four for sexual assault dating back to the early 1990s, for which he received a six-month sentence.

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The garda agreed with Dean Kelly SC, defending, that his client appears older than his years and has a low level of intellectual functioning. It was further accepted that his living conditions are very basic.

The garda also agreed that while Cruise told the victim not to tell anyone, there is no suggestion that threats were made. It was further accepted that the offending only took place when his relative was visiting and that he has no other matters before the courts.

Mr Kelly outlined to the court his client's personal circumstances and that he suffered physical violence in the home as a child.

He said Cruise spent time in hospital as a child and his poor health has continued into adulthood. Mr Kelly said Cruise will find prison a more difficult experience due to his ill health.

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Cruise is divorced, has two children and is a grandfather. He has a good work history.

Mr Kelly asked the court to take into consideration his client's guilty plea and that there was no violence or threat of violence beyond that inherent in the act itself.

Judge Nolan said Cruise sexually abused the victim over a prolonged period of years even if it was confided to holiday periods.

When she was in that house, she was abused on a continuous basis by this defendant, Judge Nolan said, suggesting that a very conservative estimate would be at least 100 times.

He noted the mitigating features of the case including Cruise's guilty plea, his expressions of remorse and shame, and his age.

Judge Nolan said the court considers Cruise is probably unlikely to reoffend, but said that his previous convictions for similar offending are an aggravating factor.

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.
Thursday's front pages focus on a range of stories from the latest opinion poll showing a slump in support for Sinn Fein to 800 jobs being created by IBM around AI.

The Irish Times reports Sinn Fein support has slumped again while there has been a recovery for Fine Gael which is now level with Sinn Fein, according to the latest Irish Times/Ipsos B&A opinion poll.

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The Irish Examiner leads with a piece on the country's beleaguered tech sector being given a boost with news 800 jobs are to be created by IBM in Cork, Dublin and Waterford.

The Echo leads on a piece about calls for the historic Parliament Bridge in Cork to be refurbished after a car crashed into it.

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Good morning, here is the front page of Thursday's Irish Independent pic.twitter.com/TEClslQVbr  Irish Independent (@Independent_ie) May 16, 2024

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Fears of all-out conflict grow after assassination attempt in Slovakia... pic.twitter.com/bAOMslqolB  The Irish Daily Mail (@irishdailymail) May 16, 2024

Today's front page of The Irish Sun pic.twitter.com/ggPOSMnQnh Advertisement  The Irish Sun (@IrishSunOnline) May 16, 2024

Morning, readers. Here's a look at today's front page of the Belfast Telegraph.https://t.co/4LSfKGnB5O



Stay with us for all your breaking news today. pic.twitter.com/t8PZgiTZfP  Belfast Telegraph (@BelTel) May 16, 2024 Advertisement

In the UK, Labour leader Keir Starmer and the shooting of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico feature heavily on the front pages of Thursdays newspapers.

The Times carries both stories on its front, leading on the Opposition leaders six-point plan for Britain which it calls an updated version of Tony Blairs election-winning pledge card.

The Times: Starmer sets out to woo voters with six pledges #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/mHMLlbw2UF  George Mann (@sgfmann) May 15, 2024

The same stories feature on the front of The Independent, which says Sir Keir is pitching to become the true heir to Blair, while the Daily Mirror spells out his six fixes for Britain.

Thursday's front page: My 6 fixes for Britain https://t.co/0rex9dSgP8 pic.twitter.com/qCP5cy1N1f  The Mirror (@DailyMirror) May 15, 2024

The Guardian raises fears for democracy in Europe after the shooting of Mr Fico, while the Daily Mail says the assassination attempt on the pro-Russian leader has left Europe on edge.

The Guardian: Slovakian leader fi ghting for his

life after assassination attempt #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/8h3heEHwAU  George Mann (@sgfmann) May 15, 2024

Daily Mail: Europe on edge after pro-Russian Slovak PM is gunned down #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/LKbgz76j1o  George Mann (@sgfmann) May 15, 2024

Rishi Sunak is in the spotlight of the Financial Times, which says the British Prime Minister has been warned his migration policy is threatening investment.

Just published: front page of the Financial Times, UK edition, Thursday 16 May https://t.co/adjugyv0NA pic.twitter.com/ZQqVRFnfpL  Financial Times (@FT) May 15, 2024

The Daily Telegraph turns its attention to the NHS, saying whistleblowers who raise concerns over safety are being targeted by managers.

The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph:



'NHS turns on doctors who blow whistle over safety'#TomorrowsPapersToday



Sign up for the Front Page newsletterhttps://t.co/x8AV4Oomry pic.twitter.com/Bw5cHVZujF  The Telegraph (@Telegraph) May 15, 2024

Health is also the topic of the Metro, which reports on a blood test which could detect cancer seven years before symptoms show.

Metro: BLOOD TEST TO GIVE US 7YR NOTICE OF CANCER #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/s3XbOQrnwh  George Mann (@sgfmann) May 15, 2024

Toxic water features on the front of the i, which says higher bills are on the way despite illegal sewage and advice to boil water in some areas.

i: UKs toxic water: illegal sewage, parasite in taps  and higher bills on the way #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/ldZlsR3UMP  George Mann (@sgfmann) May 15, 2024

British people are racing to cash in pensions early, according to the Daily Express.

And the Daily Star says experts have cracked the code to communication among orangutans.
The US Pentagon has said that humanitarian aid will soon begin flowing onto the Gaza shore through the new pier that was anchored to the beach overnight and will begin reaching those in need almost immediately.

Sabrina Singh, Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters the US believes there will be no delays in the distribution of the aid, which is being co-ordinated by the United Nations.

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The UN, however, said fuel imports have all but stopped and this will make it extremely difficult to deliver the aid to Gazas people, all 2.3 million of whom are in acute need of food and other supplies after seven months of intense fighting between Israel and Hamas.

We desperately need fuel, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. It doesnt matter how the aid comes, whether its by sea or whether by land, without fuel, aid wont get to the people.

Soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) and sailors attached to the MV Roy P Benavidez assemble the roll-on, roll-off distribution facility off the shore of Gaza in the Mediterranean Sea (US Army via AP)

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Ms Singh said the issue of fuel deliveries comes up in all conversations with the Israelis.

The US military finished installing a floating pier off the Gaza Strip early Thursday, and officials were making final checks before lorries begin driving onto the shore to deliver pallets of aid.

The pier project, expected to cost 320 million dollars, was ordered more than two months ago by US President Joe Biden to help starving Palestinians as Israeli restrictions on border crossings and heavy fighting prevent food and other supplies from making it into Gaza.

Fraught with logistical, weather and security challenges, the pier project is not considered a substitute for far cheaper deliveries by land that aid agencies say are much more sustainable.

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The boatloads of aid will be deposited at a port facility built by the Israelis just south-west of Gaza City and then distributed by aid groups.

US officials said on Thursday as much as 500 tons of food will begin arriving on the Gaza shore within days and that the US has closely co-ordinated with Israel on how to protect the ships and personnel working on the beach.

But there are still questions on how aid groups will safely operate in Gaza to distribute food to those who need it most, said Sonali Korde, assistant to the administrator of the US Agency for International Developments Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, which is helping with logistics.

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(PA Graphics)

There is a very insecure operating environment and aid groups are still struggling to get clearance for their planned movements in Gaza, Ms Korde said. Those talks with the Israeli military need to get to a place where humanitarian aid workers feel safe and secure and able to operate safely. And I dont think were there yet.

Fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants on the outskirts of the southern city of Rafah as well as Israel restarting combat operations in parts of northern Gaza have displaced some 700,000 people, UN officials say. Israel recently seized the key Rafah border crossing in its push against Hamas.

Pentagon officials say the fighting is not threatening the new shoreline aid distribution area, but they have made it clear that security conditions will be monitored closely and could prompt a shutdown of the maritime route, even just temporarily.

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Already, the site has been targeted by mortar fire during its construction, and Hamas has threatened to target any foreign forces who occupy the Gaza Strip.

The protection of US forces participating is a top priority. And as such, in the last several weeks, the United States and Israel have developed an integrated security plan to protect all the personnel, said Navy Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, a deputy commander at the US militarys Central Command. We are confident in the ability of this security arrangement to protect those involved.

US troops anchored the pier on Thursday morning, Central Command said, stressing that none of its forces entered the Gaza Strip and would not during the piers operations. It said trucks with aid would move ashore in the coming days and the United Nations will receive the aid and co-ordinate its distribution into Gaza.

The World Food Programme will be the UN agency handling the aid, officials said.

Soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) and sailors attached to the MV Roy P Benavidez assemble the roll-on, roll-off distribution facility, or floating pier, off the shore of Gaza (US Army via AP)

Israeli forces will be in charge of security on shore, but there are also two US navy warships near the area, the USS Arleigh Burke and the USS Paul Ignatius. Both are destroyers equipped with a wide range of weapons and capabilities to protect American troops offshore and allies on the beach.

The British logistics ship RFA Cardigan Bay will also provide support, Mr Cooper said.

Israeli military spokesman Lt Col Nadav Shoshani confirmed that the pier had been attached and that Israeli engineering units had flattened ground around the area and surfaced roads for trucks.

We have been working for months on full co-operation with (the US military) on this project, facilitating it, supporting it in any way possible, Mr Shoshani said. Its a top priority in our operation.

The UN, US and international aid groups say Israel is allowing only a fraction of the normal pre-war deliveries of food and other supplies into Gaza since Hamass attacks on Israel launched the war in October. Aid agencies say they are running out of food in southern Gaza and fuel is dwindling, while USAID and the World Food Programme say famine has taken hold in Gazas north.

Israel says it places no limits on the entry of humanitarian aid and blames the UN for delays in distributing goods entering Gaza. The UN says fighting, Israeli fire and chaotic security conditions have hindered delivery.

Under pressure from the US, Israel has in recent weeks opened a pair of crossings to deliver aid into hard-hit northern Gaza and said that a series of Hamas attacks on the main crossing, Kerem Shalom, have disrupted the flow of goods.

Palestinians walk through the debris after an Israeli air and ground offensive in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip (Saher Alghorra/AP)

The first cargo ship loaded with food left Cyprus last week and the cargo was transferred to a US military ship, the Roy P Benavidez, which is off the coast of Gaza.

The installation of the floating pier several miles off the coast and of a causeway, which is now anchored to the beach, was delayed for nearly two weeks because of bad weather that made conditions too dangerous.

Military leaders have said the deliveries of aid will begin slowly to ensure the system works. They will start with about 90 truckloads of aid a day through the sea route, and that number will quickly grow to about 150 a day. But aid agencies say that is not enough to avert famine in Gaza and must be just one part of a broader Israeli effort to open land corridors.

Because land crossings could bring in all the needed aid if Israeli officials allowed it, the US-built pier-and-sea route is a solution for a problem that doesnt exist, said Scott Paul, an associate director of the Oxfam humanitarian organisation.

Under the new sea route, humanitarian aid is dropped off in Cyprus where it will undergo inspection and security checks at the port of Larnaca. It is then loaded onto ships and taken about 200 miles to the large floating pier off the Gaza coast.

There, the pallets are transferred onto trucks, driven onto smaller army boats and then shuttled several miles to the causeway anchored to the beach. The trucks, which are being driven by personnel from another country, will go down the causeway into a secure area on land where they will drop off the aid and immediately turn around and return to the boats.

Aid groups will collect the supplies for distribution on shore.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has thanked Chinese leader Xi Jinping for Chinas proposals on ending the war in Ukraine, which have been rejected by Ukraine and its western supporters as largely following the Kremlins line.

At their summit, Mr Putin and Mr Xi reaffirmed a no-limits partnership that has grown deeper as both countries face deepening tensions with the West, and criticised US military alliances in Asia and the Pacific region.

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Mr Putins two-day state visit to one of his strongest allies comes as his countrys forces are pressing an offensive in north-eastern Ukraines Kharkiv region in the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion began on February 24 2022.

China claims to take a neutral position in the conflict, but it has backed Moscows contentions that Russia was provoked into attacking Ukraine by the West, and continues to supply Russia with key components that Moscow needs for its productions of weapons.



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A joint statement after Mr Putin and Mr Xi met said that both sides believe that for a sustainable settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, it is necessary to eliminate its root causes.

Russia has said that the war was sparked not only by the threat posed to Russia by Ukraine and its backers but as necessary to wipe out alleged Nazism in Ukraine.

The Kremlin has repeatedly sought to link Ukraines leaders to Nazism, even though the country has a democratically elected Jewish president who lost relatives in the Holocaust, and despite the aim of many Ukrainians to strengthen the countrys democracy, reduce corruption and move closer to the West.

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It was not clear if the joint statements wording meant China was explicitly endorsing the Russian allegation of Nazi influence in Ukraine.

But the statement also noted that the two sides pointed out that it is necessary to carry out education on the correct historical perspective, protect the worlds anti-fascist memorial facilities, and protect them from desecration or destruction, and severely condemn the glorification of or even attempts to revive Nazism and militarism.

That echoes Russias persistent contention that western countries downplay the Red Armys role in defeating Nazi Germany.

China proposed a broadly worded peace plan in 2023, calling for a ceasefire and for direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv. But the plan was rejected by both Ukraine and the West for failing to call for Russia to leave occupied parts of Ukraine.

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The leaders review the honour guard of Chinese troops (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

The largely symbolic visit stressed the partnership between two countries who both face challenges in their relationship with the US and Europe.

Both sides want to show that despite what is happening globally, despite the pressure that both sides are facing from the US, both sides are not about to turn their backs on each other anytime soon, said Hoo Tiang Boon, a professor who researches Chinese foreign policy at Singapores Nanyang Technological University.

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While both leaders said they were seeking an end to the war in Ukraine, they offered no new proposals in their public remarks on Thursday afternoon.

China hopes for the early return of Europe to peace and stability and will continue to play a constructive role towards this, Mr Xi said, speaking alongside Mr Putin.

His words were an echo of what China said last year when it first offered a broad plan for peace outlining general principles for ending the war in Ukraine.

Mr Putin said he will inform the Chinese leader in detail about the situation in Ukraine, and said we appreciate the initiative of our Chinese colleagues and friends to regulate the situation.

He added that the two planned to engage in further foreign policy discussions at an informal meeting later.



Mr Putin began a fifth term in office this month (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)

After Russias newest offensive in Ukraine last week, the war has entered a critical stage, as Ukraines depleted military waits for new supplies of anti-aircraft missiles and artillery shells from the United States after months of delay.

The joint statement from China and Russia also criticised US foreign policy at length, hitting out at US-formed alliances, which the statement called a Cold War mentality.

Both sides expressed serious concern about the consequences caused to the strategic stability of the Asia-Pacific region by Aukus, according to the statement, referring to the acronym for Australia, the UK and the US.

China and Russia also accused the US of deploying land-based intermediate range missile systems in the Asia-Pacific under the pretext of joint exercises with allies. They said that the US actions in Asia were changing the balance of power and endangering the security of all countries in the region.

Thursdays meeting was yet another affirmation of the friendly no limits relationship they signed in 2022, just before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Since then, Russia has become increasingly economically dependent on China as western sanctions cut its access to much of the international trading system.

Moscow has diverted the bulk of its energy exports to China and relied on Chinese companies for importing high-tech components for Russian military industries to circumvent western sanctions.

I and President Putin agree, we should actively look for convergence points of the interests of both countries, to develop eachs advantages, and deepen integration of interests, realising each others achievements, Mr Xi said.



Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping attend a concert marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and China (Sergei Guneyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

In their meeting, Mr Xi congratulated Mr Putin on his election to a fifth term in office and celebrated the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations forged between the former Soviet Union and the Peoples Republic of China, which was established following a civil war in 1949.

Mr Putin faced no credible opposition in the presidential race, and, like Mr Xi, has not laid out any plans for any potential successors.

On the eve of the visit, Mr Putin said in an interview with Chinese media that the Kremlin is prepared to negotiate over the conflict in Ukraine.

We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours, Mr Putin was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency.

Mr Putin said a Chinese proposal made in 2023, which Ukraine and the West rejected, could lay the groundwork for a political and diplomatic process that would take into account Russias security concerns and contribute to achieving a long-term and sustainable peace.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said any negotiations must include a restoration of Ukraines territorial integrity, the withdrawal of Russian troops, the release of all prisoners, a tribunal for those responsible for the aggression and security guarantees for Ukraine.

Mr Putin has blamed the West for the failure of negotiations in the opening weeks of the war, and praised Chinas peace plan.

Russia-China military ties have also strengthened during the war in Ukraine. They have held a series of joint war games in recent years, including naval drills and patrols by long-range bombers over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea.
Donald Trumps lawyers have accused the prosecutions star witness in his hush money trial of lying to jurors.

They portrayed Trump fixer-turned-foe Michael Cohen as a serial liar who is bent on seeing the presumptive Republican presidential nominee behind bars.

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As Trump looked on, defence lawyer Todd Blanche pressed Mr Cohen for hours with questions that focused as much on his misdeeds as on the cases specific allegations and tried to sow doubt in jurors minds about Mr Cohens crucial testimony implicating the former president.

Mr Blanches voice rose as he interrogated Mr Cohen with phone records and text messages over Mr Cohens claim that he spoke by phone to Trump about the hush money payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels that is at the heart of the case, days before wiring her lawyer 130,000 dollars.

Mr Blanche said that was a lie, confronting Mr Cohen with texts indicating that what was on his mind, at least initially, during the phone call were harassing calls he was getting from an apparent 14-year-old prankster. Mr Cohen said he believed he also spoke to Trump about the Daniels deal.



Former president Donald Trump in court (Mike Segar/Pool Photo via AP)

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We are not asking for your belief. This jury does not want to hear what you think happened, Mr Blanche said, his voice growing even louder, prompting an objection from the prosecutor.

The heated moment was the crescendo of defence cross-examination over two days designed to portray Mr Cohen  a one-time Trump loyalist who has become one of his biggest foes  as a media-obsessed opportunist who turned on the former president after he was denied a White House job.

Whether the defence is successful in undermining Mr Cohens testimony could determine Trumps fate in the case.

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Over the course of the trials fourth week of testimony, Mr Cohen described for jurors meetings and conversations he said he had with Trump about the alleged scheme to stifle stories about sex that threatened to torpedo Trumps 2016 campaign.

Prosecutors have tried to blunt the defence attacks on their star witness by getting him to acknowledge at the outset his past crimes, including a guilty plea for lying to Congress about work he did on a Trump real estate deal in Russia.

But the cross-examination underscored the risk of the prosecutors reliance on Mr Cohen, who was peppered repeatedly with questions about his criminal history and past lies. Mr Cohen also testified that he lied under oath when he pleaded guilty to federal charges, including tax fraud, in 2018.



Michael Cohen is prosecutors star witness in the case against Donald Trump (Andres Kudacki/AP)

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It was a lie? Correct? Mr Blanche asked Mr Cohen about whether he lied to the late US district judge William H Pauley III at a court hearing about not being pressured into pleading guilty.

Correct, Mr Cohen said.

He is by far the prosecutors most important witness, placing Trump directly at the centre of the alleged scheme to silence women who claimed to have had sexual encounters with Trump. Trump denies the womens claims.

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Mr Cohen told jurors that Trump promised to reimburse him for the money he fronted and was constantly updated about behind-the-scenes efforts to bury stories feared to be harmful to his 2016 campaign.

Mr Cohen also matters because the reimbursements he received form the basis of 34 felony counts charging Trump with falsifying business records. Prosecutors say the reimbursements were logged, falsely, as legal expenses to conceal the payments true purpose.

Trump, who insists the prosecution is an effort to damage his campaign to reclaim the White House, says the payments to Mr Cohen were properly categorised as legal expenses because Mr Cohen was a lawyer. The defence has suggested that he was trying to protect his family, not his campaign, by suppressing what he says were false, scurrilous claims.

The crime is that theyre doing this case, Trump told reporters on Thursday before entering the courtroom, flanked by a group of congressional allies.



A court artist sketch of Michael Cohen (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

Mr Blanche confronted Mr Cohen with profane social media posts, a podcast and books he wrote about the former president, getting Mr Cohen to acknowledge that he has made millions of dollars from criticising Trump. In one clip played in court on Thursday, Mr Cohen could be heard using an expletive and saying he truly hopes that this man ends up in prison.

It wont bring back the year that I lost or the damage done to my family. But revenge is a dish best served cold, Mr Cohen was heard saying. You better believe that I want this man to go down.

Mr Cohen acknowledged he has continued to attack Trump, even during the trial.

In one social media post cited by the defence lawyer, Mr Cohen called Trump an alliterative and explicit nickname, as well as an orange-crusted ignoramus. Asked if he used the phrase, Mr Cohen responded: Sounds correct.

Mr Cohen  the prosecutors final witness, at least for now  is expected to return to the witness stand on Monday. The trial will take Friday off so Trump can attend the high school graduation of his youngest son, Barron.

Manhattan district attorney Alvin Braggs office has said it will rest its case once Mr Cohen is done on the stand, though it could have an opportunity to call rebuttal witnesses if Trumps lawyers put on witnesses of their own.

The defence is not obligated to call any witnesses, and it is unclear whether the lawyers will do so.

Trumps lawyers have said they may call Bradley A Smith, a Republican who was appointed by former president Bill Clinton to the Federal Election Commission, to refute the prosecutions contention that the hush money payments amounted to campaign finance violations.

Defence lawyers said they have not decided whether Trump will testify.
Korea's industry ministry said Thursday it plans to make proactive efforts to help manufacturing firms roll out planned investments without delay amid looming challenges in the business environment.

The announcement came amid growing uncertainties in the market, including prolonged monetary tightening, which may have an adverse impact on business activities, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

According to ministry data, Korea's top 10 manufacturing industries, including semiconductors, automobiles, displays and batteries, fulfilled 96 percent of their investment pledge of 100 trillion won ($74.1 billion) in 2023.

In the January-March period of this year, the ministry said local businesses have implemented 20 percent of their investment commitments, totaling 110 trillion won.

The government said it plans to expand incentives for businesses rolling out investments and address their difficulties.

"The business environment for Korean firms remains challenging," First Vice Industry Minister Kang Kyung-sung said during a meeting with local firms.

"The government plans to create an environment that enables companies to invest on time by addressing their challenges and preparing investment incentives through the extension of tax cut deadlines," Kang added. (Yonhap)
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has said that a foreign influence Bill passed by parliament that critics have called a threat to free speech is unacceptable.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Ms Zourabichvili criticised the ruling Georgian Dream party for pushing the Bill, which is widely seen as a threat to Georgias aspirations to join the European Union.

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The Bill requires media and non-governmental organisations and other non-profit groups to register as pursuing the interests of a foreign power if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad.

The government says the Bill is needed to stem what it deems harmful foreign actors trying to destabilise politics in the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million people.



Thousands have protested against the Bill (Zurab Tsertsvadze/AP)

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Its unacceptable because it reflects a turn of the Georgian attitudes towards the civil society, towards the media and towards the recommendations of the European Commission that are not consistent with what is our declared policy of going towards a European integration, Ms Zourabichvili told the AP.

The president reaffirmed her intention to veto it because it goes directly against the spirit or the letter of EU recommendations.

Ms Zourabichvili is increasingly at odds with the Georgian Dream party, which has a majority sufficient to override it. She has until May 28  14 days after its passage  to act.

She emphasised it is her duty under the constitution to make everything in my capacity possible to support the European integration and to consolidate it.

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Huge crowds of protesters have blocked streets in Georgian capital Tbilisi and milled angrily outside the parliament building after lawmakers on Tuesday approved the legislation despite strong criticism from the US and the EU.

The Bill is nearly identical to one that the Georgian Dream party was pressured to withdraw last year after street protests. Renewed demonstrations have rocked Georgia for weeks, with demonstrators scuffling with police, who used tear gas and water cannons to disperse them.

The opposition has denounced the Bill as the Russian law because Moscow uses similar legislation to crack down on independent news media, non-profits and activists critical of the Kremlin.

European Council President Charles Michel said on Tuesday that if Georgians want to join the EU, they have to respect the fundamental principles of the rule of law and the democratic principles.

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White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the US was deeply troubled by the legislation, which she said runs counter to democratic values and would move Georgia further away from the values of the European Union. And lets not forget also Nato.

Enacting the law will compel us to fundamentally reassess our relationship with Georgia, she added.

US assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia Affairs James OBrien met Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday and told journalists that if the law goes forward out of conformity with EU norms, and theres undermining of democracy here and theres violence against peaceful protesters, then we will see restrictions coming from the United States.
Authorities in Slovakia have charged a man with attempting to assassinate Prime Minister Robert Fico, saying the suspect acted alone in a politically motivated attack that laid bare the extreme polarisation that has gripped the small central European country.

Mr Fico, 59, was in a serious but stable condition a day after being shot multiple times in the stomach, a hospital official said.

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President-elect Peter Pellegrini said he spoke to Mr Fico at the hospital but confirmed his condition remains very serious.

The attempted assassination has shocked the nation and reverberated across the continent weeks ahead of European elections.



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While President Zuzana Caputova called on everyone to take the opportunity to dial back the vitriol that has characterised the political debate, some government ministers took aim at Slovakias media for contributing to the fractious atmosphere.

Interior minister Matus Sutaj Estok asked journalists to reflect on how they had covered Mr Ficos policies.

He referred to the suspect as a lone wolf who did not belong to any political groups, though he said the attack itself was politically motivated.

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Mr Fico has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond, and his return to power last year on a pro-Russian, anti-American message led to even greater worries among fellow European Union and Nato members that he would abandon his countrys pro-western course  particularly on Ukraine.

At the start of Russias invasion, Slovakia was one of Ukraines staunchest supporters, but Mr Fico halted arms deliveries to the neighbour when he came to power.

Mr Ficos government has also made efforts to overhaul public broadcasting  a move critics said would result in the governments full control of public television and radio.

Thousands of demonstrators have repeatedly rallied in the capital and around the country of 5.4 million to protest against his policies.

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Slovakias interior minister Matus Sutaj Estok speaks during a press conference at the government headquarters in Bratislava (Petr David Josek/AP)

Slovak police have provided little information on the identity of the suspect. But unconfirmed media reports suggested he was a 71-year-old retiree who was known as an amateur poet, and may have previously worked as a security guard at a shopping centre in the countrys south-west.

At a news conference on Thursday following a meeting of Slovakias Security Council, government ministers gave more details about the man, while still not naming him.

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Mr Estok said that the man himself cited his dissatisfaction with several of Mr Ficos policies as motivation for the attack. The minister said presidential elections in the spring prompted the assault, and that the suspect had attended a recent anti-government protest.

I can confirm to you that the reason it was a politically motivated, attempted premeditated murder is as the suspect himself said: the media information that he had at his disposal, he said. I think each of you can reflect on the way you presented it.

At the same news conference, deputy prime minister Robert Kalinak also blamed the media for tensions in the country.

The tenor of those remarks stood in contrast to a news conference earlier in the day when the countrys outgoing and next presidents  political rivals  appeared together in an appeal for Slovaks to overcome their increasingly tense political differences.

Let us step out of the vicious circle of hatred and mutual accusations, said Ms Caputova, the outgoing president and a rival of Mr Ficos. What happened yesterday was an individual act. But the tense atmosphere of hatred was our collective work.



Slovakias incumbent President Zuzana Caputova, right, and President-elect Peter Pellegrini hold joint a press conference at the presidential palace in Bratislava (Petr David Josek/AP)

Mr Pellegrini, the president-elect, called on political parties to suspend or scale back their campaigns for European elections, which will be held on June 6-9.

If there is anything that the people of Slovakia urgently need today, it is at least basic agreement and unity among the Slovak political representation. And if not consensus, then please, at least civilised ways of discussing among each other, Mr Pelligrini said.

Zuzana Eliasova, a resident of the capital, Bratislava, said the attack on Mr Fico was a shock to the nation and an attack on democracy at a time when political tensions were already running high.

I believe that a lot of people or even the whole society will look into their conscience, because the polarisation here has been huge among all different parts of society, she said.

Doctors performed a five-hour operation on Mr Fico, who was initially reported to be in a life-threatening condition, according to the director of the FD Roosevelt Hospital in Banska Bystrica, Miriam Lapunikova. He is being treated in an intensive care unit.

Five shots were fired as Mr Fico was greeting supporters at an event on Wednesday in the former coal mining town of Handlova, nearly 85 miles north-east of the capital, government officials said.

Mr Fico returned to power in Slovakia last year, having previously served twice as prime minister. He and his Smer Party have most often been described as left-populist, though he has also been compared to politicians on the right such as the nationalist prime minister of neighbouring Hungary, Viktor Orban.

Condemnation of the attack came from Mr Ficos allies and adversaries abroad. On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message to President Caputova, expressing his support and wishing the prime minister a fast and full recovery.

This atrocious crime cannot be justified, Mr Putin said in the message released by the Kremlin. I know Robert Fico as a courageous and strong-willed person. I truly hope these personal qualities will help him overcome this harsh situation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also denounced the violence against a neighbouring countrys head of government.

Every effort should be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country, form or sphere, he said.
Rishi Sunak has vowed to stay on as an MP even if his ruling Conservative Party loses the next British general election.

The UK prime minister said his North Yorkshire constituency is wonderful and of course he will remain in Parliament whatever the outcome when he goes to the country.

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There has been speculation that Mr Sunak, who previously worked at a hedge fund in California, could be eyeing a job in Silicon Valley as the Tories trail by more than 20 points in opinion polls.

But asked on ITVs Loose Women whether he would stay on as an MP if the party loses, the MP for Richmond (Yorks) said: Of course Im staying. I love being an MP. I love my constituents, I love my home in North Yorkshire.

Elsewhere in the show, which Mr Sunak claimed was one of the more intimidating things he had done over the course of his job, Mr Sunak conceded that were not there yet in terms of the progress he wants to make before calling an election.

He has dismissed demands for a change of political course after the Tories suffered a drubbing in the local elections earlier this month, saying he is determined more than ever to show the public that what were doing is making a difference on issues including the economy and migration.

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Ill happily come back and talk to you during the election. But I am focused on that, I am focused on the choice of that election, he told the panel.

Weve been through a lot but I do think actually the things we are doing are starting to make a difference. Were not there yet, of course.
Ukrainian units locked in street battles with the Kremlins forces in a key north-eastern town have halted the Russian advance, military officials in Kyiv said.

However, a senior Moscow official said the frontline push had enough resources to keep going.

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Russian attempts to establish a foothold in the town of Vovchansk, which is among the largest towns in the north-eastern Kharkiv region with a pre-war population of 17,000, have been foiled, Ukraines general staff said in a midday report.

It was not possible to independently verify the claim.



A Russian army attack damaged buildings in Kherson (Kherson Regional Military Administration via AP)

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Six people were injured on Thursday in one Russian daylight attack on Vovchansk using cluster munitions, local officials said, as emergency workers and volunteers were rescuing people affected by shelling. Among the injured were two medics, he said.

Ukrainian authorities have evacuated some 8,000 civilians from the town. The Russian armys usual tactic is to reduce towns and villages to ruins with aerial strikes before its units move in.

Vovchansk, located just three miles from the Russian border, has been a hotspot in the fighting in recent days.

Russia launched an offensive in the Kharkiv area late last week, significantly adding to the pressure on Ukraines outnumbered and outgunned forces which are waiting for delayed deliveries of crucial weapons and ammunition from western partners.

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Russia has also been testing defences at other points along the roughly 620-mile front line snaking from north to south through eastern Ukraine.

That line has barely changed over the past 18 months in what has become a war of attrition.

Recent Russian attacks have come in the eastern Donetsk region, as well as the Chernihiv and Sumy regions in the north and in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. The apparent aim is to stretch depleted Ukrainian resources and exploit weaknesses.





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Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine  16 May 2024.



Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/1NsPGy2eF6 #StandWithUkraine  pic.twitter.com/5aL0rKVLBk  Ministry of Defence  (@DefenceHQ) May 16, 2024

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Natos top military officer believes that Russias armed forces are incapable of any major advance.

The Russians dont have the numbers necessary to do a strategic breakthrough, we dont believe, US General Christopher Cavoli  Natos Supreme Allied Commander Europe  told reporters after a meeting of the organisations top military brass in Brussels.

More to the point, they dont have the skill and the capability to do it; to operate at the scale necessary to exploit any breakthrough to strategic advantage.

Asked whether Russia might be about to launch its anticipated summer offensive early, Gen Cavoli said we can never be sure, but he added that what we dont see is large numbers of reserves being generated some place which would be needed for any such offensive.

Ukraine has repeatedly tried to strike behind Russian lines, often using drones, though Russias response to the new technology used in unmanned vehicles has improved in recent months.

Russian naval aircraft on Thursday destroyed 11 Ukrainian sea drones heading towards annexed Crimea in the western Black Sea, Russias Defence Ministry said, according to state news agency TASS. Kyiv made no comment.



Volodymyr Zelensky said the Kharkiv region is generally under control (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met his top military commanders in Kharkiv on Thursday and said the region is generally under control.

However, he acknowledged on social media that the situation is extremely difficult and said Ukraine was again strengthening its units in Kharkiv.

We clearly see how the occupier is trying to distract our forces and make our combat work less concentrated, Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address on Wednesday.

Former Russian defence minister and now head of the presidential Security Council Sergei Shoigu insisted Russian troops are pushing the offensive in many directions and that its going quite well.

I hope we will keep advancing. We have certain reserves for the purpose, in personnel, equipment and munitions, he said in televised remarks.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, calculated that Russian forces attacking in Kharkiv have advanced no more than five miles from the shared border.



Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Kyiv (Courtney McBride/Pool via AP)

It reckons Moscows main aim in Kharkiv is to create a buffer zone that will prevent Ukrainian cross-border strikes on Russias neighbouring Belgorod region.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken, in a two-day visit to Kyiv this week, sought to reassure Ukraine of continuing American support. He announced a 2 billion dollar arms deal, with most of the money coming from a package approved last month.

Ukrainian officials say their needs are urgent and Western partners have vowed to expedite deliveries of military hardware.

Nato Military Committee chairman Rob Bauer urged senior officers from the 32-nation alliance to send more arms and ammunition to Ukraine, even if that means ignoring weapons stock guidelines.

If faced with a choice between meeting the Nato capability targets or supporting Ukraine, you should support Ukraine, he told a meeting of top defence brass in Brussels. Stocks can and will be replenished. Lives lost are lost forever.
South Africa has urged the United Nations top court to order a ceasefire in Gaza during hearings over emergency measures to halt Israels military operation in the enclaves southern city of Rafah.

It is the third time the International Court of Justice has held hearings on the conflict in Gaza since South Africa filed proceedings in December at the court, based in The Hague in the Netherlands, accusing Israel of genocide.

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The countrys ambassador to the Netherlands, Vusimuzi Madonsela, urged the panel of 15 international judges to order Israel to totally and unconditionally withdraw from the Gaza Strip.

The court has already found that there is a real and imminent risk to the Palestinian people in Gaza by Israels military operations.



Palestinians walk through the debris after an Israeli air and ground offensive in Khan Younis (Saher Alghorra/AP)

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This may well be the last chance for the court to act, said Irish lawyer Blinne Ni Ghralaigh, who is part of South Africas legal team.

Judges at the court have broad powers to order a ceasefire and other measures, though the court does not have its own enforcement apparatus. A 2022 order by the court demanding that Russia halt its full-scale invasion of Ukraine has so far gone unheeded.

During hearings earlier this year, Israel strongly denied committing genocide in Gaza, saying it does all it can to spare civilians and is only targeting Hamas militants. The country says Rafah is the last stronghold of the militant group.

The latest request focuses on the incursion into Rafah.

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South Africa argues that the military operation has far surpassed justified self-defence.



Judges enter the International Court of Justice (Peter Dejong/AP)

Israels actions in Rafah are part of the end game. This is the last step in the destruction of Gaza, lawyer Vaughan Lowe said.

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According to the latest request, the previous preliminary orders by The Hague-based court were not sufficient to address a brutal military attack on the sole remaining refuge for the people of Gaza.

Israel will be allowed to answer the accusations on Friday.

In January, judges ordered Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza, but the panel stopped short of ordering an end to the military offensive that has laid waste to the Palestinian enclave. In a second order in March, the court said Israel must take measures to improve the humanitarian situation.

South Africa has to date submitted four requests for the international court to investigate Israel. It was granted a hearing three times.

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Most of Gazas population of 2.3 million people have been displaced since fighting began.



Judge Nawaf Salam, centre, presides at the International Court of Justice (Peter Dejong/AP)

The war began with a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7 in which Palestinian militants killed around 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages.

Gazas Health Ministry says more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, without distinguishing between civilians and combatants in its count.

South Africa initiated proceedings in December 2023 and sees the legal campaign as rooted in issues central to its identity.

Its governing party, the African National Congress, has long compared Israels policies in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to its own history under the apartheid regime of white minority rule, which restricted most black people to homelands. Apartheid ended in 1994.

On Sunday, Egypt announced it plans to join the case. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Israeli military actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law, humanitarian law, and the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 regarding the protection of civilians during wartime.

Several countries have also indicated they plan to intervene, but so far only Libya, Nicaragua and Colombia have filed formal requests to do so.
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 When Justine Clarke was preparing for Julia, the one-woman show about former prime minister Julia Gillard, she developed a neat party trick: she could recite Gillards famous 2012 misogyny speech word for word. From, I will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man to The leader of the opposition should think seriously about the role of women in public life and in Australian society because we are entitled to a better standard than this. All 15 minutes of controlled fury, indignation and withering put-downs. Justine Clarke on stage in Julia. The play is an imagining of former prime minister Julia Gillards life. Credit: Prudence Upton Its an endurance test, says Clarke. Just being able to sort of sit inside an argument for that long. I dont know where she had time to swallow. Clarke listened to the speech every day as she prepared for Julia. She even had to change the way she breathes to deliver it, mimicking the way politicians structure their sentences. They breathe in the middle of a thought, so they can start the next thought without somebody interjecting, she says. So thats been really interesting to see how [Gillard] pre-empts a response by breathing before, so she can push through to her next thought because she knows whats going to come at her when she speaks. And just the stamina and the power of it. The dexterity and the fact it was off the cuff. I mean, she only did it once and Im going to be doing it lots more. At the moment, Ive just been doing it completely like a song, learning it like a song, which has been so fun and wonderful.

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Now, after acclaimed, sold-out runs in Sydney and Canberra, Clarke is bringing Sydney Theatre Companys production of Julia to Gillards political home in Melbourne, followed by a run in Gillards hometown of Adelaide. Its an experience Clarke is looking forward to, but is curious about, particularly as the political winds have changed. Director Sarah Goodes talks to Justine Clarke in rehearsal for Julia. Credit: Prudence Upton Itll be really great to see what resonances it has now, says Clarke. [When it premiered in March last year] that was kind of a new Labor government and things have changed since then, things have shifted, so itll be really interesting to be on the floor to hear it again. One of things Clarke  who is utterly phenomenal on stage  clearly remembers about the performances last year was the noise and energy that built up in the audience, who she describes as the missing piece of the puzzle. It was quite a personal response from the audience over certain things that were said about her, says Clarke. Or facts that maybe people didnt know, things that they remembered, and suddenly theyll have a collective gasp or groan or sometimes a little bit of heckling - never bad - and that gives me enormous energy. Justine Clarke in rehearsal for Julia at the Sydney Theatre Company. Credit: Prudence Upton Written by Joanna Murray-Smith and directed by Sarah Goodes, Julia isnt a straight biography of Gillard. Its no Wharf Revue or the ABCs derided sitcom At Home With Julia, but neither is it like Heather Mitchells one-woman show RBG: Of Many, One. Its an imagining of the former prime ministers life before that day on October 9, 2012.

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I start in the moments before the speech, says Murray-Smith. Shes about to start feeling that sense of absolute rage and righteousness. And she sort of goes back in time and tells us the story that leads her to this moment. So its not just a streamlined portrait of a politician, its really more about a woman who is coming to terms with what it means to be idealistic and ambitious. Because the idealism has to be compromised. Thats the way politics works. You want to stay in power, youre making concessions to your own beliefs. And how do you manage that? Prime Minister Julia Gillard during her now famous misogyny speech in federal parliament. Credit: Andrew Meares For a quick refresher, Gillard delivered the speech after then-opposition leader Tony Abbott said her Labor government should have already died of shame after he challenged her to sack then-speaker Peter Slipper over sexist text messages. Only the year before, Abbott had stood in front of signs that read Ditch the witch and Juliar Bob Browns [sic] bitch. It was the latest in a stream of sexist abuse and double standards Gillard had endured  from fellow politicians, the media and the public. From the moment she became prime minister in 2010, her body and hair had been commented on. Her voice was mocked and one particular outfit was described as looking like a cheap motel bedspread. So when Gillard sat through Abbotts spiel in parliament that day, writing notes, she wasnt just angry, she was ready to defend herself in a speech that has only grown in significance in the decade after it was delivered. Initially dismissed by much of the media in Australia, the speech became a viral sensation. The Macquarie Dictionary broadened its definition of misogyny  from the old-fashioned hatred of women  to something closer to sexism with a stronger edge to it. While Guardian Australia readers voted it the most unforgettable moment in Australian TV history. Even then-US president Barack Obamas staff have admitted to watching it whenever they were really annoyed at Abbott. You can even buy it printed on a tea towel.

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When I spoke to Clarke and Goodes before the Sydney production last year, both women were in awe at the power of Gillards speech, not just for its content but for the theatrical way it was delivered. Its a one-woman show in itself, veering between rage, high drama and, yes, comedy. Playwright Joanna Murray-Smith with Clarke and Goodes during rehearsal for Julia. Credit: Prudence Upton She was at the height of her parliamentary powers and her oratory powers had been worked like such a muscle all her life, says Clarke. To hear someone in flow mount such an extraordinary argument  and the poetry of it, the rhythm, the repetition  it was striking. If it was me [delivering the speech], I would probably shout and cry and storm out of the room. But it was 15 minutes of sustained argument  its virtuosic. Would Goodes have any directing notes for Gillard? You wouldnt want to touch it, she says. Its so alive. Because, ultimately, directing is about working with the actor and the writer to make sure the performer has it in their atoms. So that when theyre stepping into it, theyre not thinking, Am I going to put that there? You want them to be just channelling that emotional drive or the argument, and thats where the magic is. And once you really understand it and get it, then youre free as a bird to do it. Which she was. It was such control, but she was free.

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Murray-Smith was commissioned by STC to write the show, a co-production with the Canberra Theatre Centre, and before she started writing, she contacted Gillards office to let them know what she was doing. Murray-Smith had decided if Gillard said no, she wouldnt continue because, I felt, just on a woman-to-woman level, shed been through enough without having any more anxiety. Justine Clarke on stage during Julia, which is imagining of former prime minister Julia Gillards life. Credit: Prudence Upton Gillard, however, agreed. She said, I wont endorse it. But Im fine with you writing it, recalls Murray-Smith. Well, I didnt want her to endorse it. Because I didnt want to feel beholden to her. I wasnt sure how I was going to feel about her entirely. Because there were certainly areas that I was disappointed in, in her leadership. So, I was not at all uncritical. Loading But once she said she didnt mind, I thought, OK, lets run with this. Its an incredibly audacious idea to imagine your way into the head of someone who is still alive and somewhat well known. But I couldnt resist it. Murray-Smith then interviewed Gillard and they clicked. I assumed that someone who had been so badly treated would be, quite rightly, defensive and wary. I couldnt find her remotely defensive or wary. She was open, generous, helpful, and really delightful person to talk to. I wanted to just have a coffee with her and talk about shoes. The result, says Murray-Smith, is absolutely my version. There are a few quotes that are directly from her, but not very many. And there are some quotes that were lobbed at her. And the chronology is correct and a lot of the detailed factual detail is correct, but all her ruminating in the play is completely hypothetical.

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North Korea on Thursday slammed South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul's visit to China earlier this week, deriding his call for Beijing to play a constructive role for peace on the Korean Peninsula as "begging diplomacy," state media reported.

Pak Myong Ho, vice minister for Chinese affairs at the North's foreign ministry, issued the criticism over Cho's remarks made during his talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Monday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

During the meeting, Cho asked for China's "constructive" role as a permanent U.N. Security Council member to promote peace and security on the Korean Peninsula in the wake of North Korea's continued weapons tests this year.

"No matter how earnestly the diplomats of the ROK order someone a constructive role through soliciting and begging diplomacy ... we will never give up our sovereign rights crucial to our lives," Pak said in an English-language statement carried by the KCNA.

ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, the South's official name.

Pak accused the United States and South Korea of raising tensions on the Korean Peninsula by staging "war drills of aggressive nature."

"The regional situation can never see restored stability as long as there exist the U.S. and the ROK kowtowing to it, the evil source and root cause of instability on the Korean peninsula," he said.

South Korea decried the North's criticism as being "not even worth considering."

"We think that North Korea's claims are not even worth considering," Lee Joo-il, deputy foreign ministry spokesperson, said in a briefing.

"Our government plans to continue to seek constructive cooperation with China to resolve the Korean Peninsula issues, which is of mutual interest for both countries," he said.

The North has long denounced the allies' military drills as preparations for an invasion against it, although they said such exercises are defensive in nature.

Cho's latest trip marked the first such visit to the Chinese capital by a South Korean foreign minister in more than six years.

Seoul is seeking to manage its relationship with Beijing that has cooled amid the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's close alignment with the United States. (Yonhap)
Minister for Industry Ed Husic does not believe Labor senator Fatima Payman should have said from the river to the sea but has backed her for having the guts to call out those overlooking what is happening in Gaza.

On Wednesday, Payman said Israel was committing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza and finished her speech using the slogan from the river to the sea.

During Senate question time yesterday, Liberal senator Hollie Hughes was forced to withdraw a comment accusing the government of supporting terrorism that some senators interpreted as being aimed at Payman.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said yesterday it was inappropriate for Payman to have used the phrase from the river to the sea as it went against the governments position calling for a two-state solution, while NDIS Minister Bill Shorten said earlier this morning Paymans place on the foreign affairs committee should be reconsidered.

Science and Industry Minister Ed Husic. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

If I was on it, and I had that much disagreement, I probably would decide to make a contribution in some other way, Shorten told ABC Radio National this morning.

Husic told Sky he would not say if Payman should be removed from the foreign affairs committee, but said he did not use the chant from the river to the sea and did not think Payman should have used the slogan.

Whats gone missing in this is that youve got, particularly [it] takes a lot of guts to go out on an issue as tough as this as a first-term member of parliament, and to try to get people to focus on the moral issue at hand, which is the role of silence, Husic said.

I dont use that chant. I dont believe that chant is right when Israelis use it, or Palestinians use it, because its designed to limit our ability to get to a two-state solution. Fatima chose to use that. I wouldnt have done it and I dont think she should have.

Husic would not say if he believed Israel was committing genocide, but said there were a number of politicians who would not stop speaking up on this issue when 35,000 civilians in Palestine have been killed.

We cannot remain silent on that. And as much as the Coalition wants to focus on slogans, they have never expressed a view seriously about whether or not they believe that the Israeli governments conduct and their observance of international humanitarian law has been proper, Husic said.
Thanks for joining us. This is where well leave our live updates for this week, but well be back on Monday.

Here are a few of Fridays top stories:

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has walked back his decision of barely five months to resign from a key 2032 Games forum  despite outstanding differences of opinion.

They have listened, Schrinner (left) said of Miles (right) and Deputy Premier Cameron Dick at a media conference with the latter on Friday morning. Credit: Matt Dennien

Some of Australias largest international student markets are still being granted visas at high rates while countries such as India bear the brunt of record rejections as the government uses the education sector as a key mechanism to slash migration.

Heading to Magic Round? Whether you want to stick close to the stadium or need a solid dinner before a big night out, this guide has you covered for one of the citys busiest weekends of the year.

Tip: order the signature Whiskey Apple cocktail if youre stopping by Leftys over the weekend.

A second portrait by Vincent Namatjira of Gina Rinehart has emerged which supporters of the mining magnate want pulled from the walls of the National Gallery of Australia.

A Supreme Court jury has been taken inside the long-term affair between Russell Hill and Carol Clay before they were allegedly murdered together on a camping trip.

Thursday nights AFL Darwin demolition set records, embarrassed Geelong and potentially marked Gold Coasts belated arrival as a competition force.
They are unfounded and detract from what the student-led movement is aiming to do, Ariadna said. Its really about showing our solidarity to our fellow peers in Gaza, where there are now no universities left. This is student and staff-led. Our aim here is to have the university disclose and divest their ties to weapons manufacturers. A Melbourne University poster prohibiting members of the public from attending protests on university grounds. Credit: Alex Crowe On Thursday night, a handful of tents remained inside the Arts West building, which had become a second headquarters for the protest. About 100 students gathered in the central lobby, a combination of protesters and non-affiliated students passing through to study in the adjacent library and classrooms.

At the camp outside the Arts West building, all was quiet bar the soft sounds of a drum and tambourine. Most protesters had taken to their tents or sought warmth inside, though plans were made for a sing-a-long after dinner. Volunteers from Melbourne Activist Legal Support came to observe police action. However, protesters and campus security said police attendance had been minimal over the past two days. Loading Wesley said while students had the right to protest, this did not extend to disrupting the studies and university life of others preparing for end-of-term exams and final assessments. The protesters crossed a line when they occupied a building. They crossed a line when they invited professional protesters who arent members of the university community into one of our buildings. They crossed a line when they caused damage. They crossed a line when they forced us to cancel classes, he said.

They have completely gone outside of their legitimate right to protest. Having a right to protest does not mean you have a blank cheque. Ariadna, who has been part of the University of Melbourne camp since Anzac Day, said she was unaware of any property damage on campus. Some protesters had moved furniture around to make space for the sit-in, but shifted it back after concerns were raised it might be considered vandalism, she said. As the university braces for an Arts West showdown, tensions remain high at other universities. At Deakins Burwood campus, in Melbournes east, student protesters were issued with a second order to remove their encampment from university grounds. At Monash University, nine student protesters said they had been threatened with suspension and expulsion.

Loading The students said the threats related to them calling for intifada  an Arabic word for uprising  and chanting the pro-Palestine slogan From the river to the sea. The meaning of both is contested on each side of the conflict. To Palestinian supporters, they represent demands for the end of occupation; for some Israelis, the slogans are an antisemitic call for their destruction. The Senate passed with bipartisan support on Thursday a motion condemning the use of From the river to the sea. Students occupying the Arts West building on Thursday morning. Credit: Justin McManus The Monash students were unrepentant. We see this as our Iraq or our Vietnam, protest organiser Josiah Downey said.

At the University of Melbourne, students have vowed to remain inside the Arts West building until the university abandons its research agreement with defence companies which supply weaponry to Israel. Wesley said the timing of any action against the Arts West occupiers would be determined by police. In the meantime, there will be an increased police and security presence at the Parkville campus. Notices were issued on Thursday prohibiting any protesters who were not staff or students from entering the university grounds. A Victoria Police spokesperson said it was liaising with Melbourne University to provide assistance when and if that is required.

The universitys decision to move against the pro-Palestinian protests comes three weeks after the first encampment tents were pitched on the South Lawn. It is likely to trigger a furious response from the National Tertiary Education Union, which on Thursday declared its support for the protest movement. The unions University of Melbourne branch also called on the university to protect the rights of students and staff to express their views without fear or outside interference. The university and the unions characterisations of the Arts West occupation are starkly different. Seven members of the Monash nine. Credit: Joe Armao Where union branch president David Gonzalez described the atmosphere inside the building as safe and well-organised, Wesley said he found it intimidating.

I could only imagine how our students, particularly our Jewish students, would feel having to make their way to class through that, the deputy vice chanceller said. Loading The university said it had no choice other than to close the building to classes on Thursday, a decision that led to the cancellation of 150 classes and disrupted the learning of an estimated 6000 students. Wesley said the university had about 55,000 students at the Parkville campus and of those, up to 300 had taken part in pro-Palestinian protests. The vast majority of our students want nothing to do with this and feel increasingly irritated that their access to campus and ability to carry out their studies is being disrupted, he said.

I spoke to a student earlier today and he basically said, I think they are a bunch of wankers and I just want them to leave.  Wesley expressed regret for Jewish students who, after losing two years of their schooling to COVID lockdowns, had not felt comfortable on campus this semester. Ariadna said protesters had sought to ensure the hall was accessible to all students and had been surprised by the universitys decision to cancel classes. We really want to make this an inclusive space; this is an anti-genocide movement. Were not trying to prevent people from studying, she said. The Arts West occupiers have renamed the building Mahmoud Hall, in honour of a Palestinian student killed alongside his family in Gaza at the start of the war.

The protesters are targeting the universitys research agreements with defence companies Lockheed Martin, BAE and aviation giant Boeing, which they argue makes the university complicit in Israels war in Gaza. Since the atrocities of October 7, when Hamas militants crossed from Gaza into southern Israel, murdered 1200 Jews and took more than 200 hostages, Hamas officials say an estimated 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing war. Wesley said the protester demands would not be met. The universitys animating principle is that of academic freedom, he said.

If we start restricting the ability of our academics and students to work on certain topics and with certain companies because another part of our community objects to that, where does this end? Tomorrow it will be working with fossil fuel companies, then it will be working with supermarkets, then it will be working with the manufacturers of sugary drinks. We are a publicly funded institution and the Australian government has nominated defence as being paramount in the national interest. For a publicly funded institution to refuse to work on the security and safety of Australia and international stability would be a dereliction. Wesley said the universitys research agreements with defence companies, in which university researchers and PhD students receive grants from the companies, did not relate to the design or manufacture of any weapons being used in Gaza.
Premier Chris Minns has sacked outspoken pro-Palestine MP Anthony DAdam as a parliamentary secretary after he labelled Police Commissioner Karen Webb a liar over the behaviour of officers at pro-Palestinian protests.

In a statement, the premier said he had removed DAdam from his role after he refused to withdraw the comments he made in parliament on Wednesday night.

Premier Chris Minns sacked Anthony DAdam as parliamentary secretary for comments he made about Police Commissioner Karen Webb. Credit: Nick Moir

The upper house MP, who has been a frequent critic of both Israel and Australias response to the war in Gaza, had used a late-night speech to accuse the NSW Police of using fear and intimidation as a means of obtaining compliance against pro-Palestinian protesters in Sydney.

In the speech, DAdam also labelled the war in Gaza a genocide and objected to the conduct of officers at the protests.
Tenants receiving the to-be-expanded Commonwealth Rent Assistance payment will have scant options when looking for affordable properties, even after the payment goes up later this year.

The expanded payment will mean its recipients will be able to afford rent for a typical home in just two suburbs around the country, but only if they spend 40 per cent of their income on rent.

The two towns  Cobar, 700 kilometres from Sydney, and Millicent, 400 kilometres from Adelaide  have median asking rents for units of $200 a week, on Domain data. They are the two cheapest analysed suburbs for renters in the country.

The federal government on Tuesday announced it would increase rent assistance by 10 per cent, as a cost-of-living relief measure in its 2024-25 budget.
Federal police are investigating after Australian healthcare business MediSecure was targeted in a large-scale ransomware data breach.

MediSecures website and phone hotline were offline on Thursday, and the company confirmed in a statement it had fallen victim to a cyberattack. The Melbourne-based firm was founded in 2009 and provides electronic prescription services to healthcare professionals.

Federal police and government agencies are probing this latest large-scale data hack. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

MediSecure has identified a cybersecurity incident impacting the personal and health information of individuals. We have taken immediate steps to mitigate any potential impact on our systems, the company said in a statement.

While we continue to gather more information, early indicators suggest the incident originated from one of our third-party vendors.
I have booked flights from Sydney to Tokyo using Qantas frequent flyer points. Booking choices were limited and I am travelling to Melbourne early morning for a connecting flight to Tokyo with a transfer time of 90 minutes. What if the flight from Sydney to Melbourne is cancelled or delayed and I miss the connecting flight?

S. Yeates, Dee Why NSW

A transfer time of 90 minutes should be reasonably OK when transiting in Melbourne. Credit: Getty Images

If your flights are all on the same booking, you shouldnt have a problem. Airline software is designed to allow sufficient time between connecting flights. In your circumstances, a transfer time of 90 minutes is not unreasonable. If a flight delay causes you to miss your connecting flight and both flights are on a single booking, the airline is responsible for getting you on board the next available flight and providing food and, if necessary, accommodation.

From Paris we have five days to get to Venice, keen to explore possible train journeys with a stopover. Can you suggest any itineraries?

L. Lombard, Bondi NSW

So many possibilities here, but my pick would be a train from Paris to Lucerne in Switzerland. This journey takes just under five hours if you pick the right train, with only one change. Spend two to three nights. Lucerne is a lovely city with plenty to offer including the worlds steepest cogwheel railway, which hoists you up to the heights of Mount Pilatus from the lakeside terminal at Alpnachstad.
A former porn star. A former president. And now a former Australian prime minister. Just when it seemed the dramatis personae surrounding the Trump trial in New York could not get any wackier or circus-like, Scott Morrison pops up in midtown Manhattan in a display of Trumpian mateship with his old pal DJT.

Both men, of course, have recently been spruiking Christian book titles: Trump his God Bless The USA Bible, which retails at $US59.99, and Morrison his Plans For Your Good: A Prime Ministers Testimony of Gods Faithfulness. Fittingly then, there was something almost quasi-religious about their summit.

Shame about the pile-on: Donald Trump with Scott Morrison at the former presidents penthouse apartment in Trump Tower.

The golden doors of the penthouse apartment in Trump Tower that formed the backdrop for their photograph together could easily be mistaken for the Ark of the Covenant. A swath of recent polls point to the Second Coming of The Donald. Morrison even gave voice to the gospel according to Trump. It was nice to catch up again, he noted afterwards on X, especially given the pile-on he is currently dealing with in the US.

Pile-on was a reference presumably to the four separate criminal prosecutions being mounted against the former president, which include charges relating to his attempt on January 6, 2021, to violently overturn the outcome of the 2020 election.
The City Futures Research Centre is leading the creation of a lab that will offer the best modelling and digital solutions to the problems of urban planning, Annesley said. This is a huge win for getting the very latest analytical tools into the hands of decision-makers.
Boost in funding for social housing

The budget allocates an additional $200 million annually to the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement and $1.9m in concessional loans to community housing providers. This funding aims to reduce wait times for accessing social and affordable housing services, addressing a critical need in a strained sector.
A Seoul appellate court rejected Thursday an injunction sought by doctors to halt the government's highly contested plan to increase the nationwide medical school admission quota, paving the way for the first such quota hike in 27 years.

The Seoul High Court made the decision on an injunction filed by the medical community seeking to suspend the government's plan to increase the medical school quota by 2,000 starting in the 2025 academic year.

This would pave the way for the government to finalize the first medical school quota hike in 27 years, aimed at addressing chronic shortages in essential but unpopular medical fields as well as remote rural areas.

With the legal limbo lifted, the government is expected to expedite the process of having increased medical quotas reflected in universities' 2025 admission announcements to be made public by late May or early June.

In March, the government allocated 2,000 additional medical school admission seats to universities, many of them to schools outside the greater Seoul area, despite trainee doctors' collective action to walk off their duties at major hospitals in protest.

About 20 legal actions have been taken by the doctors' community and medical students to halt the quota hike, but no court rulings have been made so far in favor of them.

A lower court had previously dismissed the case, citing the legal ineligibility of those who filed the request, and petitioning doctors have appealed the decision to the Seoul High Court.

Subsequent court deliberations have been centered on whether the increase of 2,000 seats was duly determined with sufficient reasoning and consultation.

Thursday's court ruling marks the culmination of the monthslong government-medical row over the quota hike plan.

The majority of intern and resident doctors have walked off their duties at major hospitals since late February in collective action protesting the hike, causing disruptions in health care services nationwide.

It remains unclear whether the court decision in favor of the government would prompt the striking doctors to return to work immediately, particularly given the doctors' community's staunch demand to shelve the quota hike plan entirely.

An association of medical professors has warned that it would initiate a one-week suspension of medical services and opt out of services one day every week if the court rejects the injunction. (Yonhap)
Given the strong demand in the sector and the audience that ACM Agri has access to, we have ambitious growth plans over the next 12 months. We will also get access to more than three hundred ACM sales staff on the ground who will be rolling out our offering locally across the country, said Stevens.
Prince William and Kate Middleton are checking up on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle following her pregnancy loss in July. (Photo: Chris Radburn/File Photo/REUTERS)

Prince William is reportedly "absolutely furious" with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle over their recent visit to Nigeria, which has been perceived by some as an unofficial royal tour.

According to royal expert Tom Quinn, who spoke to The Mirror, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's trip to promote the Invictus Games has left both Prince William and King Charles deeply upset, with the Prince of Wales now "determined to find a way to stop this happening in future."

The Sussexes' visit to Nigeria, which included dances, receptions, and visits to schools and charities, was treated by the Nigerian hosts as if it were an official royal tour, further exacerbating the tension between the couple and the senior members of the Royal Family. Quinn suggested that there had been concerns within the family that Meghan and Harry might "try to pull a fast one," and their trip to Nigeria "has confirmed their worst fears."

"It's as if Harry and Meghan have gone rogue - their Nigeria trip is a bold statement that they refuse to accept they are no longer working royals," Quinn explained. "William and Charles are scratching their heads and thinking, 'How are we going to control this nightmare situation?'"

The royal commentator went on to highlight the similarities between the Sussexes' Nigeria visit and an official royal tour, stating, "Everything you might expect from an official royal visit was there - the receptions, the visits to schools and charities, to wounded soldiers and the disabled. Meghan and Harry's speeches and their whole attitude has been designed to give the impression that they are still fully paid-up royals and William and his father King Charles don't like it one bit."

Quinn's comments suggest a growing rift between the Sussexes and the senior members of the Royal Family, with Prince William and King Charles reportedly struggling to control the situation. The expert noted that, from the perspective of the King and the Prince of Wales, it appears as though "Meghan and Harry are saying, 'We don't need your permission to be working royals - we will do it on our own terms whenever and wherever we like.'"

The backlash against the Sussexes' Nigeria trip comes amid ongoing tensions between the couple and the Royal Family, which have been strained since their decision to step back as senior royals in 2020. The perception that Meghan and Harry are engaging in unofficial royal tours has raised concerns about the potential impact on the monarchy and the role of working royals.

As the fallout from the Nigeria visit continues, it remains to be seen how Prince William and King Charles will address the situation and whether they will take steps to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. The Sussexes' apparent willingness to engage in activities that resemble official royal engagements has the potential to further complicate their relationship with the Royal Family and fuel speculation about their long-term plans.

The controversy surrounding the Sussexes' Nigeria trip also highlights the challenges faced by the Royal Family in navigating the changing roles and expectations of its members in the modern era. As Meghan and Harry continue to forge their own path outside of the traditional royal structure, the tension between their desire for independence and the expectations of the monarchy is likely to remain a point of contention.

With Prince William reportedly "determined to find a way to stop this happening in future," the Royal Family may need to reevaluate its approach to managing the activities of non-working royals and establish clearer guidelines to prevent further confusion and conflict.
The Ethereum co-founder has sent around $225,000 in ETH to two Turkish earthquake relief organizations. (Photo: Dado Ruvic/Reuters/Illustration/file photo)

Two brothers, Anton and James Peraire-Bueno, who studied mathematics and computer science at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), have been arrested and charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering for allegedly stealing $25 million in cryptocurrency from the Ethereum blockchain in just 12 seconds.

The U.S. Department of Justice has called this alleged heist the first of its kind, highlighting the sophisticated nature of the scheme.

According to the newly unsealed indictment, the Peraire-Bueno brothers spent months plotting their theft, exploiting the "validators" on the Ethereum blockchain, which are vital components of the integrity and security of transactions. Prosecutors allege that the duo used their highly specialized skills, acquired through their education at MIT, to fraudulently gain access to pending private transactions and alter them to obtain their victims' cryptocurrency.

"The Peraire-Bueno brothers stole $25 million in Ethereum cryptocurrency through a technologically sophisticated, cutting-edge scheme they plotted for months and executed in seconds," said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. She emphasized the role of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents in unravelling this "first-of-its kind wire fraud and money laundering scheme."

The brothers allegedly engaged in a "baiting" operation targeting three specific victim traders on the digital Ethereum platform, starting in December 2022. Although the plot took months to plan, investigators say it took only 12 seconds to execute, netting the brothers approximately $25 million from their unwitting victims.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams stated, "The defendants' scheme calls the very integrity of the blockchain into question," referring to the public ledger that records crypto payments. The alleged theft has raised concerns about the security and reliability of the Ethereum blockchain and the potential for similar sophisticated attacks in the future.

Between April and June of last year, the Peraire-Bueno brothers are accused of laundering their illicit gains through shell companies. Prosecutors say the duo even rejected repeated requests from a victim, the victim's attorney, and an Ethereum representative to return the stolen cryptocurrency.

The MIT Registrar's Office confirmed that Anton Peraire-Bueno earned a B.S. in computer science and engineering in February 2024, while James Peraire-Bueno earned a B.S. in mathematics, computer science, and aerospace engineering in June 2019, as well as a M.S. in aeronautics and astronautics in June 2021. Their prestigious education allegedly afforded them the unique set of skills necessary to carry out this first-of-its-kind endeavor.

The brothers were arrested on Tuesday and are expected to make their initial appearances in New York and Boston federal courts on Wednesday. If found guilty, they each face over 20 years in prison.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco emphasized the Justice Department's commitment to combating fraud in the evolving cryptocurrency markets, stating, "As cryptocurrency markets continue to evolve, the Justice Department will continue to root out fraud, support victims, and restore confidence to these markets."
Chinese vice premier visits Uzbekistan, co-chairs intergovernmental meeting

Xinhua) 10:29, May 16, 2024

TASHKENT, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong visited Uzbekistan from Monday to Wednesday and held a meeting with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

During his visit, Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, held talks and co-chaired the Seventh Meeting of the China-Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee with Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov.

Liu conveyed cordial greetings from President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang to President Mirziyoyev and Prime Minister Aripov.

Liu said that the heads of state of both countries have jointly announced developing an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era and promoting the building of a China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future from a higher starting point, ushering in a new chapter in China-Uzbekistan relations.

China is willing to work with Uzbekistan, guided by the consensus of the two heads of state, to firmly support each other on issues of core interests, and continuously deepen and expand cooperation in various fields, enriching the substantive content of the China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future, Liu said.

Mirziyoyev and Aripov asked Liu to convey their warm greetings to President Xi and Premier Li. They said that Uzbekistan highly values its relations with China, will steadfastly adhere to the one-China principle, continuously elevate the level of comprehensive reciprocal cooperation between the two countries, and contribute to the common development to benefit the well-being of the people of both countries.

On Monday, Liu and Aripov co-chaired the Seventh Meeting of the China-Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee, where they thoroughly reviewed the cooperation between both countries. They exchanged views on cooperation in key areas such as economy and trade, energy, transportation, agriculture, science and technology, cultural exchanges, and poverty reduction, and made new arrangements for future cooperation. After the meeting, both sides signed the minutes of the meeting.

During his visit, Liu inspected several bilateral cooperation projects, including the Peng Sheng Industrial Park and the China-Uzbekistan Medicine Technical Park.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
President Yoon Suk Yeol and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet agreed Thursday to establish a strategic partnership between their countries and expand cooperation across various sectors, including defense, trade and infrastructure.

The leaders adopted a joint statement on the establishment of a strategic partnership between South Korea and Cambodia during a summit at the presidential office, which was held on the second day of Hun Manet's four-day official visit to South Korea.

The statement calls for strengthening defense and security cooperation, including through a South Korean naval vessel's port call in Cambodia later this year and increased cooperation in peacekeeping operations as well as against transnational crimes, such as drug smuggling, human trafficking and cyber crimes.

Under the strategic partnership, the two countries will also increase economic and financial cooperation, including through their bilateral free trade agreement, and promote cooperation across the social, cultural and development sectors.

The statement contains the two countries' reaffirmation of the importance of international peace and security, free trade, and the rule of law, as well as their commitment to working together at the United Nations, and other international and multilateral organizations.

It further urges North Korea to abide by U.N. Security Council resolutions and expresses support for South Korea's comprehensive strategic partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), its Indo-Pacific strategy and the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative.

The two countries signed six documents on the occasion of the summit, including a protocol renewing and increasing South Korea's loan to Cambodia from $1.5 billion in 2022-26 to $3 billion in 2022-30 through the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF).

The other documents were a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on investment cooperation, an MOU on deepening cooperation in the intellectual property sector, a letter of intent on strengthening cooperation against drug smuggling, an MOU on training human resources, and a contract to provide an EDCF loan to rebuild roads and construct a bridge in Cambodia. (Yonhap)
Laserfiche  the leading SaaS provider of intelligent content management and business process automation  announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Noel Loughrin, Katherine Hou, and Kristen Petruzzellito the Women of the Channel list for 2024.

These channel leaders are an instrumental part of Laserfiches success, which includes growing the Laserfiche channels footprint and expertise in various industries. Loughrin, Hou, and Petruzzelli are committed to providing the resources and support that enable solution providers to drive digital transformation at organizations around the world.

As senior strategic solutions manager for the public sector, Loughrin is a passionate technologist and Laserfiche advocate. Loughrin works with organizations in local, state, and federal governments, as well as education, to bring about transformative change for constituents, students, and staff. She puts her public sector expertise at the service of Laserfiche channel partners by fostering strategic technology partnerships and championing integrations that build awareness, generate opportunities, and encourage customer retention.

Hou is a territory manager and trusted resource and advocate for Laserfiche channel partners. She focuses on strategic campaigns that empower partners and amplify the Laserfiche brand. Hou is committed to building awareness at industry events, cultivating trust between Laserfiche and its channel partners, and serving as a reliable resource during rapidly changing socio-economic conditions.

As senior customer success manager, Petruzzelli is dedicated to elevating the level of Laserfiche customer service and streamlining operational processes. She recently optimized service standards by spearheading new policies and procedures to save time for customers and solution providers, as well as increase customer satisfaction.

Every year, CRN highlights women from vendor, distributor, and solution provider organizations whose vision and leadership have a beneficial influence on the technology industry. The CRN 2024 Women of the Channel honorees are creative, strategic leaders who show ongoing commitment to using their skills to innovate and drive success for their partners and customers.

With this recognition, CRN honors these women leaders for their unwavering dedication and commitment to furthering channel excellence.

It is a great privilege to honor the remarkable achievements of these women leaders in the IT channel, said Jennifer Follett, VP, U.S. Content and Executive Editor, CRN at The Channel Company. Each woman on the list has demonstrated a deep commitment to innovation and leadership that advances their organizations and drives transformation and success across the IT channel.

In the past year these leaders have worked purposefully in not only growing our channel presence but also in empowering resellers, creating a customer-centric partner ecosystem that encourages and enables our solution providers to grow with Laserfiche, said Vicki VanValin, vice president of sales at Laserfiche. This recognition from CRN underscores our dedication to the Laserfiche Solution Provider Program, which is essential to Laserfiche's growth and delivering on our vision.

The 2024 Women of the Channel list will be featured in the June issue of CRN Magazine, with online coverage starting May 13 at www.CRN.com/WOTC.

About Laserfiche

Laserfiche is the leading SaaS provider of intelligent content management and business process automation. Through powerful workflows, electronic forms, document management, and analytics, the Laserfiche platform accelerates how business gets done, enabling leaders to focus on growth across the enterprise.

Laserfiche pioneered the paperless office with enterprise content management. Today, Laserfiches cloud-first development approach incorporates innovations in machine learning and AI to enable organizations in more than 80 countries to transform into digital businesses. Customers in every industry  including government, education, financial services, healthcare, and manufacturing  use Laserfiche to boost productivity, scale their business, and deliver digital-first customer experiences.

Laserfiche employees in offices around the world are committed to the companys vision of empowering customers and inspiring people to reimagine how technology can transform lives.

Connect with Laserfiche:

Laserfiche Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook

About The Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end-users. Backed by over 40 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelcompany.com

Follow The Channel Company: X and LinkedIn

 2024. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Visa invites industry leaders to its annual Payments Forum to set agenda for the future of commerce

Digital Identity and Generative AI (Gen AI) take center stage at San Franciscos Moscone Center

New innovations close the gap between in-person and digital commerce experiences

The way people pay and get paid has changed more in the past five years than in the last 50. Consumers have evolved, adapting to new payment experiences  from the advent of embedded, digital commerce to the rapid adoption of the tap. Today at the annual Visa Payments Forum in San Francisco, Visa (NYSE: V) unveiled new products and services that will revolutionize the card and address the future needs of businesses, merchants and consumers and the financial institutions that serve them.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240515563838/en/

The industry is at a pivotal point - new technologies like Gen AI are rapidly shifting how we shop and manage our finances, said Jack Forestell, Chief Product and Strategy Officer, Visa. Were announcing the next generation of truly digital-native payment card experiences. Today we unveiled new card features and digital innovations that will bring consumers into a more customized, convenient and secure future.

The new products and services Visa unveiled today, which will begin to roll out later this year, include:

Visa Flexible Credential

A Visa study found that more than half of card users want the power to access multiple accounts through a single credential.1 The Visa Flexible Credential will allow a single card product to toggle between payment methods, putting the power of choice in the hands of the consumer. Now people can easily set parameters or choose whether they use debit, credit, pay-in-four with Buy Now Pay Later or even pay using rewards points. Visa Flexible Credential is live in Asia and will be launching with Affirm later this summer in the U.S.

Tap to Everything

There are six billion mobile devices in the world2 providing consumers with a versatile NFC enabled device primed to be tapped. At the end of 2023, Visas tap to pay penetration reached 65% globally, up two times the penetration we saw in 2019, cementing tap as one of the best commerce experiences today.3

This year, new ways to tap on a mobile device will become an integral part of the Visa experience.

Tap to Pay: Any device can now be a POS device

Tap to Confirm: Easily authenticates identity when shopping online

Tap to Add Card: Enhances security when adding card into a wallet or app

Tap to P2P (person-to-person): Allows money to be sent between family and friends

Visa Payment Passkey Service

Identifying a person in the digital world has become incredibly complex and has resulted in a significant increase in fraud. Today, online payment fraud is seven-times higher than in-person payments.4

Built on the latest Fast Identity Online (FIDO) standards, the Visa Payment Passkey Service confirms a consumers identity and authorizes online payments with a quick scan of their biometrics like a face or fingerprint. When shopping online, Visa passkeys replace the need for passwords or one-time codes, enabling more streamlined, secure transactions.

There is a global desire to find commonality, interoperability and simplicity for online payments. Our passkeys, designed specifically for payments, represent a massive paradigm shift in our industry because it confirms identity without interrupting the checkout experience, said Forestell. Visa Payment Passkey Service increases security while reducing friction when you pay online, across any device or website, globally.

Click to Pay + Visa Payment Passkey Service

As its first deployment of passkeys, Visa is integrating Visa Payment Passkey Service into Click to Pay, powering a more seamless and secure checkout experience at scale. Additionally, in many markets around the world, Visa will partner with issuers to enable Click to Pay and Visa Payment Passkey Service on new Visa cards, reducing manual entry of card details and passwords from the moment the card arrives.

Pay by Bank

Non-card payments dont deliver the same experience, security and protections as card-based payments. Electronic payments, like ACH transfers, have been left out of the digital revolution. With pay by bank, Visa is digitizing and streamlining the account-to-account (A2A) payments experience, giving people more choice over how they want to pay, whether thats an A2A transfer, applying for a loan or paying with another funding source, like a credit card. Since its acquisition of Tink, Visa has expanded across Europe, giving millions of bank customers innovative financial management tools and removing friction from their payment experiences. Visa is bringing this new technology to the U.S. to help its clients deliver additional seamless, protected banking experiences.

Visa Protect for A2A Payments

Visa sees over 200 billion transactions every year and analyzes 500 data elements in every transaction to identify and stop fraud5 in real time. Working with Real-Time Payments (RTP) networks around the world, we are overlaying decades of Visa expertise in applying AI to help mitigate fraud for account-to-account payments on RTP networks. Live in Latin America and piloting in the UK, Visa Protect for A2A Payments is already identifying 60% of RTP fraud and scams previously undetected by financial institutions.6

Data Tokens

For the last 10 years, Visa has added security to the payments ecosystem by tokenizing payments, removing sensitive cardholder account information from the payment flow. Today, 29% of all transactions processed by Visa are tokenized,7 with widescale adoption by merchants and issuers in nearly every market globally. As new data regulations create a guide for better consumer data privacy practices, and Gen AI transforms how we discover things online, Visa believes that payment data has a role to play in delivering these new and improved experiences - and that consumers should be empowered to have more control too. Using its tokenization infrastructure, Visa will offer a new way for people to control their data and receive better shopping experiences, powered by AI.

Visa data tokens let consumers, whose financial institution participates in the program, consent to sharing their data as they shop online, then see where its been shared and revoke access right from their banking app. With data tokens, Visa and participating banks can enable an experience where a merchant can request consent from the consumer to get more personalized offers as they shop. If the consumer agrees, behind-the-scenes, Visa issues a private data token to the merchant complete with AI-generated insights based on the consumers transaction data. The data token can be used with the merchants AI models to deliver real-time recommendations for the shopper. Visa will also pass the data token to the consumers bank to capture where the data has been shared, so the consumer can easily review where it has been shared in their mobile banking app and revoke access if they choose.

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.

__________________________

1 Source: from Visa Flex Account Consumer Research Conducted November 2022: Consumer evaluation of Flex Consumer Value Proposition to support Visas pitch to Issuers (AP Markets only)

2 Statista Data 2023: https://www.statista.com/statistics/330695/number-of-smartphone-users-worldwide/

3 VisaNet Data, December 2023, December 2019

4 Source: 1. Visa data. Fraud data from 3Q23. Approval rate from 4Q23.

5 VisaNet data, https://usa.visa.com/run-your-business/visa-security/risk-solutions/authorization-optimization.html

6 APay.UK/Visa pilot analysed more than 50% of annual UK A2A transactions over a 12-month period.

7 VisaNet, April 2024. Global card-not-present (CNP) and card present (CP) transactions for tokenized vs non-tokenized credentials.

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The Worldcoin Foundation today announced it launched and is open sourcing a novel secure multi-party computation (SMPC) system. The system, available now in a GitHub repository for any organization to use, aims to set a new standard for data protection, including the protection of biometric data. The Worldcoin Foundation also announced that, after the migration of iris codes to the new SMPC system, the previous uniqueness-checking system, including iris codes, was securely deleted.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240515285506/en/

Worldcoin Foundation Launches, Open Sources "Perfect Secrecy" SMPC System to Help Organizations Strengthen Biometric Data Security Protections (Graphic: Business Wire)

Biometric authentication use increases as data breach frequency and impact rise

Organizations in the private and public sector increasingly require and use consumers biometric data for everyday services and activities, from building access and airport security to logging into healthcare and financial services apps. Underscoring the increase, a Fortune Business Insights report projected the global biometric system market size to reach $76.70 billion USD in 2029, 2.5x its total of $30.77 billion in 2022.

Meanwhile, research from MIT Professor Stuart Madnick indicates a 20% increase in data breaches from 2022 to 2023 while globally the number of victims of such breaches doubled over the same time period.

The convergence of these trends suggests a need to further advance data protection technologies. While Worldcoin is neither an authentication nor an identification use case for biometrics (the Worldcoin Foundation does not know the identity of their users), the Foundations new open source SMPC system can serve as a building block to set a new standard in biometric data security.

Worldcoin Foundations SMPC system

SMPC has been lauded by privacy and security experts alike. It can be thought of as taking one secret and sharing it in multiple parts across different parties for increased protection. Importantly, none of the individual parts alone say anything about the original secret, thus making it impossible for any individual party to decrypt the secret.

This SMPC approach demonstrates perfect information-theoretic security, meaning it is effective even against quantum-computing. SMPC systems have generally been too resource-intensive to be effectively used for large complex computations. This is why, despite their impressive privacy protective qualities, they have not yet seen extensive use in biometric template protection.

The Worldcoin Foundation, along with contributor-technologists from TACEO and Tools for Humanity, have successfully architected a new implementation of SMPC to address the scale and cost constraints that have previously hindered others. The new SMPC system, which encrypts iris codes into secret shares held by multiple parties, enabled the Worldcoin Foundation to permanently delete iris codes generated through its previous uniqueness-checking system.

The community supporting Worldcoin will never stop developing, testing and deploying the most advanced technologies focusing on security, privacy and data protection as it works to improve trust online and increase access to the global economy, said Jannick Preiwisch, Data Protection Officer of the Worldcoin Foundation. Implementation of the new SMPC system enabled the Worldcoin Foundation to delete old iris codes by permanently encrypting them to SMPC shares that by themselves cannot be related to an identified person. The development of this new system demonstrates an unparalleled commitment to further compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation and other data protection regimes across the world. It also complements advancements aimed at providing consumers increased choice and control over their data including personal custody and the ability to unverify their World IDs.

About the Worldcoin Foundation

The Worldcoin Foundation, a steward of the Worldcoin protocol, aims to realize more inclusive, fair and just institutions of governance and of the global digital economy.

About the Worldcoin Protocol

The Worldcoin protocol is intended to be the worlds largest, most inclusive identity and financial public utility and to be accessible by everyone. Worldcoin was originally conceived by Sam Altman, Alex Blania and Max Novendstern. The Worldcoin protocol is designed to empower individuals and organizations around the world with the tools they need to participate in the digital economy and advance humanity's progress. Find out more about Worldcoin at www.worldcoin.org, on Twitter/X, Discord, YouTube and Telegram.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240515285506/en/
Korea will provide $1 million worth of humanitarian assistance to Kenya following devastating floods in its central region that have left more than 200 people dead, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday.

"Our government hopes that the provision will help with recovery efforts and that the residents in the affected areas will quickly be able to return to their daily lives," the ministry said in a release.

Heavy rains and flash floods have struck the central region of the East African country since late last month, leaving over 200 dead and some 170 others wounded.

More than 70 people have gone missing, with over 230,000 others having been displaced, according to data provided by the ministry, citing the Kenyan government. (Yonhap)
Recent fence-mending efforts with China appear to be affecting decision

By Nam Hyun-woo

The Korean government is unlikely to send an official delegation to the upcoming inauguration of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, which appears to be a cautious step to manage its relations with Beijing.

According to multiple government officials who spoke to The Korea Times on Thursday, the Korean government is set to make an announcement regarding the decision to send a delegation to the inauguration ceremony scheduled for Monday. However, the likelihood is "very high" that Seoul will not be represented by an official delegation.

The government has yet to make a final decision on the plan, but it is reasonable to think that there wont be many differences from past precedents," a senior official said.

In 2016 when Lais predecessor Tsai Ing-wen took office, Cho Baek-sang, then-representative of the Korean Mission in Taipei, along with four lawmakers including Rep. Cho Kyoung-tae, who heads the Korea-Taiwan Korea Parliamentary Friendship Association, attended the ceremony as an unofficial delegation.

This time, Cho plans to make another four-day visit to Taiwan accompanied by other lawmakers to meet with ranking Taiwanese government officials, including Lai and Tsai.

A foreign ministry official also said the government has not yet finalized a specific plan, but chances are high that the representative of the Korean Mission in Taipei will attend the ceremony as the only Korean government official along with several lawmakers.

Despite the growing economic partnership with Taiwan, Korea has been refraining from reinstating diplomatic ties with Taiwan that were severed in 1992 when it established diplomatic relations with China, in respect of Beijings One China policy.

Due to this, sending a delegation to Taiwans political ceremony has been one of the conundrums for Korean diplomacy, and the implication of the delegation has grown significantly in recent years amid the rivalry between the United States and China.

Despite Seoul's adherence to the One China policy, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration has displayed a pronounced diplomatic alignment with Washington regarding issues concerning Taiwan. Yoon has reaffirmed in media interviews that Seoul opposes any attempts to alter the status quo by force in reference to tensions in the Taiwan Strait and his statements sparked discontent from China.

More recently, however, the Yoon administration is making efforts to improve its relations with China, exemplified by a ministerial meeting and a trilateral summit involving Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing. And such efforts appear to align with the governments cautious approach in announcing its decision about the delegation to Taiwan's inauguration ceremony.



On Monday, Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul had a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, marking the first trip to China by a South Korean top diplomat in more than six years.

While the meeting did not result in an immediate and tangible outcome between the two countries, it was widely accepted as an important step in managing bilateral relations, which have soured amid the deepening U.S.-China rivalry and Seoul's increasing alignment with Washington.

Cho told reporters Tuesday that the two countries agreed to create new momentum for the future development of Korea-China relations, while acknowledging their differences, and this is the most important agreement of the meeting.

Sending a delegation to Taiwan is also expected to affect the envisaged trilateral summit. The summit is rumored to take place on May 26 in Seoul, but the three governments have yet to officially announce the exact schedule.

Private watchers suggest saying that whether Korea will honor its commitment to the One China policy or decide to send a delegation to Taiwan will affect the trilateral summit and the possibility of holding bilateral talks between Seoul and China on the sidelines of the summit. Thus, China wants to be assured there will be no Korean delegation in Taiwan before announcing the schedule for the trilateral summit.

When asked about the reasons for delays in announcing the schedule for the trilateral summit, a separate senior government official told The Korea Times that everything is on the right track, but taking time because the three countries have to announce the schedule simultaneously, adding it will take several days until the announcement comes out.
N. Korea-Russia weapons cooperation 'unacceptable violation of multiple UNSC resolutions'

By Kim Hyun-bin

European Union Ambassador to Korea Maria Castillo Fernandez has expressed concerns over North Korea's exploitation of the global geopolitical landscape by persisting in its weapons program and fostering stronger ties with Russia.

The DPRK (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea) continues to advance its illegal weapons programs, she said during a recent written interview with The Korea Times. "2022 and 2023 saw an unprecedented number of illegal missile launches by Pyongyang, with several technological improvements. The DPRK is also further developing its Yongbyon nuclear complex, including a new reactor that seems to have become operational in 2023."

She underscored the EU's denouncement of North Korea's activities and its advocacy for dialogue to foster peace and security on the Korean Peninsula.

"The EU believes that the negative cycle of events on the Korean Peninsula can only be reversed when the DPRK ceases missile launches and resumes dialogue," Fernandez said.

These are clearly in violation of UNSC resolutions. The only route to sustainable peace and security on Korean Peninsula lies in the DPRK engaging in dialogue and complying with UNSC resolutions.

Furthermore, Fernandez expressed concerns about the military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, along with the suspected supply of weaponry to Moscow for use against Ukraine.

The EU is also strongly concerned by the DPRK-Russia military cooperation and Russias use of North Korean ballistic missiles and weapons against Ukraine, she said, highlighting the potential security implications for Europe and the Korean Peninsula, labeling it an "unacceptable violation of multiple UNSC resolutions."

In terms of long-term strategies, the ambassador reiterated the EU's unwavering solidarity with South Korea and its commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"The EU wants a peaceful and denuclearized Korean Peninsula, achieved through dialogue and understanding," she said.

Fernandez emphasized the longstanding partnership between South Korea and the EU and highlighted regular Security and Defense Consultations and thematic structured dialogues between the two, focusing on cybersecurity, counter-terrorism, non-proliferation and disarmament. Fernandez also noted South Korea's participation in EU Crisis Management Operations, such as the EU-led anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia.

"The EU and ROK (Republic of Korea) are longstanding partners in the field of peace, security and defense and have significantly developed our relationship in these areas over the past few years," Fernandez said.

Looking ahead, Fernandez expressed optimism about deepening security cooperation between South Korea and the EU, referencing the 2023 EU-ROK Summit Statement and the upcoming negotiation of a security and defense partnership.

Russia-Ukraine conflict

Fernandez delivered a stark assessment of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, emphasizing the gravity of the situation and the EU's steadfast support for Ukraine.

She corrected the notion of the conflict as a mere dispute between two neighbors, asserting, "The war in Europe is not an 'ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine' but an illegal war of aggression." She highlighted the U.N. General Assembly's resolution condemning Russia's aggression against Ukraine, framing it as a violation of international law and a threat to global peace.

She underscored the EU's substantial financial assistance, amounting to over 88 billion euros ($95.7 billion), and emphasized the creation of the Ukraine Reserve to bolster support for Kyiv.

"The EU will continue to provide strong political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes," she said.

Addressing concerns about the broader implications of a Russian victory, Fernandez warned, "If Russia prevails, it will not stop at Ukraines borders." She cautioned of the potential for further aggression towards EU member states, emphasizing the significance of Ukraine's resistance in safeguarding European security.

Transitioning to the humanitarian crisis spawned by the conflict, Fernandez outlined the EU's proactive measures, including the allocation of 785 million euros for humanitarian aid programs in Ukraine. She noted the influx of displaced Ukrainians seeking refuge in the EU and highlighted the activation of the Temporary Protection Mechanism to provide immediate assistance and residence rights.

On the topic of facilitating peace talks, Fernandez endorsed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Peace Formula as the most viable framework for achieving a lasting peace in Ukraine. However, she lamented Russia's reluctance to engage constructively, citing its disregard for international law and diplomatic norms.

Fernandez clarified the EU's coordinated approach regarding diplomatic initiatives and sanctions, emphasizing close cooperation among member states to implement the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), which is EUs broader framework for external relations in matters relating to foreign affairs, security, defense and crisis management. She underscored the efficacy of EU sanctions in exerting pressure on Russia, highlighting their impact on various sectors of the Russian economy.

Throughout the interview, Fernandez reiterated the EU's solidarity with Ukraine and called for international unity in condemning Russian aggression. She commended South Korea for its cooperation on sanctions against Russia and expressed hope for continued support in all aspects of the conflict.

Economic, cultural ties

The ambassador provided insights into the robust diplomatic relations between South Korea and the EU, emphasizing areas of cooperation and upcoming engagements.

"Our bilateral cooperation is excellent and received new impetus through our successful summit last year in Seoul," Fernandez said.

Regarding trade and investment, Fernandez noted the success of the Korea-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

"In 2023, bilateral trade in goods was 130 billion euros ($141.4 billion)," she said. "This figure comes very close to trade we have with Japan, yet Japan is a much larger economy." She highlighted ongoing negotiations to incorporate digital trade disciplines into the FTA to deepen economic ties.

On the cultural front, Fernandez emphasized the significance of people-to-people exchanges and cultural cooperation in strengthening bilateral relations.

"To celebrate the diversity and originality of EU languages and to bring them closer to Koreans, we host the EU Day of Languages festival, together with all EU member states, in Korea," she said.

As tourism exchanges between Europe and Korea rebound to pre-COVID levels, Fernandez expressed optimism about the role of cultural events and festivals.

"We also try to represent the EU at many events as much as possible, including climate youth festivals, film festivals and exhibitions," she said, highlighting these as avenues for learning more about EU values and initiatives.
By Robert Neff

According to a recent poll, Korean residents of Seoul view the Han River as a symbolic place representing the city. In the city's survey, about two-thirds of respondents said they like to spend their leisure hours by the riverside with their friends socializing. While the number of bicyclists and tents has increased over the past couple of decades, the number of fishers seems to have greatly decreased.

In 2004, the fishers were a ubiquitous sight along the river. They were generally older men  mostly in their 60s and 70s  retired and with a lot of time on their hands. Most of them arrived at the river at about 7 a.m. and stayed until late afternoon. They came to the river with the creature comforts needed for a long day in the sun  parasols, mats, tents, several bottles of soju and several fishing poles.

While the parasols, tents, large number of fishing poles and, of course, soju are still part of the fishing scene, there have been a lot of changes. The no-fishing zones along the river have greatly increased, so it is more difficult for fishers to find a place to set up. In fact, the fishers have taken to fishing in shifts  the first group arrives at dawn and fishes until the early afternoon, while the second group arrives in the late afternoon and fishes until 9 p.m. or 10 p.m.

The fishing poles now are basically the same as they were in 2004, except for the price. Two decades ago, the poles ranged in price from 10,000 to 100,000 won, but now they are between 50,000 and 220,000 won.

In 2004, the primary baits were worms, minnows and chicken feed. Some fishers, however, used paste bait as a bait. This was and still is illegal. The government claimed paste bait, or tteokbap in Korean, contributed to water pollution, but the fishers in 2004 disagreed. They argued there were so many fish that there was very little chance of it polluting the water. Even now, the fishers argue that construction and industry along the river are to blame for water pollution  not paste bait. While some of the 2004 fishers may have secretly used the forbidden bait, the present-day fishermen are too scared of the fine. According to a 70-year-old man who originally hailed from Wan Island, South Jeolla Province, anyone caught using tteokbap is fined 5 million won.

In 2004, the fishermen complained that the number of fish had greatly decreased. According to one man, he used to catch 10-20 fish a day in the late 1990s, but that number has since dropped to only two or three. Todays fishers have similar complaints. They blame the Ara Canal for allowing seawater to flow more readily into the Han River. They insist that it is a lucky day if you catch one fish.

The fish have also changed. There are still large carp and eels, but the number of mullets has increased dramatically. Near Anyang Stream in southwestern Seoul, the mullets almost taunt the fishers as they leap out of the water to snatch flying insects. Mr. Oh, an 80-year-old man who has been fishing the river for the past couple of decades, pointed out that the younger fishermen fish for mullets.

In 2004, most fishers released their catch unless they were bungeo, ingeo (two species of carp) or jangeo (eel). These were taken home and made into medicine  the bungeo were reputed to be good for ones general health, ingo were good for women and, according to several wise old gentlemen, eel was good for a mans stamina.

Last fall, however, most of the fishers stated they released all of the fish they caught  only one gentleman admitted to occasionally taking catfish home to make into soup. Many claimed the only fishers to eat fish from the river were the Chinese, but the handful of Chinese fishers I asked all stated they released what they caught.

The anglers have also changed over the past two decades. In 2004, most people fishing were men. They unabashedly admitted they enjoyed the opportunity to get away from their wives. There was one older couple who sat holding hands while fishing. They spent the time talking about their children and their own youth in the cool river breeze. Now, it is not that uncommon to see women fishing along the river. And not just older women. On the north side of the river near Mangwon's Battleship Park, several young couples could be seen fishing. One young woman claimed to have caught several fish that evening, but when asked to see them, she simply stated she released them. Fishers, regardless of age or gender, all have a fish tale to tell.

Fishers tend to be superstitious, and when asked about the strangest thing they encountered while fishing at night, all denied seeing ghosts or monster fish (or even dolphins). Many, however, have seen corpses floating in the river. Mr. Oh claims he discovers two or three every year. Every time he finds one, he reports it to the river police and they come to collect the body.

According to Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, by 2030, the Han River will transform into a rivercity with floating hotels, offices, convention centers, international eateries and live performance venues. This project will transform the Han River into a space where citizens can enjoy their everyday lives, he said. It will become the center of leisure and the hub of development, but will it have enough space for fishing?

While fishing may not appeal to everyone, for those who appreciate the thrill of reeling in a giant fish (everyone seems to claim the fish they catch is a whopper), then the Han River is the place for you. And, judging from the amount of soju shared while lying to each other about the one that got away, foreign fishermen will probably find easy companionship along the river. Avoid the no-fishing zones and have fun.

Robert Neff has authored and co-authored several books, including "Letters from Joseon," "Korea Through Western Eyes" and "Brief Encounters."
The month of June heats up with hot, local musical talent as Rhea Heritage Preservation Foundation presents the fifth annual Nokian Tyres Summer Nights concerts each Friday night.

Nokian Tyres makes a tremendous contribution to our community by its support of this annual concert series, RHPF President Rick Dye said. Area bands that have great followings locally present evenings of family fun at the courthouse and give their fans an opportunity to enjoy themselves outdoors.

Music begins at 7 p.m. each Friday and runs about two hours on the courthouse lawn. Bring chairs or blankets for seating, although there are a few benches close to the stage. Food and refreshment vendors will be available.

The Sullivan Band takes the courthouse stage on June 7. Made up of family members from Dayton, Spring City and Chattanooga, the group blends influences of classic rock, southern rock, rockabilly, country, Motown and blues. Members include: Matt Sullivan on vocals and lead guitar, Jeremiah Sullivan on vocals and bass guitar, Bobby Sullivan on vocals and keyboards, Gary Shelton on rhythm guitar, and Chris Gordon on drums.

June 14, Rhea Springs Revival will be in the spotlight. Covering 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s country and rock, the group mixes in some of their own music. Band members include Adam Newport, drums, Earnie Robinson, bass guitar, Camden Fugate, lead guitar, Jeff Logsdon, lead vocals and acoustic guitar, and Tate Fugate, lead vocals and electric guitar.

Common Ground takes the stage on June 21. This group of close friends started playing music together about 15 years ago and created a blend of classic rock and roll and country music. Band members include Keith Fults, vocals and guitar, Kevin McKenzie, vocals, bass and guitar, Stephanie McKenzie, vocals, guitar and bass, Steve Pettyjohn, lead guitar, and David Zero Zehrung, drums.

Wade Sims will close out the concert series on June 28. Known to his fans as Wade Henry, he brings a raspy country twang to his shows thats somewhere between Kenny Rogers and Travis Tritt, a sound refined in his years entertaining shipmates in the Navy and while performing with country legends like Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty. He began seriously chasing a music career after his military service, getting pointers from local musicians like Bobby Beard, George Thacker, Ed Walker, Jim Hallengren, and Gil and Anna Kile.

The Rhea County United Way Celebrity Band will also make its debut performance June 28 on

the courthouse stage.

Last year we had close to 300 people every Friday night, but we still have plenty of room, Mr. Dye said. Were grateful to Nokian Tyres for their help in letting us spotlight local talent and give our community a family-friendly activity in the summer.

Nokian Tyres is proud to support the Summer Nights concert series for the fifth year, said Wes Boling, Nokian Tyres senior manager of communications. We value this opportunity to gather at the courthouse and celebrate talented local artists.

Nokian Tyres employs approximately 475 team members at its award-winning production factory in Dayton. The company plans to grow production at the factory this year thanks in large part to contributions from Rhea County residents, who make up a majority of the factorys workforce.
The Rhea County Commission appointed Johnathan Kealon as the new Veterans Service officer for Rhea County.

Veterans Services Committee Chairman Philip Dunn presented the nomination to the commission during a special called meeting Tuesday. Mr. Kealon, a retired Marine Corp veteran, replaces Justin Davis who resigned recently.

Mr. Dunn said, It was a very, very hard choice to make. We had eight qualified candidates; each one was qualified. The committee after much discussion chose Mr. Kealon.

The Veterans Service officer works in cooperation with the Department of Veterans Affairs, other governmental agencies, the Veterans of the Vietnam War, Inc. national headquarters and Department Service officers. Their goal is to reach out to all veterans organizations and veterans through traditional public relations, community involvement, and by initiation and implementation of activities that encourage them to access their rightfully earned entitlements and benefits. But the main part of the job is to respond to the needs of all veterans, armed forces members, their dependents and survivors, and to provide linkage for them to other support services.

The meeting was a special called meeting in lieu of the regular commission meeting which is the third week of the month. Commissioners will be attending required training provided by County Technical Assistance Service.

At the close of the meeting, County Executive Jim Vincent updated the commission on two projects he has been working on.

Mr. Vincent advised the commission of a meeting he attended in Chattanooga of the East Tennessee Opioid Settlement Summit. It was organized by the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service.

Substance Misuse and Addiction Resource for Tennessee Executive Director Jennifer Tourville organized the event with various law enforcement, judicial, public health advocates and county officials. The Substance Misuse and Addiction Resource for Tennessee Initiative guides community leaders in implementing evidence-based, cost-effective strategies that mitigate damage from substance use disorder and the opioid epidemic.

Originating in 2020 as the SMART Policy Network, the SMART Initiative grew in scope as it was incorporated into the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service in early 2022. In addition to examining and communicating data and policies related to substance use disorder, the SMART Initiative seeks to empower communities and local governments to combat the overdose epidemic.

Mr. Vincent was asked to speak on Rhea Countys efforts to start their program up.

This opioid program is more involved than what was originally thought of," said Mr. Vincent. "It involves a lot of different aspects including doctors and psychologists, besides the social programs. We have worked with Southeast Tennessee Human Resources Agency for transportation, and Chattanooga State and the Jobs Center for training and helping them find jobs. Ive talked with 12 different state agencies that are willing to help our program, said Mr. Vincent.

He continued by saying that those enrolled in the program would have to sign an agreement to attend counseling and maintain a job.

This will be a Christian-based program," said Mr. Vincent. "Studies have shown programs that are Christian based score with 30 percent higher results."

Mr. Vincent said that future plans, besides a mens house, a womens facility will be made. A womens facility needs to be in the city limits due to special needs they have, especially those with children. Mens houses can be out in a rural setting. He said he was looking at the possibility of using the Morgantown Fire Hall as a location for the womens house. The fire hall was built back when fire trucks would fit in it. Nowadays the newer trucks cant fit inside the building and the road in front is too narrow to allow them to turn. We would build a newer, more modern fire hall near the park in Morgantown.

The other project was the gas burn off program for the landfill. Mr. Vincent said this was a huge plus for the landfill, with the burn off program being calculated at reducing the odor of the landfill by at least 60 percent. It will be added to the new section of the landfill first and then to the current section.

"Our permits have been approved by TEDC and the bids for the project are being let out by Capital Waste, said Mr. Vincent. I have been working on this project since I was elected.

He further added that TDOT is working on making a turn lane on southbound Highway 27 to turn into Smyrna Road.
The Hamilton County Sheriffs Office will host, in conjunction with the Chattanooga Police Department, the 2024 Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony this Friday at 10 a.m. to honor the deputies and police officers from our community and our region who were killed in the line of duty.This years ceremony will take place at the Hamilton County Law Enforcement Memorial at 600 Market St., and the key-note speaker will be the Honorable Judge Tom Greenholtz, Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals.During this Fridays ceremony, local law enforcement agencies, family members of fallen deputies and officers, elected officials, members of the community and business leaders will take time to honor the sacrifice of the communitys law enforcement personnel, particularly those who have given the ultimate sacrifice.According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, 137 law enforcement personnel were killed in the line of duty in 2023 and 58 year-to-date for 2024.For more information regarding line of duty deaths in the United States, visit the national Officer Down Memorial Page at https://www.odmp.org/.Members of the community are encouraged to attend. Due to the threat of rain, if necessary, the ceremony will be moved indoors to the first floor of the Hamilton County Courts Building.
By Jun Ji-hye

The Ministry of National Defense is pushing to set up its own medical school in an effort to increase the number of medical personnel within the military and contribute to enhancing the countrys public health care services, officials said, Thursday.

Various measures have been reviewed to nurture more long-term-service military doctors. Creating a tentatively named national defense medical school is one of those ideas, a ministry official said.

We will commission a study soon to decide the formation and the number of students of such a school.

Military doctors are commissioned officers who are licensed to practice as physicians or dentists.

In Korea, it is mandatory for all able-bodied men to serve in the military, and male doctors can serve as medical officers for three years to fulfil this obligation.

Compared with these short-term-service military doctors, the number of applicants for the long-term service of 10 years has remained in single digits for the past 10 years.

The number came to four in 2014, three in 2016, one in 2018, zero in 2020 and one in 2022. Last year also saw zero applicants, amid continued complaints over wages and working environment.

As of July last year, military doctors on long-term service accounted for only 7.7 percent of the total 2,400 medical personnel within the military.

The ministry official pointed out that a lack of military doctors on long-term service has raised questions over the competence of medical officers and therefore dragged down their reliability.

An increase in the number of officers on long-term service means more veteran doctors could be secured within the military, the official noted.

The creation of the militarys medical school is also expected to contribute to strengthening the countrys public health care services.

The idea is particularly drawing attention amid the protracted medical service disruptions caused by a nationwide walkout by thousands of interns and resident doctors at the country's major hospitals.

In response to the trainee doctors collective action, which began in February in protest against the governments policy to increase the quota of medical students next year, the defense ministry opened the emergency rooms of 12 military hospitals to civilians. As of Tuesday, 1,123 civilian patients have been treated there, according to the ministrys data.

The defense ministry also emphasized the role medical officers have played in public health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, as they were involved in treating civilian patients.

In 2011, the ministry came up with a similar idea of creating its own medical school but the plan foundered due to fierce opposition from medical groups.

Based on this experience, the ministry said it will carry out sufficient discussions and consultations with medical sector bodies, the National Assembly and other related institutions in a bid to facilitate the idea this time.
photo by Tennessee Aquarium/Doug Strickland photo by Tennessee Aquarium/Doug Strickland photo by Tennessee Aquarium/Doug Strickland photo by Tennessee Aquarium/Doug Strickland photo by Tennessee Aquarium/Doug Strickland Previous Next

When it comes to zoos and aquariums, its one thing to make an animals home look natural, but getting it to actually behave like a wild ecosystem? Thats a higher hurdle to clear.

Sometimes, exhibits are designed to meet the needs of each species, and thats it, says Tennessee Aquarium Senior Aquarist Ben Stenger. The fish are happy, and people come to see them, and thats OK.

When planning began in 2020 for the Aquariums Ridges to Rivers gallery, however, Mr. Stenger and other Aquarium veterans had loftier goals for how to exhibit Southern Appalachian aquatic life.

The centerpiece of the gallery, a 22-foot-long recreation of a bustling stream in the Upper Tennessee River drainage, couldnt just look the part; it had to behave like an actual waterway. Ideally, guests looking at this habitat would feel the same awe at the colors and behaviors of its residents experienced by the lucky few who get to visit wild steams.

In 2006, I began taking snorkeling very seriously, going out every weekend and seeing what was out there, said Mr. Stenger. I wanted people who werent able to do that to see what I was seeing. I wanted that so badly.

Last week, the Aquarium witnessed a community spawning event that takes place each spring in actual stream communities but is extremely rare  if not unprecedented  in human care.

Beginning in late April, a male River Chub, a minnow measuring just a few inches long, began determinedly carrying rocks from all around the exhibit in his mouth. He deposited these stones, one by one, in a mound that steadily grew over the course of several days.

These rocky constructions serve as nests for River Chub eggs, but they dont just benefit their makers. Many other stream-dwelling species, such as Rosyside Dace and Warpaint Shiners, spawn their own eggs in these sheltered, well-oxygenated havens.

In a sense, River Chubs are like the civil engineers and event planners of Southern Appalachian streams. Their industrious homesteading sparks a community-level frenzy of activity and brilliant bursts of color from other spawning fish.

Within the Aquariums Mountain Stream exhibit, the male River Chubs rocky nursery sparked the same reaction from other stream residents. While the chub continued his single-minded work, Tennessee Shiners, Tennessee Dace and Saffron Shiners eager to spawn took on brilliant red, orange and yellow breeding regalia and hovered over the nest in a tight ball.

That was the loftiest goal we could hope for in that exhibit, said Aquarist II Avery Millard, who oversees the care of the exhibits in Ridges to Rivers. It was kind of surreal seeing their natural behaviors and interactions.

This event wasnt just a milestone moment in animal care and exhibition, it was the realization of years of careful planning, research and exhibit design.

Two years before guests were able to walk through the gallery, Millard and Stenger spent months endlessly troubleshooting the design of the large stream exhibit using an exact replica constructed at an off-site warehouse by the Aquariums maintenance team. This one-to-one prototype made from plywood, gravel, pond liner, cinderblocks, and hoses was funded by a $140,000 grant through the Institute of Museum and Library Services Museums for America program.

For the River Chub, building a nest was instinctual, but this act was the culmination of aquarists painstaking campaign to make the exhibit behave like a natural stream. Through constant brainstorming and experimentation, they shaped the rockwork, adjusted pump flow rates, and oriented almost a dozen feeder jets  just so  to accurately recreate the pools, riffles, runs, and falls of a wild waterway.

We are so grateful for the support we received from IMLS, said Melanie King, the Aquariums vice president and chief development officer. Those funds allowed our husbandry and exhibit teams to test and build a world-class habitat that mimics a natural stream and gives the animals in our care the best possible conditions to thrive in.

The extensive research and design afforded by this grant paid off, as we now witness this incredible naturalistic behavior.

As exciting as it was to watch, the community-level event spurred by the nest-building chub held even greater meaning for the many Aquarium team members who have longed to make guests feel connected to the Southeasts underwater rainforest of aquatic life.

When all the aquarists working on the gallery were planning the exhibit, we were saying, I think we can do this and make it work, said Curator of Fishes Matt Hamilton. To see natural behaviors consistently in this exhibit is what we truly hoped would happen, so having it all come to fruition is awe-inspiring.
Have you ever held a snake? They are so strong. You can see why there are so many myths about them; they are unlike any other creature. Its extraordinary how that little brain can keep everything moving in different directions. - Michelle Paver

From Old Money, New South - The Spirit of Chattanooga, by Dean W. Arnold

When George Rodenbaugh came to the area a decade earlier in 1828 for a hunting trip, he saw not a single resident in the heart of the valley. (Chattanooga)

The McDonalds had died, the Rosses had moved to Rome Georgia, and the missionaries still lived on the other side of the ridge. Only Uncle Billy Gentry resided in his small ferrymans hut by the river.

Early resident Andy Williams also says there were no people at that time in the wilderness. The spies that Moses sent out to search the Land of Canaan could not have found a more beautiful valley, with everything to sustain life, except bread. Upon river and creek bottom grew as fine timber as ever grew on earth. He recalled one sycamore tree so large that a door had been cut through it large enough so a horse could go in, turn around, and come out. He said it kept him dry on many a rainy day.

Rodenbaugh said the valley contained an abundance of elk, bear, deer, turkey, wolves, partridges, beaver and mink. Wild hogs were found in droves.

Dr. Michael Abram, head of the Cherokee Heritage Museum in North Carolina, in a 2003 presentation at the Chattanooga Aquarium, discussed the rituals, purification ceremonies, and the religious beliefs associated with the Long Man, or the Long Snake as the Cherokees referred to the Tennessee River and its associated myths.

Early historian Henry Wilse quotes an old citizen of Chattanooga who corroborates the more eerie legends of a river monsterIt has been frequently seen by the Cherokee Indians, and by them was held in great terror, and the sight of it by any individual was said to be a precursor of early death. It was generally described as the length of an ordinary canoe. It has a head something like a dogsa black fin, which was from 18 inches to 2 feet longand it swam with incredible velocity. Many of those who saw it succumbed to the evil influence and shortly after gave up the ghost.

The first witnesswas fishing on the South side of the river near Vanns place. His estimate was that it was about 25 feet long. That summer he died. The next was Billy BarnesHe said it was yellow on the belly and blue on the back, was from 20 to 25 feet long. That summer he died. Jim Windon, in 1829, was sitting on a point of rocks below Dallas fishing. The monster slowly passed him not more than 10 feet distantThat summer he died. The elder Mr. Puckett saw it in 1836, and I suppose the power of the serpent had begun to wane, as the witness escaped with his life

The last witness that I introduce is J. C. Wilson, known by the Indians as Teese,' or the hanging bird. He saw it in 1839.He says when he first saw it, it was in a playful mood and had just started for the North shore. When it turned and came back to the South shore he could see the ripple made in the water. It darted with incredible speed. He does not think it took more than two minutes to cross the river and back.

After this, it was seen no moreprobably it followed the Cherokees west.

In James Mooneys, Cherokee History, Myths and Sacred Formulas, compiled from 1891-1900, we find this river myth of the Cherokeethe Wahnenauhi version, of the HUNTER IN THE DAKWA.A boy was sent on an errand by his father, and not wanting to go, he ran away to the river. After playing in the sand for a short time some boys of his acquaintance came by in a canoe and invited him to join them. Glad of the opportunity to get away he went with them, but he had no sooner got in the canoe than it began to tip and rock most unaccountably. The boys became very much frightened, and in the confusion the bad boy fell into the water and was immediately swallowed by a large fish. After lying in its stomach for some time he became very hungry, and on looking around he saw the fishs liver hanging over his head. Thinking it dried meat, he tried to cut off a piece with a mussel shell he had been paying with and still held in his hand. The operation sickened the fish and it vomited the boy.

I dont normally think of these ancient river monster myths when wading the shallows and back sloughs of the river that the Cherokee referred to as the Long Snake. The water in the morning is somewhat calm and chilly in May, especially after the recent rains from the storms that seem so prevalent during this month.

Rain comes in amounts that largely overfill the edges of this long old river, inundating the green and pale tan reed, the home of the Red Wing blackbird, the cat tail. The high water now covers the early blooming low yellow flowered weed that is slowly drowning, but is still visible, under the dim shallows.

Excessively, loud pairs of Canada geese honk through the morning mist and maybe complain about a recently flooded nest of big eggs. Mallards, normally more drakes than hens, sail by and clatter the nervous hens chuckle as she seems to either complain, or sound tired of it all in some contented kind of way.

Ospreys circle and chirp/whistle to the newest crop of fledgling downy chicks high in a multitude of nearby nests. Some large nests of sticks, perched precariously on sturdy and high manmade towers, constructed of galvanized steel, compliments of the nuclear theme park that the river has evolved into over the last 40 years.

Even the undisturbed shallows and backwaters are not clear, or especially clean, on this, or for that matter, many May mornings. You cant visually see your feet as you wade. You can easily see the mud swirl and billow with each cautious step. Stumps and boulders, unseen in the cloud of mud you are straining at, make for a cautious move if you want to avoid a brisk and damp swim.

At times, you think you can actually feel the gravel under foot, in dinner plate sized dished patches as you ooze slowly along. Small nests, frantically fanned by the males of the targeted species in the mud and small gravel. These little impressions you defile are hopefully abandoned and done with. Maybe youve stepped in the little fishes next years brood stock, but you cant see it in this mornings dingy waters of the Long Snake.

The water born weed is growing phenomenally well. Old weed, the milfoil, is still under the surface. You know this as you retrieve your cast. The relatively newest weed, floats on the surface in strange strings, pointed and for some lazy reason, unidentified by name. Another nuisance you think at times, these buoyant weeds. But, as you view the small fry minnows leap and escape the larger feeding fish, you slowly come to the conclusion that this unnamed and pointed floating weed mat, may be somewhat of a good thing. If you were a half inch minnow and ever needed to escape a five inch bass, this weed could probably spare your demise.

Carp thrash loudly and unexpectedly up and down the weedy shore. At least you hope its carp and not the fabled Dakwa of the Cherokee. You find it somewhat difficult to pay attention to fishing when this loud eruption is close. Surely the eerie and deadly Dakwa followed the Cherokee west. This discount of an old myth can easily be shattered when an Alligator Gar as long as your leg silently glides silently by your waist when you find yourself waist deep in the dingy Long Snake.

This small bit of cheap excitement is even more pronounced when these speckled, long and mean looking animals, slowly collide with your leg unseen. A bump suddenly followed by the monster frantically spraying you with the splash of their long flashy tails. Youve read media accounts of real alligators in this long winding river. Way west of here they say. Who can really trust the media now days? Your heart stops, then starts again. Composure returning, takes a while longer.

There was a time when these fish were a target. Trash was the common acronym for these large fish then. Bows and arrows were the tackle. Carp and Gar were stuck to death in the shallows of May by the bushel, in that era of hunting and gathering. Now, after a long bit of reflection, you consider it a sad sort of waste that it once was.

Focus is now on the crispy plate of Shell Cracker and big Bluegill filets. Sweet meat, fried to perfection. Floating fish baskets of easy to catch and hard to filet colorful little brawlers. Pound for pound, hard charging, hand sized, brilliantly colored trophies, who cant resist the worms unearthed from your tomato beds the night before. A small bonus of undersized but aerobatic Bass from time to time, struggle most valiantly to hand.

This is as easy fishing as May can offer up. Easy groceries, if they werent so difficult to de-bone. Success comes by the basket, making your old ego proud that you can consider yourself a successful fisherman for once.

Maybe the dreaded and feared, canoe long, blue bellied, dog headed Dakwa of the Cherokee, is still roaming today in the Long Snake. Maybe you thought you once saw it.

Does an old Cherokee myth about a river monster really matter in May?

Myths are stories that express meaning, morality or motivation. Whether they are true or not is irrelevant. - Michael Shermer

---

WOMR note: If youve ever wondered why, or how, Chattanooga is the way it is, how it got to where it is today, where it came from, or how, when, or who, came up with the name Chattanooga. The mystery has been painstakingly solved in my estimation. I humbly submit that Dean W. Arnold expansively nailed it all in his book, Old Money, New South - the Spirit of Chattanooga. Ill call it required reading for all inquisitive Chattanoogans.

Send comments to whiteoakmtnranger@gmail.com
Deep within a cave that was once submerged underwater, researchers discovered two new ancient shark species that lived around 325 million years ago.

The shark fossils had been preserved in what is now Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. Mammoth Cave is known as the worlds longest cave system, covering over 400 miles of chambers and rock tunnels.

The two species have been identified as Troglocladodus trimblei and Glikmanius careforum. They are both ctenacanths, which are cousins of modern sharks with comb-like barbs on their spines that are used for defense purposes.

Ctenacanths first appeared in the fossil record about 380 million years ago and had large ornamented spines on their dorsal fins.

The fossil specimens were in excellent condition since they were protected from the elements within the walls of the cave.

A paleontologist at the Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission named John-Paul Hodnett told Live Science that the shark teeth appear as if they just came out of the sharks mouth yesterday.

It is believed that T. trimblei was 10 to 12 feet long and had teeth that resembled the prongs of a fork, which was why it was given the name Troglocladodus, meaning cave-branching tooth.

It was also named in honor of the superintendent at Mammoth Cave, Barclay Trimble, who found the specimen in 2019.

G. careforum was also about 10 to 12 feet long. It had a powerful bite that gave it the ability to feast on other sharks. According to Hodnett, the species behaved similarly to the lemon sharks or gray sharks of today.

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There have been many famous animals throughout American history that made an impact on people in some way. Did you know that one of them was a swan?

In the early 20th century, there was a swan who quite literally made headlines in Orlando, Florida, as he was notorious for his mischievous behavior, fascinating history, and potentially murderous love life.

That swan was Billy Swan, and he was sent to Orlando from England at the request of Lake Lucerne resident Charles Lord in 1910. Charles Lord was an Englishman who moved to Orlando when it was being transformed into an up-and-coming city in 1885.

Charles was allegedly homesick and missed seeing swans on the river in London, so he had some shipped to Orlando, where he could watch them live in Lake Lucerne.

Billy Swan was brought over with his mate, Sally. Quickly, Billy became the king of his domain. There was another swan couple brought to the lake, two black swans. However, Billy eventually chased them out of the neighborhood with his bullying nature.

During his life on Lake Lucerne, Billy became an icon, not necessarily because of his beauty or grace, but because he was one mean bird. Hed pick fights with children on their way to school and chase after people, even when they were in their cars.

One of the few people Billy would show affection toward was Charles, who hed accept a pat on the head from.

Billy and Sally were responsible for increasing the swan population in the neighborhood, as they had many babies together. Billy was known for fiercely protecting their nest. Despite their success as parents, Billy and Sallys relationship officially ended when she was shockingly found dead.

There are rumors that Sally began associating with a younger male swan, which may have led Billy to murder her by forcefully drowning her.

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The first elephant to rise to fame was Jumbo, a male African elephant owned by P.T. Barnum. During the 1800s, he was the largest known elephant around.

At the height of his popularity, Jumbo died tragically after being hit by a train in Canada. His death sparked a number of conspiracy theories, such as that his death was engineered due to his declining health. So, what really happened to Jumbo?

When Jumbo was young, he was captured by hunters who killed his mother. In 1860, he was sold to the London Zoo when he was four years old.

While there, he lived in a small stable and gave rides to children. In 1882, he was sold to circus showman P.T. Barnum and sent to New York City at age 21.

Jumbo was advertised as the largest elephant in the world. Barnum claimed that he stood over 12 feet tall and refused to let anyone take photographs of the elephant so no one could get the chance to question Jumbos real size. Over his lifetime, an estimated 20 million people came to visit him.

In September 1885, Jumbo arrived in St. Thomas, Ontario. After the show, he was being loaded into a boxcar with a smaller elephant named Tom Thumb when an unscheduled freight train came barreling down the track toward them. Tom Thumb survived the impact, but Jumbo died from his injuries.

Legend has it that Jumbo was trying to run away from the train but was unable to escape the track. Another version of the event states that Jumbo was purposely led toward the train and that his death was staged because Barnum wanted to avoid any accusations of animal cruelty since Jumbo was in poor health.

Jumbo was such an icon that his skeleton was preserved and displayed at Tufts University in 1889, where he became the schools mascot.

More than a century later, a team of researchers examined Jumbos skeleton for answers. They found that Jumbo wasnt as large as Barnum claimed, but he was still 20 percent bigger than the average height of elephants in his age group.

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The new chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, which is leading the investigation into the alleged luxury gift case involving first lady Kim Keon Hee, said Thursday he will take all necessary measures to ensure the probe proceeds without any disruption.

Lee Chang-soo made the remarks on his first day of work, dismissing speculation that the reshuffling of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office's head and deputy heads may affect the ongoing investigation into the first lady in favor of President Yoon Suk Yeol. In the shakeup of senior prosecutors carried out Monday, all four deputy chief prosecutors at the Seoul central prosecution were also replaced.

"Regardless of the personnel reshuffle, what we must do will be carried out properly in accordance with the law and principles. I'll take every measure to ensure that there will be no disruption to the investigation," Lee said in front of reporters.

Lee, who formerly served as a spokesperson of the Supreme Prosecutors Office when Yoon was prosecutor general, is said to be close to the president but he said the labeling of him as a "pro-Yoon" prosecutor by some opposition parties is a political term and he cannot agree to the notion.

Asked whether the prosecution will summon the first lady, he declined to give specific details, saying he will check the overall probe as quickly as possible before taking necessary measures.

Justice Minister Park Sung-jae made similar remarks to reporters on his way to work Thursday morning, saying the recent shakeup of senior prosecutors will not affect the investigation into the first lady.

Earlier this week, the prosecution questioned Korean American pastor Choi Jae-young, who secretly filmed himself handing over a luxury Dior handbag to the first lady during their meeting in Seoul in September 2022, as a suspect on charges of violation of the anti-graft law, trespassing and obstruction of official duties.

Choi is accused of intentionally approaching the first lady and secretly filming the delivery of the handbag worth 3 million won ($2,222) allegedly prepared by Voice of Seoul, an internet news outlet. Separately, Voice of Seoul has filed a complaint against Yoon and the first lady on suspicions of bribery and anti-graft law violations. (Yonhap)
Illustration by Mallory Rentsch Tlapek / Source Images: Getty

Sitting in the front row of a supervisor training in 2016, Stamford Police Sgt. Sean Boeger raised his hand every time the instructor asked who had dealt with a particular experience, including homicides, fatal accidents, and child deaths.

During his nearly 30 years as a police officer, 48-year-old Boeger had helped with body recovery efforts at Ground Zero after 9/11. When 20 children were killed by a lone shooter in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, just 40 miles from Stamford, Boeger volunteered to help the small Newtown police department. He covered midnight shifts as officers took time to recover.

The instructor at the training triggered something in Boeger. Until that class, he had never dwelt much on the effect of witnessing so much trauma. Driving home that evening, he also thought back to another incident, when he responded to a report of a small child falling out of an eighth-story window.

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I felt overwhelmed, kind of panic-stricken, he recalled of that evening. I think I was more in shock from the stuff Id never contemplated and the trauma impact it had on me. Because you dont stop to think about it.

So Boeger did something he had never contemplated previously: He sought help from John Revell, a chaplain who had recently been spending time with his department.

I dont know whats going on with me, but I feel like I need to talk to you, Boeger recalls telling Revell, whom he calls the Rev. Revell invited him over, interrupting his family dinnertime, and the two spent an hour or so talking. It opened the door to a longer-term relationship, and an eventual appreciation for the Revs consistent presence around the department.

Given the increased stress police have been experiencing around the country, chaplains are needed more than ever to aid officers in their work. Theyre serving police departments, not just to show up for departmental ceremonies and funerals but to build relationships and provide counsel for the traumatic incidents police so often face.

In the wake of the death of George Floyd in 2020, rising racial tensions and calls for reform have increased the pressure surrounding law enforcement behavior and performance in the past four years. A Police Executive Research Forum survey found that from 2020 to 2021, police departments nationwide saw a 45 percent increase in the retirement rate and a nearly 20 percent increase in resignations compared to the previous year.

Due to repeated exposure to high-stress and even life-threatening incidents, US police officers in particular have high rates of depression, suicide (and suicide ideation), alcohol use, divorce, and domestic violence, according to a 2023 study published in the Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. More officers reportedly die of suicide than any other cause, including by firearms or traffic-related accidents.

But much research, including one 2023 study, suggests that access to chaplains benefits police officers mental health and that spirituality contributes to resilience in the face of PTSD symptoms.

In earlier decades, most chaplains were local pastors. But in recent years, there has been a significant increase in the use of chaplains specifically trained for police or with law enforcement background, in both large and small agencies across the United States and in numerous other countries.

One of the largest networks, The International Conference of Police Chaplains, represents nearly 2,500 law enforcement chaplains across 15 countries. The North American Mission Board, a Southern Baptist organization, sponsors more than 500 public safety and first responder chaplains.

While Boeger, like many officers, doesnt consider himself particularly religious, his experience with the Rev and the local chaplaincy program has convinced him of chaplaincys value. Meeting with the Rev offered much-needed outside supportjust to have someone listen to him and help him not feel alone, he said.

Its not like [the Rev] has magical powers or a special technique, its having someone who understands, Boeger said. Most people want to talk about [their trauma] and express it, they dont always realize they just need to talk about it and have someone whos nonjudgmental to listen to them. Its kind of simplistic, but its not an easy job.

Revell doesnt see his role as a magical solution either. Its about building relationships. In those kinds of situations, mostly what I do is listen, he said. I ask questions and give [officers] a chance to unburden themselves.

In some jurisdictions, police chaplains are hired for ceremonial reasons or to respond to major crisis events such as a mass casualty event. But Revell and his team follow what they call deployment chaplaincy, which imitates military chaplaincy by sending ministers to domestic frontlines. The Christian idea behind this, Revell says, is incarnational ministry.

Revell, 68, runs Life Line Chaplaincy and is welcomed as an official chaplain for four Connecticut departments, including the state department, and as an unofficial on-call chaplain for several others.

In these roles, law enforcement chaplains dont only show up after an officer dies in the line of duty or to support officers who have responded to grisly scenes. They also attend to officers personal lives: the birth of a stillborn, the death of a parent, ongoing support of a spouse, and, sometimes, speaking at an officers funeral.

Especially with police officers, you cant just pick a random person and unload all that stuff, Boeger said. When you open up to someone, youre placing a burden on [them].

For Stamford Police Lt. Doug Deiso, a chaplain like the Rev offers a comforting spiritual aspect to their work. People in law enforcement are type A personalities and think they can deal with issues on their own, Deiso said. But its not always serious or stern with him. You can give him a hug. And when he comes around and sees Im busy, he doesnt try to box me in a corner.

Certainly, a chaplains role also involves aiding officers in their high-stress field. Revell, for example, maintains a presence through officer ride-alongs in their vehicle, informal breakfast meetings, and showing up regularly at their department headquarters. He also responds to emergency incidents to care for officers when a police chief requests it.

Theres a long-term career buildup of trauma and stress as a first responder, Boeger said. If you work in a busy area, youre going to build up microtraumas over the years.

While chaplaincy is a strong resource for police agencies, its not the only factor for helping officers cope. Now, police academies are teaching officers more about how to respond well to the job stressors and to cope better. But two decades ago, that was not available, and the police culture is still shifting. Expressing feelings is seen as a sign of weakness, multiple officers said. Female officers especially feel the pressure to be perceived as strong and unemotional.

Law enforcement agencies have always addressed physical health, but in the last few years they have increasingly addressed mental health and trauma, said Connecticut state trooper Rodney Valdes, a peer support and chaplaincy programs coordinator with the state.

We are made of mind, body, and spirit/soul, Valdes said. Were attending body and mind but often neglecting the thirdthe spirit. How do we introduce spirituality to a police culture that is very anti-[religion]?

This injury to the spirit after participating in or witnessing an event that violates the consciencesuch as cruel behavior or a crimeis now known in chaplaincy circles as moral injury. It can result in deep shame, guilt, or even despair. Chaplains have a unique role to offer in addressing this wound in ways a medical doctor or therapist might not be able to.

Police departments do not always welcome chaplains. Even with increasing awareness around emotional support, its hard to gain trust and for law enforcement personnel to see the point in receiving spiritual or holistic care. Revell spent years with multiple consecutive police chiefs, gaining trust for himself and his work by showing up and spending time at the departments.

Now, in addition to chaplaincy, complementary resources like peer-to-peer support and employee assistance programs offer counseling. This spring, Revell organized an inaugural first-responder wellness conference for nearly 300 participants.

Revell and many others see their spiritual leadership as merely a humble obedience to the biblical command to carry each others burdens (Gal. 6:2).

Theyre forced to face all of this darkness. Its easy to be overwhelmed with all of this darkness, Revell said. My goal is to be a source of light for them. The whole goal is to see the light of Christ tangibly in my ability to walk with them.

It is not only Revells endurance that makes an impact, Deiso added, but his open-door policyand his wifes chili and cookies.

For Boeger and Deiso, the chaplains vocation of presence is sustenance enough.

The biggest thing for me is that [the Rev] stood next to me when weve had people lose their lives, Deiso said. Hes stood next to me in the rain, in the cold, and didnt at one point complain about it. He mourned for us and with us. Ive seen him stand in five-degree weather during funerals. He did that for many hours. Thats powerful.

Kara Bettis Carvalho is ideas editor at Christianity Today. This article was supported by a grant from the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab at Brandeis University in partnership with Templeton Religion Trust.
By calling or circumstance, millions in the sandwich generation feel the weight and cost of tending to aging relatives.

Edits by Christianity Today / Source Images: Getty

Shanoah Bruner is among the quarter of American adults who find themselves in the sandwich generation, raising children under 18 and supporting aging parents.

At her home in the Indianapolis suburbs, the 40-something mom lives with her husband, tween and teen daughters, mother-in-law, and biological father.

The caretaking role comes naturally to Bruner. She was raised in a family that regularly opened their home to others and served their church and community. Plus, she worked in assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing for over 20 years.

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I grew up in a very Christian home where, you know, people meant more than possessions, she said. So thats just how I look at it, and its definitely rewarding for me, though thats not the case for everybody.

As baby boomers descend into their twilight years, their kids are taking them in or helping manage care from afar. Sixty-six percent of caregivers are women like Bruner, most of them in their mid-to-late 40s, who also work outside the home.

The demanding needs of caregivers and their loved ones offer believers a chance to provide support and gospel hope. Churches, nonprofits, and government and parachurch organizations have resources, and individual Christians can provide personal, tangible love in action.

In 2022, the first Bible study specifically for dementia caregivers was published. Some churches are implementing caregiver workshops. The Caregiving Support Network hosts a program to sponsor a caregiver, and theres even a dedicated Caregivers Prayer.

Richard Gentzler Jr., an expert in ministry for aging adults, paraphrased former First Lady Rosalynn Carter when he wrote that there are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, are currently caregivers, will be caregivers, or will need caregivers. In other words, no Christian is exempt from participating in care for the caregiver.

I do think theres a lot of opportunity for the church to minister to the emotional needs of this community, which could just be somebody to talk to, said Bruner. Someone to just listen, because theres a lot of emotions when youre taking care of a parent.

Most caregivers are adult children, but sometimes, an aging spouse or a distant relative is thrust into the position. Stress and overwhelm characterize the life of a caregiver as they frequently juggle work, parenting, and the job of taxi driver for multiple weekly doctors appointments. Theyre also babysitters for in-home care or around-the-clock check-ins at senior facilities.

The statistics show that caregivers have a higher rate of mental illness and depression than even the loved ones theyre caring for, said Lauren Guynn, executive director of the Shepherds Center, a nonprofit organization for independent seniors in Hamilton County, Indiana. They have a higher rate of physical health problems  and theyre dying sooner.

Multiple factors result in worsening caregiver health, including lower income, sole provision, co-residence, intensity of health problems, and race. African American and Latino caregivers are more likely to report declining health. Those caring for parents with Alzheimers disease report the highest stress levels.

Sole caregivers without assistance fare the worst, and the higher the level of need, Guynn said, the more caregiver burnout, stress, and health issues.

Studies show that religious values do contribute to the demographics of caregivers. Guynns Christian faith certainly guides her work at the Shepherds Center, where she directs programs aiding caregivers and seniors, offering counseling, transportation, visitation, yard work, social activities, and guardianship services.

Its taking action, she said. If we all made an effort to help the people we see caregiving, Im guessing it would not only impact their lives but, from a kingdom perspective, the impact would also be huge.

This work is vital, especially because, as Guynn said, many seniors struggle most due to poor caregiver support. The cost of care is a primary issue.

Getting old is expensive, with full-time memory care facilities charging an average of $7,000 a month. Medicaid doesnt cover room and board, though it can help with other necessary support services like grooming, bathing, and medication management.

Because of the expenses, many families have no choice but to become full-time caregivers in their homes, while others offer care to relatives who live on their own or in institutional care.

Bruner didnt grow up with her dad, instead living with her aunt, who ran a food pantry, and uncle, who served as a chaplain at the local jail. Its their legacy of Christian service and sacrifice that inspired her to care for her biological father as he ages.

Bruners father requires regular appointments with an Alzheimers specialist, a neurologist, a urologist, a podiatrist, and a brain and spine doctor. Maintaining his care and appointments is a full-time job that Bruner and her husband prayerfully weighed before agreeing to it. She feels lucky to have the means to hire outside help, because many others cannot.

During her work in professional senior care, Bruner said she witnessed adult children who were bitter about caregiving responsibilities for neglectful parents. Because of this mentality and the heavy burden of caregiving, elder abuse is quite high.

For Bruner, caring for the father who did not raise her is sort of like a restoration. Though she views her role as a ministry, she said it would be nice to have more supportive programs for caregivers from the church.

Even without dedicated senior support programs, Guynn believes local churches are uniquely qualified to offer support for caregivers.

They just need to feel like they're not alone, said Guynn. And I feel like the church has an opportunity to reach people who I think the devil is isolating.

Guynn finds that caregivers resist support from organizations but have a level of built-in trust with churches. She said that smaller churches are doing some of the best work in this area.

These churches may have only 100 people, but every single person there knows each other, she said. When someone has surgery, they bring meals, and they know if someone needs help going to the doctor.  Its a sense of community that comes with a small church that naturally lends more support to caregivers.

This kind of ministry still often falls to parachurch organizations, which can raise money to offset costs and implement specific programs to help.

The Caregiving Support Network, launched in 2022, offers financial assistance to unpaid caregivers through an application process. Rebecca Dowhy founded the organization after years of caring for her mother, who suffered from multiple sclerosis.

My physical, mental, and spiritual health suffered tremendously in seasons of burnout and depression, she wrote. The relentless nature of disability forced us to continually pour from an empty cup with no way to recharge our energy.

Churches may hold fellowship nights or events specifically for caregivers to gather. In Dothan, Alabama, the Respite Care Ministry team at First United Methodist Church launched Rosemary House, a place for refreshment for memory loss caregivers.

Sometimes, caregivers just need someone to listen to them, said ministry director Katie Holland. We just want to have a haven for them where they can come get support, education, and training.

The American Heart Association is one of many organizations that pushes caregivers to consider their well-being even as they support their loved ones. In one resource, they remind caregivers of their right to care for their health, accept help, utilize community resources, express emotions, and tend to other parts of their life.

The Family Caregiver Alliance helps caregivers find outside support, including things like care management, transportation assistance, support groups, legal and financial counseling, respite care, adult daycare options, and more.

Gospel Hope for Caregivers, a ministry created by Marissa Bondurant, encourages people to see caregiving primarily as a ministry. After caring for her (now healthy) young daughter with cancer, Bondurant identified a gap in support for Christian caregivers.

As I started writing about our experienceabout some of the things that were challenging, and the ways that God provided for usour story started resonating with both ends of that caregiving spectrum, said Bondurant, who went from posting on CaringBridge to a public site.

A lot of it had to do with the theology of suffering. I think people needed to hear something that was really going to address the questions they had in their heart and wasnt going to just be this Band-Aid the church sometimes puts on with a little happy-face sticker.

Bruner pointed out that churches already have people dedicated to praying for and supporting those with other issues, like poverty, single parenthood, addiction, and divorce. She said showing up for caregivers in the same way would be like a light in the darkness.

Those familiar with the caregiving space say proactive, tangible support brought directly to the home is the optimal way for others to help, because many caregivers will never ask for or accept help. They say to just show up, bring food, do their yard work, bring Bible study to them, or offer to sit with their parents so they can run errands.

In those really dark and difficult situations, having someone to offer spiritual guidance can help them see grace and find healing, said Guynn. This is going to help them start to see that God can turn these situations into good and figure out how they can really allow him to work in their lives.
Home News Jimmy Carters church appoints divorced mother of 2 as first woman pastor

Almost five years after hiring The Rev. Tony Lowden as its first black lead pastor, Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, where former President Jimmy Carter is a member, has hired The Rev. Ashley Guthas as its first woman pastor.

The 2023 McAfee School of Theology graduate, whose hiring was first reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, previously served as associate minister to families with children and youth at Northside Drive Baptist Church in Atlanta. She is a divorcee who says she still feels "uneasy labeling myself as a pastor."

Northside Drive Baptist Church announced her hiring last August, highlighting her significant experience working with youth ministries in Methodist and Baptist churches and marketing at Chick-fil-A.

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An official at Maranatha Baptist Church told The Christian Post Thursday that the church deacons authorized to speak on Guthas' hiring were not immediately available for comment.

In a note to Northside Drive Baptist on April 12, Guthas, a mother of two daughters, said she decided to resign from that congregation after being relentlessly pursued by Maranatha Baptist Church. She thanked the congregation for its encouragement, saying it took her years to "let go of the theological views that insisted women could not lead."

"Just months before I became a part of the family here, I was enduring the most difficult transition of my life. As I weighed the pros and cons of each job offer, I narrowed it down to two. One was to be the associate minister here and the other was to be the senior pastor of Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, GA," Guthas wrote. "Through prayer and seeking the advice of many trusted voices in my life, I believed that the best decision at that tumultuous time was to choose to be here with you."

But when she informed Maranatha of her decision, she said they asked her to "consider coming the following year."

"I did not ask them to put their search on hold. I told them I didn't even know what the next day held, much less the next year. However, Maranatha did not relent," she explained.

Guthas, who detailed her struggle with the idea of women pastors to Northside congregants only a month earlier, said she couldn't shake the feeling that she was called to lead as a pastor.

"As much as I do not wish for yet another year of major transition for me and my daughters, I cannot shake the stirring I sense in my soul that I am called to pastor," she said. "It has taken many years for me to let go of the theological views that insisted women could not lead. Many of you have offered words that have encouraged me in this calling, and you had no idea of the wrestling taking place inside of me."

Guthas officially resigned from Northside Drive Baptist Church on April 28.

"I ask for your prayers. Candidly, I seem to carry so many emotions within me regarding this calling. It is no small thing that a Baptist church, only recently separated from the Southern Baptist Convention, is calling a woman to be their pastor," she added in her note to Northside Drive Baptist.

"Thank you for allowing me to serve alongside of you. I know I have grown in my time here and though my time was much shorter than I would have ever imagined, I earnestly hope that I have helped some of you grow as well."

Carter, 99, is the oldest living U.S. president and has been in hospice care for over a year. His wife, Rosalynn, died last November at age 96.

In 2000, Carter cut ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, citing the adoption of increasingly "rigid" views. He continued to teach Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church and encouraged the church to send half its mission contribution to another Baptist church network, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

The SBC's 2000 Baptist Faith & Message statement states that "the office of pastor/elder/overseer is limited to men as qualified by Scripture." Carter stated that he agreed with the adherence to the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message.

"I personally feel the Bible says all people are equal in the eyes of God," Carter told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the time. "I personally feel that women should play an absolutely equal role in service of Christ in the church."
Home News Judge rejects religious parents request to restore opt-out option for LGBT book curriculum

A federal court has ruled that a group of interfaith parents have no proof that a school district violated their right to free expression by removing an option to opt their students out of lessons teaching LGBT ideology that conflicts with their religious values.

Parents from Muslim, Christian and Jewish backgrounds sued to restore their right to shield their children from content deemed offensive and pushing sexual indoctrination after the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) enacted a no-opt-out policy. Books that the parents object to for pre-K through fifth grades as part of an LGBT curriculum include Pride Puppy and Uncle Bobs Wedding.

Parents who protested these materials said they were not seeking to ban the LGBT books. Instead, they wanted to have the right to decide whether or not to allow their children to be exposed to such content.

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On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman rejected the parents motion for a preliminary injunction to restore the opt-out option as the court case continues. The judge argued that the parents have not shown that [the school districts] use of the storybooks crosses the line from permissible influence to potentially impermissible indoctrination.

The evidence suggests that, generally, MCPS teachers will occasionally read one of the handful of books, lead discussions and ask questions about the characters, and respond to questions and comments in ways that encourage tolerance for different views and lifestyles, the judge wrote. That is not indoctrination.

In a statement shared with The Christian Post, Becket, a nonprofit law firm that filed a federal lawsuit on the parents behalf in May, said the parents plan to ask a federal appeals court to protect their parental rights and religious freedom.

Parents know and love their children best; thats why all kids deserve to have their parents help them understand issues like gender identity and sexuality, Eric Baxter, vice president and senior counsel for the Becket, told CP. The school boards decision to cut parents out of these discussions flies in the face of parental freedom, childhood innocence, and basic human decency.

The courts decision is an assault on childrens right to be guided by their parents on complex and sensitive issues regarding human sexuality, he continued. The School Board should let kids be kids and let parents decide how and when to best educate their own children consistent with their religious beliefs.

While the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was not involved in the litigation, the group provided evidence, including a memorandum from elementary school principals voicing objections to the school districts position.

CAIRs Maryland Director, Zainab Chaudry, said in a Thursday statement provided to CP that the organizations campaign to protect the rights of parents and children in the district remains undeterred. Chaudry stressed that the group will continue advocating on behalf of parents who do not want their children exposed to topics typically reserved for sex education courses and that conflict with their faith.

"Until the opt-out option is restored, we plan to pursue every available legal means on behalf of families to protect their rights, including but not limited to new targeted legal action, continued interfaith rallies and the release of additional internal MCPS documents, Chaudry stated.

In response to an inquiry from CP, MCPS directed the outlet to a press release it issued Thursday reacting to the ruling, affirming its commitment to "cultivating an inclusive and welcoming learning environment" for all students and families.

"We also will continue to adhere to our responsibility to include instructional materials that reflect the diversity of the local and global community by exploring the aspirations, issues, and achievements of women and men, people with disabilities, people from diverse racial, ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds, as well as those of diverse gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation," the statement declared.

According to the judges ruling, the school decided to introduce the no-opt-out policy in March following a meeting with a small group of principals, with the school board feeling that the growing number of opt-out requests disrupted the classroom environment.

The school board members claimed they were concerned about the high number of student absenteeism and the perceived impracticality of managing a large number of opt-outs. In addition, the school board purportedly believed that allowing students to opt out would expose other students and families to social stigma if they felt the LGBT-themed books represented their lifestyle.

In an interview earlier this month with CP, Baxter explained that Maryland law requires schools to allow parents to opt their children out of lessons on family life and human sexuality if they feel the material is inappropriate. The school, however, argued that the requirement applies to health classes only.

The law says any family life and human sexuality objectives, Baxter said. And there's no question that the objective is to promote a specific ideology of gender and sexuality.
Home News Justice denied to Christian woman pushed into chaff cutter by Muslim landlord

LAHORE, Pakistan Saima Bibi was serving tea to guests at her quarters in Punjab Province, Pakistan, when her Muslim employer dragged her outside and pushed her towards an electric chaff cutter, tearing off her ear and cutting most of her scalp, her husband said.

The 24-year-old Christian mother of two children was working last month with her husband, Shahzad Masih, on the farm of two Muslim landlords in Ram Diwali Chak No. 6 village, Faisalabad District, he said. Relatives had come to visit them on April 12, the third day of the Muslim festival of Eid Al-Fitr, Masih said.

His wife was making tea for them when one of the landlords, Muhammad Mustafa, arrived and rebuked them for not cutting fodder for the cattle, he said.

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I immediately got up and started to cut the fodder in the electric chaff cutter, but as soon as my wife came outside to give me tea, Mustafa started hurling abuses at her and told her to get to work, Masih told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. When Saima said that shell begin work in 10 minutes, Mustafa pulled her from the hair and pushed her towards the chaff cutter, causing her to fall and hitting her head in the running machine.

Besides the wounds to her right ear and the skin of her head, the chaff cutter also injured her right eye, he said.

Blood started gushing out of Saimas head, and she screamed and cried in pain, Masih said. Seeing her in a bloody mess, Mustafa fled the scene.

Her cries brought a large number of villagers to the site, including the other Muslim landowner, Muhammad Imran, who took her to a hospital in his car, Masih said. Upon reaching Government Allied Hospital, however, Imran warned them not to tell anyone how she had been injured.

Imran threatened me with even more serious consequences if we did not say that the incident was the result of an accident, he said. Saima was in great pain, and naturally my priority was to get her treated immediately. The doctors gave her first aid and shifted her to the plastic surgery ward, where shes still under treatment.

The impoverished Catholic laborer said that on April 24 he tried to file a case against Mustafa with the Nishatabad Police Station in Faisalabad, but officers refused to accept it.

We were occupied with Saimas treatment, which is why I couldnt file a complaint earlier, Masih said. When I went to the police, they showed reluctance in filing a case against Mustafa because of his influence. Instead, they pressured me to withdraw the application and settle the matter directly with the accused. Its been nearly a month now that we are trying to register a First Information Report [FIR].

Attorney Akmal Bhatti, chairman of the Minorities Alliance Pakistan, said the aggrieved family had contacted him to obtain justice.

The polices inaction and bias against the victims minority status exemplifies systemic challenges and discriminatory practices prevalent in rural policing, he told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.

Bhatti said that he had filed a petition in the Faisalabad sessions court asking it to direct police to register a case against Mustafa and initiate legal action against him.

Ive also filed applications with senior police officials to apprise them about the intentional negligence of their subordinates to give access to justice to Saima, he said.

Bhatti said the Muslims also hindered the medico-legal examination of Saima Bibi, resulting in an inordinate delay.

The medical examination has finally been done, and now we are waiting for the police to register an FIR and arrest the accused, he said. The perpetrators tried to show this incident as an accident and have used all their political and financial powers to not let the medico-legal certificate be issued, which is essential to the pursuance of the case.

The counsel said that the incident underscored deep-rooted issues of intolerance and discrimination against Christians.

Saimas case shows the vulnerability of religious minorities, particularly women, in rural settings where power dynamics and societal hierarchies often perpetuate injustice and impunity, he said, adding that there was an urgent need for comprehensive legal reforms, enforcement of existing protections and community engagement initiatives to combat religious discrimination and violence against minorities in Pakistan.

We demand that authorities must expedite efforts to apprehend the accused and ensure that the victim is given justice, he 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.

This article was originally published by Christian Daily International/Morning Star News.
Home News Maranatha Baptist Church prays for Jimmy Carter as former president enters hospice care

Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, offered prayers for former President Jimmy Carter during their service on Sunday morning after it was announced that their most famous member and Sunday School teacher had started hospice care.

Lord, wed be amiss this morning if we did not lift President Carter to you, a church member said in a prayer from the pulpit. Lord, we pray that you be with his family (and) those around him. And God, we thank you for his service to this nation.

On Saturday, both the church, where Carter, 98, taught Sunday School for decades and The Carter Center announced that the former president would stop further medical intervention and enter into hospice care.

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After a series of short hospital stays, former President Jimmy Carter today decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention, a statement shared by the church and The Carter Center noted.

Since that time, there has been a national outpouring of praise and prayerful support for Carter, who famously kept teaching his Sunday School class at Maranatha Baptist Church after he was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2015.

To our friends Jimmy and Rosalynn and to their family  Jill and I are with you in prayer and send you our love, wrote President Joe Biden about his longtime friend in a statement on Twitter. We admire you for the strength and humility you have shown in difficult times. May you continue your journey with grace and dignity, and God grant you peace.

Bernice King, CEO of The King Center in Atlanta and daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., praised Carter for his compassion for all people.

The King Center staff and I join the nation in prayer for our former governor, state senator, and our nation's 39th President, Jimmy Carter. I consider him a friend as did my mother, Mrs. Coretta Scott King and my grandfather Dr. Martin Luther King Sr., she wrote on Twitter Sunday.

Former President Carter's love and compassion for all people set him apart as a leader, servant, and simply a great man striving to achieve a Beloved Community, she added. We are praying that you feel God's grace, mercy, and love as well as the love of your family, The King Center, and the world that you have so graciously served.

Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia, who also leads the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, praised Carter as a man of great faith.

Across lifes seasons, President Jimmy Carter, a man of great faith, has walked with God. In this tender time of transitioning, God is surely walking with him, Warnock tweeted. May he, Rosalynn & the entire Carter family be comforted with that peace and surrounded by our love & prayers.

As the messages of support continued to pour in The Carter Center directed his admirers to share their messages of peace & comfort on a special page on the Carter Centers website.



We really appreciate all the kind words weve received from President Carters admirers, the organization said.

Carter, who is the oldest living former president, endured a series of surgeries in 2019, after suffering multiple falls.

That year, he revealed that he was absolutely and completely at ease with death after his brain cancer diagnosis in 2015.

I assumed, naturally, that I was going to die very quickly, Carter told his church.

I obviously prayed about it. I didnt ask God to let me live, but I asked God to give me a proper attitude toward death. And I found that I was absolutely and completely at ease with death, he explained.

It didnt really matter to me whether I died or lived, he added. Except I was going to miss my family, and miss the work at the Carter Center and miss teaching your Sunday School service sometimes and so forth. All those delightful things.
Home News Maryland's largest school district doesn't have to allow opt-outs of LGBT teachings: appeals court

Maryland's largest school district will not be forced for now to allow parents of elementary school students to opt their children out of classes that include LGBT literature in the curriculum they find objectionable, a federal appeals court ruled.

A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 Wednesday that Montgomery County Public Schools does not have to allow parents the ability to opt their children out of the courses even if they hold religious objections to the promotion of LGBT ideology.

Circuit Judge G. Steven Agee, a George W. Bush appointee, authored the majority opinion, concluding that the parents didn't provide sufficient evidence to justify a preliminary injunction against the school district while the case is being adjudicated.

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"We take no view on whether the Parents will be able to present evidence sufficient to support any of their various theories once they have the opportunity to develop a record as to the circumstances surrounding the Board's decision and how the challenged texts are actually being used in schools," wrote Agee.

"At this early stage, however, given the Parents' broad claims, the very high burden required to obtain a preliminary injunction, and the scant record before us, we are constrained to affirm the district court's order denying a preliminary injunction."

"[T]here's no evidence at present that the Board's decision not to permit opt-outs compels the Parents or their children to change their religious beliefs or conduct, either at school or elsewhere," Agee wrote.

"Supreme Court precedent requires some sort of direct or indirect pressure to abandon religious beliefs or affirmatively act contrary to those beliefs," he continued. "And simply hearing about other views does not necessarily exert pressure to believe or act differently than one's religious faith requires."

Circuit Judge A. Marvin Quattlebaum, Jr., a Trump appointee, authored the dissent, contending that the parents had "shown the board's decision to deny religious opt-outs burdened these parents' right to exercise their religion and direct the religious upbringing of their children by putting them to the choice of either compromising their religious beliefs or foregoing a public education for their children."

"They do not claim the use of the books is itself unconstitutional. And they do not seek to ban them. Instead, they only want to opt their children out of the instruction involving such texts," Quattlebaum continued.

"The board's refusal to grant the parents' requests for religious opt-outs to instruction with the books the board required be used to promote diversity and inclusivity to the LGBTQ+ community forces the parents to make a choice  either adhere to their faith or receive a free public education for their children. They cannot do both."

Eric Baxter, senior counsel and vice president at Becket, a religious liberty legal group representing the parents, said they plan to appeal the decision.

"The court just told thousands of Maryland parents they have no say in what their children are taught in public schools," Baxter told The Hill. "That runs contrary to the First Amendment, Maryland law, the School Board's own policies, and basic human decency."

In October 2022, the Montgomery County Board of Education announced that it had approved a group of LGBT-themed books for the English language arts curriculum in schools.

In response to this decision, a coalition of Christian, Muslim and Jewish parents filed suit against Montgomery County Schools last year. U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman, a Biden appointee, rejected their motion for a preliminary injunction in August.

Boardman argued that the parents failed to show that the "use of the storybooks crosses the line from permissible influence to potentially impermissible indoctrination."

"The evidence suggests that, generally, MCPS teachers will occasionally read one of the handful of books, lead discussions and ask questions about the characters, and respond to questions and comments in ways that encourage tolerance for different views and lifestyles," wrote Boardman. "That is not indoctrination."
Home News Only 2% of Evangelicals define Evangelical in political terms: study

Only 2% of Evangelical Protestants believe that the word "Evangelical" should be defined in part or fully by political terms, according to a new report.

Earlier this month, Grey Matter Research and Infinity Concepts released their report, "Beyond the Label: Unmasking Evangelical Identity," featuring data from an early 2023 survey of over 1,000 Evangelical Protestants who were screened for Evangelical beliefs.

According to the report, just 2% of Evangelicals "mention anything about politics or political worldview as defining an evangelical," noting that although "others may see 'evangelical' as a political definition, evangelicals themselves do not see this."

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"Only 2% define 'evangelical' at least in part by politics, such as being politically

conservative, supporting Donald Trump, or being Republican," the report states. "So, while others, such as The Economist, commonly conflate this term with politics, evangelicals themselves rarely do."

Thirty-nine percent of Evangelicals defined the word as "focus on evangelism," while 34% stated that Evangelicals have "specific beliefs." About 14% said Evangelicals "prioritize their faith," and 8% said Evangelicals live a "Godly lifestyle."

The report also found that even with Evangelicals who hold a negative perception of the word, only 4% define Evangelical politically. Researchers noted that the Evangelical community could still be associated with partisan labels.

"This does not speak to whether they might associate evangelicals with certain political positions  only that they do not define evangelicals in any part by political perspective," the report stated.

Researchers considered respondents with Evangelical beliefs to be people who agreed with all four of the following theological positions: "The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe," "It is important for me to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior," "Jesus Christ's death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin," and "Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God's free gift of eternal salvation."

Those are the four requirements maintained in the National Association of Evangelicals' 2015 definition of the term.

Even among Protestants whose beliefs fit the theological definition of an Evangelical, a considerable percentage refused to identify with the label.

"When we ask Protestants who hold evangelical beliefs to choose how they would describe themselves, only 27% choose the term 'an evangelical Christian,'" continued the report.

"But when we directly ask a yes-or-no question about whether the term 'an evangelical Christian' describes them, 61% say it does, while 39% would not use this term to describe themselves."

Data for the report was conducted online last year and derived from "a blend of research access panels" to create a "demographically representative sample," with 1,010 Evangelical Protestants taking part in the study.

In recent years, there has been much debate over the context of Evangelical, what it means and whether it has become more of a political designation than a religious classification amid much mainstream media focus on former President Donald Trump's support from the Evangelical or born-again polling demographic.

In an October 2019 article for The Gospel Coalition, scholar Thomas Kidd wrote that the term "Evangelical" first began to be seen as a political term back in the 1970s, aided by the election of President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat who at the time identified as Evangelical.

"Gallup for the first time began asking survey respondents in 1976 if they were 'evangelical' or 'born again' and pairing that response with political behavior," wrote Kidd.

"Of course, the rise of the Moral Majority in 1979 was a decisive moment in the politicization of the word 'evangelical,' too, but once 'evangelical' became a standard category in polling, the public perception began to shift inexorably toward a political understanding of what it meant to be an evangelical."

Michael Brown, a conservative Christian author and radio host, asked in a piece published by The Christian Post in January if it was "time to scrap the term' Evangelical.'"

"In house, among committed Christians who identify as Evangelicals, or distinguishing between Catholic Christians and Evangelical Christians, the term still speaks of those who hold to a certain set of beliefs," wrote Brown.

"But for the outside world, it may be time for us to reconsider how we who are traditional Evangelicals describe ourselves. It might also lead to more conservations about Jesus and the Scriptures. Shall we take that step?"

In 2018, during the peak of Trump's presidency, the Evangelical polling organization Barna asked over 1,000 respondents to identify adjectives they might use to describe the Evangelical community. The most commonly selected terms related to conservatism, such as 37% who said "religiously conservative" and 27% who said "politically conservative."

Barna noted at the time that those findings fall in line with the fact that Evangelicals, on average, tend to identify themselves as politically conservative and are "more represented among the older and white respondents who typically also claim these views."

In May 2018, the National Association of Evangelicals, which represented over 45,000 churches across 40 denominations, released a statement asserting that the term Evangelical should be viewed through a spiritual, not political, lens.

"Because there are millions of us in the United States and far more of us in other countries around the world, there are subgroups identified by where we live, how we vote, the level of our education or even our local cultural expressions," the NAE stated.

"Each has distinctive beliefs and practices that may be unfamiliar or uncomfortable to one another. Sometimes these subgroups or their leaders are identified as typical of all evangelicals even though there is no consensus, connection or communication between them."
Home News Cussing Pastor rips DL Hughley with profanity-laden rebuke for claiming he cusses in pulpit

Thaddeus Matthews, pastor of Naked Truth Liberation and Empowerment Ministries in Memphis, Tennessee, known popularly as the Cussing Pastor, has gone viral again for dishing out a profanity-laced rebuke to comedian D.L. Hughley for accusing him of swearing in the pulpit.

Matthews, who defended hosting a twerking contest at his church in 2019, challenged Hughley during a call on his YouTube show on April 25 to provide evidence showing him swearing during his sermons. The call came after Hughleys social media team asked his more than 3 million followers on Facebook whether it was appropriate for Matthews to swear in his church.

A video has gone viral of a pastor using profanity in church to get his point across. Do you think this is an appropriate way to connect with his congregation or out of pocket? the post asked along with an image of Matthews.

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The pastor, who explained that he had always respected Hughley for his commentary more than his skills as a comedian, said he was livid when someone from Hollywood sent him the post.

Now let me say this: I had respected D.L. Hughley, not because of his comedic abilities  because comically, D.L. Hughley is not funny to me at all. Hes a so-so comedian, as far as I think about it. But first of all, D.L., you make a post about I cussed in the pulpit. Mother, you a [expletive] lie, Matthews said on his show prior to confronting Hughley on a call.

There is no viral or any video of me preaching and cussing. For the last three years, Ive been doing my Sunday morning right here where Im sitting  virtually. And those that watch me on Sunday mornings would tell you I dont cuss on Sunday mornings, he explained.

I make a post, but I dont preach and cuss. Not that I find anything wrong with the words. Words are just words. And simple [expletive], you dont know the difference in cussing and cursing. When you say that I curse, you are saying that I am dealing in witchcraft. The curse and cussing is different. I dont apologize for cussing. Im not putting a spell on anyone, he added before claiming that Jesus was also a cusser like him, but he just used different words.

See what you dont understand, and many so-called preachers is, Jesus was a cusser. See, in Jesus day, they didnt have words like mother, he said.

Matthews compared his use of the word mother to late comedian Bernie Mac, who used it as well as I could.

He accused Hughley of slander before eventually making a call to Hughley, who appeared to have been caught off-guard by Matthews.

Are you serious right now? Hughley asked after Matthews asked him why he made the Facebook post.

Yeah, he replied.

Because youre cussing in the church and it was news, Hughley told him.

Wait a minute, dont you cuss on stage? Matthews shot back.

Hughley tried to explain that he wasnt passing judgment on whether he cussed or not and that the post was only intended to spark a discussion. When Matthews insisted that the comedian had erroneously claimed that he swore while he preached, Hughley tried to clarify his statement with a bit of disdain.

Hey man, lets be clear,  I dont have a judgment on whether you curse or not, I couldnt care less about that. I think most pastors are full of s. I dont care if you curse or not. I asked a question to an audience. I dont have a judgment.  Im not a Bible-thumper. I couldnt care less, he insisted.

Hughley noted that his social media team made the post, and it wasnt something he did personally.

Well, your social media people f up, the pastor replied.

Matthews reaction seemed to further annoy Hughley.

Dont talk to me like that. Who are you to talk to me like that? You dont know me, he said.

Mother you dont know me either, Matthews replied.

The conversation quickly devolved from there, with Matthews calling Hughley a non-funny [expletive]. Hughley told him that he had more social media followers than he did, while Matthews kept telling him f you and calling him a mother.

F you too and your bulls church, Hughley said.

When Matthews insisted he wasnt funny, Hughley replied, Im a better comic than you are a preacher.

They argued again until Hughley told him not to call his number again and hung up.

Clips of the exchange have since been shared online by other comics and celebrities like rapper Jermaine Dupri.
Accomplices in Vietnam remain at large

By Jung Min-ho

More than 30 people face indictment for allegedly trafficking or consuming illicit drugs from Vietnam, police said on Thursday.

According to Chungbuk Provincial Police Agencys drug investigation unit, six members of a drug ring were arrested for trafficking synthetic cannabinoids, meth and ketamine  worth a combined total of 1.45 billion won ($1.1 million)  from the Southeast Asian country between August 2023 and April this year.

Arrest warrants were issued also for three of their frequent customers.

Police said 25 others, including one-time buyers and those who played minor roles in selling the drugs, are also expected to be indicted by the prosecution.

According to police, the smugglers packaged the drugs as cosmetics products and promoted and sold them through Telegram, an encrypted messaging service that has come under fire from governments around the world due to its frequent use in criminal activities.

In an effort to leave no trace of their criminal activities, the suspects transacted in cryptocurrency and adopted drop-off methods for delivery.

Police said they are still searching for accomplices based in Vietnam.

Drug crimes are serious offenses that threaten the safety of our society, Park Ji-hwan, a senior police officer at the team, said. With the aim of eradicating drug crimes, we will continue to focus on criminal organizations manufacturing or distributing illicit drugs.
Home News San Francisco spending $5M per year giving 'regimented doses' of alcohol to homeless addicts

The city of San Francisco, California, is spending $5 million per year on a program that involves providing alcohol to homeless people who suffer from alcoholism.

The city's managed alcohol program, which began four years ago, made media headlines following a social media post earlier this month by Adam Nathan, the CEO of an AI company and the chair of the Salvation Army San Francisco's advisory board.

On May 7, Nathan tweeted that "[p]roviding free drugs to drug addicts doesn't solve their problems. It just stretches them out. Where's the recovery in all of this?"

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As The San Francisco Chronicle reported last week, the $5 million per year program is intended to help homeless people who are addicted to alcohol by providing them with "regimented doses" of vodka and beer at certain times of the day. The program now has 20 beds and has served 55 clients.

However, Nathan said that when he visited the program located at an old hotel, he was troubled by what he saw.

"It's set up so people in the program just walk in and grab a beer, and then another one. All day," he tweeted.

"This is what harm reduction refers to as 'safe supply' or 'safer supply.' There's currently a huge debate in Canada about this idea as British Columbia has been 'expirimenting' on humans by giving them free Opioids in the hopes that they won't use fentanyl."

Shannon Smith-Bernardin, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing who helped create the program, defended the aid. She told The Chronicle that the goal is to stabilize addicts' alcohol use "so they're not binge drinking or stopping drinking and having seizures and then  start figuring out what's next."

Shannon Smith-Bernardin did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment.

Steve Adami, the executive director of the Salvation Army's The Way Out program, which focuses on serving homeless people, told CP the Salvation Army does not typically comment on the efficacy of other programs and that the organization's advisory board members hold viewpoints that "are not always reflective of The Salvation Army's position."

"However, homelessness and addiction are critical issues in San Francisco, and we encourage public dialogue," Adami stated.

Adami said that the Salvation Army has a "moral imperative to address the crisis in San Francisco."

"As a top provider of recovery services, The Salvation Army is the only San Francisco nonprofit that engages in an entire continuum of care from state-licensed withdrawal management and residential drug treatment, an array of harm reduction and abstinence-based housing as well as a family shelter and senior services," Adami stated.

Charitable groups such as the Salvation Army often promote abstinence for people suffering from addictions, and the organization offers a "holistic approach" through its rehabilitation program.

Rachel Sheffield, a research fellow in welfare and family policy at the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, told CP that "harm reduction policies" like San Francisco's "fail to address the underlying problems that stand in the way of human flourishing."

"The philosophy behind harm reduction policies is that people have little ability to change their behavior and achieve their God-given potential," she stated. "Programs to address substance abuse should focus on helping people overcome addictions and replace harmful behaviors with constructive activity."

Sheffield cited The Birmingham Model as a potential alternative, which she described as a "treatment-first program." According to a December 2022 Joint Economic Committee report, the model provides participants with a private unit on the condition that they abstain from drugs or alcohol. If a participant fails to remain sober, then they are provided with a place at a shelter, and they can work toward regaining their private unit by staying sober for a week.

"The goal of the program is to help people overcome their addictions so they can become more self-reliant and improve their lives," Sheffield told CP.
Home News Top UK pediatrician says US doctors 'out of date' regarding trans interventions for minors

One of the top pediatricians in the United Kingdom, who recently issued a report urging caution regarding hormonal and surgical interventions for trans-identified minors, claims medical professionals in the United States are "out of date" regarding such practices.

Dr. Hilary Cass, a pediatrician in England for more than 30 years, penned a landmark study published last month called the "Cass Report." This study prompted the National Health Service to advise its gender clinics to implement a pause on first appointments for those under 18.

Cass, who was tasked with reviewing the country's process for treating young people suffering from gender dysphoria, interviewed minor patients, transgender-identifying adults, detransitioners, advocacy groups and clinicians.

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The report was commissioned amid an exponential rise of minors in the U.K. pursuing treatment for their gender dysphoria over the past decade despite the lack of long-term studies examining the use of puberty-blocking drugs and cross-sex hormones on such patients.

Cass' investigation involved systematic review of international healthcare guidance, though she concluded that evidence supporting puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for young people is "remarkably weak."

Cass advised that such hormones should be prescribed with "extreme caution."

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Endocrine Society appeared to downplay the findings of the Cass review.

"Politicians have inserted themselves into the exam room, which is dangerous for both physicians and for families," said Dr. Ben Hoffman, the president of AAP, according to The New York Times.

The Endocrine Society told the newspaper that the "Cass Report" "does not contain any new research" that would contradict its guidelines.

Cass, who served as president of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, spoke highly of the AAP but told the Times in an interview published Monday that she "respectfully [disagrees] with them on holding on to a position that is now demonstrated to be out of date by multiple systematic reviews."

"It wouldn't be too much of a problem if people were saying, 'This is clinical consensus, and we're not sure,'" Cass said. "But what some organizations are doing is doubling down on saying the evidence is good. And I think that's where you're misleading the public. You need to be honest about the strength of the evidence and say what you're going to do to improve it."

Cass speculated the AAP is a "fairly left-leaning organization" and is afraid of making any moves against gender procedures for children because they are both under "political duress" and frightened to acknowledge that there are multiple ways out for children who experience gender dysphoria.

Cass advised against a "politically driven" medical system, urging a more holistic approach to treating minors struggling with their gender identity. She suggested the U.S. medical system has failed such patients in part because it has been overwhelmed by the problem.

"We're failing these kids, and we're failing other kids in terms of the amount of mental health support we have available," she said. "That is a huge problem  not just for gender-questioning young people. And I think that's partly a reflection of the fact that the system's been caught out by a growth of demand that is completely outstripping the ability to provide it."

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health's Standards of Care, now in its eighth edition, guides many leading health authorities worldwide regarding transgender healthcare.

According to the leaked documents, members of WPATH admitted internally that minors are incapable of giving informed consent regarding irreversible treatments such as puberty-blocking drugs and cross-sex hormones.
Home News White Evangelicals among the best religious groups at retaining members as 'nones' grow: study

Among faith groups in the United States, white Evangelical Christians are one of the best at retaining members even as the share of Americans who are religiously unaffiliated continues to grow, according to a new survey.

The nonprofit research organization Public Religion Research Institute released the report on Wednesday titled "Religious Change in America," which charted several trends among faith groups in the U.S.

Data for the report came from a survey PRRI conducted online of 5,627 adults in the U.S. from Nov. 16 to Dec. 7, 2023, with a margin of error of +/- 1.79 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

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While the report found that nearly one in five Americans (18%) left a religious tradition in 2023 and became religiously unaffiliated, white Evangelicals "have one of the highest retention rates of all religious groups," retaining 76% of their members in 2023.

This was an improvement compared to 2016, when white Evangelicals were only keeping 66% of their members in the fold, with the report noting that the "net loss of members among white evangelical Protestants has declined."

The religious groups that did the best at retaining members were black Protestants (82%) and Jewish Americans (77%), while white mainline Protestants "continue losing more members than they replace and at higher rates than other Protestants."

Catholics continue to lose more members than they gain, with the retention rate for Hispanic Catholics (68%) being slightly higher than white Catholics (62%).

PRRI also found that 26% of Americans identified as religiously unaffiliated in 2023, an increase from the 21% reported in 2013. The religiously unaffiliated was the "only major religious category experiencing growth," according to PRRI.

Among Americans who left a religious tradition to become unaffiliated, 35% were former Catholics; another 35% were mainline Protestants.

"After observing the growth of unaffiliated Americans for decades, our survey confirms that this trend is not slowing," PRRI CEO Melissa Deckman said in a statement. "While most Americans are still religious, the ranks of the unaffiliated will continue to swell with both Americans who leave their religion  increasingly because of religious teachings about LGBTQ people  as well as those who are now being raised in religiously unaffiliated households."

Sixty-seven percent of Americans who became religiously unaffiliated said they did so because they stopped believing their faith's teachings, while 47% cited "negative teaching about or treatment of gay and lesbian people as an important factor."

In recent years, there has been much debate over whether the decline in white Evangelical Americans was accelerating due to various factors, including media portrayals of white Evangelicals overwhelmingly supporting President Donald Trump.

In 2016, PRRI Executive Director Robert P. Jones released a book titled The End of White Christian America, in which he argued that white Christians in the U.S. "steadily lost influence, following declines within both its mainline and evangelical branches."

"Today, America is no longer demographically or culturally a majority white, Christian nation," noted the book's synopsis. "Looking ahead, Jones forecasts the ways that they might adjust to find their place in the new America  and the consequences for us all if they don't."

In 2021, the Pew Research Center released a report finding that the percentage of white Americans who identified as born-again or evangelical during the Trump administration increased.

Using Pew's American Trends Panel, the researchers found that the number of surveyed white adults who identified as Evangelical or born-again went from 25% in 2016 to 29% in 2020.

The 2021 survey also found that while 2% of surveyed white adults had stopped identifying as Evangelical from 2016 to 2020, 6% began identifying as Evangelical during the same period.
Pro-Life Atheist Sentenced To Prison, RFK Jr. Clarifies Abortion Stance, Hotel Cancels Pro-Israel Event

link to download the audio instead. link to download the audio instead. 07:00 07:00

Top headlines for Thursday, May 16, 2024

In this episode, we delve into the sentencing of the first pro-life atheist under the FACE Act, who received 27 months in prison for a 2020 abortion facility blockade. We also discuss the Presbyterian Church in America's decision to cancel a panel featuring Evangelical writer David French.

Additionally, we cover Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker's bold remarks against President Biden and other pro-abortion Catholics during a commencement speech. Finally, we explore Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s attempt to clarify his stance on full-term abortion amidst his independent presidential campaign.
Home Opinion Should apostles and prophets govern the Church today?

Previously I shared from the research of John Collins (author of Weaponized Religion), whose website exposes credible allegations of fraud and misconduct by numerous charismatic and Pentecostal figures from the past 150 years. Now Ill offer something a bit more practical: doctrines perpetuated by these individuals, the risks inherent, and alternative interpretations of Scripture we have every right to adhere to instead.

After all, if informed consent is standard before receiving life-altering medical procedures, why are life-altering doctrines any different? It can mean the difference between pursuing one career or another, one romantic partner or another, moving to one place or another. One need only hear stories from ministries such as the International House of Prayer in Kansas City to get an idea of how serious the consequences of our doctrine can be.

Below are two popular teachings which are non-essential for belief in the continuation of spiritual gifts (one may reject continuationism if they wish  I personally have not), have questionable origins, and a proven track record of causing harm in the lives of believers. With this information one can choose to remain in said teachings; or investigate further and rethink them.

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1. The restoration of the Five-Fold ministry (the authority of apostles and prophets)

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, until we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13).

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:20-21).

The Five-Fold understanding of these passages is that they describe church offices intended as a hierarchy of governance. Thus, the Church being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets means some are called to the office of Apostle and Prophet. Without their leadership and dispensing of grace as the foundation of the church  with evangelists, pastors, and teachers supporting them  it is believed that the Church will not attain the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Most Christians who teach and believe this doctrine are well-intended, unaware of its origins and who it historically benefited (cult leaders Jim Jones and Paul Schafer, for example).

The Five-Fold is a derivative of Manifested Sons of God theology, which itself has unclear origins. This theology is usually credited to George Warnocks book The Feast of Tabernacles, published in 1951; but research traces the doctrine as far back as Frank Sanford in 1901[1], and there is evidence it was taught by William Branham in 1947. According to researcher Stephen Montgomery (author of Converging Apostasy), it may have evolved from a body of Christian and esoteric literature over a period of centuries. John Collins places modern roots in the doctrines of British Israelism. The most influential early figure to bring these teachings to the United States was John Alexander Dowie[2], who used them to become unfathomably wealthy. Modern iterations bear varied resemblances to these early doctrines.

By labeling oneself an Apostle or Prophet under the Five-Fold, one may wield a tremendous amount of nearly papal influence. This is because Five-Fold labels of Apostle and Prophet imply divine authority and revelation in a way other titles do not. While most church leaders are well-intended and their communities vibrant, this set of beliefs tilts towards manipulation and lends itself well to being exploited by individuals high in traits such as narcissism and psychopathy. An elevated risk of spiritual abuse results.

An alternate reading of Ephesians is that apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers refer to gifted yet ordinary individuals who serve the Church and community in distinct ways, but not to a hierarchy of leadership. The foundation of the apostles and prophets has historically been understood to refer to the Old Testament prophets and the 12 Apostles.

These more traditional readings are not at odds with belief in the continuation of miracles in response to prayer, or with belief that the Holy Spirit speaks to believers today (without adding to the canon of Scripture). One may reject a church hierarchy based on spiritual gifts without rejecting the existence of spiritual gifts or a diversity of ministries.

Most of the body of Christ believes church leadership is described in 1 Timothy 3, where the qualifications for bishops and deacons are outlined  not in Ephesians 4:11. Elders are also frequently referenced throughout the New Testament as having leadership in the church (a simple read on this subject can be found at gotquestions.org).

Using these passages, Gods intent for a much safer and more democratic form of church governance may be safely inferred.

2. End times revival to usher in the return of Christ (the spirit of Elijah)

This also emerged from Manifested Sons of God doctrine, in which the Five-Fold is seen as necessary to equip the church to usher in the End Times revival. Two key Scripture verses are:



Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse (Malachi 4:5).

And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord (Joel 2:28-31).

Although Luke 1:17 identifies John the Baptist as the man who came in the spirit of Elijah to prepare the way of the Lord, a trend emerged in the 1900s where the coming of the second Elijah was imminently anticipated by some, and a generation operating in the spirit and power of Elijah by others. Many followers of William Branham believe he was Elijah to come (spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 17:11), and some modern charismatic organizations teach the coming of an Elijah generation.

This generation is expected to supernaturally manifest before the return of Christ, and is tied to other verses such as Romans 8:19: For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. This may mean aspiring to as many supernatural acts as possible or engaging in 24/7 prayer and worship.

Churches popularizing a Manifested Sons of God-derived message attract passionate young people, but the burden to usher in an end-times revival is not a sustainable mindset for most adults needing to steward their marriages and support their families. As they grow older, some experience guilt and shame for abandoning their apostle/prophets spiritual vision and mission in favor of more practical responsibilities.

An increasing number of researchers are concerned this burden is a modern resurgence of ancient gnostic teachings, and not required for a life fully devoted to Christ and ready for His return. The Bible gives provision for simplicity: Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need (Ephesians 4:28).

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?(Micah 6:8).

But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing (1 Thessalonians 4:10-12).

To conclude, while all of church history and orthodox theology affirm the importance of evangelism and missions, it is not historically orthodox to believe the very return of Christ is contingent on believers ushering in an end times revival under the spirit and power of Elijah. Combined with Five-Fold Restorationism, this teaching has created many high-control cults and unhealthy churches.

It is important for every charismatic believer to know they dont disappoint God by rejecting either of these teachings or any leaders drawing unhealthy authority from them. Sweeping generalizations are unhelpful, but careful thought is necessary. Each Christian is free to examine Scripture and history for themselves; to choose the church they attend and the plans they make for their life.

[1] Cult Mysteries Linger. 2016, Feb 14. Sun Journal. During an evangelical convention in Auburn at a temple on the corner of Union and Summer streets, Sandford announced on Nov. 23, 1901, that he was the prophet Elijah. According to Scripture, Elijah arrives just before the end times.

[2] Dowie Testifies. 1902, Jun 3. Piqua Daily Call. "'Dr.' John Alexander Dowie, the proclaimed 'Elijah the Restorer.'"
Home Opinion Does God love the rich more than the poor?

Does God love the rich more than the poor?



Ive been prompted to ask this question because far too many people answer in the affirmative. Some are even of the opinion that poor Christians are cursed. Some have also used poverty and riches as a parameter to measure Gods love in the lives of believers. Many poor Christians even grumble that God has not given them riches and have left the faith altogether.

The emphasis on riches by some of today's preachers has seriously promoted the idea that the rich are the favorite of God, and the poor are not. American prosperity gospel preacher Jesse Duplantis has recently said, You know that poverty is a blessing? That's a lie. Poverty is a curse. It's not in Heaven, none whatsoever.



The Lord Jesus strongly disagrees with Duplantis sentiment:

And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh  But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep (Luke 6: 20-21, 24-25). My point is not to say that the poor are blessed while the rich are cursed, but to underscore Jesus' position on worldly comfort.

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Worldly wealth and riches should not be the yardsticks to measure God's love because God loves all equally irrespective of social status. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). The love of God is universal. Our responsibility is just to reciprocate this love by believing in Him. He continues to love us not minding how poor or rich we are. His priority is our soul not our comfort here on earth.

I know the difference between living in lack and living in abundance, but I have come to understand that these are never factors in determining the love of Christ for me. I have preached the Gospel in abject poverty, and sometimes the responses I received were disheartening. On one occasion, a woman boldly looked at my face and said to me, If this God whom you preach is what made you poor, I will not come to Him. I was wearing a worn-out shirt and a pair of shoes with holes.

On another occasion, I helped build three houses for poor widows. The women in the communities praised God and thanked us profusely. Many came to Christ through these interventions. Does it mean that God loved me less when I was preaching in poverty and loved me more when I had resources to carry out some projects? The answer is no. He loves me all the time, in lack and in abundance.

Jesus loves both the poor and the rich equally. My being poor can make me less honorable in the sight of men, but not in the sight of God, and my being rich can make me more honorable in the sight of men but not in the sight of God. What determines how honorable I am in the sight of God is my walk with Him. Every believer must find rest and comfort in Gods love and avoid measuring Gods love with financial blessings.
Home Opinion Secular philosophy shouldnt intimidate Christians

Culturally, people and some Christians too are mistakenly led to believe that philosophy can be as arbitrary as mathematical equations. Philosophy is not so. Nevertheless, I am not suggesting that its a menace to the Christian faith. The discipline of philosophy is one of ideas. Thats it. Some are good, and some are bad. There isnt an ultimate standard by which a bad idea should be philosophically repudiated without God, as the material Universe is neutral. It simply couldnt care, define, or distinguish good from bad.

Further, secular philosophy provides ideas that are preferred and conveniently adopted by cultural thought, especially when they are reputed to debunk the Christian faith. As a Christian, I have come to realize that philosophical critiques of the Christian faith create more of a nuisance. I remain convinced that for many good reasons a Christians faith shouldnt be intimidated by secular philosophy.

Ideas are necessary, and should always be stimulated. Our minds were wired by God to think, innovate, and also to advance knowledge by observations. Throughout history, Christians too have contributed significantly in all disciplines and with other theists have received the majority of Nobel prizes, while atheists have received about 10%. The tension between secular philosophy and Christian faith has always been that the former insists on naturalizing everything, while the latter acknowledges the natural world and philosophizes that belief in Christ is reasonable for a comprehensive human experience of reality.

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In Western culture, since the Enlightenment, its been reputed that the traditional arguments for Gods existence have been refuted. Thats not true at all. They remain reasonable, logical, and compelling. Retorts from high-profile critics have been established in cultural thought ex cathedra and thereby accepted gratuitously. A celebrated academic who holds a prestigious chair at a distinguished university rebuts, who created God, and so the design argument is deemed refuted. Or a popular public intellectual philosophizes about how moral objectivity was established by growing social concords and then that is treated as refuting the moral argument for God. Its all conveniently contrived, with a point here and there, to derail from any path towards a reasonably held Christian faith.

Take for example, the logical positivism popularized by the highly influential English philosopher A.J. Ayer. Philosophical terms can be abstract and even mesmerizing when unfamiliar. Its important for Christians to learn the definitions, as that will make it less difficult to think through what seems intimidating. Positivism is the idea that knowledge of something is verified either by direct observation or a priori. A priori refers to statements that are known without observation; such as, a bachelor is not married, or grey is a color, or a square has four equal sides. These are self-evident truths prior to any empirical attestation. You can see how the Christian faith is categorically excluded as positivists demand empirical verification and pounce that God is not self-evident.

It's generally acknowledged, however, that Ayers positivism failed his own test. Its methodology is neither self-evident (a priori) nor observed empirically. Thus it fails its own requirements for valid knowledge and is thereby self-referentially defeated. Culturally, however, many continue to treat the idea as refuting claims of Christian faith. In variations, positivism persists as more than its status as an idea. Its treated as a binding solution to the Christian message that since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1).

The tension of we walk by faith not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7) is at the core. The apparatus of secular philosophy is its underlying assumption that faith is blind and so it demands sight in order to establish any truth claims. We all know that sight is not possible. This impossibility is exploited with ideas that are proffered as warranting unbelief. For the Christian, there is much philosophical theology and philosophy of science that is logical, compelling and supports the reasonableness of ones faith.

The tension will persist largely because secular philosophy has the subtle demand that unless God is observed it will not believe. Actually, it cannot appreciate how God allows Christian faith to be in relationship with Him. If the ultimate request of secular philosophy were satisfied, it would result in immediate physical death. Can anyone come close to the Sun and survive? How much more could one see the Almighty who created that great light and remain alive? For our own good, God said: You cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live (Ex. 33:20).

By faith, Christians have an unmistakable experience that, The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Rom. 8:16). This experience forms part of a cumulative warrant for a reasonably held faith. A Christian doesnt need to feel insecure until faith is validated by the ideas of secular philosophy. Frankly, that will never happen. With forethought, philosophical naturalism persists and so it's limited from the outset. Some secular philosophers, however, have come around to realize that metaphysics and ontology are a realm that is beyond the categories of direct observation, and yet provides meaning.

In many ways, the Christian faith is itself intimidating and purposely avoided. I get it that talk of sin, repentance, judgment, and Hell is not endearing at a dinner party. These tenets of the Christian faith are not culturally welcomed. That does not mean they are false, but it does challenge believers to be prudent and learn how to articulate appropriately. As the Bible teaches, there is a time for every matter under Heaven (Eccl. 3:1). Nevertheless, I believe that love and kindness towards secular thinkers go a lot further than rigorous arguments or seeking to win in debate. When the ideas of secular philosophy are properly acknowledged and understood they can make stimulating conversation.
Home Opinion Target retreats from LGBT merch after year-long profit bloodbath

This years pride month is shaping up to be a much more humble affair at Target. In an extremely gratifying twist, the company that bragged their transgender line is great for our brand has changed its mind after a year-long stock market bruising. Its the latest evidence that the wildfire of consumer activism is not only spreading but forcing the kind of change most people never thought possible.

If you asked conservatives two years ago, stopping the woke at major brands wouldve been a victory. But reversing the woke? Thats a tectonic shift in the power structure of Big Business. For once, CEOs  who for years have thrown their radical agenda in the face of shoppers  are feeling enough pain in their profit margins to stop and ask if appeasing the far-Left is worth it.

Targets CEO Brian Cornell, who flaunted the stores chest binders and tucking swimming suits for kids as progress, finally counted the cost of his social extremism late last summer. By the end of a dismal August, he didnt apologize, but he did admit that it was time for some soul searching. As his first and second quarter earnings tanked, he hinted at changes ahead. As we navigate an ever-changing operating and social environment, were applying what weve learned to ensure were staying close to our guests and their expectations of Target.

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What Cornell learned, Americans will be pleased to know, is that trans activism is the fastest road to financial insolvency. After thumbing his nose at Christmas shoppers with shelves full of LGBT pandering, the full weight of consumer outrage started to sink in. Like his counterparts at Anheuser-Busch, Nike, Disney, Planet Fitness, RipCurl, and Doritos, he sent shoppers running for the exits.

But the activism has obviously gotten to an unsustainable point for his business, forcing Target to announce what would have been unthinkable a year and a half ago: a significant reduction in pride products. On its website Thursday, the company wanted people to know that this summers LGBT merchandise will not only be limited but designed with adults  not children  in mind.

Were offering a collection of products including adult apparel and home and food and beverage items, curated based on consumer feedback, the notice read. The collection will be available on Target.com and in select stores, based on historical sales performance. Of the companys 2,000 stores nationwide, only some will carry the items that landed them in hot water last year.

Naturally, the companys course-correction didnt thrill the corporate hostage-takers in the LGBT movement, who immediately blasted Targets decision to put profitability first. Kelley Robinson, president of the extreme Human Rights Campaign, said Cornells move was a disappointing betrayal of their progressive values. Pride merchandise means something, she insisted. LGBTQ+ people are in every zip code in this country, and we arent going anywhere.

The companys PR team rushed to reassure Robinson and other activists, saying in a statement, Target is committed to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride Month and year-round, headquarters wrote. Most importantly, we want to create a welcoming and supportive environment for our LGBTQIA+ team members, which reflects our culture of care for the over 400,000 people who work at Target.

So while Americans can (and should) celebrate the difference theyre making with their money, the work isnt over. This muted approach to pride is still an effort to play both sides. As Family Research Council President Tony Perkins told The Washington Stand, CEO Brian Cornell is discovering that customers do expect more now that many consumers are spending less at Target because of its LGBTQ fixation. By avoiding Target, consumers are getting the woke corporations attention, but not necessarily their behavior. They should continue spending elsewhere until their behavior meets consumers expectations.

FRCs Meg Kilgannon also chimed in, pointing out that pride months celebration of unnatural lifestyles, proclivities, and identities has become more and more obnoxious over time. The idea that Target is setting a limit on Pride merchandising and marketing is remarkable for a corporate America too willing to bend the knee to HRCs fake business scores, she agreed. As American shoppers endure rising prices and lower wages, retail stores suffer  not only from Bidenomics  but their own ridiculous investments in social justice and culture war issues that have nothing to do with profits and everything to do with virtue signaling to shape public opinion.

I havent shopped in Target recently and dont plan to, Kilgannon said. But it is nice to think that the June rainbow radicals might be dialing things back. If people stop shopping in June, or at least stop spending money in stores and with businesses with rainbow logos and beyond, more retailers will get the message.

Others, like expert Stephen Soukup, author of The Dictatorship of Woke Capital, urge people not to be duped by Targets half-measures. They seem unlikely to make anyone happy, he told TWS, while almost certainly frustrating observers and activists on all sides of the issue. Target says, for example, that it is carefully assessing which stores will have LGBTQ merchandise this year, he pointed out. Thats irrelevant in the digital age. Wherever the displays are, they will be videoed and uploaded to social media, causing every bit of outrage and frustration they have caused in previous years, Soukup said.

Likewise, he explained, its important to remember that Target took a hit on its Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index score last year, simply because it responded to customer anger at its displays. The company will almost certainly get nicked again this year for supposedly capitulating to anti-LGBTQ sentiment by limiting its Pride Month offerings. Ultimately, Soukup predicted, Both outcomes are likely to aggravate Targets shareholders. It took several months last year for the companys stock price to recover from its Pride Month-induced freefall, and a repeat of that disaster may well cause larger and more activist investors to question managements competence and foresight.

Regardless, there's no denying that Americans are moving the needle on corporate extremism. As Perkins said on Mike Johnsons (R-La.) Truth Be Told podcast before he was elected speaker, This is not a gray area for most people. Even non-believers understand the difference between males and females. And I actually think this is why were seeing such significant pushback across the nation When Americans are silent, he warned, we are playing right along with the deception that is destroying the lives of many young people.

At the end of the day, he acknowledged, What we have is not our own  God has entrusted you with the resources to buy food, clothing, the necessities of life. Do you think He would really want you sending that to an entity that uses the profits ... [to attack] the biblical truth that he expects us to live by? So it really comes down to a stewardship issue. Its not about boycotting. [Its about using money] in a way that would honor God  And Ill have to be very, very clear. I do not think being caught in a Target store is honoring God.

Originally published at The Washington Stand.
Home Opinion When being pro-Palestinian means the end of Israel

It is important to remember that many of those protesting Israels war in Gaza are not simply advocating for a ceasefire or for a two-state solution. They are advocating for the end of Israel. This, of course, is the obvious meaning of the river to the sea chant. But what is implied in the chant is now being stated explicitly by anti-Israel protesters and their allies. They, in turn, are simply articulating what has always been the fundamental position of Hamas.

In a fascinating April 13, 2024 interview, Yuval Bitton, head of the Intelligence Division of the Israel Prison Service, recounted his interactions with Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar. Bitton first interacted with the prisoners as their dentist before getting into intelligence work, so he got to know these men on very personal terms.

He explained that, whereas Fatah prisoners would talk about a two-state solution, that was never the position of Hamas: The thing with Hamas, he said, is that they have always been a faction of the Muslim Brotherhood. They set themselves Islamist goals: to annihilate the State of Israel, to liberate sacred Muslim lands. The Israelis just didn't get it: For them, Hamas and Fatah were the same thing.

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He continued, As a dentist. Fatah talked about the 1967 borders, about the occupation, about the Palestinian people. To me, the Hamas inmates would say, There's neither 1967 nor 1948. There are no borders and there is nothing to talk about. You are on Waqf land, Muslim sacred ground, and you have no place here.

This remains the official Hamas position, as stated in their Our Narrative document issued on January 21, 2024, The battle of the Palestinian people against occupation and colonialism did not start on Oct. 7, but started 105 years ago, including 30 years of British colonialism and 75 years of Zionist occupation.

That is how the document begins. There is no ambiguity here.

Fast forwarding to 1948, Hamas claims that the Zionist gangs seized control by force of 77% of the land of Palestine where they expelled 57% of the people of Palestine and destroyed over 500 Palestinian villages and towns and committed dozens of massacres against the Palestinians which all culminated in the establishment of the Zionist Entity in 1948. Moreover, in continuation of the aggression, the Israeli forces in 1967 occupied the rest of Palestine including the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem in addition to Arab territories around Palestine.

No wonder, then, that anti-protesters have used almost identical language, not just standing with the Palestinians of Gaza but celebrating October 7 and calling for the end of Israel.

In that very spirit last month, Charlotte Kates, the international coordinator for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-affiliated (PFLP) Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, led [Canadian] demonstrators in a chant proclaiming Long live October 7.



Yes, the massacre is something to celebrate.

She also referred to 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.

Again, this is not a call for a retreat to pre-1967 borders. It is a call for the elimination of Israel.

Flora Cassen, an associate professor of Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern studies and associate professor of history at Washington University in St. Louis learned this the hard way while trying to interact civilly on a Reddit discussion board about the war in Gaza.

As explained to her by one commenter, Israelis aren't civilians. They're colonizing settlers. When a land is being colonized, the colonizers and settlers are used as an inherent weapon of violence against the colonized. If Israelis didn't wanna get killed, they shouldn't be colonizing Palestine, simple as that. This take reads heavily like I hate slavery but I just don't think it's right those Haitian slaves killed their slavers families and other employees.

As to whether the Israeli civilians deserved to be massacred on October 7, one commenter replied, I'm not saying they deserve to be massacred, just that Israelis are not simply civilians. Every single Israeli exists on land violently stolen from Palestinians within the lifetime of the average grandma. Simply just existing as an Israeli makes you a weapon of violence against Palestinians bc you are living on land that was stolen from them and their parents/grandparents, etc. If you don't want your baby killed in the process of people liberating their own land from their oppressors, maybe don't be one of their oppressors. My daughter is in 0 danger of being killed by Palestinian revolutionaries & it's bc I actively choose not to colonize Palestine.

In short, if youre an Israeli and you want to live, then leave. Otherwise, you will suffer the fate of unwanted colonizers.

Little wonder, then, that 51% of young people aged 18-24 surveyed last December replied in the affirmative when asked if Israel should be ended and given to Hamas and the Palestinians.

All clear?
Historic German church hosts worship service featuring Taylor Swift music

(CP) A centuries-old church in Germany drew more than 1,200 people on Sunday for worship services featuring the music of Taylor Swift.

The Church of the Holy Spirit, a famous church in Heidelberg that meets in a 600-year-old building, put on a service titled "Anti-Hero  Taylor Swift Church Service" over the weekend in an effort to draw the interest of young people, according to Deutsche Welle (DW).

"The Church of the Holy Spirit has always been a place of encounter and exchange. That's why a pop-music religious service fits so perfectly," Pastor Christof Ellsiepen told the outlet. "With it, we are giving space to the questions and issues that occupy the younger generation."

The service focused on the supposedly strong Christian themes in Swift's music that address hot-button issues such as women's rights, racism and gender equality, according to the pastor.

Parish Pastor Vincenzo Petracca acknowledged that Swift has taken flak from some Evangelical faith leaders for her music, especially in the United States.

"Theologically speaking, she points to the justness of God," Petracca said, adding that Swift's "faith knows doubt and inner-conflict."

"For her, faith and action are inseparable," he said.

Two Sunday services in the historic church featured Swift's tunes, which DW noted were attended by an audience that skewed young and female. A rainbow banner behind the musicians said that the church welcomes "all sizes, all [colors], all cultures, all sexes, all beliefs, all religions, all ages, all types, all people."

While noting that the church was "built for Gregorian liturgical music and not for Taylor Swift," Petracca maintained that he was moved by the response to the modern, pop-themed service.

"I stared into beaming faces  and during the song that Taylor wrote for her cancer-stricken mother, many had tears in their eyes," he said, referring to the song "Soon You'll Get Better."

Swift's latest album, released last month, drew criticism from some Christian critics who claimed it features lyrical content that mocks God and Christians.

Shane Pruitt, who serves as National Next Gen director for the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board and co-author of Calling Out the Called, urged parents to seriously reconsider allowing their children to listen to Swift's music.

"I'm definitely not the minister or parent that has the 'no secular music' stance," Pruitt wrote in a Facebook post. "Also, I fully realize unbelievers are going to act like unbelievers. HOWEVER, there is a difference between being secular and being ANTI-CHRISTIAN."

Former Boyzone star Shane Lynch recently accused Swift of implementing hidden satanic rituals in her sold-out shows.

"I think when you're looking at a lot of the artists out there, a lot of their stage shows are satanic rituals live in front of 20,000 people without them realizing and recognizing," Lynch told Ireland's Sunday World.

"You'll see a lot of hoods up and masks on and fire ceremonies. Even down to Taylor Swift  one of the biggest artists in the world  you watch one of her shows and she has two or three different demonic rituals to do with the pentagrams on the ground, to do with all sorts of stuff on her stage. ... But to a lot of people it's just art and that's how people are seeing it, unfortunately," Lynch said.

In late 2021, Germany's Federal Statistical Office found that for the first time in recorded history, less than half of the country's population are members of the two major historical German churches, according to Le Monde.

Both the Roman Catholic Church and the various Protestant denominations in Germany have hemorrhaged members in recent decades, with the Sunday worship attendance rate hovering at 4.3% for Catholics and around 3% for Protestants.

The Church of the Holy Spirit, which was built between 1398 and 1515, draws millions of tourists annually.

Heidelberg is notable in the history of Christianity for being the city where the Heidelberg Catechism was first published in 1563. The Protestant Calvinist confessional document forms the doctrinal basis for many Reformed denominations, and influenced the divines who drafted the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which is foundational to Presbyterianism.

 The Christian Post
The Seoul city government said Thursday it will introduce a daily transit pass for tourists in July, offering unlimited access to the city's subways and buses for a temporary period in the latest move to enhance the city's competitiveness as a global tourist spot.

The Seoul metropolitan government said it will newly introduce a special Climate Card designed for tourists visiting the capital city, available for use for one, two, three or five days. The price ranges from 5,000 won ($3.70) for the one-day pass to 15,000 won for the five-day pass.

The plan comes after the city successfully launched a monthly transit pass for locals earlier this year as part of a pilot program to promote the use of public transportation.

Under the new plan, foreign tourists can purchase the rechargeable transit pass for 3,000 won at the Seoul Tourism Plaza in Jongno Ward, the tourist information center in Myeongdong, customer safety centers on subway lines 1-8 or convenience stores near subway stations.

The tourist transit pass is activated immediately on the day it is charged, unlike the monthly pass, which allows users to decide which day it is activated.

Travelers will be offered the same benefits as the monthly pass, including 50 percent off admissions to the Seoul Grand Park and the Seoul Science Center.

City officials said they designed the temporary transit pass to increase the city's competitiveness as a global tourist spot, pointing to London and Paris as examples of cities with similar transit pass services. (Yonhap)
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By Jung Min-ho

More than 3 million workers in Korea are being paid less than the minimum hourly wage of 9,620 won ($7.15), a report revealed on Thursday.

According to a report released by the Korea Enterprises Federation (KEF), a business group focused on labor-management relations, the number of employees receiving less than the legally required amount increased by 255,000 in 2023 from the previous year to 3,011,000, or 13.7 percent of the total.

The report shows that more than 43 percent of workers in agriculture and fishing industries fall into that category. Lodgings and food industries also paid employees meagerly, as 37.3 percent of them said they were paid less than the minimum wage.

The rates are far higher than underpaid workers in plumbing and waste disposal industries (1.9 percent) and science and technology industries (2.1 percent).

A drastic increase in minimum wages over the last 20 years may be behind the rising rate of those being paid less than the minimum wage. In the report, the KEF said only 4.3 percent of all workers were paid less than the minimum wage in 2001, when it was just 1,865 won.

The KEF said surging labor costs particularly affected small businesses (four employees or fewer) where 32.7 percent of workers said that they were paid less than the minimum wage last year.

The report came after the announcement that a commission consisting of representatives from workers, employers, experts and government bodies would hold its first meeting on May 21 to decide next years minimum wage.
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Facebook users are probably aware that what they see in their news feeds is determined by the companys recommendation algorithms. (Well, most users.) Many are accustomed to this fact, but some believe that there are alternatives to this kind of centralized control. Ethan Zuckerman is among themand thats why he and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia recently filed a lawsuit against Meta, Facebooks parent company, asking a court to empower users to employ third-party tools to filter their news feeds. The suit relies on a novel interpretation of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which was initially designed to protect digital platforms from legal liability for content posted by users.

Zuckerman is not just any Facebook user. He is an associate professor of public policy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the director of the schools Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure; previously, he led the Center for Civic Media at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was a fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard. In a New York Times op-ed published last week, Zuckerman wrote that the Facebook algorithm forgets friends I want to hear from, becomes obsessed with people to whom Im only loosely connected, and generally feels like an obstacle to how Id like to connect with my friends. But his lawsuit is about more than that, he says. If it succeeds, he argues, we can decide how social media works for us and for our children through tools we can control, instead of being at the mercy of The Algorithm.

Zuckerman told me this week that he got the idea for the lawsuit after Louis Barclay, a British software developer, came up with a browser extension called Unfollow Everything, which allowed users to undo some of the workings of Facebooks algorithm. Meta blocked the extension, describing it as a breach of its terms of service, and banned Barclay from the platform permanently. The more he looked into the decision, the more Zuckerman felt that it was wrongnot only ethically, but legally. Barclay produced something genuinely helpful, Zuckerman said, and I felt there should be a legal argument about whether he could do that or not.

Zuckermans aha moment came while he was teaching a class about Section 230, in which he asked his students to go through the text of the law line by line. One section in particular jumped out at him, in which the law states that electronic platforms will not be held liable for any action taken to enable or make available to information content providers or others the technical means to restrict access to certain kinds of material. For Zuckermanand some of the legal experts he later consulted at the Knight First Amendment Institutethis language opened the door to protect third-party software (sometimes called middleware) that would allow users to control their Facebook feeds based on their own criteria.

Section 230 goes on to state that one of its goals is to encourage the development of technologies which maximize user control over what information is received by individuals using the internet. Zuckerman argues in his Times op-ed that by including these clauses, Congress clearly intended to promote the development of tools that would enable users to curate their online experiences. If software such as Unfollow Everything is allowed, Zuckerman wrote, we could have better control over what we see on social media, which in turn might help create a more civic-minded internet. Giving users more control, he added, is a way to establish more of an equilibrium in an online world that is increasingly out of kilter. (Zuckerman wrote for CJR about building a more honest internet back in 2019.)

Zuckerman told me that he has designed a program similar to Unfollow Everything that allows users to control their Facebook feeds and to opt in to a research program designed by Zuckerman that will use their browsing data to study how their behavior changes when Facebooks algorithms are removed. In addition to banning third-party software like the extension designed by Barclay, Meta has, in the past, taken similar action against researchers who have tried to use software to study what happens on Facebook: in 2021, the company not only blocked a program that Laura Edelson, a professor at New York University, and colleagues were using to study behavior on the platform, but also suspended the personal Facebook accounts of some of the researchers, as I wrote for CJR at the time.

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Zuckermans lawsuit is essentially a gambit to preempt this type of antagonistic response. He and the Knight First Amendment Institute are asking the court to rule that software like Zuckermans version of Unfollow Everything is legal so that Meta cant block it, ban Zuckerman from the platform personally, or use a law such as the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act to sue him for offering software that breaches their terms of service.

He concedes that it is impossible to know whether the suit will succeed. I just dont know, he told me. Im pretty sure were right on matters of law, but obviously it could go differently once we get to court. When he first proposed the idea, Zuckerman said, a lot of people thought he was unlikely to succeedbut some observers have since come around to his way of thinking. This is not a stunt, he said. Were planning on winning this. If a judge denies Zuckerman a preemptive ruling protecting him from Metas wrath, he says, he said hes willing to consider releasing the software anyway and then take his chances. (Meta has yet to comment on Zuckermans suit.)

Zuckerman isnt alone in his impression of legal viability. Mike Masnick, of Techdirt, wrote that the case seemed to take much of the legal community by surprise but that several of his legal sources have come to believe that it makes some sense, after initially dismissing it as a crazy legal theory. Others echoed Zuckermans inability to predict what might happen in court. Jeff Kosseff, a professor at the Naval Academy and author of a book on Section 230, told the Washington Post that Zuckermans case relies on an interpretation of the law that has yet to be tested, and said that he isnt aware of anyone having used clauses in the law to win a preemptive declaration from a court before a case is even launched. Kosseff said he couldnt even hazard a guess as to how this case might end.

Sophia Cope, a staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group, told Wired that most of Section 230 has been clarified in the courts, but that not many cases have dealt with the part of the law on which Zuckermans lawsuit is based. Meta has argued that third-party software such as Unfollow Everything raises security and privacy concerns. But Daphne Keller, director of the Program on Platform Regulation at Stanfords Cyber Policy Center, told Wired that Zuckermans tool is unlikely to run into this problem because it simply unfollows Facebook users, an act that shouldnt pose any privacy or security issues.

According to Masnick, Zuckermans case embodies a principle that some have called adversarial interoperability, or the idea that new online services should be allowed to interoperate with existing oneseven if the companies that run the latter havent explicitly allowed them to do soprovided that they serve the needs of users. If the court buys Zuckermans interpretation of Section 230, Masnick argues, then it could make the open Web a lot more open, while chipping away at the centralized control of the biggest tech companies. And a win might even make up for the fact that Zuckerman was responsible for a scourge of the early internet: the pop-up ad.



Other notable stories:

Mathew Ingram was CJRs longtime chief digital writer. Previously, he was a senior writer with Fortune magazine. He has written about the intersection between media and technology since the earliest days of the commercial internet. His writing has been published in the Washington Post and the Financial Times as well as by Reuters and Bloomberg.
Executive Summary: With instances of violent unrest rising across the globe in recent years, property all-risk insurance programs bore significant losses. One reason is that sublimits for strikes, riots and civil commotion included on the programs were occurrence sublimits. The programs did not have an aggregate limit that would have prevented the sublimits from simply reinstating each time they were exhausted, observes Aspen Crisis Management Underwriter George Barratt.

Here, he also calls attention to the circumstances giving rise to elevated SRCC risks.

Senior insurance and reinsurance leaders are increasingly concerned about the aggregation risks associated with strikes, riots and civil commotion (SRCC)a growing threat in countries across the globe.

Over the past five years, there have been many instances of violent unrest across the globe, such as Chile and Hong Kong in 2019; the United States in 2020; South Africa in 2021; Ecuador and Peru in 2022; France in 2023. And there is a risk that there could be more violence ahead given the fact that there will be 76 elections in countries across the globe this year, which need to be considered by insurers as well as political leaders.

The vastness, severity and increasing frequency of these SRCC events focused attention on the next potential site of unrest. SRCC now ranks among insureds top concerns when considering their global exposures.

Global Election Super-Cycle Raises Risk of Political Violence, Large Insurance Losses

During last years Rendez-Vous de Septembre in Monte Carlo, a critical topic of discussion was on aggregation risks associated with SRCC events. C-suite leaders attending voiced concerns over its increasing frequency and intensity, as well as discussed whether SRCC coverage should be placed solely within the specialist, standalone war, terrorism and political violence market, as opposed to still being offered within property all-risk programs.

Recent evidence of property all-risk programs bearing the brunt of SRCC occurrences can be found in both the Chile 2019 unrest as well as the 2020 unrest in the US, where SRCC coverage was provided as a sublimit/extension to the broader property coverage on an unaggregated basis.

With the wording and time element associated with the coverage proving crucial, insurers and reinsurers found that the 72-hours occurrence provision for this coverage kept reinstating and offering unlimited sideways cover. Considering that both events lasted multiple months, the final claims costs were significantly higher than if the coverage had been provided on an aggregated basis, ensuring tighter controls needed to be made on potential accumulation across multiple policies with exposure in the affected territory.

A similar picture emerged after the France riots in the summer of 2023, raising the following questions:

Should SRCC coverage remain covered within property all-risk programs? Are they being appropriately aggregated? Should they be placed within the specialist war, terrorism and political violence market that focuses solely on these risk events and aggregates the associated perils?

The continued geographical spread and scale of mass protests has been seen more recently in the form of pro-Palestine protests in cities across the globe. London, in particular, has had protests the size of which havent been seen since the war in Iraq. These protests serve as a reminder of the ability of local populations to swiftly mobilize en masse behind a common cause or grievance.

Following such examples of violent unrest within the past five years, there is a responsibility on the insurance community to adequately plan and prepare for the rising intensity and frequency of SRCC events. Further, it is critical that this coverage not only sits within the specialist market but is aggregated appropriately to ensure that re/insurers are not caught off guard.

There is a responsibility on the insurance community to adequately plan and prepare for the rising intensity and frequency of SRCC events. Further, it is critical that this coverage not only sits within the specialist market but is aggregated appropriately.

To understand why SRCC events are becoming a more common and destructive occurrence, a review of the motivating factors behind them is required. Spotting these markers in advance can prove to be a useful bellwether as to whether unrest in a given territory is likely to occur.

For example, understanding common grievances among local populations and the use of social media in proliferating the size and scale of protests and unrest can provide a useful guide to spotting potential future SRCC events. A discussion of these two factors follows here.

Shared Grievances

Longstanding social pressures have played a central role behind local populations resorting to violent unrest in recent years. Inequality, poverty, unemployment, corruption, police brutality, state/government overreach and the high cost of living have either individually or collectively played a part in the uptick of SRCC incidents.

Territories that recently experienced violent unrest have typically been a tinderbox filled with underlying social grievances that only required one decision or action to provide the necessary spark to ignite those collective underlying frustrations.

Chile in 2019 saw unrest initially over a rate hike in metro fares before dissatisfaction over the general cost of living and inequality in Chilean society took hold, leading to three months of widespread looting and property damage.

Police brutality and excessive use of force in the US (2020) and France (2023) were the catalysts that resulted in some of the worst levels of unrest and damage the two nations have experienced in recent memory.

In South Africa, the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma for contempt of court led to initial unrest in Zumas home province of KwaZula-Natal (KZN) in 2021. However, the situation rapidly deteriorated when opportunists, wracked by extreme poverty and unemployment exacerbated by both the pandemic and continued government corruption, seized the opportunity with widespread looting in KZN and Gauteng across eight violent days that shook the territory to its core.

As the unrest finally subsided and order was restored by security forces following each of these episodes, industrywide estimated SRCC losses for Chile and South Africa were each $3 billion, $2.7 billion for the US, and $778 million for France.

Social Media

The power of social media as a tool for information sharing, as well as its utilization in mobilizing popular protests movements, was first championed during the Arab Spring in 2011 to a powerful effect. It continues to remain a formidable force, in not just the mobilization of local populations during unrest but in the sharing of incendiary images and videos of injustices carried out by local security forces that often foment the unrest in the first instance.

For evidence of the power and influence of social media in inducing recent unrest, one only needs to look to the events in the US in 2020 and France in 2023. The murder of George Floyd by a police officer on the street in Minneapolis and the shooting of Nahel M in Paris during a traffic stop, also by a police officer, were both captured by bystanders on camera before being disseminated online within minutes.

In both nations, where distrust of local law enforcement and evidence of police brutality is regarded by many citizens as commonplace, the sharing of such violent and distressing images has led to nationwide unrest.

In the age of smartphones, ordinary citizens can easily document and share images and videos on social media of perceived or indisputable injustices that stoke dissent among local populations as well as organize timings and locations for protests to take place. In the years ahead, social media can expect to continue to play as powerful a role as it did in both the US and France.

Preparing for Possible SRCC Events

Both South Africa and the US are holding elections in 2024.

In South Africa, polls currently predict that the ruling ANC vote share will drop below 50% for the first time since they came to power in 1994. With the strong possibility of a coalition government approaching, the country is potentially heading for new, unchartered waters.

As for the US, there is a genuine prospect of a second Trump term as he looks likely to be the Republicans presumptive nominee. With the violent assault on the Capitol that culminated the end of his first term still etched in the collective psyche of many Americans, it is understandable that there is concern of potential repeat violence should Trump again be on the ballot.

With more than half the global population4.2 billion peoplevoting in 76 elections in 2024, the risk of further SRCC events in the build-up or aftermath is another point of consideration for those with interests in the territories involved. It is timely that questions are increasingly asked as to whether adequate coverage is in place to protect an insureds interests against potential unrest in the near future.

This article first was published in Insurance Journals sister publication, Carrier Management.

Related:
The longer the freight train, the greater the risk of derailment, new research from the Society for Risk Analysis shows.

The study draws on the example of the February 2023, East Palestine, Ohio derailment, in which 38 cars from a 151-car, 9,300-foot-long freight train derailed, leading to the release of hazardous materials that forced the evacuation of more than 2,000 residents.

Longer and heavier freight trains have become more common, primarily driven by fuel efficiency, cost-savings, and emissions reduction measures in the railroad industry, the study shows.

The study, published in the journal Risk Analysis, was led by Peter Madsen of Brigham Young Universitys Marriott School of Business. The quantitative analysis used information on U.S. freight train accidents over a 10-year period (2013-2022) from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Rail Equipment Accident and Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Accident databases. There were roughly 35,000 reported incidents during this period in the two databases.

The study found that a 100-car train is more than twice as likely to experience a derailment than a 50-car train. The findings suggest that if the U.S. rail transport system employed 100-car trains rather than 50-car trains (requiring half as many trains overall), the systemwide risk of derailments would rise by 11%.

U.S. railroad operator Norfolk Southern said it had reached a $600 million deal to resolve a class action lawsuit related to the East Palestine, Ohio derailment last year. The agreement would resolve all class action claims within a 20-mile radius from the derailment and, for those residents who choose to participate, personal injury claims within a 10-mile radius.

In response to the Ohio derailment, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown introduced the Railway Safety Act, which would require regulations of freight train length. The bill requires the Department of Transportation to issue safety regulations for trains carrying hazardous materials to require that rail carriers or shippers (1) provide state emergency response commissioners with advanced notice and information about the hazardous materials; (2) reduce blocked rail crossings; and (3) comply with certain requirements regarding train length and weight specifications, track standards, speed restrictions, and response plans.

The bill has been heard in several committees and continues to make its way through the Senate. Several U.S. states are currently considering state-level regulations regarding freight train length.

Related:

Top photo: This photo taken with a drone shows portions of a Norfolk and Southern freight train that derailed Friday night in East Palestine, Ohio are still on fire at mid-day Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar).
Tesla Inc. must face a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging that it misled consumers about its cars self-driving capabilities, a fresh setback for the electric-car maker just as Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has staked the companys future on autonomy.

Tesla has been accused of overstating in 2016 that all its upcoming cars would have the hardware needed for full self-driving capability and would be able to drive themselves from Los Angeles to New York City by the end of 2017.

If Tesla meant to convey that its hardware was sufficient to reach high or full automation, the complaint plainly alleges sufficient falsity, US District Judge Rita Lin wrote in an order Wednesday.

Musk declared in April that Tesla is going balls to the wall for autonomy while committing the car maker to a next-generation, self-driving vehicle concept called the robotaxi. The billionaire entrepreneur has talked a big game about autonomy for over a decade, and has persuaded customers to pay thousands of dollars for its Full Self-Driving, or FSD, feature. The name is a misnomer  FSD requires constant supervision and doesnt render vehicles autonomous  but Musk has repeatedly predicted its on the verge of measuring up to the branding.

Meanwhile, the company faces federal probes into whether defects in its Autopilot driver-assistance feature have contributed to fatal crashes, as well as regulatory investigations and lawsuits over claims that it has over-hyped its progress toward hands-free driving. Last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a probe into whether the EV makers recall of more than 2 million cars months earlier adequately addressed Autopilot safety risks.

Tesla didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

California resident Thomas LoSavio, who filed the complaint, says he bought a new Tesla in 2017 and paid an extra $8,000 for FSD. He alleged that statements by Tesla and Musk led him to believe that his car would have self-driving technology within a reasonably short period. But by 2022, Tesla hadnt produced anything even remotely approaching a fully self-driving car, according to his complaint.

LoSavio brought the complaint on behalf of anyone who bought or leased a new Tesla vehicle with Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot or FSD since 2016.

Without ruling on the merits of his claims, the judge said LoSavio sufficiently alleged certain 2016 statements were misleading, such as all Tesla vehicles produced in our factory now have full self-driving hardware and that the cars would be able to drive themselves cross country by the end of next year without the need for a single touch.

While Lin allowed some negligence and fraud claims to proceed, she dismissed other claims. Her ruling lets pretrial fact-finding move forward. A decision on whether the case qualifies for class-action status will come later.

Why Cars Will Need Human Co-Pilots for Years to Come: QuickTake

The case is In re Tesla Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Litigation, 22-cv-05240, US District Court, Northern District of California (San Francisco).

Top photo: A member of the media test drives a Tesla Motors Inc., Model S car equipped with Autopilot at the Tesla Motors Inc. headquarters in Palo Alto, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015. Tesla Motors Inc. will begin rolling out the first version of its highly anticipated autopilot features to owners of its all-electric Model S sedan Thursday. Autopilot is a step toward the vision of autonomous or self-driving cars, and includes features like automatic lane changing and the ability of the Model S to parallel park for you. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg.

Copyright 2024 Bloomberg.
A man injured when he was hit by a car while he was operating a low speed Segway electric scooter is not entitled to personal injury protection (PIP) benefits under New Jerseys no-fault auto insurance law, the states Supreme Court has ruled.

David Goyco had argued that he was entitled to PIP benefits from his auto insurer Progressive Insurance because, he claimed, his low speed electric scooter (LSES) was akin to a bicycle, bicyclists have been deemed pedestrians, and pedestrians are entitled to benefits under the no-fault act.

But the New Jersey Supreme Court has rejected Goycos arguments, as did lower courts. Instead, the high court found that the plain language of the no-fault law makes Goyco ineligible for no-fault PIP benefits.

Expanding the definition of pedestrian to include LSES operators would be a policy decision with insurance cost implications that is properly for the Legislature, not the Court, the unanimous opinion states.

In November 2021, Goyco was operating a Segway scooter that has a maximum speed of 15 mph when he was struck by an automobile. As a result of the accident, he sustained injuries and incurred medical expenses for his treatments. He filed for PIP benefits.

Progressive denied his claim, informing him he was ineligible for PIP benefits because no-fault benefits are only available if the accident involves a qualifying automobile and the Segway does not meet the definition of a qualifying automobile under the law.

Progressive also explained that the Segway he was riding at the time of the accident disqualified him from meeting the definition of a pedestrian.

Goyco protested that denial but neither the trial court nor the state appeals court adopted his reasoning. Now the state Supreme Court has affirmed the appellate courts conclusion, while noting that there was no need to go outside the language of the no fault provision itself or the ordinary meanings of the terms it uses to reach the same conclusion.

The no-fault act requires that every New Jersey automobile liability insurance policy provide PIP benefits when the covered individual is occupying, entering into, alighting from or using an automobile or when the covered individual is a pedestrian.

The no-fault law defines pedestrian as any person who is not occupying, entering into, or alighting from a vehicle propelled by other than muscular power and designed primarily for use on highways, rails and tracks.

First the high court found that an LSES clearly falls within the ordinary definitions of the term vehicles; therefore it is a vehicle for purposes of the no-fault act.

Based on the evidence, the court said Goycos LSES was propelled by other than muscular power because it used an electric motor with a rechargeable battery. Critically, Goycos LSES was not designed to be propelled by muscular power.

The high court further concluded that his LSES was designed for use on highways based on its features and the broad ordinary definition of the term highways. His LSES can travel 15.5 miles per hour and has a headlight, brake light, and speedometer. The LSESs owners manual provides that LSES operators must comply with local laws and regulations.

Since his electric scooter is not propelled by muscular power and is made for use on highways, Goyco was not a pedestrian and thus is not eligible for PIP benefits.

The high court also said the separate provision  N.J.S.A. 39:4-14.16(g)  that Goyco argued meant he should be considered a pedestrian like a bicyclist does not in fact render him a pedestrian for purposes of the no-fault act.

Progressive pointed out that N.J.S.A. 39:4-14.16(g) does not apply to the no-fault act because it was implemented to combat climate change, not to expand the applicability of PIP benefits in the no- fault act.

The high court concluded that neither the plain text nor the legislative history of the law suggests that the legislature intended LSES riders to be considered pedestrians for purposes of the no-fault act. Rather, the court said, the text and legislative history suggest that LSES riders are not considered pedestrians for purposes of PIP benefits.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Three people were hurt after an explosion at Royal Chemical in Macedonia on Wednesday morning.

Macedonia Fire Chief Brian Ripley told reporters that crews responded to the 8600 block of South Freeway Drive about 11:40 a.m. after a tanker carrying sodium hydroxide exploded.

Three tanker trucks were lined up outside of the plant. As workers loaded one of them, it exploded, Ripley said. Footage from WKYC shows one of the trucks ripped in half with liquid surrounding the area.

Ripley told reporters that all three victims were hospitalized, with one suffering life-threatening injuries.

Freeway Drive is closed off in both directions until further notice, according to Macedonia police.

The Summit County hazardous material team is working to contain the spill, Ripley said. It is possible some substance may have leaked into a small creek nearby.

Ripley told reporters the company has contacted a cleanup company.

Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer reached out to Royal Chemical for more information.

The company, founded in 1938, is a privately owned custom chemical manufacturer.

Ripley said the cause of the explosion is under investigation. He told WKYC the clean-up process could take at least a week.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. military finished installing a floating pier for the Gaza Strip on Thursday, with officials poised to begin ferrying badly needed humanitarian aid into the enclave besieged over seven months of intense fighting in the Israel-Hamas war.

The final, overnight construction sets up a complicated delivery process more than two months after U.S. President Joe Biden ordered it to help Palestinians facing starvation as food and other supplies fail to make it in as Israel recently seized the key Rafah border crossing in its push on that southern city on the Egyptian border.

Fraught with logistical, weather and security challenges, the maritime route is designed to bolster the amount of aid getting into the Gaza Strip, but it is not considered a substitute for far cheaper land-based deliveries that aid agencies say are much more sustainable. The boatloads of aid will be deposited at a port facility built by the Israelis just southwest of Gaza City and then distributed by aid groups.

Heavy fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants on the outskirts of Rafah has displaced some 600,000 people, a quarter of Gazas population, U.N. officials say. Another 100,000 civilians have fled parts of northern Gaza now that the Israeli military has restarted combat operations there.

Pentagon officials said the fighting in Gaza wasnt threatening the new shoreline aid distribution area, but they have made it clear that security conditions will be monitored closely and could prompt a shutdown of the maritime route, even just temporarily. Already, the site has been targeted by mortar fire during its construction and Hamas has threatened to target any foreign forces who occupy the Gaza Strip.

The protection of U.S. forces participating is a top priority. And as such, in the last several weeks, the United States and Israel have developed an integrated security plan to protect all the personnel, said Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, a deputy commander at the U.S. militarys Central Command. We are confident in the ability of this security arrangement to protect those involved.

U.S. troops anchored the pier at 7:40 a.m. local time Thursday, the militarys Central Command said, stressing that none of its forces entered the Gaza Strip and would not during the piers operations.

Trucks carrying humanitarian assistance are expected to begin moving ashore in the coming days, the command said. The United Nations will receive the aid and coordinate its distribution into Gaza.

The World Food Program will be the U.N. program handling the aid, officials said.

Israeli forces will be in charge of security on the shore, but there are also two U.S. Navy warships near the area in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the USS Arleigh Burke and the USS Paul Ignatius. Both ships are destroyers equipped with a wide range of weapons and capabilities to protect American troops off shore and allies on the beach.

Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani confirmed that the pier had been attached and that Israeli engineering units had flattened ground around the area and surfaced roads for trucks.

We have been working for months on full cooperation with (the U.S. military) on this project, facilitating it, supporting it in any way possible, Shoshani said. Its a top priority in our operation.

Aid agencies say they are running out of food in southern Gaza and fuel is dwindling, which will force hospitals to shut down critical operations and halt truck deliveries of aid. The U.N. and others have warned for weeks that an Israel assault on Rafah would cripple humanitarian operations and cause a disastrous surge in civilian casualties.

More than 1.4 million Palestinians  half of Gazas population  have been sheltering in Rafah, most after fleeing Israels offensives elsewhere.

The first cargo ship loaded with 475 pallets of food left Cyprus last week to rendezvous with a U.S. military ship, the Roy P. Benavidez, which is off the coast of Gaza. The pallets of aid on the MV Sagamore were moved onto the Benavidez. The Pentagon said moving the aid between ships was an effort to be ready so it could flow quickly once the pier and the causeway were installed.

The installation of the pier several miles (kilometers) off the coast and of the causeway, which is now anchored to the beach, was delayed for nearly two weeks because of bad weather. The sea conditions made it too dangerous for U.S. and Israeli troops to secure the causeway to the shore, U.S. officials said.

Military leaders have said the deliveries of aid will begin slowly to ensure the system works. They will start with about 90 truckloads of aid a day through the sea route, and that number will quickly grow to about 150 a day. But aid agencies say that isnt enough to avert impending famine in Gaza and must be just one part of a broader Israeli effort to open land corridors.

Because land crossings could bring in all the needed aid if Israeli officials allowed, the U.S.-built pier-and-sea route is a solution for a problem that doesnt exist, said Scott Paul, an associate director of the Oxfam humanitarian organization.

Biden used his State of the Union address on March 7 to order the military to set up a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza, establishing a sea route to deliver food and other aid. Food shipments have been backed up at land crossings amid Israeli restrictions and intensifying fighting.

Under the new sea route, humanitarian aid is dropped off in Cyprus where it will undergo inspection and security checks at Larnaca port. It is then loaded onto ships  mainly commercial vessels  and taken about 200 miles (320 kilometers) to the large floating pier built by the U.S. military off the Gaza coast.

There, the pallets are transferred onto trucks, driven onto smaller Army boats and then shuttled several miles (kilometers) to the floating causeway, which has been anchored onto the beach by the Israeli military. The trucks, which are being driven by personnel from another country, will go down the causeway into a secure area on land where they will drop off the aid and immediately turn around and return to the boats.

Aid groups will collect the supplies for distribution on shore, with the U.N. working with the U.S. Agency for International Development to set up the logistics hub on the beach.

Sabrina Singh, Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters that the project will cost at least $320 million, including the transportation of the equipment and pier sections from the United States to the coast of Gaza, as well as the construction and aid delivery operations.

___

Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Julia Frankel in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.
Presentation on China's cultural heritage held in Malta

Xinhua) 10:32, May 16, 2024

VALLETTA, May 15 (Xinhua) -- A presentation held on Tuesday in Malta showcasing China's cultural heritage and conservation, including the Forbidden City and Dunhuang Grottoes, sparked interest amongst a diverse audience in China's rich history.

In his opening remarks, Peng Yijun, counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Malta, said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malta, both sides have maintained close exchanges and cooperation in the field of culture, resulting in enhanced understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

At the event, Wang Xudong, director of the Palace Museum and former director of the Dunhuang Academy, provided insight into the efforts made to conserve and study renowned cultural heritages of the Mogao Grottoes situated in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, and the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City in Beijing.

The Forbidden City, once the imperial palace of China's Ming and Qing dynasties, stood as a testament to the country's grandeur and rich cultural heritage. Wang highlighted its unique architecture and historical importance, engaging the audience with tales of royal life within its walls.

The presentation also explored the unique Dunhuang Grottoes, the caves known for their Buddhist art engravings. Wang's portrayal of the caves as the pinnacle of cultural exchange along the ancient Silk Road ignited interest from the participants at the presentation.

"Cultural heritage is a valuable resource to safeguard diversity, strengthen equal exchanges, and promote mutual learning," Wang emphasized, underscoring the role of cultural exchange in strengthening ties between peoples and nations.

"Chinese culture is diversified and rich, and we have a lot to learn from the Chinese culture," Heritage Malta Chairman Mario Cutajar told Xinhua. Despite being a small island country, Malta has a huge heritage as well, he said, adding that Malta and China can learn from each other on cultural heritage conservation, and more exchanges and cooperation are expected.

Among the participants, Stephen Cachia, a lecturer in Chinese history at the University of Malta, applauded the presentation, stating that Maltese people, especially the youth, are interested in China's historical and cultural legacy, adding that cooperation on cultural heritage conservation will further strengthen China-Malta relations.

Martin Azzopardi, the founder of "China Corner" at St. Margaret College Secondary School in Cospicua, said that the appeal of experiencing Chinese cultural and historical heritages is growing within the international community, emphasizing the transformative power of cultural exchanges.

Hosted by the China Cultural Center in Malta, the event underscored the growing interest and appreciation for Chinese culture in Malta, paving the way for enhanced cultural cooperation and understanding between the two nations.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
First lady Kim Keon Hee attended an official luncheon with the visiting Cambodian prime minister Thursday, the presidential office said, marking her return to public duties after she withdrew in December amid corruption allegations.

The first lady joined President Yoon Suk Yeol, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and his wife during the luncheon, which was held at the presidential office following a summit between the leaders.

The last time Kim appeared in public was in December when she returned with Yoon from a visit to the Netherlands.

She has since maintained a low profile amid allegations she illegally accepted a Christian Dior handbag from a Korean American pastor armed with a hidden camera in 2022.

According to a presidential official, Hun Manet expressed his gratitude to Yoon and Kim for the interest they took in a then 14-year-old Cambodian child with a congenital heart disease, both during their visit to Phnom Penh in November 2022 and afterward.

The child, whose name is Ratha, was brought to Seoul that year to receive surgery. Before returning to Cambodia, he met with Yoon and Kim at the presidential office. (Yonhap)
Five-term lawmaker beats opposition leader's pick, Choo Mi-ae

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Rep. Woo Won-shik of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) was elected as the candidate for the speaker of the first half of the 22nd National Assembly on Thursday. This outcome defied expectations, as many anticipated that former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae would secure the party's primary for the position.

The veteran politician and former justice minister had been widely perceived as the preferred candidate of DPK Chairman Lee Jae-myung for the speaker position, and therefore considered the strongest contender. But Woo's unexpected victory has sparked speculation that Lee's hold on the party may be weakening.

In the two-way race, Woo won the majority of votes cast by 169 lawmakers-elect. Given that the Assembly traditionally elects a candidate nominated by the largest party as the speaker, the primary is considered to be the de facto final election for the speaker position.

As the largest party in the 300-member parliament with 175 seats, the DPK has the right to designate the Assembly speaker and a vice speaker. Woo, who secured his fifth term in the April 10 general elections, will ultimately become the leader of the legislative branch after a vote at the first plenary session scheduled for June 5.

Woo vowed to enhance the quality of life for the country's citizens and ensure that the government does its job.

The National Assembly speaker is not just a moderator. I will seek consultation with the ruling and opposition parties, but if there is a delay that goes against public sentiment, I will handle it in accordance with the National Assembly Act, Woo said after winning the primary. Neutrality is valuable when it improves peoples livelihoods and rights.

The party also selected Rep. Lee Hack-young, a four-term lawmaker with experience as a social activist, as the Assemblys vice speaker.

Woo, a former social activist turned lawmaker, is recognized for his expertise in labor and environmental issues. He chaired the Euljiro Committee, which advocates for the rights of subcontractors, and led the DPK committee opposing Tokyos proposal to release treated water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean. Previously, he served as the DPKs floor leader from 2017 to 2018.

The surprise outcome stunned DPK members who were present at the primary. It was widely understood that Choo, a six-term lawmaker, had the support of the party chairman and floor leader Park Chan-dae. Two other lawmakers, known to be loyal to Lee, withdrew from the primary race, with their decisions assumed to align with the chairman and the party's intention to assist Choo in becoming the speaker.

However, this situation has also drawn criticism, even from within the DPK, with members expressing concern that the chairman is exerting excessive influence over the Assembly.

"Floor leader Park Chan-dae's pressure on other candidates to withdraw their bids from the primary made lawmakers-elect vote for Woo, said Park Chang-hwan, a political commentator and professor at Jangan University. Woo has shown sincerity when leading committees protecting subcontractors rights. He possesses strong negotiating skills and demonstrates consistent leadership.

Shin Yul, a professor of political science at Myongji University, said the outcome of the primary was unpredictable, adding that it points to the fact that Lees power is waning.

We cannot rule out the possibility that the election result will stop Lee from exercising too much influence over the party. It has become obvious that Lees firm grip on power is weakening, Shin said.
Reports of NK soldiers in Ukraine may show Russia's 'profound' desperation: US official
By Shin Hye-suk

May truly reigns as the queen of seasons, adorned with the splendor of blooming flowers, lush grass and vibrant trees proudly displaying its radiant beauty. It's as if nature itself is putting on a grand spectacle, each element showcasing its most captivating beauty. And after the trials of the pandemic, with so many events postponed or canceled, people are eagerly taking the opportunity to partake in the festivities that abound during this exquisite time. So let us heed the call of May, for in its embrace, every moment is an invitation to join in the joyful symphony of life.

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the New Zealand Wine Festival at Grand Hyatt Seoul in early May. Entering the venue was akin to arriving in New Zealand, where every detail, from the decorations to the ambiance, echoed the lush landscapes and iconic flora of the country.

It's always a fascinating challenge to evoke an image of a place you've never visited, drawing upon imagination to create a vivid picture. Yet, as the saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words," and I found it surprisingly effortless to merge the scenes of New Zealand's South Island and its picturesque wineries that I had glimpsed at last year's festival. Last year's New Zealand Wine Festival in Seoul held special significance for me, as I was fortunate enough to win a flight ticket to New Zealand. Perhaps it was this memory that lent even greater depth to the experience this year, infusing it with a sense of meaning that transcended mere imagination.

Upon arriving in New Zealand, I was immediately struck by the refreshing sight of signs and notices written in both the native Maori language and English. Even the welcome and announcements on the plane commenced in Maori, underscoring the country's commitment to honoring its traditions and cultures. This inclusive approach was further exemplified by the New Zealand passport, which proudly displays both languages side by side  a poignant symbol of respect for cultural heritage.

It was a powerful reminder of the importance of honoring and preserving cultural traditions, and I found myself once again touched by the depth of respect shown toward Maori culture.

As festival-goers mingled and shared in the festivities, I couldn't help but notice how these gatherings fostered a sense of community and camaraderie. It's in moments like these that bonds are strengthened, and the vibrant tapestry of cultural diversity is celebrated in all its glory.

Through the lens of festivals like the New Zealand Wine Festival, we glimpse the magic of distant lands and the power of shared experiences to transcend boundaries, resonating with the human spirit.

Shin Hye-suk (sinesu@naver.com), who also goes by Shindy, completed a doctorate in sociology and has devoted two decades of her life to academic pursuits at a university in Japan. She is also a florist and has served as president of the Rotary International Seoul Club Korea.
By Gwynne Dyer

The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born, wrote Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci in 1929. Now is the time of monsters.

Gramscis remark is being liberally quoted by South African journalists in the run-up to the election on 29 May, for the old world in which the African National Congress completely dominated the countrys politics is definitely coming to an end. For the first time since the end of apartheid, the ANCs share of the vote will fall below 50 percent.

Unfortunately, the decline of the party that ended white minority rule in South Africa has not led to the emergence of big new parties with big new ideas. Its just the same old parties with the same old ideas.

Thirty years on from the end of apartheid, the countrys official unemployment figure is 32 percent. More than three-fifths of South Africans live in poverty. The World Bank says that it is Africas most developed country, but also its most unequal  and the inequality is still colour-coded.

Even when the ANC tries to do something right, it gets it wrong. One-quarter of the countrys farmland is now owned by black South Africans, for example, up from 10 percent at the end of apartheid  but both productivity and employment on those farms have crashed because the new owners lack the capital to invest in them and the skills to run them.

For nine years (2009-2018), when Jacob Zuma was president of South Africa and of the ANC, the country was in the hands of genuine thieves pursuing a project of "state capture." Billions of rands were stolen, public institutions were subverted and state-owned companies were pillaged  and in the end, Zuma spent two months in jail.

Zuma has now founded a new party, uMkhonto we Sizwe, which will attract enough Zulu votes in the forthcoming election to guarantee that the ANC doesnt just fail to win half the votes; it will crash to around 40 percent. (Hes 82, but he wants revenge.) The Democratic Alliance (DA) is at 22 percent, and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) at 11.5 percent.

The socialist ANC is riddled with corruption and nepotism, the centre-right DA is a safe haven for most white voters and many middle-class blacks, and the "Marxist-Leninist" EFF are pantomime radicals whose "firebrand" leader, Julius Malema, makes an unconvincing monster. If this is the "new world" struggling to be born, it is deeply unimpressive.

EFF members of parliament wear identical red boiler suits and Malema usually wears a red Che Guevara-style beret. He talks boldly about nationalising the banks and the mines, and his line on land reform and white farmers is a real attention-getter: We are not calling for the slaughtering of white people. At least for now.

But that sort of bloodcurdling rhetoric has a strictly limited appeal, and the EFF is not polling any higher than it did in the last election. Malemas best chance of gaining a share of power lies not in revolution but as a junior partner (at least at first) in coalition with the ANC, he affects to despise.

He even acknowledges his real game plan publicly from time to time, albeit in his usual aggressive language: We are going to kiss a lot of frogs along the way (to power). We are patient. The ANC is not a small organisation. You have to eat it bit by bit.

Its a plausible strategy, given how tattered and exhausted the ANC is, but by the time Malema becomes president (if he ever does) he may have mellowed a great deal more. In lifestyle, he is already as far from the people he claims to represent as the most privileged ANC "comrade" although he can certainly talk the talk.

As for the possibility of reform within the ANC, its probably too late for that. Cyril Ramaphosa, president since 2018, was seen as the partys last, best hope, but he has made little headway against the local party barons who have carved up the economy between them. He is also now beset by accusations of corruption himself.

And yet, its too soon to write off South Africa as a failed state. The economy is a wreck, but the resources are still there. The schools are atrocious, but enough children succeed to make it one of the better-educated countries in Africa. The violence touches almost everybody one way or another, but people carry on regardless.

The "thirty lost years" were probably inevitable. Those who fought for South Africa's freedom in the ANC were only human, they made great sacrifices, and after victory they felt entitled to some reward. Later recruits to the ANC just followed their example.

That has to end sometime. This is one of those inflection points when change becomes possible. It could happen.

Gwynne Dyers new book is Intervention Earth: Life-Saving Ideas from the Worlds Climate Engineers. Last years book, The Shortest History of War, is also still available.
Adora Magic City, the first made-in-China large cruise ship, waits for its first commercial passengers on the dockyard in Shanghai on January 1, 2024.

Travelers entering China via international cruises can stay in select provinces in the country for up to 15 days without a visa, the government said Wednesday, as Beijing attempts to boost its cruise and tourism industry.

The regulations require foreigners to enter through one of 13 coastal cruise ports in the country, according to a statement from China's National Immigration Administration (NIA).

Visitors must travel as part of a tour group of at least two people organized by a Chinese travel agency and depart the country on the same cruise. Tour groups can travel to Beijing or other coastal provinces.

"The full implementation of the visa-free entry policy for foreign tourists taking cruises is an important pillar to accelerate the development of China's cruise economy, and an important measure to promote China's institutional opening," NIA said in a statement.

China's cruise business made major strides this year, with the country's first domestically-built cruise liner, the Adora Magic City, making its first voyage on Jan. 1, according to state-run media.

On Wednesday, seven cruise ports were also added as eligible entry points under China's existing visa-free transit policy, on top of the previous 31.
China's Shenzhen has recorded the fastest growth in millionaires over the past decade, and is poised to see a further influx in the coming years, according to a recent report.

Shenzhen recorded 140% growth in millionaire count, according to the report from New World Wealth and investment migration advisors Henley & Partners.

The growth is far more than in the other first-tier cities in China, including Beijing and Shanghai whose millionaire population rose 90% and 84%, respectively.

In 2023 alone, Shenzhen saw a 10% growth in millionaires, while Beijing and Shanghai recorded a decline of around 5% amid an exodus of high-net-worth individuals from China.

"On aggregate, millionaire numbers in China were down 3% in 2023, so Shenzhen significantly outperformed the overall country in 2023," Andrew Amoils, an analyst at New World Wealth, told CNBC.

The bulk of this surge in millionaires in Shenzhen is due to new business and organic income growth within the city, while about 30% of the growth is owed to influx from cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, Amoils said.

Shenzhen, also known as China's Silicon Valley, is expected to continue growing "very strongly" all through to 2040, compared with Beijing and Shanghai, which are likely to see moderate growth, Amoils added.

This comes against the backdrop of China's stalling economy in the last few years, dragged down by an embattled property sector.

Shenzhen's economy expanded 6% in 2023, surpassing growth in Beijing and Shanghai.

China's Hangzhou city was second in terms of millionaire growth at 125%, while India's Bengaluru and Austin city in the U.S. placed third and fourth, respectively; China's Guangzhou ranked fifth, Amoils told CNBC.
EasyJet Plc passenger aircraft on the tarmac at London Southend Airport in Southend-on-Sea, UK, on Friday, May 3, 2024.

Shares of EasyJet fell more than 7% on Thursday after the low-cost airline posted a slightly larger-than-expected loss in the first half of the fiscal year and announced the forthcoming departure of its CEO.

Pre-tax losses came in at 350 million ($443 million) for the six months to March, higher than the 340 million expected by analysts, according to a LSEG poll cited by Reuters.

The figure marked a narrowing from the 411 million pre-tax headline loss reported a year earlier, as the airline continued to emerge from a Covid-19-era travel slump.

The company also announced that CEO Johan Lundgren will be stepping down in January 2025 after seven years at the helm of the business. He will be replaced by current chief financial officer Kenton Jarvis.

EasyJet shares pared losses slightly to trade down 5.9% by 10:53 a.m. London time.

Lundgren told CNBC that the company sees "positive momentum" coming into the summer travel season, with consumers continuing to spend on travel, particularly to classic European destinations such as Spain, Portugal and Turkey.
As the affordable options and relief measures for federal student loan borrowers pile up, consumer advocates advise caution before refinancing your debt.

"How's this for a warning? DON'T!" Betsy Mayotte, president of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors, wrote in an email to CNBC.

Refinancing your federal student loans turns them into a private student loan and transfers the debt from the government to a private company. Borrowers usually refinance in search of a lower interest rate.

However, many people don't realize what they're getting into, said Persis Yu, deputy executive director at the Student Borrower Protection Center.

"We've seen aggressive marketing by a number of private lenders to try to lure folks away from the federal student loan space," Yu said. "And we have seen, time and time again, private student loan borrowers left out of many of the programs they really need."

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Mayotte has witnessed the same: "Borrowers who refinance their federal loans into private forever lose access to the safety nets and lower payment options unique to federal loans."

David Green, CEO of Earnest, an online lender, said that refinancing can be "life-changing" for those who are excluded from the government's relief options because of their earnings or other reasons.

"Consider taking advantage of [forgiveness] before looking at refinancing," Green said.

"While we can't predict the future of forgiveness options, if you make above the initial salary limit the federal government proposed, or otherwise don't qualify for a loan forgiveness program, then refinancing might be a good option to explore," he said.

"You may spend less time paying off your loan, or have a more reasonable monthly payment, which can save a significant amount in interest over the life of your loan," Green added.
Coupang chairman faces criticism over favoritism

The Fair Trade Commission is facing fierce criticism for its decision to exempt Coupang Chairman Kim Beom-seok from being designated as the companys controlling party. This announcement, made on Wednesday, has ignited controversy due to perceived favoritism toward Kim and has cast doubt on the integrity of the FTC's regulatory practices.

According to FTC regulations, individuals classified as "the same person," referring to those who effectively control a business group known as "chaebol," are subject to various obligations, including refraining from pursuing private interests and providing information about their relatives. By not being classified as such, Kim is able to avoid these obligations despite his substantial influence over the nations largest e-commerce company. This marks the third consecutive year that Kim has evaded this classification since Coupang was designated as a conglomerate in 2021.

The FTCs decision to exclude Kim, who is a U.S. citizen, has been due to a request from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy wary of possible trade conflicts with the United States. The FTC has cited Kims U.S. nationality plus the fact that Coupang Inc., the parent firm of Coupang, is a U.S. entity.

This year, on May 7, the FTC revised the Fair Trade Act regarding the criteria for determining the same person, affecting both Koreans and foreign nationals. The revision now permits individuals to avoid being designated as same person unless their relatives invest in or participate in management as executives in affiliates. Thanks to this revision, Kim was able to sidestep the designation.

Despite the FTC's decision, reports indicate that Kim's younger brother and his wife are employed at the Korean branch of Coupang, handling global logistics and personnel administration, respectively. Additionally, it's alleged that the younger brother holds shares in Coupang Inc., which could potentially influence decision-making on behalf of the chairman. The FTC should conduct a thorough investigation to determine whether Kim's brother is actively involved in Coupang's management, even if he is currently refraining from participating in major decisions. The FTC must closely monitor the precise role of Kim's brother to ensure compliance with regulatory standards.

Coupang has experienced rapid growth, ascending to become the nations 27th largest conglomerate in terms of assets, up from 45th place last year. However, the company's swift expansion has been overshadowed by criticism of its unethical and anti-labor practices, particularly regarding workers' rights. Since 2020, there have been numerous reports of Coupang employees in logistics and delivery roles succumbing to overwork. In response, Coupang workers have staged protests demanding better working conditions. Additionally, the company has faced criticism for allegedly maintaining a blacklist to prevent individuals deemed "persona non-grata" from rejoining the company.

By recognizing Kims significant influence over Coupang, the FTC's decision to exempt him from the same person designation appears to be blatant favoritism, enabling him to evade various obligations and potential penalties. This decision could be perceived as a form of reverse discrimination against domestic companies. The FTC must assert its authority to ensure that Kim fulfills the responsibilities expected of his position, striking a proper balance between his public and private roles.

Calls to review the same person system are intensifying, with critics labeling it a Galapagos regulation unique to Korea. The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), representing major conglomerates, argue that the system is outdated and does not align with modern business practices, such as environmental, social, and governance (ESG) management. The existing regulatory framework, originally designed to prevent improper successions of management control within chaebol families, may require significant reforms to stay pertinent in todays evolving business landscape.

In conclusion, the FTC must prioritize fairness and transparency, ensuring that all business leaders, irrespective of nationality, are subject to equitable standards. This entails reassessing outdated regulations and ensuring that individuals in control of substantial business entities fulfill their legal and ethical obligations.








United Airlines said the Federal Aviation Administration has cleared it to start adding new aircraft and routes months after the regulator stepped up its scrutiny of the carrier following several safety incidents.

"Today, we got some good news: after a careful review and discussion about the proactive safety steps United has taken to date, our FAA Certificate Management Office has allowed us to begin the process of restarting our certification activities, including new aircraft and routes, and we will continue to coordinate closely with the FAA," United said in a note to employees Wednesday.

United said in March that the FAA had stepped up scrutiny of the airline after a spate of incidents earlier this year. That prevented it from launching new routes, including flights to Faro, Portugal, ahead of the busy summer travel season.

United said that it has more work to do, however.

"We will continue to see an FAA presence in our operation as they review our work processes, manuals and facilities," it said in its employee memo.

United would send requests to the FAA to add aircrafts or new routes, though a spokesperson said it has yet to do so.

The FAA said later Thursday that it has not yet "approved any expansion of United Airlines' routes or fleets." The FAA said its review is "ongoing and safety will determine the timeline for completing it."

A clearance from the FAA would be welcome news as United and other carriers expect a record peak season this year.

Among the safety incidents in recent months, a Japan-bound United Boeing 777 lost a tire shortly after takeoff from San Francisco in February, and a missing panel was discovered on a Boeing 737 after it landed in Oregon in March.

While the planes involved older jets, the incidents come amid heightened scrutiny of the aviation industry after a door plug blew out of a nearly new Boeing 737 Max 9 operated by Alaska Airlines earlier this year, a near catastrophe that has created a fresh crisis for the manufacturer.
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved Amgen 's therapy for patients with the most deadly form of lung cancer.

The agency cleared the drug, which will be marketed under the name Imdelltra, as a second or later line of treatment for people with advanced small-cell lung cancer. That means patients can take the drug if their cancer progresses while on or after trying one other form of treatment, which is typically a type of chemotherapy. Amgen's drug is also known by its generic name tarlatamab.

In clinical trials, Amgen's drug has been shown to reduce tumor growth and help people with small-cell lung cancer live significantly longer.

Of the more than 2.2 million patients who are diagnosed with lung cancer worldwide each year, small-cell lung cancer comprises 15%, or 330,000, of those cases, Amgen said. Around 80% to 85% of people with small-cell lung cancer are diagnosed with an advanced stage of the disease, according to a study published in the Journal of Cancer.

There are around 35,000 patients with small-cell lung cancer in the U.S., Dr. Jay Bradner, Amgen's chief scientific officer, told CNBC.

Small-cell lung cancer usually starts in the airways of the lung and grows rapidly, creating large tumors and spreading throughout the body. Symptoms include bloody phlegm, cough, chest pain and shortness of breath.

Only 3% of patients with small-cell lung cancer that has spread to other parts of the body live past 5 years, according to the American Cancer Society. That five-year survival rate accounts for 7% among all patients with the condition, regardless of whether the cancer spreads. Bradner said patients with small-cell lung cancer typically have four to five months to live.

Lynne Bell, a small-cell lung cancer patient from Atlanta, Georgia, is an exception. She says she was "horrified" and "in a dark place" after she was diagnosed with an advanced stage of the condition in 2021.

But she started taking Amgen's Imdelltra in an ongoing clinical trial in September after other treatments, including chemotherapy, stopped working. Since then, Bell said her tumors have shrunk significantly and cancer scans "look great." She said she specifically noticed her pain go away after taking a second dose of Amgen's drug.

When asked how long she would continue Imdelltra, Bell said, "If this medication is working and I'm not having any side effects, I'm good to go. I'm in it to win it."

Maida Mangiameli, a small-cell lung cancer advocate and patient mentor from Naperville, Illinois, is also a survivor of the devastating disease. She was diagnosed with an advanced stage of the condition in 2018 but was deemed in remission this year, meaning the treatment she received has reduced the signs and symptoms of the cancer.

Mangiameli has been in remission for five years. Her treatments included chemotherapy and 28 days of radiation therapy. She told CNBC that Amgen's Imdelltra may "not be something for me, but it might be down the road."

Mangiameli added that she's excited to know that there will be another therapy option for other patients suffering from small-cell lung cancer. She said the development of new treatments for the disease has been "on the back burner" for several years.

Amgen's Bradner also said treatment options "are pretty meager."

"It's just one of the most dreadful cancers and so we needed a new solution," he said.
French Gendarmerie stand with their shields at the entrance of the Vallee-du-Tir district, in Noumea on May 14, 2024, amid protests linked to a constitutional bill aimed at enlarging the electorate for upcoming elections of the overseas French territory of New Caledonia.

France declared a state of emergency on the Pacific island of New Caledonia on Wednesday after three young indigenous Kanak and a police official were killed in riots over electoral reform.

The state of emergency, which entered into force at 5 a.m. local time (1800 GMT), gives authorities additional powers to ban gatherings and forbid people from moving around the French-ruled island.

Police reinforcements adding 500 officers to the 1,800 usually present on the island, have been sent after rioters torched vehicles and businesses and looted stores. Schools have been shut and there is already a curfew in the capital.

Rioting broke out over a new bill, adopted by lawmakers in Paris on Tuesday, that will let French residents who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years vote in provincial elections - a move some local leaders fear will dilute the Kanak vote.

"No violence will be tolerated," said Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, adding that the state of emergency "will allow us to roll out massive means to restore order."

He later signed a decree declaring a state of emergency that will last for 12 days and announced that French soldiers would be used to secure New Caledonia's main port and airport.

Authorities also decided to ban video app TikTok, which the government during a bout of riots on France's mainland last summer said helped rioters organize and amplified the chaos, attracting troublemakers to the streets.

TikTok could not immediately be reached for comment.
The House passed the Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing Act on Wednesday in an effort to increase price transparency for consumers.

The TICKET Act would require sellers to list the total cost of a ticket to buyers, including fees. They would also have to disclose whether the ticket they are selling are speculative  meaning not currently in their possession.

The bill would prohibit deceptive websites used by secondary sellers and require sellers to provide refunds if an event is canceled. It now moves on to the Senate.

The act is one of several recent efforts to curb unfair practices in the ticketing industry. There is a related bill in the Senate, also called the TICKET Act, that seeks to give consumers similar protections. A group of bipartisan senators also introduced the Fans First Act in December, which would increase cost transparency and prevent resellers who list tickets at exorbitant prices.

Lawmakers have sought to address consumer discontent toward the ticketing industry in recent years. Fans sued Ticketmaster in 2022 after the company struggled to accommodate the demand for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. The Eras Tour incident led to a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to examine Ticketmaster 's outsize role in the industry.

The TICKET Act was first introduced by Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., in June 2023. It was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where Bilirakis serves as the Innovation, Data and Commerce Subcommittee chair.
U.S. defense spending and military aid costs are adding up.

President Joe Biden signed a $95 billion U.S. military aid package in April allocating funding to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region. On top of that, the National Defense Authorization Act of 2024 authorized military spending of a record $886 billion.

A big chunk of that money will go to bolster the American defense industry.

"People think we're sending a big check to Ukraine," Gregory Hayes, CEO of RTX, told CNBC's "Squawk Box." "The fact is what most of that money will do [is] support American defense industries here in the U.S."

The five largest U.S. defense companies  Lockheed Martin , RTX, General Dynamics, Boeing and Northrop Grumman  had Department of Defense contracts totaling more than $118 billion in fiscal year 2022, according to the Congressional Research Service.

So where does the U.S. send military aid and personnel and how does defense spending affect the world at large?

Watch this video to learn more.
India's mid-cap stocks are in a "bubble" despite the country's promising economic prospects, according to contrarian fund manager Jonathan Pines. Pines, who runs Federated Hermes' $3.1 billion Asia ex-Japan fund , believes there is a disconnect between the nation's growth potential and current stock market valuations. "If you were a top-down investor, India looks amazing because it's got everything going for it," Pines said, acknowledging that the country's pro-business government, strong relationships with the West, large population, and democratic system are working in its favor. He also noted that the government's support for infrastructure development has contributed to its rising growth rate. India's economy grew 8.4% in the October to December quarter, blowing past expectations on strong private consumption and manufacturing activity. However, as a bottom-up investor, Pines said he focuses on the share price versus the value in individual stocks, regardless of location or macroeconomic backdrop. "What we found for India is that the stocks have good returns on equities, and there are well run companies, which are generally of good quality. But the prices are far too high," he explained. Pines added that he's unable to justify current stock prices, even when accounting for "aggressive assumptions" about future growth in India's mid-cap stocks. The mid-cap 'bubble' Pines revealed that his fund recently held two Indian stocks, one of which was SJVN . SJVN, a mid-cap stock in the hydropower energy sector, has experienced a "vertical price" movement, which Pines attributed to a potential bubble in the Indian mid-cap market. "You know, I think the larger cap is just expensive. But in the mid-cap, you've seen a lot of these stocks go vertical," he said. Shares of SJVN have risen 240% over the past 12 months. However, in February, the company reported an 1.6% decline in revenue and a 40% fall in pre-tax profit for the third quarter from the same quarter a year ago. As a result, Pines and his team decided to sell their position. SJVN-IN 5Y line SJVN says it will grow its power generation capacity to 50 gigawatts by 2040, indicating a long-term compounding growth rate of 20%, according to analysts Rohit Natarajan and Pranav Furia at stock broker Antique Stock Broking. The company currently operates 2.3 gigawatts of power generation. "Even if the target misses by 50%, the long-term growth rate is 15%," the analysts told clients on Feb. 12. Those assumptions have partly led them to place a bullish price target on the stock, expecting SJVN to rise a further 30% from current levels. But not everyone is convinced. Sudhanshu Bansal, analyst at JM Financial, believes the stock could fall by nearly 50% over the next 12 months. The only 'reasonable' Indian stock On the other hand, GAIL India , a natural gas distribution company, remains the sole Indian stock in Pines' portfolio. The fund manager said that GAIL offers "reasonable" value relative to other Indian equities, benefiting from the government's infrastructure spending and the growing demand for gas and its products. "It's probably a net beneficiary of this government infrastructure spend and demand for gas and its product  and the valuation is reasonable," Pines explained. The Federated Hermes Asia ex-Japan fund has allocated 1.56% of its $3.1 billion worth of assets under management to the stock. GAIL India shares are also traded in the U.S. and U.K. over the counter or depository receipts. But will the fund manager buy the stock now? GAIL-IN 5Y line Pines revealed that his team had already cautioned that the stock was approaching "full valuation"  yet the stock had risen by another 20% since then. "It's good value, but it's not fantastic value anymore. But relative to everything else in India, that's fantastic value," he added.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on January 31, 2024 in Washington, DC.

Facebook parent company Meta on Thursday was hit with a major investigation from the European Union into alleged breaches of the bloc's strict online content law over child safety risks.

The European Commission, the EU's executive body, said in a statement that it is investigating whether the social media giant's Facebook and Instagram platforms "may stimulate behavioural addictions in children, as well as create so-called 'rabbit-hole effects.'"

The commission added it is concerned about age verifications on Meta's platforms, as well as privacy risks linked to the company's recommendation algorithms.

"We want young people to have safe, age-appropriate experiences online and have spent a decade developing more than 50 tools and policies designed to protect them," a Meta spokesperson told CNBC by email.

"This is a challenge the whole industry is facing, and we look forward to sharing details of our work with the European Commission."

The commission said its decision to initiate an investigation comes of the back of a preliminary analysis of risk assessment report provided by Meta in September 2023.

Thierry Breton, the EU's commissioner for internal market, said in a statement that the regulator is "not convinced [that Meta] has done enough to comply with the DSA obligations to mitigate the risks of negative effects to the physical and mental health of young Europeans on its platforms."

The EU said it will carry out an in-depth investigation into Meta's child protection measures "as a matter of priority." The bloc can continue to gather evidence via requests for information, interviews, or inspections.
Ai Tiecheng, Senior Vice President of NIO and President of ONVO, speaks during the press conference of ONVO, NIO's new subsidiary brand, on May 15, 2024 in Shanghai, China. NIO launches its second brand ONVO and its first model L60 on May 15.

SHANGHAI  Chinese electric car startup Nio is adjusting its approach to global markets in light of geopolitical developments, CEO William Li told reporters Thursday.

The company will still focus on China, and will persist in its initial aspiration to be a global company  "but our approach will have some change," Li said in Mandarin, translated by CNBC.

Nio launched its lower-priced brand Onvo on Wednesday with a new L60 SUV that's about $4,000 cheaper than Tesla's Model Y.

"For example, in Europe we previously used a direct sales method," said Li, who founded Nio about 10 years ago.

"But now we have Onvo and then we will have Firefly, an even lower [price] entry-level brand. We can enter the global market, and in the process of doing so we will have some changes. We can look more for local partners."

That can include local distribution or production, Li said, describing the strategy overall as "global capability, local operation."

The company had initially focused on the premium end of the market and has started sales in parts of Europe.

State-owned automaker GAC's international department told CNBC last month that its push overseas would also incorporate a more flexible approach, partnering with local factories in some markets or investing directly.

BYD has relied on local distributors for its overseas expansion, while building factories in certain markets.

Li has not specified when Onvo-branded cars would begin sales outside China.
A two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict is "elusive" right now, according to former CIA director David Petraeus, adding that it is also the "single biggest barrier" to normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

"A solid path, a solid commitment to a two-state solution from Israel" is the biggest hurdle to Israel and Saudi's normalization plans, Petraeus, who is now chairman at KKR Global Institute, told CNBC's Dan Murphy.

Saudi Arabia does not recognize Israel as a state and has refused to do so since the Jewish nation's independence in 1948. However, there have been discrete but growing cooperation between them in recent years, raising hopes for a normalization agreement.

Achieving a diplomatic deal between two of America's most important allies in the Middle East was one of U.S. President Joe Biden's top foreign policy priorities.

But Oct. 7 changed everything. Palestinian militant group Hamas infiltrated Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and kidnapping dozens more.

In response, Israel waged a massive military offensive on the Gaza Strip which Hamas has controlled since 2007. More than 35,000 people have been killed in the Palestinian enclave so far, according to the health ministry there which is run by Hamas.
Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico walks during the European Council summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels, on April 18, 2024.

Slovakia's populist Prime Minister Robert Fico is in a stable but "very serious" condition following surgery after an assassination attempt, a health official said Thursday.

"His condition stabilized, but it is truly very serious, and therefore he will actually be in the intensive care unit on the premises of the general hospital, where he will be cared for by the team and the entire team of doctors that he will need," Miriam Lapunikova, director of the F.D. Roosevelt University Hospital in Banska Bystrica where Fico is under care, said Thursday, according to a Reuters video.

She added that Fico underwent a five-hour surgery conducted by two medical teams. He suffered "multiple gunshot wounds, the consequences of which will affect his recovery," she said.

Slovakian Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba had also indicated that Fico was no longer in a life-threatening condition.

"Fortunately, as far as I know, the operation went well, and I guess that at the end he will survive," Taraba told BBC Newshour. "At this moment, the state of the operation should be that he's not in a life-threatening situation."

CNBC has reached out to Slovakia's Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
By Mark Peterson

I was in Korea recently as a guest of the Sungkyunkwan  not the modern university, but the original Confucian academy that is over 1,000 years old. Today, the Sungkyunkwan is the headquarters for the Confucian organization. The conference I attended was a training session for leaders of Confucian organizations from across the country  the hyanggyo and seowon in every area of Korea. I was asked to talk about my views of the standing of Confucianism in 21st-century Korea.

I should first make sure that the reader understands how the Confucian organization is structured, and what the "hyanggyo" and "seowon" are. The current Confucian structure is patterned on the educational system of the Joseon and Goryeo dynasties  that is, there was one central university in Seoul, the Sungkyunkwan, and supporting government schools in each county, the hyanggyo, as well as and the private schools, the seowon, located in many locales across the country.

The Sungkyunkwan was larger than the hyanggyo and seowon, but it provided the structural format for each of schools. That is, that in each place there were buildings for teaching  a lecture hall and dormitories, and supporting cafeteria buildings, for each school was a live-in facility, where students would come to the school to live for periods of time as they studied.

The Sungkyunkwan in Seoul was larger than all the hyanggyo and seowon, but the two main buildings, one for study and one for ceremonies, were in reverse location  that is to say that the building for ceremonies at the Sungkyunkwan was in the foreground, but in all the hyanggyo and seowon, the building for ceremonies was in the background. And the study hall was in the foreground at the hyanggyo and seowon, but is located behind the worship building at the Sungkyunkwan. The lecture hall of the Sungkyunkwan is on the face of the 1,000 won note today. The visage is that of (Toegye) Yi Hwang, on the right side of the note, but in the center, the longish building, is the Myeongnyundang, the lecture hall of the Sungkyunkwan.

The Sungkyunkwan was founded in the early Goryeo period, and thus is over 1,000 years old  located in Gaeseong first, then moved to Seoul shortly after the advent of the Joseon Dynasty in 1392. Today, the Sungkyunkwan is better known for the modern university which bears the same name, but the original Joseon-period complex is still there, below the hill where the modern university sits. The modern, private university is now run by Samsung.

One of the prominent new buildings on campus is the 600 Anniversary Hall, which commemorated in 1998 the 600th anniversary of the campus' relocation to Seoul in 1398. I suppose it's good Korean humility to claim only 600 years, when they just as easily could have claimed 1,000-year history. Im neither Korean, nor humble, so I like to proudly claim that the Sungkyunkwan is older than Oxford  the consensus for oldest university in the world" founded in 1096.

One may claim that the Sungkyunkwan for most of its history was a religious school teaching only Confucianism, and was not a true university with multiple areas of study. But I am quick to point out that in the initial centuries of Oxford, it was primarily as religious school that taught the dogma of Christianity. Therefore, the Korean school has just as valid a claim to fame as the one of the oldest universities in the world.

Which brings me back to the supporting schools, the hyanggyo from the beginning, and then after the 16th century, the private schools, the seowon. I dont think Oxford had anywhere near as many supporting schools as we find in Korea with hyanggyo in every county and then numerous seowon after the seowon movement started.

Confucianism is an academic study, indeed, but in my presentation I argued that the core values of Confucianism  filial piety, loyalty, benevolence, justice, etiquette, knowledge and family relationships  are necessary for teaching children of a moral value system. The problem has been that beginning about 300 years ago, Confucianism became entwined with patrilineality and male dominance. My presentation to the heads of hyanggyo and seowon was that Confucianism can only survive and find acceptance in 21st-century society by divorcing itself from male-dominance and patrilineal ideology.

I think my ideas are quite revolutionary, but they were widely accepted at the seminar filled mainly with older men. They know that Confucianism today is being pilloried by the Korean population, particularly women. They know they are getting beaten up and on the verge of total rejection  as advocated by many today, including a large number of people who regularly denounce Confucianism on my YouTube channel.

I think the audience liked what I had to say and see it as one way to save Confucianism in the 21st century. We shall see.

Mark Peterson (markpeterson@byu.edu) is a professor emeritus of Korean, Asian and Near Eastern languages at Brigham Young University in Utah.
A Boeing 737 MAX-10 lands over the Spirit AeroSystems logo during a flying display at the 54th International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France, on June 22, 2023.

Aerospace supplier Spirit AeroSystems on Thursday said it will lay off some of its workers because of slower delivery rates on commercial aircraft as it struggles with a slowdown at its biggest commercial airplane customer, Boeing .

Spirit AeroSystems told staff in a memo, reported earlier by Wichita-based KSN, that it would cut about 400 to 450 hourly employees.

"We are committed to implementing this transition in as compassionate a manner as possible," Spirit AeroSystems said in a statement.

About 12,600 people worked at the Wichita facility as of the end of 2023, according to the company's annual filing.

Spirit AeroSystems makes fuselages at the plant for Boeing's bestselling 737 Max plane, deliveries of which have slowed in the wake of a door panel blowout and resulting safety crisis at Boeing.

Last week, Spirit AeroSystems said first-quarter Boeing deliveries decreased 31% from the same period in 2023, and said overall deliveries were down 11.3%.

It reported a quarterly loss of $616.7 million for the first three months of the year. The company has struggled financially in recent years and was last profitable in 2019.

The company is also in talks to be acquired by Boeing , which it spun off from in 2005. About 70% of Spirit AeroSystems' revenue last year came from Boeing, although the company also makes parts for Boeing's rival Airbus .

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun told CNBC in an interview in April 2024 that it is "more than likely" that the companies reach a deal during the second quarter.
Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller revealed a big bullish position in small-cap stocks last quarter, according to a new regulatory filing. The notable investor, who now runs Duquesne Family Office, bought call options against 3,157,900 shares of the iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) for a stake worth $664 million. The bet marked Druckenmiller's biggest one at the end of March. A call option gives an investor the right to buy an asset at a specified  or strike  price within a certain period. Investors profit from calls when the underlying securities rise in price. As of the end of March, Druckenmiller owned 31,579 call contracts with unknown value, strike price or expiry, according to the filing. Small caps have been underperforming their large-cap counterparts this year as cheap value shares lagged growth-oriented names. IWM is up nearly 4% in 2024, compared to the S & P 500's 11% gain. Druckenmiller could be betting that the market leadership could rotate to smaller stocks as the rally broadens out. Money managers with more than $100 million in assets are required to disclose long positions with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission 45 days after a quarter ends. Theoretically, Druckenmiller could have already changed his positions by the time filings come out. The noted investor also took some profit in his big Nvidia bet last quarter by slashing the stake by more than 70%. Druckenmiller recently told CNBC that while he is still bullish on the artificial intelligence boom, he thinks the dramatic rally in the chipmaker made him pause. Indeed, the stock is up 90% in 2024. "We did cut that and a lot of other positions in late March. I just need a break. We've had a hell of a run. A lot of what we recognized has become recognized by the marketplace now," Druckenmiller said on CNBC's " Squawk Box " last week. Druckenmiller said he reduced the bet after "the stock went from $150 to $900." "I'm not Warren Buffett  I don't own things for 10 or 20 years. I wish I was Warren Buffett," he added. Other than these changes, Druckenmiller added a sizable stake in semiconductor name Coherent , making it his eighth-biggest holding. Druckenmiller once managed George Soros' Quantum Fund and shot to fame after helping make a $10 billion bet against the British pound in 1992. He later oversaw $12 billion as president of Duquesne Capital Management before closing his firm in 2010.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 29: Former U.S. President Donald Trump Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the California GOP convention on September 29, 2023 in Anaheim, California. Presidential candidates set to speak at the convention include former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, and entrepreneur, Vivek Ramaswamy. The event takes place from September 29 through October 1. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump's top donors are to be rewarded for supporting him while they attend the Republican National Convention in July, according to new documents reviewed by CNBC.

A fundraising committee called Trump 47 is offering its donors "major investor convention benefits," according to a pamphlet. The document lists convention rewards for Trump 47 Committee donors who either raise up to $2.5 million or personally give between $24,000 and $844,600.

The committee raises money for the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee, more than a dozen state parties, and a political action committee that helps pay Trump's legal bills.

The convention, which will officially name Trump the Republican nominee for president, is set to take place in Milwaukee.

Donors who raise $2.5 million or give at least $844,600 to the Trump 47 Committee will receive a behind-the-scenes tour of the Fiserv Forum, where the convention will be held, as well as VIP tickets to private convention events and selective seating in the arena, according to the pamphlet.

Contributors to the committee who raise or give at least $50,000 will get a tour of the Harley-Davidson museum in Milwaukee, the document says. There will also be a private reception for those donors.

The planned gifts for Trump's elite donors generally fall along the lines of what both Democrats and Republicans have historically offered their biggest benefactors for the celebratory event. It's unclear whether any of these donors will attend the convention.

A spokeswoman for the RNC did not respond to a request for comment.

The wave of perks for Trump's lead financial supporters comes after the former president recently raised millions at private events with the help of business executives who will now have the option of being wined and dined at the convention.

Those who have given at least $800,000 to the Trump 47 Committee include Jeffrey Sprecher, CEO of Intercontinental Exchange, and his wife, former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga.; former Renaissance Technologies CEO Robert Mercer; Linda McMahon, former head of the Small Business Administration under Trump; and New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

The committee raised more than $23 million during the first quarter of 2024.
The speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament, the Duma, accused Ukraine of dragging the U.S. and Europe into a wider war with Russia because it was "losing on the battlefield."

"The Kyiv regime is dragging the United States and European countries into a big war," Vyacheslav Volodin claimed on Telegram Thursday.

"Ukrainian Rada [parliament] MPs are trying to convince Washington to allow U.S.-supplied weapons to hit targets on Russian territory. This path leads to a tragedy that could affect the entire humankind," he commented.

There has been an ongoing debate between Ukraine and its allies over whether long-range missiles can be used to attack Russia within its own territory.

The U.K. has given Ukraine the greenlight to use long-range "Storm Shadow" missiles to hit targets within Russia, but the U.S. has been more cautious about any similar use of its ATACMS missiles, fearing a deepening of tensions and retaliation. During U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's trip to Kyiv this week, however, he signaled a shift in that stance, saying it was up to Kyiv to decide how to use U.S.-made weapons.

Volodin, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, said "any use of American and European weapons to attack Russian peaceful cities will demand that we use more powerful weapons to protect the citizens of our country."

"Western politicians need to realize their responsibility and do everything to not turn the situation into a catastrophe on a global scale," he said.

Ukraine's Western allies say they are providing Kyiv with the means to defend its territory and sovereignty against Russia's unprovoked aggression and illegal invasion launched in February 2022.

 Holly Ellyatt
US Senator Bob Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey, and his wife Nadine Arslanian, arrive at the US District Court, Southern District of New York, in New York City on September 27, 2023.

Nadine Menendez, the wife and co-defendant of Sen. Robert Menendez, has been diagnosed with breast cancer, the Democratic lawmaker revealed Thursday during his trial on federal corruption charges.

As a result of constant press inquiries and reporters following my wife, she has asked me to disclose her medical condition," Menendez, the senior senator from New Jersey, said in a statement his office shared with NBC News.

"Nadine is suffering from Grade 3 breast cancer, which will require her to have mastectomy surgery. We are, of course, concerned about the seriousness and advanced stage of the disease," Menendez said.

"She will require follow up surgery and possibly radiation treatment. We hope and pray for the best results," he said. "We ask the press and the public to give her the time, space and privacy to deal with this challenging health condition as she undergoes surgery and recovery.

Menendez shared the health information about his wife less than one day after his defense attorney cast blame on her in the senator's trial in Manhattan federal court.

Menendez and his wife are both charged in the case alleging a yearslong scheme to pocket hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of gold bars, stacks of cash and an array of other bribes in exchange for political favors.

A judge in April severed Nadine Menendez's trial from her husband's, and postponed it until at least July, after her lawyers cited medical issues that were not disclosed at the time. The trial of Menendez and two New Jersey businessmen, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, began Monday.

Menendez was kept in the dark about his wife's money troubles and "sidelined" from her financial woes, defense attorney Avi Weitzman told the 12-person jury in his opening statement Wednesday afternoon.

Nadine Menendez "had financial concerns that she kept from Bob," he said.

The gold bars found in an FBI search of the Menendez home  the "elephant in the room"  were found in "Nadine's closet," Weitzman said.

The attorney advised the jurors that every time they hear evidence about Nadine Menendez, they should ask themselves, "What did Bob know?"

He even displayed a graphic showing a page from a "Where's Waldo?" book  which was altered to read "Where's Bob?"  to hammer the point home.

Menendez "took no bribes," Weitzman said, while insisting that his allegedly corrupt conduct was actually just part of his job as a senator.

"Every action Senator Menendez took was to help his constituents," he said.

Minutes earlier, U.S. Attorney Laura Pomerantz told the jury that Menendez "put his power up for sale" and "used his wife as a go-between."

Menendez, 70, was "on the take" and "motivated by greed," she said in her opening statement.

"This was not politics as usual," Pomerantz said. "This was politics for profit."
BEIJING, CHINA - MAY 16: (RUSSIA OUT) Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) talk during a bilateral meeting on May 16, 2024, in Beijing, China. Russian President Vladimir Putin is in China for a two-day state visit. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)

Russia-China ties are a "stabilizing" force for the world, Russian President Vladimir Putin told his counterpart Xi Jinping during his state visit on Thursday.

Putin's two-day visit to China comes at the invitation of Xi and will be the Russian leader's first foreign trip since he began his fifth term in office last week.

"Relations between Russia and China are not opportunistic and not directed against anyone," Putin said, according to Russian state media. "Our cooperation in international matters is one of the stabilizing factors in the international arena."

Both countries have touted their "no-limits" friendship since February 2022, to act as a counterweight to the U.S. global influence.

In his remarks, Xi said Beijing "will always work with Russia as a good neighbor, friend and partner" to safeguard "fairness and justice," according to Chinese state media, as both leaders signed a joint statement to deepen strategic cooperation.

China has increasingly become Russia's lifeline to support its war chest since the invasion of Ukraine as Washington continues to tighten the screws on Moscow with more sanctions.

In an interview with state-media Xinhua published ahead of the visit, Putin said trade volume between the two countries reached $227.8 billion last year from $111 billion in 2019.

"The current bilateral trade volume is about 20 trillion rubles, or nearly 1.6 trillion yuan," he noted. That's about $219.6 billion.

Both sides seek collaboration in "high-technology, outer space and peaceful uses of nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, renewable energy," among other sectors, Putin added.
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By Park Jae-hyuk

The authenticity of the testament of the late Hyosung Group Honorary Chairman Cho Suck-rai, disclosed abruptly on Wednesday, was questioned a day later by his second-oldest son. The group's honorary chairman, who died in March, reportedly asked his sons to end their decade-long feud.

In a statement from his attorney, former Hyosung Vice President Cho Hyun-moon said that it is difficult for him to accept the testament at this moment, as it remains uncertain about how the document was written and disclosed.

I need a significant amount of time to review the testament, he said. It is difficult for me to clarify my stance at this moment.

He issued the statement a day after local news outlets reported on Wednesday that his father had written the testament last year with a major law firms lawyer.

The late honorary chairman is said to have wanted to give his second-oldest son a portion of his properties, including his shares in Hyosung Group affiliates, although the son disowned the father 10 years ago after losing to his older brother in a competition for the groups control.

The size of the inheritance to the second-oldest son is reportedly bigger than the legal reserve of inheritance, which is equivalent to 11.1 percent of the deceaseds wealth in this case. Legal reserve of inheritance refers to a minimum portion of inheritance that bereaved family members can ask for, if they are excluded from a testator's will.

However, the size is still not enough for the second-oldest son to threaten the management rights held by his older brother, Hyosung Group Chairman Cho Hyun-joon, and his younger brother, Vice Chairman Cho Hyun-sang.

The late Cho held a 10.14 percent stake in Hyosung Corp., while each of his oldest and youngest sons owns over 21 percent stake in the groups holding firm. His second-oldest son previously sold all of his shares in Hyosung affiliates.

Against this backdrop, the second-oldest son also criticized his two brothers for not retracting the accusation against him.

The deceaseds oldest son sued the second-oldest in 2017 for the allegation of attempted extortion, as the latter filed a lawsuit against the former and several other Hyosung executives in 2014 for their alleged embezzlement and malpractices. The prosecutors indicted the second-oldest son in 2022, accepting the oldest sons claims. On Monday, the late Chos youngest son attended a court hearing as a witness to testify that the second-oldest son had committed crimes.

Although the late father emphasized close relations between brothers, my two brothers are still making unreasonable allegations without retracting the accusation against me, the second-oldest son said in the statement. I cannot understand their decision to drive me out of our fathers funeral.

He only paid a five-minute visit to the funeral altar of his father on March 30. He was also not on the list of the bereaved family members.
By Baek Byung-yeul

Hyundai Engineering & Construction (E&C) signed business agreements with popular bakeries here  London Bagel Museum and Sungsimdang  to enhance the production of bakery products made with rice powder produced on reclaimed land of Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, the company said Thursday.

The construction arm of Hyundai Motor Group said it recently signed agreements with LBM, which operates London Bagel Museum, and Rosso, operator of Sungsimdang, to expand the use of rice powder produced on the reclaimed land.

Since 1979, Hyundai E&C has been implementing reclamation projects in Seosan on the west coast of Korea and promoting large-scale grain cultivation and solar power projects.

Last year, the construction company signed a business agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Seosan Bio, Wellbeing, Research Special District to establish smart bio infrastructure and activate agriculture in Korea.

Since then, the company built a large-scale smart farm to nurture young farmers and has been producing rice powder on about 330,000 square meters of farmland in the reclaimed area.

"According to this agreement, Hyundai E&C will provide five tons of rice powder annually for three years for both London Bagel Museum and Sungsimdang. Each bakery will utilize the powder in the research, development and production of bakery products," the company said.

Hyundai E&C plans to expand the cultivation area to around 661,100 square meters to increase the yield. The company said it plans to expand the rice powder market to maximize Korea's agricultural competitiveness in preparation for climate change and food security.

This is in line with the countrys policy as the government has been trying to replace wheat with rice powder, which can be used in bread or sweets.

"Through collaboration with famous domestic bakeries, we aim to increase the use of rice powder by targeting tastes across generations and cultures, from Millennials and Gen Z to the middle-aged, the elderly and foreigners," a company spokesperson said.

"We will maximize agricultural competitiveness in preparation for climate change and food security, and explore various business models to establish the Seosan reclaimed land as a forward base for future food resources."
By Dynne C. | Update Date: May 16, 2024 02:14 AM EDT

Role-playing games (RPGs) have shown potential in supporting mental health, especially during challenging times like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mental Health Challenges During the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected mental health due to drastic changes in lifestyle, such as social distancing and lockdowns. These changes have led to increased stress, anxiety, depression, and feelings of isolation.

According to studies, stress levels increased by 20% since the pandemic began. Furthermore, the pandemic has exacerbated issues such as substance abuse and domestic violence. People with pre-existing mental health conditions, healthcare workers, and migrants have faced heightened risks of mental health difficulties.

Rise of Role-Playing Games During COVID-19

Amid the pandemic, there was a notable increase in the popularity of role-playing games. For instance, sales of "Dungeons & Dragons" tripled. These games offer a way for people to engage socially and mentally in a structured environment, providing a welcome escape from the stresses of everyday life.

Psychological Benefits of RPGs

Role-playing games like "Dungeons & Dragons" provide numerous psychological benefits.

These games offer a structured environment where players can explore various identities and scenarios, which can be instrumental in building confidence.

Additionally, engaging in RPGs can enhance problem-solving skills and foster creativity, as players must navigate complex situations and think outside the box.

The collaborative nature of these games is particularly beneficial for developing social skills, as players must work together to achieve common goals.

This cooperative gameplay encourages the formation of strong, supportive relationships, creating a sense of community and belonging among participants.

Therapeutic Potential of RPGs

Role-playing games hold significant potential for therapeutic applications. In psychodrama and drama therapy, RPGs can help patients explore emotions and past experiences within a safe, controlled environment.

By assuming different roles and scenarios, patients can gain insights into their own behaviors and emotions. Therapists have successfully used RPGs to address issues such as anxiety and the development of social skills.

The narrative structure of these games can mirror aspects of mental health recovery, allowing participants to develop coping mechanisms and resilience.

Through this imaginative play, patients can rehearse real-life situations and improve their emotional well-being.

Broader Applications and Future Research

There is a need for more research into the mental health benefits of RPGs. Future studies should explore how these games can be tailored to support various mental health needs.

Research could focus on how RPGs can assist neurodiverse patients and those recovering from mental health difficulties. By investigating these areas, practitioners can better understand and harness the potential of RPGs to support mental well-being.

Overall, role-playing games offer a promising avenue for supporting mental health, providing social interaction, creativity, and therapeutic benefits. As interest in these games continues to grow, further research and application in clinical and non-clinical settings can help maximize their positive impact.
Got no friends? Got no family? Got no enemies? Dont worry about it! Everything you could possibly want from someone else can be purchased from strangers. All it will cost you is a fixed fee  as well as certain percentage of your soul, because farming out your life in this manner strips away what it means to be human.

So, no downside basically. Reach for your phone and credit card, and go hire such people as...

5 Someone to Name Your Baby For You You have lots of ways of picking a name for your new child. You can pick a name thats been in the family. You can pick the name of an old lover, about whom your spouse knows nothing. You can pick whatever name is big in pop culture at the time, because Chani is a great name for a girl and will absolutely never be mistaken for Johnny. Don't Miss Or, you can hire a professional to take care of the matter for you. For $1,500, a professional baby namer might provide you with a list of names (the sort of thing you can also get from a $10 book of a baby names, which is also considered a rip-off). For slightly more than that, theyll dig into your family tree, which is another thing that a stranger should not really be able to do more easily than you can. For $10,000, theyll choose a name thats on-brand with a parents business, which is a concept so bleak that you can surely think of several celebrities who must have used this service. David Shankbone Theres no way this guy thought of North West himself. Wed sooner believe Jay Leno thought of it. Of course, when you pay someone to name your baby, the chance of their picking anything remotely normal is slim. If they say, I dunno, have you thought about Angela? that would not justify their fee. And afterward, you must take their suggestion, whether you like it or not. Because if you pay someone 10 grand and then dont use the name they gave you, well, that would make you an idiot, wouldnt it?

4 Fake Parents, to Meet Your Teacher Advertisement If youre a student, and your school demands a meeting with your parents, you dont want to bring your actual mother or father to come hear of your misdeeds. What you really need is some actor who can play the part, keeping the truth from ever reaching home. You can rent such an actor if you live in Shanghai. We dont have a photo of any of these actors, be we do have an image from the classic Saved By the Bell episode Rent-a-Pop, which serves as the clear inspiration for this business. NBC It's okay, Mark-Paul Gosselaar is half-Asian. Fake parents serve other functions in Shanghai as well. Suppose your significant other wants to meet your family, either because things are getting serious in the normal way or because this is part of an arranged marriage, and your potential in-laws need to evaluate you all and discuss terms. You cant use your own parents, who are already arranging an entirely different marriage for you and have no idea about this one. Clearly, you must hire some actors. You can find them advertised on posters in the same parks that advertise marriage markets, or you can pick one out using a dedicated app. And what happens later, when your real parents find out whats going on? Youll probably have to kill them. Shanghai offers many professionals who can take care of that for you, too. Advertisement Advertisement

3 A People Walker, to Talk to You As You Walk If you want someone to walk your dog, you can hire a dog walker. But what if you want someone to walk you? For that, maybe you can hire Chuck. The People Walker One of these two people is Chuck. Well let you guess which. Walking in Los Angeles can be lonely, so thats where Chuck comes in, to keep you company. Walking in Los Angeles can also be tiring, which is why you need Chuck to motivate you. Walking in Los Angeles can even be dangerous, but you have nothing to fear with Chuck  no one has ever died under his watch. Chuck perhaps does not qualify as a service for rich people, as he charges just $7 per mile. This isnt nearly enough to make a living. So, were not too disappointed to not see any updates from him for the last few years, as it suggests hes moved on. Thanks to our brief time together, we now have the strength to move on as well. Advertisement

2 Someone to Wipe Away Your Tears Maybe youre looking to pay for a slightly more intimate connection. Theres the option of paying for sex, but you already knew about that. Did you know, though, that if you live in Japan you can hire someone to come and wipe your face as you cry? Ikemeso Danshi It costs extra if you want them to do it without a tissue. The company is called Ikemeso Danshi, which means handsome weeping boys. That tells you that not only will a professional from this company come to watch a movie with you and comfort you as you cry  hell also cry himself, which is a level of (simulated) vulnerability you may be unable to tease out of any real boyfriend. Advertisement Advertisement As you browse the site and look through headshots of these handsome boys, you might speculate whether this is all just a cover for straightforward sex work, particularly when you see the pic of the man provocatively holding an oboe. Thats a legitimate question whenever you hear anyone letting you hire them for any reason. With Ikemeso Danshi, were going to say the service is definitely not used for outright sex, at least some of the time, if only because one common application of the service is to have one of the guys come comfort you as you cry in your cubicle at the office.
The most famous King of England since Ralph, King Charles III recently unveiled his first official portrait since his coronation. Because the universe clearly hates every member of the royal familys PR team, the painting, by artist Jonathan Yeo, quickly set off a firestorm of online ridicule, with some calling it the worst royal portrait of all time.

Why the hate? Well, the unusual piece features Charles surrounded by red hues, as if he were drowning in a sea of blood, or perhaps being engulfed in the flames of Hell itself. And you know what? Fair enough, painting.

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The paintings unorthodox style shouldnt have come as a huge surprise to Charles, or anyone familiar with Yeos work. After all, this is the same guy who once created a portrait of George W. Bush using only clippings from porno magazines (which seems unnecessarily cruel to the hardworking people in the porn publishing industry who presumably never committed a single war crime).

A lot of people on social media couldnt help but compare Yeos latest work to the haunted painting of Vigo the Carpathian from Ghostbusters II. Im no expert on the monarchy, but one would imagine that being immediately compared to an immortal baby-stealing monster probably wasnt the reaction that Charles was hoping for.

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As one user pointed out, the painting housing the soul of a tyrannical 16th century warlock actually looks less demonic than the one depicting the reigning King of England.

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Some folks with a little extra time on their hands even photoshopped Charles painting into Ghostbusters II, replacing Vigo. And, yeah, its definitely more disturbing that way. How is Dan Aykroyd not investigating this painting as we speak?

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And Charles disembodied head floating atop a subterranean river of ectoplasmic slime is oddly perfect. Someone should really go full George Lucas and retroactively use computer technology to make King Charles the villain of Ghostbusters II.

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Creating a painting thats more disturbing than the one in Ghostbusters II is quite the feat. In fact, the painting of Vigo wasnt a painting at all, it was a photograph of German actor (and real life mega-creep) Wilhelm von Homburg, which was made to look like a painting. Not only does this give the painting an indescribably uncanny vibe, but when Vigo emerges from the painting at the end of the film, the transition is seamless. Side note: Maybe somebody should guard that Charles painting with a proton pack 24/7.

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At least this unflattering portrait of Charles has provided some measure of amusement to the impoverished masses that bankroll his lavish lifestyle. And, come to think of it, he should probably just be glad that the artist didnt take inspiration from Saturday Night Live and decide to portray him as an anthropomorphic tampon.

You (yes, you) should follow JM on Twitter (if it still exists by the time youre reading this).
Korean automakers advised to reduce made-in-China parts amid growing US regulatory pressure

By Lee Min-hyung

Hyundai Motor and Kia need to diversify their parts supply chains beyond China and expand their lobbying efforts to prepare for potential U.S. measures aimed at banning Chinese-connected vehicles, according to experts, Thursday.

This reaction follows a series of warnings issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce, highlighting concerns that connected cars manufactured by Chinese companies could pose national security threats by potentially leaking sensitive data on American motorists to the Chinese government.

On Wednesday (local time), U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced that the department will issue rules on Chinese connected vehicles this autumn and consider taking "extreme actions" against them due to security risks.

However, since the U.S. government has not yet clarified the specifics regarding the scope of connected vehicles, the recent announcement has sparked concerns that Korean automakers may also face broad and comprehensive regulatory risks from the U.S.

Automobile industry analysts said local carmakers should come up with specific action plans by preemptively diversifying their supply chains.

Hyundai Motor and Kia have to brace for the worst by reducing their reliance on China and broadening their supply chains into other countries such as Vietnam, Lee Ho-geun, an automotive engineering professor at Daedeok University, said.

There stands a possibility that the U.S. will regulate any connected vehicles that are equipped with Chinese parts. Under the scenario, the Korean automakers will be seriously affected, so they are advised to make more efforts to reduce the proportion of Chinese parts in their automobiles.

Even if this may end up increasing the initial costs, maintaining the status quo could result in a larger financial burden for Hyundai Motor and Kia in the long run, according to the expert.

However, it is realistically challenging for automakers to completely avoid using any Chinese components, even if they are minor, Lee said. For this reason, the two home-grown automakers should appeal more to the U.S. authority that their connected vehicles are free from any data leak risks by proving that critical components are sourced in Korea and other safe regions.

Other experts urged the government and automakers to expand their lobbying activities in the U.S., so they can map out more concrete countermeasures against the upcoming regulatory hurdle there.

The automakers need to beef up their lobbying actitivies and gain a clearer understanding of the regulatory direction from the U.S., Kim Pil-soo, an automotive technology professor at Daelim University College, said.

This will help them set up a specific Plan B or even Plan C, according to the professor.

Leaving diverse scenarios open is a must, as the U.S. authority has not shared any concrete regulatory direction, even on what exactly the regulated connected vehicles are, Kim said.

From the viewpoint of Korean automakers, the regulatory action by the U.S. can be widely seen as a political gesture in its power struggle with China. But as of now, there is no clear breakthrough or solution to this situation, according to the professor.

Hyundai Motor Group may have to leave all possibilities open, he said. They have no clear strategies to take, other than expanding the lobbying activities for swift decision-making to the upcoming regulation.

Last month, the Korean government and a local automobile association conveyed their concerns about the U.S. regulation to the U.S. authorities. They requested clarification on the scope of connected vehicles that would be subject to the regulation.
Jim Carrey has proven time and again that hes an extremely committed actor, whether it means undergoing disfiguring dental surgery, or deciding to act like an asshole 24/7 because thats what the ghost of Andy Kaufman demanded. One time he even drastically altered his body for a movie that he never actually appeared in.

The Farrelly Brothers 2012 reboot of The Three Stooges starred three actors who werent actually the Three Stooges: Chris Diamantopoulos, Sean Hayes and Will Sasso played Moe, Larry and Curly respectively. Also Larry David was cast as a cranky nun for some reason.

Deciding which actors should revive The Three Stooges for modern audiences was a long, surprisingly unhinged process. At one point, Phil Hartman was trying to get a Stooges movie made. I told my agent, I gotta be Moe! Just throw a Beatle wig on me and I am Moe! Hartman revealed to an interviewer in 1996. For the other roles, he suggested Jon Lovitz for Larry and Chris Farley for Curly.

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When the Farrelly Brothers became attached to the project years later, their initial choices to play the iconic trio were Benicio del Toro as Moe, Sean Penn as Larry and Jim Carrey as Curly.

Obviously del Toro and Penn arent generally known as comedic actors. Sure, Penn got his big break playing Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but that hardly seems like a rock solid qualification to play one of the most famous slapstick comedians in pop-culture history. Not to mention the fact that he seems to be an unrelentingly humorless stick-in-the-mud in real life.

As for Carrey, he reportedly gained more than 40 pounds to play the ample Curly, but then randomly dropped out. We never heard from him, Peter Farrelly told The Los Angeles Times. When asked if Carrey had even bothered to give the directors a call letting them know that he wouldnt be playing Curly after all, Farrelly responded: Now that would have been nice.

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Carrey later clarified to MTV that he quit the film out of concerns for his health. I dont really want to do anything halfway, Carrey explained, and I dont feel like a fat suit does it. In addition to the 40 pounds hed already packed on, Carrey felt that he would still need to gain an additional 30 to 40 pounds to properly play Curly.

When youre De Niro in your 20s or early 30s, you can kind of come back from that, Carrey reasoned. Its a tough thing to come back from when youre upwards of 30. Your body cant carry it, or you can have a cardiac arrest.

Carrey had other concerns too: Put that with Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro slapping me in the head all day long, and someone will lose an eye. It wont be good.

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Penn also pulled out of The Three Stooges, claiming that he wanted to concentrate on his charitable efforts in Haiti. Moving in a new direction, the Farrellys then considered casting Andy Samberg as Larry and Johnny Knoxville as Moe because hes a real-life stooge.

Despite this exhaustive search, from all accounts, the Farrellys never once considered just casting the Full House guys.

You (yes, you) should follow JM on Twitter (if it still exists by the time youre reading this).
Think you know everything there is to know about Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons? Sure, you may brag to your friends that he earned his master's degree in folklore and mythology by translating The Lord of the Rings into Klingon. You may know that he was once married (well, in a role-playing game). You might even know his given name is Jeff Albertson, as he admitted in the Homer and Neds Hail Mary Pass episode.

You might even be among the many fans who have insisted to Simpsons creator Matt Groening that they know the real-life Comic Book Guy. I cant tell you how many times people have come up to me and said, I know who you based that comic book guy on. Its that comic-book guy right down the block, Groening told TV Guide. And I have to tell them, No, its every comic book store guy in America.

But no one outside of The Simpsons writers room seems to know the real person on whom Comic Book Guy is based. That is, until now.

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TV writer Eva Anderson showed up on the latest episode of the Talking Simpsons podcast to talk to hosts Bob Mackey and Henry Gilbert about the Last Exit to Springfield episode. Along the way, she dropped a mint-condition nugget about Comic Book Guys real-world inspiration.

According to Anderson, someone named John Brian King is the man behind the animation. I met him a few times, and he worked at a book store, explained Anderson. He has a website and stuff, but he was the one who was eating fried clams when the Simpsons writers came over to the store.

Uproxx connected more dots, noting that Simpsons scribe George Meyer once revealed that Comic Book Guy was inspired by an employee at the Amok bookstore in Los Angeles, sitting on the high stool, kind of lording over the store with that supercilious attitude and eating behind the counter a big Styrofoam container full of fried clams with a lot of tarter sauce.

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John Brian King may indeed be the muse that inspired Meyer and other Simpsons writers, but hes decidedly cooler and more accomplished than the Cheeto-stained Comic Book Guy. Anderson calls him a very funny, sarcastic guy. Hes also a title designer. He did the titles for (Paul Thomas Andersons) Punch Drunk Love.

Anderson met King in her early 20s. I was a receptionist for his wife, who was a famous music supervisor, she said. But we all went to dinner together. When you meet this guy, theres no question that hes the entire Comic Book Guy model.

Best Talking Simpsons episode ever.
Of all the Charlie Kelly quotes that could apply to NASAs next mission, Im a little disappointed that theyre not giving serious thought to his theories on stars.

Next year, the space agencys Artemis program is scheduled to send its first crewed mission into space with Artemis 2, in which four astronauts will perform a flyby of the moon, circling it and returning to Earth in the first American space mission outside of low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 all the way back in 1972. The goal of the Artemis program is to later make the first lunar landing since Apollo 17 and, eventually, establish a permanent base on the moon in order to facilitate future human missions to Mars.

As the brave astronauts of the Artemis program continue to train in preparation for their outer space exploration, they would be wise to heed the wisdom of Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia  after all, science is a liar sometimes.

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Earlier this week, the official NASA Artemis Instagram page posted a picture of astronauts Kate Rubins and Andre Douglas as they practiced planting the American flag in full space suits, and, as is fitting for the courageous scientists and explorers looking to recreate an iconic moment in American history, they borrowed a beautiful piece of prose from one of our countrys greatest poets and patriots: Rock, flag and eagle.

Now that we know NASA is full of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia fans, we have some questions. First, was the name for this program chosen to honor somebody who wanted to blast nips as much as NASA wants to blast off? Also, with their access to top-secret government technologies, are any of these stupid science bitches able to make Charlie more smarter? And, finally, we just have to inquire about the selection process for the crew of these missions and wonder why the field of candidates seemingly skipped over talent from Philadelphia.

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Both the upcoming Artemis 2 and, later, the Artemis 3 landing mission will be manned by crews of four astronauts, but, really, why couldn't they make room for a fifth? Charlie and Frank already share a bed, Id bet theyd be able to split a space suit.
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U.S. to provide additional 2 bln USD in military aid for Ukraine

Xinhua) 10:53, May 16, 2024

KIEV, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday that his country will provide an additional 2 billion U.S. dollars in military aid for Ukraine, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

The funding will be directed toward providing weapons for Ukraine in the near future, Blinken said at the press conference in Kiev with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Besides, the money will be used for purchasing weapons and investing in Ukraine's military-industrial sector, Blinken said.

Though the U.S. is committed to helping Ukraine in the conflict with Russia, it "has not encouraged or enabled strikes" outside of Ukraine, Blinken said.

"Ukraine has to make its own decisions about how to wage war," he was cited as saying by the Ukrinform news agency.

Last month, the U.S. approved a long-delayed support package for Ukraine worth about 61 billion U.S. dollars. The package includes 49.9 billion dollars for military assistance, according to the Ukrainian government.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico was in "very serious" but stable condition on Thursday, a hospital official said, after he was shot five times in an assassination attempt that laid bare deep political divisions in the country.

Slovakia will convene a state security council meeting and the cabinet will also meet from 11:00 a.m. (local time) on Thursday, the government office said.

Miriam Lapunikova, director of the F.D. Roosevelt University Hospital in Banska Bystrica where Fico is admitted, said the prime minister had undergone five hours of surgery with two teams to treat multiple gunshot wounds.

"At this point his condition is stabilized but is truly very serious, he will be in the intensive care unit," she told reporters.

Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak said doctors had managed to stabilize Fico's condition overnight, and procedures were underway to secure further improvement.

"Unfortunately, the condition continues to be very serious due to the complicated nature of the wounds, but we all want to believe firmly that we will succeed in managing the situation," he said.

The shooting was the first major assassination attempt on a European political leader for more than 20 years, and spurred international condemnation, with political analysts and lawmakers saying it was indicative of an increasingly febrile and polarized political climate across the continent.

The gunman shot Fico, 59, during a visit to the central Slovak town of Handlova, initially leaving the prime minister in critical condition and undergoing surgery hours later on Wednesday.

Slovak news media reported the 71-year-old male shooter was a former security guard at a shopping mall, an author of three collections of poetry and a member of the Slovak Society of Writers. News outlet Aktuality.sk cited his son as saying his father was the legal holder of a gun license.

The incident also raised questions over Fico's security arrangements, as the attacker managed to fire five shots at point blank range despite the prime minister being accompanied by several bodyguards.

In an undated video posted on Facebook, the alleged attacker was seen saying: "I do not agree with government policy."

"Liquidated mass media. Why is RTVS (public broadcaster) being attacked? Why are people... Mazak, why has he been kicked out of his post," he continued, in reference to Jan Mazak who had been removed as chairman of a state judicial council.

Reuters verified the person in the video matched images of the man arrested after Fico's shooting.

'Politically motivated'

Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok told a news conference on Wednesday that the attack was "politically motivated."

Fico and his government coalition allies have criticized sections of the media and the opposition, saying they had inflamed tensions in the central European state.

Slovakia's biggest opposition party, the liberal, pro-western Progressive Slovakia, called off a planned protest and called for restraint to avoid escalating tensions.

The country of 5.4 million has seen polarized political debate in recent years, including a hard-fought presidential election last month that helped tighten Fico's grip on power after his ally Peter Pellegrini won.

Since returning for the fourth time as prime minister last October, Fico has shifted policy quickly in what opposition critics said was a power grab threatening the rule of law.

His government has scaled back support for Ukraine while opening dialogue with Russia, sought to weaken punishments for corruption and dismantled a special prosecutor's office dealing with high corruption, and proposing to revamp the RTVS public broadcaster despite calls to protect media freedom.

Fico has long been critical of Slovakia's mainstream media, refusing to speak to some outlets. Members of his party blasted media and opposition actions in recent months.

In Germany, which has recently seen a spate of attacks on politicians, Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed shock on Wednesday, saying that violence had no place in European politics. (Reuters)




France imposed an emergency Wednesday (local time) in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia for at least 12 days, boosting security forces powers to quell deadly unrest in the archipelago where indigenous people have long sought independence.

Armed clashes and other violence that erupted Monday following protests over voting reforms have left four people dead, including a gendarme, and injured more than 300, French authorities said.

French military forces were being deployed to protect ports and airports, to free up police and security forces battling looting, arson and other violence, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced as the emergency measures kicked in at 8 p.m. Paris time, which was 5 a.m. Thursday in New Caledonia.

Nothing can ever justify violence, Attal said. Our absolute priority for the next few hours is the return to order and calm.

The emergency measures give authorities greater powers to tackle the violence, including the possibility of house detention for people deemed a threat to public order and expanded powers to conduct searches, seize weapons and restrict movements, with possible jail time for violators. The last time France imposed such measures on one of its overseas territories was in 1985, also in New Caledonia, the Interior Ministry said.

France's government also rushed hundreds of police reinforcements to the island, where pro-independence supporters have long pushed to break free from France. The Interior Ministry said 500 additional officers were expected within hours on the archipelago to bolster 1,800 police and gendarmes already there.

There have been more than 130 arrests so far, French authorities said.

Speaking to broadcaster France Info on Wednesday, Anne Clement, a resident of the capital, Noumea, hailed security forces reinforcements because the unrest has morphed into a real urban guerrilla war.

People have been confined to their homes for two days, terrified by shooting from all sides, Clement, a nursery director, told the French broadcaster. Weve stopped eating, weve stopped living, weve stopped sleeping, she added.

I dont see how we could get out of the situation without the state of emergency, she said.

There have been decades of tensions on the archipelago between Indigenous Kanaks seeking independence and descendants of colonizers who want to remain part of France.

After a two-hour security meeting Wednesday with French President Emmanuel Macron and top ministers, Attal told parliament in Paris that the state of emergency would aim to restore order in the shortest time possible.

This weeks unrest erupted as the French legislature in Paris debated amending the French constitution to make changes to voter lists in New Caledonia. The National Assembly on Wednesday approved a bill that will, among other changes, allow residents who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years to cast ballots in provincial elections.

Opponents say the measure will benefit pro-France politicians in New Caledonia and further marginalize indigenous Kanak people. They once suffered from strict segregation policies and widespread discrimination. The vast archipelago of about 270,000 people east of Australia is 10 time zones ahead of Paris.

From Macron down, France's government made repeated calls for an end to the violence.

The territorys top French official, High Commissioner Louis Le Franc, warned of the possibility of many deaths if calm isn't restored. A police station was among dozens of places that were attacked, with shots fired, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said. Posting on X, he said a gendarme who had been shot was among the dead.

In Paris, Macron emphasized the need for political dialogue. Rival political parties in New Caledonia also jointly called for calm, saying in a statement: We have to continue to live together.

An overnight curfew in New Caledonia was extended to Thursday. Schools and the main airport remained closed, Le Franc said.

The situation is not serious, it is very serious," Le Franc said. We have entered a dangerous spiral, a deadly spiral.

He said some residents in the capital and neighboring municipalities formed self-defense groups to protect their homes and businesses.

New Caledonia became French in 1853 under Emperor Napoleon III, Napoleons nephew and heir. It became an overseas territory after World War II, with French citizenship granted to all Kanaks in 1957.

A peace deal between rival factions was reached in 1988. A decade later, France promised to grant New Caledonia political power and broad autonomy and hold up to three successive referendums.

The three referendums were organized between 2018 and 2021 and a majority of voters chose to remain part of France instead of backing independence. The pro-independence Kanak people rejected the results of the last referendum in 2021, which they boycotted because it was held at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP)
For many months Sir Keir Starmer has religiously followed the Tony Blair playbook. Say what you like about him, the Labour leader has made a pretty good job of it.

Just as in the years running up to the 1997 election Blair presented himself as a moderate who wouldn't rattle the teacups, so Sir Keir has painstakingly constructed an image of himself as unthreatening and trustworthy.

The Corbynites have been purged or ignored. A 28 billion splurge on green investment has been savagely pruned. There's little talk of tax rises, apart from putting VAT on private school fees.

Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves has indicated that a Labour government would stick to Tory spending plans, at least in the short term.

Only last month, Sir Keir sought to reassure readers of this newspaper with a trenchant article promising that the nuclear deterrent, and indeed the entire Armed Forces, would be safe in his hands.

For many months Sir Keir Starmer has religiously followed the Tony Blair playbook. Say what you like about him, the Labour leader has made a pretty good job of it

Ten of thousand of striking teachers are joined by workers from other striking trade unions as they march from Hyde Park towards Trafalgar square on March 15, 2023

Admittedly there's an absence of detail in much of Sir Keir's offering, leading the sceptical among us to wonder about the draconian policies he might have up his sleeve. Nonetheless, he has striven with considerable success to put centre ground voters at their ease, and even to tempt traditional Tories to defect.

That is, until Tuesday, when Sir Keir's carefully contrived concoction of policies collapsed like an overcooked souffle. The Labour leader ran up against the reality of Left-leaning trade unions, and the forthright views of his deputy, Angela Rayner.

Sir Keir has effectively caved into the brothers. They had been disturbed by media stories of the Labour leader and Rachel Reeves lunching with City and business panjandrums, and getting rather too pally over the fine claret and passion fruit pavlova.

In particular, trade unionists were alarmed by stories that these devious capitalists had managed to persuade the Labour duo to water down plans to boost workers' rights.

Last September, Angela Rayner (who is a former union official) set the Trade Union Congress in Liverpool alight with talk of Labour's 'New Deal for Working People'.

Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves (pictured) has indicated that a Labour government would stick to Tory spending plans, at least in the short term

She pledged to scrap recent anti-strike laws and introduce new workers' rights within 100 days of taking office, as well as making it easier for union representatives to recruit members. The living wage would rise, zero-hours contracts would be banned, and employees would enjoy a range of rights from their first day in a job.

Fears among trade unionists that these reforms would be diluted have been allayed. It's true that the commitment to sign them into law in 100 days has become a looser undertaking to publish draft legislation within that period, followed by a detailed consultation.

But most of Ms Rayner's New Deal survives intact. Zero-hours contracts will be banned. Staff will have more protection against dismissal from day one. Sick pay will increase. Recent trade union laws introduced by the Tories will be repealed.

In short, the supposedly business-friendly Labour leader hasn't been softened up by those grand lunches after all. He has capitulated, and given the trade unions what they want. Business, and so the economy, will inevitably pay.

Why has Sir Keir rolled over? Partly because he doesn't want to take on his loquacious deputy, even though she has surely been politically weakened by the unedifying controversy over the sale of her council house.

A deeper reason is that he doesn't want to risk offending the trade unions, who remain Labour's reliable paymasters. At the 2019 general election, the party registered donations of 5.4 million, of which just over 5 million came from unions. It is true that, as Labour has appeared increasingly sympathetic to business, so it has raised much more from rich individuals and companies. Last year it received 13 million from such sources, including a donation of 4.5 million from a mega-rich South African businessman, Gary Lubner.

The Labour leader ran up against the reality of Left-leaning trade unions, and the forthright views of his deputy, Angela Rayner

Nonetheless, the trade unions can be counted on to reach into their pockets. They mustn't be slighted.

More than this, we must consider the possibility  no, the probability  that Sir Keir Starmer, for all his calculated efforts to come across as Mr Moderate, wants the trade unions to have more sway.

Under a Labour government, we would probably return to that benighted era of 'beer and sandwiches' when obstreperous trade unions cut deals with Labour governments in No 10 in what were in those days smoke-filled rooms.

Is this what the British people want? The trade unions may offer vital financial support to the Labour Party, and they may agree with Sir Keir Starmer on all manner of things, but they are no longer remotely representative of all workers.

In 2022, some 6.25 million people were members of trade unions, which amounts to about 22.3 per cent of the work force. Why should organisations that represent only just over a fifth of workers be allowed to dictate labour practices for the whole country?

For example, the unions have argued vehemently, and successfully, against zero-hours contracts. But these arrangements suit many thousands of workers in the so-called 'gig economy'. The unions' thinking is stuck in the 1970s.

Offering staff more protection against dismissal from their first day at work, and boosting sick pay, is bound to increase business costs. If they pay more, so will consumers.

Worst of all is the prospect of unrepresentative trade unions being given a central place by a Labour government in wage-bargaining. Those who can remember the chaos and strife of the 1970s will shudder.

The success of the economy since the advent of Margaret Thatcher  even if it may have recently stuttered  has been largely attributable to her taming the rapacious unions. That settlement is now threatened.

Despite Sir Keir's best efforts, the truth will sometimes break through. Tuesday's deal with the unions was just such an occasion. No one can pretend that we haven't been warned

We know that Sir Keir has travelled in a remarkably short space of time from being a close ally and self-proclaimed 'friend' of the Hard Left Jeremy Corbyn to being a seemingly moderate, Blairite sort of politician

Some in business may say that Sir Keir is simply sweet-talking the trade unions, and has no intention either of enacting Angela Rayner's New Deal or of according the unions a central role. He will do what Tony Blair did for the most part, which was to honour the Thatcherite settlement.

But anyone who chooses to believe this is taking a huge risk. When politicians declare that they intend to do something, it's wise to suppose that they mean what they say. The message of Tuesday's meeting is that, if Sir Keir Starmer becomes Prime Minister, business will be loaded with extra costs, and the trade unions will become more powerful.

We know that Sir Keir has travelled in a remarkably short space of time from being a close ally and self-proclaimed 'friend' of the Hard Left Jeremy Corbyn to being a seemingly moderate, Blairite sort of politician.

You can choose to marvel that it is possible for someone to change so profoundly and so quickly, and give thanks. Or you can wonder whether the transformation is entirely genuine, and question the carefully contrived image the Labour leader has created.

Despite Sir Keir's best efforts, the truth will sometimes break through. Tuesday's deal with the unions was just such an occasion. No one can pretend that we haven't been warned.
This newspaper has serious concerns about the proposed 3.5billion takeover of the Royal Mail by a shadowy Czech billionaire.

Everyone accepts the postal service is in desperate financial trouble. Letter writing is in steep decline and the unions have obstructed all efforts at modernisation.

But selling a business which has been a cornerstone of our society for centuries into foreign hands is hardly in the country's best interests. We all rely on the Royal Mail for critical correspondence.

In an age of online fraud, letters are the most secure way for Whitehall, the NHS, legal firms and companies to communicate.

We are told that Daniel Kretinsky has made solemn commitments, including to maintain the universal service obligation, which ensures a letter posted to any address costs the same.

Czech businessman Daniel Kretinsky poses during a photo session on January 22, 2020

But we know from previous deals such promises have been cynically broken before the ink is dry.

If the Royal Mail deal is allowed to go through, it will be just the latest in a string of important national assets  from ports to water and energy firms  in which control has been surrendered to the highest foreign bidder.

It is not too late for Rishi Sunak to step in to block the deal. Yes, free markets are hugely important. But some institutions are too precious to be sold abroad.

Sex education sense

Wherever you stand on the question, sex education is important. It is good children are equipped with knowledge that will prepare them for adolescence and adulthood.

But pupils are being taught using material that is wildly inappropriate, including information about extreme sex acts and the fantasy that there is a galaxy of genders.

Part of the problem is that without clear instructions from ministers about the lessons, schools turned to pressure groups such as Stonewall to provide it.

So it is welcome Mr Sunak is now nipping this in the bud. He will limit sex education to pupils aged over nine, ban pernicious gender ideology from classrooms, and oblige schools to show parents what is being taught.

Predictably, the unions are moaning that the Government is politicising our children. What rot. That's what Left-wing teachers and their unions have been doing for years.

Parents want an age-appropriate curriculum. They don't appreciate their children being bombarded with explicit sexual messages and trans dogma supplanting fact-based education.

A first in racism

Students who attend Oxford University are supposedly the most brilliant minds of their generation. Yet too many are revealing themselves to be Neanderthal racists.

Their protests calling for peace in Gaza have transformed into appalling abuse against Jewish students and professors.

Students at a pro-Palestine protest at Oxford University hold up a list of demands. Calls for peace in Gaza have transformed into abuse against Jewish students and staff

A dossier handed to the vice-chancellor details at least 70 incidents of anti-Semitism since the war began last October.

The institution has been disgracefully slow to act. Students who spew racist sentiments should be expelled from their courses.

Universities are meant to be tolerant, enlightened places  not crucibles of hate.

Tony Blair has made an art form of being on the wrong side of almost every political argument. Yet even a stopped clock will be right twice a day.

And so it is with the ex-prime minister's warning about Britain's insane rush to net zero. Our politicians should listen to his pragmatic intervention.

We can all do our bit to tackle climate change, but common sense must prevail.
Like many others, I was horrified to hear reports of disturbing and frankly dangerous ideology being peddled in our classrooms last year.

Even worse, many parents were being refused access to the materials used to teach their children about complex and sensitive issues.

As I said at the time, this is completely unacceptable.

As a dad to two young girls myself, I know being a parent is the most important job in the world.

We live to protect our children and to make sure they grow up happy and healthy, free from contested ideology that could potentially harm them.

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (L), his wife Akshata Murty (R), and their daughters Krishna Sunak (Second L) and Anoushka Sunak (Second R)

Like many others, I was horrified to hear reports of disturbing and frankly dangerous ideology being peddled in our classrooms last year, writes RISHI SUNAK (Stock image)

Thats why I ordered a review into the teaching of Relationships, Sex and Health Education in our schools.

Today we are publishing updated guidance, taking a common sense approach which will make clear that under no circumstances should parents be blocked from seeing the content taught in their own childrens lessons.

It will also back our teachers with clarity about what should be taught and when.

It should not be controversial to teach our children that biological sex is a fact, and schools should not use any materials that present contested views of gender identity as fact.

Nor should it be contentious to prevent adult content being taught at an age when children are simply too young to understand it.

At its heart, this updated guidance will make sure children have full capacity to understand everything they are being taught  balancing the need to prepare them for adulthood at the right time while protecting the magic of childhood.
There are few institutions more quintessentially British than Royal Mail. The King's head adorns its stamps, its red pillar boxes  embossed with the insignias of monarchs down the years  dot our street corners.

The very notion that this organisation, with a heritage dating back to 1516, might be sold off to a shadowy Czech billionaire may once have seemed ludicrous.

Yet that is what is now about to happen.

Royal Mail chairman Keith Williams and his board have rolled over in the face of a 3.5 billion bid from Daniel Kretinsky, a man so pathologically low-profile he is known as The Czech Sphinx.

The embarrassing speed with which Williams, a former boss of British Airways, agreed to the deal amounts to a recognition that the current management hasn't a clue how to guide the group through a revolution in the postal delivery market.

The very notion that Royal Mail, with a heritage dating back to 1516, might be sold off to a shadowy Czech billionaire, may once have seen ludicrous, writes ALEX BRUMMER

It's as if we've learned nothing from our disastrous record of selling public utilities  such as Thames Water, Heathrow and the railways  to foreign and private ownership.

With no UK stakeholders to hold them to account, new owners rarely act in the public interest. Debt financing is ramped up, dividends and interest payments flow overseas and the unfortunate consumer is left to carry the can.

There is no doubt Royal Mail is a troubled business. Letter-delivery volumes have dropped precipitously from 20 billion a year to seven billion and are forecast to fall to four billion within a couple of years.

As successive chief executives have wrestled with this decline and the obligation to preserve the 'universal postal service'  the right of everyone to have letters delivered to their door  their efforts to rationalise Royal Mail's bloated operations and modernise its practices have been obstructed by the Communications Workers Union.

Williams blames its huge financial losses and the loss of confidence in its services on the Government's failure to support long-advocated reforms. It is extraordinary, however, that  at the very moment the regulator Ofcom has come up with a series of changes designed to restore profitability and meet the new circumstances  the board should have given up the ghost.

Since its inception, the services offered by Royal Mail have been critical to Whitehall, the public and the NHS.

Letters are the only safe way for HMRC to communicate with taxpayers in an age when consumers have never been more vulnerable to hackers and scammers.

Rishi Sunak (pictured) must make it immediately clear that Royal Mail and the King's head are not for sale at any price, writes ALEX BRUMMER

Before agreeing to the sale, Royal Mail claims to have got undertakings that the universal postal service and agreements with the CWU and other unions will be honoured.

But pledges made in the heat of takeover battles too often turn out not to be worth the paper they are written on.

There are also fears Mr Kretinsky and his team are less interested in Royal Mail itself than the group's highly profitable European logistics and parcel delivery company GLS, based in the Netherlands.

No other government in the world would allow its postal service to fall into the hands of such a mysterious foreign buyer.

Rishi Sunak should make it clear immediately that the Royal Mail and the King's head is not for sale at any price.
Matt was 38 years old and still a virgin when he found love with Maria, 28, on a dating app. Sarah, also 38, felt her chances of having a family were slipping away until she fell for Jgoy, 27, after spotting his photo on Instagram. And 17-year-old Jay met his long-term girlfriend Veena, 26, in an online Game Of Thrones role-play group.

Heartwarming stories yes, but theres a catch. Although all of these people have fallen head over heels for each other, none of the couples has actually met.

Their relationships are so long-distance that theyve not yet been able to kiss or even hold hands. Matt, Sarah and Jay are based here in Britain, while Maria and Jgoy live in the Philippines and Veena is in India.

They are just some of the couples in The Nevermets, Channel 4s new six-part series narrated by Dawn French that explores the growing trend of online relationships.

Cameras follow the Brits as they travel to meet their partners for the very first time, and discover if their romance will survive a face-to-face meeting.

Matt, from the UK, and Maria, from the Philippines (pictured), met on Tinder two years and eight months ago

The trend started around 2020, when Tinder launched global mode, says the shows executive producer Melissa Brown.

It meant rather than just look for someone within a three-mile radius, you could search around the world. Tinder said it was in response to demands from Gen Z daters. Generation Z encompasses those born between the late 1990s and the early Noughties.

Its ironic that Matt, a factory supervisor from Warrington, Cheshire, whod never travelled further than Manchester before, fell in love with a Filipina woman.

Maria is his first girlfriend. I was very shy, very quiet, not good at speaking to girls, obviously, says Matt, 38, who lives with his parents. I thought chatting to women online would be easier first, before meeting them.

He forgot to set geographical limits on his dating app that wouldve restricted him to people close to home, and when Maria popped up on his screen the two started chatting.

She was just so genuine, and because I was so shy she seemed to accept me, says Matt. I saw that I could develop myself and become more confident through this.

Matt and Maria spent all their free time together on video chat, often keeping the camera rolling while sleeping. Two years and eight months on, Matts flying to the Philippines to meet Maria with an engagement ring in his pocket.

Their online relationship is typical of many. They know what the other had for breakfast, what time they went to sleep, says Emily Smith, creative director at production company Wall To Wall.

Pictured: Brit Jay, 17, met his long-term girlfriend Veena, 26, who lives in India, in an online Game Of Thrones role-play group

Sarah, a catering assistant from Berkshire, had been dating Filipino Jgoy, a 27-year-old digital worker, for two-and-a-half years online, but when they meet in Jgoy's home country she doesn't feel any chemistry

Its like they know each other better than people dating someone a few Tube stops away. But for some, whether to meet or not was a big question because it might change their relationship.

When they do meet, the scenes are often very moving. Maria flings herself at Matt as he gets off the bus in her hometown.

When I first saw him I was stuck for a second because hes so tall and handsome and Im small, explains Maria. I was crying tears of joy when I hugged him. On that day I knew he was the one for me.

Other meetings are less successful. Sarah, a catering assistant from Berkshire, had been dating Jgoy, a 27-year-old digital worker, for two-and-a-half years online. But when they meet in the Philippines she doesnt feel any chemistry. Im not really enjoying it, she says. He seems to be different in real life.

Hed never moved out of his parents house, never travelled  yet he did all this in one week. I felt hes the one - VEENA

Experiencing a foreign culture can further strain a relationship. When Jay flies from Somerset to Kerala, India, hes welcomed by Veenas entire extended family, whose expectations that the pair will marry pile even more pressure on the teen. But it only deepened Veenas love for Jay.

Hed never moved out of his parents house, hed never travelled, yet he did all this in one week, she says. Thats when I felt, Hes the one.

The couples are committed and their stories treated with respect. We had a duty of care thats watertight, says Melissa Brown. We got Jays parents on board. And because Jay is under Indias legal age of consent, which is 18, he and Veena were not allowed to explore the physical side of their relationship when they met.

Whether these relationships flourish or fizzle out remains to be seen. But for Matt at least, meeting Maria has jolted him out of his comfort zone.

I feel like Ive woken up and I want to change my situation, he says. But if that hadnt happened I wouldnt have met Maria. Everything has brought me to this point.

The Nevermets, Friday, 10pm, Ch4.
A private investigator has shared just how easy it is for someone to find out your private details, and what to do to protect yourself.

Josh Witte, from Utah, first got into the investigation business after taking on an internship, learning about financial intelligence and money laundering operations.

Once the work experience was done, the 26-year-old decided to start his own PI firm and is taking to social media to share his tips and tricks with others.

Now, he has shared how easy it is to uncover private information and what investigators look for to find your personal details.

'Private investigators love to track usernames and emails that you reuse across multiple platforms,' Josh said.

Josh Witte, from Utah , US, has shared just how easy it is for someone to find out your private details, and what to do to protect yourself

'We also watch for traffic tickets or other simple citations that are public that might tell us where you have been recently.'

And you're even being watched when you buy a house, he added:

'When you buy real estate, we are looking for titles and deeds online to see if you own the house or live there or both,' the sleuth explained.

'We use corporate and LLC records to trace funds when people are trying to hide their assets behind a business name.'

And of course, PI's can also find you through social media.

'We regularly check social media profiles and we know you might have two profiles to confuse people looking for you,' he said.

'So I also track with the social media profiles of your older family members, who are less likely to use privacy controls.

'If you register your email or phone number with a social media platform, it often makes it much easier to find your accounts. But, Josh has shared what you can now do to protect yourself.

He said: 'It can be really hard to make sure you cover all of your tracks. But making sure to keep track of your privacy settings and to be conscientious of your public profile will make an impact on how easy you are to find.

Josh first got into the investigation business after taking on an internship, learning about financial intelligence and money laundering operations

Josh's shared a snap of the surveillance equipment that he uses in his Private Investigator job

Josh, who has clients across Canada, the UK, Australia and Europe, says avoid 'getting in trouble' so there are no court records with information about you

'It's also important to make sure you avoid getting in trouble. Court records and news releases are public in most places. Keep your head down. Don't bring attention to yourself.'

Josh, who has clients across Canada, the UK, Australia and Europe, also recommends avoiding sharing other information where possible.

He said: 'Private investigators don't have to tell you the truth. They are usually able to lie to get information, with some restrictions.

'Remember anything you file with the government might be obtainable by a PI, depending on the circumstances.

'And that everything you do on the internet leaves a footprint for someone to follow to track you down. It's important to be wise and keep your information safe.'
A nuclear war expert who claims we are getting closer to atomic warfare says it would take 72 minutes to wipe out five billion people if the worst comes to pass.

Investigative journalist Annie Jacobsen, from Connecticut, who is a New York Times bestselling author, and a 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist, joined Steven Bartlett on The Diary of a CEO podcast just how close we are to nuclear war.

Since she started writing her book Nuclear War: A Scenario, in 2020 she said: 'The geopolitical temperature of the world has escalated to a point that you have not seen in your lifetime and I haven't seen in my lifetime.'

In the month that her book was published Russian president Putin moved nuclear weapons into Belarus, claiming it is a precautionary measure for 'anyone thinking of inflicting a strategic defeat' on Russia.

Annie said: 'If a nuclear exchange happens - and we're talking strategic ballistic missiles - it will not stop until the world ends and we are talking about in seconds and minutes not in days and weeks and months.'

Nuclear war expert Annie Jacobsen, from Connecticut , US, revealed we are getting closer to atomic warfare on The Diary of a CEO podcast

Annie, who interviewed former secretaries of defense, a former nuclear sub Commander and a former cyber Chief, revealed they all said that 'the nuclear threat is always there.'

She said: During the previous administration, former president Trump, there was this presidential rhetoric going on, you may recall - fire and fury Trump and the leader of North Korea threatening this kind of thing. And like many I'm sure began to wonder, "My God what if deterrence, another word for prevention, fails?" and that is the question that I put to all of those sources in the book.'

The investigative journalist went on to explain that the president of the United States has 'sole presidential authority to launch a nuclear weapon.'

She said: 'What does that mean? It's exactly like it sounds, it's "solo presidential". He's the POTUS authority. He doesn't have to ask anyone for permission not the SEF, not the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, not the Congress.'

Explaining why this power would be given to just one person, she explained: 'It has to do with the ticking clock of it.'

'An ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) travels from one continent to the next in roughly 30 minutes carrying a nuclear warhead to strike a target.

'There are only 30 minutes, this isn't like, "Hey guys should we go have a war in Iraq. Let's discuss this, let's debate", this is: "There is a ballistic missile sir coming at the United States and you must act" and that's why, in the simplest layman's terms, sole presidential authority exists.'

Annie, who is a New York Times bestselling author, and a 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist, joined Steven Bartlett (pictured) on The Diary of a CEO podcast just how close we are to nuclear war

Since she started writing her book Nuclear War: A Scenario, in 2020 she said: 'The geopolitical temperature of the world has escalated to a point that you have not seen in your lifetime and I haven't seen in my lifetime'

Annie revealed she wanted to write the book because people have become complacent about the threat of Nuclear Wa,r and some may not even know what that would mean to their lives.

She said: 'I wanted to show in horrific detail just how horrible, just how apocalyptic nuclear war will be because I think many people have forgotten, or don't know to begin with, the consequences of a nuclear exchange.'

Annie sourced information from defense department documents and defense scientists to be able to determine precisely what happens during a nuclear attack.

She said: 'On top of the initial flash of thermonuclear light, which is 180 million degrees, which catches everything on fire in a nine mile diameter radius; on top of the bulldozing effect of the wind and all the buildings coming down and more fires igniting on top of the radiation poisoning people to death in minutes and hours and days and weeks, if they happen to have survived, on top of all of that, each one of these fires creates a mega fire that is 100 or more square miles and so.'

The author said if the world went into nuclear war you would 'want to die instantly' because 'there is no more law and order.'

She said: 'There's a quote from Nikita Khrushchev, the first secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, he said: '"After nuclear war the survivors would envy the dead".

'Who's left? It's man returning to the most primal, most violent state as people fight over the tiny resources that remain, and by the way they're all malnourished, everybody's sick and most people have lost everything and everyone they know. How's that going to feel?'

Elsewhere Annie revealed North Korea has launched more than 100 ballistic missiles in an 18-month period from 2022. Although they were tests she said other nations inform each other when they're going to test so it doesn't cause anxiety and confusion.

She said: 'North Korea doesn't adhere to that. All of that command and control is focused on, "Is this coming at us?". North Korea don't announce those tests and so imagine the anxiety in those command bunkers every time they launch a ballistic missile.

'This is so dangerous and so rogue. On one hand I say there are no rules to nuclear war, but there are a few nuclear rules to nuclear deterrence, like you tell neighbours.'

If nuclear war did break out Annie said the safest place to be would be in Australia or New Zealand because of the agricultural resources.

She said: 'Agriculture would fail and when agriculture fails people just die and on top of that you have the radiation poisoning because the ozone layer will be so damaged and destroyed that you can't be outside in the sunlight and so people will be forced to live underground - fighting for food everywhere except in New Zealand and Australia.'
When Kim Kardashian and Olivia Rodrigo are spotted sipping on any given beverage, its boom in popularity is somewhat inevitable.

And thanks to these celebrity endorsements, drinking a pint of Guinness in the local pub has become Generation Z's latest status symbol.

Although the Irish stout has long been an essential offering in pubs across the UK, sales have boomed 24 per cent in the first six months of the financial year, according to the Irish Times.

But the increase in sales has rubbed some the wrong way - with critics claiming that Gen Z have made liking Guinness a 'personality trait'.

Elsewhere, others desperate to get in on the Guinness buzz have recorded themselves pretending to like the drink or having it so regularly that they become 'desensitised' to the taste.

UK-based Alanna Beattie (pictured) has attempted to get in on the Gen Z Guinness craze, despite not liking the taste. In doing so, she is trying a sip of her boyfriend's pint every time until she likes it

Earlier this year, JD Wetherspoon revealed the black stuff was behind a huge increase in sales.

Wetherspoon, which runs 809 pubs across the UK, said like-for-like sales increased by 5.2 per cent over the 13 weeks to April 28 compared with a year earlier, with total sales up 3.3 per cent.

But critics have slammed Gen Z drinkers for parading their love of the Irish stout, claiming that it has become a 'personality trait' despite being nothing unique.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, one wrote: 'Drinking Guinness isnt a personality trait, get a grip.'

'It's become the new "I'm too interesting to order a mainstream lager or ale" now that craft beers are a bit lame,' a second added.

A third questioned: 'When did drinking Guinness become a personality trait?'

Another wrote: 'I have recently started to enjoy a pint of Guinness. Am I going to make this my new personality trait? You bet I am.'

On TikTok, UK-based Alanna Beattie, revealed she is on a mission to like Guinness, despite not currently liking the taste.

Alanna currently does not like the taste of the stout, but to switch sides, she tries some her boyfriend's pint every time he orders one.

Owen Vincent (pictured), from London, made a meme claiming that individuals pretend to like the taste of Guinness to fit in

Georgia Walsh (pictured), 24, from Ireland, claimed that girls claim to like Guinness to get attention - in other words, a 'pick me girl'

Olivia Rodrigo was seen sipping on a pint of Guinness in a British pub as the drink's popularity continues to grow

Kim Kardashian made headlines after enjoying a pint of Guinness and a shot of baby Guinness in a pub in London in March 2023

Meanwhile, Georgia Walsh, 24, from Ireland, made a TikTok explaining that 'pick me girls' are latching on to Guinness to appear trendy.

By 'pick me girls', Georgia is referring to a type of person who works to try and get attention.

Elsewhere, Owen Vincent, from London, made a meme pretending to like Guinness to seem cool and impress his friends.

It has seen a rise of dedicated accounts across different social media platforms putting collages and videos together of the most photogenic pints of Guinness across the UK.

JD Wetherspoon has said soaring demand for Guinness from younger punters and recovering demand for ale helped the UK pub chain to higher sales over past three months.

Wetherspoons owner Tim Martin said the group has benefited from the rocketing popularity of Guinness and a revival for some traditional ale.

'Sales in the period continued the steady recovery from the pandemic,' he said.

'Traditional ales, which were very slow in the aftermath of the lockdowns, are increasing momentum, with Abbot Ale, Ruddles Bitter and Doom Bar showing good growth, as indeed are ales from the many small and micro brewers with which we trade.

'The gods of fashion have smiled upon Guinness, previously consumed by blokes my age, but now widely adopted by younger generations.'

Critics took to X, formerly Twitter, to complain that Generation Z's have made liking a stout their personality trait

One such way that many people judge a good Guinness is by what has become known colloquially as the 'tilt test' - whereby drinkers tilt their pint at a 45-degree angle to see how creamy the Guinness is.

They claim that if it is up to standard, the contents of the drink will not spill out from the top of the glass despite being at an angle.

One other such method judgement used is the quantity of so-called 'shtick' - a phrase popularised by content creator Darragh Curran, formerly known as The Guinness Guru.

Drinkers say that a superior pint will have more 'shtick' coated to the glass after a pint has been finished, showcasing a smoothness and, supposedly, a superior taste.

According to Guinness, a draught pint should be poured in 119.5 seconds in two stages - but whether this is effective or not is a common dispute among drinkers of the stout.
A decade ago there were a whole host of famous faces - from politicians to reality stars - putting on a family-friendly facade alongside their loving wives while in the public eye.

However, behind the scenes, dozens crept onto their computers to get promiscuous with married strangers on infamous dating website Ashley Madison - which promoted itself as a place for spouses to get tangled up in steamy affairs.

Ashley Madison, which was established in 2001, drew people in with their intriguing slogan, 'life is short, have an affair' with over 37 million unfaithful spouses taking the bait - creating profiles on the site to link up and cheat on their partners.

Users considered it to be a discrete site for adulterers but the curtain came tumbling down in 2015 when the dating service was hacked - leaving a slew of serial cheaters, including many high-profile celebrities, in seriously hot water.

Ashley Madison, which was established in 2001, drew people in with their intriguing slogan, 'life is short, have an affair' with over 37 million unfaithful spouses taking the bait

The group who claimed responsibility for the hack called themselves The Impact Team and took matters into their own hands after taking a dislike to some of the site's features.

They demanded that the site be taken down - and, when it wasn't, they released all the 37 million records from the site onto the web for anyone to see.

After a trove of data purporting to belong to the users was shared on the dark web, both police and Ashley Madison executives scrambled to find the tech wizards behind the Impact Team.

However, no arrests were ever made and nearly a decade later, the question of who hacked Ashley Madison still remains.

Now, the headline-making scandal is being unearthed in a new Netflix docuseries entitled, Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies, And Scandal, which premiered earlier this week.

Within the series, the employees and the cheaters are exposed as the aftermath of the hack is thrust into the spotlight.

Now, FEMAIL has lifted the lid on the celebrities that were met with public humiliation when their names appeared on the infamous Ashley Madison list.

Sam and Nia YouTube star Sam Rader's perfect persona was tainted when he was outed as a cheater on Ashley Madison

One of the high-profile figures who was forced to face the wreckage left behind from the leak was Christian YouTube star Sam Rader (Sam seen in the trailer for the docuseries)

One of the high-profile figures who was forced to face the wreckage left behind from the leak was Christian YouTube star Sam Rader, who was - and currently still is - married to social media sensation Nia.

Following the release of the list of names on the site, Sam shared a video to his YouTube channel in which he discussed his 'mistake' and how his wife had forgiven him.

'This is an issue that is in our past. This was before I got onto YouTube. I brought this to my church at the time this was brought to my wife's attention, she has forgiven me for this mistake that I've made in opening the account.

'I've sought forgiveness from God, and he's forgiven me. So I've been completely cleansed of this sin,' he said in the clip.

But Sam and Nia were recently forced to relive the harrowing events for the Netflix docuseries.

Ahead of its release, the couple shared a slew of videos to their joint YouTube channel discussing their feelings about the documentary.

In one video shared to their channel, the couple spoke out about the show, and Nia broke down in tears as she admitted that having to 'recount details' of her husband's cheating scandal wasn't easy.

Sam and Nia were recently forced to relive the harrowing events for the Netflix docuseries

The pair also admitted that they were seeking professional help to assist them in handling their immense nerves over it.

During the vlog, uploaded on May 8, Sam explained that they were about to sit down with a therapist provided by the production company to 'talk about their fears' regarding the upcoming docuseries.

He admitted that he and Nia were 'freaking out inside' and second guessing their decision to partake in the show.

'We're kind of freaking out inside, like, what did we do? Why did we do this? Why would we give out all of our personal information for the world to consume,' he told viewers.

'[The therapist] is probably going to make us feel like an idiot for doing this, like, "Why did you even agree to this to begin with? What was going through your head? Are you stupid?"'

The video then showed snippets of their conversation with the therapist.

The pair also admitted that they were seeking professional help to assist them in handling their immense nerves over it (Nia seen in the docuseries)

'I'm feeling hurt again, having to re-say details that I would rather forget,' Nia was seen telling him. 'I've forgiven him.'

Afterwards, Nia began to cry as she reflected on the conversation with the expert.

'Just acknowledging it all makes me want to cry because it just feels so big,' she said.

But she added that it 'helped' for her to 'express' how she was feeling, as Sam told her, 'As long as we have each other and Jesus, it doesn't really matter.'

Later on in the video, Sam and Nia sat down to watch the first trailer for the upcoming docuseries, and despite their fears, Nia admitted that it looked 'good.'

The couple also shared that they were 'super nervous' and were struggling to 'sleep' ahead of the show's release.

Reality sensation-turned-felon: Josh Duggar was among the high-profile names on the list prior to his arrest

One of the most notable celebrities uncovered from the list was TLC's 19 Kids and Counting star Josh Duggar (seen with his wife Anna in 2015)

One of the most notable celebrities uncovered from the list was TLC's 19 Kids and Counting star Josh Duggar.

At the time of the data dump, Josh was already under fire as he was suspected of molesting five underage girls - including two of his sisters.

When his name was released on the list, he issued an apology to the public and admitted to cheating on his spouse.

He said: 'I have been the biggest hypocrite ever. While espousing faith and family values, I have secretly over the last several years been viewing pornography on the internet and this became a secret addiction and I became unfaithful to my wife.

'I am so ashamed of the double life that I have been living and am grieved for the hurt, pain and disgrace my sin has caused my wife and family, and most of all Jesus and all those who profess faith in Him.'

Trouble didn't end there for the Duggars as Josh was arrested six years after the Ashley Madison leak for receiving and possessing child porn.

Former Florida state attorney Jeff Ashton claimed he signed up for the site because he was 'curious'

Florida State Attorney Jeff Ashton (seen with his wife Rita) made headlines when he served as the prosecutor in the infamous Casey Anthony trial

Florida State Attorney Jeff Ashton made headlines when he served as the prosecutor in the infamous Casey Anthony trial.

And the lawyer was thrust back into the spotlight after his name was one of the many that appeared on the data dump from the cheating site.

When the public discovered the legal guru had been using Ashley Madison, Jeff issued a statement to apologize.

He said: 'I hope the public will judge me on my 35 years of service, and not a bad mistake.'

The lawyer claimed that he never physically cheated and signed up for the site because he was 'curious.'

Jeff refused to step down from his high-profile position because he insisted he didn't do anything illegal.

He is now judge for Orange-Osceola and appears to still be married to wife Rita.

Louisiana GOP official Jason Dore was among those who was outed on the list

Many people became embroiled in the aftermath of the Ashley Madison hack - with police originally suspecting there was misconduct from many of the employees

Many people became embroiled in the aftermath of the Ashley Madison hack - with police originally suspecting there was misconduct from many of the employees.

One of the A-listers to have been named as a cheater on the site was Louisiana GOP official Jason Dore.

However, Jason - who is married and is a dad-of-two - was addiment that he didn't use the account to cheat on his spouse.

According to People, Jason insisted that he only made the account so he could research his opponent.

The account cost him a $175.98, according to IBT.

Josh Taekman - husband of a Real Housewives star - was also on the cheating site

When the list of names was leaked and Josh - who has been married to Kristen since 2005 - was among the A-listers on it (lovebirds seen in 2023)

Josh Taekman is best known for being the spouse of Real Housewives of New York star Kristen Taekman.

When the list of names was leaked, Josh - who has been married to Kristen since 2005 - was among the A-listers on it.

At the time, fans were convinced their marriage was going to crumble under the cheating scandal.

However, the lovebirds remained together, with Josh releasing a statement about his infidelity a short time later.

He said: 'I signed up for the site foolishly and ignorantly with a group of friends and I deeply apologize for any embarrassment of pain I have brought to my wife and family. We both look forward to moving past this and getting on with our lives.'

Rumors also engulfed Hunter Biden, Hillary Clinton's brother, Chris Christie's brother, and Snooki's husband Jionni LaValle

There have also been previous reports that both Hunter Biden and Snooki's husband Jionni LaValle were also named in the leak.

However, both parties have adamantly denied this claim throughout the years.

Ashley Madison did not verify any user's email - meaning a fake account could be created.

Snooki denied that her husband had ever used the site. She noted that it 'couldn't be any further from the truth.'

Hunter also vehemently denied that the person behind the account was him.

In 2015, hackers who called themselves the 'impact team,' stole 37 million records of data from the extramarital affair site - however, they were never found

He said: 'I am certain that the account in question is not mine. This account was clearly set up by someone else without my knowledge and I first learned about the account in question from the media.'

In addition, DailyMail.com uncovered that Hillary Clinton's brother, Tony, was a registered user of the Ashley Madison website.

His second wife Megan Madden Rodham, a dedicated pediatric intensive care nurse with whom he has children with, said she was aware he had signed up with the website, and that he had squared it with her already.

She insisted, however, that her husband had never actually been unfaithful.

DailyMail.com can disclose that Rodham's credit card was used to join the website on April 27, 2012.

Two payments were made that day, for $168.99 each.

Chris Christie's brother, Tod, also had an Ashley Madison account, in which he appealed for 'someone to bring some more spice into my life'.

The married father reportedly had sex 'a dozen times' with one woman he met via the cheating website.

InTouch spoke to a source who revealed that Todd and a woman he met online had sex 'about a dozen times.'

Todd wrote on his profile that he is 'willing to try most anything once'.

Today Christie was asked by Daily Mail Online about his account and the allegation that he cheated on his wife at his home in Mendham, New Jersey and said simply: 'Walk away. Walk away.'

The Netflix docuseries - which features employees and former users - was released on May 15.
They just celebrated 20 years of marriage, but some eagle-eyed royal watchers are convinced things are 'over' for Queen Mary and King Frederik of Denmark.

The couple's relationship has been under the microscope since November when Frederik was spotted on a night out with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova.

Since then, the popular royals have appeared 'frosty and awkward' in each other's company, adding fuel to the rumours their marriage has gone cold.

Mary and Frederik recently chose to work through their 20th anniversary - with a body language expert noting there were clear signs of trouble in paradise.

They headed to Norway on their second royal tour, and while they 'played the happy couple', Australia's leading 'combined communications' expert Scott Taylor was not entirely convinced by their performance.

Queen Mary and King Frederik's body language continues to suggest the romance is over

It appears Mary is also uncomfortable with Crown Princess Mette-Marit, as she often leans away during conversations. By contrast, Fred gets along well with the common-born Princess

'There isn't a strong show of closeness, of even the natural physiological things we would see from people who like each other strongly or are attracted to each other,' he told FEMAIL.

This echoed statements by body language expert Dr Louise Mahler, who claims there are no signs of closeness between the pair.

Mr Taylor also agreed with Dr Mahler's observation that Queen Mary appears to often 'block' her husband out.

'We have our main power zone areas (under the chin, belly button and groin) and from the chest area which is called the ventral area,' he explained.

The couple's 'performance' hasn't fooled body language experts, who are of the view Mary's hands often 'block' Frederik

The same awkward gestures are not visible between King Frederik and the Norwegian princess

Crown Prince Haakon (left) and Queen Mary (right) looked tense as they watched King Frederik and Crown Princess Mette-Marit's animated conversation unfold

'When we have discomfort (nervousness, dislike or even deceptive behaviour), we tend to reduce people's access to those areas,' he said.

This can look like leaning away, placing hands in laps, playing with necklaces or even holding onto an object in front of one's body.

Mr Taylor says this can be seen in recent photos of the couple's visit to the Norwegian forest - and in other pictures taken of them over the last few weeks.

Australia's leading 'combined communications' expert Scott Taylor wasn't convinced by their performance

Mary's feet are also telling.

'They are pointing toward the exit, indicating where she wants to head,' Mr Taylor observed.

King Frederik is also seemingly uncomfortable, as shown by his 'digital flexion'.

Mr Taylor explained: 'We bring our thumb closer to our hand when we have discomfort.'

King Frederik's discomfort melts away, however, when he is with Crown Princess Mette-Marit, the expert said, adding: 'We lean into what we like.'

'They show closeness on the train lounge. King Frederik has an obvious tilt towards her which you don't see in videos with Queen Mary,' he said.

Queen Mary and King Frederik often lean away from each other and block using their hands

The same can't be said for Queen Mary, who 'leans away' from the Crown Princess in photos.

She also shows 'lip compressions and some chin dip' which 'potentially indicates discomfort' when King Frederik and the common-born princess are engaged in conversation.

The seemingly uncomfortable body language between the Danish King and Queen has become a fixture of public commentary on their reign.

It is a stark contrast to the the playful, tactile interactions which once made them a 'poster couple' for the 'real-life fairytale' before ascending to the throne.

Everything appeared to change between them last November when pictures of the then-Crown Prince and his friend Genoveva Casanova were splashed across the European tabloids.

But according to Danish historian Sebastian Olden-Jrgensen, the scandal hardly matters because people often speculate about the love lives of the rich and famous - and speculation does not equal fact.

This is especially so when it comes to royalty, who are known to follow the PR mantra 'never complain, never explain' - an attitude that allows false rumours to flourish.

However, Queen Mary appears much more relaxed on her own and is confident with the crowd

The royal expert claims the monarchy is strong and the union between the Australian-born Queen and her King a success.

'Mary has slipped quickly, efficiently and professionally into the role of royal. You would think she was cast for it - she has done it so well,' he told Danish outlet B.T.

The marriage has also helped King Frederik accept his destiny as monarch - a job he once fiercely opposed as a young man.

However, Mr Olden-Jrgensen claims he still has work to do if he is to become a great king.

'Sports and pop music are fine, but King Frederik needs some serious project,' he said.

'Queen Mary has had that by virtue of her social commitment for almost 20 years, but I think that King Frederik lacks it.'

The couple had been criticised for their apparent awkwardness at recent public engagements

Speaking to FEMAIL previously Dr Mahler, speculated Queen Mary had 'taken control' of the couple's public image and careers as King and Queen.

Mr Olden-Jrgensen is seemingly of the same mind, but added that it doesn't matter because she is not the first Queen to marry into the family and then take the reins.

He compared their 'team work' to that of Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid.

'Queen Ingrid was very stylish and perhaps had a bit more control over the whole thing than he did,' he said.

'She was formal, had an overview and sense of the situation, whereas Frederik IX was more down-to-earth and better at human interactions.'
Prince George will continue his grandfather's approach towards a 'less formal' modern, slimmed down monarchy - but if he chooses to break the mold further and skip out on military service he may miss out on an 'important sense of discipline', royal experts have said.

William's eldest son, 10, is the subject of Channel 5's documentary, Prince George: A King for the Future, is airing on Saturday, May 18 at 8:30pm.

And commentators remarked that the young heir to the throne is likely to inherit King Charles III's smaller inner Firm circle.

'It is a slimmed down royal family already,' Simon Vigar, the royal correspondent for 5 News, said.

'It is less formal, it's not quite as starchy as it used to be, and I think George will continue that.

William's eldest son, 10, (pictured with his father and sister at the is the Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford last year) is the subject of Channel 5 's documentary, Prince George: A King for the Future - Prince George: A King for the Future, airing on Saturday, May 18 at 9pm

'You know he's the first future king to have a 'commoner' as his mum, that in itself is a massive break from tradition.'

Meanwhile, Richard Key, Editor-at-Large at the Daily Mail, said that the future British monarchy will be 'much more like the monarchies on mainland Europe'.

'Charles is trying to manage the monarchy from a monarchy that was really founded on empire into one where we're now just a small island and country,' he explained.

'And we have to adjust our expectations and by the time George becomes king, the monarchy will be very different.'

However, one expert in the programme expressed that if the heir strays too far from tradition, he may lose out on vital character-shaping experiences.

Last year, it was reported that George will not be expected to serve in the military before becoming King, breaking centuries of tradition.

The second in line to the throne will be allowed to sidestep the usual stint with the Armed Forces if he wishes, The Mail on Sunday understands, leaving him free to shape his own destiny.

It would be a significant departure for the Royal Family as the monarch is Commander-in-Chief of Britain's forces. George's father, uncle, grandfather, great-grandmother and great-grandfather all served with the military, sticking to a centuries-old precedent.

Commentators remarked that the young heir to the throne is likely to inherit King Charles III's smaller inner Firm circle. Pictured during King Charles's coronation

Last year, it was reported that George will not be expected to serve in the military before becoming King, breaking centuries of tradition. George pictured at the 'Together At Christmas' Carol Service

But royal biographer Robert Jobson expressed the benefits of such traditions in helping the Firm better understand 'egalitarianism'.

'It gives them a sense of discipline,' he added. 'When you're in the army there's no Lieutenant Wales or Captain Wales.

'They're not generals, so they have to sort of obey the rank, which I think is very important so they don't get above themselves.'

Writing in the Mail on Sunday newspaper last summer, historian Dominic Sandbrook said: 'The tradition of royals joining the Armed Forces, even for brief periods, lends crucial legitimacy to the monarchy.'

But speaking ahead of Prince George's tenth birthday on Saturday, a long-time friend of George's father, Prince William, said: 'In theory, there is nothing to stop George from pursuing a career as an astronaut, for example, if that's what he wants, and then becoming King later.

William trained at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and served in the Armed Forces for more than seven years

'The rules are different now, he wouldn't necessarily have to follow the old formula of going into the military and then Royal life.

'So, could Charlotte qualify as a doctor, for example? I don't see why not. It's less of a fishbowl now than when William and Harry were growing up.'

Historian Hugo Vickers said: 'This is significant because it shows that times are moving on. I'm all for people keeping up with the times providing they don't throw tradition out of the window.

'Maybe the military won't prove to be the best course for Prince George, although I would hope that he might do something like the Duke of Edinburgh gold award instead, which is non-competitive.

'For King Charles, his naval service in the 1970s was very helpful. It showed the country that he was gainfully employed and it was a role where he would not be using his title for commercial gain.

'Military service allows members of the Royal Family to have a sense of normal life, grants them a certain amount of freedom and teaches them all sorts of timekeeping and presentation skills which prove to be important for Royal duties.

'What clearly doesn't work are those cases where members of the Royal Family go into commercial ventures. That always goes wrong.'

George showed some early interest in the military at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire last year. He was given the task of partially raising the ramp on a huge C-17 transporter aircraft, and was delighted to sit in the cockpit and 'flick some switches'.

King Charles served in both the Royal Navy and RAF between 1971 and 1976 when Prince of Wales

The late Queen was keen to ensure both her grandsons in the line of succession should serve in Afghanistan, although it later proved too risky to send William. Pictured: Prince Harry in Afghanistan

However, his parents the Prince and Princess of Wales have been determined to give him as 'normal' an upbringing as possible  which, it appears, includes the freedom to follow his own interests as he grows up.

Mr Sandbrook added: 'Military service is the last tradition that takes Royal youngsters outside their sheltered lives of impossible privilege.' But he acknowledged: 'Times change, and institutions change with them... who can blame him if he would rather pursue a different vocation?'

General Sir Richard Barrons, former head of Joint Forces Command, said: 'I think the Armed Forces will think that's a bit of a shame but that's all they are going to think.'

But he added that a military stint was a useful way for a young Royal to serve in 'the years between you becoming an adult and when you take on the mantle of King'. And Royal biographer A. N. Wilson came out against the idea, saying: 'This is a very great change to the way it has always been done and I think he should be told, "Sorry, you can't choose."

His parents the Prince and Princess of Wales have been determined to give him as 'normal' an upbringing as possible

'It does feel like a bit of a snub to the Armed Forces. There could be another way in which Prince George does a stint in the Army and then goes on to be an artist or a pastry chef or whatever interests him. On a point which may seem trivial, it is also helpful to have a uniform, otherwise we may as well have a President in a suit as our head of state.'

The late Queen was keen to ensure both her grandsons in the line of succession should serve in Afghanistan, although it later proved too risky to send William.

In an ITV documentary in April 2023, General Sir Mike Jackson, the former head of the Army, spoke about an audience with Her late Majesty, saying: 'She was very clear. She said, 'My grandsons have taken my shilling, therefore they must do their duty.' And that was that. It was decided that William as heir to the heir, the risk is too great. But for his younger brother, the risk was acceptable.'

William trained at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and served in the Armed Forces for more than seven years. He was attached to the Blues and Royals regiment of the Household Cavalry and trained as a pilot at the RAF College, becoming a full-time pilot with the search and rescue team at RAF Valley in Anglesey, North Wales.

Harry, too, went to Sandhurst before joining the Blues and Royals. He carried out two tours of duty in Afghanistan, including as an Apache helicopter pilot.

Harry was the first member of the Royal Family to serve in a war zone since his uncle Prince Andrew, who flew helicopters during the 1982 Falklands conflict. The Duke has since been stripped of his honorary military roles.

King Charles served in both the Royal Navy and RAF between 1971 and 1976 when Prince of Wales. He served on guided missile destroyer HMS Norfolk, qualified as a helicopter pilot and took command of a coastal minehunter for ten months.

Meanwhile, Richard Key, Editor-at-Large at the Daily Mail, said that the future British monarchy will be 'much more like the monarchies on mainland Europe'

His father, Prince Philip, was 17 when he attended Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon, and famously escorted Princess Elizabeth, then 13, when she came to visit. He served on HMS Valiant and saw action off North Africa. He was mentioned in despatches for 'bravery and enterprise' by training the battleship's searchlights on enemy targets.

His distinguished military career, however, came to an end when he gave it up to support his wife when she became Queen.

During the Second World War, the late Queen, as Princess Elizabeth, served with the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), part of the Army that women could join to carry out work that would free up men for front-line duties. She joined at 19, becoming the first female member of the Royal Family to serve on active duty, and trained as a driver and mechanic.

The King's younger brother, Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, did not serve in the military but spent time as a Royal Marines officer cadet after leaving university.

Channel 5's Prince George: A King for the Future, airs on Saturday, May 18 at 8:30pm
Friends of Julie Dixon, who lied about locking her fiance in a cupboard and burning him to death, say she choose a song about 'burning' for his funeral.

Julie, 50, murdered her partner of 15 years David Twigg, 46, in his workshop after she locked him in a cupboard and set the building alight in March 2011, in Burgh le Marsh near Skegness, Lincolnshire.

Now the case is the subject of a new Channel 5 documentary A Killer Makes a Call, which details how she blamed two masked intruders for the murder, but when police found no evidence of a raid they arrested her instead.

In the true crime show, friends of the couple revealed how Julie was acting 'weird' at David's wake, saying she was 'very lively' and 'bubbly' which made people feel uncomfortable. She also chose to play a song about 'danger and burning' at his funeral, despite the circumstances of his death.

Former friend Lisa Mickel said: 'Normally songs played at funerals would enhance memories of loving times and an emotional time but Red Light Spells Danger by Billy Ocean was a song choice which felt a little unusual.

Friends of Julie Dixon, who lied about locking her partner of 15 years David Twigg in cupboard and burning him to death, say she choose a song about 'burning' for his funeral

Jules Scotland, another friend of the couple, added: 'It's about burning and danger, and burning again, it constantly references burning and fire.'

The song, which spent ten weeks in the UK charts in 1977, contains the lyrics: 'The red light spells danger, can't hold out much longer 'cause red light means warning, can't hold out. I'm burning.'

Julie was apparently acting 'weird' at the wake after the funeral which rang alarm bells with the friendship group and got them questioning her story.

John Mickel said: 'Not normally how people act when they bury their husband or boyfriend.'

Another said: 'We all felt a bit awkward, I looked at my husband and said, "Do you want to go?''. It started becoming uncomfortable, so we left.

John added: 'When we left the funeral and were driving home the five of us were analysing the situation, we were bouncing ideas. I think we got over half way and I can't remember who said it but were were like ''Who did it? Who do you think has done it?'', and one by one all five of us said, 'We think she did it''.

'We had a silence for I think about 10 miles and we were thinking if we all think she did it, well the police must be thinking the same thing.'

Another friend of Julie, Muriel Gilling, said she 'intuitively knew' something was not right when she bumped into her widowed pal after David's death.

She said: 'I met Julie and her mother in Morrison's and they both told me that there had been intruders and I said ''What did you do?'' and she said ''I just ran, I just ran'', and I thought to myself, "That is not like you, if you were confronted by intruders you would stand your ground".

'I didn't say that to her, but I thought that, Intuitively I knew there was something not quite right.'

The couple were outwardly in a happy relationship, but Julie managed to conceal the chaotic financial state that had engulfed David's business

However, Lisa claimed she noticed something was worrying Julie before the funeral, recounting a meeting she had with her at Croft race track after David's death where she claimed her former friend got spooked by a police car.

She said: 'When we arrived at Croft there was a police car there, which was completely unrelated to us, but it obviously triggered Julie. She went into some kind of crazy frenzy. She started screaming and bashing things with her fists.

'I took her away from my family and I sat on the top of a hill with her, and I said ''What's the matter, Julie?'', and she said, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry". I said, ''Why? What are you sorry for?'', but she just wouldn't reply.'

Just weeks before, Julie had put on 'a performance worthy of an Oscar during the 999 call where she hysterically spoke of masked intruders.

Fire crews found David kneeling in a 'prayer-type position' after they broke into his joinery business to try and save him.

Julie ended up fooling the police for months, playing the victim of a horrendous attack by fictional intruders.

Lisa, recalled the moment she arrived at their home to speak to Julie on the day of the murder, saying: 'When I walked in she was rocking back and forth. She had burns to her face which was quite striking when I walked in. She was wearing her brother's clothes, presumably because forensics had taken her clothes.

'I think she was on medication to try and calm her down, from what her family were saying, after being through this horrific ordeal. '

'She told me her story but it just triggered even more questions. What were they doing there, what were they after, why did they try and rob you in balaclavas, what did they want?'

During the 999 call, Julie could be clearly heard telling the operator: 'They set fire to the place.'

When asked about David, Julie replied: 'He's in the store room I think,' adding, 'I think they've locked him in.'

Julie was sentenced to 23 years behind bars after eventually pleading guilty to David's murder on the second day of her trial

Julie went on to describe the fictional intruders, telling the operator: 'They were just dressed in black and had a hoodie on, like a mask.'

When firefighters arrived, they described Julie as 'hysterical', and a small tin of burning liquid was found in the workshop entrance.

Two weeks before the murder, Lisa noticed Julie was acting different and appeared more on edge. Concerned about her, she asked if everything was alright at home.

Lisa said: 'She told me some strange things had happened over a couple of weeks, things in the middle of the night setting the dogs off barking, people messing with their electricity so the power would go off and then on again and just odd strange things that she couldn't give an explanation to.

'I did what I could reassure her. It did sound a little bit strange and it did give me a feeling of discomfort.'

With no evidence to support her story of burglars, Julie eventually became the prime suspect herself and was arrested.

Checks on her computer showed that in the days leading up to the murder she had been searching for ways to kill someone without leaving any evidence that could be revealed in a post-mortem examination.

Police also spotted her on CCTV buying two cans of petrol the day before the murder and placing them in her car. When questioned about them she said it was for the lawnmower.

Officers discovered the business was in a bad state financially. It was in so much debt that, unbeknown to David, he was about to go bankrupt.

Julie hid from him that a warrant had been issued for his arrest for not paying his business taxes, and crimefighting charity Crimestoppers even offered a 3,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.

Julie was responsible for the practical side of the business they ran and was in charge of the accounts.

Gordon Aspden, prosecuting officer, said she failed to pay invoices and the firm developed chronic cash flow problems. She hid mail so he did not know he had been declared bankrupt, owing 17,500 in taxes.

She later changed her story saying they had a suicide pact before switching again to claim his death was an assisted suicide.

John Mickell said: 'There is no way David would ever consider suicide, we were planning stuff for the next year.'

Keith Hampsall, David's best friend added: 'They had just put 200 meters of fencing up on the Sunday, and they are both going to commit suicide? Ridiculous.'

The judge presiding the case at Lincoln Crown Court said Julie's 'performance' in the 999 call, to the emergency services at the scene and later at the hospital would be 'worthy of the highest praise had she been an actress in a fictional drama and would have merited an Oscar'.

The then 43-year-old was sentenced to 23 years behind bars after eventually pleading guilty on the second day of her trial.

As Judge Michael Heath addressed Julie directly, he told her: 'David Twigg was an amiable, hard-working and honourable man. What you did to him was evil. There was a significant degree of planning and premeditation.

'The pain that your prolonged and multiple lying has caused David Twigg's parents can only be imagined.'

The court heard that the couple were outwardly in a happy relationship, but Julie managed to conceal the chaotic financial state that had engulfed David's business.

Keith, David's best friend said: 'The way David died it will haunt me for the rest of my life, I was absolutely devastated, nobody deserves to die like that. He was my best friend. It still troubles me to this day, to my death it will continue to.'

A Killer Makes a Call airs Tuesday 21May at 10pm on Channel 5
The Danish King and Queen are giving off somewhat mixed messages in their body language these days, months on from an 'affair' scandal which rocked the monarchy.

But while royal watchers around Europe notice Frederik and Mary's frosty demeanours in relation to each other, the people of Denmark have 'forgotten' the King's night out in Madrid with Genoveva Casanova in November, a royal expert has revealed.

Kenth Madsen, a royal journalist and expert based in Denmark, said there are 'other big things taking over' in the Scandinavian nation as the public, who appear to be in strong support of the King and Queen, focus on other royal activities rather than the rumours of an affair between the father-of-four and the Mexican socialite (which she denied). As for the night out, Kenth said there is 'no word about Madrid' in Denmark.

This attitude comes amid the royal couple's summer holiday on the Daneborg ship as they sail to Sweden and Norway (which also happens to have coincided with their 20th wedding anniversary).

During this trip, the couple have shown signs of frostiness in their body language in moments with each other; although such signs appear to thaw when they greet their hosts in each nation.

A Danish royal expert has revealed there is 'no mention of Madrid' in Denmark (referring to King Frederik's night out with Genoveva Casanova) as the King and Queen (pictured) conclude their tour of Sweden and Norway

Speaking to FEMAIL, Kenth revealed the royal family in Denmark is gearing up for positive events in the wake of the rumours of an affair.

Such events include the state visits to Sweden and Norway, King Frederik's birthday on May 26 for which an enormous parade has been organised, and the annual Royal Run, which has seen a record number of participants signing up.

The Royal Run takes place every spring in Copenhagen and has always been fronted by King Frederik. He and Mary always take part along with other participants.

However, in contrast to the royal jubilation within Denmark, King Frederik and Queen Mary's body language has suggested there is a frostiness between them on their royal tour so far.

Kenth Madsen revealed the people of Denmark have 'forgotten' all about the scandal - amid frosty body language from the King and Queen during their trip on the Dannebrog

Upon arrival in Denmark on Tuesday, the couple looked stern-faced before they docked to meet their hosts, King Harald and Queen Sonja.

Body language expert Judi James told FEMAIL: 'Arriving on a boat in Oslo we can see Mary back to her rather cooler facial expression with her eye-direction staring out into the distance rather than returning her husbands glance.

'He looks forlorn here, with one brow curled upward and the other lowered in a frown while his eye expression appears downcast and his lips barely pull into a royal smile.'

Judi added: 'Marys authentic smile and more tactile behaviours when meeting the Norwegian royals only seems to add to the idea that she was looking cooler with her husband again.'

It comes after body language expert Judi James said the couple had managed to 'produce' an anniversary photo that captured their tactile nature before the 'affair' scandal

The couple's candid body language in private moments was in stark contrast to the image projected to the world by the Danish palace on social media as it marked the couple's 20th wedding anniversary.

A photo taken of Queen Mary and King Frederik aboard the Dannebrog showed the couple in a relaxed pose, beaming with their arms around each other while dressed in matching gilets.

Judi told FEMAIL: 'To celebrate their wedding anniversary [the couple] do seem to have produced a pose that looks deliberately reminiscent of the way they used to behave pre-scandal.'

She added: 'Their torsos in this anniversary pic are pressed together, albeit with a layer of puffer-gilet acting as a little air bag and their mutual smiles suggest they are enjoying each others company again.

'Frederik has a hand on his hip to suggest a happy holiday moment and his other hand is seen grasping his wife at the neck with what looks like quite a firm grasp.'

However, the expert drew attention to the fact Mary kept her sunglasses on in the photo, meaning 'her eye expression is masked from public view and examination'.

Meanwhile, Danish media reports appear to portray an image of a happy couple to their readers.

King Frederik was pictured out and about in Madrid with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova last November

A report from Her & Nu, published last week, described how the couple 'practically beamed with love for each other' as they boarded the Dannebrog ahead of their wedding anniversary.

Although the report made mention of King Frederik's night out with Genoveva Casanova, it stressed the father-of-four had 'buried' any suggestion of an affair as he stood alongside his wife on the balcony at Christiansborg on the day he was proclaimed king.

The report also made mention of a declaration of love for Queen Mary that the King made in his book, Kongeord, published three days after he ascended the throne.

The quote read: 'I love marriage, my wife, our children and the entire happy base that arises for the people who manage to stick together and persevere.'

The King and Queen of Denmark have soldiered on as Frederik ascended the throne at the beginning of the year, following his mother Queen Margrethe's shock abdication on New Year's Eve 2023.

The surprise announcement came two months after King Frederik had been spotted out for dinner with Mexican socialite Genoveva, who lives in Madrid.

Spanish magazine Lecturas published photos of the pair together as they headed to a traditional restaurant in the city, where they reportedly watched Flamenco performances and stayed until the early hours of the morning.

After the photos were published, Genoveva issued a statement via her lawyers in which she vehemently denied any suggestion of an affair with the Danish royal, while the Palace refused to comment.
Queen Mary went for a solo stroll along the harbour promenade in Oslo

The Danish royals are undergoing a joint state visit to Norway, but yesterday, Queen Mary of Denmark was photographed without her husband.

Earlier in the day, Mary, 52, appeared in high spirits as she joined King Frederik X, 52, and Queen Sonja of Norway, 86, for a walk along the harbour promenade in Oslo.

The mother-of-four was seen chatting with Frederik while donning chic attire, including a navy blue maxi skirt, white shirt, and straw fedora.

Later that day, after an outfit change into a striped top and jeans, Mary appeared at the same location alone and looked cheerful as she waved to onlookers.

It comes after rumours of marriage tensions, which have been in overdrive since Frederik's night out with Mexican socialite Genoveva Cassanova.

Queen Mary of Denmark was photographed during the two-day state visit to Norway without her husband, King Frederik X, on Wednesday

The royal mother-of-four cut a casual figure as she went for a walk along Oslo's harbour promenade

Earlier that day, Mary appeared in high spirits as she was snapped alongside King Frederik X and Queen Sonja of Norway

The mother-of-four changed out of her flowing skirt and into a comfortable pair of blue jeans, matched with a striped sweatshirt.

Mary put on a cheerful face and walked along the promenade, offering an awkward smile and wave to the camera.

It is unclear whether the pair will carry out all official engagements on the state visit together, or whether some will be solo.

The pair have attempted to put on a united front in the wake of the affair rumours that rocked the Danish Royal Family at the end of last year.

The couple, who had a turbulent end to 2023 when pictures were released of King Frederik and Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova, put on a united front during their visit to the stmarka woodlands

In October 2023, Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova was pictured enjoying a night out with King Frederik in Madrid that carried on until the early hours - with Queen Mary notably absent.

The pair reportedly visited a Picasso exhibition together before they shared an intimate dinner at El Corral de la Moreria, Spanish magazine Lecturas reported. The publication reported that Genoveva and Frederik, 55, didn't leave the restaurant until 1 am.

Genoveva, 47, later denied the 'malicious' rumours questioning the nature of her relationship with King Frederik, insisting the pair aren't romantically involved. King Frederik hasn't commented on the subject.

Clutching onto her phone, Mary offered an awkward smile to the camera as she went for a solo walk

During their earlier excursion, Frederik appeared to maintain a one metre distance from his wife

Despite Genoveva staunchly denying the rumours surrounding her and Frederik, they show no signs of slowing down, with Spanish magazine HOLA reporting that the King has returned to Madrid since the scandalous pictures were released, keeping a low profile.

The publication stated that it's unclear whether the King returned to Spain for 'private or agenda reasons'.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, Frederik and Mary continued their Norwegian tour with a visit to the picturesque stmarka woodlands, with the couple photographed in front of the stunning Ulsrudvannet Lake.

The royals arrived in Norway on Tuesday on the day of their 20th wedding anniversary. But rather than share an intimate evening together to mark the milestone, it was straight to business with a lavish state dinner hosted by King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway.

While Tuesday's event was a formal affair, the couple looked relaxed on Wednesday in dressed-down attire as they chatted together in the serene setting, before posing for pictures with Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mett-Marit of Norway.

Guards saluted the Australian-born Danish Queen as she walked solo during the official state visit to Norway

Opting for casual attire, Mary donned a pair of flared blue denim jeans and a striped cream sweatshirt

Earlier that day, Mary looked chic in a flowing blue skirt, white shirt, and trendy straw fedora hat

Looking away from the camera, Frederik appeared cheerful as he strolled through Norway's capital

During the couple's two-day visit to Norway, they've kept to a packed itinerary, leaving little time for the couple to reconnect despite their milestone anniversary.

Frederik and Mary arrived in Honnrbryggen aboard the Royal Yacht Dannebrog on May 14, before attending the state banquet held in their honour with Norway's King and Queen.

The trip to Ulsrudvannet Lake showed Queen Mary in a more relaxed ensemble than yesterday when the royal was pictured in an incredible dress for the glamorous evening event at the Royal Palace in Oslo.

As a nod to the couple's 20th wedding anniversary, Queen Mary wore a gown designed by Birgit Hallstein, the Danish designer who crafted her wedding dress in 2004.

The monarch put on a casual yet stylish display in a brown blazer, denim jeans, and trendy sunglasses

The 52-year-old, who marked her 20th wedding anniversary with Frederik this week, smiled as she looked towards the camera

At the start of Wednesday, the pair appeared to be in high spirits as they explored sunny Norway

Following their trip to the stmarka woodlands, the couple attended a lunch with the prime minister and a tour of the Oslo waterfront.

The new photographs come after the couple had hit headlines due to claims that a newly released photograph of King Frederik and Queen Mary had been photoshopped.

Royal watchers questioned whether the official portrait, which was taken in the Royal Reception Rooms at Christiansborg Palace, had been doctored, claiming on social media that the 'stiff and awkward' photograph 'looks like they were photographed separately then put together'.

Responding to the controversy, the Danish Palace released a statement that read: 'The Royals official gala portrait has not been manipulated'.
Prince William looked dapper as he arrived in a black suit at the Royal Society

Prince William has given a speech on antimicrobial resistance today where he urged people to 'act now' to protect the next generation.

Just before the Prince of Wales entered the talk, located at the Royal Society in London, he stopped by the stand and pumped some hand sanitiser in a bid to kill any germs.

The future King, 41, beamed as he rubbed his hands together whilst having a conversation with those at the event.

The father-of-three looked dapper as he arrived in a black suit, paired with a crisp white shirt and a blue patterned tie.

The event was put on to celebrate global efforts to tackle antimicrobial resistance and build stronger health systems, food security and climate resilience.

Prince William attended an event in London today about antimicrobial resistance

The father-of-three beamed as he rubbed his hands together whilst having a conversation with those at the event

Antimicrobial resistance occurs when the microbes that cause infections develop resistance to treatments such as antibiotics and as a result infections become difficult or impossible to treat.

This can lead to an increasing risk of disease spreading, severe illness, disability, and death.

The Prince engaged with those who came to the meeting, greeting and shaking their hands.

William - who is Patron of the appeal to create The Fleming Initiative - delivered a short speech at the event.

He said: 'As we have been hearing this morning, antimicrobial resistance threatens our health, our environment, our livelihoods and our future.

'It is indiscriminate - affecting all countries and all income levels. And we know that poverty and inequality intensify its reach, with poorer parts of the world particularly vulnerable.

'It makes infections harder to treat, increasing the risk of disease spreading, and making medical procedures and treatments much riskier.

'There is an urgent need for new measures to access new and existing vaccines, diagnostics and medicines.'

The father-of-three looked dapper as he arrived in a black suit, paired with a crisp white shirt and a blue patterned tie

The Prince sat down for the talk where survivors of the condition spoke about their experiences

William then went on to speak about the impact that microplastics in the ocean and global deforestation has on bacteria.

He said: 'Rivers are polluted with antibiotics and oceans are filled with micro-plastics containing resistant bacteria.

'Meanwhile deforestation is playing havoc with ecosystems facilitating the emergence of new infectious diseases.

'Unless we act now and together, the ripple effects of drug resistance will be felt across generations, jeopardising the wellbeing of our children and our grandchildren.'

He went on to say that he was 'hopeful' because of the 'efforts and expertise' of those trying to help tackle the problem.

Prince William killed the germs on his hand by applying hand sanitiser at the event today

The smiley Prince engaged with those who came to the meeting, greeting and shaking their hands

William - who is Patron of the appeal to create The Fleming Initiative - delivered a short speech at the event

William also spoke of his excitement that a new Fleming Centre, in Paddington, would be opening in 2028.

He described it as a 'place of collective action' that will bring together world-class scientists, clinicians, behavioural researchers and policy makers to test solutions that will keep 'global drug-resistant infections at bay.'

The future monarch ended his speech on a strong note and said: 'Today, I call upon you once more to act.

'To create a real legacy in 2024, for the sake of the millions affected by AMR now, and for the sake of the generations that will follow.'

During the event, survivors of antimicrobial resistance also spoke about their experiences of the condition.

What is Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)? According to the NHS, AMR occurs when 'bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines'. This makes infections harder to treat and therefore increases the risk of disease spreading, severe illness and death. The NHS notes that antibiotics should only be used for treating bacterial infections, not viruses. It states that antivirals may be prescribed to treat some viruses, for example the flu or shingles. People can help reduce AMR by: Only using antibiotics when recommended by a healthcare professional

Following the expert advice of your healthcare professional

Completing your full course of medication when these are advised for you

Never saving antibiotics for the future or to share with friends and family

Disposing of any unused medicines safely at your local pharmacy to protect the environment Source: NHS Advertisement

In the evening, the Prince will also host a private reception at St. James' Palace for those who attended the conference.

Ministers from the Commonwealth and around the world, representatives from UN organisations and antimicrobial resistance champions were at the event - the most significant global moment on antimicrobial resistance since 2016.

Last week, Prince William went to Cornwall to view a plot of land that he hopes to develop to help the homelessness crisis in the UK.

William, who is known as the Duke of Cornwall when in the county and took over the 1.2 billion Duchy of Cornwall estate when his father became King, is in the process of building its first ever housing project in Nansledan.

Announced earlier this year, the project will be delivered alongside Cornish charity, St Petrocs, and will provide 24 homes with wrap around support for local people experiencing homelessness.

Land for the homes will be provided by the Duchy of Cornwall which will also use its management expertise to guide the delivery of the project as a whole.

The Duchy of Cornwall is the ancient estate that provides public and private income for the heir to the throne.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's regal-style trip to Nigeria is a 'a bold statement that they refuse to accept they are no longer working royals', an expert has claimed.

Speaking to The Mirror, author Tom Quinn remarked that the whistlestop 72-hour visit 'confirmed the worst fears' for the Duke of Sussex's family, and has left the King and Prince of Wales 'absolutely furious'.

'Everything you might expect from an official royal visit was there  the receptions, the visits to schools and charities, to wounded soldiers and the disabled,' he explained.

'Meghan and Harry's speeches and their whole attitude has been designed to give the impression that they are still fully paid-up royals and William and his father King Charles don't like it one bit.'

Tom said that Harry and Meghan appear to have 'gone rogue' - and alleged that the Firm has been worried they would 'try to pull a fast one'.

Speaking to The Mirror , author Tom Quinn remarked that the whistlestop 72-hour visit 'confirmed the worst fears' for the Duke of Sussex 's family

'For Charles and William, it's as if Meghan and Harry are saying, 'We don't need your permission to be working royals  we will do it on our own terms whenever and wherever we like',' he added.

Much about the Sussexes' visit seemed like a royal tour.

However, the Duke and Duchess set foot in the West African nation very much on their own terms after being invited by its military for the three-day trip.

Sources within the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office have confirmed to MailOnline that Harry and Meghan were 'visiting Nigeria in a private capacity', with the UK Government 'not involved in arranging or facilitating their programme'.

But while Harry and Meghan quit as senior royals in 2020, their visit had various similarities to foreign trips undertaken by working members of the Royal Family.

Royal expert Michael Cole told MailOnline that although the couple were on 'a private visit by two royal personages', they 'exploited their royal status to the very limit and in every way, trying to give the impression that it was the real thing'.

He said that although the Sussexes' trip 'wasn't a state visit, an official visit or a royal tour', it seemed like a 'tour proposed by Buckingham Palace and sanctioned by the British government'.

He added that the couple 'succeeded to such an extent that they will return to California well satisfied with their three days in Nigeria'.

Tom said that Harry and Meghan appear to have 'gone rogue' - and claimed that the Firm has been worried they would 'try to pull a fast one'. William and Charles pictured earlier this month

Sources within the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office have confirmed to MailOnline that Harry and Meghan were 'visiting Nigeria in a private capacity', with the UK Government 'not involved in arranging or facilitating their programme'

But while Harry and Meghan quit as senior royals in 2020, their visit had various similarities to foreign trips undertaken by working members of the Royal Family

Royal expert Michael Cole told MailOnline that although the couple were on 'a private visit by two royal personages', they 'exploited their royal status to the very limit and in every way, trying to give the impression that it was the real thing'

The California-based label's dress was also released as part of a collection in 2018, which is the year Harry and Meghan married at Windsor Castle

The Sussexes also enjoyed cultural events, a trip to a polo club, meeting injured soldiers at a military hospital and playing adaptive sports.

Former Mail On Sunday royal correspondent Charlotte Wace wrote in The Times: 'Despite similarities to their tours before stepping back as working royals in 2020, there were key differences.

'The press pack had been replaced by one reporter and one photographer. Most significantly they were representing themselves rather than the monarch and were free to choose their schedule.

'There appeared to be fewer formalities and more selfies compared with trips from the past.'

Others pointed out the fashion nods in outfits worn by Meghan, including an eye-catching backless dress by US designer Heidi Merrick called 'The Windsor'.

The California-based label's dress was also released as part of a collection in 2018, which is the year Harry and Meghan married at Windsor Castle.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard has revealed how she made her own makeup while she was locked up - but it wasn't exactly perfect formula, as she admitted it left her 'eyeballs burning.'

In December, Blanchard, now 32, was released from Chillicothe Correctional Center in Missouri after serving eight and a half years.

The Munchausen-by-proxy victim made headlines nearly a decade ago after she plead guilty to the second-degree murder of her mom Dee Dee Blanchard, who was killed by Blanchard's boyfriend at the time, Nicholas Godejohn.

She was sentenced to 10 years behind bars but, since her release, Blanchard has been making regular public appearances and trying to spread awareness about her story - becoming a rising star on social media in the process.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard, now 32, has revealed how she made her own makeup while she was locked up

The Munchausen-by-proxy victim took to TikTok this week to share a 'get ready with me' video while she spoke about her makeup and hair journeys

On Wednesday, the 32-year-old took to TikTok to post a two-part 'get ready with me video,' in which she shared how she's changed her makeup looks since she had to improvise in jail.

She explained that her history with makeup was 'not a very long one,' because before she went to prison, she was not allowed to wear it.

'When I was in county jail, I knew that I had court appearances coming up, so I wanted to look presentable,' Blanchard explained in the clip, which was filmed in her bathroom.

'And so I had to actually make my own makeup,' she continued.

Blanchard recalled using toothpaste and mixing it with ink from a pen to make mascara, which she would then apply with a toothbrush.

'Now, as you can imagine, oh my God, the minty-freshness that was on my eyeballs was burning my eyes,' she laughed.

'But I wanted to look decent and presentable, so I just did it.'

For an eyeshadow, Blanchard said that she used coffee grounds to get some color on her lids.

Blanchard said that she did her own makeup for court appearances, mixing pen ink and toothpaste to make eyeshadow

Blanchard also said that she did her own makeup for TV appearances, like when she was on Dr. Phil in 2017

In the second part of her TikTok video, Blanchard also showed viewers how she styled her hair during her time in prison

'When I actually got sentenced and went to prison itself, you could buy foundation on commissary and you could buy mascara,' she explained.

Blanchard said that she was able to buy those two makeup products, but revealed that having eyeshadow was like 'gold' while in prison.

She explained that 20 years ago, they sold eyeshadow in the prisons, but stopped, detailing that some women she was with still had their palettes from all those years before.

'That is actually very unsanitary but you've got to do what you've got to do,' she dished.

'I did that for eight and a half years, I had my own eyeshadow palettes that I bought off of another girl,' adding that although it was unsanitary, she bought it on a 'good deal' for $50.

Blanchard admitted that the buy was 'worth it' because she had eight and a half years to serve and wanted to 'look pretty' - and it may have paid off.

When she had a jailhouse interview with Dr. Phil in 2017, she did all of her makeup herself.

'All my interviews that I've done in prison, I've always done my makeup and my hair myself,' Blanchard revealed in the TikTok clip, but called her look for Dr. Phil her best work.

But makeup wasn't the only thing she experimented with while in prison - Blanchard also detailed that she played with different hairstyles after it began to grow out from the short buzz cut she entered with.

Blanchard is now back with her ex-fiance, Ken Urker, above, who she was briefly engaged to while in prison

Blanchard said that she worked with makeup artist Alexis Oakley, who gave her some beauty tips and tricks to have under her belt

Oakley, who also works with stars like Alix Earle and Trisha Paytas, even went with Blanchard to Sephora

At the end of the clip, Blanchard also shared that she's not planning to get any more plastic surgery following her March nose job

She said that she was able to get her hair colored by the cosmetology vocational school that was at Chillicothe.

Blanchard showed a few different pictures of her various hairstyles throughout her time in prison - including when she dyed her hair black, got bangs, and got a bob - which she cut with nail clippers.

She even showed off what she looked like when she went through her 'tomboy phase,' which featured her hair swooped to the side - even admitting that she sent it to her boyfriend, Ken Urker, at the time.

Fast forward to 2024, Rose has more makeup skills under her belt, and even worked with makeup artist Alexis Oakley to learn more techniques, which she said has really helped her on her beauty journey.

At the end of the clip, Blanchard also shared that she's not planning to get any more plastic surgery following her April nose job.

'I would not change anything about myself,' she said.

The TikTok star is currently enjoying her life with boyfriend Ken Urker while in the midst of divorce from ex Ryan Anderson.

Blanchard and Urker were briefly engaged while she was in prison, but it fizzled out at the time.
Christian YouTube star Sam Rader has been brutally slammed online over his shocking cheating admissions in the new Netflix docuseries about Ashley Madison - with users branding him as a 'sleazebag,' 'narcissist,' and 'attention seeker.'

Back in 2015, Sam's wholesome image as a devoted husband and father was shattered after it was revealed that he had signed up for the controversial cheating website Ashley Madison when someone hacked the platform and leaked the name of every member online.

While Sam, now 38, admitted at the time that he had signed up for the site, which was designed to help married people have affairs, he insisted that he never actually met up with anyone and that he did not cheat on his wife, Nia Rader, now 35.

Now, however, the vlogger has laid bare his infidelities in Netflix's explosive show Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies, And Scandal, admitting that not only was he unfaithful to Nia, but that he even came on to some of his wife's closest friends.

Christian YouTube star Sam Rader has been brutally slammed online over his shocking cheating admissions in the new Netflix docuseries about Ashley Madison

Back in 2015, Sam's wholesome image as a devoted husband and father was shattered after it was revealed that he had signed up for the controversial cheating website Ashley Madison

While Sam admitted at the time that he had signed up for the site, which was designed to help married people have affairs, he insisted he did not cheat on his wife, Nia Rader

Now, however, the vlogger has laid bare his infidelities in Netflix's explosive show Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies, And Scandal

Viewers were left horrified by his shocking confessions, and almost immediately after the series premiered on Wednesday, X, formerly Twitter, was ablaze with fierce backlash towards Sam.

One user called him a 'narcissist' who was more worried about how his affairs would 'harm his image' than how they would affect his 'wife and family,' while another said he was a 'loser' who cheated while his wife was stuck 'doing the heavy lifting.'

'Wow, Sam Rader said the Ashley Madison hack would've "completely decimated his reputation, especially as a Christian." This narcissist only worried about the hack harming his image,' wrote one outraged viewer.

'He didn't even care about the implications his cheating and affairs would have on his wife and family.'

'Watching the Ashley Madison documentary and like, am I supposed to feel bad for these people? 'Cause I don't. Especially that Sam guy, what a loser,' scathed someone else.

'[Sam said], "Oh I wasn't ready for this responsibility so I had an affair." Meanwhile his wife is doing all the heavy lifting.'

'This Sam dude on Ashley Madison I know he's still cheating. He has that creep vibe to him,' read a third tweet.

A fourth said, 'Netflix is trying reaaaaally hard to make us feel bad for these f**king losers but it's not working.'

He admitted that not only was he unfaithful to Nia, but that he even came on to some of his wife's closest friends

Viewers were left horrified by his shocking confessions, and almost immediately after the series premiered on Wednesday, X became ablaze with fierce backlash towards Sam

Some people also slammed Nia for ultimately forgiving him, with one person calling her a 'doormat' and another branding the two of them as 'pathetic'

'I'm only 15 minutes into Ashley Madison Netflix [doc], I already hate all the sleazebags involved,' a different user added.

'The guy with the young, beautiful wife, whining about how stressful fatherhood was and wanted "more of the good stuff life has to offer" and his biggest regret? Using his real info.'

'This attention seeker bothers me to the core,' tweeted another person. 'Seeks women to have affairs with and then starts a YouTube channel that preaches about family, marriage, God, and love.

'And he stopped having affairs (supposedly) when he received more attention on YouTube. So damn hypocritical.'

Others slammed Nia for ultimately forgiving him, with one person calling her a 'doormat' and another branding the two of them as 'pathetic.'

'This Sam Rader a**hole tried to have an affair with one of his wife's close friends and she is still married to this loser? Have some self-respect,' another user wrote.

'Nia and Sam - all they care about is attention and money. Disgusting couple. Feel bad for the 2.5 million followers,' said someone else.

'That Sam guy is insane and I'm sorry but at some point the wife is just a doormat,' read a different post. 'How are you gonna stay with him after he continuously lied like that?'

'Sam and Nia should forget Jesus' address, they are the most pathetic attention seeking people in existence,' agreed another user.

Sam and Nia, who both grew up in Wills Point, Texas, started dating when they were in high school after bonding over their Christian faith.

They were together for five years before they tied the knot in 2009. They went on to welcome their daughter, Symphony, in July 2010 - but soon after her birth, Sam admitted that 'life became monotonous.'

In the Netflix show, he explained that the sudden 'responsibility' that came with welcoming his first child made him turn to Ashley Madison because he craved 'excitement' again.

Sam and Nia, who both grew up in Wills Point, Texas, started dating when they were in high school after bonding over their Christian faith and they tied the knot in 2009

In the Netflix show, he explained that the sudden 'responsibility' that came with welcoming his first child in 2010 made him turn to Ashley Madison because he craved 'excitement' again

'I love being a dad, I love my children, crazy about 'em. But it was just this sudden inundation of responsibilities. So much responsibility that I wasn't ready for,' he explained.

'Paying bills, keeping up with our finances, not getting in debt, making sure our mortgage got paid in time, making sure the electric didn't go off...

'I had imagined my life being exciting, but it wasn't exciting anymore. Life became monotonous.

'I longed for passionate romantic love. I didn't want to leave my family but I wanted something exciting in my life. I wanted more of the good stuff that life had to give.'

Sam, who was working nights as an ER nurse at the time, said he came across an ad for Ashley Madison one night and their tag line, 'Life is short. Have an affair,' caught his eye.

'When I signed up for Ashley Madison I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life,' he confessed.

Sam insisted that he didn't join the site because he was looking for sex, adding, 'I wasn't crazy horny. My wife was satisfying me.

'There was a lot I was seeking through Ashley Madison - mostly validation from other women.

'Ashley Madison was just a way for me to find women who'd be attracted to me so I could suck up their validation.'

The pair went on to welcome their son, Abram, in 2013, and one year later, they launched their YouTube channel, Sam and Nia, where they now have 2.5 million subscribers.

During the Netflix series, Sam explained that once their account took off, that gave him the 'validation' that he was looking for so he stopped using Ashley Madison.

'At that point I started enjoying my life again. It just brought an excitement to my life that I was seeking when I signed up for Ashley Madison,' he dished.

While 'carrying all those secrets' was 'hard for him,' Sam said he was prepared to take them to the grave and never tell Nia about his infidelities - but all of that changed when someone hacked the site in 2015.

At the time, every name that was signed up to Ashley Madison was leaked onto the web, and immediately, social media was flooded with posts about Sam's involvement.

In 2014, they launched their YouTube channel, Sam and Nia, and Sam said that once their account took off, that gave him the 'validation' he was looking for. They're seen in a 2014 video

In 2015, every name that was signed up to Ashley Madison was leaked onto the web, and immediately, social media became ablaze with posts about Sam's involvement

He then told Nia but insisted he never got physical with another woman. Even so, she recalled feeling 'betrayed,' 'humiliated,' and 'infuriated'

He said he 'came close to passing out' when he saw that his membership on the site had been exposed, and he knew he had to confess to Nia before she found out by reading it online.

They were on their way to a convention in Seattle when he broke the news to her - but he told her that he never got physical with another woman, something he now admits was a lie.

'I felt a sudden sense of doom that my life was over,' he recalled.

Nia said she felt 'betrayed,' 'humiliated,' and 'infuriated,' adding, 'There was a lot of anger.

'I thought, "I've been a good wife and mother. There was just no reason. He's got everything he needs. I'm there for him in every way, what in the world is missing that he needed to go on this website for?"'

Even so, she said she 'believed' that he didn't get intimate with any other woman and immediately, 'her heart wanted to forgive him.'

The next night, Sam and Nia posted a video to their YouTube channel addressing the scandal.

'I did make an account on Ashley Madison. This has been brought to my wife's attention and she has forgiven me,' he said in it.

'I've sought forgiveness from God and he's forgiven me so I've been completely cleansed of this sin.

'Also, I need to be clear, I never met with a single person face-to-face through that website. I never had an affair with anybody ever.'

Looking back, Sam admitted everything he said in the 'phony' video was 'pretty much a lie' and that he was only trying to 'protect himself.'

'I was keeping a lot of secrets from Nia and the secrets that I was keeping went a lot deeper than Ashley Madison and a lot further back,' Sam revealed. 'I was in a panic, everything was toppling on me.'

During their drive back from Seattle, Sam said he ended up admitting everything that he had done to Nia.

On top of confessing that he did cheat on her, he also said he went to 'massage parlors and strip clubs' because they were 'easy access to pleasure' and even came on to 'a couple of their friends.'

'He had pursued someone who was special to me which led to her cutting herself out of my life,' Nia explained.

Sam and Nia the posted a video to YouTube addressing the scandal. In it he said, 'I've sought forgiveness from God and he's forgiven me so I've been completely cleansed of this sin'

He later confessed to cheating on her; he also said he went to 'massage parlors and strip clubs' because they were 'easy access to pleasure' and came on to 'a couple of their friends'

In seeing the 'changes' he made through marriage counseling, Nia said decided to give him another chance

'I lost this very close friend because of Sam. It was a lot to face. I started reeling inside, I felt like my world was crumbling.

'Every single aspect of my life up until this point felt like a lie. Everything that we had dreamed about... all of these very special [memories], our wedding day, the day we met, suddenly it was just over.

'It was years of betrayal, years that he had acted out in our marriage. It was hell. Something I had to wrestle with was, I wasn't enough for him. I worked so hard to be what I thought he wanted.'

After they got back home to Texas, they announced a hiatus from their YouTube channel.

Nia told him she 'needed space' because she 'couldn't be in the same room as him,' so Sam packed up his things and moved out.

He described 'seeing the destruction of what he had done' as 'so painful,' but said he never gave up on their marriage.

He recalled expressing his 'regret and remorse day after day,' and eventually, Nia decided to go marriage counseling with him.

And in seeing the 'changes' he made through that, she decided to give him another chance.

'I started to really think about selfish decisions that I made. Looking back, I realized it was all about me. I wasn't thinking about Nia, and that was not how I was going to live anymore,' Sam said.

'Seeing the responsibility that Sam took and the hours of counseling he sat through, no matter how mad I was at what he had done, I could see the shift that had happened in him,' Nia added.

In the end, Sam said that while 'there's a lot of things he regrets,' he's thankful for the 'hack' because it forced him to come clean and ultimately strengthened their relationship.

They have since welcomed two more daughters together, Juliet in 2016 and Josie in 2021.

'It was a starting point for the rest of our marriage,' Nia concluded.
Miss Hawaii Savannah Gankiewicz has been crowned the new Miss USA after the woman who was originally awarded the title stepped down due to mental health struggles.

Gankiewicz will hold the title under this August, when a new winner will be crowned.

The model and female empowerment nonprofit leader said she is 'ready to make a positive impact with this organization that I hold dear to my heart' during a ceremony in Honolulu on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old, who was the first runner-up at last year's pageant, was announced as Noelia Voigt's replacement after she stepped down last week amid reports of a 'culture of fear and control' within the Miss USA organization.

'Never compromise your physical and mental well-being,' wrote Voigt, 24, in her social media post announcing her departure.

Miss Hawaii Savannah Gankiewicz accepted the Miss USA title Wednesday after the former title holder resigned last Monday

Miss USA Noelia Voigt (right) resigned the title due to considerations about her mental health. Her resignation was followed shortly thereafter by that of UmaSofia Srivastava (right), who had won the Miss Teen USA title

Two days after Voigt's sudden resignation of her crown, Miss Teen USA 2023 UmaSofia Srivastava also stepped away from her position.

She wrote on Instagram that her personal values do not any longer 'align with the direction of the organization.'

Unlike Gankiewicz, who decided to accept the crown, the Miss Teen USA runner up, Stephanie Skinner of New York, declined the title in a public statement she posted to Instagram.

At the Wednesday ceremony during which Gankiewicz was officially crowned by Hawaii Governor Josh Green, the new title holder said she is 'dedicated to taking action and making a difference.

'With my background as a certified mental health first aid responder and training in anti-bullying suicide prevention, I understand the importance of prioritizing your well-being and advocating for those in need.

'I believe that the true change starts from within and I am determined to lead by example and empower the class of 2024 and beyond,' she told the crowd gathered at a Waikiki hotel.

At the ceremony, Miss Universe Organization CEO Laylah Rose, who has been accused of cultivating the culture of fear and bullying that led to the double resignation, made her first appearance since the wave of drama began.

Rose, according to CNN, did not address any of the claims made against her, and instead embraced Gankiewicz in her new title and said her words will 'carry the power of positive change.'

The upcoming Miss and Miss Teen USA pageants are due to take place in Los Angeles this summer and will be broadcast on the CW network - though USA Today recently reported that the network was thinking over its relationship with the organization.

The model and female empowerment nonprofit leader said she is 'ready to make a positive impact with this organization that I hold dear to my heart'

Miss USA Pageant President and CEO Laylah Rose, who is currently under fire after Miss USA and Miss Teen USA resigned, alleging a toxic environment

Miss Hawaii USA 2023 Savannah Gankiewicz at the 72nd Miss USA Pageant in Reno, Nevada

Governer Josh Green, Savannah Gankiewicz, Miss USA President and CEO Layla Rose and Executive Director Miss Hawaii USA Alicia Michioka Miss Hawaii 2023 Savannah Gankiewicz at her coronation as the new Miss USA 2023

In a picture from just a few months ago, Miss USA Organization CEO Laylah Rose poses with some title holders at an event in New York

At present, Voigt and Srivastava remain under ironclad NDAs that prevent them from discussing their time at the organization publicly.

However, on Tuesday he mothers of the now-resigned winners spoke about their daughters' experiences on Good Morning America.

'The job of their dreams turned out to be a nightmare,' said Srivastava's mother Barbara.

'The girls decided to step down and give (up) their dream of a lifetime - a crown, a national title. Why would two girls decide to give that up?'

She added that the girls were, during their time as title holders, 'ill-treated, abused, bullied and cornered.'

The original post from Noelia Voigt's Instagram last Monday. Eagle-eyed fans spotted an apparent hidden message in her resignation statement, with the first letter of each sentence spelling out, 'I AM SILENCED'

Voigt (pictured) announced her departure from the organization in an Instagram post last Monday, citing her decision to prioritize her mental and physical wellbeing - she was recently seen at the Kentucky Derby

Not long after Voigt's decision to vacate her position became public, Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava followed suit

Voigt announced her departure from the organization in an Instagram post last Monday, citing her decision to prioritize her mental and physical wellbeing.

'In life, I strongly value the importance of making decisions that feel best for you and your mental health,' she wrote.

'My journey as Miss USA has been incredibly meaningful, representing Utah with pride, and later the USA at Miss Universe. Sadly, I have made the very tough decision to resign from the title of Miss USA 2023.'

Users in the comments were quick to point out that the first letter of each sentence in Voigt's message spelled out 'I AM SILENCED,' insinuating that there was more to the story than the former pageant queen was allowed to say.

Miss USA is a national beauty pageant that selects the entrant from the United States in the Miss Universe pageant. It has been held every year since 1952.

Shortly after Voigt's announcement, the Miss USA Organization released its own statement on social media.

'Thank you, Noelia, for your service as Miss USA. We wish you the best in this next chapter,' the statement began.

'We respect and support former Miss USA Noelia Voigt's decision to step down from her duties. The well-being of our titleholders is a top priority, and we understand her need to prioritize herself at this time.'
A woman has shared how her grief has been prolonged after discovering her dead son had not been cremated like she thought - but was decaying in a broken fridge.

Crystina Page lost son David Jaxon Page when he was just 20 after he was killed during an officer-involved shooting while in mental health crisis in 2019.

In a first person piece for Newsweek, Crystina explained she used the Return To Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs to cremate her son, having been given the brochure when police came to do the official notification and interrogation after his death.

A few days later, the grieving mom was asked to identify her son but was then told her son had already been cremated - however, years later she discovered that was not the case.

Crystina Page lost son David Jaxon Page (pictured when he was a child) when he was just 20 after he was killed during an officer-involved shooting while in mental health crisis in 2019

A few days later, the grieving mom was asked to identify her son but was then told her son (pictured when he was a child) had already been cremated - however, years later she discovered that was not the case

'For four years, I mourned my son and fought for him in a homicide case against the police, thinking he had been laid to rest shortly after his death,' she explained to Newsweek.

On October 24, 2023, Crystina got a call from the FBI saying her son had been identified as one of the 190 bodies found at the Return To Nature Funeral Home in the Rocky Mountain town of Penrose.

The funeral home, run by couple Jon and Carrie Hallford, was accused of abandoning dozens of bodies, spending money taken from families on vehicles, crypto and lavish dinners.

'It was completely devastating,' she anguished. 'I don't know how to explain what it feels like - to know that not only was my son taken away, but his body was desecrated. Most people can't wrap their minds around the gravity of it.'

According to Crystina, when the FBI first notified her of the situation, she was told her son's body was left naked and exposed.

'He didn't even have a body bag. He wasn't wrapped in a sheet. There was no dignity to this at all,' she recalled sadly.

The mom said in court that she found out her son's body was likely being kept in Room L, which was where most of the older bodies were - and it had an inoperable refrigeration system.

'By inoperable, I mean we have seen no evidence these refrigerators ever worked,' she wrote.

On October 24, 2023, Crystina got a call from the FBI saying her son had been identified as one of the 190 bodies found at the Return To Nature Funeral Home in the Rocky Mountain town of Penrose

According to Crystina, when FBI first notified her of the situation, she was told me her son's body was left naked and exposed

The mom (pictured with her son) said in court that she found out her son's body was likely being kept in Room L, which was where most of the older bodies were - and it had an inoperable refrigeration system

'There were rats and maggots and eight inches of fluid throughout the entire building, and 190 bodies were found in a similar condition,' she added.

Crystina, who said she was having 'night terrors' of bugs and rats eating her son's face and 'bodies stacked on top of each other skin-to-skin,' was then shown photos of the room.

'Seeing those photographs allowed me to understand the reality of the situation,' she admitted. 'I realized that most of the bodies there were not left in that condition - a lot were in body bags, or had sheets wrapped around them.'

Although Crystina was 'comforted' knowing the bodies weren't in the putrid condition she thought, it was still horrific to see.

She added that shockingly, she is considered a 'lucky one,' because there are still 948 people missing with their bodies not identified or accounted for.

When Crystina first got the notification, she went to social media to find out if there was a support group for other families suffering like hers.

'I work with people in mental health crisis. I knew that if I was having such a difficult time, then people who had not gone through trauma or who weren't used to dealing with these kinds of things would have an even tougher time,' she pointed out.

Crystina said she reached out to some of the support groups, wanting to offer the right information to the families, community, and industry experts affected.

'There are hundreds of us. It helped us build an infrastructure of support where, in a situation like this, there really isn't any,' she explained. 'We have no avenue of support. Things like this don't happen, so there's nothing in place for when it does.'

'For example, it took until February 1, 2024, for the first financial victims' compensation checks to be issued,' she explained. 'This case isn't about money, but all of us had necessary expenses.'

Crystina said they still have no idea what motivated the couple to neglect the bodies and lie, with the grieving mom saying she doesn't believe it was financially motivated - despite them misspending nearly $900,000 in pandemic relief funds to splurge on items such as two vehicles worth $120,000.

The funeral home (pictured in April 2024) was run by couple Jon and Carrie Hallford, was accused of abandoning 190 bodies, spending money taken from families on vehicles, crypto and lavish dinners

Jon and Carie Hallford (pictured previously outside their funeral home) also collected more than $130,000 from families for cremations and burial services they never provided, the federal indictment stated

Jon (left) and Carie Hallford (right) were indicted on federal charges that they misspent nearly $900,000 in pandemic relief funds on vacations, cosmetic surgery, jewelry and other personal expenses, according to court documents unsealed Monday

Crystina says knowing Carie Hallford is a mother herself evokes 'absolute disbelief and anger and hatred' toward her.

'I know of one family member told her daughter was cleared and cremated, but who has concrete in the urn rather than her child's ashes,' she wrote.

'She was meeting with customers, signing contracts, taking our money,' she wrote. 'Carie was reassuring us with a smile and a hug that she would take care of our dead in a way that gave them dignity and respect.'

Crystina added that she had been carrying human remains around for four years thinking it was her son only to find out that he had been in the funeral home the whole time.

'Whoever's cremated remains I carried, I will never know,' she wrote mournfully.

The owners of the Colorado Funeral Home, Jon and Carie Hallford face 15 charges brought by the federal grand jury, in addition to over 200 criminal counts already pending against the them in Colorado state court for corpse abuse, money laundering, theft and forgery.

The couple also collected more than $130,000 from families for cremations and burial services they never provided, the indictment said.

The federal offenses carry potential penalties of 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines, the indictment said.

The Hallfords' first court appearance in Colorado Springs is expected in early June. A jury trial is tentatively set for October.
Legally Blonde fans are calling on Reese Witherspoon's daughter Ava Phillippe to be cast as a young Elle Woods in the new prequel series for Amazon Prime Video.

Following the pink-filled announcement that saw the 48-year-old actress reprising her role to deliver the news about the spin-off TV series - more than two decades after the film premiered - fans couldn't contain their excitement and began theorizing about who should star as the blonde beauty.

The prequel, titled Elle, will feature the character's origin story as the protagonist navigates her way through high school before becoming a Harvard Law student.

After the news emerged, social media users called on Reese's 24-year-old daughter Ava, who she shares with ex Ryan Phillippe, to be cast in the role of young Elle, whose character made the 'bend and snap' famous.

Reese Witherspoon announced the new television series on Tuesday morning at Amazon's Upfront event in New York City

Fans are calling for Reese's daughter Ava (seen together in January), 24, to play young Elle

Reese revealed that the TV series will tell Elle's origin story 'before she became the most famous Gemini vegetarian to graduate from Harvard Law school'

Reese reprised her beloved role once more to announce the new television series on Tuesday morning, wearing a matching pink skirt and jacket, which she teamed with baby pink heels as she walked onto the stage in search of her dog, Bruiser, at Amazon's Upfront event in New York City.

With no word of a cast or a release date yet, fans began speculating who could fill the shoes of the brainy sorority sister role.

And fans think they have found the perfect person - as they are hoping to keep the role of the blonde beauty in the family.

Following the announcement, movie lovers took to social media and begged Reese to include her daughter in the cast.

One person said: 'If her daughter doesn't play her, we are going to be very upset.'

'Is Ava playing Elle?' another user questioned.

Someone else added: 'Omg please tell me Ava plays her!'

'It better be her daughter,' one fan commented.

With no word of a cast or a release date yet, fans began speculating who could fill the shoes of the brainy sorority sister role. Pictured are Reese and Ava

Following the announcement, movie lovers took to social media and begged Reese to include her daughter in the cast

Another movie lover wrote: 'Have Ava play you!'

'Is Ava going to play you?' someone else questioned.

One user added: 'Her daughter should play the young version of her.'

Legally Blonde premiered in 2001 and Reese quickly soared into stardom as she became known as the iconic blonde who got into Harvard Law School.

On Tuesday, Reese announced the news of the prequel.

She performed her character's famous 'bend and snap' - a signature move Elle taught her lovesick manicurist, Paulette Bonafonte, played by Jennifer Coolidge - before confirming a prequel was in the works.

'Guys, this is Bruiser!' Reese told Jen Salke, Head of Amazon and MGM Studios. 'Thank you, I'm so glad you found him!'

'Can I get an autograph?' Alan Moss, vice president of global ad sales for Amazon Ads, then asked, before accidentally dropping his pen.

'Alan, I got it,' Reese replied. 'Because when you get nervous in front of a really big group of people that you're trying to impress, all you have to do is bend and snap.'

As the audience carefully listened to the star, they couldn't contain their excitement, and soon burst into laughter and applause.

Speaking about the upcoming project, Reese continued: 'I had this crazy idea that the world would want to know the origin story of Elle Woods.

'So here I am, to officially tell you the most amazing news ever, which is that we're going back to high school with Elle.

'Before she became the most famous Gemini vegetarian to graduate from Harvard Law school, she was just a regular 90s high school girl.

The romcom Legally Blonde, directed by Robert Luketic, premiered in 2001

It quickly became a fan-favorite film with Jennifer Coolidge starring as Elle's lovesick manicurist, Paulette Bonafonte (pictured)

'And, thanks to Amazon and Hello Sunshine, all of you are going to get to know her in this new series on Amazon Prime Video. I'm so excited.'

Titled Elle, the series will follow the young Harvard Law graduate through high school to give viewers an insight into the life experiences that shaped her and turned her into the iconic lead in the Legally Blonde movies.

Reese will executive produce alongside Lauren Neustadter, Lauren Kisilevsky, Marc Platt and Laura Kittrell, who created the upcoming series and is also set to serve as showrunner.

Elle will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

The cast and a release date have yet to be announced.

Fans previously speculated that popstar Sabrina Carpenter would star as young Elle.

Luke Wilson (pictured) played Elle's love interest in the original film, which caused the blonde beauty's career to skyrocket

On Tuesday, Reese announced the news of the prequel and even did her famous 'bend and snap' move

The original Legally Blonde film followed sorority girl Elle who attempted to win back her ex-boyfriend, Warner Huntington III, played by Matthew Davis, by getting a degree at Harvard Law School, and in the process, overcame stereotypes about blondes to triumph as a successful lawyer.

Luke Wilson, Selma Blair and Victor Garber also starred.

Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde followed in 2003, with a Broadway adaptation of the first film arriving in 2007.

In a press release, Reese, who also announced her upcoming romcom film You're Cordially Invited, continued: 'I truly couldn't be more excited about this series!

'Fans will get to know how Elle Woods navigated her world as a teenager with her distinct personality and ingenuity, in ways that only our beloved Elle could do.

'What could be better than that?!'
Queen Maxima oozed glamour at the 'Oscars of the Dutch Business Community'

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wowed in a statement one-shoulder jumpsuit on Thursday evening as she attended a ceremony celebrating the very best of Dutch business.

Featuring a diamond broach on the left shoulder, the 52-year-old royal's cream satin outfit was nothing short of a showstopper.

As such, it was the perfect choice for 'Oscars of the Dutch Business Community', the King Willem I Prize, which was presented in the northeastern city of Zwolle.

Maxima's striking wide-leg jumpsuit, which showed off her toned physique, featured a slim waist belt in the same cream satin with a rectangular buckle.

The beaming mother-of-three completed her outfit with a pair of crystal-embellished heels and an equally glitzy clutch bag.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wowed in a statement one-shoulder jumpsuit on Thursday evening as she attended a ceremony celebrating the very best of Dutch business

With her long blond hair loose and subtle make-up, including a slick of pale pink lipstick, dark eyeliner and bronzer, the radiant royal looked as elegant as she did stylish.

She chose to keep her jewellery simple so as not to distract from her outfit, wearing just a slim watch, a diamond bracelet and a pair of gold earrings.

Described by the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce as 'the ultimate crowning achievement of good entrepreneurship', the King Willem I Prize is awarded biennially.

Maxima's appearance this evening comes hot on the heels of her outing to a lab in the central city of Wageningen yesterday, where she shone in a yellow ensemble.

She took a trip to Food Valley, an organisation that guides companies to transition into a more sustainable food system.

She oozed elegance as she arrived at the event in a Johanna Ortiz canary yellow maxi dress with brown paisley pattern detailing on it.

The stand-out garment - which Maxima has worn on multiple occasions - was cinched at the waist, showing off her slender figure.

She chose to match her flamboyant frock with chocolate-coloured accessories, donning a pair of patent heels, walnut-coloured round stud earrings and a chic clutch bag.

Featuring a diamond broach on the left shoulder, the 52-year-old royal's cream satin outfit was nothing short of a showstopper

Maxima's striking wide-leg jumpsuit, which showed off her toned physique, featured a slim waist belt in the same cream satin with a rectangular buckle

The beaming mother-of-three completed her outfit with a pair of crystal-embellished heels and an equally glitzy clutch bag

With her long blond hair loose and subtle make-up, including a slick of pale pink lipstick, dark eyeliner and bronzer, the radiant royal looked as elegant as she did stylish

The royal chose to keep her jewellery simple so as not to distract from her outfit, wearing just a slim watch, a diamond bracelet and a pair of gold earrings

She wore her blonde tresses down in a stylish straight blowdry and opted for her classic full-glam makeup look.

Maxima looked in high spirits as she greeted and shook hands with officials who showed her around the building.

The Queen even tried her hand at becoming a scientist herself, as she put on a bright white lab coat.

Maxima listened intently as the staff explained what the different substances were and she was given a tour, smelling different dishes along the way.

In one photo, the royal looks shocked as an employee explains the different sauces that people may use in their dishes.

Food Valley emerged in 2004 from a collaboration between Wageningen University and Research, agrifood companies and the regional government.
'Start looking after customers,' the store manager urged Woolies and Coles

Skippy's Fresh Frootz in Queensland sell produce for as little as 5c

A family-owned fruit and vegetable shop has caught the attention of Australians for its outrageously cheap prices.

Skippy's Fresh Frootz in Victoria Point, Queensland, is 'exposing' major supermarkets by selling produce for as little as 5c to assist shoppers during the cost of living crisis.

Customers can pick up 5c Hass avocados and cucumbers, $4 punnets of strawberries, 49c pumpkins, bags of potatoes for $1.99 and dozens of other fresh fruits and vegetables for a fraction of the prices typically seen at Coles and Woolworths.

Store manager Elijah Etri told FEMAIL the business buys produce in bulk from suppliers and focuses on selling volumes of food. Where they can, they lower the price without the number one goal of making a profit.

The store opened six years ago and has been thriving ever since, particularly after sharing the cheap prices on social media.

Skippy's Fresh Frootz in Victoria Point, Queensland, is 'exposing' major supermarkets by selling produce for as little as 5c to assist shoppers who are struggling

Customers can pick up 5c Hass avocados and cucumbers, $4 punnets of strawberries, 49c pumpkins, bags of potatoes for $1.99 and dozen of other fresh fruits and vegetables

In a message to the supermarket giants, Elijah said: 'Start looking after customers because everyday Australians are doing it tough right now'

In a message to the supermarket giants, Elijah said: 'Start looking after customers because everyday Australians are doing it tough right now.'

It comes as Aussies complain that the cost of two full bags of groceries sets them back around $150 when shopping at Coles or Woolworths.

Elijah said two full bags of fruit and vegetables from Skippy's Fresh Frootz tends to cost just $30.

'We buy in volume to sell in volute. We don't buy minimal stock, we work on selling quantity,' he said.

'The cheaper produce at the front of the store - the 5c avocados and cucumbers - we don't make a profit on.'

Elijah said the store has always focused on helping the community and those doing it tough and they also support nearby schools with breakfast programs.

'We buy in volume to sell in volute. We don't buy minimal stock, we work on selling quantity,' Elijah said

Elijah encouraged other Aussies to support local by shopping at independent stores

Elijah encouraged other Aussies to support local by shopping at independent stores.

'We aren't the only one being competitive. Our prices are a bit more drastic, but other independent grocers are selling produce for cheap too,' Elijah said.

'There's other options but Aussies need to break away from convenience to challenge these major supermarkets doing the wrong thing.

'If more Aussies do that then more local business will open or thrive, and the major supermarkets will realise they can't get away with everything.'

The store sells 'everything', including seasoning, nuts and every type of fruit or vegetable you could need

Skippy's Fresh Frootz has been going viral on TikTok throughout the year by 'exposing' the supermarket giants.

In one clip watched more than 1.5million times, Elijas said: 'We're the only small business produce store sticking it to the major chains - here's why,' he said and proceeded to show the cheap prices of the fresh food in store.

'Prices you'll never see in the supermarkets.'

He pointed to the range of produce at the front of the store, including Jap pumpkins for 49c per kilo and 5kg of dirty brush potatoes for $1.99.

The clip couldn't help but make other Aussies around the country envious.

'Please open a Skippy's in Melbourne,' one begged, another said: 'The way I could happily just live of fruit and vegetables if it wasn't so expensive.'

'Lemons for 5c?!? Not me paying for them at $20 per kg,' another added.

'We need this in Sydney,' someone else confessed.

'Might be worth driving from Perth,' another joked.
A 33-year-old woman suffered a deadly liver rupture after a worm laid eggs inside her abdomen.

The farmer, from Tunisia, was infected with a parasite similar to the one believed to have infected the brain of US Presidential hopeful Robert F Kennedy Jr.

Her case was revealed in a US medical journal this week by doctors who want to raise awareness about the infection that has been dubbed a silent killer.

The alarming symptoms that prompted the woman to visit the ER were severe stomach cramps, a fever and yellowing in her eyes and skin which persisted for three days.

Scans from an unnamed 33-year-old woman in Tunisia show the patient's liver. The arrow is pointing toward a small cyst and a blocked bile duct, which were caused by a tapeworm

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in 2012 that he experienced short-term memory loss and brain fogginess after a worm ate part of his brain then died

Blood tests revealed inflammatory markers called C-reactive proteins were more than 20 times the normal level, suggesting possible liver damage.

Doctors found that a cyst in her bile duct, which transports fluids to and from the liver, had ruptured.

The organ damage was later found to have been caused by a gruesome growth called Echinococcus granulosus - a two to seven-millimeter tapeworm.

The nasty parasite triggers the potentially deadly infection, Hydatid disease, also known as cystic echinococcosis.

The worms typically live in animals like sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, and dogs. They most commonly infect people in poor, rural countries who work with livestock, which could explain how the patient, a farmer, came into contact with the worm.

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It's unclear when the patient became infected, though symptoms can take several years to appear.

Between two and three million people become infected with Hydatid disease - and up to 90 percent of patients - can die within 10 to 15 years after infection if they go untreated.

Two days after being admitted to the hospital, doctors performed surgery to remove the cyst and drain excess bile.

The patient spent 15 days in the hospital receiving fluids and antibiotics before being discharged.

She also received three courses of antibiotics to take home and had no issues as of a six-month follow-up.

Though the disease is rare in North America, the doctors who treated the Tunisian patient warned that Hydatid disease 'poses a significant public health problem' in rural areas of Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Central and South America.

The case is similar to that of RFK Jr, who experienced short-term memory loss and brain fog in 2010, according to a recent New York Times investigation.

The presidential hopeful, now 70, feared he had cancer, but scans instead revealed a dead parasite ate a portion of his brain.

RFK Jr has not confirmed which parasite he had, though some experts suggest that he had neurocysticercosis, which is caused by the pork tapeworm Taenia solium.

The condition hospitalizes roughly 2,000 Americans.

He said he likely came into contact with the worm during a trip to South America.

The Tunisian case was published in the American Journal of Case Reports.
Victims of the Devon contaminated water crisis say they've been left with stomach so painful one woman even compared it to giving birth.

The mystery illness is believed to be linked to cryptosporidium, a parasitic bug that that can enter water supplies via contaminated faecal matter.

Health authorities have detected at least 22 cases of cryptosporidium infection in the town of Brixham, home to about 17,000 people.

South West Water has now told residents in the town of Boohay, Kingswear, Roseland and north-east Paignton to boil their drinking water to avoid the faecal-borne parasite which is believed to have infiltrated water supplies.

But the advice came too late for some residents and who have been wracked with diarrhoea and other a gastrointestinal symptoms like cramps for days.

South West Water has set up bottled water stops for residents to pick up water if they are unable to boil it at home

A suspected outbreak of cryptosporidium is believed to be affecting hundreds of people in Brixham (pictured)

Brixham resident Lisa Horswill even compared the pain to giving birth.

'It's worst after you've just eaten. Then the diarrhoea just empties you out and the stomach cramps kick in, which are so painful, like childbirth,' she told inews.

She added that although South West Water had offered them 15 in compensation, the family had already spent more than that on bottled water.

Another resident, Michaela Lewis, said her five-year-old daughter had been suffering cryptosporidium infection symptoms for 12 days.

'What does this sort of thing do to such a young person's stomach? It can't be good for young children,' she said.

Locals also told MailOnline they started experiencing symptoms around two weeks ago.

Retiree Kathy Hudson, 67, said: 'I have been ill since last week with cramps, diarrhoea, sickness and dizziness. My daughter-in-law has also got ill.

'I don't want to know what is in the water I have been drinking but now they are saying not to wash your hands, can you shower? What's it going to do to you?'

To make matters worse Kathy says she hasn't been able to buy any bottled water as panic buyers have stripped shelves in the town's supermarkets.

She added: 'There is no water left in any of the shops in town.'

Fellow Brixham resident Meg Dew said: 'My 62-year-old mum called me about half an hour ago, she has a bad stomach and diarrhoea.

'My friends have been ill since the Pirate Festival (4th to 6th May), I didn't even know until this morning that there was anything wrong with the water.

'South West Water needs to sort it out, bills are high but for nothing.'

Schools in the area have now been forced to close as they cannot supply pupils with water.

South West Water initially claimed its treatment works were not to blame but has since backtracked - prompting fury from local Tory MP Anthony Mangnall, who said its initial failure to act had been 'enormously frustrating'.

Dr Lincoln Sargeant, director of public health for Torbay, BBC Radio 4's Today programme he is 'optimistic' about the outbreak being under control.

He said: 'This was reported as an outbreak on Tuesday morning and by Wednesday we had a credible source that it was likely to be a reservoir serving the TQ5 postcode such as Brixham and neighbouring areas.

South West Water apologised to customers and gave them detailed advice on how to eliminate illness-causing organisms from their water

'South West Water has been investigating and continues to test. This is of course an ongoing situation, but we are pretty certain at this point with the boil water notice and ongoing investigation and remediation of water supply there that the primary source would have stopped.

'What we are now focusing on is making sure we don't have any spread from those initial cases.'

Dr Sargeant added that the full picture on how the cryptosporidium got into the water supply will come after probes have been completed.

'The definitive answers to that [why the disease hit this area] will come when South West Water will be able to do their investigations.

'Cryptosporidium exists in the environment. Sometimes when you have lots of rain it might get into the water system but usually through rigorous testing and water treatment it is usually picked up.

'We are very optimistic [it is under control]. Some of the key measures such as identifying the primary source - that is in hand.'

Conservative MP for Totnes and South Devon Anthony Mangnall has slammed the 'enormously frustrating' pace at which South West Water has sought to address the outbreak

It is thought hundreds of residents are experiencing a range of symptoms including watery diarrhoea, stomach pains, nausea or vomiting, a mild fever, and loss of appetite.

A South West Water spokesperson said: 'Customers in Alston and the Hillhead area of Brixham are advised to boil their drinking water before consuming following new test results for cryptosporidium.

'We are issuing this notice following small traces of the organism identified overnight and this morning.

'We are working with the UK Health Security Agency and other public health partners to urgently investigate and eliminate the source.

'We apologise for the inconvenience caused and will continue to keep customers and businesses updated. Bottled water stations will be set up in the affected areas as soon as possible.'

Medics technically call a cryptosporidium infection cryptosporidiosis.

Sufferers often have to endure these symptoms for two weeks before it is finally clear from their systems.

But some patients can experience longer bouts of illness for those people with weakened immune systems like cancer patients.

Victims can also experience periods of false hope where their symptoms clear for a few days, making them believe they are finally over the infection, only for it to return.

Most people with cryptosporidiosis aren't offered treatment and are instead told to drink plenty of fluids and minimise contact with other people while waiting until symptoms pass.

People are typically infected via contact with faeces containing the parasite, either from humans or animals, that then enters their mouth.

These infected faeces often come into contact with people by contamination of lakes, streams, swimming pools and, as appears to be the case in Devon, water supplies.

People can also get it by caring for people infected with the parasite, particularly young children.

Risk of water supplies becoming infected is higher following periods of heavy rainfall and when animals are giving birth, such as the lambing season.

Other possible sources of infection are contact with infected milk, or from vegetables that have been fertilised with infected animal manure and not washed thoroughly.

Patients with the infection are told to stay off work and school until they have been symptom-free for at least two days to avoid passing the bug on to others.

As crypto can survive in faecal matter for long periods of time sufferers are asked not to go swimming until two weeks after their diarrhoea has stopped.

This includes both natural bodies of water as well as swimming pools as traces of infected dried poo can wash off an infected swimmer's anus.

Infected people can shed up to 100million cryptosporidium germs in a single bowel movement, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

And swallowing just 10 is enough to get ill.
Ministers were warned cryptosporidium represented the second greatest risk to water supplies in England a year before the current Devon outbreak, MailOnline can reveal.

A report from the Government's own Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) suggested the threat of the parasite was second only to suppliers running out of drinking water completely.

The DWI assessment was that not enough was being done to mitigate the risk of cryptosporidium infesting drinking water supplies.

A separate DWI report in December warned 'sub-standard sampling' was putting the chances of detecting contamination like faeces in drinking water supplies at risk.

It comes as hundreds of Devon residents in are reporting suffering from a wave of diarrhoea and agonising stomach cramps linked to the faecal-borne parasite cryptosporidium seemingly infiltrating the county's drinking water.

Cryptosporidium parasites are protected by a thick shell that allows them to survive in chlorinated swimming pool water

Locals in Brixham, Boohay, Kingswear, Roseland and north-east Paignton in Devon were all told to boil water as a precaution

While only 22 cases of people being infected have been officially detected the real total is predicted to be higher.

Experts have told MailOnline that such outbreaks are rare in the UK, but ageing water infrastructure increasing the opportunities for contaminated livestock faeces or raw human sewage entering drinking water means such incidents are becoming likelier.

The December DWI report identified failures by water suppliers in what is known as coliform sampling.

Coliforms are bacteria whose presence indicates contamination of water supplies including some forms which indicate the presence of human and animal faeces.

Experts consider such sampling as one of the best ways of detecting the potential presence of more dangerous pathogens like cryptosporidium.

The DWI document reads: 'This quarter there were several coliform failures at treatment works.'

'A recurring theme was the poor quality of sampling facilities which are not representative of the water in supply.'

The report went on to say 'sub-standard sampling facilities' create a financial burden on water companies trying to investigate the safety of drinking water.

Your browser does not support iframes.

South West Water apologised to customers and gave them detailed advice on how to eliminate illness-causing organisms from their water

It added that the end result was potential danger to the public.

'There were also instances where companies were unable to inspect and repair assets due to a lack of resilience in their systems, putting consumers at risk,' it read.

The Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said the DWI report had taken action with individual water companies to respond to the issues identified in its 2022 report.

A spokesperson added: 'We are aware of the ongoing situation affecting the South West Water drinking water supply in the Brixham, Devon area and understand the challenges this is causing residents.

'South West Water, in consultation with the Drinking Water Inspectorate and UK Health Security Agency are investigating the incident.

'We remain in close contact with South West Water to ensure they are taking the appropriate steps to investigate as quickly as possible and provide support to residents.

'We can assure residents that boiled water is safe and ask them to continue to follow the precautionary boiling measures as advised.'

A spokesperson for the DWI added they were investigating both the outbreak and the supplier South West Water.

'We are actively investigating the cause, the extent of the contamination, and the actions taken by the water company,' they said.

Residents in the affected areas of Devon have been told to boil water before drinking in a bid to stop more people becoming infected.

What is Cryptosporidium? Cryptosporidium, also known as Crypto, are tiny parasites that live in water and enter the body through food or drink. They cause an illness called Cryptosporidiosis, with the most common symptom being watery diarrhoea. It can also cause nausea, vomiting and fever. Symptoms usually last about two weeks, but can go on longer. Young children and people with weak immune systems are more likely to be more seriously affected. The parasites are protected by a thick outer shell that allows them to survive outside the body. In cool, moist conditions, they can live for several months. They are also resistant to chlorine, so can live in swimming pools for up to a week. Outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis have been linked to drinking or swimming in contaminated water. Foods prepared with contaminated water, such salads that are washed with it, can also be a danger. Farmers who handle livestock can also be at risk, as the infection can be caught from cows, goats and sheep  particularly lambs. Once they are swallowed, the Cryptosporidium shells break open and the parasites are released. However, some of the parasites will pass through a persons digestive system intact, so infection can occur by ingesting poo particles from an infected person, such as by changing nappies of a poorly baby. Infected people can shed up to 100 million parasites in a single bowel movement. Swallowing just ten is enough to get ill. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) provides advice on controlling outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis and monitors outbreaks to find the source. Advertisement

Cryptosporidium infection causes people to suffer weeks of diarrhoea and stomach cramps so painful that one woman compared them to 'childbirth'.

Experts told MailOnline there was no need for people in other parts of the country to boil their drinking water but added contamination events like this 'should simply never happen' in a developed country like the UK.

They also warned the infection could potentially spread beyond the county if people who were visiting the area before the alarm was raised fall ill and pass it on to others.

Experts told this website the source of the Devon outbreak is likely a result of contaminated cattle faeces spilling into water supplies due to heavy rain.

Professor Paul Hunter, a renowned infectious diseases expert from the University of East Anglia and who has advised the WHO on standards for drinking water, said human error was also a likely factor.

'Problems like this dont happen in a perfect well managed and running water treatment system, he said.

They happen because someone slipped up somewhere or something has broken which shouldnt have.'

Brixham, home to about 17,000 people, is at the epicentre of the Devon outbreak.

The water company said the Hillhead reservoir and the wider Alston area are being investigated as a potential cause for the outbreak - an area which about 40,000 residents get their water supply from.

A South West Water spokesperson said: 'Customers in Alston and the Hillhead area of Brixham are advised to boil their drinking water before consuming following new test results for cryptosporidium.

'We are issuing this notice following small traces of the organism identified overnight and this morning.

'We are working with the UK Health Security Agency and other public health partners to urgently investigate and eliminate the source.

'We apologise for the inconvenience caused and will continue to keep customers and businesses updated. Bottled water stations will be set up in the affected areas as soon as possible.'

Medics technically call a cryptosporidium infection cryptosporidiosis.

Sufferers often have to endure these symptoms for two weeks before it is finally clear from their systems.

But some patients can experience longer bouts of illness for those people with weakened immune systems like cancer patients.

Victims can also experience periods of false hope where their symptoms clear for a few days, making them believe they are finally over the infection, only for it to return.

Most people with cryptosporidiosis aren't offered treatment and are instead told to drink plenty of fluids and minimise contact with other people while waiting until symptoms pass.

People are typically infected via contact with faeces containing the parasite, either from humans or animals, that then enters their mouth.

These infected faeces often come into contact with people by contamination of lakes, streams, swimming pools and, as appears to be the case in Devon, water supplies.

People can also get it by caring for people infected with the parasite, particularly young children.

Risk of water supplies becoming infected is higher following periods of heavy rainfall and when animals are giving birth, such as the lambing season.

Other possible sources of infection are contact with infected milk, or from vegetables that have been fertilised with infected animal manure and not washed thoroughly.

Patients with the infection are told to stay off work and school until they have been symptom-free for at least two days to avoid passing the bug on to others.

As the parasite can survive in faecal matter for long periods of time sufferers are asked not to go swimming until two weeks after their diarrhoea has stopped.

This includes both natural bodies of water as well as swimming pools as traces of infected dried poo can wash off an infected swimmer's anus.

Infected people can shed up to 100million cryptosporidium germs in a single bowel movement, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And swallowing just 10 is enough to get ill.
Could you be one of an estimated 44million drinking water supplies potentially contaminated by faeces, according to official data?

22 cases of a parasite called cryptosporidium, which most commonly enters water supplies via contamination of faeces, have been detected in Devon.

Cryptosporidium infection causes people to suffer weeks of diarrhoea and stomach cramps so painful that one woman compared them to 'childbirth'.

Residents in the affected areas have been told to boil water before drinking to try and stop more people becoming infected.

Experts told MailOnline there was no need for people in other parts of the country to boil their water but added contamination events like this 'should simply never happen' in a developed country like the UK.

However, they also warned the infection could spread beyond the county if people who were visiting the area before the alarm was raised fall ill and pass it on to others.

What is Cryptosporidium? Cryptosporidium parasites are protected by a thick shell that allows them to survive in chlorinated swimming pool water Cryptosporidium, also known as Crypto, are tiny parasites that live in water and enter the body through food or drink. They cause an illness called Cryptosporidiosis, with the most common symptom being watery diarrhoea. It can also cause nausea, vomiting and fever. Symptoms usually last about two weeks, but can go on longer. Young children and people with weak immune systems are more likely to be more seriously affected. The parasites are protected by a thick outer shell that allows them to survive outside the body. In cool, moist conditions, they can live for several months. They are also resistant to chlorine, so can live in swimming pools for up to a week. Ingesting just 10 Cryptosporidium parasites is enough to make you ill Outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis have been linked to drinking or swimming in contaminated water. Foods prepared with contaminated water, such salads that are washed with it, can also be a danger. Farmers who handle livestock can also be at risk, as the infection can be caught from cows, goats and sheep  particularly lambs. Once they are swallowed, the Cryptosporidium shells break open and the parasites are released. However, some of the parasites will pass through a persons digestive system intact, so infection can occur by ingesting poo particles from an infected person, such as by changing nappies of a poorly baby. Infected people can shed up to 100 million parasites in a single bowel movement. Swallowing just ten is enough to get ill. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) provides advice on controlling outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis and monitors outbreaks to find the source. Advertisement

There is no geographic data cryptosporidium detections in UK water supplies but there is data for detections of E. coli and enterococci.

These are types of bacteria that can indicate water has been contaminated by faecal matter, and potentially, cryptosporidium.

The reservoir which is understood to be the source of an outbreak of cryptosporidium in a Devon is an underground lake  which serves around 40,000 homes.

Residents living close to the Hillhead Reservoir near Brixham, South Devon, have been warned by South West Water workers they will have to be switched onto alternative sources of water.

While MP Anthony Mangnall claimed 'animal waste' may have got into a damaged air valve, causing contaminated ground water to enter the local supply.

This afternoon, around a dozen vans from South West Water were lined up outside a pumping station where the outbreak is believed to have been detected earlier this week.

The Government's Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) recorded a total 35 E. coli and Enterococci breaches in England and Wales in 2022.

The majority of these, 13, were in the North West in the area served by Severn Trent Water.

This was followed by Anglian Water in the East of England (6) and Northumbrian, Essex and Suffolk Water (5).

These detections cover both breaches found in household taps as well as in reservoirs that feed multiple homes.

When all incidents were taken into account, 44.5million people are supplied water by a company that experienced at least one breach in 2022.

Additionally, the Government also estimates over 7,300 Brits in England and Wales on private water supplies drank from faecal contaminated sources in 2022.

Devon has been hit hard by the cryptosporidium outbreak, with some people even panic buying bottled water.

An 80-year-old grandmother has also been rushed to hospital with severe dehydration after drinking water suspected to contain cryptosporidium bacteria.

Elaine Hollier, 80, from Brixham, Devon, was taken away by paramedics on Saturday 11 May after suffering severe dehydration and vomiting for two weeks.

Medics were initially stumped by her condition until South West Water (SWW) confirmed an outbreak of the parasite had been found in an underground reservoir serving their home and around 16,000 others - an estimated 40,000 people.

Her husband of 60 years, Dennis Hollier, initially thought they had fallen ill after eating undercooked sausage. But she is now one of hundreds of people suspected to have fallen ill after ingesting the parasite via contaminated water.

The scandal has prompted calls for bosses at SWW to quit - while the local MP says the outbreak has 'undermined trust' in Britain's water network.

Dr Simon Clarke, a cellular microbiologist at the University of Reading, said there was no need for people outside of the areas issued with a boil water notice to take similar precautions.

'If you dont live in an affected area, there is absolutely no point in boiling your drinking water, to do so would be a complete overreaction,' he said.

He added that outbreaks of the Devon one are 'rare in the UK' and that they should never happen in Britain.

Elaine Hollier (pictured with husband Dennis) has been hospitalised after drinking water contaminated with cryptosporidium bacteria

Locals in Brixham, Boohay, Kingswear, Roseland and north-east Paignton in Devon were all told to boil water as a precaution

'We dont yet know how this contamination has occurred, but there will have been a failure in the infrastructure somewhere along the line,' he said.

'These infections can come from human or animal sources but either way, contamination like this should simply never happen because faeces, regardless of the source, should never get anywhere near the drinking water supply.'

Professor Paul Hunter, a renowned infectious diseases expert from the University of East Anglia and who has advised the WHO on standards for drinking water, also agreed there no need for Brits outside of Devon to boil water, unless it was 'to make a cup of tea'.

He did agree that incidents like the ongoing one in Devon are rare in the UK, with Britain's drinking water supply considered one of safest in the world.

While the source of the outbreak is still under investigation, Professor Hunter said it was likely due to human error or a piece of machinery running down.

'Problems like this dont happen in a perfect well managed and running water treatment system, he said.

They happen because someone slipped up somewhere or something has broken which shouldnt have.'

Considering previous outbreaks his 'best guess' it was likely due to cryptosporidium in cattle faeces leaking into drinking water due to heavy rains.

He added however that further outbreaks could occur in other parts of the UK, not from drinking water supplies directly, but from people who may have become infected in Devon while visiting who could fall ill in the coming days.

Shelves usually stocked with water are empty as people panic buy in a bid to avoid tap water

South West Water apologised to customers and gave them detailed advice on how to eliminate illness-causing organisms from their water

Your browser does not support iframes.

Professor Hunter said it was possible for these incidents to go on to trigger other secondary cases as cryptosporidium can spread between people.

He added that Britain could see more of these outbreaks in the future as the UKs ageing water infrastructure breaks down

As it ages that becomes more and more of a risk I think, he said.

On the DWI's data Professor Hunter said E. coli and enterococci, are themselves, unlikely to trigger illness and instead are more useful 'canaries in the coal mine' for pathogens like cryptosporidium.

'They are generally not hazardous in themselves but are an indication that the water could have been contaminated by faecal matter,' he said.

'There are some types of E. coli that can cause potentially severe diarrhoea, but the most common type of this often wouldn't show as a positive even if present.

'You could probably drink water with quite a few indicator bacteria in it without getting sick. But the indicators are present you could not rule it out.'

He said data on E. coli and enterococci detections in household taps have to be considered with caution.

This is because people can often contaminate their own tap water by accidently touching the faucet opening while washing their hands after going to the toilet.

Such a scenario puts the bacteria right at the opening of the tap and, therefore, isn't an indicator that the supply itself is contaminated.

Yesterday, South West Water (SWW) urged people to boil their tap water after hundreds of people across Devon fell ill with diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach pains amid the parasite outbreak in contaminated taps.

Brixham, home to about 17,000 people, is at the epicentre of the outbreak.

Hillhead Reservoir, the underground reservoir where the outbreak of bacteria is thought to have originated

South West Water unloading crates of bottled water to distribute to locals in south Devon

The water company said the Hillhead reservoir and the wider Alston area are being investigated as a potential cause for the outbreak - an area which about 40,000 residents get their water supply from.

While 22 cases have been confirmed it is thought hundreds of residents are experiencing a range of symptoms including watery diarrhoea, stomach pains, nausea or vomiting, a mild fever, and loss of appetite.

A South West Water spokesperson said: 'Customers in Alston and the Hillhead area of Brixham are advised to boil their drinking water before consuming following new test results for cryptosporidium.

'We are issuing this notice following small traces of the organism identified overnight and this morning.

'We are working with the UK Health Security Agency and other public health partners to urgently investigate and eliminate the source.

'We apologise for the inconvenience caused and will continue to keep customers and businesses updated. Bottled water stations will be set up in the affected areas as soon as possible.'

Medics technically call a cryptosporidium infection cryptosporidiosis.

Sufferers often have to endure these symptoms for two weeks before it is finally clear from their systems.

A computer render of cryptosporidium parasites, which can cause diarrhoea and dehydration if ingested

Dirty tap water is seen in a glass cup in Looe in Cornwall - around 50 miles from the affected area

But some patients can experience longer bouts of illness for those people with weakened immune systems like cancer patients.

Victims can also experience periods of false hope where their symptoms clear for a few days, making them believe they are finally over the infection, only for it to return.

Most people with cryptosporidiosis aren't offered treatment and are instead told to drink plenty of fluids and minimise contact with other people while waiting until symptoms pass.

People are typically infected via contact with faeces containing the parasite, either from humans or animals, that then enters their mouth.

These infected faeces often come into contact with people by contamination of lakes, streams, swimming pools and, as appears to be the case in Devon, water supplies.

People can also get it by caring for people infected with the parasite, particularly young children.

Risk of water supplies becoming infected is higher following periods of heavy rainfall and when animals are giving birth, such as the lambing season.

Other possible sources of infection are contact with infected milk, or from vegetables that have been fertilised with infected animal manure and not washed thoroughly.

Patients with the infection are told to stay off work and school until they have been symptom-free for at least two days to avoid passing the bug on to others.

As the parasite can survive in faecal matter for long periods of time sufferers are asked not to go swimming until two weeks after their diarrhoea has stopped.

This includes both natural bodies of water as well as swimming pools as traces of infected dried poo can wash off an infected swimmer's anus.

Infected people can shed up to 100million cryptosporidium germs in a single bowel movement, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And swallowing just 10 is enough to get ill.
READ MORE: A strange mark on a baby boy's eye turned out to be rare cancer

A mother revealed on social media how she spotted her toddler's rare eye cancer.

Steph, from Canada, took a flash photo of her 16-month-old daughter, Summer Raine, in 2021 when she caught something strange.

While one eye appeared red from the flash, the other had a white, cloudy glow. 'I knew something was wrong,' Steph said in a recent TikTok video.

Steph rushed her toddler to their local emergency room in Toronto, where doctors found retinoblastoma, a rare eye cancer that grows in the back of the eye due to a genetic mutation.

Steph, a mother in Canada, posted on TikTok that she noticed a white glow in her daughter's, Summer Raine, left pupil. It turned out to be the eye cancer retinoblastoma

Summer underwent three months of chemotherapy, though she did not respond to the treatment. She had to have her left eye removed and is now cancer free

Though rare, retinoblastoma the most common eye cancer in children, with about 200 to 300 patients diagnosed per year, most of whom are younger than two.

Three in four patients, like Summer, have retinoblastoma in just one eye.

GOT A HEALTH-RELATED STORY?

EMAIL: health@dailymail.com Advertisement

Summer immediately started three months of chemotherapy, though her tumor did not respond to the treatment.

To keep the cancer from spreading, doctors decided to remove her left eye.

This eliminated all evidence of the disease, and she is still cancer free three years later.

Despite retinoblastoma being so rare, it generally has a good prognosis, with a 96 percent survival rate.

Symptoms include having a white pupil, a cloudy eye, misaligned eyes looking toward the ears or nose, different colored irises and a red and inflamed eyeball.

Steph is now focused on spreading awareness of retinoblastoma to other parents.

'Please remember retinoblastoma is rare but make sure to check your baby's eyes with a flash,' Steph wrote in a caption of one of her videos.

'Retinas should not be white.'
The remaining 16 percent of cases are linked to travel from Peru and Chile

Some 84 percent of deadly measles cases in a recent major outbreak at a migrant center in Chicago are linked to Venezuelan immigrants, a new CDC report shows.

New information reveals that the spate of 57 cases at the Pilsen migrant shelter can be traced back to a one year-old boy who had only received one of the two vital vaccines.

The majority of the cases  72 percent  were among unvaccinated people, the CDC said.

The report cites overcrowding at the center for the rampant spread, with 500 people said to be crammed into a single room.

Chicago is at the epicenter of the measles outbreak in the US, with 64 cases recorded so far

Migrants pictured at a makeshift shelter in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, where many are being moved to. There has been an outbreak of measles and tuberculosis linked to the shelter

The first patient had arrived in the US less than five months before he became ill. He had received one dose of the MMR vaccine five weeks prior to his rash.

He had no recent travel history or known exposure to measles, and was taken to the hospital on February 27.

The Chicago Department of Public Health was notified of the case a few days later, and organized a vaccination event for the residents and staff members of the shelter the next day.

GOT A HEALTH-RELATED STORY? EMAIL: Health@dailymail.com Advertisement

Because of the highly infectious nature of measles, they considered anyone who had been inside the shelter between February 22-27 - the boy's infectious period - to have been exposed to measles.

Between February 26 and May 13, there were 57 confirmed cases linked to the shelter, including 52 among migrants staying at the shelter and three among staff members.

The median age of infected migrants was three years old, and most were originally from Venezuela. Four were from Peru, two from Ecuador, one from Chile and a further one whose origin country was not known.

Since August 2022, roughly 41,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago, Illinois from the US southern border.

Of those, 88 percent are from Venezuela - a country that has seen a recent decline in routine child vaccination coverage, including the measles vaccine.

The surge in migrants comes as Chicago continues to pride itself as a 'sanctuary city', or a location where people can ask for aid from city services without revealing their immigration status.

Officials also do not ask residents about whether they are legally entitled to be in the US.

Some 30 of the 57 cases at the Pilsen center were in women, and 27 were in men. Most of the patients were between six months old and four years old, followed by 20-49 years old.

Measles typically begins with cold-like symptoms, before causing a rash made up of small red spots, some of which can feel slightly raised

The Pilsen migrant shelter is the largest in Chicago, and was hosting around 2,100 people in late February, with more than 500 people residing in some of the rooms.

Migrants themselves have said illnesses are rampant in shelters because of overcrowding and unsanitary conditions.

Around 130 Americans have been struck with measles this year, amid warnings that falling vaccination rates and surging immigration is leaving America's children more vulnerable to the disease than ever before.

The CDC says infants should receive their first dose of the measles vaccine at the age of 12 to 15 months, and their second dose between the ages of four to six years.

Studies show the first dose is 93 percent effective against the virus while the second is 97 percent effective.

Vaccinated people can still get sick, doctors say, but they have a much milder infection because they already have immunity.

Dr Thomas Moore, an infectious disease expert, previously told DailyMail.com: 'If you want to create a public health crisis, put people in over-crowded spaces.'

Overcrowding, unsanitary conditions and limited accessibility to vaccines in migrants' native countries can all cause and exacerbate outbreaks in shelters, he said.

Measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000, which means the disease is no longer constantly present in the country.

America's measles elimination status was threatened in 2019 due to two prolonged outbreaks among under vaccinated communities in New York.

According to the CDC, MMR vaccine coverage dropped a further two percent between the 2019-2021 school year to the 2022-2023 school year, which means that roughly a quarter of a million kindergartens are at risk of measles infection across the US.

The 93.1 percent rate during the 202223 school year is lower than the 95 percent rate in the 2019-2020 school year, leaving measles coverage below the national target of 95 percent for the third year running.
Health officials warn that cases of mpox have reached an all-time high in some areas of Africa, which they fear 'could spread to other countries' including the US.

In a newly released report, CDC officials reported that the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has seen an increase of mpox (formerly called Monkeypox) from 2023 to 2024.

Though the disease, which causes skin rashes and lesions, is an endemic in DRC, US experts fear that the increase in a more severe form of mpox called clade I could lead to a repeat of its rapid spread in other countries like the US and UK.

CDC officials have urged Americans most vulnerable to mpox to get vaccinated before the virus potentially returns to the US. Dr Jono Mermin, director of the CDC's National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention division, wrote on X Thursday: 'Two doses of the #mpox vaccine is safe & protects from severe illness.'

News of the illness, which often infects gay and bisexual men, comes as the US and other countries around the world prepare to celebrate Pride month in June.

CDC officials said that the latest rise in mpox cases in DRC is the 'largest surge of mpox cases ever recorded.' It includes 19,919 cases and 975 deaths

Telltale signs of mpox are skin rashes and lesions. Muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, and chills are also common

The report also comes after officials found a mutant strain of mpox with 'pandemic potential' in the small town of Kamituga.

Additionally, news of the illness, which often infects gay and bisexual men, comes as the US and other countries around the world prepare to celebrate Pride month in June.

Mpox is divided into two categories: clade I and clade II.

Clade I, which officials state has never been detected outside of endemic African regions, is the more severe form of the illness.

Outbreaks of clade I have killed up to 10 percent of infected people, according to the CDC. It is endemic to Central Africa.

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The less severe form is known as clade II, which has spread to the US and UK, among other developed nations. The CDC estimates that 99.9 percent of patients survive. This form is endemic to West Africa.

The CDC analyzed data from DRC's national infectious disease surveillance system.

It found that there were 19,919 cases of clade I Mpox reported between January 1, 2023, and April 14, 2024, along with 975 deaths.

CDC officials called it DRC's 'largest surge of Mpox cases every recorded.'

Roughly 67 percent of infections were in patients under 15 years old, and these patients accounted for 78 percent of deaths.

Children ages one to five years made up 28 percent of infections.

Cases came from 25 out of 26 DRC provinces, and for the first time, hit the capital city of Kinshasa. However, they were mostly concentrated in the western province of Equateur.

The CDC reported that while nearly every province reported mpox cases, most were concentrated in the western region of Equateur

The CDC researchers noted that cases could from contact with multiple types of infected animals. 'Communicable spread to close contacts within households likely contributes substantially to the case count,' the experts wrote.

They also suggested that varying demographics across provinces, such as sexual preference, could result 'in a complex epiemiologic picture.

The World Health Organization states that mpox spreads through skin-to-skin contact with an infected person, contact with bodily fluids, intimate sexual contact, or contact with infected animals.

MPox sparked alarm among US health officials in 2022 when clade II began to spread rapidly among gay and bisexual men, reaching a peak of 450 cases a day in August of that year.

But infections appeared to have tapered off amid boosted awareness of the disease and a hurried vaccination program.

In total, 32,063 cases were diagnosed with mpox and 58 people died from the disease.

As of January 2024, the CDC is no longer updating its Mpox data, leaving detection up to local and state authorities.

The CDC said it is working to expand laboratory testing for mpox throughout DRC and conducting research on the JYNNEOS vaccine, which is approved in the US for mpox and smallpox.

The agency warned that while clade I has not been seen in the US, those most vulnerable to infection, such as gay men, may need to take extra precautions.

'To date, no cases of clade I mpox have been reported in the United States or in any countries where the virus is not endemic,' the researchers said.

'However, given the documented sexual transmission of clade I MPXV in DRC, persons engaging in certain sexual behaviors (e.g., MSM with multiple sexual partners and sex workers) might be at increased risk if clade I mpox is introduced into the United States.'

The agency issued a health alert in December 2023 urging doctors to look out for mpox in people with signs and symptoms who had recently been to the DRC.

Additionally, it issued a Level 2 Travel Health Notice, which suggests avoiding contact with wild animals, steering clear of sick people, not touching contaminated objects like bedding, and getting vaccinated if you have certain risk factors.

These include being a gay or bisexual man, having sexual contact with an at-risk individual, or have with someone who may have mpox.
Children who spend a lot of time on Instagram and TikTok are more likely to vape and smoke cigarettes, according to a new study.

Experts have discovered that the more time youngsters spend on social media, the more likely they are to pick up the habits.

This was particularly apparent at higher levels of use, with those on social media more than seven hours a day almost four times more likely to vape than non-users, and eight times more likely to smoke.

The study, published in the journal Thorax, included data for 10,808 people aged 10 to 25 in the UK.

Analysis revealed that 0.8 per cent of those not using social media vaped, rising to 2.4 per cent among those using it for one to three hours a day.

Youngsters who spend a long time on social media are more likely to take up vaping and smoking, researchers found

Vape companies are using social media sites like TikTok and YouTube to market addictive vapes to children

This rose to 3.8 per cent for those using social media four to six hours a day and 4 per cent for those using social media for more than seven hours a day.

Meanwhile, for smoking, 2 per cent of those who said they did not use social media reported current cigarette smoking, compared with 9.2 per cent who used social media for one to three hours a day.

This rose to 12.2 per cent of people smoking who used social media for four to six hours a day and 15.7 per cent for those who spent seven or more hours per weekday on it.

The researchers, including from Imperial College London School of Public Health, said there was compelling evidence that vape companies are using social media to market their products.

They added: Social media may be driving cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use through both direct, targeted advertisements and the use of paid influencers by the tobacco industry.

The researchers said companies that own social media platforms have substantial power to modify exposure to material that promotes smoking and vaping if they choose to or are compelled to.

It comes after research earlier this week showed childrens exposure to vape marketing is at an all-time high, with youngsters overwhelmingly opting for fruit and dessert-flavoured vapes.

Annual survey results from Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) found children in Great Britain are increasingly aware of vape marketing, including in shops and via social media sites such as TikTok and YouTube.

The 2024 poll of 2,587 children aged 11 to 17 found that 7.6 per cent currently vape, the same proportion as last year, but up from 2.8 per cent in 2017 and 0.8 per cent in 2013.

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Hazel Cheeseman, deputy chief executive of Ash, said of the new study: Getting rid of childrens exposure to tobacco promotion has been important to reducing rates of smoking among teenagers.

This new study adds to the evidence that online promotions are contributing to childrens likelihood of trying vaping.

Young people deserve to be just as well protected in online spaces as they are in physical spaces and Government must look at what can be done to secure this.
Bodies have been left to decompose in at least a dozen NHS hospitals across England, grim reports show.

Under Human Tissue Authority (HTA) guidance, bodies should be moved from fridges into frozen storage within 30 days, depending on the condition of the body.

But inadequate storage facilities and a lack of freezer space, meant some had been left at unsuitable temperatures for more than twice as long, government watchdog said.

In one damning case, a body at the Royal Bolton Hospital was found in 'poor condition' after being refrigerated for 84 days.

Another, at Leeds General Infirmary last year, had not been moved into frozen storage for 70 days and showed 'signs of decomposition'.

Under Human Tissue Authority (HTA) guidance, bodies should be moved from fridges into frozen storage within 30 days, depending on the condition of the body. But inadequate storage facilities and a lack of freezer space, meant some had been left at unsuitable temperatures for more than twice as long, government watchdog said. In one damning case, a body at the Royal Bolton Hospital (pictured) was found in 'poor condition' after being refrigerated for 84 days

Reports seen by the Health Service Journal found one body at Leeds General Infirmary (pictured) last year, had not been moved into frozen storage for 70 days and showed 'signs of decomposition'

In several other cases, the inspectors did not find deterioration but highlighted a risk it would happen, the Health Service Journal who reviewed the reports, found.

A spokeswoman for the HTA today said: 'The management of the deceased in some licensed mortuaries was identified as a concern through the HTA on-site inspection process.

'The deceased should be stored at temperatures that preserve their condition and there should be sufficient storage provision and alternatives in place if needed.

'We expect all licensed establishments to be compliant with our standards and ensure the dignity of the deceased is maintained.'

WHAT DID THE HTA REPORTS FIND?

Leeds General Hospital, July 2023 One body stored for 70 days without freezing showed signs of decomposition. Another had been in storage for 47 days and also had signs of decomposition St Marys Hospital, Isle of Wight, February 2023 A body showed 'signs of decomposition' after being stored for over 30 days Royal Blackburn Hospital (September 2022) Two bodies not moved to frozen storage after 30 days were found in an 'advanced state of decomposition' Middlesex Hospital, April 2024 Two bodies out of five were audited in a 'state of deterioration' Peterborough City Hospital, January 2024 A body refrigerated for eight weeks had 'signs of deterioration' Kings College Hospital, February 2022 Several bodies could not be moved to freezers to prevent further deterioration because of a lack of capacity Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich, January 2023 A deteriorating body could not be moved to a freezer University Hospital Lewisham, January 2023 Bodies had been 'rotated' between refrigerated and unrefrigerated storage in 'an attempt to maintain the condition of the deceased' John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, July 2022 A number of bodies kept refrigerated more than 30 days showed signs of deterioration Hemel Hempstead Hospital, March 2023 Bodies had deteriorated due to a lack of long-term storage Royal Bolton Hospital, June 2023 A body was found in 'poor condition' after being refrigerated for 84 days Wythenshaw Hospital, Manchester, November 2022 Did not consider bodies for freezing until they began to decompose Advertisement

She added: 'When we find shortfalls we work with establishments to ensure an action plan for improvement is put in place, lessons are learnt and the issue is escalated within the establishment where necessary.'

In one case, seen by the HSJ, a second body at Leeds General Infirmary in storage for 47 days, 'had not been placed into frozen storage and showed signs of decomposition'.

Inspectors also found the hospital had no cleaning schedule for the body store and no lock on the door between the visitor area to the staff office, allowing 'potential access to the main mortuary'.

At the Royal Blackburn Hospital, inspectors in 2022 found major flaws, including discovering 'two bodies in an advanced state of decomposition as a result of not being moved into frozen storage after 30 days'.

Elsewhere, at King's College Hospital in London, inspectors reported 'critical' shortfalls in 2022, with mouldy and infested conditions for body storage.

The report added: 'At the time of the inspection there were several adult bodies which had been stored in excess of 30 days in the fridge units.

'Bodies required movement to freezer storage to prevent further deterioration however the long-term storage unit was at capacity.'

At Barnsley Hospital, bodies that needed low temperature storage were also being 'rotated through the freezers' rather than being stored in them as a result of insufficient capacity to store bodies long-term.

Risks were also highlighted at hospitals in Basildon, Worthing, Oxford and Peterborough.

More than a quarter of a million people die in NHS hospitals each year.

In England, a death has to be registered with councils within five days. While a doctor may often register a cause of death, more complex cases may be referred to a coroner.

In such cases, the registration of a death cannot be completed until the coroner concludes his or her investigations.

Experts, however, have previously warned that delays were building up because 'over-cautious' doctors were referring more cases  many unnecessarily  to coroners.

A post-mortem examination should then be carried out as soon as possible.

Responding to the findings, chief medical officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Dr Magnus Harrison, said today: 'Our aim is to provide a safe and dignified service in our mortuaries for people who have died, and unfortunately in this instance, this was not the case.

'We now have improved systems in place including better communication with our coroner and respective partners to ensure this doesn't happen again.

'Duty of Candour procedures are followed when next of kin information is available.'

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: 'Following an inspection report in 2022 by the HTA, we have significantly increased the size of our mortuary provision.'

An Oxford University Hospitals spokeswoman also said: 'We take great care to ensure that our patients are always treated with compassion and dignity, including after death.

'Some deterioration of the deceased is expected in refrigerated storage, even for short periods, and would not normally fulfil criteria for notification under duty of candour guidance.

'Usual practice is to transfer deceased to frozen storage if they are to be stored for more than 30 days, though this depends on the condition of the deceased, location and availability of appropriate freezer space, and the likely timing of transfer to funeral directors, for whom receiving the deceased in a frozen state brings additional challenges and could delay a funeral.'

At King's College Hospital in London (pictured), inspectors reported 'critical' shortfalls in 2022, with mouldy and infested conditions for body storage

She added: 'Freezing itself affects the appearance of a body, and therefore tends to be avoided when the deceased is likely to be moving to a funeral director's care in the very near future.

'The OUH mortuary has recently been refurbished and expanded to increase its capacity in the context of rising regional and national demand for mortuary facilities.'

An NHS spokesperson said: 'The NHS takes its responsibilities in this area seriously and all NHS trusts must follow the Human Tissue Authority's guidance on mortuary storage practices.'

The treatment of bodies in morgues has come under increased scrutiny in recent years after David Fuller, an electrician at Kent and Sussex Hospital and the Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Pembury, was found to have sexually abused more than 100 deceased female patients between 2005 and 2020.

In 2021 he was jailed for life after also being found guilty of the murders of two young women in Tunbridge Wells.

The owners of a private funeral home in Hull, Yorkshire, were also arrested earlier this year after rotting bodies were found in their mortuary and families said they were given the wrong ashes.
A long-awaited inquiry into the Covid pandemic is set to become the most expensive in history  costing an estimated 136,907 a day over the last year.

Taxpayers forked out almost 70million in the last financial year and the probe is not expected to report its findings until the end of 2026, so the final cost is likely be around 200million.

That would eclipse the 195million spent on the 12-year probe into the deaths of 13 people on Bloody Sunday.

More than half the 94million that has already been spent on the Covid inquiry, chaired by retired Appeal Court judge Baroness Hallett, has gone on legal costs.

A further 100,000 a day has been spent on a team of 265 civil servants who are working full-time to provide the inquiry with documents and government witnesses, according to separate figures published this week.

The long-awaited Covid inquiry is chaired by retired Appeal Court judge Baroness Hallett

Professor Carl Heneghan, from the centre for evidence-based medicine at Oxford University, who gave evidence to the inquiry, told The Times: 'This is an exorbitant amount of money but the entire way the inquiry has been structured is designed to be expensive.

'It is setting itself to take sides with a legalistic approach which is not the best way to learn lessons. It would be much cheaper and more effective if it actually took the approach of medicine and said we accept that errors were made  and look at how we should do things differently in future.'

Lord Saville of Newdigate, who carried out the Bloody Sunday inquiry, defended the high cost. 'It has got to be thorough and it has got to be fair,' he said. 'That takes time and expertise which is expensive.'

John OConnell, chief executive of the TaxPayers Alliance, which compiled the cost analysis, said: 'The Covid inquiry should be short, sharp and decisive, not an expensive political pantomime.'

A spokesman for the Covid inquiry said: 'It was the governments decision to set up this public inquiry with very broad terms of reference. The inquirys scope is exceptionally wide and touches on the work of many government departments in all four nations of the UK. It is obliged to gather evidence from many organisations, especially those at the centre of responding to the pandemic.'

A government spokesman said: 'To ensure transparency the government is committed to publishing its costs responding to the inquiry. This is in line with the inquirys own quarterly financial reports.'
He was told by Companies House that he would have to wait 30 days

Patrick discovered someone had set up a company with his home address

A man whose home address was used by a potential fraudster was told to wait 30 days for Companies House to remove the address.

Last month, Patrick - who asked for his name to be changed - became aware that a company had been set up using his home address in Oldham, Greater Manchester.

According to the information filed on the register, the company was set up in April and its business is to do with growing crops.

It is based in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, nearly 200 miles away from the house Patrick has lived in for 30 years.

Scam warning: Criminals are using other peoples' addresses to register companies

Companies House has been beset by issues with fraudsters using other peoples' addresses to register new firms

There have been examples where scammers in China set up companies with other people's addresses and used them to apply for loans or to defraud customers into thinking they are a UK-registered company.

This is Money's sister title, Money Mail, has reported on the case of a street in Swansea where 18 separate homes had had Chinese and Japanese companies registered to their address.

In March, Companies House was granted new legal powers to tackle the widespread fraud, including greater powers to query information submitted to the register.

When Patrick (not his real name) discovered he had fallen victim to the scam, he got in touch with Companies House to tell them that someone had used his address without his permission and asked for it to be removed immediately.

He was told that the department would respond within 30 days, which Patrick said concerned him greatly.

'Surely a fraud could be nipped in the bud if stopped early enough,' he said.

He emailed again later in April to ask for an update and he was told again that he would receive a response within 30 days of 10 April.

In early May, the company was still showing as active on the Companies House website, complete with Patrick's address, and so he contacted the register again.

'Huge backlog'

Patrick was then bounced around various customer advisers and was eventually told that Companies House was dealing with a huge backlog from early March.

He was asked to provide proof of his address - details he had given nearly a month earlier.

It is understood that the delay has largely been a result of the new laws introduced in March.

'I could understand the 30 day rule if I was contacting them on an admin matter, but I am reporting a fraud that is happening right now,' Patrick told This Is Money. 'This company can only have been set up for fraudulent purposes.

'Why would someone who lives in Biggleswade want to start a company in Oldham for farming? I am assuming for fraudulently obtaining start-up grants and such, but because I do not know I am assuming the worst.'

Patrick sent a report to police unit Action Fraud, but was told there was no crime committed as he had not lost money.

Patrick's main concern is what the next steps could be within this fraud, which is ongoing.

'It is ludicrous that I cannot get anyone interested in this when these days, fraud is rife and I am handing everyone the information to catch this person and no-one will do anything about it,' he said.

This Is Money got in touch with Companies House to ask how fraudsters are still able to register false addresses despite its new powers.

A spokesperson said: 'We plan to do more checks to determine the accuracy of information which is delivered before it is placed on the register.

'Within the next couple of years, we will introduce compulsory identity verification checks for new and existing officers and equivalents as well as those filing information with Companies House.

'These changes will enable us to crack down on misuse of the register.'

In Patrick's case, it is understood that the case should be resolved by the end of May, nearly two months after he first reported it.

A spokesman for Companies House said: 'We are very sorry to hear about what has happened to [Patrick] and other individuals affected by misuse of the company register.

'A change in the law means that since March, we have greater powers to query and remove fraudulent information and share information with law enforcement.

'We are prioritising cases where people's names and addresses have been used without their consent.

'We are dealing with significant volumes of requests to remove information and are working through these as quickly as possible.'

At the time of writing, the company is still registered with Patrick's address.
As keepers of the flame of free market capitalism, one can understand Governments reluctance to become involved in takeovers.

The notion that the 3.5billion offer by Czech sphinx Daniel Kretinsky is ultimately a matter for the current owners is away with the birds.

One only has to look at the disastrous record of privatised utilities that have fallen into overseas or private equity hands to know that handing the keys of the Royal Mails domestic and European fleet to a mysterious Czech billionaire can only lead to pain for stakeholders.

It is easy for any bidder to promise to abide by the regulatory rules such as the Universal Service Obligation (USO).

Enforcing them once ownership has shifted overseas is a different matter.

Uncertain future: Royal Mail-owner International Distribution Services is poised to accept a takeover offer worth 3.5bn from Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky

Government also needs to recognise that stakeholders, the workforce, customers, Whitehall, the security services and many others have a keen interest in what happens to the Royal Mail.

Its flaccid response was a sharp reminder of events a decade ago when Americas Pfizer bid for AstraZeneca.

The immediate response of Chancellor George Osborne and others was bring it on. If that had happened, Astras progress to become the most valued company in the FTSE 100 would have been stymied.

There is so much about the Kretinsky approach that we dont know. Where does his wealth originate?

Is this going to be a deal paid for with structured debt and what will it mean for future investment in the postal service?

Will Kretinsky want his image on stamps and post boxes?

Financing is critical. One only has to look at Thames Water to recognise that the goal of greedy overseas owners is to extract cash while the going is good and head for the hills when it all goes wrong.

The departure of Michael McNicholas, of Canadian pension fund Omers, from the board symbolises the cut-and-run effect.

Royal Mail will have to pass several regulatory barriers. If the National Security and Investment Act, passed under Tory rule, were doing its stuff, the deal would be blocked at the first hurdle.

At the time of privatisation, the Government effectively took on responsibility for a pension fund which swings wildly between deficit and surplus.

Whether taxpayers should be obliged to take on this risk should control pass to an foreign owner would need to be clarified.

Ofcoms plan for the USO, which includes a more pricey but reliable first class service, needs to be rapidly implemented.

The Kretinsky deal must be blocked on public interest grounds. Free marketeers must understand that there are boundaries which should never be crossed.

Ringing changes

The Post Offices former relation BT, spun off in 1981, also has a billionaire on its share register.

The French-Israeli telecoms tycoon Patrick Drahi increased his stake to 24.5 per cent a year ago and there has been endless speculation that, together with another big shareholder Deutsche Telecom, it too could be a bid target.

BT is moving to restore shareholder confidence after a bout of short-selling. Boss Allison Kirkby is making big decisions.

She is pulling back from global services at a cost of 488million but will concentrate on UK enterprise and growing income from security.

More efficient roll-out of broadband should lower the cost of the pledge to provide full fibre broadband to 25m households by 2026.

A cash flow promise of 1.5billion in 2025 against 1.3billion has been put in place and the dividend lifted. Kirkby and chairman Adam Crozier have more than a passing interest in how the assault on Royal Mail works out.

Royal flush

Just as Royal Mail is threatened, the National Portrait Gallery fights back with an exhibition of pictures of members of the Royal Family from the last hundred years.

The exhibit includes the diamond dust Andy Warhol tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and the 40th birthday portrait of the Princess of Wales.

The message: dont dare touch the Kings best profile on our postage stamps.
BT Group has hiked its annual dividend despite seeing a significant decline in broadband customers.

The telecoms giant lost 491,000 Openreach customers in the 12 months ending March amid slower-than-anticipated growth in the wider broadband market.

Yet it plans to hand investors a final dividend of 5.69 pence per share, bringing its full-year payout 4 per cent higher to 8p on the back of better-than-expected free cash flow.

Shareholder rewards: Telecoms giant BT Group has hiked its annual dividend despite seeing a significant decline in broadband customers last year

And Allison Kirkby, the firm's chief executive, said the payouts were possible because BT expects future cash flow to expand considerably.

She said the company had reached an 'inflection point' in its long-term strategy after achieving its 3billion cost-cutting scheme a year early and passing the peak of capital investment in its fibre broadband rollout.

As a consequence, BT now forecasts normalised free cash flow to increase from around 1.5billion this year to 3billion by the end of this decade.

BT Group shares soared 8.7 per cent to 122.7p on Thursday morning, making them the best-performing FTSE 100 stock, although they have still fallen by around a quarter over the past 12 months.

Kirkby said: 'As we move into the next phase of BT Group's transformation, we are sharpening our focus to be better for our customers and the country by accelerating the modernisation of our operations, and by exploring options to optimise our global business.

'This will create a simpler BT Group, fully focused on connecting the UK, and well positioned to generate significant growth for all our stakeholders.'

For the current year, it forecasts adjusted revenues and earnings before nasties to experience modest growth at most.

BT also plans to cut capital expenditure to about 4.8billion, having already reduced it by 3 per cent last year even though its fibre-to-the-premises footprint grew to over 14 million premises.

The group's turnover tipped up by 1 per cent to 20.8billion in the 2024 financial year due partly to price hikes and rising fibre-enabled product sales by Openreach.

However, pre-tax profits slumped by more than half to 855million, largely owing to a 488m goodwill impairment in its business operation.

Mark Crouch, analyst at eToro, said: 'The biggest issue BT faces is the ferociously competitive market in which they operate.

'Broadband providers seek to undercut rivals - forcing down prices, which in turn has heaped pressure on BT's margins. With hungry competitors ready to gobble up disgruntled customers, BT will have to work even harder to retain them.'
Premier Foods' profits surpassed expectations last year on the back of price cuts and a surge in customers buying porridge, noodles, and ice cream.

The food manufacturer reported its adjusted pre-tax profits grew by 15.1 per cent to 157.9million in the year ending 30 March, compared to analyst forecasts of around 153million.

Headline turnover increased by the same percentage to 1.12billion, largely due to soaring demand for 'new categories' and branded products in its grocery division.

Tasty brand: Premier's revenue from Ambrosia exceeded 100million for the first time as sales of porridge pots more than doubled

The surge in trade also follows price reductions on multiple items as many consumers switch to cheaper alternatives amid the cost-of-living crisis.

Premier lowered prices on ranges such as Loyd Grossman cooking sauces and Batchelors Super Noodles in the second half of the period, although it continued to raise prices on its own-brand goods.

Meanwhile, revenue from Ambrosia exceeded 100million for the first time as sales of porridge pots more than doubled, supported by the launch of a new apple and blueberry variant.

Ice cream purchases also jumped by over half, thanks to the expansion of its Angel Delight and Mr Kipling ranges to more retailers.

And Nissin noodles enjoyed another bumper year, with sales of the Japanese brand rising by over 30 per cent to almost 50million.

Following the result, Premier's bosses have proposed a 20 per cent hike in the firm's full-year dividend to 1.73 pence per share.

Alex Whitehouse, chief executive of Premier Foods, said it was 'another really strong year for the business, with considerable progress across all our key financial metrics.'

The FTSE 250 group cut its net debt by 38.7million to 235.6million, equivalent to 1.2 times its adjusted earnings before nasties, a record low.

Premier has struggled for some years with massive pension liabilities, but its pension deficit payments have been suspended since April.

The move is set to bolster the company's cash flow by 33million this financial year, providing further opportunities to increase investment and dividends and spend money on mergers and acquisitions.

Recent takeovers by the group have included Asian food business The Spice Tailor and Scottish breakfast brand Fuel10K, which makes oat products, muffins, and granola.

Premier Foods shares were 2.8 per cent down at 164p on early Thursday afternoon, but have nonetheless expanded by about a quarter in the past 12 months.
Reality TV stars including TOWIE's Lauren Goodger and Biggs Chris from Island will appear in court after being accused of being paid to promote risk investments to their millions of Instagram followers.

The social media influencers - dubbed 'finfluencers' - have been charged by the Financial Conduct Authority and could face up to two years behind bars if convicted.

Those under scrutiny also include Love Island's Jamie Clayton, Rebecca Gormley and Eva Zapico, TOWIE's Yazmin Oukhellou, and Geordie Shore's Scott Timlin.

The FCA says Emmanuel Nwanze, 30, and 33-year-old Holly Thompson offered advice on buying and selling high-risk contracts for difference (CFDs) on Instagram between May 2018 and April 2021 despite not being authorised to do so.

And the watchdog alleges Nwanze then paid Chris, Clayton, Goodger, Rebecca Gormley, Oukhellou, Timlin and Zapico to promote the Instagram account to their millions of followers.

TOWIE star Lauren Goodger has been accused of being paid to promote risk investments to their millions of Instagram followers

Also facing charges from the Financial Conduct Authority are Biggs Chris and Rebecca Gormley, seen together here at the BEDSA Awards at the Hilton on Park Lane in March 2020

Their combined Instagram followers totalled 4.5 million, while Thompson is another Instagram personality also known as Holly Zucchero.

CFDs are described by the FCA as a 'high-risk investment product used to bet on the price of an asset'. In this case it was a bet on foreign currencies.

Nwanze, 30, has been charged with running an unauthorised investment scheme and issuing unlawful financial promotions.

Thompson, 32-year-old Chris, Clayton, 32, 37-year-old Goodger, Gormley, 26, 30-year-old Oukhellou, Timlin, 36, and 25-year-old Zapico each face one count of issuing unauthorised communications of financial promotions.

Nwanze has been charged with running an unauthorised investment scheme and issuing unauthorised financial promotions. which is also punishable by a fine and a jail sentence of up to two years.

The accused are all due to appear before Westminster magistrates on June 13.

The FCA said the charges are each punishable by a fine and up to two years' imprisonment.

CFDs are described by the watchdog as 'high-risk derivatives'.

Lauren Goodger rose to fame in 2010 when she appeared on ITV's Reality TV show The Only Way is Essex until 2012, making brief returns to the series in 2015 and 2016.

The first two series focused on Goodger's relationship with ex-boyfriend Mark Wright, now married to actress Michelle Keegan.

In the memorable season two finale, she dumped Wright and pushed him into a swimming pool. The pair had been dating since they were 15-years-old.

Goodger, originally from Hackney, London, took part in Celebrity Big Brother in 2014 and Dancing on Ice in 2013, but was eliminated in week two.

Biggs Chris was an 'Islander' on the popular ITV series Love Island in 2020.

Last year it was revealed he had welcomed a baby boy with his ex-girlfriend Summer Hawkins.

The couple were first linked in 2021 and announced their pregnancy news in June that same year, two years after they had begun dating.

However, the pair parted ways in October, weeks before Summer was due to give birth.

Chris has 155,000 followers on Instagram and is a property investor, according to his biography.

Holly Thompson, 33, posts on Instagram using the account name Holly Zucchero

TOWIE reality star Lauren Goodger has 953,000 followers on Instagram

Lauren Goodger is among those due to appear before Westminster magistrates on June 13

Also facing FCA charges are Jamie Clayton and Rebecca Gormley, who both appeared on reality show Love Island in 2020

Love Island contestant Biggs Chris, puctured here at the British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards in London in March 2020, is also facing legal action from the City watchdog

Eva Zapico, pictured attending a performance of the musical Dreamgirls at the New Wimbledon Theatre in May 2022, has also come under the City watchdog's scrutiny

The FCA has also announced a charge against TOWIE cast member Yazmin Oukhellou

Geordie Shore's Scott Timlin is also accused of promoting an account which encouraged people to take up high-risk contracts for difference (CFDs) on Instagram

Biggs Chris' former girlfriend Rebecca Gormley, who also appeared on season six of Love Island, is also facing charges from the FCA.

Rebecca entered the Love Island villa on Day 9 and was 'dumped' from the island on Day 30.

Rebecca worked part-time as a model and carer before entering the villa and won Miss Newcastle in 2018.

In 2022, Rebecca moved to Dubai where she works in property investment.

Scott Timlin, also known as Scotty T, is best known for appearing in Geordie Shore from 2012 to 2019 and winning Celebrity Big Brother in 2016.

In 2015, Timlin performed with the male stripping troupe Dreamboys, doing guest appearances alongside fellow Geordie Shore cast member Gaz Beadle.

Yazmin Oukhellou shot to fame in 2017 after joining the TOWIE cast.

Before that, she studied Media Studies at Newcastle University and founded her own swimwear brand in 2016. She has since trained and worked as a real estate agent in Dubai.

In 2022, Yazmin was involved in a horror car crash in Turkey and was left in a critical state in hospital. She has since made a full recovery.

Sadly, her fellow TOWIE cast member and then boyfriend Jake McLean died in the accident.

The FCA has previously said that 80 per cent of customers lose money when investing in CFDs.

They are often 'highly leveraged' which means they use debt to try and boost returns, the FCA said - but that can result in investors losing more money than they invested.

In the UK, the regulator has imposed restrictions on how CFDs and similar products can be sold and marketed to retail customers.

The FCA asked anyone who believed they had suffered a loss due to the scheme to contact its consumer contact centre.

Goodger recently rejoined the long-running series TOWIE for filming more than a decade after she was last a full-time cast member.

Earlier this week she was seen hitting the gym for a gruelling workout after revealing in an interview how she regrets ever having cosmetic surgery.

In an interview with Closer she admitted: 'I wish I'd never had anything, I want it all out. My bum and boobs make me look bigger and cause me pain. I want to reverse it all and go back to natural.'
The head of the London Stock Exchange yesterday said there was a strong cause for optimism in the City as companies worth billions of pounds look at listing in the UK.

Julia Hoggett said there was no sense of panic after a recent exodus led to anguished soul-searching about Londons future as a global financial centre.

Instead, hopes are rising that after a prolonged winter for the London market, spring is at last arriving, with a series of flotations from fashion giant Shein to retailer Boots that could help it burst back into life.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt yesterday met executives as part of efforts to revive City fortunes.

An upbeat Hoggett told the BBC: Weve got all the fundamentals here in London. I see a strong cause for optimism.

Confident: LSE boss Julia Hoggett (pictured) said there was 'no sense of panic' after a recent exodus of companies that has led to anguished soul-searching about London's future

She has been a prominent figure in the fight to revive Londons status following bitter blows, such as Cambridge chip giant Arm Holdings deciding to float on Wall Street.

Then gambling group Flutter and travel operator Tui abandoned the UK to list overseas while other firms, such as cybersecurity firm Darktrace, have been snapped up on the cheap by foreign predators.

Today, mining giant Anglo American is being eyed by Australias BHP and even Shell has flirted with leaving London.

But with the FTSE 100 roaring to all-time highs in recent days, investors realise there are bargains to be had.

Chinese-founded online fashion giant Shein looks increasingly likely to announce a 60billion London float, while Anglo is on course to spin off its diamond business De Beers for 4billion.

The UK could also be boosted by the 15billion separation of Unilevers ice cream business  though Amsterdam and New York are in the running.

Meanwhile, British tech firm Raspberry Pi has confirmed plans for a 500million float in London and there is speculation over a possible 7billion listing for Boots.

Also likely to spur interest will be the public sale of a chunk of the Governments stake in NatWest  expected within weeks  which could see investors lured by the suspension of stamp duty on shares.

Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said: Doom-sayers have not stopped the FTSE 100 from setting new all-time highs.

Now there seems to be more interest in the wider UK equity market, it is no surprise that more firms are looking to list in London, as it still has much to offer.

But there may be more work to be done, with figures showing billions still being pulled out of UK equity funds.

And reforms are being put in place to try and bring buyers such as pension companies back to the market.
BT shares made their biggest gains in almost a quarter of a century in a major boost for its new boss.

Unveiling her plan to turn the telecoms giant around, Allison Kirkby chided investors who have placed a record 300million bet against the FTSE 100 company.

A number of major institutions and hedge funds have taken short positions in the stock  meaning they expect the share price to fall.

But the shares jumped 17.2 per cent, or 19.45p, to 132.6p yesterday, the biggest gain for 24 years.

Kirkby said she hoped that her blueprint means that some of those shorts will start to diminish.

Turnaround plan: New BT boss Allison Kirkby said it would aim to save another 3bn by the end of 2029 through updating processes and shutting down old networks

Speaking to the Financial Times, she added: I always love to squeeze the shorts and prove them wrong.

The comments came as BT said profit fell 31 per cent to 1.1billion in the year to the end of March after a large writedown on its business unit.

Revenue edged up 1 per cent to 20.8billion. But it raised the dividend for the year by 4 per cent to 8p a share and announced another 3billion of cost-cutting.

Karen Egan, head of telecoms at Enders Analysis, said the increase in the dividend was designed to assuage the doubters.

Public disclosures last week revealed that Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Blackrock Investment Management, along with hedge funds including AKO Capital, have all bet against the company by shorting the stock.

BT shares remain down around 75 per cent since their peak in 2015 despite yesterdays rise.

But analysts suggested that it had turned a corner. Matt Britzman, an equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: BT is growing slowly.

Credit where its due, there are clear signs of progress.

Kirkby, who took over in February, said it would aim to save another 3billion by the end of 2029 through updating processes and shutting down old networks.

She said she was exploring options for all our international footprint, which could include partnerships and selling parts of the business. But the group said the UK was its primary focus.

Despite the cost-cutting plan, Kirkby said that there was no change to its proposals to cut almost half of the 130,000 workforce by the end of the decade, including about 10,000 to be replaced by Artificial Intelligence.
The water company accused of pumping millions of litres of sewage into Lake Windermere has dished out nearly 340million to shareholders as it celebrates a record year.

United Utilities raked in just under 2billion in revenues in the 12 months to March 31  up 8.1 per cent on the previous year. It also paid dividends worth 339million.

And with the row over pollution once again engulfing the industry, the companys chief executive Louise Beardmore insisted it takes its role in protecting the environment very seriously.

The comments, and the bumper results, came just a day after United Utilities was accused of failing to stop the illegal pollution of one of the UKs most famous lakes.

A technical fault in February led to untreated sewage pouring into Windermere, which is part of the Unesco World Heritage site in the Lake District.

Payouts: BT chief exec Lauren Beardmore insisted it takes its 'role in protecting the environment very seriously'

But the Environment Agency was only notified of the pollution 13 hours after the leak started, according to the BBC.

It follows a string of scandals, including a similar incident at the lake two years ago which turned miles of water bright green.

The industry is presently gripped in crisis as United Utilities and its peers have struggled with spiralling debts.

Despite the record revenues  worth more than 5million a day  profits at United Utilities fell by more than a third to 170million last year as it spent more paying back its debt.

But the company still paid out a dividend of 49.78p per share, which was up more than 9 per cent on the previous year, amounting to a total of 339million for investors.

Campaigners yesterday said it was insane for it to dish out higher dividends when it was causing such stark environmental damage.

Matt Staniek, founder of the group Save Windermere, called for more to be done to hold the company accountable.

He said: The impact [of sewage] on Windermere is just atrocious. It is simply not due to climate, rainfall or combined systems  it is a lack of investment to adequately deal with these issues.

And he said spillages would continue to occur as the regulator appeared to be fast asleep.

Spill: A technical fault in February led to untreated sewage pouring into Windermere, which is part of the Unesco World Heritage site in the Lake District

Anger among the local residents and businesses was building, Staniek added.

The reason Windermere is so prominent in the national narrative is because millions of people visit it every year, he said. It is the peoples lake and one of the countrys greatest natural assets.

In a statement, Beardmore said: Colleagues have worked exceptionally hard throughout the year to deliver for our customers, communities and the environment.

Referring to the Lake District as a special place, she said that United Utilities was fast-tracking a 400million investment in reducing spills at locations such as Windermere.

She also said the company had met or exceeded around 80 per cent of its regulatory targets.

The chief executive took on the top job last year on a base salary of 690,000.

She must reduce the number of spillages by at least 8 per cent in order to be paid a bonus of up to 900,000.

Aarin Chiekrie, an equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: The UK water sector continues to find itself in the spotlight, and theres significant work to do in restoring public confidence and trust.

The water industrys regulator Ofwat said: Water and wastewater companies performance on the environment is simply not good enough and they need to go further, faster.
Time for change: Watches of Switzerland boss Brian Duffy wants the return of VAT shopping

Rolex seller Watches of Switzerland said UK business is still being hit by the tourist tax.

The company, which also owns the Goldsmiths and Mayors chains, bemoaned the minimal return of tourist spending due to the lack of VAT-free shopping.

The tax break was axed in 2021, hammering demand for expensive goods. Watches boss Brian Duffy said he hopes that compelling evidence will force ministers to backtrack.

Burberry boss Jonathan Akeroyd has said London is really losing out to Paris and Milan.

Watches posted a 4 per cent rise in revenue to 380million for the quarter to April 30. Full-year revenue rose 2 per cent to 1.5billion.
US energy giant Chevron is putting its North Sea assets up for sale

Chevron will sell its remaining oil and gas assets in the North Sea as it leaves the region after more than five decades.

The US energy giant, the third-largest in the world by market value, is putting its assets up for sale. A successful deal could raise an estimated 800million.

Chevron was among the first oil companies to drill in the North Sea in the 1960s, but has withdrawn from exploration and production after offloading its drilling assets in 2019.

The latest move would see it pull out of its remaining interests, including a 19.4 per cent stake in the Clair oilfield, west of Shetland in Scotland.

It follows a trend of Chevron selling off its legacy assets to focus on low-cost projects.

The Clair oilfield, the largest in the British North Sea, is operated by BP and produces about 120,000 barrels per day.

The sale would also involve offloading Chevrons interests in the Sullom Voe oil terminal, also in the Shetland Islands and operated by energy company Enquest.

That includes the Ninian and SIRGE pipelines, which are linked to Sullom Voe.

Chevron said: As part of maintaining capital discipline in traditional and new energies, we regularly review our global portfolio to assess whether assets are strategic and competitive for future capital.

A decision has been taken, to initiate the process of marketing Chevrons 19.4 per cent non-operated working interest in the Clair Field and associated assets.

The process is expected to take multiple months and may or may not result in a sale.
Stake: The Chinese insurance group Ping An has an 8% holding in HSBC

The biggest shareholder in HSBC looks set to cut its stake in what could be a major victory for the banking giant.

The Chinese insurance group Ping An has an 8 per cent holding in Europes largest lender, worth some 10billion.

But the relationship has been tumultuous, with Ping An pushing the London-based lender to implement reforms including spinning off its Asia business.

HSBC has resisted such a move  although it has increased its focus on Asia, where it makes most of its money.

Ping An has been selling shares, offloading 40million so far this month, and is mulling options to dramatically reduce its stake, according to Bloomberg.

One option is said to be further sales similar to the 40million disclosed last week.

Selling to a sovereign wealth fund or rich investor in the Middle East is another possibility, according to the report.

HSBC chief executive Noel Quinn last month announced he was stepping down after 37 years at the bank, including five in the top job. HSBC and Ping An declined to comment.
Southeastern has been accused of wasting cash on hiring celebrities such as Gregg Wallace and Mary Beard to record podcasts while its rail service remains blighted.

Infuriated passengers said they found it ironic that the rail operator was advertising the podcasts from stars promoting train journeys to Kent and East Sussex while standing on packed and delayed services that continue to be impacted by strikes.

One said Southeastern was 'blowing money on ridiculous vanity projects and lining the pockets of rich celebrities instead of helping commuters', with another urged bosses to 'focus on running a decent service and spending their money wisely'.

And a podcast expert told MailOnline that the series - known as a 'branded podcast' - would have 'cost an absolute fortune'. He estimated it would be about 10,000 to 15,000 per episode - giving a total of between 50,000 and 75,000 for all six.

The rail operator, which is effectively nationalised, released three episodes with Wallace, Beard and Ed Byrne in January last year. A further trio then followed in April and May last year featuring Miranda Sawyer, Rav Wilding and Ben Bailey Smith.

Its series, called Hop On Board, was worked on by brand consultants The Team who said the aim was to be 'inspiring people to explore Kent and East Sussex by train'.

The podcasts see the celebrities 'promote the ease of train travel around the area' and travel by rail to find out more about local towns and interview local experts.

While other operators such as LNER and Transport for London have also launched their own podcasts in recent months, the celebrity aspect of the Southeastern offering has upset some passengers given the likely cost of securing their services.

But Southeastern told MailOnline that its podcasts were showcasing 'the very best of the South East of England' and 'support the local economy by encouraging even more people to travel by train', with more than 14,000 downloads so far.

Southeastern trains in sidings at Ramsgate station in Kent during a strike on March 16, 2023

Gregg Wallace (left) and Mary Beard (right) both appear in the Southeastern podcast series

Other stars on the podcast include comedian Ed Byrne (left) and author Miranda Sawyer (right)

TV presenter Rav Wilding (left) and actor Ben Bailey Smith (right) are also in the podcasts

Asked about the podcast, Southeastern passenger Helen Judges from the Bearsted Commuter Group told MailOnline: 'I think Southeastern's managers should focus on running a decent service and spending their money wisely.'

She told how she renewed her annual season ticket from Bearsted to London in March, and while the price was 5,672, she actually only paid 5,118.60 because she had accumulated the difference in delay repay funds over the past year.

Ms Judges added: 'Not all were from Southeastern but over half were. That shows how poor their service is, especially when you consider you only get a refund if the train is 15 minutes late.'

Another rail passenger who commutes each day from Norbury to London Victoria on Southern trains - which have poster adverts on board for the Southeastern podcast - told MailOnline that she was 'disgusted and outraged' by a poster promoting the podcast  and the operator should be 'ashamed'.

She said: 'When I saw this poster this morning I was disgusted and outraged. The idea the train service is blowing money on ridiculous vanity projects and lining the pockets of rich celebrities instead of helping commuters like me is revolting.

'I am a podcast fan too and this is just rubbish - in my opinion no one will listen to it. The train company should be ashamed.'

The passenger said she also often uses Southeastern services to get around London and to visit Kent, despite her commute being on a Southern line.

Overcrowding on a Southeastern train carriage, pictured by a passenger in February this year

The most recent rail performance from the Office of Rail and Road, released in March, shows that Southeastern ran 62.3 per cent of its trains 'on time' between the period of October to December last year.

While this was up nearly 5 percentage points on the same three-month period in 2022, Southeastern was still only mid-table in the rankings of all rail operators - and roughly level with the overall UK average of 62.2 per cent for the 2023 period.

Meanwhile other passenger organisations have supported the podcast, saying it was a method of attracting more people onto trains in the longer-term.

Rob Mansfield, chair of the Tonbridge Line Commuters group, told MailOnline: 'For many years the Southeastern franchise has struggled through short term thinking and the podcast was an attempt to attract new passengers, which we support.

'The railway has suffered decades of neglect and underinvestment, which is causing lots of the delays. The Government doesn't want to put money in as they see it as a loss-making industry.

'This causes performance to decline and creates a cycle of pain, as passengers are put off. Southeastern know the only way to fix this is to attract new customers, and boost revenue. The railway won't grow through cuts.

'We think Southeastern are now making long term, sensible choices to invest in people and it would be in the Government's interest to support them.

One of the adverts from rail operator Southeastern promoting the Gregg Wallace podcast

'A prime example could be the long overdue decision to invest in new trains to replace the Networker trains that are approaching the end of their lifespan.'

Food TV presenter Wallace, who lives in Kent himself, visited the Shepherd Neame brewery to pull a pint as part of the podcast and also ate local oysters in Whitstable.

In comedian Byrne's podcast, he recommended a series of countryside walks and coastal paths  speaking to people he meets along the way.

As for historian Beard, in her podcast she visited Tunbridge Wells before taking the train to Hastings to explore its maritime history and going to Battle Abbey.

Asked about the likely cost, a podcast expert told MailOnline: 'As this is what's known as a 'branded podcast', which means they cost an arm and a leg and given the calibre of guests, I'd estimate in the region of 10,000 to 15,000 an episode but that would be a guesstimate.'

He added: 'It would have cost an absolute fortune - no way Gregg Wallace would have done that for less than about 10,000, I reckon.'

But a spokesman for Southeastern told MailOnline: 'Our Hop On Board podcast was launched more than a year ago and the six episodes showcase the very best of the South East of England. They support the local economy by encouraging even more people to travel by train and there's been more than 14,000 downloads so far.

'The number of customers travelling with Southeastern has increased by 9 per cent in the last year and satisfaction has risen to 88 per cent.

'Latest punctuality figures show Southeastern is the third best operator in the country for cancellations, with fewer than 2 per cent of services cancelled.

Southeastern also has an advert promoting the podcast recorded by comedian Ed Byrne

'We're also above the national average for on-time arrivals, with nearly nine out of ten trains arriving within three minutes of their scheduled arrival time.

'We are looking forward to introducing a new and improved timetable in June, with more services at the busiest times of the day, alongside our ongoing train refurbishment programme.'

When the podcast was launched in January 2023, Southeastern's head of marketing Nikki Causer said: 'The popularity of podcasts continues to grow, and we wanted to find a way to give listeners a unique view of the best that Kent and East Sussex have to offer.

'We decided that using celebrities was a great way to inspire and engage with listeners. Each episode transports the listener on a whistle stop tour of the fantastic places that can be discovered by hopping on board a Southeastern train.'

The Team, the consultancy behind the podcast which has also worked with the NHS and BP, said in a report about its work that it wanted the podcast to be 'enduring, 'evergreen' content with a shelf-life and value beyond a one-off campaign'.

The London-based agency said it took its inspiration from The Michelin Guide and 'using celebrities was a great way to inspire and engage with listeners'.

The poster released by Southeastern to promote the podcast by historian Mary Beard

It also said: 'Podcasts are an increasingly popular way for people to engage with strategic content. This podcast series brings the diversity and beauty of the region to life in an inspiring, engaging and highly accessible way.'

The team also said that the podcast had 1,203 downloads in its first week and 'downloads and reach continue to increase' with each new episode.

The latest listener data revealed by Southeastern last August in response to a Freedom of Information request showed the podcast had 9,449 downloads in the first seven months of 2023 - comprising 4,466 hours of listening.

Southeastern has since confirmed to MailOnline that it has now had 14,000 downloads so far.

Southeastern is run by the Department for Transport's (DfT) Operator of Last Resort (OLR) - which also operates LNER, Northern and TransPennine Express.

The operator is among those which have been blighted by industrial action since 2022  and had just 29 out of its 165 stations open on May 7 during a recent Aslef strike.

Southeastern high speed trains in sidings at Ashford in Kent last December when services were cancelled between Ebbsfleet and London St Pancras due to a flooded tunnel

In September 2021, the DfT announced Go-Ahead group had been stripped of its Southeastern franchise after failing to declare more than 25million of taxpayer funding.

The Government took over running services on Southeastern's network  which runs across South East England, covering London, Kent, East Sussex and the High Speed 1 line  from October 17 that year.

The then-transport secretary Grant Shapps said an investigation by the DfT identified evidence that since October 2014 the company had not declared more than 25million of historic taxpayer funding which should have been returned.

Southeastern has been running services since 2006, operating one of the busiest networks in the country including the UK's first domestic high-speed service with Javelin trains.

It employs 4,000 workers and serves 180 stations using a fleet of almost 400 trains.

In February 2021, Go-Ahead group said the stripping of the Southeastern franchise would cost the business around 81.3million.

It lost the franchise as a consequence of the way profit share payments and certain overpayments made by the Government department were handled.

Go-Ahead Group's chief financial officer, Elodie Brian, resigned after the decision to take over the franchise was announced.
A fashion PR who was talked into booking a three-day trip to Spain as a first date was left hundreds of pounds out of pocket after her military man date ghosted her.

Claudia Harris, 29, repeatedly chased up date James, whose name has been changed, after she paid 800 for a hotel in Malaga last summer.

Although the pair hit it off before the trip, Ms Harris said the holiday felt awkward and the 'vibe was not there', with her date reporting bank problems and promising to repay her his half of costs before simply ignoring her messages.

His 'ghosting' behaviour particularly upset Ms Harris, from Harpenden, Hertfordshire, as while attempting to regain the 400, she was involved in a car accident which saw her forced to temporarily stop working.

Despite enjoying the Malaga sunshine and even getting new tattoos with her date, the fashion PR eventually realised she had been scammed, describing it as a 'really low moment'.

Claudia Harris, 29, went on a first date with a man she met on Hinge in Malaga, paying 800 for a hotel last summer

Ms Harris repeatedly chased 'James' for his share of the hotel bill, but he ignored her messages and ghosted her

Ms Harris photographed her trip as she attempted to 'make the best' of the situation after failing to hit it off with James on holiday

Ms Harris downloaded Hinge on the recommendation of a friend and ended up matching with the 'first person she came across' in May 2023.

After experiencing instant fireworks and chatting all day and night, she impulsively agreed to book a three-day trip to Malaga together for their first ever date.

Messages she shared on social media show the couple exchanged lots of messages and discussed how they were excited for 'good food, wine and company'.

On arrival, which she reached a day before her date, Ms Harris paid the 800 hotel bill as agreed, with James promising to pay her back following an issue with his bank account.

But when he flew out from the UK the following morning, Ms Harris described how things started going wrong with their fun chat over the phone not replicated in real life.

Claudia said: 'When I got to the hotel I paid on arrival. The agreement always was that we would split it when we were out there.

'He arrived the following morning and it was just not the same. He was the same person but the vibe was not there. It was a struggle. Conversation was very minimal.

'I thought, I'm in Spain for three and a half days. What the hell am I going to do? We just made the most out of it.

'We got tattoos, cocktails and walked around the city. We made the best out of a s****y situation.'

Ms Harris said that while James bought his own meals and drinks during the holiday, his silence on the final day raised 'red flags' on her way to the airport.

A series of screenshotted messages reveal the last message Claudia ever received from James last June, stating how he was unsure how the pair could 'make it work' but that he would send the 400 'first thing in the morning'.

After trying and failing to get her 400 back, she was left 'really upset' as she 'could not afford' to lose it.

Ms Harris had even agreed to get tattooed along with her date, despite the pair never having met in person

Ms Harris, from Harpenden, Hertfordshire, said their initial connection online felt like 'the sign I had been wanting from the universe to do something different'

As a last resort she told James that she'd report him to his barracks if he didn't send her the cash  which he never did.

Further screenshots show her desperate attempts to get her money back and she admits she was involved in a car accident and wanted the payment issue to be 'resolved asap'.

The singleton revealed she had always been 'so against' dating apps, but after matching with the army man and speaking on Facetime until the early hours the pair decided they 'needed' to meet in person.

But her awful experience has caused her to swear off the apps and said that they were now 'absolutely not' for her.

Ms Harris said their initial connection online felt like 'the sign I had been wanting from the universe to do something different, out of my comfort zone and put myself out there. I didn't even second guess it.

The pair FaceTimed every day in the run up to the holiday, but as soon as it was over she did not hear from him again.

The fashion PR said: 'That night I messaged him about the money. Two days later he replied and said he was so sorry but he had been back to back with training.

'I sent him my details. Ghosted. I thought he must be busy so I tried again two days later. Ghosted. I thought this was really weird and tried one final time. Nothing.

'That's when I got really, really upset.' I got into a car accident which led me to the decision to leave my job.

'I had no income for a long time so that was money I could not afford to lose. My brother had to give me a bit of money. It was such a low moment. I'm never going to see that money again.'

Ms Harris reported her date's profile to Hinge to prevent him doing the same to other women and said she is 'now done' with dating apps and their lack of safeguarding.

Messages show how Ms Harris tried repeatedly to get her money back, even threatening to contact her date's barracks

Ms Harris was persuaded to book the trip on impulse after she and James hit it off online

She added: 'My friend told me to go back on Hinge. I re-downloaded the app and his profile was the first person I came across [again].

'That really concerned me from a safeguarding perspective. I thought this could be happening to anyone. You actually don't know who you're talking to.

'Now looking back I think "how dangerous" of me. It could've been a lot worse. I'm quite impulsive by nature. Now if that opportunity presented itself again I would take a few steps back.

'It takes a few months to get to know someone, not a few minutes. The dating app culture makes you rush the process. It shouldn't be a rushed process at all.

'It's forcing you to go against everything we stand for as women and being safe. There's no safeguarding in place for women.

'I am done with the dating app culture. You have to be lucky to find a genuine connection. I don't think it's going to happen for me on a dating app. Absolutely not.'

Hinge confirmed that the user in question was banned after Claudia's complaint.

The app said that any user who encounters potential harm, including fraud, is encouraged to report it through their in-app reporting resources so that they can investigate and take necessary action.

In 2022, Selfie Verification was launched as an additional step to help users confirm that people are who they appear to be in their profile, empowering them to make more informed decisions about who they interact with. Once a selfie is confirmed, a 'Verified' badge is added to the user's profile.
Two dozen members of an elite Los Angeles country club championed by Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband were hospitalized after a food poisoning outbreak, sources say.

An 'alfresco dinner' at Hillcrest Country Club on April 7 ended with an alleged 70 falling ill, more than 20 hospitalized and two in critical condition from a food-related shigella infection  amid claims the club failed to tell the Department of Public Health for days.

A letter to members on April 12 warned of 'fever, stomach cramping and then diarrhea' from the bacterial infection, suspected to have spread from 'contaminated guacamole'.

The incident sparked an investigation by the LA County Department of Public Health (DPH).

An 'alfresco dinner' at Hillcrest Country Club on April 7 left 70 members sick, more than 20 hospitalized and two in critical condition from a shigella infection

VP Kamala Harris's husband Doug Emhoff is a member there and the couple told the Los Angeles Times that Hillcrest is one of their favorite places in the city

An April 12 letter from the club obtained by DailyMail.com confessed that 'a number of our members [are] experiencing illness that seems to have been contracted here at Hillcrest last Sunday April 7, during Alfresco dinner'

Members of Hillcrest, known to be VP Harris and her husband's favorite place in LA, told DailyMail.com the club is at risk of being downgraded to a B or C health rating, and complained of managers 'working remotely' who 'lost control of the kitchen and food quality'  though the club denied the claims.

And it is not the only scandal on Hillcrest's plate.

The embattled club is already facing an excoriating lawsuit from a spurned applicant, accusing it of being a 'racist aristocracy' that ignored reports of sexual assault and drug abuse. Hillcrest denies the claims.

An April 12 letter from the club obtained by DailyMail.com confessed that 'a number of our members [are] experiencing illness that seems to have been contracted here at Hillcrest last Sunday April 7, during Alfresco dinner.'

'There seems to be [sic] have been some contaminated guacamole that has recurred in almost every investigation. Symptoms experienced by our members have generally been feeling unwell on either Monday or Tuesday, with a fever, stomach cramping and then diarrhea.

'It appears that someone who may have been sick at Sunday's Alfresco contaminated the guacamole and possibly some of the surrounding bowls or utensils.

'We do not think it was foodborne, as each component of the guacamole is used in multiple other areas throughout the week, and there are no signs that this occurred at any other time.'

The letter added that Hillcrest contacted a food safety consultant and the health department to investigate, and that 'this is the first time the Club has experienced an outbreak of this kind in decades.'

By April 20, the probe appeared to have widened.

Hillcrest told members in another letter that 'the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is currently investigating multiple reports of gastrointestinal illness in Los Angeles County,' and asked any guests who ate at the club 'from Saturday, April 6 until Friday, April 12' to fill out a survey.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, DPH confirmed its investigation, and said it was notified on April 12  five days after the fateful 'alfresco' dinner mentioned in the club's letters.

'On April 12 2024 the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health was notified of a possible shigella outbreak among people who ate on the same day at a private country club in Los Angeles,' an agency spokesperson said.

'Public Health initiated an outbreak investigation at that time. A site facility inspection did not find any significant violations. The investigation is ongoing at this private venue.'

The incident sparked an investigation by the LA County Department of Public Health after the club failed to tell the department for days

California's most illustrious country club - beloved by VP Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff

A source close to the club told DailyMail.com that the investigation risked Hillcrest's 'A' food safety rating.

'It appears they waited many days before alerting the health department, which was a major mistake,' the source claimed.

'Hillcrest members have lost confidence and are really angry. Seventy people got ill from this. It caused two dozen to go to hospital, including two who were seriously ill.'

DPH did not confirm the number of infections.

Club general manager Dan Meherin told DailyMail.com that they only learned of the outbreak on April 11, that its food safety rating was never at risk, and that the kitchen was allowed to remain open throughout the DPH probe  which they say is now closed after a thorough inspection.

The dinner occurred on Sunday, April 7th. The club learned of the first cases on Thursday, April 11th, and the Health Department was at the club on Monday, April 15th, and any suggestion of delay on behalf of the club is simply untrue, Meherin said.

Hillcrest's A food safety rating was never at risk. The Health Department never had the club close the kitchen, and found the kitchen to be clean and appropriately run, and any suggestion to the contrary is simply untrue.

The bacteria shigella causes shigellosis, with symptoms of 'stomach pain followed by diarrhea, fever, bloody stool (poop), nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and a painful feeling of needing to poop,' according to DPH.

'Shigellosis can spread through sexual or casual (shaking hands) contact with an infected person,' a pamphlet created by the agency says.

'It can spread when an infected person doesn't wash their hands after passing stool (pooping) and has contact with other people. It can also spread during oral or oral-anal sex with an infected person.'

A 2023 study of 800 restaurant food poisoning outbreaks by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said about 40% were linked to workers showing up sick or contagious.

The CDC says about 48 million people get foodborne illness a year, causing 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths.

One angry Hillcrest member, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, told DailyMail.com that they believed there had been a decline in food quality at Hillcrest.

'The morons running club operations and food and beverage are all working remotely. They lost control of the kitchen and food quality has gone downhill,' he said.

But another member, Maron & Sandler law firm partner Richard Sandler, said he had 'no complaints' about the club.

Club President Jason Kaplan was accused of sexual assault and 'making racist remarks in incidents that the Club has refused to investigate'

The lawsuit claims that Brad Fuller (left), Chair of the Hillcrest's Membership Committee, 'has built his career on creating pornographic and violent films that glorify murder and reinforce harmful stereotypes.' According to the suit, the club's former President, Michael Flesch is 'a beneficiary of nepotism and 'has used his position to secure admission for his addict son'

'I've been a member there for a long time. I think it's an outstanding club; well run. I think when problems arise they're addressed and questions get answered.'

'We are deeply committed to the health and safety of our members, guests, and staff,' said Dan Meherin, General Manager of Hillcrest.

'Despite the bacteria outbreak, our kitchen remained open, thanks to the exceptional dedication and swift action of our team to uphold the highest standards of health, hygiene, and cleanliness. We fully cooperated with health officials and they found no fault with Hillcrest.'

Hillcrest was branded 'racist' by Matthew Winnick, 42, who claims the club retaliated against him. Winnick, is 'party to a biracial marriage, where Plaintiff's wife and children have Hispanic heritage,' according to the suit

Vice President Harris's husband, Doug Emhoff, is a member at Hillcrest, and its celebrity membership has included Neil Diamond, Frank Sinatra, and Sydney Poitier.

In January, Harris and Emhoff, both 59, told the Los Angeles Times that Hillcrest is one of their favorite places in the city.

But a lawsuit filed by telecoms heir Matthew Winnick last month tells a darker story.

The suit claims the club has maintained a 'plantation-like essence' by employing a mostly Hispanic staff who cater to predominantly white members.

'It scoffs not only at laws barring discrimination; it also disregards reports of sexual assault and drug abuse. In fact, Hillcrest promotes such unworthy (but racially acceptable) people who so engage and punishes those who complain.

'Hillcrest's leadership reflects the Club's depraved standards.'

According to the suit, club President Jason Kaplan has been accused of sexual assault and 'making racist remarks in incidents that the Club has refused to investigate.'

Film producer Brad Fuller, Chair of the Hillcrest's Membership Committee, 'has built his career on creating pornographic and violent films that glorify murder and reinforce harmful stereotypes,' the lawsuit claims.

And, according to the lawsuit, the club's former President, Michael Flesch, is 'a beneficiary of nepotism' and 'has used his position to secure admission for his son, Warren Flesch, an addict who, by his own words, nearly murdered a homeless man during a cocaine and heroin infused psychotic meltdown.'

Hillcrest's attorney, Lyne Richardson from Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. told DailyMail.com: 'The lawsuit lacks substance, evidence, or facts and makes incendiary statements that lack legitimacy.

'Hillcrest Country Club will vigorously defend against this lawsuit.'
Europe needs its own military defence alliance and cannot expect the US to remain in NATO if Donald Trump is elected, an analyst has said.

'I'm not saying for certain that Trump will pull us out of NATO, but it's just too high a risk for Europe not to be prepared, because right now they're relying on America,' Harley Lippman, a foreign affairs analyst, told MailOnline.

It comes after Trump said in an interview with Time magazine that if he was elected again in November, 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 said.

Lippman, who has been re-appointed to a US commission under Trump, said: 'Europe has to go forward not counting on America staying in NATO. Europe has to have its own NATO.'

He added that even France has alluded to Europe's need for its own defence alliance and that Europe had to be prepared in case Trump followed through on his threat to leave NATO.

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

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

Ukrainian servicemen fire an artillery in the direction of Siversk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on April 01, 2024

International affairs expert Lippman recently met MP Tobias Ellwood as well as former senior NATO Commander Sir Richard Shirreff in the House of Commons to discuss the dangers of American isolationism.

During the meeting organised the Henry Jackson Society think tank, Lippman warned attendees that Europe couldn't count on continued US support for NATO if Trump is re-elected.

He said that the attendees at the meeting in parliament agreed that a likely scenario would be Trump making a deal with Russia.

Lippman told MailOnline: 'Russia would get more of Ukraine than Ukraine wants and then, in another three years, Putin would come after Moldova and Georgia. He also certainly has his sights set on the Baltic Republics and Poland.

'And the problem with that is that no dictator in history who has successfully conquered a neighbour and then just stopped.

'If Putin defeats Ukraine, he is going to be so emboldened that he is going to go after other countries in Europe, almost all of which are NATO.'

Lippman said this could have devastating consequences: 'An attack on one NATO country is an attack on all NATO countries, which would be WW3.

'To avoid WW3, you have to defeat Russia in Ukraine, and Europe cannot count on America to [have its back].'

Lippman, who has been repeatedly appointed to the US Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad by the last four presidents, also echoed Trump's calls for European nations to invest more in their defence.

He said: 'People need to understand the need to defend Europe from Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. These four nations are united together to undermine the West and ultimately to defeat the West.

'They are all playing to win and the only way we're going to preserve peace is if we are determined to defend democracies.'

Ukrainian servicemen of the 59th Separate Motorised Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fire a BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket system

International affairs expert Lippman (centre left) recently met MP Tobias Ellwood (centre right) as well as former senior NATO Commander Sir Richard Shirreff (left) and Barak Seneer (right), a senior research fellow of the Henry Jackson Society think tank, in the House of Commons to discuss the dangers of American isolationism

Ukrainian soldiers at the artillery position in an unidentified area on the Adiivka frontline prepare to fire the D 30 gun as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues in Adiivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on March 13, 2024

Lippman added: 'We're supposed to spend 2 per cent of the budget for defence, but most NATO nations are not even spending that. The defence budget [for European countries] should be four to five per cent.

'That will deter Russia because they'll see 40 nations, putting the military budgets that high is a very, very effective deterrent because [...] they have limitations and are running out of people to fight for them in the war. '

His comments come after Trump his supporters at a campaign rally earlier this year 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 at the end of April and said: 'I wouldn't give [a penny] unless Europe starts equalizing.'

'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'.

Ukrainian servicemen of the 92nd Assault Brigade fire BM-21 'Grad' multiple rocket launcher toward Russian positions, in the Kharkiv region, on May 15, 2024

Ukrainian servicemen practice combat exercises as Russia-Ukraine war continues in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on March 28, 2024

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

A Ukrainian soldier is placed in trenches retaken from the Russian army on the Vuhledar front line as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on December 01, 2023

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban (pictured), 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

'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.

'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,' the Hungarian leader said, echoing Lippman's warnings about what could happen if Europe loses US military support.
A Missouri Republican running for secretary of state has sparked fury after posting a video where she tells voters to not be 'weak and gay.'

Valentina Gomez, a 24-year-old real estate investor, is seen running through the predominantly LGBTQ neighborhood of Soulard in St. Louis during the video.

'In America, you can be anything you want, so dont be weak and gay,' Gomez said while jogging in a bulletproof vest in the video posted to her socials this week. 'Stay f***ing hard.'

The clip then cuts to a photo of of Gomez holding a rifle - a common sight on her Instagram.

Gomez, a Colombia native, is on the ballot in the August 6 GOP primary to choose the candidate for secretary of state.

Gomez is running for Missouri Secretary of State as a Republican, and since the state is heavily red, its likely that the winner of the Republican primary will win the general election

The incumbent secretary of state, Republican Jay Ashcroft, is running for Missouri governor, leaving the seat open.

Gomez, though, has attracted far more attention than her counterparts simply for her controversial stances and provocative videos.

Gomez has attracted far more attention than her counterparts simply for her controversial stances and provocative videos

Chief among them was when she shared footage of herself setting two LGBTQ-inclusive books on fire in February, characterizing the literature as 'grooming, indoctrinating and sexualizing'.

'When Im Secretary of State, I will BURN all books that are grooming, indoctrinating, and sexualizing our children. MAGA. America First,' she wrote on X.

After Instagram removed the video, Gomez told HuffPost she was: 'Just like President Trump,' adding: 'I am one of the most suppressed voices on Instagram.'

Gomez has previously said 'don't be gay,' when referencing 'countries that ban rifles, guns or even flamethrowers, as reported by radio station WCPT.

Her social media bio reads: 'Jesus is King. MAGA. America First.'

She opposes vaccine mandates and the 'transgender agenda.'

Gomez is a prominent gun rights advocate who frequently posts pictures of herself holding and shooting firearms

Gomez took a flamethrower to 'grooming, indoctrinating and sexualizing' books in a viral video shared as part of her campaign

Her social media bio reads: 'Jesus is King. MAGA. America First'

Gomez has also expressed admiration for Andrew Tate who is accused of human trafficking in Romania.

According to her LinkedIn, she has worked at Nestle Purina since October 2021.

Viewers quickly went to work responding to her latest campaign video, posted May 12, with many people calling her 'cringe' and 'pathetic' for running around with a bulletproof vest.

Liberal radio host John Shannon wrote: 'Nothing displays weakness more than taking a morning jog with a Kevlar vest on.'

There were some replies supporting her, but they were buried amid an onslaught of attacks and jokes at her expense.

Gomez, a Colombia native, is on the ballot in the August 6 GOP primary to choose the candidate for secretary of state

Gomez has garnered a reputation for wading into conservative culture war issues - one of her favorites includes protecting children from the 'transgender agenda,' as she puts it on her campaign website.

She attacked transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney ahead of Mulvaney's speech to students at Saint Louis University, a Jesuit college in St. Louis.

'That dude is mocking women,' Gomez said in a video filmed in front of the university's campus, 'It doesn't matter how many surgeries, shots, or hormones you get, a man will never become a woman.'

Gomez is seen with former presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy

Gomez has garnered a reputation for wading into conservative culture war issues

Gomez recently attacked Dylan Mulvaney, who spoke at a Missouri Jesuit college. She called Mulvaney 'a dude' with 'a penis'

Since the secretary of state serves as the chief elections official in Missouri, Gomez has floated plans to revamp the electoral system.

She believes the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump, which possibly informs her idea to 'remove electronic voting machines to successfully transition towards universal paper ballot hand counting,' per her campaign website.

She also supports deploying the National Guard to monitor polling places in Missouri.
Russia's war in Ukraine has revealed to the world in graphic detail the smorgasbord of lethal technologies that can be used to destroy one's enemy in a large-scale 21st-century clash.

From killer drones chasing terrified soldiers to hypersonic missiles eliminating apartment blocks - the past two years have served up countless clips displaying the brutal efficacy of modern warfare.

But despite all the capabilities of such cutting-edge military tech, Moscow's primary frontline tactic appears ripped from the playbook of World War I generals - batter Ukrainians with artillery before dispatching waves of soldiers to secure territory inch by blood-soaked inch.

It's a style of warfare reminiscent of the Battle of Passchendaele - but it has proved nonetheless effective with Vladimir Putin's forces gaining territory hand over fist in eastern Ukraine.

So, until the AI overlords of the future swoop in to do the heavy lifting for us, George S. Patton's observation that 'wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men' looks set to endure.

Patton was one of the United States' most revered generals, but it is in Russia where his axiom is perhaps best understood. It was only thanks to sheer Soviet manpower - and willingness to incur casualties on a scarcely believable scale - that the Allied powers were able to defeat the Nazis in World War II.

This fact is baked into Russia's collective memory and serves as a key ingredient in Vladimir Putin's existentialist rhetoric justifying his war in Ukraine as a necessary resistance against a threatening, expansionist West.

Now, this week's round in the East-West war of words saw Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov goad Western leaders and declare his forces are ready to take on NATO should the security alliance deploy its own troops on Ukrainian soil.

With that in mind, MailOnline takes a look at how the armies of Russia and NATO stack up, and outlines the tale of the tape for a potential future clash between East and West on the battlefield in Ukraine.

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A Ukrainian soldier of an artillery unit fires towards Russian positions outside Bakhmut

Ukrainian servicemen of the 59th Separate Motorised Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fire a BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket system

120 mm mortar crew fires shells at Russian positions as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues in Chasiv Yar, Ukraine on April 27, 2024

British Army Challenger 2 tanks are seen at the training ground in Nowa Deba on September 21, 2022, in Nowa Deba, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland

Swedish soldier sits on a military boat with a machine gun during the Baltic Operations NATO military drills (Baltops 22) on June 11, 2022

Going by the numbers, NATO's collective military is by far the world's most formidable fighting force.

The alliance's 32 countries have a combined military budget of well over $1 trillion, over three million active personnel, around three million reserve personnel and more than 700,000 troops in paramilitary forces.

Besides manpower, NATO countries also have over 14,000 tanks in their arsenals and tens of thousands more combat vehicles, 21,000 military aircraft and almost 2,000 naval vessels.

Three nuclear-armed nations are also members: the US, the UK and France.

Before the the invasion of Ukraine, Russia by comparison had just 350,000 active army soldiers, roughly 1 million active military personnel and about two million in reserve.

But wars are not fought on paper, and the bulk of NATO's formidable strength comes from having the United States as a member.

With a presidential election looming in the United States, many fear that enduring US support for its European allies is not guaranteed.

Ben Hodges, the former Commanding General of US Army Europe, told MailOnline earlier this year that European nations could be left 'sitting ducks' should Trump be elected in November.

And if the armed forces of US and Canada are removed from the equation, the playing field between Russia and NATO's European members suddenly looks a lot more balanced.

US President Joe Biden speaks at the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies' 30th annual gala, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Washington

In this pool photograph distributed by Russia's state agency Sputnik, Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via a videoconference in Moscow on May 13, 2024

A Ukrainian soldier is placed in trenches retaken from the Russian army on the Vuhledar front line as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on December 01, 2023

Ukrainian soldiers at the artillery position in an unidentified area on the Adiivka frontline prepare to fire the D 30 gun as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues in Adiivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on March 13, 2024

A resident is seen after shellings in the frontline city of Avdiivka amid Russian-Ukrainian war

Polish soldiers seen before a high-intensity training session using M1A2 Abrams tanks at Nowa Deba training ground, on May 6, 2023

Ukrainian servicemen of the 43rd Separate Artillery Brigade fire a Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzer toward Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine May 4, 2024

Again taken as a whole, European NATO states still lead Russia in almost all categories, aside from the number of armoured land vehicles - and, of course, nuclear weapons.

But NATO's forces have never faced the kind of aggression displayed in Ukraine, and despite extensive military drills are not truly battle-tested.

Conversely, Russia has demonstrated not only a willingness to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of soldiers in meatgrinder tactics in the past two years, but also impressive capacity to draw upon reserves and shuttle them to the frontlines in short order.

The most recent assessment by Royal United Services Institute military expert Dr. Jack Watling claims that Russia has expanded the number of troops actively engaged in operations against Ukraine to a whopping 510,000.

'This means that Russia has established significant numerical superiority over the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU),' Watling said.

His report warned that without significant Western support, continued investment in military aid, training and intelligence sharing, and rapid expansion of the armed forces, the outlook for Ukraine is bleak in the face of a Russian summer offensive.

What's more, Ukraine instituted conscription almost immediately after the Russian invasion in February 2022, with recent reports of Ukrainian press gangs violently hunting down military-age men.

But Russia has no need to resort to conscription, leaning on its extensive veteran community and swell of volunteers to fight in Ukraine.

More than a million people reach military age in Russia every year, and all men aged 18-30 are liable to perform one year of national service.

This means that Russia would have huge numbers of military-trained and able-bodied fighters in reserve, should it ever come to blows with NATO on the battlefield.

A British soldier looks into a telescopic sight as he holds his sniper rifle during the NATO DRAGON-24 military exercise in Korzeniewo, northern Poland, March 4, 2024

Ukrainian servicemen of the 82nd Separate Air Assault Brigade prepare for combat Challenger 2 tank in an undisclosed location near frontline in Zaporizhzhia region

NATO troops take part in Nordic Response 24 - a phase of the larger NATO exercise Steadfast Defender. The exercise involves air, sea, and land forces, with over 100 fighter jets, 50 ships, and over 20,000 troops practising defensive manoeuvres in cold and harsh weather conditions

Ukrainian servicemen who recently returned from the trenches of Bakhmut walk on a street in Chasiv Yar, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 8, 2023

No one really knows exactly what a future deployment of NATO forces to fight in Ukraine might look like.

NATO maintains multinational battlegroups in eight nations close to Russia - namely Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland - but these troops form the backbone of the alliance's so-called 'deterrence and defence posture'.

They are meant primarily as a first line of defence to protect against the potential of a Russian invasion beyond Ukraine, rather than as a pro-active force ready to deploy to the front line.

And though it has already been established that NATO's overall troop numbers far exceed that of Russia, it is highly unlikely that all members of the alliance would be willing to send any great quantity of soldiers into battle unless a NATO country itself is attacked directly by Moscow.

In February, Emmanuel Macron - who had long been one of the only European leaders intent on maintaining dialogue with Putin - refused to rule out the possibility that Western troops could one day be sent to Ukraine.

But several key NATO allies rushed to dismiss the French President's statement.

The United States, Germany, Britain, Spain, Poland and the Czech Republic all distanced themselves from any suggestion they might commit ground troops to the Ukraine war, clarifying they would only continue supporting Ukraine financially and materially.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was particularly emphatic in his denial of Macron's claims, declaring bluntly: 'There will be no ground troops, no soldiers on Ukrainian soil sent by European countries or NATO states.'

However, some experts - including former high-ranking Western military officials - have suggested that EU member states may consider sending military personnel to bolster Ukraine's defences independent of NATO.

Ukrainian medics transfer a wounded Ukrainian soldier to a stabilisation point in the direction of Siversk-Soledar, 11 May 2024

Ukrainian soldiers unload grad shells in a garage in the direction of Marinka, as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on May 09, 2024

A soldier of the 58th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian army walks in a muddy road as Russian attacks on the city of Vuhledar continue in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on December 01, 2023

A Ukrainian artillery position fires in the direction of Bakhmut in Donetsk

A Germany army Leopard 2A6 tank takes part in a NATO military exercise at a training range in Pabrade, Lithuania

Retired US Army Colonel Alexander Crowther, who is also a senior fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), said earlier this year that it was 'time to send EU troops to Ukraine', provided it can be clearly communicated they would not participate in any offensive operations.

He reasoned that European troops could be deployed to protect Ukraine's northern border with Belarus and take the weight of major logistics operations, air defence and other roles.

This, he said, would free up tens of thousands of otherwise occupied Ukrainian troops, enabling Kyiv 'to divert more of its resources and personnel towards the eastern contact line' while ensuring that no European soldiers are actually involved in frontline operations.

In an interview with Radio Free Europe, Crowther said there are a handful of European countries that would likely be willing to send troops to Ukraine to provide supporting roles in defiance of the messaging from German Chancellor Scholz and others.

'Ukrainians are running out of soldiers, just like we did in 1944, when in Europe, we took cooks and handed them rifles and said, "You are now an infantryman." And so Ukraine is at the point where they're having to do that.

'Maintenance, logistics, technical [stuff], like running air-defence systems - for every (Western) soldier or civilian that is sent there, that's a Ukrainian who can get shipped to the front.

'I think that sending Western troops to Ukraine is a subset of supporting Ukraine vigorously... I could name half a dozen countries right now that would be willing to send people to Ukraine.'
SAS legend Chris Ryan said Britain needs to build its army up 'fast' - and hinted he'd be prepared to sign back up and fight, should World War Three erupt.

In a chilling warning, the famed special forces hero said the globe was at risk of being 'sucked into a vacuum' as war in Ukraine continues to spiral out control.

The former military hardman fears the UK's army, which is the smallest it has been in more than 200 years, had shrunk so much it was at risk of becoming 'ineffective'.

His comments come as analysts warned Vladimir Putin had amassed more than half a million troops on the front line in a dramatic bid to overpower Ukrainian forces.

Speaking out, retired operator Chris said the Russian tyrant's latest effort to bring death and destruction to Ukraine must serve as a 'big warning' and that Western powers cannot afford to be 'caught on the back foot'.

'This should be a warning to the world that if it goes down that route we could all be involved and sucked into a vacuum very quickly,' he told MailOnline.

Ex-SAS Sergeant Chris Ryan has hinted that he would slip back into his military gear if World War Three erupted in his lifetime

Soldiers in Ukraine fire mortars from a frontline position in the war against Russia

A British-made tank is driven by a Ukrainian crew through the Donetsk region of Ukraine in March. Ryan has suggested Brits could end up backing Ukrainians on the ground

Ryan spoke to MailOnline ahead of the release of his new book, Traitor, which is inspired by real-world actions in the war against Russia

The former soldier spent a decade in Britain's elite military fighting unit before picking up a pen and writing both fiction and non-fiction books

'Our army has shrunk so much were nearly becoming ineffective... We dont have the manpower. We need a professional army and we need it fast.'

And asked if he would consider slipping back into his military kit, should war spread, Chris added: 'At my age I would be part of a "Dads Army" crew but if it goes to hell, we will all be doing it.'

The warning came as Russia continued its advances in northern Ukraine, which threaten the country's second city, Kharkiv.

Putin's marauders have already captured several villages on the eastern border, which Ukraine had previously liberated during the opening salvo of the war.

The advances, feared to be part of Moscow's major summer offensive, 'caught the West napping', Defence Secretary Grant Shapps hinted this week.

In a plea to the Government, Chris - who spent a decade in Britain's elite military unit fighting around the world before becoming a best-selling author - urged action.

He feared the war was entering a deadly new phase which would see 'missiles being thrown around' that could strike Nato countries like Poland, Germany, France and the UK - plunging the world into all-out war.

It comes as Russia threatened to strike British military installations and ordered its troops to hold battlefield nuclear weapon drills, in a disturbing ramping up of rhetoric from the Kremlin.

The sabre rattling was in response to French president Emmanuel Macron's comments on western troops fighting in Ukraine and British foreign secretary, David Cameron, on using British-supplied weapons against Russia.

'We should prepare ourselves because history has a way of repeating itself,' added Chris. 'We should be bolstering our munitions factories because our stockpiles have been depleted.'

The SAS veteran's comments come as he prepares to release his latest blockbuster thriller, Traitor.

Set in the middle of the Ukraine war, the novel follows Sergeant Major Luke Carter, a decorated hero of 22 SAS, who is sent to Australia on a secretive recruitment job.

The elite soldier and his team of Australian SAS troopers are then thrust into a high-stakes operation to take down key Russian targets and change the course of the conflict.

But unbeknown to them, their efforts are being sabotaged by Russian spies lurking in Ukraine, whose underhand tactics threaten to lead to the war spilling out across Europe - and beyond.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began more than two years ago, has devastated the country (pictured: rescuers tackle fires following a missile strike on Kharkiv on May 10)

Russia's ongoing attacks in the country, including against civilian targets, have left much of the country battle scarred (pictured: residential buildings in Kherson struck by Russian fire)

The war in Ukraine shows no signs of abating while Russian president Vladimir Putin (pictured) continues his campaign in the country

Speaking to MailOnline, Chris - a former SAS Sergeant who famously evaded capture in the Gulf War after a mission behind enemy lines in Iraq went catastrophically wrong - said the inspiration for his book was based on real-world action.

'A year ago, a group of anti-Kremlin saboteurs hit the headlines after they crossed into Russia from Ukraine and launched a series of raids across the Belgorod region,' he said.

'Recruited from the ranks of army defectors and immigrants living in Ukraine, their stated aim is to topple Vladimir Putins regime.

'Although these groups would appear extremely unlikely to succeed, as I watched the news reports the seed of an idea swiftly took shape in my head. What if these militia forces were trained by the SAS?

'Or  even better  what if the "Regiment" found themselves in a position that meant they had to carry out the attacks? After all, operating behind enemy lines has been the trademark of SAS operations for decades, going back to the desert raids in the Second World War and, more recently, the attack on Pebble Island in the Falklands campaign.

'The prospect of British soldiers on the ground in Russia might seem outlandish. But as weve seen in the past, wars can escalate quickly. With the conflict in Ukraine dragging on, and no end in sight, theres always the risk that one side might miscalculate, or push the envelope too far. And if that happens, things could get out of hand very fast  with potentially devastating consequences.'
An Uber driver who refused to accept a disabled passenger with her assistance dog because his family were allergic to animals has been found guilty of breaking equality laws.

Passenger Humira Mohamed, 26, said she felt scared for her safety after 46-year-old driver Jitu Miah refused to allow her and five-year-old support dog Peanut into the back of his car in the early hours of January 22 last year.

Miss Mohamed, who has a registered assistance dog to help with crippling anxiety, said she 'calmly' sought to show the driver Peanut's certificate recognising him as a working animal and explained her rights as a disabled person that prevented Miah turning her away.

But Miah refused and cancelled the booking, and later told investigators he found Ms Mohamed 'violent and abusive'.

He denied one count of refusing to carry out a booking for a disabled person accompanied by assistance dog, contrary to the Equality Act 2010, but was found guilty by magistrates at City of London.

Passenger Humira Mohamed, 26, said she felt scared for her safety after 46-year-old driver Jitu Miah refused to allow her and five-year-old support dog Peanut into the back of his car. Pictured Miss Mohamed and Peanut

Uber driver Jitu Miah leaving City of London Magistrates Court this afternoon (pictured)

Lord Frederick Ponsonby, chairman of the magistrates' bench, said: 'The complainant gave a consistent and credible account which explains the circumstances of the assistance dog. We accept her evidence.

'We find Mr Miah had a lack of understanding as to his legal obligations regarding assistance dogs under the Equality Act.'

Ms Mohamed, a writer from north London, said she felt 'scared and in a state of disbelief', when Miah pulled away and left her on the pavement at 2am.

She told the court she had been playing board games at a friend's house when she booked an Uber, stating she was a disabled passenger, to take her home.

But the driver refused to let her in his vehicle, she said.

Ms Mohamed, who gave evidence accompanied by Peanut, a smooth saluki-breed rescue, said: 'I told him I have an assistance dog with me, I have a certificate for him, and it's okay if you want to see it.

Miss Mohamed, who has a registered assistance dog to help with crippling anxiety, said she 'calmly' sought to show the driver Peanut's certificate recognising him as a working animal. Pictured: Miss Mohamed and Peanut

'He blatantly refused to take me, he said I needed to order an Uber Pet service, to which I said I didn't because he (Peanut) is not a pet, he's a medical aid.

'But he (Miah) was quiet adamant he wasn't going to take me. I tried to explain to him about the Equality Act.

'I think sometimes people look at me and think there is no disability, but sometimes disabilities are not always visible.'

Miss Mohamed, who was born with a rare eating condition which contributes to her anxiety, said the Uber driver was 'quite aggressive' and 'sassy' in his response.

She told the court: 'It's late at night, I'm on a random street, it was quite a stressful experience.

'He said he couldn't take me because his kids are allergic to dogs.

'At this point, honestly - I just wanted to get home.

'I said: I'm going to have to report you in the app if you don't take me.

'He was like: Go on then, report me, report me.'

Miss Mohamed (right) pictured with Lynn Mongameli at the Youth To The People X World Vegan Day event

Miss Mohamed said she was able to book another Uber within the hour, without any issues.

Miss Mohamed, who is tee-total, rejected claims from Miah's solicitor Abdul Mojid that his client did not see the dog.

She said: 'You can suggest that, but it was not true.

'I was feeling really upset and distressed and at this point discriminated against.

'I shouldn't have to fight to be in an Uber like everyone else. It makes me feel super insignificant.'

Mr Mojid suggested the victim had become 'extremely frustrated' at this point, and the court heard Miah subsequently described her behaviour to investigators as 'extremely angry and aggressive'.

But Miss Mohamed said: 'I was so calm, I had been playing board games, I just wanted to get home.

'I said: I'm going to report you.

Miss Mohamed said she was able to book another Uber within the hour, without any issues

Miss Mohamed and Peanut pictured at Christmas time

'That was the meanest thing I said.

'I was shocked a guy would be so happy to leave a girl in the dark like that.

'I was shocked and surprised rather than angry.'

Miah, giving evidence with the assistance of a Bengali translator, said he remained polite at all times and cancelled the booking because he was concerned for his safety because of Miss Mohamed's alleged aggression.

He said his wife and children were allergic and so he did not take 'pets' in his vehicle.

He said he would take guide dogs, but would then take his vehicle to be professionally cleaned before returning home.

He acknowledged Miss Mohamed told him he had an assistance dog with him, but said he never saw the animal, which was wearing its distinctive green jacket and was tethered to his owner.

Tony Caetano, prosecuting for Transport for London, told the court: 'Mr Miah said he didn't see the dog.

Jitu Miah was fined 311, ordered to pay 450 in costs, and a further 124 in victim surcharge

'There was a big conversation about the dog, but at no stage did he say: where is the dog?

'He told you his wife and child suffer from allergies and Mr Miah should be aware of his duties under the Equality Act to carry assistance dogs - it is written on his licence.

'Even if you accept he didn't see the dog, he admits Miss Mohamed said at the end of the conversation that it is an assistance dog. He has a duty to accept it.

'He tells you the reason he didn't accept it is because Miss Mohamed was violent, aggressive and rude.

'It is my submission that the evidence by Miss Mohamed was credible and concise, whereas the evidence from Mr Miah is confusing at best.

'You can be sure Mr Miah cancelled the booking because Miss Mohamed was accompanied by an assistance dog and he didn't want to take the dog in his car.'

Miah, of Ampthill Square in north-west London, showed little emotion as the magistrates found him guilty of the single charge.

He was fined 311, ordered to pay 450 in costs, and a further 124 in victim surcharge.

The court heard Miah, who has no previous convictions, had been working as a private hire driver for around eight years before the incident.

He quit the job a short time later and currently works in retail.
A top lawmaker told DailyMail.com that China and other adversaries are getting creative with the manner in which they are infiltrating the U.S. military's sensitive sites.

Chinese nationals tried at least 100 times to enter U.S. military bases and related installations last year.

Often posing as tourists or DoorDash drivers who happen to wander off course and find themselves on or near sensitive and secret federal sites, they can more easily get inside.

And it's not just Chinese nationals who are infiltrating U.S. military sites.

Iran, Russia and terrorist groups from the Middle East are also involved Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., exclusively told DailyMail.com in a sit-down interview.

A Chinese national broke into the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms in California in March before being detained

'There have been reports of Russians, there have been reports of Iranians, there have been reports of people from throughout the Middle East - people who are members of terrorist organizations - also being caught near military bases,' Grothman said.

Though the Republican did not specify which terrorist groups have been caught.

Grothman did confirm, however, the efforts from Iran, Russia and the terror groups will be discussed during a classified House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs hearing Thursday.

'There have been reports that off of our military bases ... that we have had foreign nationals here taking pictures and recording what's going on.'

He also claimed that various foreign nationals 'maybe getting jobs as DoorDash or something or other and then poking around, seeing what they can find out' from the U.S. military bases.

Reports further indicate that foreign nationals have operated drones to enhance their surveillance efforts.

And Grothman warned that these attempts have grown significantly in recent years.

'It's not something that we believe was going on a very significant degree just a few years ago,' he said. 'So this new stuff.'

The Wisconsin Republican said the rise in espionage attempts comes as record numbers of non-hispanic foreign nationals are pouring across the U.S.-Mexico border into the American heartland.

'When you're talking about the number of Chinese coming across the southern border, not that they're all here doing intelligence research, but when it goes up by a factor of 80 in one year, you've got to wonder what's going on here.'

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) arrested nearly 25,000 Chinese nationals since October.

The House is holding a classified hearing Thursday on efforts by China to infiltrate U.S. military bases and record troops at work.

According to Grothman, some foreign nationals have posed as DoorDash food delivery drivers while attempting to infiltrate American military installations

A group of Chinese nationals were stopped in 2023 while scuba diving close to missile row in Cape Canaveral, shown here

Another group of Chinese people, posing as tourists, wandered on to a base in New Mexico that is adjacent to White Sands National Park

Grothman and his fellow Republicans have long decried the current situation at the border as a national security threat due to the high volume of individuals crossing between legal ports of entry.

He noted the unusually high number of Chinese nationals that have come into the U.S. through the southern border in recent months as cause for concern - and that they are potentially involved in surveillance efforts.

In March, a Chinese national breached Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms - a remote military training base in the California desert - and refused to leave before being detained by authorities.

The individual had entered the U.S. illegally, according to Border Patrol officials.

'So it's of particular concern because it's so easy now to get in here,' Grothman said. 'I mean, in essence, the United States has an open border.'

'There's no time more tempting for foreign countries to come in here and say, 'let's poke around and get information on American military bases.''

Operatives from the Communist nation have been caught scuba diving close to Cape Canaveral, wandering on to a missile launch site in New Mexico and claiming to be staying on an Army base in Alaska.

The Republican also told DailyMail.com that some foreign nationals are instructed by their governments to spy on the U.S. bases.

'When these Chinese come here they are told by the Chinese government that they are supposed to take pictures of anything that's suspicious or they feel might be helpful.'

And there are obvious reasons why individuals from China, Iran, Russia and terror groups would want to know more about U.S. military capability.

'They also would, I'm sure, love to find a way to do a great deal of damage to the United States.'

Fort Wainright, the center of the US military's operations in the Arctic, was the subject of an apparent espionage attempt, the Wall Street Journal reported

'Why would a country be sending people here who are taking pictures of military bases or what have you unless it was for in preparation for or contingency for some either terrorist act, or even concerned about war,' the Wisconsin lawmaker said.

'When you see other countries collecting data, as far as what's going on in America, you have to worry a little bit.'

'If you were coming to United States, either for a job or for tourist reasons, I don't think you'd be hanging around outside military bases,' Grothman added.

The committee's classified hearing will occur Thursday at 9 a.m. ET.
READ MORE: Attorney General Merrick Garland will be held in CONTEMPT

The account endorsed multiple posts of ugly takes on Republicans

A lawyer at the Department of Justice's Inspector General office faces questions after a social media account bearing her name endorsed posts berating President Donald Trump and Republicans and praising Democrats.

Inspector General lawyers are traditionally sober nonpartisan professionals but a report from The Federalist uncovered blatantly partisan social media activity and donations from Deborah Zerwitz, one of the highest paid lawyers in the building.

Zerwitz, a former counsel to President Barack Obamas former Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell, is currently working to take down former DOJ officials who served under Attorney General Bill Barr and opened a probe into deaths at nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic.

However, her intensions may not be entirely nonpolitical.

Zerwitz has made 35 separate political donations to Democrats since 2007 including the Biden campaign, according to the report.

DailyMail.com investigated a social media account on X with Zerwitz's name on it that was created in 2019 that has a long history of liking posts attacking Trump and Republicans.

The account with Zerwitz's name has not posted content on X, but a list of 1,340 likes on the account illustrate a profile of a deeply upset partisan Democrat after President Trump took office.

Some posts 'liked' by the accounts with her name on them called for Americans to 'send Donald Trump packing' and 'boot his Republican enablers out of office - at every level of government.'

Other posts celebrated Biden's victory over Trump in 2020, and praising Biden political appointees. Other likes featured posts praising New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Hillary Clinton, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and condemned Republicans in the Senate such Chuck Grassley, Josh Hawley, Ron Johnson, John Cornyn, and Ted Cruz.

Other social media likes included posts attacking Trump political appointees like Attorney General Bill Barr including one that said 'not a single career prosecutor at DOJ will miss Bill Barr.'

She also liked a post from Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin criticizing Attorney General Bill Barr, demanding that lawyers 'walk out en masse' in protest of his actions while in office.

Other social media likes included posts attacking Trump political appointees like Attorney General Bill Barr

One post endorsed by Zerwitz referred to 'Trump and his racist homophobic cult members' protesting their music choices on the campaign trail.

Posts endorsed by Zerwitz include notes describing Hakeem Jeffries as 'the Republican Party's worst nightmare,' and fawning praise over the way Pelosi eats a Slim Jim.

'Nancy Pelosi unwrapping a Slim Jim with her teeth and eating it while on the phone handling the insurrection is the most bad-ass multitasking I've ever seen,' read one post endorsed by Zerwitz.

She 'liked' posts about how Nancy Pelosi eats Slim Jims

Zerwitz also liked posts featuring Kamala Harris, including one praising the way she walked down a flight of airplane stairs.

One post liked by Zerwitz featured a pre-debate meme shared by late night host Jimmy Kimmel portraying Mike Pence as the cannibal Hannibal Lector and Harris as actress Jodie Foster in the movie Silence of the Lambs.

Surprisingly, Zerwitz also endorses posts concerning the Hatch Act, demonstrating she had some knowledge of the proper public activity for a government attorney, even as she was engaging in partisan behavior.

Zerwitz endorsed a post from Elizabeth Warren urging voters to 'send Donald Trump packing' and purge the government of his supporters.

'We need to boot his Republican enablers out of office - at every level of government,' Warren added.

Other posts presumably referring to Trump were more direct.

'I f***king hate him,' read one post endorsed by Zerwitz.

She also endorsed a post telling Trump's lawyers to 'go f**k yourself and die.'

'If it walks like a bunch of f**kers and it talks like a bunch of f**kers it is a bunch of f**kers,' read another post that she endorsed.

Zerwitz did not respond to a request for comment.

The reports of partisan activity from Justice Department lawyers raised concerns from the House Oversight Committee, as Chairman James Comer vowed to investigate.

'We cannot allow unelected bureaucrats to weaponize their positions in government without consequence,' he said in a statement to DailyMail.com.

'The House Oversight Committee will continue to conduct oversight to ensure Inspectors General and their staff operate in a nonpartisan manner to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government.'
Robert Conquest was a Conservative historian best known for laying bare the terrors of the old Soviet Union. He was derided by Left-wing historians but proved to be correct about Stalinism and much else.

Based on his long experience, Conquest drafted three laws of politics, of which this is the third: The simplest way to explain the behaviour of any bureaucratic organisation is to assume that it is controlled by a cabal of its enemies.

Surely no British institutions are better described by Conquests third law than our museums and galleries, which now seem to be led by the enemies of both their own collections and our culture.

While the National Portrait Gallery and Tate Britain  both recently re-organised  are busy distorting British history with tales of colonial exploitation and racism, other galleries are falling over themselves to return precious items that have been in their collections for centuries.

King Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II of Ghana now wants to keep loaned Asante gold for ever

The latest treasures in the crosshairs are intricate gold artefacts which once belonged to the kings of the Asante (also Ashanti) Empire, who ruled over the part of West Africa now known as Ghana, and over other African peoples for two centuries from 1701-1901.

Note that there were indigenous empires in Africa as well as colonial ones. It was in January that the directors of the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum agreed to lend the Asante Gold to the descendants of the original owners in Ghana, a deal which was to last for three years with an option for a further three.

In the past few days, however, reigning Asante King Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II has changed his mind about the terms and announced that he would rather keep hold of the valuables  32 beautifully cast and decorated items  in perpetuity.

What did the museums expect, you might ask? Was this all part of the plan? Perhaps the Asante King assumes an incoming Labour government will hastily accede to his request.

The eventual outcome for the gold remains uncertain, but this is by no means the first time that our museums have attempted to hand over some of their finest exhibits.

We have already seen concerted efforts to send Benin Bronzes  elaborately decorated plaques often portraying animal and human figures  back to Nigeria. The row over sending the Elgin Marbles to Athens grows ever more poisonous and protracted.

The row over sending the Elgin Marbles to Athens grows ever more poisonous and protracted

What these and other cases have in common is a set of crude and troublingly naive assumptions  that, for example, the treasures in question were stolen and that Britain as a former imperial power must be in the wrong. Yet when it comes to Ghana and the Asante Gold, Britains motives, though not pure, deserve consideration.

After we banned our own slave trade in 1807, we set about stopping many other nations, including the Asante, from trading in human cargo. We also tried to end the practice of human sacrifice. In 1874, when British soldiers captured the Asante capital of Kumasi, they found thousands of skulls in a sacred grove.

It is worth noting, too, that Britain originally hoped to trade freely with the Asante and other peoples in the vicinity, including the Ga and Fante, the latter of whom needed British military protection because they were under threat of violent invasion by the Asante.

No one would deny that, taking up arms, we hoped to gain strategically and economically from control of the Gold Coast, as it was once known. It is also true, however, that the British were engaged in humane reforms.

As for our supposedly colonial intent, we could have absorbed this region into the British Empire as far back as the 1820s had we wanted, if not before.

Yet it wasnt until 1901 that the Asante lands became a British protectorate and then only for a short time. Three decades later, Asante self-rule was restored. No figure sums up the moral complexity of this history better than the first governor of the Gold Coast, Sir Charles MacCarthy.

He was already governor of Sierra Leone, a British colony established for freed slaves, many of whom had been rescued from slave traders by the Royal Navy and taken to this place of safety.

MacCarthy built schools and houses for the settlers and campaigned to stop other European nations continuing the trade.

The latest treasures in the crosshairs are gold artefacts which once belonged to the kings of the Asante (also Ashanti) Empire, who ruled over the part of West Africa now known as Ghana

In 1824 he was killed in battle by the Asante. His skull, rimmed with gold, was used as a ceremonial drinking cup. The history of these precious artefacts, then, is complicated, yet they are routinely referred to as loot as if the British had merely pillaged and plundered their way across West Africa.

There is more than an echo in the long-running tussle over the fate of the Benin Bronzes.

The Horniman Museum in South London has already sent its collection back to West Africa.

Oxford and Cambridge universities were about to follow suit when, last year, the Nigerian government announced that the bronzes were in fact the personal property of the current Oba  the king  of Benin. Descendants of slaves who had once been traded by the Obas ancestors  often in horrific circumstances and who now live in the United States, kicked up an understandable fuss on learning that the treasures would be returned to relatives of those who had profited from the unspeakable trade. There is no resolution in sight.

The bronzes are obviously better off where theyve been housed since the 1890s, which is to say in British, American and European museums  where millions of people have seen them over the decades. The same applies to the Asante Gold, much of which had originally been seized by the Fante people and the British, then sold or kept as reparations for the cost of the many armed conflicts. Fifteen of the objects found their way to the British Museum and 17 to the Victoria & Albert.

The best part of six million people visit the British Museum every year, yet the total number of tourists visiting the whole of Ghana is only one million. It is a powerful argument in favour of keeping the Asante Gold and other treasures firmly in this country.

Great museums with international collections in major world cities are simply more accessible than the small museum in Ghana where, if the King of the Asante has his way, the gold would be displayed for the foreseeable future  and beyond.

Regrettable or not, great museums are also significantly better equipped to protect the objects in their care.

There are deeper arguments to make, too, including the fact that treasures have moved between civilisations since ancient times.

This Asante Gold ornament, previously held in the V&A museum in London, is on loan to Ghana

Displaying things made by people remote from us in time and place  to help us understand other cultures  is an essential purpose of museums. I happen to greatly admire the paintings of JMW Turner and know that one of my favourites, Snowstorm, Avalanche and Thunderstorm  depicting the Valley of Aosta in the Alps  hangs in the galleries of The Art Institute Of Chicago.

Should it be returned to Britain? Of course not. That our greatest British painter is admired thousands of miles away is something to be proud of.

How impoverished would we be, in whatever country we live, if we could only look at works by our national artists and craftsmen?

READ MORE: British Museum could repatriate more contested artefacts from around the world following the return of treasures to Ghana Advertisement

We should also be concerned that these restitutions will establish a precedent, deliberately so in my view. Benin Bronzes, Asante Gold... What next, you might reasonably ask?

George Osborne, former Chancellor of the Exchequer and now Chairman of the Trustees of the British Museum, has been in long negotiations with the Greek authorities to return the Elgin Marbles to Athens  supposedly on the basis of a loan.

Like the Oba of Benin and the King of the Asante, the Greeks want more than a temporary arrangement, however: they want the Marbles back for good. Britains galleries and museums are a sad illustration not just of Robert Conquests third law of politics, but also his second, that any organisation not explicitly Right-wing sooner or later becomes Left-wing.

So today, the directors of our leading institutions vie with each other to be politically progressive  at our expense. Tate Britain is winning this tedious competition with its story sessions for children, the readings performed by drag queens.

Where, I would like to know, are the trustees of our museums and galleries in all this? It is surely time for them to step forward and hold the gang of activist directors  and the elites surrounding them  to account.

We should all remember that these national collections are sustained by the hard-earned contributions of British taxpayers. They are ours.

We, too, the people of this country, should have a say in what happens to treasures such as the Asante Gold.

Professor Lawrence Goldman taught History in Oxford for three decades. He is the Editor of History Reclaimed (historyreclaimed.co.uk)

Are these venues the best homes for masterpieces?

The tiny Sebastian Englert museum on remote Easter Island in Chile

By Chris Pollard

Priceless treasures from leading museums now languish in a remote local gallery in Ghana.

The Victoria and Albert and the British Museum have lent 32 richly decorated items to descendants of the original owners.

But today the pieces, known as the Asante Gold, are held in the modest Manhyia Palace Museum in the city of Kumasi, which receives just 80,000 visitors a year, which is a fraction of the 5.8 million who pass through the doors of the British Museum and the 2.7 million who make the trip to the V&A each year.

The Manhyia Palace is just one of many foreign galleries hoping to acquire invaluable but contested cultural treasures that take pride of place in British institutions.

Sebastian Englert Museum, Easter Island

The British Museum houses two large stone Moai  monolithic human figures from Easter Island  which were brought to the United Kingdom in 1869. In 2018, the people of Easter Island requested their return. Easter Island has 70,000 visitors a year but it is remote  more than 2,000 miles from the coast of Chile, and has just this one tiny museum.

The Iraq Museum, Baghdad

The Iraqi government has demanded the return of the remarkable Ashurbanipal reliefs from the British Museum.

It is unclear how secure these artefacts  including an intricate frieze known as the Lion Hunt of Ashurbanipal  would be in Baghdad. Iraq remains extremely volatile and the Foreign Office currently advises against all travel there.

National Museum Jamaica

Jamaica lays claim to the carved wooden Birdman and Boinayel figures which are currently housed at the British Museum.

Often described as the first gods of Jamaica, the carvings portray a bird-man spirit and a 500-year-old figure of a man discovered in a cave in 1792.

The island hosts four million sunseekers a year  but few end up at the National Museum.

Manhyia Palace Museum, Ghana

Videos from inside the Manhyia Palace Museum in Ghana show a series of small rooms

The Manhyia Palace Museum has built new facilities to display the Asante Gold  a magnificent collection lent in a historic three-year deal with the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Other exhibits at the Manhyia Palace enjoy less fortunate staging, however. Videos from inside the two-storey building show a series of small rooms with little signage, with any movement cramped by old furniture.

National Museum, Benin City

The British Museum holds more than 900 Benin Bronzes, decorative plaques taken during a colonial conflict in the late 19th century. Nigeria formally requested their return in October 2021.

If the bronzes were given to Benin, the part of Nigeria from which they were taken, its likely they would be housed in the National Museum, Benin City.

There, based on current visitor numbers, they would be seen by around 40,000 people every year.

National Museum of Ethiopia

The Ethiopian Government wants the British Museum to hand over the fabulous Maqdala Collection, which includes ceremonial crosses, chalices, weapons, textiles and jewellery from Northern Ethiopia. Should it ever be repatriated, the National Museum of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa is a likely destination.

But the museum has just 200,000 visitors a year and reportedly suffers frequent power cuts. And parts of the roof leak when it rains.

National Museum, New Delhi

India wants the Amaravati Marbles back, but its dilapidated national museum only gets 700,000 visitors per year.

The marbles are ancient and complex carvings from one of the most important Buddhist sites in India. They arrived at the British Museum in 1880.

Delhis National Museum seems to be struggling. Visitors and even staff have described it as a shambles, with one worker who spoke to a local paper, saying: There are no staff members, no guides, only an inadequate audio tour.
Karen Read was seen losing her cool in court while on trial for allegedly hitting her cop boyfriend with her SUV and leaving him to die in the snow.

Read was previously dubbed America's 'happiest murder defendant' but video of the 12th day of her trial in Dedham Superior Court, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, showed her appearing to angrily snap at her legal team.

The 44-year-old is charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of personal injury and death.

Read's boyfriend, police officer John O'Keefe, was found dead around 6am on January 29, 2022, close to a house where Read had dropped him off for an afterparty during a snowstorm at around 12.45am that day.

Karen Read appeared to lose her cool during the twelfth day of her murder trial in Massachusetts, after her boyfriend, police officer John O'Keefe was found dead in 2022. Read has been accused of allegedly hitting O'Keefe with her SUV and leaving him to die in the snow

As the court broke for lunch, she seemed to lose her cool for a moment, rolling her eyes and then appearing to snap something quickly to her legal team

Her attorneys claim she has been framed as part of a vast conspiracy, saying O'Keefe had in fact died after being beaten up by people at the party and thrown outside.

Read's demeanor throughout her trial has previously been notably chill.

Previously, she was seen smiling and waving at lawyers, cameras and supporters.

At one stage, she grinned at a camera and flashed a large wink, sparking backlash online among some of her detractors.

'Happiest murder defendant in history!' said one on Twitter. 'The chick thinks she is Miss America.'

But as the court broke for lunch on Wednesday, she seemed to lose her cool for a moment, rolling her eyes and then appearing to snap something quickly to her legal team.

The court had just heard from Allison Mccabe, the daughter of Jennifer McCabe.

Jennifer was with Read and another woman when they discovered O'Keefe's body. Read's team allege Jennifer played a key role in the ensuing alleged coverup.

In court, Allison testified that she had picked up and driven home Colin Albert on the night of O'Keefe's death.

Albert is one of the men Read's team claim was involved in a fight inside the home which they say resulted in O'Keefe's death.

After the break, the court was shown a screenshot of texts between Allison and Albert relating to her picking him up.

Albert texted Allison at 11.54pm on January 28, 2022 saying 'U can get me now. If easier.'

Throughout her trial, Read's demeanor has been notably chill, seen arriving with her handbag and a jacket with her defense team on Wednesday

Allison replied a minute later, saying 'ok I am driving ppl home now.' To which Albert replied, 'word' and 'get me after.'

Then, at 12.10am Allison texted 'here' and Albert replied 'Ok.' Albert said he came outside about 30 seconds later.

If Albert had left and gone home, it could suggest he was not involved in the alleged fight at the house.

Allison later broke down as she described 'harassment' her family has faced during the trial.

She described 'constant phone calls, emails, awful messages' as well as 'people showing up at our house, people emailing my school.'

O'Keefe - a 46-year-old who was the sole-carer to his niece and nephew and who was a 16-year veteran Boston police officer - was found unconscious in a snowbank with skull fractures, swollen eyes and hypothermia.

Temperatures in Boston had dipped as low as 23F and as much as 21 inches of snow fell in the area later that day.

He was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton where he was pronounced dead several hours later.

O'Keefe, a cop of 16 years was found dead around 6am that day, close to a house where Read had dropped him off for an afterparty around 12.45am.

The court had just heard from Allison Mccabe before the midday break

Read's defense is that O'Keefe was in a fight at the party, and possibly attacked by a dog as marks on his arm looked like bites.

Her defense is led by Alan Jackson, the high-powered lawyer who secured disgraced actor Kevin Spacey's acquittal of sexual assault charges.

'Certainly the Massachusetts State Police is involved. There are people that were in that house that are involved,' her said during a pretrial hearing.

'Brian Albert is involved. Jennifer McCabe is involved. The rest of the folks that were in that house, there's some level of involvement by every one of them. Every single one of them.

'We're not going to rest until we get to the bottom of exactly who's behind this coverup.

'Not only Karen Read deserves this. John O'Keefe deserves this, and has deserved this from moment one. And that's why they're not going to rest.'

Earlier in the trial, the court were shown video of the accused killer on the night of O'Keefe's death.

Chilling footage showing a glamorous accused killer Karen Read in a Boston bar on the night she allegedly killed her cop boyfriend has been shown in court

The footage shows her embracing O'Keefe at CF McCarthy's in Boston before ordering drinks at the bar. She was seen hugging and kissing the man she is accused of killing just hours later.

On the night of his death, O'Keefe had been out celebrating the acceptance of his niece, who was in his care, into private school.

He's seen enjoying bottles of Bud Light with friends, and Read joins them at the bar a little later and sips a vodka tonic.

The financial analyst and former Bentley University professor is accused of second-degree murder and manslaughter for allegedly backing over him with her SUV in a snowstorm after an argument later that night.

Prosecutors have argued that Read and O'Keefe's relationship had been on the rocks amid allegations he was cheating and tensions over the two children in O'Keefe's care - his orphaned niece and nephew.

But O'Keefe's friends at the first bar testified in court saying the couple seemed content. The group said while they went home at around 10pm, the couple continued on to the Waterfall Bar & Grille.

Video evidence is presented on a display screen in the court

At the second bar, the couple met up with friends Brian Albert, Brian Higgins and Jennifer McCabe, who would go on to attend the afterparty at the house where O'Keefe perished outside.

A worker at the Waterfall Bar & Grille, Nicholas Kolokithas, said he didn't notice any tensions between O'Keefe and Read, and that they seemed affectionate to the point that his wife asked why he wasn't like that with her.

Rebecca Trayers, the bartender at the last establishment they visited, testified that no one seemed overly drunk.

Katherine Camerano, a friend of the couple's who was also present at the January 28 celebrations, revealed the chilling text message Read sent her the next morning.

Camerano testified that at 6:34am, Read texted her saying: 'He's dead.'

She responded saying: 'What? Karen are you serious?' to which Read replied 'he was in the snow.'

Read's defense is that O'Keefe was bashed at the party, and possibly attacked by a dog as marks on his arm looked like bites

Read's defense says she went home after dropping O'Keefe off and woke up about 4.30am in a panic as he hadn't come home.

She called Jennifer McCabe, a friend of O'Keefe whom they were drinking with at Waterfall Bar the previous night, and they went looking for him.

They returned top the house and found O'Keefe lying on the snow-covered lawn, bleeding from his nose and mouth with swollen eyes, and Read began CPR.

A key part of the prosecution's case is that they say Read essentially yelled 'I hit him!' over and over when they found his body, along with 'this is my fault. I did this.'

Prosecutors also alleged Read said 'could I have hit him? Did I hit him?' and 'what if he's dead? What if a plow hit him? I don't remember anything from last night, we drank so much I don't remember anything.'

But Read's defense was able to get both cops to acknowledge they never heard Read say she hit O'Keefe. The defense also used the testimony from the police and firefighters to raise doubts more broadly about the investigation.

Protesters must stay at least 200ft from the courthouse during the trial

Prosecutors allege the fragments were found near O'Keefe's body and are proof that Read backed her SUV into O'Keefe. She says it was broken as she left her home that morning in a panic to look for him.

Defense attorneys were able to get Canton police officers Steven Saraf Stephen Mullaney to acknowledge they never saw pieces of broken taillight at the scene.

When police and paramedics arrived, they found Read still trying to revive her boyfriend, her face covered in blood from giving him mouth-to-mouth.

All of the witnesses in their evidence described Read as distraught and screaming and that O'Keefe had no pulse and wasn't breathing.

The defense has spent months arguing in court that the case was marred by conflicts of interest and accused prosecutors of presenting false and deceptive evidence to the grand jury.
A building company that was accused of owing thousands of dollars to clients when it collapsed has sued complaining customers for defamation.

Sunshine Coast-based builder Dynasty Property Developments Pty Ltd, trading as Shed Beast, appointed liquidator David Stimpson from SV Partners on May 7.

The company offered clients custom-built sheds with the structural properties of a residential home.

Several clients claimed in social media posts they had been left with half-finished projects worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Pictured is Kathleen Hansen and Trent Shaw from Sunshine Coast-based company Dynasty Property Development, which has been rebranded as Shed Beast

Kathleen Hansen is listed as both the director and secretary of the company after replacing Trent Shaw in May 2022, according to ASIC documents.

Both Ms Hansen and Mr Shaw confirmed they had taken legal action against some of their clients.

'We acknowledge the gravity of the legal matters surrounding defamation and have taken appropriate steps to address them,' Mr Shaw told the Courier Mail.

'Both Kathleen and I have endured unfair representation during this ordeal.'

Several clients have been asked to pay legal costs of more than $20,000 and issued defamation concerns notices from the company's director.

A second company that lists Ms Hansen as its director, Bawws Digital Media and Business Solutions, went into administration last week.

Mr Stimpson has been appointed as liquidator as the company is wound up.

Ms Hansen and Mr Shaw confirmed they had taken legal action against some of thier clients.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Shed Beast for comment.
A major Australian bank will ditch cash and cheques at all its offices within days as the organisation goes 'fully digital'.

Macquarie Bank customers will be unable to access over-the-counter services, deposit or collect cheques or order new chequebooks from Monday.

The bank announced it was planning to make the move in May last year, revealing the decision had been made due to a change in customer habits.

From November 1, customers will not be able to write or deposit personal cheques, deposit or request bank cheques, deposit cash or cheques over the counter at NAB branches or make super contributions or payments via cheque.

Macquarie, unlike the 'big four' banks; Westpac, NAB, Commonwealth Bank and ANZ, does not have a traditional branch network, and the changes affect its three offices in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

From May 20, Macquarie Bank's (pictured) customers will no longer be able to access over the counter services, such as depositing cash

For those who have a Macquarie Transaction or Offset account with a Macquarie Debit Mastercard, cash will still be able to be withdrawn at an ATM.

To prepare for the phasing out of the cash and cheque services, businesses will need to make sure everyone they deal with has the option of digital transactions, reported 7 News.

'If your payers, clients, and other businesses you work with aren't set up to pay you digitally, please prompt them to get started now,' Macquarie Bank said in a statement.

Its automated telephone banking service was already phased out in March, with clients no longer able to make payments over the phone.

The move has been criticised for not being inclusive, as it could affect how some community members access banking and and those who rely on non-digital services, such as the elderly.

A Macquarie Bank spokesman said last year in a statement the bank is committed to being completely digital because it is 'safer, faster and convenient'.

Customers who have a Macquarie Transaction or Offset account with a debit Mastercard will still be able to take out cash at ATM's

'The majority of our customers already bank digitally and we're working very closely to support the less than 1 per cent of our customers who currently use cheques or cash to ensure they have access to other digital payment methods,' he said.

The shift to being solely digital comes as other major Aussie banks move into having a more digital focus.

Cheques have already started to be phased out at ANZ, Commonwealth Bank and NAB.

Bankwest is transitioning into a digital bank this year, and the bank will be closing 45 branches in Western Australia by October.

Even though the bank faced backlash over the move, it said the decision was influenced by customers' preferences - a whopping 97 per cent of transactions were already completed digitally.

Less than 2 per cent of their customer base visit a branch on a regular basis.
An Uber driver has avoided jail after masturbating behind the wheel in front of a terrified female passenger.

Tayla Pimlott, 26, was taking a 20-minute trip from Adelaide's CBD to her home in the north-eastern suburb of Campbelltown on October 1 when she suddenly noticed the driver pleasuring himself in the front seat.

The 29-year-old driver, Rahman Fazeli, was charged with indecent behaviour 'namely in an Uber vehicle so as to offend or insult another person'.

He pleaded guilty at the Adelaide Magistrates Court in March.

He was sentenced to four weeks jail, but it was suspended and Fazeli is now on a $500, 18-month good behaviour bond.

Tayla Pimlott, 26, (pictured) was taking a short trip in Adelaide one afternoon in October when she noticed the Uber driver masturbating behind the wheel

The experience has left Ms Pimlott scared to leave her house and she has sworn off using Uber ever again.

Ms Pimlott said she had been in the back seat scrolling through her phone when she noticed a 'subtle hand gesture' that made her look up, and was instantly 'petrified'.

'I could see clearly that [the Uber driver] had his penis out and he was masturbating,' she told Yahoo.

Ms Pimlott said she was so scared of what could happen that she considered jumping out of the moving vehicle.

'There was a part of me that thought, "Oh, God, I could die, I could be raped, this man could touch me'',' she said.

Putting her safety first, she texted her mother and boyfriend.

She was also able to capture footage of Fazeli which she used as evidence to police.

Ms Pimlott said her heart was pounding, but she pretended not to have noticed anything out of fear that would escalate the situation.

When she arrived home, where her worried mother was waiting for her, she had to ask Fazeli to unlock the car doors.

'He fully turned around and looked at me and in the most creepiest voice I've ever heard he goes, "Thank you so much'',' she said.

A mortified Ms Pimlott replied, 'You're welcome,' and jumped out of the car, afraid that being anything but polite would put her in more danger.

Uber condemned the driver's actions in a statement to Daily Mail Australia (stock image)

Ms Pimlott said she messaged her mother because she was petrified

She reported the incident to Uber and urged them to ban the driver but the company was unable to tell her if that happened because of its 'strict privacy notice'.

The company since confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that he was permanently banned.

Fazeli has also been banned from visiting Ms Pimlot at home or work.

Uber condemned the driver's actions in a statement to Daily Mail Australia.

'What's been reported has no place in the Uber community or anywhere else,' a spokesman said.

'As soon as we were notified of this report, we removed the driver partner's access to the app immediately and permanently.

'We have raised the bar for safety across the industry, including investing in cutting-edge technology and features to help improve safety for riders and drivers on every trip.

'Using our Safety Toolkit, riders can contact emergency services, share their trip live with a loved one and every trip is GPS tracked in real time.

'We are continually looking for ways to improve safety for every ride, and leverage this safety technology to support law enforcement cases.'
An army driver has been left embarrassed after ploughing a military vehicle into a service station, causing major damage.

The incident happened on Tuesday afternoon at an Ampol service station at Sarina, a rural town south of Mackay in North Queensland.

The armoured MAN truck was part of a convoy of vehicles travelling from Brisbane to Townsville for Exercise Vigilant Scimitar.

The driver of the truck seemed to be less than vigilant, reportedly misjudging the height of the service station's roof and smashing straight into it.

Photos circulating on social media showed the truck wedged firmly underneath the collapsed roof on the forecourt.

There is extensive damage to the support beams of the crumpled roof and petrol pumps which were hit by the truck.

A police spokeswoman said the two people in the truck managed to safely exit.

Photos circulating on social media show the servo looking like a warzone, with the truck wedged firmly underneath the collapsed roof

There is extensive damage to the support beams of the crumpled roof and petrol pumps after being slammed by the truck

A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) spokesperson said servo staff turned off power to the fuel line

A police spokeswoman said two people were in the truck and managed to safely exit the vehicle

Service station staff turned off power to the fuel line and the incident did not result in a fuel spill or potential fire.

A Department of Defence spokesperson said, 'Defence is working with Queensland Police to secure the area and remove the vehicle from the site.'

'Defence thanks the public for their understanding.'

An Ampol spokesman advised engineers would determine the extent of damage.

'A report will be provided to the owner thereafter which will determine the site's operational options,' the spokesman said.

The service station trades as an Ampol but is not owned by the company.

The truck remained wedged overnight following the incident as the site was assessed.
January 5

On January 5, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 - a Boeing 737 Max 9 - lost a door plug at 16,000 feet on a flight from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California.

That part is designed to replace an unneeded emergency exit door, and it blew out within just 20 minutes of takeoff.

An emergency landing was required and the plane landed safely, but a teddy bear, two mobile phones, a child's t-shirt were all said to have have flown out during the incident.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded 171 of the 737 Max 9s in the aftermath and six of the flight's passengers went on to sue the airline.

Alaska Airlines and United Airlines also went on to find loose parts on their grounded jets' door plugs.

On January 5, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 - a Boeing 737 Max 9 - lost a door plug at 16,000 feet on a flight from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California

The missing door panel was found in a high school physics teacher's back yard

January 16

An anonymous whistleblower broke rank to say that the door plug blowout 'was Boeing's fault', rather than its supplier Spirit AeroSystems.

First reported by The Seattle Times, they claimed the fuselage panel was removed for repair then reinstalled improperly at its Washington factory

'The reason the door blew off is stated in black and white in Boeings own records,' they wrote on aviation site Leeham News.

'It is also very, very stupid and speaks volumes about the quality culture at certain portions of the business.'

February 6

A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report said that the January 5 incident was down to four crucial bolds being missing from the panel which blew out.

February 21

Boeing's 737 Max program chief, Ed Clark, was reportedly fired in a structural shakeup at the company.

Clark was also general manager at the company's Renton, Washington, facility and had been at Boeing for 18 years.

He was replaced by Katie Ringgold, while a 'senior vice president of quality' role was created too.

March 3

A United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 veered off the runway after landing in Houston due to some sort of gear collapse.

Shocking footage showed the plane lying flat on its wings on grass by the side of the runway, while passengers were hurried off from an emergency gate ladder.

A Boeing 737 Max operated by United Airlines veered off the tarmac into the grass when exiting the runway at George Bush Airport in Houston early Friday

March 4

An audit by the FAA of both Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems 'found multiple instances where the companies allegedly failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements'.

March 6

The head of the NTSB accused Boeing of 'not cooperating' with its investigation into the January incident.

Jennifer Homendy said investigators sought the names of the 25 people who work on door plugs at the Renton facility, but had not received them from Boeing.

She told a Senate Committee hearing 'it is absurd that two months later we don't have it'.

However, Boeing spokesperson Connor Greenwood pushed back and insisted that names of employees were provided 'early in the investigation'.

The same day, a 737's engine caught fire in mid-air above Texas, causing an emergency landing minutes into its journey to Fort Myers, Florida.

March 7

A wheel fell off a Boeing 777-200 shortly after takeoff from San Francisco, crushing cars below.

The plane with 235 passengers and 14 crew diverted to Los Angeles Airport after it was alerted to the landing gear failure and landed safely with no further incident and no injuries reported on the ground.

March 9

Boeing whistleblower John Barnett, 62 - a former quality control manager and employee of 32 years - was found dead in his truck outside a South Carolina hotel days after testifying against the company in a lawsuit.

The coroner put it down to a 'self-inflicted' gunshot wound in the head, though the police confirmed that they would investigate further.

Barnett had made a string of complaints to his higher-ups in his time as a quality control manager before leaving the company on health grounds in 2017.

In January 2024, he appeared on TMZ to say that the 737 Max 9 aircraft were being launched back into the air too soon in the wake of the accident, suggesting corners had been cut.

Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead in his truck outside a South Carolina hotel days after testifying against his former employer

March 11

A Boeing 777 was was forced to land due to hydraulic fluid spewing from its landing gear area.

The forced landing happened as the San Francisco-bound 777-300 embarked from Sydney, with fluid filmed leaking from its undercarriage.

March 15

A United Airlines 737 was grounded after it was found to be missing a panel after it touched down successfully in Medford Airport, Oregon, despite the missing part.

March 20

A Boeing 737 900 bound for Atlanta was forced to turn back and make an emergency landing after an engine blow out on take-off from Aruba.

The Delta flight circled the Caribbean island four times before coming back into land following the 'mechanical issue'.

March 29

United Airlines flight 990 - a Boeing 777-200 - from San Francisco to Paris had to touch down early in Denver after engine problems.

April 4

Alaska Airlines announced that they had received $160 million in compensation from Boeing after their 737 Max 9s were grounded following the January 5 door blowout.

The amount was equal to the revenue lost according to a filing from the airline, but Alaska added that it anticipated receiving extra compensation too.

April 10

Another whistleblower, Sam Salehpour, came forward in a Senate committee hearing to accuse Boeing of taking shortcuts when building its 777 and 787 Dreamliner jets and added that the company had retaliated against him when he raised concerns.

He doubled down on the claims a week later, adding on NBC that 787s should be grounded fearing 'fatal flaws' which could case them to fall apart mid-air.

In a 1,500 word statement, Boeing said it was 'fully confident' in the 787 and called concerns about structural integrity 'inaccurate.'

Pictured: Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour testifies before the US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Investigations on April 17

April 11

An internal Boeing review in response to an initial Wall Street Journal investigation found that CEO Dave Calhoun and other bosses at the aviation firm spent $500,000 on company private jets for personal trips which were improperly recorded as business travel.

Boeing's review concluded that some of the flights taken by executives in 2021 and 2022 'were not previously classified as perquisites by the company'.

In the company's proxy filing on April 5, Boeing said that these flights 'should have been classified as such in accordance with SEC rules and guidance'.

April 16

United Airlines indicated it will reduce reliance on Boeing after announcing a $124m loss in the first quarter of 2024, which it blamed on the scandal-laden manufacturer.

April 24

Boeing's CEO assured investors after a first-quarter loss of $355m was announced which coincided with a six per cent dip in share prices.

Calhoun added that he had a successor lined up for his departure at the end of 2024 who would come from inside the company.

April 26

Delta flight 520 was forced to make an emergency landing at JFK Airport when an emergency slide fell off the Boeing 767 an hour into its journey to Los Angeles.

FAA records indicated that the plane was 33 years old.

April 30

Joshua Dean (pictured) died suddenly on April 30 aged 45 having raised the alarm about supposed defects in 737 Max jets

Dean was employed by Spirit AeroSystems based in Wichita, Kansas

A second whistleblower, Joshua Dean, died suddenly aged 45 having raised the alarm about supposed defects in 737 Max jets.

The former Spirit employee previously said he was fired from his quality auditing role for questioning standards at the supplier's plant in Wichita, Kansas, in October 2022.

His family said on social media that Dean died in hospital after a sudden illness.

Earlier in 2024, Dean spoke with NPR about being fired. 'I think they were sending out a message to anybody else. If you are too loud, we will silence you,' he said.

May 6

The US Federal Aviation Administration revealed it has opened an investigation into Boeing after the company reported that workers at a South Carolina plant falsified inspection records on certain 787 planes.

Boeing said its engineers have determined that misconduct did not create 'an immediate safety of flight issue'.

No planes have been taken out of service, but having to perform the test out of order on planes will slow the delivery of jets still being built at the final assembly plant in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Boeing must also create a plan to address planes that are already flying, the FAA said.

Shocking footage showed the moment the plane attempted an emergency landing, smashing down into the runway and scraping its nose along the concrete

May 8

A FedEx Airlines Boeing cargo plane landed at Istanbul Airport without the front landing gear deployed and managed to stay on the runway, Turkey's transport ministry said, adding that there were no casualties.

The Boeing 767 aircraft, flying from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, informed the traffic control tower at Istanbul Airport that its landing gear failed to open and it landed with guidance from the tower, the ministry said in its statement.

Airport rescue and fire fighting teams made necessary preparations on the runway before landing, and no one was injured, the ministry also said, without giving a reason for the failure.

Footage showed sparks flying and smoke billowing as the front end of the plane scraped along the runway before being doused with firefighting foam.

May 9

A Corendon Airlines Boeing 737 plane's front tire burst upon landing at an airport in southern Turkey on Thursday, the Turkish transport minister said, adding there were no casualties and all 190 passengers and crew were evacuated.

The front landing gear strut was damaged on the Corendon Airlines plane, arriving from Cologne, Germany, as it landed at Alanya-Gazipasa airport in Antalya.

The same day, a Boeing passenger plane came off the runway during takeoff from Dakar international airport, injuring 11 people and shutting the hub for hours.

A Boeing 738 plane of Corendon Airlines that operated Cologne-Antalya flight gets stuck on runway due to a burst tire in Antalya, Turkiye on May 9, 2024

Pictures from the scene in Turkey showed the stationary aircraft on the tarmac flanked by emergency vehicles - its front wheels and landing gear crumpled underneath. Corendon Airlines denied Turkish reports that the aircraft had landed on its nose

In this grab taken from video people jump down emergency slides, running from a plane, in Dakar, Senegal, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. A Boeing 737 plane carrying 85 people caught fire and skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 11 people

The Air Senegal flight was bound for the Malian capital Bamako and had 78 passengers on board, plus a crew of six including two pilots, airport management company LAS said in a statement.

Images showed the aircraft in an overgrown area with first aiders surrounding an injured person. Smoke and flames are also visible near the plane.

Also on May 9, the US Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating statements made by Boeing Co. about its safety practices after a mid-air panel blowout on a 737 MAX flight in January.

The SEC will examine whether the planemaker or its executives misled investors in violation of the Wall Street regulator's rules, the report said, citing three people familiar with the development.

May 14

Boeing has violated a settlement that allowed the company to avoid criminal prosecution after two deadly crashes involving its 737 Max aircraft more than five years ago, the Justice Department told a federal judge.

It is now up to the Justice Department (DOJ) to decide whether to file charges against Boeing. Prosecutors will tell the court no later than July 7 how they plan to proceed, the department said.

May 21

One person died and others were injured on a flight from London to Singapore which plummeted 6,000ft in five minutes before making an emergency landing in Thailand.

The Boeing 777 plane operated by Singapore Airlines left the UK's Heathrow airport on Monday evening at 22.17pm local time with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board.

However, flight SQ321 experienced severe turbulence while flying close to Myanmar airspace in a region being battered by extreme tropical thunderstorms.

Pictured: Passengers are seen in the cabin after the incident on Tuesday, with belongings strewn across the floor and oxygen masks dangling from above

Passengers are seen on the Singapore Airlines plane after it made an emergency landing in Bangkok on Tuesday. Oxygen masks fell from the ceiling, as did other components

Geoffrey Kitchen, 73, (pictured) who ran the Thornbury Musical Theatre Group in Bristol, was on board the plane when the incident happened

After around 11 hours of flying time from take off in London, the aircraft sharply dropped from an altitude of around 37,000 feet to 31,000 feet within just five minutes as it finished traversing the Andaman Sea and neared Thailand.

Boeing said: 'We are in contact with Singapore Airlines regarding flight SQ321 and stand ready to support them.

'We extend our deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one, and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew.'
The aircraft had departed Baton Rouge, Louisiana and was enroute to Kentucky

Three people have been killed after a plane crashed in Franklin, Tennessee.

The single-engine Beechcraft V35 went down in Williamson County around midday on Wednesday.

The Williamson County Sheriff's Office launched a desperate search for the aircraft's the occupants but later announced there were no survivors.

The single-engine Beechcraft V35 went down in Williamson County around midday on Wednesday

The Williamson County Sheriff's Office launched a desperate search for the aircraft's the occupants but later announced there were no survivors

Williamson County Sheriff Mark Elrod said while officials were at first hopeful, it was soon realized it was unlikely those on board would be found alive

Officials said that the plane had departed from Baton Rouge, Louisiana and headed to Bowman Field in Louisville, Kentucky but ended up crashing about 175 miles south . (Stock image)

Williamson County Sheriff Mark Elrod said while officials were at first hopeful, it was soon realized it was unlikely those on board would be found alive.

'It was quickly evident that this would be a search-and-recovery operation, not a search-and-rescue operation,' Elrod said in a news briefing on Wednesday evening.

Officials said that the plane had departed from Baton Rouge, Louisiana and headed to Bowman Field in Louisville, Kentucky but ended up crashing about 175 miles south.

As of now, it is believed that the plane broke up while it was in the air. The victims have not yet been identified.

Elrod said: 'It does appear that the plane did break up in the air.'

As of now, it is believed that the plane broke up while it was in the air. The victims have not yet been identified.

WATCH: Officials give an update after a plane crash in Williamson County. https://t.co/453IvZzaPA https://t.co/3FwfeF8sFi  FoxNashville (@FOXNashville) May 15, 2024

The debris is about is over half a mile long but no nearby structures are believed to been damaged

The Sheriff's Office has asked residents to avoid the area while crews work the scene

He also added that the debris is about is over half a mile long but no nearby structures are believed to be damaged.

It is unclear where the crash began and ended, according to the deputy.

According to The Advocate, the aircraft was a 1966 Beechcraft V35 Bonanza that was owned by Lucius J. Doucet, III, a plastic surgeon in Baton Rouge.

The Sheriff's Office has asked residents to avoid the area while crews work the scene.

The incident is being investigated by the FAA, the Sheriff's Office and National Transportation Safety Board.

This is a developing story
Far be it from me to defend Albo for the treatment he's copping from one of his investment property tenants, but the guy now beating up on the PM is clearly a whinger.

The fact he's always been a Labor voter too is merely a coincidence.

Reports emerged that the Prime Minister approved an eviction notice for Jim Flanagan, the tenant of a three-bedroom Dulwich Hill investment property Albo bought back in 2015 for $1.175million.

Today it's likely worth in excess of $2million, and I guess the PM wants to reap the financial reward. The booming property market might be a political problem for the Government, but when property investments dominate your financial portfolio it has its rewards.

Mr Flanagan has lived in the property Albo owns for more than four years, and has previously praised the PM as a fantastic landlord.

Jim Flanagan (pictured) has enjoyed reduced rent courtesy of the PM but is outraged Albo plans to sell the property and kick him out

The bar owner and musician (pictured) is unhappy the PM is evicting him

Of course he has: when the pandemic struck, the then-Opposition leader reduced Mr Flanagan and his then-partner's rent from $900 to $680 - and he hasn't raised it once since that time.

Not once!

Whether that move by Albo was political spin or not - he was widely praised for his actions at the time - really doesn't matter. The real world impact of it was that Albo helped his tenant out, just as he was calling on other landlords to do.

The property is now earning half what it could be, and has been well below rental averages in the Dulwich Hill area for years.

On my back-of-envelope calculations, Albo has saved Mr Flanagan at least $60,000 over the years on what the market rent of that property could have earned the PM as part of his investment portfolio.

If Mr Flanagan couldn't have afforded such increases he'd have been forced to move out years ago. It's now clear he has grown used to enjoying the lifestyle of a property he's paying peppercorn rent to live in compared to what he should be getting charged.

Albo has been beyond generous to this guy. Especially so when you consider he's still paying off a mortgage on the place.

Yet when the PM's personal circumstances changed - he has a lavish wedding to fund as well as scout out a new marital home for when he and fiancee Jodie Haydon tie the knot and enjoy post-politics life - the lucky tenant started trash-talking the PM in the media.

Talk about self-entitled!

Mr Flanagan, the small business owner of a bar, says he's doing it tough and felt the need to 'call out' Albo's actions.

Call out what, exactly?

The PM has a right to sell his own property. He has rented it out well below market value for years. He cut the rent by 25 per cent when the pandemic hit, leaving it there ever since. He's given this bloke 90 days' notice when legally he only had to provide a fraction of that amount of time.

Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.

Pictured is the restaurant Jim Flanagan owned with his former partner when he first started renting one of the PM's investment properties

Mr Flanagan owned The Sausage Factory with his then-partner before pivoting to running a bar

Would Mr Flanagan give free drinks to patrons at his bar who arrive and inform him they are doing it tough? I highly doubt it.

He's just the sort of fellow you know was in a band in his youth, he probably had long hair too, all before 'getting serious' and opening a bar.

The only thing I will say having defended Albo on this one is that you reap what you sow: modern Labor is leaning into the handout mentality that fuelled this guy's resentment at being mugged by the reality of the PM's changed circumstances.

This is what happens when that attitude permeates through society.

Hopefully the lived experience Albo faced dealing with Mr Flanagan's entitled attitude will give him pause for thought the next time he makes a public policy decision or comment that panders to this growing problem in Australian society.
All eyes are on first-term Senator Fatima Payman after she went rogue and accused world leaders of 'gaslighting' over the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Ms Payman, whose family fled Afghanistan when she was eight, asked the Prime Minister what the 'magic number... of international rights laws Israel must break for us to say enough'.

'They are gaslighting the global community about the rights of self-defence,' she said, going on to describe the ongoing conflict in Gaza as a 'genocide',' she said.

'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.'

She appeared in the Senate on Thursday sporting a pro-Palestine badge, but was nowhere to be seen when the Coalition and Labor teamed up to formally condemn the phrase she used a day earlier.

Coalition senator Simon Birmingham moved a motion which 'calls on all senators to engage in debates and commentary respectfully, and to refrain from inflammatory and divisive comments, both inside and outside the chamber at all times'.

This was in direct reference to the 'river to the sea' phrase Ms Payman used on Wednesday.

She appeared in the Senate on Thursday sporting a pro-Palestine badge

'We call on the prime minister to take appropriate action and to ensure members of his government, members of his party, do not act in ways and repeat phrases that incite, fuel or are used by those who incite or fuel antisemitism,' he said.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong agreed the phrase 'is not consistent' with the two-state solution, which is what the party officially supports.

'We want a two-state solution,' she said. 'And it is that solution which is needed for peace and security of Palestinians and Israelis alike.'

Labor supported the motion with the Coalition. Ms Payman did not appear for the vote, and the Greens along with Lidia Thorpe voted against the motion.

Ms Payman was present in the chamber earlier on Thursday, and vowed on social media after her controversial statement to keep speaking out in favour of Palestine.

'I'm wearing this pin of the Aboriginal and Palestinian flags as a sign of my solidarity with the Indigenous people of the land,' she said in an Instagram post.

'Please keep raising your voices. I promise to keep raising mine.

'I will not let you down.'

All eyes are on first-term Senator Fatima Payman after she went rogue and accused world leaders of 'gaslighting' over the Israel-Palestine conflict

Ms Payman joined the Labor Party because she felt aligned with the traditional working class values, having watched her parents be taken advantage of as they raised her in Australia.

'I witnessed the struggles my parents went through to put food on the table, to pay for our education and to provide a roof over our heads,' she previously told the Senate.

'From discrimination and abuse to job insecurity and low wages, my father endured those hardships without complaining or seeking compensation.

'Like many hard working Australians this came as second nature to my parents who just wanted the best future for their four children.'

The crisis in the Middle East has exposed fractures within the Labor Party over the issue.

Israel launched a ground invasion of Gaza after the Palestinian paramilitary group Hamas - designated by Australia as a terrorist organisation - killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages on October 7.

Israel's retaliatory action in Gaza has killed more than 35,000 people and injured 77,000 others, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Ms Payman, whose family fled Afghanistan when she was eight, asked the Prime Minister what the 'magic number... of international rights laws Israel must break for us to say enough'

Israel has emphatically rejected the use of the term genocide, saying its war was against Hamas militants in Gaza, not civilians, and precautions were being taken to reduce casualties.

But Ms Payman plainly described the conflict as a genocide on Wednesday, saying: 'Instead of advocating for justice, I see our leaders performatively gesture defending the oppressor's right to oppress.'

She went on to say they are 'gaslighting the global community about the rights of self-defence'.

'My conscience has been uneasy for far too long and I must call this out for what it is,' she said. 'This is a genocide and we need to stop pretending otherwise.

'The lack of clarity, the moral confusion, the indecisiveness is eating at the heart of this nation. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.'

Addressing Mr Albanese directly, she said: 'I ask our prime minister and our fellow parliamentarians, how many international rights laws must Israel break for us to say enough? What is the magic number?

'How many mass graves need to be uncovered before we say enough? How many images of bloody limbs of murdered children must we see?'

Her message sent waves through Canberra on Wednesday afternoon, prompting a swift rebuke from both the Prime Minister and the Opposition.

Mr Albanese has criticised the use of the phrase 'from the river to the sea', which many Jewish groups say is a call for expulsion of their people from Israel.

Her message sent waves through Canberra on Wednesday afternoon, prompting a swift rebuke from both the Prime Minister and the Opposition

But he noted senator Payman 'is an adult [and] people take responsibility for the statements that they make'.

'I certainly have discussed the issue with Fatima, as I've discussed it with everyone in our Caucus.'

Just last week Labor sided with Palestine during a UN vote on whether it should become a member of the United Nations.

The move was criticised by the Coalition for 'rewarding' Hamas.

Mr Albanese said not a single Caucus member 'raised issues with the vote that Australia cast', in spire of public criticism from Jewish Labor backbencher Josh Burns.

Mr Burns said Australia should have abstained from the vote.

Mr Albanese said Labor's position on the Israel-Palestine conflict is clear.

'Our position has been to oppose the terrorist atrocity that occurred from Hamas on October 7.' he said.

'To call for the release of hostages. To express concern at the killing of any innocent life, be it Israeli or Palestinian. To support humanitarian ceasefire. To support humanitarian aid going into Gaza.

'To support a two state solution, which is the long term position that needs to be reached, Israelis and Palestinians have a right to live in peace and security with prosperity.'

Mr Albanese said Australia continued to urge both sides to pursue a two-state solution in which both Israel and Palestine could co-exist peacefully side-by-side, and argued that any sanctions or divestments would be little more than symbolic.

'The idea we here in Australia can determine what is happening in the Middle East is just not correct,' he said.

'What we can do is to make our voice heard for humanitarian concerns for standing up for the fact that all lives, all innocent lives, matter whether they be Israeli or Palestinian.'

Fatima Payman speaks about journey to Australia in maidan speech

Abdul Wakil Payman came to Australia by boat in 1999 after the family fled to Pakistan, and worked for four years until his family could join him.

Ms Payman, 28, said in her maidern speech her father faced 'discrimination and abuse to job insecurity and low wages' but his sacrifice allowed her to live a happy childhood.

'I stumbled upon my first experience of being made to feel like the 'other' at a university tutorial when a young man ridiculed my hijab,' she said.

'You see, I never felt different growing up. Perth felt like home from the get-go - because home is where the heart is and my heart was with my family.

'I didn't feel different or strange, I felt like any other Aussie kid, growing up in the northern suburbs of Perth, catching public transport to university and hoping to become a productive member of society.

'But comments like "Go back to where you came from" or inferences to extremism forced me to feel like I didn't belong.'

Senator Payman as a teenager with her father Abdul, mother, and three younger siblings

Senator Payman as a Year 5 student at the Australian Islamic College in Perth soon after arriving in Australia aged eight

Payman said this was the catalyst for her becoming involved in politics, joining youth leadership groups, police advisory groups, and Muslim student associations.

'I started volunteering in the hopes of being part of a change, if I was seen to be spreading goodness in society, perhaps then I would be accepted as an equal member of this nation,' she said.

'As the daughter of a refugee who came to this land with dreams of a safe and better future, I gave myself that audacity to challenge the system and to see... how much change I could initiate.'

Ms Payman also shared new details of her father's harrowing 11-day voyage on a rickety boat to Australia to give his family a new life.

'Anxiety and waves of doubt flooded my mother's thoughts as she waited and waited, for any news of my father arriving safely in Australia. Four months later we finally received the good news,' she said.

The family had fled Afghanistan to Pakistan when the Taliban took power, because Senator Payman's grandfather was a member of parliament under the old regime.

After time in immigration detention, Mr Payman worked gruelling hours as a kitchen hand, taxi driver, and security guard to save up enough money to sponsor his family.

The future senator arrived as an eight-year-old girl with her mother and three younger siblings in 2003.

She was the head girl of the Australian Islamic College in Perth and went to university to become a doctor.

Mr Payman never lived to see her become a senator, dying of leukaemia in 2018 aged 47. But his death spurred his daughter on to run for higher office.
Android phones will soon be able to lock themselves if they are stolen as Google unveils new safety features.

Google's new range of features for its Android 15 operating system will be released later this year to combat mobile phone theft and fraud.

Some of the key updates will be Theft Detection Lock that will be able to automatically lock a phone's screen to prevent thieves from getting into the device, and a new AI-powered tool that will be able to detect when a phone has been snatched from the owner's hand.

Google said its AI will be able to detect 'common motion associated with theft' by reading signals from the device, such as the accelerometer reading the sudden jolt of someone on a bike snatching a phone from a user's hand and then moving off at a high speed, to instantly lock the device.

Google 's new range of features for its Android 15 operating system will be released later this year to combat mobile phone theft and fraud

Theft Detection Lock will automatically lock a phone's screen to prevent thieves from getting into the device, and a new AI-powered tool will be able to detect when a phone has been snatched from the owner's hand

It will be joined by a range of tools to better secure and hide apps which may contain sensitive data that would be of interest to thieves, as well as features to simplify the ability to remote lock a phone after it has been stolen.

Dave Burke, Android's vice president of engineering, said the new theft detection tool had in part been inspired by feedback it had received from staff and users in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and London, where he said high levels of phone theft were being reported.

'Some pretty scary statistics I learned fairly recently (were that) in Sao Paolo, a phone is stolen every five minutes, and in London a phone is stolen every six minutes,' he said.

'That is a really serious issue, and we started thinking about it, what we can do, and we started studying [the issue].'

He added that the company had studied videos of phone thefts carried out on bikes to develop the new feature.

In October last year, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan held a meeting with tech companies - including Google, about phone companies doing more to help combat phone theft after a rise in incidents in the capital over the previous 12 months.

In October last year, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley (above), and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan held a meeting with tech companies

The new feature is being joined by other tools Google said 'strengthen your device's security against theft with new and improved protection features that will make thieves think twice about trying'.

It includes a new Private Space tool, which lets users create a separate area within their phone to place apps which contain sensitive data - such as banking apps - and can be hidden and locked with a separate pin.

In addition, Google is introducing a new Remote Lock feature, which allows users to lock their device remotely, using only their phone number and an additional pre-set security question.

Google said allowing this process to be carried out using a phone number was because 'many users are shocked and stressed after a phone goes missing and can't recall their Google account password', which is used to access the Find My Device app where phones can be remotely locked.

The tech giant announced it would also roll out new on-device AI tools that would detect apps that might be engaging in fraud.

The live threat detection tools will analyse how apps act and use the permissions given to them by users to monitor if they were engaging in suspicious behaviour, alerting both users and Google is any such activity is spotted.
Brazil, China see immense potential for further cooperation

10:54, May 16, 2024 By Jose Acacio Ferreira ( People's Daily Online

According to statistics from the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services of Brazil, Brazil's exports to China reached $105.75 billion in 2023, making China the first trading partner of Brazil with export value of more than $100 billion.

The significant growth in Brazil's exports to China in the first two months of this year once again demonstrates the vital role of the dynamic Chinese market in driving Brazil's foreign trade and economic development.

Last year, I visited multiple regions in China with Bahia Governor Jeronimo Rodrigues during his visit to the country. China's efforts to expand high-level opening-up and commitment to high-quality economic development left a deep impression on me.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Brazil and China, which holds special significance. As the Brazilian government promotes reindustrialization, technological innovation, low-carbon transformation, and social equity, there is great anticipation in Brazil for higher-quality, wider-ranging, and more beneficial cooperation with China, which is expected to help Brazil pursue a modernization path tailored to its national conditions.

Bahia state is in the northeastern part of Brazil. Last year, the China-Bahia State Mining Commission was established. It leverages China's advanced technology and financial advantages in mining development, pursues the goal of sustainable development, and follows the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. With mining cooperation as the cornerstone, it aims to promote the two sides' comprehensive cooperation in new energy, technological innovation, and infrastructure, delivering benefits to the Bahia people.

Cooperation between Brazil and China has expanded across multiple sectors. The increasingly close economic ties between the two sides have benefited the two peoples.

In 2023, Bahia state witnessed a significant increase in exports of soybeans, cotton, and other agricultural products to China. Chinese companies have been investing more in the local agriculture and industry, which have been instrumental in boosting employment and enhancing living standards in Bahia state and northeastern Brazil at large.

The two countries' cooperation on port and railway construction in Bahia state has enhanced the region's infrastructure. Last May, the Superintendence of Economic and Social Studies of Bahia State and China's Shandong Academy of Macroeconomic Research signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in research in the fields of agriculture, infrastructure, port logistics, culture, education and other sectors.

Currently, Chinese products such as photovoltaic modules, machinery equipment, and electrical materials make up a significant part in Brazil's imports from China. They are essential for Brazil's industrial development and highlight the strong complementarity between the two economies.

The two countries have engaged in a range of technological research and development collaborations, highlighting their shared commitment to achieving progress in fields such as artificial intelligence, electronic communications, and computer science.

They have also collaborated in areas such as wind power and solar energy generation to jointly pursue sustainable development in line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

The close cooperation with China has effectively promoted Brazil's production capacity and technological capabilities, which conforms to the Brazilian government's "reindustrialization" strategy and the new version of a "growth acceleration plan."

China is Brazil's largest trading partner, and there is tremendous potential for further cooperation between the two countries. Brazil hopes to take full advantage of China's expanded high-level opening-up, increase its participation in the Chinese market, diversify its exports to China, and thereby promote stable and robust practical cooperation between the two countries.

(Jose Acacio Ferreira is the Director General of the Superintendence of Economic and Social Studies of Bahia State, Brazil)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Wu Chengliang)
Donald Trump has dropped a hint about what his youngest son Barron may do after graduating high school.

Barron, 18, is due to graduate from Oxbridge Academy on Friday and there has been much speculation over what he may do next.

The former president has suggested in the past that he was weighing up going to the University of Pennsylvania, and he was also rumored to be considering New York University.

But speaking at Mar-a-Lago last week, Trump revealed Barron was now 'looking at some colleges that are different than they were two months ago.'

There has been much talk about a potential political career for Barron after he was elected as an at-large delegate to help formally nominate his father Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee.

Barron, 18, is due to graduate from Oxbridge Academy on Friday, and there has been much speculation over what he may do next

The family have largely kept quiet about Barron's future plans, and have only eluded vaguely to what he may do next.

But speaking at Mar-A-Lago last week, Trump gave a rare update. Newsweek reported he said: 'Right now, hes doing a great job. He has great marks.

'Hes going to be going to college soon. And were looking at some colleges that are different than they were two months ago.'

Little is known about Barron's time at school, but there was a rare sighting of him on the school's Instagram page on April 12 when he was spotted at the back of a photo taken at a Monte Carlo-themed prom for his fellow Class of 24 students.

Unlike his half-siblings, Barron was rarely seen during his father's White House years, mainly at the request of his mother Melania who is known to be protective of her son.

She rarely let Barron attend official White House events when she was first lady. Additionally, she would have Barron travel in a separate car - instead of the Beast - when he rode in the presidential motorcade.

She also had Barron board Air Force One on the back stairs of the plane so there would not be photographs of him climbing the front stairs with his parents.

'He does like politics. It's sort of funny,' Trump told 'Kayal and Company' on Philadelphia's Talk Radio 1210 WPHT of his son Barron

The former first lady has used her own presence to signal her support or displeasure with her husband.

She did attend his announcement at Mar-a-Lago that he would make another presidential bid but she was not there on the night of Super Tuesday, when Trump effectively locked up the Republican presidential nomination.

Barron wasn't present at any of the those political events.

Previously, Barron has been the target of social media trolls.

Former NBC News executive Mike Sington said Barron was 'fair game' turning 18, the birthday that marks adulthood. He later deleted the tweet after facing harsh backlash and criticism online.

The youngest Trump was defended by many of his former first kids, including Chelsea Clinton.

'I think he's a private citizen,' she told ABC's The View. 'I feel so strongly that if you are a private citizen, you have an unimpeachable right to privacy, and I think the media should leave him alone.'

And, last year, a Chicago woman was arrested for making death threats against Barron.

Trump revealed Barron likes politics and enjoys giving his father advice.

'He's really been a great student. And he does like politics. It's sort of funny,' the former president told 'Kayal and Company' on Philadelphia's Talk Radio 1210 WPHT.

'He'll tell me sometimes, 'Dad, this is what you have to do,'' he added.

Trump has said in the past that the 18-year-old, who is graduating from high school this week, is weighing what college he might attend. But, he noted, the campus protests have been a factor in that decision.

'He's a senior now in high school, and he'll be going to college. And you know, a lot of, a lot of these choices of colleges are changing because you see what's going on in the last month,' Trump said.

Trump has been critical of the pro-Palestine protests that have turned up on college campuses throughout the nation. He told Time magazine he would call out the National Guard on them.

Barron is considering NYU, the Daily Beast reported, but the school has seen its share protesters and arrests by NYPD. The Trump family has made no announcement about where Barron will go.

The former president also complimented his 6ft7in son's looks.

'He's a little on the tall side. I will tell you, he's a tall one, but he is a good-looking guy,' Trump said.

The former president spent Friday in a Manhattan court room as New York continues to prosecute him over a hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Daniels testified in court this week, talking about her sexual encounter with Trump in 2006. She claimed Trump told her at the time he and Melania have separate bedrooms.

Trump has denied the affair.

Then-President Donald Trump, center, waves while walking with First Lady Melania Trump, right, and son Barron Trump on the South Lawn in November 2019

Barron has neve been in public life his half-siblings - above Don Jr., Melania, Donald, Ivanka, Eric and Tiffany Trump

Reports of Barron's interest in politics seemed confirmed on Wednesday when the Republican Party of Florida picked him to join his older siblings as an at-large delegate for the state.

The only requirement to be a delegate is to live and vote in the state. Barron, who turned 18 in March, will be eligible to cast his first votes in the August primary and in the November election.

Barron graduates from Oxbridge Academy in suburban West Palm Beach next week.

That day - May 17th - will be a busy one for Donald Trump.

He's also scheduled to be the keynote speaker at Minnesota's Lincoln Reagan dinner.

Barron's graduation ceremony is in the morning so it's feasible Trump could attend both events.

Sources told DailyMail.com that the 6ft 7in teen, who has never uttered a word in public, is a steadfast supporter of the Trump 2024 campaign behind the scenes.

Barron was at his father's 2016 presidential announcement and attended the Republican National Conventions in both 2016 and 2020.

He was not at his father's 2024 announcement at Mar-a-Lago.

Barron Trump, seen walking from Marine One in August 2020, has developed a taste for politics and will be a delegate for Florida to the Republican National Convention

Barron Trump (center) with mom Melania (left) and siblings Ivanka, Eric and Tiffany as Donald Trump is sworn in as president in January 2017 - he was just 10 when his father became president

President Donald Trump and son Barron Trump exit Air Force One in February 2020

Barron Trump with his parents Donald and Melania on the South Lawn of the White House on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention in August 2020

In Trump's last two White House campaigns, Don Jr., Eric and Ivanka were heavily involved - speaking at their father's rallies and campaigning for him. Tiffany joined her siblings in the 2020 campaign but Barron stayed out of sight.

He was only 10 when his father became president.

Barron, who turned 18 last month, returned to the spotlight with Donald Trump's hush-money trial when the former president argued he should be allowed a break from trial to attend Barron Trump's May 17 high school graduation.

Judge Juan Merchan agreed to allow the break in the trial.
The first batch of British aid due to reach Gaza by a temporary pier left Cyprus last night.

The initial contribution of nearly 100 tonnes of plastic sheeting to make shelters should reach refugees within days.

Rishi Sunak heralded the UK's contribution to the maritime corridor and construction of the pier off Gaza's coastline.

The Prime Minister said: 'The UK has been working around the clock with our allies and partners to ensure more aid gets into Gaza via all possible routes.

'We know more is required. We will continue efforts to unlock more routes to get vital aid to people in desperate need.'

The initial batch of British aid due to reach Gaza by its temporary pier left Cyprus last night. Pictured: Material being loaded onto a cargo vessel in Larnaca, Cyprus

Britain is continuing to urge Israel to meet its target of allowing 500 aid trucks to enter Gaza through land routes. Pictured: Trucks carrying aid to Rafah

The pier was built by the US Navy and Army after Israel closed crossings into Gaza used by aid agencies.

The UK has committed 9.7million to provide aid, including the initial 8,400 coverage kits, five forklifts, 900 family tents and 9,200 hygiene kits.

Last night, the Foreign Office said Britain continued to urge Israel to meet its commitment to allow at least 500 aid trucks into Gaza through land routes.

Lord David Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, also urged Israel to increase access to Gaza for aid shipments by opening more land crossings and allowing shipments to land at the port of Ashdod, across Gaza's northern border.

Aid agencies including the World Food Programme have warned of an impending famine in Gaza, with more than a million people said to be experiencing 'catastrophic levels of hunger'.

Israel has committed to allowing at least 500 aid trucks to enter Gaza a day, but aid organisations say there is still significant difficulty both delivering and distributing supplies.

On Tuesday, it was reported that Israeli protesters had blocked aid trucks headed for Gaza, throwing food packages onto the road and ripping open bags of grain, prompting condemnation from Lord Cameron.
Australians have shown little sympathy for a small business owner begging Anthony Albanese not to kick him out of his rental home so he can sell the property.

Jim Flanagan, 45, has lived in one of Mr Albanese's investment properties in the inner-west Sydney suburb of Dulwich Hill for four years.

But the struggling bar owner has now been given 90 days to pack up and leave because the Prime Minister wants to sell the three-bedroom townhouse, which is estimated to be worth around $2.2million.

Mr Flanagan, who runs a venue offering food, booze and live music in the same suburb, has described the eviction notice as a 'crippling blow' and has gone on national television to air his woes.

He continued his attack on Thursday morning, lashing out at the 'power imbalance' between landlords and renters.

Australians were left unsympathetic after it was revealed Mr Albanese had given Mr Flanagan plenty of notice and that he refused to raise the rent like other landlords.

Mr Flanagan's ex-partner even posted a video gushing about the Prime Minister and how understanding he had been of their situation.

Jim Flanagan, 45, has lived in one of Mr Albanese's investment properties in the inner-west Sydney suburb of Dulwich Hill for four years

'This bloke needs to get a grip on reality,' one wrote online.

'He's had close to four years of sub-market rent. That's a pretty fair bite at the cherry no matter who your landlord is.'

'What an extreme level of entitlement. There is actually no point in landlords offering lower rent than market,' another said.

'People will always want more and are never grateful. How about saying thank you for your years of low rent instead of bad mouthing Mr Albanese to the press.'

During the Covid pandemic, Mr Albanese reduced the rent for Mr Flanagan and his then-partner to $680 a week and hasn't raised it since.

The market rate for a three-bedroom property in the area is currently around $800 a week.

Aussies have pointed out that Mr Flanagan has been luckier than most in the rental market.

Another resident accused the renter of starting the media firestorm to to stake his claim on '15 minutes of opportunistic fame'.

'He's a business owner that's not quite in the vulnerable category,' another said.

'I don't see Jim as a vulnerable Australian,' a second added.

Mr Flanagan's ex-partner Chrissy Flanagan detailed her support for Mr Albanese as her landlord in a TikTok shared in April, 2022.

She said it was 'amazing' that Mr Albanese had reduced their rent by 25 per cent and two years later had still not increased it.

'I don't think other people are still getting that sort of support from their landlord,' she said.

'But what it shows is that he lives his actual values and quietly and in private.

'How cool is it that a politician will do whatever they can do on a small scale of the things they want to do on a big scale.'

Ms Flanagan said during the pandemic the PM even visited her shop to do a 'welfare check'.

'He'd just been walking around the main street, checking in on businesses and how they were going,' she said.

'And before that he was just walking around the Centrelink line where he'd been talking to people.

'He didn't bring media with him, he didn't bring staff with him, he just came to say ''hi'' and see if we were okay. He's just a really good dude. Vote one Albo.'

Mr Flanagan said he was reluctant to go public about his situation but felt he had no other choice.

Mr Albanese has decided to sell the property and has said he has been more than a fair landlord to Mr Flanagan

'This will kill me, it's a crippling blow right now,' he told the the Daily Telegraph.

A shocked Mr Flanagan received the eviction notice from his real estate on May 8, which informed him that Mr Albanese 'could be selling the house at some stage'.

'Please be advised that the landlord requires vacant possession of the property 90 days after the service of this letter,' the notice stated.

The small business owner is on a month-to-month lease and knows the prime minister has the right to sell the house.

But Mr Flanagan has been spurred into trying to stay on after reading about the government's $1.9billion package to slash rental costs for vulnerable people announced in Tuesday's Federal Budget.

'It just doesn't sit well when (Mr Albanese) is trying to be sympathetic with the majority of Australians who are, like me, finding the current climate extremely challenging,' he said.

The small business owner appeared on Sunrise on Thursday morning and said there was a 'power imbalance between renters and landlords'.

'It leaves me in a pretty tricky circumstance. I run a small business. A very short walk from where I live. Options in the rental market generally in Sydney are extremely limited and it's a difficult set of circumstances for anyone,' he said.

Mr Albanese says he has had changes in his personal life and has decided to sell the property.

'He has every right to do this. I'm not suggesting that he doesn't. But I think renters again are really exposed at the moment, that power imbalance has been exacerbated by the rental crisis and the cost-of-living crisis,' Mr Flanagan said.

'I guess we're just looking for again a little bit more of a considered communicative approach. Maybe a discussion. I certainly wasn't even provided with the opportunity to discuss an increase of the rent, staying a little bit longer, potentially if the house was going on the market.

Mr Flanagan has been given 90 days to vacate the Dulwich Hill property (pictured)

'I guess we're just looking for a little bit more engagement when it comes to kicking us out of a property.'

Mr Flanagan said he voted for Labor in the 2022 election and mostly supports the party's policies, but is doing it tough as the bar he owns is struggling.

Mr Albanese has since slapped down Mr Flanagan's plea, claiming that he has been a 'more than fair owner'.

'The person who's in the property, in his own words, [says] I have been a more than fair owner of that property,' Mr Albanese told ABC Radio National host Patricia Karvelas.

He said he was 'entitled' to sell the property ahead of his upcoming wedding to partner Jodie Haydon.

Mr Albanese was asked if he would consider allowing Mr Flanagan to stay in the property a little longer.

But he claimed the bar owner has refused to engage with his rental agent.

'Well, he's refused to have discussions with the real estate agent,' Mr Albanese claimed.

'That's a matter for him. I wish him well. He has been well looked after for a long period of time.

'I am entitled to make decisions in my personal life including selling a property that I own because I wish to move on in my personal life in a different direction.

'The property was bought when my personal circumstances were different.'
A Labor senator has broken party ranks and called on the Prime Minister to brand Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip genocide.

Western Australia's Fatima Payman - Australia's first hijab-wearing Muslim in federal parliament - issued a strong rebuke of the government's stance on Wednesday, which is also Nakba Day.

Translating to The Catastrophe, the day marks the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, with Palestinians saying it resulted in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.

'My conscience has been uneasy for far too long and I must call this out for what it is - this is a genocide and we need to stop pretending otherwise,' Senator Payman said to reporters in Canberra on Wednesday.

'I ask our prime minister and our fellow parliamentarians, how many international rights laws must Israel break for us to say enough?

'How many lives does it take to call this a genocide?'

Senator Fatima Payman issued a strong rebuke of the government's stance on the Middle East conflict. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS)

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has taken issue with comments made by WA senator Fatima Payman. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS)

Israel launched a ground invasion of Gaza after the Palestinian paramilitary group Hamas - designated by Australia as a terrorist organisation - killed 1200 people and took 250 hostages in Israeli territory on October 7, according to Tel Aviv's tallies.

Israel's retaliatory action in Gaza has killed more than 35,000 people and injured 77,000 others, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

The United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories found Israel's military campaign since October 7 amounted to genocide.

Israel has emphatically rejected the use of the term genocide, saying its war was against Hamas militants in Gaza, not civilians, and precautions were being taken to reduce casualties.

Senator Payman called on her colleagues to support sanctions and divestment targeting Israel, plus a permanent ceasefire and the recognition of a Palestinian state.

'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,' the Afghanistan-born senator said.

Her words will likely anger Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has criticised the use of the phrase 'from the river to the sea', which many Jewish groups say is a call for expulsion of their people from Israel.

Mr Albanese said Australia continued to urge both sides to pursue a two-state solution in which both Israel and Palestine could co-exist peacefully side-by-side, and argued that any sanctions or divestments would be little more than symbolic.

'The idea we here in Australia can determine what is happening in the Middle East is just not correct,'' he said.

'What we can do is to make our voice heard for humanitarian concerns for standing up for the fact that all lives, all innocent lives, matter whether they be Israeli or Palestinian.'

Mr Albanese has previously said the boycott, divest and sanction movement was racist, as it targeted all Israelis and Jewish people even if they had no ties to the government and regardless of whether they supported or opposes its policies.

One Nation senator Pauline Hanson defended Israel during a Senate debate, saying Jewish people had also been displaced and faced persecution as she sported a scarf with Israel's Star of David in the Senate chamber.

'Talking about genocide and displacement, the Jewish people have been treated like this for centuries - thousands upon thousands of years by different races and countries,' she said, after being told to remove the scarf because it breached the rules.

Protesters held a rally on the lawns of Parliament House as Palestine backers and an international human rights body called on the government to do more to support Gaza.
Mexico City's Tacos El Califa de Leon has received a Michelin star, making it the only taco stand in the world to receive the coveted award from the French dining guide.

Not making a big fuss of the incredible honor, the tiny restaurant's main chef, Arturo Rivera Martinez, stood over his grill Wednesday searing meat for a horde of hungry customers as he's done for 20 years.

Asked how he felt about receiving the Michelin star Rivera Martinez said 'esta chido ... esta padre,' meaning:'It's neat, it's cool.'

Although Michelin representatives came Wednesday to present him with his well-deserved full-sleeved white chef's jacket, he didn't put it on. Not out of disrespect, but simply because his cooking area is tiny - 10 feet by 10 feet - and extremely hot.

Diners at the stand can only order tacos, and the meat inside comes from either a cow's rib, loin or fore shank.

Newly minted Michelin-starred chef Arturo Rivera Martinez prepares an order of tacos at the Tacos El Califa de Leon taco stand, in Mexico City, Wednesday, May 15, 2024

'The secret is the simplicity of our taco. It has only a tortilla, red or green sauce, and that's it. That, and the quality of the meat,' said Rivera Martinez.

Alberto Munoz, a customer for eight years, said much the same, hyping up the quality of the meat the taco stand uses.

Unsurprisingly, the owner Mario Hernandez Alonso won't reveal where he buys his meat from.

'I have never been disappointed. And now I'll recommend it with even more reason, now that it has a star,' Munoz said.

Munoz's son, Alan, who was waiting for a beef taco alongside his father said that this was 'a historic day for Mexican cuisine, and we're witnesses to it.'

An overhead view of the tiny taco stand. Customers line the side wall as they put salsa on their tacos, while the Michelin star chef continues serving up food

And unlike other Michelin star chefs who will sometimes provide apt wine pairings for their delectable dishes, Rivera Martinez said 'a Coke' goes best with his tacos.

El Califa de Leon is the only taco stand among the 16 restaurants in Mexico given one star, as well as two eateries that got two stars. Most of them are fine dining restaurants serving expensive seafood.

The prices at the taco stand, however, are a lot more affordable with a huge taco costing nearly $5. Customers say the tacos there are the best, if not the cheapest, in the city.

El Califa de Leon has been around since 1968 and has been doing the same things that's made it so successful since the beginning.

Thousands of times a day, Rivera Martinez grabs a fresh, thinly sliced fillet of beef from a stack and slaps it on the 680 degree steel grill.

He then dashes a pinch of salt over the meat and squeezes half a lime on top before grabbing a soft piece of freshly rolled tortilla dough to heat it up on the grill.

Less than a minute later - he didn't share exactly how long because 'that's a secret' - he flips the beef, flips the tortilla and assembles it on the plate for the waiting customer.

Mario Hernandez Alonso, Rivera Martinez's dad, the current owner of Tacos El Califa de Leon, inherited the business from his father. He won't reveal where he buys his meat, which customers rave about

A customer flashes a thumbs up while eating a taco straight from Rivera Martinez's grill. The taco stand is the first ever to receive a Michelin star from the French dining guide

This tried and true process that has won El Califa de Leon a Michelin star is a symbol of how their resistance to change has been beneficial.

And going forward, Hernandez Alonso said he's going to keep doing what works.

A potential way to expand the stand came after the coronavirus pandemic, since legislators allowed Mexico City restaurants to open street-side canopied seating areas.

But El Califa de Leon doesn't even have a sidewalk for customers to eat on because of all the street vendors, so customers now stand cheek-to jowl among display stands and plastic mannequins.

Asked if he would like them to make room for a street-side seating area, Hernandez Alonso expressed an 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' attitude.

'As the saying goes, why fix or change something that's alright? You shouldn't fix anything,' he said, motioning to the street vendors. 'It's the way God ordered things, and you have to deal with it.'
Labour's net zero targets are out of step with public opinion and 'distorting' effective policy on climate change, the Tony Blair Institute warned yesterday.

The organisation, run by the ex-PM, said politicians must focus on infrastructure and technological innovation instead of arbitrary dates.

Sir Keir Starmer previously laid out plans to 'decarbonise' UK power by 2030  a goal he admitted was 'difficult' but 'doable'.

But new polling for the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) shows just 19 per cent of Britons believe we will achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The Tony Blair Institute said politicians must focus on infrastructure and technological innovation instead of arbitrary dates. Pictured: Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair

Sir Keir Starmer (pictured) previously laid out plans to 'decarbonise' UK power by 2030 which he admitted was 'difficult' but 'doable'

TBI senior policy adviser Tone Langengen said: 'It's time for political leaders to stop setting unrealistic new short-term goals, and double down on the technology and innovation that will deliver on long-term commitments.

'Right now, the focus primarily on Britain's targets is distorting policy.'

A government source told the Mail: 'Starmer's mad plans to decarbonise the grid are based purely on ideology.'

Sir Keir's official spokesman said: 'We will have a complete strategy on tackling child poverty when we get into government.'

Labour was under renewed pressure yesterday to scrap the two-child benefit cap after former PM Gordon Brown told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'The tragedy is we are now writing the future history of our country by neglecting children who we have condemned to poverty.'
EXCLUSIVE

A domestic violence offender has gone missing after facing court on stalking and assault charges.

Sydney personal trainer Nathan Molloy, 24, was last seen in Hurstville, in the city's south west, at about 11.30am on Wednesday.

Police and his family hold say his behaviour is 'out of character'.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal Molloy fronted Sutherland local court on Wednesday morning, shortly before he vanished.

In court, he pleaded guilty to assaulting and stalking/intimidating a woman and an Apprehended Violence Order was put in place for her protection.

A police search is underway for missing man and DV offender Nathan Molloy (pictured)

Under the order, he must not assault, threaten, stalk, harass or intimidate her, or destroy or damage any property in her possession.

He also is banned from approaching or being around the woman for at least 12 hours after drinking alcohol or taking illicit drugs.

Court records reveal Molloy has had several run-ins with the legal system, however, nine months ago he revealed efforts to turn his life around.

He was last seen at 11.30am Wednesday

'Better than where I was 1 year ago less goo! [sic] From drug addictions leading me to go in and out of gaol/juvi, now im working full time and eating good,' he wrote online in September.

'I'm still growing but im alot better than where i was gotta [sic] respect those small things that will lead too a bigger and more successful future!'

Police believe Molloy may be somewhere in Sydney's south-west and are urging the public for help to find him.

He is described as being white, 175cm tall, lean build, short brown hair, tattoos on his right arm, and hes missing an upper front middle tooth. When last seen he was wearing khaki shorts and a white shirt.

He is known to frequent the Hurstville CBD, Ingleburn, Campbelltown, Liverpool areas; however, information provided to police indicate he may be in the Macquarie Fields area.

Anyone with information into his whereabouts or sights Nathan is urged to contact St George Police Area Command or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

For confidential support 24/7 contact 1800RESPECT or MensLine on 1300 78 99 78
Dramatic footage has captured the moment a man rescued two pet dogs from a burning home after the property was engulfed in a ferocious blaze.

The terrifying inferno began in the garage of the home in Holland Close at Winthrop in Perth's south, around 5.30pm on Tuesday.

The huge flames quickly spread throughout the property while a woman and her son were inside.

The man helped the pair escape the house but their two dogs ran back inside as the fire began to intensify.

A man bravely rescued two pet dogs from a burning home at Winthrop (pictured) in Perth's south on Tuesday, after the property became engulfed in flames

The female resident is understood to have returned home from a doctor's appointment shortly before the blaze ripped through the home, reported 7 News.

Shocking video footage showed the moment the local hero bravely made his way back into the house to rescue the two dogs.

In the footage the barefooted man in dark coloured singlet and shorts is seen emerging from the front of the burning home carrying a dog in each hand to safety.

Firefighters rushed to the scene and managed to douse the flames by 6.20pm to prevent the blaze from reaching surrounding properties.

Terrifying images show the the fire burning uncontrollably, tearing through parts of the roof of the single-storey home.

Witnesses reported seeing flames up to 20m in height, the fire taking just minutes to completely engulf the property.

Thick plumes of black smoke billowed into the sky as residents nearby watched on in horror, with the dark smoke seen several kilometers away in nearby suburbs.

'I've never seen anything like it before, it went up so quickly,' one resident Phoebe said.

'Everyone was very sombre because it was very sad.'

A spokeswoman from Western Australia Police told Daily Mail Australia that the fire is not being investigated by officers at this time.

Stuart Parks, fire investigator at the Department of Fire Emergency Services, praised the efforts of firefighters who fought the blaze.

Thick plumes of black smoke billowed into the sky as residents nearby watched on in horror, with the dark smoke seen several kilometers away in nearby suburbs

'The houses either side [of the property] were at risk so the firefighters did a fantastic job to contain it,' he said.

Seven fire crews battled the blaze before the fire was extinguished.

A spokeswoman from the DFES told Daily Mail it is not yet known what caused the fire but it is not believed to be suspicious.

The house fire is a further blow to the resident, who it's understood was hit by a car four months ago and has since been recovering from the incident.

Family members and fire investigation officers visited the home on Wednesday after most of the property had been reduced to rubble.

The officers were seen taking pictures and examining parts of the home.
A couple who moved to Australia from India is urging the Albanese government to urgently reduce immigration as it was making rents and house prices far too high.

Himanshu Verma and his wife Shivani, who moved from India to Sydney seven years ago said the housing crisis had left them and many other migrants struggling.

Although the couple are relatively recent migrants themselves, Mr Verma said the government needed to look at cutting immigration, saying there was simply not enough housing to cope with the huge influx of people.

'It's getting worse, everything is going up in price, even a carton of milk now costs way more than it used to,' Mrs Verma said.

The pair have a young daughter and Mr Verma works full-time while his wife stopped work in December and is now trying to launch her own business.

Himanshu Verma and his wife Shivani. Despite being an immigrant himself, Mr Verma said the government needed to reassess immigration due to the housing shortage

Recent migrants feel the blame for housing crisis

An Essential Research poll conducted for Settlement Services International (SSI) found 43 per cent of those with a migrant and refugee background were more likely to have experienced difficulty securing affordable housing in the past 12 months.

More than 1160 people were surveyed, including people of a migrant or refugee background as well as those born in Australia speaking English only.

The survey for the agency, tasked with resettling thousands of newly arrived refugees each year, also found more than a quarter (26 per cent) had been forced to leave a property due to rising housing costs in the past year.

Haitham Subhi, a housing expert at SSI, said the private rental market had become more expensive and scarcer in a post-COVID landscape, with average rents about $200 higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Migrants find themselves both victims of the rising prices but also regarded as culprits, with 49 per cent feeling unfairly blamed for the housing affordability crisis.

'They feel the tension and they just want to be given a chance to start their new life.'

'The process itself is quite daunting because ... you will find yourself going straight to the bottom of the list.'

Ariet Oko Agwa, an Ethiopian refugee who came to Australia about six years ago, was close to resorting to sleeping in her car with her five-year-old son.

'I applied for many houses and they were all declined and whenever I ring them (real estate agents) they don't give me a reason.'

They were saved at the last minute by members of her ethnic community and was able to stay in a friend's garage.

'I almost became homeless and then one of the ladies (from the Ethiopian community) told me instead of sleeping in your car, you can sleep in our garage because they had three bedrooms but they were full,' she said.

The struggle to find a suitable home is still ongoing for the 25-year-old single mother who grew up in Dadaab in Kenya, one of the largest refugee camps in the world.

The disability care worker lives in shared accommodation near the Gold Coast paying almost $600 a fortnight for a small bedroom.

Ms Oko Agwa maintains it is not a conducive environment to raise her son.

She had been forced to adapt to a meagre lifestyle, with only a single bed in their small room, after all her furniture was destroyed in floods in southeast Queensland two years ago.

'It's very difficult to find a house on my own. Maybe because I'm not from this country,' she said.

Ariet Oko Agwa was close to being homeless because of the lack of affordable housing.

A record 548,800 migrants on a net basis moved to Australia in the year to September and Treasurer Jim Chalmers has admitted the huge influx of international students has caused a severe housing shortage

Budget plan to address housing crisis

A nationwide spike in the number of people coming to Australia in the past year recently prompted the federal government to announce a halving of net overseas migration by 2025.

A record 548,800 migrants on a net basis moved to Australia in the year to September and Treasurer Jim Chalmers has admitted the huge influx of migrants, plus international students, has caused a severe housing shortage and pushed prices to unprecedented levels.

With an election due within a year, the Treasury is now expecting the immigration intake for 2023/24 to shrink to 395,000.

By the end of 2024/25, the foreign inflow was expected to halve to just 260,000  down from 528,000 in 2022/23.

But over the five years to 2027/28, 1.38million migrants on a net basis are still expected to move to Australia.

A huge influx of international students since Australia reopened after the Covid pandemic in late 2021 has sparked a housing crisis, with capital city rental vacancy rates now under one per cent, sparking double-digit annual increases in weekly leases.

Dr Chalmers used his third Budget speech on Tuesday night to admit the huge influx of international students under Labor's watch has worsened the housing crisis.

'Australia's international education sector is a national asset. But for too long, enrolments have grown without being matched by an increase in student housing supply,' he said.

'This puts pressure on prices and rents, especially in our cities and suburbs.

'It makes finding housing harder for everyone. We have a more substantial, more sustainable approach.'

Dr Chalmers announced universities would need to build more housing for international students if they wanted to keep relying on their upfront fees to produce a lucrative revenue stream.

With construction workers in short supply, it is hoped forcing universities to build more accommodation would make it harder for the higher education sector to accept so many enrolments.

International students make up the bulk of long-term arrivals in the immigration figures, with the permanent intake of migrants capped at 190,000.

'If universities want to take more international students, they must build more student accommodation,' Dr Chalmers said.

'We will limit how many international students can be enrolled by each university based on a formula, including how much housing they build.'

From July, Labor wants 1.2million homes build over five years but last year, just 168,690 new homes were built  a level well short of the 240,000 a year target.

Labor is promising to halve immigration levels within a year and address the rental crisis by forcing universities to build more international student accommodation

The government is also cracking down on the standards of vocational education providers by ensuring 70 per cent of international student graduates are employed after graduation in 2024/25.

Education is Australia's biggest service export and the third biggest overall after coal, iron ore and natural gas.

Labor is also axing the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, which has seen asylum seekers use the court system to gain permanent residency.

It is establishing a new Administrative Review Tribunal to replace the AAT 'to address court backlogs associated with high numbers of applications for judicial review of migration decisions'.
Ethan Henshaw is pictured outside court on Thursday

A woman whose ex-boyfriend threatened to send nudes and sex videos to her friends and family after she exposed his affair with another woman has opened up about her months-long harassment ordeal.

Ethan Henshaw, 31, pleaded guilty in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday to threatening to distribute an intimate image without consent and multiple breaches of an apprehended violence order (domestic violence).

Court documents revealed he and his former partner, who cannot be named for legal reasons, ended their eight-year relationship in August 2023, but the situation took a dark turn two months later when she got a call from his acquaintance.

During that call, she confirmed the acquaintance's suspicion that Henshaw - who lives in Boolaroo, near Newcastle, and works as a car wholesaler - had been sleeping with his girlfriend.

Henshaw was furious with her for disclosing the affair, sent her 12 photos and videos which showed her performing sex acts, and told the acquaintance he 'may or may not send the images out to her family and friends'.

She went to the police, before he was arrested, charged, and placed in police custody, before he was released on conditional bail for $2,000 surety and slapped with an AVO - which he breached a month later by sending her emails and Snapchat messages under the name 'Bingus'.

Henshaw had appeared at the court in person on Thursday, dressed in a navy suit with a fresh haircut, but was arrested immediately after court and charged over an outstanding warrant.

Now, his victim has told Daily Mail Australia she has had enough.

Ethan Henshaw (pictured when he was younger) was in a relationship with a woman for eight years

Ethan Henshaw (pictured) was arrested after court on Thursday and charged over outstanding warrants

The woman revealed that she had phoned police herself to find out that he was wanted by police for breaching bail, and has called on the courts to do more to protect victims.

'What I dont understand is how or why courts are letting serial offenders like Ethan continue to have access to their victims,' she said.

'Throughout this whole process, he has continued to violate his AVO and bail conditions, which Ive immediately reported to police as per their advice.

'He has been charged on different occasions since October with breaching these conditions. Despite this, magistrates keep granting him bail.'

She revealed that she has moved house twice in six months and staggered her hours at work to reduce the likelihood that she would see him.

In court on Thursday, Henshaw hung his head as the prosecutor told the court he had 'accrued a lengthy criminal record' in relation to AVO breaches against the same woman.

According to the police facts, Henshaw was originally hit with an AVO in October 2023 over the intimate images.

He was ordered not to enter Sydney CBD or the suburb where the victim lived, he was not to contact her, and was to abstain from using social media unless it was for work.

Henshaw (pictured) pleaded guilty to breaching an AVO and threatening to send his ex's nudes

Henshaw hung his head in court on Thursday as his lawyer said he had acrued a criminal record

At 10.32am on November 17 - a week after appearing in court on the intimate images charges - she received an email from Snapchat which said, 'Bingus added you as a friend' .

Bingus was her nickname for Henshaw during their relationship.

She accepted the friend request and, just after midday, she got an email from an account starting with 'Bingus8893'.

The email read: 'I'm worried about you. I still care about you, never stopped, will never not care, no matter what. I hope you are happy and you are okay. I am here if you ever need me and I always will be.

'If you need to talk or some company, or a cuddle just say so. I am not upset with you and I only want you to be happy, that's all that is important.'

She was at work and did not reply during the day, but went to the police station at about 8pm that evening and opened them in the presence of police.

The first message read: 'I'm not here to harass you, bother you, upset you or anything remotely negative. I am just trying to check in and make sure you are okay.

'I worry about and I really truely care about you. I hope you understand I am aware of the risk and implications to me making sure you are okay but you are important to me.'

Henshaw messaged his ex-girlfriend on Snapchat under the username 'Bingus'

Police then searched her local area and found Henshaw sitting in a grey BMW about 100 metres from her house, which was a violation of his bail and AVO conditions.

When asked why he was in the area, he told police that he was going to take his dog for a walk and was often in the area because he worked in car wholesale.

He denied contacting his ex-girlfriend via email and Snapchat, refused to answer further questions, and was arrested and charged with breaching an AVO.

In court on Thursday, Magistrate Daniel Reiss granted a request by prosecutors to implement a final AVO to protect the victim from Henshaw for five years, rather than the standard two years.

Henshaw's phone was seized by police following his arrest in October. Before he gets it back, he will have to delete all the intimate images of his ex-girlfriend from the device and any cloud accounts.

Henshaw was denied bail following his arrest after court on Thursday and will face court again on Friday.

His two further AVO breaches will be mention in Burwood Local Court on May 31.

He will appear in the Downing Centre on July 19 for sentencing over the intimate images charges and two AVO breaches.
The young children of an alleged murder victim have returned home for the first time since her death, only to find it had been ransacked by heartless thieves.

Kesar Sardar, 13, and her older brother (who has not been named) have spoken about their grief for the first time since their mum, Amarjit Sardar, was taken from them in an alleged domestic violence murder.

Police allege the children's father, Yadwinder Singh, 44, killed his wife at their Woodhill farm in February, before running her over with a cane slasher to make it seem like an accident.

He's been charged with her murder and interfering with her corpse, and is in custody awaiting trial.

Kesar said she couldn't believe what had happened.

Kesar Sardar (pictured), 13, and her older brother have spoken about their grief for the first time since their mum, Amarjit Sardar, was taken from them in an alleged domestic violence murder

'I just wouldn't believe it was real, I was just hoping it was all a dream and I would wake up,' she told A Current Affair on Wednesday.

Singh is believed to have called emergency services to report his wife's death.

In the wake of the tragedy, Detective Inspector Chris Knight said Singh's phone and that triple-0 call were crucial to the investigation.

Their two children flew down to Sydney with just a few things in a suitcase after their mum's funeral and moved in with their aunt, Simranjit Sardar, who is now their guardian.

Kesar is beyond grateful that Simranjit took them in.

'My aunty has powered through taking care of two extra kids, me and my brother,' she told the program.

'Supporting us, making sure we're okay while also taking care of herself at the same time.'

Three months after the death of their mother, they returned to collect more belongings.

After a 10-hour drive, they made the heartbreaking discovery that almost everything had been stolen from their family home.

'It was heartbreaking, I couldn't take it,' Simranjit said.

'They checked each and every drawer every corner of this room.'

Police will allege that Singh had murdered his wife before interfering with her corpse in order to make the death seem like an accident

Around $200,000 worth of goods were missing, including a tractor, trailer, washing machine, a car and all the children's clothes and sentimental items.

'They probably didn't care about anything that happened to us,' Kesar said.

Her brother said: 'I kind of felt bad for whoever stole it, that they needed to break into such a sad place.'

Queensland Police have charged a 30-year-old Flagstone man with two counts of entering a premises and committing an indictable offence, as well as trespassing.

According to the program, police will allege any looters targeted the property after detectives had finished their investigation and gathering evidence on-site.

'Anything that was special to me, just gone,' Kesar said.

'[The looters] probably didn't even care about anything that's happened to us, they just thought 'Oh [a] chance to make some money'.'

'I felt terrible. Like all the things that I kept so close to me, they're all gone now.

'What am I meant to do?'

A dryer, air fryer, printer, drill set and angle grinder were also missing.

After a 10-hour drive, Simranjit (pictured left) the Sardar kids discovered that their family home had been ransacked

So far, police have been unable to recover most of their belongings.

Simranjit, who has three children of her own, said she will do everything she can to support her niece and nephew as they rebuild their lives.

'I'm going to support the kids as much as I can and any help is a big help for us now  groceries, petrol, anything which can help raising these kids,' she said.

A GoFundMe page has also been set up to help them in the short term and chase their dreams of becoming a pilot and an air hostess in the future.

'I want to do something where I can stay close to my brother as well because when he was younger, he'd always want to be a pilot as well,' Kesar said.

'So when I was younger, I set one dream that I also kind of wanted to be an air hostess.

'So maybe we could work on the same plane one day.'
Hollywood lawyer and Hunter Biden's 'sugar brother', Kevin Morris, is said to be 'tapped out' of cash after financially supporting Hunter's legal battles over the last four and a half years to the tune of $6 million.

Morris, 61, decided to step in after believing Hunter had little support, but he has since confirmed he is no longer going to continue to lend money to him to fight his battles.

The withdrawal of financial support for the president's son comes at the worst possible time for Hunter, 54, with two trials looming which could end up seeing him serve jail time.

Hunter faces imminent federal trials on gun charges in Delaware starting on June 3 with a second trial three weeks later in California on June 20 on tax charges.

Close friend of Hunter Biden, Kevin Morris, left, is said to be 'tapped out' of cash after financially supporting his legal battles over the last four and a half years to the tune of $6m. Hunter's lead defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, seen right, doesn't come cheap

Morris was spotted smoking from a bong on the balcony of his Hollywood apartment last summer said he gave Hunter cash because he feared the recovering addict would relapse

'The reason Kevin got involved financially in the first place was that he could see that no one was going to help Hunter,' said an associate of Morris' said, according to Politico.

'Now, four and a half years later, there's still no help  and now Kevin is completely tapped out. So just when Hunter is facing two criminal trials starting in a few weeks, he has no resources. It's pretty dire.'

In an interview with lawmakers earlier this year, Morris' role in paying Biden's legal bills was made clear.

The pair met in 2019 during dad President Bidens campaign for the White House.

They quickly developed a close friendship just as Hunter was trying to get his life on track and stay sober.

At the time, Morris helped him get safe housing. He was dubbed Hunter's 'sugar brother' after he agreed to loan the First Son a reported $2.8million to pay off his tax debts and joined his legal team amid criminal and congressional investigations.

But now after four-and-a-half years of shouldering the financial burden, having loaned him more than $6.5 million, Morris is no longer willing to foot the bill.

Hunter's lead defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, seen right, charges between $855 and $1,500 an hour for his services

Kevin Morris is seen left, while President Biden's son, Hunter, is seen center along with his lawyer Abbe Lowell, right, seen in January

The development is particularly concerning with Hunter on the brink of two significant legal battles and it is unclear who might pay for witnesses to testify in his defense.

Experts who testify at trials are known to bill upwards of $500 an hour to appear.

The 61-year-old Hollywood attorney is known for his hard-driving tactics and high-profile cases

Hunter's lead defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, who is preparing his first trial on charges that he illegally purchased a gun as a drug user, is believed to have charged between $855 and $1,500 an hour for his services.

Lowell has almost 50 years experience working as a defense attorney and has been prepping for the trial by finding expert witnesses to testify on various topics including drug addiction and forensics - with payments yet to be agreed upon.

Last summer, while Hunter was at Morris' Malibu house, he was snapped on a balcony in plain view of the public street appearing to huff from a white bong, in photos exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com.

The images brough unwanted flashbacks for the First Son, who photographed and videoed himself using copious amounts of drugs including crack cocaine on weeks-long benders for years, material from his abandoned laptop shows.

One of the criminal charges against Hunter is lying on a 2018 federal gun form that he was not an illicit drug user, when he admitted in his memoir to being a crack addict.

It is not clear what substance was in Morris's bong. Recreational marijuana is legal in California

A picture from Hunter Biden's abandoned hard drive shows him passed out with a crack pipe hanging out of his mouth

One photo from Hunter Biden's laptop shows him wearing a red scarf and a jock strap

Documents, texts and videos obtained by DailyMail.com in 2022 saw Hunter Biden spending a staggering $30,000 on escorts in a five-month period. Hunter is seen with two prostitutes

Hollywood lawyer Kevin Morris, keft, has admitted loans of more than $5 million to Hunter Biden, right, which he has insisted will be repaid

The charges carry a maximum combined 25 years incarceration and $250,000 fine.

Despite hiring top lawyers, they may have a tough time fighting the facts of the case.

In Hunters 2021 memoir, Beautiful Things, he admitted to his continued 'full-blown addiction' to crack cocaine in 2018  the period he bought the Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver.

The federally required Firearm Transaction Record for the purchase asks: 'Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?'

Hunter ticked the box for no on the form, obtained by DailyMail.com.

The charges against him were set to be held over as part of a plea deal Hunter struck with prosecutors, in which he would admit to tax crimes for deliberately failing to file and pay his tax bill on millions of dollars of income.

But under scrutiny from a federal judge in July, the plea deal spectacularly fell apart in the courtroom over a controversial clause that would give him blanket immunity for other offenses.
Passengers on board a New York-bound flight were left cold and wet after the air vents unleashed a thick mist of liquid.

Savannah Gowarty posted a video to TikTok showing viewers a first hand look at the damp interior of the aircraft.

'What is this?' she says, her hair and face visibly wet. 'Four hour flight. So cold.'

In an effort to mitigate the uncomfortable situation, Gowarty took off her drenched collared white shirt and laid it on the armrest hoping it would air dry.

Gowarty didn't reveal which airline she flew, but the saga she experienced on-board the four-hour flight isn't as unusual as it may appear.

An thick mist drenched passengers on a recent New York-bound flight as liquid sprayed from the air vents

A similar incident occurred on a flight last July from Nice, France to London.

The flight, operated by low cost British airline EasyJet, had the same sort of dense mist Gowarty complained about, Newsweek reported.

But an EasyJet spokesperson eased potential traveler's anxieties, saying the fog is simply the result of condensation and that 'this is completely safe.'

'On board aircraft it is sometimes possible to see the air conditioning system cooling and condensing the warm air from outside, which is what passengers could see on this flight from Nice to Gatwick,' the spokesperson said.

'We can confirm this is completely safe for everyone on board. The safety of our passengers and crew is our highest priority.'

A viewer who saw Gowarty's clip also commented on how the phenomenon is very common.

'Its just the condensation from the heat outside and the cold air in the plane!! Its totally normal especially in the summer or when its hot out!' the person wrote.

Savannah Gowarty, left, posted a TikTok on a New York-bound flight where a heavy mist dumped on passenger. Another woman, right, is seen in the aisle with her hair completely soaked

Another commenter backed up this claim, saying that condensation like this 'happens often' on flights in the southern United States where it can get quite hot outside.

Still, the vast majority of people who engaged with Gowarty's video were sharing in her outrage, saying they'd demand compensation if they were in her shoes.

La Roche Posay, a French skin care brand, also commented on the viral video, taking a more glass half-full approach.

'Four hour flight plus free misty refresh for dewy skin,' the company wrote, to which Gowarty responded with: 'Thats one way to look at it!'

DailyMail.com has approached Gowarty for comment.
A Sydney father-of-three who racked up a huge gambling bill and fell to his death from a P&O Cruise ship has been remembered at a touching funeral attended by scores of friends and family.

Shane Dixon, 45, died after falling overboard while sailing on an Elvis-themed cruise ship Pacific Adventure just after 4am on May 6 as it approached Sydney Harbour.

The truck driver, from Campbelltown in Sydney's west, had been on the three-day cruise with his mother Sue Dixon, 66, who had saved up to book the trip as a holiday treat for the pair.

But he plunged to his death as the luxury P&O liner Pacific Adventure approached Sydney Harbour, after he racked up $9,000 in gambling losses over two nights at the cruise ship's onboard casino.

On Thursday, about a hundred mourners packed Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Camden to say goodbye, with heartbroken friends and family paying tribute following his tragic death.

During the service a ceremonial casket sat upon the altar with a decorative RM Williams flag and floral arrangement alongside a framed photo of Shane.

Shane Dixon is pictured with his mother Sue Dixon - who saved up to take them on the ship

Shane Dixon, 45, plunged to his death from the P&O cruise ship Pacific Adventure just after 4am on May 6 as it approached Sydney Harbour

During the service a ceremonial casket sat upon the altar with a decorative RM Williams flag and floral arrangement alongside a framed photo of Shane

A number of motorbike enthusiasts joined the crowd of mourners, along with a ceremonial Harley Davidson escort for the man known as a 'charismatic country music lover'.

A family speaker noted Shane's struggles with mental health and how he was estranged from his three children who were not identified during the brief service.

He was the eldest of Wilber and Lynn's five children, mourners heard and attended Thomas Acres public school and Thomas Riddell High School.

Let's just say he didn't have a passion for learning, a celebrant said. He was also known to his teachers as the class clown.

According to those close to the family, Shanes playful nature can be summed-up by one of his favourite songs 'The Wombat Wobble' which was rang out at the end of the moving service.

In an ode to his profession the truckers anthem 'Convoy' played during the slideshow which displayed photos from happier times.

The family remembered his love of the great outdoors and his life spread across multiple Australian states.

The celebrant added: 'He lived in South Australia for a while, which is where he welcomed his first child.

'Shane loved to go fishing and camping and he loved living in Darwin and just being in the country.'

Shane's brother Scott revealed his brother had been going through a tough time as he struggled financially.

He had also been grappling with a series of tragedies, including the breakdown of his marriage and deaths of their brother and father.

To let off some steam, Shane went to the cruise's casino on Friday and spent $5,000 as casino staff lavished him with free drinks, a $750 play voucher and a ticket for a future cruise.

Shane borrowed $5,000 from his mother to repay the debt, but returned to the casino the following night and amassed a further $4,000 bill as he tried to win back the previous night's losses.

Family fought back tears as the farewelled their 'beloved son, brother and uncle' Shane Dixon

Mourners gathered in Camden to farewell the charismatic country music lover

Mourners comforted one another after the brief service

Scott believes Shane would have realised the gravity of his situation as the ship began to make its way back to Australian waters, where cruise casinos shut down.

Shane fell from the cruise just 10 nautical miles from Sydney Harbour.

His family have now blasted unethical practices used by cruise companies to incentivise gambling under 'international waters' guidelines - which would be considered illegal in Australia - which encouraged him to run up the huge debt.

Scott admitted P&O staff had show compassion towards his mother but insisted the company's casino policies are irresponsible.

In Australia, strict laws govern how gaming providers can advertise gambling. Promotions such as giving patrons free booze, gambling vouchers and prizes to encourage them to spend are all banned.

Pacific Adventure Cruise ship as it sails into Sydney Harbour hours after Mr Dixon plummeted overboard

However, cruise ships that operate casinos in international waters can bypass these regulations - offering a lucrative loophole to the rules.

Punters also don't need to pay upfront and can put their splurge straight on to their room bill - making it easier to spend and harder to track.

Carnival, the parent company of P&O Cruises, responded to the allegations in a statement to Daily Mail Australia earlier this week.

'P&O Cruises Australia appreciates the feedback from guests,' said a spokesman.

'We have Responsible Gaming Conduct Policies on all P&O ships and take those policies seriously.

'We encourage any guest with concerns to get in contact with us so that we can investigate.'

For confidential support 24/7 call Lifeline 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636

For gambling support 24/7 call the National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858
An accused Australian jihadi has refused to respond to a magistrate as he ordered the former rapper to stand trial for terrorism offences.

Once branded as Australia's most-wanted alleged terrorist, Neil Christopher Prakash appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court via video link on Thursday.

Wearing a black long-sleeve shirt, Prakash sat silently in the prison room and stared straight ahead as Magistrate Rohan Lawrence spoke.

'Mr Prakash, can you see and hear me?' the magistrate asked.

The accused did not respond despite doing so with his lawyers earlier.

The accused terror recruiter also did not respond when the magistrate asked him to enter a guilty or not guilty plea to the terrorism-related offences, which include engaging in hostile activity in a foreign state, being a member of a terrorist organisation and advocating terrorism.

'I noted that you have not responded so I have entered a plea of not guilty,' the magistrate said.

'In relation to the six charges, I am satisfied a jury could convict you on those six charges,' he said.

The accused terror recruiter did not respond when the magistrate asked him to enter a guilty or not guilty plea

Prakash was sentenced to seven years imprisonment before being deported back to Australia in December 2022

The court heard Prakash 'no longer held the violent extremist views that he used to'

Mr Lawrence handed down his decision to commit Prakash to stand trial before a Supreme Court jury after four days of evidence from former friends and counter-terrorism police.

Prakash left Melbourne and travelled to Syria in 2013 to join Islamic State before he was captured by Turkish authorities while fleeing across the border in 2016.

Prakash was convicted by a Turkish court in 2019 on charges to the effect of being a member of a terrorist organisation.

Investigators are yet to determine whether there is an equivalent charge under Australian law.

He was sentenced to seven years imprisonment before being deported back to Australia in December 2022.

Earlier on Thursday the court finished hearing evidence from the Australian Federal Police's joint counter-terrorism team case manager Detective Senior Constable Dennis Scott.

Defence lawyer Liz Morgan asked Det Scott about the evolution in Prakash's beliefs following his deportation to Australia in 2022.

Det Scott told the court that while he has observed changes in Prakash's hardline views, he remains staunch about not recognising the criminal justice system.

Det Scott said he genuinely believes Prakash has 'moderated his views' after he and his team spent time talking with the alleged terrorist.

'The discussions I had with Prakash and the time we spent (together), he verbalised he no longer held the violent extremist views that he used to,' he said.

'He is still conservative in relation to Islam but still can articulate an argument.'

Det Scott told the court said it would be highly likely Prakash would have expressed this change through private messages to others after arriving in Syria and realising the struggle.

'For those who travel to conflict zones, when they arrive and understand the realities are very different, that can be a trigger that changes their view,' Det Scott said.

'Anyone in that conflict zone that espouses views opposite to IS would put themselves in grave danger.'

The detective indicated Prakash expressed the danger of other jihadists in Australian prisons finding out the departure from his hardline beliefs.

'For someone who had previously held these views and changed their ways, they would no longer be viewed as true Muslims by those who continue to hold those same views,' he said.

Prakash could potentially have charges against him ruled out as the defence attempts to invoke a legal concept known as double jeopardy where a court is unable to deal with a person for a charge they have previously been dealt with in another jurisdiction.

Prakash will face the Supreme Court on June 3.
Aussie tourists stranded on a Pacific Island that has plunged into civil unrest claim they have been abandoned by the Australian government.

New Caledonia, around 1,210 km east off Australia's north-east coast in the Pacific Ocean, descended into violence on Tuesday with authorities declaring a state of emergency in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Riots broke out across the French territory two days ago after legislators in Paris put forward a bill to allow French citizens who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years to be allowed to vote in regional elections.

Cars were set on fire and streets were blocked with police vehicles and hundreds of tactical squad officers, as thousands of protestors clashed with police and security officials.

New Caledonia has been besieged by violence with rioters setting fire to cars (pictured) and streets on Tuesday over a controversial electoral law introduced by France

The move has angered the island's indigenous Kanak population, who believe their votes will be outnumbered if the measure is enforced.

Dozens of Aussies who are currently in New Caledonia have been left stranded due to the civil unrest that has escalated in recent days.

One Aussie tourist, Max Winchester, said he and is wife fear for their safety after their requests for travel assistance to return home were denied.

'We called DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) twice and their response was basically, we're on our own,' he told 3AW on Wednesday morning.

Mr Winchester, who lives in Woodend in Melbourne's north-west, said they have been forced to stay put in a resort as tensions between the violent mob and authorities escalated rapidly.

'We were in the city walking around on Tuesday morning and everything was fine. We went to lunch, came back from lunch, and everything turned,' he said.

'Looting started, shops on fire, supermarkets looted, so there's now people without food including tourists.'

Police and tactical squad officers (pictured) blocked roads in a bid to restore order as the violence escalated

Aussie tourists who have been left stranded on the Pacific Island claim they have been denied travel assistance by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (pictured, containers of water on a street in New Caledonia)

Several other Australian tourists including Nicole Hatten and her family are trapped in the capital of Noumea, as streets across the city were set on fire.

'It was a little bit scary and a bit confronting to know that this is going on,' Ms Hatten told 7 News.

Another traveller, Mike Lightfoot, also expressed his concern about the unfolding situation.

'Quite a frightening experience. As we approached one of the roundabouts, there would have been about 150 people rioting,' he said.

Three young Kanak people have been killed and a young police official also died due to the violence.

The Australian government has called for calm and has upgraded its travel advice, warning people to reconsider their need to travel.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged Australians in New Caledonia to stay safe and said the government is keeping a close eye on the situation.

'Our consulate-general in Noumea is advising Australians in New Caledonia to minimise movements, monitor the media and follow the advce of local authorities,' he told parliament on Wednesday during Question Time.

'The government has also increased the overall level of advice for New Caledonia and now advises travellers to exercise a high degree of caution,' Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Thursday.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured) urged Australian tourists in New Caledonia to stay safe as the government monitors the situation

Rioters (pictured) have taken to the streets to voice their displeasure at new electoral laws the French government intends to introduce in the island territory

Protestors took over the streets (pictured), with the riots leading to the deaths of three Indigenous people and a young police official

The Australian Consulate General in Noumea is temporarily closed, according to the smartraveller website.

Australians have been instructed to contact the government's 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre should they require assistance.

'We've increased the level of advice for New Caledonia and now advise a high degree of caution overall due to protests and travel disruptions,' the website states.

'A state of emergency is in place in New Caledonia. A curfew is in place for the Noumea metropolitan area between 6pm and 6am until further notice.'

The international airport is also understood to be closed due to the disruptions.

The French government has also called for tensions to subside, as France deployed law enforcement officials from the country to beef up security in a bid to restore calm.
Police arrested at least a dozen anti-Israel protestors as they cleared a lecture hall and student encampment at the University of California, Irvine.

The University put out an emergency alert on Wednesday declaring a 'violent protest' after 'a group of several hundred protestors entered the UC Irvine campus and began surrounding' the Physical Sciences Lecture Hall.

Officers from ten nearby law-enforcement agencies converged on the campus in riot gear, clashing with protestors and clearing the encampment.

At least a dozen students were arrested, according to CNN, with many being secured with zip ties and led away by officers.

'The police have retaken the lecture hall,' UC Irvine spokesperson Tom Vasich said, 'The plaza has been cleared by law-enforcement officers.'

Police descended on the University of California, Irvine, on Wednesday after the school declared a 'violent protest' and requested assistance

Vasich said there were a 'minimal number of arrests' and characterized the protesters as 'begrudgingly cooperative.'

It took about four hours for police to eject the protesters from both the lecture hall and the plaza that had been the site of the encampment.

Shortly before nightfall, officers moved in on the lecture hall and engaged in a tense standoff with protesters at the encampment.

Helmeted police wielding batons formed a line against protesters. They gradually moved forward, pushing the students back every few minutes, until the officers rushed the crowd and made more arrests.

Most demonstrators then retreated and police held the otherwise empty plaza strewn with trash while a few onlookers remained at the periphery.

Twelve protestors were arrested, according to CNN, with many secured with zip ties and led away

There was already an encampment at the university that had been there since April 29

The university said all classes would be held remotely on Thursday, asking employees not to come to campus.

The demonstration at Irvine, about 40 miles south of Los Angeles, is the latest in a series of campus protests across the United States over the war in Gaza.

Activists have called for a ceasefire and the protection of civilian lives while demanding universities divest from Israeli interests.

UC Irvine protesters had established an encampment adjacent to the lecture hall on April 29 similar to those at other universities that have led to mass arrests and clashes with police elsewhere in the country.

On Wednesday 200 to 300 protesters took over the lecture hall at a time when no classes were in session, Vasich said.

Hundreds of anti-Israel protestors descended on the campus on Wednesday afternoon, taking over a lecture hall

Police responded in riot gear and formed a barricade while an officer on a loudspeaker warned the crowd that they had formed an unlawful assembly and risked arrest if they remained, the Orange County Register reported.

Students chanted slogans, banged drums and hoisted banners, with rows of police standing nearby.

One banner hung from the building declared the site 'Alex Odeh Hall,' in honor of a Palestinian activist who was killed in a 1985 office bombing in the nearby city of Santa Ana.

Four adjacent research buildings with potentially hundreds of people inside were locked down, and those inside were instructed to shelter in place.

Since the day the encampment began, Chancellor Howard Gillman said the university has been in talks with students but has been unable to reach an agreement to find an 'appropriate and non-disruptive' alternative site.

Protestors are calling for a ceasefire and for the university to divest from Israeli interests

Students chanted slogans, banged drums and hoisted banners, with rows of police standing nearby

Gillman has said the university cannot selectively decide not to enforce rules against the illegal encampment and that 'The University of California has made it clear it will not divest from Israel.'

'Encampment protesters have focused most of their demands on actions that would require the university to violate the academic freedom rights of faculty, the free speech rights of faculty and fellow students, and the civil rights of many of our Jewish students,' Gillman said on Monday.

Protests have swept university campuses across the country over the past month with classes shut down and hundreds arrested starting at Columbia.
Yesterday's attempted assassination of Slovakia's Prime Minister has sparked fears that Europe may see another 'Franz Ferdinand' moment amid soaring political tensions and an ever-deepening East-West divide.

The murder of the Austro-Hungarian Archduke and his wife as they drove through Sarajevo on a summer's day in 1914 is widely seen as the catalyst that triggered World War I and led to the deaths of some 20 million people.

Now almost 110 years later, Slovakian Premier Robert Fico is fighting for his life in critical condition after he was shot five times in a 'politically motivated' assassination attempt outside government offices as he greeted supporters north-east of the capital Bratislava.

The shooter, 71-year-old Juraj Cintula from Levice, could be seen waiting at a barrier for the PM to approach before drawing his weapon in footage published by Slovak outlet RTV Prievidza.

Despite being flanked by five guards, Cintula managed to fire off five shots at point-blank range before being taken down by the PM's security detail. The prime minister was rushed to a nearby hospital in a helicopter following the shooting and underwent lifesaving surgery.

The heinous attack on the pro-Putin PM - who is an outspoken critic of Western support for Kyiv and ran an anti-American and anti-EU campaign for his re-election - comes at arguably the most delicate time in recent European history, as Russia's war in Ukraine rages just across the Slovakian border.

Now there are concerns that the attempt on Fico's life could create another domino effect and serve as a prelude to a catastrophic clash between Russia and Europe.

Slovakia's PM Robert Fico (pictured) is fighting for his life in hospital following an assassination attempt on Wednesday

Security scrambled to tackle the shooter, 71-year-old Juraj Cintula from Levice, to the ground

An individual from within the crowd can be seen lunging forward, with a gun in hand as he begins shooting in the direction of the PM who is out of the camera frame

The prime minister was airlifted to a nearby hospital after suffering gunshot wounds to the arm and stomach

Slovak Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok speaks during a press conference at F.D. Roosevelt University Hospital, where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is being treated

Slovak Defence Minister Robert Kalinak said we must put our trust 'in the hands of the medical specialists', as he appealed to the public to 'pray' for Fico's recovery

Mr Kalinak continued that 'no one wants a Slovakia like this' and he can't 'find the words' for the 'madness' that is being witnessed

Graphic depicting the events following the shooting of Slovakian PM Robert Fico

The assassination of Franz Ferdinand On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand - the nephew of Emperor Franz Joseph and heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire - was shot dead. He was assassinated in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with his Serbian wife, Sophie, on June 28, 1914. Eventually killed by 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip, the couple had earlier that day been attacked by another man who threw a grenade at their car. The assassination started a domino effect which led to the outbreak of the First World War a month later. Princip and others wanted Bosnia to become part of Serbia. Austria-Hungary, like many in countries around the world, blamed the Serbian government for the attack and hoped to use the incident as justification for settling the question of Slav nationalism once and for all. As Russia supported Serbia, an Austro-Hungarian declaration of war was delayed until its leaders received assurances from German leader Kaiser Wilhelm that Germany would support their cause in the event of a Russian interventionwhich would likely involve Russias ally, France, and possibly Britain as well. On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and the tenuous peace between Europes great powers collapsed. Within a week, Russia, Belgium, France, Great Britain and Serbia had lined up against Austria-Hungary and Germany, and the First World War had begun. Advertisement

Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former commanding officer of the 1st Royal Tank Regiment, the UK's chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defence unit, told The Mail last night: 'There are high stakes in Europe and the threat of a wider war only benefits Putin.

'This is yet another wake-up call to the West. If we ignore this latest threat to Western security the chances of getting drawn into a wider war in Europe are manifestly greater.'

Thus far, it appears cooler heads have prevailed, with Slovakia's opposition appealing for calm and calling off planned protests.

Slovakia's deputy prime minister Tomas Taraba said this morning that Mr Fico is 'not in [a] life-threatening situation at this moment'.

'As far as I know, the operation went well and I guess that at the end he will survive,' he told the BBC.

Yesterday, the country's interior minister Matus Sutaj Estok suggested during a press conference outside the hospital treating Fico that preliminary information 'clearly' points to a 'political motivation'.

Fico was re-elected for the fourth time last October off the back of an anti-EU and has since supported a more pro-Russia position, including most recently by pledging to stop military support for Ukraine.

He declared in January that his country would halt its military aid - a major blow for Ukraine as the two countries share Soviet-era designs, meaning that Slovak stocks of everything from bullets and tank rounds to spare parts for fighter jets fit seamlessly into what Ukrainians need.

He also unveiled a slew of other more authoritarian plans, including a crackdown on the press that precipitated the scrapping of public broadcaster RTVS.

Thousands of demonstrators have rallied in the capital and elsewhere to protest against such measures, including plans to amend the penal code to eliminate a special anti-corruption prosecutor.

Russian president Putin  who is currently in Beijing to strengthen ties with China  spoke highly of Fico, who like Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has expressed disdain at the West's involvement in the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

'I know Robert Fico to be a courageous and strong-spirited man. I very much hope that these qualities will help him to withstand this difficult situation,' Putin said.

Speaking prior to Fico's surgery, defence minister Robert Kalinak said there was 'no good news at the moment' and that he had placed trust 'in the hands of the medical specialists' as he appealed to the public to 'pray' for Fico's recovery.

Mr Kalinak continued that 'no one wants a Slovakia like this' and he can't 'find the words' for the 'madness' that is being witnessed.

The alleged assassin 71-year-old Juraj Cintula, from Levice

Harrowing footage captured the moment Robert Fico's security officials lunged over a barrier to take down the shooter

Russian president Vladimir Putin  who is currently in Beijing to strengthen ties with China  spoke highly of Fico who was elected off the back of an anti-EU campaign and has since pledged to end his nation's delivery of military aid to Kyiv

Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands prior to talks in Beijing, China, on Thursday, May 16, 2024

In videos published online, Fico can be seen stumbling backwards after the first shot, before tripping over a bench behind him and falling to the ground, as armed security piles in from all sides.

Onlookers can be seen jumping back in horror and scrambling to avoid further gunfire.

Moments later, a black car came screeching into view and security guards hauled the prime minister's slumped body into the back seat and drove him to meet an air ambulance.

Shortly after news of the shooting broke, world leaders began to send well-wishes to the PM while condemning the attack.

US President Joe Biden condemned the shooting as a 'horrific act of violence,' adding that he and First Lady Jill Biden 'are praying for a swift recovery, and our thoughts are with his family and the people of Slovakia.'

Russian President Putin called the attach a 'heinous crime', adding: 'I know Robert Fico to be a courageous and strong-spirited man. I very much hope that these qualities will help him to withstand this difficult situation'.

French President Macron offered 'solidarity' with Slovakia and German Chancellor Scholz called for the 'end to violence in politics'.

A witness told Slovakian news site Dennik that Fico had left the building to greet people who had gathered to catch a glimpse of him before 'several shots were fired'.

Juraj Cintula, 71, is a writer and founder member of a literary club. His son was quoted as telling local media: 'I have no idea what father intended, what he planned, why it happened. Maybe there was some short circuit'

A general view of the F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital where Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico is undergoing operation

A black car was seen speeding around to the scene of the attack before the PM was bundled in

The man accused of shooting PM Robert Fico is a writer, poet and founder member of a literary club, it emerged yesterday.

Shocked neighbours of Juraj Cintula, 71, described him and his wife as 'fantastic'.

His son was quoted as telling local media:' I have no idea what father intended, what he planned, why it happened. Maybe there was some short circuit.'

It has also emerged that in 2016, while working as a security guard in a supermarket in Levice where he lives, he was attacked by a man and left badly bruised.

A TV interview with Cintula from the time shows him with a black eye in the clip he said of his attacker:' He was drugged. He started throwing chickens from the shelves onto the ground, then he started juggling them.'

The man then began punching and kicking Cintula before police arrived and his attacker was taken away.

Cintula, who was chairman of the Duha Literary Club until he left in 2016 wrote three poems which were posted onto the club's Facebook page.

They were called Dream of a Rebel, Diptych and Wasps and he is also a member of the Association of Slovak Writers.

Police work at the scene after a shooting incident in which Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was wounded by five gun shots, police confirmed

Forensics teams set up outside the House of Culture in Handlova

An emergency services helicopter takes off from the F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital

Police and security officers stand guard outside F.D. Roosevelt University Hospital, where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was taken after he was wounded in a shooting incident in Handlova

Robert Fico (pictured centre) being carried away by security officials into a car after he was shot in Handlova, north-east of Bratislava, following a Slovak government meeting

The Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico has been 'shot and wounded'

Cintula has however posted several political videos on YouTube and Facebook.

In one from eight years ago he said:' The world is full of violence and weapons. People seem to be going crazy.

'A number of migrants are flowing into Europe, there is hatred and extremism everywhere. But worst of all, the governments of European states have no alternative to this chaos. But that's what a person is after all.'

He also said that he was founding an anti violence movement in Levice.

He said in one clip: 'Every normal person rejects violence. Our goal is to unite people, preserve peace and restore democracy. It is very difficult because no one trusts anyone anymore. The world is full of chaos and hatred.'

On its Facebook page, which includes Cintula's email, The Movement Against Violence describes itself as a 'emerging political party whose goal is to prevent the spread of violence in society. To prevent war in Europe and the spread of hatred.'

The last post is from April 2022, a few weeks after the start of the war in Ukraine and says:' What Slavic brotherhood? There is only the aggressor and the attacked.'

The alleged assailant was detained by cops at the scene

The gunman is allegedly 71-year-old Juraj C

The attacker was pushed to the ground and handcuffed

Robert Fico is in 'life threatening condition' according to a message posted to his Facebook following the attack

One person present at the shooting on Wednesday told Romania's Digi24: 'We went to shake hand to mister Fico, I was taking pictures of him when he walked out of the building, we were waiting for long time, we were excited, we wanted to shake his hand, even one man next to me, and at this moment we heard something like a petard, we thought someone made a joke and threw a firecracker on the ground, that was my first reaction,' she said.

Who is Robert Fico? Robert Fico, 59, is the current Prime Minister of Slovakia, having served since September 2023. He previously served from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018. Fico was forced to step down as prime minister following the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak in 2018. He founded the Direction - Social Democracy (Smer) party in 1999 and has led the party since its foundation. He holds a record as the longest-serving prime minister in the country's history, having served for a total of over 10 years. Advertisement

'I heard three shots, it was quick one by one like if you throw a firecracker on the ground,' she added.

When asked by a journalist if she had seen his injuries, she responded: 'Yes I saw a scratch on a head and then he fell next to the barrier.

'I think it is a nightmare, I'll tell you I think I will not wake up from this. That this is not possible to happen in Slovakia.'

Following the shock attack, Peter Pellegrini, Slovakia's president-elect and an ally of Robert Fico, has said that 'an assassination attempt on the Prime Minister is a threat to everything that has adorned Slovak democracy so far.'

'I am horrified by where the hatred towards another political opinion can lead.

'We don't have to agree on everything, but there are plenty of ways to express our disagreement democratically and legally,' he added.

The head of the liberal political party Progressive Slovakia, Michala Simecek, said:' We unequivocally and strongly condemn any violence. We trust that Prime Minister Fico will be fine and that this terrible act will be brought to light as soon as possible.'

Fico has been serving as the PM of Slovakia since September 2023, having returned to power after serving previously from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018.

During his run in 2016, the leader commented on Brexit saying it was unclear what the United Kingdom wanted, adding that it 'must suffer' more than the 27 countries who will remain in the bloc.

The PM was shot in Handlova, north-east of Bratislava

Rescue workers take Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot and injured, to a hospital in the town of Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia. He is pictured covered in a white sheet

Robert Fico pictured speaking with people before the cabinet's away-from-home session in the town of Handlova, Slovakia

It is not currently known what the shooter's motives were behind the attack

Czech PM, Petr Fiala said: 'We must not tolerate violence, it must have no place in society'

Law enforcement arrives at the scene of the gun attack which saw the prime minister shot

Following Wednesday's shooting, Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova condemned 'a brutal and ruthless' attack on the premier.

'I'm shocked,' Ms Caputova said.

'I wish Robert Fico a lot of strength in this critical moment and a quick recovery from this attack.'

Deputy speaker of parliament Lubos Blaha confirmed the incident during a session of Parliament and adjourned it until further notice, the Slovak TASR news agency said.

Czech PM, Petr Fiala, responded to the attack on X, formerly Twitter, posting: 'The news about the shooting Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is shocking.

'I wish the prime minister to get well as soon as possible. We must not tolerate violence, it must have no place in society.'

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also shared a message to X, relaying his shock following the gun attack.

'Shocked to hear this awful news. All our thoughts are with Prime Minister Fico and his family,' he wrote.

Ukraine's PM, Volodymyr Zelensky said: 'The attack on Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico is appalling.

'We strongly condemn this act of violence against our neighbouring partner state's head of government. Every effort should be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country, form, or sphere.

'We sincerely hope Robert Fico recovers soon and express our solidarity with the people of Slovakia'.

Parliament was sitting at the time of the attack and local Slovak media reported that a party colleague of Fico's shouted at opposition MPs, accusing them of inciting the attack.
Did YOU donate to him or were your loved ones' details used?

Did YOU donate to him or were your loved ones' details used?

Britain's 'kindest plumber' is at the centre of new claims after allegedly exploiting vulnerable people to make millions from donations - which he used to buy a house and a car.

James Anderson, 56, has received plaudits including letters of thanks from the King and the late Queen and a Pride of Britain award for his 'selfless acts'.

Yet his reputation as a do-gooder seems to be at risk of crumbling. Last year, MailOnline revealed the plumber who runs social enterprise Depher was accused of wrongly characterising one of his moving social media stories.

Now, the supposedly chivalrous plumber has been accused in a BBC investigation of peddling lies and exploiting the vulnerable as he made 2million in donations from the public as well as stars including Hugh Grant and Lily Allen.

Anderson was even accused of making up claims he saved an 84-year-old woman from killing herself and publicising clients' private information despite them refusing him permission.

Did YOU donate to him or were your loved ones' details used? Email chris.matthews@mailonline.co.uk

James Anderson has been hailed as 'Britain's kindest plumber' but is now embroiled in a row over his social media posts

Anderson was even accused of making up claims he saved an 84-year-old woman from killing herself

Anderson, 56, founded and runs Depher  which stands for Disabled and Elderly, Plumbing and Heating Emergency Response  and he regularly talks about repairing and replacing broken boilers free of charge for those in need.

He often posts messages on Facebook and X - formerly Twitter - of his good deeds in helping hard-up pensioners, struggling families and cancer patients.

An investigation by the BBC found Anderson made at least 2million in donations after capitalising on the cost of living crisis with social media sob stories.

Some of those tales were allegedly lies, with Anderson admitting 'I've made mistakes' but blaming his missteps on a campaign of 'bullying' by online trolls.

Anderson's company Depher is a Community Interest Company, which means it should provide a defined public benefit.

The woman's daughter told the broadcaster the post's claims were 'a complete lie' and made it seem Anderson was 'using vulnerable people like my mother as a money-making machine'

Depher was said to have posted videos and photos of a man in his 90s more than 20 times that included information about his sexuality even though he said 'God no' when asked if he would agree to be filmed

His company says it provides 'free or heavily subsidised emergency plumbing and heating services to vulnerable and struggling' people.

Yet while the company has helped many people, Anderson and Depher are now mired in allegations of lies and exploitation.

In one such case, Depher allegedly peddled a false suicide claim that portrayed Anderson as a hero.

A post from June 12, 2022, showed a woman with her face covered next to Anderson with the caption: 'Shared with permission. A lady, 84 years old rang @DepherUK & spoke to myself, she was upset and desperate. She lived 53 miles away in #Preston. I drive as fast as I could, when in got there she had a Noose ready to commit suicide. All she wanted was hot water! #costoflivingcrisis.'

The woman actually died in February 2020, the BBC said.

The woman's daughter told the broadcaster the post's claims were 'a complete lie' and made it seem Anderson was 'using vulnerable people like my mother as a money-making machine'.

Anderson went viral with his social media posts, in which he performs utility services for the elderly and vulnerable without charge

Anderson admitted the post was false and apologised to the family but denied putting the image online himself.

The same image was posted online seven times between February 2021 and August 2023, with varying ages and locations, the BBC reported.

In another case, Depher was said to have posted videos and photos of a man in his 90s more than 20 times that included information about his sexuality even though he said 'God no' when asked if he would agree to be filmed.

In another case a domestic abuse victim was allegedly pictured online with her child and accused of theft despite no evidence being provided.

The company has been accused of creating misleading posts with an image of a dead woman.

Staff at Depher also told the BBC of safety fears and an image emerged of a worker smoking while fixing a boiler that was said to have a gas leak.

In a rambling post before the BBC's investigation was published, Mr Anderson claimed the broadcaster and 'online trolls' who could have links 'a large national charity and political party' were trying to shut his company down.

MailOnline has contacted Mr Anderson for comment.

Did YOU donate to him or were your loved ones' details used? Email chris.matthews@mailonline.co.uk
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Prince Harry's childhood friend Hugh van Cutsem has appeared alongside Jeremy Clarkson while stalking deer in TV's Clarkson's Farm - in a sign that the rift between the two has not yet healed.

Mr van Cutsem, one of the Duke of Sussex's oldest and previously closest friends, was referred to as 'Hugh' in episode seven of the new series of Amazon Prime show hosted by Clarkson, who is a nemesis of Harry due to his comments about Meghan.

And his full identity has raised eyebrows after Clarkson was condemned by Prince Harry in January last year when the TV presenter wrote a notorious article in The Sun.

Clarkson said he hated the Duchess of Sussex on 'a cellular level' and wanted to see Meghan paraded through the streets, naked, while people threw excrement at her.

The Grand Tour star later apologised by email to the Sussexes and said he was 'mortified', but Harry's spokesman condemned 'his long-standing pattern of writing articles that spread hate rhetoric, dangerous conspiracy theories and misogyny'.

Jeremy Clarkson and Hugh van Cutsem in episode seven of the new series of Clarkson's Farm

Hugh van Cutsem was referred to by Jeremy Clarkson as 'Hugh' in his show Clarkson's Farm

Jeremy Clarkson speaks to British Deer Society chairman Hugh van Cutsem in Clarkson's Farm

Prince Harry stands with Hugh van Cutsem as they attend a requiem mass for the latter's late father, also called Hugh van Cutsem, at Brentwood Cathedral in Essex in September 2013

Princes Harry and William smile with Hugh van Cutsem (left) at the wedding of the latter's brother Edward van Cutsem outside Chester Cathedral in November 2004

Details about 49-year-old Mr van Cutsem appearing on Clarkson's show - which was filmed at Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire last year - and his old friendship with Harry were revealed today by the Daily Mail's diary editor Richard Eden.

But after Clarkson's comments about Meghan in December 2022, Mr van Cutsem's appearance alongside him would surely have been unthinkable were they still friends.

Mr van Cutsem - whose late father, also named Hugh, was one of King Charles's oldest friends - has known Harry and his brother Prince William all their lives.

William was senior usher at Mr van Cutsem's wedding, when he married Rose Astor in 2005, and is godfather to their daughter Grace.

Grace was a bridesmaid at William and Kate's wedding six years later at Westminster Abbey in 2011 and famously covered her ears on the Buckingham Palace balcony because of the noise of the cheering crowds as the newlyweds kissed.

Mr van Cutsem and Rose tried to help Meghan feel at home after she moved to Britain, having her and Harry over for supper at their house in West London.

Hugh van Cutsem and his wife Rose attend the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in May 2018

Princes Harry and William with Hugh van Cutsem as they attend a requiem mass for the latter's late father, also called Hugh van Cutsem, at Brentwood Cathedral in Essex in September 2013

Hugh van Cutsem's mother Emilie van Cutsem (centre) with Princess Eugenie's now-husband Jack Brooksbank (left) at Harry and Meghan's wedding in St George's Chapel in May 2018

They also attended Harry and Meghan's wedding at Windsor Castle in 2018.

But after the dramatic announcement in early 2020 that Harry and Meghan intended to 'step back' as senior members of the Royal Family, it was seemingly publicly mocked by Rose.

She joked on social media at the time: 'I am standing back as a senior member of my tax return, because I'd rather drink coffee, see my friends, love my family and do yoga.'

Rose, 44, explained that these activities were infinitely preferable to keeping receipts and 'do[ing] maths which I swear is bad for my health'.

She later declined to discuss her comments, explaining: 'I'm so sorry, I can't say anything. I'm sure you understand. I'm going to be in so much trouble.'

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex eventually moved to California, where they now live in a 12million mansion in Montecito with their children Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, two.

Rose headed the membership committee of Soho Farmhouse, the exclusive Oxfordshire club, where Meghan held her hen party and where she and Harry occasionally stayed during the early months of their marriage.

Prince Harry is the godfather of Major Nicholas van Cutsem's daughter Florence. Nicholas and his wife Alice are pictured attending a wedding in London in December 2013

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after their wedding at Windsor Castle in May 2018. Prince Harry's goddaughter Florence van Cutsem is pictured second left, on the front row

Harry confirmed his rift with the van Cutsems in his 2023 memoir Spare, revealing that Hugh's mother, Emilie, and one of her four sons had contacted him to voice their fury after his explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.

The Duke wrote: 'Several close mates and beloved figures in my life, including one of Hugh and Emilie's sons, Emilie herself, and even Tiggy [Pettifer, his former nanny], had chastised me for Oprah. How could you reveal such things? About your family?'

The Duke also wrote in Spare about childhood play fights he had with Prince William and the van Cutsem children.

Mr van Cutsem has worked in investment for 20 years and is now the chairman of the British Deer Society as well as a director of the Cotswold Brewing Company.

But he is not the only friend Harry has fallen out with in recent years.

Tom 'Skippy' Inskip is one of the Dukes oldest friends having met when they were classmates at Eton College.

But they fell out when Mr Inskip advised Harry to take things slow with Meghan when the pair first began dating, according to the 2020 book Finding Freedom.

When Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior members of the Royal Family in 2020, the announcement was seemingly publicly mocked by Hugh van Cutsem's wife Rose online

Prince William is godfather to Grace van Cutsem, daughter of Hugh van Cutsem and his wife Rose. Grace was a bridesmaid at William and Kate's wedding six years later at Westminster Abbey in April 2011 and famously covered her ears on the Buckingham Palace balcony

A source close to the Sussexes claimed at the time that although his advice 'came from a good place,' Harry 'didn't totally see it that way'.

However, they are since thought to have made up following the death of Mr Inskip's mother-in-law after a battle with mental health issues.

As for Clarkson's column about Meghan, in June last year the press watchdog upheld a complaint that it was sexist towards Meghan, describing some of the comments about her as 'pejorative and prejudicial'.

The Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) also rejected complaints that the piece was inaccurate, harassed the duchess and included discriminatory references to her on the grounds of race.

In a statement, the newspaper said it accepted 'that with free expression comes responsibility', adding it has a 'proud history of campaigning for women'.

The Fawcett Society gender equality charity, which complained to Ipso, said the ruling is a 'landmark decision' about a 'vile and offensive' column.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Lagos State Governor's House in Nigeria last Sunday

The ruling was also the first time a complaint to Ipso about discrimination relating to someone's sex had been upheld, the regulator said.

In the article, Clarkson wrote: 'I hate her (Meghan). Not like I hate Nicola Sturgeon or Rose West. I hate her on a cellular level.'

The piece, which was published on page 17 of the newspaper on December 17 2022, became Ipso's most complained-about article, receiving more than 25,100 complaints.

Former Top Gear host Clarkson later apologised for the piece, describing his language as 'disgraceful' and said he was 'profoundly sorry'. The Sun also apologised and said it regretted the publication of the column, which was removed online.

Harry branded the article about his wife 'horrific, hurtful and cruel', adding what Clarkson had written would encourage people around the world to believe it is an acceptable way to treat women.
He was a youthful playmate of William and Harry since his late father was one of King Charles's oldest friends.

But now Hugh van Cutsem, who has known the royal brothers all their lives, seems to have grown further and further apart from the Duke of Sussex - even appearing on the show of Harry and Meghan's nemesis Jeremy Clarkson.

Clarkson's notorious article about Meghan saw him reveal how he hated the Duchess of Sussex on 'a cellular level' and wanted to see her paraded through the streets naked while people threw excrement at her.

The rift appears to have started in 2020, when Hugh's wife Rosie Astor - who he married in 2005 - offended Harry and Meghan by seemingly mocking their announcement that they intend to 'step back' as senior members of the Royal Family in 2020.

'I am standing back as a senior member of my tax return,' Rose wrote on social media, 'because I'd rather drink coffee, see my friends, love my family and do yoga.'

She later declined to discuss her comments, explaining: 'I'm so sorry, I can't say anything. I'm sure you understand. I'm going to be in so much trouble.'

Hugh is particularly close to Prince William, with the royal being a senior usher at Hugh and Rose's wedding in 2005.

Prince Harry speaking to his childhood friend Harry van Cutsem at a requiem mass for his late father, a Cambridge pal of Prince Charles, in September 2013

Princes Harry and William smiling with Hugh van Cutsem (left) at the wedding of his brother Edward van Cutsem in November 2004

Jeremy Clarkson was condemned by Prince Harry last year after he wrote a notorious article in The Sun

William is also the godfather to the couple's daughter Grace, who was a bridesmaid at William and Catherine's wedding in 2011.

Grace became known as the little girl who covered her ears on the Buckingham Palace balcony because of the noise of the cheering crowds as the newlyweds kissed.

Hugh and Rose had Meghan and Harry over to dinner at their house in West London after she moved to the UK from America, and also attended the royal couple's wedding in 2018.

Harry confirmed his rift with the Van Cutsems in his 2023 memoir, Spare, revealing that Hugh's mother, Emilie, and one of her four sons had contacted him to voice their fury after his explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The Duke wrote: 'Several close mates and beloved figures in my life, including one of Hugh and Emilie's sons, Emilie herself, and even Tiggy [Pettifer, his former nanny], had chastised me for Oprah. How could you reveal such things? About your family?'

Hugh has known the royal family his whole life, with his late father, also named Hugh, being one of Charles's dearest friends.

Hugh van Cutsem on the hit series Clarkson's Farm with Jeremy Clarkson

Princes Harry and William have been friends with Hugh van Cutsem (centre) since childhood

Hugh van Cutsem and his wife Rose at Prince Harry and Meghan's royal wedding in May 2018

Hugh's wife Rosie offended Harry and Meghan (pictured) by seemingly mocking their announcement that they intend to 'step back' as senior members of the Royal Family

Hugh van Cutsem became a friend of King Charles III during his university days at Cambridge. He went on to be a Life Guards officer and bloodstock breeder.

His father - Bernard van Cutsem - trained horses for Queen Elizabeth II as a horsebreeder and racehorse trainer.

His son Hugh is now chairman of The British Deer Society - most recently seen on Clarkson's Farm stalking deer with the star of the Amazon Prime show, Clarkson.

In 2022, it was reported that Hugh was caught on a speed camera driving an Audi RS6 at 89mph in a 60mph zone.

He pleaded guilty to exceeding the legal limit on the A1065, a single carriageway road at Ickburgh, at Norfolk Magistrates' Court.

The matter was adjourned to April 14 for a disqualification notice under a single justice procedure, the Oxford Mail reported.

His wife Rose is the daughter of David Astor, the co-founder of Jupiter Asset Management, Classic FM and a former deputy lieutenant of Oxfordshire.
A pro-Palestinian protester sunk their teeth into a police officer's arm as activists bloackaded a military technology factory in Glasgow.

Six police officers were injured during the demonstration outside the Thales defence firm on Linthhouse Road, Govan, Glasgow on Wednesday morning.

Two officers were rushed to hospital, with one remaining there for further assessment, while another was discharged, Police Scotland said.

The force said it was met with 'an unacceptable level of hostility and resistance' as officers arrested and charged four people, including three men aged 18, 28 and 29, along with a 21-year-old woman during the protests.

Violence erupted after as many as 50 activists formed human chains to block the entrance to the building and police officers tried to break the line.

Activists brandished banners bearing messages including 'This factory arms genocide' and 'Stop arming Israel' during the demonstration.

Police were seen to trying to break the human chains formed by activists outside the factory

Masked protesters and others wearing keffiyehs jostled with officers who tried to remove them

Masked protesters and others wearing keffiyeh scarves, a symbol of Palestinian identity, were seen being bundled into police vans and removed from the site.

Police had to fight their way through a small group of activists who tried to stop police vans from leaving the site by surrounding them and locking their arms together.

The protesters claim the factory makes and supplies parts to the Israeli military and directly involved in the production of the Watchkeeper drone.

It comes as Palestinians mark Nakba Day, which remembers May 15, 1948 and the estimated 750,000 of them who fled or were expelled during the warfare as Israel was created.

Activists claim the Govan factory manufactures and supplies parts used by the Israeli military

Chief Inspector Derrick Johnston said: 'When policing any protest our priorities are to ensure the safety of protestors, the public and police officers involved as well as preventing criminal behaviour or disorder and deescalating tensions.

'We are committed to protecting the rights of people who wish to protest, however when this is not done peacefully, officers are required to maintain public order and will exercise their powers of arrest if necessary.'

Officers were scrambled to the Govan site after the protest began at around 5am on Wednesday.

The four people charged will all be released on the proviso they appear in court at a later date, police said.

Officers had to fight their way through protesters who surrounded a police van leaving the site

A Thales spokesman said: 'Thales is extremely proud of its role in helping to protect the UK and keep our armed forces safe.

'Regarding exports, Thales adheres to the UK Governments industry control system for overseas sales, one of the most rigorous and transparent of its kind in the world.

'While those outside our site in Glasgow have the right to protest peacefully, we will work with authorities to prosecute anyone who threatens our employees, our property or our important work for the UK armed forces.'

It comes as the foreign secretary, Lord David Cameron, recently ruled out a UK ban on selling arms to Israel, pointing out that Britain only supplies one per cent of the nation's weapons.

He told the BBC last week that while he did not back a major ground offensive by Israel in the southern Gazan city of Rafah, he would not follow the US's lead in halting some arms sales to the country.
A Soho strip club with celebrity visitors including actor Chris Pratt and supermodel kate moss faces having its licence revoked after police found dancers and customers were breaching 'no touching' rules in booths.

The Metropolitan Police has lodged objections about Sunset Strip, in the heart of the West End, which dates back to 1960 and is where Pratt reportedly celebrated his engagement and Moss learnt to pole dance.

Officers found footage suggesting dancers were touching clients as well as fellow performers, against the rules of the club's sex establishment venue (SEV) licence.

Police also told Westminster Council's licensing officials that there was insufficient CCTV coverage of the entire venue and only one qualified bouncer when there should be at least two - and also raised concerns about an alleged spiking incident.

Councillors were due to meet this morning to consider the force's request - having previously voted last November in favour of keeping the venue open.

Sunset Strip, in Dean Street in London's Soho, faces having its licence revoked after a request by the Metropolitan Police to Westminster Council

Officers found footage suggesting dancers were touching clients as well as fellow performers, against the rules of the club's sex establishment venue (SEV) licence

Sunset Strip, which opened in 1960, is one of 13 clubs in the area to have an SEV licence though that status is now under threat.

Officers made several visits in January to collect CCTV footage after a man complained of having his drink spiked and losing his wallet and mobile phone.

While there they noticed several private dances taking place in booths featuring 'flagrant breaches' of a ban on touching between dancers and customers.

The club's manager allegedly shrugged his shoulders and offered no comment when challenged by police.

Sunset Strip management had previously promised to get rid of private dancing booths but these were still in operation, the Met's application to Westminster Council states.

Only one Security Industry Association-accredited bouncer was on duty while the only other employee on duty with SIA qualification was working behind the bar instead of on the door, according to the council documents.

CCTV footage eventually retrieved by officers showed several examples of illegal touching including a moment where two strippers performing with each other were seen to 'intentionally make contact with customers', police said.

A statement by the Met read: 'In one instance a customer has to move her hand away to avoid touching the dancers bottom.'

Pc Steve Muldoon, one of the officers inspecting the club, said in his report: 'The dancers were different with each dance for the customers, who were also different each time.

Hollywood star Chris Pratt, seen at a Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 special screening in New York on May 3 last year, reportedly partied into the early hours at Sunset Strip in January 2019

Supermodel Kate Moss, pictured at the 2024 King's Trust Global Gala in New York on May 2, is said to have used Sunset Strip's =downstairs theatre to learn pole dancing

'There was, however, one common factor that was the same - there was some clear graphic touching between the dancers and the customers and the customers and the dancers. This was the same for every dance with every dancer.

'On occasions it was clear staff were nearby and were completely complacent to the fact this was going on.

'There was no stopping the dancers and no interjecting when a customer was the one to touch. It was clear and obvious that there was an engrained culture in the club.'

Officers have said similar breaches were previously reported in 2019 and 2022.

MailOnline has approached Sunset Strip for comment.

Hollywood star Chris Pratt reportedly celebrated his engagement to Katherine Schwarzenegger by partying into the early hours at Sunset Strip in January 2019.

The A-list actor was said to have spent 5,000 on bottles of bourbon and champagne and jokingly asked a blonde stripper to marry him instead of Katherine, while visiting the UK to promote Lego Movie 2.

Supermodel Kate Moss is said to have used the club's downstairs theatre to learn pole dancing. it was said when the venue celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2010.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has sacked a parliamentary secretary after the upper house MP refused to withdraw his comments accusing police of violence and unethical practices at pro-Palestinian protests.

Mr Minns said on Thursday he had asked Anthony DAdam to withdraw the comments and revoked his appointment as customer service and digital government, youth justice and emergency services parliamentary secretary when he refused.

'Mr D'Adam did not raise his criticisms about NSW Police with me, the Police Minister or with NSW Police. The first we heard about it was his speech in parliament,' Mr Minns said in a statement.

'Mr D'Adam's comments do not represent the views of the NSW government.

'I have formed the view that his actions and criticisms of the NSW Police, without at any time speaking with colleagues to convey his concerns in relation to this matter, are incompatible with his position as Parliamentary Secretary.

'The NSW Police Force does an incredible and extremely difficult job and they have the full support of the NSW government.'

Mr D'Adam, who is a member of Labor Friends of Palestine NSW, will remain in the upper house. He was elected at the 2019 state election.

Mr Minns had earlier labelled Mr D'Adams comments as 'absolutely reprehensible,' however he said he didn't want to 'make a martyr' of the MP by sacking him.

It prompted calls from Opposition Leader Mark Speakman for the Premier to sack Mr D'Adam.

Anthony D'Adam (right) attending a pro-Palestinian protest in January of this year. Picture: X

On Wednesday night, Mr D'Adam told the upper house he believed police had failed to 'distinguish between real violence and pretend violence' regarding the 'harmless' actions of pro-Palestinian protest attendees.

Mr D'Adam, said the actions of police had 'made a liar' of NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb when she told budget estimates in February police operated under Peelian principles - the principle of policing with consent.

'The approach of the Public Order and Riot Squad at many Palestine protests makes a liar of the commissioner,' Mr D'Adam said.

'It used fear and intimidation as a means of obtaining compliance.

'We will not be intimidated, especially when we are trying to stop a genocide.'

During question time on Thursday, Mr Minns was asked by Liberal Vaucluse MP Kellie Sloane whether he would sack Mr D'Adam as the Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Services over his comments.

Mr Minns said he didn't want to 'make a martyr,' while blasting the Labor MP for his comments.

'I thought those comments were absolutely reprehensible I completely disassociate myself from them,' he said.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said Mr D'Adam's comments were 'absolutely reprehensible'. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

'We don't want to make a martyr of anyone in this set of circumstances and I thought that the comments from the member were completely outrageous.'

NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley also blasted Mr D'Adam's comments as 'offensive'.

'(It was) nothing other than attack on the hard working police of NSW,' she said.

'Our cops work tirelessly, day and night to keep our public safe. They are not political. They do not take sides.

'To say otherwise. It is dangerous for our democracy.'
Georgia May Brooke indulged in drugs and alcohol with partner Luke Cannon

The 'controlling' boyfriend of a professional dancer who was strangled to death during rough sex has been pictured for the first time as her devastated mother revealed how she became 'more submissive' after she met him.

Georgia May Brooke, 26, and Luke Cannon, 31, had cocaine and alcohol fuelled sex after taking the illegal party drug GHB.

But on February 3 2022 disaster struck after the personal trainer and gym teacher choked her unconscious and then maintained the grip on her neck until she went into cardiac arrest.

After an inquest into both deaths came to an end on Wednesday, Georgia's mother Samantha Beaumont blamed the dancer's partner and accused Mr Cannon of being 'controlling' and 'coercive', and of telling her what to wear.

When paramedics arrived at his home, in Bradford, West Yorkshire, following his 999 call they found Ms Brooke naked and without a pulse on his bed.

Despite CPR and adrenaline injections Georgina was pronounced dead at 12.34am at Bradford Royal Infirmary.

Luke Cannon, 31, hung himself after strangling his girlfriend to death during rough sex in February 2022

Georgia May Brooke, 26 was strangled to death by her boyfriend, personal trainer and gym owner Luke Cannon, 31

Speaking outside court, Georgia's mother Samantha Beaumont said her daughter's behaviour changed when she began dating Luke Cannon

In a statement read outside court after the inquest, Ms Beaumont said the family's 'journey to seeking justice and closure has finally come to an end'.

She added: 'Georgia had her whole life ahead of her. Her passion for dancing was her life and her true love. Georgia was 26 years young - a beautiful and talented dancer - adored and loved by her mother and equally by her family.

'Georgia, you are always in our hearts and forever on our minds. We love you, keep dancing with the angels.'

After Georgia was pronounced dead, concerned medical staff alerted the police but Cannon fled the hospital before officers arrived.

Cannon had told a senior registrar: 'Her mum is going to kill me. I should have died instead.'

He phoned a friend, saying: 'Tell her mum I'm going to be with her.'

Bradford Coroner's Court heard that Cannon then climbed over a wall into wooded area near the hospital and hanged himself. His body was discovered a few hours later.

In a statement, Samantha described how her daughter's behaviour changed after she had met Luke.

After she had met Luke, Samantha described his behaviour as 'manic and hyperactive' and said Georgia had become 'submissive'. Samantha claimed Luke had been 'controlling'.

Following Georgia's death, Samantha said she had been told that her daughter had been 'strangled during sex' and said that, in her view, Luke was responsible for killing her daughter.

A statement from Mr Connor's brother, Joshua, said he had 'genuinely cared' for his partner and was a 'generous person who would always do what he could to help people'.

In a statement, a friend said she believed Georgia and Luke had a 'sex and drug-fuelled relationship' and that they would 'choke each other. The friend said Luke 'seemed manipulative' and came across as a 'loud mouth and ladies' man.'

After she had met Luke, Samantha described his behaviour as 'manic and hyperactive' and said Georgia had become 'submissive'

The hearing was told that Luke was known to some as a property developer but one witness claimed he was a drug dealer. His landlord said Luke had worked as a personal trainer and had his own gym.

Det Sgt Phil Hardwick, of West Yorkshire Police, investigated both deaths.

He told the hearing that Cannon had been wanted on the suspicion of murdering Ms Brooke following the concerns of medical staff, but that all sex between the couple has always been consensual.

He has looked at Ms Brooke's phone records and told Coroner Martin Fleming: 'It's fair to say there are text messages consistent with Georgia having an interest in chocking in a sexual point of view.'

Detective Sargent Hardwick also said recent internet searches by Ms Brooke included 'why do I like being choked psychology?'

Pathologist Dr Christopher Johnson found Ms Brooke's cause of death was manual strangulation, but there was also 'potentially fatal' levels of GHB in her system, alongside cocaine and alcohol.

Dr Johnson said Georgia would have lost consciousness after about 15 to 30 seconds of being choked, but Luke must have continued to apply pressure to her neck a lot longer after she passed out to caused her to go into cardiac arrest.

He explained that choking is used during sex to make the body go into hypoxia (starvation of oxygen) which can cause euphoria and heighten sexual pleasure.

He agreed that it is an 'extremely dangerous practice.'

Ms Brooke's mother, Samantha Beaumont, told the inquest that her daughter was the youngest of four children and she was known in the family as 'Princess Georgia'.

She studied dance at Millennium Performing Arts in London and was talented in ballet, modern and tap.

After graduating she found work as a dancer at a hotel in Greece and taught dance in her home town of Ossett on her return.

She said Ms Brooke was only 5ft tall and weighed seven and a half stone. Mrs Beaumont said her daughter loved watching Love Island and her favourite film was 'Beauty and the Beast'.

Weeping, she told the court: 'She assumed everyone was nice, just like in the Disney films.

'Dancing was her life. We are devastated beyond belief at her death.'

Statements from friends of Cannon and Ms Brooke said they were always partying and Cannon was always on drugs.

Ms Brooke was found with no pulse on a bed in Cannon's home in Bradford. Friends said the pair had a 'sex and drug-fuelled relationship'

Another friend described Ms Brooke as 'a little bit kinky'.

Recording a verdict of 'unlawful killing' on Ms Brooke, the coroner Mr Fleming said: 'She was consensual to the sexual practices she adopted with Luke.

'There is no evidence he suggested to kill Georgia, he was primarily motivated by sexual gratification.'

He said it was a 'sex game gone wrong.'

He said: 'This type of sexual activity is dangerous and is reckless and it all too often results in fatal consequences.

'This should send a strong deterrent message to those who engage in such sexual practices. There is no margin for error, particularly when using drugs .

'The great tragedy here is that it has resulted in the death of a young woman who had a very bright future ahead of her.'

For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit https://www.thecalmzone.net/get-support
Benjamin Netanyahu has vehemently rejected Biden's plans for a post-war peace settlement in Gaza, reiterating 'there is no alternative to military victory' until Hamas is thoroughly defeated.

'The attempt to bypass it with this or that claim is simply detached from reality,' the veteran Israeli Prime Minister argued in a video released by his office on Wednesday.

With IDF troops edging closer towards a full-scale invasion of Rafah, and 600,000 people displaced from the southern city in just 10 days, both Israel's allies and critics continue to mount pressure to find a workable solution after talks in Cairo earlier this month failed to reach a resolution.

The United States has urged Israel to avoid vanquishing Hamas without a proper exit strategy amid fears the region could inherit a power vacuum with echoes of Iraq, breeding resentment and allowing terror to fester and thrive.

But unease about future consequences were not enough to stop the Biden administration from moving forward with a $1billion weapons package for Israel, confirmed to congress Tuesday as Biden assured he would withhold more bombs if Israel embarks on a full-scale invasion of Rafah.

The US military did announce on Thursday that it had finished construction of a floating pier off the Gaza Strip that they hope will allow the ferrying of vital aid into the beleaguered territory, following limited attempts to drop in supplies by air.

Israeli battle tanks mass in southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip on May 9, 2024

Israeli artillery troops at the Rafah border launch an attack into the southern Gaza Strip, May 8

Palestinians walk among makeshift shelters along a pier at a new camp for internally displaced people, after the Israeli army asked them to evacuate the city of Rafah, May 15

Israeli troops during operations to connect a floating pier to bring humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip on May 16

Israeli troops assisting in operations to build a floating pier to bring aid into Gaza, May 16

U.S. Navy personnel construct a temporary pier which will provide a ship-to-shore distribution system to help deliver humanitarian aid into Gaza

Now more than seven months into the war, onlookers and mediators warn that unless Israel can hash out peace terms with Hamas and find a practical exit strategy, they risk leaving open the door for violent anti-Zionist groups to emerge and win local support from disaffected groups.

On Monday, national security advisor Jake Sullivan said Israel's combatting of Hamas needed to be coupled with a long-term political plan to replace the group.

'How do we get to the common goal, the enduring defeat of Hamas? And that is going to require military pressure, yes. But more than just military pressurea political plan to get there,' he told reporters at the White House.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken shared similar sentiments on NBC's 'Meet the Press' on Sunday, stating: 'Israel's on the trajectory potentially to inherit an insurgency with many armed Hamas left or, if it leaves, a vacuum filled by chaos, filled by anarchy, and probably refilled by Hamas.'

The emerging line follows on from analysis by the Israel American think tank The Washington Institute, which concluded as early as November that Israel risked stoking tensions and undermining regional security if unable to offer Palestinians a viable life without Hamas.

'Without clearly stated goals and a well-defined exit strategy, Israel risks its counteroffensive becoming a punitive effort that costs immense civilian deaths while failing to establish lasting stability and peace in its southern sector,' the analysis concluded.

'Criminal mobs, the rise of warlords or dominance of powerful clans, poverty, famine, diseases, the radicalisation of a resentful and beaten population... would present enormous security, geopolitical, humanitarian, and international challenges.

'As such, rebuilding an administrative infrastructure for Gaza should be an immediate priority.'

Both Israel and Hamas continue to blame each other for the failure of peace talks to yield meaningful results.

After Hamas' massacre of some 1,170 Israelis on October 7, Israel pledged to return the some 240 hostages taken back into Gaza and ensure the total defeat of Hamas in its listed objectives for the campaign.

Hamas has said the group will only return the remaining hostages only if Israel agrees to the end of the war, finding friction between Israel's two main clauses.

'While Israel has shown willingness, Hamas remains entrenched in its extreme positions, first among them the demand to remove all our forces from the Gaza Strip, end the war, and leave Hamas in power,' Netanyahu said earlier this month. 'Israel cannot accept that.'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony marking Memorial Day for fallen soldiers of Israel's wars and victims of attacks at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl military cemetery Monday, May 13, 2024

Joe Biden (C) attends a meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Combatant Commanders in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA 15 May 2024

An Israeli soldier directs a tank near the border with the southern part of Gaza on May 2

Internally displaced Palestinians prepare to leave with their belongings after an evacuation order issued by the Israeli army, on May 11

Israel has since pressed on with its approach on the southern city of Rafah, where much of the Gazan population remains following displacement from large population centers to the north.

Of a population of 2.3million, more than 90 per cent were reported to have been displaced by the start of the year - and aid groups warn the humanitarian situation risks worsening without a prompt resolution of the war.

The United States has said it will stop sending Israel weapons if it follows through on its invasion of Rafah - despite President Biden telling Congress the administration would still move forward with plans to send $1bn in weapons to its ally in the Middle East on Tuesday.

'We are continuing to send military assistance,' national security adviser Jake Sullivan said from the White House podium Monday.

'We have paused a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs because we don't believe they should be dropped in densely populated cities.'

It could take years for the fresh $1 billion in weapons to make their way to Israel, but in moving forward with the transfer it indicated Biden didn't want to further sully the relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Egypt also put pressure on Israel, warning it could downgrade relations with Israel after years of careful rebuilding.

'Everything is possible and is on the table, including the downgrade of the relations. But we are not there yet. We are talking to the Israelis, trying to explain and reach a consensus,' an official told CNN this week.

The peace agreement between the two countries remains a pillar of stability in the region after years of conflict between the two states.

In light of the October 7 attacks, however, Israel maintains it cannot cede the responsibility for security in the Gaza Strip to any third party, and must take an active role in the territory.

On November 6, Netanyahu told ABC that he believed Israel would 'for an indefinite period have the overall security responsibility [over Gaza] because we've seen what happens when we don't have it'.

'When we don't have that security responsibility, what we have is the eruption of Hamas terror on a scale that we couldn't imagine,' he said.

But this does not necessarily suggest a reoccupation, experts say, even as some elements of his government on the far-right call for it.

'I don't think that's a feasible solution because not only is the Arab League against it, I think the European Union is against it and the US is against it as well,' Dr Andreas Krieg of King's College London university told MailOnline. 'I don't see that Israel would push this forward - at least in the short term.'

From the Israeli perspective, 'the fear is if the IDF doesn't have an exit route - and they don't have an exit strategy at the moment, a political exit strategy - that the IDF might just stay [in Gaza].'

'That would then create resentment across all factions within Palestine, it would cause resentment in the Arab world, and global public opinion has already shifted against Israel... So the optics on this are extremely sensitive and obviously Palestinians - whether it's Hamas or not - will turn against any sort of permanent presence, or even mid-term presence of the IDF in the territory.'

With concern increasingly focused on the fate of Palestinians in the beleaguered Gaza Strip in the short, medium and long-term, efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to the enclave have been reinforced with the completion of a temporary pier project off the coast.

A picture taken from Rafah shows smoke billowing during Israeli bombardment over Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on February 9, 2024

An Israeli battle tank is deployed to guard a position as displaced Palestinians flee from Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on January 30, 2024

Internally displaced Palestinians prepare to leave with their belongings after an evacuation order issued by the Israeli army, near the Egyptian border in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 11 May

The United States finished building the floating pier on Thursday, with officials poised to begin ferrying badly needed humanitarian aid into the Strip.

The final, overnight construction sets up a complicated delivery process more than two months after U.S. President Joe Biden ordered it to help Palestinians facing starvation as food and other supplies fail to make it in as Israel recently seized the key Rafah border crossing in its push on that southern city on the Egyptian border.

Fraught with logistical, weather and security challenges, the maritime route is designed to bolster the amount of aid getting into the Gaza Strip, but it is not considered a substitute for far cheaper land-based deliveries that aid agencies say are much more sustainable.

The boatloads of aid will be deposited at a port facility built by the Israelis just southwest of Gaza City and then distributed by aid groups.

U.S. troops will not set foot in Gaza, American officials insist, though they acknowledge the danger of operating near the war zone.

Officials said Thursday as much as 500 tons of food will begin arriving on the Gaza shore within days and that the U.S. has closely coordinated with Israel on how to protect the ships and personnel working on the beach.

But there are still questions on how aid groups will safely operate in Gaza to distribute food to those who need it most, said Sonali Korde, assistant to the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, which is helping with logistics.

'There is a very insecure operating environment' and aid groups are still struggling to get clearance for their planned movements in Gaza, Korde said. Those talks with the Israeli military 'need to get to a place where humanitarian aid workers feel safe and secure and able to operate safely. And I don't think we're there yet.'
A man who was kidnapped aged 19 and found 26 years later in Algeria over the weekend had only been a few minutes' walk away from his family the whole time.

But the man - named as Omar Bin Omran - never cried out for help because he was convinced that his captor had cast a magic spell on him, local reports said.

Omar vanished during the decade-long Algerian civil war of 1998, leading his family to assume that he was killed in the conflict between the North African nation's government and various Islamist rebel groups.

The truth was much closer to home: Now aged 45, he was found amid haystacks in a stable on May 12 - just 200 yards away from his family's home in the city of Djelfa.

The discovery came after the captor's brother aired grievances on social media, reportedly due to an inheritance dispute. Reports said the post revealed the identity of the victim and his location, and prompted Omar's family to storm the residence.

The alleged culprit, a 61-year-old doorman working in the nearby town of El Guedid, was taken into custody after attempting to flee, the Algerian Ministry of Justice said.

Omar Bin Omran as a teenager before he was kidnapped, pictured with two younger relatives (left) and after being found (right)

Footage of Omar being discovered has gone viral on social media. The Arabic caption reads: 'The moment they found him in their neighbour's house'

His family is thought to have believed him dead, killed in the Algerian civil war that raged more than 20 years ago. Relatives claim the dog was poisoned after it began smelling Omar's scent close by

The ministry said the investigation was still ongoing, adding that the victim was receiving medical and psychological care after the crime it described as 'heinous'.

Algerian media reported that the victim said he had been unable to call out for help 'because of a spell that his captor had cast on him'.

Footage was shared on social media and broadcast on Algerian television networks of the moment that he was found in what appeared to be a hole in the ground, described by authorities as a sheep pen, within the home of his alleged captor.

The blurry video shows torchlights shining into a pit surrounded by hay as Omar furtively looks up, seemingly in shock at the search party surrounding him, stray pieces of straw in his hair.

Other images have since been circulated of the bearded man emerging from the hole, thought to be a sheep pen, and of him as a teenager, sitting with a dog and with young children before he disappeared.

Reports from Algerian newspaper El Khabar suggest the dog pined for him close to the spot where he was being held, having recognised his smell. It was alleged in its report that the captor poisoned the dog to ward the family off.

A search was launched for Omar in 1998 after he went missing while on his way to a vocational school.

According to the newspaper, the inheritance dispute prompted the family to storm the house in a search for Omar. When they found him, his alleged captor attempted to flee before being restrained and then arrested.

Tragically, Omar's mother died in 2013 without ever knowing the truth of what happened to her son. She had made pleas on television for information about what happened to her son, according to Algerian newspaper L' Expression.

Reports suggest Omar was made aware of his mother's death while in captivity.

A relative said on Facebook: 'Thank god my cousin was found.

'Bin Imran Omar is in good health after 26 years of disappearance. Awaiting details of the case and investigations.'

Public prosecutors in Djelfa, a mountain city of around 500,000 people about 140 miles south of coastal capital Algiers, say Omar will receive psychological care after being rescued as they vowed to get him justice.

'The Djelfa Attorney General's Office informs the public that on May 12 at 8pm local time it found victim Omar B, aged 45, in the case of his neighbour, B.A., aged 61,' they said in a statement.

A court official in Djelfa was quoted as saying: 'Two days ago, on May 12, 2024, the Public Prosecutor's Office received, through the regional department of the National Gendarmerie in El Jadid, a complaint against an anonymous person claiming that the complainant's brother, Omar Bin Omran, who has been missing for about 30 years, is in the house of one of his neighbours, inside a sheepfold.

'Following this report the General Prosecutor of the Court of Idrisiya in the province of Djelfa ordered the National Gendarmerie to open an in-depth investigation and officers went to the house in question.

'The missing person was found and the suspect, the 61-year-old owner of the house was arrested.'

The case of Omar's discovery, almost three decades on from his alleged kidnapping, could mean he is one of the world's longest-held captives

A statement issued by the Algerian Ministry of Justice (pictured) promised that Omar would receive psychological care, and vowed the perpetrator would be tried with 'severity'

Footage shows what locals said was the scene of Omar's discovery in Djelfa, Algeria, lit up by emergency vehicle lights

He added: 'The Public Prosecutor's Office ordered that the victim receive medical and psychological treatment, and the suspect will be presented to the Public Prosecutor's Office immediately after the completion of the investigation.'

Officials have promised the 'perpetrator of this heinous crime' will be tried with 'severity'.

The man held is understood to work as a civil servant and lived alone - but Algerian media suggested he was regularly seen buying enough food for two people.

A neighbour of the abducted man told Algerian TV station Bilad: 'His poor mum died while he was in captivity, without knowing what had happened to him, without knowing that all this time he was really right beside her.'

A statement from the Algerian Ministry of Justice suggested the victim's family had been tipped off about Omar's whereabouts after the alleged captor's brother aired grievances on social media during an inheritance dispute.

The case may be among the world's longest-running kidnapping cases. Eleven-year-old Jaycee Dugard was kidnapped in Meyers, California in 1991 and remained missing for more than 18 years after she was captured by Phillip and Nancy Garrido.

Dugard was kept in depraved conditions and was subjected to extreme sexual abuse, having two children by Phillip Garrido, and later said she adapted to sympathising with her captors in order to survive.
A woman is suing her 'sicknote' brother after their 'vulnerable' mother left her entire 500,000 fortune to him.

Carol Scott, 77, claims her brother John Jones, 75, 'isolated' their mother Murial Jones and used a 'drip drip' of influence which resulted in the 94-year-old leaving the retired builder all her estate after she passed away in April 2017.

John lived with their mother his whole life and joined her when she uprooted and moved to rural Wiltshire in 2012, after she spent most of her life living close to all her children in Surrey.

While living in Wiltshire, Murial subsequently drew up a new will, leaving everything to John and cutting out the rest of the family completely.

Now Carol, backed by other brother Peter, is suing John as beneficiary and executor of their mother's will.

She claims her brother is 'a sicknote who always had something wrong with him' and who was 'looked after' by their mother for most of his adult life.

She also believes her mother did not properly understand the contents of the will she signed.

But John's lawyers say he and his wife cared for Muriel round the clock in her final years and that her last will reflected the fact that he was the only sibling who didn't own a property of his own.

Carol Scott, 77, leaving Central London County Court having sued her brother John Jones after their 'vulnerable' mother left her entire 500,000 fortune to him

Jones (pictured outside Central London County Court) lived with their mother Muriel Jones his whole life until her death in April 2017 at the age of 94

Judge Simon Monty KC, at Central London County Court, heard that Muriel lived with her husband Ronald in Ripley, Surrey, close to Carol and Peter, until 2012.

Retired builder John and his wife Bronwen had shared his parents' home, the judge heard, with Bronwen moving in, rather than him moving out when they got married.

In the aftermath of Ronald's death, it was decided that Muriel should sell her home, with Carol believing she was planning to get a bungalow nearby.

Instead, two weeks before her house was sold, Muriel announced to her shocked daughter that she was moving around 100 miles away to an 'isolated' house 'down a farm track' near Trowbridge, Wiltshire, with John and Bronwen.

Carol, in the witness box, told the judge that she was shocked and 'upset' by the news of the move, which she put down to her brother John's 'influence' over their increasingly 'frail' mother.

'When she moved down to Wiltshire she was so remote, it was down a dirt track facing a field,' she said.

'It was down a long, narrow track. There was no way my mother could get out independently.

Carol is suing John as beneficiary and executor of their mother's will

'They took her independence away. She was quite a sociable person.

'She was dependent on them, because she couldn't get anywhere by herself. You couldn't take a wheelchair down that long drive because of the potholes.'

She also criticised the lifestyle Muriel had with John in Wiltsire, living in a granny annexe to the main house.

'She didn't have any heating when we went down. She was sat in a blanket with no fire on.

'She was in bed every day until the afternoon, because the fire wasn't lit until the afternoon.

'She used to say it was dirty and not very nice.

'She used to have to ask John for milk to give us a hot drink and he'd come in with a small jug. I started taking my own milk and tea bags down,' she told the judge.

Carol, is arguing that the 2015 will is invalid, accusing John of exerting undue influence and claiming their mother didn't understand the contents of what she was signing.

She wants to uphold a 2010 will, which gives John a lifetime right to live in his mother's home, but then leaves it equally between Carol, fourth sibling Carl Jones, who is not part of the court claim, and Bronwen.

Peter did not receive anything under either will, having received a gift of money from his parents during their lifetimes to set up a hairdressing business.

Carol told the judge: 'I never argued about John stopping in the house. But she was a family person. She said 'you might not benefit Carol, but the grandchildren will'.'

John's barrister Oliver Ingham told Carol: 'Your mother was living with my client for decades. They cared for her round the clock from 2009.'

Carol told him: 'For the last couple of years, yes. But they were living with her before that. She looked after them.

'John wasn't very independent. She used to make his porridge on a morning and he'd come home from work on a lunchtime and she'd make him a sandwich. Most of the time, she looked after herself. She was quite capable.

The judge at Central London County Court (pictured) heard that Muriel lived with her husband Ronald in Ripley, Surrey, close to Carol and Peter, until 2012

'John's always been like a sicknote. He's always had something wrong with him. This is why mum felt she needed to protect him.

'John has never been independent. I agreed at the time that he could live in the house until he died. That's what mum wanted for John - to be safe and have a roof over his head.

'I don't think my mother understood the will. I don't believe she wanted John to have everything.

'John had full control. I feel that he drip fed her slowly. I believe it was done that way.

'What mum used to say was 'poor John'. He used to hobble in and say he had arthritis. He exaggerated. I've got arthritis in all my joints, but I never said to my mum "I've got arthritis".

'They told her how good they were being to her all the time,' she added.

'That's completely wrong,' said Mr Ingham, adding: 'That belief is based on nothing.'

He said John 'had a right to tell his mother he was suffering aches and pains'.

'You don't know what you're talking about with the will at all. My client has been accused of heinous things and you are not able to tell us anything about that at all,' he told Carol.

'You own your own home. You had a successful career. You have done quite well for yourself. My client doesn't own his own home. That's why specific provision was made for him.

'Do you harbour ill will against John because he lived with his mother?' he asked.

'I don't even hate him for doing this. I can't even say that,' Carol replied.

Cheryl Jones, for Carol and Peter, in her written submissions told the judge: 'Muriel would require John's permission for everything and appeared to have to ask for money. At no stage did Carol and the deceased have a falling out.

'The will left everything to John in starkly different terms to the (2010 will).

'The 2015 will effectively ensured that the whole estate would leave the family.

'John is hostile to his siblings.

'It is unclear if the deceased understood that her estate would not automatically devolve on her grandchildren. It is also unclear why she excluded Carol, who had not previously received benefits and with whom she remained on good terms.

'The deceased...was elderly and vulnerable. A 'drip drip' situation may be highly effective in sapping will.

'The question is whether the deceased acted of her own free will or was manipulated into feeling that she had no choice but to make the 2015 will.

'Facts in this case which point to undue influence by John on the deceased are the last-minute and mysterious insistence on purchasing a property miles from Carol, which was patently unsuitable for an 89-year-old woman in delicate health, the total dependence of the deceased on John and Bronwen (and) the deceased's loss of control over her financial matters.

'There is clear and convincing evidence of undue influence and that probate of the 2015 will should be revoked.'

Mr Ingham, in his submissions, told the judge: 'It is respectfully submitted that this case is an example of disappointed beneficiaries who disagree with their mother's freely-made testamentary choices.

'The circumstances surrounding decision of Muriel to prefer John specifically are not such as to excite suspicion. Muriel had a long-settled pattern of preferring John, as can be seen from her 2010 will, about which the claimants make no complaint.

'In considering the evidence given at trial, the court is asked to bear in mind also that John (and later Bronwen) had a long-settled history of living with Muriel.'

The case continues.
The Slovakian prime minister is no longer in a life-threatening condition and 'will survive' after he was shot five times in a 'politically motivated' assassination attempt, his deputy has said.

Robert Fico, 59, was targeted by a gunman as he greeted supporters in Handlova, north-east of the capital Bratislava, following a Slovak government meeting yesterday.

The shooter, 71-year-old Juraj Cintula from Levice, could be seen waiting at a barrier for the PM to approach before drawing his weapon in footage published by Slovak outlet RTV Prievidza.

So, who is Robert Fico's wife, Svetlana Ficova? How long have the couple been married and do they have any children together?

Read on below for everything you need to know about Svetlana Ficova.

The pair met while they were studying together at the University of Bratislava, the couple went on to marry one another in 1988

Slovakia's Prime Minister and presidential candidate Robert Fico (left), his son Michal (centre) and his wife Svetlana cast their votes at a polling station during the presidential election runoff in the village of Velke Dvorany, north of Bratislava March 29, 2014

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico and his wife Svetlana arrive at the Philharmonic where they will attend an orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle on 24 March 2007

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and his wife Svetlana arrive at the Philharmonie in Berlin on March 24, 2007

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (2R) and her husband Joachim Sauer (R) pose with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and his wife Svetlana at the Historical Museum in Berlin on March 25, 2007

Who is Robert Fico's wife?

Robert Fico's wife, Svelana Ficova, was born on September 6 1964 in Zilina, Slovakia.

A lawyer by trade, she undertook her education in the discipline at the Comenius University's Faculty of Law, which is located in the Slovakian capital, Bratislava.

Beginning her studies in 1982, she successfully graduated from the university with a Doctor of Laws degree in 1986.

Since then, she has written and contributed to eight different university textbooks, splitting her time between being a lawyer and a university professor.

Teaching at the Department of Civil Law of the same faculty from which she graduated 38 years ago, Svetlana also has her own legal office in Bratislava.

Since 2012, she has been a member of the commission at the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic.

Does Robert Fico have any children?

After the pair met while they were studying together at the University of Bratislava, the couple went on to marry one another in 1988.

This means that their marriage has entered its 36th year in 2024.

The couple share one son together, Michal, who was born 1994 - who studied at the University of Economics in Bratislava from 2014 to 2018.

He is also reportedly married to his wife Natasa.
After hearing Justin Stein's account into the disappearance of nine-year-old Charlise Mutten, police turned their attention to whether he knew more than he was telling them.

The 33-year-old, who is on trial for the schoolgirl's murder after pleading not guilty, claims it was the girl's mother, Kallista Mutten, who shot her own daughter.

Stein's lawyer told the court earlier this week he had initially lied to police to cover for Ms Mutten because the pair were in a relationship.

Charlise's body was found by detectives on January 18, 2022, in a barrel dumped near the Colo River, in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.

She had spent the night of January 11 alone with Stein at a property in Mount Wilson, while Ms Mutten stayed in a caravan at Riverview Ski Park about 90 minutes away, the NSW Supreme Court was told.

Stein spoke to officers at Penrith Police Station on January 14, the day Charlise was reported missing by her mother.

In video of the interview played for the court, Stein tells officers he woke on January 12 to Charlise vomiting and left her with a woman who had come to do a valuation of the property, which his mother owned.

The mother of a murdered schoolgirl, Kallista Mutten (pictured), and her alleged murderer bought methamphetamine the day following the child's death

Stein says he learned later that day from his mother the property valuer wasn't due to come until the week after, which he described as 'some pretty shocking information'.

The officers question why after learning this information Stein didn't seem to take any steps to find out who the woman was by looking into what real estate agency she worked for.

'There's nothing I can say, I know how s*** looks; it looks bad,' Stein tells the officers.

A number of times during the interview, Stein becomes emotional, explaining he is under immense stress and had not slept at all the night before.

Stein tells police he spent that time travelling to locations across Sydney, including Rose Bay and Drummoyne, to ask contacts from his criminal past if they knew what happened to Charlise.

Prosecutors allege Stein was in fact looking for a suitable location to dump Charlise's body.

Stein is accused of shooting Charlise Mutten (pictured) in the head and disposing of her body in a barrel weighed down with sand

When asked who those people were, Stein is unspecific, adding while he doesn't have ongoing conflicts, there was 'bad blood' between him and a co-offender in a cocaine importation scheme over which he spent five years in jail.

Stein had also reported his car stolen the day after he says Charlise went missing, with police officers attending the property in relation to that report.

In the video, the officers question why Stein didn't tell police at that time Charlise was missing.

'There was police at the house yesterday and there was a report made about a car being stolen but not about a nine-year old being missing,' one of the officers says.

'Can you appreciate where we're coming from?'

The questioning then turns to whether Stein or Ms Mutten had anything to do with what happened to Charlise, either accidentally or deliberately.

The officers suggest Charlise may have been accidentally run over, or taken medication from which she didn't wake up.

'Have you been involved in the death of Charlise?' one of the officers asks.

'No, no,' Stein replies.

When asked if Ms Mutten may have done something to Charlise without his knowledge, Stein says with her history of drug use and mental health issues it 'could be possible'.

'Honestly in my opinion, I don't think her kids mean as much as she says they does (sic).'

Earlier on Thursday, the jury heard evidence that Stein and Ms Mutten drove to Surry Hills in Sydney to buy methamphetamine after Charlise had been shot and then went to nearby Centennial Park to have sex.

Ms Mutten would accuse Stein of cheating on her and contracting gonorrhoea, the jury heard.

Police allege Ms Mutten messaged him saying, 'you're a liar, cheat and now I've lost my daughter'.

The trial continues on Friday.
Criminal suspects will be freed on bail rather than being placed in custody because the prisons are full, senior lawyers have warned.

The Law society said delays in court hearings ordered by the Ministry of Justice to ease prison overcrowding would mean some suspects would be given bail rather than remanded in custody, the Telegraph reported.

The overcrowding crisis has forced the Justice Secretary to implement emergency measures that mean suspects awaiting bail hearings are held in police cells until prison places are freed up.

Alex Chalk enacted the measures, known as Operation Early Dawn, after the number of free spaces in the adult male prison estate fell to just 300 out of a total 85,000, according to the Telegraph.

The Law Society of England and Wales, which represents 160,000 solicitors, said members reported 'carnage at court' with bail hearings postponed at the last minute due to the move from ministers.

End of Custody Supervised Licence space-saving scheme is being expanded to more jails to ease the overcrowding crisis (stock photo)

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk (pictured) announced in October that inmates serving up to four years in prison may be let out up to 18 days early under temporary emergency measures

Violent thugs serving time for wounding and assault are among those that could win early release. Pictured: HMP Holloway, Parkhurst Road Prison, London

The move plunged magistrates' courts into chaos with bail hearings postponed at the last minute as the prison service tried to determine where spaces could be found for suspects to be held in custody.

To prevent a crisis in which suspects are driven from court with nowhere to go, the MoJ triggered Operation Early Dawn yesterday to keep defendants in police cells until prison spaces are available.

Under the emergency measures, HM Prison and Probation Service will assess each morning which defendants can be taken to courts to ensure there is a secure location should they be remanded in custody.

Experts warned the extra demand on police stations will also have a knock-on effect that is likely to delay trials even further.

Ministers have been warned there is virtually no capacity left in the system and one senior prison service official warned that if there was a repeat of the prison disturbance seen at HMP Birmingham in 2016 then that would be it. We would literally be out of space.

David McNeill, director of public affairs for the Law Society, said the MoJ had yet to reveal how it would prioritise prison space for the most potentially dangerous defendants awaiting a remand or bail hearing.

They are going to prioritise serious cases, particularly on remand. If you are a defendant in a very serious case or at risk of running away, you will be put in prison on remand prior to the court case, he told the Telegraph.

They will triage those for the most serious cases and highest risk which means there is a group who would normally be put forward for remand who will be given bail.

We dont know the criteria for that but the determining factor is the availability of prison cells.

They are making that decision on a daily basis. There is a key question about how they are managing risk. How are they going to minimise risk in those situations?

It is the first time in more than 16 years that the Government has been forced to introduce an early release scheme because of the lack of space in prisons in England and Wales. Pictured: man reading a book while in HMP Pentonville

Latest figures show that 87,973 inmates are currently behind bars in England and Wales (stock photo)

Labour justice spokesman Shabana Mahmood (pictured) said the plans were 'extraordinarily damning'

On Wednesday hundreds of court hearings were delayed or postponed at the last minute after emergency measures were introduced to deal with prison overcrowding.

There were chaotic scenes at magistrates courts across the country as suspects who were due to appear for hearings were left in the police cells rather than being produced at court.

The move was intended to prevent a situation arising where defendants were remanded into custody but there was nowhere to take them.

The fall to below 300 available prison places comes despite a series of measures introduced to address overcrowding, including releasing some inmates 70 days earlier than they were due to be freed.

Tom Wheatley, president of the Prison Governors Association, said: We are already letting the water flow out of the overflowing bath.

This is an attempt to turn the taps off. We are still struggling with increasing numbers of being sent to prison.

It is relatively sensible from the viewpoint of prisons. We are trying to slow down the flow but that will cause disruption around the defence community due to the last-minute nature of it.

All these things are happening at the last minute because they are unpopular.

While Mark Fairhurst, chairman of the Prison Officers Association, said: They are going to dump prisoners in police cells and only take to court those prisoners they think are either going to be remanded into custody or get sent down.

That means that they will only take to court those prisoners that they can accommodate in the prison estate because there are spaces available.

Prisoners will languish in police cells for days or police will have to decide whether to bail them.

Operation Early Dawn has been invoked twice before, in October and March, and MoJ sources have insisted it is only temporary.

A spokesman said magistrates and police were notified late on Tuesday night due to the pressure on the prison system, although they added that the problem of prison overcrowding would be helped by the movement in and out of prisons.

Asked if any defendant would be bailed as a result, the spokesman said that would be a police decision based on risk.

The spokesman added: To manage this demand we have brought on thousands of extra places at pace and will introduce strategic oversight of the transfer of remanded offenders from police custody to maintain the running of the justice system.

This Government is categorical that dangerous offenders should stay behind bars, which is why new laws will keep rapists locked up for every day of their prison sentence and ensure life means life for the most horrific murderers.

But Tom Franklin, the chief executive of the Magistrates Association, said Operation Early Dawn would only add to the huge court backlogs and said it was illustrative of the parlous state of the criminal justice system.

He added: We are very concerned about these further delays being imposed on cases reaching magistrates courts.

Every case that is delayed has real-life consequences for victims, witnesses and defendants - and leads to magistrates and court staff sitting around waiting, rather than administering justice. That is a waste of resources, at a time when there are already large backlogs.

It demonstrates the parlous state of the criminal justice system and the need for an injection of more resources at every stage of the justice process.

The Telegraph reported that police forces are extremely unhappy at having to house defendants in their custody suites.

Deputy chief constable Nev Kemp, National Police Chiefs Council lead for custody, said: We are working closely with criminal justice system partners to minimise the impact on police resources and allow forces to continue conducting operational business to keep the public safe.
The family and friends of a 'caring and loving' mother-of-two whose body was discovered on a Welsh beach have appealed to the public for help in solving the continued mystery over her death.

Sian Batchelor, 32, was found on the beach near Pennar, Pembroke Dock, on the evening of Tuesday, April 30.

Dyfed-Powys Police have made no arrests in connection with her death, which they continue to treat as 'unexplained'.

Now Miss Batchelor's childhood best friend, Carmel Russant, has made a desperate plea for information so family and friends can 'give her children the answers they are going to need when theyre older'.

She grew up with Miss Batchelor in the Pembroke Dock area before moving away - and the first she heard of the tragic news was when her sister contacted her to tell her that a body had been found.

Miss Russant said: 'Were in a state of absolute disbelief.

'We have literally no idea what happened - no leads, no clues. Thats why were appealing for the publics help.

'She was staying in the Castle Street area of Pennar but we dont know what she was doing three days prior to her death.

'We just want to know what happened to her and we want to get a message across to the public - were appealing for people to check CCTV footage or doorbell footage they may have.

'Doorbell footage can be automatically erased after 30 days so we are really keen for people to check theirs before that may happen.'

She told MailOnline: 'Sian was my best friend for over a decade. She would talk to and help anyone and would never judge.

'I live away [from the area] and hearing this news has broken my heart. I will do anything to get my friend the justice she needs.'

Acknowledging the support of locals, she added: 'She was loved by the community and we are overwhelmed with the help from everyone.'

Police are treating Miss Batchelor's death as unexplained after her body was found on a beach

Family and friends describe mother-of-two Miss Batchelor as 'beautiful' and 'caring and loving'

Carmel Russant, right, grew up with Miss Batchelor, left, in the Pembroke Dock area before moving away

Miss Batchelor's family and friends are asking people living in the streets below to check any doorbell footage they may have recorded in the five days before the discovery of her body - between April 25 and April 30.

The locations, all in the Pembroke Dock area, are Ferry Road, Pennar Park, Bentlass Terrace, Castle Street, Grove Street, London Road, Treowen Road, Victoria Road, Military Road, Stranraer Road, Fleet Street and Sycamore Street.

Miss Batchelor's family and friends have also urged people to cast their minds back to whether they saw her in the days leading up to her death, or on April 30 before her body was found that evening.

She had a piercing in her left nostril and another underneath her right eye.

She was wearing green, knee-length jogging bottoms and a short black jacket with red on the inside, and when she was found her hair was in a ponytail.

'Its imperative that we know what happened to her because all we want is peace,' said Miss Batchelor.

'Its currently under investigation but at this stage we just dont know. She was a mother and we want to give her children the answers they are going to need when theyre older.'

Paying tribute to her friend, she said: 'She was the most caring, friendly and loving girl who would give anyone a laugh. Somebody knows something and it just breaks my heart.'

Miss Russant, right, said her friend would 'talk to and help anyone and would never judge' people

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesman said: 'We are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Sian Batchelor, 32, who was found on a beach near Pennar, Pembroke Dock on Tuesday evening, April 30.

'Sians death is being treated as unexplained and no arrests have been made at this time.

'Anyone with information, sightings of Sian or contact from Sian between Thursday, April 25 and Tuesday, April 30 is asked to contact police either by direct message on social media, by e-mailing 101@dyfed-powys.police.uk, or by calling 101 quoting ref: DP-20240430-284.'

HM Coroner has been informed of Miss Batchelors death but an inquest has not yet been opened.
Gillian Keegan has clashed with new Today programme presenter Emma Barnett after she branded her position 'staggering'.

The Education Secretary traded blows with the host during an interview about new guidance on teaching about sex and gender.

Barnett expressed incredulity when the Cabinet minister said she did not know how widespread inappropriate teaching of gender was in schools.

At one point the presenter suggested Ms Keegan was not as 'fluent' on the issues as she was, and rebuked her for 'running through her career' in an answer.

Gillian Keegan has clashed with new Today programme presenter Emma Barnett (pictured) after she branded her position 'staggering'

The Education Secretary (pictured) traded blows with the host during an interview about new guidance on teaching about sex and gender

But Ms Keegan shot back that Barnett 'needed an update' on what guidance had been provided to schools.

Barnett kicked off the exchanges by asking Ms Keegan to 'give us an example of inappropriate content'.

The minister replied: 'I've seen some materials where they talk about gender identity being a spectrum, there being many different genders... trying to get children to do quizzes on you know, what's what's a different gender identity and what isn't.

'And, you know, ignoring biological sex in the in the material I saw anyway...'

When Barnett pressed Ms Keegan on how 'widespread' the issue was, she said: 'I don't think it's widespread. I mean, I don't know because, you know, it's not something that I've gone...'

Barnett broke in to ask: 'You don't know?'

Ms Keegan said: 'Well, it's not something that we've gone and done, you know, a particular survey of. We've listened to reports, we've listened to concerns from teachers.

'But my job is if we think that there's more to do and to get guidance to be more clear then we do that.'

Barnett said that response was 'staggering'. 'As the Education Secretary, you don't know how widespread the issue is to make such large changes,' she said.

Keegan replied: 'Well, no we're making the changes in request to the review that Ofsted did work on, which is what parents, teachers said...'

Barnett hit back insisting: 'You've banned teachers from talking about gender identity. You've actually banned them in this guidance.'

When Ms Keegan clarified the ban was on 'identity which is a contested fact', the presenter swiped: 'I'm fluent enough in this subject. I promise you and I reckon our listeners are as well. We'll come to whether you are in a moment.'

The Education Secretary protested that she could not personally have observed all 22,500 schools.

But Barnett said it was 'staggering perhaps to our listeners that you don't know how big enough of an issue this is to make these proposals, which are quite radical'.

Ms Keegan said: 'If I've got concerns, and I think I can do something to help those concerns, then my job in my leadership role is to address those and I do. I did not shy away from it.'

As the minister referred to her previous interventions on issues such as cracking down on mobile phone use in schools, Barnett said: 'You don't need to run through your whole career.'

The minister snapped back: 'That's not my career that's just the last couple of months.'

After Barnett conceded 'the life of an education secretary then', Ms Keegan again rebuked her: 'That's not my life as an education secretary, it's just the last couple of months.'

Ms Keegan was touring broadcast studios this morning as the government releases new sex education teaching guidance

Barnett said Ms Keegan needed to 'have your own education' on gender identity after previously saying a trans woman was a woman.

Ms Keegan admitted she had 'never really come across the subject' before 2020, and had not meant to refer to trans women who were still physically men.

Ms Keegan said her position on self-identification had changed, rather than on people who were 'legally and medically allowed to say you're a woman'.

But as she struggled to explain her shift Ms Keegan suggested Barnett's approach to the interview was 'not helpful'.

The presenter cited her previous experience hosting Radio 4's Woman's Hour, saying: 'Four years on Woman's Hour, believe me I've done my time in this trench.'

The pair also crossed swords when Barnett asked whether teachers should have training on what to do when pupils came to them with questions about gender.

Ms Keegan said: 'You do need a bit of an update yourself on this because the gender questioning guidance was released in December.

'I don't know if you read it, but that deals exactly with children who are questioning their gender.'
The Slovakian prime minister is no longer in a life-threatening condition and 'will survive' after he was shot five times in a 'politically motivated' assassination attempt, his deputy has said.

Robert Fico, 59, was targeted by a gunman as he greeted supporters in Handlova, north-east of the capital Bratislava, following a Slovak government meeting.

The shooter, 71-year-old Juraj Cintula from Levice, could be seen waiting at a barrier for the PM to approach before drawing his weapon in footage published by Slovak outlet RTV Prievidza.

But when exactly did the incident happen and what has been revealed since it occurred?

Read on below for a full timeline of the Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico's shooting.

Graphic depicting the events following the shooting of Slovakian PM Robert Fico

Full timeline of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico's shooting

Wednesday May 15

Fico, 59, is shot in Handlova, north-east of Bratislava, following a Slovak government meeting while he greeted adoring crowds.

71-year-old Juraj Cintula, from Levice, could be seen waiting at a barrier for the PM to approach before drawing his weapon in footage published by Slovak outlet RTV Prievidza.

In a message posted on Fico's Facebook page, his staff said he was shot a number of times and was 'currently in a life-threatening condition'.

They said he was being transported to Banksa Bystrica as he needed urgent surgery.

The country's interior minister Matus Sutaj Estok suggested during a press conference outside the hospital treating Fico that preliminary information 'clearly' points to a 'political motivation'.

Robert Fico was said to be in a 'life threatening condition' according to a message posted to his Facebook following the attack yesterday

Speaking prior to Fico's surgery, defence minister Robert Kalinak said there was 'no good news at the moment' and that he had placed trust 'in the hands of the medical specialists' as he appealed to the public to 'pray' for Fico's recovery.

Mr Kalinak continued that 'no one wants a Slovakia like this' and he can't 'find the words' for the 'madness' that is being witnessed.

World leaders send messages of support to Fico

Czech PM, Petr Fiala, responded to the attack on X, formerly Twitter, by posting: 'The news about the shooting Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is shocking.

'I wish the prime minister to get well as soon as possible. We must not tolerate violence, it must have no place in society.'

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also shared a message to X, relaying his shock following the gun attack.

'Shocked to hear this awful news. All our thoughts are with Prime Minister Fico and his family,' he wrote.

Ukraine's PM, Volodymyr Zelensky, said: 'The attack on Slovakias Prime Minister Robert Fico is appalling.

'We strongly condemn this act of violence against our neighboring partner state's head of government. Every effort should be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country, form, or sphere.

'We sincerely hope Robert Fico recovers soon and express our solidarity with the people of Slovakia'.

Thursday May 16

Robert Fico pictured speaking with people before the cabinet's away-from-home session in the town of Handlova, Slovakia

Slovakia's deputy prime minister Tomas Taraba reveals that Fico is no longer in a life-threatening condition and 'will survive' after he was shot five times.

He told the BBC that Mr Fico is 'not in [a] life-threatening situation at this moment'.

'As far as I know, the operation went well and I guess that at the end he will survive'.

Mr Taraba added that Mr Fico was shot 'from very close' and that 'one bullet went through the stomach and the second one hit the joint'.

Fico has been serving as the PM of Slovakia since September 2023, having returned to power after serving previously from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018.
A one-year-old baby girl has died after being hit by a Land Rover in a church car park after a bible reading in Scotland.

Emergency services rushed to the Plymouth Brethren meeting hall in the village of Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, at 7.45pm on Wednesday.

The child was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary but died shortly after. The 40-year-old man driving the car was uninjured, police have said.

Plymouth Brethren church told BBC Scotland that the accident happened after a bible reading at the hall and that the baby killed was part of its 'vibrant local community'.

It remains unclear whether the baby was in a pram or not when she was hit by the Land Rover.

A one-year-old baby girl has died after being hit by a Land Rover in a church car park in Scotland

Emergency services rushed to the Plymouth Brethren meeting hall in the village of Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, at 7.45pm on Wednesday

The church said in a statment: 'We are a very supportive church, and we are giving the family and friends of the people involved in the accident the help they need.'

The spokesperson also thanked members of the emergency services who attended the incident.

On its website Plymouth Brethren Christian Church describes itself as a community of more than 50,000 members across Australia, New Zealand, Europe, the Americas (including the Caribbean) and the UK.

It adds that the church is 'deeply family-oriented and and members live, work and pray as "Brethren"'.

A heavy police presence was at the scene on Wednesday night and Police Scotland has launched an investigation into the collision.

This map shows Balmedie in Aberdeenshire where the one-year-old girl was hit by the Land Rover

A heavy police presence was at the scene on Wednesday night and Police Scotland has launched an investigation into the collision

Inspector Scott Deans, from Police Scotland, said: 'At this time, our thoughts are with the family of the deceased, along with everyone else affected by this tragic incident.

'Our investigation into the circumstances remain ongoing and we'd like to thank the wider Balmedie community for their patience and understanding as officers carry out their enquiries in the area.

'Anyone with information should contact police on 101, quoting incident 3390 of 15 May, 2024.'
A 'hero' police officer has been sacked and a second given a final warning over vile racist and misogynistic texts which included references to Jimmy Savile and Katie Price's disabled son Harvey.

PC Mark Coteman and PC Oliver Austin, from Cambridgeshire Constabulary, were found guilty of gross misconduct during a hearing this week.

It heard that Coteman, who was previously awarded for bravery after he and colleagues saved the live of a man threatening to jump from a hospital car park, sent messages including a photo of Jimmy Saville with the caption 'Hello Childline, do you deliver?'

The pair exchanged messages, sent between July and December 2022, which made fun of people with disabilities, as well as others that were racist and misogynistic.

Coteman and PC Austin were found to have breached policing's Standards of Professional Behaviour in respect of Equality and Diversity, Discreditable Conduct, Challenging and Reporting Improper Conduct, Integrity and Authority, Respect and Courtesy.

PC Mark Coteman (pictured) was fired from the force after being found guilty of gross misconduct

PC Mark Coteman and PC Oliver Austin, from Cambridgeshire Constabulary, were found guilty of gross misconduct during a hearing this week

In a separate hearing, PC Coteman was also found to have breached standards by offering to supply class C drugs, fraud by false representation and causing a computer to secure or enable unauthorised access to information.

Coteman pleaded guilty to all three charges on 16 April and is due to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday for sentencing.

MailOnline can now reveal the contents of the vile messages sent by the two officers at the heart of the probe.

On July 31, 2022, Coteman sent PC Austin a photograph of paedophile Jimmy Savile containing the text 'Hello, Childline, do you deliver?', messages show.

Then on September 3, he sent his colleague a video which showed a man with severe disabilities working out. During the exercise, a resistance band snaps and hits the man in the face.

Message records show PC Austin replied 'F***' and sent three laughing emojis.

Just over two weeks later on September 19, the hearing heard Coteman sent another video that had been recorded in a police station and showed an officer working. A voiceover during the clip said: 'Never thought I would enjoy working with a mentally handicapped co-worker until I met you.'

The hearing was told that no sensitive information was visible in the video. PC Austin replied 'Omfg' and sent seven laughing emojis.

Coteman then sent a follow-up message that said: 'Haha. Yeah he messaged me all upset.'

PC Austin replied: 'Haha our very own white Harvey Price'.

Coteman shared a photograph of paedophile Jimmy Savile with the caption: 'Hello, Childline, do you deliver?'

PC Austin sent a video of Katie Price's son Harvey (both pictured) who is disabled and partially sighted

He then sent a video of Mr Price, who is the son of Katie Price, and who has various disabilities including autism, septo-optic dysplasia and a learning disability. He is also partially sighted.

On Christmas Eve of the same year, PC Austin sent an image of an Asian child crying and added: 'Chinese kid on Christmas, getting the same toy he made 5 hours ago.'

Coteman sent back three laughing emojis.

The special case hearing, held on Tuesday, at Lysander House in Station Road, Tempsford, concluded that PC Coteman be dismissed without notice while PC Austin was given a final written warning that will stand on his record for four years.

It is not the first time that Harvey Price has been targeted by police officers: last year two serving Met Police officers were sacked over WhatsApp messages which included derogatory comments about the 21 year old.

PC Glynn Rees and PC Dave Selway were fired while six other officers had already resigned.

The pair and former Sgt Luke Thomas, former acting Sgt Luke Allen and former PCs Kelsey Buchan, Lee South, Darren Jenner and Carlo Francisco were all barred from the police service.

Chief Constable Nick Dean, who chaired the accelerated misconduct hearings into the two Cambridgeshire officers, said: 'The public would expect that officers act with the utmost professionalism. We operate in an environment where the scrutiny of what we do, both on and off duty is constantly under question and rightly so.

'In this case harm has been caused to the reputation of the Constabulary, the police service and importantly it has dented the trust and confidence that the public have in police.

'The messages were offensive, inappropriate and contained content that was racist, misogynistic and offensive. Their actions were against the professional code of conduct that we expect officers to adhere to.'

Referring to PC Coteman's second hearing, CC Dean added: 'Any officer committing a criminal offence causes harm and in this case it is beyond question that such harm has been caused. His actions were deliberate, pre-meditated and planned.

'My determination is that the least severe outcome that deals adequately with the issues whilst maintaining public confidence is dismissal without notice.'

Coteman had previously been commended after he helped prevent a man from killing himself at Addenbrooke's Hospital car park in Cambridge.

He and another colleague were able to restrain the man and pull him back to safety.
The black sheep of Belgium's royal family is considering a 'new life' abroad after a string of business failures.

Prince Laurent, 60, is the younger brother of King Philippe and a third cousin once removed of King Charles.

In 2020 he slammed the 'unacceptable' treatment of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and accused Buckingham Palace of treating the Duke of Sussex as 'property'.

Laurent is known as the 'cursed prince' after a series of failed business ventures and gaffes, including when he likened life as a Belgian royal to living under a dictatorship.

Now he plans to leave the country he grew up in. Laurent, a friend of the late Libyan dictator Colonel Gadaffi, told Belgian outlet Het Laatste Nieuws: 'I am preparing a new life.

The black sheep of Belgium's royal family is considering a 'new life' abroad after a string of business failures. Prince Laurent, 60, is the younger brother of King Philippe and a third cousin once removed of King Charles. Above: Laurent speaking on his phone during National Day celebrations in Brussels in 2022

'I would like to change my current position. I want to be less involved in public activities. It is no secret that one day I want to live abroad, in Italy.'

He added: 'I don't compare myself to Prince Harry. I have always been an entrepreneur. But it is true that I would like to start a new life.'

Laurent recently complained that his human rights are being breached because he has to 'ask the government for permission' if he wants to see Luxembourg's head of state Grand Duke Henri, who is his cousin.

The errant prince previously said that he was so unhappy in Belgium he once sought 'exile' in Libya before Colonel Gaddafi's fall in 2011.

Laurent hopes to be more useful if he lives abroad. He said: 'I am convinced that I will be able to develop better in that new life than in the life I am experiencing now

'I think I can do more for society and make myself more useful if I can live that new life. I'm not proclaiming this because I'm angry.'

The prince previously headed up an environment charity which planted trees in Libya to combat desertification.

The organisation lost up to 50 million when Gaddafi was toppled during the Arab Spring series of protests.

Belgium's Prince Laurent is helped to his feet after falling over at the wedding of Prince Albert II of Monaco in July 2011

Prince Laurent rides a three-wheeled scooter during a parade in Brussels in 2003

Belgium's Prince Laurent kisses his Belgian-British wife Claire Coombs on their wedding day, 2003

Prince Laurent and his wife Claire with their children Sophie, Nicolas and Aymeric

Laurent went on to press the Belgian government to help him get compensation.

He once questioned why he is so 'stigmatised and crushed'. 'I am very worried because there is not only a will to harm me, to harm my family, but to harm everyone who supports me,' he told broadcaster RTBF.

In 2019 he was told off by his wife, British-born Princess Claire of Belgium, when he was pictured talking on his phone during an event celebrating his country's independence.

He was spotted on his smartphone as the Belgian national anthem was played, prompting his wife to touch him on the arm and give him a stern look.

Prince Laurent is scolded by his wife as he speaks on the phone during National Day celebrations in 2022

The couple then appeared to have an animated conversation about the gaffe.

Laurent engaged in similar antics at the same event in 2022 and was again scolded by his other half.

In 2020, the prince defended Belgium's King Leopold II, who was blamed for 10million deaths in the Congo.

He claimed that Leopold could not have 'made people suffer' because he never visited his African colony.

The prince spoke out after Statues of Leopold, who ruled over what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo for 23 years until 1908, were vandalised by activists as part of the global Black Lives Matter protests following the murder of George Floyd.
Labour's leadership is gearing up for a major battle with grassroots members after beginning the process of choosing someone to stand against ex-party leader Jeremy Corbyn in his London seat.

Former BBC journalist Paul Mason is among those who have already thrown their hat into the ring to be selected in Islington North, which Mr Corbyn has represented since 1983.

The 74-year-old has been suspended from the parliamentary party for almost four years over his response to a probe into anti-Semitism under his leadership.

But he remains hugely popular in the local party, despite sitting as an independent. The local Constituency Labour Party (CLP) still has his picture on its website home page.

His popularity prompted Labour's ruling National Executive Committee to take the selection of candidates out of the hands of local members, though they will still vote for the final candidate.

However, there have been calls from allies of Mr Corbyn for him to be allowed to stand on the Labour ticket.

Despite sitting as an independent in Parliament he remains a party member and there is no rule against him applying - though the NEC has already blocked him from standing. Mr Corbyn has also yet to rule out running as an independent candidate against Labour.

It means that the process is likely to be brutal and confrontational. One London party source told Politico's London Playbook: 'This campaign will be an utter s***show. The party has a duty of care towards anyone it puts on a shortlist.'

The 74-year-old has been suspended from the parliamentary party for almost four years over his response to a probe into anti-Semitism under his leadership.

Former BBC journalist Paul Mason is among those who have already thrown their hat into the ring to be selected in Islington North, which Mr Corbyn has represented since 1983.

Mr Mason's decision to run is likely to raise the hackles of local Corbynistas. He is a former leftwing supporter of Mr Corbyn who has since become a critic.

Last night on X the former Newsnight economics editor wrote: 'I worked hard for Jeremy Corbyn while leader and I hope to build on the decades of tireless work he's done for local people.

'I backed Keir Starmer, and took part in his leadership campaign in 2020, because I knew he could put us where we are today - on the brink of a Labour government that will give Britain its future back.

Pointedly, after the furore over anti-Semitism in the party under Mr Corbyn's leadership, he added: 'I'm a trade unionist, a campaigner for social justice, a UK champion for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty - and a lifelong anti-racist.'

Others lined-up to stand include London transport campaigner Christian Wolmar, while Fire Brigade Union leader Paul Embery suggested he might run.

The local Constituency Labour Party (CLP) still has Mr Corbyn's picture on its website home page.

However last night the local CLP passed a motion almost unanimously thanking Mr Corbyn for his 'commitment and service to the people' and declaring 'it should be our democratic right to select our MP'.

John MocDonnell, who was Mr Corbyn's shadow chancellor, added: 'The wishes of the Labour Party members of Islington North should be respected and they should be allowed to select the candidate of their voice and that includes Jeremy Corbyn, who has given his life to representing his community.'

Meanwhile the Corbyn-aligned grassroots group Momentum said: 'Islington North Labour members want Jeremy Corbyn to keep representing them as their MP.

'He has done so loyally for over 40 years and remains a Labour member. Local members should choose their own candidates, not Keir Starmer's Westminster clique.'
The lawyer representing the man accused of piloting the boat that killed 15-year-old ballerina Ella Adler says her client had no idea of what happened until the police came calling at his door in south Florida.

Carlos Alonso's attorney, Lauren Field Krasnoff, also said 'there's doubt about his involvement,' reports CBS Miami.

Ella and another girl were wakeboarding behind a 42-foot Hanse Fjord walk-around near Key Biscayne, just south of Miami, on Saturday afternoon before falling off at different spots, officials said.

A dozen people had been on the boat pulling Adler. Before the vessel could return to collect her, Adler was hit by another boat, which immediately sped away, according to a statement from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Onlookers described the hit-and-run craft as a center console boat with a light blue hull, multiple white outboard engines and blue bottom paint. Witnesses also said that after the light blue vessel sped off, there was 'a lot of blood in the water.'

Pictured: Carlos Guillermo Alonso, the man police suspect hit Ella Riley Adler with his light blue boat on May 11 while she was wakeboarding

Alonso lives in a $4 million home in an exclusive gated community in Coral Gables, Florida

Adler, 15, was with 13 other people on a boat that pulling her and a friend as they wakeboarded

Carlos Alonso's attorney, Lauren Field Krasnoff, also said 'there's doubt about his involvement,' reports CBS Miami

In a statement to reporters on Wednesday, Alonso's lawyer said Alonso has been an avid boater for over 50 years and that he was by himself on his vessel on the day Ella was killed.

'If he was the person that was involved in this accident, and I want to be clear, we don't know that yet. If he was he had absolutely no idea of his involvement,' she said.

'When the police came knocking, he did not know why. We're not sure if he was involved. But if he was he absolutely did not know what had happened.'

According to a maritime attorney who spoke to NBC6 Miami, there's no chance that the person who hit Adler was unaware of the impact.

'I find that extremely hard to believe because hitting a person is a large object, you would definitely feel that especially if you are going at any type of a rate of speed,' Michael Winkleman said.

Krasnoff pointed out that Alonso tied his boat up in plain sight after returning home and that he is cooperating with the investigation.

The lawyer said that Alonso does not drink alcohol and that he was not drinking when he was out boating on Saturday, where conditions were described as 'choppy.'

A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesperson said the investigation was active and they couldnt speculate on what charges might be filed

itnesses described the hit-and-run craft as a center console boat with a light blue hull, multiple white outboard engines and blue bottom paint

Mourners support one another as they exit Temple Beth Sholom after Adler's funeral service in Miami on Monday

Yacht captain Griffen Diaz, who was in the area at the time of Ella's death, told Local10: 'The wind and the waves were coming out of the west which is very unusual for Biscayne Bay, it is a rare wind occurrence and it makes the bay a lot choppier.'

She added that Alonso came to the US from Cuba as a minor as part of Operation Peter Pan between 1960 and 1962 when 14,000 children were smuggled out of the Communist country on the basis of the falsehood that the Castro regime was planning to terminate parental rights and place minors in the care of the state.

Krasnoff also said that Alonso was left 'devastated by Ella's death.

At the time of writing, no criminal charges have been filed against Alonso, according to a report released Wednesday.

Alonso, known locally as Bill, owns the Coral Gables home where Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers found and seized the docked boat Tuesday afternoon.

Officials subsequently confirmed that he was the only person on board the boat that struck Ella.

A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesperson said the investigation was active and they couldn't speculate on what charges might be filed.

Ella's (center) devastated family described her as a 'force of nature' who 'loved to dance', and she was a celebrated local ballerina with the Miami City Ballet

Ella was a celebrated local ballerina who was cast in performances of The Nutcracker, performing over 100 times for the Miami City Ballet

Police canvassed the marinas near the scene of the hit and run on Monday, but they haven't yet located the boater. Authorities are offering a $20,000 reward for anyone who can provide information about the person who struck the teenage girl with their boat and sped off

A heartbreaking funeral service for Adler was held Monday morning at Temple Beth Sholom in Miami Beach. Adler was a freshman at Ransom Everglades School in Coconut Grove and a ballerina with the Miami City Ballet.

She was a high achieving student, a member of the her school's Jewish Student Association and had a 'big posse of friends,' according to her obituary.

Matthew Adler, Adler's father, shared his heartbreaking message to his daughter at her funeral.

'You were taken from us way to soon, and the world has been robbed of all the things you could have achieved. But you will always be here with us and your friends and family will carry your energy and spirit forever,' he wrote in a letter read by Rabbi Jonathan Berkun.

She was also a talented ballerina, appearing in over 100 performances of the Nutcracker with the Miami City Ballet.

After the boat that struck Adler was found by police, her family released a new statement Tuesday thanking authorities for their hard work on the case.

'The world lost a star this weekend. Ella was beautiful and shined brightly. In her 15 years, she gave us more light than we could have ever dreamed,' the family said.

'While we cope with this unspeakable tragedy, we ask the public to give us our privacy as we mourn.'

Ella is survived by her parents, Amanda and Matthew along with her siblings Jaden and Adalynn. She was also the great-granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, and the granddaughter of Michael Adler, the US Ambassador to Belgium.

The family confirmed that First Lady Jill Biden visited with the Adler family following the funeral in the Jewish tradition of mourning known as Shiva, which lasts over a period of seven days.

'We are honored that the First Lady paid a Shiva call to our family during this time of immense pain. We are touched by their support and love and we are proud to call the President and First Lady our friends for over 40 years,' statement from the family said.
Meghan and Prince Harry met Nigerian charity workers from Save the Children in new footage from their 'royal' trip.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were beaming as they were introduced to two youth ambassadors - Maryam, 23, and 19-year-old Purity - in the Nigerian capital of Abuja last week.

The charity workers told Harry and Meghan of work addressing issues such as child marriage, gender-based violence, access to education and healthcare and the plight of internally displaced children.

In a clip shared on the charity's Instagram today, the Sussexes are seen shaking hands with Save the Children staff before they sit down for a chat with the two young ambassadors while on their semi-royal tour of Nigeria - which was confirmed not to be official UK Government business.

The event had been one of the highlights of the couple's officially private tour that they called 'fantastic' and said it will be the 'first of many memorable trips' - which included a moment where Meghan hailed Nigeria as 'her country' after a DNA test suggested she was part-Nigerian.

The new video was posted just hours after Prince William took to social media to mark a decade of African elephant conservation.

Prince Harry, Megan, Purity and Maryam pose for a photo on the couple's 'royal' trip to Nigeria

Meghan was beaming as she met with the Save the Children charity workers in Abuja

The Sussexes shake hands with Save the Children staff in the video shared on Instagram

Prince Harry praised the charity for putting young voices to the forefront of their operation

Meghan sits down for a chat with 23-year-old Save the Children youth ambassador Maryam

Prince Harry listens as Save the Children Youth ambassador Purity speaks of the issues Nigeria is facing

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex met Save the Children staff in the Nigeria's capital Abuja last week

Harry and Meghan pictured with Youth Ambassadors Maryam, 23, and Purity, 19, during their visit to Abuja

In the video Maryam explains some of the issues her country is facing, saying: 'I started my activism at the age of 14 - the same year that the Chibok girls were abducted. There are so many challenges that children and girls face here in Nigeria.

'There's child marriage. We have one of the highest numbers of out of school children. We have one of the highest numbers of children that are not immunised

Prince Harry praised the charity for putting young people's voice to the forefront.

He said: 'This charity recognises the importance of having young people's voices at the forefront - not just as advocates but also as decision makers.

'That is absolutely crucial because you know better than anybody else what is going on and what the conversations are that are happening.

'But also it is your future,' Prince Harry added.

Purity added: 'We wont stop. Every one of us has a role to play  via advocacy, our voices, financial support, volunteering. We hope to see a positive change and better future for Nigeria.'

The Save The Children post was captioned: 'Thank you Prince Harry and Meghan for joining us in Nigeria to learn more about how we ensure children dont just survive but thrive.

'The Duke and Duchess of Sussex met our Youth Ambassadors Maryam and Purity, who are tireless advocates for childrens rights and the beating heart of our work.

'Children in Nigeria face huge challenges: One in ten dies before they reach the age of five.

'Three in ten girls are married before the age of 18. Nigeria also has one of the highest rates of unimmunised children but young people are working hard alongside Save the Children to fight for a better future.

Prince William took to social media to congratulate the Elephant Protection Initiative on its 10-year anniversary

The couple's final public engagement in Nigeria on their three-day tour saw them watch a polo match in Lagos between teams called Duke and Duchess

Harry and Meghan following a charity polo game at the Ikoyi Polo Club in Lagos on May 12

'Weve also partnered with GSK to develop new immunisation programmes, as well as a fund to support local organisations and innovators, and child-led advocacy.'

The video was posted just hours after Prince William also took to social media to discuss African affairs, as he congratulated the Elephant Protection Initiative on 10 years of conserving African elephants.

He said: 'I am delighted to congratulate the Elephant Protection Initiative on the fantastic progress that it has made in its first decade, making a significant contribution to conservation efforts across Africa.

'When the EPI was launched in 2014, it was inspiring to see five African leaders come together in response to the challenge of ivory poaching. They decided that enough was enough and that the protection of their elephants was a challenge that they would tackle together.

'10 years on, the EPI's membership has grown from those initial five countries to 24. And in that time, many of the EPI's original objectives have been achieved.

'The international trade on ivory remains under a moratorium with many African countries closing their domestic ivory markets alongside Canada, China, the EU, the UK, Singapore and New Zealand.

'African countries have taken significant measures to security and management of ivory and some cases destroyed their stockpiles.

'While there are no grounds for complacency, poaching continues in some areas and the demand for ivory still exists but there is no doubt that we are in a better place than a decade ago.'

Last week, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, confirmed Harry and Meghan were not representing the UK Government on their Nigeria trip.

He said: 'It's great that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are visiting Nigeria, which I understand is at the invitation of Defence Headquarters.

'But they are visiting in a private capacity, not an official one. So, the British High Commission is not involved in arranging or facilitating their programme. They are not representing the work of His Majesty's Government on this visit.'

The couple, who left Abuja on Monday following a three-day visit, were pictured being whisked away by a car at Los Angeles International Airport's 'Private Suites' facility.

The Duke and Duchess have called the semi-royal tour 'fantastic' and said it will be the 'first of many memorable trips' - which included a moment where Meghan hailed Nigeria as 'her country' after a DNA test suggested she was part-Nigerian.

Meghan hopped into a waiting SUV wearing a brown coat, matching pumps and white trousers while Harry wore understated dark trousers and a dark jacket paired with a green shirt.

The couple were seen crossing the runway to get into a car to take them to the Los Angeles International Airport terminal earlier this week

Meghan and Prince Harry - pictured - were returning from a three-day 'quasi-royal' visit to Nigeria

Meghan Markle pictured on her phone as she walks through Los Angeles International Airport after the trip

There have been eight press releases on Sussex.com about the couple's visit to Nigeria, which took them to Abuja and Lagos and ran last week from Friday until Sunday. None mentioned the issues with the Archewell foundation.

In a press release about their trip coming to end, the Sussexes referred to the reception they received in Lagos and their attendance at a polo match.

The statement said: 'Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex concluded their unforgettable trip to Nigeria with a cultural reception in Lagos and a polo match fundraiser for Nigeria: Unconquered.

'The couple was greeted with a beautiful pre-game parade  a vibrant display of young enthusiasts in polo gear, proudly waving the green and white flags of Nigeria  followed by a procession of older children on horseback, setting the tone for a day filled with sport and spirit.

'The friendly rivalry between the teams, aptly named Duke vs Duchess, added a layer of excitement to the event, with the Duchess's team claiming victory with a score of 5-3. The day was capped off with the couple presenting medals, a gesture of appreciation for the players' prolific talent and dedication.

'The Duke and Duchess would like to extend their deepest gratitude to all the event organisers, military officials and the whole Nigerian community for their tremendous hospitality and the first of many memorable trips.'
This is the moment flames shoot from the back of a Boeing 747-400 forcing the jet to make an emergency landing in Indonesia in the latest troubling incident for the plane-making giant.

Frightening footage shows a streak of orange flames shooting out of the engine just as the plane takes to the air. The Garuda Indonesia flight took off from Makassar, Indonesia, bound for Medina in Saudi Arabia on May 15.

The aircraft immediately returned to the Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport after 'fire was observed in one of the engines', an airline spokesperson said. No injuries were reported among the 18 crew members and 450 passengers onboard.

The terrifying incident comes after a string of Boeing aircraft failures in recent months as well as the sudden deaths of two whistleblowers speaking out against the plane manufacturer.

The safety crisis at Boeing has led to aircraft shortages, which could cause a wave of cancellations this summer as Britons prepare for their holiday getaways.

Questions over safety have plagued the aircraft manufacturer ever since a door plug blew out of a 737 Max on an Alaska Airlines flight in January, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the jetliner.

Frightening footage shows a streak of orange flames shooting out of the engine just as the plane takes to the air

The Garuda Indonesia flight took off from Makassar, Indonesia, bound for Medina in Saudi Arabia on May 15

The aircraft immediately returned to the Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport after 'fire was observed in one of the engines', an airline spokesperson said. No injuries were reported (pictured: the fire that broke out in the rear of the plane)

Bolts appear to be missing from the door plug that blew out of a Boeing 737 MAX during an Alaska Airlines flight on January 5

The door plug was recovered from the backyard of a home after it blew out on January 5

Aircraft manufacturer Pratt & Whitney has recalled hundreds of engines used in short-haul Airbuses, worsening the plane shortage impacting the industry.

Avia Solutions, the world's largest aircraft leasing company, has now warned that 'desperate' air carriers searching for planes will likely have to cancel routes and reduce their summer service.

'Airlines are desperate for aircraft because of the production problems but the well is dry,' Gediminas Ziemelis, chairman of Dublin-based Avia, told The Telegraph. 'I think in this dislocated system that cancellations are quite possible.'

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Avia is expecting to lease 80 per cent of its fleet of 212 aircraft to airlines across Europe this summer, but Mr Ziemelis still suspects that some carriers will fail to secure enough planes to maintain planned routes.

Avia analysts determined that only eight of the roughly 250 aircraft available across Europe for short-term rent have yet to be placed with airlines. The firm predicts that as a result, many airlines will be forced to reduce their summer flights.

The chairman revealed that Turkish Airlines will be its biggest single customer this summer, leasing more than 30 planes.

The firm is leasing eight jets to Lufthansa and four to British Airways, he said. Mr Ziemelis also revealed that TUI and Wizz Air have agreed to lease aircraft.

Regardless, Mr Ziemelis predicts that the supply chain issues at Airbus and Boeing will sustain a 'bubble' in demand until 2026.

After yesterday's Boeing incident, Garuda Indonesia president, Irfan Setiaputra, said: 'The captain discovered that one of the engines was on fire and immediately decided that further inspection was necessary to determine whether the engine was faulty.

A Boeing 737 of Transair en route to Bamako skids off runway at Dakar International Airport in Senegal on May 9, 2024

A Boeing passenger plane came off the runway during takeoff from Dakar International Airport, injuring 11 people and shutting the hub for hours on May 9

Shocking footage showed the plane laying flat on its wings off the side off a runway, after suffering an apparent gear collapse

Passengers were seen being evacuated from the aircraft from an emergency gate ladder

Heart-stopping video has caught the moment a Boeing jet's engines exploded and burst into flames in the skies above Texas forcing an emergency landing

'The decision was made immediately after the aircraft took off.'

The airline said they provided accommodation for the affected passengers, while some were booked onto alternative flights to Saudi Arabia yesterday.

The plane has been kept grounded at the airport since the incident while safety inspections are carried out.

This recent failure comes after after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 - a Boeing 737 Max 9 - lost a door plug at 16,000 feet on a flight from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, on January 5.

That part is designed to replace an unneeded emergency exit door, and it blew out within just 20 minutes of takeoff.

An emergency landing was required and the plane landed safely, but a teddy bear, two mobile phones and 15-year-old passenger's t-shirt were sucked out of the door mid-air.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded 171 of the 737 Max 9 aircrafts in the aftermath and Alaska Airlines and United Airlines went on to find loose parts on their grounded jets' door plugs.

An anonymous whistleblower broke rank to say that the door plug blowout 'was Boeing's fault' on January 16, rather than its supplier Spirit AeroSystems.

On February 6, a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report said that the January 5 incident was down to four crucial bolds being missing from the panel which blew out.

In another incident, a United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 veered off the runway after landing in Houston due to some sort of gear collapse on March 3.

Shocking footage showed the plane lying flat on its wings on grass by the side of the runway, while passengers were hurried off from an emergency gate ladder.

The terrifying incident took place just minutes into a United Airlines flight bound for Fort Myers, Florida

Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead in his truck outside a South Carolina hotel days after testifying against his former employer

The United Airlines flight 35 left San Francisco Airport on its way to Osaka in Japan and was barely off the runway with the Boeing 777-200's wheel came off

A 256lb wheel has fallen from an airliner as it took off, crushing cars where it landed after plummeting to the ground

On March 4, an audit by the FAA of both Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems 'found multiple instances where the companies allegedly failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements'.

Two days later, a 737's engine caught fire in mid-air above Texas, causing an emergency landing minutes into its journey to Fort Myers, Florida.

A day after, on March 7, a wheel fell off a Boeing 777-200 shortly after takeoff from San Francisco, crushing cars below.

The plane with 235 passengers and 14 crew diverted to Los Angeles Airport after it was alerted to the landing gear failure and landed safely with no further incident and no injuries reported on the ground.

On March 9, Boeing whistleblower John Barnett, 62 - a former quality control manager and employee of 32 years - was found dead in his truck outside a South Carolina hotel days after testifying against the company in a lawsuit.

The coroner put it down to a 'self-inflicted' gunshot wound in the head, though the police confirmed that they would investigate further.

Barnett had made a string of complaints to his higher-ups in his time as a quality control manager before leaving the company on health grounds in 2017.

In January 2024, he appeared on TMZ to say that the 737 Max 9 aircraft were being launched back into the air too soon in the wake of the accident, suggesting corners had been cut.

On March 11, a Boeing 777 was was forced to land due to hydraulic fluid spewing from its landing gear area.

The forced landing happened as the San Francisco-bound 777-300 embarked from Sydney, with fluid filmed leaking from its undercarriage.

Another 737, this time from United Airlines, was grounded on March 15 after it was found to be missing a panel after it touched down successfully in Medford Airport, Oregon, despite the missing part.

A Boeing 737 900 bound for Atlanta was forced to turn back and make an emergency landing on March 20 after an engine blow out on take-off from Aruba.

Pictured: Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour testifies before the US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Investigations on April 17

Joshua Dean (pictured) died suddenly on April 30 aged 45 having raised the alarm about supposed defects in 737 Max jets

The Delta flight circled the Caribbean island four times before coming back into land following the 'mechanical issue'.

In yet another incident, United Airlines flight 990 - a Boeing 777-200 - from San Francisco to Paris had to touch down early in Denver after engine problems on March 29.

On April 10, another whistleblower, Sam Salehpour, came forward to Boeing of taking shortcuts when building its 777 and 787 Dreamliner jets and added that the company had retaliated against him when he raised concerns.

He doubled down on the claims a week later, adding on NBC that 787s should be grounded fearing 'fatal flaws' which could case them to fall apart mid-air.

In a 1,500 word statement, Boeing said it was 'fully confident' in the 787 and called concerns about structural integrity 'inaccurate.'

United Airlines indicated on April 16 it will reduce reliance on Boeing after announcing a $124m loss in the first quarter of 2024, which it blamed on the scandal-laden manufacturer.

On April 26, Delta flight 520 was forced to make an emergency landing at JFK Airport when an emergency slide fell off the Boeing 767 an hour into its journey to Los Angeles.

FAA records indicated that the plane was 33 years old.

A second whistleblower, Joshua Dean, died suddenly aged 45 having raised the alarm about supposed defects in 737 Max jets.

The former Spirit employee previously said he was fired from his quality auditing role for questioning standards at the supplier's plant in Wichita, Kansas, in October 2022.

His family said on social media that Dean died in hospital after a sudden illness.

Earlier in 2024, Dean spoke with NPR about being fired. 'I think they were sending out a message to anybody else. If you are too loud, we will silence you,' he said.
Shane Huici admitted to the attempted rape of an elderly woman

A depraved sex offender who broke into a 90-year-old woman's home and attempted to rape her committed the crime out of sexual frustration, a court has heard.

Shane Huici, 26, will remain behind bars after he appeared in Melbourne County Court on Thursday, where Judge Pardeep Tiwana sentenced him to nine years behind bars with a non-parole period of six years for the 'heinous' offence.

The court heard Huici, then 23, was walking home from a 21st birthday party in Geelong's CBD, 77km south-west of Melbourne, when he broke into the elderly woman's St Albans Park nursing home about 4.30am on August 15, 2021.

The 90-year-old woman woke to find Huici inside her room before he pinned her to her bed and attempted to kiss and orally rape her.

'Having gained entry by removing a fly screen and opening a window, you committed a most terrifying and deplorable act of sexual abuse upon an elderly and frail resident who was sleeping in her bed,' Judge Tiwana said.

Shane Huici (pictured) pleaded guilty to the attempted rape of a 90-year-old woman and was sentenced to nine years behind bars

The woman managed to activate her duress alarm during the horrifying attack, causing Huici to flee.

Shortly before Huici was due to face trial for rape, he pleaded guilty to attempted rape, aggravated burglary, theft and recklessly causing injury.

During his sentencing on Thursday, Judge Tiwana told the court that sexual frustration was a major factor for Huici's offence.

'Although you have pursued a number of short-term liaisons with similarly aged females, you have struggled to maintain intimacy and have never been in a settled romantic relationship,' Judge Tiwana said.

Referring to a psychological report, he noted: 'Frustration over a lack of satisfying intimate connection resulted in you acting out this frustration by committing the attempted rape.'

The court also heard Huici was of 'moderate to high risk of further sexual offending'.

The court heard Huici (centre) had 'struggled to maintain intimacy and have never been in a settled romantic relationship'

Judge Tiwana noted that despite his admission of guilty, he had shown 'no real evidence of any contrition'.

'You have failed to acknowledge your offending in an open and candid manner,' Judge Tiwana told Huici.

Huici maintained he did not attempt to rape the woman and told a psychologist he 'pleaded guilty on advice'.

'Despite expressing some remorse, you immediately qualified that by minimising your offending,' Judge Tiwana said.

'I hope you are able to comprehend the impact of your heinous offending.'

The court heard that Huici was raised in a 'loving family' environment but turned to drinking and drugs to cope with his long-term anxiety issues.

He also developed a gambling addiction to 'relieve boredom'. It would sometimes cost him his entire pay packet.

The psychological report found Huici was an 'immature' man for his age who had 'limited intellect' and a 'rudimentary level' of insight into his addictions (pictured, the nursing home where the elderly woman was attacked)

At the time of the attack against the elderly woman, Huici regularly consumed six alcoholic drinks on weekdays and 'considerably more' on weekends.

However, he managed to hide his addictions from his family - who Judge Tiwana said were 'oblivious' to his 'deep-rooted issues'.

He noted the attempted rape would have seemed 'out of the blue' to his relatives and discounted glowing character references from them as they did not paint a 'complete picture' of Huici.nursing

The psychological report also found Huici was an 'immature' man for his age who had 'limited intellect' and a 'rudimentary level' of insight into his addictions.

If he had pleaded not guilty, Judge Tiwana told Huici he would have been sentenced to 11 years behind bars.

Huici must register as a sex offender for eight years.

His 1004 days of pre-sentence detention has been reckoned as time served.

He will remain behind bars until 2029.
Contaminated water in one of the country's most popular seaside holiday destinations could wreak havoc and force hotels and restaurants to close over the upcoming bank holiday and half term.

South West Water (SWW) yesterday urged people to boil their tap water after hundreds of people across Devon fell ill with diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach pains amid the parasite outbreak in contaminated taps.

The water company said the Hillhead reservoir and the wider Alston area are being investigated as a potential cause for the outbreak - an area which about 40,000 residents get their water supply from.

The illness is believed to be linked to cryptosporidium, a parasitic bug that causes severe stomach issues.

Local businesses have reported being affected by not being able to use tap water, saying the crisis is having a significant impact on trade.

John Ingram of The Bay Coffee Company in Brixham told MailOnline: 'We can't give anybody a glass of water.

'It is affecting trade - a lot more people are just not coming out.

Is YOUR business affected? Email katherine.lawton@mailonline.co.uk

South West Water unloading crates of bottled water to distribute to locals in south Devon

Shelves usually stocked with water are empty as people panic buy in a bid to avoid tap water

Locals in Brixham, Boohay, Kingswear, Roseland and north-east Paignton in Devon were all told to boil water as a precaution

Dirty tap water is seen in a glass cup in Looe

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'Everyone is now worried about getting ill.' He added: 'We're trying to adapt ourselves.'

Mr Ingram said the cafe is using disposable cups instead of using the water to wash up.

Those infected by the parasite outbreak could be ill for up to a month, Professor Paul Hunter told Sky News.

Meanwhile, revellers who travelled to Devon for Brixham Pirate Festival earlier in May could get sick after drinking the water.

Local Meg Dew said her friends have been ill since attending the event, which took place between May 4 and May 6.

'My 62-year-old mum called me about half an hour ago, she has a bad stomach and diarrhoea,' she said. 'My friends have been ill since the Pirate Festival [...], I didn't even know until this morning that there was anything wrong with the water.'

Others also shared their fears for those who attended the pirate fest, with one writing on Facebook: 'A lot of people were over in Brixham for pirate festival so people in say TQ3 might not be getting it from there water supply but caught it over that weekend.'

How can you test for cryptosporidium? To know for sure if you've been infected - and to tell it from other infections - is to ask the doctor to test a stool sample. Patients may be asked to submit several stool samples over several days. Private cryptosporidium stool tests are also available online but can cost as much as 150. According to the NHS, patients can expect results within one to three days. Public Health Wales, however, caution that the test may 'occasionally' fail to detect cryptosporidium in a sample especially if the parasite is present in low numbers. Negative test result 'may be obtained for someone who does indeed have Cryptosporidium infection', they say. Advertisement

Another said: 'I didn't go thankfully but I did read about a woman who said she was ill since the festival.'

Meanwhile, a school has been forced to shut and people are panic buying water from supermarkets after hundreds of people were struck down by an illness called cryptosporidium.

Locals in Brixham, Boohay, Kingswear, Roseland and north-east Paignton in Devon were all told to boil water as a precaution - including when drinking it or using it to cook with and brush teeth - as bottled water stations were set up yesterday to provide clean, safe water for residents to take home.

Eden Park Primary School in Brixham told parents last night they would not be opening this morning after they claimed South West Water did not supply them with bottled water.

The water board initially claimed its treatment works were not to blame but has since backtracked - prompting fury from local Tory MP Anthony Mangnall, who said its initial failure to act had been 'enormously frustrating'.

Locals who believe they have been struck down by the parasite, which can be eradicated by boiling water, have told of severe stomach cramps, dehydration, high fevers and 'explosive diarrhoea' that have crippled them and their families.

Cryptosporidium can be found in the intestines and faeces of infected humans and animals. The parasite can be ingested by swimming in or drinking contaminated water as well as other sources such as contaminated food.

It can lead to the disease cryptosporidiosis, which is believed to be affecting many people in Brixham, and causes fever, a loss of appetite, diarrhoea and vomiting. The NHS says most people recover within a month, if not less.

Twenty-two cases of the bug, which is caused by a parasite, have been confirmed in Brixham with a further 70 under investigation.

Eden Park Primary School in Brixham confirmed they would not open today following the outbreak

South West Water has set up bottled water stops for residents to pick up water if they are unable to boil it at home

Lisa Allen(pictured) has been suffering from the painful affects of cryptosporidium for nearly two weeks

Another local, Mary (right), bought bottled water for those unable to travel to a distribution station four miles away by car

People who attended Brixham Pirate Festival this month might start to feel ill from drinking Devon water

Eden Park Primary School in Brixham announced yesterday evening that it would not be opening to pupils today following the outbreak.

The statement read: 'Eden Park Primary School were only informed this afternoon that the school was in an area where the tap water should be boiled.

'The school have taken swift action to put safety plans in place and contact the appropriate authorities about providing safe drinking water.

How South West Water became one of UK's worst water firms South West Water admitted finding 'small traces' of cryptosporidium in the water yesterday - marking the latest in a string of issues to hit the company after hundreds of locals complained of feeling unwell. The water company spilled for 530,737 hours last year after 58,249 overflow incidents, it was revealed in March. This is an average of 390 hours per storm overflow and 43 per site. Meanwhile, it was recently revealed one woman is suing South West Water over sewage discharged into the sea which she claims have harmed her health and stopped her daily swims. Before New Year's Eve, a sewer burst in Exmouth, Exeter, resulting in 240 tanker-loads of sewage being driven from the town in East Devon each day by South West Water as the burst pipes were repaired. On Boxing Day 2023, footage showed filthy water flooding onto a popular Cornish beach - just hours after locals enjoyed a festive swim there. Advertisement

'At the time of writing this update (7.30pm), and despite repeated calls to South West Water about the urgency of the situation, the school has not received any bottled water or assurances of when water will be delivered. To enable parents and carers to make childcare plans for the morning, leaders have made the difficult decision to close the school tomorrow, Thursday 16th May.

'All Year 6 children should attend the school as usual, to complete their final SATs paper in the morning. They should bring their own full water bottle and be collected at 11:15am. The school will also provide bottled water for children and staff in school tomorrow. No other children should attend the school.

'A further update will be provided tomorrow afternoon, regarding the opening the school on Friday 17th May. Thank you for understanding with this rapidly changing situation.'

Locals Lewis, Izzy and Lisa Allen have been suffering from the painful affects of cryptosporidium for nearly two weeks.

Lisa told Good Morning Britain: 'I've just got no energy, really bad stomach cramps, a headache.

'I've met lots of elderly people today who weren't even aware that they shouldn't be drinking the water and they were all ill.'

Another local, Mary, bought bottled water for those unable to travel to a distribution station four miles away by car.

'There are a lot of people who are disabled, vulnerable, elderly - they can't get to these places, so I thought I'd do my bit,' she said.

Dr Lincoln Sargeant, director of public health for Torbay, BBC Radio 4's Today programme he is 'optimistic' about the outbreak being under control.

He said: 'This was reported as an outbreak on Tuesday morning and by Wednesday we had a credible source that it was likely to be a reservoir serving the TQ5 postcode such as Brixham and neighbouring areas.

'South West Water has been investigating and continues to test. This is of course an ongoing situation, but we are pretty certain at this point with the boil water notice and ongoing investigation and remediation of water supply there that the primary source would have stopped.

'What we are now focusing on is making sure we don't have any spread from those initial cases.'

South West Water handing out emergency rations of bottled water to those affected by the Cryptosporidium outbreak

SWW handing out bottles of water to those who cannot boil their tap water

People took to social media to reveal empty shelves in Morrisons due to people panic buying water

Dr Sargeant added that the full picture on how the cryptosporidium got into the water supply will come after probes have been completed.

'The definitive answers to that [why the disease hit this area] will come when South West Water will be able to do their investigations.

'Cryptosporidium exists in the environment. Sometimes when you have lots of rain it might get into the water system but usually through rigorous testing and water treatment it is usually picked up.

'We are very optimistic [it is under control]. Some of the key measures such as identifying the primary source - that is in hand.'

It is thought hundreds of residents are experiencing a range of symptoms including watery diarrhoea, stomach pains, nausea or vomiting, a mild fever, and loss of appetite.

Locals told MailOnline symptoms began among some around two weeks ago.

Retiree Kathy Hudson, 67, said: 'I have been ill since last week with cramps, diarrhoea, sickness and dizziness. My daughter-in-law has also got ill.

'I don't want to know what is in the water I have been drinking but now they are saying not to wash your hands, can you shower? What's it going to do to you?

'I have been coming out with terrible eczema in the last couple of weeks which I haven't in ages.'

Brixham Pirate Festival happened earlier this month, with some locals saying they fell ill earlier than that

To make matters worse Kathy says she hasn't been able to buy any bottled water as panic buyers have stripped shelves in the town's supermarkets.

She added: 'There is no water left in any of the shops in town.

'I think South West Water made a mess for themselves by saying yesterday there was nothing wrong with the water and to keep drinking it. They should've been testing the water before it happened.'

Karen Chapman, 65, said: 'I only found out yesterday and I drink squash with tap water all day.

'I pay a lot of money for water and it's going up but you can't even drink it, plus electricity is sky high so it costs to boil the water every time you want to drink it.

'I have had no water all day because everywhere is sold out of bottles. It reminds me of the panic buying toilet rolls during Covid.'

Brixham resident Meg Dew said: 'My 62-year-old mum called me about half an hour ago, she has a bad stomach and diarrhoea.

'My friends have been ill since the Pirate Festival (4th to 6th May), I didn't even know until this morning that there was anything wrong with the water.

'South West Water needs to sort it out, bills are high but for nothing.'

A South West Water spokesperson said: 'Customers in Alston and the Hillhead area of Brixham are advised to boil their drinking water before consuming following new test results for cryptosporidium.

'We are issuing this notice following small traces of the organism identified overnight and this morning.

'We are working with the UK Health Security Agency and other public health partners to urgently investigate and eliminate the source.

'We apologise for the inconvenience caused and will continue to keep customers and businesses updated. Bottled water stations will be set up in the affected areas as soon as possible.'
Kevin Spacey has emotionally vowed that he 'won't give up on acting' after fresh allegations were made against him in a new Channel 4 bombshell documentary.

The House of Cards star, 64, accused the broadcaster of 'having an agenda' in deciding to go ahead with airing its two-part film, Spacey Unmasked.

The documentary featured previously unheard testimonies about the actor's alleged inappropriate behaviour.

Spacey appeared close to tears and his voice started to break during an emotional interview this week as he defiantly vowed not to give up on a return to Hollywood.

A raft of A-listers - including Liam Neeson and Sharon Stone - have rallied around the Oscar-winning star to call for an end to his 'seven year exile'.

Kevin Spacey broke down in tears at times during an emotional interview with The Telegraph

Kevin Spacey addresses the media gathered outside Southwark Crown Court after being found not guilty of sexual offences between 2001 and 2013

The two-time Oscar-winning actor has defiantly vowed not to give up on acting after being in 'exile' for seven years (Spacey pictured in Los Angeles in 1996 after winning best supporting actor for his role in The Usual Suspects)

He was fired from Netflix series House of Cards in 2017, after being accused of molesting actor Anthony Rapp when he was 14 and Spacey was 26.

Spacey was found not liable during a civil trial in New York in 2022, with the jury concluding that the event had not taken place.

He was also cleared of sexual assault allegations by four other men in a criminal trial in London last year.

Speaking to The Telegraph, he admitted he had behaved poorly and done inappropriate things in the past.

But he said he had been focused on growing and becoming a better person in the last seven years.

'If anyone thinks that I don't sorely regret the mistakes that I have made or the choices I've made or that I hurt anyone along the way then you aren't aware of the personal work that I have been doing for the last seven years,' he said.

Appearing to be close to tears, his voice started to break as he continued: 'If anyone thinks I'm going to give up on acting they have got me wrong on all counts.'

Spacey won two Academy Awards as best supporting actor for The Usual Suspects in 1996 and best actor in 2000 for American Beauty, which also secured him a Bafta for leading actor.

Defending Spacey, Sharon Stone said she 'can't wait to see Kevin back at work'.

'He is a genius. He is so elegant and fun, generous to a fault and knows more about our craft than most of us ever will,' she told the Daily Telegraph.

The Basic Instinct star, 66, said it was clear aspiring actors had 'wanted and want to be around him'.

Liam Neeson also gave a glowing testimony of Spacey's character.

'I was deeply saddened to learn of these accusations against him. Kevin is a good man and a man of character,' he said.

'He's sensitive, articulate and non-judgemental, with a terrific sense of humour. He is also one of our finest artists in the theatre and on camera. Personally speaking, our industry needs him and misses him greatly.'

Oscar-winning actor F. Murray Abraham told The Telegraph he vouched for Spacey 'unequivocally' and accused 'vultures' of attacking the fallen star, saying he has 'publicly accepted his responsibility for certain behaviour, unlike so many others'.

Liam Neeson (pictured in 2014 movie Non-Stop) is calling for Kevin Spacey to be allowed to resume his Hollywood acting career after being cleared of sexual assault charges

Defending Mr Spacey, Sharon Stone said she 'can't wait to see Kevin back at work'

Meanwhile, Stephen Fry accepted Spacey had been 'clumsy' and 'inappropriate' but should not be lumped in 'with the likes of Harvey Weinstein'

Meanwhile, Stephen Fry accepted Spacey had been 'clumsy' and 'inappropriate' but should not be lumped in 'with the likes of Harvey Weinstein'.

He added: 'I think he has paid the price.'

Sir Trevor Nunn, who directed Spacey at The Old Vic on two occasions, said 'it is time for this man to be forgiven for whatever poor judgements he may have made in the past' and resume acting after 'seven years of exile'.

Channel 4 said it stood by its documentary as an 'important film', giving a voice to those who feel unable to speak up.
A five-year-old boy was found dead in a swimming pool on holiday in Greece after wandering from his room before breakfast, a court heard.

Theo Treharne-Jones was discovered in the pool in Kos in a 'tragic accident' on a sunshine holiday with his family.

A court previously heard how it is believed the child woke up and left alone before breakfast as his parents slept in their room.

Theo's parents claim that the room door had no chain lock and could be opened from the inside by simply turning the handle, even if it was locked.

A coroner said a full inquest will look at how Theo got from his room to the pool, as well as safety measures in place. Coroner Gavin Knox said it will consider the suitability of the door locking mechanisms and the information made available to the Theo's parents about them.

Little Theo Treharne-Jones (pictured) was discovered in the swimming pool in Kos in a 'tragic accident' on a sunshine holiday with his family

The pre-inquest hearing was told the youngster woke up and left alone before breakfast as his parents slept in their room

The hearing was given a provisional list of witnesses who will give evidence at the full inquest at Pontypridd Coroner's Court. This included Theo's parents, representatives from TUI, hotel staff, the person who discovered Theo in the pool and people who helped with CPR, WalesOnline reported.

Theo, from Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, died in hospital on June 15, 2019 at the Atlantica Holiday Village in Kos which they booked through TUI.

His devastated parents were 'woken to screams that a boy had been found in a pool.'

The full hearing will also look at how well trained staff at the hotel were, ambulance access and the availability of a defibrillator.

He said: 'A difficulty I will face inevitably is we just don't know how long Theo had been in the water for, that's going to be a major factor as to whether any of these resuscitation measures would've made any difference.'

Theo's mum Nina Treharne, 42, said: 'You literally could touch the handle with your little finger and the door would open.'

The parents said their hotel door could be locked so that no one from outside could enter.

The family had previously stayed at the same hotel and say all other blocks had chain locks on the door.

Ms Treharne said: 'The block we were put in this time, it was nicer than the others. This block didn't have chain locks. Part of the hotel had chain locks but this part didn't. To say that it's to do with fire regulations when the majority has chain locks on the door.

'The block we were put in was different to every other block in the hotel.'

Fellow guest Adam Holmes, 39, who runs a first aid training business tried to revive Theo and search for a defibriliator.

Coroner Gavin Knox said it will consider the suitability of the door locking mechanisms and the information made available to Theo's parents about them

He said: 'There was a lot of people standing around.

'I asked what appeared to be the manager wearing a suit and trousers where the defibrillator was. He informed me that it was on the way so I started CPR along with one of the TUI reps and a hotel staff member. After a couple of rounds of CPR the defib still hadn't arrived so I asked again.'

He was then told the device was at reception but when he got there the receptionist had no idea what he was talking about.

She then took a phone call and said the device was on its way so Adam went back to the pool only to be told it was at a nearby doctor's surgery so he ran to get it.

'That probably took about four minutes,' he said. 'To be honest, time stood still, but it was extremely frustrating that there didn't seem to be any emergency action plan.'

When an ambulance arrived Adam said Theo had to be passed over a gate because it was locked before he rode with him to hospital.

A TUI spokesperson said: 'Our thoughts remain with Theo's family and we continue to work closely with the Coroner. As the inquest is ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment further'.
A six-year-old boy has died today after falling more than 150ft from a high-rise tower block.

The Arsenal-loving youngster, named locally as Alam Makial, plunged from the 15th floor of Jacobs House on New City Road in Newham, east London, just after 6am.t

Maryam Hadafow, the boy's auntie, paid tribute to the 'lovely, lovely boy' who she described as 'very sweet'.

She told MailOnline: 'He had got up before his parents and he fell from the kitchen window.

'His mother had written emails about the windows and doors to the council five times and said, 'this is not safe for my kids'.

'Akam's father screamed for help shouting 'My son, my son is dead.''

A woman lays follows close to where a boy, 6, fell 150ft from the Jacobs House tower block in east London

The youngster plunged from Jacobs House (pictured) on New City Road in Newham, east London just after 6am

Jacobs House on New City Road in Newham, east London

Eyewitness JJ, who lives on the 12th floor, three floors below the flat where the boy fell from, said: 'It was horrible. I felt so sorry for them. There was nothing that could be done.

'I heard the screaming and shouting and I thought it was someone we probably had a lot to drink because that happens a lot down here. '

He said a female paramedic was in tears when she realised the boy had passed away.'

Another witness Uber driver Miah, 57, added: 'I am shocked and in disbelief.

'I was across the road from where the boy fell. I thought it was somebody who was drunk.

'It's happened in front of my house. I could see the ambulance people and the police and they were trying to help him.'

Scotland Yard is treating the death as 'unexpected' but no arrests have been made..

People who live in the 1960s 16-storey block, where flats can cost up to 200,000, have been left in 'utter shock' by the youngster's death and want answers about how it had happened.

Council staff are currently at the block of flats reassuring residents and trying to piece together what happened.

The map above shows the location of Jacobs House where the little boy was pronounced dead at the scene

The boy plunged from the 15th floor of the 150ft tower block in Plaistow

The Metropolitan Police said: 'We were called at 5.58am on Thursday, May 16 to reports of a child having fallen from height at New City Road, E13.

'Officers, London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service and London's Air Ambulance attended.

'At the scene a six-year-old boy had fallen from an upper floor of an apartment block.

'Despite the efforts of emergency services he sadly died at the scene. His family are aware and are being supported.

'The death is being treated as unexpected and enquiries are underway to establish the full circumstances.'

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: 'We were called at 5.59am today to reports of a person fallen from height on New City Road, Plaistow.

'We sent resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast response car and an incident response officer. We also dispatched a trauma team in a car from London's Air Ambulance.

'Our first paramedics arrived on scene in approximately four minutes.

'Very sadly, a child was pronounced dead at the scene.'

A spokesperson for Newham Council said they were 'deeply sorry to hear about this devastating incident, we extend our sincere condolences to all those affected'.

They said: 'We have staff at the location to provide reassurance to residents at this difficult time while we work with partners to establish the full facts.'
The Netherlands has today said it will opt out of European Union rules and bring in its 'strictest-ever' asylum policy following Geert Wilders' shock election victory.

The newly agreed Dutch coalition government said the new policy will see people removed from the European country 'by force' - setting up a clash with leaders in Brussels even before it has taken office.

The 26-page coalition agreement emerged early this morning after six months of gruelling talks between four parties following last years' stunning election victory by Wilders, the long-time Euro-sceptic and leader of the far-Right PVV party.

The parties said they would file a request to the European Commission for an opt-out on European asylum policy 'as soon as possible'. People without a valid residence permit will be deported 'by force if necessary,' said the report.

Wilders on Wednesday reached a deal to form a coalition with three right-wing partners, almost six months after last year's major election victory. He has ruled himself out of the top job, but has not yet proposed his choice for prime minister.

The Netherlands has today said it will opt out of European Union rules to bring in its 'strictest-ever' asylum policy following Geert Wilders' (pictured today) 2023 election victory

The coalition parties said they would file a request to the European Commission for an opt-out on European asylum policy 'as soon as possible.' People without a valid residence permit will be deported 'by force if necessary,' said the report. Pictured: Asylum seekers are seen arriving at a registration centre in Ter Apel, The Netherlands on April 26, 2024

The 26-page coalition agreement emerged Thursday after six months of gruelling talks between four parties following the stunning election victory by Wilders, and long-time Euro-sceptic and leader of the far-right PVV party - who made immigration a core issue of his campaign. Pictured: Asylum seekers arrive at a shelter in The Netherlands last year

In its government plan published early on Thursday, the four-party coalition says it will aim for the 'strictest-ever asylum regime' with stronger border controls and harsher rules for asylum seekers who arrive in the Netherlands.

'An opt out clause for European asylum and migration policies will be submitted as soon as possible to the European Commission,' the coalition says in its pact.

'Concrete steps will be taken towards the strictest ever entry rules for asylum and the most comprehensive ever package to control migration,' the agreement said.

'This will definitely make the Netherlands less attractive for asylum seekers,' Wilders said after the plans were presented. 'People in Africa and the Middle East will start thinking they might be better off elsewhere.'

Speaking to AFP news agency after clinching a coalition deal six months in the making, Wilders said: 'We will try to get a so-called opt-out for asylum, as the Danish have. That might take years if it is successful anyway.'

Denmark negotiated a deal to exclude the country from being bound by common EU asylum policies and the new Dutch government plans to ask the European Commission for the same as soon as possible.

But Wilders said that in the short-term, the new Right-wing government would aim to use Dutch law to restrict what he called an 'influx of asylum-seekers'.

'What we have today in our agreement is really the most tough anti-asylum (policy) ever being implemented in the Netherlands,' he told AFP.

He also vowed to implement border controls to enforce the stricter asylum policy.

The plans are likely to be met with pushback from Brussels, as EU countries have already agreed on their migration pact and opt outs are usually discussed in the negotiating phase.

A European Commission spokesman seemed to pour cold water over a potential opt-out, saying: 'You cannot opt out of EU legislation... We are working on the basis of existing treaties and existing legislation.'

But the spokesman, Eric Mamer, added: 'We will wait to see what a possible new Dutch government will formally propose.'

The Netherlands would join Hungary and Poland's former nationalist government in challenging EU migration policy.

Labour migration would also be curbed, and admittance of foreign students to Dutch universities will become stricter, the coalition parties said.

Workers from outside the EU who do not have specific knowledge or expertise would need a working permit and recruiting agencies will face stricter regulation.

The Dutch coalition says it would also strive to limit free movement for people from countries joining the EU in the future.

(Left to right) Dutch party leaders Geert Wilders (PVV), Dilan Yesilgoz (VVD), Caroline van der Plas (BBB) and Pieter Omtzigt (NSC) pose for a group photograph during the presentation of the main lines agreement for a new cabinet, in the Hague, the Netherlands, 16 May 2024

A poll of 27,000 people by the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf found that Wilders' new coalition was being warmly welcomed.

Comments included 'finally, common sense', 'enough with the extreme-Left fantasy reality' and 'we have been tolerant far too long to those who are not tolerant!'

However, Tech industry association FME, representing firms including semiconductor industry powerhouse ASML, said it was concerned such immigration measures will make it difficult for tech firms to hire workers they need.

According to its most recent figures, The Netherlands saw over 403,000 immigrants arrive in the country in 2022, while 179,000 emigrated - a net migration of 223,000.

This was a sharp rise from 2021, and its highest rate on record.

The majority of 2022 migrants to the country arrived from other European nations (around 257,000 people), while the second largest share (around 70,000) was from Asia. The figures show that 25,000 people came from Africa in 2022.

On foreign policy, the parties commit to keep the Netherlands as a 'constructive partner' in the EU and support Ukraine 'politically, militarily, financially, and morally.'

It will also make it legally binding to spend at least 2 percent of Dutch gross domestic product on defence, in line with NATO agreements, it said.

More controversially, the 26-page coalition agreement - titled 'hope, courage and pride' - also calls to examine the idea of moving the Dutch embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians, but most governments avoid putting embassies there to avoid prejudging the outcome of negotiations for a lasting peace.

'Taking into account solutions to the Israel-Palestinian conflict and diplomatic interests, we will examine when the embassy can be moved to Jerusalem at an appropriate time,' said the report.

Wilders admitted that this too would take time.

'We are making a survey, so it's not going to happen tomorrow... but I hope it will not be in a few years' time either,' he told France's AFP news agency.

'It will be a very happy day when that happens... it's historic that it has a place in the coalition agreement,' he added.

Asylum seekers are seen at an application centre in Ter Apel, Netherlands, on April 2, 2023

On climate change, the coalition said it would stick to internationally agreed goals, but would not add any national restrictions on planet-warming emissions.

Offshore gas production in the North Sea would be increased, while the government would continue with plans to build four nuclear reactors in the coming decade.

Plans will be financed with 14 billion euros in spending cuts until 2028, including cuts of 2.5 billions euros to development aid, a billion euros on government salaries and 100 million euros on the public broadcaster's budget.

The deal brings together Wilders' PVV with outgoing prime minister Mark Rutte's centre-right VVD, the new NSC party and farmers' protest party BBB in a coalition with a strong majority of 88 seats in the 150-seat Lower House.

With the broad agreement reached, an independent intermediary will now be tasked with forming the cabinet of ministers, a process that is expected to take at least another month.

All eyes are now on who will replace Rutte, who is almost certain to be tapped as the new NATO secretary general.

The parties have still not agreed on who will be prime minister of the European Union's fifth-largest economy.

They appointed civil servant Richard van Zwol as the so-called 'formateur' who will oversee the formation of a cabinet, but he is not the intended PM candidate.

The main contender looks to be former education and interior minister Ronald Plasterk, who also played a key role in overseeing the initial talks.

In March, the four parties agreed to aim for a partially technocratic cabinet made up of 50 percent politicians and 50 percent from outside politics.

Wilders himself has already reluctantly agreed to give up his dream of becoming prime minister amid widespread unease over his anti-Islam, anti-European views.

But since the election, support for the PVV and Wilders has only increased, surveys suggest, as voters voice frustration at the slow pace of talks.

Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte speaks to the press today in The Hague

The far-Right has gained in elections across Europe but has struggled to translate votes into power as other parties refuse to work with them.

'It's a worrisome day. We now have a radical Right-wing party under Wilders that finds itself at the centre of power in the Netherlands,' said opposition leader Frans Timmermans from the Greens-Left alliance on Wednesday.

But Wilders told reporters it was a 'historic' day that his far-right PVV Freedom Party was now in government - 'at the centre of power'.

'We are writing history today... the sun is going to shine again in the Netherlands,' said Wilders.

'Do not forget: I will become prime minister of the Netherlands one day. With the support of even more Dutch,' Wilders posted earlier this year. 'If not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow. Because the voices of millions of Dutch will be heard!'
A Nottingham Trent University student fell to her death while sliding down a bannister during pre-drinks, an inquest has heard.

Benita Kaur Gill, 20, was having drinks with her friends at a student flat in Old Market Square, Nottingham, when she fell a distance of one and a half floors after climbing onto a bannister on March 29 last year.

The tragic events unfolded at around 9.55pm as the Nottingham Trent University marketing student was leaving the flat on the second floor at the Student Hideout to go to an event due to start at 10pm.

Assistant coroner for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Sarah Wood told an inquest hearing that Benita's cause of death was 'traumatic brain injury' caused by a 'fall and alcohol intoxication'.

Evidence given by DC Demi Robertson at the hearing on Wednesday at Nottingham Council House described how Benita climbed on the bannister with her back facing outwards when she lost her balance and fell, with the incident captured on CCTV.

A Nottingham Trent University student fell to her death while sliding down a bannister during pre-drinks, an inquest has heard

Benita Kaur Gill was having drinks with her friends at a student flat in Old Market Square, pictured, when she fell a distance of one and a half floors

Nottinghamshire Police received a call from EMAS at 10.15pm and a scene remained in place while investigations were carried out until the next day at around 11am.

Benita was taken to the Queen's Medical Centre but died due to her injuries on March 31.

Coroner Wood said: 'Benita and her two friends appeared to be having the best time laughing, singing and dancing as they walked down the stairs. They were taking photographs and videos of themselves to upload onto the social media platform TikTok.

'Benita then sat sideways on the bannister of the stairs and started to slide down it with her back facing the stairwell. I find that alcohol has contributed to decision making in doing so, which has ultimately led to her fall, causing a traumatic brain injury.'

Coroner Wood added that footage has shown that Benita was not holding her phone while sitting on the handrail, nor was she being filmed by her friends. No health and safety concerns were present at the time of the incident regarding the student accommodation, run by Unipol.

Following the accident, an independent health and safety review was carried out by the company, which resulted in a recommendation for a higher bannister reaching hip level to be installed.

Coroner Wood said: 'I note that this is a recommendation, not a requirement, and the staircase had passed all its recent inspections.

'I find that Benita's action of sitting on the handrail and subsequently sliding down it unexpectedly and unintentionally went tragically wrong. I wish to express my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Benita and I'm so very sorry for your loss.'

Evidence given at Nottingham Council House, pictured, described how Benita climbed on the bannister with her back facing outwards when she lost her balance and fell

The hearing was attended by Benita's parents, brother and two of her friends. A statement was read in court on behalf of Benita's family by one of her friends.

The statement said: 'She was the most beautiful, caring, kind, warm-hearted girl, both inside and out, and her energy and smile would enlighten the room. We're blessed to have had her in our lives, but her time with us was cut short and we all miss her so much that we can't put it into words. We are left heartbroken and devastated.'

Benita had just been offered a placement in West London and had set up an eyelash business in her first year of university. She intended to travel after graduation for a year, 'to experience the world before hitting her career aspirations'.

The family thanked the police and the hospital for the support but criticised the speed of communication from the university, claiming it took two months for the university to send a letter of condolence, which the family deemed to be too long.

They said: 'Furthermore, we advocate for the health and safety advice to be followed to prevent any other families from going through what we have. Benita, we are so proud of you. You will forever be in our hearts, always and forever for the rest of our lives. Shine bright like a diamond baby girl.'

A Nottingham Trent University spokesperson said: 'The university community was saddened to learn of the death of Benita, who was a popular and highly-valued student.

'We continue to offer support to our students who knew Benita or who are affected by this news. We again extend our condolences to her family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.'
NSW Police suspended him with pay and he was released on bail

Jordan Weston, 28, has been accused of domestic violence

A senior constable accused of 11 domestic violence offences against his former partner has appeared in court for the first time.

Public Transport Command Constable Jordan Weston, 28, appeared in Picton Local Court, south of Sydney, on Thursday for a raft of charges in relation to his former partner.

It's alleged Weston assaulted the woman on six occasions between May 2021 and May 2023. He also allegedly stalked and intimidated her.

Police allege the incidents happened in different locations across NSW, including Bargo, Doonside, Byron Bay, Mount Vernon and Huskisson.

Weston is also accused of using the computerised operational policing system (Cop) to look up information about the woman and other men she knew.

Public Transport Command Constable Jordan Weston (pictured) faced Picton Local Court on Thursday for domestic violence charges

Weston, an officer based at Parramatta, was arrested at Narellan police station on May 2 following a six-month investigation.

He was charged with five counts of common assault, three counts of stalking or intimidating intending fear/physical harm, two counts of using a carriage service to menace or harass or offend and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The officer was released on bail the same day but was barred from going near or attempting to contact his former partner.

He was also suspended from the NSW with pay.

The former couple began their 'official' relationship at the beginning of April 2021 after meeting on Hinge, a dating app, the Guardian reported.

The alleged victim claimed that Weston first physically assaulted her in May 2021. He was 25 at the time.

Police also charged Weston with 14 counts of accessing or modifying restricted data held on a computer.

It's alleged he used the sensitive information available on the system to search the woman, her previous addresses, her ex-husband, father, brother and friends.

Court documents alleged officers were concerned for the woman's safety and Weston's risk of further offending, so they granted her a provisional domestic violence order.

The documents also alleged police were also worried Weston could interfere with witnesses or evidence if he were released on bail.

The sergeant who signed off on Weston's bail cited his service as a police officer and lack of prior domestic violence charges as reason for his release.

The officer also wrote Weston was 'unlikely' to serve time behind bars for the alleged offences.

During his court appearance on Thursday, Weston sat at the back of the courtroom and stood when the magistrate asked him to identify himself.

He refused to comment to media outside the court and wore a disposable mask and large sunglasses.

His domestic violence case was adjourned until June 6.

Weston will face a separate court on 12 June for allegations he illegally accessed the Cops system.

1800 RESPECT: 1800 737 732.
A senior teacher at a private school attended by Princes William and Harry who was sacked after he 'fell asleep in class' has successfully sued for disability discrimination.

Wetherby Prep School for Boys' Head of RE Jason Smith saw his 16-year-career at the school brought to an end after bosses said his absences and behaviour were having a 'detrimental impact' on the 27,000-a-year establishment.

His 'unacceptable' behaviour included 'falling asleep in class' - which an investigation report found he had done on four occasions in one academic year in front of boys and staff - including for approximately 10 minutes during a lesson in February 2022.

An employment tribunal was told that Mr Smith said these claims were not true and that he gave 'various excuses' as to why staff members had seen him with his eyes closed in lessons.

The teacher is now in line for compensation after successfully suing the prep school's owners Alpha Plus for disability discrimination and unfair dismissal with an employment judge ruling he had been sacked 'without being heard'.

The teacher told the tribunal that the school's management made him feel like a 'disease' for missing work due to anxiety and depression.

The Notting Hill school - which describes itself as one of the most 'sought-after prep schools' in London - educated the Prince of Wales, Duke of Sussex as well as Romeo and Cruz Beckham.

Wetherby Prep School in Notting Hill (Pictured) educated the Prince of Wales, Duke of Sussex as well as Romeo and Cruz Beckham

The tribunal in central London heard Mr Smith began working at the school in September 2006 and initially had a 'glowing record' with students achieving 'excellent' results in his sets, the tribunal said.

He was described as being 'passionate about the well-being of the boys' and a classroom observation of his students said their 'enthusiasm was infectious' and the 'learning atmosphere was excellent'.

In January 2020, the teacher suffered a 'breakdown in his personal relationship' and as a result of this, he was off sick intermittently for a total of 18 days in the first three months of the year.

He was referred to occupational health and the teacher was found to have an underlying condition of anxiety and depression - and suffered from poor sleep due to his mental health.

He was signed off work but returned to his job without notifying the school in September 2021.

The tribunal said: 'As far as he was concerned, he had made it clear at the end of the summer term that he wanted to return.

'His doctor had told him it was unnecessary to provide a note stating he was fit to return, because he had no longer been signed off as unfit for work..'

However, on Mr Smith's return he was not initially provided with a timetable or desk and no return to work meeting was held, the tribunal heard.

Asked by a colleague if he was ok, he said 'Yep, just slept badly and have no idea what I'm doing at the moment as regards to my job as I have no table, and feel like I have no purpose'.

Throughout that month, Mr Smith's mood was 'up and down' and the tribunal heard he was 'tearful at school and complaining about his treatment by management in the staffroom'.

The school said his mood was 'volatile and emotional' and parents had complained about his treatment of the students, the tribunal heard. They said on two occasions he was found 'asleep at school'.

An occupational health report - carried out on September 23, 2021 - advised Mr Smith was 'not fit for full hours or duties at present' and a phased return to work was recommended.

This led to Mr Smith leaving work again until his return in January 2022, but the following month it was reported by two members of staff that he had fallen asleep in class.

The tribunal in central London heard Mr Smith began working at the school (pictured) in September 2006 and initially had a 'glowing record'

When this was put to him, he said this was not true and he was only resting his eyes.

In March 2022, the teacher was invited to an investigation meeting where he was told that 'falling asleep in class was unacceptable and this was not the only occasion'.

The tribunal said Mr Smith gave 'various excuses'.

'He said he was a deep thinker and closed his eyes in order to think, and he was not leading the lesson. And he said he had a big lunch,' the tribunal said.

In the following few days, staff members reported 'concerns' over Mr Smith and said he was 'being too harsh on the boys'.

Because of these 'concerns', an investigation report found Mr Smith had been asleep for approximately 10 minutes during a lesson in February 2022 and he had previously fallen asleep on three occasions in that academic year in front of boys or staff.

It discussed his failure to follow absence protocol when he had failed to call in sick properly and said 'parents pay high fees and expect proper teacher cover'.

In July 2022, Mr Smith was sacked on 'grounds of ill-health'.

He was told that 'despite the best efforts of all concerned, your continued absence is having a detrimental impact on the school and the children, and your behaviour when in school falls below the standard expect of an employee of Alpha Plus'.

But, Employment Judge Tamara Lewis said Mr Smith was 'dismissed without being heard'.

She said: 'He had had no opportunity to comment on the investigation report.

'These matters arose in consequence of [Mr Smith's] disability. His absence record was almost entirely due to his disability.

'His failure to report absence in time or at all until chased up was due to his low mood and anxiety as well as the effects of his medication.

'The unpredictable temperament was a reference to mood swings and tearfulness caused by [his] disability and anxiety about how he was being treated at work as a result.

'Sleeping at work was also clearly due to the medication and sleep disruption caused by his anxiety.

'We understand that [Mr Smith] had no self-awareness that he was sleeping at work.'

Mr Smith's claims of unfair dismissal and disability discrimination were upheld. Other claims were dismissed.

A remedy hearing to decide his compensation will be held later this year.
Vladimir Putin tried to engage Xi Jinping with eye-contact during their meeting today, but it is clear that the Chinese president is the senior partner in the relationship between the world leaders, according to a body language expert.

The Russian president met his Chinese counterpart for a summit in Beijing on Thursday, where the two leaders reaffirmed a 'no-limits' partnership that has grown deeper as both countries face deepening tensions with the west.

During Putin's two-day state visit to one of his strongest allies, he thanked Xi for his effort to resolve the Ukraine conflict - as his country's forces are pressing an offensive in northeastern Ukraine's Kharkiv region in the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

The largely symbolic visit stressed partnership between two countries who both face challenges in their relationship with the US and Europe.

But amid the deepening partnership between the two nations, body language expert and author of 26 books on the subject Judi James said the meeting was perhaps more one-sided than Putin would want the world to believe.

The Russian employed subtle ways to show the bond between the two despots, Ms James said. But Xi, she noted, 'didn't get the memo.'

Russian president Vladimir Putin met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for a summit in Beijing today. According to body language expert Judi James, the meeting was somewhat one-sided

'One leader will put themselves out in terms of travel or how far they walk to greet their guest, or employ dominance signals like Trump's infamous 'Power shakes' or even power-patting,' she explained.

However, she added: 'When world leaders want to show active and often strategic alliances there will often be mutual body language acts of ingratiation to signal profound bonding to the rest of the world.

'Putin clearly takes heed of these rituals here but Xi's responses suggest he didn't get the memo or read the rule books in terms of mutually active ingratiation rituals.

'There are clearly cultural differences to take into consideration, but the overall result makes Putin look keener to ingratiate and show bonds [with his counterpart] here than a [...] higher status-looking Xi does,' who Ms James says was 'merely polite'.

'Putin has firstly travelled to China for the meeting and he is also the one using the facial expressions and attentive signals of active friendship or collusion here.'

Analysing a photograph showing a handshake between the leaders, Ms James said there was a noticeable difference in how Putin and Xi approached it.

Most analysts and commentators agree that Putin needs this relationship more than Xi

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping exchange bilateral documents during a meeting in Beijing, China May 16, 2024

In the photograph, 'Xi faces front with his arm lifted out to one side away from his torso and held palm-up to clasp Putin's hand,' she said.

'His expression looks polite but his smile appears aimed at the cameras.'

'Putin's smile is more pronounced, with raised and rounded cheeks, and his arm is held across his body, making his handshake an attempt look more personal here.'

It was also clear that there was a difference between the leaders as they walked side-by-side, with a photo showing Putin leaning in to talk with the much taller Xi, in attempt to get the Chinese leader's attention.

'As the two men walk side-by-side Xi seems to stride out, looking ahead and looking massively self-assured,' Ms James said.

'Putin seems to be actively trying to engage him in conversation here but the pose suggests it is Putin talking while Xi is the higher-status listener.

'Putin is using eye contact in what looks like a bid to get Xi's attention and although Chinese business body language suggests looking down while the other person is talking can be a sign of respect, Xi is looking ahead here rather than down.'

She added: 'Putin's expression looks almost impish here, with a raised brow and eye-smile as he raises on hand to gesticulate.'

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping attend an official welcoming ceremony in front of the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square in Beijing today

In another photograph, Putin and Xi were seen exchanging documents.

Ms James said there was some 'mirroring' as the documents exchanged hands, but that it was again Putin seeking Xi's attention.

'As they exchange documents there is some mirroring in terms of their smiles here,' she said. 'But again it is only Putin using eye contact.

'When the two men shake hands [again] on the steps at Beijing it is again Putin vying to achieve eye-engagement while Xi looks away,' she added.

Most analysts and commentators agree that Putin needs this relationship with China more than Xi needs his country's relationship with Russia.

China has proved an economic lifeline for Russia after The West slapped Moscow with unprecedented sanctions over Ukraine, and Putin has spoken very highly of his Chinese counterpart while waxing lyrical over his admiration for Chinese culture - even commenting that members of his family are learning Mandarin.

But both Putin and Xi want to show a united front in the face of pressure from the US, said Hoo Tiang Boon, a professor who studies Chinese foreign policy at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.

'Both sides want to show that despite what is happening globally, despite the pressure that both sides are facing from the U.S., both sides are not about to turn their backs on each other anytime soon,' he told the Associated Press.

While both leaders said they were seeking an end to the war in Ukraine, they offered no new specifics in their public remarks Thursday afternoon. China has significant influence as a key supporter of Russia its invasion.

The country claims to take a neutral position in the conflict, but it has backed Moscow's contentions that Russia was provoked into attacking Ukraine by the West, and continues to supply Russia with key components that Moscow needs for its productions of weapons.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping attend an official welcoming ceremony in front of the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square in Beijing

China proposed a broadly worded peace plan in 2023, but it was rejected by both Ukraine and the West for failing to call for Russia to leave occupied parts of Ukraine.

'China hopes for the early return of Europe to peace and stability and will continue to play a constructive role toward this,' Xi said, speaking alongside Putin.

His words were an echo of what China said last year when it first offered a broad plan for peace outlining general principles for ending the war in Ukraine.

Putin said he will inform the Chinese leader in detail about 'the situation in Ukraine,' and said 'we appreciate the initiative of our Chinese colleagues and friends to regulate the situation.' He added that the two planned to engage in further foreign policy discussions at an informal meeting later Thursday.
Britons planning on a Center Parcs holiday in the UK could save nearly 1,000 on their accommodation by opting for a European site, it can be revealed today.

The price of holidays at 32 of the chain's sites across England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany was found to vary wildly in peak school holiday periods.

The costs of four-night stays for a family of four during five separate weeks in May, July, August and October were compared by experts at consumer champion Which?.

They found average prices for UK resorts were 'considerably higher than prices paid elsewhere in Europe' and Brits could save 'hundreds of pounds' by going abroad.

Across the five weeks, the average price for accommodation at a UK Center Parcs was 1,435, while Germany averaged 857 and the Netherlands 866. Savings could also be found in France, with an average of 1,098; and Belgium where it was 1,121.

When MailOnline delved deeper into the figures for the last week of August - from the 26th to 30th, the cheapest price was in the Netherlands with 566 at Parc Sandur. In Germany it was Park Nordseekuste at 634, while the cheapest in France was Les Trois Forets at 746, and in Belgium it was Les Ardennes at 755.

This was well below all the UK sites - with Longleat Forest in Wiltshire at 1,499; then Elveden in Suffolk, Woburn in Bedfordshire and Sherwood in Nottinghamshire which were all at 1,399. The cheapest was Whinfell in Cumbria but this was still 1,249.

Longleat Forest in Wiltshire was the priciest Center Parcs UK site, costing an average of 1,649 for four nights for a family of four, across five weeks during school holidays checked by Which?

Whinfell Forest in Cumbria was the cheapest UK Center Parcs on average across the five weeks examined by experts at Which? at 1,299 for four nights for a family of four

PRICES FOR FOUR-NIGHT STAYS AT CENTER PARCS RESORTS ACROSS EUROPE DATES UK FRANCE BELGIUM NETHERLANDS GERMANY May 27 - May 31 1,449 597 777 707 661 July 29 - August 2 1,429 1,472 1,355 1,210 1,175 August 19 - August 23 1,439 1,419 1,281 995 949 August 26 - August 30 1,409 1,143 1,070 872 803 October 28 - November 1 1,449 857 N/A 645 699 AVERAGES 1,435 1,098 1,121 886 857

France had the biggest savings in May's half-term holiday where, without factoring in travel costs, a family could save 852 on average compared with booking in the UK.

Center Parcs prices for last week of August Four nights for a family of four, staying from August 26 until August 30, 2024 UK Elveden Forest, Suffolk - 1,399

Longleat Forest, Wiltshire - 1,499

Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire - 1,399

Whinfell Forest, Cumbria - 1,249

Woburn Forest, Bedfordshire - 1,399 FRANCE Le Bois aux Daims - 961

Le Lac d'Ailette - 780

Les Bois-Francs - 772

Les Hauts de Bruyeres - 789

Les Landes de Gascogne - 1,244

Les Trois Forets - 746

Villages Nature Paris - 995 NETHERLANDS De Kempervennen - 1,029

De Eemhof - 969

De Huttenheugte - 720

Het Heijderbos - 969

Het Meerdal - 858

Limburgse Peel - 591

Parc Sandur - 566

Port Zelande - 995

Park Zandvoort - 1,149 BELGIUM De Vossemeren

Erperheide - 772

Les Ardennes - 755

Park De Haan - 1,149

Terhills Resort - 943 GERMANY Bispinger Heide - 969

Park Allgau - 1,064

Park Bostalsee - 720

Park Eifel - 755

Park Hochsauerland - 720

Park Nordseekuste - 634 Advertisement

Researchers at Which? found that at 1,449 on average for May, a UK Center Parcs stay costs 143 per cent more than the average cost of a comparable break in France at 597.

Over the same week, the company discovered British families could save an average of 788 in Germany, 742 in the Netherlands and 672 in Belgium.

Meanwhile, those booking in the October half-term can find the biggest savings in the Netherlands, where a four-night break costs 804 less on average than in the UK.

Using the 1,449 average, this means that a UK Center Parcs break is 125 per cent dearer than a Dutch equivalent at 645.

During the summer holidays, the firm found Germany was the cheapest Center Parcs destination in each of the three weeks checked.

The end of the summer break offered the biggest savings.

A stay at a German Center Parcs between August 26 and 30 came in at 803 on average, which is over 600 less than a stay in the UK at 1,409.

Between August 19 and 23, Which? claimed that travellers could save just shy of 500, and 254 between July 39 and August 2, compared to staying in the UK.

While travel costs could push these prices up, spot checks by Which? suggests that families could still save once they are factored in - particularly if booking ferries well in advance.

It was noted that Center Parks in Belgium and France are the easiest to reach from the south of England.

For example, Park de Haan in Belgium is approximately just over an hour's drive from Dunkirk, while Calais is around two and a half hours from Center Parcs Le Lac d'Ailette.

Which? revealed that at the time of writing, a return ferry to Calais for a family of four could be booked for 147 during the October half-term or 165 during the May half-term.

Ferry prices are based on a family of two adults and two children travelling in a Ford Fiesta, with no pets or additional roof luggage.

The Netherlands, meanwhile, can be reached via ferry from Hull, Harwich and Newcastle, or by driving a few hours from Calais or Dunkirk.

Center Parcs De Eemhof has the lowest price in October - 505 for four nights.

It is approximately a one-and-a-half hour drive from the Hook of Holland, with a return ferry from Harwich available for 188 at the time of writing, according to the consumer group.

Center Parcs operates sites in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire; Elveden Forest in Suffolk; Longleat Forest in Wiltshire; Whinfell Forest in Cumbria and Woburn Forest in Bedfordshire

Center Parcs has 27 sites in France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands (as shown above)

A stay at the Center Parcs at Le Bois aux Daims in France will cost 961 for four nights for a family of four in the last week of August

Center Parcs De Eemhof in Holland has the lowest price in October - 505 for four nights

A stay at Les Bois-Francs in France for a family of four will be 772 for four nights in late August

Amounting to a total cost of 693, that is a saving of 606 compared to Center Parcs Whinfell Forest in Cumbria, which is the UK park with the lowest available price that week  at 1,299 for a four-night stay.

Travel costs for getting to Center Parcs in EU Travel costs are the cheapest for the five weeks compared by Which? NETHERLANDS Flights from London to Eindhoven, from 227 return

Flights from London to Amsterdam, from 326 return GERMANY Flights from London to Hamburg, from 302 return FRANCE Ferry from Dover to Calais, from 167 return BELGIUM Ferry from Dover to Dunkirk in France, from 163 return Advertisement

Which? does advise, however, that holidaymakers should factor in longer journey times, with a ferry crossing to the Hook of Holland taking more than seven hours.

Flights are also available from London to Amsterdam from 326 return for a family of four, which is the cheapest price across the five weeks. For London to Hamburg, returns start at 302.

While most of Germany's Center Parcs locations are not close to airports, the best option is Bispinger Heide park which is 40 miles from Hamburg Airport. Flight costs will add at least 302 to the total.

Naomi Leach, deputy editor of Which? Travel, said: 'While UK holiday parks offer families an easy way to explore the great British countryside, our research has found that casting your net further afield could make your break more affordable.

'Those holidaying in the May and October half-terms stand to make the most significant savings, but even during the summer, a family could save hundreds of pounds on their accommodation costs.

'Do factor in the cost of transport and travel insurance to ensure the swap is worthwhile and always double-check European parks have the facilities and activities you expect.'

As for the UK sites, Whinfell was the cheapest on average across the five weeks at 1,299 for four nights - while Longleat Forest was the priciest at 1,649.

A Center Parcs UK spokesman said: 'Despite sharing a brand name, Center Parcs UK and Center Parcs Europe are entirely separate companies which operate very differently.

'At Center Parcs UK, our unique offering attracts loyal guests, a high number of whom return year after year  last year, we welcomed approximately 2.2million guests and had continued occupancy of around 97 per cent.

'We continue to invest heavily in our facilities, accommodation, people and the woodlands in which we operate.'
The ex-partner of the tenant Anthony Albanese is evicting from one of his properties has revealed why the rent on the Sydney home remained so low - at just $680 a week.

On Wednesday, Jim Flanagan begged the Prime Minister not to make him homeless after he was issued a 90-day notice to vacate the three-bedroom townhouse in Dulwich Hill in Sydney's inner-west.

But in a recent TikTok live video filmed in March, his ex-partner, comedian Chrissy Flanagan, revealed that her name was still on the lease, even though she moved out months ago.

She now lives in a 'glam shed' in nearby Marrickville, which is also in the prime minister's federal electorate of Grayndler.

'Albo is not still my landlord... but yeah, my ex still lives in Albo's house,' Ms Flanagan explained.

Chrissy Flanagan (pictured right), the ex-partner of the man Anthony Albanese (pictured left) is evicting from one of his properties, has revealed why the rent on the home remained so low

Chrissy Flanagan (pictured) revealed her name was still on the lease, even though she moved out months ago

'My name is still on the lease because I don't want his, my ex's rent to go up, so I'm just being overly generous because Albo gave us discounted rent at the start of the pandemic because we were small business people.'

Ms Flanagan also revealed that she maintains a personal relationship with Mr Albanese and is still 'semi friends' with him.

'Obviously, I haven't spoken to him since he became Prime Minister because he's been very f***ing busy, but you know if I saw him on the street he would 100 per cent know me and kiss me,' she said.

Ms Flanagan refused to weigh on the saga between her ex and his landlord on Thursday, telling news.com.au that it was a matter between the two men.

Ms Flanagan previously told Daily Mail Australia that Mr Albanese was a good landlord who cut their rent by 25 per cent during the pandemic.

'Not every politician is the same in private as they are in public,' she said at the time.

'I just think if you get these little glimpses of what someone's actually like, when no one's looking, that tells you something.

'It's just a small reflection of what a person is like in private as to what they might be like when they have the opportunity to live their values more broadly.'

Ms Flanagan (left) said she had a personal relationship with Mr Albanese (right), saying 'I'm like semi friends with him'

Ms Flanagan and her former partner used to run a bar and restaurant together called Sausage Factory - which is now closed

Mr Albanese used to be a customer and was previously pictured with Ms Flanagan holding strings of sausages.

The Prime Minister famously grew up in public housing in Sydney, but now owns a mortgage-free bungalow in Marrickville and the Dulwich Hill townhouse.

He splits his time between The Lodge in Canberra and Kirribilli House in Sydney, rent and mortgage-free.

A shocked Mr Flanagan got the eviction notice from his real estate agent on May 8, telling him Mr Albanese 'could be selling the house at some stage'.

He went public with his eviction notice on Wednesday, calling it a 'crippling blow'.

This was despite Mr Albanese reducing the rent for Mr Flanagan and his then partner to $680 a week during the pandemic and not raising it since.

The market rate for a three-bedroom property in the area is currently around $800 a week.

Mr Flanagan was spurred into trying to stay on in the house after reading about the government's $1.9billion package to slash rental costs for vulnerable people announced in Tuesday's Federal Budget.

'It just doesn't sit well when (Mr Albanese) is trying to be sympathetic with the majority of Australians who are, like me, finding the current climate extremely challenging,' he said.

But on Thursday, the Prime Minister slapped down Mr Flanagan's plea, claiming he has been a good landlord.

'The person who's in the property, in his own words, says I have been a more than fair owner of that property,' Mr Albanese told ABC Radio National host Patricia Karvelas.

The Prime Minister said he was 'entitled' to sell the property before his upcoming wedding to partner Jodie Haydon.

Mr Albanese was asked if he would consider allowing Mr Flanagan to stay in the property a little longer.

Jim Flanagan (pictured) has begged his landlord Anthony Albanese to not kick him out onto the street after he received an eviction notice

'Well, he's refused to have discussions with the real estate agent,' Mr Albanese claimed.

'That's a matter for him. I wish him well. He has been well looked after for a long period of time.

'I am entitled to make decisions in my personal life including selling a property that I own because I wish to move on in my personal life in a different direction.

'The property was bought when my personal circumstances were different.

'He's lived there for four years. There were other people there at the time and his personal circumstances have changed.'

Mr Flanagan also spoke on radio on Thursday, saying he had 'never refuted or disputed' that the Prime Minister didn't have the right to evict him.

'He is absolutely entitled to issue a termination notice, 100 per cent. I have nothing against Albo personally. Or property owners,' he said.

'But I guess there's just  when you're a renter, there is a power disconnect between landlords and renters.

'Ideally, I guess we're just looking for a little bit more of a considerate approach when it comes to evictions, terminations issues, notices to vacate.

'And I guess I was just a little surprised that I wasn't afforded that.'

Mr Flanagan has been given 90 days to vacate the Dulwich Hill property (pictured)

Anthony Albanese also owns this Marrickville home (pictured), which is being rented out

Mr Flanagan said he 'certainly wasn't seeking to ambush the Prime Minister'.

'I did call out before the story ran that I'd been approached by the media so I gave them absolutely every opportunity to respond.

'Unfortunately, I didn't receive a response to those emails.'

The Prime Minister's property portfolio has previously been estimated to be worth about $5million, although he has since sold a two-bedroom unit in Canberra, in 2022.

Mr Albanese bought the Dulwich Hill property for $1.175 million in 2015 and it's now estimated to be worth between $1.9 and $2.2million.

He rents out his former home in Marrickville, which has a backyard pool, for $1,350 a week.
Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico was 'millimetres from death', president-elect Peter Pellegrini has declared, after he was shot by a 'lone wolf' assassin in a shocking attack and rushed to intensive care yesterday.

Fico, 59, was blasted several times at near-point-blank range - leaving him in critical condition - while greeting supporters outside government offices north-east of the capital Bratislava.

The PM was whisked to hospital by air ambulance to undergo life-saving surgery late last night and is now said to be in a 'serious but stable' condition.

If the 'gunshot wounds were just a few millimetres either side, we would be talking about him as the late prime minister,' Pellegrini solemnly told reporters today.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok described the shooter as a 'lone wolf' with 'a clear political motivation', adding that his actions 'were accelerated' after Pellegrini, a Fico ally, was victorious in last month's presidential election.

The suspect, a 71-year-old writer named as Juraj Cintula, has been arrested and charged with attempted murder, a crime which carries a penalty of 25 years to life in prison should he be found guilty, according to Slovakian press.

Cintula's wife has since been placed under protection for fear that Fico's enraged supporters would seek retribution. Video shows a masked police officer whisking her away from her apartment, her face covered with a magazine.

Slovakia's PM Robert Fico (pictured) is fighting for his life in hospital following an assassination attempt on Wednesday

Security scrambled to tackle the shooter, 71-year-old Juraj Cintula from Levice, to the ground

The prime minister was airlifted to a nearby hospital after suffering gunshot wounds to the arm and stomach

Newly elected President of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, today said the PM was millimetres from death

The wife of the man who launched an assassination attempt on Slovakia's Prime Minister - leaving him in critical condition with several gunshot wounds - has been put under police protection

The pensioner was seen covering her face with a magazine as she was hurriedly ushered out of her apartment by a masked policeman

Juraj Cintula, 71, is a writer and founder member of a literary club. His son was quoted as telling local media: 'I have no idea what father intended, what he planned, why it happened. Maybe there was some short circuit'

The alleged assassin 71-year-old Juraj Cintula, from Levice

Slovak politicians have made desperate appeals for calm in response to the shooting which comes at a time of deep political polarisation and threatens to plunge the Central European country into chaos.

Central European security expert and Senior Lecturer in Intelligence Studies at King's College London Dr Daniela Richterova told MailOnline that the shooting of Fico is the latest incident amid unprecedented levels of aggression against politicians and the media in recent years.

'Fico's own party, SMER, made a notable turn to anti-Western, xenophobic and confrontational-style politics ahead of the 2023 parliamentary elections,' she said.

'His propensity to adopt hateful rhetoric against political opponents was perhaps most visibly demonstrated at a 2022 SMER rally, where he labelled sitting President, Zuzana Caputova ''a prostitute, villain and whore'' and said she must be ''taken down''.

Richterova added that the attempt on Fico's life has been condemned by most of Slovakia's top political figures and opposition parties.

But she also noted that Fico's coalition partner, leader of SNS party Andrei Danko, said: 'For SNS, this is the beginning of a political war', adding, 'I want to tell the opposition to shut up, to respect the election results'.

She concluded that the shooting has exposed the growing political fault lines in Slovakia and said it was up to the political elite to work hard to avert a crisis.

Speaking late last night, Interior Minister Estok said that an initial investigation found 'a clear political motivation' behind the attack on Fico while he was attending a government meeting in a former coal mining town.

The minister did not specify what the motivation was.

But Fico has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond, and his return to power last year on a pro-Russian, anti-American message led to even greater worries among fellow European Union members that he would abandon his country's pro-Western course.

The attempt on Fico's life comes as thousands of demonstrators have repeatedly rallied in the capital and around the country to protest his policies.

It also comes just ahead of June elections for the European Parliament.

Slovak Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok speaks during a press conference at F.D. Roosevelt University Hospital, where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is being treated

Slovak Defence Minister Robert Kalinak said we must put our trust 'in the hands of the medical specialists', as he appealed to the public to 'pray' for Fico's recovery

Graphic depicting the events following the shooting of Slovakian PM Robert Fico

An individual from within the crowd can be seen lunging forward, with a gun in hand as he begins shooting in the direction of the PM who is out of the camera frame

Outgoing President Zuzana Caputova, a political rival of Fico, said Thursday that the heads of the country's political parties would meet in an effort to bring calm and 'refuse violence.'

'We want to call on everyone to to be responsible,' Caputova said at a news conference in the capital Bratislava.

Caputova was speaking alongside Peter Pellegrini, a Fico ally who is Slovakia's president-elect. Their joint message was a gesture toward reducing the inflamed political tensions that have gripped the country in recent months and an appeal to Slovaks not to give in to political divisions.

'This assassination attempt deserves a joint and unequivocal condemnation,' Pellegrini said.

'I call on all parties in Slovakia to interrupt or at least significantly reduce their campaign for the European Parliament election, because the campaign is naturally linked to confrontation, and confrontation is the last thing Slovakia needs at the moment.'

Fico's government, elected last September, has halted arms deliveries to Ukraine, and has plans to amend the penal code to eliminate a special anti-graft prosecutor and to take control of public media.

His critics worry that he will lead Slovakia - a nation of 5.4 million that belongs to NATO - down a more autocratic path.

Zuzana Eliasova, a resident of the capital Bratislava, said the attack on Fico was a 'shock' to the nation and an attack on democracy at a time when political tensions were already running high.

'I believe that a lot of people or even the whole society will look into their conscience, because the polarization here has been huge among all different parts of society,' she said.

The PM was shot in Handlova, north-east of Bratislava

A general view of the F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital where Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico is undergoing operation

Police work at the scene after a shooting incident in which Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was wounded by five gun shots, police confirmed

Doctors performed a five-hour operation on Fico, who was initially reported to be in life-threatening condition, according to director of the F.D. Roosevelt Hospital in Banska Bystrica, Miriam Lapunikova.

He is being treated in an intensive care unit.

Five shots were fired outside a cultural center in the town of Handlova, nearly 140 kilometers (85 miles) northeast of the capital, government officials said.

Slovakia's Security Council was set to meet in the capital of Bratislava on Thursday to discuss the situation, a government office said, adding that a government meeting would follow.

Fico returned to power in Slovakia last year, having previously served twice as prime minister.

He and his Smer party have most often been described as left-populist, though he has also been compared to politicians on the right like the nationalist prime minister of neighboring Hungary, Viktor Orban.

Fico's comeback caused concern among his critics that he and his party - which had long been tainted by scandal - would lead Slovakia away from the Western mainstream.

He promised a tough stance against migration and non-governmental organisations and campaigned against LGBTQ+ rights.

Despite the controversy surrounding Fico's leadership, condemnation of the attack came from both his allies and adversaries.

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message to President Caputova, expressing his support and wishing the prime minister a fast and full recovery.

'This atrocious crime cannot be justified,' Putin said in the message released by the Kremlin. 'I know Robert Fico as a courageous and strong-willed person. I truly hope these personal qualities will help him overcome this harsh situation.'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also denounced the violence against a neighboring country's head of government.

'Every effort should be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country, form or sphere,' he said.
Deluded incest monster Josef Fritzl is searching for a new house in the country and is 'toying' with the idea of writing a memoir in the belief he will be freed, his lawyer has revealed.

Evil Fritzl, 89, has already instructed his lawyer Astrid Wagner to start looking for a suitable property as he still dreams of a free life in the Austrian countryside, she told local media.

Wagner also revealed that monster Fritzl is 'toying with the idea' of writing a sick memoir of his revolting crimes and how 'elegant' Fritzl keeps fit and grows veg in his cell in prison.

The revelations come just days after judges in Austria ruled that Fritzl could be moved from a maximum security hospital wing for the criminally insane to a regular prison.

But he has been denied hope of any early release because of what judges called his 'unprecedented criminal energy'.

Evil Fritzl, 89, has already instructed his lawyer to start looking for a suitable property as he still dreams of a free life in the Austrian countryside, she told local media. He was pictured outside of prison for the first time in 15 years as he arrived in court earlier this year (above)

Lawyer Astrid Wagner (pictured) also revealed that monster Fritzl is 'toying with the idea' of writing a sick memoir of his revolting crimes and how 'elegant' Fritzl keeps fit and grows veg in his cell in prison

The depraved rapist can be released to a normal jail, the Regional Court of Krems announced this week, saying that he no longer needs to be held in a high security facility for the mentally ill

Despite the crushing verdict, Fritzl - who kept his daughter Elisabeth as a sex slave for 24 years and fathered her seven children - is planning to launch a fresh appeal for freedom next year.

Wagner told local media of a post-hearing meeting with her twisted client at Stein prison where he is waiting for his transfer.

Wagner said: 'As always, he was very elegant and came in with a "casual look".'

Bizarrely she explained that she had 'disturbed him during his nap, but he wasn't angry with me.'

Wagner added that even after being told of the court's verdict confused Fritzl asked her: 'Can I finally go home now?'

She said: 'It won't be easy. Of course, he needs care.

'But he already asked me for a property broker. That's just what makes him a bit distorted from reality.'

Fritzl could soon be transferred to the Suben prison or to Tullnerbach, according to local media.

And because he has served more than 15 years behind bars, a conditional release from custody could be possible in the future.

Wagner is expected to begin preparing a case as early as next year and does not expect the application to be opposed.

Fritzl - who changed his name to Mayrhoff in an alleged attempt to evade physical attacks by other inmates - was locked up in 2009 after he admitted to raping his daughter Elisabeth (pictured) and fathering seven children with her

Josef Fritzl is seen during day four of his trial at the country court of St. Poelten in 2009

Elisabeth and her kids lived in the basement of the family home in Amstetten while Fritzl and his wife Rosemarie lived above

Elisabeth lived in this dingy, cramped basement for 24 years with her children

The lawyer said: 'He's very sorry about what happened and wants to drive around a bit and be home. He believes that he will be free.

'And given his old age, it is really realistic that he will be able to spend his last years in freedom.

'Fritzl seems fit. The development of dementia is not unusual at this age. He does gymnastics in the morning.

'He buys fruit in the prison shop, he especially likes grapes. He also grows vegetables in his cell.'

The lawyer said that Fritzl also wants to write a new book and is 'toying with the idea of publishing his memoirs.'
A plastic surgeon died after the small plane he was piloting crashed in Tennessee, killing two other people on board.

Dr. Lucius Doucet had taken off in his single-engine Beechcraft V35 on Wednesday morning from Louisiana Regional Airport, with two unidentified passengers.

A family source told WJHL that Doucet had been piloting the plane, with a destination set as Louisville, Kentucky.

The plane went down in Williamson County just 45 minutes south of Nashville shortly before midday with investigators reporting a large debris field.

Doucet, 62, had been affiliated with several hospitals in Baton Rouge and was a father-of-three.

Doucet, 62, had been affiliated with several hospitals in Baton Rouge and was a father-of-three

Dr. Lucius Doucet had taken off in his single-engine Beechcraft V35 on Wednesday morning from Louisiana Regional Airport

The plane went down in Williamson County just 45 minutes south of Nashville shortly before midday with investigators reporting a large debris field

Doucet graduated from Tulane University School of Medicine after completing General Surgery Residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center.

After going on to receive a fellowship at the University of California-Davis School of Medicine in Sacramento he returned to Louisiana.

His three children now work in the fields of medicine and engineering and according to an online profile his favorite hobby was aviation.

Shortly after the crash, the Williamson County Sheriff's Office launched a desperate search for survivors.

Williamson County Sheriff Mark Elrod said while officials were at first hopeful, it was soon realized it was unlikely those on board would be found alive.

'It was quickly evident that this would be a search-and-recovery operation, not a search-and-rescue operation,' Elrod said in a news briefing on Wednesday evening.

As of now, it is believed that the plane broke up while it was in the air. The other victims have not yet been identified.

Elrod said: 'It does appear that the plane did break up in the air', with the cause of the crash still under investigation.

The Williamson County Sheriff's Office launched a desperate search for the aircraft's the occupants but later announced there were no survivors

Williamson County Sheriff Mark Elrod, seen here, said while officials were at first hopeful, it was soon realized it was unlikely those on board would be found alive

He also added that the debris is about is over half a mile long but no nearby structures are believed to be damaged.

It is unclear where the crash began and ended, according to the deputy. The Sheriff's Office asked residents to avoid the area while crews work the scene.

Jill Burgin, spokesperson for the Williamson County Emergency Management Agency, said they received a 911 call at about 12:05 p.m.

Burgin said: 'He just said a possible plane crash, but he didnt have a lot of details. He just heard a sound and saw debris so thats all the information he gave.'

The incident is being investigated by the FAA, the Sheriff's Office and National Transportation Safety Board.
Some 25 prison staff have fallen ill - including officers rushed to hospital - after a curry was allegedly spiked by inmates making the dish with the 'zombie drug' Spice.

The Criminal Justice Workers Union described it as a 'mass poisoning of staff' at the high-security HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.

It is suspected the synthetic drug Spice - which can leave users in a zombie-like state - was added to the canteen meals.

Paramedics were called at 2.10pm last Thursday and set up a medical incident unit at the jail, while at least three officers were taken to hospital for further treatment.

There have now been demands for HM Prison and Probation Service to launch a 'full investigation' into the incident.

The Criminal Justice Workers Union described it as a 'mass poisoning of staff' at the high-security HMP Swaleside (pictured) on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent

CJWU official Andy Hamlin said prisoners working in the canteen at HMP Swaleside in Kent spiked a 'staff special curry'

Andy Hamlin, an official for the Criminal Justice Workers Union, said: 'Prisoners preparing food in the staff canteen spiked a "staff special curry" with what is believed to be a New Psychoactive Substance.

'Twenty-five staff were affected and were witnessed under the influence of NPS.

'Among those affected there were symptoms including breathing difficulties and raised heart rates.'

South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) sent nine ambulances to attend the incident with a makeshift incident unit set up within the prison.

A SECAmb spokesman said three people were taken to Medway Maritime for further checks, although the CJWU believed five had needed hospital treatment.

A spokesperson for the CJWU executive committee said: 'Although it is not unusual for prisoners to be working staff canteens, they are expected to be a low risk, which clearly hasn't happened in this case.

'The CJWUnion demand HMPPS carry out a full investigation into this incident.

'HMPPS and local senior management team at HMP Swaleside must do more to protect the health and safety of its staff.'

The CJWU says prisoners at the jail are employed to prepare and serve the food in the staff canteen and to hold this position they are required to complete an employment risk assessment.

HMP Swaleside, which holds men convicted of serious offences and those who pose a high risk to the public, has about 1,100 inmates.

Its last inspection by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons found levels of violence were high and drugs were easy to get hold of.

More than 40 per cent of prisoners are serving sentences of more than ten years, with a similar proportion serving indeterminate sentences.

One unit is specifically allocated for men convicted of sexual offences.

The Ministry of Justice said: 'A number of staff were taken ill following an incident at HMP Swaleside last week and those who attended the hospital were soon discharged.

'There is an ongoing investigation and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.'

The department was liaising with all relevant agencies involved while no one taken to hospital was in critical condition, the MoJ added.

A prison riot - the fifth insurrection in UK jails in two months - broke out at Swaleside in December 2016, with inmates smashing up a wing and starting fires.

Pictures emerged of hooded prisoners brandishing makeshift weapons, before specialist Tornado squads of former SAS soldiers were sent in to quell the rioters and reclaim A Wing which had been seized.
A Southern California college professor will stand trial for the involuntary manslaughter and battery of a Jewish counter-protestor after he was struck with a megaphone before falling and dying during a demonstration last year.

Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji, 51, will be tried after Superior Court Judge Ryan Wright deemed there was enough evidence to proceed, several months on from the incident, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

Alnaji, 51, is accused of striking Paul Kessler with a megaphone in November during a confrontation at an event that started as a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Thousand Oaks, a suburb northwest of Los Angeles.

Kessler, 69, fell backward and struck his head on the pavement. He died the next day at a hospital.

Alnaji was charged with involuntary manslaughter and battery causing serious bodily injury, with special allegations of personally inflicting great bodily harm injury on each count, the DA's office said.

If found guilty of all charges, he could be sentenced to more than four years in prison.

Attorney Ron Bamieh, left, listens to his client, Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji in Ventura County Superior Court on Nov. 17, 2023, in Ventura, California

A Palestinian supporter appears to help Kessler after he clashed with other protestors

Alnaji, a professor of computer science at Moorpark College, had espoused pro-Palestinian views on his Facebook page and other social media accounts, many of which were taken down in the days after Kessler's death, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Witnesses told ABC Los Angeles at the time of the attack, on November 5, that both sides had been antagonizing each other when it turned physical.

'They were both on an even ground, and they were yelling at each other, and then the man brought his megaphone up and hit Paul, and Paul went down,' one unnamed witness said.

Kessler was initially reported to have been involved in a tussle with another person where he fell backward and hit his head on the ground.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles claimed Kessler was 'struck in the head by a megaphone wielded by a pro-Palestinian protestor'.

Harrowing social media footage showed him lying on the ground with a pool of blood under him as medics rushed to help him.

One of the organizers of the Pro-Palestine side of the protest, the Conejo Valley Antifascists, said in a message on X at the time: 'We have some news to share tomorrow about the tragic loss of life over the weekend.

'There are irresponsible assumptions and accusations flying around.

'We have facts not yet reported that may surprise some in our community.

'We are heartbroken and will have more to share soon,' the group said.

Sheriff's deputies arrived and found Kessler with a head injury. He was taken the hospital, where he died the following day.

Cops then launched an investigation as his autopsy ruled his death a homicide.

DailyMail.com revealed Alnaji to be the suspect involved in the investigation on November 8.

At an arraignment in November, Alnaji pleaded not guilty to one felony count of manslaughter and one felony count of battery causing serious bodily injury.

He also denied special allegations that he personally inflicted great bodily injury.

Protests continue to escalate between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian factions as the war in Gaza rages on with no end in sight.

Anger was felt at George Washington University last week when pro-Palestinian demonstrators were seen in shocking footage holding a mock trial calling for the beheadings of school administrators.

A witness says that they saw Paul Kessler, 69, shown here, waving an Israeli flag before being accosted by a Pro-Palestine protester during the protest in Thousand Oaks

Footage taken on campus saw activists condemn GWU President Ellen Granberg and Provost Christopher Bracey to the 'guillotine.'

'Bracey, Bracey, we see you. You assault students too. Off to the motherf****** gallows with you,' the protesters were heard chanting as they held a mock court.

The Gaza 'encampment' was later shut down by police.

Demonstrations at Columbia University in New York City last month saw students set up an encampment of around 50 tents, demanding the university divest from Israel.

The protests saw clashes resulting in mass arrests before the university administration entered into negotiations with protestors.

Similar demonstrations thereafter erupted across the country, with some even taking place at campuses in Britain.
A former tour guide has told a court how she still physically suffers from a brutal sex attack allegedly perpetrated by Christian Brueckner 20 years ago.

Hazel Behan, 40, who has waived her anonymity, described her horrific ordeal at the hands of the convicted rapist and paedophile through tears.

He was sensationally named by German police in June 2020 as the man suspected of abducting Madeline McCann but has yet to be charged and is currently on trial for unrelated sex crimes.

Ms Behan told the court in Braunschweig, Germany, that she had been raped in June 2004 by a masked man who later whipped her and filmed her in her apartment in Praia da Roch, just a few minutes from the resort of Praia da Luz on the Algarve coast from where then-three-year-old Madeleine was snatched in May 2007.

The Irish former tour guide, who was reduced to tears as Brueckner's defence team conducted a brutal cross-examination, revealed she was still suffered bleeding as result of the horrific sex attack.

Hazel Behan, 40, (pictured) who has waived her anonymity, described her horrific ordeal at the hands of the convicted rapist and paedophile through tears

Christian Brueckner (pictured) was sensationally named by German police in June 2020 as the man suspected of abducting Madeline McCann

The defence team asked whether her rapist had used lubricant when he attacked her, leaving members of the public gallery horrified.

Brueckner's lawyers also claimed DNA evidence proved that she had had sex with her then boyfriend Jason Coates directly after the brutal rape.

She said: 'I had sex before the incident because we were a couple and I had sex afterwards because we were a couple and had a child but I did not have sex immediately afterwards.'

Ms Behan contacted police after recognising a picture of Brueckner, 47, and an appeal for information and when asked why she was sure it was him gave her harrowing answer.

She said: 'When you spend time in this situation and there is nothing else you can see on this human, it is the only thing which you can remember, they bored into my skull and I will never forget it.'

Brueckner's defence team conducted a brutal cross-examination on the Irish woman

Ms Behan, from Mullingar, Ireland, added that his eyes were completely illuminated against the black mask and skin-tight clothing he wore as he raped her.

She added: 'They were just so blue everything so dark that he had one, so they just worked like lights, they were so bright, and I just know them.'

Behan went on to reveal she has managed to use the nightmare ordeal in a positive way, by choosing to try and help other women in similar situations.

She told presiding judge Ute Insa Engemann: 'I visited the rape crisis centre and I got the help which I didn't know then that I needed.

'It made me think of the many other women who were maybe in a similar situation.

'I never felt heard, and that anyone had listened to me. I had been listening to the radio one morning, and a show I listened to regularly there was a person speaking about a theme, a completely different them than the rape. I found it super that she was so brave to use something terrible that had happened to her, and used it in such a positive way.

Ms Behan detailed how the assailant then threatened to kill her before fleeing over the balcony after the attack (exterior view of apartment windows from the road pictured)

Ms Behan was raped in apartment in Praia da Rocha, Portugal, in 2004 (building exterior pictured)

The assailant entered Ms Behan's room as she slept and held a knife to her throat before carrying out the attack (interior view of the apartment block pictured)

'So I wrote to the radio station and they invited me to speak on air. At first I really didn't want to do it, but then I realised I would be able to do for other people what this person had done for me.

'First it was radio, there were no plans for anything on TV, but based on the radio there was an increase in calls at the rape crisis centre, and so I was invited to go onto the late show so I agreed, and there were many reasons why I wanted to do it, for me, to be heard.

Brueckner, who is currently serving a seven year jail sentence raping an elderly woman in Portugal in 2006, listened impassively with no visible show of emotion.

He is accused of raping three women and carrying out a string sex assaults on children in the Algarve between 2000 and 2017.

The trial continues.
The Pentagon has raised fears a quaint Swiss Alps hotel bought by a Chinese family may have been a spying post for Beijing due to its proximity to an F-35 jet airstrip.

Hotel Rossli, in picturesque Unterbach, was purchased by the Wang family for almost $1 million in 2018, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Situated in a quintessentially-lush Swiss valley, on one side the hotel looks out onto stunning waterfalls and the area's popular hiking trails.

But just 100 yards out the back lies an unfenced airstrip which will soon house F-35s, the world's most advanced fighter jets and one of the US military's most closely guarded secrets.

The strip is so open that farmers regularly walk their cows across it to their fields, with bells clanking.

Mounting suspicions ultimately led to the arrest of Wang Jin, his wife Lin Jing and their son Wang Dawei, 27. All have denied spying.

The Pentagon has raised fears a quaint Swiss Alps hotel bought by a Chinese family may have been a spying post for Beijing due to its proximity to an F-35 jet airstrip

The Hotel Rossli, in picturesque Unterbach, was purchased by the Wang family for almost $1 million in 2018

F-35s are the world's most advanced fighter jets and one of the US military's most closely guarded secrets

'We were very surprised. It sounded like a kind of movie,' Juck Egli, chief administrator of the nearby town of Meiringen, told the Wall Street Journal.

American security officials began to get concerned about the Wangs' motivations in 2023.

They feared the hotel could be used as the perfect watch post in the escalating tensions between the US and Chinese president Xi Jinping's intelligence agencies.

They also raised concerns that the airstrip lacked security, pointing out that local farmers frequently herded cattle over the area.

But officials in Switzerland, a historically neutral country, were reluctant to take any action without concrete proof of spying.

However, the Pentagon forced their hand by issuing an ultimatum stating the jets could not be housed at the airstrip unless it was secured.

The F-35s were meant to arrive in 2028 but had already been seen taking off from the area a handful of times.

National Security Agency documents leaked by Edward Snowden revealed that Beijing has been intent on learning the F-35s secrets since details of the weapons program became known.

US officials feared the hotel could be used as the perfect watch post in the escalating tensions between the US and Chinese president Xi Jinping's intelligence agencies.

The hotel was just 100 yards from the airstrip which was unfenced and easily accessible to the public. It can be seen circled in red in this photo from a nearby mountain road, with the airstrip in front of it

US officials also argued that a 2017 national security law introduce by Jinping would compel the Wangs to spy for him if they were asked.

And so last summer, the Swiss federal police finally swarmed the property and arrested the Wangs.

The family staunchly denied any spying allegations and were issued with $5,400 in fines for violating Swiss hospitality laws.

Wang Jin left the keys with a villager, saying he would be returning to China for a while and instructed them to keep the pipes running until his return.

However, the family has seemingly disappeared without a trace. The hotel was shuttered and has since been purchased by the Swiss military for around $1.8 million.

Locals in the hamlet of just 478 people have been left baffled by the entire situation.

Wang Jin in particular had managed to ingratiate himself with the community, impressing them with his fluent German.

He explained his linguistic skills were the result of growing up as the son of Chinese diplomats who served in Germany and Switzerland.

last summer, the Swiss federal police finally swarmed the property and arrested the Wangs who denied spying but have since returned to China

There were however some grumblings among residents when the family shut down the hotel's restaurant almost immediately upon arrival.

Locals were also perplexed by the family's decision to travel back to China at Christmas, typically one of the hotel's most lucrative periods.

By 2020, much of the hotel's staff had been replaced with Chinese workers after the original staff became fed up with the establishment's decline.

But the hotel's previous owner remains unconvinced about the spying narrative.

'If secret services were at work, this property purchase would probably be a very clumsy method of obtaining espionage results, ' Kaspar Kohler said.

China's foreign ministry has also vehemently refuted the allegations and accused the US of 'smears'.

'The United States has frequently hyped up 'Chinese espionage activities' in order to discredit and suppress China,' a spokesman for the Beijing Embassy in Washington said.
A great-grandmother died from respiratory failure after inhaling dust from an airbag that exploded in a crash, an inquest heard.

Kathleen Woodhouse had been given a 'new lease of life' after receiving a liver transplant six weeks before the accident.

But little over a week after the collision she was struggling to breathe and eventually ended up on oxygen and using wheelchair.

She died aged 64 last year and a coroner Christopher Leach has now recorded a narrative verdict, saying: 'Mrs Woodhouse was involved in a serious road traffic accident following which her car airbag inflated and ruptured, causing her to inhale a fine dust.

'After the incident, she became increasingly breathless and chest X-rays showed inflammation of her lungs. This was more than likely caused by inhalation of dust from the airbag.'

Kathleen Woodhouse (pictured) had been given a 'new lease of life' after receiving a liver transplant six weeks before the accident

Speaking after the hearing, Mrs Woodhouse's husband, Richard, said he was considering legal action.

He told the Mail: 'She had so much to live for. We were robbed of a lot of years together.'

The couple's son, David, added: 'We lost her on the day of that crash.'

Mrs Woodhouse, of Hellesdon, Norfolk, had a liver transplant for non-alcohol-related sclerosis in the summer of 2016 and within a few weeks went on holiday to Wales with her husband.

They were driving back in October that year when they were hit by another car in Much Marcle, Herefordshire, writing off both vehicles.

Both airbags in their Hyundai Santa Fe deployed and retired bus driver Mr Woodhouse, 68, emerged unharmed.

But his wife  whose passenger side of the car suffered the worst damage  received injuries to her spleen and new liver and her airbag burst open.

Recalling the aftermath, Mr Woodhouse said: 'The dust was a fine grey/white powder. She was absolutely covered in it. She was coughing a little at the time.'

He added: 'After the liver transplant she had been given a new lease of life  her weight dropped and she was strutting about and walking faster than I can.

'Then, all of a sudden the accident happened and within a week or so she was back to slow.'

Specialists at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital didn't think the breathing problems were related to the dust from the airbag, according to Mr Woodhouse, until he researched it on the internet and found other examples.

Christopher Atkins, a consultant respiratory physician from NNUH, told the inquest in Norwich yesterday/on Wednesday: 'When I saw her in May 2021, she explained her increasing breathlessness came after the road traffic accident collision left her covered in fine dust following deployment of the airbag.

'It seems that chemical pneumonitis, caused by sodium in the airbag, is the most likely cause of her difficulties.'

Pneumonitis is a condition which causes inflammation of the lungs.

Retired dinner lady Mrs Woodhouse, who was wheelchair-bound and on oxygen for the last three years of her life, was admitted to hospital twice in a month just before her death and returned on April 6, before passing away two days later.

She also tested positive for Covid-19, although Norfolk assistant coroner Mr Leach stated he didn't consider her death to be the result of natural causes.

The medical cause of death was given as respiratory failure caused by hypersensitivity pneumonitis, chemical pneumonitis and Covid pneumonitis.

Mr Woodhouse, who had been married to his wife 45 years when she died, added: 'As soon as we get the death certificate then I'll be speaking to someone about it [legal action].'

Retired dinner lady Mrs Woodhouse (pictured), who was wheelchair-bound and on oxygen for the last three years of her life, was admitted to hospital twice in a month just before her death and returned on April 6, before passing away two days later

His daughter, Donna Needs, said: 'She was waiting for her liver transplant and afterwards got her life back. But after the crash, she suffered for the rest of her years.'

Car airbags are inflated by a chemical reaction which produces a burst of nitrogen. They contain dust, such as talcum powder or cornstarch, to lubricate the airbag during deployment.

In 2012, marine engineer Ronald Smith, 59, of South Tyneside died of bronchial pneumonia three weeks after a crash in which his airbag burst and he was exposed its 'noxious' contents.

He was described previously as being 'extremely fit and active'.

A Hyundai spokeswoman said: 'We were unaware of the accident to which you refer, or the subsequent inquest hearing.

'We have had no reports of similar incidents, whether in the UK or in Europe.'
A fresh search will take place for the remains of Muriel McKay after detectives flew to Trinidad to speak to her killer, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Ms McKay, the wife of a newspaper executive, was kidnapped and held ransom for 1 million in a case of mistaken identity by thugs who had intended to target the wife of Rupert Murdoch.

She was abducted 54 years ago and her body has never been found despite extensive searches at the Hertfordshire farm where she was killed.

Detectives today announced they will conduct a fresh search after interviewing her killer - but said if her remains still cannot be found it would not be proportionate to carry out further searches.

Her family said they were delighted that officers will renew their search but reiterated that it is only half a job done and will be forever haunted until they can give Ms McKay a proper burial.

A portrait of Muriel Frieda McKay, 55, wife of the deputy chairman of the News of the World, who was kidnapped and killed in 1969. Her body has never been discovered

Nizamodeen Hosein met with daughter Dianne and grandson Mark to show them on a map where he claimed to have buried her body 55 years ago

Police had searched an area of the farm in 2022 (pictured), but Hosein claims they searched the wrong area

The 55-year-old was kidnapped in London and held ransom by a pair who had mistaken her for Anna Murdoch, the then-wife of media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

Ms McKay was the wife of Mr Murdochs deputy Alick McKay, who like Mr Murdoch was Australian.

In March detectives visited one of her killers in Trinidad, where he was deported after serving his jail sentence, to speak to him in person after his offer to show her family where she was buried.

Brothers Arthur and Nizamodeen Hosein, 76, were convicted of her kidnap and murder 1970 in one of the first convictions for murder without a body.

Arthur died in prison in 2009, while Nizamodeen, who was jailed for 20 years in 1970, was deported to Trinidad and Tobago after serving his sentence.

Ms McKay disappeared in December 1969 and was traced to Stocking Farm near Bishops Stortford, but her body was never found.

In February Ms McKays daughter Dianne McKay, 84, and grandson Mark Dyer, 59, flew to Trinidad after Hosein said he was willing to tell them where she had been buried.

He told them she was buried at the back of the farm where he and his brother had held her hostage. Detectives subsequently travelled to Trinidad to question him before announcing a fresh search.

The farm was searched at the time of the murder and again in 2022, with 30 police officers, ground penetrating radar and specialist forensic archaeologists used, but nothing new was found.

Muriel's daughter, Dianne (pictured, left), has for years fought to learn the truth of her mother's murder, travelling recently to Trinidad with her son Mark Dyer (right) to speak with one of her killers, Nizamodeen Hosein (pictured, centre)

Hosein pointed to a spot on a photograph of the farm where Muriel was held, and told her daughter: 'This is where I buried her.'

In December last year, Ms McKays family were provided new information by Hosein about the possible whereabouts of her remains and visited him in Trinidad and shared information, including footage, with the Metropolitan Police investigation team.

The decision to search the farm again was made after the investigation team visited Hosein to speak to him in person and interviewed him over three days following his offer to show her family where she was buried.

Ms McKays grandson Mr Dyer said he was delighted and had to take a deep breath when he found out that police would conduct a fresh search in a spot under a barn that has since been built in the spot where Hosein said he had buried her.

He told the Times: We are going to meet with the farm owner and the police to plan it. The officer said it will happen within the next six weeks. Its been an incredible effort by our family to prompt and nudge the police but ultimately we are glad they are taking this step.

It is a success but it is only half a job done. We just want to find my grandmother and bury her at my mothers farm. This ghastly mystery has haunted us all our lives.

The abduction is believed to have involved a case of mistaken identity - with the kidnappers intending to seize Anna Murdoch, first wife of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch

Brothers Arthur, left, and Nazamodeen Hosein were found guilty of her murder. Arthur died in prison in 2009, while Nizam was deported to Trinidad

Landowner Ian Marsh, a banker, pushed back against requests from the family to dig up his farm in Hertfordshire (pictured)

Alick McKay makes an appeal from his home in Wimbledon for the safe return of his missing wife Muriel, on 9th January 1970. He is accompanied by his son Ian and daughters Jennifer (left) and Dianne (right)

Commander Steve Clayman said that while they have concerns about inconsistencies in Hoseins account, officers will search an area where a manure heap once stood.

He said: Id like to thank Muriels family for their patience while we have taken time to really carefully consider all the information gathered in relation to this case. I know it has been a frustrating time for them.

We have decided we will carry out a further search at the Hertfordshire farm where it is believed Muriels remains may be. We carried out an extensive search there in spring 2022 but unfortunately it was unsuccessful.

Our recent inquiries mean other areas have been highlighted as being of potential interest and it is these we will search.

The main area is where a manure heap once stood - we know now this was probably larger than we previously thought and therefore that area was not entirely searched in 2022.

While we have concerns about inconsistences in the account provided by Nizamodeen Hosein, for completeness, we want to do this.

At this stage we have not set a date for the search to begin, but will keep Muriels family updated and informed.

The owners of the farm are fully aware and supportive and we thank them for their continuing help and co-operation.

We all share a hope and desire to find Muriels remains and bring some closure to her family after all these years.

We sincerely hope the search is successful. However, we have informed the family that if Muriels remains are sadly not found, it would not be proportionate to carry out any further searches or investigations.

Meanwhile, in a statement released through the Met, the owners of the farm said: Our position has been consistent from the very first request of the family of the late Mrs McKay for a dig at our home. We have always said that this is a police matter - they are the experts in investigating evidence and determining its credibility.

We have at all times provided the police with access to our land and granted permission to dig when requested by them, including when we have not been obliged to do so.

We agreed to support the decision of the police, whatever it was. They have now made their decision, which we respect, although we understand from the police that this was a finely judged call considering the unreliability of the evidence provided by the murderer.

In fact, the evidence is insufficient for the police to apply for search warrant. It now means that once this dig is concluded there will be a close to the debate and that no further searches on our land will happen.
Hundreds of mourners gathered for the funeral of a ten-year-old boy who took his own life in a tragic case of bullying after being relentlessly teased at school.

Sammy Teusch killed himself on May 5 after suffering years of brutal bullying over his teeth and the glasses he wore. His grief-stricken parents say they complained to his school repeatedly but were ignored.

On Tuesday, they were supported by hundreds of outraged parents and friends at their son's funeral in Greenfield, Indiana.

The funeral procession included a motorcade of over a hundred motorcyclists who all turned out in a show of support for the tragic child.

Sammy Teusch, 10, tragically killed himself on May 5 after suffering years of abuse

Solemn footage captured the moment hundreds of motorcycles drove side by side as they paid respect at the funeral of Sammy Teusch, 10, in Greenfield, Indiana on Tuesday

In gut-wrenching images from Sammy's funeral, his parents were seen standing by his casket weeping while mourners shuffled past

Mourners fight tears as they bring Sammy's casket out of the church

In gut-wrenching footage from Sammy's funeral, his parents were seen holding his casket and weeping while mourners shuffled past.

Sammy's motorcycle escort was hosted by Iron Sharpens Iron Motorcycle Ministry, who said they were 'honored' to take part.

Before he was laid to rest, a service was held in a nearby auditorium, where his loved ones shared fond memories of the boy and his family, and a pastor read a final prayer.

Neighbor Andrew McIntosh delivered the youngster's eulogy, and recalled how Sammy quickly befriended his son Judah after moving into the neighborhood.

'Right there in my hallway was a handsome little boy that I swear could have been pulled right out of an Andy Griffith episode or a Norman Rockwell painting,' he said, according to the Greenfield Reporter.

'I knew immediately that my son had made a good friend,' he said, adding that the 10-year-old seemed popular among the local kids and was often seen with 'the biggest grin on his face.'

'He just looked up at me sweating, those glasses that rose up on his cheeks over a smile that was way too big for his little face,' McIntosh said.

'But when he did smile, and I mean really smile, he just seemed to suck the darkness out of every corner in the room.'

A candlelight vigil is also planned for Friday in Greenfield, as the small town reels from Sammy's tragic suicide.

Sammy's father Sam embraces a pastor at his son's funeral service, where a neighbor recalled the boy 'seemed to suck the darkness out of every corner in the room'

Mourners gathered for Sammy's funeral on Tuesday morning, with many having not known the boy but were moved by his tragic story

In a eulogy from Sammy's funeral service, his neighbor said the 10-year-old seemed popular among the local kids and was often seen with 'the biggest grin on his face'

Sammy's parents Nichole and Sam said their son had been bullied for his glasses, then his teeth

According to the family, they contacted their son's school 20 times about the bullying

Sammy's motorcycle escort was hosted by Iron Sharpens Iron Motorcycle Ministry, who said they were 'honored' to take part

Tributes poured in for the 10-year-old after his tragic suicide, as his stricken mother said following his passing: 'He was my little boy. He was my baby'

His parents Sam and Nichole said he was subjected to both physical and emotional bullying at his school, and was being tormented daily up until the night he passed away.

They said the bullying started last year when he was in elementary school, and followed him to Greenfield Intermediate School.

The harassment escalated to a recent incident on a school bus where he was beaten up, and Sammy's parents claimed they told teachers and school staff about the bullying 20 times but no action was taken.

His father Sam told WTHR: 'They were making fun of him for his glasses in the beginning, then on to make fun of his teeth. It went on for a long time.'

'I held him in my arms. I did the thing no father should ever have to do, and anytime I close my eyes, it's all I can see.'

The abuse then got physical, Sam added: 'He was beat up on the school bus, and the kids broke his glasses and everything.

'I called the school, and I'm like, 'What are you doing about this? It keeps getting worse, and worse, and worse. And it's not getting any better. In fact, it's getting worse.'

Speaking to 21alive, his grandmother Cynthia said: 'They cant just say they have zero tolerance because that doesnt mean there is zero tolerance about bullies.

'Their zero tolerance means that they dont have responsibility for it. People trust their kids to the school, but now that trust is breaking down.'

Although the family say they complained to the school about the bullying dozens of times, Greenfield Community Schools superintendent Dr. Harold Olin told WTHR that no bullying report was ever submitted by the parents or by Sammy.

He added that school administrators and counselors had been in regular contact with the family, but declined to offer specifics of these discussions.

His grandmother Cynthia say that the trust people put in the schools in breaking down

His parents Sam and Nichole say he was both physically and emotionally bullied at school, with Sammy being recently beaten up on a school bus

Sammy's heartbroken family said he was being bullied daily up until the night he passed away

The bullying had started last year when he was in elementary school, and had followed him to Greenfield Intermediate School

School Superintendent Dr. Harold Olin, left, and principal Branson Curtis, right. The school says it is investigating the boy's death, but claimed the family didn't submit a bullying report

Sam added: '[The school] knew this was going on', with the bullying going from the school and the bus to social media platforms like Snapchat.

His mom Nichole said: 'He was my little boy. He was my baby. He was the youngest one.'

Greenfield-Central Community School said in a statement: 'The death of Samuel Teusch is tragic, and it has left our school corporation and larger community in tremendous grief. Our hearts pour out to the family at this time.

'Sammy was a student in Greenfield-Central for the last year and a half. He finished his 3rd grade year at Weston Elementary School in May of 2023, and he was a 4th grade student at Greenfield Intermediate School during the current 2023-24 school year.

'We were made aware of his death on Sunday afternoon, and we dispatched our crisis response team to both Greenfield Intermediate School and Greenfield Central Junior High School (where he has two siblings) to start the week.

'Our staff in Greenfield-Central has worked with the Teusch family quite a bit over the last 18 months. Contact between school personnel and the parents was frequent.

'The parents did report the manner of death as a suicide, and we are investigating their claims related to bullying.

'While the investigation continues, we are primarily focusing our resources on meeting the immediate needs of the students we serve in Greenfield-Central Schools.'
A trendy Oakland cafe is charging a whopping $20 for a cup of coffee made from incredibly rare beans that have gone through the complex 'co-fermentation' process.

Ain't Normal Cafe, described as the Bay Area's coffee superstore, has a wide range of unique international roasts - and are flogging their hot and cold drinks for eye-watering prices.

While the standard menu features average Oakland coffee prices - $4.50 for a latte, $5 for a pour over, $5.50 for a mocha - there are some specialty items on offer come at a steeper cost.

Listed as 'Strawberry Colombia' on the menu, one of the rare beans on offer came with a staggering price tag of $20. It has reportedly been a hit among avid coffee drinkers who have given it flamboyant reviews.

A trendy Oakland cafe is charging a whopping $20 for a cup of coffee made from incredibly rare beans that have gone through the complex 'co-fermentation' process

Ain't Normal Cafe is located at 5701 College Avenue - close to the UC Berkeley campus, making it the perfect study spot for college students who don't mind dropping a small fortune on their daily caffeine hit

Coffee enthusiast @coffeewgiselley on Instagram visited Ain't Normal with a friend and they ordered iced vanilla lattes

The beans are incredibly rare in the Bay Area and apparently flaunt sophisticated notes of fruits - like grapes, peaches and melons.

According to a customer, the one-of-a-kind cup of joe was served in a bright yellow mug - and appeared to be a simple black coffee at first.

When the coffee-expert customer took a sip, they 'fell into a barrel of strawberries,' according to the San Francisco Chronicle. 'It was complex, with notes of yogurt and an acidity so bright it lit up my brain.'

This elevated coffee experience is created by co-fermentation - a process in which the coffee cherries are fermented with things such as fruit, spices, yeasts and a world of other intriguing flavors.

Co-fermentation is a long and tedious process involving expensive equipment and dedicated coffee scientists - which has made it subject to controversy.

The drawn-out technique leaves room for error, meaning that coffee beans carefully farmed in countries such as Colombia and Ethiopia and imported to America could be wasted by a bad batch of co-fermented roasts.

Ain't Normal Cafe, described as the Bay Area's coffee superstore, has a wide range of unique international roasts

Listed as 'Strawberry Colombia' on the menu, one of the rare beans on offer came with a staggering price tag of $20

The cafe also offers delicious food at slightly more reasonable prices, for the Bay Area, including avocado toast - a California classic - for $12

But the laborious process is a hit with many coffee connoisseurs - who appreciate the vibrantly flavor profile of the beverage which is fascinatingly created with no added syrups or sugars. Ain't Normal even offer a $26 coffee subscription for customers

But the laborious process is a hit with many coffee connoisseurs - who appreciate the vibrantly flavor profile of the beverage which is fascinatingly created with no added syrups or sugars.

Ain't Normal have previously experimented with beans processed with cinnamon and mangoes - and even a $10 watermelon-processed coffee that tasted like Hubba Bubba chewing gum.

Ain't Normal even offer a $26 coffee subscription for customers who want to try out the unique blends on offer.

The cafe is located at 5701 College Avenue - close to the UC Berkeley campus, making it the perfect study spot for college students who don't mind dropping a small fortune on their daily caffeine hit.

It also offers delicious food at slightly more reasonable prices, for the Bay Area, including avocado toast - a California classic - for $12 or an Italian hoagie for $18.

Another Bay Area cafe caused chaos when they charged an extortionate $75 for a cup of coffee in 2019.

Klatch Coffee secured 10 pounds of Elida Geisha 803, the highest-scoring winner of all time in the Best of Panama coffee competition.

The coffee shop sold the exotic brew for $75 per cup - having paid over $8,000 for the 10lb bag of beans they received.

This elevated coffee experience is created by co-fermentation - a process in which the coffee cherries are fermented with things such as fruit, spices, yeasts and a world of other intriguing flavors

Pictured: The Ain't Normal food menu - where a turkey sandwich goes for $18

Ain't Normal have previously experimented with beans processed with cinnamon and mangoes - and even a $10 watermelon-processed coffee that tasted like Hubba Bubba chewing gum

Standard menu features average Oakland coffee prices - $4.50 for a latte, $5 for a pour over, $5.50 for a mocha - there are some specialty items on offer come at a steeper cost

Klatch, meanwhile, explains on its website that it has floral and fruit flavors. 'Geisha is a rare variety of Arabica coffee that came to Panama from a research lab in Costa Rica but has its origins in Ethiopia,' the site reads.

'It is known for its floral, tea like and stone fruit flavors with Jasmine, Bergamot, Sugar Cane and Stone Fruit (peach or apricot) being common flavor notes.

'Natural describes the processing where the cherry is dried fruit on for many weeks, imparting mixed fruit notes like strawberry, raspberry, or blueberry.

Previously, Klatch had sold the Esmeralda Geisha, which it bought for $601 per pound. The 250 eight-ounce cups available went for $55 each.
A Dutch woman who was granted permission to end her life via euthanasia despite being a physically healthy 29-year-old has dismissed public backlash and declared she will die within weeks.

Zoraya ter Beek, who suffers from depression and borderline personality disorder, received the approval for assisted dying last week and expects to be 'freed' from her torment soon.

But this week she hit out at critics, declaring their protest 'insulting'.

'People think that when you're mentally ill, you can't think straight, which is insulting,' she told the Guardian.

'I understand the fears that some disabled people have about assisted dying... but in the Netherlands we've had this law for more than 20 years. There are really strict rules, and it's really safe.'

Euthanasia has been legal in The Netherlands since 2002 for those experiencing 'unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement'.

Zoraya ter Beek, (pictured) who lives in a small village in the Netherlands, suffers from depression and has autism and a borderline personality disorder. She has decided to end her life by euthanasia after a psychiatrist told her 'there's nothing more we can do for you' and that 'it's never gonna get any better'

It is understood that a doctor will give her a sedative before administering a drug that will stop her heart. Ter Beek is pictured in 2017 with her do not resuscitate badge

Ter Beek decided she wanted to die after a psychiatrist told her 'there's nothing more we can do for you' and that 'it's never gonna get any better', The Free Press reported.

It is understood that a doctor will give her a sedative before administering a drug that will stop her heart.

She previously said she will be euthanised on the sofa in her home with her boyfriend by her side.

Ter Beek said her crippling depression and anxiety caused her to self-harm and feel suicidal for years, claiming that no amount of mental health treatment - which to date has included talking therapies, various medications and even electroconvulsive therapy - has worked to reduce her affliction.

When she was just 22, ter Beek opted to get a do not resuscitate badge, something that is typically worn by elderly people.

She had on many occasions contemplated killing herself but resisted after seeing the devastating impact of a schoolfriend's violent suicide on her family.

Instead, she decided to begin the process of obtaining permission for assisted dying three and a half years ago after doctors reportedly said they could not do anything else to help improve her mental health.

The 29-year-old last month told The Free Press she has always been 'very clear that if it doesn't get better, I can't do this anymore'.

Her boyfriend will scatter her ashes in 'a nice spot in the woods' that they have chosen together, she said.

'I don't see it as my soul leaving, but more as myself being freed from life,' she said of her expected death, admitting: 'I'm a little afraid of dying, because it's the ultimate unknown.

'We don't really know what's next - or is there nothing? That's the scary part.'

Ter Beek has carefully planned her 'liberation', telling the newspaper that she 'will be going on the couch in the living room' and there there will be 'no music' playing.

She explained that the 'doctor really takes her time' and will first try to 'settle the nerves and create a soft atmosphere'.

The doctor will then ask if she is ready, according to ter Beek, before 'I take my place on the couch'.

The doctor will ask 'once again' if ter Beek wants to go through with her euthanasia, before starting the procedure and wishing her a 'good journey'.

Ter Beek added: 'Or, in my case, a nice nap, because I hate it if people say, 'Safe journey'. I'm not going anywhere.'

After ter Beek's death, a euthanasia review committee will evaluate her case to ensure the doctor adhered to all 'due care criteria' and if so, the Dutch government will declare her life was lawfully ended.

Ter Beek she has always been 'very clear that if it doesn't get better, I can't do this anymore'. She has decided against having a funeral and will be cremated

When she was just 22, ter Beek opted to get a do not resuscitate badge, something that is typically worn by elderly people

The Netherlands is one of only three countries in the EU where the practice of assisted dying is legal, with rights groups arguing it gives people battling terminal illness or crippling disease the right to end their suffering humanely.

Data revealed that 8,720 people in the Netherlands ended their lives via euthanasia in 2022 - an increase of 14 per cent on the year before.

The figure represents 5.1 per cent of all deaths in the country - but the actual number could be much higher given that research suggests around 20 per cent of euthanasia deaths are not reported, according to Dutch media.

No scientific research has been carried out to establish a reason for the dramatic increase in people opting to euthanise themselves, according to the Netherlands Regional Monitoring Committees (RTE) that track the deaths.

Per Dutch law, to be granted the right to euthanasia, a patient must secure the consent of two independent doctors, both of whom must agree their case meets detailed criteria.

The patient in question must also be deemed to be 'mentally competent' to make the decision to euthanise - something which poses a problem for patients suffering from dementia who request euthanasia but are not said to be of sound mind.

However, the Dutch government is working to make the practice of euthanasia accessible to a wider range of people following campaigns by various rights groups.

The latest figures from the Netherlands Regional Monitoring Committees (RTE) show 8,720 people ended their lives via euthanasia in 2022 - an increase of 14 per cent on the year before

In April last year, it was announced that parents in the Netherlands can euthanize their terminally ill children aged 12 and over, with plans to introduce laws to expand euthanasia regulations for terminally ill children between one and 12 years old.

Such an expansion would apply to an estimated five to 10 children per year, who suffer unbearably from their disease, have no hope of improvement and for whom palliative care cannot bring relief, the government said.

However, some experts believe the gradual relaxation of country's euthanasia law could lead to a 'slippery slope' which could see physically and mentally healthy people who 'find that their life no longer has content' choosing to die early.

Stef Groenewoud, a healthcare ethicist at Theological University Kampen, told The Free Press that he is now seeing physicians and psychiatrists treat euthanasia as an 'acceptable option' instead of the 'ultimate last resort', as it was previously.

'I see the phenomenon especially in people with psychiatric diseases, and especially young people with psychiatric disorders, where the healthcare professional seems to give up on them more easily than before,' Groenewoud said.

Theo Boer, a healthcare ethics professor at Protestant Theological University in Groningen, echoed Groenewoud's claim, alleging that while he served on the review committee for nine years he saw the Dutch euthanasia practice 'evolve from death being a last resort to death being a default option'.

Lawmakers in Scotland are expected to debate an assisted dying bill this upcoming autumn that would allow adults with an incurable illness can seek a lethal dose of drugs from their GP. Medics who have a 'conscientious objection' will be able to opt out under the safeguards proposed in the bill (stock photo)

Meanwhile, lawmakers in Scotland are expected to debate an assisted dying bill this upcoming autumn.

Under the proposed Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Patients (Scotland) Bill, terminally ill Scots as young as 16 years old will be able to ask doctors for help to end their lives.

The legislation proposes that adults with an incurable illness can seek a lethal dose of drugs from their GP. Medics who have a 'conscientious objection' will be able to opt out under the safeguards proposed in the bill.

Supporters say the law will ensure people have the choice of 'safe and compassionate assisted dying'. But critics have condemned the legislation as 'dangerous' and warned it will 'normalise' suicide.

MSPs are expected to be given a free vote on the issue, with the Bill likely to face its first Holyrood test later this year before a final vote is held at some point in 2025.
Russian women have been warned that fighters could return home as sexual sadists in need of violent gratification.

A training manual for military wives highlights the profound psychological changes faced by fighters deployed on the frontline.

'Changes may manifest themselves in temporary intolerance to touch and decreased sexual desire,' says the guide.

'However, they can also be expressed in increased sexual arousal, the need for frequent sexual acts, and a predisposition to aggressive forms of sex.'

Women are told to give their traumatised men a chance to 'thaw out' after returning alive from Putin's cannon fodder frontline in Ukraine where hundreds of thousands have perished.

Russian reports Sergei Shakhmatov (pictured) - freed to fight in Ukraine - had been sent back to jail for 17 years for raping two schoolgirls aged 10 and 12 upon his return to Russia

Tsyren-Dorzhi Tsyrenzhapov, 42, killed again after returning from Ukraine. He was previously sentenced for killing and dismembering Ekaterina Skvortsova, 18, but was pardoned for the war

Ekaterina Skvortsova was brutally raped, murdered and dismembered by Tsyrenzhapov

Men must 'get used to the fact that the danger has passed and there will be no stab in the back,' says the guide from the All-Russian People's Front, a pro-war organisation set up by Putin for 'proactive citizens' in 2011.

'It is not recommended to approach him abruptly, from behind. It is better to speak in a quiet voice first, and then approach and touch him.

'If he doesn't mind, hug him more often. He needs to make it clear that he can come to you at any time.

'Here is your hand, you are nearby and you will wait as long as necessary so that your spouse can extend his hand to you in response.'

Women are told not to pressure returnees into saying what they experienced amid the horror of war, or to upset them if they return disabled, as many have.

They should never compare him to other men who may be adapting more easily.

'It often happens that the husband, upon returning, withdraws and does not say anything,' explains the manual.

'In this case, you need to try to make him want to speak [by saying] 'Your experience is very important. And you can share it when you see fit'.

'Just be there and show him that when he is ready to talk, you will respond to his desire and listen. Learn to listen to silence and just be there.'

They should not criticise fighters who return home even if they fix bars on the windows of their flat to feel more secure, or sleep in their clothes, or behave inappropriately.

'It is important for yourself to understand that behind this lies the need for security, which was lost during the fighting,' women are told.

'Support him [and say] 'If you want to install bars, do it if it's safer for you'.'

Spouses are urged not to say they 'understand' returnees but instead: 'I can't even imagine what you went through.'

Pardoned murderer and rapist Vladislav Kanyus next to his once girlfriend and victim Vera Pekhteleva, (R) whom he stabbed 111 times, raped and strangled

Vera Pekhteleva, one of many victims killed by Russian soldiers, was raped and stabbed to death by her former boyfriend

Artem Bukotin, 32, is a war returnee believed to have carried out a double murder in the Rostov region of Russia

War returnee Ivan Rossomakhin (pictured) is sentenced to 22 years in jain for rape and murder of Yulia Buiskikh, 85

They are told that men may require specialist psychological help after seeing the brutality unleashed by Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

'Tell your husband that PTSD is a normal reaction of the body after a special military operation, and professional help can help deal with it,' says the guide. 'Make sure he doesn't blame himself.

'Try to explain that PTSD is not a weakness or failure, but a common reaction to stress and trauma, and it is important to get help to maintain his well-being.'

The manual has been criticised by human rights campaigner Alena Popova who said Russian women were being expected to solve the mess created by Putin's war.

She said: 'In essence, women are told to "suck it up, you have to be there no matter what he does". There is no doubt PTSD is "real" and war is "scary". It destroys and destroys the psyche of any person.

'But a woman should not endure everything because her husband has PTSD. His aggression even more so. Aggression and violence - any violence - will never be justified by anything.

'The experience of previous wars has shown that the state does not care about the psyche of the people they sent there.'

She complained the pro-Kremlin manual told women they had to be 'proud' and support their men 'even if he uses violence'.

Former police officer Vladislav Biryukov, sentenced to 16 years for the murder of his wife Anna Biryukova, was amnestied after participating in the war with Ukraine

Vladimir Putin pardoned Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, 55, (pictured) cruel murderer of prominent Russian journalist and human rights campaigner Anna Politkovskaya

The murderer of Russian journalist and human rights campaigner Anna Politkovskaya (pictured) was pardoned after agreeing to fight in Ukraine

A fighter from Putin's war, Igor Sofonov, 38, went on the rampage with an accomplice Maxim Bochkarev, 37, killing six in a horrific massacre after he went home to the northern Russian region of Karelia

Another returnee Yury Gavrilov (pictured), 33, allegedly lured a girl, 11, to his flat and committed acts of rape and torture in a two hour ordeal

'The families that he and his system destroyednow apparently have to say thank you for it. And women, in their opinion, must endure and obey. But women will not tolerate this in silence. And their voices are getting louder,' she said.

Hundreds of killings, rapes and beatings have been committed by retirees from the war, including by convicts freed and pardoned by Putin for becoming fighters own Ukraine.

Putin has proudly called his fighters in Ukraine the 'new elite'.

Sexual violence has been a feature of returnees behaviour from an army that has been accused of using rape as a weapon of war in Ukraine.

Former Wagner mercenary, Sergei Shakhmarov, 42, who fought for Putin in Ukraine, was found guilty of raping two schoolgirls, ten and 12, in Novosibirsk, Russia and sentenced to 17 years in a maximum security penal colony.

Another returnee Yury Gavrilov, 33, allegedly lured a girl, 11, to his flat and committed acts of rape and torture in a two hour ordeal.
A Massachusetts man made a desperate plea to help rehome his beloved elderly dog, after being given six months to live.

David Fine, from Plainville, was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer last August leaving him with a mission to find a new home for his beloved pooch Babs.

Fine, 63, told WJAR that Babs walked into his life a decade ago after being given up twice before a friend took her in, and then asked him to keep her in his garage.

It was after this that the two became inseparable with Fine telling the outlet that Babs, a Shar Pei Boxer mix, is 'the most important thing at this point'.

Fine said: 'I had told myself I was never going to get another pet because it breaks my heart to lose them. Fortunately, shes going to outlive me this time.'

Fine told WJAR that Babs walked into his life a decade ago after being given up twice before a friend took her in, and then asked him to keep her in his garage

Fine hopes to find someone local to him so that he can work with them to help transition her into a new home

After retiring as a carpenter in 2020, Fine and Babs set out on his lifelong dream to travel.

The pair traveled to see Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota and while in Wyoming some 100 miles from Yellowstone, the number one place he wanted to visit, he fell ill.

He said: 'It was my lifelong dream. I planned for 30 years or more. I was going to buy a truck, camper, and Im going to see the national parks. In 2020 I pulled the trigger.

'I took Bab's with me, I had a Cheshire green smile on my face the whole week I was there.

'And I got sick. I started feeling bad, so sick that I couldnt drive. I wasn't comfortable driving.'

In the years before the trip, he was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and underwent treatment.

One year after that, he had a vascular disease in his legs which had caused a number of his arteries to shut down.

Fine continued: 'Then last August I started having problems. I was feeling pain in my chest.

'It took about four months to figure out what it was, they came up with stage four lung cancer. The treatments would be brutal and wouldn't give me much time.

'I chose quality over quantity. The type of cancer this is, it is going to want to spread.

'Then we call it quits, we check into a hospice, give up the dog and that's going to probably kill me.'

Babs needs to be the only pet in the house, and would benefit from there being no small children

After retiring as a carpenter in 2020, Fine and Babs set out on his lifelong dream to travel

Despite the diagnosis, Fine remains positive about it, saying: 'Im alright with it. I came to terms with it, It is what it is.

'I can try to extend things, but the chemo would make me sick by the time I got better from one treatment it would be time for the next one. Thats no way to live.'

Now determined to find Babs a new home before his passing, he reached out to a local veterans program before a Facebook post went viral with his last wish.

Fine added: 'We are attached at the hip, when I don't come home she is going to know it. I'd like to find someone like me. It's like trying to find a home for your child.

'She is the most important thing at this point, my fate is sealed but hers is not. So I got to make sure she gets as many good years out of the rest of her life as I can.'

Fine hopes to find someone local to him so that he can work with them to help transition her into a new home.

He has never married and has no children of his own and asked extended family members to take her but can't as they have their own pets.

Determined to find Babs a new home before his passing, he reached out to a local veterans program before a Facebook post went viral with his last wish

He has never married and has no children of his own and asked extended family members to take her but can't as they have their own pets

David Fine, from Plainville, was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer last August leaving him with a mission to find a new home for his beloved pooch Babs

Babs needs to be the only pet in the house, and would benefit from there being no small children.

According to Fine Babs is extremely intelligent, well behaved and bathroom trained and also loves to sleep in a human bed but doesn't do well with stairs.

He added: 'Id like to find somebody like me, someone that wants a companion to greet you at the door, when you come in be happy to see you.

'Nobody is going to be good enough, I hate to say that because it makes me sound like Im better than everybody else, but its like trying to find a home for your child.

'Every time I picture her leaving in the back window of a car saying, 'Whats going on?' Where am I going and why arent you coming with me?'

'I just cant do it, I can't, but Im going to have to at some point. Everybody dies, there are things I wanted to get done. I still want to see Yellowstone.

'I don't think Ill make it there at this point, financially it would be tough, other than that I need to do this for her. Then I can rest in peace when the time comes, but Im not ready to go yet.'
The middle-aged doctor has been the highest paid LA county employee for years

The highest paid official in Los Angeles county has been revealed as a top anesthesiologist with a shockingly full work schedule.

Dr. Sebo Amirkhanian Namagerdy spends 94 hours per week working his two jobs at a rehab facility in Downey and at UCI-Health Fountain Valley in Orange County.

The combined incomes yielded a salary of $1.26million last year, according to now public data reviewed by the LA Times.

Namagerdy has been the highest paid LA County official for half-a-decade and counting.

In 2023, he made about triple what his boss at the rehab facility made, and twice the salary of the head of the county's health department.

The anesthesiologist graduated from Iran's University of Medical Sciences nearly a quarter-century ago and now appears to own a family home in Glendale.

Dr. Sebo Amirkhanian Namagerdy spends the majority of his time by a long shot at his two jobs - the first, a rehab facility in Downey, California (pictured)

His second gig is at UCI-Health Fountain Valley in Orange County, where he serves as a part-time critical care doctor

For the last several years, he's been compensated for working between 94 and 101 hours per week.

A spokesperson for UCI-Health told the Times that, last fall, Namagerdy was clocking an average of six 12-hour shifts per month at the facility where he works part-time as a critical care doctor.

One anonymous doctor at the Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center said Namagerdy's luxury vehicle is almost always in the facility's parking lot, and some have seen him emerge 'in the morning with a toothbrush and a towel around his neck,' implying a certain degree of permanent residence at his place of work.

The LA County Health Department noted that it is not necessarily atypical for doctors in Namagerdy's field to clock 90-hour weeks, and that that figure accounts for time resting in between seeing patients.

'There were no patient safety concerns in the case of this doctor,' the department said of Namagerdy.

However, the county also confirmed that Namagerdy's overtime hours working as a relief physician - the reason he is able to boost his salary so significantly year after year - are now 'under review.'

The doctor's colleagues, most of whom have access to viewing his salary online, know Namagery - who goes by Dr. Sebo - as a committed worker with limited patience for people and issues he feels do not merit his attention.

As assessed by his colleagues, Namagerdy's intense - some might say insane - schedule, is the result of a serious shortage of doctors at the county level.

One doctor at Rancho told the Times, 'They (the hospital system) can't recruit - and they found someone who is willing to basically live in the hospital.'

For the last several years, he's been compensated for working between 94 and 101 hours per week - for the years before that, it was an even higher number

One anonymous doctor at the Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center said Namagerdy's luxury vehicle is almost always in the facility's parking lot, and some have seen him emerge 'in the morning with a toothbrush and a towel around his neck'

Though the anonymous doctor said Namagerdy's hours are not a 'sustainable long-term' solution to the county's shortage, the salaries offered are not competitive enough to attract top-talent, or even talent at all.

The Union of American Physicians and Dentists believes county hospitals, which thousands of poor and uninsured people rely upon for medical care, are perpetually understaffed due to mismanagement and unattractive benefits packages for medical workers.

The ongoing problem has led hospital administrators to rely much too heavily upon a small number of staffers putting in obscene numbers of working hours each week.
A former American soldier will be extradited to Germany to stand trial accused of stabbing his teenage mistress to death 46 years ago.

Tommy Molina, 70, was arrested at his home in Gering, Nebraska, on June 21 and a US court this week agreed to extradite him.

His lover Cornelia Humpfer, 18, was found dead by the side of a road about 5am on April 21, 1978, hours after she was stabbed 14 times.

Molina was stationed with the US Army in Schweinfurt, a town in Bavaria between Frankfurt and Nuremburg, with his wife Linda and their son.

He and Humpfer had been carrying on an affair for some time and she told him she was pregnant and would need to tell his wife.

Tommy Molina, 70, was arrested at his home in Gering, Nebraska , on June 21 last year and an American court this week agreed to extradite him

His lover Cornelia Humpfer, 18, was found dead by the side of a road about 5am on April 21, 1978, hours after she was stabbed 14 times

Molina was questioned several times over the decades on both sides of the Atlantic, but police couldn't make the charges stick until advances in DNA technology.

The first break in the case came in 1995 when he allegedly drunkenly confessed the murder to his third wife Cindy, and she told police.

Humpfer told friends she was going to Schweinfurt for a rehearsal with her church music group Band of Jericho, but was actually meeting Molina.

She met him about 6pm on April 20, 1978, and they had sex in his Fiat 124, with fresh semen found inside her body during the autopsy.

Then she told him she was pregnant with his child and would tell his wife, the complaint from German authorities requesting extradition explained.

Molina started driving during the conversation, until Humpfer told him she wanted to get out and he stopped next to a field.

'When the victim started leaving the car between 9.30pm and 11pm, the accused stabbed the victim, of whom he had grown tired, 14 times,' the documents alleged.

Her wounds were mainly from the left side from the left shoulder blade to the body center and allegedly made 'with a bayonet knife at least 12cm long he carried in order to kill her, thus preventing her [from telling his wife]'.

'In doing so, he repeatedly hit the heart of the victim who soon bled to death, in accordance with his intention.'

Molina and Humpfer had been carrying on an affair for some time and she told him she was pregnant and would need to tell his wife

Humpfer didn't know he allegedly wanted to kill her as they were lovers 'therefore she had no chance to fend off the attack or even escape in time'.

Prosecutors alleged Molina tried to move her body, but when that was too difficult he simply left her by the roadside and fled.

Molina quickly became the prime suspect when police discovered the affair and a witness saw his car, with its distinctive green number plate used by American soldiers, near the crime scene around the time of the murder.

Marks on Humpfer's skirt and the sole of her shoes also matched the foot mats in his car, which had been recently cleaned when police searched in four days later.

Molina said he was at home with his wife, but she told police she couldn't remember.

But detectives could never make a case and Molina moved back to the US and retired from the army.

He and Linda divorced and he married Cindy Newstead in 1990, and allegedly confessed the crime to her in 1995 when they lived in Fort Riley, Kansas.

'Molina had been drinking, and the woman told him that she was pregnant and was going to tell his wife,' court documents alleged.

'Molina told Newstead that, after hearing this information, he stabbed the woman.

'Upon returning home covered in blood, Molina told his then-wife, Linda, what he had done, and Linda disposed of the knife.

'Molina further described to Newstead that he was questioned by German authorities about the incident and asserted that he had 'beat' two lie detector tests.'

Molina in 2020 when the FBI executed a warrant to take a blood sample for DNA comparison

Newstead was skeptical, according to court documents, and Molina told her to contact Linda to confirm the story.

'When Newstead did, Molina instructed Linda to tell Newstead,' court documents alleged.

'Although it appears that Linda did not expressly confirm the details of the story, Newstead concluded that the interaction confirmed the truth of what Molina had told her.'

Newstead told US Army criminal investigators, who interviewed Molina again, but he denied both murdering Humpfer, and confessing to his wife.

'Molina did admit that he had extramarital affairs when he was in Germany and that he sometimes concocted stories to impress people, especially women,' court documents read.

Molina also told a colleague that he 'did bad things in Germany' but didn't say what they were or anything about the murder.

Again, the case went cold, until 2020 when DNA technology was advanced enough that his profile matched with samples from the scene.

Molina (pictured in 2017) will be flown to Germany in next few weeks, where he faces up to 15 years in jail if convicted

German investigators needed a new sample from Molina and the FBI got a search warrant to take blood from Molina in October that year.

This allowed German prosecutors to file an arrest warrant on February 19, 2021.

Newstead and Molina divorced in 1996 and he and Linda got back together, with her supporting him at his extradition hearings.

Molina's lawyers argued the prosecution's case was too flimsy to warrant extradition at a series of hearing since his arrest last year.

But the US District Court agreed to the extradition, and he will be flown to Germany in next few weeks, where he faces up to 15 years in jail if convicted.
A primary school was plunged into an emergency lockdown after a seven-year-old boy reportedly brought a knife to class and allegedly threatened to kill classmates.

The terrifying incident happened at Mount Gambier North Primary School, 435km south-east of Adelaide, on Monday.

A shocked parent claimed that the boy, who has a history of behavioural issues, brought a 'kitchen block carving knife' to class.

She told the Advertiser that the boy hit her daughter and threatened to kill other pupils.

Teachers launched an immediate 'invacuation' as soon as they realised the boy had a knife in his bag.

Police were called to the school to speak to the boy, who was then suspended.

Mount Gambier North Primary School (pictured) was sent into an emergency lockdown after a seven-year-old boy reportedly brought a knife to class and threatened classmates

'The bag was confiscated, and as a result the student became upset and behaved inappropriately,' an education department spokesperson said.

'The student's family and police were contacted. As a consequence of this behaviour, the student has been suspended.'

School principal Sam Griffiths also addressed the incident in an email to parents.

'The immediate response from the school was an invacuation (lockdown) to ensure the safety of our students and staff,' she wrote.

'Our wellbeing team have checked in on all the students.

The parent said her daughter was 'struck by the boy with his fist out of anger' and that she and other parents she has spoken to 'don't feel like our children are OK.'

She also claimed that a teacher had taken a week off due to stress over the incident.

The mother said the school had not revealed how it plans to help pupils' emotional and physical wellbeing after the incident, but instead is 'working on how and what it looks like for the bully student to return (to school).'

The school's principal Sam Griffiths sent an email (pictured) to parents about the incident

The education department confirmed there had been a 'significant number of behavioural incidents this year at the school involving this student'.

A safety plan will be put in place to 'best meet the needs of the student  as well as ensuring the safety of the wider school community'.

'The school continues to work closely with parents to best meet the needs of the individual student, and support their learning and wellbeing, as well as ensuring the safety of the wider school community,' a spokesperson said.

The latest knife-related incident at a school followed Chifley College in Sydney's west being put into lockdown on May 9, when a student arrived on campus armed with a knife.
A Florida man has found out he's not a citizen after living in the United States for over six decades.

Jimmy Klass, 66, discovered he was not actually a citizen when he applied for social security retirement papers recently, after living in the country for over 60 years.

Klass, who came to US aged two, has lived in the country ever since - even receiving a Social Security Card, a driver's license and a voter registration card.

He has voted in multiple elections and was even accepted into the Marine Corps and the police force, although ultimately choosing a union job instead, he told News 6.

Jimmy Klass, 66, discovered he was not actually a citizen when he applied for social security retirement papers recently, after living in the country for over 60 years

Klass, who came to US at 2 years old, has lived in the US ever since - even receiving a Social Security Card, a driver's license and a voter registration card. he told News 6

'They sent me a letter that said, 'Oh, you're eligible,' you know? Yada-yada-yada. You'll get your first check the second Wednesday of January 2020,' he told the Orlando outlet.

'But instead, I got a notification that it was frozen because I hadn't proven to them that I was here legally. That was their determination.'

Klass believed he was a citizen his whole life. His father's birth certificate proves he was a natural-born US citizen. His mother is of Canadian descent, and his paternal grandparents came from Germany.

'Well, nobody showed up at my door to arrest me yet,' he told News 6.

'My dad's roots were in Brooklyn, New York... And two years into my existence, they decided to load up the truck and move to Beverly, so to speak' he said. 'We moved to Tennessee Avenue in Long Island, to be more specific. And we moved into the house next to my grandparents.'

Klass shared that he's even voted in multiple elections, which is a federal crime for non-citizens, according to the FBI, however, nothing has ever led him to believe that he wasn't.

'I have all those documents, as well. I mean, I was accepted everything: photo ID card, I voted here. You know, I acted like a regular citizen. Never, ever, ever came about where I was here illegally, even though Social Security says I didn't prove it to them. They gave me my Medicare for over a year and a half.'Well, nobody showed up at my door to arrest me yet,' he said.

'But yeah, technically, if you vote, and you're illegal  it's federal charges.'I've even been to the Canadian consulate in Miami, all right?' he stated. 'I've been spending thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars to try to get my money that I paid into Social Security my entire life.'

Now, Klass is unable to receive his Social Security payments and is forced to go back to work

Now, Klass is unable to receive his Social Security payments and is forced to go back to work.

'I even said to them, 'Well, if you're not gonna pay me monthly, give me everything that I paid with interest, and we'll call it a day,' he said. 'And they go, 'Oh, we can't do that, either.' I said, 'Well, what can you do?'

In the meantime, Klass has set up a GoFundMe to help cover this unexpected lifetstyle change.

He has raised $235 of his $10,000 goal as of Thursday.

'Good day everyone, he wrote. 'The reason I am starting a go fund me is that the United States government does not pay me my Social Security that I paid in for my entire life as they indicate that I am not here legally even though I've been here for 64 years.

'My dad was an American born citizen my mom was a Canadian born citizen and the fight with having to hire attorneys and genealogist and retrieving documents for USCIS.'

'My case is now in the hands of the media. As I am getting older and not collecting what I am do it's becoming a financial burden and before I lose my home I am looking for charitable assistance any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.'

Newly released documents about a Washington, D.C. training program for illegal immigrants to vote in local elections prove the need for the SAVE act, according to Rep. Chip Roy

This comes as newly released documents are released about a Washington, D.C. training program for illegal immigrants to vote in local elections prove the need for the SAVE act, according to Rep. Chip Roy.

'The radical progressive Democrats in the DC city government couldn't be prouder of the fact that they're going to have illegal aliens voting in their elections; yet, they want us to believe that it's going to stop there, and that none of them are going to try  or be encouraged  to illegally vote in federal elections? Give me a break,' Roy, R-Texas, told DailyMail.com earlier this month.

'Without the verification measures in the SAVE Act, we're basically asking people who are already breaking the law by coming to the US illegally to abide by the honor system. No way; American elections should belong to American citizens, period.'
A British Airways plane has been forced to make an emergency landing in Holland after smoke reportedly started filling the cockpit mid-air.

The flight was en route from London to Norwegian city Oslo when the Captain alerted air traffic controllers and told them the plane would need to touch down immediately.

Several fire engines and emergency vehicles were sent to the runway at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport where the Airbus A320 with up to 190 people onboard touched down.

Terrified passengers were reportedly told the plane had to land due to 'safety fears' before they were led out the rear door, which was the furthest away from the allegedly smoking cockpit.

Flight BA764 left Heathrow shortly after 5pm yesterday, but the Captain had to issue the distress call just 90 minutes into the flight.

Several fire engines and emergency vehicles were sent to the runway at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport where the Airbus A320 with up to 190 people onboard touched down

The flight was en route from London to Norwegian city Oslo when the Captain alerted air traffic controllers and told them the plane would need to touch down immediately

Flight BA764 left Heathrow shortly after 5pm yesterday, but the Captain had to issue the distress call just 90 minutes into the flight. The plane landed at 7.38pm and was blocking the runway while emergency services cleared the aircraft

The plane landed at 7.38pm and was blocking the runway while emergency services cleared the aircraft.

This caused even more delays at Schiphol airport, where the schedule was already changed to clear the runway for the BA flight.

Investigators are now examining the jet to see what caused the reported smoke.

Passengers were put up in hotels in Amsterdam yesterday and were able to continue their journey to Oslo today with a different aircraft.

'Smoke in the cockpit is never a good thing and at 30,000ft it's alarming to say the least,' a source told the Sun.

'It was a rough ride for the passengers but they were in safe hands. Landing the jet at a remote part of the airfield in Amsterdam shows how serious the situation was.'

The source added that the plane was landed on the remote runway to keep the 'smoking jet as far from the terminal building as possible'.

British Airways said in a statement: 'This aircraft was diverted into Amsterdam Schiphol Airport as a precaution following a minor technical issue onboard.

'We've apologised to our customers for the disruption to their travel plans.'
House Judiciary Committee Republicans voted to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress on Thursday.

The vote came after President Biden asserted executive privilege over the audio tapes of his interview with ex-special counsel Robert Hur in a move to shield Garland from criminal charges.

Republicans have seized in a line in Hur's report about the president's mishandling of classified documents stating Biden appeared to be an 'elderly man with a poor memory' and wanted audio evidence.

Garland lashed out at the move, saying earlier Thursday that the DOJ has gone to 'extraordinary lengths' to provide the committee with information.

'We have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that a committees get responses to their legitimate requests, but this is not one,' Garland told reporters ahead of a hearing to advance his contempt charge.

Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., shot back: 'The White House is asserting privilege over the recordings, but it has already waived privilege by releasing the transcript of the interview.

Republicans have seized in a line in Hur's report about the president's mishandling of classified documents stating Biden appeared to be an 'elderly man with a poor memory' and wanted audio evidence

'Today's Hail Mary from the White House changes nothing for the committee.'

Both Oversight and Judiciary will hold Garland in contempt for their own separate subpoenas.

The Oversight Committee will vote on holding Garland in contempt later Thursday evening.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also shut down Republicans.

'The Attorney General made it clear that law enforcement files like these need to be protected. And so the president made his determination at the request of the Attorney General,' she said Thursday during the press briefing.

Comer and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan issued subpoenas to Garland for the audio of ex-special counsel Robert Hur's interview with Biden. They say Garland refused to comply with either subpoena, so both committees will move to hold him in contempt.

'There have been a series of unprecedented and frankly, unfounded attacks on the Justice Department. This request, this effort to use contempt as a method of obtaining our sensitive law enforcement files is just the most recent the effort to threaten to defund our investigations, and the way in which there are contributions through an atmosphere that puts our agents and our prosecutors at risk. These are wrong,' Garland said on Thursday.

The Justice Department says that it has been 'extraordinarily' accommodating to the Republicans' requests for information. It has handed over a transcript of the interview, but not the recording itself.

'There must be consequences for refusing to comply with lawful congressional subpoenas and we will move to hold Attorney General Garland in contempt of Congress,' Comer said in a statement to DailyMail.com Monday.

'These audio recordings are important to our investigation of President Bidens willful retention of classified documents and his fitness to be President of the United States.'

A pair of Republican-led House committees will advance resolutions to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress on Thursday, DailyMail.com has learned

President Biden has asserted executive privilege over the audio tapes of his interview with ex-special counsel Robert Hur in a move to shield Attorney General from criminal charges as Republicans move to hold him in contempt

Both Oversight Chairman James Comer (above) and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan issued subpoenas to Garland for the audio of ex-special counsel Robert Hur's interview with Biden

The attorney general had until April 8 to hand over requested materials from Robert Hur's interviews with Biden that led him to conclude the president is 'elderly' and 'well-meaning' but has a 'poor memory.'

They subpoenaed transcripts, notes, audio and video files largely related to Hur's interview.

While the DOJ has handed over transcripts of Hur's interviews with Biden as well as the transcripts of an interview with Biden's ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer, Republicans are unsatisfied.

They have insisted they need audio from the Hur and Zwonitzer interviews too.

They said releasing audio as well might make it harder for prosecutors to secure recorded interviews in the future, with witnesses knowing they could be blasted out into the public.

'The Committees have already received the extraordinary accommodation of the transcripts, which gives you the information you say you need,' the letter, written by assistant attorney general Carlos Uriarte, read.

'To go further by producing the audio files would compound the likelihood that future prosecutors will be unable to secure this level of cooperation. They might have a harder time obtaining consent to an interview at all. It is clearly not in the public interest to render such cooperation with prosecutors and investigators less likely in the future.'

The letter said that the Oversight and Judiciary committees have not identified any valid reasoning for needing the audio of the interview in addition to transcripts.

Still, the GOP disagreed.

Comer clapped back in a statement: 'The Biden Administration does not get to determine what Congress needs and does not need for its oversight of the executive branch.'

Hur, in a report explaining his decision not to prosecute Biden over mishandling classified documents, sparked opposition from all sides - Republicans who questioned why he would not charge the president and Democrats who took issue with his description of Biden as a 'sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.'

'The February 27 subpoenas create a legal obligation on you to produce this material,' the GOP lawmakers wrote to Garland. 'If you fail to do so, the Committees will consider taking further action, such as the invocation of contempt of Congress proceedings.'

The Justice Department has only said it is conducting an 'interagency review' for classified and confidential information within the material.

Hur said he found that Biden had 'willfully' retained classified material but stopped short of filing charges, believing a jury would not convict the president.

He explained his decision to make the assessment in the hearing: 'I knew that for my position to be credible. I could not simply announce that there would be no charges, I needed to explain why. I needed to show my work.'

'We identified evidence that the President willfully retained classified materials after the end of his vice presidency, when he was a private citizen,' Hur said during a high-stakes hearing in April.

In interviews with investigators, Biden became muddled about the dates he was vice president and could not even remember the year in which his son Beau died, according to the transcript reviewed by DailyMail.com.

Biden forgot the year Beau died, when Trump was elected and said 'I don't recall', 'I don't remember' and 'I have no goddamn idea' more than 100 times while cracking jokes and making car noises with the investigators.

And it said his cavalier attitude to classified documents, such as his habit of reading sensitive files to a ghostwriter, posed a significant national security risk.

One of the reasons they decided not to press charges was because 'at trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.'

This image, contained in the report from special counsel Robert Hur, shows a damaged box where classified documents were found in the garage of President Joe Biden in Wilmington, Del., during a search by the FBI on Dec. 21, 2022

Close-up shot of damaged box containing Biden's classified documents

This image, contained in the report from special counsel Robert Hur, shows notebooks in a file cabinet under a printer that were seized in first-floor home office of President Joe Biden in Wilmington, Del., on Jan. 20, 2023, during a search by FBI agents

Hur said during testimony that he described Biden this way because of his 'inability to recall certain things' and that he had to be prompted by his lawyers to recall certain dates.

According to transcripts of Hur's interviews with Biden on October 8 and October 9, 2023, Biden's lawyer had to tell him what year his son Beau died of brain cancer and the president joked about the special counsel finding pictures of his wife Jill in a swimsuit.

I just hope you didnt find any risque pictures of my wife in a bathing suit. Which you probably did. Shes beautiful,' said Biden.

'What month did Beau die?' Biden mused at one point, adding, 'Oh God, May 30th.'

'He did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died. And his memory appeared hazy when describing the Afghanistan debate that was once so important to him,' Hur said.

A White House lawyer then chimed in with the year, 2015.

'Was it 2015 he died?' Biden asked.
A Florida imam who's also a dentist is facing calls to have his license revoked after giving an anti-Semitic speech at a Miami mosque.

Dr. Fadi Kablawi called for the 'annihilation' of Jews, according to a translation of the comments in Arabic by Israeli-founded NGO Middle East Media Research Institute.

Kablawi claimed the IDF is 'worse than the Nazis' and shared gruesome anti-Semitic blood libel that DailyMail.com has chosen not to reproduce in full.

The remarks, made at the Masjid As Sunnah An Nabawiyyah mosque, have been referred to three state agencies including the police, the Miami Herald reports.

They included referring to Jews as 'apes' and 'pigs' per the MEMRI translation, however the Herald notes that less inflammatory translations of Kablawi's comments are possible.

Florida imam and dentist Dr. Fadi Kablawi is facing calls to have his license revoked after giving an anti-Semitic speech at a Miami mosque

The remarks, made at the Masjid As Sunnah An Nabawiyyah mosque (pictured), have been referred to three state agencies including the police

Kablawi obtained his degree in dentistry from The University of Pennsylvania and graduated in 2005

The imam was slammed by the Florida Legislative Jewish Caucus which is calling for the suspension of Kablawi's dental license.

'North Miami, the area where Dr. Kablawi practices, is home to an expansive and diverse Jewish population,' the Caucus said in a statement.

'The Florida Legislative Jewish Caucus is deeply concerned with Dr. Kablawi's incendiary rhetoric and the potential danger it poses to his patients.

'All Floridians deserve to feel safe when seeking medical care. We ask that the Florida Board of Dentistry review our concerns and take necessary action to revoke Dr. Kablawi's license and ensure the safety and wellbeing of our citizens.'

Florida Rep Randy Fine, who is among the caucus, additionally called for a suspension in taxpayer funds to Reviver Academy, the school owned and operated by Kablawi's mosque.

The imam accused the politicians of unfairly targeting him and his mosque and attempting to silence him in contravention of free speech laws.

Dr. Fadi Kablawi called for the 'annihilation' of Jews, according to a translation of the comments in Arabic by Israeli-founded NGO Middle East Media Research Institute

The imam was slammed by the Florida Legislative Jewish Caucus which is calling for the suspension of Kablawi's dental license. Rep Randy Fine (pictured) also demanded an investigation into the school attached to Kablawi's mosque

'This is an abuse of power and this country has a law that applies to everyone equally,' he said.

Kablawi is originally from Amman, Jordan and moved to the United States with his family in 1995, according to a biography on his website.

He obtained his degree in dentistry from The University of Pennsylvania and graduated in 2005.

As well as his dental practice, Kablawi is an instructor at Alkauthar Institute and Cordoba Academy, according to the page.

DailyMail.com has contacted Kablawi for comment.
The vice president of the Unemployed Workers' Union has aimed a furious rant at the government, claiming the Budget will put welfare recipients 'below the poverty line'.

Catherine Caine started her five-minute video on Tuesday with a 'f*** you' to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Labor party.

It was posted amid growing calls for the government to increase the JobSeeker payment in the Budget, which ultimately fell on deaf ears.

Catherine Caine (pictured) slammed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as a 'spineless douchebag' in response to a lack of change in welfare payments

'In regards to 95 per cent of the issues you articulated so beautifully before the election,' a fuming Ms Caine began.

'All these big things about First Nations, justice, environmental action and the completely inadequate rates of income support.

'What have you done about any of it? Nothing.'

She went on to describe Mr Albanese as a 'spineless douchebag' who has left Australians 'floating in s*** and desperately trying to stay afloat'.

Ms Caine, who relies on a disability support pension due to her chronic fatigue condition, defended her tirade on Thursday.

'Labor in opposition got a lot of political capital out of saying welfare payments were inadequate,' she told The Daily Telegraph.

'Now that they have the power to do something about it their political will seems to have vanished.'

Ms Caine believes the government should increase the payment from the current rate of $381 a week to 'at least $650 a week' to keep welfare recipients 'above the poverty line'.

Ms Caine was also asked why hundreds of thousands of Australians had been unemployed for more than two years.

'They can apply for a thousand jobs and they won't get anything,' she said.

'They are just back of the line.'

Ms Caine is one of several Unemployed Workers' Union members who have been advocating for an increased JobSeeker payment to keep up with the growing cost of living.

She wants to see the government increase the payment from the current rate of $381 a week to 'at least $650 a week' to keep welfare recipients 'above the poverty line'.

One of those recipients told the outlet she has been struggling to make ends meet since losing her government job six months ago.

The single mother qualifies for $716 a week in government welfare support, the equivalent of working almost 31 hours per week at a minimum wage job earning $23.23 an hour.

Ms Caine's rant followed the release of Labor's third Federal Budget on Tuesday night (pictured, Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese)

However, the mother claims she and her 14-year-old daughter are at risk of falling into poverty - especially since their landlord increased rent by $45 a week.

'Coming into winter, I'm nervous. Because I can keep the heating off, but I can't for my child,' she said.

The mother added the job application criteria for welfare eligibility makes her 'feel like a circus animal, jumping through hoops'.

When asked if she would be willing to return to full-time work, the mother said: 'It would be a more difficult transition  but I definitely wouldn't say no.'
The boss of Pennon which owns South West Water has raked in 4million since taking the top job in 2020, MailOnline can reveal today.

Amid mounting public anger over sewage being dumped into Britain's rivers and lakes, Susan Davy took home more than half a million pounds last year.

The 54-year-old lives in a large house in Devon bought for about 560,000 more than 15 years ago, which is about 30 miles away from the affected area of the county where officials are probing a waterborne disease causing sickness and diarrhoea.

Alongside other water bosses, Ms Davy - who turns 55 tomorrow - waived her six-figure bonus, which would have taken her total pay for the year to nearly 1million.

Pennon, which supplies water to around 3.5million households in the South West, has so far remained silent on whether Ms Davy will accept a bonus this year as a backlash against the pollution of the nation's waterways intensifies.

Under Pennon's pay and bonus plan, Ms Davy could earn as much as 1.91million this year if she accepts the reward, the company's latest annual report shows.

Susan Davy, 54, is the chief executive of Pennon Group which owns South West Water

Pennon boss Susan Davy gives evidence at the House of Commons in October 2021

Davy took home 543,000 for the 2022/23 financial year after forgoing a bonus of 450,000 amid public and political pressure.

A year earlier she was handed 1.53million, including a bonus of 968,000. And her take home pay for 2020/21 was a whopping 1.93million.

Ms Davy, who went to school in Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria before attending the University of Leeds, was previously Pennon's chief financial officer.

She joined the group as finance director of South West Water in 2007 and has worked in the water industry for 25 years.

Alongside her chief executive role at Pennon, she sits on the board of document management firm Restore.

It comes as a primary school closed today due to not having drinking water, as officials in south Devon investigate a disease which causes sickness and diarrhoea.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said 22 cases of cryptosporidium, a waterborne disease caused by a microscopic parasite, had been confirmed in Brixham.

South West Water is unloading crates of bottled water to distribute to locals in south Devon

Local residents are seen carrying bottles of water in Devon amid the public health concern

Locals in an area of Devon including Brixham have all been told to boil water as a precaution

Other reported cases of diarrhoea and vomiting in residents and visitors to the south coast town are also under investigation and more confirmed cases of cryptosporidium are expected, the UKHSA said.

South West Water have issued a 'boil water notice' for Alston and the Hillhead area of Brixham after water tests showed 'small traces' of the parasite cryptosporidium, which causes sickness and diarrhoea.

Torbay Council said South West Water had opened two bottled water collection points.

The water company previously said data from tests on Tuesday had shown treated water leaving its treatment works was not contaminated, but further tests taken overnight found small traces of cryptosporidium and it had issued the warning to boil water as a precaution.

Residents are being urged to boil water and let it cool before drinking it, preparing or cooking food or cleaning their teeth, though the company said water can continue to be used as normal for washing, bathing and flushing the toilet.
Confronting footage has emerged of a man charging at a bus with an axe after he was ordered to get off.

The shocking incident occurred on a Transperth bus travelling between Fremantle and Murdoch in Perth on Thursday.

It's understood that the man got on the bus at Morley train station and began arguing with a woman he appeared to know.

Another passenger intervened and asked the man to get off, which sent him into a rage.

He then pulled out an axe and threatened fellow passengers, and was ordered to leave the bus.

A man allegedly struck the bus with an axe during a terrifying journey on Thursday (pictured)

The man was then filmed running back towards the bus before he struck the side of the vehicle with the axe several times.

Petrified passengers were heard saying 'oh my God' while one yelled at the man to stop.

He then allegedly laid down in the middle of the road in front of the bus.

One passenger recalled feeling 'very scared' as the situation unfolded, Nine News reported.

CCTV footage from a nearby home showed the man eventually running into a park and disappearing into bushes.

WA Police has launched an investigation into incident and urged witnesses to come forward.

No charges have been laid.
The speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament today warned that Ukraine was 'dragging the United States and Europe' into a major global war, urging Western leaders to act responsibly to avoid a catastrophe.

His comments come as Russian troops continue to seize territory in eastern Ukraine, forcing thousands in Kharkiv to flee their homes after Moscow launched another ground invasion in the region.

'The Kyiv regime is dragging the United States and European countries into a big war,' said Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the State Duma, who is a close ally of Putin's and a member of Russia's Security Council.

He said that Ukrainian lawmakers were trying to convince the United States to allow Kyiv to use US-supplied weapons to strike Russian territory.

'This path leads to a tragedy that can affect all of humanity,' Volodin said. 'Western politicians need to realise their responsibility and do everything to avoid bringing the situation to a global catastrophe.'

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Putin's parliamentary speaker Vyacheslav Volodin

Yars intercontinental ballistic missile is launched from an air field during military drills in Russia

Ukrainian servicemen of the 82nd Separate Air Assault Brigade prepare for combat Challenger 2 tank in an undisclosed location near frontline in Zaporizhzhia region

President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine triggered the worst breakdown in relations between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

In Kyiv on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Washington had 'not encouraged or enabled strikes outside of Ukraine, but ultimately Ukraine has to make decisions for itself about how it's going to conduct this war'.

'We've been clear about our own policy, but again, these are decisions that Ukraine has to make, Ukraine will make for itself,' Blinken said, according to a transcript of his remarks provided by the US State Department.

Ukraine says it has the right to attack Russian targets as it is being struck by Russian missiles on a daily basis.

But the United States has been wary of its weapons being used in a direct attack on Russia, the world's biggest nuclear power, due to the wider risks.

Putin and US President Joe Biden have cautioned that a direct confrontation between Russia and the US-led NATO military alliance could trigger World War Three.

Russia has warned that the use of US and Western weapons against targets inside Russia could trigger a new level of confrontation - and Putin has ordered tactical nuclear weapon exercises, partly as a response to Western statements.

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Ukrainian service members of the 37th Marine Brigade fire a 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer toward Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine

British soldiers stand inside armoured vehicles as they cross the Vistula River during the DRAGON-24 NATO military defense drills on March 05, 2024

Lead soldier from B Company, 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, peers around the corner of the trench during the combined arms live-fire exercise (CALFEX) phase of Exercise Swift Response on the 4th of May 2024

'Any use of American and European weapons to attack peaceful cities of the Russian Federation will require the use of more powerful weapons to protect the citizens of our country,' Volodin said.

His statements come as colleague Dmitry Medvedev engaged in yet more sabre-rattling - and mocked Britain's foreign minister David Cameron.

Medvedev - who was Russian president when David Cameron became prime minister in 2010 - warned the Foreign Secretary he was risking nuclear over his vow to Ukraine that they can use British missiles to target Russia.

He mocked the peer for seeking 'to fight with Putin to the bitter end' and branded him a 'moron' for the comments.

Cameron had earlier said that Ukraine was free to decide how to use British-supplied weapons.

'In terms of what the Ukrainians do, in our view, it is their decision about how to use these weapons, they're defending their country, they were illegally invaded by Putin and they must take those steps,' he said.

This appeared to change an understanding that Western long-range missiles would be used on Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, but not in Russia itself.

A video screen grab shows the Borei-class nuclear-powered submarine K-535 Yuri Dolgoruky after launching an RSM-56 Bulava ballistic missile in the Barents Sea

The Borei-class nuclear-powered submarine K-535 Yuri Dolgoruky launches an RSM-56 Bulava ballistic missile in the Barents Sea

Russia's Deputy head of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev (right) engaged in yet more sabre-rattling over Ukraine - and mocked Britain's foreign minister David Cameron (left)

'I remember this bloke quite well. I worked with him when he became prime minister,' Medvedev said of Cameron.

'An ordinary, dull British guy. At that time he was joyfully stupid and looked like a young devil who was revelling in his unexpectedly acquired position.'

Medvedev alleged Cameron had told the Ukrainians 'you can fire our missiles wherever you want we, the British, are not afraid of anything, not even a nuclear conflict'.

'Cool! You shouldn't be, mate,' Medvedev retorted. 'I don't have a decent answer, except for one thing.

'David - you might want to be careful,' he said, before declining to specify exactly what would happen should British missiles strike Russian territory.

Medvedev was modern Russia's longest-serving prime minister, and was also Russian president between 2008-2012.

He is now Putin's deputy on the Russian Security Council, which now has ex-defence minister Sergei Shoigu as its secretary.

Putin accused the West last week of risking a global conflict and said no one would be allowed to threaten Russia.
Donald Trump's defense lawyer accused star witness Michael Cohen of lying about a crucial phone that tied the former president to a cover-up around hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels in a dramatic exchange Thursday.

Defense lawyer Todd Blanche delivered his blow just before the lunch break, offering evidence that the key conversation was actually about a prank caller and not, as Cohen claimed three days earlier, about a $130,000 payment for Daniels' silence.

It created an 'aha' moment just as the case barrels towards its conclusion; the sort of pin-drop shock common to courtroom TV dramas but rare in real life.

And it undermined Cohen's testimony that he personally talked to Trump about plans to hide the hush money, a claim that is central to the case.

Having reminded the 12 members of the jury that Cohen had a history of lying to courts and laying the foundations of the idea that he was an unreliable witness, Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche took the court in an unexpected direction.

He brought up text messages and call logs to show that Cohen had been plagued by nuisance calls in October 2016.

Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen returned to the stand on Thursday. The defense accused him of lying about a key phone call tying Trump to Stormy Daniels

The prankster was unmasked when they forgot to hide their caller I.D.

Cohen told them they would have to explain themselves to the Secret Service. The caller responded by saying they were only 14 years old.

Cohen then messaged Trump's bodyman, Keith Schiller, shortly before 8pm on Oct. 24 to ask who he could talk to about the prankster and how to handle the matter, according to a message read to the court.

Schiller was always at Trump's side and was often the conduit for phone calls to the boss.

Call logs show that Cohen made a call at 8:02pm that lasted only 96 secondswhich meant it could not have been about Daniels, said Blanche.

That was a lie. Because you were actually talking to Mr. Schiller about ... you were getting harassing phone calls from a 14-year-old, he said in the most dramatic moment of the case so far.

Cohen, who has adopted a meek, hangdog air throughout, protested. He said the Daniels update was only brief.

'I always ran everything by the boss immediately, and in this case it would have been saying, 'Everything been taken care of  it's been resolved,"' he said.

'That is a lie,' Blanche said, raising his voice in front of the goggle-eyed jury, who had sat through a morning of incremental claims and counter-claims about what White House jobs Cohen may or may not have been offered. 'You can admit it.'

On Monday, Cohen said an Oct. 24 call to Trump, via Keith Schiller, was made in order to discuss the 'Stormy Daniels matter' and its resolution

But in a bombshell moment, defense attorney Todd Blanche (seen center of this sketch) introduced details of text messages suggesting the call was about a 14-year-old prank caller

It was a big moment for Trump's defense, after he reportedly grumbled that his legal team had not been aggressive enough in court with witnesses

'No sir I can't, because I am not certain that is accurate,' he said. He added that he believed he had spoken about both matters.

'We are not asking for your belief,' said Blanche, his voice rising again, before he was cut off by a defense objection.

It was a killer moment after weeks of grumbles from the Trump camp that Blanche had not been aggressive enough with witnesses.

This was the win they wanted.

Son Eric Trump, seated in the front row of courtroom 1530, delivered a one-word verdict on X: 'Wow' (followed by a string of fire emojis.)

His father walked from the court with a swagger, winking at a reporter in the back row.

Trump denies 34 counts of falsifying business records, doctoring invoices, ledger entries and checks to suggest Cohen had been paid for his legal services, rather than to reimburse him for silencing Daniels.

The court has heard days and days of dry evidence about how payments were processed and checks cut by Trump Organization staff.

Trump's allies, including son Eric who was in court, loved how the cross-examination went

Cohen and Trump in happier times. The property mogul and his lawyer are seen here during a visit to New Hampshire as Trump scoped out a potential presidential run in 2011

It also heard the salacious details of Daniels' story, of how she met and slept with Trump in 2006.

But it was not until Cohen took the stand that a direct line was drawn from Trump to money paid to his former lawyer and fixer.

Cohen is a problematic witness, having served time in prison for crimes including tax fraud and lying to Congress.

The defense sought to make the most of that on Thursday morning, using Cohen's own words against him to show that he was intent on putting Trump behind bars.

Trump had allies in court, including Freedom Caucus members Reps. Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert and Michael Waltz, to watch the fireworks.

They included hearing his on-air persona, as the court heard a clip from one of his podcasts, including very uncourt-like language.

'In one podcast statement, Cohen says 'I truly f***ing hope that this man ends up in prison,' he said about Trump at one point.

In another clip he made clear that he would enjoy Trump's downfall.

'It wont bring back the year that I lost or the damage done to my family. But revenge is a dish best served cold,' Cohen could be heard to say. 'You better believe that I want this man to go down.'

Trump was joined again by allies from Capitol Hill. Seen here, posing for a picture in another courtroom at Manhattan criminal court are: Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, Matt Gaetz, Bob Good, Eli Crane, Andy Biggs, Lauren Boebert

Trump's allies left the courtroom during the morning recess to talk to the press in a small park across the street from the court

The defense offered a motive for Cohen: He was bitter after passed over for any of the top jobs at the White House when Trump took power.

'The truth is, Mr. Cohen, you really wanted to work in the White House, correct?' asked Blanche.

Not true said Cohen, before he was confronted with a series of messages in which he talked with friends and relatives about the possibility of being appointed chief of staff.

One read in court even suggested he was tapping up a friend to become his assistant if he landed the post.

Cohen said he simply wanted to be considered, for 'ego purposes.'

But there were other embarrassing questions for Trump's former lawyer, including about how he secretly recorded hundreds of phone conversations and had used nonexistent, AI-generated legal cases to support an application last year to end his post-prison court supervision early.

Cohen responded as he has done throughout his testimony, calmly, patiently and with the lawyerly air of a professional hair-splitter.

Cohen is due to return on Monday but the prosecution case could rest later that day

Trump is barred by a court order from discussing witnesses. But his allies are not.

During the morning recess, eight members of Congress trooped across the street to deliver their verdict to waiting TV cameras.

Rep. Matt Gaetz called Cohen a liar who +'committed these lies for his own benefit' before calling the case, the 'Mr. Potato Head of crimes, where they had to stick together a bunch of things that did not belong together.'

Cohen will return to the stand Monday when the case resumes, and the judge signaled Thursday that he hopes to get to closing arguments a day later.

There is no decision yet whether Trump himself will testify, according to his legal team.
House Republicans have fired off a new subpoena for bank records of Sarah, James and Hunter Biden.

'This is a result of many of the documents that Devon Archer turned over,' Oversight Chair James Comer said on Fox Business, referring to Hunter's ex-business partner who has sat for interviews with the committee twice.

Comer, R-Ky., went on: 'Remember, he was subpoenaed, and he turned over 3.7 million document documents never before been seen by any of the IRS investigators, the Securities and exchange investigators, or any of the different, groups that have been investigating the Bidens for years and years and years. And we've been able to connect some dots.'

The new subpoena, Comer hopes, will 'answer every question [Congress has] had' in the impeachment inquiry into President Biden that is dragging into its eighth month.

The Oversight Committee started investigating Hunter Biden's shady business dealings over two years ago and are now trying to connect the dots up to President Joe Biden, who has long claimed he had no involvement in his son's business dealings.

'This is a result of many of the documents that Devon Archer turned over,' Oversight Chair James Comer said on Fox Business

House Republicans have fired off a new subpoena for bank records of Sarah, James and Hunter Biden

'We know the Biden family set up over 20 shell companies and raked in over $24 million from China, Russia, and other foreign adversaries,' Comer said.

'Today's subpoena will help further expose the Biden family's influence peddling schemes, the intentionally complicated web of LLCs formed by the Bidens to enrich themselves, & the central role Joe Biden played in the business dealings.'

Momentum on impeachment seemingly fizzled in recent months as it became clear Republicans did not have the votes, especially under a one-vote GOP majority. Comer has now turned his focus to criminal referrals to the Department of Justice.

'I want to hold accountability,' the Kentucky Republican said on NewsMax. 'What does real accountability look like? Does it look like impeaching Joe Biden in the House and then the Senate tabling it?'

'Or does it mean providing real criminal referrals to the Department of Justice? I think the latter,' Comer, chairman of the Oversight Committee, added.

'We want to hold accountability and I believe that the best path to accountability is criminal referrals.'

A criminal referral would largely amount to a symbolic letter suggesting to the Department of Justice suggesting prosecutors probe specific crimes they believe have been committed.
This is the moment a Good Samaritan reversed his pickup truck into a motorcyclist and ran him over to prevent him from mugging a nurse in broad daylight in Brazil.

Surveillance footage showed the gun-toting suspect going through the woman's cell phone on a sidewalk in the southeastern city of Uberlandia on Tuesday morning.

Luciano Campbell drove by and noticed the woman placing her hands on her face in disbelief and drove back with 10 seconds and pulled over to question the suspect.

The perp could be seen lifting his sweatshirt to show off the gun on his waistband.

Luciano Campbell, a resident of the southeastern Brazil city of Uberlandia, plowed his pickup truck into a man on a scooter on Tuesday morning to prevent him from mugging a nurse

Luciano Campbell (seen standing next to the pickup truck) told Brazilian news outlet G1 that he pretended to leave the scene and thought about his wife possibly being the victim of a crime when he placed his vehicle in reverse and smashed into the armed suspect and prevented him from mugging the nurse who lives in his neighborhood

The suspect pulled out his gun after he was knocked off his scooter after trying to flee with the nurse's cell phone, but never fired a shot

Campbell drove off immediately and the assailant proceeded to snatch the woman's cell phone off her hands.

He was about to escape when Campbell accelerated in reverse and plowed into him and knocked him to the ground.

'We need to have courage and love for others. We went through a pandemic, and it seems like no one learned to have empathy,' Campbell told Brazilian news outlet G1. 'You can't go through situations like this and do nothing. It could be someone in my family.'

After falling to the ground, the thief took out his gun and began to shout at Campbell, who drove off without any shots being fired.

'I got out of the truck to stop him, but from afar I saw that the gun was real and I ended up going back to the car,' he said.

The suspect fled the scene and remained on the run as of Thursday.

The armed suspect sat on his scooter and eventually showed the driver of the pickup truck that he was carrying a gun while the nurse stood by nervous on a sidewalk in Uberlandia, Brazil, on Tuesday. The suspect was run over the driver moments later and fled the scene. He remains on the run

The nurse looked away as the pickup truck driver rushed to her defense and plowed into the armed suspect and his scooter

The woman, who was returning from work, was able to recover her phone and was treated at an area hospital for an unknown injury and discharged.

Uberlandia Civil Police Chief, Marcos Tadeu, told the outlet that Campbell is being investigated for running over the motorcyclist, but could be cleared of any charges if they prove he acted to defend the woman.

Campbell said he lives in the same neighborhood as the woman and thought about his wife when he sprang into action.

'At the time, I thought it was something that could happen to my wife because she had just left to go to the gym,' he said.

'The girl was very nervous. When I asked her if everything was OK, she couldn't even respond.'
16 Democrats voted for a bill to force the delivery of bombs to Israel on Thursday

Democrats helped pass a bill Thursday to force Joe Biden to deliver Israel military - infuriating the progressive flank of the party.

The split in the Democrats' approach to the war has become stark in recent weeks, leading to tension among liberal lawmakers.

Pro-Israel House Democrats have expressed solidarity with the embattled nation while Biden and progressive lawmakers have shown skepticism, if not outrage, over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to invade Rafah.

In a rebuke to the White House, House Democrats teamed up with Republicans to pass the bill to force Biden's hand, highlighting the precarious position some left-leaning lawmakers find themselves in over their support for Israel.

President Joe Biden has been scrutinized for withholding a shipment of bombs to Israel while trying to signal his concerns over an IDF ground operation into Rafah

Earlier this month, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) entered Gaza's southern city and appeared poised to root out what they claimed was one of Hamas's last strongholds.

Days later, Joe Biden warned Netanyahu to mount a ground invasion into the city - and paused a shipment of bombs to the country.

Now, progressives are upset that some of their Democrat colleagues defected to back the Republican-led measure to force Biden to make good on his commitment to provide Israel military aid.

'It is very upsetting to me,' 'Squad' member Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., told DailyMail.com.

'I think we should be focused on whatever we can do to de escalate and to save lives. And that's why since October, I've been advocating for permanent ceasefire. It's the only way to save lives, return hostages to their families and to deliver humanitarian aid.'

Still, she said that the party is united despite their differences on the war in Israel.

'I think our caucus has proven over and over again, that we are a united caucus and even if we disagree about how to achieve just and lasting peace on the region, I do believe that is what everyone wants,' she continued.

Her fellow 'Squad' member Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., told DailyMail.com 'We are Democrats, and we need to allow the President to continue to do the things that are going to get us to an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East and to get the hostages released and to get humanitarian assistance in.'

'I think that is what the President is trying to do,' Jayapal continued. 'We should not be tying his hands.'

The bill is 'bad policy,' Rep. Dean Phillips D-Minn., told Axios, adding it's a 'tough vote [for Democrats] because of the optics.'

'There's a lot of consternation about it, and that's the sad truth about the institution.'

'It's more about political optics and putting people in tough positions instead of doing what's right,' Phillips continued.

The bill, called the Israel Security Assistance Support Act, was backed by 16 Democrats and easily passed in the House.

Among those were Reps. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., and Darren Soto, D-Fla.

The measure would forbid the White House from withholding congressionally-approved foreign aid to Israel and would require the 'prompt delivery' of the supplies Biden vowed to hold back.

Should the White House not comply, funds for the Department of Defense and State Department would be restricted, including the salaries of certain federal officials.

If the bill passes the Senate, which is unlikely, the Biden administration would have 15 days to ship the aid previously withheld.

Smoke rises following Israeli airstrike on Rafah as the IDF attempts to rid the city of Hamas militants

Displaced Palestinians pack their belongings and tents before leaving an unsafe area in Rafah on May 15, 2024, as Israeli forces continued to battle and bomb Hamas militants around the southern Gaza Strip city

Biden and many Democrat lawmakers have expressed their concern in recent weeks that Palestinian refugees in Rafah - many of whom escaped from other parts of Gaza over security concerns - do not have anywhere else to shelter from IDF military operations

'If Schumer refuses to bring this bill up for a vote, he'll be telling the world that his party, the Democrats, are no longer willing to stand with our great ally,' Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday ahead of the vote.

'Biden and Schumer are telling Israel that they are only really allowed to put out part of that fire. That is just simply not going to work. Israel needs to finish the job,' Johnson said.

But to Johnson's chagrin, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said this week the bill is 'not going anywhere.'

And even if it did the White House announced Tuesday that Biden would veto the legislation.

The shipment in question consisted of 3,500 bombs, including 500 and 2,000 pound artillery, which have the capability of flattening swaths of Rafah, where roughly a million Palestinians have relocated to avoid the war in the north.

'We strongly strongly oppose attempts to constrain the President's ability to deploy U.S. security assistance consistent with U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives,' White House Press Sec. Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday.

During the same press briefing, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan reiterated to that Biden's pause only extended to one specific shipment of bombs.

'We have paused the shipment of 2000-pound bombs because we do not believe that should be dropped in densely populated cities,' he said Monday.

'We're talking to the Israeli Government about this.'

'We still believe it would be a mistake to launch a major military operation into the heart of Rafah that would put huge numbers of civilians at risk without a clear strategic gain,' Sullivan added.

The move has been contentious and prompted Republican Rep. Cory Mills of Florida to file impeachment articles against Biden for withholding the congressionally-approved weapons shipment.

Tents for displaced people are crowded west of Deir al-Balah city in the central Gaza Strip after thousands of Palestinians fled Rafah after the Israeli army announced the start of a military operation there 12 May 2024

White House officials have warned Israeli officials against using large bombs in Rafah

Last week, a group of 26 House Democrats expressed concern over the White House's decision, sent a letter to Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

'We are deeply concerned about the message the Administration is sending to Hamas and other Iranian-backed terrorist proxies by withholding weapons shipments to Israel, during a critical moment in the negotiations,' the Democrats, led by Jewish Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., wrote.

'We have a duty to continue to equip Israel with the resources she needs to defend herself and crush the terrorists who also seek to do America harm, free the hostages including the Americans, continue delivering critical humanitarian aid to innocent civilians in Gaza, and to stand by our democratic allies around the world.'

Some of the signatories to the letter voted to pass the bill Thursday.
Zelensky has said 'it is the world's fault' that Putin has advanced on the Kharkiv region as first reports have emerged of Russian troops detaining and executing civilians in a seized nearby town.

The Ukrainian president, who was visiting injured soldiers in a hospital in Kharkiv today, warned that his country couldn't afford to lose the city and said 'the situation is very serious'.

'It's the world's fault. They gave the opportunity for Putin to occupy. But now the world can help,' he told ABC News as he outlined Ukraine's need for military support.

'All we need are two Patriot systems. Russia will not be able to occupy Kharkiv if we have those,' Zelensky added.

His comments come after Ukraine accused Russia of detaining and killing civilians in the border town of Vovchansk, where Russian forces launched a ground assault last week.

Zelensky (pictured) has said 'it is the world's fault' that Putin has advanced on the Kharkiv region as first reports have emerged of Russian troops detaining and executing civilians in a seized nearby town

Ukrainian servicemen of the 92nd Assault Brigade fire BM-21 'Grad' multiple rocket launcher toward Russian positions, in the Kharkiv region, on May 15, 2024

The Ukrainian president, who was visiting injured soldiers (pictured as he met one) in a hospital in Kharkiv today, warned that his country couldn't afford to lose the city and said 'the situation is very serious'

'Russian troops are taking civilians prisoner,' Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said in a post on Telegram.

'According to intelligence reports, the Russian military, trying to gain a foothold in the city, did not allow local residents to evacuate: they began abducting people and driving them to basements.'

He said there were also 'reports of the first shootings of civilians by the Russian military.'

'One of the residents of Vovchansk tried to escape on foot, refused to follow the commands of the invaders, and was killed by the Russians.'

Regional police had opened a 'war crimes' investigation into the allegations, Klymenko said.

These claims could not be independently verified. There was no immediate response from Moscow to the allegations.

Russian soldiers have previously been accused of executing civilians in parts of Ukraine they captured and controlled since they invaded in February 2022.

In April 2022, the bodies of dozens of civilians, some with their hands tied up, were found in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha after a month-long occupation by Russian forces.

Ukraine has evacuated almost 9,000 people in the Kharkiv in the week since Russian forces stormed across the border in a surprise ground assault.

The country warned on Thursday that it faced a 'very difficult' military situation in Kharkiv, where Moscow has made its largest territorial gains in 18 months.

As Zelensky said Kyiv was sending yet more reinforcements to the area, the Ukrainian army said it had managed to partially halt Russia's advance.

The fresh Russian offensive has further stretched Ukraine's outgunned and outmanned forces.

Moscow has seized 107 square miles of Ukrainian territory between May 9 and 15, according to AFP calculations based on data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) - the largest territorial gain in a single operation since mid-December 2022.

A burnt out car in Kharkiv city following Russian attacks on May 15, 2024

A destroyed tank is seen on a road, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv Region, Ukraine May 16, 2024

Rescue workers respond at the site on a Russian airstrike of a multi-storey residential building with a UMPB D-30 glide bomb on May 14, 2024 in Kharkiv, Ukraine

A multi-story residential building stands heavily damaged by a Russian UMPB D-30 glide bomb hitting on May 14, 2024 in Kharkiv, Ukraine

Zelensky met military leaders in Kharkiv city, some 18 miles from the Russian border, today to assess Ukraine's defensive efforts.

'The situation in the Kharkiv region is generally under control, and our soldiers are inflicting significant losses on the occupier,' he said in a post on Telegram.

'However, the area remains extremely difficult. We are reinforcing our units.

Ukraine's army said earlier it had managed to halt the advancing Russian forces in some places.

'Our defence forces have partially stabilised the situation. The advance of the enemy in certain zones and localities has been halted,' army spokesman Nazar Voloshin said on state TV on Thursday.

In a daily briefing, Ukraine's General Staff said its forces had 'significantly reduced the activity of the Russian occupiers.'

'But the enemy is still trying to create the conditions for further advances,' Voloshin warned.
A 12-year-old boy accused of stabbing a teenager to death with a machete told jurors his alleged victim put him in a headlock and was then stabbed by his co-accused of the same age.

The boy then described being given a lift home by his grandmother following the attack on Shawn Seesahai in a Wolverhampton park.

Mr Seesahai, 19, had flown to Britain from a Caribbean island for medical treatment on his eyes but in November last year was stamped on, beaten and stabbed in an unprovoked attack.

Two 12-year-old boys are standing trial for murder and are blaming each other for the death of Mr Seesahai, who was from the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla.

One of the defendants, who has admitted possession of the machete used in the attack, was questioned by his KC, Rachel Brand, this morning.

Shawn Seesahai, 19, had flown to Britain from a Caribbean island for medical treatment on his eyes but in November last year was stamped on, beaten and stabbed in an unprovoked attack

Two 12-year-old boys are standing trial for murder and are blaming each other for the death of Mr Seesahai (right), who was from the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla

Police at the scene in Bilston, Wolverhampton on November 14, 2023

Assisted by an intermediary in the witness box, the boy described a confrontation with Mr Seesahai as he sat on a bench with his co-defendant and a teenage girl.

He said the trio were approached by Mr Seesahai and the victim's friend on the night of November 13 last year. Mr Seesahai told him to 'move from here' and then towered over him, the boy claimed.

He told the court he answered 'why?' and then told Mr Seesahai's friend: 'Get your friend out of my face.'

The boy, who cannot be named because of a court order, said the machete was then taken out of his hand by his co-defendant, who 'pulled the case off it'.

'He said 'Yo blood are you f****** dumb?' and then he like kind of side-stepped towards me and Shawn', the boy told jurors.

'Shawn let me out of the headlock and started running and then his shoe came off, and then he tripped.'

According to the boy's account, he and his co-accused both ran after Mr Seesahai.

The boy, whose co-defendant has yet to give evidence to the court, said: 'I saw him hitting his legs with the knife.

'I saw (the other boy) hitting him and I was next to him and Shawn was trying to grab one of my legs.

'I tried getting him off my leg - I was wriggling my leg.'

Police and forensic officers at the scene on November 14, 2023

Denying that he had punched, kicked or stamped on Mr Seesahai, the boy continued: 'I wanted to say to him (the co-defendant) 'stop, that's enough' - to stop hitting him.

'I didn't know he was stabbed in the back.

'(The other boy) stopped hitting him. I was stood next to Shawn, looking at him... froze.

'I turned around and then (the co-accused) threw the knife to me in the air.

'I was going to catch it but I didn't want it to cut me or hurt me so I turned around so it wouldn't hit my arm or my face or anything.'

The youth said he then picked the knife up off the grass, retrieved its case from a nearby path and put the weapon back inside his tracksuit bottoms.

As he made off, the youth said, he felt scared, while his co-accused appeared shocked.

He told the court: 'I had my hands on my head and was like 'Why did you do that?' He was so shocked he might not have heard me.

'His eyes were really wide.'

Mr Seesahai had travelled to the UK to receive treatment for cataracts and to study, jurors were told. He was staying in Handsworth, Birmingham, but had travelled to Wolverhampton with two friends so that one of them could visit his girlfriend.

Nottingham Crown Court has heard Mr Seesahai suffered a 23-cm deep fatal wound to his back and died at the scene. Jurors have been told the blade went into his back, between his ribs, through his right lung, into his heart, and nearly came out of his chest.

A police officer stands guard at a cordon close to the scene on November 14 last year

The defendant told jurors that following the attack on Mr Seesahai, he was given a lift home by his grandmother. He then used bleach to clean the knife - which he had bought two months earlier for 40 from 'a friend of a friend' - and hid it under his bed.

He found out the victim had died when he was sent a screenshot of a social media post the following day, jurors heard.

During his evidence, the boy also denied wanting to give Mr Seesahai serious injuries.

The boy's co-defendant has denied a charge alleging possession of the machete.

Prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC earlier told the court that while the defendants had been 'roaming the streets with a deadly weapon, Mr Seesahai was just with his friends'.

The prosecutor added: 'Shawn Seesahai and his friends had offered no violence, nor done anything to offend (the youths).'

The case continues.
Vice President Kamala Harris has joked she may return to California to run for governor if she and President Joe Biden lose the 2024 election, according to a new report.

Politico cites two people familiar with the Harris comments, but the vice presidents office predictably denied the report.

That did not happen, Harris spokesperson Kirsten Allen said. This November, the vice president will be preparing to be inaugurated for the second term of the Biden-Harris administration.

The race to succeed current California governor Gavin Newsom will take place in 2026, but there is no clear Democratic successor in place.

Harris would face a crippling political setback if she and Biden lose the presidential election in 2024, which would affect her own ambitions of being the president of the United States herself one day.

Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris on the campaign trail

Newsom also has presidential ambitions, as his political activity but has put them on hold for now after Biden finally concluded he would run for reelection with Harris still on the ticket.

Its the Biden-Harris administration. ... Maybe Im a little old-fashioned about, you know, presidents and vice presidents. I was a lieutenant governor, so Im a little subjective, Newsom told Meet the Press, before conceding that him challenging Harris for the presidency wont happen.

Both Biden and Harris are struggling with record low approval ratings, but Harris remains one of the most unpopular vice president in modern history with her approval ratings in the mid-thirties.

Harris and Newsom both circled the idea of running against each other in the 2015 race for California governor.

Vice president Kamala Harris speaks during an event with U.S. President Joe Biden

Vice President Kamala Harris at a campaign event in Pennsylvania

Both politicians were proteges of the very powerful former state Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, and both were seen as rising stars in the Democratic party in California.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D_CA) ultimately retired from the Senate, opening up a seat for either of the politically ambitious figures.

Harris ultimately chose to run for the Senate, while Newsom ran and won for governor.

Harris later joked she felt that she could have beat Newsom for governor in that race.

Governor Gavin Newsom at a press conference

US Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House

'I would have won  wasnt it obvious?' she said laughing during a 2019 New Yorker profile interview.

If Harris loses in 2024 and runs for governor, it would echo the decision of Richard Nixon, who ran for California governor in 1962 after losing the 1960 presidential race to John F. Kennedy.

Nixon lost his governor's race as well before running again for president in 1968 and winning.
Astonishing video shows the climax of intense clashes between Chinese and Indian troops in 2020-21, with soldiers resorting to hurling rocks and wielding sticks to beat each other into submission as they contested a delicate border region.

At the height of tensions between the two superpowers around territory in Ladakh and Tibet, troops engaged in a gruelling melee, resorting to using improvised weapons to fight for strategic positions.

The Chinese troops, identifiable by the Type 95 assault rifles strapped to their backs, seemed reluctant to use firearms even when attempting to retake a high position from Indian troops throwing stones.

Barely defended by their helmets, wooden batons and riot shields, the Chinese send waves of troops to scale the mount and at one point appear to rout the Indians, pushed back over the apex before the camera cuts.

Another maelstrom of violence sees troops wielding sticks beaten back into the water as the camera dramatically shakes, followed by a stark image of a detained Indian troop surrounded by uniformed Chinese soldiers.

Troops engage in border clashes at the height of tensions between 2020 and 2021

Indian troops at the top of a mount try to defend the position by launching stones downhill

In fierce defiance, Chinese troops continue to march up the hill, displacing the Indians

Waves of soldiers wielding wooden batons and riot shields advance on a position

The spate of border skirmishes, which raged through 2020 and 2021, would come to be seen as a source of shame within India, ceding some 2,000sq km of territory over a period of eight months.

Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in the Galwan Valley, eastern Ladakh in one of the clashes - a mark against the name of Narendra Modi's government to his critics, who have since said the battles showed 'subjugation' and 'surrender' to a rival power.

In total, four Chinese troops were reported to have been killed in the battles, despite fielding a force less than a quarter of the size of the army sent by India to hold the northern border.

Emerging video from the conflict zone shows the intensity of the Indian rock bombardment as Chinese soldiers trudged up the knoll to displace their adversaries.

A caption on a video of the battle shared on Douyin, China's counterpart to TikTok, read: 'They showed their bravery, dedication and responsibility so thoroughly that they guarded every inch of the country's mountains and rivers'.

At one point, one of the Indian troops appears to be hit with a rock himself, just after launching a stone into the crowd.

Both sides are ultimately seen brandishing rocks and sticks, throwing the scene into a confusing mess of missiles being launched in all directions.

In one clip, a caption in Chinese overlaid claims one of the soldiers suffered a skull fracture, likely from being pelted with rocks.

Chinese soldiers are shown in the video wearing thick combat helmets made from Kevlar composite materials designed to reduce the risk of bullet penetration.

Against the backdrop of the clashes, Indian defence analysts accused China of 'salami slicing' - pushing into larger and larger swathes of territory over time -, echoed at the time by then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who called the clashes a land 'grab'.

Rivers, lakes and snowcaps along the border mean the natural border can shift somewhat, bringing troops face to face, as noted by the BBC during clashes in 2022.

And both remain embroiled in a battle to reinforce this 'Line of Actual Control' with their own troops and infrastructure, leading to diplomatic rows even in peacetime.

The troops advancing up the hill resist using their assault rifles and return fire with rocks

A defiant force desperately attempts to hold the strategic position at the top of the mound

The Indian troops appear to rout as the Chinese close in on their position

A still from a clip shows the bullpup configuration and iron sights of a Type 95 assault rifle

At one point, troops are chased into a body of water amid the intense clashes

Troops wielding sticks crowd around the base of the hill as others are chased into the water

For decades, India and China have fiercely contested the Line of Actual Control, a loose demarcation that separates Chinese and Indian held territories from Ladakh in the west to India's eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims in its entirety. The two powers even fought a war over the border in 1962.

Clashes also broke out in 2017, when troops were again seen exchanging punches and stones.

That year, Indian troops amassed in Bhutan's Doklam region for two months to stop China constructing a road in the region, resulting in a two-month standoff.

And again, tensions look set to rise with India in March freeing up 10,000 soldiers to guard a stretch of the frontier with China, according to senior Indian officials via Bloomberg.

Another 9,000 soldiers, already posted in the region, are also expected to join the contingent, together presiding over a 330 mile border separating Tibet from India's northern states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, according to the outlet.
A father could be heard screaming 'my son is dead' after his five-year-old boy fell more than 150ft out of a kitchen window in a high-rise tower block, according to an eyewitness.

The Arsenal-loving youngster, named locally as Alam Makial, plunged from the 15th floor of Jacobs House on New City Road in Newham, east London, just after 6am.

Met Police detectives say the death is not being treated as suspicious - but council staff are trying to piece together how he fell amid claims that the windows on the tower block were 'not safe'.

Maryam Hadafow, the boy's auntie, told MailOnline: '[Alam] had got up before his parents and he fell from the kitchen window.

'Alam's father screamed for help shouting "My son, my son is dead".

'His mother had written emails about the windows and doors to the council five times and said this is not safe for my kids.'

Paying tribute to the five-year-old, Maryam added: 'He was a lovely, lovely boy. He was very sweet.'

A woman lays follows close to where a boy, 6, fell 150ft from the Jacobs House tower block in east London

The youngster plunged from Jacobs House (pictured) on New City Road in Newham, east London just after 6am

Jacobs House on New City Road in Newham, east London

Eyewitness JJ, who lives on the 12th floor, three floors below the flat where the boy fell from, told MailOnline: 'It was horrible. I felt so sorry for them. There was nothing that could be done.

'I heard the screaming and shouting and I thought it was someone we probably had a lot to drink because that happens a lot down here. '

He said a female paramedic was in tears when she realised the boy had passed away.'

Another witness, Uber driver Miah, 57, added: 'I am shocked and in disbelief.

'I was across the road from where the boy fell. I thought it was somebody who was drunk.

'It's happened in front of my house. I could see the ambulance people and the police and they were trying to help him.'

Scotland Yard is treating the death as 'unexpected' but no arrests have been made..

People who live in the 1960s 16-storey block, where flats can cost up to 200,000, have been left in 'utter shock' by the youngster's death and want answers about how it had happened.

Council staff are currently at the block of flats reassuring residents and trying to piece together what happened.

The map above shows the location of Jacobs House where the little boy was pronounced dead at the scene

The boy plunged from the 15th floor of the 150ft tower block in Plaistow

The Metropolitan Police said: 'We were called at 5.58am on Thursday, May 16 to reports of a child having fallen from height at New City Road, E13.

'Officers, London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service and London's Air Ambulance attended.

'At the scene a five-year-old boy had fallen from an upper floor of an apartment block.

'Despite the efforts of emergency services he sadly died at the scene. His family are aware and are being supported.'

It subsequently added: 'The death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner. Our thoughts are with the childs family at this time.'

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: 'We were called at 5.59am today to reports of a person fallen from height on New City Road, Plaistow.

'We sent resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast response car and an incident response officer. We also dispatched a trauma team in a car from London's Air Ambulance.

'Our first paramedics arrived on scene in approximately four minutes.

'Very sadly, a child was pronounced dead at the scene.'

A spokesperson for Newham Council said they were 'deeply sorry to hear about this devastating incident, we extend our sincere condolences to all those affected'.

They added: 'We have staff at the location to provide reassurance to residents at this difficult time while we work with partners to establish the full facts.

'The Council is continuing to establish the facts regarding this tragic incident, until we have further information we're unable to make any further comment. Our priority is to support the family at this devastating time.'
Ministry of Justice chiefs are investigating a second curry thought to be poisoned at a UK jail within weeks as 25 staff at HMP Swaleside ate an Indian meal allegedly laced with the drug Spice by inmates.

The latest incident - which saw at least three officers from the Kent prison taken to hospital - comes after another 15 fell ill at HMP Lewes in East Sussex over Easter.

The Criminal Justice Workers Union today called for a 'full investigation' into what it called a 'mass poisoning of staff' at high-security Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey.

It is suspected the synthetic drug Spice - which can leave users in a zombie-like state - was added to the canteen meals.

Paramedics were called at 2.10pm last Thursday and set up a medical incident unit at the jail, while at least three officers were taken to hospital for further treatment.

The Criminal Justice Workers Union described it as a 'mass poisoning of staff' at the high-security HMP Swaleside (pictured) on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent

CJWU official Andy Hamlin said prisoners working in the canteen at HMP Swaleside in Kent spiked a 'staff special curry'

Andy Hamlin, an official for the Criminal Justice Workers Union, today accused Swaleside prison management of trying to 'downplay' the incident by telling staff not to discuss it.

He said: 'The Criminal Justice Workers Union are concerned at the reports from HMP Swaleside regarding the deliberate poisoning of staff by prisoners working in the staff canteen with spice.

'Although it is not unusual for prisoners to be working staff canteens, they are expected to be the low-risk (prisoners), which clearly hasn't happened in this case.'

He described Spice as a 'synthetic psychoactive substance, designed to replicate the high of illegal drugs'.

Mr Hamlin added: 'It can cause symptoms such as breathing difficulties, hallucinations, raised heart rate and is extremely dangerous to those with pre-existing illnesses.

"Our members have raised valid concerns, and believe the senior management team at HMP Swaleside have attempted to play down the incident with staff being instructed not to discuss the incident or mention it on social media.

'This has led staff to believe the senior management team are prioritising the establishment's reputation, over the health and safety of its staff.'

He called for HM Prison and Probation service to 'carry out a full investigation into this incident, which resulted in 25 staff being poisoned', adding that five employees were admitted to hospital.

He added: 'HMPPS and local senior management team at HMP Swaleside must do more to protect the health and safety of its staff.'

This incident comes after 15 inmates and staff who collapsed shortly after eating 'poisoned' curry at a religious service at Lewes prison's chapel - plunging the category B jail into a lockdown on March 28.

Paramedics who first arrived at the scene feared the synthetic opioid fentanyl could be behind the sudden illness - though it was later suggested it was not thought to be drug related.

Emergency services were stationed outside HMP Lewes in March after five people were taken to hospital - their symptoms were not life threatening

Five people were hospitalised after eating 'poisoned' curry at a religious service at the East Sussex jail's chapel at an event marking Maundy Thursday

There were fears raised that the dishes were spiked after they were prepared to mark Maundy Thursday.

A chemical incident van was parked outside the gates of the prison and a green decontamination tent was also put up outside a nearby hospital in preparation for ill patients.

Five people were taken to hospital but their symptoms were not thought to be life threatening.

In response to the new Swaleside illnesses, South East Coast Ambulance Service sent nine ambulances to attend the incident with a makeshift incident unit set up within the prison.

A SECAmb spokesman said three people were taken to Medway Maritime for further checks, although the CJWU believed five had needed hospital treatment.

HMP Swaleside, which holds men convicted of serious offences and those who pose a high risk to the public, has about 1,100 inmates.

Its last inspection by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons found levels of violence were high and drugs were easy to get hold of.

The prison's last inspection by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons found that levels of violence were high and drugs too easy to obtain.

More than 40 per cent of prisoners are serving sentences of more than ten years, with a similar proportion serving indeterminate sentences.

One unit is specifically allocated for men convicted of sexual offences.

The Ministry of Justice said: 'A number of staff were taken ill following an incident at HMP Swaleside last week and those who attended the hospital were soon discharged.

Lewes prison was put into lockdown as the authorities investigated but the major incident was later downgraded while the police investigation continued

The poisoning at Lewes prison (pictured) has now been followed by similar at HMP Swaleside

'There is an ongoing investigation and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.'

The department was liaising with all relevant agencies involved while no one taken to hospital was in critical condition, the MoJ added.

A prison riot - the fifth insurrection in UK jails in two months - broke out at Swaleside in December 2016, with inmates smashing up a wing and starting fires.

Pictures emerged of hooded prisoners brandishing makeshift weapons, before specialist Tornado squads of former SAS soldiers were sent in to quell the rioters and they reclaimed A Wing which had been seized.
A small Florida town has gone head-to-head with big developers attempting to destroy their stunning and protected rural pastureland with housing estates.

The town of Ferndale in Lake County, Florida, is known for its vast oasis of rolling pastureland, serving as a sanctuary for wildlife and protected natural resources.

Sitting on the western shore of Lake Apopka, it is home to just over 600 people, many of whom inherited 'generational land.'

It's remained a rare piece of untouched land offering a glimpse into the beauty of 'old Florida,' up until now - as residents are beginning to confront the very scenario which they've long-dread and tried to avoid for generations: developers.

It's remained a rare piece of untouched land offering a glimpse into the beauty of 'old Florida,' up until now - as residents are beginning to confront the very scenario which they've long-dread and tried to avoid for generations: developers

'In my eyes it's off limits,' one long-time resident, Lynn Riffle, who owns a 245-acre family-owned property in the town, told News 6

'In my eyes it's off limits,' one long-time resident, Lynn Riffle, who owns a 245-acre family-owned property in the town, told News 6.

Her property, which she refers to as the 'heart of Ferndale' is facing ongoing development in nearby Minneola, changing the 'landscape' and 'ambiance' of her neighborhood.

'I'll do everything I can and voice as much as I can to keep it that way,' she said.

'The growth is happening so fast that it's spinning everybody's heads,' Riffle said to News 6. 'We have 40 acres that back up to the preserve that we don't want to see anything happen to.'

The town of Ferndale in Lake County, Florida, is known for its vast oasis of rolling pastureland, serving as a sanctuary for wildlife and protected natural resources

'We see Minneola coming in with four to six homes per acre and zero lot lines,' Riffle said. 'This is not what this area ever intended for, and we want to keep it that way.

That's why the residents have banded together in an effort to extend an 'Interlocal Service Boundary Agreement' between neighboring towns of Minneola, Montverde, Clermont and Lake County.

Lake County is bordered to the west by the city of Minneola, to the southeast by the town of Montverde, and to the northeast by Lake Apopka.

They hope the agreement will serve as protection for Ferndale against the continuation of property development.

The contract, which has been in place since 2010, expires in 2030.

Riffle expressed urgency to News 6, saying she wants something signed 'sooner rather than later' based on the rapid development taking over Ferndale, and surrounding towns.

That's why the residents have banded together in an effort to extend an 'Interlocal Service Boundary Agreement' between neighboring towns of Minneola, Montverde, Clermont and Lake County

'I'm going to be very frank and direct,' Lake County Commissioner Sean Parks said. 'I don't understand why anybody wouldn't support extending the agreement for another 13 years because this has always been planned to be rural.'

'I'm very concerned about what we're hearing now about potential development threats coming in and totally changing the character and quality of life of this beautiful area,' Parks added.

'The people of Montverde don't want anything to change,' Wynkoop said. 'We're very strict about two homes per acre.'

'Unfortunately, since the first reading of the extension, our city attorney has been contacted by counsel for a large landowner,' Kelley said in a text message. 'They are currently trying to sort out their concerns. Because of this, the final reading has been tabled to give time so they can be addressed before it comes back.'

This comes as Palm Beach longtime residents also put up a fight to preserve the island's little remaining middle to upper middle class character as rich developers seek to tear down the current standings to build luxury condos.

This comes as Palm Beach longtime residents also put up a fight to preserve the island's little remaining middle to upper middle class character as rich developers seek to tear down the current standings to build luxury condos. (The coast of Palm Beach, Florida in May 2021)

The Ambassador Hotel, a three-star property in Palm Beach that was bought by two developers in 2022. They plan to demolish the Ambassador outfit the new luxury multifamily complex with rooftop decks, fountains and at least 10 swimming pools

Billionaire investor Paul Tudor Jones' sprawling $71 million estate in Palm Beach

At the center of the feud between locals and developers is the Ambassador Hotel. Cain International and OKO Group bought the Ambassador and an apartment building across the street for $147 million in 2022 with the intent to demolish the hotel.

Their plan is to replace dated building with 'the most ultra-luxury multifamily project likely that the town will ever see,' Bloomberg reported.

The three-star Ambassador is already besieged by condos to its north, south and west, and residents feel that a new building that exclusively caters to the uber-wealthy is unwarranted.

Complaints have been filed about what the developers wanted to do with the property in an attempt to grind the process to a halt.
After 12 years of marriage and less than two years into his congressional career, Georgia Republican Rep. Rich McCormick has filed for divorce from his oncologist wife Dr. Debra Miller.

The case was filed by McCormick on May 3. A mutual restraining order was also filed, DailyMail.com exclusively reports.

McCormick, 55, and Miller, his second wife, share seven children and live in Suwanee, Georgia. When approached about the reasoning for the divorce, Miller texted DailyMail.com: 'I'm sure that he will not be forthcoming.'

Capitol Hill insiders say McCormick has often been seen acting overly friendly toward a female Republican member of the House Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas.

One GOP member told DailyMail.com they had seen McCormick and and Van Duyne, 53, 'holding hands under the table' at the weekly Republican Study Committee lunch within the last three to four months and had seen him 'grab the small of her back' on the House floor during votes.

Two eyewitnesses say they have seen he and Beth holding hands, with one witnessing it as the pair were leaving votes.

After 12 years of marriage and less than two years into his congressional career, Georgia Republican Rep. Richard McCormick has filed for divorce from his oncologist wife Dr. Debra Miller

Capitol Hill insiders say McCormick has often been seen acting overly friendly toward a female Republican member of the House Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas (above)

And during the State of the Union on March 7, the two could be seen sitting and laughing together while watching Biden's speech.

McCormick even reached over to gently squeeze Van Duyne's arm in a tender moment between the pair captured on camera.

Asked if the divorce involved an alleged affair he may have had with a colleague, his soon-to-be ex-wife Miller replied: 'You should ask Rich and his colleague.'

A third witness told DailyMail.com they had seen Van Duyne holding on to the arm of McCormick while walking out of the Longworth Office building late at night.

Van Duyne has been divorced from her former husband of 17 years since 2012. They share two children.

Asked about the cozy behavior and the divorce, a McCormick spokesperson told DailyMail.com: 'Congressman McCormick and Dr. Miller have been separated for quite some time. He has kept that private and will continue to keep his personal life out of the media spotlight.'

A representative for Van Duyne declined to provide comment to DailyMail.com.

McCormick and his wife were pictured together as recently as over the Christmas holiday. But he notably did not include her in a recent Mother's Day tribute on X.

McCormick's Facebook account says the pair were married on August 16, 2011.

McCormick spent over 20 years as a pilot in both the Marine Corps and the Navy and was also an emergency room physician in Georgia's Gwinnett Medical Center.

He is in his first term in Congress, having joined in January 2023. He ran unsuccessfully for the Georgia's 7th District in 2020 against Democrat Carolyn Bordeaux.

In November McCormick was the lead author of a censure resolution for Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., for "promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the state of Israel.'

Van Duyne is a Republican congresswoman from Texas

Happy Mother's Day to all the incredible moms out there! Today, I want to give a special shoutout to my own mom. As a single mother, she showed me the true meaning of hard work and determination.



She taught me to never settle for mediocrity and to always strive for greatness. pic.twitter.com/CMopcxlevM  Congressman Rich McCormick, MBA MD (@RepMcCormick) May 12, 2024

McCormick says he and his wife have been separated for 'quite some time.' They were pictured together as recently as over the Christmas holiday

McCormick is in his first term in Congress, having joined in January 2023

McCormick's Facebook account says the pair were married on August 16, 2011

The case was filed by McCormick on May 3. A mutual restraining order was also filed

Mccormick, a Marine and Army vet, came to Congress at the start of 2023

McCormick with his oncologist wife and their seven children

Asked if the divorce involved an alleged affair he had with a colleague, Miller replied: 'You should ask Rich and his colleague'

Shortly after that, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who had also introduced a Tlaib censure that was not successful, accused McCormick of getting physically aggressive with her.

Sources told CNN that in a private meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson in December, Greene claimed her male colleague 'grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her' and asked the Speaker to address the issue.

'I understand why there would be a lot of raw emotions following the censure vote given that her censure was tabled and mine passed. My intention was to encourage Rep. Greene by making a friendly gesture,' said McCormick.

He denied getting physically aggressive with her.
A Palestinian student who said she was 'full of pride' after Hamas launched its attack on Israel claims the Home Office has revoked her visa on the grounds of 'national security'.

Dana Abuqamar, 19, a law student at the University of Manchester, attended a pro-Palestine protest just one day after Hamas carried out its October 7 attack.

During the demonstration, Ms Abuqamar, president of Manchester Friends of Palestine, was filmed saying she was 'really full of joy' and 'proud that Palestinian resistance has come to this point'.

She has now claimed that the UK Government has 'violated her human rights' by rescinding her student visa on the 'baseless' accusation that she is a 'risk to public safety'.

The Home Office told MailOnline it does not comment on individual cases and it remains unclear precisely what revoking the visa means for the teenager's future in Britain.

In a new video released this week, Ms Abuqamar confirmed she would be appealing the decision and said her remarks in October, which were publicly condemned by policing minister Chris Philp, had been misrepresented.

'My words were taken out of context and they were framed as me supporting harm to innocent civilians, which is completely false and completely untrue,' she told the Middle East Eye.

Dana Abuqamar, 19, a law student at the University of Manchester who said she was 'full of joy' after Hamas launched its attack on Israel, claims the Home Office has revoked her visa on the grounds of 'national security'

Ms Abuqamar, president of Manchester Friends of Palestine, is pictured at a rally the day after Hamas launched its attack on Israel. She said during the demonstration that she was 'really full of joy' and 'proud that Palestinian resistance has come to this point'

'The UK Home Office decided to revoke my student visa following public statements supporting the Palestinian right to exercise under international law to resist oppression and break through the siege that was illegally placed on Gaza for over 16 years.'

She added: 'It's an outrageous claim that the Home Office is making by deeming me a national security threat.

I am a 19-year-old who has done nothing but go to school and advocate for social justice and try and be an asset to my community.

'So saying I pose a threat to national security is a completely baseless claim.'

She told the news outlet that her legal team had lodged a 'human rights appeal' against the decision.

Ms Abuqamar, who is in her final year as a law student, said that before coming to Britain she believed 'freedom of expression is a fundamental human right that's cherished here'.

She now feels that this right does 'not apply to ethnic minorities, particularly Muslims and Palestinians like myself'.

She argued: 'We must reject the double standard in the application of human rights by public authorities and rise against this oppression.'

A Home Office spokesperson told MailOnline: 'It is a longstanding government policy that we do not comment on individual cases.'

Ms Abuqamar said the Government alleged her 'presence in the UK threatens national security' and the statements she made in support of Palestine 'support extremist views'. Pictured is smoke rising from the area after Israeli army launching an airstrike on the Jabalia Refugee Camp of Gaza City on May 15, 2024

Ms Abuqamar, who is in her final year as a law student, previously said that 'everyone's in danger in Gaza' and called on others to 'condemn the UK's support for Israel'. Pictured on May 15, 2024 is a community in Khan Yunis, Gaza that was heavily destroyed in the Israeli attacks

Ms Abuqamar first made headlines after she was interviewed by Sky News during a pro-Hamas event in Manchester last October, one day after Hamas' attack on Israel.

She told the broadcaster: 'We are full of pride. We are really, really full of joy (at) what has happened.... We are proud that Palestinian resistance has come to this point.'

Days later, she clarified that she had been 'misrepresented' and told the BBC: 'The death of any innocent civilian should not be condoned ever and we don't condone it at all.'

She added that 'everyone's in danger in Gaza' and even shared that 15 of her relatives had been killed when an Israeli 'missile was dropped on their three-storey residential building'.

Ms Abuqamar, speaking at another pro-Palestine march, said: 'We need to make it known that we will not be silenced - that any attacks or any actions or efforts to silence us from standing up against oppression and saying the truth and helping people to see through the propaganda - that won't work anymore.'

'We are here to condemn the UK's support for Israel and its perpetration of war crimes.'
An evil boyfriend whose ex-girlfriend killed herself over his 'devastating' domestic abuse was today jailed for a further 43 months after another one of his exes came forward and revealed the 'torture' she had suffered at his hands.

Zoe Castle mustered up the courage to report her ex-partner Marc Masterton after she discovered tragic Chloe Holland was driven to suicide by the assaults she was subjected to.

Miss Holland - who began a relationship with Masterton after Miss Castle - tragically committed suicide in February last year aged 23 following a series of 'despicable' psychological and physical assaults.

Masterton, 26, was jailed for the domestic abuse last October but today it emerged that Miss Holland was not the first young woman to be terrorised by him.

Miss Castle, who was just 18 when she went out with Masterton, told how she went to the police to report him after learning of Miss Holland's suicide.

Zoe Castle is pictured outside Portsmouth Crown Court, Hampshire

Evil Marc Masterton drove Chloe Holland to suicide through his assaults and abuse

The young mother - who was praised by a judge for her courage - said it 'broke my heart' to learn of Miss Holland's death and that she is riddled with guilt over not going to the police sooner.

A court heard Miss Castle suffered similar abuse to Miss Holland.

She was repeatedly beaten by Masterton, strangled, and even forced to get a tattoo of his name.

In one act of 'torture', Masterton forced her into a freezing cold bath and refused to let her leave.

Masterton manipulated 'suicidal' Miss Castle into staying with him and 'enforced her silence' by threatening that social services would take her daughter away if she reported him to police.

Masterton - who is still serving a 45 month sentence - today jailed for a further 43 months at Portsmouth Crown Court, Hampshire.

Miss Holland's sister, Maddison Holland, today welcomed the new prison sentence and told MailOnline Masterton was a 'vile' individual.

'We had no idea he had done this before (he was with Miss Holland)', Maddison, 19, said. 'I'm glad he's got more time on top of his original sentence, but it will never be enough.

'He's a danger to women and when he eventually gets out (of prison) he will do this again to somebody else'.

Prosecutor Matthew Lawson told Portsmouth Crown Court the offences took place during the couple's relationship from July 2017 until September 2019, before his relationship with Miss Holland.

Chloe Holland (pictured) began a relationship with Masterton after Miss Castle and tragically committed suicide in February last year aged 23 following a series of assaults

'The relationship with Zoe Castle was marred throughout with violence and manipulative behaviour with numerous incidents of serious violence' he said.

The court heard Miss Castle was so fearful of Masterton she initially refused to make a statement against him before his eventual arrest.

Mr Lawson said when Miss Castle first met Masterton, from Southsea, Portsmouth, she was living with her mother and thought he was 'really lovely'.

'However, when she and her daughter moved into her own place, the defendant's behaviour began to change,' he continued.

'He was controlling and violent towards her.

'The defendant began belittling her appearance and controlling what she would wear.'

The court heard at one point when he was having a tattoo done, he 'insisted' she get his name tattooed on her shoulder which she agreed to as she was 'fearful of the consequences' if she refused.

She was subject to 'extreme and continuous violence' throughout their relationship.

The court heard she wanted to call the police, but he threatened to harm her or himself and claimed involving the police would lead to social services taking her daughter away.

'Repeated violence' and threats of it included being thrown into a wardrobe and putting her in a 'freezing cold bath' after an argument and not letting her leave.

He strangled her on a separate occasion, smashed her over the head with a glass bottle in front of her daughter and left her 'covered in bruises'.

The court heard he once put his hand across her mouth and pushed with such force that her teeth went 'through her lip' and has left her with a scar.

In December 2018 in a 999 call to police, she said she was scared Masterton would 'kill her'.

Body worn footage of officers arriving was shown to the court, in which a 'timid, vulnerable and visibly shaking' Miss Castle breaks down.

When Miss Castle first met Masterton, from Southsea, Portsmouth, she was living with her mother and thought he was 'really lovely'

Masterton was eventually found hiding in a friend's wardrobe, but she was 'too frightened' to make a statement and he was not charged.

Their relationship ended in 2019, but she 'felt unable' to make a statement until March 2023, after hearing of Miss Holland's death the previous month.

Mr Lawson said: 'It was learning about that relationship and its tragic end that led to Zoe to come forward and tell police what she had suffered.'

In a victim personal statement read to the court, Miss Castle described her relationship with Masterton as the 'worst time in my life'

'The impact both at the time and now, I cannot really put into words,' she said.

'I lived in constant fear of being beaten or losing the most precious thing in my life, my daughter.

'That's what Marc did, he made me know I had no choice but to stay and accept his constant abuse.

'I was his property.

'I have ever since struggled to trust any man in a relationship.'

She said his 'horrific' behaviour had caused her to lose her confidence and self-esteem, she suffers from PTSD and has 'huge' guilt at not supporting the original police investigation.

'When I found out Chloe had taken her own life, it broke my heart', she added.

She said she was worried she 'could have prevented' the suicide had she gone to police sooner.

'That guilt will never go away,' she added.

In mitigation, Francisca da Costa said Masterton had 'never seen' a stable or loving relation modelled by adults in his life, having been in and out of care as a youngster.

Sentencing, Judge Michael Bowes KC said Masterton subjected Miss Castle to 'a catalogue of misery' by beating her 'two or three times a week' during their relationship and left her 'too scared' to initially support police proceedings.

'Zoe Castle spoke about the guilt she felt about not being able to support police earlier,' he continued.

'I want to make one matter plain, Zoe Castle is not in any way to blame for what happened to her and she is not in any way to blame for the coercive behaviour suffered by Chloe Holland.

'You alone are responsible for the coercive abuse you inflicted on her and Chloe Holland.

'Far from being blamed, Zoe Castle has to be praised for her bravery in coming forward now.'

Masterton admitted controlling or coercive behaviour in relation to Miss Castle, the same charge he admitted in relation to Miss Holland.

The judge said the new sentencing would run consecutively to the one he is already serving.

'Having regard to the gravity of your conduct and the profound and devastating effect it had on both your victims, an overall sentence of seven years and four months is appropriate', Judge Bowes KC said.

Masterton was therefore sentenced for a further 43 months, which will run consecutive to the 45 months he was jailed for in relation to Miss Holland.

He will be released halfway through the total sentence and serve the rest under licence.

He was also made subject of a restraining order in which he cannot contact Miss Castle or her daughter.

Miss Holland's mother, Sharon Holland, 51, of Portsmouth, is campaigning for the introduction of a new offence of manslaughter by coercive control  dubbed Chloe's Law.

Maddison said 'controlling' Masterton changed her sibling so much that the family barely saw Chloe at times.

'We barely saw or spoke to her at times because of him' she said. 'She would disappear for a week at a time.

'He cut her off from us because he knew how close we were.'

For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit https://www.thecalmzone.net/get-support
Jimmy Carter is 'at home, enjoying peanut butter ice cream,' said the CEO of the 99-year-old's non-profit, days after his grandson warned that the former president's life was 'coming to the end.'

Carter Center CEO Paige Alexander said on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Politically Georgia podcast Wednesday that 'there really hasn't been a significant change' in the ex-president's health.

The Georgia peanut farmer and oldest living president has been in hospice care for more than a year after deciding to forego any further medical treatment.

'I mean, he will always be one bad cold away from the end,' Alexander told the podcast. 'He is in hospice care, and there are palliative measures if he's in pain, but nothing else.'

'He is just the same remarkable man. He has always been outliving and surprising us all,' Alexander added.

Jimmy Carter is 'at home, enjoying peanut butter ice cream,' said the CEO of the 99-year-old's non-profit, days after his grandson warned that the former president's life was 'coming to the end'

Jason Carter said at a mental health forum on Tuesday: '(My grandfather) is doing OK' but warned that his life was 'coming to the end'

While Jason Carter warned that his grandfather's death could be imminent he also told a crowd at a mental health froum on Tuesday that 'he is doing OK.'

'He has been in hospice, as you know, for almost a year and a half now, and he really is, I think, coming to the end that, as I've said before, there's a part of this faith journey that is so important to him, and there's a part of that faith journey that you only can live at the very end and I think he has been there in that space,' Jason Carter said.

The ex-president entered hospice care in February 2023 after a series of hospital visits.

He has already survived metastatic brain and liver cancer.

In November, he made rare public appearance for his wife Rosalynn's memorial service, in a wheelchair and covered in a blanket depicting her face.

They were married for 77 years, and lived in the same modest home in Plains, Georgia, for decades.

The longest-married couple in U.S. presidential history, they met when Jimmy was just three years old and Rosalynn was a newborn, and celebrated their 77nd wedding anniversary on July 7, 2023.

Family members say that he was determined to hang on even after entering hospice care, in part to ensure that Rosalynn was never left alone.

'He was really honored and glad that he made it to the end with my grandmother, and that was a real treasure for him,' Jason Carter told the New York Times in February.

'I think that for whatever reason, the way he approaches this is from a place of enormous faith. And so he just believes that for whatever reason, God's not done with him yet,' he added.

In November, he made rare public appearance for his wife Rosalynn's memorial service, in a wheelchair and covered in a blanket depicting her face

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were married for 77 years, and lived in the same modest home in Plains, Georgia, for decades

Rosalynn's funeral was the only time Carter has appeared publicly since entering hospice, and his frail appearance at the service alarmed friends in the church and well-wishers watching on television.

Carter spends his days in the home in Plains that he has owned for more than six decades, where caregivers attend to his needs and friends and family visit.

The two-bedroom, one-story ranch house was built by Carter himself, and is worth about $240,000.

Carter was elected to the Georgia state Senate on November 5, 1962, following an unsuccessful run for U.S. Senate.

He became Georgia's governor on November 3, 1970.

Carter won the U.S. presidential election on November 2, 1976, thanks in part to Rosalynn's determined campaign strategy, visiting 40 states and earning her the title of 'secret weapon.'

He served a single term that was blighted by an oil crisis that forced Americans to wait in line for gas and was defeated by Republican President Ronald Reagan in 1980.

Since then he has committed himself to philanthropy and living a humble life with Rosalynn, his four children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

After his presidency, the Carters started working with Habitat for Humanity, a Christian nonprofit that builds affordable houses for those in need

Carter is receiving hospice care in his one-story home in Plains, Georgia, which he built himself and has owned for six decades

In August 2015, Carter had a small cancerous mass removed from his liver.

The following year, Carter announced that he needed no further treatment, as an experimental drug had eliminated any sign of cancer.

That same year, he was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma that was detected in his liver and spread to his brain.

About six months after the diagnosis, Carter announced he no longer needed cancer treatment due in part to a groundbreaking medication that trains the immune system to fight cancer tumors.

He was hospitalized two years later for dehydration while building homes with Habitat for Humanity in Canada.

Despite his series of health scares, the president remained active in public life up until recent times.

President Joe Biden went to see Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter at their home in Plains, Georgia in April 2021, several months after he was sworn in, after the couple was unable to make it to the Democrat's inauguration.
The boss of a Metropolitan Police officer who suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and was found dead at home was a bully who made impossible demands, a serving officer has told an inquest.

Nicola Forster, 45, a safety training officer at Hendon Police College in north London, was found dead at her home in September 2022 a month after an 'upsetting' meeting with her manager, Inspector Hayley Webb, to discuss her return to work after she had taken some time off.

Ms Forster had said to colleagues that Inspector Webb was 'out to get her' and that she failed to act on requests for an occupational health referral over her mental health problems, Bedfordshire Coroners Court previously heard.

The safety training officer developed PTSD after working on the frontline of the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, and had been suffering with anxiety and depression, coroner Emma Whitting was told.

Earlier today, sergeant Paul Hoppe, Ms Forsters counterpart between September 2020 and April 2021, told the inquest of the 'extreme pressure' of the job due to a shortage of officer safety instructors.

He said Inspector Webb had 'no empathy or emotional intelligence' and made 'unachievable' decisions which heaped pressure on staff.

Nicola Forster, 45, was found dead at her home in Bedfordshire in September 2022 (file image)

Forster suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after working on the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017

Sgt Hoppe said: 'Im not talking about misconduct, Im talking about bullying, it is my belief that there is a difference between misconduct and bullying somebody.'

In early 2021, Ms Forster told Sgt Hoppe of struggling to manage a colleagues welfare while dealing with her own mental health problems, the inquest heard.

Sgt Hoppe said she was 'insistent' to him that Inspector Webb had told her to carry on overseeing the colleagues welfare.

The inquest also heard that both Sgt Hoppe and Ms Forster spoke to another line manager, saying there was a lack of support from Inspector Webb, but he replied that she was the 'best thing' to happen to officer safety training.

Sgt Hoppe said he felt the response was 'out of touch'.

The sergeant said he advised Ms Forster to consider whether the role was 'right' for her, as he was himself in the process of moving on to another position within the force because he 'could not work' for Inspector Webb.

Sgt Hoppe said he thought there was a 'personality clash' with his boss, telling the inquest: 'I loved the job but I had to leave for a better life.'

Inspector Webb has said she spoke to Ms Forster about her concerns over staff shortages and her mental health struggles.

Ms Forster, who was born in Stockton-on-Tees, had been signed off from work about three months before her death, and had been prescribed medication by her GP.

The night before her death, Ms Forster told her partner Dr Amy Popple that she was struggling to sleep, the inquest heard.

She was found dead in her house in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, by Ms Popple on September 28 2022.

The house was 'immaculately clean and tidy', the beds were made and no suicide note was left, the coroners officer wrote in her report.

The inquest continues.
A disabled businessman had told how 'Britain's kindest plumber' caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to his home after reinstalling an old faulty shower unit that he apparently tried to pass off as an expensive new model.

Michael Culshaw, 40, claimed James Anderson 'removed, cleaned and reinstalled' his cracked shower casing after boasting that he would put in the 'most expensive' unit he had ever fitted free of charge.

But water spillage and leaks from the faulty shower caused the MDF flooring in the bathroom to rot and eventually cave in on the kitchen below.

Mr Culshaw also accused Mr Anderson's company DEPHER - which stands for Disability and Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair - of bending the wrong inlet pipe to his toilet which later caused a further damage when it flooded at his home in Burnley, Lancashire.

He decided to speak out after a BBC investigation found that Mr Anderson - who has received a letter of thanks from King Charles and thousands of pounds in donations from celebrity backers like Hugh Grant - faked stories of helping people on his social media channels, where he also photographed vulnerable customers.

A disabled businessman had told how 'Britain's kindest plumber' caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to his home after reinstalling an old faulty shower unit that he apparently tried to pass off as an expensive new model

Anderson went viral with his social media posts, in which he performs utility services for the elderly and vulnerable without charge

Michael Culshaw, 40, (pictured) claimed James Anderson 'removed, cleaned and reinstalled' his cracked shower casing after boasting that he would put in the 'most expensive' unit he had ever fitted free of charge

But water spillage and leaks from the faulty shower caused the MDF flooring in the bathroom to rot and eventually cave in on the kitchen below

Describing his ordeal with DEPHER as a nightmare, Mr Culshaw said work started in 2020 to put in a new shower, toilet and sink and new slip-proof flooring which was only supposed to take four days but ended up taking several weeks

And Mr Culshaw told MailOnline how despite 'bodging' the work, Mr Anderson's team turned up unannounced to his home and tried to take a photo with him showing an invoice that proved the work was done for free so he could put the images out on Facebook and X.

He said: 'They barged into my home office, shoved an invoice for 0 in my face, took a picture without my consent, and left.

'I didn't know what it was for but I'm a social marketer, I'd suspected it was for publicity which I didn't want so I rang Mr Anderson to tell him not to use it.'

Describing his ordeal with DEPHER as a nightmare, Mr Culshaw said work started in 2020 to put in a new shower, toilet and sink and new slip-proof flooring which was only supposed to take four days but ended up taking several weeks.

He said: 'I invited Mr Anderson to my home for a quote on some necessary work. He generously offered to do the work for free, which seemed like a blessing at the time. Unfortunately, things quickly went awry.

'The first major issue was with the shower installation. Mr. Anderson's team botched the job, and instead of addressing their mistake, they tried to guilt-trip me by saying, 'I'll put a different shower in, but it's the most expensive shower I've bought for anyone.'

'They made it seem like it was my fault they had messed up. The 'most expensive shower he's ever bought' was actually my old faulty shower that they removed, cleaned and reinstalled, assume believing wouldn't notice.

'Unfortunately that shower had a crack in the casing that I caused a year earlier and the shower tray had problems with the sealing causing water to go down the side

'It made their attempt to pull the wool over my eyes obvious.

'When confronted with this Mr Anderson denied it and said if there is a fault with the shower it will be under warranty and the manufacturer would sort it.

'I sent multiple messages asking for the invoice and receipt details so I could arrange a repair with the manufacturer. Obviously, they were never given.

He said: 'I sent multiple messages asking for the invoice and receipt details so I could arrange a repair with the manufacturer. Obviously, they were never given'

Mr Culshaw said the situation 'continued to deteriorate' and that he had to call DEPHER multiple times to fix leaks caused by poor workmanship, which eventually led to the collapse of his kitchen ceiling

'They also installed an MDF floor which was supposed to be covered with lino but was left as was, it got rotten from water spillage and started breaking apart causing a serious health risk to me.

'I am disabled and have a condition where cuts can become extremely problematic if noticed or treated. Especially small ones. When I pointed this out to Mr Anderson, it was ignored.'

Mr Culshaw said the situation 'continued to deteriorate' and that he had to call DEPHER multiple times to fix leaks caused by poor workmanship, which eventually led to the collapse of his kitchen ceiling.

However, when he pointed out the damage the work had caused, he claims Mr Anderson flippantly told him, 'You've got insurance, haven't you? Use it.'

Burnley Borough Council offered to help fix the issues with his bathroom and kitchen ceiling but before they could visit to assess what was needed to be done, the house flooded.

Mr Culshaw continued: 'Unbeknown to us, DEPHER's workers had previously installed the wrong inlet pipe to our toilet. They used an inlet pipe for a boiler and because it was too long, they bent it to make it fit and this caused a weak point and with it being a high-pressure water pipe, it eventually failed causing 12,000 of water damage in my home.

'Following this extensive damage, I briefly posted my frustration on social media but quickly deleted it as at the time I didn't want what I'd seen happen to others who had questioned Mr Anderson's projects sincerity, happen to me.

Burnley Borough Council offered to help fix the issues with his bathroom and kitchen ceiling but before they could visit to assess what was needed to be done, the house flooded

Mr Culshaw continued: 'Unbeknown to us, DEPHER's workers had previously installed the wrong inlet pipe to our toilet'

They used an inlet pipe for a boiler and because it was too long, they bent it to make it fit and this caused a weak point and with it being a high-pressure water pipe, it eventually failed causing 12,000 of water damage in my home'

Mr Anderson was sent numerous images of the damage in messages seen by MailOnline but nothing was ever done about it and the work was eventually repaired by the council paid for by Mr Culshaw's house insurance

'Unfortunately, | didn't delete it quick enough as Mr. Anderson retaliated by publicly sharing my personal information and distorting the narrative, leading to a barrage of abuse from his followers. This was deeply distressing, especially as I was already dealing with depression.

'It is of my opinion that Mr Anderson is not a trustworthy person. He has received hundreds of thousands of pounds from the likes of very influential people like Lilly Allen, Hugh Grant and Samantha Giles among many, in good faith which the extensive BBC reports is something that appears to have been abused time and time again.'

Mr Anderson was sent numerous images of the damage in messages seen by MailOnline but nothing was ever done about it and the work was eventually repaired by the council paid for by Mr Culshaw's house insurance.

Mr Anderson responded to the claims this afternoon and denied being at fault for the damage.

He said: 'The damage to the house was caused by a leak in the original pipe work behind the sink, of which we had nothing to do with.

'He reached out to us originally and asked for help because he was struggling to get into his bath and was disabled. That's what we do so I agreed to do the job.

'We provided him with a 5,500 new bathroom for free. We paid for everything, he didn't pay a penny.

'A new toilet was fitted but he wanted to keep some of his old shower unit, so we cleaned it up and re-installed it - at his request.

'We also installed a new sink but connected it up to the original pipe work. We did the bathroom floor but I told him at the time that we couldn't afford the linoleum and he'd have to source that himself.

'The leak happened some 11-months to a year after the work was carried out and it was due to a problem with the existing pipework behind the sink.

'I came out at least twice to do some repairs and told him that if the problems persisted, he'd have to contact his insurers.

'The ceiling then caves in and lo and behold we get the blame. It's an insurance job, nothing more. Mr Culshaw has been after me for years.'

As for trying to use Mr Culshaw's photograph for publicity purposes, Mr Anderson replied: 'He was grinning in the pictures and was happy for us to use it because at the time he was pleased with the work - which I'll say again was carried out free of charge.'
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s running mate Nicole Shanahan revealed Wednesday night that she had donated another $8 million of her own fortune to fund the independent's presidential campaign.

Shanahan touted the donation at a comedy fundraiser for the campaign in Nashville, Tennessee, which featured controversial comedian Russell Brand, Rob Schneider and others.

On Thursday the campaign announced that its ballot access campaign had been fully funded, thanks to Shanahan's millions.

During the comedy event, Shanahan came onstage and gave a nod to the press.

'I think I know what they're going to say - they're going to say Bobby only picked me for my money,' the VP contender told the crowd, according to The New York Times.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (left ) was given $8 million more dollars by his running mate, Bay Area lawyer Nicole Shanahan (right), she announced at Wednesday night's Nashville, Tennessee comedy fundraiser

The comedy night featured controversial comedian Russell Brand, who's been accused of sexual misconduct by several women

Shanahan's name started being mentioned as a possible running mate after she donated $4 million to the Kennedy-aligned super PAC to fund a Super Bowl commercial earlier this year.

The Bay Area lawyer and ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin officially joined the ticket in late March, with Kennedy making the announcement in her hometown of Oakland, California.

She then remained off the campaign trail for some time, only appearing at public events with Kennedy again starting this week.

The $8 million donation brings up her total given to the campaign to $10 million, excluding the $4 million donation to the super PAC.

Shanahan's millions are being used to secure a spot on the ballot for the Kennedy-Shanahan ticket in every state, a massive undertaking as each state has different rules and most require an arduous amount of signature-gathering.

So far, Kennedy's name will be on the ballots in Utah, Michigan, California, Delaware, Oklahoma and Texas, the campaign said.

The campaign has gathered enough signatures to be on the ballots in New Hampshire, Hawaii, North Carolina, Idaho, Nebraska, Iowa, Ohio and reportedly Nevada, though there was a hiccup in the Nevada signature-gathering process.

'This isn't just about funding our own campaign,' Shanahan said in a statement. 'We want to liberate presidential elections from the grip of the existing two-party duopoly, and revitalize American democracy.'

'Nobody thinks the Democrat-Republican domination of our system is a good thing,' she added. 'Since their candidates are so unpopular, this year is the perfect time to challenge it.'

Shanahan has admitted that it's unlikely the duo will end up in the White House.

'You know it would be great if we could take office come November, after the election, but we understand we're up against a lot and so we're jsut taking every opportunity, every day, to help shape policy through the voice of candidacy,' she said on a recent episode of her Back to the People podcast, which is how she's reached out to voters, instead of heading out on the campaignt rail.

Kennedy, a prominent anti-vaxxer, has also allowed a number of controversial characters into his orbit, inviting Brand - who's been accused of sexual misconduct by a handful of women - to perform in Nashville and not resisting an endorsement from Kevin Spacey, who has also been accused of sexual misdeeds.
A jealous wife has been jailed for nearly five years for slicing off her husband's penis and flushing it down the toilet after he allegedly slept with her 15-year-old niece.

Daiane dos Santos Farias, 34, admitted to luring her husband Gilberto Nogueira de Oliveira to bed by promising kinky sex in December last year.

But after lashing his arms and legs to the bed with her underwear and turning out the lights, Farias whipped out a razor blade and began hacking violently at her husband's manhood, prosecutors told the Atibaia Court near Sao Paulo, Brazil.

She then flushed the severed penis down the toilet. Farias reportedly launched the attack after discovering that her husband slept with her 15-year-old niece.

Astonishingly cook Farias has since made up with her husband and he even paid for her legal team for the trial.

Daiane dos Santos Farias, 34, launched the savage attack on her husband on December 22

But after lashing his arms and legs to the bed with her underwear and turning out the lights, Farias whipped out a razor blade and began hacking violently at her husband's manhood (couple pictured together)

Professional cook Farias told how she first teased her husband into thinking they were going to have kinky sex before tying him up and slicing at his manhood with a razor

But Judge Roberta Layaun Chiappeta de Moraes Barro jailed her for four years and five months on May 15 when she pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm.

The maximum sentence could have been imprisonment for eight years.

The court had heard how after hacking off her husband's manhood she flushed it down the loo so it could never be reattached by surgeons.

Farias' lawyer Tassia Mafra told local media that she will appeal the sentence, claiming the judge had ignored that she had 'acted under violent emotion'.

She added: 'I will also insist on the application of the semi-open regime, as per legal provision. In any case, it was an excellent result. The penalty was fair.'

Petrol pump attendant Nogueira de Oliveira, who is now being fitted with a prosthetic penis, has blamed himself for provoking the attack by reportedly cheating on Farias with her 15-year-old niece. The age of consent in Brazil is 14.

He said: 'Daiane is a wonderful, loving woman who loves me.'

Nogueira de Oliveira shared his side of the gruesome bedroom encounter with local media.

'It all happened very quickly,' he said, explaining how he was aroused and expected sex when his wife suddenly squeezed his genitals in the dark and sliced his penis with the razor.

'Then I pushed her and I put my hand on [my penis] and it was gushing a lot of blood. I asked ''why did you do that?!''

He argued that his wife was 'possessive', and had recently broken his new mobile phone in a fit of jealous rage.

Nogueira de Oliveira argued that his wife was 'possessive', and had recently broken his new mobile phone in a fit of jealous rage

According to local media, Farias had walked into her local police station with her brother shortly after the December 22 attack and said: 'Good evening, officer, I came to introduce myself, because I just cut off my husband's penis'

Nogueira de Oliveira said about his wife: 'Daiane is a wonderful, loving woman who loves me'

The 39-year-old added: 'She is a person who will have a negative impact on my life forever.

'But as I say all the time, I have faith, first and foremost, in God, and nothing happens in life without God's permission.

'As to whether I forgive her, the truth is God is the one who has to forgive, but, yes, for my part, she is forgiven.'

According to local media, Farias had walked into her local police station with her brother shortly after the December 22 attack and said: 'Good evening, officer, I came to introduce myself, because I just cut off my husband's penis.'

She said she'd taken a picture of the severed organ before flushing it down the toilet, and explained she had flushed it away because she 'heard that it was possible to reattach it'.
Sen. Bob Menendez revealed Thursday that his wife Nadine has cancer.

The announcement comes on day four of the New Jersey Democrat's ongoing corruption trial in Manhattan where he and his wife are both charged in a corruption scheme.

'As a result of constant press inquiries and reporters following my wife, she has asked me to disclose her medical condition,' Menendez wrote in a statement Thursday.

'Nadine is suffering from Grade 3 breast cancer, which will require her to have mastectomy surgery. We are of course, concerned about the seriousness and advanced stage of the disease.'

'She will require follow up surgery and possibly radiation treatment. We hope and pray for the best results.'

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and his wife Nadine are both being prosecuted in the case

'We ask the press and the public to give her the time, space and privacy to deal with this challenging health condition as she undergoes surgery and recovery,' the statement said.

The shocking revelation comes one day after Menendez's legal team threw Nadine under the bus for storing gold bars in the couple's home without the lawmaker's knowledge.

On Wednesday, the Democrat's attorney Avi Weitzman claimed during opening statements that the 'gold bars were found in a locked closet' and that it wasn't the lawmaker's but 'it is Nadines closet.'

He then pulled out a photo of the closet and highlighted how it was filled with Nadine's clothes.

'The senator did not know the gold bars were there,' Weitzman told the jury.

Menendez, his wife Nadine and two New Jersey businessmen - Wael Hana and Fred Daibes - have pleaded not guilty to allegedly taking part in a bribery scheme featuring gold bars, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash payments and a luxury Mercedes-Benz convertible.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, left, and his wife, Nadine Menendez, arrive at the federal courthouse in New York, Sept. 27, 2023. Menendez has sought exoneration at his May 2024 bribery trial by blaming his wife, saying she kept him in the dark about anything that could be illegal about her dealings with New Jersey businessmen

This image provided by the U.S. Attorney's office shows two of the gold bars found during a search by federal agents of Sen. Bob Menendez's home and safe deposit box. The lawmaker's attorney's blamed his wife for storing the gold

A handout photo made available by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan shows jackets found by federal agents inside the home of US Democratic Senator from New Jersey Bob Menendez, along with cash found inside the jackets.

Federal prosecutors, however, claim Menendez was directly involved in the bribery scheme.

'This case is about a public official who put greed first. Who put his power up for sale,' US Attorney Lara Pomerantz said Wednesday.

'This was not politics as usual. This was politics for profit.'

'He was powerful. He was also corrupt. And what was his price? Gold bars,' Pomerantz said.

'The scheme filled his pockets, it filled his wifes pockets, and it fed their greed.'

'Menendez abused his positions to feed his own greed and to keep his wife happy,' the federal prosecutor stated.

Pomerantz even claimed that Menendez deployed his wife to handle communications in the bribery scheme.

'He used Nadine as his go-between to deliver messages to and from the people paying bribes.'

Sen. Menendez announced that his wife Nadine, shown above, has stage three breast cancer

In this courtroom sketch, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, seated far left, looks at his defense attorney Avi Weitzman give his opening statement during his trial Wednesday

Judge Sidney H. Stein, who is presiding over the case, told potential jurors Tuesday that renowned lawmakers, former white house officials and even one man considered to be in the running for a Trump vice presidential slot could all be called in to testify in the high-profile corruption case.

The list of potential witnesses given out by Stein included: Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Tim Scott, R-S.C., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Tim Kaine, D-Va., Chris Coons, D-Del., Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Kristen Sinema, I-Ariz., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.

It also includes former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former Treasury Sec. Steve Mnuchin, former senior advisor to President Obama David Axelrod and Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y.

The list of potential witnesses notably mentions Scott, who has been rumored to be a top pick for Donald Trump's 2024 running mate.

It also lists two of the former president's closest advisors: Mnuchin and Pompeo.
A six-months pregnant teenager accused of illegally aborting her baby has told the court she was 'scared' when the child was born stillborn.

The court heard that Sophie Harvey, then 19, was upset, confused and distressed when she gave birth.

Once Harvey realised the child was not moving she wrapped the infant's body in a towel and placed it in a bin at her Gloucestershire home.

Harvey is on trial at Gloucester Crown Court alongside her partner, 25-year-old Elliot Benham, accused of taking a drug they purchased to end her pregnancy.

Giving evidence, Harvey, now 25, said she went into labour on the afternoon of September 9 2018 when her family were at a dance competition.

Fiona Harvey and her partner Elliot Benham are on trial at Gloucester Crown Court accused of taking a drug they purchased to end Hervey's pregnancy

Prosecutors allege that after that appointment, the defendants ordered a kit of five pills to end the pregnancy

She told the jury: 'I had some pain in my stomach. I was sat on the toilet and there was blood. I think Elliot was in my bedroom.

'I was scared. I believe I was having a miscarriage.'

Asked why she thought that, Harvey replied: 'I am not sure ... because there was a lot of blood.'

Tom Godfrey, representing Harvey, asked her: 'What did you see?'

The defendant took a long pause and several deep breaths and was unable to answer.

Mr Godfrey asked: 'You told the police that there was a baby. Is that what you saw?'

'Yes,' she replied.

Harvey said there was no movement from the baby, it was not making any noise and it was blue in colour.

'How were you feeling at this point,' Mr Godfrey asked.

'I was in shock,' Harvey said.

Mr Godfrey then asked: 'What did you decide to do, Sophie?'

Harvey replied: 'After I put it in the towel, I put it in the bin. I believed it was OK to do so.'

Asked how she felt at this point, Harvey said: 'A mixture of things. I was upset, confused. Just distressed.'

The court heard that After a positive pregnancy test, she made an appointment to see her GP on August 13 who then referred her to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) for a termination.

Benham (second left under umbrella), who is still with Harvey (second right under umbrella), collected the package from the Royal Mail sorting office on September 22

During that consultation on August 30 Harvey learned she was beyond the 24-week gestation period and told the court she later decided to keep the baby.

She said: 'I was shocked. I just wanted what I thought was going to happen, so it was a surprise. I thought the abortion would go ahead.'

Prosecutors allege that after that appointment, the defendants ordered a kit of five pills to end the pregnancy.

When police searched Harvey's home, they found the packet with the first pill allegedly missing, which they say she had taken.

The court heard Harvey had used her phone to carry out internet searches on several dates from September 3 to 6 about purchasing abortion pills, which were paid for on September 7.

Benham, who is still with Harvey, collected the package from the Royal Mail sorting office on September 22.

Harvey said she had removed the first pill from the blister pack because she was considering taking it in case part of the birthing process had remained inside her.

Mr Godfrey asked: 'Did you take that pill, Sophie?'

'No,' she replied.

'I put it in the bin. I put the packet in my drawer.'

Under cross-examination, Harvey said she had decided to keep the baby after being told she could not have a legal abortion.

Anna Vigars KC, prosecuting, asked why searches about abortions had been carried out on Benham's iPad on September 17 if she had already lost the baby.

Mrs Vigers asked: 'Why did you pay for the abortion pills?'

She replied: 'I don't know. I was stupid and we shouldn't have done it.'

Mrs Vigars asked: 'There was only one reason you sent off for those pills and that was to end the pregnancy?'

She replied: 'I don't know. Just so that I had another option.'

Mrs Vigars asked: 'The option was an illegal abortion, wasn't it?'

Harvey denies charges of procuring a poison, procuring own miscarriage by poison and attempting to pervert the course of public justice

She replied: 'I don't know.'

The barrister suggested the baby was actually born on September 23.

Mrs Vigars said: 'You knew taking the pill would be illegal if what you intended to do was abort the pregnancy.

'You didn't really think that it was all right to throw your baby in the bin?'

'I don't know,' Harvey replied.

Harvey, of St Mary's Road, Cirencester, Gloucestershire denies charges of procuring a poison, procuring own miscarriage by poison and attempting to pervert the course of public justice.

Benham, of Wingfield, Swindon, Wiltshire denies a single charge of attempting to pervert the course of public justice and has 'acknowledged' his part in procuring the tablets.

Both defendants have pleaded guilty to concealing the birth of a child.

The trial continues.
Fujian builds diverse food supply system with all-encompassing approach to food

14:16, May 16, 2024 By Jiang Shengyang, Fu Wen, Zhong Ziwei ( People's Daily

Fujian province, located on the southeast coast of China, has a per capita arable land area of only a quarter of the national average. In the 1980s, there was an overall shortage of food, with limited varieties. The types of meat, aquatic products, fruits and vegetables were relatively few, with low yields. Every year, the province had to source large amounts of grain and vegetables from other provinces.

To solve the problem of food scarcity, it's not enough to focus only on the existing arable land. Instead, an all-encompassing approach to food must be adopted to build a diversified food supply system, and develop food sources in multiple ways.

Photo shows a breeding base of big yellow croakers in Baiji Bay, Jiaocheng district, Ningde of southeast China's Fujian province. (People's Daily Online/Wang Wangwang)

The all-encompassing approach to food was raised by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he worked in Fujian province. Xi proposed to "attach as much importance to sea areas as to cultivated land, and as much to marine development as to food production, so as to extend the tentacles of speeding up economic development from land to sea." He proposed the "Fuzhou at Sea" and "Fujian at Sea" initiatives to seek economic development from the sea.

Over the past 30 years, Fujian has earnestly implemented the all-encompassing approach to food, harnessing its abundant natural resources found in mountains and seas to create a diverse food supply system tailored to its unique geographical advantages.

This approach has yielded remarkable results. The province overfulfills grain production tasks assigned by the central government every year. The output of livestock and poultry has seen a significant increase, with the total meat production reaching 3.11 million tons last year, a 250 percent increase compared to early 1990s. In particular, poultry production surged by 13 times.

The per capita share of aquatic food in Fujian province stands at over 200 kilograms, one of the highest across China. The province is also one of the leaders in the total output of commercial edible fungi, cultivating over 30 varieties.

The annual tea production in Fujian has grown from 50,000 tons in late 1980s to 500,000 tons today, with both total output value and per unit yield ranking among the highest in the country. Furthermore, Fujian has become a major source of vegetables, playing a significant role in a "south-to-north vegetable transporting" initiative.

In Huanxi township, Jin'an district, Fuzhou, Fujian province, a demonstration base for high-quality specialty products has been established, covering over 1,000 mu (66.7 hectares). The township has constantly improved field facilities, collaborated with the Fuzhou Vegetable Science Research Institute to breed superior varieties, and signed long-term supply agreements with e-commerce platforms under the promotion by relevant state-owned enterprises.

As a result, trucks of online grocery platforms are always seen heading to the fields of the demonstration base, and previously undervalued agricultural products due to logistical challenges and low recognition are now selling well in the market.

A farmer checks on the growth of rice seedlings in an intelligent sprout cultivation center in Honglai township, Nan'an, southeast China's Fujian province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Jiuqiang)

In Yaoxia village, Hetian township, Changting county, Longyan of Fujian province, agroforestry is thriving. A prime example is villager Zeng Xianfu, who grows milkwort, a type of medicinal herb, and raises Hetian chickens, a local breed, under broad-leaved forest, and his agritainment business is also flourishing.

By adeptly pairing the milkwort with Hetian chicken - two "treasures from under the forest" - in an herbal chicken dish, he has created a hot-selling product that is in high demand on e-commerce platforms.

In Baiji Bay, Sandu'ao, Jiaocheng district, Ningde of Fujian province, there are over 80 new-type plastic deep-water net cages. "The deep-water net cages have strong resistance to wind and waves, and provide more space. Our company's annual production of large yellow croaker has increased from 6,500 tons to 8,500 tons," said Song Xiangguo, head of an offshore aquaculture base of a local food company.

Fujian province is making efforts to cultivate featured advantageous industries and diversify food sources to construct a high-quality agricultural product supply system. Apart from focusing on land and offshore areas, the province is also expanding into the deep sea.

On May 7, the waters around Dinghai Bay in Lianjiang county, Fuzhou, were calm and serene. Stepping onto the "Dinghai Bay No. 2" aquaculture platform felt like walking on solid ground.

"The platform measures 60.9 meters long and 32 meters wide, capable of accommodating 200,000 high-quality adult fish with an annual production capacity exceeding 500 tons," said Lu Tongfeng, general manager of Fujian Xinmao Fishery Development Co., Ltd.

In the deep-sea waters, there is an abundance of algae and plankton species, providing larger living spaces and enhancing the quality of the fish, Lu added.

Workers dry tea leaves in Xiaoyue village, Qianqi township, Fuding, southeast China's Fujian province, March 26, 2024. (People's Daily Online/Wang Wangwang)

In recent years, Fujian province has implemented multiple measures to develop marine ranches and strengthen its distant-water fishing industry. Currently, Fujian owns over 630 distant-water fishing vessels, ranking among the top in comprehensive strength nationwide.

Strengthening the role of enterprises and striving for breakthroughs in core seed sources, Fujian is advancing agricultural modernization with scientific innovation.

One example is Fujian Sunner Group, located in Guangze county, Nanping of Fujian province. The company has implemented advanced technologies in their poultry farming operations, such as an automated water supply system to ensure clean and hygienic water at all times, and an intelligent feeding system that automatically dispenses feed based on the remaining amount in the tray. Sensors placed throughout the chicken houses continuously collect data on temperature, humidity, and air quality, which is displayed in real-time on a large screen in the group's headquarters.

The system monitors data from 316 farms and 3,688 chicken houses, and if any indicators exceed the set range, an automatic alarm is triggered. Through these methods, 180,000 chicks are being carefully taken care of.

Since 2011, Fujian Sunner Group has invested over 1 billion yuan ($138.17 million) in its white-feathered chicken breeding project. In December 2021, the company's self-developed white-feathered chicken breed "Shengze 901" obtained full intellectual property rights and was approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, breaking China's dependence on imported white-feathered chickens.

Through continuous breeding efforts, the comprehensive performance of "Shengze 901" has reached international advanced levels, with a domestic market share of over 20 percent.

Fujian province has also actively implemented initiatives to revitalize the seed industry. Since 2021, it has developed 123 new agricultural varieties. Over 98.5 percent of farmlands in the province are grown with fine breeds.

(Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun)
Sadiq Khan boasted that his re-election is proof Londoners want him 'at the vanguard of the climate movement' today as he visited the Vatican.

The mayor, who is kicking off his third term, chatted with the Pope and counterparts from other cities at an environmental summit.

Mr Khan secured a thumping victory over Tory Susan Hall in local elections earlier this month, despite a backlash over his expansion of the ULEZ charging zone.

He is leading a delegation from the so-called C40 group of mayors committed to measures to curb climate change.

It includes the leaders of Boston, Rome, Milan and Athens, while the governors of California, Gavin Newsom, and New York, Kathy Hochul, are among other attendees.

Sadiq Khan hailed his re-election as proof Londoners want to be 'at the vanguard of the climate movement' today as he visited the Vatican

The mayor, who is kicking off his third term, has met the Pope and counterparts from other cities at a summit

Mr Khan travelled to Rome by plane, but it is not yet clear how much the trip cost.

Before the meeting with Pope Francis, Mr Khan said: 'I'm honoured to have been invited by the Pope to participate in this vital summit at the Vatican.

'Throughout history, one generation has always inspired the next with a great task. For ours, it's solving the climate and environmental crises.

'Our species is waging war on the natural world, which could ultimately lead to our ruin.

'This is a moment which demands the courage to take tough decisions and meet responsibilities to protect our planet and future generations.

'My election earlier this month was a choice of whether Londoners wanted to see their city strive forward or be dragged backward.

'Now, more than ever, I'm determined to continue putting London at the vanguard of the climate movement.'

The governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, was among the attendees today

A spokeswoman for the Mayor of London said: 'The Mayor travelled to the Vatican for 24 hours after Pope Francis invited him to represent London at the Climate Crisis to Climate Resilience' summit.

'He travelled by plane as there was no reasonable alternative. All expenses will be declared as per the usual GLA process.'

C40 Cities is believed to be footing the 'the majority' of the bill for the visit, including for the Mayor and two staff members. The body is part-funded by the UK government.
A 62-year-old man who had been buried alive for four days was rescued after police heard his muffled cries for help coming from underground.

Officers in Moldova found the man as they were investigating after a 74-year-old woman was found dead by in her own home by a relative on Monday.

Police arrested a suspect in her death and, as they searched his home in the same village, heard cries for help from nearby.

They started digging and found the entrance to a makeshift grave where an 18-year-old man had locked up the elderly man.

Police footage released on Wednesday shows the man being pulled out. He was conscious and had a neck wound.

A 62-year-old man buried alive for four days was rescued after police in Ustia, Moldova heard his muffled cries for help coming from underground

The man, in his sixties, had been buried in a makeshift grave covered with soil

Forensic specialists were called to a residence in Ustia, northwest Moldova on Monday after an elderly woman was found dead in her home.

Specialists from the Centre for Technical, Criminal, and Forensic Examinations determined the woman died after being physically attacked and severely wounded.

Officers quickly identified an 18-year-old relative of the deceased as a suspect in her murder. Both the victim and teen were not named in local media.

The suspect was reportedly found in his own home in a state of intoxication. He is understood to have given 'confusing' and 'inconsistent' statement during police questioning.

As officers searched his home for evidence, they heard disturbing sounds and cries for help coming from under the ground near the house.

They went towards the noise, began to dig and discovered a man in his sixties who had been buried in a makeshift grave covered with soil.

He had suffered a neck wound, but was alive and conscious.

Officers heard disturbing sounds and cries for help coming from under the ground near the house and started digging in the area

Officers are seen digging the man out of the makeshift grave

Police footage released on Wednesday shows the man being pulled out. He was conscious and had a neck wound

The man told police he and the teenager had been drinking alcohol together on Saturday when they started to argue.

The suspect then allegedly attacked him with a knife before locking him in the makeshift basement, burying him alive and covering the entrance with soil.

Officers believe the teenager murdered the elderly woman the following day, either on Sunday night or in the early hours of Monday.

He has been remanded into custody as police and prosecutors continue to investigate him for murder and attempted murder. He faces up to life in prison if found guilty.

The rescued man is receiving treatment in hospital.

One local said about the deceased victim: 'She was a very decent woman, no one ever had any problems with her.'
Chilean authorities are investigating the death of a police cadet who was allegedly forced to run in the rain after she had been diagnosed with pneumonia.

Ignacia Albornoz, 18, died from cardiac arrest at a hospital near her hometown of Tome on Sunday.

Albornoz initially fell ill following a training session at the Alex Villagran Paninao Gendarmerie School in San Bernandino on May 3 and was taken to Carabinier Hospital and was ordered to rest for three days, according to Justice Department subsecretary Jaime Gajardo.

She returned on May 6 and was cleared by the Gendarmerie medical staff because she was in good health.

Against the advice of other cadets, officials allegedly obligated Albornoz to participate in a group at 5:50 am on May 7.

Police cadet Ignacia Albornoz died Sunday after she went into cardiac arrest. She had fallen ill May 7, a day after officials forced her to run in the rain days after she was diagnosed with pneumonia

Ignacia Albornoz fell sick for a second time May 7 after officials had her run under the rain and was told by doctors to rest for four days. Her health worsened Saturday and she was taken to a hospital near her home and died from cardiac arrest on Sunday morning

Albornoz reported she was not feeling well and was taken to Carabinier Hospital and was diagnosed with influenza bronchitis. She was discharged and told to rest for four days.

She traveled back home and was rushed to Las Higueras de Talcahuano Hospital after her health worsened on Saturday. She later died on Sunday.

Albornoz's heartbroken mother, Jessica Insulza, accused the academy of negligence, indicating officials allegedly forced her daughter to run during early morning hours, had her take cold showers and did not provide adequate clothing to train in cold weather.

'Under conditions or not, they have a routine that they have to do as a school. They have to follow a guideline, by orders from above, that they have to respect everything,' Inzunza told BioBio Chile news outlet.

'It is not something that comes from now, this is always done. The problem is whether the students were fit (or not) to jog, run, shower with ice water, do what was really done.'

Ignacia Albornoz is the second police or army cadet that has died following a training exercise since April 27

Insulza claimed that other cadets contracted the bug and that the academy did not taken any quick measures to ensure their safety until their health worsened. It was then that the sickened trainees were isolated in a room that was not well equipped to treat them for pneumonia.

She recalled visiting her daughter at the academy and finding her in a room that was 'humid, iced' and remember her saying, 'Mother I am cold.'

Despite not feeling well, Albornoz told her aunt Sandra Insulza that she had to return to the academy because she feared she would be kicked out if she did not excel in the training sessions.

Albornoz is the second police or armed forces cadet who has died in less than a month.

Army recruit Franco Vargas, 19, died from a respiratory infection while participating in an instruction march at a camp on April 27 in Putre.

Representative Monica Department called on undersecretary of Defense to provide an investigation and demanded an explanation into how it prevents illnesses from spreading.

'These situations are serious and we are not going to normalize the possibility of practices that border on torture,' Arce said.

'Training as a cadet, police officer or gendarme is not synonymous with educating from inhumanity.

'We are going to demand that responsibilities be established and, if appropriate, justice be done.'
Kellogg's has announced it will close down its famous Greater Manchester Factory after 90 years, axing 360 jobs.

Earlier this year, Kellanova, the owners of Kellogg's, announced it was exploring closing the factory.

Today, however, the firm said 'changes in industrial design and technology' means the company could no longer 'see a long-term future for our Trafford Park factory'.

It also added that the facility's age meant it was 'laid out in a way that made sense in the 1930s' but not today.

The famous factory makes popular cereal brands including Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies and Coco Pops, and just last year King Charles visited the site.

The Kellogg's factory in Trafford Park, Greater Manchester, has been operating since 1938. Kellanova, the owners of Kellogg's, has today decided to close it

King Charles visited the site in January 2023. During the visit, staff said they spoke to the monarch about sustainability, as well as the company's breakfast club programme that helps feed hungry children in schools

The world famous factory operates 24 hours a day and makes a million boxes of cereal daily. The site is also the largest cereal factory in Europe and Corn Flakes factory in the world

Kellanova has said in the past that Greater Manchester 'would remain its British home'.

The famous site operates 24 hours a day and makes a million boxes of cereal daily. It is also the largest cereal factory in Europe and Corn Flakes factory in the world.

Kellanova's UK managing director, Chris Silcock, said in February: 'We know generations of families have worked at our Trafford Park site, and the proposal we are announcing today has nothing to do with the dedication of the outstanding people who work there.

'However, we can't escape the fact the site opened in 1938. It's laid out in a way that made sense in the 1930s, with food travelling up and down six floors to be made. With changes in industrial design and technology, you just wouldn't lay out a factory like that nowadays.

'What's more we only use half the space in the buildings and the investment required to maintain the factory in the coming years is simply not viable. That's why we can't currently see a long-term future for our Trafford Park factory.

'We know this will be difficult for many to hear and that's why we now want to focus on our people. We will take the necessary time to discuss our proposals with our people and their representatives and show them how we will support them in the right way should this change happen.'

Andrew Western, who is the MP for Stretford and Urmston which includes the Kellogg's factory, also said at the time: 'This would be a devastating loss to the people of Stretford and Urmston.

'Kellogg's has a long and proud history in the constituency and the site in Trafford Park has been an iconic part of our community for decades - with generations of local families working there.

'My first thoughts are with the staff that are affected by these deeply worrying proposals and I will reach out to the trade unions that represent them to offer any support that I can.

Andrew Western, who is the MP for Stretford and Urmston which includes the Kellogg's factory, said: 'This would be a devastating loss to the people of Stretford and Urmston'

During the Second World War the factory made up their own Kellogg's Unit in the Home Guard to protect the site and an ambulance team was also started as the site was bombed during the Blitz

Kellanova's UK managing director, Chris Silcock, previously said: 'We can't escape the fact the site opened in 1938. It's laid out in a way that made sense in the 1930s... you just wouldn't lay out a factory like that nowadays'

'There is now going to be a consultation process and I will remain in conversation with Kellogg's in the sincere hope that they will reconsider closing this site.'

During the Second World War the factory made up their own Kellogg's Unit in the Home Guard to protect the site and an ambulance team was also started as the site was bombed during the Blitz.

Later decades at the Trafford Park factory have seen new cereals invented including Crunchy Nut Cornflakes in 1980.

The Trafford Park factory had a special visit from King Charles just over a year ago, in January 2023.

During the visit, staff said they spoke to the monarch about sustainability, as well as the company's breakfast club programme that helps feed hungry children in schools.

Kellogg's parent Kellanova employs more than 1,200 people across the UK. The company renamed itself Kellanova in October 2023 after a restructure at what was the Kellogg Company.

Globally, Kellanova owns brands including Pringles, PopTarts and Cheez-It.
Dramatic footage has captured the moment Texas police officers arrested two people smugglers after migrants were found hiding in their vehicle.

Tennessee residents Ana Luna and Erika Melger were caught on Saturday in Uvalde County, Texas, after a ranch owner reported them for entering his property without permission.

A search of their vehicle led to the discovery of two migrants, one hiding behind the front seats and another crammed into the trunk of the car.

According to Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Chris Olivarez, Luna admitted they were going to be paid $2,000 for smuggling the migrants.

Tennessee residents Ana Luna (left) and Erika Melger (right) were charged with people smuggling and criminal trespass, with cops saying Luna admitted they were going to be paid $2,000

Footage showed the cops confusion after being told the people smugglers had travelled from Tennessee for the job

Another migrant was discovered crammed into the trunk of the car, and he had covered himself under luggage and clothes to conceal himself

Luna and Melger are now facing charges of smuggling of persons and criminal trespass.

Both of the illegal migrants were also arrested on the spot, and charged with criminal trespass.

In footage shared by Olivarez, the women's white Buick Encore was first seen driving through the ranch, and the camera tracked them moving through the property.

At some point, the smugglers picked up the two migrants from the ranch, and had attempted to drive away with them from the estate, Olivarez said.

Bodycam video from the arresting officers then captured the moments after Luna and Melger were pulled over, and the women stood by as the cops went to search their vehicle.

As soon as the rear door was opened, one of the officers exclaimed, 'get on the ground, get on the ground', after finding one of the migrants crouching behind the front seats.

The officers briefly spoke with the migrant in Spanish as they hauled him out of the car, before slapping handcuffs on his reach as they moved to the back of the vehicle.

Once they opened the trunk, the officers also found another man, who had stuffed himself under luggage and clothing to conceal himself.

The two migrants were picked up from a ranch, police said, with the first found hiding behind the front seats

Dramatic police bodycam footage captured the moment two migrants were found stuffed in the back of a vehicle

Both of the illegal migrants were also arrested on the spot, and charged with criminal trespass

Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Chris Olivarez revealed the interaction, which he said was triggered by a ranch owner reporting them on their property without permission

Turning to the women, one of the cops asks if they speak English, and questions them about where they had come from.

'Tennessee,' one of the women responds, to which the officer exclaimed in shock: 'Tennessee? What's brings y'all over here?'

The women didn't respond to the question, as handcuffs were also slapped on their wrists.

It comes as US Border Patrol has grappled with record-setting migrant crossings, although figures show the levels have dropped in recent months.

Since President Biden assumed the White House, a staggering 6.4 million migrants have been apprehended for illegally crossing, a number that does not include those able to sneak in undetected.

This marked a 277 percent increase from President Trump's rate, and stands as a politically vulnerable issue for Biden as he heads into re-election.

But last month, Mexican President Andres Lopez Obrador said crackdowns by Mexican police - alongside efforts by Texas Governor Greg Abbott such as installing razor wire along the Rio Grande River - were working.

He said at a press conference that daily numbers fell from a high of 12,000 crossing apprehensions a day in December, to 6,000 a day in May.

US Border Patrol grappled with record migrant crossings that topped 300,000 in December, however these numbers have declined in recent months

A caravan wades past a string of buoys, being constructed to deter migrants crossings through the Rio Grande River, as they look to enter Texas

Mexican officials said crackdowns south of the border and efforts by Texas Governor Greg Abbott such as installing razor wire along the Rio Grande River (pictured) have brought numbers down

According to statistics by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the number of border apprehensions reached a new one-month record in December at a staggering 302,000.

The agency's statistics showed a marked decrease in subsequent months, with 177,000 encounters recorded in January and 189,000 in both February and March.

The numbers fell even further in April to 179,000 - which still stands as a large increase compared to the same time in previous years.
An 80-year-old grandmother was rushed to hospital with severe dehydration after drinking water suspected to contain cryptosporidium bacteria.

Elaine Hollier, 80, from Brixham, Devon, was taken away by paramedics on Saturday 11 May after suffering severe dehydration and vomiting for two weeks.

Medics were initially stumped by her condition until South West Water (SWW) confirmed an outbreak of the parasite had been found in an underground reservoir serving their home and around 16,000 others - an estimated 40,000 people.

Her husband of 60 years, Dennis Hollier, initially thought they had fallen ill after eating undercooked sausage. But she is now one of hundreds of people suspected to have fallen ill after ingesting the parasite via contaminated water.

The scandal has prompted calls for bosses at SWW to quit - while the local MP says the outbreak has 'undermined trust' in Britain's water network.

Mr Hollier says he was left worried sick after being told to stay away from hospital while doctors tried to figure out why she was so ill.

Elaine Hollier (pictured with husband Dennis) has been hospitalised after drinking water contaminated with cryptosporidium bacteria

Mr Hollier was told to stay away from hospital while medics puzzled over condition - only realising she had ingested the bacteria after South West Water issued a 'boil water' alert

Hillhead Reservoir, the underground reservoir where the outbreak of bacteria is thought to have originated

Locals in south Devon are being told to boil the water before using it for cooking or drinking

Locals in Brixham, Boohay, Kingswear, Roseland and north-east Paignton in Devon were all told to boil water as a precaution

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Mr Hollier said of his wife's condition: 'She was absolutely diabolical. For four days I was trying to help her but I got so worried I phoned 111.

'The hospital didn't know how to treat her because they didn't know what was infecting her.

'She had severe stomach pains and could hardly talk because she was so dehydrated.

'As soon as they confirmed there was a bug in the water the doctors said, 'we know how to treat you now'.

'I have been worried sick, I was even told to stay away from the hospital because they didn't know what it was.'

Mr Hollier claims he was told by South West Water that the water was safe to drink after he called to them say his wife was ill.

'I phoned up South West Water to tell them what happened but they said you can carry on drinking the water,' he added.

'I know 10 people at least who have come down with it.

'It has been so upsetting to see my wife in a hospital bed with tubes sticking out of her arms for antibiotics.

'She's got no appetite and no energy. I was dead worried for myself too because they didn't have a clue.'

Cryptosporidium can be found in the intestines and faeces of infected humans and animals. The parasite can be ingested by swimming in or drinking contaminated water as well as other sources such as contaminated food.

It can lead to the disease cryptosporidiosis, which causes fever, a loss of appetite, diarrhoea and vomiting. The NHS says most people recover within a month, if not less.

Mr Hollier says he also suffered symptoms but had a 'lucky escape' because he drinks less water than his wife.

He saw workmen at the Hillhead Reservoir pumping station a week ago and at the time thought nothing of it but now suspects the work may have been linked to the outbreak.

He added: 'It's a disgrace, doctors say she could take a month to recover. She is going to write to South West Water to say: 'you put me in hospital'.

'I think whoever is responsible needs sacking and the water company needs to explain what they knew and when because I don't think we have been told the whole truth.'

South West Water unloading crates of bottled water to distribute to locals in south Devon

South West Water handing out emergency rations of bottled water to those affected by the Cryptosporidium outbreak

South West Water has set up two bottled water stations in the area and has also pledged to pay affected customers an extra 100 in compensation

A computer render of cryptosporidium parasites, which can cause diarrhoea and dehydration if ingested

Dirty tap water is seen in a glass cup in Looe in Cornwall - around 50 miles from the affected area

Long queues can be seen formed on a road in Devon as people queue up for bottled water

Images have revealed around a dozen South West Water vans gathered at Hillhead Reservoir, which is believed to be the source of the outbreak.

The Conservative MP for Totnes, Anthony Mangnall, said 'animal waste' may have contaminated the Hillhead Reservoir that serves Brixham - getting into the supply via a damaged air valve.

This was later confirmed by SWW itself. A spokesperson told Sky News: 'We absolutely want to make sure thats the only source (of the contamination).

'We understand this (is) a valve on one of the pipes heading towards the reservoir in a farmers field, there are cattle in the field and its a possibility thats the source of the contamination.'

How South West Water became one of UK's worst water firms South West Water admitted finding 'small traces' of cryptosporidium in the water yesterday - marking the latest in a string of issues to hit the company after hundreds of locals complained of feeling unwell. The water company spilled for 530,737 hours last year after 58,249 overflow incidents, it was revealed in March. This is an average of 390 hours per storm overflow and 43 per site. Meanwhile, it was recently revealed one woman is suing South West Water over sewage discharged into the sea which she claims have harmed her health and stopped her daily swims. Before New Year's Eve, a sewer burst in Exmouth, Exeter, resulting in 240 tanker-loads of sewage being driven from the town in East Devon each day by South West Water as the burst pipes were repaired. On Boxing Day 2023, footage showed filthy water flooding onto a popular Cornish beach - just hours after locals enjoyed a festive swim there. Advertisement

Locals in Brixham, Boohay, Kingswear, Roseland and north-east Paignton in Devon were all told to boil water as a precaution - including for drinking or using it to cook with and brush teeth - after SWW issued an alert yesterday.

The UK Health Security Agency said 22 people are confirmed to have the disease. As many as 70 other cases of diarrhoea and vomiting in residents and visitors to Brixham are also under investigation.

Bottled water stations were set up to hand out supplies in the local area - with huge queues of cars visible from the skies. The crisis could go on for more than a week while the problem is treated.

At Broadsands car park in Paignton, residents fumed at the unfolding disaster - which South West Water initially claimed was not related to its network.

One resident said: 'I am furious this had happened. Water rates are incredibly expensive and now we are told we can't even drink it.

'I think the bosses who take such huge salaries should come down here and explain to us how things have gone so wrong.'

Locals say the problem has been apparent for weeks, long before SWW acknowledged it yesterday.

One local, James Martins, said: 'We have been ill for weeks with vomiting, diarrhoea and headaches. We are still feeling bad on-and-off.

'My understanding is it will be days or weeks before the reservoir is fully drained and in the meantime we have to boil our water.

'It has not been handled well by South West Water but all the staff we have dealt with have been wonderful, I think it's higher up the chain where the problems are'.

Local businesses have reported being affected by not being able to use tap water, saying the crisis is having a significant impact on trade.

John Ingram of The Bay Coffee Company in Brixham told MailOnline: 'We can't give anybody a glass of water.

'It is affecting trade - a lot more people are just not coming out.

'Everyone is now worried about getting ill.' He added: 'We're trying to adapt ourselves.'

Mr Ingram said the cafe is using disposable cups instead of using the water to wash up.

Revellers who travelled to Devon for Brixham Pirate Festival earlier this month feared they acquired the bacteria there.

Meg Dew said her friends have been ill since attending the event, which took place between May 4 and May 6.

'My 62-year-old mum has a bad stomach and diarrhoea,' she said.

'My friends have been ill since the Pirate Festival... I didn't even know until this morning that there was anything wrong with the water.'

Some people believe they contracted the bacteria while attending Brixham Pirate Festival earlier this month (pictured)

Shelves usually stocked with water are empty as people panic buy in a bid to avoid tap water

Eden Park Primary School in Brixham confirmed they would not open today following the outbreak

A local added on Facebook: 'A lot of people were over in Brixham for pirate festival so people in (postcode area) TQ3 might not be getting it from their water supply but caught it over that weekend.'

MP Mr Mangnall has described SWW's initial failure to acknowledge a problem with the supply as 'enormously frustrating'.

He said earlier today: 'I am very concerned about SWW's response to this situation, as they have been slow to act and communication with customers has been very poor.

'This has certainly undermined trust in our water network, and I will certainly keep working with colleagues at DEFRA to ensure SWW are held to account over this issue.'

The water board, meanwhile, has agreed to credit affected customers with 100 compensation on top of a previous 15 payment.

But shelves in local supermarkets have been stripped bare of bottled water while one school in Brixham did not open today because, it claimed, SWW had not supplied it with bottled water for the day.

Those infected by the parasite outbreak could be ill for up to a month, Professor Paul Hunter told Sky News.

He explained if the parasite cryptosporidium is 'a continuous thing' present in water supplies for a prolonged period, then 'you'd expect to see more cases'.

South West Water is working with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in order to figure out how cryptosporidium is getting into the network.

Laura Flowerdew of the water firm said: 'We sincerely apologise for the impact this is having on our customers in the Brixham and Alston areas.

'Protecting the health of our customers and providing them with a clean, fresh drinking water supply is our number one priority and we will continue to work around the clock to make sure that happens as soon as possible.'
This is the moment a mother recalled her son's heartbreaking last words as he said his goodbyes before secretly travelling to a Swiss clinic where he ended his own life.

Chemistry teacher Alastair Hamilton, 47, paid more than 10,000 to die at the suicide clinic  which then kept his death a secret from his family.

He made the decision despite having no diagnosed illness - although he had dramatically lost weight in recent months - and the clinic later apologised to his family for how the situation was handled.

His distraught mother Judith, 82, broke down in tears as she visited Pegasos clinic in Basel.

The Hamilton family only learned Alastair had taken his life at the clinic after police examined his bank account statements and found that he had transferred thousands of pounds to Pegasos.

The clinic initially refused to speak to them about his remains, saying it was 'against our lawyer's recommendations'. Eventually the family received his ashes in the post - two months after he died.

Before he left for the last time, his mother told ITV her son 'put his arms around me and gave me a big kiss, and just said, 'Always remember Mum that I love you very much, I always have, I always will, no matter what'.

Alastair's family said they were prompted to talk about their experience amid discussions around assisted death in the UK, where it is currently illegal to help someone kill themselves

Judith Hamilton, 81, broke down in tears as the held the rail of the stairs up to where her son's body was carried down after he ended his life

Chemistry teacher Alastair Hamilton, 47, told his parents he was visiting a friend in Paris when instead he was flying to Basel in Switzerland to end his life by lethal injection

His distraught mother was overcome with emotion when she visited the Pegasos site

The building (top, grey) is next to an asphalt factory in Switzerland. His mother said: 'It's not the best place to be for your last view of Earth, is it?'

On August 10 last year, Alastair's father Edward, 85, drove him to Gatwick Airport. He had no reason to suspect his son was not travelling to meet a friend in France.

His mother said: 'I was so chuffed to think he was picking up his life and getting some enthusiasm, and he was always very affectionate and loving towards me, so it didn't register that these words were his final goodbye.'

His family became concerned when Alastair stopped responding to their calls, texts and voicemails over the next week.

Mrs Hamilton phoned the police to report him as a missing person. Scotland Yard soon established that Alastair had in fact caught a flight to Switzerland.

An analysis of his bank transactions then revealed four payments totalling 10,310 to the Pegasos Swiss Association, a small clinic run from an office in central Basel.

Officers contacted Pegasos but, other than confirming Alastair had died there, the clinic failed to provide police with the date of his death or any other information.

As the days dragged on, Toby persistently emailed the clinic, saying: 'I urge and beg you to please reply to my email as soon as possible.

'Can you imagine what this is doing to our family in an incredibly traumatic time?'

However, he says the clinic did not reply for another week when an email asked Toby to provide scans of his passport and to sign an affidavit in order to receive information about his brother.

Despite Toby doing this immediately, he says another week passed by before they finally confirmed Alastair had died on August 14.

Last night, Toby said: 'If you had the slightest bit of empathy, and you are the slightest bit of a decent human being, you would pick up the phone and actually talk to the grieving family.'

Mrs Hamilton added: 'I would have remortgaged the house and had his body flown home if I had known what happened, but we never got that chance.'

He said: 'We weren't given that chance to either be with him or in my case, drag him home, tooth and nail if I had to.'

His distraught mother Judith Hamilton, 81, warned other families should be aware of Pegasos

Alastair Hamilton with his grandmother Doris Robinson in 2017

Judith said: 'We weren't given that chance to either be with him or in my case, drag him home, tooth and nail if I had to'

It is believed Alastair ended his life in one of the upstairs rooms on the far right of the building, ITV News reported

Under Swiss law, since 1942, people are allowed to help others to die as long as their motives are not selfish, such as for financial gain. Pictured: Alastair's mother Judith and brother Bradley

Standing in front of the building where he died, she added: 'It's not the best place to be for your last view of Earth, is it?

'Bless him. I just keep saying to myself, ''Oh Alastair''.'

Shockingly, it took the persistence of Mr Hamilton's devastated family, the Metropolitan Police, the Foreign Office and Interpol to discover what had happened to Alastair after he vanished last summer.

The family still hasn't received the goodbye letters the clinic said he had left for them, or his personal belongings he had with him.

Alistair's brother Bradley told ITV he was 'robbed' of the chance of going to the clinic and 'cuddling him whilst he did it', and of 'giving him a kiss goodbye'.

A representative of Pegasos apologised for failings around the way Alistair's case was handled, according to ITV.

The representative told the Hamilton family that its procedures would now be brought closer into line with guidelines set by the Swiss Medical Association in 2022.

These say a family should always be informed if a relative intends to die.

But the representative said Pegasos doesn't believe in many of the guidelines.

The guidance also states that a life should be unbearable before someone is assisted to die.

In emails to Alastair's family, a frustrated Met Police sergeant criticised Pegasos's 'lack of compassion and lack of transparency' as 'completely unacceptable'.

Mr Hamilton told his parents he was visiting a friend in Paris when instead he was flying to Basel in Switzerland to end his life by lethal injection.

Alastair's family said they were prompted to talk about their devastating experience amid discussions around assisted death in the UK, where it is currently illegal to help someone kill themselves.

His brother Toby, 52, said: 'I'm not against assisted dying but you can't let someone who is not terminally ill turn up and do this on their own, completely alone, and then completely disregard the family or next of kin.'

Mrs Hamilton added: 'Why Pegasos acted the way they did and agreed to help Alastair do this, I don't think I will ever understand.

'We're all still heartbroken and still have so many questions, but I'm not sure we will ever get all the answers.'

His family were unaware and were stone-walled for weeks by the clinic before finding out what had happened to Alistair

Alastair Hamilton (second on left) and his brothers in 2007

The 47-year-old schoolteacher with no diagnosed illness paid more than 10,000 to die at a Swiss suicide clinic  which then kept his death a secret from his family

Alastair Hamilton pictured with his niece in 2015

Alastair Hamilton (centre) in 2007 with brothers Rupert, Bradley, Alastair, Toby and Russell, at Russell's wedding

Alastair Hamilton with his grandmother Doris Robinson in 2017

Portrait of a young Alastair Hamilton is seen above

Sweden's most famous clinic, Dignitas  where at least 540 Britons have died in the past 20 years  has strict rules that its clients must be terminally ill, suffering extreme pain or living with an 'unendurable disability'.

Swiss laws on assisted dying explained: Under Swiss law, since 1942, people are allowed to help others to die as long as their motives are not selfish, such as for financial gain. The law states that the person wishing to die must be of sound mind, but they do not need to be terminally ill or have any medical conditions. The country's assisted suicide clinics are non-profit organisations. Advertisement

But Pegasos, run by activist Ruedi Habegger, says its users do not need to be ill to kill themselves. Its website says it will approve someone's death request 'in as little as a few weeks' as long as they are aged over 18.

Alastair's family said he had been battling with low moods since 2022, when he began losing weight and feeling increasingly tired.

He had given up working full-time and moved back into his parents' home in Hampton, south-west London, but doctors could not work out what was wrong with him.

His worried family paid for multiple private health checks, including tests for cancer and HIV, to understand Alastair's weight loss. But doctors were still unable to diagnose him with any condition.

Toby, who owns a lettings agency, said: 'Alastair started talking about suicide like he was talking about going for a pint down the pub.

'I begged him not to say the 'S word' to our mum and said we would throw money at the problem, whatever he needed, until we figured it out.'

Only in October  two months after Alastair died  did the family receive his ashes in the post

The family have still not received goodbye letters that the Pegasos clinic (pictured) said he had left for them  or his wristwatch, clothes and other personal effects

Only in October  two months after Alastair died  did the family receive his ashes in the post.

They never received any goodbye letters, despite Pegasos claiming Alastair had left some for them.

They have also never received his wristwatch, clothes or any of his belongings. Toby said: 'We eventually found Alastair's application to Pegasos which was literally just like a two-page covering letter for a job application.

'It doesn't seem like they do any of the checks that Dignitas do. They're not liaising with doctors for medical records or psychotherapists to make sure a person is ill.'

ITV also met with Sean Davison, who said he spoke to Alastair repeatedly before his death.

He doesn't work for the clinic, but for Exit International,m which advocates for the right to assisted dying.

He told ITV he was the last person Alastair called. He told the news organisation how he said he told his family but 'they didn't want to talk about it' and claimed 'they didn't support him'.

Mr Davison said he didn't know the family weren't coming 'until the very end'.

In Alastair's deathbed phone call, Mr Davison told his friend 'you've got such a life ahead of you' and 'really pleaded with him' to reconsider.

Childline founder Dame Esther Rantzen revealed that she had joined the Dignitas clinic after her diagnosis of stage four lung cancer, and urged 'lawmakers to catch up with the public'.

After hearing about Alastair Hamilton's case, Dame Esther told The Mail on Sunday: 'Obviously, any new law in the UK will need precautions built in.

'We can learn from other countries where such laws are already in place as to what is the most practical and humane way of legalising assisted dying without making people vulnerable.'

Pegasos said in a statement: 'As conveyed by Mr. Habegger during the meeting, we would like to tell the family once again that we are very sorry that our communication caused them further distress last year.

'We were not sure how to deal with the situation in terms of communication and legally and therefore did not act as we would today. We hope that our meeting helped them to understand better the decision and path of Alastair.

'Pegasos has always respected the applicable Swiss law without exception and continues to do so... we always require reports from medical specialists.

Only based on these reports, other documents and direct contact with the concerned person, a decision can be taken.'We are conscious of our great responsibility. This is why, in those rare instances where we have reason to assume that no information has been provided to close family by the person seeking voluntary assisted death, we will abort the procedure on the spot.

'In 2022, the Swiss Medical Association revised its guidelines regarding assisted dying. It is important to understand that these guidelines are not legally binding for the associations but are policies for the medical professionals. Several organisations for assisted dying, including Exit, Dignitas and Pegasos, publicly spoke out against the revised guidelines, because they are putting at risk the self-determination of people planning a voluntary assisted death and the freedom of choice in Switzerland.'

It came as on Thursday, a Dutch woman who was granted permission to end her life via euthanasia despite being a physically healthy 29-year-old dismissed public backlash and declared she will die within weeks.

Zoraya ter Beek, who suffers from depression and borderline personality disorder, received the approval for assisted dying last week and expects to be 'freed' from her torment soon.

This week she hit out at critics, declaring their protest 'insulting'.

'People think that when you're mentally ill, you can't think straight, which is insulting,' she told the Guardian.

'I understand the fears that some disabled people have about assisted dying... but in the Netherlands we've had this law for more than 20 years. There are really strict rules, and it's really safe.'

Euthanasia has been legal in The Netherlands since 2002 for those experiencing 'unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement'.

Zoraya ter Beek, (pictured) who lives in a small village in the Netherlands, suffers from depression and has autism and a borderline personality disorder. She has decided to end her life by euthanasia after a psychiatrist told her 'there's nothing more we can do for you' and that 'it's never gonna get any better'

It is understood that a doctor will give her a sedative before administering a drug that will stop her heart. Ter Beek is pictured in 2017 with her do not resuscitate badge

Ter Beek decided she wanted to die after a psychiatrist told her 'there's nothing more we can do for you' and that 'it's never gonna get any better', The Free Press reported.

It is understood that a doctor will give her a sedative before administering a drug that will stop her heart.

She previously said she will be euthanized on the sofa in her home with her boyfriend by her side.

Ter Beek said her crippling depression and anxiety caused her to self-harm and feel suicidal for years, claiming that no amount of mental health treatment - which to date has included talking therapies, various medications and even electroconvulsive therapy - has worked to reduce her affliction.

When she was just 22, Ter Beek opted to get a do not resuscitate badge, something that is typically worn by elderly people.

She had on many occasions contemplated killing herself but resisted after seeing the devastating impact of a school friend's violent suicide on her family.

Instead, she decided to begin the process of obtaining permission for assisted dying three and a half years ago after doctors reportedly said they could not do anything else to help improve her mental health.

The 29-year-old last month told The Free Press she has always been 'very clear that if it doesn't get better, I can't do this anymore'.

Her boyfriend will scatter her ashes in 'a nice spot in the woods' that they have chosen together, she said.

'I don't see it as my soul leaving, but more as myself being freed from life,' she said of her expected death, admitting: 'I'm a little afraid of dying, because it's the ultimate unknown.

'We don't really know what's next - or is there nothing? That's the scary part.'

For help call Samaritans for free on 116123 or visit Samaritans.org
A baby who died after being hit by a Land Rover following a bible reading in a church car park in Scotland has been named as her heartbroken parents paid tribute to her.

Ivy Mae has been named by her devastated parents after the tragic incident at Plymouth Brethren Church in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, at 7.45pm on Wednesday.

The one-year-old girl was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary but died shortly after.

The 40-year-old driver was uninjured.

In a statement released by the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, the parents Holly and Glenn said: 'We can confirm that our beautiful daughter Ivy Mae passed away following a tragic accident last evening after our regular church gathering in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire.

Tributes have now been paid to Ivy Mae has been named by her devastated parents after the tragic incident at Plymouth Brethren Church in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire

A one-year-old baby girl has died after being hit by a Land Rover in a church car park in Scotland

This map shows Balmedie in Aberdeenshire where the one-year-old girl was hit by the Land Rover

'We are absolutely devastated and ask that our privacy is respected at this challenging time. We value all the prayers and messages of sympathy and support we have received from the local community.

'The emergency services tireless work and support is greatly appreciated.'

Plymouth Brethren church told BBC Scotland that the accident happened after a bible reading at the hall and that the baby killed was part of its 'vibrant local community'.

It remains unclear whether the baby was in a pram or not when she was hit by the Land Rover.

On its website Plymouth Brethren Christian Church describes itself as a community of more than 50,000 members across Australia, New Zealand, Europe, the Americas (including the Caribbean) and the UK.

It is an evangelical Christian church which teaches a very strict interpretation of the Bible.

It adds that the church is 'deeply family-oriented and and members live, work and pray as 'Brethren''.

A heavy police presence was at the scene on Wednesday night and Police Scotland has launched an investigation into the collision.

A heavy police presence was at the scene on Wednesday night and Police Scotland has launched an investigation into the collision

One man, who lives on the nearby Chapelwell Estate told Scottish newspaper the Daily Record: 'It is heartbreaking that this would happen to a little girl.

'Everyone is thinking of her family.

'I saw a lot of ambulances and police cars at the church last night. It is terrible to find out what happened to this baby.'

The church said in a previous statement: 'We are a very supportive church, and we are giving the family and friends of the people involved in the accident the help they need.'

The spokesperson also thanked members of the emergency services who attended the incident.

Inspector Scott Deans, from Police Scotland, said: 'At this time, our thoughts are with the family of the deceased, along with everyone else affected by this tragic incident.

'Our investigation into the circumstances remain ongoing and we'd like to thank the wider Balmedie community for their patience and understanding as officers carry out their enquiries in the area.

'Anyone with information should contact police on 101, quoting incident 3390 of 15 May, 2024.'
Dramatic dashcam footage has captured the moment a semi-truck driver was left hanging over the Ohio River.

Sydney Thomas, 26, was driving over the Clark Memorial Bridge in March when a pickup truck crashed into her and sent her careering over the side of the crossing.

Dashcam footage from the truck was played in court on Wednesday as the pickup driver Trevor Branham, 33, appeared in court after being charged.

In the footage, the pickup truck was seen swerving out of its lane to avoid hitting a car that had stalled, before crashing into Thomas.

Thomas frantically avoids the other cars on the bridge with her truck then plowing through the railing on the bridge, leaving her suspended above the Ohio River.

She spent around half an hour in the cab of her 18-wheeler as it dangled over the nearly 100-year-old bridge which connects Louisville with Southern Indiana.

She spent around half an hour in the cab of her 18-wheeler as it dangled over the nearly 100-year-old bridge

Branham was charged with four counts of wanton endangerment and one count of operating on a suspended license following the incident.

Witnesses told police that the driver was speeding and weaving in and out of traffic when he hit a stalled vehicle.

The arrest report says he then crossed into the opposite lanes, hit another car with two people inside and then hit the tractor-trailer.

In court this week, Assistant County Attorney Liem Sokhon used the new footage as evidence to lay out the case against Branham.

In the footage, the pickup truck was seen swerving out of its lane to avoid hitting a car that had stalled, before crashing into Thomas

Sydney Thomas had been driving over the Clark Memorial Bridge in March when a pickup truck crashed into her and sent her careering over the side of the crossing

According to WHAS11, he said: 'This is the result, manifesting extreme indifference to human life, that could result in serious physical injury or death.'

As Thomas dangled over the river, police moved in to detain Branham who was facing charges for driving on a suspended license in Indiana.

His attorney Scott Barton has argued for lesser charges, saying there were no serious injuries or deaths.

In court on Wednesday, the judge presiding over the case decided to keep Branham's bond at $20,000. A grand jury will review the case later next month.

Rescue crews had to perform a daring rescue on Thomas following the incident, with Louisville firefighter Bryce Carden being dangled from a crane down to her

Carden was propelled to the scene in a bid to cut her out of her seatbelt, before securing her into a harness and then being raised back up

Carden went on to recall how the adrenaline didn't kick in until after he pulled the driver to safety

The arrest report said the pickup truck driver 'drove the vehicle under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life, placing himself and other motors at risk for serious physical injury or death.'

Rescue crews had to perform a daring rescue on Thomas following the incident, with Louisville firefighter Bryce Carden being dangled from a crane down to her.

Carden was propelled to the scene in a bid to cut her out of her seatbelt, before securing her into a harness and then being raised back up.

He recalled: 'She was praying a lot and I prayed with her. We've done some crazy things, but this tops it all.

'Once I reached her she was super calm and collected, and allowed us to do what we do.'

He went on to recall how the adrenaline didn't kick in until after he pulled the driver to safety - as surreal footage captured his heroics some 80 feet over the Ohio river.

'In the moment, you don't really think about it,' Carden, a Jefferson County Public Schools graduate, added. 'Your training takes over. Everything slows down and you concentrate on what needs to be done.'
Cambridge University has been forced to move this week's graduation ceremonies to an undisclosed 'alternative location' after student activists protesting the war in Gaza set up camp outside the venue that has hosted ceremonies since the 18th century.

Protesters pitched tents on a lawn outside Senate House on Wednesday, with graduation ceremonies due to take place there on Friday and Saturday.

But the university said in a statement today hat it had taken the 'very difficult decision' to hold the events at an undisclosed 'alternative location'.

The protestors have previously said they would halt or disrupt graduations as a 'last resort' because the University had not met their demands.

Their actions come after a wave of similar student protests in the US including encampments at Colombia University in New York, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of California, Los Angeles, which resulted in police disbanding the encampments with forceful tactics, including teargas to move protesters out.

Cambridge University has been forced to move graduation ceremonies to an undisclosed 'alternative location' after student activists protesting the war in Gaza set up camp outside Senate House

Protesters pitched tents on a lawn outside Senate House on Wednesday, with graduation ceremonies due to take place there on Friday and Saturday

Palestine flags have been draped from the historic building where graduation ceremonies have taken place since the 18th Century

A Cambridge University spokesperson said: 'We regret that due to the ongoing presence of protesters on Senate House lawn, we have taken the very difficult decision to make alternative arrangements for the Degree Congregations this weekend.

'All students who want to graduate this weekend will still be able to attend their Degree Congregation at an alternative location that is fitting of the occasion.

'We are confident that ceremonies will be a memorable and enjoyable experience for students and their guests.'

An encampment appeared outside King's College at the start of last week, and activists pitched a ring of tents on the Senate House lawn this week.

Protesters have vowed to continue until a set of demands are met, and earlier this week they chanted: 'Let your students graduate; come and negotiate.'

A Cambridge student, who did not wish to be named, said last week that the protesters were demanding that the university 'disclose all of its research collaborations and financial ties with companies and institutions complicit in Israel's genocide and then to divest from these'.

'We will be staying here until our demands are met,' she said.

The university said in an earlier statement that it would be 'happy to talk with our students and engage with them' but it was 'impossible to have a conversation with an anonymous group'.

A banner has been taped to the doors of Senate House which read 'Refaat's House', named after Palestinian activist and writer who was killed by an Israeli airstrike in December 2023

Earlier this week, a group called 'Cambridge for Palestine' shared footage of activists breaking into the University's Senate house lawn in the center of the city

Former home secretary Suella Braverman was interviewed by a GB News reporter in the rain in the vicinity of the protests.

As she was interviewed outside King's College, her face screened from several angles by umbrellas, an elderly activist held a placard which said 'openly Jewish against visible genocide'.

A marked police van parked outside Senate House and there were uniformed officers on foot patrol in the area around lunchtime.

There had been a rally and march around that time the previous day, but the protest appeared muted in the rain on Thursday.

Earlier this week, a group called 'Cambridge for Palestine' shared footage of activists breaking into the University's Senate house lawn in the center of the city.

In the footage, the masked protestors can be seen using a ladder to access the gated lawn before setting up the new camp.

An encampment outside King's College appeared at the start of last week, and now activists have also pitched a ring of almost 20 tents on the Senate House Lawn.

Palestine flags have been draped from the Grade II-listed urn in the centre of the lawn, and a white sheet has been fixed below it with 'welcome to liberated zone' written on it.

A banner has also been taped to the doors of Senate House which read 'Refaat's House', named after Palestinian activist and writer who was killed by an Israeli airstrike in December 2023.

The flags have also been taped to the columns of Senate House and to some walls, and a 'please keep off the grass' sign modified so it reads: 'please keep off Palestine'.

Protesters have vowed to continue until a set of demands are met.

In a statement shared on social media the protestors said that: 'Disrupting graduation is a last resort which we absolutely do not wish to take, but as the University of Cambridge has refused thus far to engage in negotiations, we have been left with no other choice.

'We have taken this action two days before Friday's graduation ceremony in order to give the University of Cambridge ample time to respond, and we will leave senate house as soon as the University of Cambridge meets our pre-conditions and holds a meeting with our negotiation team.'

Activist students at the University of Cambridge are now targeting graduation ceremonies to protest the war in Gaza after camping out on King's Parade

The student group said: 'We have taken this action two days before Friday's graduation ceremony in order to give the University of Cambridge ample time to respond'

Cambridge for Palestine protesters marched from the camp outside King's College this week

The university said it would be 'happy to talk with our students and engage with them' but it was 'impossible to have a conversation with an anonymous group'.

Professor Bhaskar Vira, pro-vice-chancellor for education at the University of Cambridge, said: 'The University has been in regular and ongoing contact with students who have been impacted by the tragic events in Gaza and Palestine.

'We support freedom of speech and protest within the law.

'From the first day of this protest last week, with my colleague Prof Kamal Munir, we have been extremely clear that we would be happy to talk with our students and engage with them.

'To date we have received only anonymous emails.

'We remain ready for constructive engagement with our students, but it is impossible to have a conversation with an anonymous group.'
Melania Trump will direct son Barron's future as he prepares to graduate from high school on Friday, keeping him in her protective sights as he navigates the transition from his teenage years to adulthood.

The former first lady has kept herself and her 18-year-old son in a 'tight bubble' behind the ornate gates of Mar-a-Lago, according to those close to the couple.

And that will continue for the foreseeable future.

'Melania will keep her hand on Barron's future just as much going forward as she has throughout his early and current school years,' a social source told People. 'He is her world. She is proud of him, and she is the primary decision maker on Barron and his future.'

Melania Trump, seen above with husband Donald Trump and son Barron, will direct her son's future as he prepares to graduate from high school

Melania has already demonstrated her motherly might.

Barron, last week, declined the Florida GOP's offer to be a delegate to the Republican National Convention this summer where would be able to help nominate father Donald Trump as the party's presidential nominee.

His mother's office made the announcement.

'While Barron is honored to have been chosen as a delegate by the Florida Republican Party, he regretfully declines to participate due to prior commitments,' the Office of Melania Trump told DailyMail.com.

No futher details were given.

Barron graduates from Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach on Friday.

'He is still young and has a lot in front of him,' said the source. 'She wants him to be happy and settled in his future endeavors. She wants him to pursue what he wants to do. He is smart and has his own opinions but they are still being shaped.'

Little is known about Barron's school life or his post-high school plans.

And that is how Melania prefers it. She is known to be protective of her son, keeping him out of the spotlight even as Donald Trump seeks it.

Even though the 6ft7in teenager physically favors his father, inside he is his mother's child.

'He's so regal. He's a little Melania,' a source close to the couple told DailyMail.com of Trump's youngest son.

Barron was only 10 when his father was elected president.

Donald Trump has revealed his youngest son is weighing what college he might attend. But, he noted, the campus protests have been a factor in that decision.

'He's a senior now in high school, and he'll be going to college. And you know, a lot of, a lot of these choices of colleges are changing because you see what's going on in the last month,' Trump told a Philadelphia Radio Station.

Trump has been critical of the pro-Palestine protests that have turned up on college campuses throughout the nation. He told Time magazine he would call out the National Guard on them.

Barron is considering NYU, the Daily Beast reported, but the school has seen its share protesters and arrests by NYPD.

Donald Trump and many of his children attended Penn State. There have been rumblings Barron could join that tradition.

The Trump family has made no announcement about where Barron will go.

Melania Trump, as first lady, kept Barron largely out of the spotlight; above then President Donald Trump with his wife and son in August 2020

Barron Trump graduates from high school on Friday

Previously, Barron has been the target of social media trolls.

Former NBC News executive Mike Sington said Barron was 'fair game' turning 18, the birthday that marks adulthood. He later deleted the tweet after facing harsh backlash and criticism online.

The youngest Trump was defended by many of his former first kids, including Chelsea Clinton.

'I think he's a private citizen,' she told ABC's The View. 'I feel so strongly that if you are a private citizen, you have an unimpeachable right to privacy, and I think the media should leave him alone.'

And, last year, a Chicago woman was arrested for making death threats against Barron.

But Donald Trump revealed Barron likes politics and enjoys giving his father advice.

'He's really been a great student. And he does like politics. It's sort of funny,' the former president told 'Kayal and Company' on Philadelphia's Talk Radio 1210 WPHT.

'He'll tell me sometimes, 'Dad, this is what you have to do,'' he added.

Melania Trump is known to be a protective mother of her son Barron, who was 10 when his dad became president; above she straightens his tie on Inauguration Day

Barron was at his father's 2016 presidential announcement and attended the Republican National Conventions in both 2016 and 2020.

He was not at his father's 2024 announcement at Mar-a-Lago.

The former president also complimented his 6ft7in son's looks.

'He's a little on the tall side. I will tell you, he's a tall one, but he is a good-looking guy,' Trump said.

Barron, who turned 18 last month, returned to the spotlight with Donald Trump's hush-money trial when the former president argued he should be allowed a break from trial to attend Barron Trump's May 17 high school graduation.

Judge Juan Merchan agreed to allow the break in the trial.

But even as public interest in Barron grows, Melania fights for his privacy and to protect her family.

On Mother's Day, Donald Trump had brunch at Mar-a-Lago where he was surrounded by supporters.

But there was no sign of Melania nor Barron in the many videos and photos posted to social media on that day from the private club in Palm Beach.

It was the former first lady's first Mother's Day without her own mother Amalija Knavs, who died in January.

She is still in mourning.
This is the shocking moment an alleged street-level drug dealer jumped from an apartment building while attempting to flee from cops in northern Brazil.

The failed escape took place Sunday night when the Espirito Santo Military Police launched an operation to arrest neighborhood drug dealers after busting a teenager for the intent to sell narcotics in the municipality of Marechal Floriano.

The cops apprehended a 17-year-old boy with cocaine while he was headed to the building to make the sale to a 31-year-old man.

The agents then became distracted by noise coming from an apartment building, and when they up at a window on the third floor, they spotted two men attempting to flee.

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT:

A 26-year-old alleged street-level drug dealer was seen on video trying to climb down a building, where he and another suspect are accused of keeping a stash of drugs, and fell on top of a police SUV in the Brazilian city of Marechal Floriano on Sunday. The suspect, whose name has not been released, remains hospitalized and in police custody

The suspect was injured badly when he slipped and landed on top of the cops' SUV on Sunday night

One of the suspects jumped out and landed on the police SUV's rearview window and took of running.

However, his accomplice, a 26-year-old man, did not fare as well; a smart phone video shows him trying to climb down and then losing his balance before hitting his head on the window.

The suspect, whose name was withheld by the Military Police, was rushed to Dr. Arthur Gerhardt Hospital, where he was treated for trauma.

He was later transferred to Sao Lucas Hospital and placed into the custody of police.

The suspect narrowly avoided death when he landed on top of the police vehicle after slipping from the side of a building he was trying to climb down in a failed attempt to escape from cops. The man is currently hospitalized and under the watch of the police

The alleged drug dealer was seen on camera flipping midair before he landed on top of a police SUV after he tried to escape to avoid being arrested

Cops seized 295 crack rocks, 45 packages of cocaine, 10 grams of crack and 189 grams of cocaine paste from the apartment where the drug dealers were operating

One of the alleged drug dealers who did manage to escape landed on another police SUV's window before he took off running

He is expected to be transferred to a local jail once he is healthy and eligible to be discharged.

A search of the home led to the seizure of 295 crack rocks, 45 packages of cocaine, 10 grams of crack and 189 grams of cocaine paste. Police also recovered $116.

Despite the arrest of the man who was allegedly going to meet the teen to buy the drugs, police decided to release him because they did not have enough proof that to accuse him of being in the act of making a purchase.

The teenager signed a logbook in which he confessed to being involved with drug trafficking activities and was released to his family.
An Orthodox Jewish woman has drummed up support across the country after her husband refused to sign papers granting her a divorce - considered his right by the laws governing marriage within their community.

For many Americans, the decision to end a marriage would be as simple as heading to divorce court, regardless of if their partner agrees.

The situation is markedly different for Malky Gold Berkowitz, 30, who attempted to split from her husband after three years of marriage, alleging that Wolf 'Volvy' Berkowitz was physically abusive.

The mother of two lives in Kiryas Joel, an ultra-Orthodox village in Orange County, New York, that is regarded as extremist even by other conservative sects.

Women within the community are not allowed to drive. They are expected to be married off at 18 to bear children, and must keep their heads shaved and covered.

A matchmaker connected her with Volvy when she was 21, already considered an old age to marry. She only spent 15 minutes with Volvy before their wedding.

Malky Gold Berkowitz, 30 (left), sought a divorce from her husband after three years, alleging abuse. Malky spent just 15 minutes with Wolf 'Volvy' Berkowitz (right) before they were married

As men get the final say in whether a divorce can proceed, Malky was trapped - but her predicament garnered the support of advocates nationwide

Protests have erupted worldwide, in Malky's hometown of Kiryas Joel, New York (pictured), as well as other cities like Los Angeles and Jerusalem

Shortly after the marriage Volvy began to act 'erratically,' Malky told New York Magazine.

He was diagnosed with schizophrenia and hospitalized several times, once for running around with a knife and again for allegedly exposing himself to a minor.

In a complaint filed in Rockland County, Malky asserted that Volvy had abused her and warned his three-year-old daughter that he would become sexually aroused if she sat on his lap.

'It got worse from year to year,' Malky told the publication.

When begging Volvy for a divorce decree didn't work, she asked his family for help - but they, unsurprisingly, sided against her.

In Orthodox Jewish marriage, a man has the absolute right to refuse a divorce decree, or gett. Malky's entrapment has rendered her an 'agunah,' or woman in chains.

If she were to remarry without obtaining her gett, Malky's future children would be deemed 'mamzers,' barred from marrying other Jews. This penalty does not apply to the children of men who remarry without obtaining a religious divorce.

The demonstrations were organized by Adina Sash, an activist and EMT based in Flatbush, Brooklyn

Sash called on Orthodox women to protest the mikvah, a religious bath that is seen as a ritual cleaning of a woman after her period - and a prerequisite for having sex

The 'sex strike' was intended to place pressure on men, who control every Orthodox institution

Sash (left) urged Orthodox Jewish women to protest the mikvah in solidarity with 'agunos,' or 'chained women' denied a divorce. A plane flew over Kiryas Joel in February, with a banner reading, 'Free Malky! Give a Gett! Free Agunos!

When all seemed lost, Adina Sash took up the cause. Sash is a Brooklyn-based activist and EMT with Ezras Nashim, a female-staffed ambulance corps that strictly services Orthodox women in her community.

In early February, Sash organized a protest in Malky's hometown. She was joined by dozens of other women who stood in the cold for hours, brandishing signs that read 'Free Malky' while chanting, 'Give a gett!'

They were met with counter-protestors, both men and women, who looked on disapprovingly and exchanged heated words with the activists.

But this did not deter them. Days later, a plane flew over Kiryas Joel with a banner proclaiming, 'Free Malky! Give a Gett! Free Agunos!'

One month later, Sash decided to organize a mikvah strike. Mikvah is a religious bath performed after a woman's period to make her ritually pure, and is required before a woman can have sex with her husband.

'Mitzvah Night is Cancelled,' Sash wrote in an Instagram post dated March 7.

'Withholding a Gett is ok but withholding relations is not? Men cant go one night without intimacy but Agunos can wait for years? Will YOU join in solidarity with Agunos?'

She beseeched community members to meet with rabbis who could encourage the gett to be given to Malky.

The advocacy has come with its challenges, such as Sash being branded a 'terrorist' who was 'killing the future of Jewish children and breaking up more marriages' on social media

Malky begged Volvy for a divorce, to no avail, and asked his family for support, but they sided with him

Thanks to community support, Malky was able to get a date to proceed with a civil divorce. She and Volvy are due in court later this month

The movement has since spread to Orthodox communities in Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Los Angeles and even Jerusalem.

At one demonstration, Sash hired an LED-screen-equipped truck flashing words of support: 'Free Malky,' 'Volvy Give a Gett,' and messages in Yiddish targeting the Berkowitz family.

But leading the charge has come with challenges, including harassment and hateful comments on social media.

One faceless netizen branded her a 'terrorist' who was 'killing the future of Jewish children and breaking up more marriages.'

'You preach freedom, yet tell others what to do and how to live. Anything for content and money. That's all you do it for, admit it,' the user snarked.

Beneath the post announcing the mikvah strike, a man responded, 'I will be doing (it) twice Friday night just in case a women out there thought she made a difference.'

So committed are the opponents that their hostility has crossed into violence. On May 5, Sash announced that the driver of the LED truck had been 'assaulted with a hammer and had his vehicle stolen.'

'Many individuals seem to prioritize causing widespread public dishonor over releasing Malky from four years of captivity,' she wrote while naming the man responsible for the attack.

But Sash refused to shy away from the cause. On Thursday, she encouraged people to donate to a fundraiser for Mesivta Tiferes Shmuel and leave messages in honor of Malky.

The 30-year-old has finally secured a date to proceed with a civil divorce. She and Volvy are due in Rockland County Family Court later this month.

While her fate remains uncertain, Malky has not relinquished hope. Sash shared a prayer last month where Malky reaffirmed her trust in God.

'I hold the belief that...freedom will come my way...I cherish the faith that...a radiant future awaits, for me and my cherished children,' Malky wrote. 'Prayer is our mightiest, most powerful weapon, a Jew's greatest possession!'
This is the moment a brazen thief stole baby clothing and a parcel from a front porch in broad daylight.

An unidentified woman was filmed on a doorbell camera swiping the goods from outside a front doorstep on Malmesbury Road in Southampton on Friday, 10 May.

Hampshire Police's Neighbourhood Policing Team covering Southampton has now issued an appeal for anyone who may know the thief.

In the video, the woman looked down the road to apparently see if the coast was clear before she marched down the path towards the package.

She scooped the large package quickly without looking to see what was inside and walked back down the street with it in her hand.

The brazen thief was filmed stealing baby clothing and a parcel from a front porch in broad daylight

The unidentified woman was filmed on a doorbell camera swiping the goods from outside a front doorstep on Malmesbury Road in Southampton on Friday, 10 May

The Southampton Cops Twitter/X profile has launched an appeal to find the mystery woman

The parcel is understood to have contained baby clothes that had been loosely packed and left outside the home.

A second woman also appears in the video. She is apparently known to the thief and watches her commit the crime before following her down the road with the parcel.

The Southampton Cops Twitter/X profile released a statement which said: 'Wed like to speak to her after a parcel was stolen from a doorstep on Malmesbury Road, #Southampton on the afternoon of Friday, 10 May.

'If you know who she is, please contact us online or on 101 quoting 44240196386.'
Congressional staff took a taxpayer-funded break from work Thursday to walkout of their offices and protest Israel's war against Hamas.

The organized action took place just before the House is expected to vote on a bill to force Biden to deliver congressionally-approved military aid to Israel.

'Big peaceful staff action TODAY before the vote to force Biden to send more weapons to Israel,' the Congressional Progressive Staff Association posted on X.

A flyer announcing the protest said 'We encourage staff to remove identifiable clothing and wear masks as reporters and photographers may be present.'

In total, roughly 30 staffers walked out in support of Gaza.

Congressional staffers held a walk out in support of Gaza ahead of a vote aimed to force President Joe Biden to deliver bombs to Israel

About half of the crowd dawned masks to protect their identities.

A brief procession occurred with the 30 or so staffers walking carrying a sign that said 'Your staff demands you save Rafah.'

'Staff are encouraged to wear a mask and put your Staff ID in your pocket instead of on your belt or clothing,' a memo announcing the walkout stated.

Staffers refused to provide their names and which offices they worked for when pressed by DailyMail.com.

Though one staffer, Sam Elghanayan, led the walk out and delivered brief remarks in support of Palestinians confirmed she worked for Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.

'Today we are once again gathered as congressional staff because too many of our bosses have failed to act.'

'The American people are calling their members of Congress every day to demand the United States take steps to stop the assault on Gaza, and lead with a moral clarity that saves lives,' she continued.

Progressive 'Squad' member Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., praised the staffers for their protest.

'I am so happy for the staff that stand up and showing that humanity is first,' she told DailyMail.com.

Her fellow 'Squad' member Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., similarly supported the staffers.

'I think this is just an issue that matters to a lot of people and it's a very difficult, big moral issue for people and I think people feel the need to express themselves.'

A third member of the progressive group, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., told DailyMail.com 'I commend them because unfortunately, when you just exercising what is your constitutional right to peacefully assemble, you can risk your life, you can risk your livelihood.'

'And so I commend them for putting themselves at risk in that way.'

Democrat colleague rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida also heaped praise on the demonstrators.

'We gotta keep fighting for a ceasefire and the pressure we've seen outside is really helped on the inside on pushing people, the president, everybody to do more.'

'So everyone has to keep making their voices heard.'

One staffer, shown front left, told the crowd that she works for Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., after delivering a short speech in support of Gaza

Another group of Capitol Hill staffers arrived before the pro-Gaza demonstrators carrying American flags

In total, the walk out lasted just a handful of minutes.

Originally, the walkout was planned earlier in the week, but organizers bailed on the demonstration last minute because it was raining.

Additionally, a small group of staffers showed up to counter protest the pro-Gaza walkout carrying American flags.
A charity which supports families affected by gambling-related suicide has expressed its concerns over a move to allow gamblers to use debit cards on slot machines.

It comes after the government announced it intends to let people use debit cards to gamble on slot machines, with a transaction limit of 100 per direct card payment.

There will be a cap on the amount an individual can deposit into a machine in one go and staff will also be made aware when someone has reached their limit.

Apple Pay will be allowed, but other contactless payments remain banned.

Gambling with Lives has today issued a statement criticising the move, stating 'anything that increases access' to slot machines cannot be seen as a positive.

But ministers argue the proposals will allow pubs and casinos to compete in an increasingly cashless society.

The government has announced it intends to let people use debit cards to gamble on slot machines as part of its plans to modernise the regulation of the gambling sector. Pictured: Rishi Sunak speaking in the House of Commons

There will be a cap on the amount an individual can deposit into a slot machine in one go and staff will also be made aware when someone has reached their limit (stock image)

Liz Ritchie MBE, from the charity, told MailOnline: 'Slots venues are taking over our high streets and now they'll be allowed even more machines and be even easier to play with debit cards.

'Anything that increases access to highly addictive machines cannot be seen as a positive.

'We instead need to look at how we make these machines safer, by reducing deposit limits and slowing spin speeds.'

As it currently stands, a person can only use their debit card to gamble when making an indirect payment via a mobile app or by buying tickets to use for the machines.

Direct payments from debit cards are currently not allowed but this could change under the new legislation.

Gambling with Lives has today issued a statement criticising the move, stating 'anything that increases access' to slot machines cannot be seen as a positive

Players will have to wait 30 seconds after a card has been read and approved, before they can start depositing money onto the machine.

Any debit card payment would require authentication via chip, PIN or facial recognition for Apple Pay.

There will also be mandatory limits per session which will include a 'cooling-off period' when these limits are hit.

The new legislation will come into force automatically once the government regulator, Gambling Commission, has completed its consultation.
Parents cannot force a school district to let them pull their children out of classes with LGBTQ themes, an appeals court has ruled.

Three sets of parents and a parental rights group sued the Montgomery County Public Schools board in Maryland after it announced the classes in 2022.

They claimed not being allowed to opt out their kindergarten to grade 5 children violated their First Amendment rights to freedom of religion.

But the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals denied their request for a preliminary injunction 2-1 as the parents failed to show how the policy would infringe their rights.

Three sets of parents and a parental rights group sued the Montgomery County Public Schools board in Maryland after it removed opt-outs from LGBTQ lessons

They claimed not being allowed to opt out their kindergarten to grade 5 children violated their First Amendment rights to freedom of religion

The parents - one Muslim, one Christian, and one Chinese - objected to their children being exposed to themes they said conflicted with their religions.

The English language arts curriculum reading list included books like Uncle Bobby's Wedding, The Pride Puppy, and Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope.

Litigants insisted it was up to them to teach their kids 'what it means to be male and female; the institution of marriage; human sexuality; and related themes'.

What their children learn should be decided by them, not the schools, they argued, also claiming the subject matter was too mature for young children.

Two of the three judges disagreed, ruling the mere exposure of children to ideas against their faith was not by itself contrary to the First Amendment.

Children learning about issues they disagree with is 'part of the compromise parents make when choosing to send their children to public schools', they wrote.

What their children learn should be decided by them, not the schools, they argued, also claiming the subject matter was too mature for young children

However, the decision could change once the classes were actually being taught, depending on how the lessons were presented and their affect on students.

'We take no view on whether the parents will be able to present evidence sufficient to support any of their various theories once they have the opportunity to develop a record as to the circumstances surrounding the board's decision and how the challenged texts are actually being used in schools,' Judge Steven Agee wrote for the majority.

'At this early stage, however, given the parents' broad claims, the very high burden required to obtain a preliminary injunction, and the scant record before us, we are constrained to affirm the district court's order denying a preliminary injunction.'

Judge Marvin Quattlebaum wrote in a dissenting opinion, said he would reverse the lower court's decision if it was up to him alone.

Litigants insisted it was up to them to teach their kids 'what it means to be male and female; the institution of marriage; human sexuality; and related themes'

'The parents have shown the board's decision to deny religious opt-outs burdened these parents' right to exercise their religion and direct the religious upbringing of their children by putting them to the choice of either compromising their religious beliefs or foregoing a public education for their children,' he wrote.

'I also find that the board's actions, at least under this record, were neither neutral nor generally applicable.'

Both judges were appointed by Republican presidents - Agree by George W Bush, and Quattlebaum by Donald Trump.

The three sets of parents joined forces with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which funded and litigated the failed lawsuit.

They are expected to appeal to a higher court.
One officer said the girl's condition was the worst she'd seen in her entire career

A Louisiana couple has been arrested after a teenage girl was shot, tortured and set on fire - but miraculously survived.

Sheriff Tim Soignet said the 15-year-old was found barely 'clinging to life' after a vehicle crash in Texas last month.

Baytown law enforcement officer received multiple calls that a car was driving recklessly along Interstate 10 before crashing on a service road on April 20.

Latonya Harris, 40, and her 41-year-old boyfriend Terrence Washington, who had been driving the vehicle, were subsequently taken into custody.

The teen's upper body was badly burned; Soignet called the injuries 'gruesome.'

One investigator in Baytown, which lies about 30 minutes east of Houston, described the teenager's condition as the 'worst she has seen in her entire career.'

The couple's dilapidated trailer home on the side of a road in Louisiana. The sheriff of the local parish said he cannot 'begin to express how grateful I am to have these extremely violent offenders in custody;

The couple was arrested and charged for multiple violent and serious crimes following a car crash in Texas

The girl's other injuries included gunshot wounds to the chest and face.

Washington reportedly admitted, during an interview with police, that he had sexually abused the girl for 'numerous month.'

He also said he'd shot her during an argument he was having with Harris in Thibodaux, Louisiana.

Washington reportedly told police that he had been holding a gun in his hand and it went off, hitting the child in her face.

He also said that he was responsible for burning the girl this February, and that she was being treated by the couple at home.

Soignet said the couple were with the teen and another minor when they crashed after leaving their home in Louisiana.

The minor child was taken home after the parents' arrest, while the teen was transported to an area hospital.

Investigators obtained a warrant to search the couple's home, which they said contained evidence of a shooting, including blood and a 'strong odor of infection and decomposing flesh.'

A local news package showed the couple's dilapidated trailer home on the side of a Louisiana road. Yellow police tape currently surrounds the alleged scene of many horrifying crimes.

Harris declined to cooperate with officers after being released from a Texas hospital and taken into custody.

She was booked on charges of attempted first-degree murder, second-degree cruelty to a juvenile, and domestic abuse battery child endangerment.

She is currently being held on a $1million bond.

Washington was booked on two counts of attempted first-degree murder, second-degree cruelty to a juvenile, obstruction of justice, molestation of a juvenile, several counts of indecent behavior with a minor, and five counts of second-degree rape.

At present, Washington is still in the Harris County Detention Center on charges related to alleged crimes committed in the state of Texas.

Later, he will be transferred into the custody of Terrebonne Parish authorities.

The Louisiana sheriff said at this time the investigation is ongoing.

'This is the type of case that is not only difficult to deal with the circumstances but hard to imagine the level of violence and evil that can occur at the hands of a human being' he said.

'I can't begin to express how grateful I am to have these extremely violent offenders in custody.'

John String, the Baytown Police Chief said it is 'both tragic and incomprehensible' any time a 'child suffers abuse at the hands of a family member or household member.'

'When the very people whom a child should be able to trust for protection and love abuse them. We wish both physical and psychological healing for the victim of this horrific crime,' he added.
A Texas man convicted of shooting a Black Lives Matter protestor dead during the 2020 riots has been pardoned.

Daniel Perry, a former US Army Sergeant, was found guilty last year of murdering protestor Garrett Foster in Austin in July 2020. Perry sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott requested the state parole board investigate his case to discuss a possible pardon just days later - which led to a unanimous approval vote that was announced Thursday.

In a statement after the vote was announced, Abbott cited Texas' 'Stand Your Ground' laws, which allow people to use deadly force if they feel they are in imminent danger.

'Texas has one of the strongest Stand Your Ground laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney,' Abbott said.

'I thank the Board for its thorough investigation, and I approve their pardon recommendation.'

Daniel Perry, a US Army Sergeant, was found guilty in April 2023 of murdering protestor Garrett Foster in Austin, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison

Perry killed Garrett Foster, 28, during BLM protests in 2020. Pictured: Foster with his fiance Whitney Mitchell

Texas Governor Greg Abbott requested the parole board looked into Perry's case to discuss a possible pardon just days after his conviction, which led to a unanimous approval vote announced Thursday

In its unanimous ruling recommending Perry's pardon, the parole board said it 'delved into the intricacies' of his case.

'The investigative efforts encompassed a meticulous review of pertinent documents, from police reports to court records, witness statements, and interviews with individuals linked to the case,' the board said.

Alongside the full pardon, Perry will also have his firearm rights restored, the board announced.

At his trial, Perry faced up to 99 years behind bars as prosecutors painted him as a racist unhinged army soldier who planned to kill rioters, including bringing up text messages where he told a friend he 'might go to Dallas to shoot looters.'

He countered that he acted in self-defense and feared he would be shot by Foster, who was legally carrying an AK-47 at the time he was gunned down.

The case became a touchstone issue after Abbott called for Perry to be pardoned, as critics said the move set a 'dangerous' precedent and was driven by 'political gamesmanship.'

In February, Foster's mother Shiela Foster spoke out against the request for a pardon, and said it was another painful moment following her son's murder.

'I am baffled actually, I just cannot believe this is my life and this is what's happening, and it has got me overwhelmed with anxiety and the ability to move on,' she told CBS Austin.

Sgt. Daniel Perry was stationed at Fort Hood at the time of the shooting, and was driving Uber at night to earn extra cash

Garrett Foster is seen at the driver's window of Perry's car during his July 2020 slaying

Activists are pictured on July 26, 2020, holding a vigil for Foster, the day after he was killed

On the day Foster was murdered, Perry had driven 70 miles from Fort Worth to Austin, and was driving for Uber to earn extra cash while he was stationed at the Fort Hood military base.

Moments before the shooting, Perry had just dropped off a ride-share customer and turned onto a street filled with protestors.

Perry claimed that he tried to peacefully move through the crowd but was blocked, before Foster pointed his AK-47 at him, he said.

The state argued Perry sped into the crowd, but that was disputed by the defense's expert witnesses who used data to track the speed of his car. The expert testified Perry was slowing down when his car entered the demonstration.

Witnesses testified that they did not see Foster raise his weapon, and in a video of the incident that was live streamed on Facebook, a car could be heard honking before several shots rang out and protestors screamed and ran for safety.

At his trial, jurors were presented with a litany of texts and social media posts showing Perry's disdain for the BLM protests that gripped the nation in the wake of George Floyd's murder.

This included a Facebook message to a friend in May 2020 just weeks before he shot Foster, where he said he 'might have to kill a few people.'

Other messages included 'White Power' memes, and a 2019 text where he said it was 'too bad we can't get paid for hunting Muslims in Europe.'

'It is official I am a racist because I do not agree with people acting like animals at the zoo,' he said in another message. 'I was on the side of the protestors until they started with the looting and the violence.'

He added in another message from that same day. he said that Black Lives Matter protests were like a 'zoo full of monkeys that are freaking out flinging their s***.'

Perry's lawyers said the messages were 'barracks humor', and several Army colleagues testified that Perry was not a known racist.

Materials showing Perry's racist text messages and social media posts were displayed on screen during Perry's sentencing

Prosecutors painted Perry as a racist unhinged Army soldier, while he claimed he acted in self-defense

Whitney Mitchell, the fiancee of Garrett Foster, pictured testifying in Perry's sentencing hearing. She's a quadruple amputee, and Foster had been her caretaker for the past 11 years. 'It's hard every day that I'm there. It's hard to sleep in my bed because he's not there,' she said

When he was shot dead, Foster was the full-time carer for his fiance Whitney Mitchell, a quadruple amputee.

Mitchell testified against Perry at his trial, telling jurors through tears how her life had changed since his death - citing how Foster had been her sole caretaker for the past 11 years.

'It's hard every day that I'm there. It's hard to sleep in my bed because he's not there,' she said.

'He was my main caregiver for 11 years and I've had friends who have been taking care of me and have to learn how to do all that stuff that Garrett was doing.

'It's hard because I had to get comfortable being vulnerable.'
Alan Bates has said he will reject compensation over Horizon IT scandal for the second time after the Government offered just under a third of what he has requested.

The flag bearer for the post office scandal revealed his 'ongoing uphill struggle' for justice after he was offered just 30 per cent of what he believes he is owed.

This will be the second offer that Mr Bates has rejected, the first offer in January was around 16 per cent and he described it as 'cruel, offensive and derisory'.

Now, he has branded the process as 'cloaked in secrecy', after his more than 20 years long campaign against the Post Office continues to drag on.

Alan Bates has said he will reject compensation over Horizon IT scandal for the second time after the Government offered just under a third of what he has requested

The flagbearer for the postoffice scandal revealed his 'ongoing uphill struggle' for justice after he was offered just 30 per cent of what he had asked for

This will be the second offer that Mr Bates has rejected, the first offer in January was around 16 per cent and he described it as 'cruel, offensive and derisory'

Mr Bates was sacked from his Llandudno branch in 2003, when he refused to accept blame for shortfalls on his account.

After years of campaigning against this decision, he would uncover that he was just one of around 900 sub-postmasters who were wrongly prosecuted over the software issues.

'I mean we obviously challenged the initial claim and now it's gone back and come again. It seems to be an ongoing uphill struggle, not just for me, but for other sub-postmasters too,' he told the Telegraph.

Mr Bates added: 'The whole thing seems to be cloaked in secrecy not transparency, which you would hope it would be.'

Christopher Head, formerly the UK's youngest postmaster, spoke to MailOnline and said the process feels like the Post Office is being 'vindictive' towards Mr Bates and 'punishing' the rest of them.

'It feels like a vindictive approach, in my view, Alan obviously led this from the start. Obviously the scandal would not have been where it is, and we would not have blown as wide open as we have without all the work that Alan's done over the years.

'I think [this] is almost like a punishment for him holding them to account, exposing all of it.'

Earlier this year, ITV bosses announced the first episode of Mr Bates vs. the Post Office had been watched by 9.2million viewers

The Post Office has come under fire since the broadcast of ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, which put the Horizon scandal under the spotlight

He added that this should have been over 'long ago', and worries the reason it is being dragged out is because the Post Office still need to show they are 'in control'.

'Are they using the approach to kind of punish us for that? To say, well, you've kind of embarrassed us. Now, we're gonna show that you know that we are still in control of this entire process.'

The claimants were awarded 58 million in a settlement from the Post Office. However, once legal costs were deducted they received only 12 million  around 20,000 each on average.

The inquiry heard how Mr Bates first raised issues with the Horizon system in 2000, and on one day in December of that year he called the Post Office helpline seven times, with one call lasting around an hour.

Giving evidence in front of Post Office chief executive Nick Read in April, Mr Bates said it was 'an atrocious organisation' that was 'beyond saving' and needed 'disbanding'.

More than 700 Post Office staff were falsely prosecuted based on erroneous data from the firm's Horizon computer system, which was developed by Fujitsu.

Some of these people were sent to prison after being convicted of false accounting and theft, some had their finances left in tatters and some will never see justice as they have since died.

It is considered to be the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British history.

Paula Vennells forfeited her CBE for 'bringing the honours system into disrepute' over the mishandling of the Horizon crisis

Former post office subpostmaster Alan Bates, pictured right, along with his wife Suzanne Sercombe outside Aldwich House in London has said he is considering launching a private prosecution against the Post Office

Earlier this year, ITV bosses announced the first episode of Mr Bates vs. the Post Office had been watched by 9.2million viewers, with the four episodes being the most watched programmes on any channel so far this year. The series, including the documentary, has reached 14.8million.

The Government set up a compensation scheme for these postmasters called the Group Litigation Order (GLO), that opened last year to ensure the claimants received extra money to reflect the gravity of their situations.

Applicants in this scheme can also opt to settle their claims on a full and final basis for a total fixed sum of 75,000, inclusive of interest, instead of making a claim for their individual losses.

Next week, former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells will give evidence to the inquiry.

When asked what he wished to hear from her, Mr Bates said: 'I'd actually like to hear the truth.'
A BBC boss has claimed impartial news that tells all sides of a story is 'increasingly becoming an affront' to audiences.

Deborah Turness, chief executive of news and current affairs, says those who spend time in an 'echo chamber' - where they only hear and read views that align with their own beliefs - feel balanced coverage is 'an attack on their values'.

Ms Turness, who joined the Corporation in September 2022, added that she is deeply concerned about this issue.

Speaking at the Sir Harry Evans Investigative Journalism Summit in London, she said: 'What worries me most is that what we're seeing - and we're seeing it through Israel and Gaza - is that we are at a stage now where subscription culture meets algorithm.

'You've got so many people spending so much of their time-consuming news which - because of algorithms or subscriptions they've chosen  is channelling [their] echo chamber. It's their point of view.

'But when they actually do come up for air and meet impartial news, they feel that it is an attack on their values. And that's what we've got to really worry about.'

Deborah Turness (pictured), chief executive of news and current affairs, says those who spend time in an 'echo chamber' - where they only hear and read views that align with their own beliefs - feel balanced coverage is 'an attack on their values'

In March, the Corporation's director-general Tim Davie (pictured) told MPs that the BBC had done a 'good job' in providing impartial coverage amid 'enormous pressure'

A Palestinian journalist records the rubble of the severely damaged Al-Jawhara Tower in Gaza City on May 12, 2021

She said journalists must 'keep fighting' to show viewers 'every version of what's happening' and present a 'broad spectrum of facts' so that they can 'make up their own minds'.

Ms Turness, a former ITN chief executive, added: 'But that is increasingly becoming an affront to audiences and that is the thing that actually most concerns me.'

During her talk, she said she had never worked in such a 'polarised environment'.

She admitted, talking about coverage of the conflict between Israel and Gaza, that the BBC does 'get it wrong sometimes' but the point was to 'own it' and 'correct it'.

She added: 'If there's something systemic, then deal with it.'

Ms Turness has made enhancing viewer trust one of her main priorities, launching the BBC Verify unit, a fact-checking department that works across its news output.

She said the Corporation was responding to the audience's desire for the BBC to 'share more of your workings' on how it was producing stories.

Among the other news figures appearing at the summit were the BBC's international editor Jeremy Bowen, former Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis and CNN's chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour.

Ms Turness (pictured) has made enhancing viewer trust one of her main priorities, launching the BBC Verify unit, a fact-checking department that works across its news output

In March, the Corporation's director-general Tim Davie told MPs that the BBC had done a 'good job' in providing impartial coverage amid 'enormous pressure'.

Mr Davie said the 'polarisation in society is profound' and that it was 'very demanding' for the BBC to 'steer the course' among the 'noise' and the 'storms of social media'.

The BBC has sparked complaints over its coverage of the conflict between Israel and Gaza, notably on its refusal to refer to Hamas fighters as 'terrorists'.

It has also found itself under fire over the way it has dealt with other controversial issues such as trans rights.
The mother of a man who allegedly killed Charlise Mutten sent him messages suggesting that the girl's mother was responsible, as he pretended to search for the girl while he allegedly drove around Sydney with her body in a barrel, a jury has heard.

Justin Laurens Stein is facing a trial in the NSW Supreme Court at Parramatta after pleading not guilty to murder, but has admitted to disposing of the nine-year-old's body.

Charlise, 9, had been visiting her mother, Kallista Mutten, who was engaged to Mr Stein at the time, during the school holidays.

She spent her time in Sydney split between Mr Stein's family property at Mount Wilson, where she was allegedly shot and killed, and a caravan park named the Riviera Ski Gardens in Lower Portland, about 1.5 hours away.

Charlise's body was found by detectives on January 18, 2022, in a barrel dumped near the Colo River, in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.

The alleged murderer of the nine-year-old, Justin Stein, pretended he was out searching for the nine-year-old while he was trying to dispose of the girl's body, a court has heard

Charlise Mutten's body was found with two gun wounds in a barrel near the Colo River

Mr Stein is accused of killing the girl between 7.16pm on January 11 and 10.06am on January 12, telling Ms Mutten Charlise was feeling 'wrecked' and was being taken care of by a real estate agent at the house while he left.

The court heard he told the same alleged lie to police and his mother, Annemie Stein.

It is alleged Mr Stein pretended he was out searching for the nine-year-old while he was trying to dispose of the girl's body.

He left the property about 4pm on January 13, with a barrel covered by a tarp in the back of his Holden Colorado ute and towing his boat.

The jury saw CCTV footage of Mr Stein purchasing five 20kg bags of sand from Bunnings, before stopping at a 7/11 where he bought a can of coke, snickers and a slushie.

Mr Stein then drove around to multiple wharves in Sydney, with the girl's body in the barrel still in his ute, the jury heard.

Justin Stein claimed he was searching for the girl as he allegedly drove around Sydney with her body in a barrel in the back of his ute. Picture: NSW Police

While he was out, Mr Stein had lied to his mother, claiming he was 'camped in the car watching' for Charlise.

His mother wrote: 'I think Kallista has done all this and everything else at the property, lots of things not adding up'.

When Mr Stein suggested it was 'possible' his mother queried whether Ms Mutten was as 'distraught' as him.

She told her son 'any mother would be inconsolable' and claimed Ms Mutten knew 'where Charlise is'.

'I'm beside myself and she has no connection to me ... what the f**k is going on here?' she wrote.

Mr Stein told his mother he was 'going to get to the bottom' of it, as Detective Sergeant Bradley Gardiner told the court Mr Stein continued to drive between Rose Bay Wharf and Drummoyne Wharf with the girl's body in the ute.

The jury heard he would eventually drive to an area near the Colo River and push the barrel down an embankment.

Mr Stein later suggested criminals associated from his past with 'bad blood' may have been responsible for the girl's disappearance, the jury heard.

It comes after the jury previously heard Ms Mutten and Mr Stein had sex in a park in the hours after prosecutors allege he killed the school girl.

The mother of a murdered schoolgirl, Kallista Mutten (pictured), and her daughter's alleged murderer bought methamphetamine the day following the child's death and had sex in a park

In the hours after the schoolgirl was allegedly shot, Stein and Ms Mutten drove to Surry Hills near Sydney's city centre to buy methamphetamine.

They then went to nearby Centennial Park where Ms Mutten told police they had sex.

But afterwards, Ms Mutten grew suspicious and searched online for 'blood coming from penis after sex' and 'blood coming out of penis after ejaculation'.

She then accused Stein of cheating on her and contracting the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhoea.

Police alleged Ms Mutten messaged Stein saying, 'you're a liar, cheat and now I've lost my daughter'.

When the couple arrived back at Mount Wilson, Ms Mutten called Lithgow hospital and Blue Mountains hospital having also made online searches for children's emergency rooms in the area.

Ms Mutten left the Mount Wilson property the next day in Stein's red Holden Colorado ute.

'If you don't bring it back I'm going to hurt you as well as everyone else,' Mr Stein said in one of the messages.

'I've got me f***ing guns and I'm going to kill you.'

Stein is accused of shooting Charlise Mutten (pictured) in the head and disposing of her body in a barrel weighed down with sand

Police alleged Ms Mutten (pictured) messaged Stein saying, 'you're a liar, cheat and now I've lost my daughter'

Stein claims Ms Mutten shot her own daughter.

His lawyer told the court earlier this week he had initially lied to police to cover for Ms Mutten because the pair were in a relationship.

Stein spent more than two hours being interviewed at Penrith Police Station on January 14, 2022, two days after prosecutors allege he shot the girl twice and put her body in a barrel before rolling it down an embankment near the Colo River.

The alleged killer, who pleaded not guilty to murder but admits disposing of Charlise's body, broke down in tears during the police interview.

He told officers Charlise was his 'little girl' and that she 'means the world' to him.

Stein told police he had left Charlise with a real estate agent on January 12, who had offered to look after the nine-year-old because she woke feeling unwell.

It was after this that Stein and Ms Mutten travelled to Sydney to buy drugs and have sex in a park.

When they returned shortly before 9pm, the house was locked and Charlise was nowhere to be found.

Stein said he had 'no reason to lie' about the real estate agent story, even though he failed to take her name or number, and told police he would say in a 'heartbeat' if anything bad had happened to the schoolgirl.

'That kid really does mean the world to me you know what I mean, I don't have much experience but this was my chance,' he said through tears.

'She was going to be my little girl.'

The officers question why after learning this information Stein didn't seem to take any steps to find out who the woman was by looking into what real estate agency she worked for.

'There's nothing I can say, I know how s*** looks; it looks bad,' Stein told the officers.

A number of times during the interview, Stein became emotional, explaining he is under immense stress and had not slept at all the night before.

Kallista Mutten (pictured) didn't call police until two days after her daughter went missing, the court heard

Stein told police he spent that time travelling to locations across Sydney, including Rose Bay and Drummoyne, to ask contacts from his criminal past if they knew what happened to Charlise.

Prosecutors allege Stein was in fact looking for a suitable location to dump Charlise's body.

When asked who those people were, Stein was unspecific, adding while he didn't have ongoing conflicts, there was 'bad blood' between him and a co-offender in a cocaine importation scheme over which he spent five years in jail.

Stein had also reported his car stolen the day after he said Charlise went missing, with police officers attending the property in relation to that report.

In the video, the officers questioned why Stein didn't tell police at that time Charlise was missing.

'There was police at the house yesterday and there was a report made about a car being stolen but not about a nine-year old being missing,' one of the officers said.

'Can you appreciate where we're coming from?'

The questioning then turned to whether Stein or Ms Mutten had anything to do with what happened to Charlise, either accidentally or deliberately.

The officers suggested Charlise may have been accidentally run over, or taken medication from which she didn't wake up.

'Have you been involved in the death of Charlise?' one of the officers asked.

'No, no,' Stein replied.

When asked if Ms Mutten may have done something to Charlise without his knowledge, Stein said with her history of drug use and mental health issues it 'could be possible'.

'Honestly in my opinion, I don't think her kids mean as much as she says they does (sic).'

The trial continues.
The SNP is in its final death throes and should prepare for a Unionist government in Scotland, according to Penny Mordaunt.

The Commons leader made the comments to Nationalist MP Deirdre Brock who complained that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had associated the Scottish Government with extremists.

In response, Ms Mordaunt fired off a jibe that Ms Brock could fill in one of Police Scotlands hate crime reporting forms.

On Monday, Mr Sunak said Scottish Nationalists are trying to tear our United Kingdom apart in a Policy Exchange speech, and he has since denied SNP accusations about his comments.

Penny Mordaunt says the SNP is in its final death throes and should prepare for a Unionist government in Scotland

At business questions yesterday, Ms Brock said: The Prime Minister has refused to apologise for his offensive outburst on Monday  he quite deliberately associated the Scottish Government with Hamas terrorists, North Korea and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. The good folk of Edinburgh North and Leith [Brocks constituency] have elected a dangerous extremist. Who knew?

Responding, Ms Mordaunt said: She raises the very serious matter of the Prime Ministers language and I understand that thanks to the Scottish Government, you can now fill in a hate report form.

So if [Ms Brock] has any concerns, she can just fill in a report, and pile more work on to her hard-pushed police officers.

Ms Mordaunt also flagged up Scottish Secretary Alister Jack asking the UK Energy Secretary to plan a new nuclear power plant in Scotland.

She said: With regard to plans to put a nuclear power station in Scotland, it is sensible to plan for a Unionist party to be in government in Scotland, given the timescales involved in nuclear construction.

It is very clear to everyone except the SNP that their party is in their final death throes. I predict that at the tragic finale of that, when the SNP finally do completely implode and meet their end, there will still be no ferry to carry them across the Styx.
Kemi Badenoch last night warned the Royal Mail she will not allow it to be sold to a foreign buyer unless there are guarantees over the protection of vital services.

Amid mounting fears over what the proposed 3.5 billion takeover by a Czech billionaire will mean, the Business Secretary held crunch talks with the 508-year-old postal service.

She told bosses any deal would have to especially protect the vulnerable, those living in remote areas and small businesses.

Mrs Badenoch also called for cast-iron guarantees that the current six-days-a-week deliveries will be maintained.

But last night campaigners called on the Government to stop the sale altogether, with one declaring: 'It must be blocked, for goodness' sake  it's the Royal Mail.'

Kemi Badenoch last night warned the Royal Mail she will not allow it to be sold to a foreign buyer unless there are guarantees over the protection of vital services

Ministers are determined to extract guarantees from would-be buyer Daniel Kretinsky (pictured) before the deal goes through

But last night campaigners called on the Government to stop the sale altogether, with one declaring: 'It must be blocked, for goodness' sake  it's the Royal Mail'. Pictured: Royal Mail staff at the St Rollox sorting office in Glasgow sort the post

While it is understood the Government is not planning to take such drastic action, ministers are determined to extract guarantees from would-be buyer Daniel Kretinsky before the deal goes through.

Politicians and campaigners said the risk to services, jobs and national security must be addressed.

Royal Mail's future was thrown into doubt this week when Mr Kretinsky, dubbed the Czech Sphinx, launched the takeover offer for its parent company, International Distributions Services (IDS).

The IDS board, led by chairman Keith Williams and chief executive Martin Seidenberg, said it was 'minded' to back the bid should a firm offer be tabled.

It sparked fears that vital services, such as the delivery of NHS appointment letters, could come under threat.

Mr Kretinsky, a major shareholder in West Ham United and Sainsbury's, insisted he would maintain the one-price-goes-anywhere service across the UK and first-class deliveries six days a week. He also promised that Royal Mail will keep its headquarters in the UK.

Mrs Badenoch (pictured) also called for cast-iron guarantees that the current six-days-a-week deliveries will be maintained

Rishi Sunak promised to safeguard the post but said it was ultimately up to Royal Mail's owners to decide whether to sell the firm. Pictured: A postman delivers letters in Bath, Somerset

But that has done little to allay fears over the future of Royal Mail and deliveries should it fall into foreign hands for the first time since it was set up by Henry VIII in 1516.

At a meeting with Mr Seidenberg and Mr Williams yesterday, in the diary before Mr Kretinsky made his offer, Mrs Badenoch set out her stall.

A Business and Trade Department source said she 'emphasised the importance of the Royal Mail in British society and the Government's priority is to maintain that position'. Mrs Badenoch is expected to meet Mr Kretinsky to outline the Government's position.

Rishi Sunak promised to safeguard the post but said it was ultimately up to Royal Mail's owners to decide whether to sell the firm. But campaigners urged the Government to go further to block the deal.

Dennis Reed, of Silver Voices, a campaign group for the elderly, said: 'My concern is that a basic important part of the infrastructure of the UK is potentially going to be owned by a billionaire from another country. There must be huge security concerns over that.

'A lot of older people, the NHS and businesses depend on the universal coverage of Royal Mail. The Government should step in and stop it. It must be blocked, for goodness' sake  it's the Royal Mail.

Dennis Reed, of Silver Voices, a campaign group for the elderly (pictured), said: 'My concern is that a basic important part of the infrastructure of the UK is potentially going to be owned by a billionaire from another country

Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Sarah Olney (pitured) said the takeover 'can't become another example of an overseas investor using a vital British company as a cash machine

Andy Carter (pictured), Tory MP and chairman of the all-party group on media, told the Mail: 'Ensuring the business remains headquartered in the UK remains my priority'

'Billionaires don't get where they are by not being ruthless. It's very unlikely that [Mr Kretinsky] would be sympathetic about isolated rural communities that might be dependent on Royal Mail.

'It will be a sad day if it goes down that path. It is urgent that the Government step in and make it very clear that there is not going to be any foreign takeover and other alternatives need to be found.'

IDS shares last night remained at 320p  well below the offer price of 370p  suggesting there are doubts in the City that the deal will go through.

Amanda Fergusson, chief executive of the Greeting Card Association, said she was seeking 'assurances from government that the postal service is protected'.

Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Sarah Olney said the takeover 'can't become another example of an overseas investor using a vital British company as a cash machine at the expense of customers or the public'.

Andy Carter, Tory MP and chairman of the all-party group on media, told the Mail: 'Ensuring the business remains headquartered in the UK remains my priority.'
A convicted fraudster who stole almost $280,000 from customers of his travel company is hoping to get elected to Australia's parliament where he claims politicians 'steal from the Australian people every day'.

Jordan Dittloff, 35, stole $277,993 from 47 customers through his company Ace Travel, based in Colac, around 150km south-west of Melbourne, between July 2014 and May 2015.

Dittloff took payments from holiday-goers for flights, hotels and tours while working at Ace Travel in Colac and even printed fake itineraries - but never completed the bookings.

One of his victims was his then-fiancee's mother, who had saved up for her trip-of-a-lifetime by sewing and knitting.

Dittloff served over two years in prison and has only paid back a couple of his victims.

Yet, he now plans to stand as a candidate for the Libertarian Party at the next federal election, likely to be held early next year.

Jordan Dittloff, 35, stole $277,993 from 47 customers through his company Ace Travel, based in Colac, around 150km south-west of Melbourne, between July 2014 and May 2015 (pictured, outside court at the time)

'There'll be many people in the Colac community who are rightly sceptical,' Mr Dittloff admitted to A Current Affair.

'But my past and my mistakes in the past don't excuse the situation we have in Canberra at the moment.

'I think there are a lot of people in Canberra who steal and harm from the Australian people every day - they're not sorry for it.'

His victims have another view, however.

Stuart Kyle, who handed over $10,990 to Dittloff for a trip to Asia that never happened, said he was left 'gobsmacked' by the development.

'How does a person do all this and then think they've got any chance of getting into a position like that?' Mr Kyle asked.

'If he wants to ring me, I can give him my bank account if he'd like to put some money in there, that would be very well received.'

Dittloff has promised to pay back his victims over the next 'seven to 10 years'.

He has so far paid $34,638 - just 12 per cent of the total he pilfered from trusting clients.

Dittloff admits he 'not only stole from people, but I damaged their trust'.

'I looked people in the eye, I accepted money they'd paid for their trips and I used that money to pay for other trips that had been booked earlier to generate documents,' he told the program.

'That was wrong and that's something I own and don't hide away from.

'I'm not sitting here and telling anybody they should trust me, or must trust me.

Dittloff has promised to pay back his victims over the next 'seven to 10 years'

'All I'm asking is that they look at what I've done since that time.'

Dittloff claims he completed a business degree and postgraduate degree in law, telling the program he now works for a legal firm.

However, his website says: 'In 2024 I hope to be admitted to legal practice, and can't wait to see what the future brings'.

Daily Mail Australia approached Dittloff for further comment.

'I have been able to reflect on behaviours that fuelled past addictions and now with strong support networks I have over 8 years of recovery and sobriety,' Dittloff's website states.

Monash University Constitutional law expert Professor Luke Beck told the program that Dittloff's criminal past does not disqualify him from running for office.

'A person who's done their time, they're free to run and it's up to the public to decide whether somebody like that should be allowed to sit in Parliament,' Prof Beck said.

'If we want a vibrant democracy - the more people running, the variety of opinions and possibilities - the better.'
Jeremy Hunt will today warn that tax is set to be the 'big divide' at the election, as he pledges the burden 'will go down' if the Tories win another term.

In a major speech tomorrow morning, Mr Hunt will claim that Labour has a black hole in its spending plans  and warn that Sir Keir Starmer will have to raise taxes 'as sure as night follows day'.

The Chancellor will release new Treasury analysis of Labour's tax plans, which is expected to show they will be billions of pounds short of the funding they need to deliver their spending commitments.

Further doubts emerged last night when the shadow environment secretary Steve Reed acknowledged that the price tag for Sir Keir's plan to create a publicly owned Great British Energy could cost more than 80billion.

Labour later said three-quarters of the cash would come from the private sector, but Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho said this would still leave the taxpayer with a 20billion bill  dwarfing Labour's official estimate of 8billion.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt (pictured) will release new Treasury analysis of Labour's tax plans, which is expected to show they will be billions of pounds short of the funding they need to deliver their spending commitments

Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer speaks during his visit to the Backstage Centre, Purfleet, for the launch of Labour's doorstep offer to voters ahead of the general election on Thursday

'Labour have admitted that one of their first 'steps' would not cost the taxpayer the 8billion they have previously claimed, but more than 20billion.

'Keir Starmer needs to urgently explain which taxes they would raise to pay for this. It's clearer than ever that Labour do not have a plan.'

Setting out the 'big divide' for the coming election, Mr Hunt will insist that only the Conservatives are committed to reducing the tax burden, which already stands at a post-War record and is set to rise further.

The Chancellor will acknowledge that the Government has had to raise taxes to pay for the cost of Covid and energy support schemes. But he will accuse Labour of hypocrisy for criticising tax rises needed to fund policies it had supported, such as the furlough scheme.

'It is playground politics to use those tax rises to distract debate from the biggest divide in British politics, which is what happens next,' he will say.

'Conservatives recognise that whilst those tax rises may have been necessary, they should not be permanent. Labour do not.

Mr Hunt will point out that the shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves (pictured) failed to mention the tax burden during her Mais lecture, in which she set out her vision for the economy

'We are prepared to do the hard work to bring taxes down because we know that doing so will lead to more growth for the economy and more prosperity for British families.'

Mr Hunt will point out that the shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves failed to mention the tax burden during her Mais lecture, in which she set out her vision for the economy. Ms Reeves has said she wants to see lower taxes for 'working people' in the long term.

Labour yesterday insisted its policy pledges are 'fully costed'. But new Treasury analysis today is expected to raise questions about whether their publicly acknowledged tax changes will raise as much as they claim.

Mr Reed last night raised concerns about the cost of Labour's flagship energy plan. Trade unions have estimated the plan could cost 82billion over a decade.

Asked whether the estimate was accurate, Mr Reed told LBC Radio: 'Well it may well be... this isn't supposed to be a delivery plan for energy, this is just a first step.'

Labour last night stood by its costing of 8.3billion, saying that Mr Reed 'misspoke'.
A heavy fog has caused the cancellation of all Sydney ferry services.

Sydney ferries announced the news on social media channels, providing no forecast for when services will resume.

'Customers will need to use alternative transport. Consider catching a train or bus instead,' it advised.

There are no reports of flights cancelled at Sydney Airport due to the fog so far.

The cancellation includes Parramatta River ferries.

'Customers will need to use alternative transport. Consider catching a train or bus instead,' Sydney Ferries advised
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This video is no longer available

Alleged gunman Juraj Cintula, 71, is facing life in prison if convicted of the 'lone wolf', 'politically motivated' attack that rocked Europe.

Populist allies of Robert Fico have tried to seize on the shooting with calls to close the Liberal Party and crack down on the free media with some characterising the would-be assassin as a liberal.

But enquiries reveal the poet and retired security guard has a muddled political background having rallied against communism, migrants, and violence - with links to a pro-Russian militia.

Friends in Cintula's hometown of Levice, western Slovakia, described him as 'rebellious when he was young, but not aggressive'.

The grey-haired, bearded grandfather wrote poems while chairman of the Duha Literary Club in his hometown and published a racist book on 'eyeless gypsies' in 2015.

Enquiries reveal alleged gunman Juraj Cintula has a muddled political background having rallied against communism, migrants, and violence. Cintula is pictured here with members of the Slovak Conscripts, a pro-Russian Slovak militia

Reporter Sam Greenhill outside the apartment block where alleged gunman Juraj Cintula lives in Levice, western Slovakia

Populist allies of Robert Fico have tried to seize on the shooting by characterising the would-be assassin as a liberal - but his political views seem to be across the spectrum,

Friends in Cintula's hometown of Levice, western Slovakia, described him as 'rebellious when he was young, but not aggressive'

Juraj Cintula, 71, is facing life in prison if convicted of the 'lone wolf', 'politically motivated' attack that rocked Europe

It would seem an attack on him by a drunk man at the supermarket he guarded the following year had a profound effect.

Cintula appeared in local press at the time with a bruised face describing how his assailant 'was vulgar' with 'no respect for grey-haired people', adding: 'He thought, 'What could an old man do to me?'

'That year he left the literary club and formed a political party called 'Movement Against Violence' where he blamed 'plutocracy' for driving nations to war.

In a manifesto video, he said: 'Migrants are pouring into Europe, there is hatred and extremism everywhere.'

That same year he was also photographed with members of the Slovak Conscripts (SB), a pro-Russian Slovak militia.

In an accompanying post on the group's Facebook page he was quoted as saying 'hundreds of thousands of migrants' are coming to Europe and SB want to protect Slovakia as 'patriots'.

The group is said to have received training from Russian Spetsnaz instructors and members allegedly fought for Russia in Ukraine.

The news has shocked friends and neighbours in his hometown where he lives with wife, Elena, a teacher, who describes them as being in an 'open relationship' on social media

A letterbox shows the name Cintula at the apartment block where the alleged gunman lives

One acquaintance of Cintula said they once had an exchange on politics. 'I was for the Soviet Union, he was against... But nothing that would result in conflict'. Pictured: Cintula's apartment

But, in a further contradiction, footage emerged on Thursday showing Cintula at a protest against Mr Fico three weeks ago - where he is heard shouting: 'Long live Ukraine!'

The Slovakian PM has changed his country's direction from backing Kyiv to calling to a halt on arms sales and cosying up to Vladimir Putin.

It apparently prompted Cintula to call him and his fellow politicians 'traitors' following a cabinet meeting in Dolna Krupa, near Bratislava.

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was blasted several times at near-point-blank range on Wednesday - leaving him in a critical condition

Shortly after his arrest, a video leaked showing him claim he carried out the shooting because he was against Mr Fico's plans to shut down the media.

Referring to Mr Fico's moves to bring state media further under government control, the grandfather is seen saying: 'I don't agree with the Government's policy. They are liquidating the media.'

His son, Martin, told local press that his father 'didn't vote' for Mr Fico, adding: 'I have no idea what father intended, what he planned, why it happened.'

According to local TV he told the police that he was 'proud' of the attack, which he had planned a few days earlier. He claimed he had only wanted to hurt the PM, not kill him.

He is understood to have had a gun licence for over 30 years due to his work supermarket security guard and allegedly used a 9mm Czech pistol in the attack.

The news has shocked friends and neighbours in his hometown where he lives with wife, Elena, a teacher, who describes them as being in an 'open relationship' on social media.

Locals said the member of the Association of Slovak Writers was 'pleasant', 'polite', and 'calm'.

One said they once had an exchange on politics. 'I was for the Soviet Union, he was against... But nothing that would result in conflict.'
Lauren Boebert was the latest in a long line of Republican's loyal to Donald Trump who showed up at his ongoing criminal trial in Manhattan on Thursday.

Boebert appeared alongside Florida Republicans Anna Paulina Luna, Michael Waltz and Matt Gaetz, Andy Ogles from Tennessee and Arizona Republican Andy Biggs.

'President Trump is not going anywhere,' said Boebert as hecklers interrupted her. 'And we are not going anywhere either. We are here to stand with him.'

But her presence was roundly mocked after it was noted how the Republican firebrand Rep. failed to show up at her own teenage son Tyler's criminal trial.

Tyler Boebert, 18, was arrested in late February and is facing felony charges in connection to a string of recent vehicle trespasses and property theft in Rifle, Colorado.

Rep. Lauren Boebert was seen outside the Criminal Court Building in New York on Thursday where the hush money trial Donald Trump is taking place

She was seen speaking outside the Manhattan court where a large contingent of GOP lawmakers appeared in support of Trump

During a court appearance earlier this week, Tyler told the judge that he was facing financial difficulties and couldn't afford a lawyer.

His mother, who makes at least $175,000-a-year serving as the U.S. representative for Colorado's 3rd congressional district, did not attend her son's court hearing.

It led to some critics questioning her parenting choices.

'Lauren Boebert in court to support Trump but absent from her son's court date. Is there anything more she can do to demonstrate how terrible she is as a caring, responsible parent role model?' asked Bill Smith on X.

'Boebert doesn't show up for her son's criminal court dates where he says he can't afford a lawyer. Instead, the MAGA Mother of the Year is up in NYC giving a hand to Donald Trump,' pointed out former Republican operative Ron Filipkowski.

'As Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert travel to New York City to attend Trump's trial, here's a reminder, that Boebert's teenage son Tyler Boebert was in court 7 days ago, without his mother and without a lawyer (he said he was having trouble paying for one). Lauren Boebert makes at least $175,000 a year. Just saying' wrote Democrat Brian Krassenstein.

In late February, things took another unfortunate turn for Boebert after her son, Tyler, 18, was picked up by the police in Rifle, Colorado on 22 different charges

The Republican lawmaker's son is facing nearly two dozen different charges, including four counts of criminal possession of a financial device, three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and three counts of theft of under $300.

He is also facing four felony counts of criminal possession of ID documents of multiple victims, one felony count of conspiracy to commit a felony and over 15 additional misdemeanor and petty offenses, according to local law enforcement.

He and three underage accomplices are accused of breaking into four cars to steal wallets in order to make purchases at local businesses.

In a hearing with Judge Nieley in April, Tyler told the court that he was unable to afford a lawyer for his trial.

'We are working to hire an attorney, but it's just been kind of hard with the prices, but we are working on it,' the teen said at the time.

Tyler will next appear in court on June 15.

This image provided by the City of Rifle Police Department shows Tyler Jay Boebert, arrested Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Boebert was roasted on social media for showing up to Trump's criminal trial but not her own son Tyler's, seen far left in this Christmas photo of her family

Just days after the teenager's arrest garnered national headlines, a woman came forward alleging Tyler Boebert ransacked her car, taking $75 in cash, two Venmo debit cards and her mother's credit card.

'[The woman] informed [police that] she has a brain tumor and now she does not have the money to get her surgery,' cops wrote in the affidavit.

The woman's driver's license was also inside the stolen wallet, the arresting officer wrote - before revealing that the thieves mailed it back to her a few days after the alleged theft, which occurred on February 21.

Rifle Police have said the four involved in the crime spent their ill-gotten gains at McDonald's, Starbucks and local gas stations.

The thieves tried to use the brain-tumor-afflicted woman's two Venmo cards at a nearby Kum & Go gas station, court document say, citing transaction records.

They also attempted to use her mom's credit card, before allegedly using the cash and cards stolen from the four cars to buy food from a nearby McDonald's, though banks soon started declining the charges.

They also tried to order $717 worth of merchandise from Shein.com, the cop wrote, as well as $175 at the Kum and Go, and $10.95 from a Starbucks.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., center, and Rep. Lauren Boebert, a R-Colo., right, look on as former President Donald Trump speaks to the media outside Manhattan criminal court in New York

Trump addressed media alongside his attorney Todd Blanche, right, at end of Thursday's proceedings

Boebert herself is attempting to win a seat in the state's Fourth Congressional District after two terms in the third.

Boebert has been fighting against perception of liberals and even some moderate Republicans of her reckless nature, with a series of scandals dotting her time in office, most infamously when she was asked to leave a performance of Beetlejuice over sexually groping her date.

Boebert - who divorced her husband in 2023 amid accusations of domestic abuse - was filmed lashing out at theater staff after being booted from the performance.

Surveillance footage shows Boebert, wearing a tight, low-cut gold dress and high heels, making a considerable fuss as she and a hunky mystery man are ordered out.

She can be seen snapping a selfie as she leaves the auditorium and angrily bares her teeth at staff as she is escorted through the lobby.

It marked just the latest drama involving the politician whose greatest hits include allegations that she punched her ex-husband, allegations of pointing a gun at an Obama-supporting employee and trying to prove that a WWE star was her birth father.
Riley Strain's parents broke down in tears as they accepted his University of Missouri diploma two months after his mystery death.

Strain, 22, vanished during a bar crawl with his friends in Nashville on March 8 and was found dead in a river two weeks later after a huge manhunt.

Police said they did not suspect foul play, but his family are still searching for answers as to how he died after chilling footage emerged of the student stumbling through the city hours before his death.

On Saturday, his heartbroken parents bravely walked onto stage at the University of Missouri and accepted Strain's diploma from the Mizzou College of Arts and Science.

His mother wept and held his diploma up to the sky as students stood and cheered in a standing ovation in his honor.

Riley Strain, 22, vanished during a bar crawl with his friends in Nashville and was found dead two weeks later. His parents accepted his diploma from the University of Missouri in his honor

Riley's name was the first to be read out at the ceremony.

As his parents and their partners accept the diploma on his behalf, they were met with fierce applause from the fellow students, staff and attendees.

His mother, Michelle, wiped away tears and held the diploma aloft in a tribute to her son.

The crowd of students and parents then got to their feet and applauded and cheered as the family comforted each other on stage.

Riley was majoring in business and financial planning before his death.

The Delta Chi fraternity member went missing in Nashville on a trip for his frat's annual spring formal when he was kicked out of Luke's Bridge Food + Drink just after 9.30pm.

Strain had told his friends that he would meet them back at their hotel, but was nowhere to be seen when the group returned from their night out.

His friends tried contacting him, but received no response and they reported Strain as missing as they failed to locate him via his Snapchat location.

A two week search for Strain ended when workers found his body in the Cumberland River eight miles away from where he vanished

Surveillance footage collected by police later from Downtown Smoke & Vape Shop on Church Street showed Strain near the intersection of 2nd Avenue and Church Street.

The seemingly intoxicated student took a tumble, then quickly got back up and continued down the street.

Another camera caught near the intersection of Gay Street and 1st Avenue North just before 10pm taking large strides with his head down as he stumbled through the streets.

A massive searched was launched with police and residents scouring miles of city, river and countryside.

The two week search ended when workers found his body in the Cumberland River eight miles away from where he vanished.

An autopsy concluded that his death was 'accidental' with no indications of foul play.

It is not yet clear what the exact cause of his death was, or why Strain was in the river.

The student had reportedly FaceTimed his mom Michelle Whiteid that evening, and she said nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

His parents previously said cops butchered the investigation into his disappearance, as more clues seemed to have come from the public than officers.

The parents' criticism of the cops comes after TikTokers found a crucial piece of evidence that investigators failed to discover over a week after Strain went missing.

Anna Clemdening and Brandy Baenen, had been rummaging through trash along the riverbank when they located Strain's bank card.

'My stomach dropped,' Clendening said, describing the moment she turned over the card to reveal Strain's name. 'My innate reaction was to be like, 'Let's keep looking.'

Strain's family, who had traveled from Missouri to Nashville for the search shared the news he had been found.

His mother, Michelle, said: 'I just ask that you mommas out there, hug your babies tight tonight please.'

Michelle Strain Whiteid, Riley Strain's heartbroken mother broke her silence in a press conference just hours after her 22-year-old son was found dead in a river eight miles from where he vanished in Nashville

She echoed the words of her husband Chris, Riley's stepfather, and the 22-year-old's father Ryan Gilbert of how much they appreciated the support from across the country.

Despite the family previously criticizing the police, Gilbert thanked the Metro Nashville Police Department for their efforts, as well as the volunteer United Cajun Navy.

'It's just unbelievable what they've done for us,' Gilbert said.

Stepfather Chris thanked the entire Nashville community for their help in trying to find Riley.

'It's been an emotional rollercoaster. We're quite thankful for everything that you've done for our family. The grace that you've given us, it means a lot, more than you'll ever know.'

'To the people of Nashville, I can't thank you enough for the support, the love, the encouragement that you've shown myself and my wife,' Chris said.
An unborn baby has tragically died after his mother was involved in a two-car crash in Queensland.

A Toyota RAV4 and a Toyota HiLux were travelling in opposite directions along Ipswich Boonah Rd at Purga, south-west of Brisbane, when they collided about 5.45pm on Thursday.

Emergency crews rushed to the scene and three people in one car and three in the other were transported to hospital.

Among those was a 25-year-old woman travelling in the HiLux who was rushed to Ipswich Hospital with serious injuries.

Her unborn baby died as a result of those injuries, police said.

The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating.

Anyone with dashcam footage or information linked to the crash is asked to contact police.
The Labour leader insisted he is not a 'Blair copycat' and rejected accusations he had scaled back his ambitions in government as he unveiled the party's 1997-style election pledges yesterday.

Handing out pledge cards and posing for pictures in a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves, Sir Keir Starmer welcomed comparisons between himself and the former prime minister  but said 2024 was a 'very different moment' from when Tony Blair came to power.

But the Labour leader was accused by the Tories of being a 'serial promise breaker' as he announced his six 'first steps for change' if they win the election.

The vows, which include cracking down on antisocial behaviour and launching a border security command to break up small boat gangs, are a far cry from the ten promises he ran on during his campaign for the Labour leadership in 2020.

Sir Keir insisted he could still be trusted by voters and that the six pledges were a downpayment on the five broader missions he set out last year.

Sir Keir Starmer (pictured) welcomed comparisons between himself and the former prime minister  but said 2024 was a 'very different moment' from when Tony Blair came to power

Sir Keir is still close with former PM Tony Blair (pictured) - the pair are said to meet 'reasonably frequently'  but he denied imitating his fellow centrist

But Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden said his speech was 'devoid of any plan for Britain', adding: 'Sir Keir Starmer is a serial promise breaker who doesn't have the courage or conviction to stick to a single pledge he has ever made.

'Just look at his last pledge card, which he abandoned the second he got the chance.

'His unfunded spending, higher taxes and amnesty for illegal migrants would take Britain back to square one.'

In what was widely seen as an election campaign launch, Sir Keir unveiled marketing material in marginal constituencies across the country in a familiar pose.

In 1997, ahead of Labour's landslide victory, Mr Blair could be seen on posters with his sleeves rolled up alongside a caption: 'Because Britain deserves better.'

Sir Keir is still close with the former PM  the pair are said to meet 'reasonably frequently'  but he denied imitating his fellow centrist.

'The first thing I'd say about Tony Blair, other than he took his tie off at big events, is that he won three elections in a row,' he said.

Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden (pictured) said his speech was 'devoid of any plan for Britain'

'Everybody has been trying to say which leader are you most like, who do you have secretly tattooed on the inside of your arm  it is none of them.

'Some of the things that are important about winning power are the same. It's not copycat. We are 27 years on from 1997. The challenges we faced not are not same as faced by Tony Blair.'

Last week saw Labour secure its largest polling lead since the Liz Truss era  30 points ahead of the Tories  after a strong set of local elections.

But the party has lost some of its traditional voter base, especially Muslims and progressives, over its stance on the Gaza conflict and the fact Sir Keir has discarded his leadership vows.

Promises in 2020 to increase taxes on the top 5 per cent of earners, scrap tuition fees and abolish Universal Credit are all among pledges to be thrown to the wayside. When asked about losing traditionally loyal voters, Sir Keir said: 'You don't have to be tribally Labour to want your country to improve.'

Last night, Labour environment spokesman Steve Reed admitted the pledge to set up Great British Energy may be prohibitively expensive, with the Trades Union Congress saying it may need 82billion by 2035 to scale up.

But a Labour spokesman said: 'The cost of GB Energy is 8.3billion, fully funded by our windfall tax on the oil and gas giants making record profits at the expense of the British people.'
Pavement dining will become a 'permanent feature of the high street' under plans to cut red tape and make the most of 'Brexit freedoms'.

Kemi Badenoch yesterday announced a package of reforms to boost businesses.

Plans unveiled by the Business Secretary include proposals to remove regulations that make it hard for pubs, restaurants and cafes to get permission to serve customers outside.

Pubs could also be given the automatic right to sell takeaway pints. Temporary allowances were granted during the pandemic but are due to expire next year.

Yesterday's package will also loosen some regulations on gambling, including allowing bingo halls to install fruit machines.

And the official definition of a medium-sized business will be doubled to those with 500 employees, removing thousands of smaller firms from onerous red tape, such as the requirement to publish 'strategic reports'.

British Business and Trade Secretary, Kemi Badenoch, arriving at Downing Street for a UK government cabinet meeting in London

Pubs could be given the automatic right to sell takeaway pints. Temporary allowances were granted during the pandemic but are due to expire next year

Small firms like cafes and corner shops could be permitted to 'self-certify' for some functions, meaning they would not be 'subjected to needless inspections or mandatory training courses' before they can serve customers.

Mrs Badenoch is also introducing a Whitehall principle that extra regulations should only be imposed when 'absolutely necessary'.

And regulators will be given a new 'growth duty' requiring them to show that they are helping firms to grow 'at every opportunity'.

She said a regulation programme introduced in the wake of Brexit had already cut 50million hours of business admin per year, saving firms an estimated 1billion.

'This Government is seizing the benefits of Brexit by reducing burdens on business, pushing down the cost of living, and driving growth in every corner of the economy,' Mrs Badenoch said.

Small firms like cafes and corner shops could be permitted to 'self-certify' for some functions, meaning they would not be 'subjected to needless inspections

'These reforms will give entrepreneurial businesses more opportunity to innovate, experiment, and capitalise on the UK's global leadership in key sectors.'

Business leaders welcomed the news.

Tina McKenzie, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said that smaller firms 'suffer more' from badly designed rules and 'contradictory regulatory requirements'.

She added: 'We're especially pleased that the Government has adopted the principle of regulating as a last resort, instead of as a first response.'
Major changes are on the way for thousands of Centrelink recipients following this week's Federal Budget.

Amendments to what are called mutual obligation rules have been made to the JobSeeker payment.

A relaxation of the rules means that fewer Aussies will likely be cut off from the payment.

The changes include an extension of the grace period before a jobseeker gets cut off from the payment for missing an employment appointment.

'From October 2024, people will have five days, an increase from the current two days, to re-engage with their employment service provider before suspension,' a Department of Employment and Workplace Relations spokesperson told 7News.

Major changes to Centrelink payments are coming in after being included in this week's Federal Budget. People are pictured queueing outside a Centrelink office

Five months after that, in March 2025, JobSeeker payment recipients who work more than 30 hours a fortnight will be exempt from being cut off if they miss an appointment at an employment services provider.

'All decisions on the application of financial penalties will be made by a human decision-maker at Services Australia,' the spokesperson said.

'New clients will not experience any compliance action the first time they have not met a requirement.'

Tuesday night's Budget allocated $6.4million over a five year period for 'more appropriate and consistent application of mutual obligation rules for certain recipients of income support payments'.

The changes follow a review of Workforce Australia, which said the amount of mutual obligations a JobSeeker recipient had to do was 'patently ridiculous'.

A federal parliamentary committee found the system was mainly influenced by the myth of the 'dole bludger'.

'Employers have made it clear that the system adds little value to their business, and that it repeatedly tries to force unsuitable jobseekers into vacancies without providing adequate incentives or support,' the report said.

The spokesperson said the department was was looking at further changes and the government would respond to the Workforce Australia report in the near future.

But not everyone is in favour of mutual obligation rules.

Greens senator Janet Rice has previously called for them to be abolished, claiming there was no evidence that mutual obligation rules worked.
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Schools across Devon have been forced to close today after hundreds of residents were struck down by a crippling illness caused by contaminated water.

South West Water has urged people to boil their tap water until further notice after people reported a range of symptoms including watery diarrhoea, stomach pains, nausea or vomiting, a mild fever, and loss of appetite.

Public health officials have confirmed more than 20 cases of cryptosporidium, a parasitic bug that causes severe stomach issues, in Brixham while others have complained to their GPs .

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A weed sprayer has described the fateful moment he directed former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn to the campsite where he allegedly murdered two elderly campers.

Robert Williams had been hard at work spraying weeds in the Wonnangatta Valley, in Victoria's Alpine region, on March 18, 2020 when Lynn asked him where was the best place to camp.

He directed the now 57-year old to Bucks Camp where police allege he murdered secret lover campers Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73.

Bucks Camp: Greg Lynn had set up his camp right along the river. Russell Hill turned up later and set up nearby

The burnt remains of Russell Hill and Carol Clay's campsite. Greg Lynn has admitted to covering his tracks after the pair were killed in what he says was a 'tragic accident'

Mr Williams appeared in the Supreme Court of Victoria on Thursday where Lynn has pleaded not guilty to murdering the campers.

The court heard Lynn appeared 'friendly and good natured' when he approached Mr Williams.

The weed sprayer told the jury he was initially concerned Lynn may have been suffering from Covid-19 - the virus that was about to place Victoria into lockdown over the coming years.

'I asked the man could he stand back a few metres please because he was all sweaty and it looked like he was crook,' Mr Williams said.

'The Covid was just breaking out and I thought he might have had the Covid

'He told me that he didn't have Covid, he'd been hunting. Then he asked me where the best camp was.'

Mr Williams directed him to Bucks Camp about 200 metres along the road, telling Lynn it was the best camp in the area.

Days later, Mr Williams claimed to have seen Mr Hill 'speed' past him as he was spraying weeds, later describing Mr Hill to police as a 'grumpy old bugger'.

'It was like he was on a mission. It was just very unusual,' he told the jury.

Greg Lynn is facing trial over two murders

Carol Clay and Russell Hill were allegedly murdered by Greg Lynn in March 2020

Bucks Camp where Russell Hill and Carol Clay were allegedly murdered in the Wonnangatta Valley is circled

Mr Williams claimed Mr Hill appeared to have been having an argument with his passenger - a person police say could only have been Ms Clay.

The witness told the jury most people he observed entering that part of the bush appeared happy and usually stopped to chat.

'He just looked really grumpy and sad and it's just the way he sped past me ... people normally slow down a bit,' he said.

'He just wasn't smiling, he didn't acknowledge me, he didn't even really wanna look at me.'

Mr Williams claimed Mr Hill appeared to be not speaking to Ms Clay as he made his way along the track.

'He didn't say anything. He looked away. He looked at me then looked away ... I couldn't see his mouth moving,' he said.

Mr Williams said Mr Hill appeared to be in such a hurry he drove directly over the hose of his weed sprayer.

'He come past really fast and I don't even think he saw the spray hose,' he said.

'Most people even stop and ask if it's okay to drove over our spray lines.'

The court heard a drone police believe was being operated by Mr Hill later flew over the weed sprayer's own campsite and other campers in the area.

'I thought it was a bit rude,' Mr Williams said.

A photo captured by a camper who had a previous encounter with Russell Hill, whose vehicle is circled.

A road worker provided images of the rough terrain near where he encountered the alleged killer of Russell Hill and Carol Clay

Road workers had been in the area when Greg Lynn ventured into the Victorian Alps

On Wednesday, the court heard Lynn claimed Mr Hill and Ms Clay were killed in a 'tragic accident'.

His barrister Dermot Dann, KC told the jury Mr Hill stole Lynn's shotgun after he became enraged about Lynn playing loud music on the night he was killed.

'He went towards Mr Hill to try and get the gun back - to take control of the gun,' Mr Dann said.

'Mr Hill fired the gun into the air and Mr Lynn initially took cover towards the rear of his car.'

Lynn would later tell police he was 'scared s***less' by Mr Hill's actions.

'He decided the only way to make things safe was to get his gun back,' Mr Dann said.

The jury heard that as Lynn tried to wrestle the firearm away from Mr Hill, the gun discharged and Ms Clay was hit in the head.

'The next thing is Mr Hill's advancing towards him with a knife screaming at him "she's dead",' Mr Dann said.

'A struggle developed over the knife. Mr Lynn trying to defend himself - they're locked in this struggle - and as part of that struggle the two men fall to the ground and the knife goes through the chest of Mr Hill.'

The court heard Mr Hill and Lynn had argued earlier in the day about Lynn hunting for deer so close to other campers.

In opening the case on Tuesday, Crown prosecutor Daniel Porceddu dismissed Lynn's version of events.

'It is likely there was a dispute regarding Mr Hill's drone or vision captured on his drone,' Mr Porceddu said.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is set to call for immigration to be slashed so it matches the supply of housing - copying the successful approach of Canada's Conservative leader.

Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor has suggested the Opposition's Budget Reply speech on Thursday night would announce a plan for Australia's net overseas immigration level to be tied with new housing.

'The starting point is just to make sure immigration rates which you know, we're supportive of a sensible immigration policy, we long have been, but to make sure it's in line with housing construction,' he told ABC News Breakfast.

The theme is very similar to what Canadian Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre earlier this year told reporters in Winnipeg.

'We need to make a link between the number of homes built and the number of people we invite as new Canadians,' he said.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton (pictured with his family) is set to call for immigration to be slashed so it matches the supply of housing - copying the successful approach of Canadian conservative leader

Peter Dutton will be hoping his new strategy appeals to younger Australians

In the year to September, a record 548,800 overseas migrants on a net basis flooded into Australia, but only 168,690 new homes were built despite the fastest population growth since the early 1950s.

With 2.5 people per home, that leaves a housing shortfall of 127,075 just to house new migrants before births are even factored in.

The 168,690 new homes built last year is also well short of the average of 240,000 new homes a year, over five years, Labor is promising to build as part of its promise for 1.2million new houses and units from July this year until 2029.

In the Budget papers, Treasury forecast net overseas migration would fall to 395,000 in 2023-24, before dropping to 260,000 in 2024-25.

This is a sign Labor is particularly worried about high immigration affecting its re-election chances with capital city rental vacancy rates under one per cent.

In Canada, the Conservative Party is the favourite to win the next election against telegenic Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose centre-left Liberal Party government last year imported a record 1,131,181 migrants in a nation with 41million residents.

Immigration accounted for 98 per cent of Canada's population growth, a level even more severe than Australia's 83 per cent.

Mr Poilievre, who famously ate an apple during a TV interview, is also favoured among the under 30s, with YouGov and Abacus Data polls showing the Canadian Opposition winning 40 per cent of this younger demographic which normally prefers the governing Liberals.

The theme is very similar to Canadian Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre's call for immigration to also match housing supply

That's a major turnaround from a 50-point deficit in 2021 for the party that has been out of power since 2015 and could signal a winning strategy for Mr Dutton, whose conservative Liberal Party struggles to attract younger voters who instead overwhemingly back Labor and the Greens.

Like Australia, Canada also has a housing affordability crisis that is hurting the young and voters in both English-speaking Commonwealth nations are expected to be going to the polls by next year - or sooner.

After Sydney, Vancouver is considered the world's third most expensive housing market by American think tank Demographia, when median household incomes were compared with the median house price.

Sydney's median house price of $1.4million requires an high-income individual or a couple to earn $218,700 - or more than double the average, full-time salary of $98,218 - to even get a mortgage with a 20 per cent deposit.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Tuesday night admitted high immigration, from the large influx of international students, had pushed up rents.

'Australia's international education sector is a national asset. But for too long, enrolments have grown without being matched by an increase in student housing supply,' he said in his Budget speech.

'This puts pressure on prices and rents, especially in our cities and suburbs.

'It makes finding housing harder for everyone. We have a more substantial, more sustainable approach.'

In the year to September, a record 548,800 overseas migrants on a net basis flooded in Australia, but only 168,690 new homes were built (pictured are commuters at Parramatta train station in Sydney's west)

Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Tuesday night admitted high immigration, from the large influx of international students, had pushed up rents.

Dr Chalmers announced universities would need to build more housing for international students if they wanted to keep relying on their upfront fees for a lucrative revenue stream.

With construction workers in short supply, it is hoped forcing universities to build more accommodation would make it harder for the higher education sector to accept so many enrolments.

International students make up the bulk of long-term arrivals in the immigration figures, with the permanent intake of migrants capped at 190,000.

'If universities want to take more international students, they must build more student accommodation,' Dr Chalmers said.

'We will limit how many international students can be enrolled by each university based on a formula, including how much housing they build.'
A British artist famous for his royal portraits has claimed Jonathan Yeos controversial painting of the King does not capture the real Charles.

Alexander Talbot-Rice said the dramatic red tone did not convey His Majestys very gentle and intelligent character - suggesting it was instead designed to cause a stir.

MailOnline can exclusively reveal the 55-year-olds latest painting of the King, which begun over a decade ago when Mr Talbot-Rice was invited to Balmoral for a sitting.

King Charles this week unveiled his first official portrait since the coronation, which was painted by Mr Yeo over several sittings.

Artist Jonathan Yeo's 'fiery' portrait of King Charles was unveiled by the monarch on Monday

Alexander Talbot-Rice unveiled his portrait (pictured) of the King in a video shared with MailOnline

Alexander Talbot-Rice, who is famous for painting Royals, said Yeo's unconventional painting does not capture the King's very gentle and intelligent character

King Charles and Jonathan Yeo at the unveiling of the portrait in the blue drawing room at Buckingham Palace

It was met with a mixed response online however, with some hailing its originality while others suggested the overriding red hue looked like the King was in hell.

Even the artist himself - who taught himself how to paint while recovering from cancer - has admitted not everyone would love his fiery portrait.

Last night, Mr Talbot-Rice told MailOnline: Although I have a lot of respect for some of Jonathan's work, I think this one is slightly sensational, in terms of it being a portrait that has been designed to be controversial, rather than convey the character of the subject.

Mr Talbot-Rice became famous for his own royal portraits after painting the late Queen Elizabeth II for her Golden Jubilee in 2005, as well as Prince Philip.

After serving as official war artist with the British Army in Afghanistan, he was invited on his return in 2013 to Balmoral for a sitting with the King, who was then the Prince of Wales.

He said: Im very fond of the King. I remember him as a very gentle and intelligent human being and to me that's not conveyed in this portrait.

The artist told how over the years he begun to suffer from presbyopia - the loss of the eyes' ability to focus on nearby objects - that made his work far harder.

King Charles III greets artist Jonathan Yeo at the unveiling of the portrait this week

King Charles III prepares to unveil the painting at Buckingham Palace in London this week

King Charles unveils his portrait by artist Jonathan Yeo, at Buckingham Palace

The painting is revealed for the first time by King Charles at Buckingham Palace this week

Mr Talbot-Rice became famous for painting Royal portraits such as the painting his painting of the late Queen Elizabeth II for her Golden Jubilee in 2005 (pictured)

Picture shows Alexander Talbot-Rice's portrait of Prince Philip

This year, he underwent surgery at EuroEyes flagship clinic for laser eye surgery in Hamburg under its founder Dr Jrn Slot Jrgensen to restore his eyesight.

Now with near 20/20 vision again, he has returned to finish his painting of the King over a decade later. It is currently being framed and he intends to gift it to his majesty.

Creating what he believes is the best painting Ive ever done, he joked: I would be very happy to refer Jonathan Yeo to my eye surgeon.

Mr Talbot-Rice said: I'm not going to make a value statement about whether Jonathan's painting is good or bad. I'm just going to say that my perception of him was different.

Having a very red background conveys a certain kind of psychological statement that I don't recognise in Charles.

King Charles III is pictured greeting Sir Philip Mould at the unveiling on Monday

A portrait by Jonathan Yeo of Queen Camilla in 2014 when she was Duchess of Cornwall

A portrait released by Jonathan Yeo in 2008 of Prince Philip, who died in April 2021

The painting was completed by the renowned artist Jonathan Yeo (pictured in London in 2018)

It might have an expressionist quality, but the duty of an artist is to be a prism through which we convey something about the person that we're painting.

He said his more traditional style focused on green hues for the background, which he said was intended to reflect the Kings love of nature.

Mr Yeos work, which is 7.5ft by 5ft, was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Waless 50 years as a member of the Drapers Company.

Speaking previously about how it would be received, Mr Yeo said: 'There's always people who will disagree with you on how to paint these things.

'People may not agree with how I've done it but it's a bit different from the other royal portraits I've seen.

He said the bright red colours were part of that, explaining: 'I was playing with this idea of mysticism. We still buy into the idea of the royal family being a bit different from us in some way.'
Of all the troubles to have afflicted the Royal Family this year, none has been more devastating than the tragic death of Thomas Kingston, the 45-year-old husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor.

Handsome and popular, Tom died from what was described as a traumatic head wound in February. A gun was found near his body in an outbuilding at his parents home in the Cotswolds.

This weekend will be particularly poignant for Lady Gabriella, as Saturday is the fifth anniversary of her wedding at St Georges Chapel, Windsor - a joyful occasion with the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip among the guests.

Now, the Royal Family is rallying round once again, this time to help Lady Gabriella - daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent - to recover from the ordeal.

Thomas Kingston's family, in partnership with the royals, have organised a big memorial service for him following the very private funeral

The couple married in 2019 at St George's Chapel in Windsor - with the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip among the guests

I can reveal that their Majesties have invited Ella, as she is known by friends, to attend the Kings Birthday Parade next month.

The parade is the formal name for Trooping the Colour and an appearance at the occasion would be the first time she has been seen in public since her husbands death.

Everyone hopes that Ella will attend the celebrations, if she feels up to it, a royal source tells me. It would be a powerful signal of the Familys love and concern for her.

It is not clear if Lady Gabriella will be invited to join the King and Queen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch the traditional fly-past when the parade is over.

King Charles and Queen Camilla have invited Lady Gabriella, daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent (pictured), to Trooping the Colour - and have previously stood on the Buckingham Palace balcony

Ella, as she is known by friends, last month moved back in with her parents at their home in Kensington Palace as she continues to recover from the loss of her husband

Thomas, the 45-year-old husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor, died on February 25 as a result of a 'traumatic head wound'. A gun was found near his body

Along with other junior royals, Ella had made regular appearances on the balcony until the arrival of Covid-19 in early 2020.

When the pandemic was over and Trooping the Colour returned, Queen Elizabeth invited only working royals to join her, so sparing the blushes of her son Prince Andrew, who had been stripped of public duties, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who had stepped back from royal duties with The Firm.

If Lady Gabriella does feel able to attend the Kings Birthday Parade and the private lunch that will follow, it would be useful preparation for an even more important date in her calendar the following weekend.

I can disclose that Toms family, in partnership with the royals, have organised a big memorial service for him. Some of his friends have already been invited. It will be a wonderful chance to celebrate his life, one tells me.

Most were not invited to his funeral in March. This was a small and, Im told, highly emotional gathering at the Chapel Royal within St Jamess Palace  the setting for the marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1840 and the Christening of Prince George in 2013

Toms body had been carried by hearse in a funeral procession from Kensington Palace. Lady Gabriella was joined by her parents, her brother, Lord Frederick Windsor, and his wife, the actress Sophie Winkleman.

The coroner who formally opened the inquest into Toms death said police were satisfied it was not suspicious. The inquest has been adjourned.

Last month, I disclosed that Ella had moved back in with her parents at their home in Kensington Palace.

They wanted Ella to be with them, and she didnt want to be alone in the home she shared with Tom, one of her friends told me at the time.

All of us are rallying round and shes going to be OK.

Lady Gabriella, 43, whose father is a first cousin of the late Queen, had previously lived in the Notting Hill area of West London with Tom.

After the financiers death, King Charles and Queen Camillas spokesman said they had sent their most heartfelt thoughts and prayers to Gabriella and to all the Kingston family.

I hope the Kings Birthday Parade and the warm embrace of the Royal Family will prove to be Lady Gabriellas first step on the steep road to recovery.

To sign up for Richard Edens weekly royal newsletter, click on this link.
It's official - San Diego is the new ground zero for the border crisis in the US, seeing the most migrant apprehensions of anywhere else last month.

At least 37,370 migrants entered the US through the San Diego sector, which includes all of Southern California except for El Centro on the Arizona state line, according to the US Border Patrol.

In April, the San Diego region surpassed Tucson, which had been the nation's busiest, and fell to second with 31,219 border encounters.

El Paso sector, which includes the West Texas city and all of New Mexico, rose to third with 30,393.

San Diego's rise as the number one border hot spot had been expected, as the area had been getting bombarded with as many as 6,000-8,000 border crossers a week in the last few months.

Migrants reach through a border wall for clothing handed out by volunteers as they wait between two border walls to apply for asylum Friday in San Diego

'Unfortunately, I'm not surprised,' San Diego County Commissioner Jim Desmond told DailyMail.com last month.

'Texas is clamping down and other areas are clamping down. Here in California, they're allowed to walk in unimpeded. They're going to follow the path of least resistance, and the least resistance is in California.'

In fact, the Del Rio Sector, which includes the Texas city by the same name and Eagle Pass, had long been the top spot in the entire nation since 2021.

In January, Texas' governor cracked down illegal crossings by seizing a park that was known as the place for migrants to enter through.

Gov. Greg Abbott also kicked Border Patrol agents out of the land, claiming the federal government was doing enough to stop migrants from coming in.

While Abbott's actions are credited for the shift, drug cartels have more influence on where migrants cross.

San Diego had the most encounters in April, followed by the Tucson sector and El Paso, according to newly released figures by the US Border Patrol

US Customs and Border Patrol, the parent agency of the US Border Patrol, released the latest number for the month of April, showing some 37,370 migrants entered the nation through the San Diego sector

A $13 billion business of trafficking humans from Mexico into the US has been described as whac-a-mole by border experts- where one area flares up as others quiet down.

Since February, the Mexican government has also stepped up its efforts to keep migrants in Mexico before they can ever reach the US.

That has resulted in lower border crossings than normal across the entire international boundary.

In April, 247,837 migrants entered the US illegally, compared to previous months which saw over 300,000 crossings.

Migrants who are arrested in San Diego sector are vetted by US Border Patrol are being released onto the streets.

The county migrant shelter closed a few months back, after local leaders decided they did not want to the $18 million dollars a year to keep running it.

Migrants with carry-ons are apprehended at the border in El Campo on March 13

'It was costing us, at that point in time, about $1.5 million a month to basically be their travel agent. Border Patrol was their Uber, bringing them to those drop off areas, and then we were their travel agent,' Desmond quipped.

Without the local shelter, migrants are either being let loose at a transit station or at the airport by the feds.

'The biggest burden here lately has been our airport. Luckily a lot of them are flying to other parts of the country, but we're a tourist community. People coming to San Diego, they see all the people sleeping there. It looks bad,' the commissioner added.

'We just can't sustain it; we can't manage the numbers that are coming here.'

Migrants have been known to spend as many as five days crashing at the airport while they wait for a flight out of town, Desmond added.

Migrants surrender to the U.S. Border Patrol after crossing the border wall from Mexico near Campo, California, about 50 miles from San Diego, on Wednesday, March 13

Like other border communities across the country, San Diego's airport does not add extra flights simply because there's a spike in migrant crossings.

Often times, there aren't available seat to fly out or migrants, with limited means, wait a day or two until ticket prices drop and they can afford to travel to their final destination.

Last month, an image of a migrant sleeping underneath restroom sinks at the airport was shared by a local conservative talk show host.

'My photo at San Diego International Airport this morning. Mens restroom near TSA, gates 5-10 in Terminal One. Homeless transient or asylum seeker asleep under sinks next to urinals. Common all over with surge in migrants dumped in SD,' tweeted Mark Larson.

However, the county has been promised $20 million by the Biden to open up a shelter in the coming weeks.
He ruled ancient Egypt at the height of its powers, was worshipped as a living god, and was the grandfather of Tutankhamun.

And now the true face of Amenhotep III has been revealed.

The pharaoh, described by one archaeologist as 'one of the richest men that ever lived', led Egypt through a period of unprecedented prosperity and international power.

He's considered one of the greatest pharaohs and has more surviving statues than any other, yet a scientific reconstruction of his face had never been made.

Now, using data from the skull of his mummy, a multinational team has revealed his true likeness for the first time in almost 3,400 years.

He ruled ancient Egypt at the height of its powers, was worshipped as a living god, and was the grandfather of Tutankhamun. And now the true face of Amenhotep III has been revealed

Michael Habicht, an archaeologist at Flinders University in Australia, said he looked quite different to the pharaoh seen on statues.

He said: 'It's a placid face for a man who promoted peace and lived in a time of the greatest economic prosperity.

'He might well have been one of the richest men that ever lived, at least in his epoch.'

He continued: 'It is difficult to know the cause of death by analysing the available remains.

'Research carried out in the 1970s described Amenhotep III as an obese, sick, and sedentary man, who was almost bald, and suffered from dental problems in the last years of his life.

Brazilian graphics expert Cicero Moraes, who brought the face back to life, said the reconstruction began by digitally recreating the pharaoh's skull, using images and data from his mummy

The mummy of Amenhotep III is now kept at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo

Who was Amenhotep III? Amenhotep III is one of the most important kings of the Eighteenth Dynasty. He built or rebuilt many temples in the country (Luxor, Memphis, Elkab, Armant). At Thebes he had a vast temple constructed to his own cult on the West Bank; the colossal statues (known as the Colossi of Memmon, before the entrance) are the most monumental elements still standing. He also built at Thebes a palace complex (Malqata) which was until the 1900s relatively well preserved. The king issued a number of scarabs with longer inscriptions describing events of his reign. His main wife was Tiy, who seems to have played an important part in the reign. She appears on monuments more often and more prominently than virtually any queen before her. Source: UCL Advertisement

'Although he was one of the truly great kings of Egypt, his body height is about 156cm, making him one of the smallest kings we know from their preserved mummies.

'This rather small body height is not reflected in art  in artworks he is famous for his gigantic statues.'

Brazilian graphics expert Cicero Moraes, who brought the face back to life, said the reconstruction began by digitally recreating the pharaoh's skull, using images and data from his mummy.

Additional data from living donors was then used to inform the likely dimensions and position of the king's nose, ears, eyes, and lips.

Mr Moraes said: 'Based on historical knowledge, Amenhotep III had a robust appearance, which is why we used data from individuals with a high body mass index.'

He added: 'If we are not mistaken, this is the first facial approximation of Amenhotep III.

'Compared to other approximations of pharaohs that I have participated in, this was the most complete too, as we modelled the clothes and accessories.

'We were amazed with the final result; seeing a complete bust with these colours and the facial serenity is quite satisfying.

'It is our gift to all those who appreciate history.'

The pharaoh was worshipped as divine in his lifetime, and he claimed the god Amun was his real father  with the name Amenhotep meaning 'Amun is satisfied'.

He is thought to have died between the ages of 40 and 50, leaving his successor a kingdom at the height of its power and wealth.

Data from living donors was used to inform the likely dimensions and position of the king's nose, ears, eyes, and lips

The pharaoh was worshipped as divine in his lifetime, and he claimed the god Amun was his real father  with the name Amenhotep meaning 'Amun is satisfied'. Pictured: a bust of Amenhotep III in the Cleveland Museum of Art

Dr Habicht said: 'Diplomatic letters by foreign potentates begged him to send them some gold as a present, 'as gold shall be abundant in Egypt as sand'.

'It's the usual overexaggeration for such a letter, but nevertheless hints towards extreme wealth.'

He added: 'There are speculations that the mummy of Amenhotep III may have been entirely covered with gold leaf, so that he must have looked like a statue of a god.'

The archaeologist said the pharaoh may also have been something of a womanizer.

'He was apparently very interested in women; he imported hundreds of foreign harem ladies and collected them as other people collect postal stamps,' he said.

On his death, Amenhotep III was succeeded by his son, Amenhotep IV.

The new pharaoh would rebel against the powerful Amun priesthood, installing the sun god Aten as the top Egyptian deity.

He changed his name to Akhenaten  meaning 'beneficial to Aten'  and even moved his capital away from Thebes  the 'city of Amun'  to a new city honouring the sun god, Akhetaten.

But his son, Tutankhaten, would restore the cult of Amun to prominence, changing his name to Tutankhamun  meaning 'the living image of Amun'.

Tutankhamun would become one of history's most famous pharaohs thanks to the discovery of his tomb in 1922, which was largely intact and contained many of its original artifacts.

Dr Habicht, Mr Moraes, and their colleagues Elena Varotto from Flinders University, and Francesco Galassi from the University of Lodz in Poland, plan to publish their findings in a scientific journal.
Our friends from across the pond have been known to struggle with British sarcasm on occasion.

But improved Anglo-American relations may be on the horizon, as experts have developed a device that can detect when someone is being sarcastic.

A team from the University of Groningen have created an algorithm that analyses someone's speech to work out if they are using irony.

It works by examining the pitch, talking rate and energy in speech, and then transcribing the speech into text for it to be analysed further for language cues.

'We extracted acoustic parameters such as pitch, speaking rate, and energy from speech, then used Automatic Speech Recognition to transcribe the speech into text for sentiment analysis,' author Xiyuan Gao said.

Our friends from across the pond have been known to struggle with British sarcasm on occasion. Pictured: British comedian, Frankie Boyle

'Next, we assigned emoticons to each speech segment, reflecting its emotional content.

'By integrating these multimodal cues into a machine learning algorithm, our approach leverages the combined strengths of auditory and textual information along with emoticons for a comprehensive analysis.'

Sarcasm  which Oscar Wilde once described as the lowest form of wit but the highest form of intelligence  is notoriously tricky to convey through text and, even in person, it can be easily misinterpreted.

The team said they are optimistic about the performance of their algorithm, but are already looking for ways to improve it further.

Sarcasm  which Oscar Wilde once described as the lowest form of wit but the highest form of sarcasm  is notoriously tricky to convey through text and, even in person, it can be easily misinterpreted (stock image)

'There are a rage of expressions and gestures people use to highlight sarcastic elements in speech,' Ms Gao added.

'These need to be better integrated into our project. In addition, we would like to include more languages and adopt developing sarcasm recognition techniques.'

Sentiment analysis, which focuses on text, is already used for detecting online hate speech and gathering online customer opinions.

Meanwhile emotion recognition, based on speech, can be applied to AI-assisted healthcare, the team said.
They're the wonders of the ancient world that still leave scientists scratching their heads today.

Now, an important part of the mystery of the Egyptian pyramids may have been solved.

Archaeologists have discovered that the famous structures could have been built along a long-lost branch of the river Nile.

And it could help explain why they now seem to be situated in a narrow, inhospitable desert strip.

Researchers from the University of North Carolina Wilmington studied satellite imagery to find the possible location of a former river branch running along the foothills of the Western Desert Plateau, very near to the pyramids.

They're the wonders of the ancient world that still leave scientists scratching their heads today. Now, an important part of the mystery of the Egyptian pyramids may have been solved. Pictured: the Great Pyramid of Khufu (right) and the Pyramid of Khafre (left) at the Giza Pyramids Necropolis

Archaeologists have discovered that the famous structures could have been built along a long-lost branch of the river Nile

Then they used geophysical surveys and sediment cores to confirm the presence of river sediments and former channels beneath the modern land surface.

Analysis indicated the presence of a former 64km-long (40 mile) branch which has since dried up and been hidden by farmland.

The team suggest that an increase build-up of windblown sand, linked to a major drought which began around 4,200 years ago, could be one of the reasons it disappeared.

It could explain the placement of 31 pyramids, including the Giza pyramid complex, in this inhospitable part of the Sahara.

This location would have meant the pyramids were easily accessible via the river branch at the time they were built.

Researchers from the University of North Carolina Wilmington studied satellite imagery to find the possible location of a former river branch running along the foothills of the Western Desert Plateau, very near to the pyramids. Pictured: The Red Pyramid at the Dahshur necropolis

The findings could could help explain why they now seem to be situated in a narrow, inhospitable desert strip. Pictured: The Step Pyramid of Djoser

This would have been important for the transportation of construction materials, the researchers said.

Writing in the journal Communications Earth & Environment they said: 'The largest pyramid field in Egypt is clustered along a narrow desert strip, yet no convincing explanation as to why these pyramids are concentrated in this specific locality has been given so far.

'Here we use radar satellite imagery, in conjunction with geophysical data and deep soil coring, to investigate the subsurface structure and sedimentology in the Nile Valley next to these pyramids.

'We identify segments of a major extinct Nile branch, which we name The Ahramat Branch, running at the foothills of the Western Desert Plateau, where the majority of the pyramids lie.

'Many of the pyramids, dating to the Old and Middle Kingdoms, have causeways that lead to the branch and terminate with Valley Temples which may have acted as river harbours along it in the past.

'We suggest that The Ahramat Branch played a role in the monuments' construction and that it was simultaneously active and used as a transportation waterway for workmen and building materials to the pyramids' sites.'
A pinkish, eyeless creature has been discovered in an underwater cave in China that scientists have claimed could answer mysteries about evolution.

Researchers announced a new species of cave fish that lives deep in the Wujiang River System's underground streams, which is blind with its eyes appearing as black dots under its skin.

However, some of the fish appeared to have weak vision, which the team said could offer 'exceptional cases for evolutionary studies.'

Now it is a race against time save the new species that is already deemed at risk of extinction due to pollution and invasive species.

Seven specimens of a brand new species of eyeless cave fish (pictured) - each with a golden stripe on its back - have been discovered swimming in China 's subterranean river systems

Ecologists and conservationists identified their first sample of the new pink cave fish in 2019, but it has taken years more field surveys deep in the Wujiang River System's underground streams (pictured above) to catch enough of the fish to prove that it is a new species

The researchers named their cavefish the 'Guiyang Golden-line Barbel,' or more technically Sinocyclocheilus guiyang, after several closely related golden-line barbel species, as well as the city of Guiyang, which is near the new fish's cave river home.

'The fish diversity in the Yangtze River Basin of Guiyang City, the most urbanized area of Guizhou, has long been underestimated,' the researchers said.

As many as 66 related Sinocyclocheilus fish species have been found living in the Pearl River Basin to the south of Guizhou, but only six species have been found in Guizhou's Yangtze River Basin and its local Wujiang River tributary.

The fish survey team has suspected that still more undiscovered fish will be found in the Wujiang system's vast river caves.

The geology of this Wujiang River System in central Guizhou Province, is mainly limestone and other carbonate rocks known as 'karst,' which dissolve easily in water creating drainages and sinkholes across this region of south-central China.

'Similar to the Pearl River Basin, the Wujiang River System also exhibits extensive and well-developed karst landforms,' the scientists wrote in their new study, 'which has provided good conditions for the formation of subterranean river systems.'

Some examples of the new fish are perfectly eyeless (A, top left) - but others have small 'highly reduced eyes, partially covered with skin,' (B, top right) the team said. This range of blind and weak-vision in one species offers 'exceptional cases for evolutionary studies,' they note

The 'Guiyang Golden-line Barbel' grows to about 5-inches long, with shorter-than-average 'barbels'  the whisker-like protuberances around a fish's face that cave-fish in particular rely on for navigation and finding food.

'Extended barbels in Sinocyclocheilus species is common,' the researchers wrote, 'as the long barbels better detect water flow and aid foraging in subterranean water systems which are marked by permanent darkness and food scarcity.'

Currently, it's still a mystery why this Guiyang cave fish did not evolve with these longer, more useful barbells, or why it is missing a 'horn-like' structure on its head common to its barbel cavefish cousins.

As the team reported in the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution this Tuesday, the new cave fish also has 'degenerated' scales, and a generally shorter snout and shorter fins than other Sinocyclocheilus species.

But the new cavefish does have a brilliant golden marking on its back between its head and its dorsal fin, similar to other, related barbel fish.

'This species is presently only known from a subterranean stream flowing into the Wujiang River,' according to the scientists, which might suggest a smaller habitat.

The fish survey team suspect that still more undiscovered fish will be found in these vast river caves: 'Similar to the Pearl River Basin, the Wujiang River System also [...] has provided good conditions for the formation of subterranean river systems,' they wrote (species sighting map)

While there are over 200 documented species of 'obligate' (blind) and/or 'troglobiotic' (cave-dwelling) fish worldwide, and they are found on every continent except Antarctica, each individual species comes in limited numbers (above, the new cavefish out in the wild)

While there are over 200 scientifically documented species of 'obligate' (blind) and/or 'troglobiotic' (cave-dwelling) fish worldwide, and they are found on every continent except Antarctica, each individual species comes in limited numbers.

Many including America's own 'Hoosier Cavefish' (Amblyopsis hoosieri) and 'Alabama Cavefish' (Speoplatyrhinus poulsoni) exist only within their own closed-off cave networks, putting them at a higher risk for endangerment or extinction.

The fish survey team that discovered the new species  a collaboration between Huazhong University of Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and several local wildlife agencies  hopes that further identification will help protect these cave-swimming creatures from human encroachment on their homes.

'The new species is the first described troglobiotic species of genus Sinocyclocheilus in the Wujiang River,' they noted.

'[It] faces a high risk of extinction,' they said, 'underscoring the urgency for habitat protection measures within its limited range.'
Britons deterred by the cost of a Center Parcs break in the UK could save up to 800 on their accommodation by opting for a European site, new Which? research has found.

The consumer champion compared the costs of four-night stays for a family of four at 32 Center Parcs sites across England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany during five separate weeks of the school holidays - in May, July, August and October.

It found that the average prices paid in UK Center Parcs resorts 'were considerably higher than prices paid elsewhere in Europe', claiming Brits could save 'hundreds of pounds by holidaying abroad'.

Across the dates Which? checked, the average price for accommodation in UK Center Parcs is 1,435, while the average cost in Germany and the Netherlands is a fraction of that, averaging 857 and 866 respectively.

According to the watchdog, substantial savings could also be made in France and Belgium, where average stays cost 1,098 and 1,121 respectively.

Which? compared the costs of four-night stays for a family of four at 32 Center Parcs sites across Europe

Britons deterred by the cost of a Center Parcs break in the UK could save up to 800 on their accommodation by opting for a European site, Which? found. Above - Center Parcs Woburn Forest in Bedfordshire, England

Which? revealed that France boasted the most significant savings in the May half-term where, without factoring in travel costs, a family could save 852 on average compared with booking in the UK.

The consumer group found that at 1,449 on average for May, a UK Center Parcs stay costs 143 per cent more than the average cost of a comparable break in France (597).

Over the same week, Which? found British families could save an average of 788 in Germany, 742 in the Netherlands and 672 in Belgium.

Meanwhile, those booking in the October half-term can find the biggest savings in the Netherlands, where a four-night break costs 804 less on average than in the UK.

Which? revealed that, using the 1,449 average, a UK Center Parcs break is 125 per cent dearer than a Dutch equivalent (645).

In the summer holidays, the consumer group found Germany was the cheapest Center Parcs destination in each of the three weeks checked.

The end of the summer break offered the biggest savings, Which? noted.

A stay at a German Center Parcs between August 26 and 30 came in at 803 on average, which is over 600 less than a stay in the UK (1,409).

Between August 19 and 23, Which? claimed that travellers could save just shy of 500, and 254 between July 19 and August 2, compared to staying in the UK.

While travel costs could push these prices up, spot checks by Which? suggests that families could still save once they are factored in - particularly if booking ferries well in advance.

Which? noted that Center Parks in Belgium and France are the easiest to reach from the south of England. For example, Park de Haan in Belgium is approximately just over an hour's drive from Dunkirk, while Calais is around two and a half hours from Center Parcs Le Lac dAilette.

Prices of four-night stays at Center Parcs resorts across Europe, according to Which? DATES UK France Belgium Netherlands Germany May 27 - 31 1,449 597 777 707 661 July 29 - Aug 2 1,429 1,472 1,355 1,210 1,175 Aug 19 - 23 1,439 1,419 1,281 995 949 Aug 26 - 30 1,409 1,143 1,070 872 803 Oct 28 - Nov 1 1,449 857 N/A 645 699 Averages 1,435 1,098 1,121 886 857

Across the dates Which? checked, the average price for accommodation in UK Center Parcs resorts is 1,435. Pictured above is Center Parcs Woburn Forest

Which? revealed that at the time of writing, a return ferry to Calais for a family of four could be booked for 147 during the October half-term or 165 during the May half-term.

The Netherlands, meanwhile, can be reached via ferry from Hull, Harwich and Newcastle, or by driving a few hours from Calais or Dunkirk.

Center Parcs De Eemhof has the lowest price in October - 505 for four nights, Which? noted. Its approximately a one-and-a-half hour drive from the Hook of Holland, with a return ferry from Harwich available for 188 at the time of writing, according to the consumer group.

Amounting to a total cost of 693, thats a saving of 606 compared to Center Parcs Whinfell Forest in Cumbria, which is the UK park with the lowest available price that week (1,299 for a four-night stay), Which? revealed.

Which? does advise, however, that holidaymakers should factor in longer journey times, with a ferry crossing to the Hook of Holland taking more than seven hours.

Naomi Leach, Deputy Editor of Which? Travel, said: 'While UK holiday parks offer families an easy way to explore the great British countryside, our research has found that casting your net further afield could make your break more affordable.

'Those holidaying in the May and October half-terms stand to make the most significant savings, but even during the summer, a family could save hundreds of pounds on their accommodation costs.

'Do factor in the cost of transport and travel insurance to ensure the swap is worthwhile and always double-check European parks have the facilities and activities you expect.'

Center Parcs UK said: 'Despite sharing a brand name, Center Parcs UK and Center Parcs Europe are entirely separate companies which operate very differently.

'At Center Parcs UK, our unique offering attracts loyal guests, a high number of whom return year after year  last year, we welcomed approximately 2.2million guests and had continued occupancy of around 97 per cent. We continue to invest heavily in our facilities, accommodation, people and the woodlands in which we operate.'
Petra in Jordan receives close to one million visitors a year, and one adventurous tourist has told how she had a one in a million experience after cave dwellers there took her in for the night.

Caitlin Redden, from New Jersey, visited the ancient city, which dates back to 400 BC, earlier this year and in a series of TikToks, she documents the adventure she had.

Instead of wandering around with other tourists, Caitlin found herself befriending a member of a local Bedouin tribe and she was invited to see how they live.

While it was deemed a Unesco World Heritage site in 1985, a small population of Bedouin people continue to live in Petra, with small caves carved into the sandstone just like their ancient counterparts.

Caitlin Redden, from New Jersey, visited the ancient city, which dates back to 400 BC, earlier this year and in a series of TikToks, she documents the adventure she had

Instead of wandering around with other tourists, Caitlin found herself befriending a member of a local Bedouin tribe and she was invited to see how they live

In 'Part One' of her adventure, the American tourist explains how her unique experience came about.

While showing footage from her Petra trip, she says: 'So I arrived at the park at 6.30am because I wanted to beat the crowds and get the Instagram pictures.

'And I came with this Polish lady that was staying in my hostel, and we had a really good time, but then I lost her.

'So I was just standing at the Treasury admiring it, and this guy came up to me that worked for the government.

'He was getting these shots for me. He knew all the angles. He has been doing this for years. So we got to chatting, and he invited me to go to his family home in the middle of Petra.'

Caitlin said she trusted the local man as he 'did not have any creepy vibes' and she felt as though he was being 'very genuine.'

The man went on to introduce Caitlin to his friends and family and she said it was 'so cool to see where they lived.'

After having lunch, the Bedouin invited her on a tour 'even further into Petra' and she accepted the invitation.

While it was deemed a Unesco World Heritage site in 1985, a small population of Bedouin people continue to live in Petra

Caitlin said of her stay amid the rocks: 'The views from this cave were absolutely insane and the stars were really bright as well'

Detailing how the adventure went from there, she said: 'So they gave me their donkey, Shakira, and I had to lead Shakira all the way through the mountains.

'At this point, I had no idea where I was, but I was just kind of going with the flow of everything.'

In her next TikTok, 'Part Two,' Caitlin explains that because she was falling behind from the rest of the group she was put on a donkey.

She tells viewers: 'I know a lot of these animals are overworked due to tourism and I would never pay to ride one but they said I was slowing everyone down so I had to get on.'

During the journey she got separated from the original Bedouin guy she was with and she was told to follow his cousin and a friend.

They ended up taking a three-hour trek to one of the guys' caves and they watched some 'Bedouin TV' in the form of sitting in front of a fire while cooking dinner.

Caitlin said of her stay amid the rocks: 'The views from this cave were absolutely insane and the stars were really bright as well.

'[But] it was absolutely freezing!'

In 'Part One' of her adventure, the American tourist explains how her unique experience came about. In one scene, she is seen venturing 'even further' into Petra

Rounding off her trip, the globetrotter was shown a lesser-trodden back route to Petra's famed monastery which she said was 'so impressive'

The next morning, Caitlin panned the camera around to show viewers the simple cave where she spent the night, with some bedding on the floor.

She then went to climb a rock to get cell phone service to call family and was surprised to get a message from her hostel.

It turns out the Polish woman she was originally with had believed she had gone missing and was considering calling the police.

In a bid to get back promptly, Caitlin packed up and followed her two guides. A third TikTok details her journey home.

It turns out the group had to hike back towards civilization as they discovered that one of their donkeys had wandered off overnight.

Rounding off her trip, the globetrotter was shown a lesser-trodden back route to Petra's famed monastery which she said was 'so impressive.'

Many viewers have expressed envy over Caitlin's behind-the-scenes Petra experience.

One TikToker wrote: 'As a Jordanian who lived in Jordan for 25 years... DAMN GIRL you got the queen treatment. I went to Petra tons and I didn't get to do half of that.'

Another commenter said: 'I'm so impressed that you're alive and jealous that I won't ever experience this. Thanks for sharing!'
The Last Of Us star Nick Offerman is not just an actor.

He is also a beverage maker. This week he revealed to DailyMail.com his fourth limited-edition collaboration with Lagavulin Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Lagavulin Offerman Edition: Caribbean Rum Cask Finish Aged 11 Years is inspired by Nick's deep-seated affinity for maritime adventure.

'With Lagavulin Offerman Edition 3, we concocted the perfect dram to accompany the perfectly grilled ribeye,' Nick told DailyMail.com.

'And now with number 4, I proudly attest we've created the ideal pairing to go with the dessert course.

'Nothing would suit a dram of version 4 better than a slice of lemon meringue pie to herald in the notes of honey, vanilla and toffee, the loving vibe of a reggae groove, and visions of the Caribbean sunset.'

The Last Of Us star Nick Offerman is not just an actor. He is also a beverage maker. This week he revealed to DailyMail.com his fourth limited-edition collaboration with Lagavulin Single Malt Scotch Whisky

He is married to Will & Grace star Megan Mullally; seen in 2017

The new bottling combines 'tasting notes from the Caribbean, a region close to Nick's heart, with the flavors of the southernmost part of Islay in Western Scotland, home of the Lagavulin distillery, to create a sweet yet smoky whisky that is unlike any Lagavulin before it,' a press release said.

'Laboring together with Lagavulin blending master Stuart Morrison, we have landed upon our most delicious, exotic liquid yet,' Offerman proudly proclaimed.

He continued: 'Now to silence the scandal-mongers.

'There have been many accusations leveled against me regarding my desire to concoct the perfect dram to sit and sip whilst viewing my favorite mermaid musicals, so that I might feel even more fully like a Scottish-Caribbean underwater siren-princess.

'To these scurrilous abusers I have only this to say: what I do in my own time, whether under the sea or above it, is nobody's business but my own.'

He ended with: 'Slainte mhath' which means 'good health.'

Crafted with the precision of a seasoned captain navigating choppy seas, this Single Malt is aged for 11 years in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.

Lagavulin Offerman Edition: Caribbean Rum Cask Finish Aged 11 Years is inspired by Nick's deep-seated affinity for maritime adventure

'With Lagavulin Offerman Edition 3, we concocted the perfect dram to accompany the perfectly grilled ribeye,' Nick told DailyMail.com

'And now with number 4, I proudly attest we've created the ideal pairing to go with the dessert course,' he added; seen in Venice Beach, California this week

Then it is finished for over eight months in ex-Caribbean Rum casks.

Smoky flavors 'transport sippers to the distant Caribbean and Scottish isles merged within this liquid,' the press release also said.

There are notes of lemon meringue, honey, vanilla, toffee, golden cinnamon and a maritime brine.

To accompany the launch, Lagavulin and Offerman have once again teamed up to create a comedic video spot for the 'My Tales of Whisky' series on YouTube/

Offerman arrives at a photo call for Conan O'Brien Must Go in April

Offerman speaks onstage at Netflix Is A Joke Fest Presents Nick Offerman & Friends Vs Climate Crisis at Wilshire Ebell Theatre on May 9 in Los Angeles

Offerman is an actor, author, humorist and woodworker whose credits include the Emmy award-winning role of Bill in The Last of Us (HBO), Ron Swanson on NBC's Parks & Recreation, Forest in Devs, and Karl Weathers in the FX series Fargo.

He has written five New York Times Bestselling books, including his latest, Where the Deer and the Antelope Play (Penguin Random House) and The Greatest Love Story Ever Told, written with his wife, Megan Mullally.

Recent and upcoming projects include Civil War (written and directed by Alex Garland), Origin (written and directed by Ava DuVernay), The Umbrella Academy (Netflix), Dumb Money, Candy Cane Lane (Amazon), The Resort (Peacock), Pam & Tommy (Hulu), A League of Their Own (Amazon), and NBC's Making It (co-host and executive producer).

He is the voice of Beef Tobin in the FOX animated series The Great North and audiobook narrator for Wendell Berry's latest, The Need to Be Whole. In his spare time, he can be found at his woodshop in Los Angeles building hand-crafted items from wood, ranging from spoons and canoes to ukuleles.
A new three-part Netflix docuseries titled Cooking Up Murder: Uncovering the Story of Cesar Roman tells the tale of celeb chef Roman, who was convicted in the murder of his one-time girlfriend, Heydi Paz.

The docuseries - which was directed by Roman Parrado, and penned by Noemi Redondo and Isabel Paniagua - takes a closer look at the rise and fall of Roman, who was convicted in 2021 and is serving his 15-year sentence at Madrid, Spain's Soto del Real Penitentiary Center.

The series examines Roman's professional ascent in Spain in the restaurant industry and the events that led to his arrest, according to Netflix.

He 'is now most famous for being charged in Paz's murder - and for the pathological lies and financial fraud that preceded his notoriety as a criminal,' Netflix said.

Roman had past claimed to have been involved with endeavors including trade unions, newspapers, political parties, and military and covert operations, according to the streaming service.

A new three-part Netflix docuseries titled Cooking Up Murder: Uncovering the Story of Cesar Roman tells the tale of the celeb chef who was convicted in the murder of his one-time business partner, Heydi Paz

The docuseries also focuses on how the local media covered the case and the reasons authorities pointed at Roman in Paz's death.

Roman and Heydi Paz first crossed paths at one of his eateries in April of 2018, and in June of that year, Paz informed Roman she was no longer interested in seeing him; by July, Paz had been reported missing.

Human remains recovered by firefighters during a blaze on August 13, 2018 were later determined to be those of Paz, according to Netflix.

Paz, a 25-year-old native of Honduras, was a mother to two young kids who had been employed as a food server at an A Canada franchise that opened in April of 2018.

The Spanish daily newspaper La Vanguardia, citing letters it obtained, reported that Paz and Roman had dated and lived with one another for a brief time.

Paz's mother Gloria Francis Bulnes described Roman as 'jealous and controlling' of her, according to the outlet Madrid Metropolitan.

Roman's biggest business success came with his restaurant A Canada, according to People, but his bankruptcy surfaced two years later.

Roman abandoned the restaurants and ceased making public appearances, the magazine reported, in the timeframe prior to Paz's disappearance.

The Venezuela-born Roman was nicknamed the 'King of Cachopo,' as he had perfected a dish from northern Spain's Asturias region in which fillets of veal or beef envelope Serrano ham and cheese

Authorities in Madrid, Spain were seen removing Roman from a police van on May 12, 2021

Heidi Paz's mother Gloria Francis Bulnes pictured at a May 2021 court hearing in Madrid

Bulnes described Roman as 'jealous and controlling' of Paz, according to the outlet Madrid Metropolitan

Roman, who entered a not guilty plea in his trial, has denied the murder allegations against him.

Roman remains in custody in his conviction in Paz's murder and dismemberment.

The Venezuela-born Roman was nicknamed the 'King of Cachopo,' as he had perfected a dish from northern Spain's Asturias region in which fillets of veal or beef envelope Serrano ham and cheese.

The popular meal is fried and traditionally presented with peppers and French fries.

According to the streaming service, Roman said that the La Academia Espanola de Amigos del Cachopo had named his Cachopo Spain's very best in 2016.
Mindy Kaling was a vision of springtime style as she attended the Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront in New York on Wednesday.

The Office alum, 44, donned a gorgeous white dress featuring a colorful floral print along with black heels.

The stunning dress clung to her waist and contained a pleated-like skirt that cascaded below the knees.

Her jet black hair was styled in an exquisite 'do featuring a fashionable side part and loose waves.

As for her makeup, she opted for glam with a smoky eye and long lashes.

Mindy Kaling was a stunning vision of springtime style as she attended the Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront in New York on Wednesday

She dusted on a touch of blush and swiped on lip gloss.

Mindy commanded attention once she hit the stage, looking her usual confident self as she addressed the audience with the microphone in hand.

While at the presentation, she discussed her hit series The Sex Lives of College Girls, which is returning for a third season.

Deadline reports Mindy joked her show is 'filled with smoking hot guys who run around campus topless.'

'Its a Max show, not a BBC show,' she added.

She also introduced HBO and Max chairman and CEO Casey Bloys.

'I know when you look at me, you see a young, beautiful mother,' Kaling said.

'The truth is I am an old Max veteran. I was here way back when Max was HBO Max, it was this whole other thing. It was just me, Tom & Jerry reruns and that show about the Heaven's Gate cult.

Mindy commanded attention once she hit the stage, looking her usual confident self as she addressed the audience with the microphone in hand

She also introduced HBO and Max chairman and CEO Casey Bloys

'It's completely different now  though, let me be clear: there are still great shows about cults and there never will not be. Because Casey Bloys loves cults. He told me that personally.'

Mindy created The Sex Lives of College Girls with Justin Noble and the series debuted on HBO Max in 2021.

The storyline followed four freshman roommates at the prestigious New England Essex College in Vermont.

Season two ended in 2022 and star Renee Rapp announced her departure the next year.

While at the presentation, she discussed her hit series The Sex Lives of College Girls, which is returning for a third season

The storyline followed four freshman roommates at the prestigious New England Essex College in Vermont

'College girls moved me out to LA introduced me to some of my favorite people. 2 and a half years later - it's given me y'all and this community,' she posted to Instagram.

'thank u mindy, justin and everyone at Max for believing in me. a lot of queer work gets belittled  but playing Leighton has changed my life.'

'i love who i am 10x more than i did before knowing her. I hope she gave y'all a little but of that too. She's such a tiny part of representation but even the tiny parts count.'

'I wouldn't be half the person I am without her and u'all. i love that b**** more than you know. I'm so excited for this season and I can't wait for you to see what we have coming for her and the girls.'
Garrison Brown's cause of death has been confirmed and officially ruled a suicide  just over two months after he was found dead in his Arizona home.

The Coconino County Medical Examiner confirmed in an autopsy report obtained by PEOPLE on Wednesday that the Sister Wives star, 25, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Ethanol intoxication was listed as a contributing factor as Garrison's blood alcohol level was more than 3 times the legal limit  which is .08% in the United States  at the time of his death.

His iliac blood analysis determined his BAC was .307% while the outcome of his vitreous analysis test was .370%.

Alcohol poisoning and loss of consciousness can occur at such a high BAC. Anything above .40% is considered potentially fatal.

The medical examiner also noted that Garrison had traces of caffeine in his system.

Garrison Brown's cause of death has been confirmed  just over two months after he was found dead in his Arizona home

The Coconino County Medical Examiner confirmed in an autopsy report obtained by PEOPLE on Wednesday that Garrison, 25, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head; seen with mom Janelle Brown

On March 5, Garrison  who is the third youngest of Janelle and Kody Brown's six children  was found dead by his brother Gabriel inside his Flagstaff, Arizona.

Flagstaff police told TMZ at the time that Garrison appeared 'to have suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound' after they responded to his house after receiving reports someone had died.

Police told the outlet that foul play was not suspected in Garrison's death, and that an investigation had been launched.

It was not immediately clear if Garrison left behind a note or other communications.

His mother Janelle, 54, announced the tragic news on behalf of the family via Instagram that same day.

'Kody and I are deeply saddened to announce the loss of our beautiful boy Robert Garrison Brown,' she said. 'He was a bright spot in the lives of all who knew him.

'His loss will leave such a big hole in our lives that it takes our breath away. We ask that you please respect our privacy and join us in honoring his memory.'

TLC  the network that airs Sister Wives  expressed their devastation over Garrison's passing in a statement to PEOPLE.

The Sister Wives star's manner of death was officially ruled a suicide

Ethanol intoxication was listed as a contributing factor as Garrison's blood alcohol level was more than 3 times the legal limit  which is .08% in the United States  at the time of his death

'We are devastated to hear of the tragic loss of Garrison Brown,' it began. 'We extend our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to the Brown family at this difficult time.'

Soon after his death, Garrison's sister Madison Brush came forward to tell fans that his suicide was due to his 'mental health [struggles].'

'It wasn't bullying. It wasn't a lack of love that Garrison had, it was mental health [struggles],' she explained in an Instagram video published on March 18.

She also said that Garrison was deeply affected by social media as he often felt he 'wasn't doing enough' because he constantly 'compared himself' to others.

He was laid to rest on March 11. A celebration of life with his National Guard Unit was held two weeks later.

He was honored by his fellow soldiers as they saluted the American flag and handed it off to his mother.

Garrison had past been seen on episodes of the TLC series Sister Wives since its debut in 2010, chronicling the life of a polygamous family living in Utah, as Kody, 55, was also husband to wives Meri, 53, Christine, 51, and Robyn Brown, 45.

Janelle and her ex-husband entered into a spiritual marriage in 1993 and welcomed six kids: Logan, 29, Maddie, 27, Hunter, 26, Garrison, 25, Gabriel, 21, and Savanah, 18. They went on to separate in December of 2022.

Garrison moved with his family from Utah to Nevada, and he eventually enlisted in the National Guard, according to the outlet.

On March 5, Garrison  who is the third youngest of Janelle and Kody Brown's six children  was found dead by his brother Gabriel inside his Flagstaff, Arizona. Flagstaff police told TMZ at the time that Garrison appeared 'to have suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound' after they responded to his house after receiving reports someone had died

Last month, Garrison's mother Janelle Brown posted heartbreaking pictures of her son Garrison's celebration of life ceremony

Garrison moved with his family from Utah to Nevada, and he eventually enlisted in the National Guard

Garrison and his father Kody (pictured in 2015) had been estranged for some time in recent years: In February of 2022, he said on the series that he and sons Garrison and Gabriel were 'not good' and 'not talking' as they clashed with him over what they felt to be onerous protocols he implemented amid the coronavirus pandemic

He and his father Kody had been estranged for some time in recent years: In February of 2022, he said on the series that he and sons Garrison and Gabriel were 'not good' and 'not talking' as they clashed with him over what they felt to be onerous protocols he implemented amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The 55-year-old reality star said of his sons on the show: 'It's changed everything for everybody, and they want it all to be the same - they need to realize that they should go and date that girlfriend, that's fine, but you need to move out of the house so I can be home.'

In an episode of the TLC series chronicling the tension in the family, according to People, Janelle said in a confessional interview that she felt Garrison 'just seems angry or sadder, like, he's not as happy-go-lucky as he used to be' amid the family strife.

'Right now, there's not really an open door with Gabe and Garrison,' he said. 'They're they're not willing to engage me.'

The sons appeared to be on the outs with Kody as recently as last fall, as Janelle told E! News in a November 2023 interview she was hopeful they'd eventually reconcile.

'I do hope that that eventually time heals,' she said. 'I'm hoping that over time, he can find a relationship with the children that he's estranged from now.'

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
Reba McEntire is set to return to comedy TV as her new sitcom Happy's Place got the green light and dropped its first trailer on Wednesday.

The actress, 69  who recently revealed she she was not initially attracted to her boyfriend Rex Linn when they first met  got her latest series ordered by NBC on May 7.

In her original sitcom, Reba went by the name of 'Reba Hart' - but now, she is playing a character called Bobbie.

Per the show's official description, '[Bobbie] inherits her father's restaurant and is less than thrilled to discover that she has a new business partner in the half-sister she never knew she had.'

The multi-camera show will be executive produced by the multi-hyphenate alongside her old Reba crew Kevin Abbott, Michael Hanel, Mindy Schultheis, and Julie Abbott.

Happy's Place is set to premieres sometime this Fall on NBC, taking the Fridays slot at 8/7c.

Reba McEntire is set to return to comedy TV as her latest series, Happy's Place, got the green light

In the new show, we see the actress reuniting with her old Reba co-star Melissa Peterman

In the trailer, we see the actress reuniting with her old Reba co-star Melissa Peterman.

'This. This is why I have been smiling all the time. I am thrilled to share the news that I get another chance to work with my friends!' the 52-year-old Young Sheldon star gushed on Instagram on back in March when the series was announced.

'Buckle up @reba we are going to have some fun!'

The three-time Grammy winner and Peterman famously portrayed Reba Hart and Barbara Jean Hart in the divorce sitcom, which aired for five seasons on The WB and an additional season on The CW spanning 2001-2007 (now streaming on Hulu).

'We've really been trying hard to do a reboot of the Reba show,' Reba lamented on The Bobby Bones Show back in 2022.

'I really want to work with the people that I got to work with during that six and a half years. It was fun, the cast the crew everybody we got to work with and play with, they were wonderful people. We wanted to get back together like a reunion and have fun, so hopefully that will happen one day.'

And last year, McEntire and Melissa co-starred in her Lifetime movie - Reba McEntire's The Hammer - which was inspired by the life of the last traveling circuit judge Kim Wheeler.

In the new show, the 25 Words or Less contestant will play Gabby, a 'needy and dramatic' bartender, working at the tavern Bobbie (Reba) inherits from her father - according to Deadline.

Blue Beetle's Belissa Escobedo was cast as as Bobbie's half-sister Isabella, an 'enthusiastic' psychology student, who also inherits the restaurant and has 'great ideas about how to bring it to life.'

'I've been waiting to share this! REBA! This cast! This script!' the 25-year-old LA native gushed,

'No amount of exclamation marks can do it justice. I am so immensely grateful. The last two years have been an uphill battle (thank you Miley) so this is so very welcomed and appreciated. AHHHH!'

Also cased in the flame-haired country crooner's pilot were 1883's Tokala Black Elk as kind waiter Takoda and Alaska Daily's Pablo Castelblanco as OCD-inflicted accountant Steve.

'I'm very excited, and grateful, and thrilled for this!' Colombian-born Pablo said at the time.

Reba McEntire (L) is set to reunite with her former Reba co-star Melissa Peterman (R) in a new untitled NBC multi-cam comedy pilot executive produced by her old team: Kevin Abbott, Michael Hanel, and Mindy Schultheis

The 52-year-old Young Sheldon star gushed on Instagram on Monday: 'This. This is why I have been smiling all the time. I am thrilled to share the news that I get another chance to work with my friends! Buckle up @reba we are going to have some fun!'

The three-time Grammy winner - turning 69 next week - and Peterman famously portrayed Reba Hart and Barbara Jean Hart in the divorce sitcom, which aired for five seasons on The WB and an additional season on The CW spanning 2001-2007 (now streaming on Hulu)

And last year, McEntire and Melissa co-starred in her Lifetime movie - Reba McEntire's The Hammer - which was inspired by the life of the last traveling circuit judge Kim Wheeler

In the new show, the 25 Words or Less contestant will play Gabby, a 'needy and dramatic' bartender, working at the tavern Bobbie (Reba) inherits from her father

Blue Beetle's Belissa Escobedo was cast as as Bobbie's half-sister Isabella, an 'enthusiastic' psychology student, who also inherits the restaurant and has 'great ideas about how to bring it to life' (pictured in 2022)

The 25-year-old LA native gushed on Monday: 'I've been waiting to share this! REBA! This cast! This script! No amount of exclamation marks can do it justice. I am so immensely grateful. The last two years have been an uphill battle (thank you Miley) so this is so very welcomed and appreciated. AHHHH!'

Unsurprisingly, Reba cast her real-life leading man since 2020 - Young Sheldon actor Rex Linn (R, pictured February 14) - to play soft-spoken cook Emmett in the pilot immediately after he acted in her projects Big Sky and Reba McEntire's The Hammer

'Can't wait to work with this fantastic cast, and with the whole team behind it. It's @reba I mean come on I'm so lucky! So many, many, many people to thank - I've probably thanked you already- If I haven't [please] bug me.'

Unsurprisingly, Reba cast her real-life leading man since 2020 - Young Sheldon actor Rex Linn - to play soft-spoken cook Emmett in the pilot immediately after he acted in her projects Big Sky and Reba McEntire's The Hammer.

McEntire originally met the 67-year-old actor - who like her graduated from college in Oklahoma - in 1991 on the set of NBC's four-quel flick The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw.
MasterChef judges Poh Ling Yeow and Sofia Levin put on elegant displays as they led the arrivals at the Alumni restaurant launch event in Melbourne on Wednesday.

They joined a string of former MasterChef Australia stars to celebrate the opening of Alumni at The Crown Melbourne, offering diners a true MasterChef experience.

For the exciting launch, Poh, 50, captured attention in a gold patterned gown with a tiered skirt, which she teamed with a black clutch bag.

The MasterChef season one runner-up added to her stylish ensemble with a pair of chunky gold earrings and a slick of red lipstick.

She showed off her ageless beauty as she added to her stunning features with a slick of eyeliner as she posed up a storm for the cameras.

MasterChef judges Poh Ling Yeow put on an elegant display as she led the arrivals at the Alumni restaurant launch event in Melbourne on Wednesday

Poh and her fellow judge Sofia Levin joined a string of MasterChef Australia stars to celebrate the opening of Alumni at The Crown Melbourne, offering diners a true MasterChef experience

For the exciting launch, Poh, 50, captured attention in a gold patterned gown with a tiered skirt, which she teamed with a black clutch bag

Her fellow judge Sofia looked equally fashionable in a figure-hugging latex-look gown, which she styled with a pair of silver pointed heels.

The food critic accessorised her look with silver droplet earrings as she posed with Poh ahead of the restaurant launch.

Poh and Sofia both newly joined the MasterChef judging panel alongside French Michelin-starred chef Jean-Christophe Novelli and the returning Andy Allen.

They stepped out to celebrate the launch of the limited-time Alumni pop-up restaurant, which will see MasterChef stars hold a three-week residency for diners.

I'm A Celebrity Australia's Khanh Ong, Kishwar Chowdhury and Callum Hann will each present their exclusive menus for eager foodies on their rotating schedule.

The MasterChef season one runner-up added to her stylish ensemble with a pair of chunky gold earrings and a slick of red lipstick

She showed off her ageless beauty as she added to her stunning features with a slick of eyeliner as she posed up a storm for the cameras with Sofia

Sofia looked equally fashionable in a figure-hugging latex-look gown, which she styled with a pair of silver pointed heels

The food critic accessorised her look with silver droplet earrings as she smiled for the cameras

They were also joined by longtime MasterChef judge Andy Allen, who cut a smart figure in a navy suit for the occasion

A fourth chef will also show off their culinary skills with their very own rotation, but their identity remains a mystery. The mystery cook will be confirmed on June 25.

The three confirmed chefs all stepped out with other MasterChef legends for the exciting launch event as they celebrated their new pop-up experience.

Also in attendance was 2014 MasterChef Australia star Sarah Todd, who pulled out all the stops in a gorgeous navy velvet gown.

She added a few extra inches to her frame with a pair of nude pointed heels and toted her essentials in a vibrant orange handbag.

Also making up the guest list were the likes of Matt Agnew, Sarah Davidson, Britt Selwood and Dale Thomas, among many others.

The Alumni pop-up restaurant at The Crown Melbourne will see I'm A Celebrity Australia's Khanh Ong, Kishwar Chowdhury and Callum Hann all cook exclusive dishes for diners

The trio will each have a rotating residency where they will showcase their talents (they are all pictured with Andy, Poh and Sofia)

Also in attendance was 2014 MasterChef Australia star Sarah Todd, who pulled out all the stops in a gorgeous navy velvet gown

She toted her essentials in a vibrant orange handbag as she joined the stars in celebrating the restaurant's launch

It comes after a MasterChef Australia insider shared a little-known secret about how the food is actually judged on the popular cooking competition.

Weekly challenges task the contestants with preparing dishes for the judges to taste and critique.

While contestants wait for their plates to reach the judging panel, the food often passes its best state.

Instead, the judges taste the dishes while contestants are still in the cooking process.

'It is actually impossible to try all the food piping hot and therefore the judges taste each contestants food while they are cooking,' the insider told Yahoo.

Matt Agnew cut a suave figure in a dark blue suit as he posed alongside author Sarah Davidson

AFL great Dale Thomas and his wife Natasha Bongiorno also looked as loved-up as ever as they made up the guest list

Brit Selwood put on a leggy display in a black mini dress and a tweed jacket as she smiled for the cameras

Former AFL star Brodie Holland and his wife Sarita also posed arm-in-arm as they arrived at the event

The lavish pop-up restaurant experience will provide diners with a luxury MasterChef experience

They will be treated to an exclusive menu crafted by either Khanh, Callum or Kishwar as the trio will take over the restaurant in three-week residencies

The luxury experience will also see a fourth mystery chef, whose identity hasn't yet been revealed, showing off their talents in the kitchen

The judges are specifically told 'not to discuss their final thoughts with each other until the participants are in front of them so that it feels more natural when they share their opinions on each dish'.

The plated versions of the dishes are judged much later than expected, often when the food has cooled for filming.

'Each contestant will usually get 20 minutes to make sure all the judges have been able to express their opinions... It's a long process, especially at the start where there are 20+ participants,' they added.
Ryan Reynolds is the latest international star to fall in love with the hit Australian kid's show Bluey.

The Hollywood hunk, 47, appeared on Sunrise early Thursday morning to spruik his latest family film IF when he began gushing over the Aussie cartoon.

When asked if he'd ever heard of the show, the father-of-four, who shares his children with wife Blake Lively, joked he wants to watch it more than his kids do.

'Bluey is great. I learned about Bluey from John [Krasinski],' he said, referring to the director of his latest movie.

'I watch it. My kids don't even. It's me that watches it. My kids will only watch World War II documentaries.'

Ryan Reynolds, 47, (pictured) is the latest international star to fall in love with the hit Australian kid's show Bluey

The Deadpool star is such a big Bluey fan, even his production company Maximum Effort paid a nod to the heart-wrenching season finale The Sign in a recent advert.

Teaming up with real estate company Zillow, Ryan's business released promotional material which included real life Australian cattle dogs sitting by a 'For Sale' sign.

The commercial was released just a few weeks after the viral Bluey finale last month which saw the Heeler family navigate the massive change of moving to a new city.

The Hollywood hunk appeared on Sunrise early Thursday morning to spruik his latest family film IF when he began gushing over the Aussie cartoon (pictured)

As an added touch, Ryan's company hired Dan Brumm, who voices Uncle Stripe on the Disney+ series, to narrate the playful ad.

Ryan is currently on the Australian leg of his media blitz for the movie IF, which stands for Imaginary Friends.

He stars alongside Steve Carell and 17-year-old Cailey Fleming in the film, which also boasts John Krasinski as the writer, director, producer and co-star.

When asked if he'd ever heard of the show, the father-of-four, who shares his children with wife Blake Lively, 36, joked he wants to watch it more than his kids do. Pictured with wife Blake and their two oldest daughters, James and Inez, in 2016

The official Paramount logline reads: 'A young girl who goes through a difficult experience begins to see everyone's imaginary friends who have been left behind as their real-life friends have grown up.'

John, 44, wrote and directed the film based on watching his daughters interact together in their bedroom when they thought no one was watching.

The movie had its premiere in New York City on Monday which Ryan attended without wife Blake, 36, though the Red Notice actor said he was eager to get back home to her and their children.

Ryan and Black have been married since 2012 and share daughters James, 9, Inez, 7, Betty, 4, and a 1-year-old whose name has not been revealed yet.
Kourtney Kardashian shared a kiss with husband, Travis Barker, in an assortment of throwback photos uploaded to Instagram on Wednesday to celebrate their second wedding anniversary.

The Poosh founder, 45 - who recently was gifted wall-to-wall flowers and a loving tribute from the Blink-182 drummer, 48, on Mother's Day - shared images after the couple said 'I do' during a courthouse ceremony in Santa Barbara.

The TV personality captioned the carousel of snaps with the date of the nuptials, '5.15.22,' followed by a black heart emoji.

Travis replied in the comment section and wrote, '2 years ago in Santa Barbara,' with his wife responding with a black heart emoji.

The reality star had donned a figure-hugging, white Dolce & Gabbana minidress with a heart embellishment on the front for the memorable day.

Kourtney Kardashian, 45, shared a kiss with husband, Travis Barker, 48, in an assortment of throwback photos uploaded to Instagram on Wednesday to celebrate their second wedding anniversary

The Poosh founder shared images after the couple said 'I do' during a courthouse ceremony in Santa Barbara

She paired the ensemble with a shoulder-length veil as well as sheer, opera-length gloves for a final touch. Barker wore an all-black outfit and a pair of fashionable black shades for the legal ceremony.

Along with one picture showing the lovebirds kissing underneath the warm sunshine, another captured the pair sitting towards the back of a vintage, Cadillac convertible.

The two faced each other as they sweetly touched hands for the adorable photo while parked on a busy street.

One snap showed a 'Just Married' sign that was placed on the back bumper, along with numerous, silver tin cans.

Kourtney and Travis also stood outside of the courthouse in Santa Barbara as they held hands and gazed in each other's direction.

After the ceremony took place, Kardashian and Barker had the chance to celebrate at a restaurant, and were seen sipping on glasses of bubbly champagne.

During an interview with Vogue last year in April, Kourtney reflected on the intimate nuptials.

'Santa Barbara was for the two of us. Since our wedding was in Italy, we had to get married in California to make it legal in the United States,' she explained to the outlet.

One snap showed a 'Just Married' sign that was placed on the back bumper, along with numerous, silver tin cans

The reality star had worn a figure-hugging, white Dolce & Gabbana minidress with a heart embellishment on the front

She paired the ensemble with a shoulder-length veil as well as sheer, opera-length gloves for a final touch. Barker wore an all-black outfit and a pair of fashionable black shades for the legal ceremony

After the ceremony took place, Kardashian and Barker had the chance to celebrate at a restaurant, and were seen sipping on glasses of bubbly champagne

'We could have had somebody come over and sign the paperwork. But we wanted to do something that felt really special.'

'We love Santa Barbara and we escape there as often as we can - we got engaged in Santa Barbara. So we just drove out there. The only people that came with us were my grandmother and his dad because they couldn't make it to our Italy wedding.'

A month earlier in April 2022, the pair notably tied the knot at a chapel in Las Vegas following the Grammy Awards.

And on May 22, 2022, a large wedding took place in Portofino, Italy with their family and children also in attendance.

'I would say Italy is the most emotional for me because that was the one that had all the buildup to it. That was really our main wedding to me,' the beauty also told Vogue.

'The process of going from feeling anxious and scared to have that vulnerable moment in front of people - it was a big buildup that I'm sure that a lot of brides feel that buildup maybe.'

Kourtney continued, 'And then starting to feeling such a sense of calm over me. It just was all so special the way that it happened.'

Over the past weekend on Sunday, The Kardashians star also had the chance to celebrate Mother's Day - her first with both her and Barker's son Rocky, six months.

During an interview with Vogue last year in April, Kourtney reflected on the intimate, Santa Barbara nuptials

'Santa Barbara was for the two of us. Since our wedding was in Italy, we had to get married in California to make it legal in the United States,' she explained to the outlet

'We could have had somebody come over and sign the paperwork. But we wanted to do something that felt really special,' she added

Over the past weekend, The Kardashians star also had the chance to celebrate Mother's Day - her first with both her and Barker's son Rocky, six months

She received a variety of of white and pink-colored flowers from her husband that covered the walls in what appeared to be a spacious, foyer area

She received a variety of of white and pink-colored flowers from her husband that covered the walls in what appeared to be a spacious, foyer area.

Kourtney uploaded a reel to give a glimpse of the extravagant floral arrangements, and some followers expressed their curiosity about what the star does with the flowers afterwards.

One fan replied to the reel with, 'Beautiful! Out of curiosity, what do you and your sisters do with all the flowers??'

The beauty answered the question by typing out, 'All the rose bushes can be planted afterwards! But I usually donate them to hospitals.

The Blink-182 drummer also jumped to his own Instagram page to pen a loving tribute to the star and uploaded pictures of her and also their little boy.

'Happy Mother's Day to my best friend and partner. Our children are so lucky to have you. Thank you for filling our home with love, laughter, and joy. I love you forever and ever my wife @kourtneykardash.'

Along with infant Rocky, Travis also shares son Landon, 20, and daughter Alabama, 18, with ex-wife Shanna Moakler. He also is still close to Moakler's daughter, Atiana De La Hoya, 25.

Kourtney also shares Mason, 14, Penelope, 11 and Reign, nine, with ex Scott Disick.

The TV personality also received a sweet tribute from her stepdaughter, Alabama Barker, which was uploaded to her Instagram stories.

The media personality had written, '& to @kourtneykardash I love you. thank you for being another woman in my life to look after me & taking me in as your family.'

The beauty answered the question by typing out, 'All the rose bushes can be planted afterwards! But I usually donate them to hospitals'

The Blink-182 drummer also jumped to his own Instagram page to pen a loving tribute to the star and uploaded pictures of her and also their little boy

The TV personality also received a sweet tribute from her stepdaughter, Alabama Barker, which was uploaded to her Instagram stories

Atiana De La Hoya also uploaded a photo of Kourtney sharing a kiss with Barker who gently held their son in his arms

'You have such a passion for being a great mom & always showing out for all of your kids, your grind is so inspiring, your the best!'

Kourtney later reposted the kind message to her own stories and responded by adding, 'I love you so much!' followed by a red heart emoji.

Atiana De La Hoya also uploaded a photo of Kourtney sharing a kiss with Barker who gently held their son in his arms.

She typed out, 'The most amazing mom and stepmom to us all, love you Kourt,' followed by a white heart emoji.
Sabrina Elba made a stylish entrance at Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga premiere after-party in Cannes on Wednesday night.

The model, 34, still looked flawless despite trying to dodge a devoted who was attempting to take a pictures with her on a selfie stick.

During the outing, Sabrina caught the eye as the admirer endeavoured to capture a shot with a long selfie stick.

The actress beamed as she made her way past the fans, but appeared to not be stopping for pictures on the Croisette.

She flaunted her incredibly toned physique in a skin-tight semi sheer cream midi dress with turtleneck.

Sabrina Elba made a stylish entrance at Furiosa after-party in Cannes on Wednesday night as she was chased by a devoted fan that attempted to take a picture with her

The Canadian star, 34, caught the eye as the admirer endeavoured to capture a shot with a long selfie stick

The long-sleeve number enhanced her sizzling figure as it flashed a fitting sleeveless body underneath.

The Three Thousand Years of Longing star rocked chic white heels with ankle straps oozing confidence as she strutted the street.

She kept any jewellery and accessories to the minimum but sported a pair of maxi hoop earrings, smiling cheerfully on her way to the swanky event.

The sighting comes after she stunned the crowd at Cannes Film Festival earlier in the day while attending the star-studded Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga premiere.

She looked sensational in a white and black ombre gown with crystals adorning it.

The gown had a stylish halterneck design and she wore her dark tresses pinned up while opting for natural makeup.

Elsewhere at the premiere, Anya Taylor-Joy was quite the star of the day as she lived up to expectations as she debuted her starring role, which had its world premiere on the glamorous Cote d'Azur.

Wearing her platinum hair in a scraped back bun, Anya wore a Dior silver gown which she paired with silver diamond jewellery from Tiffany and dark red lipstick.

The actress beamed gracefully but appeared to not be stopping for pictures as she made her way to the Croisette

She flaunted her incredibly toned physique in a skin-tight semi sheer cream midi dress with turtleneck, while flashing a fitting sleeveless body underneath

Her night sighting comes after she attended Cannes Film Festival earlier in the day while attending the star-studded Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga premiere, stunning in a white and black ombre gown with crystals adorning it

She accessorised with silver-studded earrings and fixed the cameras with a sultry stare

The gown had a stylish halterneck design and she wore her dark tresses pinned up while opting for natural makeup

Anya, who is staying in the famous Hotel Martinez whilst in France, arrived in Cannes on Monday.

She has been spotted out and about in recent days speaking to fans, including posing with them for selfies outside her hotel on Wednesday, wearing cropped silver cardigan and small black shorts.

The Queen's Gambit star takes over as the younger Furiosa in the upcoming film, which is set between 15 and 20 years before the events of Mad Max: Fury Road, while Australian heartthrob Chris Hemsworth is playing warlord leader, Dementus.

Starring alongside Chris, 40, he described the villainous character as 'a very violent, insane, brutal person that is born from the Wasteland'.

Last night he walked the red-carpet hand in hand with his wife of 14 years, Elsa Pataky, 47, wearing a white jacket and shirt.

Tom Hardy, who plays a main role in the film after staring the first Mad Max, was not to be seen on the red carpet.

Speaking to the Telegraph earlier this week director George Miller said Mr Hardy, 46, had to be 'coaxed' out of his trailer when filming for the first of the two films.

'Tom has a damage to him but also a brilliance that comes with it, and whatever was going on with him at the time, he had to be coaxed out of his trailer,' he said.
Controversial influencer Jamie Azzopardi arrived at Australian Fashion Week on Wednesday in an elaborate Edwardian-style outfit - before hitting back at their critics.

Azzopardi, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, earlier this week made an outrageous arrival at Carriageworks in Sydney flanked by an entourage of minders, to which Married At First Sight star Carolina Santos couldn't resist commenting on social media.

'What the f*** is that? Does Jamie think [they] are at the Met Gala or something? Why are people holding [their] clothes?'

Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Australia at the event on Wednesday night, Jamie clapped back at Carolina's comment.

'Carolina, I do have a question because you have a lot to say about me: I just want to know, what do you know about the Met Gala?'

Controversial influencer Jamie Azzopardi arrived at Australian Fashion Week on Wednesday in an elaborate Edwardian-style outfit and has hit back at their critics. Pictured

On Monday, after an outrageous arrival at Carriageworks in Sydney flanked by an entourage of minders, to which Married At First Sight star Carolina Santos couldn't resist commenting on social media, asking 'Does Jamie think [they] are at the Met Gala or something?'

Jamie also had some stern words for their fellow internet personality Suzan Mutesi, after having previously accused her of faking her social media clout.

'We all know I'm not a fan of Suzan Mutesi, but I hope for Suzan's sake that she is well because honestly, she is delusional.'

The pair have been embroiled in a feud for years now after Azzopardi suggested Mutesi's Instagram following may be 'fake', and at one event in 2022 Jamie said they would like to 'push her in the pool'.

Jamie turned plenty of heads with their Wednesday night outfit, which consisted of a baby blue ruffled coat with a deep, plunging neckline.

The stylist paired the statement garment with a long black skirt and towering high heels.

Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Australia at the event on Wednesday night, Jamie clapped back at Carolina's comment. 'Carolina, I do have a question because you have a lot to say about me: I just want to know, what do you know about the Met Gala?' Pictured: Carolina Santos

Jamie also had some words for their fellow internet personality Suzan Mutesi (pictured), who they have accused of faking her following. 'We all know I'm not a fan of Suzan Mutesi, but I hope for Suzan's sake that she is well because honestly, she is delusional,' they said

The pair have been embroiled in a feud for years now after Azzopardi suggested Mutesi's Instagram following may be 'fake', and at one event in 2022 Jamie said they would like to 'push her in the pool'

It comes as eyewitnesses described Azzopardi's arrival on Monday as nothing short of a performance.

Dressed in a detailed gown which featured layers of fine fabric and intricate embellishments, the stylist made sure all eyes were on them.

Azzopardi's 'minders' were seen constantly adjusting every detail of their attire, ensuring that not a single fold was out of place as photographers snapped away.

Australian Fashion Week has gone from one of the country's most prestigious events to one flanked by reality stars, wannabes and micro-influencers.

Industry insiders have told Daily Mail Australia that this year's designers are taking caution and want nothing to do with 'fame hungry MAFS stars desperate to be seen at fashion week'.

Australian Fashion Week runs until Friday May 17.
Kylie Jenner took to Instagram to spotlight sister Kendall Jenner's new Erewhon Peaches & Cream smoothie on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old mogul  who had a work day with Kendall, 27, in Las Vegas last week  sipped from the beverage in the comfort of her kitchen.

Kylie's dark hair was pulled back into a low bun as she recorded herself taking swigs from the large cup.

She also shared a photo showcasing that she purchased not only one, but five of the new drinks, which contain GT's SYNERGY Raw Kombucha and vegan COCOYO Living Coconut Yogurt.

The Kylie Cosmetics founder rated the concoction '10/10' and tagged her model sister's Instagram handle.

Kylie Jenner took to Instagram to spotlight sister Kendall Jenner's new Erewhon Peaches & Cream smoothie on Wednesday

The 26-year-old mogul sipped from the beverage in the comfort of her kitchen

Jenner clutched her drink with a pristine, pearly, iridescent, almond-shaped manicure.

She wore a light face of makeup in the clip, which was uploaded to her Instagram Stories.

The reality television personality was dressed in her latest Khy clothing drop  the brand's orchid pink raw hem rib tank and a matching sweatshirt that she tied around her hips.

The full ingredient list for Kendall's elixir consists of Eidon lonic Minerals Liquid Electrolytes, Vita Coco Coconut Milk, Lily of the Desert Preservative-Free Aloe Vera Juice, Synergy Peach Paradise, Cocoyo Peach Nectarine, Sprout Living's Epic Protein Vanilla Lucuma, Peaches, Vanilla Collagen, Maple Syrup, Goji Berries, and Coconut Cream.

A portion of proceeds from drink sales will benefit the Good Shepherd Shelter, a refuge for women and children impacted by domestic violence.

A description of the smoothie on the Erewhon website reads: 'In this Kendall Jenner creation, ripe organic peaches are paired with rich coconut cream.

'Beneath the refreshing flavor, she's supercharged this tonic with electrolytes, lucuma, aloe vera juice, and gut-friendly kombucha.'

The offering will only be available until June 14.

She shared a photo showcasing that she purchased not only one, but five of the new drinks, which contain GT's SYNERGY Raw Kombucha and vegan COCOYO Living Coconut Yogurt

Kendall launched her Erewhon smoothie on Wednesday

Kylie's BFF Anastasia 'Stassie' Karanikolaou also gave Kendall's creation the stamp of approval.

Shortly after Jenner shared her review of the beverage, the YouTube sensation shared a video clip of her own.

Engaging her 10.4 million followers on Instagram, she took to the app's Stories to film herself trying the smoothie.

She was dressed in a red sweatshirt with plaid accents as she displayed the drink with French manicured hands.

Stassie wrote 'YUMMY' and tagged Kendall as well as the trendy grocery store.

The influencer shook her head in satisfaction before lightly kissing the plastic cup to imply her contentment.

Kylie's BFF Anastasia 'Stassie' Karanikolaou also gave Kendall's creation the stamp of approval

Stassie wrote 'YUMMY' and tagged Kendall as well as the trendy grocery store

Kylie's post comes after she took to social media on Tuesday to share outtakes from the latest tasting for her canned vodka soda Sprinter. She held a tiny cup to her lips, taking a gulp before announcing, 'I like this!'

Kylie's post comes after she took to social media on Tuesday to share outtakes from the latest tasting for her canned vodka soda Sprinter.

Dressed in all black with her face fully made up and her brunette locks falling over her chest, she recorded herself trying out new flavors.

She held a tiny cup to her lips, taking a gulp before announcing, 'I like this!'

Jenner launched her latest business on March 21, following the fall release of her clothing line Khy.
Nicole Richie reaffirmed her fashionista status by stepping out in yet another fabulous ensemble in New York City on Wednesday.

The reality star-turned-actress, 42  who got candid about the name of her sister-in-law Cameron Diaz's new baby  looked incredible in an olive green goddess gown at The Dominick Hotel.

The Good News alum was hosting a pool and spa day at the swanky hotel for daycation booking app ResortPass.

Showcasing her famous figure in the form-fitting dress, the sandy blonde beauty beamed her megawatt smile while posing next to signage for the app.

Nicole elevated her look with a pair of sleek black high heels, accessorizing with a stack of gold bracelets and coordinating dangling earrings for the event.

Nicole Richie reaffirmed her fashionista status by stepping out in yet another fabulous ensemble in New York City on Wednesday

The reality star-turned actress, 42, looked incredible in an olive green goddess gown at The Dominick Hotel

The hosting duties come a few hours after the star was spotted leaving the set of Good Morning after promoting her new show Summer Camp and reunion project with Paris Hilton on Wednesday.

Nicole  who famously starred on The Simple Life from 2003 to 2007  stunned in a black and yellow printed dress.

During her appearance on Good Morning America, the chic celebrity enthusiastically shared details about her latest collaboration with Paris Hilton.

While not a Simple Life reboot, this project marks the first reunion of the best friends in two decades.

'We have worked together to create something very special and exciting,' Nicole explained. 'I can't say much but I can't wait for it to come out.'

Paris, 43, took to Instagram to confirm the reboot with a post of a static TV screen in a living room, tagging her best friend.

'New Era. Same Besties Coming soon to Peacock,' she captioned it.

The Simple Life celebrated its 20th anniversary last year.

The Good News alum was hosting a pool and spa day at the swanky hotel for daycation booking app ResortPass

Showcasing her famous figure in the form-fitting dress, the sandy blonde beauty beamed her megawatt smile while posing next to signage for the app

The hosting duties come a few hours after the star was spotted leaving the set of Good Morning after promoting her new show Summer Camp and reunion project with Paris Hilton on Wednesday; Paris and Nicole in 2003's Simple Life

Paris Hilton, 43, took to Instagram to confirm the reboot with a post of a static TV screen in a living room, tagging her best friend

Hilton celebrated the show's 20th anniversary by sharing a collage of throwback photos of herself and Richie on Instagram

For the occasion Hilton posted a number of throwback photos of herself and Richie on Instagram.

'Happy 20th anniversary to [the] show that started it all, The Simple Life! Filming this series with @NicoleRichie was one of the most special, hilarious, and iconic times in my life. Im so lucky to have these amazing memories!' she wrote in the caption.

Richie also marked the occasion, sharing a reel of some of her and Hiltons Simple Life highlights.

'20 years ago, not only did we become television stars... we became songwriters,' she humorously wrote in the caption. 'Happy Anniversary Sill @parishilton.'
Farmer Wants A Wife star Daisy Lamb has slammed the 'disgraceful' editing of the dating show.

Daisy joined the Channel Seven program as a potential love match for Farmer Todd Melbourne, and the pair have quickly formed a close connection on their dates.

But they hit a rocky patch when Daisy met Todd's friends, who shared their doubts over whether she was a good match because she is similar to his ex-girlfriend.

Daisy also left Todd's mother taken aback when she admitted she might already be 'in love' with the farmer despite it still being early on in the dating stages.

However, Daisy has now slammed the editing of the dating show after the scenes aired, claiming viewers were given the 'wrong idea' about what had happened.

Farmer Wants A Wife star Daisy Lamb has slammed the 'disgraceful' editing on the dating show after shock scenes showed her come under criticism from Farmer Todd Melbourne's friends

She criticised the editing as 'disappointing and disgraceful' as she claimed the final result was 'sad', after viewers accused her of coming on too strong with Todd.

According to Yahoo!, she said: 'Unfortunately, the editing in this series is disappointing and disgraceful (to say the least) and has given viewers the wrong idea of what happened, who I am and how the whole experience with Todd played out.

'The other girls had plenty of time, we all had opportunity to speak with him and spend time alone with him and it's sad that, what could have been an amazing story, has been turned into something so foul.'

'Keep shining your light guys,' she added.

Cattle farmer Todd also commented on the edit, claiming the meeting between Daisy and his friends was 'a lot more positive' than viewers were led to believe.

Daisy joined the Channel Seven program as a potential love match for Farmer Todd Melbourne (pictured) , and the pair quickly formed a close connection on their dates

The shock scenes saw Todd's friends tell him that he should look elsewhere for love as they shared their doubts over his connection with Daisy.

'I think she might be fun for right now, but not long term,' one mate told the farmer, adding she was not a good match because she had recently got divorced.

'I don't feel like she's the right pick for you as a wife and as a mother to your children. I just find her very strong, feisty, clash heads with kind of girl, has that masculine vibe.'

However, Todd claimed that there were some more positive elements of the meeting as he hinted that things weren't quite as they appeared on screen.

'It didn't quite exactly come across the way it was meant to,' he told Refinery29. 'It seemed a lot harsher the way it was put together on screen.

Daisy and Todd have both claimed that the shocking scenes were not quite as they seemed, as Daisy slammed the 'disappointing' final result

'During the conversation with my cousin and his wife.... there were jokes and laughter and they did get along.'

Ellen Dunger, who was sent home by Farmer Todd this week, also shared her thoughts on Daisy's edit and the criticism she has received from fans of the show.

She reportedly showed her support as she said: 'Let's be clear, Daisy was the ONLY girl from the farm who consistently checked in on me when she knew I was struggling.

'She was the ONLY girl from the farm who reached out after I left to see how I was.'

Todd is currently dating Daisy, Iyesha, Grace, Jacinta and Ellen on his farm in Baan Baa, NSW, in a bid to find the love of his life.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Seven for comment.

Daisy is not the only one to have criticised the show's edit on the 2024 series, as viewers have also branded the reality series an 'absolute disgrace' (pictured: host Samantha Armytage)

Daisy is not the only one to have criticised the show's edit on the 2024 series, as viewers have also branded the reality series an 'absolute disgrace'.

'Let's boycott next year as all the emotional turmoil created by the producers toying with real people's emotions is absolutely disgusting,' one social media user wrote.

'Thanks ch 7 for ruining what was once a good show it has survived for a long time without the scripted drama I'm sure you've lost a lot of loyal followers,' another commented.

'I definitely won't be watching next year...It really was the worst season ever,' added another.

Their comments came after Farmer Bert Harris shockingly left the show solo, with insiders claiming he felt increasingly manipulated by production tactics, according to Yahoo Lifestyle.

'Farmer Bert was really sweet and it was sad to see him being treated like a prop,' a source told the publication.
She's the Australian actress whose star is on the rise after her starring role in Netflix's smash hit, 3 Body Problem.

And on Tuesday, Marlo Kelly turned heads with her chic double denim ensemble as she attended the Pandora Launch Event during Australian Fashion Week.

Marlo paired her denim jacket and high-waisted jeans with an A-ESQUE's fold Metallic silver handbag worth $800 and black boots, exuding confidence and style.

The Sydney-based actress, 23, rose to fame playing Skye Peters on Home and Away from 2015 to 2016.

After appearing on the Channel Seven drama, Marlo starred in Patricia Moore and Dare Me.

Australian actress Marlo Kelly turned heads with her chic double denim ensemble as she attended Pandora Launch Event during Australian Fashion Week on Tuesday

Marlo, 23, paired her denim jacket and high-waisted jeans with a silver metallic handbag

Her latest and most significant role to date is as Tatiana in the sci-fi series 3 Body Problem, based on Liu Cixin's acclaimed novel.

Created by Alexander Woo alongside Game of Thrones alumni David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the mysterious eight-episode series follows scientists racing against time to save the world.

Reflecting on her journey to stardom, Marlo previously shared her unexpected path to acting success.

Her latest and most significant role to date is as Tatiana in the sci-fi series 3 Body Problem, based on Liu Cixin's acclaimed Chinese novel. Marlo pictured centre

'I always wanted to be an actor. There wasn't anything else I planned to do with my life,' she told the Casting Guild of Australia.

Initially planning to attend drama school, Marlo was persuaded by her agent to take a different route.

'Give me a year. Don't go to drama school. Give me one year. Because her attitude was don't fix what's not broke,' Marlo recalled.

'I very fortunately booked Home and Away quite quickly after that. So my training was that.'
Demi Rose displayed her eye-popping curves in fringed beachwear and a skimpy thong as she posed for a sizzling shoot on Wednesday.

The model, 29, bared it all showing off her very ample cleavage and honed curves as she captured herself in a very racy mirror selfie.

Captioning: 'In my natural habitat,' Demi revealed to her 19.6M followers she was staying in Ibiza, where she spends a lot of her time.

The Birmingham-born bombshell sent fans in overdrive showcasing her jaw-dropping figure, leaving very little to the imagination.

Behind her she captured a stunning terrace view of the island, and also showcased her natural looks in a gorgeous sun-kissed selfie to her latest Instagram carousel.

Demi Rose displayed her eye-popping curves in fringed beachwear and a skimpy thong as she posed for a sizzling shoot on Wednesday

She showcased her natural looks in a gorgeous sun-kissed selfie to her latest Instagram carousel

She then captured an apple in her hand with a private pool inside the villa as the background.

Demi's fans were sent into frenzy as they rushed to comment:

'My heart'; 'WOOW'; 'So beautiful '; 'Beautiful';

'Incredible, gorgeous, outstanding, unbelievably beautiful,' echoed gushing another person.

Just earlier last week Demi set pulses racing once again in a tiny leopard print bikini in sizzling snaps taken during her trip to Brazil.

The content creator showed off her famously ample cleavage and peachy posterior in the matching two-piece as she basked in the sunshine.

Posing surrounded by palm trees, Demi left little to the imagination in her revealing bikini as she shared a sexy snap on her Instagram Stories.

She then shared a scantily-clad image of herself in a barely-there unitard, with little more than her curled tresses to preserve her modesty.

She then captured an apple in her hand with a private pool inside the villa as the background, while enjoying her time in Ibiza

Demi's fans were sent into frenzy as they rushed to comment

Demi also shared a topless snap of herself reclining next to the water, along with a racy image where little more than a book covered her chest.

Last month, Demi shared a fun photo of herself hanging out of a window, after taking a month-long break from social media.

The glamour model - who dated Kylie Jenner's ex Tyga back in 2016 - then flaunted her very pert bottom while relaxing by the pool.

'Realised I hadnt posted in a month oops,' she captioned the post.

Demi also celebrated Earth Day by slipping into a tiny snakeskin bikini as she posed for a picturesque image surrounded by hot air balloons.

Taking a dip in a hot tub, she posed for photos in front of the sunset in Cappadocia, Turkey and wrote: 'Happy Earth Day.'

She previously revealed that in spite of having a figure most could only dream of, she still struggles with body insecurities after being relentlessly bullied as a teenager.

Speaking to MailOnline in a 2020 interview, she explained: 'I never found my place in school, people were quite nasty and I guess I was just different, people were drawn to picking on me and since leaving, I've blossomed.

Just earlier last week Demi set pulses racing once again in a tiny leopard print bikini in sizzling snaps taken during her trip to Brazil

She then shared a scantily-clad image of herself in a barely-there unitard, with little more than her curled tresses to preserve her modesty

Demi also shared a topless snap of herself reclining next to the water after enjoying a lengthy trip to Brazil

She then shared another sexy topless image of herself in silky white satin underwear, while reclining in the water

Last month, Demi shared a fun photo of herself hanging out of a window, after taking a month-long break from social media

'Now I just block out any negative comments, I can't see anything that I don't want to see because I don't want that to impact my own thoughts about myself. I've had to grow a very thick skin.

'I'm comfortable in my skin, but I'm never going to be 100 per cent happy because everyone wants to be a certain way and we all have our own hang-ups, but I workout five to six times a week for my general health and wellbeing.

'I work out to feel good, and I eat properly. I avoid as many carbs as possible, I don't eat dairy, I don't eat meat, I don't do refined sugar. I like to glow from the inside out.'
Emily Ratajkowski was spotted on the move in New York City on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old My Body author  who was seen walking her dog Colombo on Tuesday  was clad in activewear brand Vitality's $78 Cozy Crop Crew sweatshirt in black.

She exposed her taut tummy in the look, which she teamed with light wash, straight-leg blue jeans.

The supermodel added a pair of glossy black sunglasses as she strolled with longtime friend Babs Jeanne.

Ratajkowski, who hails from Southern California, rounded out her casual look with white Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers.

Emily Ratajkowski was spotted on the move in New York City on Wednesday

The 32-year-old My Body author was clad in activewear brand Vitality's $78 Cozy Crop Crew sweatshirt in black

Emily's lustrous and straight brunette locks were parted down the middle as they fell over her shoulders.

She wore a pair of thick, silver-toned hoop earrings during the outing.

The beauty, who rose to fame after starring in Robin Thicke's 2013 Blurred Lines music video, appeared to have on a light face of makeup.

It comes after the star, whose nickname is Emrata, appeared on a recent episode of the New York Times podcast Modern Love.

She opened up about her dating life, emphasizing that she's not focused on finding a partner right now.

The mother-of-one, who shares three-year-old son Sylvester with ex-husband Sebastian Bear-McClard, stated on the May 1 episode: 'I take care of so much in my life.

'I take care of my son, I take care of my home, I take care of my schedule, his schedule, my career. The burden of the finances is on me and I don't have a family supporting me financially or any of that.'

Ratajkowski filed for divorce from the Uncut Gems producer in September 2022.

She exposed her taut tummy in the look, which she teamed with light wash, straight-leg blue jeans

The supermodel added a pair of glossy black sunglasses as she strolled the Big Apple

She admitted on the podcast episode, 'I often think about how much I want to be taken care of and I experience that with my female friendships in different ways.'

'I have wonderful, wonderful friends who do know when to take care of me and how to take care of me,' she noted.

Emily then added, 'It feels really hard to imagine somebody who's more capable than me or who could understand my needs in that way.'

In addition to modeling, the runway regular also designs her swimwear brand iNAMORATA.

Her book of essays, My Body, became a New York Times bestseller in 2021.

And she hosted the podcast High/Low with Emrata from November 2022-November 2023.
He's one of the Seven Network's biggest new stars, after rising to fame as a TV vet.

But Dr. Chris Brown has revealed how he was once thrown into the middle of a very human medical emergency during a plane trip between Sydney and Brisbane.

The drama occurred in mid-flight when Chris, 45, was called upon to help a pregnant passenger who was in deep distress.

'They did the thing (call) for a doctor, and I couldn't resist,' he said during an appearance on he Hit Network's Carrie and Tom show on Wednesday.

'I was like, ''I'm happy to have a chat at least and maybe my bedside manner might be able to help [her] through''.'

TV vet Dr. Chris Brown has revealed how he was once thrown into the middle of a very human medical emergency during a plane trip between Sydney and Brisbane.

However, it turned out the heavily pregnant woman was panicked, so Chris went into action.

'She was very close to giving birth and she had blood pressure issues,' he told hosts Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little.

'She was having sort of sweats, and I talked her through and diagnosed the problem.'

The drama occurred in mid-flight when Chris, 45, was called upon to help a pregnant passenger who was in deep distress he said during an appearance on he Hit Network's Carrie and Tom show on Wednesday. (Pictured with Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little)

Chris added he was able to help relieve the woman's distress and make her comfortable.

'She was a little bit dehydrated. And so, we just got her to elevate her legs a little bit, we got her to calm down, we put her seat back, we just relaxed her. And then we brought it in for landing.'

It comes after the fan favourite recently opened up about his hopes of starting a family one day.

He said that after devoting the last ten years to his career, he still wants to become a dad.

Dr. Chris said he gave comfort to the heavily pregnant woman who was in deep distress

'I still feel that's very much a priority. Would I like to have done something about that in the last five years? Probably,' he said in an interview with Stellar earlier this month.

Chris, who will soon be seen on Seven's new renovation show Dream Home, added that he did not want to 'force things' and end up in a 'rushed' situation.

'I feel like it will happen when it happens,' the former I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here host continued.

It comes after Chris jumped ship from Channel 10 and signed a two-year contract with Seven worth more than $1million a year.
Charlyne Yi has alleged they were physically and psychologically abused on the set of the upcoming fantasy adventure remake of Time Bandits.

The Hollywood actor, 38, who uses they/them pronouns, was cast as Judy in Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement's series based on the 1981 film by the same name.

However, Yi has alleged that while filming in New Zealand in 2022 they were 'physically assaulted multiple times' and 'psychologically abused' by an unnamed male actor.

Yi posted the allegations on Instagram in a series of posts, claiming they were 'coerced to quit' the project and were 'gaslit by coworkers'.

Yi - who is sourcing a lawyer and a new manager - also claimed they sustained a back injury while filming and they were denied workers' compensation for the alleged injury.

Charlyne Yi (pictured in May 2017) has alleged that they were physically and psychologically abused on the set of the upcoming fantasy adventure remake of Time Bandits

A show source told Daily Mail Australia the alleged 'physical assault' happened on camera and involved an actor running or bumping into them and picking them up during a running scene.

They refuted Yi's allegations that the request for workers' compensation was denied, saying the studio assisted them in 'proactive steps' to receive the payment, which is handled by an outside party.

Meanwhile, Paramount Television Studios said in a statement: 'The safety of our cast and crew is very important to us, and we take all concerns that are raised to us very seriously.

'At the time of the complaint, Paramount Television Studios conducted a full investigation regarding allegations that were brought to our attention. While all investigations are confidential and we cannot comment on specifics, additional steps were taken to address concerns.'

In a long Instagram post, Yi alleged they were 'physically assaulted multiple times' and psychologically abused by an unnamed male actor on the set of Time Bandits.

Yi (pictured in 2019) has alleged that while filming in New Zealand in 2022, they were 'physically assaulted multiple times' and 'psychologically abused' by an unnamed male actor

They wrote: 'I was not safe, supported, or protected. I was physically assaulted multiple times by an actor, as well as psychologically abused. I was gaslit by coworkers.'

'They debated my life, gaslit me, told me to feed my abuser's ego... to submit to my abuser so he wouldn't physically assault me more,' they went on.

'They treated my body/mind/soul/life like it was disposable, making me want to commit suicide, which I am not prone to thinking this way.

'I was coerced to quit. They rejected my workers comp supporting my recovery for my injured back and PTSD, which my insurance does not cover and should not. I want accountability and reparations.'

Yi (pictured in 2018) shared the allegations on Instagram in a series of posts, claiming they were 'coerced to quit' the project and were 'gaslit by coworkers, producers, and HR'

Yi went on to claim they are 'tired of being met with retaliation for protecting my life', claiming they have been 'blacklisted' and received 'death threats' when previously speaking out.

In 2018, Yi alleged they were harassed by Marilyn Manson on the set of TV series House. In 2021, they accused James Franco of being a 'sexual predator' and claimed they were 'bribed' not to quit The Disaster Artist over sexual assault claims.

Yi also shared a screenshot allegedly depicting text messages from a 'Chinese medicine doctor', claiming they could not 'stand straight without shooting pains, could not sleep', were 'disassociating from chronic pain' and suffered from PTSD.

Time Bandits was shot in New Zealand throughout 2022, with production wrapping in January 2023.

A show source told Daily Mail Australia that the alleged incident and investigation occurred more than 18 months ago, around November 2022.

Yi, 38, who uses they/them pronouns, was cast as Judy in Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement's series based on the 1981 film by the same name (Taika is pictured at the 2024 Met Gala)

They disputed Yi's claim that they were coerced to quit, claiming they were given the option to stay on or leave the production without their contract being enforced after an 'extensive' investigation couldn't substantiate their allegations.

Yi's character will still appear in the finished series and their character Judy was written out of episodes shot after they left, according to Variety.

Yi is best known for their role as Dr. Chi Park in Fox medical drama House, while they have also starred in Paper Heart, This Is 40, Next Gen and Jexi.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Apple TV+ for further comment.

For confidential support 24/7 contact 1800RESPECT or MensLine on 1300 78 99 78
Jackie 'O' Henderson has revealed her theory as to why breakfast radio hosts like herself may be blocked from celebrity dating app, Raya.

On Thursday's The Kyle & Jackie O Show, the radio host, 49, revealed that despite sourcing 'references' to use the exclusive app, many female radio announcers have been denied access.

'They've been denied,' she said, to which co-host Kyle Sandilands, 52, responded 'Who do these people think they are?'

'Well, they're so protective of the privacy [of celebrities on the app] that I think they might be worried because we work on breakfast radio-style shows,' Jackie theorised.

'[Raya is worried] we might talk about some people on air, which we wouldn't, obviously,' the radio host added.

Jackie 'O' Henderson has revealed her theory as to why breakfast radio hosts like herself may be blocked from celebrity dating app, Raya. On The Kyle & Jackie O Show, the radio host, 49, mentioned that many female radio announcers are 'denied' by the app. Pictured

'They're so protective of the privacy [of celebrities on the app] that I think they might be worried because we work on breakfast radio-style shows,' the radio host theorised

Jackie then went on to say that not getting on Raya isn't as disappointing as it sounds.

'You're not missing out on anything, trust me,' she said, agreeing with Kyle that most of the 'industry people' on the app are 'd***heads.'

It comes as Jackie looked slimmer than ever as she arrived for day one of Australian Fashion Week 2024 alongside her daughter Kitty on Monday.

The radio queen, who has lost over 18 kilos, looked youthful and slim in the sleeveless mini dress which featured a sweetheart neckline.

Jackie 'O' Henderson looked slimmer than ever as she arrived for day one of Australian Fashion Week 2024 alongside her daughter Kitty on Monday. Both pictured

The 49-year-old, who has lost over 18 kilos, looked youthful and slim in the sleeveless mini dress which featured a sweetheart neckline

It included a woven lace design with metallic thread accents and a semi-sheer design that added a peekaboo element.

Jackie added a pair of sheer black tights and towering black stilettos with a pointed design.

For makeup, Jackie went for a peachy look with a rust-toned eye shadow and a pinky nude, overlined lip.

She wore her blonde locks down in cascading waves and carried a black designer purse with gold hardware.

Kitty, 13, was her mum's mini me in a sleeveless black column dress paired with strappy heels.

Mother and daughter had a front row seat at the show with Jackie snapping a selfie of the pair from their prime position.
Two weeks after it was announced that New Line Cinema had obtained the rights of the upcoming Chris Farley biopic, the production's first-time director, Josh Gad, is offering up a few teases about what fans can expect.

The film, which has the blessing of the Farley family, will explore the iconic comedian's journey from his Wisconsin childhood to his meteoric rise to fame on Saturday Night Live in New York City, and his burgeoning movie career, leading to his tragic death from a drug overdose at the age of 33.

Although limited in what he can share about the story at this time, which will star Paul Walter Hauser as Farley, Gad revealed the source material the story will be based on during an interview with Collider.

'I can tell you that it's based on the incredible book written by Chris's brother, Tom [Farley Jr.], and his partner, Tanner [Colby], called The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts,' he told the publication.

The New York Times bestseller has been described as 'a portrait of who Farley was to his closest friends, family and colleagues,' while at the same time a tragic tale of the downfalls of addiction, which ultimately took his life in December 1997, two months before his 34th birthday.

Josh Gad, 43, revealed his upcoming directorial debut for the upcoming Chris Farley biopic will be 'very personal' to him, considering he idolized the SNL legend while growing up

'It's gonna track his journey through thick and thin, oftentimes thick and oftentimes thin, and it's going to do so in a way that I hope makes people laugh and sometimes cry,' Gad explained. 'But we're really excited. We're at the beginning of it, but I think it's gonna be really special.'

For Gad, he knew his first directorial endeavor needed to be 'something that was very personal' to him, and the telling of Chris Farley's story meets that emotional and creative bar, considering he's worshiped the comedian since his own childhood.

Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber have been tapped to write the screenplay based on the book, although Gad is expected to look at other sources for inspiration.

One important element the director will be looking to reach during the shoot will be Farley's knack for universal humor, or his ability to make just about anyone laugh, which has helped keep him relevant through the 27-plus years since death.

'There's a joy and a legacy that Chris's work has that is wholly unique. There are very few people that can universally make everyone laugh. Chris Farley was one of those individuals. So what I hope to capture is the essence of that,' Gad revealed.

Gad will also be looking to ensure his depiction captures Farley's emotionality by showing the depth of his relationships and his demons.

The actor-turned-director fully understands the assignment ahead of him and the Herculean effort needed for the film to be a success with both fans and critics.

'I've wanted to direct for a while, but I knew that I needed to do something that was very personal and a story about the struggle with weight, struggle with confidence, struggle with inner demons, and wanting to make people laugh even if sometimes it's at your own expense,' Gad explained of the need to make the biopic.

'It's gonna track his journey through thick and thin, oftentimes thick and oftentimes thin, and it's going to do so in a way that I hope makes people laugh and sometimes cry,' Gad explained. 'But we're really excited. We're at the beginning of it, but I think it's gonna be really special'

Paul Walter Hauser, 37, had previously revealed his longtime desire to play Farley in a film

Gad added, 'Those things felt wholly familiar and recognizable, in part because I worshiped Chris Farley growing up. So, it's sort of a full-circle project for me, and in a way, I see a lot of myself in it.'

In a sense, The Beauty And The Beast star is looking at the biopic as a love letter of sorts to Farley's life and career, which will be based on his love for comedian and his work during his own childhood watching from afar.

For Hauser, who previously expressed his longtime desire to play Farley on-screen, the film is also passion project of sorts.

The actor has been known his supporting roles in such films as I, Tonya (2017), BlacKkKlansman (2018), Late Night (2019), Da 5 Bloods (2020) and Cruella (2021), along with his breakout performance in the title role of Clint Eastwood's drama film Richard Jewell (2019).

One important element Gad will be looking to reach as the director will be Farley's knack for universal humor, or his ability to make just about anyone laugh, which has helped keep him relevant through the 27-plus years since death; he is seen on SNL with Adam Sandler in 1995

Gad will also be looking to ensure his depiction captures Farley's emotionality by showing the depth of his relationships and his demons; After being fired from SNL, Farley had a burgeoning movie career, which included Tommy Boy (1995) with David Spade

Along with the Farley biopic, Hauser's other upcoming roles also include the Naked Gun reboot, The Fantastic Four and Inside Out 2.

SNL creator and longtime producer Lorne Michaels is also onboard as a producer on the film through his Broadway Video banner.

Chris Farley was found dead inside his Chicago apartment in December 1997, which the Cook County Medical Examiner attributed to an accidental overdose of cocaine and morphine.

The Farley biopic is still in its initial phase of production so there's no word on a projected premiere date just yet.








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Julie Bishop has vowed to write a book reflecting on her time as an Australian politician, delivering a subtle threat to her former colleagues.

The former Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party and Foreign Affairs Minister, 67, made the shock revelation when appearing on Channel Seven's Sunrise on Thursday.

Speaking with breakfast television co-hosts Natalie Barr and Matt Shirvington, the ex-politician said she doesn't believe she'd be allowed to publish a tell-all memoir until all the people she's worked with have died.

'I've thought about it. And in fact, I've been approached on many times,' she said.

'But I kind of work on the theory that if I were to write a book and tell the truth, some people might not be very happy with that and then perhaps sue me for defamation.

Julie Bishop (pictured) has vowed to write a book reflecting on her time as an Australian politician

'So I'm going to have to wait until everybody's passed on, and I intend to outlive them all.'

Shirvington and Barr were thrilled with the idea of Ms. Bishop's career-based book, with Barr suggesting she 'must have a lot to say about politics'.

'You've got to [write a book] now,' Shirvington said, to which Ms. Bishop replied, 'Watch this space!'

'I've got to outlive everybody in order to write the story I really want to write,' she added.

Ms. Bishop retired from politics in 2019 after being involved in the career for more than 20 years.

The former Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party and Foreign Affairs Minister made the shock revelation when appearing on Channel Seven 's Sunrise on Thursday

Ms. Bishop retired from politics in 2019 after being involved in the career for more than 20 years

She has always been labelled a style icon and is continuing to show off her classy fashion sense, recently appearing at 2024 Australian Fashion Week.

She appeared at the Carla Zampatti show on Monday evening, followed by P.E Nation on Tuesday and the Michael Lo Sordo that night.

Ms. Bishop also has a new partner, Perth man Stephen Gray, who she debuted their romance back in July 2023.

While little is known about Stephen, his Facebook profile shows him proudly standing behind a cafe racer style motorcycle, clad in a black leather jacket.

The pair have been spotted in several happy snaps on Julie's social accounts since their relationship announcement, and even recently travelled to South Australia for a 'fabulous outback adventure'.
Susie Bradley and Todd Carney got engaged for a second time over the weekend, and this time the Married At First Sight star insists the couple will make it down the aisle.

The pair called off their first engagement in 2022 as the rugby star, 37, battled alcohol addiction. They reconciled in May last year and Todd is now 14 months sober.

The former reality TV star, 31, told Daily Mail Australia they are planning to tie the knot as soon as six months away.

'We always loved each other. We didn't not love each other. It was just circumstances in life,' Susie said of their first engagement and subsequent split.

'I knew we both wanted to be married at some point.

Susie Bradley and Todd Carney got engaged for a second time over the weekend, and this time the Married At First Sight star insists the couple will make it down the aisle

'I figured it was only a matter of time, but because we've obviously been through it all before, I didn't feel we were in a rush. It just felt right. That's what Todd said. He said he felt like the time was right.'

She went on to say she discussed her second engagement with her mother-in-law Leanne Carney and told her: 'This is how it's supposed to feel. It feels right.'

'We're going to have a short engagement and probably get married fairly soon... A six to twelve month sort of time frame probably. It will be amazing.'

The former reality TV star, 31, told Daily Mail Australia they are planning to tie the knot as soon as six months away

The couple, who share son Lion, three, are also making plans to welcome even more children into their happy family unit.

'We want two more babies. So hopefully that all works out. We're busy people. We like keeping ourselves entertained,' Susie said.

Susie began dating Todd back in 2019, a year after she appeared on Married At First Australia, with Todd happily stepping into the role of stepfather to Susie's daughter Baby.

Susie began dating Todd back in 2019, a year after she appeared on Married At First Australia, with Todd happily stepping into the role of stepfather to Susie's daughter Baby, far right. They also share son Lion, three

They announced their engagement in December 2020, shortly before confirming Susie was also pregnant with their first child together.

They welcomed son Lion in April 2021, but later called off their engagement in 2022 after Todd struggled to combat his alcohol addiction.

After Susie and Todd split in 2022, the beauty therapist made a resolution to never date again.

The lovebirds reconciled in May last year.

Meanwhile, it seems that the cosmetic injector is already preparing herself to give birth again, as she has recently been spruiking a new pelvic floor training device VTone.

She explained she's been battling pregnancy-related incontinence since giving birth to Baby at the age of 21.

The beautician said she was jumping on a trampoline three months after welcoming Baby when she lost complete control of her bladder.

'It honestly felt like I lost the whole contents of my stomach. I just immediately felt the wet. I couldn't tell anyone,' she said.

'I was there with my partner and best friend. Didn't even tell my best friend because I just could not believe it. I went straight to the bathroom.

'I think I ended up with toilet paper undies or something. I didn't want to tell anyone. I was so embarrassed. I was in shock horror.'

'We always loved each other. We didn't not love each other. It was just circumstances in life,' Susie said of their first engagement and subsequent split, but added she has hope for her relationship after reconciling with Todd

Since then, Susie said she's suffered with a chronic and frequent urges to urinate as her pelvic floor was severely weakened by giving birth.

She says pelvic floor trainer VTone and FormaV have helped ease her incontinence issues by 'using electrical muscle stimulation and deep tissue heating to rehabilitate weak pelvic floor muscles'.

Since Susie has reconciled with Todd, he has stayed clean and sober following years of booze-fuelled scandals which prematurely ended his NRL career.

Susie also revealed she and Todd plan to welcome even more children into their happy family unit. 'We want two more babies. So hopefully that all works out. We're busy people. We like keeping ourselves entertained,' she said

Susie and Todd announced their engagement in December 2020, shortly before confirming Susie was also pregnant with their first child together

His footy career was chequered with controversy, including being charged with drink driving and reckless driving, allegedly urinating on a man at a nightclub, vandalism, being sacked by the Raiders and banned from his home town of Goulburn, NSW.

That led to him being deregistered by the NRL and forced to play bush footy with far north Queensland side Atherton Roosters, before he was kicked out of the NRL for good after a string of alcohol-related indiscretions including the infamous bubbler that saw him pretend to urinate into his own mouth.

His new life with Susie was just what Todd needed, until he realised he was still on a very dark path.

'My life was going fine, at least I thought it was, until our relationship got really serious,' he told Triple M's Rush Hour with Gus, Jude & Dell last week.

'My wife fell pregnant with our son Lion and obviously her love for me, obviously was always going to stay the same. But she said, "Before bringing a boy into this life, into this world, I can't see you keep harming yourself."

'And she was honest with me. She said, "You think you're a rock star and you're not. Yes, I didn't know you when you played rugby league and I don't really care." Then we split for a little bit, and that was a hard time, because [of] my values growing up.

They welcomed son Lion in April 2021, but later called off their engagement in 2022 after Todd struggled to combat his alcohol addiction. The lovebirds reconciled in May last year

'When people said, "Oh, when you want kids, what will you want to be like?", I said, "I want to be like my dad." So I lost that value because I wasn't with my son 100 per cent of the time.

'And in those times, week on, I was really good with him. When my week was off, I was living like a rock star and just not giving any care for myself or who I was.'

Todd had been to rehab and alcohol counselling many times before, but this time he went of his own volition and was determined to make it work for the sake of his young family.
South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are set to satire the Ozempic craze in their upcoming special The End of Obesity, which airs May 24 on Paramount+ in the US.

In the last few years, more and more people have decided to take the trendy type 2 diabetes drug, which allows them to easily shed weight they openly struggled with for decades but can cause yet-to-be-known long-term effects such as pancreatitis.

'It is time for some drastic measures to bring down his weight,' Eric Cartman's doctor explained in the preview.

'There's these new crazy drugs people are doing. Have you heard of semaglutides? Ozempic, Mounjaro.'

Despite his doctor's urging, the overweight eight-year-old is 'denied access to the life-changing medicine' and his friends 'jump into action' to procure the semaglutide injectable.

South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are set to satire the Ozempic craze in their upcoming special The End of Obesity, which airs May 24 on Paramount+ in the US

In the last few years, more and more people have decided to take the trendy type 2 diabetes drug, which allows them to easily shed weight they openly struggled with for decades but can cause yet-to-be-known long-term effects such as pancreatitis

'You know, Cartman, this could be dangerous,' Kyle warns.

At that, Eric says: 'Let's do it... Wow! Could this really happen?'

The scheming, sociopathic fourth grader - voiced by co-creator Trey Parker - has always been sensitive and in denial about his obesity, famously exclaiming: 'I'm not fat, I'm big-boned!'

When a therapist dared to mock Cartman's weight in season 15 episode 'TMI' - he texted the psychiatrist's wife and implicated him in an affair with a 14-year-old girl, leading to the wife's suicide.

In the 1997 season one episode titled 'Weight Gain 4000' - Eric attempted to transform into a 'beefcake' by taking bodybuilding supplements, which made him so morbidly obese he appeared on Geraldo.

Two years later in season three, the politically-incorrect boy played Jesus in a church production and became emaciated after his friends accidentally left him on the crucifix for three weeks, forcing him to survive on his accumulated body fat.

The End of Obesity marks the seventh standalone South Park special Paramount+ has released since 2021.

Comedy Central has renewed the critically-acclaimed cartoon for 27th, 28th, 29th, and 30th seasons through 2027, making it the cable network's longest-running scripted series.

Eric Cartman's doctor explained: 'It is time for some drastic measures to bring down his weight. There's these new crazy drugs people are doing. Have you heard of semaglutides? Ozempic, Mounjaro'

Despite his doctor's urging, the overweight eight-year-old is 'denied access to the life-changing medicine' and his friends 'jump into action' to procure the semaglutide injectable: 'You know, Cartman, this could be dangerous'

Eric said: 'Let's do it... Wow! Could this really happen?'

The scheming, sociopathic fourth grader - voiced by co-creator Trey Parker - has always been sensitive and in denial about his obesity, famously exclaiming: 'I'm not fat, I'm big-boned!'

When a therapist (L) dared to mock Cartman's weight in season 15 episode 'TMI' - he texted the psychiatrist's wife and implicated him in an affair with a 14-year-old girl, leading to the wife's suicide

In the 1997 season one episode titled 'Weight Gain 4000' - Eric attempted to transform into a 'beefcake' by taking bodybuilding supplements, which made him so morbidly obese he appeared on Geraldo

Two years later in season three, the politically-incorrect boy played Jesus in a church production and became emaciated after his friends accidentally left him on the crucifix for three weeks, forcing him to survive on his accumulated body fat

Celebrities who have admitted to taking semaglutide drugs include Whoopi Goldberg (L), Kelly Clarkson (2-L), Rebel Wilson (2-R), Oprah Winfrey (R), Elon Musk, Chelsea Handler, Amy Schumer, Sharon Osbourne, Sheryl Underwood, Lauren Manzo, Dolores Catania, and more

But for every celebrity who admits to Ozempic, there are many more who've remained suspiciously silent while slimming including Mindy Kaling (L), Lizzo (M), Melissa McCarthy (R), Khloe Kardashian, Lana Del Rey, Christina Aguilera, and Patricia Arquette

Semaglutide injectables can cost $25/month for qualified patients under insurance, but it costs anywhere between $600 and $1,300 for a month supply of four weekly pens out-of-pocket

Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Mounjaro, and Victoza should only be prescribed to severely overweight patients suffering from type 2 diabetes - and only one of them (Wegovy) has been approved for weight loss by the FDA in 2021

Celebrities who have admitted to taking semaglutide drugs include Kelly Clarkson, Whoopi Goldberg, Rebel Wilson, Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk, Chelsea Handler, Amy Schumer, Sharon Osbourne, Sheryl Underwood, Lauren Manzo, Dolores Catania, and Golnesa 'GG' Gharachedaghi.

But for every celebrity who admits to Ozempic, there are many more who've remained suspiciously silent while slimming including Lizzo, Mindy Kaling, Melissa McCarthy, Khloe Kardashian, Lana Del Rey, Christina Aguilera, and Patricia Arquette.

Obesity expert Dr. Andrew Kraftson said most people taking these medications will hit a plateau around the 18-month mark after starting treatment.

'You could tell someone that they're going to lose 15 percent of their weight, potentially, on Ozempic or Wegovy. But once they get to 15 percent, it is not like they're like, "Oh, now I'm satisfied, great,"' Kraftson told the New York Times last September.

'I don't try to come across as the dream killer, but sometimes you really wonder, what is the hole we're trying to fill? And will additional weight loss really fill it?'

Semaglutide injectables can cost $25/month for qualified patients under insurance, but it costs anywhere between $600 and $1,300 for a month supply of four weekly pens out-of-pocket.

Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Mounjaro, and Victoza should only be prescribed to severely overweight patients suffering from type 2 diabetes - and only one of them (Wegovy) has been approved for weight loss by the FDA in 2021.

The End of Obesity airs May 24 on Paramount+ in the US and on May 25 on Paramount+ in the UK
Selena Gomez shared a sweet snap with her boyfriend Benny Blanco on Wednesday.

The Only Murders in the Building star, 31, took to her Instagram Stories to post a black and white photo of the record producer, 36, kissing her on the temple.

The actress  who recently discussed feeling 'freedom' after revealing her bipolar diagnosis to the world  had a big smile on her face and her eyes closed as Benny wrapped his arms around her and gave her a smooch while looking at the camera.

Selena, who wore a black jacket and had her tresses pulled into a bun, added a white-heart emoji to the photo.

It comes after Benny revealed that he sees marriage and kids with Selena in his future.

Selena Gomez, 31, took to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday to share a sweet snap of her boyfriend Benny Blanco, 36, kissing her on the temple

Benny recently shared that he already bought his famous girlfriend 'some really good stuff' to celebrate their first anniversary of dating, which is right around her July 22nd birthday.

When Howard Stern said he predicted marriage for Blanco and the 'Texican' pop star, Benny (born Benjamin Levin) replied: 'You and me both... I gotta get my act together!'

As for children, Blanco announced: 'That's like my next goal on the box. I have a lot of God kids, I've got a ton of nephews. It's my thing, I love being around kids!'

The 11-time Grammy nominee co-wrote and produced Selena's 2023 song Single Soon, which peaked at No. 19 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

But Gomez - who previously dated Drew Taggart, The Weeknd, and Justin Bieber - has technically been collaborating with Benny as far back as 2015 on her second studio album Revival.

'It was so crazy. When we went out on our first date, I didn't even know it was a date,' Blanco admitted.

'I remember sitting there and she's like, "Well, I would have worn something different for this date," and I was like, "What?! We're on a date?!"'

The Virginia native said he frequently stares at the two-time Grammy nominee and tells her, 'I don't know a world where it could be better than this.'

It comes after Benny revealed that he sees marriage and kids with Selena in his future; the pair pictured April 30

When Howard Stern (L) said he predicted marriage for the two, Benny replied: 'You and me both... I gotta get my act together!'

Benny also shared he already bought his famous girlfriend 'some really good stuff' to celebrate their first anniversary of dating, which is around her July 22nd birthday; Seen April 22

The pair went public in December 2023 when she commented on a fan page's post and confessed that they had already been dating for six months at the time

'She's the coolest, the nicest, the sweetest, like, everything,' Benny gushed.

'She's truly just like my best friend. We laugh all f***ing day. She inspires me.'

For Valentine's Day, Blanco rented a movie theater to screen Selena's favorite film Almost Famous and he provided her with all of her favorite foods including fried pickles, Taco Bell, Flamin' Hot Cheetos, and nachos.

The pair went public in December 2023 when Selena commented on a fan page's post and confessed that they had already been dating for six months at the time.

The Lace It rapper even enjoys the company of Gomez's Only Murders in the Building co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short.

'They're the last of a f***ing generation  those guys are genius-level brilliant,' Benny declared.

The Golden Globe-nominated actress is said to earn well over $600K/episode to produce and portray artist Mabel Mora in Steve Martin and John Hoffman's critically-acclaimed who-done-it series and season four premieres August 27 on Hulu.

Selena currently executive produces and hosts Shauna Minoprio's six-episode spin-off Selena + Restaurant - airing Thursdays on the Food Network - in which she works in a string of LA's hottest restaurants.

Earlier last week Selena broke her silence after her ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey (pictured showing off her baby bump) announced that they're expecting their first child

Although Selena didn't directly acknowledge the pregnancy news, she did share a photo showing her holding hands with Benny to her Instagram Story

Selena previously dated Justin, 30, on/off for eight years before their finite split in May 2018; pictured in 2009

Blanco has been hard at work promoting his cookbook Open Wide, which is currently ranked No. 6 on the New York Times' list of bestselling advice, how-to, and miscellaneous books.

Earlier last week Selena broke her silence after her ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey announced that they're expecting their first child together on Thursday.

Although Selena didn't directly acknowledge the pregnancy news, she did share a photo with Benny to her Instagram Story. The black-and-white shot showed Selena and Benny holding hands while bundled up in blankets.

Selena previously dated Justin, 30, on/off for eight years before their finite split in May 2018. Months later, Justin rekindled his 2016 fling with Hailey, 27, and they wed that September.
Hailey Bieber dished on what food she's craving most as she awaits the birth of her and husband Justin Bieber's first child.

The 27-year-old model  who announced her pregnancy on social media last week  appeared on Instagram on Wednesday and opened up to her 52.2 million followers.

Sharing a photo of her red manicured hand holding her latest hankering, she revealed it to be 'egg salad on top of a pickle with hot sauce.'

She playfully added, 'And no, you're not allowed to judge!!'

Bieber described the unusual combination of food as 'currently my biggest craving.'

Hailey Bieber dished on what food she's craving most as she awaits the birth of her and husband Justin Bieber's first child

Sharing a photo of her red manicured hand holding her latest hankering, she revealed it to be 'egg salad on top of a pickle with hot sauce'

Earlier this month Hailey and Justin shared identical posts on their Instagram platforms to reveal their pregnancy news.

The longtime couple, who tied the knot in 2018, renewed their vows during a trip to Hawaii.

The precious moment was filmed and made into a sweet video showcasing the model's burgeoning bump.

For the special occasion the Rhode skincare founder wore a custom Yves Saint Laurent white lace wedding dress by Anthony Vaccarello.

The snug-fitting gown accentuated her blossoming belly and boasted a matching headscarf.

The duo simply tagged each other in their individual posts, skipping an explicit caption and allowing viewers to deduce the life update on their own.

Since then, Hailey has reappeared on the app and opened up about becoming a first-time mother.

Earlier on Wednesday she shared a 'photo dump' of her last few weeks of pregnancy, showing off her maternity style as she cradled her tummy in multiple images.

The longtime couple, who tied the knot in 2018, renewed their vows during a trip to Hawaii

Hailey and Justin shared identical posts on their Instagram platforms to reveal their pregnancy news

Earlier on Wednesday she shared a 'photo dump' of her last few weeks of pregnancy, showing off her maternity style

Last year Hailey said that she and Justin would like to try for a family 'in the next couple of years.'

'You don't know how long that process [of getting pregnant] is ever going to take. Definitely no kids this year, that would be a little hectic, I think,' she told WSJ.

'There's this thing that happens for women when you get married. Everybody assumes it's: First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby,' the runway regular explained.

'Well, what about the things I want to accomplish in my business? I think I had it ingrained in my head that I was going to want to have kids right away and I was going to have kids super, super young. Then I turned 25 and I'm like, I'm still super, super young!'
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Glen Powell and Adria Arjona made a dynamic duo while attending the premiere of their Netflix action-comedy, Hit Man, at The Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas on Wednesday.

The Top Gun 2 actor, 35, cut a dapper figure in a light grey suit and a brown button-up shirt underneath, while posing with his stylish co-star, 32, on the red carpet.

The actor  who previously sparked romance rumors with Anyone but You co-star Sydney Sweeney, 26  completed his look with white boots.

Meanwhile the Puerto Rican-Guatemalan actress sizzled in a form-fitting red dress that showed off her enviable figure.

Adria, who plays his love interest in the film, had her black tresses slicked back and spruced up her outfit with gold earrings and silver heels.

Glen Powell, 35, and Adria Arjona, 32, made a dynamic duo while attending the premiere of their Netflix action-comedy, Hit Man, at The Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas on Wednesday

At one point two people were visible holding cardboard signs behind Glen that read, 'Stop trying to make Glen Powell happen. It's never gonna happen.'

It was a play at a famous quote from the 2004 movie Mean Girls, in which high-school student Gretchen Wieners exclaimed, 'Stop trying to make fetch happen. It's not going to happen!'

The quote represents trying to force something to be popular when it doesn't have a natural appeal to catch on.

Glen was a good sport about it as he laughed and made a funny face for the cameras.

He and Adria also posed with the film's writer and director Richard Linklater, 63, who wore a brown suit with a white t-shirt.

Linklater previously helmed films like Boyhood, School of Rock, and Bernie.

Richard's daughter Lorelei Linklater, 29, was also present at the event, and looked stylish in a deep green gown.

She added a romantic flair to the look with white shoes featuring lace trim wrap-around straps and bows. The beauty further accessorized with two black stone necklaces.

The Top Gun 2 actor cut a dapper figure in a light grey suit and a brown button-up shirt underneath, while posing with his stylish co-star on the red carpet

Adria, who plays his love interest in the film, flashed a bright smile as she posed alongside him

The actor  who previously sparked romance rumors with Anyone but You co-star Sydney Sweeney, 26  completed his look with white boots

Glen accessorized with a silver chain necklace

At one point two people were visible holding cardboard signs behind him that read, 'Stop trying to make Glen Powell happen. It's never gonna happen'

It was a play at a famous quote from the 2004 movie Mean Girls, in which high-school student Gretchen Wieners exclaimed, 'Stop trying to make fetch happen. It's not going to happen!'

The Puerto Rican-Guatemalan actress sizzled in a form-fitting red dress that showed off her enviable figure

Adria had her black tresses slicked back in a chic bun

The duo also posed with the film's writer and director Richard Linklater, 63, who wore a brown suit with a white t-shirt

He's previously helmed films like Boyhood, School of Rock, and Bernie

The trio happily posed for the cameras

Adria was pictured greeting fans and signing autographs at the event

Comedian and actress Retta, 54, was a vision in a pink gown with dramatic floral sleeves. She coordinated the look with a purse that also featured floral accents.

Rounding out the outfit were her pink shoes.

Retta  who stars as a Police Officer in the film  also posed with Linklater.

Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, 55, sported an all-black outfit with a matching hat as he arrived on the red carpet.

Fozzy Whittaker caught up with Jeremy Hills at the event.

Fozzy kept it casual in a white t-shirt and beige pants. Meanwhile Jeremy looked sharp in a pinstripe suit.

Also present at the premiere was Sanjay Rao and Molly Bernard.

Hit Man is an action comedy that will be available to stream on Netflix on June 7.

Richard's daughter Lorelei Linklater, 29, was also present at the event, and looked stylish in a deep green gown. She added a romantic flair to the look with white shoes featuring lace trim wrap-around straps and bows

Comedian and actress Retta, 54, was a vision in a pink gown with dramatic floral sleeves

Retta  who stars as a Police Officer in the film  also posed with Linklater

He kept it casual for the premiere, opting out of wearing a tie

Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, 55, sported an all-black outfit with a matching hat as he arrived on the red carpet

Fozzy Whittaker caught up with Jeremy Hills at the event

Fozzy kept it casual in a white t-shirt and beige pants. Meanwhile Jeremy looked sharp in a pinstripe suit

Also present at the premiere was Sanjay Rao and Molly Bernard

Hit Man follows Gary Johnson (Glen) who works undercover for the police department, posing as a hitman to catch people trying to hire one. Things get complicated when he becomes attracted to a woman seeking his 'services'

The action comedy that will be available to stream on Netflix on June 7

The movie follows Gary Johnson (Glen) a college professor who works undercover for the police department. He poses as a hitman to catch people trying to hire one.

However, things get complicated when he becomes attracted to a woman seeking his 'services.'

The plot is based on a true story that took place in Texas about 20 years ago, but Richard and Glen, who co-wrote the screenplay, have turned it into a romantic comedy.

This is the second project for Glen and Richard, who collaborated on 2016's Everybody Wants Some.
Winner of FBoy Island Nick Brown has been spotted supporting his girlfriend Molly O'Halloran as she modelled at the Staple the Label show, produced by Neon MGMT, at Australian Fashion Week on Wednesday.

Nick, who met and fell in love with Molly on the Abbie Chatfield-hosted reality show, looked stylish in a blue Gibson suit as he spoke exclusively to Daily Mail Australia about his girlfriend's catwalk.

'Molly's walking. So I've come out to try and see if I can get her to crack a smile. I was unsuccessful. She was very professional and she walked very well,' he joked.

Nick also gave an update on his relationship with the stunner after the couple recently celebrated their first anniversary together.

'It's been really good. She's moved up from Melbourne and we've been living together happily,' Nick said.

Winner of FBoy Island Nick Brown has been spotted supporting his girlfriend Molly O'Halloran as she modelled at the Staple the Label show at Australian Fashion Week on Wednesday. Both pictured

Nick, who met and fell in love with Molly on the Abbie Chatfield-hosted reality show, spoke exclusively to Daily Mail Australia about his girlfriend's catwalk

On the runway, Molly looked chic and professional as she walked in a red sleeveless dress.

In the outdoor, Molly paused and worked her angles for the camera before walking off the catwalk.

It comes as Molly and Nick stunned fans last month when they appeared to get married.

On the runway, Molly looked chic and professional as she walked in a red sleeveless dress

In the outdoor setting, Molly paused and worked her angles

In videos taken by events content creator Isabelle Lakin, the couple, who met on the reality show last year, donned bride and groom apparel.

They shared a sweet kiss, celebrated with champagne and added a caption with the date, leading fans to think they had eloped.

The smitten pair were forced to clarify that they were not in fact man and wife in a follow up video.

'Molly's walking. So I've come out to try and see if I can get her to crack a smile. I was unsuccessful. She was very professional and she walked very well,' he joked

Nick also gave an update on his relationship with the model, with the couple recently celebrating their first anniversary together. 'It's been really good. She's moved up from Melbourne and we've been living together happily,' Nick said

While Nick joked that they had been wed and were heading to Paris for a honeymoon, Molly laughed and explained it was not the case.

'No, no, it was for a shoot!' she said, adding that she 'wished' that they were off to Paris.

'There's no ring, there's no engagement,' she added with Nick then teasing, 'not yet'.

It comes as Molly and Nick stunned fans last month when they appeared to get married

In videos taken by events content creator Isabelle Lakin, the couple, who met on the Abbie Chatfield hosted reality show FBoy Island last year, donned bride and groom apparel

They shared a sweet kiss, celebrated with champagne and added a caption with the date, leading fans to think they had eloped

Late last year, Molly and Nick took the next step in their romance and relocated to Sydney.

Molly and Nick made the adorable joint announcement about their relationship on Instagram back in August.

'After trialing long distance, we have worked out that it sucks! So Nick and I have decided to move in together,' the caption read.

The couple met on FBoy Island, a reality dating show that pits self-proclaimed 'F**k Boys' against genuine 'nice guys'.

If a woman picks a 'nice guy' on the show, the couple walk away with $50,000 to share, and the potential for a long-lasting romance.

FBoy Island Australia's finale aired in June and Molly and Nick had to keep their relationship under wraps until the episode was live.

The smitten pair were forced to clarify that they were not in fact man and wife in a follow up video
Ines de Ramon cut a chic figure as she stepped out in Los Angeles on Tuesday, without boyfriend Brad Pitt.

The jewelry designer, 34, showed off her casual style in a fitted black high-neck bodysuit and black jeans.

The brunette beauty completed her outfit with a large black tote bag slung over her shoulder.

She shielded her eyes with a pair of sunglasses and carried a beverage tumbler in her hand.

Her sighting comes after DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that Ines and Brad are struggling to fully 'move on' from his ongoing divorce from Angelina Jolie, 48.

Ines de Ramon, 34, cut a chic figure as she stepped out in Los Angeles on Tuesday, without boyfriend Brad Pitt

Brad and Angelina, known as the power couple Brangelina and parents to six kids together, have been locked in a contentious divorce since they split in 2016 - due to a French property they co-owned together called Chateau Miraval.

Brad and Ines were first linked in November 2022 after they were spotted at a Bono concert.

They were seen two months after Ines separated from her husband Paul Wesley after three years of marriage.

Ines and Paul finalized their marriage earlier this month.

He took her to his Babylon premiere in December 2022, followed by birthday celebrations, New Year's Eve together and a trip to Paris.

They also were together to ring in Brad's 60th birthday in December.

Brad attended the Santa Barbara International Film Festival with Ines in early February.

The actor attended the film festival to help honor his pal Bradley Cooper with the outstanding performer of the year award.

Brad and Ines were seated next to each other at the event - which took place at Arlington Theater - as seen in Hello! magazine.

According to Hello! Ines had her hand on Brad's thigh for most of the event, with the couple laughing and chatting with each other.

One week later, it was revealed that Brad and Ines are living together at the actor's home.

The jewelry designer showed off her casual style in a fitted black high-neck bodysuit and black jeans

Brad and Ines were first linked in November 2022 and have since reportedly moved in together; (L) Ines seen in 2023, (R) Pitt seen in 2022

Her sighting comes after DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that Ines and Brad are struggling to fully 'move on' from his ongoing divorce from Angelina Jolie, 48

'It's pretty recent. They are going very strong and she is happier than ever,' a People insider said, adding that she still has her place as well.

Though he is known for his laid-back public persona, Pitt has previously been accused of volatile behavior by ex-wife Angelina Jolie, 48.

The movie stars, who met in 2004 while filming Mr. And Mrs. Smith, share six children together: sons Maddox, 22, Pax, 20, and Knox, 15, and daughters Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 17, and Vivienne, 15.

Jolie adopted Maddox in 2002, then Zahara in 2005, a year after she'd met Pitt while the pair filmed Mr and Mrs Smith. He was married to Jennifer Aniston at the time.

They then adopted Pax together in 2007, and had biological kids Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne afterwards. Pitt adopted all of the kids before they got married in 2014.

They married in August 2014 after 10 years together but Angelina filed for divorce in September 2016.

At the time, Angelina chose to file 'for the health of the family,' according to the Associated Press, and asked for physical custody of the children.

They were declared single by a judge in 2019 but their divorce remains ongoing.

It comes after Jolie's lawyer made a highly unusual public appeal to her ex-husband Brad  asking the actor to 'let her go' last week.

Paul Murphy, her attorney, said: 'She looks forward to the day when he is finally able to let her go'. Pitt is accused of 'sandbagging' his former wife by filing a response to documents which her team say was 'designed to cause a press event.'

It comes after Jolie's lawyer made a highly unusual public appeal to her ex-husband Brad  asking the actor to 'let her go' last week; the former pair seen in 2009

They married in August 2014 after 10 years together but Angelina filed for divorce in September 2016; seen in 2014

Her team also say that the latest legal skirmishes, which concern Pitt requiring Jolie to sign an NDA as part of a deal to sell her portion of their vineyard, are part of a 'shameful' cover-up of his abuse of her and are 'about power and control.'

The appeal follows a declaration by a former bodyguard which was lodged at the LA Superior Court by Pitt's side. It accused Jolie of trying to drive a wedge between Pitt and their six children. Jolie's team are now moving to have that filing struck.

It's thought that the three eldest children  Maddox, Pax and Zahara - have no relationship with Pitt, and son Pax said in an Instagram post three years ago that his father was a 'world class a**hole' and 'f***ing awful human being' who made his children tremble with fear.

Pitt is no longer seeking to vary custody arrangements for the three children who are under 18, following protracted legal action which failed.

Meanwhile, battle rages over the vineyard they once co-owned, which Ms Jolie sold to billionaire Yuri Sheffler of the Stoli group.

Pitt argues went against their agreement to offer the other the right of first refusal.
Benedict Cumberbatch kept it cool and casual on Wednesday while promoting his upcoming Netflix psychological thriller miniseries Eric in Los Angeles.

The 47-year-old English actor wore a plain white T-shirt under a black two-pocket shirt along with black pants while attending a Netflix event at Sunset Las Palmas Studios.

The Sherlock star completed his outfit with black sneakers with white trim.

Benedict accessorized with rose-colored Persol sunglasses and sported some facial stubble.

The London native stars and also is an executive producer of the upcoming Netflix miniseries Eric.

Benedict Cumberbatch kept it cool and casual on Wednesday while promoting his upcoming Netflix miniseries in Los Angeles

He teamed up for a group photo at the event with co-stars Gaby Hoffmann and McKinley Belcher III and miniseries writer and creator Abi Morgan.

Gaby wore a colorful red dress and black coat along with yellow heels.

McKinley looked sharp in an olive shirt, green pants and black boots.

Welsh writer Abi kept it simple with a black top and matching trousers along with black-and-white sneakers.

The six-part British psychological thriller stars Benedict as Vincent, a puppeteer in 1980s New York whose nine-year-old son, Edgar, has gone missing. Vincent then becomes increasingly volatile and alienated from his friends and family.

Vincent after issues with substance abuse becomes convinced that he can reunite with Edgar with the assistance of his puppet, Eric, that stands seven-feet tall.

Eric is scheduled to be released on May 30 on Netflix.

The 47-year-old English actor wore a plain white T-shirt under a black two-pocket shirt along with black pants while attending a Netflix event at Sunset Las Palmas Studios

Benedict accessorized with rose-colored Persol sunglasses and sported some facial stubble

Gaby Hoffmann wore a colorful red dress and black coat along with yellow heels

McKinley Belcher III looked sharp in an olive shirt, green pants and black boots

Welsh writer Abi Morgan kept it simple with a black top and matching trousers along with black-and-white sneakers

Benedict teamed up for a group photo at the event with co-stars Gaby and McKinley and miniseries writer and creator Abi

Benedict is an executive producer along with Abi, director Lucy Forbes, English producer Jane Featherstone and Lucy Dyke.

The producer of the series is Holly Pullinger.

Benedict also was an executive producer and starred in the five-episode TV miniseries Patrick Melrose that premiered on Showtime.

He also is an executive producer of the upcoming miniseries The 39 Steps in which he will portray Major-General Sir Richard Hannay, the fictional character created by Scottish novelist John Buchan who was made further popular by the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film The 39 Steps.
The Disney Channel announced Wednesday that the sixth season finale of Raven-Symone Pearman-Maday's sitcom Raven's Home, which aired on September 3, was the series finale.

The 38-year-old former child star was 15 when she originated the role of psychic teen-turned-fashion designer Raven Baxter in the cable network's sitcom That's So Raven, which aired for four seasons spanning 2003-2007.

Instead, Raven-Symone will executive produce and direct Alice in the Palace, a spin-off pilot starring her onscreen cousin - Alice Baxter (Mykal-Michelle Harris) - who moves back to England and reunites with her doppelganger Duchess Clementine (also played by Harris) - according to Deadline.

The precocious 12-year-old won a Children's & Family Emmy Award last year for her role as Alice, and her pilot will be written and produced by Raven's Home creators Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas (who are also overseeing the reboot Wizards Beyond Waverly Place).

Pearman-Maday - who boasts 14.5M social media followers - gushed on Instagram on Wednesday: 'Thank you to #disneybrandedTV for believing in me all these years and for years to come! Let's get it poppin!'

The Disney Channel announced Wednesday that the sixth season finale of Raven-Symone Pearman-Maday's sitcom Raven's Home, which aired on September 3, was the series finale

The three-time Daytime Emmy Award nominee is 'excited to embark on the next chapter of this creative journey alongside my Disney family' as part of a new multi-year overall deal she signed with Disney Branded Television.

Following controversy over never watching That's So Raven as a child, Miranda Pearman-Maday took to Instastory to publicly show her support for her wife on Wednesday: 'Soooo proud of you my love @ravensymone!'

'I'm here with Miranda, my wife, to tell you to stop it in the comments. And stop with the death threats in her DMs,' Raven-Symone said in a May 2nd TikTok.

'It is disrespectful to her, and in turn, disrespectful to me. Stop it.'

Her 36-year-old Best Podcast Ever co-host added: 'I think my wife is endlessly talented. I support her beyond. She also isn't just Raven-Symone to me. You guys must try and open your minds a little bit and understand there is more behind people that are celebrity, there is real life here. And that's why we're feeling inclined to address this because I'm receiving so much hate for something that is really just a big spiral of internet misinformation.'

The Pearman-Madays - who met at a karaoke event in 2013 - will celebrate four years of wedded bliss on June 18.

The Cheetah Girls alum will next reprise her voiceover role as Maria Media in Anna O'Brian's comedy Big City Greens the Movie: Spacecation, which premieres June 6 on Disney Channel (June 7 on Disney+).

Raven-Symone famously began her career, at age three, portraying Bill Cosby's onscreen step-granddaughter Olivia Kendall on his hit NBC sitcom The Cosby Show from 19891992.

The disgraced 86-year-old comedian's legacy and career were destroyed after nearly 60 women claimed they were drugged and sexually assaulted by him as far back as 1965 and as recent as 2005 (he's denied all of the allegations).

The 38-year-old former child star (L) was 15 when she originated the role of psychic teen-turned-fashion designer Raven Baxter in the cable network's sitcom That's So Raven, which aired for four seasons spanning 2003-2007

Instead, Raven-Symone will executive produce and direct Alice in the Palace, a spin-off pilot starring her onscreen cousin - Alice Baxter (L, Mykal-Michelle Harris pictured August 18) - who moves back to England and reunites with her doppelganger Duchess Clementine (also played by Harris)

The precocious 12-year-old (L, pictured in 2023) won a Children's & Family Emmy Award last year for her role as Alice, and her pilot will be written and produced by Raven's Home creators Jed Elinoff (M) and Scott Thomas (R)

Pearman-Maday gushed on Instagram on Wednesday: 'Thank you to #disneybrandedTV for believing in me all these years and for years to come! Let's get it poppin!'

The three-time Daytime Emmy Award nominee is 'excited to embark on the next chapter of this creative journey alongside my Disney family' as part of a new multi-year overall deal she signed with Disney Branded Television (pictured April 8 with wife Miranda)

Following controversy over never watching That's So Raven as a child, Miranda Pearman-Maday took to Instastory to publicly show her support for her wife on Wednesday: 'Soooo proud of you my love @ravensymone!'

Raven-Symone said in a May 2nd TikTok: 'I'm here with Miranda, my wife, to tell you to stop it in the comments. And stop with the death threats in her DMs. It is disrespectful to her, and in turn, disrespectful to me. Stop it'

Her 36-year-old Best Podcast Ever co-host added: 'I think my wife is endlessly talented. I support her beyond. She also isn't just Raven-Symone to me. You guys must try and open your minds a little bit and understand there is more behind people that are celebrity, there is real life here. And that's why we're feeling inclined to address this because I'm receiving so much hate'

The Pearman-Madays - who met at a karaoke event in 2013 - will celebrate four years of wedded bliss on June 18
Kourtney Kardashian says she and her family donate flowers to hospitals after they're done displaying them.

Kourtney, 45, answered a question posted in the comment thread of an Instagram Reel in which she showed off an elaborate display of flowers her husband Travis Barker put up in their Southern California home to celebrate Mother's Day this past Sunday.

A user replied to the Reel, which was posted Tuesday, 'Beautiful! Out of curiosity, what do you and your sisters do with all the flowers??

'All the rose bushes can be planted afterwards!' the reality star said in response. 'But I usually donate them to hospitals.'

In the clip Kourtney posted Tuesday, scored to the Louis Armstrong version of La Vie en Rose, she showed off a room in her home decorated with enormous floral arrangements on the wall, floor and in white vases.

Kourtney Kardashian, 45, says she and her family donate flowers to hospitals after they're done displaying them. Pictured earlier this year in LA

In the clip Kourtney posted Tuesday, she showed off a room in her home decorated with enormous floral arrangements on the wall, floor and in white vases

The floral assortment was positioned by a window in the home overlooking the yard.

The eldest of the Kardashian sisters welcomed son Rocky Thirteen Barker, her first child with the Blink-182 drummer, this past November.

She is mother to three kids with ex Scott Disick, 40: son Mason, 14, daughter Penelope, 11, and son Reign, nine.

Barker is father to three children with his Shanna Moakler, 49: stepdaughter Atiana, 24, (who Moakler had with Oscar De La Hoya); son Landon, 20, and daughter Alabama, 18.

Kourtney, who has past done volunteer work in her native Los Angeles, told her followers in her post that she spent the holiday with her kids.

'In pajamas all day, croissant picnic with my babies, long family walks, dinner and a movie under the stars and moon with lots of flowers = the perfect Mothers Day,' Kourtney said. 'Soooo thankful!!'

Kourtney in the social media post was also seen in her backyard enjoying a picnic in which she watched the 2014 Drew Barrymore movie Blended with her kids on a projector.

Kourtney's donation reveal drew a number of flowery responses, as a number of her followers lauded her for ensuring the flowers would be enjoyed by all

Kourtney showed off an elaborate display of flowers her husband Travis Barker put up in their Southern California home to celebrate Mother's Day this past Sunday

Kourtney said that 'all the rose bushes can be planted afterwards' and that she 'usually' donates 'them to hospitals'

The floral assortment was positioned by a window in the home overlooking the yard

Kourtney's donation reveal drew a number of flowery responses, as a number of her followers lauded her for ensuring the flowers would be enjoyed by all.

'Thats beautiful,' one user said, another said, 'So very kind of you,' and another added, 'Absolutely lovely. I bet you make people's day.'

Another user said 'so people can share in the beauty of your gift ... very kind and thoughtful just as you come across.'
Glen Powell was celebrating the premiere of his new film Hit Man and his induction into the Texas Film Hall of Fame... though his own parents hilariously trolled him.

The 35-year-old actor returned to his hometown of Austin, Texas on Wednesday, with the premiere and his induction held at the Paramount Theatre.

While he hit the red carpet, his parents Glen Sr. and Cyndy were by his side, holding up signs that poked fun at his fame, using quotes from the 2004 film Mean Girls.

Powell's mother Cyndy - clad in a black dress - held up a sign that read, 'Stop Trying to Make Glen Powell Happen.'

His father Glen Sr. - donning a grey suit - held up another sign that read, 'It's never gonna happen.'

Glen Powell was celebrating the premiere of his new film Hit Man and his induction into the Texas Film Hall of Fame... though his own parents hilariously trolled him

Powell's mother Cyndy - clad in a black dress - held up a sign that read, 'Stop Trying to Make Glen Powell Happen'

Glen Jr. - who rocked a brown polka dot shirt under a grey suit coat with matching pants and white shoes - took it all in stride, posing next to the signs on his big night.

The Austin Film Society announced in late March that they were inducting Powell into their Texas Film Hall of Fame, in conjunction with this premiere.

Richard Linklater - who founded The Austin Film Society and directs Hit Man from a script he co-wrote with Powell in his screenwriting debut - was proud to induct Powell into the Texas Film Hall of Fame.

'Its an honor to be part of inducting a fellow Austinite, my friend and collaborator Glen Powell, into the Texas Film Hall of Fame,' Linklater began.

'The Texas Film Hall of Fame acknowledges Texans who have had a lasting impact on film culture, and Glen has already achieved this milestone,' he continued.

Hit Man is based on the outlandish true story of Gary Johnson, a seemingly mild-mannered Houston professor who lives alone with his two cats.

What no one knew was he was also moonlighting as a fake hitman, working with the police to help them arrest people who wanted others dead.

The film version - based on Skip Hollandsworth's 2001 Texas Monthly article - follows Powell as Johnson, whose life is upended when he falls for a woman (Adria Arjona) who tries to hire him.

Glen Jr. - who rocked a brown polka dot shirt under a grey suit coat with matching pants and white shoes - took it all in stride, posing next to the signs on his big night

Richard Linklater (right)- who founded The Austin Film Society and directs Hit Man from a script he co-wrote with Powell in his screenwriting debut - was proud to induct Powell into the Texas Film Hall of Fame.

Hit Man is based on the outlandish true story of Gary Johnson, a seemingly mild-mannered Houston professor who lives alone with his two cats

What no one knew was he was also moonlighting as a fake hitman, working with the police to help them arrest people who wanted others dead.

Powell had worked with fellow Austin, Texas native Linklater on 2006's Fast Food Nation, 2016's Everybody Wants Some and 2022's Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood

Powell had worked with fellow Austin, Texas native Linklater on 2006's Fast Food Nation, 2016's Everybody Wants Some and 2022's Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, they started discussing ideas on how to the Hollandsworth's article into a movie, resulting in them sharing a writing credit for the first time, and Powell's first ever screenwriting credit.

This is also the second collaboration between Linklater and Hollandsworth, who wrote the January 1998 Texas Monthly article that became the 2011 film Bernie.

Hit Man debuted at the Venice Film Festival last fall and then the Toronto International Film Festival, where Netflix picked it up for $20 million, more than doubling its $8.8 million budget.

The film will have a small theatrical release on May 24 before debuting on Netflix worldwide June 7.
Simone Holtznagel has been embracing motherhood since welcoming her baby daughter Gia in March.

And the doting mother, 30, took to Instagram on Thursday to share an adorable video of her newborn daughter enjoying a hydrotherapy session.

In the video, the six-week-old baby was seen bouncing in the water assisted by a swim aid, better known as a baby neck float.

Gia appeared to be enjoying the hydrotherapy as she flashed a smile and laughed while bobbing around in the pool.

'Muffin gurl goes to the spa,' proud mother Simone captioned the sweet video.

Simone Holtznagel took to Instagram on Thursday to share an adorable video of her newborn daughter enjoying a hydrotherapy session

Infant hydrotherapy can help to strengthen the bones and muscles of a child and can also assist with growing pains.

It is not the first time that Simone has taken the little one to enjoy a hydrotherapy session, as she posted a video of Gia's first ever session last month.

The model's fans were quick to take to the comments section to gush over the 'cute' footage.

They penned: 'This is the cutest thing ever'; 'This vision of muffin girl will always always be saved in my brain'; 'Oh my god Muffin girl.'

In the video, the six-week-old baby was seen bouncing in the water assisted by a swim aid, better known as a baby neck float

Model Simone has been embracing motherhood since welcoming her baby daughter Gia in March

Simone and her personal trainer boyfriend Jono Castano welcomed Gia, their first child together, on Easter Sunday this year.

She announced the happy news on her Instagram page alongside a series of adorable photos of her newborn in the first week of April.

'On Sunday March 31st we welcomed our healthy, baby girl Gia Holtznagel Castano into the world,' she wrote in the caption.

'We are totally and completely in love with her and enjoying these special moments as a family of three.'

Simone and her personal trainer boyfriend Jono Castano welcomed Gia, their first child together, on Easter Sunday and publicly confirmed the news just days later in April

Simone announced that she and boyfriend Jono were expecting their first child together in October and later confirmed they were having a baby girl.

At the time, Simone, who went public with her relationship with the celebrity trainer back in 2022, told Who magazine she was overjoyed with the news.

'Kids have always been in our plan. We started talking about it more and more and then it just happened,' she told the publication.

Simone told the magazine she discovered she was pregnant after she felt unusually sick following a holiday to the Maldives to celebrate her 30th birthday.
Martin Short was named the latest celebrity Mayor of Funner, California this week, where he revealed he no longer believes in 'bucket lists.'

The term - popularized by the 2007 Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman film The Bucket List - refers to things people want to achieve before they die, or, 'kick the bucket.'

The 74-year-old comedian - who takes over as Funner, California's celebrity mayor from Jane Lynch - told People that, 'theres not a lot of longing' about his future.

'The bucket list thing, I dont believe in anymore. I now realize, at 74, I wouldve done it,' Short admitted.

'Bill Maher and I share that  that we dont have bucket lists. Weve talked about that. If I wanted to direct, I wouldve,' Short admitted.

Martin Short was named the latest celebrity Mayor of Funner, California this week, where he revealed he no longer believes in 'bucket lists.'

'Bill Maher and I share that  that we dont have bucket lists. Weve talked about that. If I wanted to direct, I wouldve,' Short admitted

'The bucket list thing, I dont believe in anymore. I now realize, at 74, I wouldve done it,' Short admitted

The 74-year-old comedian - who takes over as Funner, California's celebrity mayor from Jane Lynch - told People that, 'theres not a lot of longing' about his future

'I just love doing it. I love being the mayor of Funner, [Calif.], but also just  I love acting,' he said.

He joked that being named the Mayor of a city would have been the 'first thing' that would have happened in his storied career that has spanned five decades.

'It went mayor, and then maybe, someday, a Peoples Choice Award. That was the pecking order. You cant get more than that,' he said.

Short takes over as Funner, California Mayor from Jane Lynch, with other Funner Mayors including Rob Riggle and David Hasselhoff.

The small town in North San Diego County is home to Harrah's SoCal, with the town officially named Funner in 2016 by the Rincon Tribal Council, the elected governing body of the RinconBand of Luiseno Indians of the Rincon Reservation, California.

They named David Hasselhoff the first "Mayor" in 2017 to a two-year term, followed by Rob Riggle in 2019 and Jane Lynch in 2022.

'As the mayor-elect of Funner, I promise to be more than just a spokesperson dressed in purple from head-to-toe, but instead, the best mayor in the whole darn state,' Short said in a statement.

'I just love doing it. I love being the mayor of Funner, [Calif.], but also just  I love acting,' he said

He joked that being named the Mayor of a city would have been the 'first thing' that would have happened in his storied career that has spanned five decades

'It went mayor, and then maybe, someday, a Peoples Choice Award. That was the pecking order. You cant get more than that,' he said

The actor will return as Oliver Putnam in Hulu's Only Murders in the Building, which featured previous Mayor Lynch as a murder victim in Season 3

The show follows Martin's Charles-Haden Savage, the once-famous star of a 90s sitcom, Short's Oliver Putnam, a struggling Broadway director, and Selena Gomez's Mabel Mora, a young artist, living in her aunt's apartment

They all live in the Manhattan apartment complex The Arconia, and after the surprising death of a tenant, realize they're all obsessed with true crime

'Its my goal to make every part of the already fun Harrahs Resort SoCal even Funner, and I cant wait to share my plans with all of my constituents in just six short weeks,' he added.

Short took an oath to, 'protect fun, good times, laughing out loud and positive vibes from the negative influences determined to turn a smile upside down.'

The actor will return as Oliver Putnam in Hulu's Only Murders in the Building, which featured previous Mayor Lynch as a murder victim in Season 3.

Lynch's character is said to be returning in the upcoming Season 4 - debuting August 27 on Hulu - in the form of various flashbacks.

The series debuted in August 2021, created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman, based on an idea Martin had a decade earlier.

The show follows Martin's Charles-Haden Savage, the once-famous star of a 90s sitcom, Short's Oliver Putnam, a struggling Broadway director, and Selena Gomez's Mabel Mora, a young artist, living in her aunt's apartment.

They all live in the Manhattan apartment complex The Arconia, and after the surprising death of a tenant, realize they're all obsessed with true crime.

They decide to try and solve the murder of their neighbor, which leads them to starting a podcast, with the upcoming fourth season even bringing them to Los Angeles.

They decide to try and solve the murder of their neighbor, which leads them to starting a podcast, with the upcoming fourth season even bringing them to Los Angeles

The new season follows the trio questioning the murder of Lynch's Sazz Pataki, which brings them to L.A.

There they discover a Hollywood studio is readying a film about the Only Murders podcast.

Upon returning to New York, 'they embark on an even more epic journey - traversing their building's courtyard to delve into the twisted lives of the Arconia's West Tower residents.'

Special guest stars this season include Meryl Streep, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Eugene Levy, Eva Longoria, Zach Galifianakis, Molly Shannon, Kumail Nanjiani, Melissa McCarthy, Richard Kind, Jane Lynch and more.
Two months after suffering the loss of her father, Jennifer Garner is savoring every moment with her mother Patricia 'Pat' Garner including very publicly wishing her a happy 86th birthday on Wednesday.

In honor of the retired English professor, the 52-year-old 13 Going on 30 alum shared five funny videos capturing her wisdom and sly sense of humor including one clip of her dressed as a milkmaid leading two people in a cow costume through their United Methodist Church at Christmas.

Pat frequently assists Jennifer via FaceTime with recipes like blueberry buckle for her Pretend Cooking Show - instructing her how to properly cut a sweet potato and shading her for not having buttermilk in her fridge.

'You know what I say about chocolate?' Garner quipped to her famous daughter. 'It's just the conveyance to get nuts to your mouth.'

The Oklahoma-born homemaker also expressed her distaste for exercise even as she points out she's outlived many of her classmates.

Two months after suffering the loss of her father, Jennifer Garner is savoring every moment with her mother Patricia 'Pat' Garner including very publicly wishing her a happy 86th birthday on Wednesday

The four-time Emmy nominee - who boasts 29.8M social media followers - also included a sweet b&w childhood snap of Pat.

Jennifer captioned her Instagram slideshow: 'This is a Pat Garner stan account. I love you, Mom, happy 86th birthday!'

Garner - who was 'born to breed' - received glowing comments about her mother from her celebrity gal pals Christy Turlington, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hilary Swank, and Mindy Kaling.

The Texan-born mother-of-three had just paid tribute to the Oklahoma-born matriarch on Sunday for a different reason: 'Happy Mother's Day to our awesome, fun and cozy Mom. Thank you for teaching us to stop and appreciate beauty around us, Mom, we are so lucky to be yours.'

Jennifer and Pat are still deeply mourning the loss of patriarch Billy Garner who 'peacefully' passed away on March 30 at age 85 surrounded by his family.

'We were with him, singing Amazing Grace as he left us (did we carry him across or scare him away valid question),' Garner wrote.

'While there is no tragedy in the death of an 85 year old man who lived a healthy, wonderful life, I know grief is unavoidable, waiting around unexpected corners...We are grateful for Dad's gentle demeanor and quiet strength. For how he teased with a mischievous smile, and for the way he invented the role of all in, ever patient girl dad. We are grateful for his work ethic, leadership and faith.'

The Family Switch producer-star has previously joked about her 'practically Amish' upbringing since she was not allowed to wear make-up, paint her nails, pierce her ears, or dye her hair as a teenager growing up in West Virginia.

In honor of the retired English professor, the 52-year-old 13 Going on 30 alum shared five videos capturing her wisdom and sly sense of humor including one clip of her dressed as a milkmaid leading two people in a cow costume through their United Methodist Church

Pat frequently assists Jennifer via FaceTime with recipes like blueberry buckle for her Pretend Cooking Show - instructing her how to properly cut a sweet potato and shading her for not having buttermilk in her fridge

'You know what I say about chocolate?' Garner quipped to her famous daughter. 'It's just the conveyance to get nuts to your mouth'

The Oklahoma-born homemaker also expressed her distaste for exercise even as she points out she's outlived many of her classmates

The four-time Emmy nominee - who boasts 29.8M social media followers - also included a sweet b&w childhood snap of Pat

Jennifer captioned her Instagram slideshow: 'This is a Pat Garner stan account. I love you, Mom, happy 86th birthday!'

Garner - who was 'born to breed' - received glowing comments about her mother from her celebrity gal pals Christy Turlington, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hilary Swank, and Mindy Kaling

The Texan-born mother-of-three had just paid tribute to the Oklahoma-born matriarch on Sunday: 'Happy Mother's Day to our awesome, fun and cozy Mom. Thank you for teaching us to stop and appreciate beauty around us, Mom, we are so lucky to be yours'

Jennifer and Pat are still deeply mourning the loss of patriarch Billy Garner who 'peacefully' passed away on March 30 at age 85 surrounded by his family: 'We were with him, singing Amazing Grace as he left us'

The Family Switch producer-star is excited to continue executive producing and starring as Hannah Hall in the second season of The Last Thing He Told Me, which was Apple TV+'s most watched limited series (with 4.5M viewers in the first 31 days) despite a dismal response

But first, Jennifer reprises her role as billionaire heiress-turned-mercenary Elektra Natchios in Shawn Levy's MCU film Deadpool & Wolverine - hitting US/UK theaters July 26 - alongside Ryan Reynolds (R) and Hugh Jackman (L)

Garner's sai-swinging seductress in Daredevil (2003) and its sequel Elektra (2005) famously brought her to former leading man on and offscreen - two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Ben Affleck (R) - whom she divorced in 2018

Jennifer is excited to continue executive producing and starring as Hannah Hall in the second season of The Last Thing He Told Me, which was Apple TV+'s most watched limited series (with 4.5M viewers in the first 31 days) despite a dismal response.

Garner wrote on March 25: 'I'm dying to know what happens to Hannah and Bailey. Thank you for ordering another season of #TheLastThingHeToldMe, @appletv.'

But first, the Party Down actress reprises her role as billionaire heiress-turned-mercenary Elektra Natchios in Shawn Levy's MCU film Deadpool & Wolverine - hitting US/UK theaters July 26 - alongside Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, and Morena Baccarin.

Jennifer's sai-swinging seductress in Daredevil (2003) and its sequel Elektra (2005) famously brought her to former leading man on and offscreen, two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Ben Affleck.

Garner and the Cali-born, Cambridge-raised 51-year-old co-parent three children - Violet, 18; Fin, 15; and Samuel, 12 - from their decade-long marriage, which ended in 2018.

The Once Upon a Farm co-founder will also produce and star in Netflix holiday comedy Mrs. Claus, and she'll star in Max Winkler's true-crime film Fruitcake with Paul Walter Hauser.
Fawlty Towers The Play (Apollo Theatre, London)

Verdict: Fawltless antique

Rating:

Shamelessly recycled, fifty-year-old comic material it may be. But as shamelessly recycled 50-year-old comic material goes, John Cleese and Connie Booths stage replica of their classic TV comedy, Fawlty Towers, is still very good fun.

Its such a high-quality copy of the 1975 original that if you look closely, you might even find it says Made In China on the bottom. Fawlty Towers purists will be relieved to learn there is nothing new to see here.

Instead, this is a tightly wrought highlights package, distilling the fire drill fiasco, the wall-mounted moose debacle, and the fateful fiver secretly bet on the horse Dragonfly.

Into the carefully choreographed chaos step deaf old battleaxe Mrs Richards (a peerlessly contemptuous Rachel Izen), undercover hotel inspectors and many others, including the Germans.

Being live adds frisson, but this is a risk-free re-run unthreatened by new material. Caroline Jay Rangers production offers her company all the creative freedom that Kim Jong Un grants the people of North Korea.

It's shamelessly recycled, but John Cleese and Connie Booths stage replica of their classic TV comedy, Fawlty Towers, is still very good fun

Its such a high-quality copy of the 1975 original that if you look closely, you might even find it says Made In China  on the bottom

And Liz Ashcrofts staging distils the chintzy Torquay hotel into an open plan design faux pas  from lobby with flock wallpaper and dining room with lacy tablecloths, to upstairs bedroom sans sea view.

Adam Jackson-Smith is a faultless avatar of Basil, down to the long moustache muffling his sotto voce sarcasm. He leaps adroitly to attention at Sybils shrieking threats to his manhood (youll have to sew them back on first), but hes also supple enough to do the swivelling, head-bandaged goose step for the bewildered Germans.

Anna-Jane Caseys Sybil is likewise a Prunella Scales carbon copy, while Hemi Yeroham has the exact rubber-ball bounce of Andrew Sachss waiter from Barcelona, Manuel. Victoria Fox has the swimming head movements and mid-Atlantic accent of Connie Booths Polly, and Paul Nichols is as blissfully oblivious as Ballard Berkeleys mystified Major.

Its as if time has stood still for this fine reproduction of a vintage mid-century antique. I suggest you book an en suite.

Its as if time has stood still for this fine reproduction of a vintage mid-century antique. I suggest you book an en suite

The cast acknowledged guests at Wednesday evening's press night performance of the play

Anna-Jane Casey gave a curtsy while receiving a round of applause following the production

The cast soaked up the applause after putting on a flawless performance at the Apollo Theatre

(L to R) Anna-Jane Casey, Adam Jackson Smith, Hemi Yeroham, Victoria Fox, John Cleese and Paul Nicholas

What the critics are saying about Fawlty Towers The Play Daily Mail Rating: Patrick Marmion: 'Shamelessly recycled, fifty-year-old comic material it may be. But as shamelessly recycled 50-year-old comic material goes, John Cleese and Connie Booths stage replica of their classic TV comedy, Fawlty Towers, is still very good fun' Guardian Rating: Brian Logan: 'If the performances in this revamp of the Torquay hotel sitcom arent impersonations per se, theyre near as dammit. But theyre very good ones, and audiences who already love the material (most of them, lets face it) will not be disappointed.' The Telegraph Rating: Dominic Cavendish: 'John Cleese has welded together three vintage episodes to form one fairly seamless, indisputably funny evening  with an elegiac edge.' The Times Rating: Clive Davis: 'Even though Cleeses adaptation cant quite recreate the original chemistry without the man himself and Prunella Scales behind the reception desk, Im pleased to report that this genial condensing of three episodes delivers a hugely entertaining blast of unadorned nostalgia.' Evening Standard Rating: Nick Curtis: 'The lines, the laughs, even the accents and intonations of the greatest British sitcom ever are present and correct in this efficient and energetic stage adaptation, but its an oddly soulless affair.' Advertisement

Withnail & I (Birmingham Rep)

Verdict: Not nailed

Rating:

For some of us  myself in particular  Withnail & I is the holy of holies. The greatest film of all time. The Desert Island Flick Id save from the waves. Ive always loved the sweetly sad story of two young actors at the butt end of the swinging Sixties, heading for the Lake District in the hope of respite from poverty, pills and booze. Like British pork in the sinister TV ads of the period, its got the lot.

Some of the dialogue has passed into folklore (weve gone on holiday by mistake!). It has sensational characters ranging from the two self-dramatising leads of Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann, to Richard Griffiths rhapsodic Uncle Monty, and the Cumbrian poacher who keeps live eels down his trousers.

Then theres the gorgeously melancholy soundtrack, opening with a jazz version of Whiter Shade Of Pale  matching the rain saturated beauty of the Lake District.

To mess with such perfection might seem folly. But given that the films writer and director, Bruce Robinson, wrote this new adaptation in Birmingham and that comedy director Sean Foley is at the helm, there was hope.

And if we miss the famous tractor of farmer Parkin (leg bound in polythene), we do get a nice little fencing match in the Cumbrian cottage.

For some of us  myself in particular  Withnail & I is the holy of holies. The greatest film of all time. The Desert Island Flick Id save from the waves

We must salute Robert Sheehan for taking on Richard E. Grants Withnail  still the best ever drunk acting on screen (performed by a lifelong teetotaller)

We must also salute Robert Sheehan for taking on Richard E. Grants Withnail  still the best ever drunk acting on screen (performed by a lifelong teetotaller).

But Sheehan does like to showboat, and isnt ill or angst-ridden enough to win our affection.

Adonis Siddique, however, does win hearts with a gentle reincarnation of I or Marwood  his drug-induced panic and wistful commentary more than just a comic turn.

Malcolm Sinclair ensures flamboyant uncle Monty remains a rueful, Edwardian throwback, and there are nice touches from Adam Young as nasally philosopher and drug dealer Danny.

But live music giving cover versions of The Kinks Sunny Afternoon and Norman Greenbaums Spirit In The Sky sounds more like a pub band.

Nor can creaky sets or animated projections touch the films visual cornucopia.

It made me laugh a bit, and smile a lot. But it didnt enter  or break  my heart. For that I must return to the film.

Withnail & I runs until May 25. Fawlty Towers is booking until September 28.

Eighties heart-throb Paul Nicholas looks unrecognisable as the Major and Adam Jackson-Smith is seen as Basil as first pictures of Fawlty Towers reboot are revealed

His curly blonde locks and chiselled jawline won him heartthrob status in the 80s during his time on Just Good Friends.

But now more than 40 years later Paul Nicholas is playing a very different role as the bumbling old Major in John Cleeses stage adaptation of his BBC hit show Fawlty Towers.

The 79-year-old said: Well, Im at that stage in my life where Peter Pan is no longer an option.

Im at the age where these kinds of roles come up - I played Colonel Pickering recently and thats not dissimilar.

His comments come as John Cleese revealed it took twenty minutes for him and his then-wife, Connie Booth, to come up with the concept for Fawlty Towers.

Paul Nicholas was a heartthrob in the early 80s wit his chiseled jaw and curly blonde hair but he's now playing bumbling old Major in John Cleese s stage adaptation of Fawlty Towers

John Cleese with the cast of the West End show. Right to Left: Anna-Jane Casey, John Cleese, Hemi Yeroham, Adam Jackson-Smith and Victoria Fox

John Cleese with the original cast of Fawlty Towers, the hit BBC sitcom

John Cleese was all smiles as he arrived at the sneak peak of the West End show dressed in a pair of blue jeans with dark brown and grey trainers, a plain black t-shirt, and a light beige jacket

Adam Jackson-Smith (left) plays Basil Fawlty in the new theatrical adaptation and stars opposite Paul Nicholas

Reflecting on how the show came about, the 84-year-old said: I had lunch with Jimmy Gilmore, the BBC director and producer, and said I didnt want to do any more Monty Pythons.

I said: Id like to do something with my wife because we laugh at the same things and shes a wonderful actress and great at dialogue.

He told me to go away and talk to her and said he would commission.

Connie and I had a chat that lasted about twenty minutes and we agreed we were going to set it in this hotel that wed stayed in when the Pythons had gone down to Torquay to shoot for the Monty Python show. Connie was in the hotel quite a lot which people forget.'

The 12-episode sitcom is based on a real-life hotel owner, Donald Sinclair, who ran the Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay and the couple became fascinated with his incredibly rude behaviour.

Cleese continued: So I rang Jimmy Gilmore up and I said: Wed like to set it in a hotel, to which he said, Fine.

Cleese posing with a poster for his new play which he has adapted for the stage

Adam and Victoria onstage taking on the roles of chambermaid Polly Sherman and hotel manger Basil Fawlty which were based on real people at a hotel in Torquay

The cast performing the new play based on this hit BBC sitcom. The performance and Q&A is the first real sneak peak of the hotly anticipated show

John Cleese joins the cast for a Q&A following the sneak peak performance. During the live session, Cleese said: 'It's much better than it was on television.'

Cleese and Jackson-Smith posing outside the Apollo Theatre in central London. Its been 50 years since the first show was recorded at the BBC studios in December 1974

And that was how the BBC used to work in those days - Now it would go through three committees none of whom really would have any idea what they were talking about.

Cleese was married to Booth, 83, from 1968 to 1978 after they both met on the comedy circuit while studying drama in New York.

The couple co-wrote and starred opposite each other in both series of Fawlty Towers with Booth playing the chambermaid Polly Sherman - although they divorced before the second series was finished and aired.

Its been 50 years since the first show was first recorded at the BBC studios in December 1974.

Cleese declared today: 'The stage show is better than it was on television.'

It is reported Booth, who lives in North London with her second husband the renowned American theatre critic John Lahr, would sneak into the West End revival.

Lahr told the Mail: 'She'll be going to see it - probably not on opening night but she'll be there.'

A source added: 'She is looking forward to seeing it but she likes to keep a low profile these days and stay very much out of the limelight.'
A Love Island star has been 'rushed to hospital' after a TikTok trend appeared to go very wrong.

All star contestants Kaz Kamwi and Chris Taylor spent Wednesday attempting to reenact the viral trend that sees a couple perform a spectacular Dancing On Ice-esque lift.

In the successful clip, a man picks up the woman and spins her around before he drops and tumbles to the ground, performing a forward role before the clip flips to a new scene.

Attempting the lift themselves, Kaz, 29, and Chris, 33, shared their multiple attempts over on their Instagram Story.

However things seemed to take a turn for the worst, after the pair shared a snap of Kaz lying in a hospital bed wearing a neck brace, as Chris wrote: 'I am deeply, deeply sorry @kazkamwi.

Love Island star Kaz Kamwi was 'rushed to hospital' on Wednesday after a TikTok trend went VERY wrong with Chris Taylor

Things seemed to take a turn for the worst, after the pair shared a snap of Kaz lying in a hospital bed wearing a neck brace, as Chris wrote: 'I am deeply, deeply sorry @kazkamwi'

Yet it is unclear whether the injury is in fact a spoof as followers took to the comments laughing at their attempt rather than worrying if Kaz was OK.

Meanwhile on their Instagram Story it seemed as though the pair had the move nailed down by the end after numerous attempts.

MailOnline have contacted Kaz's representatives for comment.

Fellow Love Islanders saw the funny side, as Georgia Harrison laughed: 'Pahahahahahhahahaha, Im obsessed I cant imagine how long this took'.

Former Love Island winner Liam Reardon also commented: 'I'm impressed, that takes skill from the both of you'.

Others wrote: 'I actually got nervous as soon as this started hey, not bad though!'; 'Your videos are freaking hilarious'.

Chris and Kaz starred in All Stars together earlier this year, and have appeared to grow close since leaving the villa.

Fans also speculated whether the pair were dated as they wrote in the comments: 'Are you dating Kaz' and 'You guys are dating'.

All star contestants Kaz Kamwi and Chris Taylor spent Wednesday attempting to reenact the viral trend that sees a couple perform a spectacular Dancing On Ice-esque lift

In another attempt Chris joked: 'Nearly lost her life'

Fellow Love Islanders saw the funny side, as Georgia Harrison laughed: 'Pahahahahahhahahaha, Im obsessed I cant imagine how long this took'

Fans also speculated whether the pair were dated as they wrote in the comments: 'Are you dating Kaz' and 'You guys are dating'

A third asked: 'Is Chris and Kaz dating? This is the omly Love Island I watched and liked. These 2 were awesome and if they are dating, good for them!!!'

Another responded: 'Why because there in a video together?' as the user replied: 'that's also great. I was just saying I would be happy cause they didn't find love in the villa and they were both good people.'

However it seems fans are wrong about the rumoured romance between the pair as Chris is thought to have signed up for the next series of Channel 4's Celebs Go Dating.

Chris originally appeared on series five of Love Island, but was dumped after 15 days. He returned for Love Island All Stars, where he entered the villa on day 1 but was subsequently dumped from the island on day 26.

And now he is reportedly in talks with E4 bosses to join the dating series to see if he is more successful this time with the help of dating experts Dr Tara, Anna Williamson & Paul C Brunson.

A source told The Sun they see Chris as a valuable addition to the show due to his large TikTok following and his role in the Barbie movie, which generated a significant buzz.

They said: 'E4 bosses have been in talks with Chris as they're really keen to sign him on the dotted line.

'He'd be a huge get for them as, beyond Love Island, he's got a huge TikTok following and also been in the Barbie movie, which got loads of people talking.

However it seems fans are wrong about the rumoured romance between the pair as Chris is thought to have signed up for the next series of Channel 4 's Celebs Go Dating after failing to find love after two series on Love Island

Meanwhile Kaz has been sparking romance rumours with Toby Aromolaran after the pair spent the day together at Alton Towers Resort

The reality stars have attempted to play down romance speculation on their social media channels since the show ended, but continue to enjoy each other's company

'Chris is keen too as he was really hoping to find a meaningful connection in the Love Island villa, but failed both times.'

Meanwhile Kaz has been sparking romance rumours with Toby Aromolaran after the pair spent the day together at Alton Towers Resort.

The reality stars have attempted to play down romance speculation on their social media channels since the show ended, but continue to enjoy each other's company.

And last month they were once again looking close as they sampled thrill-seeking rides at the Staffordshire theme park, where they were joined by fellow Love Island stars Chris Taylor, twins Jess and Eve Gale, plus Mitchell Taylor.

They were pictured experiencing the new Nemesis Reborn rollercoaster, the recently revamped ride which officially opened last month, as well as the Smiler in which Toby mocked Kaz's height, claiming she was too small to go on the ride.

An onlooker said: 'Toby and Kaz looked really cosy and appear to have a close bond.

'They were having such a good time together, laughing and joking all day. Whether the relationship is platonic or not is hard to work out, but they certainly seem fixated with each other.'
Married At First Sight star Evelyn Ellis set pulses racing as she posed in a jaw dropping ensemble while on holiday in Europe.

The brunette beauty, 28, turned heads in a sheer ankle-length dress, leaving little to the imagination as she dined at a cave restaurant in the heart of Puglia, Italy.

Ellis accessorised her look with a Chanel purse and a pair of dazzling earrings.

She slicked her hair back into a ponytail and opted for a radiant makeup look to show off her pretty features.

Evelyn is currently holidaying across Europe and has been treating her social media followers to glimpses of her trip.

Married At First Sight star Evelyn Ellis, 28, (pictured) has set pulses racing in a jaw-dropping ensemble while on holiday in Europe

The brunette beauty turned heads in a sheer ankle-length dress, leaving little to the imagination as she dined at a cave restaurant in the heart of Puglia, Italy

It comes after the MAFS star opened up about how she celebrated her one-year anniversary with boyfriend Duncan James.

The brunette beauty made the confession during an Instagram Q and A session.

Alongside a loved up snap with her hunky partner, Evelyn took aim at her critics who accused the couple of being 'fake'.

Ellis accessorised her look with a Chanel purse and a pair of dazzling earrings

Evelyn is currently holidaying across Europe and has been treating her social media followers to glimpses of her trip

Evelyn (right) is dating fellow MAFS star Duncan James (left)

'We've officially celebrated one year of ''fake relationship''. We had a boogie with our friends and just got back from travelling,' she wrote.

Elsewhere, she also revealed plans on having several of her tattoos removed, before going into specifics.

'My ex-boyfriends initials plus my back tattoo I got on a milk crate at someone's backyard when I was at high school and [one on] my arm,' she wrote.

During the Q and A Evelyn also revealed she only chats to her ex-MAFS groom Rupert Budgen via Instagram these days.

'He probably speaks to Duncan more,' she added.

Evelyn met Duncan while appearing on MAFS.
Lady Victoria Hervey showed off her incredible figure during an appearance at Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.

The socialite, 47, arrived at the annual event in the French city wearing a matching tiny miniskirt and silver suit jacket.

Underneath the jacket, Victoria chose a tiny bra that coordinated with the rest of her ensemble with a shimmering geometric print.

Victoria accessorised the outfit with a matching purse as she teetered through the city in a pair of high-heeled sandals.

Lady Victoria Hervey showed off her incredible figure during an appearance at Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday

The socialite, 47, arrived at the annual event in the French city wearing a matching a tiny miniskirt that was complemented by a bra and matching silver suit jacket

The former It Girl - who is the daughter of the 6th Marquess of Bristol, half-sister of the 7th Marquess, and sister of the 8th Marquess and Lady Isabella Hervey - struck a confident pose as she headed to her next festival party.

At one point, the aristocrat turned to the side to show off her toned legs whilst heading away from the Hotel Martinez.

On Tuesday, the Cannes Film Festival regular stunned in a white satin ensemble as she walked the red carpet at the Palais des Festivals.

Victoria donned a form-fitting white beaded gown with a sweetheart neckline for the first night of the festival.

She paired the dress with a striking satin cape - which had shoulder pads with bejewelled butterfly appliques attached.

Victoria was just one of a host models who attended this year's first premiere, including Helena Christensen, Taylor Hill and Shanina Shaik

The former model stood tall as she displayed her toned legs in the tiny shimmering miniskirt during an outing in Cannes

At one point, the aristocrat turned to the side to show off her toned legs whilst heading away from the Hotel Martinez.

Lady Victoria Hervey looked regal sporting a shoulder padded cape as she stepped out for The Second Act premiere at Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday

Meryl Streep is the guest of honour at this year's Film Festival, where she has received an honorary Palme d'Or.

In a statement, Meryl shared with THR: 'I am immeasurably honored to receive the news of this prestigious award. To win a prize at Cannes, for the international community of artists, has always represented the highest achievement in the art of filmmaking.

'To stand in the shadow of those who have previously been honored is humbling and thrilling in equal part. I so look forward to coming to France to thank everyone in person this May!'
Forget the ministry of silly walks, Wednesday was all about the school of satisfied departures following a hugely successful night at London's Apollo Theatre.

Former Monty Python legends John Cleese and Terry Gilliam reunited for the eagerly anticipated Fawlty Towers press night as the beloved sitcom - created by Cleese and ex-wife Connie Booth - gets a limited West End run after being redeveloped as a stage play.

The comedy icons were on hand to greet fans outside the venue, where celebrity guests gave the critically acclaimed production a thunderous round of applause.

Cleese, 84, was seen climbing into the rear of a waiting car after attending the event with wife Jennifer Wade, 52, and her father.

Meanwhile Gilliam, 83, signed autographs for those waiting outside the stage doors following Wednesday's show.

John Cleese was seen leaving London's Apollo Theatre on Wednesday evening following the Fawlty Towers press night

Terry Gilliam signed autographs for those waiting outside the stage doors following Wednesday's show

Penny Lancaster appeared to be in high spirits after attending the star-studded event

Elsewhere Penny Lancaster appeared to be in high spirits as she left the theatre hand-in-hand with her brother, Oliver, during a rare night out without husband Sir Rod Stewart.

Fawlty Towers has come to the stage nearly 50 years after it became one of Britain's best-loved sitcoms.

The original series, which ran from 1975 to 1979, followed inept hotel manager Basil Fawlty, played by Cleese, as he tried to keep his hotel and marriage afloat.

The writer and creator has used material from three episodes of the series  The Hotel Inspectors, The Germans and Communication Problems.

John said it was a 'thrill' to bring the show to the stage for the first time.

He has adapted the three episodes to write 'one huge finale' which will tie them all together.

The strikingly similar-looking West End cast includes Adam Jackson-Smith as Basil Fawlty, Anna-Jane Casey as his wife Sybil, Hemi Yeroham as waiter Manuel and Victoria Fox as Polly, the chambermaid.

Penny was hand-in-hand with her brother Oliver as she left the theatre in London's West End

Michael Palin, another Monty Python legend, was also present at the launch on Wednesday

Vanessa Feltz gave onlookers a wave as she made her way home after attending the launch

What the critics are saying about Fawlty Towers The Play Daily Mail Rating: Patrick Marmion: 'Shamelessly recycled, fifty-year-old comic material it may be. But as shamelessly recycled 50-year-old comic material goes, John Cleese and Connie Booths stage replica of their classic TV comedy, Fawlty Towers, is still very good fun' Guardian Rating: Brian Logan: 'If the performances in this revamp of the Torquay hotel sitcom arent impersonations per se, theyre near as dammit. But theyre very good ones, and audiences who already love the material (most of them, lets face it) will not be disappointed.' The Telegraph Rating: Dominic Cavendish: 'John Cleese has welded together three vintage episodes to form one fairly seamless, indisputably funny evening  with an elegiac edge.' The Times Rating: Clive Davis: 'Even though Cleeses adaptation cant quite recreate the original chemistry without the man himself and Prunella Scales behind the reception desk, Im pleased to report that this genial condensing of three episodes delivers a hugely entertaining blast of unadorned nostalgia.' Evening Standard Rating: Nick Curtis: 'The lines, the laughs, even the accents and intonations of the greatest British sitcom ever are present and correct in this efficient and energetic stage adaptation, but its an oddly soulless affair.' Advertisement

Fawlty Towers, which premiered in the seventies, is set in a hotel in the seaside town of Torquay. Basil Fawlty is the irritable owner of the hotel, who was often rude to demanding guests.

Basil is constantly berated by his wife, Sybil, portrayed by Prunella Scales, and he also had a number of comedic run-ins with their Spanish waiter Manuel, who was played by Andrew Sachs.

The play will follow Basil as he attempts to ingratiate himself with guests he suspects are posing as hotel inspectors.

Fawlty Towers was awarded many plaudits, including two Bafta awards for best situation comedy.

Cleese with his wife Connie who played Polly in the original BBC show. The pair divorced in 1978 but there are rumour Booth will be sneaking into the West End revival

The cast acknowledged guests at Wednesday evening's press night performance of the play

Anna-Jane Casey gave a curtsy while receiving a round of applause following the production

(L to R) Anna-Jane Casey, Adam Jackson Smith, Nizar El Hachem, Victoria Fox, John Cleese and Paul Nicholas

In 2019, the show was named the greatest British sitcom of all time by a panel of television experts for the Radio Times magazine.

The sitcom was based on real life hotel owner, Donald Sinclair, and Cleese was given the idea when he stayed at Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay.

The original episode, The Germans, was removed off some broadcast platforms for a period of time due to the use of racial slurs, following the Black Lives Matter protests.

However, it returned and was reinstated with a warning about 'offensive content and language'.

Cleese co-wrote the original series with Connie Booth, who was then his wife. She also starred in Fawlty Towers as Polly.
Noel Edmonds has been accused of blindsiding 17 employees at his New Zealand winery when he gave them just one day's notice of the venue's winter closure.

The TV star, 75, moved to remote Ngatimoti in 2022 and opened the River Haven vineyard and Bugger Inn pub.

But The Sun report that boss Noel shocked his employees when he shut up shop and flew back to the UK for New Zealand's winter months. The star was pictured on the Isle of Man on Tuesday.

Sacked staff have told The Sun: 'Emotions are very high. It came right out of the blue. We had a meeting a week before where Noel asked for our ideas for winter.'

'At 4pm on the Saturday, April 27, one of the managers took a group of us into a back room and said, "Tomorrow is your last day". We never saw Noel.'

Noel Edmonds has been accused of blindsiding 17 employees at his New Zealand winery when he gave them just one day's notice of the venue's winter closure

The TV star, 75, moved to remote Ngatimoti in 2022 and opened the River Haven vineyard. As well as the winery, the TV star also has a shop, restaurant, pub, and cafe on a 15m estate

Another claimed they were even booted out of the venue's pub when they drowned the sorrows with team drinks after the shock news.

They claimed: 'I think we'd had one round when another of Noel's bosses told us to go'.

'The next day Noel appeared and was cracking jokes, but there was no apology. No one has been told anything about future work.'

A notice on the official website for the winery announces the winter closure and hints at the high emotions, stating: 'There were a few misty eyes when we put up the Winter Closed sign at River Haven but we need the time to build on the success of the past 12 months.'

'Yep closing for the winter months is all your fault! Youve just made us too popular!!'

'Our hospitality team will be getting a well-earned break but for the construction team theres a frenetic few months ahead'.

It goes on to announce plans to extend the kitchen area during the closure 'in addition to seasonal maintenance and servicing of equipment'.

Customers though seem just as baffled as staff by the decision to close, with one commenting on the winery's Instagram page two weeks ago: 'Very strange that you have closed for winter, cancelling all your mothers day booking and we had a few meals with you last year and we came for mid winter as well.

'Very strange what about all your staff this decision seems very sudden ,might have to find somewhere else to go this mid winter.'

Sacked staff said: 'Emotions are very high. It came right out of the blue...one of the managers took a group of us into a back room and said, "Tomorrow is your last day"'

Noel first moved to New Zealand in 2019 with former make-up artist Liz Davies, launching a network of radio stations near Auckland before moving to Ngatimoti three years later

Last year River Haven were open during the winter, with the venue even promoting 'Christmas in July' events on their social media and installing a log burner at their cafe to 'enjoy the stunning sunshine even when the temperature isnt quite so friendly.'

MailOnline have contacted a representative for Noel for comment.

Noel first moved to New Zealand in 2019 with former make-up artist Liz Davies, launching a network of radio stations near Auckland before moving to Ngatimoti three years later.

As well as the winery, the TV star also has a shop, restaurant, pub, and cafe on a 15m estate - and in 2023, sparked a furious row with residents who accused him of 'colonising' their idyllic village.

The Deal Or No Deal star has also added winemaking to his repertoire at River Haven.

Noel settled in the Ngatimoti area and snapped up 12 properties worth almost 15m on 270 hectares of land.

A notice on the official website hints at the high emotions, stating: 'There were a few misty eyes when we put up the Winter Closed sign'

The town is already well-known in New Zealand for its annual festival, which generally takes place in October and is attended by thousands of people.

In 2023, he sparked a furious row with residents who accused him of 'colonising' their idyllic village.

One said: 'I feel like he's a coloniser. He's come in like he's the lord of the manor.'

The television star has not helped matters by posing for photos on the estate holding a mug with the slogan 'His Lordship'.

The resident added: "He's got this attitude... about how he's improved the place and made it amazing - it was already amazing."

Regardless, his efforts have been fruitful, which is a far cry from his last major business venture.

Customers though seem just as baffled as staff by the decision to close, with one commenting on the winery's Instagram page two weeks ago: 'Very strange that you have closed for winter, cancelling all your mothers day booking'

In 2016, following the axing of Deal Or No Deal, Noel shocked the country when he launched a motivational phone service for pets.

Meanwhile, after jetting back to the UK, Noel was spotted wearing completely odd shoes during a trip to the Isle of Man, in a picture shared on social media on Tuesday.

The Deal Or No Deal star seemed completely unfazed by his choice of footwear as he proudly showed off his two different types of shoes.

Noel choose to wear light brown lace-up boots on his right foot and slip-on dark brown boots on his left foot.

Eagle-eyed fans couldn't help but notice his peculiar fashion choice as he posed for a photo with the owners of Laxey Beach Stop Cafe.

Stunned fans flooded the shop's Facebook with hilarious comments, writing: 'Looks like he dressed in the dark'.

Meanwhile, after jetting back to the UK, Noel was spotted wearing completely odd shoes during a trip to the Isle of Man, in a picture shared on social media on Tuesday
Julie Bishop lived up to her 'minister of fashion' status as she attended the David Jones Indigenous Fashion Projects event at Australian Fashion Week.

The former foreign minister, 67, was all smiles as she posed in a stylish white trench coat inspired dress.

Ms Bishop kept her accessories minimal on the night, opting for dazzling pearl earrings and a Louis Vuitton handbag.

The ex deputy leader of the Liberal Party chose a striking makeup look consisting of eyeliner and heavy blush while her blonde hair was styled in a bouffant blow wave.

Julie was joined on the red carpet by Bachelor star Tim Robards.

Julie Bishop, 67, (pictured) lived up to her 'minister of fashion' status as she attended the David Jones Indigenous Fashion Projects event at Australian Fashion Week

The former foreign minister was all smiles as she posed in a stylish white trench coat inspired dress

Ms Bishop kept her accessories minimal on the night, opting for dazzling pearl earrings and a Louis Vuitton hand bag

Robards, 41, flaunted his chiseled physique beneath a stylish navy blazer and trousers.

Meanwhile, Australian model Samantha Harris was also in attendance.

The brunette bombshell, 33, dazzled in an all-white ensemble, donning a stylish top and matching pants.

Bachelor star Tim Robards, 42, also made an appearance at the David Jones Indigenous Fashion Projects event

Robards flaunted his chiseled physique beneath a stylish navy blazer and trousers

Australian model Samantha Harris, 33, dazzled in an all-white ensemble

AFL legend Adam Goodes looked casual cool as he sported a vibrant buttoned up shirt matched with a pair of stylish black pants

Looking the epitome of style, Harris accessorised her look with a black tote bag and matching shoes while opting for a light makeup look to show off her pretty features.

AFL legend Adam Goodes looked casual cool as he rocked up to the annual event.

Goodes sported a vibrant buttoned up shirt matched with a pair of stylish black pants.

The 44-year-old looked relaxed at the event as he happily posed for photographs.

AFL star Tom Derickx, 36, cut an effortlessly cool figure in a sleek denim jacket
John Cleese was reunited with Monty Python co-stars Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam on Wednesday, and all three were ready for a Spanish inquisition as Fawlty Towers The Play launched in London's West End.

Palin and Gilliam were on hand to support their old friend as the beloved show he devised with ex-wife Connie Booth enjoyed a successful press night at the Apollo.

But there was no Eric Idle following a dispute with his former co-stars over Monty Python's dwindling fortunes.

Idle - who was among the six original stars from the hit comedy sketch series - revealed he was still working aged 80 after only receiving 2,000 per series from the BBC show.

The comedian has blamed mismanagement of Monty Python's funds for his financial downfall - and has taken shots at his co-star Gilliam, now successful filmmaker in his own right.

John Cleese was reunited with Monty Python co-stars Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam on Wednesday, and all three were ready for a Spanish inquisition as Fawlty Towers The Play launched in London's West End.

(L-R) Eric Idle, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Michael Palin, Terry Jones in 1983 film Monty Python's The Meaning Of Life

The former co-stars gathered for an embrace as they posed for photos onstage at the venue

The old friends were accompanied by Gilliam's daughter Holly, a film and TV lawyer who became manager for the Monty Python brand in 2014.

The Monty Python's Flying Circus cast became household names after launching the groundbreaking BBC show in 1969.

Iconic sketches from the show included the Spanish Inquisition and The Ministry of Silly Walks, while its enduring success would spawn numerous feature films, among them The Life Of Brian and The Holy Grail.

Despite its popularity, founding member Idle has continually expressed his financial frustration on X, letting fans know he is not as wealthy as he appears.

In one Tweet he said: 'I don't mind not being wealthy. I prefer being funny. I don't like being assumed to be wealthy. It's different. I think Python was executive free comedy.'

In another he added: 'I don't know why people always assume we're loaded,' he announced in a rant on social media. 'Python is a disaster. Spamalot made money 20 years ago. I have to work for my living. Not easy at this age.'

American comedian-turned-director Gilliam, 83, who has gone on to direct a series of films such as Time Bandits and 12 Monkeys - has not made any public declarations about financial woes, nor has his co-star Palin, who turned 80 last year.

Gilliam was reported as being the wealthiest star from Monty Python following his combined box office haul of 137.5million for the two films.

Former Strictly Come Dancing judge Dame Arlene Phillips joined the three stars onstage

(L-R) Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin in 1974 film Monty Python & The Holy Grail

Gilliam's daughter Holly Dubois (far left) embraced Cleese as they gathered at the Apollo

What the critics are saying about Fawlty Towers The Play Daily Mail Rating: Patrick Marmion: 'Shamelessly recycled, fifty-year-old comic material it may be. But as shamelessly recycled 50-year-old comic material goes, John Cleese and Connie Booths stage replica of their classic TV comedy, Fawlty Towers, is still very good fun' Guardian Rating: Brian Logan: 'If the performances in this revamp of the Torquay hotel sitcom arent impersonations per se, theyre near as dammit. But theyre very good ones, and audiences who already love the material (most of them, lets face it) will not be disappointed.' The Telegraph Rating: Dominic Cavendish: 'John Cleese has welded together three vintage episodes to form one fairly seamless, indisputably funny evening  with an elegiac edge.' The Times Rating: Clive Davis: 'Even though Cleeses adaptation cant quite recreate the original chemistry without the man himself and Prunella Scales behind the reception desk, Im pleased to report that this genial condensing of three episodes delivers a hugely entertaining blast of unadorned nostalgia.' Evening Standard Rating: Nick Curtis: 'The lines, the laughs, even the accents and intonations of the greatest British sitcom ever are present and correct in this efficient and energetic stage adaptation, but its an oddly soulless affair.' Advertisement

Iconic Monty Python sketches included the Spanish Inquisition and The Ministry of Silly Walks (pictured)

Idle (pictured in 1983) has continually expressed his financial frustration on X, letting fans know he is not as wealthy as he appears

He has three children including his daughter Holly, who co-produced reunion show Monty Python Live (Mostly) - One Down, Five to Go, which was a success, selling out for the ten nights it was at the O2.

Meanwhile Cleese has hit out at audiences that object to comedy and claims it 'stifles creativity to start censoring every thought'.

The Fawlty Towers star said fans who have bought tickets 'know what they're going to get'.

He played the iconic but inept hotel manager Basil Fawlty in the series which recently had an episode removed from BBC streaming after a different character's use of the N-word.

The Monty Python legend said he would 'like people to realise' the Major's use of racist language was to make him 'look foolish'.

Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, Michael Palin, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam Monty Python's and Now For Something Completely Different inn 1971

Eric Idle, John Cleese, Michael Palin in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, filmed in 1975

Idle previously said the group was paid 2,000 per season by the BBC

He warned there is a 'big danger that these literal minded people will start managing to impose their views on people who are not literal minded'.

Speaking to the Front Row podcast about whether people had become more 'anxious' about what they laugh at, he said: 'Oh, absolutely. Most of the money I earn now is by doing stage tours.

'When people buy tickets for my show, they don't buy them because they hate me, so all the audiences in the theatre are pre-selected to like my stuff.

'So you never get anyone who objects because they know what they're going to get - that's the great joy of the theatre.

'If you're on television, you'd immediately know that a lot of people are going to object and I think it's rather sad, it certainly stifles creativity because the moment you start censoring every thought, the creativity stops.

'And then it becomes very formulaic.'

Cleese was seen leaving London's Apollo Theatre on Wednesday evening following the Fawlty Towers press night

Meanwhile Gilliam signed autographs for those waiting outside the stage doors following Wednesday's show

Penny Lancaster appeared to be in high spirits after attending the star-studded event

Vanessa Feltz gave onlookers a wave as she made her way home after attending the launch

Asked about the racial language the Major uses in one of the episodes, Cleese responded: 'In a perfect world, I would like people to realise there's two ways of making fun of something.

'One is very direct and the other is by making a character foolish, or look foolish, when he says certain things.'

He gave the example of Alf Garnett, who said a 'lot of very funny things' that were 'parodies of the sort of things that right wing believers would actually say'.

'But the trouble was after a time, quite a lot of people - literal minded people - took it seriously,' he continued.

'And said 'at last these things are being said on television'. So, what do you do? Do you not do irony at all because some people might not get it?

'And if you have the Major using these old fashioned, racial terms, but making fun of him because you're not saying 'hey look at the Major, isn't he a wonderful man, why can't you be like that.'

'Here you're basically saying look at the way this silly old fool is talking. Now, if you lose that kind of humour because literal minded can't understand it, then the whole landscape gets reduced.

He added: 'There's a big danger that these literal minded people will start managing to impose their views on people who are not literal minded, which is a terrible loss for the latter.

'If Basil, or anyone, is perfect, they're not funny. What is funny, is things going wrong and people behaving less than with good adaptation."

Cleese with his wife Connie who played Polly in the original BBC show. The pair divorced in 1978 but there are rumour Booth will be sneaking into the West End revival

The cast acknowledged guests at Wednesday evening's press night performance of the play

And now, decades on, their lives are completely different JOHN CLEESE, 84 Over the years his fortune has dwindled after three pricey divorce settlements. His latest divorce from from American psychotherapist Alyce Faye Eichelberger in 2009 saw him pay her 15million. The Oscar nominee now lives on the Caribbean island of Nevis with his fourth wife Jennifer Wade who he married in Mustique in 2012. TERRY GILLIAM, 72 The American-born film director has been married to British make-up and costume designer Maggie Weston since 1973. The couple have three children, Amy, 35, Holly, 33, and Harry, 25. Gilliam divides his time between homes in North London and Italy. He went onto direct a series of films such as Time Bandits and 12 Monkeys He was once estimated to be worth 25 million but it unknown his true net worth today. In 2021 the actor was caught up in a cancel-culture storm after the Old Vic Theatre announced his production of Stephen Sondheim's musical Into The Woods would be called off. It came after Gilliam urged his 495,000 Facebook followers to watch US comedian Dave Chappelle 's controversial Netflix show, The Closer. ERIC IDLE, 80 Previously estimated fortune of 10 million. In 1969, he married Australian actress Lyn Ashley, mother of his son Carey, now 40. They divorced in 1975. He went on to marry half-Russian, half-American model Tania Kosevich and the couple have a daughter Lily. Despite being married for decades, Idle announced in 2018 that they live in separate wings of their home. It was recently announced that he would be selling his multi-million home in the Hollywood hills. MICHAEL PALIN, 80 He married his childhood sweetheart Helen Gibbins in 1966 who was a bereavement counsellor. The couple lived in North London until Helen died just weeks before the couple's 57th wedding anniversary. He previously said his wife had relied on dialysis for 'so many years' in order to 'keep her alive', explaining that she eventually 'took the decision, along with the children and the doctors, to give it up'. They had three children, 42-year-old twins Thomas and William, and Rachel, 38. Estimates put his wealth at 12.5 million. TERRY JONES (DIED IN 2020) Following Monty Python he became a writer and documentary maker. Jones has two grown-up children, Sally, 39, and Bill, 37, by his wife of 43 years, Alison Telfer. He went onto marry his lover Anna Soderstrom, 41 years his junior. The couple had a daughter Siri, who is now 11. Jones died in January 2022 following a long battle with a rare form of dementia that robbed him of his speech. GRAHAM CHAPMAN (DIED IN 1989) Graham Chapman died in 1989 at the age of 48 following a battle with tonsil cancer. He played the lead role in both the Holy Grail and Life of Brian films. He died from tonsil cancer in 1989. At Chapman's memorial Cleese delivered a eulogy to Chapman with a dark humour he believed Chapman would have appreciated. He said Chapman would never forgive him if he missed the 'glorious opportunity' to shock the world on his behalf and become the first person at a televised British memorial service to say 'f***'. Advertisement

Cleese was first married to Connie Booth for ten years between 1968 to 1978 (pictured at the theatre in London in 1975)

The original series, which ran from 1975 to 1979, followed inept hotel manager Basil Fawlty, played by Cleese, as he tried to keep his hotel and marriage afloat.

The writer and creator has used material from three episodes of the series  The Hotel Inspectors, The Germans and Communication Problems.

Cleese said it was a 'thrill' to bring the show to the stage for the first time.

He has adapted the three episodes to write 'one huge finale' which will tie them all together.

The strikingly similar-looking West End cast includes Adam Jackson-Smith as Basil Fawlty, Anna-Jane Casey as his wife Sybil, Hemi Yeroham as waiter Manuel and Victoria Fox as Polly, the chambermaid.

Fawlty Towers, which premiered in the seventies, is set in a hotel in the seaside town of Torquay. Basil Fawlty is the irritable owner of the hotel, who was often rude to demanding guests.

Basil is constantly berated by his wife, Sybil, portrayed by Prunella Scales, and he also had a number of comedic run-ins with their Spanish waiter Manuel, who was played by Andrew Sachs.

The play will follow Basil as he attempts to ingratiate himself with guests he suspects are posing as hotel inspectors.

Fawlty Towers was awarded many plaudits, including two Bafta awards for best situation comedy.

Anna-Jane Casey gave a curtsy while receiving a round of applause following the production in London on Wednesday evening

(L to R) Anna-Jane Casey, Adam Jackson Smith, Nizar El Hachem, Victoria Fox, John Cleese and Paul Nicholas

In 2019, the show was named the greatest British sitcom of all time by a panel of television experts for the Radio Times magazine.

The sitcom was based on real life hotel owner, Donald Sinclair, and Cleese was given the idea when he stayed at Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay.

The original episode, The Germans, was removed off some broadcast platforms for a period of time due to the use of racial slurs, following the Black Lives Matter protests.

However, it returned and was reinstated with a warning about 'offensive content and language'.

Cleese co-wrote the original series with Connie Booth, who was then his wife. She also starred in Fawlty Towers as Polly.
Aishwarya Rai arrived at the Cannes Film Festival with her arm in a sling on Thursday.

The Bollywood star, 50, is always a firm fixture at the festival's red carpet and refused to let injury get in the way of attending.

She was all smiles as she touched down at Nice Airport in France, layering up in a navy patterned coat.

The actress was accompanied by her daughter Aaradhya, 12 - who she has with her husband Abhishek - for the outing.

Yet while all eyes were on her sling, the former Miss World did not explain what had happened to her, instead choosing to greet fans ahead of the annual cinema festival.

Aishwarya Rai doesn't let injury get in the way of attending Cannes Film Festival as she touched down in France's Nice Airport on Thursday with her arm in a sling

The Bollywood star seemed in good spirits on the outing but kept mum about what had happened to her

Several fans took to social media to express their concerns for the star after spotting her injury in a viral video, whilst also praising her for her professionalism.

They shared: 'Fractured her arm n Yet on her way to fulfill her commitment.. #AishwaryaRaiBachchan '; 'You once served with a broken leg. And this time you gonna serve with an injury arm The strongest queen'; Aishwarya at the airport going to cannes with a broken arm.Her professional is not questionable Speed recovery queen.'

MailOnline has contacted Aishwarya's representatives for comment.

The Cote dAzur festival, which kicked off Tuesday, is a 10-day ballet of spectacle and film where even the photographers wear tuxedos, standing ovations are timed with stopwatches and movies tend to be referred to by the names of their directors - 'the Almodovar,' 'the Malick,' 'the Coppola.'

Almost as prestigious as winning the Palme d'Or, the Cannes Film Festival's top prize, is being on the jury that picks the winner.

Artists from around the world who have made a name for themselves in their respective field are picked to sit on the jury, with one member designated as jury president.

This year's jury president, U.S. director Greta Gerwig, comes to Cannes after the massive success last summer of Barbie.

She is the first female U.S. director to serve as jury president, taking the baton from the head of the 2023 jury, Triangle of Sadness director and two-time Palme d'Or winner, Ruben Ostlund of Sweden.

Fans rushed to social media to explain their concern after a video went viral of the Bollywood star wearing a sling

Aishwarya and her daughter both looked happy to have arrived in the French city, with her child wheeling along the suitcase as her mother held her arm in position

The breakout star of Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, Lily Gladstone returns to Cannes after becoming the first Native American woman to be nominated for an Oscar and winning a Golden Globe award for her performance.

One of the writers of the 2014 Palme d'Or-winning film Winter Sleep, Turkish photographer, actor and screenwriter Ebru Ceylan is a familiar face at the festival.

Her first short film, On the Edge, was selected to compete at Cannes in 1998, and she has co-written several movies that were in the main competition line-up, including About Dry Grasses, Three Monkeys and The Wild Pear Tree.

One of the select few women who have starred in a James Bond film, French actor Eva Green is also on the jury.

She has an eclectic resume that includes Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven, smaller-scale projects like Nocebo and TV series Penny Dreadful.

The 12-time winner of Spain's prestigious Goya Awards, Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona is on the jury.

He gained international recognition in 2007 with his first feature-length horror movie The Orphanage, produced by award-winning Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro.

His latest, the survival drama and Netflix hit 'Society of the Snow,' netted the director an Oscar nomination for best international feature film at this year's ceremony.

Despite the injury, the actress styled things out with a dark blue coat and shielded her eyes with a pair of shades

After making a name with 2018's Capernaum, which earned her Golden Globe, BAFTA and Oscar nominations, Lebanese director and screenwriter Nadine Labaki, who has long had ties to Cannes, adds jury member to her list of accolades.

One of Italy's most famous actors with a parallel Hollywood career, Pierfrancesco Favino is no stranger to Cannes, having appeared in the competition films The Traitor, directed by Marco Bellocchio, and Mario Martone's Nostalgia and now on the jury.

Winner of the 2018 Palme d'Or for Shoplifters, which also nabbed an Oscar nomination, acclaimed Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda returns as a main competition jury member after his film Monster won best screenplay at last year's festival.

With a Cesar award - France's equivalent of an Oscar - under his belt for The Intouchables as well as several successful blockbusters, French actor Omar Sy is a Cannes veteran.

The actor with parts in X-Men: Days of Future Past and Jurassic World starred in the opening film of the 2022 Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, Father & Soldier, and will now serve on the jury.
Farmer Wants A Wife star Daisy Lamb took to social media on Thursday to launch an extraordinary attack against the Channel Seven matchmaking show.

The 28-year-old gym manager posted a scathing rant on Facebook in which she accused the show of using manipulative editing to present her in a negative light.

'Unfortunately, the editing in this series is disappointing and disgraceful (to say the least) and has given viewers the wrong idea of what happened,' she began.

Daisy is one of five women competing for the affections of Farmer Todd and has been called out on camera by his friend's who accused her of being too headstrong.

However, Daisy insisted that what viewers have seen did not reflect the reality of her time on the series.

Farmer Wants A Wife stunner Daisy Lamb took to social media on Thursday to launch an extraordinary attack against the Channel Seven matchmaking show. Pictured with Farmer Todd

The 28-year-old gym manager posted a scathing rant on Facebook in which she accused the show of using manipulative editing to present her in a negative light

'It has presented the wrong idea of who I am and how the whole experience with Todd played out,' she continued.

'The other girls had plenty of time, we all had opportunity to speak with him and spend time alone with him and it's sad that, what could have been an amazing story, has been turned into something so foul.'

Despite the challenges, several fans are convinced Daisy and Todd end up together, after they found a post on her social media from January in which she was beaming and described how happy she was feeling.

Earlier this month, Farmer Todd broke his silence after his mates told him Daisy was not right for him during a shock episode.

The 33-year-old cattle farmer from Baan Baa, NSW, officially joined the series as a new candidate looking for love of the reality dating show.

He was seen quickly forming a connection with Daisy, only for his friends to bluntly tell him he should look elsewhere for love.

Daisy is one of five women competing for the affections of Farmer Todd Melbourne

'I think she might be fun for right now, but not long term,' one mate told the lovesick farmer, adding she was not a good match because she had recently gotten divorced.

'I don't feel like she's the right pick for you as a wife and as a mother to your children. I just find her very strong, feisty, clash heads with kind of girl, has that masculine vibe.'

A devastated Todd later told Yahoo his mate's feedback was particularly difficult to hear as he really liked Daisy.

'It wasn't the nicest thing to hear. They're just looking out for me. They saw how much I've been hurt before, and they just don't want to see me hurt again. It was coming from a good spot,' he said.
Jessica Gunning is to return in The Outlaws for its next series.

The actress, 38, shot to international fame as stalker Martha Scott in the runaway hit Baby Reindeer but will soon be returning to screen as Diane in The Outlaws.

She initially played the role of the former juvenile delinquent-turned-supervisor for community service in the dark crime series for five episodes in the first two series.

But the character will be back when the show - which follows seven strangers completing a sentence on a Community Payback scheme - lands at 30 May.

In first look images she is seen dishing out orders to those on the course.

Jessica Gunning is to return to The Outlaws for its next series following her rise to international fame through Baby Reindeer

She initially played the role of the former juvenile delinquent-turned-supervisor for community service in the dark crime series for five episodes in the first two series (pictured in an upcoming episode)

The series is created by and stars Stephen Merchant and Jessica also appears alongside Eleanor Tomlinson, Rhianne Barreto and Christopher Walken in the thriller.

Twelve episodes of the Bristol-based series have been produced since 2021, with filming initially having been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

One picture from the set shows Jessica in character reclining on a deck chair whilst looking at her phone and sipping from a can.

A second photo shows her looking angry at those on the course whilst Stan (Harry Trevaldwyn) looks on beside her.

The TV star has actually been in the industry for a number of years and appeared on a number of programmes before her big break.

After leaving school in Holmfirth, Gunning moved down to Sidcup in Bexley, south east London, where she studied at Rose Bruford drama school - an institution also attended by the likes of Stephen Graham and Gary Oldman.

When she left drama school, Gunning began her career onstage and won a small role in Much Ado About Nothing at the National Theatre.

One picture from the set shows Jessica in character reclining on a deck chair whilst looking at her phone and sipping from a can

A second photo shows her looking angry at those on the course whilst Stan (Harry Trevaldwyn) looks on beside her

The actress has apppeared in five episodes of the hit comedy so far, but has since found international fame through Baby Reindeer

The first release of the first run was was the BBCs biggest comedy launch of 2021 and has been streamed 11m times on BBC iPlayer

The Outlaws comes multi-award-winning writer and director Stephen Merchant and also stars Eleanor Tomlinson, Darren Bou, Gamba Cole and Rhianne Barreto

Jessica starred in the first couple of series of Outlaws but has now found acclaim through playing stalker Martha Scott in Baby Reindeer (oppsite co-star Richard Gadd)

Meanwhile, Four Lives actor Stepehn recently admitted that he was 'very pleased' about the reaction to his series after it began.

It set a record for the most-streamed comedy on BBC iPlayer in 2021 and Stephen admitted it was good to see that so many people had related to it.

He told the Radio Times: 'The thing that I was very pleased about was the response that the audience had to the characters in the first series.

'Even the people that they wouldn't necessarily like or agree with politically, they were relating to and empathising with.'
Barry Keoghan was back on the red carpet as new film Bird was launched at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival on Thursday afternoon.

With the bathwater surrounding his last starring role still warm, the Saltburn star joined cast and crew on the Croisette to promote his latest film, a hard-hitting drama set in suburban Kent.

Keoghan, 31, plays Bug in the new film, a heavily tattooed, single father-of-two living hand-to-mouth with his children in a run-down squat.

And he was joined by its principal cast on Thursday, among them child actress Jackie Mellor, four, who stars alongside the Irish actor as his stepdaughter in the forthcoming film

The pair were seen flashing peace signs for waiting photographers before ascending the Croisette steps, with Keoghan crouching on his haunches to ensure he and Mellor were facing each other.

Barry Keoghan was joined by Jackie Mellor on the red carpet as they promoted new film Bird at the back on the red carpet as new film Bird at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival on Thursday afternoon

The pair were seen flashing peace signs for waiting photographers before ascending the Croisette steps

Keoghan plays Bug in the new film, a heavily tattooed, single father-of-two living hand-to-mouth with his children in a run-down squat

Bird director Andrea Arnold was in attendance after accepting the 2024 Carrosse dOr (Golden Coach Award) at the Directors Fortnight in Cannes on Wednesday.

'It was the hardest film I ever made,' she told those in attendance of its production. 'There were many challenges, more than usual, and there seemed to be more restrictions than Id ever known.

'Lots of things Ive put on the page and cared about got lost, so the edit was really hard. It was proving really hard to carve from the rushes something of the film I had intended.

'I was grieving the losses and I felt pretty vulnerable.'

Without referring directly to the film's challenges, she added: 'With all their words of support and recognition, and it was awarded by the French Society of Directors, people who understood what mounting a film is and people who would understand what I was going through, at that moment, I found the words to use to talk about my work incredibly moving.

'It made me feel that others were standing with me. It renewed my energy and determination to keep at what I was doing, to try and find the essence of the film that I had intended.

'It made me think, too, about what it means to be supported and encouraged, and how crucial it is.'

Keoghan rose to acclaim in The Banshees of Inisherin, which earned him a BAFTA for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, while he was also nominated for an Oscar in the same category.

Keoghan looked suitably dapper in a Burberry shirt, tuxedo jacket and trousers as he greeted onlookers in the South-of-France on Thursday

Fontaines DC musician Carlos O'Connell also joined the Irish actor on the red carpet

Franz Rogowski, who plays the title character in the new film, was also present in Cannes

Bird co-stars Franz Rogowski, Barry Keoghan and Jackie Mellor offered peace signs to the assembled press as they posed on the Croisette steps

(L-R) Bird actress Jasmine Jobson and DC Fontaines musician Carlos O'Connell in Cannes

Keoghan and Mellor crouched behind cinematographer Robbie Ryan as he took photos on the red carpet

The Irish actor has also played major roles in The Batman, Eternals, American Animals, Dunkirk and Chernobyl.

It was confirmed in May 2023 that he had been cast in director Andrea Arnold's Bird alongside Franz Rogowski.

His decision to star in Bird resulted in his withdrawal from Ridley Scott's epic Gladiator sequel due to a scheduling conflict.

He had been due to star as Emperor Geta in the new Gladiator movie but Fred Hechinger has since replaced him.

Keoghan appeared to be in high spirits as he walked the red carpet on the Cannes Croisette
The trailer for Blake Lively's highly-anticipated new romance film, It Ends With Us, is officially here.

Blake, 36, plays Lily Bloom, a woman beginning a passionate - and then abusive - relationship with Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni, 40) - before the return of her ex Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar, 32).

The film is based on the bestselling book by Colleen Hoover and is directed by Baldoni.

Blake's good friend Taylor Swift even lends her voice to the trailer - her 2020 song, My Tears Ricochet, serves as the soundtrack for the teaser.

The trailer begins with Lily meeting Ryle at her new flower shop, before the duo hit it off and strike up a romantic relationship.

The trailer for Blake Lively's highly-anticipated new romance film, It Ends With Us, is officially here

It doesn't take long for things to get steamy for Blake's character

The duo go on a date and it doesn't take long for things to get steamy.

'I want to see you again,' Ryle tells Lily. 'Now you see me,' she jokes.

'You know what I mean,' he replies.

But then a darker side of Ryle emerges.

During a tense conversation, Ryle is shown standing up and smashing an object into the floor.

'I'm so sorry,' he tenderly tells her afterwards.

But then, Atlas returns. Lily is shown running into him, as flashbacks of their relationship as kids flash before the screen.

'I still remember the day I saw you in the window,' Atlas muses.

Lily first meets Ryle Kincaid at her newly opened flower shop

They strike up a romantic relationship

Ryle displays his sculpted abs as he discards his clothing

But things take a toxic turn as Ryle's darker side emerges

'Yeah, we were just kids then,' Lily replies.

Noticing the man she is holding hands with, Atlas asks, 'Is that your guy?'

'Yeah. That's Ryle,' she replies.

Ryle seems suspicious of Lily as he asks her at one point, 'Do you love him?'

'I love you,' she assures him.

'That wasn't my question,' Ryle replies.

Before long, Lily runs into her old love, Atlas

'I still remember the day I saw you in the window,' Atlas muses

Flashes of Lily's earlier romance with Atlas flash on screen

Lily poses a powerful question to Ryle: 'If one day you had a daughter, what would you say to her?

'She came to you and said the person she loved was hurting her? What would you say to her?'

Over voiceover, she muses, 'As hard as this choice is. We break the pattern. Or the pattern breaks us.'

It Ends With Us is set for release on August 9.

Hoover previously revealed It Ends With Us was 'the hardest book I've ever written' as it is based on the relationship between her parents.

'If one day you had a daughter, what would you say to her?' Lily asks Ryle. 'She came to you and said the person she loved was hurting her? What would you say to her?'

It Ends With Us is set for release on August 9

The movie also stars Jenny Slate

As of 2019, the book sold over one million copies worldwide and was translated into over 20 different languages.

The book received another surge in popularity in late 2021 thanks to TikTok's #BookTok community.

Since 2019, the the book had been published in 43 languages.

It Ends With Us was the top-selling print book in 2022, remaining on the New York Times Best Seller List for over 90 weeks.

Hoover is the best-selling author in the United States with over 20 million books sold, with her sequel to It Ends With Us, dubbed It Starts With Us, published in October 2022.
Danny Trejo is feeling 'blessed' to have turned 80 after admitting that at one point in his life he did not expect to live past his twenties.

The actor - who recently celebrated 55 years of sobriety - reached the milestone on Thursday, and gave an interview beforehand where also spoke about continuing his career and possibly making a third Machete movie.

'I feel blessed, first of all, because I wasn't supposed to make it out of the '60s  and I mean 1960s,' he told People.

'That was a tough time for me, and nobody thought I was going to make it out of there,' he said.

Danny Trejo stated that he was feeling 'blessed' about being able to turn 80 during a new interview with People; seen in April

The Desperado actor also discussed his history of legal troubles and incarceration, which could have potentially ended his film career before it began.

'The last thing I heard the parole board say in 1969 was, "Bring us back a life sentence. We're sick and tired of you." I never went back. I mean, every day, every day for me is just a blessing,' he said.

Trejo went on to open up about his later success as a performer, and recalled a specific moment where, while working on the set of Heat, he felt as if he had finally made it in Hollywood.

'I'm sitting...with De Niro and talking about a scene. You know what I mean? It was like [I] really feel like, wow, I'm really an actor,' he said.

The performer concluded by stating that he wanted director and frequent collaborator Robert Rodriguez to write the long-awaited third film in the Machete film series.

The actor added that he was often approached by fans of the franchise and asked for updates on the project.

He stated: 'I'm not kidding  I've been all over the world, they have asked me, "When are we doing Machete in space?"

Trejo, who also portrays a character named Machete in the Spy Kids film universe, made his debut as the more violent iteration of the figure in a fictitious film trailer that was included with Grindhouse, which was released in 2007.

The performer - who recently celebrated 55 years of sobriety - also spoke about his interest in starring in a potential third film in the Machete series

Trejo began by speaking about his troubled upbringing and remarked that he did not expect to live past his twenties; seen in March

Trejo went on to open up about his later success as a performer, and recalled a specific moment where, while working on the set of the Heat, he felt as if he had finally made it in Hollywood

The performer concluded by stating that he wanted director and frequent collaborator Robert Rodriguez to write the long-awaited third film in the Machete film series

The first standalone Machete film made its debut in 2010, and it received generally positive reviews from critics.

The feature was succeeded by 2013's Machete Kills, which did not fare as well with critics.

A third film in the series has been planned by Rodriguez for several years, although it has not been officially greenlit as of yet.

The potential third installment in the Machete series would see the character traveling to outer space, according to Screen Rant.
Lady Victoria Harvey looked incredible as she graced the red carpet at the Megalopolis premiere during the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival on Thursday.

The socialite, 47, cut an elegant figure in a dramatic sheer dress, which was adorned with blue petals and revealed her svelte physique.

Victoria showcased her toned legs and statuesque frame in the skin-baring gown, while masking her modesty in a pair of nude knickers.

Victoria went all out for evening and wore a dramatic long scarf which she threw over her shoulders to resemble a two meter train.

To accessorise, the blonde beauty carried a sparkly box clutch and a pair of silver dangly earrings.

Lady Victoria Harvey looked incredible as she graced the red carpet at the Megalopolis premiere during the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival on Thursday

The socialite, 47, cut an elegant figure in a dramatic sheer dress, which was adorned with blue petals and revealed her svelte physique

She added inches to her fabulous figure with a pair of silver T-bar heels as she stepped out.

Cannes is the world's biggest film festival, first conceived in 1939 as an alternative to the then-fascist-influenced Venice Film Festival.

It has been held annually since 1946 except in 1948 and 1950, when it was cancelled due to lack of funds.

The festival is known for its carefully selected programme of films that have gone on to Oscar glory or launched the careers of directors like Quentin Tarantino.

Cannes' top prize is the Palme d'Or, or Golden Palm, whose past winners include Taxi Driver, Apocalypse Now, Pulp Fiction, The Pianist and Parasite.

Jane Campion became the first female director to win in 1993 with The Piano, followed by a nearly three-decade gap until Julia Ducournau received the award for Titane in 2021.

Justine Triet became only the third female director to take the prize last year with Anatomy of a Fall.

There is also an honorary Palme d'Or, which is awarded in recognition of notable bodies of work, with past recipients including Harrison Ford, Jane Fonda and Clint Eastwood.

There are two honorary winners this year: George Lucas of 'Star Wars' and 'Indiana Jones' fame, and Japanese animation legend Studio Ghibli, the first group to receive the prize.

Other awards include the Grand Prix, jury prize, best director, best actor, best actress, best screenplay and best short film.

She showcased her toned legs and statuesque physique with a daringly high leg slit as she kept her modesty with a pair of nude briefs

To accessorise, the blonde beauty carried a sparkly box clutch and a pair of silver dangly earrings

She appeared in high spirits as she stepped out to support the launch of new film Bird



The Cannes Film Festival officially kicked off on Tuesday night as celebrities walked the red carpet into the plush Grand Theatre Lumiere to honour Hollywood actor Meryl Streep before settling in to watch this year's opening film, The Second Act.

Almost as prestigious as winning the Palme d'Or, the Cannes Film Festival's top prize, is being on the jury that picks the winner.

Artists from around the world who have made a name for themselves in their respective field are picked to sit on the jury, with one member designated as jury president.

This year's jury president, U.S. director Greta Gerwig, comes to Cannes after the massive success last summer of Barbie.

She is the first female U.S. director to serve as jury president, taking the baton from the head of the 2023 jury, Triangle of Sadness director and two-time Palme d'Or winner, Ruben Ostlund of Sweden.

The breakout star of Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, Lily Gladstone returns to Cannes after becoming the first Native American woman to be nominated for an Oscar and winning a Golden Globe award for her performance.

One of the writers of the 2014 Palme d'Or-winning film Winter Sleep, Turkish photographer, actor and screenwriter Ebru Ceylan is a familiar face at the festival.
Stars hit the red carpet once again on the third night of the 77th Cannes Film Festival for the Megalopolis premiere.

The film, which is a decades-long passion project of director Francis Ford Coppola, 85, saw Nathalie Emmanuel and Aubrey Plaza bring the glamour as they joined Adam Driver, 40, and Shia LaBeouf, 37, for the screening at Palais des Festivals.

Nathalie, 35, who broke into Hollywood thanks to her stint on Games Of Thrones, looked incredible in a white applique gown which was embellished with tiny rhinestones.

The former Hollyoaks star, who takes on the role of Julia Cicero, complemented the look with star rings and a bow necklace.

Aubrey, 39, meanwhile, who plays journalist Wow Platinum in the film, looked the epitome of style in a champagne satin backless dress which had a twisted belt and pleated skirt.

The actresses beamed for the cameras as they marked the poignant moment alongside the cast and gave an applaud to director Francis.

Nathalie Emmanuel, Greta Gerwig and Aubrey Plaza brought the glamour as director Francis Ford Coppola's decades-long project Megalopolis hit the screen at the Cannes Film Festival

Nathalie was joined on the red carpet by Adam Driver, who plays the lead in the science fiction film

The actress, who broke into Hollywood thanks to her stint on Games Of Thrones, looked incredible in a white applique gown which was embellished with tiny rhinestones

Megalopolis is centered on a superpowered architect who attempts to rebuild New York City into a modernist utopia (Adam and Nathalie pictured in the film)

Francis first conceived the idea for the film in 1977 and actively started developing it in 1983, but it underwent significant delays and numerous cancellations over the years.

Greta Gerwig cut a glamorous figure in a black floor length gown which was adorned with thousands of shimmering sequins.

The director complemented the look with a star silver necklace and slicked her blonde pixie crop into a swept over side parting.

Greta is this year's jury president after the massive Hollywood blockbuster success last summer of Barbie.

The director is the first female U.S. director to serve as jury president, taking the baton from the head of the 2023 jury, Triangle of Sadness director and two-time Palme d'Or winner, Ruben Ostlund of Sweden.

Also hitting the red carpet was socialite Lady Victoria, 47, who showed off her bronzed tan in a strapless blue dress which had a daring thigh-high slit.

Development on Megalopolis began several decades ago and production both commenced and was halted on numerous occasions.

Francis returned to the project in 2019, when it was revealed that he had entered into talks with Shia LaBeouf, who ultimately joined the movie's cast.

Former Hollyoaks star Nathalie complemented the look with star rings and a bow necklace

Aubrey, meanwhile, looked the epitome of style in a champagne satin backless dress which had a twisted belt and pleated skirt

Grace Van der Waal, Chloe Fineman, Nathalie, director Francis Ford Coppola, Adam Driver and Aubrey (L-R) posed for a photo

Greta, who is behind Hollywood blockbuster Barbie, cut a glamorous figure in a black floor length gown which was adorned with thousands of shimmering sequins

Shia LaBeouf, left, and Jon Voight posed for photographers upon arrival at the premiere

Giancarlo Esposito, Laurence Fishburne, Mike Figgis, Chloe Fineman and Nathalie appeared in great spirits as they soaked up the Cannes Film Festival buzz

The cast applauded as they stood together to mark the poignant moment (L-R) Chloe Fineman, Nathalie, Adam and Aubrey

Francis first conceived the idea for the film in 1977 and actively started developing it in 1983, but it underwent significant delays and numerous cancellations over the years

Francis and Adam chatted on the red carpet

The actor looked effortlessly cool in a white suit and black bow tie

Shia LaBeouf gave the thumbs up as he posed next to Grace who caught the eye in a sheer gold gown

Grace VanderWaal caught the eye in her sheer gown and veil which had gold foiling embellished on it

Jon Voight was smartly dressed in a black suit and patterned scarf

Lady Victoria put on a very racy display in the sheer dress which showed off her long legs and had applique leaf pattern

The socialite draped a chiffon scarf around her neck which created a train

Lady Victoria added a boost to her height with silver strappy heels

Greta shared a laugh with Omar Sy as they posed for photographs

It was confirmed in August of 2022 that filming was set to commence later that year, and production began that fall.

Megalopolis is centered on a superpowered architect who attempts to rebuild New York City into a modernist utopia.

The film will also feature the talents of an ensemble cast that includes the likes of Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey and Laurence Fishburne.

In addition to directing the feature, Francis wrote its script and serves as one of the project's producers.

The filmmaker reportedly spent $120 million of his own funds in order to finance the movie.

Early screenings of the upcoming film have yielded mixed reviews from critics.

Meryem Sarah Uzerli looked stunning in a black dress which had a gold pattern and intricate beading as she joined Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Valentina Pahde (L-R) on the red carpet

Kiera Chaplin commanded attention in a plunging strapless pale pink gown with black piping

The model, 41, wore diamond earrings and a stunning three tier necklace

umana Al-Rashed and Mohammed Al Turki also appeared at the screening

Suzanne Zimmer and Hans Zimmer smiled for a photograph

Rose Bertram put on a leggy display in a black minidress which she teamed with platform heels

Edith Bowman opted for a loose fitting red and pink striped gown

Teyana Taylor (left) commanded attention in a plunging striped jumpsuit while Rebecca Mir (right) showed off her figure in a purple rubber dress

Jon Voight showed off his close bond with Aubrey as they linked arms while leaving The Carlton Hotel to head to the screening

Cannes is the world's biggest film festival, first conceived in 1939 as an alternative to the then-fascist-influenced Venice Film Festival.

It has been held annually since 1946 and is known for its carefully selected programme of films that have gone on to Oscar glory or launched the careers of directors like Quentin Tarantino .

Cannes' top prize is the Palme d'Or, or Golden Palm, whose past winners include Taxi Driver, Apocalypse Now, Pulp Fiction, The Pianist and Parasite.

The Cannes Film Festival officially kicked off on Tuesday night as celebrities walked the red carpet into the plush Grand Theatre Lumiere to honour Hollywood actor Meryl Streep before settling in to watch this year's opening film, The Second Act.

Almost as prestigious as winning the Palme d'Or, the Cannes Film Festival's top prize, is being on the jury that picks the winner.

Artists from around the world who have made a name for themselves in their respective field are picked to sit on the jury, with one member designated as jury president.

The breakout star of Martin Scorsese 's Killers of the Flower Moon, Lily Gladstone returns to Cannes after becoming the first Native American woman to be nominated for an Oscar and winning a Golden Globe award for her performance.

One of the writers of the 2014 Palme d'Or-winning film Winter Sleep, Turkish photographer, actor and screenwriter Ebru Ceylan is a familiar face at the festival.

Jury president Greta, second from left, poses with jury members Omar Sy, from left, Lily Gladstone, Nadine Labaki, Kore-eda Hirokazu, Ebru Ceylan, J.A. Bayona, Eva Green, and Pierfrancesco Favino at the opening festival

Her first short film, On the Edge, was selected to compete at Cannes in 1998, and she has co-written several movies that were in the main competition line-up, including About Dry Grasses, Three Monkeys and The Wild Pear Tree.

One of the select few women who have starred in a James Bond film, French actor Eva Green is also on the jury.

She has an eclectic resume that includes Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven, smaller-scale projects like Nocebo and TV series Penny Dreadful.

The 12-time winner of Spain 's prestigious Goya Awards, Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona is on the jury.

He gained international recognition in 2007 with his first feature-length horror movie The Orphanage, produced by award-winning Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro .

His latest, the survival drama and Netflix hit 'Society of the Snow,' netted the director an Oscar nomination for best international feature film at this year's ceremony.

After making a name with 2018's Capernaum, which earned her Golden Globe, BAFTA and Oscar nominations, Lebanese director and screenwriter Nadine Labaki, who has long had ties to Cannes, adds jury member to her list of accolades.
John Oates described the longevity of his musical partnership with his former collaborator, Daryl Hall, as a 'miracle' amid their acrimonious split and legal wrangles.

The 76-year-old hitmaker and his musical partner performed together as the songwriting duo Hall & Oates for over five decades.

However, the Hall, 77. confirmed that he had split with his bandmate during a recent interview with Variety, citing their ongoing business dispute as a deciding factor.

Oates spoke about the breakup in a new interview with People, stating: 'After 50 years, people grow apart. And I always thought it was a miracle that it lasted that long.'

The guitarist formed his musical partnership with Hall, 77, in 1970, and they went on to co-write numerous hit tracks, including Out Of Touch, Maneater and I Can't Go For That.

John Oates described the longevity of his musical partnership with his former collaborator, Daryl Hall, as a 'miracle' amid their acrimonious split and legal wrangles

The 76-year-old hitmaker and his musical partner performed together as the songwriting duo Hall & Oates for over five decades; seen in 1982

Several of the pair's songs went on to peak at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and they were also nominated for several Grammy Awards.

The songwriters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, and they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2016.

However, their career as a duo came to an abrupt halt last year when Hall filed a lawsuit against his musical partner.

The suit was commenced when Oates attempted to sell his share of the group's Whole Oats Enterprises to music publisher Primary Wave Music without his bandmate's permission.

Hall ultimately obtained a temporary restraining order against his collaborator, and their case will have to enter arbitration before any sale is finalized.

Oates stated that while he 'never really' had an issue with discussing creative problems with his former bandmate, they were much more combative when dealing with financial matters.

'I think what happened was our partnership was established 50 years ago, and the documentation of that partnership was outdated and completely irrelevant to the people we became 50 years later,' he said.

Oates, who has 'no plans' to perform with Hall at any point in the future, added that looked back fondly on their history as a duo, stating: 'I have a lot of respect for the body of work that we created.'

However, their career as a duo came to an abrupt halt last year when Hall filed a lawsuit against his musical partner; seen in 1976

Oates stated that while he 'never really' had an issue with discussing creative problems with his former bandmate, they were much more combative when dealing with financial matters; seen in 1982

Oates, who has 'no plans' to perform with Hall at any point in the future, added that looked back fondly on their history as a duo, and stated that he had 'a lot of respect for the body of work that we created'; seen in 2014

The guitarist made several comments about his split from his musical partner during a 2023 episode of the Behind The Velvet Rope podcast, where he stated that he had 'moved on' from his time with Hall.

Oates went on to state that he was enthusiastic about continuing his own career in the future.

'I'm doing solo shows and I'm really glad I can play new music now because it feels like a breath of fresh air for me.'

The musician's sixth album as a solo artist, entitled Reunion, is set to make its debut on Friday.
Jay Blades's wife Lisa shared a poem talking about suffering 'unbearable' pain after the couple's shock marriage split was revealed.

Fitness instructor Lisa walked out on Jay earlier this month, saying their 18-month marriage 'just got worse and worse, until I grabbed a bag of a few things and I left'.

It was announced that Jay would be taking time away from TV in light of the separation - which came soon after the murder of his uncle.

Taking to Instagram on Thursday, Lisa shared an emotional poem by Billie Brooks, which spoke of trusting that 'someday soon this pain you are feeling won't be so unbearable'.

Lisa, 43, announced her split from the TV star, 54, who she married in November 2022, in an emotional social media post on May 2.

Jay Blades's wife Lisa shared a poem on Instagram on Thursday talking about suffering 'unbearable' pain after the couple's shock marriage split was revealed (Pictured in September)

Taking to Instagram on Thursday, Lisa shared an emotional poem by Billie Brooks, which spoke of trusting that 'someday soon this pain you are feeling won't be so unbearable'

She said: 'I have been quiet until now, but the papers seem to be picking up this story, but some parts have been definitely missed, so it's forced my hand...

'This was the whole post on a private forum: I don't know how to say this because it's still really raw.

'I probably should be really angry but I'm just incredibly sad about the whole thing right now. I don't think I've ever cried so much.

'I wanted my husband to love me & keep me safe, and I would love him right back, but it just got worse and worse, until I grabbed a bag of a few thing's & I just left. Anyway, That's why there's been no new wkouts [workouts].'

In another post, she said: 'I will admit I'm crying as I type this as I can't believe this is even real. I hope you don't mind if I just have a few days trying to figure out my life as I'm currently in a spare room with a few essentials.

'I don't know what else to say. All my love, A very broken Lisa-Marie x.'

It all came as Jay was expected to be back filming the hugely-popular BBC show The Repair Shop but had reportedly been absent on set.

Last week, MailOnline revealed that Jay would be 'given the time' he needed to deal with personal issues impacting his life.

Fitness instructor Lisa walked out on Jay earlier this month, saying their 18-month marriage 'just got worse and worse, until I grabbed a bag of a few things and I left'

Lisa, 43, announced her split from the TV star, 54, who she married in November 2022, in an emotional social media post on May 2

In a statement posted on Instagram, Lisa said: 'I don't know how to say this because it's still really raw'

Amid reports that Jay had thrown BBC's The Repair Shop filming into chaos, a source has now confirmed to MailOnline that the presenter is being 'given the space' he needs to get 'his head straight'.

The insider said: 'Jay is a much-loved member of the team on The Repair Shop. It is a really close-knit group, who are like a family.

'Jay will be given the time he needs to deal with things and sort out what he needs to get sorted.

'He's been through a really difficult time with his uncle and now he is having to deal with the breakdown of his marriage.

'The BBC fully expect Jay to return but they won't be rushing or pushing him to come back before he is ready and he'll be given the space to sort things out and get his head straight.'

Reports recently suggested that the Christmas special of the Repair Shop was in jeopardy due to Jay's absence.

But MailOnline later understood that this was not the case.

Lisa announced that she had ended her marriage with Blades with a surprise post on social media in the early hours of Thursday (seen on wedding day)

The source added: 'Filming for the Christmas show is almost wrapped up. There's no chance it won't go out. It's one of the jewels in the crown.'

Just a week before his marriage split was confirmed, Jay revealed that his uncle Richard Brathwaite had been killed.

Jay announced that he would be taking time away from social media to process his grief following the death of his uncle, Richard, 72.

Richard was stabbed to death on a quiet residential street in North London in March.

The Old Bailey heard that the killing came after a 'long-running neighbour dispute'.
Anya Taylor-Joy has revealed that a 15-minute action scene in her new film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga took a staggering 78 days to film.

The actress, 28, who takes over as the younger Furiosa in the upcoming film which is set between 15 and 20 years before the events of Mad Max: Fury Road - spoke of the 'wild' filming process for her latest flick.

Anya leads the cast in the newest Mad Max film, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday and features an epic scene between the star and her younger self - played by Alyla Browne.

Appearing on The One Show on Thursday alongside co-star Chris Hemsworth, 40, Anya gave presenters Roman Kemp and Lauren Laverne some insight about what goes into filming such a long scene.

'We shot it for 78 days, 78 days!' Anya said. 'Yes. It's called Stowaway. It was 100 per cent the mountain we were all trying to climb.'

Anya Taylor-Joy revealed on The One Show on Thursday that a 15-minute action scene in her new film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga took a mammoth 76 days to film

Anya takes over as the younger Furiosa in the film, which is set between 15 and 20 years before the events of Mad Max: Fury Road and is described as 'a saga' that will be told over a 15-year period (pictured in film)

Anya went on to say that the scene had its own team due to how mammoth a task it was, also known as a second unit, and was directed by Guy Norton - a stuntman in the first Mad Max.

She continued: 'It was wild! It was so much fun but really interesting because it all took place on the war rig, so I had it very mapped out in my head like "Okay I've got a month and a half underneath the rig, a month on the side".

'When I finally made it into the cabin next to Tom Burke, he handed me a sandwich and was like "Well done, you've made it" and I was like "Thank you".'

Roman asked Anya - whose character has little dialogue and shows much of her story through her eyes - how she kept up the intensity during such a long shoot.

She replied: 'The Mad Max world kind of encourages people that want to have an experience like this and because we're all coming to work also as fans, that gives you this added energy and excitement because you just want to do the best that you can by the franchise.'

On whether she was concerned about being a lead character with few lines, Anya said: 'You know whats crazy is I was never concerned about the lack of dialogue as you said, it made a lot of sense for the character so I was like "Yeah yeah I've got this". But George also had a very strict idea of how he wanted me to hold my face for a large portion of the film so when you say I only had my eyes it was really just this.

'I do think theres an element where like it intensified the situation because Im sure she wants to talk about whats going on in her life but shes just surviving. So yeah I think it gave it that fire.'

Lead man Chris - who plays Doctor Dementus, the warlord leader of the Bike Horde which abducted young Furiosa - nodded in agreement.

The flick is a prequel to 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road, once again helmed by creator George Miller, and is an origin story for Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron in the previous film

While Chris is playing warlord leader, Dementus, who he described as 'a very violent, insane, brutal person that is born from the Wasteland' (pictured)

'There was a beautiful intensity,' he said. 'Sort of a volcanic eruption about to occur, a restricted presence and power that was waiting and simmering which eventually then kind of leads towards the pinnacle at the end of the film and we get to see some pretty dynamic [stuff].'

The pair's appearance on the BBC show came as they jetted to the UK from the south of France, where they were attended the Furiosa premiere at Cannes.

Anya looked every inch the leading lady as she walked the red carpet wearing a stunning strapless Dior gown with a corset-style top and diamond jewellery from Tiffany.

She showed off her fashion credentials in the light gold number which was adorned with crystals and teamed with a statement silver necklace.

Anya wore her blonde tresses in a sleek bob and wore simple stud earrings while opting for a slick of red lip for a pop of colour.

Her leading man Chris Hemsworth soon made his arrival in a smart white suit and was joined by his glamorous wife Elsa Pataky, 47, who wore a chic black gown.

For Anya, Furiosa in Cannes is a full circle moment. The first time she came to the festival was to receive a Chopard trophy as an emerging actor in 2017. It was presented by the original Furiosa, Charlize Theron, the star of Fury Road.

Anya showed off her fashion credentials in the gold number which was adorned with crystals and teamed with a statement silver necklace

She wore her blonde tresses in a sleek bob and wore simple stud earrings while opting for a slick of red lip for a pop of colour
CPC delegation visits Cambodia on ties

Xinhua) 14:55, May 16, 2024

PHNOM PENH, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Zhao Shitong, assistant minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, led a CPC delegation to visit Cambodia from May 13 to 16 at the invitation of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP).

During the visit, Zhao met with Prak Sokhonn, chairman of the Commission for International Relations of the CPP's Central Committee and first vice president of the Senate, Hun Many, deputy prime minister, and Suos Yara, vice chairman of the Commission for International Relations of the CPP's Central Committee, as well as representatives of the Youth House for Cambodia-China Friendship.

The two sides exchanged views on China-Cambodia relations and issues of common concern, and agreed to implement the important consensus reached by leaders of both countries.

Both sides also agreed to deepen party-to-party exchanges, actively carry out exchanges and cooperation in economic, cultural, youth and other fields, and consolidate and carry forward the ironclad friendship between China and Cambodia.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Danny Cipriani has called his new girlfriend AnnaLynne McCord a 'miracle' as she documented their whirlwind romance on Instagram on Thursday.

The actress, 36, went public with their relationship in her first social media post as she uploaded a video montage of highlights.

Footage showed the couple packing on the PDA as they took taxi rides in London as well as soaking up the sun on various holidays abroad.

In one clip retired rugby player Danny, 36, showed off his ripped physique as AnnaLynne give him a peck on the cheek.

The 90210 actress wrote: 'Its your heartI would follow it to the ends of the earth. #sacredalchemy also, you make me laughhhhhhhh sooooo hard! Youre my elixir.'

Danny Cipriani has called his new girlfriend AnnaLynne McCord a 'miracle' as she documented their whirlwind romance on Instagram on Thursday

The actress, 36, went public with their relationship in her first social media post as she uploaded a video montage of highlights

The actress, 36, went public with their relationship in her first social media post as she uploaded a video montage of highlights

The 90210 actress wrote: 'Its your heartI would follow it to the ends of the earth. #sacredalchemy also, you make me laughhhhhhhh sooooo hard! Youre my elixir'

Danny reshared the reel on his own Instagram and wrote: 'My miracle'. He also commented on her post: 'I feel like I am in a dream every day with you' and 'My muse'.

The Lothario revealed he was in a relationship with AnnaLynne late last month after sharing a series of affectionate photos taken while the couple holidayed in Egypt.

His estranged wife Victoria Cipriani, 42, hit out at her husband's declaration he has found new love, sarcastically telling her fans 'nice to see my husband moved on' before swiftly deleting the post.

'Nice to see my husband has moved on' alongside an emoji displaying her surprise before adding: 'But his belongings and clothes in our house, in our drawers still haven't moved on.'

In a direct message to the rugby ace she added: 'Can you send me a miracle, please? Can you answer the lawyer's letter so I can keep my car? All the best. Lots of love your ever patient wife.'

The photos of Danny and AnnaLynne kissing and cosying up to each other on a spiritual retreat in Egypt come just six months after the divorce was announced.

A source close to Victoria slammed Danny for 'showing off his girlfriend' while there are still a number 'loose ends' to fix in their marriage - including the fact they are not yet legally divorced.

'He has walked out on her and now he's showing off his new girlfriend, it is not easy for Victoria although she does not want him back,' an insider told MailOnline.

Danny reshared the reel on his own Instagram and wrote: 'My miracle'. He also commented on her post: 'I feel like I am in a dream every day with you' and 'My muse'

The Lothario revealed he was in a relationship with AnnaLynne late last month after sharing a series of affectionate photos taken while the couple holidayed in Egypt

Now, AnnaLynne has shared a further insight into their romance

Danny and Victoria, who were married for over two years, called time on their marriage in November 2023 following a series of 'difficult' rows over text messages she saw on his phone

'She's having a few financial problems because of the Mercedes that is in his name.

'The last time she saw him was in February when he turned up to collect a pair of shoes.

'All his stuff is still in the Kent home, so he hasn't really moved in that aspect.

'It is all going to end in divorce and lawyers are involved, but it has been only since November that they split.

'Danny appears to be showing off his new girlfriend, but there are several loose ends to be tied up in his marriage. She is still his wife.'

The pictures of Danny and AnnaLynne confirmed suspicions the pair were romantically linked after they were spotted together arm in arm while at the skincare brand Clarins' product launch.

The actress runs regular retreats from Egypt and Danny joined the latest trip after the pair 'bonded deeply' over their shared love of 'meditation.'

The Sun reported AnnaLynne and Danny have known each other for over ten years but started 'hooking up' at the start of last month.

The couple are also believed to have travelled to another spiritual hotspot over Easter weekend - Glastonbury, Somerset, where they took part in a meditation ceremony with a spiritual guide.

Danny and Victoria, who were married for over two years, called time on their marriage in November following a series of 'rows over text messages' she saw on his phone.

Last year the ex rugby player shared shocking details of his well-documented sex life and romantic dalliances in his autobiography Who Am I?

Victoria previously claimed she had no idea her husband was going to divorce her until he made the public announcement.

She wrote on Instagram in November in another now-deleted post: 'Danny publicly announced our split without any prior notice or discussion with me.

'I was made aware of the situation at the same time as the public, and this has caused me a great deal of pain. I apologise if my reactions and responses have seemed reactive or emotionally charged.

'The truth is, I am still going through a difficult time, and it is challenging for me to see Danny speaking about our separation publicly while I have not yet found the strength to process it, adjust or heal.'

A source in their inner circle and close to the couple revealed that up until the summer, all had been well in the marriage.

But the source added: 'Victoria had been increasingly unhappy over the last few months. Things got tense and then she saw some text messages on his phone and it led to some difficult rows between them and they have now split up.'

AnnaLynne first gained prominence as the scheming Eden Lord in 12 episodes of FX's Nip/Tuck between 2007-2009 but found mainstream fame as Naomi Clark in the reboot of 90210 between 2008-2013.

AnnaLynne also had a recurring role in the soap opera Dallas in 2014.

Prior to his marriage to Victoria, Danny also had well documented relationships with Kelly Brook, Katie Price, Lindsay Lohan and Kirsty Gallacher.
Bill Hader and his girlfriend Ali Wong were the picture of relationship goals as they started off their Thursday with breakfast in Brentwood.

The all-star couple were spotted departing the Brentwood Country Market, with a takeout box in 45-year-old Hader's hands.

The duo, who recently enjoyed a date at Sushi Park, kept it casual as they enjoyed a relaxed breakfast together.

Ali, 42, looked effortlessly fashionable in a cream duster paired with frayed jeans, taupe Vivaia flats, and a chunky gold necklace.

An off-white hat finished off the stylish laid back look.

Bill Hader and his girlfriend Ali Wong were the picture of couples goals as they started off their Thursday with breakfast in Brentwood on Friday

As for Hader, he sported a black down jacket, T-shirt, blue trousers and black slides.

The duo were clearly in high spirits as they left the shopping center together with smiles on their faces.

Things are clearly heating up between the pair with Hader recently declaring Ali is 'off the market' during her recent show at The Wiltern.

People reports the actress brought Hader on stage following the end of her set at the iconic LA theatre.

Wong, who was filming the set for the Netflix is a Joke comedy festival, inquired on stage, 'Do you know who my boyfriend is?' followed by 'Do you want to meet him?'

The Trainwreck actor then appeared on stage, a red rose in hand.

After giving her a kiss, Hader gave Wong the rose - but it broke in half.

The mishap caused the duo to break out into laughter, and Wong said her boyfriend had plucked it from a floral arrangement sitting backstage.

Ali looked effortlessly fashionable in a cream duster paired with frayed jeans, taupe flats, and a chunky gold necklace

The duo were clearly in high spirits as they left the shopping center together with smiles on their faces

Hader cracked the evening had been 'very informative' in light of the details Wong had shared on stage about her love life.

He also commended Ali's set before declaring, 'Ali Wong is off the market!'

Ali and Bill first got together in the fall of 2022 after she separated from her husband Justin Hakuta and he broke up with Anna Kendrick, 38.

Wong shares two daughters with Hakuta and filed for divorce last year.

Bill and Ali split in December 2022, but they rekindled their romance in April 2023, and they've kept their relationship under the radar ever since.

The couple have been dating since 2022; pictured at the 2024 Golden Globes

'We're very selectively private,' Wong explained to Access Hollywood earlier this year.

'I mean, we've been together for a minute so it's, like, I guess people didn't know we were together,' she started.

'We're both, like, in our 40s and parents,' she said of the very public kiss Bill gave her at the Golden Globes when she won Best Actress for her role in Beef.

Hader previously had a two-year romance with his Noelle costar  and onscreen sister  Kendrick from 20202022, after dating his The To Do List co-star Rachel Bilson from 20192020.
Brad Pitt is poised to take a big win in court in his ongoing battle with ex Angelina Jolie after a judge said she would grant the actors request to force Jolie to turn over non-disclosure agreements she has entered into  including those signed by her staff.

The pair continue to fight over her decision to sell her shares of the $500million business to a Russian businessman.

Pitt maintains that they agreed, as part of their divorce, not to sell any shares in the company without the other's agreement.

In court on Thursday, Pitts attorneys argued the NDAs would be highly probative.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie continue to fight over the shares she sold to a Russian billionaire

Jolie sold her shares in the French winery to a Russian billionaire who controls the Stoli Group.

Judge Lia Martin said she was inclined to grant Pitts motion, which would mean Jolie has to turn over all the NDAs she has entered into with various third parties since 2014 - the year the former Hollywood power couple were married.

Judge Lia Martin said the NDAs might help her determine what is or isn't a reasonable non-disclosure request.

I dont see this as a character question, Judge Martin said to attorneys on both sides in a Downtown Los Angeles court on Thursday.

There maybe agreements that [Jolie] entered into with people that may have terms similar or not. The court is not making any findings today about admissibility of the documents.

The judge said she could render her final order as soon as Thursday afternoon.

Jolies attorneys disagreed with the judges tentative ruling and said Pitts demands for the NDAs is being weaponized against the actress.

Paul Murphy, one of Jolies attorneys, said Pitt is seeking access to the NDAs as a tactic to hide years of abuse the actor inflicted against his client and their six children.

The couple's Miraval winery in France. The business, worth an estimated $500million, is now the source of an ongoing court dispute

Jolie has made explosive claims that Pitt physically abused her outside of the 2016 flight when their children were present.

Her attorneys said Pitt made Jolie sign an NDA as part of an unconscionable attempt to control her and her interests in Miraval.

In court documents, Jolie said their Miraval deal was scrapped after Pitt asked her to sign an NDA that barred her from publicly speaking out about the abuse allegations, including the September 2016 incident on a private jet where Pitt allegedly slapped one of their children and choked another.

Five days after the flight Jolie filed for divorce, and in September 2021 she sold her stake in the French winery she co-owned with Pitt.

'She has gone to great lengths to try to shield their children from reliving the pain Pitt inflicted on the family that day,' Jolie's lawyers wrote in an affidavit obtained by DailyMail.com.

Jolie sold her shares to Russian Stoli billionaire Yuri Shefler

'But when Pitt filed this lawsuit seeking to reassert control over Jolie's financial life and compel her to rejoin her ex-husband as a frozen-out business partner, Pitt forced Jolie to publicly defend herself on these issues for the first time.'

The years of abuse was the reason why Jolie refused to sell her shares of Miraval to Pitt and instead sold her stake to Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler in 2021, her attorneys have said in court filings.

He wanted to cover up his conduct because he could not stomach what he is covering up, Murphy said in court on Thursday. Mr. Pitts abuse, his cover-up and actions, gaslighting his children - that is what changed.

Murphy asked the judge to consider several factors if she approves Pitts request, including to limit the release of NDAs signed by Jolie from 2014 to 2021, and not agreements related to her companies.

Murphy also argued Jolie should not be forced to turn over drafts of the NDAs because it would be 'a bridge way too far' and would keep the case from 'blowing up' into 'different sideshows.'

Pitts attorney, John Berlinski, said they should be allowed to view Jolies NDAs related to all of her businesses since actors often use their company names when signing agreements.

Berlinski also argued the NDAs would be relevant to the Miraval case since Jolie allegedly made others, including her staff, sign gag orders to prevent them from talking about what they witnessed while they were employed at her home, including her treatment of Pitt and their children.

She was the one who weaponized the NDA and threatened to sue security guards simply if they testified, Berlinski said during Thursdays hearing. Thats significant.
U2's Adam Clayton is said to have grown close to a brand consultant - after he divorced his wife of 11 years Mariana Teixeira de Carvalho.

The bassist, 64, has sparked romance rumours with Lainey Sheridan-Young, 39, after they both attended a lunch hosted by Corinthia London last Friday.

It is reportedly the second time they have been seen spending time together, with Adam taking Lainey as his date to the relaunch of restaurant Sushisamba just two days after announcing the end of his marriage.

'Adam and Lainey came to the dinner together and were very close,' a source told The Sun.

'They were very tactile with each other and seemed incredibly happy together.

U2's Adam Clayton is said to have grown close to script writer Lainey Sheridan-Young, 39, after they both attended a lunch hosted by Corinthia London last Friday

The outing comes after the rock star said his split from lawyer Mariana, 45, was amicable and that they will co-parent their six-year-old daughter Alba together (pictured together in 2014)

'His relationship with Mariana ended some time back, way before he and Lainey grew close.'

MailOnline has contacted Adam's representatives for comment.

Last Friday, Adam and Lainey, who is a mother to two boys and a script writer, both posed for a photo together as they enjoyed a drink at the lunch.

The event was held in celebration of casting directors following the recently announced inclusion of a Best Casting category in The Oscars.

The outing comes after the rock star said announced his split from his lawyer wife Mariana, 45, which he said was 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.

'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.

Adam and Mariana tied the knot in an intimate ceremony at a registry office in Dublin in 2013 (pictured), holding a second ceremony days later on the French Riviera

The couple then held a second ceremony days later on the French Riviera, with Adam's bandmates Bono and The Edge in attendance (U2 pictured in 2022)

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.'

Adam welcomed his first child, a boy, with a 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 previously had a high-profile romance with supermodel Naomi Campbell, even getting briefly engaged in 1994, before their split the same year (pictured in 1993)

Adam also popped the question to Susie Smith, a former assistant to Paul McGuinness, in 2006, but the couple broke up in 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.

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.'
She has one of the most extravagant titles in Europe  Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon Two Sicilies.

Now, the Italian 'It-girl' wants the outfits to match. The princess, 19, who partied with Prince Michael of Kent on the French Riviera last summer, plans to be a fashion designer.

And she wore one of her own creations to the Better World Gala dinner at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes.

'I made it myself,' she tells me of the pink dress. 'I always love designing, and I think one day I would like to start my own brand.

'But this one I made with a friend, so I'm very happy to be wearing it for the first time tonight.'

Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon Two Sicilies pictured in her DIY pink dress at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on May 15

The princess, 19, pictured with her family, plans to be a fashion designer and wore one of her own creations to the Better World Gala dinner at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes

How will Theresa May be remembered? For leading the Tories to their lowest ever share of the vote  9 per cent in the 2019 European elections?

Or the commitment to net zero by 2050, indifferent to the views of those, including innovator Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who points out an electric car 'doesn't do what you want a car to do'?

Too bad for Tory MPs. They've been asked this week by the 1922 Committee to stump up 20 to buy May, who's announced she's stepping down, a farewell present.

'Quite a few will quibble,' I'm told. Only quibble?

Tory MPs have been asked to stump up 20 for a parting gift for Theresa May (pictured), who has announced she's stepping down from the 1922 Committee, writes Richard Eden

Cherie lays down law to her sons

Cherie Blair pursued a career in politics in the 1980s until she gave it up in favour of the law while Tony went on to become prime minister.

Now, she has told her two elder sons they should be prepared to make sacrifices for their wives' careers.

'I said to them, 'Will there come a time when you would step back in your career so that she can shine, or are you always going to expect her to do that for you?' '

At a Cherie Blair Foundation for Women event in London, she says of Hillary Clinton, whom she was due to meet yesterday: 'She's an amazing woman.'

To laughter, she adds of Bill Clinton's long-suffering spouse, 'a very understanding wife'.

Cherie Blair (pictured) has told her two elder sons they should be prepared to make sacrifices for their wives' careers

Bespectacled documentary maker Louis Theroux, 53, became an unlikely sensation on video-sharing app TikTok in 2022 when a cringe-making clip of him performing a rap known as Jiggle Jiggle 'went viral', attracting a billion views.

And it seems to have given his bank balance a boost.

Figures for Blobfish Ltd, one of three firms into which he puts earnings, disclose he made 1 million profit last year.

John Cleese avoided having his photo taken with fans at the first night of Fawlty Towers: The Play in the West End.

'I don't like selfies,' says the comedian, 84. 'People of my generation, having a selfie with somebody suggests you are having a relationship with them.'

The Monty Python star was not joined by Connie Booth, with whom he wrote Fawlty Towers in the 1970s.

'I want to thank dear Connie Booth, one of my ex wives . . . the first one,' he says.

'The dear woman is so shy and modest she is not here tonight, but I want you to give her a round of applause.'

Perhaps she just couldn't face Cleese?

Fawlty logic: Actor John Cleese, with the cast of Fawlty Towers: The Play, was not joined by his ex-wife and sitcom co-writer Connie Booth

Named author of the year at the British Book Awards this week, children's novelist Katherine Rundell is in danger of biting the hand that feeds her.

'Kids can be real twats,' declares the Impossible Creatures writer.

Rundell, 37, who doesn't have children, was careful to add: 'But I also think they have such capacity that we don't always salute . . . They have such huge profundity of a sense of justice  and I'm not remotely romantic about children.'

That's clear.

Chaplin deserves a sequel, says his granddaughter?

Could we soon be seeing Charlie Chaplin donning his bowler hat and twirling his cane again, half a century after his death?

I ask because his granddaughter Kiera Chaplin would like to see the movie star brought back to life using artificial intelligence.

'It's kind of cool if you can bring him back to life with like some sort of virtual reality or hologram,' she tells me in Cannes.

But, the model and actress, 41, concedes other members of her family may not welcome the idea.

'Maybe my dad and his brothers and sisters don't like it so much,' she says of her father, Eugene Chaplin, Charlie's son.
Pregnant Jenna Dewan showed off her bump during an outing in Los Angeles on Thursday, amid her legal drama with ex Channing Tatum.

The actress, 43,  who recently accused Channing of 'bullying' her in their ongoing divorce  was spotted solo in a pleated bodycon dress while enjoying a retail therapy session.

The Rookies star exuded elegance, her hand tenderly cradling her blossoming baby bump in the light brown ensemble.

Jenna flashed her megawatt smile throughout the outing, as she added a leather handbag and a set of designer shades to the mix.

The former World of Dance host is expecting her second baby with fiance Steve Kazee, with whom she shares son Callum, four.

Pregnant Jenna Dewan showed off her bump during an outing in Los Angeles on Thursday, amid her legal drama with ex Channing Tatum

The pregnant actress, 43, was spotted solo in a pleated bodycon dress while enjoying a retail therapy session.

The star also shares daughter Everly, 10, with Channing, whom she was married to for just under 10 years before she filed for divorce in 2018.

While Dewan and Tatum were officially divorced in November 2019, issues including Magic Mike earnings, division of assets, spousal support and child support for Everly remain unresolved despite years of legal battles.

The legal battle has gotten uglier with Jenna's rep accusing Tatum of 'bullying' after he objected to her request to bifurcate a trial.

In response to Tatum denying claims Dewan made against him in her recently filed Request For Order, her rep told ET: 'Is Channing really calling Jenna a "liar" for trying to get back an asset that he effectively stole from her in clear violation of California family law?

'These latest smears and falsehoods are really just more of the same bullying and gaslighting Jenna has been subjected to for years. Regardless of whether Channing chooses to do the right thing, Jenna is confident that the law and the facts are on her side and she hopes this will soon come to a proper and honest conclusion.'

The legal battle has seen Tatum fighting back against Dewan's demands for a bigger slice of the profits from his 'billion dollar' Magic Mike movies and live shows.

Six years after they split up, Dewan is claiming that Tatum secretly plotted with others to hide his earning from the sexy male stripper franchise which was created when the two were still married.

But in new court documents exclusively discovered by DailyMail.com Tatum vehemently challenges the accusation, saying: 'I have always agreed for her to have an interest in the Magic Mike intellectual property and related entities.

The Rookies star exuded elegance, her hand tenderly cradling her blossoming baby bump in the light brown ensemble

While Dewan and Tatum were officially divorced in November 2019, issues including Magic Mike earnings, division of assets, spousal support and child support for Everly remain unresolved despite years of legal battles; pictured 2017

'I have never denied her share of any community assets or income. Her claims that I have "colluded with third parties" are completely false.

'She has had complete access to all our financial records for all activities during our marriage and since separation. I continue to provide her with updates regarding Magic Mike financial matters.'

While the couple were officially divorced in November 2019, issues including Magic Mike earnings, division of assets, spousal support and child support for their 10 year-old daughter Everly remain unresolved despite years of legal battles.

Now, Dewan has filed a motion asking LA Superior Court for the Magic Mike revenue issue be 'bifurcated' which means it would be dealt with in a trial separate from the other issues.

Tatum meanwhile opposes bifurcation and wants all their disputes settled together, 'to finalize our divorce case without further delay' and accuses his ex of 'delaying tactics to prolong resolution of our financial settlementand to seek a windfall from me.'

Now engaged to actress Zoe Kravitz, 35, Tatum is also against paying spousal support to his former wife, saying in his new court filing, 'I do not believe (Dewan's) request for spousal support is appropriate.

'We had a short term marriage of eight years and eight months and separated over six years ago. Dewan started co-habiting with her fiance (Steve Kazee) shortly after our separation five and a half years ago.

The former World of Dance host is expecting her second baby with fiance Steve Kazee, with whom she shares son Callum, four

Jenna and Steve became engaged in February 2020

'Dewan works, is able to contribute to her own support and will receive one half of the community property, residuals and royalties and income from other investments.

'She will also have substantial investment income fro the cash assets she has received in our divorce. She has received millions of dollars in cash assets.

'She will receive additional cash assets when the remainder of our estate is divided and post separation accounting is finalized.

'There are not, nor have there ever been, any orders for temporary spousal support. I believe she is now requesting spousal support from me to further delay our financial settlement.'

The Magic Mike success story - based on Tatum's own earlier experiences as stripper in Florida - started in 2012 with the first movie. He and the film's director, Steven Soderbergh, co-financed the project.

Their $7 million investment turned into a blockbuster, earning $167 million worldwide. Then came two more films, followed by touring striptease shows that have also been a big hit.

At a hearing last month, Dewan's attorney, Samantha Spector, described the Magic Mike business as 'a potential billion dollar asset.'

Tatum's attorney Jacqueline Combs, insists that the Magic Mike franchise made most of its money after he and Dewan had already separated.

And in his 64 pages of new court documents, Tatum says that while he and several third party business partners had invested money, time and effort into making the Magic Mike brand a success, 'Dewan has not contributed any efforts to enhance the Magic Mike intellectual property.

'Contrary to Dewan's allegations, I have only acted in the best interest of the community throughout our marriage and since separation.

'I have expended substantial post-separation efforts to enhance the Magic Mike intellectual property and I have also licensed my name and likeness to the related business.

Tatum has since moved on and is now engaged to Zoe Kravitz; pictured 2021

'I believe these post-separation efforts give rise to my separate property claims to those assets but they have also benefitted the community. Without my post-separation efforts, the Magic Mike entities would have failed.'

As for Dewan's claim that he was secretly hiding money in a trust, Tatum adds, 'She is wrong.

'Together, Dewan and I established an irrevocable trust to invest in certain businesses and made Everly the sole beneficiary. This was done with Dewan's knowledge and involvement.'

The former couple are due back in court May 15 for a judge to hear Dewan's bifurcation motion. A trial is scheduled for December.
Shogun seasons 2 and 3 are in the works.

Preparations for the next two seasons for the American historical drama program - which stars Hiroyuki Sanada - are currently underway according to The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday.

Though it is rather unconventional for a program to be re-upped for two seasons, it should come as no surprise as it has been a darling with the critics and is considered by many to be one of the best shows in 2024.

The series - which airs on FX and streams on Hulu in the US with worldwide distribution on Disney + currently has a 99percent Tomatoscore on ratings aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.

Perhaps even more impressively, the viewers also love it as it has earned a 90percent audience score on the same site.

It was also a rating success as it ranks as FX's most watched show ever based on global hours streamed.

Shogun seasons 2 and 3 are in the works according to The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday

The synopsis of the previously limited series is: 'The collision of two ambitious men from different worlds, John Blackthorne, a risk-taking English sailor who ends up shipwrecked in Japan, a land whose unfamiliar culture will ultimately redefine him; Lord Toranaga, a shrewd, powerful daimyo, at odds with his own dangerous, political rivals; and Lady Mariko, a woman with invaluable skills but dishonorable family ties, who must prove her value and allegiance.'

The series also stars Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano, Takehiro Hira, Tommy Bastow, and Fumi Nikaido.

Claville's Shogun is historical fiction as the character of Blackthorne (Jarvis) is loosely based on English navigator WIlliam Adams who rose to become a samurai under Tokugawa Ieyaso.

Ieyaso was a powerful daimyo who later became the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate and is the basis for the character of Yoshii Toranaga (Sanada).

THR reports that the Disney-owned network said that it is teasing with the state of author James Claville who wrote the novel which inspired the series in 1975.

The publication reports that a writers room is currently being put together and will commence sometime this summer.

The series - which airs on FX and streams on Hulu in the US with worldwide distribution on Disney + currently has a 99percent Tomatoscore on ratings aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes

The synopsis of the previously limited series is: 'The collision of two ambitious men from different worlds, John Blackthorne, a risk-taking English sailor who ends up shipwrecked in Japan, a land whose unfamiliar culture will ultimately redefine him; Lord Toranaga (played by Hiroyuki Sanada - pictured), a shrewd, powerful daimyo, at odds with his own dangerous, political rivals; and Lady Mariko, a woman with invaluable skills but dishonorable family ties, who must prove her value and allegiance'

Claville's Shogun is historical fiction as the character of Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis; pictured) is loosely based on English navigator WIlliam Adams who rose to become a samurai under Tokugawa Ieyaso.

The series also stars Anna Sawai (pictured), Tadanobu Asano, Takehiro Hira, Tommy Bastow, and Fumi Nikaido

No doubt it will prove to be quite the task as it will continue beyond Claville's original novel.

One good sign is that the creative team behind the first season is set to return including co-creators, executive producers, and writers Justin Marks and Rachel Condo.

James Clavell's daughter Michaela Clavell will be serving as an executive producer as well as the aforementioned Sanada is also involved with the development according to THR.

The first season's 10 episode run concluded on Hulu in April.
Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson have recalled a wild incident on their radio show's eyebrow-raising Naked Dating segment.

The segment sees two listeners strip off in the KIIS FM studio for a nude date.

Jackie revealed the pair shared a steamy kiss in the studio before things got X-rated as they headed off on an extended limousine date.

The couple were whisked off to be driven around Sydney, and Jackie saw the woman perform a sex act on the man while the cameras were still on them.

'I don't think she was that interested in him, however she was fine to take him in the limo,' Jackie told news.com.au.

Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson (pictured) have recalled the most wild incident on their radio show's eyebrow-raising Naked Dating segment.

Jackie revealed how the pair shared a steamy kiss in the studio before things got X-rated as they headed off on an extended limousine date

'We had cameras in there and we were crossing to them because it was going to be an extended date.'

Her co-host Kyle, 52, added: 'We were live and I looked over at Jackie and thought, "well, we have always wished for this, and now here it is and I don't know what to do".'

The co-hosts did not broadcast or mention the sex act on their radio show as it would have been in violation of the Commercial Radio Code of Practice.

Jackie claimed the women went on to 'ghost' her match after the naked date and gave him a false number.

It comes after Jackie recently revealed her theory as to why breakfast radio hosts like herself may be blocked from celebrity dating app, Raya.

The couple were whisked off to be driven around Sydney , and Jackie saw the woman perform a sex act on the man while the cameras were still on them

The segment sees two listeners strip off in the KIIS FM studio for a nude date

On Thursday's The Kyle & Jackie O Show, Jackie said that despite sourcing 'references' for the exclusive app, many female radio announcers have been denied access.

'They've been denied,' she said, to which Kyle responded: 'Who do these people think they are?'

'Well, they're so protective of the privacy [of celebrities on the app] that I think they might be worried because we work on breakfast radio-style shows,' Jackie theorised.

'[Raya is worried] we might talk about some people on air, which we wouldn't, obviously.'

Giving her verdict on the app, she said: 'You're not missing out on anything, trust me,' agreeing with Kyle that most of the 'industry people' on the app are 'd***heads'.
Elsa Pataky put on a leggy display in a pair of pink satin shorts and a matching jacket as she left the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday.

The Spanish actress and model, 47, paired the shorts set with a light pink shirt of a similar texture and with a dramatic collar.

The beauty, who has been married to Chris Hemsworth since 2010, upped the pink factor with her large sunglasses and wore a pink pair of chic heeled sandals.

Elsa accessorised with a pink crystal necklace and carried a pink Gucci backpack, her phone, and her boarding pass in one hand.

Also spotted leaving the 77th annual Festival was acting legend Jane Fonda, who was awarded an Honorary Palme d'Or in 2007 for career achievement.

Elsa Pataky put on a leggy display in a pair of pink satin shorts and a matching jacket as she left the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday

The Spanish actress and model, 47, paired the shorts set with a light pink shirt of a similar texture and with a dramatic collar

This year, the honour went to fellow American actress Meryl Streep, 74, who said she was 'immeasurably honored' to receive it.

Jane wore a long-sleeved black top and trousers with white-soled black trainers and an off-white jacket.

She also wore a mask and accessorised with stylish sunglasses and a black bag which she carried in the crook of her arm.

The two-time Academy Award winner headed home via Nice airport and went largely unnoticed by fans.

A lovely gentleman looked around cautiously as he held a bag for Jane who carefully readjusted her mask.

Not leaving just yet was model Shanina Shayk who left the festival for some lunch wearing a tight, long-sleeved black top light tan trousers.

The Aussie beauty, 33, accessorised with opaque black sunglasses and a tiny handbag and carried a bottle of water.

Also out and about was Euphoria actress Hunter Schafer who wore a faux leather jacket and folded up blue jeans.

She has also starred in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and will be seen in Mother Mary later in the year

The American actress, 25, walked with a friend and looked very French indeed as she tied a scarf around her head.

Also leaving the 77th annual Festival was acting legend Jane Fonda, 86, who was awarded an Honorary Palme d'Or in 2007 for career achievement

Jane wore a long-sleeved black top and trousers with white-soled black trainers and an off-white jacket

She also wore a mask and accessorised with stylish sunglasses and a black bag which she carried in the crook of her arm

The two-time Academy Award winner headed home via Nice airport and went largely unnoticed by fans

A lovely gentleman looked around cautiously as he held a bag for Jane who carefully readjusted her mask

Outside, she put away the mask and was stopped by a fan who she listened to with great interest

Not leaving just yet was model Shanina Shayk who left the festival for some lunch wearing a tight, long-sleeved black top light tan trousers

The Aussie beauty, 33, accessorised with opaque black sunglasses and a tiny handbag and carried a bottle of water

Also out and about was Euphoria actress Hunter Schafer who wore a faux leather jacket and folded up blue jeans

The American actress, 25, walked with a friend and looked very French as she tied a scarf around her head

Hunter also wore a warm grey jumper and a pair of opaque black sunglasses, turning and smiling over her shoulder

Eva Green was also seen out and about in Cannes on Thursday
Millie Mackintosh showed off her grey hairs and spots on Instagram on Thursday as she shared her 'realities' with fans to combat the sometimes 'fake' social media.

The reality star, 34, posted several photos for her 1.3 million followers, with captions detailing her daily struggles.

Millie captioned the post: 'I loved the open and honest conversations on my last life realities post so Im back with a part two.'

In March, Millie opened up about her body image issues and her feelings of inadequacy as a parent due to her anxiety.

Today's caption continued: 'Its really important to me to use my platform to share the real, unfiltered sides of life, motherhood, and wellness. If any of my truths resonate with you, drop a comment below!'

Millie Mackintosh, 34, showed off her grey hairs and her spots on Instagram on Thursday as she shared her 'realities' with fans to combat the sometimes 'fake' social media

The reality star, 34, posted several photos for her 1.3 million followers, all with captions detailing her daily struggles (pictured: Millie and the grey hairs she can't quite accept yet)

Millie captioned the post's introductory image: 'Social media can be fake sometimes... so here's some realities I don't always share'

She wrote with the introductory image: 'Social media can be fake sometimes... so here's some realities I don't always share.'

Two of the realities read: 'Lately, I've been dealing with quite a few breakouts. I've been trying to manage them with laser genesis treatments, but it really knocks my confidence when my skin isn't looking its best.

'I keep noticing more and more grey hairs, and they're inching their way closer to the front of my head. I really want to be one of those people who welcomes the changes that come with age, I'm not quite there yet.'

The former Made In Chelsea star shares two children, daughters Sienna, four, and Aurelia, two, with her husband Hugo Taylor.

One of the realities read: 'I'm definitely feeling a bit sentimental as Aurelia grows older. I adore her current age, but the idea of her being my last baby makes me so sad.

'Carrying her is starting to strain my back, yet I find it hard to say no because what if she stops asking?' It was accompanied by a photo of Millie and Aurelia cuddling.

For another reality, Millie wrote: 'Breakfast time with the girls has become a bit of a hurdle lately. They used to love their morning meals, but now it's like pulling teeth to get them to eat. Funny (sic) enough, they suddenly become hungry right as we're about to step out the door!'

One photo saw Millie admire some artwork and with it she wrote: 'Our renovation got pushed back by six weeks, which means it won't be ready in time for Sienna to start school.

In March, Millie opened up about her body image issues and her feelings of inadequacy as a parent due to her example and used Thursday's post as a part two

One of the realities read: 'The idea of [Aurelia] being my last baby makes me so sad' and accompanied a photo of Millie and Aurelia, two, cuddling

A selfie of Millie and eldest child Sienna, 4, was captioned: 'Aurelia's current neediness is leading to Sienna feeling jealous quite often, and it's becoming challenging'

For another reality, Millie wrote: 'Breakfast time with the girls has become a bit of a hurdle lately. They used to love their morning meals, but now it's like puling teeth to get them to eat'

One photo saw Millie admire some artwork and with it she wrote: 'Our renovation got pushed back by six weeks, which means it won't be ready in time for Sienna to start school'

A final snap was a selfie of Millie and Hugo. Over it, the reality read: 'Raising young children can be challenging for any relationship, but I'm happy that we've both dedicated ourselves to nurturing and strengthening out bond. The grass is always greener where you water it'

'It's been quite stressful, but I'm reframing it and staying positive. I feel so lucky for the opportunity to renovate our home, so even though the wait is longer than expected, I know it'll be worth it in the end.'

A final snap was a selfie of Millie and Hugo. Over it, the reality read: 'Raising young children can be challenging for any relationship, but I'm happy that we've both dedicated ourselves to nurturing and strengthening out bond. The grass is always greener where you water it.'

Comments of support flooded in from Millie's fans. One read: 'No 6. broke me  my youngest is turning 5 and I still carry her sometimes and totally know I baby her  she is our last and I know the day is approaching where I cant carry her like I do.'

Other users wrote: 'Thanks for sharing - its nice to know we are all in it together!  xxx'; 'Im with you and definitely felt all of these. Motherhood'; 'Thanks for being so honest millie, i needed that this morning!! You and your beautiful girls are doing amazing x';

'Thank you for sharing this! Its really helpful especially for me to hear about how being parents impacts on your relationship  I think this aspect of parenthood is either just not talked about or only talked about in extremes, when theres so much nuance to how your relationship with your partner shifts through parenthood! Thanks for being open with this';

'I find it so hard to juggle 2 children. I have a 9 year old and a 4 year old, my 4 year old is autistic, non verbal with no danger awareness and I know my 9 year old finds it hard with how much of my time he takes up. I schedule a day each half term for just me and my 9 year old, we go cinema and shopping, something to eat and I find that helps. Xxx';

'I love your honesty! I've struggled with my skin a lot over the years so it's so nice to see you posting about this! I'm also getting a few of the silvers. My hair is so dark and I can't be bothered with the upkeep of colouring it so I'm just going to let the greys keep coming!'

Millie's fans flooded her comments section, thanking her for being honest and telling her how they can relate as well as their own experiences

It comes after Millie stunned in a straw cowboy hat as she filmed a mystery project in a West London park on Sunday with her daughters Sienna and Aurelia.

The reality star looked beautiful in a boho lightweight white maxi dress pairing it with a pale pink uniquely patterned waistcoat.

Millie bought ice creams for herself, her daughters, and her staff as they took a break from filming the unannounced project.

MailOnline contacted Millie's reps for more information.
Indias merchandise exports rose by 1 per cent to USD 34.99 billion in April even as the trade deficit widened to a four-month high of USD 19.1 billion during the month, according to government data.

Healthy growth in sectors such as electronics, chemicals, petroleum products and pharmaceuticals has helped in registering positive growth in exports despite global economic uncertainties.

Imports also increased by 10.25 per cent to USD 54.09 billion in the month under review from USD 49.06 billion in April 2023 due to a significant jump in gold imports.

The imports of precious metals more than doubled to USD 3.11 billion in April this year. Crude oil imports rose by 20.22 per cent to USD 16.5 billion.

Trade deficit, or the gap between imports and exports, in April 2023 stood at USD 14.44 billion. The previous high in the deficit was recorded in December 2023 at USD 19.8 billion. In March 2024, the outbound shipments dipped to USD 41.68 billion from USD 41.96 billion a year ago.

Briefing media on the data, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said the figures show that the new fiscal year started on a good note and hoped that it would continue.

He informed that the data for the countrys total exports in goods and services for 2023-24 has been revised to USD 778.21 billion, which is the highest so far. Merchandise exports in the last fiscal was aggregated at USD 437.1 billion, while services exports stood at USD 341.1 billion. In merchandise exports, 13 of the 30 key sectors exhibited positive growth in April as compared to same period last year. These include coffee, tobacco, spices, plastic and handicrafts. According to the commerce ministry data, released on Wednesday, the estimated value of services exports for April is USD 29.57 billion compared to USD 25.78 billion in April 2023.

Imports of services are estimated to be increased to USD 16.97 billion during the month as compared to USD 13.96 billion in April 2023.
A significant step for connecting the Indian Ocean to Europe and beyond

India and Iran finally managed to put a long-term contract closure for one of the most stretched flagship projects in the bilateral relationship between the countries. India managed to sign a ten-year Long-term Contract for the development of Shahid Beheshti Port Terminal, Chabahar. It was no surprise that, despite being in the middle of elections, Union Minister of Ports Shipping and Waterways Sarabananda Sonowal visited Chabahar port to witness the signing of this crucial bilateral agreement.

Chabahar is a deep water port, located nearest to India, which is crucial for Indias access to central Asia and vice versa for the States in the region into the Indian Ocean. The Chabahar project first came up as a crucial bilateral platform for Iran and India in 2003 when PM Vajpayee and Iranian counterpart Hassan Roubani, unveiled a transformational strategic cooperation blueprint between the two nations. Iran and India while getting closer on the bilateral, were focussed on securing Afghanistan and making it an important transit destination further into Central Asia. The Delhi Declaration of 2003 , signed between Iran and India reiterates The recent trilateral agreement between the Governments of India, Iran and Afghanistan to develop the Chahbahar route through Melak, Zaranj and Delaram would facilitate regional trade and transit, including to Afghanistan and Central Asia, contributing thus to enhanced regional economic prosperity.

However, post the Vajpayee Government, Indias focus on the crucial infrastructure project shifted, partially impacted by domestic politics and a new world order. It wasnt until Prime Minister Modi became the prime minister that this integrated multi-modal Chabahar project found prominence. Hectic backroom negotiations, including the visit of the Afghani President to India in 2015, followed by PM Modis visit to Iran in 2016, the signing of the trilateral agreement provided the much-needed impetus to the project. It also involved close coordination with the US ( which wasnt too keen on Indias enthusiasm, with Chabahar), but the independent access to Afghanistan served as the crucial lynchpin to unblock the hesitancy.

In 2017 India, Iran and Afghanistan held the second ministerial-level trilateral meeting to get an update on the establishment of a transport and transit corridor in Chabahar. The Statement released after the trilateral Stated Reiterating the importance of Chabahar as a hub for regional economic connectivity and their commitment to work towards this objective, the Ministers commended the joint efforts of the three countries in the recent successful transit of wheat from India to Afghanistan through Chabahar.

It was nearly seven years later that India got complete access to the Chabahar port for handling the crucial operations. It is important to be reminded that China has made significant progress in Central Asia by aggressively pursuing its Belt and Road initiative. Iranian President led a high-level economic delegation to China in February this year, while reiterating that China continues to be its largest trading partner. Indias relations with Central Asian countries and further into Russia have been stable for decades. China has been a new entrant in the region which has first managed to acquire critical infrastructure projects in Indias immediate neighbourhoods like Pakistan, Sri Lanka etc and is now in weather with Russia.

Iran has traditionally been a key influencer in the West Asian and Central Asian regions, however, the ongoing war in Gaza has revived old fault lines in the region. The US which withdrew from Afghanistan used to be a key decision-maker in the region and is keen to.

(The writer is a policy analyst; views are personal)
Varanasi electrified as Narendra Modi filed papers, underscoring UPs centrality and Modi-Yogi alliances lasting impact on national politics

Varanasi recently witnessed a surge of excitement as Prime Minister Modi filed his nomination papers for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. This event not only underscored the significance of Uttar Pradesh in shaping national politics but also highlighted the enduring influence of the Modi-Yogi partnership in the States political landscape.

The ancient city of Varanasi buzzed with excitement as Prime Minister Narendra Modi submitted his nomination papers for the Lok Sabha polls once again last Tuesday. Accompanied by his trusted ally, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and a host of supporters, Modis presence electrified the streets during a massive roadshow prior to filing his papers. The atmosphere in the holy city exuded confidence among leaders and workers of the saffron party, indicating a strong belief in their impending triumph in the Lok Sabha polls.

The significance of Uttar Pradesh (UP) in determining the fate of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP, cannot be overStated, especially as they strive for a third consecutive term in power. With 80 Lok Sabha seats at stake, UP holds considerable sway over Indian politics, both present and future. The adage that the road to Delhis throne runs through UP rings true, emphasising the pivotal role the State plays in shaping the countrys political landscape. Consequently, political parties are sparing no effort in vying for victory in UP in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Despite political manoeuvres, analysts predict a familiar outcome in UP this time around, with the BJP poised to replicate its 2019 electoral success. The formidable duo of Modi and Yogi is expected to deliver another commanding performance, cementing their status as unbeatable political forces. The Modi-Yogi partnership has become synonymous with victory, casting a shadow of doubt over the oppositions prospects.

The BJPs ambitious goal of securing all 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP is buoyed by the confidence placed in this dynamic duo. Modi has lauded Yogis development initiatives on numerous occasions, underscoring their collective vision for UPs progress. This sentiment was echoed during Modis recent rally in Amroha, where he expressed optimism about surpassing previous electoral records under Yogis leadership, thereby making history in UP.

The 2014 Lok Sabha elections marked a turning point in UPs political landscape, ending the BJPs electoral drought in the State. Securing a staggering 71 out of 80 seats, the BJP emerged victorious without any significant opposition alliance.

The subsequent 2019 elections saw the BJP leverage the Modi wave and Yogis governance to further consolidate its position, despite facing a united opposition front. Yogis proactive stance on law and order issues resonated with voters, contributing to the BJPs resounding victory.

Yogis tenure as Chief Minister has been characterised by a crackdown on criminal elements, instilling a sense of security among the populace. Under his leadership, UP has witnessed a significant decline in crime rates, marking a departure from the lawlessness of the past. Central Government support for development initiatives has further bolstered UPs economy, with the Gross State Domestic Product witnessing substantial growth.

As the 2024 elections unfold, the BJP finds itself in a favourable position in UP, owing to the combined successes of the Modi Government at the centre and Yogis governance model. The tangible improvements in governance and economic indicators serve as testaments to their administrations efficacy, instilling confidence among voters. While the outcome of the elections remains uncertain, one thing is clear: the Modi-Yogi alliance continues to enjoy unwavering support from the people of UP.

(The writer is a senior journalist and author of two books; his views are personal)
Mammootti, touted by his fans as the "super mega star" of Malayalam films, is a jihadi working hand in glove with the CPI (M), according to his own friends and associates. It was known for quite sometime that the "super mega star" had close liaison with Islamic fundamentalists working for the disintegration of India.

The star is the chairman of the CPI (M) owned Kairali TV Network which telecasts Marxist news and ideology 24X7. While addressing the all India conference of DYFI, the youth organization of the CPI (M), held at Chennai sometime back, Mammootti had come down heavily on the then Narendra Modi Government for the Gujarat riots.

"Had there been DYFI in Gujarat, a riot against the minority community would not have happened," said Mammootti while delivering the keynote speech, Of late, Mammootti's antecedents as an Islamic fundamentalist had been a subject of discussion in the social media. What spilled the beans recently is the interview given by Mohammed Sharshad, a Chennai based businessman who is also a fellow traveler of the CPI(M) that his wife PT Ratheena, an upcoming movie maker was forced by Mammootti to direct a movie portraying the Hindus in poor light.

The film Puzhu (2022) created some controversy in Kerala but the producer laughed all his way to the bank. What made Ratheena to take up the Puzhu project instead of the script she had completed was the directive of Mammootty. What Ratheena had hoped was to make a light-hearted entertainer starring Mammootti and she was forced to toe the super star's line," said Sharshad.

What Sharshad told an online portal is that Mammootti wanted Ratheena to make this movie, the story of which was written by Harshad whom Sharshad himself describes as a hardcore Islamic extremist

"Puzhu" revolves around an IPS officer by name Kuttan (played by Mammootti) hailing from a high caste Hindu family and his hatred for his sister who eloped with a Harijan youth much against her family's wishes. The movie instead of delivering a social message, concluded with spitting venom and fire over the Sanatana Dharma.

In Kerala, artists and technicians suspected of any links with Hindu outfits are ostracized from the film industry by the Mattancherry Mafia (a group of Islamists whose only mission is to make use of the medium of cinema to humiliate and tarnish the Sanatana Dharma).

This Mafia was behind the agitation against CAA and is "credited" with the conspiracy to subvert the national film awards distribution ceremony in New Delhi during the tenure of Smrithi Irani as information and broadcasting minister. The Islamists, drawn out of the banned Popular Front of India, SIMI, SDPI, work overtime through social media and even in theatres to dissuade people from watching movies starred by Suresh Gopi, Unni Mukundan and Krishna Kumar whose association with BJP is known to all.

These anti-Hindu collectives work unitedly for making the average Mammootti films success. Film reviewers working for mainstream media in Kerala are wary of writing anything offending the super star lest the latter is likely to use his influence to oust the persons writing against him. Interestingly, the "leading" film writers based in Kerala and Tamil Nadu never write anything against the actor despite the fact that his below average performances.

A veteran movie maker who has dozens of super hits to his credit told The Pioneer on condition of anonymity that there is a Jihadi Mafia controlling Malayalam film industry. "You just go through films produced by the Islamists. You will see only artists and technicians belonging to a particular community. We do not want to comment on these issues as whatever is happening is clear that the Jihadis call the shots," said the producer.
Raebareli

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who has been canvassing continuously every day in Amethi and Rae Bareli simultaneously, is highlighting the strong bond the Gandhi family has with both constituencies since the days of former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. This effort comes as her sibling Rahul Gandhi contests in Amethi, having taken over from his mother, Sonia Gandhi.

Priyanka said the grand old party follows the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi who uttered Hey Ram before dying and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is wrong in accusing it of being anti-religion. She alleged that while the saffron party claims to be a champion of Hindu religion, the condition of the State-run cowsheds in Uttar Pradesh remains pitiable.

She accused the Modi Government of trying to take credit for the free ration scheme by putting his photograph on the papers related to the scheme, saying it was the Congress-led UPA Government that brought the Right to Food Act.

The Congress leader also lambasted the BJP over frequent question papers leak in UP and promised stringent laws to stop such leaks. She promised to do away with GST on education and scrap the Agni-Veer scheme for recruitment in the armed forces if her party comes to power at the Centre.

She said her party will restore the earlier method of permanent appointment with pension provision for the army personnel. The Congress general secretary also spoke about creating a Rs 5,000 crore fund to help small entrepreneurs.

Voting in both the constituencies is scheduled in the fifth phase on May 20.

Jaunpur/Azamgarh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that the Samajwadi Party and the Congress want to adopt the Trinamool politics, terming it a strategy of appeasement and harassment of Dalits and women. While addressing an election rally in Bhadohi, where the Opposition has fielded a TMC candidate, Modi attacked the INDIA Bloc partners, accusing them of attempting to replicate West Bengals TMC politics in Uttar Pradesh.

Modi said the TMCs politics includes calling Ram temple impure, banning Ramnavami celebrations, sheltering Bangladeshi intruders, promising poisonous arrow of appeasement and calling for vote jihad.

Referring to the alliance between the SP and the BSP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Modi said, The previous bua (hinting at Mayawati) identified the SP people and left them. They have now brought a bua (aunt) from Bengal (hinting at Mamata Banerjee).

In another rally in Jaunpur, Moid said this Lok Sabha election is an opportunity for the country to choose a leader who can run a strong Government which makes the world aware of Indias strength.

Amid slogans of Jai Shri Ram and Har Har Modi, the Prime Minister said, Your enthusiasm shows that you have made it difficult for the INDI alliance to win even a single seat in Uttar Pradesh.

Attacking SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Modi said, SPs shehzade also makes fun of Kashi. They are crossing every limit to please their vote bank. I am surprised that it is the 21st century and they are roaming around with the flag of triple talaq.

Accusing the leaders of the INDIA Bloc of advocating reservation on the basis of religion, Modi said, They advocate reservation on the basis of religion. They want to take away the right of reservation of the SCs, STs and OBCs by changing the Constitution of the country.

Lucknow

On a day when AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal made his presence known in the INDIA Bloc alliance, partnering with the Samajwadi Party (SP), which is contesting the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh alongside the Congress coalition, he faced criticism from the grand old partys former Chief Minister of Punjab, Charanjit Singh Channi, who termed Kejriwal as untrustworthy. Released on bail to campaign for the Lok Sabha polls, Kejriwal embarked on a whirlwind tour, reaching Lucknow on Thursday to express solidarity with SP chief and former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav, before moving on to campaign in Punjab.

Congress candidate from Jalandhar Parliamentary seat, Charanjit Singh Channi, said Kejriwal cant be trusted and that he should be opposed. Congress and AAP are alliance partners under INDIA Bloc elsewhere, including Delhi except for Punjab where the current Government is of AAP. Kejriwal, who is involved in a liquor scam and is out of jail for only 15 days, cant be trusted. A big liquor scam happened in Delhi and the same happened in Punjab as well. We demand an inquiry into it. He should be opposed, Channi said. At a joint Press conference with Yadav, Kejriwal reiterated his claim that Home Minister Amit Shah will be made the next Prime Minister and Yogi Adiyanath will be removed as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister if the BJP returns to power.

Lucknow

Kejriwal claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had implemented a rule stating that individuals over 75 years of age would not be appointed to any position in the government or organisation and would be retired.

LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi were retired as per this rule and several BJP leaders, as per this rule, were removed or not given tickets. Modi is going to cross the age of 75 next year and has decided to make Shah the Prime Minister of the country, Kejriwal said.

The leaders who could have caused hindrance were sidelined. Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Vasundhra Raje, Raman Singh, Devendra Fadnvis and Manohar Lal Khattar have been finished, he asserted.

There is only one person who could prove to be a thorn in the way of Shah and he is Yogi. They have now decided to remove Yogi within two months if their Government is formed, Kejriwal said.

Kejriwal said trends coming from across the country show that the BJP is getting less than 220 seats. The seats of BJP in Haryana, Delhi, Karnataka, UP, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bihar and Jahrkhand are reducing and the party is not winning a single seat in Punjab, he claimed.
Organ donation from brain-dead patients can indeed be a lifeline for those in need of organs such as hearts and livers. It is essential to raise awareness about organ donation and encourage people to consider this selfless act that can make a significant difference in the lives of others, said Dr Vimal Bhandari, former director of the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO).

Dr. Bhandari pointed out that in many parts of the world, including India, there is a significant shortage of organs for transplantation surgeries. This shortage often leads to prolonged waiting times for patients in need of life-saving transplants, resulting in adverse health outcomes and even fatalities, he said.

. He was speaking at an event held at ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Faridabad in Haryana to mark International Nurses Week as a part of the Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) program which was inaugurated by its Dean, Professor Asim Das.

The occasion was graced by Chief Guest Dr AK Pandey, Medical Superintendent, Dean Dr. Sandeep, besides Dr Bhandari who is currently serving as the Head of the Kidney Transplant Unit and the Department of Surgery alongside other senior administrative staff, including AK Ranga Deputy Director (Administration), Jai Prakash, Chairman of CNE (DNS) and Nirmal, Organising Secretary of the CNE..

The program's highlight was a comprehensive discussion on palliative care, pain management, and psychological aspects of severely ill patients. Other speakers Poonam Chaudhry from Rak College of Nursing, Dr. Mega Soni, a professor in Anesthesia, and Dr. Saluja, a clinical psychologist echoed similar views on the occasion.
Congress National General Secretary and National Media In-Charge, Jairam Ramesh, on Wednesday, said that after the elections for 379 seats held in the Country, the INDI Alliance has achieved absolute majority. In the remaining three phases, the alliance will only work to create an edge. Narendra Modi has now become the outgoing PM. His farewell formalities will be performed on June 4, he added.



Addressing a press meet at Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC) headquarter in the State Capital Ramesh said that the Country will get freedom from the epidemic of lies on June 4.

Many leaders including JPCC Chief, Rajesh Thakur were present on this occasion.



In response to a question, Ramesh said that Tamil Nadu is the only State in the Constitution itself where the limit of reservation is more than 50 per cent. Reservation there is 69 per cent. Because during the time of former PM Narasimha Rao, the reservation policy of Tamil Nadu has been included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. When our Government is formed, we will work to increase it by removing this 50 per cent limit. We will work to include the reservation policies of many states including Jharkhand in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, he added.



Hemant Soren Government of the State, after passing the new reservation policy from the Jharkhand Assembly on November 11, 2022, had sent a proposal to the Raj Bhavan to include it in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. This includes increasing the reservation of OBC from 14 to 27, that of Scheduled Tribe from 26 to 28 and that of Scheduled Caste from 10 to 12 per cent. But the Governor returned it saying it was contrary to the Constitution. The Government has again passed it and sent it to Raj Bhavan, said Ramesh.



The partys Media In Charge also said that BJP has been wiped out in the entire South Whereas in North-East and West it has halved. Earlier they were talking about Muslim League, taking out money from the house, Mangalsutra, buffalo and Congress's declaration letter. But after the end of the fourth phase, his statement is changing every day. Now he is not talking about anything beyond 400 when he realized this in the third phase. After the fourth phase he became nervous. Therefore, after the third phase, they came to religious polarization, Hindu-Muslim and Pakistan. But after the fourth phase, his statement has changed from yesterday. Now he keeps saying that I never talked about Hindu-Muslim. This shows that the duo of Modi and Shah realized that they were going to leave and the formalities of their departure would be completed after June 4, he added.



Ramesh said that when the Prime Minister himself is saying that Adani-Ambani is sending black money to Congress through tempo, then what are their investigating agencies doing. Why has his ED, IT and CBI investigation not been done till now? Under the Modi Government, 21 capitalists have accumulated more money than even 70 per cent of the people of the Country have. That is why we have talked about equality. There has been talk of employment and people's income. Modi tried to present it to the public in a wrong way. Modi Government waived off loans worth lakhs of crores of capitalists, but not of farmers. But every time Modi trolls Congress' talk of five justices and makes false statements, our 25 guarantees are being publicized more than that. Modi is promoting us for free. The day they speak wrong, lakhs of people download Congress's Justice Guarantee and read it, he added.



Congress asked four questions to Modi that is Why is Modi ji silent on Mohan Bhagwat's talk on constitutional amendment, Why is Modi ji silent on caste and economic census, Why is Modi ji silent on increasing the reservation limit from 50 per cent and about the country Why did Modi ji weaken the necessary acts and laws?
The AAP is facing attack from all fronts over party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwals alleged assault accusation by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals PA Bibhav Kumar as her former husband Navin Jaihind attacked senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, claiming that her life is in danger, while the BJP staged a protest near Kejirwals residence, demanding a probe in the matter.

In a video message posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Maliwals former husband, he attacked Singh and asked him to stop his acting.

Reacting to the press conference held by Singh confirming the assault allegation by former Chairperson of Delhi Women Commision (DCW), he siad, I got to know that Sanjay Singh visited Maliwals house. Let me tell you (Sanjay Singh) this, if you really consider Swati as your sister then don't go to his house and indirectly threaten her and pressurise her. Take her with you to the police station and file an FIR against the perpetrators. Dont act, instead take actions against the criminals.

Meanwhile, BJP leaders and workers, including activists of BJP Mahila Morcha, staged a protest on Wednesday near Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence, demanding a probe into the incident involving MP Swati Maliwal.

President of Delhi BJP Virendra Sachdeva questioned the silence of Kejriwal over the alleged incident and demanded action against those guilty. "It's a matter of respect and honour of a woman who has been chief of the Delhi Commission for Women. We are here to support her. AAP leader Sanjay Singh has admitted the incident. Why is not Kejriwal lodging a police complaint against the person who is involved in it," Sachdeva asked Maliwal had alleged earlier that the Delhi chief minister's assistant Bibhav Kumar "misbehaved" with her at his residence which was confirmed by party leader Sanjay Singh a day after.

Addressing a press conference a day after Maliwal's allegations, Singh said AAP supremo Kejriwal will take strict action in the matter. Sachdeva said the police could launch a probe after confirmation of the incident by Singh. He also urged Maliwal, who has maintained complete silence over the incident so far, to come forward to give her statement to the police.

BJP national spokesperson Shazia Ilmi, who was formerly with the AAP, also expressed concern over Maliwal's safety and questioned Kejriwal if she was being intimidated and pressured into reaching "some kind of a compromise".

She also targeted the opposition INDIA bloc, questioning the alleged silence of Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and party president Mallikarjun Karage as well as TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on the issue.

Ilmi said, "It is obvious that she had been beaten up at the residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. I know all the characters (in AAP) very well. It is impossible that Kejriwal's right hand (Bibhav Kumar) would do so without being ordered to do so by Kejriwal.

It is indeed very serious. Arvind Kejriwal should come clean on this, offer his resignation if he cannot ask Bibhav to resign."
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said that this time Narendra Modi will once again take oath as Prime Minister by winning more than 400 seats. Opposition parties including Congress raised the issue as to why BJP is raising 400 seats target, the entire ecosystem is arguing whether BJP will cross 400 seats, they have no doubt about 399 seats, the general public will give 2 seats.

Sarma said that after getting 300 seats, Bharatiya Janata Party built a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya. This time, after crossing 400, temples will be built in Mathura and Kashi also. The country will become developed by the year 2047. Its initiative has already been taken. India will become the third largest economy by 2029. Elections in India are fought not only for development but also for identity.

Sarma said that Congress has forgotten PoK. Bharatiya Janata Party believes that Pakistan should not have any Kashmir. The Modi government has delimited seats in Kashmir. In this, provision for MLAs has also been made for PoK. There will be MLAs from there also. This time, as soon as 400 seats come, PoK will become a part of India.

The Chief Minister of Assam said that a law was made during the Congress rule. It has been said that there will be discussion on Ram temple. There cannot be a discussion on Kashi and Mathura. This law does not allow a temple in the birthplace of God.

He said that the secular system is applicable in the country. Under this there can be no personal law in the country. Muslims follow Sharia. The law of the country allows this. They do child marriage have liberty to keep four wives. Daughters are not given rights in father's property. To improve this, UCC will have to be introduced. Modi government will do this work if BJP gets 400 seats.

The Chief Minister of Assam said that Rahul Gandhi still roams around with the Constitution. This constitution remains red. The red colored constitution may be of China, but not of India. There is a photo of Ram-Krishna on every page of the Constitution of India. Rahul Gandhi has said that personal laws will be strengthened when his government comes to power. It is written in the Constitution that there cannot be any personal law for anyone. There cannot be Sharia law. This time NDA needs 400 seats to implement the Constitution.

He said that according to the Constitution, reservation is to be given to ST, SC and OBC. Reservation will be on the basis of caste, not on the basis of religion. Here reservation is being given to Muslims through the back door. To end Muslim reservation, 400 seats are needed. To strengthen ED and CBI, 400 seats should be given.

Sarma said that infiltration was going on in Assam for the last 40 years. Presently the Assamese have lost their identity. Assam made a mistake first. Jharkhand should not make such a mistake. If the ban had been imposed in time, Assam would not have been in this situation today. If there is no stop to infiltration in Jharkhand, then in 20 years the indigenous people here will become a minority. This is not a political issue for BJP. It is a question of Jharkhand's future. This is cancer. If this is not stopped then the natives here will be completely eaten up. He said that temples are being demolished in Assam. Hindus take away the girl.

He said that during the tenure of Modi government, more Alamgir Alams will be arrested. This is just a glimpse.

He said that the country has been divided on the basis of Hindu-Muslim. The matter is not completely resolved yet. Majority of the population is in danger in the country. India has been a country of Hindus for 5 thousand years. Only Hindus will make the country glorious. Don't let the Hindu cool down.

On this occasion, former state president and Rajya Sabha MP Deepak Prakash, media in-charge Shivpujan Pathak, state spokesperson JB Tubid were also present.
Faridabad Lok Sabha Constituency, which has Faridabad town, the leading industrial township of Haryana is all set to witness a close contest this time between senior BJP leader and Union Minister Krishan Pal Gurjar and Congress candidate Mahender Pratap Singh. Both Pratap and Gurjar are traditional opponents in politics, and belong to the Gurjar community, a key deciding factor in the Faridabad parliamentary seat.



BJP candidate Gurjar is seeking a mandate for a hat trick from this Constituency. With anti-incumbency a major issue for many, it is the non-Gurjar voters, like Jats, Muslims, SC, BC and Punjabi communities, whose support is seen as a deciding factor. This is mainly due to the fact that both candidates (BJP and Congress) belong to the Gurjar community and this vote bank stands to be divided. While the battle has emerged as a direct contest between the two, victory will be no cakewalk.



Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) has nominated Nalin Hooda as its candidate. Hooda is the JJP youth president of the Faridabad district unit. Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has fielded Sunil Tewatia  a member of the former royal family of Ballabgarh  in Faridabad. Two women have filed nominations in the Faridabad Parliamentary Seat, which has 24 candidates in total.



In Faridabad Lok Sabha constituency, the number of voters is 24,14,168, of which 13,10,206 are male, 11,03,844 female, and 118 transgenders. As far as caste equation is concerned, the constituency has around 3 lakh Jat voters followed by over 2.5 lakh Gujjars, over 1.5 Brahmins and over 2 lakh Scheduled caste voters. The constituency also has more than one lakh Muslim voters. The slum and migrant voters, also form a sizable percentage in the Faridabad seat.



Faridabad Lok Sabha seat consists of nine Assembly seats-Prithla, Faridabad NIT, Badkhal, Ballabhgarh, Faridabad and Tigaon assembly constituencies of Faridabad district  while three assembly constituencies Hathin, Hodal and Palwal from Palwal district.



Hathin assembly segment of Faridabad parliamentary seat has a majority of Muslim votes. Similarly, Palwal, Prithla and Faridabad, Ballabgarh assembly seat under Faridabad constituency are dominated by Jat community. Similarly, Tigaon, Badkhal, Faridabad-NIT and Palwal have a significant influence on the Gurjar community. Faridabad constituency had come into existence in 1977 and has mostly been with the Congress party, which managed to secure the seat six times out of the 12 elections held here so far. The BJP has won five times in this Constituency.



Congress Candidate Mahendra Pratap Singh is considered close to former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Mahendra Pratap, one of the senior most leaders in Haryanas politics, had defeated Gurjar around 20 years back in 2005 on Mewla Maharajpur assembly seat. Prior to that, Gurjar had defeated Mahendra Pratap in the 1996 assembly elections from the same seat.



Mahendra Pratap, 79, has contested different elections in the state nine times. An old Congressman, Mahendra Pratap has also served as minister from 1991-1996 in the then Bhajan Lal-led Congress Government and from 2009-2014 in the then Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress regime in the State. As a minister for two tenures, Mahendra Pratap had held various important portfolios in the State cabinet, including revenue, industries and labour, local bodies, renewable energy, food supplies, technical education and power. Holding a graduation degree, Mahendra Pratap had also served as the leader of Congress legislative party from 1987 to 1991. He had started his political journey in 1966 as a village sarpanch. He was elected as member of state assembly five times including in 1982, 1987, 1991, 2005 and 2009.

In one of his public campaigns, Mahendra Pratap had launched an aggressive attack on Gurjar stating that this time, the public would vote for those who work on ground and not those who have been winning seats just in the name of Modi.



The BJP nominee from Faridabad seat, 67-year-old Krishan Pal Gurjar is a MP from Faridabad since 2014 and is looking for a third term because of a purported Modi wave. In the 2019 parliamentary polls, he had secured victory for the second time in a row with a massive margin of around 6.38 lakh votes, defeating Avtar Singh Bhadana of Congress. In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, he had defeated Bhadana by a margin of around 4.66 lakh votes.



A law graduate, Gurjar had started his political career in 1994 when he was elected as councillor in Faridabad Municipal Corporation (MC). In 1996 assembly polls in Haryana, he was elected MLA from Mewla Maharajpur and was made transport minister in the then Bansi Lal led HVP-BJP government. He was again elected as MLA for two more terms in 2000 and 2009 (Tigaon). Gurjar has also served as state BJP president. Gurjar has also served as minister of state for power, heavy industries, social justice and empowerment, road transport and highways ports, shipping and waterways on different terms in the Narender Modi government.



In the past, some high-profile leaders like former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal and Avtar Singh Bhadana have represented the seat. BJPs Ram Chander Bainda was consecutively returned thrice to Parliament from this seat in the 1996, 1998 and 1999 elections. Avtar Singh Bhadana represented the seat in 1991, 2004 and 2009.



In the 2019 elections, BJPs Krishan Pal won with 913,222 votes. Congress Avtar Singh Bhadana received 268,327 votes, and the Bahujan Samaj Partys Mandhir Singh Maan received 84,006 votes.



In the 2014 elections, BJPs Krishan Pal defeated Congress Avtar Singh Bhadana by 466,873 votes. Krishan Pal received a total of 652,516 votes, garnering 57.7% of the vote share. Avtar Singh Bhadana received 185,643 votes. The Congress received only 16.5% of the votes.



Political observers opine that Mahendra Prataps nomination has made the contest interesting, which otherwise was almost one-sided for the last two terms, when Gurjar has been securing easy wins. Although the veteran leader has a strong experience of contesting elections and had deep connections in the constituency, he may face some infighting within his party, as several other Congress leaders had expressed deep grouse after the party had nominated him from Faridabad seat. The Faridabad seat has significant influence from Jat, Gurjar, Meo-Muslim, Punjabi, Brahmin and others. Votes of a large population of migrant labourers that have shifted here for jobs in industries and other sectors also play an important role. Major challenge for the BJP candidate Krishan Pal Gurjar would be to get support of Meo-Muslims, which also have significant presence and influence in this seat. Meo-Muslims traditionally vote for Congress.



Though the candidates of these parties had also been Gurjar in the past two elections, the victory of the BJP in 2014 and 2019 is attributed mainly to the Modi factor. Since there is no such factor, issues like corruption, development and the image of candidates, are likely to decide the outcomes.
Former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan is on a two-day visit to Delhi. Shivraj Singh Chouhan is continuously moving around the country and is engaged in election campaign in view of the Lok Sabha elections.

Chauhan campaigned for the second day on Wednesday in support of BJP candidates on two Lok Sabha seats of Delhi. The former CM participated in the Dalit Maha Sammelan organized in North-East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency and addressed the Youth Samvad program in Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency.

During this, the former CM said that, Swami Vivekananda ji used to say that you are not just an effigy of flesh and blood with three and a half hands, you are the son of nectar, a part of God, a storehouse of infinite powers and a partaker of immortal bliss. There is no work in the world that you cannot do. He said that, let us take a pledge that we are not there just to form a government, we are here to build our country.*Kejriwal is a corrupt seed*Attacking Arvind Kejriwal, former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that, we have read in Durga Saptashati that Rakta was the seed, wherever his blood fell in the war, from one drop of that blood, another blood seed demon would be born. Used to go.

He was a blood seed, but Arvind Kejriwal is a corrupt seed, wherever his party wins, a system of corruption comes into existence. How much Kejriwal looted Delhi, no one could have imagined that Kejriwal, a product of Anna Hazare's movement, would be involved in the liquor scam. That liquor which destroyed people's lives.

Former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that Pakistan had attacked, our forces were fighting bravely on Jammu and Kashmir, if there was no ceasefire for 3 more days, PoK would not have existed, the entire Kashmir would have been ours. Congress and Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru ji committed sin and called for ceasefire and PoK remained in Pakistan.

Today the resolution of Bharatiya Janata Party is that now PoK is ours and we will keep it, it is an integral part of India. He said that this is a historical mistake, crime and sin that Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru ji committed. What all was not done, who brought 2 symbols, 2 laws and 2 heads in one country? Kashmir was ours, we kept raising slogans that 2 symbols, 2 constitutions, 2 heads will not work in one country but Congress committed this sin and imposed Article 370. I salute Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji that by abolishing Article 370 in one stroke, he removed 2 symbols, 2 constitutions, 2 heads from one country.

Former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that after independence, when Congress came to power, the first thing they did was insult our martyrs. The history of this country was also taught wrongly. We were taught that India got independence by Mahatma Gandhi Ji, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru Ji and Indira Ji. I do not deny Bapuji's contribution, but we have forgotten Maharani Lakshmi Bai, we have forgotten Tatya Tope, Nana Saheb Peshwa, Vasudev Balwant Kharge, Amar Shaheed Kunwar Singh, Lala Lajpat Rai, Lokmanya Tilak. To Khudi Ram Bose, to Amar Shaheed Udham Singh, to Shaheed Azam Bhagat Singh, to Chandrashekhar Azad, to Sukhdev, to Raj Guru, to Durga Bhabhi, to Ashfaq Ullah Khan, to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, to Veer Savarkar. forgot. Congress has committed the sin of not teaching us about these brave warriors. Congress taught this country the wrong history of independence and gave the wrong direction to the country. Chauhan said that three things are seen in the Lok Sabha elections.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asserted that the Congress party will fail to win a single seat in Uttar Pradesh in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections while advising Mallikarjun Kharge, the national president of the grand old party, to prioritise honesty in his statements.

Chief Minister Yogi made these remarks during an interview at his official residence here on Wednesday, a news agency reported.

Yogi accused Congress of perpetuating national division based on various factors, such as ideology, religion, geography and language.

Specifically, he criticised Kharge for his unsavoury remarks on revered deities like Lord Shiva and Lord Ram, labeling it as indicative of their narrow-minded approach.

Chief Minister Yogi highlighted the Congress partys significant disrespect towards Babasaheb and the SPs disregard for both Babasaheb and other champions of social justice.

He cited instances such as SP president Akhilesh Yadavs remarks about demolishing memorials of Dalit leaders and the removal of Babasahebs name from the Kannauj Medical College. Additionally, changes were made in the names of institutions like the Kanshiram Medical College and Language University, he added.

He also emphasised the increasing dissent within the opposition coalition regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision for Indias development.

The chief minister said, Four phases of the Lok Sabha elections have concluded and the Modi wave has turned into a tsunami, while the opposition has lost its steam. The electorate has rejected them, thwarting the INDI Alliances attempts to damage the nation irreparably. Now, they will never be able to ascend to power in the country.

Yogi condemned the INDI Alliance for disregarding the principles of the Indian Constitution and engaging in divisive caste politics.

Furthermore, Yogi underscored the remarkable journey of New India under Prime Minister Modis leadership, which, he asserted, has transformed the nation into a beacon of respect and efficient governance.

Taking a jab at the opposition, Yogi remarked, This vision of a developed India is unsettling for the INDI Alliance, which hovers between advocating for Pakistan and pushing for caste-based census.

He criticised Congress for its extensive history of constitutional amendments and alterations. Now, they aim to undermine the reservation system for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Class communities, added.

Yogi predicted the publics rejection of the INDI Alliance in the forthcoming phases of the Lok Sabha election.

He labeled the INDI Alliance as anti-Ram, anti-Indian values and anti-reservation.

Referring to past attempts by the United Progressive Alliance government to dilute reservations through committees like Ranganath Mishra and Sachar, Yogi cautioned people, saying, Their intentions liken them to Aurangzebs oppressive taxes.

He stressed the imperative of rejecting such propositions outright.

Yogi recounted the consistent support Modi received from the people of Uttar Pradesh in 2014, 2017, 2019 and 2022. In 2024, the public is again with Modiji, with slogans like Fir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar and Abki Baar 400 Paar resonating across the country.
Madhya Pradesh police is continuously taking action against criminal elements to maintain law and order. In this series, Damoh Police have solves the robbery of more than Rs 41 lakh in Madhyanchal Gramin Bank of Fatehpur under Magaron police station within a few hours.

Besides, three accused have been arrested and money has also been recovered from them. Damoh Police has seized the motorcycle, pistol, mobile phone used in the incident and the total amount looted from the bank of Rs 41,23,327 from the accused. A case under section 394 IPC was registered in Magaron police station.

The accused were identified as Fatehpur resident Rohit Vishwakarma (25), Durgesh alias Kamlesh(25) and Devi alias Divwal (23).

Actually, the bank's branch manager Kapil Rakwar reached Fatehpur outpost on May 14, 2024 at 8 pm. He told the police that at around 7.45 pm when he along with his bank colleague Harinarayan Vishwakarma reached the bank after inspecting the rural area, the bank's messenger Rohit Vishwakarma informed him about the robbery. Rohit told the manager that some miscreants had come with a cloth tied over their mouth and showed me a knife and assaulted me. They took out the key from the bag and looted the total amount of Rs 41,23,327 kept in the safe of the bank.

On the complaint of the branch manager, senior police officers were informed. Under the guidance of Sagar Zone IG Shri Pramod Verma, Sagar Range DIG Sunil Jain and SP Shrutkirti Somvanshi, a team was immediately formed and investigation was started. Bank employees were interrogated by blocking the road in Damoh. During investigation, contradictions were found between the statements of messenger Rohit and the evidence obtained. After several hours of interrogation, Rohit admitted to carrying out the incident along with his friends Durgesh and Devi.

Rohit told the police that he had a lot of debt, to repay which he planned a robbery with his friends. He was trying to withdraw as much money as possible. He also admitted that the injuries he sustained were self-inflicted.








Jharkhand Government's Fire Department is going to become more modern because 13 more vehicles are going to be added to the department to fight against fires. In this regard, a four-member team has been sent to Maharashtra to inspect the vehicle. It is expected that all 13 fire vehicles will arrive at the headquarters of Jharkhand Fire Department in the month of June.



Due to the current scorching heat, the incidence of fire has increased significantly in the State. In a move to counter this, more vehicles are being added.



The process of purchasing three hydraulic platforms for the fire brigade has been going on for the last one year. At present, the fire brigade in the State has a total of 129 fire tenders, including small and big ones. After getting 13 new fire engines, this number will increase to 142. In this matter, DG of Home Defense Corps and Fire Department, Anil Palta said that a four-member team has gone to Palghar, Maharashtra to inspect the fire vehicle. The fire department will get all the fire vehicles by the month of June.



It is noteworthy that just a few days ago, there was a fire in Ranchi's Dailymarket and Harmu's fruit market. There was a loss of lakhs due to fire at BSNL head office on 5th May. Let us tell you that the city is settled in a disorganized manner. Due to which big fire engines face difficulty in extinguishing fires at many places. Therefore, the fire brigade is now also emphasizing on the purchase of small fire tenders and motorcycle fire tenders. Its process is also going on.
Parampal Kaur Sidhu Maluka, a 2011-batch IAS officer, has had a career marked by both achievements and controversies, largely due to her familial connections with senior Akali leader Sikander Singh Maluka. Her decision to transition from civil services to politics was equally contentious. She came face-to-face with the Aam Aadmi Party-led State Government, particularly Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, when she opted to enter electoral politics to serve the people, rather than remaining in her administrative role for a few more months. She was due to retire in October this year.

Sidhus career highlights include becoming Punjabs first woman Block Development Panchayat Officer (BDPO) in the early 1990s. However, her appointments to various departmental positions under her father-in-law Malukas ministerial tenure, specifically in Education and Rural Development and Panchayats, were met with fierce opposition criticism.

Now, Sidhu is taking on a formidable political challenge by contesting against former Union Minister and three-time MP from Bathinda Harsimrat Kaur Badal. In her electoral debut, Sidhu regards herself as the leading candidate for the Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency, confident in her chances against not only SADs Harsimrat but also AAPs Cabinet Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian and Congress former MLA Jeetmohinder Singh Sidhu.

Expressing confidence in the BJP's prospects in the upcoming elections, Sidhu dismissed the notion of farmer opposition to the BJP. She claimed that those protesting and displaying black flags to BJP candidates were actually Akalis, AAP in the garb of farmers.

Optimistic about her chances, she believes that her entry into politics is a natural extension of her commitment to public service. In an exclusive interview with The Pioneer, Sidhu shared her perspectives on her political journey, the challenges she anticipates, and her vision for Bathinda. She reiterated her commitment to addressing the issues faced by the constituents and leveraging her administrative experience to bring about positive change. Excerpts:

First of all, what is the reason behind your decision to leave the civil services and shift to politics?

Both are sameBoth are actually the public serviceWhen you are in office, there also, we were serving the public only. Now I have joined the party, joined the politics, and if elected to the Parliament, there also you have to serve the public. So both in politics as well as in civil services, you are serving the public, there is hardly any difference, I am enjoying it.

How smooth was the transition?

Very smoothJust as soon as I landed, everyone came for supportTheres so much of enthusiasm, people are excitedPeople want to support BJP this timeThey want to vote for the BJP. There is support for BJP.

Why have you decided to join BJP as your father-in-law is already with the Akali Dal?

It is because BJP is the only party that has vision, thats the only party that that has plans, thats the only party that has strength for making India a developed country by 2047. There are people who are working hard, working for 18-20 hours a dayI think thats the only party you should support. None of the other party has any agenda for development, none of the other party has any plansThere only plans are to win elections, which they are also not capable of.

Your father-in-law, Sikander Singh Maluka, has a considerable stronghold on several areas in Bathinda. How much thats helping you?

Its helping me a lot, hes supporting us a lot. We are inching towards victory every dayHe is campaigning for us.Bathinda is my hometownI was born here, brought up hereSo, combining with his support base, we are progressing towards victory.

Talking about your opponents, you are facing a three-time sitting MP, a Cabinet Minister who had defeated five-time Chief Minister in his bastion, and a former MLA who wields influence over some areas in the constituency. Where do you look yourself?

I am at the topI am not a greenhorn at all as being projected. People are sick and tired of Harsimrat jiShe had done nothing in her Food and Processing Ministry for Bathinda. She hasnt got any projects at all. She is actually projected AIIMS, road networkBut these are done by BJP, and other BJP leaders, like (Nitin) Gadkari ji. She is not talking about anything in the food processing sector. She hardly has anything to her creditShe cannot claim anything thats she has done. People are now tired of her. People are also tired of the AAP Government. And as far as Congress candidate is concerned, he has limited hold over very limited area. He has never been to another constituency, he is always restricted to Talwandi Sabo. There also, he lost the elections. So, it doesnt make much difference.

Do you think, being a politicians daughter-in-law has affected your career as IAS?

Yes...It has been affecting my career as an IAS because I faced lots of prejudice while working also and now in my resignation, you can seeI asked for voluntary retirement, but was denied. It has been given to all other officers, who asked for it, except me. I was the only lady officer, who was trying to retire and pursue politicsother officers were retired as soon as they applied for it.

What do you think are the reason behind it?

They are afraid of methey are afraid of our campaignThey know that in Malwa, we are getting a big victory, in BathindaThey are afraid of all that.

BJP candidates are facing protests by the farmers creating hurdles in their campaigning. What do you have to say?

There is hardly any protest by the farmers. There is protest by the AAP, by the Akali Dal in the garb of the farmers. So that is why we are trying to talk to the farm unions so that their name is not used by other parties. Farmers are supporting us. This time, its not the farmers.

Have you talked with the farmers as they are staging protests on railway lines, on highways against the Centre over MSP?

I will certainly represent them in a proper way. I will try to represent them and do whatever I can do for them, but I need not talk to the people who are actually not the farmers. People protesting against us on the behalf of the AAP or Akali Dal. I need not talk to the people from other party.

So what are the issues you are taking up in your campaign?

The basic issue is that the schemes that the Central Government has given to the poor people, they are not running nicely here. Because most of the funds are getting diverted, the schemes are getting scuttled like wellness centres became the mohalla clinics, and the purpose was not served. So was the Ayushman Bharat, all the private hospitals are literally being removed out of the list, so the purpose is not served, the doctors dont get payment or fund on time when they treat patients under the scheme. If we really want to take the benefit of the Central Government scheme, and we want the development of this area, its very important to now vote for BJP.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge asserted that the INDIA bloc is in a strong position after four phases of Lok Sabha polls and the people of the country are prepared to bid farewell to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav addressed a joint press conference of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) here on Wednesday.

Kharge said that the INDIA bloc would form the government in India on June 4. He asserted that the opposition was in a strong position after four phases of Lok Sabha polls and that the people of the country were prepared to bid farewell to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Kharge said, In four phases of elections that have been completed, INDIA bloc is in a strong position and people have decided to let go of PM Modi. On June 4, the INDIA bloc will form the government. This election is an important one to save democracy and the Constitution.

He also said that the election was to save the Constitution and asked why PM Modi had not taken action against those talking about changing the Constitution. He claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party would change the Constitution if it came to power again.

These people are trying to change the Constitution. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader Mohan Bhagwat said it first. It was said in Karnataka that a two-thirds majority is needed to change the Constitution. In Uttar Pradesh, so many from the BJP have talked of changing the Constitution, Kharge said.

I am surprised that Modi remains quiet on this. You talk of strength and 56-inch chest; why dont you scare them, expel them from the party? One should not say such things against the Constitution, he added.

Kharge said the Congress made a law to ensure food is provided to the poor.

If the INDIA bloc government is formed, we will provide 10 kg of free rations per month to the poor, he added.

We all should work together to protect the future, democracy, and the Constitution of the country otherwise we will become slaves again. If there wont be a democracy but autocracy and dictatorship, how will you elect someone with your ideology? Wherever any big leader of the BJP is contesting, opposition party leaders are being stopped from filing nominations. I have seen in Hyderabad that one woman candidate of BJP was checking womens identities by removing their burqa. Is this how free and fair elections are conducted? he said.

Kharge said the INDIA bloc was committed to fulfilling peoples guarantees.

We will fulfill all the guarantees promised to you. There has been talk about 5 kg ration. The Food Security Act was brought by us. I promise that if the INDIA bloc government is formed, we will give 10 kilograms of ration. We have implemented guarantees in Karnataka and Telangana and we will do it when we will come to power at the Centre, Kharge said.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed that the INDIA bloc would win 79 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. I want to congratulate the people for the golden period in national politics beginning on June 4; that will be a day of freedom of Press. The BJP is tangled in its own negative narrative. INDIA bloc will win 79 seats in Uttar Pradesh, there is a fight on just one seat that is in Kyoto (Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency of PM Modi).
As the election fervour intensifies in Lucknow with less than five days remaining until polling day, a curious absence has been noted by both politicians and observers alike  the seeming lack of activity from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The topic first gained traction when a Congress candidate, Ujjawal Ram Singh contesting the election from Allahabad, told this reporter around a fortnight back that he was in a dominating position because the RSS seemed to be not active in the election this time.

I have some contacts in RSS  and know for sure that they are not as active as they used to be in elections, he said.

On Monday last, a Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker racked up the same question. When questioned about the low voter turnout, he retorted with a pointed query: Have you seen RSS workers in this election?

This questioning has sparked a debate on whether the RSS, a historically influential force in BJPs electoral machinery, is indeed less visible in this campaign cycle. Traditionally, the RSS has played a crucial role in mobilising voters, though it refrains from openly endorsing any political party. Instead, it subtly advocates for the BJPs nationalist agenda.

However, recent observations suggest a departure from this norm.

Reports indicate a decline in coordination meetings between RSS and BJP leaders, a departure from previous election cycles where such interactions were routine. A BJP leader remarked that samanvayak baithaks (coordination meetings) were held earlier, but now there is no meeting.

Some leaders believe that RSS did not like the personality-centric campaigning where Narendra Modis image has been projected as larger than life. Others argue that RSS cannot snub Modi because he has implemented the Sangh agenda like the construction of the Ram temple, revoked Article 370, and even announced the implementation of UCC (Uniform Civil Code) if he returns to power

In response to these speculations, RSS leaders have dismissed allegations of reduced activity, asserting that the organisation continues its voter mobilisation efforts independently.

Bholendra, a senior leader of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and pracharak, emphasised that RSS meetings are ongoing at the ground level. It is not mandatory to involve BJP representatives in the meetings. We are doing our work at the ground level to build a strong samaj, he told this reporter and added: BJP leaders should not question Sanghs sincerity in this election.

RSS worker Sudhir Sehgal said that meetings were being held regularly. Drawing room meetings are being held regularly where Sangh workers interact with people of a particular locality, he said.

Bholendra is also concerned about low voting percentage. He attributes the low voter turnout to voter disillusionment and various other factors, including speculation surrounding Modis potential return to power and discontent among party workers over alliances and candidate selections.

Despite reassurances from RSS leaders and accounts of grassroots activities, the apparent absence of the familiar sight of RSS workers in their trademark attire has left many wondering about the organisations true level of involvement in this election cycle.

As the polling day draws nearer, the question remains: Will the subdued presence of the RSS have a significant impact on the electoral outcome, echoing the events of the 2004 elections? Only time will tell.
Coining the slogan "Jo kare Kejriwal ko pyaar woh kare Modi ko inkaar (those who love Kejriwal reject Modi)", Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held roadshows in Chandni Chowk and North West Delhi in support of Congress and joint INDIA alliance candidates in the national capital on Wednesday.

During the roadshow, Kejriwal claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "not coming back to power" on June 4. "I have made enquiries across the country.

Their (BJP's) seats are reducing everywhere, be it Haryana or Uttar Pradesh. If the INDIA bloc comes to power, we will work for the progress of the country and end dictatorship.

It does not matter whether I go to jail, what matters is that the Constitution should be saved and it's your responsibility," the AAP Chief said while addressing a gathering at Jahangirpuri.

Scores of party workers and supporters of both Congress and AAP came to witness the roadshow of Kejriwal in support of JP Agarwal and Udit Raj. While he didnt do a roadshow in North east Delhi, Congress candidate Kanhaiya Kumar accompanied Udit Raj while campaigning.

While appealing to people to vote for candidates of the alliance to end "dictatorship" and "save" the Constitution, Kejriwal said that the INDIA bloc will work for the country's progress if it forms government at the Centre.

The AAP and the Congress, both members of the bloc, are contesting the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi under a seat-sharing arrangement. The Kejriwal-led party is contesting four of the seven parliamentary seats in the national capital, while its alliance partner has fielded candidates from three. Kejriwal, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the Delhi liquor policy case, was released from Tihar Jail on interim bail granted by the Supreme Court.

"I have come straight from jail to be amongst you. These people (BJP) put me behind bars and I missed you a lot. I love you a lot. I know that even you love me a lot. I am a small person.

Ours is a small party with governments in Delhi and Punjab," Kejriwal said. "I was wondering why I was put in jail. What is my fault? These people are quite powerful," he said, adding that his "fault" was providing good education to children, building good schools for them, opening Mohalla Clinics and arranging for free medicines for people.

"Now, they are saying I will have to go to jail again. It is in your hands whether I go to jail. If you choose lotus (the BJP's symbol), I will have to return to jail. If you choose INDIA bloc candidate, I won't have to go to jail," the AAP national convener said, adding that when people go to vote, they should think whether Kejriwal should go to jail.

Congress and joint INDIA candidate JP Agarwal for Chandni Chowk said, The atmosphere here is very good; the people want a change this time. The current government didnt work for the people; the people want democracy in the country and not fascism.

Further, Kejriwal alleged that efforts were made to break him while he was in jail "but because of the blessings of Lord Hanuman, I stayed strong".

He said, "They are saying that they want 400 seats since they want to accomplish big things. What are those big things? It was found that they want to end reservation. Baba Saheb Ambedkar has written an excellent Constitution. Do not think about the heat on May 25 and step out to vote."
The heat of the election battle for securing the seven Lok Sabha seats in the National Capital is likely to turn up as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader and Wayanad MP are likely to hold a roadshow and address the public on May 18.

According to BJP sources, PM Modi, who filed his nomination papers from Varanasi on Tuesday, will hold a roadshow in support of two time MP and BJP candidate for North east Delhi on May 18 along with a public address in Ramleela Maidan in the national capital.

With his campaigning in Delhi, the election fervour in Delhi will be turned up even further and the saffron party would be vying to secure all the seats in the city, maintaining its track record of sweeping all seats for a consecutive third term . Further, the Delhi Congress earlier shared that Rahul Gandhi will be participating in a town hall address with the public dwelling on the issues they face.

Delhi Congress President Devender Yadav on Monday said, Delhi Congress will organise Town Hall in the coming days to discuss the issues facing the people like price rise, unemployment, GST, rehri-patri vendors, pollution, womens safety and security, law and order, JJ clusters, resettlement and unauthorised colonies, ownership rights to the poor in every Lok Sabha constituency and to find solutions. Rahul Gandhi has agreed to address one of the Town Hall meetings.

According to party sources, it is likely that Gandhi, who had earlier asked PM Modi to do a debate with him in a US Presidential election style, will hold such a town hall address on Monday in support of the Congress and joint INDIA alliance candidates in Delhi.

Following Modis election campaigning, one can also expect to see Home Minister Amit Shah up next in Delhi campaigning for BJP candidates. Polling in Delhi is slated to be held on May 25 and the election results will be announced on June 4.
Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the rival political outfits, particularly the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress, for allegedly instigating farmers to disrupt the saffron partys candidates election campaign activities in the State. Visibly irate over the situation, Jakhar accused the opposition of orchestrating protests against the BJP leaders, while shielding themselves from similar scrutiny.

Jakhar, addressing a press conference, did not mince words as he took aim at AAP and the Congress, while also lashing out at the farm union leaders. Jakhar's frustration was palpable as he addressed the media, expressing deep concern over the relentless disruptions faced by BJP candidates and leaders in rural areas of the state. He pointed fingers squarely at AAP and the Congress, alleging their complicity in inciting farmers against the BJP while shielding themselves from similar scrutiny.

Opposition parties are actively fomenting unrest among farmers to hamper BJPs campaign efforts, said Jakhar, highlighting the asymmetric treatment meted out to different political factions. His remarks underscored a broader narrative of political polarization and escalating tensions in Punjabs charged political landscape.

Drawing attention to AAPs promises in its manifesto, Jakhar questioned the party's commitment to farmers welfare, particularly its pledge of Rs 20,000 per acre compensation for crop losses due to natural calamities. However, he noted a stark disparity between promises and actions, citing the inadequate compensation provided to the farmers affected by floods the previous year. Jakhar's indictment of AAP's failure to deliver on its promises resonated strongly, amplifying concerns over the party's credibility and accountability.

I want to pose a few questions before farmer union leaders. AAP had announced in its manifesto that they would give Rs 20,000 per acre compensation in case of crop losses due to natural calamities. Last year, when the crops got damaged due to floods, Punjab CM had announced compensationHowever, in reality, the compensation given to farmers was Rs 6,800 per acre (given by the Centre). Where is that Rs 20,000 per acre compensation? And why is no farmer union leader questioning AAP leaders or Punjab Chief Minister? asked Jakhar.

Furthermore, Jakhar criticized the Punjab Government's failure to provide bonuses over the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat, contrasting it with proactive measures taken by other states like Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. States like Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are giving Rs 125 per quintal bonus over and above MSP of wheat. Why is no such bonus being given by the Punjab Government and why are no questions being put to them? Jakhar asked.

He went on to add, The farmer is in distress and he needs a solution to get his or her income increased but the question is of leadership. Who should guide them properly to understand all the aspects and pose questions accordingly? Jakhar asked.

The state BJP chief did not spare the Congress either, slamming the grand old party for its conspicuous silence on farmers issues.

Turning his attention to the Central Government schemes, Jakhar raised pertinent questions about the implementation of the Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana in Punjab. He highlighted significant disparities in the number of registered farmers benefiting from the scheme, citing administrative lapses and bureaucratic hurdles hindering its effective implementation.

Talk about the Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana of the Union Government under which Rs 6,000 per annum is given to farmersIt was started in 2018-19 when 23 lakh farmers registered from Punjab. But at present, there are only 8.5 lakhs who are taking this benefit. In all other states, the number of farmers registered with this scheme is increasing but in Punjab, it is the contrary, he said.

Stressing that it was the states responsibility to get the Aadhaar, bank account etc linked so that farmers can get money, Jakhar said that the state has to assist farmers in completing the required documentation. Why is the state not being questioned? This is causing Rs 900 crore per annum loss to the small farmers. And if BJP workers try to go to villages to help small farmers complete this formality, the unions do not allow them. So whose loss is this? Union leaders themselves should take initiative in getting more farmers registered and help them get the benefits, Jakhar added.

Jakhar also expressed grave concern over the disruption caused by farmers blocking the tracks at Shambhu railway station, resulting in the cancellation of 69 trains daily. He underscored the significant losses incurred by the masses and the business community due to these disruptions. Additionally, he highlighted the day-long bandh organized by traders in Barnala against the farmers, further exacerbating tensions. Jakhar unequivocally condemned such incidents, emphasizing that the law applies to all, urging for a resolution to prevent further disruptions and restore normalcy in Punjab.

In a poignant plea to farmer union leaders, Jakhar emphasized the imperative of refraining from tarnishing the reputation of farmers while prioritizing farmers welfare over political agendas and egos. He called for constructive dialogue and collaboration to address farmers concerns effectively, urging all stakeholders to work towards a resolution that safeguards the interests of Punjab's farming community.

Jakhar suggested that union leaders either actively participate in the political process by contesting elections or align with political parties that resonate with their ideologies. Additionally, he urged union leaders to leverage their influence to advocate for farmers' concerns in the Parliament, regardless of their stance on the BJP.

Furthermore, Jakhar underscored the urgency of addressing the grievances of farmers, highlighting the tragic loss of young lives like Shubhkaran Singh. He emphasized the detrimental impact of ongoing tensions on the business community in Punjab, urging the leaders to provide effective guidance and support to farmers. Reflecting on past instances, Jakhar noted that farmer union leader Balbir Singh Rajewal and his associates contested elections in 2022, suggesting a potential avenue for addressing farmers issues if they feel unsupported by existing political parties.

NEITHER BJP NOR JAKHAR HAVE MORAL STANDING TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF FARMERS: AAP

In a fiery retort to Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhars statements, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) launched a scathing attack, asserting that neither the BJP nor Jakhar had any moral standing to speak on behalf of farmers, given their track record of betrayals and injustices. AAP Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO lambasted Jakhar, highlighting the BJP's alleged atrocities against farmers during their tenure and accusing the Prime Minister Narendra Modi of reneging on promises to double farmers' income.

ETO cited the tumultuous events at the Delhi borders, where over 750 farmers lost their lives during protests against the contentious farm laws. He questioned Jakhar's silence on these issues, asking whether the BJP leader had any answers for the suffering inflicted upon farmers by the Modi Government. ETO also condemned the recent clashes between farmers and authorities in Haryana, which resulted in the tragic death of a young farmer.

Addressing Jakhar's criticism of farmers' actions in Punjab, ETO defended the farmers' right to protest and restrict BJP leaders' access to villages, citing it as a consequence of the BJP's policies. He asserted that the BJP's current plight in Punjab was a direct result of their actions, suggesting that Jakhar's statements were an attempt to deflect from the BJP's failures.

Moreover, ETO expressed dismay at Jakhar's apparent ignorance regarding Punjab's water crisis and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's efforts to address it. He criticized Jakhar's questioning of the need for MSP on crops other than wheat and paddy, highlighting the importance of MSP in safeguarding farmers' interests.

Concluding his scathing critique, ETO accused Jakhar of political opportunism, noting the stark contrast between Jakhar's previous criticisms of the Modi Government as a Congressman and his current defense of it. He emphasized the lack of trust in Jakhar's statements among the people of Punjab, questioning the sincerity of his allegiance.
Chief Electoral Officer K. Ravi Kumar has said that after scrutiny, 55 candidates are left in the fray for the elections of three parliamentary constituencies to be held for the seventh phase. He said that during scrutiny on Wednesday, nominations of 2 out of 17 candidates from Rajmahal (reserved for Scheduled Tribe) parliamentary constituency were cancelled. In this way, a total of 15 candidates are left from this parliamentary constituency. Whereas, out of 22 candidates nominated from Dumka (reserved for Scheduled Tribe) parliamentary constituency, nominations of 3 were rejected. Now 19 candidates are left here.

After scrutiny, nominations of maximum 8 candidates have been canceled from Godda parliamentary constituency. Now there are 21 candidates left. The last date for withdrawal of nomination is May 17. After that the actual number of candidates will be decided. He was holding a press conference at Nirvachan Sadan, Dhurva on Wednesday.

In response to a question, he said that as per the guidelines of the Election Commission, vigil is being done on the borders of other states connected to the polling areas in coordination with the concerned state. Checking is being done and action is being taken to seal the border. He said that since the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct, illegal materials and cash worth Rs 1 billion, 26 crore, 21 lakh have been seized in Jharkhand.

Meanwhile, the focus is on increasing voter turnout in the next fifth, sixth and seventh phase of Lok Sabha elections in Jharkhand. At a booth where there are more than 1200 voters, an additional polling worker will be provided from the reserve. Where there are more than 800 voters, the sector officer will be able to depute additional polling personnel as per requirement to assist the polling officer. The effort should be to ensure that a voter takes minimum time to cast his vote. The speed of voting can be increased and waiting time can be reduced.

To improve booth management, Master Trainers have been directed to include polling personnel including BLOs, volunteers and members of polling station awareness group in the training module. He said that at polling stations where voting is possible till after 5 pm, generators are also being arranged for adequate lighting at the marked booths. At the same time, sweep activities are also being intensified regarding voter awareness. Emphasis is being laid on motivating voters to vote at the micro level. The CEO was reviewing the election management of the upcoming phases based on the inputs of the fourth phase of voting through video conferencing today.

He said that the Election Commission of India has given detailed guidelines on every point of the voting process. Every possible effort should be made that no voter faces any kind of problem in exercising his/her franchise and the voting process remains smooth and orderly. No voter should have to wait unnecessarily in the queue for a long time. For this, it is necessary that the voting process should be fast by paying special attention to the number of voters in the polling station. For this, all polling workers and sector officials will have to be especially alert and fulfill their responsibilities. He said that if there is any doubt in this regard at any level, the District Election Officer will immediately resolve it.

He informed that the experts of Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra Ranchi will analyze the data obtained by conducting a time line motion study of the voting process to be held in Chatra, Hazaribagh and Koderma parliamentary constituencies in the fifth phase on April 20, 2024. In this, the team of Principal Investigator Dr. Kriti Abhishek, Vishal Shah and Dr. Manish Kumar Pandey of Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi will be there. The results obtained from this study will be used in the upcoming elections.

Additional Chief Electoral Officers Dr. Neha Arora and Sandeep Singh and OSD Geeta Choubey were present during the video conferencing.
A special session for orientation in service during the basic training of 43rd batch Deputy Superintendents of Police was organized at Madhya Pradesh Police Academy, Bhopal on Tuesday.

Principal Secretary Home Sanjay Dubey was specially present in this session. Dubey told the trainee officers the three principles of availability, eagerness and entrepreneurship for success in service.

He told the trainees that as soon as you wear the uniform, you will have to be available to the public at all times. It is your responsibility to listen to everyone who comes to you and resolve their problem in a legal manner. You will not only get training in policing in the two years of training, but even after the training, you will have to be eager to learn throughout your service period, only then you will be able to do justice to your job.

Dubey said that only entrepreneurship makes a government servant successful. You have to create your good image among the public by working hard all the time. He also advised to work with coordination and dedication in administrative services. Shri Dubey said that by being in the police service, we should always be ready to help the weaker sections.

On this occasion, Special Director General of Police, Training Branch of Police Headquarters, Anuradha Shankar also addressed the trainees.

He said that all trainee officers come under the category of public servants, who should work boldly and independently as per the intention of the Constitution and law. Underlining the importance of training, he inspired the trainees to complete their training with full dedication.

Deputy Director of the Academy Malay Jain presented the welcome speech and outline of the training in the program and Superintendent of Police, PTS Bhaunri Rashmi Pandey expressed her gratitude to the guests.

The program was conducted by Assistant Director (Training) Neeraj Pandey. On this occasion, Irmeen Shah, Samani, all the officers, trainers and staff of Police Headquarters and Police Academy were present.
With just 10 days to go for the voting here in Dhanbad Lok Sabha constituency, star campaigners of the national party have started campaigning for respective candidates.

On Wednesday Assam chief minister Hemanta Viswa Sarma reached Kumardhubi under Nirsa assembly segment of Dhanbad seat to campaign for BJP nominee Dhulu Mahto.Sarma called upon voters to vote for BJP candidate so that the target of 400MPs of NDA is realised.

Making a direct attack on Congress, he said that Sonia Gandhi had definitely done something wrong in her previous life owing to which our Ram Lalla established in Ayodhya does not want to give her a darshan. It's not her destiny to get the darshan of Ramlala, he added.

He said, If BJP gets 400 seats then Lord Krishna will be installed in Mathura and Lord Shiva in Gyanvapi too .

Chief Minister Sharma also talked about implementing Uniform Civil Code to stop multiple marriages in Muslim society during the third term of the party in power.

It's worth mentioning that PM Narendra Modi addressed a rally in Giridih yesterday.. Two assembly segments of Dhanbad district including Baghmara and Tundi happen to be part. Of Giridih Lok Sabha seat.

It's likely that congress leader Pryanka Gandhi would hold a road show in Dhanbad next week for party candidate Anupma Singh.

Similarly, home minister Amit Shah is to address Bokaro in favour of the party candidate later this week.

More leaders are in queue and would visit Dhanbad to woo voters for respective party candidates.
The Delhi Chief Electoral office has written a letter to the Delhi Police and urged them to act strictly against political parties and their workers indulging in registration of voters for post-election beneficiary-oriented schemes.

The poll body asked him to sensitise the field functionaries and district police to be proactive and more vigilant to curb such unlawful activities in its letter to Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora on May 11.

The letter said the Delhi election office has received complaints about "some" political parties "registering voters" for post-election beneficiary-oriented schemes in the garb of conducting surveys. It stated that such parties are asking voters to fill up the forms manually or digitally to get benefits of their prospective schemes.

The national capital has seven Lok Sabha seats and will go to polls on May 25 in the sixth phase.

"Complaints are being received against some political parties and their workers for registering the individuals for beneficiary-oriented schemes and distributing guarantee cards in the form of pamphlets giving details of prospective individual benefits along with an attached form asking for details of voters such as name, age, address, mobile number, booth number, constituency name and number etc," the letter issued by the Delhi chief electoral officer's office to the CP read.

It said "while action is being taken by the returning officers (RO) against such violations, you (CP) are also requested to direct, sensitise the field functionaries, district police to be proactive and more vigilant to curb such unlawful activities, if any, in the area of their respective jurisdiction."

The poll body urged the CP to ensure that strict and swift action is taken against people found indulging in such acts. The election body also suggested that the police could take the action under Section 127A and 123(1) of the Representation of People Act, 1951 and Section 171 (B) of Indian Penal Code.
Voters in the reserved constituency of North West Delhi constituency, which came into existence in 2008 following delimitation, face problems in basic facilities like water, electricity and sanitation, proper roads and connectivity. The constituency is being contested by BJP candidate Yogendra Chandolia and Congress and INDIA alliance joint candidate Udit Raj.

This constituency has the second largest number of voters at 25,67,423 and comprises Narela, Badli, Rithala, Bawana, Mundka, Kirari, Sultanpur Majra, Nangloi, Mangol Puri and Rohini assembly segments. It has large rural belts where locals rely on dairy as well as traditional farming while the migrant population comprises mostly rickshaw pullers and industrial workers. There are also some housing societies that have sprung up in the last few years in Rohini.

Migrant labourers rue the lack of employment opportunities and basic facilities like water and electricity while those residing in housing societies complain about incidents of street crimes. "After the 2019 elections, our MP Hans Raj Hans was hardly seen here. Though his attendance in Parliament was decent, I have no idea why he did not pay any visit, when needed, to listen to our problems," alleges Rithala resident Manohar Singh.

A resident of Rohini Pradeep Bhatnagar said, "Roads are not wide and during peak hours, traffic is a major issue. Due to non- functioning of street lights, snatching of mobile phones and jewellery in the area is a major concern." People also say lack of sanitation facilities pose a threat to women when they step out of their homes early morning or after evening. Kishor Nath, a resident of Badli village, says, "There are very few public toilets and most of them are in horrible conditions. There are several open fields here and many people defecate in the open. Leaders must think about resolving such issues for the common people."

Northwest Delhi is one of the most crime-prone areas in the capital. "We keep strict vigil round the clock on bootlegging and drug peddling. We have directed senior police officers to keep an eye on suspicious activities. No one is allowed to breach law and order situations at all," said a senior police officer. Factory worker Mukund claims many criminals are active in the area and they snatch mobile phones and money, adding they use weapons like knives or country-made guns whenever someone tries to resist them. "Several cases take place everyday. Most of the people do not report these matter to police out of fear," says Khurshid, a migrant labourer from Uttar Pradesh.

According to Nupur Jain, a resident of Rohini, "Roads are not in good shape while snatching of mobile phones and chains is common. Supply of clean water is a major issue here. Many times, the water supplied is not fit for cooking. Without having an RO unit at home, one cannot use this water." Northwest Delhi is also home to a large number of migrant labourers from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar as there are two industrial areas -- Narela and Bawana -- which have hundreds of factories.

Jag Jeevan, an industrialist, says Bawana and Narela have more than 16,000 small and big industries but there is no proper connectivity with the highway and trucks have to pass through small lanes of the villages. "There is not even a dispensary where we can take a factory worker in case of any emergency.
Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Wednesday said that the people of Haryana would vote for MSP guarantees, not for lathi-bullet to the farmer, for 32 lakh government jobs, not for record-breaking unemployment, for an annual apprenticeship guarantee of Rs 1,00,000, and not for sending youth to work as labour in war zone Israel. He said the people of Haryana are going to vote not for fear and crime, but for guarantee of security.



Hooda, who had come from Ambala to campaign for Congress candidate Varun Chaudhry Mullana, addressed many programs and appealed to the people to vote for Congress. State Congress president Chaudhary Udaibhan and senior leader Nirmal Singh were also present on the occasion.



Addressing the election meeting, Hooda said this time the choices are very clear before the public. On one hand, Congress is asking for votes in the name of development and welfare schemes, while on the other hand, BJP is asking for votes without showing any work, or telling any future plan. It is obvious that this time the public vote will go to Congress, and the sting of these votes will be felt by the BJP, he said.



Hooda said there is anger in the entire state, including North Haryana that the BJP government has forced our youth to leave the country by spreading massive unemployment. The youth are convinced that they have no future in the country under the BJP government. That's why every second youth wants to go abroad through the donkey route, or any other means. BJP's policies have separated young children from their old parents. Congress wants to make Haryana a state from where no youth is forced to migrate from the country, he stated.



While addressing the people, Congress Ambala candidate Varun Chaudhry Mullana said that lakhs of martyrs have sacrificed their lives to bring democracy in India. There can be no place for dictatorship in this country. The time has come to teach a lesson to the BJP which crushed the voices of every section of the society including farmers, labourers, employees, Panch-Sarpanch and businessmen, he said.



He promised the public that just as he raised the voice of Mulana in the Assembly as an MLA, in the same way he will raise the voice of Ambala in the Lok Sabha by becoming an MP.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday said the INDIA bloc wants to make five prime ministers in five years and claimed that it will disintegrate after June 4.

Counting of votes for all the seven phases of the Lok Sabha elections will be undertaken on June 4.

Addressing an election rally in support of the BJP candidate, the PM said the INDIA bloc wants to replace the stable NDA government and make five prime ministers in five years.

"Many things will happen after June 4. The INDI alliance will disintegrate and they will look for a scapegoat after the defeat."

In an apparent attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, he said, "The shehzade (princes) of Lucknow and Delhi will leave for abroad on summer vacations," said Modi.

Commenting that running a country is not a play for those born with a golden spoon, Modi said, "They have gone from Amethi and will go even from Rae Bareli."
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday attacked AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, asserting that the Delhi CM has lost his mind after going to jail.

Adityanath made the remarks in a response to the claims by Kejriwal that the UP chief minister will be removed from the post if the BJP retains power.

At a joint press conference along with Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav here this morning, Kejriwal reiterated his claim that Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be made the next prime minister and Yogi Adiyanath will be removed as UP chief minister if the BJP comes to power again.

Adityanath said, "Kejriwal has lost his mind after going to jail. The Delhi CM, who shattered Anna Hazare's aspirations and sided with the corrupt, is now targeting me. He has embraced the Congress, against whom Anna protested, like a necklace."

He was addressing an election rally in Tindwari in support of the candidate for the Hamirpur-Mahoba Lok Sabha seat.

"Kejriwal has shattered Anna Hazare's hopes. It must be disheartening for Anna to witness the kind of politics that has arisen from his movement," Adityanath said, adding that Anna Hazare might never forgive the AAP national convener for this "betrayal".

He alleged that since assuming power, the Aam Aadmi Party has surrounded itself with corrupt individuals.

"With Kejriwal in jail, the people of Delhi felt a sense of relief, as if their 'cough' had subsided, but his release would likely cause them to 'cough' again," Adityanath said in a lighter vein.

On May 10, the Supreme Court had granted Kejriwal interim bail till June 1, the last day of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections, and directed him to surrender and go back to jail on June 2. The Delhi CM was arrested on March 21 in a money laundering case linked to the excise 'scam'.
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Sure, Donald J. Trump has a lot of followers, and many people are fed up with the demented ramblings from useless Joe Biden, but the truth is, what chance does Trump have against an entire biased system weaponised against him? Re-election is thus a distant dream away.

The CIA/NSA and all other intelligence agencies are actively working under the control of the people who control Joe Biden. Even though Joe Biden is meant to be the President of the United States, he is completely controlled by others because his dementia is at such an advanced stage. In this respect, he is the perfect puppet president because he can be controlled to do anything the people behind the scenes want him to do. Why would these people want a president like Donald Trump, who has a mind of his own and can make his own decisions? This would be a very scary scenario because the people behind the scenes would not have much power and control any more.

BREAKING  EXPOSING THE CIA: So the agencies kind of, like, all got together and said, were not gonna tell TrumpDirector of the CIA would keep [information from Trump] A project manager working in Cyber Operations for the @CIA and an @NSAGov contractor with top-secret pic.twitter.com/TXq8ZjJEBq  James OKeefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) May 1, 2024

The entire US justice system has been weaponised and perverted to attack Trump, reduce his wealth and his will to run for office, as well as to keep him tied up in useless petty court cases that will stop him campaigning to be president.

All government federal agencies and departments are working against Donald Trump, including the entire electoral system for counting votes, etc.

The entire media machine apart from a very few are aligned with the Democrat socialists of America and support Biden 100%.

The entire military infrastructure has been turned against Trump, despite him thinking they are behind him.

Democrat states are the most populated areas of America, and with Bidens open door policy for migrants, they will all vote for the re-election of Biden after being fast-tracked as US citizens by the Biden administration. Under Bidens tenure, he has let in 10-15 million odd illegal immigrants from some of the poorest parts of the world, and all of these people count as an extra vote for the Democrats. Illegal immigration is essentially a voter farming operation for socialists not only in the USA, but this technique was actively applied in the UK (Tony Blair) as well.

The entire breadth of Silicon Valley and Big Tech are completely against Trump, and will exercise all manner of techniques to thwart his campaign. If you own the biggest monopoly search engine and support Biden, its a no-brainer that your search engine will be skewed in favour of Biden and only present negative results for Trump.

All in all, it will be a miracle if Trump is re-elected into office. The only way he can ever come into power would be through an active violent insurrection because the entire machinery of the US government and communications industry is weaponised against him.
Ulster University and the Northwest Regional College (NWRC) are encouraging individuals to explore the vast range of rewarding career paths in the hospitality, tourism, and events sectors.

In its 95th year, NW200 has helped put NI on the map by bringing together thousands of spectators and participants travelling from across the globe for a thrilling festival of racing, stunt shows, concerts, and fireworks against the natural beauty of the coastline, promising to be an experience to remember.

During the past two decades, these industries have adapted and transformed to become some of the most resilient and successful sectors of the local economy, contributing over 1.1 billion annually and representing approximately one in every 12 jobs across the region.

Tourism alone is one of Northern Ireland's most widely distributed sectors, both geographically and socially, with around 70% of job opportunities located outside Belfast.

Professor Ioannis S. Pantelidis, Head of Department of Hospitality Tourism and Events Management at Ulster University Business School (UUBS) said: In Northern Ireland, our people are at the heart of the thriving hospitality, tourism, and events sectors here which highlights the crucial need to invest in high-quality education and the nurturing of our future industry leaders for sustaining the industry's vitality.

Few other industries can contend with the exciting possibilities that these sectors have on offer. One of the most enticing features of pursuing a career in this field is that several programmes at Ulster University provide an accelerated path to managerial and leadership roles, something that is not commonly found in other sectors.

Its important that everyone has access to the education they need to pursue their aspirations. Collaborating with educational providers across all levels creates seamless pathways and ensures that students receive the necessary learning opportunities and resources to embark on successful career journeys.

This year, Ulster University was ranked second across the entire UK by The Guardian University Guide 2024 for its Hospitality, Events Management, and Tourism courses.

At Ulster University Coleraine, students and businesses alike have access an exceptional array of top-tier support facilities including the Consumer Insight Lab, the Market Intelligence Lab, and the Food and Consumer Sensory Testing Suite, all aimed at providing knowledge support and assisting skills development.

Dr Catherine O'Mullan, Director of Curriculum and Academic Standards North West Regional College (NWRC), added: NWRC is delighted to be part of the collaborative approach with Ulster University and NRC to deliver high quality education and training for the areas of Hospitality and Tourism. The college offers a range of full time and part time provision, including the new Traineeship in Professional Chef as well as a number of part time and full time Higher Education courses.

The college also specialises in a range of short academy training courses linked directly to business needs in Barista Skills, Customer Services Skills/Customer Experience, Food Safety, Food Allergens and Professional Cookery to re-skill and upskill staff to ensure pipeline of skilled labour supporting an increasing demand in these areas important to the regional economy.
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There has been a sharp increase in people forking out for private health care, according to new analysis.

The Nuffield Trust said across the UK, there has been a rise in the number of people paying out of their own pocket for hospital care since the pandemic.

The think tank suggested people could be turning to private care out of desperation as NHS provision flatlines.

Nuffield Trust analysis suggests the biggest rises in people turning to private healthcare have occurred in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

According to the analysis:

 The vast majority of planned hospital admissions in England  around 85%  are NHS patients in NHS hospitals, but this has fallen from 88% before the pandemic.

 Between September 2019 and September 2023, hospital admissions paid for out of pocket were up 218% in Northern Ireland, 124% in Wales, 80% in Scotland and 20% in England.

 Across the whole of the UK, this means a 32% increase in out-of-pocket admission and day cases between September 2019 to September 2023.

 There has also been a rise in people using private health insurance to get private healthcare  across the UK as a whole, hospital admissions through private health insurance are up 5%, with the Nuffield Trust saying the rise could be because people and employers expect difficulty in accessing care to continue.

The authors said the trends may be being forced on the UK by a lack of NHS provision, and pressure from emergency demand, and serving as an alternative to the NHS being able to do more, rather than simply reflecting additional or better treatment being made available.

They also warned the trend could risk exacerbating health inequalities.

Mark Dayan, one of the authors of the data briefing, said: While the vast majority of care remains NHS funded and delivered, there has been a definitive shift in all four UK countries towards private healthcare, either funded out of pocket or to a lesser extent through private healthcare plans.

 There's still strong public support for the #NHS's funding model. But with the health service experiencing difficulties, @markgdayan @sallygainsbury & @StutiBagri explore how the role of the private sector has changed in UK health care. Read here: https://t.co/6OV7qrbFeo pic.twitter.com/cevoQqEba1  Nuffield Trust (@NuffieldTrust) May 16, 2024

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have seen the starkest rises in those turning to private healthcare provision.

In Northern Ireland, this more than tripled and could reflect patients grappling with the longest waiting times in any UK countries. At the same time, the English health service is once again starting to make more use of private providers itself, insofar as its budget can stretch.

As more people shuttle from private care to NHS care and back, there is a risk that they will jump the queue, or fall through the cracks of disjointed information systems.

The fact that more people are paying out of pocket at a time when the economy is tight and difficult, not a time of plenty, suggests they are turning to the private sector out of desperation as NHS provision flatlines. That means that the balance of care is very slowly shifting from care based on need, to care based on willingness and ability to pay.

David Furness, from the Independent Healthcare Providers Network, said: With NHS waiting lists at record levels, its not surprising that more people are choosing to use private healthcare, either paying by their own means, or through insurance.

Independent providers are also continuing to play their role in the delivery of universal, high-quality NHS care, free at the point of use to patients all across the country, with independent providers delivering around one in five NHS admitted operations, and 10% of all elective activity, its clear that the sector is key to ensuring NHS patients can get the timely, high-quality care they need.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health in Northern Ireland said: The Department of Health and wider health and social system is acutely aware that NIs waiting lists are too long.

The Elective Care Framework sets out firm, timebound proposals for how the department is going to systemically tackle the backlog of patients.

Huge efforts are being made across the entire system to maximise the current resource available.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: NHS Wales works hard to deliver high-quality care to reduce waiting times, with the number of long waits continuing to fall in each of the last 23 months, the lowest since August 2021.

We ask a lot of our health and care services, and everyone working in these services continues to work incredibly hard, providing care for all of us when we need it.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: We are committed to eradicating long waits, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic, to ensure all people receive the treatment they need as soon as possible.

An investment of 30 million is being targeted at a series of national and local plans to reduce to the national backlogs that built up throughout the pandemic by maximising the use of local and national resources across Scotland.

This builds on our 1 billion NHS Recovery Plan which has delivered a significant reduction for the longest waits and continues to support an increase in activity through the implementation of sustainable improvements and new models of care.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: We are taking the long-term decisions needed to make our health service in England faster, simpler and fairer, cutting waiting lists and ensuring people get the care they need.

The overall NHS waiting list has fallen by around 200,000 over the past six months and we are continuing to make good progress, while delivering record numbers of diagnostic tests, record levels of investment and embracing the latest technology across the NHS to deliver care to people when and where they need it.
The scars left by Covid-19 must inspire action to ensure Northern Ireland is better prepared for another pandemic, Stormonts Department of Health has said.

In her closing statement to the Covid-19 Inquiry in Belfast, the departments barrister Neasa Murnaghan KC said the hearings had brought a forensic focus to the Executives response  a process she described as necessary but also difficult and illuminating.

It may in the circumstances be tempting to recall the words of the late Queen, albeit in a somewhat different context, in fact at an Irish state banquet in 2011, when she said that with the benefit of hindsight there are things that we wish had been done differently, or indeed not at all, said Ms Murnaghan.

She said in an ideal world, Northern Irelands health service would have been less fragile and its political system more stable at the beginning of 2020.

The senior barrister said having greater testing capacity from the outset would have made a difference, as would the maintenance of political unity within the Stormont Executive.

She insisted the department would learn the lessons of criticisms that are merited.

Nevertheless, without being in any way defensive, such criticisms must be viewed in the context of this being a situation where there were no easy answers and only incomplete evidence, the KC added.

Indeed, in the vast majority of occasions, the department was faced with investigating and advising on the least harmful options.

She acknowledged frustration within other Stormont departments at the perception that evidence was not always shared promptly. The barrister insisted there was no intention to delay the delivery of advice, as she stressed the limitations caused by a lack of reliable data, ongoing uncertainties over the virus and an ever-changing situation.

Ms Murnaghan rejected as without merit suggestions that Health Minister Robin Swann and officials had not sounded the alarm loudly enough about the impending threat of the virus in early 2020.

She said while not seeking to downplay the consequences of Covid-19 in Northern Ireland, the region fared better when compared with other nations in the UK.

She further insisted that advice from the department on lockdowns and other restrictions was correct.

It is incontrovertible that these difficult decisions and restrictions which were imposed saved many lives, she said.

And while our health service and our health and social care teams suffered from the severe impacts of Covid from which it will take many years to recover, ultimately, the health service did not collapse and for that we can be thankful.

We can also be very thankful for those who worked tirelessly to the very best of their ability to protect our citizens.

We acknowledge the many sacrifices of the population of Northern Ireland to protect those who were and remain the most vulnerable.

Few of us emerged from the pandemic unscarred. Those scars should inspire us to ensure that the legacy of this pandemic must be that we are better prepared for the next one.
Sue Gray, the ex-civil servant turned chief of staff for Sir Keir Starmer, has told the Covid-19 inquiry that Stormont officials were more reactive than proactive at the outset of the pandemic.

Ms Gray was the top civil servant in Northern Irelands Department of Finance through the first year of the pandemic and beyond, before she was transferred to the Cabinet Office in London in May 2021.

She was asked to appear before the inquiry sitting in Belfast as the only senior-ranking civil servant who had experience of working for both the devolved administration at Stormont and the UK Government during the coronavirus emergency.

Powersharing returned to Northern Ireland just weeks before the pandemic broke out, following a three-year political impasse in the region.

Ms Gray told the inquiry the absence of devolved government for this extended period had contributed to the reactive nature of the Northern Ireland Civil Service.

I think it was a really pressured time, the Executive had just reformed, ministers were walking in the door as this was becoming clear, she said of the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Relationships were still being formed between ministers and the civil service, and the Assembly was now back, lots of additional work coming in so, yeah, it was a reactive nature.

But Ms Gray said that as time went on, there was more proactivity, facilitating strong relationships between then-finance minister Conor Murphy and Treasury ministers, enabling us to look to be more proactive and to think ahead in a way that perhaps we hadnt done previously.

During her time in the Department of Finance, Ms Gray was asked to undertake a leak investigation amid official concerns at the volume of information from confidential Executive meetings that was being reported in the media.

On Thursday, on the last day of the inquirys sittings in Belfast, she highlighted the differences between the Northern Ireland Executive and the Cabinet when it came to leaking from meetings.

Im not going to say that everything is perfect there (at Cabinet in London) but, you know, people do respect the process and (at) Cabinet  often issues get resolved in Cabinet committees, not always at Cabinet  but you dont read about (them), you occasionally read about differences of views, but there tends to be a certain discipline, she said.

Ms Gray noted that, unlike in Government, there was no defined rules around collective responsibility at Stormont.

Today, we hear evidence from Sue Gray and closing statements from Core Participants. Watch live from 10:00 (with a three minute delay) on our YouTube channel.https://t.co/n03rrwvjvU pic.twitter.com/3L13nJFu5B  UK Covid-19 Inquiry (@covidinquiryuk) May 16, 2024

She said that at Cabinet, ministers took collective responsibility for decisions even if they disagreed with them. She reflected on her time working in the Cabinet Office during the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition and said that when ministers from the different parties disagreed on an issue, there was a set process on how to deal with that which allowed prime minister David Cameron and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg to express their different views in Parliament.

I think they demonstrated great leadership in how they handled those issues, it didnt break down in trust because actually it was a very honest and open and frank process, she said.

Ms Gray acknowledged the mandatory coalition system in Northern Ireland was different, pointing out that when she was last working at Stormont there were five parties in the administration, but said she believed a similar process could be made to work in the region.

She went on to suggest that using an independent adviser to investigate leaks from ministerial meetings could prove fruitful.

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry has heard that Ms Grays leak investigation failed to identify the source or sources of the leaks.

The ex-senior civil servant compared the approach within central government where, she said, the independent adviser on ministers interests would often be asked to take on such investigations.

She said she was not aware of a similar mechanism at Stormont.

When I was here, I was asked to conduct a leak investigation, she said.

I think it related to some messages from somebodys phone which, I think, a journalist, I cant remember the exact detail, had recovered or had seen those messages.

You know, what you can do is you can obviously, if its an official phone, you can check the official phone records to see if calls were made, or around that time you can also check any messages that theyve also sent. But obviously on a personal phone you dont have that opportunity. And I think on the investigation we did, we used all of our internal resources to try to identify what had happened. But I think that sometimes an independent investigation, actually just the nature of an independent investigation, can be fruitful.

Ms Gray said people who wanted to leak would invariably find a way to do it.

But she said certain processes could be used, such as banning phones from confidential ministerial meetings, to limit the opportunities to leak. She said establishing a culture where leaking was not tolerated was also important. She said that culture should be set by the parties leadership, including their ministers.

The inquiry has heard how discussions at several high-pressured Executive meetings during the pandemic were effectively live-tweeted by journalists who were being leaked the information in real time.

Ms Gray was asked what the reaction would be if something similar had unfolded at a Cabinet meeting in London.

I think that would be a terrible thing and it would be seen for that, she said.

Inquiry chairwoman Baroness Hallett made clear her focus on the practice of leaking during the pandemic was not related to legitimate whistle-blowers, rather leaks for political advantage.
Microsoft's China AI teams face relocation amid US tightened restrictions

Microsoft's headquarters has reportedly instructed the head of its China division to require its Chinese AI developers to either relocate to countries such as the United States and Australia or opt for resignation.

This directive affects several AI teams in China, including C+AI, Azure ML, and Azure Core, among others. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has stated that Microsoft's Asia-Pacific R&D group, primarily operates in China, consists of approximately 7,000 engineers.

Termination or relocation

According to Chinese media outlet Tencent, employees who received the notice must decide by June 7th whether to accept termination or relocation. Microsoft has indicated it can assist with resolving visa issues for immediate family members.

WSJ cited a source estimating that 700 to 800 employees received the relocation request. Many of which are involved in machine learning and cloud computing-related work.

Rumors suggest that the Microsoft China C+AI team may relocate to Seattle, while the Azure ML team is expected to move to Australia. Additionally, some teams may be relocated to countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or Ireland. Microsoft has designated all destinations, and employees do not have the option to choose.

In a statement to China Daily, Microsoft noted that a small number of employees in China have the option to select international rotations. These employees can decide whether to accept the rotation or remain in their current roles.

Microsoft denied rumors of a "collective relocation to the US," asserting that such claims were exaggerated and inaccurate. A spokesperson reaffirmed to WSJ of the company's commitment to the region, emphasizing that Microsoft will continue its operations in China.

Sino-US exchange AI fire

This decision coincides with the Biden administration's recent efforts to tighten restrictions on China's AI development capabilities, as reported by the Telegraph. The White House is reportedly considering implementing regulations that would require companies like Microsoft to obtain a license before providing AI chips to customers in China.

Reuters reported that Washington and Beijing recently held their first official closed-doors AI dialogue concerning AI safety and risk management in Geneva. Following the meeting, the US representative expressed concerns about AI misuse in China, while Beijing criticized the US's "restrictions and pressure" in separate statements.
Tencent Cloud collaborates with BRI and Hi Cloud Indonesia to drive banking technology innovation

Tencent Cloud, the cloud business of global technology company Tencent, has recently announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with PT. Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. (BRI) and Hi Cloud Indonesia, a cloud service provider (CSP). The collaboration aims to drive innovation in BRI's banking services by leveraging technology, with a specific goal to enhance customer service and transaction experiences.

Poshu Yeung, Senior Vice President of Tencent Cloud International, said, "Tencent Cloud is pleased to partner with BRI, as we share a common vision of spearheading banking innovations in Indonesia. This collaboration will harness our extensive expertise in working with banks and financial institutions worldwide, empowering BRI with access to high-quality and reliable solutions. We look forward to helping ensure that BRI remains at the forefront of technological innovation in the Indonesian banking landscape."

Kaspar Situmorang, Division Head of Digital Banking Development & Operations PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia, said, "BRI is committed to fostering innovation in line with its vision of becoming The Most Valuable Banking Group in Southeast Asia and Champion of Financial Inclusion by 2025. As part of BRI's strategic approach, we aim to enhance our retail banking capabilities by exploring a range of technologies. Through collaborating with various parties, we hope to enrich use cases and gain valuable insights to develop digital capabilities, delivering a cutting-edge and personalized banking experience."

By leveraging leading AI technologies, Tencent Cloud's electronic Know Your Customer (eKYC) solution supports financial institutions to remotely verify user identities and reduce risks posed by identity fraud. Hi Cloud Indonesia, as a valued partner of Tencent Cloud, has played a pivotal role in expediting the adoption of innovative technologies and facilitating collaboration between Tencent Cloud and BRI.

Through this collaborative effort, BRI continues to harness cutting-edge technologies to digitally transform its wide array of banking products and services. The bank aims to enhance its user experience by providing more convenient, inclusive, efficient, and secure solutions for customers.

The signing of this collaboration marks BRI's commitment to remain at the forefront of innovation in the Indonesian banking services industry. Incorporating Tencent Cloud's technological know-how with BRI's local expertise, market understanding, and adoption capabilities, this collaboration will drive the innovation and development of banking services that not only fulfill customer needs but also provide exceptional experiences for them.
China's industry, commerce community urges U.S. to stop tariff hike on Chinese goods

Xinhua) 15:08, May 16, 2024

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The United States should earnestly abide by WTO rules and immediately stop further increasing additional tariffs on some Chinese goods, a spokesperson with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade said.

On top of existing tariffs under Section 301, the United States on Tuesday decided to raise additional tariffs on its imports of Chinese products including electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, solar cells, critical minerals, semiconductors, steel and aluminum, and cranes.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
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Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) 3rd year Science students recently visit WuXi Biologics and WuXi Vaccines state of the art facility.

Recently DkITs School of Health and Science launched a new bursary programme in conjunction with WuXi Vaccines and Wu-xi Biologics WiSTEM initiative which saw two female 3rd year science students at DkIT being awarded 1,500 financial support as they progress through their degree.

A spokesperson for the college said: "DkIT is the leading higher education provider in the region and are completely committed to STEM, one of the fastest growing industry sectors both locally and nationally. DkITs recent opening of the New Jocelyn Bell Burnell Building cemented the Institutes investment to increase capacity on Life Science, Health Science and Agri-Food programmes, helping DkIT to meet the growing demand from employers in the region for high-quality graduates in these specialised areas."

Dr Gillian Lambe, Head of Department of Life & Health Sciences, DkIT said: Wed like to thank Wu-Xi Biologics and Wu-Xi Vaccines for the warm welcome the students received in their facility. Laboratory tours of this ilk are a superb way for students to see science in action in industry and the group learned so much.

"On the day the team in Wu-Xi facilitated an extremely informative questions and answers session for our students. It was also great to see so many DkIT graduates working in situ in Wu-Xi Biologics, Wu-Xi Vaccines and utilising their learnings from DkIT in the real world.
Tanaiste Micheal Martin has said he will raise the issue of Dundalk soldier Private Sean Rooney's murder trial with the Lebanese authorities when he travels to the country this weekend.

Speaking at the PDFORRA Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association Annual Delegate Conference the Tanaiste said he will be asking the relevant authorities to progress the case, saying:

I know that Private Sean Rooney remains at the forefront of all our minds, and I will also be using this visit to underline, again, directly with the Lebanese Authorities, the need to actively progress the court case regarding the murder of Pte. Rooney.

I would like to take this opportunity today to again remember and acknowledge Seans exceptional service, and his ultimate sacrifice for peace.

An initial indictment hearing of persons charged in connection with the incident of 14 December 2022, took place on 14 July 2023 with a further hearing taking place on 30 August.

Speaking in January, the Tanaiste stated that: "On 15 November last, my Department became aware that one of the individuals accused of the murder of Private Sean Rooney, and who had been in Lebanese custody, had been released on bail.

"Following enquiries, it was confirmed that he had been released on bail with the payment of a financial bond and that the release was granted for medical reasons."

The most recent hearing of the court case took place on 15 December last where the Department of Defence was represented by its Beirut-based lawyer while the Irish Ambassador was also in attendance.

Speaking in January the Tanaiste further stated that he was disappointed to learn that none of those indicted for Private Sean Rooneys killing, including the individual recently released from custody on bail, appeared in court at the 15 December hearing, and that the case has been further adjourned to 7 June 2024.
A 32 year old local man who seriously assaulted a woman during an attempted mugging in the town, was last week jailed for two and a half years at Dundalk Circuit Court.

The court had previously heard that Keith Hughes with an address at Oakland Park, Coxs Demesne, Dundalk has been within the criminal justice system since he was 12 years old.

The victim, a Croatian national, was walking home on January 13th last year, when she initially met the defendant in the Rampart Road area around 8.40pm. She answered a question and kept on walking but he followed her until she reached McSwiney Street where he hit her on the back of the head and said he wanted money.

He knocked off her ear pods, and when she picked them up he struck her a further three or four times, and when she told him she would call the guards, Keith Hughes told her no-one was going to come. He said it was a robbery and no-one would help her.

However, he ran off towards OHanlon Park, when she managed to flag down a passing motorist and a woman who lived nearby responded after hearing the commotion. The 32 year old, who had 73 previous convictions, was arrested the next day.

The Defence barrister said his client had abstained from alcohol for 18 months before the incident, but he turned to it, after being unable to get cannabis, and was completely out of control having taken a number of drugs.

The case was put back to Monday to see how he might be supervised post-release. Judge Dara Hayes imposed a four year sentence for the attempted robbery, with the final 18 months suspended, backdated to January 14th when he went into custody, while the assault causing harm charge was taken into consideration.

As part of the suspended portion of the sentence, Keith Hughes must place himself under the supervision of the Probation Service for 18 months post release, engage with his medical regime, abstain from problematic alcohol consumption and taking mood altering substances.
Value Centre Dundalk was celebrated at the recent 2024 ShelfLife Grocery Management Awards, which recognises both individual management excellence in the sector and outstanding teamwork.

Fintan Smyth, who has been manager of Value Centre Dundalk since 2004, was named Cash and Carry Manager of the Year for the third time, his first award coming in 2007, while the whole Value Centre Dundalk team was named Retail Team of the Year at the prestigious ceremony, which was held at Dublins Royal Marine Hotel.

One of the most eagerly anticipated events in the Irish retail and wholesale calendar, the National Grocery Management Awards is Irelands premier scheme for recognising and honouring management excellence.

Commenting, Cash & Carry Director, BWG Foods, Vincent Brown said, I would like to extend my congratulations to Fintan, and indeed all the team in Value Centre Dundalk, on winning these prestigious national awards. Fintan and the team are very deserving of these industry accolades, and they demonstrate the core of what our business is about; our People.

To win a Shelflife Management award is a high point in the career of many of Irelands best performing managers from across a variety of categories and at various levels of career progression and the event is also the principal networking event for managers from across the industry to gather with colleagues, business partners, suppliers and friends.
An opinion poll has given confidence to the prospects of the current coalition government returning, Paschal Donohoe has said.

The Public Expenditure Minister said that although the Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Green party are very, very separate parties, recent polling indicates they could form another coalition government after the next general election.

It comes after an Irish Times/Ipsos B&A opinion poll showed that Fine Gael is on 23%, up four percentage points, while Sinn Fein is on 23%, down five points.

There was no change to Fianna Fails support from the last Irish Times poll, at 20%.

A continuation of the current coalition was the most favourable coalition, preferred by 33% of people, while a Sinn Fein-led government with neither Fianna Fail nor Fine Gael was preferred by 20%.

It shows that the three parties that form the current government at the moment, they will go into the next election very, very separate parties, all the recent opinion polling over the last 12 to 18 months show the three parties coming together having the ability to form this government again, Mr Donohoe told Newstalk.

Thats still some time off, with the local and European elections to deal with first, well all be putting our best foot forward there. But I think we can do so with further confidence.

Taoiseach Simon Harris would not comment on whether the boost was down to a Harris hop.

Lets be honest, politicians always refer to the up than down in terms of opinion polls and what I certainly hope it gives is a little bit of a morale boost to my incredible candidates right across the country, Mr Harris added.

Local election candidates, European election candidates and all their members of teams who are out working so hard.

Its impossible to read any one thing into it.

What I do know about government is this, and I remember Enda Kenny saying this to me many, many years ago when he was Taoiseach. Government is about making decisions. Its about turning up every day and saying what can I do today to try and make progress.

What I am very satisfied about is this, that this government, my party in government every single day were coming to work, and were saying, what more can we do?

Over the last couple of days alone, weve seen package supports for businesses, decisions in relation to housing, extending support schemes, extending the waiver of the development levies, decisions that have to be made on migration, even though theyre not easy.

The people elect us and pay us to make decisions.

What Im obsessed about is delivering. The only thing a good opinion poll makes me do is come to work an hour earlier, stay an hour later and work even harder.

Im a bit old-fashioned in this view. I believe if you come to work, you work hard and you do a good job, you might see the benefits of that in an election.

Fianna Fail leader and Tanaiste Micheal Martin said that the local election will be challenging for the party, but did not accept that it was inevitable the party would lose council seats.

He was speaking as the party launched its local election manifesto in Dublin, which pledged to tackle vacancy and dereliction, tackle crime and to support efforts at the EU to increase Irelands fish quotas.

Its going to be challenging for us because we got 27% in the last occasion in the local elections, local election polls and general election polls are different, theres a personal dimension to it as well, in addition to a party poll.

So I think were in a good position to retain the majority of seats that we have, its going to be challenging, and were going to do everything we can.

Asked does he accept Fianna Fail will lose council seats, Mr Martin said: Im not accepting anything. I mean, Im going out there in a robust fashion. Well do the very best we can to retain the seats we have and gain extra seats.

We had some big gains the last time, you know, winning four out of the seven, heels against the head kind of wins, three out of six. So some of them will be difficult to retain. But if you looked at predictions before the last two local elections, Fianna Fail defied those predictions.

He added: I think were one of the strongest parties thats actually rooted in community, genuinely and how well known our councillors are. And above all, how effective they are as community activists on councils, and thats a strength we have which I think doesnt necessarily always be mirrored or reflected in a national party poll.
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Postal Code
By ANN ST. MARTIN STOUT

Leaves Are Free

I recently finished reading Clover Adams: A Gilded and Heartbreaking Life. Often, if a topic comes onto my radar several times over a brief period, I sit up and take notice.

Mary Carters story in the Eagle Times about the memorial to Clover sculpted by Augustus St. Gaudens at the request of her husband Henry Adams, coincided with Mount Royal Academy High School students visiting the Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park in Cornish, New Hampshire. The casting of the memorial, which has come to be known as Grief, was depicted in Mount Royals recounting of their day.

Within a week, our daughter Julia said she came upon a casting of the sculpture at the National Portrait Gallery in D.C. Then, I discovered that Clover is buried in the Rock Creek Cemetery a block from Julias campus.

Author Natalie Dykstra portrayed the life of Clover Adam in her well-researched 2012 book, with much of the story shaped by Clovers own words, as written in letters to her beloved father.

Clover, who grew up in Boston as Marion Hooper, saw her mother die of a lingering illness, early in her life. The aunt who loved and cared for Clover and her sisters for the next several years, died by suicide when Clover was nine years old. Her father, Robert Hooper, was a singular steadying influence in her life.

Clover was cultured and well-educated, including her desire to learn Greek and other languages. At 28, she married historian and Bostonian Henry Adams, a descendant of two presidents. In a letter to a contemporary before their marriage, Henry refers to Clover as a bluestocking, a reference to a well-educated woman who does not fear going against the eras existing male/female roles. This seemed to be part of Clovers innate character, possibly due to her years of independence before her late marriage, though she did not push the boundaries too far.

From a materially comfortable life in Boston, with a summer home on Bostons north shore, to an elegant life in Washington D.C, Clover and Henry were popular both as hosts and as guests. Their routines included Clover aiding Henry in his historic research, horseback riding for pleasure at days end, and reading books aloud to one another. They took two extended trips to Europe, one 18 months long.

Clover took up photography as a hobby and discipline, while it was still a fairly new science. She learned how to develop her own glass plate negatives. Important people sat for photographs by Clover with the result that others began asking for her to take their likeness as well.

She had a good eye for composition and kept detailed notes about exposure times, lenses used and more. Her photos are held by the Massachusetts Historical Society. There is no doubt that her photography work was publishable and fine enough to be exhibited, but she demurred to her husbands preference that she not call attention to herself. Several of Clovers photos are reproduced in Dykstras book.

As the book title suggests, Clovers life did not end well. With an unmanageable bout of depression following her fathers death (a condition foreshadowed by mood swings in her earlier life) and worsened by Henrys chaste but wandering eye for a younger woman, Clover was brought to the point of suicide. She drank one of her photography developing chemicals containing cyanide. It was December 1885; she was 42 years old.

Henry, who lived to 80, never remarried, and he and Clover had no children. After a journey to the Orient where he experienced the Buddhist ethos, Henry commissioned Augustus Saint-Gaudens to create the memorial. It was placed on Clovers grave in March of 1891, six years after her death. Though the monument was never titled, it has become known as Grief.

The memorial, along with Dykstras book, and Clovers archived photographs, remain to honor a spirited yet melancholy life.
Accumulated profits at the renowned Ballymaloe cookery school firm in east Cork, which recently hosted Hollywood star Kate Winslet, last year climbed to 2.9m.

That is according to new accounts which show that post-tax profits at Ballymaloe Cookery School Ltd last year totalled 88,864 which was a 2% increase on the profits of 86,876 for 2022.

The Cork cookery school business sits on a 100-acre organic firm where Darina Allen is the majority shareholder.

Last month, the cookery school came into the spotlight after Oscar-winning actor Kate Winslet enrolled in a two-and-a-half-day course with TV chef and bestselling cookbook author Rachel Allen.

Commenting on the cookery school firms financial performance last year, director Toby Allen said: We are delighted that 2023 was a busy year and we were able to increase our numbers back to pre covid levels which helped with the bottom line. We had a selection of more than 60 courses in 2023 and were delighted that most were full. Many, including our 12-week certificate courses had waiting lists when they started, which shows great confidence in our business.

Our next 12-week course begins in September and it is already full, which is great news.

Mr Allen said that increased costs of energy and food have continued to be a concern and necessitated an increase in our course fees.

The cost of sitting the schools 12-week certificate course in 2024 is 14,495.

Mr Allen said: We are delighted that the cookery school continues to attract students from all over Ireland, the UK and the rest of the world.

Our most recent course has students from 12 different countries around the world with students ranging from 18 to 65 years old.

Mr Allen wouldnt be drawn up on the recent enrolment of Kate Winslet when asked if the publicity surrounding her time at Ballymaloe resulted in a spike in bookings.

We value the privacy of all our students and are unable to answer any specific questions, he added.

The profits of the last three years at the school firm follow post-tax losses of 193,097 during the covid-19 hit 2020.

The school is a significant employer in east rural Cork and last year numbers employed increased from 66 to 68 as staff costs rose from 2.33m to 2.52m.

The profits last year take the account of non-cash depreciation costs of 170,796 while directors pay rose from 288,665 to 336,478.

The firms cash funds reduced from 1.27m to 944,642 after the company re-invested in the business enterprise.

The book value of the firms fixed assets increased by 753,408 to 6m before non-cash depreciation costs are taken into account.

Mr Allen said: We are continually investing in new accommodation for our students and were able to add eight new bedrooms last year.

This coming weekend, the inaugural Ballymaloe Festival of Food at Ballymaloe House and Grainstore, which is about 5km from the cookery school, takes place.
THIS May, audiences in Schull will have a chance to experience some rarely-seen films made in the area as part of the West Cork Chronicle at the Fastnet Film Festival.

The Irish Film Institute is to screen the films made in West Cork as part of the Local Films for Local People initiative, which brings films from the IFI Irish Film Archive back to the communities they came from.

The IFI is Irelands national cultural institution for film, providing audiences with access to the finest independent, Irish and international cinema, preserving and promoting Irelands film heritage.

The home of the IFI in Eustace Street, Dublin, presents new Irish and international work all year around, but the institute also shows films in cinemas and arts centres around the country. On May 24, the IFI team will bring the IFI Irish Film Archive films made in West Cork and environs from the 1940s to the 1970s.

These include Patrick Careys sublime Beara (1979), the rarely-seen King of Spades (Monard, 1947) and Father Jack Delaneys West Cork (1930s).

These screenings are part of the IFI Local Films for Local People programme, which sees bespoke and county-specific programmes brought to all corners of Ireland.

These programmes include both professional and amateur films, documenting all aspects of Irish life from the early days of cinema to more recent times, with audiences invited to revisit their shared history and to celebrate amateur and professional filmmakers who documented their county in years gone by.

Head of Irish Film Programming Sunniva OFlynn, said, This year we look forward to presenting film programmes to new audiences and to re-engaging with festival audiences in Fastnet, Galway, Cork, and Kerry, where appetites have been whetted with programmes in recent years.

The Fastnet Film Festival, taking place from May 22 to 26 will see screenings across several venues and has a star studded list of attendees including Paul Mescal.
A former shop steward for almost 300 workers in the Cork branches of Debenhams has said a new appeal by the liquidators for the firm will further delay an already-reduced redundancy payment.

This payment is for the mostly part-time workers at the department store chain, which closed its Irish branches in March 2020, the shop steward added.

According to Valerie Conlan, who was a part-time worker at the Patrick St store in Cork, the news that liquidator KPMG was appealing the decision of the Labour Court  which awarded four weeks pay to the workers on a point of law  was just the latest in a series of delays for 800 workers around the country.

Workers had initially asked for 16 weeks pay. Last year, they had been awarded eight weeks pay by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).

This was appealed by KPMG, and was reduced to four weeks pay by the Labour Court in April. When that decision was handed down, the workers had said they hoped that this would mean closure for the four-year saga.

However, an email from the Mandate Trade Union  which represents most of the workers  this week said that KPMG was embarking on a further appeal.

Ms Conlan said that the news was disappointing. It has to be costing them more money at this stage to pay their law firms than they have to pay out, she said.

Dail

The issue is likely to be raised in the Dail today by Cork North Central Sinn Fein TD Thomas Gould, who said that he had joined the Debenhams workers on the picket line when the store was closed.

I cannot believe that we are back here again, with further delays to payments for Debenhams workers.

These workers showed real bravery and stood on the picket line for months on end, they must be shown respect,"

said Mr Gould.

'Ugly twist'

Mr Goulds constituency colleague Mick Barry, of Solidarity/People Before Profit, described the latest development as an ugly twist, and added that the latest appeal could take a further year to be processed through the courts.

The ex-Debenhams workers were treated very badly, both by their former employer and by the State, he said.

It took them four years of struggle to win the paltry award made to them in the Labour Court last month.

For a wealthy corporate entity like KPMG to challenge the ruling that made that award and potentially drag things out for another year represents, in my eyes, an act of unnecessary cruelty.

It was not possible to contact the liquidators for comment on this latest development.
Up to 800 high-tech jobs will be shared by Cork, Waterford and Dublin following a major expansion announced yesterday by global computing giant IBM which said the people employed in the new roles would be helping build advanced software underpinned by the latest Artificial Intelligence technology.

While the Industrial Development Authority was unable to provide an exact breakdown of the jobs for the different locations, the agency said the investment by the multi-national would create hundreds of roles in research and development, digital sales and consulting. A key factor for the location of these jobs in Ireland was cited as the countrys status as the EU leader for the number of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) graduates per capita.

The roles will be created across IBM sites in Dublin, Cork and at IBMs subsidiary, Red Hat, located in Waterford, a statement released by the IDA disclosed last night.

Evolving

The multi-national has been in Ireland for more than 65 years and has been continually evolving its operations and capabilities to support the companys global strategy. Today, IBM operations in Ireland help clients across key sectors such as financial services and healthcare streamline their business processes, increase productivity and gain competitive advantage through technology. Ireland is also host to IBM only research facility in the EU.

Taoiseach Simon Harris welcomed the latest announcement and said the new roles would deliver real impact to the Irish economy through job creation and by strengthening specialist skills and expertise.

This news demonstrates Irelands continued attractiveness as a preferred location for global companies to build out their digitalisation, research and innovation capabilities, he said.

IBM senior vice president and chief financial officer James Kavanaugh said the announcement was a result of our strong relationship with IDA Ireland and the Irish Government and was also testament to the calibre of talent here in Ireland.

As IBM continues to help organisations transform their businesses with hybrid cloud and AI, attracting, developing, and retaining talent remains a key priority, said Mr. Kavanaugh.

Confidence

Enterprise, Trade and Employment Minister Peter Burke said the news that IBM was to create 800 jobs across Cork, Waterford and Dublin was hugely welcome and described the company as a long standing high value employer in Ireland for almost three quarters of a century.

Ireland is now ranked as the fifth most advanced digital economy in the EU, and having IBM choose Ireland for this new project is another vote of confidence in our country, said Minister Burke.

The Government fully supports advancements in AI and Digital Transformation, and these roles will allow for exciting innovative opportunities for many of our skilled workforce throughout the country.

Thanks to IBM for your continued investment here and best of luck to all involved in this exciting new initiative.

IDA Ireland chief executive Michael Lohan described the news as a remarkable initiative by IBM Ireland that would not only drive transformation within IBM and Red Hats operations but would deliver strong impact in Dublin, Cork and Waterford.

It is also set to deliver real uplift in the Irish technology ecosystem by advancing capabilities across key growth areas for IDA Ireland such as cloud, AI, quantum and cybersecurity, said Mr Lohan.

IDA Ireland has partnered with IBM for more than 60 years and we look forward to continuing to do so throughout this exciting project.

Roles in IBM and Red Hat as part of this new initiative are already being advertised on the respective websites of both companies.
THE Mercy University Hospital (MUH) in Cork has introduced Kids Packs to support children of families experiencing the end-of-life care of a loved one.

Recognising the importance of including children when someone close is dying, the Mercy University Hospital has introduced the new Kids Packs for children of families who find themselves in this difficult situation.

The Mercy highlighted the importance of healthcare professionals considering any child who may be affected by the death of a loved one and engaging with the family.

Each Kids Pack, funded by the Mercy University Hospital Foundation, comes in a string tote bag and contains an age-appropriate colouring book or notebook, colours, an age-appropriate toy, and individual coloured sheets which they may decide to use for drawing, hand prints, making cards, or writing a letter.

Struggle

End of Life Care Coordinator at Mercy University Hospital, Edel ONeill, said: Children often struggle to know how to interact with someone who is dying. With the introduction of these age-appropriate Kids Packs, our aim is to make the child feel comfortable in an unfamiliar situation and the hospital environment.

Ms ONeill highlighted how end-of-life care of a family member might have adults questioning whether children should be visiting their dying loved one in hospital out of concern for the childs wellbeing.

Talking to children about death is never easy, however, children may handle grief better when adults around them receive support, she said.

Our aim is to support adults providing the option for children to visit a loved one dying at the Mercy, by creating a safe environment for children to be present and comfortable.

What really matters is the childs experience and how they make sense of what is happening, and providing a memory for children to grow up knowing they were included.

To coincide with the introduction of the Kids Packs at Mercy University Hospital Cork, the hospital is also hosting a Lunch and Learn series to support healthcare staff when communicating with children and young adults when someone close is dying at the hospital.

For more information on the Mercy University Hospital Foundation and the dedicated Kids Packs, visit https://www.mercyhospitalfoundation.ie.
Leeside is buzzing ahead of tonights eagerly anticipated Bruce Springsteen gig down by The River.

The Boss will make a triumphant return to SuperValu Pairc Ui Chaoimh, having last sold out the venue in 2013, and will again play to a crowd of 40,000+ adoring fans.

Corks business community has High Hopes for another bumper day following last weekends epic Cork- Limerick hurling showdown.

Those in the hospitality sector in particular have said they are buzzing to welcome the man of the hour  who last played the Pairc back in 2013  and the more than 40,000 people set to attend the gig.

Some Bruce Springsteen fans from New York, South Africa, Sweden, The Netherlands, Japan, Italy, Spain, and Britain joined their Irish counterparts for a roll-call at The Marina yesterday morning in a bid to secure priority stage-front admission to tonight's concert.

The owner of Paddy the Farmers and Tequila Jacks, Sean McCarthy, said there has been a great atmosphere around the city over the past week following the Cork-Limerick match and ahead of the Bruce Springsteen gig.

Its been a while since we had an event of this size in the city, so its a little bit strange again post-pandemic, but we got a good dress rehearsal last weekend because of the hurling game, he said.

It was great to have such a fantastic occasion a few days before Bruce, and it gave us a good chance to review all our procedures and set-ups with staffing, stock, and our offerings to make sure that people that come to our venues will have a great experience and great fun.

Critical

Mr McCarthy described such gigs as critical to the industry.

He said: Hospitality is very difficult at the moment, its very challenging. The cost of living is proving tough on people.

So, for us, its huge to have these events, because its about showing our offerings and creating a great atmosphere and helping us to make ends meet from week to week because there is a tightening of spend and we are probably the first sectors to get hit when money gets tight.

Stage set-up for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band who will play at SuperValu Pairc Ui Chaoimh this evening. Pic: Larry Cummins

Michael O'Donovan of the Castle Inn and president-elect for the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI), said he has been rostering additional staff and ordering extra product ahead of whats set to be a busy weekend.

Its a full house in Pairc Ui Chaoimh so well see over 40,000 coming into the city, he said.

Thats a huge boost to the local economy  everybody gets a boost out of a concert like this, he said.

Its so important to the local economy to have events like this, and we would love more of these during the year if possible. Any event like this is a boost for the area and the economy locally.

Boost

Welcoming the footfall that such gigs bring into the city centre, Cork Chamber CEO Conor Healy said: I think many will remember Bruce Springsteens last visit and the boost and the vibrancy and the level of activity pretty much over the full period of time that he was here with people out enjoying themselves and taking the full value of all Cork had to offer and putting their hands in their pockets and spending. Thats what really drives those businesses.

Speaking about the importance of being able to cater for gigs with larger crowds all year round, Mr Healy said: It goes without saying that along with our existing infrastructure in the city and theatres, and Opera House, of course, the event centre will be an absolute gamechanger for the Cork region and its really important that we continue to focus on the opportunity that will bring once it is developed.

Fans attending a roll-call for stage-front rickets yesterday: Helen Greenhalgh, Lancashire; Eddie Johanson, from Sweden attending his 101st Bruce show; Nicholas Meerlagio from Belgium; Rebecca Brambilla, Italy and Chris Couper, London. Picture: Larry Cummins

Cork Business Association president and managing director of Trigon Hotels, Aaron Mansworth, said gigs such as this see Cork come alive and reveal its full potential.

You get a lot of people who dont necessarily always want to travel to Dublin for these events, so when they can get a great concert in Cork its fabulous and we see the difference when there is an event on, be it Live at the Marquee or at Virgin Media Park. It raises all boats really  bars, restaurants, taxis, retail, and hotels.

Its hugely important and it also highlights the importance of the delivery of the events centre.

Fine Gael election candidate for Cork City South East Des Cahill said the gig at Supervalu Pairc Ui Chaoimh will be a huge financial boost to the city.

Buzzing

Congratulating Aiken Promotions ahead of the gig, he said: The local area is buzzing today and the preparations have been well distributed. Im looking forward to an enjoyable day.

Ireland South European election candidate John Mullins described Pairc Ui Chaoimh stadium as a vital asset for South Munster, with each event resulting in a 6m investment in the local economy.

Cork is gearing up for a very special night ... as the city welcomes Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band to Supervalu Pairc Ui Chaoimh, and while they have a hard act to follow after the Cork and Limerick match last Saturday, I have no doubt they will receive a similar reception from the crowd.

This is an opportunity to showcase what our stadium can do to contribute to the local economy.
THE site of a former hospital in North Cork is currently being assessed by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for use in housing international protection applicants.

A group gathered outside the entrance of the former Heatherside Hospital building on Tuesday night to protest after reports of its potential use were circulated on social media.

A spokesperson for the department told The Echo that a HSE review of the hospital determined that the site is surplus to the HSEs requirements.

Heatherside Hospital was built in the early 1900s to be used as a tuberculosis sanatorium, but its use switched to a psychogeriatic hospital after the eradication of tuberculosis in the 1950s, before it was closed permanently in 2010.

Offered

The department said: In line with the HSE Property Protocol and Circular 11/2015 of the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, the HSE offered the property to all State stakeholders through the Intra-State Property Register.

It explained that following a request by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, the HSE has now licensed the property to the department for the provision of accommodation, supports, and services to persons seeking international protection.

The site and buildings will be assessed to determine the most appropriate use of the property, it said.

Local public representatives have been informed, and any potential plans will be confirmed in due course.

A spokesperson for Cork County Council told The Echo that the local authority has no comment to make on the matter.

Pat Buckley, Sinn Fein TD for Cork East, told The Echo that he made contact with Integration Minister Roderic OGormans office the minute I was contacted on it, saying that he has requested a full explanation, so that I can go back to the people with the honest plan.
A Cork primary school is struggling with a lack of space, leaving vulnerable pupils being taught in corridors and students in cramped classrooms.

Fermoy Educate Together National School opened in 2018 in the Community Youth Centre, then moved to their current location, the bottom floor of the old Gaelscoil building the following year.

Principal Toni Maguire explained: Our school has become a place of love, nurture, and acceptance  62% of our school community has an identified learning need and we strive to provide a school environment which supports all learners.

However, we are currently facing a massive crisis, a crisis that the Department of Education has ignored despite many hours of work and proposals from our community.

Packed

The school currently comprises four classrooms, a tiny staffroom, and office, she said, and pictures seen by The Echo show students packed into classrooms or being taught in hallways.

According to the Department of Education buildings manual, a classroom should be around 80m2, but 5th and 6th class are currently in a room which measures 26m2, she said, adding, to put it bluntly, the premises are not big enough to fit the children we have.

The department agreed to open our school, stating that we could have 104 children on roll; now that we have grown they have thrown out any proposals we have put forward to move.

We are a Department of Education school, wedged into the bottom floor of a Department of Education building while there are two floors above which are currently occupied by the ETB  the department has refused to comment on the arrangement that is in place which prevents us from moving into the top floors.

'My heart breaks'

Ms Maguire said: My heart breaks for our children who deserve so much better than this, adding that their additional needs learners are currently being educated in the front hallway of the school.

Their confidence and self-worth is slowly diminishing as they are on display each day while getting additional support.

In addition, our school has been sanctioned an autism class  there is a need for these places in the community and we are the only multi-denominational school within a 40km radius which would have autism class spaces. However, we cannot open this essential service, she said.

Sinn Fein TD for Cork East Pat Buckley raised the matter with the Minister for Education, outlining all the issues with the current space, and was told on May 1: Enquiries are being made about this matter and a further e-mail will be issued as soon as possible.

He told The Echo: Ive heard nothing since, adding, I love that our local schools are growing, but we need to accommodate them just as fast, it should be easy to expand the school because the building is there.

A spokesperson for The Department of Education told The Echo: As part of the process of identifying a suitable accommodation solution that would facilitate the establishment of the school, the department liaised with Cork Education and Training Board.

The department and Educate Together agreed that, given the accommodation available at the property and the need for the ETB to accommodate some Further Education and Training services from the property, the school would be established as a four-classroom school and that the school will maintain this configuration in the accommodation unless an existing school building is freed up for use in the area.

As part of this engagement, the department outlined to the school patron the importance of enrolments being managed within the available accommodation in a sustainable way and that this would be communicated to the school board of management so that parents could be fully informed.

The department continues to engage with the schools patron in respect of queries raised regarding the schools accommodation.

Meeting

A meeting was held in the school on Monday, when Ms Maguire said parents were shocked, angry, and really upset that the Department of Education has left us in this state.

Parents of students who have younger siblings were particularly worried about whether there would be a place for their second and third child or if theyd have to choose between pulling one child out of school or sending their kids to different schools.

An action group has been set up, and is going to work on lobbying the department, local politicians, and other influential people in the area, as well as proposing different locations for the school, Ms Maguire said, adding that she had also requested a meeting with the ETB in the hopes that they could work together on the issue.
THE Lord Mayor of Cork, councillor Kieran McCarthy hosted a civic reception to honour Bishop Paul Colton on his silver jubilee at Cork city hall.

Bishop Colton is the longest-serving Church of Ireland bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross in 400 years and the second longest serving in history, having been elected by an Electoral College on January 29, 1999.

Whilst he was born in Derry, he moved to Cork when he was just two years old and has always considered Cork to be home.

Speaking at the reception, Mr McCarthy said: Bishop Colton has led a significant contribution to civic, community and charity life over the last 25 years.

This work has been crucial to building and strengthening communities in our city. Even against a backdrop of challenges in recent years, he has remained steadfast in his leadership and wise council.

Ann Doherty, Chief Executive City Council, Deputy President of Cork Chamber Rob Horgan, Velo Cafe, Rev Paul Colton Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross and Lord Mayor Cllr Kieran McCarthy at a civic reception in Cork City Hall to mark the silver jubilee celebration for Rev Paul Colton Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross. Photo: Darragh Kane

I am delighted to be hosting this reception tonight and to be able to acknowledge the dedication and contribution of Bishop Colton to this city, he added.

LEADERSHIP

Chief Executive of Cork City Council Ann Doherty said: "Over 25 years, Bishop Colton has worked in partnership with Cork City Council on a whole range of issues but the community leadership he demonstrated during the Covid-19 pandemic and again during the Ukrainian crisis stands out.

Bishop Colton was a key leader in our community response forum and actively contributed to supporting our most vulnerable communities at times of significant need. On this special occasion I extend warm wishes and congratulations to Bishop Colton and his family.

Further marking Mr Coltons 25th anniversary as Bishop, an oak tree was planted in the Bishops Palace grounds as part of the annual Civic Service and Festival Eucharist at St Fin Barres Cathedral on St Patricks Day.
A PACKAGE of Government measures announced on Wednesday to support small- and medium-sized businesses was disappointing for hotels and other establishments in the hospitality sector that are dependent on food services, the Cork-based president of the Irish Hotels Federation has said.

Michael Magner, the owner of the Vienna Woods Hotel, said the measures, which included an increase in the PRSI threshold to match the hike in the minimum wage introduced in January, fell far short of what was required to support small- and medium-sized regional hotels that were heavily dependent on food services.

The bottom line is that these measures fail to address the enormous underlying challenges facing our sector, which is an important part of the wider tourism industry, said the hotelier.

The measures will have a minimal impact for many hotels that are struggling with unprecedented cost increases.

This includes many regional hotels that are heavily reliant on food services and are dealing with very tight margins and reduced profitability in what is a very labour-intensive sector.

He said the realignment of PRSI rates would only offset a very small percentage of the enormous cost increases that hotels and guesthouses were experiencing, and he called for a restructuring of employers PRSI, which he said was essential for the sector.

Another measure announced by Finance Minister Michael McGrath was a grant to reduce or entirely eliminate the local authority rates but, according to Mr Magner, many businesses that needed this support were excluded from availing of the grant because their rates bill was greater than 30,000 per year.

The average 25-bedroom hotel, for example, pays rates above the 30,000 threshold and is therefore disqualified, while other businesses with much higher levels of turnover and profit are included.

It just makes no sense when these are the very businesses that the Government should be supporting.

He also referred to the decision to leave the Vat rate at 13.5%, where it had been restored to late last year after being at 9% during the pandemic, and said it had eroded competitiveness.
A YOUNG man who insisted on vaping in a bus was sentenced to eight months for his outburst against the driver and gardai who arrived on the scene, among other charges.

The incident at the centre of the case occurred on a bus at Cork Airport in January.

Tobliobao Ogedengbe, aged 23, of Mourne View Hall, Dublin Rd, Dundalk, Co Louth, appeared at Cork District Court where Judge Mary Dorgan imposed a total sentence of eight months on him.

The sentence was backdated to the day after the incident on January as he was effectively in custody since that time.

Sergeant Dave Delea said the incident on the bus that gave rise to charges being brought against the accused occurred on January 26 at Cork Airport. Sgt Delea added that the accused had 42 convictions before this incident came to light.

The young man was charged with failing to produce a valid passport or equivalent document required under the Immigration Act, failing to provide his correct name and address, handling stolen property, and engaging in threatening behaviour.

The incident began when he came to the attention of the driver for vaping in the bus. When told to stop, he refused and became aggressive.

Eddie Burke, solicitor, said: He is from Nigeria. He came to Cork on this occasion to see his sister, who was flying in.

He was vaping on the bus. The driver took umbrage at this. Then Mr Ogedengbe reacted to him and the event took off.

These goods were found in his backpack. He said he found them. He is studying now. He has a history of mental health issues.
PAT Collins, a filmmaker from West Cork, is widely known in the industry for his meticulous and thought-provoking documentaries and feature films, writes Cara ODoherty. However, despite numerous accolades and critical acclaim, he is not a household name, perhaps due to the niche subjects he explores in his films.

Collins latest work, That They May Face The Rising Sun, is an award-winning adaptation of John McGahrens book of that name. The films success is finally bringing Collins to the public eye.

For those yet to discover his works or who wish to revisit them on the big screen, the Triskel Cinema selected five of his finest films for its first Pat Collins season. It begins on May 19, and Collins will take part in a Q&A session following the screening of That They May Face The Rising Sun on Monday, May 27.

Its lovely to have a season of my films screening at Triskel Arts Centre, he says. Ive been going in and out of that building as an audience member since the mid-1980s and the work that is shown and commissioned there is a vital part of the artistic life in Cork and Im very glad to be a part of it. Im very thankful to the film programmer Chris ONeill and the entire team at Triskel.

The opening film in the programme is Silence, a documentary about the sound recording journey of Eoghan Mac Giolla Bhride from Berlin to his homeland, Donegal. The film, released in 2012, won the Michael Dwyer Discovery Award at Dublin International Film Festival, which recognises new and emerging filmmakers.

Silence follows Mac Giolla Bhride as he captures the natural sounds of his homeland. It features the sounds of nature, the conversations of locals, and all the non-man-made sounds we hear in rural areas. It is a gentle film, highlighting the power of everyday.

The power of sound in nature is a recurring theme in Collins work. Throughout each film, the music of birdsong or the sound of a dog barking will subtly form part of the soundscape. At times, other sounds appear, like the beeping of a car. In 2020, Collins told The Echo that using sounds can be a liberating experience.

Its the nature of when youre making documentaries; youre trying to find a quiet location to interview somebody. If theres a car passing, everybody says hold on, wait for the car to pass. I decided to let the sounds of everyday remain, and it felt like such a liberating thing.

Song Of Granite, the second film in the series, champions the traditional art of Sean Nos. Handed down from generation to generation, the art of Sean Nos is fast fading, but Collins film reminds us of its beauty and importance by telling the story of Joe Heeney, a giant of the Sean Nos tradition. The Galway mans journey to England, Scotland, and New York in search of work, carrying with him the traditions of Sean Nos, is a poignant reminder of the need to preserve our cultural heritage.

The film combines documentary and drama. It is shot in black and white and told in the Irish language. Artists, including Lisa ONeill, Damien Dempsey, and Seamus Begley, lend their voices to this beautiful film.

Henry Glassie is a renowned folklorist, and Collins (inset left) brought his work to the fore in 2019 in Henry Glassie: Field Work. Glassie studies the artwork and creative process unique to different regions and cultures. He has written over 60 books and studied people from Ireland to India.

The documentary takes the audience on a journey with Collins, Glassie, and Glassies wife, Dr Pravina Shukla, as they embark on their fieldwork. From Brazil, where they spend hours observing the creation of sacred art, to Turkey, where women meticulously craft elaborate carpets, and North Carolina, where music becomes the art of observation, the film immerses the audience in the world of Glassies work. It is a reflective piece of filmmaking, one that draws the audience until it becomes almost hypnotic.

With 2021s The Dance, Collins uses his observational skills to bring us closer to the action until we feel in the centre of something alive. The documentary follows acclaimed choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan as he devises his latest show, MAM.

Rooted in Irish history and tradition, MAM combines contemporary sounds and dance with more traditional elements, creating something powerful and ethereal.

Collins takes us into the rehearsal where Keegan-Dolan has assembled the virtuoso concertina player Cormac Begley, 12 international dancers, and the musical collective Stargaze to West Kerry. We watch the choreographers unique process come together. Instead of choreographing in advance, Keegan-Dolan devises the show in collaboration with his dancers.

We witness creativity as ideas are put into motion before our eyes. It is spirited, frenetic, and deeply moving. Collins captures the tiniest movements, building up to a crescendo of movement as the dancers work in unison.

The final film is Collins most recent, That They May Face The Rising Sun. Although he has used elements of narrative drama in his documentaries, Rising Sun is his first official feature film.

It is based on the John McGahern best-selling novel and follows Joe (Barry Ward) and Kate Ruttledge (Anna Bederke), a writer and artist who have moved into Joes family home in rural Ireland following a stint in London.

The couple become the unofficial guardians of their rural community, looking out for old bachelors Patrick (Lalor Roddy), Johnny (Sean McGinley), and Bill (Brendan Conroy).

Collins captures the essence of life in rural Ireland in a profoundly beautiful film that understands the power of community and the people who live in our rural settings.
REMEMBER Tim Morleys query last week about a house on the Southside of Cork city where Daniel Corkery lived in later life?

Ted Neville writes helpfully to say: The slate-fronted house at the Lough Road side of the Lough is still there, but it had its weather-slating removed about 20 years ago, Id say. Im sure Lough locals would know more about its occupancy through the years.

Well, thank-you for that, Ted! And it prompted Jerry Holt, now living in Mayo, but with a long history of working for the railways in Cork, to remember a story of his own.

As usual your Throwback Thursday column has acted as a trigger. Tim was wondering about the slate-fronted house by the Lough, and you suggested that somebody go round and knock on the door to ask. Well, that reminds me of the day back in the 1960s that we got a knock on the door in Ballintemple, where we had a first-floor flat.

A schoolboys fishing competition at the Lough, Cork, in June, 1937. Throwback Thursday readers today provide more information on the house Daniel Corkery lived in by the Lough

The house was called Sun Lodge (still there, I think), and our landlady was Mrs Shanahan. She used to call around for the rent on Friday evenings.

One day she was at the door and our cat jumped up onto her shoulders, as she was inclined to do! Of course we denied all knowledge of the cat...

But the knock I am reporting today was from two people, a nun and a Capuchin monk. They were brother and sister, and Sun Lodge had been their family home that they were looking up for old times sake. I forget the nuns name but the man was Father Xavier.

We became good friends and when we moved to Togher, he would call to us regularly for a cuppa and a cigarette. Our son Barry was a lad forthright in his questions, Father Xavier, why have you got such a big nose? The jolly man just laughed and asked my wife for another cigarette.

Jerry moves on to another topic discussed in last weeks Throwback Thursday.

And that great discussion last week about pubs and sing-songs, I used to go to Noel Murphys pub in Ballyphehane for a pint or two (no ladies, of course). The craic was mighty. Everyone had their party piece, and all joined in the singing.

The poor ladies were definitely second class citizens in those days. My wife was at least five or six months gone with one of ours, and on a blazing hot autumn day we went out to the fields beyond Togher (all houses now) to pick blackas.

On the way back we called into the Deanrock Bar. I ordered a pint for myself and razza for the children. Poor Doris said, Im parched, get me a pint too. Sorry, we dont serve pints to ladies. So she had two half pints! That was OK.

Yes, we remember those strange times, when a woman wasnt welcome in the main bar, being relegated to the snug where possible, and, once they were allowed in, could in no way be served a pint. Can anyone remember the reasoning behind that unwritten rule? We would like to hear your thoughts, if so.

When we took Pat Kelly down to the Echo offices in Blackpool the other day, he was a mine of information both going and coming. He now writes to remind us that on that trip he had pointed out the ornate doorway into Murphys brewery.

It was built in the 1700s as the Cork poor house, where they also took babies into the foundling hospital there. Young boys were trained for the English army or navy, as an inexhaustible supply was always needed, and young girls were trained as servants.

Youre right as always, Pat, more power to your vast knowledge and memory! Following a 1735 Act of the Irish Parliament, it was decided to establish a foundling hospital in Leitrim Street. The buildings were based around a small quadrangle with a chapel, school-rooms, boys dormitories, girls dormitories, and staff apartments.

The hospital opened in 1747. Those who know their Dickens will remember his vivid descriptions of just such a place in Oliver Twist.

The Union Workhouse on Douglas Road, Pat also told us, was opened in 1841, while the foundling hospital in Leitrim Street closed in July, 1855, when it was converted to use as an emigration depot.

Cork had several prisons or houses of correction back then, continues Pat. One was built on the Southside, which was later demolished, and much later on the city general hospital was built here. The doorway may have survived the destruction of the building.

This became the blind asylum, where inmates would have their chairs brought out, and they would work on making baskets of all kinds, and even chairs, all out of wicker.

The steel front gates of the South Infirmary hospital in 1953. It was originally a mental hospital, later becoming a general hospital

The South Infirmary was a mental hospital first, later becoming a general hospital. Many of our citys older buildings were repurposed as times and needs changed.

Pat continued: Somebody asked a while back on Throwback Thursday, where did the river channel under Patrick Street emerge. We know that you can see the archway just under Patricks Bridge, but there is at least one other, at the corner of Union Quay, across from the Phoenix, where at low tide, you can see a non-return valve, where swans, ducks and gulls congregate to find something edible in the grey, disgusting waters!

Keep looking about you, advises Pat, and you will be bound to discover something new.

The story that he was delivering to the Echo last week was not, he reminds us, about himself, but his grandfathers experiences at sea.

That reminds me - some years ago, a book was written about a ship returning from the Caribbean, where the captain was convinced that some members of the crew were mutinying, so he threatened them with arrest and hanging when they landed in Cork, but later killed several of them.

Yes, indeed, we know that book, Pat. The Ship Of Seven Murders, A True Story, by Alannah Hopkin and Kathy Bunney, published by the Collins Press in 2011.

In 1828, the Mary Russell sailed into Cork from the West Indies. Seven crewmen were found lying in the main saloon, brutally murdered by the captain. The subsequent trial was a sensation as survivors revealed a tale of danger and delusion, but nobody was sure what really happened. In that excellent book, the facts of the case are reconstructed against the background of trade between Cork and Cobh and the West Indies.

How would todays psychiatrists and courts view Captain Stewarts behaviour? Was his later decline into homicidal mania prompted by guilt, or was mental illness following its natural course? And why has such a strange, intriguing story remained buried for so many years?

This bizarre tragedy, the dramatic court case, and its place in history and folklore are unravelled in this gripping tale.

Speaking of sea and shipping mysteries, of course, brings up that most celebrated of all, the story of the Mary Celeste. Everyone knows how it was discovered adrift and completely deserted off the Azores in 1872, cargo intact, but lifeboat missing. She had left New York for Genoa a month earlier, the ships logs last entry was ten days before she was discovered sailing alone and unmanned, and all the subsequent enquiries could not establish what had happened.

(Originally named the Mary Celeste, she was renamed Marie Celeste in a short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the latter name somehow stuck and became the established one by which she is known today.)

How many realise, though, that the Dei Gratia, the Canadian-owned ship which leapt to fame by discovering it, has an unbreakable link to Cork, more especially Cobh and Youghal?

The Dei Gratia salvaged the abandoned ship and took her into port, where various possibilities of foul play were seriously considered, including mutiny by Mary Celestes crew, piracy by the Dei Gratia crew or others, and conspiracy to carry out insurance or salvage fraud.

No convincing evidence supported these theories, but unresolved suspicions led to a relatively low salvage award. Since then, many hypotheses have been advanced, and fantasies created, including submarine earthquakes, waterspouts, attacks by giant squid, and even paranormal intervention.

The mystery, however, has never been satisfactorily solved.

After the Gibraltar hearings, Mary Celeste continued in service under new owners. In 1885, her captain deliberately wrecked her off the coast of Haiti as part of an attempted insurance fraud.

A bad luck ship, then, as many would say.

But the story of the Dei Gratia takes quite a different twist. She had been making her way from Cobh (then called Queenstown) down along the Spanish coast when she spotted the abandoned vessel and towed her into a safe port.

The captains claim for salvage, though, led to so many attacks and accusations that, after another transatlantic voyage between Ireland and New Brunswick in 1881, her owners decided to sell her to a successful businessman and ship owner in Youghal, one Martin Fleming.

Mr Fleming immediately put her into active use bringing coal across from Wales and she worked this route busily and happily for 25 years. Any descendants of Mr Fleming reading this page? Be sure to make contact and continue the story!

Alas, in 1907, fate caught up with the feisty little Dei Gratia. Sheltering from a December gale in Milford Haven, she slipped her moorings and was blown on to a dangerous reef known as Blackrock near Dale. Here she lay, becoming more and more damaged by the wind and waves, as the local Lloyds agent worriedly indicated in a flurry of telegrams to his head office:

1. Sent steam trawler to her assistance.

2. Sent steamer down this morning to tow her off; not successful. If not successful tonights tide, will go down early morning and wire you from Dale.

3. Re Dei Gratia: Full of water last night, badly holed, deck breaking up. Fear total loss. Will remain here till I can inspect her at low water. Vessel lying against rocks.

Although that is as far as the records go on the UK side of the water, the story continues on the Irish side. Presumably determined to avoid all the hassle of salvage claims and court cases, the Fleming company had the Dei Gratia towed back to her home base.

After that, she became, somewhat ignobly in view of her celebrated history, a coal hulk at the quays in Cobh.

And today? Well, the story of the Dei Gratia has gone into hiding, but is never forgotten. The remains of the boat that discovered the Mary Celeste are said to lie actually under the piers of Haulbowline Island, close by where passengers on todays super cruise liners, their gigantic size unthinkable in the days of that long-ago mystery, can gaze as they sail by.

What stories could that courageous little brigantine tell of that strange sea mystery of long ago, what unrevealed secrets does she hold to herself under those dark, lapping waters?

Send us your memories. Email jokerrigan1@gmail.com. Or leave a comment on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/echolivecork.
AN intrepid Cork woman had always planned to write about her travels to India, before she had ever even landed in the country.

But what Elizabeth OBrien could never have imagined was that shed meet her future husband there, and together theyd embark on a wonderful life adventure.

Nearly two decades later, and staying true to her word, Elizabeth, from Inniscarra, recently launched her memoir, Curry, Chaos And Love  The Story Of An Irish Girls Life-Changing Journey To India, where she shares her charming tale of travels and escapades, and how she met a cheeky, chocolate-eyed Rajasthani boy called Alex.

As a teenager, I always thought I was going to become a professional cellist  I even studied cello at the Royal College of Music in London  but I ended up leaving the intensive world of classical music for the romantic languages, rich culture and sunny lifestyle of the beautiful Mediterranean, said Elizabeth.

Cork author Elizabeth O'Brien, at the launch of her book Curry, Chaos and Love, with her husband Ali and their children Bowie and Summer, at Snout in Ballincollig. Picture: David Keane

My early twenties were spent country-hopping around France, Italy and Spain, working various jobs as a nanny for wealthy families or as a bar-tender in Irish pubs in places such as Paris, Monaco, the Spanish coastal city of Valencia and the tiny town of Salo by Lake Garda, northern Italy, she remembers.

All the time though, as she continued her travels, India called to her.

It took a long time to build up the courage to finally go there.

"I could never give a satisfying reason for having to go, particularly given how daunting it was. When I eventually booked the tickets to Mumbai, my reason was always the same: I just have to go. Looking back now, I think I know why that was! she said.

Elizabeths first trip in 2007 was supposed to be just four-and-a-half months backpacking around the subcontinent.

I planned to immerse myself in the deep spirituality of the land through meditation and yoga. What actually happened was that I befriended two wonderful European backpackers and the three of us took endless overnight bus rides around the vibrant northern state of Rajasthan, chilled out on Goas beaches, partied quite a bit, and fast became wannabe hippies! she laughed.

Two months into her trip, after they had departed for Thailand, she bumped into a sweet, funny crew of Jaipuri boys living and working in Kerala. One of them caught her eye ... and her heart: Alex Ali, who is now her husband, and father to their two children, Bowie, aged five, and Summer, aged 10 months.

Cork author Elizabeth O'Brien, signing a copy of her book Curry, Chaos and Love, for Esther Weekes owner of Snout, at the launch in Snout, Ballincollig. Picture: David Keane

My four-and-a-half months became 10 (with a brief sojourn to Sri Lanka to acquire a new Indian tourist visa) and there followed yet more overnight journeys (India is huge!), an intensive introduction to Alexs entire extended family during his nieces wedding, the dreaded delhi-belly while in the Himalayas and, right at the end of the trip, a deeply transformative 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat.

After a few months back home, working non-stop, I returned to India in November, 2008, for another six months, then moved back to Cork for good finally in May, 2009.

I was tired of living out of a backpack and in serious need of the quiet space and lush nature of Ireland.

In August, 2010, we had a colourful wedding in India and after a year of doing hard long-distance stuff, Alex finally moved to Ireland where weve been based ever since, she said.

The couple run an ethical jewellery business called Caraliza Designs.

Moira Jenkins and Nickie Dowd, supporting the launch of Curry, Chaos and Love by Cork author Elizabeth O'Brien, at Snout in Ballincollig. Picture: David Keane.

It grew out of our special love-story. Alex is from Jaipur in India, the global gemstone capital, and was already selling fine jewellery before we met. The name Caraliza contains both our names (Ali and Liz) and the Gaelic word Cara which of course means dear one or friend. We both design the pieces and theyre handcrafted in sterling silver using traditional tools and methods by a fantastic goldsmith in Jaipur, Ashis, whos been with us since 2015, she said.

Tom O'Brien and Marie Irwin, enjoying the launch of Curry, Chaos and Love by Cork author Elizabeth O'Brien.

They also sell luxuriously soft, pure merino wool shawls in a range of vibrant colours and patterns.

Elizabeth was always toying around with the idea of writing a book.

It was always a plan in my mind before I ever landed in Mumbai and I kept a journal of the entire trip for that reason. But it took a long time for my inner critic to get out of my way and let me start writing it.

Over the years, any time people asked me how I met my husband, they always said the same thing: You should write a book about that. So I finally did!

Philomena O'Brien and Anne O'Neill, are all smiles at the launch of Curry, Chaos and Love by Cork author Elizabeth O'Brien, at Snout in Ballincollig.

She feels strongly about supporting independent retailers, which is why she chose Snout Gifts and Homeware in Ballincollig for her book launch.

Shops like Snout are exactly the kinds of business that we should all be supporting wherever possible, moving away from generic, cheap mass-production to unique, quality products that are more sustainable, original and make the ideal gifts.

Maylissa Mahoney and Anne Downing, attending the launch of Curry, Chaos and Love by Cork author Elizabeth O'Brien, at Snout in Ballincollig.

Snouts proprietor is Esther Weekes and we can make a real difference to the character and charm of our towns if we can support these kinds of stores! said Elizabeth.

Herself and Alex feel so strongly about supporting local that they collaborated with Esther.

Caraliza Designs has been stocked in Snout since 2022 but in April we took on a bigger role where we share the costs of running the store and Im in the shop Tuesdays and Thursdays, said Elizabeth.

Seeing her book complete is a dream come true.

I decided to go down the route of self-publishing because I knew it would give me more autonomy over the book and also because I thought it could take years to finally get a deal with a traditional publishing company or agent.

"Its a challenging and expensive process if you want to do it properly, Ive invested a lot into the process, but Im glad I have as Im extremely proud of the end result.

Curry, Chaos And Love  The Story Of An Irish Girls Life-Changing Journey To India is available in Snout, Ballincollig and from www.caralizadesigns.com.
Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at a campaign event at the Permian Deep Rock Oil Company site in Midland, Texas on Sept. 20, 2023. Brandon Bell / Getty Images

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation on Wednesday that eliminates climate change as a priority in state policymaking, as well as most references to it in state law. Florida is known as one of the most climate-vulnerable states in the country due to its susceptibility to sea level rise, hurricanes and flooding.

The new legislation, which will take effect on July 1, also weakens natural gas pipeline regulations and bans offshore wind turbines off the Florida coast, reported The Washington Post.

The legislation I signed today  HB 1645, HB 7071, and HB 1331  will keep windmills off our beaches, gas in our tanks, and China out of our state, DeSantis said in a social media post on Wednesday. Were restoring sanity in our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of the radical green zealots.

With solar energy thriving in the state, some climate advocates have said the new law would not have much impact on Floridas transition toward renewable energy, The Washington Post reported. It also isnt a big target of the wind industry due to its generally low winds.

Environmentalists said the new regulations dismissed the many climate-related threats facing the state, reported The Hill.

It is extremely alarming that leaders in Tallahassee have eliminated statutory language that recognized the dangers of climate pollution, the importance of energy efficiency, and realities of increasing extreme weather events due to a warming planet, Yoca Arditi-Rocha, executive director of the Miami-based climate advocacy organization CLEO Institute, said in a statement, as The Hill reported.

In a recent survey conducted by Florida Atlantic University, 90 percent of the states residents said they accepted the reality of climate change, while 69 percent supported the state taking action to address the crisis.

Greg Knecht, Floridas Nature Conservancy director, commented that the legislation is very much out of line with public opinion, reported The Washington Post.

Knect said that, while Republicans have directed millions of dollars toward flood control projects, they also portray the reduction of carbon pollution as radical.

On one hand, we recognize that were seeing flooding and were seeing property damage and were seeing hurricanes, and were conveying to the public that we can build our way out of these problems, Knecht said. And then on the other hand, were turning around and saying, Yeah, but climate change isnt really real, and we dont need to do anything about it.

In addition to eliminating climate change from state policy, the regulations took away language that gave state officials the power to set targets for increasing green energy.

What Florida is really doing is saying were going to deemphasize any policies that would help mitigate climate change, said Emily Hammond, a George Washington University professor of law, as CNN reported.

Government agencies are also no longer required to consult a list of climate-friendly products, hold meetings in green lodging hotels or make fuel efficiency a priority in the purchase of new vehicles, reported The Washington Post.

Floridians are on the frontlines of rising sea levels, rising extreme heat, rising property insurance prices, more frequent flooding, and more severe storms. This purposeful act of cognitive dissonance is proof that the Governor and the State Legislature are not acting in the best interests of Floridians, but rather to protect profits for the fossil fuel industry, Arditi-Rocha said, as The Hill reported.
Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

A glowing quartz rod at the end of an experiment in absorbing solar radiation, in which it reached a temperature of 1,050C. Solar process heat above 1,000C can decarbonize industrial applications such as cement manufacturing and metallurgical extraction. Emiliano Casati, Leo Allgoewer and Aldo Steinfeld

Industrial processes like smelting metals or manufacturing cement can be carbon-intensive, as they typically rely on fossil fuels to generate enough energy to produce high temperatures. But researchers have found a way to use solar thermal trapping, rather than fossil fuels, to reduce the emissions of some industrial processes.

To tackle climate change, we need to decarbonize energy in general, said corresponding author Emiliano Casati, of ETH Zurich, Switzerland, as reported by Science Daily. People tend to only think about electricity as energy, but in fact, about half of the energy is used in the form of heat.

Scientists used semitransparent materials, including synthetic quartz, to capture sunlight with a thermal trapping effect. The team connected a synthetic quartz rod, partially lined with platinum, to an opaque silicon carbide disk, which would absorb the sunlight, and exposed one end of the quartz rod to concentrated solar radiation.

After exposing one end of the rod to the concentrated solar radiation, the silicon carbide disk reached 1,050 degrees Celsius (1,922 degrees Fahrenheit), hot enough for smelting metal or cooking cement, among other industrial processes. While that end reached over 1,000 degrees Celsius, the other end of the quartz rod stayed at a temperature of 600 degrees Celsius (1,112 degrees Fahrenheit). The researchers published their findings in the journal Device.

Thermal trapping is not a new concept, but it is typically considered only viable at lower temperatures, Clean Technica reported. The new studys findings reveal the potential for solar-trapping devices to generate enough heat to power even some of the most carbon-intensive industry processes.

Previous research has only managed to demonstrate the thermal-trap effect up to 170C (338F), Casati said in a statement. Our research showed that solar thermal trapping works not just at low temperatures, but well above 1,000C. This is crucial to show its potential for real-world industrial applications.

As reported in the study, heat generation makes up about half of final energy consumption, with 25% of total energy consumption used for industrial processes. Most of this energy consumption for industrial processes relies on power from fossil fuels. By using solar thermal trapping instead to generate high temperatures, industries could reduce their emissions.

Energy issue is a cornerstone to the survival of our society, Casati said. Solar energy is readily available, and the technology is already here. To really motivate industry adoption, we need to demonstrate the economic viability and advantages of this technology at scale.

The solar-trapping device is currently just a proof-of-concept and is not yet ready to scale. The team will continue their research to make their device more efficient and effective, including through testing different materials that can absorb the solar radiation and generate higher temperatures. They also noted that further testing is needed for different coatings or applied surface patterns to reduce reflections.
Soon, AT&T subscribers will have the option to ensure that they have access to cell service even in typical dead zones, like deep inside national parks or far-flung rural locations. The mobile carrier has been working with AST SpaceMobile since 2018 under a Memorandum of Understanding, helping the latter test two-way audio calls, texts and video calls via satellites in space using ordinary smartphones. Now, the companies have entered a definitive commercial agreement, which means AT&T is getting close to offering subscribers the capability to transform their regular phones into legit satellite devices.

Phones need to be close enough to cell towers to be able to get any sort of service. That's why people aren't usually able to call their families, or even text them, when they're in a forest or in the mountains. AT&T's satellite-to-phone service will use satellites as cell towers, and since they're placed in orbit, they're able to provide connectivity even in remote areas.

The companies have reached an agreement just in time for a rocket launch this summer that will ferry five commercial AST satellites to space. Those satellites will enable AT&T to roll out its service and are just the first ones in the company's planned constellation. Unfortunately, AT&T has yet to reveal a specific rollout date for the service, and it's also unclear if it will charge extra for the capability.

Last year, AT&T wrote the FCC to raise concerns about a similar satellite-to-phone technology T-Mobile and SpaceX's Starlink are working on. The two companies formed an alliance in 2022, promising to provide users with a service that they'll be able to access even if they're in the middle of the ocean. SpaceX launched the first Starlink satellites with direct-to-cell service capability in January 2024, and the companies sent and received the first text messages via T-Mobile using the satellites a week later. The carrier said it's planning to offer satellite-based texting to the public sometime this year.
On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives passed a bill that could provide at least some accountability for Ticketmaster and other live event vendors. NBC News reports the TICKET Act (not to be confused with the Senates separate bill with the same try-hard acronym) would mandate that ticket sellers list upfront the total cost of admission  including all fees  to buyers.

In addition to the full pricing breakdown, the bill would require sellers to indicate whether the tickets are currently in their possession. It would also ban deceptive websites from secondary vendors and force sellers to refund tickets to canceled events. The bill doesnt appear to address price gouging or extravagant fees.

It now moves to the Senate, which is floating two separate event-reform bills: the other TICKET Act and a bipartisan Fans First Act. The latter was introduced in December to strengthen the 2016 BOTS Act that bars the use of bots to buy tickets, a practice that Taylor Swift fans (among others) can attest is still all too common.

Reforming the ticketing industry became a political point-scoring item in late 2022 after Ticketmasters Taylor Swift fiasco. The Live Nation-owned service, which has a stronghold on the industry, melted down as millions of fans battled a staggering number of bots. Ticketmaster said presale codes reached 1.5 million fans, but 14 million (including those pesky bots) tried to buy tickets.

Live Nation President and CFO Joe Berchtold testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee in January 2023, where he largely passed the buck to Congress to fix the mess. He suggested the government strengthen the BOTS Act, which one of the Senates bills would try to do. During the hearing, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) needled the executive for dodging blame, accusing the company of pointing the finger at everyone but itself.

Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) issued a joint statement on Wednesday about the Houses TICKET Act. This consensus legislation will end deceptive ticketing practices that frustrate consumers who simply want to enjoy a concert, show, or sporting event by restoring fairness and transparency to the ticket marketplace, the group wrote. After years of bipartisan work, we will now be able to enhance the customer experience of buying event tickets online. We look forward to continuing to work together to urge quick Senate passage so that we can send it to the Presidents desk to be signed into law.

Artists publicly supporting legislation to combat the ticketing industrys failures include (among others) Billie Eilish, Lorde, Green Day, Cyndi Lauper, Jason Mraz and Dave Matthews. We are joining together to say that the current system is broken: predatory resellers and secondary platforms engage in deceptive ticketing practices to inflate ticket prices and deprive fans of the chance to see their favorite artists at a fair price, a joint letter from over 250 musicians reads.
The assistant principal of an Alabama middle school has been charged in connection with the brutal murder of three people over 10 years ago.

Keante Yaundale Harris, along with three other men, were apprehended last week for cold-blooded triple murders, which according to 'The New York Post,' occurred in Union City, Georgia, in January 2013.

Harris, 45, who recently made his first court appearance, is in police custody over the torture and slaying of three victims, who were discovered in an abandoned car along an I-85 exit ramp in Fulton County.

Per the news outlet, Harris is being charged with three counts of malice murder.

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This case was unsolved for nearly 11 years until Harris and the other men; Kenneth Thompson, Kevin Harris, and Darrell Harris, were fingerprinted as suspects and taken into custody, per authorities.

The victims, identified as Cheryl Colquitt, 32, Quinones King, 33, and Rodney Cottrell, 43, were reportedly lured into a residence and forced inside at gunpoint before they were tortured, killed, and stuffed into a 2010 Dodge Charger, according to Clayton County Sheriff's Office.

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Despite three of the men sharing last names, it remains unclear as to whether they are relatives. All four men have been slapped with three counts of malice murder each, per the Sheriff's Office.

The Superintendent of Jefferson County Schools Walter Gonsoulin weighed in saying they are still "gathering facts" about the situation. "We have been made aware that Mr. Keante Harris was arrested Wednesday afternoon," Gonsoulin began. "At this time, we still are gathering facts about the specifics of this situation."

Per the superintendent, Harris has been placed on administrative leave. Harris is employed at McAdory Middle School in McCalla, Alabama.
Kel Mitchell has alleged that his ex-wife, Tyisha Hampton, got pregnant by another man at least three times during their marriage.

The Nickelodeon star made the shocking claims during his interview with Shannon Sharpe on Wednesday's episode of "Club Shay Shay."

Mitchell, who was married to Hampton from 1999 to 2005, claimed that the first alleged instance happened early in their marriage.

According to the 45-year-old actor, before they welcomed their son Lyric, Hampton became pregnant, but they decided to get an abortion.

Mitchell claimed it was only after they welcomed their son in 1999 that Hampton confessed that the fetus they had aborted didn't belong to the "All That" star.

"We had the abortion, but then we had a baby, and she ended up telling me that the baby that was aborted wasn't mine," he alleged to Sharpe.

Asked if "the marriage was never the same after that," Mitchell admitted that he had no time to "really process" his then-wife's alleged confession due to his busy schedule at the time.

Despite this, Mitchell said he "stuck around."

However, Mitchell alleged that Hampton got pregnant again, and the father "wasn't me."

Explaining how he discovered this, the "Kenan & Kel" star recalled that they were no longer having sex at the time "because I knew what was going on." He also claimed his then-wife had stopped coming home.

According to the actor, he decided to search for her one day while on a break from work and saw his other car, which Hampton had been driving, at the parking lot of a nearby hotel.

There, he allegedly crossed paths with a male friend of Hampton's who used to visit their home. He claimed he "had a feeling" when he saw the unnamed man heading to his then-wife's car, confronted him, and told him, "Oh, OK, what's up? Take me upstairs."

Mitchell allegedly found Hampton in the hotel room the man led him to, and she was "surprised" by his sudden appearance.

When Hampton allegedly tried to explain, the actor "walked out" instead of arguing with her.

However, Mitchell said he later decided to go back up and confront Hampton and the man. He suggested an altercation ensued that led to police officers being called.

Despite this, Mitchell said he still tried to make things work with Hampton for the sake of their children, who also include their daughter Allure.

"Like a goofy, still stayed around. We were trying to make it work for the kids," he told Sharpe.

Like a goofy, still stayed around. We were trying to make it work for the kids. - @iamkelmitchell pic.twitter.com/3U9FzQoGGx  Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) May 15, 2024

But he alleged that Hampton got pregnant by another unnamed man for the third time and suffered a miscarriage.

According to the actor, he allegedly only learned about this pregnancy during a doctor's visit for a separate medical issue.

Mitchell decided to finally end the marriage in 2004 when he allegedly received a call from a man, who told him he and Hampton wanted to be together while he was away filming a project.

Mitchell has since moved on with his now wife Asia Lee, whom he married in 2012.

The couple welcomed daughter Wisdom in 2017 and son Honor in 2020.
President Joe Biden has accepted an invitation from CNN to debate Republican candidate Donald Trump in June.

CNN has reported that former President Trump has also accepted the call, leading to a debate which has the potential to set the political tone for the upcoming 2024 campaign.

Biden, 81, took to Twitter, now known as X, to publicly accept the challenge.

"I've received and accepted an invitation from @CNN for a debate on June 27th. Over to you, Donald. As you said: 'anywhere, any time, any place,' " he wrote.

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Ive received and accepted an invitation from @CNN for a debate on June 27th. Over to you, Donald. As you said: anywhere, any time, any place.  Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 15, 2024

CNN's Kaitlan Collins, who has covered presidential news since 2017, also confirmed via X that Trump, 77, has agreed to participate. "The answer is yes, I will accept," he said per the journalist.

The debate, set for June 27, will take place in the sunny state of Georgia, which is also seen as a key swing state for the election. CNN has confirmed there will not be an audience present.

The event will be moderated by 'The Lead' news anchor Jake Tapper and 'Inside Politics' news anchor Dana Bash.

Known for his seemingly competitive nature, Donald Trump took to his own app, TruthSocial, to challenge "Crooked Joe Biden" to a third debate with Fox News; however, Biden's campaign chairwoman, Jen O' Malley Dillon, wants to stick to the terms.

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"Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that I hereby accept debating Crooked Joe Biden on FoxNews. The date will be Wednesday, October 2nd. The Hosts will be Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. Thank you, DJT!" Trump wrote.

In response to the proposal of a third debate, chairwoman Dillon claimed the presidential opponent "made his terms clear for two one-on-one debates, and Donald Trump accepted those terms."

The morning of May 15, a fired up Trump called Biden "the WORST debater" he has ever faced on TruthSocial, accusing the president of not being able to "put two sentences together!" He also stated that it's time Biden "explain to the American people" his highly destructive policies.

"Just tell me when I'll be there. "Let's get ready to Rumble!!!" he concluded.

The declaration of the aforementioned debates smashes long standing political traditions, which typically include scheduled timings, set dates, and locations, stemming back to the 1960's.

Per the news outlet, on Wednesday, both candidates agreed to participate in a second debate, which was offered to them by ABC, scheduled to take place on September 10.
Hundreds of police are scouring northern France for Mohamed Amra, a fugitive known as The Fly, who was freed by gunmen in a brazen attack against a prison van that killed two guards and wounded three.
Children's chorus from China's Hainan charms French audience

People's Daily Online) 15:17, May 16, 2024

(Top) Members of the Li and Miao Ethnic Children's Chorus of Wuzhishan rehearse at Shuiman Central School in Wuzhishan city, south China's Hainan Province. (Photo/Li Tianping)

(Bottom) Members of the Li and Miao Ethnic Children's Chorus of Wuzhishan sing at Shuiman Central School in Wuzhishan city, south China's Hainan Province. (Photo/Li Tianping)

The Li and Miao Ethnic Children's Chorus of Wuzhishan from south China's Hainan Province performed the song "Sing Wuzhishan to France" in both Chinese and French at a theater in Paris on May 4, receiving warm applause from the audience.

Elizabeth Trigo, director of the Paris Polysons Choir, expressed her delight, saying, "Children from both countries celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and China together, allowing us to better understand each other. It's a moment worth remembering."

On May 6, the two choirs sang songs together, including the famous Chinese folk song "Jasmine Flower," during a concert celebrating the China-France friendship. The Li and Miao Ethnic Children's Chorus of Wuzhishan prepared seven songs during its cultural exchange tour in France.

For most members of the chorus, this was their first time leaving Hainan Province. Just over a year ago, even the word "chorus" was unfamiliar to them.

Gao Li, head of the rural revitalization working team in Shuiman township, Wuzhishan city, sought to integrate rural revitalization with culture and invited teachers Liu Min and Yang Chun to strengthen music education at Shuiman Central School.

The Li and Miao Ethnic Children's Chorus of Wuzhishan was established in August 2022, consisting of shy children with little knowledge of music theory. Liu wrote six songs incorporating familiar plants, scenery, and rural scenes, including "I Love My Hometown Wuzhishan."

Through diligence and dedication, the children honed their skills, gained confidence, and received an invitation to perform at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2023.

"The children have changed a lot. The chorus has opened up more opportunities for them," Liu said.

In 2023, when French President Emmanuel Macron visited China, the French children's song "If I Went to China" gained widespread popularity online.

Inspired by the French song, the Chinese version of "Sing Wuzhishan to France" was created a few months later, expressing the hope for enduring friendship between China and France.

Members of the Li and Miao Ethnic Children's Chorus of Wuzhishan pose for a group photo in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. (Photo courtesy of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Wuzhishan Municipal Committee)

In January, a national tourism promotion event named "Nihao! China," co-hosted by China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Chinese Embassy in France, was held in Paris. A music video of the song "Sing Wuzhishan to France," performed by the Li and Miao Ethnic Children's Chorus of Wuzhishan, was played at the event. Soon after, the chorus received an invitation from the Paris Polysons Choir to perform together.

Liu adapted the song into a French version, and Shuiman Central School invited a French teacher to help chorus members perfect their pronunciation.

On May 12, the chorus members returned to Wuzhishan after their cultural exchange tour in France.

Wang Mingjian, a 12-year-old member of the chorus, said, "I made new friends and visited many places in Paris. I was very happy and want to sing to even more people in the future."

Liu expressed his hope that Shuiman Central School will maintain its focus on music education to enable more children to cultivate their character and broaden their horizons while continuing to carry forward the friendship between China and France.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Early in my first year at the Big U, a new friend from Chicagos South Side asked me what he thought was an innocent question. Youre from southern Illinois, began Vince, so why dont you talk like a hillbilly?

Like a what? I asked.

You know, he explained, why dont you talk with a drawl and say aint a lot?

When I told him no one I knew in southern Illinois spoke like that, Vince, a budding engineer, was unable to square his circle. For years thereafter he introduced me as a farm boy from southern Illinois but not a hillbilly!

Vinces unchanging understanding served his unchanging ignorance. Hillbilly, to him, was anything or anyone  including me  somehow connected to the word southern.

He wasnt alone. Canadian rocker Neil Young made a similar leap in his 1970 anthem Southern Man. In his 2012 autobiography, Waging Heavy Peace, however, Young apologized for the mistake.

Others have made the jump and remain comfortable in their view of southern and rural. J.D. Vance, a one-time venture capitalist and now U.S. senator from Ohio, won instant acclaim with his 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, set in Appalachia. The New York Times called it one of the six best books to understand Trumps win later that year.

Others  me included  read it and thought it was more Vince-like than Vance-like: hollow, shallow and more commercial than cerebral. Vances fellow Appalachian, economist William Easterly, called Elegy a sloppy analysis of collections of people  coastal elites, flyover America, Muslims, immigrants, people without college degrees

I wouldnt have been so kind.

Now comes another presidential election year, another election featuring Donald Trump, and another book to explain why me and my extended, white rural family are so enraged at our position in life that we are not just a but the biggest threat to our nations

survival.

Like most books about rural, white folk these days, White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy, is also a New York Times bestseller.

But dozens of critics, many whose research the books co-authors, Paul Waldman and Thomas S. Schaller cite, are less thrilled. Several, like Nicholas F. Jacobs in his April 4 takedown of the book for Politico, have made clear that the books use of their scholarly work has been misinterpreted and misunderstood.

Jacobs, a political scientist at Maines Colby College, continues: What the authors get wrong about rural America is exactly what many Democrats have been getting wrong for decades (T)hat rural political identity has morphed into resentment  a collective grievance against experts, bureaucrats, intellectuals, and the party that seeks to empower them, Democrats.

But resentment, Jacobs rightly points out, is not rage. Resentment is rational, a reaction based on some sort of negative experience. Rage, however, implies irrationality, anger that is unjustified and out of proportion.

Thats true for most rural voters that I know: they are rational, resentful and Republican because they see the institutions at the center of their lives  churches, schools, families and communities  rapidly changing with only one political party, the GOP, consistently acknowledging the changes.

To them, its about politics, not policy; practicality, not philosophy; empathy, not antipathy.

And, sure, many GOP politicians have made an art of telling rural Americans exactly what they want to hear. Unlike so many Democratic politicians, however, at least they show up to ask.

Former Speaker of the House Thomas P. Tip ONeill often told the story of how after his initial election to Congress in 1952 he asked his mother if she had voted for him. Yes, she replied, but it was close.

Close? asked the wounded son. Why? Because, she said, you never asked me.

I learned that night, ONeill explained, that all politics are local.

Any rural American can tell you the same thing. Just come by and ask.
While our row crop producers have the pedal down planting produce growers are getting ramped up for your local farm markets, syrup producers can finally breathe and dairy farmers never do seem to slow down. For me, its time to focus back on our trees. Ive been blessed to have a service forester for a father, so with that came a family tree farm.

Is there a bad time to start planning? No, but as the showy redbuds and dogwoods fade to blooming locust and late leafing walnut, its time for me to focus on planning and managing our woods. It is purely personal preference as to how you want to manage your woods, but if there is one thing everyone should do, it is plan. This spectrum stretches from preservation to full-on production woodlots.

With variety comes an opportunity to fit your personal, or as in my case, family goals. The fun part for me is that our plan is not just for my generation, but our kids and, realistically, also our grandkids. Without a plan, rushing headlong into some unadvised option can be a 40-60 year decision; the one challenge with trees is we are planning the long game.

Invasives. Whether you are planning for preservation, wildlife, recreation, syrup production or timber, there are common challenges. We live in a world of invasive species: plants, animals or insects that arent native and live to out-compete our native species.

With invasives, it doesnt matter your overall plan; be on the lookout. With many of invasives, it can take very little time to create a problem that will take years to rectify. For my tree farm, weve been working on grapevines, ailanthus (tree of heaven) and multiflora rose for years, and we are now battling Japanese stiltgrass and autumn olive on trails and openings.

Cutting

In many plans, there is some provision for cutting trees. While not a required practice, nature is going to do it regardless. As trees mature, their goal is food production, bigger canopy, taller canopy and larger tree. The only way this naturally happens is to out-compete their neighbors.

Planning can allow you to guide this process, removing undesirable species and encouraging those in the plan. This management takes as many forms as there are tree species, so working with a professional forester is a huge benefit.

Multiple uses

Another fun part of the planning process is that different priorities can be utilized on different areas of the same property. A fantastic example is a tree farm I get to frequent here in Holmes County. There are areas of preservation and historic old growth that stretch back hundreds of years. Just across the ridge is an area focused on timber production. All of this is present while incorporating areas of native prairie and a pond. Multiple uses all on the same property is common, but all ties back to a great plan.

Getting started

Piqued an interest in creating your own plan? Starting with professional advice is as easy as a phone call or email. The resources are out there for everything from a simple walk in the woods to a detailed U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Management Plan. There are also organizations such as the Ohio Forestry Association, the Society of American Foresters or farm bureaus that have programs, services and individuals that are ready and willing to support you and your goals.

Id be remiss if I also didnt encourage talking to your local service forester. They are another fantastic resource with experience and perspective that can help guide your plans. While these professionals are busy, I havent met one that wouldnt rather be in the woods with a landowner rather than in an office doing paperwork.

Your local soil and water conservation district can also be a resource to connect you with a forestry professional. Many SWCDs put on programs and workshops introducing different ideas and connecting producers. These workshops are not exclusive to county residents; we welcome all who are interested.

One upcoming workshop Holmes SWCD is working on will be May 23 and will focus on what to do before a timber harvest: timber Marking, timber stand improvement and invasive control. The workshop will include perspectives from professional foresters and industry personnel.

Regardless of who you work with to develop a plan, do it! It doesnt have to be fancy, expensive or all encompassing, but you wouldnt leave for a vacation without a plan  why should your forest be any different?
Many people like to wait for life to happen to them, and others actively search out what life experiences they can find. Meghan OReilly is an active searcher, wanting life to be a rich adventure.

A self-described 25-year-old Geauga County native farm kid who participated in 4-H from the time she can remember, OReillys family owns a farm that produces soybeans, corn and hay. She said her parents encouraged her to grab hold of life and hang on, and she naturally feels drawn to varied experiences, especially those that involve travel.

I believe that you should take hold of every opportunity that comes your way, she said. Saying no to something is all that holds you back.

Her latest adventure, and one she wants to share with anyone who will listen, was made possible through the International Farm Youth Exchange. Because she loves to learn about the global community, her father encouraged her to apply. The organization has been providing exchange programs abroad for young adults since 1948. OReilly had completed her degree in visual communication design from Kent State, and was doing freelance graphic design work.

Being young and unencumbered by family or job responsibilities, she knew that she had the luxury of fully immersing herself in travel. Add to that, her father, David Kevin OReilly, had participated in the program 30 years ago and found it to be a fantastic learning opportunity for him.

This young woman has a warm smile that flows like maple syrup. She gestures with her hands while she talks, accenting the important points with a staccato rhythm to emphasize her passion.

I chose a six-month experience and traveled to Taiwan for three months and Zambia, Africa for the second three months, she said. Her expenses were partially paid for in Taiwan by a scholarship from the United Soybean Board. The remainder of her expenses were paid for by donors and her own savings. There were 17 outbound students and 21 inbound who were part of the exchange last year.

Taiwan

In Taiwan, OReilly got to see firsthand how soybeans are housed in an air-conditioned facility for quality control. This is to prevent fermentation because of the high humidity in that country. She was privy to listen, like a fly on the wall, to business discussions of Cortland, Ohio farmer Dan Schwarz and Mr. Lin, the Taiwanese buyer of the beans, as they discussed purchase contracts for the upcoming year. She saw the main food staple of creamy soy tofu used in just about every meal and in every way imaginable.

In Taiwan, the climate is very tropical. There are mountains in the center, and the rice and vegetables are grown on the other side of the country, away from the typhoons. They are concentrating on growing more organic produce to meet demand, OReilly said.

She enjoyed excursions to tea farms, and she marveled at the ways that the Taiwanese government supported agriculture and exchange programs of this type.

Africa

The second three months of her journey was in Zambia, Africa. She said that the locals were always so willing and welcoming to learn and to show her what they were doing.

The farmers use the resources they have  particularly for fertilizers, which otherwise is very expensive, she said. They are learning self-sustaining ways of using native plant varieties to fight off their own insects and diseases in their area.

She added that organically produced foods are also becoming more of a priority in Zambia. She learned that sadza, a somewhat bland but affordable thick porridge made of African cornmeal, is a staple here.

Whether talking about water erosion or making dolls from corn husks, OReilly paid attention to the culture around her and absorbed it. The little children were delightful, she said, adding that they enjoyed playing games with her or braiding her hair.

I was nervous about details like what to pack or how I would communicate. But it all worked out. The IFYE really takes care of planning everything, and I was able to use Google Translator on my phone to speak with anyone. Its slow, but it works, she laughed, saying that while native tribal languages are spoken in Africa, just about everyone also speaks English.

OReilly moved about in the countries to various host families, hotels and short-term rentals. She moved about every two weeks, so she met a wide variety of people. She did become a bit homesick sometimes, especially with sometimes sparse cell phone service in Africa, but otherwise found herself so busy and intrigued that it wasnt an ongoing problem.

Upon her return, she was hoping for snow as she is an avid downhill skier and snowboarder. Instead, she was met with gray skies and a rather wimpy northeast Ohio slush. But her family brought Chik-Fil-A chicken to the airport, and she was very pleased with the treat.

The chicken in Zambia is very bony. I really appreciated some good chicken, she said.

More information

Those interested in learning more about the IFYE program can gain information and contacts through the website at IFYEUSA.org.

The program serves young adults 19 to 30 years old and applications are available in October for those wishing to travel in 2025.

The program motto is Peace through Understanding. Last years cost for the six-month excursion was $6,600, which included air fare. There are also shorter programs of two- or three-month lengths.
Campaigners have called for more regulatory alignment with the EU amid delays of up to 20 hours in Dover, with many lorries carrying perishable food products.

Lorries from the European Union were being held for up to 20 hours at the UKs busiest Brexit border post, according to recent media reports.

It comes as the UK government's new border control checks were brought in at the start of this month after more than a three year delay.

But businesses have described these checks as a disaster after IT outages led to lorries carrying meat, cheese and cut flowers from the EU being held for long periods.

The checks are necessary to ensure that food and plant products entering the UK from the EU meet required standards.

But campaign group Best for Britain have said that if the UK were to align standards with the EU where beneficial - such as in the case of animal and plant products - then these checks would not be required.

The UK Trade and Business Commission recommended, in their May 2023 report, the introduction of a new Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and veterinary equivalence agreement with the EU to "facilitate seamless trade in livestock, plants, and related products.

It is one of 114 recommendations made by the commission to improve trade and grow the economy.

Tom Brufatto, director of policy at Best for Britain, said the government's "artificial barriers to trade were always going to be damaging to business".

"Its beggars belief that even after three years of delays they still arent functioning properly meaning more costs for struggling businesses, which will inevitably be passed onto consumers.

This border chaos must end, and the best way to do that is through an SPS agreement with our European neighbours, as part of a broader policy of beneficial regulatory alignment.

A Defra spokesperson confirmed that power outage over the weekend affected one of the systems required to process imports.

"For the majority of vehicles at the border there were no significant delays, but we immediately activated contingency arrangements for affected vehicles, working alongside HMRC and Border Force.

We are working at pace to resolve the issue and expect that systems will be returning to normal functioning soon.

"Since the introduction of checks, our teams have been working closely with traders to ensure checks are completed efficiently and swiftly.
Farmers will benefit from health and wellbeing support over the next two years following a successful 150,000 funding bid by a consortium of agricultural organisations.

The six-figure sum, awarded by Defra, is being shared between numerous groups based in the north of England, including for the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and Farmer Network, among others.

The funding comes at a time when farmers are working to meet the challenges of adapting to major changes to government farm payments.

Meanwhile, recent months of wet weather has damaged crops and resulted in high losses over lambing.

Using the funds, the bid partners seek to enhance their collective mission to build connected and resilient farming communities, and keep farming stronger for longer.

To do so, they will deliver 14 farming focused first aid training courses and 10 mental health awareness courses for farmers and those working with farmers.

They will also undertake activities to reduce isolation in rural communities such as social events, lunch clubs, farm visits and other trips.

There will be support for groups, such as women in farming, the over 50s and younger farmers over the age of 28 who are too old to attend Young Farmer Club events.

Some 38 events will be organised by Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Services (UTASS), the Farmer Network and the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.

Regular outreach clinics will be set up at seven auction marts across Cumbria, Yorkshire and Durham before the end of 2024.

These aim to provide useful information about farm support schemes, to help farmers access their Rural Payments Agency account and to signpost to other support.

One-to-one advice will be provided to 22 farm businesses, and four workshops will help farming communities become more resilient by focusing on topics such as succession planning and health and safety on farms.

And Field Nurse, a small charity established in 2016, will be recruiting two more Field Nurses and an extra trailer to extend its service into two new auction marts in Cumbria and North Yorkshire.

Adam Day, managing director of the Farmer Network said: We very much welcome this funding from Defra which will enable us to deliver a range of activities to support farmer health and welfare.

"This will include outreach clinics at auction marts, events to reduce isolation, one to one advice and workshops to help the farming community become more resilient.

We also very much welcome the opportunity to work with our partner organisations - UTASS, Field Nurse and the Yorkshire Agricultural Society. Together we aim to provide support to farmers across the North of England.

The sum is being shared between the Farmer Network in Cumbria, the Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland, the Yorkshire Agricultural Societys Yorkshire Rural Support Network, UTASS based in the Durham Dales and Field Nurse, which operates across Lancashire and North Yorkshire.
Men with medium status jobs are unhappier than those in low-ranking positions.

Men in medium status jobs are the unhappiest

A new study conducted by SP Jain London School of Management set out to discover if there is a connection between occupation and life satisfaction and found that those in the "miserable middle" were the unhappiest.

The team surveyed 13,500 people from across Britain over a period of 20 years - with participants asked to rate their life satisfaction on a scale of one to seven while their occupational status was measured in accordance with a standard scale.

However, no link was found between job status and life satisfaction in women.

Professor Yannis Georgellis, who led the research, said: "The 'miserable middle' is caused by men who are never in high-or-low-status jobs.

"Equally, individuals who move from low-to-middle-status jobs may be frustrated not to move to the top of the career leader. But men who have always been in low-status roles don't experience this frustration."
Herpes has been found in 50,000-year-old Neanderthal bones.

Scientists have found traces of herpes in Neanderthal bones

Brazilian researchers have uncovered remnants of the herpesviruses - which can cause blisters or sores to develop around the mouth and genitals - in the DNA of two male Neanderthals found in a Russian cave.

Previous findings have suggested that Neanderthals could have gone extinct due to viruses and the new study provides further validation for the theory.

The boffins are now hoping to synthesise the viruses and infect human cells in a laboratory to see how they compare to modern-day infectious illnesses.

Marcelo Briones, lead author of the study at the Federal University of Sao Paulo, told NewScientist: "These Jurassic Park-like viruses could then be studied for their reproductive and pathogenic traits and compared to present-day counterparts.

"I am sceptical that this could be achieved given the lack of full understanding of how the viruses' DNA is damaged and how to reconstruct the recovered pieces into a full viral genome.

"Also, the host-virus interaction, especially in a completely different environment, is something to consider."
Brad Pitt is "madly in love" with Ines De Ramon.

Brad Pitt is loving life at the moment

The 60-year-old actor began dating the jewellery designer back in 2022, and Brad is still loving life with Ines.

A source told Us Weekly: "Being with her has brought new meaning to his life. Brad cant rave enough about how madly in love he is.

"They complement each other."

Brad and Ines are "still going strong" and they appear to be a good match for one another.

The insider shared: "Ines is very zen and doesnt like conflict or negativity."

Brad has been involved in an acrimonious legal battle with ex-wife Angelina Jolie over recent years.

But Ines hopes the movie star is able to "patch things up with Angelina".

The source added: "Ines [wants] Brad to find peace, forgive and move on.

"From her perspective, it doesnt make sense for him to hold on to all the animosity."

Earlier this year, a source claimed that Brad "finally feels happy again".

The Hollywood star really appreciates having the "support" of his girlfriend.

The insider told PEOPLE: "Although he's always been surrounded by trusted friends, he still had years when he felt very lonely.

"Sharing his life and living with Ines now makes his very happy. Ines is great. She doesn't come with any baggage and is able to just support him."

Brad's close friends ultimately "just [want] him to be happy" with Ines.

The 'Meet Joe Black' star - who was married to Angelina between 2014 and 2019 - is now firmly focused on the future, rather than worrying about his past relationships.

The insider shared: "It's been very stressful for him to have to defend over and over again. But since things don't seem to change, he's trying to move on with his life."
Katie Maloney feels she's been "very supportive" of Ariana Madix throughout her recent successes.

Katie Maloney feels she's been supportive of her co-star

The 37-year-old star - who created a sandwich shop, called Something About Her, with her co-star - has rubbished suggestions that she's "mad" at Ariana for focusing on her stage career instead of their business venture.

Katie wrote on Instagram: "Im someone who has suffered from imposters syndrome for as long as I have known myself. Hence why I was apprehensive about opening the sandwich shop on my own. So when Ariana was going through not only a world of hurt but also getting some amazing opportunities. That changed a lot of things during a pivotal time. I was extremely sensitive to what she was going through but also very supportive (sic)"

Ariana, 38, recently made her Broadway debut in a production of 'Chicago' and she's been named as the new host of 'Love Island USA', following her acrimonious split from Tom Sandoval.

Katie has now clarified why she confided in Lala Kent as she battled her own insecurities.

The reality TV star continued: "I was also dealing with immense insecurity about what I could take on and simply didn't want to put that on her. I had an emotional response that didn't feel appropriate bringing to her front door so I went to where I felt safe. Until I could find the appropriate conversation was to have with Ariana. Which of course I did. And we have had plenty of since. (sic)"

Ariana is best-known for her appearances on 'Vanderpump Rules' - but she recently revealed that she see a future for herself outside of reality TV.

The actress - who is playing Roxy Hart in a Broadway production of 'Chicago' - told E! News: "Being on Broadway is my number one thing. I'm so proud of myself for being able to do that."
Paris Hilton has insisted she is "still learning" as a mother after concern from fans on social media.

Paris Hilton is 'still learning' as a new mother

The 43-year-old socialite - who has son Phoenix, 16 months, and six-month-old daughter London with her husband Carter Reum - has responded after her TikTok followers questioned the way she had installed her kids' car seats during a recent trip as they were in forward-facing seats despite advice to the contrary.

Sharing another clip with her children in rear-facing seats, she wrote: "Thanks for the mom advice, I'm new to this."

According to the California Highway Patrol, children under the age of two should ride in a rear-facing car seat until they weight 40lbs or more, or they're 40 inches or taller.

One of her followers was glad Paris didn't take "offence" to her fans sharing their concerns.

She replied: "No, I'm not taking offense. I am a new mom and just learning as I go.

"So I appreciate advice when it is kind as I'm just trying to be the best mom I can be."

And when another praised the star for showing she was "vulnerable and not perfect", she responded: "No one is perfect, love you."

Paris recently admitted her children are "like twins" due to their small age gap, and the 'Stars Are Blind' hitmaker is looking forward to seeing them get even closer as they grow up.

Speaking on her 'I Am Paris' podcast, she said: [London] loves her big brother. It's so cute just to see them together. He is just so sweet and gentle with her 

"And sometimes she'll be in her little rocker and he'll stand there and kinda like rock it back and forth. And she'll just look up at him with the biggest smile. And you can just tell that she just completely adores her big brother.

I'm just so excited to watch them grow up together and be best friends."

The former 'Simple Life' star recently admitted she had never known love like what she has experienced since having her children.

She gushed on Instagram: "Ive dreamed of having a daughter named London for as long as I can remember Im so grateful she is here I truly cherish every moment I spend with her.

"Together with Phoenix, my angel babies have shown me a love that I never even knew could run so deep before I became their mother."
Sharon Stone believes Kevin Spacey should be allowed to resume his acting career.

Sharon Stone wants Kevin Spacey to resume his career

The 66-year-old actress has hailed the Oscar-winning actor as a "genius" and suggested that he's the victim of his own fame and success, after Spacey was charged - and later acquitted - of committing a series of alleged sexual offences in the US and the UK.

The actress told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: "I cant wait to see Kevin back at work.

"He is a genius. He is so elegant and fun, generous to a fault and knows more about our craft than most of us ever will."

Sharon believes that aspiring actors "wanted and want to be around" Spacey, 64.

She added: "Its terrible that they are blaming him for not being able to come to terms with themselves for using him and negotiating with themselves because they didnt get their secret agendas."

Spacey was blacklisted by Hollywood following the abuse allegations in 2017. But Liam Neeson has now joined calls to allow Spacey to resume his career.

The award-winning actor said: "I was deeply saddened to learn of these accusations against him.

"Kevin is a good man and a man of character. Hes sensitive, articulate and non-judgemental, with a terrific sense of humour. He is also one of our finest artists in the theatre and on camera.

"Personally speaking, our industry needs him and misses him greatly."

Meanwhile, Stephen Fry fears Spacey's reputation has already been "wrecked" by the allegations.

The 66-year-old actor said: "Surely it is wrong to continue to batter a reputation on the strength of assertion and rhetoric rather than evidence and proof?"

The veteran star observed that Spacey has already "paid the price", even though the allegations haven't been proven.

Spacey always denied the allegations of sexual assault, and has been cleared following trials in London and New York.
CitySuites I & II

CitySuites I-II

Based in the centre of Manchester, these modern concepts are a cross between an apartment and a hotel, - an Aparthotel.

There are a range of I, 2, or 3, bedroom suites available to rent from a one night, to twelve month stay, or anything in between. Each apartment is equipped with a fully fitted kitchen, 50 smart tv, and unlimited superfast WI-FI, meaning you wont be without your home comforts during your stay.

We stayed in CitySuites II in New Kings Head Yard just off Chapel Street, the companies second Aparthotel.

Arrival

Arriving Saturday lunchtime, secure parking was just minutes away, so it was a quick walk round to hotel reception to get booked in.

Reception

Booking in was straightforward, the receptionist completed the paperwork, explained all about our suite, where the Embankment Kitchen Restaurant was, and where the spa pool, and gym facilities were located. He answered all our questions before giving us the key cards. We were directed us to the lifts, we were on the 10th floor.

The Apartment

We were staying in a Two bedroom City Apartment. When you walk in it like stepping into a luxury city centre apartment. To our left was a huge bathroom, complete with toilet, bath and shower. There was a full set of luxury shampoo and shower gels, huge bath towels, face towels and bath robes.

Next was the main bedroom complete with king size bed, bedside tables, wardrobes, dressing table, a wall mounted TV. Two large full length windows gave panoramic views across Manchester one way and the Pennines the other way - stunning.

Stepping back out across the corridor took you into the ulta smart fully fitted kitchen dining space, complete with a matching four seater dining table.

Beyond this opened out into what can only be described as a large luxurious living space, with two settees, coffee table, and a wall mounted 50smart TV.

Fitted Kitchen

Living Room

To the right off the living space was a door which led to the second bedroom, a large bedroom again with a 50 smart TV, wardrobes, and a walk in shower room and toilet, fitted out with lovely extra-large fluffy towels and 'The White Company' shampoo, soaps, and shower gel.

The apartment was stunning and each of the rooms had breath-taking views over the city sights.

Indoor Spa Pool

The 18m Spa pool

On the ground floor was the spa pool which featured an 18m swimming pool and a jacuzzi perfect for relaxation and revitalising both body and mind. The pool area was very modern and contemporary ideal for swimming while chilling in the jacuzzi as you put your days stresses to one side and unwound.

Exclusive Gym

Want to fit a workout during your stay  then check out the gym which is fitted with the latest high-grade Matrix equipment. Whether a quick session or an extended workout you will enjoy the exclusive in house gym.

Exclusive Gym

I tried out the Gym early the next morning, it was very well fitted out allowing me to work through my full exercise routine and while working out it afforded me great views of the City.

After my workout I joined my partner in the spa pool area to relax and chill before a session in the steam room easing the aches from my work out.

Feeling suitably relaxed we returned to our room to get ready for breakfast after which we would be checking out.

The Embankment Kitchen

The Embankment Kitchen

The Embankment Kitchen is located on the ground floor at CitySuites I, it is open daily and is where guests take breakfast and have evening meals.

We we took our evening meal at the Embankment Kitchen, on arrival we were shown to a secluded booth by our waiter who took explained the menu before taking our drinks order.

A delicious Steak

My partner had the Beer Battered Cod the while I had the Rib eye steak, we decided against having a dessert due to the portions being so generous so we retired to the bar for a couple of glasses of wine to finish off a wonderful evening.

We both thought the team at the Embankment Kitchen are wonderful and looked after us extremely well making sure that we got the best service at all times.

Breakfast was also served in the Embankment Kitchen. Breakfast was the usual choices all served to your table.

Location

CitySuites II is set in the centre of Manchester less than five minutes stroll from the shopping area of Deansgate and the Arndale Centre, both housing famous big names as well as artisan shops found in the Corn Exchange.

Within a stones throw of here you will find yourself in the heart of Manchesters Cafe culture, dining, club. and music scene, with an abundance of eating venues. Then there is the AO Arena boasting top acts such as Take That, with movie fans will be keen to visit The Print Works iMax Cinema complex, all also within walking distance.

Conclusion

This was the first time we had tried Aparthotel and I can only say that from start to finish the whole experience was wonderful, the place was immaculate, the people were wonderful, they just could not do enough to help make sure our stay went perfectly.

Whether its a 1 night stay or a week with a group of friends this is the place to go and be looked after and spoilt while enjoying the city life without the hassle.

To find out more about Manchester CitySuites ApartHotels click Here

1 New Kings Head Yard, Manchester M3 7GF Phone: 0161 302 0202

by Matt Shine for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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PARIS, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ProLogium, a global leader in lithium ceramic battery technology, announced the choice of Paris-Saclay (Ile-de-France) as the location for its first R&D Center outside Taiwan. The initiative marks a pivotal milestone in ProLogium's commitment to facilitate local supply chain and technology development activities for next-generation batteries in Europe.

At a press conference attended by guests including French minister of Transport Patrice Vergriete, Armand Ajdari, Chief Technology Officer, Arkema, and Yohan Souteyrand, Vice-President Industrial Partnerships, CEA-LITEN, ProLogium unveiled plans for a cutting-edge laboratory facility, designed to spearhead the development of lithium ceramic battery technologies tailored for the European market.

Under the leadership of ProLogium Group Chief Scientist Dmitry Belov, both R&D centers in France and Taiwan will work together, leveraging synergies between them. Combined with ProLogium's original center in Taiwan, this new facility and its highly qualified scientific staff will allow ProLogium to ensure close cooperation with the battery industry and strategic partners in France and the EU to validate and smoothly transfer materials and technology for the Dunkirk factory and European market.

These advancements will seamlessly integrate into the commercial production processes at ProLogium's future Dunkirk gigafactory. The R&D center will feature two laboratories: "L'Odyssee" slated to open in 2024, and "L'lliade", a large-scale lab center that is scheduled to open in early 2025.

"ProLogium has persistently pursued the electrification transformation through cutting-edge lithium ceramic battery technologies. Our R&D efforts in front-end electrolyte exploration, battery cell structure innovation, and manufacturing process design have become our paramount strengths. This year, the gigawatt-scale production demonstration line we inaugurated in Taiwan stands as tangible proof of our successful transition from the laboratory to mass production. As we embark on the final stretch from production lines to the market, we aim to integrate the technological strengths of Taiwan and France." Vincent Yang, Founder and Chairman of ProLogium, remarked. "France hosts a world-leading cluster of enterprises and talent in advanced materials and simulation technology. Expanding ProLogium's R&D footprint to Paris-Saclay and deepening the cooperation with the local ecosystem are critical strategies as we commit to building a localized value chain for European customers, We appreciate the strong support spanning from central government and leading research institutions to local authorities in the Paris-Saclay region. We are looking forward to the innovative sparks that will emerge here."

Recognized as one of the world's top 8 innovation clusters, Paris-Saclay stands as a beacon of innovation excellence in France and Europe. It not only houses top-tier universities and an innovative industrial ecosystem, but also provides comprehensive infrastructure and logistical support for businesses, enabling ProLogium to establish its laboratories faster and more efficiently. ProLogium's decision to establish its R&D presence here underscores the company's strategic vision to leverage top scientific talent and resources within this vibrant ecosystem.

ProLogium will participate in the Paris-Saclay Spring 2024 event taking place on May 16th-17th. The annual event of the leading deep-tech ecosystem in Europe brings together startups and innovative companies, 2 globally recognized academic institutions and over 16,000 researchers for a rich program which in 2024 will spotlight the Cleantech sector.

Meanwhile, ProLogium and Arkema, a global leader in specialty materials, have signed a LOI (Letter of Intent). The collaboration will initially focus on the development of advanced high-performance materials tailored for ProLogium's lithium ceramic batteries, with plans to take full advantage of Arkema's extensive suite of inside-the-cell technologies.

Armand Ajdari, Chief Technology Officer at Arkema, stated, "We are committed to jointly driving technologies that offer higher energy density, enhanced safety, and sustainable development. ProLogium has chosen France, home to our headquarters and flagship R&D center, and we look forward to an exciting chapter built on collaboration and innovation."

"The ProLogium R&D team is thrilled about the forthcoming interactions with the advanced materials industry and academia. We are poised to establish multidimensional, cross-border, and cross-disciplinary collaborations, collectively driving new international standards in lithium ceramic battery research and development." Dmitry Belov, Head of the R&D Center stated. "The new center signifies a monumental step towards recruiting top talent, devising strategic research cooperation plans, and advancing the frontiers of lithium ceramic battery technology. We are committed to fostering innovation and driving sustainable solutions for the European market."

About ProLogium:

Established in 2006, ProLogium is an energy innovation company specializing in the research and manufacturing of lithium ceramic battery solutions for electric vehicles, consumer markets, and industrial applications. The company's exclusive technologies encompass over 750 global patents (including pending and granted). ProLogium has delivered nearly 8,000 samples of next-generation batteries produced by fully automated pilot production lines for global automakers to test and develop modules. ProLogium's first gigafactory production line, located in Taoyuan, Taiwan, will begin supplying automakers in 2024, contributing to accelerate capacity expansion in key markets around the world.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/prologium-initiates-establishment-of-rd-center-in-paris-saclay-pioneering-a-link-between-local-innovative-value-chain-and-mass-production-302147001.html
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - May 15, 2024) - Today, Coofandy, a renowned men's fashion brand, announced a series of initiatives to celebrate the 2024 graduates. These include a new line of stylish blazers, exclusive discounts, and two major offline events in Boston.







The newly launched collection features a variety of blazers for graduations and other formal occasions. These blazers are crafted with detailed craftsmanship and utilize high-quality materials to provide comfort and aesthetic appeal. The collection offers a range of styles, including classic black and bold prints, to cater to diverse preferences.

Coofandy is scheduled to host two exclusive events in Boston this May, aimed at elevating the graduation season with flair. The first event, the Coofandy Graduation Party, will take place on May 17 at CIC One Broadway, Cambridge. The Coofandy College Commencement Rundown will follow this on May 18 at The Tower: A Longwood Venue, Boston, MA.

Attendees will have the opportunity to view Coofandy's latest blazer collection along with potential prize opportunities.

Sam Anderson, marketing manager at Coofandy, commented on the initiative, "We are thrilled to offer exclusive gifts and events to celebrate the achievements of 2024 graduates. We aim to make high-quality fashion accessible to all, ensuring that every graduate can look their best on their big day."

Visit Coofandy's website to explore its new blazer collection and exclusive deals for 2024 graduates.

About Coofandy

Coofandy is a fashion brand specializing in men's apparel. It offers a wide range of products, from casual to formal attire. Known for its innovative designs and quality craftsmanship, Coofandy has become a go-to brand for men seeking style, comfort, and value. The company is committed to providing fashion-forward pieces that cater to its customers' diverse tastes and needs.

Contact Information:

Contact Person: Sam Anderson, Marketing Manager

Company: Coofandy

Company Website: coofandy.com

Contact Email Address: Lorde@coofandy.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/208736

SOURCE: Baden Bower
MANILA, Philippines, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the world's largest independent IT and business consulting services firms, ranks among the top 8 companies in the Philippines in the large company category. This marks CGI's second consecutive win in the prestigious Best Workplaces list, following three years of being certified Great Place to Work. The Best Workplaces list is pooled from over a hundred certified companies in the Philippines.

The Top 8 Best Workplaces certification recognizes CGI's commitment to building a workplace founded in an ownership culture, fostering an inclusive and innovative work environment for all. This recognition is based on feedback gathered from CGI employees, whom we call CGI Partners as they are owners in our company. The feedback covers five key dimensions: credibility, respect, fairness, pride, and camaraderie.

"This award is significant as it helps us strengthen CGI's foothold in the Asia Pacific region. By empowering our teams, fostering innovation, and nurturing strategic partnerships, we aim to enhance our impact for our clients and drive the sustainable growth for CGI," said Rakesh Aerath, President of CGI, Asia Pacific Global Delivery Centers of Excellence.

Jill de Jesus, Country Leader of the Philippines, CGI adds, "Our consistent recognition underscores our commitment to nurturing talent within CGI and supporting our partners. We prioritize gathering their feedback and creating measurable and impactful actions based on the findings. This approach helps us cultivate a culture of excellence, ultimately delivering greater value to our clients, partners, and shareholders."

About CGI

Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world. With 90,000 consultants and professionals across the globe, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from strategic IT and business consulting to systems integration, managed IT and business process services and intellectual property solutions. CGI works with clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results. CGI Fiscal 2023 reported revenue is CA$14.30 billion and CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Learn more at cgi.com.

cgi.com/newsroom

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2043083/CGI_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/cgi-named-top-8-best-workplaces-in-the-philippines-by-great-places-to-work-302146108.html
Richmond, Virginia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 15, 2024) - In an industry first, Maunda, a new social media platform focused on mental well-being has been launched. The platform aims to build a community of hope by linking mental health tools and social media in one space. It provides a space for users to connect, share their experiences, and access positive tools to help reduce stress and manage anxiety.





Image Credit: Joe Bamisile, Founder of Maunda

Maunda's founder Joe Bamisile, an individual who has previously dealt with his own personal mental health challenges, found solace in the practice of meditation. Through this practice, he saw an opportunity to help others in a similar vein.

"Social media can be a great way to build community, but it can also cause anxiety and depression," explains Bamisile. "With Maunda, I want to flip the script by making mental wellness the focus of the entire platform." The app incorporates features like group meditation sessions, a vanishing journal, pre-loaded affirmations, and shared accountability streaks. These novel features, coupled with traditional social media functions like posting stories and direct messaging, allow users to prioritize their mental health while still being connected to their virtual community.

Filling a Gap in the Market

Maunda is the first application to integrate wellness tools into a social networking platform. According to research firm Datamatics, the global mental health apps market is projected to grow from 4.4 billion USD in 2021 to 19.6 billion USD by 2030, at a CAGR of 18.06%, signalling significant demand.

Maunda provides a solution that connects social networking and mental health. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that anxiety and depression increased by a staggering 25% globally in just the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, where isolation was heightened most. Comparably, a 2024 study by Mental Health America found that over 50 million adults in the U.S. are currently living with a mental illness.

"People are searching for spaces that are positive for their mental health. Maunda was created to encourage positive interactions within the virtual community space and the use of practical resources to improve emotional well-being," says David Evans, Maunda's co-founder.

"I want to show that taking care of your mental health should be a priority, not an afterthought," he says. "And can pursue your passions -whatever they may be-while making wellness a key part of your life." In its first week, Maunda has already attracted hundreds of eager people wanting to join this new era of hope in the social networking space.

About Maunda

Maunda is a groundbreaking social media platform focused on building an online community centered around improving mental health and emotional well-being. With a suite of integrated wellness tools like meditation (solo or group), vanishing journal, affirmations, and more, Maunda provides a positive, supportive environment for users to connect while prioritizing their mental health.

Founded in 2024 byJoe Bamisile and his co-founders David Evans and Nabil Reda Rezqui, Maunda is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia.

Contact Info:

Company Name: Maunda

Website Url: https://www.maunda.com/

Contact Person: Joseph Bamisile

Contact Email: info@maunda.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/208276

SOURCE: Baden Bower
Tron DAO

TRON DAO at Cornell Blockchain Conference



16-May-2024 / 07:00 CET/CEST

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





NEWS RELEASE BY TRON DAO

Download PDF Download multimedia

Geneva, Switzerland | May 15, 2024 03:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Geneva, Switzerland, May 15, 2024 - TRON DAO , a platinum sponsor at the Cornell Blockchain Conference , recently showcased its leadership at Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island. The event attracted over 800 participants, including students, academics, and industry leaders, highlighting TRON DAO's commitment to blockchain education and community interaction. Many of these participants visited the TRON DAO booth to learn more about the TRON network and upcoming events.

Insightful Panel Participation

Dave Uhryniak, Ecosystem Development Lead at TRON DAO, participated in a compelling panel discussion on decentralized finance (DeFi). The panel consisted of other thought leaders in the industry such as Christopher Newhouse, DeFi Analyst at Cumberland Labs, and Jasmine Cooper, Head of DeFi Product at Ripple. Uhryniak's insights into how the TRON network facilitates major advancements in DeFi applications underscored TRON DAO's significant role in propelling the blockchain industry forward. This panel provided an excellent platform for TRON DAO to engage with other blockchain experts and discuss future collaborations, strengthening its strategic position within the DeFi ecosystem.

ChainGPT Co-hosts Exclusive Side Event

TRON DAO, in collaboration with ChainGPT and Cornell Blockchain Conference, hosted an engaging side event at The Graduate Hotel's rooftop, attended by over 150 blockchain enthusiasts, students, and developers. ChainGPT, known for its innovative AI-powered solutions such as smart contract generators and blockchain analytics tools, played a crucial role in fostering discussions on the convergence of AI and blockchain. This collaboration between TRON DAO and ChainGPT exemplifies their shared effort to bridge theoretical blockchain applications with practical, real-world implementations.

Advancing Blockchain Innovation

Through its active involvement in the Cornell Blockchain Conference and the successful side event, TRON DAO reaffirmed its dedication to supporting educational initiatives and promoting innovative discussions in the blockchain space. These events were pivotal in advancing knowledge, addressing industry challenges, and showcasing the diverse capabilities that TRON DAO brings to the blockchain community.

As TRON DAO continues its mission to decentralize the internet through groundbreaking blockchain solutions, it remains committed to nurturing strong community ties and fostering innovation globally. The Cornell Blockchain Conference was a testament to TRON DAO's leadership in shaping the future of decentralized technologies and its ongoing commitment to educational advancements in the blockchain sector.

About TRON DAO

TRON DAO is a community-governed DAO dedicated to accelerating the decentralization of the internet via blockchain technology and dApps.

Founded in September 2017 by H.E. Justin Sun, the TRON network has continued to deliver impressive achievements since MainNet launch in May 2018. July 2018 also marked the ecosystem integration of BitTorrent, a pioneer in decentralized Web3 services boasting over 100 million monthly active users. The TRON network has gained incredible traction in recent years. As of January 2023, it has over 205.11 million total user accounts on the blockchain, more than 6.96 billion total transactions, and over $20.43 billion in total value locked (TVL), as reported on TRONSCAN.

In addition, TRON hosts the largest circulating supply of USD Tether (USDT) stablecoin across the globe, overtaking USDT on Ethereum since April 2021. The TRON network completed full decentralization in December 2021 and is now a community-governed DAO. Most recently in October 2022, TRON was designated as the national blockchain for the Commonwealth of Dominica, which marks the first time a major public blockchain partnered with a sovereign nation to develop its national blockchain infrastructure. On top of the government's endorsement to issue Dominica Coin ("DMC"), a blockchain-based fan token to help promote Dominica's global fanfare, seven existing TRON-based tokens - TRX, BTT, NFT, JST, USDD, USDT, TUSD, have been granted statutory status as authorized digital currency and medium of exchange in the country.

TRONNetwork | TRONDAO | Twitter | YouTube | Telegram | Discord | Reddit | GitHub | Medium | Forum

Media Contact

Hayward Wong

press@tron.network

Contact Details

Hayward Wong

press@tron.network

Company Website

https://trondao.org/

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The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.




EQS-News: Multitude SE / Schlagwort(e): Anleihe

Multitude SE initiates a written procedure to request certain amendments to the terms of its subordinated capital notes (News mit Zusatzmaterial)



16.05.2024 / 14:15 CET/CEST

Fur den Inhalt der Mitteilung ist der Emittent / Herausgeber verantwortlich.





Multitude SE initiates a written procedure to request certain amendments to the terms of its subordinated capital notes Multitude SE (the "Company") has instructed the agent for the Company's subordinated perpetual floating rate callable capital notes (ISIN NO0011037327) (the "Notes"), Nordic Trustee & Agency AB (publ) (the "Agent"), to initiate a written procedure to request that noteholders vote in favour of certain amendments to the terms and conditions of the Notes (the "Written Procedure"). During Q1 2024, the Company has announced its intention to transfer its registered office from Finland to Switzerland as part of a broader strategic initiative. Finnish legal constraints prohibit a direct relocation from Finland to a non-European Economic Area (EEA) country while maintaining a legal personality and therefore, the Company proposes a transfer to and subsequent conversion into a public limited liability company in Malta, followed by a relocation to Switzerland (the "Relocation"). To facilitate the Relocation, the Company is requesting the noteholders to provide their consent to the necessary amendments to the terms and conditions of the Notes, in each case on the terms and as further described in more detail in the notice of the Written Procedure. The written procedure will end on 10 June 2024 and the deadline for voting is 15:00 (CEST). The Written Procedure may, however, be concluded before the expiry of the voting deadline if a requisite majority has accepted the requests. To be eligible to participate in the written procedure a holder of Notes must fulfil the formal criteria for being a noteholder on 31 May 2024. This means that the holder of Notes must be registered on a securities account with Euronext Securities Oslo (the "CSD") as a direct registered owner or authorised nominee with respect to one or several Notes. Pareto Securities Oy has been retained as financial advisor in connection with the written procedure. The notice to the Written Procedure will be delivered to all holder Notes through the CSD and is also available on the Company's website (www.multitude.com/investors). For additional information, please contact: Lasse Makela

Chief Strategy and IR Officer

Phone: +41 79 371 34 17

E-mail: lasse.makela@multitude.com About Multitude SE: Multitude is a listed European FinTech company, offering digital lending and online banking services to consumers, small and medium-sized businesses, and other FinTechs overlooked by traditional banks. The services are provided through three independent business units, which are served by our internal Banking-as-a-Service Growth Platform. Multitude's business units are consumer banking (Ferratum), SME banking (CapitalBox) and wholesale banking (Multitude Bank). Multitude Group employs over 700 people in 25 countries and offers services in 16 countries, achieving a combined turnover of 230 million euros in 2023. Multitude was founded in Finland in 2005 and is listed on the Prime Standard segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol 'FRU'. Zusatzmaterial zur Meldung:



Datei: Multitude - Notice of written procedure (Hybrid) - 16 May 2024





16.05.2024 CET/CEST Veroffentlichung einer Corporate News/Finanznachricht, ubermittelt durch EQS News - ein Service der EQS Group AG.

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In the context of the launch of the 1.5 billion Late Stage Fund, AVP (AXA Venture Partners) has strengthened its leadership team by appointing two new Partners: Warda Shaheen as General Partner, to take a prominent role in the new Late Stage Fund in Europe, and Pedro Barros as Partner overseeing Fundraising and Investor Relations.

Formerly a Director at OMERS Growth Equity, where she led global software investments, Warda brings extensive experience as an investor in high-growth late stage technology companies, coupled with experience in public markets and a robust international background. Warda will relocate to Paris and will play a leading role in investing the Late Stage Fund in Europe contributing to the success of this new AVP strategy globally, leveraging her international expertise and industry knowledge acquired at OMERS and CPP Investments.

Pedro joins AVP from Target Global, where he served as a Partner responsible for fundraising, investor relations, and liquidity solutions. With a wealth of experience in private markets, Pedro will be based in London and will further enhance AVP's investor relations function.

In the context of the launch of its Late Stage Fund, AVP continues to strengthen its leadership team to reinforce its global platform.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240502656787/en/

(Photo: Business Wire)

First, after the recruitment of Elizabeth de Saint-Aignan in the USA, Warda's appointment in Europe completes the senior team of the new AVP Late Stage Fund.

Prior to joining AVP, Warda Shaheen held the position of Director at OMERS Growth Equity, where she conducted investments in prominent software companies such as Coveo, TouchBistro, PandaDoc, Clio, Celigo and GitLab. Previously, Warda worked in public markets at CPP Investments where she ran a $500M public markets portfolio in the thematic investing team. She also worked at Point72 Asset Management, Bain Company and Deutsche Bank. Warda has experience working in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Singapore, Hong Kong and Germany. Warda holds an MSc in Financial Economics from the University of Oxford, a BESc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Western University and an HBA in Business Administration the Richard Ivey School of Business.

Second, Pedro's appointment as Partner in charge of investor relations underlines AVP's objective of managing more capital for top tier institutional investors. Pedro brings extensive experience in fundraising of technology funds, from his tenure at Target Global, where he played a key role in fundraising multiple tech funds and fostering investor relationships. He has also held senior positions at MVision and Hamilton Lane. Having started his career in the venture capital arm of FINEP, the Brazilian innovation agency, Pedro holds an MBA and a BSc in Industrial Engineering from Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio de Janeiro.

"On behalf of the AVP team, I am delighted to extend a warm welcome to Warda and Pedro as our newest Partners. I am also very proud that AVP can attract such talents, and in the case of Warda, convince top tier investor in the North American market to come to Paris. Warda will play a key role in developing our new Late Stage Fund strategy, focusing on Europe. With this new Late Stage fund, we now have the capability to support entrepreneurs throughout their journey, from the early stages to IPO, as well as post-IPO, which sets us apart in the market. Warda brings extensive knowledge and a proven track record in investing in Late Stage companies in the US and in Europe. In the context of our platform expansion and ongoing fundraising efforts across various strategies, we are very happy to benefit from Pedro's substantial fundraising experience of technology focused fund. His background at Target Global will undoubtedly add value to the entire AVP platform. At AVP, nothing is more important than the quality, the diversity and the complementarity of the team. Since 8 years, we have welcomed 9 Partners and are now ready to further expand the team with these two talents. No doubt that they will play a key role in the next chapter of our journey," commented Francois Robinet, Managing Partner at AVP.

"I am thrilled to become a part of the outstanding team of investors at AVP. Since I was introduced to the firm, I recognized this platform had the vision, skills, and leadership to amplify the global landscape of technology investing with a diverse partnership that leverages expertise across the financing spectrum. AVP's Late Stage strategy in Europe addresses several challenges in the European ecosystem, including the shortage of local funding for exceptional European technology leaders to expand globally. At AVP, we look forward to bringing our collective knowledge to support such leaders at various stages in both the private and public markets," commentedWarda Shaheen General Partner at AVP.

"I am excited to join an incredibly talented team of investor at AVP. I have been fortunate to follow the development of the platform over the years and, now as part of the team, look forward to develop their robust capital base to attract additional top tier institutional investors globally," commented Pedro Barros, Partner at AVP.

About AVP (AXA Venture Partners)

AVP (AXA Venture Partners) is a global venture capital firm specializing in high-growth, technology- enabled companies, managing more than $2 billion in assets across four investment strategies: Venture, Growth, Late Stage, and Fund of Funds. Since its establishment in 2016, AVP has invested in more than 60 technology companies in Venture and Growth stages in the US and Europe.

With offices in New York, London, and Paris, AVP supports companies in expanding internationally and provides portfolio companies with tailored business development opportunities to further accelerate their growth. AVP operates under AXA IM- Alts, the alternative investment business unit of AXA IM.

For more information, visit axavp.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240502656787/en/

Contacts:

AVP Sebastien Loubry: sebastien@axavp.com + 33 6 15 31 61 68
Regulatory News:

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240514140396/en/

(Photo: Business Wire)

CCF signs an agreement to distribute structured products issued by Morgan Stanley

As announced at the beginning of the new chapter for the bank in January, CCF is expanding its range of solutions to support clients in managing their accounts, projects, and wealth by partnering with top market players.

Morgan Stanley is an international financial services company operating in three major areas: private banking, investment banking, and asset management. With offices in 42 countries, it serves clients worldwide, including corporations, governments, institutions, and individuals.

This new agreement allows CCF to broaden its selection of Structured Product issuers and diversify the types of products offered. The first result of this collaboration was launched on 19 March 2024. For more information, please contact your CCF relationship manager.

About CCF: Established in 1917, CCF embarked on a new chapter in its history on 1 January 2024. As a French bank with a focus on wealth and personalized service, CCF provides tailored support to individuals and professionals, emphasizing excellence in relationships, expertise, and simplicity. CCF's headquarters is located at 103 Rue de Grenelle in Paris 7th arrondissement, and it has branches throughout France.

For further information, visit CCF website. https://ccf.fr/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240514140396/en/

Contacts:

Press:
Regulatory News:

Pernod Ricard (Paris:RI):

Press release Paris, May 16th 2024

Pernod Ricard announces today that its near- and long-term science-based GHG emissions reduction targets in line with a 1.5C trajectory have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) with the following timeline:

In the near-term, Pernod Ricard commits to reducing absolute scope 1 2 emissions by 54% by FY30 from a FY22 baseline. The Group also commits to reducing absolute scope 3 FLAG (forest, land and agriculture) emissions by 30.3% and non-FLAG emissions (purchased goods and services, upstream transportation and distribution) by 25% within the same timeframe. Pernod Ricard also commits to no deforestation across its primary deforestation-linked commodities by the end of 2025.

In the long term, Pernod Ricard commits to reducing its absolute scope 1 2 emissions and its scope 3 non-FLAG emissions by 90% by FY50 from a FY22 baseline. Pernod Ricard also commits to reducing absolute scope 3 FLAG emissions by 72% within the same timeframe.

With 95% of its emissions linked to its scope 3 in FY23 (including 49% linked to agriculture, 25% to packaging, and 8% to transport), these new science-based targets aligned with a 1.5C trajectory demonstrate Pernod Ricard's ambition to tackle emissions on its own operation sites and throughout its value chain by working closely with its suppliers.

This ambition will be achieved through robust carbon reduction roadmaps and measures including:

Distilleries: Procuring renewable electricity, moving to alternative energy sources (biomass, biofuels), using new technologies including for heat recovery, and driving energy efficiency.

Procuring renewable electricity, moving to alternative energy sources (biomass, biofuels), using new technologies including for heat recovery, and driving energy efficiency. Packaging: Decreasing bottle weight, augmenting recycled content, innovating and exploring new materials and developing closed-loop distribution models.

Decreasing bottle weight, augmenting recycled content, innovating and exploring new materials and developing closed-loop distribution models. Transport and logistics: Optimizing shipping loads, switching to electric or biofuel-powered transportation and exploring alternative modes of transportation.

Optimizing shipping loads, switching to electric or biofuel-powered transportation and exploring alternative modes of transportation. Agriculture: Implementing regenerative agricultural practices aimed at restoring natural ecosystems, reducing carbon emissions and enhancing carbon sequestration in the soil.

Maria Pia De Caro EVP, Integrated Operations and Sustainability, declares: "The validation of our new carbon reduction targets by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is a recognition of our teams' efforts to build strong carbon reduction roadmaps across our operations and throughout our value chain. The world is facing increased social and environmental pressures which are urging us to act faster. Our net-zero science-based targets give us the right ambition and drive to further the progress we have made so far and play our part as a wine and spirits leader in addressing the challenge of climate change".

About Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard is a worldwide leader in the spirits and wine industry, blending traditional craftsmanship, state-of-the-art brand-building, and global distribution technologies. Our prestigious portfolio of premium to luxury brands includes Absolut vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine's, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur and Mumm and Perrier-Jouet champagnes. Our mission is to ensure the long-term development of our brands with full respect for people and the environment, while empowering our employees around the world to be ambassadors of our purposeful, inclusive and responsible culture of authentic conviviality. Pernod Ricard's consolidated sales amounted to 12,137 million in fiscal year FY23.

Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN Code:FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 and Eurostoxx 50 indices.

About SBTi

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is a global body enabling businesses to set ambitious emissions reductions targets in line with the latest climate science. It is focused on accelerating companies across the world to halve emissions before 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions before 2050.

The initiative is a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and one of the We Mean Business Coalition commitments. The SBTi defines and promotes best practice in science-based target setting, offers resources and guidance to reduce barriers to adoption, and independently assesses and approves companies' targets.

www.sciencebasedtargets.org

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240515378335/en/

Contacts:

Florence Tresarrieu Global SVP Investor Relations and Treasury +33 (0) 1 70 93 17 03

Edward Mayle Investor Relations Director +33 (0) 6 76 85 00 45

Ines Lo Franco Investor Relations Manager +33 (0) 6 49 10 33 54

Emmanuel Vouin Head of External Engagement +33 (0) 1 70 93 16 34

Julie Coma Press Relations Manager +33 (0) 6 43 60 17 49
Kunstliche Intelligenz hat spatestens nach dem Raketenstart von Chat GPT das Leben aller verandert. Doch der Superzyklus steht nach Meinungen von Experten erst am Anfang. Wahrend Aktien wie Nvidia von der ersten Aufwartsentwicklung stark profitieren konnten, versprechen aussichtsreiche Player aus der

zweiten Reihe noch enormes Aufwartspotenzial.



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Bioretec Ltd Company announcement 16 May 2024 at 8:30 a.m.

TAMPERE, Finland, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- This announcement summarizes Bioretec Ltd's business review for January-March 2024. The complete business review is attached to this release as a PDF file and available on the company's website at https://bioretec.com/investors/investors-in-english/releases.

January-March 2024 in brief

Net sales amounted to EUR 682 thousand (1-3/2023: EUR 1,071 thousand).

The sales margin was EUR 478 (718) thousand, or 70.1% (67.0%) of net sales. The sales margin of 2024 includes other income of EUR 60 thousand accrued relating to the Business Finland grant. When excluding the grant effect, the sales margin for the current reporting period is EUR 418 thousand, or 61.3%. The main reason for the lower sales margin percentage has been the planned production shutdown due to the ramp-up of new production capacity.

EBITDA was EUR -1,112 (-491) thousand. EBITDA was EUR -1,112 (- 491) thousand. It was burdened by increased personnel costs due to headcount growth and additional fixed costs relating to U.S. commercialization and R&D projects.

The result for the reporting period amounted to EUR -1,097 (-557) thousand.

This business review is unaudited. This is Bioretec's first business review for the first quarter, and comparison period figures have not been published earlier.

Key figures

EUR 1,000 unless otherwise noted 1-3/2024 1-3/2023 Change 1-12/2023 Net sales 682 1,071 -36.4 % 3,906 Sales margin 478 718 -33.4 % 2,810 Sales margin, % of net sales 70.1 % 67.0 %

71.9 % EBITDA -1,112 -491 126.6 % -2,833 EBIT -1,139 -543 109.6 % -3,034 Profit/-loss for the period (+/-) -1,097 -557 97.0 % -3,789 R&D spend on total costs, % 25.9 % 24.8 %

25.6 % Equity ratio, % 74.3 % 44.3 %

77.3 % Cash and cash equivalents at end of period 5,981 587 919.3 % 6,910 Number of personnel at end of period 39 28 39.3 % 37

Key events during the reporting period

European market authorization application for the RemeOs TM trauma screw proceeded to expert panel evaluation. The approval is estimated to be granted during the second quarter of 2024.

trauma screw proceeded to expert panel evaluation. The approval is estimated to be granted during the second quarter of 2024. Bioretec was granted an FDA Breakthrough Device Designation status for its RemeOs Spinal Interbody Cage.

Bioretec's RemeOs biodegradable magnesium alloy composition was granted a patent by the U.S. Patent Office.

Timo Lehtonen, CEO of Bioretec Ltd:

"In the first quarter of 2024, our focus was on the production and distribution of our Activa product line as the U.S. market continued to utilize inventories of the RemeOs trauma screw from Q4 2023. Net sales this quarter were distinctly marked by contributions from different regions: Europe accounted for 27% of net sales (19% in the comparison period), the U.S. increased from 16% to 24%, while the rest of the world decreased from 65% to 49%.

The controlled launch of RemeOs trauma screw continued, with an evolving number of surgeries performed utilizing this innovative product. We are actively collecting and analyzing follow-up data from the surgeries to assess the efficacy of the fracture healing treated with our screws.

In preparation for continued US sales growth, the need to enhance our production capabilities resulted in a planned production shutdown In January, which is reflected in our profitability numbers for this period. This operational enhancement included the commissioning, qualification, and ramp-up of the new CNC machine dedicated to our trauma screw line and increasing our resource allocation to operational personnel and projects, setting the stage for increased output in subsequent quarters.

Looking ahead, we are waiting to receive market authorization for the RemeOs trauma screws in Europe during the second quarter of 2024. Our development efforts are ongoing for the next RemeOs pipeline products, supported by the new RemeOs magnesium alloy patent and the new FDA Breakthrough Device Designation received for the Spinal Interbody Cage. Additionally, we are advancing our plans for the next U.S. market authorization and initiating the RemeOs DrillPin clinical study in Austria, waiting for the ethical committee and other regulatory approvals to start the First-in-Human study.

As we have concentrated on enhancing our production capabilities in the first quarter, we project that our net sales will be more heavily concentrated in the second half of the year. This strategic growth platform building has been required to expand production capabilities to serve the future anticipated market demand and product portfolio expansions.

We are grateful to our investors, customers, and personnel for their continued confidence and support. Your trust encourages our commitment to innovation and excellence as we navigate these exciting opportunities and challenges."

Financial reporting in 2024

In 2024, Bioretec will publish the following financial reports:

half-year report for January-June 2024 on Thursday 15 August 2024

business review for January-September 2024 on Thursday 14 November 2024

The releases will be available online at Bioretec Ltd's website at

https://bioretec.com/investors/investors-in-english/reports-and-presentations

Tampere, 16 May 2024

Board of Directors

Bioretec Ltd

Further inquiries:

Timo Lehtonen

Johanna Salko CEO

CFO +358 50?433 8493

+358 40 754 8172 timo.lehtonen@bioretec.com

johanna.salko@bioretec.com

Certified advisor:

Nordic Certified Adviser AB, p. +46 70 551 67 29

Information about Bioretec

Bioretec is a globally operating Finnish medical device company that continues to pioneer the application of biodegradable orthopedic implants. The company has built unique competencies in the?biological interface?of active implants?to enhance bone growth and accelerate fracture healing after orthopedic surgery. The products developed and manufactured by Bioretec are used worldwide in approximately 40 countries.?

Bioretec is?developing?the new RemeOs?product line?based on a magnesium alloy and hybrid composite, introducing a new generation of strong biodegradable materials for enhanced surgical outcomes. The RemeOs implants are absorbed and replaced by bone, which eliminates the need for removal surgery while facilitating fracture healing. The combination has the potential to make titanium implants redundant and help clinics reach their Value-Based Healthcare targets while focusing on?value for patients through efficient healthcare. The first RemeOs product market authorization has been received in the U.S. in March 2023, and in Europe, the CE mark is expected to be received during the second quarter of 2024. Bioretec is positioning itself to enter the addressable over USD 7 billion global orthopedic trauma market and to become a game changer in surgical bone fracture treatment.

Better healing - Better life. www.bioretec.com

Appendix

Bioretec Ltd's business review January-March 2024 (pdf)

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

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The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/20509/3982524/2800943.pdf Bioretec Business Review January-March 2024

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MADRID, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Audrey Hepburn, the global icon, will have her own musical. Sean Hepburn Ferrer, Audrey's son, joins forces with screenwriter / producer Jose Ignacio Salmeron and composer Fernando Velazquez to create a world class musical and to pre announce the 2025 Madrid world premiere of "BUSCANDO A AUDREY" ("BECOMING AUDREY")

Madrid will be the showcase from which it will be exported to the rest of the world.

Ferrer commented: "This is not the classic biography. When my mother was asked to write hers, she always answered: 'Nothing special happened to me. I just went to work and people liked it'. We created a script with deep cinematic roots that mirrors her life, career and humanitarian legacy.'

The writer / film producer acknowledges that they chose Madrid to celebrate the world premiere of the musical dedicated to his mother because, "in addition to being the third capital in terms of business volume for musicals, Madrid is in the midst of a social and economic boom. Furthermore, my ancestors are Spanish - we spent many happy years here - my mother always loved this wonderful culture."

The idea and script for this creation comes from Jose Ignacio Salmeron, a comedian, screenwriter and producer of numerous theatrical hits. "To build a musical around the persona of Audrey Hepburn has been an exciting challenge. This unique and elegant woman, with infinite kindness, has been an extraordinary source of inspiration to create a musical comedy full of emotions and surprises," confesses Salmeron.

The original score and lyrics for "Buscando a Audrey" / "Becoming Audrey" are by Spanish composer, Fernando Velazquez, winner of a Grammy Award and a Goya, and soundtrack creator of some of Spain's top film hits such as The Impossible,The Spanish Affair and The Orphanage.

In addition, the musical contains a hidden surprise: The last unpublished song by the world renowned composer Henry Mancini, winner of four Oscars and twenty Grammy Awards. 2024 marks the centenary of Mancini's birth. He composed most of Audrey's film soundtracks as well as the iconic Moon River, which is immediately associated with Hepburn from her first rendition in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

The production will have a top team of creative professionals whose talent has earned them thirty prestigious awards (Max Theater Awards, Musical Theater Awards and Broadway World)

Audrey Hepburn marked a before and after in Hollywood, becoming a myth for the way she understood and lived her life. Today, with only five years left to celebrate the centenary of her birth, she continues to top the rankings of fashion, style, beauty and elegance. More than three hundred books have been written about her, while documentaries and television series continue to be produced about her life and her name frequently appears in the media undoubtedly also due to her humanitarian legacy.

This production will delight her faithful followers, lovers of music, cinema and musicals as well as her youngest fans who want to know how her charisma, elegance and humility conquered the world and her legend was forged.

"BUSCANDO A AUDREY" ("BECOMING AUDREY") will premiere in Madrid early Spring 2025.

www.buscandoaaudrey.com

Media contacts: press@since1953.es; Title: Communications Director; Name: Danny Mejias; Mail: daniel@danielmejias.com; Phone: +34619675742; Web: buscandoaaudrey.com

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Kupfer wird oft als das Gold der Energiewende bezeichnet, weil es aufgrund seiner hervorragenden elektrischen Leitfahigkeit eine zentrale Rolle in vielen Technologien spielt, die fur nachhaltige Energiesysteme entscheidend sind. Experten gehen aufgrund der Angebotsknappheit von einem Superzyklus aus.

Korrektur als Einstiegschance

Nach Hochststanden im Mai korrigierte das rote Metall stark. Die Abwartsspirale verstarkte sich in den vergangenen Tagen aufgrund schwacher Konjunkturdaten aus den USA und China. Langfristig konnte sich die aktuell laufende Korrektur als exzellente Einstiegsmoglichkeit herausstellen.

3 Kupferaktien mit hohem Potential

Im neuen, kostenlosen Spezialreport stellen wir drei aussichtsreiche Unternehmen vor, die bei einem weiteren Anstieg uberproportional profitieren konnten.

Handeln Sie jetzt und sichern Sie sich Ihren kostenfreien Report!
OSLO, Norway, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Navamedic ASA (OSE: NAVA), a Nordic pharma company and reliable provider of high-quality products to hospitals and pharmacies, has received confirmation of an extension of its contract with The Norwegian Hospital Procurement Trust (Sykehusinnkjp HF) for continued delivery of antibiotics to Norwegian hospitals. The contract runs to 31 January 2027.

The contract is awarded by The Norwegian Hospital Procurement Trust on behalf of the four health regions in Norway as part of the LIS tender programme (in Norwegian: legemiddelinnkjpssamarbeid) for antibiotics. The contract is an extension of a contract which was originally entered into in 2022.

The contract runs from 1 February 2025 to 31 January 2027. Navamedic expects that the renewed contract will contribute to a growth in the total antibiotic portfolio revenues of more than 20 percent.

"We are proud to have been selected again as provider of antibiotics to Norwegian hospitals, and we are excited to continue the great partnership we have built with Sykehusinnkjp. This contract underpins Navamedic's position as a solid, trustworthy and responsible supplier of one of the world's most important medicines," said Kathrine Gamborg Andreassen, CEO of Navamedic ASA.

Needed in surgeries as well as post-surgery treatment, access to safe antibiotics that are produced in a responsible way is key to avoid the imminent risk of antibiotic resistance. This is one reason why environmental criteria were considered so important in additional to price, and why it weighed 30 percent in the LIS tender.

For further information, please contact:

Kathrine Gamborg Andreassen, CEO, Navamedic

Mobile: +47 951 78 680

E-mail: kathrine@navamedic.com



Lars Hjarrand, CFO, Navamedic

Mobile: +47 917 62 842

E-mail: lars.hjarrand@navamedic.com

About Navamedic ASA

Navamedic ASA is a Nordic pharma company and reliable provider of high-quality products, delivered to hospitals and through pharmacies, meeting the specific needs of patients and consumers by leveraging its highly scalable market access platform, leading category competence and local knowledge. Navamedic is present in all the Nordic countries, the Baltics and Benelux, with sales representation in the UK and Greece. Navamedic is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker: NAVA).

For more information, please visit www.navamedic.com

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WILMINGTON, Del., May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Concrete Saw Market by Power Source (Electric Powered, Gasoline Powered, and Hydraulic Powered), Type (Hand Held and Walk-Behind), and Application (Commercial, Residential, and Industrial): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2024-2032". According to the report, the concrete saw market was valued at $0.74 billion in 2023 and is estimated to reach $1.1 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 4.8% from 2024 to 2032.

Download Sample Copy: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/A73411

Prime determinants of growth

The evolution of the construction sector significantly impacts the concrete saw market. Growth in investments in residential, commercial, and infrastructure ventures leads to heightened demand for concrete-cutting equipment. This surge is particularly noticeable in emerging economies where construction activities are on the rise. Technological progressions and adherence to regulations also contribute to market expansion, prompting manufacturers to innovate to meet evolving industry requirements. The positive trajectory of the construction industry fosters a dynamic market landscape for concrete saw suppliers, driving advancements in product offerings, market competitiveness, and avenues for growth.

Report coverage & details:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2023-2032 Base Year 2023 Market Size in 2022 $0.74 billion Market Size in 2032 $1.1 billion CAGR 4.8 % No. of Pages in Report 250 Segments covered Power Source, Type, Application, and Region Drivers Growth in construction and infrastructure development Rapid urbanization Private investments in infrastructure project Opportunities The development of high-performance battery-powered concrete saws Restraints High initial investment

The gasoline powered concrete saws segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period.

By power source, the gasoline powered concrete saws segment held the highest market share in 2023, accounting for nearly two-fifths of the global concrete saw market revenue and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period as concrete saws command the highest revenue due to its versatility, portability, and robust performance in various construction applications. Offering freedom from electrical outlets and greater mobility on job sites, these saws are favored for their reliability and ability to handle heavy-duty cutting tasks efficiently. In addition, their widespread availability and ease of maintenance contribute to their popularity among contractors and construction professionals seeking reliable cutting solutions.

Buy This Research Report (250 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, Figures): https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/checkout-final/62f6ad6bc5387c7b1613b4fb70ef5f93

The walk-behind segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period.

By type, the walk-behind saw held the highest market share in 2023, accounting for more than half of the global concrete saw market revenue and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. The walk-behind saw is projected to witness a CAGR of 4.44% from 2024 to 2032. It offers versatility and efficiency in construction projects. Offering precision cutting for both small and large-scale jobs, these saws are favored for their maneuverability and ease of operation. Contractors and construction professionals rely on walk-behind saws for their ability to handle a wide range of materials and cutting depths, making them indispensable tools in the industry.

The commercial segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period.

By application, the commercial segment held the highest market share in 2023, accounting for nearly two-fifths of the global concrete saw market revenue and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period, due to its extensive use in various construction projects and infrastructure developments. Commercial applications such as road construction, building renovations, and landscaping projects require efficient and precise concrete cutting solutions. Walk-behind saws are preferred for their versatility and reliability in commercial settings, where they are indispensable for creating expansion joints, removing damaged sections, and installing utilities. Their ability to handle heavy-duty cutting tasks makes them essential tools for contractors and construction professionals in commercial projects.

Asia-Pacific to maintain its dominance by 2032.

By region, Asia-Pacific held the highest market share in terms of revenue in 2023, accounting for nearly one-third of the concrete saw market revenue due to robust construction activities, infrastructure investments, and urbanization trends, driving significant demand for concrete cutting solutions across diverse industries and applications.

Inquire Before Buying: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/A73411

Leading Market Players: -

Husqvarna Group

ANDREAS STIHL AG & Co. KG,(STIHL Group)

Makita Corporation

Hilti Corporation

Wacker Neuson SE

Norton Clipper (Saint-Gobain Abrasives)

Bosch Power Tools

Milwaukee Tool(Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd.)

Dewalt(Stanley Black & Decker)

TYROLIT Group

Trending Reports in Related Industry

Pneumatic Tools for Construction Market is projected to reach $ 24,338.5 million by 2032, registering a CAGR of 9.4% from 2023 to 2032.

Construction Equipment Market is projected to reach $313.9 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 4.8% from 2022 to 2031

Hacksaw Blades Market is expected to reach $ 1,667.1 million by 2031, registering a CAGR of 4.7% from 2021 to 2031.

Electric Power Tools Market is projected to reach $124.4 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 5.7% from 2022 to 2031

Woodworking Tools Market is projected to reach $13.30 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 3.9% from 2022 to 2031

Pre-Book Now with 10% Discount:

Hand and Power Tools Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032

Metal Forming Machine Tools Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032

Power Tools Accessories Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032

Machine Tool Touch Probe Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032

CNC Machine Tools Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032

About us:

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Wilmington, Delaware. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." Allied Market Research has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

We are in professional corporate relations with various companies, and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

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EQS-News: SARTORIUS AG / Key word(s): Alliance

Sartorius to advance drug discovery and manufacturing with AI in collaboration with NVIDIA (news with additional features)



16.05.2024 / 09:54 CET/CEST

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



Gottingen, Germany, May 16, 2024

Sartorius to advance drug discovery and manufacturing with AI in collaboration with NVIDIA

Exploring advanced technologies to help bring novel therapies to patients faster

Sartorius to leverage NVIDIA solutions used in live-cell imaging platforms in drug discovery, and predictive design of manufacturing processes, and more

Future plans include the creation of foundational models based on Sartorius' extensive and unique data sets, as well as new predictive AI models, tools, and simulations

Dialogue with regulatory authorities on the use of AI in life sciences announced

The life science group Sartorius is expanding its multidisciplinary collaboration with NVIDIA to help enable the development of new and better therapies, combining Sartorius' in-depth knowledge of life sciences and bioprocessing with NVIDIA's AI-powered computing platforms and software.



"Biological interactions are exceptionally complex. Making better use of data by integrating life science expertise with AI solutions is a promising approach to simplify and accelerate biopharma drug discovery and manufacturing progress. This expanded collaboration with NVIDIA will help result in relevant technological innovations for our customers and ultimately for patients," said Prof. Dr. Oscar-Werner Reif, Chief Technology Officer of Sartorius.



Sartorius has been working with NVIDIA since 2020. The life science group has integrated NVIDIA's technology into its instruments, enabling edge computing applications of its live-cell imaging platform for commercialized AI assays in the lab. The focus of the collaboration has been on developing predictive AI models of stem cell-derived organoids to replace animal models in drug discovery and precision medicine. Sartorius is also using NVIDIA solutions for predictive bioprocess design and simulation tools for manufacturing innovative therapies.



The expanded collaboration includes increasing adoption of the NVIDIA Clara suite of AI-powered computing platforms, software, and services in the Sartorius ecosystem. Plans involve creating and commercializing powerful foundational models based on Sartorius' extensive and unique data sets. New predictive AI models, tools, and simulations for numerous application areas will also be available to Sartorius customers through the NVIDIA Clara suite and the NVIDIA DGX platform .



In a forward-looking approach to innovation and technology integration in the biopharmaceutical sector, the collaboration will explore numerous advanced technologies, including the computer-based design and simulation of complex 3D-bioprinted spheroids and organoids or synthetic biological pathways and organisms designed based on Sartorius cell lines, to produce novel therapeutic agents and therapies.



A profile of Sartorius

Sartorius (XETRA: SRT3 | SRT) is a leading international partner of life sciences research and biopharmaceutical manufacturing. With innovative laboratory instruments and consumables, the Group's Lab Products & Services division focuses on laboratories performing research and quality control at pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies as well as academic research institutes. The Bioprocess Solutions division, with its broad product portfolio focusing on single-use solutions, helps customers manufacture biotech medications, vaccines, and cell and gene therapies safely, rapidly, and economically. The company, based in Gottingen, Germany, has a strong global reach with around 60 production and sales sites worldwide. Sartorius regularly expands its portfolio through the acquisition of complementary technologies. In 2023, the company generated sales revenue of around 3.4 billion euros. Currently, around 14,600 employees are working for customers around the globe.



Visit our Newsroom or follow us on LinkedIn .





Contact

Leona Malorny

Head of External Communications

+49 551 308 4067

leona.malorny@sartorius.com

Additional features:



File: 2024-05-16_Sartorius_Media Release_NVIDIA_Collaboration_en





16.05.2024 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


FAIRFIELD, N.J. and LONDON, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Keypoint Intelligence, the global leader in data and market intelligence for the digital imaging industry, and FuturePrint, a recognized thought leader in the print industry with a robust digital platform that delivers a wide array of content and events tailored to industry professionals, are excited to announce a strategic partnership. This collaboration is set to advance innovation across the print industry, redefining its future by addressing pivotal topics such as digital transformation, technological innovation, sustainability, and skill shortages. With initiatives designed to make a significant impact globally, this partnership places a strategic emphasis on the European market, positioning it at the forefront of industry-wide advancements.

Anthony Sci, President and CEO of Keypoint Intelligence, commented on the partnership, saying, "Our collaboration with FuturePrint is a pivotal move to harness our combined strengths, enabling us to drive industry-wide innovation, thought leadership and provide comprehensive insights that align with the latest market trends and customer needs."

Frazer Chesterman, Co-Founder of FuturePrint, added, "'This partnership underscores our commitment as a leading voice both online and through dynamic in-person events with pioneers across the industry. It marks a significant leap in our concerted efforts to spearhead the evolution of the print sector. It enables FuturePrint to leverage the amazing value Keypoint Intelligence offers to the industry through keynote addresses at our conferences, podcasts, FuturePrint TV and distribution of their analysis and research. Working closely with Keypoint will help us to amplify our voice globally, driving innovation at the cutting edge, and directly addressing critical issues such as sustainability and skill shortage head-on. Through this collaboration, we hope that we can continue to connect the industry and shape the future direction of print'."

Key Highlights of the Partnership:

Global Innovation and Thought Leadership:

Drives global innovation and thought leadership in print technology, enhancing outreach with extensive news, videos, and events featuring industry pioneers, accessible both virtually and in-person.

Strategic European Expansion:

Aims to deepen market penetration and influence across Europe by tackling regional challenges and leveraging unique opportunities, reinforcing our industry leadership and shaping market trends.

Comprehensive Market Intelligence:

Builds on continuous research and customer feedback with sharp market trend analysis, allowing for refined strategies that lead industry innovation and meet evolving demands.

Anthony Sci further noted, "Through this strategic partnership, we are committed to not just responding to but also anticipating the needs of the print industry. Our joint efforts will set new standards for what can be achieved through collaboration and innovation."

For more information about the strategic partnership between Keypoint Intelligence and FuturePrint, please contact: Nancy Byrne, VP Marketing - pr@keypointintelligence.com

About Keypoint Intelligence

For 60 years, clients in the digital imaging industry have relied on Keypoint Intelligence for independent hands-on testing, lab data, and extensive market research to drive their product and sales success. Keypoint Intelligence has been recognized as the industry's most trusted resource for unbiased information, analysis, and awards due to decades of analyst experience.

About FuturePrint

FuturePrint is the premier network for print industry leaders and thinkers, providing global print technology news and insights through expert articles, talks, podcasts, and events. We foster innovation and collaboration, supporting industry advancement with cutting-edge content and a robust professional community. For more information, visit www.futureprint.tech or contact Elena Knight, FuturePrint, Elena@fmfuturenow.com

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ALMATY, Kazakhstan, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In just 6 months after Kazakhstan launched the digital tenge, its Central Bank Digital Currency, over 10 innovative CBDC card services have become available to the country's population of 20 million. Altyn Bank, Eurasian Bank and Halyk Bank leveraged the Way4 digital payments software system to swiftly join this CBDC project and onboard 72% of early adopters of digital tenge cards. The digital tenge footprint is expanding, with 36 new use cases in its roadmap for 2024 and 2025, according to Kazakhstan's National Payment Corporation.

Bank customers in Kazakhstan can apply for virtual and plastic CBDC cards and use them for both in-store and e-commerce purchases across Mastercard and Visa global networks. Additionally, they can withdraw cash at ATMs, link their cards to Google Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, monitor their CBDC card balance and transaction history through mobile banking; and access other related services.

More than 130 countries are actively researching or implementing CBDC. While most CBDC transactions are conducted through web and mobile interfaces, the digital tenge project offers consumers a tangible instrument for CBDC payments.

Kazakhstan's Digital Tenge project is pursuing several ambitious goals. These include intensifying cross-border trade, launching innovative social and anti-corruption initiatives, and enabling integration between CBDC and non-government DeFi platforms. Way4 powers card issuing and acquiring innovations for many members of the digital tenge ecosystem: Kazakhstan's National Payment Corporation, Eurasian Bank, Altyn Bank, Halyk Bank, and national postal service Kazpost. Assisted by their partner OW Kazakhstan, three of these payments players integrated their card processing system with the Digital Tenge platform in less than two months.

The successful integration of CBDC cards into Kazakhstan's payment ecosystem is a testament to the country's forward-thinking approach and the robustness of its banking infrastructure. Many banks here have long used OpenWay's Way4 software system to introduce ground-breaking innovations: for example, the first-ever UnionPay cards issued outside of China and the world's first mobile Visa P2P transfers.

For CBDC issuance and redemption, Kazakhstan's payment regulator selected R3's Corda platform. Supported by Way4, Corda, and other technologies, Kazakhstan is strengthening its position on the international economic stage.

For more information about Way4 and its role in CBDC transactions, please visit openwaygroup.com

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Globally, cardiovascular diseases due to atherosclerosis - the build-up of plaque in arteries - are the leading cause of death. A new Danish-Spanish research collaboration aims to develop methods to detect atherosclerosis at earlier ages and encourage prevention. Denmark's Novo Nordisk Foundation has granted up to EUR 23 million to cover the first 2.5 years of the REACT initiative. The initiative is expected to run for 8 years in total.

One in three people around the world die from cardiovascular disease, which is mainly caused by atherosclerosis. This makes atherosclerosis the leading cause of death globally. Additionally, many people live with serious manifestations of atherosclerosis, for example, following a heart attack or a stroke. Atherosclerosis not only represents a significant burden for these individuals, but also a heavy burden on healthcare systems and societies in all parts of the world.

"Atherosclerosis may develop from an early age and often remains 'silent', that is, without symptoms, for many years until it suddenly hits, for example with a heart attack," says Dr. Henning Bundgaard, Chief Physician and Professor at the Department of Cardiology at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark, and leader of the project. "In REACT, we hope to identify new means to detect atherosclerosis at earlier stages and at a younger age, that is during the 'silent' period."

Aiming for precision treatment

REACT is a collaboration between Danish hospitals and Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), a Spanish research center, world-leading in imaging diagnostics for atherosclerosis. CNIC and Rigshospitalet have collaborated for many years on the development of new and better methods for early detection of cardiovascular disease.

"At present, we use factors like blood pressure, cholesterol levels, age, and lifestyle to estimate the risk of atherosclerosis," says Dr. Borja Ibanez, Scientific Director of CNIC, cardiologist at Fundacion Jimenez Diaz hospital, and leader of the Spanish part of the study. "By contrast, REACT will develop - at scale - methods to directly visualize the disease (atherosclerosis)."

Today, the treatment of atherosclerosis is largely the same in all cases, but the two professors anticipate a future with far better, individually tailored precision treatment of many more patients and from earlier ages.

A total of 16,000 individuals - 8,000 from each country - aged 20-70 will be included in the first phase of the project. The program includes imaging of arteries in the neck and groin and of the coronary arteries, as well as genetic analysis and blood tests.

The goal is prevention

The purpose of the first phase of REACT is to establish the prevalence of atherosclerosis in various sites in the body and to identify optimal methods for detection of atherosclerosis - and its risk factors - from an early age and at early stages, with the ultimate goal to enable prevention early in the 'silent' phase. Prevention may be pharmacological or involve lifestyle changes, the exact method being dependent on the individual's risk profile.

"The study represents a shift in paradigm from the traditional treatment of diseases to detection and prevention at early stages, that is, before serious or potentially life-threatening disease presents. At the Novo Nordisk Foundation, we strongly support this development," says Martin Ridderstrale, Senior Vice President at the Foundation.

"A crucial purpose of REACT is to find out who should be recommended which type of treatment and when, or for that matter, who should be advised against treatment: what we call precision medicine."

Depending on the results of the first phase of REACT, the next step - phase 2 - is to expand the collaboration and to investigate if treatment of early-detected atherosclerosis is effective and will prevent the many lives lost. This part of the project would last 5.5 years.

Rigshospitalet is a highly specialised hospital that serves all of Denmark, providing treatment, research, innovation, and training at an international level. Working with national and international healthcare stakeholders, Rigshospitalet contributes to developing the overall healthcare system so that all patients, irrespective of the rarity or complexity of their illness, receive high-quality treatment.

The CNIC is an affiliate center of the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), an executive agency of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities. Directed by Dr. Valentin Fuster, the CNIC is dedicated to cardiovascular research and the translation of the knowledge gained into real benefits for patients. The CNIC has been recognized by the Spanish government as a Severo Ochoa center of excellence (award CEX2020-001041-S, funded by MICIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033). The center is financed through a pioneering public-private partnership between the government (through the ISCIII) and the Pro CNIC Foundation, which brings together 12 of the most important Spanish private companies.

Established in Denmark in 1924, the Novo Nordisk Foundation is an enterprise foundation with philanthropic objectives. The vision of the Foundation is to improve people's health and the sustainability of society and the planet. The Foundation's mission is to progress research and innovation in the prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic and infectious diseases as well as to advance knowledge and solutions to support a green transformation of society.

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Deriv's CSR sponsorship programme supports the Kahuna team in collecting essential environmental data and improving global understanding of climate change.

In partnership with OSER and Cheer Up, the environmental expedition aims to uplift and educate young patients and students.

CYBERJAYA, Malaysia, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As Deriv gears up to celebrate 25 years of innovation and responsibility, it proudly marks this milestone through a series of new initiatives that will have an impact in 2024 and beyond. The Kahuna sponsorship supports scientific research and community projects that provide educational value and inspire positive action towards protecting the environment.

Deriv recently sponsored the Kahuna team to carry out an environmental research expedition in Patagonia. The environmental expedition aimed to investigate the presence of microplastics and black carbon in the snow. These substances are critical indicators of environmental pollution that affect climate change.

The team partnered with the Argentinian Institute of Nivology, Glaciology, and Environmental Sciences and sought community outreach through collaborations with charitable organisations OSER and CheerUp (affiliated with CentraleSupelec).

Seema Hallon, Chief Human Resources Officer of Deriv , shares, "The 25th anniversary is an opportunity for Deriv to recommit to the things that matter to us as an organisation. Investing our CSR efforts in meaningful projects such as the Kahuna expedition is our way of contributing to the efforts for a sustainable future for the planet and communities."

The expedition began in mid-January in Puerto Murta, Chile, with a team consisting of Baptistin Coutance, Robin Villard, Thomas Jarrey, Vincent Lavrov, and Yvan Lazard.

The route took them across Lago General Carrera, through Rio Baker into the Pacific fjords, along the Campo De Hielo Continental, ascending Volcan Lautaro and Cerro Francisco Moreno, where bad weather conditions led to an early ending of the journey.

Robin Villard shares, "The expedition was a success. The samples collected are in good condition and are scheduled for analysis in May and July. By the end of the summer, we should have results on the presence of microplastics in the ice field below. That's a huge success.

"Our scientific research aimed to collect snow samples for analysis to determine the level of microplastics. Simply put, the samples will be examined under a microscope in the lab to see if there is significant pollution from microplastics in the snow."





Expedition outcomes:

Research impact: The Kahuna team successfully collected and analysed samples from the region, providing valuable data for ongoing climate studies.

Community impact: Through real-time updates and subsequent presentations, the environmental expedition will provide educational and motivational experiences to young cancer patients and underprivileged students once their documentary film is ready.

The expedition faced challenges - adverse weather conditions and dangerous terrain, but could complete their research objectives effectively.





Read more about the Kahuna expedition.

About Deriv

For 25 years, Deriv has been committed to making online trading accessible to anyone, anywhere. Trusted by over 2.5 million traders worldwide, the company offers an expansive range of trade types and boasts over 200 assets across popular markets on its award-winning, intuitive trading platforms. With a workforce of more than 1,400 people globally, Deriv has cultivated an environment that celebrates achievements, encourages professional growth, and fosters talent development, which is reflected in its Platinum accreditation by Investors in People.

PRESS CONTACT

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The Battery Show Europe and Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo Europe, Europe's highly anticipated European event for all things battery and electric technology, today announces its keynote speakers set to take the stage in Messe Stuttgart, Germany June 18-20. Dedicated to the latest developments in the advanced battery and automotive industries, each session is intentionally curated with the global battery leaders paving progress for new technologies to anticipate future trajectories of the trade.

The opening keynote, "Race for The Most Advanced Gigafactory", presented by Robert Heiler, Senior Manager, Porsche Consulting and Dr Xiaohan Wu, Lead Expert, Porsche Consulting, will present on Europe's giga-scale and how to defy the competition through cost control. Subsequently, Christoffer Blomqvist, Head of Purchasing Volvo Battery Mariestad at Volvo Group, will explore sustainable cells and Mariestad's fossil-free approach for a sustainable future. With the European EV sector on a fast track towards a zero-emission future, the session will help attendees understand the blueprint for Europe's first large-scale, fossil-free battery production facility dedicated to electric trucks.

Lutz Stiegler, CTO at Polestar and Amir Tirosh, COO at StoreDot, will discuss the barriers of EV ownership and how Polestar and StoreDot are integrating extreme fast charging capabilities through innovative technology in electric vehicle battery packs. Following in the afternoon, Simon Engelke, Founder and Chair Battery Associates and Bianca Goebel, Ambassador at Battery Associates, present a session on empowering Europe's EV battery workforce. As manufacturing continues to face skilled labor shortages, education on attracting and retaining existing technical battery talent is a critical focus for the industry.

Closing the conference on the third day, Yann Vincent, CEO, Automotive Cells Company (ACC), will showcase the story behind ACC's rapid emergence, its vision for shaping the future of EV batteries and the company's approach to developing next-generation lithium-ion batteries.

"Addressing new technologies and industry disruptors, such as workforce development and sustainability, is extremely important to call attention to," says Rob Shelton, Event Director, Informa Markets. "Providing our audience with the tools and education to maximize industry development is key in supporting advanced battery and EV innovation. The Battery Show Europe is the global meeting point for the industry to come together and learn from the world's leading battery and EV professionals."

As Stuttgart prepares it pitch, the battery industry prepares for its tentpole European event. Over 1,100 exhibiting companies will be in attendance, including Bosch Rexroth AG, Beckhoff Automation GmbH & Co. KG, Dow, Festo SE & Co. KG, H.B Fuller, Keysight Technologies, Parker Hannifin GmbH, Siemans AG and Thermo Fisher Scientific, among others.

For the first time, The Battery Show Europe will introduce a fourth conference track, dedicated to "Exploring BESS Technology". The new track agenda will now feature Stationary Energy Storage Systems (ESS), as it is a significant growth sector for the battery audience and industry attendees

The track will delve into the cross section of the EV battery and ESS markets, exploring key synergies and innovations through a mix of case studies, lightning talks and technical sessions. It will commence with a panel discussion titled "The Future is Flexible: Designing Batteries for Both Mobility and Grid Applications", setting the stage for insightful sessions and covering vital topics such as designing batteries for grid and mobility application, battery safety in stationary applications and sustainability.

For more information or to register to attend The Battery Show Europe and Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo Europe, please visit www.thebatteryshow.eu or www.evtechexpo.eu .

Industry press are encouraged to register to attend, please visit www.thebatteryshow.eu for more information.

About The Battery Show

The Battery Show is the largest and most comprehensive advanced battery technology event, co-located with Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo, the only trade show and conference exclusively dedicated to advanced battery and the electric and hybrid vehicle drivetrain. Visitors to our shows can discover and demo the latest products, technology, and solutions from nearly a thousand suppliers, network with tens of thousands of attendees and access a breadth of education across multiple tracks and technical sessions. The Battery Show is organized by Informa Markets Engineering and includes The Battery Show Europe, The Battery Show North America and the recently launched The Battery Show India. Official listed media partners include Informa Market's Battery Technology and DesignNews. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com .

About Informa Markets Engineering?

Informa Markets' Engineering portfolio, a subsidiary of Informa plc (LON:INF), is the leading B2B event producer, publisher, and digital media business for the world's $3-trillion advanced, technology-based manufacturing industry. Our print and electronic products deliver trusted information to the engineering market and leverage our proprietary 1.3-million-name database to connect suppliers with buyers and purchase influencers. We produce more than 50 events and conferences in a dozen countries, connecting manufacturing professionals from around the globe. The Engineering portfolio is organized by Informa, the world's leading exhibitions organizer that brings a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com .

Media Contact?

Informa Markets Engineering?

EngineeringPR@informa.com

SOURCE: INFORMA MARKETS - ENGINEERING

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Elite Transatlantic Legal Search Firm Promotes Recruiters Justine Donahue, Adil Lalani, Rachel Nonaka, Sarah Morris, and Eleonora Waktare

Macrae, a premier transatlantic legal search firm that places partners and groups at the world's leading law firms, announced today that five managing directors have been promoted to the firm's partnership. The new partners are Sarah Morris in the San Francisco Bay Area, Justine Donahue and Rachel Nonaka in Washington, D.C., and Adil Lalani and Eleonora Waktare in London. Macrae's team of 20 recruiters firmwide now includes 11 partners.

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Macrae's new Partners are (from L to R): Eleonora Waktare (London), Justine Donahue (Washington, D.C.), Rachel Nonaka (Washington, D.C.), Adil Lalani (London), and Sarah Morris (San Francisco Bay Area). (Photo: Business Wire)

"I couldn't be happier to welcome Sarah, Justine, Rachel, Adil and Eleonora to the partnership. Macrae's clients, candidates and team members firmwide have benefited tremendously from the skill and passion each of them brings to their work," said Joe Macrae, Founder and Chairman. "The recruiting profession is often stereotyped as a fiercely competitive individual sport, even among colleagues and there's truth in that. We set out to build a different kind of firm, one powered not by sharp elbows but by transparency, the sharing of intelligence across markets, and the recognition that every 'win' requires a group effort. The fact that a record five recruiters have achieved partnership status this year, including two who began their recruiting careers here, is a testament to our distinct business and cultural model."

The new partners:

Justine Donahue (Washington, D.C.): Donahue represents partners, partner groups and senior government attorneys across practice areas, with a special interest in antitrust. Prior to becoming a recruiter in 2014, her career as an antitrust lawyer encompassed a decade in private practice and several years at the Department of Justice, Antitrust Division. Donahue, who holds a JD from American University, Washington College of Law, joined Macrae in 2021.

Adil Lalani (London): Lalani has more than 20 years of experience executing a range of exclusive partner searches and representing partners and teams across practice areas. In the course of his career, which has included operating his own boutique search firm for six years, he has acquired a deep understanding of the London market and, critically, how it ties into international firms' global presence and ambitions. He joined Macrae in 2023.

Sarah Morris (San Francisco): Morris represents partners and partner groups across practice areas, including private equity M&A, public company M&A, capital markets, tax, restructuring and bankruptcy, and litigation. Before transitioning to recruiting in 2012, she was a corporate attorney for five years at Skadden, with a focus on M&A and corporate finance. Morris, who holds a JD from Berkeley Law School, joined Macrae in 2021.

Rachel Nonaka (Washington, D.C.): Nonaka represents senior government attorneys, partners and partner groups across practice areas. Prior to joining Macrae in 2020, she served for over a decade as a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, investigating and bringing white collar securities enforcement actions. She holds a JD from the Villanova University School of Law.

Eleonora Waktare (London): Waktare represents partners and partner groups across practice areas in London, Brussels, Paris, Germany and Luxembourg, and advises global law firms seeking to strengthen their presence in these markets. Prior to joining Macrae in 2019, she practiced competition law at WilmerHale and Covington Burling and was a case-handler at the Directorate-General for Competition at the European Commission. She holds an LLM from the College of Europe and a law degree from the University of Liege.

About Macrae

Macrae is a transatlantic legal search firm with offices in London, New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Palo Alto. Macrae works with the most successful and innovative law firms in the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe to bring on top lateral partners and partner groups and open new offices. The firm's expertise also includes representing high-performing partners seeking to make strategic moves and senior government attorneys transitioning to private practice. Its commitment to furthering inclusion and diversity in the legal industry is reflected in the candidates it represents as well as within the firm. Macrae is a majority women-owned business, and over 80% of team members identify as belonging to demographic groups that are underrepresented within the legal industry. To learn more about Macrae, please visit Macrae.com.

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Contacts:

Media Contact:

Lauren Gard

lauren.gard@macrae.com

(510) 246-1366
China's Jiuxian Group Competes on "Multiple Fronts" in Liquor Industry

Renowned Chinese liquor manufacturer, Jiuxian Group has proudly announced that it has set a new record for online liquor sales by exceeding 100 million sale. Established in 2001 with a brand value of 66.539 Billion Yuan, Jiuxian has ranked first in the liquor circulation in China for 8 consecutive years. This historic achievement is not only a huge success for the group, but also a guiding precedence for others to follow.

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Top livestreamer of liquor peddling Jiuxian Lafeige (Graphic: Business Wire)

In addition to this groundbreaking success of Lafeige's debut on Taobao Live, achieving an unprecedented sales milestone of 1.17 billion RMB on April 24th, Lafeige's inaugural broadcast also witnessed a huge spike in daily fan count, surpassing 130,000, and securing the top spot on the influencer-driven sales charts for the day.

"The Chinese Liquor Celebrities Group has made significant achievements in the past couple of years." Said Hao Hongfeng, the Chairman of Jiuxian Group, while sharing his thoughts on this historic accomplishment in a recent interview. "By entering Taobao Live, we basically aim to strengthen our position within the Taobao ecosystem, increasing the number and the quality of our live streaming sales." He added. According to the Chairman, the group was previously active on Douyin, which is the Chinese equivalent of TikTok, and it is now making rounds on Taobao Live, which is not only a strategic expansion in its own right, but is also taking this expansion towards increasing visibility in the digital sphere.

In addition, the Taobao live streaming rooms now feature several other products beyond liquor, which include snacks and daily necessities. By partnering with the fresh food sector, the media outlet has further enriched its product selection. This will also help the group tap into the vast resources and shopping habits of Taobao's broader user base. This strategy of cross-category sales has enabled the group to explore new opportunities and maximize revenue streams. By embracing a fusion live streaming model, they aim to rise above industry limitations and tap into new sources of traffic monetization.

Lafeige's debut on Taobao Live has been overwhelmingly successful for many reasons. The Chinese Liquor Celebrities Group not only has extensive combat experience, but it has also previously collaborated with Taobao to incubate successful anchors like Liaoge. Furthermore, the group possesses a strong combat system, equipped with superior capabilities in product procurement, operations, and sales strategies, making them well-suited for major live promotions. Another reason for this amazing success is that the group has invested heavily in short videos and social media marketing methods in the last 2 decades.

For more information, please visit the Jiuxian Group website at:

www.jiuxian.com

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Media

Company Name: Jiuxian Group

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URL: www.jiuxian.com
SHANGHAI, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The 26th Bakery China, co-organized by the China Association of Bakery and Confectionery Industry (CABCI) and Bakery China Exhibitions Co., Ltd., is set to take place from May 21st to 24th, 2024, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) in Shanghai. This year, the exhibition will utilize 12 exhibition halls of NECC, covering a total area of 320,000 square meters. Over 2,200 renowned brands from nearly 30 countries and regions will showcase their latest products. Over a hundred conferences, forums, thematic events and competitions with insights from hundreds of business leaders and bakery masters. It is expected that the exhibition will receive an estimated 400,000 visits, representing over 130 countries and regions.

Bakery China, the largest professional exhibition in the global baking industry, is recognized as the premier platform for entering the Chinese market. Each edition of the exhibition introduces thousands of new products, technologies, services, solutions, and business models, making it a vibrant innovation hub. Bakery China is dedicated to creating a professional business and trade platform that covers the entire industry supply chain. Highlights for 2024:

With international exhibitors consisting of over 20% of the total, the international exhibition area is set to expand by more than 50%, including national pavilions from renowned countries such as Italy, Japan, and more, adding to the diverse range of offerings.

Over 7,000 international visitors have pre-registered, tripling the previous attendance figures. An extended service called International Trade Match-Making will be available at the Int'l Hall 2.1, providing enhanced services for global industry professionals.

With over 20 categories, the exhibition will showcase overall industry landscape and development opportunities based on the Ingredients, Equipment, and Packaging Solutions Zones. This year, the exhibition will introduce new zones including pre-made bakery, OEM & Private Brands, dairy products, healthy bakery, and bakery plus. The Dairy Products Zone will feature the participation of nearly a hundred leading dairy product brands such as Lactalis, Nestle, and Arla.

Three new zones will be unveiled to support the development of new quality productive forces within the industry. These zones include the "Bakery China Innovation, Bakery China Power" for innovative products & technologies, the Case Demonstration for Sustainable Industrial Development, and the Industrial Big Data Trends.

For visitor convenience, iBakeryChina is an advanced digital online platform seamlessly integrating business -inquiries and offers, industry innovation, knowledge exchange, trends and insights, and exhibition services. With over 4,000 registered suppliers and connections to more than 500,000 buyers, iBakeryChina offers tens of thousands of SKUs. Bakery China 2024 will introduce the Indoor Navigation System @iBakeryChina, elevating the user experience.

Additionally, the exhibition will host engaging events, such as the 6th Pre-Made Bakery Festival, uniting over 300 supply chain brands and showcasing more than 1000 new products and technologies, to highlight the latest market trends and insights. Bakery China will keep evolving as an ecosystem, enabling the global baking community to share innovative ideas and forge valuable commercial connections.

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Industry innovators G-P and ADP announce enhanced partnership

BOSTON, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- G-P (Globalization Partners) , the recognized leader in the global employment market, and ADP , a leading global technology company providing human capital management (HCM) solutions, announce expanded joint efforts to deliver Global Employer of Record, Contractor and Global Payroll Solutions to organizations around the world.

In today's business landscape, companies are looking beyond borders to scale and grow. Nearly 70% of business leaders say having employees in multiple countries and leveraging the opportunities of global and remote talent is core to their business strategy according to G-P's 2023 Global Growth Report. However, navigating global growth is complex with laws and regulations surrounding payroll, labor law, tax code and employment practices specific to individual markets.

G-P delivers the industry-leading employer of record solution and global growth platform, combining SaaS-based, AI-powered technology with the largest team of HR and legal experts in the industry. Expanding collaboration, G-P and ADP will help organizations address the complexities of global growth in a way that meets their unique needs; providing best-in-class EOR, contractor and global payroll solutions that are adaptable to the needs and tech stack of individual organizations.

"Adopting G-P's best-in-class global growth and employer of record solutions along with ADP's leading global payroll solutions provides customers with unmatched stability and agility that sets a new standard for the global talent experience," said Nicole Sahin, founder and CEO, G-P.

Leveraging their respective best-in-class HR technologies for hiring, managing and paying global talent, G-P and ADP will work closely together to provide organizations access to solutions designed to alleviate the financial, HR and legal complexities of global expansion and reduce friction in hiring and managing global talent to simplify the global expansion journey for customers.

"ADP supports over a million clients of all sizes and industries across 140 countries. By combining secure and robust technology with flexible and intelligent services, we help our clients operate more efficiently and effectively as they transform their global operations. We are delighted to partner with G-P to help even more organizations in expanding into new markets and managing their global presence," said Virginia Magliulo, President of Employer Services International at ADP.

About G-P

G-P is the recognized leader of the global employment industry and has delivered world-class global compliance and workforce products designed to meet the needs of growing companies since 2012. G-P's global growth platform is driven by the G-P Meridian Suite of SaaS-based global employment products. G-P helps thousands of customers build and manage teams quickly and compliantly in 180+ countries without navigating legal, tax or HR issues.

G-P: Global Made Possible

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CHICAGO, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The report "Polycarbonate Resin Market by Application (Electrical & Electronics, Optical Media, Construction, Consumer, Automotive, Packaging, Medical), and Region (Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Middle East & Africa) - Global Forecast to 2029", is projected to reach USD 20.1 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 5.5% from USD 15.3 billion in 2024.

The polycarbonate resin market is driven by several factors, including technological advancements, shifting consumer behaviors, favorable economic conditions, expanding applications in various industries, and growing demand. The increasing use of polycarbonate resin in various end-use industries, such as electrical & electronics, optical media, consumer goods, automotive, construction, packaging, medical, is a significant driver for market growth.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Polycarbonate Resin Market"

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"Medical application is the fastest growing end-use industry of the polycarbonate resin, in terms of value."

Polycarbonate resin plays a pivotal role in the medical sector, offering properties that align with stringent industry standards. Renowned for its biocompatibility, transparency, and sterilizability, polycarbonate resin serves as an optimal choice for crafting medical devices and equipment. Widely utilized in applications like IV connectors, surgical instruments, blood oxygenators, and medical tubing, its resilience against repeated sterilization cycles ensures sustained structural integrity. With exceptional impact resistance, polycarbonate resin guarantees durability in demanding healthcare settings, while its optical clarity facilitates seamless observation during medical procedures. Its versatility enables the production of intricate medical components, thereby driving advancements in patient care and treatment methodologies.

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"Asia Pacific captures the largest share in the polycarbonate resin market during the forecast period, in terms of value."

The Asia-Pacific region's dominance in the polycarbonate resin market stems from various factors. Firstly, its rapidly expanding population and burgeoning middle class are driving substantial demand for consumer goods, electronics, and automotive products, all of which heavily rely on polycarbonate resin. Secondly, robust industrialization and urbanization across Asia-Pacific economies are fueling increased construction activities and infrastructure development, creating a significant need for polycarbonate resin in applications like roofing, windows, and insulation. Moreover, the region benefits from well-established manufacturing industries in countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, further bolstering demand for polycarbonate resin as a vital raw material.

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Key Players

Mergers, new product launches, partnerships and expansions are the major growth strategies adopted by the key players in the market. The key global players in the polycarbonate resin market include Covestro AG (Germany), SABIC (Saudi Arabia), Mitsubishi Engineering-Plastics Corporation (Japan), Lotte Chemical Corporation (South Korea), Teijin Limited (Japan), LG Chem (South Korea), Formosa Chemicals and Fibre Corporation (Taiwan), Trinseo PLC (US), Chimei (Taiwan), Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. (Japan) and others.

Browse Adjacent Market: Resins and Polymers Market Research Reports

Related Reports:

Engineering Plastics Market - Global Forecast to 2027

Thermally Conductive Plastics Market - Global Forecast to 2027

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Earlier this year, we made a formal transformation into one of America's best management consulting firms as per a survey conducted by Forbes.

The B2B economy is witnessing the emergence of $25 trillion of new revenue streams that are substituting existing revenue streams in this decade alone. We work with clients on growth programs, helping them monetize this $25 trillion opportunity through our service lines - TAM Expansion, Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy to Execution, Market Share Gain, Account Enablement, and Thought Leadership Marketing.

Built on the 'GIVE Growth' principle, we work with several Forbes Global 2000 B2B companies - helping them stay relevant in a disruptive ecosystem. Our insights and strategies are molded by our industry experts, cutting-edge AI-powered Market Intelligence Cloud, and years of research. The KnowledgeStore (our Market Intelligence Cloud) integrates our research, facilitates an analysis of interconnections through a set of applications, helping clients look at the entire ecosystem and understand the revenue shifts happening in their industry.

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RAMALLAH, Palestine, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Arab Palestinian Investment Company (APIC) convened its ordinary general assembly on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Ramallah, Palestine. The meeting, which was chaired by APIC Chairman and CEO Tarek Aggad, was attended by members of APIC's Board of Directors, representatives from the Ministry of National Economy, the Palestine Capital Market Authority, the external auditor of the company, its legal counsel and many of its shareholders.



In its meeting, the general assembly ratified the recommendation of APIC's Board of Directors to distribute stock dividends totaling eight million shares, representing approximately 6.84% of the current paid-in capital of USD 117 million, thus increasing the paid-in capital to be equal to the authorized capital of USD 125 million. The stock dividends, which will be distributed to registered shareholders on May 14, 2024, hold a market value of around USD 20 million.

In his remarks at the meeting, Aggad explained the unprecedented political and economic challenges in Palestine because of the war on Gaza, and worldwide due to the major hike in financing costs, the increase in the cost of raw material, shipping, storage, and energy, in addition to the sharp decline in the value of the shekel against the US dollar. Despite these hurdles, Aggad emphasized the company's resilience and commitment to excellence, citing significant achievements in 2023. Total revenues reached USD 1.2 billion, EBITDA totaled around USD 73 million, a decline of 6.5% versus 2022. Net profits amounted to USD 19 million, while net profits attributed to APIC shareholders amounted to USD 17.7 million.

Aggad expressed his genuine concerns regarding Palestine's economic outlook amidst the ongoing war on Gaza and the occupation's extensive destructive approach. He anticipated adverse repercussions on the Palestinian economy and the results of companies in 2024, foreseeing a significant decline in the gross domestic product (GDP) due to the comprehensive siege on Gaza and the destruction of infrastructure, the withholding of tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority, in addition to the restrictions imposed on imports, exports, and the movement of people and goods in the West Bank. He added that the nebulous boundaries of this crisis and its dire ramifications on the Palestinian economy will impede and confine any endeavors to revitalize the economy, which in turn will have a negative effect on APIC group, as an integral part of this economy.

About APIC

APIC is a foreign public shareholding investment holding company listed on the Palestine Exchange (PEX: APIC). It holds diversified investments across the manufacturing, trade, distribution and service sectors in Palestine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Turkey through its group of subsidiaries: Siniora Food Industries Company; Unipal General Trading Company; Palestine Automobile Company; Medical Supplies and Services Company; National Aluminum and Profiles Company (NAPCO); Sky Advertising and Public Relations and Event Management Company; Arab Leasing Company and Arab Palestinian Storage and Cooling Company, employing over 3,150 staff through its group of subsidiaries. For more information, visit www.apic.ps

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HONG KONG, May 16, 2024 - (ACN Newswire) - The third International Healthcare Week (IHW), organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), opened yesterday, featuring two flagship events.Themed Innovation. Inclusion. Impact, the fourth Asia Summit on Global Health (ASGH) takes place today and tomorrow, facilitating exchange and collaboration among industry players from around the world.The 15th edition of the Hong Kong International Medical and Healthcare Fair (Medical Fair) runs from today to 18 May. Featuring some 300 exhibitors, the Fair showcases a wide range of innovative medical products and solutions and promotes global industry collaboration to position Hong Kong as a hub for medical innovation.Opening the Summit, HKTDC Chairman Dr Peter K N Lam said: "Asia is growing in importance in the global health ecosystem. With Hong Kong being an international finance and business centre and on its way to becoming a health and medical innovation hub, it is fitting for the HKTDC to organise International Healthcare Week, with the Asia Summit on Global Health and Hong Kong International Medical and Healthcare Fair as flagship events, to bring together major industry players from Asia and beyond in our city to foster collaboration and accelerate the development of Asia's medical and healthcare industry."In his opening speech, Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive John Lee said, "Technology is a policy priority of the Hong Kong SAR Government. Thanks to the strong support of the National 14th Five-Year Plan and other national strategies, Hong Kong is rapidly emerging as an international innovation and technology hub," Mr Lee said. "Collaboration and partnerships fast-track innovation. And that, I'm confident, can begin right here, over these two days of forums, plenaries, dialogues and networking sessions. A wealth of medical research and development intelligence and insights, together with the latest I&T, and the experts driving them: all here for you, at this year's Asia Summit on Global Health."During his special remarks, Prof Cao Xuetao, Vice-Minister of the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, pointed out: "Hong Kong as an international financial, maritime trade and innovation hub is leveraging its unique position to connect Mainland China with the world. In recent years, Hong Kong has made significant advancements in the medical and healthcare sectors. These developments, amid the complex and evolving international landscape, have profound implications on global health security, socioeconomic progress and well-being. This underscores the importance of strengthening collaboration to seize new opportunities and address emerging challenges in healthcare.Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), also delivered remarks at the opening session via video link.Industry elites discuss forward-looking issues at ASGHIn the first plenary session today, Prof Lo Chung-mau, Secretary for Health of the HKSAR, highlighted the preparatory work for the establishment of the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation and the progress made in promoting Hong Kong as a health innovation hub. He Yaqiong, Director General of the Consumer Goods Industry Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China, shared the country's experience in advancing high-quality development of the healthcare industry. He also discussed how Chinese pharmaceutical companies can effectively use the Hong Kong platform to tap into international markets.At the second plenary, Prof Roger Kornberg, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry in 2006 and Professor of Structural Biology at the Stanford University School of Medicine, spoke about the latest developments in biotechnology.ASGH gathers more than 80 global leaders in healthcare, including business executives, investors, international research and medical experts and health officials, to discuss diverse industry issues, such as medical and healthcare innovations, healthcare development in China and healthcare investment prospects.These include Andy Ho, Chief Region Leader of Philips Greater China, Antony Leung, Group Chairman of Nan Fung Group, Prof Tony Mok Shu Kam, Chairman of Department of Clinical Oncology of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Prof Christopher Chao, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.Given the rise of AI in healthcare, the summit held a dedicated session with representatives from Medtronic plc, HeartFlow, Inc. and other organisations discussing AI opportunities and practical applications in the healthcare sector, such as diagnosing cardiovascular diseases.Day two of ASGH features diverse thematic sessions. With Chinese medicine gaining more attention, the complementary use of Chinese and Western medicine has become a rising trend. Representatives from the Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Hospital explore Chinese medicine in modern healthcare, while a session organised with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University discusses the development of innovative drugs with specialists from Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Holding Co., Ltd, AstraZeneca, and Simcere Pharmaceutical Group Limited.Facilitating connections and opportunitiesThe exhibition area and InnoHealth Showcase feature projects and services from around the world, including pharmaceutical and therapeutics, AI and digital health, medical device and diagnostics, community health and wellness, from more than 150 innovative technology companies related to healthcare.Among them, more than 70 start-ups and projects are being showcased with the support of Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited and six local universities. Many of these exhibitors were recognised at the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions earlier this year.Aside from the continued participation of The Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) and HKSAR Innovation and Technology Commission , Australia's Investment NSW and the Sichuan Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine bring innovative healthcare start-ups and institutions to Hong Kong for the first time to help them connect with potential partners and investors.A core element of the Summit, ASGH deal-making connects project owners and investors from across the globe to discuss collaboration opportunities. Participating investors represent a diverse range of backgrounds, including angel investors, venture capitalists and corporate venture capital, private equity firms, family offices and more.At the new Investor Workshop, guest speakers, including Dr Charles Hu, Founder and CEO of Ryoden Medical Holdings Ltd., explore investments in healthcare companies and start-ups and share insights into the investment landscape.AI and robotics - Innovations Boosting Smart Health ExperienceThe Medical Fair, organised by the HKTDC and co-organised by the Hong Kong Medical and Healthcare Device Industries Association (HKMHDIA), showcases cutting-edge medical and healthcare equipment and solutions, including robotics and medical and healthcare products. Themed Innovations Boosting Smart Health Experience, the Fair also features products catered to the silver market.Covering biotechnology, hospital equipment, rehabilitation, laboratory equipment and more, the Fair's various zones feature some 300 exhibitors comprising leading research and academic institutions, including six local universities, HKSTP and enterprises led by HKMHDIA. Highlights of exhibits include notable AI and robotics medical technologies as well as cold chain logistics solutions.Exhibitor Yuanhua Robotics, Perception & AI Technologies (HK) Limited presents the first orthopaedic surgical robot made in Hong Kong, with a robotic arm that can expertly assist with hip and knee replacement operations.Another Hong Kong exhibitor Sramek Insight Limited presents a wearable smart cardiovascular analyser, which delivers continuous hemodynamic data through remote monitoring, and provides customised medical advice based on real-time data.Hungary exhibitor Uscom Ltd. showcases an ultrasonic spirometer to assess pulmonary function, which can be used to screen chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and monitor asthma and other chronic pulmonary diseases.One of the many Medical Fair events, the HKMHDIA Medical Fair Forum this morning featured specialists in innovative medical equipment discussing market trends and future strategies. Tomorrow's seminar, co-organised with HKSTP, discusses the application of mixed reality and AI in medical technology and explores trends in medical technology worldwide, including the market potential of medical equipment in Mainland China.Leveraging the HKTDC EXHIBITION+ hybrid model, the physical Medical Fair is complemented by Click2Match smart business matching to extend the sourcing journey from 9 to 25 May.Photo Download: https://bit.ly/3K5z7Y8WebsitesInternational Healthcare Week: https://internationalhealthcareweek.hktdc.com/enAsia Summit On Global Health: https://www.asiasummitglobalhealth.com/conference/asgh/enProgramme: https://www.asiasummitglobalhealth.com/conference/asgh/en/programmeSpeakers: https://www.asiasummitglobalhealth.com/conference/asgh/en/speakerHong Kong International Medical and Healthcare Fair: https://www.hktdc.com/event/hkmedicalfair/enList of products: https://www.hktdc.com/event/hkmedicalfair/en/productActivity schedule: https://www.hktdc.com/event/hkmedicalfair/en/intelligence-hubMedia enquiriesFor enquiries, please contact Hill & Knowlton:Joyce KwongTel: (852) 2894 6321 / 6842 5929Email: joyce.kwong@hillandknowlton.comLynn ZhangTel: (852) 2894 6301 / 9794 5751Email: lynn.zhang@hillandknowlton.comHKTDC's Communications & Public Affairs Department:Asia Summit on Global HealthClayton LauwTel: (852) 2584 4472Email:clayton.y.lauw@hktdc.orgHong Kong International Medical and Healthcare FairJane CheungTel: (852) 2584 4137Email:jane.mh.cheung@hktdc.orgMedia Room: http://mediaroom.hktdc.comAbout HKTDCThe Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on Twitter @hktdc and LinkedInSource: HKTDCCopyright 2024 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
Award winning Business Resilience Consultancy joins Databarracks

LONDON, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Databarracks, the technology and business resilience specialist has acquired Glasgow based PlanB Consulting to enhance its Operational Resilience and Cyber Continuity consulting practice.

Chris Butler, Resilience Director, Databarracks, commented: "We are thrilled to have PlanB join us. PlanB has been a powerhouse in Business Continuity and Resilience for almost two decades. They're widely known, highly respected and one of the true thought-leaders in our industry. Led by the highly respected Charlie and Kim Maclean-Bristol, they are a multi-award -winning Business Continuity Consulting business and stalwarts of the resilience community."

Kim Maclean-Bristol, Co-Founder and Director of PlanB, explained: "We're pleased to find a home with an organisation that gives us a broader market reach and shares our values and vision for changing the way we make organisations resilient. Together we bring a wide range of consulting skills, real-world expertise and can now offer a complete range of Business Continuity, Crisis Management and Cyber Resilience services."

Customers of the combined business can now benefit from a full suite of end-to-end Operational Resilience services. From Data Protection, Disaster Recovery, Business Continuity and Incident Response, through to Cyber Incident Exercising from a National Cyber Security Centre Assured Service Provider.

Mike Osborne, Chairman, Databarracks: "There is no better independent Business Continuity Consultancy than PlanB. I've spent 30+ years in the industry and over the last few years the market has fundamentally changed.

"The old guard of BC specialists has been absorbed by generalist IT service providers. Sungard Availability Services sadly went into administration in the UK. Throughout the pandemic, many of the smaller consulting providers took in-house roles, leaving 'the big four' as an expensive alternative.

"The Operational Resilience market has become fractured across Cyber, Data Protection, IT Recovery and Business Continuity Planning, now leaving few, if any, genuine specialists dedicated to end-to-end resilience.

"This acquisition creates a market-leading Data Protection, Technology Recovery, Business Continuity and Cyber Resilience business offering in one."

Chris Butler further commented that: "The world is undoubtedly more volatile and uncertain. Supply chains have come under extreme pressure and business interruptions remain highly likely. The cyber arms race shows little sign of peaking, and by the end of the decade there will likely be few businesses that haven't been targeted and impacted.

"The organisations that thrive will be those who are prepared for this changing environment. PlanB strengthens this integrated approach, cultivating dynamic leadership, adaptive operations, robust technology and supportive supply chains to enable businesses to survive and prosper."

About Databarracks

Databarracks is the technology and business resilience specialist.

In 2003, we launched one of the world's first managed Backup services to bring indestructible resilience to mission-critical data.

Today, we deliver award-winning IT resilience and continuity services. We help organisations get the most out of the cloud and protect their data, wherever it lives.

And we back this up with unbeatable support. There's no such thing as 'above and beyond' for our engineers because they only work to one standard: to keep your systems running perfectly.

Enterprise-class continuity, security, and resilience. Accessible for all.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/databarracks-acquires-planb-consulting-302147641.html
CHIHUAHUA, Mexico, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Due to its extensive focus on cluster development to boost the economy, the city of Chihuahua in northern Mexico is to host the 27th TCI Global World Conference in October. The event will gather global experts in automation, artificial intelligence, economic development schemes, new business models, and venture capital for the supply chain.

The conference, scheduled for October 8-10 this year, will feature prominent speakers including Italian economist Mariana Mazzucato, a global authority on economic development, and Rebeca Hwang, an expert in artificial intelligence and automation.

Luis Oliver Torres Garcia, director of Economic Development of the State of Chihuahua (DESEC) and a member of the TCI Network, told EFE that the city of Chihuahua has been a key player in this organization, which is why the event will be held in this northern Mexican state, a national leader in exports due to its extensive maquiladora industry.

Torres Garcia explained that a cluster is an organization that brings together the private sector, academia, and the government to develop a specific economic sector through a joint strategy, and the event will include economic development organizations from 80 countries.

"This forum is precisely for that, to see what is happening between regions, what they are doing in Europe, how other countries are handling it, what other development agencies are doing in terms of supporting companies", said the economic development specialist.

The city of Chihuahua was chosen to host the 26th TCI Global World Conference on 2023, for its emphasis on economic development and amid Mexico's rise as one of the main destinations for nearshoring or business relocation.

Regarding automation, Hwang will present her research on reducing the direct presence of employees on production lines to handle complex situations such as the 2020 pandemic without needing to halt operations. Meanwhile, Mazzucato will explain how major economic changes worldwide started with governments.

Founded in 1998 and based in Barcelona, TCI Network recognizes Chihuahua Capital as the fifth-best city in Mexico for entrepreneurship, the fifth worldwide in aerospace investment, and the second-best city in Mexico for quality of life.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/mexican-city-of-chihuahua-to-host-tci-global-clusters-conference-in-october-302147651.html
LONDON, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Lendscape, the market-leading provider of commercial finance technology, today announced the launch of Lendscape CONNECT, a revolutionary solution designed to widen access to invoice finance by removing the traditional barriers involved for lenders and their clients.

Lendscape CONNECT brings together open accounting technology and advanced Shadow Ledger functionality to digitalise and automate the invoice finance operations for banks and lenders, driving down costs while providing improved risk control. Available on the award-winning Lendscape platform, the new solution promises to completely remove the burden of month-end reconciliations, saving lenders up to four hours per client each month.

"Invoice finance can be a cashflow lifeline but has been hindered by complex manual processes that can be cumbersome for lenders to manage, and more intrusive for businesses than alternatives like overdrafts and term loans," said Carolyn Goddard, Head of Product at Lendscape. "With Lendscape CONNECT, we've tackled these issues head-on. Our new solution gives lenders secure, direct access to live data from their clients' accounting systems and a detailed view of the sales ledger that always aligns with their clients' records. This eliminates time-consuming month-end reconciliations and removes the client burden of manually uploading debtors and invoices."

Kevin Day, CEO of Lendscape, remarked, "Lendscape CONNECT is a true game-changer, combining the day-to-day simplicity of invoice discounting with the robust risk control typical of factoring. Lenders are now equipped to offer light-touch, non-invasive invoice finance to a wider range of clients, achieving precise, timely risk management without the need for human intervention." He added, "We expect that this will enable lenders to strike the optimal balance of cost, risk and service in their invoice finance operations, fostering increased adoption and satisfying market demand. Lendscape has a proven track record of leveraging cutting-edge technology to address the challenges facing the industry, and Lendscape CONNECT is a milestone in enabling simpler, data-led financing."

Key benefits of Lendscape CONNECT include:

Eliminate month-end reconciliations, saving ~ up to 4hrs per client, per month : Automated synchronisation between the lender's view of the sales ledger and their clients', eliminating the need for month-end reconciliations and manual disapprovals.

: Automated synchronisation between the lender's view of the sales ledger and their clients', eliminating the need for month-end reconciliations and manual disapprovals. All the control, none of the hassle: The control of factoring without the manual intervention. Lendscape CONNECT offers instant access to live financial data from clients' accounting packages, providing the day-to-day simplicity of invoice discounting with the risk controls normally associated with factoring.

The control of factoring without the manual intervention. Lendscape CONNECT offers instant access to live financial data from clients' accounting packages, providing the day-to-day simplicity of invoice discounting with the risk controls normally associated with factoring. More clients, enhanced risk management : Advanced Shadow Ledger technology offers comprehensive, invoice and debtor-level visibility. Detailed sales ledgers support improved reporting, a wealth of analysis, and granular, timely risk management at scale.

: Advanced Shadow Ledger technology offers comprehensive, invoice and debtor-level visibility. Detailed sales ledgers support improved reporting, a wealth of analysis, and granular, timely risk management at scale. Improved client experience: Reduces friction for clients, removing the need for cumbersome month-end reconciliations and manual uploads and providing a transparent view of their funding position through the Lendscape Client Portal.

With features including live data access, automated disapproval calculations, and seamless integration with a breadth of third-party services for enhanced reporting and risk management, Lendscape CONNECT is set to redefine invoice finance.

For more information about Lendscape CONNECT and how it can benefit your business, visit www.lendscape.com/platform/connect.

About Lendscape

Lendscape?is the world's leading technology provider for all forms of secured finance.??

With over 45 years of experience and in-depth industry understanding, our dynamic team has designed, developed, and delivered secured lending technology to over 40 markets and some of the worlds' most prestigious banking and financial services providers.??

Lendscape supports a range of working capital and asset finance solutions such as factoring, invoice discounting, supply chain finance, asset-based lending as well as asset finance and many other forms of specialist finance.?

To learn more, visit www.lendscape.com .

Media contact:

Iain Gomersall

iain.gomersall@lendscape.com

+44 20 8187 8905

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2414861/Lendscape_CONNECT.jpg

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COVIVIO HOTELS SCA

Pre Stabilisation Notice

PARIS, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HSBC (contact: syndexecution@noexternalmail.hsbc.com (mailto:syndexecution@noexternalmail.hsbc.com)) hereby gives notice, as Stabilisation Coordinator, that the Stabilisation Manager(s) named below may stabilise the offer of the following securities

The securities: Issuer: COVIVIO HOTELS SCA Guarantor (if any): na Aggregate nominal amount: EUR 500,000,000 Description: Fixed rate due 23rd May 2033 Offer price: TBC Other offer terms: Stabilisation: Stabilising Manager(s): HSBC Continental Europe, BNPP, Credit Agricole, ING, Natixis, Societe Generale Stabilisation period expected to start on: 16th May 2024 Stabilisation period expected to end no later than: 21st June 2024 Existence, maximum size & conditions of use of over-allotment facility[1]: 5% of the aggregate nominal amount Stabilisation Venue(s) Over the counter (OTC)

In connection with the offer of the above securities, the Stabilisation Manager(s) may over-allot the securities or effect transactions with a view to supporting the market price of the securities at a level higher than that which might otherwise prevail. However, there is no assurance that the Stabilisation Manager(s) will take any stabilisation action and any stabilisation action, if begun, may be ended at any time. Any stabilisation action or over-allotment shall be conducted in accordance with all applicable laws and rules.

This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to underwrite, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any securities of the Issuer in any jurisdiction.

In addition, if and to the extent that this announcement is communicated in, or the offer of the securities to which it relates is made in, any EEA Member State before the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the competent authority in that Member State in accordance with the Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the "Prospectus Regulation") (or which has been approved by a competent authority in another Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Member State in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation), this announcement and the offer are only addressed to and directed at persons in that Member State who are qualified investors within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation (or who are other persons to whom the offer may lawfully be addressed) and must not be acted on or relied on by other persons in that Member State.

This announcement and the offer of the securities to which it relates are only addressed to and directed at persons outside the United Kingdom and persons in the United Kingdom who have professional experience in matters related to investments or who are high net worth persons within article 12(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 and must not be acted on or relied on by other persons in the United Kingdom.

This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States. The securities have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration. There will be no public offer of securities in the United States.

____________________________

[1] Please note that the existence and the maximum size of any greenshoe option, the exercise period of the greenshoe option and any conditions for exercise of the greenshoe option must also be disclosed, if such option exists. In addition, the exercise of the greenshoe option must be disclosed to the public promptly, together with all appropriate details, including in particular the date of exercise and the number and nature of securities involved
PHOENIX, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Ivanhoe Electric Inc. ("Ivanhoe Electric") (NYSE American:IE)(TSX:IE) Executive Chairman Robert Friedland, and President and Chief Executive Officer Taylor Melvin, are pleased to announce its multi-year commitment for a $150,000 contribution to the Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty Initiative ("NAMES"), part of the Payne Institute for Public Policy at Colorado School of Mines ("Mines"), one of the world's foremost universities of mineral and energy engineering.

NAMES serves as a beacon of support for Tribal communities, facilitating dialogue between stakeholders and driving forward-thinking discussions on mineral and energy development in the western United States. Through this partnership, Ivanhoe Electric joins NAMES in its mission to empower Tribal communities by encouraging and financially supporting educational opportunities in the fields of energy and natural resources. Ivanhoe Electric is proud to help lay the groundwork for long-term prosperity and self-determination through the NAMES initiative.

Mr. Melvin commented: "We are thrilled to embark on this partnership with Colorado School of Mines' Payne Institute to support the NAMES Initiative and its vital mission of empowering Tribal communities and creating opportunities in the mining sector. Our sponsorship reflects Ivanhoe Electric's commitment to promoting social and economic progress for Tribal communities across the western United States. We look forward to creating a sustained engagement and impactful contribution to Tribal communities through our partnership with NAMES."

Morgan Bazilian, Director, Payne Institute and Mines Professor of Public Policy commented: "We are grateful for the support of Ivanhoe Electric. The NAMES initiative will help support Tribal sovereignty through scholarships all the way through doctoral studies in industries that are critical to the Tribes and their people."

Ivanhoe Electric's sponsorship will help fund development to:

Support Native American students at Mines including their admission, retention, development, and graduation at the undergraduate and graduate levels;

Fund programs to support advanced research and development of Tribal energy and mineral-related initiatives;

Develop Native American-focused STEM activities and programs.

Rick Tallman, NAMES' Payne Institute Affiliated Partner and Mines Foundation Board of Governors Member commented: "Ivanhoe Electric's commitment to support Tribal knowledge and sovereignty demonstrates true vision and leadership at this critical moment in American mining history. The world is changing, and through the NAMES Initiative, Mines is working with Tribal communities and industry partners like Ivanhoe Electric to create new ways to engage local communities and support the growing demand for critical minerals."

NAMES' inaugural event is scheduled for May 20 and 21 in Ignacio, Colorado, and will be co-hosted by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe on their land. Ivanhoe Electric will participate in this milestone event and looks forward to working together with all stakeholders of the NAMES Initiative to achieve the mutual objectives of empowerment, equity, prosperity, and sustainability.

About Ivanhoe Electric

We are a U.S. company that combines advanced mineral exploration technologies with electric metals exploration projects predominantly located in the United States. We use our accurate and powerful Typhoon geophysical surveying system, together with advanced data analytics provided by our subsidiary, Computational Geosciences Inc., to accelerate and de-risk the mineral exploration process as we seek to discover new deposits of critical metals that may otherwise be undetectable by traditional exploration technologies. We believe the United States is significantly underexplored and has the potential to yield major new discoveries of critical metals. Our mineral exploration efforts focus on copper as well as other metals including nickel, vanadium, cobalt, platinum group elements, gold and silver. Through the advancement of our portfolio of electric metals exploration projects, headlined by the Santa Cruz Copper Project in Arizona and the Tintic Copper-Gold Project in Utah, as well as other exploration projects in the United States, we intend to support United States supply chain independence by finding and delivering the critical metals necessary for the electrification of the economy. We also operate a 50/50 joint venture with Saudi Arabian Mining Company Ma'aden to explore for minerals on ~48,500 km2 of underexplored Arabian Shield in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Website: www.ivanhoeelectric.com.

About The Payne Institute for Public Policy

The Payne Institute for Public Policy at Colorado School of Mines is in a unique position to serve as a nexus for high-quality, data-driven, solutions-oriented research and dialogue needed to inform energy and environmental policy at this critical moment. The Payne Institute can harness the faculty and student body of an institution with deep roots in mining and petroleum engineering, but also with superb programs and longstanding relationships spanning renewable energy, water purification, civil and environmental engineering, materials science and other areas. Mines has an unmatched track record in solving tough scientific and engineering problems across the gamut of energy and environmental fields. The university enjoys a hard-earned reputation as an unbiased problem-solver in disciplines often at odds in the energy-environment discussion; the university tagline, a marriage of the words "Earth" "Energy" and "Environment," is in fact an accurate reflection of our expansive and growing purview.

About Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty Initiative (NAMES)

The Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty (NAMES) Initiative is part of the Payne Institute for Public Policy at Colorado School of Mines, one of the world's foremost universities of mineral and energy engineering. The Initiative was established to be a strong supporter of tribal communities, an effective convener to industry and a thought leader in the national conversation on new critical mineral and energy development in the western U.S. The Initiative will empower tribal communities through knowledge and collaboration to find financial success in the energy transition while gaining energy security and sovereignty for their people.

Contact Information

Ivanhoe Electric

Email: info@ivanhoeelectric.com

NAMES Initiative

Rick Tallman, NAMES' Payne Institute Affiliated Partner and Mines Foundation Board of Governors member

Email: Richard.Tallman@Mines.edu

Follow us on

Ivanhoe Electric's Executive Chairman Robert Friedland: @robert_ivanhoe

Ivanhoe Electric: @ivanhoeelectric

Ivanhoe Electric's investor relations website located at www.ivanhoeelectric.com should be considered Ivanhoe Electric's recognized distribution channel for purposes of the Securities and Exchange Commission's Regulation FD.

SOURCE: Ivanhoe Electric Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
(All dollar amounts expressed in US dollars unless otherwise noted)

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 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 ended March 31, 2024, for the Nueva Recuperada Project (the "Project") in Central Peru.

Q1 2024 Financial Highlights

Generated revenues of $4.8 million.

Cash costs of $15.36 per silver equivalent ("AgEq") ounce produced (1)(2) and All-In Sustaining Cost ("AISC") (1)(2) of $21.36 per AgEq ounce produced, reflective of the sustaining capital expenditure invested in the development of the Tangana mining unit ($1.8 million adding $6.00 per AgEq ounce produced to the AISC).

and All-In Sustaining Cost ("AISC") of $21.36 per AgEq ounce produced, reflective of the sustaining capital expenditure invested in the development of the Tangana mining unit ($1.8 million adding $6.00 per AgEq ounce produced to the AISC). Positive EBITDA of $0.3 million and Positive Adjusted EBITDA of $0.4 million.

Operating income of $6,000 and Net loss before tax of $0.9 million.

Silver X Mining CEO Jose Garcia said, "I am satisfied that as we continue to make operating progress quarter after quarter. Our improved performance in conjunction with our cost reduction initiatives, continue to yield positive results."

"These financial results based on our Q1 production of 363,795 oz AgEq processed confirm our good trajectory. Looking ahead, we anticipate continuing to increase performance over the rest of 2024, which will turn into growth and value creation for our shareholders," added Garcia.

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.silvermining.com or on SEDAR+ at sedarplus.ca.

Note:

1. 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.

Three months ended March 31, 2024 vs.2023.

For the three months ended March 31, 2024, the Company recorded:

Net loss before tax of $0.9 million, compared to a net loss before tax of $1.1M million in the three months ended March 31, 2023.

EBITDA income of $0.3 million, compared to an EBITDA loss of $0.5 million in the three months ended March 31, 2023.

loss of $0.5 million in the three months ended March 31, 2023. Adjusted EBITDA income of $0.4 million, compared to an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $0.6 million in the three months ended March 31, 2023.

Income in the current period was primarily due to increased operating revenues from the sale of mineral production of $4.8 million compared to $4.6 million in the prior period (increase of $0.2 million), decrease of cost of sales of $4.8 million compared to $5.0 million in the prior period (decrease of $0.2 million).

Financial Position

The available cash during the period decreased by $0.2 million reflecting the net outflow from its continuing development of the Tangana mine unit.

On April 12, 2024, the Company completed its non-brokered private placement of gross proceeds of C$5.0 million. 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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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:

During the period, cash cost decreased with the decrease of the level of tonnage of ore processed, which amounted to 37,903 tonnes for Q1 2024 compared to 40,438 tonnes for Q1 2023. Overall operating efficiencies also improved resulting in a lower production cash cost per tonne of $99 per tonne in Q1 2024 compared to $109 per tonne in Q1 2023.

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 a given 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.com and 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

+1-647-259-6901 x 101

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.com from 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
Revenue up 40% Year-Over-Year;

Completes 49% Sale of Subsidiary; Deploys Proceeds to Repay Debt and Adds Substantial Cash For Growth

DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / KonaTel, Inc. (OTCQB:KTEL) (www.konatel.com), a voice/data communications holding company, today announced financial results for the three month period ended March 31, 2024.

First Quarter 2024 Financial Summary

Revenues of $5.6 million, compared to $4.0 million in the first quarter last year.

Gross profit of $1.1 million, or 20.0% of revenues, compared to $1.0 million, or 24.9% of revenues; up 12.5% on a dollar basis compared to the first quarter last year.

Operating loss of $(847,000) compared to an operating loss of $(753,000) in the first quarter last year.

GAAP net income of $8.1 million, inclusive of a $9.2 million gain on sale of 49% interest in IM Telecom, or $0.19 per share, compared to a net loss of $(915,000), or $(0.02) per share, in the first quarter last year.

Non-GAAP net income of ($833,793) or ($0.02) per diluted share, adjusting for the $9.2 million gain on sale of 49% interest in IM Telecom, compared to a non-GAAP net loss of $(608,000), or $(0.01) per diluted share, in the first quarter of last year.

Sean McEwen, Chairman and CEO of KonaTel stated, "First quarter revenue increased 40% year-over-year, and just as important, we delivered sequential revenue growth in each of the last four quarters partially due to our strategy to diversify beyond government subsidized services. Within our Hosted Services segment, we increased revenue by 17% to record levels due to the addition of new customers and new revenue from existing customers. While there is uncertainty surrounding the government's re-funding of the ACP program, our legacy Lifeline business is not impacted by government funding, and I am excited by our progress and the opportunities within our Hosted Services operation, given the attractive economics and stickiness of the customer base."

McEwen continued, "We completed the sale of a minority position of our interest in IM Telecom in the first quarter, which resulted in cash proceeds of $9.0 million. We used a portion of the proceeds to pay off all outstanding debt obligations. With $3.9 million in cash, we ended the quarter with a much stronger balance sheet and additional, non-dilutive capital. We are using the additional capital to fund our growth and revenue diversification strategy through the addition of experienced sales and operations personnel within our Hosted Services business, which is now driving an expansion of that segment. And as previously disclosed, we secured a multi-million-dollar financing option which helps us fund our partners in pursuit of an 'asset light' strategy within the government subsidized (Lifeline and ACP) market."

McEwen concluded "Our growth in revenue demonstrates that with the right amount of working capital, our management team has the experience and capability to rapidly accelerate growth in both our Hosted Services and Government Subsidized (Lifeline and ACP) operations. Looking forward, we have several pending projects within our Hosted Services business, including the upcoming five-year exclusive agreement to provide wholesale cellular service to Viva-USA. Viva-USA is part of the Viva Group of companies, an international MNO/MVNO with over three million customers in Mexico and Bolivia."

Quarterly Financial Summary (Q1 2024 vs. Q1 2023)

Revenue of $5.6 million, compared to $4.0 million. The increase in revenue was primarily due to the market and distribution channel expansion undertaken in 2023, focusing on providing services within our core ETC licensed states.

Gross profit was $1.1 million, or 20.0% gross profit margin, compared to $1.0 million, or 24.9% gross profit margin. This increase primarily resulted from adding higher ARPU activations in our Mobile Services segment, and sourcing lower equipment and network costs.

Total operating expenses were $1.9 million, compared to $1.8 million. This increase was primarily due to higher payroll and related expense associated with the addition of headcount in our Apeiron subsidiary, as we begin to initiate sales efforts of hosted services, as well as higher stock expense from grants provided in Q4 2023.

GAAP net income was $8.1 million, or $0.19 per diluted share (based on 43.6 million weighted average shares), compared to a net loss of $(915,000), or $(0.02) per diluted share (based on 42.4 million weighted average shares). This increase was a result of the gain on sale recognized as part of the sale of 49% interest in IM Telecom.

Non-GAAP net income was ($833,793), or ($0.02) per diluted share, compared to a non-GAAP net loss of $(608,000), or $(0.01) per diluted share.

Balance Sheet

The Company ended the quarter with $3.9 million in cash, compared to $777,000 on December 31, 2023. The increase in cash was due to cash received as part of the sale of 49% interest in IM Telecom.

About KonaTel

KonaTel provides a variety of retail and wholesale telecommunications services including mobile voice/text/data service supported by national U.S. mobile networks, mobile numbers, SMS/MMS services, IoT mobile data service, and a range of hosted cloud services. KonaTel's subsidiary, Apeiron Systems (www.apeiron.io), is a global cloud communications service provider employing a dynamic "as a service" (CPaaS/UCaaS/CCaaS/PaaS) platform. Apeiron provides voice, messaging, SD-WAN, and platform services using its national cloud network. All Apeiron's services can be accessed through legacy interfaces and rich communications APIs. KonaTel's other subsidiary, Infiniti Mobile (www.infinitimobile.com), is an FCC authorized national wireless ACP and Lifeline carrier with an FCC approved wireless Lifeline Compliance Plan, licensed to provide government subsidized cellular service to low-income American families across eleven states. KonaTel is headquartered in Plano, Texas.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time the statements are made and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements in this press release. This press release should be considered in light of the disclosures contained in the filings of KonaTel and its "forward-looking statements" in such filings that are contained in the EDGAR Archives of the SEC at www.sec.gov.

Contacts

D. Sean McEwen

(214) 323-8410

inquiries@konatel.com

Unaudited Balance Sheets, Statements of Operations, and Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Measure Follow

KonaTel, Inc.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(unaudited)



March 31, 2024 December 31, 2023 Assets



Current Assets



Cash and Cash Equivalents $ 3,884,897 $ 777,103 Accounts Receivable, Net 1,946,997 1,496,799 Inventory, Net 765,032 1,229,770 Prepaid Expenses 118,197 129,706 Other Current Assets 1,000,000 - Total Current Assets 7,715,123 3,633,378

Property and Equipment, Net 21,735 24,184

Other Assets Intangible Assets, Net 323,468 634,251 Right of Use Asset 413,119 443,328 Other Assets 74,542 74,543 Total Other Assets 811,129 1,152,122 Total Assets $ 8,547,987 $ 4,809,684

Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity Current Liabilities Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses $ 2,636,260 $ 3,709,691 Loans Payable, Net of Loan Fees - 3,655,171 Right of Use Operating Lease Obligation - Current 130,146 127,716 Income Tax Payable 149,428 - Total Current Liabilities 2,915,834 7,492,578

Long Term Liabilities Right of Use Operating Lease Obligation - Long Term 297,154 330,511 Total Long Term Liabilities 297,154 330,511 Total Liabilities 3,212,988 7,823,089 Commitments and Contingencies Stockholders' Equity Common stock, $.001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized, 43,333,220 outstanding and issued at March 31, 2024 and 43,145,720 outstanding and issued at December 31, 2023 43,333 43,146 Additional Paid In Capital 9,447,273 9,182,140 Accumulated Deficit (4,155,607 ) (12,238,691 ) Total Stockholders' Equity 5,334,999 (3,013,405 ) Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity $ 8,547,987 $ 4,809,684



KonaTel, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Operations

(unaudited)



Three Months Ended

March 31,

2024 2023 Revenue $ 5,635,836 $ 4,031,719 Cost of Revenue 4,508,332 3,029,840 Gross Profit 1,127,504 1,001,879

Operating Expenses Payroll and Related Expenses 1,452,100 1,139,546 Operating and Maintenance 1,544 1,700 Bad Debt 1,448 14 Professional and Other Expenses 110,223 300,498 Utilities and Facilities 50,786 57,045 Depreciation and Amortization 2,449 3,088 General and Administrative 61,395 40,234 Marketing and Advertising 33,996 37,517 Application Development Costs 206,083 143,529 Taxes and Insurance 54,435 31,903 Total Operating Expenses 1,974,459 1,755,074

Operating Loss (846,955 ) (753,195 )

Other Income and Expense Gain on Sale of Subsidiary 9,247,726 - Interest Expense (104,329 ) (161,502 ) Other Income/(Expense), net (63,930 ) - Total Other Income and Expenses 9,079,467 (161,502 )

Income Before Income Taxes 8,232,512 (914,697 )

Income Tax Expense 149,428 -

Net Income (Loss) $ 8,083,084 $ (914,697 )

Earnings (Loss) per Share Basic $ 0.19 $ (0.02 ) Diluted $ 0.19 $ (0.02 ) Weighted Average Outstanding Shares Basic 43,180,747 42,375,917 Diluted 43,601,328 42,375,917



KonaTel, Inc.

Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Measure

(unaudited)



Three Months Ended Three Months Ended

March 31, March 31,

2024 2023 Net Income (Loss) $ 8,083,084 $ (914,697 ) Add Back: Gain on Sale of Subsidiary (9,247,726 ) - Depreciation and Amortization 2,449 3,088 Stock-based Compensation 224,070 142,599 Interest Expense, net 104,329 161,508 Non-GAAP Net Loss $ (833,794 ) $ (607,502 )

SOURCE: KonaTel

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Strengthening global presence, demonstrating high-end intelligence with 52.85% YOY Growth in Overseas Revenue in Q1

CHANGSHA, China, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In a strategic move to further develop the global construction machinery market, Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co., Ltd. ("Zoomlion", 01157.HK) has significantly advanced its market position by participating in multiple prestigious international exhibitions. These initiatives serve as vital platforms for demonstrating the company's capabilities and securing orders, significantly propelling the rapid growth of its international business.

Zoomlion is targeting high-end markets in Europe and North America by localizing manufacturing and engaging in regional expos to enhance its brand image and competitive edge. Concurrently, the company is making advances into emerging markets in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, proving the competitiveness of its products through participation in significant local exhibitions.

In 2023, Zoomlion achieved a record overseas revenue of 17.905 billion yuan (US$ 2.48 billion), continuing this strong growth into the first quarter of this year with a 52.85% increase in overseas revenue, which reached 5.703 billion yuan (US$ 790.26 million) and accounted for 48% of its total revenue.

Recent exhibition highlights and achievements:

ARA Show in the United States: Zoomlion showcased a range of machinery, including earthmoving and aerial working platforms, specifically targeting North American demands for compact equipment such as the ZE35GU excavator and the ZS090V skid steer loader.

Zoomlion showcased a range of machinery, including earthmoving and aerial working platforms, specifically targeting North American demands for compact equipment such as the ZE35GU excavator and the ZS090V skid steer loader. INTERMAT 2024 in France : Zoomlion launched two tailor-made fully electric scissor lifts for the European market, along with multiple green products, including hybrid mixers and electric aerial working platforms, demonstrating its commitment to sustainability.

: Zoomlion launched two tailor-made fully electric scissor lifts for the European market, along with multiple green products, including hybrid mixers and electric aerial working platforms, demonstrating its commitment to sustainability. Mining and Construction Vietnam 2024 : The company exhibited large excavators and concrete pumps, and catered to Southeast Asia's humid conditions with specially designed products that meet local requirements.

: The company exhibited large excavators and concrete pumps, and catered to Southeast Asia's humid conditions with specially designed products that meet local requirements. M&T Expo in Brazil : Zoomlion showcased the "ZMC" series cranes, designed specifically for the Brazilian market, and also garnered over 50 million yuan (US$ 6.93 million) in orders.

: Zoomlion showcased the "ZMC" series cranes, designed specifically for the Brazilian market, and also garnered over 50 million yuan (US$ 6.93 million) in orders. China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Africa (KENYA) 2024: Customized right-hand drive mobile cranes catered specifically to East African driving conditions, enhancing practicality for local users.

Zoomlion's strategic participation in international exhibitions highlights the company's steadfast commitment in the global market. By leveraging these opportunities, Zoomlion not only showcases its new product lines and innovations but also deepens connections with customers globally. Moreover, the company strengthens its competitiveness through strategic local adaptations, driving significant growth and reinforcing its market position.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/zoomlion-accelerates-global-market-growth-with-impressive-showings-at-international-expos-302147686.html
Emittent / Herausgeber: Mangrove LuxCo III S.a r.l. / Schlagwort(e): Quartals-/Zwischenmitteilung

Invitation Q1 2024 Investor Conference Call



16.05.2024 / 14:01 CET/CEST

Fur den Inhalt der Mitteilung ist der Emittent / Herausgeber verantwortlich.





NOTICE

Mangrove LuxCo III S.a r.l.

Societe a Responsabilite Limitee

Registered Office: 2, rue Edward Steichen,

L-2540 Luxembourg

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

R.C.S. Luxembourg B236258

7.775% Senior Secured Notes due 2025

ISIN Code: XS2059543921 / XS2059544655 / XS2059545389

Luxembourg - 2.00 pm, 16 May 2024

We are pleased to invite you to the Q1 2024 investor conference call of Mangrove LuxCo III S.a r.l. on

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

3.30 pm CEST,

2.30 pm BST,

9.30 am EDT

On the conference call, Mangrove LuxCo III S.a r.l. will discuss the bondholder quarterly reports for Q1 2024 and the results of operations of Mangrove LuxCo III S.a r.l. and its subsidiaries (the "Mangrove Group") in respect of such period. In addition, Mangrove LuxCo III S.a r.l. will discuss the noteholder presentation. The conference call will also include a discussion of the operational performance of the Mangrove Group and its subsidiaries on a pro-forma basis for Q1 2024.

The conference call will be hosted by Mr. Mark Bevan, Chief Financial Officer of Kelvion Group.

The Group's bondholder quarterly reports for Q1 2024 have been released at the investor website of the Mangrove Group at Syndtrak.

At the same website the noteholder presentation and the information how to access the investor conference call will be released in due course.

Holders of the Senior Secured Notes, prospective investors, broker dealers and securities analysts that do not yet have access to the investor website of the Mangrove Group at Syndtrak may contact Mangrove Investor Relations (info@mangrove-investor-relations.com) .

The Mangrove Group, under its brand Kelvion, is a leading global manufacturer of industrial heat exchangers for a highly diversified range of end markets, such as Data Centers, Food & Beverages, HVAC & Refrigeration, Power & Energy, Chemicals, Oil & Gas, Transportation and Heavy & Light Equipment. In these multiple markets, the Group supports its broad and long-standing customer base through its global sales, service and production network with energy efficient cooling and heating solutions for high and green tech applications.

****************

Disclaimer

This press release has been prepared by the Mangrove Group solely for informational purposes and does not constitute, and should not be construed as, an offer to sell or issue securities or otherwise constitute an invitation or inducement to any person to purchase, underwrite, subscribe to or otherwise acquire securities in any Mangrove Group entity.

Certain statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, any statements preceded by, followed by or including the words "targets," "believes," "expects," "aims," "intends," "may," "anticipates," "would," "could" or similar expressions or the negative thereof, constitute forward-looking statements, notwithstanding that such statements are not specifically identified. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (i) statements about future financial and operating results; (ii) statements of strategic objectives, business prospects, future financial condition, budgets, projected levels of production, projected costs and projected levels of revenues and profits of the Mangrove Group or its management or boards of directors; (iii) statements of future economic performance; and (iv) statements of assumptions underlying such statements.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions which are difficult to predict and outside of the control of the management of the Mangrove Group. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements. We have based these assumptions on information currently available to us, and if any one or more of these assumptions turn out to be incorrect, actual market results may differ from those predicted. While we do not know what impact any such differences may have on our business, if there are such differences, our future results of operations and financial condition, could be materially adversely affected. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which such statements are made. The Mangrove Group expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

No representation, warranty or undertaking, express or implied, is made as to, and no reliance should be placed on, the fairness, accuracy, completeness or correctness of the information or the opinions contained herein. Neither the Mangrove Group nor any of its advisors or representatives shall have any liability whatsoever (in negligence or otherwise) for any loss howsoever arising from any use of this press release or its contents. The information contained in this press release does not constitute investment advice.

This press release is not for publication, release or distribution in Canada, Japan or Australia. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of securities laws. This press release and the information contained herein are not an offer of securities for sale in the United States or to U.S. persons. Any securities referred to herein have not and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to U.S. persons. Any public offering of securities to be made in the United States would have to be made by means of a prospectus that would be obtainable from the Mangrove Group and would contain detailed information about the Mangrove Group, of any securities and its management, as well as financial statements. No money, securities or other consideration is being solicited, and, if sent in response to the information contained herein, will not be accepted.

Veroffentlichung einer Mitteilung, ubermittelt durch EQS Group AG.

Medienarchiv unter https://www.eqs-news.com.



Fur den Inhalt der Mitteilung ist der Emittent / Herausgeber verantwortlich.






Strategic advancements in embedded finance set to transform the payment industry

DUBAI, UAE, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- PayerMax, a global payments solutions provider, is participating in the Seamless Middle East 2024 conference on May 14 -16 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Marwan Nader, Director of Global Partnerships at PayerMax, shared his insights at the panel titled "Financial Services Perfectly Integrated In Our Daily Life: The Real Impact of Embedded Finance." He highlighted the transformative potential of embedded finance within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region's payment industry, emphasizing how it enhances user experiences and extends financial services accessibility by integrating into daily digital interactions.

Embedded finance integrates financial services directly into non-financial platforms, enriching customer interactions by providing seamless transactions. These services range from embedded lending and insurance to savings and payments, significantly improving the consumer journey across digital environments.

Marwan Nader noted that the MENA region's market for embedded finance is currently valued at $10 billion and is projected to grow by 45% by 2030, doubling the growth rate of other global markets. This substantial growth underscores the region's rapid adoption and innovation in financial technologies.

As a leading global payments solutions provider, PayerMax is at the forefront of this shift, integrating payment solutions into merchant platforms across MENA. This integration supports a variety of payment methods, including card payments, digital wallets, and bank transfers directly within merchants' apps, allowing users to make payments within the apps they already use and eliminating the need to switch to a separate app or complete transactions offline.

PayerMax also offers comprehensive payout solutions, enabling merchants to disburse funds effortlessly to both consumers and businesses through advanced application programming interfaces (APIs).

The Triple Win of Embedded Finance

Embedded finance not only facilitates expansive growth for financial providers but also generates new revenue streams for fintech companies and delivers superior service offerings for users. Most significantly, it promises a more inclusive financial landscape by reducing the barriers for the unbanked or underserved populations, providing them with equitable access to essential financial services.

During the conference, PayerMax also took center stage with a keynote presentation by Fede Chen, Head of Global Business Development at PayerMax. Titled "Boosting Business Globally: Beyond Payments," Chen discussed the multifaceted challenges merchants face in emerging markets, such as volatile exchange rates, complex tax regulations, and nuanced consumer behaviors. He detailed how PayerMax's comprehensive service matrix-including risk management, currency stabilization, tax compliance, and targeted payment marketing-supports merchants in overcoming these challenges and driving business growth.

PayerMax's active participation at Seamless Middle East 2024 underscores the company's commitment to addressing the evolving needs of global markets. This initiative serves as an invitation for regional and international stakeholders to engage with innovative financial solutions that can unlock new opportunities and foster sustainable growth.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2414778/panel.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2414800/PayerMax_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/payermax-highlights-embedded-finance-in-mena-at-seamless-middle-east-2024-302147705.html
SAN FRANCISCO, May 16, 2024, a global leader in media, social, and consumer intelligence, today announces a first-of-its-kind integration between its influencer marketing solution, Klear, and its social media management solution, Engage. This innovative offering helps customers unify their social media marketing strategies within one platform and provides cohesive social strategies by dismantling existing silos and barriers between owned and influencer marketing efforts.



Two new updates can be found inside Meltwater's Engage solution. The first is an integrated workflow in Engage designed to enable users to effortlessly discover, share, and amplify influencer posts across their owned social media channels, enhancing awareness, engagement, and maximizing influencer impact.

The second enhancement introduces a new influencer marketing dashboard template available in its social media management platform, Engage, to help customers easily measure the impact of their overall social performance in one place. When combined with Meltwater's owned analytics, users can compare influencer performance with other social media metrics, such as reach, engagement, revenue, earned media value to streamline the reporting process and identify the social media activities driving brand performance.

The product release underscores Meltwater's commitment to pioneering new solutions that address the evolving needs of its clients. As the first provider to offer integrated influencer marketing solutions within its core social solution, Meltwater is setting the standard for a comprehensive social suite to keep their customers one step ahead.

"Our goal is to simplify the process of analyzing social media campaigns while providing our customers with actionable insights to maximize impact and drive success. By integrating influencer marketing workflows and dashboards into our existing social media suite, we're breaking down silos and empowering marketing teams to make informed, cohesive decisions on their social media and influencer marketing strategies," said Chris Hackney, Chief Product Officer at Meltwater.

The latest updates are immediately available for joint Engage and Klear customers. For more information about Meltwater's social media management platform, Engage, visit Meltwater.com .

About Meltwater

Meltwater empowers companies with a suite of solutions that spans media, social, consumer and sales intelligence. By analyzing ~1 billion pieces of content each day and transforming them into vital insights, Meltwater unlocks the competitive edge to drive results. With 27,000 global customers, 50 offices across six continents and 2,300 employees, Meltwater is the industry partner of choice for global brands making an impact. Learn more at meltwater.com.

For more information, please contact:

Stacy Slayden

Communications Manager

pr@meltwater.com




Highlights:

The formation of NeuralCloud Solutions Incorporated: AIML's newest division - a wholly owned, operating subsidiary focused on pioneering advancements at the convergence of the global smart sensor market and the digital health industry.

The monetization of acquired assets: NeuralCloud's mandate is to advance and monetize AIML's recently acquired assets from Naiad Labs Inc.

VICTORIA, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / AI/ML Innovations Inc. ("AIML" or the "Company") (CSE:AIML)(OTCQB:AIMLF)(FWB:42FB), a leading company committed to acquiring and advancing Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning technologies that address urgent societal needs, proudly announces the formation of a new, wholly owned operating subsidiary, NeuralCloud Solutions Incorporated. NeuralCloud was founded with a clear mission: to capitalize on the increasing opportunities arising at the convergence of the global smart sensor market and the digital health industry, through the monetization of the recently acquired assets from Naiad Labs Inc.

NeuralCloud's market opportunity. The smart sensors market size stood at USD52.4 billion in 2023, and it is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 17.5% during 2024-2030, to reach USD160.3 billion by 2030.[1]In addition, the Global Digital Health Market size was valued at USD217 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach USD1,592 billion by 2032.[2]

"Our vision is for NeuralCloud to empower the world with Personalized Health Intelligence," stated Paul Duffy, CEO of AI/ML Innovations Inc. "Through innovative sensor technologies, Artificial Intelligence, and Neural Networks, we aim to make high-quality, low-cost personal biometric data accessible to every individual, enabling them to live their best lives."

Additionally, AIML is pleased to report that its CPO, Esmat Naikyar, has been chosen to lead NeuralCloud Solutions Incorporated as its President and Chief Product Officer.

Esmat Naikyar expressed his enthusiasm for leading the team at NeuralCloud Solutions Incorporated, "I am honored to embark on this journey with NeuralCloud. Together, we will harness cutting-edge technology to help redefine healthcare, and drive positive societal change."

###

About AI/ML Innovations Inc. https://aiml-innovations.com/

AI/ML Innovations Inc. has realigned its business operations to capitalize on the burgeoning fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), with an initial investment focus on emerging digital health and wellbeing companies that leverage AI, ML, cloud computing and digital platforms to drive transformative healthcare management solutions and precision support delivery across the health continuum. Through strategic partnerships with Health Gauge (95.2% owned by AIML), Tech2Heal (up to 22% ownership rights, with 12.44% currently owned by AIML), AI Rx Inc. (70% owned by AIML) and other planned accretive investments, the Company continues to capitalize on expanding growth areas, to the benefit of all the Company's stakeholders. AI/ML's shares are traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol "AIML", the OTCQB Venture Market under "AIMLF", and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under "42FB".

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Tim Daniels, Executive Chairman

For more information about AI/ML Innovations :

For detailed information please see AI/ML's website or the Company's filed documents at www.sedarplus.ca

For further information, contact: Blake Fallis at (778) 405-0882 or info@aiml-innovations.com

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For AI/ML Innovations Investors

Certain statements made in this press release that are not based on historical information are forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. This press release contains express or implied forward-looking statements relating to, among other things, AI/ML Innovations' expectations concerning management's plans, objectives, and strategies, including strategies for defending the Company's intellectual property. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees but are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. AI/ML Innovations Inc. undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events, or circumstances or otherwise except as expressly required by applicable securities law. Further information regarding the uncertainties and risks can be found in the disclosure documents filed by AI/ML with the securities regulatory authorities, available at www.sedar.com.

[1] https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/smart-sensors-market-report#

[2] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/digital-health-market-forecasted-reach-062100319.html

SOURCE: AI/ML Innovations Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Frequency Exchange Corp. ("Frequency Exchange" or the "Company") (TSXV:FREQ) is excited to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary, FREmedica Technologies Inc. ("FREmedica"), was one of 40 companies presenting at the exclusive ECO24 Event held on May 2nd, 3rd and 4th in Dallas, Texas. ECO24 is an annual CellCore Biosciences Event with approximately 1,500 frequency and Lyme literate doctors in attendance.

ECO24: CELLCORE'S biggest event of the year.

Dr. Todd Watts, Dr. Jay Davidson, and other leading experts in foundational medicine, equipped event attendees with the knowledge and tools needed to create exponential clinical outcomes with CellCore Biosciences. The three-day immersive experience enhanced both the way patients are treated and the results achieved for them. The multi-day format optimizes the opportunity to gain new insights, ask questions in depth, and interact with like-minded individuals.

https://eco2024.cellcore.com/home

"Another great event, ECO24 was one of our best. The engaging topics that the speakers bring together with exhibitors including FREmedica draw a high calibre of practitioners to our ECO Events. We at CellCore care deeply about the work we do and appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with the minds that attend ECO events knowing that only good can come from it. Thank you, Stephen, for accepting our invitation and we look for forward to growing our relationship together."

-Dr Drew Kidder, Cellcore VP

About CellCore

Cellcore Biosciences is the industry leader in digestive, immune, and mitochondrial health.

Cellcore introduced the concept of foundational medicine to the nutritional supplement industry. By formulating supplements designed to support cellular health through proprietary Carbon Technology, CellCore provides natural, root cause solutions. ECO24 is an exclusive event bringing more that 1,500 doctors together for three days and featuring speakers educating on products and new techniques in healing. The Practitioners attending are Lyme and frequency literate.

"I just experienced first-hand the best event (ECO24) I have ever had the pleasure to attend. At ECO24 we not only were guests, but also had the opportunity to share our Personal Frequency Delivery System with over 1,000 like-minded doctors over three days. During this time we were able to introduce NIKKI and all it has to offer. This is the first time we have presented NIKKI along with the frequency sets for wellness and Lyme disease. The response was overwhelming. We placed 250 NIKKIs on the wrists of those who attended and continue to have doctors signing up to our affiliate program. We have a number of doctors that are participating in this round of financing as well." Says Stephen Davis, CEO of Frequency Exchange Corp.

"I would also like to personally thank the entire CellCore team. This was not just an event for gathering information  it felt like family, a group of people sharing a heart for healing. We were so blessed to have been invited to be part of such a great experience. I hope we get invited back next year. From our Team to Yours, Thank You".

-Stephen Davis, CEO Frequency Exchange Corp

About Frequency Exchange Corp.

Based in British Columbia, Canada, the company is focused on the development and global commercialization of a personal Frequency Delivery System called NIKKI and worn on the wrist. NIKKI delivers specialized frequency sets designed to enhance wellness and improve performance. The brand "NIKKI" is the third generation of wearable technology created by the Company and is used to address multiple health issues including Lyme disease. This personal Frequency Delivery System combined with the frequency sets it delivers represents the result of years of research and development in advanced bioenergetic technology.

www.WeAreNikki.com

www.FrequencyExchangeCorp.com

For more information, please contact:

Frequency Exchange Corp. FREmedica Technologies Inc.

Stephen Davis

CEO & Director

250-732-7170

Nicole Sullivan

President

Nicole.sullivan@wearenikki.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain information contained herein constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the trading date of the Company's common shares on the Exchange. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. 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. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in filings by the Company with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Meta Description to add to CMS:

FREmedica partners with ECO24 Event to introduce a variety of Frequency Sets to 1,500 doctors attending the event. The Frequency Sets provided are exclusive to the ECO24 Event. The goal is to introduce the benefits that NIKKI delivers around Wellness and Lyme disease.

SOURCE: Frequency Exchange Corp.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
GreenBank Capital (CSE:GBC)(OTC PINK:GRNBF)(FRA:2TL) ("GreenBank" or the "Company") is pleased to update its shareholders on changes to the previously announced private placement announced 16th November 2023.

Private Placing

The company is planning to offer a non-brokered $1.250,000 private placement offering (the "Offering") of 25,000,000 units of the Company (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.05 per Unit, each Unit being comprised of one common share and one common share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Greenbank common share at an exercise price of C$0.075 for a term of 2 years from its date of issuance. The placing will be a combination of up-to 20,000,000 "Hard" dollar units and up-to 5,000,000"Flow through"units .

The Company also proposes to complete a debt settlement (the "Debt Conversion") with certain of its creditors by issuing them Units having the same terms as those issued in the Offering. The Company anticipates eliminating approximately $450,000 in debt pursuant to the Debt Settlement, including debt owed to its current and past directors and officers. This is a part of the restructuring of the Company towards being debt free and an aggressive supporter of its investments.

The Company expects to close the Offering and Debt Conversion in one or more tranches, with the first tranche expected to close on or before 30th May 2024.

The debt conversions with present and past directors and officers and companies owned or controlled by them will be a related party transaction within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101. The Company will be relying on the exemptions from the valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, as the fair market value of the participation in the offering by insiders will not exceed 25 per cent of the market capitalization of the Company, as determined in accordance with MI 61-101. The Company will not be filing a material change report in respect of the related party transaction at least 21 days before the closing of the Offering and Debt Conversion, a decision which the Company deems reasonable in the circumstances as to be able to avail itself of the proceeds of the Offering in an expeditious manner.

For further information, please contact:

Vilhjalmur Thor Vilhjalmsson, CEO and Chairman, GreenBank Capital

Tel: +354 8697296

Email: vilhjalmur@jvcapital.co.uk

About GreenBank

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 Reykjavik, London and Toronto and work 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, list 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).

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains statements that include "forward looking information" as defined in applicable Canadian securities laws, including, but not limited to, statements with respect to the proposed private placement and debt conversion, and GreenBank's investment strategy. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of GreenBank to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect the outcome include, among others: inability to find subscribers for the private placement, challenges in identifying and concluding investment transactions with attractive companies on favourable terms, or at all, future prices and the supply of metals; the results of drilling; inability to raise the money necessary to conclude investment transactions with third-party companies or to incur the expenditures required to retain and advance the Suni project, environmental liabilities (known and unknown); general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; accidents, labour disputes and other risks inherent in business, such as; political instability, terrorism, insurrection or war; delays in obtaining governmental approvals; or failure to obtain regulatory approvals. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to GreenBank's filings with Canadian securities regulators available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Although GreenBank has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and GreenBank disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE: GreenBank Capital Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Advanced Algorithmic Tool Enhances Accuracy in Forex Trading

Avenix Fzco proudly announces the launch of Reversedo, an innovative Forex robot designed to improve trading accuracy through advanced algorithms and real-time price action analysis. Developed for both novice and experienced traders, Reversedo offers precise trend reversal predictions, making Forex trading more accessible and profitable.

Reversedo's state-of-the-art technology leverages a sophisticated algorithmic strategy that combines technical indicators with meticulous price action analysis. This dual approach allows the robot to make precise predictions on trend reversals, particularly in the highly dynamic XAUUSD market. By focusing on the H4 (four-hourly) timeframe, Reversedo provides traders with timely and actionable insights, enabling them to execute trades with confidence and precision.

One of the standout features of Reversedo is its comprehensive indicator analysis. The robot evaluates a wide array of technical indicators to ensure that each trade signal is as accurate as possible. This rigorous analysis is further enhanced by real-time price action monitoring, which allows Reversedo to adapt to market changes swiftly and effectively. The result is a highly reliable trading tool that can operate autonomously, ensuring trades are executed at optimal times without manual intervention.

In addition to its technical prowess, Reversedo is designed with user accessibility in mind. Traders can access the robot through the MetaTrader 4 platform, a widely-used trading interface that supports global market engagement. Moreover, Reversedo offers a one-time payment model with no hidden fees, along with a demo version for users to explore its capabilities before committing.

Performance tracking is another key aspect of Reversedo. The robot generates detailed reports that help users understand their trading patterns and refine their strategies. This level of transparency and accountability ensures that traders can continuously improve their trading performance.

Avenix Fzco invites traders worldwide to join the Reversedo community and experience a new era of Forex trading. With its innovative approach and user-friendly features, Reversedo is set to become an indispensable tool for anyone looking to succeed in the Forex market.

For more information about Reversedo and to join the trading community, visit reversedo.com.

About Avenix Fzco

Avenix Fzco is a forward-thinking company based in Dubai, UAE, dedicated to developing innovative solutions for the financial trading sector. With a focus on leveraging technology to simplify and enhance trading experiences, Avenix Fzco continues to set new standards in the industry.

Media Contact

Organization: Avenix Fzco

Contact Person: Robert Swanton

Website: https://reversedo.com/

Email: support@reversedo.com

City: Dubai

State: Dubai

Country: United Arab Emirates

SOURCE: Avenix Fzco

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Halifax, Nova Scotia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 16, 2024) - EDM Resources Inc. (TSXV: EDM) ("EDM" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has commenced a dense media separation study on the base metal mineralization at the Scotia Mine.

The Dense Media Separation ("DMS") is an inexpensive method of pre-concentrating mineralization during processing and may significantly elevate feed grades.

"After preliminary analysis over the past 6 months, we are excited to now initiate a Dense Media Separation Study on our zinc and lead mineralized host rock with the SGS Metallurgical Laboratory in Quebec. DMS is increasingly being used by other base metal mines as a low capital and operating cost method of increasing feed head grades," said, Mr. Mark Haywood, President & CEO. "The DMS Study results are expected in August 2024, and if successful, may significantly improve the economics of the Scotia Mine," he added.

About Dense Media Separation (DMS)

Dense Media Separation ("DMS") is a relatively simple and inexpensive method of pre-concentrating mineralization before it enters the Grinding and Flotation Circuits at the Scotia Mine. It has been used extensively worldwide on many types of minerals, including projects similar to the Scotia Mine. After crushing, the material is processed through cyclones typically using a ferro-silicon media that will allow non-mineralized rock to "float" and be collected as waste, while mineralized material will "sink" and be directed to the grinding circuit as higher graded mill feed.

The benefits of adding DMS equipment are significant as this equipment may reduce the amount of material hauled from the pit to the mill, may elevate the feed head grades in the mill by 50% to 100%, may reduce the operating cost per pound of zinc and lead produced, and may also reduce the quantity of tailings produced by up to 50%. EDM already has a 2,700 tonnes per day mill concentrator on site at the Scotia Mine, so a DMS could be added in between the Crushing and Grinding Circuits in the existing processing building.

Results of the DMS Study are expected to be available in August 2024.

Pursuant to the Company's RSU incentive plan, the Board of Directors granted an aggregate of 80,357 Restricted Stock Units ("RSUs") in the Company to Mr. Chris Fedora, Chief Mining Engineer. The RSUs vest immediately.

About EDM Resources Inc.

EDM is a Canadian exploration and mining company that has full ownership of the Scotia Mine and related facilities near Halifax, Nova Scotia. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, EDM also holds several prospective exploration licenses near its Scotia Mine and in the surrounding regions of Nova Scotia.

The Company's common shares are traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "EDM". For more information, please contact:

Mark Haywood

President & Chief Executive Officer

Kevin Farrell

Chief Financial Officer

Manish Grigo

Corporate Development

Telephone +1 (902) 482 4481

Facsimile +1 (902) 422 2388

Email & Web info@EDMresources.com & www.EDMresources.com

The Company's corporate filings and technical reports can be viewed on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Further information on EDM is also available on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/EDMresources.inc Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/EDMresources and LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/company/EDMresources .

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider(as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "should", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Risks, uncertainties, and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward- looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Company's objectives, goals or future plans, statements, potential mineralization, exploration and development results, the estimation of mineral resources, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. There can be no assurance that forward-looking 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 EDM's expectations include, among others, the degree to which mineral resource and reserve estimates are reflective of actual mineral resources and reserves, the degree to which factors are present which would make a mineral deposit commercially viable, the price of zinc, lead and gypsum, uncertainties relating to availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, risks related to international operations, the actual results of current exploration activities, delays in the development of projects, conclusions of economic evaluations and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined as well as future prices of metals, ability to predict or counteract potential impact of COVID-19 coronavirus on factors relevant to the Company's business, as well as those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in EDM's management's discussion and analysis of the Company's annual financial statements for the period ended December 31, 2023. Although EDM has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results to be not 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.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. 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/209443

SOURCE: EDM Resources Inc.
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Femme Fatale Media Group, the premier event staffing agency founded by entrepreneur Emily Lyons in 2009, is thrilled to announce its 15-year anniversary. What began as a small startup with ambitious dreams has now expanded into a major force across North America, boasting over 20,000 staff members, numerous awards, and a comprehensive suite of services with a focus on high-quality event staffing.





Emily Lyons & staff

Photo of Femme Fatale Media founder, Emily Lyons, and event staff from the agency.

"Fifteen years ago, I started Femme Fatale Media with nothing but a vision and a relentless drive to succeed," said Emily Lyons, CEO and Founder. "Today, we stand as a testament to what passion, hard work, and dedication can achieve. I am immensely proud of our journey from those humble beginnings to becoming an industry leader."

Over the past decade and a half, Femme Fatale Media Group has not only set the standard for event staffing but has also been at the forefront of innovation within the industry. The agency has received multiple accolades for its outstanding service and commitment to excellence, reflecting its status as a beacon of success.

As Femme Fatale Media Group looks to the future, it remains committed to pioneering within the industry. The company is currently developing proprietary software aimed at revolutionizing event staffing management. Additionally, Femme Fatale Media is dedicated to enhancing safety measures for models and event staff, ensuring a secure and supportive environment for all its personnel.

"We are incredibly excited about what the next chapter holds," Lyons added. "As we continue to grow and evolve, our focus remains on providing the best possible experiences for our clients and creating a safe, empowering workplace for our staff."

Femme Fatale Media Group invites all its clients, staff, and partners to join in celebrating this significant milestone. Here's to continuing the journey of excellence and innovation in the years to come!

For more information about Femme Fatale Media Group and its services, please visit https://www.femmefatalemedia.com/.

About Femme Fatale Media Group Femme Fatale Media Group is a leading North American event staffing agency founded in 2009 by entrepreneur Emily Lyons. Known for its high-quality service and a vast pool of talented staff, the agency offers a wide range of services tailored to meet the needs of any event. With a strong focus on innovation and safety, Femme Fatale Media continues to be a trailblazer in the event staffing industry. Operating across North America, including all major markets like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, New York City, Miami, and more.

Contact Information:

Rachel Frim

rachel@msemilylyons.com

SOURCE: Femme Fatale Media Group

View the original press release on newswire.com.
The partnership punctuates the significant role of corporate philanthropy programs to support community recovery after disaster.

Saint-Gobain North America today announced that it has launched a partnership with Good360, the global leader in product philanthropy and purposeful giving and #2 on the Forbes List of America's Top 100 Charities, to support the organization's disaster preparation and relief efforts throughout the United States and Canada. The partnership aligns with Saint-Gobain's global Purpose - Making the World a Better Home by enabling greater investment of resources distributed in local communities recovering from the effects of natural disasters and embedding corporate social responsibility in the company's actions and decisions.

This investment includes a $60,000 grant from the Saint-Gobain North America Foundation, in-kind donations of light and sustainable building materials for rebuilding efforts, and volunteer hours to support preparation of supplies used for disaster relief efforts managed by Good360.

Good360's comprehensive approach to providing support in all phases of a disaster - from preparation to immediate response, to long term recovery - is well-aligned with the Saint-Gobain North America Foundation's aim to provide relief for individuals and communities impacted by disaster as they begin the long path to recovery.

"In 2020, as devastating floods hit communities around our Life Sciences plant in Beaverton, Michigan, Saint-Gobain turned to Good360 to help move key building supplies into the area to help rebuild," said Joe Bondi, Vice President and General Manager of CertainTeed Siding and President of the Saint-Gobain North America Foundation. "Through that experience and others like it, we have seen firsthand the vital role of Good360 to ensure individuals and families have access to essential materials in their time of greatest need. We are proud to begin this important partnership."

"The funding from Saint-Gobain will strengthen Good360's ability to source and distribute building supply donations to get survivors back in their homes faster. Our combined efforts will amplify our response to all phases of disaster response and recovery," said Jim Alvey, Good360's Vice President of Disaster Recovery. "We are truly grateful for the partnership."

As part of the partnership, Saint-Gobain will take part in four "kitting" events throughout the year, where employees will assemble disaster preparation packages of emergency supplies. The first of these events will kick off at Saint-Gobain's CertainTeed Roofing location in Little Rock, Arkansas on Wednesday, May 22nd. Assembled kits will be distributed by Good360 to support local communities impacted by natural disasters or underserved areas where supplies are most needed.

Today's announcement follows several other recent initiatives by the Saint-Gobain Foundation in the communities in which they operate:?

In July, Saint-Gobain North America was awarded top prize at the 15th annual Golden Bridge Business and Innovation Awards in the category of Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year for its signature Sustaining Futures, Raising Communities Philanthropic program.

Also in July, Saint-Gobain Canada, including CertainTeed Canada and Kaycan, renewed their national partnership with Habitat for Humanity Canada to continue building affordable housing in communities across the country. ?

In 2023, Saint-Gobain celebrated the grand opening of the VBC Giving Foundation's Veterans Village 47-unit housing project in Philadelphia with $175,000 in product and monetary donations.

With over 145 manufacturing locations in Canada and the United States, every current and future member of the company's team plays a vital role in meeting its purpose- Making the World a Better Home. A current list of job openings at all Saint-Gobain locations can be found on the company's careers website.?????

?About Good360

Good360's mission is to close the need gap by partnering with socially responsible companies to source highly needed donated goods and distribute them through its diverse network of more than 100,000 vetted nonprofits. In doing so, Good360 opens opportunity for those in need, for the nonprofits that support them, and for companies that donate the goods, all while keeping usable items out of landfills. Good360 has distributed more than $18 billion in donated goods thanks to corporate donors such as Advance Auto Parts, Amazon, American Eagle Outfitters, CVS Health, Gap Inc., Levi Strauss & Company, Mattel, Tempur Sealy International, and UPS. Good360 is a registered 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at https://www.good360.org.

About Saint-Gobain

Worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and services for the construction and industrial markets. Its integrated solutions for the renovation of public and private buildings, light construction and the decarbonization of construction and industry are developed through a continuous innovation process and provide sustainability and performance. The Group's commitment is guided by its purpose, "MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME".

47.9 billion in sales in 2023

160,000 employees, locations in 76 countries

Committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Saint-Gobain on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Saint-Gobain

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/saint-gobain

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Saint-Gobain

View the original press release on accesswire.com
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Clearing and settlement platform recognized for innovation; Syniverse's Mario Muth will also be honored

Syniverse, the world's most connected company, will present its industry-leading Universal Commerce solution and discuss the latest developments in roaming, messaging, and 5G during ROCCO's Genesis 2024 event, which will be held May 20-21 in Seville, Spain.

Syniverse's Universal Commerce, a breakthrough clearing and settlement platform built on blockchain technology, is one of eight telecommunications products to be featured in the Lion's Den, the final stage of ROCCO's "The Innovators" research initiative. The program recognizes solutions created by mobile network operators (MNOs) and vendors that have the potential to significantly impact the industry.

Billy Oliver, Syniverse's Senior Director of Product Management for Outsourced Carrier Solutions, will give a 12-minute presentation and face questions from six judges with considerable telecommunications industry experience. The judges will rate the innovations after all eight products have been presented. Their evaluations will be combined with audience voting to determine the final ranking of ROCCO's The Innovators 2024 Report.

"The breakneck pace of 5G, VoLTE, and Internet of Things (IoT) adoption is massive for our industry, but it has created additional friction between home and visited mobile operators and enterprises because billing and payment processes have grown increasingly complex," Oliver said. "Universal Commerce addresses this challenge by standardizing, automating, and scaling these processes, empowering MNOs to monetize the new technologies and services that result from next-generation network rollouts."

Universal Commerce can efficiently clear, reconcile, settle, and audit roaming traffic by standardizing the non-standard. It encrypts each transaction and creates a transparent audit trail, greatly reducing reconciliation times without rigid payment schedules. It also offers unique multilateral settlement, enabling operators and enterprises to optimize their cash flow with one net payment or disbursement.

"We envision a future where you can apply this multilateral settlement model beyond roaming to any process where data is exchanged," Oliver said. "Whether it's the agricultural, transportation, shipping, or energy industries, to name a few, or for open radio-access networks, private networks, electrical vehicle charging, smart cities the possibilities are endless. Regardless of the use case, Universal Commerce ensures operators have the tools and transparency to make optimal business decisions."

In addition, Mario Muth, Syniverse's Vice President of Global Business Development, has been named to the ROCCO 100, a biennial report that identifies the 100 most influential people in roaming and messaging.

Muth was recognized by a panel of judges for his industry knowledge, vision, inspiration, and integrity. As one of the top 25 honorees, he will be congratulated at ROCCO's Visionaries Gala at 7:30 p.m. on May 21.

"Everyone who has been selected to the ROCCO 100 this year or in past years has made a substantial contribution to telecommunications," Muth said. "To me, this honor is more about recognizing what we've all accomplished at Syniverse as we help our customers bring billions of people around the world closer together."

Syniverse is one of the sponsors of ROCCO Genesis. To discover why 90% of international mobile operators that are compliant with the GSMA's Billing and Charging Evolution (BCE) standard have deployed Syniverse's Universal Commerce, speak with representatives throughout the event or visit https://www.syniverse.com.

About Syniverse

Syniverse is the world's most connected company. We seamlessly connect the world's networks, devices, and people so the world can unlock the full power of communications.

Our secure, global technology powers the world's leading carriers, top Forbes Global 2000 companies, and billions of people, devices, and transactions every day. Our engagement platform delivers better, smarter experiences that strengthen relationships between businesses, customers, and employees.

For over 30 years, we have accelerated important advances in communications technology. Today, we are an essential driver of the world's adoption of intelligent connectivity, from 5G and CPaaS to IoT and beyond. Find out more at https://www.syniverse.com/.

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Contacts:

Matt McLoughlin

matt@gregoryfca.com

Karen Wentworth

pr@syniverse.com

+1.813.637.5084
The company's new brand identity symbolizes the convergence of human perspective and AI technology for business success

LONDON, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- AI & Analytics solutions company, Course5 Intelligence, has unveiled a refreshed brand identity, migrating to the brand name 'C5i'. Their new logo shows converging, multi-angled geometric blocks that represent the company's multidimensional work, blending data science, analytics, and AI with diverse human perspectives to solve complex business problems. The brevity and futuristic appeal of the new name and logo are expected to facilitate better brand recall and reflect the company's focus on continuous innovation to drive business impact at speed and scale for clients.

The company's new tagline, Human.AI.Impact, is in sync with their consistent endeavor to leverage new and mature AI technologies with human expertise to enable value creation and continuously push the bar of what businesses can achieve.

A large part of the thinking behind Course5's new brand elements involves elevating human potential, at C5i and in client organizations, with AI technology. Each shape and angle in the new brand logo signifies the unique ways in which the company views business problems and data, converging C5i's human expertise with client perspectives and leveraging advanced analytics and AI, to deliver effective and transformative business solutions.

Ashwin Mittal, Chairman and CEO of Course5 Intelligence, said, "Course5 Intelligence has earned enormous brand equity over the years that we're proud of and will continue to build on. As an abbreviation of our company name, our new brand name retains that value with a more contemporary tone. With the growing capabilities of AI to enhance human potential and accelerate business impact, we wanted our logo and tagline to bring into focus the complex, multidimensional nature of business problem solving, sharply accentuating the need to define and refine AI's role in business, the indispensability of human involvement and perspective, and how best we can combine human and machine capabilities to responsibly drive innovation and growth for businesses."

The C5i brand redesign follows a successful fund raise of USD 53 million in mid-2023 and the absorption of Incivus, a GenAI-based Creative Effectiveness platform. The company is well poised to empower businesses to leverage advanced analytics with Generative AI to drive positive business outcomes.

See C5i's new logo and learn more about their brand philosophy: Introducing C5i: Our Brand Story

About C5i (Course5 Intelligence Limited)

C5i is a pure-play AI & Analytics provider that combines the power of human perspective with AI technology to deliver trustworthy intelligence. The company drives value through a comprehensive solution set, integrating multifunctional teams that have technical and business domain expertise with a robust suite of products, solutions, and accelerators tailored for various horizontal and industry-specific use cases. At the core, C5i's focus is to deliver business impact at speed and scale by driving adoption of AI-assisted decision-making.

C5i caters to some of the world's largest enterprises, including many Fortune 500 companies. The company's clients span Technology, Media, and Telecom (TMT), Pharma & Lifesciences, CPG, Retail, Banking, and other sectors. C5i has been recognized by leading industry analysts like Gartner and Forrester for its Analytics and AI capabilities and proprietary AI-based platforms.

Media Contact:

Megha Chaudhry

Vice President - Global Head of Marketing & Alliance

C5i (Course5 Intelligence Limited)

O: +44 0203 405 0756, Extn: 113

E: megha.chaudhry@course5i.com

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CHICAGO, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Drug Screening Market in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth $9.1 billion in 2024 and is poised to reach $19.5 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 16.6% from 2024 to 2029 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets.

Factors such as mounting drug & alcohol consumption, enforcement of stringent laws mandating drug and alcohol testing, increasing government funding in major markets, and rising regulatory approvals and service and product launches are the some of the factors driving the growth of this market.

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Drug Screening Market Scope:

Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2024 $9.1 billion Estimated Value by 2029 $19.5 billion Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 16.6% Market Size Available for 2018-2029 Forecast Period 2024-2029 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Product & Service, Sample type, Drug Type, End User, and Region Geographies Covered North America (US and Canada), Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain and Rest of Europe), Asia Pacific (Japan, China, India, and RoPAC), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Rest of Latin America) Middle East & Africa (GCC Countries, Rest of Middle East & Africa) Report Highlights Updated financial information / product portfolio of players Key Market Opportunities Oral Fluid Testing Key Market Drivers Growing drug and alcohol consumption

Services segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period in 2024.

On the basis of product & service segment, the drug screening market is bifurcated into services and products. In 2023, the services segment accounted for the largest share of the drug screening market. Factors such as rising global drug and alcohol consumption, funding schemes for drug testing laboratories, and rising regulatory approvals for drug products & services, and geographic extensions of drug & alcohol testing laboratories.

Analytical instruments are projected to dominate the drug screening products market in 2023, by product.

On the basis of drug screening product, the drug screening market is bifurcated into analytical instruments, rapid testing devices, and consumables. The analytical instruments are expected to dominate the market in 2023. However, the rapid testing devices segment is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period, owing to its recurring requirement. Analytical instruments for drug screening are further categorized into immunoassay analyzers, chromatography instruments, and breathalyzers. The breathalyzers segment accounted for largest share of the drug screening products market, by analytical instruments.

Urine sample segment is accounted for the largest share of the drug screening market in 2023, by sample type.

On the basis of sample type, drug screening market is bifurcated into urine, breath, oral fluid, hair, and other samples. In 2024, the urine sample segment is expected to account for the largest share of drug screening market. Urine tests are widely adopted in drug screening tests due to their accuracy in detecting multiple drug classes. Urine tests are also cost-effective and showcase instant results.

By region, North America to dominate the market for drug screening in 2024

In 2024, North America is projected to dominate the market followed by Europe. Factors such as the increasing consumption of illicit drugs, the increasing burden of accidents due to alcohol impairment, the availability of government funding to curb drug abuse, laws supporting drug screening, and the existence of key players in the region are factors driving the growth of the drug screening market in this region.

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Drug Screening Market Dynamics:

Drivers:

1. Growing drug and alcohol consumption

Restraints:

1. Ban on alcohol consumption in several Islamic countries

Opportunities:

1. Oral Fluid Testing

Challenge:

1. Accuracy and specificity concerns related to breathalyzers

Key Market Players of Drug Screening Industry:

Prominent players offering drug screening products and services include Labcorp (US), Quest Diagnostics (US), Abbott (US), Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (US), Alfa Scientific Designs, Inc. (US), OraSure Technologies Inc. (US), Siemens Healthineers AG (Germany), F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd (Switzerland), MPD Inc. (US), Shimadzu Corporation (Japan), Lifeloc Technologies, Inc. (US), Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA (Germany), Premier Biotech, Inc. (US), Omega Laboratories, Inc. (US), Psychemedics Corporation (US), Clinical Reference Laboratory, Inc. (US), American Bio Medica Corporation (US), ACM Global Laboratories (US), CareHealth America Corp (US), Sciteck, Inc. (US), Intoximeters, Inc. (US), AccuSourceHR, Inc. (US), Cordant Health Solutions (US), Intoxalock (US), Millennium Health (US).

The primary interviews conducted for this report can be categorized as follows:

By Company Type - Tier 1: 57%, Tier 2: 30%, and Tier 3: 13%

By Designation - C-level: 30%, D-level: 45%, and Others: 25%

By Region - North America: 40%, Europe: 19%, Asia Pacific: 29%, Latin America: 7% and Middle East and Africa: 5%

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Drug Screening Market - Key Benefits of Buying the Report:

The report dives into the global drug screening market, aiming to assess its current size and predict its future growth. It accomplishes this by segmenting the market based on various factors including product type, service type, sample collection method, end user, and geographical location. By understanding these market segments, the report offers insights into the opportunities available for businesses in this field. Additionally, it analyzes the factors that can influence the market's growth, such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities. It also examines the competitive landscape, providing details on the major players in the market. Lastly, the report forecasts revenue for the market segments across four major regions.

Reasons to Buy the Report:

The report provides insights on the following pointers:

Market Penetration: extensive information on drug screening offered by the top 25 players in the drug screening market. The report analyses the drug screening market by product and service, sample type, drug type, end user, and region.

Analysis of key drivers (increase in drug abuse and alcohol consumption, enforcement of stringent laws,) restrains (ban on alcohol consumption on Islamic states), challenges (false positive and inaccurate results of breathalyzer), opportunities (oral fluid testing and emerging economies) are contributing the growth of the drug screening market.

Market Development: Comprehensive information about economic emerging markets. The report analyses the markets for various drug screening across key geographic regions.

Product Development/Innovation: Detailed insights on upcoming trends, research & development activities, and new product/service launches in the drug screening market.

Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about new products and services, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the drug screening market.

Company profiling: In-depth assessment of company profiling and their market ranking and strategies of the leading players in the drug screening market.

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Get access to the latest updates on Drug Screening Companies and Drug Screening Market Size

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MarketsandMarkets is a blue ocean alternative in growth consulting and program management, leveraging a man-machine offering to drive supernormal growth for progressive organizations in the B2B space. We have the widest lens on emerging technologies, making us proficient in co-creating supernormal growth for clients.

Earlier this year, we made a formal transformation into one of America's best management consulting firms as per a survey conducted by Forbes.

The B2B economy is witnessing the emergence of $25 trillion of new revenue streams that are substituting existing revenue streams in this decade alone. We work with clients on growth programs, helping them monetize this $25 trillion opportunity through our service lines - TAM Expansion, Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy to Execution, Market Share Gain, Account Enablement, and Thought Leadership Marketing.

Built on the 'GIVE Growth' principle, we work with several Forbes Global 2000 B2B companies - helping them stay relevant in a disruptive ecosystem. Our insights and strategies are molded by our industry experts, cutting-edge AI-powered Market Intelligence Cloud, and years of research. The KnowledgeStore (our Market Intelligence Cloud) integrates our research, facilitates an analysis of interconnections through a set of applications, helping clients look at the entire ecosystem and understand the revenue shifts happening in their industry.

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TOKYO, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dentsu, today announced the launch of its new global, client-facing, brand proposition, "Innovating to Impact", marking a significant milestone in the company's storied 120-year plus history. The new go-to-market brand encapsulates dentsu's commitment to driving growth through innovation, leveraging the collective strengths of transformative creativity, media, data, and technology.







Created through a collaborative effort of many dentsu teams around the world, "Innovating to Impact" reflects dentsu's dedication to delivering outcomes that not only drive business growth but also generate a positive effect on people, society and the world.

"Our new branding is a bold declaration of our unwavering commitment to innovate in pursuit of outcomes on behalf of our clients," said Hiroshi Igarashi, President & Global CEO, dentsu. "At dentsu, we are not content with simply following trends; we aim to set them. 'Innovating to Impact' is our promise to our clients, our incredible people and the communities we serve, that we will continue to push the boundaries of what's possible through experience and business transformation."

The launch is the next stage in dentsu's mid to long-term strategy and its positioning as an integrated growth and transformation partner to the world's leading organizations. Dentsu brings the best of both worlds to clients: individual global leadership brands that can deliver deep expertise, and the ability to tie those services together to deliver a multiplier effect for clients as dentsu.

A Dentsu Creative team, headed by Riccardo Fregoso, Chief Creative Officer Dentsu Creative Italy, led development of the tagline "Innovating to Impact", along with a new brand manifesto. The design look and feel of the new brand was produced by the multi-award winning Dentsu Inc. team in dentsu Japan, led by Executive Creative Director, Yoshihiro Yagi, one of Japan's most internationally awarded, art-based creatives.

"For over 120 years, innovation has been a core tenet of dentsu's offering; it is in our DNA and within the very culture of our teams around the world. Innovation for dentsu is both an open mindset as well as a systematic approach, helping clients approach their business transformation in new ways," commented Jean Lin, Global President - Global Practices, dentsu. "Dentsu is truly unique in the market, sitting at the convergence of marketing, technology and consulting. When we combine innovation with a laser focus on driving outcomes, we bring together the best of our capabilities to deliver integrated growth for brands who want something different from the traditional model."

Dentsu's new brand will be further showcased at the Cannes Lions Festival in June 2024, with dentsu Beach House programming and design reflecting the principles and positioning of "Innovating to Impact".

For more information about dentsu and the new GTM brand, please visit: Innovating to Impact

Team credits:

Dentsu Creative Italy

Riccardo Fregoso, Chief Creative Officer

Stefano Battistelli, Executive Creative Director

Francesco Epifani, Executive Creative Director

Cristiana Bregni, Art Director

Santiago Cancela, Copywriter

Dentsu Inc., Japan

Yoshihiro Yagi, Executive Creative Director

Tsubasa Adachi, Creative Director

Haruko Tsutsui, Creative Director

Hiroyuki Kato, Art Director

Natsuki Tomoda, Art Director

Miyuki Ito, Copywriter

Mariko Fukuoka, Copywriter

Shintaro Murakami, Digital Technologist

About dentsu

Dentsu is an integrated growth and transformation partner to the world's leading organizations. Founded in 1901 in Tokyo, Japan, and now present in over 145 countries and regions, it has a proven track record of nurturing and developing innovations, combining the talents of its global network of leadership brands to develop impactful and integrated growth solutions for clients. Dentsu delivers end-to-end experience transformation (EX) by integrating its services across Media, CXM and Creative, while its business transformation (BX) mindset pushes the boundaries of transformation and sustainable growth for brands, people and society.

Dentsu, Innovating to Impact.

Find out more:

www.dentsu.com

www.group.dentsu.com

Contact:

Matt Cross

Email: matt.cross@dentsu.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0b229c64-e587-4c92-80d2-8fb28b25ff1f
SHANGHAI, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- SANY Heavy Industry ("SANY" or "the Company"; SSE: 600031), a leading heavy machinery manufacturer, has reported a strong growth in international revenues in its recently announced annual results for 2023.

The Company reported RMB 74.02 billion (US$10.43 billion) in total revenues for the year 2023, down 8.44% year-on-year. Despite a challenging market, the decrease in revenue showed a narrowing decline of 15.92 percentage points compared to the previous year's changes.

SANY's net profit totaled RMB 4.6 billion (US$648.74 million) in 2023, posting a 4.16% year-on-year expansion. Its net cash flows from operating activities surged by 39.20% to reach RMB 5.7 billion (US$803.87 million).

The year 2023 was pivotal for SANY as its international business flourished. In 2023, the Company recorded RMB 43.3 billion (US$6.1 billion) in international business revenues, marking an 18% year-on-year increase and accounting for nearly 60% of its main business revenues.

Such significant growth highlights SANY's successful transition to a multinational engineering machinery conglomerate, with its sales spanning over 180 countries and regions. The sales revenues in Asia and Australia amounted to RMB 16.5 billion (US$2.32 billion), up 11.1% year-on-year, while the European region generated RMB 16.25 billion (US$2.3 billion), a substantial growth of 37.97%. The American market brought in RMB 7.58 billion (US$1 billion), rising 6.82%, and the African region contributed RMB 2.92 billion (US$411.8 million), up by 2.56%.

"SANY boasts a vibrant overseas market, top-tier partners, and an energetic local team," said Xiang Wenbo, chairman of SANY Heavy Industry. "Looking ahead this year, we remain committed to our 'Globalization, Digitalization and Decarbonization' strategy, as we continue to work with global partners to explore green development."

SANY's financial performance in 2023 demonstrated substantial improvements, with a notable increase in gross profit margin to 27.71%, up by 3.67 percentage points from the previous year, exceeding the industry median. Additionally, net profit attributable to shareholders rose to RMB 4.52 billion (US$637.4 million), a 5.53% year-on-year increase, and adjusted net profit after non-recurring items surged by 40.35% to RMB 4.38 billion (US$617.7 million). While the main gross profit margin and net profit margin grew, the Company also drove its operation growth. In terms of product lines, excavating machinery, lifting machinery and road machinery performed strongly during the reporting period. In addition, electric products realized revenues of RMB 3.146 billion (US$449.4 million) and hydrogen energy products realized revenues of RMB 130 million (US$18.6 million).

For more information about SANY Group, please visit http://www.sanyglobal.com or follow us on Facebook or YouTube.

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CHICAGO, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Inertial Navigation Systems market is estimated to be USD 10.3 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 13.5 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 5.6% from 2024 to 2029 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. The inertial navigation systems market is experiencing robust growth driven by the increasing need for accurate navigation solutions in different fields and situations. This demand arises because precise positioning, speed, and direction information are crucial, especially when GPS signals are weak or absent. As more autonomous technologies, such as drones and driverless cars, become popular, the demand for advanced navigation systems grows globally. This makes improving navigation abilities across various sectors a key force influencing the growth of the global inertial navigation systems market.

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Inertial Navigation Systems Market Report Scope:

Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2024 $ 10.3 billion Estimated Value by 2029 $ 13.5 billion Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 5.6% Market Size Available for 2020-2029 Forecast Period 2024-2029 Forecast Units Value (USD Million/Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered By Grade, Technology, Platform, End User, Component and Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of World Key Market Challenge Calibration and alignment issues Key Market Opportunities The trend of driverless cars and Innovations in sensor design and data processing algorithms Key Market Drivers Growing space exploration missions and Increasing procurement of commercial aircraft

By End-User, the defense segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

The increasing demand for advanced navigation solutions to enhance military capabilities is one of the primary drivers behind the growth of the defense end user segment in the inertial navigation systems market. Defense organizations require precise and reliable navigation systems for various applications, including missile guidance, reconnaissance, and battlefield navigation. As military operations become more complex and diverse, the need for inertial navigation systems technology that can operate effectively in challenging environments becomes paramount. Additionally, advancements in sensor technology and the integration of GPS-denied navigation capabilities further contribute to the growth of the defense segment in the inertial navigation systems market.

By platform, the inertial navigation systems market for the space launch vehicles segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

The space launch vehicles segment of the inertial navigation systems market is experiencing dynamic growth through the application of specialized technological innovations. Key developments include the escalating demand for highly accurate navigation solutions in space missions. Space agencies and private space companies require precise navigation systems to ensure the success and safety of space launch operations. Inertial navigation systems technology plays a crucial role in guiding launch vehicles during ascent and orbit insertion phases, as well as in controlling spacecraft orientation and maneuvering in space. The increasing frequency of space missions, including satellite deployments, crewed missions, and interplanetary exploration, further fuels the demand for advanced inertial navigation systems technology tailored to the unique challenges of space environments. Additionally, ongoing advancements in inertial sensor technology, miniaturization, and reliability contribute to the growth of the space launch vehicles segment in the inertial navigation systems market.

By Technology, the Fiber Optic Gyro (FOG) segment for the inertial navigation systems market is projected to grow at the highest growth rate during the forecast period.

The Fiber Optic Gyro (FOG) segment within the inertial navigation systems market is advancing due to its inherent advantages in accuracy, reliability, and durability. FOG technology offers precise measurements of rotation rates, making it ideal for applications requiring high levels of accuracy, such as navigation in aerospace, defense, and autonomous vehicles. Additionally, FOG systems are known for their robustness against external factors like temperature changes and vibrations, making them suitable for use in harsh environments. Furthermore, ongoing advancements in FOG technology, including miniaturization and cost reduction, are driving its adoption across a wider range of applications, further fueling the growth of this technology segment in the inertial navigation systems market.

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Asia Pacific holds the highest growth rate in the region for the Aircraft Seating market.

The Asia Pacific segment of the inertial navigation systems industry is propelled by stringent regulatory standards and a strong emphasis on sustainable innovations. As countries in the Asia-Pacific region experience significant economic growth and technological advancement, the demand for advanced navigation systems increases across various sectors such as aerospace, defense, maritime, and transportation. Additionally, government investments in infrastructure development and defense modernization programs further fuel the adoption of inertial navigation systems technology in the region. Moreover, the emergence of autonomous technologies and the growing emphasis on unmanned systems contribute to the rising demand for inertial navigation systems in applications like drones and autonomous vehicles.

Key Players

Major players in the inertial navigation systems companies are Safran Electronics & Defense (France), Northrop Grumman (US), Teledyne Technologies Inc. (US), Collins Aerospace (US), Honeywell International Inc. (US), Thales (France), General Electric Company (US), Trimble Inc. (US), L3Harris Technologies, Inc. (US), EXAIL Technologies (France), MEMSIC Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (China), Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (Israel), EMCORE Corporation (US).

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Browse Adjacent Market: Aerospace and Defence Market Research Reports & Consulting

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Inertial Measurement Unit Market by Component (Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer, Others), Grade (Marine, Navigation, Tactical, Space, Commercial), Technology (MO, RLG, FOG, MEMS, Others), Platform, End User, and Region -Global Forecast to 2026

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MarketsandMarkets is a blue ocean alternative in growth consulting and program management, leveraging a man-machine offering to drive supernormal growth for progressive organizations in the B2B space. We have the widest lens on emerging technologies, making us proficient in co-creating supernormal growth for clients.

Earlier this year, we made a formal transformation into one of America's best management consulting firms as per a survey conducted by Forbes.

The B2B economy is witnessing the emergence of $25 trillion of new revenue streams that are substituting existing revenue streams in this decade alone. We work with clients on growth programs, helping them monetize this $25 trillion opportunity through our service lines - TAM Expansion, Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy to Execution, Market Share Gain, Account Enablement, and Thought Leadership Marketing.

Built on the 'GIVE Growth' principle, we work with several Forbes Global 2000 B2B companies - helping them stay relevant in a disruptive ecosystem. Our insights and strategies are molded by our industry experts, cutting-edge AI-powered Market Intelligence Cloud, and years of research. The KnowledgeStore (our Market Intelligence Cloud) integrates our research, facilitates an analysis of interconnections through a set of applications, helping clients look at the entire ecosystem and understand the revenue shifts happening in their industry.

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 16, 2024) - Gold Digger Resources Inc. (CSE: GDIG) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed the first tranche of its previously announced non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") for aggregate gross proceeds of $884,599.80 through the sale of 2,527,428 units of the Company ("Units") at a price of $0.35 per Unit.

Each Unit consists of one common share in capital of the Company (a "Common Share") and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share at an exercise price of $0.50 for a period of 12 months from the date of issuance.

The Company paid the following finder's fees to certain finders in connection with the first tranche of the Offering: (i) an aggregate cash fee of $52,647.00; and (ii) an aggregate of 127,120 Common Share purchase warrants of the Company ("Finders Warrants"), with each Finders Warrant exercisable to acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.50 for a period of 12 months from the date of issuance.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering for exploration expenditures and general working capital purposes.

In accordance with applicable securities laws, the securities offered pursuant to the Offering are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and a day from the date of issuance.

None of the securities sold under the Offering have been or will be registered under the U.S. Securities Act and will not be offered or sold in the United States, or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons or persons 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 State in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Not for distribution to U.S. news wire services or dissemination in the United States.

About Gold Digger Resources Inc.

Gold Digger Resources Inc. is an early-stage mineral resource exploration company. The Company's material property is the Regnault Project, consisting of 71 contiguous mineral claims covering an area of approximately 3,678 Ha located north-northeast of Chibougamau in the Province of Quebec. Additionally, the Company has entered into a share purchase agreement dated March 5, 2024 with Premium Uranium Corporation, each of its shareholders and UA92 (Pty) Ltd., pursuant to which the Company expects to acquire a mineral property comprised of several prospecting licenses in the Republic of Botswana. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including obtaining the applicable third party, corporate and regulatory approvals, as well as the satisfactory completion of due diligence by the Company.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Gold Digger Resources Inc.

Allan Bezanson, Chief Executive Officer and President

Email: allanbezanson@outlook.com

Telephone: (416) 427-4505

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Information

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 intended use of proceeds raised under the Offering and the expectation for the Company to acquire a mineral property comprised of several prospecting licenses in the Republic of Botswana (the "Acquisition").

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: unanticipated costs; changes in applicable regulations; market uncertainty; changes in the Company's business plans or other changes impacting the intended use of proceeds raised under the Offering; the failure of the Company to obtain the applicable regulatory, corporate and third party approvals required for the Acquisition; the failure of the closing conditions required for the Acquisition to be fulfilled or waived; and the risk that the definitive agreement for the Acquisition is terminated early.

In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that: the Company's business plans will remain the same; the Company will use the proceeds of the Offering as currently anticipated; that the Company will obtain the applicable regulatory, corporate and third party approvals required for the Acquisition; that all closing conditions required for the Acquisition will be fulfilled or waived; and that the Acquisition will be completed on the terms and conditions expected.

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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/209448

SOURCE: Gold Digger Resources Inc.
xSuite Group, a globally leading software provider in the field of Accounts Payable Invoice Automation (APIA), acquires tangro, a specialist in Inbound Document Management Software based in Heidelberg, Germany. The acquisition is subject to approval by the regulatory authorities.

For the strategic development of both companies, the acquisition marks an important milestone as their combined position as a leading provider in business process automation focusing on the SAP ecosystem will be strengthened. The acquisition enables xSuite to expand its range of offerings in the Order-to-Cash area and enhance its expertise in Purchase-to-Pay processes. This will provide the global customer base of both companies with access to an even more powerful product portfolio in the future.

Additionally, the transaction goes hand in hand with a consistent future orientation in the SAP environment. Together, xSuite and tangro can offer the most advanced solutions that seamlessly integrate into the SAP landscape, thus decisively driving the digital transformation of business processes. This is particularly evident in Clean Core strategies in the context of S/4HANA Cloud and Business Technology Platform (BTP).

The new partnership creates a strong strategic location for the xSuite Group in Southern Germany, where tangro employees will contribute their high technical expertise. Customer and partner support in the region will thus be further improved. Furthermore, the innovative strength of both companies will be bundled, which will make an important contribution to the strategic development of the xSuite Group.

"The acquisition by xSuite Group opens up enormous opportunities for tangro as a company and for our customers alike," says Patrick Etter, Managing Director at tangro, who will take over the general management from the exiting founder and majority shareholder Andreas Schumann. "We are convinced that through collaboration with xSuite, we can achieve our common strategic goals faster and provide even greater value to our customers in automating their business processes."

"The acquisition of tangro is an important step for us to strategically expand our solution offering and further strengthen our position as a leading provider in the field of digital business process management," adds Matthias Lemenkuhler, CEO of xSuite Group. "We look forward to working with the tangro team and shaping the future of the SAP environment together with strong innovations. The partnership is a clear landmark of the success-driven ambition and commitment of both companies to align their product portfolios optimally with the needs and requirements of their customers."

About xSuite

xSuite, headquartered in Ahrensburg/Hamburg, is a leading software provider specializing in the automation of document-based processes, with a focus on the SAP ecosystem. Its core competency lies in Accounts Payable Invoice Automation (APIA) including E-Invoicing for leading companies worldwide as well as public authorities. The portfolio is complemented by solutions for procurement and order processes as well as archiving. With xSuite, more than 300,000 users process over 80 million documents annually in over 60 countries. xSuite has been successful in the market for 30 years and employs 240 people. www.xsuite.com

About tangro

tangro, based in Heidelberg, has been supporting companies for 25 years in automating their document processing for all relevant document types in Purchase-to-Pay and Order-to-Cash processes, as well as for all input channels. The company develops focused and intelligent software solutions for incoming documents and digitizes entire workflows. tangro's solutions seamlessly integrate into the SAP ERP and S/4HANA environments of its customers and are SAP-certified. The software is used by over 400 companies in 30 countries worldwide. www.tangro.de

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240516485817/en/

Contacts:

Barbara Wirtz

xSuite Group

Tel. +49 4102/883836

barbara.wirtz@xsuite.com
Set to accelerate innovation for Telstra and further enhance customer experience

BENGALURU, India, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NSE: INFY), (BSE: INFY), (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced a strategic multi-year collaboration with Telstra, Australia's leading telecommunications and technology company, to accelerate its software engineering and IT transformation journey and further enhance their customer experience. Building on a longstanding association, this collaboration aims to support Telstra's company-wide strategy.

Infosys' AI-first suite of offerings, Infosys Topaz, and cloud suite of offerings, Infosys Cobalt, will offer a robust engineering backbone to simplify the technology landscape and enable Telstra to continue its transformation to become an innovation-led enterprise. In addition, Infosys will introduce modern product engineering practices to elevate its customer and employee experience.

Dinesh Rao, Executive Vice President, Co-Head of Delivery, Infosys and Kim Krogh Andersen, Group Executive, Product and Technology, Telstra along with Infosys and Telstra leaders

Kim Krogh Andersen, Group Executive, Product and Technology, Telstra, said, "Consumers around the world have significantly increased their expectations when it comes to the seamless, digital delivery of their products and services. As we approach the tipping point of Generative AI and an avalanche of digital adoption, strategic partnerships with global leaders such as Infosys are critical to support our shared ambitions for digital leadership."

Kieran O'Meara, Executive, Software Engineering and IT, Telstra, said, "Telstra and Infosys have been partners for over 20 years, a collaboration that has yielded immense value for both organizations. The renewal of this collaboration reinvents how we work together more strategically for the next wave of change in our industry. With the evolution of software product engineering, open architecture, and next-generation technologies such as AI, together, we will develop the best products and services for Telstra's customers."

Salil Parekh, Chief Executive Officer, Infosys, said, "Infosys has a long-standing association with Telstra supporting its many evolutions over the last two decades and we're excited to work with them on the next chapter of this journey. By leveraging Infosys Cobalt and Infosys Topaz, we can help Telstra accelerate its strategy for growth."

Anand Swaminathan, Executive Vice President and Global Industry Leader, Communications, Media, and Technology, Infosys, said, "Telstra and Infosys stand as trailblazers in technological innovation, united by a shared vision. This collaboration underscores our commitment to delivering innovative cloud and AI-led solutions that will help position Telstra as a leader in this new era."

About Telstra

Telstra is Australia's leading telecommunications and technology company, offering a full range of communications services. Our purpose is to build a connected future so everyone can thrive. www.telstra.com.au

About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. Over 300,000 of our people work to amplify human potential and create the next opportunity for people, businesses and communities. We enable clients in more than 56 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer clients, as they navigate their digital transformation powered by cloud and AI. We enable them with an AI-first core, empower the business with agile digital at scale and drive continuous improvement with always-on learning through the transfer of digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem. We are deeply committed to being a well-governed, environmentally sustainable organization where diverse talent thrives in an inclusive workplace.

Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NSE, BSE, NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, or our future financial or operating performance, are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding the execution of our business strategy, our ability to attract and retain personnel, our transition to hybrid work model, economic uncertainties, technological innovations such as Generative AI, the complex and evolving regulatory landscape including immigration regulation changes, our ESG vision, our capital allocation policy and expectations concerning our market position, future operations, margins, profitability, liquidity, capital resources, our corporate actions including acquisitions, and cybersecurity matters. Important factors that may cause actual results or outcomes to differ from those implied by the forward-looking statements are discussed in more detail in our US Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law.

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Originally published on Built From Scratch

ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / In honor of Armed Forces Day, The Home Depot launched a new Military Moving hub designed to offer information tailored to military families to learn how to save time and money on their next Personally Procured Move (PPM), including a downloadable permanent change of station (PCS) checklist and more to the hundreds of thousands of active-duty military families who relocate every year.

Military families on average relocate every 2-3 years, with military retirees averaging six or more relocations over their military career. According to Blue Star Families' annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey, active-duty service members and military spouses consistently rank frequent military relocations and rising cost of home ownership as top quality-of-life issues accompanying service in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The Home Depot's new military moving hub is designed to be a one-stop-shop for all military relocation essentials. From moving truck rentals and boxes to decor and cleaning materials, the website is designed to help military families take the stress out of PCS. Families can discover how to save time and money on their next PPM with a downloadable military moving checklist, found at www.militarymoving.com.

"At The Home Depot, we hold a special place in our hearts for those who serve our country, and we appreciate the unique challenges and sacrifices military families face," said Erin Izen, senior director of Military Relations for The Home Depot. "Moving is stressful, and each PCS is different. Our goal is to make these moves go a little smoother for our military families." The Home Depot's Military Moving hub offers exclusive resources and shopping discounts to members of the U.S. Armed Forces and military spouses, including:

New Military Movers Hub : www.militarymoving.com is a new resource and support hub with information tailored to military families to learn how to save time and money on their next PPM, including a downloadable PCS checklist and more.

: www.militarymoving.com is a new resource and support hub with information tailored to military families to learn how to save time and money on their next PPM, including a downloadable PCS checklist and more. Military Discount Benefit : Active military veterans and their spouses enjoy 10% off eligible purchases every day, year-round, in stores and online.

: Active military veterans and their spouses enjoy 10% off eligible purchases every day, year-round, in stores and online. Penske Moving Truck Rentals : Active military and veterans receive 15% off moving truck rentals with proof of valid military ID or veteran status at pickup. Penske moving trucks can be found at nearly 650 Home Depot locations across the United States, conveniently located near many military installations.

: Active military and veterans receive 15% off moving truck rentals with proof of valid military ID or veteran status at pickup. Penske moving trucks can be found at nearly 650 Home Depot locations across the United States, conveniently located near many military installations. Military Exchange Services Partnership: Eligible members of the military community, including veterans, can shop tax free online with special pricing on major appliances sold by The Home Depot through the Army & Air Force Exchange Service and Navy Exchange.

The Home Depot employs approximately 465,000 associates, including tens of thousands of veterans and military spouses. Since 2011, The Home Depot Foundation has invested more than $500 million in veteran causes and pledged to invest $750 million by 2030. Learn more about The Home Depot and The Home Depot Foundation's investments in military families and veterans at www.homedepot.com/military.

Keep up with all the latest Home Depot news! Subscribe to our bi-weekly news update and get the top Built from Scratch stories delivered straight to your inbox.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from The Home Depot on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: The Home Depot

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/home-depot

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: The Home Depot

View the original press release on accesswire.com
HERSHEY, PA / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) has been named a 2024 honoree of The Civic 50, a recognition of the top community-minded companies in the United States according to an annual survey by Points of Light, the world's largest nonprofit dedicated to accelerating people-powered change. Hershey was also named the Consumer Staples leader for the third year in a row and received the Volunteer Leader Award for having the leading volunteer culture and embracing volunteerism as a priority for civic engagement.

"Hershey is committed to business excellence, long-term resilience and making a positive impact for the planet and people," said Leigh Horner, chief sustainability officer for The Hershey Company. "Our philanthropic giving programs and employee volunteerism are key pillars of the strong culture that enables us to delight consumers with our beloved snacking brands."

Hershey's programs support a variety of community needs, such as education and workforce development, advancement of inclusive economic development, and youth programs that support social and emotional well-being. In addition to philanthropic giving and product-donation programs, Hershey employees show up for their communities by donating funds and volunteering for the causes they care about. In 2023, Hershey employees volunteered nearly 130,000 hours and raised more than $1.6M in matched giving.

For more than a decade, The Civic 50 has served as the national standard for corporate citizenship and showcases how leading companies are moving social impact and community to the core of their business. Civic 50 honorees are companies with annual U.S. revenues of at least $1 billion and are selected based on four dimensions of their corporate citizenship and social impact programs: investment of resources and volunteerism, integration across business functions, institutionalization through policies, and systems and impact measurement.

Hershey has been named to The Civic 50 every year since it was created in 2012. The Civic 50 survey is administered by True Impact, and the results are analyzed by VeraWorks. The survey instrument consists of quantitative and multiple-choice questions that inform the scoring process. The Civic 50 is the only survey and ranking system that exclusively measures corporate community engagement.

To view a complete list of The Civic 50 companies, visit civic50.org.

About The Hershey Company

The Hershey Company is an industry-leading snacks company known for making more moments of goodness through its iconic brands, remarkable people and enduring commitment to doing the right thing for its people, planet, and communities. Hershey has more than 20,000 employees in the U.S. and worldwide who work daily to deliver delicious, high-quality products. The company has more than 90 brand names in approximately 80 countries that drive more than $11.2 billion in annual revenues, including Hershey's, Reese's, Kisses, Kit Kat, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers and Ice Breakers, and salty snacks including SkinnyPop, Pirate's Booty and Dot's Homestyle Pretzels.

For over 130 years, Hershey has been committed to operating fairly, ethically, and sustainably. The candy and snack maker's founder, Milton Hershey, created Milton Hershey School in 1909, and since then, the company has focused on helping children succeed through equitable access to education.

To learn more visit?www.thehersheycompany.com.

About Points of Light

Points of Light is a nonpartisan, global nonprofit organization that inspires, equips and mobilizes millions of people to take action that changes the world. We envision a world in which every individual discovers the power to make a difference, creating healthy communities in vibrant, participatory societies. Through 145 affiliates across 39 countries, and in partnership with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 3.7 million people in 16.7 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people to bear where it's needed most. For more information, visit pointsoflight.org.

The Hershey Company

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from The Hershey Company on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: The Hershey Company

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/hershey-company

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: The Hershey Company

View the original press release on accesswire.com
NEWBURY, England, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Osteotec, the market-leading manufacturer and distributor of medical devices, is pleased to announce a new partnership with SI-BONE to exclusively distribute the iFuse Implant System in the UK and Ireland.

The strategic relationship is the newest addition to Osteotec's rapidly expanding offering to customers, which provides surgeons with innovative solutions.

San Jose, California-based SI-BONE are at the forefront of advancing minimally invasive procedures for the sacroiliac (SI) joint. The iFuse Implant System is designed to provide immediate SI joint stabilisation and allow long-term fusion.

To date, more than 55,000 minimally invasive surgical SI joint fusions have been performed with the iFuse Implant System by more than 2,400 surgeons worldwide.

"We are pleased to be expanding our product offering to include the iFuse Implant System, and to be working with the UK's top spine surgeons to give them more options, expand our treatment offering and deliver better patient outcomes," said Dean Stockwell, Osteotec Sales & Marketing Director.

"Our customers have come to anticipate forward-thinking solutions from Osteotec, and this is just one more example of how we are increasing patient treatment options through investment in partnerships with manufacturers who share our values.

"We look forward to working with the SI-BONE team to increase and support sales through our expertise, ensuring our customers enjoy the best possible experience, service, and support in the industry."

The SI joint is one of the most under-served, under-diagnosed, and under-treated areas in orthopaedics. The iFuse Implant System is intended for sacroiliac fusion for conditions including sacroiliac joint dysfunction that is a direct result of sacroiliac joint disruption and degenerative sacroiliitis.

It is anticipated that the agreement, which went into effect on April 1, 2024, will contribute to substantial increases in sales and revenue and accelerate growth.

"We are excited about working with Osteotec to expand our footprint in the UK and Ireland," said Neville Lorimer, SI-BONE Vice President, International.

"With the assistance of Osteotec's talented commercial team and extensive industry knowledge, we will be able to accelerate our strategic objective of providing superior patient outcomes in these markets."

The two organisations look forward to combining their expertise and technologies to maximise marketing opportunities, increase productivity and improve healthcare outcomes.

"This exclusive distribution agreement builds upon the shared values of both companies and will give our customers more focused support than ever before," said Dean Stockwell. "We are pleased to be collaborating with an organisation that values excellence as much as we do."

Editor's Notes

About Osteotec

Osteotec is a manufacturer and distributor of medical devices headquarter in Newbury, UK, with offices in Dublin and Malmo. Established in 1993, Osteotec has been supplying into the NHS and private healthcare sectors for the past 31 years.

Osteotec manufactures and distributes the Osteotec Silicone Finger, ChiroKlip and the Concentric Bone Graft System and is the exclusive UK distributor for world-leading orthopaedic partners including SI-BONE, TriMed, Enovis and Mathys.

Media Contact:

Ric Sumner

Head of Marketing

ric.sumner@osteotec.com | 020 3011 5574

For more information, visit - www.osteotec.com

About SI-BONE

SI-BONE is a global leader in technology for surgical treatment of musculoskeletal disorders of the sacropelvic anatomy. Since pioneering minimally invasive surgery of the SI joint in 2009, SI-BONE has supported over 3,600 surgeons in performing a total of more than 95,000 sacropelvic procedures. A unique body of clinical evidence supports the use of SI-BONE's technologies, including two randomized controlled trials and over 125 peer reviewed publications. SI-BONE has leveraged its leadership in minimally invasive SI joint fusion to commercialize novel solutions for adjacent markets, including adult deformity, spinopelvic fixation, and pelvic trauma.

For additional information on the company or the products including risks and benefits, please visit www.si-bone.com.

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'Qrvey eXpress' Offering Gives Data and Analytics Services Firms the Ability to Greatly Expand Client Engagements and Establish Significant Recurring Revenue Streams

VIENNA, VA / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Qrvey, the leading embedded analytics provider, has announced the release of "Qrvey eXpress," a business intelligence and analytics platform exclusively designed for and solely offered by Qrvey partners, along with an associated reseller program. This makes Qrvey's advanced technology available to the business intelligence market through Value Added Resellers (VARs) who now have the ability to increase their services engagements by serving more of their clients' end users with a much wider array of functional benefits while establishing significant recurring revenue streams.





Qrvey





This release is a response to Qrvey's recognition that the business intelligence market has been underserved because of the industry's consolidation, which offers increasingly fewer and more expensive choices for companies in that sector.

"We recognized an opportunity to help an industry that is undergoing profound change," said Arman Eshraghi, CEO of Qrvey. "As the BI market matured, many of these internal BI platforms became functionally very similar, and the large firms that acquired them have little incentive to evolve or support these traditional applications, focusing solely on wringing out remaining profits. Derived from our core platform that serves the SaaS software market, Qrvey eXpress is a powerful, yet affordable version of that same platform designed specifically for the SMB market, and will be delivered via certified VARs, who can greatly expand their business by leveraging these greater capabilities."

According to Yanni Chryssomitis, Vice President, Partner Programs, "Our VAR program, which is designed for BI and Analytics services firms, benefits our partners in three important ways. First, the design of the Qrvey eXpress platform allows them to create analytic solutions more quickly and easily, reducing overhead and delivery times. Second, it expands the scope of project work by being able to serve more types of end-users across the client along with more advanced capabilities like business process management, and data provisioning. Last but certainly not least, it rewards VARs with substantial recurring revenue streams, allowing them to significantly increase their profits over time."

The VAR program includes comprehensive training and certification, along with Qrvey's customer service, ranked as an industry leader by Dresner Advisory Services in its 2023 Business Intelligence Market Study, which provides direct communication with its lead developers to resolve any issues and promote enhancement requests. Interested BI and analytics services firms can get details at www.qrvey.io.

About Qrvey

Qrvey is an analytics platform that allows companies to rapidly add a modern analytics layer to their applications with rich capabilities that are easily configurable for all types of users. Unlike traditional BI solutions, which typically require integrating numerous, separate functions, Qrvey delivers a complete, no-code, end-to-end platform that deploys entirely within our customers' cloud environments, lowering the time and cost of development, deployment, and maintenance.

Contact Information

Tierney Gormley

Marketing Operation Manager

tierney.gormley@qrvey.com

SOURCE: Qrvey

View the original press release on newswire.com.
BOSTON, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) Conference -- Circle Cardiovascular Imaging Inc. and inHEART Inc. announced today a global distribution agreement enabling Circle to promote and market inHEART's advanced, AI-enabled digital twin of the heart through Circle's worldwide sales network. This partnership will allow inHEART to rapidly grow global commercialization of their procedural planning software solution to optimize image-guided cardiac ablations.

The inHEART solution creates highly detailed, interactive 3D heart models with proprietary AI-driven cardiac CT or MR image segmentation. These 3D models allow for interactive exploration of cardiac anatomy, principal and collateral structures, and myocardial tissue characteristics. This allows physicians to optimize treatment strategies based on each patient's unique cardiac anatomy and supports pre-procedural planning for faster ablation procedures and improved clinical outcomes. The inHEART system seamlessly integrates into all major electro-anatomical mapping (EAM) systems for use during ablation procedures.

Circle Cardiovascular Imaging (CVI) is known for its multi-modal AI-based solutions that streamline cardiac imaging and reporting workflows across the cardiac service line, including coronary artery disease, heart failure, and structural heart disease. The Circle cvi42 platform offers easy-to-use, clinically validated tools that integrate seamlessly into existing clinical workflows to aid clinicians with quantification of cardiac function and flow, visualization of tissue abnormalities, automatic characterization and quantification of plaque within the coronary arteries, and pre-procedural planning through specialized workflows for TAVR/TMVR. Additionally, Circle's TruPlan software facilitates pre-procedural planning for left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) procedures. With the addition of inHEART's AI-driven cardiac models to optimize cardiac ablation procedures in the electrophysiology (EP) lab, this partnership empowers cardiovascular professionals with the tools and insights they need to deliver high-quality patient care while optimizing practice performance.

"We are thrilled to partner with Circle to deliver the inHEART solution to more cardiac patients across the globe," stated Todor Jeliaskov, CEO and President of inHEART. "We look forward to quickly expanding our global reach, especially into the Asia-Pacific markets with Circle's established sales network and expertise in cardiac care. This partnership allows to us continue with our mission to deliver world-class imaging expertise to all cardiac patients."

"Timely and accurate diagnostic imaging is critical to support a patient-centric approach to diagnosing and treating heart disease," said Greg Ogrodnick, Chief Executive Officer at Circle Cardiovascular Imaging. "We are excited to partner with inHEART to improve access to advanced EP pre-procedural planning. Alongside our market-leading MR and CT capabilities for coronaries, heart failure, and structural heart, this partnership further solidifies Circle and the cvi42 platform as the most comprehensive software solution for cardiac imaging."

To learn more about the partnership and receive a free trial of the inHEART platform contact sales@circlecvi.com or visit the inHEART Booth 962 at HRS 2024.

About inHEART Inc.

inHEART is delivering the world's first AI-driven, digital twin of the heart to advance the care of patients living with cardiac disease. We are committed to addressing the needs of the cardiac care continuum by providing personalized therapy in a predictive manner for screening and early detection of cardiac diseases. At inHEART, we believe all patients deserve access to world-class cardiac imaging expertise to optimize treatment strategies, improve clinical outcomes, and return patients to full, healthy lives. For more information, visit inheartmedical.com.

About Circle Cardiovascular Imaging Inc.

Circle Cardiovascular Imaging (Circle) is a Canadian-based company that was founded in 2007, established with the aim of developing innovative software solutions to enhance cardiovascular imaging analysis and improve patient care. Circle CVI's imaging platform provides best-in-class cardiovascular image reading and reporting for quantitative and qualitative assessment of cardiac MR and cardiac CT.

At the heart of everything we do is our unrelenting drive to continually offer better solutions for healthcare providers that improve healthcare outcomes. This fuels our creativity, informs our decisions and is the reason we are passionate about our work. Our roots are medical and digital, our passion is contagious, and our people are amongst the best.

Annually, millions of cardiac exams - in over 1700 hospitals and in more than 90 countries - are estimated to be interpreted using cvi42. For additional information, please visit www.circlecvi.com or contact: marketing@circlecvi.com

*Not all products mentioned in this release are available in all jurisdictions. Contact your local Circle representative for more information on product availability.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1806866/inHEART.jpg

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Refocused program now seeks sustainable as well as diverse suppliers

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Refocusing its strategy to increase purchasing from diverse and sustainable suppliers, CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA insurer, has launched a redesigned supplier program that adds sustainability goals while strengthening supplier diversity targets.

The expanded Diverse & Sustainable Supplier Program grows CSAA's existing supplier diversity practices to increase the company's engagement with businesses owned by people of color, veterans, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and persons with disabilities, as well as certified small businesses. The program also now aims to increase its work with suppliers that share in the company's goal to reduce its impact on the planet.

Suppliers that would like to learn more about the program or explore becoming a CSAA diverse and sustainable supplier can reach out to supplier.diversity@csaa.com.

"Diverse and sustainable supplier programming adds economic value," said Mike Zukerman, CSAA's interim president and chief executive officer. "Diverse businesses are typically small to mid-sized companies that directly impact the economic vitality of communities. Further, climate change is impacting our customers and employees, so we want to support companies that share our goal of protecting the environment."

CSAA has partnered with nationally recognized supplier diversity and sustainability organizations to strengthen its connections in the supplier diversity community and further its reach on its climate journey:

The National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC)

The Western Regional Minority Supplier Development Council (WRMSDC), a National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) affiliate

The Women's Business Enterprise National Center (WBENC)

Business Council on Climate Change (BC3)

"CSAA is a leader in the insurance space, and our diverse employees, customers, and suppliers have high expectations of our brand," said Shondra Watson-Wilson, who joined CSAA last year to lead the company's Diverse & Sustainable Supplier Program. "We intend to serve as an advocate and leader of equitable purchases and contribute an even greater impact on society, our customers and employees, and the communities we serve."

Wilson has nearly 20 years of experience leading organizational change and maximizing the value of an organization's diversity and inclusion initiatives. Watson-Wilson and CSAA are laser-focused on retaining diverse and sustainable suppliers, partnering with business service organizations and embedding supplier diversity and sustainability into procurement.

CSAA is committed to promoting and implementing diverse and sustainable practices beyond just business decisions, embedding its strategy internally and externally. For more information, reach out to supplier.diversity@csaa.com.

About CSAA Insurance Group

CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA Insurer, offers automobile, homeowners and other personal lines of insurance to AAA Members through AAA clubs in 23 states and the District of Columbia. Founded in 1914, the company has been rated "A" or better by AM Best for more than 90 years and is one of the top personal lines property casualty insurance groups in the United States, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The company has been repeatedly named one of the 50 most community-minded companies in America by Points of Light. More information is available at http://csaa-insurance.aaa.com and on social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Tik Tok, Threads and YouTube).

Read More

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from CSAA Insurance on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: CSAA Insurance

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/csaa-insurance

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: CSAA Insurance

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 16, 2024) - InZinc Mining Ltd. (TSXV: IZN) ("InZinc" or the "Company") announces that key stratigraphic units supporting links to the prolific, metal-rich Selwyn Basin have been identified at the Indy project (100% interest) ("Indy" or the "Project") located 90 km southeast of Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. Previously, these key units, known to host the deposits of the Selwyn Basin, only extended from the Yukon into northeastern BC (see Figure 1).

The Selwyn Basin, a 1100 km long sedimentary belt, hosts the world's second largest known accumulation1 of Sedex (zinc-lead-silver) deposits and districts and includes several world-class deposits (see Table 1).

New correlations of geology, fossil assemblages, mineralization and past discoveries support the presence of a "slice" of the Selwyn Basin at Indy.

Table 1: Sedex Districts and Deposits of the Selwyn Basin, Canada

Sedex Deposit/District Historical and Current Estimates (Mt - million tonnes) Anvil District, Yukon 120 Mt at 5.6% zinc, 3.7% lead and 45 to 50 g/t silver2 Howard's Pass District, Yukon 400 Mt at 5% zinc and 2% lead3 Mac Pass District, Yukon 11.2 Mt Indicated at 6.6% zinc, 2.5% lead and 21.3 g/t silver4

39.5 Mt Inferred at 5.8% zinc, 3.1% lead and 38.2 g/t silver4 Cirque, Northeast BC 40 Mt at 7.8% zinc, 2.2% lead and 48 g/t silver5 Akie, Northeast BC 22.7 Mt Indicated at 8.3% zinc, 1.6% lead and 14.1 g/t silver6

7.5 Mt Inferred at 7.0% zinc, 1.2% lead and 12.0 g/t silver6

A Selwyn "Slice" at Indy

The following discoveries at Indy support the presence of the Selwyn "slice":

New correlations on the age of mineralization and associated shales to the known mineralizing sequences in the Sedex deposits of the Selwyn Basin.

Extensive barite mineralization with zinc-lead enrichment recently discovered at Keel (700 m strike - open).

Sedex type mineralization outlined at the B-9 trend (450 m strike - open).

Identification of a potential second-order shale basin, typical of Sedex settings worldwide.

Numerous, untested geochemical anomalies across the largely unexplored 30 km long property.

"It's been an exciting several months as the discovery of barite at Keel has evolved and correlations to the Selwyn Basin and its tremendous metal endowment have been made. We believe Indy presents an extraordinary opportunity to explore the well-known and productive Selwyn sequences of northern Canada - for new Sedex deposits in central BC," remarked Kerry Curtis, Geologist and Chairman of InZinc.

Wayne Hubert, CEO of InZinc added, "These are remarkable advancements for exploration at Indy. A potential Sedex discovery, or district, just an hour and half drive from the city of Prince George, could provide competitive domestic smelter feed, sustainable metal production and new economic growth opportunities for BC."





Figure 1: Western Canadian Sedex (Zinc-Lead-Silver) Deposits of the Selwyn Basin

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6480/209469_6b6066c064005ba7_001full.jpg





Figure 2: Indy Project - Main Trend Targets

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6480/209469_6b6066c064005ba7_002full.jpg

Geology - Correlations Between Indy and the Selwyn Basin

Devonian and Ordovician age sedimentary rocks are well documented as being productive sequences for Sedex-style (zinc-lead-silver-barite) deposits in the Selwyn Basin. Both ages of stratigraphy are present at Indy.

Macrofossils of middle to late Devonian age are identified in shales associated with barite-sulphide mineralization. They correlate accurately to the mid to late Devonian macrofossils present in the mineralized shales (Gunsteel formation) hosting the Cirque and Akie Sedex (barite-sulphide) deposits located 500 km to the north (see Figure 1).

Furthermore, the geological setting at Indy, consisting of debris flows and shales deposited at the margin of a potential second order basin, is remarkably similar to mineralized basin sequences of the Gunsteel Formation at the Cirque Sedex deposit.

By extension, the Devonian sediments of the Earn Formation hosting the Mac Pass Sedex deposits in the Selwyn Basin, Yukon are also correlative to those at Indy.

Age determinations are further confirmed by microfossils (conodonts) identified as Devonian age by the GSC 7 in 1988 - prior to the discovery of barite-sulphide mineralization.

in 1988 - prior to the discovery of barite-sulphide mineralization. A lower shale unit also present at Indy, was dated by the GSC7 as Ordovician age (Road River Formation equivalent - Howard's Pass Sedex District) offering another potential target sequence for Sedex exploration.

Funded Exploration Program

Geological mapping and targeted soil geochemistry, based on new Selwyn Basin correlations, are planned for June-July 2024. InZinc is currently renewing its drill permit for a 5-year term.

Change in Board Membership - Mr. John Murphy

John Murphy, a member of the Board of Directors, will not be seeking re-election at the Company's upcoming Annual General Meeting to be held on May 31, 2024. Mr. Murphy was appointed to the Board in June 2016. John provided valuable insight, perspective and knowledge over the past eight years. The Board and management wish John the best of success in his future endeavors.

1 Emsbo, P., U.S. Geological Survey, Open-File Report 2009-1209. Geologic Criteria for the Assessment of Sedimentary Exhalative (Sedex) Zn-Pb-Ag Deposits.

2 Emsbo, P., U.S. Geological Survey, in SEG Reviews, Vol. 13, 2000, p. 427-437.

3 Goodfellow, W.D., Lydon J.W., and Turner R.J.W., 1993. Geology and genesis of stratiform sediment-hosted (SEDEX) zinc-lead-silver sulphide deposits; in Mineral Deposit Modeling, (ed.) R.V. Kirkham, W.D. Sinclair, R.I. Thorpe, and J.M. Duke; Geological Association of Canada: Special Paper 40, p. 201-251.

4 Fireweed Metals, website.

5 Don G. MacIntyre, Ph.D., P.Eng, BCGS 1998. Geology, Geochemistry and Mineral Deposits of the Akie River Area, Northeast British Columbia.

6 ZincX Resources, website.

7 Struik, L.C., (1988). Structural Geology of the Cariboo Mining District East-Central British Columbia. GSC Memoir 421.

About InZinc

InZinc is an active explorer and, through its Indy project, equity investment and royalty interests, is exposed to a diverse portfolio of active North American base metals and precious metals projects. The Company has discovered and continues to explore for expansion of near surface zinc mineralization at the easily accessible Indy project located in a new and under-explored mineral region of central British Columbia, Canada. A Canadian subsidiary of South32 (ASX, LSE, JSE) became a major tenure holder in the belt by staking approximately 200 km2 of adjacent claims in late 2021. InZinc has a significant equity investment in American West Metals (ASX) which is advancing multiple North American base metals projects. In addition, InZinc has a production royalty and will receive 50% of the revenue (NSR) from the sale of indium mined from American West's West Desert project.

InZinc Mining Ltd.

Wayne Hubert

____________

Chief Executive Officer

Phone: 604.687.7211

Website: www.inzincmining.com

For further information contact :

Joyce Musial

Vice President, Corporate Affairs

Phone: 604.317.2728

Email: joyce@inzincmining.com

Qualified Person

Brian McGrath, B.Sc., P.Geo. a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has approved the technical content of this news release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). All statements herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements, include but are not limited to, statements that address activities, events of developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipates, intends, estimates, plans, postulate, indicate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. Although InZinc 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 are not guarantees of future results, performance or actions, and that actual results or actions may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2023 filed with certain securities commissions in Canada and other information released by the Company and filed with the appropriate regulatory agencies. 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, Inzinc disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedarplus.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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/209469

SOURCE: InZinc Mining Ltd.




RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) has achieved a significant milestone by winning the 2024 Tech Impact Award, a prestigious recognition presented by the Value-Based Health Care Centre Europe. This accolade, awarded for its pioneering Home Hemodialysis (HHD) initiative, underscores KFSHRC's unwavering commitment to comprehensive healthcare and further cement its position as a global leader in the healthcare industry.

The award-winning initiative is a testament to KFSHRC's patient-centric approach, designed to address the unique needs of kidney patients with advanced medical conditions, physical disabilities, and mobility challenges. This comprehensive system of continuous and supportive care, delivered in the comfort of their homes, not only ensures the highest standards of safety and comfort but also significantly improves their quality of life.

Dr. Wael Habhab, Chairman of the Internal Medicine Department at KFSHRC in Jeddah and a leading physician for the Home Hemodialysis initiative, stated, "The initial outcomes of the initiative revealed a substantial reduction in emergency room visits and hospital admissions, as well as lower re-hospitalization rates." He also confirmed that the initiative has greatly alleviated the burden of managing medications for bone and mineral diseases associated with chronic kidney failure, alongside a decreased need for intravenous medication injections.

The award is granted to healthcare institutions that offer innovative solutions, contribute to tangible outcomes, reduce costs, and enhance patient value, all within a framework of genuine engagement between healthcare providers and patients, redefining healthcare standards to provide exceptional, patient-centered services.

It is noteworthy that KFSHRC stands among the global leaders in providing specialized healthcare, driving innovation, and serving as an advanced medical research and education hub. Through strategic partnerships with prominent local, regional, and international institutions, the hospital is dedicated to advancing medical technologies and elevating the standards of healthcare worldwide.

King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre has been ranked first in the Kingdom and 20th globally, in the list of the world's top 250 healthcare institutions for the second consecutive year and recognized as the most-valuable healthcare brand in the Kingdom and the Middle East, according to 2024 Brand Finance rankings. Additionally, in the same year, it was ranked among the world's best hospitals by the prestigious Newsweek magazine.

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Essam AlZahrani, Acting Head of Media Affairs, 0555254429

Mr. Abdullah Alown, Media Coordination Officer, 0556294232

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/51181584-0ddf-46da-95b8-4332570c4d2e




HALIFAX, NS / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Namibia Critical Metals Inc. ("Namibia Critical Metals" or the "Company" or "NCMI") (TSXV:NMI)(OTCQB:NMREF) announces the results of the Company's Annual General Meeting of Shareholders held on May 16, 2024 (the "Meeting"). Shareholders holding 61.92% of the shares were represented in person or by proxy at the Meeting. All the matters submitted to the shareholders, as set out in the Notice of Meeting and Information Circular dated April 10, 2024, were voted in favour, including: (a) Election of Directors to the Board of the Company as listed below; (b) the approval of the stock option plan, as amended, pursuant to which the Company may grant stock options up to 10% of its issued and outstanding common shares at the time of grant; and (c) the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the auditors of the Company for the ensuing year.

Messrs. Adrian Hickey, Darrin Campbell, William Price and Steve Herlihy were re-elected to serve as directors of the Company, with the percentage of votes cast for each director as follows:

Nominee Votes For % For Votes Withheld % Withheld Adrian T. Hickey 121,239,738 99.32% 0 0 Steve Herlihy 121,239,738 99.32% 0 0 Darrin Campbell 121,241,738 99.32% 0 0 William L. Price 121,131,738 99.23% 0 0

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Namibia Critical Metals Inc.

Darrin Campbell, President

About Namibia Critical Metals Inc.

NMI is developing the Tier-1 Heavy Rare Earth Project, Lofdal, a globally significant deposit of the heavy rare earth metals dysprosium and terbium. Demand for these critical metals used in permanent magnets for electric vehicles, wind turbines and other electronics is driven by innovations linked to energy and technology transformations. The geopolitical risks associated with sourcing many of these metals has become a repeated concern for manufacturers and end users. Namibia is a proven and stable mining jurisdiction.

The Lofdal Project is fully permitted with a 25-year Mining License and is under a Joint Venture Agreement with Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security ("JOGMEC").

The Company filed a robust updated PEA for "Lofdal 2B-4" on November 14, 2022, with a post-tax NPV of USD$391 million and an annual IRR of 28% with a capital expenditure of USD$207 million. The project is projected to generate a life of mine nominal cash flow of USD$698 million post-tax over a 16-year mine life.

About Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) and the JV

JOGMEC is a Japanese government independent administrative agency which seeks to secure stable resource supplies for Japan. JOGMEC has a strong reputation as a long term, strategic partner in mineral projects globally. JOGMEC facilitates opportunities with Japanese private companies to secure supplies of natural resources for the benefit of the country's economic development.

Rare earths are of critical importance to Japanese industrial interests and JOGMEC has extensive experience with all aspects of the sector. JOGMEC provided Lynas with USD$250,000,000 in loans and equity in 2011 to ensure supplies of the Light Rare Earths metals suite to the Japanese industry.

Namibia Critical Metals owns a 95% interest in the Lofdal project with the remaining 5% held for the benefit of historically disadvantaged Namibians. The terms of the JOGMEC joint venture agreement with the Company stipulate that JOGMEC provides C$3,000,000 in Term 1 and C$7,000,000 in Term 2 to earn a 40% interest in the Lofdal project. Term 3 calls for a further C$10,000,000 of expenditures to earn an additional 10% interest. JOGMEC can also purchase another 1% for C$5,000,000 and has first right of refusal to fully fund the project through to commercial production and to purchase all production at market prices. The collective interests of NMI and historically disadvantaged Namibians cannot be diluted below a 26% carried working interest upon payment of C$5,000,000 to JOGMEC for the dilution protection. NMI may elect to participate up to a maximum of 44% by funding pro rata after the earn in period is completed.

To date, JOGMEC has completed Term 2 and earned a 40% interest by reaching the C$10 million expenditure requirement. Total approved project funding to date is C$14,541,000 of the $20,000,000 Earn-In requirement to reach 50% interest.

Darrin Campbell, President, has reviewed and approved this press release.

The common shares of Namibia Critical Metals Inc. trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "NMI" and the OTCQB Market under the symbol "NMREF".

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For more information please contact -

Namibia Critical Metals Inc.

Darrin Campbell, President

Tel: +01 (902) 835-8760

Email: Info@NamibiaCMI.com

Web site: www.NamibiaCriticalMetals.com

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "would", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is provided, and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

SOURCE: Namibia Critical Metals Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
EQS-News: KAOUN International / Key word(s): Conference

GITEX AFRICA 2024 powers cross continental quest for an Artificial Intelligence (AI) future as region prepares for new digital era



16.05.2024 / 17:45 CET/CEST

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





70 percent surge in year-on-year growth at Africa's largest tech and start-up show in Morocco supercharges the epic African race to define its own digital dynasty

Africa's meteoric rise as an emergent international force in digital transformation coupled with the epic AI opportunity sweeping the globe is set to propel a new era of public-private sector investment collaboration when the continent's largest tech and start-up event opens in Morocco this month.

The 2nd edition of GITEX AFRICA, from 29-31 May 2024 in the vibrant city of Marrakech, shall converge global leaders and experts, governments, businesses, big tech, start-ups, investors, and academia from 130 countries to catalyse partnerships and advance the future ambitions of a continent determined to elevate its entrepreneurial innovation economy.

Under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco, May God Assist Him, GITEX AFRICA is held under the authority of the Moroccan Ministry of Digital Transition and Administration Reform in partnership with the Digital Development Agency (ADD).

Africa's blockbuster tech showpiece event is organised by KAOUN International, the overseas affiliate of Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), which organises GITEX GLOBAL in the UAE, the world's largest and most trusted tech and start-up event.

With the final preparations underway for a purpose-built mega venue in the heart of Marrakech, GITEX AFRICA 2024 will span 21 halls featuring 1,400 international exhibiting companies - a 70 percent year-on-year increase over the event's record-breaking debut 2023.

This is the year of the AI phenomenon and its tantalising all-purpose capabilities to transform diverse sectors, from cybersecurity, cloud and IoT, to finance, telecoms, agriculture, and education, amplifying hopes of greater prosperity in the world's second most populous continent. AI's impact on health tech has also spurred the launch of World Future Health Africa, accelerating the continent's ascending digital health revolution.

More than 700 of the most outstanding global start-ups from 45 countries, including 200 Moroccan start-ups, will also feature at GITEX AFRICA's North Star Africa start-up showcase, turbo-charging a great investment revival in a resilient and vibrant start-up ecosystem that is estimated to raise US$10 billion in VC funds by 2025.

These award-winning game-changers will connect with 350 investors from 35 countries with US$200 billion worth of assets under management. Now the vital barometer of tech's massive cross-continental advances, GITEX AFRICA 2024 shall unify the global tech community's commitment to accelerate a responsible future in the world's burgeoning Silicon Valley.

Addressing media at the show's official preview press conference this Wednesday, May 15, was H.E Dr Ghita Mezzour, Minister of the Moroccan Ministry of Digital Transition and Administration Reform; Sidi Mohammed Drissi Melyani, the General Director of ADD; and Trixie LohMirmand, CEO of organiser KAOUN International.

In attendance were GITEX AFRICA's official institutional partners: the ANRT (Moroccan National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency), ONDA (National Airports Office), OCP, Royal Air Maroc, ONCF (Moroccan National Railway Office), and the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM).

Ms. Ghita Mezzour, Moroccan Minister of Digital Transition and Administration Reform, said: "The second edition of GITEX AFRICA Morocco falls within the framework of the unwavering efforts made by our country in the field of digital transition, in alignment with the Royal Directives of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, May God Assist Him, who stressed on the importance to optimally leverage the enormous development opportunities digital transition provides for African countries." Adding: "This edition will further consolidate Morocco's position as a regional digital hub, thus creating an environment conducive to attracting more investments and stimulating job creation. "

Mr. Sidi Mohammed Drissi Melyani, said: "This 2nd edition of GITEX AFRICA Morocco is even more ambitious and inclusive, as it responds first and foremost to the enthusiasm it has aroused around the world, and in more ways than one has affirmed Morocco's positioning as a key hub in the world of technological innovation and the attractiveness of foreign investment in the promising digital sector. This year, just as many themes and sector niches will be highlighted, such as AI, reflecting the growing interest in the new global professions of technological innovation".

Igniting talent development, catalysing a Pan-African tech rush

AI's existential prospects and ability to leap-frog traditional barriers of economic development in Africa will dominate discussions at GITEX AFRICA 2024, catalysing a trans-continental tech rush across diverse industries, from cloud and IOT, cybersecurity, digital health, and future finance, to consumer tech, digital cities, and telecoms.

Tech leaders estimate the AI boom will add US$1.2 trillion to Africa's economy by 2030, boosting the continent's GDP by 5.6 percent, and accelerating the need for urgent digital discourses to deploy the shape shifting tech that is both sustainable and ethical.

Trixie LohMirmand, CEO of KAOUN International, said: "The recent developments in AI have created new opportunities and impetus for Africa in its digital transformation mission.

"Hosted in a continent adept at leapfrogging in critical industries, GITEX AFRICA Morocco presents governments, business leaders and talents with unparalleled access to new information and expert knowledge, and big opportunities in digital convergence. This shall empower them to co-create new strategies and solutions for the betterment of society."

Government ministers, digital visionaries tackle Africa's pressing tech challenges

Africa's most progressive leadership conference programme will meanwhile gather 450-plus speakers from 70 countries, to debate, scrutinise, and tackle the greatest tech challenges and opportunities in the world's second largest continent with bold ambitions to co-create and define its own Pan-African digital roadmap.

The GITEX AFRICA Digital Summit returns, leading ten conference stages comprising 280-plus hours of mind-stretching content advancing Africa's digital movement. Impactful agendas will explore government policy and regulation, connectivity, digital cities and future finance, cybersecurity and health tech's transformative opportunity, along with fast-tracking the world's most exciting start-up ecosystem and challenging the realities of AI mania.

GITEX AFRICA 2024 is open from 10:00am to 6:00pm. Admission is for pre-registered trade professionals only with a special invitation for students aged 16 years and older on day three. More information is available at www.GITEXAFRICA.com .

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of KAOUN International.

Media Contact:

KAOUN International

Tayce Marchesi

PR Executive

Tel.: + 971 58 552 3994

Tayce.Marchesi@dwtc.com

PR Media:

Sami Saber

Media Relations Director

Tel.: + 212 66 139 9976

Sami.Saber@dprgroup.ma

On social media:

Facebook: https://apo-opa.co/44RCGe0

Instagram: https://apo-opa.co/44Ms0x8

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Website: www.GITEXAFRICA.com Hashtag: GITEXAFRICA

About KAOUN International:

KAOUN International is the independent events company and wholly owned subsidiary of Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) established to organize and manage events internationally. Derived from the Arabic word 'universe', KAOUN International's mission is to 'Create Limitless Connections' for the industries and markets in which it operates. Created to leverage the 40-year legacy of DWTC's events management business and drive future MICE sector opportunity in the MENASA region. KAOUN International delivers game-changing live experiences that build robust business connections, create opportunity, and stimulate economic growth, building on DWTC's extensive portfolio of business and consumer events spanning multiple sectors, including technology, food and hospitality, sustainability, broadcast and satellite, automotive, talent development and leisure marine.

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16.05.2024 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG.

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Continued international expansion in the Asian market alongside Enhance Gourmet Foods, a specialist in vegan products in India

Opening of the first vegan plant-based cheese production unit in Pune (India) by Enhance Gourmet Foods

Vinpai provides a plant-based technological solution fully aligned with the consumer demand in the Indian market

Regulatory News:

Vinpai (ISIN: FR001400AXT1; ticker: ALVIN), the specialist in the design, manufacture and marketing of functional ingredients based on algae and plants for the food and cosmetics industry, today announces the signing of a strategic partnership with Enhance Gourmet Foods, a specialist in the manufacture of vegan products in India, extending its global footprint in the Indian market.

The launch of Vinpai on the Indian market is a first step in line with its objective to pursue its expansion in Asia. This strategic collaboration aims to support Enhance Gourmet Foods in the manufacture of vegan plant-based cheeses to meet the growing demand of the Indian market and benefit from Enhance Gourmet Foods' extensive distribution network throughout India. Vinpai is therefore setting out to conquer a huge market offering significant growth opportunities regarding demand for vegan products.

As part of this partnership, Vinpai will supply plant-based functional ingredients that will be integrated to end products on its partner's new site in Pune, India. In return, Enhance Gourmet Foods will lean on Vinpai's expertise in the manufacture of vegan products (cheese, butter, cream, etc.) in France.

Philippe Le Ray, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, stated: "We are extremely delighted to announce this partnership with Enhance Gourmet Foods, which demonstrates the confidence placed in our technology. This collaboration opens tremendous opportunities for us in the Indian market, where the growth in demand for plant-based products is very promising. We have been working on opening up this market for several years and are now turning years of R&D effort into concrete results, adapting our offering to the needs and specific features of the Indian market. We will benefit from our partner's expertise regarding food and nutritional requirements in the Indian market, as well as its presence in the country with major Indian agri-food groups. Thanks to this partnership, the Indian market could become a major growth driver for Vinpai's business over the coming years."

In addition, this partnership opens up new opportunities for all Vinpai's product ranges, in particular Vin'Curd+, launched in the 2nd quarter of 2024, which is dedicated to enhancing cheese-making productivity.

About Vinpai

Founded in 2011 by Cyrille Damany and Philippe Le Ray, Vinpai is an ingredien'tech company specializing in the design, manufacture and marketing of algal, vegetable, mineral and fiber-based functional ingredients offering manufacturers natural alternatives to chemical additives. Positioned in the most buoyant market segments, Vinpai now supports manufacturers in the food industry, its historical market, cosmetics and nutraceuticals, thanks to cross-technology know-how, enabling them to increase the nutritional qualities of their finished products. The combination and association of ingredients and food additives allows manufacturers to accelerate their development, optimize their production costs and generate profitability. Operating from two sites, in Saint-Dolay and Rieux (Morbihan) near the port of Saint-Nazaire, Vinpai has developed more than 3,500 formulas and now has 47 employees. In 2023, the Company generated revenues of nearly 8 million, more than half of which was exported, and is established in more than 35 countries.

For further information: www.vinpai.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240516754401/en/

Contacts:

Vinpai

Philippe Le Ray

CEO

investors@vinpai.com

NewCap

Theo Martin

Aurelie Manavarere

Investor Relations

vinpai@newcap.eu

T.: 01 44 71 94 94

NewCap

Nicolas Merigeau

Antoine Pacquier

Media Relations

vinpai@newcap.eu

T.: 01 44 71 94 98
Chengdu wins IAEE International Excellence Award 2024

(People's Daily App) 17:08, May 16, 2024

The Chengdu Expo Bureau was awarded the International Excellence Award 2024 at the IMEX Frankfurt 2024 held in Germany, the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) announced on Thursday.

Photo provided to the People's Daily

The southwestern city in Sichuan Province is the first Chinese city to receive this annual award, which recognizes an organization's impact on internationalization, personnel training and driving effect in the global exhibitions and events industry.

More than 20,000 organizers, exhibitors and event suppliers compose the IAEE, the sector's leading trade association.

Great efforts have been made by Chengdu Expo Bureau to encourage the internationalization of the city's exhibition industry, including close collaborations with the IAEE and other international exhibition organizations.

More than 50 exhibition institutions in the city joined international organizations and obtained international certification.

So far, seven international leading exhibition enterprises, such as Informa Markets (UK), MCI Group (Switzerland) and GL events (France), have independent legal entities or regional headquarters in Chengdu, which also hosts 25 international cooperative resident exhibitions.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 16, 2024) - MAX RESOURCE CORP. (TSXV: MAX) (OTC Pink: MXROF) (FSE: M1D2) ("Max" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the completion of diligence in regard to a conditional Letter of Intent ("LOI") with Jaguar Mining Inc. ("Jaguar"), signed on April 12, 2024. The LOI outlines the terms of purchasing 100% of the Floralia hematite iron ore property (the "Property" or "Floralia Property") located 120-km east of the city of Belo Horizonte in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil (refer to Figure 1).

The Property is located within 20-km of major, iron ore mines and steel mills (iron ore furnace).

Local mining infrastructure includes railways, haul roads, mining services and personnel.

Commodity:Hematite iron ore

Ownership: Purchase of 100%

Location: Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Infrastructure: Refer to Figure 1

Closing: Subject to Exchange Approval

The Floralia hematite deposit consists of four distinct bodies of iron ore mineralization along a southeastern trend. Mapping has traced iron ore along 1,000m of strike to the north and a further 822m to the southwest, with largest body located at the southeastern end. This body is exposed by an historic open pit 80m wide and 40m deep. The benches of the mining pit reveal a plunging band of iron ore at the base and sub-horizontal banding at the top of the pit.

During the mapping and sampling program, 41 channel samples were collected over a 151m accumulated length. The samples averaged 58% Fe with a 6% LOI (Loss of Ignition). This work has resulted in the definition of a geological target estimated at 2,971,233 m3 to 4,496,333 m3 or 8,052,041 tonnes to 12,184,160 tonnes using a density of 2.71 g/cm3 at an average grade of 58% Fe with a 6% LOI.

Max cautions investors the potential quantity and grade of the iron ore is conceptual in nature, and further cautions there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource and Max is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource.

The source of the exploration information on the Floralia Property is "Deposito Floralia Oportunidade para minerrio de ferro by Jaguar Mining Inc." The document is undated.

"Max recently made a significant announcement regarding the earn-in agreement with Freeport-McMoRan in Colombia. While the main focus remains on the Cesar Project, we seized the opportunity to purchase the high value Floralia Property. In addition, management believes this purchase significantly advances shareholder value," commented MAX CEO, Brett Matich

"The Floralia hematite deposit is strategically located to a number of steel mills, iron ore mineralization is near surface and is considered high grade iron ore. Exploration has commenced with the objective of defining stand up drill targets," he concluded.

Letter of Intent

The LOI outlines the terms for an Asset Purchase Agreement ("APA") between Max and Jaguar to purchase Floralia Mineral Right n 832.022/2018 ("Mineral Right"). Jaguar and Max are arms length parties and as a result of the transaction, no new insiders or control person will be created. There are no finders fees or commissions payable in connection with the Transaction. Max has paid a USD $100,000 non-refundable deposit.

Remaining cash payments:

USD $200,000 within five business days following the effective date of the APA.

USD $300,000 within five business days of Max transferring the Mineral Right to wholly owned subsidiary of Max incorporated in Brazil.

USD $200,000 within five business following the date of 6 months from the effective date of the APA.

USD $200,000 within five business following the date of 12 months from the effective date of the APA.

The transaction will be a Fundamental Acquisition as defined by the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") and is subject to approval of the Exchange and Max completing all filing requirements and shareholder approval, if required. Trading will remain halted pending receipt and review of acceptable documentation pursuant to Section 5.6 (d) of TSXV Policy 5.3 regarding a Fundamental Acquisition.





Figure 1: The Floralia hematite property is located within a prolific iron ore mining district and nearby major iron ore mines, steel mills (iron ore furnace), railways, haul roads and mining services.



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3834/209484_1402533e74f55855_001full.jpg

CESAR Copper-Silver Project

The Cesar Project comprises three continuous districts spanning 120-km, NNE/SSW direction. This region provides access to major infrastructure, including Cerrejon, the largest coal mine in South America, held by global miner Glencore. Max's twenty concessions collectively span over 188-km (refer to Figure 2).

Earn-In Agreement with Freeport-McMoRan Exploration

On May 13, 2024, the Company reported that it entered into an Earn-In Agreement ("EIA") with Freeport-McMoRan Exploration Corporation ("Freeport"), a wholly owned-affiliate of Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE: FCX) relating to Max's wholly owned Cesar Copper-Silver Project (the "Cesar Project or Cesar") in northeastern Colombia. The Company and Freeport are arm's length.

Under the terms of the EIA, Freeport has been granted a two-stage option to acquire up to an 80% ownership interest in the Cesar Project by funding cumulative expenditures of C$50 million and making cash payments to Max of C$1.55 million.

To earn an initial 51% interest, Freeport is required to fund C$20 million of exploration commitments at Cesar over five years and make staged payments to Max totalling C$0.8 million. Max will remain the operator of Cesar during this initial stage. Once Freeport earns its initial 51% interest, Freeport can increase its interest to 80% by funding a further C$30 million in exploration commitments at Cesar over five years and making staged payments totalling C$0.75 million.

Buyout of Royalties

On November 7, 2023, Max executed a Share Exchange Agreement pursuant to acquiring all the issued and outstanding shares of Bay Street Mineral Corp. ("Bay Street") an arms length Canadian Corporation in exchange for 14,000,000 common shares in the capital of Max.

Bay Street held an underlying 3% net smelter royalty over 19 mining concessions covering 184-km and 31 mining concession applications covering 796-km of the Company's wholly owned Cesar Project. On November 21, 2023, Max obtained TSX Venture Exchange approval.

2024 Work Program

The 2024 work program in the basin to date consists of stream sediment sampling, soil sampling, rock sampling, surface mapping, extension of the ground magnetics and an Induced Polarization program. This work program is intended to identify and prioritize drill targets.

Max has completed a 10,000-line kilometre airborne magnetic and radiometric survey covering 1,150-km over all three Districts (AM, Conejo and URU). The data is currently under review with the objective of advancing the Cesar basin model and identifying priority targets.

AM District

Starting in the far north of the Jurassic basin, classic stacked red bed outcrops with extensive lateral continuity have been rock sampled over 15-km of strike. Highlight values of 34.4% copper and 305 g/t silver have been documented in the sedimentary red bed sequences. The Company confirmed that stratiform mineralization continues at depth with two scout drill holes completed in 2023 (Max News Release dated April 4, 2023). In addition, Colombian field crews continue to discover and sample new mineralized outcrops identified AM-1 through AM 14 targets (Max News Release dated May 25, 2023,and Max News Release dated June 22, 2023)

Conejo District

Located approximately 30-km south from the AM District. It is characterized by structurally controlled mineralization, hosted in intermediate and felsic volcanic rocks. Mineralized outcrops have been discovered over 3.7-km at the primary target area. Surface samples averaged 4.9% copper (with a 2% cut-off). No drilling has been conducted to date.

URU District

Located approximately 60-km south from the AM District. Max has identified 12 targets URU-1 through to URU-12. The mineralization of the URU District is hosted in intermediate volcanic rocks and is structurally controlled. At URU-C, a 9.0m of 7.0% copper and 115 g/t silver surface discovery was confirmed at depth by drill hole URU-12, which intersected 10.6m of 3.4% copper and 48 g/t silver. At the URU-CE target, 750m to the east, 19.0m of 1.3% copper discovered in outcrop was confirmed by drill hole URU-9, which intersected a broad zone of copper oxide returning 33.0m of 0.3% copper from 4.0m, including 16.5m of 0.5% copper (Max News Release date January 24, 2023).

Qualified Person

The Company's disclosure of a technical or scientific nature in this news release was reviewed and approved by Tim Henneberry, P.Geo. (British Columbia), a member of Max's advisory board, who serves as a qualified person under the definition of National Instrument 43-101.





Figure 2: Location and Scale of the Cesar Copper-Silver Project, NE Colombia.



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3834/209484_1402533e74f55855_002full.jpg

About Max Resource Corp.

Max Resource Corp. (TSXV: MAX) is a mineral exploration company advancing the newly discovered, district-scale, Cesar copper-silver project. The wholly owned Cesar project sits along the northern portion of the Andean Belt, the world's largest producing copper belt.

Max is proactive, with the corporate goal of transitioning the Cesar basin towards the mining of copper and silver, the key metal for Colombia's transition to clean energy. The safety of our people and the communities where we operate is most important. We conduct exploration in a manner which supports protection of ecosystems through responsible environmental stewardship.

The Company also continues to investigate opportunities in the mineral sector.

For more information visit: https://www.maxresource.com/

For additional information contact:

Tim McNulty E: info@maxresource.com T: (604) 290-8100

Rahim Lakha E. rahim@bluesailcapital.com

Brett Matich T: (604) 484 1230

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.

Except for statements of historic fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law.

Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the TSXV. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the commercialization plans for Max Resources Corp. described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein.

The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedarplus.ca.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/209484

SOURCE: MAX Resource Corp.
Global offering composed of a reserved offering for specialized investors and a public offering for retail investors via the PrimaryBid platform

Issue price of new shares of 3.00 per share

Closing of the PrimaryBid Offering on May 16, 2024 at 11pm (CEST) and of the Reserved Offering on May 17, 2024 before market opening, subject to early closing.

Cash runway extended to mid-August 2024 post global offering

Residual financing needs over the next 12 months, post global offering, estimated at 30 million

Regulatory News:

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, SOUTH AFRICA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA OR JAPAN

CARMAT (FR0010907956, ALCAR), designer and developer of the world's most advanced total artificial heart, aiming to provide a therapeutic alternative for people suffering from advanced biventricular heart failure (the "Company" or "CARMAT"), today announces the launch of a global offering of approximately 15 million via the issuance of new shares at a fixed price of 3.00 per share aimed at specialized investors as defined below and retail investors (via the PrimaryBid platform) (the "Global Offering

Stephane Piat, Chief Executive Officer of CARMAT, said: "This new financing comes at a crucial time, as our sales are beginning to grow significantly.

The progress we have made both on the commercial front, with in particular the training of new centers which continue to refer an increasing number of patients to us, and in the EFICAS study, which is getting pace, demonstrate the strong demand for our therapy, interest in which is gradually spreading within the medical community. Taken together, these promising advances enable us to anticipate substantial sales growth over the coming months, with estimated sales of around 14 million for 2024.

We are also delighted by the renewed support of our two largest shareholders, which is a testimony of their great confidence in our development trajectory, and by the opportunity given to individual investors to participate in this Global Offering.

The commercial success of Aeson is taking shape, and we are moving closer to our ultimate goal which is to give a large number of patients, access to our unique therapy, that, unlike other mechanical circulatory support systems, is physiological, and which has ultimately the potential to become the first destination therapy technology in the field of advanced biventricular heart failure."

Reasons for the Global Offering

Prior to the Global Offering, the Company's financial resources allow it to finance its activities until the end of May 2024, and based on its current business plan, the Company estimates its financing needs over the next 12 months, at around 45 million.

The main purpose of the Global Offering is to strengthen CARMAT's equity and finance its short-term working capital requirements. The net proceeds of the Global Offering, should it be 100% completed, will enable CARMAT to continue its operations until mid-August 2024, and in particular to pursue the development of its production and sales, as well as its EFICAS clinical trial in France.

CARMAT anticipates that the Global Offering will only partially finance the Company's needs over the next 12 months, with additional post-Global Offering financial requirements expected to be around 30 million; and that it will therefore have to secure additional fundings from the second half of 2024.

Recent Progress

Since the start of 2024, CARMAT has been implanting Aeson at a rate of around 3 implants per month.

Sales momentum is particularly strong in the EFICAS study conducted in France, with 9 implants in the first 4 months of 2024, in line with the target of around 30 implants in 2024. By the end of April, 20 implants had already been performed since the start of the study, which is now being carried out in 10 centers in France, with interim clinical results exceeding the Company's expectations1, confirming the study is on track for completion in the 1st half of 2025.

On the commercial front, 6 new hospitals have already been trained in 2024, bringing to 39 the number of centers ready to perform Aeson implants in 14 different countries, in line with the target of around 50 centers trained by the end of the year. To date, 12 of these 39 centers have already performed at least one commercial implant of Aeson and 25 have already referred patients for possible implants, confirming the strong interest shown by the medical community in the therapy.

In addition to the three countries already commercially active (Germany, Italy and Poland), 5 others are now fully activated and ready for implants (Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Greece and Israel). CARMAT also anticipates activating several other European countries in 2024, either through direct sales or through distributors with whom distribution contracts have already been signed or are in the process of being signed.

Based on these encouraging indicators, the Company anticipates substantial gradual sales growth over the year, and sales of around 14 million by 2024.

Terms of the Global Offering

The Global Offering will be carried out via two distinct but concomitant transactions:

an offering via the issuance of new shares with waiver of preferential subscription rights to the benefit of French or foreign individuals, companies or investment funds investing on a regular basis, or having invested more than 2 million during the 36 months preceding the issue in question, in the life sciences or technology sector (in accordance with the 6th resolution of the Company's Extraordinary General Meeting of January 5, 2024 (the "EGM"), pursuant to Article L. 225-138 of the French Commercial Code (the "Reserved Offering"); and

a public offering in France of new shares aimed at retail investors via the PrimaryBid platform, which will be carried out according to an allocation proportional to demand within the limit of the amount allocated to this public offer, with a reduction in allocations in the event of excess demand where applicable, pursuant to Article L. 225-136 of the French Commercial Code (in accordance with the 2nd resolution of the EGM) (the "PrimaryBid Offering

The amount of the Global Offering will depend exclusively on the orders received for each of the above-mentioned components without the possibility of reallocating the sums allocated from one to the other. It is specified that the PrimaryBid Offering to retail investors is ancillary to the Reserved Offering and will be capped at the lower of (i) 8 million (excluding but including issue premium) and (ii) 20% of the amount of the Global Offering. In any event, the PrimaryBid Offering will not be carried out if the capital increase under the Reserved Offering does not occur.

The price per share of the Reserved Offering will be 3.00 (representing a discount of 26.5% on CARMAT's closing price on May 15, 2024, i.e. 4.08, and a discount of 28.7% on CARMAT's average volume-weighted average prices over the 5 trading days preceding the determination of the issue price, i.e. 4.21). The subscription price of the new shares under the PrimaryBid Offering will be equal to the price of the new shares offered in the Reserved Offering.

The definitive number of shares to be issued will be decided by the Company's Chief Executive Officer, under and within the scope of the sub-delegations of authority granted by the Company's Board of Directors on the date of this press release, it being specified that the maximum number of new shares that may be issued in connection with the Global Offering is 20,858,530 new shares, in accordance with the resolutions of the EGM. The definitive number of shares to be issued will be the subject of a subsequent press release.

The accelerated book-building process for the Reserved Offering will begin immediately and should close before the market opens tomorrow, subject to any early closing. The PrimaryBid Offering will begin immediately and is expected to close at 11pm (Paris time) today, subject to any early closing. The Company will announce the results of the Global Offering as soon as possible after the close of the order book, via a press release.

The Reserved Offering will be available, within the categories of investors defined above, (i) to institutional investors in France and outside France, with the exception of the United States, South Africa, Canada, Australia and Japan, and (ii) to certain institutional investors in the United States within the framework of a private placement by the Company, and, in each case, within the categories of investors specifically provided for in the 6th resolution mentioned above.

Current shareholders Lohas SARL (family office of Mr. Pierre Bastid2) and Sante Holdings SRL (family office of Dr. Antonino Ligresti), holding respectively 11.4% and 9.9% of the share capital, have undertaken to subscribe for an amount of 4 million each, in the Reserved Offering.

The subscription commitments received by the Company, as detailed above, thus represent a total amount of 8 million.

Settlement-Delivery of the new shares and their admission to trading on the Euronext Growth Paris multilateral trading facility are expected to occur on May 22, 2024. The new shares will be of the same class and fungible with the existing shares, will carry all rights attached to the shares, and will be admitted to trading on the Euronext Growth Paris multilateral trading facility under the same ISIN code FR0010907956.

Bank Degroof Petercam SA/NV and Invest Securities are acting as global coordinators, lead managers and joint bookrunners in connection with the Reserved Offering (together, the "Placement Agents"). The Reserved Offering has been the subject of a placement agreement entered into today between the Company and the Placement Agents.

As part of the PrimaryBid Offering, investors may only be able to subscribe via the PrimaryBid partners listed on the PrimaryBid website (www.PrimaryBid.fr). The PrimaryBid Offering is the subject of an engagement letter entered into between the Company and PrimaryBid and is not subject to a placement agreement. For further details, please visit the PrimaryBid website at www.PrimaryBid.fr.

The Global Offering is not subject to a prospectus requiring an approval from the French Financial Market Authority (Autorite des Marches Financiers) (the "AMF")3

The public's attention is drawn to the risk factors associated with the Company and its activity, described in chapter 2 of the Universal Registration Document 2023 filed with the AMF on April 30, 2024 under number D.24-0374, available free of charge on the Company's website (www.carmatsa.com) and the AMF website (www.amf-france.org). The occurrence of any or all of these risks could have a negative impact on the Company's activity, financial situation, results of operations, development or outlook.

Additionally, investors are invited to consider the risks specific to the Global Offering: (i) the market price of the Company's shares could fluctuate and fall below the subscription price of the shares issued in connection with the Global Offering, (ii) the volatility and liquidity of the Company's shares could fluctuate significantly, (iii) divestments of the Company's shares could occur on the market and have an unfavorable impact on the Company's share price, (iv) the Company's shareholders could suffer potentially significant dilution as a result of any future capital increases made necessary by the Company's search for financing, as well as of the forthcoming equitization4 of the loan contracted by CARMAT with the European Investment Bank (the "EIB"), (v) as the securities are not intended to be listed on a regulated market, investors will not benefit from the guarantees associated with regulated markets.

As part of the Global Offering, the Company has signed a lock-up commitment that comes into effect on the date of signature of the placement agreement entered into between the Company and the Placement Agents today, and expiring on June 30, 2024, subject to customary exceptions and to the issuance by the Company of securities giving access to its capital in connection with the implementation of the forthcoming "equitization" of the loan granted by the EIB.

No lock-up commitment has been requested from the Company's existing shareholders or from investors who have committed to subscribe to the Reserved Offering.

This press release does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 14, 2017, as amended, nor an offer to the public.

About CARMAT

CARMAT is a French MedTech that designs, manufactures and markets the Aeson artificial heart. The Company's ambition is to make Aeson the first alternative to a heart transplant, and thus provide a therapeutic solution to people suffering from end-stage biventricular heart failure, who are facing a well-known shortfall in available human grafts. The world's first physiological artificial heart that is highly hemocompatible, pulsatile and self-regulated, Aeson could save, every year, the lives of thousands of patients waiting for a heart transplant. The device offers patients quality of life and mobility thanks to its ergonomic and portable external power supply system that is continuously connected to the implanted prosthesis. Aeson is commercially available as a bridge to transplant in the European Union and other countries that recognize CE marking. Aeson is also currently being assessed within the framework of an Early Feasibility Study (EFS) in the United States. Founded in 2008, CARMAT is based in the Paris region, with its head offices located in Velizy-Villacoublay and its production site in Bois-d'Arcy. The Company can rely on the talent and expertise of a multidisciplinary team of circa 200 highly specialized people. CARMAT is listed on the Euronext Growth market in Paris (Ticker: ALCAR ISIN code: FR0010907956).

For more information, please go to www.carmatsa.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Disclaimer

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of shares in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

The distribution of this document may, in certain jurisdictions, be restricted by local legislations. Persons into whose possession this document comes are required to inform themselves about and to observe any such potential local restrictions.

This press release is an advertisement and not a prospectus within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017 (as amended, the "Prospectus Regulation"). Any decision to purchase shares must be made solely on the basis of publicly available information on the Company.

In France, the offer of Carmat shares described below will be made in the context of (i) two capital increases reserved to one or more specified categories of beneficiaries, pursuant to article L. 225-138 of the French commercial code and applicable regulatory provisions and (ii) a public offering in France primarily intended to retail investors through the PrimaryBid platform. Pursuant to article 211-3 of the General regulations of the French financial markets authority (Autorite des marches financiers) (the "AMF") and articles 1(4) and 3 of the Prospectus Regulation, the offer of Carmat shares will not require the publication of a prospectus approved by the AMF.

With respect to Member States of the European Economic Area, no action has been taken or will be taken to permit a public offering of the securities referred to in this press release requiring the publication of a prospectus in any Member State. Therefore, such securities may not be and shall not be offered in any Member State other than in accordance with the exemptions of Article 1(4) of Prospectus Regulation or, otherwise, in cases not requiring the publication of a prospectus under Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation and/or the applicable regulations in such Member State.

This press release and the information it contains are being distributed to and are only intended for persons who are (x) outside the United Kingdom or (y) in the United Kingdom and are (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Order"), (ii) high net worth entities and other such persons falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order ("high net worth companies", "unincorporated associations", etc.) or (iii) other persons to whom an invitation or inducement to participate in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Market Act 2000) may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons in (y)(i), (y)(ii) and (y)(iii) together being referred to as "Relevant Persons"). Any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire securities to which this press release relates will only be engaged with Relevant Persons. Any person who is not a Relevant Person should not act or rely on this press release or any of its contents.

This press release may not be distributed, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States. This press release and the information contained therein does not, and will not, constitute an offer of securities for sale, nor the solicitation of an offer to purchase, securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction where restrictions may apply. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). The securities of Carmat have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act, and Carmat does not intend to conduct a public offering in the United States.

MIFID II Product Governance/Target Market: solely for the purposes of the requirements of article 9.8 of the EU Delegated Directive 2017/593 relating to the product approval process, the target market assessment in respect of the shares of Carmat has led to the conclusion in relation to the type of clients criteria only that: (i) the type of clients to whom the shares are targeted is eligible counterparties and professional clients and retail clients, each as defined in Directive 2014/65/EU, as amended ("MiFID II"); and (ii) all channels for distribution of the shares of Carmat to eligible counterparties and professional clients and retail clients are appropriate. Any person subsequently offering, selling or recommending the shares of Carmat (a "distributor") should take into consideration the type of clients assessment; however, a distributor subject to MiFID II is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the shares of Carmat and determining appropriate distribution channels.

The distribution of this press release may be subject to legal or regulatory restrictions in certain jurisdictions. Any person who comes into possession of this press release must inform him or herself of and comply with any such restrictions.

Any decision to subscribe for or purchase the shares or other securities of Carmat must be made solely based on information publicly available about Carmat. Such information is not the responsibility of Bank Degroof Petercam SA/NV and Invest Securities and has not been independently verified by Bank Degroof Petercam SA/NV and Invest Securities.

_________________________________

1 For further details, please refer to the press release dated May 6, 2024.

2 Mr. Pierre Bastid's subscription to the Global Offering will not be made via Lohas SARL, which he controls and which is already a CARMAT shareholder, but via Les Bastidons, of which he is the sole shareholder.

3 The amount of the PrimaryBid Offering will be lower than 8 million.

4 For further details on this equitization, please refer to the press release published by the Company on March 22, 2024 and to section 3.1.7 of CARMAT's 2023 Universal Registration Document.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240516052047/en/

Contacts:

CARMAT

Stephane Piat

Chief Executive Officer

Pascale d'Arbonneau

Chief Financial Officer

Tel.: +33 1 39 45 64 50

contact@carmatsas.com

Alize RP

Press Relations

Caroline Carmagnol

Tel.: +33 6 64 18 99 59

carmat@alizerp.com

NewCap

Financial Communication

& Investor Relations

Dusan Oresansky

Jeremy Digel

Tel.: +33 1 44 71 94 92

carmat@newcap.eu
Investment by Airport Owner and Operator in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Technology and Development Supports LanzaJet Growth and Addresses Important Role in SAF Ecosystem

CHICAGO, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- LanzaJet, a leading sustainable fuels technology company and sustainable fuels producer, today announced a $20 million investment from Groupe ADP, the world leader in airport design and operations. The investment enables LanzaJet to continue building its capability and capacity to deploy its sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) process technology globally.

"We continue to lay the foundation for building the SAF industry across the entire value chain, and with this significant contribution from Groupe ADP - a first-of-its-kind in the industry, we will expand LanzaJet's technology deployment and global growth," said Jimmy Samartzis, Chief Executive Officer of LanzaJet. "Together, we will work towards expanding Sustainable Aviation Fuel production and logistics into airports to support airlines and Groupe ADP customers worldwide as the industry works collaboratively to decarbonize."

ADP's investment in LanzaJet comes as the company recently opened LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels - the world's first commercial-scale ethanol-to-SAF plant. Located in the United States, the historic plant will produce SAF and renewable diesel from low-carbon and sustainable ethanol and achieve International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC). LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels serves as a blueprint for utilizing first-of-its-kind innovation to scale SAF production and enables LanzaJet's aspiration for one billion gallons of SAF production by 2030.

"Low-carbon aviation will not take off without the transformation of airports into energy hubs with a range of low-carbon solutions. The airport revolution must happen now, and it is underway in Paris. As the world's leading airport operator, we wanted to go further and act at source by supporting the production of sustainable aviation fuel, investing directly in LanzaJet, an innovative company able to deploy its technology responsibly around the world, and adapting to local waste to make these new fuels available everywhere" said Augustin de Romanet, CEO of Groupe ADP.

In addition to ADP, LanzaJet's portfolio of investors and funders includes All Nippon Airways (ANA), Breakthrough Energy, British Airways, LanzaTech, Microsoft's Climate Innovation Fund, Mitsui & Co., Shell, Southwest Airlines, and Suncor Energy.

ABOUT LANZAJET

LanzaJet is a leading sustainable fuels technology company dedicated to accelerating the clean energy transition. As a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) technology provider and producer with patented ethanol-based alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) technology, LanzaJet is creating an opportunity for future generations by catalyzing the deployment of SAF and other clean energy solutions critical to addressing the climate crisis and transforming the global economy. Further information is available at https://www.lanzajet.com/

ABOUT GROUPE ADP

Groupe ADP develops and manages airports, including Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly and Paris-Le Bourget. In 2023, the group handled through its brand Paris Aeroport 99.7 million passengers at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly, and nearly 336.4 million passengers in airports abroad. Boasting an exceptional geographic location and a major catchment area, the Group is pursuing its strategy of adapting and modernizing its terminal facilities and upgrading quality of services; the group also intends to develop its retail and real estate businesses. In 2023, group revenue stood at 5,495 million and net income at 631 million.

Registered office: 1, rue de France, 93 290 Tremblay-en-France. Aeroports de Paris is a public limited company (Societe Anonyme) with share capital of 296,881,806. Registered in the Bobigny Trade and Company Register under no. 552 016 628.

More information on http://www.groupe-adp.com and on X: @GroupeADP

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2415129/LJGROUPEADP_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/lanzajet-announces-first-of-a-kind-20-million-investment-from-global-airport-operator-groupe-adp-302148021.html
Redde Northgate Plc - Transaction in Own Shares

PR Newswire

LONDON, United Kingdom, May 16

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION

16 May 2024

REDDE NORTHGATE PLC

("Redde Northgate" or the "Group" or the "Company")

Transaction in Own Shares

Redde Northgate plc (LSE:REDD) announces that on 16 May 2024 it purchased the following number of its own shares to be held in treasury:

Class of shares : Ordinary shares of 50p ("shares") Number of shares purchased : 25,000 Weighted average purchase price paid 430 pence per share Highest purchase price paid 430 pence per share Lowest purchase price paid 430 pence per share

Following the above transaction, the Company's issued share capital consists of 246,091,423 ordinary shares of 50p each, of which 19,464,362 ordinary shares are held in treasury, and 1,000,000 preference shares of 50p each which do not carry any rights to vote. Therefore, the total number of voting rights in the Company is 226,627,061 which may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in the Company under the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.

In accordance with Article 5(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 (the Market Abuse Regulation) as incorporated into UK domestic law by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, the schedule below contains detailed information about the purchases made by Numis Securities Limited on behalf of the Company as part of the Company's buyback programme.

Schedule of Purchases - Individual Transactions (as at 16 May 2024)

Number of shares

purchased Transaction price

(GB pence per share) Time of transaction Transaction reference number Venue 25,000 430.00 09:25:59 00069963978TRLO0 LSE

Notes

This announcement is made in accordance with the requirements of Listing Rule 12.4.6.

For further information contact:

Buchanan

David Rydell/Jamie Hooper/Hannah Ratcliff +44 (0) 207 466 5000

Notes to Editors:

Redde Northgate is the leading integrated mobility solutions platform providing services across the vehicle lifecycle. The Company offers integrated mobility solutions to businesses, fleet operators, insurers, OEMs and other customers across seven key areas: vehicle rental, vehicle data, accident management, vehicle repairs, fleet management, service and maintenance, vehicle ancillary services and vehicle sales.

The Company's core purpose is to keep its customers mobile, whether through meeting their regular mobility needs or by servicing and supporting them when unforeseen events occur. With its considerable scale and reach, Redde Northgate's mission is to offer a market-leading customer proposition and drive enhanced returns for shareholders by creating value through sustainable compounding growth. The Group aims to achieve this through the delivery of its strategic framework of Focus, Drive and Broaden.

Redde Northgate services its customers through a network and diversified fleet of over 120,000 owned and leased vehicles, supporting over 600,000 managed vehicles, with more than 170 workshop, body shop and rental locations across the UK, Ireland and Spain and a specialist team of over 6,000 automotive services professionals.

Further information please visit the Company's website:
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Mary Kay Inc., a corporate leader in global sustainability, is strengthening its roots in Lewisville. On May 10, the company partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation and Keep Lewisville Beautiful to host a tree planting event at Railroad Park to celebrate Mother Nature and Mother's Day.

"Through partnerships with organizations like the Arbor Day Foundation, Mary Kay is making positive environmental impact in ecosystems where we operate around the world," said Ryan Rogers, CEO of Mary Kay, Inc., and grandson of Mary Kay Ash. "But change starts in your own backyard. We enjoyed 'sprucing' up the community by planting trees that will benefit local families for generations to come."

Mary Kay volunteers planted 60 native trees along the trails and waterways in Railroad Park, symbolizing the company's 60th anniversary of enriching the lives of women and their families worldwide and protecting the planet. The park is four miles from Mary Kay's state-of-the art Richard R. Rogers (R3) Manufacturing/R&D Center. Trees planted at this location directly impact Lewisville communities by providing much-needed shade in community spaces, enhancing the beautification of recreational areas, and providing important ecosystem benefits in the Trinity River watershed.

"We are thrilled to see Mary Kay contribute to the tree canopy of Lewisville," said TJ Gilmore, Mayor of Lewisville. "This initiative is not only a breath of fresh air for our city but a testament to the flourishing partnership between our community and a corporation that continuously gives back. Together, we're making Lewisville a better place to live and work."

Mary Kay's partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation stretches back more than 16 years-and in that time, the company has helped plant 1.4 million trees around the world. Arbor Day Foundation is the world's largest membership nonprofit dedicated to planting trees.

"The Arbor Day Foundation is dedicated to helping our local planting partners unlock the transformative power of trees in their community," said Dan Lambe, Chief Executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. "Trees clean our air, cool our cities, and improve the lives of the people around them. We're happy to partner again with Mary Kay and Keep Lewisville Beautiful to maximize the impact of the urban canopy and inspire more people to engage with nature in a meaningful way."

Keep Lewisville Beautiful is a local environmental nonprofit that partners with organizations to plant trees and provide residents opportunities to care for Lewisville's tree canopy on public lands.

"Tree planting is an investment in our community's future", said Amy Wells, Executive Director of Keep Lewisville Beautiful. "These trees will help create shade for families visiting Railroad Park, provide habitat to local wildlife, and will provide a multitude of ecological benefits for our local environment. Keep Lewisville Beautiful is excited to partner with Mary Kay and the Arbor Day Foundation to increase Lewisville's tree canopy and make a visible difference in our community with Mary Kay volunteers. Their donation to our community and KLB will go a long way towards keeping Lewisville beautiful."

Following the planting, the Lewisville Parks Department is committed to long-term maintenance and upkeep of the trees with supplemental watering, pruning, and care.

Did you know:

R3 Manufacturing/R&D Center in Lewisville is named in honor of Mary Kay Inc.'s cofounder and Mary Kay Ash's son, Richard R. Rogers.

Built on 26 acres of land, R3 features state-of-the-art R&D laboratories and cutting-edge manufacturing technology.

57% of products manufactured at R3 are exported to Mary Kay's international markets.

R3 production capacity is up to 1.1. million products per day. The facility boasts 20 product-packaging lines and 21 processing vessels and mixing tanks.

R3 is LEED Building Design and Construction Silver-Certified facility.

About Mary Kay

Then. Now. Always. One of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her dream beauty brand in Texas in 1963 with one goal: to enrich women's lives. That dream has blossomed into a global company with millions of independent sales force members in more than 35 countries. For 60 years, the Mary Kay opportunity has empowered women to define their own futures through education, mentorship, advocacy, and innovation. Mary Kay is dedicated to investing in the science behind beauty and manufacturing cutting-edge skincare, color cosmetics, nutritional supplements, and fragrances. Mary Kay believes in preserving our planet for future generations, protecting women impacted by cancer and domestic abuse, and encouraging youth to follow their dreams. Learn more at marykayglobal.com , find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn , or follow us on Twitter.

About the Arbor Day Foundation

Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation is the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. Together with our partners, we have helped plant more than 500 million trees in neighborhoods, communities, cities, and forests throughout the world. Our vision is to lead toward a world where trees are used to solve issues critical to survival. Through our members, partners and programs, the Arbor Day Foundation inspires people across the globe to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information is available at arborday.org.

About Keep Lewisville Beautiful

Keep Lewisville Beautiful (KLB) is a non-profit and award-winning affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and Keep Texas Beautiful. KLB's mission is to "engage the citizens of Lewisville through service and education to enhance their community environment". Our vision is to partner with the community to promote environmental quality, making Lewisville the best place to live, work, and play. Annually, KLB volunteers contribute over 10,000 volunteer hours towards litter abatement, environmental education, and beautification programs, and remove 25+ TONS of trash from community green spaces and waterways. Learn more at keeplewisvillebeautiful.org.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Mary Kay on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Mary Kay

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/mary-kay

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Mary Kay

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Finsbury Growth & Income Trust Plc - Transaction in Own Shares

PR Newswire

LONDON, United Kingdom, May 16

For immediate release

16 May 2024

FINSBURY GROWTH & INCOME TRUST PLC

(the "Company")

MARKET PURCHASE OF COMPANY'S OWN SHARES

The Company announce that it has today purchased 126,621 of its own shares ("Ordinary Shares") at a price of 856.72 pence per Ordinary Share. Such shares will be held in treasury by the Company.

The transaction was made pursuant to the authority granted at the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 23 January 2024.

Following this transaction, the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury is 41,822,425; the total number of Ordinary Shares that the Company has in issue, less the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury following such purchase, and therefore, the total number of voting rights in the Company is 183,168,878.

The figure of 183,168,878 may be used by shareholders as the denominator for calculations of interests in the Company's voting rights in accordance with the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.

For and on behalf of

Frostrow Capital LLP

Company Secretary

For further information, please contact:

Victoria Hale

Frostrow Capital LLP

Tel: 020 3 170 8732
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION DIRECTLY, OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES.

Kobo Resources Inc. ("Kobo" or the "Company") (TSX.V: KRI) intends to complete a non-brokered private placement of up to 12,857,143 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.35 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $4.5 million(the "Offering"). The Units will be issued pursuant to the "accredited investor" or another exemption (other than the listed issuer financing exemption) from the prospectus requirements in accordance with National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions (or, in Quebec, Regulation 45-106 respecting Prospectus Exemptions) ("NI 45-106

Luso Global Mining, S.A ("LGM"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Mota-Engil SGPS, S.A. ("Mota-Engil") has confirmed to the Company its intent to participate in the Offering as a lead investor for an amount of up to $3.75 million that is expected to represent up to 9.99% of the issued and outstanding commons shares of the Company ("Common Shares") upon closing of the Offering. Founded in 1946, Mota-Engil is a multinational organization with expertise in construction, mining, and infrastructure management across a number of sectors, including Engineering, Mining and Construction, Environment and Services, Transport Concessions, and Energy. Mota-Engil is a market leader in the Portuguese construction industry, occupying a prominent position among the top 15 construction companies in Europe. Mota-Engil operates in 21 countries across Europe, Africa, and Latin America with a workforce of over 50,000 employees and EBITDA exceeding 800 million in 2023. More specifically, Mota-Engil operates in 13 African countries and is the mining contractor for eight operating mines, including Fortuna Silver's Seguela Gold Mine and Endeavour Mining's Lafigue Gold Project in Cote d'Ivoire, Managem's Gold Mines Boto in Senegal and Tri-K in Guinea-Conakry, as well as for other mining operations located in Angola, Guinea, Mozambique, and South Africa.

Edward Gosselin, CEO and Director of Kobo commented: "After a successful RC drilling program in 2023, we look forward to expanding our exploration efforts at our Kossou Gold Project in 2024. Following the expected closing of this financing, the additional capital will enable us to enhance our current exploration initiatives in 2024 to extend the known zones of mineralisation at our three main targets, the Road Cut Zone, Jagger Zone and Kadie Zone." He continued: "We are extremely pleased to announce LGM's investment as a significant long-term shareholder in Kobo. This investment not only reflects their confidence in our vision for the Kossou Gold Project, but also signifies the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship aimed at advancing our project portfolio with the potential of exploring new opportunities. Leveraging LGM and Mota-Engil's extensive in-country experience, Kobo is well-positioned to drive forward our exploration efforts in Cote D'Ivoire and beyond."

Alexander Shaw, CEO of LGM commented: "We are pleased to begin this journey with Kobo as this marks the first step in what we anticipate being a productive and lasting partnership going forward. LGM is fully committed to developing a strong relationship with Kobo, and we are enthusiastic about the opportunities this collaboration presents. The early exploration efforts at the Kossou Gold Project are promising, indicating significant potential for further discovery through additional drilling. We look forward to working with the Company on its future strategic priorities."

In addition to the Units offered pursuant to the Offering, the Company also intends to complete a brokered private placement (the "Concurrent Financing") of a maximum of 7,142,857 additional Units of the Company (the "Additional Units" and together with the Units, the "Offered Units") at a price of $0.35 per Additional Unit for additional gross proceeds of up to $2.5 million, pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption available under Part 5A of NI 45-106.

Each Offered Unit is to be comprised of one Common Share and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole common share purchase warrant ("Warrant"). Each whole Warrant will entitle its holder to acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.55 per share for a period of 24 months from the closing of the Offering. The securities issued under the Offering will be subject to a statutory hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws and the securities issued under the Concurrent Financing will not be subject to a hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.

The Offering and the Concurrent Financing together are subject to the receipt by the Company of a minimum of $2,500,000 in gross proceeds (the "Minimum Offering Proceeds") from either the Offering or a combination of both the Offering and the Concurrent Financing.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering and the Concurrent Financing to expand its 2024 diamond drill program on its Kossou exploration permit, initiate a soil geochemical survey and a geological exploration program on the Kotobi research permit and for general corporate and working capital purposes.

Leede Jones Gables Inc. will act as agent in connection with the Concurrent Financing.

Closing of the Offering and the Concurrent Financing may occur in one or more closings with the first closing expected to occur on or about May 30, 2024 and the final closing to occur no later than June 28, 2024 (the "Closing"), and are subject to certain closing conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange and the receipt of the Minimum Offering Proceeds.

There is an offering document related to the Concurrent Financing that can be accessed under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and at www.koboresources.com. Prospective investors should read this offering document before making an investment decision.

The Company anticipates that certain "related parties" of the Company will participate in the Offering. The participation in the Offering of such "related parties" will constitute a "related party transaction" as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company expects that the Offering will be exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 as neither the fair market value of securities being issued to the related parties nor the consideration being paid by related parties will exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization.

The Offered Units and underlying Common Shares and Warrants have not been 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 to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the "United States" or "U.S. persons" (as such terms are defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) absent registration under the U.S. Securities Act and all applicable U.S. state securities laws or compliance with an exemption from such registration requirements. This press release is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to qualification or registration under the securities laws of such jurisdiction.

About Kobo Resources Inc.

Kobo Resources is a growth-focused gold exploration company with a compelling new gold discovery in Cote d'Ivoire, one of West Africa's most prolific and developing gold districts, hosting several multi-million-ounce gold mines. The Company's 100%-owned Kossou Gold Project is located approximately 20 km northwest of the capital city of Yamoussoukro and is directly adjacent to one of the region's largest gold mines with established processing facilities.

The Company is drilling to unlock the potential size and scale of Kossou within 9+ km strike length of highly prospective gold in soil geochemical anomalies with excellent rock and trench sampling results. The Company completed ~6,000 m of RC drilling and ~5,400 m of trenching in 2023 and is planning on additional drilling and trenching in 2024. Significant gold mineralisation has been identified at three main targets within a 300 m wide, 2+ km long, pervasively altered structural corridor defining a potentially large mesothermal gold system.

Kobo's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "KRI". For more information, please visit www.koboresources.com.

NEITHER THE TSXV NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSXV) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Cautionary Statement on Forward-looking Information:

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company's ability to obtain requisite approvals, including approval of the TSX Venture Exchange for the Offering and the Concurrent Financing; the Company's ability to raise the Minimum Offering Proceeds; the completion of the Offering and the Concurrent Financing, including the completion of the subscription of LGM, on the terms described herein or at all; the anticipated closing date for the Offering and the Concurrent Financing; the proposed use of proceeds; the completion of the Company's business objectives, and the timing, costs, and benefits thereof; development and exploration costs; the Company's ability to complete or not its diamond drill program on the Kossou Gold Project and the Company's ability to conduct the proposed exploration program on its Kotobi exploration permit, located in Cote d'Ivoire.

Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: failure by the Company to raise the Minimum Offering Proceeds; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; and the delay or failure to receive requisite approvals. 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 the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240516209443/en/

Contacts:

Edward Gosselin

Chief Executive Officer and Director

1-418-609-3587

ir@kobores.com
TWYMEEG gross sales in Japan for Sumitomo Pharma Fiscal Year 2023 1 reached JPY 4.6 billion (EUR 27.9 million) 2 , exceeding guidance 3 by more than 8%

TWYMEEG 's FY 2024 forecast 4 of JPY 11.3 billion (EUR 69.1 million 2 ) would represent a 150% increase over FY2023 sales

Exclusive advanced discussions with a leading investor to monetize royalties from sales of TWYMEEG in Japan

As of March 31, 2024, cash and cash equivalents were EUR 2.5 million (USD 2.7 million) 2

Cash runway until transaction closing, including tranches already drawn or fully available on the equity-linked financing facility with IRIS

Regulatory News:

POXEL SA (Euronext: POXEL FR0012432516), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative treatments for chronic serious diseases with metabolic pathophysiology, including non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and rare metabolic disorders, today reported its revenue for the quarter ended March 31, 2024 and provided a business update.

Thomas Kuhn, Chief Executive Officer of Poxel, stated: TWYMEEG continues to demonstrate its effectiveness through its steadily progressively increasing sales in Japan. The Full-Year 2024 sales forecast of JPY 11.3 billion (EUR 69.1 million) expected by our strategic partner Sumitomo Pharma, could lead to two sales-based payments and double-digit royalties for Poxel, further strengthening the Company's ongoing funding initiatives. Supported by this strong sales trend, we continue to progress on the exclusive discussions based on the monetization of royalties from TWYMEEG sales. We expect that this financing will contribute to start as soon as possible the next chapter of Poxel in rare metabolic diseases."

TWYMEEG (Imeglimin)

Commercial Update

For the quarter ended March 2024, TWYMEEG gross sales in Japan increased by more than 26% to JPY 1.1 billion (EUR 6.6 million) 2 over the prior quarter sales of JPY 0.85 billion (EUR 5.2 million) 2 as reported by Sumitomo Pharma. As a result, for Sumitomo Pharma's FY 2023 1 , TWYMEEG gross sales reached JPY 4.6 billion (EUR 27.9 million) 2 , exceeding Sumitomo Pharma's most recent FY 2023 forecast 3 by more than 8%.

gross sales in Japan increased by more than 26% to JPY 1.1 billion (EUR 6.6 million) over the prior quarter sales of JPY 0.85 billion (EUR 5.2 million) as reported by Sumitomo Pharma. As a result, for Sumitomo Pharma's FY 2023 , TWYMEEG gross sales reached JPY 4.6 billion (EUR 27.9 million) , exceeding Sumitomo Pharma's most recent FY 2023 forecast by more than 8%. For its FY 2024, Sumitomo Pharma forecasts 4 gross sales for TWYMEEG of JPY 11.3 billion 3 (EUR 69.1 million) 2 which would represent a 150% increase over FY 2023 TWYMEEG gross sales.

gross sales for TWYMEEG of JPY 11.3 billion (EUR 69.1 million) which would represent a 150% increase over FY 2023 TWYMEEG gross sales. During Sumitomo Pharma FY 2024 (ending March 31, 2025), Poxel expects TWYMEEG net sales in Japan to reach at least JPY 5 billion (EUR 30.6 million)2 entitling Poxel to receive 10% royalties on all TWYMEEG net sales and a sales-based payment of JPY 500 million (EUR 3.1 million)2. Based on this FY 2024 forecast, TWYMEEG net sales could also reach JPY 10 billion (EUR 61.2 million)4 entitling Poxel to receive 12% royalties on all TWYMEEG net sales and a second sales-based payment of JPY 1 billion (EUR 6.1 million)2. Beyond 2024, Poxel expects to receive escalating double-digit royalties as well as additional sales-based payments upon achievement of contractually based sales thresholds.

First Quarter 2024 Revenue

Poxel reported EUR 449 thousand5 revenue for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, similar to the revenue reported during the corresponding period in 2023.

Revenue for the first quarter of 2024 reflects JPY 75.9 million (EUR 465 thousand2) of royalty revenue from Sumitomo Pharma, which represents 8% of TWYMEEGnet sales in Japan. Based on the current forecast, Poxel expects to receive at least 10% royalties on TWYMEEGnet sales in Japan through the Sumitomo Pharma fiscal year 20244. As part of the Merck Serono licensing agreement, Poxel will pay Merck Serono a fixed 8% royalty based on the net sales of Imeglimin, independent of the level of sales.

EUR (in thousands) Q1 2024 Q1 2023 3 months 3 months Sumitomo Pharma Agreement 449 449 Other Total revenues 449 449

Unaudited data

About Poxel SA

Poxel is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative treatments for chronic serious diseases with metabolic pathophysiology, including non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and rare disorders. For the treatment of NASH, PXL065 (deuterium-stabilized R-pioglitazone) met its primary endpoint in a streamlined Phase 2 trial (DESTINY-1). In rare diseases, development of PXL770, a first-in-class direct adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activator, is focused on the treatment of adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) and autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). TWYMEEG (Imeglimin), Poxel's first-in-class product that targets mitochondrial dysfunction, is marketed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in Japan by Sumitomo Pharma and Poxel expects to receive royalties and sales-based payments. Poxel has a strategic partnership with Sumitomo Pharma for Imeglimin in Japan, China, and eleven other Asian countries. Listed on Euronext Paris, Poxel is headquartered in Lyon, France, and has subsidiaries in Boston, MA, and Tokyo, Japan.

For more information, please visit: www.poxelpharma.com

All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release about future events are subject to (i) change without notice and (ii) factors beyond the Company's control. These statements may include, without limitation, any statements preceded by, followed by or including words such as "target," "believe," "expect," "aim," "intend," "may," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "project," "will," "can have," "likely," "should," "would," "could" and other words and terms of similar meaning or the negative thereof. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties beyond the Company's control that could cause the Company's actual results or performance to be materially different from the expected results or performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not endorse or is not otherwise responsible for the content of external hyperlinks referred to in this press release.

Glossary

You will find below a list of words and/or expressions that are used in this press release or in Poxel's communication, with the aim to bring clarification and transparency:

Sumitomo Pharma fiscal year runs April to March. As an example, Fiscal Year 2023 is April 1, 2023, through March 31, 2024.

runs April to March. As an example, Fiscal Year 2023 is April 1, 2023, through March 31, 2024. TWYMEEG royalties: As per the Sumitomo Pharma's agreement, Poxel is entitled to receive royalties from the sales of TWYMEEG (Imeglimin) in Japan Sumitomo Pharma communicates gross sales of TWYMEEG , while TWYMEEG royalties are calculated on net sales. Net sales represent the amount of gross sales to which are deducted potential rebates, allowances, and costs such as prepaid freight, postage, shipping, customs duties and insurance charges. Poxel is entitled to receive escalating royalties of 8-18% on TWYMEEG net sales from Sumitomo Pharma.

As per the Sumitomo Pharma's agreement, Poxel is entitled to receive royalties from the sales of TWYMEEG (Imeglimin) in Japan

Positive net royalties: as part of the Merck Serono licensing agreement, Poxel will pay Merck Serono a fixed 8% royalty based on the net sales of TWYMEEG, independent of the level of sales. All royalties that Poxel receives from TWYMEEG net sales above that 8% level are considered as positive net royalties. Net royalties will therefore be positive for Poxel when TWYMEEG net sales exceed JPY 5 billion in a fiscal year and royalties reach 10% and above.

1 Sumitomo Pharma fiscal year 2023 ends March 31, 2024

2 Converted at the exchange rate on March 31, 2024

3 As per Sumitomo Pharma FY2023 forecast of JPY 4.2 billion published on May 15, 2023

4 As per Sumitomo Pharma FY2024 forecast published on May 14, 2024

5 Including 2024 Q1 Royalties and foreign exchange impact on the 2023 Q4 revenue

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240516124928/en/

Contacts:

Investor relations Media

NewCap

Nicolas Fossiez, Aurelie Manavarere Arthur Rouille

investor@poxelpharma.com

+33 1 44 71 94 94
CHICAGO, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Arizton publishes the latest research report on the Japan data center market and Hong Kong data center market.

The Japan Data Center Market to Witness Investments of $14.48 Billion by 2029.

Get Insights on 107 Existing Data Centers and 41 Upcoming Facilities across Japan.

The data center market in Japan is experiencing the emergence of self-built hyperscale data center facilities by major operators such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services (AWS). This development is expected to impact the colocation market in Japan. Since these hyperscale operators store workloads in their own data center facilities, it may reduce the source of revenue generation for colocation operators.

Japan is a well-established data center market in the APAC region. The country supports investments with its macroeconomic policies and other incentives for investors. The market is witnessing several investments from local and global data center operators, further expanding its presence. Tokyo and Osaka are Japan's major destinations for data center development, accounting for over 90% of the existing data center facilities. The government announced the offer of subsidies in Hokkaido and Kyushu for data center development and decentralize data centers from Tokyo and Osaka.

Investment Opportunities

In October 2023, SoftBank and its subsidiary, IDC Frontier, announced the plan to develop a new data center facility in Tomakomai City, Hokkaido. The company invested around $420 million toward the project, for which it received subsidies worth $190 million from the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry.

In July 2023, Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ) launched its second data center building at the Shiroi data center campus in Chiba Prefecture, Greater Tokyo. Once fully built, the campus will house four data center buildings. Furthermore, the company is involved in a third expansion initiative in its Matsue City campus (which will likely go live in 2025).

In June 2023, Digital Edge, in partnership with Hulic, a real estate developer, announced the start of the construction of a new data center facility, TY07, in Tokyo. The facility is expected to go online by 2025.

In April 2024, GDS Services partnered with Gaw Capital to develop a new data center campus in Fuchu City, Tokyo. Both companies will jointly invest toward developing a new data center facility, with the first phase slated to go online by 2026.

To Buy this Research Now, Click: https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/japan-data-center-market-investment-analysis

Existing Vs. Upcoming Data Centers

Existing Facilities in the Region (Area and Power Capacity)

Tokyo



Osaka



Other Cities

List of Upcoming Facilities in the Region (Area and Power Capacity)

Tokyo



Osaka



Other Cities

Vendor Analysis

IT Infrastructure Providers: Arista Networks, Atos, Broadcom, Cisco Systems, Dell Technologies, Fujitsu, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Hitachi Vantara, Huawei Technologies, IBM, Inspur, Lenovo, NEC, NetApp, and Oracle.

Data Center Construction Contractors & Sub-Contractors: Arup, AECOM, Daiwa House Industry, Fuji Furukawa Engineering & Construction, Hibiya Engineering, ISG, Kajima Corporation, Keihanshin Building, Linesight, MARCAI DESIGN, Meiho Facility Works, Nikken Sekkei, NTT FACILITIES, Obayashi Corporation, SHINRYO Corporation, TAISEI Corporation.

Support Infrastructure Providers: 3M, ABB, Alfa Laval, Caterpillar, Cummins, Delta Electronics, Eaton, Fuji Electric, HITEC Power Protection, Johnson Controls, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, KOHLSER-SDMO, Legrand, Mitsubishi Electric, Rittal, Rolls-Royce, Schneider Electric, STULZ, Siemens, Vertiv.

Data Center Investors: AirTrunk, Alibaba Cloud, Amazon Web Services, AT TOKYO, Colt Data Centre Services, Digital Edge, Equinix, Fujitsu, Goodman, Google, IDC Frontier, Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ), MC Digital Realty, Microsoft, NTT Communications, SCSK Corporation (NETXDC), Telehouse, Tencent Cloud, TIS INTEC Group.

New Entrants: Ada Infrastructure, Edge Centres, CyrusOne, ESR, GDS Services, Keppel Data Centres, NEXTDC, Princeton Digital Group (PDG), SC Zeus Data Center, STACK Infrastructure, ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, Vantage Data Centers, Yondr.

The Hong Kong Data Center Market will Witness Investments of $4.80 Billion by 2029.

Get Insights on 54 Existing Data Centers and 12 Upcoming Facilities across Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong data center market is booming, driven by the increasing demand for digital services. The data center investments in Hong Kong over the next two to three years are expected to remain high due to the surge in demand and the significant boost due to the advancements in AI technologies. Investors are actively investing in this market.

Hong Kong is a mature and thriving market for data center development in the APAC region. Investors find it an attractive market owing to the high internet and social media usage levels, a robust business ecosystem, and excellent connectivity through both inland and submarine cables. Additionally, the deployment of 5G technology further enhances its appeal.

Hong Kong stands out globally for the incredibly high rates of cell phone and home broadband service usage. With around 300 licensed internet service providers, there is robust competition, providing data center operators with a wide range of choices.

Hong Kong is considered an attractive destination for businesses due to various reasons. Its proximity to mainland China and its import-export relations with major markets, such as China and the US, make it easier for businesses to operate. Additionally, the market has experienced significant growth in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), ranking after countries like the UK, the US, and China.

Investment Opportunities

In December 2023, the company completed the core and shell construction of phase-1 of the MEGA IDC data center campus. The facility has already signed lease agreements with cloud service providers and international banks for its available space. The company plans to expand the campus through phase-2 during the forecast period.

In March 2023, the company launched its seventh data center facility, MEGA Gateway, in Tsuen Wan. The facility is part of its connected MEGA campus.

Goodman is among the major investors in the Hong Kong market, and it is continuously expanding its data center presence. In March 2024, the company announced the construction of the new Texaco data center facility in Tsuen Wan. The facility is a brownfield construction that involved the conversion of an industrial building into a data center facility. The facility is likely to go online by 2026.

Over 60% Of Future Demand to Come from Cloud Service Providers

The Hong Kong data center market has the presence of on-premises data centers operated by educational institutions, the government, and financial services such as HSBC Bank. A significant decline in on-premises data centers will occur in the next three to five years owing to the increase in digitalizing initiatives across sectors and the strong growth in demand for colocation and cloud services. In addition, most existing service providers offer managed solutions to enterprise customers, which will likely grow in the market from 2024-2029.

The market has the presence of all global cloud operators, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, Microsoft, Alibaba Cloud, Huawei Cloud, and Tencent Cloud. This will propel the demand for wholesale colocation services through these service providers' continuous expansion initiatives. The cloud segments will likely dominate capacity take-up over the next five years. In addition, the market will witness the entry of multiple global organizations to service customers through a local presence.

To Buy this Research Now, Click: https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/hong-kong-data-center-market-size-analysis

Existing VS. Upcoming Data Centers

Existing Facilities in the Region (Area and Power Capacity)

Tseung Kwan O



Kwai Chung



Tsuen Wan



Fanling



Fo Tan



Chai Wan



Tai Po



Other Location

List of Upcoming Facilities in the Region (Area and Power Capacity)

Tseung Kwan O



Kwai Chung



Tsuen Wan



Fanling



Fo Tan



Chai Wan



Tai Po



Other Location

Vendor Analysis

IT Infrastructure Providers: Arista Network, Atos, Cisco Systems, Dell Technologies, Fujitsu, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Huawei Technologies, IBM, Inspur, Lenovo, NetApp.

Data Center Construction Contractors & Sub-Contractors: Arup, AtkinsRealis, Aurecon, BYME Engineering, Chung Hing Engineers Group, Cundall, DSCO Group, Gammon Construction, ISG, Studio One Design.

Support Infrastructure Providers: ABB, Airedale, Caterpillar, Cummins, Delta Electronics, Eaton, Fuji Electric, KOHLER, Legrand, Mitsubishi Electric, Piller Power Systems, Rittal, Schneider Electric, Siemens, STULZ, Sumber, Vertiv.

Data Center Investors: AirTrunk, BDx, CITIC Telcom International, China Mobile International (CMI), China Unicom, Digital Realty, Equinix, ESR, GDS Services, Global Switch, Goodman, iTech Towers Data Centre Services, NTT DATA, SUNeVision Holdings (iAdvantage), Telehouse, Towngas Telecom (TGT), Vantage Data Centers.

New Entrants:Angelo Gordon and Mapletree Investments

Japan & Hong Kong Data Center Market Segmentation

IT Infrastructure

Servers

Storage Systems

Network Infrastructure

Electrical Infrastructure

UPS Systems

Generators

Transfer Switches & Switchgears

PDUs

Other Electrical Infrastructure

Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems

Rack Cabinets

Other Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems

CRAC & CRAH Units

Chiller Units

Cooling Towers, Condensers & Dry Coolers

Economizers & Evaporative Coolers

Other Cooling Units

General Construction

Core & Shell Development

Installation & Commissioning Services

Engineering & Building Design

Fire Detection & Suppression Systems

Physical Security

DCIM

Tier Standard

Tier I & Tier II

Tier III

Tier IV

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Malaysia Data Center Market - Investment Analysis & Growth Opportunities 2024-2029

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Singapore Data Center Market - Investment Analysis & Growth Opportunities 2024-2029

https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/singapore-data-center-market-size-analysis

Southeast Asia Data Center Construction Market - Industry Outlook & Forecast 2024-2029

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/japan-data-center-market-investment-to-reach-14-48-billion-by-2028--watch-out-exclusive-insight-on-japan--hong-kong-data-center-market---arizton-302147784.html
Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - Volker Turk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has welcomed the conviction by a Swiss court of the former Minister of Interior of the Gambia, Ousman Sonko, on a series of crimes against humanity in connection with acts of unlawful killing, torture and arbitrary detention committed between 2000 and 2016
This groundbreaking partnership expands access to one of dentistry's most advanced dental artificial intelligence technology for practices across Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the UK

Pearl, a global leader in dental AI solutions, today announced that Software of Excellence, a leader in dental software, has selected Pearl as its new, exclusive dental artificial intelligence (AI) provider. Through the partnership, Software of Excellence will distribute Pearl's Second Opinion as a standalone software to its customer base across Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK markets, as well as offer native access to Pearl's radiologic capabilities within Software of Excellence's leading practice management system (PMS), EXACT. This landmark partnership sees Software of Excellence become the first PMS provider to bring AI to the UK and Asia-Pacific (APAC) markets.

Second Opinion's AI feature set will be natively integrated with the imaging modals of EXACT, one of the market's top practice management dental software solutions in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK trusted by almost 6,000 customers for over 30 years. EXACT's imaging feature set is currently supplied by Examine Pro, the UK's dominant imaging platform.

"Our partnership with Pearl is a natural next step in our 30-year journey. We work with thousands of dental practices to help them manage and grow their businesses to deliver exceptional patient care," said Tom Mundy, Henry Schein One General Manager, UK and Ireland.

Pearl's Second Opinion is a pioneering chairside AI software with global regulatory clearances to help dentists detect numerous conditions commonly diagnosed in dental x-rays. The AI delivers its findings in real-time for patient-facing display in the dental operatory, helping dentists ensure the accuracy of the x-ray evaluations and enabling them to better communicate diagnoses to patients.

"Pearl is on a mission to shape the future of dentistry and partnering with Software of Excellence an organization trusted by dentists across the world gives a great boost to that mission," said Ophir Tanz, founder and CEO of Pearl. "Together, we are enabling a higher standard of care for Software of Excellence customers and helping to enhance dental AI efficiency by empowering practices in leading dental markets with seamless access to one of dentistry's most comprehensive AI-powered toolset."

Currently, EXACT users can inquire about Pearl's AI capabilities by contacting the Software of Excellence team or by visiting the Pearl stand (K62) at this week's British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show, Birmingham Show, UK, from 17 to 18 May 2024.

For more information about Pearl's Second Opinion platform, visit hellopearl.com/products/second-opinion or view this on-demand webinar with three of the UK's leading clinicians.

About Pearl

Pearl is leading the global dental AI revolution with groundbreaking computer vision solutions that elevate efficiency, accuracy, and the standard of care in dentistry. Founded in 2019 by Ophir Tanz, Pearl is backed by Craft Ventures and other leading venture capital firms. To request a demo, please visit hellopearl.com/demo.

About Software of Excellence

Software of Excellence, a Henry Schein One brand, is one of the leading providers of dental practice management software and marketing solutions to dental professionals. The Company has a presence across Australia, Europe, New Zealand and South East Asia and provides dental software and services for more than 90,000 dental practices worldwide. Its vision is to help turn good practices into great businesses; using the company's global expertise to continuously deliver clinical and practice management innovation to the dental profession. More information is available at https://softwareofexcellence.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240516364083/en/

Contacts:

Megan Cahalan

Matter Health for Pearl

Pearl@matternow.com

Marta F. Sanchez-Oro

Senior Manager, Corporate Media Relations EMEA, Henry Schein

+34 609 68 55 24

Marta.Sanchez-Oro@henryschein.com
2-10 Continues to Grow Its Presence as a Leader in Helping Home Sellers Address Home Breakdowns

DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty, a well-known provider of home service plans in the Southeast, expanded its footprint in North Carolina through an alliance with Coldwell Banker Advantage. The alliance brings 2-10 Express Protection, which automatically enrolls sellers' listings in complimentary 2-10 Seller Coverage, to CB Advantage brokerages in Fayetteville, Southern Pines/Pinehurst, Sanford and Cameron.

"We're proud to expand 2-10's Express Protection Program to even more CB Advantage brokerages and sellers in North Carolina," said 2-10's Chief Business Officer Ray Picard. "North Carolina is one of the hottest markets in real estate, and 2-10 Express Protection will be a big differentiator for sellers in terms of risk management and improving the experience of homeownership."

The addition of the Fayetteville, Southern Pines/Pinehurst, Sanford and Cameron brokerages continues the expansion of 2-10's Express Protection Program throughout North Carolina. Homes enrolled in the 2-10 Express Protection Program can access solutions to breakdowns of major systems and appliances while the home is on the market.

"Working with 2-10 is a huge advantage for our listing clients and it shows our dedication to helping home sellers succeed," said CB Advantage Area President Lisa Geddie. "2-10 Express Protection helps our agents' clients protect their listings and stand out in their markets effectively."

A home service plan is an effective home-selling incentive according to New American Funding. Homes enrolled in the 2-10 Express Protection Program can also convert complimentary Seller Coverage to Buyer Coverage for additional protection for home buyers.

For more information about 2-10, visit www.2-10.com/agent.

About 2-10

Founded and based in Denver, the 2-10 family of companies has covered over 6 million homes with their complete line of warranties, system and appliance home service plans and risk management products. Since 1980, 2-10 has been a market leader in helping builders, real estate agents and homeowners protect their businesses and budgets against the unexpected. 2-10 continues to work with thousands of the nation's finest real estate professionals, home builders and service contractors. For more information about 2-10, please visit 2-10.com.

About Coldwell Banker Advantage

Coldwell Banker Advantage is part of the Coldwell Banker Advantage Family of Companies, which includes approximately 1,900 agents and 60 offices spanning the Triangle, Triad, Lake Gaston, Kerr Lake, Fayetteville, Southern Pines/Pinehurst, Sanford, Cameron, Wilmington, New Bern, and Myrtle Beach marketplaces. In 2022, the Coldwell Banker Advantage Family of Companies served over 20,609 clients, representing more than $6.9 billion in real estate sales.

Contact Information

Mark Plumb

Marketing Manager

mplumb@2-10.com

720.747.6142

SOURCE: 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty

View the original press release on newswire.com.
JERSEY CITY, N.J., May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- InsightAce Analytic Pvt. Ltd. announces the release of a market assessment report on the "Radiopharmaceutical CDMO/CMO Services Market - (Application (Diagnostic Radiopharmaceuticals and Therapeutic Radiopharmaceuticals), Type of Radioisotope (Technetium-99m, Fluorine-18, Leutetium-177, Gallium-68, Actinium-225 and Other Radioisotopes), Source of Manufacturing (Nuclear Reactors and Cyclotrons), Scale of Operation (Preclinical, Clinical and Commercial), Therapeutic Area (Cardiovascular Disorders, Neurological Disorders, Oncological Disorders and Other Disorders)), Trends, Industry Competition Analysis, Revenue and Forecast To 2031."

According to the latest research by InsightAce Analytic, the Radiopharmaceutical CDMO/CMO Services Market Size is valued at USD 2.75 Bn in 2023 and is predicted to reach USD 5.44 Bn by the year 2031 at a 9.0% CAGR during the forecast period for 2024-2031.

Radiopharmaceuticals, which contain radioactive isotopes, are crucial in nuclear medicine for both diagnostic imaging and therapeutic purposes. These drugs emit radiation that medical imaging devices can detect, aiding in visualizing and diagnosing various medical conditions.

Contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) and contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) specialize in providing comprehensive solutions for radiopharmaceutical development, manufacturing, and commercialization. They offer expertise in producing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), ensuring regulatory compliance, and providing services from drug development to scale-up and commercial production for clinical and commercial supply.

Download Free Report Sample Pages @ https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/request-sample/2472

These services are indispensable for pharmaceutical companies seeking to outsource the intricate manufacturing processes involved in radiopharmaceutical production. They streamline the manufacturing process, ensure regulatory adherence, and offer specialized knowledge in the development and production of radiopharmaceuticals. Their significance lies in facilitating the efficient and compliant introduction of novel radiopharmaceuticals to the market, thereby contributing to advancements in diagnostic imaging and therapeutic treatments for various medical conditions.

List of Prominent Players in the Radiopharmaceutical CDMO/CMO Services Market:

NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes

PharmaLogic

Eckert & Ziegler

SOFIE

Monrol

Medi-Radiopharma

Cardinal Health

CheMatech

Chelatec

SpectronRx

SHINE Technologies, LLC

Trasis

IONETIX Corporation

Seibersdorf Labor GmbH

Senn Chemicals AG

Minerva Imaging

Nucleus RadioPharma

Evergreen Theragnostics, Inc.

Global Medical Solutions

GBI Biomanufacturing

ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE

Macrocyclics Inc

ABX-CRO

PSI CRO

Other Prominent Player

Radiopharmaceuticals CDMO/CMO Services Market Report Scope:

Report Attribute Specifications Market Size Value in 2023 USD 2.75 Bn Market Size Value in 2031 USD 5.44 Bn Growth Rate CAGR CAGR of 9.0% from 2024 to 2031 Quantitative Units Representation of revenue in US$ Bn and CAGR from 2024 to 2031 Historic Year 2019 to 2023 Forecast Year 2024-2031 Report Coverage The forecast of revenue, the position of the company, the competitive market structure, growth prospects, and trends Segments Covered By Application, Type Of Radioisotope, Scale Of Operation, Source Of Manufacturing And Therapeutic Area Regional Scope North America; Europe; Asia Pacific; Latin America; Middle East & Africa Country Scope U.S.; Canada; U.K.; Germany; China; India; Japan; Brazil; Mexico; France; Italy; Spain; Southeast Asia; South Korea

Order 180 Pages Full Report @ https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/buy-report/2472

Market Dynamics:

Drivers:

The demand for radiopharmaceuticals, prompted by the rising prevalence of chronic ailments like cancer, cardiovascular, and neurological disorders, underlines the necessity for specialized services offered by contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) and contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs). These entities play a crucial role in supporting the development and production of these vital medical solutions.

As continuous technological advancements revolutionize the radiopharmaceutical landscape, there arises a pressing need for sophisticated manufacturing capabilities. CDMOs and CMOs equipped with cutting-edge technology are composed to address the complex manufacturing demands associated with radiopharmaceuticals, making them attractive partners for pharmaceutical firms seeking to capitalize on advanced manufacturing methodologies.

Challenges:

The creation and production of radiopharmaceuticals face significant barriers, one being a lack of manufacturing capacity. Because of this, pharmaceutical companies often turn to outside firms for help with the complicated manufacturing steps. Producing these drugs demands specialized knowledge and equipment, particularly due to the short lifespan of the radioactive components, which necessitates precise manufacturing processes. There aren't enough skilled workers who know how to handle all this.

This shortage of experts can really put a damper on the growth of companies that offer contract services for developing and making these drugs. To tackle this, it's crucial to train more people and find ways to attract talent to this specialized field.

Regional Trends:

North America stands as the largest market for radiopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization/contract manufacturing organization (CDMO/CMO) services, commanding around 50% of the global radiopharmaceutical manufacturing market share, driven by advanced healthcare infrastructure and favorable regulations. Meanwhile, the Asia-Pacific region shows promising growth prospects due to increasing healthcare investments, rising disease burden, and growing outsourcing trends by major pharmaceutical companies attracted by cost advantages and expertise.

Enquiry Before Buying: https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/enquiry-before-buying/2472

Recent Developments:

May 2024, PharmaLogic Holdings Corp., a leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) and radiopharmacy solutions provider, marks the inauguration of its radiopharmaceutical production and research facility in the Bronx, New York. Following its acquisition in 2022, the facility underwent extensive renovations and now features state-of-the-art equipment. This investment underscores PharmaLogic's commitment to advancing the development of innovative radiopharmaceuticals in the region.

In February 2024, Bristol Myers Squibb finalized its acquisition of RayzeBio, Inc., integrating RayzeBio's distinctive Actinium-based radiopharmaceutical platform. This acquisition marks the conclusion of RayzeBio is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bristol Myers Squibb.

In February 2024, Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited signed an agreement to acquire IsoTherapeutics Group, LLC, a specialized radiopharmaceutical development and bioconjugation company located in Angleton, Texas. IsoTherapeutics offers radiochemistry and bioconjugation development, along with contract manufacturing services to various companies in the radiopharmaceutical sector, including Telix.

Segmentation of Radiopharmaceutical CDMO/CMO Services Market -

By Application

Diagnostic Radiopharmaceuticals Positron Emission Tomography Radiopharmaceuticals SPECT Radiopharmaceuticals

Therapeutic Radiopharmaceuticals Alpha Emitters Beta Emitters Other Therapeutic Radiopharmaceuticals



By Type of Radioisotope

Technetium-99m

Fluorine-18

Leutetium-177

Gallium-68

Actinium-225

Other Radioisotopes

By Source of Manufacturing

Nuclear Reactors

Cyclotrons

By Scale of Operation

Preclinical

Clinical

Commercial

By Therapeutic Area

Cardiovascular Disorders

Neurological Disorders

Oncology

Others

By Region

North America-

The US

Canada

Mexico

Europe-

Germany

The UK

France

Italy

Spain

Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific-

China

Japan

India

South Korea

Southeast Asia

Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America-

Brazil

Argentina

Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa-

GCC Countries

South Africa

Rest of the Middle East and Africa

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O-I completes full allocation of $690 Million due 2031, issued by Owens-Brockway Glass Container, Inc.

O-I completes full allocation of 600 Million due in 2028, issued by O-I European Group B.V.

Allocations mark another significant step forward in company climate-change strategy

PERRYSBURG, OH / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / O-I Glass, Inc. ("O-I Glass", "O-I" or the "Company") announced that the Company has completed full allocation of the proceeds from its second round of Green Bond offerings to advance the company's climate-change strategy. In May of 2023, Owens-Brockway Glass Container Inc., and OI European Group B.V. launched private Green Bond offerings of $690 million and 600 million, respectively.

The Green Bond proceeds were spent on Eligible Green Projects as defined in O-I's Green Financing Framework (the "Framework"), developed based on the Green Bond Principles and the Green Loan Principles.

The Company engaged Sustainalytics to provide a second-party opinion, which noted the Framework's outlined Eligible Green Projects are "expected to deliver positive environmental impact" and are "credible from a transition perspective."

The Green Bond proceed expenditures enriched O-I's climate-change strategy through the following Eligible Green Projects: renewable energy reliance, energy efficiency, sustainable practices in water and wastewater management, environmentally friendly production technologies and processes, circular economy, and environmentally friendly adapted products.

Additional details of the Company's allocation are provided in the above tables.

"The road to sustainability, for O-I, is paved by innovation" said Meena Dafesh, Vice President, Treasurer for O-I. "We are continuously working across our entire ecosystem of partners to advance the sustainability of our products and processes. Through the use of Green Bond proceeds, and other visionary approaches, O-I is making tangible progress toward our ambitious sustainability goals and helping our customers to advance in their aspirations as well."

The commitment to cullet (recycled glass) investment underscores the company's strides toward a sustainable future by immediately reducing carbon emissions, lowering energy consumption, and preserving natural resources. With the amount of cullet designated for this initiative, the company has achieved significant conservation efforts including, approximately:

5.7 million metric tons of CO2;

4.7 million MwH of energy;

6.3 million tons of silica sand;

2.0 million tons of soda ash; and

1.8 million tons of limestone and dolomite

These sustainable savings coming from cullet utilization are further enhanced by additional eco-friendly investments made by the company that are designated to that initiative, which include:

MAGMA technology, which is designed for flexible, modular glass production and can reduce the environmental footprint of glass production. Facilities built for MAGMA will feature a smaller melter and will be constructed using more sustainable methods and materials. MAGMA technology will enable advanced technologies, including light-weighting potential, on-off capability, and can include feed-forward and feed-back control loops to promote premium quality glass.

Advances in the O-I Zipaquira Colombian plant are set to improve energy efficiency, lowering CO2 emissions by up to 15% per ton produced on the new furnace. In addition to the decarbonization impacts, the new technologies also reduce NOX emissions by up to 50 % compared to a traditional air fuel-fired furnace and allow for higher usage of recycled glass.

A Gas Oxy Advanced Technology (GOAT) furnace in O-I's Gironcourt France plant, which uses oxygen to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 20% and NOX emissions by up to 60%.

The R&D team at O-I developed the "Estampe" bottle in France to leverage greater recycled content, up to 80% or more on average - well above the current European average of 50% recycled content. The innovative Estampe bottle strengthens the overall sustainability with a reduced carbon footprint - about 25% less carbon emissions compared to conventional 500g wine bottles.

Management's assertions on the allocation of an amount equal to net proceeds to qualifying Eligible Green Projects as well as the examination reports of our independent accountants are available on the O-I website, along with information on O-I's overall sustainability agenda.

In November 2019, O-I became the first U.S. high yield industrial green bond issuer with the company's inaugural green bond issuance, and O-I remains committed to supporting our climate-change strategy through sustainable financings. To learn more about O-I's Green Financing Framework, offerings, and allocation of net proceeds to qualifying eligible green projects, visit: http://o-i.com/sustainability

IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT THIS INFORMATION

Perceptions of the sustainability and "green" nature of activities and projects are subject to varying definitions, expectations, and regulations, which continue to evolve. Certain of these decisions involve notable discretion and, as such, we cannot guarantee that the activities discussed above align to any particular stakeholder's preferences or any specific taxonomy regarding sustainable or green activities. Moreover, our Green Financing Framework, the allocation of funds to Eligible Green Projects referenced in this announcement, and related aspects of our climate-change strategy are subject to certain important disclaimers, qualifiers, and risks, including those included in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, that should be reviewed in concert with any assessment of the characterization of our activities hereunder.

ABOUT O-I GLASS

At O-I Glass, Inc. (NYSE: OI), we love glass, and we are proud to be one of the leading producers of glass bottles and jars around the globe. Glass is not only beautiful, it is also pure, healthy, and completely recyclable, making it the most sustainable rigid packaging material. Headquartered in Perrysburg, Ohio (USA), O-I is the preferred partner for many of the world's leading food and beverage brands. We innovate in line with customers' needs to create iconic packaging that builds brands around the world. Led by our diverse team of approximately 23,000 people across 68 plants in 19 countries, O-I achieved revenues of $7.1 billion in 2023. Learn more about us:

o-i.com / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn

contact:

JIM WOODS

Corporate Affairs

James.Woods@o-i.com





View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from O-I Glass, Inc. on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: O-I Glass, Inc.

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/o-i-glass-inc

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: O-I Glass, Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Amsterdam, 16 May 2024 - Brunel International N.V. (Brunel; BRNL), a global provider of flexible workforce solutions and expertise, today announced the voting results of the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (AGM) of 16 May 2024.

On 16 May 2024, the AGM approved all voting items that were on the agenda. As a result, Ms Margret Kleinsman was appointed as a member of the Supervisory Board for a term of four years.

The shareholders adopted the financial statements for the financial year 2023 and approved the proposal to distribute a dividend of  0.55 per share for the financial year 2023. On 20 May 2024, the Brunel International share will quote ex dividend and the dividend will be made payable on 14 June 2024.

Due to health reasons, Mr Just Spee stepped down from the Supervisory Board. The Supervisory Board and the Board of Directors would like to thank Mr. Spee for his service and dedicated commitment to Brunel International N.V.

Mr. Graeme Maude has reached the end of his four-year term of office and consequently retired from the Board of Directors. We want to thank Mr Maude for his dedication and his important role in the strategic transformation we made over the last four years.

The AGM voting results will be placed on the Company's website.

Source: Brunel International N.V.

For further information:

Jilko Andringa CEO Peter de Laat CFO tel.: +31(0)20 312 50 81

Brunel International N.V. is a global provider of flexible specialist workforce solutions. We deliver tailor made solutions like Recruitment, Global Mobility, Project Management, Secondment, Consultancy or scope of work for our clients, both on a global scale and on a local level. Our ability to help our clients beyond their expectations is a testament to our people and their entrepreneurial spirit, knowledge and results-driven approach. Our people are at the heart of everything we do.

We connect the most talented professionals with leading clients in Conventional Energy, Renewable Energy, Future Mobility, Mining, Life Sciences and Infrastructure.

Incorporated in 1975, Brunel has since become a global company with over 11,000 employees and annual revenue of EUR 1,3 billion (2023). The company is listed at Euronext Amsterdam N.V. For more information on Brunel International N.V. visit our website www.brunelinternational.net (http://www.brunelinternational.net).

Financial Calendar
Reports Third Quarter Net Sales of $5.9 million, Net Loss of $94,000 and Adjusted EBITDA of $150,000

ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Luvu Brands, Inc., (OTCQB:LUVU), a designer, manufacturer and marketer of a portfolio of consumer lifestyle brands, announced today its financial and operational results for the third quarter ended March 31, 2024.

For the three months ended March 31, 2024, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2023:

Net sales of $5.9 million, down 14% from the prior year. The decline was led by weaker sales from our Liberator brand products, however, that was somewhat offset by 16% growth in our Jaxx brand and 5% growth in our Avana brand products.

Total gross profit of $1.6 million, which is down 7% compared to the same period prior year.

Gross margin increased to 28% from 26% in the same period prior year. Gross profit as a percentage of sales increased due to lower labor and raw material costs.

Operating expenses were $1,600,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and increased 13%, or $214,000, from the prior year third quarter. Increase was driven by additional sales and marketing costs.

Net loss of $94,000 during the current year third quarter compared to net income of $293,000 in the prior year third quarter.

Adjusted EBITDA* for the current year third quarter was income of $150,000 compared to income of $506,000 in the prior year.

For the nine months ended March 31, 2024, compared to the nine months ended March 31, 2023:

Net Sales of $18.8 million, down 18% from the prior year. The decline in revenue is centered around the Liberator sales and resale products in the adult category. Sales for Jaxx only declined 1% and Avana products were up 9% compared to the prior year nine-month sales.

Total gross profit of $5.0 million, which is down 16% from the same period in the prior year.

Gross margin increased to 27% from 26% in the same period prior year. Gross profit improved as a percentage of sales related to improvements in labor and raw material costs.

Operating expenses were $4,878,000 for the nine months ended March 31, 2024 which is an increase of 14% from the prior year. Increase was due to increased marketing costs.

Net loss of $191,000 during the nine months compared to a net income of $1,480,000 from the prior year.

Adjusted EBITDA* for the current year nine months was $448,000 compared to $2,040,000 in the prior year.

Louis Friedman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "During the third quarter, we achieved higher sales across two of our consumer brands; Jaxx sales were up 16% to $1.4 million and Avana sales were up 5% to $681,000. Liberator sales were down 23% during the quarter to $3.4 million compared to the previous year quarter due to China imports and macroeconomic factors. We expect to see Liberator sales increase as the consumer lifestyle brand market recovers and our focus on growing the erotic home category."

Mr. Friedman added, "Despite the decrease in sales during the third quarter, the gross margin slightly improved due to lower labor and raw materials costs. We're continuing to improve our manufacturing processes to be more efficient. I expect these actions to result in year-over-year margin improvements during the coming months."

Conference call

The company will host a conference call to 11:00 am EST (10:00 am CST, 8:00amd PST) on Tuesday May 21, 2024. A Q&A session will take place after the formal presentation, in which shareholders and other interested parties can participate. To listen and participate in the call, please register on this weblink: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2527/50646. For dial in domestic participants: 888-506-0062 Access Code: 491181. For international participants: 973-528-0011, Access Code: 491181

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain matters discussed in this press release may be forward-looking statements. Such matters involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including the following: changes in economic conditions; general competitive factors; acceptance of the Company's products in the market; the Company's success in obtaining new customers; the Company's success in product development; the Company's ability to execute its business model and strategic plans; the Company's success in integrating acquired entities and assets, and all the risks and related information described from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including the financial statements and related information contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and interim Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Examples of forward-looking statements in this release include statements related to new products, anticipated revenue and profitability. The Company assumes no obligation to update the cautionary information in this release.

*Use of Non-GAAP Measure - Adjusted EBITDA

Luvu Brands management evaluates and makes operating decisions using various financial metrics. In addition to the Company's GAAP results, management also considers the non-GAAP measure of Adjusted EBITDA. While Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of performance in accordance with GAAP, management believes that this non-GAAP measure provides useful information about the Company's operating results. The table below provides a reconciliation of this non-GAAP financial measure with the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure.

As used herein, Adjusted EBITDA income represents net income (loss) before interest income, interest expense, income taxes, depreciation, amortization, and stock-based compensation expense.

About Luvu Brands

Luvu Brands, Inc. designs, manufactures and markets a portfolio of consumer lifestyle brands through the Company's websites, online mass / drug merchants and specialty retail stores worldwide. Brands include: Liberator, a brand category of iconic products for enhancing sensuality and intimacy; Avana, yoga, inclined sleep therapy, and orthopedic pillow products; and Jaxx, a diverse range of casual fashion daybeds, sofas and beanbags made from virgin and re-purposed polyurethane foam. Many of our products are offered flat-packed and vacuum compressed to save on shipping and reduce our carbon footprint. The Company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia in a 140,000 square foot vertically-integrated manufacturing facility that employs over 190 people. Bringing sewn products manufacturing back to the USA and creating innovative consumer brands are core to the Company's operating principles. The Company's brand sites include: www.liberator.com, www.jaxxbeanbags.com, www.avanacomfort.com plus other global e-commerce sites. For more information about Luvu Brands, please visit www.luvubrands.com.

Company Contact:

Luvu Brands, Inc.

Chris Knauf

Chief Financial Officer

770-246-6426

Chris.knauf@LuvuBrands.com

Third Quarter 2024 Results

Consolidated Statements of Operations

Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended March 31, March 31, 2024 2023 2024 2023 (in thousands, except share data) Net Sales $ 5,923 $ 6,903 $ 18,835 $ 23,098 Cost of goods sold 4,284 5,134 13,795 17,097 Gross profit 1,639 1,769 5,040 6,001 Operating expenses Advertising and promotion 242 171 785 557 Other selling and marketing 463 342 1,329 1,050 General and administrative 790 784 2,457 2,388 Depreciation and amortization 103 89 307 264 Total operating expenses 1,598 1,386 4,878 4,259 Income from operations 41 383 162 1,742 Other Income (Expense): Interest expense and financing costs (135 ) (90 ) (322 ) (262 ) Total Other Income (Expense) (135 ) (90 ) (322 ) (262 ) Income before income taxes (94 ) 293 (160 ) 1,480 Provision for income taxes - - (31 ) - Net income (loss) $ (94 ) 293 $ (191 ) $ 1,480 Net income per share: Basic $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 Diluted $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 Shares used in computing net income per share: Basic 76,547,672 76,514,264 76,547,672 76,262,350 Diluted 76,547,672 76,740,653 76,547,672 76,471,988

Consolidated Balance Sheets

3/31/2024 6/30/2023 (unaudited) Assets: (in thousands) Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,073 $ 1,041 Accounts receivable, net 1,298 1,051 Inventories, net 3,468 4,202 Prepaid expenses 101 84 Total current assets 5,940 6,378 Equipment and leasehold improvements, net 1,942 2,186 Finance lease assets 13 24 Operating lease assets 1,622 1,913 Deferred tax asset, net 10 10 Other assets 97 100 Total assets $ 9,624 $ 10,611 Liabilities and stockholders' equity: Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 1,638 $ 2,114 Current debt 1,496 1,659 Other accrued liabilities 634 416 Operating lease liability 471 396 Total current liabilities 4,239 4,585 Noncurrent liabilities: Long-term debt 1,062 1,148 Long-term operating lease liability 1,292 1,667 Total noncurrent liabilities 2,354 2,815 Total liabilities 6,593 7,400 Stockholders' equity: Common stock 765 765 Additional paid-in capital 6,247 6,236 Accumulated deficit (3,981 ) (3,790 ) Total stockholders' equity 3,031 3,211 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 9,624 $ 10,611

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flow

Nine Months Ended March 31, 2024 2023 OPERATING ACTIVITIES: (in thousands) Net income (loss) $ (191 ) $ 1,480 Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 307 264 Stock based compensation expense 11 34 Provision for bad debt - 1 Amortization of operating lease asset 290 252 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable (247 ) (262 ) Inventories, net 733 (624 ) Prepaid expenses and other assets (14 ) 57 Accounts payable (474 ) (344 ) Accrued compensation 171 133 Accrued expenses and interest 46 160 Operating lease liability (299 ) (245 ) Net cash provided by operating activities 333 906 INVESTING ACTIVITIES: Investment in purchase of equipment and leasehold improvements (52 ) (113 ) Net cash used in investing activities (52 ) (113 ) FINANCING ACTIVITIES: Proceeds from unsecured notes payable 200 200 Repayment of unsecured notes payable (200 ) (200 ) Net cash provided by (repaid to) line of credit 64 (71 ) Repayment of unsecured line of credit (10 ) (9 ) Proceeds from exercise of stock options - 2 Payments on equipment notes (292 ) (210 ) Principal payments on leases payable (11 ) (11 ) Net cash provided by financing activities (249 ) (299 ) Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 32 494 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 1,041 859 CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT END OF PERIOD $ 1,073 $ 1,353

SUPPLEMENTAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION

RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

Reconciliation of net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA income for the three and nine months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023:

(Dollars in thousands) Three months ended March 31, Nine months ended March 31, 2024 2023 2024 2023 Net Income (loss) $ (94 ) $ 293 $ (191 ) $ 1,480 Plus interest expense, net 135 90 322 262 Plus depreciation and amortization expense 103 89 307 264 Plus stock-based compensation 6 12 10 34 Adjusted EBITDA $ 150 $ 484 $ 448 $ 2,040

SOURCE: Luvu Brands, Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 16, 2024) - Datametrex AI Limited (TSXV: DM) (FSE: D4G) (OTC Pink: DTMXF) (the "Company" or "Datametrex") is sad to announce the passing of the Honourable James Scott Peterson, PC., a cherished member of the Company's Board of Directors since July 28, 2020. Hon. James Peterson passed away on May 10, 2024, after significantly contributing to the company and broader community with his extensive legal and political expertise.

The Hon. Peterson, a former Member of Parliament for Willowdale, Minister of International Trade, Secretary of State, and a respected legal professional, brought a wealth of experience to the Company. His time with the Company was marked by significant contributions, particularly in shaping strategic initiatives that align with global trade policies and corporate governance standards. Before joining the board, Hon. Peterson had a distinguished career in politics and law, tirelessly advocating for economic prosperity and the advancement of trade policies that have made a lasting impact on Canada.

"James was a pillar of strength for our board, and his guidance was instrumental in steering our corporate strategy," said Charles Park, CEO of Datametrex. "He was not only a trusted colleague but also a profound mentor to many within our company. His legacy will continue to shape our approach and values. We mourn his loss deeply and extend our sincerest condolences to his family and friends during this challenging time."

To read more about the Hon. James Peterson's life and legacy, please visit his obituary.

About Datametrex

Datametrex is an innovative leader in Technology Solutions, Artificial Intelligence, Healthcare, and Mobile Gaming. The Company excels in delivering tools and solutions that enhance operational efficiencies and business outcomes. With a commitment to innovation, Datametrex is dedicated to supporting enterprises by setting a new standard for business protocols through cutting-edge technology.

For more on Datametrex, please visit our YouTube channel and Company website.

For Additional Information

Charles Park, CFA

Chief Executive Officer & Director

cpark@datametrex.com

(416) 901-5611 x203

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 Statements

All statements included in this press release that address activities, events, or developments that the Company expects, believes, or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the proposed acquisition or whether the proposed transaction will be completed at all. These forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions made by the Company 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 the Company's control. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake to revise or update these forward-looking statements after the date hereof or revise them to reflect the occurrence of future unanticipated events.

###

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/209507

SOURCE: Datametrex AI Limited
Phase 2 of the initiative promotes digital inclusion through laptops with mobile connectivity and mobile laboratories with virtual reality devices for elementary-level education

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Qualcomm Incorporated, through its Qualcomm Wireless Reach initiative, and Instituto Crescer announced today the opening of mobile virtual reality laboratories and an expansion of phase 2 of the ASCON Program - Student Always Connected, in four schools in Goiania (GO). The program aims to close the digital divide by reshaping the way students learn and educators teach. The goal is to bring classrooms to life, modernizing them and enabling a world where all students are connected, intelligently, from home, the classroom or anywhere.

"Connectivity has increasingly proven to be an essential and powerful tool in the daily lives of citizens adapted to modern society, with access to information, diverse content, regardless of their interests, training or area of activity. We believe that its good use is an important aid for teachers in the training of students. Qualcomm Wireless Reach is focused on using advanced wireless technologies to enrich people's lives through programs that strengthen economic and social development," explains Milene Franco Pereira, Senior Manager, Government Affairs, Qualcomm Servicos de Telecomunicacoes Ltda.

The addition of mobile carts/laboratories with virtual reality devices from Beenoculus in each of the four participating schools, furthers achieve the goals of increasing digital inclusion and skills. Beenoculus promotes innovation in education through Extended Reality (XR) immersive experiences and training on devices leveraging the Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform.

"At Beenoculus we say that education means taking someone to a world that exists beyond them. With this, we hope that our extended reality solutions will contribute significantly to the educational training of students", says Rawlinson Peter Terrabuio, co-founder and CEO of Beenoculus.

In this phase, there is an increase in the number of participating students, with an additional class being added per school in 2024. "The program aims to create an environment of digital inclusion, where students have the necessary tools to reach their full potential, increasing digital skills by taking advantage of new learning opportunities. Through virtual reality, students will have access to interactive and immersive content on various educational topics, in addition to the continued use of Always-Connected PCs (ACPCs) for their formative moments, contributing to the digital transformation in schools", observes Luciana Allan, director of Instituto Crescer.

During the first phase of the project, 120 ACER 511 Chromebooks - equipped with the Snapdragon 7C processor - were supplied to three school communities in Goiania. In In total, more than 200 students and teachers received these Always On laptops, ACPCs equipped with Embratel's mobile LTE connectivity features.

Through the ASCON program, teachers learn about cutting-edge technology and other topics. In phase 1, the topics included cybersecurity, cyberbullying and emotional security, metaverse, Artificial Intelligence, emerging technologies, research and basic programming concepts. In phase 2, the training will include the concepts of designing learning experience, resource curation, spatial learning, and creation/authorship of immersive resources.

The Student Always Connected (ASCON) project is a collaboration between Wireless Reach, ACER, Claro, Embratel, Calriz, Beenoculus, Instituto Crescer and the Goiania Municipal Department of Education (SME of Goiania).

ABOUT QUALCOMM

Qualcomm relentlessly innovates to deliver intelligent computing everywhere, helping the world tackle some of its most important challenges. Our proven solutions drive transformation across major industries, and our Snapdragon branded platforms power extraordinary consumer experiences. Building on our nearly 40-year leadership in setting industry standards and creating era-defining technology breakthroughs, we deliver leading edge AI, high-performance, low-power computing, and unrivaled connectivity. Together with our ecosystem partners, we enable next-generation digital transformation to enrich lives, improve businesses, and advance societies. At Qualcomm, we are engineering human progress.

Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering and research and development functions and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business.

ABOUT QUALCOMM WIRELESS REACH

Wireless Reach invests in sustainable programs that demonstrate innovative uses of wireless technology to strengthen economic and social development globally. Our programs promote entrepreneurship, aid public safety, improve health care delivery, enrich teaching and learning, and improve environmental sustainability. Since 2006, Wireless Reach has benefited more than 27 million people.

Snapdragon, Snapdragon Spaces and Wireless Reach are trademarks or registered trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated. Snapdragon and Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Qualcomm patented technologies are licensed by Qualcomm Incorporated.

ABOUT INSTITUTO CRESCER

Founded in 2000, headquartered in Sao Paulo and operating globally, Instituto Crescer is a laboratory for creating and implementing large-scale social impact projects that contribute to the development and strengthening of communities and people. Counting on the contribution of national and international resources, we work with the following purposes: 1. Contribute to having Brazil's educational indicators among the best in the world 2. Have minority groups, indigenous peoples, peripheral and rural communities active in democratic spaces for social participation 3. Reduce the economic vulnerability of young people and adults 4. Influence companies to be more socially and environmentally aware.

ABOUT BEENOCULUS

Beenoculus is a Brazilian company that pioneers Extended Reality (XR) solutions for education. The company offers a complete platform that includes immersive virtual reality educational content, active teaching methodologies and data analysis for personalization. Beenoculus is committed to democratizing access to exponential technologies to transform education.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Qualcomm on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Qualcomm

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/qualcomm

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Qualcomm

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Sokoman Minerals Corp. (TSXV:SIC)(OTCQB:SICNF) ("Sokoman" or the "Company") is pleased to report that the 2024 exploration program at the 100%-owned Fleur de Lys gold project has commenced. An earlier-than-normal snow melt over the northern and central Baie Verte Peninsula has allowed prospecting to begin a full month earlier than usual. The program will begin on areas of active logging around the Golden Bull Prospect, discovered in 2023, and as the weather improves extend to other target areas.

The Golden Bull Prospect consists of 35 rock grab samples of variably banded, stylolitic, quartz blocks, some weighing several tonnes (Photo 1) (see news release dated October 4, 2023). Seventeen samples with moderate to strong stylolitic banding (Photo 2), gave Au values >500 ppb (0.50 g/t Au) to a high of 9,020 ppb (9.02 g/t Au). The Prospect lies in a larger area (Map 1) of anomalous till and soil geochemistry defined by Sokoman in 2023, where geochemical and geophysical (VLF-EM) anomalies are shown in historical work by Noranda Inc. in the late 1980s.

A crew has been mobilized to prospect the newly logged areas to define drill targets planned for the third quarter of 2024. The initial drilling will be a 2,000 m program of holes from 50 m to 150 m testing surface geochemical and geophysical anomalies mainly in the Golden Bull area.

Timothy Froude, P.Geo., President, and CEO of Sokoman states; "We are pleased to announce the start of the 2024 field program at the Fleur de Lys gold project, on the Baie Verte Peninsula of Newfoundland. The early start will help us get the data we need to focus as quickly as we can on the Phase 1 drill targets at Golden Bull. Most of the initial drilling will be in a 2 km by 1.5 km area defined as the Golden Bull Prospect. In the meantime, we still have many unexplained till geochemical anomalies elsewhere on the property that we will be working on as part of the 2024 program to define Phase 2 drill targets for later this year or early 2025."

Photo 1: One of many large stylolitic quartz boulders at Golden Bull (9.02 g/t Au)

Photo 2: Typical stylolitic banded quartz at Golden Bull - Fleur de Lys Project

QP

This news release has been reviewed and approved by Timothy Froude, P.Geo., a "Qualified Person" under National Instrument 43-101 and President and CEO of Sokoman Minerals Corp.

About Sokoman Minerals Corp.

Sokoman Minerals Corp. is a discovery-oriented company with projects in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The Company's primary focus is its portfolio of gold projects; the 100%-owned flagship, advanced-stage Moosehead, Crippleback Lake, and the district-scale Fleur de Lys project near Baie Verte in northwestern Newfoundland, that is targeting Dalradian-type orogenic gold mineralization similar to the Curraghinalt and Cavanacaw deposits in Northern Ireland. The Company entered into a strategic alliance with Benton Resources Inc. through three, large-scale, joint-venture properties including Grey River, Golden Hope, and Kepenkeck in Newfoundland. Sokoman is one of the largest landholders in Newfoundland, in Canada's newest and rapidly emerging gold districts.

In October 2023, Sokoman and Benton completed an agreement with Piedmont Lithium Inc., a major developer of lithium projects and processing plants in the USA, and exactly the right partner to have to advance the lithium project. The agreement provides for Piedmont to earn up to 62.5% of the Killick Lithium Project (formerly Golden Hope project) by funding up to $12 million in exploration expenses and issuing $10 million common shares in three stages. The Killick Lithium Project has been transferred to Killick Lithium Inc. (Killick), a 100%-owned subsidiary of Vinland Lithium Inc. (Vinland). Newly created Vinland has received $2 million in financing from Piedmont for a 19.9% interest, with the balance of ownership between Sokoman and Benton. Sokoman and Benton will continue to operate the exploration efforts at Killick through the earn-in stages. Sokoman and Benton will retain a royalty of 2% NSR on future production. Piedmont will have exclusive marketing rights for the promotion and sale of any lithium products produced from the project on a life-of-mine basis, and the right of first refusal on 100% offtake rights to the lithium concentrates.

Projects optioned with optionee fully vested:

East Alder Project optioned to Canterra Minerals Inc (SIC retains 850,000 shares of CTM plus 1% NSR)

Startrek Project optioned to Thunder Gold (SIC retains 1,750,000 shares of TGOL plus 1% NSR)

The Company would like to thank the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador for the financial support of the Moosehead and Fleur de Lys Projects through the Junior Exploration Assistance Program during the past few years.

For more information, please contact:

Timothy Froude, P.Geo., President & CEO

T: 709-765-1726

E: tim@sokomanmineralscorp.com

Cathy Hume, VP Corporate Development, Director

T: 416-868-1079 x 251

E: cathy@chfir.com

Website: www.sokomanmineralscorp.com

Twitter: @SokomanMinerals

Facebook: @SokomanMinerals

LinkedIn: @SokomanMineralsCorp

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.

Investors are cautioned that trading in the securities of the Corporation should be considered highly speculative. Except for historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially. Sokoman Minerals Corp. will not update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. More detailed information about potential factors that could affect financial results is included in the documents filed from time to time with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities by Sokoman Minerals Corp.

SOURCE: Sokoman Minerals Corp.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 16, 2024) - Legend Power Systems Inc. (TSXV: LPS) (OTCQB: LPSIF) ("Legend Power" or the "Company"), a global leader in commercial electrical system solutions, announces it will release its Q2 2024 financial results for the six months ended March 31, 2024, prior to market open on Friday, May 24, 2024. The Company has also scheduled a webinar to provide a business update and discuss its financial results for Friday, May 24, 2024 at 11:00 AM ET (8:00 AM PT). Please register in advance. The webinar will be hosted by Randy Buchamer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Legend Power.

WEBINAR DETAILS:

DATE: Friday, May 24, 2024 TIME: 11:00 AM ET (8:00 AM PT) WEBINAR: Legend Power Q2 2024 Financial Results Investor Webinar (via Zoom) REPLAY: Available at: https://legendpower.com

About Legend Power Systems Inc.

Legend Power Systems Inc. (https://legendpower.com) provides an intelligent energy management platform that analyzes and improves building energy challenges, significantly impacting asset management and corporate performance. Legend Power's proven solutions support proactive executive decision-making in a complex and volatile business and energy environment. The proprietary and patented system reduces total energy consumption and power costs, while also maximizing the life of electrical equipment. Legend Power's unique solution is also a key contributor to both corporate sustainability efforts and the meeting of utility energy efficiency targets.

For further information, please contact:

Jonathan Lansky, Director

+1 416 417 7664

lansky.j@icloud.com

Sean Peasgood, Investor Relations

+ 1 647 503 1054

sean@sophiccapital.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Press Release may contain statements which constitute "forward-looking information", including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities and operating performance of the Company. The words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future business activities or performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Company's future business activities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Such risks, uncertainties and factors are described in the periodic filings with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities, including the Company's quarterly and annual Management's Discussion & Analysis, which may be viewed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. 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 risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results to not be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements other than as may be required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/208350

SOURCE: Legend Power Systems Inc.
Brussels, Belgium (PANA) - Equality, freedom and justice must apply to everyone regardless of their actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity, a European Union (EU) statement affirmed on Thursday
Kelowna, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 16, 2024) - F3 Uranium Corp. (TSXV: FUU) (OTCQB: FUUFF) ("F3 Uranium" or the "Company") announces that it has revised the pricing of its previously announced private placement for gross proceeds of C$9,059,531.83 (the "Underwritten Offering"). Under the revised Underwritten Offering, the Company will issue 6,820,784 federal flow-through units of the Company (the "FFT Units") at a price of C$0.5355 per FFT Unit (the "FFT Offering Price"); and 9,250,645 Saskatchewan flow-through units of the Company (the "SFT Units", and together with the FFT Units, the "FT Units") at a price of C$0.5845 per SFT Unit (the "SFT Offering Price"), for an aggregate of 16,071,429 FT Units of the Company at a blended price of C$0.5642 per FT Unit on a "bought deal" basis. Red Cloud Securities Inc. is acting as lead underwriter and sole bookrunner on behalf of a syndicate of underwriters (collectively, the "Underwriters").

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 589,124 FFT Units at the FFT Offering Price and up to an additional 1,196,590 SFT Units at the SFT Offering Price for additional gross proceeds of up to C$1,014,882.76 (the "Over-Allotment Option", and together with the Underwritten Offering, the "Offering"). If the Over-Allotment Option is exercised in full, the total gross proceeds of the Offering will be C$10,074,414.59.

The Company will have the right to include a list of subscribers to purchase up to 892,857 FT Units 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, to be sold under the Underwritten Offering, representing gross proceeds of up to C$4,999,999.74, 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 28, 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 can 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 has 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 newinformation, 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/209487

SOURCE: F3 Uranium Corp.
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES.

Coppernico Metals Inc. ("Coppernico" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced (May 2, 2024) $19.37 million private placement financing (the "Offering") which included participation by Teck Resources Limited ("Teck"), one of Canada's leading mining companies, pursuant to a subscription agreement entered into today between the Company and Teck (the "Subscription Agreement"). As part of the Offering, which consisted of both a non-brokered and brokered portion, the Company issued an aggregate of 38,750,580 units ("Units") at $0.50 per Unit, of which Teck acquired 17,546,580 Units, 9,870,000 Units were issued as part of the non-brokered portion of the Offering and 11,334,000 Units were sold by a syndicate of agents co-led by 3L Capital Inc. and Beacon Securities Limited and including, Canaccord Genuity Corp and Research Capital Corp. (collectively, the "Agents").

Each Unit issued under the Offering consists of one common share of the Company (a "Share"), one-half of one Share purchase warrant (each whole Share purchase warrant, a "Warrant") and one special warrant (a "Special Warrant"). Each Warrant is exercisable to acquire an additional Share at a price of $0.75 until May 16, 2026. If the closing price of the Shares on a recognized stock exchange meets or exceeds $1.25 for 20 out of any 30 consecutive trading days ending at least four months after the closing date, the Company may accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants to a date that is not less than 30 days from the date when such notice is given. Each Special Warrant will, without payment of any further consideration, and subject to customary adjustment provisions, be automatically exercised for 0.05 additional units (the "Penalty Units"), with each whole Penalty Unit consisting of one Share and one-half of one Warrant (the "Penalty Unit Warrants"), if the Shares of the Company are not listed on a recognized Canadian stock exchange (the "Listing") on or before 5:00 p.m. (ET) on August 14, 2024 (the "Target Date"). If the Listing is completed on or before the Target Date, the Special Warrants will expire on that date.

Teck now owns a 9.9% interest in the current outstanding Shares and also acquired 8,773,290 Warrants and 17,546,580 Special Warrants included in the Units. If the Warrants are exercised, Teck's ownership percentage will increase to a maximum of 14.15% of outstanding Shares if other Coppernico dilutive securities remained unexercised at the time. In the event that the Listing is not completed by the Target Date, the automatic exercise of the Special Warrants, together with the exercise of the Warrants and the Penalty Unit Warrants, would cause Teck's ownership interest to increase to 14.67% if other Coppernico dilutive securities (other than the Special Warrants issued to all other investors) remained unexercised at the time.

Teck has the right to maintain its percentage interest in future financings, subject to certain exceptions, and has other rights and obligations as described in the May 2, 2024 news release and as set forth in the Subscription Agreement. The Subscription Agreement will be publicly filed by Coppernico as a material agreement concurrently with its first Annual Information Form expected to be filed in the immediate future.

The net proceeds from the Offering will primarily be used for drilling of the Sombrero Main target area at the Company's recently drill-permitted flagship Sombrero Project in southern Peru.

All of the securities issued pursuant to the Offering are subject to a four-month hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. In addition, the Shares and Warrants issued to Teck are subject to a twelve-month restriction on sale. After the twelve-month period, Teck shall have the right to sell its Shares and Warrants in excess of 2% of the outstanding Shares, subject to the Company retaining a right to designate an alternative purchaser(s) within ten business days of receipt of the notice of intention to sell from Teck.

A message from Ivan Bebek, Chair and CEO of Coppernico

"The strategic investment from Teck is a significant validation of Sombrero's extensive exploration potential. This financing not only positions us favourably for long-term success with the project, it enables us to fulfill our promises for the creation of jobs and continued sponsorships of Agroideas-Agricultural funding grants for the local communities obtained from the Peruvian government.

We appreciate the support of shareholders and stakeholders involved in this process and are looking forward to sharing additional near-term milestones including drilling plans and exploration strategies. The Company is now in a position to finalize its listing application."

In connection with the Offering, the Company paid a success fee of $263,198.70 to Minvisory Corp. who acted as financial advisor to the Company in relation to the Teck investment. The Company also paid a cash fee of $340,020 and issued 680,040 compensation options (the "Compensation Options") to the Agents in relation to the brokered portion of the Offering, and paid a cash fee of $87,300 and issued 174,600 Compensation Options to an additional finder in relation to the non-brokered portion of the Offering. Each Compensation Option entitles the holder thereof to subscribe for one Share at $0.50 until May 16, 2026.

Teck has advised Coppernico that Teck's purchase of the Units was made for investment purposes. Teck may determine to increase or decrease its investment in Coppernico depending on market conditions and any other relevant factors. This information is required to be issued by Teck under the early warning requirements of applicable securities laws. Teck's head office is located at Suite 3300 - 550 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, V6C 0B3. A copy of Teck's early warning report will be filed by it on sedarplus.ca and may be obtained from Dale Steeves at 236.987.7405.

The securities of the Company have not been, nor will they be, 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, or to or for the account or benefit of any person in the United States, absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. These securities have been sold and this press release appears as matter of record only. Resales of any Shares or Warrants that may be placed within the United States will be restricted in accordance with applicable laws.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ivan Bebek

Chair & CEO

For further information, please contact:

Coppernico Metals Inc.

Phone: +1 778 729 0600

Email: info@coppernicometals.com

Website: www.coppernicometals.com

Twitter: @CoppernicoMetal

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/coppernico-metals/

About Coppernico

Coppernico is a mineral exploration company focused on creating value for shareholders and stakeholders through careful project evaluation and exploration excellence in pursuit of the discovery of world-class copper-gold deposits in South America. The Company's management and technical teams have a successful track record of raising capital, discovery and the monetization of exploration successes. The Company, through its Peruvian subsidiary Sombrero Minerales S.A.C., is currently focused on the Main/Nioc area within the Sombrero project in Peru, its flagship project, and is reviewing additional premium projects in South America.

The Sombrero Project is a land package of approximately 102,000 hectares located in the north-western margins of the world-class Andahuaylas-Yauri trend in Peru. It consists of a number of prospective exploration targets characterized by copper-gold skarn and porphyry systems, and precious metal epithermal deposits. The Company is in the final stages of preparing a NI 43-101 technical report which focuses on the Sombrero Main and Nioc target areas.

Coppernico is currently an unlisted public reporting issuer. The Company intends to seek a listing on a recognized stock exchange once it qualifies to do so. For more information, please visit www.coppernicometals.com.

Coppernico Advisors for the Teck Transaction

Minvisory Corp. acted as financial advisor to Coppernico. Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP acted as legal counsel.

Cautionary Note

No regulatory organization has approved the contents hereof.

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "intend" and similar expressions and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the Company's planned use of proceeds from the Offering; the potential acceleration of the Warrants issued in connection with the Offering; the listing of the Company's Shares on a Canadian stock exchange, the automatic conversion or expiration of the Special Warrants and receipt of any regulatory approvals required for the Offering, each of which are matters about which there cannot be any certainty. No assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release. In particular, and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements pertaining to the Company's exploration and drill plans and the Company's plans to list the Company's Shares on a recognized stock exchange. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers should refer to the risks discussed in the Company's continuous disclosure filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators, available at www.sedarplus.ca.

SOURCE: Coppernico Metals Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
One in twenty Euros spent in 2030 could be on counterfeit products

Corsearch launches Corsearch Zeal technology to empower brand owners to protect IP in the face of this challenge

Corsearch, leading provider of brand protection and trademark solutions, has today shared research predicting that the size of the global trade in counterfeit goods could reach 1.67 trillion by 2030, a 75% increase from that of 2023 and a growth 3.6 times higher than predicted for the global economy over the same period.1

Corsearch calculations estimate that counterfeits accounted for 3.3% of global trade in 2023, and will grow to 5% by 2030 meaning 1 in every 20 spent globally on products could be spent on counterfeit goods.

The total displaced economic activity from counterfeiting in 2022 namely the cost to brands and manufacturers totalled 1.02 trillion, resulting in a loss of 162 billion to worldwide sales tax revenue, impacting up to 5.4m jobs.2

In addition to the negative global economic impact of counterfeiting, fake products have a damaging effect on the reputation of brands, reducing customer trust and risking consumer safety.

Corsearch has recognised the need for advanced innovations and solutions in brand protection to meet this challenge, and has today launched its latest technology platform, Corsearch Zeal. The platform uses AI to secure removal of fakes and counterfeit goods from the Internet whilst enabling Corsearch's team of experts to focus on the most severe issues for brands and consumers and to find the source of the illicit activity.

Using the Corsearch Zeal platform, brands can go further to identify the source of the problem, reducing the losses and harm from counterfeit trade and protecting consumers.

Simon Baggs, President of Brand Content Protection, Corsearch, commented:

"The rapid expansion of the counterfeiting industry could take up to 5% of the global goods economy by 2030 posing a significant threat to brands. Urgent measures need to be taken, which is why we are today launching our new Corsearch Zeal platform. Technology enables vast swathes of data to be collated enabling brands to collaborate to stop online sales whilst also targeting the source of the problem. Without this effort, we estimate that one in twenty euros will be spent on counterfeit goods by 2030, a worrying figure for brands already grappling with the problem in 2024.

"Corsearch Zeal shows our continued dedication to innovation and delivering unrivalled brand protection in the face of this escalating challenge. With Corsearch Zeal and our team of experts, we want to provide the most advanced solutions, enabling brands to work together to protect their consumers."

For further information on Corsearch Zeal, read more here.

Notes to Editors

Methodology

Corsearch calculations are based on the below datapoints:

Total global trade in goods: $31 trillion (UN Conference on Trade Development) (2023)

Total growth in global trade in goods through 2030: 2.3% (Boston Consulting Group)

Total trade in counterfeit goods, 2023: $1.023 trillion (OECD data) (2023) Employment loss: 4.2-5.4 million jobs (Frontier Economics)

Cost of displaced legitimate economic activity due to counterfeiting: $1,106 billion (Frontier Economics Corsearch calculation) (2022)

Impact on sales tax revenue: $174 billion (Frontier Economics Corsearch calculation) 8.3% CAGR in counterfeit trade (Corsearch calculation, based on data from UN Conference on Trade Development, OECD and EUIPO figures)

For currency conversion into EUR, FX Rates accurate as of 09/05/24

About Corsearch:

Corsearch's leading Trademark and Brand Content Protection Solutions are revolutionizing how companies create, monitor, and protect their brands. Over 5,000 businesses worldwide partner with Corsearch to safeguard consumers and their trust in brands preventing confusion, misrepresentation, and fraud using the hybrid intelligence of advanced AI precision and expert decision of human analysts.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240515226927/en/

Contacts:

Priya Bilkhoo, Rostrum

corsearch@rostrum.agency

+44 (0) 7846 550 056
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 16, 2024) - 1319472 B.C. Ltd. ("131") is pleased to announce, further to its press release dated April 12, 2024, the closing of Metaworld Corporation's (dba Syntheia) ("Syntheia") brokered private placement offering of subscription receipts (the "Subscription Receipts") through the issuance of 8,144,199 Subscription Receipts for gross proceeds of $2,850,469.65 (the "Financing"). Syntheia may close a second tranche of the Financing in the upcoming weeks.

The Financing was carried out in connection with the proposed reverse takeover of 131 by Syntheia by way of amalgamation (the "Proposed Transaction") pursuant to the terms of an amended and restated letter agreement (the "Amended Letter Agreement") dated April 10, 2024. The resulting issuer from the Proposed Transaction (the "Resulting Issuer") will continue to operate the business of Syntheia. 131 has applied to list the Resulting Issuer's common shares on Cboe Canada Inc. (the "Exchange") and, if and upon the satisfaction of the Exchange's initial listing requirements, the common shares of the Resulting Issuer are expected to begin trading on the Exchange following the closing of the Proposed Transaction.

Assuming the closing of the Proposed Transaction and completion of the listing on the Exchange, the net proceeds from the Financing will be used by the Resulting Issuer for operational expansion, business development and working capital purposes.

Pursuant to the Financing, Syntheia, First Republic Capital Corporation and 131 entered into a subscription receipt agreement (the "Subscription Receipt Agreement") dated May 16, 2024 with Endeavor Trust Corporation as subscription receipt agent (the "Subscription Receipt Agent").

The Financing was brokered by First Republic Capital Corp. as lead agent (the "Lead Agent") and Hampton Securities Ltd. (together with the Lead Agent, the "Agents"). In connection with the closing of the Financing, Syntheia paid 50% of: (a) a fee of $7,253.40 (the "Advisory Fee") for advisory services provided to Syntheia in connection with the Financing; (b) a corporate finance fee of $49,755.99 payable to the Lead Agent (the "Corporate Finance Fee"); (c) aggregate cash fees of $171,028.18 payable to the Agents and certain eligible persons (the "Commission" and together with the Advisory Fee and the Corporate Finance Fee the "Cash Compensation"); and (c) the Agents' expenses. The remaining 50% of the Cash Compensation and the Agents' expenses has been deposited into escrow with the Subscription Receipt Agent and shall be released upon satisfaction or waiver of the escrow release conditions set out in the Subscription Receipt Agreement, together with any interest earned thereon.

In addition, Syntheia has issued: (a) 20,724 advisory warrants (the "Advisory Warrants") to the Lead Agent; (b) 142,160 corporate finance warrants (the "Corporate Finance Warrants") to the Lead Agent; and (c) 488,652 compensation warrants (the "Compensation Warrants", together with the Advisory Warrants and the Corporate Finance Warrants, the "Agent's Warrants") to the Agents and certain eligible persons. Each Agent's Warrant entitles the holder to subscribe for one Unit at $0.35 for a period for twenty-four (24) months from the date that the Resulting Issuer's common shares commence trading on the Exchange.

Upon the satisfaction or waiver of, among other things, all of the condition precedents to the completion of the Proposed Transaction, each Subscription Receipt will be exchanged for one unit of Syntheia (a "Unit") with each Unit being comprised of one (1) common share of Syntheia (a "Common Share") and one (1) Common Share purchase warrant of Syntheia (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will be exercisable for one Common Share at an exercise price of $0.50 for a period of 24 months following the date that the Resulting Issuer shares begin trading on the Exchange.

Upon closing of the Proposed Transaction, the Common Shares, Warrants and Agents' Warrants will be exchanged for Resulting Issuer shares and Resulting Issuer warrants on economically equivalent terms on a 1:1 basis.

The Warrants are subject to acceleration at Syntheia' option, if at any time prior to the expiry of the Warrants the 10-day volume-weighted average price of the Resulting Issuer shares is greater than $0.75, provided that: (i) the Resulting Issuer disseminates a press release providing notice of its intention to accelerate the expiry of the Warrants, and (ii) the accelerated expiry date of the Warrants falls on the earlier of (unless exercised by the holder prior to such date): the 30th day after the date of dissemination of such press release, and/or 24 months following the listing of the Resulting Issuer shares on the Exchange.

The securities referred to in this news release have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from the U.S. registration requirements. This release does not constitute an offer for sale of, nor a solicitation for offers to buy, any securities in the United States. Any public offering of securities in the United States must be made by means of a prospectus containing detailed information about the issuer and its management, as well as financial statements.

Additional Information

The common shares of 131 have not been and will not be registered under the United States 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 requirement. 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.

The Exchange has not reviewed or approved any of the contents of this news release.

For additional information on 131:

Binyomin Posen

Chief Executive Officer & Director

Telephone: 416-481-2222

Email: bposen@plazacapital.ca

About 131

131 Resources Inc. has no current activities or operations and is not currently listed on a stock exchange.

About Syntheia

Founded in 2021, Syntheia is a Canadian-based AI technology company operating, developing, and commercializing conversational AI technology. Syntheia is pioneering the development of conversational Artificial Intelligence - NLP (natural language processing). Syntheia's advanced Neural Network platform simulates the human brain's learning process which allows for continuous learning. Syntheia's conversational AI platform operates as a PaaS model (Platform as a Service) focusing on various market segments including enterprise and small and medium business customers globally.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and financial outlook (collectively, "forward-looking information"). Statements containing the words "believe", "expect", "intend", "should", "seek", "anticipate", "will", "positioned", "project", "risk", "plan", "may", "estimate", or, in each case, their negative and words of similar meaning, are intended to identify forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release, which includes, but is not limited to, information relating to the Proposed Transaction, the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions precedent to the Proposed Transaction and the expected completion of the Proposed Transaction, the expected conversion of the Subscription Receipts and issuance of the Units, the use of proceeds from the Financing by the Resulting Issuer, the listing of the Resulting Issuer's common shares in the Exchange, the exchange of the Common Shares, Warrants and Agents' Warrants for Resulting Issuer common shares and warrants, the exercise of the Warrants and the acceleration of the expiry date of the Warrants.

Forward-looking statements are subject to the assumptions used in the preparation for such forward-looking statements, which include, but are not limited to, the assumptions that: the Resulting Issuer will use of the net proceeds from the Financing as outlined herein; the escrow release conditions to the Proposed Transaction being satisfied or waived; and the Resulting Issuer applying and receiving any required approvals from the Exchange in relation to the listing of its common shares.

Although considered reasonable by management of Syntheia at the time of preparation, these assumptions may prove to be imprecise and result in actual results differing materially from those anticipated, and as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements.

These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information: the Resulting Issuer's failure to utilize the use of proceeds from the Financing as expected and/or disclosed, the escrow release conditions to the Proposed Transaction not being satisfied or waived, and risks that the Resulting Issuer will be unable to receive the required approval from the Exchange in relation to the listing of its common shares.

The foregoing list of factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. There may be other factors and risks that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. These risks, uncertainties, and assumptions could adversely affect the outcome of the plans and events described herein.

These factors should be considered carefully, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. The forward-looking statements are based upon management's beliefs and assumptions and are made as of the date of this news release.

In light of the significant uncertainties inherent to the forward-looking statements included in this news release, the inclusion of such information should not be regarded as a representation or warranty by Syntheia or any other person that Syntheia's objectives and plans will be achieved in any specified timeframe, if at all. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or upon which they are placed will occur. Except to the extent required by applicable laws or rules, Syntheia undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this news release.

Not 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/209606

SOURCE: 1319472 B.C. Ltd.
c/side, a San Francisco, CA-based cybersecurity company with tools for monitoring, optimizing, and securing vulnerable browser-side third-party scripts, raised $1.7M in Pre-Seed funding.

The round was led by Scribble Ventures, with participation from individual investors including Roar Ventures, Kathy Korevec, Dan Scheinman, Jason Warner, Mike Taylor, Kevin Van Gundy, Zain Rizavi, Daniel Lopez, Dan Smith and Nick Gianos.

The company intends to use the funds to accelerate product development, partner programs, and go-to-market initiatives.

Led by Founder an CEO Simon Wijckmans, c/side simplifies meeting compliance requirements related to third-party scripts like ads, captchas, analytics, and chatbots. Its toolkit offers continuous real-time monitoring and scanning of scripts leveraging AI, ensuring immediate detection, and neutralizing threats. This proactive approach removes harmful scripts instantly, preserving a secure online experience for businesses and consumers alike.

FinSMEs

16/05/2024
CRMBonus, a Sao Paulo, Brazil-based provider of a marketing automation platform, raised $75M in Series B funding.

The round was led by BOND with participation from Valor Capital and other prominent investors.

The company intends to use the funds to continue to expand its platform.

Led by Alexandre Zolko, Luiz Fernando Dias Guedes, and Eduardo Vieira, CRMBonus provides a marketing automation platform giving retailers a novel giftback solution to generate long-term customer loyalty. The software suite currently spans customer acquisition, engagement, and retention solutions, leveraging its data ecosystem and AI technology to enhance its platform capabilities for both brands and customers.

In 2021, Softbank, Riverwood, Igah, and Volpe became partners in the company by contributing R$ 280M in a Series A round. Since then, the company has made four acquisitions, has nearly 400 employees, and started 2024 with R$ 200M in revenue already contracted for the year. Its solutions are adopted by 3,000 brands and have reached more than 100 million Brazilians.

FinSMEs

16/05/2024
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, May 16th, 2024, Chainwire

With the launch of Netkis DeFi Sentinel on Sui, protocol developers can opt to screen transactions before finalization on the blockchain, easing a significant compliance burden

Today, Netki, a digital identity verification leader, announced the launch of their pioneering compliance oracle  DeFi Sentinel  on Sui, the Layer 1 blockchain and smart contract platform. The integration introduces an essential tool for developers that automates compliance within their protocols, allowing them to focus on shipping high-impact projects instead of spending time developing tools to meet complex, ever-changing regulations that often differ across jurisdictions.

Institutions are eager to engage with DeFi protocols and technology but need to ensure that all of their trades, and trading partners, meet their compliance standards. Until now, these institutional players have been forced to either trade in manually managed pools with limited liquidity and trading volume, or to avoid DeFi altogether. With DeFi Sentinel on Sui, developers can meet institutional as well as regulator requirements via a one-time integration.

DeFi Sentinel leverages Netkis advanced technology to provide real-time KYC/AML, wallet screening, financial transaction monitoring, securities compliance, and tax compliance, all now integrated directly within the DeFi protocols on Sui that choose to implement the tool. The solution combines on-chain and off-chain data to ensure each transaction adheres to institutional risk, as well as regulatory standards.

Sui will also integrate Netkis OnboardID, which, for protocols that enable it, enhances user onboarding and identity verification processes, reducing costs and simplifying compliance around the onramping process for Sui developers applications. Netkis integration represents a significant advancement in making decentralized financial systems safer and more accessible globally.

DeFi protocols are poised to transform financial services by enhancing accessibility and transparency, but many of the best ideas fail to get off the ground due to compliance concerns, said Evan Cheng, CEO of Mysten Labs, the original contributor to Sui. Netkis integration not only fortifies the security and compliance of transactions on Sui but also assures institutional and individual participants of their adherence to evolving regulatory requirements, and most importantly, gives developers the peace of mind to build with confidence.

Netkis DeFi compliance oracle is unique in the industry, enabling transaction-by-transaction compliance, which is crucial for institutional adoption of DeFi tools. With features like real-time name and wallet screening, the solution ensures that compliance and risk management are seamlessly integrated into the transaction flow without compromising the user experience or developer agility.

By integrating DeFi Sentinel with Suis robust and scalable blockchain infrastructure, we are setting a new standard for safety and compliance in the DeFi space, said Justin Newton, CEO of Netki. We aim to enable the safe and widespread adoption of DeFi technologies, ensuring that developers can focus on innovation while evolving and expanding compliance requirements are effortlessly met.

Contact

Sui Foundation

[email protected]
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, May 16th, 2024, FinanceWire

Foraxi, the leading forex broker, has set a new standard in the industry with its cutting-edge services tailored to meet the needs of modern traders.

With a relentless focus on customer satisfaction and technological advancement, Foraxi is revolutionizing the way traders engage with the forex market and paving the way for a new era in forex trading.

Here are the key features that set Foraxi apart:

1. Instant Deposit and Withdrawal: Foraxi understands the importance of seamless transactions in forex trading. With Foraxis instant deposit and withdrawal feature, traders can fund their accounts and access their profits with unparalleled speed and convenience.

2. Multi-Level IB Commission Structure: Foraxi goes above and beyond to reward its partners. Foraxis multi-level IB commission structure offers up to $70 per lot, providing ample opportunities for Foraxis Introducing Brokers with the potential to maximize their earnings. With the flexibility of daily payouts, Foraxi ensures that its partners receive their rewards promptly.

3. Diverse Account Types: Foraxi recognizes that every trader is unique, with different preferences and trading styles. Thats why Foraxi offers a range of diverse account types to cater to individual needs. Whether a user is a beginner or an experienced trader, Foraxi has the perfect account for them.

4. FRX Coin Rewards: In a groundbreaking move, Foraxi introduces FRX Coin rewards, a unique loyalty program designed to enhance the trading experience. FRX Coins are tradable on the renowned Azbit Exchange, adding an exciting dimension to our traders rewards.

5. 24/5 Support: At Foraxi, customer satisfaction is our top priority. Thats why the company offers round-the-clock support, 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. Foraxis dedicated team of professionals is always ready to assist traders with any inquiries or issues they may encounter.

With Foraxi, traders can expect nothing but the best in terms of service, support, and innovation, said the spokesperson for Foraxi. We are committed to empowering our clients with the tools they need to succeed in the dynamic world of forex trading.

Users are invited to experience the future of forex trading with Foraxi. Users can join today and discover a world of endless possibilities

For more information about Foraxi and its services, users can visit Foraxis website at www.foraxi.com or contact the support team at [email protected].

About Foraxi

Foraxi is a team of over 200 professionals with extensive international experience in finance and internet technologies. They prioritize direct communication with clients, offering personalized 24/7 service aimed at improving client satisfaction. Their operations are built on transparency, employing advanced technologies and secure trading platforms to ensure client safety and reliable business partnerships.

Contact

Mr Gourav

Foraxi

[email protected]

+971569408947
Hephaistos-Pharma, a Lyon, France-based biotechnology company developing immunotherapies against cancer, raised a total of $10.3M in Seed funding.

The round included:

a 4.5M led by Elaia with participation from xista sciences ventures, Fondation Fournier-Majoie, Noshaq, Angels Sante and Femmes Business Angels, and

5.8M non-dilutive funding from the EIC accelerator, Bpifrance i-Nov, and France 2030 clinical grant.

The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its R&D sector.

Led by CEO Frederic Caroff, Hephaistos-Pharma is a preclinical biotech company developing immunostimulants against cancer with a technology for intravenous administration, opening the way to metastatic and hard-to-treat indications. ONCO-Boost is a first-in-class immunostimulant targeting innate immune response to treat cancers non-responding to current regimens, including immunotherapies.

The company is also involved in the SyStInn consortium headed by academic partners that received an additional 9.8M grant from the French National Research Agency RHU program, which will part-fund clinical trials evaluating ONCO-Boost.

Hephaistos-Pharma also has a subsidiary in Liege, Belgium.

FinSMEs

16/05/2024
InstaAstro, a Mumbai, India-based provider of an online astrology platform, raised $2.30M in Pre-Series A funding.

Backers included LogX Ventures, Singularity Ventures, IR Capital Partners, and Aloke Bajpai, MD & CEO of Ixigo.

The company intends to use the funds to launch a new spiritual e-commerce, Daily Pooja, and Reiki healing services.

Led by CEO and Founder Nitin Verma, InstaAstro offers personalized astrological consultations, spiritual e-commerce, and healing services, aiming to empower individuals with insights and guidance for a fulfilling life. Besides, InstaAstro offers horoscopes, tarot readings, and numerology in English, Hindi, and various regional languages. The companys platform has over 50 lakh users and has provided a cumulative consultation of more than 2 crore minutes to its subscribers in FY24. It has 1500 astrologers on its platform.

FinSMEs

16/05/2024
News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism.
Melodie, a Sydney, Australia-based music licensing startup, raised $1M in Bridge funding.

As of 2024, this puts the companys total funding at just under $3M from investors including early Atlassian employee and Code Barrel founder Nick Menere, and Peter Strain, co-owner of The Drop Festival.

The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and development efforts.

Led by CEO and Founder Evan Buist, Melodie Music provides a solution for content creators seeking to find and license high-quality music for their projects. With Creator, Pro and Enterprise subscription options, their curated catalogue of original music is accessible through an online search platform equipped with AI-powered search tools.

FinSMEs

16/05/2024
Quantic Electronics, a Simi Valley, CA-based electronic component company, announced the acquisition of M Wave Design, a supplier of ferrite-based RF and microwave components for aerospace, defense, and quantum computing applications.

The amount of the deal was not disclosed.

With the acquisition, Quantic Electronics will expand its offerings.

Founded in 1988, and led by CEO Ken Boswell, M-Wave designs and manufactures passive waveguide and coaxial components, including isolators, circulators, adapters and terminations. The company, which has supported leading-edge development in high power and low loss passive designs, owns a product portfolio positioned to supply components that perform at cryogenic temperatures used in quantum computing applications.

Led by CEO Ross Sealfon, Quantic is an electronic component company focused on defining and delivering the future of mission-critical electronics in military, aerospace, industrial and commercial markets. It is a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management.

FinSMEs

16/05/2024
Meghan was clicked by the media at the Los Angeles International AirPort donning the Jamilla linen blazer in camel by Loro Piana, paired with a white sweater her mother-in-law carried work elan back in the 90s read more

Meghan Markle seems to be unfazed by the criticism that came her way for her visit to Nigeria. She recently came back and when she was clicked by the paparazzi, they noticed something thay has made headlines for her again. The Dutch of Sussex was captured recreating the iconic blazer look of Princess Dianna that has left the internet talking.

Meghan was clicked by the media at the Los Angeles International AirPort donning the Jamilla linen blazer in camel by Loro Piana, paired with a white sweater her mother-in-law carried work elan back in the 90s

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Meghan Markle in the past has also been critised for being an attention seeker. Publicity crazy sure she is. Duke and Duchess of Sussex were on a tour of the African nation after receiving an invitation. But Meghan Markles rude interaction with the people didnt go down well. The invitation of Meghan and Harry came from the countrys Chief of Defence Staff.

According to a report published in GB News, Levin criticised the unofficial royal visit and claimed their appearance is phoney and awful. Her dressing to was inappropriate for a school visit.

In discussion with host Nana Akua, Levin said she could barely believe her eyes after witnessing Meghan and Harrys first few appearances, and criticised Meghans choice of dress code for her visit to the Lightway Academy college.

Levin said: If you go to a school, a very quiet school that is a religious one, you dont go with a dress thats absolutely no backing to it at all.

The royal biographer also revealed that Meghan was awful and rude during a certain interaction on the couples tour.
Chowdhary and Harpal Singh alias Harry, who has spent time in jail in separate criminal cases, became friends on social media platform Facebook in 2018 read more

Haryana native Harpal Singh, the latest person to be arrested in the Salman Khan residence firing case, had helped co-accused Mohammed Rafique Chowdhary, nabbed for funding shooters in the case, join the Lawrence Bishnoi gang after they became friends on social media, the Mumbai police said.

Chowdhary and Harpal Singh alias Harry, who has spent time in jail in separate criminal cases, became friends on social media platform Facebook in 2018. Singh later introduced him to gangster Lawrence Bishnois fan page, said officials of the Mumbai crime branch, which is investigating the April 14 firing outside Bollywood superstar Salman Khan s home in Bandra.

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Singh (34), a resident of Sirsa city in Haryana, was apprehended by a team of the Mumbai crime branch from Fatehabad in his home state on Monday evening (May 13). He is the sixth person to be arrested in connection with the firing incident and he is a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

According to the police, Singh was an important link of communication in the firing episode as he was directly in contact with Anmol Bishnoi, younger brother of Lawrence Bishnoi, and another gang leader Rohit Gudara.

Singh was the one who helped Chowdhary (37), arrested last week for providing financial help to the two shooters involved in the firing, join the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, said an official.

He had also added Chowdhary in a WhatsApp group which consisted of other members of the gang, the official informed.

Singh was previously arrested in two cases, once in 2022 when there was some issue among the gang members and a case was filed against him. He was in prison for 6 months before coming out. Singh was again nabbed last year in a firing case in Chhattisgarh capital Raipur and spent 11 months in jail, he said.

After coming out of the prison, Singh drafted Chowdhary in the gangs plan to fire outside Khans residence, said the official.

Singh had told Chowdhary that if caught, he will be out on bail within three months. Singh was unaware of stringent provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), which make getting bail difficult for an accused, he said.

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The police have invoked MCOCA in the shooting case.

Singh had handed over Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh to Chowdhary to be given to the shooters, Sagar Pal and Vicky Gupta, both residents of Bihar. The police were trying to ascertain who had provided this money to Singh, said the official.

Chowdhary, who had spent years residing in Mumbai, was aware of the city polices working style and had told Singh that if caught he will take his name, the official said.

Chowdhary was given the responsibility to conduct a recce of Khans residence and finance shooters Pal and Gupta for accommodation and other requirements. Chowdhary, arrested from a village in Nagaur district in Rajasthan, used to regularly speak with Anmol Bishnoi and Gudara on Signal and other calling apps, the official said.

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He had told shooters that Anmol Bishnoi has given him bigger task than them, he said.

After the firing incident, the Mumbai crime branch arrested the shooters first and then the weapon suppliers.

As Chowdhary had warned he would take name Singhs if arrested, the latter left his native place and started staying in Fatehabad by changing his looks and identity. However, the Mumbai crime branch managed to trace Singh and nab him, said the official.
After months of uncertainty regarding the US presidential debates, Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both agreed to participate in two debates: one scheduled for June and another for September. These debates, which have always been pivotal moments in the political calendar, may carry even greater significance this year. Thats because both the leaders sidelined the traditional Commission on Presidential Debates, which regulates these events read more

US President Joe Biden speaks on 2 May, 2024, in Wilmington, North Carolina, left, and Republican presidential candidate former US President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally on 1 May, 2024, in Waukesha, Wisconsin. AP

United States President Joe Biden and former US President Donald Trump have agreed to participate in two campaign debates. The first debate, hosted by CNN, is scheduled for 27 June, while the second, hosted by ABC, will take place on 10 September. This agreement sets the stage for their first presidential face-off in just over a month.

The swift decision on the debate schedule followed Bidens announcement that he would not participate in the fall presidential debates sponsored by the nonpartisan commission that has organised them for over three decades. Instead, Bidens campaign proposed that media outlets directly organise the debates between the presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees.

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The debate is unusually early on the political calendar, occurring before either Biden or Trump has formally accepted his partys nomination.

How these debates diverge from tradition

First of all, the announced debates are not being organised by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which has planned US presidential faceoffs in every election since 1988.

According to historical records maintained by the Commission on Presidential Debates, no general-election debate has ever been held earlier than 21 September, which is nearly three months later than the proposed 27 June date for the first debate this year. Similarly, no debate season has ever concluded before 13 October, which is about a month later than the proposed 10 September date for the second debate this year.

These deviations from the norm are just some of the ways in which the 2024 debates are likely to be exceptional. Biden has requested that news organisations host the debates instead of the commission, which has organised them since 1988.

US President Donald Trump (left) and Democratic presidential candidate former US Vice President Joe Biden speak during the debate at Belmont University in Nashville on 22 October, 2020. File Image/AP

Additionally, there may be differences in format, Biden has asked for no live audience, a proposal that Trump supports in rejecting the commissions involvement but opposes regarding the live audience, reported NYT.

The tradition of presidential debates itself is relatively modern in the scope of US history. The first televised general-election debates were held in 1960 but were not repeated for another 16 years. The current tradition of debates occurring every four years and a refusal to participate being seen as a breach of norms dates back less than 50 years, to 1976.

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The 1960 debates are remembered for Richard M. Nixons unpreparedness for live television, which contrasted unfavourably with John F. Kennedy. After 1960, however, there was little eagerness to repeat Nixons experience. Consequently, there were no debates in 1964, 1968, or 1972.

What has the Commission on Presidential Debates said?

Just a day before the announcement of the CNN and ABC debates, Frank Fahrenkopf, the chair of the Commission on Presidential Debates, had expressed optimism that the candidates would eventually agree to participate in the commissions debates.

Theres no way you can force anyone to debate, Fahrenkopf said during a virtual meeting of No Labels supporters. He noted that candidates have often considered skipping debates or exploring alternatives before ultimately participating, although one debate was canceled in 2020 when Trump refused to appear virtually after contracting COVID-19.

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Despite this development, the commission indicated in a statement on Wednesday that it intends to proceed with its plans.

A cameraman is silhouetted against an an American flag during preparations for the US presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York on 25 September, 2016. File Image/AP

The commission was established in 1987 specifically to ensure that such debates reliably take place and reach the widest television, radio, and streaming audience, the statement said. Our 2024 sites, all locations of higher learning, are prepared to host debates on dates chosen to accommodate early voters. We will continue to be ready to execute this plan.

Fahrenkopf said on Tuesday that he had not spoken to representatives from either the Biden or Trump campaigns. However, the campaigns had been moving toward their own agreements. Fahrenkopf also defended the importance of television debates, noting that they provide insight into the candidates personalities and how they conduct themselves.

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What have Biden and Trump said around the issue?

Both the Biden and Trump campaigns had criticised the commissions plans, including the dates set for September and October, which come after voters in many states will have already begun casting mail-in ballots.

Both campaigns had voiced longstanding concerns about the commissions operations. Trump blamed the commission for microphone issues during a debate in 2016, while Bidens campaign criticised its plans as out of step with changes in the structure of our elections and the interests of voters.

The Republican National Committee voted in 2022 to no longer participate in forums sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates, reported AP.

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The Commission has already announced the dates and locations for the three general election debates between the US presidential candidates: 16 September in San Marcos, Texas; 1 October in Petersburg, Virginia; and 9 October in Salt Lake City. The lone US vice presidential debate is slated for 25 September in Easton, Pennsylvania.

This combination of photos show US President Donald Trump, left, and former US Vice President Joe Biden during the first presidential debate on 29 September, 2020, in Cleveland, Ohio. File Image/AP

A dozen news organisations wrote to the Biden and Trump campaigns in April, urging both candidates to participate in the debates.

If there is one thing Americans can agree on during this polarised time, it is that the stakes of this election are exceptionally high, the organisations said in a joint statement. Amidst that backdrop, there is simply no substitute for the candidates debating with each other, and before the American people, their visions for the future of our nation.

ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, PBS, NBC, NPR and AP all signed on to the letter. C-SPAN, NewsNation and Univision also joined the letter calling for debates. Only one newspaper, USA Today, added its voice. The Washington Post declined a request to join.

By agreeing to their own debates, Biden and Trump bypassed a commission that is tasked with establishing neutral rules and providing a forum that is simultaneously broadcast on all major networks.

With inputs from agencies
Geert Wilders, the leader of the far-right in the Netherlands, has reached an initial agreement for his first right-wing coalition government. After winning a surprising quarter of parliamentary seats six months ago, his Party for Freedom (PVV) will lead a somewhat uneasy coalition with three other parties: the center-right Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the New Social Contract party (NSC), and the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB). But who will lead the country? read more

Dutch far-right politician and leader of the PVV party Geert Wilders attends a meeting of Dutch parties' lead candidates in The Hague, Netherlands, 24 November, 2023. File Image/Reuters

Far-right Dutch leader Geert Wilders, along with three other party leaders, reached a coalition agreement early Thursday. This move steers the Netherlands towards the hard right, concluding a tumultuous six-month negotiation period.

The nationalist Party for Freedom (PVV) party led by Wilders, which emerged as the clear winner of the 22 November election last year, will form a coalition with outgoing Prime Minister Mark Ruttes center-right Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the New Social Contract party (NSC), and the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB), a party representing the farmers protest movement.

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It isnt immediately clear who would be the prime minister to lead the right-wing coalition government, replacing Rutte, who is almost certain to be selected as the new NATO secretary-general.

Who will be the next Dutch PM?

From the beginning, talks have been strained as the VVD and NSC were hesitant to collaborate with Wilders, who advocated for closing mosques and banning the Quran in the Netherlands. To address this reluctance, Wilders moderated some of his anti-EU and anti-Islam stances and indicated his willingness to forgo the role of prime minister, which is traditionally held by the leader of the largest party.

Confirming this, 60-year-old Wilders announced he would not become the next Dutch PM due to an unconventional and experimental business government arrangement. The good news is that we have a negotiators agreement, but of course, this is only definitive when the parliamentary parties have also agreed, Wilders told the Dutch press.

Politicians have not yet revealed who was in the running for the top post. However, Wilders said, We have spoken about the prime minister today and we will come back to that discussion at a later moment.

Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right party PVV talks to the media in The Hague, Netherlands, on 24 November, 2023. File Image/AP

In March, the four parties agreed to aim for a partially technocratic government, comprising 50 per cent politicians and 50 per cent from outside politics, reported The Guardian.

The Netherlands last had an expert government in 1918, and its unclear how this arrangement will function over 100 years later. It has become somewhat of a tradition for Dutch governments to take a long time to form. For instance, the last Rutte government took 271 days to come together.

Also Read: Amsterdam doesnt want more tourist and so its govt is doing THIS

The leading candidate appears to be former Education and Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk, who played a key role in overseeing the initial talks.

In November 2023, Plasterk was designated as the scout for the 20232024 Dutch cabinet formation, later assuming the role of informateur for coalition negotiations.

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Who is Ronald Plasterk?

Plasterks academic journey began at a Gymnasium in The Hague, followed by studies at Leiden University and the University of Amsterdam, where he earned degrees in biology and economics. He conducted research at institutes in the Netherlands, the United States, and England, focusing on molecular biology and genetics. He later served as a professor and director at various institutions, including the Hubrecht Institute and Utrecht University.

In addition to his academic career, Plasterk has been involved in public service, serving on nonprofit boards and state commissions. He also worked as a political commentator for several publications.

Plasterk entered politics in 2007 as the Minister of Education, Culture, and Science in the Cabinet Balkenende IV. A member of the Labour Party (PvdA), he quickly rose within the partys ranks, becoming a Member of the House of Representatives in 2010.

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Ronald Plasterk, the Netherlands former interior minister. File Image/AFP

In 2012, Plasterk ran for the leadership of the PvdA but lost to Diederik Samsom. Despite this setback, he remained a prominent figure in the party, serving as a frontbencher and spokesperson for Finances.

Plasterks tenure as the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations in the Cabinet Rutte II was marked by his focus on issues such as housing, government transparency, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. He took a medical leave of absence in 2016, during which Stef Blok served as acting Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.

Also Read: Chinese spies target Dutch industries to strengthen PLA

Plasterk announced his retirement from national politics in 2016, stating that he would not stand for the election of 2017.

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Wilders could announce the candidate for the top job as soon as next week.

With inputs from agencies
Russian president Vladimir Putin is making a state trip to China to visit Xi Jinping as the pair get set to highlight their no-limits friendship. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal will campaign for the Lok Sabha polls by holding a road show in Punjab read more

Russin President Vladimir Putin is set to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping today. AP

Its set to be a blockbuster Thursday.

Russian president Vladimir Putin is in China to visit Xi Jinping.

Arvind Kejriwal, who received bail from the Supreme Court last week, is set to hold a road show in Punjab.

The last rites of Rajmata Madhavi Raje Scindia, mother of Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, will be conducted today.

Across the border, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation is set to arrive in Pakistan.

The Supreme Court will hear a plea to establish open prisons as a possible solution to decongest jails.

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Lets take a closer look at todays big-ticket headlines:

Putin in China

Putins two-day trip, coming less than a week after he was sworn in yet again as Russias president, is expected to highlight the pairs vaunted no limits partnership in defiance from pressure from the United States over Russias 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The Chinese foreign ministry confirmed Putins trip on Tuesday, saying Xi and Putin would exchange views on ties and international and regional issues of common concern.

Moscow has forged increasingly close ties with Beijing as the war has dragged into a third year, diverting the bulk of its energy exports to China and relying on Chinese companies for importing high-tech components for Russian military industries to circumvent Western sanctions.

The Russia-China military ties have also strengthened.

They have held a series of joint war games in recent years, including naval drills and patrols by long-range bombers over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. Russian and Chinese ground forces also have deployed to the other countrys territory for joint drills.

Kejriwal to hold roadshow

AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal will be campaigning in Punjab today.

The Delhi chief minister is slated to hold a massive roadshow in Amritsar.

Kejriwal, who was recently granted bail to campaign for the Lok Sabha polls, will also pay obeisance at the Golden Temple.

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Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister of Punjab, Bhagwant Mann greet supporters from a vehicle during a roadshow in New Delhi, 11 May, 2024. AP

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said Kejriwal will also visit the Durgiana Mandir in Amritsar.

Kejriwal at a roadshow in Delhi on Sunday told the public that if they vote for the AAP, he wont have to go back to jail.

The AAP national convenor is out on interim bail till 1 June.

He has to surrender on 2 June.

They sent me to jail because I worked for you. The BJP does not want that work of Delhi people are done, he said.

Madhavi Raje Scindias last rites

The last rites of Madhavi Raje Scindia will be conducted today.

Raje passed away at AIIMS, New Delhi, on Wednesday.

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A source told ANI that she had been suffering from pneumonia and had been on ventilator support for the last few days.

CNBC reported that her mortal remains would be brought to Gwalior on Thursday morning and would be placed at the Rani Mahal in the Jai Vilas Palace in order to allow people to pay their respects.

The last rites will be performed at Amma Maharaj ki Chhatri in Gwalior.

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Madhavi hailed from Nepals royal family.

Madhavis grandfather Juddh Shamsher Bahadur was prime minister of Nepal and head of the Rana dynasty.

Madhavi married Madhavrao Scindia in 1966.

Madhavrao, a Congress veteran and ex-civil aviation minister, was killed in a plane crash in 2001.

Madhavi chaired 24 charity trusts focused on education and medical care. She was also chief of the board of governors at the Scindias Kanya Vidyalaya for girls. She created the Maharaja Madhavrao Scindia II gallery in the palace museum.

IMF delegation in Pakistan

Three weeks ago, the perpetually cash strapped nation of Pakistan requested yet another IMF loan.

Now, Islamabad and the IMF have kicked off negotiations for a fresh bailout package to address countrys fiscal challenges and implement crucial reforms.

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On Monday, the International Monetary Funds (IMF) mission chief to Pakistan, Nathan Porter, called on Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb to kick start the discussions on further engagement with the Fund, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement.

The development comes just days after the IMF expressed concern over ongoing political uncertainty in Pakistan.

Pakistan last month completed a short-term $3 billion programme with the IMF.

Three weeks ago, the perpetually cash strapped nation of Pakistan requested yet another IMF loan. Reuters

It was unclear whether the IMF mission would end with a formal staff-level agreement for the next bailout package, according to The Express Tribune newspaper.

The duration, instrument, and size of the next IMF programme were open to discussion, the report stated.

Supreme Court hearing on open prisons

The Supreme Court on Thursday will hear a plea on the subject of prison reforms.

The apex court bench of justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta last week suggested open jails as a solution to overcrowding and rehabilitation while hearing a plea.

Semi-open or open prisons allow convicts to work outside the premises during the day to help them earn a livelihood and return in the evening.

The concept was brought in to assimilate the convicts with the society and reduce their psychological pressure as they faced difficulties in leading normal lives outside.

One of the solutions for overcrowding of the prisons can be establishing open air prisons/camps. The said system is efficiently working in the state of Rajasthan. Apart from addressing the issue of congestion in prison, it also addresses the issue of rehabilitation of prisoners, the bench said.

The bench directed the counsel for the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) to assist it in the matter.

On this day

Biochemist and Nobel laureate Frederick Hopkins died on this day in 1947.

Hopkins, a British biochemist, received the 1929 Nobel Prize for Physiology for discovering what we today call vitamins.

Hopkins was born in June 1861 in Englands Eastbourne. Hopkins father, a book seller, passed away when he was just an infant.

As a child, he showed a preference for literary pursuits rather than science. But thankfully for the world, Hopkins fell in love with scientific method.

Knighted in 1925, he received the Order of Merit in 1935.

Hopkins died at age 86.

With inputs from agencies
The UN defines non-self-governing territories as areas whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self-government. France currently has 13 territories outside the mainland which fall into three categories  French Overseas Departments, French Overseas Collectivities and French Special Collectivity. Together, they cover over 120,000 square kilometres and comprise more than 2.6 million residents read more

France accords New Caledonia special status under the 1998 Noumea accord. AP

France has declared an emergency in New Caledonia.

The French Pacific territory around 1,500 kilometres east of Australia has erupted in violence for three straight days.

This, after Frances National Assembly began debating on a bill to allow French citizens to vote in local polls.

But what are territories? What rules govern them? Which territories does France still have?

What are territories?

According to the United Nations, non-self-governing territories are defined as areas whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self-government.

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Chapter XI of the UN Charter, which deals with non-self-governing territories ask member states running the territories to understand that the interests of the inhabitants of these territories are paramount and take on the duty to improve their lot as a sacred trust.

In 1946, eight member states of Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States told the UN they were administering non-self-governing territories.

At that time, the number of non-self-governing territories was 72.

Eight territories would gain their independence prior to 1959.

Then, in 1960, the UN adopted the decolonisation declaration which called on member states to take immediate steps to return power to people in the territories and to end colonialism in all its forms and manifestations.

The UN Assembly in 1963 listed 64 territories to which the declaration would apply.

The UN lists 17 non-self-governing territories as of May 2024. Image courtesy: UN.org

In 1965, French Somaliland (Djibouti) and Oman were added to the list of territories. The Comoro Islands made the list in 1972 and New Caledonia in 1986.

Between 1962 and 2002, 54 territories would go on to achieve independence.

The UN lists 17 non-self-governing territories as of May 2024.

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These are: Western Sahara, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Montserrat, Saint Helena, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States Virgin Islands, Gibraltar, American Samoa, French Polynesia, Guam, New Caledonia, Pitcairn and Tokelau

Of these, 14 are governed by European nations.

What rules govern them?

Each nation has put in place its own rules by which it administers territories.

As per DW, the EU has a special arrangement with territories governed by France, UK, Netherlands and Denmark.

The territories, though they have wide-ranging autonomy, rely on the above member states to varying degrees.

However, the EU member states determine how defence and foreign policy are to be conducted.

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The UK has more than a dozen territories overseas  Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat, the Turks and Caicos island group, the Falkland Islands, the Pitcairn Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, the British Antarctic Territory, Saint Helena, islands in the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus and Gibraltar.

The United Nations lists the United States as governing American Samoa and Guam, while New Zealand administers Tokelau.

Of these, 10 make the UNs list of non-self-governing territories.

For the UK, each of these territories have their own laws and local governments.

However, in each territory the monarch appoints governors or commissioners who handle defence, foreign affairs and police, as per DW.

The Netherlands, meanwhile, administers six Caribbean islands.

These are considered overseas territories by the EU, but not the UN.

The Cayman Islands is a British overseas territory. Image courtesy: https://www.gov.ky/

The Netherlands has given Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten the status of autonomous countries.

Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba are special municipalities governed directly by the Dutch government.

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Dutch citizens are allowed to vote in national and European polls.

Though the islands are not part of the Eu, those who live on here are both Dutch and European citizens.

The Kingdom of Denmark comprises three autonomous countries: Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

The Faroe Islands is a self-governing territory, while Greenland has been ruling itself since 1979.

The EU designates Greenland an official overseas country of Denmark.

Its residents have EU citizenship, as per DW.

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What territories does France still have?

France currently has 13 territories  part of its heritage from the colonial era, according to BestofFrance.ca.

Collectively known as the Overseas Departments and Regions  Overseas Collectivities (DROM-COM), they comprise over 120,000 square kilometres outside the mainland and have more than 2.6 million residents.

These fall into three different categories  French Overseas Departments, French Overseas Collectivities and French Special Collectivity.

Frances territories are

New Caledonia

Guadeloupe

Martinique

Reunion

French Guiana

Mayotte

Saint Martin

Saint Barthelemy

Saint-Pierre And Miquelon

Wallis And Futuna

French Polynesia

Clipperton Island

The French Southern And Antarctic Lands

As per DW, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion, Mayotte and French Guiana are French Overseas Departments.

This means they are completely under French law.

French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna, Saint Martin Saint Barthelemy, Saint Pierre and Miquelon are French Overseas Collectivities.

These have some autonomy and their own laws, but subjects like defence and foreign policy remain the domain of the French government.

New Caledonia, of course, has a special status with much of its own autonomy thanks to the 1998 Noumea accord  which allows it to hold referendums on independence.

New Caledonia and French Polynesia are both listed as non-self-governing territories.

France directly governs Clipperton islands, while the French Southern and Antarctic Lands are mainly used researchers and military, as per DW.

Why does France still have these territories?

Because these are great strategic and economic assets.

A piece in Wavellroom.com noted that France has the second biggest Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on Earth (only after the United States).

The article noted how the territories are crucial to sustaining Frances military and maritime internationally.

The French overseas territories allow France to use its military power globally, complementing military bases in foreign countries and her aircraft carrier. As a matter of fact, France is the third country in the world enjoying the biggest global military footprint, behind the United States and Russia, the piece noted.

It added that they give France secure platforms for power projection all over the world, and the possibility to redeploy military assets in response to changes in the strategic situation.

It said they allow France to be present as a credible partner and ally in both the Indian Ocean and the Asia-Pacific region and quickly intervene outside its metropolitan territory and thus contribute to regional military cooperation.

The piece also pointed out the potential economic benefits.

Especially in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, this EEZ holds the potential of containing reserves of hydrocarbons and strategic minerals which could be necessary to Frances strategic autonomy, the piece stated.

It noted that the reserves though unexploited could be a potential goldmine. It also said the biodiversity in territories could help when it comes to food, medicine, and cosmetics.

With inputs from agencies
Canada is in the midst of wildfire season, battling over 100 of them across the country. Heres a guide to all things related to these blazes  from their cause to the link to the weather read more

Thousands of people in Canada are facing the wrath of wildfires, which are scorching large swaths of territory in western Canada. The condition is becoming so dire that the authorities have ordered for the evacuation of 6,000 people from Fort McMurray, Alberta.

According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, there are nearly 120 wildfires burning across the country, putting people at risk and causing heavy damage and destruction. Authorities say that most of the blazes are in British Columbia and Alberta. Others also have broken out in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories, among other parts of the country.

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A few days ago, the northern town of Uttarakhand in India too reported a wildfire, which has claimed the lives of five people and affected over 1,300 hectares of land. The Supreme Court also took note of the situation, summoning the Uttarakhand chief secretary to explain the states lackadaisical approach to handling forest fires.

But how are wildfires caused? Heres a graphical guide to the science behind wildfires.
The Indian Army has established two tank repair facilities in Ladakh near the Line of Actual Control (LAC). These centres assume significance as New Delhi is shoring up its defences along the border amid heightened tensions with China since 2020 read more

The Indian Army has established two of the worlds highest tank repair facilities in Ladakh near the Line of Actual Control (LAC), a hypothetical demarcation separating India and China. While one of these centres is located in the north, the other is situated in the east.

The development comes amid New Delhis strained relations with Beijing following the 2020 standoff in eastern Ladakh. Due to Chinas increased military deployment, India has also shored up its defences near its border with the Asian giant.

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Two days back, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar admitted that the deployment of forces along the border with China was abnormal. This is a very abnormal deployment along the LAC. Given the tension between the two countries As Indian citizens, none of us should disregard the security of the countryit is today a challenge, he said.

Amid sustained tensions between the two nations, lets understand why the Indian Armys move is significant.

Tank repair facilities in Ladakh

A tank repair facility has come up in the Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) Sector and the other in Nyoma at altitudes of over 14,500 feet, as per an ANI report.

These armoured vehicle maintenance and repair facilities were much-needed as India deployed several tanks, BMP combat vehicles, and Indian-made Quick Reaction Fighting Vehicles after the 2020 Galwan Valley clash with China.

The tanks and infantry combat vehicles have been deployed in these super-high-altitude areas, where it is very difficult even to get them back for maintenance and repair, Indian Army officials told the news agency ANI.

To help sustain the armoured vehicle operations in the region, we have set up these Medium Maintenance (Reset) Facilities at Nyoma and near KM-148 on the DS-DBO Road in the DBO sector. These are the two main areas where tank and ICV operations are focused in the eastern Ladakh sector, they further said.

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ALSO READ: How Indias deal to manage Irans Chabahar Port can help it counter Pakistan, China

Why does the move matter?

India has stationed over 500 tanks and infantry combat vehicles in eastern Ladakh. To get them to the mainland for repair and maintenance was a tough task.

These new repair centres will help the Indian Army to bolster the effectiveness and serviceability of the armoured fighting vehicles, military officials told India Today.

The Army has been building infrastructure to house its tanks, including T-90, T-72 and the K-9 Vajra self-propelled Howitzers, at high-altitude regions where temperatures go below freezing point in winters.

Indian Armys T-90 Bhishma tanks are displayed during the Republic Day parade in New Delhi, 26 January 2019. Reuters File Photo

On 11 May, Indian Army chief General Manoj Pande visited the Medium Maintenance (Reset) Facility in Ladakh. In an official tweet, the Army said the unique maintenance facility promotes enhanced serviceability and mission reliability of Armoured Fighting Vehicles and keeps the Combat Fleet operationally ready even in rugged terrain and challenging weather with temperature dipping down to minus 40 degrees.

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General Manoj Pande #COAS visited the Medium Maintenance (Reset) Facility for Armoured Fighting Vehicles #AFVs, established at High Altitude Area #HAA in #Ladakh. The unique maintenance facility promotes enhanced Serviceability & Mission Reliability of #AFVs and keeps the Combat pic.twitter.com/5b0Plvtnt3  ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) May 11, 2024

The areas where the repair centres have been set up are also important. Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) is in the south of Karakoram Pass, with Siachen on its west and Aksai Chin  occupied illegally by China  on its east.

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DBO is closer to the strategic area of the Depsang Plains which is at an altitude of 16,000 feet.Tanks such as T-90s, T-72s and BMP II Armoured Vehicles have reportedly been deployed in the region.

Speaking to NDTV, Lt General Amit Sharma (Retired), former chief of Indias nuclear command, said, Tank is the only piece of equipment that will enable the infantry to move and capture the objective. Tanks provide staying part to the enemy to defend it.

The other tank repair facility is in Nyoma. India plans to upgrade its Nyoma airfield in eastern Ladakh, just 50 km from the LAC, to facilitate fighter jet operations. A 2.7-km runway at the Nyoma airbase is expected to be completed by October this year.

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This assumes all the more importance as stalemate between India and China over Demchok in eastern Ladakh and Depsang in the north continues.

In case of a conflict, the repair facilities will ensure quick maintenance of tanks at high altitudes and their rapid deployment, noted NDTV.

With inputs from agencies
On 26 March, Singapore-flagged container ship Dali hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing it to collapse within seconds and halting shipping traffic at one of the most important ports on the US East Coast. Seven weeks on, the Indian crew on board the vessel continues to be trapped there. Some worry that they will personally be held personally liable for the disaster read more

Explosive charges are detonated to bring down sections of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge resting on the container ship Dali on Monday, 13 May 2024, in Baltimore. AP

Its been seven weeks since the deadly Baltimore disaster killed half a dozen people, destroyed a key US river crossing, and halted shipping traffic at important ports on the US East Coast.

The bodies of the six construction workers who were fixing potholes on the bridge when it collapsed have been pulled from the water around them.

However, the Singapore-flagged container ship Dali and the crew  20 Indians and one Sri Lankan  have remained in place since, cut off from the rest of the world.

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The crews future remains an open question.

Some worry theyll be held personally liable for the disaster.

Heres what we know about Dalis crew, what theyve been doing and what their future holds.

The collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge rests on the container ship Dali, Sunday, 12 May, in Baltimore, as seen from Riviera Beach, Md. AP

The crew on board

The massive cargo ship in Baltimore, which has its bow pinned by the remains of the collapsed Francis Scott Key bridge it struck on 26 March, has trapped its crew of men from Sri Lanka and India for the past 50 days.

About a week after the disaster, the Rev. Mark Nestlehutt, president and executive director of the Seamens Church Institute in New York, claimed he and other others boarded the Dali to provide the crew with a compassionate ear.

Everybody was trying to make the best out of a tragic situation. At that point, the only real question for the seafarers was when they might be able to go home, Nestlehutt told The Associated Press.

Moving the Dali is a secondary priority to re-opening the port of Baltimore and the shipping channel, said Coast Guard Admiral Shannon Gilreath on Friday. Reuters

Food has not been a concern.

The Dali was well-stocked for what was supposed to be a long voyage, while additional food has been brought onboard as well, said Darrel Wilson, a spokesperson for Synergy Marine, the Dalis Singapore-based management company, according to the news agency.

Crewmembers have stayed busy, focused on the many tasks of running a large cargo vessel.

On Monday, crews demolished a part of the bridge by setting off explosives in a bid to free the grounded Dali container ship, as per News18.

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According to the US Army Corps of Engineers, this will enable salvage crews to use cranes and barges to remove the twisted metal wreckage.

Explosive charges are detonated to bring down sections of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge resting on the container ship Dali on Monday, 13 May 2024, in Baltimore. AP

Crewmembers have also participated in the ongoing federal investigation into the crash.

Religious organisations and unions have paid them visits.

Most of the crew are Hindu, Nestlehutt said, but others are Muslim and Christian.

Bishop Adam J Parker from the Baltimore Archdiocese visited the ship in early May and held mass with three Roman Catholic crew members in a small office, said Andrew Middleton, director of the archdioceses Apostleship of the Sea, as per AP.

He added they also passed along care packages, including from a stranger in Minnesota, that had candy, socks and puzzles, among other things.

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More on Baltimore Bridge collapse:

Baltimore bridge collapse: How the ships Indian crew helped avert a bigger disaster

How the Baltimore bridge collapse may hurt the US and even India

Baltimore bridge collapse: Are there any casualties? What caused the accident?

Explained: The outrage over the racist cartoon mocking Indian crew of ship behind Baltimore bridge crash

Baltimore bridge collapse: How the incident highlights the role of migrants in the US

Their concerns

The crew has been left almost without communication with the outside world.

This is because their cellphones have been seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as part of the investigation, Joshua Messick, executive director of the Baltimore International Seafarers Centre, a non-profit organisation that works to protect the rights of mariners, told PTI.

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Wilson said the phones have been replaced with new ones, and Synergy Marine said in a statement in early April that the crew had unlimited use of the ships satellite communications to stay in touch with family.

Aerial view of the Dali cargo vessel which crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse in Baltimore. Six people have been presumed dead following the incident. Reuters

But Nestlehutt and unions say the new phones lack the personal information thats on the old phones, such as contacts, family photos and banking apps for transferring money back home to their families.

The two unions representing crew members, the Singapore Maritime Officers Union and the Singapore Organisation of Seamen, called for the swift return the phones in a statement.

The unions said the men also suffered emotional distress from witnessing the crash and have an unfounded fear of personal criminal liability.

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The criminalisation of seafarers based solely on their position on board a vessel during an incident is a growing concern, said Mary Liew, general secretary for the officers union.

Dave Heindel, the president of the Seafarers International Union, was quoted by the BBC as saying that however long the investigation takes, the crews rights and welfare should not be infringed upon.

We call on the authorities to be mindful that seafarers utilise mobile devices to conduct personal business for bill payments, and, more importantly, transfer money to their home country to sustain families. Crew members are becoming demoralised without the basic tools we all take for granted, he said, as per the BBC.

Nestlehutt also said the crewmen are concerned that continuing to be detained on the ship could imperil future visas to the US or for the crewmembers children.

Preliminary report

The crew has been unable to disembark from the ship due to limits on visas and ongoing investigations by the FBI and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

According to a preliminary investigation by federal investigators released on Tuesday, the Dali experienced two power outages just prior to the tragedy.

About 10 hours before departing Baltimore, there were two blackouts, according to the investigation.

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows a view of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that was struck by a container ship in Baltimore, Md., on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. The container ship lost power and rammed into the major bridge causing the span to buckle into the river below. (Maxaar Technologies via AP)

The electrical blackouts that the container ship Dali experienced prior to leaving Baltimores port were mechanically distinct from those that led to the fatal collapse of the Francis Scott Bridge hours later, according to testimony given before Congress on Wednesday.

Two were related to routine maintenance in port. Two were unexpected tripping of circuit breakers on the accident voyage, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy testified.

His remarks came a day after the safety board released its preliminary report into the bridge collapse, as per News18.

The full investigation could take a year.

Whats next

The Dali is currently scheduled to be refloated during high tide on Tuesday, officials said over the weekend.

They said several tugboats will be used to guide the ship to a nearby terminal in the Port of Baltimore, where it will likely remain for a few weeks and undergo treatment repairs before being moved to a shipyard for more substantial repairs.

Wilson stated that while the crash investigation is ongoing, the men will stay on board for the foreseeable future.

Nobody knows that ship better than the crew. So they are instrumental in helping with the salvage operation as well as the investigation process, he said, as per AP.

Nestlehutt said 1.6 million people work as seafarers on cargo vessels  an invisible workforce.

This is maybe a chance to appreciate what seafarers do for us day-in and day-out. To make sure that we have the things that we order from Amazon and the cars that we want to drive and the things we want to put on our table, he said.

Baltimore bridge collapse

The 2.6-kilometre-long, four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River collapsed after being struck by the 984-foot Dali ship.

A number of videos captured almost every light on the ship going out just before the terrifying crash.

Loaded with enough food for a month-long cruise and shipping containers, the Dali was en route to Sri Lanka.

Six construction workers were killed when the ship, which had left the Port of Baltimore early on March 26, lost power and propulsion and collided with one of the supporting columns of the bridge.

Maryland estimates it will cost $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion to rebuild the bridge and anticipates completion by fall 2028.

According to News18, US coast guard Vice Admiral Peter Gautier said at a US House hearing on Wednesday that the size and complexity of ships has grown over the years, placing greater demands on our marine transportation infrastructure that may not have kept pace with the increased risks that these vessels pose.

A national board of inquiry that Gautier has set up will evaluate the state of risk management tools and suggest ways to reduce the risks of major incidents.

With inputs from agencies
Kanhaiya Kumar has become the latest Congress candidate to launch a crowdfunding initiative. The party, whose accounts have been frozen by authorities over unpaid tax dues, had launched its Donate for Desh campaign in December. The party claimed to have raised over Rs 10 crore through crowdfunding read more

Kanhaiya Kumar, the INDIA bloc candidate from Northeast Delhi, urged the public to donate in order to save democracy.' News18

Kanhaiya Kumar has launched a crowdfunding initiative.

Kumar, the INDIA bloc candidate from Northeast Delhi, urged the public to donate in order to save democracy.

Kumar posted on X:

Jai Hind!

Im Kanhaiya Kumar, contesting as the Indian National Congress candidate for North East Delhi in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Born in Bihar, my fight for justice began early. I envision India as a society that promises Peace, Prosperity and Justice for all.

Join me in pic.twitter.com/iacyvhdTtr  Kanhaiya Kumar (@kanhaiyakumar) May 15, 2024

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Kumar isnt alone in turning to crowdfunding to raise money.

Lets take a closer look:

The Times of India in April reported that multiple Congress candidates had used crowdfunding to garner funds.

The newspaper quoted Congress candidate from Surendranagar Rutvik Makwana as saying that he turned to this method after party leadership could not help him with funding.

Makwana, who comes from a modest financial background, told the newspaper that he raised funds from senior party figures, business leaders and NGOs.

The donations were transferred directly to smaller committees and booth-level areas, he added.

Naishadh Desai, the Congress candidate from Navsari, is up against BJP Gujarat chief CR Paatil.

I did not get donations from the party despite writing multiple letters. I plan to carry a begging bowl and approach people for donations, Desai, on the stump dressed like Mahatma Gandhi, told the newspaper.

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Lalit Vasoya, the Congress candidate from Porbandar, has asked people to donate via social media and at campaign rallies through QR codes and his bank details..

Vasoya told the newspaper, I am contesting the election on the partys order. However, I had no money, and the party could not give me any. I am also fighting against the pollution caused by the Jetpur saree industry, so I do not expect the industrialists to fund me.

He said he received donations ranging from Re 1 to Rs 100.

Vasoya said, I sold 12 bighas of land to contest the election and will sell more land this time.

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But why is the Congress doing this?

This comes after the party  whose accounts have been frozen by authorities over unpaid tax dues  ordered state units to raise their own funds, as per Moneycontrol.

The Congress had announced its Donate for Desh campaign in December.

The outlet quoted Leader of Opposition in Kerala VD Satheesan as saying in March the party has had to turn to crowdfunding due to its inability to access its money.

He added that the public has sympathy for the Congress current predicament and voters often donate amounts ranging from Rs 50 to Rs 200 at campaign events.

According to New Indian Express, both Shafi Parambil (the Congress-led UDF candidate in Vadakara) and Remya Haridas (UDF candidate for Alathur) have resorted to crowdfunding.

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This isnt the first time Congress candidates have resorted to crowdfunding either.

In 2021, Aritha Babu, the Youth Congress state vice-president, said she raised Rs 2 lakh in the end stages of her campaign.

Babu contested from Kayamkulam, but lost.

Donate for Desh

As per The Hindu, the Congress had announced its Donate for Desh campaign in December.

The party said it took inspiration from Mahatma Gandhis historic Tilak Swaraj Fund.

Party chief Mallikarjun Kharge had given the party Rs 1.38 lakh on the first day.

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In January, the party said it had raised Rs 10 crore through crowdfunding.

Congress leaders have said that the crowdfunding initiative was inspired by Mahatma Gandhis historic Tilak Swaraj Fund, which was launched more than a hundred years ago in 1920-21.

The party had launched an outreach-cum-crowdfunding campaign on October 2, 2018, ahead of the last general elections, but the campaign did not gain much momentum on the ground.

The campaign was launched to coincide with the 138th year of the formation of the Congress.

The initiative aims at empowering the party in creating a country that is rich in equal resource distribution and opportunities, a senior leader said.

Donors have been asked to donate in the multiples of Rs 138, symbolising the partys enduring commitment to a better India.

Congress sources said the party is cash-strapped and facing a dearth of money to fight the well-oiled BJP poll machinery. The grand old party has alleged that the BJP is garnering a majority of electoral bonds as the scheme is designed to favour the ruling party.

Our inaugural campaign  Donate for Behtar Bharat  commemorates the 138-year journey of the Indian National Congress. Embracing our history, we invite supporters to donate in multiples of  138, symbolising the partys enduring commitment to a better India, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal had said ahead of the campaign launch.

The BJP had mocked the Congress efforts as another attempt to siphon off public money and enrich the Gandhis" and pointed to the recent record cash seizure during income tax raids against a company linked to a Congress MP.

Election to save democracy

This election is an election of peace, progress and justice for us. This is an election to save democracy and against that dictatorship, Kumar said in the video.

We would like to appeal to all the citizens of the country who are above 18 years of age that you can participate in our elections. And to join the election campaign, you can support this election campaign to move forward, Kumar added.

He further said that one can play their part by joining the campaign through www.fueladream.com.

Through this medium, you can connect with online crowdfunding. We are contesting this election through crowdfunding because we think that the peoples fight can be fought with the support of the people, he said.

Kumar said they are not raising funds through any other online or offline mediums.

BJP has fielded MP Manoj Tiwari from the constituency.

Election to all seven seats in Delhi will take place on 25 May.

With inputs from agencies
Slovakias prime minister Robert Fico is in hospital after being shot at five times in an attempted assassination in Handlova. The authorities have detained a 71-year-old man, whom the local media has identified as a poet and an anti-violence campaigner. He is believed to be a critic of Ficos policies read more

On Wednesday (16 May), the Slovakian town of Handlova was shaken when the countrys prime minister, Robert Fico, was shot at, leaving him hospitalised with life-threatening injuries. Hours after the incident, a government minister said that 59-year-old Fico was no longer in danger after undergoing hours-long surgery.

The assassination attempt on Fico is the first on a European national leader since 2003, when Serbian prime minister Zoran Djindjic was killed.

Slovakias politicians and leaders termed the shooting an attack on democracy. It was also condemned by world leaders, with US president Joe Biden saying he was alarmed by the attempted assassination of Fico, calling it a horrific act of violence.

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While Fico undergoes treatment after the assassination attempt  he was shot at five times  the gunman involved in the crime has been detained, and was later identified by local media to be 71-year-old Juraj Cintula, a government critic and poet who once founded a campaign group against violence.

We take a closer look at how the events unfolded on 16 May, who is the man behind it, and what this means for the European nation.

Who is Robert Fico?

Robert Fico returned to power for a fourth time in Slovakia after elections last year, making him the longest countrys longest-serving leader since it was established in the break-up of Czechoslovakia in 1993. His first few months in office this time around has been controversial as he halted military aid to Ukraine in January and in April pushed plans to abolish the public broadcaster, RTVS.

He is known to be a Putin ally, blaming Ukrainian Nazis and fascists for provoking Vladimir Putin into launching the invasion.

Slovakias prime minister Robert Fico is now stable in hospital after being shot five times in an assassination attempt. File image/Reuters

How did the shooting take place?

On Wednesday, Fico was walking in a crowd of people after attending a government meeting in the town of Handlova in central Slovakia when people heard four shots ring out and the prime minister collapsing to the ground.

Ficos security detail could be seen taking him inside his armoured limousine after the incident, with the Dennik N daily reporting that the PM was lifted into a car by security guards.

An eyewitness at the scene described the events as a nightmare, saying the shots fired sounded as if you were to throw a firecracker on the ground. Speaking to Reuters, Lubica Valkova said: I heard three shots, it was quick one by one like if you throw a firecracker on the ground. And then Fico fell next to the barrier.

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I think it is a nightmare, Ill tell you I think I will not wake up from this, the 66-year-old said. That this is not possible to happen in Slovakia.

Fico was then airlifted to a nearby hospital in Banska Bystrica where it was initially reported that he had life-threatening injuries. Slovakian deputy prime minister Tomas Taraba told the BBC that Fico was heavily injured and a bullet went through the stomach and the second one hit the joints.

Hours after Ficos surgery, Taraba said the procedure in hospital had gone well. I guess in the end he will survive, Taraba said, adding: Hes not in a life threatening situation at this moment.

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Meanwhile, the man responsible for the shooting was detained at the scene. Visuals showed a grey-haired suspect being handcuffed on the ground just after Fico was shot several times.

Rescue workers wheel Slovak prime minister Robert Fico, who was shot and injured, to a hospital in the town of Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia. AP

Who is the man suspected to be behind Ficos shooting?

The grey-haired suspect has been identified as 71-year-old Juraj Cintula, a government critic and poet. Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok told reporters, I think I can confirm this, yes, when asked about reports identifying the man detained at the scene.

Cintula is the founder of the DUHA (Rainbow) Literary Club and from the town of Levice. He is the author of three poetry collections and two books and in 2015, he founded the campaign group Against Violence, and had sought to get it officially registered in Slovakia.

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The movement calls on people to stand against violence in all forms, from martial law to domestic physical or psychological violence, as well as violence on the international stage, in Europe, in which militarisation, extremism, neo-Nazism, anarchy are growing.

A person is detained after shooting incident of Slovak PM Robert Robert Fico. Local media has identified him to be 71-years-old and a poet and anti-violence campaigner. Reuters

The literary club has confirmed Cintulas membership, and added that if he is confirmed to be the shooter, the membership of this despicable person will be immediately cancelled.

Cintula has been a critic of the Fico government. In the past, he came down heavily on the prime minister for not cracking down on gambling. He also denounced the rich deviants in Slovak society, who he said were poisoning public debate, as per a report in The Telegraph.

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His son told news agency AFP that Cintula was a registered gun owner but that he had no idea what his father was thinking or planning. When asked if he felt any hatred toward Fico, the son said: Ill tell you this: he didnt vote for him. Thats all I can say about it.

How has Slovakia reacted?

The assassination attempt on Fico has stunned people in the country. The Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said that initial information pointed to political motivation.

Slovakias outgoing president Zuzana Caputova pointed fingers at the hateful rhetoric in the nation for the incident. A BBC report quoted her as saying, The hateful rhetoric we witness in society leads to hateful acts.

Even Slovakias defence and interior ministers blamed rising hate speech and division for the political atmosphere in the country, which they said led to the assassination attempt. Speaking to reporters in front of the hospital where Fico is being treated, Defence Minister Robert Kalinak said: Hate is not an answer to hate.

Moreover, the shooting comes just three weeks before European parliament elections. The European Commission sources said the attack risked stoking further violence across the political landscape.

Internally too, the shooting comes at a crucial time for Slovakia, which is seeing a rise in violence. In 2022, two people were killed and another wounded in a shooting outside an LGBT venue in Bratislava.

With inputs from agencies
In an attempt to send a message of defiance and hope, US secretary of state Antony Blinken along with a local band in Kyiv broke into Neil Youngs hit song Rockin in the Free World, ostensibly to encourage Ukrainians to keep fighting Russia during his surprise visit to the country. However, his message was not well received by the public read more

US secretary of State Antony Blinken performs "Rockin' in the Free World" with members of The 1999 band at the Barman Dictat bar in Kyiv. AP

Politicians holding guitars frequently please the public. However, when US secretary of state Antony Blinken picked up a red guitar at a basement bar in Kyiv to play Neil Youngs Rockin in the Free World on Tuesday (14 May), he received a lot of flak. He was in Ukraine on a surprise visit, his fourth since the conflict with Russia began in 2022.

But why did his guitar playing and song choice raise eyebrows?

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Messaging went wrong

I know this is a really, really difficult time, Blinken told a packed crowd in Kyiv in the subterranean club Barman Dictat on Tuesday night.

Your soldiers, your citizens, particularly in the northeast in Kharkiv, are suffering tremendously, he said. But they need to know, you need to know, the United States is with you, so much of the world is with you. And theyre fighting not just for a free Ukraine but for the free world, and the free world is with you, too.

In an attempt to send a message of defiance and hope, Blinken along with the local group The 1999 broke into Neil Youngs hit song Rockin in the Free World, ostensibly to encourage Ukrainians to keep fighting Russia and holding on to their Western aspirations.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken, centre, performs

On the same day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cancelled all of his upcoming foreign trips due to a series of battlefield setbacks.

Blinkens message was not well received by the public.

Youngs 1989 song, with the refrain Keep on rockin in the free world, appears to be an homage to the glory of living in the West, free of communism and authoritarianism. Indeed, as numerous social media critics have pointed out, the song is a lament about despair and misery brought on by homelessness, drug addiction, and poverty in the celebrated free world.

A charitable interpretation could be that Blinken chose to perform the song to emphasise the importance of overcoming adversity by remaining true to ones dreams of peace and freedom. After all, that had been the overarching theme of his remarks at Kyiv events since his nearly pre-dawn arrival after an overnight train journey from Poland, and it would continue to be on Wednesday.

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Ive come to Ukraine with a message: You are not alone, Blinken had told an audience of students and educators at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute shortly before taking to Barman Dictats basement stage.

Never bet against Ukraine, he said at a Wednesday news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Ill-timed performance

But some Ukrainians have reacted angrily, chastising Washingtons top diplomat for an ill-judged jam session in the capital while Ukrainian troops are fighting in trenches, struggling to hold back a Russian advance amid a shortage of weapons.

One word is enough to describe US secretary of state Antony Blinkens evening in Kyiv yesterday: inappropriate, said Svitlana Matviyenko, head of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives NGO.

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Blinken is on a surprise trip to Kyiv weeks after Washington approved a $61 billion (Rs 5.09 lakh crore) package of aid for the country following months of delays in Congress.

In a speech earlier on Tuesday he said the United States would back Ukraine until its security was guaranteed.

Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, greets US secretary of state Antony Blinken, right, prior to their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine. Blinken arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday in an unannounced diplomatic mission to reassure Ukraine that it has American support as it struggles to defend against increasingly intense Russian attacks. AP

Ukrainian lawmaker Bogdan Yaremenko, a former diplomat and MP from President Volodymyr Zelenskyys party, said the performance was ill-timed, coming after delays to US aid cost Ukraine lives and territory.

The message is not hard to understand, but its not getting through, he said in a Facebook post.

With all due respect, its a mistake. The message is wrong, said Valeriy Chaly, Ukraines ambassador to the United States from 2015 to 2019.

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Blinken dismissed the criticism

At the same time, Russian troops were advancing near and around Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, and Zelenskyy was preparing to postpone a planned trip to Spain and Portugal later this week to deal with the crisis.

Oleksandr Kraiev, director of the North America programme at the Ukrainian Prism think tank, said Blinkens visit was welcome, but he and many Ukrainians were perplexed by his two-day stay, which included a visit to Barman Dictat, which some saw as inappropriate given the current fraught wartime climate.

From my point of view, and generally speaking from the point of view of common Ukrainians, it was not a very appropriate sign to go to the bar to have a small song with our band, he told the Associated Press, noting that Ukrainian military recruitment officers are known to go to bars and nightclubs to check documents and catch draft dodgers.

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So (for the) secretary of state of the United States also to go to a bar, to have a small concert for people who are blamed for not enlisting in the Ukrainian army, Kraiev said, its not, lets say, a catastrophe, its not a faux pas, but its something that is not very desirable from the point of view of common Ukrainians.

US officials with Blinken dismissed online criticism of the secretarys song choice and decision to sing at a pub. They also stated that he would not have participated in the event if he had considered it inappropriate. More broadly, the potential disconnect between the weeks battlefield developments and Blinkens optimism was reflected in his actions and the size of his delegation.

With inputs from AP and AFP
Zhang Zhan is a Chinese lawyer-turned-citizen journalist, who served four years in prison for reporting on the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan. She finished serving her sentence at Shanghais women prison and was due to be released on Monday. However, the whereabouts of the 40-year-old are unknown, raising concern from activists read more

A pro-democracy activist holds placards with the picture of Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan outside the Chinese central government's liaison office, in Hong Kong. AP

China was hit by the COVID-19 in early 2020.

At the time, information detailing official cover-ups and shortcomings in the healthcare system was widely circulated on social media, despite severe censorship from the Xi Jingping-led government.

One such rebellious soul documenting the truth is Zhang Zhan, a citizen journalist who served four years in prison for reporting on the early days of the pandemic in Wuhan.

She was expected to be released on Monday, however, her whereabouts are unknown.

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This has raised concern from activists.

Heres all we know about her.

About Zhang Zhan

Born in 1981, Zhang Zhan is a Chinese lawyer-turned-citizen journalist, according to Indian Express.

She transitioned into independent journalism to document the realities of the outbreak.

According to The Associated Press, Zhang was among a handful of citizen journalists who travelled to the central Chinese city of Wuhan after the government put it under total lockdown in February 2020, in the early days of the pandemic.

She walked around the city to document public life as fears grew about the then-mysterious coronavirus.

Despite threats from the authorities, she continued livestreaming and publishing articles revealing the reality of the situation.

In one of her live-streamed videos, she was told to stop filming or (he would) get mad by an official, but she continued filming.

Maybe I have a rebellious soul Im just documenting the truth. Why cant I show the truth? I wont stop what Im doing, because this country cant go backwards, she said in an interview with an independent filmmaker.

It was believed that this was her final interview prior to her detention.

Pro-democracy supporters protest to urge for the release of 12 Hong Kong activists arrested as they reportedly sailed to Taiwan for political asylum and citizen journalist Zhang Zhan outside Chinas Liaison Office, in Hong Kong, China. Reuters

Important details about the gravity of the situation and the governments response were revealed through her recordings and livestreams.

Her reporting, meanwhile, also angered the Chinese authorities, who saw it as a challenge to their narrative.

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She had posted more than 100 videos on her YouTube channel, WeChat, and Twitter, as per BBC.

Zhang won a 2021 Press Freedom Award for Courage from Reporters Without Borders (RWB) for her reporting from the heart of the pandemics initial epicentre, which at the time was one of the main sources of independent information about the health situation in Wuhan.

Her detention

A day after she was reported missing on 14 May 2020, the authorities announced that she was detained by Shanghai police.

She was charged in November of that year of picking quarrels and provoking trouble, a vaguely defined charge in China often used in political cases, as per AP.

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Zhang was given a four-year prison sentence the following month in December of that same year.

Human rights organisations and media watchdogs said that Zhang was unfairly charged and demanded her release due to her failing health, reported BBC.

During her detention, Zhang staged a hunger strike to protest her unjust imprisonment and was hospitalized at one point in 2021.

According to the report, at the time, her attorney claimed that she was being force-fed via a tube.

Her health was deteriorating, according to reports from her lawyers and human rights organisations. Her ailments included low white blood cell count, gastrointestinal problems, and severe malnutrition.

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A couple wearing protective masks walks with a rose on a street in Shanghai, China. JN.1 has since been identified in 130 infections, including cases in England, France, the US and 15 other countries. File image/Reuters

Journalist Zhang Zhan, who courageously risked her life by informing the public on the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, is at risk of dying if she does not receive extensive medical treatment, the organisation said in a statement in September last year.

Zhangs family has faced police pressure during her stay in prison, and her parents have declined interview requests from media. Her family at times could only speak to their daughter by phone at the prison.

Citizen journalists were the only source of uncensored, first-hand information about the Covid-19 outbreak in China. Because they work independently of state-controlled media, citizen journalists face constant harassment for exposing information the government would rather keep quiet, BBC quoted Amnesty International as saying in a statement.

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Unknown status of her release

Zhang has finished serving her sentence at Shanghais Womens Prison and was due to be released on Monday.

Ren Quanniu, a former lawyer who previously represented Zhang, according to AP, said he could not reach her father and expressed concern that Zhang would be released only to be put under another form of control by police.

There were reports in recent weeks that her family and friends were under intense pressure from the authorities not to contact foreign media or overseas supporters about the case.

Shen Yanqiu, who had planned to go with Zhangs family to receive her at the prison, declined to speak to AP, saying she had been invited to drink tea, a euphemism for a police interrogation.

Calls to Zhangs brother and to the Shanghai Prison Administration office went unanswered.

The Chinese ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin also declined to comment on the case when asked Monday. He said, Im not aware of the situation.

Zhangs family hasnt had much communication with activists in recent weeks, according to Aleksandra Bielakowska, an advocacy officer for RWB in Taiwan, and the group hasnt heard anything about Zhang since Monday.

We dont know if they have been threatened, if they are under surveillance or if theyve been taken away, she told The Guardian, adding, The fact that there is silence is a message itself.

Its possible that Zhang was placed under restricted freedom, with limitations on her whereabouts and means of communication.

Everyone is paying attention and trying to find out whats going on, but theres no news, her lawyer said, as per the report.

In China, journalists detained for their work often remain under detention or surveillance even upon completion of their prison terms, Bielakowska told BBC.

I honestly think we will have no updates soon. They will probably try to detain her in a secret location, or keep her out of the eyesight for some time.

Maya Wang, the associate director in the Asia division at Human Rights Watch, was quoted by The Guardian, as saying, At the moment we have not had confirmation about Zhang Zhans release, which is especially concerning given her very poor health in prison.

We fear that upon release, Zhang will remain under tight police surveillance and restrictions on her movement, as has been the case for too many activists. It is important that the world does not forget brave activists like Zhang, and demand that she be freed without restrictions, Wang added.

Most released human rights advocates are kept quiet through informal means of suppression. Some try to leave the country and are successful in continuing to report on human rights violations in China but they are exceptions, said Prof Jerome Cohen, an expert in Chinese law, told BBC.

COVID-19 in China

The coronavirus remains a sensitive topic in China.

Earlier this month, a Chinese scientist who was the first to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus, staged a protest after authorities barred him from his lab after years of demotions and setbacks.

An Associated Press investigation also found that the government froze domestic and international efforts to trace the virus from the first weeks of the outbreak.

The case of whistleblower Dr Li Wenliang, who attempted to alert his colleagues about a Sars-like virus, was one of the most well-known cases.

In February 2020, Dr Li passed away following a COVID-19 infection, as per BBC.

Later on, it was revealed that he was being investigated for making false comments that were disturbing social order.

Other citizen journalists have also spent time in jail for documenting the early days of the pandemic, including Fang Bin, who published videos of overcrowded hospitals and bodies during the outbreak.

Fang was sentenced to three years in prison and released last April, as per AP.

Chen Qiushi, another citizen journalist, disappeared in February 2020 while filming in Wuhan.

Chen in September 2021 resurfaced on a friends live video feed on YouTube, saying he had suffered from depression but did not provide details about his disappearance.

Positive tales regarding the ruling Communist Partys COVID-19 response were widely disseminated through state media.

Top party figures announced victory over the virus in February 2023 and hailed the governments handling of the pandemic as a miracle.

With inputs from agencies
Kerala is seeing one of its worst Hepatitis A outbreaks, with over 1,900 confirmed cases and 12 deaths recorded in the first four-and-a-half months of this year. The virus is associated with poor hygiene and rising contamination of food and water resources in the state read more

After West Nile fever, Kerala is grappling with another public health crisis  an outbreak of Hepatitis A. The viral infection primarily transmitted through contaminated food and water or close contact with an infected person, has raised concerns among health officials and the populace alike.

In the first four-and-a-half months, the state has already recorded 1,977 cases and 12 deaths, with officials worrying that this could be one of the worst outbreaks. State Health Minister Veena George on Wednesday issued an alert for four districts  Kozhikode, Malappuram, Thrissur and Ernakulam  from where the most number of cases are reported.

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But why is this virus becoming a concern and who should remain vigilant? Lets take a closer look.

How does Hepatitis A spread?

As per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is highly contagious and can live for months in the environment without a host. It majorly affects your liver. It causes ones liver to be acutely inflamed, which is what hepatitis means.

In some severe cases, the viral infection might also damage the liver cells creating the need for a transplant. Although rare, in worst cases it might also lead to death, Dr Piyush Ranjan wrote in The Indian Express.

Hepatitis A usually spreads in areas where sanitation is poor and food and water are frequently contaminated. As per WHO, waterborne Hepatitis A outbreaks are associated with the contamination of water supply with sewage containing infected stools. Such outbreaks were reported in Delhi in 1954 and Kanpur in 1988-90.

HAV mainly spreads through the faeces of infected persons. In many places, leaky water pipelines get exposed to waste pipelines. This becomes glaring during the summer, when water supply becomes erratic, Public health expert Dr N M Arun told The Indian Express, adding that the water quality in the state has reduced significantly in recent years.

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Vengoor in Ernakulam district has been the worst affected district. Panchayat president Shilpa Sudheesh said the health department has found that the outbreak there was caused by contaminated water supplied by the state water authority. There was no proper chlorination of the water, she told The Indian Express.

Drinking contaminated water can lead to Hepatitis A. Representative image. Reuters

Since 17 April, approximately 200 individuals in the district have been diagnosed with HAV infection. Within the panchayat, one fatality has been recorded, and currently, 41 individuals are hospitalised, with four of them in critical condition.

Hepatitis A can also pass through close person-to-person physical contact, leading to large outbreaks in individual communities, as per Cleveland Clinic. The Kerala health minister has directed officials to bolster their efforts in managing the rising virus menace.

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Directions have been issued to strengthen grassroots-level action plans in these districts. Water sources in all affected areas will be chlorinated, and restaurants have been told to supply only boiled water. Eateries will be inspected to ascertain whether all employees have mandatory health cards, she was quoted as saying in The Indian Express report.

What are Hepatitis A symptoms?

As per Cleveland Clinic, here are 10 Hepatitis A signs that one should watch out for

1. Stomach pain, especially in the upper right quadrant

2. Loss of appetite

3. Nausea and vomiting

4. Diarrhoea

5. Weakness and fatigue

6. Fever

7. Jaundice (yellowing of your skin, nails, and eyes)

8. Joint pain

9. Itchy skin

10. Light-coloured stool and dark-coloured urine

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According to the WHO, the incubation period of this virus ranges from 14 to 28 days. As reported by the Indian Express, doctors may recommend a prothrombin time (PT) test to assess clot formation time and levels of prothrombin, a liver-produced protein essential for clotting.

Hepatitis A sometimes relapses, meaning the person who just recovered falls sick again with another acute episode. This is normally followed by recovery.

Who is at risk and why?

Typically, Hepatitis A infections primarily occur in early childhood, and most children do not usually experience noticeable symptoms, with only 10 per cent developing jaundice, as per WHO.

The recent outbreak presents a unique challenge as Hepatitis A, which usually affects children under 15, is disproportionately affecting older individuals, who typically have lower immunity and are more prone to developing severe symptoms.

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A large number of people in Kerala, where dependence on catering services for food is widespread, are exposed to contaminated food. Besides, we have a vulnerable population due to pervasive lifestyle diseases and alcoholism, explained to The Indian Express. He suggests that many of the individuals contracting the virus in Kerala might have acquired partial immunity from asymptomatic infections during their childhood.

Hepatitis A lead to inflammation in your lungs. Representative image. Reuters

Though Hepatitis outbreaks are common, it is particularly a concern for those with co-morbidities such as HIV or liver diseases due to weakened immune responses and slower recovery rates.

How to stay safe?

The way to save ourselves from this viral infection is by vaccinating ourselves against it. Individuals can receive either the standalone Hepatitis A vaccine or the combined vaccine containing both Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B. The Hepatitis A vaccine is typically administered in two doses, with the second shot given at least six months after the first. Meanwhile, the combined vaccine, suitable for individuals aged 18 and above, is administered in three doses over six months.

You can also follow some general hygiene protocols to save yourself from this infection such as:

1. Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and warm water before eating or drinking, and after using the restroom

2. Drink boiled water, as the water purifying machines do not filter viruses

3. Avoid street food or ice cubes in drinks in a restaurant because you do not know the source of the water frozen to form ice

4. Avoid eating peeled or raw fruit and vegetables in an area with low sanitation or hygienic standards

5. Keep your surroundings clean, and ensure proper disposal of waste and sewage within communities
Swati Maliwal has elborated the sequence of events in her compliant and has named Bibhav Kumar as the main accused in the case read more

The AAP MP has lodged a formal complaint regarding the alleged assault by Bibhav Kumar, an aide to Arvind Kejriwal Image Courtesy PTI

On Thursday, Delhi Police officials went to the home of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Swati Maliwal to record her testimony regarding the alleged assault by a member of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals entourage.

The AAP MP has lodged a formal complaint regarding the alleged assault by Bibhav Kumar, an aide to Arvind Kejriwal.

What happened to me was very bad. I have given my statement to the police on the incident that happened to me. I hope appropriate action will be taken. The past days have been very difficult for me. I thank those who prayed. Those who tried to do character assassination, said that they were doing it at the behest of the other party, God bless them too, Swati Maliwal said in a post on social media platform X.

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Acting under the direction of a rank officer Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP), the police squad spent over four hours obtaining information from the Rajya Sabha MP. According to reports, the Delhi police will register an FIR very soon.

Swati Maliwal has elborated the sequence of events in her compliant and has named Bibhav Kumar as the main accused in the case.

The Delhi Police likely to evoke Section 354 of the IPC - which concerns incidents regarding outraging the modesty of a women - in this case.

Meanwhile, pointing out that the Lok Sabha elections are currently being held, Swati Maliwal urged the BJP not to politicise the issue.

Important elections are going on in the country, Swati Maliwal is not important, the issues of the country are important. There is a special request to the BJP not to do politics on this incident, she said in her statement.
Seeking bail from Supreme Court to campaign for his party - JMM for the Lok Sabha polls 2024, Jharkhands former chief minister said, My case is covered by Arvind Kejriwals order read more

Exactly a week after the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the same division bench on Friday (May 17) will hear a similar plea of interim bail from Jharkhands former CM Hemant Soren, who was arrested in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.

Why is Hemant Soren seeking immediate interim bail?

Soren has filed a plea before the apex court, seeking interim bail to campaign for his party, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

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Soren cites Kejriwals bail order

Sorens plea was moved by his counsel Kapil Sibal. My case is covered by Arvind Kejriwals order. I need interim bail for campaigning (for Lok Sabha polls 2024), the plea stated.

The plea was submitted on May 13 and the court had initially listed the matter for hearing on May 20 saying there was too much work this week as many other matters were listed before it.

Sibal and another senior advocate Arunabh Chowdhury, also appearing for Soren, submitted, then dismissed this petition. Election will be over by then and he will be prejudiced if a long date is given in the matter."

I cant help it. May 20, this is the shortest date available. We never give one weeks time, Justice Sanjiv Khanna said.

Following persistent requests from Sibal, the Supreme Court agreed to prepone the hearing and listed it for May 17.

What was in Kejriwals interim bail order that Soren is referring to?

Delhi CM Kejriwal has been granted interim bail till June 1, the last date on Lok Sabha polls 2024. He has been asked by the Supreme Court to surrender on June 2.

Regarding Kejriwals interim bail order, the Supreme Court said it had heard counsel appearing for both the appellant (Arvind Kejriwal) as well as DoE (Directorate of Enforcement) at some length, albeit hearing is yet to conclude and considered decision will take time at this stage it is not possible for us to either conclude the arguments or finally pronounce the judgment."

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However, there is an intervening factor which has prompted us to consider and pass the present order, namely, 18th Lok Sabha General Elections, which are in progress. As the appeal is pending before us, we do not think it would be proper for us to direct the appellant  Arvind Kejriwal to approach the trial court for interim bail/release. This may not be apt in view of the legal issues and contentions that are under examination and consideration before us, Kejriwals bail order stated.

It is no gain saying that General Elections to Lok Sabha is the most significant and an important event this year, as it should be in a national election year. Given the prodigious importance, we reject the argument raised on behalf of the prosecution that grant of interim bail/release on this account would be giving premium of placing the politicians in a benefic position compared to ordinary citizens of this country. While examining the question of grant of interim bail/release, the courts always take into consideration the peculiarities associated with the person in question and the surrounding circumstances. In fact, to ignore the same would be iniquitous and wrong, it further said.

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Also Read: 5 conditions SC placed on Arvind Kejriwal for interim bail till June 1

Power to grant interim bail is commonly exercised in a number of cases. This case is not an exception. The appellant  Arvind Kejriwal is the Chief Minister of Delhi and a leader of one of the national parties. No doubt, serious accusations have been made, but he has not been convicted. He does not have any criminal antecedents. He is not a threat to the society. More importantly, legality and validity of the arrest itself is under challenge before this Court and we are yet to finally pronounce on the same, Kejriwals bail order said.

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Whats the case with Soren?

The probe against Soren pertains to an 8.86-acre plot of land in Ranchi that the ED has alleged was illegally acquired by him.

When asked in the apex court about this, Sibal, the Jharkhand ex-CMs counsel responded: One Raj Kumar Pahan is in possession of that land but I have nothing to do with it."

Soren, who is currently lodged at the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi, has challenged the May 3 order of the Jharkhand High Court dismissing his petition against his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Kejriwal did not step down and continued serving as Chief Minister of Delhi, but Soren had resigned as Jharkhand CM just before his arrest on January 31 this year.

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Bench which will hear Sorens bail plea

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, the same justices who heard Kejriwals plea and granted him bail on May 10 will be hearing Sorens petition on Friday.

The division bench has also asked the ED to submit its position through an affidavit as it had done in Kejriwals case.

LS polls in Jharkhand

As per the Election Commission of India (ECI), voting for 14 Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand were to be held in four of seven phases.

One phase of polling was already completed on May 13, while the remaining will be held on May 20, May 25 and June 1. The votes will be counted on June 4, 2024.
Mamata Banerjee said that TMC will support the INDIA bloc from the outside. However, this is not the first time TMC has flip-flopped on its decision to back the grand alliance read more

The majority of seats have already been contested for in the Lok Sabha elections with only three more phases to go before the results are announced on June 4. With half of the election already gone by, political leaders are playing their cards cautiously.

Among them is Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who is likely to have got a whiff of how the result might turn out. Banerjee on Wednesday made a big announcement about her partys next step during the ongoing elections, one that has created ripples among political circles.

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Last year, all the major Opposition political parties formed a grand alliance called the INDIA bloc. At first, the bloc appeared to be promising, with leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, and even Mamata Banerjee, showcasing the strength of togetherness that had one key goal in mind: defeating the BJP and taking the country forward jointly.

As days progressed toward elections, cracks developed in the alliance. While other political parties have been found contributing to the rift within INDI Alliance, TMC has time and again come on the edge about its support to the bloc.

In its latest, Mamata Banerjee said that TMC will support the INDIA bloc from the outside. However, this is not the first time TMC has flip-flopped on its decision to back the grand alliance.

West Bengal, which has 42 constituencies, is polling on all seven phases of Lok Sabha elections with key leaders from TMC, BJP, Congress and CPI(M) in the fray.

Will support INDIA from outside

BJP is claiming that it will win 400 seats, but people are saying it will not happen. The entire country has understood that the BJP is a party full of thieves. We (TMC) will support the INDIA bloc from outside to form a government at the Centre. We will extend our support so that in (West) Bengal, our mothers and sisters never face a problem and those who work in the 100 days job scheme, also do not face problems, the West Bengal chief minister said on Wednesday.

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Congress candidate from West Bengals Behrampore Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who had once urged voters to better vote for BJP than TMC, said, I dont trust her. She left the alliance and ran away.

#WATCH | West Bengal: On CM Mamata Banerjee's remarks "will support INDIA bloc from outside to form govt at Centre", Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury says, "I don't trust her. She left the alliance and ran away. She can also go towards the BJP... They were talking about pic.twitter.com/F3unHSUfD6  ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2024

Congress has invariably taken the majority of blows in such cases, being the largest national party in the alliance. Although TMC and the grand old party have been at odds in West Bengal for a long time, their coming together for the alliance was hoped to bring some calm.

Dont waste vote on Congress

Mamata Banerjee thinks voting for Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), both of which are part of the INDI Alliance, would ultimately benefit the BJP by splitting votes.

Clearing the air on her own comment on support for the alliance, Banerjee on Thursday said, Lot of people misunderstood me. We will be in the INDIA bloc. I made INDIA bloc, urging voters not to cast their votes to Congress or CPI(M).

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In April, Banerjee made similar comments where she claimed to have made the INDI Alliance. She also accused these parties of joining hands with BJP.

There is no INDIA alliance in West Bengal. I played a key role in the formation of the opposition alliance INDIA. Even the name of the alliance was given by me. But here in West Bengal, the CPI (M) and Congress are working for the BJP, the TMC leader said.

While Banerjee shares a decent rapport with Sonia Gandhi, the leader has constantly been under attack by senior Congress leaders in the state including Chowdhury and Abdul Mannan over TMCs governance.

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The many cases of corruption in the state under TMC, including the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) scam, have become a focal point this election season. Congress and CPI(M), the two main opposition parties in West Bengal have not fallen short to criticise the Mamata Banerjee-led party for taking the states development to a new low by committing crimes.

TMC fights alone

Earlier this year, Mamata Banerjee announced that her party would contest all the 42 seats in West Bengal alone, one of the first signs of the party doing away with the INDI Alliance.

Her reason? Congress refused all of Mamatas seat sharing proposals. Whatever proposal I gave them, they have refused allSince then, we have decided to go alone in Bengal, Banerjee said.

In response to her claim, Congress said, The Indian National Congress has repeatedly declared its desire to have a respectable seat-sharing agreement with the TMC in West Bengal. The Indian National Congress has always maintained that such an agreement has to be finalised through negotiations and not by unilateral announcements.

The apparent disagreement over seat sharing stems from Mamatas previous battles with Congress. The leader has accused the grand old party of fighting against her everyday in the past. She wants Congress to support regional parties like regional parties support it and nothing less.

I am giving you the support, but you are fighting against me every day. It should not be the policy. It is for everybody. If you want to get some good things, then you have to sacrifice yourself also, in some areas, she had said earlier.

Congress Nyay Yatra a strategy to appease Muslims

When Rahul Gandhi launched his second all-India rally, the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Mamata Banerjee said it is one of the many ways through which Congress is trying to appease Muslims.

She even spelt doubt over Congress victory in the Lok Sabha polls. I proposed that Congress contest 300 seats (across the country where BJP is the main opposition), but they refused to heed. Now, theyve arrived in the state to stir up Muslim voters. I doubt whether they will secure even 40 seats if they contested 300.

The yatra passed through West Bengal and for Banerjee the campaign was a mere photo opportunity for migratory birds in the state.
NCW has called for a hearing on the matter on May 17 and has ordered all concerned parties to appear before the commission in person. In case Kumar fails to appear for the hearing, the NCW will use the route of issuing summons through the police read more

The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Thursday summoned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals close aide Bibhav Kumar in connection to the Swati Maliwal assault case.

NCW has called for a hearing on the matter on May 17 and has ordered all concerned parties to appear before the commission in person.

In case Kumar fails to appear for the hearing, the NCW will use the route of issuing summons through the police, sources told News18.

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Earlier this week, AAP MP from Rajya Sabha Swati Maliwal alleged that Kumar, the former PA of Kejriwal, assaulted her at Kejriwals residence in New Delhi. She called Delhi Police to address her grievance but has not lodged a complaint on the matter yet.

Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday admitted that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals former personal assistant Bibhav Kumar misbehaved with Swati Maliwal, a Rajya Sabha MP and the former chief of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW).

During a press conference, AAP leader Sanjay Singh said, Yesterday, a condemnable incident took place. Swati Maliwal had gone to Arvind Kejriwals residence to meet him. While she was waiting for him in the drawing room, Vaibhav Kumar allegedly misbehaved with her. The CM has taken cognisance of the matter, and he will take appropriate action.

However, Kejriwal has not yet commented on the assault case and has evaded questions on the incident. To add fuel to the fire, a new video of the Delhi CM shows that Kumar accompanied him to Lucknow on Wednesday.

Maliwals ex-husband Naveen Jaihind has said that there is a threat to her life.
Exactly 49 years back, the Parliament of India passed the 36th Amendment Act on 16 May 1975 formally making Sikkim the 22nd state of India and deposing the Chogyal read more

(File) Tibetan spiritual guru the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, arrives to impart Buddhist religious teachings to around 30,000 devotees at Palzor Stadium, in Gangtok on 12 December, 2023. PTI

Sikkims history intertwines with both myth and reality where ancient tales blend with documented events. In Hindu mythology, the kingdom finds its earliest mention in Lord Shivas legendary appearance as a hunter at the Kirateshwar temple in Western Sikkim. However, the verifiable annals of Sikkims past commence with the 17th centurys tumultuous events.

Amid the strife between the Yellow Hat and Red Hat sects in Tibet during the 17th century, the Bhutia Tibetan community sought refuge in the sanctuary of Sikkim. This migration marked the beginning of Sikkims association with Tibetan culture and traditions shaping its identity in the centuries to come.

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In 1642, Sikkim witnessed a transformative moment with the ascension of its inaugural Chogyal or king. Consecrated by three eminent lamas from the southern, western and northern regions, the Chogyals authority extended over western Sikkim. Embarking on a path of expansion, the Chogyal, in alliance with the three lamas, annexed territories including the Chumbi Valley and parts of eastern Nepal.

The Chogyal instituted a system of governance, appointing 12 ministers to oversee 12 distinct administrative divisions. Despite efforts at consolidation, internal discord persisted among Sikkims diverse Tibetan communities, including the Bhutias, Lepchas, Limbus, and Magars. However, the Magars tenure within the kingdom was short-lived.

Influence of Buddhism

Buddhism played a significant role in shaping the cultural and religious landscape of ancient Sikkim. As early as the 8th century CE, Buddhism began to spread into the region from Tibet and the Indian plains. Monasteries, such as Rumtek Monastery, became centres of learning and spiritual practice, fostering the growth of Buddhist teachings and traditions.

During the 17th century, Sikkim experienced a significant influx of Tibetan refugees including Buddhist monks and scholars fleeing political unrest in Tibet. This influx contributed to the enrichment of Sikkims cultural tapestry as Tibetan Buddhism and Bhutia culture became more prominent.

The British era

During the British era, Sikkim was a small Himalayan kingdom situated between India and Tibet. It operated as a protectorate under British control, with the Chogyal managing internal affairs while the British controlled external relations. After India gained independence in 1947, Sikkim continued as a protectorate under Indian suzerainty and formalised by the 1950 Indo-Sikkim Treaty.

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Post-Independence era

Sikkims political landscape was characterised by tensions between the monarchy and democratic forces. The majority of the population were Nepali-speaking, alongside indigenous Lepchas and Bhutias, creating a complex socio-political environment. In the 1960s and early 1970s, there was increasing demand for democratic reforms culminating in widespread protests in 1973.

The elections in 1974 resulted in a pro-India party gaining a majority. A new constitution was adopted making Sikkim an associate state of India. However, tensions between the Chogyal and pro-Indian political forces continued.

Ultimately in April 1975, a referendum was held and an overwhelming majority voted for the abolition of the monarchy and full integration with India. Following the referendum, the Indian Parliament passed the 36th Amendment Act on 16 May 1975 formally making Sikkim the 22nd state of India and deposing the Chogyal.

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Recognition by China

China did not recognise Sikkim as a part of India for several years, but it eventually acknowledged Sikkims status as an Indian state in 2003. This acknowledgement was part of a broader process of improving relations between India and China.
During the hearing today, the apex court made it clear that the Delhi chief minister is not getting any special treatment read more

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal waves to supporters during a roadshow for Lok Sabha polls, in New Delhi on 15 May, 2024. PTI

Hearing the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals plea challenging the high court verdict which upheld his arrest in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam on Thursday, the Supreme Court made a few key observations but added that hearing will resume at 230 pm on Friday.

Denying any special treatment to the Delhi chief minister, Justice Sanjiv Khanna said, Our order was very clear. We specifically said we are not making exception to anybody.

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While setting aside aspersions on the investing officer of the money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam, Justice Dipankar Datta said, Assume IO has material in possession. On one hand incriminating, on the other exculpatory. There cant be dispute that IO has to be fair. If he ignores latter absolutely and says I have reasons, would it not afford ground for bail?

Adequacy, sufficiency we wont go into. But there has to be application of mind. If there are material favoring accused, he has to make it apparent. You have to look into the material. Otherwise how do we come to finding it is based on no material? You cant say only one side has to be seen by IO, Justice Datta said.

We will not say we will form the reason to believeif we have to quash, we will only say relevant material not taken into consideration. We are talking about an example, not this case. If this reasoning is accepted, that means till complaint is filed, there cant be any bail, Justice Khanna said.

Justice Datta while commenting on the reasons for arrest said, You may have good reasons to arrest, but in such a case, you will have to touch upon S.164 statement and say J Datta: If you have other material which renders the version in 164 not believablewhy would you divest yourself of the powerto defend your decision to arrest, you are required touch upon it.

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In course of the argument, Justice Khanna said, We accept mini-trial cant be held. Parameters are going to be different when you take away liberty. Therefore, it may be wrong to argue that because charge is framed, person cant be granted bail.

Listing out reasons why the arrest of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is valid, Additional solicitor general SV Raju said, From the material, my submission is it is beyond doubt that IO(investigating officer) can come to the conclusion that petitioner has committed offense. Most important material is he demanded Rs100 crore in bribe. If that material is there, as a result of which Rs100 crore was generated, it was sent to different places, it reached Goa, and used in election campaign and for AAP. This is not the stage to look into credibility of evidence. Statement on which reliance is placed has to be taken to be correct. Yardstick that some other person would come to a different conclusion is not the criteria.

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Informing that AAP is going to be made accused, ASG Raju said, Not only kickback monies were received, but we also have evidence today that he stayed in a 7-star hotel in Goa where bills were running in lakhs. And payment was made by Chaman Preet Singh, who received cash. The vicarious role is also there. As far as his role, he demanded Rs 100 crore. Rs 45 crore handled by Chaman Preet Singh, who paid for his hotel in Goa.

The Supreme Court had on Friday gave interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal till 1 June after he sought a release from jail to campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

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He was arrested in an excise policy case on 21 March.

The legal team of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday raised objection to the affidavit filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) opposing his interim bail in the Supreme Court.

The team issued a press release revealing that a formal complaint in this regard has been lodged with the Supreme Courts registry.

Denouncing the EDs affidavit as a blatant disregard of legal procedures, the release said the affidavit was submitted without taking the SCs approval and issued at a time when the matter is already slated for a final decision in the top court on Friday.

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What EDs latest affidavit says

The right to campaign in an election is neither a fundamental nor a constitutional right, the Enforcement Directorate submitted to the apex court on Thursday, a day ahead of the scheduled pronouncement of the courts order on grant of interim bail to Kejriwal in an alleged money laundering case.

The agency in its affidavit said, In light of the above factual and legal submissions, the prayer for interim bail deserves to be rejected as it would not only be contrary to settled principles of law but violate the rule of law which is a basic feature of the Constitution.

It underscored that grant of any special concession to the Delhi chief minister and enlarging him on interim bail for campaigning in the general elections would be anathema to the rule of law and equality and create a precedent.

Grant of interim bail merely for political campaigning would militate against and will be discriminatory to the rule of equality as work/business/ profession or activity of every citizen is equally important to him or her, it said, adding it would not be possible to hold that the work of a small farmer or trader is any less important than campaigning by a political leader who admittedly is not contesting.

It said, This Court would take the call about grant/refusal of interim bail/release after 3-day long arguments of the petitioner. As against this, the respondents (ED) have just begun. On this ground also this court may take a final view about the petition after fully hearing the respondent particularly when there is no medical urgency which requires consideration of interim release without fully hearing the respondents.

The agency said if Kejriwal is extended any interim relief on account of him being a politician for campaigning in the Lok Sabha polls for his party, there is no gainsaying that all jailed politicians would seek similar treatment claiming they are in a class of their own.

A politician can claim no special status higher than that of an ordinary citizen and is as much liable to be arrested and detained for committing offences as any other citizen, it said in its 44-page affidavit.

The agency submitted that there is absolutely no principle which justifies giving a differential treatment to a politician for campaigning over a farmer or a businessman who wishes to pursue his vocation.

If the right to campaign is treated as a basis for grant of interim bail it would breach the principles of Article 14 for the reason that harvesting for a farmer would be an equally important factor seeking interim bail as would a board meeting or an annual general meeting for a director of a company who commits a crime as these are their respective vocations or professions, it said.

Pointing out that Kejriwal has not filed petitions for regular or interim bail before the apex court or any other court, the ED said the consistent approach of this court has been to relegate parties to the remedy of bail under CrPC when they had challenged their arrest claiming it to be illegal.

It referred to the orders passed by the court in the cases of former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, AAP leader Sanjay Singh and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha, where the court asked them to move bail petitions in the money laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy scam.

The agency said such an approach would violate the cherished values of the Constitution which upholds the rule of law as a basic feature meaning thereby that howsoever high you might be you are not above the law.

On Wednesday, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who headed the bench that heard Kejriwals petition against his arrest in the case, said, We will pronounce the interim order (on bail) on Friday. The main matter related to the challenge to arrest will also be taken up on the same day.

The Delhi High Court had last month upheld the AAP leaders arrest, saying there was no illegality and the ED was left with little option after his skipping several summonses and refusing to join the investigation.

ED charge sheet soon

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is expected to soon file a fresh charge sheet in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case and it may name Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, BRS leader K Kavitha and some others as accused, official sources said on Thursday.

The federal agency had arrested Kejriwal from his official residence here on March 21 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) while Kavitha, the MLC daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was taken into custody from Hyderabad on 15 March.

Official sources said a prosecution complaint against half-a-dozen entities, including the two politicians, some linked individuals and companies, has been readied and the agency may file it before a special PMLA court here within the next 4-5 days.

The accused will be charged with money laundering and the prosecution complaint will be filed under sections 45 and 44(1) of the PMLA, the sources said.

The agency may also name the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in this charge sheet along with attachment of some fresh assets in the case that was registered in 2022.

This will be the seventh charge sheet by the ED in this case in which it has arrested 18 people so far including Kejriwals party colleague and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and others. Singh was granted bail sometime back.

AAP sources alleged that the expected complaint was nothing but the BJPs charge sheet and that the party in power at the Centre only intends to defame Kejriwal.

The ED sources said the agency is expected to charge Kejriwal with non-cooperation in its investigation and being vicariously liable for the offence committed by the AAP, being the national convenor of the said party and because of his role and active involvement in the day-to-day affairs and the conduct of the business of AAP.

It may reiterate its earlier charge made against Kejriwal, before a court, that as the AAP national convenor and member of its national executive, Kejriwal was ultimately responsible for the funds being used in the election expenses including their generation.

Kejriwal, 55, has been called by the ED the kingpin and key conspirator of the Delhi excise scam orchestrated in collusion with ministers of the Delhi government, AAP leaders and other persons.

The ED has also alleged that Rs 45 crore kickbacks, out of the Rs 100 crore bribe provided by the South Group, were used by the AAP for the Goa assembly election campaign in 2022.

The South Group liquor lobby allegedly includes Kavitha, TDP Ongole seat Lok Sabha candidate Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, his son Raghav Reddy and others.

The excise case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi governments excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged irregularities. Subsequently, the ED registered a case under the PMLA.

The ED filed its money laundering case on 22 August, 2022, taking cognisance of the CBI FIR that was lodged on 17 August, 2022.

A day ahead of the scheduled pronouncement of its order on grant of interim bail to Kejriwal in the money laundering case, the ED told the Supreme Court on Thursday that the right to campaign in an election is neither a fundamental nor a constitutional right.

The central probe agency said there were numerous examples where politicians contested elections while in judicial custody, and some even won, but were never granted interim bail for campaigning.

The matter relates to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi governments now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22.

The AAP leader was arrested on 21 March and is currently lodged in Tihar Jail under judicial custody.
By leveraging the corridors vast potential and fostering closer cooperation with Iran, India can not only safeguard its own interests but also contribute to broader efforts aimed at countering Chinese influence in the region read more

The recent signing of a 10-year agreement to manage the Chabahar Port in Iran marked a significant milestone in Indias regional connectivity ambitions. Situated on Irans south-eastern coast, Chabahar Port holds immense strategic importance for India, serving as a vital conduit for trade with Iran, Central Asia, and Russia. Moreover, the port plays a pivotal role in operationalising the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a key initiative aimed at bolstering trade links between the ports on Indias western coast with Iran and Russia via Azerbaijan.

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However, Indias efforts to develop Chabahar Port have not gone unnoticed by the United States, which has long maintained stringent sanctions against Iran. Just hours after the Chabahar deal was inked, the US issued a stern warning, emphasising the potential risk of sanctions  for anyone engaging in business dealings with Tehran. This thinly veiled threat underscores Washingtons determination to enforce its unilateral sanctions regime, regardless of the collateral damage it may inflict on strategic partnerships and regional stability.

Yet, for India, the stakes are too high to capitulate to American pressure. The Chabahar Port project represents not just an economic opportunity but a strategic imperative for diversifying trade routes and reducing dependence on volatile transit corridors controlled by unfriendly neighbours. By bypassing the ports of Karachi and Gwadar in Pakistan, India can unlock new avenues for trade with Central Asia and Russia, bolstering its economic resilience and geopolitical leverage.

The recent signing of a 10-year agreement between Indian Ports Global Limited (IPGL) and the Port & Maritime Organisation of Iran marks a significant milestone; this landmark deal, valued at $370 million, underscores the ports growing importance as a vital trade artery connecting India with the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union. With IPGL pledging an investment of $120 million and an additional credit window of $250 million , the stage is set for significant infrastructural enhancements and capacity building at the port. This infusion of capital will not only bolster the ports operational efficiency but also pave the way for expanded trade volumes and enhanced connectivity.

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Since assuming operations at the end of 2018, IPGL has made remarkable strides in transforming Chabahar Port into a bustling hub of economic activity. The port has handled container traffic exceeding 90,000 TEUs and bulk and general cargo totaling over 8.4 million tonnes. More importantly, Chabahar Port has played a pivotal role in facilitating the shipment of essential commodities, including 2.5 million tonnes of wheat and 2,000 tonnes of pulses, from India to Afghanistan.

Indias persistent advocacy for the inclusion of Chabahar Port in the framework of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) underscores its strategic importance as a linchpin in regional connectivity initiatives. While Bandar Abbas has traditionally served as Irans busiest port, Indias push for Chabahars integration into the INSTC framework reflects its recognition of the ports unparalleled advantages. National Security Advisor Ajit Dovals assertion of Indias desire to integrate Chabahar into the INSTC framework , voiced during an NSA-level meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), reaffirms Indias strategic vision for the region.

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Moreover, Chabahars strategic location closer to Indias west coast and its natural deep-sea port capability, which allows accommodation of full-size container ships, distinguish it from its counterpart. Indias substantial investments, totaling about $500 million since 2016, underscore its unwavering commitment to developing Chabahar Port, particularly the Shahid Beheshti terminal. Hence, by positioning Chabahar as a gateway to the INSTC, India aims to harness its potential to facilitate the development of the corridor.

Initially proposed in 2002, the INSTC envisioned a sprawling network of sea, rail, and road routes spanning 7,200 km, aimed at facilitating trade between India and Russia while circumventing Pakistan. Despite its ambitious scope, implementation faltered due to logistical challenges such as poor rail connectivity within Iran and cumbersome customs procedures at various borders, leading to waning interest among participating countries.

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However, recent developments have breathed new life into the INSTC, fuelled by a confluence of factors. The burgeoning trade between India and Russia following the Ukraine crisis, coupled with Indias economic growth and emergence as the fourth-largest economy globally has rendered its market increasingly lucrative for Russia and other energy-rich Central Asian nations, underscoring the economic rationale for reviving the INSTC. The Indian government has been recently making efforts to diversify trade routes through initiatives like the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). However, the resurgence of conflict in the Middle East, particularly the Hamas-Israel conflict, has cast a shadow over IMECs prospects, amplifying the significance of the INSTC as a reliable conduit for trade and commerce.

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Over the years, the INSTC has undergone two dry runs in 2014 and 2017, validating its feasibility and potential benefits. These trials, conducted on routes to Azerbaijan via Iran and to Russias Astrakhan via the Caspian Sea, demonstrated the corridors viability as a cost-effective and efficient alternative to traditional sea routes. Studies conducted by experts, including Shankar Shinde, former chairman of the Freight Forwarders Associations in India (FFFAI), have affirmed the INSTCs superiority over the Suez Canal route in terms of cost and time efficiency. This validation reinforces the corridors potential to revolutionize trade dynamics and unlock new avenues for commerce between participating nations.

Despite challenges posed by American sanctions against Iran, the INSTC has remained operational since 2018-19, facilitating smaller shipments even amidst geopolitical headwinds. In July 2022, the first major commercial consignment, comprising wood laminates, was transported from Russia to India via the corridor. Following this, at the Caspian Sea Summit in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Russian President Vladimir Putin lauded the INSTC as a transport artery connecting St Petersburg to ports in Iran and India. This endorsement highlights the corridors strategic importance for Moscow.

Furthermore, Indias trade landscape has witnessed a dramatic transformation in recent years. Rapid imports of cheap Russian oil have fuelled exponential growth in bilateral trade, with figures soaring from $4.86 billion in April-January FY 21-22 to $65 billion in 2023-24. The cheap Russian energy, however, loses its lucrativeness due to transportation costs incurred on the long meandering sea routes from the Pacific and the Northern Sea (which often becomes inaccessible for freight during the Winter season). The desire to bypass the transportation inaccessibility produced by the Arctic freeze and the long and vulnerable sea routes between Russian energy export points and India has further made the INSTC increasingly important for Russia.

Interestingly, while Indian companies initially exercised caution due to US sanctions against Iran, sanctions against Russia have paradoxically led to a boost in trade between India and Moscow and given a second life to Chabahar and INSTC. However, the specter of American sanctions posing a significant challenge to the corridors progress cannot be entirely dismissed. To mitigate the risk of disruption posed by sanctions, the Indian government must devise effective strategies to safeguard its companies operating in Chabahar and the INSTC. Ensuring the success of the INSTC requires concerted efforts to protect the corridor from external pressures. Indias proactive engagement with stakeholders, coupled with diplomatic initiatives to garner support for the corridor, and developing banking infrastructure capable of bypassing American sanctions, will be crucial in overcoming obstacles and advancing the projects objectives.

The corridor offers a vast scope for trade with the states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) boasting a collective GDP of $2.4 trillion and abundant reserves of essential resources such as iron, coal, uranium, gas, and oil which are crucial for Indias growing economy. Moreover, the inclusion of Iran in the INSTC through the Chabahar raises Indias accessibility and will help strategically balance Chinese entry into the Arabian Sea through the Gwadar Port. By facilitating closer cooperation with Iran, the INSTC not only strengthens Indias energy security but also serves as a bulwark against Chinese dominance in the region.

Moreover, the prospect of Chinese entry into Chabahar Port poses a strategic challenge, potentially undermining Indias interests and consolidating Chinese influence in the region. It should be noted that both the Chabahar Port and Gwadar were originally part of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Hence, by bolstering cooperation with Iran through initiatives like the INSTC, India can effectively counter Chinese dominance and prevent Iran from falling into total dependence on China, akin to the trajectory Russia took since the onset of the conflict in Ukraine.

It is in the interest of the United States to support Indias engagement with Chabahar Port and the INSTC, as it aligns with broader objectives of countering Chinese hegemony in Central Asia and Iran. Rather than viewing Indias investments in Chabahar as anti-American, the United States should recognise them as driven by Indias national interest and strategic imperatives. By ensuring Indias energy security and if not challenging but at least gradually diluting Chinese hegemony in Central Asia, Indias strategic recalibration in the region ultimately benefits US interests in the long term.

In conclusion, the INSTC through the Chabahar represents a strategic imperative for India, offering a pathway to economic prosperity, regional stability, and diversification of energy supply lines. By leveraging the corridors vast potential and fostering closer cooperation with Iran, India can not only safeguard its own interests but also contribute to broader efforts aimed at countering Chinese influence in the region. As India navigates the complexities of geopolitics, its engagement with the INSTC emerges as a cornerstone of its strategic vision for the Eurasian region, promising mutual benefits for all stakeholders involved.

The writer is Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at BITS-Pilani, Goa. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
With Benjamin Netanyahu adamant that Hamas has to be completely eliminated and the Rafah offensive will go through, the situation is likely to become tougher for Israel in the coming weeks read more

Israel marked Memorial Day on 13 May, followed by the 76th Independence Day on May 14, in a rather muted manner, owing to the ongoing war in Gaza. Striking an angry and defiant tone, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while addressing the nation on the Memorial Day, said that Israel would never forget and will not let anyone else forget the crimes Hamas committed on 7 October, 2023, making it clear that Israel is in no hurry to end the war until it extracts full revenge from Hamas and eliminates it from the face of the Earth.

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With the war stagnating and repeated attempts towards an early ceasefire faltering, it is becoming more and more difficult to find an end to this war which is extracting a huge price on human lives in Gaza. As per estimates published by the Gaza Ministry of Health, over 35,000 lives have already been lost with the majority of them being women and children.

In the past few weeks, every passing day has brought more and more negative news for Israel. A brief review of the war over the past seven months clearly reveals that it has so far been a story of missed opportunities, war fought more on ego than strategy and setting in of frustration and disillusionment within Israel and its allies. And Netanyahu, caught in the middle of all this, is finding himself trapped, with walls closing in on him with every passing day.

Missed opportunities

Israel had vowed revenge after the Hamas terror attack into Israel on October 7 killed more than 1,100 people in Israel, marking it as the worst single-day attack on it, ever. Its initial war strategy was, therefore, based solely on revenge and rage. However, after the initial retaliation which led to hundreds of Hamas combat cadre being eliminated and its military potential severely degraded, Israel did not revise its military goals and continued to strike Gaza with a singular aim of eliminating Hamas forever. This was completely unlike the previous wars that Israel had fought in Gaza right from Operation Cast Lead in December 2008 where Israel, after achieving its military objectives, withdrew forces from Gaza.

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However, this time perhaps Israel decided that enough is enough and Hamas cannot be left to mount another attack in future on Israel. In this state of mind, Israels leadership failed to set concrete and achievable politico-military goals. As a result of which, the war drags on and opportunities to end the war have been missed.

The first opportunity came in November 2023, a month after the war started when a humanitarian truce was agreed to, leading to exchange hostages, primarily women, children and elderly. The truce was extended twice before Israel unilaterally resumed its operations on 1 December.

Another opportunity went by in January this year when a ceasefire proposal was presented in Paris on January 28. The deal proposed a ceasefire of six weeks coupled with the first phase of civilian hostage releases. The ceasefire could be extended for a longer period later. Israel initially voiced concerns and dismissed a counter proposal from Hamas for a ceasefire of 135 days, calling it delusional.

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On 25 March, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) finally succeeded in getting a resolution passed which demanded an immediate ceasefire and unconditional release of all hostages. Israel was furious at the US for letting the resolution pass and alleged that the US had abandoned its policy in the UN and was harming the war effort and the measures for the release of Israeli hostages in Hamass custody. The resolution remains un-actioned.

As recent as April 30, another deal was presented which involved the release of 33 hostages in the custody of Hamas during the first stage of a 40-day ceasefire. The deal also envisaged a second phase of 40 days when the rest of the hostages, including male civilians and soldiers, as well as the bodies of others would be released in return for end of hostilities and return of Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Despite the US pushing this proposal, PM Netanyahu rejected the deal and stated, We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there, with or without a deal, in order to achieve total victory. Despite continuing negotiations in Cairo and Doha, Israel does not look inclined towards a peace deal.

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Closing in of the trap

A number of analyses on the war in Gaza have suggested that the terror strike by Hamas on 7th October was a trap and Israel fell right into it. The initial rage and revenge prevented Israel from looking at the situation rationally and to use its military superiority to strike hard and end the war swiftly, and on its terms. As a result, with every passing episode in the war, Israel is finding itself getting trapped deeper and deeper into the conflict without any clearly defined exit. Few of such events merit attention to highlight this aspect.

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One of the major things that has gone against Israel is the indiscreet targeting of schools, hospitals, refugee camps and UN compounds leading to global outrage, rapidly shifting narrative against it and thousands of deaths.

The Israeli strike on the Iranian Consulate building in Damascus on April 1 should definitely count as a self-goal by Israel. It not only gave the perfect and legitimate opportunity to Iran to strike inside Israel for the first time but also led it to shed its strategic patience, signalling dangerous escalation in case of any future provocation.

The withdrawal of all Israeli troops from Gaza (except one brigade) on April 7 and moving those northwards too has to be counted as a serious miscalculation. It gave the ideal opportunity for Hamas to return back to vacated areas in Gaza. As a result, the IDF, on its return to Gaza, is facing renewed battles in Central and Northern Gaza, especially in areas of Gaza city, Jabilia Camp and Nuseirat Camps. Result  not only has its military campaign gone haywire, Israel is being inflicted with major casualties too. Israeli media reports suggest that the IDF has lost more than 20 soldiers in the past three days and a major military base close to Tel Aviv has been damaged by a major fire caused by the unknown.

The attack on international aid convoys as well as UN personnel too is causing severe backlash. The attack on convoy of World Central Kitchen (WCK) on April 1 was condemned worldwide and on May 13, an Israeli strike on a UN vehicle led to the first international casualty wherein Colonel Waibhav Kale (retired) from India was killed. As per the UN, more than 190 UN staff have been killed in the Gaza war till now.

The Rafah offensive is the final nail as regards the war is concerned. On May 6, the Israeli military issued orders for evacuation of 100,000 Palestinians in eastern Rafah and Israeli tanks entered there in the early hours of May 7, taking control over the Rafah crossing on the Palestinian side, opposite Egypt. With over 1.3 million people in Rafah, a full-scale offensive will result in a human massacre of unprecedented scale. A mass exodus has already started and almost 3,60,000 people have reported to have left Rafah, moving northwards back into Gaza.

Almost all stakeholders including the US, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey have declared that the Rafah offensive is a red line and should not be crossed. The US has even put its arms shipment to Israel on hold and warned that arms shipments could be stopped if there is a full-scale invasion of Rafah. But Israel is not listening and PM Netanyahu has made it clear that with support or no support, Israel will go through with the Rafah operations, stating, If we need to we will stand alone. We will fight with our fingernails.

Qatar, the mediator in ceasefire talks, too has termed the Rafah offensive backwards. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has called upon Israel to devise a strategic endgame and a post-war plan. Else, Israel could be mired in a counter-insurgency campaign that never ends.

The context of Chakravyuh

The context of Chakravyuh (circular military formation) is drawn from the Indian epic Mahabharata. During the war, Dronacharya plans a Chakravyuh for the Kauravas to trap the Pandavas. Explaining it, Col Vivek Chadha (Retired), Senior Fellow at MP-IDSA, said that it was a multi-layered dynamic formation set up to surround enemy formations. This extremely complex and deceptive set up required very high military skills to break through. It was said that only Abhimanyu and Arjuna on the side of Pandavas could breach the Chakravyuh. However, Abhimanyu was not trained to break out of the Chakravyuh. As the story goes, while Arjun is lured into another part of the battlefield, it is left to his son Abhimanyu to fight through the Chakravyuh. Unfortunately, while Abhimanyu is able to penetrate the various layers of Chakravyuh, other warriors following him are unable to do so, leaving Abhimanyu stranded. Fighting gallantly, Abhimanyu is faced by insurmountable odds as the inner layers of the formation close in upon him, until he is eventually brought down by the Kauravas.

However, unlike the Mahabharata where Abhimanyu is forced to enter the Chakravyuh in his fight for the greater cause, but is finally unable to find an exit, in the case of Israel and Netanyahu, they are unwilling to take many exit routes out of the Chakravyuh presented to them from time to time. It is as if Netanyahu is bent upon being seen as the martyr who went down fighting the Chakravyuh of the Gaza war, in the greater cause for the future of Israel. With Netanyahu adamant that Hamas has to be completely eliminated and the Rafah offensive will go through, the situation is likely to become tougher for Israel in the coming weeks.

Adding to it, if the US stops its shipment of offensive military supplies to Israel, Egypt opens a military front across Rafah, and Hezbollah ups the ante in the North, the walls of Chakravyuh will start closing in for Netanyahu very soon. Coupled with it, the growing opposition at home, especially from the family of hostages, is not making it any easier for him. His own military Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, was quoted on May 11, tearing into Netanyahu during security consultations for the failure to develop and declare a so-called day after strategy. He added that as long as there isnt a diplomatic move to develop a governing body in the Strip that isnt Hamas, well have to act again and again in other places to dismantle Hamass infrastructure. It will be a Sisyphean task. There have also been reports of arguments over the war and its end state between Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

It may, therefore, be prudent for Netanyahu to take a deliberate review of what Israel wants as a definable end state of war, soon. Else, the walls of Chakravyuh may keep closing in to an extent where there may not be many viable exit options left for Israel.

The author is Assistant Director, MP-IDSA. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
ISROs fleet of 30 spacecraft in geostationary orbit remained unscathed by the solar onslaught. However, because of precautionary measures the some instruments onboard the INSAT-3DS and INSAT-3DR, used by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), were temporarily shut read more

Aditya-L1, ISRO's latest solar mission provided some crucial insights into the solar storms. Several instruments onboard, including the SoLEXS and HEL1OS, detected multiple X and M-class solar flares, while the SWIS module captured increased solar wind particle flux. Image Credit: ISRO

During the recent solar storms that caused major signal disruptions in most parts of the world, and made the aurora borealis appear in a number of unusual places, Indian satellites remained resilient. Despite the onslaught of powerful solar storms, Indias Aditya L-1 and Chandrayaan Satellites stayed completely functional and even took some interesting images and collected data, said the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Between May 10 and 11, the Earth was hit as intense solar storms, which originated from the highly active region AR13664 on the sun. This event unleashed a barrage of solar flares, including at least four X class (the most intense) and numerous M class (moderate intensity) that hit them.

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These solar eruptions marked the most potent flares to hit Earth since November 2003. The storms were so powerful that they ignited a spectacular display of aurorae in across numerous places on Earth which usually dont get to see them. Even some places closer to the equator, such as Indias Ladakh closer got to see them.

ISROs vigilant observatories were primed to capture the solar spectacle. They successfully documented the disturbances caused by Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) and intense solar flares.

Despite the ferocity of the solar storms, ISRO reported minimal disruption in the Indian sector. The lower latitudes shielded India from widespread outages experienced in other parts of the world, particularly over the Pacific and the Americas.

ISROs fleet of 30 spacecraft in geostationary orbit remained unscathed by the solar onslaught. However, because of precautionary measures the Star Sensor onboard INSAT-3DS and INSAT-3DR, which are used by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), were temporarily deactivated

Nevertheless, satellites orbiting in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) encountered significant drag, a consequence of the increased solar activity. Several satellites, including EOS-07 and Cartosat-F, experienced some orbital decay, with deviations ranging from 50 to 600 meters, as per ISROs report.

Aditya-L1, ISROs latest solar mission provided some crucial insights into the solar storms. Several instruments onboard, including the SoLEXS and HEL1OS, detected multiple X and M-class solar flares, while the SWIS model captured increased solar wind particle flux.

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Even Chandrayaan-2, which was orbiting the lunar poles, observed some intriguing phenomena thanks to to the geomagnetic storm. The Solar X-Ray Monitor (XSM) onboard Chandrayaan-2 has been gathering some vital data on the increased local high-energy particle environment since May 9.

Despite the challenges posed by the solar storms, ISROs satellites maintained operational integrity, which is a testament to the agencys preparedness and technological prowess in navigating spaces dynamic environment.

ISRO is continuously monitoring space weather to ensure that Indias crucial infrastructure in space continues to functional normally.
Scared of how prominent China was with the internet revolution in tech, a team of bipartisan senators have suggested that the US government spend upwards of $32 billion annually, and ensure the US is better positioned in AI read more

The US is worried about China's ability to outperform the US when it comes to AI. Some senators believe they will require more than $32 billion to stay ahead of them in the AI race. Image Credit: AFP

A bipartisan group of senators, led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, is urging Congress to approve $32 billion in funding for artificial intelligence (AI) research. Their goal is to ensure that the United States maintains its lead over China in this critical technology.

The senatorsRepublicans Mike Rounds and Todd Young, along with Democrat Martin Heinrich presented their proposal hoping to tackle both the potential benefits and risks of AI.

Schumer emphasised the urgency of the investment, noting that if the US fails to match Chinas $50 billion investment in AI, it risks falling behind. He stressed the importance of these investments to prevent China from surpassing the US in AI capabilities.

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The roadmap aims to address growing concerns about Chinas AI advancements, which include worries about election interference, bioweapons development, and cyberattacks. US officials have raised alarms about Chinas misuse of AI, highlighting the need for action to protect American interests.

Senator Rounds underscored the long-term benefits of investing in AI, noting that while China currently outspends the US by about tenfold on AI development, timely investments can ensure Americas competitiveness in the future.

The proposed funding would focus on non-defence applications of AI, although senators are also considering allocating a substantial amount for defence-related AI initiatives.

Key priorities outlined by the senators include funding cross-government AI research and development, establishing an AI-ready data initiative across all government agencies, and creating infrastructure for AI testing and evaluation.

As the US aims to safeguard its AI capabilities from foreign threats, bipartisan support for substantial funding underscores the importance of maintaining technological leadership in an increasingly competitive global landscape.

Key points of the proposal include:

A collaborative effort across government agencies to advance AI research and development, including infrastructure enhancements to facilitate data sharing and utilization. Support for American AI hardware and software development, particularly at the semiconductor and architecture levels, through initiatives like the CHIPS Act. Expansion of the National AI Research Resource and the establishment of AI grand challenges to foster innovation in various fields. Focus on AI readiness and cybersecurity, particularly in safeguarding elections from misinformation while upholding First Amendment rights Modernization of federal government operations through the integration of AI technologies to enhance efficiency and improve service delivery. Addressing defense-related concerns, such as assessing and mitigating AI-enhanced threats, particularly in areas like chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear security. Examination of regulatory gaps in finance and housing to prevent the misuse of AI-driven processes that could further marginalize vulnerable groups. Consideration of regulations to prohibit harmful uses of AI, including the creation of nonconsensual imagery and media. Ensuring regulatory agencies have the necessary tools to evaluate AI applications in healthcare and medical fields. Establishing transparency requirements for AI systems, both in public and private sectors, to enhance accountability and trust. Improving access to information about the origin and usage of training data, a crucial aspect in understanding AI systems decision-making processes. Assessing the risks and benefits of using private versus open source AI technologies.

While the proposal outlines ambitious goals, it acknowledges the challenges of implementing such initiatives, especially given the fast-paced nature of the AI industry. The document primarily serves as a starting point for discussions, with many of the proposed measures requiring further research and refinement before becoming law.

As the AI landscape continues to evolve rapidly, its essential for policymakers to stay proactive in addressing emerging challenges and opportunities to ensure the United States remains at the forefront of AI innovation.
China describes its friendship with Cambodia as ironclad. Cambodia is Chinas closest ally in Southeast Asia, while China is Cambodias most important ally and benefactor, with a strong influence on its economy. read more

A Chinese army prepares a weapon on an armoured vehicle before a participating in the Golden Dragon military exercise in Svay Chok village, Kampong Chhnang province, north of Phnom Penh Cambodia, Thursday, May 16, 2024.- AP

Cambodia and China began 15-day military exercises on Thursday as questions grow about Beijings increasing influence in the Southeast Asian nation.

About 1,315 Cambodian military personnel and 760 Chinese are participating in the regular Golden Dragon ground and sea maneuvers, including three Chinese and 11 Cambodian ships.

As the first stage of the exercises got underway at a Cambodian military base with a forested and mountainous training area about 90 kilometers (55 miles) northwest of Phnom Penh, Cambodian army commander in chief Gen. Vong Pisen thanked China for providing new equipment and helping to upgrade military facilities, including the Ream Naval Base.

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The United States and others have worried that Chinas involvement in building a new pier at the Ream base could lead to it becoming a new outpost for the Chinese navy at a strategically important location on the Gulf of Thailand. As the Golden Dragon exercises began, two Chinese warships had been docked at the pier for more than five months, stoking those concerns.

Cambodia has insisted, however, that its constitution prohibits the deployment of foreign military forces on its territory, and the Defense Ministry said the two Chinese corvettes were just testing the pier and were on hand to participate in the Golden Dragon exercises, whose second phase will include maritime maneuvers near the Ream base.

Vong Pisen, speaking alongside Adm. Gao Xiucheng from the Chinese militarys Southern Theater Command, underscored Cambodias official position, saying the country would not allow any foreign military base on our territory.

At the same time, he acknowledged Chinas contribution to helping Cambodia upgrade its military capabilities and said the exercises would help build deeper cooperation and trust between the forces of the two countries.

The two military officers inspected troops and an array of armored fighting vehicles, artillery and other equipment ahead of the start of the maneuvers.

The Golden Dragon exercises have been held on a regular basis since 2016, around the same time that Cambodia canceled similar exercises with the United States known as Angkor Sentinel.

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Cambodia is Chinas closest ally in Southeast Asia, while China is Cambodias most important ally and benefactor, with a strong influence on its economy.

Beyond military projects, China funds numerous others in Cambodia  particularly infrastructure, including airports and roads, but also private projects such as hotels, casinos and property development. More than 40% of Cambodias $10 billion in foreign debt is owed to China.
In November 2018, the US government led by Donald Trump had exempted India from certain sanctions for the development of Chabahar port read more

It appears that the US has forgotten the exemption order it had issued for India in 2018, waiving any risk of sanctions for working on the Chabahar port. Earlier this week it warned of potential risk of sanctions after New Delhi and Iran signed a long-term contract for the development of Shahid Beheshti Port Terminal in Chabahar city.

India, on Monday (May 13), inked a long term contract for the operation of Shahid Beheshti Port and obtaining 10-year access to use the port, situated on Irans southeastern border with Pakistan. A deep water port, Chabahar provides easy and secure access to large cargo ships.

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Reacting on the India-Iran Chabahar Port deal, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said, US sanctions on Iran remain in place and we will continue to enforce them anyone considering business deals with Iran needs to be aware of the potential risk that they are opening themselves up to and the potential risk of sanctions."

When asked whether there was any specific exemption for the latest agreement between India and Iran on Chabahar, Patel responded using a single word: No."

Also Read: Its a first: India takes over management of overseas port with Chabahar deal

On the US reaction, Indias External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said a narrow view should not be taken of the India-Iran Chabahar port agreement and added the project will benefit the entire region.

Jaishankar emphasised that India had a long association with Chabahar port, but till now was not able to sign a long-term agreement with Iran for its operations at the facility.

Also Read: Anyone doing business with Iran open to potential sanctions: US warns after India & Iran sign Chabahar port deal

The minister also said: If you look at even the USs own attitude to Chabahar in the past, the US has been appreciative of the fact that Chabahar has a larger relevance. We will work at it."

When US exempted India from sanctions

The administration led by the former US president Donald Trump, in November 2018, imposed the toughest-ever sanctions on Iran. Just hours after doing so, it exempted India from certain sanctions for the development of the strategically-located port, along with the construction of a railway line connecting it with Afghanistan.

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The Trump administrations decision to exempt India was seen as a recognition by Washington of New Delhis role in the development of the Chabahar Port, which was considered to be of strategic importance for Afghanistans development.

Also Read: US grants sanctions waiver to India on Chabahar: Port is at the centre of Washingtons South Asia strategy

A report by The Economic Times quoted sources saying that India Ports Global Ltd has been working on Chabahar Port, providing cranes and handling cargo since 2018 in the backdrop of sanction waivers.

But why did India delay signing the deal

The report further mentioned sources saying that India has been cautious on the account that it does not want to get involved with any sanctioned entity from Iran as part of the Chabahar project. They also stated that one of the reasons why the 10-year pact between New Delhi and Tehran took time was because India did not want to violate any legalities.

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The deal inked between India and Iran on May 13 is expected to give a major boost to regional connectivity and New Delhis linkages with Afghanistan, Central Asia and Eurasia.

But why is Chabahar Port so crucial for India?

For both India and Iran, the Chabahar Port holds strategic importance and can potentially help Tehran ward off the effect of Western sanctions and offer New Delhi an alternative route that bypasses Pakistan.

For long, India has been pushing for the Chabahar Port project to boost regional trade, especially for its proximity to Afghanistan.

Chabahar Port serves as a counterbalance to Pakistans Gwadar Port and Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

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There are plans to integrate Chabahar with the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) which will help facilitate Indias access to Afghanistan and Central Asia without any dependency on Pakistan.
Dubai-based CEO Shreya Pattar claimed a larger Indian student population correlates with what she described as toxic Indian patterns' read more

A social media post by Dubai-based CEO Shreya Pattar has ignited a fervent online debate regarding Indian students choices in selecting universities abroad.

In her post, the CEO and founder of Shreya Pattar Ventures, has argued that Indian students should avoid prioritising universities with a high number of Indian students.

According to her, a larger Indian student population correlates with what she described as toxic Indian patterns.

Any Indian student planning to move abroad for higher education should check how many Indian students that university has. The more the number of Indian students, the lower that university should be on your list of places to join," she wrote on X.

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According to Pattar, a big Indian community of students comes with toxic Indian patterns, which includes too much drama, lack of professionalism, no good role models, no leadership or responsibility towards juniors, self-centred behaviour, group-ism, back bitching, no seriousness towards the future.

She went on to claim that if one is planning to move out of the country, they should make sure they are also staying away from that mindset, attitude, and nature of people. She urged students not to seek out familiar faces or surroundings that mimic their homeland, suggesting that reliance on such familiarity could hinder personal growth and integration into a new cultural environment.

Any Indian student planning to move abroad for higher education should check how many Indian students that university has. The more the number of Indian students, the lower that university should be on your list of places to join.



A big Indian community of students doesnt come  Shreya Pattar (@ShreyaPattar) May 12, 2024

The post quickly gained traction, garnering over eight lakh views, with a myriad of reactions flooding in. While some echoed Pattars sentiments, agreeing that cultural homogeneity might hinder broader experiences, others vehemently criticised her stance.

I can not agree more with you. In 2011, I went to Australia to work in a hospital and there the most toxic people and most envious towards Indians were Indians only. It was a shock for me once I reach there and till the time I left Australia I could not come to terms with it, shared one user.

I can not agree more with you. In 2011 I went to Australia to work in a hospital and there the most toxic people and most envious towards Indians were Indians only. It was a shock for me once I reach there and till the time I left Australia I could not come to terms with it.  Investabhishek (@investabhishek) May 12, 2024

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Meanwhile, another user, in sharp contrast, said: On point. Whats the point of going abroad if you only hang out with your own people.

On point. What's the point of going abroad if you only hang out with your own people.  Babiba Sultana (@babibasultana) May 12, 2024

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A third person commented, I spent about a decade studying and working abroad. Theres all sorts. Generalising and avoiding South Asians is not helpful. Neither is only sticking to them outside of work. Take each one as an individual, regardless of origin, accent, appearance, income. That way I found friends.

I spent about a decade studying & working abroad. There's all sorts. Generalizing and avoiding South Asians is not helpful. Neither is only sticking to them outside of work. Take each one as an individual, regardless of origin, accent, appearance, income. That way I found friends  Ane_Ach (@acharya_aneesha) May 12, 2024

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Another used shared, I respectfully disagree. Having a community of Indian students can provide a sense of familiarity and support, especially in a new country. Its about finding the right balance between comfort and exposure to diverse perspectives.

I respectfully disagree. Having a community of Indian students can provide a sense of familiarity and support, especially in a new country. It's about finding the right balance between comfort and exposure to diverse perspectives.  I Know Nothing (@rkl_1980) May 12, 2024

8 years in USA and have 8 Indian friends here. Two in the same city I live in. Rest are everywhere else. And just to add Indian Americans who are born and raised here are also equally toxic, a another person shared.

8 years in USA and have 8 indian friends here. 2 in the same city I live in. Rest are everywhere else. And just to add Indian Americans who are born and raised here are also equally toxic.  Jena (@mehtaversed) May 12, 2024

Pattars post has sparked a crucial conversation about cultural adaptation, integration, and the role of familiarity in the pursuit of education abroad.
The European Commission said it had decided to open an in-depth investigation into Facebook and Instagram due to concerns they had not adequately addressed risks to children. Meta submitted a risk assessment report in September. read more

The European Commission will investigate the owner of Facebook and Instagram over concerns that these platforms may be fostering addictive behaviour among children and harming their mental health.

The EU executive indicated that Meta might have violated the Digital Services Act (DSA), a significant law enacted last summer that holds digital companies accountable for issues such as disinformation, shopping scams, child abuse, and other online harms.

This investigation is part of a broader global effort by governments to regulate services like Instagram and TikTok to safeguard minors. Meta has long been criticized for allegedly designing its products and recommendation algorithms to be particularly engaging for children.

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In October, three dozen U.S. states sued Meta, accusing it of using psychologically manipulative product features to attract children, thus breaching consumer protection laws.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the EU executive said that the Commission is concerned that the systems of both Facebook and Instagram, including their algorithms, may stimulate behavioural addictions in children, as well as create so-called rabbit-hole effects.

In addition, the Commission is also concerned about age-assurance and verification methods put in place by Meta. The regulators concerns relate to children accessing inappropriate content.

The Commission also said that its decision to start an investigation comes of the back of a preliminary analysis of risk assessment report provided by Meta in September 2023.

The regulator is not convinced [that Meta] has done enough to comply with the DSA obligations to mitigate the risks of negative effects to the physical and mental health of young Europeans on its platforms, CNBC quoted Thierry Breton, the EUs commissioner for internal market, as saying in a statement.

Meta is already in the EUs crosshairs over election disinformation, a key concern ahead of crucial European Parliament elections next month. DSA violations can lead to fines of as much as 6% of a companys annual global turnover.

With inputs from agencies.
The attempts to approve a new voting rule that proponents of independence from France claim discriminates against the native Kanak people were the impetus for the riots in New Caledonia, a French colony sandwiched between Australia and Fiji read more

The attempts to approve a new voting rule that proponents of independence from France claim discriminates against the native Kanak people were the impetus for the riots in New Caledonia, a French colony sandwiched between Australia and Fiji Image Courtesy Reuters

On Thursday, France charged Azerbaijan with interference in the politics of its Pacific island, New Caledonia, which has recently seen violent demonstrations that have resulted in fatalities.

As tensions between France and the oil-rich Caspian Sea state grew, Azerbaijan quickly refuted the accusation made by French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.

The attempts to approve a new voting rule that proponents of independence from France claim discriminates against the native Kanak people were the impetus for the riots in New Caledonia, a French colony sandwiched between Australia and Fiji.

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This isnt a fantasy. Its a reality, Darmanin told France 2 TV when asked if Azerbaijan, China and Russia were interfering in New Caledonia.

I regret that some of the Caledonian pro-independence leaders have made a deal with Azerbaijan. Its indisputable, he alleged.

But he added: Even if there are attempts at interference France is sovereign on its own territory, and so much the better.

We completely reject the baseless accusations, Azerbaijans foreign ministry spokesman Ayhan Hajizadeh said.

We refute any connection between the leaders of the struggle for freedom in Caledonia and Azerbaijan.

Tensions between Paris and Baku have grown in the wake of the 2020 war, and 2023 lightning offensive, that Azerbaijan waged to regain control of its breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region from ethnic Armenian separatists.

France is a traditional ally of Christian Armenia, Azerbaijans neighbour and historic rival, and is also home to a significant Armenian diaspora.

Darmanin said Azerbaijan  which has been led since 2003 by President Ilham Aliyev, who succeeded his father Heydar  was a dictatorship.

On Wednesday, the Paris government also banned social network TikTok from operating in New Caledonia.

Tiktok, whose parent company is Chinese, has been widely used by protesters. Critics fear it is being employed to spread disinformation coming from foreign countries.

Azerbaijan invited separatists from the French territories of Martinique, French Guiana, New Caledonia and French Polynesia to Baku for a conference in July 2023.

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The meeting saw the creation of the Baku Initiative Group, whose stated aim is to support French liberation and anti-colonialist movements.

The group published a statement this week condemning the French parliaments proposed change to New Caledonias constitution, which would allow outsiders who moved to the territory at least 10 years ago the right to vote in its elections.

Pro-independence forces say that would dilute the vote of Kanaks, who make up about 40 percent of the population.

We stand in solidarity with our Kanak friends and support their fair struggle, the Baku Initiative Group said.

Raphael Glucksmann, the lawmaker heading the list for the French Socialists in Junes European Parliament elections, told Public Senate TV that Azerbaijan had made attempts to interfere for months.

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He said the underlying problem behind the unrest was a domestic dispute over election reform, not agitation fomented by foreign actors.

But, he said of Azerbaijan, they are seizing on internal problems.
Israel and its partners such as the United States have stated that Hamas cannot be allowed to govern Gaza Strip after the end of the ongoing war between Israel and the terrorist group read more

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh also the truce talks with Israel appear to have hit an impasse (Photo: Reuters)

In defiance of Israel and its Western partners like the United States, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh has said the group is here to stay and will be part of the discussions among all the Palestinian factions for the governance of Gaza Strip after the ongoing war ends.

Hamas is a terrorist group that has controlled and governed Gaza since 2007. After winning the Palestinian legislative elections in 2006, Hamas defeated Fatah, the mainstream Palestinian political party that controls the Palestinian Authority (PA) which partially runs the West Bank, in Gaza and drove it out of the Palestinian enclave.

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Israel and its partners such as the United States have stated that Hamas cannot be allowed to govern Gaza after the end of the ongoing war between Israel and the terrorist group.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh defies international pressure

In comments on the 76th anniversary of Nakba, the day Arabs mark to observe the leaving of around 700,000 Palestinians during the Arab-Israel War of 1948, Haniyeh defied the international pressure on Hamas.

Haniyeh said that Hamas will be part of Palestinian-led discussions that will decide the post-war governance in Gaza.

We say that the Hamas movement is here to stay  and it will be the movement and all national (Palestinian) factions who will decide the post-war rule in Gaza, said Haniyeh, as per AFP.

Haniyehs comments came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussions on the post-war future of Gaza were just empty talk as long as Hamas remained in the region.

Gaza is one of the two Palestinian territories that form the envisioned Arab State of Palestine as part of the two-state solution. The other part is West Bank which is partially governed by PA. The PA is run by Fatah, the political rival of Hamas.

Haniyeh indicates Israel-Hamas truce talks have hit impasse

In his comments, Haniyeh indicated that the talks for a truce between Israel and Hamas have again hit an impasse.

For weeks, there were hectic negotiations in Egyptian capital Cairo. The talks were facilitated by regional players Egypt and Qatar with the support of the United States. While it was reported multiple times that a deal was close, the talks fizzled out as disagreements remained.

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While the specifics of the deal on the table were not out, any deal is bound to have a ceasefire in Gaza in lieu of the release of hostages held by Hamas and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Haniyeh said that the fate of the peace talks was uncertain because of insistence on occupying the Rafah crossing and on its expansion of the aggression, as per AFP

Outlining expectations from a peace deal, Haniyeh further said, Any agreement must ensure a permanent ceasefire, comprehensive withdrawal (of Israeli forces) from all sectors of the Gaza Strip, a real deal for exchange of prisoners, the return of displaced persons, reconstruction and lifting the siege.

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Cracks in Israel ruling coalition over post-war Gaza rule?

The disagreements within Israeli leadership were out in open on Wednesday as Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant publicly called out Netanyahus inaction on developing a coherent post-war governance plan of Gaza. He said that Israel must not have military or civilian occupation of Gaza and must work on a governing alternative to Hamas immediately.

As long as Hamas retains control over civilian life in Gaza, it may rebuild and strengthen, thus requiring the IDF to return and fight in areas where it has already operated. We must dismantle Hamas governing capabilities in Gaza. The key to this goal is military action, and the establishment of a governing alternative in Gaza, said Gallant, as per The Times of Israel.

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The absence of an alternative will meant that only two negative options of either the return of Hamas or an Israeli occupation remain, said Gallant. He added that a non-Hamas Palestinian governance will be in Israels national interest.

The day after Hamas will only be achieved with Palestinian entities taking control of Gaza, accompanied by international actors, establishing a governing alternative to Hamas rule. This, above all, is an interest of the State of Israel. Unfortunately, this issue was not raised for discussion, and worse, no alternative was brought up in its place, said Gallant.

Soon after Gallants comments, Netanyahu rejected the notion of letting the Fatah-run PA running Gaza. He said that he was not prepared to switch from Hamastan to Fatahstan in Gaza.
An initial probe has revealed that an operating tank fired two shells at a building in Jabaliya where the soldiers were stationed during the evening read more

While several Israeli soldiers continue to die in crossfire with Hamas in the 7-month-old war, the IDF on Thursday announced that five fighters lost their lives in a friendly fire in Gazas Jabaliya.

Meanwhile, seven soldiers have also been injured in the incident. The police say that they have located the driver who hit the soldiers, adding that the case is likely an accident while the Israel Defence Forces investigate the matter.

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Who were the soldiers?

The soldiers who lost their lives in the friendly fire have been identified as Captain Roy Beit Yaakov, Staff Sgt. Gilad Arye Boim, Sgt. Daniel Chemu, Sgt. Ilan Cohen and Staff Sgt. Betzlel David Shashuah.

All the soldiers were members of the Paratroopers Brigades 202nd Battalion.

How did they die?

An initial probe has revealed that an operating tank fired two shells at a building in Jabaliya where the soldiers were stationed during the evening.

The tank forces had reached the area early on Wednesday following which the paratroopers married and established a post in the building. Later during the day, another set of paratroopers arrived in Jabaliya after which they notified the existing tanks of their arrival.

The tank forces had reportedly identified a gun barrel and thought it belonged to the enemy forces leading them to fire two shells.

First soldier killed in Rafah

Meanwhile, an Israeli soldier was killed in Rafah on Wednesday, making it the first army casualty in the southern Gaza Strip ever since Tel Aviv pushed its forces into the region.

Sgt. Ira Yair Gispan, 19, served in the 7th Armored Brigades 75th Battalion.

Parents of Israeli soldiers urge IDF to call off Rafah offensive

Parents of over 900 Israeli soldiers have signed a letter to the IDF urging it to call off its offensive in Rafah and called the military operation a death trap for their children.

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It is evident to anyone with common sense that after months of warnings and announcements regarding an incursion into Rafah, there are forces on the other side actively preparing to strike our troops, the letter said.
Currently, there are five Indian-American lawmakers in the US Congress whereas the Democratic Party-affiliated think tank Indian American Impact had hoped to have 10 lawmakers by 2024 read more

US Vice President Kamala Harris has flagged that the political representation of the Indian-Americans in the United States is not reflective of their growing population. Harris urged more and more people from the community to run for elected offices.

Harris is the first Vice President of the United States to be of Indian-origin. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, had arrived in the US at the age of 19. Harris is also the first woman and the first Black VP of the US.

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Speaking at an event by Indian American Impact, a Democratic Partys think tank that supports Indian-Americans politically, Harris noted that the communitys political representation has increased over the years, but it is still not enough.

Over the years, weve had so much more participation by Indian Americans in the electoral process running for office, but the numbers are still not reflective of the size of the growing population, said Harris, as per PTI.

Harris also recalled her mother Shyamala, who died in 2009, marching for Civil Rights in Berkeley. She also recalled her grandfather, a civil servant in India, and said that she would visit India every two years as a child and her grandfather would take her on morning walks.

I remember as a young girl hearing them discuss the importance of standing for what is right and fairness, said Harris.

As of 2024, there are five sitting US Congress members of Indian-origin: Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, and Shri Thanedar. The think tank IA Impact had, however, hoped to have 10 Indian-American lawmakers by now.

You are not alone, Im empirical evidence of Americas promise: Harris to Indian-Americans

Speaking about growing as an ethnic minority in the United States, Harris told the audience that they were not alone. She said that she was the empirical evidence of the promise thats the United States of America.

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There is so much that we still have to do as a country and a lot of the work that we each do, which is why we are here together, is born out of a belief in the promise of America. And dare I say that, I am empirical evidence of the promise of AmericaWhat will happen, invariably its happened to all of us, is you are going to find yourself invariably in rooms where you are the only one who looks like you, the only one who has had your life experience. What I then say to you each, look around this room and hold onto this image. And remember then when you walk into those rooms, when you walk into those situations, you remember, you are not alone. We are all there with you. You must remember that, said Harris.

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Mentioning the elections, Harris said that they face a critical question about the kind of the world they want to live in. She said the upcoming election mattered to people in fundamental ways.

The Indian-American community is the second-largest and the fastest-growing immigrant community in the United States. At several seats, the community may emerge as a crucial swing voter bloc in the 2024 US presidential election in which incumbent Joe Biden faces former US President Donald Trump again.

This election coming up in six months, I think is presenting a question to each of us. Which is, what kind of world do we want to live in and what kind of country do we want to live in? And one of the ways that we answer that question is to seek office and to participate in elections knowing that the outcome of those elections matter in fundamental ways, said Harris.
Anti-Islam firebrand Geert Wilders and three other party leaders agreed on a coalition deal early Thursday that veers the Netherlands toward the hard right, capping a half-year of tumultuous negotiations that still left it unclear who will become prime minister. read more

Dutch far-right politician and leader of the PVV party Geert Wilders in The Hague, Netherlands. Reuters File

The newly formed Dutch coalition government Thursday proposed the toughest asylum policy to date, including opting out of European Union rules. The government also announced plans to consider relocating its Israel embassy to Jerusalem.

The 26-page coalition agreement was unveiled early Thursday after six months of arduous discussions among four parties, following the surprising election victory of far-right leader Geert Wilders.

Geert Wilders, known for his anti-Islam stance, and three other party leaders reached a coalition agreement early Thursday, steering the Netherlands sharply to the right. Despite six months of intense negotiations, it remains uncertain who will assume the role of prime minister.

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An opt out clause for European asylum and migration policies will be submitted as soon as possible to the European Commission, the coalition says in its pact. It is unclear whether such a request will be granted.

Labour migration will also be curbed, and admittance of foreign students to Dutch universities will become stricter, the parties said.

The deal brings together Wilders PVV with outgoing Prime Minister Mark Ruttes centre-right VVD, the new NSC party and farmers protest party BBB in a coalition with a strong majority of 88 seats in the 150-seat Lower House.

With the broad agreement reached, an independent intermediary will now be tasked with forming the cabinet of ministers, a process that is expected to take at least another month.

It is still unclear who will become Prime Minister as Wilders, known for his outspoken views on Islam, in March vowed to forego the role in order to get his prospective government partners to the negotiating table.

Wilders has not announced yet who he will put forward for the top job. The new government also said it will keep up political and military support to Ukraine and will make it legally binding to spend at least 2% of Dutch gross domestic product on defence, in line with NATO agreements.

The parties aim to build four nuclear power reactors in the coming decade and vow to ease the burden of environmental rules for farmers.

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With inputs from agencies.
The hassle of carrying cash, and converting currency has been reduced for Indians travelling to Sri Lanka as they can now make quick and safe payments using PhonePes UPI app read more

Indians travelling to Sri Lanka for vacation or work, will no longer have to worry about converting currency or carrying extra cash as now they can use Indias Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in the island nation.

Wondering how? PhonePe has entered into a partnership with LankaPay enabling Indian travellers to easily scan LankaQR code and make secure and speedy payments.

The transactions will be facilitated by the UPI and LankaPay National Payment Network.

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How will it work?

When a visitor from India uses PhonePe to make UPI payments in Sri Lanka, the amount will be debited in Indian rupees or INR, and the currency exchange rate will be shown to him.

Meanwhile, the merchant will get the settlement in Lankan rupees.

As of writing this report, Indias Re 1 is equal to Sri Lankas 3.60 rupee, approximately.

When did it start?

PhonePe and LankaPays collaboration took place on Wednesday (May 15, 2024) and as per media reports, the very next day (on Thursday, May 16), the island nation saw Indian tourists arriving at the airport in Colombo making payments using UPI.

Indias UPI services were rolled out in Sri Lanka and Mauritius on February 12, 2024, during a virtual ceremony which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders of the two island nations, President Ranil Wickremesinghe (Sri Lanka) and PM Pravind Jugnauth (Mauritius).

Sri Lanka, which faced its worst economic crisis about a couple of years ago, is now gradually getting back on track. The island nation relies heavily on tourism and is again becoming one of the biggest hotspots for Indian travellers and an alternative to Maldives after New Delhi and Males diplomatic ties hit a new low in recent months.

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The PhonePe digital payments app, which was launched in August 2016, now boasts having more than 520 million registered users and a digital payments acceptance network of 38 million merchants. It processes over 230 million daily transactions.

Talking about collaboration with LankaPay, PhonePes CEO, International Payments, Ritesh Pai, said it offers unparalleled convenience to Indian tourists and business travellers during their stay in Sri Lanka as they can now use a familiar and secure payment method while travelling and paying across LankaQR merchant points.

This collaboration would provide the merchants with a cost-effective proposition to card payments, LankaPay CEO Channa de Silva said.

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Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe told how the collaboration will unlock new opportunities, enhance competitiveness and the benefits that it would bring to merchants of the island nation.

Speaking at the event, Santosh Jha, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, said the UPI launch is an important part of a larger goal for both countries to collaborate through a digital partnership.

India is also supporting Sri Lanka in the development of its Unique Digital Identity Program and other components of the Digital Stack that has immense transformative potential for Sri Lanka and the bilateral economic partnership, Jha said.
Putins two-day state visit to one of his strongest allies comes as his countrys forces are pressing an offensive in northeastern Ukraines Kharkiv region in the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion started. read more

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin review the honor guard during an official welcome ceremony in Beijing, China, Thursday, May 16, 2024.- AP

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that the relationship between their countries has become a stabilizing factor for the world and a model for other nations. This meeting in Beijing comes as Putin seeks greater Chinese support for his war effort in Ukraine and Russias increasingly isolated economy.

Putin arrived on Thursday for his first foreign visit since being re-elected for a fifth term, amid the ongoing war with Ukraine. Xi welcomed Putin on his two-day visit, emphasizing the significance of celebrating the 75th anniversary of China-Russia diplomatic ties.

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Having lasted three-quarters of a century, China-Russia relations have grown from strength-to-strength despite the ups and downs, and have stood the test of changing international landscape," he said in his talks with Putin whom he regards as a close friend.

The relationship has become a fine example for major and neighbouring countries to treat each other with respect and candour, and pursue friendship and mutual benefit," he said, without referring to Russias Ukraine war over which the US and EU are increasing pressure on Beijing to use its influence over Moscow to halt it.

Xi said he and Putin have met more than 40 times and stayed in close communication, providing strategic guidance that has ensured the sound, steady and smooth development of the relationship. The China-Russia relationship today is hard-earned, and the two sides need to cherish and nurture it, Xi said, adding that steady development of China-Russia relations is not only in the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples but also conducive to peace, stability and prosperity of the region and the world at large.

Putin also said Russia is open to a dialogue on Ukraine. We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours, Putin was quoted as saying by Chinas official Xinhua News Agency.

While both leaders expressed a desire to end the war in Ukraine, they offered no new specifics in their public remarks on Thursday afternoon. China, a key supporter of Russia, holds significant influence over the conflict. Although China claims neutrality, it supports Moscows stance that the West provoked Russia into attacking Ukraine and continues to supply Russia with essential components for its weapons production.

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In 2023, China proposed a broadly worded peace plan, but it was rejected by both Ukraine and the West for not demanding Russias withdrawal from occupied Ukrainian territories. Speaking alongside Putin, Xi reiterated Chinas hope for a peaceful and stable Europe, promising to play a constructive role in achieving this.

Putin stated he would inform Xi in detail about the situation in Ukraine and appreciated Chinas initiative to address the conflict. The two leaders planned to continue their foreign policy discussions at an informal meeting later on Thursday.

The conflict has reached a critical stage following Russias latest offensive in Ukraine last week, with Ukraines military waiting for new supplies of anti-aircraft missiles and artillery shells from the United States after months of delay.

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Prior to their remarks, Xi and Putin signed a joint statement to deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between their nations on the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic ties. Xi emphasized that China and Russia would maintain a stance of non-alliance and non-confrontation.

Thursdays meeting reaffirmed the friendly no limits relationship they established in 2022, just before Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, Russia has become increasingly economically dependent on China due to Western sanctions cutting its access to much of the international trading system.

Chinas increased trade with Russia, which totalled $240 billion last year, has helped mitigate some of the sanctions effects. Russia has redirected most of its energy exports to China and relies on Chinese companies for high-tech components for its military industries to bypass Western sanctions.

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While Xi, 70, regards his ties with Putin, 71, as counter to the US increasing hostility towards China, which Beijing says is aimed at countering its rise, there is unease here over Putins continuation of the Ukraine war.

Though Beijing has not publicly supported Russias invasion of Ukraine, the no-limits China-Russia strategic partnership has come under intense scrutiny from the US and its allies, who have imposed sanctions on Moscow and repeatedly called Beijing to use its leverage to bring the war to an end.

The second stage of Putins two-day state visit to China will take place in the city of Harbin, the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province. There, Putin will attend the opening ceremony of the 8th Russian-Chinese Expo and the 4th Russia-China Forum on Interregional Cooperation, and will also meet with the students and teaching staff of the Harbin Institute of Technology.

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With inputs from agencies.
The shooting in the central Slovak town of Handlova, which Slovak media said was carried out by a 71-year-old man, stunned the small central European nation and drew international condemnation read more

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico speaks during a press conference after the cabinet's away-from-home session in the town of Handlova, Slovakia, on 15 May,, 2024. Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot and injured after the away-from-home government meeting in Handlova, according to information confirmed by Parliamentary Vice-Chair Lubos Blaha, who suspended the House session. AP

Banska Bystrica, Slovakia: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is no longer in a life-threatening condition after he was shot in an assassination attempt when leaving a government meeting on Wednesday, a government minister said.

The gunman shot Fico, 59, five times, initially leaving the prime minister in critical condition and undergoing surgery hours later on Wednesday evening.

I was very shocked  fortunately as far as I know the operation went well - and I guess in the end he will survive  hes not in a life-threatening situation at this moment, Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Environment Minister Tomas Taraba told the BBCs Newshour.

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Taraba said one bullet went through Ficos stomach and a second hit a joint.

News outlet Aktuality.sk cited an unnamed source saying Fico was out of surgery and in stable condition.

Defence Minister Robert Kalinak told a news briefing hours earlier that Fico had suffered serious polytrauma after several shot wounds.

Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok had said earlier that Fico was in a life-threatening condition while he remained in the operating room.

This assassination (attempt) was politically motivated and the perpetrators decision was born closely after the presidential election, Sutaj Estok said, referring to an April election won by a Fico ally, Peter Pellegrini.

The shooting in the central Slovak town of Handlova, which Slovak media said was carried out by a 71-year-old man, stunned the small central European nation and drew international condemnation.

Slovakia, a member of NATO and the European Union, has little history of political violence. Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden joined Slovakias EU partners in expressing shock and condemnation of the shooting.

The country of 5.4 million has seen polarised political debate in recent years, including the hard-fought presidential election last month that helped tighten Ficos grip on power.

Since returning as prime minister last October, Fico has shifted policy quickly. Opposition critics call it a power grab.

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His government has scaled back support for Ukraine while opening dialogue with Russia, sought to weaken punishments for corruption and dismantled a special prosecutors office, and is revamping the RTVS public broadcaster despite calls to protect media freedom.

Fico has long been critical of Slovakias mainstream media, refusing to speak to some outlets. Members of his party blasted media and opposition actions in recent months.

I ask all to stop piling attacks, expressions of hate, on social networks, in the media, which are aimed at that or another political camp, regardless if it concerns the (government) coalition or the opposition, Sutaj Estok said.

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After the attack, Fico was rushed to hospital in Handlova where he had been chairing a government meeting. He was then transported by helicopter to regional capital Banska Bystrica for urgent treatment, it said, adding that his condition was too serious for him to be taken to Bratislava.

A Reuters witness heard shots as Fico exited a building to shake hands with a crowd of people who had been waiting to greet him. Police then wrestled a man to the ground.

Slovak news media reported the shooter was a former security guard at a shopping mall, an author of three collections of poetry and a member of the Slovak Society of Writers. News outlet Aktuality.sk cited his son as saying his father was the legal holder of a gun licence.

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I have absolutely no idea what my father intended, what he planned, what happened, it quoted the son as saying.

Broadcaster TA3 reported the leftist prime minister had been hit in the abdomen in the attack.

I dont think I will wake up from this, 66-year-old Lubica Valkova told reporters on the scene. This kind of thing just cant happen in Slovakia.

Veteran leader

Fico, a dominant force in Slovakia for two decades, has drawn criticism for taking a more pro-Russian stance in the Ukraine war.

Describing the shooting as a monstrous crime, Putin said in a telegram sent to Slovakias President Zuzana Caputova: I know Robert Fico as a courageous and strong-minded man. I very much hope that these qualities will help him to survive this difficult situation.

Biden offered U.S. help to Slovakia, saying in a statement: We condemn this horrific act of violence.

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Slovakias biggest opposition party Progressive Slovakia called off a planned protest and called for restraint to avoid escalating tensions. Parliament suspended debate indefinitely after the attack.

In his career, Fico has moved between the pro-European mainstream and nationalistic positions opposed to EU and US policies. He has also shown a willingness to change course depending on public opinion or changed political realities.

An admirer of Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Fico has grown increasingly critical of Western support for Ukraine in its war with invading Russian forces.

Fico was forced to resign as premier amid mass protests in 2018 triggered by the contract killing of Jan Kuciak, a journalist who had been investigating high-level corruption. Those protests exacerbated divisions in Slovak society that still linger.
Fico was in serious but stable condition Thursday, a hospital official said, after the populist leader was hit multiple times in an attempt on his life that shook the small country and reverberated across the continent weeks before European elections. read more

A lone wolf, upset after a Slovak PMs ally won last months presidential election, has been charged in the shooting that seriously wounded Prime Minister Robert Fico, says the Slovak interior minister on Thursday.

Addressing the media, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said This is a lone wolf whose actions were accelerated after the presidential election since he was dissatisfied with its outcome,.

The suspect has been charged with premeditated murder, he said, adding that the suspect was not affiliated with any radicalized political group.

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Estok said Slovak police are working with a single version of the attack and the suspect is charged with attempted murder with premeditation, Sutaj Estok told reporters, adding that the attack was politically motivated.

Fico was in serious but stable condition on Thursday after being hit multiple times in an assassination attempt that has shaken the small country and had repercussions across the continent just weeks before the European elections. The hospital official reported his condition amid growing concerns.

Fico, a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond, returned to power last year with a pro-Russian, anti-American platform, heightening worries among fellow European Union members that he might steer his country away from the Western mainstream.

In his fourth term as prime minister, his government halted arms deliveries to Ukraine, prompting fears that Slovakiaa NATO member with a population of 5.4 millionmight follow Hungary under populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban and abandon its pro-Western stance.

With agency inputs.
According to United Nations agencies  At least 25 million people in Sudan are in dire need of humanitarian assistance  Approx. 18 million are facing severe hunger, five million of them are at emergency levels  3.5 million children under the age of five - every seventh child in Sudan - has acute malnutrition *Horrific atrocities are being committed with reckless abandon, reports of rape, torture and ethnically motivated violence are streaming in". read more

People in Sudan are trapped in an inferno of brutal violence with famine, disease and fighting closing in and no end in sight, the top UN humanitarian official in the war-ravaged country said on Wednesday.

Horrific atrocities are being committed with reckless abandon, reports of rape, torture and ethnically motivated violence are streaming in", communities and families have been torn apart, and almost 9 million people have been forced to flee their homes in what is now the worlds largest displacement crisis, Clementine Nkweta-Salami said while addressing to media.

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Nkweta-Salami said that hostilities in El Fasher have been escalating and clashes over the weekend and early this week caused dozens of casualties and displaced many more of the 800,000 people still in the city.

She said there are just six weeks before the lean season begins, when food becomes less available and more expensive. It also coincides with the rainy season when reaching people is very difficult because water-logged roads become impassable, and the end of the planting season when the UN needs to provide seeds to farmers, she said.

Earlier this month, the UN food agency warned Sudans warring parties of a serious risk of widespread starvation and death in Darfur and other regions if humanitarian aid is not allowed into the vast western area. This warning was echoed on Wednesday by Nkweta-Salami.

Sudan has been in conflict since mid-April 2023, when tensions between the military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, erupted into street battles in the capital, Khartoum. The fighting has since spread to other parts of the country, particularly urban areas and Darfur. The UN reports that over 14,000 people have been killed and 33,000 injured.

The RSF has gained control of most of Darfur and is besieging El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur and the only capital city they do not yet control. The UN humanitarian coordinator for Sudan urged more funding and fast.

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On April 15, donors pledged USD 2.1 billion in humanitarian aid for Sudan, but Nkweta-Salami said the UNs USD 2.7 billion humanitarian appeal  to help nearly 15 million of the countrys 58 million people  is just 12 per cent funded.

Without more resources, we wont be able to scale up in time to stave off famine and further deprivation, she warned.

Leni Kinzli, the UN World Food Programmes regional spokesperson, said on May 3 that at least 1.7 million people in Darfur were experiencing emergency levels of hunger in Sudan in December, and the number is expected to be much higher now.

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People are resorting to consuming grass and peanut shells, Kinzli said. And if assistance doesnt reach them soon, we risk witnessing widespread starvation and death in Darfur and across other conflict-affected areas in Sudan.

Nkweta-Salami demanded unfettered access to the millions in need, urging more aid deliveries from Chad which borders Darfur, and across conflict lines.

She said food, water and medicine are desperately needed in El Fasher, which is now completely surrounded. As an example of the difficulties the UN and other aid agencies face, she said a UN convoy with more than a dozen trucks carrying critical supplies for 120,000 people left Port Sudan on April 3 but still hasnt reached El Fasher because of insecurity, checkpoints and delays in getting clearances.

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With inputs from agencies.
The incident reportedly occurred in 2017 while he was traveling from London to Zurich, according to a Metro story. Andreas Wuchner, who owned an office supply firm, is currently suing the airline, stating that his business failed as a result of the head injuries he had in the fall read more

The complaint stated that his office supply company had to close as a result of migraines, forgetfulness, and concentration problems he experienced after the incident

A Swiss businessman who stumbled on a puddle of Baileys liqueur at Heathrow Airport and suffered a brain damage has filed a 5 million pounds (Rs 52,88,30,180) lawsuit against British Airways.

The incident reportedly occurred in 2017 while he was traveling from London to Zurich, according to a Metro story. Andreas Wuchner, who owned an office supply firm, is currently suing the airline, stating that his business failed as a result of the head injuries he had in the fall.

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The complaint stated that his office supply company had to close as a result of migraines, forgetfulness, and concentration problems he experienced after the incident.

I really enjoy a proper coffee out of a coffee machine, rather than the normal airport coffee, which is why I went to Starbucks. As soon as I ordered the coffee, the BA employee started to shout loudly that I was the last passenger so I should hurry up. I went as quickly as possible to the boarding gate, bearing in mind I had four coffees in my hand. I wasnt running, but I went as quickly as I could. I was walking swiftly, bearing in mind the safety of my coffee cups, Wuchner told the court.

He added that he slipped in the Baileys as he was walking to the BA counter, flipped two meters into the air, sending the coffee cups flying, and smacked his head on the ground.

In the meantime, the Airways has disputed that sum, claiming its maximum obligation is limited by the Montreal Convention.

There are significant factual disputes between the parties, going not only to the circumstances of the accident but also to the nature and extent of the claimants injuries on his employment prospects and the reasons for the insolvency of his company, as well as the companys past and future performance, Tom Bird, the barrister for British Airways, said.

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Medical experts, including neurologists and orthopaedic surgeons, will testify during the trial, which is scheduled to last four days at Central London County Court.
Hong Kong last month suspended sales of three spice blends produced by MDH and one by Everest, saying they contained high levels of a cancer-causing pesticide ethylene oxide. Singapore also ordered a recall of the Everest mix, and New Zealand, the United States, India and Australia have since said they are looking into issues related to the two brands. read more

Amid contamination allegations against Indian spices sparked concerns among global food regulators, the UKs food watchdog has imposed stricter control measures on all spice imports from India, becoming the first to do so after contamination concerns with two brands.

Last month, Hong Kong suspended sales of three MDH spice blends and one by Everest due to high levels of the cancer-causing pesticide ethylene oxide. Singapore recalled the Everest mix, and regulators in New Zealand, the US, India, and Australia are investigating the issue. Both MDH and Everest claim their products are safe.

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The UKs Food Standards Agency has implemented additional controls for pesticide residues, including ethylene oxide, on all Indian spices.

James Cooper, Deputy Director of Food Policy at the FSA, in a statement to Reuters said that the agency did not elaborate on the exact steps it is taking. The use of ethylene oxide is not allowed here and maximum residue levels are in place for herbs and spices, he added.

The FSA will take rapid action to ensure consumers are protected, adding that if there is any unsafe food or food on the market. In 2022 Britain imported $128 million worth of spices, with India accounting for almost $23 million, data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity website shows.

MDH and Everest export their products to many regions including the U.S., Europe, South East Asia, Middle East and Australia. At least five countries, including Singapore, Hong Kong, and the United States, have launched an investigation into the possible contamination of spice mixes sold by MDH and Everest.

The trouble began on 5 April when Hong Kongs Centre for Food Safety suspended the sale of three MDH spice blends (Madras curry powder, Sambhar masala, and Curry Powder Masala) as well as Everest fish curry masala.

The complaints allege that the spice mixes contained high levels of ethylene oxide, a toxic chemical used as a food stabiliser.The controversy comes at a time when the sector is experiencing strong growth. While the sector has previously faced similar issues, the timing of the action is likely to have a long-term impact on sales.

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According to a TOI report, Indian spices have gathered worldwide fame, and thanks to the Indian diaspora, sales have soared over the years. According to Avendus Capital, spices are the most appealing segment in the food category, with blended spices expected to account for 35 per cent of total organised business by 2025.
Following a month-long Russian occupation, the bodies of several dozen civilians  some of whom had their hands tied  were discovered in the Bucha district of Kyiv in April 2022 read more

Nearly 9,000 people have been evacuated from Ukraine in the week since Russian military launched an unexpected ground assault over the border

Today, Ukraine accused Russia of killing and arresting residents in the northeastern Kharkiv area border town of Vovchansk, where Russian forces conducted a ground assault last week.

Russian troops are taking civilians prisoner, Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said in a post on Telegram.

According to intelligence reports, the Russian military, trying to gain a foothold in the city, did not allow local residents to evacuate: they began abducting people and driving them to basements.

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He said there were also reports of the first shootings of civilians by the Russian military.

One of the residents of Vovchansk tried to escape on foot, refused to follow the commands of the invaders, and was killed by the Russians.

According to Klymenko, regional police had launched a war crimes investigation on the claims.

Nearly 9,000 people have been evacuated from Ukraine in the week since Russian military launched an unexpected ground assault over the border.

In some areas of Ukraine that they have taken over and controlled since their invasion in February 2022, Russian forces have already been charged with the murder of citizens.

Following a month-long Russian occupation, the bodies of several dozen civilians  some of whom had their hands tied  were discovered in the Bucha district of Kyiv in April 2022.
Unquestionably, unassuming individuals can indeed pose a threat if they harbour malicious intentions or if they are coerced or manipulated by others into executing an attack read more

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, centre, speaks with people before the cabinet's away-from-home session in the town of Handlova, Slovakia on 15 May, 2024. AP

Due to the prompt transfer of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to a medical facility on Wednesday following the assassination attempt, the premiers condition is largely stable and its anticipated that he will recover in the coming days.

Despite having close protection teams from the Slovak Security and Intelligence Service. who are typically composed of highly trained agents specialising in security and tactics, the prime ministers security was seriously compromised.

This incident serves as a reminder of the need to reassess security protocols concerning the close protection of highly important individuals.

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Fear of unassuming individuals

The fact that the Slovak prime minister was targeted by a 71-year-old individual is significant. This age demographic typically wouldnt be flagged by security services. Yet, despite the presence of close proximity security, the assailant successfully fired shots at the prime minister.

Unassuming individuals can be a significant threat to VIPs precisely because they dont attract attention or suspicion. Their unremarkable appearance and behaviour allow them to blend into crowds or environments without raising alarms. This camouflage makes it easier for them to get close to VIPs without attracting attention from security personnel or others who might be on guard against potential threats.

Moreover, unassuming individuals may possess a keen ability to observe and analyse their surroundings without drawing attention to themselves. This enables them to identify vulnerabilities or opportunities to exploit without raising suspicion. Their seemingly innocuous presence can serve as a disguise for nefarious intentions allowing them to carry out covert actions or attacks.

Additionally, VIPs and their security teams may underestimate the threat posed by unassuming individuals, focussing instead on more obvious or high-profile risks. This lack of awareness can create vulnerabilities that savvy adversaries can exploit to gain access to VIPs or carry out attacks.

Yesterdays incident again shows that the unassuming nature of individuals can make them effective threats to VIPs because they operate under the radar exploiting vulnerabilities and weaknesses while remaining undetected until its too late.

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There are several cases where unassuming individuals posed threats to VIPs:

John Hinckley Jr. and the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan (1981): John Hinckley Jr., who appeared unassuming to those around him attempted to assassinate president Ronald Reagan in 1981. He blended into crowds and approached Reagan during a public event, posing as a harmless bystander before opening fire.

Assassination of Indira Gandhi (1984): Former prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her own bodyguards in 1984. These bodyguards, despite their unassuming appearance and trusted positions turned against her due to political and personal motivations.

Assassination of Anwar Sadat (1981): Egyptian president Anwar Sadat was assassinated during a military parade in 1981 by members of his own army. The assassins, who appeared unassuming as they participated in the parade, exploited security vulnerabilities to carry out the attack.

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Attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II (1981): Mehmet Ali Agca, the man who attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II in 1981, appeared unassuming and managed to get close to the Pope during a public appearance before firing shots.

How India guards its VIPs and VVIPs

India employs a comprehensive security framework to safeguard its VIPs and VVIPs. The Special Protection Group stands as the frontline agency tasked with shielding the prime minister.

Then there are specialised units like the National Security Guards Special Rangers Group (NSG SRG), the CRPF and the ITBP. These agencies operate with precision and expertise employing advanced security measures and highly skilled personnel to provide close protection. Their mission extends beyond mere physical security. They meticulously assess risks, devise strategic plans and maintain swift response capabilities.

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Intelligence agencies like RAW and the Intelligence Bureau play pivotal roles in threat assessment and coordination while close protection teams ensure immediate security. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) dictate travel and public appearances while interagency cooperation ensures coordination between Central and state forces.

Assessing threats to VIPs

There is no doubt that unassuming individuals may pose a threat if they have malicious intent or if they are coerced or manipulated by others into carrying out an attack. This is why security protocols often include measures such as background checks, surveillance and access control to mitigate risks.

However, its also important to recognise that not everyone who appears unassuming is a threat. Profiling based solely on outward appearance can be ineffective and discriminatory. Close proximity security is indeed a tricky business!
At a time when Europe sees Russia as the biggest security challenge since World War II and China has emerged as the principal strategic rival of the United States, the two countries are increasingly putting up a united front read more

World leaders often pick their first port of call after assuming charge to project their priorities for their term ahead. Vladimir Putin on Thursday arrived in Beijing on his first foreign visit of his fifth straight term as the Russian President. The visit symbolised the importance Russia has come to accord China in recent years.

To some extent, such a treatment is reciprocated. Last year, Chinese leader Xi Jinping had also made his first foreign visit to Moscow after starting his unprecedented third term as the leader of Peoples Republic of China (PRC).

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The two leaders find themselves in near-similar states: while Putin has ruled Russia continuously for almost 25 years and has snubbed all domestic opposition, Xi is also serving an unprecedented third term as the absolute ruler of China. Both the leaders have also become presidents for life.

There are, however, several crucial differences. The starkest being that while Russia is a shadow of the erstwhile Soviet Union, China is the worlds rising power and is aiming to unseat the United States as the world leader economically and militarily. The place of Putin and Xi is also quite different in the world. While Xi engages with the West, Putin has largely become a pariah since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Moreover, while China is using Russia to diversify its imports and exports, Russia appears to find China increasingly central to its economy, which has led to some analysts to say that Moscow is becoming a systemic junior partner of Beijing. However, the reality is much more complex, says Anushka Saxena, a China researcher at the Takshashila Institution.

Saxena describes the Russia-China relationship as one of codependency.

The Russia-China relationship is not one where there is a junior or senior partner. It is a co-dependent relationship where both parties extract economic and military benefits from each other, says Saxena, emphasising that while Russia gets much-needed dual-use technology from China, it also gives China discounted oil and gas and a large consumer market for Chinese goods.

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This is reflected in their increasing bilateral. Last year, the China-Russia bilateral trade surpassed $240 billion  beyond the target of $200 billion by the end of 2024 set in 2018.

What has brought Russia and China together?

The bonhomie between Russia and China has come at a time when Xi and Putin are aligning themselves and their countries closer than ever as they mount a common challenge to the US-led world order.

This is part of the broader alignment where China and Russia have also cosied up to North Korea and Iran  both are US adversaries. From Ukraine to Gaza Strip, these countries have found a host of common grounds.

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China wants to subvert the current rules-based world order in its favour. For this, Russia is an obvious choice for China. For Russia, China has emerged as the obvious choice of a partner since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. As other sources of imports and exports dried up, Russia turned to China. Putin has only met two world leaders since 2020  Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-Un. This tells you that circumstances and common rivalry with the West has brought these countries together, says Swasti Rao, a European expert at the think tank Monohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (MP-IDSA).

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Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Russia has sought arms and ammunition from North Korea and drones from Iran. China has also provided dual-technology goods that can be used in weaponry, such as spare parts to be used in missiles, semiconductors, and raw material for ammunition and artillery shells. Russia has also become a destination for Chinese consumer goods.

China has been accused of implicitly supporting the Russian war of Ukraine (Photo: Reuters)

The partnership with Russia has allowed Chinese trade to expand amidst closing doors in the West. In the past three years, China has become one of the biggest exporters to Russia of diverse consumer products such as broadcasting equipment, textiles, cars, plastics, and so on. China is making massive gains from Russia losing markets in response to sanctions, says Saxena, a China Studies Research Analyst with the Takshashila Institutions Indo-Pacific Studies Programme.

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While the relationship got a boost with the Ukraine War, the two leaders have had a long convergence. Putin has met Xi a record 40 times  more than any world leader.

At international platforms, the two countries have also taken similar positions. They have called for multilateralism, have promoted groups like BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation (SCO), and have pushed for trade in yuan. While these steps may appear like actions in good faith for the developing world, all of these steps undermine the West  a common goal of Russia and China.

With BRICS and SCO, China and Russia push for groupings that are projected as an alternative to G7. With bilateral trade in yuan, they push for de-dollarisation. Russia has also tried trading in yuan with other countries. With trade in non-dollar currencies, Russia and China fulfil dual goals of ramping up bilateral trade while also undermining the US, says Rao, an Associate Fellow at the Europe and Eurasia Center at the MP-IDSA.

Russia had also sought a ruble-rupee trading mechanism with India, but it could not happen because of technical issues.

Is red carpet for Putin after Europe visit a snub to West?

Just days after Xi returned from a visit to Europe, he rolled out the red carpet for Putin. In defiance of the worlds push that he should use his position of influence to press Putin to deescalate or at least reduce his support of Russia, Xi was photographed walking with Putin with aides carrying what appeared to be nuclear cases of the two leaders.

Such an appearance at a time when Putin has ordered tactical nuclear drills and his top confidant Dmitry Medvedev has threatened the West with a nuclear strike appears to convey to the world that the advice of French President Emmanuel Macron or US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to not support the Russian war on Ukraine has been brushed off.

Analysts, however, said that connecting Xis Europe visit with Putins arrival may be too much. Rao of MP-IDSA said that the Europe visit was mainly about trade and symbolic strategic posturing.

Xi selected countries for strategic signaling as it was his first visit to Europe in five years. France was taken as it pursues foreign policy independent of the United States under its strategic autonomy approach. France and China also have outstanding trade issues that Xi would want to address. Hungary and Serbia were selected as both are pro-Russia and are toeing the American line on China and Russia. The visit was about trade and strategic posturing, says Rao of MP-IDSA.

Saxena of the Takshashila Institution stresses that Xis Europe visit and Putins China visit are two separate things  even if the timing may suggest otherwise.

Xis outreach to Europe is aimed at allaying some of Europes concerns surrounding Chinas disruptive trade practices as well as the economic dependency on it, but, at the same time, his meeting with Putin is meant to continue the solidification of partnership with one of its most critical contemporary allies, says Saxena.

Does Russia-China relationship really have no limits?

Days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Xi and Putin announced that China and Russia have no limits to their relationship. Since then, China has implicitly supported Russia in the war against Ukraine.

The United States has accused China of indirectly supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine with supplies of raw material for ammunition, drone supplies, and other non-lethal goods.

The PRC cannot claim to be entirely neutral in this case. They are, in fact, picking a side. I think when the PRC tries to portray itself as neutral, when it comes to this war, we dont buy itIf they were not providing some of these components, or this materiel support, Russia would be in a very different situation and would have trouble pursuing some of these acts of aggression, said US envoy to NATO Julianne Smith to Politico last month.

Despite such criticism and pressure from European countries to condemn Russia, Xi has so far brushed off such pressure with ease. Saxena of the Takshashila Institution says that China has not criticised Russia as it has vested interests in Russias victory.

Saxena tells Firstpost, Both China and Russia share similar political interests of mutual suspicion of the West and a co-dependent economic and military relationship where each matters to the other as a market for arms or as a trade partner for oil, gas, and other consumer goods.

Despite the constant upward march of the China-Russia ties, there are limits to the relationship (Photo: AP)

Since 2022, Russia has also turned into a highly miltarised country where as much as 6-7% of the economy is dedicated to the war. While some have hailed the resilience of the Russian economy which was otherwise expected to tank under Western sanctions, such resilience is not natural but induced by the war, said Rao of MP-IDSA, who called this transition a fundamental change in Russian economy and society.

Russias economic growth is led by the war as more and more factories are producing arms and ammunition. The Russian economy has also become more and more integrated with that of China. In case the war ends not in favour of Russia, it will mean a loss for both Russia and China. Sustaining the current relationship in the long-run will be challenge, says Rao.

Even though China and Russia are standing up against the West as a bloc, their relationship is not without its limitations. For once, while Putin can afford to be a pariah, Xi cant. After being shunned by the West, Russia found an economic and trade partner in China, but China cannot replace the European Union (EU) its largest trading partner with Russia.

Both the EU and China cannot ditch each-other. They may spar with each other with a cycle of threats of tariffs and investigations over what they say are anti-competitive practices of the other, but the two are each-others biggest markets. China will not let its relationship with Russia kill off its EU market, so thats a limitation of their relationship. The same applies for the EU. It may talk of de-risking but it cannot do without China, says Rao.

Moreover, even though China has supported Russia in the war with Ukraine, it has not provided weapons whereas other partners like North Korea and Iran have done so. Belarus is even hosting Russian tactical nuclear weapons, bringing the Russian nuclear sabre-rattling at NATOs doorsteps.

In a stark limit in the bilateral relationship, a similar red line of not deploying boots on the ground or selling weapons will apply to Russian support of China in its conflicts, suggests Saxena.

Neither of them is obligated by even the umbrella of a no limits partnership to aid each other. Many bits of the relationship are transactional. As an example, take Chinas buying of oil from Russia on a price that is subsidised. Similar is the fact that while Putin supports Chinas bid on Taiwan, no one can say for sure Russia will help China out with boots or systems on the ground, says Saxena.

This differentiates the China-Russia partnership and the larger China-Russia-Iran-North Korea axis from that of the Western alliance of NATO. Collective defence is at the core of NATO which is absent from the no limits relationship between Moscow and Beijing. Saxena says that while the partnership may not be an alliance in Cold War-era sense of the term, it is not a marriage of convenience either.

Their interests are overlapping and their vision for the world order is juxtaposed. They are also in an interesting geopolitical moment where the time is right for them to come closer together. In that sense, it may not be an alliance, but it is not a marriage of convenience either. Hence, the relationship is transactional, momentous, and somewhere between an alliance and a marriage of convenience, says Saxena.

As for the pressure on China, Saxena said it has only brought the two countries closer.

In a way, the West is bringing not just Russia and China, but also other States with similar interests together with them. Clearly, between Iran, China, and Russia, when it comes to shaping a world where the US doesnt command the butter or the gun, the feeling is mutual. Through the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the three actors have found outlets to support each other, diplomatically and militarily, says Saxena.
Google released Android developer preview for Android 15, the next major Android release, back in February and released the beta 1 last month. At the Google I/O, it released the Android 15 beta 2 for several Pixel devices.

Android 15 continues to improve productivity, minimize battery impact, maximize smooth app performance. The update also brings

This also brings Private space that allows users to create a separate space on their device where they can keep sensitive apps away from prying eyes, under an additional layer of authentication.

In tablet and foldable screens, users can choose to save app pairings. Similar to regular pinned apps, you can create a split screen, then tap the new button in the Home menu to add it to your home screen.

Android 15 beta for more devices

The company also announced that the beta update will also be available for more brands including iQOO, Lenovo, Nothing, OnePlus, SHARP, OPPO, realme, TECNO, vivo, Xiaomi and HONOR. Even though HONOR has been added to the list, and SHARP has been added, Nokia, ASUS and ZTE that were removed last year are still not in the list.

vivo X100 and iQOO 12

vivo X100 and iQOO 12 users can now download Android 15 Beta 1 update manually. Subsequent Android 15 Betas will be released throughout the summer before the Android 15 stable update is released later this summer.

vivo X100 users in India, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan and iQOO 12 users in India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia can download the update from the vivo developer website and follow the instructions for the installation.

OnePlus 12 and OnePlus Open

OnePlus 12 and OnePlus Open users can now download Android 15 Beta 1 update manually. This release of Android 15 Beta 1 is tailored for developers and advanced users, so it is not meant for daily use, since OnePlus has mentioned several known issues.

OnePlus 12 users in North America, India, Europe and Global markets and the OnePlus Open users in North America, India, and Europe can download the respective ROM from the OnePlus community and follow the instructions for the installation.

Nothing Phone (2a)

Android 15 developer preview is now available to download for the Nothing Phone (2a) users. This brings Glyph SDK support, new Wallpaper and Nothing boot animation. There are known issues with fingerprint and face unlock registration, and doesnt come with the Nothing X / Weather / Launcher / Recorder / Widgets app.

Nothing Phone (2a) users can download the ROM from the Nothing community and follow the instructions for the installation.

Xiaomi 14, Xiaomi 13T Pro, and Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12

Android 15 Developer Preview is now available for Xiaomi 14, Xiaomi 13T Pro, and Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4. You can download the preview build from the Xiaomi website and flash the ROM manually after unlocking the bootloader.

realme 12 Pro+ 5G

realme 12 Pro+ 5G is the first realme device to get the Android 15 Beta. You can download the beta build from the realme community website and flash the ROM manually by following the instructions.

HONOR Magic6 Pro and HONOR Magic V2

HONOR Magic6 Pro and HONOR Magic V2 are the first devices to receive Android 15 beta update. The user experience will be much improved by the upcoming Android 15, which will include enhanced security and privacy, optimized device resource management and many more experience optimization, said the company.

Users of these devices can download the ROM from the HONOR developers website and flash the ROM manually by following the instructions.

TECNO CAMON 30 Pro 5G

TECNO CAMON 30 Pro 5G has received Android 15 Beta update. You can download the beta build from the TECNO community website and flash the ROM manually by following the instructions.

Lenovo Tab Extreme

Lenovo Tab Extreme is the first Lenovo device to get the Android 15 Beta. You can download the beta build from the Lenovo developer website and flash the ROM manually by following the instructions.

SHARP AQUOS sense8

SHARP AQUOS sense8 is the first SHARP device to get the Android 15 Developer Preview. You can download the beta build from the SHARP website and flash the ROM manually by following the instructions. There are several known issues mentioned by the company.

OPPO Find N3 and OPPO Find X7

OPPO has released Android 15 Beta 1 update for the OPPO Find N3 for Singapore and Indonesia. ColorOS based on Android 15 will be released later this year, said the company. OPPO Find X7 is getting Android 15 beta in China.

Even though OPPOs Android 15 beta update page is now live yet, the company has rolled out Android 15 beta for the OPPO Find X7 smartphone in China.
Acer India announced Acerpure, a new sub-brand dedicated to delivering innovative consumer electronics and home appliances to Indian consumers. The company showcased Acerpure TVs, air purifiers, water purifiers, and more at the event.

Acerpure has partnered with Dixon Technologies, the leading Indian electronics manufacturer, to produce its TVs. It has assured its commitment to the Make in India initiative and will launch its products.

Acerpure TVs come in 32, 43, 55, and 65 sizes and are promised to offer good sound clarity with Dolby Atmos, enhanced contrast, deeper blacks, and dazzling brightness. We can expect Acerpure OLED TV, Mini LED TV, and Gaming TV in the future.

Additionally, Acerpure showcased a diverse range of consumer electronics products, including Air Circulator Fans, Water Purifiers, Hand-held Vacuum Cleaners, two robotic Vacuum Cleaners, Hair Dryer, and Hair Styler, highlighting its commitment to providing comprehensive solutions for modern living.

The company also revealed its plan to diversify its offerings by launching refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, and more in the near future.

Pricing and Availability

Acerpure Air Purifiers start from Rs. 9,990, and Acerpure Cozy Air Circulator Fan starts from Rs. 7490. These will be available through Acer Online Store, Acer Exclusive stores, and other leading online e-commerce platforms.

Acerpure TVs, water purifiers, vacuum cleaners, and other lifestyle products should be available in the coming months.

Commenting on the launch, Harish Kohli, President, & Managing Director of Acer India said,

As we embark on this transformative journey with Acerpures debut in India, we are exhilarated by the opportunity to contribute to the nations burgeoning consumer electronics market. This milestone signifies our unwavering dedication to innovation and our heartfelt commitment to the vibrant Indian consumer electronics landscape. Through this collaboration with Dixon Technologies, we are poised to usher in a wave of locally manufactured products, aligning seamlessly with the Make in India initiative. This partnership embodies our shared vision of fostering economic growth and technological advancement within the nation. Together, we look forward to crafting cutting-edge solutions that resonate with the diverse needs and aspirations of Indian consumers, empowering them to embrace a brighter, technologically enriched future.

Andrew Hou, President of Pan-Asia Pacific Operations at Acer Group., said,

We are excited to launch Acerpure in India. The Indian market holds immense potential for Acerpures growth and innovation. With our focus on technological excellence and sustainability, we are well-positioned to meet the evolving needs of Indian consumers. As we venture into this new market, our dedication to innovation remains unwavering. Acerpure represents more than just a product launch; it signifies the dawn of a new era in home appliances and consumer electronics with a key focus on Make-In-India.

Sunil Vachani, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Dixon Technologies said,
Rural tourism surges in China

People's Daily Online) 16:23, May 16, 2024

Since the beginning of this year, China's tourism industry has seen an accelerated recovery, with rural tourism increasingly becoming the preferred choice for an increasing number of domestic tourists. Integrating rural tourism with multiple sectors has boosted high-quality development in rural areas.

China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT) recently rolled out 82 high-quality rural tourism routes across the country. Highlighting the distinctive natural scenery, seasonal produce, folk customs, and everyday lives associated with the 24 solar terms on the traditional Chinese calendar, these routes have offered novel tourism experiences in rural China to visitors, and have represented another innovative initiative for the integrated development of agriculture, culture, and tourism.

Photo shows a farm in Tanbuduan village, Yifeng county, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Photo/Zhou Liang)

Numerous tourists flocked to rural areas across the country in the past five-day May Day holiday, as new rural tourism products became quite attractive to them.

Changning and Getang villages in east China's Zhejiang Province held fun activities like "treasure hunting" and collecting eggs, while several rural scenic areas in Lin'an district of the provincial capital Hangzhou launched distinctive parent-child activities to enable visitors to experience farming activities.

In Guanyin village, Nanchuan district, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, tourists can stroll along an ancient path, saunter on a rural fair, sip tea at tea houses, and camp by the lakeside and beside blossoms. This new development model has combined agriculture, culture, tourism and outdoor activities.

The village has launched a tourism route themed on natural landscapes, historical heritage and folk customs, and has attracted visitors and expanded the visibility of local agricultural products and culture.

Diverse tourism experiences in rural areas have enticed visitors to linger longer and immerse themselves more deeply in the local culture and ways of life.

The growth of rural tourism has made more and more local specialties known to a wider audience, and has facilitated the sales of these products.

Tianshui malatang, the numbing-spicy hotpot from Tianshui city in northwest China's Gansu Province, has thrust the quaint city into the online spotlight, and has captivated flocks of tourists.

To attract tourists to the countryside of Tianshui, the city's culture and tourism bureau recently launched 16 premium rural tourism routes that encompass scenic landscapes, unique activities, cuisine, accommodations, recreation, experiential programs, study tours, wellness, and more, including one in Gangu county.

Gangu pepper used in Tianshui malatang is key to the dish's unique flavor. It tastes good, but is not as spicy as some other types. Gangu pepper has been exported to overseas markets like Malaysia and South Korea.

The thriving tourism sector has boosted the sales of Guangu pepper. According to an executive of a local pepper company, its peak daily sales volume has exceeded 50,000 yuan ($6,911), a remarkable increase from some 8,000 yuan in the past.

Tourism authorities have built digital platforms for rural tourism to optimize and merge rural tourism resources.

Kids fly kites at a scenic area in Shiji township, Sihong county, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Photo/Zhang Lianhua)

Xiangcheng district in Suzhou city, east China's Jiangsu Province, has vigorously promoted the digital development of rural tourism. It has over 300 agriculture-related e-commerce enterprises, and its e-commerce sales of agricultural products reached 1.1 billion yuan in 2023.

Since 2023, the MCT's resource development department has guided internet platforms like Douyin, Alibaba, and Baidu to jointly carry out a campaign to promote digital rural tourism with the local administrative departments of culture and tourism.

This has helped explore new paths for integrating rural tourism with the digital economy, covering over 20,000 rural tourism operators in 1,138 districts and counties of 31 provincial-level regions across China. The campaign has directly attracted nearly 20 million tourist visits to rural areas.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
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Galveston, TX (77553)

Today

Areas of dense morning fog. Sunny. High 84F. Winds NW at less than 5 mph, becoming S and increasing to 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low around 75F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.
Tennessee National Guard Soldiers Join Multinational Exercise

By Lt. Col. Darrin Haas, Tennessee National Guard Public Affairs Office May 14, 2024

NOVO SELO, Bulgaria -- Tennessee National Guard Soldiers from the 117th Military Police Battalion and 269th Military Police Company joined more than 140 military police from five allied nations May 14 for the opening ceremony of the multinational training exercise Beyond Horizon 2024.

During the nine-day exercise, nearly 20 Tennessee Guardsmen will partner with military police from Bulgaria, Canada, Greece, North Macedonia and Romania to improve combat skills and ensure they meet NATO standards for interoperability. They will train on military operations on urban terrain, critical site security, detainee operations, medical evacuations and responding to improvised explosive devices.

"For the first five days, each nation will have the opportunity to work together and train at the squad and platoon level," said Lt. Col. Andrew Dye, commander of the 117th Military Police Battalion. "We have some great instructors from the 269th Military Police Company here to teach many of the classes and training events."

After perfecting military police tasks for five days, participating nations will conduct a joint, three-day culminating exercise.

"The major exercise is where we really get to bond as partners and learn the nuances of how each country's military operates," said Dye. "During that time, we will be responding to realistic scenarios like protesters, terrorist attacks, detainee escapes and medical emergencies, just to name a few. These events will test how we react, and then we will adjust and make corrections to streamline our response, therefore making us faster, more efficient and safer."

The Tennessee National Guard has worked with the Bulgarian military for over 30 years. In 1993, Tennessee and Bulgaria became one of the first partners in the Department of Defense National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program. The program now includes more than 100 nations and the National Guard in every state, territory and the District of Columbia.

"These events are great opportunities to train with our international partners, who we often deploy and work with overseas," said Dye. "Our relationship with Bulgaria is solid as we continue to learn the same tactics, techniques, streamline communications, and build relationships so we are more effective together as allies."

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Mozambique: Council extends the mandate of the EU training mission until 2026 and paves the way for its evolution into a EU Military Assistance Mission

European Council / Council of the European Union

Council of the EU

Press release

14 May 2024 11:15

The Council today prolonged the mandate of the EU Training Mission in Mozambique, until 30 June 2026, with a budget allocation of over 14 million for this period.

Furthermore, the Council decided to adapt the strategic objectives of the mission to new circumstances, thereby favouring its transition from a training to an assistance model, combining advising, mentoring and specialised training in support of the units of the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) of the Mozambican armed forces.

As a consequence of this change, the mission will be renamed EU Military Assistance Mission Mozambique (EUMAM Mozambique), as of 1 September 2024.

As part of the EU's integrated approach encompassing humanitarian, peacebuilding, security and development actions, EUTM Mozambique was set up in July 2021 with the aim of training and supporting the Mozambican armed forces in protecting the civilian population, and restoring safety and security in the Cabo Delgado province, where the security and humanitarian situation had been continuously deteriorating since 2017.

The mission has supported the capacity building of the units of the Mozambican armed forces that have then become part of the QRF. In particular, the mission has provided military training including operational preparation, specialised training on counter-terrorism, and training and education on the protection of civilians and compliance with international humanitarian law and human rights law.

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United States: Speech by High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell at the Hoover Institution, Stanford (San Francisco)

European External Action Service (EEAS)

14.05.2024

Strategic Communications

Thank you, thank you very much for being here. Thank you for your time and your attention. Yes, I studied at Stanford fifty years ago, fifty years ago! When I left, I said to myself that I had to come back, because I had here the best time of my life. As I am sure you have.

Well, it only took fifty years but finally I am here [and] I am very happy for your invitation. Thank you so much for that, this was a very good opportunity for me to coming back to the Stanford campus.

Our relationship - between the European Union and the US- has been at the core of our peace and prosperity. It was true 20, 30, 50 years ago and it is still true today. We greatly value the Transatlantic relationship, but this Transatlantic relationship is not just about Washington. It is also about California, [that has] a strong European, Spanish, heritage.

If you were a country, you would be the fifth economy in the world. And today you are leading the artificial intelligence revolution and I am happy to know that we are partners on building a responsible and human-centric technological innovation.

But let's go to the subject, you are not here to listen about my life, although you may understand that for me is very moving to be here in Stanford. Then I went into politics and four years ago I became High Representative of the EU for Foreign and Security Policy. At the beginning, foreign policy was the most important part of my portfolio, of my job, but today is about security and defence, because the world has changed a lot in these last four years.

At the beginning when I took my office, I said a sentence that was very much noticed: "Europe has to learn to use the language of power". And it was important because the power was not in the European Union DNA, because our project was driven by the rejection of power, the rejection of force, the rejection of power politics among us, among Europeans. And we managed and we succeed a lot in avoiding power politics among Europeans.

Our foreign policy was mostly oriented towards market integration among us, and market trade was the most important part of our foreign policy. We wanted to develop partnerships through trade, believing that a partnership based on trade will bring peace and good relationships around the world.

Now we have to change gear. We have to adjust our software. We have to reset our minds, because certainly power politics today is a reality - unhappily, it's not an insanity. It's something that dominates the world. And if we want to protect our values and our interests, then we have to look at the world the way it is and not the way we want it to be: a peaceful place.

We made peace among us, and we believed that the rest of the world also was a peaceful place. Unhappily, that's not true. And now we are living - as someone says - a Demosthenes moment or as others say in a Hamiltonian moment. We are facing the tragedy of great powers.

And we need to redefine our position with respect to the international system, at least for three major reasons.

First. A strong, a fierce competition among major powers, and the rise of an intense interstate rivalry. The weaponisation of interdependency, if you are dependent, this is going to be used as an [arm] against you, and this changes everything.

The second one, is that our economic way, the EU's economic way is declining. You, the US, 30 years ago you were 25% of the world GNP. You are still 25% of the world GNP. All of us has been growing, but you kept your size, your share of the world economy.

Us? No. We have been decreasing, our share of the world economy has been declining, and we have the risk, we face the risk, of becoming or suffering a collateral damage from the US-China competition, which will be the most important factor of international relations in the next decades.

And this is going to be the century of Southeast Asia and China in particular. Before the war in Ukraine, you, the US, moved to the Indo-Pacific because you were convinced - and I think you are still convinced - that there is the new front line in the world. And we, Europeans, we can be a collateral damage of this competition.

And the third one is that the security landscape has dramatically changed, in particular in our geography, the war against Ukraine is at some kilometres of the European Union. The Russian aggression against Ukraine has changed everything for us.

I remember Javier Solana, who was (as I was) also a Fulbright scholar, saying when he left his job as High Representative: "Europe has never been so secure, in peace and tranquility". Well, that's not exactly what I'm saying today.

When I presented the Strategic Compass, weeks before the start of the war against Ukraine, my words were quite different. I said: "Europe is in danger". Javier Solana said: "We have never been so peaceful and so secure". I said: "Europe is in danger and we have to increase our capacity to face difficult challenges."

This difference between the words of my friend Solana and my words are due to some changes. What have been these changes in the last four years?

First the Russian challenge and how we manage it. And we managed to put an end to our dependency in an incredible short period of time. Forty per cent of our gas was coming from Russia. You from the U.S. warned us: "Don't do it. It's very dangerous. Putin is not a reliable partner. He's not a reliable supplier." In spite of that, we continued building pipelines - Nord Stream One, Nord Stream Two - in order to get more and more gas coming from Russia. Until the war came and then we cut 40% and today [is just] 9%. [In just] a couple of years. This is remarkable. And we did that also thanks to [to the fact that] you are a great provider of liquefied natural gas.

Second, we have been able to build a common vision vis-a-vis Russia and Ukraine. I know I am talking in front of one to the best specialists on Russia. Well, the Europeans were quite divided about Russia, but we managed to be united in front of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. And we are united on considering Russia an existential threat to the Europeans. Not everybody agrees exactly on this definition: there is at least one or maybe two countries who don't believe that Russia is an existential threat. But the rest of us, and in particular, the ones who are closer to the border, consider that we have to behave with this state of mind.

And the third thing we need is to be one of the biggest security providers to Ukraine. Maybe the biggest. If you add up the civilian support and the military support, we have disbursed, paid effectively, since the beginning of the war, 96 billion Euros, which makes a figure that, if I am not wrong, is bigger than the figure provided by the US. You are much better on military support, but [we are] in overall [support], military and civilian; and even [on] military support we can discuss [it].

And by the way, what a pity that you have been six months discussing about maintaining or not this support: this six months could make a big difference on the front line. The last news I got this morning [in the] daily report from my people in Brussels, is that Russia is starting a new offensive, opening a new front in the north of Kharkiv. I was there some days before the war started, and now maybe this may be the place where a decisive development affects us, and events could happen this springtime.

Yes. There is a new offensive in Kharkiv, and maybe - why not - if Putin wins this war, they could destabilise other European Union countries. All of them are knocking at the door of NATO to become members of NATO. Finland and Sweden, traditionally neutral, because they are very much convinced that, if they want to avoid to be invaded, aggress[ed] by Russia, the best thing they can do is to become members of NATO.

We will be confronting huge challenges in terms of war sustainability. Ukraine will need our support. Everyone [wish that] Ukraine resists. We have to do more and quicker. [And] this six month delay on the US support, and also some delays in our support on providing ammunition, can unhappily make the difference, and in any case, to be paid in terms of lives, a lot of lives.

And the final thing I want to transmit to you is that indeed, Europeans, we have a strong concern [about]: will the US continue with the same security priorities? Depending on who is going to go to the White House. This is your business, but this will affect us around the world and in particular us. And we are looking at what's going to happen in the US, because certainly we Europeans alone will be [in] difficulty to continue providing Ukraine with the support they need in order to continue their fight.

I was talking with the Prime Minister of Ukraine one week before the war started, in his office, and he asked me: "They will invade us. On the other side of the border, there are 150,000 troops, with heavy arms and they are not there with their coffee. They will invade us. And when they would invade us, what are you going to do? Are you going to help us? Sure you will not send the young Europeans to be killed to defend Kiyv. But are you going to provide us with the arms necessary in order to defend our homeland?"

At that moment, I couldn't answer. But later, yes, we answer with strong unity on supporting Ukraine. I think that we Europeans and the US have to continue strongly on this line, because it's our security and it's the peace and stability in the world which is at stake.

And then after, another front line was opened: Gaza. And we are extremely alarmed by the terrible situation in Gaza. I was in Gaza in 2008-2009; and this is, I think, the third or the fourth time that Gaza is being destroyed. But this time is being destroyed to the roots, flattened completely. People are dying and starving and suffering in unimaginable proportions.

And yes, we provide humanitarian support as much as we can. But humanitarian support in this case is not the means, it is not an end. It is not a natural catastrophe what is happening in Gaza: it is not the earthquake, it is not a flood, when you come and help people suffering the consequences. [It] is a manmade disaster, is a manmade catastrophe. And we are pushing as much as we can in order to reach a ceasefire; to get the hostages back home, certainly; to get a better access to humanitarian aid entering Gaza.

You could have a look through a satellite on the border, as I do every morning. You could see more than 1000 trucks waiting, queuing, in order to be able to enter, when on the other side of the line, there are hundreds of thousands of people - according to the United Nations - on the highest level of starvation.

We have to start a political process to empower the Palestinian Authority. I don't see any other solution. And we have to make loud and clear that the only way to get out of this tragedy is to reach a two-state solution. Difficult as it could be, as it is. I don't see any other way of stopping this tragedy, which will remain a stain on the human consciousness.

I don't see any [other] way of stopping one generation after the other from funeral to funeral, if we want to make the Palestinians and the Israelis to share the land, for which they [have been] fighting for more [than] 100 years. In Gaza, the Europeans have been strongly divided. Very much united in front of Russia, with some exceptions, very much united in putting money and supporting Ukraine politically, economically, from any point of view.

In Gaza, we have been very much divided. Look at the United Nations vote a couple of days ago, or when the ceasefire was voted: 18 in favor, 2 against, the others abstaining. That, for historical reasons, that you could easily imagine. But it doesn't mean that we don't have to take a stronger part of responsibility because we have delegated [to] the US looking for a solution. I see a certain fatigue from the US side to continue engaging in looking for a solution. And we are trying to push with the Arab people in order to build together, the Arabs and Europeans, to make this two-state solution a reality. In the meantime, release of hostages and humanitarian support. But it is certainly not [going] to be enough.

Looking ahead. I think the Europeans have to increase our strategic responsibility. We have to spend more in our defence and to better allocate our common resources. Easy to say, difficult to implement. We are not a state, not even a federal state: we are 27 sovereign states, with 27 different armies. Altogether, we spend four times more than Russia on military. And theoretically as much as China: I say theoretically because in fact, nobody knows how much China is spending. But we do that in a fragmented manner.

So we have to work and we are working, and I am working on building a pillar within NATO because there is not alternative for the territorial defence of Europe but NATO. But we have to be stronger inside NATO altogether. As I said: easy to say, difficult to achieve.

And then we have to mobilise our resources in order to prevent Europe to loose competitively vis-a-vis the US, also, not only about China, it's also about you. If the gap between the US and the European Union increases, our savings will be rushing to the US capital market, which is much more broader and deeper, and where energy costs are much lower than in Europe. And some choices made by the U.S. government to revamp your economy, and fight back against China, - for example, the I.R.A. - may create a problem for European firms that certainly it is going to be a big, massive subsidy. And we should not engage in a war of subsidies. That's what we blame China for doing. That is what in a way or another you are doing too.

And when I talk with American friends and they tell me: "You are not happy with that? Do the same thing. We don't care. Do the same thing as we do". Well, the problem is we cannot do it because we are not a federal state. We don't have a Pentagon and we don't have a U.S. Treasury. So, who is going to put on the table $300,000 million dollars or 400,000, don't know how many? Who? There is not a federal authority. If we let each member state to do it, with their own capacities, then we are going to break our internal market. So it is not easy to do the same thing that you are doing. And in some cases, it is clear that we are strong allies, but we are not aligned, in particular on China.

And this brings me to China again: the big elephant in the room. We are talking every day about Gaza, every day about Ukraine, every day about Russia. We look at the Sahel, to Africa, to Latin America. We don't talk enough about China. And we have a systemic problem with China, as you have. Market rules are being trumped by security and policy rules. Market access is limited. New investment opportunities are lower than expected.

There are no new entrants in China economy from Europe. The ones who where [there], they stay. But the newcomers are looking for other places in the Southeast Asia.

China is flooding us with electric vehicles as they did with solar panels. 80% of all solar panels in Europe are being produced in China. And, the same thing may happen with batteries, with electric cars. Everything that has to do with the digital revolution.

We were very much depending on Russia on oil, hydrocarbons. Now we are as much dependent from China on the critical materials needed for the digital revolution as we were from Russia on the hydrocarbons which was supposed to be the past.

China is doing extraordinarily well on anything related with renewables. In a single year, they have created much more power capacity on renewables that the US on the whole history, than you in the whole history. And in spite of that, they still produce 60 / 70% of their energy consumption by hydrocarbons: coal, oil or gas. But they need everything. And they use everything. And China is producing more CO2 than the rest of the world together. So no way of looking for a solution to climate change without a strong commitment and engagement with China.

And that we say China is a rival, is a partner, and it is a competitor: the three things at the same time. And it is difficult to manage relations as complex as this one. But I want to insist in this idea: we cannot become the adjustment variable of the Chinese economy, which is confronted with internal imbalances and the potential loss of the American market. If the Chinese lose the American market, they will direct to Europe their excess of capacity. We cannot be the adjustment variable of this confrontation.

And please, for the ones who studied geo-economics, don't make a confusion between excess production capacity and internal imbalances of the economy. As far as the Chinese economy will be so much unbalanced between internal consumption and production, they will have one way or another to look for a solution through exports. And this puts the question of competitiveness, [and] relative advantages. But the public opinions in Europe are not ready to accept the dismantling of the European industry. You are not neither.

Therefore, if China is not responsive enough, we would have to protect our industries as you do. But the important message here in Stanford is that we have to try to do it in a coherent and coordinated manner.

If you do that on your side and we do that on our side, we will be paying each one the price of the adjustment. So more coordination in front of China should be one of the most important thing that the Europeans and the Americans should do in order to balance the challenges of this world.

Yes. We have to learn to speak the language of power. Power is not only military power. But it is also military power. So we have to increase our military capacities, but we have to act using all the tools that we have. And we still have a lot of them. We have to build the political will to use it, as we have done in front of Russia, to face the challenges of the world, increasing our strategic responsibility.

This is not a luxury. This is not something that you may have or not. This is indispensable if we want to protect our lifestyle and our social fabric and our values.

I used to say that in Europe we have been able to look for a good combination of political freedom, economic prosperity and social cohesion. You cannot be secure at home, if your neighbour is not having dinner. Security at home depends on the social cohesion, on the strength of the social fabric. And this goes hand in hand with political freedom. This is the first competition in the world not only with military means. It's also intellectual means, to conquer the mind of the people. And China and Russia are spending a lot of money and capacities in order to develop a narrative about which political system is better. And this is the most important battle and the free world cannot lose it. Thank you.







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Press Briefing by IDF Spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, May 14

IDF Press Release

May 14, 2024

14.05.24

IDF

Good evening,

I have just arrived from the Chief of the General Staff's situational assessment in eastern Rafah, together with the Commanding Officer of the Southern Command, the Head of the Operations Directorate (J3) and the Commanding Officer of the 162nd Division.

We visited the forces operating in the field from the Givati Brigade and the 401st Armored Brigade, who operated in the area during the holiday.

Currently, three divisions are operating in Gaza, in three different focal points - in the north, center and south of the strip.

During Memorial Day and Independence Day alone, we eliminated approximately one hundred terrorists in Gaza.



In the south of the Gaza Strip, forces of the 162nd Division continue a targeted operation on terrorist targets and Hamas focal points in the eastern Rafah area.

Since the beginning of the operation in Rafah, the forces have eliminated approximately one hundred terrorists, destroyed launchers, located approximately ten underground terrorist routes, and located many weapons, including anti-tank missiles, rockets, explosives and more. We are engaged in destroying both the underground infrastructure and weapons.

Today, we revealed unusual footage of armed terrorists next to UN vehicles, which we located a few days ago, and shooting inside an UNRWA compound in eastern Rafah. We forwarded the findings to senior members of the international community, and called on the UN to urgently investigate the connection between UNRWA's logistics centers to Hamas operatives by their vehicles.



At the same time, in the central Gaza Strip, forces led by the 99th Division have been operating for several days in an extensive operation in the Zeitoun area, during which approximately one hundred and fifty terrorists have been eliminated, and approximately eighty structures used for terrorism were destroyed. Earlier today, in cooperation with the ISA, we struck a central Hamas war room that was embedded inside an UNRWA school, yes embedded inside an UNRWA school. In that room there were approximately fifteen terrorists, some of whom were involved in planning and carrying out the October 7th Massacre. Nukhba terrorists. We precisely struck the room they were situated in, and eliminated the operatives.

In the northern Gaza Strip, forces of the 98th Division are operating in the heart of Jabalya in an area where the IDF has not yet operated. In this activity, so far, approximately eighty terrorists have been eliminated, rocket launchers were destroyed, including a number of long-range rockets, and workshops for the production of weapons have been destroyed. We received intelligence indications about this area and the operation was directed according to these intelligence indications, where we located weapons and destroyed them. IAF aircraft are carrying out airstrikes in close cooperation with the ground forces, and so far over a hundred targets in the area have been struck.

At the same time, forces led by the Gaza Division are targeting and destroying terrorist infrastructure. In the area of Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, areas close to the border, we are operating to prevent the existence of terrorist infrastructure close to the border.



We are operating with determination in all three parts of the Gaza Strip. Forces from the air, land and sea are simultaneously striking terrorist targets.

The forces operate in combat against terrorists, and unfortunately there are also wounded soldiers. Today, thirteen soldiers were injured during combat, four of them seriously. They were taken to the hospital and their families were informed. We wish them good health and from here we will continue to pray until they return to their strength. We act with determination, thoroughness and creativity, while maintaining the security of our forces as a central task.



On the northern border, a civilian was killed today as a result of an anti-tank missile hitting Adamit. We mourn his death, and support his family at this difficult time. In addition, five soldiers were lightly to moderately injured. Their families were informed, they were evacuated for medical treatment, and we wish them a speedy recovery. During the day, we struck dozens of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in a number of different locations.

Throughout Memorial Day and Independence Day, IDF troops were deployed on all borders - in Gaza, in the north, in the center and in more distant regions to maintain the security of the residents and citizens of the State of Israel and allow us all to mark these national days in the shadow of the war with security.

I am now returning from eastern Rafah, where we met the commanding officers of the brigades from the field. They looked at the Chief of the General Staff and said to him: Chief of the General Staff, there are also hostages in the Rafah area. We are determined to do whatever it takes to create the conditions for them to quickly return home to us.

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Defence cooperation with the United States is an unwavering priority to Lithuania, says Minister of National Defence L. Kasciunas

Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of National Defence

2024-05-14

International cooperation | Minister's news

Minister of National Defence Laurynas Kasciunas had his first phone call with Secretary of Defence of the United States Loyd J. Austin in which he assured the U.S. colleague of Lithuania's stable priorities of cooperation with the United States and the U.S. remained the strategic partners for regional security and defence.

"The U.S. and NATO presence in Lithuania is the key deterrent. We hope that the uninterrupted U.S. force presence in Lithuania will be reflected in further U.S. military planning as well," said L. Kasciunas and thanked U.S Secretary of Defence for the recent decision to have the force presence in the Baltic region indeterminately. In its turn, Lithuania is doing everything possible to ensure all Host Nation Support to the deploying U.S. troops, including development of proper infrastructure that meets NATO standards.

L. Kasciunas also thanked the U.S. for the leadership in ensuring assistance to Ukraine. Lithuania has made a long-term commitment to reach at least 0.25 percent of GDP worth of assistance to the war-torn country.

Minister and Secretary Austin also discussed the weaponry acquisitions underway and possibilities to speed up the delivery of the purchased equipment. More than 20 percent of Lithuania's new defence equipment is acquired from the United States. Lithuania's procurement include the Javelin medium-range anti-tank weapon system, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, Black Hawk helicopters, HIMARS High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, AMRAAM Advanced Medium Range Air-Air Missiles for the NASAMS medium-range ground-based air defense system, Switchblade loitering munition, etc.

"We are also working on strengthening the Lithuanian-U.S. cooperation in the areas of defence industry. Besides the 155 mm ammunition to be produced in Lithuania by Germany's Rheinmetall, we are in serious talks with potential U.S. investors in Lithuania," said Minister L. Kasciunas discussing the importance of defence industry development with U.S. Secretary of Defence.

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Additional Javelin antitank missile supplies for the Lithuanian Armed Forces delivered

Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of National Defence

2024-05-14

Development and Strengthening of the Armed Forces | International cooperation

A new shipment of United States-manufactured Javelin medium-range anti-tank weapon system has been handed over to the Lithuanian Armed Forces earlier this week. It will be assigned to Lithuanian Land Force units thus strengthening capability of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. The batch worth amounts to approx. USD 16.6 million.

"The United States of America is Lithuania's strategic partner and one of the key Allies for the Baltic regional security. Beyond doubt, the Javelin anti-tank system the United States has made available for Lithuania to acquire is a boost to the Lithuanian Armed Forces' combat capacity and deterrent effect," says Minister of National Defence Laurynas Kasciunas.

"We are happy with this delivery of Javelin missiles and welcome Lithuania's ongoing investments in its combat capabilities," says Ambassador of the United States to Lithuania HE Kara C. McDonald.

Such replenishment of the Lithuanian Armed Forces stocks with the Javelin system has been particularly spot-on since the geopolitical situation was direly complicated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The United States is one of Lithuania's principal partners in defence acquisitions which, besides the Javelin, include the Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, Black Hawk helicopters, HIMARS High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, AMRAAM Advanced Medium Range Air-Air Missiles for the NASAMS medium-range ground-based air defense system, Switchblade loitering munition, etc. Over 20% of the new defence purchases in the Lithuanian Armed Forces were contracted with the United States.

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Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York

14 May 2024

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

** Gaza

Good afternoon, everyone. The Secretary-General is on an official visit to Oman, and he has authorized me to say the following statement.

The Secretary-General is appalled by the escalation of military activity in and around Rafah by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

These developments are further impeding humanitarian access and worsening an already dire situation. At the same time, Hamas goes on firing rockets indiscriminately. Civilians must be respected and protected at all times in Rafah and elsewhere in Gaza. For people in Gaza, nowhere is safe now.

The Secretary-General reiterates his urgent appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and for the release of all hostages. He calls for the Rafah crossing to be re-opened immediately and we must have unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Gaza. That statement will be issued shortly.

** Occupied Palestinian Territory

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, said in a social media post that parties must take all feasible precautions to spare civilians  including UN personnel and humanitarian workers  after one UN staff member was killed and another injured yesterday when their vehicle was hit en route to the European Hospital in Rafah.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) reports that families continue to flee Rafah in search of safety.

The agency estimates that as of yesterday, nearly 450,000 people had been displaced from Rafah in the last week. UNRWA says families are fleeing wherever they can  including to rubble and sand dunes.

As we have said repeatedly, all parties must respect international humanitarian law at all times. This means that civilians must be protected, and their essential needs  including food, shelter, water and health  must be met, wherever they are in Gaza and whether they move or stay.

The families being displaced from Rafah are arriving at sites that lack shelter, latrines and water points. However, it is impossible to improve the situation at displacement sites if supplies can't enter Gaza  and if we lack the fuel to transport them inside Gaza to the families who need them.

Despite that, efforts are ongoing to deliver life-saving assistance wherever and whenever possible. Our humanitarian partners report that work continues to restore health services at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, which is expected to formally reopen in the coming days.

The hospital already started providing haemodialysis treatment last week to patients who can no longer be treated at An Najjar Hospital in Rafah  which has ceased providing services.

Meanwhile, our colleagues in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) say that, yesterday in the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked aid trucks bound for Gaza. The settlers offloaded and vandalized the vehicles at the Tarqumiya checkpoint and near the Barrier by Beit 'Awwa. Several trucks were damaged.

Israel must protect against violence by Israeli settlers and ensure that all allegations of settler violence are investigated, and the perpetrators are prosecuted.

** Secretary-General's Travel

Like I just said, the Secretary-General is currently in Muscat, Oman.

Upon his arrival last night, he met with Sheikh Khalifah Al Harthy, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman.

During his official visit, the Secretary-General is expected to hold discussions on Wednesday with His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarek. And a meeting with the Foreign Minister, H.E. Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi, is also expected to take place tomorrow before he departs to Bahrain for the Arab Summit.

While in Manama, as we mentioned to you previously, the Secretary-General will deliver remarks to the Summit, and he is expected to have several bilateral meetings with leaders attending the Summit.

Discussions will mainly focus on the situation in Gaza and the wider region.

We will keep updating you on the Secretary-General's schedule along the way.

** Sudan

And just for the record, we issued a statement last night, in which the Secretary-General expressed his grave concern by the outbreak of fighting in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.

He urged the parties to immediately stop the fighting and resume ceasefire negotiations without further delay.

The Secretary-General is alarmed by reports of the use of heavy weaponry in densely populated areas, resulting in dozens of civilian casualties, significant displacement and the destruction of civilian infrastructure.

He recalls that civilians in the area are already facing a looming famine and the consequences of over a year of war, and this fighting puts over 800,000 civilians at risk.

The Secretary-General reminds all parties of their obligation under international humanitarian law to protect civilians. He also requests that all parties facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access to all civilians in need in El Fasher, across Darfur and Sudan.

And, tomorrow, I will be joined in this room by the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami.

She will provide you with more details on the humanitarian situation in the country.

** South Sudan

Turning now to South Sudan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that more than an estimated 7 million people in the country are likely to experience high levels of food insecurity through July.

According to OCHA's latest report, at least 79,000 people are at risk of catastrophic levels of hunger  mostly in locations affected by conflict, economic crisis and climate-related shocks.

Our humanitarian partners are also mobilizing support for people displaced by intercommunal fighting in Tambura County, in Western Equatoria.

An estimated 26,000 people have fled so far, and most residential areas around Tambura town are deserted.

For their part, our peacekeeping colleagues are closely monitoring the situation in Tambura. To deter further violence, the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) had immediately deployed additional peacekeepers to reinforce the site. The Mission reports that they have also tripled the number of daily patrols.

Currently, about 200 blue helmets are conducting daily patrols to provide security to the local population. Our colleagues in South Sudan also continue to engage with community leaders and political parties at the national and local levels to peacefully resolve any issues and reduce intercommunal tensions.

Meanwhile, the influx of returnees and refugees from the conflict in Sudan continues to strain already limited services at border points and in host communities.

Since the war in Sudan began in April of last year, at least 670,000 new arrivals have been registered in South Sudan  80 per cent of them returnees.

And just to flag that this year's humanitarian appeal for the country remains severely underfunded  which is challenging response efforts. Just 11 per cent of the $1.8 billion required has been received to date, some $195 million.

** Haiti

From Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has an update about the impact of the attack by armed groups that we mentioned yesterday. It took place in Gressier, south of the capital Port-au-Prince.

According to the first assessments conducted by humanitarian organizations, the May 10 attacks in Gressier have displaced some 4,400 people. Nearly three quarters of them are now sheltering with host families, with others seeking refuge in seven makeshift displacement sites.

This brings the total number of people newly displaced in Port-au-Prince in the past two weeks to nearly 10,000.

More assessments are being carried out, and OCHA is liaising with its partners to coordinate the ongoing response.

UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) and its partners have reached more than 50,000 displaced children and families impacted by attacks since late February through their mobile clinics in Port-au-Prince.

** Security Council

Karim Khan, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, briefed the Security Council on the Court's work concerning Libya.

He told the Council there was enthusiasm for the prosecution to open an office in Tripoli. He added, however, that a paradigm shift is still needed and that the rule of law must apply in Libya.

And this afternoon, the Security Council will hold a meeting on Ukraine. Lisa Doughten, the Director of the Financing and Partnerships Division of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, is expected to brief Council members.

** Peacekeeping

The Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, is in Qatar, where he engaged today with Government officials to discuss peacekeeping-related matters, as well as mine action.

Tomorrow, Mr. Lacroix will arrive in Afghanistan, where he will raise awareness on the impact of explosive ordnance, including on Afghan communities.

He will be in the country until 17 May and will be accompanied by the Director of the United Nations Mine Action Service, Ilene Cohn.

Mr. Lacroix also aims to explore avenues for effective strategies to clear explosive ordnance from Afghan communities. Afghanistan's people are threatened by mines, and 81 per cent of the 821 explosive ordnance casualties reported in Afghanistan between January 2023 and March 2024 were children.

** Cyprus

The Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General on Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin, has this week concluded her third visit to the island, as well as visits to Ankara and Athens.

As she informed the media in Cyprus on 13 May, she will soon begin to prepare her report to the Secretary-General with her findings and will discuss with him the way forward.

In the meantime, she continues her efforts to search for common ground.

** Economic and Social Council

This morning, the Secretary-General addressed, by video message, the annual meeting of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) operational activities for development segment.

He said that we stand at a pivotal moment in our journey towards the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adding that the UN development system, led by the Resident Coordinators, is critical to getting us there.

Last year's SDG Summit called for a rescue plan and the UN is shifting gears to accelerate action.

We are supporting the capacity development of countries, including efforts to strengthen policy and regulatory environments.

At the same time, the Secretary-General told Member States that he is deeply concerned about the system's funding, adding that securing sustainable and predictable funding is his main priority for the system this year.

** Financial Contributions

And last, we're getting regular budget dues today from two of the world's landlocked nations.

We are fortunate to have two cheques, one from one of the smallest landlocked countries in Europe, at approximately 468 square kilometres.

Any guesses? [response from the crowd: "Andorra!"] You are right. It's Andorra. You are going to get the first question.

The second payment is from a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. [responses from the crowd: "Mongolia!"] That was an easy question. All right. I'll give you second and third, respectively. Yes. You're absolutely right. That is Mongolia.

We thank our friends in Andorra la Vella and Ulaanbaatar for taking us to 110 fully paid-up Member States. As I promised, Abdelhamid.

** Questions and Answers

Question : I will give the first question to my colleague Edie. Thank you very much.

Deputy Spokesman : You're quite a community of correspondents!

Question : Being a true gentleman. Farhan, yesterday, you said that 360,000 Palestinians had fled Rafah. I believe you said just now that it was 450,000.

Deputy Spokesman : Yes. Those are the figures from the Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA. [cross talk] It's nearly 450,000; although, I expect to get to that number sometime over the course of the day.

Question : And this is all since the offensive, the latest offensive began.

Deputy Spokesman : Yes, exactly. Since the latest offensive.

Question : Okay. So yesterday, you said that a 100,000 people had fled the north. Is there any update on how many people have fled the north by today?

Deputy Spokesman : I don't have new figures for the North. We expect that there's more going on, in terms of departures from the north, given the increased fighting, which is why we issued the statement that the Secretary-General has just put out. But I'll see whether we can get some figures over the next day or so in terms of departures from the north, as well as from the south.

Question : Okay. And a second question, on the US pier, can you tell us whether the United Nations is going to be involved in any way in the distribution of the aid that's being brought in by sea?

Deputy Spokesman : Well, this is something we're certainly discussing with the relevant authorities, so we'll see what role we have. We do intend to play a role, and we're determining how to do that in a way that fully respects the integrity and neutrality of our operations.

Question : And is there any indication of when this decision might be made?

Deputy Spokesman : We're in constant talks. So as soon as we can do it, we will.

Abdelhamid and then Dezhi, and then... [cross talk]

Question : Thank you, Farhan. This morning, the settlers stormed Al Aqsa Mosque. They raised the Israeli flag inside the mosque. Are you aware of that? And what do you say to this? [cross talk]

Deputy Spokesman : Yes. We're aware of these reports, which are very disturbing. As you know, we always have called for, and continue to call for, respect for the status quo at all of the holy sites in Jerusalem, and we do so again today.

Question : My second question. Farhan, you keep repeating the same thing: We call on Israel to respect civilians, to prosecute those who violate international law, to do this, to do this; but you know and the whole world knows that Israel will not do that. What is other than just appealing to Israel to respect international humanitarian law or international law? And you know they don't.

Deputy Spokesman : I don't think it's as simple as that. Different countries are ones in which we sometimes have difficulties in dealing with them as we strive to make sure that all international norms are respected. Over time, we do deal with all of the countries in the system and the reason the international norms are in place is that countries do understand the need to respect and uphold them. And we believe that the efforts we make are ultimately ones that will be productive.

Dezhi?

Question : Yeah, first a follow-up on the US pier. You said the UN is in constant communication and talks with the counterparts... relative parties. But the thing is the news told us it will be operating in days. Do you believe you can finish this talk within days on the role of the UN?

Deputy Spokesman : I don't want to put a timeline on the talks. We've been conducting them... [cross talk] We've been conducting them very seriously and at very senior levels. And certainly, if all the parties are willing to meet each other, this can be done in fairly short order.

Question : So, UN will... Let me put it this way, so UN could play its role on that pier, but not necessarily in the very beginning once the... of the operation of that pier. Right?

Deputy Spokesman : Let's not... like I said, let's not pre-judge. The talks are ongoing, and we'll see once they can come to a result.

Question : Okay. Another follow-up. Do you have more... Maybe I missed this part. Do you have more information on the international casualties in Gaza? On that, which nationality can you tell us? And what is the situation there  who did the attack?

Deputy Spokesman : At this stage, regarding who did attack, I can't really say that. What I can tell you about, in terms of determining responsibility, is that the UN has established a fact-finding panel. It's very early in the investigation, and details of the incident are still being verified with the Israeli Defence Force. What we know so far indicates that a weapon appears to have impacted the back of a white UN vehicle, carrying two UN staff members, killing one and injuring another. The deceased staff member has been identified. He is Waibhav Anil Kale of India, and we send our condolences to his family.

Question : How...? The wounded one?

Deputy Spokesman : What?

Question : The wounded?

Deputy Spokesman : The wounded one is from Jordan. We're awaiting her recovery.

Question : How many... Do you know how many international staff still are there in Gaza?

Deputy Spokesman : Yes. I have that, I have that figure.

Question : And can you confirm this is the first international casualty?

Deputy Spokesman : The this the first... [cross talk] As I pointed out yesterday, it is the first international casualty. International staff in Gaza is currently at 71.

Correspondent : Seventy-one. Okay. One last question.

Deputy Spokesman : Okay. But really, let's move it around. [cross talk] Actually, let's move it around now. We can come back to you.

Tariq, yes. Oh, sorry... Jordan.

Question : Yeah, good afternoon. You just said something about settlers. Does... did you just say that does the SG condemn the settlers attack on humanitarian convoys going to Gaza yesterday? This is what you just said.

Deputy Spokesman : Yes. Of course, we are opposed to all of the attacks on humanitarian convoys, whether by settlers or anyone else. But I want to underscore to everyone how serious it is, at a time when people are in danger of starving to death  there's no excuse for blocking or attacking different convoys as they try to get food to those in need.

Yeah?

Question : May... Can you tell me like the situation of the Jordanian international staff? It's like how? It's moderate, it's slight... how...?

Deputy Spokesman : That person was injured. She is receiving hospital care. We hope and expect... [cross talk]

Question : What kind of care? She's in ICU or she's just fine, do you know?

Deputy Spokesman : I wouldn't give that detail on her status. She's receiving medical attention. We believe that she will make it through.

Gabriel?

Question : Thank you, Farhan. Some of my questions have already been answered, but I'll have a couple of follow-ups. So, the UN is in contact with Israeli officials about the incident, correct?

Deputy Spokesman : Yes.

Question : And does that mean that Israel has...? Does that mean that Israel has... the shots fired were from Israel? And it's just a matter of the circumstances or are you still trying to determine if the shots came from Israeli personnel or not?

Deputy Spokesman : I think the point is we are in discussion with Israel to determine exactly how this incident happened and the nature of what happened. I don't think at this stage we are in doubt about where the shots came from as much as what the circumstances were.

Question : Where did they come from?

Deputy Spokesman : We believe it came from a tank in the area.

Question : Okay. And what were the... what was the... when they were going to the European Hospital, what was the purpose of that convoy to go to the hospital? Do you know any more detail on that?

Deputy Spokesman : There's regular work that's going on in terms of bringing people to different sites. And this was part of that.

Question : Last follow-up, if I may, going to the settlers' attack on the aid convoys that you spoke about already. Are you also in contact with Israeli officials about using their security personnel to stop such attacks? Because there were reports that Israeli security personnel watched it take place without intervening.

Deputy Spokesman : We want to make sure that everyone in a position of responsibility take up their responsibilities to make sure that humanitarian aid can go to those who need it.

Yes. Maggie, and then Volodymyr.

Question : Thanks, Farhan. Continuing on the attack yesterday on these two UN staffers. This fact-finding panel that you mentioned  who's on it? Like, is it a DSS (Department of Safety and Security) thing or, like, who, how many people, where are they from, have they...? [cross talk]

Deputy Spokesman : We don't give out the details of this, but, yes, it's basically something that's being set up by the Department of Safety and Security.

Question : And the Jordanian staffer who was injured, is she in hospital in Gaza or they were able to evacuate her to Jordan or Jerusalem?

Deputy Spokesman : She's not in Gaza right now. No. But she is receiving her hospital care.

Yeah. Okay. Hold on. I have you listed. Volodymyr first and then Benno.

Question : Thank you, Farhan. Quite a different question. In the Caucasus, the Georgian Parliament today adopted, in its final version, a law on so-called Foreign Agents, similar to Russian... Russia's. Tens of thousands of people in the capital, Tblisi, are protesting, and the police have resorted to violence. What can the Secretary-General say about that?

Deputy Spokesman : Yes, what I can say on that is that the Secretary-General is following with concern developments in Georgia, particularly the violent clashes and reports of disproportionate use of force by law enforcement personnel against demonstrators protesting against the draft law on transparency of foreign influence. The Secretary-General echoes the concerns of the UN country team in Georgia and the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the negative impact the law may have on the freedom of expression and the media and on civil society in general. He calls for restraint and dialogue between the authorities and civil society, as well as prompt investigation of all allegations of ill treatment during or after protests or in detention.

Benno?

Question : Thank you. Another follow-up to the incident in Gaza, you said you think that the shots were fired from the direction of a tank. Am I right that only the IDF have tanks in the region?

Deputy Spokesman : I think that's a safe assumption to make, yes. [cross talk]

Question : Yeah. But I had to ask it, I think. Secondly, can you confirm that one of the victims had a double nationality?

Deputy Spokesman : I don't have confirmation of that. The person who died is an Indian national. That's as much as I can establish.

Correspondent : Oh, I forgot my third one. Sorry.

Deputy Spokesman : We can come back around to you.

Tariq and then Edie. Sorry, Jordan. I'm sorry. I misnamed you twice.

Question : That's okay. I know you since 1993, and you still forget my name. That's okay. Do you know how many, I mean, first of all, is there any UN presence in El Fasher? And how many international staff are there, and how safe are they?

Deputy Spokesman : I do not believe that we have a presence in El Fasher itself, but I'll check and see whether that's the case. [He later confirmed no UN personnel were in El Fasher.]

Question : And a second follow-up, if you allow me, you said Mr. Lacroix is in Qatar. And he is going to Afghanistan, is that correct?

Deputy Spokesman : Yes. That is correct.

Question : And can you tell us how he's going to Afghanistan? Is this a commercial flight or how he's going there?

Deputy Spokesman : We don't give out detailed travel arrangements, but yeah, we expect by plane.

Yes, Edie?

Question : Thank you. Farhan, on the issue of fuel getting into Gaza, is there any update on how much is left and whether any fuel trucks have managed to get in today?

Deputy Spokesman : As far as I'm aware, there's been no transit of fuel trucks today. We've had a small amount of fuel, but we've been rationing it. Hopefully, I'll try to provide an update for you by tomorrow in terms of whether we can get more fuel in.

Dezhi?

Question : Just a quick follow-up with Edie's question. Do you have any trucks today entering Gaza from the UN?

Deputy Spokesman : I didn't receive any information on new fuel trucks going in. So... [cross talk]

Question : Other humanitarian deliveries?

Deputy Spokesman : Put it this way. As far as I know, Rafah as an opening is closed; there's been problems getting aid through Kerem Shalom in a way that we can transit it outwards. So right now, things are at a standstill.

Question : Erez?

Deputy Spokesman : There may be some activity at the Erez, but I'm not aware of it.

Abdelhamid and then Maggie.

Question : Thank you. I have a question on Karim Khan's speech. You don't have to answer, but I have to ask. The two points were missing. He didn't mention anything about the threats he received from the US in his speech. In his right of reply, he mentioned that because he was asked about it. And second, he did not mention whatsoever what's going on in Gaza. What do you think of that?

Deputy Spokesman : Well, the topic at hand was Libya. But beyond that, I wouldn't... I don't speak for Karim Khan who is part of the International Criminal Court, which is independent of the United Nations.

Question : Why he didn't meet with the press? I know that he was contacted, and he denied, he turned down the offer. Why?

Deputy Spokesman : Well, that's his choice. As they say in parts of America, you can take a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.

Maggie and then Jordan again.

Question : I know there was a briefing in Geneva, so sorry if this might have been covered there. But the two UN staffers involved in the accident or incident yesterday, in Gaza, what were their actual job titles? Like, what were they?

Deputy Spokesman : They were part of the Department of Safety and Security. So, they both work with DSS.

Question : In security jobs...? [cross talk]

Deputy Spokesman : They have security jobs. Yes.

Question : Okay.

Deputy Spokesman : Yeah, Jordan.

Question : The DSS office in Gaza, who are their boss? Who they reported to?

Deputy Spokesman : Well, DSS obviously reports to the head of DSS here in New York. But in terms of who they report to in Gaza, as you know, there's the humanitarian coordinator who deals with Gaza.

Yes?

Question : Thank you, Farhan, a lot of follow-up questions about the incident yesterday have been asked, in which the Indian colonel passed away, was killed. Would you have any other numbers as to how many personnel from India are stationed there or are part of the DSS throughout the UN agencies?

Deputy Spokesman : I don't have a breakdown by nationality of staff. Like I said, there's 71 international staff in Gaza. But we don't have nationality breakdowns; that fluctuates from time to time. Obviously, we appreciate the contribution that India has made, and we also express our apologies and our condolences to the Government and people of India.

Gabriel and then Benno.

Question : Thank you, Farhan, has Israel apologized to the UN?

Deputy Spokesman : Like I said, this case is still under review. Yes?

Question : Now it came to my mind what I wanted to ask. Do you see this attack as a deliberate attack on the UN?

Deputy Spokesman : The point I'm making is that this case is still under review. We'll see what the review results in.

Question : Okay. And you mentioned how these cars were marked. Is there any reason to believe that they could have been mistaken or anything?

Deputy Spokesman : It's hard to say. Again, as the review proceeds, we'll need to see what the precise nature of the circumstances were.

And with that, I wish you all a good afternoon, and we'll see you tomorrow. No Monica [Grayley].

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African Lion 2024 concludes in Tunisia, kicks-off in other host nations

By Maj. Joe Legros May 15, 2024

TUNIS, Tunisia -- Friendly forces identified several enemy four-by-four vehicles and an enemy air defense weapon, considered a high-value target, during the final event of African Lion 2024 in Tunisia. The decision was made swiftly to engage and neutralize these threats.

The exercise wrapped up on May 10, with a multinational combined arms live-fire exercise, or CALFEX, in Ben Ghilouf. Distinguished visitors from the U.S. and partner nations, including U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Todd R. Wasmund, commanding general of U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and overall exercise director, observed the event.

The CALFEX showcased the effectiveness of the previous two weeks of intense training under extreme heat and harsh desert conditions, emphasizing joint and multinational force cooperation.

"African Lion is the culmination of 49 weeks and thousands of hours, working closely with our partner nations, to execute this two-week mission in Tunisia," said Wasmund.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of AL24 and the seventh year Tunisia has hosted. Directed by SETAF-AF, under the guidance of U.S. Africa Command, the exercise extends through May 31, 2024, spanning Ghana, Morocco and Senegal with over 8,100 participants from 27 nations and NATO contingents.

As the CALFEX progressed, precise reconnaissance allowed U.S. Army Soldiers, U.S. Marines and members of the Tunisian Armed Forces to launch a coordinated barrage of artillery and rockets at the enemy.

Infantrymen from 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment, Maryland National Guard, artillery forces from 2nd Battalion, 258th Field Artillery, New York National Guard, and Marines from 3rd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (3rd ANGLICO), Marine Corps Forces Reserve, worked alongside Tunisian forces, demonstrating enhanced interoperability.

High mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) provided by 4th Battalion, 133rd Field Artillery Regiment, Texas National Guard, repeatedly fired upon the enemy's high value target.

"This marks the first time in African Lion's history, the HIMARS was used in Tunisia," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Kendra Tippett, chief of plans and exercises (G6), SETAF-AF. "It's a major testament to our partnership with the Tunisians and demonstrates our combined commitment to regional security."

Joint terminal attack controllers directed close air support for ground forces to further suppress the enemy.

"Air and ground integration creates trust and confidence with the host nation and other partner nations," said U.S. Marine Sgt. Jonah Glasson, 3rd ANGLICO. "It's great because in the future, when we do more operations together, they know that they can trust us with their ranges, their aircraft and with their own people."

In a show of force that shook the ground and created huge plumes of smoke and debris to scatter in every direction, Tunisian F-5 Tiger fighter jets dropped Mark 82 bombs on their targets and armor units assaulted their objective utilizing Tunisian tanks.

Now that enemy forces were properly softened, infantrymen cleaned up the remaining targets while UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters offered suppressive fire from above.

With the battlefield clear, except for smoldering enemy equipment, Tunisian special forces paratroopers glided onto the scene, carrying a familiar symbol to the Tunisian members of the audience.

The red crescent moon and star of the Tunisian flag thrashed against the wind as distinguished visitors observed from atop a nearby hill. Paratroopers, who planted the flag in the unforgiving desert sand, saluted proudly nearby, after descending from hundreds of meters above to bring the exercise to a close.

"The successful live-fire exercise we just witnessed is visual proof of the importance of African Lion," said Wasmund. "This type of training has a tremendous impact on the service members involved. It increases their readiness to respond to crises and threats, and it keeps progressing our partnerships in the region. I've watched us make the transition from training that focused at the individual level, to where we are now building and working on collective readiness across countries."

About African Lion

2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Army Africa Command'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.

About SETAF-AF

SETAF-AF provides U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Army Europe and Africa a dedicated headquarters to synchronize Army activities in Africa and scalable crisis-response options in Africa and Europe.

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Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue: Statement by the Spokesperson on efforts to find temporary arrangements on cash operations in Kosovo

European External Action Service (EEAS)

15.05.2024

EEAS Press Team

In order to find a sustainable temporary solution for the people most affected by the regulation of the Kosovo Central Bank on cash operations, the European Union, as the Facilitator of the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, hosted seven rounds of meetings with the delegations of Kosovo and Serbia between 28 February and 15 May in Brussels.

During these meetings, the Parties extensively presented their positions and explored possibilities for finding common ground. The EU provided ideas and proposals throughout the process, and the Parties managed to bridge some of their differences in order to ensure financial flows from Serbia to Kosovo, including agreeing on the establishment of a new business entity under Kosovo law tasked to temporarily distribute financial assistance from Serbia.

However, despite the EU tabling a compromise proposal that accommodated the Parties' positions to the maximum possible extent, the Parties could not agree on several key issues including the overall extent of activities of the new entity, the scope of beneficiaries of this entity, and financial assistance from Serbia to Serbia-supported institutions in Kosovo.

The latest meeting today proved that the Parties were not able to find a compromise solution on the remaining open issues. The EU regrets that no agreement could be reached today. The EU assesses that there is no readiness to find a compromise agreement going forward.

The absence of an agreed way forward has negative consequences on the daily lives of Kosovo Serbs and other communities throughout Kosovo and a continued source of concerns.

The EU as the Facilitator remains ready to convene another meeting on this subject as soon as the Parties signal readiness to find a mutually acceptable solution.



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Gaza: Statement by the High Representative on Israel's operation in Rafah

European External Action Service (EEAS)

15.05.2024

Brussels, Belgium

EEAS Press Team

The European Union urges Israel to end its military operation in Rafah immediately. This operation is further disrupting the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza and is leading to more internal displacement, exposure to famine and human suffering.

More than a million civilians are sheltering in and around Rafah and have been told to evacuate to areas that, according to the United Nations, cannot be considered safe. While the EU recognises Israel's right to defend itself, Israel must do so in line with International Humanitarian Law and provide safety to civilians.

The European Union is calling on Israel to refrain from further exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and reopen the crossing point of Rafah. Should Israel continue its military operation in Rafah, it would inevitably put a heavy strain on the EU's relationship with Israel.

Under International Humanitarian Law, Israel must allow and facilitate unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians. The International Court of Justice made this clear in its orders of 26 January and 28 March. In this regard, the European Union also condemns the attack by Hamas on the Kerem Shalom crossing which has further obstructed the delivery of humanitarian relief.

We call on all parties to redouble their efforts to achieve an immediate ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas.



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Viksit Bharat Ambassador Union Minister for Railways, Communications and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday reeled out data to showcase transformative changes in the Indian Railways in the past 10 years of the Modi government while also highlighting its neglect during Congress-led regimes. Addressing the Viksit Bharat Ambassador event in Mumbais Lower Parel, the Union Minister gave a detailed account of how the Railways, seen and treated as milch cow in previous regimes witnessed all-round development under the Modi government.



In his detailed presentation, leaving the audience mesmerised, the Minister informed how the Railways added a huge tranche of networks and underwent wide-scale electrification and modernisation, so much so, that the developed economies are finding it tough to match steps with India.



Today, a 4 km rail track per day is being built in the country. In the last financial year alone, we built a 5,300 km rail network, which is equal to Switzerlands entire train network. In the past 10 years, 31,000 km railway track was added, which is equal to Germanys entire network, the Union Minister told the Viksit Bharat Ambassadors.



Giving a low-down on the electrification and modernisation of Railways under the Modi government, Vaishnaw said that 44,000 km of railway networks were electrified in the past 10 years, as compared to 20,000 km in the past 60 years of Congress governance.



Today, we are heading towards 100 per cent electrification in the Indian Railways, he added.



Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the Railways despite being the biggest public carrier remained in despair because of the previous governments neglect and ignorance.



Conversion from Meter gauge to broad gauge networks should have been initiated during 1950-60s but that was taken up during NDA government, he said.



The Minister also elaborated on the renovation of railway stations and the manufacturing of home-grown modern trains under the Modi government.



Redevelopment of more than 300 railway stations across the country is under progress, with 120 stations alone in Maharashtra. Shivaji Maharaj railway station is one such state-of-the-art model.



He said that Vande Bharat and Bullet trains are the realisation of the governments consistent and committed focus on developing Railways as one of the key growth engines of the country.



He said that the Bullet trains connecting eight cities along the way between Maharashtra and Gujarat will bring unprecedented development in the region while the homegrown Vande Bharat trains will re-write the way the countrymen commute and travel.



Modi government has made a sincere effort to indigenously develop Vande Bharat trains, rather than importing the modern units from developed economies, he said.



Stating that Vande Metro is included in the first 100-day programme of the Modi governments third term, he elaborated that the next few years will see transformational change after the roll-out of the Vande Bharat series.



Vande Metro (connecting two cities), Vande Chair car (covering cities within 500 km distance) and Vande Sleeper (connecting cities over 500 km) will enhance comfortable travel while waiting tickets will be completely done away with, said the Union Minister.



He also said that India is set to emerge as a global hub in semiconductor manufacturing and telecom services and will see generational change in years to come.



Highlighting the tectonic shift in mobile manufacturing, the Minister informed, 10 years ago, 98 per cent of mobile phones were imported, today 99 per cent of mobile phones are Made in India.



He added that mobile manufacturing remained non-existent during previous regimes, today India is emerging as a global hub of mobile manufacturing and export.



Apple exported phones worth 8,500 crore in April alone and is slated to grow exponentially in years to come, he informed.



The Union Minister, citing an example of a girl from Bihar said that today youngsters are re-writing the growth story of India.



I recently met a girl from a remote location in Bihar who worked at a mobile manufacturing unit and ran complex machines. When I asked how she felt about this, she told him that she was getting more recognition and respect than her village pradhans enjoyed, he told the Viksit Bharat audience.




Statement by High Representative Josep Borrell with the European Commission on the adoption of the "transparency of foreign influence" law in Georgia*

European Commission

Statement

15 May 2024

Brussels

The EU stands with the Georgian people and their choice in favour of democracy and of Georgia's European future. The intimidation, threats and physical assaults on civil society representatives, political leaders and journalists, as well as their families is unacceptable. We call on the Georgian authorities to investigate these documented acts.

The European Council granted Georgia the status of a candidate country on the understanding that the relevant 9 steps set out in the Commission recommendation of 8 November 2023 are taken. These steps require human rights to be protected and civil society as well as media to be able to operate freely. They also refer to the need for depolarisation and the fight against disinformation.

Nevertheless, and despite large protests and unequivocal calls by the international community, the Georgian government ruling majority adopted the law "on transparency of foreign influence" in Parliament in third reading. The EU has clearly and repeatedly stated that the spirit and content of the law are not in line with EU core norms and values. It will undermine the work of civil society and independent media while freedom of association and freedom of expression are fundamental rights at the core of Georgia's commitments as part of the Association Agreement and of any EU accession path.

The adoption of this law negatively impacts Georgia's progress on the EU path. The choice on the way forward is in Georgia's hands. We urge the Georgian authorities to withdraw the law, uphold their commitment to the EU path and advance the necessary reforms detailed in the 9 steps.

The EU stands ready to continue supporting Georgians working towards a European future.

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Lawrence Wong sworn in as Singapore's new PM, expected to 'continue balanced foreign policy approach'

Global Times

By Deng Xiaoci Published: May 15, 2024 10:13 PM

Lawrence Wong was sworn in on Wednesday as Singapore's fourth prime minister, succeeding Lee Hsien Loong who has stepped down after leading the Asian financial hub for two decades.

Lawrence Wong will most likely continue to uphold the city-state's neutral and balanced foreign policy in navigating the China-US competition in the Asia Pacific region, which aligns with Singapore's best national interests, according to Chinese observers on Wednesday.

Lee Hsien Loong, 72, on Monday submitted his resignation to Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Xinhua reported.

Wong, 51 will retain his current position as finance minister and takes charge of a country led for two decades by Lee Hsien Loong, the 72-year-old son of Lee Kuan Yew, the founder of modern Singapore who stayed in politics until his death in 2015.

Wong, a civil servant turned politician, came to prominence while coordinating Singapore's successful fight against COVID-19, the AP reported.

When asked if Wong's US educational background would impact his foreign policy preferences, Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday that he believes Wong will continue to uphold Singapore's strategy of balancing major powers, which aligns with Singapore's national interests.

Xu noted that Singapore has very complex and profound political, security and economic relationships with both China and the US. Therefore, any act of choosing sides would severely impact Singapore's delicate balancing position, which it cannot afford.

China has been Singapore's largest trade partner for 11 consecutive years since 2013, and the US is the leading source of foreign direct investment and top services export market for Singapore.

Ties with the US, China, Malaysia and Indonesia are four of Singapore's most important bilateral relationships, former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong previously said.

Singapore's incoming prime minister said in a recent interview with local media that "the unipolar moment for America has ended. While everyone talks about moving into a multipolar world, it has not yet reached a stable equilibrium." He emphasized that navigating this new global environment will require Singapore "to be more thoughtful, careful, nimble, and to find ways to avoid getting caught up in the geopolitical currents."

Wong also stressed during an interview with the Economist that Singapore is not an ally of the US, despite the two countries' close military links. He said the Republic is neither pro-China nor pro-America, but "pro-Singapore."

Singapore has long upheld its "one China" policy and opposed Taiwan independence, Wong noted. "And we do not allow ourselves to be made use of for any causes supporting Taiwan independence."

"At the end of the day, we have to be guided by what is in Singapore's national interest and do so in a way that is consistent and principled," he told local media.

Even though Wong has a Western education, it only means he has a better understanding of the West. He has also visited China multiple times. Thus, his main foreign policy will likely remain unchanged, Xu pointed out.

Wong said in Tianjin during the visit that Singapore-China relations enjoy a strong momentum of development, and Belt and Road cooperation has yielded fruitful results.

The Singaporean side is willing to work with China to further strengthen exchanges at all levels, deepen the synergy of development strategies, give full play to the role of Singapore-China bilateral cooperation mechanisms, and push for new development in bilateral relations. The two sides need to jointly promote free trade and regional openness and inclusiveness, Wong said.

Chinese observers speculated that under the leadership of Wong and his new government, China and Singapore will continue advancing their current intergovernmental cooperation projects and further strengthen collaboration in areas such as the digital economy and the green economy. Singapore can play a more significant role with China's accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, also known as the CPTPP free trade deal.

Xu believes that in the future, cooperation between China and Singapore should be strengthened on three levels: bilateral, multilateral, and regional. Particularly, Singapore will play a crucial role in advancing China-ASEAN cooperation, he said.

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Yemen warns of 'decisive options' if Gaza war continues

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

May 15, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Yemen says it has "decisive options" on the table if the Israeli regime continues its genocidal war on Gaza.

Mahdi al-Mashat, Chairman of Yemen's Supreme Political Council, promised more "decisive and difficult" action and the fourth phase of anti-Israel operations if the regime continues its crimes against the Palestinian people in Gaza, Al Masirah TV reported on Wednesday.

Yemen has already been engaged in operations against Israel-linked vessels in the Red and Arab seas as well as the Indian Ocean since mid-November in retaliation for the genocide in Gaza. The Arab country has at times launched missile and drone attacks on positions in Israeli-occupied territories as well.

Last week, Yemen announced that it would launch the fourth phase of operations against Israel-linked vessels passing through the Mediterranean.

Yemen's Ambassador to Iran Ibrahim al-Deilami on Wednesday stressed that all the anti-Israel operations by his country are aimed at supporting the people of Gaza.

He also said that the resistance front in West Asia is making efforts to save the region from the US and the Zionist regime.

The ambassador made the comments in a ceremony to commemorate the martyrs of the imposed war on Iran by the toppled Iraqi Baath regime in the 1980s. The ceremony was held in the southern city of Khorramshahr, Khuzestan Province, which was the epicenter of that war.

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Islamic Jihad says Palestinians steadfast after 76 years of occupation

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

May 15, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Palestinian Resistance Movement Islamic Jihad has issued a statement on the 76th anniversary of Nakba Day, emphasizing that the Palestinian people have remained steadfast after more than seven decades of Israeli occupation.

Islamic Jihad issued its statement on Wednesday, saying that Palestinians have kept up their resistance despite 76 years of displacement, occupation, massacres, and various forms of oppression aimed at weakening their cause.

The movement added that the Palestinian people, enduring decades of injustice and occupation, proudly demonstrate their unwavering resilience, emphasizing that Palestinians have set the Zionist entity on a path to extinction through their steadfast resistance.

Islamic Jihad also condemned the complicity of some Arab countries with the occupying regime while extending gratitude to all those who have supported the Palestinian cause, particularly resistance forces and freedom-seekers across the world.

The movement underlined that crackdown and oppression will never stop Palestine from continuing its struggle, and that the Palestinians are determined to achieve freedom and justice.

May 15 marks the Nakba, or catastrophe, the day when the Zionist regime was established in 1948 after its forces expelled at least 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and lands.

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Yemen targets American destroyer in Red Sea

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

May 15, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- The spokesman of the Yemeni armed forces announced the targeting of a US destroyer and a ship related to the Zionist regime in the Red Sea.

The naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a military operation targeting the US destroyer "Maysun" in the Red Sea with a number of appropriate naval missiles, and the hit was accurate, General Yahya Saree said.

He pointed out that the naval , the missile, and air forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a joint operation in which they targeted the ship "Destiny" in the Red Sea, and the hit was accurate.

"The targeting of the ship came after it violated the passage ban decision of ships heading to the ports of occupied Palestine, by heading to the port of Umm al-Rashrash in the 20th of last April using deception and concealment claiming that it was heading to another port," he added.

The Yemeni general further noted that however, it was under monitoring and follow-up by our Armed Forces, and warnings were sent to the ship not to enter the ports of the Occupied Palestine, but it insisted on violating the ban order and became on the list of targeted ships prohibited from sailing in the area of operations of the Yemeni Armed Forces.

"The Yemeni Armed Forces, with Allah's help and with the support of our beloved Yemeni people and all free people of the nation, continue to carry out their military operations in solidarity with the Palestinian people and in defense of beloved Yemen, these operations will not stop untill lifting the siege and stopping the aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip," a statement by Yemeni Armed Forces said.

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Hamas delegation members meet Nasrallah

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

May 15, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- A delegation from the Palestinian Islamic resistance movement Hamas headed by Khalil al-Hayya have met with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah, to discuss the latest developments in Gaza and occupied Palestine.

The talks also focused on the recent Gaza truce talks and international political policies on the issue, as well as the students' uprising across the world against the Israeli regime's crimes in Gaza, Al-Ahed News reported on Wednesday.

During the meeting, the two sides stressed the importance of remaining united to fulfill the honorable objectives of Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the Zionist regime.

They also hailed the cooperation and solidarity among regional resistance groups as well as their sacrifices for the Palestinian cause.

A day after October 7, the fighters of the Lebanese resistance movement entered a battle against the Israeli regime and started targeting the regime's bases.

Zionist media have repeatedly confessed that Hezbollah is superior to the Israeli army in the north of occupied Palestine.

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24 Israeli soldiers killed in Hezbollah attacks

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

May 15, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Some 24 Israelis have been reportedly killed in Hezbollah attacks since the beginning of the Gaza war, a quarter of whom were killed in April 2024.

The Palestinian news agency Samaa, citing the media of the Zionist regime, reported that after Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's recent speech, the conflicts in northern areas of the Israeli-occupied territories intensified and the resistance got what it deserved.

According to the report, Hezbollah seeks to maintain the current conditions in the northern borders in line with the cessation of the war in Gaza.

Nasrallah, in his recent televised speech, said that some 1,500 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, which has compelled resistance groups in the region, including Hezbollah, to launch attacks on Israel to force it to end the war.

The Hezbollah leader did not reveal whether the Israeli death toll includes the fatalities suffered by the regime in recent months in its cross-border trading of fire with Hezbollah.

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Iraqi resistance's drone attack on Israeli air base in occupied Palestine

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

May 15, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Iraq's Islamic resistance group says it has launched an attack with drones and hit the Israeli regime's important air base in the south of the occupied Palestine.

Iraqi group released the news in a statement cited by the Resistance media, IRNA reported on Wednesday.

The fighters of the Iraqi resistance group targeted the base in Eilat port in line with countering the regime's occupation, helping the people in Gaza and responding to the occupying regime's massacre against the Palestinian civilians, the media added.

The Islamic resistance group had already warned against escalation of attacks if Zionists' aggression against the Gaza Strip continued.

According to the media, Iraq's Islamic resistance group have launched 243 operations against the Zionist regime of Israel in Iraq, in the occupied Palestine lands and Syria's occupied Golan Heights since the start of Al Aqsa Storm in October 2023.

From the onset of the war in Gaza, nearly 35,000 - mostly children and women - have been killed in the enclave.

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Niger cuts military ties with US citing threats over Iran, Russia ties

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

May 15, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Niger's prime minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine has said that the military relationship between the African country and the US was severed after an American official threatened Niamey over its cooperation with Iran and Russia.

Zeine made the remarks in an interview with The Washington Post on Tuesday, noting that the American administration tried to dictate the foreign policy of Niger, which is not acceptable.

The premier said the Nigerien leaders took particular offense at remarks by Molly Phee, the US State Department's top official for African affairs, who had urged the government during a March visit to Niamey to refrain from engaging with Iran and Russia in ways objectionable to Washington if Niger wanted to continue its security relationship with the United States.

He also said Phee had further threatened sanctions if Niger pursued a deal to sell uranium to Iran.

In response, Zeine said, "You have come here to threaten us in our country. That is unacceptable. And you have come here to tell us with whom we can have relationships, which is also unacceptable. And you have done it all with a condescending tone and a lack of respect."

Zeine pointed to ties between Iran and Niger, saying that "absolutely nothing" has been signed with Iran, adding that if a deal had been signed, it would have "not been under the table ... but in front of cameras."

The prime minister further pointed to the US friendship with other nations, noting, "The Americans stayed on our soil, doing nothing while the terrorists killed people and burned towns," adding, "It is not a sign of friendship to come on our soil but let the terrorists attack us. We have seen what the United States will do to defend its allies."

An American official told the Politico newspaper on condition of anonymity that all hopes for US military forces to stay in Niger disappeared and Pentagon ordered the withdrawal of all its 1,000 forces from the African country.

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Al-Qassam documents targeting IOF, vehicles east of Rafah

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Wed / 15 May 2024 / 14:05

The Martyr Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades release footage documenting their fighters targeting Israeli soldiers and vehicles on the frontlines east of Rafah.

Tehran-ISNA- The military media of the Martyr Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, released footage showing its fighters targeting Israeli soldiers and vehicles on the frontlines east of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.

The footage documents the Resistance fighters roaming around Israeli tank vehicles and armored personnel carriers near the occupation soldiers.

Two Israeli vehicles were targeted with Shawaz bombs, while a Resistance fighter targeted a third vehicle with an al-Yassin 105 missile before retreating into a tunnel.

Additionally, the footage showed an Israeli helicopter evacuating dead and wounded soldiers. It also depicted Israeli vehicles being directly targeted from among the rubble and inside buildings destroyed by the occupation.

The video also included scenes of an Israeli intelligence robot being controlled by the brigades while it was gathering information in one of Rafah's tunnels. The footage showed the tunnel opening being blown up by al-Qassam Brigades after an Israeli force had placed the robot there.

This comes after the Resistance carried out a complex operation in the east of the Jabalia camp in eastern Gaza, where Israeli occupation forces are stationed. Its fighters were able to engage an Israeli Merkava tank using al-Yassin 105 shells, causing casualties among its operating team.

Al-Qassam fighters then eliminated seven Israeli soldiers found behind the targeted vehicle from point-blank range.

In another complex operation conducted in the School Street of the Jabalia camp, the Brigades targeted a special IOF force stationed inside a house, using an anti-infantry shell. As Israeli soldiers attempted to flee to the lower part of the house, the Resistance fighters used an anti-infantry Raad type of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) against them, causing casualties.

During the same operation, as an armored Israeli force advanced to rescue the injured and retrieve the bodies of the killed soldiers, al-Qassam's Resistance fighters targeted a Merkava tank using an al-Yassin 105 shell and detonated another using a Shawaz armor-piercing explosive device.

The Resistance fighters also sniped an Israeli soldier in another operation in the same area. In northeastern Jabalia, a Merkava tank was targeted using an al-Yassin 105 shell.

End item

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Regional police and California Highway Patrol officers move in Thursday to remove students protesting in a vacant building they had moved into Wednesday. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle Regional police and California Highway Patrol officers move in Thursday to remove students protesting in Anna Head Alumnae Hall, which they had moved into Wednesday. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle Regional police and California Highway Patrol officers skirmish with protesters who had taken over a vacant building. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle A demonstrator stands with a bike at a police line after officers removed demonstrators occupying a vacant UC Berkeley-owned building Thursday. Benjamin Fanjoy/Special to the Chronicle Pro-Palestinian protesters bang on the wall surrounding Peoples Park on Thursday. Jungho Kim/Special to The Chronicle Pro-Palestinian protesters who took over a vacant building face off with California Highway Patrol officers. Jungho Kim/Special to the Chronicle Regional police and California Highway Patrol officers move in to arrest protesters who took over a vacant building. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle California Highway Patrol officers skirmish with pro-Palestinian protesters who had taken over Anna Head Alumnae Hall at UC Berkeley. Jungho Kim/Special to the Chronicle California Highway Patrol officers face off with pro-Palestinian protesters who had taken over a vacant building. Jungho Kim/Special to the Chronicle Regional police and California Highway Patrol officers keep additional protesters away with barricades as they move in to arrest demonstrators who took over a vacant UC Berkeley building. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle California Highway Patrol officers move in to remove pro-Palestinian protesters who had taken over Anna Head Alumnae Hall at UC Berkeley. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle California Highway Patrol officers move in to remove pro-Palestinian protesters who had taken over Anna Head Alumnae Hall at UC Berkeley. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle Officers remove a pro-Palestinian demonstrator from Anna Head Alumnae Hall. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle Larry Duplessis, 42, of Berkeley pushes his son, Jayce, 2, in a stroller past the UC Berkeley owned building at Channing Way and Bowditch Street that pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied until Thursday. Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

At least 12 pro-Palestinian protesters who participated in a takeover of an abandoned UC Berkeley building near the campus were arrested Thursday after police cleared the encampment, which was set up a day earlier.

More than 50 officers with the university, Oakland, California Highway Patrol and Alameda County Sheriffs Office tore down barricades protesters had placed around the abandoned building, Channing Hall, on Bowditch Street and Channing Way, just before 7 p.m. Officers pushed away protesters who were outside the building, entered the building and began removing protesters who were inside.

The 12 people who were arrested were previously been given the chance to leave the building voluntarily, university officials said. There were no reports of injuries

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Police filled dump trucks they brought to the site with plywood, tents and debris from the encampment. In all, around 20 law enforcement agencies were involved in the the police response to the building occupation.

Spokesman Dan Mogulof said earlier Thursday that the people who took over the building committed trespassing, breaking and entering, and property destruction.

Demonstrators in support of Gaza try to move police barricades as other protesters who had occupied Anna Head Alumnae Hall are removed by regional police and CHP officers Thursday. Jungho Kim/Special to the Chronicle

The protest began Wednesday, when a group of activists took over Channing Hall, just before 2 p.m. A day earlier the student-lead encampment on campus had been peacefully disbanded after an agreement with the administration.

Pro-Palestinian protesters move pallets Thursday while taking over a vacant UC Berkeley owned building at Channing Way and Bowditch Street. Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

Protesters were calling the new action, which included some tents set up on a publicly accessible lawn in front of the building, an occupation, saying that the encampment had failed.

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Overnight and into Thursday, the protest had continued to grow, with the number of tents inching up to about a dozen, and protesters expanding the makeshift barricades of plywood and wooden pallets they had set up around the camp. On Thursday afternoon, campus police had an officer stationed near the encampment, and the contingent of private security guards had grown from about five Wednesday to 15.

By Thursday morning, the barricade wrapped around the protest, with phrases like Resistance is justified, glory to the martyrs and avenge Al Shifa, spray painted in red toward the street. Around midday, a group unloaded another two carloads of wooden pallets and tarps to add to the barrier.

Occasionally, a masked face appeared in an upper window of the occupied building. Videos shared on social media from inside the building showed graffiti that equated Zionism with nazism, and others that showed Jewish stars equaling Nazi swastikas. More than twenty Palestinian flags had been mounted on the fence behind the camp.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators take over a vacant UC Berkeley owned building at Channing Way and Bowditch Street in Berkeley on Wednesday. The protesters remained in the building overnight. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

Mogulof said the school was not talking to the protesters at the hall, and that the action is not being coordinated by the coalition of protesters with whom they negotiated with on campus.

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Some of the people involved in the on-campus protest were seen at the protest in front of the building however, including a group of people wearing red United Auto Workers shirts, the union which represents thousands of UC graduate students and other academic workers.

The UAW authorized a strike for some 48,000 students and workers across the entire University of California system on Wednesday, accusing the university of retaliating against workers for exercising their rights to free speech and protest, around the Pro-Palestinian protest movement.

Around the encampment, the rhythms of the university continued largely unabated. New graduates strolled towards campus in their caps and gowns, parents in tow, cameras out.

Pro-Palestinian protesters take over a vacant UC Berkeley-owned building at Channing Way and Bowditch Street on Thursday. Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

A 2024 graduate named Mateo, who declined to give his last name because he did not want to be harassed for expressing his opinions publicly about the controversial subject, said he understood why some protesters wanted even more concessions from the university. Mateo said he had been involved with the protests on campus. The Chronicle agreed to withhold his identity based on its policy on anonymous sources.

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Mateo said he thought it was a step in the right direction for the university to pledge to work with the UC regents to analyze investments to make sure theyre ethically sound and to make sure its exchange programs are free from anti-Palestinian discrimination, though it fell well short of the encampments initial demands.

If they want more from the university I get it, he said. But for me, I think we got things going the right way and I want to see what happens.

Pro-Palestinian protesters keep helmets on hand while taking over a vacant UC Berkeley owned building at Channing Way and Bowditch Street in Berkeley on Thursday. Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

Engineering student Derek Park walked by the occupation on Thursday, saying he supported the activists' ability to protest and didnt think the university should take drastic action to remove them.

If they show up and round up everybody it gets worse, he said.

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Jordan Parker contributed to this report.
Latvia hosts NATO DIANA Board of Directors meeting

Republic of Latvia - Ministry of Defence

05/15/2024

In Latvia

International cooperation

NATO

Information prepared by Media Relations Section

Latvia will host the meeting of the Board of Directors of NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) for the first time ever from Tuesday, 14 May until Thursday, 16 May. Meeting will be attended by more than 80 delegates from all NATO member states and several NATO agencies.

Delegates attending the NATO DIANA Board of Directors (BoD) meeting will also visit the 5G defence testbed jointly operated by National Armed Forces of Latvia, US Department of Defence, NATO Allied Command Transformation and Latvijas Mobilais Telefons Ltd (LMT) to take part in several demonstrations.

Board meeting will primarily focus on Accelerator's future progress and achievements within past 12 months. It will also give board members an opportunity to get a deeper insight into Latvia's deep tech ecosystem by attending the deep tech conference Deep Tech Atelier.

Latvia joined NATO DIANA in June of 2022. DIANA strives to promote the development of dual-use deep tech solutions by supporting relevant start-ups across NATO member states, and thus facilitates cooperation between innovators, researchers and end users.

NATO DIANA is an innovator-centred programme focused on innovative and transformative technological solutions, such as the artificial intelligence (AI), big data, quantum computing, autonomous vehicles, biotech, innovative materials and space technologies.

As announced by NATO DIANA earlier this year, in March, it intends to operate the network of 23 accelerators and 182 testing centres across 28 allied member states. Such network should significantly stimulate the development of dual-use deep tech solutions by start-ups across the Alliance and deliver vital innovative and transformative technologies.

It has also been announced earlier that Latvian 5G defence testbed, which is located at Camp Adazi, and the first Latvian accelerator, UniLab Defence, have already become part of the DIANA accelerator programme.

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Landsbergis addresses OSCE ODIHR Director Mecacci: "We must not create a visibility of legitimacy for aggressive dictatorial regimes and their representatives"

Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

2024.05.15

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis, sent a letter to Matteo Mecacci, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), in which he addressed the decision of the ODIHR not to accept Lithuania's invitation to observe this weekend's presidential election in Lithuania.

The Foreign Minister emphasised that Lithuania fully implements OSCE principles and rules, including the organisation of free and fair elections. The presidential elections held on 12 May 2024 are just another proof of that. According to the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Lithuania, the latest elections were observed by more than 2,000 observers, including 20 international observers from Estonia, Latvia, Moldova, Georgia, Ukraine and the United States. Minister Landsbergis also emphasised that the aggressor Russia and its accomplice Belarus could not be considered equal members of the OSCE or other international formats due to gross violations of international law.

"If instead of isolating Russia and Belarus, we will further cooperate with them, impunity will encourage these countries to continue or launch new attacks not only against other OSCE states but also against the OSCE itself," the Foreign Minister writes.

Landsbergis also drew attention to the fact that Russia's illegal and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine and the involvement of Belarus in this brutal aggression were condemned at the international level and called on the OSCE to seriously discuss whether the aggressors should sit at the same table with democracies in international formats.

In his letter, the Foreign Minister notes that Lithuania, in line with international and domestic legislation and its consistent position, decided not to invite Russian and Belarusian aggressors to observe the presidential election in Lithuania due to gross violations of international law by these autocratic regimes and threats to national security posed by these regimes. Annual national threat assessment reports of Lithuanian intelligence institutions state that Russia and Belarus pose the highest threat to Lithuania's national security, including possible interference in the processes of domestic politics.

"The international isolation of the terrorist regimes of Russia and Belarus is a consistent and principled direction of Lithuania's foreign and national security policy, which we are determined to continue. We firmly believe that we shall not create a visibility of legitimacy for aggressive dictatorship regimes and their representatives, and we shall not allow them to interfere in the internal affairs of democratic states," - says the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania.

The Foreign Minister also stressed that, despite similar restrictions in the Ukrainian parliament's legislation, the ODIHR sent full-fledged election observation missions to the last three elections in Ukraine in 2019 and 2020. Landsbergis called on the ODIHR to reconsider its position on the observation of elections, to which aggressor countries are not invited.



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Landsbergis tells Georgian opposition parties: "We cannot just sit down and wait for Georgia to finally move away from the path of EU integration and democracy"

Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

2024.05.15

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis, who met with opposition parties in the Georgian Parliament, said that as Georgia's friends, we could not simply sit down and wait for Georgia to fall off the track of EU integration and democracy finally.

"We care about what is happening in Georgia and whether everything is going well. We feel the duty to come to you and warn about the consequencesnot only will every step along the path of EU integration become complicated, but also those achievements, the benefits that Georgia enjoys (visa-free regime, Association Agreement)should not be taken for granted," the Foreign Minister said at the meeting.

Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian, and Icelandic Foreign Ministers also discussed with representatives of Georgian opposition parties the need to ensure that the October parliamentary elections are conducted according to the highest democratic standards.





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Landsbergis tells the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia: "'Foreign influence' law is incompatible with EU democratic standards"

Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

2024.05.15

During his visit to Tbilisi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis, met with the Speaker of Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili. The Foreign Minister stressed at the meeting that the law on "foreign influence" was incompatible with the democratic standards of the European Union.

"Let me say very clearly that "the new law on foreign influence, as well as the launch of the campaign of intimidation, pressure, and violence against Georgian civil society, will stop Georgia's further progress on the path of integration into the European Union and NATO," Landsbergis said at the meeting.

The Foreign Minister noted that the rule of law, human rights and civil society were guarantors of the strength and vitality of democratic countries, not an obstacle to their resilience to malign influences of hostile forces.

"Georgia has already achieved a lot on the path of integration, and the decision on candidate status has never been so close in the talks on EU membership. However, whatever has been done can be undone immediately if Georgia violates the core values and provisions of the EU," said the head of Lithuania's diplomacy.

On 15 May, Landsbergis and the Ministers of the Baltic states and Iceland are visiting Georgia.





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Landsbergis met with the President of Georgia: "Georgia's European future belongs to the people, and no one has the right to take it away"

Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

2024.05.15

On 15 May, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis, and the Ministers of the Baltic states and Iceland are visiting Georgia, where he met with the Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili. The Foreign Minister said at the meeting that the "foreign influence" law, passed against the will of Georgia's civil society and despite clear calls from the international community, was not compatible with the aspirations of the country's government for integration into the European Union and NATO and would ave serious long-term consequences for the country's geopolitical direction.

"We came to Tbilisi as your closest friendsfriends who care about Georgia and its people and who care about Georgia's European future," Landsbergis said.

Landsbergis expressed his regrets over a law passed by the Georgian Parliament the previous day, which stigmatized the country's civil society.

"The Georgian government has once again proved that it has decided to turn away from the European and transatlantic path. However, the only direction to which one can then turn is to Russia. So, the primary goal of our arrival is to express our support and solidarity with all those fighting for Georgia's democratic and European choice for Georgia's European future. This future belongs to the people of Georgia, and nobody has the right to take it away," Landsbergis said.

On Wednesday, the Foreign Ministers will meet with the Speaker of Parliament Shalva Papuashvili, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili, representatives of parliamentary opposition parties and civil society.





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A look at the Defence news 6 - 12 May

Netherlands Ministry of Defence

News item | 15-05-2024 | 16:26

HNLMS Karel Doorman resumes journey to the Red Sea

HNLMS Karel Doorman is once again on its way to the Red Sea to take part in Operation Aspides. The ship was experiencing technical problems with one of its weapons systems; these problems have now been solved. The logistics support and supply ship was delayed by a few days, but is now fully operational again.

Netherlands extends its contribution to NATO force in Lithuania for two years

The Netherlands will continue to supply troops to the NATO force in Lithuania until at least the end of 2026 as part of the effort to deter Russia. Netherlands Minister of Defence Kajsa Ollongren informed the House of Representatives accordingly by letter last week. The maximum number of Dutch military personnel participating in the enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) mission remains at 350.

Dutch F-35s to contribute to NATO airspace surveillance

At the end of this year, the Netherlands will contribute to NATO air space surveillance and security from air bases in Estonia. To this end, the Defence organisation will send up to 10 F-35 fighter aircraft and about 90 to 150 military personnel to the Baltic State. Minister of Defence Kajsa Ollongren informed the House of Representatives accordingly last week.

Message on EU Day: 'EU and Defence can do more for each other'

The EU has great ambitions in the area of security and military cooperation. This provides opportunities for Defence, such as participation in a larger number of military operations. That was the message delivered by the Director General of the European Union Military Staff, Lieutenant General Michiel van der Laan. Lieutenant General van der Laan spoke at a meeting on the occasion of EU day on 8 May, which was attended by 100 senior civil servants from Defence and other ministries.

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Iran condemns U.S. senator's remarks of letting Israel "nuke" Gaza

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 10:22, May 15, 2024

TEHRAN, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani on Tuesday condemned the recent remarks by a U.S. senator who said Israel should be allowed to "use nuclear bombs" to end the conflict in Gaza.

He made the remarks in a post on social media platform X, after U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, during an interview on NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday, argued that "Israel should be given the bombs it needed to end the conflict in Gaza."

Kanaani said the American senator's "horrifying" remarks in justifying and encouraging the use of nuclear bombs were proof of the extent of "this warmongering spectrum's brutality, complete disregard for humans' right to life and disrespect for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

He added the remarks were made by a U.S. senator whose country had always claimed to be the "flagbearer" of human rights and considered itself eligible to value and judge other countries' extent of observing human rights.

Kanaani called on the international community to condemn the U.S. support for Israel and stand against such "devilish" statements to prevent as soon as possible the scope of the "human catastrophe" in the Gaza Strip from expanding on a daily basis.

During the interview, Graham criticized a decision by U.S. President Joe Biden to stop the delivery of 3,000 heavy bombs to Israel, calling on the Biden administration to give Israel the bombs it needed to end the Gaza conflict.

Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, after the group carried out a surprise attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people. Israel has so far killed 35,091 Palestinians and injured 78,827 others, according to the figures released by the Gaza-based Health Ministry on Monday.

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Hezbollah retaliates heavily against Israel after cmdr. assassination

Iran Press TV

Wednesday, 15 May 2024 9:10 PM

Hezbollah has launched a raft of strikes against several Israeli targets after the regime's assassination of a senior field commander with the Lebanese resistance movement.

The group said it had carried out the strikes on Wednesday, a day after the regime assassinated the commander, identified as Hussain Ibrahim Mekky, in an attack against the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, 83 kilometers (51 miles) south of the Lebanese capital Beirut.

Describing the retaliatory strikes, the movement said it had launched dozens of rockets at military positions lying in the northern part of the occupied territories.

It said it had struck "the Meron base with dozens of Katyusha rockets, heavy rockets, and artillery shells," while also targeting a barracks with "heavy rockets."

The strikes were "part of the response to the assassination carried out by the Israeli enemy in the south" the previous day, the movement stated.

Later, Hezbollah said its fighters had "launched an aerial attack using a number of drones" on an Israeli base lying west of the city of Tiberias, which lies about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the occupied Palestine's border with Lebanon.

The group said the drone reprisal had targeted "surveillance and detection systems" at the base, adding that "it accurately hit its designated targets and achieved what it wanted from this limited operation."

The Israeli regime has been waging sporadic attacks against Lebanon since October 7, 2023, when it launched a genocidal war against the Gaza Strip. The attacks have prompted a firefight with Hezbollah.

The Israeli aggression has reportedly claimed the lives of at least 412 people in Lebanon, while Hezbollah's retaliation has killed 24.

Hezbollah fought off two Israeli wars against Lebanon in 2000 and 2006, forcing a humiliating retreat upon the Tel Aviv regime's military on both occasions.

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Hamas marks Nakba Day, says Israel failed to achieve goals in Gaza

Iran Press TV

Wednesday, 15 May 2024 7:01 PM

In marking the Nakba Day, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has hailed 222 days of "epic" resistance by the Palestinians against the Israeli war machine in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Hamas says Israel has failed to achieve any of its declared objectives in Gaza.

Israel launched the brutalities in Gaza on October 7 after Hamas conducted the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the regime's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation in the occupied Palestinian land.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Hamas marked the "painful" 76th anniversary of Nakba Day, describing the October operation as "a natural extension of our people's resistance and their legitimate right to defend their land and sanctities."

The movement hailed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm as a "strategic milestone that has restored the global presence of our cause, reinforced our national unity behind the resistance, shattered the enemy's arrogance, and solidified our ongoing struggle for liberation and return, and the end of the occupation."

May 15 is marked around the world as the day of "Nakba", or Catastrophe. The day refers to the large-scale ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and their mass exodus, courtesy of the apartheid Israeli regime and its Western backers.

More than 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly removed from their ancestral homes in Palestine and 500 villages and towns were destroyed by Zionist militias before the Israeli regime declared its illegal establishment in 1948. Palestinians are still enduring the repercussions of this catastrophe to this day.

Since the onset of the current genocidal campaign, "the Zionist occupation, its fascist government, and Nazi army failed to achieve any of their aggressive goals against our people in the Gaza Strip, despite committing horrific massacres and waging a genocide war that targeted all aspects of human life, using all types of weapons and ammunition, with full support and participation from the US administration," Hamas said.

Despite the unabated campaign of bloodletting, the regime has so far fallen short of realizing its "goals", namely defeating Hamas, releasing the captives, and causing forced displacement of the coastal sliver's entire population to neighboring Egypt.

"The ongoing battle of Al-Aqsa Flood has cemented the unity, cohesion, and solidarity of our people in all squares of the homeland and abroad, and has proven to the world that our people do not know defeat, surrender, or concession of their land, constants, and rights, no matter how long it takes, and no matter the strength and crimes of the aggressor and its partners and supporters, reaffirming the legitimacy of our people's struggle and the justice of our cause and restoring its global presence, as a just national liberation cause, for the achievement of freedom, independence, and self-determination, and the establishment of a fully sovereign Palestinian state with Al-Quds as its capital," Hamas stated.

It also said all attempts by the Israeli regime "to quell Palestinian consciousness, undermine their resistance, obscure their cause, or erase it have utterly failed."

Elsewhere in its statement, the resistance movement held Israel fully responsible for the constant suffering of all displaced Palestinians, both those within the occupied territories and the diaspora.

"The continuing suffering of millions of Palestinian refugees in camps within Palestine and in the diaspora is directly the responsibility of the Zionist occupation, and their legitimate right to return to their homes from which they were displaced cannot be compromised or neglected. Here, we call on the United Nations and UNRWA to assume their legal and humanitarian responsibilities in supporting the rights of refugees, providing relief, and ensuring a decent life for them until their return is achieved," Hamas said.

Israel has killed more than 35,170 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza since that October day.

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Iraq's resistance hits 'vital targets' in Israeli-occupied territories

Iran Press TV

Wednesday, 15 May 2024 5:53 PM

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq says it has fired advanced cruise missiles at vital targets in the Israeli-occupied territories in retaliation for the massacres committed by the Zionist regime against civilians in Gaza.

The resistance, which is an umbrella group of anti-US and anti-Israel factions, said in a statement it hit vital targets in the areas of Ariha Valley, also known Jericho, and the Nevatim Airbase using Arqab cruise missiles.

The statement vowed the resistance will continue its operations for as long as the genocide in Gaza continues.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has been conducting many such attacks on Israeli targets since the occupying regime launched the genocidal campaign in Gaza in early October.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has also struck major US military bases in Syria and Iraq amid anger over Washington's support for Israel's brutalities in Gaza.

The resistance recently escalated anti-Israel operations amid attacks on Rafah in southern Gaza.

On Tuesday, the resistance said the fighters used a new kamikaze drone in their strike against a strategic target in the southernmost part of the Israeli-occupied territories.

Last week, they also struck the regime's Ovda airbase, which lies in the southern part of the occupied territories, around 40 kilometers north of the port of Eilat.

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Pro-Palestinian protesters took over a vacant UC Berkeley-owned building at Channing Way and Bowditch Street in Berkeley on Wednesday. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle Protesters took over a vacant building at Channing Way and Bowditch Street in Berkeley. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle The boarded-up building was hung with painted protest banners, one of which read, Avenge. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle Protesters took over a vacant building in Berkeley on Wednesday. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

A group of pro-Palestinian activists took over an abandoned UC Berkeley building near Peoples Park on Wednesday afternoon and set up tents outside, staging what they called an occupation just one day after administrators had peacefully resolved a weeks long encampment on campus.

The unoccupied building, on Bowditch and Channing, was covered in parts with fresh graffiti reading, Avenge and our house, with Palestinian flags hanging from the roof. Protesters, some of whom had been seen at the weeks-long pro-Palestinian encampment on campus, had set up about five tents in front of the building, which has not been used for years and has boarded-up windows.

This is an active crime scene, it is not nonviolent civil disobedience, said Dan Mogulof, a spokesperson for UC Berkeley. Police are responding.  They are vandalizing an unsafe, boarded-up, fire-damaged building next to Peoples Park.

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A protester with a bullhorn stands inside a UC Berkeley-owned building at Channing Way and Bowditch Street in Berkeley. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

The takeover came just one day after pro-Palestinian protesters disbanded their on-campus encampment after coming to a compromise with university administrators. On Wednesday, Mogulof told the Chronicle that the takeover was coordinated by Peoples Park activists and unrelated to the on-campus protests.

We have just confirmed that the coalition with whom the university reached an understanding yesterday did not initiate todays action, he said.

He noted that this week marks the 55th anniversary of the founding of Peoples Park.

Built in 1927, the Alumnae Hall building at the center of Wednesdays protest was once part Anna Head School for Girls that opened in 1892. In 1955, UC Berkeley took possession of the campus after the girls school moved to Oakland. In 2022, the building became the subject of a campaign by historians, architects and builders who sought to work with the university to restore and preserve the campuss six arts and crafts buildings, which were believed to be the first brown-shingle structures in Berkeley.

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Wednesdays takeover began around 1:50 p.m., when UC Berkeley sent an alert to the public to avoid the area of 2538 Channing Way until further notice.

Later that afternoon, a protester in the building stood in an open window holding a megaphone.

We are occupying this space because the encampment was not enough, the protester said. We are occupying this space because it is time to avenge the martyrs.

A man who identified himself as a Cal student named Daniel and who had been at the on-campus encampment on Tuesday, said he was at the Channing building on Wednesday because of the bombing.

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What gives? he said.
Biden poised to send more arms to Israel as Rafah situation worsens

Iran Press TV

Wednesday, 15 May 2024 5:07 PM

The While House is reportedly moving forward with a new plan to transfer $1 billion in weapons to Israel.

President Joe Biden keeps resisting pressure from the international community to stop arming the savage regime.

Citing three Congressional aides, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Biden administration has notified Congress about the deal on Tuesday.

The new package includes the potential transfer of about $700 million for tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles and $60 million in mortar rounds, according to the officials.

They said the administration's notice to lawmakers isn't the final, formal notification before a sale.

It is not clear when the arms would be sent to Israel.

But according to the Congressional aides, the deal would be an entirely new sale, and that any weapons that are part of it could take years to be delivered.

The move comes days after Biden said in an interview with CNN that Washington would further curtail weapons shipments to Israel if the regime broadened its ground offensive to include civilian population centers in the Gaza Strip's southern city of Rafah.

But after less than a week, the president and his senior officials made clear they will continue military support to Washington's closest ally in West Asia.

National security spokesman John Kirby said Monday Biden will see to it that "Israel has all of the military means it needs to defend itself against all of its enemies, including Hamas."

"For him, this is very straightforward: He's going to continue to provide Israel with all of capabilities it needs." Kirby said.

Last month, Congress passed a $95 billion foreign aid bill that provides nearly $26 billion in military assistance for Israel.

Biden and administration officials face mounting global pressure to halt arms sales to Israel.

The regime has killed more than 35,230 Palestinians in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

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Israel 'creates illusion' of civilian protection in Gaza: UN rapporteur

Iran Press TV

Wednesday, 15 May 2024 4:10 PM

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories says sanitized jargon used by the Israeli military during assaults against civilians in Gaza is designed to "camouflage" killing.

In a social media post on Wednesday, Francesca Albanese said Israel's use of terms from international humanitarian law - such as "evacuation orders" and "safe zones" - create the "illusion that its military operations ensure protection of civilians."

The reality could not be further from the truth, Albanese stated.

Albanese said Gaza has effectively become a zone where civilians are considered expendable and everything is vulnerable to destruction.

"This 'humanitarian camouflage' has de facto turned Gaza into a place 'without civilians', where everything is destroyable & everyone is killable."

Albanese has faced a concerted campaign from right-wing Israeli NGOs, papers, and politicians after her open criticism of Israel's "apartheid" policies since May 2022 when she assumed her role.

The UN official has frequently condemned human rights abuses, apartheid policies, war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by Israel in the occupied territories.

Albanese recently warned Israel's crimes in Gaza could preoccupy the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the next 50 years.

Separately, the University Network for Human Rights has conducted a thorough legal analysis of Israel's behavior since October 7, 2023.

"Specifically, Israel has committed genocidal acts of killing, causing serious harm to, and inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza, a protected group that forms a substantial part of the Palestinian people," the group of international legal experts said.

Meanwhile, the United States is planning to send an additional one-billion-dollar military assistance package to Israel despite an earlier threat to halt assistance if the regime invades the southern city of Rafah.

President Joe Biden reportedly informed some US lawmakers of his decision to supply Israel with tank ammunition, tactical vehicles, and mortar rounds. But this will be the first shipment since the US administration threatened to stop weapons transfer.

The US secretary of state had also acknowledged Israeli forces used US-supplied bombs to kill Palestinian civilians.

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Israeli drone strike kills, injures dozens of internet seekers in Gaza

Iran Press TV

Wednesday, 15 May 2024 4:02 PM

An Israeli drone strike has hit a gathering of civilians trying to connect to the internet on the Jalaa street in Gaza City, killing and injuring dozens of people.

At least three bodies arrived at Ahli Arab Hospital, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported on Wednesday.

Three other citizens were killed and several others injured after the Israeli occupation targeted a civilian vehicle in the northern Gaza Strip.

The Press TV correspondent said the reconnaissance aircraft targeted at least one vehicle with a missile in the Faluga area, west of the Jabalia camp. 3 people were killed.

Several citizens were also killed and injured as a result of the occupation bombing of a residential building belonging to the Zein family in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.

Israel's genocidal campaign has killed over 35,200 people in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

The regime's attacks have several times targeted aid seekers in Gaza. In March, scores of Palestinians were killed in what became known as the "flour massacre."

Last month, an attack in the Sheikh Ridwan neighborhood in Gaza City killed at least 12 people trying to get an internet connection.

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Erdogan: 'Terrorist' Israel will 'set sights' on Turkey if Hamas is defeated

Iran Press TV

Wednesday, 15 May 2024 3:53 PM

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the "terrorist" Israeli regime will "set sights" on Turkey and will eventually target Anatolia if it manages to defeat the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Speaking at a parliamentary group meeting in the capital Ankara on Wednesday, Erdogan warned that the occupying regime would not stop in the besieged Palestinian territory and would set his country as its next target.

"Do not think that Israel will stop in Gaza. Unless it's stopped... this rogue and terrorist" regime "will set its sights on Anatolia sooner or later," the Turkish leader, who is a vocal critic of Israel's genocidal war in Gaza, told his party lawmakers.

By Anatolia, Erdogan was referring to the large Turkish peninsula - also called Asia Minor - that comprises more than half of Turkey's territory.

"We will continue to stand by Hamas, which fights for the independence of its own land and which defends Anatolia," Erdogan stressed, whose country's relations with Israel were strained following the current war after the pair had managed to restore diplomatic ties last August after a decade of tensions.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Turkish leader condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin for his crimes in Gaza, stressing, "Netanyahu and those complicit in genocide will be held accountable for every drop of blood they have shed."

"On Nakba, the Day of Catastrophe, we once again declare with all our being and resources that we stand by Palestine and the Palestinian cause," Erdogan said, adding, "We (Turkey) will also ensure that the perpetrators of genocide face justice."

May 15 is marked around the world as the day of "Nakba", or "catastrophe". The day refers to the large-scale ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and their mass exodus, courtesy of the apartheid Israeli regime and its Western backers.

More than 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly removed from their ancestral homes in Palestine and 500 villages and towns were destroyed by Zionist militias before the Israeli regime declared its illegal establishment in 1948. Palestinians are still enduring the repercussions of this catastrophe to this day.

Israel has killed more than 35,170 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza since that October day.

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Yemen's army hits vessel, US warship in latest pro-Palestine operation

Iran Press TV

Wednesday, 15 May 2024 2:39 PM

Yemen's armed forces have targeted a US destroyer and a ship in the Red Sea in their latest operation in support of the Palestinian resistance and in retaliation for the US-British attacks on the Arab country.

In a statement, spokesman Yahya Saree said the forces attacked the destroyer Maysun with several naval missiles.

Also, the naval, missile and air forces of Yemen carried out a joint operation targeting the ship Destiny in the Red Sea.

The statement said the ship had violated Yemen's ban on ships heading to ports in the Israeli-occupied territories by entering the port of Umm al-Rashrash on April 20. That put the ship on the blacklist of Yemen's armed forces, it said.

The statement said the Yemeni armed forces will continue to carry out military operations in solidarity with the Palestinian people and in defense of Yemen's territorial integrity until the genocide in Gaza stops.

The Arab country has launched dozens of such operations against Israeli-linked ships since October 2023, when the Israeli regime launched its genocidal campaign in Gaza.

The Yemeni forces began the operations by hitting the Israeli vessels or those heading towards the ports of the occupied Palestinian territories that could pass through Yemen's maritime areas.

The forces gradually expanded the strikes to cover targets lying across the occupied territories and vessels sailing through the Indian Ocean as the Israeli regime refused to accede to their demand of halting the hostililties and the siege it has been enforcing against Gaza.

Earlier in May, Saree announced the commencement of the fourth phase of the pro-Palestinian operations, saying the Yemeni forces would target all ships heading to Israeli ports "in the Mediterranean Sea in any area within our reach."

He warned the Yemeni military would impose sanctions on all ships of companies involved in supplying and accessing Israeli ports regardless of their nationality, and prevent all ships of those companies from passing through the operational area of the Armed Forces regardless of their destination.

Adding to his Monday remarks, the Yemeni spokesman said, "By God's will, we will reach the fifth and sixth stages [of our pro-Palestinian operations] if the enemy continues its aggression on Gaza."

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Ireland to recognize Palestinian statehood by end of May

Iran Press TV

Wednesday, 15 May 2024 1:11 PM

Ireland says it will certainly recognize Palestinian statehood by the end of this month; a move that according to Palestinian human rights activists will not stop Israel's genocide in the Gaza Strip if no "real action" is taken.

Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland Micheal Martin told the country's national radio station Newstalk on Wednesday that Dublin "will be recognizing the state of Palestine."

He said that the specific date is still "fluid because we're still in discussions with some countries in respect of a joint recognition of a Palestinian state."

"It will become clear in the next few days as to the specific date but it certainly will be before the end of this month."

Martin also said, "What is important here is we focus on the substantive issues of an immediate ceasefire."

"The suffering is immense. The death and destruction is immense, and people want it to stop and the international community want it to stop."

Dublin has long said it has no objection in principle to officially recognizing the Palestinian state if it could help the peace process in West Asia.

However, two Palestinian human rights activists say that recognizing the state of Palestine will not stop Israel's war in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Shawan Jabarin, general director of the Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq, and Lubnah Shomali, an advocacy manager at BADIL, a resource center for Palestinian refugees, are due to give talks in Dublin and Belfast this week.

"I think this is a good step. Even if it's late, this is a good, important step," Jabarin said Friday.

"But the question is, which actions after that they take? Without actions, without consequences, things will continue as it has forever."

He said, "It's not just the issue to give a symbolic step. We need also actions, we need consequences."

Shomali also noted that the recognition of Palestine "doesn't fulfil the obligation of Ireland and other third party states to prevent and stop genocide."

At least 82 Palestinians have been killed in the past 24 hours in the Gaza Strip, the highest death toll in a single day in over seven months, during Israel's military campaign against the narrow populated strip.

More than 35,230 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have so far been killed in Gaza, the Health Ministry in the Palestinian territory said Wednesday. .

Mass graves, crippled hospitals, damaged or destroyed schools and near total destruction of infrastructure now haunt the besieged territory with no end in sight to the regime's war.

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Hezbollah leader underlines unity among resistance groups until al-Aqsa Storm goals achieved

Iran Press TV

Wednesday, 15 May 2024 11:20 AM

The secretary general of Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement has underscored the significance of unity among resistance groups until achieving final victory in Operation al-Aqsa Storm, the largest anti-Israel operation by Palestinians in decades.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah made the remarks in a meeting in Beirut on Wednesday as he received a leading delegation from Hamas, headed by Khalil al-Hayya, a member of the Palestinian resistance movement's Political Bureau, and Osama Hamdan, who represents Hamas in the Lebanese capital.

Lebanon's al-Mayadeen television network said the two sides exchanged views after an extensive and in-depth assessment of the developments taking place in the besieged Gaza Strip and the occupied territories, also discussing the course of the recent ceasefire talks and the outcome of international political positions and pro-Palestine student movements across the world.

Nasrallah placed a premium on the "unity of positions and the continuation of making all political and popular field efforts in order to achieve the honorable goals sought by the al-Aqsa Strom, and to achieve the coming and promised victory, no matter the sacrifices."

Nasrallah also praised and underlined the level of cooperation and solidarity existing between the various fronts and movements of the Axis of Resistance.

In a televised speech on Monday, the Hezbollah chief affirmed that the Lebanese resistance movement is continuing "quantitatively and qualitatively" its anti-Israel operations in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip until the regime's aggression stops.

Nasrallah said Israel is seeking to invade the southern Gazan city of Rafah, where nearly half a million have sought refuge from the regime's brutal attacks on other parts of the territory, in an attempt to cover up its defeat in Gaza.

The occupying Israeli regime has repeatedly launched attacks on southern Lebanon since October 7, when it unleashed a genocidal war in Gaza that has claimed the lives of over 35,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Israel waged the devastating war on the Gaza Strip in October after Hamas launched Operation al-Aqsa Storm in the occupied territories in retaliation for the Tel Aviv regime's incessant crimes against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

As a retaliatory measure for the Gaza war, Hezbollah has been carrying out almost daily rocket attacks on Israeli positions.

Yemen's armed forces and Iraqi resistance groups have also launched various attacks on the Israeli-occupied territories in reprisal for the regime's months-long war on Gaza.

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Niger cut military ties with US over Washington threats, Iran partnership: PM

Iran Press TV

Wednesday, 15 May 2024 10:33 AM

Niger's prime minister says the termination of military cooperation and bilateral relations between his country and the United States was due to American threats and Washington's opposition to the African nation's partnership with Iran and Russia.

Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine told The Washington Post in an interview published on Tuesday that the US had tried to dictate what countries Niamey can have close relations with and had not justified its military presence in the West African country.

Underlining the US failure to combat terrorism in Niger and the Sahel region for a decade, Zeine said, "The Americans stayed on our soil, doing nothing while the terrorists killed people and burned towns. It is not a sign of friendship to come on our soil but let the terrorists attack us."

Zeine said the United States' tone and behavior toward Nigerien officials were the "primary reason" for the broken relations.

The Nigerien prime minister criticized US officials' call on Niamey not to engage closely with Iran and Russia as they were two of Washington's adversaries.

Zeine said he had been given an ultimatum by the US administration to have security with Washington or be close to Tehran and Moscow.

"First, you have come here to threaten us in our country. That is unacceptable," he told The Post. "And you have come here to tell us with whom we can have relationships, which is also unacceptable. And you have done it all with a condescending tone and a lack of respect."

Citing US officials, the American daily newspaper reported that the withdrawal of the US troops from Niger, which is slated in the coming months, marks a notable setback for US President Joe Biden's administration.

Niger's military led by General Abdourahamane Tiani ousted the Western-backed former president Mohamed Bazoum last July, and formed a government that has strained relations with some Western countries.

Washington then suspended security support and paused its so-called counter-terrorism operations run out of Air Base 201 near Niamey, where the US conducts drone surveillance of Daesh- and al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist groups in the Sahel region and stationed more than 1,000 military personnel.

Last month, the US acted on Niger's demands that US troops leave and agreed to withdraw its forces.

Russia was among the countries that welcomed the new leadership in Niamey with "open arms."

A first set of about 100 Russian advisors arrived in Niger on April 10 along with air defense systems after talks between Tiani and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russian advisors are now staying at a Nigerien air base near the Niamey airport.

Zeine visited Iran in late January and held talks with President Ebrahim Raeisi to discuss bilateral ties and issues of common interest.

Back in October 2023, Foreign Minister of Niger, Bakary Yaou Sangare, also visited Tehran to explore opportunities for strengthening political and economic ties, as well as boosting cooperation in scientific and technological sectors between the two countries.

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High-ranking Hezbollah field commander killed in Israeli attack on southern Lebanon

Iran Press TV

Wednesday, 15 May 2024 9:58 AM

The Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement has confirmed that a high-profile field commander of the group has been killed after the Israeli military carried out an airstrike targeting his vehicle in southern Lebanon close to the border with the 1948 occupied territories.

Lebanon's al-Mayadeen television news channel reported that Hussain Ibrahim Mekky was killed by Israeli fire in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, located 83 kilometers (51.5 miles) south of the capital Beirut.

The official National News Agency said another person was also killed in the Israeli strike.

Emergency responders said that two others were wounded in the strike, according to Reuters news agency.

Israel said Mekky was a senior field commander for Hezbollah's southern front, who was responsible for planning and executing numerous attacks against the regime's military installations and outposts since the start of the Gaza war.

Also on Tuesday, Israeli media outlets reported the death of a settler and the injury of five soldiers as a result of rockets launched from southern Lebanon.

According to the Hebrew-language Keshet 12 television channel, the settler was killed in the illegal Adamit settlement while providing assistance to Israeli troops. They were targeted by an anti-tank missile.

Later, Hezbollah's military media bureau published the clip showing the circumstances of the operation.

Earlier, the Lebanese resistance movement successfully conducted an operation on multiple Israeli targets.

During the operation, Hezbollah fighters struck three sites associated with an Israeli spy balloon. They included the balloon's launching base, its control mechanism, and the facility housing the crew responsible for managing the balloon.

The balloon had been launched over the Adamit settlement to monitor and spy on Lebanon.

The occupying Israeli regime has repeatedly launched attacks on southern Lebanon since October 7, after commencing a genocidal war in Gaza that has killed at least 35,173 Palestinians, predominantly women and children so far.

As a retaliatory measure, Hezbollah has been carrying out almost daily rocket attacks on Israeli positions.

At least 413 people have been killed on the Lebanese border, including more than 79 civilians, according to a tally by AFP.

Two Israeli wars waged against Lebanon in 2000 and 2006 were met with strong resistance from Hezbollah, resulting in the retreat of the regime in both conflicts.

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More than half a million displaced in Gaza as Israel escalates Gaza attacks

Iran Press TV

Wednesday, 15 May 2024 7:48 AM

The United Nations says more than half a million Palestinians have been displaced in war-torn Gaza in recent days, as Israel intensifies its attacks across the besieged territory.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) estimated that nearly 450,000 Palestinians have been forced to leave the densely-populated southern city of Rafah due to escalating military operations in the city, where more than a million people had sought shelter. Some 100,000 people were also displaced in the north.

"People face constant exhaustion, hunger and fear. Nowhere is safe. An immediate ceasefire is the only hope," UNRWA said in a post on X.

Israeli tanks have pushed deeper into eastern parts of Rafah, with residents saying they could see smoke billowing above eastern districts of the city and heard explosions after the occupying regime bombarded a cluster of houses.

Israeli tanks, bulldozers and armored vehicles have also surrounded evacuation zones and shelters in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, with fierce gun battles continuing in the area.

The Israeli military has ordered more residents to evacuate parts of the north, while at least 82 Palestinians have been killed in the past 24 hours during the regime's relentless air attacks.

According to UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq, evacuation orders in the north have displaced at least 100,000 people so far.

Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, also said in a post on X that Israel is using the terms "evacuation orders" and "safe zones" to create the illusion that its military operations ensure protection of civilians.

However, she said, this "humanitarian camouflage" has turned Gaza into a place without civilians.

Meanwhile, the spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says the UN chief is "appalled" by Israel's escalating military activity in and around Rafah.

"Civilians must be respected and protected at all times, in Rafah and elsewhere in Gaza. For people in Gaza, nowhere is safe now," Stephane Dujarric said, adding that Guterres has reiterated his call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

On May 7, the Israeli regime entered Rafah's eastern sector and seized control of Gaza's side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, which is the main corridor for the transfer of aid into the besieged strip, despite widespread international opposition.

The incursion came after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas said it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal put forward by mediators Qatar and Egypt.

About 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering in Rafah. The city had been designated a "safe zone" by the Israeli military. Palestinians are now struggling to evacuate Rafah since the Israeli military dropped leaflets ordering them to leave.

The new tragedy comes as Palestinians are set to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the Nakba Day (the Day of Catastrophe) on May 15, when hundreds of their fellow Palestinians were forcibly evicted from their homeland by Israelis in 1948.

This year's Nakba Day will be commemorated amid Israel's relentless attacks against the Gaza Strip.

Israel launched brutalities in Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas carried out a historic operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

Israel has killed more than 35,170 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza since then.

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San Francisco prosecutors filed charges against an Oakland woman suspected of attacking a person without provocation in a Potrero Hill corner store. Rafe Swan/Getty Images

San Francisco prosecutors have charged an Oakland woman suspected of attacking a person without provocation in a corner store on Potrero Hill, spokespersons said.

Jessica Blazee, 26, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury for an incident Tuesday in which she is suspected of attacking an unsuspecting victim at a corner store on the 2200 block of 23rd Street, spokespersons said Thursday.

According to court records, Blazee hit the victim on the head repeatedly with a pink plastic bag containing a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey, spokespersons said.

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San Francisco police apprehended Blazee moments after the attack a short distance from the corner store, officials said.

It is random acts of violence like this that negatively impact a feeling of safety in communities, said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. My office is committed to ensuring that we have appropriate accountability for those who commit crime in our city and will continue to work hard to restore safety across all communities.

Blazee was to be arraigned Thursday afternoon, officials said. Prosecutors will move to detain her pending trial because of the public safety risk she poses, they added.
Hamas: Any agreement stopping short of Gaza ceasefire 'meaningless'

Iran Press TV

Wednesday, 15 May 2024 7:17 AM

A high-ranking member of the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement says it would be "meaningless" to conclude any agreement with the occupying Israeli regime unless Tel Aviv commits itself to a complete ceasefire in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Sami Abu Zuhri, a member of the Hamas movement's political bureau, further noted on Tuesday that Israeli captives will not see the light of day until the usurping entity complies with the conditions of the Gaza-based resistance groups.

He stressed that Israeli authorities must adhere to the conditions of the Palestinian resistance front, the foremost of which is an end to the ongoing aggression against Gazans.

Abu Zuhri pointed out that it is "the occupying regime" that "obstructs and impedes reaching an agreement."

The remarks came on the same day that Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani stated that indirect negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire in Gaza have reached a stalemate following the Israeli military's aggression in the southern border city of Rafah.

"We had seen some momentum building in recent weeks, but unfortunately, things did not move in the right direction, and the events in Rafah have pushed us backward," he said at an economic forum in Doha on Tuesday.

Sheikh Mohammed, whose Persian Gulf country has played a key role in mediating between Israel and Hamas during the seven-month conflict, reaffirmed Qatar's commitment to mediation.

"We make it very clear for everyone: our role is strictly limited to mediation, and we will continue in this capacity," he stated.

The primary sticking point in negotiations, according to Sheikh Mohammed, is the issue of the exchange of captives and the continuation of the war.

"There is one party that wants to end the war and then discuss the captives, and another that wants to secure the release of the captives while continuing the conflict. Without common ground on these issues, reaching an agreement will remain elusive," the Qatari prime minister explained.

In defiance of warnings from the United Nations and other international organizations, Israel is preparing for a full-scale assault on Rafah, where more than 1.4 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering.

Israeli military operations have forced some 150,000 people to flee over the past week to areas devastated by previous attacks.

Israel launched its atrocious onslaught against the Gaza Strip, targeting hospitals, residences, and houses of worship since Palestinian resistance movements launched a surprise attack, dubbed Operation al-Aqsa Storm, against the usurping regime on October 7.

At least 35,173 Palestinians have been killed, most of them women and children, and another 79,061 individuals have sustained injuries. More than 1.7 million people have been internally displaced during the war as well.

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May 14: 'Axis of Resistance' operations against Israeli occupation

Iran Press TV

Wednesday, 15 May 2024 6:01 AM

By Press TV Website Staff

Amid Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 35,200 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 Tuesday, May 14, are as follows:

Al-Qassam Brigades' operations on May 14:

Bombed the Israeli military's command and control headquarters on the "Netzarim" axis with heavy-caliber mortar shells.

In a complex operation east of Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip, targeted a Merkava tank with an Al-Yassin 105 shell, killing or wounding all its crew. Immediately after that initial operation, killed at least seven Israeli soldiers who were behind the targeted vehicle at point-blank range.

Blew up a previously booby-trapped tunnel entrance where an Israeli military engineering force attempted to enter near the Al-Quds station east of Rafah city, in the southern Gaza Strip, resulting in several casualties.

Targeted a D9 military bulldozer of the Israeli army with an Al-Yassin 105 shell in the Abu Zeitoun area of Jabalia camp in the north of the Gaza Strip.

Targeted Israeli military's Merkava tank with an Al-Yassin 105 shell behind the Al-Tabaeen Mosque, east of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Targeted an Israeli military troop carrier and a Merkava tank with Al-Yassin 105 shells east of Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip.

Targeted a D9 military bulldozer of the Israeli army with a Shuath explosive device east of Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip.

Bombed a "Howitzer" artillery of the Israeli forces positioned in the northeastern Gaza Strip with heavy-caliber mortar shells.

Targeted a Merkava-4 tank with an Al-Yassin 105 shell on New Interior Street, east of the city of Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip.

Bombed a gathering of Israeli forces and their military vehicles penetrating east of the city of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip with mortar shells.

Targeted a Merkava tank of the Israeli army with an Al-Yassin 105 shell northeast of the city of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip.

Targeted an Israeli military gathering east of the city of Jabalia with heavy-caliber mortar shells.

Targeted Israeli forces penetrating the Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City with mortar shells.

In a joint operation with Al-Quds Brigades, targeted an Israeli military Merkava tank with two anti-tank shells near the "Shafut" junction in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City.

Seized an Israeli military spy drone that was on a spying mission west of the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.

Targeted a gathering of Israeli forces stationed inside the Rafah land crossing, southeast of the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, with a volley of mortar shells.

Al-Quds Brigades' operations on May 14:

Targeted a group of Israeli soldiers and their military vehicles behind the eastern cemetery in the southern Gaza city of Rafah with standard 60 caliber mortar shells.

Targeted Israeli soldiers and their military vehicles penetrating the vicinity of Ibn Tayma Mosque in the Brazilian neighborhood, east of Rafah, with a barrage of heavy-caliber mortar shells.

Targeted an Israeli military force holed up inside a residential apartment on Abu Al-Aish Street in the Jabalia camp with Barq (lightning-type) anti-personnel bombs.

Targeted Israeli military gatherings in the vicinity of Mazaya in Jabalia camp with a barrage of standard 60-caliber mortar shells.

Targeted an Israeli military Merkava tank with a tandem shell east of Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip.

Detonated a Barq explosive on a Merkava tank of the Israeli military in the Abu Zeitoun area in the Jabalia camp, north of the Gaza Strip.

Bombed the positions of Israeli soldiers and their military vehicles on the "Netzarim" axis with heavy-caliber mortar shells.

Shot down an Israeli military "Evo Max" drone in the skies east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Engaged in fierce armed clashes with a special Israeli force after luring them into a home on Salah al-Din Street in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades' operations on May 14:

In a joint operation with the Al-Nasser Salah Al-Din Brigades, bombed the "Kissufim" military site with a 107-type rocket barrage.

Bombed the positions of Israeli soldiers and their military vehicles in the "Netzarim" axis with regular mortar shells.

Sniped an Israeli soldier on the combat axis east of Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip,

Bombed the positions of Israeli soldiers and their military vehicles in the combat axis in Block 2 east of the Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip with standard mortar shells.

Bombed a gathering of Israeli soldiers and their military vehicles in the fighting axis in the Al-Salam neighborhood, east of the city of Rafah, southern Gaza Strip with regular mortar shells

Mujahideen Brigades' operations on May 14:

Engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli forces using appropriate weapons on the Jabalia axis of advance in the northern Gaza Strip.

Engaged in clashes with Israeli infantry force behind Abu Zeitoun schools on the Jabalia camp axis of advance using appropriate weapons.

Targeted An Israeli military Merkava tank with an RBG-85 shell in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood .

Martyr Omar Al-Qasim Forces' operations on May 14:

Targeted Israeli forces near the Hassan Al-Banna Mosque in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, east of Gaza City, with 107-type short-range rockets.

Detonated an explosive device on an Israeli military troop carrier on the axis of advance in the Brazilian neighborhood, which was followed by fierce clashes with an Israeli military infantry force on George Street in the Al-Jeneina neighborhood, east of the city of Rafah.

Engaged in fierce clashes using appropriate weapons against Israeli soldiers and vehicles east of the city of Rafah in southern Gaza.

Al-Nasser Salah Al-Din Brigades' operations on May 14:

In a joint operation with the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, targeted the "Kissufim" military site east of the Central Governorate with a 107-type rocket barrage.

Bombed a gathering of Israeli forces behind the schools east of Jabalia camp in northern Gaza with 100-mm mortar shells.

Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades' operations on May 14:

Detonated an explosive device on an Israeli military vehicle in a tight ambush on Abu Al-Aish street in Jabalia camp, northern Gaza.

Targeted Israeli forces and their military vehicles in "Kerem Shalom" with a barrage of rockets.

Hezbollah's operations on May 14:

Eastern sector:

At around 16:00 local time, the headquarters of the 801st Brigade in Maale Golani Barracks was targeted with a barrage of missiles.

At around 16:50 local time, the Al-Samaqa site in Lebanon's Kafr Shuba was targeted with artillery shells.

Western sector:

At around 13:10 local time, a spy balloon flying over the Admit settlement and its launch base, command and control center, were all targeted with a barrage of missiles.

At around 14:35 local time, buildings used by Israeli soldiers in the Al-Malikiyah settlement were targeted with appropriate weapons.

At around 15:15 local time, buildings used by Israeli soldiers in the Avivim settlement were targeted with appropriate weapons.

Islamic Resistance in Iraq's operations on May 14:

Targeted a vital military site in Umm Al-Rashrash ("Eilat") in the occupied Palestinian territories with two Al-Arfad drones, which were used for the first time.

Targeted a vital military site in Umm Al-Rashrash ("Eilat") in the occupied Palestinian territories with a barrage of drones.

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Palestinian resistance targets 18 vehicles and inflicts casualties on Israeli forces

Iran Press TV

Wednesday, 15 May 2024 2:46 AM

The Palestinian resistance says it has managed to destroy 18 Israeli military vehicles in an operation in Gaza, inflicting casualties on the occupation army.

A video published by the Al-Qassam brigades on Tuesday, the military wing of Hamas, showed its forces targeting Israeli soldiers and vehicles east of Jabalia camp in northern Gaza.

The group said its forces also targeted Israeli soldiers in fortified shelters with anti-tank rockets.

The video showed the targeting of several enemy vehicles with Yasin-105 anti-tank shells, as well as targeting buildings where Zionist forces had taken cover with anti-fortification TBG shells.

The scenes also showed the targeting of a Zionist sniper who was barricaded in one of the houses with an anti-fortification shell, followed by armed clashes between our fighters and the Zionist forces fortified inside the house.

The Palestinian resistance also captured an Israeli army drone that was engaged in espionage operations.

Eight Israeli soldiers were also ambushed in Jabalia camp leaving some of them dead or injured.

In the southern city of Rafah, shells and explosives left an Israeli Merkava tank and several armored vehicles destroyed.

Israel launched brutalities in Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas carried out a historic operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

Israel has killed more than 35,170 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza since that October day.

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Philippines, US boost space tech cooperation for maritime awareness, security

The new cooperation between Manila, Washington came amid heightened South China Sea tensions.

BenarNews staff 2024.05.15 -- The United States and the Philippines agreed to boost cooperation on space technology to track ships within Manila's territorial waters and exclusive economic zone, or EEZ, officials from both nations said in a statement released Tuesday.

The announcement came amid heightened tensions over the South China Sea.

"The U.S.-Philippines Space Dialogue is a platform designed to strengthen cooperation and advance bilateral exchanges in civil space matters including the use of space for maritime domain awareness and space situational awareness," the two countries said in the statement released two weeks after their meeting in Washington.

Officials discussed a range of programs that use satellites to "better forecast weather patterns; support agricultural and infrastructure planning; help monitor and combat climate change and pollution; prepare for and respond to disasters; improve natural resource use; and provide vital telecommunications services," it said.

The Bilateral Space Dialogue program will be useful "in monitoring and documenting vessels in the Philippines' territorial waters and [EEZ], ensure the safety of mariners at sea, monitor and help protect the environment, [as well] help combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing," the statement said.

Officials did not explain why the announcement came weeks after what has been called the first bilateral Space Dialogue on May 2. Rahima Kandahari, deputy assistant secretary, State Department Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, led the U.S. delegation while Gay Jane Perez, deputy director general for space science and technology of PhilSA, led the Philippine team.

The new agreement came out just after Manila accused Beijing of building an artificial island in the disputed Sabina Shoal, known as Escoda Shoal in the Philippines. China denied the allegation, calling it "irresponsible" and an attempt to "mislead the international community."

Sabina Shoal, a low-tide elevation in the Spratly islands, is within the Philippines' EEZ but is also claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam.

'This is Ours!'

The announcement came on the eve of a Wednesday voyage by a civilian coalition, Atin Ito! (This Is Ours!), to Scarborough Shoal, known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines.

Atin Ito! is leading a convoy of boats to deliver supplies to Filipino fishermen at the shoal, located 125 nautical miles (232 km) from the west coast of Luzon, the Philippines' largest island.

Scarborough Shoal has effectively been under China's control since 2012, despite a 2016 international arbitration ruling dismissing Beijing's sweeping claims to most of the South China Sea.

Amid fears that a large Chinese flotilla could block or harass the convoy, Philippine security officials on Tuesday said they would closely monitor the trip.

The Philippine Coast Guard was in "close contact" with organizers to ensure their safety, said Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, Navy spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, Manila's name for South China Sea waters within its EEZ.

Trinidad said the Philippine Navy would also be following the convoy, but he did not provide details.

He commended Atin Ito! for organizing such a mission, which is expected to include up to five large fishing boats and 100 smaller boats.

"This is civil society showing that they understand the issue. It is not only a government approach but a whole-of-nation approach. China should respect civil society in exercising Philippine rights," Trinidad said.

Earlier, maritime analyst and retired U.S. Col. Ray Powell said China was sending a "huge force" to block the sea convoy.

At least four China Coast Guard ships and 26 large Chinese maritime militia vessels have been tapped for the blockade, said Powell, founder and director of SeaLight, a maritime transparency project of the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation at Stanford University.

That number, Powell said, did not include "dark" vessels - ships that have turned off their tracking systems.

Jeoffrey Maitem in Manila, and Jojo Rinoza in Masinloc, Philippines, contributed to this report.

BenarNews is an online news outlet affiliated with Radio Free Asia.

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 May 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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Filipino civilian convoy departs for Scarborough Shoal, demands 'China leave'

Beijing warns Manila against violating its 'sovereignty' over the disputed South China Sea territory.

By Jojo Rinoza and Camille Elemia for BenarNews 2024.05.15 -- A convoy of Filipino civilian boats set sail on Wednesday in a show of defiance to assert Manila's claim over a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, amid reports that Beijing had deployed dozens of ships to the area.

More than 100 small wooden boats accompanied the convoy of several slightly larger boats, which were loaded with fuel and food as they departed for Scarborough Shoal, a rock within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) that China has effectively controlled since 2012.

The voyage is being led by Atin Ito! (This Is Ours!), a broad coalition of nationalist and civilian organizations.

"The Philippines is ours, China leave," some volunteers chanted as they carried posters with the same message. Catholic volunteers brought figurines of the Virgin Mary aboard the boats.

The flotilla set sail after 7 a.m. from a port in Masinloc, a town on the west coast of Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines. Later in the day, the small boats returned to shore while four of the main boats continued with their voyage to Scarborough Shoal, known as Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines.

A few hours after their morning departure, the flotilla conducted what organizers called "a peace and solidarity regatta" about 20 nautical miles off Masinloc.

At around 11 a.m., participants placed 12 symbolic buoys to assert Manila's sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea, Manila's name for South China Sea waters within its EEZ. They also distributed food and fuel supplies to some fishers in the area before the small boats returned to shore and the larger ones continued with their journey.

"At least, we are now showing the world that Filipinos are fighting back," Agustin Bustillo, 55, captain of one of the bigger fishing boats, told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated news service. "But I hope the problem will be settled through peaceful means."

A BenarNews reporter was among a group of journalists aboard one of the civilian boats heading to the shoal.

At around 6 p.m., two China Coast Guard (CCG) ships were seen shadowing and trying to block the civilian boats, which were still hundreds of miles from their destination.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), which had sent three ships to protect the civilians, said one of the CCG ships was about 1,800 yards (1,650 meters) from the convoy, while the other was a mile away as of early evening.

The two coast guards exchanged radio challenges, both insisting their countries' jurisdiction over the area even as the civilian convoy decided to continue its course to the shoal.

"They are trying to divide the contingent. Our boats are exercising evasive maneuvers while the PCG continues to maintain its close distance to the convoy to thwart any further attempt from CCG vessels," Emman Hizon, one of the convoy's organizers, told reporters.

Volunteer Aira Villamil, 21, said she felt mixed emotions while witnessing China's actions at sea. While defiant, she said she feared what might happen.

"It's scary because they are deliberately trying to block us while we are passing. It is super scary because we don't know what they'll do to us," she told BenarNews in an interview aboard one of the fishing boats.

Asked about the civilian convoy on Wednesday, China asserted its sovereignty over the shoal, which it calls Huangyan Dao. It also warned the Philippines against violating Beijing's jurisdiction.

"If the Philippines abuses China's goodwill and infringes upon China's territorial sovereignty and jurisdiction, we will defend our rights and take countermeasures in accordance with the law. Relevant responsibilities and consequences shall be borne solely by the Philippines," foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters in Beijing.

Expected standoff

The resource-rich Scarborough Shoal lies within Manila's 200-nautical mile EEZ, as mandated under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). But it has been under Beijing's de facto control since 2012, when China wrested control from the Philippines after a weeks-long standoff.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea. In 2016, after Manila sued Beijing, an international court invalidated China's expansive claims and ruled that the shoal is a traditional fishing ground for the Philippines, Vietnam, and China. Beijing has refused to acknowledge the ruling, asserting what it calls historical claims over the waters.

Wednesday's voyage is Atin Ito!'s second supply mission to the West Philippine Sea. In December 2023, it set out to deliver supplies and Christmas gifts to Filipino troops stationed aboard the BRP Sierra Madre at Second Thomas (Ayungin) Shoal, but the convoy was forced to turn back after consistent shadowing by Chinese ships.

The convoy is expected to arrive near the shoal early Thursday to distribute supplies to Filipino fishermen operating in waters around the shoal. Because of the expected presence of Chinese ships, organizers do not know if they will be able to reach their destination.

Days before the convoy set sail, Beijing sent ships to the area, with Chinese state media reporting on Monday that the CCG was conducting training in Huangyan Dao. This was on top of the constant presence of two or three Chinese ships.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) Ray Powell, who heads Stanford University's Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation and monitors activities in the South China Sea, said a Chinese force of 43 ships was stationed near the shoal, seemingly ready to face the civilian flotilla.

Two weeks ago, on April 30, CCG ships fired water cannon at Manila's government ships near the shoal, causing damage.

The Philippine government summoned Zhou Zhiyong, the deputy chief of mission at the Chinese embassy in Manila, and "demanded that Chinese vessels leave Bajo de Masinloc and its vicinity immediately."

China claimed those operations were "professional, standardized and legal," saying the Philippines' actions infringed on Beijing's sovereignty over the area and violated "international law and basic norms of international relations."

The Philippine civilians remained unfazed despite the risks. Rafaela David, one of the Atin Ito! organizers, said the convoy was seeking to "normalize" access to the West Philippine Sea.

"If China is militarizing our own EEZ, we're there to civilianize our own seas because at the end of the day, we stand by the belief that the West Philippine Sea should be accessible to ordinary citizens," David told reporters in Botolan, a town in Zambales province, on the even of the trip.

Days before the mission, Global Times, the Chinese Communist Party's official mouthpiece, accused the group of being funded by the United States and planning to provoke China. The group denied it.

"We have our own minds," Edicio dela Torre, 80, a former priest turned activist and one of the coalition's leaders, said during the same briefing on Tuesday. "China does not believe in civilian actions because they think all these are part of the government."

David said China's reaction shows it was rattled by the civilian movement.

"Ordinary Filipinos are coming hand-in-hand in peaceful means, showing they are not intimidated by someone as big as China," he said.

BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated news service.

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 May 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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Thailand assists neighbors in repressing dissidents: rights group

Human Rights Watch says Thailand is increasingly dangerous for those fleeing persecution.

By RFA and BenarNews Staff 2024.05.15 -- Thailand has been helping neighboring countries repress refugees and dissidents, making a country that was long a haven for exiles unsafe for those fleeing persecution, a human rights group said on Thursday.

In a report titled "'We thought we were safe' - Repression and Forced Return of Refugees in Thailand" New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thailand facilitated "surveillance, violence, abductions, enforced disappearances and forced returns" while Thai authorities in turn engaged in acts of "transnational repression" against Thai activists in exile.

"Governments in Southeast Asia have long been suspected of engaging in quid-pro-quo agreements about refugees and asylum seekers, colloquially known as 'swap mart' arrangements," the rights group said.

Thailand's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests from Radio Free Asia for comment.

Human Rights Watch said the then government of Prayuth Chan-o-cha, a Thai army chief who toppled a civilian government in May 2014, repressed dissidents from abroad, including from Cambodia, Vietnam and China.

"Thailand has long had a reputation as a sanctuary for those fleeing persecution ... But now many asylum seekers and refugees do not feel safe," Elaine Pearson, director of Human Rights Watch's Asia Division told RFA-affiliate BenarNews,

The repression in Thailand had often occurred even though the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees had recognized the dissidents as refugees, the rights group said.

HRW analyzed 25 cases that it said took place in Thailand between 2014 and 2023.

Dead and disappeared

A year after the Thai coup, Chinese dissidents in Thailand started going missing, the group said, suggesting that Thai authorities had acted "apparently at the request of the Chinese government, for arrest and refoulement to China".

In November 2015, democracy activists Jiang Yefei and Dong Guangping, who fled China and received refugee status from the UNHCR, were deported from Thailand to China shortly after their arrests. The deportations occurred even though Canada had granted them asylum.

In July 2015, Thai authorities deported at least 109 ethnic Uyghurs to China. They were among more than 500 Uyghurs who fled China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to Southeast Asian countries in 2013 and 2014, according to Thai officials and NGOs. Turkey had offered many of them asylum.

Thailand's then-military government, facing criticism from the United States and other Western countries over the 2014 coup, was keen to forge closer ties with China, analysts said.

While Thai authorities moved against foreign dissidents, Thai activists seeking refuge in neighboring countries also faced repression.

Several left-wing dissidents who left Thailand after the 2014 coup disappeared in Cambodia and Laos, with two found dead in the Mekong river, which forms the border between Thailand and Laos.

In 2020, prominent Thai activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit, was allegedly abducted in broad daylight by gunmen from in front of his apartment complex in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. He remains missing.

Human rights activists believed that Thailand and Cambodia had agreed on his abduction. Both governments denied any involvement.

'Disappointing'

Human Rights Watch said Cambodian opposition members and activists made up a sizable number of the cases it had documented in Thailand, practices that it said were facilitated by the close relationship between the neighbors then leaders, Prayuth and Cambodia's Hun Sen.

While the rights group said the existence of "swap mart" arrangements between governments was difficult to verify with respect to Thailand, "arrangements with other abusive governments to facilitate transnational repression would be consistent with the evidence gathered."

Despite the restoration of an elected government in Thailand last year, the ill-treatment of dissidents has continued, Human Rights Watch said. It said an end to the "swap market" was an "urgent obligation" for the government.

Worachat Awipan, a scholar at the Institute of Religion, Culture and Peace at Payap University, told Benar that Thailand's actions reflected badly on its image and violated its international human rights obligations.

"If we truly want to resolve this issue, we must strictly respect and comply with the obligation to not force people back to places where they are not safe, and seriously and transparently investigate and punish Thai officials who support these legal violations," Worachat said.

Sunai Phasuk, a senior HRW researcher, said the Thai government had promised to end the legacy of military rule but it was turning a blind eye to allegations of harassment, and forced returns of refugees while there were no serious investigations into the disappearance of Thai dissidents elsewhere.

"It is very disappointing," Sunai said.

Edited by Mike Firn.

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 May 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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Taliban's Drug Ban, Heavy-Handed Tactics Fuel Deadly Protests In Northern Afghanistan

By Abubakar Siddique and RFE/RL's Radio Azadi May 15, 2024

Afghanistan's northern province of Badakhshan has been the scene of violent protests against the Taliban in recent weeks.

The rare demonstrations have been fueled by the militant group's forceful enforcement of its ban on illicit drugs, a lifeline for tens of thousands of impoverished farmers.

The Taliban has violently clamped down on the rallies, shooting and killing several protesters and rounding up dozens of locals.

The anti-Taliban rallies, observers say, reveal the anger at the hard-line Islamist group's unpopular policies and its use of heavy-handed tactics to crush dissent.

"This is an alarm bell for the ruling Taliban," said Nazifa Haqpal, a British-based Afghan researcher. "The Taliban's despotic governance based on brute force is not working."

Nearly three years after the Taliban seized power, the group has shown little interest in "understanding [Afghans'] issues or adopting appropriate policies" to address them, said Haqpal.

'Anger And Protests'

Protests broke out on May 3-4 in Badakhshan's Darayim and Argo districts after Taliban forces tasked with clearing poppy crops clashed with farmers. Locals said the Taliban opened fire and killed two people.

The Taliban sent a delegation to negotiate with the farmers and later said calm had been restored.

But on May 13, protests again erupted in the Argo district. The Taliban responded with brute force, killing two people and wounding more than a dozen others, locals said.

"People did not want their crops to be destroyed," Shamsuddin Mubarez, a resident of the Argo district, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.

When locals protested, Mubarez said, the Taliban responded by using force. That created "more troubles," he said.

Kalimullah Humsukhan, a resident of the Darayim district, told Radio Azadi that the Taliban's forced eradication of poppy fields triggered "anger and protests" in the district earlier in May. He said locals resented the militants' violent tactics.

'Little Or Nothing'

Since regaining power in 2021, the Taliban has imposed severe restrictions on women, waged a brutal crackdown on dissent, and monopolized power.

The group's extremist policies have angered Afghans and made its unrecognized government an international pariah.

The Taliban's 2022 drug ban has significantly reduced the production of opium. But the group has failed to provide farmers with alternative livelihoods and crops, pushing many deeper into poverty amid a devastating economic and humanitarian crisis.

Graeme Smith, a senior Afghanistan analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the Taliban's ban on narcotics has hit farmers in mountainous areas such as Badakhshan particularly hard, because they have smaller and less productive farms.

"Farmers do not have large stockpiles and little or nothing in reserve to sell," he said.

Smith said "the only answer [for farmers] now will be nonfarm employment" because alternative crops cannot replace opium, whose price has skyrocketed in recent years.

'Afghan Spring'

The deadly protests in Badakhshan are not isolated.

On May 9, the Taliban killed at least four people after a rally in the eastern province of Nangarhar, which borders Pakistan.

The militants ordered locals to vacate their homes to make way for the construction of a customs clearing facility. Locals resisted the demolition and blocked a major highway. The Taliban responded by firing on the crowd.

Smith said it was not a coincidence that there has been unrest in Nangarhar and Badakhshan, which contributed significantly to the ranks of the armed forces of the former Western-backed Afghan government.

"Now the survivors from those defeated forces are suffering high levels of unemployment," he said.

Badakhshan is also a predominately ethnic Tajik region and was once a bastion of resistance to the Taliban in the 1990s. The Taliban is mostly made up of Pashtuns.

Haqpal said the protests are evidence of the "political and legal consciousness" that was formed in Afghanistan after the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 toppled the Taliban's first regime.

The Taliban could face an "Afghan Spring" if such "protests get organized and spread," she said.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-badakhshan- protests-taliban-drug-ban/32948643.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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Amid Pressure From Baku, U.S. Diplomat Tours Nagorno-Karabakh

By Amos Chapple May 15, 2024

"If the U.S. diplomats are against visiting Susa, then [to] hell with them," announced Caliber.az on May 5. The media outlet is widely seen as a mouthpiece for Azerbaijan's authoritarian government.

One day later, Mark Libby, the U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan, was on his way to Susa, a major city of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is known as Shushi in Armenian.

An embassy spokesperson told RFE/RL that Libby's trip was made as "part of his regular travel throughout Azerbaijan." But many have questioned the timing of the visit.

On May 3, during a roundtable meeting with Azerbaijani journalists, Libby was asked whether he would visit territory that Baku recently recaptured from ethnic Armenian forces. The ambassador replied that Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions were "a little different" from the rest of Azerbaijan and asserted he did not want to "play a part in a propaganda show." The ambassador added that, "when the time comes to [visit the retaken territories], that's what I'll do."

But Libby's apparent hesitancy to enter Nagorno-Karabakh, which was populated by ethnic Armenians for centuries but is internationally recognized as Azerbaijani land, appeared to enrage Baku. A series of articles, including the Caliber article mentioned above -- "High Time To Declare U.S. Ambassador Persona Non Grata" -- hinted that Azerbaijan may expel the diplomat, who took his post in January this year.

At the time of Libby's controversial May 6 visit, news was circulating that a historic church in Susa had been erased and an entire village previously populated by Christian Armenians had been wiped out, with a mosque being built on the site.

In e-mailed responses to RFE/RL, Vanessa Schulz Zenji, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Baku, did not answer questions on whether the ambassador had asked local officials about the apparent cultural destruction taking place in Susa or whether Libby's trip was approved in Washington. A U.S. state department spokesman refused to comment on the trip when asked by reporters on May 7.

Libby's visit ignited a storm on social media, with many alleging the visit could be seen as a green light from Washington for Baku to continue erasing Armenian heritage in the region.

David Sarkisian, a 26-year-old native of Susa who lived in an apartment just a short walk from where Libby posed for photos on May 6, told RFE/RL, "I don't think any country's ambassador should visit [Nagorno-Karabakh] as long as the issue remains unsolved. The fact it was the U.S. ambassador who went there is especially unpleasant for me."

Shulz Zenji, the U.S. Embassy spokeswoman, suggested the visit may be linked to efforts at a peace deal between Baku and Yerevan. "We have been encouraged by recent steps toward concluding an agreement and are committed to supporting a durable and dignified peace in the region," she said.

When RFE/RL reported last month on alleged cultural destruction in Susa, it requested comment from Azerbaijan's presidential administration but received no response.

With reporting from RFE/RL's Armenian Service

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/azerbaijan-susa-nagorno- karabakh-ambassador-libby-visit-scandal/32948532.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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Slovak PM's Condition Reportedly Remains Critical After Shooting, But No Longer Life-Threatening

By RFE/RL May 15, 2024

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico remains in critical condition after being shot several times from close range as he walked among a small crowd following a government meeting outside Bratislava, but his injuries are no longer considered life threatening, according to a senior government official.

Video from the scene showed Fico approach a small crowd of mainly elderly people when several shots rang out and the 59-year-old prime minister slumped backward to the ground. Secret service officers quickly rushed to his aid and carried him to a car that sped off toward a local medical facility.

He was then airlifted to a hospital in the central Slovak city of Banska Bystrica where doctors operated for several hours.

Officials said at the time that Fico was shot in an "assassination attempt" and was in a life-threatening condition.

Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba later told the BBC in an interview that "fortunately, as far as I know the operation went well - and I guess in the end he will survive...he's not in a life threatening situation at this moment."

"He was heavily injured - one bullet went thought the stomach and the second one hit the joint - immediately he was transported to the hospital and then to the operation," Taraba said.

There was no official statement confirming Taraba's assessment.

Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok told reporters that an initial investigation showed there was "a clear political motivation" behind the attack on Fico.

Fico, a political veteran in Slovakia who returned to be the prime minister for a fourth time after his Smer-SD party won an election last September, had emerged from a government meeting in the town of Handlova, nearly 200 kilometers northeast of the Slovak capital, when he was shot by a lone gunman. Witnesses said four or five gunshots were heard.

Police could be seen holding down a person who is thought to be the shooter in several videos of the incident.

An elderly man could be seen in handcuffs on the ground surrounded by police officers. The suspected shooter's name has not been released, but Sutaj said he could confirm that the man was suspected as the lone gunman.

A government statement issued said Fico was transported by helicopter to the Banska Bystrica "in a life-threatening condition, because it would take too long to get to Bratislava due to the necessity of an acute intervention."

The shooting was immediately condemned by leaders around the world who expressed shock that a peaceful democracy like Slovakia would be the place of such a crime.

"Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good. My thoughts are with PM Fico, his family," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the "news of the cowardly assassination attempt on Slovakian Prime Minister Fico shocks me deeply. Violence must have no place in European politics."

U.S. President Joe Biden said he was alarmed by the reports of the attack on Fico. He said he and his wife, first lady Jill Biden, were praying for a swift recovery, "and our thoughts are with his family and the people of Slovakia."

Biden also said in a statement that he condemned "this horrific act of violence" and said the U.S. Embassy "is in close touch with the government of Slovakia and ready to assist."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy denounced the attack, saying that every effort should be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country.

A populist who has taken several extreme policy positions over the years, Fico has been a critic of military support for Ukraine in its battle to repel Russian troops -- his coalition government halted Slovak shipments of weapons for Ukraine -- opposes sanctions against Moscow for the Ukraine invasion, and has said he would veto any move to invite Kyiv to join the NATO military alliance.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the assassination attempt "a despicable crime" in a message to Slovak President Zuzana Caputova.

Analysts said the attack on Fico pointed to the deep political polarization in Slovakia that has emerged over the past year. They added that the tiny EU member was not alone in experiencing such divisiveness, with many countries across Europe being in a similar situation.

Since the election, Fico's government, which includes the far-right nationalist SNS party, has taken several decisions that have sparked protests and accusations from the opposition that the prime minister was eroding democratic institutions to tighten his grip on power.

Slovakia's largest opposition party had planned a protest against government reforms to the public broadcaster later on May 15, but canceled the event due to the shooting.

The rally was called because last month, Fico's cabinet backed a culture ministry proposal to abolish the existing Radio and Television of Slovakia and replace it with a new body, the Slovak Television and Radio.

The new entity's director general is to be chosen by a council comprised of members appointed by the Cabinet and the Fico-controlled parliament.

Last year, parliament approved a plan to close the special prosecutor's office that oversaw sensitive corruption cases and serious crimes, raising concerns in the EU that Fico was eroding the rule of law in the country.

Fico said the office had abused its authority

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/slovakia- fico-shot-bratislava/32948591.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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President Says Georgia's Survival 'At Stake' After Controversial Law Approved

By RFE/RL's Georgian Service and RFE/RL's Echo of the Caucasus May 15, 2024

TBILISI -- President Salome Zurabishvili warned that Georgia's survival as a state is in danger after parliament approved a contentious "foreign agent" law despite weeks of popular protests and warnings from the West that the move endangers Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

Speaking at a news conference in Tbilisi with the visiting foreign ministers of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Iceland on May 15, Zurabishvili reiterated she would veto the legislation approved a day earlier, as the government "did not listen to the voice of its people, nor to the advice of its friends, nor to anyone's warning, and went its own way."

"The issue of Georgia's survival is at stake today," she said.

"I told our friends about our plans for the future, about what should be a European platform that I have been working on for several weeks now and which I will officially present to our people," Zurabishvili said, adding that her platform is meant to mobilize Georgians ahead of elections later this year.

"Our immediate plan is mobilization for elections, a peaceful path on which we will all undoubtedly win together, in order to bring our motherland onto a peaceful and European path," she said.

The law has been condemned by the United States, the European Union, and rights watchdogs for emulating a similar piece of Russian legislation used by President Vladimir Putin to crush dissent and stifle independent institutions.

A NATO spokesperson on May 15 called the legislation "a step in the wrong direction" that takes Georgia "further away from European and Euro-Atlantic integration."

Zurabishvili, who is at odds with the ruling Georgian Dream party that pushed the legislation through parliament, has 10 days to exercise her veto powers. However, the dominant position of Georgian Dream and its partners in parliament is strong enough to override a presidential veto.

Zurabishvili spoke shortly after thousands of Georgian demonstrators continued their protest into the early hours of May 15 in Tbilisi against the bill.

After nightfall, protesters marched from the parliament building some 2 kilometers to Heroes' Square, a main intersection in the Georgian capital, where riot police violently arrested at least 10 people, RFE/RL correspondents on the ground reported.

On May 14, in the third and final reading, lawmakers voted 84 to 30 in favor of the law initiated by the Georgian Dream party, which has used its control over security forces to violently crack down on protesters over the past weeks using water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets.

Thousands of protesters, mainly young people, massed in front of parliament ahead of the vote.

As word got out that final approval had been given to the bill, angry protesters outside parliament tried to break metal barriers near the building and were attacked violently by masked riot police. At least 13 people were arrested, some of whom were being violently snatched from the crowd by police.

TV and social media footage showed activist Davit Katsarava being violently detained outside parliament. He was later pictured with serious injuries to his face. Doctors at a Tbilisi clinic said he had suffered a broken clavicle and fractured jaw and undergone surgery.

Lazare Grigoriadis, a young protester, who was arrested during the police crackdown, was beaten while in custory, his lawyer, Eka Kobesashvili, told RFE/RL.

"His face is damaged, his head is also injured, his hands are cut from the handcuffs, his head and sides hurt," Kobesashvili said.

"The police beat him on the head, physically assaulted him and kept him in the courtyard of the parliament for several hours after his arrest, until he was taken first to the division and then to the isolation ward."

Another young protester told RFE/RL in English, "I'm Georgian and therefore I'm European," adding, "we want freedom, that's all. My name is Irakli Beradze, I am a student of Ilia State University, and I'm here protesting against the Russian law, against the Russian[-style] regime and I'm fighting for freedom."

Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has accused the protesters of "following the agenda of the political minority" and charged that they were showing a "great irresponsibility" toward their country.

Kobakhidze has also criticized the United States, one of Georgia's biggest backers, for making "false" statements about the legislation.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James O'Brien, who was in Tbilisi on May 14, said Washington's relationship with the South Caucasus country would be at risk and U.S. aid for Georgia would come under review if the bill officially becomes law.

"If the law goes forward without conforming to EU norms and this kind of rhetoric and aspersions against the U.S. and other partners continue, I think the relationship is at risk," O'Brien said.

"This is a dark day for Georgian democracy," a group of 11 U.S. senators said in a statement issued after the vote.

The massive rallies against the bill are some of the largest protests since Georgia became independent in 1991.

Under the terms of the proposed legislation, media outlets, NGOs, and other nonprofits would be required to register as "pursuing the interests of a foreign power" if more than 20 percent of their funding comes from abroad.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/georgia-foreign-agent- law-tbilisi-protest/32948006.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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Two San Francisco men were arrested and charged with robbing at least eight people after placing advertisements on an online marketplace to sell a vehicle, police said Thursday. Andrew Brookes/Getty Image

Two San Francisco men were arrested and charged with robbing at least eight people after placing online advertisements to sell a vehicle, police said Thursday.

Jevonte Powell, 19, and Jermaine Williams, 20, were arrested last month after a yearlong investigation into the series of robberies. Both pleaded not guilty to the charges in San Francisco Superior Court and remain in jail.

They were accused of listing an item for sale  usually it was a vehicle listed for under $5,000  and then meeting the interested buyers and stealing their property at gunpoint. Several victims were assaulted and suffered injuries, police said.

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Police did not provide the name of the online site or release details about the extent of the victims injuries.

The robberies occurred on Blythedale Avenue near Santos Street on April 23, May 1 and twice on May 2, the area of Ingerson Avenue near Griffith Street on May 15, May 18 and May 26 and again on Blythedale Avenue on June 5.

Police didnt say how they identified Powell and Williams as the suspects.

Police encouraged the public to exercise caution when meeting strangers to buy items from an online marketplace.

The department offered the following tips: meet in a well-lit public spot, such as a police station; dont provide personal or financial information, or invite strangers into your home; be vigilant and alert; keep valuables out of sight or leave them at home; walk and travel with others; trust your intuition; dont fight back if you are attacked, and instead call 911 and provide as many details as possible.

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Interview: Georgian Dream Is 'Isolated' And The 'Foreign Agent' Law Is Just 'A Way To Maintain Power'

By Joshua Kucera May 15, 2024

A leading expert on Georgia, Professor Stephen Jones is the director of the Program on Georgian Studies at Harvard University's Davis Center. His books include Georgia: A Political History Since Independence and The Birth of Modern Georgia: The First Georgian Republic And Its Successors, 1918-2010."

In an interview with Joshua Kucera, Jones discusses the reasons why the ruling Georgian Dream party introduced the controversial "foreign agent" law, which lawmakers in the country's parliament approved it on May 14, the huge protests that have broken out as a result, and the potential political and geopolitical consequences.

RFE/RL: In a recent analysis piece you wrote that Georgian Dream's turn toward authoritarianism is following global trends but also represents a very Georgian domestic political tradition that has been followed by every regime that's ruled here since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Can you explain more what this Georgian political tradition is?

Stephen Jones: When you look at Georgian political history over the last three decades, we've had these cycles of breakthrough, democratic hope, disappointment, disillusion, growing authoritarianism, popular protest, renewal, and then the whole cycle begins again.... That's the pattern that we've seen and the interesting thing is to think about why this is the case, what explains this pattern, because for the last 30 years or so, Georgia has not been able to escape it.

And we're seeing this process again. Georgian Dream, from being quite a progressive coalition in 2012...it's now become deeply unpopular yet again and the only solution, as far as the population is concerned, is not through institutional change, through elections. It seems that the best way that the population -- as usual -- seems to think it can deal with this is by coming out on the streets and challenging the government directly. This is the pattern....

Structurally, it's partly to do with the way the system has been built, with particularly the role of very powerful personalities who tend to concentrate power in their hands. We have very weak political parties that are disconnected from the population at large. And we have a political and economic system where there's a great deal of poverty and economic inequality, where people really don't have the opportunities to engage with the political system.

It's not a level playing field. People feel disengaged because much of their time is focused on trying to gain some sort of economic sustainability for themselves and their families. The economic aspect of this is very important: The mass poverty, the very large amount of unemployment, and the inequalities that make it difficult for people to engage with a political system that they feel doesn't represent their interests.

RFE/RL: Knowing that pattern and those cycles and that history, what does that tell you about how we got into this crisis today and the possible ways that it's going to get resolved?

Jones: Part of the problem is that Georgian institutions don't work like they should. Political parties don't work like they should.... Political parties in Georgia are generally not representative and they're not connected with the population, particularly in the regions. They do have networks, they do have organizations in the regions, but these are parties that generally revolve around large political personalities and they're built from the top. They're not representative of popular interests.

And elections have not resolved the issue. They are events that occur once every four years in which people participate -- or don't participate as the case may be. In many cases, the turnout is very low.

Between elections there's no sustained attempt to stimulate popular participation in any way. The elections are usually in the hands of government, which has the most political and economic resources to shape the elections in a way that supports their own position. The opposition happens to be rather weak and unable to challenge effectively the incumbent political party. That again has been the trend and what we have seen is the growth of these dominant one-party systems...that accumulate economic and political power and exclude effective opposition.

This could be resolved in some ways by changing the political structure of the system so that it's not a one-party-takes-all system, in which there are mechanisms in place to ensure that the opposition, even if it loses, gets some opportunity to participate in the system.

For example, there was a proposal by the European Union a couple years back to allow opposition members to chair parliamentary commissions even though they weren't in power. It would give them some link, some sense that they weren't simply excluded and could continue to have relevance. So, there are ways that I think the structure could be changed, the ways in which participation can be stimulated and broadened. And the focus on elections is not an adequate way of dealing with this problem.

RFE/RL: So the law now that everyone is talking about, that's the center of these protests, is taking aim at these Western-funded NGOs and media, which the government has decided are preventing it from doing what it wants to do. But you argue in your recent piece that they've been ineffective. You wrote: "Despite 30 years of political and economic reform, financial support and expert advice from the EU and millions of U.S. dollars spent on democracy-building programs, nothing has undone the Georgian pattern of state control and resurgent authoritarianism." So why haven't these programs worked?

Jones: That's a good question. I think in part perhaps because they're not directed at the needs of the Georgian population. They're very often driven by donors -- whatever focus the government that provides the aid believes is necessary, that's generally what the focus is -- and there's not enough understanding or consultation with the Georgian population more broadly and the needs that they have. That's one issue.

They also very often come in for a very short period of time. They deal with an issue -- let's take for example, democratizing political parties. They work on it for three or four years. They can report some results at the end of their presence and their cooperation with the political party, and then they leave.

The changes that have to take place in Georgia to ensure the sustainability of greater transparency or greater participation or greater power sharing, I think these are really deeper systemic problems that have to be dealt with. It can't be done simply by foreign experts coming in and providing money to reform particular parts of the system.

I think the time of focusing on elections as the source of change, as has been demonstrated by Georgian Dream, which is now coming up to its fourth term in power, through an electoral system that [it] has been effectively able to manage. This is not the way that you're going to open up the system and encourage citizen participation. People are disillusioned with the elections. They don't participate, they don't know which party they want to vote for. They don't believe...that if they vote that is going to change anything in their lives....

There has to be some more thoughtful way of encouraging grassroots participation, some way to open up the system and encourage connections between political parties and the population. That's not what we're seeing right now.

RFE/RL: There is an obvious tension between the ideas that the government sees these [NGOs] as a big threat, and yet they're ineffective. How do you resolve that seeming contradiction?

Jones: There has to be some form of counterpower, some alternative in place. There has to be some method of resistance, of monitoring, of examining the government in power. Those methods are relatively weak in the system. Where is the countervailing power in Georgia? It's not in the opposition, not in the political parties. The president has the power of veto over certain legislation but very weak power [overall]....

Right now [the power is] in the streets, because there's no other mechanism in place through which people can express their opposition or effectively express their opposition to government policies. So, if we want to prevent this cycle of popular revolt every four or five years, we have to find ways in which we can guarantee some sort of diffusion of power or some sort of citizen engagement. And it has to be sustainable.

Civil society has certainly made some gains and it's very important in terms of revealing and resisting government malfeasance. This is partly why Georgian Dream wants to crush it with this new bill it's introduced.

But there are other ways. One could think of perhaps a second house [of parliament] as a way of providing mechanisms that can share the legislative process in a more diffuse way so that one party just doesn't dominate one chamber; there [would be] a second chamber that has the possibility of discussing and moderating legislation.

It could [also] be by enhancing local government, which is very weak in Georgia. It could be by creating some sort of citizen fora or mini-parliaments that would focus on particular issues that come up, which would give citizens some degree of control over the debate and maybe, particularly in local areas, the ability to actually implement legislative change.

I'm not saying that we dispense with elections, I'm just arguing that there has to be some other supplemental mechanisms in place to ensure the diffusion of power and the sharing of power, along with institutions that effectively check and monitor political power.

RFE/RL: The big question people are asking now is, why does Georgian Dream think that it needs this law on foreign agents, not just once but twice. After it failed badly last year, now they're trying again. What is it that makes it so important for them to do this?

Jones: Well, I can understand the first time that they did this, obviously it would be a mechanism to ensure greater control over the political process. Civil society doesn't have much power, but it can expose the government.... It encourages transparency. And Georgian Dream has effectively controlled other sources of political opposition, so civil society was a sort of outstanding political space where they didn't have control.

What this all suggests is that Georgian Dream is not really interested in democracy. It's more interested in managed democracy that we see in Hungary, for example. It's a political party that has significantly moved ideologically, from a party that was interested in civic engagement to one that has become increasingly isolated and focused on traditional conservative values that exclude diversity in society.

It's a way to maintain their power because they are increasingly isolated from the rest of society. The political and social base of Georgian Dream is getting narrower and narrower and now we get this very small group of people in parliament that are surrounded by a tremendous wave of popular resistance and how are they going to control that?

They have to close down the political challenges that they face and this is one way of doing it. [There's also] a fear of what getting close to the European Union might do in terms of creating greater opportunities for political challenge to their power. Those demands will no doubt come from the European Union in one way or another. And that's something that, if they want to retain power, which obviously they do, would be a significant challenge.

RFE/RL: So I understand the logic of doing this last year, but then to do it again, this I think is the question to which I have not heard a satisfactory answer. Obviously it seems to have already backfired, but why might they have tried again?

Jones: This isn't happening in isolation, this is happening in the context of increasing polarization between the West and Russia. We've seen attempts elsewhere to introduce laws like this in Hungary, for example, in Kyrgyzstan, in Abkhazia, Russia of course in 2012, arguably the model for Georgian Dream's own version.

If one was thinking in conspiratorial terms, though I generally don't do that, this might be a reflection of Russian pressure and attempts to reestablish its control while it's doing well in Ukraine at least.... Maybe this is something that is pushing Georgian Dream into adopting this law a second time. I know that there was some resistance within Georgian Dream to doing this. There was some concern that exactly this would happen. The strands that are holding Georgia to Europe are weaker and weaker and so maybe they have less to lose. They are becoming less dependent economically on Europe and European investment. Russia is increasingly the bigger market for Georgian business.... It could be something in preparation for the [parliamentary] elections in October. They want to get things in place [and] thought they would exhaust the opposition through a process like this, [and that] it would make the October elections easier for them to manage and manipulate. There are multiple potential explanations, but it's curious and, as you say, it's backfired.

RFE/RL: So, taking into account what you've said about elections, now of course we have elections coming up in October. Do you see these as potentially exacerbating the crisis or potentially resolving it? Or how do you see these in terms of Georgian political history?

Jones: Ultimately, I believe Georgian Dream is doomed because it doesn't have political or social support. It's alienated much of its support. It [does] have some support in the regions if it promotes this idea of keeping the peace and stability, it might gain some support through those ideas. Georgians don't want instability, they don't want war. This is the thing that Georgian Dream has been focusing on, and maybe they believe that this will win them the election. That probably means some sort of provocation might occur that will highlight the danger of instability. This might be part of the deal that Georgian Dream has with Russia, I don't know, that something will happen and the danger of war will be highlighted and people will vote for Georgian Dream as a party of stability. Ultimately, we have a party that really does not have the support it needs to win the election fairly. They have to cheat in some way to win this election.

RFE/RL: Even though Georgian Dream is quite unpopular, the opposition parties are even less popular, and opinion polls show that pretty regularly. So my sense going into this was that, had everything stayed the same, they would have won easily in October.

Jones: I agree with you, I would have taken that position before these events, these popular demonstrations. I don't think that's the case now. I can't imagine people turning out and voting for Georgian Dream.... It's hard to imagine that they could win this election fairly, but you're absolutely right about the opposition. Unless the opposition can form some sort of, not necessarily coalition, but some sort of agreement that would encourage people to think that it's not an opposition that's going to be dominated by the UNM [the United National Movement, the former ruling party led by Mikheil Saakashvili]. The UNM is still sort of a bogeyman....

But the other issue here is, if they do somehow manage to win the election, which of course is a possibility through their control of electoral resources, then traditionally this is the way that revolutions occur in Georgia. They very often occur after a corrupt election....

The other issue is the changed electoral system. Now we have popular proportional representation, we don't have single-majority systems. It's not exactly a winner-take-all system now. So this is going to be an interesting development because the reason proportional representation was introduced was, at some level, to introduce the possibility of smaller parties getting into parliament and, in some way, preventing Georgian Dream or the dominant party, whatever it is, from gaining a constitutional majority in parliament. So, it's more of an open electoral system, and we'll have to see what that means in terms of outcomes. It gives the opposition more opportunities.

RFE/RL: The geopolitical element of this is something that has led to a lot of speculation. Georgian Dream came into office promising that it would maintain the course toward the West, toward Europe, while also reducing the temperature in relations with Russia. Do you think that that's still the case? You've alluded a couple of times to deals that you think that Georgian Dream might be having with Russia. Do you think that we are in the beginnings of some more profound shift in their geopolitical orientation?

Jones: I think this is possible. All the indications are clearly that Georgian Dream is distancing itself from the European Union and integration into the European Union, precisely for those reasons that I mentioned before: that in order to integrate with the European Union, they're going to have to open up the political system and create vulnerabilities in terms of their own political power.

It's not a system in which Georgian Dream is going to be victorious. So, there are anxieties and fears about what getting closer to the European Union means.

If they want to gain some sort of popular support in Georgia, one way to do it would be to create some sort of deal with Russia. Of course you can never trust deals with Russia, but it might be a system in which Russia promises some improvement in terms of Georgian control over [the breakaway regions of] Abkhazia or South Ossetia, some form of confederation. These are the sort of ideas that have been passed around, that this might be a way that Georgian Dream could appeal to its population by appealing to this idea of territorial integrity.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/georgia-foreign-agent- law-tbilisi-protest/32948006.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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Yerevan Police Cordon Off Area Around Venue Where Pashinian Expected To Speak

By RFE/RL's Armenian Service May 15, 2024

YEREVAN -- Police barriers have been set up in areas of Yerevan leading to Freedom Square on May 15 as activists calling for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian's resignation over a land deal with arch foe Azerbaijan pledged to form groups to march to the square, where Pashinian was expected to address an annual meeting of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

An RFE/RL Armenian Service correspondent at the scene said protest leader Archbishop Bagrat Galstanian was in the area but none of the groups appeared to have tried to approach Freedom Square.

The correspondent said security cordons made it virtually impossible to reach the square.

There was no word on the progress of the EBRD's annual meeting and business forum, which was being held at Yerevan's Opera House, which lies directly in Freedom Square.

Galstanian, the leader of the Tavush Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, has encouraged a "civil disobedience" campaign to press for Pashinian's exit.

More than 170 protesters have been detained since the protests began in earnest on May 9 with tens of thousands of people rallying in the capital.

Galstanian has called for a meeting on May 16 with sympathetic political forces to discuss possible courses of action to ramp up pressure on Pashinian and his allies.

Under the border-demarcation deal agreed last month with Baku, Armenia cedes control of four villages that were part of Azerbaijan during the Soviet era, but which have been controlled by Armenia since the 1990s.

The United States and the European Union have hailed the deal, but the Pashinian government has been accused by opposition politicians of giving up territory to Azerbaijan with no guarantees.

Pashinian has said the unilateral concessions are necessary to prevent Azerbaijani military aggression against Armenia. The Armenian opposition maintains he is encouraging Baku to demand more territory from Yerevan and to use force for that purpose.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/yerevan-police-cordon-pashinian- speech/32948760.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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Israel's Amendments to Gaza Ceasefire Proposal Led Talks to Deadlock - Hamas

Sputnik News

20240515

TUNIS (Sputnik) - Israel's amendments to a ceasefire proposal made by mediators have led talks on the truce in the Gaza Strip to a deadlock, the chairman of the political office of Palestinian movement Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, said on Wednesday.

Haniyeh recalled that Hamas has agreed to the ceasefire proposal of Qatari and Egyptian mediators "made with knowledge of the US administration,"

"However, the occupants [Israel] responded to the aforementioned proposal by occupying the Rafah crossing. They [Israel] also made amendments to the proposal, which brought the negotiations to a deadlock," Haniyeh said in his address.

The IDF announced on May 7 that "overnight, ground troops began a precise counterterrorism operation" aimed at "eliminating" Hamas "within specific areas of eastern Rafah."

Earlier, Axios reported that Tel Aviv was not satisfied with the hostage deal with Hamas and accused the US of not informing it about the latest Qatari and Egyptian proposals.

Over 35,000 people have been killed so far by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, local authorities said. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.

 Sputnik

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EU Urges Israel to End Its Military Operation in Rafah - High Representative

Sputnik News

20240515

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The European Union is urging Israel to end its operation in Rafah in the Gaza Strip, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Wednesday.

"The European Union urges Israel to end its military operation in Rafah immediately. This operation is further disrupting the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza and is leading to more internal displacement, exposure to famine and human suffering," the statement said.

The EU is also calling on Israel to reopen the Rafah crossing point.

"The European Union is calling on Israel to refrain from further exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and reopen the crossing point of Rafah. Should Israel continue its military operation in Rafah, it would inevitably put a heavy strain on the EU's relationship with Israel. Under International Humanitarian Law, Israel must allow and facilitate unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians," the statement said.

The ongoing Israeli operation in Rafah, southern Gaza, will lead to complications for the further development of EU-Israeli relations, Borrell noted.

"The European Union is calling on Israel to refrain from further exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and reopen the crossing point of Rafah. Should Israel continue its military operation in Rafah, it would inevitably put a heavy strain on the EU's relationship with Israel," Borrel said in a statement, published on the EU External Action website.

The EU calls on the Jewish state to immediately cease its operation in Rafah and urges both Israel and Hamas to "redouble their efforts" to negotiate a truce and hostage release, the diplomat said

Last week, European Council President Charles Michel urged Israel not to carry out a military operation in Rafah and called it unacceptable to force civilians to evacuate the city to unsafe areas.

Last week, the Israeli army started a military operation in the eastern parts of Rafah and took control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt. Israeli authorities say the operation is aimed at eliminating the remaining battalions of Palestinian movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip. On Friday, Israeli media reported that Israel's military cabinet had approved expanding the ground operation in Rafah.

 Sputnik

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Promoting Accountability for Nicaraguan Officials

US Department of State

Press Statement

Matthew Miller, Department Spokesperson

May 15, 2024

The Department of State today took steps to impose visa restrictions on over 250 members of the Nicaraguan government, including police and paramilitary personnel, penitentiary officials, prosecutors, judges, and public higher education officials, as well as select non-government actors for their roles in supporting the Ortega-Murillo regime in its attacks on human rights and fundamental freedoms, repression of civil society organizations and profiting off of vulnerable migrants.

In November 2021, President Biden issued a Presidential Proclamation restricting entry to the United States of those persons responsible for threatening democracy in Nicaragua. Since that time, the United States has taken steps to impose visa restrictions on more than 1,400 Nicaraguan officials, particularly targeting those complicit in human rights violations, and corrupt practices.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, Vice President Rosario Murillo, and those under their command continue to unjustly detain those who advocate for a free civil society, religious freedom, and freedom of expression, and enrich their regime through the exploitation of vulnerable migrants. The United States continues to call upon the international community to ensure accountability for those who undermine democracy in Nicaragua. We will not waiver in our support for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Nicaraguan people.

This action was taken pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 10309, which suspends entry into the United States as immigrants and nonimmigrants for members of the Government of Nicaragua and other persons who formulate, implement, and or benefit from policies or actions undermining democratic institutions.

These actions today complement t actions taken by the U.S. Department of Treasury t to sanction three Nicaragua-based entities, including a Nicaragua-based Russian training center, which helps maintain the cycle of violent oppression in Nicaragua, and two government-affiliated gold companies generating revenue for the Ortega-Murillo regime and the Training Center of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in Managua as a key actor in expanding Ortega-Murillo's repressive police state.

More information alerting airlines, air charter operators, travel agents, and service providers of the ways in which the Ortega-Murillo regime and smugglers are facilitating irregular migration and migrant smuggling and trafficking networks to the United States, as well as information on the importance of preventing the exploitation of these companies 'legitimate transportation services can be found in this Alert for the Aviation and Travel Industries.

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Treasury Sanctions Nicaragua-Based Russian Institution and Gold Companies

U.S. Department of the Treasury

May 15, 2024

WASHINGTON -- Today, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is targeting the Ortega-Murillo regime's repression of the Nicaraguan people and its ability to manipulate the gold sector and profit from corrupt operations. Treasury is imposing sanctions on three Nicaragua-based entities, the Training Center of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in Managua (RTC); Compania Minera Internacional, Sociedad Anonima (COMINTSA); and Capital Mining Investment Nicaragua, Sociedad Anonima (Capital Mining),pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13851, as amended.

The RTC is a Nicaragua-based subdivision of the Government of the Russian Federation's (GOR) Ministry of Internal Affairs, which trains those under the Ortega-Murillo regime's command under the Russian authoritarian government's playbook of oppression. It is a key actor in the Nicaraguan regime's repression of civil society and unjust detention and imprisonment of individuals for expressing dissent, or otherwise peacefully exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The designations of COMINTSA and Capital Mining target government-affiliated gold companies generating revenue for the Ortega-Murillo regime. Gold is Nicaragua's top commodity export, and this action aims to degrade the ability of the Ortega-Murillo regime to manipulate the sector and profit from the corrupt operations of COMINTSA and Capital Mining.

"By leveraging the training it receives from the Russia-backed RTC and the revenue it generates from exploiting the gold sector, the Ortega-Murillo regime has continued its anti-democratic campaign of repression against its citizens," said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian E. Nelson. "The United States remains committed to using our tools to support the Nicaraguan people, including by constraining the Ortega-Murillo regime's ability to fund its oppressive and destabilizing activities."

These actions are being taken these in response to the Ortega-Murillo regime's continued repression of the people of Nicaragua and continued exploitation of vulnerable migrants, including via the facilitation and profiting off of irregular migration to the United States.

The Training Center of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in Managua

Nicaragua is one of Russia's main partners in Central America, as evidenced by a series of high-level visits to Managua by representatives of the GOR. Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs established a training center in Managua to provide specialized courses for the Nicaraguan National Police (NNP) and law enforcement of other Latin American countries. OFAC designated the NNP, the primary law enforcement entity in Nicaragua, on March 5, 2020, pursuant to E.O. 13851 for being responsible for or complicit in, or having directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human rights abuse in Nicaragua. The NNP was also designated pursuant to the Nicaraguan Human Rights and Anticorruption Act of 2018 for being responsible for or complicit in, or responsible for ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, or having knowingly participated in, directly or indirectly, significant acts of violence or conduct that constitutes a serious abuse or violation of human rights against persons associated with the protests in Nicaragua in April 2018.

Since its opening in Managua in October 2017, the RTC has been operating in Managua, training members of the NNP as part of a bilateral engagement between Nicaragua and Russia, Russian law enforcement officials at the RTC have trained members of the NNP, which has enabled the regime's brutal repressive tactics, training the NNP to conduct repression and tyrannical persecution in support of persecutions of the Nicaraguan people. The NNP is a central actor in the Ortega-Murillo regime's violent oppression of the Nicaraguan people. The RTC's support of the NNP helps maintain the cycle of violent oppression in Nicaragua. The NNP is a repressive state apparatus, carrying out extrajudicial killings, using live ammunition against peaceful protests, and even participating in death squads. The RTC in Nicaragua, by admission of President Ortega himself, trains Nicaraguan law enforcement officers to better confront "coup plotters," referring to those citizens who dare to publicly voice their opposition to the regime.

The RTC is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13851, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, the NNP.

Compania Minera Internacional, Sociedad Anonima (COMINTSA)

COMINTSA is a Nicaraguan mining company and one of several regime-aligned companies that operate or have operated in Nicaragua's gold sector. Having revoked the license for operations from another artisanal mining company, the General Directorate of Mines granted COMINTSA concession areas for exploration and extraction of gold in the in the Autonomous Region of the North Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua in 2023. COMINTSA is reportedly owned and led by Salvador Mansell Castrillo (Mansell Castrillo), who is under OFAC sanctions.

On November 15, 2021, OFAC designated Mansell Castrillo pursuant to E.O. 13851 for having served as an official of the Government of Nicaragua at any time on or after January 10, 2007. Subsequently, on October 24, 2022, OFAC designated the General Directorate of Mines pursuant to E.O. 13851 for being owned or controlled by or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Mansell Castrillo.

COMINTSA is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13851, as amended, for operating or having operated in the gold sector of the Nicaraguan economy.

Capital Mining Investment Nicaragua, Sociedad Anonima

Capital Mining is a Nicaraguan mining company and one of several regime-aligned companies that operate in Nicaragua's gold sector. Capital Mining is an intermediary in the gold sector controlled by Laureano Ortega Murillo (Ortega Murillo), the son of President Ortega and Vice President Murillo, and Mansell Castrillo that is known to charge some gold mining companies to do business in Nicaragua. On April 17, 2019, OFAC designated Ortega Murillo pursuant to E.O. 13851 for being an official of the Government of Nicaragua or having served as an official of the Government of Nicaragua at any time on or after January 10, 2007.

Capital Miningis being designated pursuant to E.O. 13851, as amended, for operating or having operated in the gold sector of the Nicaraguan economy.

Travel Industry Advisory

In addition to the sanctions issued by OFAC today, the United States Department of State is issuing over 250 visa restrictions for Nicaraguan officials, and the Departments of State, Treasury, and Homeland Security are jointly releasing an advisory to alert the travel industry of the ways in which smugglers are facilitating illegal migration to the United States and remind the industry of key steps that they should take to avoid complicity in the exploitation of migrants.

This action reflects U.S. efforts to promote responsible practices in the industry, prevent and disrupt illicit activity, and enhance compliance with lawful immigration and migration pathways.

SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS

As a result of today's action, all property and interests in property of the designated persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or exempt, OFAC's regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons.

In addition, financial institutions and other persons that engage in certain transactions or activities with the sanctioned entities and individuals may expose themselves to sanctions or be subject to an enforcement action. The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated person, or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.

The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC's ability to designate and add persons to the SDN List, but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior. For information concerning the process for seeking removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN List, please refer to OFAC's Frequently Asked Question 897. For detailed information on the process to submit a request for removal from an OFAC sanctions list.

Click here for more information on the entities designated today.

###

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"The world cannot find peace without holding perpetrators of the Gaza genocide accountable"

Presidency Of The Republic Of Turkey

15.05.2024

Addressing AK Party's parliamentary group meeting, President Erdogan said: "We will be chasing perpetrators of the genocide to make sure they are brought to justice. All should accept that the world cannot find peace, nor can it remain clean, without holding perpetrators of the Gaza genocide accountable. No one should expect us to remain silent or soften our words."

President and Justice and Development (AK) Party Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a speech at the party's parliamentary group meeting.

"I SEND MY HEARTFELT GREETINGS TO ALL OUR PALESTINIAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS ON NAKBA DAY"

Noting that today marks the 76th anniversary of NAKBA, President Erdogan stated: "Today, May 15, is a very meaningful day for us and for all the Palestinians across the world. Today marks the 76th anniversary of NAKBA, also known as the GREAT CATASTROPHE. When the Ottoman State had to withdraw from the Palestinian territories, the Zionists started to occupy these lands step by step under the patronage of the British. The first mass massacre in the Palestinian territories started with the withdrawal of the Ottomans in 1918. Zionist gangs and Zionist terrorist organizations uprooted the Palestinians from their lands and forced them to migration by committing mass murders. Taking only their house keys with them, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians left for Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and other countries in the region, and embarked on a difficult life at refugee camps that would last for decades. The situation of those who remained behind was even worse than those who left."

Pointing that the policies of occupation and genocide continued as a state policy with the establishment of the state of Israel on May 14, 1948, President Erdogan said: "Declaring May 15, the day after the establishment of the state of Israel, as NAKBA, or the GREAT CATASTROPHE, the Palestinians renew their hope of regaining their homes and independence every year on May 15. I send my heartfelt greetings to all our Palestinian brothers and sisters on this NAKBA day. We feel the pain of NAKBA in our hearts just as deeply as they do. On the anniversary of NAKBA, we preserve our hope just as strongly as they do. Sooner or later, the Palestinians will return to their homes. Sooner or later, Palestinians will use the keys they are preserving under their pillows and passing down from generation to generation, and they will be reunited with their homes."

"THEY WILL DEFINITELY BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR EVERY DROP OF BLOOD THEY SHED"

Underscoring that Hitler was not alone when he was committing the Jewish genocide, President Erdogan said: "Many countries in Europe were supporting Hitler. Hitler felt himself very powerful and invincible when he mercilessly carried out massacres and genocide. What happened ultimately? He shot himself in the head, with his charred body found in his bunker ruined like Germany."

Further stressing that Bosnian Serb leaders such as Mladic and Karadzic were also not alone while carrying out massacres, President Erdogan stated: "Similarly in Bosnia, leaders of the Bosnian Serbs, Mladic, Karadzic... While they were carrying out massacres, many states in Europe stood behind them. While they were committing genocide in Srebrenica, which was supposedly under the protection of the United Nations, powerful states of the world stood behind them. They martyrized our 8,372 Bosniak brothers and sisters before the eyes of the world. They never imagined they would be defeated. They never assumed they would be held to account one day. What happened ultimately? They were captured, put on trial, and those once mighty politicians, those genocidal generals were held accountable, now awaiting death in prison."

President Erdogan continued his remarks as follows: "Sooner or later, a similar end awaits Netanyahu, the Butcher of Gaza, and those complicit in the genocide in Gaza. You will see that they will definitely be held accountable for every drop of blood they shed. The cries of the 35 thousand Palestinians they brutally massacred as well as over 80 thousand Gazans who have been wounded or maimed will never stop haunting them."

"NO ONE SHOULD EXPECT US TO REMAIN SILENT OR SOFTEN OUR WORDS"

Pointing out that Turkiye will be chasing the perpetrators of the genocide to make sure they are brought to justice, President Erdogan stated: "All should accept that the world cannot find peace, nor can it remain clean, without holding perpetrators of the Gaza genocide accountable. No one should expect us to remain silent or soften our words. They are as arrogant as they are ruthless, as spoiled as they are barbaric. They have killed people with bombs and bullets, with the deadliest weapons and snipers, through starvation and thirst. They have hit hospitals and ambulances. They have evicted people from their homes and directed them to supposedly safe zones, subsequently massacring civilians in safe zones. They have killed people running for aid, for a piece of bread. They have made mothers gather the pieces of their kids. This has no example in history. Even Hitler was not as blatant and as audacious while carrying out the inhuman Holocaust, which went down in history as a dark stain."

President Erdogan went onto say: "They are so unashamed that they have murdered journalists in front of cameras in live broadcast, civilians, babies in cradles; they have bombed mosques, schools and churches. They shall not get away with these. Before being held accountable on the judgement day, they will inshallah be held to account in this world and pay the price for what they do. Look, they are now trying to put pressure on the international court. They are supposedly challenging the world by shredding the United Nations Charter at the podium of the United Nations."

"HUMANITY WILL NOT LET GO OF THESE MURDERERS"

Drawing attention to the threats and restrictions targeting professors and students standing in solidarity with Palestine, President Erdogan said: "They overtly threaten the professors and students supporting Palestine. They attempt to silence everyone by using the enormous media and lobbying power at their disposal. They think people will be intimidated and back down when they are labelled as anti-Semitic. No matter what they do... Humanity will not let go of these murderers. Even if humanity were to let go, we will not stop chasing these murderers, these perpetrators of genocide, this bloodthirsty network of killers. They are criticizing us both at home and abroad just because we are defending Hamas. Don't you have any conscience? Don't you have any mercy? Have you really lost your soul, your identity, your personality so much as to defend those who cannot tolerate even the trucks carrying aid to innocent starved kids in Gaza, so much as to defend this terrorism, this terror state?"

Underpinning that Israel will not stop in Gaza and that Ramallah will not be safe, President Erdogan stated: "This raging state, this terror state will eventually cast its eyes on Anatolia with the delusions of 'promised lands' unless it is stopped. Israel is not attacking the Palestinians in Gaza, it is attacking us... Hamas is putting up the front-line defense of Anatolia in Gaza. Are you so blind as not to see this? Are you so unperceptive as not to comprehend this?"

Stressing that the Turkish nation has always stood with the oppressed, the innocents and the downtrodden, President Erdogan added: "Our nation has always stood in solidarity particularly with those fighting to protect their independence, freedom and homeland. We will continue to stand with Hamas, which has been fighting both for the liberation of its own lands and has been defending Anatolia. We will give no credence to those who rent out their soul, mind and conscience to Zionist killers."

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The UK believes that it is for the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina to choose their own future: UK statement at the UN Security Council

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security Council meeting on Bosnia and Herzegovina.

15 May 2024

Thank you, President. I thank High Representative Schmidt for his briefing and welcome the representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia and the European Union to the Chamber today.

President, let me make three broad points.

First, the United Kingdom believes that it is for the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina to choose their own future. We fully support the government's ambition to achieve greater Euro-Atlantic integration.

The decision by the EU to grant accession status is an important step in this direction, which opens new opportunities for the country.

We hope this will serve as a strong incentive for political actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina to work together on the necessary reforms and refrain from activity which could undermine progress.

Second, the greatest threat to this positive future, and to the Dayton Peace Agreement itself, lies in the efforts of Republika Srpska politicians to subvert the State and its institutions. These include: threats to unilaterally withdraw from the constitutional, legal and institutional framework of the State and moves to establish a parallel framework in the Republika Srpska;

efforts to introduce a "Foreign Agents Law", which seeks to restrict the engagement of many civil society organizations; and steps to undermine the Bosnia and Herzegovina Constitutional Court.

Against this backdrop, the Office of the High Representative continues to play an integral role, as prescribed by Dayton itself, to uphold the Dayton Peace Agreement.

We fully support the High Representative's efforts to address these challenges and urge all political actors to work constructively with his Office.

Third, we are concerned by reports of a more fragile security and political situation. This includes the rise in genocide denial, glorification of war criminals and attacks on returnees. These actions have no place in a peaceful, multi-ethnic society, and we welcome all efforts to promote reconciliation.

We also firmly support a strong EUFOR Operation Althea, to maintain a safe and secure environment.

President, it is now almost 30 years since the Dayton Peace Agreement brought an end to the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

We urge all political actors to transcend party, ethnic or entity interests and work together to uphold Dayton and achieve a more peaceful, stable and prosperous future for all the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Thank you.

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UK ramps up aid funding to help feed more than 850,000 people in Yemen

The Foreign Secretary has announced a significant uplift in aid funding for Yemen, to address one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.

15 May 2024

Foreign Secretary announces significant increase in aid funding to Yemen today, to address one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world

new funding will help feed more than 850,000 people and treat 700,000 malnourished children

aid boost made during Yemeni Prime Minister visit to the UK for talks with the Foreign Secretary, Defence Secretary and development organisations

The Foreign Secretary has announced a significant increase in aid funding to Yemen at a meeting with the Yemeni Prime Minister in London.

After 9 years of conflict, the Yemeni people are suffering one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Since illegally seizing power in 2014, the Houthis have prevented aid from getting to those who need it most in northern Yemen and attacked oil infrastructure, depriving the Government of Yemen of a major revenue source.

More recently, the Houthis have attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea, which risks driving up the costs of supplies of food and humanitarian aid in the region, and impacting the Yemeni people as over 70% of food staples are imported through Red Sea ports.

Today, nearly half of all children under 5 are suffering from stunting due to years of malnutrition and more than half of the population is in need of humanitarian assistance. The UK is announcing that it will increase its humanitarian aid by 58% for the 2024 to 2025 financial year to support those most in need in Yemen, including women and girls.

The 139 million commitment, delivered through partners such as WFP, UNICEF, and other organisations, will help save lives in Yemen by supporting the delivery of vital services. As examples, the UK will provide cash transfers which will help to feed up to 864,000 people and support 500 health facilities with the medicines, vaccines and nutritional supplements they need to treat 700,000 severely malnourished children.

The Foreign Secretary will make this commitment in a meeting with the Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak later today. The 2 are set to discuss how the international community must do more to tackle Yemen's humanitarian crisis, the ongoing Houthi attacks against international shipping, and the need to support the UN's efforts toward a comprehensive settlement to end the years of conflict in Yemen.

The Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said:

The Yemeni people are suffering one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with over half the population in need of humanitarian assistance, as its 9-year conflict drags on. The UK is stepping up to tackle the crisis in Yemen, but we need the international community to do the same to make a real difference. The Houthi's actions have aggravated this humanitarian crisis through blocking aid from reaching those who need it in northern Yemen and attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea which risks pushing up the price of vital supplies. As well as helping on the humanitarian front, we need to do more to help the government of Yemen to deliver for the Yemeni people. Our talks covered a range of sectors and areas where the UK can help.

Following his arrival in the UK, Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak said:

I highly appreciate the United Kingdom's uplifting aid to Yemen. As we move forward, it is essential that we expand our relations to include mutual investments across various sectors. Yemen's strategic position at the crossroads of global trade routes makes it an attractive hub for commerce and investment. Enhanced economic cooperation between Yemen and the UK, including in sectors like energy, agriculture, fisheries, and manufacturing, will generate jobs and growth that benefit both our peoples. Our youthful population is eager for opportunities, and with the right partnerships and support, we can build a more prosperous and stable future.

The Prime Minister also met Lord Ahmad to discuss the humanitarian crisis, the Red Sea crisis and our shared ambition of a UN process that delivers a sustainable peace in Yemen.

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UK aid en route to temporary pier off Gaza

More than 100 tonnes of aid is on its way to maritime pier off the coast of Gaza.

15 May 2024

UK aid has left Cyprus today for first delivery to new temporary pier off Gaza

initial contribution will total nearly 100 tonnes of shelter coverage kits

maritime route will complement efforts to deliver aid by land, which remains critical

UK aid has left Cyprus and will be part of the first delivery to the temporary pier on the Gaza coast.

Nearly 100 tonnes of UK aid comprising 8,400 shelter coverage kits - temporary shelters made up of plastic sheeting - are the first part of a 2 million package of UK aid to be delivered from Cyprus. The aid will be distributed within Gaza as soon as feasible.

The pier, which has been built by the US Navy and Army, will initially facilitate the delivery of an estimated 90 truckloads of international aid into Gaza each day, and scale to up to 150 truckloads a day once fully operational.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

The UK has been working around the clock with our allies and partners to ensure more aid gets into Gaza via all possible routes - land, air and sea. We are leading international efforts with the US and Cyprus to establish a maritime aid corridor. Today's first shipment of British aid from Cyprus to the temporary pier off Gaza is an important moment in increasing this flow. But we know that more is required, particularly via land, which is why alongside intensive work to get hostages out of Gaza we will continue efforts to unlock more routes to get vital aid in - helping people in desperate need.

Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said:

It's essential that we get vital aid to the people of Gaza by all possible routes. We're working with the US, Cyprus and other allies and partners to do just that and I'm proud that the UK will be part of the first delivery of aid to the new pier. This pier will play a vital role in getting aid to those who need it in Gaza, but it must be accompanied by an increase in aid delivered through land routes. Israel's commitments to increase access are welcome but we need to see more aid making it over the borders and further action - fully opening Ashdod port for aid deliveries; more land crossings, open for longer; and better deconfliction measures. Only with these in place can we alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The UK has been central to the international effort to establish a maritime aid corridor. It is committing 9.7 million to provide aid, including the initial 8,400 coverage kits, as well as five forklift trucks, 900 family tents, a further 2,000 coverage kits, 9,200 hygiene kits, and help with coordinating logistics in Cyprus. The Ministry of Defence is also providing accommodation on board RFA Cardigan Bay for US military personnel constructing the pier.

The opening of the maritime corridor is not a replacement for aid being delivered through land routes, which remain the quickest and most effective way of getting much-needed aid into Gaza.

We continue to urge Israel to meet its commitment to allow at least 500 aid trucks to cross into Gaza through land crossings and open as many routes as possible, including Ashdod. As a fully functioning port, Ashdod's capacity to receive aid is much larger than will ever be feasible through the maritime pier.

The UK is also doing everything possible to get more aid into Gaza by land and air. We trebled our humanitarian funding to the Occupied Palestinian Territories last financial year, delivering more than 100 million of vital medical, shelter, nutrition and water/sanitation support.

To date the British Royal Air Force has airdropped more than 100 tonnes of life-saving aid, including ready-to-eat meals, water, rice and flour directly into Gaza.

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UC regents meeting in Merced delayed a vote on prohibiting employees from posting personal views on prominent campus web pages. The controversial policy is meant to calm political divisions. Michael Macor/The Chronicle

In a last-minute delay behind closed doors Thursday, University of California regents postponed for a third time a vote on whether to prohibit employees from posting personal views on prominent campus webpages.

The proposal by regents Jonathan Sures and Richard Leib  postponed in January, March and now May  is not dead but most likely will be taken up at the next meeting in July, a UC spokesperson said after conferring with the regents, who blamed the delay on Sures having to leave the meeting before the regents had a chance to vote.

Limiting where employees can post personal views is intended to calm political divisions without entirely preventing such opinions from appearing on UC websites, according to the proposal. It would allow political perspectives to appear on secondary pages  but only with a disclaimer that such views are not the universitys official position.

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Yet the lingering proposal has angered pro-Palestinian activists, many of whom who addressed the regents this week at their three-day meeting at UC Merced, which concluded Thursday.

This a blatant attack on free speech! a student wrapped in a kaffiyeh declared Wednesday as she urged the regents to vote no.

UCs idea for the restriction  initiated in 2022, well before the Hamas attack on Israel last October and the war on Gaza that followed  was intended to respond to critics who have long taken offense at such postings, and to distance the university from the messages, the proposal said.

Statements on political or controversial issues that appear on department home pages but are unrelated to their daily operations are likely to be interpreted by the public and the community as the universitys institutional views, as opposed to individual or group speech, the proposal says.

Messages calling for academic institutions to end genocide against Palestinians appeared on the home page of the critical race and ethnic studies department at UC Santa Cruz last October. The regents are considering bans on such personal or collective opinions. Nanette Asimov / The Chronicle

The regents might have enacted the new rule in March, but the Academic Senate and other faculty representatives worried that, as written, it could censor legitimate expression. Last month, the groups proposed language that clarified its goals and definitions, and faculty leaders say they are now on board.

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The policy now contains safeguards for free speech and academic freedom, James Steintrager, the Senates chair, wrote to the regents in a letter attached to the policy.

If approved, the rules would boot discretionary statements from home pages. UC now defines them, in part, as communications about local, regional, global or national events, activities or issues that are not part of the day-to-day, term-to-term operations.

It wasnt hard to find examples on several UC campus websites this week. All appeared on the home pages of ethnic studies departments.

On the departments home page at UC Santa Cruz, the group Faculty for Justice in Palestine refers to the war in Gaza as genocide and says its members will protect our students  and each other  as we work on and/or organize for Palestine.

The UC regents delayed a vote on prohibiting personal or group opinions on department home pages that could be seen as the universitys official view, such as this call for the chancellors resignation on the ethnic studies department home page at UC San Diego. Nanette Asimov / The Chronicle

In another example at UC San Diego the departments home page calls on the campus chancellor to resign.

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Faculty Call for Chancellors Resignation the statement declares and includes a link referring to vicious suppression of students by our administration under the leadership of Chancellor Pradeep Khosla.

(On Wednesday, a UC San Diego student named Christian burst into tears as he told the regents about the schools May 6 raid on students pro-Palestinian encampment. I witnessed my friends getting brutalized by police, said Christian, who was so overcome with emotion that he could barely get the words out. During that raid, police arrested 64 people, including 40 students and two professors, according to the faculty statement.)

At UC Merced, where the regents met, the ethnic studies home page features opinions condemning anti-Asian violence, urging people to sign a petition to value Black lives and opposing genocide in Gaza.

In January, more than 400 UC faculty members signed a letter in the Jewish Journal objecting to faculty and departments using UC websites to promote political propaganda and activism. The professors said they were especially concerned in light of growing hostility and harassment targeting Jewish members of the campus community since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants killed 1,200 Israelis and took about 250 hostages, with about 100 still held.

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USAF Units of Action: Air Task Forces defined, first locations announced

Published May 15, 2024

Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) -- The Department of the Air Force identified six locations May 15, to host experimental Air Task Forces that will test new methods to generate more efficient, integrated deployable Units of Action.

As part of a pilot program, the following installations are expected to receive an ATF command echelon this summer, pending the successful completion of the National Environmental Policy Act process. This is a step toward forming the new Air Force combat wings as Units of Action.



 Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona

 Scott AFB, Illinois

 Joint Base San Antonio, Texas

 Dyess AFB, Texas

 Fairchild AFB, Washington

 Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina



"These pathfinding ATFs will work and train together throughout their AFFORGEN cycle to ensure they are at peak effectiveness on Day-1 of any deployment," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin. "That's a significant change from how we deployed over the last 20 years, but the threat has evolved and so must we. The first ATFs will also be learning organizations and shape our forthcoming Combat Wing design."



Airmen assigned to the ATF will work and train together throughout the AFFORGEN cycle to deploy as Units of Action in fiscal year 2026.



During his Air and Space Forces Association conference keynote in September 2023, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall emphasized the urgency for the Air Force to adapt and innovate in response to growing global challenges with the announcement of ATFs. Clearly defining the force presentation model and rotational demands through the AFFORGEN cycle ensures the joint force receives Airmen prepared for high-end conflict.



Lt. Gen. Adrian Spain, the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for operations, further elaborated during a panel on Air Task Forces and the Future of Force Presentation at the Air and Space Force Association's 2024 Warfare Symposium Feb. 14.



"In all the ways that matter, this makes us better prepared," Spain said. "During the Prepare and Certify phases of the AFFORGEN cycle, Airmen will develop into cohesive units, attuned to each other's strengths and weaknesses. This preparation is key to ensuring that, when deployed, these teams can operate effectively under pressure and achieve their objectives with precision."



The Expeditionary Air Base model which first deployed in October 2023, served as a critical first step in the transition. The next step is to adopt a more modular organization of teams which generate together through the AFFORGEN cycle and deploy as a unit to maximize combat effectiveness, while minimizing risk to the base mission.



The AFFORGEN cycle is built to enable Airmen to train and exercise together before being operationally employed together as part of a team. While its implementation differs depending on the mission of each major command, the goal is to achieve a common lexicon, more individual predictability, and greater alignment of readiness generating activities such as large-scale exercises across the Air Force.



The introduction of ATFs marks a significant milestone in the journey toward modernization and readiness, laying the groundwork to ensure the Air Force maintains a competitive advantage over the pacing challenge.



"This force generation and force presentation model best articulates our capabilities and capacity to the Joint Force and in turn, improves the readiness of our Airmen," Spain said.



What Airmen need to know about the Air Task Force

 ATFs will enter the AFFORGEN cycle during the reset phase in summer 2024 and will be prepared to deploy beginning fiscal year 2026



 ATFs will team, train, and deploy together throughout the AFFORGEN cycle



 Over time, the elements of the ATF will be incorporated into operational wings



Elements of an ATF

The ATF consists of a command element with an attached expeditionary A-Staff and Special Staff, Combat Air Base Squadron, and Mission Generation Force Elements with attached Mission Sustainment Teams.



The ATF's A-staff includes a chief of staff who, along with the A-staff, assists with the commander's interaction with higher headquarters and fulfills the commander's responsibility to provide resourcing, policy, oversight, and guidance to the various forces under his or her command. The A-Staff is a standardized organizational structure, representing the following Air Force functions: A1 Manpower, Personnel, and Services; A2, Intelligence; A3, Operations; A4, Logistics and Engineering; A5, Plans and Integration; and A6, Communications. The ATF also has a Special Staff to provide staff assistance for the commander.



The Combat Air Base Squadron is the ATF's primary base operation support element and provides sustainment, protection, and/or airfield management. The ATF commander determines support requirements based upon deployment location and mission. A standard CABS consists of one Combat Service Support Team - Lead and one to two Combat Service Support Teams capable of supporting from several hundred to several thousand service members, depending on size. CSSTs consists of cross-functional teams each sourced from a singular installation.



The Mission Generation Force Element provides the combat capability of the ATF, for example, an expeditionary fighter squadron or an expeditionary special warfare squadron. The MGFEs train throughout the AFFORGEN cycle at home station as they do today and join their assigned ATF for specific training and certification events throughout the AFFORGEN cycle before fully attaching with the ATF for the available phase.



Mission Sustainment Teams pair with an MGFE to provide mission specific combat support functions to enable agile combat employment and other operations at a Forward Operating Site or more austere Contingency Location. MSTs provide sustainment and protection for the portions of a MGFE moving forward to one or more locations. The MSTs may be able to augment the CABS when at a Main Operating Base.



Where Combat Wings Come In

At the Feb. 12 Air and Space Force Association's 2024 Warfare Symposium in Colorado, Kendall highlighted the need to evolve the Air Force's approach to organizing, training, and equipping to maintain a competitive advantage in preparation for great power competition.



"We need these changes now; we are out of time to reoptimize our forces to meet the strategic challenges in a time of Great Power Competition," Kendall said.



Air Force combat wings will be structured as mission ready Units of Action with the same basic framework as the ATFs. However, as opposed to only coming together during events in the AFFORGEN prepare/certify phase, these operational wings will have all the necessary elements stationed together at the same installation where they can train together on a day-to-day basis. Over time, the lessons learned from the ATFs will be incorporated into our combat wings, with the goal to move toward combat wings as the singular force presentation model for the Air Force.



Combat wings will evolve to deploy as fully trained teams leaving behind functional base commands prepared to continue operating the base in competition, crisis and conflict.

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Combined Maritime Forces Support Joint Maritime Information Center

US Navy

15 May 2024

From Combined Maritime Forces Public Affairs

MANAMA, Bahrain -- Combined Maritime Forces is supporting the Joint Maritime Information Center, a recently established organization that distributes timely information to members of the shipping industry with interests in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and Gulf of Aden.

JMIC, which includes industry experts and security practitioners from CMF member nations, aims to become an authoritative source of reports enabling shipping companies to quickly assess risk in support of operational planning and decision-making.

"Timely, reliable threat intelligence is vital for merchant shipping," said John Stawpert, a senior manager with the International Chamber of Shipping and a JMIC participant. "JMIC fulfills this role, and the data it supplies allows ship-owners to respond rapidly to changing threat dynamics."

Since February, JMIC has been holding daily meetings in which members consider reports on incidents and trends, as well as advice from various stakeholders - with additional organizations welcome to join should they express interest.

Its sources of information include Naval Cooperation and Guidance of Shipping and maritime trade organizations from seven nations.

When an incident occurs, JMIC aggregates the information, typically disseminating it within 24 hours, along with immediate advice and guidance for industry and mariners.

In addition, JMIC produces weekly updates that summarize and analyze recent incidents and provide other relevant maritime information.

In a framework adopted May 9, JMIC describes itself as aligned to the principle that all vessels are entitled to freedom of navigation and that seafarers supporting the legitimate movement of global trade are unhindered.

"Providing a coherent, consolidated report of mercantile fleet activity contributes to maritime security and freedom of navigation by enabling industry to conduct more accurate risk

assessments," said Lt. Cmdr. Folkert Visser of the Royal Netherlands Navy, who serves as head of Naval Cooperation and Guidance of Shipping with CMF's Combined Task Force 153 and as secretary of JMIC. "Having direct participation and insight from industry is invaluable to JMIC and the shipping industry stakeholders at large."

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VCNO Interview with Fed Gov Today at Sea Air Space 2024

US Navy - Press Briefing

15 April 2024

Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jim Kilby discusses his role supporting America's Warfighting Navy with Fed Gov Today reporter Francis Rose at Sea Air Space, National Harbor, Maryland, April 8, 2024

Francis Rose: Thank you very much for joining me, admiral. It's great to have you here...talked to CNO at WEST and the conversation there revolved around America's Warfighting Navy and her vision for that. What is your role and responsibilities in executing on that vision as kind of the COO of the Navy?

Adm. Jim Kilby: I think it's a great question, Francis. I view it as I'm the execution arm. And in that, it means how do I work with the different stakeholders across the board to make sure we're getting the results she desires? So, that could be our nuclear shipyard maintenance system, is that aligned to produce what it needs to produce? If not, why? What are we doing about it? It's Navy recruiting, are we hitting our numbers? If not, why? Let's be thoughtful about that and look at the data, hold ourselves accountable and and try to get after it. So, I think that is probably a really good analogy.

Francis Rose: We talked a little bit before we turn the cameras on about your desire to make the Navy a better learning organization. In what way and how will that manifest itself to the Sailor on the frontlines and Marine on the front?

Adm. Jim Kilby: We've had some spectacular non-learning events and I'll highlight one for you. For example, one is the fire on the USS Miami where we lost that submarine, it was a fire in a shipyard and as a result, we struck that submarine from the record.

And similarly, most recently, we've had the same event happened on USS Bonhomme Richard...different causal factors with the same result. And in between we wrote a pretty in-depth instruction called the 8010. To try to prevent that from happening, which it didn't.

So why did that occur? Did we write the instruction in a manner that is easily digestible by the various organizations that have to execute it and are we holding ourselves accountable to the types of behavior and check and balance you need to not put yourself in that position where we lose the ship? So, we cannot afford to do that. And I want to reverse that for the CNO and make us a better learning organization. So, we're not in a position to try to reline on if that makes sense.

Francis Rose: Yes. How do you individually and how do you as a Navy, reorganize, reorient, restrategize, or whatever is necessary to get to that point and how will you know when you're there and just building momentum?

Adm. Jim Kilby: I hope we never say we're there. I hope we say we're closer there and then where needed to be. A lot of times in these events we found clouded command and control. Like there's multiple people that are involved but nobody singly responsible.

We don't always do a good job of understanding what the standard of performance is, and what our actual performance is against that standard. And then once you know those things, you can plot a course to correct and get better.

So, there's an accountability and a day-to-day functionality of how we do our jobs and I think we can do better. And this structure we're implementing through a process called Performing to Plan is aimed to do that.

Francis Rose: One of the theaters of operation where you have an opportunity to learn a lot is in the Red Sea right now. What are you taking away from that and how are you analyzing what Sailors are doing there to apply to concepts of readiness, concepts of training, hardware performance, all those kinds of things?

Adm. Jim Kilby: Thank for that question, Francis. First of all, the Ike Strike Group is doing great. That means the airwing and the ships, we're talking about the destroyers a lot but there's fighters in F-18s that are knocking cruise missiles down and UAVs down as well as ships.

I think the aviation community has done a better job at data reconstruction than in the past and they do that through a process called PBED, that's Plan Brief Execute Debrief, and we haven't always been as responsive in the surface side.

In this specific effort, we've really shortened the ability in that short amount of time it takes to take a data reduction from the Aegis combat system, get it off the ship, analyze it, and return that for consumption from the crew and multiple crews. So, did the Aegis system performance design, yes or no? If it didn't, do we need to fix something in the Aegis system? A...B...did the operators perform as they should have against the tactics, techniques and procedures we had in place? And if they didn't, let's correct that and then teach that and if all that works, we need to have an adjustment for the system. But if you wait weeks, people forget what they did and they kind of get foggy on it. So, it's just time is of the essence.

And we've really cracked that code and working with industry, the Navy and our warfighting development centers to do that. And I think that's a key to learning as well.

Francis Rose: You mentioned data a couple of times in this conversation. You spoke about it here. I've seen you speak about it before. What's your sense of how the Navy is doing at becoming a data driven organization?

Adm. Jim Kilby: I think we're doing better. I think we've got a ways to go. I mean, so we have to be thoughtful about what the data source is. The term of art I think it's an authoritative data source so you can trust that. But once you have that data, are we being thoughtful about how we use that data? At what currency do we need to look at it? And I want people to ask, Francis, if I say are we winning today? And that can happen on the factory floor...it can happen in the combat system of the ship. I want them to be able to understand and say yes. And so that's using data and holding ourselves to a standard to achieve an outcome that I don't think we've always been disciplined about.

Francis Rose: What improves that in your view, what is the enterprise view of the Navy and improving that and what do you and your capacity as the VCNO? What can you do to drive that? Do you think?

Adm. Jim Kilby: One view is my using daily visual management of data to help my decision making and typically when we get in this conversation, we think more is better and more is not better. Because if I'm looking at 50 things, I probably can't make sense of it.

But if you look at some of our top performing companies out there, they've got a handful of metrics that they measure against day in and day out, 365 days a year, and that becomes their ability to guide whether they're on track or off track. So, choosing those metrics, exposing our workforce to those metrics, and then holding ourselves accountable to those metrics I think is what I'm talking about.

Francis Rose: Okay, so when you frame it in that way, then I'm going to take you back to America's Warfighting Navy because then you have three metrics right there, how the Navy is doing and warfighting readiness for warfighting, warfighters and foundation. Am I on the right track?

Adm. Jim Kilby: Yes, you are. And it applies to all of them. There's overlap between those three pillars. I think in the warfighting capability, are my systems doing what they think they should do? In the warfighter capability...the two metrics might be - am I retaining and am I recruiting at the level I need to have a healthy organization?

Those are some metrics that are used by successful organizations. And then from the foundation - is the foundation doing what it needs to do to produce those two first categories? So, the foundation is an element that supports both events.

Francis Rose: When you come to a show like this, there's a lot of terrific displays here a lot to see. How do you how do you decide what you're going to take back to the Pentagon and think about do something with and how do you communicate with industry when you're here beyond say, the things that you and your colleagues have said on stage? "We need your help...we rely on the partnerships"...all true.

What, what's deeper than that in your view and in the way that you connect with industry?

Adm. Jim Kilby

Well, I don't know that I come, I may come with a game plan. I may say I want to go see this person or that person or this company or that company. But in general, I want to be open to the experience because everyone I've found in general wants to do a good job and believes they have a product worthwhile to the Navy. So, I'm trying to be open to that experience here. And then if I commit to closing a loop, I'm going to close that loop. So, when I asked for your card, I'm going to close and connect to people in an email or ask them for a meeting.

We're trying to understand that space better. It's not a commitment to do it. It is a commitment to understand and therefore you've engendered an environment that's healthy.

Francis Rose: Admiral, it's great to have you on the show. Thanks for your time.

Adm. Jim Kilby: Thank you, Francis.

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US, Niger delegation meet to discuss US forces withdrawal

By Carla Babb May 15, 2024

After nearly a two-week delay, U.S. and Nigerien officials are holding high-level follow-on meetings to coordinate the withdrawal of American troops from the country.

Christopher Maier, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, and Lieutenant General Dagvin Anderson, joint staff director for joint force development, are meeting Wednesday and Thursday in Niamey with members of Niger's new government, known as the National Council for Safeguarding the Homeland, or CNSP, two U.S. officials told VOA.

The CNSP posted on the social platform X Wednesday that Maier and Anderson met Wednesday with Lieutenant General Salifou Mody, one of the military coup members who was named minister of national defense.

The CNSP noted that the meeting comes two months after Niger denounced its military basing agreements with the United States and aims to "ensure that this withdrawal takes place in the best possible conditions, guaranteeing order, security and compliance with set deadlines."

There are about 900 U.S. military personnel in Niger, including active duty, civilians and contractors, according to the U.S. officials, who spoke to VOA on condition of anonymity ahead of the conclusion of the talks. Most of the U.S. military personnel have stayed in the country past their deployment's planned end dates, as details for their withdrawal are ironed out.

"We're still in a bit of a holding pattern," Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said last week.

Counterterrorism in 'disarray'

The U.S. has had two military bases  Air Base 101 in Niamey and Air Base 201 in Agadez to monitor terror groups in the region. Officials say most U.S. forces are based in the latter, which cost the U.S. $110 million to build, and began drone operations in 2019.

Niger's natural resources have increased its importance to global powers, and Niger's location had provided the U.S. with the ability to conduct counterterror operations throughout much of West Africa.

"We're in a different position now, and we're going to continue to consult with the Nigeriens in terms of the orderly withdrawal of U.S. forces. We're going to continue to stay engaged with the partners in the region when it comes to terrorism and countering the terrorist threat," Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder told reporters on Tuesday.

Countries in the region, including Niger, Mali, Nigeria and Burkina Faso, have seen an expansive rise in jihadist movements.

According to the Global Terrorism Index, an annual report covering terrorist incidents worldwide, more than half of the deaths caused by terrorism last year were in the Sahel.

Niger's neighbor, Burkina Faso, suffered the worst, with 1,907 fatalities from terrorism in 2023.

"These are some of the most dangerous areas in the world," Bill Roggio, editor of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies' Long War Journal, told VOA. "These countries are in dire threat of being overrun by jihadist groups."

Now, Niger's coup has put the West's ability to monitor terrorists like the Islamic State and al-Qaida in the Sahel in "complete disarray," according to Roggio.

The United States' intelligence-gathering capacity was limited before, "but we're approaching the point where intelligence-gathering is practically at zero," he said.

A U.S. defense official told VOA that "basically every flight," even intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance drone flights, must be approved by the junta.

"The beginning of April is when things started getting slower," the official told VOA. The junta began delaying and canceling the types of U.S. military flights that had been quickly approved before then.

Carla Martinez Machain, a political science professor at the University of Buffalo, believes the Pentagon will try to negotiate with Chad for a more significant American troop presence, as the U.S. struggles to find allies in what she called the "coup belt"  a reference to the recent coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

However, most U.S. forces have temporarily left from Chad for Germany in recent weeks, a move the Pentagon called a "temporary step" as part of an ongoing review of its security cooperation with Chad, which would resume after the country's May 6 presidential election.

Only a small group of service members remain in Chad as part of a multinational task force, officials tell VOA.

"Niger was somewhat of a rarity in the sense that it had one of the few democratically elected governments in the region, and also a democratically elected government that was friendly to the U.S. and willing to host a U.S. military presence," Martinez Machain told VOA. "And so, finding a replacement for that for a military base is going to be somewhat difficult."

Unless the U.S. can find another base to use in West Africa, counterterror drones will likely have to spend most of their fuel supply flying thousands of kilometers from U.S. bases in Italy or Djibouti, severely limiting their time over the targets and their ability to gather intelligence.

"The beauty of having drones based in Niger was that they were in the thick of the fight. They were in the middle of where jihadist groups are operating. So, once you launch the drones, they're in the midst of it, and all of the flight time being used can be used to gather information," Roggio said.

Resupply concerns

Amid the negotiations and flight cancellations, U.S. troops in Niger began raising concerns about their supply chain. Service members in Niamey told the office of Representative Matt Gaetz that blood for the blood bank, hygiene supplies, malaria pills and other medications were running low.

A U.S. defense official acknowledged to VOA that "they were concerned about medication levels." The official also said that troops in Niamey had gone through April without a resupply flight but had received food and water supplies through ground-based transportation.

A flight with medical supplies finally went from Agadez to Niamey last week, the defense official told VOA.

Coup forced withdrawal

Tensions between the U.S. and Niger began in 2023 when Niger's military junta removed the democratically elected president from power.

After months of delay, the Biden administration formally declared in October that the military takeover in Niger was a coup, a determination that prevented Niger from receiving a significant amount of U.S. military and foreign assistance.

In March, after tense meetings between U.S. representatives and the CNSP, the junta called the U.S. military presence "illegal" and announced it was ending an agreement that allowed American forces to be based in the country.

During that meeting, the U.S. and Niger fundamentally disagreed about Niger's desire to supply Iran with uranium and work more closely with Russian military forces.

"They [Niger] saw this as kind of an imperialistic move, and this was seen negatively and was part of the reason why the U.S. was told to leave the country," Martinez Machain said.

Russia has made significant military inroads across the African continent, Martinez Machain added, because human rights violators are able to obtain military training, assistance and defense systems "without the conditions that the U.S. would attach them."

"Especially for nondemocratic countries, this can seem very appealing," she said.

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Israeli defense chief, Netanyahu spar over Gaza governance when war with Hamas ends

By VOA News May 15, 2024

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant assailed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday for failing to devise a plan to govern Gaza after the end of Israel's war with Hamas. But the Israeli leader said it was pointless to do so until the militants are defeated.

In an unusual rift between the two leaders, Gallant said in a televised statement that he is opposed to the establishment of either Israeli military or civilian control of the narrow Gaza Strip along the Mediterranean Sea that is home to about 2.3 million Palestinians.

"Since October, I have been raising this issue consistently in the Cabinet, and have received no response," Gallant said.

"I call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make a decision and declare that Israel will not establish civilian control over the Gaza Strip," Gallant said, calling for an immediate "governing alternative to Hamas."

With the shock October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and Israel's subsequent ongoing counteroffensive on Hamas militants in Gaza, Netanyahu has repeatedly declined to lay out a post-war plan for governance in Gaza.

The United States, Israel's chief arms supplier, has called for a revitalized Palestinian Authority to govern both Gaza and the West Bank in a two-state solution, Palestine alongside Israel.

But Netanyahu and his right-wing governing coalition adamantly oppose such a solution. The prime minister said any discussion of how Gaza should be ruled after the seven-month war was just "empty talk" if Hamas remains in the territory.

"The first condition for preparing the ground for another entity is to destroy Hamas, and to do so without making excuses," Netanyahu said in the statement posted on his Telegram channel.

Gallant said the current military action in Gaza needed to be followed by political action.

"The day after Hamas will only be achieved with Palestinian entities taking control of Gaza, accompanied by international actors, establishing a governing alternative to Hamas' rule," he said.

"This, above all, is an interest of the State of Israel," Gallant said.

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a member of Netanyahu's ruling coalition, attacked Gallant over his views. Ben-Gvir characterized Gallant as "the minister of defense who failed on October 7 and continues to fail today. Such a minister of defense must be replaced in order to achieve the goals of the war," he said.

Operation in Rafah

Meanwhile, the European Union called on Israel to immediately end its military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, saying Wednesday that the operation is disrupting humanitarian aid operations and bringing more displacement, famine and human suffering.

The statement from EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell recognized Israel's right to defend itself but said Israel must follow international law and protect civilians.

"The European Union is calling on Israel to refrain from further exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and reopen the crossing point of Rafah," Borrell said.

"Should Israel continue its military operation in Rafah, it would inevitably put a heavy strain on the EU's relationship with Israel," he said.

Borrell also called on Hamas to unconditionally release the 100 or so hostages it is holding in Gaza.

Israel's military said Wednesday its forces conducted airstrikes on roughly 80 targets throughout the Gaza Strip during the past day, while ground units fought on the east side of Rafah.

Israeli forces were also battling Hamas in several areas in northern Gaza, four months after the military said it had dismantled the militant group's infrastructure in the area.

The war was triggered by the October Hamas terror attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of about 250 hostages, according to Israeli officials. Israel's subsequent counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which includes civilians and combatants in its count, but says most of the dead are women and children.

Israel says it has killed more than 14,000 militants and around 16,000 civilians.

VOA United Nations 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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EU calls on Israel to halt Rafah operation

By VOA News May 15, 2024

The European Union called on Israel to immediately end its military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, saying Wednesday that the operation is disrupting humanitarian aid operations and bringing more displacement, famine and human suffering.

The statement from EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell notes Israel's right to defend itself but says Israel must follow international law and protect civilians.

"The European Union is calling on Israel to refrain from further exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and reopen the crossing point of Rafah," Borrell said. "Should Israel continue its military operation in Rafah, it would inevitably put a heavy strain on the EU's relationship with Israel."

Borrell also called on Hamas to unconditionally release all of the hostages it is holding in Gaza.

Israel's military said Wednesday its forces conducted airstrikes on roughly 80 targets throughout the Gaza Strip during the past day, while ground units fought on the east side of Rafah.

Israeli forces were also battling Hamas in several areas in northern Gaza, four months after the military said it had dismantled the militant group's infrastructure in the area.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday he was "appalled" by the escalation of military activity in and around Rafah by the Israel Defense Forces, as nearly 450,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced from the area in the past week.

"These developments are further impeding humanitarian access and worsening an already dire situation," his deputy spokesperson, Farhan Haq, told reporters at United Nations headquarters. "At the same time, Hamas goes on firing rockets indiscriminately. Civilians must be respected and protected at all times, in Rafah and elsewhere in Gaza."

For the past week, the Israeli military has intensified bombardment and other operations in Rafah while ordering the population to evacuate parts of the city. Israel says it is carrying out a limited operation to destroy the militant infrastructure along Gaza's border with Egypt.

Haq said "nowhere is safe now" in Gaza, and that the U.N. chief reiterates his appeal for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire and the release of all hostages.

"He calls for the Rafah crossing to be re-opened immediately and we must have unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Gaza," Haq added.

More than half of Gaza's population had been sheltering in Rafah, with many of the Palestinians going there after fleeing the Israel-Hamas war in other parts of Gaza.

Haq said the displaced are arriving at sites that lack shelter, latrines and clean water. With key crossing points to Gaza closed, fuel critically low, and aid movement at a near standstill, humanitarian workers cannot alleviate their situation.

"As we have said repeatedly, all parties must respect international humanitarian law at all times," Haq noted. "This means that civilians must be protected, and their essential needs - including food, shelter, water and health - must be met wherever they are in Gaza and whether they move or stay."

The United States, the United Nations and others have called on Israel to avoid a full-scale offensive in Rafah, warning of a humanitarian disaster there. But Israeli leaders say an offensive is necessary to achieve the goal of eliminating Hamas as a threat in Gaza.

UN investigating staffer's death

On Monday in Gaza, an Indian national working for the U.N.'s Department of Safety and Security (DSS) was killed, and another staffer was injured, when their marked U.N. vehicle was hit with fire on the way to the European Hospital of Rafah.

Haq identified the deceased staffer Tuesday as Waibhav Anil Kale. A female Jordanian security officer was also injured and is being treated outside Gaza, he said.

"The U.N. has established a fact-finding panel," Haq said. "It's very early in the investigation and details of the incident are still being verified with the Israeli Defense Forces."

He said what they know so far indicates that a weapon appears to have impacted the back of their vehicle. He said the U.N. believes it came from Israeli tank fire in the area.

The war was triggered by the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of about 250 hostages, according to Israeli officials. Israel's subsequent counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which includes civilians and combatants in its count, but says most of the dead are women and children. Israel says it has killed more than 14,000 militants and around 16,000 civilians.

VOA United Nations 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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Philippine activists sail towards reef at heart of maritime dispute with China

By VOA News May 15, 2024

A makeshift fleet of hundreds of fishing boats sailed from the Philippines towards a small island at the heart of a bitter territorial dispute between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea.

Hundreds of fishermen and members of the Atin Ito activist group boarded small wooden boats with stabilizing beams known as outriggers and set sail for the Scarborough Shoal, a fisheries-rich atoll that was seized by China in 2012, despite it being inside the Philippines' 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.

A lone Philippine Coast Guard boat accompanied the convoy during a journey that was organized to drop small territorial buoys along the route and deliver food and fuel to Filipino fishermen working near the shoal.

The trip comes two weeks after a Philippine coast guard vessel was hit by water cannons from Chinese coast guard vessels near Scarborough Shoal. The Philippine ship sustained damage to its railing and canopy during the confrontation.

The two sides have previously confronted each other near the Scarborough Shoal and the Second Thomas Shoal, another disputed territory where a Philippine warship was intentionally grounded 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 its 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 The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse.

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New protests erupt in Georgia after parliament passes 'foreign agent' law

By Ani Chkhikvadze May 15, 2024

Hundreds of protesters donning gas masks and protective goggles shut down streets in Tbilisi on Tuesday after Georgia's parliament passed a so-called "foreign influence" law that critics call a copy of Russia's foreign agent law, heavily relied upon by the Kremlin to suppress dissent.

Ruling Georgian Dream party lawmakers approved the legislation despite warnings from Washington and Brussels that such a move might threaten Georgia's partnership with the West.

For over a month, tens of thousands of Georgians have flooded the streets to protest the legislation in the largest rallies the country has seen since the nation's independence from the Soviet Union.

Protester Giorgi Iashvili was just 20 when he was called up as a reservist in 2008 to fight in the war that Russian military and Moscow-backed-separatist forces launched against his country.

Sixteen years later he finds himself once again rallying against Russia's ongoing efforts to subjugate his country, this time, he says, with tacit assistance of the Georgian government itself.

As a young cybersecurity professional, Iashvili firmly believes enactment of the foreign agent law is inexorably pushing the country, a fifth of which is already occupied by Russia, deeper into Russia's orbit.

"In 2008, Russia attacked Georgia directly and conventionally. In recent years, however, it has resorted to hybrid methods  disinformation, influence operations, borderization [creeping annexation], infiltration, and cyber campaigns," he told VOA's Georgian Service. "Both this law and recent events are evidently part of this hybrid warfare."

Like many of his young fellow protesters in Georgia's capital Tuesday, Iashvili appeared hopeful amid unsettling circumstances.

"I believe that a significant part of our society remains vigilant against these threats and refuses to fall victim to these information operations," he said. "The current wave of protests serves as confirmation."

Targets foreign funding

Georgia's foreign influence law requires civil society organizations, media and others that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as agents of foreign interests. The law primarily targets U.S. and European Union democracy assistance programs.

The public's discontent with the government has been simmering gradually. The Georgian Dream-led government, now in its third term, is said to be controlled by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire who amassed his wealth in 1990s Moscow and has since strategically appointed loyalists to key government positions.

Ivanishvili rejects that accusation, as do the Georgian Dream officials who also deny that they're quietly working to support Russian efforts to undermine Georgian democracy.

The government has long conducted a two-pronged foreign policy, working with Western partners to appease its overwhelmingly pro-European population while simultaneously warming up to Moscow under the pretext of preventing another conflict. It has claimed publicly to be moving the country in a westward direction while fomenting anti-Western sentiment domestically.

While Georgia's ruling government has allowed a large number Russian men fleeing the military draft to enter the country, it has refused entry to members of Russia's military opposition and failed to join Western countries imposing sanctions on Russia.

Georgian Dream leaders blame the war in Ukraine on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, putting their government at odds with the West. Georgian authorities have criticized their Ukrainian counterparts and repeatedly accused Ukraine and its Western supporters of attempting to embroil Georgia in the conflict, labeling them the "global war party."

"The protests are not merely about a Russian law," Helen Khoshtaria, the leader of the Droa opposition party, told VOA. "It's about the survival of Georgia and its aspiration to remain a free, European nation, which Ivanishvili has jeopardized. He openly stated that the enemies of this country are not Russia, its actual enemy ... but the U.S. and the EU, when the overwhelming majority of this country, the entire nation, holds the opposite belief."

Giorgi Vashadze, the leader of the Strategy Agmashenebeli opposition party, told VOA: "We aspire to be part of the European Union. We envision a Georgia without Russia, without Russian oligarchs."

US anti-Nazi law cited

The Georgian government has staunchly defended the law, calling it similar to the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act, or FARA  a comparison U.S. officials reject.

Enacted in 1938 to unmask Nazi propaganda in the United States, FARA requires people to disclose to the Justice Department when they advocate, lobby or perform public relations work in the United States on behalf of a foreign government or political entity.

"Our appeal to the U.S. is to think about partnership and not take counterproductive steps," Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said after meeting with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien in Tbilisi on Wednesday.

The protests have taken place almost every day since the beginning of April. For the first time in years, those taking to the streets are self-organized grassroots activists without a leader or political party behind them.

Georgian authorities have arrested dozens of demonstrators over the past few days. Dozens have been assaulted or intimidated by riot police, prompting widespread condemnation by local watchdogs and Georgia's Western partners.

"They have detained scores of youth and representatives of civil society," former State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Buka Petriashvili told VOA. "We are witnessing the establishment of Ivanishvili's autocratic regime and obstruction of Georgia's path toward the European Union. Georgia will never accept the blocking of its path toward the European Union and will fight until we prevail."

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Georgian president says 'foreign influence' law threatens path to EU

By Misha Komadovsky May 15, 2024

Georgia's parliament this week passed a so-called "foreign influence" bill. The government says the bill is needed to prevent foreign interference in its politics, but critics call it a Russian-style threat to stifle free speech.

The ruling Georgian Dream party approved the legislation despite warnings from Washington and Brussels that doing so might threaten Georgia's partnership with the West.

In an interview with VOA, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, a political independent previously supported by the Georgian Dream party, characterized the law as a clear reversal of Georgia's "Western path" that will jeopardize its bid to join the European Union.

Zourabichvili has vowed to veto the law, despite Georgian Dream having a veto-proof majority in parliament.

The following transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity:

VOA: Today, we are going to discuss a controversial foreign agent bill that was passed by the Georgian parliament. Critics argue that it mirrors a similar law in Russia designed initially to protect national sovereignty but in practice is used to target opposition voices. Madame President, why does the potential adoption of this law pose a threat to your country?

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili: Because we are at a very critical time in our traveling toward the European Union. We just got last December, the status of candidate to the European Union. That was not absolutely clear that we were going to get it, but we got it, and the population was absolutely enthusiastic about this result.

And then we see that we have the possibility by the end of the year or beginning of next year to get the next step, which is the opening of the negotiations of accession. And so it's an extremely important time. And at this very important time, we have a number of recommendations that have been presented by the European Commission that we should be working upon to get the maximum chances to open negotiations.

And instead of doing that, we see that the authorities are taking another road, which is not adopting the different reforms that we are asked to adopt, especially in the field of justice reform or anti-corruption. And on the contrary, they are representing a law that was presented last year, was said to be not conformed to European values, was criticized by the civil society, was rejected by also mass demonstrations and was taken back by the authorities with a promise to its own population that it was not going to be ever discussed or represented.

And as it happens, this was a lie, and it is represented at the worst time, because we should be working on the positive legislation that is expected from us. And we have not very many months, because by the end of June, we should have accomplished some of the steps, because the conclusion, the recommendations of the EU Commission are expected by September, October.

So time is [passing] and we're losing this time to replicate some Russian laws that the public here knows very well how it was used in Russia. It was used to limit the capacity of the civil society, to act as a civil society, to defend human rights, to defend political rights. And it was also used against the free media....

And another thing is that it's parallel with rhetoric that was restarted, I would say, two months ago, that is very critical, very anti-Western, anti-American, anti-European, accusing our partners, those that have helped Georgia to really become independent, [to] have state institutions, they're accused of ... wanting to foment destabilization [in Georgia], wanting to overthrow the government.

So all of that is creating an atmosphere. And that is what the population is reacting to. It's everything together. It's not just the law ... it's not one law. It's a number of laws ... I've said that I would veto every law that goes against spirit and the letter of the recommendations of the European Commission.

VOA: Madam President, just to clarify, can you and will you veto this legislation?

Zourabichvili: Yes, I can veto and I'm telling you that I vetoed the six laws for the same reasons, that they were anti-European values and not going in the right direction. And I announced that, and I will do the same with this one, which is clearly not in line, as I've said [to] all our partners very clearly, loud and clear, that this does not conform to European values and recommendations.

So I will veto it. And it will be a veto that will be [overridden], because the majority is in the hands of the ruling [Georgian Dream] party. But this veto is a representation of the voice of the population that is on the streets. It is symbolic as much as this opposition is symbolic.

And from then on, we have to move to the only way out and way back, I would say, to our European integration path, which are elections, elections in which a new majority has to come in ... that will abolish the laws that are going against the European integration.

VOA: Madam President, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre recently expressed deep concern over this legislation, stating that its passage would necessitate a fundamental reassessment of U.S. relations with Georgia. What's your reaction to that statement?

Zourabichvili: Well, my reaction is the same. I had the visit yesterday. We had the visit of Mr. O'Brien [Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien] also representing the State Department, who came specifically to Georgia to see what was happening and tell us what was the position of the United States.

We had today many visits of our European partners, ministers of different Scandinavian countries, and there are other visits that are [impending]. So it's very clear that the position of our partners is well-known, is the same, that this law does not conform to European values. ...

Now my position is that any reaction of our partners, whether American or Europeans, reacting to this law and to other laws in terms of opposing our [EU] candidate status or imposing some sanctions on visas, for instance, [on Georgians], it's something that should wait for what is a democratic moment, which are elections. Elections will determine what the population wants. ...

If the Georgian population, which I don't think will happen, decides that it doesn't want to continue on that European path, then yes, clearly reactions [are] to be expected from our partners. Individual sanctions are something I do not comment upon ... that is up to the individual nations or organizations to decide. ...

But today ... the vast majority of the pro-European Georgians need the support of our international partners. ...

What everybody has to understand today is that for the Georgian population, for everyone here today, Georgian independence is equated to the European path and to Western integration, to Euro-Atlantic integration. We know that if we lose that support and that community, we remain isolated in front of Russia. And that means ... independence will be at stake.

That's why there is such a strong support for the European path. Maybe not everyone understands the intricacies of what the European Union is about, about the process of accession, but everyone understands that our freedom, our independence and our future is linked to Europe.

VOA: There is a growing discussion about potential modifications to this law to mitigate its damaging effects. Can the Georgian Dream party be trusted in this process?

Zourabichvili: For me and for the vast majority of the people that are demonstrating on the streets, no. You do not trust somebody that has presented a law, then rejected it, then promised that it will not happen again, and then reintroduced it without any logical need, any political need. ... So it's just a confrontation with one's own population for no good reason. It's just pushing towards more polarization for no good reason. And I don't think that what is intrinsically bad can be amended.

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Slovakia's prime minister expected to survive shooting, deputy says

By VOA News May 15, 2024

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot Wednesday afternoon following a Cabinet meeting in the central town of Handlova.

Fico was "shot multiple times and is currently in life-threatening condition," government officials said. He was transported by helicopter to Banska Bystrica, the regional capital, where he underwent several hours of surgery.

"I was very shocked. ... Fortunately, as far as I know, the operation went well, and I guess in the end. he will survive. ... He's not in a life-threatening situation at this moment," Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Environment Minister Tomas Taraba told the BBC's "Newshour." Another news outlet said Fico was in stable condition.

The 59-year-old prime minister was hit in the abdomen after five shots were fired outside Handlova's House of Culture, where Fico was meeting with supporters, local media reports said.

Police have detained a suspect, according to TA3, a local media TV station.

A helicopter was sent for the leader, emergency services said.

The left-wing populist prime minister returned to power for the fourth time last year after his party won the parliamentary election on a pro-Russian, anti-American platform.

Slovak President Zuzana Caputova denounced the attack.

"I'm shocked," she said. "I wish Robert Fico a lot of strength in this critical moment and a quick recovery from this attack."

In a telegram to Caputova, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the shooting "monstrous."

U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement Wednesday, "We condemn this horrific act of violence. Our embassy is in close touch with the government of Slovakia and ready to assist."

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemns the "shocking attack," Farhan Haq, a spokesperson for the secretary-general, said at a briefing.

Some material in this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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In this 2021 file photo, Fredora Darmstadt walks to the accessory dwelling unit (ADU) she rents out in her backyard in Berkeley. Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

Berkeley residents could start selling their accessory dwelling units as condominiums within the next year, as the City Council becomes one of the first in California to embrace such a change.

Assembly Bill 1033, a law authored by Assembly Member Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, took effect at the beginning of this year and allows cities to let residents sell ADUs as condos separate from their primary home. On Tuesday, the Berkeley City Council directed city staff to draft an ordinance authorizing the sales, pointing to the need to make homeownership more accessible in one of the Bay Areas most expensive markets.

Berkeley appears to be the first city in California to opt in to AB1033, said Louis Mirante, vice president of public policy at the Bay Area Council, a business-backed advocacy group that sponsored the law. San Jose is also considering implementing the law. The San Jose City Council asked planning officials in December to bring them options for opting into AB1033, with staff scheduled to present their recommendations in June.

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I think its a great opportunity for people to buy their first home thats relatively affordable and get their piece of the California dream, Ting said.

Berkeley Council Member Rashi Kesarwani, who led the citys push to adopt AB1033, said she expects the ordinance legalizing ADU sales to come to the city council within a year.

She envisions teachers and health care workers being able to buy 500-square-foot homes in Berkeley, where the typical home is valued at nearly $1.5 million, according to real estate brokerage site Zillow. Parents could also transfer an ADU-turned-condo to their adult children, allowing them to build equity.

Housing costs have grown so high, so rapidly that the shortage of homes  it affects everyone, now, regardless of income, Kesarwani said.

Kesarwani said its unclear how many residents will take advantage of AB1033. Though California lawmakers have pushed ADUs as a partial solution to the states housing crisis for several years, not everyone will be able to use the new law even if their city implements it. Building an ADU can be expensive for lower- and middle-income homeowners to build a home. Also, AB1033 also requires a homeowner whos part of an existing homeowners association to get permission from the association before converting the ADU into a condo.

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Its really going to be exciting to see what the impact is, (but) Im not sure how frequently its going to be used, Kesarwani said.

About 410 ADUs were built in Berkeley from 2019 to 2023, including 90 last year, according to data from the California Department of Housing and Community Development. San Jose built about 1,310 ADUs since 2019, including 330 in 2023.

ADU construction has exploded in California, with nearly 1 in 5 homes built being an ADU, according to the state housing department, and lawmakers passing laws making it easier to build the units.

Homeowners tend to be very supportive of ADUs  even in neighborhoods that would oppose other developments such as a duplex  said Matthew Lewis, director of communications for California YIMBY. That has him confident that AB1033 will prove to be a very popular initiative.

Berkeley was not great on this as recently as four to five years ago, Lewis added. It was almost impossible to build an ADU.

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Lewis emphasized that while ADUs add to the for-sale housing stock, they arent a silver bullet against the housing crisis. But he also believes the rise of ADUs is starting to persuade homeowners that having more neighbors isnt a bad thing.

Theres a culture and mind shift that ADUs are definitely helping to achieve, which is the fundamental recognition that adding more homes to a neighborhood is actually completely innocuous, Lewis said.
Background Press Call on Actions Against the Ortega-Murillo Regime Repressing People and Preying on Migrants in Nicaragua

May 15, 2024

NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

Via Teleconference

9:49 A.M. EDT



MODERATOR: I am extremely sorry for our delay today. We had a last-minute scheduling conflict. But I thank you all for joining this call on Nicaragua. I will be very brief.

Not for reporting purposes  on the call we have [senior administration official]. We also have [senior administration official] and [senior administration official]. Again, that's not for reporting purposes.

The call will be on background, attributable to senior administration officials.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thanks. And I reiterate my apologies for the delay. I'm very sorry for keeping everybody waiting. And thank you for your time and patience with us today.

Today, the Biden administration is taking several coordinated actions out of significant concern about the government of Nicaragua and its continued repression of the people of Nicaragua and their exploitation of migrants. These actions are taken as a part of the President's efforts to crack down on irregular migration and in support of his affirmative agenda for the Western Hemisphere for a more democratic, secure, and prosperous region.

We are very concerned about the ways in which the Ortega-Murillo regime continues to engage in a repressive campaign that silences civil society and unjustly detains individuals for exercising their fundamental freedoms.

Today, the Treasury Department designated three Nicaragua-based entities: a Russian military training center that supports repressive activities by the Nicaraguan National Police to prosecute political opposition and two gold companies that generate revenue and enrich the Ortega regime.

At the same time, the State Department imposed visa restrictions on over 250 members of the Nicaraguan government, non-governmental actors, and their immediate family members for their roles in supporting the Ortega-Murillo regime's attack on human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people, and repression of civil society organizations.

The regime is also responsible for the weaponization and profiting off of desperate and vulnerable migrants. Among other issues, the regime sells visas upon arrival at their airports for migrants that require them to leave the country in 96 hours. So they are profiting quite substantially off of facilitation of irregular migrants who ultimately, in many cases, make their way up towards our Southwest border.

As part of our comprehensive approach to addressing this issue, today the Treasury, State, and Department of Homeland Security are also issuing a policy alert to inform the aviation and travel industry of the ways in which smugglers are facilitating this illegal migration and to remind the industry of key steps that they should take to avoid complicity in these actions.

These actions are  in addition to standing on their own, they're also a follow-up to the third Los Angeles Declaration Ministerial in Guatemala last week, where the United States pledged $578 million in humanitarian development and economic assistance, and secured support from partner countries to help respond in supporting the regularization and integration of migrants.

As I know all of you know, our Latin American and Caribbean partners are hosting more than 80 percent of the nearly 8 million Venezuelan migrants that have fled the Maduro regime. And this is critically important because it helps keep them in place and reduce the numbers at our Southwest border.

It was also highly encouraging to see, in advance of the ministerial, actions like the one taken by the International Air Transport Association and its members, issuing a statement reminding its members of the importance, consistent with our policy alert today, of taking steps to minimize the risk that their airlines are being used to facilitate and support irregular migration. And this also follows on our imposition of visas on Colombian companies that are engaged in transport of migrants as well.

And combined, all of these efforts collectively send a strong signal not only to the Ortega regime to stop its nefarious actions, but also to private sector actors to remind them of the important steps that they can and should take to help avoid exploitation of their systems.

The U.S. government will continue to take actions to promote accountability for those involved in the Ortega government's relentless attacks on the human rights and fundamental freedoms. And we will continue to take steps to address and hopefully, ultimately, stop the exploitation of vulnerable migrants and to respond to the, really, cynical ways in which the Ortega regime is profiting off of facilitating the movement of these migrants.

And finally, I'll just end by stating what I think is obvious, which is that we strongly urge the Ortega regime to cease its repression of democracy and allow Nicaraguans to exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to cease their practice of facilitating irregular migration.

I will now turn it over to the State Department for additional comments.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thanks, and good morning, everyone. Just to piggyback on much of what [senior administration official] has said, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, and those under their command, continue to unjustly detain their own countrymen for bravely advocating for free civil society, religious freedom, and freedom of expression. They've chosen to align themselves with Russia's authoritarian government and follow its playbook of repression.

The Ortega-Murillo regime has deeply involved itself in profiting, as [senior administration official] said, from the exploitation of vulnerable migrants. We are committed to promoting accountability for those who act on behalf of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo and facilitating or sustain their assaults on democracy and human rights.

So to elaborate a little bit more on the actions by the Department of State today, we took steps to impose visa restrictions on over 250 members of the Nicaraguan government, including police and paramilitary personnel, penitentiary officials, prosecutors, judges, public higher-education officials, as well as select non-governmental actors for their roles in supporting the Ortega-Murillo regime in its attacks on human rights and fundamental freedoms, repression of civil society organizations, and profiting off of vulnerable migrants, all pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 10309.

In addition, the Department of State is joining Homeland Security and Treasury to jointly issue a policy alert to warn airlines, air charter operators, travel agents, service providers of the ways in which smugglers are facilitating irregular migration and migrant smuggling and trafficking networks to the United States, and the importance of preventing the exploitation of their legitimate transportation services.

In particular, the actions by the Nicaraguan government are of grave concern, where President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo have put in place permissive, by design, migration policies such as the 96-hour cap that have introduced opportunities to exploit migrants and fuel dangerous irregular travel towards the Southwest U.S. border.

We urge Ortega and Murillo to cease their repression of democracy and allow Nicaraguans to exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Thank you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thank you. Good morning, everyone. I will just run through the Treasury actions that we are rolling out today.

On the sanctions front, Treasury will sanction three Nicaragua-based entities to hold the Ortega-Murillo regime to account for its continued repression of the Nicaraguan people and its profiting from exploitation of vulnerable migrants.

The first entity is the Training Center of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in Managua, a Nicaragua-based subdivision of the government of the Russian Federation Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Training Center of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in Managua enabled anti-democratic behavior and repression by the Ortega-Murillo regime. Our targets are Compania Minera Internacional, Sociedad Anonima, known by its Spanish acronym as COMINTSA, and Capital Mining Investment Nicaragua, Sociedad Anonima  which are government-affiliated gold companies generating revenue for the Ortega-Murillo regime.

As you know, by imposing sanctions, all U.S. persons are prohibited from transacting with these entities, which effectively cuts them off from the U.S. and much of the international financial system. And any assets they have in the United States are blocked.

The designations of the RTC and the two gold companies that enrich the Ortega-Murillo regime demonstrate the United States' enduring support for the Nicaraguan people and condemnation of a regime that exploits vulnerable migrants for profit while facilitating irregular migration to the United States.

In addition to sanctions, Treasury is also joining the policy alert that our colleagues have mentioned. At OFAC, we see every day the destabilizing effects of illicit finance on countries around the world. That's why we want to very clearly identify the risk to the business community of engaging in activity that exacerbates instability and enables exploitation.

We have and will continue to use our authorities, including the Transnational Criminal Organizations Sanctions authorities, to hold smugglers accountable and cut them off from using the U.S. financial system.

So with that, I'll turn things back over to [moderator].

MODERATOR: Thank you very much to our three speakers for joining us today.



At this moment, I will turn it over to questions. If you have a question, please raise your hand and I will unmute you. As a reminder, the call is on background, attributable to senior administration officials. And as noted in the media advisory, the call is embargoed until 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time today.

We'll turn it over to Michael Wilner, please.

Q Thanks. I appreciate this. And thanks, everyone, for doing the call. If you could just provide some more details on the policy alert and, you know, what it means to  what steps are required of the aviation and travel industry to avoid complicity. What are you asking them to do? And, really, any more details on that would be appreciated.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I'm happy to respond to that if you'd like.



The statement conveys the U.S. government's efforts to promote responsible practices in the industry, but it also notifies the airlines that they are being exploited  that migrant smuggling and human trafficking networks are exploiting these legitimate transportation services to facilitate irregular migration to the United States.

So, the alert has a number of suggestions that can be done by the airlines. There are five different suggestions that include participation in the document validation process. There are suggestions that the airlines could undertake proactive measures to identify flight segments and routes that are known to be used by migrants and migrant smuggling. And the United States is closely tracking this issue and can also provide and share information to support airlines' efforts.



Industry participants can also report concerning activity to the United States Customs and Border Protection to be able to work to avoid irregular migration and migrant smuggling. Carrying out appropriate due diligence also protects the exploitation of services.

And then finally, encouraging all airlines to comply with government regulations by transmitting accurate and timely API, or advanced passenger information, prior to departure beginning at least 24 hours prior to scheduled takeoff to enable proper record checks and so on.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: And if I could just add one quick thing to that which I think is important, which is that this follows on, as I said before, the International Association of  IATA's own  the industry issuing a statement last week, the International Air Transport Association, in which the airlines themselves noted the value of implementing commercial measures to minimize the risk of irregular migration.

And so, this alert follows on to that, and it provides  it's actually four, not five, but it provides four concrete measures that airlines can take, and talks about the ways in which the U.S. government can assist them in doing that.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much. I will also flag for our friends on the line that we will have the policy alert, a Treasury press release on the sanctions, and a statement on the visas posting later this morning for everyone's reference as well.

We'll turn to Salome Ramirez next.

Q Thank you. Good morning. Just to follow up on the policy alert and to have some clarification, does this mean that maybe airlines who don't comply or don't take the actions that the U.S. is encouraging would have some kind of repercussion or some kind of consequence for being complicit in this illegal migration? Thank you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: So, I'll start with that. One thing that I think is really important to note, as we already said during the opening, is that the U.S. government, particularly the State Department, has taken steps already through its 3C visa restrictions to impose visa restrictions on executives who are  executives of charter companies who have supported the movement of migrants, largely to Managua. And those actions have had a really important effect on the numbers of charter airlines that are engaged.

This is something that the U.S. government is watching closely. There's not any specific enforcement action threatened or accompanying this at the time, but it is something that we continue to watch and look at very closely.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much. I recognize that we started late and that we are over five minutes already, but if there are any other questions, please do raise your hand. Otherwise, we can wrap up, and we can take maybe a couple more  maybe one or two more questions.

Let's go to Pedro Rojas, please. Please also say your outlet.

Q Thanks so much. Pedro Rojas with Univision. I just wanted to find out if there is any consideration to  in order to stop these charter flights, to at least temporarily close the airspace over Nicaragua. I know that sounds extreme, but if there's any consideration to some measure like that, to prevent this. We have known that there's a lot of flights coming from Cuba and places like that into Nicaragua in the last few months (inaudible). Thank you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yeah, thanks for that. Again, I think what we're taking today are a series of incredibly robust and strong measures to both respond to the democracy and human rights abuses of the Ortega regime and also make explicitly clear  respond to the ways in which they are profiting off of migrants.

We are working  as I said, there are a number of steps that we're taking and that have been taken by the private companies, including their own voluntary statements, and this will build off of them.

Obviously, we need to act in ways that address the problem but also continue to allow for what is also legitimate travel into Nicaragua and other countries in the region as well.

And so, we think these are a set of strong measures that both convey the seriousness with which the Biden administration takes these issues, and also we expect and hope that they will have a concrete effect, and we will continue to evaluate and monitor and adjust as needed depending on what we see on the ground.

Q Thank you.

MODERATOR: We'll go next to Tracy Wilkinson. You should be able to unmute yourself.

Q This is Tracy Wilkinson with the Los Angeles Times. I want one more clarification on the alerts and the airlines and the warnings and so forth. It's only in connection with illegal migration, is that correct? You're not addressing at all regular tourism that, you know, tons of American tourists go to Nicaragua, and obviously, that helps enrich Ortega and his comp-  and so forth, his associates. So I just wondered if at all tourism is something that you're going to  are or will address at all in related policies. Thanks.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yeah, thanks for that question. I mean, we are not trying to stop or preclude tourists and legitimate travel to and from Nicaragua. We are very focused explicitly on the ways in which the Ortega regime is profiting off of the movement of migrants to their country. And as I said at the start, they're in very cynical ways selling visas upon arrival that require individuals to leave within 96 hours. This is the Ortega regime profiting off the movement of migrants and facilitating the smuggling of migrants. And that is the issue that we are focused on.

Q Thanks.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much. I think that's all the time we have for today. Again, our sincere apologies for starting a little bit late. We will have the statements from our agencies, including the policy alert, posted. We will be issuing a statement also from the White House that links to all three actions today for ease, so please stay tuned for that.

Thank you again for joining. Thank you to our speakers. Again, the embargo of this call will lift at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time. And the call was on background, attributable to senior administration officials.

10:13 A.M. EDT

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Exclusive: Latest images show severe rust on Philippines' illegally grounded warship at Ren'ai Jiao; ship may 'cause irreversible damage to marine life'

Global Times

Philippine ship may 'cause irreversible damage to marine life'

By Fan Wei, Hu Yuwei and Zhang Yuying Published: May 15, 2024 04:17 PM Updated: May 16, 2024 12:16 AM

The hull and interior facilities of the illegally grounded Philippines' warship at Ren'ai Jiao (also known as Ren'ai Reef) are severely corroded, showed a set of images exclusively obtained by the Global Times from the China Coast Guard (CCG) recently.

Experts warned that the illegally grounded warship may cause irreversible and continuous damages to the marine life in the South China Sea.

Since 2023, the Philippines has acted in bad faith, and secretly supplied construction materials to the grounded warship through various means. The Philippines' repeated supplements fully exposed its intention to blatantly violate its promise to tow away the warship, and its attempt to illegally occupy China's Ren'ai Jiao with malicious intent.

The exclusive images obtained by the Global Times from the CCG show that the hull of the illegally grounded warship has damage and leaks, with a large amount of paint peeling off the hull, and many corroded rusts water directly flowing into the sea. The entire ship has almost become a pile of rusty scrap iron, with various personal items and garbage casually placed on the uncovered deck.

Filipino military personnel are fishing on the shallow reef of Ren'ai Jiao. One of the images shows a Filipino military personnel is standing on the grounded warship and is suspected of urinating into the lagoon of Ren'ai Jiao.

The illegally grounded warship looks actually to be no longer suitable for human habitation and living.

Several video clips captured earlier this year show that Filipino military personnel on the grounded warship not only dumped waste water directly into the sea, they also gathered on the foredeck to burn garbage. The actions of the Filipino military personnel have starkly contrasted with the pristine blue skies and clean waters near Ren'ai Jiao, showing their destruction of the marine environment.

Facing such a dilapidated warship, the Philippine authorities have repeatedly violated their promises. Instead of towing away the illegally grounded military vessel, they have attempted to carry out large-scale repairs and reinforcements on it. The transportation has been reinforced since last year.

An anonymous professional told the Global Times that since 2023, the Philippines has repeatedly illegally intruded into China's Ren'ai Jiao, and carried out illegal resupply activities for the warship. In addition to the malicious provocations, the reason behind this is that the warship is severely damaged, and the Philippines needs to resupply building materials to repair and reinforce it in order to maintain their illegal presence in China's Ren'ai Jiao.

"But every time, the intention to secretly resupply building materials is exposed by the CCG, who resolutely stops it," the professional said.

Yang Xiao, deputy director of the Institute of Maritime Strategy Studies at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times that due to the fact that the warship has been grounded for nearly 25 years, the spread of ship hull paint, the dissolution of hull metal rust, the discharge of fossil fuel combustion, and domestic waste onboard the ship have been discharged for a long time on the reefs and waters around the Ren 'ai Jiao.

These toxins continue to spread around the illegally grounded ship's grounding points, causing irreversible and continuous damage to the surrounding marine life. This not only causes the death of marine animals such as fish and shrimps, but also makes cumulative damages to marine aquatic plants. Furthermore, through the food chain, it poses significant adverse effects on the marine ecosystem of the South China Sea and humanity by extension, Yang said.

For ships constantly moving at sea, the paint and pollution of the ship could be continuously diluted by seawater. However, if it's moored or grounded at fixed points for a long time, pollution is difficult to be diluted by seawater due to a lack of water movement, resulting in a gradient of toxins centered on the warship, Yang noted.

"Among them, prominent pollutants include mercury oxide, organotin [TBT], and copper compounds. There is enough scientific research to show that these toxins can cause irreversible pathogenic pollution to marine life. More importantly, with the enrichment of the food chain, these pollutants may enter the human living circle," Yang said.

Yang further stated that the Philippine government, for the sinister purpose of stealing territory from other countries, deliberately ran a dilapidated military ship aground on the beautiful reefs of the South China Sea, and failed to fulfill its promise to remove it for 25 years.

Moreover, the Philippines is unable and unwilling to carry out environmental protection and pollution control on the warship, leading to a large amount of natural and man-made pollutants being directly discharged into the surrounding reefs and waters, which is extremely irresponsible and uncivilized, Yang said.

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Zionist settlers attack another Gaza aid convoy

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

May 16, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Israeli settlers have once again targeted a Jordanian humanitarian aid convoy heading to the Gaza Strip, Zionist media reported on Wednesday night.

The Palestinian Samaa news agency cited a report published in the Hebrew-language newspaper Ha'aretz that settlers attacked two trucks carrying humanitarian aid from Jordan to Gaza near al-Quds.

The latest attack comes just two days after, Zionist settlers tore food packages and grain bags of a Gaza-bound international aid convoy and left them on the side of the road.

The images of Monday's attack by settlers in the occupied West Bank was widely circulated on social media and met with global criticisms.

The Zionist settlers have repeatedly attacked the Jordanian aid convoys. Last week, two such incidents reported near the Beit Hanoun/Erez crossing in the occupied territories, prompting Jordan's foreign minister to issue a statement and denounce the attacks on his country's humanitarian aid destined for Gaza.

Ayman al-Safadi said the attacks are a heinous crime that the world must condemn and urged the Zionist regime to ensure the passage of aid convoys, guarantee their entry into Gaza, and halt the settlers' attacks on them.

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Destruction of occupying Zionist regime imminent: Hamas chief

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

May 16, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Political bureau chief of the Palestinian resistance movement, Ismail Haniyeh says the resistance has proved that the destruction of the occupying Israeli regime is certain.

According to a report from the Palestinian Samaa news agency, Haniyeh in a speech on Wednesday night, stressed that the Zionist enemy is still facing an existential crisis and struggling to survive, adding that "the enemy's invincible army got defeated in Gaza and collapsed under the blows of the resistance".

Stating that the free Palestinian nation must stand up in all fields and intensify their resistance against occupation, Haniyeh said, "We are sure that the Zionist enemy will be defeated no matter how much time it takes"

In his speech, Haniyeh highlighted a number of issues, including the Israeli crimes and decades-long plots hatched against the Palestinian cause.

"The whole world has now seen the true face of the Zionist enemy, which has a history full of crimes," he said, adding that "generations of the Palestinian nation have realized that their right of return cannot be ignored, and the Palestinian nation has defeated all sinister plans".

"The residents of the West Bank and Quds resisted the attempts to Judaize the region and destroy the Palestinian issue", he underscored.

Hamas chief further blamed Israel for a deadlock in Gaza ceasefire negotiations by making amendments to the recent proposed plan but said that "the movement continues to try to reach a ceasefire agreement by all possible means" but reiterated key demands including that any agreement provide a framework for a permanent end to Israel's offensive in Gaza.

Haniyeh once again denounced the United States for siding with the regime and said that "America with its political support for the enemy is trying to cover up the genocide in Gaza".

He went on to emphasize that Hamas and its military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades were created to stay and that post-war Gaza will be in accordance with the interests of the Palestinian nation.

Elsewhere in his speech, Haniyeh also touched on global solidarity with the Palestinian cause, especially against the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

"Gaza has become a model for the youth of the world in every movement and action, and the uprising and intifada of students around the world in support of Palestine is unprecedented in history", the Hamas chief underlined.

The head of the political bureau of Hamas also hailed the axis of resistance in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Iran and said "we appreciate all the efforts made to stop the war against the Palestinian nation".

Haniyeh also saluted the international community for standing up in support of the Palestinian nation and its right to freedom, return and independence, and stopping the war on Gaza, including a case lodged in the International Court of Justice against the occupying Israeli regime and its crimes.

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WFP warns window is closing to prevent famine in war-torn Sudan

By Margaret Besheer May 16, 2024

The World Food Program warned Wednesday that the threat of famine is growing for 5 million Sudanese in parts of the country affected by war.

"Commitments made by all parties to facilitate humanitarian access urgently need to be translated into realities on the ground," Carl Skau, WFP's deputy executive director, said in a statement.

Skau just returned from a mission to Sudan this week. He said the situation is "desperate and quickly deteriorating."

"Only a few weeks remain to stock up food supplies in parts of Darfur and Kordofan before the rainy season starts and many roads become impassable," he said. "Farmers also need to safely reach their farmlands to plant ahead of the rains."

The rainy season in Sudan is from June through July.

In spite of fighting, border closures, checkpoints and other challenges, WFP says it is currently reaching some 2.5 million Sudanese with assistance.

Sudan was thrown into war 13 months ago, when fighting broke out in the capital, Khartoum, between the leaders of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The two generals were once allies in Sudan's transitional government after a 2021 coup but have become rivals for power.

The fighting has since spread to other parts of the country, forcing almost 9 million people from their homes in search of safety. Two million of them have fled Sudan to neighboring countries. Of those who remain, 25 million need humanitarian assistance.

WFP says at least 5 million Sudanese are on the brink of starvation, but the number could be significantly higher, as the most recent data is from December.

The food agency has identified 41 hunger "hot spots" that are at high risk of slipping into famine in the coming month  most of them in hard-to-reach conflict-affected areas, including the Darfur and Kordofan regions and Khartoum.

Escalation in North Darfur

The United Nations has been raising the alarm on the situation in North Darfur for weeks. The RSF has reportedly started in recent days to move in on SAF forces inside El Fasher, the regional capital, endangering more than 800,000 civilians in the city.

On Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the parties to immediately stop the fighting and resume cease-fire negotiations.

El Fasher is the only city in Darfur that the RSF has not captured. A full-scale battle there could unleash atrocities similar to those of the genocide carried out by Arab Janjaweed fighters against African Zaghawa, Masalit, Fur and other non-Arab ethnic groups in Darfur in the early 2000s. Janjaweed fighters make up today's RSF.

The United Nations estimates 330,000 people are facing crisis levels of food insecurity in El Fasher due to a shortage of food items and soaring prices.

Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, said the weekend clashes in El Fasher reportedly caused dozens of civilian casualties and more displacement, with many residents seeking safety in the southern part of the city. She said aid cannot get through.

"More than a dozen trucks carrying health, nutrition and other critical supplies for more than 120,000 people have been trying to reach the city for weeks," she told reporters at the United Nations on Wednesday. "They set out from Port Sudan on the 3rd of April  and still can't reach El Fasher due to insecurity and delays in getting clearances at checkpoints."

Doctors Without Borders, or Medecins Sans Frontieres, supports a hospital in El Fasher that is overwhelmed and running low on supplies.

"Until now, North Darfur had been a relatively safe haven compared to other parts of Darfur," Dr. Prince Djuma Safari, deputy medical coordinator in El Fasher for MSF, said in a statement. "Now, there are snipers in the streets, heavy shelling is taking place, and nowhere in the city is safe at all."

He said more than 450 casualties, including women and children, had arrived at the MSF-supported South Hospital in El Fasher since fighting began on Friday. He said 56 of the patients had died and 40 more are still waiting for surgery.

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China urges US, UK and Australia to stop AUKUS nuclear submarine deal: FM spokesperson

Global Times

By Global Times Published: May 15, 2024 08:34 PM

China will continue to utilize platforms such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), review process to thoroughly discuss the political, legal, and technical issues related to the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal, a spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday. Until the international community reaches a clear conclusion, the US, UK, and Australia should halt the advancement of the initiative, the spokesperson noted.

The remarks were made by Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, when asked to comment on a workshop titled "AUKUS: A Case Study about the Development of IAEA Comprehensive Safeguards" organized by the Permanent Mission of China in Vienna recently.

On May 10th, the Permanent Mission of China in Vienna hosted a seminar on AUKUS. Representatives from nearly 50 countries' permanent missions in Vienna, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Secretariat, and experts think tanks from both China and other countries attended the meeting, with over 100 participants in total, said Wang, noting that the participants engaged in lively discussions on the supervision and security of AUKUS, highlighting the widespread attention and concern of the international community on this issue.

The AUKUS nuclear submarine deal undermines efforts to maintain regional peace and security. US, UK and Australia are forming a trilateral security partnership, advancing cooperation on nuclear submarines and other cutting-edge military technologies, stimulating an arms race, undermining the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, stirring up blocs, and opposing and disrupting regional peace and stability, Wang said.

The spokesperson said China and other relevant countries in the region have repeatedly expressed serious concerns and strong opposition.

Wang stated that AUKUS also triggered widespread concern about nuclear proliferation internationally. It involves the transfer of nuclear propulsion technology and a large volume of weapons-grade highly enriched uranium, which the existing safeguards and supervision system of the IAEA cannot effectively implement.

There is a significant controversy in the international community over the interpretation and application of relevant safeguards and monitoring clauses. If the three countries insist on advancing cooperation on nuclear submarines, it will create a huge risk of nuclear proliferation and have far-reaching negative impacts on the resolution of nuclear hotspots in other regions, said Wang.

Wang said China has called on the international community to take seriously the impact of AUKUS on the authority and effectiveness of NPT, as well as the deal's negative effects on the institutional safeguards and oversight mechanisms. China will continue to utilize platforms such as the IAEA and the NPT review process to thoroughly discuss the political, legal, and technical issues related to the trilateral nuclear submarine cooperation. Until the international community reaches a clear conclusion, the US, UK, and Australia should halt the advancement of their nuclear submarine cooperation.

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Pacific gets 'record' share of Australia's static foreign aid budget

Competition with China in the Pacific is shaping how Australia allocates development assistance.

By Stephen Wright for BenarNews 2024.05.15 -- Pacific island countries are getting an increased share of Australian foreign aid, budget documents show, as it shifts into funding infrastructure such as undersea cables and ports in response to China's inroads in the region.

Overall, Australia's foreign aid budget is flat and it remains one of the least generous donors in the OECD club of wealthy nations, ranking 26th out of 31 countries. The increased focus on infrastructure also means that proportionately less of the aid budget will be spent on health.

In the Pacific, the largest aid increases in Australia's 2024-2025 government budget are directed at Fiji, where Australia will help fund a port upgrade, and Tuvalu. The atoll nation of 12,000 people last year ceded a partial veto of its foreign policy and security relationships to Australia under the Falepili Union agreement.

"If we look at this reduction in health -- is this because our partners have told us they're not that interested in health -- I don't think so," said Stephen Howes, director of the Australian National University's Development Policy Center.

"If we're going to go into Fiji and tell them we are using our aid to help them expand their port, that's because we don't want China to do it, and that's going to mean less funding for health," he said at a panel Wednesday on the budget's aid component.

China's government has courted Pacific island nations for several decades as it seeks to isolate Taiwan diplomatically, gain allies in international institutions and erode U.S. military dominance.

Its inroads with Pacific island nations, including a security pact with the Solomon Islands in 2022, have galvanized renewed U.S. attention to the region.

The budget released Tuesday shows the government has allocated A$4.96 billion [US$3.29 billion] to aid, an increase of 4.0% from the previous year.

"Australia is delivering a record $2 billion in development assistance to the Pacific, maintaining Australia's position as the region's largest and most comprehensive development partner," the budget papers said.

In real terms, the spending is flat at 0.19% of Australia's national income, according to the Australian Council for International Development, and less than half of its level in the 1980s.

"This budget provided the government with an opportunity to show real humanitarian leadership in responding to human suffering across the world," the council said in a statement.

"Australians see what is happening on their screens in all corners of the globe and expect their government to do more. This budget barely touches the surface," it said.

Howes said the budget documents project aid spending to be unchanged for the next decade and beyond.

Pacific island countries now account for more than 40% of the aid budget, almost doubling from a decade earlier, at least partly reflecting government concerns about China's role in a region that Australia has regarded as its sphere of influence.

Australia remains the single largest donor to Pacific island countries despite China's enlarged presence in the region. At least a fifth of the Australian aid budget is spent on what Australia calls governance programs that aim to bolster democracy, anti-corruption efforts and transparency of public institutions.

For Tuvalu, Australia will provide additional funds for its land reclamation projects that aim to protect against king tides and projected sea-level rise and also contribute the lion's share of the country's first undersea telecommunications cable.

Tuvalu, one of the dwindling number of nations that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, last year signed a treaty with Australia that requires it to have Australia's agreement for "any partnership, arrangement or engagement with any other state or entity on security and defence-related matters."

In Fiji, Australia is providing budget support to the government as the tourism-dependent economy continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. It also is supporting an upgrade to Fiji's largest bulk cargo port and its shipbuilding industry.

Papua New Guinea, with its estimated 12 million people, remains the single largest recipient of Australian aid in the Pacific at A$637.4 million. The Solomon Islands, where Australia has a security force stationed after riots in 2021, is the second largest with A$171.2 million.

The budget documents also revealed that Australia's government agreed in December to provide an A$600 million loan to Papua New Guinea, a day after the two countries signed a defense cooperation agreement.

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 May 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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Readout of National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's Call with Brazilian Presidential Advisor Celso Amorim

May 15, 2024

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke by telephone yesterday with Brazilian Presidential Advisor Celso Amorim. He expressed his condolences on behalf of President Biden and the people of the United States to those who have been impacted by the devastating flooding and landslides in southern Brazil. The National Security Advisor reiterated the United States continued support and commitment to work closely with Brazil on providing necessary assistance. The two discussed progress on deepening our bilateral relationship and addressing global and regional challenges, including efforts to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza and secure a ceasefire and hostage deal that would bring American and Brazilian hostages home, Russia's war against Ukraine, and the electoral process in Venezuela.

###

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HK lawmakers, experts call on YouTube to remove controversial 'Glory to Hong Kong' globally

Global Times

By Chen Qingqing Published: May 15, 2024 09:16 PM

Alphabet's YouTube said it will comply with Hong Kong's latest court decision and block access to video links related to the controversial song "Glory to Hong Kong." When conducting business, compliance to local laws and regulations is a mandatory practice, and it is not enough to just block the content in Hong Kong but the song should be removed globally, some lawmakers and experts said.

YouTube said it will block access inside Hong Kong to 32 video links to the song. This move comes after the Court of Appeal recently granted an interim injunction to stop a range of acts including broadcasting and performing the song with the intention of inciting separatism or the intention of advocating for the separation of Hong Kong from China.

The controversial song has the potential to rally people to overthrow the government and has even been misused multiple times at sporting events.

Though YouTube said it will comply with the local court's decision, it said the ruling "would raise skepticism around the Hong Kong government's work to foster the digital economy and reclaim its reputation as a predictable place for doing business," Reuters reported on Wednesday.

Preventing anyone from using and disseminating relevant songs with the intention of inciting secession and insulting the national anthem is a legitimate and necessary measure for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to fulfill its constitutional responsibility of safeguarding national security and the dignity of the national anthem, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday when commenting on the decision by YouTube.

The injunction clearly draws a red line. The EU, the US and other places have used legal power to force Google to remove problematic content, but it has not affected the development of the local innovation and technology industry and creative industry, lawmaker Elizabeth Quat, who chairs Hong Kong's Legislative Council's information technology and broadcasting panel, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Quat went on to say that YouTube saying that the ruling "will affect Hong Kong's reputation" is absurd.

Compliance of local laws and regulations is a mandatory practice when conducting business. Removing the seditious song from the open platform and efforts continuing to maintain a good systematic library management are essential, Chu Kar-kin, a veteran current affairs commentator and deputy secretary-general of the Hong Kong Association for Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Alphabet is a listed US company and shall act legitimately, morally and responsibly. Equipping with video and sing search functions, YouTube should ensure only the accurate and universal correct solutions be displayed to avoid misleading and misunderstandings, Chu noted.

"We understand that 'Glory to Hong Kong' is a notorious protest song which symbolizes inciting rebellion, armed revolution, terrorism and unrest, conveying messages of hatred, violence and disobedience. This is clearly a threat to mankind. I also suggest YouTube consider banning the upload and display of the song in their platform globally," the expert said.

Echoing Chu, Quat said the song could be used for dissemination and incitement, and therefore it must be removed. The lawmaker believes that it is not enough for YouTube to block the song in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong government should keep fighting until all online platforms follow the court injunction and remove the song globally.

According to the lawyer representing the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, "Glory to Hong Kong" has been mistakenly treated as the national anthem 887 times, saying that violence is not the only means to overthrow a government in today's society; spreading rumors and false information can be a more effective weapon.

The banning of the song is in line with the spirit of Hong Kong's rule of law and the national security law, Louis Chen, a member of the Election Committee and general secretary of the Hong Kong Legal Exchange Foundation, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

"I believe YouTube must abide by US laws in the US, and naturally it must abide by Hong Kong laws in Hong Kong," Chen said.

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on May 15, 2024

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

2024-05-15 21:44

This week is the 34th National Energy Conservation Week under the theme of "green transition, energy-saving endeavors." Today, May 15, is this year's national low-carbon day with the theme of "green and low-carbon development for a beautiful China."

China always upholds and acts on the principle that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, and we always remember to maintain harmony between humanity and nature when planning our development, and work to accelerate the transition to a model of green development for a green and low-carbon economy and society. I believe you also noticed that today the air conditioner in Lanting is set at a higher temperature and the lighting in some public spaces is off. Everyone can contribute to this common effort, start by making personal contribution and start with small steps in our daily life to actively respond to climate change, lead a green and low-carbon lifestyle, contribute to the harmony between humanity and nature and help build a clean, beautiful world.a

One more thing off the top, at the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, Tanzania's Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation January Yusuf Makamba will pay an official visit to China from May 16 to 20.

China News Service: Today marks 76 years of the Nakba. The ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza and there is still no sign of deescalation. According to UN statistics, close to 450,000 Palestinians have fled Rafah as Israel ramps up attacks in the southern Gaza city. Do you have any comment on this?

Wang Wenbin: Seventy-six years ago, over half of the Palestinian population fled or were driven from their homes during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Many of them and their descendants became refugees in the Gaza Strip. Seventy-six years on, the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people, far from being redressed, has further worsened. Today's Gaza Strip is left in ruins and rubble. Those wounded and ill cannot receive timely treatment, those hungry cannot obtain basic necessities, and those escaping from the disaster have nowhere to go. People cannot help but ask, for how long will the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza drag on and when will the Palestinian people be able to see an end to their suffering?

China firmly opposes the expansion of the fighting to Rafah and opposes collective punishment on the people in Gaza. We support the establishment of an independent State of Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty based on the 1967 border and with east Jerusalem as its capital. And we support making Palestine a full UN member state as soon as possible. China will continue to work with the international community to promote an early, comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question, to end the Nakba once and for all, and to realize peaceful coexistence between Israel and Palestine as well as harmony between the Arab and Jewish peoples.

AFP: I'd like to ask about US's recent tariffs hike on Chinese EVs, chips and other products. You said at yesterday's press conference that China will take all measures necessary to defend its legitimate rights and interests. Can you elaborate on that?

Wang Wenbin: Competent Chinese authorities have issued a statement on this, which you may refer to. Let me stress that it is yet another mistake for the US to continue politicizing trade issues and further increasing tariffs on Chinese products. This will only significantly drive up the cost of imported goods, inflict more loss on American companies and consumers, and make the US consumers pay even more. As Moody's estimated, 92 percent of the cost for the tariffs hike falls on American consumers and average US household expenditure increases by 1,300 dollars annually. The US's protectionist measures will further damage the security and stability of the global industrial and supply chains. We noted that several European political leaders have said that as far as tariffs are concerned, it is a bad idea to dismantle global trade.

We urge the US to earnestly observe WTO rules and immediately cancel the additional tariffs on China. China will take all measures necessary to defend our rights and interests.

Global Times: Days ago, China's Permanent Mission to the UN and other international organizations in Vienna held the Workshop on "AUKUS: A Case Study about the Development of IAEA Comprehensive Safeguards" at the Vienna International Center. Could you share more information with us?

Wang Wenbin: On May 10, China's Permanent Mission in Vienna held a workshop on AUKUS. Over 100 participants, including those from nearly 50 countries' permanent missions in Vienna and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Secretariat, and experts from Chinese and foreign think tanks, attended the workshop. All parties had a heated discussion on the safeguardsaof AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation, which shows the widespread attention and concerns of the global community on AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation.

AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation harms efforts to keep the region peaceful and secure. The US, the UK and Australia formed AUKUS to advance cooperation on nuclear submarines and other cutting-edge military technologies. Their moves exacerbate the arms race, undermine the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, incite bloc confrontation and hurt regional peace and stability. China and relevant countries in the region have expressed more than once serious concerns and firm opposition.

AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation has spawned widespread concern on nuclear proliferation. The three countries' cooperation involves the transferaofanuclearapowerareactorsaandaaalargeaamountaof weapons-gradeaHEU. IAEA's existing safeguards system cannot place effective safeguards on that, and major controversy exists on the interpretation and application of relevant safeguards provisions. If the three countries insist on going through with the nuclear submarine cooperation, it will trigger enormous risks of nuclear proliferation and have a far-reaching negative impact on the resolution of other regional nuclear hotspot issues.

China calls on the international community to take seriously how AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation can impact the authority and effectiveness of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and its negative effect on the IAEA safeguards regime. The international community needs to continue using the IAEA, the NPT review process, and other platforms to have in-depth discussions on the political, legal, and technical issues involved in AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation. Until the international community comes to a clear-cut conclusion on those issues, the US, the UK and Australia should not proceed with their nuclear submarine cooperation.a a a

TV Asahi: It's reported Russian military used products made by Chinese companies on the battlefield in Ukraine. China has always called for a ceasefire and neutrality. What is your comment on the use of Chinese products and technologies in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine? Besides, after the meeting between the Chinese and French presidents last week, President Macron said that China promised to strictly control the export of weapons and dual-use products to Russia. In this case, what is the position of the Foreign Ministry?a

Wang Wenbin: China rejects comments that smear and scapegoat China on the Ukraine issue. China handles the export of military products prudently and responsibly and strictly controls the export of dual-use articles, including drones for civilian use. China is not a creator of or a party to the Ukraine crisis. We have not sat idly by, still less fanned the flames, but have been committed to promoting talks for peace. Shifting the blame to China does not solve the crisis.

Let me also stress that China's normal trade with Russia is done aboveboard. It's consistent with WTO rules and market principles. It does not target any third party and should not be come under external interference or coercion. China's legitimate and lawful rights and interests brook no infringement.

Reuters: I have a follow-up to the question on US tariffs. What would China do to protect its industries and exports from not just the tariffs but from US suppression?

Wang Wenbin: I stated our principled position just now and would like to stress again that China firmly opposes the unilateral imposition of tariffs by the US in violation of WTO rules and will take all measures necessary to defend our legitimate rights and interests.a

AFP: Five commercial fishing boats carrying some 200 civilians from the Philippines headed to the surrounding waters of Huangyan Dao today. The organizers said the flotilla's mission is aimed at upholding their rights and interests in the disputed waterway. Did the Foreign Ministry note their action? If so, what's China's comment?a

Wang Wenbin: Huangyan Dao has always been China's territory. China has indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Dao and its adjacent waters. China made a goodwill arrangement in 2016 for Filipino fishermen to fish with a small number of small fishing boats in the adjacent waters of Huangyan Dao, while China continues to oversee and monitor the relevant activities of the Filipino fishermen in accordance with law. If the Philippines abuses China's goodwill and infringes upon China's territorial sovereignty and jurisdiction, we will defend our rights and take countermeasures in accordance with the law. Relevant responsibilities and consequences shall be borne solely by the Philippines.a

Reuters: YouTube has said it disagrees with but will comply with the Hong court's decision to ban a protest song. It will block access to the song inside Hong Kong. What is China's response to YouTube's decision and criticism of the court decision?

Wang Wenbin: Given its constitutional responsibility to safeguard national security and the dignity of the national anthem, it is only legitimate and necessary for the Hong Kong SAR to stop anyone from using and disseminating relevant song to incite secession and insult the national anthem.a

CCTV: Recently the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs and China Coordinator said that Resolution 2758 does not endorse, equate to, or reflect an international consensus on the one-China principle. A program director of the German Marshall Fund of the United States said that "the PRC's positions" on UN Resolution 2758 "are not consistent with international law." What is your comment?

Wang Wenbin: The past few weeks saw repeated ill-intentioned comments from some US officials to challenge the authority of UNGA Resolution 2758, calling Taiwan's status "undetermined" and trumpeting for Taiwan's "meaningful participation" in the UN system. Those comments distort the facts and history, tread on international law and the basic norms of international relations, and breach the US's own commitment.

Taiwan has been part of China since ancient times. This is a historical fact; it is also the international consensus. The 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation clearly stipulated that Taiwan, a Chinese territory stolen by Japan, shall be restored to China. These documents with international legal effect formed an integral part of the post-WWII international order and also affirmed Taiwan's status as China's inalienable territory from a legal perspective.

On October 25, 1971, the 26th session of the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 with an overwhelming majority. The Resolution resolved once and for all the question of the representation of the whole of China, including Taiwan, in the United Nations as a political, legal and procedural issue. It made clear that there is only one China in the world and that Taiwan is a part of China, not a country. It also made clear that there is only one seat of China in the United Nations, and the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal representative, precluding "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan."

The US is a signatory to the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation. In the three China-US joint CommuquAs, the US clearly states that "the government of the United States of America recognizes China's position that there is only one China and Taiwan is part of China." US leaders have, on multiple occasions, reaffirmed the commitment of not supporting "Taiwan independence," "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan." However, the US is now publicly questioning and misinterpreting UNGA Resolution 2758, fudging and hollowing out the one-China principle, and trumpeting for the participation of Taiwan in the UN system which requires sovereign statehood. What the US is doing violates its own commitment and aims to turn back the wheel of history.

The US's distortion and slander of UNGA Resolution 2758 is reminiscent of the US's recent claim that UNSC Resolution 2728 demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza is "non-binding." Both cases reflect the US's selective approach to international law and the basic norms of international relations, and US bullying and double standard. However, gone are the days when hegemony and power politics dominated international relations. Any country, including the US, that tries to challenge the UNGA Resolution and the one-China principle will only find it futile. Fifty-three years ago, before UNGA Resolution 2758 was adopted with an overwhelming majority, the US came up with the so-called "dual representation" proposal in an attempt to create "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan" which was discarded. Today, any US attempt to go against the trend of the times, play the "Taiwan card" and use Taiwan to contain China will only end up in greater failure.

Reuters: Russian President Putin will be visiting Beijing this week. Will Premier Li Qiang be visiting Moscow?

Wang Wenbin: China and Russia are each other's comprehensive strategic partners of coordination for a new era. The bilateral relations have seen sound and steady growth and leaders of our two countries maintain close interactions. On your specific question, I have nothing to share.

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April Sack and Mark Nevin inside the new Tomorrows Wine shop on Balboa Street, set to open this summer. Esther Mobley/The Chronicle

When April Sack and Mark Nevin announced in March that theyd be closing Tofino Wines, their cavernous shop and bar on Geary Boulevard, I was devastated.

Tofino had been one of my favorite places to buy wine in San Francisco, and it was always a conduit for what was cool and exciting in wine. When it first opened, in 2015, the selection was heavy in producers like Matthiasson, Liquid Farm and Wind Gap, a cadre that former Chronicle wine editor Jon Bonne had dubbed New California. Over the years, it slowly gravitated more toward natural wine, but compared with other shops in the Bay Area, Sack and Nevin retained one of the broadest interpretations of natural. They always stocked classic, clean-tasting wines  the ethos was never dogmatic, never polarizing.

Lease issues were the catalyst for Tofinos closure, but the underlying reason is that Sack and Nevin wanted to open a different sort of business entirely. As with everything theyve done, the decision reflects the evolution of wine culture in San Francisco, and even the evolution of San Francisco itself.

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The new venture, Tomorrows Wine, appears to play on a much smaller scale than Tofino. Whereas Tofino took up a grand 2,400 square feet  Sack and Nevin had transformed part of a Public Storage facility, with vaulted ceilings and terra cotta tiles  Tomorrows Wine, at 340 Balboa St., is a diminutive 800 square feet. Unlike Tofino, which started out as equal parts bar and shop, Tomorrows Wine is retail only.

But the Tomorrows Wine storefront is merely a facade for a larger online retail store that Sack and Nevin began building during the pandemic. What began as a workaround for the bar closure, a way for people to place orders online, blossomed into something bigger. Soon after launching the Tomorrows Wine website in 2020, Nevin said, the reach of the online business astounded us.

Even after COVID restrictions eased, the foot traffic never quite returned to Tofino, Nevin said. Pre-pandemic, commuters would stop in for a glass of wine and a snack of fancy toast on their way between downtown and the outer avenues. Private events were a major component of the business. But like many of the citys bar and restaurant owners, after the pandemic the couple found that their customers habits had permanently changed.

Owning a bar is great when everything is working, Nevin said. When its not, it can be excruciating. Over the last four years, they started limiting the bars hours, moving eventually only to weekends. Meanwhile, sales on the Tomorrows Wine website continued to grow. Local customers were coming into Tofino having perused the sites inventory, and Sack and Nevin were finding themselves shipping wine all over the country.

Nevin and Sack wanted to get out of being a bar, to focus on the website, to downsize. So when they found an old TV repair shop on Balboa Street that had been vacant for the last few years, it seemed perfect.

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They managed to move some of the bones of Tofino, which was named for a Spanish cartographer who explored the Pacific Northwest, to the new place. A carpenter disassembled the walnut wine shelves, complete with a sliding ladder, and sliced in half an 11-foot-long wooden bench that had been custom-built for Tofino. They hauled over the huge slab of white marble that will now become the shops central counter.

Whats on the shelves at Tomorrows Wine will represent about 40% of the total inventory; the core business now is the website. To Sack and Nevin, this is the most sustainable way to operate a retail business in todays post-pandemic San Francisco. There will still be plenty of lures to the physical space: in-person tastings with visiting winemakers and pop-ups like the ones they held at Tofino with sushi purveyor Its Just Fish and local pizzeria PizzaHacker (though, given the quarters, chefs may need to set up on the sidewalk, Sack said).

And the heart of Tomorrows Wine will, as always, be the exciting wines that Sack and Nevin have procured, including from allocated, hard-to-find wineries like Matassa, Domaine de L'Octavin, Frantz Saumon and Montevertine.

But if Tofinos location at Geary and Masonic was always a waystation for commuters halfway between downtown and Ocean Beach, Tomorrows Wine may end up feeling more like a destination in its own right. Its on a homey stretch of Balboa, abutting one of the citys best dive bars, OKeeffes, and one of its destination bakeries, Cinderella. The area feels less like a stop-off point and more like a place where you might already be.

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Closing Tofino after 10 years was hard, Nevin said, like processing a divorce. But weeks in advance of the Tomorrows Wine opening, the couple can already feel the promise of this next chapter.
China's support for Russia is 'tragic,' says Mike Pompeo

The former secretary of state sat down with RFA to discuss Hong Kong, Taiwan and the war in Ukraine.

By Kelis Wong for RFA Cantonese 2024.05.15 -- Amid ongoing repression of political freedoms in Hong Kong, the upcoming Taiwanese presidential inauguration and a planned meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sat down with Radio Free Asia's Cantonese service for an interview.

The following has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

Radio Free Asia: In your time as U.S. secretary of state, Hong Kong witnessed mass protests, and you informed Congress that Hong Kong was no longer autonomous from China. Four years later, how do you evaluate the situation there?

Mike Pompeo: Unfortunately, the situation in Hong Kong continues to deteriorate. This was such a special place for so long, and there were agreements in place that its autonomy was supposed to last for much longer - and the Chinese Communist Party viciously violated that by attacking young people and by beating protesters.

Ultimately, by just breaking down the rule of law, the right to the court system that for so long made Hong Kong a place where the financial community came and business flourished, that no longer exists, and it continues to deteriorate. The freedom for the people that live there is decreasing and it breaks my heart because had the West done more, we might have extended the period of freedom and autonomy for the people of Hong Kong. Sadly, that's no longer the case.

RFA: Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit China tomorrow. How big of a threat do you think the China-Russia alliance poses to the world today?

MP: Well, you have two dictators working together. If you're a Ukrainian mother, this is tragic because the Chinese Communist Party is providing material assistance to the Russian invasion in Europe. And so the risk of these two working together is great.

There are strategic responses that could be taken to diminish their capacity to do that, but if you think about the money that underwrites the Russian war effort, the aggressive barbaric war effort in Ukraine, much of that money is coming from China today. They're buying Russian energy. They're providing them with both military tools and commercial benefits that allow Putin to continue his assault in Europe.

RFA: Taiwan will formally welcome a new president on May 20. What importance do you assign to the inauguration of Taiwan's fresh leadership, especially concerning regional stability?

MP: First of all, it's exciting - when another democracy holds an election, and it's free and fair, and they compete really hard, and there's a new leader. It's a glorious thing to send a message to the world of the freedom and independence of the people of Taiwan.

I'm thrilled that I'm getting a chance to be at the inauguration to celebrate alongside this new leadership team. The new leadership will put Taiwan first, just as we put America first, and that's wholly appropriate. I hope that they'll work to grow their economy. I hope they will continue to take seriously the obligation that the Taiwanese people have to protect themselves from the Chinese Communist Party threat.

Then I hope that American leadership will continue to recognize the important role of Taiwanese independence in the global strategic order. It benefits every American family, benefits every family in Japan and South Korea to have the Taiwanese as a great partner in security in the Pacific.

RFA: I'm going to return to Hong Kong. Some economists argue Hong Kong is "over," due to the two national security laws. Do you believe there is potential for Hong Kong to be revived?

MP: We always pray and hope. But there's no reason to believe that Xi Jinping is going to release his death grip and instead will ultimately destroy the economic and political well being of the people that live in Hong Kong. You can see that's his intention. He can't tolerate any freedom. He can't tolerate the risk that somebody will say something that will put him in the position we know to be true, which is that he's totally disconnected from the Chinese people.

Xi Jinping no more represents the Chinese people and their will and certainly not the people of Hong Kong, and so I, too, think Hong Kong is from an era gone by. It breaks my heart that it is so, but you can see politics driving Xi Jinping to continue to increase the pressure and restrict freedoms in Hong Kong and what will follow from that is that there's no rule of law. Then Hong Kong is no different than the rest of mainland China in terms of taking economic risk, and you will see economic activity reflect that all the time.

RFA: Google and YouTube decided yesterday to honor a Hong Kong court's decision to remove a protest song from the internet. What do you think the U.S. government can or should do?

MP: From a business perspective, I understand that - if they're going to participate in those economies - American companies have got to comply with the law that's in those places. But the United States government has a role here too, and our response should not be to permit the Chinese Communist Party to dictate to these institutions that are providers of information to people all across the globe.

When the Chinese Communist Party behaves that way, the United States government should take responses, whether that comes in the form of sanctions, whether that comes in the form of laws - we've done this with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, we often tell American businesses the ways that they can behave around the world.

When the U.S. government does that, I'm confident these businesses - whether it's a big American company or a small one - will comply with the U.S. laws. We have a lot of capacity to shape how these companies operate inside of China, including inside of Hong Kong.

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 May 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, Pakistan set to deepen counter-terrorism security cooperation: Wang Yi

Global Times

By Global Times Published: May 16, 2024 01:12 AM

China and Pakistan will further deepen security cooperation on counter-terrorism, and call on the international community to build a united front against terrorism, combat all forms of terrorism with a "zero tolerance" attitude, and eradicate the breeding ground for terrorism by addressing both the symptoms and the root causes, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when meeting with the press with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar after they held the fifth round of the China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue in Beijing on Wednesday. Ishaq Dar is on an official visit to China from Monday to Thursday, his first foreign trip since taking office.

Wang said that the Pakistani side provided further details of the investigation into the terrorist attack that caused Chinese casualties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan on March 26, and once again expressed deep condolences, as well as promising to continue to do the utmost to find the culprits and bring them to justice, while protecting the safety of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan.

Regarding other agreements reached between the two sides, Wang said that both countries will unswervingly support each other in safeguarding their own core interests, and China appreciates the fact that the Pakistani side firmly adheres to the one-China principle. China will also, as in the past, firmly support Pakistan in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, pursuing a path of development in line with its national conditions, combating terrorism and playing a greater role in international and regional affairs.

The two sides agreed to strengthen the docking of development strategies and policy synergy, create an upgraded version of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and help Pakistan better achieve economic growth, livelihood improvement, scientific and technological innovation and green development, while actively and steadily pushing forward third-party cooperation in the CPEC, Wang said.

Wang said that cooperation in the fields of industry, agriculture, mining, new energy and information technology should be strengthened according to local conditions to help Pakistan achieve independent, balanced and sustainable development.

The two countries will also continue to strengthen coordination and cooperation in multilateral mechanisms, including the UN and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, to safeguard the common interests of developing countries, Wang added.

Wang said that the two sides unanimously expressed their opposition to unilateralism, hegemony and power politics, as well as to any attempts to create blocs of antagonism and camps of confrontation, so as to jointly safeguard peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the world at large.

China is confident that, under the leadership of the new government, Pakistan will enter a new phase of political unity, social stability, controlled security and sustainable development, Wang said. China is willing to work hand in hand with Pakistan to take the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership to a new level, to benefit the people of both countries, Wang noted.

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Wang Yi: Unilateralism and protectionism are bound to be crushed by the wheels of history

Global Times

By Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Published: May 16, 2024 12:10 AM

On May 15, 2024, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi was asked for comment on the recent unilateral sanctions and tariff hikes imposed by the United States on Chinese productsawhen he met the press togetherawith Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar after the fifth round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue in Beijing.

Wang Yi noted that as the world hasaseen, over the past weeks and months, the United States has frequently imposed unilateral sanctions, abused the Section 301 tariff review process, and waged a campaign against China's normal trade, economic and technological activities that borders on madness. This is aamost typical case of hegemonism and bullying. It seems that some in the United States have lost reason in a questato ensure U.S. unipolar supremacy. Taking unscrupulous actionsaagainst China does not prove the strength of the United States, but only reveals that the United States has lost confidence and direction. It does not solve the U.S.'s own problems, but will further impede the normal functioning of global industrial and supply chains. It will notastop China's development and rejuvenation, but will only spur the 1.4 billion Chinese peopleato forge ahead with greater determination.

The WTO has drawn a clear conclusion that the U.S.'s Section 301 tariffs violate WTO rules and international law. People with basic knowledge ofainternational trade believe that the U.S. actionsahurt others as well as the United States itself. As one of the founders of the WTO, the United States has not only failed to be a role model in complying with WTO rules, but taken the lead in breaching them; it has not only refused to correct its mistakes, but kept making even more mistakes. Is this the "fair competition" that the United States champions? How does theaU.S. keep itsacredibility inathe international community?

Wang Yi stressed that unilateralism and protectionism go against the trend of the times and are bound to be crushed byathe wheelsaof history. At this crucial moment for the global economic recovery, the international community needs to tell the United States: stop making more trouble for the world.

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Grand Monument to Youth Representing Future of Civilized Thriving Country Inauguration Ceremony of Jonwi Street Takes Place with Splendor Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Cuts Inauguration Tape

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK

Pyongyang, May 15 (KCNA) -- Jonwi(Vanguard) Street, a new modern street which has been majestically built at the north gateway of Pyongyang, the capital city of the DPRK, to record another proud history of heroism in the course of development of the Korean youth movement shining with great succession and feats, came to be significantly inaugurated.

A large architectural group there, which presents a spectacular sight with high-rise and super high-rise apartment houses of various styles, including 80-storey apartment building, and public buildings, is an admirable gift of labor offered to the country and its people by the reliable young vanguards who are upholding and defending the cause of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) with ardent patriotism and loyalty. It is also a creation of the dynamic advance of Korean-style socialism.

The respected fatherly Marshal Kim Jong Un paid special care for the construction of a new street in the Sopho area where the indomitable stamina of the brave young vanguards always faithful to the call of the Party and the country would be displayed, and gave strength and courage to those young people with his boundless love and trust and guided them step by step to fully demonstrate the organizing ability, unity and patriotic devotion peculiar to the Korean youth in the grand construction site of the capital city.

The young vanguards from across the country, who have regarded the warm feelings of the great father as the whole of their destiny and nutriment for performing feats, proudly built a new street for the people which symbolizes the development and future of socialism, registering on their life stories of youth the noble names of honorable participants in the struggle for new prosperity of Pyongyang.

The inauguration of Jonwi Street is a clear proof of validity and vitality of the WPK's ideology of valuing the youth and a striking demonstration of invincibility of the revolutionary cause of Juche, which has written the glorious history of ever-victory and heroic struggle with the steady succession of loyalty and patriotism.

The inauguration ceremony of Jonwi Street took place with splendor on May 14.

Kim Jong Un , general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, attended the ceremony.

With their exceptional pride and great self-esteem of having repaid the trust of the Party with practical successes and having built the large architectural group by their own efforts, the young vanguards were waiting for the moment of glory to see him at the ceremony.

When the respected fatherly Marshal Kim Jong Un and his beloved daughter arrived at the venue of the ceremony amid the playing of welcome music, all the participants broke into stormy cheers of "Hurrah!"

All the participants enthusiastically cheered him, looking up to the great teacher and benevolent father who is bringing up and leading the young people to be the successors to the revolution, reserves of the Workers' Party and pillars of socialist construction with his loving care.

Present at the ceremony were Jo Yong Won and Choe Ryong Hae, members of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee, senior officials of the WPK Central Committee, officials and working people of the ministries, national agencies and Pyongyang Municipality, officials of the youth league and builders.

Working people and their families who are to live in the new modern houses were on hand.

The national anthem of the DPRK was played.

Ri Il Hwan, member of the Political Bureau and secretary of the WPK Central Committee, made an inaugural address.

Referring to the honor of greeting a significant moment of presenting to the country and its people the monumental edifice associated with the name of the young vanguards in the presence of the respected fatherly Marshal Kim Jong Un , the speaker warmly congratulated the reliable young builders who have risen to the platform of glory, ahead of the pleasure of the people with the pride of having built an another new street in our beloved capital city.

He stressed that it was not easy for the young people to build a large-scale street in which thousands of high-rise and super high-rise apartment houses and service buildings formed a large architectural group in a year by their own efforts, but they turned out bravely for the capital city of Pyongyang, true to the plan and determination of Kim Jong Un , and finally attained the huge construction goal, thus achieving the high honor and dignity of the revolutionary vanguards and successfully repaying the great trust of the motherly Party.

The construction of the new street in the Sopho area was a grand construction associated with the generous idea and intention of the fatherly Marshal to train the young people into the masters of the new era and genuine successors to the revolution, he said, adding that Kim Jong Un , who personally attended the ground-breaking ceremony, reposed absolute trust in the young builders with his passionate speech, significantly named the street "Jonwi Street" and saw to it that the project is prioritized as a state work and hastened actively.

He said that the young builders could produce a proud creation before their parents, brothers and sisters, rising generations, the Party and the country as the great love and trust of Kim Jong Un , who has led and taken warm care of the young people to make the course of building a new street a course of their ideological and spiritual growth and revolutionary training, became a detonator of boundless strength giving full play to the spirit of the young people.

Upon authorization of Supreme Leader of our Party, state and people Kim Jong Un , general secretary of the WPK and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, and the government of the Republic, the speaker extended militant respect to all the builders, including the commanding officers and members of the Paektusan Hero Youth Shock Brigade and the High-Speed Youth Shock Brigade, who magnificently built Jonwi Street into a symbol of the young vanguards rallied close around the WPK and redoubled the indomitable and dynamic revolutionary spirit.

He also extended gratitude to officials of the Party organizations and power organs at all levels, officials and working people of relevant units, all parents and helpers who have backed the young people to advance bravely at any time without a letup, while actively adding to their efforts and raising them.

Saying that the young builders are the patriotic youths of the new generation who proved before the brave soldiers of victorious war at the foot of Mt Sokbak how the new streets of paradise are erected on the land they defended with their blood and lives and how the soul of loyalty and patriotism handed down by the forerunners is inherited, he added that the young builders put their view of life onto a good level along with each stair while devoting their utmost sincerity of patriotism to this creation out of faith and will of successors and responsibility and duty of the future.

In the grand construction based on the prerequisite for steel-like organizing ability and unity, many young people have grown into the full-fledged socialist builders, honorable revolutionaries and patriots who cultivated and redoubled loyalty, devotion, collectivism and optimism, he noted, adding it is the precious success not inferior to remodeling the appearance of the capital city that the activities of the youth league have raised and youth officials who can plan fresh youth work and dynamically lead it have been trained.

This is just the success further valued by our Marshal, he stressed.

He noted that the Juche revolution is being steadily carried forward by the young vanguards who cultivate the thoroughgoing revolutionary spirit and matchless heroism under the care of the Party, and thanks to this our cause of realizing the communist ideal is always full of vigor and invincible.

He said that our Party and state going towards communism with the faithful and heroic youths who are willing to devote themselves to the call of the country, will not hesitate to achieve any goal and always emerge victorious without frustration in any difficulties. He ardently called upon all the people to redouble their strength of patriotism and unity and wage a more courageous struggle for the brilliant implementation of the decisions of the Eighth Party Congress and for the eternal prosperity of the country and the wellbeing of the people.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un cut the inauguration tape of Jonwi Street.

The moment, the participants raised stormy cheers of "Hurrah!" and fireworks were displayed to gorgeously decorate the May nocturnal sky.

With their heartfelt gratitude and loyalty, all the participants paid the highest tribute to Kim Jong Un who is translating the dreams and ideals of the people into great reality with his devoted service for the people's wellbeing while believing in them as in Heaven and with his devoted service for the people's wellbeing.

Kim Jong Un met the young innovators who performed labor feats in the construction of Jonwi Street and highly appreciated their efforts.

Noting that it is the greatest pride for the revolutionary Party to have its reliable successors and reserves, he said that the victory of the cause of building a powerful socialist country is sure to be achieved thanks to a large contingent of the passionate young people who are faithful to the call of the country, earnest before society and the collective and devoted to the future.

An art performance was given to celebrate the inauguration of the street amid the display of the strong faith and will of all the people to achieve the whole glory of the world under the guidance of the great WPK Central Committee which is leading to victory the historic struggle of creation and change for the prosperity of our socialist state and the promotion of its people's well-being.

The venue of ceremony was full of optimism and joy of the young people seething with patriotism. It resounded with a paean of the era reflecting the ardent desire of the younger generation to always love and glorify the country where the socialist fairyland is created along with the wealth of prosperity growing under the people-first principle.

The atmosphere was revved up amid the playing of a series of songs of youth in reflection of high spirit and passion of the red revolutionary vanguards determined to become young heroes glorifying the Kim Jong Un era of great changes, a new era of self-respect and prosperity while always advancing straight and vigorously under the guidance of the WPK.

Fireworks were displayed in the sky over the venue, full of the great pride and honor of the people advancing towards a brighter future guided by the great leader and dear father.

When the performance was over, the stormy cheers burst forth again.

Kim Jong Un warmly acknowledged the enthusiastically cheering participants and expressed belief that the young people would continue to fully demonstrate the wisdom and bravery of the youth they displayed in the construction of the capital city and perform shining feats in the vanguard of the times toward the overall state development.

Jonwi Street, built with pure loyalty and ardent patriotism of the patriotic young people absolutely true to the cause of the great Workers' Party of Korea, will shine long in history as a grand monument to youth demonstrating the rosy future of the powerful country of Juche which will thrive forever. -0-

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US has no choice but to 'double down' on North Korea deterrence: official

Senior US diplomat Daniel Kritenbrink cited Pyongyang's unwillingness to talk.

By Taejun Kang for RFA 2024.05.15 -- The United States has been left with no option but to "double down" on the enforcement of sanctions against North Korea due to its rejection of dialogue, a senior U.S. diplomat said.

"I think we've had no choice but to double down on our security arrangements, particularly with the Republic of Korea and Japan, and no one should doubt the ironclad nature of our security commitments to those allies," Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs said Tuesday during a forum hosted by the Washington-based Brookings Institution.

"We've also doubled down with a large international coalition of partners who continue to enforce sanctions against North Korea. I think given North Korea's unwillingness to respond to our offer of diplomacy, we've been left with no choice but to focus on these harder elements of our strategy," he added.

His remarks came as critics questioned President Joe Biden's approach to North Korea in this election year due to the lack of progress in re-engaging with it , and its relentless pursuit of advanced weapons programs and military cooperation with Russia.

Kritenbrink added that the U.S. has pursued dialogue with the North "without preconditions" while highlighting its security commitment to its allies.

"Unfortunately, the only response we've received thus far from the DPRK has been more missile launches," he said, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The senior diplomat also pointed out progress among South Korea, or the the Republic of Korea as it is officially known, the U.S. and Japan in bilateral and trilateral efforts to stand up to North Korean threats

"Our trilateral cooperation has also really reached unprecedented levels. And we have to be candid that a lot of that cooperation is designed to counter this growing threat from North Korea," he said.

Leaders of the three countries held a summit at Camp David in Maryland in August last year, where they agreed on a "commitment to consult" each other in the event of a shared threat.

"There are many challenges across the Indo-Pacific. This [North Korea] remains one of the most significant and we are certainly focused on it on a daily basis," Kritenbrink added.

Kritenbrink on Taiwan

Apart from North Korea, Kritenbrink also cited preserving the status quo in the Taiwan Strait along with broader regional peace and stability as U.S. priorities.

He highlighted the increasing Chinese coercion toward Taiwan and said the U.S. must use the Taiwan Relations Act to its advantage and cooperate with regional partners to contain Chinese aggression.

Kritenbrink added that Taiwan "plays a significant role" in the U.S. strategy in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly with regard to the global transport and semiconductor industries, stressing that any threat to the Taiwan Strait would have significant regional and international implications.

Edited by Mike Firn.

Copyright 1998-2016, 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 May 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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France declares state of emergency in New Caledonia as protests rage

By Lisa Bryant May 15, 2024

France has declared a state of emergency in its overseas Pacific territory of New Caledonia after deadly protests by native-born, pro-independence activists who oppose efforts to expand the voting rights of French residents on the archipelago.

Mainland France is glued to the events thousands of kilometers away a where fires were still burning Wednesday after two straight days of rioting that killed several people and left hundreds more wounded. Protesters have looted shops and torched cars and buildings, in the worst violence to hit the area in decades.

Police have arrested hundreds, and French authorities extended a nighttime curfew.

Sparking the anger is a measure to amend France's constitution to give voting rights to French residents who have lived in New Caledonia for at least a decade. It passed France's lower house on Wednesday. Both chambers of parliament still must vote a final time for it to become law.

Pro-independence activists in the Pacific territory, including many indigenous Kanaks, strongly oppose the move, saying it will dilute their voice.

"We feel oppressed, we're angry," one woman told Caledonia TV. She questioned whether people in France were listening to Kanaks like herself.

But other residents support the constitutional change a or just want peace to return.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has called for dialogue with the territory's political actors to find a solution on the future of New Caledonia, which was once under French colonial rule. It is now a semi-autonomous territory. In three referendums over the years, its voters rejected independence from France.

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Violence in French Pacific territory of New Caledonia turns deadly

By VOA News May 15, 2024

At least three people are dead in the South Pacific islands of New Caledonia after three consecutive days of rioting in the French territory.

The violence was sparked by a bill under debate in the French parliament that would allow French-born residents who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years to vote in local elections.

Leaders of the island's pro-independence movement say the measure would dilute the voting power of the Indigenous Kanak people.

Scores of homes and businesses have been looted and burned in the capital Noumea, despite the increased presence of security forces.

Authorities have imposed a nighttime curfew and a ban on public gatherings, while at least 130 people have been arrested. The violence has also prompted the closure of schools and businesses, as well as the island's airport.

French President Emmanuel Macron convened an emergency meeting of key ministers in Paris Wednesday to address the situation in New Caledonia. He called for an end to the violence in a letter to the island's leaders, and offered to hold talks with both pro- and anti-independence factions before the election reform bill comes up for a final vote in a special session of both houses of the French parliament next month.

The measure was approved Wednesday by France's National Assembly by a vote of 351-153.

Pro-independence leader Daniel Goa condemned the looting Tuesday and called for calm. But he said the situation "reveals the determination of our young people to no longer let France rule them."

France agreed in 1998 to grant New Caledonia more political power and autonomy and to hold three referendums over the island's status. Voters have rejected independence in all three referendums.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse.

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Chabahar is for 'everyone's benefit': India downplays US sanctions threat over Iran deal

Iran Press TV

Wednesday, 15 May 2024 6:31 AM

India's Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has downplayed US threat of sanctions after New Delhi signed a landmark contract with Tehran to operate the Chabahar Port in Iran, saying the project will "benefit the entire region."

Hours after India and Iran inked a 10-year deal to develop and operate the strategic Iranian port of Chabahar, the US on Monday warned any entity considering business deals with Iran of potential sanctions.

"Any entity, anyone considering business deals with Iran, they need to be aware of the potential risk they are opening themselves up to, potential risk of sanctions," the US State Department Principal deputy spokesperson, Vedant Patel, said at a press briefing.

In reaction to the US threat, Jaishankar said on Tuesday that people should not take a "narrow view" of the initiative, noting that the US has been appreciative of the larger relevance of the port and is well aware of the significance of the deal.

"I did see some of the remarks that were made, but I think it's a question of communicating, convincing, and getting people to understand that this is actually for everyone's benefit. I don't think people should take a narrow view of it," Jaishankar said while speaking at a book launch in Kolkata, India.

"They (US) have not done so in the past. So, if you look at the US's own attitude towards the port in Chabahar, the US has been appreciative of the fact that Chabahar has a larger relevance ...we will work at it," he added.

He emphasized India's longstanding involvement in the project, but said a long-term agreement could not previously be concluded due to a number of issues. He said that successful resolution of issues led to the signing of a beneficial long-term pact for the region.

"We have had a long association with the Chabahar Port, but we could never sign a long-term agreement. The reason was ...there were various problems ... the joint-venture partner changes, the condition changed," Jaishankar, 69, was quoted as saying.

"Finally, we were able to sort this out and we were able to get the long-term agreement done. The long-term agreement is necessary, because without it you cannot really improve the port operation. And the port operation we believe will benefit the entire region."

Back in 2016, India agreed to finance the development of the Iranian port but the process was stalled two years later due to the US sanctions reimposed after Washington's unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.

The agreement for the Long-Term Bilateral Contract regarding the operation of Chabahar Port, Iran's sole ocean port, was officially executed on Monday between Indian Ports Global Limited (IPGL) from India and the Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) of Iran.

For India, the Chabahar Port is considered a significant transit port for trade with landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asian countries.

The Indian government has made significant investments in the port's infrastructure and has actively participated in enhancing its facilities to establish it as a feasible transit route for Indian goods destined for Afghanistan and Central Asia.

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Religious polarization, jobs trouble India's young voters, but Modi has support

By Anjana Pasricha May 16, 2024

As India holds a phased election, Pavni Mishra, an undergraduate student at Delhi University, would prefer to watch the country's leaders focus on issues relevant to young voters like her, but she fears those issues are getting lost in the din of a polarized campaign.

"We should have a healthy competition in our politics rather than talking about religion," said Mishra. "We should talk about education, we should talk about employment, about how to empower our women and enlarge the startups in the country."

At the start of his election campaign last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of his vision of making India a developed country by 2047 and of welfare programs during his decade in power that had helped poor people.

But at his election rallies in recent weeks, the Hindu nationalist leader has accused the Congress Party of plans to give more benefits to Muslims if voted to power and warned women that the opposition would confiscate their gold and redistribute it to India's largest minority. The divisive rhetoric is seen as a bid to galvanize support in the Hindu majority country as he seeks a third term in office.

Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party is facing off with an alliance of opposition parties that includes the Congress Party, whose leader Rahul Gandhi is seen as the prime minister's main rival.

Modi has denied criticism that he is stoking divisions between Hindus and Muslims to win. Gandhi has denied Modi's charges of plans to favor Muslims, who make up India's largest minority group.

India's 18 million first-time voters in the general elections include millions of undergraduate students. For many of them, the top issue is how the next government will create more employment opportunities in a country where despite a growing economy, finding suitable jobs for graduates has become a key challenge.

"I want a fair government that ensures employment for everyone," said 19-year-old Shreyas Sood. Another student, who did not want to be named, said even finding an internship was a challenge. "I think the concern is about getting jobs which pay you a good decent amount to live. Everyone is stressed," she said.

They have reason to worry. According to a recent report by the International Monetary Fund, the unemployment rate for graduates is 29.1% -- nine times higher than for the lesser educated.

Despite such concerns, Modi's image as a strong leader who delivers results and has improved India's image overseas has won him the support of many young students.

"You can trust on Modi. I feel the country is in safe hands with him," said B. Prerna, an undergraduate student. Several students echoed that sentiment.

A survey among first-time voters by Lokniti research institute and the Center for Developing Societies indicated that Modi was the first choice for many who felt he could address youth-related challenges such as creating employment opportunities. Two-thirds of those surveyed said they would vote for Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party and that Modi was best suited to lead the national government.

"In younger people, there is a natural tendency to veer towards someone who is very visible, strong, seen as an iconic figure, and as someone trying to deliver results. In that sense Modi ticks off most of the boxes," according to political analyst Rasheed Kidwai.

Some students say a weak opposition has limited their choices. Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi has flagged the issue of employment in his campaign rallies, promised internships to college students and says his party will take steps to address growing economic inequality in the country.

But many perceive the Congress Party, which has been dislodged by the BJP as India's dominant party in the last decade, as an ailing party that has not rejuvenated itself.

"We have to vote for the Modi government because currently he is the only one who is looking good, who has a good face," said college student Satvik Sharma. "To be honest, opposition in the country right now is very weak."

Analysts say many young voters do not see any alternative to Modi. "The opposition is fragmented and although several parties have strong leaders, they are not pan-Indian leaders. Rahul Gandhi is not a prime ministerial candidate," pointed out Kidwai.

However, students like Sharma worry about divisive rhetoric and growing polarization during the BJP's decade-long stint in power. "The country and the youth are becoming religiously too radical, be it any religion," he said. "I want the government to be a little liberal, the youth to be a little liberal and think about the country as a whole and not their religion as supreme."

The use of issues such as caste and religion by political parties, has disillusioned some students in the world's youngest country - more than half of India is under 25.

"We are still fighting about mythical creatures and gods and religions. Rather, we should rather focus on the development of the country," said Amaldev K. He could not travel to his home state, Kerala, to cast his ballot, but he said that had he voted, he would have chosen an option that India allows on the ballot - NOTA or "None of the Above" which indicates a voter's dissatisfaction with all the candidates in the fray.

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Iran: Council broadens EU restrictive measures in view of Iran military support of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and armed groups in the Middle East and Red Sea region

European Council / Council of the European Union

Council of the EU

Press release

14 May 2024 11:10



The Council today decided to broaden the scope of the EU framework for restrictive measures in view of Iran's military support of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

This framework, adopted in July 2023, currently prohibits the export of components used in the construction and production of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) from the EU to Iran, and provides for travel restrictions and asset freeze measures against persons responsible for, supporting or involved in Iran's UAV's programme.

In view of Iran's continuing military support of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine as well as of non-state armed groups in the Middle East and the Red Sea region, and following the Iranian drone and missiles attacks against Israel on 13 April 2024, the Council decided that the EU's ability to impose restrictive measures will now cover not only UAVs, but missiles too. The EU will now be able to target persons and entities supplying, selling or otherwise being involved in transferring Iran's missiles and UAVs:

in support of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine

used by armed groups and entities to undermine peace and security in the Middle-East and the Red Sea region , or

and the , or in breach of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216 (2015)

Those targeted will be subject to an asset freeze and travel ban to the European Union. Additionally, the provision of funds or economic resources, directly or indirectly, to or for the benefit of natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed is prohibited.

Furthermore, it will be prohibited to export further components used in the development and production of UAVs from the EU to Iran.

Background

On 14 April 2024, the EU condemned in the strongest terms the Iranian drone and missile attacks against Israel on 13 April 2024, as an unprecedented escalation and a threat to regional security.

In its conclusions of 21-22 March 2024, the European Council called on third parties, including Iran, to immediately cease providing material support to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

In its conclusions of 17 April 2024, the European Council strongly and unequivocally condemned the Iranian attack on Israel and reiterated its full solidarity with the people of Israel and commitment to Israel's security and to regional stability. The European Council called on Iran and its proxies to cease all attacks and urged all parties to exercise the utmost restraint and to refrain from any action that may increase tensions in the region. Furthermore, the European Council stated that the EU would take further restrictive measures against Iran, notably in relation to UAVs and missiles. Finally, the European Council reiterated that the EU remained fully committed to contributing to de-escalation and security in the region.

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European Union ramps up and expands sanctions against Iran

Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

15.05.2024

Today 14 May, the European Union broadened the scope of sanctions imposed against Iran. According to the new criteria individuals and entities that produce drones and missiles and supply drones to Russia and to non-state armed groups in the Middle East can be added to the sanctions list.

According to new criteria, sanctions can now target individuals and entities who are connected to the production of Iranian drones and missiles; who provide Iranian drones and missiles to Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine; who provide Iranian drones and missiles to non-state armed groups in the Middle East; who threaten peace and security in the Middle East and Red Sea region and whose actions are in breach of UN Security Council Resolution 2216 aimed at restoring lasting peace and security in Yemen.

Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said Iran's continued support for Russia's aggression in Ukraine and destabilising actions in the Middle East affected global security. "Estonia and the European Union are working to make sure the sanctions are as strong and effective as possible," he said. "By changing the sanctions criteria, we can quickly impose restrictions on individuals and entities that decide to contribute to Russia's brutal war in Ukraine."

"Estonia unequivocally condemns any support to Russia in its aggression against Ukraine because Russia's aim in using the drones is to sow fear and panic in the people of Ukraine, and cause destruction," Tsahkna added. "It is crucial for all states that consider supporting Russia or any other terrorist regime or doing business there to understand that the potential profits gained from it will not outweigh the sanctions imposed by the West."

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Iran self-sufficient in drone, missile production: Defense official

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

May 15, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- A senior Iranian defense official says the Islamic Republic has designed and produced highly advanced drones and missiles without reliance on any country and despite draconian sanctions imposed by the West.

Brigadier General Afshin Khajefard, head of Iran's Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO) of the Defense Ministry, said on Wednesday, "We are affected by sanctions, and the enemy is trying to ensure that the Islamic civilization is not prominent."

"The field of science and technology is one of the areas that the enemy does not want to be developed in our country," he added.

Despite the outside pressure, Iran has made significant progress in the defense industry, particularly in the production of various types of drones and missiles.

The Iranian-made drones can fly for 6 to 7 hours depending on different situations to reach their targets, Khajefard said.

Regarding Iran's Operation True Promise of April 13, an unprecedented missile and drone attack against the Israeli regime, the official said both the operation and the air defense that was deployed to deter a possible counterstrike were an exemplary military action in the air domain.

"In this operation, we actually struck the enemy in an area where we felt we might not have had full control," he noted.

The European Union (EU) on Tuesday said it had expanded its sanctions regime to target Iran's missile industry on top of the existing restrictions on the country's drone program.

The new sanctions came a month after the Iranian Armed Forces launched the Operation True Promise against the Israeli regime in retaliation for an airstrike on Iran's diplomatic premises in Syria that killed Iranian generals.

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Iran, IAEA to continue joint work to solve differences: Atomic chief

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

May 15, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Mohammad Eslami, says the Islamic Republic and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will continue joint works to solve the differences.

Eslami told reporters on Wednesday that during the visit of the Director General of the IAEA Rafael Grossi, it was emphasized that Iran boasts a rich capacity in various sectors, especially nuclear science.

The Islamic Republic enjoys able and highly-skilled scientists in the sphere of nuclear energy, he pointed out.

When asked about the issue of lifting the imposed sanctions, he said the heads of AEOI and IAEA hold talks on technical topics.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry is tasked to follow up on the issue of sanctions, he further noted.

Commenting on the March 2023 agreement, Eslami said that the agreement is still in place.

Negotiations to lift economic and political sanctions are up to the political and diplomatic officials of the two sides and have nothing to do with our talks with the agency, he said.

In reaction to the French newspaper Le Monde's article about the rumors of the purchase of the yellow cake of the Islamic Republic of Iran from Nigeria, Eslami asked Grossi to report the the source of the news.

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Iran denounces Australia's sanctions on individuals, entities

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

May 15, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Iran's Foreign Ministry, in a statement on Tuesday night, strongly condemned the Australian regime for targeting the country's officials and institutions with sanctions in a fresh round of hostile behavior toward the Islamic Republic.

According to IRNA, the ministry's statement called Australia's anti-Iran move yet another show of double standard, saying the Islamic Republic strongly condemns the illegal approach of resorting to sanctions and reserves the right to retaliate.

""The silence of Australia and its partners in the wake of the aggressive action and violation of international laws and rights by the Zionist regime with its attack on Iran's diplomatic mission and the position of these countries against Iran's legitimate actions against the regime within the framework of the inherent right of self-defense based on Article 51 of the UN Charter well represented the double standard of Australia and its partners with regard to regional developments", the ministry said.

According to the statement, the dual approach of Australia and its partners not only does not help reduce instability in the region, but have intensified it further by maintaining silence on the Zionist regime's attack on diplomatic places, providing it with weapons for the merciless killing of the defenseless people in Gaza, they have encouraged the Israeli regime to violate international rules and commit war crimes.

The main cause of tension and insecurity in the region is the occupation and the criminal agenda of the Zionist regime in killing the Palestinian people with the relentless backing of the evil coalition, including Australia, the Iranian foreign ministry noted.

On Tuesday, the Australian government announced blacklisting senior Iranian officials including Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani and Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, Brigadier General Esmail Qaani.

Australian Foreign Minister, Penny Wong claimed that those sanctioned over what she called Iran's destabilizing actions in the West Asian region and include officials, businesspeople, and companies that have contributed to the development of Iran's missile and drone programs.

This is not the first time Australia has come up with anti-Iran sanctions. The country whose police is based on US dictate, has so far sanctioned 90 Iranian-linked individuals and 100 Iranian-linked entities under various pretexts.

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Grossi: Ties with Iran can enter new phase

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

May 15, 2024

London, IRNA -- The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency while referring to his recent trip to Iran and talks with the senior Iranian officials stated that Tehran has shown a desire for serious negotiations with the IAEA and the relations between the two sides can enter a new phase.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Grossi said, "I see in them (Iran) an understanding that it is better to engage a little than to continue down a completely different path, which could lead to further escalation."

He said that Tehran is willing to talk about "concrete" issues.

The IAEA Director General also stated that Iran and the United States continue to keep a "bilateral channel" open for negotiations.

In another part of this interview, Iran has not changed the scale or speed of its nuclear activities since the beginning of the war in Gaza.

There is no evidence to show that Iran has moved towards a weapons program or is moving or planning such a move, he added.

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Iran, IAEA to cooperate on unresolved issues: Atomic chief

Iran Press TV

Wednesday, 15 May 2024 4:41 PM

Iran's top nuclear energy official says the Islamic Republic will continue to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to resolve disputed issues surrounding its nuclear program.

Mohammad Eslami, who serves as head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said on Wednesday that Iran had sorted out almost half of the issues raised by the IAEA about its nuclear sites.

"...two sites remain, which are in the process of being resolved and the deputies from the two sides are negotiating and interacting on them based on the plan we have agreed upon," Eslami told reporters on the sidelines of a Cabinet meeting in Tehran.

He said ongoing work between Iran and the IAEA is completely separate from stalled negotiations that are aimed at reviving a 2015 international agreement on Iran's nuclear program, known as the JCPOA.

His remarks came days after IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi visited Iran to attend a major nuclear science conference and to hold talks with senior officials of the country.

Grossi and Iranian officials have described bilateral meetings in Tehran as positive.

In an interview with the Financial Times published on Tuesday, Grossi said that he had seen a desire in the Iranian authorities for engaging in serious negotiations with the IAEA.

That comes against the backdrop of some media reports and statements by Western government officials suggesting Iran is not willing to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog because it has not benefitted from the JCPOA.

Eslami said in his Wednesday remarks that a "Joint Statement" he made with Grossi in March 2023 to outline the road ahead for cooperation between Iran and the IAEA is still valid.

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Ex-President Issues Sharp Rebuke Of Iran's Leadership After Election Disqualification

By RFE/RL's Radio Farda May 15, 2024

Former Iranian President Hassan Rohani has issued a stern rebuke of the country's Guardians Council following his disqualification from elections to the Assembly of Experts earlier this year, accusing the body of undermining the role and freedom of future presidents.

Rohani said in a statement that the disqualification notice was as "an indictment against the institution of the presidency" that signals a "crisis" for political independence in Iran.

"What is mentioned in the letter from the secretary of the Guardians Council as the reasons for my disqualification is not only not a crime, but in some cases, I consider it an honor," Rohani said, criticizing the council for charging him with "insulting the judiciary and the Guardians Council," "a lack of political insight," "nonadherence to the constitution," and "an assault on genuine religious beliefs."

The 88-member Assembly of Experts, founded in 1982, appoints and can dismiss the supreme leader, but rarely intervenes directly in policymaking.

The March elections Rohani was barred from were considered more significant than usual given Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is 84 and could be succeeded during the new eight-year term that council members started this year.

In his statement, Rohani gave a sharp critique of the qualifications of the Guardians Council's jurists, challenging their legitimacy and expertise by asking "which elections and with the vote of which nation have these jurists earned the right to deprive the elected representatives of the people of their right to choose?"

He further accused them of lacking political, security, and diplomatic experience, and questioned their capability to evaluate candidates based on political knowledge.

The Guardians Council, consisting of six jurists appointed by the Supreme Leader and six legal scholars selected by the judiciary, has substantial influence over election candidates. Ahmad Jannati, 97, currently serves as the secretary of the council.

Rohani said his disqualification letter was a refusal by the Guardians Council to tolerate "the presence of an independent and critical movement in the sixth term of the Assembly of Experts."

The former president also said his disqualification came because of the 2015 nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), that he negotiated with world powers.

He defended the agreement saying it "was approved by the leader after tens of hours of discussion in the Supreme National Security Council."

The accord collapsed in 2018 when then-U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of the deal and reimposed crippling sanctions that have battered Iran's economy and its currency.

Rohani warned that future presidents "must know that with this decision, they no longer even have political freedom, are unable to perform their legal duties, and, instead of the constitution, must follow the Guardians Council."

Analysts and activists have said the March 1 the elections were "engineered" because only candidates vetted and approved by the Guardians Council were allowed to run.

Official statistics released by the Interior Ministry revealed that voter turnout exceeded 50 percent in only eight of the country's 31 provinces.

Mostafa Tajzadeh, a prominent political activist currently incarcerated in Tehran's Evin prison, described the vote as a "historic failure" for the country's leaders that was directly attributable to Khamenei, whose policies have sparked widespread public discontent with the Islamic republic.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/rohani-rebuke-iran-leadership- election/32948713.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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Ex-Israeli war minister: Netanyahu destroyed int'l support for Israel

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

May 15, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Avigdor Lieberman, the former war minister of the Zionist regime, says prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has destroyed international support for the regime due to his confusion and failures.

According to Al Jazeera, Lieberman said the war council is "misleading us and the government has no plans for anything."

Everything Netanyahu's cabinet does is for its political survival, and the negligence of this cabinet has created a big gap in Israeli society, he added.

Liberman ridiculed Netanyahu's poor management of the war, saying that the Hamas movement and Yahya Sinwar, its leader, are managing the war from the tunnels better than Netanyahu.

"We should not put our soldiers in danger, but we should install a missile system that can target any point in eight minutes," he stated.

After more than seven months since the start of the war in Gaza, the Zionist regime has not yet been able to achieve its goals in the Gaza Strip despite receiving endless aid from the US and Western countries.

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Biden advancing 1 bln USD arms transfer to Israel: media reports

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 13:03, May 15, 2024

WASHINGTON, May 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden is pushing through arms transfer to Israel worth more than 1 billion U.S. dollars in the Congress, multiple U.S. media reported.

The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal before being followed up by The Washington Post and the Associated Press.

The outlets cited anonymous U.S. officials and congressional aides as saying that the weapons package being sent to Israel includes 700 million dollars in tank ammunition, 500 million dollars in tactical vehicles and 60 million dollars in mortar rounds.

The potential transfer, now going through the so-called "tiered review" process in relevant committees of the House and the Senate, would be the first delivery of weaponry to Israel since the Biden administration recently put one shipment of bombs on hold, for fear that they would be dropped during an anticipated major ground operation by the Israeli military in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Biden said during an interview with CNN last week that he will not supply weapons to Israel for use in a Rafah invasion. His remarks and decision to delay the bomb shipments drew immediate condemnation from House Republicans, who planned to advance a bill this week that would mandate the delivery of offensive weapons to Israel.

The White House said in a statement Tuesday that Biden would veto the Republican-crafted legislation -- namely the Israel Security Assistance Support Act -- if it were to land on his desk.

"The bill would undermine the President's ability to execute an effective foreign policy," the statement said, calling the bill "a misguided reaction to a deliberate distortion of the Administration's approach to Israel."

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Fugitive Opposition Politician's 'Accomplice' Returns To Kazakhstan

By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service May 15, 2024

Kazakhstan's Anti-Corruption Agency said an "associate" of fugitive former banker and outspoken Kazakh government critic Mukhtar Ablyazov returned on his own to the Central Asian country, where he faces embezzlement charges.

According to the agency, businessman Aleksei Bogdanov's return to Kazakhstan from Brussels was the result of cooperation with Interpol.

Bogdanov was not sent to pretrial detention upon his arrival and instead was released on bail, the agency added in a statement on May 15.

In July 2023, Ablyazov's uncle, Quanysh Nurghazin, returned to Kazakhstan from Lithuania after living there for 12 years.

Kazakh authorities said at the time that Nurghazin was placed under house arrest on suspcion of being "the nominal director" of the BSC company, through which Ablyazov allegedly illegally transferred significant amounts of cash abroad.

Ablyazov, 60, the former head of BTA Bank, is wanted in Kazakhstan and Russia on suspicion of embezzling some $5 billion. Ablyazov and his supporters reject the charge as politically motivated.

Ablyazov was sentenced to life in prison in absentia in 2018 after a court in Kazakhstan found him guilty of masterminding the murder of a banker in 2004.

In a separate in-absentia trial in Kazakhstan that ended in 2017, Ablyazov was convicted of embezzlement, abuse of office, and organizing a criminal group and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

In December 2020, a court in Russia sentenced Ablyazov to 15 years in prison in absentia on embezzlement charges.

Ablyazov, who coordinates the activities of the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) opposition movement from abroad, denies all the charges.

The outspoken Kazakh government critic has lived in France for years.

Ablyazov has organized unsanctioned anti-government rallies in Kazakhstan via the Internet while in exile.

Kazakh authorities declared the DVK an extremist organization in 2017 and dozens of the movement's supporters have faced persecution for having links with Ablyazov and his movement.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/fugitive-opposition- ablyazov-return-kazakhstan/32948409.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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A marijuana warning sign hangs outside the Grass Lands area at the Outside Lands music festival in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco in August. Adam Pardee/Special to The Chronicle

President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the federal government is taking the next step to reclassify cannabis as a less dangerous drug, a move that could help struggling legal weed businesses in California, lead to lower prices for consumers and enable more research into the herbs potential.

Biden said the Department of Justice is seeking to reclassify cannabis under the Schedule III category of the Controlled Substances Act, akin to codeine and anabolic steroids. Until now, it has been in the Schedule I category, equated with drugs such as heroin that have no known therapeutic value.

The Justice Department will submit its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to the Office of the Federal Register. In the notice, justice officials propose reclassifying cannabis to a less harmful category. A 60-day public comment period will follow that before the rule is finalized.

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Changes will become visible next year at the earliest, as it will take months, at least, for the federal government to complete the reclassification process.

Nevertheless, Biden, who spent much of his five-decade career in Washington as an anti-illegal drug crusader, celebrated the move. In 2022, Biden asked the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services to review how marijuana is scheduled.

This is monumental, Biden said Thursday in a video message announcing the move. Its an important move towards reversing long-standing inequities. No one should be in jail for merely using or possessing marijuana. Period. Far too many lives have been upended because of a failed approach to marijuana and Im committed to righting those wrongs. You have my word on it.

It marks the first time in decades that the federal government has recognized the medical value of cannabis, which is legal in 24 states. Rescheduling, however, does not legalize cannabis under federal law. Because of that, many banks are still reluctant to be involved with cannabis businesses, forcing many businesses to transport their proceeds in cash, a dangerous undertaking.

Top Democrats want to go further. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York praised the move as big Thursday, noting on X that the Justice Department is finally recognizing that draconian cannabis laws need to change to catch up to science and the majority of Americans.

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But, Schumer said, its past time to legalize it.

Earlier this month, Senate Democrats, led by Schumer, introduced legislation that called for the end of the federal prohibition against cannabis. But supporters were far short from securing the 60-vote threshold needed for a vote.

Schumer and other Democrats re-upped their support for the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation Banking Act, which passed out of the Senate Banking Committee last fall with the support of three Republicans. The measure would enable banks to lend to weed businesses in states where the product is legal.

But Congress is unlikely to do much in an election year. Congressional Republicans wont want to give Biden a win on an issue that might help him, particularly with younger voters. A January Pew Research poll found that 93% of voters ages 18 to 29 support legalizing cannabis for medicinal or recreational purposes.

If approved, reclassification could eventually help Californias struggling $4.4 billion cannabis industry.

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After news of the proposed reclassification leaked earlier this month, Nicole Elliott, director of Californias Department of Cannabis Control said it will also help level the financial playing field for businesses that have long been burdened by inequitable federal tax laws.

Much of the potential good news in rescheduling for California cannabis businesses lies in the fact that they will no longer be subject to Section 280E of the federal tax code, which has long prohibited such businesses from writing off standard business expenses such as payroll and insurance costs. If youre trafficking a Schedule I substance, you cant claim federal tax deductions. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, has estimated that this will save individual marijuana businesses thousands, if not millions, in excessive taxes.

Removing those costs could help legal cannabis businesses compete better in California, where weed-related taxes can be as high as 40%, depending on how much a particular municipality decides to tax a business, said Hirsh Jain, founder of Ananda Strategy, a California consulting firm that advises cannabis retailers and brands. Compare that to a state like Michigan, where the tax rate is 16%, or Missouri, where it is 10%.

One-third of the cannabis cultivation businesses havent renewed their licenses over the past few years, and 15% of all weed businesses in California are behind on their state tax payments, Jain said.

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Myanmar junta forces kill 15 villagers after clashes with Rakhine State insurgents

Aerial bombings and gunfire on three villages destroyed homes and cars, and critically wounded many.

By RFA Burmese 2024.05.15 -- Myanmar junta forces battling ethnic minority insurgents in three townships in the west have killed 15 people in strikes on villages, residents told Radio Free Asia Wednesday.

The junta artillery fire and airstrikes on Tuesday also wounded 16 people in Rakhine State's Thandwe, Kyauktaw and Maungdaw townships, they said. Junta troops frequently retaliate against civilians across Rakhine State following offensives by the Arakan Army ethnic minority insurgent group, witnesses say.

Residents told Radio Free Asia that 12 people were killed in an attack and another person was critically wounded when troops shelled Thandwe township's Lin Thi village on Tuesday evening. Seven people were killed in the artillery strikes while five died in the hospital, according to Lin Thi residents.

Three people were killed in junta airstrikes further to the north on Tuesday, near the border with Bangladesh, residents there said.

RFA telephoned Rakhine State's junta spokesperson, Hla Thein, but he did not respond. The military junta and the Arakan Army have been fighting in Rakhine State since a year-long ceasefire ended in November.

More than 200 civilians have been killed and nearly 600 have been wounded by air raids, land mines and small and heavy weapons in the six months since November, according to data compiled by RFA from accounts from residents and the Arakan Army.

The junta-controlled Myanma Alinn Daily newspaper reported on Monday that 60 civilians had been killed and 113 wounded by artillery fired into villages by the Arakan Army.

A witness who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals told RFA that junta forces fired heavy weapons from a junta camp strategically positioned on a hill on Tuesday.

"When fighting erupted with the Arakan Army, junta troops in the Bardan Hill camp shelled the village," he said. "A family of five died in the first round, two more were killed in the second and the rest of the injured were brought to the hospital by boat. Three more died in the hospital last night and two died this morning."

Most villagers fled to safety, but shelling could still be heard on Wednesday morning, he added.

Ngapali beach, a tourist town in Thandwe, has faced increasing economic difficulties as the conflict has escalated in the region, scaring off visitors.

Junta targeting hospital and school

To Thandwe's north, Arakan Army troops captured Kyauktaw township's regional junta headquarters in February. The military has responded with targeted attacks on civilians, residents say. The junta's air force bombed a hospital and school on Tuesday in Wea Gyi Daunt village, injuring as many as 20 patients and healthcare workers.

A villager who declined to be identified for security reasons told RFA that unlike in Thandwe, where fighting instigated the attack, three bombs were dropped apparently for no reason, hitting only civilians.

"They dropped a bomb last night. The hospital was also destroyed. Two health workers were injured initially, then seven more were injured," he said.

The Arakan Army reported that as many as 20 patients and healthcare workers were wounded, five of them critically. Some victims had died from their wounds, the insurgents said, but did not say how many.

Junta troops also bombed the Kyauktaw-based Infantry Battalion 374 base, which the Arakan Army recently captured, residents said.

Junta airtrikes further north, near Myanmar's border with Bangladesh, killed three civilians and wounded six in Kin Chaung village in Maungdaw township, residents said. One man who witnessed the attack said two jets bombed the area even though there had been no clashes.

"Two elderly women and a man died. Six people were injured. Six or seven cars were destroyed," said the man, who declined to be identified due to the sensitive nature of the information. "A religious building in a monastery compound collapsed and two houses burned down."

Rakhine State is one of several Mynamar regions where fighters trying to end military rule have made advances recently against the junta that seized power from an elected government in early 2021.

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 May 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 presses Pakistan to address security concerns of workers, projects

By Ayaz Gul May 15, 2024

China on Wednesday hailed its "ironclad" relationship with Pakistan and vowed to further enhance economic and anti-terrorism security cooperation between the neighboring countries at a bilaterial strategic dialogue in Beijing.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi renewed the pledge at a news conference after hosting formal talks with his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, who concurrently serves as deputy prime minister.

Broadcast live by Pakistan's state-run TV, the media talk comes just weeks after a suicide car bombing in northwestern Pakistan killed five Chinese engineers who were working on a hydropower project. Their local driver also was killed.

The Pakistani military said this month that its probe into the March 26 attack revealed that an Afghan national carried it out and terrorists based in Afghanistan had planned it.

Wang stated that the Pakistani side promised to make every effort to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to justice. Chinese state media quoted him as expressing hope that Islamabad would ensure "the safety of Chinese personnel, projects, and institutions in Pakistan, and eliminate the worries of Chinese enterprises and personnel."

Dar said that the dialogue with Wang also reviewed the Afghan situation, and both sides agreed that peace and stability in the war-ravaged neighboring country are crucial for regional development, connectivity, and prosperity.

"We are concerned about the continued presence of terrorist entities operating in Afghanistan and call upon the Afghan interim government to take credible and verifiable actions against such elements using Afghan soil to threaten the peace and security of the neighboring countries," the Pakistani foreign minister said.

Wang calls for 'united front'

Islamabad maintains that the Pakistani Taliban, formally known as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, was behind the car bombing and other attacks in the country, alleging that the terrorist outfit is being facilitated by Taliban authorities in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan's ruling Taliban leaders reject allegations that Afghan soil was used in the attack against the Chinese workers. They reiterated that no one is permitted to threaten other countries, including Pakistan, from Afghanistan.

Wang said, without mentioning Afghanistan, that Beijing "is willing to further deepen counter-terrorism security cooperation" with Islamabad. Without elaborating further, he called on the international community to "eradicate the breeding ground for terrorism" through a "united front" against the threat.

The China-Pakistan dialogue comes one day after a new report warned that power vacuums in Afghanistan created in the wake of U.S.-led allied troop departures are fueling the resurgence of transnational terrorist groups, including TTP.

"The post-U.S. withdrawal environment in Afghanistan offers terrorist groups a range of new opportunities for regrouping, plotting, and collaborating with one another," said the study conducted by the U.S. Institute for Peace, based in Washington.

Beijing 'ready to work'

Wang said Wednesday that Beijing is ready to work with Islamabad to advance the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor or CPEC. The Chinese-funded multibillion-dollar collaboration has built roads, highways, power plants, and ports as part of President Xi Jinping's global Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Dar insisted the decade-long CPEC undertaking "has transformed Pakistan's economic landscape by eliminating power outages and developing a robust infrastructure network, thus laying a strong foundation for Pakistan's future development."

Pakistan's foreign minister noted that the two sides agreed to "further upgrade and expand" CPEC cooperation.

In a recent speech in Islamabad, Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong referred to CPEC as a pilot project of BRI and said it had brought more than $25 billion in direct investment, created 155,000 direct job opportunities, and built 510 kilometers (316.8 miles) of expressways, 8,000 megawatts of electricity, and 886 kilometers (550.5 miles) of core transmission grids to Pakistan.

Some critics attribute cash-strapped Pakistan's deepening economic challenges to CPEC-related Chinese investments and loans. A $3 billion International Monetary Fund loan helped the South Asian nation narrowly avoid default on its foreign debt payments last year.

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Statement of the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva Ambassador Gennady Gatilov at the Conference on Disarmament, Geneva, 14 May 2024

14 May 2024 22:00

14-05-2024

Unofficial translation

Dear Mr. President,

Dear colleagues,

For many years now the representatives of the Acollective WestA, primarily the European Union and the countries which associate themselves with the EU, have been multiplying unfounded and absurd accusations against the Russian Federation at the Conference on Disarmament. Numerous delegations compete with each other in eloquence, trying to blame Russia for both the deterioration of the international security and for the weakening of the system of international treaties on arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation.

All these much-repeated and replicated accusations are untenable from a legal, factual and historical points of view. Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a nuclear power, is well aware of its responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. Our State always takes a constructive position and has initiated negotiations on new arrangements. Even in the current challenging environment we are making every effort to remain within the legal framework and to maintain the necessary level of predictability and security.

At the same time the Russian Federation does not exist in a vacuum, it has to defend its national interests and react to provocative actions of other countries that take openly hostile and aggressive stance towards our State. By pursuing a blatantly anti-Russian course, our opponents are trying to restructure the international security architecture according to their own models and to put it at the service of their narrow group or individual interests, contrary to the aspirations of the overwhelming majority of the international community.

Having said that, I would like to note that the formation of international security, its maintenance at a proper level, as well as its possible imbalance are the result of constructive or, on the contrary, destructive actions of any State that seeks to occupy a prominent place in international relations. Therefore I propose to turn to the recent history and to consider the roots that caused the current crisis in international and regional security, primarily European security. It is necessary in order to clarify once and for all who is the true creator of the world's increasing political and military tensions, growing mistrust, the arms race, the cessation of the operation of international treaties and the paralysis of the most important multilateral disarmament fora, including the Conference on Disarmament.

Mr. President,

The first major shock for the whole world and, above all, for Europe after the end of the Cold War took place in 1999 when NATO, upon orders from Washington, committed military aggression against Yugoslavia in the very center of Europe. It was then that the alliance's declared "defensive" status was lost forever as a result of such an unprovoked and inhuman action against a sovereign State undertaken without the authorization of the UN Security Council and which claimed the lives of over 3,000 civilians alone. The exact number of those killed during the operation has not yet been established. The use of depleted uranium munitions during the bombing and shelling of Serbian cities led to soil contamination and a multiple increase in cancer among the population, which continues to kill people a quarter of a century after the NATO aggression.

The next significant milestone on the way of undermining strategic stability and international security was the unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the ABM Treaty in 2001. It was done with the tacit consent of Washington's European satellites, or even with their direct support. Such withdrawal violated the fundamental principle of strategic stability, which provided for an inseverable link between offensive and defensive strategic weapons, and also created the preconditions for changing the decades-old balance of power and starting a missile arms race in Europe and around the world.

In 2008 at the NATO summit in Vilnius it was decided to integrate into the alliance Ukraine and Georgia, countries once close to Russia that share historical, cultural and civilizational roots with it. At the same time extensive military development programs were launched on the NATO's eastern flank for the purpose of so-called "containment" of Russia. In the European theater of operations (according to the Pentagon terminology) US and NATO military infrastructure began to appear nearby Russian borders. This blatantly violated the understanding reached after 1991 on the non-expansion of NATO to the East. Our counterparts cynically claimed in that regard that their previous assurances were "verbal" and therefore non-obligatory to them.

It should be noted that the expansion of NATO took place at a time when Russia was trying to establish partnering relationships both with the whole alliance as well as its separate members. Moreover, the absorption of new States into NATO took place under the pretext of protecting them from a so-called threat from the East. The following and well-known thesis was used for this purpose: countries have the right to choose how to ensure national security, including identifying allies and joining political-military blocs. However, now active supporters of NATO enlargement shyly conceal that in addition to the open anti-Russian propaganda campaign, certain unscrupulous methods were used towards potential members of the alliance, or rather to their political and military establishment. In fact, those countries had no other choice but to formalize their membership in NATO.

Looking back, it can we said with full confidence that it was exactly the West, not Russia, that gradually closed the "window of opportunity" for a fruitful and comprehensive cooperation in order to solve pressing problems of regional and global security.

Judge for yourself. The US allies in NATO did not support any of Russia's initiatives to create a common and indivisible security space in Europe. They refused to adapt the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. They supported Washington's withdrawal from the ABM Treaty and then from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which, according to the Europeans themselves, was one of the foundations of the European security. Moreover, they rejected the idea of creating a collective European missile defense system with Russian participation, "scuttled" the Treaty on European Security, did not discuss the draft agreement on the Russia-NATO relations, avoided providing legal guarantees that their missile defense system would not be directed against Russian strategic nuclear forces, and did not accept our proposal of a mutual moratorium on the deployment of intermediate and short range missiles. This list could be continued. I have mentioned only the most illustrative examples.

We made our last attempt in December 2021, when two draft treaties on security guarantees to Russia were handed over to Washington and Brussels. Their key elements, quite reasonable and justified, were the cessation of NATO expansion and the non-deployment of strike weapons systems near Russia's borders, as well as the return of the military capabilities and infrastructure of the bloc in Europe to the parameters of 1997. But our balanced and constructive proposals were rejected.

Mr. President,

The most illustrative in this context is the Ukrainian crisis, which became the culmination of the anti-Russian line of the "collective West". The pumping of Zelensky's regime with weapons, the accelerated strategic development of Ukraine's territory by the de-facto nuclear NATO alliance, and the open unwillingness of Western States to talk about security guarantees forced our country to launch a Special Military Operation (SMO). I will not outline the entire historical and political background of the Ukrainian conflict. It is well known: Russia has all political, legal, moral and ethical grounds to seek the protection of its national interests, to ensure the security of its compatriots in the territory of the former Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic who have turned to the Russian Federation for help. The legal basis for such actions, as well as the goals and objectives of the SMO were duly and timely communicated to the international community.

The behavior of Western countries since the beginning of the SMO is indicative. Instead of working on a peaceful settlement and seeking ways to recreate a European security architecture, NATO countries are stubbornly waging a "proxy war" against our country, providing weapons, military equipment, as well as large-scale funding to the corrupt Kiev regime.

The statistics of weapons and military equipment supplied to Ukraine is impressive. Since the beginning of the Special Military Operation until March 2024, the Kiev regime has received 785 tanks, 266 multiple rocket launchers, 844 artillery systems of 155 mm caliber, 93 artillery systems of 152 mm caliber, 278 artillery systems of 122 mm caliber, 251 surface-to-air missile systems, 30 airplanes and 91 helicopters. The main donors are the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, France, Sweden, etc. Additional packages of financial assistance are being agreed upon, which in total has already reached hundreds of billions of US dollars.

There is no need to say that this assistance to the Kiev regime not only encourages it to commit new war crimes and confirms its impunity, but also leads to the prolongation and aggravation of the conflict. The lack of proper control over the transfer of weapons and military equipment leads to the proliferation of weapons, facilitates their access to the black market and other conflict zones, and, as a consequence, exacerbates terrorist threats. The bloody terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall on 22 March is a clear example of this.

Western countries have now launched the process of signing bilateral agreements with Ukraine on security guarantees. Such documents, by the way, are purely declarative in nature, since the US and its allies are certainly not ready to take any obligations towards Ukraine. However, the defenders of the "Ukrainian sovereignty" are persistently trying to create a propaganda veil and feed the Kiev regime's imaginary hope for solidarity support from Europe and the West as a whole.

The goals of the Europeans are clear. As the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell stated, the West is "fighting not for Ukraine but against the Russian Federation". Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren, echoing him, labelled the support for Ukraine as a "cheap way" for NATO to fight against Russia. Consequently, the catastrophic losses among Ukrainians on the battlefield are of no importance to the "collective West", as they are just "expendable material" to achieve its geopolitical goals.

At the same time, against the backdrop of the Ukrainian crisis, NATO has finally pulled the European Union under itself, turning it into its economic and political backbone. If earlier some experts were speculating about the possibility of achieving some kind of "strategic autonomy" for the EU, today we can state that this organization is ideologically developing, if you will, exactly in the opposite direction. It has completely lost its political subjectivity and turned, so to say, into an "overseas territory" of the United States. On 10 January 2023 the EU-NATO declaration explicitly stipulated the subordinate position of the European Union. It is understandable: as we all know, the corporations of the US military-industrial complex have long controlled the elaboration and implementation of the US foreign policy. We observe the same trend in Europe today.

Needless to say, the unprecedented growth of military expenditures in European countries since the end of the Cold War and the multiple increase in military-industrial production in the EU are fundamentally at odds with the UN sustainable development goals. Only Ukraine alone, this bankrupt and corrupt country, has received more than 200 billion US dollars from Western countries over last two years. By comparison, the European Union has earmarked less than 80 billion US dollars for a period of seven years for social and economic support to the countries of the global South and East.

Mr. President,

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is increasingly being used as a tool for hybrid warfare. Its members pursue the policy of sanctions and freezing funds, carry out intelligence activities, psychological operations and cyberattacks, and are involved in actions to undermine and disrupt the governance of sovereign States. As we have convincingly proved above, hybrid warfare with the stated purpose of inflicting "strategic defeat" has also been unleashed against the Russian Federation.

NATO's Strategic Concept, adopted at the Madrid Summit in June 2022, named Russia "the most significant and direct threat to security, peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area". The alliance, trying to justify its existence, has long ago assigned to the Russian Federation the role of its "adversary" which needs to be "contained".

Finland joined the alliance in 2023, and Sweden - in March 2024. The situation in the North of Europe has changed radically: the formerly peaceful and quiet region is turning into a space of geopolitical rivalry and military confrontation. At the end of 2023 Finland, Denmark and Sweden signed bilateral defense cooperation agreements with the United States, under which US troops will be deployed in the region. They are authorized to operate there under their own laws and are not subject to local authorities.

In addition to the US missile defense systems already deployed on the territory of Romania and Poland, which by definition pose a direct threat to the security of the Russian Federation, Poland now declares its readiness to deploy US nuclear weapons on its territory.

And all this is happening against the background of cynical calls for Russia to "de-escalate the situation" in Europe.

I would like to emphasize that Russia has never threatened any NATO country. On the contrary, it is NATO that is moving its military capabilities towards our country and creating direct threats to our security.

Mr. President,

It is absolutely clear to us who is really responsible for the degradation of European security and the aggravation of conflicts around the world, as well as who is preventing the elaboration of new effective instruments in the sphere of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation. The current state of affairs in the field of regional and global security is nothing but the product of a well-planned, well-considered, uncompromisingly implemented foreign policy course of the "collective West", which has set itself against the rest of the world.

It is obvious that Western delegations can repeat as much as they like the same unsubstantiated accusations against Russia and other "undesirable" States, but they are unable to rewrite history and thus cannot close the eyes of the international community to their own deeds which are detrimental to international security.

We are convinced that despite the current international turbulence Western States will sooner or later, we of course would like it to be sooner, cease their rampant anti-Russian campaign and realize the imperative of establishing an equitable and mutually respectful dialogue. This approach will be a necessary precondition for the formation of a system of multilateral international legal disarmament instruments that would be capable of responding to current and future challenges and threats. We should start by reducing tensions and restoring at least a minimum level of trust among the permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Russia, for its part, is open to any constructive diplomatic efforts, but only if and when the countries of the "collective West" and NATO are ready to do so. Above all, the latter should demonstrate their contractual capacity not by word but by deed and stop their vicious attacks on the sovereignty and economic viability of our State.

Thank you for your attention.







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Meeting with military district commanders

Vladimir Putin held a meeting with military district commanders.

May 15, 2024

15:20

The Kremlin, Moscow

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, comrades.

I would like to begin by congratulating you on a date we marked recently - May 9. This is the day we commemorate the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War.

I wanted to convey these greetings to you in person. I know that all of you had to be at your deployment sites on May 9, and this was the case, in fact, since you celebrated this day in the midst of combat action. In this connection, I would like to thank all of your subordinates, as well as you personally, for what you do on the battlefield.

Action continues according to the plan prepared and approved by the group's command, the General Staff, and all the objectives are being achieved. Not only last year, I would like to repeat this, but overall, all enemy counterattacks have been repulsed. This year, however, our troops have been steadily advancing across all theatres every day. Once again, they are carrying out every mission planned by the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff, and this is exactly what the nation expects from us - from you.

We can see what the neo-Nazi regime has been up to along the border. This is the way they have been acting since 2014, when we were still trying to settle this conflict by peaceful means. Unfortunately, this effort failed to yield results, which forced us to deploy our Armed Forces in order to defend our people there. But the more effective you become along the line of contact, the greater the chances are that we can settle this matter by peaceful means. This has always been something we aspired to, as I have said many times.

Comrades, you know that under the Constitution, a new federal Government must be formed once the country elects its President. We have six newcomers in the cabinet who will oversee sports, transport, industry, agriculture and defence.

I would like to thank Sergei Shoigu for what he did over the past years in terms of building up the Armed Forces and promoting transformative changes. I think we can all say with great certainty that we have been consistent in our efforts to overhaul our military, including by adapting to present-day imperatives and the latest methods of war. Yes, we all know that we have a lot of work ahead, since neither we nor those developing their armed forces around the world had a clear vision regarding many matters until combat action started. This much is obvious. But the way we have been able to promptly respond to present-day imperatives inspires confidence, proving that we will not fail to deliver on all objectives of this kind.

Mr Shoigu will be moving into a new role, as you all know. He will assume the post of Security Council Secretary and will be in charge of a Constitutional body formed by the President, with a mandate to assist the Head of State in leading the country on military and law enforcement matters.

Andrei Belousov has been appointed defence minister, not least because of the growing defence expenses. I would like to remind you that the Soviet Union's aggregate defence and security spending amounted to approximately 13 percent [of GDP] in the mid-1980s. In 2024, our total spending on defence and security will be about or slightly more than 8.7 percent. The approximate figure will be 8.7 percent. This is less than the 13 percent the Soviet Union spent, but it is still a considerable sum and a major resource, which we should use sparingly yet effectively.

Andrei Belousov had been Minister of Economic Development and a president's aide in the Presidential Executive Office, and for the past few years he was First Deputy Prime Minister in charge of economic matters. It goes without saying that he knows very well what should be done to incorporate the economy of our defence and security sector, and the Defence Ministry as its core element, into the national economy. This is extremely important. What I mean is that it will determine the innovative development of our industries with due regard for our economic and budget capabilities.

While increasing our defence and security expenditures, we bear in mind that all our social obligations to the people must be fulfilled, and that our national development goals must be achieved in all spheres, including in social protection. I am referring to education, healthcare, support for veterans, pensions and the like. All this must certainly be done while the growing defence spending is growing. At the same time, we see and understand that growing defence and security expenses are also intrinsically connected, one way or another, with civilian industries, which is boosting economic development as a whole and increasing the number of jobs (the unemployment rate is currently at a historic low in the country). However, this connection between "cannons" and "butter" must be organically incorporated into the general development strategy of the Russian state.

I hope that Andrei Belousov will accomplish this task in the best possible way. On top of everything else, he has recently been doing some dual-purpose things at my request, such as the creation of unmanned aerial vehicles and other drones. Sergei Shoigu was doing the same at the level of the Defence Ministry.

Mr Shoigu, who has left the post of Defence Minister, will not only act as Secretary of the Security Council but will also supervise the functioning of the Presidential Military-Industrial Commission and the establishment of the Federal Service for Cooperation with Foreign Countries. I believe that Mr Shoigu understands better than many the importance of fulfilling our obligations to partners on the export of weapons and military equipment, considering that we must give priority attention to the requirements of our own Armed Forces. It is an extremely delicate and significant combination. Mr Shoigu will be doing this jointly with the Defence Ministry, the ministry's leadership, and the Chief of the General Staff.

As for the General Staff and the entire structure responsible for our combat operations, no changes have been made or will be made. I would like to make this absolutely clear. This block of our combat activities has taken the final shape and is working smoothly and effectively. No changes have been envisaged. This is all I wanted to say in my opening remarks.

As agreed, I asked Mr Shoigu and Mr Gerasimov to organise this meeting so that we would also be able to discuss the current situation on the contact line. We do this every day with the senior staff of the Defence Ministry and the Chief of the General Staff, but I also wanted to hear your views. Overall, I understand what is going on and how we are acting, but while it is one thing to hear this in reports by the Chief of the General Staff and the Defence Minister, having a straightforward conversation with you is quite a different thing. We meet regularly, even if not very often, and I believe the time is right to discuss our combat activities in every sphere in more detail.

Thank you.

<...>

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Putin Heads To China With Military Ties Front And Center

By Reid Standish May 15, 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China for a two-day state visit where he's set to press Chinese leader Xi Jinping for more support to sustain his country's sanctions-hit economy and war machine in Ukraine.

The May 16-17 visit is Putin's first foreign trip since he was sworn in for a fifth presidential term one week ago and comes as Beijing continues to extend a key economic lifeline to Moscow to help soften the blow of Western economic sanctions that have limited Russian access to global supply chains and international markets. The United States has increased its warnings in recent months about China's crucial role in helping Russia on the battlefield by aiding its defense industry through the supply of nonlethal but militarily useful dual-use products.

Analysts say a main objective for Putin's trip will be to find ways to circumvent U.S. restrictions that have driven down Chinese exports to Russia in March and April following a boom in consumer products and dual-use goods since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Both U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Beijing during visits to China in April that Chinese companies -- and financial institutions -- could face secondary sanctions for supplying Moscow's defense industry.

"There are clear signals that the economic component of the war will be a crucial piece of [the visit]," Nathaniel Sher, a senior research analyst at Carnegie China, told RFE/RL. "Every month, China is exporting more than $300 million worth of dual-use products to Russia and isn't hiding it. There [are] few reasons to see why they'd stop now."

An analysis of Chinese customs data by Sher shows that Chinese exports to Russia have risen by more than 60 percent since the invasion of Ukraine and that in 2023 some 90 percent of "high-priority" dual-use goods used in Russian weapons production was imported from China. China's total trade volume with Russia also rose by 26 percent in 2023 to a record $240 billion.

Underscoring the importance of Russia's defense sector to Putin's China trip is a Kremlin reshuffle that saw him appoint technocrat economist Andrei Belousov as defense minister on May 12. Defense spending in Russia has been ratcheted up and experts say Belousov's appointment is part of an effort to raise military production for the war in Ukraine in preparation for a yearslong campaign.

Belousov, who has held several top economic roles over the last decade, also has extensive experience dealing with China. Both Xi and Putin will meet with policy teams specializing in trade, energy, and security cooperation during the visit and Alexander Gabuev, the director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, says that since Xi's state visit to Moscow in 2023 both Beijing and Moscow have "invested serious effort...to get senior officials on both sides to know each other well."

"As Beijing and Moscow expand their defense industrial cooperation, Putin has elevated high-caliber professionals with China experience," Gabuev wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Meeting An 'Old Friend'

Since the announcement of a Russia-China "no limits" partnership in February 2022, which was followed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine just days later, the countries have moved closer together despite sanctions and political pressure from the West.

In previewing the visit, the Kremlin said Putin and Xi would "discuss the whole range of issues in detail in their all-encompassing partnership and strategic relationship."

The two leaders will also sign a joint statement and take part in an event celebrating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the Soviet Union, the Kremlin added.

Putin will also meet Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang to discuss trade and humanitarian issues, the Kremlin said, and then visit the northeastern Chinese city of Harbin to open two bilateral trade events.

The state visit will mark the 43rd time that Putin and Xi have met. In an interview with China's state-run Xinhua news agency on May 15, the Russian leader praised Xi as an "old friend" and said China-Russia ties have reached new heights as both countries "strengthen foreign policy coordination in the interests of building a just multipolar world order."

Alicja Bachulska, a China policy expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, says the timing of the visit is key, as it follows a high-profile European tour by Xi to France, Serbia, and Hungary.

"The optics suggest that the two leaders will talk about China's key takeaways from Xi's meetings in Europe, many of which concerned the situation in Ukraine," she said.

Both countries serve as important geopolitical counterweights for each other in their rivalries with the United States. Moscow has stepped up military drills in the East China Sea with Beijing and U.S. intelligence officials warning in May that Russia and China are working closely together on military issues, including any potential invasion of Taiwan.

Meanwhile, amid Russia's isolation from the West, China has displaced the European Union as Russia's largest trading partner and become the biggest market for Russian oil and gas.

But this has also raised the risk of Russia becoming economically reliant on China, which has left it with less leverage in negotiations over its vital energy sector.

Russia is hoping China will replace Europe as the major market for its gas exports, but the two countries are yet to reach a deal on the Power of Siberia-2 pipeline, which would supply China with gas from fields previously serving European markets.

Testing A 'No Limits' Partnership

This risk of overreliance is also a factor in the flow of dual-use products from China to Russia, says Dennis Wilder, a former director for China on the U.S. National Security Council.

"Putin seems happy with what he's getting from the Chinese defense industry," Wilder told RFE/RL. "I don't think he feels he needs to get lethal weapons from them because he wants Russia to build these weapons. It's less costly to do it that way."

Wilder, a research fellow at Georgetown University, says the Kremlin is hoping to sustain the flow of dual-use goods to refurbish its defense industry, which is currently looking to boost the production of weapons and ammunition as the war in Ukraine grinds into its third year.

North Korea has also supplied Russia with millions of artillery shells for the Ukraine war and transferred ballistic missiles and other weapons in exchange for food and raw materials to manufacture weapons. South Korea and the United States have since accused North Korea and Russia of trading arms in violation of UN sanctions and expressed concern that Moscow could supply Pyongyang with more advanced military technology.

While no visit has been confirmed, Putin expressed his willingness to visit North Korea in January after an invitation from leader Kim Jong Un and some experts have speculated that Putin could visit Pyongyang following his trip to China.

"The North Korea element is an important wrinkle in this relationship and I imagine it will also be discussed in Beijing," Wilder said. "North Korea can help Russia militarily where China can't, but this new relationship with Putin and Kim is worrisome to the Chinese as it could further destabilize things in the [Korean] Peninsula."

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-xi--china-defense-russia- ukraine/32948596.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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Inside Russia's Improvised System For Mobilizing Men For The Ukraine War: An RFE/RL Investigation

By Daniil Belovodyev and Systema May 15, 2024

The job recruitment ad, sent via WhatsApp, was short and sweet, aimed at a potential recruit: apply for a position with the national railway company - and end up fighting in the "special military operation," the Kremlin's euphemism for the war in Ukraine.

"Recruitment for the SMO continues, from Russian Railways + St. Petersburg + the Defense Ministry. This is 1 million rubles."

That Russian military commanders and political officials are rushing to bolster troop numbers is no secret. More than 315,000 men have been killed or wounded since the start of the all-out invasion in February 2022, according to U.S. estimates. British officials put the tally at over 400,000.

And it's no secret that the Kremlin has gone out of its way to avoid a second mobilization - and a repeat of the shock that Russian society experienced in September 2022, when President Vladimir Putin issued that order.

But exactly how military recruiters have managed to keep troop numbers up in the face of withering casualty figures -- more than the Soviet Union suffered in the entirety of the 10-year war in Afghanistan -- while avoiding an unpopular new mobilization has perplexed outside observers.

Private-sector companies are playing a crucial, and little-understood, role in making this happen, according to new findings by Systema, RFE/RL's Russian investigative unit.

'I Know Them All By Their Surnames'

Through the early months of the invasion, military commanders relied on an improvised system of recruitment to attract volunteers to fight in Ukraine.

Yevgeny Prigozhin's private mercenary company Wagner pioneered a series of creative campaigns, calling its units an "orchestra" and its soldiers "musicians."

Wagner, which was incorporated into the Defense Ministry following Prigozhin's failed mutiny in June 2023 and his death two months later, also recruited heavily among prison inmates, something that continues today.

Putin's 2022 mobilization decree aimed at recruiting 300,000 new troops, using a mix of enticements as well as direct draft orders for military reservists. The order stunned Russian society, prompting an exodus of hundreds of thousands of people to places like Armenia, Georgia, and Central Asia, putting a strain on the domestic labor pool for highly skilled, specialized workers.

Loath to use a mandatory draft, authorities also began offering high wages, bonuses, and perks to attract soldiers. In many poorer regions, signing bonuses, plus benefits for war widows and survivors, dwarfed total annual salaries for many people, in what experts said amounted to a massive transfer of wealth by the Kremlin.

But authorities have also relied on, and pressured, private-sector companies to help bolster troop numbers.

Large state-run or state-owned companies like Russian Railways, the national railroad company, have used internal and external headhunter companies to recruit people to fight in Ukraine, Systema found. The recruitment aims to meet quotas set by regional and federal authorities, while also avoiding sending more qualified specialists, like engineers.

After contacting a dozen recruiters in several cities and inquiring about the terms for signing a military contract, an RFE/RL correspondent received a recruiting message from a Russian Railways representative, promising a mix of payments and bonuses coming from the company, along with the Defense Ministry.

After making contact with a recruiter -- a 55-year-old woman named Alla Pronina -- the correspondent was directed to the railroad company's internal security division, where the fictitious job position would be housed.

In St. Petersburg, billboards and websites are filled with advertisements for contract soldiers.

The main webpage of the website of a major St. Petersburg energy company, Yugo-Zapadnaya CHPP, greets readers with a large pop-up banner, inviting applicants to register as an employee and then go on to fight in Ukraine. The company promises an additional 405,000 rubles ($4,440), on top of the regular amount provided by the Defense Ministry.

Road maintenance companies and construction companies are also actively recruiting. One recruiter told RFE/RL that a 400,000-ruble bonus would be coming from the St. Petersburg Construction Committee, a city department.

Another recruiter appearing to represent Vozrozhdeniye, a St. Petersburg road and building company controlled by billionaire businessman Igor Bukato, tried to reassure the target audience that a recruitment scheme overseen by the company was "100 percent clean."

"Just like the first 1,000 people who came before you, you will receive the payment without issue," the recruiter, who gave his name as Dmitry, said in a voice message to RFE/RL.

"I have 20 people from Vozrozhdeniye [who went to fight in Ukraine]," Marina, another human resources officer from the company, also reassured RFE/RL in a phone conversation. "I know them all by their surnames."

The company did not respond to written questions submitted by RFE/RL seeking further comment. The St. Petersburg Construction Committee, and city administration authorities also did not respond to RFE/RL requests for comment.

'Bring A Friend!'

Wagner's legal existence has been in limbo since the Prigozhin mutiny, though experts believe its business operations and military hierarchy has been incorporated into the Defense Ministry.

Still, Wagner, or people posing as former Wagner mercenaries, have utilized the company's brand name and marketing logos, and continued to advertise and recruit heavily, using names like "The Orchestra" or "The Order."

Advertisements for The Order first started appearing on Russian social media networks in August 2023, about a month after the mutiny. Advertisements for The Orchestra, which appeared in February 2024, seem to be targeting foreigners for recruitment. Photos posted to social media suggest that Indians are among the largest non-Russian groups that have been recruited.

One recruiter for The Orchestra told RFE/RL that foreign recruits are trained directly by officers from the 810th Separate Marine Infantry Brigade, a unit that suffered heavily in the early months of the war.

In the central city of Volzhsk, in February 2024, leaflets began circulating "inviting" people to apply for employment with the Nizhne-Volzhsky Pipe Factory.

In addition to payments from the regional authorities, and the Defense Ministry, the potential employee is also promised a one-time bonus of 250,000 rubles ($2,740) from the factory itself.

Moreover, anyone who brings a friend for employment, and deployment to Ukraine, gets an additional 50,000-ruble ($550) bonus.

"The promotion is really good, sell your friend for 50,000," a commentator remarked in a post on a Volzhsk social media chat.

In other regions, local governments and private companies have rolled out similar schemes, luring recruits with extra payments. The government of the central region of Tatarstan offers signing bonuses of 205,000 rubles ($2,240) from local companies. In the Yaroslavl region, northeast of Moscow, local business reportedly doubled the amount of signing bonuses in February 2024.

A recruiter from the Samara region told RFE/RL that it was possible to go to war as an employee of Avtovaz, a major automobile manufacturer and important employer in central Russia. In Vologda, another region northeast of Moscow, a veterans organization affiliated with the space agency, Roskosmos, announced it was paying 300,000-ruble ($3,285) signing bonuses.

Even though the job vacancies being filled by potential applicants are fictional, the system is strictly organized. Upon signing a contract with a private company, a potential recruit is immediately directed to local military registration office to sign Defense Ministry contracts. If a person changes his mind, he receives no payment - and possibly other punishment.

'No Long-Term Planning'

The bulk of companies participating in these military recruitment schemes appear to be large, private industrial companies or state-owned enterprises. IT companies, or banks, do not appear to be part of the effort.

The motivation for participating appears to be various, experts and recruiters said. Some businesses receive tax breaks and grants for recruiting people for the Ukraine war.

Pronina, the Russian Railways recruiter, told RFE/RL that by participating in the effort, the company is able to avoid having to send its own qualified specialists to fight.

"Companies have engineers who take a long time to train. Companies must provide a certain number of volunteers for the" war," she said. "And instead of these volunteers, they'll take you. So it's a nice bonus for you, and they don't have to send their engineers."

Pavel Luzin, an expert on Russia's military currently teaching at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in the United States, said the recruitment system has likely been improvised under pressure from regional elites, regional governors.

"There is no long-term planning in this," he said.

Recruitment with the promise of additional benefits, according to Luzin, is designed for "not the smartest people, those without clear moral principles."

With reporting by RFE/RL correspondent Mike Eckel

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-mobilization-ukraine- stealth-recruiting/32948631.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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Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's video message to the participants in the 8th Young Diplomats Forum of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Countries, May 15, 2024

15 May 2024 11:00

884-15-05-2024

Colleagues, friends,

It is a great privilege for me to address the participants in the 8th Young Diplomats Forum of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Countries. As per tradition, it is taking place in the hospitable region of Tatarstan.

Your events have invariably focused on a meaningful agenda, while offering a packed programme and attracting prominent delegates representing the diplomatic corps, as well as the academia and the expert community. Since 2016, more than 250 young foreign ministry employees from over 40 countries have taken part in these meetings.

This time, you will be discussing a wide range of topical international matters, including opportunities for Russia to expand its cooperation with Muslim countries against the backdrop of an emerging architecture of international relations. Your agenda also covers various aspects of humanitarian and technological diplomacy.

The ceremony to grant delegates membership in the International Association of Young Diplomats will be one of the Forum's highlights. Its secretariat has recently opened at MGIMO University, offering a meaningful example of our efforts to promote grassroots diplomacy and elevate the dialogue between young foreign ministry employees to a new level.

The Foreign Ministry has been fully supportive in promoting various international youth cooperation initiatives, including the World Youth Festival, the Global Forum of Young Diplomats, and, of course, the event you are attending today.

Friends,

Russia is the biggest Eurasian power, with its state forming an entire civilisation that has a long-standing track record in promoting honest and mutually respectful ties with Muslim countries. Our firm commitment to the unique cultural and civilisational identities of nations around the world, their right to preserve their traditions and history and their ability to determine their own destinies form a solid unifying foundation for our relations. We have consistently advocated for the establishment of a just, democratic multipolar world order based on the principles set forth in the UN Charter.

We have made steady progress in developing our cooperation with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in all its aspects. There are now new opportunities for working together, including on the youth track.

Moving forward, we reaffirm our commitment to working with the OIC to promote interfaith and intercultural dialogue and to defend the spiritual and moral values that are shared by all world religions. We will also continue to fight Islamophobia, anti-Christian sentiments, Russophobia and other forms of intolerance based on racial, ethnic or cultural grounds.

I am confident that your meeting will contribute to strengthening the atmosphere of trust and understanding between our countries.

I wish you meaningful debates, every success in your endeavours and the opportunity to make new friends.



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First civilian defense chief in a decade, Wellington Koo faces reform challenge

ROC Central News Agency

05/15/2024 09:28 PM

By Joseph Yeh, Matt Yu, Wu Shu-wei and Yeh Su-ping, CNA staff reporters

As Taiwan faces considerable geopolitical challenges from an increasingly aggressive China, the national security team appointed by incoming President Lai Ching-te () to handle defense and foreign affairs has received much attention.

When Lai revealed his national security team on April 25, while some were veterans in their respective posts, his picks for two key positions sparked criticism because of the perceived lack of experience they bring to their new roles.

He appointed National Security Council (NSC) Secretary-General Wellington Koo () as the new defense minister and Lin Chia-lung (), current secretary-general to the president and former Taichung mayor, to take over as foreign minister.

Opposition politicians bashed the appointments, arguing that Koo and Lin lack the experience needed to serve effectively in their respective posts.

Amid the criticism, Lai said that Taiwan is best served by government officials with experience across various fields, given the current geopolitical situation, the expansion of authoritarianism and the restructuring of global supply chains.

In defending his decision, Lai said Koo has considerable experience in national security and defense, having served at the NSC for four years.

An attorney by profession, Koo was chairman of the Financial Supervisory Commission from 2017 to 2020 and served as a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator-at-large from February to August 2016, prior to being appointed NSC secretary-general.

Only civilian defense minister in a decade

Koo, 65, is set to succeed Chiu Kuo-cheng (), becoming the first civilian defense minister in over a decade in Taiwan. The most recent was Andrew Yang () during the administration of Ma Ying-jeou () of the Kuomintang, who was in the post for just six days before resigning over a plagiarism row.

Scholars interviewed by CNA said they believe Koo's appointment is intended to facilitate the desire of Lai's incoming administration to carry out fundamental reform of the nation's armed forces.

Kuo Yu-jen (), deputy head of Taipei-based think tank the Institute for National Policy Research, said that despite the passage of the National Defense Act in 2000 which mandates that Taiwan's defense minister must be a civilian, most defense chiefs have still been retired generals, giving the military substantial scope to oppose adjustments to force structure.

Su Tzu-yun (), a research fellow at Taiwan's state-funded Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that as a non-military personnel defense chief, Koo will have less baggage when it comes to pursuing arms deal packages.

When a defense chief is a former senior Army or Navy official, he is more likely to approve arms deals for weapons meant to be used by his old branch, Su said. "This is not just a Taiwan thing, it happens in militaries around the world."

As a civilian, Koo would not have the same baggage and therefore would make decisions on weapons purchases based solely on the big picture and Taiwan's overall defense strategy, he added.

In addition, as sitting NSC secretary-general, Koo understands perfectly Taiwan's overall national strategy and can thus make sure the Ministry of National Defense is better placed to play its role in that strategy, said Lin Ying-yu (), an assistant professor at Tamkang University Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies.

After assuming duties as defense minister, Koo is likely to focus on transforming defense organization and building combat readiness, as well as push policy changes in the reserve force, all-out defense and asymmetrical warfare, he said.

Another major strength of Koo is his communication channels with the United States, Taiwan's major arms provider, scholars noted.

Koo has had frequent meetings with the U.S. side as NSC secretary-general and therefore has a direct channel to Washington, Kuo said.

Alexander Huang (), chair of the Council on Strategic & Wargaming Studies and head of the opposition Kuomintang's international affairs department, also noted that Koo has had more opportunities to be involved in military affairs, especially in the areas of security cooperation with the U.S., than others in Lai's new national security team.

"Being close to and trusted by President Tsai [Ing-wen ()], Koo, despite being a civilian and having limited connections to the armed forces, is considered someone with whom Washington is comfortable working," he added.

However, there are still concerns that Koo, like other civilian defense ministers, will face strong push-back from the military, including different military branches and senior military personnel who will continue to question his qualifications as defense chief, due to his unfamiliarity with the armed forces.

As for Lin Chia-lung's appointment as incoming foreign minister, many have questioned his ability to serve that position as he has never worked in the foreign ministry.

Lin is a former transportation minister, lawmaker and mayor, which means he has experience in domestic affairs, Lai said, adding that "diplomacy is an extension of domestic policies" and as such Lin is well equipped for the job.

The 60-year-old Lin has served as secretary-general to the president since January 2023. Before that, he was ambassador-at-large in charge of Taiwan's digital New Southbound Policy initiatives, which were introduced by Tsai to enhance trade and exchange between Taiwan and countries in Southeast and South Asia, as well as with Australia and New Zealand.

Some have argued that the choice of Lin was more a goodwill gesture on Lai's part to DPP factions for overall party harmony, including Taiwan People's Party Legislator Huang Shan-shan (), who said Lin's appointment was apparently the "result of a power play between different DPP factions."

Lin began his political career in the early 2000s, serving in various positions in the administration of then President Chen Shui-bian (), including an advisor to the NSC and Cabinet spokesman.

While at the NSC, Lin was in charge of establishing a Taiwan-U.S.-Japan three-way dialogue platform.

VP to play bigger role in diplomacy

Some of the scholars CNA interviewed agreed with this assessment of Lin's capabilities, but predicted that Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim () will play a role in Taiwan's diplomacy.

It could take time for Lin to settle in as Taiwan's top diplomat, a job described by his predecessor Joseph Wu () as "probably the most difficult foreign minister job in the world," due to Beijing's continued pressure over Taiwan's international space.

Alexander Huang said the designated foreign minister "should have no problem with the job," but warned that Lin's lack of experience in working with the foreign service and lack of familiarity with fast-changing international relations "may require him to devote considerable time and energy to his new post."

Meanwhile, Li Da-jung (), director of the Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies at Tamkang University, believes that Hsiao, Taiwan's former representative to the U.S., will play a role in helping Lin adapt to foreign affairs.

Prior to taking office, Hsiao visited the U.S. and Europe. In addition, after Lai announced Lin's appointment, Lai, Lin, Koo and Hsiao all visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be briefed on foreign affairs, according to the professor.

This suggests she may have a major role to play in Lai's diplomatic policy, Li said.

As to whether Hsiao will become the real decision-maker on foreign affairs, Li believes that will be decided by Lai, adding that currently, Wu, Koo and Hsiao are expected to shoulder the responsibility together.

Enditem/AW

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Big shoes to fill as Foreign Minister Joseph Wu to shift posts

ROC Central News Agency

05/15/2024 05:40 PM

By Joseph Yeh, CNA staff reporter

In an increasingly complicated geopolitical landscape, Taiwan's newly elected president, Lai Ching-te (), has selected mostly familiar faces from the outgoing administration to help him navigate security and diplomatic challenges after he takes office on May 20.

Among them is incumbent Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (), who is set to leave the position he has held since February 2018 and return to his previous post as secretary-general of the National Security Council (NSC).

The 69-year old Wu will soon conclude more than six years heading Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the longest tenure of any Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan) foreign minister since the country's first direct presidential election in 1996.

That may not seem remarkably long, but Wu himself described the job in a late 2023 interview as "probably the most difficult foreign minister job in the world," referring to Taiwan's diplomatic isolation due to pressure from the People's Republic of China (PRC).

The 12 foreign ministers prior to Wu served an average term of 2.3 years, sometimes forced to resign early with the loss of another formal diplomatic ally or two to China, which has sought to diminish Taiwan's international space and recognition of it as a sovereign country.

During Wu's tenure, the ROC lost more allies to the PRC -- eight in all -- than any other foreign minister since 1979, when the ROC and the United States ended official diplomatic relations.

It earned Wu the title of "minister of broken ties" by the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), but he avoided getting the axe.

Despite repeated KMT urgings for him to step down, Wu said more than once he was willing to take political responsibility for the loss of a diplomatic ally, but that the decision was the president's, not his.

So why has President Tsai Ing-wen () refused to let him go?

In part because, as Wu argues, he and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government have increased Taiwan's visibility internationally and enhanced relations with Japan, European countries, and the U.S.

Wu has been particularly active in Taiwan's warming relations with Central European countries, with Lithuania the most obvious example.

Ties between Taiwan and Lithuania have expanded since 2021. That year in July, the two sides reached an agreement to open reciprocal representative offices, and Taiwan opened its office in Vilnius on Nov. 18, 2021.

A China hawk

However, beyond any specific achievements, it may be Wu's outspoken style that has made him stand out from among his predecessors.

He has generally refrained from using the cautious "diplomatic" language of his predecessors and come to be known for his hardline stance against the PRC.

Part of that has been reflected in his attitude toward opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers, who are generally more China-friendly than Wu and the DPP government.

He frequently trades barbs with KMT lawmakers, who criticize him for losing diplomatic allies to China and for attributing all blame to Beijing without any intention of examining MOFA's own shortcomings.

Wu has also taken the step of suing KMT lawmakers twice in the last five years, a move previously unheard of because legislators have the power to freeze the MOFA budget.

Though often criticized for being too anti-China, many believe Wu has held up as Taiwan's foreign minister because his outspokenness and combativeness were able to counter PRC's "wolf warrior diplomacy."

At one point, Wu even reveled in being put on a Chinese list as a "Taiwan independence diehard."

"I've received countless notes of congratulations after being blacklisted and sanctioned, for life, by the #CCP. Many are jealous for not being recognized; some ask where they can apply for it. To deserve the rare honor, I'll keep fighting for #Taiwan's freedom and democracy," he wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) in November 2021.

Simply being willing to go online is atypical for a Taiwan foreign minister.

Ever since MOFA opened its official Twitter account in April 2018, the tweets that ended with the initial of "JW" were written by Wu himself. In total, Wu made 894 posts on X himself, and among them 164 have generated more than 1,000 likes.

That willingness to engage with the public has extended to his approach with international media.

Unlike his predecessors, Wu, who can speak English fluently, has embraced every opportunity to speak to foreign media to talk about Taiwan's foreign policy and Chinese aggression.

According to MOFA data, Wu has done interviews with international reporters in more than 320 one-on-one interviews and/or media roundtables, generating more than 1,565 articles worldwide.

In contrast, he has rarely done interviews with local media, and when asked why, Wu said he has seen himself as the Taiwan government's spokesman to global media. "If not me, who will do the job?"

Catherine Hsu (), head of MOFA's Department of International Information Services who accompanied Wu in many of these interviews, told CNA that Wu almost never says no to any interview request from foreign media.

"He has taken every opportunity to speak up on Taiwan's behalf at every critical juncture, and has generated very positive outcomes," Hsu said.

More approachable minister

Within MOFA, Wu is also considered a more approachable and friendly minister, compared to his predecessors.

Most MOFA diplomats CNA talked to for this story, especially younger diplomats, had positive impressions of Wu, in part because he has been less bureaucratic and more willing to explore new diplomatic opportunities than others in his position in the past.

They say he has also improved housing and child care subsidies for diplomats stationed overseas and modernized MOFA dormitories to accommodate the needs of diplomats who return to Taiwan following overseas assignments.

Alexander Huang (), chair of the Taipei-based think tank Council on Strategic & Wargaming Studies and head of the KMT's international affairs department, was unwilling to be critical of Wu, acknowledging that being Taiwan's foreign minister is "a hardship position for anyone, and Joseph Wu is no exception."

Despite losing eight formal diplomatic allies, "Wu was able to divert public attention to celebrate the newly opened relations with Central and Eastern European countries," Huang said.

Himself a senior consultant to Taiwan's representative office in the U.S. during the 1990s, Huang also said Wu's "strong leadership style" put MOFA "under tight discipline, less influenced by retired ambassadors and veteran foreign service officers or experts across the domestic political spectrum" than it used to be.

In a sentimental X post on April 25 following the announcement that he would be stepping down, Wu bid farewell to his followers.

"While the job was heavy at times, it's been a tremendous honor to serve as foreign minister for the last 6 yrs. I appreciate the global support & brilliant colleagues at #MOFA. Will continue on in the same spirit. JW."

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Lai promises to continue cybersecurity development

ROC Central News Agency

05/15/2024 04:01 PM

Taipei, May 15 (CNA) President-elect Lai Ching-te () said his presence at an annual cybersecurity exposition Wednesday illustrated his interest in continuing the government's support for the development of the cybersecurity sector after he takes office on May 20.

Lai made the pledge at the Cybersec 2024 Conference one day after President Tsai Ing-wen () attended the expo's opening ceremony on Tuesday.

"I've been asked to give remarks at the Cybersec Conference for the first time, and I know what that means. I promise today that I'll continue supporting the cybersecurity industry [as the next president]," Lai said.

His administration will continue to work with the private sector and academia on building the sector, according to the president-elect.

"Our resolve is shown by the fact that Vice Premier-designate Cheng Li-chun (), Digital Affairs Minister-designate Huang Yen-nun (), and National Security Council (NSC) advisor-to-be Lee Yuh-jye () are also here with me today."

Lee, whose appointment was announced Tuesday, is a research fellow at Academia Sinica's Research Center for Information Technology Innovation and the project convener of the Trustworthy AI Dialogue Engine (TAIDE), Taiwan's self-built large language model.

Citing the 2024 World Economic Forum's report on global risks, Lai said AI-generated misinformation and disinformation was forecast to be the most severe risk in the short term (over a two-year period) and cyber insecurity was ranked fourth.

"That is the reason why we need to follow President Tsai's 'cybersecurity is national security' policy," the president-elect said.

Taiwan is among the most attacked countries when it comes to cyberattacks and disinformation, Lai said. "But the silver lining is that it means we have a training field more effective than other countries to train our cybersecurity abilities and develop the industry."

Cybersec 2024 Chairman Merton Wu () said at Wednesday's conference that this year's expo, with its enlarged capacity, gives insight into that training through an event called "Cyber Arena" offering "cybersecurity drills."

"Participants can learn in the drills how to identify and respond to China's cyber armies' cyberattacks, strengthening our cybersecurity resilience," Wu said.

He said the presence of Tsai and Lai on consecutive days signified the expected "seamless continuance" of Taiwan's national cybersecurity policy.

(By Alison Hsiao)

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The National Park Service and D.C. police clear out a homeless encampment site in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington on Thursday. Shuran Huang/Special to the Chronicle The National Park Service and D.C. police construct fences after clearing a homeless encampment in Washingtons Foggy Bottom neighborhood. Shuran Huang/Special to the Chronicle A clearing notice is posted at a homeless encampment in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood. Shuran Huang/Special to the Chronicle The National Park Service and D.C. police clear out a homeless encampment site in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood. Shuran Huang/Special to the Chronicle Volunteers from Miriams Kitchen and Georgetown Ministry Center help Shelley Byars pack up her belongings on Thursday. Shuran Huang/Special to the Chronicle The National Park Service and D.C. police cleared a homeless encampment site in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood on Thursday. Shuran Huang/Special to the Chronicle David Beatty, 65, a homeless man originally from Kansas City, Mo., moves his belongings to a new site in Washington, D.C. on Thursday. It is going to change my life. I dont know where I am going next or what I am going to do, Beatty said. Shuran Huang/Special to the Chronicle

WASHINGTON  In a city park, workers in hazmat suits were picking up the remains of someones life  a purse, bedding and whatever else had been left behind. They moved efficiently through the homeless encampment, shoveling everything left behind into a trash bag or nearby garbage trucks.

At 20th and E streets northwest in Washington, D.C., across from the State Department and Federal Reserve, residents of the encampment were still packing up.

Some had been offered a place to stay by the city, but some said they hadnt.

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This is completely tame compared with the last time resident Shelley Byars was removed from her home, she said. Byars, a resident of the homeless encampment at 20th and E, was one of dozens evicted during the last big encampment clearing in the district, at McPherson Square in February 2023. At that cleanup, some residents werent able to get back in to claim their belongings once they left, she said.

Shelley Byars, 46, has been living in a tent since April 2022. It is just one more stress. We have got people to bring us resources, and all of a sudden, we are scattered; nobody knows where we are, Byars said. Shuran Huang/Special to the Chronicle

The Thursday scene, which unfolded just three blocks from the White House, was a stark reminder of how homelessness has become a critical issue in communities across the United States.

The clearing took place as cities and homeless advocates await a Supreme Court ruling that could redefine how local governments can respond to homelessness. Advocates for the homeless argue that overturning the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision  which prohibited cities from citing homeless residents for sleeping or camping on public property if there is no adequate shelter available for them to move to  would allow cities to effectively criminalize being unhoused. Lawmakers and city leaders across the country argue that the existing ban hamstrings their ability to limit where people who are homeless can sleep in public and restrict whats allowed in the encampments.

The justices appeared inclined to agree with the cities seeking to crack down on encampments, but its still unclear how broad of a ruling the court might hand down.

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San Francisco is among the cities that have asked the court for more latitude to police homeless encampments. A lawsuit restricting the citys actions on encampments is on hold, pending the outcome of the Supreme Court case.

The city cant clear encampments unless it offers their residents immediate and available shelter, and it cannot confiscate or destroy their personal property; or, unless there is a health risk, emergency need for access, or to ensure compliance with disability rights laws. The city can also ask people to move temporarily to clean.

Phoenix is under a similar injunction, but was also given a court mandate to clear its largest homeless encampment last year. The city created 482 temporary shelter beds in advance of the November 2023 clearing.

Other cities across the West are locked into legal settlements that dictate when and how they can clear encampments.

Washington, D.C., however, isnt subject to many of the restrictions San Francisco and Phoenix face.

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Robert, originally from Everett, Wash., sits alone after his encampment site is cleared out. Shuran Huang/Special to the Chronicle

Once the district decides that an encampment is a health, safety or security risk, the city must provide at least 14 days notice prior to a cleanup. Residents at the 20th and E encampment were notified of the closure 33 days prior. The city can clean up an area on shorter notice, however, if there is an immediate health or safety concern.

Officials plan to clear out seven total encampments on D.C. and federal property in the next week, citing fires, danger of traffic collisions, multiple assaults, and growing rodent issues, D.C. Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services Wayne Turnage said in a statement. Turnage told an observer Thursday that this encampment has had six assaults and two fires.

Compared with other encampments, however, this one has always been an orderly, calm encampment where they kind of policed themselves, Adam Rocap, deputy director of social services nonprofit Miriams Kitchen, told the Chronicle. Thats why its so frustrating that its getting closed because it was not creating as (many) health and safety concerns.

Theyre effectively destroying a neighborhood and the people that knew each other and watched out for each other, said David Beatty, one of the residents.

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David Beatty, 65, sweeps a grass patch after he moves his belongings from a homeless encampment in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. Shuran Huang/Special to the Chronicle

Rocap said this encampment was likely being closed because its highly visible, located near several federal buildings and just off a highway, and because the National Park Service is restoring parts of the city for the 250th anniversary of the countrys founding.

Theyve let us stay for a long time, Beatty, who has lived there about nine months, said. I think theyre just tired of having us here, not so much rehabbing the park. They just want to try to make it difficult for the people that are living here.

D.C. may have used several of the methods San Francisco is barred from employing, including clearing people without having available shelter beds and destroying property.

Miriams Kitchen helped about 20 of the parks nearly 50 residents move their belongings to nearby parks last Monday and Tuesday, Rocap said. The closure had initially been scheduled for Wednesday, but was postponed because of rain. Some of the residents decided to move into housing before the closure, and by Thursday morning, only nine or 10 people were still left.

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Encampment closures like this are ineffective and dont do anything to end homelessness; they just move homelessness, Rocap said. This type of displacement, however, can lead to Miriams Kitchen losing track of residents and breeds distrust in them, he said.

Last month, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness  the federal agency focused on ending homelessness  updated its guidelines to states and cities on how they should address encampments. The agency called on local officials to close encampments in a humane and trauma-informed way that includes clear communication, at least two days notice to pack personal items, availability of shelter or housing, and notifying residents that personal belongings left behind would be removed and stored.

Clearing an encampment without offering housing and support does not solve homelessness in the short or long term. Instead, it simply moves people experiencing homelessness from block to block and from streets to jails, the guidance says.

Byars said she doesnt want to go into a shelter because she knows people who have been maimed while they sleep, and you cant take in your own food.

Byars was approved for a housing voucher, but she said its difficult to find places that are both willing to take one and are up to building and fire codes  a requirement of the program. She would like to see the government allow her to use a housing voucher for a tiny home.

The National Park Service and D.C. police construct fences after clearing a homeless encampment. Shuran Huang/Special to the Chronicle

Even if she wanted to go into a shelter, a bed may not have been available.

As of the week of May 6, only three shelter beds for single adults were available in D.C., according to materials reviewed by the Chronicle.

Turnage, the deputy mayor, told an observer during the clearing that additional beds had been added to two shelters in the city and that we are never going to close an encampment without offering a bed.

By noon, only one resident of the encampment remained. The man, who declined to speak with the Chronicle, was reluctant to engage with outreach workers from Miriams Kitchen or city employees. Eventually, he decided to move instead of facing arrest.
President-elect Lai reiterates openness to dialogue with Beijing

ROC Central News Agency

05/15/2024 01:21 PM

Taipei, April 15 (CNA) Just days away from taking office, President-elect Lai Ching-te (ea) told a democracy forum in Copenhagen on Tuesday that Taiwan was open to dialogue with China.

"I will not rule out dialogue with China on the principles of mutual respect, mutual benefits, and dignity," Lai said at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit in a pre-recorded video, adding that such dialogue should be conducted "with no preconditions."

Incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen (ee) has made similar appeals for official engagement with China over the years, to no avail.

Beijing has insisted on Taipei accepting the "1992 consensus," under which both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China, as a prerequisite for dialogue.

Lai, who will be inaugurated on May 20, said his administration "will work to safeguard the status quo" in the Taiwan Strait.

He said the people of Taiwan "stand at the forefront of the fight against authoritarian expansion" as they face pressure from foreign disinformation, military threats, and economic coercion.

"Despite Beijing's efforts, the people of Taiwan have rejected authoritarianism," Lai said. "China's coercion has only strengthened our resolve to remain democratic and free."

In the face of those challenges, Taiwan must continue to bolster its defense capabilities and enhance its economic resilience, Lai said.

"The free world must win the global race in important technology sectors," Lai said, noting that Taiwan as an advanced chip manufacturing powerhouse will be "centric to the global technological alliance of democracies."

Tsai, who will step down on May 20 after serving two four-year terms, also addressed the summit on Tuesday in a separate pre-recorded video in which she said "the people of Taiwan are more determined than ever to safeguard democracy and freedom."

Taiwanese have dealt with "much intensified threats and intimidation" from China on a daily basis "with resilience and courage," Tsai said, while accusing China of engaging in hacking, cyberattacks, and military intrusions against Taiwan.

"Neither threats nor coercion will shake Taiwan's resolve to engage with the world," Tsai said. "Taiwan and its people stand ready to strengthen cooperation with democracies around the world, in all areas where we share mutual interests."

Partnerships Taiwan maintains with like-minded countries will be "the most effective defense of all," she said.

Taiwan remains ready to share its best practices on countering authoritarian influence with its partners, she said, while underlining the country's commitment to support and strengthen democracies around the world and contribute to regional security.

The summit, being held in Copenhagen on Tuesday and Wednesday, seeks to bring together political, business and media leaders, as well as democracy activists to speak up in defense of the values of freedom and democracy.

Other speakers invited to address the two-day event includes Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark, among others.

(By Teng Pei-ju)

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Taiping Island trip aimed at pressing Lai on sovereignty: Analysts

ROC Central News Agency

05/15/2024 08:18 PM

Taipei, May 15 (CNA) A trip by about 20 opposition lawmakers to Taiping Island just two days before President-elect Lai Ching-te's () inauguration on May 20 is aimed at challenging Lai to reiterate Taiwan's territorial claims and sovereignty, analysts believe.

Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Ma Wen-chun (), who co-chairs the Legislature's Foreign and National Defense Committee, will head the group, which will consist mainly of KMT lawmakers and a handful of lawmakers from the Taiwan People's Party (TPP).

Ma told reporters on May 5 that the purpose of the visit was to express support for Taiwan's Coast Guard personnel stationed on Taiping Island, inspect a newly constructed pier, and reinforce the country's sovereignty over the island.

Dachi Liao (), an emeritus professor with National Sun Yat-sen University's Institute of Political Science, said the opposition lawmakers are "daring" Lai to reiterate Taiwan's territorial claims with the visit to an island that symbolizes national sovereignty.

With Lai expected to adopt a "non-provocative" stance on the issue in his inauguration speech, the lawmakers are looking to test whether Lai, who leads the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), will match his strong support of Taiwan as an independent sovereign country with words, Liao said.

The Taiwan-controlled Taiping Island, also known as Itu Aba, is also claimed by China, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

It is situated 1,600 kilometers southwest of Kaohsiung among the Spratly Islands in the resource-rich and strategically important South China Sea.

Liao said the DPP vigorously defended Taiwan's territorial claims under former President Chen Shui-bian (), who paid a visit to Taiping Island in 2008.

But amid an ongoing power struggle between the United States and China in the South China Sea, the ruling party has in recent years been relatively "muted" over Taiwan's territorial claims in the contested waters, Liao said.

The KMT, meanwhile, has been a staunch defender of those claims, which are within the "existing national boundaries" enshrined in the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan's official name) Constitution, Liao said.

The KMT, therefore, wants to present Lai with the conundrum of whether to remain silent or reassert the country's territorial claims at the expense of upsetting the U.S., which has sought to choke off China's military presence in the sea, Liao said.

Reasserting the claims might not be bad for Taiwan, Liao argued, because if the government shies away from the issue every time it is brought up, it suggests Taiwan cannot assert its sovereignty and can only capitulate to the stances of the U.S. and China on the issue.

According to Liao, the relatively large size of the delegation to visit Taiping Island means that the trip has likely been discussed with China and the U.S., which may not necessarily agree with the tour but are likely to acquiesce.

The opposition parties may be trying to create an image, however, that they are tougher and more vocal in their support of Taiwan's sovereignty than the DPP, Liao said.

Brian Hioe, an editor at New Bloom Magazine, agreed that the trip is aimed at pressuring the DPP to reinforce the territorial claims of the ROC.

It seeks to "frame the DPP as unwilling to defend the institutions of the ROC in a way that it should" and in part to appeal to the KMT's traditional support base by reiterating the country's claim over Taiping Island, Hioe told CNA.

In addition, Hioe said, the visit could also undercut the strengthening ties between Taiwan and the Philippines, a claimant of the island, potentially spelling trouble for Lai, whom Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. congratulated for winning the Jan. 13 presidential election.

J. Michael Cole, a Taipei-based security analyst, said that while there was nothing "intrinsically untoward" with visits to Taiwan-controlled Taiping Island, it was crucial, given the tensions in the region, that such visits be conducted in ways that avoid causing tensions with other claimants, such as Vietnam and the Philippines.

Also, participants of such visits should make sure to emphasize that their actions in no way suggest that Taiwan and China are collaborating in their respective claims to the contested areas, Cole told CNA.

"I have no doubt that the legislators who take part in this visit are doing so with the full awareness of the likelihood that Beijing will seek to exploit it for its own propagandistic purposes," Cole said.

The KMT in March pressured departing President Tsai Ing-wen (), who has not visited the island since taking office in May 2016, to pay a visit to reinforce Taiwan's claim over it.

The National Security Bureau at that time advised against a visit, citing geopolitical factors in the South China Sea and safety concerns related to the presidential aircraft.

(By Sean Lin)

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26 PLA aircraft cross Taiwan Strait median line or extension: Ministry

ROC Central News Agency

05/15/2024 04:54 PM

Taipei, May 15 (CNA) A total of 26 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or its extension in the 24-hour period starting at 6 a.m. Tuesday, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday.

Of those Chinese aircraft, 20 crossed the median line, while six crossed the extension and entered Taiwan's southwestern air defense identification zone (ADIZ). Both groups contained an unspecified number of jets and drones, flight paths and information released by the ministry showed.

Some of the aircraft flew as close as 41 nautical miles (75.93 kilometers) from the northern city of Keelung, the information showed.

An ADIZ is a self-declared area in which a country claims the right to identify, locate and control approaching foreign aircraft but is not part of its territorial airspace as defined by international law.

In total, 45 PLA aircraft were detected in Taiwan's vicinity during the same period, while six PLA Navy vessels were also operating in waters around the country, the defense ministry said.

The ministry said it deployed combat air patrol aircraft, Navy vessels and coastal missile defense systems in response.

The ministry discontinued its practice of identifying the types of PLA aircraft detected in Taiwan's ADIZ on Jan. 16.

The incursions Tuesday were one of the largest by PLA aircraft in recent months and come just days before the inauguration of President-elect Lai Ching-te (ea) on May 20.

(By Wu Shu-wen and Matthew Mazzetta)

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Taiwan regional leader-elect must give clear answer to whether to pursue path of peaceful development or deviate from public opinion: spokesperson

Global Times

By Global Times Published: May 15, 2024 09:10 PM

It is peace, not war; development, not regression; interactions, not separation; and cooperation, not confrontation that represent the prevailing public sentiment in Taiwan society and Taiwan regional leader-elect must give a clear answer to whether to heed the people's aspirations and pursue the path of peaceful development or deviate from public opinion, Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, on Wednesday responded regarding the scheduled inauguration speech of Taiwan regional leader-elect Lai Ching-te, on May 20.

"Taiwan independence" is fundamentally incompatible with peace in the Taiwan Straits, Chen said.

The mainland consistently upholds the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, firmly opposes "Taiwan independence" separatism and external interference, continuously expands cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation in various fields, deepens cross-Straits integrated development, and is committed to promoting the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations and advancing the cause of national reunification, Chen said.

Taiwan's regional leader-elect, Lai, is scheduled to deliver a speech at the inauguration ceremony on May 20. His stance on cross-Straits relations is being closely watched by both Taiwan and the mainland.

On May 7, more than 60 pro-reunification groups, including the Labor Party of Taiwan, the Reunification Alliance Party, and the Blue Sky Action Alliance, initiated a peace declaration signing activity, urging the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities and Lai to adhere to the one-China principle, and stop compromising cross-Straits relations or forcing the people on the island to face the existential choice between war and peace.

The declaration launched by pro-unification groups in the island of Taiwan showcases the clear stance of far-sighted people from different walks of life in Taiwan, expressing their legitimate demands that align with the fundamental interests of the Taiwan people. It also reflects the common desire of the majority of Taiwan compatriots for peace, development, exchange, and cooperation, Chen said, expressing affirmation and appreciation for these people.

Given that some members of Lai's authority have strong "Taiwan independence" tendencies, including several listed as "stubborn Taiwan independence" separatists, analysts are concerned that the risk of "Taiwan independence" will continue to rise in the foreseeable future, making the situation in the Taiwan Straits increasingly complex and severe.

In response, Chen said at the press conference on Wednesday that for some time, the DPP authorities have stubbornly adhered to their "Taiwan independence" separatist stance, refusing to recognize the 1992 Consensus which embodies the one-China principle.

They have directed "Taiwan independence" separatists to openly promote the "two states" theory, colluded with external forces to seek "Taiwan independence" and make provocations, deliberately stirred up and intensified cross-Straits confrontation, and crudely obstructed and limited normal cross-Straits exchanges, continuously heightening tension and turbulence in the Taiwan Straits, said Chen.

"Taiwan independence" separatists betray the national interest, go against the will of the people, and seriously harm national sovereignty, security, and development interests. "We will not tolerate or condone this, nor will we turn a blind eye," Chen said, noting that for "Taiwan independence" separatists whose actions and words are egregious and who aggressively pursue separatist activities, China will in accordance with the law severely introduce legal measures to punish crimes of splitting the country and inciting separatism.

The legal measures against "Taiwan independence" are aimed at a very small number of separatists and their separatist activities, not at all Taiwan compatriots. We hope that the vast majority of Taiwan compatriots will uphold the national interest, conform to the trend of history, recognize the extreme harm of "Taiwan independence" separatism, and firmly resist and oppose any "Taiwan independence" separatist actions, said Chen.

During the Wednesday press conference, Chen also announced that the mainland will impose sanctions on five individuals and their families according to the law due to their spreading disinformation.

For some time, a few so-called commentators in Taiwan, including Huang Shih-tsung, Lee Cheng-hao, Wang Yi-chuan, Yu Pei-chen, and Liu Pao-chieh, have disregarded the facts of the mainland's development and progress. They have deliberately fabricated false and negative information about the mainland and spread it widely through television, the internet, newspapers, and other media, Chen said.

Their baseless remarks have misled some people on the island, stirred up cross-Straits hostility and confrontation, and hurt the feelings of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits. The facts are clear, and the circumstances are serious, said Chen.

Silence and tolerance toward evil amount to injustice and harm to the public good. Public opinion is not beyond the reach of the law. Any actions that fabricate and spread rumors, disrupt social order, or damage the country's honor and interests will be subject to legal punishment, said Chen.

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Chinese FM refutes US officials' claims on UNGA Resolution 2758 not equate to an international consensus on the one-China principle

Global Times

By Global Times Published: May 15, 2024 08:23 PM

In response to repeated ill-intentioned comments from some US officials to challenge the authority of the UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, calling Taiwan's status "undetermined" and trumpeting for Taiwan's "meaningful participation" in the UN system, Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that those comments tread on international law and the basic norms of international relations.

Recently, the US deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs and China Coordinator said that UNGA Resolution 2758 does not endorse, equate to, or reflect an international consensus on the one-China principle. A program director of the German Marshall Fund of the United States said that "the PRC's positions" on UN Resolution 2758 "are not consistent with international law."

Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a press briefing that those comments distort the facts and history, tread on international law and the basic norms of international relations, and breach the US' own commitment.

The island of Taiwan has been part of China since ancient times, which is a historical fact and also an international consensus, Wang said. The 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation clearly stipulated that Taiwan, a Chinese territory stolen by Japan, shall be restored to China. These documents with international legal effect formed an integral part of the post-WWII international order and also affirmed Taiwan's status as China's inalienable territory from a legal perspective.

According to Wang, on October 25, 1971, the 26th session of the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 with an overwhelming majority. The Resolution resolved once and for all the question of the representation of the whole of China, including Taiwan island, in the UN as a political, legal and procedural issue. It made clear that there is only one China in the world and that the island of Taiwan is a part of China, not a country. It also made clear that there is only one seat of China in the UN, and the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal representative, precluding "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan."

Wang said the US is a signatory to the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation. In all the three China-US joint communiquAs, the US clearly stated that "The government of the United States of America recognizes China's position that there is only one China and Taiwan is part of China." US leaders have, on multiple occasions, reaffirmed the commitment of not supporting "Taiwan independence," "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan."

However, the US is now publicly questioning and misinterpreting UNGA Resolution 2758, fudging and hollowing out the one-China principle, and trumpeting for the participation of Taiwan island in the UN system which requires sovereign statehood. What the US is doing violates its own commitment and aims to turn back the wheel of history.

Wang said the US' distortion and slander of UNGA Resolution 2758 is reminiscent of the US' recent claim that UNSC Resolution 2728 demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza is "non-binding." Both cases reflect the US' selective approach to international law and the basic norms of international relations, and US bullying and double standard.

However, gone are the days when hegemony and power politics dominated international relations, Wang said, noting that any country, including the US, which tries to challenge the UNGA Resolution 2758 and the one-China principle will only find it futile.

Before the UNGA Resolution 2758 was adopted with overwhelming majority, the US came up with the so-called dual representation proposal in an attempt to create "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan," which was discarded, Wang said.

Today, any US attempt to go against the trend of the times, play the "Taiwan card" and use Taiwan island to contain the Chinese mainland will only end up in greater failure, Wang added.

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US to send delegation to Taiwan's presidential inauguration

The decision follows a 'long standing precedent,' the White House said.

By Alex Willemyns for RFA 2024.05.15 -- U.S. President Joe Biden will send an unofficial delegation of former government officials to Monday's inauguration of incoming Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, the White House announced Wednesday.

A senior Biden administration official said the delegation would comprise former National Economic Council Director Brian Deese, former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and Brookings Institute fellow and former government adviser Richard Bush.

Laura Rosenberger, the current director of the American Institute in Taiwan, will also attend the inauguration, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity according to pre-set rules.

The American Institute serves as the de facto U.S. Embassy on the self-governing island that China claims as its inalienable territory.

The White House official called Taiwan "a model for democracy not only in the region, but also globally" and said that the decision to send an unofficial delegation to the close U.S. ally was not unusual.

"For over 20 years, the United States has sent delegations comprised of former government officials to Taipei after the election," the official said. "It is in keeping with our One China policy, consistent with the status quo and [there is] a long standing precedent to do so."

The official noted Biden had sent similar delegations in April 2021, February 2022 and again following Taiwan's election in January.

Lai, who has served as the term-limited Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's vice president for the past four years, won the island's Jan. 13 presidential election, defeating two rival pro-Beijing candidates.

'Beijing will be the provocateur'

Lai's inauguration comes at a time when the United States and China strive to keep alive a now nearly year-old thawing of relations that had threatened to spiral out of control following then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's controversial trip to Taiwan in August 2022.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, told Radio Free Asia that China opposed the delegation and said the United States should exercise "extreme prudence" on Taiwan.

"The elections in Taiwan are the affairs of a region in China. China firmly opposes the U.S. having any form of official interaction with Taiwan and interfering in Taiwan affairs in any way or under any pretext," Liu said. "We urge the U.S. to have a clear understanding of the extreme complexity and sensitivity of the Taiwan question."

But the White House official said Beijing had nothing to fear.

"The inauguration is part of a normal routine democratic process, as is our sending of this delegation. Beijing will be the provocateur should it choose to respond with additional military pressure or coercion," the official said. "This is all part of a normal, routine process."

The United States stood by its neutral stance on the ultimate sovereignty of Taiwan, the official added, maintaining only that Beijing and Taipei should work out their differences without conflict.

"We do not take a position on the ultimate resolution of cross-strait differences provided they are resolved peacefully," the official said.

Edited by Malcolm Foster. Updated to include comments from the Chinese Embassy.

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 May 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 May 15, 2024

ROC Ministry of National Defense

2024/05/15

PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan

1. Dateis

6 to 6 a.m. (UTC+8) Tuesday to Wednesday, May 14-15

2.PLA activitiesis

45 PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 26 of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's northern and 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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Turkish Interior Chief Vows to Identify Plotters Against Erdogan Government

Sputnik News

20240515

ISTANBUL (Sputnik) - Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Wednesday intentions to identify structures working against the authorities and people of the country so that they would appear in court.

"If there is a structure in any body that is aimed against the president, the government and politicians, then we will go to the very end, we will identify this structure, and it will appear in court," Yerlikaya wrote on X, adding that inspectors' report will be ready soon and will be made public.

Earlier in the day, the Turkiye newspaper reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had held an emergency meeting with the heads of intelligence and the ministry of justice after his ally, Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahceli, had warned of a possible coup d'Atat being prepared by law enforcement agencies. The dismissal of several police officers in Ankara's security directorate accused of links to criminal organization Ayhan Bora Kaplan has caused widespread concern.

Later, the Hurriyet newspaper reported that the general prosecutor's office in Ankara is investigating a possible conspiracy, adding that the article of the Turkish criminal code on which the investigation is based includes the creation of an illegal organization to commit a crime against the security and constitutional order of the state.

A Sputnik

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Secretary Blinken's Call with Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan

US Department of State

Readout

Office of the Spokesperson

May 15, 2024

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke by phone today with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Fidan discussed efforts to achieve an immediate ceasefire that would secure the release of hostages and help alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. The Secretary and Foreign Minister also discussed ongoing efforts to secure a durable and lasting peace in the region. Secretary Blinken emphasized the importance of avoiding an escalation of conflict in the Middle East and ensuring increased deliveries of humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

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New Golden Age of shipbuilding as new UK-built warships boost Navy building programme to up to 28 ships and submarines

With up to 28 warships and submarines in the pipeline, backed by defence spending rising to 2.5% of GDP, Britain is seeing a new Golden Age of shipbuilding.

14 May 2024

Defence spending boost driving new Golden Age of shipbuilding

Defence Secretary announces Royal Navy shipbuilding programme to rise to up to 28 ships and submarines to deliver a more secure future

Up to six new amphibious warships for the Royal Marines to be built in the UK

With up to 28 warships and submarines in the pipeline, backed by defence spending rising to 2.5% of GDP, Britain is seeing a new Golden Age of shipbuilding, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps will say today [Tuesday].

Speaking at the annual Sea Power Conference in central London, the Defence Secretary will announce that up to six new state-of-the-art warships will be built in the UK to strengthen Royal Marines special operations, as part of the Government's plan to deliver a secure future for families across the United Kingdom.

Backed by defence spending rising to 2.5% of GDP by the end of the decade, the announcement means that there are now up to 28 warships and submarines planned or in build to benefit the Royal Navy.

Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps said:

With up to 28 ships and submarines being built or in the pipeline, this is a new Golden Age for British shipbuilding. The new vessels for the Royal Marines will help our brave Commandos fight the conflicts of the future. This is all possible because this government has committed to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence by the end of the decade, as part of our plans to deliver a more secure future for you and your family.

The Defence Secretary will also announce that HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark will not be scrapped or mothballed before their planned out of service dates of 2033-2034.

Today's new ships are known as Multi Role Support Ships (MRSS) - specialist warships designed to rapidly deliver the famous Royal Marines Commando Force onto coastlines around the world to conduct special operations.

It brings the total number of UK-built ships and submarines in the pipeline to benefit the Royal Navy to up to 28, with Type 26 and Type 31 in Scotland, Astute and Dreadnought submarines in Barrow-in-Furness, and Fleet Solid Support ships in Belfast and Devon.

The First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Ben Key, said:

I am delighted that the Secretary of State has cemented the future of our Royal Marines by committing to this new class of up to six amphibious vessels. These will be the most capable amphibious warships the nation has ever owned, designed to be fully interchangeable with our closest allies in Europe, and in NATO. I also pay tribute to the sterling service of the two Type 23 frigates that were announced for retirement today - collectively they have deployed worldwide, conducted dozens of live operations, and have far surpassed their expected service life. While always sad to pay off such fine warships, their decommissioning marks the next stage of our reinvestment in new, more modern frigates.

MRSS will be highly flexible warships, able to deploy on a wider variety of operations, and designed to carry vehicles, aircraft, insertion craft and a broad range of uncrewed systems for complicated missions. They will also be able to act as primary casualty receiving ships, providing urgent medical care to our forces wherever they are deployed.

The MOD has entered the first, or Concept, phase of the MRSS Programme and will work with industry as part of early market engagement ahead of developing the vessel design.

In line with the National Shipbuilding Strategy, there will be up to six MRSS built overall, which will replace current capabilities, including the two Landing Platform Docks, three Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliaries) and the Aviation Support Ship RFA Argus, in the early 2030s.

Defence Equipment & Support CEO, Andy Start said:

With the MOD's new Integrated Procurement Model in place and DE&S undergoing its biggest transformation in a decade we are aiming to be faster, more efficient, more innovative, more integrated and more productive when delivering new equipment such as the Multi-Role Support Ships for the Royal Marines. Our MRSS team has already begun engaging with the potential shipbuilding market to lay the groundwork for this versatile and essential future capability.

The Defence Secretary will also announce that HMS Argyll and HMS Westminster, that have a combined service of 63 years, will be retired. HMS Argyll has been sold to BAE Systems and will be used within the UK's vibrant shipbuilding sector, supporting apprentice training in line with the Government's agenda on skills and shipbuilding capacity.

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Palo Alto Mayor Greer Stone, left, and Council Member Vicki Veenker brought together supporters from both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel camps and had them craft a unity statement. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

Palo Alto, like city governments across the Bay Area and beyond, has been besieged by demands that it call for a cease-fire in Gaza. Other citizens, meanwhile, are just as vocal that local lawmakers shouldnt spend time on issues on the other side of the world.

So it decided to try something different.

Its experimental idea: to identify who are the people who are the most vocal at public comment, and lets invite them in for a deeper conversation, said City Council Member Vicki Veenker.

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If the goal was to get people in opposite camps to come together and learn how to talk to one another civilly, its showing some signs of success. If the goal was to move beyond the calls for a cease-fire that are consuming the councils time, well, that hasnt happened yet. It is early, but Palo Altos experiment is worth watching for other local governments facing the same dilemma: Can cities get out of the business of foreign policy-making and focus on bringing their residents together?

Palo Alto Council Member Vicki Veenker helped bring together supporters from both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel camps and had them craft a unity statement about recognizing each others humanity. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

It sounds insane if youve ever heard the public comment period at any public meeting anywhere, no matter what the topic. Not surprisingly, this is believed to be the first time a California city has brought a group of Israelis, Palestinians, Muslims, Jews and allies to work together.

But the goal of the eight-person advisory group Palo Alto Mayor Greer Stone assembled in March wasnt to create some sort of model United Nations political statement about the Middle East. It was to look inward. To explore how the pain of the Israel-Hamas war 7,000 miles away had rippled to the Silicon Valley city of 63,635 where the median income is $214,118. It was to help city residents craft a statement of shared values so that each side felt heard, respected and safe. Because neither camp does now.

Thats what city leaders feel they can do best. If Palo Alto residents want to talk to someone who can directly affect U.S. policy, they should reach out to their local House member, Rep. Anna Eshoo, or one of Californias senators.

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I had made it very clear that I wouldnt agendize a cease-fire resolution because I didnt feel like it was within the purview of the City Council and that we should be staying out of geopolitical matters, Stone told me.

The four-paragraph statement the council passed this month is full of inclusive, apolitical messages like We encourage residents to show civility, compassion and understanding in support of their neighbors who may be in great pain and suffering.

It didnt offer any profound political insight. But that wasnt the goal, said Veenker: The process was in many ways as important as the statement that resulted.

The early results since the council approved the unity statement this month have been both transcendent and intransigent.

Those involved in crafting the statement found that coming together enabled them to start to find their shared values of family and community. Others said knowing someone with a different viewpoint on the war makes it easier to reach out if concerned about a potential protest in town. Or when the latest news from overseas is too heavy to process.

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Palo Alto Mayor Greer Stone, left, and Council Member Vicki Veenker brought together supporters from both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel camps and had them craft a unity statement. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

But that doesnt mean residents feel any different about whether the City Council should call for a cease-fire.

Most of the two dozen speakers during the public comment period of Mondays City Council meeting made some sort of reference to the impacts of the Israel-Hamas war.

One parent spoke of the anti-Semitism his child has felt while attending college on the East Coast. The children of a kaffiyeh-wearing parent described how they were harassed by passers-by while participating in a pro-Palestinian demonstration during President Joe Bidens recent visit to the area for a political fundraiser. And others continued to call for a cease-fire resolution.

City leaders dont expect the calls for political statements to go away.

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Were not trying to stifle peoples political views. This is not an exercise to get people to change their minds, Veenker said. This is an effort to get people to figure out how to exercise free speech while still being in a community where people feel respected and safe. Thats hard. And thats what we were trying.

Stone made an ideal move in choosing Veenker to shepherd the unity statement group. Her day job is being a high-level professional mediator, one who has navigated the thorniest issues, including patent law and health care reform.

Yet few subjects entwine personal and political pain like the Middle East.

Veenker started the first of three 90-minutes in-person meetings at City Hall by asking the group to describe what their feelings have been since the Oct. 7 attacks. Words and phrases like anguish, sadness, lack of safety, unheard, unvalued, came up, some by both camps.

Then group members were asked what they wanted their experience to be in the future by completing the phrase, We want (fill in the blank) in Palo Alto.

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The conversations were often difficult.

Lama Rimawi, a Palestian American pediatrician who practices in Palo Alto, shared that many people she deals with feel traumatized when they are witnessing the potential genocide of Palestinians. Someone in the other camp said that they found the word genocide, triggering and she shouldnt use the word.

Rimawi responded that its really triggering for me not to be able to describe the potential genocide of my own people.

Rimawi praised the unity document as a beautiful statement, while acknowledging that it wont fully satisfy people on either side of the issue. While some residents may think that cities shouldnt get involved in a foreign policy issue, she said there is a need for cities to take action because people here are being traumatized by whats happening there.

Yazan Alnahhas, a Palestinian American who served on the committee, appreciated the opportunity to talk calmly about values, which should be universal, and not very controversial. Like how the value of one life equals the value of another life and everybody is equal. Including those sentiments in the unity statement is a positive first step, Alnahhas, an engineer, said.

But we continue to believe that being able to reach a cease-fire thats respected by both sides is needed, Alnahhas said.

Lori Meyers, a panel member who is Jewish, said she thought the unity statement was wonderful on several levels, and appreciated the citys effort.

The events that are happening 7,000 miles away are tragic. And heartbreaking, she said. But theres really nothing that a city council can do about something thats 7,000 miles away. But theres something that they can do about things that are happening right in their backyard.

That didnt stop Meyers from discussing the phrase from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free during the public comment period of Mondays City Council meeting. Describing the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, is frequently heard as a rallying cry for the liberation of the Palestinian people. But others insist it refers to a desire for the annihilation of the state of Israel, and note its past use by Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. Meyers told me shes heard it used twice at recent pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Palo Alto. When she asked two young rally-goers at one event what they thought it meant, she said they told her they didnt know.

So my goal (at Mondays public comment) was to educate and inform and if people still choose to say things like that, then thats their freedom of speech, Meyers, a K-8 school principal, said. But they should know the kind of company theyre keeping.

Its too early to tell where this unity effort goes from here. There has been preliminary talk among the advisory group of cooperating on a cross-cultural art show in Palo Alto.

Regardless, Greer said, the next step is in the communitys hands.
EUAM Ukraine: Council extends the mandate of the EU Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform until 2027

European Council / Council of the European Union

Council of the EU

Press release

14 May 2024 11:15

The Council today adopted a decision extending the mandate of the European Union Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform in Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine), until 31 May 2027.

Since 2014 EUAM Ukraine has been working closely with its local counterparts to support Ukraine in developing sustainable, accountable and efficient civilian security services that strengthen the rule of law.

The mission provides strategic advice and practical support for specific reform measures in accordance with EU standards and international principles of good governance and human rights, including in support of Ukraine's accession-related commitments. In doing that, EUAM advises, trains, and supports relevant Ukrainian partners such as the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Police of Ukraine. EUAM Ukraine has field offices in Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa and a mobile unit. Field offices in Kharkiv and Mariupol are currently not operational.

The mandate of EUAM Ukraine was substantially adjusted in 2022 to take into account Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Since then, EUAM Ukraine provides support to Ukrainian authorities to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of international crimes committed in the context of Russia's unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine, integrated border management, and support in liberated territories.

In its conclusions of 21 March 2024, the European Council stated that the European Union remains committed to supporting Ukraine's repair, recovery and reconstruction, in coordination with international partners. The European Council welcomed the recent strengthening of EUAM Ukraine which will allow the scaling up of support for Ukrainian law enforcement agencies in Ukraine's liberated and adjacent territories, and for reforms in the context of its EU accession process.

EUAM Ukraine is a non-executive civilian mission established on 22 July 2014, and currently headed by Rolf Holmboe.

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Escalating Attacks on Ukraine's Civilian, Energy Infrastructure Making Humanitarian Aid Delivery Even More Dangerous, Relief Chief Tells Security Council

Meetings Coverage

Security Council

9625th Meeting (PM)

SC/15695

14 May 2024



Amid Moscow's intensified attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure a causing extensive damage to energy facilities, compromising water supply in certain areas and disrupting electricity access for millions of civilians a the delivery of humanitarian assistance is even more dangerous, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, as delegates condemned this pattern of aggression and detailed their humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine.

Lisa Doughten, Director of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' Financing and Partnerships Division, speaking on behalf of Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that her Office recorded over 700 civilian casualties across Ukraine in April, including 129 deaths, a significant increase from March. Since 22 March, there have been five waves of attacks on the country's energy infrastructure, particularly in Kharkiv and Dnipro regions, causing rolling power outages and affecting millions nationwide. Moreover, attacks on ports are threatening their ability to export grain at a time of rising food insecurity.

Despite the spike in hostilities and the related risks, "the UN and its humanitarian partners are doing everything we can to reach people in need of support", she said. From the beginning of January until the end of March, 3.6 million people across the country received some form of assistance, and so far this year, 12 inter-agency convoys have delivered vital supplies to 20,000 people in front-line areas. Yet reaching civilians in areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia a currently under Moscow's occupation a remains a challenge, she observed, urging all parties to facilitate rapid, unimpeded humanitarian relief to the 1.5 million people who require life-saving assistance.

Caitlin Howarth, Director of the Conflict Observatory at the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, said that 223 damage events across 23 of Ukraine's 24 oblasts were identified between 1 October 2022 and 30 April 2023. "That's a rate of over 7 damage events identified per week, with peak impact timed for the height of winter," she stated, noting that these "strikes of retribution" a as described by Russian Federation politicians a mean extended periods without water, productivity lost, education fragmented and "blackouts that last longer than the emergency batteries on life-saving health-care equipment".

Against this backdrop, she asserted: "As Russia's officials have comprehensively planned and executed their destruction of Ukraine's critical infrastructure, so should the international community systematically counteract this devastation." She called on it to "target the missiles" through enforced sanctions; "prepare for emergency" by mobilizing resources today to ensure civilian survival this winter; and "let Russia pay" by releasing Russian Federation assets seized under global sanctions to fund these emergency preparations. "Above all else, do not underestimate the scale of this threat," she stressed.

In the ensuing discussion, many delegates condemned Moscow's massive attacks on Ukraine's civilian population and infrastructure, noting that the worrying developments in Kharkiv Oblast demonstrate the humanitarian impact of the intensified hostilities. Several a among them the representative of Denmark, also speaking for Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden a expressed support for the upcoming first peace summit on Ukraine, which will take place in Switzerland on 15-16 June.

The representative of France observed that Moscow's attacks on civilian populations and infrastructure may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity for which no impunity must be allowed. He welcomed the International Criminal Court's arrest warrants issued on 5 March 2024 against senior officials of the Russian Air Force and the Russian Black Sea Fleet for the campaign of missile strikes against Ukrainian civilian energy infrastructure.

Guyana's speaker expressed particular concern about the continuing attacks on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, stating: "This cannot and must not continue".

Calling for an immediate halt to "this destructive campaign against Ukraine's energy infrastructure," the United Kingdom's representative said that Moscow aims to terrorize civilians, obstruct livelihoods and businesses, and ultimately break down Ukraine's resolve. However, "Ukrainians will not allow Russia to do that", she said. She reiterated London's commitment of $55 million to the Energy Community's Ukraine Energy Support Fund, and over $214 million in overall support to the country's energy sector.

Echoing her sentiment, the United States' delegate recalled that his country recently announced $1 billion in new assistance for Ukraine, which includes urgently needed air-defence equipment. And since February 2022, Washington, D.C., has provided nearly $2.9 billion in aid to Ukraine and its neighbours a including life-saving support for the 3.4 million people that remain internally displaced and the nearly 6.5 million refugees. The speaker for Sierra Leone called for fully funding the 2024 humanitarian response plan for Ukraine, while the representative of the European Union, in its capacity as observer, pledged that "the EU will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes."

The speaker for Poland said that the purpose of Moscow's barbaric actions is clear: to destroy the lives of Ukrainian people and make large parts of Ukraine uninhabitable. In this context, he voiced particular concern over the ongoing deportations and transfers of Ukrainian children and their forced "Russification". Slovenia's delegate noted the death rate of children jumped nearly 40 per cent in the first quarter of 2024, compared to the same period last year.

For his part, the Russian Federation's representative pointed to Western countries' failure to condemn the latest terrorist attack on 12 May, when the peaceful Russian city of Belgorod once again was targeted by a large-scale missile strike, killing 15 civilians. Western countries continue to provide long-range weapons to the Kyiv junta in "the illusory hope of inflicting a strategic defeat upon the Russian Federation". However, this will only prolong the Kyiv regime and cost the lives of tens a if not hundreds a of thousands of ordinary Ukrainians.

Ukraine's delegate said that Moscow launched a new offensive on 10 May, targeting the northern Kharkiv region with the immediate aim of taking the city of Vovchansk. While Ukrainian forces are holding the line to prevent Russian troops from advancing to Kharkiv a the second-largest Ukrainian city a he said that heavy defensive battles are under way, and the situation remains extremely dangerous for local civilians. Noting that Ukraine is now "the only country in the world being attacked by ballistic and cruise missiles almost daily," he stated: "The more active the world is now in restoring a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine, the more likely it is that others in the world will not become the victims of similar aggression."

MAINTENANCE OF PEACE AND SECURITY OF UKRAINE

Briefings

LISA DOUGHTEN, Director, Financing and Partnerships Division, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs , speaking on behalf of Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that her Office recorded over 700 civilian casualties across Ukraine in April, including 129 deaths. While 90 per cent of the casualties occurred in Ukrainian-controlled territory, strikes have also been reported inside the Russian Federation, including on Sunday in the Belgorod region, reportedly causing several deaths and damage to residential homes. Attacks on civilian infrastructure across Ukraine have intensified. "Since 22 March 2024, the UN and its partners have seen five waves of attacks directed against the Ukraine's energy infrastructure," she said. Kharkiv and Dnipro regions are particularly affected. The country's Energy Ministry reported that up to 250,000 residents have experienced rolling power outages in Kharkiv and ongoing restrictions in Dnipro since March.

Noting "the stark impact of these power cuts on the most vulnerable", she said that they have temporarily left millions of households across the country with no power, water or gas needed for cooking, heating and hygiene. "Children who rely on online schooling are not able to learn. Older persons with mobility impairments, persons with disabilities who use wheelchairs or other assistive devices, and mothers with small children are unable to leave multi-story apartment buildings to access food and medical support," she said. She cited a new pattern of attacks on railway infrastructure in the east and south a with OHCHR recording 10 such attacks in Government-controlled territory in April alone. Also concerning are attacks on factories and production plants, limiting the availability of locally procured humanitarian goods, and on port infrastructure, threatening their ability to export grain and other agricultural commodities at a time of rising food insecurity.

Reported attacks damaging energy infrastructure and oil refineries in the Russian Federation "risk enflaming the war further and worsening its humanitarian impacts", she said. "The intensification in hostilities is making the delivery of humanitarian assistance all the more dangerous. Nevertheless, the UN and its humanitarian partners are doing everything we can to reach people in need of support, despite the enormous risks," she said. From the beginning of January until the end of March, 3.6 million people across the country received some form of humanitarian assistance, and so far this year 12 inter-agency convoys have delivered vital supplies to 20,000 people in front-line areas. Assistance has also included the delivery of health-care services to nearly 860,000 people, and emergency water supplies for over 1.2 million people. Humanitarian protection activities have been expanded, including gender-based violence support for people newly displaced by hostilities.

Commending Ukraine's Government for the extra support it has announced for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence a in the form of financial reparations and medical and psychological assistance a she said donors have so far given $669 million, 22 per cent, of the $3.1 billion needed under the Ukraine Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan. "Another challenge remains reaching civilians in areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia that are currently under the occupation of the Russian Federation," she observed, voicing concern over the estimated 1.5 million people requiring life-saving assistance there and urging all parties to allow and facilitate the rapid, unimpeded humanitarian relief. This war has caused the death and injury of tens of thousands of people in Ukraine, displaced millions, caused immense suffering and left more than 14 million people a 40 per cent of the population a in need of humanitarian assistance, she said, calling on the Council "to seek an end to it".

CAITLIN HOWARTH, Director of the Conflict Observatory at the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab , recalling recent missile strikes on three thermal plants and two hydroelectric power plants in Ukraine, noted that a by some counts a "near every single power plant" has been targeted. Citing a report released by her Lab on 29 February 2024 documenting verified damage to Ukraine's power-generation-and-transmission infrastructure that occurred between 1 October 2022 and 30 April 2023, she said that 223 damage events across 23 of Ukraine's 24 oblasts were identified. She noted: "That's a rate of over 7 damage events identified per week, with peak impact timed for the height of winter." On 8 May 2024, almost 12 Ukrainian power facilities were reportedly struck in a single day and, since March 2024, successful targeting of power-generation facilities has further slashed Ukraine's capacity. "Each hit compounds the problem," she observed.

She went on to point out that Russian Federation officials have clearly stated their objectives for targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure: first, to advance Moscow's military objectives; second, to retaliate for Ukraine's purported actions; and third, to inflict harm on civilians to compel Kyiv to submit to negotiations favourable to Moscow. She stressed that, while the first justification "may" be lawful under the law of war, the other two likely violate international humanitarian law. Further, while the Lab did not assess the degree of dual-use afforded by the energy infrastructure documented in its report, the law of armed conflict prohibits attacks on both civilian and military targets if the attack causes excessive civilian casualties, damage to civilian objects or a combination of these relative to any concrete or direct military advantage anticipated. Recalling a definition of Moscow's campaign by a State Duma member a that it is aimed against Ukraine's "whole energy infrastructure" a she emphasized: "A comprehensive campaign, by its own definition, defies proportionality."

She noted further comments by Russian Federation politicians that "strikes of retribution" on Ukraine's power infrastructure will make Ukrainians "sit there without gas and without electricity and without everything". Asking and answering what this means, she said it means extended periods without water, productivity lost, education fragmented and "blackouts that last longer than the emergency batteries on life-saving health-care equipment". Against that backdrop, she urged: "As Russia's officials have comprehensively planned and executed their destruction of Ukraine's critical infrastructure, so should the international community systematically counteract this devastation." To this end, she called on the international community to "target the missiles" through enforced sanctions; "prepare for emergency" by mobilizing resources today to ensure civilian survival this winter; and "let Russia pay" by releasing Russian Federation assets seized under global sanctions to fund these emergency preparations. "Above all else, do not underestimate the scale of this threat," she underscored.

Statements

The representative of France said that the Russian Federation has shown no concern about its obligation to minimize injury to civilians and damage to civilian objects. These practices may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity for which no impunity must be allowed. The International Criminal Court's arrest warrants issued on 5 March 2024 against senior officials of the Russian Air Force and the Russian Black Sea Fleet for the campaign of missile strikes against Ukrainian civilian energy infrastructure are a decisive step. He also welcomed the renewal of the mandate of the Human Rights Council's Independent Commission of Inquiry, which documents indiscriminate attacks against Ukraine's populations and critical infrastructure. He noted that mitigating the humanitarian consequences of this war by strengthening the resilience of strategic infrastructure will be a key topic at the peace conference hosted by Switzerland in June.

The representative of Ecuador expressed concern over the continued suffering in Ukraine and risk to regional and global instability. "The statistics are alarming," he said, citing increased intensity and frequency of attacks against essential infrastructure, the destruction of hospitals and schools, and attacks disabling several energy facilities this month, affecting millions of people's access to electricity and clean water. The impact of attacks in the Kharkiv region has been equally devastating, with numerous civilian casualties and a significant increase in internal displacement. Condemning these attacks, he declared: "International humanitarian law is explicit in its prohibition of attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure." The warring parties must adhere strictly to the principles of proportionality, distinction and precaution to avoid escalating this cycle of suffering.

The representative of Guyana sounded alarm over the unrelenting attacks on residential buildings, schools, medical and energy facilities and grain ports since the start of the war. "These attacks were often unrelated to frontline engagement and appeared to have little regard for the requirement of proportionality and military necessity," she observed. She noted the international community continues to witness large-scale coordinated attacks on civilian infrastructure, including dozens of energy facilities, resulting in disrupted access to electricity and water supply for millions of people in multiple locations. They are not only causing incidental civilian harm through the disruption of access to critical services but also resulting in loss of civilian lives and injury to those in near-to-target sites. There have also been attacks on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, despite the many calls to end the attacks on or near the site, she cautioned, stating: "This cannot and must not continue".

The representative of Japan expressed regret that the Council heard another briefing "about the many civilian casualties caused by the clear violation of the UN Charter by a permanent member of the Security Council". Underscoring that attacks against civilian populations and infrastructure are "clearly prohibited" under international law, he also condemned Pyongyang's export and Moscow's procurement of ballistic missiles a as well as the latter's use of these missiles against Ukraine. This transfer a a clear violation of relevant Council resolutions a supports Moscow's war of aggression and increases the suffering of the Ukrainian people, he stressed, adding: "We continue to monitor closely what North Korea gains in return." He also detailed his country's support of Ukraine's energy infrastructure, which includes the provision of two large autotransformers, six mobile-power-supply vehicles and five advanced gas turbines. "Japan remains committed to supporting the Ukrainian people through bolstering the electricity and heating supplies in Ukraine," he said.

The representative of Algeria expressed grave concern about the destruction of civilian infrastructure, including energy and power plants. In addition, the worsening tensions and pursuit of hostilities have had dangerous repercussions on the international arena. He reiterated an appeal for diplomatic efforts to avoid a further humanitarian crisis and address human suffering without distinction. Civilians must be protected in line with the UN Charter and international law, including international humanitarian law. He called on all parties to set aside the mindset of confrontation and find what is needed to restore comprehensive and constructive dialogue.

The representative of the United Kingdom observed that this spring, the Russian Federation has targeted power plants, electricity sub-stations and gas storage facilities across Ukraine. Calling for an immediate halt to "this destructive campaign against Ukraine's energy infrastructure," she said that millions of people already face disruption to power, heating and water supply. "These attacks are making an appalling humanitarian situation even worse," she said, noting that this is especially the case for frontline communities, as the attacks and lack of power hamper humanitarian partners' communications and movements. This pattern of aggression continues in an attempt to terrorize civilians, obstruct livelihoods and businesses, and ultimately break down Ukraine's resolve; however, she stated, "Ukrainians will not allow Russia to do that". London has committed $55 million to the Energy Community's Ukraine Energy Support Fund and over $214 million in overall support to the energy sector in Ukraine, she added.

The representative of the United States said that the Russian Federation's large-scale attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure are a "clear escalation" that threaten critical services. "Next week, this Council will be subjected to yet another meeting where Russia will claim that Western arms are to blame for prolonging the war it started," he noted, urging that Moscow "need only look in the mirror" to understand why more than 50 countries provided support to Ukraine's forces. In April 2024, the United States announced $1 billion in new assistance for Ukraine, which includes urgently needed air-defence equipment. Further, since February 2022, the United States has provided nearly $2.9 billion in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and its neighbours a including life-saving support for the 3.4 million that remain internally displaced and the nearly 6.5 million refugees. He added that newly approved supplemental funding will help maintain the humanitarian response amidst "unabated" attacks on civilian populations and infrastructure.

The representative of the Russian Federation said that if Western colleagues were striving to convey to the international community at least "an iota of the truth" about what's happening in Ukraine, then they would not be sweeping it under the rug. Rather, they would condemn the latest terrorist attack on 12 May, when the peaceful Russian city of Belgorod once again was targeted by a large-scale missile strike. A residential building was partially destroyed by a missile launched from Ukrainian-controlled territory, killing 15 civilians. He also highlighted the culpability of Western countries that continue to provide long-range weapons to the Kyiv junta in "the illusory hope of inflicting a strategic defeat upon the Russian Federation."

On 20 May, the Council will discuss these destructive actions of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries. In early May, the United Kingdom's Foreign Minister, David Cameron, made a revelatory statement that the weapons provided by London could be used to carry out strikes against Russian territories, including areas beyond the special military operations' confines. The formulas or plans advanced by the Ukrainian henchman and his Western sponsors are so divorced from reality. Any discussion on them will become a pure loss of time, and "you will become complicit" in prolonging the Kyiv regime, with the cost of this being tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of the lives of ordinary Ukrainians.

The representative of Slovenia noted that, since early April, over 1,000 drone and missile attacks were recorded across Ukraine, forcing thousands to flee as their homes are being destroyed. She noted a reported 140 educational facilities were destroyed or damaged in attacks across the country in 2024 alone. And according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the death rate of children jumped nearly 40 per cent in the first quarter of 2024, compared to the same period last year. She further condemned Moscow's use of cluster munitions in its bombardment of Odessa in late April, stressing that "using such weapons in a densely populated area is against all rules of international humanitarian law". "These attacks seek to impair Ukraine's economy and are obviously not directed against military targets. This is a clear violation of international humanitarian law and it needs to stop now," she said, adding: "Ukrainian civilians have suffered too long. We call on Russia to stop with its subversive actions and give peace a chance."

The representative of Sierra Leone expressed concern that attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure have resulted in major disruptions of essential services, such as electricity, water and gas to medical facilities, manufacturing industries and places of work for "a significant portion of the population". This slows production and reduces economic activity, and he also expressed alarm over the impact on health-care facilities a including those with incubators and other life-saving devices. On that, he noted that such facilities "in some cases had to resort to the use of batteries that ran out before the re-establishment of power a putting the lives of many at risk". Given the devastating impact of the conflict on the civilian population, he called on the parties involved to adhere to their obligations under international law to protect civilian populations and infrastructure a including energy facilities. He also called for the full funding of the 2024 humanitarian response plan for Ukraine.

The representative of Malta noted the Russian Federation's aerial assaults against Ukrainian power generation and transmission facilities in several regions last week. This deadly trend encompasses daily drone, missile, rocket and artillery attacks in Kharkiv, Odesa, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions a "yet another example of Russia's disregard for human life." As of today, more than 800 heat supply facilities have been destroyed or damaged and the attacks have caused more than $1 billion worth of damage to the energy sector, she said, expressing full support for the important work undertaken by the Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.

The representative of Switzerland condemned the massive attacks on the civilian population and infrastructure across Ukraine, which have killed and injured civilians in populated areas. Last week alone, several children were injured, and schools and a hospital were damaged, she observed, stating: "As Ukraine fights for its future, all those who can build it a including children a must be protected." Noting an increase in attacks on critical energy infrastructures, she said that, in total, nine regions across Ukraine a including those far from the front lines a have experienced disruptions to their electricity supply in the past week. In addition, the situation around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant remains worrying. Determined to do everything in its power to contribute to a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, Switzerland will host the first High-Level Summit for Peace in Ukraine on 15 and 16 June, she said, stressing the need "to define together a road map on how to involve both sides in a future peace process".

The representative of the Republic of Korea underscored that Moscow's attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure are unacceptable, as targeting such infrastructure violates international humanitarian law. He further stressed that, today, critical energy infrastructure "holds far more significance in people's daily lives than decades ago" when such law was created. In addition to hindering millions of Ukrainians' access to electricity in the short-term, the destruction of energy infrastructure has long-enduring impacts on the humanitarian situation in that country. A recent report by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) highlights a domino effect where such destruction leads to the disruption of other basic services such as water and sanitation. Noting that the lack of such services can impair the operation of hospitals and the viability of food production a leading to the spread of disease, death and displacement a he underscored that the Russian Federation's illegal invasion "must end now to save lives and restore humanity".

The representative of China said that his country is neither the creator of the Ukraine crisis nor a party to it. It has long campaigned for peace and a political settlement. The sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected. At the same time, the legitimate security concerns of all countries should be taken seriously. In his recent visits to France, Serbia and Hungary, President Xi Jinping had an in-depth exchange of views with European leaders on the Ukraine crisis. China and Europe should work together to oppose the spillover and escalation of the fighting, create conditions for peace talks, and safeguard international energy, food security and the stability of the global supply chain. His country and France also agreed to seize the Paris Olympics as an opportunity to advocate a worldwide ceasefire.

The representative of Mozambique , Council President for May, spoke in his national capacity to highlight the devastating implications of the war in Ukraine for the humanitarian situation in the country. Noting that "the prospects for a mutually accepted solution remain elusive," mainly due to the conflicting parties' firm belief in the primacy of military and zero-sum game logic at the expense of a cooperative approach, he underscored that the Council's consistent calls for the immediate cessation of hostilities "can no longer be ignored". Against this backdrop, he stressed the need to ensure the protection of civilians and to facilitate full, safe, rapid and unhindered access for humanitarian personnel.

The representative of Ukraine reported that the Russian Federation launched a new offensive on 10 May, targeting the northern Kharkiv region with the immediate aim of taking the city of Vovchansk. While Ukrainian forces are holding the line to prevent Moscow's troops from advancing to Kharkiv - the second-largest Ukrainian city a he said that heavy defensive battles are under way and the situation remains extremely dangerous for local civilians. He added: "Russian forces persist in razing Ukrainian towns to the ground without regard for the local population's suffering, with Vovchansk becoming the latest victim a akin to Bakhmut or Maryinka." Detailing numerous attacks committed by "a country that called itself a friend of the UN Charter", he noted that Ukraine is now "the only country in the world being attacked by ballistic and cruise missiles almost daily". Major cities have borne the brunt of these assaults, with devastating consequences.

"All the above crimes cannot be committed perpetually," he stressed, noting that a summit on peace in Ukraine will take place in Switzerland on 15-16 June. While stating that "we have invited all peace-loving nations, and each nation can really bring peace closer", he said that a meanwhile a Moscow intensifies its lies about "a so-called peace deal that Ukraine and Russia were allegedly close to in spring 2022". However, it is the Russian Federation President who has been ruining peace in Ukraine for more than a decade a by occupying Crimea and parts of the Donbas in 2014, by obstructing the Minsk and Normandy peace processes, by launching a full-scale war of aggression and then by refusing to end it. Urging nations to attend the peace summit, he said: "The more active the world is now in restoring a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine, the more likely it is that others in the world will not become the victims of similar aggression."

The representative of Germany said that the Russian Federation is attacking the foundation of the United Nations and global peace and security. As a nuclear State, it is invading its neighbour that has renounced nuclear weapons. By employing arms imported from Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, it defies Security Council resolutions. To shield its illegal activities, it is dismantling instruments of this Council, such as the Panel of Experts for sanctions against Pyongyang. His country supports Ukraine with political, humanitarian and military means. Air defence systems supplied by Germany are actively helping to protect Ukrainian cities. Berlin has also invested in humanitarian relief efforts. The upcoming peace summit in Switzerland offers a unique platform. However, a just and lasting way out is only possible if Moscow renounces its objective of conquest and annexation, he stressed.

The representative of Estonia , also speaking on behalf of Latvia and Lithuania , said that every month, the Russian Federation uses over 130 types of missiles a including those provided by Pyongyang a over 320 Shahed drones and around 900 guided aerial bombs against Ukraine. As of late, chemical weapons can also be added to that list. "These weapons are systematically used to kill and maim Ukrainian civilians, destroy homes, schools, hospitals and places of cultural heritage, attack food storage facilities and wipe out Ukrainian energy infrastructure," he stated. In total, Moscow's bombs have destroyed over 80 per cent of Ukrainian thermal power plants and 50 per cent of hydroelectric power plants.

He also highlighted that country's pattern of "double-tap" attacks targeting civilians and the rescue workers helping them a "the trademarks of Russia's aggression". Accordingly, he underlined the need to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid and the restoration of the energy infrastructure across Ukraine, noting that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have altogether contributed over $100 million worth of humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine and "will continue to support Ukraine until the aggressor is defeated."

The representative of the European Union , in its capacity as observer, underscored that "every discussion on Ukraine must start by restating one unequivocal fact a Russia's illegal, unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression constitutes a manifest violation of international law". This is why that country must cease its attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure now, why its leadership must be held fully accountable and why all nations must come together in support of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in Ukraine. Stressing that Moscow's indiscriminate attacks further exacerbate a dire humanitarian situation in Ukraine where over 14 million people require assistance a "you have heard so much about this here today" a he reported that the European Union has stepped up its provision of aid, including power generators and transformers.

The Russian Federation, however, has an obligation to allow such aid to reach all those in need, he said, also recalling the March 2022 legally binding order from the International Court of Justice for Moscow to immediately suspend its military operations in Ukraine. He also stated that third parties must immediately cease providing material support to the Russian Federation's war of aggression a "or other kinds of cuddling". Reiterating support for peace in Ukraine, he welcomed Switzerland's initiative to host a peace summit in June and called on all States to participate. "The EU will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes," he added and, to Moscow, he said: "Stop your illegal war, and the illegal and inhumane means you are using to pursue it."

The representative of Poland said that the Russian Federation is seeking to degrade the Ukrainian economy and society, making large parts of Ukraine uninhabitable. The purpose of these barbaric actions is clear: to destroy the lives of Ukrainian people and intimidate Ukraine and those who support it. In this context, he was particularly appalled by the ongoing deportations and transfers of Ukrainian children and their forced "Russification". Welcoming Switzerland's initiative to host a peace summit for Ukraine in June, he voiced support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's peace formula as a plan for a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in Ukraine and for the enduring security on the European continent.

The representative of Denmark , speaking also for Finland , Iceland , Norway and Sweden , condemned Moscow's systematic and detrimental attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Noting that since 22 March 2024 there have been five massive attacks damaging over 80 per cent of Ukraine's non-nuclear power plants, she pointed out that this has included dangerous attacks on hydroelectric infrastructure which increase the risk of environmental disaster. She extended the Nordic countries' full support to the upcoming first peace summit on Ukraine in Switzerland, expressing hope that many countries will join. The Russian Federation's aggression and its detrimental global consequences "demand united efforts" firmly based on international law, including the UN Charter, and in line with Ukraine's peace formula.

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Putin says China clearly understands roots of Ukraine crisis

Global Times

Two countries' coordination 'propelling establishment of a fair multipolar world order'

By Yang Sheng Published: May 15, 2024 10:08 PM Updated: May 15, 2024 11:30 PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin said before his trip to China that Russia is open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including Russia's, and he expressed positive views on China's position on the Ukraine crisis.

Chinese analysts said on Wednesday that China will maintain communication with and mediation among all parties involved, and now the key problem is that some other parties have shut down the door for negotiations and insist on a military solution.

On the eve of his two-day state visit to China, which starts on Thursday, Putin stated in a written interview with the Xinhua News Agency that Russia and China are promoting the prosperity of both nations through expanded equal and mutually beneficial cooperation in the economic and cultural fields.

In the interview, Putin emphasized that the coordination of foreign policies between the two countries is propelling the establishment of a fair multipolar world order, which underpins the future success of the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era.

On the Ukraine crisis, Putin said China clearly understands the roots of the Ukraine crisis and its global geopolitical impact, as reflected in "China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis," a 12-point proposition issued by China in February 2023. The concepts and suggestions indicated in the document demonstrate the sincere desire of China to stabilize the situation, he added.

Putin emphasized that the four principles for the peaceful resolution of the Ukraine crisis recently proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping seamlessly fit in the above-mentioned document.

The Russian president said "The steps build on the idea that we need to forego the 'Cold War mentality' and ensure indivisible security and respect for international law and the UN Charter in their entirety and interrelation."

"We have never refused to negotiate," Putin said. "We are seeking a comprehensive, sustainable and just settlement of this conflict through peaceful means. We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours."

Zhang Hanhui, Chinese ambassador to Russia, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview recently that "Unfortunately, there is still no sign of a cease-fire in the current Ukraine crisis, and the conflict is still escalating and expanding. The parties involved are not willing to budge on their positions, with significant differences in understanding. Some external forces are still adding fuel to the fire and fanning the flames."

"History has proven that the end point of any conflict is the negotiating table. China supports the timely convening of an international conference recognized by both Russia and Ukraine, with equal participation of all parties and fair discussion of all peace proposals. China is willing to continue to play its unique role and contribute Chinese wisdom and strength to promote a political solution to the Ukraine crisis," said the Chinese ambassador.

CNN reported that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise trip to Kiev on Tuesday, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as Russian forces made significant gains in eastern Ukraine. Blinken's visit was the first by a Biden administration official since the long-delayed passage of US supplemental funding to the war-torn country.

In their meeting, Zelensky urged Blinken to provide more military support to the Ukrainian military, including additional air defense support. Russia is pushing ahead with its new advance into northeastern Ukraine after making several major advances there over the past week - Moscow's most significant gains since Kiev's forces recaptured Kharkiv in late summer 2022, CNN reported.

Zhang said "The China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era has never targeted any third party, nor does it tolerate any third-party interference or coercion. China is not the creator or a party to the Ukraine crisis."

"We will never accept baseless accusations or threats of sanctions against China and Russia by certain countries using the Ukraine crisis as an excuse to interfere in exchanges and cooperation. We will firmly defend the legitimate rights and interests of our enterprises. At the same time, we advise relevant countries to stop blaming China and make real efforts to politically resolve the Ukraine crisis," said the Chinese ambassador.

Putin said in the interview with Xinhua that "Our countries [China and Russia] have similar or coinciding positions on key issues on the international agenda. We advocate for the primacy of international law, equal, indivisible, comprehensive and sustainable security at both the global and regional level with the UN's central coordinating role."

The Russian president said "We also reject Western attempts to impose an order based on lies and hypocrisy, on some mythical rules of no one knows whose making."

Yang Jin, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday that China, Russia, as well as the vast majority of the Global South all oppose unipolar world order with hegemonic dominance, unilateralism, protectionism and the double-standards and hypocrisy displayed by some Western countries, especially the US.

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Zelensky cancels visits to Spain, Portugal due to situation in Ukraine

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Wed / 15 May 2024 / 14:00

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was supposed to visit Spain on May 17 to sign a security agreement between both countries.

Tehran-ISNA-Due to the difficult situation in Ukraine, the country's president Volodymyr Zelensky has canceled his visit to Spain on May 17, Spanish news agency EFE reported on Wednesday citing diplomatic sources.

Zelensky was supposed to visit Spain on May 17 to sign a security agreement between both countries with Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

The security agreement would obligate Madrid to give long-term military assistance to Kiev, to cooperate in the exercises of their armed forces, develop the Ukrainian defense industry, and exchange information in the field of intelligence and cybersecurity, El Pais newspaper said earlier this month.

The Ukrainian President has also canceled his official trip to Portugal, which was scheduled for the end of the week, according to Portuguese media which also said that he had already canceled his visit twice before.

The SIC Noticias broadcaster said that Zelensky was going to Portugal to sign a security agreement with the country.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a security pact with his French counterpart Macron at the Elysee Palace on February 16.

Hours earlier, he had completed a similar deal with Germany which was praised by Chancellor Olaf Scholz who described it as a "historic step" in support of Ukraine amid its conflict with Russia.

Ukraine's shaken battlefield position is expected to worsen soon, Kyiv's military intelligence chief warned in an interview with The New York Times on May 13, further labeling the situation as "on the edge" as Russia proceeds with its territorial gains.

The evident intention of the Russian maneuver was to deplete Ukrainian reserves, the head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency (GUR), Kyrylo Budanov, told The New York Times, adding that this could possibly pave the way for Russia to capture Chasov Yar, a strategically valuable Donbass city around 200 kilometers southeast of Kharkov.

Speaking with NYT, he stressed that "The situation is on the edge," adding, "Every hour this situation moves toward critical."

Even though Budanov thinks that Kiev will be able to stabilize the situation, he predicts that Russia will carry out a similar incursion within days in the Sumy Region, 150 kilometers northwest of Kharkov.

As the Ukrainian military leadership has admitted Russia's "tactical successes" in the area and deployed reserves in response, Budanov told NYT that due to the latter, Ukraine has partially hindered Russian plans.

However, NYT said that Kiev might loosen up its defense in other places as a result of the deployment.

End Item

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Blinken Announces Upcoming $2 Billion Tranche Of Military Aid For Ukraine

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service May 15, 2024

The United States is fast-tracking $2 billion in military aid for embattled Ukrainian forces, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, as they struggle to stave off a Russian advance in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

Blinken, who made the announcement at a news conference in Kyiv on May 15 with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, said the funds, which are part of a recently approved $61-billion U.S. military aid package for Kyiv, are earmarked "to provide weapons today" for the outgunned and outmanned Ukrainian troops.

The package was approved several weeks ago following months of delays due to political bickering in the U.S. Congress.

Blinken's announcement came after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed to him the previous day to speed up deliveries of desperately needed Patriot air defense systems, particularly in Kharkiv and its surroundings.

"We're rushing ammunition, armored vehicles, missiles, air defenses to get them to the front lines," Blinken said, adding, "For anyone who is tempted to bet against Ukraine, don't. It will be a big mistake."

Blinken, who has engaged in a round of personal diplomacy on a trip highlighted by meals at a local pizza place and a guest stint as a guitarist in a basement bar in the capital, said a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine could be signed in the coming weeks as most of what he called "the heavy lifting" of the negotiations had already been done.

"We've been through challenging times together, I have every confidence that together we will get through these difficult moments."

The top U.S. diplomat said President Joe Biden could meet with Zelenskiy within weeks and voiced strong American support for a peace conference in Switzerland that is expected to be held next month.

He said Washington will be "robustly represented" at the event.

Blinken said that while the United States is not in favor of Ukraine's using American weapons to strike inside Russia, such a decision ultimately belongs to Kyiv.

"We have not encouraged or enabled strikes outside of Ukraine, but ultimately Ukraine has to make decisions for itself about how it's going to conduct this war," Blinken said.

In a sign of the difficulties Ukrainian forces face on the battlefield due to lack of weapons and ammunition, Zelenskiy on May 15 postponed all his upcoming foreign trips.

Zelenskiy was due to visit Spain and Portugal in the coming days and sign a bilateral security agreement in Madrid with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on May 17. He was also due to meet with Spain's King Felipe.

"Volodymyr Zelenskiy has instructed that all international events involving him scheduled for the coming days be postponed and new dates coordinated. We are grateful to our partners for their understanding," Zelenskiy's press secretary, Serhiy Nykyforov, wrote on Facebook on May 15.

No specific reason was given for the postponement, but Nykyforov wrote that Zelenskiy held a meeting on May 15 with his military commanders, including commander in chief Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskiy, where the situation in the Kharkiv region was discussed.

"Additional reserve forces are being deployed to the area," he wrote.

Russia has been pressing forward into the north of the Kharkiv region, and the Ukrainian military said on May 15 it was taking steps to prevent Russian forces from moving into the northern part of the disputed town of Vovchansk, situated just 5 kilometers from the Russian border.

Vovchansk has become the focal point of Russias latest offensive as the Kremlin's forces attempt to take settlements just east of Kharkiv -- Ukraine's second-largest city, with a prewar population of some 1.4 million people.

Moscow's troops entered the Kharkiv region on May 10, opening a new, northeastern front. The advance could draw some of Kyiv's depleted forces away from the east, where Russia has been slowly advancing.

Analysts say Russia is attempting to gain maximum momentum on the battlefield before a new wave of military aid for Kyiv from the United States and Kyiv's European allies arrives in the coming weeks.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov told Ukrainian television on May 15 that despite constant Russian shelling, there are currently no plans to evacuate the city.

However, Ukraine's Emergency Situations Ministry said some 8,000 people have been evacuated from Kharkiv region.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, a Russian strike on the city of Dnipro killed two people on May 15, regional administration chief Serhiy Lysak said on Telegram.

Separately, Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russian-installed governor of Ukraine's occupied Crimea, said a "massive" Ukrainian missile attack was repulsed over the city of Sevastopol early on May 15.

Razvozhayev said several missiles were shot down over the sea and in the area of the Belbek airfield. No casualties have been reported.

Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses had shot down 10 long-range missiles over Crimea.

The Russian claims could not be independently verified. Moscow in recent weeks has accused Ukraine, without providing evidence, of having started using the U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS).

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-crimea-strikes- atacms/32947941.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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Russian Troops Making Gains in Special Military Op On All Fronts Daily - Putin

Sputnik News

20240515

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian armed forces are improving their tactical positions in all directions every day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.

"Not only according to the results of last year ... but starting from this year, our troops in all directions are constantly improving their position every day," the president said at a meeting with commanders of military districts.

All tasks assigned by the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff are completed, Putin added.

The president also thanked former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu for his work on building new armed forces.

The more effective the work at the front line is, the greater the chances of resolving the situation in Ukraine peacefully are, Putin said.

"When we tried to peacefully resolve this conflict [in Ukraine], unfortunately nothing worked out ... The more effectively you work on the line of contact, the more chances we have to resolve this issue peacefully," Putin said at a meeting with the commanders of the military districts.

Vladimir Putin introduced new Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov to the commanders of military districts of the country.

"Andrei Belousov has been appointed the new Minister of Defense," Putin said at a meeting with the commanders of the military districts.

Belousov understands how to integrate the military economy into the general economy of the country, this is extremely important, Putin explained.

"This is due, to the fact that spending on the military is growing," Putin said.

Russia's total defense and security spending will amount to about 8.7% of the GDP in 2024, Vladimir Putin said.

"In 2024, this year, our total defense and security spending will amount to about 8.7%, maybe a little more," Putin said at a meeting with the commanders of the military districts.

Increased defense and security spending gives an impetus to the development of industries in the country, the president said.

"When increasing spending on defense and security, we proceed from the fact that all social obligations must be fulfilled to the citizens. Our national development goals must be achieved and must be achieved in all areas, including social development," Putin added.

It is necessary to meet the needs of the Russian armed forces during the special military operation, Putin said.

"We, all together, need to ensure the needs of the Russian armed forces to work effectively in the combat zone as part of the special military operation," Putin said, adding that it is necessary to avoid distortions in economy and industry.

The president also said that the military needs to have more effective and accurate arms as it lowers casualties, which is a key issue for Russia.

"Without any exaggeration, we should be ready that these enterprises [defense industry], ... should take additional steps in this direction at any moment, they should be ready to make even greater transition to the production of civilian products [as part of the diversification," Putin added.

A Sputnik

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Ukraine Urges US to Lift Ban on Using US-Made Weapons to Attack Russian Soil - Reports

Sputnik News

20240515

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Kiev is pressing US President Joe Biden's administration to lift the ban on using the US-supplied weapons to strike inside Russian territory amid the advance of the Russian armed forces in the Kharkov region, Politico reported, citing undisclosed officials.

On Tuesday, UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps admitted that London had granted Kiev permission to attack Crimea with UK-supplied weapons because it considers the peninsula part of Ukraine.

The US's ban on using its arms to attack Russian territory has reportedly deterred Kiev from attacking Moscow's positions, but Ukraine is allegedly seeking to hit Russian military supply depots across the border, Politico reported.

A group of Ukrainian lawmakers is reportedly meeting with US Congress officials this week in an attempt to influence Washington in removing its restrictions, the newspaper reported.

Two undisclosed US officials confirmed to Politico that the position of Biden's office had not changed.

"The assistance is for the defense and not for offensive operations in Russian territory," one of the officials told the newspaper.

Earlier in the week, media reported that UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron attempted to convince ex-US President Donald Trump in support of Ukraine and necessary assistance in case of his return to the White House, allegedly saying that a stalemate in Ukraine would be much more beneficial for Trump than a Russian victory.

Last week, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Russia's northern grouping of forces had taken control over the villages of Gatyshche, Krasnoe, Morokhovets, Oleenykovoe, Borysovka, Ogurtsovo, Pletenevka, Pilna and Strilechya in the Kharkov region.

A Sputnik

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Zelensky Cancels Visit to Spain Due to Difficult Situation in Ukraine - Reports

Sputnik News

20240515

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Volodymyr Zelensky has canceled his visit to Spain on May 17 due to the difficult situation in Ukraine, Spanish news agency EFE reported on Wednesday, citing diplomatic sources.

On Tuesday, Spanish broadcaster TVE, citing sources in the royal family, reported that Zelensky would visit Spain this Friday to sign a security agreement between Kiev and Madrid with the country's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Apart from his visit to Spain, the Ukrainian president also canceled his official trip to Portugal which was scheduled for the end of the week, Portuguese media reported on Wednesday, adding that Zelensky had already canceled the visit twice.

Zelensky was expected to sign a security agreement with Portugal, the SIC Noticias broadcaster reported.

Earlier this month, El Pais newspaper reported that the security agreement should have obliged Madrid to provide long-term military assistance to Kiev, to cooperate in the exercises of the two countries' armed forces, develop the Ukrainian defense industry, and to exchange information in the field of intelligence and cybersecurity.

Western countries have been providing massive military and financial aid to Kiev since the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. The Kremlin has consistently warned against continued arms deliveries to Kiev, saying it would lead to further escalation of the conflict. In April 2022, Russia sent a diplomatic note to all NATO countries on the issue of arms supplies to Ukraine. Acting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine would become a legitimate target for Russia.

A Sputnik

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Sweden Has No Plans to Send Troops to Ukraine, But May Consider Such Option

Sputnik News

20240515

Stockholm has no plans to send personnel to Ukraine, but may consider such an option if it is proposed by NATO allies, Swedish Defense Minister Paul Jonson said.

"There's no concrete proposal for it here and now. If it comes up, a concrete proposal, we can take it into review," Breaking Defense quoted Jonson as saying.

Earlier, the Aftonbladet newspaper reported in an article by Swedish Defense Minister Paul Johnson and members of the Swedish parliament that Sweden will allocate an additional $28 million for defense and receive $85 million in reallocations. The money has been allocated to "strengthen the country's defense capabilities."

The newspaper Dagens Nyheter also reported that Sweden's defense industry is on the upswing amid increased orders for arms and ammunition deliveries to Ukraine as well as the rearmament process.

Russia has pointed out unprecedented NATO activity near its western borders in recent years. Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern about the alliance's military buildup in Europe. The Kremlin has noted that Russia is not threatening anyone, but that it will not ignore actions that potentially threaten its interests.

Sweden officially became NATO's 32nd member on March 7.

Recently, NATO countries have increasingly speculated about direct intervention in the Ukraine conflict. Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the possible deployment of the French military to Ukraine. Macron's remarks were heavily criticized by a number of NATO partners, including Germany, as well as political forces in France itself.

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Russia's Air Defenses Down 10 ATACMS Missiles Over Crimea - MoD

Sputnik News

20240515

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian air defense systems shot down ten missiles of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) over Crimea overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

"During the past night, several attempts by the Kiev regime to carry out terrorist attacks with the use of American ATACMS operational-tactical missiles, French Hammer precision bombs, American HARM anti-radiation missiles, large-caliber rocket munitions and airplane-type unmanned aerial vehicles on the territory of the Russian Federation were foiled. Ten ATACMS operational-tactical missiles were destroyed over the territory of the Crimean peninsula by active air defense systems," the ministry said in a statement.

Earlier, a Pentagon spokesperson told Sputnik that US President Joe Biden quietly directed his national security team to provide the ATACMS to Ukraine as part of the security assistance package announced in March, and that these munitions arrived in April.

Moscow has consistently warned against Western arms deliveries to Ukraine, stressing that they only prolong the conflict and cause more Ukrainian casualties.

Ukraine has been sending drones and missiles into Russia almost daily since it launched its counteroffensive in early June 2023. The United Nations said in August last year, following a botched drone strike on Moscow, that it did not want to see any targeting of civilian infrastructure.

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The first wave of last years Bay to Breakers racers take off at the start of the 7-mile footrace in San Francisco on May 21. Benjamin Fanjoy/Special to the Chronicle A racer dressed as a shark gives high-fives at the top of the Hayes Hill Challenge during last years Bay to Breakers 7-mile footrace in San Francisco on May 21. Benjamin Fanjoy/Special to the Chronicle Student volunteers from Lincoln and Washington high schools prepare a water station at Golden Gate Park ahead of last year's Bay to Breakers footrace in San Francisco. The annual race takes runners from downtown San Francisco, ending on the Great Highway at the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Don Feria/Special to the Chronicle

San Franciscos annual Bay to Breakers race is this weekend, which means thousands of costumed runners and walkers traipsing across the city from the Bay Bridge to Ocean Beach  and road closures to make way for them.

The 7.5-mile race route cuts the city in half, leaving only two north/south crossing points for buses and cars, at Crossover Drive and the Embarcadero.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency recommends staying on one side of the route if at all possible, but for those who need to get across, the best way to do so is to use an underground train option like the Muni Metro subway or BART, or take a bus as close to the route as possible, cross the route on foot, and pick the bus up again on the other side.

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The big event starts at 8 a.m. Sunday, but impacts will be felt well in advance. Heres which roads will be closed this weekend and how public transportation will be affected.

Road closures beginning Saturday, May 18

Howard Street from Embarcadero to Beale closed from 7 p.m. through Sunday 11 a.m.

Spear Street from Mission to Folsom closed from 7 p.m. through Sunday 11 a.m.

Steuart Street south of Mission from 7 p.m. through Sunday 11 a.m.

Main Street between Mission and Folsom closed 7 p.m. through Sunday 5 p.m.

La Playa Street from Cabrillo to Fulton closed from 9 p.m. through Sunday 4 p.m.

Eastbound Fulton Street from Great Highway to 48th closed from 9 p.m. through Sunday 4 p.m.

Westbound Fulton Street from 46th to Great Highway closed from 9 p.m. through Sunday 4 p.m.

Lincoln Way from Great Highway to La Playa closed from 9 p.m. through Sunday 4 p.m.

Great Highway from Sloat to JFK Drive closed from 9 p.m. through Sunday 4 p.m.

Road closures beginning Sunday, May 19

Beale Street from Mission to Folsom closed from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Fremont Street from Mission to Folsom closed from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m.

First Street from Mission to Folsom closed from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Second Street from Mission to Folsom closed from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m.

New Montgomery Street from Mission to Howard closed from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Howard Street from Beale to Third closed from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Mission Street from Fremont to Steuart closed from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Beale from Market to Mission closed from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Spear from Market and Mission from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Market from Drumm to Steuart from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Howard Street from Third to Ninth closed from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Ninth Street from Howard to Market closed 6 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Hayes Street from Market to Divisadero closed from 6 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Steiner Street from Grove to Hayes closed from 5 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Scott Street from Grove to Hayes closed from 5 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Divisadero from Grove to Oak closed from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Fell Street from Divisadero to Stanyan closed from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Baker Street from Oak to Fell closed from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Cabrillo Street from 46th to La Playa closed from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Balboa Street from 46th to Great Highway closed from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Point Lobos Avenue from 48th to Great Highway closed from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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Public transportation changes

Impacts to regular Muni service during Bay to Breakers:

Bus lines 7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 14R, 19, 22, 24, 27, 33, 43, 49 and F bus will be disrupted by the race route, so buses on either side will get riders as close as possible to the route before dropping passengers off. Passengers can then walk or roll across the route, and board a new bus of the same line on the other side:

Some bus lines will operate on only one side of the race: 6 (west side), 15 (south side), 30 (north side), 45 (north side).

Lines 18, 29 and 44 will be rerouted via Crossover Drive.

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The early morning K, N, L-Owl and T buses will be rerouted downtown.

F line streetcars will operate on the Embarcadero only, between Ferry Plaza and Fishermans Wharf, and F Line buses will operate on Market Street.

Bus lines 8 and 12 inbound will go as far as Central Subways Yerba Buena Station on the south side of the race route; on the north side of the race route, lines 8 and 12 outbound will go as far as Embarcadero Station. Passengers should transfer to Muni or BART to continue their trip.

Getting to the race:

Muni is bringing back its early morning service to get runners to the starting line at Main and Howard on time. BART is also offering early morning limited trains to the Embarcadero station. For racers hoping to get to the starting line, there are options:

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5R Fulton Rapid inbound will depart Cabrillo and La Playa every 10 minutes from 5:45 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. These buses will serve all 5R IB stops.

N Judah trains inbound will depart Judah/La Playa every 20 minutes from 5:30 a.m. to 6:50 a.m. These trains will serve all N Judah stops except Civic Center, Powell and Montgomery stations.

S Shuttle trains inbound will operate every 12 minutes from West Portal Station to Embarcadero from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. These trains will serve all Muni Metro stations except Civic Center, Powell and Montgomery.

Regular early morning 5 Fulton, N Bus, and L-Owl services will be in operation.

A BART train will leave Millbrae at 6:30 a.m. and will stop at Daly City at 6:43 a.m., 16th Street Mission at 6:53 a.m. and Embarcadero at 6:58 a.m.

A BART train will leave Pleasant Hill at 6:24 a.m. and will stop at MacArthur at 6:43 a.m., West Oakland at 6:52 a.m. and Embarcadero at 6:58 a.m.

A BART train will leave Dublin at 6:18 a.m. and will stop at Bay Fair at 6:35 a.m., West Oakland at 6:55 a.m. and Embarcadero at 7:01 a.m.

A BART train will leave El Cerrito del Norte at 6:36am and will stop at MacArthur at 6:49 a.m., West Oakland at 6:58 a.m. and Embarcadero at 7:04 a.m.
Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba Before Their Meeting

US Department of State

Remarks

Office of the Spokesperson

May 15, 2024

FOREIGN MINISTER KULEBA: I'm sorry for keeping the Secretary too long in the tAte-A -tAte meeting, but it's always a great pleasure for me to talk and to go through all of the things. There are so many things happening between two of our countries that it's - there is never enough time. So apologies to (inaudible), but put all the blame on me.

Yes, now we are having pleasantries, so it's a big pleasure to have Secretary Blinken in Kyiv, and this is a very timely visit, because it sends a message of encouragement not only to the people of Ukraine but, most importantly, to the troops, to our soldiers who are heroically defending Ukraine in the south, in the east, in the east-northeast near Kharkiv, where Russia tries to expand the war zone. We see with your presence in Kyiv that the United States stand by Ukraine, that support is coming, and that we will be able to endure any hardships that Russia will try to impose on us.

Thank you for being here, for the meaningful conversation on air defense, on delivery of the last drawdowns announced, and on a broader political agenda, including the peace summit that will be convened shortly upon the initiative of Ukraine and in partnership with Switzerland. There are many things that we talked about. We're looking forward to discussing even more, and I would like to thank you, Secretary, for always being focused on achieving tangible results. As diplomats, we are mainly trained to ensure sustainability of processes, but time - wartime diplomacy is different, and I appreciate that every conversation is - that we are having is result-oriented.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, Dmytro, I've probably already spoken too much yesterday, and we - I know we have a press conference later, but I just want to say very quickly and simply how much I appreciate and value our own collaboration over these past now more than two years. That's been quite extraordinary under the most challenging circumstances, and the fact that you are such an effective representative for your country around the world is something I get a chance to see around the world almost every day.

Second, yes, I'm here in part as a show of support, but much more important than a trip or a visit is the fact that that support in very concrete terms is very much on the way. And the President - President Biden - has been working to immediately push out all the assistance that comes with the passage of the supplemental, and that is quite literally on its way, because we know the urgency, the importance of making sure that the extraordinarily courageous Ukrainians who are on the front lines of the fight for freedom here - they need that support and they will be getting it.

I think importantly as well we've been talking over the last day about the immediate urgent needs and what - everything we're doing with many other countries to fulfill them, but also Ukraine's longer-term trajectory, and particularly everything that you're doing, the government is doing, citizens of Ukraine are doing with support to build a Ukraine that will stand strongly on its own feet militarily, economically, democratically. And that ultimately is going to be the best possible rebuke to Putin: a strong, successful, thriving Ukraine.

So we will get through the challenges of the moment and we will work together to continue to build that future that Ukrainians want and that Ukraine is such, I think, a powerful potential example of. And the last thing I'll say - and we'll talk about this maybe more with the press later - just today I saw some extraordinary examples of Ukrainian innovation, ingenuity, entrepreneurship that are not only benefiting Ukrainians but actually will benefit people around the world. Whether it's in agriculture, whether it's in technology, in so many other areas, Ukraine has a leading role to play.

So in all of those areas we'll get through the challenges now through success on the battlefield and help build that Ukraine that everyone wants. Thank you.

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Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba at a Joint Press Availability

US Department of State

Remarks

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Kyiv, Ukraine

May 15, 2024



FOREIGN MINISTER KULEBA: (Via interpreter) (In progress) All of the matters that - all the issues that matter, but first of all I would like to thank Tony for standing with Ukraine, for having stood with Ukraine since the very beginning of the all-out war. We met at the Ukrainian-Polish border, at the border crossing point, and since then, the State Secretary has provided every possible support to Ukraine.

Of course, today that - we've discussed almost all of the issues on our agenda. We focused on Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts, the most challenging and taxing areas of our frontline. And Tony's visit today is a signal of support to our defenders. The USA is standing by, assistance is coming, and it will make our resilience and our standing up to the enemy more effective and stronger. This terror can be stopped only with force, with determination, and agility of the entire collection of our partners - chaired, of course, by the United States of America.

And today you can message the key issue that we've discussed together concerned not only the scope of the military assistance, including equipment and ammunition to be delivered to Ukraine, but also about the speed of this delivery. Speed now is a key factor. The armaments, the equipment, and the munitions should be coming as swiftly as possible to prevent aggressive plans of Ukraine - against Ukraine, against the rest of Europe, and Euro-Atlantic community. I'm extremely thankful to the State Secretary for his untiring efforts to speed up the delivery of the military assistance to Ukraine.

A separate topic of our discussion was the development of the military industrial base of Ukraine, and we also focused on investment in the industrial - military industrial base that will make Ukraine stronger and more independent when it comes to defense. I would also like to thank the USA for allocating additional funding for the congressional decision for adopting this package of assistance, and another topic that also takes a lot of our attention and time is the delivery to Ukraine of additional Patriot systems.

We looked at the entire inventory that can be accessible, that can be brought to Ukraine, and the State Secretary is working with each of the respective countries - again, putting in a lot of effort - and we appreciate that. He will remember that we urgently need seven batteries, of which two batteries are necessary and they were necessary yesterday, so that we could protect the City of Kharkiv and the entire region of Kharkiv. This is the focus of our attention and efforts. We have to make life of Kharkiv citizens safe, and we have to protect our positions against this offensive by the Russian troops. And we understand that there are available systems, and we are working together to make their delivery the speediest possible and the most effective. I am glad that we are approaching to the achievement of this goal, but we should speed up this effort.

We also discussed sanctions against the Russian Federation and the topic of the practical use of frozen Russian assets. And we here see eye-to-eye on the fact that the recovery of Ukraine should be funded by the aggressor. Russia should pay for the destruction and ruination that it has caused. And the U.S. is also taking a lead in the G7, and I asked the State Secretary to continue pushing so that other members of G7 could go as far as the U.S. in what concerns the confiscation, the seizing of the Russian frozen assets.

There can be no meeting between the foreign ministers of the USA and Ukraine that would not focus on Ukraine's potential membership of NATO. Two very intense, very busy days. I appreciate that. Thank you very much, Tony, for them. This is a very powerful message to both our friends and our enemies.

Thank you. Over to you.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, Dmytro, thank you very much, and I remember very well standing with you just inside Ukraine next to the Polish border, and I think back to that. I think about the road that's been traveled since then. If you count that, I've been here five times since the Russian re-invasion, four times to Kyiv.

Yesterday I had a chance to speak about the work that we're doing, the steps the United States is taking to help ensure Ukraine's strategic success. We're working to ensure that Ukraine can deliver on the battlefield today as it continues to protect the country from Russian aggression, but also put itself in a position where it can deter and defend against future attacks and fundamentally secure for the Ukrainian people the right to decide their own future.

We have, of course, the supplemental, and the assistance from the supplemental is on its way. In fact, some of it's already been delivered. But today I want to add to that by announcing that we will provide an additional $2 billion in Foreign Military Financing for Ukraine, and we put this together in a first-of-its-kind defense enterprise fund, and it has three components. One is to provide weapons today, so this will assist Ukraine in acquiring those weapons. Two is to focus as well on something that Dmytro just talked about: investing in Ukraine's defense industrial base, helping to strengthen even more its capacity to produce what it needs for itself but also to produce for others. And finally, using this fund to help Ukraine purchase military equipment from other countries, not just the United States, for Ukraine's use.

All of this, and particularly as we're thinking about the defense industrial base, builds on an incredible spirit of innovation, of ingenuity, of entrepreneurship that we here see - we see here in Ukraine and that I again had a chance to witness for myself. I saw it at the BRAVE1 Facility, which is doing extraordinary work, innovative work with entrepreneurial vision. I saw it in the extraordinary work as well at the company producing world-leading prosthetics, and we saw it in the way that Ukraine has adapted to deal with the Russian onslaught against its agricultural enterprise, but the work that it's done to find ways around that and to continue to be a leading exporter of food and a breadbasket for the world.

Of course, everyone's eyes are focused on the situation in the east and the northeast, in Kharkiv in particular. And so the newest support that I just announced, but particularly the $60 billion supplemental, we know is coming at a critical time. Ukraine is facing this renewed brutal Russian onslaught, and we see again senseless strikes at civilians, residential buildings. I emphasized to the president and my conversations with the foreign minister the substance of the work that we're doing to get the aid to Ukraine. We're rushing ammunition, armored vehicles, missiles, air defenses - rushing them to get to the front lines to protect soldiers, to protect civilians.

And on air defenses, as Dmytro said, this is of course a top priority, and we focused in our own conversations in detail on the work that we're doing to find more air defenses and to get them to Ukraine. And I can tell you that that for us is a matter both of urgency and priority.

Another major issue that we talked about is the bilateral security agreement between Ukraine and the United States. And as you know, there are now 32 countries that have negotiated or will soon complete negotiations on these bilateral security agreements, agreements that will sustain assistance to Ukraine for the next decade and enable it to build this future force that can deter aggression and defend against it. We've done very good, productive work between our teams on this. We're going to finalize the text I think very, very shortly, but the heavy lifting has been done and we're there, and I imagine we'll be able to sign that agreement in a matter of weeks.

And as I said, many other countries are doing the same thing. I think this demonstrates to Ukraine but also to Putin that many countries will be supporting Ukraine for a long time to make sure that, again, it can deter aggression and as necessary defend against it.

As important as well is the economic progress that Ukraine is making. As I said, I saw firsthand some of the initiatives that have enabled it to continue to succeed economically even under the most incredibly difficult circumstances. The fact that as a result of the Black Sea and as a result of pushing the Russian navy out of the way, exports through the Black Sea are pretty much equal to what they were before the Russian re-aggression - that speaks volumes. The fact that Ukraine has found ways with help from many of us to find other export routes, whether it's the Danube, whether it's across land - all of these things are helping Ukraine to maximize its exports. And I mentioned the extraordinary innovation we've seen in so many of its other enterprises.

Finally, let me say that maybe the best word to describe Ukraine - the Ukrainians in this moment is resilience. It's been truly extraordinary. The constant examples of bravery, determination, courage, resilience are here in every corner of society. And it's also a commitment on the part of Ukrainians, as I said, to write their own future, even as they're dealing with a very difficult present. And we see that of course from the soldiers, we see that from so many citizens, we see it from a dynamic civil society, which is one of the things that's at the heart of Ukrainian democracy. And here, pushing for the reforms necessary for Ukraine's eventual entry into the European Union, to NATO, that remains critical.

Bottom line is this: For anyone who's tempted to bet against Ukraine, don't. It would be a big mistake. We've heard the same thing sometimes about the United States. Never a good bet to bet against us; never a good bet to bet against Ukraine. We've been through challenging times together. I have every confidence that together we will get through these difficult moments and together help build a country that is free, that's prosperous, that's secure, that writes its own future.

MODERATOR: Thank you, Excellency. We have a short time for a few brief questions. Let's start with Washington Post, Michael.

QUESTION: Thanks very much to both of you. Secretary Blinken, the Biden administration has made clear it doesn't want Ukraine using U.S. equipment to strike onto Russian territory. The situation in Kharkiv right on the border is pretty dramatic right now, and it seems like your restrictions are making it very hard for Ukraine to respond to the Russian attacks, since a lot of them are coming from Russian territory. Does that ban make sense right now and are you considering relaxing it? And President Zelenskyy asked you yesterday for two Patriot batteries for Kharkiv. What do you say to that? What are your plans? Last, is there a chance of Ukraine negotiating an end to this war before the end of this year, and do you think that's something that would be desirable?

And Minister Kuleba, how much of what you're seeing now in the front lines, the situation there, is caused by the delay in U.S. aid to Ukraine? And Secretary Blinken, yesterday and perhaps today, spent a lot of time talking about corruption in Ukraine and pushing you to do more about it. Do you agree with him that corruption remains a major problem in this country? And how much should Americans be worried about corruption when they are sending Ukraine aid?

Thanks a lot.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Great. Thank you. So first let me be very clear about one thing, which actually shouldn't require clarity, which is that the United States is committed to helping ensure Ukraine winning this war. And I think we've shown that through the extraordinary support that we've provided and that we continue to provide. We have not encouraged or enabled strikes outside of Ukraine, but ultimately Ukraine has to make decisions for itself about how it's going to conduct this war, a war it's conducting in defense of its freedom, of its sovereignty, of its territorial integrity. And we will continue to back Ukraine with the equipment that it needs to succeed, that it needs to win.

On the Patriot batteries, as I mentioned, we are intensely focused on Patriots and other forms of air defense and making sure that we can find them, bring them to Ukraine. Kharkiv, of course, is one urgent priority. There are others. All I can tell you is this is something we discussed in detail and that we're actively and urgently working on.

Finally, in terms of negotiations, these, again, are decisions for Ukraine to make, not the United States or not any other country. So if - I imagine that if Putin showed any interest in seriously engaging in negotiations, I'm sure Ukrainians would respond to that. But what Putin is demonstrating every single day is exactly the opposite. But fundamentally, these are questions for Ukraine to answer. We've been very clear: We support Ukraine, we support Ukraine in its decisions, and there will not be, never will be anything about Ukraine without Ukraine.

FOREIGN MINISTER KULEBA: Every delay of supply results in setbacks on the front line. This is the general rule. So the answer to your question is yes. We appreciate the sincere commitment of the United States to compensate deliveries - delays in deliveries with new announcements and new deliveries. And this is why I so much emphasized the issue of timing in both our talks and in my opening remarks. But it doesn't apply only to the United States. I mean, every country - we encourage every country to make new announcements and to deliver on them. Because in the end, we have seen it hundreds of times: When a Ukrainian infantryman or artilleryman has everything that he or she needs, we are winning. Every time there are delays in supplies and insufficient supplies, we are not winning. The law of the war is cruel but very clear. It allows us to know what and how needs to be done.

On your second question, there is a perception of the level of corruption and there are facts about the level of corruption. And when I read reports and assessments produced by the most prudent watchdogs on corruptions - on corruption like the European Union or the International Monetary Fund, we see that they commend Ukraine for taking anti-corruption measures, for introducing anti-corruption reforms. And there is always a very simple criteria: If we were as corrupt as the perception says, they simply wouldn't be giving us any money; they wouldn't be opening accession talks with Ukraine to accede the European Union, and the United States wouldn't have trust in Ukraine.

So there are issues which we are addressing together, but I think it will be true to say that since his first day in office, President Zelenskyy - and since the first sessions of the Ukrainian Government and parliament, we've been consistently tackling issues of corruption and achieved serious results on this track.

MODERATOR: (In Ukrainian.)

QUESTION: (Via interpreter) I've got question to the State Secretary, if I may. You said that the USA would not either ban or encourage the use of American armaments for hitting the Russian territory. Recently David Cameron said that the UK would not object to using the UK armament to hit the territory of the Russian Federation. When will you be ready to follow suit? Thank you.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Again, we are determined that Ukraine win this war and succeed for its people and for its future. We've been clear about our own policy, but again, these are decisions that Ukraine has to make, Ukraine will make for itself. And we're committed to making sure that Ukraine has the equipment it needs to succeed on the battlefield.

MODERATOR: Next one goes to BBC.

QUESTION: Thank you. Thank you very much. Tom Bateman from the BBC. Mr. Secretary, President Putin has announced he's going to visit China this week. We were with you three weeks ago in Beijing, where you warned of consequences if China didn't stop its exports to Russia of tools and parts that make weapons used here in Ukraine. Have you been able to tell your Ukrainian counterpart that you are now imposing those consequences, or have the Chinese listened to your warning?

And if I could ask you about Gaza, Israel has taken control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing in the last week. That means that the last territorial connection to the outside word -world for ordinary Palestinians in Gaza is now occupied by Israeli forces, which has the potential to create a very serious crisis with Egypt. And there have been quite a few warnings about this. How long can Israel stay in control of that crossing, and where is the line in where a limited operation in Rafah turns into something that you've said you oppose? And we see nearly half a million people now displaced from Rafah over the last week or so.

And Mr. Foreign Minister, if I may, we heard from the Secretary of State yesterday the U.S. is with you for the long term on this. But I just want to ask the question that there is a U.S. presidential election later this year - it may be a promise for the Secretary of State to make but not necessarily one for him to keep. And are you concerned about what that may mean for the long-term support for Ukraine? Thank you.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Tom, thank you. First, with regard to China - and you've heard - you heard me talk about this at some length when I was in Beijing and since then, as well as other colleagues in the government - the concern that we have is this. It's not about China providing weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine. North Korea is doing that; Iran's doing that; others may be. China's held back from that. But what we are deeply concerned about is the support that China's providing to Russia to rebuild its defense industrial base in ways that are materially contributing to and making a difference in its aggression against Ukraine.

As I said when we were in Beijing, we see that the overwhelming majority of machine tools that Russia is getting from abroad are coming from China. The overwhelming majority of microelectronics that Russia is getting from abroad are coming from China. And these are going directly to strengthening that defense industrial base that, over the last year, has been able as a result to churn out more tanks, more armored vehicles, more missiles - all used in the aggression against Ukraine.

So what I shared with Chinese counterparts and I've said here as well is that not only are we looking and watching this very carefully, but as necessary, we have and we will continue to take action, including sanctioning entities involved, companies involved. We've already levied something like more than 100 sanctions against enterprises that are involved in this kind of support. And as necessary, we're going to continue to do that.

Now, the other thing that's important about this, as I said then - and I think you're seeing this play out, too - is that to the extent China is looking to have stronger relations with countries in Europe, it can't on the one hand seek to do that while on the other hand remain responsible for fueling the biggest threat to Europe's security since the end of the Cold War. Because the threat posed by Russia is both the immediate threat here in Ukraine as a result of the aggression, but also as it works to try to get around sanctions, export controls, et cetera in rebuilding its defense industrial base, an ongoing and potentially growing threat to many other countries in Europe. So this is of acute importance to many Europeans that I've talked to, and I imagine that they're making that known to Beijing as well.

With regard to Gaza, one of the deep concerns that we have is the impact of this limited operation that we've seen to date in Rafah on the ability to provide humanitarian assistance. Because the two main points of access in the south - Rafah itself, and Kerem Shalom - have been affected by the resulting conflict in the south. And we've seen - at the very time when Israel was taking important and much-needed steps to improve the provision of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza - we've seen a negative impact on the fact that we have this very active conflict in the Rafah area. We also see Hamas firing at the crossings themselves, making it also more difficult.

So in and of itself we have this urgent problem of restoring the full operational capacity of Rafah and of Kerem Shalom to make sure that assistance gets in. Now, we're also seeing real progress in the north where more is coming through. But what we don't want to see is a situation where we've basically reversed what's happened recent months - where assistance was working its way through in the south but very little was getting to the north - to have that reversed - and have improvements in the north that are much needed and need to continue but then to see steps backward in the south.

More broadly, we've been very clear that when it comes to the future of Gaza, we do not support and will not support an Israeli reoccupation. We also, of course, do not support Hamas governance in Gaza. We know and have seen where that's led all too many times for the people of Gaza and for Israel. And we also can't have anarchy and a vacuum that's likely to be filled by chaos. That only underscores the imperative of having a clear, concrete plan for the day after the conflict in Gaza - in terms of governance, in terms of security, in terms of rebuilding Gaza for its people. And here it would be important for Israel to focus on that as well.

We have been doing a lot of work on this, as I mentioned the other day, with partners in the Arab world and beyond over several months. But it's imperative that Israel also do this work and focus on what the future can and must be. Because again, it cannot - and says it does not want responsibility for Gaza. We cannot have Hamas controlling Gaza; we can't have chaos and anarchy in Gaza. So there needs to be a clear, concrete plan, and we look to Israel to come forward with its ideas.

FOREIGN MINISTER KULEBA: Well first, Secretary Blinken always keeps his word, and I know that if he cannot promise something, it doesn't mean that he is not working on it. He just gives his promises when he is confident that he can deliver, and I sincerely appreciate it.

The Secretary mentioned the security agreement that Ukraine and the United States, our two leaders - presidents - will sign. And this is the document that will be signed not on behalf of the State Department or the Biden administration; this is the document that will be signed on behalf of the United States of America. And it will cover a long range of - wide range of security cooperation issues, and the United States will undertake certain commitments under this document.

And we all know there is a very fundamental rule in diplomacy. It sounds in Latin: pacta servanda sunt - agreements must be implemented. So this will be the promise that no future administration, irrespective of the outcome of this or any other - any future elections in the United States, will be able to ignore until this agreement will be in force.

MODERATOR: (In Ukrainian.)

QUESTION: (Via interpreter) Good afternoon, esteemed State Secretary - Minister, sir. We know that in mid-June there will be the peace summit. It will focus on Ukrainian peace formula. Will we see a representative of the USA, and at what level? And the minister has mentioned that the security agreement will be signed by the leaders of the countries. Does it mean that very soon the two presidents are going to meet? And are there any plans on President Biden's part to visit Ukraine?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: With regard to the peace summit, we strongly support it, we want to make sure that it's a success, and we will be robustly represented there. I don't have any announcements to make on that, except to say we're working on it to make sure that we support this very important initiative and that it produces real results.

And with regard to the two presidents meeting - and I fully anticipate that they'll have the opportunity to do that in the weeks ahead, as Dmytro said. Among other things, we want to sign the bilateral security agreement that we're on the verge of concluding.

FOREIGN MINISTER KULEBA: (Via interpreter) For understandable reasons, we do not disclose information on the dates of visits or contacts, of comings to Ukraine or goings from Ukraine. But Presidents Biden and Zelenskyy have got very trustful relations through dialogue, and I'm sure that they will be able to talk in detail about all of the things in the agreement.

MODERATOR: Thank you, Excellencies.

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Georgia, Liechtenstein, and Malawi will Participate in the Global Peace Summit

President of Ukraine

15 May 2024 - 19:36

The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held telephone conversations with the President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili, the President of Malawi Lazarus Chakwera, and the Prime Minister of Liechtenstein Daniel Risch, he also thanked them for confirming their participation in the Global Peace Summit.

"Only a just peace in Ukraine will bring security and stability to our common region," Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized during a conversation with the President of Georgia.

The Head of State thanked Liechtenstein, which currently holds the Presidency of the Council of Europe, for supporting the establishment of the Register of Damage, the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression, and all EU sanctions packages.

"We must continue this work and jointly find a solution on how to use frozen Russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine," the President noted.

The leaders of Ukraine and Malawi discussed bilateral relations and instructed the teams to prepare proposals for the expansion of cooperation.

"We have prospective areas: digitization and IT, education, food. Ukraine is ready to be a food security guarantor for Malawi and other African countries," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

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Over the Course of the Day, our Defense and Security Forces Have Managed to Partially Stabilize the Situation a Address by the President

President of Ukraine

15 May 2024 - 18:29

Dear Ukrainians!

All day long our military and the Ministry of Defense have been delivering reports. Our attention is constantly focused on the frontline, on all combat zones. In the Kharkiv region a the areas near the border, the city of Vovchansk a our defensive actions continue. Over the course of the day our Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine a all units involved a have managed to partially stabilize the situation. The occupier, who entered the Kharkiv region, is being destroyed with all available means. Artillery, drones, and our infantry are working quite accurately. I thank all those who are in their positions now. The same attention is paid to all other directions. Especially to the Pokrovsk direction in the Donetsk region, as well as to the Kupyansk direction in the Kharkiv region. We clearly see how the occupier is trying to distract our forces and make our combat work less concentrated. We are reacting to this exactly as we should a we must have the means to retaliate against the enemy in every direction. Our Ukrainian result, our strength, depends on every soldier, every sergeant, and every officer who is directly in their positions, in combat, on the frontline: the full accomplishment of combat tasks in the current conditions should disrupt the Russian offensive plans. Throughout the day there were also reports on the internal situation: security, the elimination of the consequences of Russian strikes. Today there was a brutal attack on Kherson, Russian aerial bombs... Dnipro a there was a Russian missile attack... Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Sumy regions... Our rescuers of SES of Ukraine had a lot of work today. I thank every rescue team for their consistent promptness. I thank all the states that also help us, always promptly and always efficiently, a help our people and our state. The world has the strength, it has the weapons, it has the ability to force Russia into peace a into a just peace. And to succeed in this, absolutely everything must be done now to ensure that the Russian offensive and the Russian attempt to expand the war fails.

And one more thing.

Today there was an appalling attack on the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico. This is a totally unacceptable act of violence. I wish Mr. Prime Minister a speedy recovery, and it is important that the attacker be held accountable for his actions. No form of violence, and especially political violence, should ever be a part of people's existence.

Glory to all who defend life! I thank all those who defend Ukraine!

Glory to Ukraine!

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Ukraine: UNICEF supports Kharkiv families evacuating from areas near Russia

15 May 2024 - Amidst the rapidly deteriorating security situation in the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine, UN agencies are helping local authorities to evacuate thousands of people from border areas with Russia.

Recent days have seen relentless Russian air strikes which have killed and injured civilians. The escalation in attacks has also damaged or destroyed critical infrastructure, including power generation plants, electricity substations and railways.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is providing support to families arriving in the main city, also called Kharkiv.

'Not easy now'

"In the city itself, the situation is not easy now, but it is much calmer than in the border areas," Liudmila Palamar, UNICEF programme manager in the Kharkiv region, told UN News.

Earlier this week, UNICEF reported that nearly 2,000 children in Ukraine have been killed or injured since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion two years ago.

Additionally, nearly half of all boys and girls are missing out on in-person schooling.

Ms. Palamar also discussed how UNICEF is ensuring that children can continue to learn even as conflict rages.

This interview was translated from Russian and has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Liudmyla Palamar: The situation in Kharkiv, both the region and the city, is not easy now. The territories from which evacuations are taking place are in a difficult situation in terms of security, with daily shelling. Therefore, it is almost impossible for families with children to stay there now. Most now travel in their own cars or other vehicles, but about 30 to 40 per cent are evacuated by the authorities.

Those who are evacuated with the help of organisations or local authorities come to the humanitarian headquarters, which is located in the city of Kharkiv. In the city itself, the situation is not easy now, but it is much calmer than in the border areas. Shelling of the city continues on a regular basis, but it is not as intense as in settlements such as Vovchansk or Liptsy, from where people are leaving.

Upon arrival in the city of Kharkiv, all evacuees are met by a large team at the humanitarian headquarters. UNICEF and our partners are an integral part of this team. We help families with children, primarily with essential items and humanitarian relief items such as hygiene kits. Since most families leave in a hurry - they leave practically without anything, without personal belongings - essential goods are what they need in the first days.

We also provide blankets and, if necessary, children's clothing. We also provide special UNICEF kits for children that contain, for example, a toothbrush, colouring books and information materials that help to distract and support them a little.

The humanitarian centre also has our child-friendly space, where psychologists organise leisure activities for children while their parents are waiting in queues to register and receive help.

UN News: Recent strikes have hit critical infrastructure, including the energy sector, causing power outages. How does this affect children, particularly their ability to learn, because many are now forced to study online?

Liudmyla Palamar: Indeed, most children in the Kharkiv region - except for a single school called MetroSchool, which is located inside the Kharkiv Metro system - are now working online. Therefore, all schoolchildren who live in the Kharkiv region directly depend on having regular access to the internet as well as electricity to charge their laptops or tablets.

For the past few months, both the city and the entire region have been living with regular power outages. Outages can last for several hours a day.

Of course, this causes a lot of stress for children in terms of access to learning because all children live in different areas. Therefore, it is almost impossible for a teacher to adjust or plan classes, for example, in such a way that everyone can join in. Therefore, children sometimes drop out of classes. Sometimes the light turns off unexpectedly, and the internet disappears unexpectedly. Therefore, of course, this is a big problem.

What we are doing as UNICEF in such a situation is to support children and help them with their academic performance through the Catch-Up Learning programme. It aims to make up for the knowledge that children have lost or that they did not have time to acquire over the past two years of the war, but also due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Schoolchildren in Kharkiv, like all schoolchildren in the world, were at home online.

We have 10 such locations in the city of Kharkiv. We work in two key subjects within the UNICEF mandate: language and mathematics. At these locations, which are not affected by power outages, children can regularly access laptops and classes.

We are also taking the infrastructure aspect very seriously. The recent attacks have affected not only critical infrastructure that produces electricity, but also water supply and heating.

We are now working very closely with the utility companies that are primarily responsible for heating to help them restore or replace equipment that was lost in the attacks so that when the cold weather begins - which is less than six months away - children can have warm homes and apartments.



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Blinken announces $2 billion in new US military assistance for Ukraine

By VOA News May 15, 2024

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Wednesday $2 billion in funding to finance Ukraine's military efforts as he concluded his two-day visit to Kyiv.

The announcement comes as Ukrainian troops retreated in parts of the country's northeast following heavy fighting with Russian forces.

On Wednesday, Russia said it seized two more settlements in the Kharkiv region, where Russian forces have been intensifying their offensive.

The Russian military also bombed Shevchenkivsky, the central district of Kharkiv, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov, who posted on Telegram that the attack injured two people and damaged a five-story building. The offensive prompted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to postpone upcoming foreign visits.

Blinken also said Wednesday the United States knows the urgency of the situation in Ukraine, and that Ukrainian forces will be getting the support they need.

During a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv, Blinken said U.S. President Joe Biden is working to deliver as quickly as possible a new round of aid authorized in late April.

The $2 billion arms deal will mostly draw from the U.S.'s $61 billion aid package for Ukraine, which was approved last month by Biden and Congress, a U.S. official said.

"I'm here in part as a show of support, but much more important than a trip or a visit is the fact that that support in very concrete terms is very much on the way," Blinken said.

Kuleba said his country sees the U.S. stands by Ukraine, and that Ukraine "will be able to endure any hardships that Russia will try to impose on us."

"This is a very timely visit, because it sends a message of encouragement not only to the people of Ukraine but most importantly to the troops, to our soldiers who are heroically defending Ukraine in the south, in the east, in the northeast near Kharkiv where Russia tries to expand the war zone," Kuleba said.

Before their talks, Kuleba and Blinken laid wreaths at the Wall of Remembrance in Kyiv.

Russia's defense ministry reported Wednesday destroying 10 missiles over Russia-occupied Crimea, as well as nine drones and multiple missiles over the western Russian region of Belgorod and several drones over both the Kursk and Bryansk regions.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, the regional governor of Belgorod, reported two people were injured and seven homes were damaged as a result of Ukrainian attacks.

Energy infrastructure targeted

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Tuesday that several waves of attacks in the Kharkiv region over the past few days have killed and injured numerous civilians, including children.

"These attacks have triggered yet more displacement from border and front-line communities," OCHA's Lisa Doughten told the U.N. Security Council. "As of today, authorities report that over 7,000 civilians were evacuated from border areas of the Kharkiv region."

She said that since March, Russia has targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure, with the Kharkiv and Dnipro regions particularly affected. In April alone, the United Nations recorded 50 attacks that destroyed or damaged power generation plants and electricity substations, leaving millions across the country without power, water or cooking gas.

Doughten also expressed concern about what she said appears to be a new pattern of deadly attacks on railway infrastructure in Ukraine's east and south, with 10 such attacks in April in government-controlled areas.

"And we are alarmed by reports of attacks damaging energy infrastructure and oil refineries in the Russian Federation," Doughten added. "Such attacks risk inflaming the war further and worsening its humanitarian impacts."

Moscow's envoy dismissed the accusations, saying Russia's air force carries out high precision strikes only on facilities related to Kyiv's military capabilities. Vassily Nebenzia said life in Ukrainian cities is "proceeding normally, on the whole."

VOA's United Nations correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report. Some information came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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Ahead of China visit, Putin says he is ready to negotiate on Ukraine war

By VOA News May 15, 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with Chinese media Wednesday that Russia is ready to negotiate on the war in Ukraine.

Russia has "never refused to negotiate," China's state-run Xinhua News Agency quoted Putin as saying. Russia seeks a "comprehensive, sustainable and just settlement of this conflict through peaceful means."

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Putin arrived in Beijing on Thursday for two days at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

Xi and Putin will "have a detailed discussion on the entire range of issues related to the comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation and determine the new directions for further development of cooperation between Russia and China," the Kremlin said in a statement.

They will "also have a detailed exchange of opinions on the most acute international and regional issues," the Kremlin added.

Russia has intensified its attacks on the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine in the past week, forcing nearly 8,000 people to leave their homes.

China says it is a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict. But it has economically, politically and rhetorically backed Russia and refuses to condemn Moscow's offensive.

"I don't think Xi is going to be 100% supportive of Russia's continuing hostilities," Lyle Morris, a senior fellow at Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis, told VOA. "I think Putin knows that. So, his hand is getting weaker."

Putin said that China understands the origins of the crisis in Ukraine and has a sincere desire to stabilize the situation, according to Xinhua.

Just weeks before Russian troops invaded Ukraine in 2022, Xi and Putin signed a pledge declaring their "no-limits" bilateral partnership. Beijing has since become Moscow's most reliable economic and diplomatic partner as Western nations have imposed strict economic sanctions in response to the invasion.

Putin "will be trying to make sure that China supports Russia in any sort of international negotiations or basically finds a way to get around U.S. sanctions," William Pomeranz, director of the Wilson Center's Kennan Institute, said in an interview with VOA.

"China is becoming steadily more important" in Russia and China's relationship, Edward Lucas, senior adviser at the Center for European Policy Analysis, told VOA.

Putin's "No. 1 issue is help on Ukraine," he said. "He wants diplomatic help. He wants help with breaking sanctions. He would like more weapons."

Lucas said Xi's interest is slightly different. Xi "doesn't want Russia to lose, but he also doesn't want Russia to escalate going up the nuclear ladder," he said.

Putin's trip to China will be his first foreign visit since he was reelected in March for a fifth term in office. The trip is his second visit to China in six months.

He traveled to Beijing in October to attend a forum on China's Belt and Road Initiative, a project launched by Xi a decade ago to build global infrastructure and energy networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa.

VOA Mandarin Service reporter John Xie and VOA Ukrainian Service reporter Tatiana Vorozhko contributed to this report. Some information came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 15, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GFM Resources Limited (the Corporation) (TSX-V: GFM.H) is pleased to the results of its annual general meeting of shareholders, celebrated on May 14, 2024 (the AGM).



The following directors were elected at the AGM: James Robertson, Pedro Rivero Gonzalez, Esteban Rivero Gonzalez, and Roberto Rivero Larrea. Davidson & Company LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants, were ratified as auditors of the Corporation for the ensuing year. The shareholders of the Corporation also ratified the continuation of the rolling incentive stock option plan (the Plan) pursuant to which a maximum of 10% of the issued shares will be reserved for issuance under the Plan.

Following the AGM, the board made the following officer appointments: Mr. Pedro Rivero Gonzalez as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Roberto Rivero Larrea as President, and Mr. Salvador Miranda as Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary. The audit committee of the Corporation will be chaired by Mr. James Robertson with the other members of the committee being Pedro Rivero Gonzalez and Esteban Rivero Gonzalez.

Mr. Jose Antonio Rivero Larrea, long-time director and chairman of the board of the Corporation, has now stepped down from the board to take a senior advisory role with the Corporation.

The Board also granted an aggregate of 880,000 stock options to its directors, officers and one advisor. Each option entitles its holder to purchase one common share of the Corporation at an exercise price of $0.10 per share for a period of five years from the date of grant. All options will vest as follows: one third six months after the date of grant, another third one year after the date of grant, and the final third two years after the date of grant. These options are granted pursuant to the provisions of the Plan, are subject to regulatory approval.

About GFM Resources Limited

GFM Resources Limited is an emerging mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of high-potential exploration properties in Mexico. Its shares are listed on the NEX Board of the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol GFM.H. The Corporation's majority shareholder, Compania Minera Autlan, S.A.B. de C.V., is a company listed on the Mexican Stock exchange and active in precious metal mining, power generation in Mexico as well as manganese ore and ferroalloy operations. Autlan is also engaged in electrolytic manganese dioxide production through its facility in Spain and serving the European alkaline battery industry.

For additional information, please contact:

Salvador Miranda, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary

Phone: (+1) 604 925 2839



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 press release.
Wilmington, Delaware , May 15, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Acrylic Polymer Market by Type (Solvent Borne and Water Borne), and Application (Paints and Coatings, Adhesives and Sealants, Industrial water treatment additives, Textiles, Cleaning/Detergents, Super Absorbent Polymer, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032". According to the report, the acrylic polymer market was valued at $20.0 billion in 2022, and is estimated to reach $36.9 billion by 2032, at a CAGR of 6.4% from 2023 to 2032.



Prime determinants of growth

The global acrylic polymer market is driven by rising demand from the automotive sector. Factors such as increase in disposable income, technological upgrades, and spurring rise in original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have led the automotive sector to witness significant growth. For instance, according to an article published by The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers in January 2023, Chinas auto sales increased by 9.5% in 2022 as compared to 2021 owing to rise in sales of electric vehicles in the country.

Acrylic polymers play a critical role in enhancing the performance, aesthetics, and durability of automotive components, contributing to the advancement of modern vehicles. Their diverse properties make them indispensable across various automotive applications, from coatings and adhesives to interior trim and lighting. This factor is expected to foster the demand for acrylic polymer in rise in the automotive sector; thus, fueling the growth of the acrylic polymers market. However, volatility in raw materials may restrain the growth of the acrylic polymer market.

Download Sample Pages of Research Overview: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/A140387

Report coverage & details:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 20232032 Base Year 2022 Market Size in 2022 $20.0 billion Market Size in 2032 $36.9 billion CAGR 6.4% No. of Pages in Report 331 Segments covered Type, Application, and Region. Drivers Escalating demand from the architecture sector Robust demand from the automotive sector Rise in preference for water-based acrylic coatings Rise in demand from the packaging sector Growth in the textile sector Opportunities Growth in demand for lightweight material Rise in demand for sustainable solutions Advancements in additive manufacturing (3D printing) Customization and specialty applications Restraints Volatility in raw material prices Environmental concerns and sustainability Availability of substitutes





The water-borne segment to maintain its lead position during the forecast period.



By type, the water-borne segment accounted for the largest share in 2022, contributing to more than half of the global acrylic polymer market revenue. Factors such as growth in disposable income, expansion of real estate and housing sectors, and rise in construction of green buildings have surged the demand for sustainable architectural coatings wherein water-borne acrylic polymers are commonly used in architectural coatings for both interior and exterior applications. Moreover, they are used in paints, primers, sealers, and stains for walls, ceilings, trim, and other building surfaces. The key reasons for their widespread use in this sector include their low VOC content, fast drying time, excellent adhesion, durability, and weather resistance. According to a report published by EU-Japan Center for Industrial Cooperation in 2022, the Japanese government has put more emphasis on the construction & architecture sector owing to major upcoming events such as 2025 World Expo in Osaka, and others. This factor is expected to be one of the key drivers responsible for the growth of the water-borne acrylic polymer in the growing architectural sector.

Procure Complete Report (331 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, and Figures) @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/checkout-final/acrylic-polymer-market

The textiles segment to maintain its lead position during the forecast period.

By application, the textiles segment accounted for the largest share in 2022, contributing to more than one-fifth of the global acrylic polymer market revenue. Acrylic polymers offer a cost-effective alternative to natural fibers such as wool and silk. They can be produced at a lower cost, making acrylic textiles more affordable for consumers while still providing desirable properties such as softness, warmth, and durability. Furthermore, acrylic polymers are highly versatile and can be engineered to mimic the properties of natural fibers such as wool and cotton. They can also be blended with other fibers to enhance specific characteristics such as strength, moisture-wicking, and color retention. This versatility makes acrylic textiles suitable for a wide range of applications in apparel, home furnishings, and industrial textiles. Additionally, the demand for outdoor and performance textiles is on the rise, driven by increased participation in outdoor activities and sports. Acrylic fibers are well-suited for these applications due to their resistance to sunlight, moisture, and abrasion, making them ideal for outdoor apparel, sportswear, and technical textiles. Also, as consumers become more conscious of environmental issues, there is a growing demand for sustainable and eco-friendly textiles.

Asia-Pacific to maintain its dominance by 2032

By region, Asia-Pacific held the highest market share in terms of revenue in 2022, accounting for more than two-fifths of the acrylic polymer market and is projected to register the highest CAGR of 6.9% during the forecast period. The acrylic polymers market in Asia-Pacific is the largest in the world and continues to witness growth at a rapid pace. The region's booming economies, population growth, urbanization, and infrastructure development are driving robust demand for acrylic polymers across various industries such as construction, automotive, paints and coatings, adhesives, textiles, and packaging. As a result, the acrylic polymers market in Asia-Pacific is expected to continue expanding, driven by the need for construction materials, automotive components, consumer goods, and industrial applications.

China's automotive sector is increasing rapidly, which in turn has enhanced the performance of the acrylic polymer-based paints & coatings in the region. According to a report published by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers in 2023, vehicle sales increased by 27.4% year-on-year reaching 2.97 million units in November 2023 as compared to November 2022. Also, countries such as India and Australia are witnessing a substantial growth in sectors such as automotive, textile, building & construction, and others, wherein acrylic polymers are widely used. For instance, according to a report published by India Brands Equity Foundation in 2023, Indias textile and apparel exports stood at $44.4 billion in 2022 registering a growth of 41% year-on-year as compared to 2021. This factor is expected to further augment the growth of the acrylic polymers market in the booming textile sector.

Want to Access the Statistical Data and Graphs, Key Players' Strategies: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/acrylic-polymer-market/purchase-options

Leading Market Players: -

Dow Inc.

BASF SE

Arkema

DuPont

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.

NIPPON SHOKUBAI. CO. LTD

The Lubrizol Corporation

Ashland Inc

TOAGOSEI CO., LTD.

Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.

The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players in the global acrylic polymer market. These players have adopted different strategies such as new product launches, collaborations, expansion, joint ventures, agreements, and others to increase their market share and maintain dominant shares in different regions. The report is valuable in highlighting business performance, operating segments, product portfolio, and strategic moves of market players to showcase the competitive scenario.

About Us

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

Pawan Kumar, the CEO of Allied Market Research, is leading the organization toward providing high-quality data and insights. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

Contact:

David Correa

United States

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Corporation Trust Center,

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Delaware 19801 USA.

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[16/05/2024]

Not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful.

[OI European Group B.V]

Pre-stabilisation Period Announcement

BNP Paribas (contact: Stanford Hartman telephone: 0207 595 8222 hereby gives notice, as Stabilisation Coordinator, that the Stabilisation Manager(s) named below may stabilise the offer of the following securities in accordance with Commission Delegated Regulation EU/2016/1052 under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU/596/2014).

The securities:1 Issuer: OI European Group B.V Guarantor (if any): N/A Aggregate nominal amount: EUR 400,000,000.00 Description: EUR 5yr Offer price: TBC

Other offer terms: N/A

Stabilisation: Stabilisation Manager(s) BNP Paribas, Mizuho, Bank Of America, Scotia Bank, Credit Agricole Bank, HSBC, JP Morgan, RaboBank, Wells Fargo, Goldmans Sach Stabilisation period expected to start on: 23/5/2024

Stabilisation period expected to end no later than: 22/6/2024 Existence, maximum size and conditions of use of overallotment facility: The Stabilisation Manager(s) may overallot the securities to the extent permitted in accordance with applicable law. Stabilisation trading venue: OTC



In connection with the offer of the above securities, the Stabilisation Manager(s) may overallot the securities or effect transactions with a view to supporting the market price of the securities during the stabilisation period at a level higher than that which might otherwise prevail. However, stabilisation may not necessarily occur and any stabilisation action, if begun, may cease at any time. Any stabilisation action or overallotment shall be conducted in accordance with all applicable laws and rules.

This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to underwrite, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any securities of the Issuer in any jurisdiction.

This announcement and the offer of the securities to which it relates are only addressed to and directed at persons outside the United Kingdom and persons in the United Kingdom who have professional experience in matters related to investments or who are high net worth persons within Article 12(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 and must not be acted on or relied on by other persons in the United Kingdom.

In addition, if and to the extent that this announcement is communicated in, or the offer of the securities to which it relates is made in, the UK or any EEA Member State before the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the competent authority in the UK or that Member State in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the Prospectus Regulation) (or which has been approved by a competent authority in another Member State and notified to the competent authority in the UK or that Member State in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation), this announcement and the offer are only addressed to and directed at persons in the UK or that Member State who are qualified investors within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation (or who are other persons to whom the offer may lawfully be addressed) and must not be acted on or relied on by other persons in the UK or that Member State.

This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States. The securities have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration. There will be no public offer of securities in the United States.
San Francisco State University announced Wednesday a plan supported by students to rethink its investment policies, signaling an end to the protest encampment set up on campus in April. Benjamin Fanjoy/Special to the Chronicle Gopal Dayaneni, a professor of race and resistance studies at San Francisco State University, breaks down a tent Wednesday at a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus. Benjamin Fanjoy/Special to the Chronicle A pedestrian touches the grass Wednesday where part of an encampment stood at San Francisco State University. The school announced a plan supported by students to rethink its investment policies. Benjamin Fanjoy/Special to the Chronicle

Leaders at San Francisco State University and pro-Palestinian student demonstrators camped at the school announced an agreement Wednesday that could require the university to consider human rights in its investments and to divest from any company that manufactures weapons.

We will support the addition of a human rights-based investment strategy, including divesting from direct investments in weapons manufacturers and limiting other such indirect investments, university President Lynn Mahoney said in a statement dated May 13 and made public Wednesday.

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In exchange, students began within hours to remove their encampment, which they set up April 29.

Some students from the encampment will join an investment committee tasked with overseeing the campus two philanthropic organizations and adjusting their investment policies to embrace equality, inclusiveness, social justice and positive change  values that are already included in the schools mission statement. Before the protest, there were two students on the investment committee but no plan to revise policy or divest from certain industries.

Ziniab I., a San Francisco State University student and organizer of a pro-Palestinian encampment, reads university president Lynn Mahoneys statement during a news conference Wednesday. Benjamin Fanjoy/Special to the Chronicle

At a Wednesday rally, a speaker from Students for Gaza read the presidents announcement. The crowd of more than 100 burst into cheers when the student mentioned the presidents commitment to supporting the effort and making changes to campus policy.

Tents started coming down right after the rally. Some students packed up with a celebratory zeal, while others clasped hands and danced to Palestinian music.

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The plan is not just rhetoric or an empty promise but will lead to real change in our investment strategies, Mahoney said.

The protests are a reminder that SFSU needs to adhere to its existing environmental, social and governance investment policy, which requires the prioritization of investments that make a positive impact, Mahoney said in her statement.

The campus can make decisions only about its own portfolios, not system-wide investments such those made by the California State Universitys pension funds. The two organizations affected, UCorp and the San Francisco State University Foundation, raise money for campus causes independent of the wider CSU system.

A group cheers in a circle at a pro-Palestinian encampment at San Francisco State University on Wednesday. The school announced a plan supported by students to rethink its investment policies. Benjamin Fanjoy/Special to the Chronicle

CSU has already said it does not intend to change its investment policies in response to calls for divestment and that it invests only in funds, not individual stocks.

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The students began occupying the campus on Monday, April 29, as protests sprang up on campuses around the country in response to the arrests of more than 100 Columbia University protesters in April. S.F. State students put up about 60 tents in Malcolm X Plaza and demanded the S.F. State and the entire CSU system disclose their investments and revisit their investing policies.

By the end of May, the campus will impanel a working group to review and recommend changes to campus investment guidelines and make the campus investments more transparent. The group will include representatives from the student encampment as well as university leaders and those who manage the campus unique investment portfolio, Mahoney said.

The group will write a draft policy over the summer, which will then be revised and submitted to the governing board of the San Francisco State Foundation in September, in the hopes that the board will approve the new policy by the end of the year.

Gopal Dayaneni, a professor of race and resistance studies at San Francisco State University, breaks down a tent Wednesday at a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus. Benjamin Fanjoy/Special to the Chronicle

This is an ambitious timeline that can be achieved by working together, Mahoney said.

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The agreement comes after a tense public back-and-forth between students and Mahoney last week.

This wasnt given to us, Ali, history student and elected leader of Students for Gaza, told the crowd. It was won through solidarity, he said.

Without students and workers these universities would not have classes left to run or dollars to invest in the stock market, he said.

This is a pivotal affirmation and recommitment to a world free from oppression, said Rama Ali Kased, a professor in the Race & Resistance Studies department.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Endeavour Silver Corp. (Endeavour or the Company) (TSX: EDR, NYSE: EXK) made further progress executing its 2022-2024 Sustainability Strategy, as outlined in the Companys 2023 Sustainability Report, released today.



Entitled Transformation in Motion, the report provides insights into Endeavours sustainability performance and approach over 2023, including second-year progress highlights against the strategy.

Since launching our 2022-2024 Sustainability Strategy two years ago, we have completed many significant initiatives and achieved key targets, stated Dan Dickson, CEO of Endeavour. In 2023, we transformed more commitments into meaningful impact across our sites and surrounding areas. With the ongoing construction of our flagship mine, Terronera, were on the doorstep of a transformation that will bring us closer to becoming a premier silver producerand our sustainability initiatives have helped set us up for this exciting future.

Endeavours 2022-2024 Sustainability Strategy is centered around three pillars:



People  Increasing positive social impacts for people in our workplace and in the communities where we operate.

Planet  Elevating our environmental stewardship to reduce negative impacts, protect ecosystems and support environmental sustainability.

Business  Operating a trusted, well-performing business by further strengthening the critical foundations that create long-term organizational sustainability.



The actions we took in 2023, and achievements made, include the following (all dollar amounts presented below are in U.S. dollars):



People

Continued implementing safety procedures aligned to ISO 45001, the global standard for reducing occupational injuries and diseases, and recorded a 1.03 reportable injury rate.

Provided an average of 31 training hours per employee and contractor.

Made upgrades to our mining on-site facilities, including employee accommodations, food services and enjoyment areas, to create more comfortable experiences for our people.

Nearly doubled our community investments, to $854,620 which supported initiatives such as road improvement projects, the building of a new community water well, and the delivery of skill-training workshops for local residents.

Marked the seventh anniversary of our Scholarship Program, with 142 scholarships awarded in 2023  and 855 since 2017  to enhance access to education for local students.

Awarded the Socially Responsible Company distinction by the Mexican Center for Philanthropy.

Planet

Released our first climate report aligned to the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework, entitled  Our Climate Journey , and undertook research to inform the development of a long-term Climate Action Plan.

, and undertook research to inform the development of a long-term Climate Action Plan. Calculated Scope 3 emissions for the first time, for our two producing mines.

Recycled 89% of water used in our operations, beating our target and minimizing our use of fresh water.

Diverted 78% of our overall waste from landfills.

Continued working with an external consultant to align our current practices with the new Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management.

Planted 58,580 trees through our reforestation program to restore land disturbed by mining activity



Business

Surpassed 30% representation of women on the Board, achieving our 2024 target.

Developed Anti-money Laundering and Anti-terrorist Financial Protocol to formalize and strengthen the controls governing our relationships with third parties.

100% of our employees completed business conduct and ethics training.

Created a new human rights training course for Endeavours security personal.

97% of our procurement was from local and national suppliers in Mexico.

Launched Supplier Standards of Conduct to integrate enhanced ESG criteria into our supplier due diligence processes.

The 2023 Sustainability Report and related performance tables are available on Endeavours website.

The report has been prepared in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) framework, as well as with reference to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A Spanish version of the report will be available online during Q3, 2024.

About Endeavour Silver  Endeavour is a mid-tier precious metals company with a strong commitment to sustainable and responsible mining practices. With operations in Mexico and the development of the new cornerstone mine in Jalisco state, the company aims to contribute positively to the mining industry and the communities in which it operates. In addition, Endeavour has a portfolio of exploration projects in Mexico, Chile and the United States to facilitate its goal to become a premier senior silver producer.

Contact Information

Galina Meleger, Vice President of Investor Relations

Tel: (877) 685 - 9775

Email: gmeleger@edrsilver.com

Website: www.edrsilver.com
Preliminary testing results with Gen 2 material demonstrate a capability to improve performance by about 30% versus graphite benchmark and by 14% better versus Gen1 material [1] .

This improvement is achieved without noticeable first-cycle degradation [1].

MONTREAL, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HPQ Silicon Inc. (HPQ or the Company) ( TSX-V: HPQ ) (OTCQB: HPQFF) (FRA: O08), a technology company specializing in green engineering of silica and silicon-based materials is pleased to announce the latest battery milestones achieved by its France-based affiliate, NOVACIUM SAS ("Novacium").

This announcement highlights the remarkable results obtained during the first-cycle tests of 18650 industrial batteries made with Novaciums non-optimized second generation of advanced silicon-based anode material. It also showcases Novaciums capability to produce a blend of graphite and advanced silicon anode material that can be seamlessly integrated into existing anode manufacturing facilities to improve overall battery performance.

UNLOCKING ENHANCED BATTERY PERFORMANCE WITH SILICON DEPLOYMENT



Table showing various 18650 batteries manufactured using Novacium materials, measured in milliampere-hours (mAh). It also showcases the progression in battery capacity from standard 100% graphite batteries to the world record for the 18650-battery model [2]

The above table illustrates the progression from the reference 100% graphite battery capacity, approximately 2,780 mAh, typical for commercially available batteries with graphite anodes. It demonstrates the capacity increase to around 3,150 mAh with our first generation of advanced silicon-based material. Finally, the results from batteries utilizing our second generation of advanced silicon-based material showcase a further increase of average capacity to 3,610 mAh [1], with best-in-class value of 3,835 mAh, representing about 30% improvement versus the graphite benchmark and over 14% improvement versus first-generation results. The table also highlights that the world record for 18650 battery capacity presently is at 4,095 mAh [3].

Our results to date are a powerful indication of the rapid progress of our work and the commercial potential of the materials we are developing. However, we are not finished, with intent to continue improving our material so that our third generation of advanced silicon-based material continue to improve our 18650-battery performance, with the aim to crack the 4Ah mark very soon" stated Dr. Jed Kraiem Ph.D., COO of Novacium. "These results continue to underscore our ability to produce a blend of graphite and advanced engineered silicon anode material that can be seamlessly integrated into existing anode manufacturing facilities. This blend can be utilized worldwide without modification by battery manufacturers, significantly enhancing battery performance."

ADVANCING MARKET OPPORTUNITIES FOR SILICON-BASED ANODE MATERIALS

As pure graphite anodes have essentially achieved their maximum performance in terms of energy density [4], a trend in the lithium battery industry has been the introduction of small amounts (about 5%) of silicon oxide (SiOx) material into graphite composite electrodes. This basic SiOx material, primarily used in the fabrication of optical materials, sells for about US$15 per kg [5] and delivers less than optimal results.

While Silicon remains the most promising candidate for drastically improving the anode performance (more than 10 times), its industrial application is still very limited due to unresolved issues related to volumetric expansion or the usage of very complex and highly expensive solutions.

The manufacture of an engineered silicon-based anode material, such as the Novacium product, will enable the battery industry to overcome these problems and increase battery capacity without significant degradation of the battery's lifetime. Currently the selling price of engineered silicon-based anode material is around US$75 to US$100 per kg [5]. The Si-C material made using CVD deposition of Silane material sells for about US$300 per kg [5], which is not feasible for massive industrial applications.

This new reality is driving a surge in demand for advanced silicon-based anode materials. As of 2023, this market is valued between US$1.1 billion [6] and US$2.7 billion [7]. Its growth prospects indicate a potential demand of 300,000 tons by 2030, estimated at US$15 billion [6], according to one source, and US$131.6 billion in 2033, according to another source [8].

It is important to highlight that silicon-based materials for Li-ion batteries currently make up a relatively small portion, accounting for less than 10%, of the global demand for graphite, which is primarily used in the manufacture of anode materials for Li-ion batteries. This graphite market is estimated to be worth US$25 billion in 2023 [9].

I continue to be profoundly encouraged by the results to date; however, I am even more excited about the potential of our continual improved next generations of materials," expressed Mr. Bernard Tourillon, President and CEO of HPQ Silicon Inc. and NOVACIUM SAS. These achievements open the door for HPQ to become one of the first North American manufacturers of next-gen engineered silicon-based anode materials in a jurisdiction that supports these types of initiatives as it aims to become a central hub for battery material manufacturing in North America.

REFERENCE SOURCES





[1] Novacium technical team analysis of the data from the ongoing charging and discharging cycle tests conducted at a world-leading university, the name of which is kept confidential for competitive reasons. [2] https://www.ufinebattery.com/blog/the-18650-maximum-capacity/ [3] https://www.enpower-greentech.com/news/enpower-greentech-achieved-breakthrough-in-cylindrical-batteries [4] The Royal Society of Chemistry 2020 Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2020, 4, 53875416 [5] Management estimates based on confidential price quotes received for materials by HPQ affiliated company. [6] QY Research, SNE Research, Shinhan Securities / NBM June 2023 Deck page 11 [7] The global silicon anode battery market is likely to be valued at US$ 2.7 billion in 2023. From Future Market Insights Global and Consulting Pvt. Ltd. [8] According to Future Market Insights, the global silicon anode battery market is estimated to reach US$ 131.6 Billion by 2033. [9] Based on the analysis by Fact.MR, the global graphite market is valued to be US$ 25.9 billion in 2023 and it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.5% to reach US$ 58,6 billion by the end of 2033. Link to source

About NOVACIUM SAS

Novacium is an HPQ - affiliated company started in Q3 2022. This green technology startup is based in Lyon, France and is a partnership with HPQ and three of Frances leading research engineers, Dr. Jed KRAIEM PhD, Novacium's Chief Operating Officer (COO), Dr. Oleksiy NICHIPORUK PhD, Novacium's Chief Technical Officer (CTO), and Dr. Julien DEGOULANGE PhD, Novaciums Chief Innovation Officer (CIO). Novacium is a new Research and Development company which allows the researchers to develop their own technology in high added value fields connected to renewable energy, and allows HPQ Silicon Inc, a Canadian company, to expand the depth and reach of its technical team to help develop its silicon and new renewable energy projects.

About HPQ Silicon

HPQ Silicon Inc. ( TSX-V: HPQ ) is a Quebec-based TSX Venture Exchange Tier 1 Industrial Issuer.

HPQ is developing, with the support of world-class technology partners PyroGenesis Canada Inc. and NOVACIUM SAS, new green processes crucial to make the critical materials needed to reach net zero emissions.

HPQ activities are centred around the following four (4) pillars:

1) Becoming a green low-cost (Capex and Opex) manufacturer of Fumed Silica using the FUMED SILICA REACTOR, a proprietary technology owned by HPQ being developed for HPQ by PyroGenesis. 2) Becoming a producer of silicon-based anode materials for battery applications with the assistance of NOVACIUM SAS. 3) HPQ SILICON affiliate NOVACIUM SAS is developing a low carbon, chemical based on demand and high-pressure autonomous hydrogen production system. 4) Becoming a zero CO 2 low-cost (Capex and Opex) producer of High Purity Silicon (2N+ to 4N) using our PUREVAPTM Quartz Reduction Reactors (QRR), a proprietary technology owned by HPQ being developed for HPQ by PyroGenesis.

For more information, please visit HPQ Silicon web site .



Disclaimers:

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "may", "plan", "will", "estimate", "continue", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "in the process" and other similar expressions which constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current expectation and assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, our expectations regarding the acceptance of our products by the market, our strategy to develop new products and enhance the capabilities of existing products, our strategy with respect to research and development, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, and uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process. Such statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Company's ongoing filings with the securitys regulatory authorities, which filings can be found at www.sedar.com. Actual results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements either as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This News Release is available on the company's CEO Verified Discussion Forum , a moderated social media platform that enables civilized discussion and Q&A between Management and Shareholders.

Source: HPQ Silicon Inc.

For further information contact:

Bernard J. Tourillon, Chairman, President, and CEO Tel +1 (514) 846-3271

Patrick Levasseur, Director Tel: +1 (514) 262-9239

Email: Info@hpqsilicon.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ae5872da-11ad-4ea0-80fb-03dedafb441e
OTTAWA, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Farm Management Canada (FMC-GAC) is delighted to welcome the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) and BC Agriculture Council (BCAC) as co-hosts of the esteemed Agricultural Excellence Conference (AgEx) taking place in Abbotsford & Chilliwack, BC from November 19-21.



AgEx is the only national event in Canada dedicated to bringing farm management enthusiasts together to build their business acumen. This annual Conference serves as a dynamic platform for farmers, advisors, academia, organizations, private industry, and government officials to explore emerging trends, share best practices, and foster connections to collectively pave the way for farm management excellence across Canada.

The 2024 Conference theme, Together Towards Tomorrow, speaks to the importance of leveraging collective strengths and finding innovative ways to work together to position Canadas farmers and ranchers for sustainably growth and prosperity for generations to come.

At the heart of Together Towards Tomorrow is the recognition that no single entity, organization, or individual can resolve the complex challenges and take full advantage of opportunities we face alone, says Heather Watson, Executive Director of Farm Management Canada. It is in this spirit that we are delighted to welcome the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association and the BC Agriculture Council as co-hosts of AgEx 2024. By joining forces, we aim to further empower farmers, ranchers, and agricultural professionals with the knowledge and tools necessary to thrive in an ever-evolving business environment.

The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association is excited to partner with FMC-GAC and BCAC to host a dynamic and robust Conference," says Andrea Lear, CASA's Chief Executive Officer. "AgEx 2024 promises to support Canadian agriculture by focusing on managing risks, including farm safety and health hazards and navigating farm business challenges, offering something for everyone."

Farmers and ranchers are known for their continuous improvement efforts, both on and off the farm, says BCAC Executive Director, Danielle Synotte. BC Agriculture Council and BC Young Farmers are very proud to be partnering with Farm Management Canada to deliver tangible learning opportunities for producers here in British Columbia.

In addition to the exciting collaboration with CASA and BCAC, Farm Management Canada is pleased to announce the return of MNP as the Title Sponsor for the Agricultural Excellence Conference and the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands as Provincial Partner.

MNP, a leading accounting, tax, and business consulting firm serving the agriculture sector, has been a steadfast supporter of agricultural innovation and growth. At MNP, we believe that good farm management is the key to success. Todays farms are more complex than ever, and they require operators of all sectors to possess strong business management skills, says Stuart Person, Senior Vice President, Agriculture at MNP.

The BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food is proud to support Farm Management Canadas AgExcellence Conference to ensure sustainable growth and prosperity of the agricultural sector, says Lindsay Bisschop, Executive Director, Food and Beverage Branch. Our commitment to farmers, ranchers and processors who produce our food has never been more important. We support all efforts to promote innovation, technology adoption, regenerative practices, climate preparedness, resiliency, and business planning.

The 2024 edition of the Conference promises to be a highlight of the agricultural calendar, offering valuable insights covering a diverse range of topics including fostering economic resilience and prosperity, taking control of farm risk, navigating farm transition, attracting and retaining farm labour, emergency preparedness and planning, supporting on-farm health, safety and wellness, and achieving balance on the path to on-farm sustainability.

For more information about the Agricultural Excellence Conference, including registration details and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.agexcellenceconference.ca

About Farm Management Canada (FMC-GAC):

Farm Management Canada is a national organization dedicated to fostering excellence and innovation in Canadian agriculture through farm business management research and education. FMC-GAC is funded in part by the Government of Canada under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal, provincial and territorial initiative.

About the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA):

The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and safety of farmers, their families and agricultural workers. CASA is funded in part by the Government of Canada under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal, provincial and territorial initiative.

About the BC Agriculture Council (BCAC):

The BC Agriculture Council advocates for the interests of B.C. farm and ranch families. By working collaboratively with our members, partner industry associations and private sector agri-food businesses, we ensure the sustainable growth and competitiveness of B.C. agriculture.

About MNP:

MNP is a leading national accounting, tax and business consulting firm for Canadas agriculture industry. With more than 18,000 agriculture clients and a team of more than 600 agriculture specialists, MNP delivers a diverse suite of services to protect producers and maximize results.

About the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food:

The BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food is a governmental body responsible for the development and implementation of agricultural policies, programs, and regulations within the province to support the growth and sustainability of the agriculture and food sector, ensuring food security, environmental stewardship, and economic prosperity.

For Conference inquiries, please contact:

Nick Oakley

Business Development Lead

Farm Management Canada

sponsorship@fmc-gac.com

www.FMC-GAC.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/69f57b9c-f2e0-442e-ba46-7674953c4437
Oak Brook, Illinois, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a special public appearance, Christian speaker and disability rights advocate Joni Eareckson Tada will take the stage at the 30th annual Global Leadership Summit in South Barrington, Illinois, in August as she is honored for her legacy of leadership.

2024 is the 45th year of Joni and Friends, the international disability ministry with an office in Oak Brook, Illinois that Joni founded after a diving accident left her paralyzed. Joni, who has lived with quadriplegia for 57 years this summer, continues to serve as CEO.

The Global Leadership Summit, an annual gathering that brings together experts in ministry and marketplace, is the worlds largest annual leadership event. The two-day simulcast event Aug. 8-9 will reach 300,000 registrants in 123 countries.

Joni, whose testimony of Gods power in the midst of her paralysis has inspired millions, will challenge guests to grow in their own leadership journeys. The Baltimore, Maryland native is known for her namesake book and movie, which were released in the 1970s and detail the primary role of faith in her recovery.

The summit is the flagship event of the Global Leadership Network, which aims to nurture leadership that can change the world by empowering and inspiring others to live out their purpose.

Joni and Friends provides practical help and Gospel hope to individuals and families living with disability. The ministrys Wheels for the World program has distributed nearly 230,000 new and restored wheelchairs around the globe, each accompanied by a Bible.

Joni and Friends also gives families in the Midwest living with disabilityeven profound disabilitya chance to enjoy respite and take a family vacation on the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan. Joni and Friends Illinois serves the states of Illinois, Western Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin. This summer, we will serve families navigating disability at four Family Retreats in Michigan in June and August.

Our Family Retreats offer a supportive and accessible camp-like experience where families can enjoy recreation like swimming, boating and horseback riding in a safe, faith-based environment. Our volunteer buddies make it possible for caregivers to focus on quality time and Christian encouragement. More than 80,000 families around the globe have been served by our Family Retreats.

At the Global Leadership Summit 2024, Joni will share the wisdom and insights she has gained while building an international organization as an act of faith.

Jonis impact reaches beyond ministry. She served on the National Disability Council and helped to develop and pass the Americans with Disabilities Act, in addition to serving on other federal and national disability boards.

Other speakers at Global Leadership Summit 2024 will include Pastor Craig Groeschel, founder of Life.Church, which has 12 locations across the U.S., and leadership researcher Marcus Buckingham, who leads the ADP Research Institutes global studies into people and performance at work.

The summits 2024 theme is Equipping you to design your tomorrow.

For more information, visit https://globalleadership.org/summit/.

About Joni and Friends

For 45 years, Joni and Friends has provided the hope of the Gospel and practical care to people living with disability across the globe. Ministry programs include Jonis House, Wheels for the World, Family Retreats, and disability ministry training. Joni and Friends also delivers daily inspirational media through radio programs and podcasts. To find out more, please visit www.joniandfriends.org.

Attachment
Dublin, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Contact Centre Operations Industry in South Africa" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report on contact centre operations, including private and government operations, includes information on the size of the industry, such as number of jobs and service providers, growth, trends and issues, notable players, data security risks and threats, government support and influencing factors. It includes profiles of 38 companies that are notable players in the industry such as CCI, Merchants, Sigma Connected, Teleperformance and StarTek.

The growing local contact centre industry is part of business process outsourcing, whose revenue is expected to grow at a higher rate than global growth. The industry is labour-intensive and has been tipped as a catalyst for job creation, particularly among youth.

The industry's growth is attributed to government support, infrastructure, a favourable time-zone, work ethic, English language proficiency and neutrality of accent. As unemployment continues to increase, more unemployed local graduates have been turning to the industry, which is targeting 500,000 new jobs by 2030.

Key Trends

.Government support and incentives are helping to encourage international investment.

.Some players are expanding into townships and creating more employment opportunities.

Opportunities

Corruption and failing government call centres provide opportunities for the private sector to manage/offer BPO services.

Growing number of international businesses outsourcing call centres to South Africa to reduce costs.

Challenges

Higher labour rates compared to major competitors such as India and the Philippines.

Increasing cost of electricity and unreliable electricity supply.

Slow economic growth, could cause South Africa to lose it competitive advantage.

Market Outlook

The industry is growing rapidly and providing jobs. Cape Town in particularly has emerged as a destination of choice and is driving overall growth of the market.

Government is expected to continue supporting the industry by offering financial support for companies outsourcing to South Africa.

Government grants have focused on expanding operations with a strong emphasis on the industry's high-value services in the information technology, finance, health, legal, and retail sectors.

As more companies look to outsource their business processes, South Africa is likely to remain an attractive destination for business process outsourcing services.



Key Topics Covered:

1. INTRODUCTION

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE INDUSTRY

2.1. Industry Value Chain

2.2. Geographic Position

2.3. Size of the Industry

3. LOCAL

3.1. State of the Industry

3.2. Key Trends

3.3. Key Issues

3.4. Notable Players

3.5. Regulations

3.6. Enterprise Development and Social Development

4. AFRICA

5. INTERNATIONAL

6. INFLUENCING FACTORS

6.1. Data Security Threats

6.2. Economic Environment

6.3. Labour

6.4. Technology, R&D, Innovation

6.5. Government Support

7. COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT

7.1. Competition

7.2. Ownership Structure of the Industry

7.3. Barriers to Entry

8. INDUSTRY SUMMARY

9. OUTLOOK

10. INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS

Companies Featured

1Stream Managed Technology Solutions (Pty) Ltd

Accenture (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd

Aegis Outsourcing South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Altron TMT (Pty) Ltd

Business Connexion (Pty) Ltd

Care Call Retail and Distribution Services (Pty) Ltd

CCI SA (Durban) (Pty) Ltd

CCI SA Domestic (Pty) Ltd

CCI South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Cubix Solutions (Pty) Ltd

Digital Mall (Pty) Ltd

Dreamscheme 76 (Pty) Ltd

Durban Technology Hub NPC

EC Three (Pty) Ltd

Ernst and Young Services (Pty) Ltd

EXLService South Africa (Pty) Ltd

FSP Solutions (Pty) Ltd

Full Circle Contact Centre Services (Pty) Ltd

Gijima Group Ltd

i-Talk Call Centre Solutions (Pty) Ltd

iContact (Pty) Ltd

Ignition Telecoms Investments (Pty) Ltd

Laboria Solutions (Pty) Ltd

Mango 5 (Pty) Ltd

Merchants SA (Pty) Ltd

Mindpearl South Africa (Pty) Ltd

MTN Group Ltd

Nextec Industrial Technologies (Pty) Ltd

O'Keeffe and Swartz Consultants (Pty) Ltd

Outworx Contact Centre (Pty) Ltd

Procera (Pty) Ltd

SA Commercial (Pty) Ltd

Sigma Connected (Pty) Ltd

SoluGrowth (Pty) Ltd

State Information Technology Agency SOC Ltd

TP South Africa Trading (Pty) Ltd

Webhelp SA Outsourcing (Pty) Ltd

WNS Global Services SA (Pty) Ltd



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/payaln

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NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For many teens, finding the perfect dress or suit is the first of many memories from the Prom season. Hospitalized teens dont always get to enjoy the same exciting moments, and Musicians On Call (MOC) wanted to change that. MOC, a nonprofit that brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients, families and caregivers in healthcare environments, partnered with Mens Wearhouse and hip-hop duo Flyana Boss to help patients at Childrens Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) in the Bronx, New York make their own special memories this season.



During an invite-only styling session at CHAM, pediatric patients were treated to a custom styling session with Mens Wearhouse to find the perfect look for their hospital Prom celebration. While they were being measured and fitted, Flyana Boss chatted with the patients, even personally helping patients pick out the perfect accessories for their Prom looks. One lucky patient, Manny, was surprised by Musicians On Call and CHAM with the news that his Prom suit was his to keep, thanks to Mens Wearhouse.

Musicians On Call and Mens Wearhouse also hosted styling sessions for St. Louis Childrens Hospital and Holtz Childrens Hospital in Miami ahead of their hospital Prom celebrations. Thanks to Amazon Music, MOC took Volunteer Musician Zach Williams room to room to perform for patients in St. Louis, giving them tiaras and corsages to wear and playing familiar songs for family members to dance to. For their 10th year of Prom celebrations, patients at Holtz Childrens found the perfect styles for this years theme, Its My Era, celebrating who they are and their belief in themselves. Volunteer Musician Alexa Lash also brought the healing power of music to patients bedsides during the celebration.

Musicians On Call is all about bringing joy into, oftentimes, stressful situations in the hospital, making the road to recovery a bit easier for both the patients and their families. When we can do that for hospitalized teens in pivotal moments like their Prom, its incredibly rewarding to help them make memories they otherwise might have missed out on, said Musicians On Call President & CEO Pete Griffin. Mens Wearhouse has been a longstanding partner in helping us make this an enjoyable time for these patients, and we are grateful to Flyana Boss for joining in on the fun this year. Its an experience these patients will never forget.

Men's Wearhouse is honored to continue our partnership with Musicians On Call to aid in giving the patients at CHAM a chance to celebrate and experience Prom, said President of Tailored Brands, John Tighe. Everyone deserves their moment to dress up, look good, and feel good, and we are grateful to be a part of this years events.

For 25 years, Musicians On Call has used music to promote and complement the healing process through bedside, virtual and digital streaming programs that are available across all 50 states. As the nations leading provider of live music in hospitals, MOC volunteers have performed for more than one million individuals in healthcare facilities nationwide.

For more information on Musicians On Call visit www.musiciansoncall.org.

About Musicians On Call (MOC)

As the nations leading provider of live music in hospitals, Musicians On Call (MOC) celebrates 25 years of delivering the healing power of music to patients, families and caregivers in healthcare environments. More than one million people across all 50 states have experienced the joys of live music in the hospital setting through MOCs bedside, virtual and streaming programs. MOC Volunteers perform live for children and adults facing any health challenge, including Veterans recovering in VA facilities, family members supporting loved ones in need and healthcare workers caring for patients. With innovations like its online program platform, the organization continues its work towards revolutionizing access to music in healthcare. MOCs network includes Volunteer Guides, Volunteer Musicians and renowned artist supporters including Bruce Springsteen, Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Kelly Clarkson, Darius Rucker, Katy Perry, Jason Derulo, Ed Sheeran, Olivia Rodrigo, Reba McEntire, Camila Cabello, Nick Jonas, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, Pharrell, Kelsea Ballerini, Amos Lee, Luis Fonsi, Peter Frampton, Luke Bryan, Charles Esten and many more. For more information on how Musicians On Call delivers the healing power of music, visit www.musiciansoncall.org.

Musicians On Call Media Contact:

Melinda LaFollette

Senior Communications Manager, Musicians On Call

615.314.4378 (o) | melinda@musiciansoncall.org

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Company Announcement No. 1109



Pursuant to section 30 of the Danish Capital Markets Act it is announced that BlackRock, Inc. has informed DSV A/S that BlackRock, Inc. as of 13 May 2024 has decreased its holding of shares/voting rights and of other financial instruments acc. to section 39(2) of the Danish Capital Markets in DSV A/S as follows:

Share capital and voting rights Holding in DSV A/S previously Holding in DSV A/S as of 13 May 2024 Share capital and voting rights attached to shares in % 5.30% 4.98% Share capital and voting rights through financial instruments in % 1.45% 0.05% BlackRocks total share capital in % 6.76% 5.04%

As of 13 May 2024, BlackRock, Inc. directly or indirectly controls 10,787,710 shares/voting rights and other financial instruments in DSV A/S, corresponding to 5.04% of the entire share capital and voting rights in DSV A/S.

Contacts

Investor Relations: Sebastian Rosborg, tel. +45 43 20 33 87, sebastian.rosborg@dsv.com

Yours sincerely,

DSV A/S





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Dublin, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Pet Sitting Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Pet Type (Dogs, Cats), By Service Type (Care Visits, Drop-in Visits), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2024 - 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global pet sitting market size is expected to reach USD 5.14 billion by 2030 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 11.73% from 2024 to 2030. The key factors driving the market growth include increasing adoption of subscription-based pet services, rising expansion of pet service offerings, and increased expenditure on pets. Owing to the younger demographics' increasing ownership of pets and the trend of pet humanization, the rate of pet adoption has been steadily rising.

Moreover, the purchasing power of customers is increasing due to their growing disposable income, allowing them to spend more on their pets' well-being. These factors have raised the need for pet services and encouraged new pet service providers to enter the market, including boarding, grooming, pet sitting, and photography. According to May 2023 data published by Texas Hotel & Lodging Association, 75% of the country's hotels are pet-friendly and provide accommodation care as well as services for pets. In addition, it is estimated that approximately 78% of American pet owners travel with their pets.







The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many challenges including decreased sales and marketing activities, and limitations on pet services. In addition, interestingly, pet ownership increased during the pandemic, as people were confined inside the house, the need for companionship and emotional support increased. In December 2023, according to American Pet Products Association (APPA), 48% of the previous pet owners adopted new pets during the pandemic. In the U.S., pet ownership was estimated to grow by 4.7% from 2009 to 2019, and the pandemic accelerated this growth rate to 9.8%.



The market is expected to increase steadily over the coming years due to a growing demand for personalized, technologically integrated, safe, environmentally sustainable, and niche-focused pet sitting services, along with an emphasis on collaborations and partnerships within the pet care industry. Pet sitting is a growing sector in countries like France due to the existence of platforms like TrustedHousesitters, which lists over 119 house sits in France, and PetBacker, which boasts 2,247 pet sitters in France. TrustedHousesitters offers house and pet sitting services with a focus on matching sitters with homeowners for free accommodation in exchange for pet care, while PetBacker provides a platform for various pet services, including boarding, walking, and grooming. Moreover, the demand for customized pet sitting services is rising, with more people looking for overnight stays, senior pet care, or ongoing medical attention for their pets. By providing specialized services that target particular pet owner demographics, pet sitters can profit from these opportunities.



Pet Sitting Market Report Highlights

Based on service type, the care visit segment led the market with the largest revenue share of 57.03% in 2023 and is anticipated to grow at the fastest CAGR of 11.51% over the forecast period. Pet owners prefer trained personnel who can provide extended care, ensure a pet's well-being, administer medication, & maintain their routine, fostering a sense of security and bonding. These factors have led to a higher market share for care visits

Based on pet type, the dogs segment led the market with the largest revenue share of 83.16% in 2023

North America dominated the market with the revenue share of 37.86% in 2023. The region is expected to continue its steady growth, maintaining its dominant position over the forecast period. This growth is driven by factors such as increase in pet ownership, higher spending on pets, and growing concerns for pet health & wellbeing

India is expected to lead the growth in the pet market within the APAC region due to rising pet ownership and increasing spending on pets, consequently fueling the demand for pet care services, including pet sitting

Key Attributes:





Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 130 Forecast Period 2023 - 2030 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $2.38 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2030 $5.14 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 11.7% Regions Covered Global





Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope



Chapter 2. Executive Summary

2.1. Market Outlook

2.2. Segment Outlook

2.3. Competitive Insights



Chapter 3. Pet Sitting Industry Outlook

3.1. Market Lineage Outlook

3.2. Market Dynamics

3.2.1. Market Driver Analysis

3.2.1.1. Increased Expenditure on Pets

3.2.1.2. Rising Pet Humanization

3.2.1.3. Rising expansion of pet service offerings

3.2.1.4. Increasing Adoption of subscription-based pet services

3.2.2. Market Restraint Analysis

3.2.2.1. Rising pet care costs

3.2.2.2. Pet Abandonment

3.2.3. Market Opportunity Analysis

3.2.4. Market Challenge Analysis

3.3. Pet Sitting Market Analysis Tools

3.3.1. Industry Analysis - Porter's

3.3.2. PESTEL Analysis

3.3.3. Business Plan Analysis (STP Analysis)

3.3.4. Consumer Trends & Preferences

3.3.5. Service Pricing Analysis

3.3.6. Pricing Analysis

3.3.7. Estimated Pet Population, by key species & key countries, 2023

3.3.8. COVID-19 Impact Analysis



Chapter 4. Pet Sitting Market: Pet Type Estimates & Trend Analysis

4.1. Segment Dashboard

4.2. Global Pet Sitting Market: Pet type Movement Analysis

4.3. Global Pet Sitting Market Size & Trend Analysis, by pet type, 2018 to 2030 (USD Million)

4.4. Dogs

4.5. Cats

Chapter 5. Pet Sitting Market: Service Type Estimates & Trend Analysis

5.1. Segment Dashboard

5.2. Global Pet Sitting Market: Service Type Movement Analysis

5.3. Global Pet Sitting Market Size & Trend Analysis, by Service Type, 2018 to 2030 (USD Million)

5.3.1. Care Visits

5.3.2. Drop-in Visits



Chapter 6. Pet Sitting Market: Regional Estimates & Trend Analysis



Chapter 7. Competitive Landscape

A Place for Rover, Inc.

Pets at Home, Inc.

Wag! Group Co.

PetBacker

Careguide Inc.

Fetch! Pet Care

Holidog.com

PetSmart LLC

Dogtopia Enterprises

Swifto Inc.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qzhkh2

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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Charleston, SC, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Life, existing in oppositions, often cries for us to notice its seemingly small yet massively significant details to muster the courage to move forward. In a world ensnared by the grip of the global pandemic, actor and teacher Jackie Theoharis found herself at a crossroads of personal turmoil and uncertainty. Battling the depths of a mental breakdown in the suffocating confines of her New York City home, Jackie sought solace and renewal in the only open refuge available - Greece, the land of her ancestors.

In her memoir The Truth About Greece That Summer, Jackie unveils a narrative beyond mere travelogue. Previously performed by the author as a cabaret show, the book connects many relatable tropes: heritage, female identity, purpose, loneliness, finding home, and moving on from toxic relationships. Through poignant prose and unfiltered reflection, her memoir delves into the depths of self-discovery amidst the enchanting backdrop of the sun-drenched landscapes and ancient alleys of Greece's mesmerizing islands.

From the vibrant streets of Mykonos to the serene shores of Serifos, each destination becomes a chapter in Jackie's odyssey towards liberation and healing. Through moments of laughter and tears, she confronts the shadows of her past and emerges stronger, imbued with newfound clarity and purpose. Her story resonates with authenticity as she navigates the labyrinth of identity, mental health, and the pursuit of personal freedom.

Beyond serving as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, The Truth About Greece That Summer celebrates the enduring essence of a land steeped in history and tradition. Jackie's narrative, infused with humor and insight, offers readers a refreshing blend of wit and introspection, inviting them to immerse themselves in a world of stirring and yes, sexy adventures, where each page turns up the heat with unexpected twists and turns.

Described as "Greek yogurt with honey and granola," Jackie's writing style embodies a unique fusion of tart wit and profound observation, captivating a diverse audience spanning generations. Through her memoir, she extends an electrifying invitation to embrace the transformative power of travel and the timeless wisdom found in reconnecting with one's cultural heritage.

The Truth About Greece That Summer is available for purchase online at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com. For more information about the author, please visit any of her social media platforms.

Facebook:

Instagram: @jackie.theoharis

Website: https://www.jackietheoharis.com/

About the Author:

Jackie Theoharis is an actor and drama teacher with success regionally, internationally, and in off-Broadway productions. She holds an MFA in Acting from The New School for Drama and a BA in Theater Arts and Education from Brandeis University. Jackies personality, which has graced stages and places globally, now shines on the page. When shes not writing or acting, Jackie travels, teaches, and engages in a plethora of experiences that infuse her work with authenticity and invigorate her soul. She currently lives in New York City.

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TULSA, Okla., May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StrataTech Education Group, a leading operator of skilled trade schools, announced today a new partnership with Tulsa Job Corps Center (TJCC) to address the growing demand for skilled tradespeople in Oklahoma and across the country. Through this partnership, students who are enrolled with TJCC and have an OKJobMatch account can apply for tuition assistance scholarships for career technical training programs at Tulsa Welding School (TWS).

This partnership comes at a time when skilled laborers are in high demand. An estimated 360,000 new welding professionals will be needed over the next three years, while employment for HVAC technicians is expected to grow by 6% from now to 2032. Scholarships provided by StrataTech can be combined with other educational funding sources available through TJCC to cover the full tuition cost for TWS programs in welding, electrical, and HVAC/refrigeration.

Like most of the country, Oklahoma is facing an increasing demand for skilled laborers, said Mary Kelly, President and CEO of StrataTech. Our partnership with Tulsa Job Corps Center is critical as it allows us to train more Oklahomans in the skilled trades and build a stronger workforce for the state."

Tulsa Job Corps Center provides academic, career technical, career success skills, career development training and more to young adults in the Tulsa community. Fortunately, perceptions around careers in the skilled trades are shifting as enrollment in vocational training programs is surging. The number of students enrolled in vocational-focused community colleges rose 16% last year to its highest level since the National Student Clearinghouse began tracking such data in 2018.

People should have the option to choose their path when it comes to their career, regardless of barriers, said Dr. Anton Bizzell, President and CEO of Bizzell US, which operates Tulsa Job Corps Center. Were incredibly excited to partner with StrataTech and Tulsa Welding School to further eliminate barriers and give more Oklahoma citizens access to a life-changing education.

StrataTech will enroll up to 10 students per cohort. StrataTech and TJCC will also support students as they prepare to enter the workforce upon completion of their program, assisting with searching and applying for jobs, writing resumes, and preparing for interviews.

To learn more about Tulsa Welding School visit www.tws.edu. For additional information regarding this exciting partnership, reach out to Jenny Pacheco, Sr. Director of Agency Relations at jenny.pacheco@stratatech.com.

###

About StrataTech Education Group

StrataTech Education Group focuses on the education, growth and development of specialized career education schools, particularly skilled-trade programs designed to address the nations growing infrastructure needs. Holding an A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau, StrataTech Education Groups portfolio includes The Refrigeration School, Inc. (RSI) (Phoenix), Tulsa Welding School (TWS) (Tulsa, OK), Tulsa Welding School (Jacksonville, FL), Tulsa Welding School & Technology Center (Houston, TX) and Tulsa Welding School serving the Dallas Metro - Dallas, TX). For more information, visit www.StrataTech.com and follow us on LinkedIn.



About Tulsa Welding School

For over 75 years, Tulsa Welding School (TWS) has been training skilled trades professionals, nationwide. Students learn hands-on, technical competencies and skills through labs, virtual reality, and classroom instruction, with a curriculum designed to meet employers needs. TWS offers welding, HVAC/Refrigeration, electrical and electrical lineworker programs. There are four TWS campuses across the country including Tulsa Welding School in Tulsa, Tulsa Welding School -acksonville, Tulsa Welding School & Technology Center in Houston, and Tulsa Welding School serving the Dallas /Ft. Worth metro. Accredited Schools, ACCSC. Licensed by OBPVS, approved and regulated by TWC, and licensed by Florida CIE (License #2331). For more information, visit www.tws.edu and follow along our social channels: YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn.



About Bizzell US:

Established in 2010, Bizzell US (Bizzell) is a consulting, strategy, investment, and technology firm that designs innovative solutions to help build healthy, secure, and sustainable communities in our nation and around the world. Bizzell leverages the combined experience of our diverse subject matter experts to develop data-driven, research-informed answers to the worlds most complex challengesensuring our clients achieve their vision and goals through innovated solutions. To learn more about Bizzell, visit https://bizzellus.com/.

About Tulsa Job Corps Center

Tulsa Job Corps Center, one of the nations residential job training programs, prepares young adults, ages 16-24, with education and hands-on career training for entry-level positions that lead to careers in todays workforce. For more information, visit https://tulsa.jobcorps.gov/.

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Sonoma State University President Mike Lee was placed on administrative leave after officials said he unilaterally brokered an agreement with pro-Palestinian protesters on campus. Sonoma State University

Sonoma State University President Mike Lee is on administrative leave after unilaterally announcing terms of an agreement with pro-Palestinian student protesters this week that promised to terminate academic exchanges or research collaborations with Israel.

Lees message was sent without the appropriate approvals and amounted to insubordination, Mildred Garcia, chancellor of the California State University system, said Wednesday in a statement.

San Francisco State and Sacramento State have struck recent deals with campus protesters that included promises to review their investment portfolios. But neither went as far as Sonoma States pact by singling out Israel for an academic boycott. The fate of the agreement remained unclear Thursday.

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Thousands of university students across the country have set up tent encampments and urged their universities to divest from companies doing business in Israel  and to sever academic ties with the Jewish state  since Israel unleashed a retaliatory war on Gaza that has killed at least 35,000 Palestinians and triggered a humanitarian crisis. Hamas still holds about 100 hostages from its Oct. 7 invasion of Israel, in which militants killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped 250.

We thank and applaud Chancellor Garcia and the California State University Board of Trustees for taking immediate action rejecting the decision by former President Lee to boycott Israel. His endorsement of an academic boycott was totally unacceptable, said a statement from state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, and Assembly Member Jess Gabriel, D-Encino (Los Angeles County), co-chairs of the state Legislatures Jewish Caucus.

The university named Nathan Evans, a deputy vice chancellor at Sonoma State and its chief academic officer, as acting president.

Lee publicly apologized Wednesday evening and said he acted without the approval of Garcia or other CSU leaders.

In my attempt to find agreement with one group of students, I marginalized other members of our student population and community, he said in his statement. I realize the harm that this has caused, and I take full ownership of it. I deeply regret the unintended consequences of my actions.

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Lee added that he would work with Chancellor Garcias office to determine next steps. CSU officials did not indicate how long Lees leave would last or whether he would return to his role.

In his original email about the agreement with Students for Justice in Palestine, Lee wrote that Sonoma State will not pursue or engage in any study abroad programs, faculty exchanges, or other formal collaborations that are sponsored by, or represent, the Israeli state academic and research institutions.

The group posted the letter on its Instagram page, and Sonoma State posted it on its website.

The agreement came nearly three weeks after student protesters set up the SSU Gaza Solidarity Encampment.

Lee promised that the campus would offer a Palestinian studies curriculum this fall and create an advisory council for Students for Justice in Palestine as a mechanism to ensure SSU administration accountability for all agreements.

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The agreements reached between protesters and administrators at San Francisco State University and Sacramento State University led protesters to disband their encampments. Pro-Palestinian protesters at UC Berkeley also disbanded their encampment this week after administrators there offered a set of concessions but stopped short of committing to divestment. In a separate protest, demonstrators took over a building near Peoples Park in Berkeley on Wednesday before police arrested them and cleared the encampment Thursday.

Jewish leaders, including Wiener, reacted angrily Wednesday to news of the Sonoma State agreement  and criticized the pacts at the other CSU campuses as well.

Yesterday the President of Sonoma State University aligned the campus with BDS (the boycott, divest and sanction) movement whose goal is the destruction of Israel, home to (7 million) Jews, Wiener said Wednesday on social media. Several other UC & CSU campuses are doing this more subtly. Sonoma State simply said the quiet part out loud. The mask is off.

Lee spent 28 years as a business professor and an administrator at Sacramento State before becoming interim president of Sonoma State in 2022. He arrived two months after former president Judy Sakaki resigned amid sexual harassment and retaliation allegations involving her and her husband. The CSU Board of Trustees made Lees position permanent one year ago.

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Nanterre, 16 May 2024

VINCI Autoroutes and VINCI Airports traffic in April 2024

I- Change in VINCI Autoroutes intercity networks traffic



April YTD at the end of April

(4 months) % change 2024/2023 % change 2024/2023 VINCI Autoroutes 1.5% 1.4% Light vehicles 2.8% 1.4% Heavy vehicles +6.7% 1.5%

Traffic in April was impacted by various calendar effects: unfavorable for light vehicles (start of Easter weekend in March this year instead of April in 2023), favorable for heavy vehicles (additional working days compared with April 2023).

The change in traffic over the first four months of the year is similar to that seen in the first quarter.

II- Change in VINCI Airports passenger traffic1



April YTD at the end of April

(4 months) % change 2024/2023 % change 2024/2019 % change 2024/2023 % change 2024/2019 VINCI Airports +6.3% -1.4% +10.8% +0.1% Portugal (ANA) +2.4% +14% +4.8% +19% United Kingdom +4.8% -8.5% +11% -11% France +4.7% -20% +6.3% -15% Serbia +5.5% +31% +17% +48% Mexico (OMA) -5.3% +8.9% -2.4% +13% United States of America2 -0.4% -0.8% +5.0% +2.8% Dominican Republic (Aerodom) +5.4% +26% +9.4% +27% Costa Rica +17% +52% +26% +53% Chile (Nuevo Pudahuel) +11% +0.3% +17% +0.7% Brazil +1.5% -2.3% +1.8% -8.9% Japan (Kansai Airports) +23% -12% +27% -9.6% Cambodia (Cambodia Airports) +12% -38% +20% -38% Cape Verde +16% -2.2% +19% +4.0%

1 Data at 100%, irrespective of percentage held, including airport passenger numbers over the full period.

2 Traffic data (including historical data) excluding Orlando Sanford Airport which has been removed from the VINCI Airports network from 29 February 2024.

In April, passenger traffic at VINCI Airports network continued to grow compared with last year. In Mexico, as already mentioned, there was a slight decline in traffic compared with 2023, which is attributable to certain occasional operational difficulties experienced by some airlines.

Overall, passenger numbers in April 2024 remain at a high level, close to that before the health crisis, with very different situations between airports.

III- Change in VINCI Airports commercial movements (ATM)3



April YTD at the end of April

(4 months) % change 2024/2023 % change 2024/2019 % change 2024/2023 % change 2024/2019 VINCI Airports +5.0% -5.7% +6.7% -5.6% Portugal (ANA) +2.2% +6.1% +1.7% +7.8% United Kingdom +5.8% -6.0% +7.8% -11% France +2.5% -29% +6.1% -25% Serbia +6.3% +18% +13% +29% Mexico (OMA) +3.0% -11% -2.5% -13% United States of America4 +0.6% -2.9% +1.8% +0.7% Dominican Republic (Aerodom) -7.5% +5.3% -3.7% +6.4% Costa Rica +14% +48% +27% +54% Chile (Nuevo Pudahuel) +12% -1.0% +19% -1.9% Brazil +4.0% +1.0% +1.7% -7.8% Japan (Kansai Airports) +11% -6.1% +15% -4.6% Cambodia (Cambodia Airports) +6.4% -38% +14% -40% Cape Verde +18% -8.8% +26% -2.2%

3 Data at 100%, irrespective of percentage held, including commercial movements over the full period.

4 Commercial movements data (including historical data) excluding Orlando Sanford Airport which has been removed from the VINCI Airports network from 29 February 2024.

About VINCI

VINCI is a global player in concessions, energy and construction, employing 280,000 people in more than 120 countries. We design, finance, build and operate infrastructure and facilities that help improve daily life and mobility for all. Because we believe in all-round performance, we are committed to operating in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. And because our projects are in the public interest, we consider that reaching out to all our stakeholders and engaging in dialogue with them is essential in the conduct of our business activities. VINCIs ambition is to create long-term value for its customers, shareholders, employees, partners and society in general. www.vinci.com

This press release is an official information document of the VINCI Group.

PRESS CONTACT

VINCI Press Department

Tel: +33 (0)1 57 98 62 88

media.relations@vinci.com

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OLYMPIA, Wash., May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Koelsch Communities, a leading senior living provider of purpose-built communities across independent, assisted and dedicated memory care environments, today announced the early success of the largest campus in its portfolio  University Village  in Vancouver, Wash. Additionally, construction on its newest communities located in Bellevue nears completion, with an anticipated opening in Summer 2024.

The $112 million University Village development encompasses 13 acres and features 136 suites in its independent living community, The Park at University Village, and 101 suites in its assisted living community, The Inn at University Village. Additionally, The Park has 26 cottages comprised of one-, two- and three-bedroom homes. Resident move-ins began in late 2023 and the campus is currently more than 50 percent occupied, exceeding initial census expectations.

University Village is a new senior living concept for the Southwest Washington region that cultivates a thriving lifestyle of learning. Expertly constructed to house more than 260 residents and uniquely designed with their interests in mind, the University Village campus enables seniors to thrive in a luxurious setting with state-of-the-art amenities such as a full-service gym, resort-style pool, greenhouse, pickleball courts, movie theater, salon, billiards room and more.

We have come to recognize that aging well and what constitutes a happy life has been redefined by the Boomer generation, said Aaron Koelsch, President and CEO of Koelsch Communities. The environment at University Village reflects this new approach to aging, focusing on an active lifestyle, lifelong learning and proactive health. For example, an onsite Learning Concierge fosters connections with local universities and community colleges to enroll residents in classes on campus, as well as identifies opportunities for residents to regularly interact to share their knowledge, experience and interests.

More than 160 miles north of Vancouver in Bellevue, construction nears completion on the $93 million Belle Harbour project, home to The Park at Belle Harbour, an assisted living community, and The Inn at Belle Harbour, a dedicated memory care community.

Encompassing nearly three acres, the boutique campus is unique to the market and features 145 suites across both buildings, with the assisted living community containing 73 apartment suites comprised of private studios, one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms. The memory care building has 72 suites ranging from private to shared and neighborhood options.

Belle Harbour was designed to provide a bespoke, catered living experience with 24-hour access to nursing care and the opportunity to age with dignity. Here, residents will cultivate a lifestyle of luxury, live in an intentionally designed space with historical surprises such as classic cars, dine like royalty, and feel safe and secure.

Belle Harbour is special and serves as an expansion of our portfolio in multiple ways, primarily the introduction of a boutique, neighborhood-style concept that connects two standalone multi-story communities by a skybridge, said Koelsch. This unique approach allows us to care for resident needs over time without having to relocate to a new, unfamiliar setting. We are proud to have faced this design opportunity head-on, ultimately constructing a campus that offers residents a one-of-a-kind place to live, grow and connect with one another.

Koelsch Construction served as general contractor for both developments, with Shearer Construction as a partner on the Belle Harbour project. Interior design of both campuses was managed by Judy Koelsch and JSK Design.

For more information, visit koelschcommunities.com.





About Koelsch Communities

Koelsch Communities is a third-generation, family-owned and operated senior living provider. For over 65 years, Koelsch Communities has led the industry in Independent, Assisted Living and Memory Care. Known for its first-class service, holistic care model, and an employee-centric company culture, Koelsch provides the finest living and working experiences anywhere as ladies and gentlemen, serving ladies and gentlemen. Koelsch believes in the innovative programs that make aging well possible, and building a strong foundation of safety with the latest in security and technology. Learn more at koelschcommunities.com.

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Lexington, MA, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FUJIFILM Healthcare Americas Corporation, a leading provider of endoscopic imaging and endosurgical solutions, today announced the commercialization of its two novel endoscopic imaging technologies, CAD EYE, the companys AI detection system for endoscopic imaging which enables real-time detection of colonic mucosal lesions during colonoscopy procedures, and SCALE EYE, a first-of-its-kind imaging technology for measuring colonic lesions. Both technologies will be demonstrated at the 2024 Digestive Disease Week (DDW) annual conference and exhibition in booth 2829, held May 18-21 in Washington, DC.

Our vision has been laser focused on delivering the best possible endoscopic imaging solutions to meet our customers growing needs. Knowing how critical it is for GI physicians to accurately visualize and measure lesions during colonoscopy, we are eager to launch CAD EYE and SCALE EYE, says Tai Fujita, vice president, Endoscopy Division, FUJIFILM Healthcare Americas Corporation. Our team looks forward to demonstrating how Fujifilms state-of-the-art endoscopic technologies are offering outstanding levels of image clarity and performance to industry experts and physicians at the upcoming DDW.

Since receiving 510(k) clearance for CAD EYE in March, the technology has been installed at five clinical sites in the U.S., including ASCs, community hospitals, and academic medical centers.

This system expansion from Fujifilm represents an exciting step forward at a time when quality in colonoscopy is a critical focus across the GI community, said Jason B. Samarasena, MD, gastroenterologist with UCI Health. Leveraging AI for polyp detection support with CAD EYE, along with the introduction of SCALE EYE, a novel real-time polyp measurement solution  both seamlessly integrated with the innovative ELUXEO platform - Fujifilm is helping to address several key challenges and working alongside endoscopists to elevate quality standards in colonoscopy.

Two recognized industry leaders will present real-world application as well as clinical findings on Fujifilms novel CAD EYE in booth #2829 at the upcoming DDW conference, including:

New Paradigm for Colonoscopy 2024: Sunday, May 19 11:30am  12:30 pm ET

Alessandro Repici, MD, Professor of Gastroenterology, Chairman Department of Gastroenterology, Humanitas University & Humanitas Research Hospital will present on CAD EYE colon polyp detection in practice, and how the Fujifilm ELUXEO system delivers a comprehensive set of innovative solutions for endoscopy.

CAD EYE: US Clinical Trial Data and Why It's Compelling: Monday, May 20 11:30am  12:30 pm ET

Sravanthi Parasa, MD, FASGE, Gastroenterology, Swedish Medical Center, Clinical Researcher in Gastroenterology & AI in Medicine will present clinical findings on CAD EYE advances in colorectal cancer diagnosis, including 17% higher adenoma per colonoscopy (APC) compared to high-definition conventional colonoscopy without AI assistance, the ability to detect colorectal neoplastic lesions at a level comparable to that of an expert and superior to that of a beginner 1 , and more.

To book your demonstration with Fujifilm at DDW 2024, click here.



1. Neumann H et al. 2021. PLoS One 16(8):e0255955, PMID: 34437563.

About Fujifilm

FUJIFILM Healthcare Americas Corporation is a comprehensive healthcare company that has an extensive range of technology and expertise in the detection, diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Fujifilms innovative medical imaging portfolio includes solutions for digital radiography, mammography, CT, MRI, ultrasound, gastroenterology, pulmonology, endosurgery, and minimally invasive surgery. The award-winning Synapse Enterprise Imaging portfolio provides healthcare professionals with the cross-departmental imaging and data access needed to deliver a complete patient record. Fujifilms AI initiative, REiLI, combines Fujifilms rich image-processing heritage with cutting-edge innovations to inspire clinical confidence and combat burnout. The In-Vitro Diagnostic portfolio provides the gold standard of molecular based immunoassay technology for liver surveillance, cutting edge clinical diagnostic chemicals for leading laboratories and diagnostic chemicals for OEM white labelling products. The company is headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts. Click here for more information.

FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, Tokyo, leverages its depth of knowledge and proprietary core technologies to deliver Value from Innovation in our products and services in the business segments of healthcare, materials, business innovation, and imaging. Our relentless pursuit of innovation is focused on providing social value and enhancing the lives of people worldwide. Fujifilm is committed to responsible environmental stewardship and good corporate citizenship. For more information about Fujifilms Sustainable Value Plan 2030, click here. For the year ended March 31, 2023, the company had global revenues of approximately 2.9 trillion yen (21 billion USD at an exchange rate of 134 yen/dollar). For more information, please visit: www.fujifilmholdings.com.

FUJIFILM, CAD EYE, SCALE EYE, ELUXEO, SYNAPSE, REILI and VALUE FROM INNOVATION are trademarks and registered trademarks of FUJIFILM Corporation and its affiliates. DDW is a registered trademark of DDW, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Paphos, Cyprus, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --





Chase Buchanan Wealth Management Publishes New Complimentary Guide to the Italian Taxation System for Expatriates

Chase Buchanan, a sector-leading wealth management and financial advisory firm with offices across Europe and North America, has expanded its range of free knowledge guides and resources, enabling expats at every stage of their relocation to plan ahead.

The newest publication, The Expats Guide to Taxes in Italy, is a comprehensive, downloadable guide that covers all the key areas that those planning an international move should be aware of. As with all Chase Buchanan guides, it is available at no cost.

The Importance of Tax Planning for Prospective Expats

Data from the Office for National Statistics indicates that over half a million UK citizens choose to emigrate abroad every year, some pursuing business and career placements, others joining relatives overseas, and many more who aspire to live in a prosperous, sunny environment or to purchase their dream property.

Tax planning is undoubtedly an important part of the process since the tax environment in other countries, including European destinations, differs significantly from that in the UK.

For example, an expat might find their pension fund inaccessible from another country or that pension transfer rules will erode their retirement savings. Another family planning a relocation might be unaware of wealth taxes or how retaining a property in the UK as an investment asset will incur additional tax obligations.

In recent years, reforms to British taxation and regulations around overseas pension transfers have added to the complexity of financial management for expats. Many will find that they remain UK domiciled for inheritance tax or need to be conscious about the HMRC restrictions around transferring a UK-based pension fund to another country  with both tax-efficient solutions and those that incur a heavy tax burden.

Astute and informed planning can avoid these pitfalls, ensuring expats make clear decisions well in advance to protect their financial future.

Chase Buchanans New Free Expat Guide to Taxes in Italy

Available to download now directly from the Chase Buchanan Wealth Management website, the guide to the Italian taxation system is jargon-free and accessible to all, including expats who find other sources of information overly complex.

Broken down into clear categories and sections, the guide covers essential factors, including:

Tax residency criteria and scenarios where double tax treaties apply.

Budgeting for income taxation obligations and allowances.

Managing investment income and calculating tax exposure.

Understanding wealth taxation and stamp duty, including taxes linked to property ownership.

Handling pension wealth and retirement savings as part of a move to Italy.

Dealing with inheritance and estate planning as a British domicile.

Lee Eldridge, Group CEO and Head of Investment Advisory at Chase Buchanan says, There are currently an estimated 67,000 British nationals living long-term or permanently in Italy, with hundreds more planning to move to this beautiful part of the world, perhaps to seek out a warm Mediterranean climate, or to enjoy a relaxing and peaceful retirement.

Our newest guide is designed to offer both existing residents in Italy and those considering a move overseas insights into the areas that are most likely to affect their planning. This includes evaluating their tax residency position, estimating their income tax liabilities, and understanding how living in Italy could affect their estate plans and future inheritance tax obligations for their loved ones.

We recommend that every expat spend sufficient time researching any overseas tax regime and evaluating how this ties into their plans to ensure their move abroad is successful and financially well-catered for.

Knowledge Guides and Resources From Chase Buchanan Wealth Management

This latest guide complements the wealth management specialist's extensive array of documents, webinars and guides. They cover a broad scope of topics, focused on raising awareness of different tax structures, pension transfer options, and reforms to legislation that can impact the financial security of expatriates living abroad.

Guides currently available to download include:

Taxation guides covering Belgium, Cyprus, France, Malta, Portugal and Spain.

Guides to residency in Portugal, France, Spain and Cyprus.

Pension-focused guides centred on Irish pension transfers, retirement to the EU, and international pension transfer rules. Further guides around retirement planning, the UK Lifetime Allowance, the Irish Standard Fund Threshold, Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs) and Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes (ROPS) are also offered free of charge.

Education fee planning and health and life protection coverage.

Guides to investment, including offshore investment and common investment scams.

Visitors to the Chase Buchanan resources pages can also access a wide library of articles and informative explainers or download a complimentary Moving Abroad Checklist to ensure they are well-prepared for life overseas.

Read more about Chase Buchanan - Chase Buchanan Wealth Management Announces The Appointment Of New Head Of Global Sales

About Chase Buchanan Private Wealth Management

Chase Buchanan is a highly regulated wealth management company that specialises in providing global finance solutions for those with a global lifestyle. We are global financial advisers, supporting expatriates around the world from our regulated European headquarters, and local offices across Belgium, Canada, Canary Islands, Cyprus, France, Malta, Portugal, Spain, UK and the USA.

Chase Buchanan Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission with CIF Licence 287/15.

Media Contact:

Chase Buchanan Ltd

+357 2501 0455





******

Source Company - https://chasebuchanan.com/





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Washington, DC, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has called for a swift and comprehensive response to the youth mental health crisis. One in three high school students, and half of female students, have reported persistent feelings of hopelessness, with 122 million Americans living in communities that lack adequate mental health services.

The nations current mental health crisis was exacerbated because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unprecedented social isolation, job loss, widespread sickness, persistent food instability, and unfathomable grief all played a significant role in increasing mental health needs. For youth, disruptions in routines and relationships led to increased social isolation, anxiety, and learning loss, which further accentuates the mental health crisis among young adults.

On May 16, 2024, AmeriCorps joins the nation to recognize Mental Health Action Day, a nationwide effort to drive society from mental health awareness to mental health action. On this day, AmeriCorps aims to motivate Americans to prioritize mental health as much as their physical health, encourage the public to discuss mental health more openly, and announce AmeriCorps action  the launch of Youth Mental Health Corps.

Transforming Awareness to Action

For the past 30 years, AmeriCorps has been committed to eliminating barriers and prioritizing improving mental health support for children and young people across the country. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, AmeriCorps programs have leveraged national service to help schools safely reopen and address students mental health needs, using evidence-based interventions that respond to students social, emotional, and academic needssuch as the ability to collaborate with others or persist through difficult challenges.

With partners like the US Department of Education and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, AmeriCorps is answering the Biden-Harris administrations call to support our youths mental health by addressing the determinants of behavioral health, investing in community services, and fostering a culture and environment that creates supportive learning environments. AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers serve at nearly 9,500 K-12 schools as tutors, mentors, and in other key roles to help develop students educational and social development and provide support to teachers. And, more than 4,0000 members have served in Public Health AmeriCorps, providing vital public health services while also getting the experience and training they need to pursue a career in public health.

Youth Help Peers Navigate Mental Health Challenges

AmeriCorps understands that when systems act to promote well-being early, youth reap the mental and emotional benefits for years to come. This Mental Health Action Day, AmeriCorps builds upon Public Health AmeriCorps by joining the Schultz Family Foundation and Pinterest to launch Youth Mental Health Corps  an innovative, public-private collaboration to support the growing needs of young people while creating career pathways to address the national shortage of mental health professionals.

Hundreds of AmeriCorps members ages 18-24 will serve in the Youth Mental Health Corps across eleven initial states to serve as navigators in middle and high schools and community-based organizations, helping them kickstart their careers. Young adults serving as AmeriCorps members in YMHC will gain hands-on experience, develop skills, receive an education award, and obtain a credential while filling critical gaps in the mental health workforce and care delivery system through three service pathways:

School-based mental health navigator. AmeriCorps members will serve in schools, out-of-school-time programs, and community-based organizations with limited access to mental health services while earning credentials and/or credits toward a higher education program.

Peer support/recovery navigator. Open to members who have lived experience with mental health challenges and/or substance abuse disorder, these AmeriCorps members will support peers and near-peers along their recovery journey while getting the training and experience required to earn a peer support/recovery specialist state certification.

Community mental health navigator. AmeriCorps members will have the opportunity to serve youth and young adults in communities, expand access to mental health resources, and receive the training, support, and experience needed to earn a state-based community health worker certification.

National Service is a Movement to Bring Out the Best of America

AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers have been committed to service, recruiting others to serve, and creating service experiences that transform lives. Through their dedication to addressing our nations immediate challenges like mental health, theyve demonstrated the strength of the national service movement in our country and continuously proven that AmeriCorps is not just a moment in our history but a movement to bring out the best of America.

This Mental Health Action Day and throughout Mental Health Awareness Month, serve to help advance more equitable health outcomes for our communities.

Learn more about the Youth Mental Health Corps at www.youthmentalhealthcorps.org.

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London, UK, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On May 1st, 2024, Eledator hosted a significant seminar in London, aimed at the top traders within the company. This gathering served as a crucial forum for discussing the latest strategies and innovations in crypto trading, particularly in preparation for the upcoming Crypto Expo Dubai 2024. The discussions focused on developing unique trading instruments and the introduction of Eledators native token.





The seminar not only reinforced Eledators corporate community but also sparked dynamic exchanges about future directions in cryptocurrency investment, such as enhancing support for copy traders through fiat funds. These discussions emphasized the need for continual adaptation and collaboration in the evolving crypto landscape, setting a robust foundation for the company's growth.
TORONTO, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (TSX: PFIA, PFSS, PFCB, PFAA) Picton Mahoney Asset Management announced today that it has declared the May 2024 monthly cash distribution of $0.0271 per unit for the ETF units (ETF Units) of the Picton Mahoney Fortified Income Alternative Fund.

Picton Mahoney Asset Management announced today that it has declared the May 2024 monthly cash distribution of $0.0129 per unit for the ETF Units of the Picton Mahoney Fortified Special Situations Alternative Fund.

Picton Mahoney Asset Management announced today that it has declared the May 2024 monthly cash distribution of $0.0328 per unit for the ETF Units of the Picton Mahoney Fortified Core Bond Fund.

Picton Mahoney Asset Management announced today that it has declared the May 2024 monthly cash distribution of $0.0001 per unit for the ETF Units of the Picton Mahoney Fortified Alpha Alternative Fund.

Unitholders of record of the ETF Units, at the close of business on May 24, 2024, will receive a per-unit cash distribution payable on May 31, 2024.

About Picton Mahoney Asset Management

Picton Mahoney Asset Management specializes in differentiated investment solutions and rules-based volatility management. Picton Mahoney helps its clients fortify their portfolios based on experience honed over the years through different market cycles and investing environments.

Founded in 2004 and 100% employee-owned, Picton Mahoney is a portfolio management boutique entrusted with over $10.4 billion (as at March 31, 2024) in assets under management. Pioneers of Authentic Hedge investment principles and practices in Canada, the firm offers a full suite of investment solutions, including mutual and alternative funds, to institutional and retail investors across the country.

Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees, performance fees and expenses all may be associated with mutual fund investments. Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently, and past performance may not be repeated. Alternative funds can only be purchased through a registered dealer and are available only in those jurisdictions where they may be lawfully offered for sale.

For further information please contact:

Arthur Galloway

Picton Mahoney Asset Management

Tel: (416) 955-4108

Web site: www.pictonmahoney.com

Email: service@pictonmahoney.com
SALT LAKE CITY, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New federal data show that Western Governors Universitys School of Education leads all institutions in the U.S. in conferring bachelors degrees in education.

WGUs School of Education conferred 4,669 bachelors degrees during the 2021-2022 academic year, according to the most recent data released by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). This accounts for 5.2 percent of all bachelors in education conferrals in the country, marking a notable increase for such conferrals from WGU, from 4.7 percent in 2020-2021, and 3.8 percent in 2019-2020.

This achievement highlights WGUs commitment to providing pathways to opportunity for people who want to become teachers, while addressing the teacher workforce shortage and improving the overall quality of education delivered to students.

"At Western Governors University, we have an established history of making an extraordinary impact on the education profession, said Courtney Hills McBeth, Ed.D., WGUs chief academic officer and provost. By integrating principles from learning science, experiential learning and effective pedagogical methods, our academic programs prepare classroom-ready educators with the skills needed to make a valuable difference in their schools and communities.

IPEDS is an annual survey conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics that collects institution-level data from postsecondary institutions in the United States.

According to data compiled by teachershortage.org, there are an estimated 55,289 teaching vacancies in the United States. During the 2021-2022 academic year, WGUs School of Education conferred 2,043 masters in teaching degrees in addition to its conferred bachelors degrees, making a national impact with 6,712 new classroom-prepared teachers. Along with a renewed focus at the federal level to better support and strengthen the teaching profession, WGUs School of Education is helping to address the teacher shortage nationwide with programs that prepare graduates to provide personalized and responsive learning environments for students in their classrooms.

Our Initial Licensure Programs offer bachelors and masters degrees that are mapped to teaching licensure pathways across all 50 states, with personalized support for each and every one of our students, wherever they live in the country, said Stacey Ludwig Johnson, Ph.D., WGUs senior vice president and executive dean of the School of Education. On-the-ground classroom experiences and apprenticeships at this scale and scope, with partnerships with more than 4,000 school districts across the country, ensure that we are preparing our students to be the best qualified candidates for licensure.

WGUs School of Education has awarded 100,160 degrees to 91,888 graduates. Today, more than 43,000 students are actively pursuing degrees within the School of Educations 30 graduate and undergraduate programs  programs designed to equip individuals with a passion for teaching or leadership with comprehensive training that is guided by an evidence-based curriculum. Accredited by both the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation and the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation, WGUs School of Education offers programs that ensure students are thoroughly prepared to thrive as educators.

About Western Governors University (WGU):

A nonprofit, online university established in 1997 by 19 U.S. governors with a mission to expand access to high-quality, affordable higher education, WGU now serves more than 175,000 students nationwide and has awarded more than 350,000 degrees to over 330,000 graduates in all 50 states. Driving innovation as the nations leading competency-based university, WGU has been recognized by the White House, state leaders, employers, and students as a model that works in postsecondary education. In less than 30 years, the university has become a leading influence in changing the lives of individuals and families, and preparing the workforce needed in todays rapidly evolving economy. WGU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, has been named one of Fast Companys Most Innovative Companies, and has been featured on NPR, NBC Nightly News and CNN and in The New York Times. Learn more at wgu.edu and wgu.edu/impact.

About The WGU School of Education:

The WGU School of Education is the largest non-profit, competency-based degree conferrer of educators in the country. The School of Education offers 30 graduate and undergraduate programs and recommends students for licensure in all 50 states. The School currently enrolls about 43,000 degree-seeking students and has conferred 100,747 degrees to more than 92,000 graduates.

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Kigali, Rwanda, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The UN Global Compact Africa Business Leaders Coalition (ABLC) called for greater private sector action to advance gender equality across the continent during a dialogue at the Africa CEO Forum held in Kigali, Rwanda. At current rates it is estimated it will take over 150 years to close the gender gap in Africa.

Opening the event, Sanda Ojiambo, CEO and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, the worlds largest corporate sustainability initiative welcomed the ABLCs role in driving forward commitment and action from business and noted the critical role of the Africa CEO Forum in highlighting such initiatives: "This forum has showcased the powerful initiatives and the collaborative spirit necessary to advance gender equality and sustainable development in Africa. The discussions and launches over these two days have set a robust agenda for our collective efforts moving forward."

Companies have a crucial role in the lives of 400 million working women in Africa and the potential for an immense positive impact on the entire economy. The ABLC, representing businesses with over $150 billion in revenue and employing more than one million people across 50 African countries, views gender equality as both a moral imperative and a driver of sustainable economic development. The coalition has already been instrumental in driving collective climate action through the Africa Business Leaders Climate Statement endorsed at COP 27.

The ABLC Gender Statement promoted by executives including Diane Karusisi from Bank of Kigali, Phumzile Langeni from DP World/Imperial Logistics, and Hassanein Hiridjee from Axian underlines the role of the private sectors role in enhancing gender equality through measurable and actionable commitments aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 to achieve gender equality and empower all girls. The Coalition's vision is to weave gender equality into the fabric of all strategic business decisions, fostering an environment that benefits from the full spectrum of talent, irrespective of gender.

Key highlights of the ABLC's commitment include:

Improving representation: The Coalition aims to ensure equal representation of women in leadership positions, with the long-term goal of achieving gender parity at all levels. This includes nurturing a pipeline of leadership-ready women through opportunities that support their growth from entry-level roles to the C-suite.

Data and Transparency: The ABLC commits to collecting, analyzing, and reporting sex-disaggregated data to track progress on gender equality. This approach will allow for measurable goals, ensuring tailored interventions and accurate impact measurement. Key performance indicators aligned to existing frameworks of the UN Global Compact will be developed to measure progress towards the stated commitments.

Gender Responsive Policies: The Coalition pledges to implement inclusive policies that foster bias-free workplaces. This includes equal pay for work of equal value, grievance channels to address disparities, and flexible working arrangements to support parental leave and care responsibilities. It also includes procurement policies and business practices that support suppliers efforts for gender equality.

Support for Women Entrepreneurs: Recognizing the significance of women-led businesses, particularly in the informal sector, the ABLC will provide resources, mentorship, and procurement opportunities to help women entrepreneurs succeed throughout the supply chain.

Advocacy and Collaboration: The Coalition seeks to eradicate negative gender stereotypes and biases in workplaces and communities, advocating for policies that support women's advancement. It also calls on African governments to enact and enforce measures that promote gender parity and protect women's health and safety.

The ABLC Statement builds on the findings of a survey by the UN Global Compact and Boston Consulting Group of men and women across five major African economies (Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa). The survey found there is a significant expectation-reality gap with many believing there was gender parity in spite of empirical evidence and men and womens own experiences in Africa showing otherwise. The survey outlined steps private sector companies must take to drive forward gender equality in business.

Notes to Editors

About the UN Global Compact

As a special initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General, the UN Global Compact is a call to companies worldwide to align their operations and strategies with Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Our ambition is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the Sustainable Development Goals through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change. With more than 20,000 participating companies, 5 Regional Hubs, 62 Country Networks covering 78 countries and 14 Country Managers establishing Networks in 20 other countries, the UN Global Compact is the worlds largest corporate sustainability initiative  one Global Compact uniting business for a better world.

About the Africa Business Leaders Coalition (ABLC)

The Africa Business Leaders Coalition (ABLC) is a CEO-led initiative emanating from the UN Global Compact Africa Strategy 20212023 committed to advancing sustainable growth, prosperity, and development in Africa by bringing measurable impact to its most pressing issues. The ABLC works closely with the UN Global Compact Hub in Abuja and 10 African Local Networks operating across Africa.
CHICAGO, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR), the leading international organization dedicated to finding a cure for sarcoidosis and improving care for sarcoidosis patients, takes a bold step forward in addressing health disparities by announcing the launch of the Coalition for Clinical Trial Equity as part of their latest phase of the Ignore No More Initiative, ACTe Now!: Roadmap 2 Progress. This initiative aims to increase representation of Black and African American patients in clinical trials, thereby improving health outcomes for marginalized communities.



Lack of diversity in clinical trials hinders the development of effective treatments that cater to the needs of all populations, especially those most severely impacted. Furthermore, it is estimated that increasing representation could decrease overall healthcare expenditures by as much as $1.2 trillion over three years.1

Without diverse representation, clinical research risks neglecting vital insights and life-saving treatments for those who need them most," stated Mary McGowan, Chief Executive Officer of FSR. "This coalition will leverage the extensive experience and diverse professional expertise of its leaders to drive forward actionable strategies. By increasing clinical trial participation among Black Americans, we can advance therapies, curtail medical costs, and enhance the quality of life for those affected by chronic illness."

Building on learnings from the FSR Ignore No More Campaign and the learnings from an IRB-approved nationwide survey of Black sarcoidosis patients, the results of which are captured in this 60-page white paper, FSR initiated a search for like-minded organizations and individuals committed to implementing innovative and practical solutions to improve access to trials and address barriers to clinical trial diversity. The result is a 26-member Steering Committee, made up of a variety of stakeholders including patients, clinicians, medical societies, patient advocacy organizations, and industry, committed to leading the coalitions efforts.

The coalition is well-positioned to guide efforts toward systemic change. The coalition will adopt a multifaceted approach, translating these recommendations into actionable strategies employed by three key work groups:

The FMLA Advocacy & Corporate Infrastructure group will focus on ensuring job security and fostering employer engagement to incentivize support for clinical trial participants.

The Patient Education & Engagement group will prioritize trust-building and patient education efforts.

The Patient Benefit & Compensation group will strive to broaden compensation practices, ensuring accessibility for all patients irrespective of their support system, income, or employment status.



"As Founder of the Good Pharma Scorecard and an advocate for ethical and transparent clinical research practices, I am honored to contribute to the Coalition for Clinical Trial Equity's mission, said Jennifer Miller, PhD, Associate Professor at Yale School of Medicine. Drawing from my experience in evaluating pharmaceutical industry practices, I am dedicated to ensuring that clinical trials are equitable and accessible, particularly for underrepresented communities.

"We are honored to be part of this important coalition and are committed to leveraging our experience and resources to drive meaningful change," said Mark Schoeberl, Executive Vice President at the American Heart Association. "Together, we can make significant strides towards a more equitable health care system."

For more information about the coalition, how to join and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.ignorenomore.org.

Sponsored by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Kinevant Sciences, and made possible in part by a grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

About the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR): is the leading international organization dedicated to finding a cure for sarcoidosis and improving care for sarcoidosis patients through research, education, and support. Since its establishment in 2000, FSR has fostered over $6.5 million in sarcoidosis-specific research efforts.

Media Contact: Cathi Davis

Email: cathi@stopsarcoidosis.org

Phone: 312-341-0500

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1 LaVeist, T. A., Gaskin, D., & Richard, P. (2011). Estimating the economic burden of racial health inequalities in the United States. International Journal of Health Services, 41(2), 231-238.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9a9c5224-c3c8-4320-ae65-feb8cfe1898f
Chicago, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Press Release

May 16, 2024





TI-Trust, Inc. (TI-TRUST) is proud to once again announce that it has been named one of the 2024 Best Places to Work in Illinois. This is the sixth year that it has been granted this award. The program began in 2006 and is promoted by The Daily Herald Suburban Business.

It is a great honor for our company to be recognized again as a Best Place to Work in Illinois, said TI-TRUSTS President and CEO, Brian Ippensen.

This statewide survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Illinois, benefitting the states economy, workforce and businesses. TI-TRUST is one of only 30 businesses in Illinois in the small company category (15-99 U.S. employees) to receive this honor for 2024.

Companies from across the state entered the two-part process to determine the Best Places to Work in Illinois. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated companys workplace policies, practices, and demographics. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. Workforce Research Group (https://workforcerg.com) managed the overall registration and survey process, analyzed the data and used their expertise to determine the final rankings.
DELTA, British Columbia, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Inc. (TSX SWP) (Swiss Water or the Company) is pleased to announce the following voting results of the Companys Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, which was held on Thursday, May 16, 2024.



Election of Directors

The Director nominees listed in the Management Information Circular for its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders were elected as Directors of Swiss Water. Voting results for individual Directors elected were as follows:

Votes For Votes Against Nominee Number Percentage Number Percentage Frank A. Dennis 2,608,310 99.48% 13,692 0.52% Roland W. Veit 2,604,587 99.34% 17,415 0.66% Robert B. Johnston 2,601,550 99.22% 20,452 0.78% Donald J. Tringali 2,603,050 99.28% 18,952 0.72% Nancy L. McKenzie 2,604,447 99.33% 17,555 0.67% Alan C. Wallace 2,612,200 99.63% 9,802 0.37% Justin C. Jacobs 2,600,720 99.19% 21,282 0.81%



Appointment of Auditors

MNP LLP was appointed as auditors with 99.74% voting support.

Company Profile

Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Inc. is a leading specialty coffee company and a premium green coffee decaffeinator that employs the proprietary Swiss Water Process to decaffeinate green coffee without the use of solvents such as methylene chloride. It also owns Seaforth Supply Chain Solutions Inc., a green coffee handling and storage business. Both businesses are located in the city of Delta, British Columbia, Canada.

Additional Information

A more detailed discussion of Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Inc.s recent financial results is provided in the Companys Management Discussion and Analysis filed on SEDAR+ www.sedarplus.ca and on Companys website https://investor.swisswater.com/financial-information/.

For more information, please contact:

Iain Carswell, Chief Financial Officer

Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Inc.

Phone: 604.420.4050

Email: investor-relations@swisswater.com

Website: investor.swisswater.com

Forward-Looking Statements:

Certain statements in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements that involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, such statements may include such words as may, will, expect, believe, plan and other similar terminology. These statements reflect managements current expectations regarding future events and operating performance, as well as managements current estimates, but which are based on numerous assumptions and may prove to be incorrect. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, risks related to processing volumes and sales growth, operating results, the supply of utilities, the supply of coffee, general industry conditions, commodity price risks, technology, competition, foreign exchange rates, construction timing, costs and financing of capital projects, a potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and general economic conditions. The forward-looking statements and financial outlook information contained herein are made as of the date of this press release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Except to the extent required by applicable securities law, Swiss Water undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any such statements to reflect any change in managements expectations or in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statements may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those described herein.
Vancouver, May 15, 2024 - Orestone Mining Corp. (TSXV: ORS) (OTC Pink: ORESF) (FSE: O2R1) ("the Company") is pleased to announce the completion of its non-brokered private placement announced April 11, 2024 whereby the Company issued a total of 5,000,000 common shares ("Shares") at a price of $0.03 per Share for gross proceeds of $150,000 (the "Offering").

The proceeds of the Offering will be used for payment of certain expenses, consisting of $45,000 payable to DeVisser Gray LLP for audit and tax related services; $25,000 payable to Pacific Opportunity Capital, a non-arm's length party, for office rent and accounting services, with the balance of the proceeds to be used for general working capital purposes.

The Shares issued under the Offering are subject to a hold period that expires on September 16, 2024. Finders' fees amounting to $5,130 were paid in connection with the Offering. The private placement is subject to final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

Certain directors, officers and other insiders of the Company purchased or acquired direction and control over a total of 1,450,000 Shares under the private placement. The placement to those persons constitutes a "related party transaction" within the meaning of TSX Venture Exchange Policy 5.9 and Multilateral Instrument 61-101 -Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") adopted in the Policy. The Company has relied on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 in respect of related party participation in the placement as neither the fair market value (as determined under MI 61-101) of the subject matter of, nor the fair market value of the consideration for, the transaction, insofar as it involved the related parties, exceeded 25% of the Company's market capitalization (as determined under MI 61-101).

The securities referred to in this news release 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 applicable securities laws of any state of the United States, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) or persons in the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and any other applicable securities laws of the United States or an exemption from such registration requirements is available. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of these securities within any jurisdiction, including the United States.

Orestone Mining Corp. is a professionally managed mineral exploration company headquartered in Vancouver, BC. The Company's primary asset is the 100 percent owned Captain gold-copper project which hosts a large gold dominate porphyry target. The property encompasses 105 square kilometres located 41 kilometres north of Fort St. James and 30 kilometres south of the Mt. Milligan copper-gold mine in North Central British Columbia. The Captain Project can be explored year round. To stay informed of Orestone's latest activities please click here to provide consent and receive news and updates. For more information, please visit Orestone's website at: www.orestone.ca.

ON BEHALF OF Orestone Mining Corp.

David Hottman

CEO

For further information contact: David Hottman at 604-629-1929 | info@orestone.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 News Release. This news release has been prepared by management and no regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. 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/209348
VANCOUVER - China Gold International Resources Corp. Ltd. (TSX: CGG; HKEX: 2099) ("China Gold International Resources" or the "Company") reports financial and operational results for the three months ended March 31, 2024 ("Q1", "first quarter" or "first quarter of 2024"). This news release should be read in conjunction with the Company's Financial Statements, Notes to the Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A").

For detailed information, please read the Company's Financial Statements and MD&A for the quarter ended March 31, 2024 which are available on SEDAR's website at www.sedar.com, The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited's website at www.hkex.com.hk, the Company's website at www.chinagoldintl.com, or call the Company at +1-604-609-0598 and email to info@chinagoldintl.com.

2024 FIRST QUARTER FINANCIAL, PRODUCTION AND OPERATION HIGHLIGHTS

 Revenue decreased by 76% to US$60.5 million from US$252.8 million for the same period in 2023.

 Mine operating loss of US$11.5 million, compared to mine operating earnings of US$102.7 million for the same period in 2023.

 Net loss of US$26.0 million, compared to net income of US$78.7 million for the same period in 2023.

 Cash flow from operation of US$7.2 million, compared to US$127.7 million for the same period in 2023.

 Total gold production of 20,714 ounces, a decrease by 61% from 52,827 ounces for the same period in 2023.

 Total copper production of 4.6 million pounds (approximately 2,093 tonnes) as partial production at the Jiama mine resumed on December 15, 2023, compared to 44.1 million pounds (approximately 20,025 tonnes) for the same period in 2023.

The decrease in production and profit in the first quarter was mainly attributed to the suspension of operations of the Jiama Mine and the lower-than-expected production of CSH Mine due to the cold climate and the lower mining rate last year. At present, the Company is in preparations for the full resumption of production in the Jiama Mine. It is expected that the Company will obtain the government's final approval before the end of May 2024.

The Company's Chairman and CEO, Mr. Junhu Tong, stated, "The performance of the Company in the first quarter of 2024 continued to be negatively affected by the suspension of Jiama Mine operation. With the Phase I processing plant at Jiama Mine achieving stable production, we anticipate the Phase II processing plant operation at Jiama Mine to fully resume by the end of May, 2024, assuming that safety and environmental protection measures are fully implemented and accepted by the government. Despite the cold weather in the first quarter impacting CSH Mine's production, we are confident that CSH Mine's production will return to normal level in the second quarter. The development of CSH Mine's underground resources is on schedule and has made significant progress. We will continue to operate our business with a high degree of responsibility. Thanks to our shareholders and stakeholders for their understanding and support."

About China Gold International Resources

China Gold International Resources is a gold and base metal mining company incorporated in BC, Canada and operates two mines, the CSH Gold Mine in Inner Mongolia, China and the Jiama Copper-Gold Polymetallic Mine in Tibet, China. The Company's objective is to build shareholder value through growing production at its current mining operations, expanding its resource base, and acquiring and developing new projects internationally. The Company is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: CGG) and the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (HKEX: 2099).

For further information on the Company, please refer to SEDAR's website at www.sedar.com, The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited's website at www.hkex.com.hk, the Company's website at www.chinagoldintl.com, or call the Company at +1-604-609-0598 and email to info@chinagoldintl.com.

Cautionary Note About Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information regarding China Gold International Resources contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Although China Gold International Resources believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. China Gold International Resources cautions that actual performance will be affected by a number of factors, most of which are beyond its control, and that future events and results may vary substantially from what China Gold International Resources currently foresees. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration results, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The information contained herein is stated as of the current date and subject to change after that date.

Copyright (c) 2024 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
TORONTO, May 15, 2024 - Discovery Silver Corp. (TSX: DSV, OTCQX: DSVSF) ("Discovery" or the "Company") today announced the results of voting at its Annual General Meeting held today. Shareholders voted in favour of the election of all director nominees: Murray John (Chair); Tony Makuch; Jeff Parr; Moira Smith; Daniel Vickerman; Jennifer Wagner; and Barry Olson. Details of the votes are set out below:



Nominee Votes For % For Votes Withheld % Withheld Murray John 189,120,043 99.21 1,504,559 0.79 Tony Makuch 187,908,112 98.57 2,716,490 1.43 Jeff Parr 189,170,054 99.24 1,454,548 0.76 Moira Smith 189,201,624 99.25 1,422,978 0.75 Daniel Vickerman 189,170,711 99.24 1,453,891 0.76 Jennifer Wagner 166,845,268 87.53 23,779,334 12.47 Barry Olson 188,802,948 99.04 1,821,654 0.96



Shareholders also voted in favour of (i) appointing PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Chartered Accountants, as auditors of the Company for the ensuing year and; (ii) Amendments of the Restricted Share Unit Plan and Deferred Share Unit Plan of the Company. Further details on these items can be found in the Company's Management Information Circular dated April 5, 2024 and filed on SEDAR+. Details of the votes are set out below.

Outcome of Vote Votes For % For Votes Withheld % Withheld Appointment of Auditors Carried 210,063,916 99.33 1,410,328 0.67 Amendments of Restricted Share Unit Plan and Deferred Share Unit Plan Carried 179,667,151 94.25 10,957,451 5.75



About Discovery

Discovery's flagship project is its 100%-owned Cordero project, one of the world's largest undeveloped silver deposits. The Feasibility Study completed in February 2024 demonstrates that Cordero has the potential to be developed into a large-scale, long-life project with low unit costs and attractive economic returns that offers the combination of margin, size and scalability. Cordero is located close to infrastructure in a prolific mining belt in Chihuahua State, Mexico.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

Tony Makuch, P.Eng

President, CEO & Director

For further information contact:

Forbes Gemmell, CFA

VP Corporate Development

Phone: 416-613-9410

Email: forbes.gemmell@discoverysilver.com

Website: www.discoverysilver.com

Neither TSX Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release is not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, including any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available.
Edmonton, May 16, 2024 - Altiplano Metals Inc. (TSXV: APN) (WKN: A2JNFG) ("Altiplano" or the "Company") is pleased to report that a new production area has been established at the 326 m mining level at the Farellon copper-gold mine located near La Serena, Chile. Access to the 326 m level is part of the ongoing underground development of the Hugo Decline, used to access and extract copper-gold and iron material from Farellon.

Intersection of the 326 m mining level has been achieved through the advance of the Hugo Tunnel. This new level will provide opportunity to develop two new mining areas in the NE and SW directions where mining on the iron oxide copper gold vein structure has begun in these sub drift areas. This new access point will also provide opportunity mine the floors and roofs above on the 336 m and 344 m levels as part of the ongoing mining plan.

Production on the 336 m level to date has produced copper grades on average of approximately 1.86% and 2.44% specifically in the NE direction. Previous drill hole intercepts and observation of the geology in the 326 m level suggests similar high-grade copper mineralization could persist on this level. The high-grade material produced on the 326 m level will be used to blend with lower Cu grade/high iron grade to the southwest using existing underground infrastructure to increase production amounts to 5,000 tonnes per month to supply the processing facility at El Penon over the next months. This will provide the optimum processing grades for recovery of copper/gold and iron in concentrates from the plant.

CEO Alastair McIntyre comments: "Access to the new 326 m production level provides the opportunity to mine additional mineralized zones and continues with our on-going development at Farellon. We are also very encouraged to observe increased copper grades as we develop lower levels of the mine. These increased grades combined with additional working faces improve our productivity and grade control."





Figure 1. Farellon Mine Section

The decision to commence production on the Farellon deposit is not based on a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability and there is increased uncertainty and economic and technical risks of failure associated with the production decision.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4303/209347_d891d739343eeb5c_001full.jpg





Figure 2. 326 m NE Operating Heading

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4303/209347_d891d739343eeb5c_002full.jpg

Altiplano has generated over US$14.9 million from the recovery and sale (after processing costs) of more than 6.55 million pounds of copper with an average grade of 1.8% Cu (2018 Q1-2024 Q1). Cash flow has been re-invested into equipment, underground drilling, expanding underground development at Farellon, enhancing ventilation to increase productivity and capacity, new underground development and exploration, and the start-up of the El Penon fit-for-purpose mill and flotation plant located 15 km from the Farellon site.

About Altiplano

Altiplano Metals is a growing gold, silver, and copper company focused on the Americas. The Company has a diversified portfolio of assets that include an operating copper/gold/iron mine and a state-of-the-art operating copper/gold and iron processing facility in the final stages of completion. Altiplano is focused on creating long-term stakeholder value through developing safe and sustainable production, reinvesting into exploration, and pursuing acquisition opportunities to complement its existing portfolio. Management has a substantial record of success in capitalizing on opportunity, overcoming challenges and building shareholder value. Altiplano trades on the Toronto Venture Exchange trading under the symbol APN and the Frankfurt Exchange under the symbol A2JNFG.

John Williamson, B.Sc., P.Geol., a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, has reviewed, and approved the technical contents of this document.

Altiplano is part of the Metals Group of companies. Metals Group is an award-winning team of professionals who stand for technical excellence, painstaking project selection and uncompromising corporate governance, with a proven ability to capitalize on investment opportunities and deliver shareholder returns.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

/s/ "John Williamson"

Chairman

For further information, please contact:

Alastair McIntyre, CEO

alastairm@apnmetals.com

Tel: (416) 434 3799

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the (TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that the Company expects are forward-looking statements. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify any historical estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves and the issuer is not treating the historical estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. The Farellon mine was previously in production dating back to the 1970's with a reported historical production (to a depth of 70 m) yielding approximately 300,000 tonnes at an average grade of 2.5% copper and 0.5g/t gold. This material was processed locally and sold to ENAMI. Altiplano is relying upon past production records, underground sampling and related activities and current diamond drilling to estimate grade and widths of the mineralization to reactivate production. The decision to commence production on the Farellon deposit is not based on a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability and there is increased uncertainty and economic and technical risks of failure associated with any production decision. 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 or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continuity of mineralization, uncertainties related to the ability to obtain necessary permits, licenses and title and delays due to third party opposition, changes in government policies regarding mining and natural resource exploration and exploitation, 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. For more information on the Company, investors should review the Company's continuous disclosure filings that are available at www.sedar.com.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/209347
May 15, 2024: The effectiveness of Ukrainian air defenses has baffled and frustrated the Russian Air Force, which has taken heavy losses over Ukraine and increasingly stayed away from Ukrainian air space. There are very practical reasons for this. For example, the Ukrainians earlier managed to shoot down one of two Russian Tu-22M3 heavy bombers as well as an A-50 AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft that was monitoring air orations over Ukraine and thought it was safe from attack. Russia has fewer of the expensive A-50s than they do Tu-22M3 bombers. The Ukrainian S-200 missile traveled over 300 kilometers to hit the A-50 and Tu-22M3. That is the maximum range for the S-200 missile. It is not known how much recent Russian upgrades of their S-200 systems contributed to the recent success of the system.

Ukraine used a Russian designed S-200 anti-aircraft system developed in the 1960s and remains in use because of continuous upgrades and maintenance. S-200 has remained the primary Russian air defense system since it was introduced. Ukraine inherited over a dozen S-200 batteries and hundreds of anti-aircraft missiles when the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991. The S-200 has been used in three wars. The first was the Libyan Civil War that began in 2011 and soon turned into a stalemate that continues. The second war was the Syrian Civil War that also began in 2011, was more intense than the one in Libya and is still active but has also turned into a stalemate. The third war the S-200 has shown up in is in Ukraine, where both Russia and the Ukrainians had S-200 systems when Russia invaded in early 2022. In early 2022 Ukraine had four S-200 batteries in service and twelve S-200 sites that had been shut down and the equipment put in storage.

Before and after the invasion Ukrainian developed and implemented improvements in its S-200 systems. That is one reason why Ukraine has used most of its S-200 missiles. New missiles are only available from Russia, though some old ones held by NATO countries which had been former Soviet satellites were given to Ukraine, which now wants more Patriot systems for the United States and other NATO countries. Patriot has performed very well in Ukraine and Ukraine wants more Patriot batteries and missiles. Ukraine also received other, shorter range, anti-aircraft missile systems from NATO countries but Patriot is the most capable and heavily used system. With the loss of the A-50 and Tu-22M3, Russia is no longer operating over or near the Black Sea. This was the first time the Russians lost a Tu-22M3 since they invaded Ukraine. The second Tu-22M3 present when the first one was downed, turned and quickly left the area before it could be fired on. The bombers were based inside Russia, some 600 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

This latest incident makes five major mishaps or crashes of Tu-22s since 2017. Only about ten percent of the 497 Tu-22s built between 1967 and 1997 are still in service and many are grounded for required maintenance. The problem with the Tu-22 is that most were built in the 1980s. after the first ones entered service in 1980. The Tu-22 had plenty of problems during the eleven years after a prototype made its first flight. Development had been underway since the early 1970s. Efforts to upgrade up to twenty percent of the younger Tu-22s ran into lots of problems and delays, and the latest fatal failure of the ejection seat system is but one of many problems with aging tech in the Tu-22s still flyable.

The Tu-22 is the most recent Russian heavy bomber that was produced in large numbers. In 1987 the 275 ton Tu-160 was introduced as a successor to the Tu-22 but only 28 production models were completed. Some of these werent completed until after 1991 using unfinished aircraft that were stored when regular production was halted after 1992. Production resumed but at the rate of one new Tu-160 every few years. Russia only has 18 Tu-160s in service and about ten new ones on order. Meanwhile Russia is trying to muster the cash and capabilities to design and build a new heavy bomber similar to the American B-2. Given continued problems with shrinking military budgets and keeping the Tu-22s, flying a new aircraft is unlikely.

In the 1990s the Soviet Union fell apart and the new Russian Federation armed forces lost 80 percent of its Soviet era manpower. Too many of the most able officers left the military for better paying jobs in the new free market economy or took advantage of the post-1991 freedom to emigrate. Soviet era defense industries also shrank and those that remained lost many of their best technical people and managers. There was no money for new technology or even maintaining Cold War era equipment. The military high command was unable to cope with all this and much-delayed reforms were imposed on the military from above after 2008.

After the reforms began the air force retired most Tu-22s and tried to upgrade and refurbish about a hundred of the Tu-22s built since the late 1980s. That program was scaled back several times because of a shortage of money and heavy use of Tu-22s in Syria after Russian forces entered the civil war there in 2015. All that led to more and more problems with Tu-22s and more were withdrawn from service. An ejection seat accident was particularly demoralizing for Tu-22 crews.

The Tu-22 is a 1970s design. It's a 126-ton, twin-engine, swing-wing aircraft with a crew of four including two pilots, a bombardier, and a defensive systems operator. Originally it had a 23mm cannon mounted in a tail turret. It normally carries 12 tons of bombs and missiles, including cruise missiles but can carry 24 tons over shorter distances. Max speed is 2,300 kilometers an hour and combat radius 2,400 kilometers on internal fuel. The Tu-22M was roughly equivalent to the contemporary 45-ton American FB-111.

Russia wanted to have a new bomber design in service by 2030, to replace the aging but upgraded Tu-22M3Ms. That is not going to happen so the latest upgrade, the Tu-22M3Ms must receive another refresh before it is retired. The new Russian stealth heavy bomber project is running into problems with its budget and doubts that the aircraft industry can develop the new aircraft on time and in sufficient numbers.
F1 not ready to regulate use of AI

Formula 1 cannot yet intervene to regulate the teams' increasingly-powerful use of artificial intelligence technologies.

Miami GP 2024

 Haas

As the exploding and rapidly-improving power of AI sweeps the planet, top F1 teams have not been slow to begin to use it to improve their performance.

AI and machine learning are now helping the teams design their cars, develop race strategies, and make deep sense of the reams of sensor data collected while the cars are on track.

Teams are even believed to be using AI to analyse onboard footage of rival cars, according to Luca Bortolotti, a machine learning engineer at Ferrari.

If our competitor does the same corner at the same speed on the same line with slightly less of a steering angle, that tells us they probably have a more aggressive balance than us, he said, providing just one example.

Corriere dello Sport newspaper asked F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali if the sport needs to clamp down on AI so that the teams already deploying it are not getting a huge advantage over their rivals.

We already use artificial intelligence in our graphics, and the FIA uses it in active and passive safety systems, the Italian answered.

Now we have promised to understand how much it can influence performance, because we still don't know enough to intervene, Domenicali added.

(GMM)
FIA, Liberty want to end power struggle clashes

Peace may be breaking out between Formula 1's ruling bodies - the FIA, and the sport's Liberty Media-owned commercial rights holder.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem

 FIA

Ever since Mohammed Ben Sulayem took over from Jean Todt as FIA president in late 2021, he has been at odds with his counterparts at Liberty and Formula One Management - and many of the ten teams.

The new FIA chief, however, has so far weathered the storm of criticism, scandals and power plays that he claims were designed solely to destablise him.

On the Paris-based federation's website, multiple letters of support for Ben Sulayem by voting FIA members have been published in recent weeks.

The latest, signed by members from the Asia Pacific region, claims they are deeply concerned about recent allegations of wrongdoing levied against Ben Sulayem.

But suddenly, as Concorde Agreement negotiations heat up ahead of the existing document's expiry next year, Formula 1 and the FIA have issued a joint statement indicating peace in our time.

The statement said that as F1 has never been so strong , both entities are committed to delivering the best outcomes for the whole sport .

To that end, both parties are developing a new strategic plan that will allow us to seize the opportunities and further enhance the potential for F1 in the years ahead.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport correspondent Salvo Sardina, the statement is a clear sign that F1 and the FIA want to move beyond their conflict.

They are phrases (in the statement) that seem to clear the field of the various controversies between the FIA and F1, he said, protagonists of not too veiled clashes starting from December 2021.

In Miami two weeks ago, Ben Sulayem said his relationship with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has never been better than now .

Sardina concluded: Continuing the power struggle between the FIA and Liberty could in the long run have proved counterproductive for all those involved.

(GMM)
May 15, 2024: General Atomics, the American firm that developed and builds Predator and Reaper UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), has a new UAV, the three-ton Mohave. This is in development to supplement and eventually replace the current 4.8 ton MQ-9 Reaper that can carry 1.4 tons of bombs and missiles plus 360 kg of internal sensors and fire control systems. Mohave can carry 1.6 tons of bombs and missiles and was designed to use shorter, 152 meter, primitive runways for takeoffs and landings. The shorter runway only works when Mohave is not carrying a lot of external weapons. These hang from the wings and impose drag. When equipped just for surveillance, no weapons are carried and a shorter runway is needed. Mohave was designed with larger wings and more control surfaces so it can operate at low altitudes and use 7.62mm machine-gun pods for strafing. This is possible because the Mohave benefits from three decades of development and use since the MQ-1 Predator entered service in the 1990s for the CIA and later the air force. Only 300 Predators were built between 1995 and 2018, when the air force retired its MQ-1s, These UAVs continued to be used by other military and commercial operators.

The MQ-9 Reaper entered service in 2007, after a decade of development and its first flight in 2001. About 400 MQ-9s are expected to be put to use before Reapers are retired in the late 2030s. Mohave will continue in service into the 2040s if development and use go as planned. The war in Ukraine has demonstrated that UAVs like Predator and Mohave are as vulnerable as manned aircraft to air defenses. Predator and Mohave cost up to $40 million each and much more if high-end sensors are carried. Operations in Ukraine have shown that most surveillance and reconnaissance takes place using cheaper UAVs that operate closer to the ground. High altitude surveillance is most effectively carried out by space satellites or high-altitude manned aircraft like the $70 million American U-2, which is expected to be retired by the end of the decade.

The low-level air reconnaissance and combat missions are carried out by cheap UAVs used and controlled by the ground forces. Control of UAVs was initially a problem in the United States where the air force insisted it must control anything the flew in the combat zone. The army felt this was nonsense and in 2008 the U.S. Air Force and Army agreed to amend the half century understanding known as the Treaty of Key West that restricted what kind of aircraft the army could use. The 1950s agreement ended nearly a decade of bickering about how much control over U.S. military aircraft the newly created, in 1947, air force should have. Early on, the air force sought to control everything. The navy and marines fought the air force to a draw, but the army came off less well. The army was allowed to have all the new and untried helicopters it could get its hands on, but was restricted to only a few fixed wing aircraft, and none of them could be large or armed. The army was not happy with this, but the Key West deal, forced on them by president, and former army general Eisenhower, at least ended the constant feuding and uncertainty. But the new deal allows the army to have fixed wing combat aircraft again, but they cannot carry any people, not even pilots.

This was all about UAVs, in particular the Predator and its derivatives, Reaper, Grey Eagle and Mohave. These aircraft changed the way wars were fought, and the army had built a fleet of over a thousand UAVs in the first decade of use. The air force protested this, but the army was doing most of the fighting in wars that began after September 2001, and had the clout to persuade the air force to change the rules about what kind of aircraft the army could have. The army was then able to have fixed wing combat aircraft, initially in the form of over 500 MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAVs. These 1.6 ton UAVs were based on the Predator and Reaper designs and were meant mainly for surveillance. MQ-1C could carry Hellfire missiles but often did not and concentrated on surveillance. The army only received 204 MQ-1Cs and four of those are headed for Ukraine.

The U.S. Army and Air Force also negotiated out an agreement on how to use, and share, this growing fleet of armed UAVs. That's because the air force and army use their UAVs differently. For the army, the UAV is a tool for the local combat commander. That's why each combat division received a MQ-1C squadron. Combat brigades will also get detachments of two to four UAVs as needed even though the brigades always have several smaller 170 kg RQ-7 Shadow 200 UAVs assigned. The army began using RQ-7 in 2002 and has received over 400 so far with more on the way. The RQ-7 is more compact and can be transported and launched with a pneumatic device. The army is seeking to replace RQ-7 with a new UAV by the end of the decade.

The air force uses Predator and Warrior class UAVs more as strategic recon aircraft and put them at the disposal of the most senior combat commander in a region, which was originally CENTCOM, or Central Command, that covered Afghanistan and the Middle East. The air force believed that the army policy of assigning Sky Warriors to brigade and division commanders was wasteful, because many would be sitting on the ground when the CENTCOM commander has a mission that would benefit from the maximum number of UAVs being used. But the army convinced the air force that, for the combat brigade commander, having those UAVs under his command all the time was essential to planning and carrying out combat operations. Too often in the past, getting the needed number of aircraft from the air force/navy pool was chancy, and a major headache for ground commanders. This new policy wasn't all that new. During World War II, the Russians gave ground commanders their own air forces, for the same reason American commanders still needed them 65 years later.

The U.S. Air Force is planning on replacing its MQ-1B Predators with the new U.S. Army MQ-1C. The latter is developed from the former and both are built by the same manufacturer. The air force and army have already agreed to cooperate on maintaining and further developing Predator and Sky Warrior UAVs, which will save money for both services. But the air force is alarmed at some of the army's ideas for operating the MQ-1C. For example, the army wants to rely more on the software, than trained pilots, for flying the UAVs. In fact, the army will not use pilots at all as operators. This appalls the air force, which is scrambling to turn fighter and transport pilots into Predator operators. The air force does use non-pilots for micro-UAVs, similar to the army's two kg Raven, which are used to help guard air force bases. But for larger UAVs the air force is concerned about collisions with other UAVs or manned aircraft. The army believes the future holds technological solutions for this problem. Besides, the army can't spare pilots to man its planned force of several hundred MQ-1Cs.

General Atomics, the manufacturer of the Predator UAV, developed the new MQ-1C UAV. The army wanted 45 squadrons, each with 12 UAVs, at a cost of about $8 million per aircraft including ground equipment. MQ-1C weighs 1.5 tons, carries 136 kg of sensors internally, and up to 227 kg of sensors or weapons externally. It has an endurance of up to 36 hours and a top speed of 270 kilometers an hour. The MQ-1C is heavier than the one-ton Predator, and a bit larger and more capable in general. Basically, it's Predator Plus, with the added ability to land and take off automatically and carry four Hellfire missiles compared to two on the Predator.

The size of the army UAV force also scares the air force. The MQ-1C carried Hellfire missiles and Viper Strike smart bombs. While the air force has agreed to coexist with the new army air force, the army has also agreed to work out how to handle the new traffic problems. MQ-1C has a max ceiling of 9,000 meters, which puts it up there (above 3,100 meters) where the large, manned, air force aircraft operate. Below 3,100 meters, especially below 300 meters, pilots are warned to be alert for army artillery shells and rockets, as well as the 2.2 kg Raven UAVs. Basically, it's dangerous down low, although army helicopter pilots survive. But they can move slowly, while air force jets require the army personnel to make sure the air is clear of little UAVs and large artillery shells before coming on the deck for some gunnery. The air force A-10 pilots do this all the time, but it can be unnerving for an F-16 pilot. So, the air force and the army have formed a group to not only work out new rules, but to keep an eye on the situation indefinitely, because there will always be new aircraft and technology to work into the air control system.

The post-2001 war on terror, and the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, created a radical change in the way air power supports the ground troops, all because of UAVs and smart bombs. The former made aircraft much more effective at reconnaissance, while the latter made aircraft much more effective at close air support. Both of these changes were radical, not just incremental little improvements on what had been done before. Now the army has gained direct control over the new combat aircraft like the MQ-1C, while also acquiring smart, GPS guided shells and rockets. The air force is still useful for gaining and maintaining control of the air, and for air transport, but it is not as critical as it was before. The air force has lost much of its usefulness at reconnaissance and direct combat support. This was a major shift in combat power, and it will now be up to the army, much more so than in the past, to develop new strategies and tactics for the use of air power. The U.S. Army Air Force, which dissolved into the U.S. Air Force in 1947, is back.
When Evangeline Franzon was 13 years old, she was living next to a giant trash heap on a small island in the Philippines. But when she was handed a colorful shoebox with a glittery notebook inside, the course of her life changed.

"Who would have thought that a girl who grew up in a dump site would be standing right here in front of you right now, in Green River, Wyoming," Evangeline told a small crowd gathered in the Green River Assembly of God Church last Thursday.

Holding a colorful shoebox from Operation Christmas Child in her hands, she shared her story.

Life at a dump site

Evangeline grew up on the island of Mactan in the Philippines. Her parents were only teenagers when they got married, and they had to find work on the nearby island of Cebu to support their small family. Evangeline and her older brother were raised by her grandparents, until her grandmother passed away when she was six years old. After taking Evangeline and her brother back, their parents had two more children.

When Evangeline was in third grade, her father lost his job, became an alcoholic and drug addict, and was often away from home. Her mother struggled to raise and provide for all four children. Around the same time, the Filipino government decided to turn a huge, empty lot near the family's home into a dump site. It became the dumping ground for waste materials from their island, neighboring islands and resorts, and other groups who brought their waste there and let it pile up. Living next to a mountain of trash provided Evangeline's family with new opportunities.

"The dumpsite became the source of income for my family at that time," she explained.

Her mother and older brother would go into the dump site to search for items that could be sold in order to provide money for food, or items that could be repurposed for the family.

"I remember sometimes my mom would come home with clothes, so we would wash them and we would wear them," Evangeline said. "A few times Mom brought books because I loved reading."

While the clothes and books often weren't in good shape, the family made due with what they could get. They also worked other odd jobs, from doing other people's laundry to helping sell fish in the fish market to cooking and selling various foods. Still, the family struggled to get by.

"There were so many times when we did not have food at the dinner table. Most nights. Mom would just ask us four children to go to sleep, hoping that our hungry stomachs would stop asking for food," Evangeline recalled.

A small, suspicious church

On Saturdays when her mother and older brother went to the dump site, Evangeline was responsible for caring for her two younger siblings. Although their house was small, her little sister kept disappearing. Evangeline would go out to look for her, and she started to notice a pattern. She kept finding her sister in a small church that had started up next to the dump site. On Saturdays, the church offered free food for children.

Evangeline kept returning to the church to retrieve her sister, but she was suspicious.

"At first I was really hesitant with these people in this church," she said. "Who would want to go to the dump site? It's filthy, icky, yucky, smelly, smoke coming up from it every single minute of the day. You don't want to be here. So I questioned their intention at the time."

Still, her sister kept going to the church on Saturdays. Eventually, the pastor asked Evangeline if she would help chop vegetables and prepare meals for the kids. While she was still hesitant, the pastor was persistent. Evangeline also noticed an opportunity.

"I thought, if I help, I get to eat," she explained.

Still, Evangeline told herself she would only help out one time.

"And that one time turned into so many times," she said. "I just kept going back."

After she'd been helping at the church for a while, Evangeline was invited by the pastor to attend a youth camp on a neighboring island. There, she became a Christian.

A few months later, another new opportunity presented itself.

"December came, and Operation Christmas Child came to my neighborhood," Evangeline explained.

A simple shoebox

Hundreds of children from the community were invited to the small church to receive colorful shoeboxes filled with a wide variety of gifts. Evangeline took her younger brother and sister, but as a tall 13-year-old who looked older than her age, she was told she wouldn't be able to receive a shoebox. She was about to leave, but was asked to help with the distribution.

As she passed out shoeboxes to kids, shaking and smelling and treasuring each one before giving it away, Evangeline watched the pile of boxes behind her dwindle. Having never received a gift in her life, she prayed that there would be just one left over for her.

After handing out the last box, Evangeline felt a tap on her shoulder from one of the ladies helping with the distribution.

"She handed me my very own shoebox," Evangeline said, remembering that she was so excited she forgot to say thank you. "When I opened my shoebox, it was packed with school supplies that I got to use the following school year. Had I not received that shoebox, I probably would not have been able to go to school."

A big, glittery notebook stood out to Evangeline as her favorite item, and she took it as a sign that God wanted her to be an author. Even though that dream hasn't been fulfilled yet, the shoebox was the first step in many changes that came to Evageline's life.

"When I received my shoebox it really solidified my relationship with my Heavenly Father, a father that would never leave me nor forsake me like my earthly father," she said.

Overall, having a gift to treasure helped Evangeline and her siblings feel loved and cared for, and it helped give them hope. Although her circumstances didn't change right away, and life continued to be difficult, Evangeline found strength in her faith, and she found motivation to continue and pursue her dreams.

A story to share

Eventually, Evangeline moved to the United States and started a family. She also helped provide for her family back home, and was able to bring many of them to America with her. The girl that almost couldn't go to school is now pursuing her Master's degree in counseling.

Evangeline also got involved with her family in their local church in Kansas. One year, her church started handing out colorful shoeboxes as part of a program called Operation Christmas Child. Although she wasn't familiar with the program or the organization that runs it, Samaritan's Purse, Evangeline noticed the logo of a shoebox with wings, and wondered why it seemed so familiar. Then she saw a Facebook post from her pastor in the Philippines with a picture of a young boy holding up a shoebox, and the pieces fell into place. She remembered the shoebox she received as a teenager, and realized her church was supporting the same organization that gave her that gift.

After sharing this connection with her pastor and being encouraged to share it with her church, Evangeline was eventually contacted by a representative with Operation Christmas Child. The organization has speakers who were once shoebox recipients share their stories around the country. Evangeline joined the group and started sharing her experiences.

This year, Operation Christmas Child's Southwest Regional Area Coordinator Alison Long organized for Evangeline to come and share her story in Wyoming and Utah. Making nine stops in five days, Evangeline traveled around the area to tell about how receiving a shoebox changed her life.

"I think it's very important that people hear their stories," Alison said of the spokespeople like Evangeline. "It makes it real. You can talk to somebody who really did get a shoebox, and it just helps us realize, too, that what we do does make a difference."

The impact of Operation Christmas Child

Last year, over 11 million shoeboxes were collected for Operation Christmas Child. These shoeboxes, filled with everything from school supplies to toys to clothing to hygiene items, are distributed in nearly 120 different countries. The boxes provide the opportunity to share needed items with children in poverty, and "to share Christ's love with children all over the world," Alison said.

Last year, Southwest Wyoming alone donated over 2,300 shoeboxes to the program. This area of the state has four drop-off sites - First Assembly of God in Green River, Emmanuel Baptist in Rock Springs, Bridger Valley Baptist in Lyman, and Mount Calvary Chapel in Evanston. While these churches act as the official collection sites for shoeboxes, everyone is welcomed and encouraged to participate in the program. National collection week for the program is in November so that the boxes can be organized before Christmas, but Alison encouraged people to pick up items all through the year to be ready to send.

"There's so much that we can do that honestly is very simple for us to do," Alison said.

In addition to sharing her story, Evangeline and her family are actively involved in helping Operation Christmas Child and sending out shoeboxes each year.

"The shoebox impacted my life in so many ways," she said, explaining that now she wants to give the same gift to others.
A judge on Thursday sentenced Joseph Anthony Blas to four months and 15 days in federal prison for distributing illegal explosive material he said was meant for New Years Eve fireworks.

Outside the federal courthouse, Blas was ready to head home to spend one last evening with his wife and son before self-surrendering on Friday morning.

He reiterated that he had only wanted to build something loud for New Years Eve 2022.

Im glad the sentence was on the low end, Blas told the Pacific Daily News after his sentencing. They called it an IED, improvised explosive device. It was something small, made from fireworks. It would not have hurt anyone.

Blas maintained that he had only built one device, despite court documents stating that he had built two and detonated one.

District Court of Guam Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood spent most of the two-hour sentencing hearing listening to arguments for and against variations of Blas imminent sentence.

Blas, 49, had pleaded guilty to unauthorized distribution of an explosive material by a non-licensee to a non-licensee. It is a class C felony, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, $250,000 fine, and three years supervised release.

In December 2021, Blas had intended to ring in the New Year with a bang, using a glass salt shaker, a hobby fuse, tape and explosive powder from roman candle fireworks.

It was something he had done before, according to court documents, and he said he never built one with the intention to harm anyone.

Court documents state that police found the explosive inside a car they were pursuing, though the driver fled the scene. The vehicle was traced to Jerome Camacho Cruz, whom court documents state was the recipient of Blas device.

Blas signed a plea agreement in January 2023, leading to his sentencing date 16 months later.

During Thursdays sentencing hearing, U.S. Chief Probation Officer Jeffrey Ventura had done the calculations, taking into account myriad facets such as Blas willingness to take responsibility and assist the government.

Blas had prior convictions weighing against him, but Ventura said his office recommended a sentence between four and 10 months. Later, he said he was comfortable with a three-month jail term.

U.S. Assistant Attorney General Stephen Leon Guerrero acknowledged Blas cooperation and maintained that four months in jail was adequate.

Defense attorney, Federal Public Defender Leilani Lujan, tried to convince the judge that Blas should be sentenced to probation only, saying that Blas would be a productive member of society rather than sit in jail and do nothing.

Blas was a different person than the man arrested in 2022, she said. He was about to start a job, and had been free from drugs for more than a year.

Tydingco-Gatewood denied the motion for a probation-only sentence, stating that what Blas did was serious, and warrants some jail time.

In the end, the judge imposed a sentence on the low end of the scale, but slightly higher than those recommended by the prosecutor and probation office.

Blas, dressed in black pants, a long-sleeved black shirt and brown leather shoes, was stoic throughout the hearing and showed no emotion when hearing his sentence.

He had earlier addressed the court, saying, Im sorry for what I have done. Whatever you decide today, I accept.

Although he had pleaded guilty, he was proud that he was able to get clean while his case made its way through the system. He had voluntarily signed up with the Lighthouse Recovery Center and completed all requirements, Lujan said.

Quitting? Yeah, it was hard, really hard. Hard to stop something I was doing for like 20 years, Blas said outside the courthouse. But I had to quit. Like I told my son, Im too old for this (expletive) now.


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Haiti - FLASH : Sunrise Airways resumes all its flights to and from Port-au-Prince





The Haitian company Sunrise Airways announces the resumption of its operations from and to Port-au-Prince.



All of the company's domestic and international flights will now be carried out from the Toussaint Louverture international airport terminal.



From May 20, 2024, Sunrise Airways will once again operate its domestic flights from the capital to Cap-Haitien and Les Cayes and will also gradually resume its international flights to Panama, Sint Maarten and Guadeloupe awaiting the opening of airspace to the Dominican Republic.



Flights between Cap-Haitien and Miami are currently maintained at a daily frequency.



For more real-time information on destinations, flights and schedules, visit the airline's website: www.sunriseairways.net



About Sunrise Airways :

Since 2012, Sunrise Airways has been developing an air network with the aim of connecting capitals and islands that share the same space and the same future in the Caribbean region. Nearly 1.5 million passengers were transported by Sunrise Airways between the cities of Port-au-Prince, Cap Haitien, Les Cayes, Jeremie, Santo Domingo, Havana, Santiago, Holguin, Camaguey, Guadeloupe, Panama, Miami and Saint Martin. In May 2024, Sunrise Airways is rolling out a new connecting network in the Eastern Caribbean, between St Kitt, Antigua, Dominica and Saint Lucia.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-42312-haiti-flash-2-sunrise-airways-commercial-flights-land-in-port-au-prince.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-42287-haiti-flash-sunrise-airways-new-network-of-connections-in-the-eastern-caribbean.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-42279-haiti-flash-sunrise-airways-adds-4-new-destinations-in-the-caribbean.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















May 16, 2024: Documents collected and interviews conducted by Israeli newspaper Haaretz revealed that senior Hamas leaders had a plan for what they would do if they somehow invaded and conquered Israel. First, Palestinian occupied Israel would be divided up into several cantons, each ruled by a Hamas leader. The plan included details on which Israelis would be killed, expelled, or forced to remain because they were educated Jews and experts in the areas of medicine, engineering, technology, and civilian and military industry.

Fatah, another Palestinian organization founded in 1959 with the help of exiled Palestinian professionals working in the Persian Gulf oil states and elsewhere, eventually became the dominant political force in the West Bank after the Six Day War. In the 1990s Fatah was a major component of the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) when a peace deal was negotiated with Israel. Fatah was supposed to hold elections to select leaders but corruption eventually made the elections meaningless. That was trouble for Fatah, but the Hamas faction in Gaza won the election there and took control as an area no longer ruled by Fatah in the West Bank. Hamas was founded with the help of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood. In 2007 Hamas ejected Fatah from Gaza and Israel blockaded Fatah in Gaza, not allowing Palestinians in Gaza to enter Israel without permission.

In 2017 Hamas revealed that it was at war with Zionists, the Jewish organization in Europe that, over a century ago, advocated for the establishment of a Jewish state in the Middle East where the last Jewish state was destroyed by the Romans two thousand years ago. Since 2017 Hamas carried out an increasing number of terrorist attacks against Israelis. By then the United States and most European nations had designated Hamas a terrorist organization subject to numerous sanctions. Hamas found refuge in some Arab Gulf oil states and that enabled Hamas to keep fighting. This led to the major attack against Israeli and foreign civilians in Gaza during October 2023. Israeli military forces quickly contained that and blocked Hamas efforts to enter Israel. This Hamas offensive was supposed to be the one that would overrun and conquer Israel. That didnt happen and one of the aftereffects of that failed offensive was the revelations of Hamas plans for Israel after they conquered it.

Haaretz collected all the information needed to document Hamas plans and remind Israelis that Hamas was deadly serious about continuing its fight to destroy Israel.
by Austin Bay May 16, 2024

The Biden administration wants to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza to save the lives of Palestinian civilians.

Good cause? Sure. Absolutely. Saving and protecting innocents when Americans can is a moral and noble goal. Even protecting the lives of innocents a terror cartel like Hamas uses as human shields for its immoral and strategically evil goals is a sign of moral decency in a vicious Iran Ayatollah-Putin-Chinese Communist Party world.

That noted, later in this column I'll discuss the amoral and ignoble U.S. election conniving shaping WHY the Biden administration desperately wants to create the impression it's delivering aid to Gaza, no matter the risk to the lives of U.S. military and aid personnel.

But first, let's understand the saltwater and sand reality of HOW the Biden administration intends to deliver its Gaza aid. Because DELIVERING is where American prestige, expensive equipment and lives are at stake.

I repeat: American prestige, equipment and lives are at stake. If that sounds like an allusion to the Biden administration FLEEING Kabul in 2021, keep that thought in mind.

The expensive equipment of May 2024: The Biden administration wants to use a complicated military structure/system called JLOTS -- acronym for Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore -- to pull off the HOW. The JLOTS costs around $320 million.

I translate the Pentagon jargon: JLOTS is a floating, temporary pier for bringing "stuff" (supplies) from oceangoing big ships to a port-less shore (sand, rocks, etc.).

Sophisticated? You bet. The entire JLOTS system includes the Roll-On, Roll-Off Distribution Facility (RRDF). Maybe this visualization helps explain the Pentagonese: The whole shebang's a floating bridge and parking lot linking oceangoing freighters to a beach. The shebang takes highly trained personnel to create, operate and deliver the goods.

Structure/system isn't a fluff term. The pier complex doesn't deliver the goods. Trained military personnel connect the ships to the shore via the mobile pier. Trucks, driven by human beings, take the goods to the aid distribution centers.

As of late April, two American military JLOTS/RRDFs -- manned by U.S. military personnel and, as I understand it, British contractors, all under the guidance of the U.S. Agency for International Development -- were floating in the Mediterranean Sea just west of the Gaza Strip's shoreline. According to Bloomberg, the two floating piers were links in "a maritime corridor to deliver aid into Gaza."

Three informative notes for those who wish to be informed:

1. The U.S. piers are could-be links. If the U.S. brings the supplies to the beach, do the foods and medicines get to starving and ill Palestinians? Or do Hamas thugs steal the supplies? These are real questions. Hamas is an Iranian proxy army. In Yemen, Iran's Houthi proxies routinely steal United Nations humanitarian food aid shipped through the Red Sea port of Hodeida.

2. Guidance is not command. According to the Jewish News Syndicate, Hamas ("or its friends") on May 8 shelled the JLOTS floating complex in the sea west of Gaza while the structures were being assembled.

Necessary repetition note 3: War zones require command, not guidance. The Biden administration ran the Afghanistan bug-out as a State Department-managed task instead of the military-directed combat zone operation it was. Management and guidance -- scotch the Biden Administration fog words. War zones require command.

Operational fact: Suffering Gazans could be succored by land through Egypt. Gazans could be supplied through Israel. But Hamas stands in the way.

So why the pier posturing? The floating piers are campaign photo-ops for Michigan Muslim voters.

In Joe Biden's administration, "optics" overrule reality. On Aug. 31, 2021, Reuters confirmed that harsh truth when it published the July 23 telephone exchange between Biden and Afghan then-President Ashraf Ghani. Biden told Ghani, " ... the perception around the world and in parts of Afghanistan ... is that things aren't going well in terms of the fight against the Taliban. And there's a need, whether it is true or not, there is a need to project a different picture."

True or not. Take it from a serial liar. Biden knew his poorly planned and incompetently executed withdrawal was failing, but perhaps he could fool the public.

Election year 2024: Enter JLOTS. He may get his Gaza photo-op. But with American lives at risk.
It is 83 cm high and 45 cm wide: the Lego tower Barad-dur (10333). The new set shows Sauron's residence in Mordor and comes with several features and mini-figures. In total, the Lego tower consists of 5471 pieces, for which the Danish toy manufacturer charges 460 euros. It will be available from June 4 and costs 460 euros. Lego insiders can already buy it on June 1.

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In Tolkien's Lord of the Rings story, Barad-dur is the fortress from which Sauron's eye watches the events in Middle-earth with interest. As with previous "Lord of the Rings" sets, Lego has based its design on the film trilogy, whose fans should feel right at home with the new set.

With a glowing eye and palantir

Measuring 83 cm x 45 cm x 30 cm, Barad-dur is one of the larger Lego sets, which is why the manufacturer recommends it for adults. The set offers enough space for various gadgets. For example, in the depths of Sauron's fortress there is Gollum's lair, a weapons forge with models of Sauron's club and Elendil's sword, as well as a dungeon with a cage. There is also a pantry, a throne room and a secret room containing a palantir.

The gate to the fortress is automated and the Eye of Sauron lights up thanks to a Lego light brick that can illuminate the eye at an angle from below. The set also includes a total of ten minifigures: Gollum, Frodo, Sam, the Mouth of Sauron, a few Orcs - and Sauron himself, dressed in black armor with a spiked helmet. In total, the building consists of four different modules that can be opened and played with separately.

The minifigures also include Sauron himself. (Image: Lego)

The Lego set Barad-dur is therefore the dark counterpart to the Rivendell set that Lego released last year. However, the Rivendell set is slightly larger overall: it consists of 6167 pieces and comes with 15 minifigures. At a price of 500 euros, it is also slightly more expensive.

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(dahe)
The FMA articulated that introducing legislation to permit euthanasia would represent a profound shift in values and could lead to unpredictable developments in medical practice.

In a recent meeting on May 16, 2024, the Finnish Medical Association's (FMA) council upheld its opposition to the legalization of euthanasia and doctor-assisted suicide, reinforcing that physicians should not be compelled to perform procedures primarily intended to hasten a patient's death.

The organization emphasized that the primary role of physicians is to protect life using current medical knowledge and to alleviate suffering, rather than addressing healthcare system deficiencies through euthanasia.

This decision follows an extensive period of research, international comparison, and consultation, including a survey conducted in collaboration with the University of Tampere. The survey gathered around 9,000 responses from Finnish physicians, revealing a slight increase in support for euthanasia over the years but also significant division among the medical community. Notably, doctors with specialization in palliative care tend to be more critical of euthanasia, and a majority are not personally prepared to perform it, with only 13.5% expressing full agreement that they would practice euthanasia if it were legal.

The FMA also raised concerns about the impact of legalizing euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide on public trust in healthcare, which is currently declining. Only 58% of respondents in a recent "Citizens' Pulse" survey reported high confidence in the healthcare system. The association argued that an irreversible procedure like euthanasia demands exceptionally high levels of trust in the healthcare system's ability to assess and fulfill patients' end-of-life wishes.

In conclusion, the FMA reaffirmed its position against the legalization of euthanasia, citing ethical concerns, the potential effects on physician well-being, and the equality of patient treatment. The organization believes that Finnish healthcare is not ready to incorporate euthanasia into its practice, highlighting the complex and multifaceted nature of the issue.

HT
Finnish parliament member Ville Skinnari , along with his Social Democratic Party colleagues Elisa Gebhard and Jani Kokko , held a significant meeting with representatives from the Israeli NGO, Breaking the Silence, at the Finnish Parliament. The group, composed of Israeli military veterans, is known for its advocacy on human rights issues related to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

During their visit from Tel Aviv to Helsinki, Ori Givatin and Joel Carmel from Breaking the Silence discussed the detrimental effects of the Israeli occupation not only on Palestinians but also on Israeli society. The organization, which has been active for over two decades, collects testimonies from soldiers about their experiences in the military, highlighting the harsh realities of duties such as occupying Palestinian homes and detaining children.

The meeting included a briefing on the current situations in Gaza and the West Bank, and the perspectives on Israel's military operations and occupation practices. Breaking the Silence has gathered over 1,400 testimonies from soldiers, painting a stark picture of the conflict's impacts on all involved.

Ville Skinnari expressed that the NGO criticized the Israeli military's doctrines and practices, particularly concerning the number of civilian casualties. "The only solution from their perspective is to end the war and the occupation so that both Palestinians and Israelis can live in peace," Skinnari stated.

The role of NGOs like the Church's Foreign Aid was emphasized as crucial in assisting Palestinians, and Skinnari urged the Finnish government and EU countries to intensify efforts to end the conflict as soon as possible. "Continuation of the war benefits neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis," Skinnari concluded, underscoring the urgent need for peace and cooperation.

HT
DIRECTOR and screenwriter Peter Richardson will be on familiar ground when he comes to Henley next Saturday.

The creator of the Comic Strip will be at the towns cinema talking about the hit TV series as well as showing a couple of the original parody films and taking part in a question and answer session with one of his co-stars, Keith Allen.

I like Henley, says Peter, now 72. We did Gino: Full Story and Pics there in the autumn of 83, which is why were showing it at the Regal.

We were based in Henley and we had a riotous crew and cast led by Keith, who got us all banned from our hotel.

We came back from a days shooting, not very far away, to find all our suitcases on the street. Wed been kicked out.

I dont know which hotel it was but thats how I remember it.

We shot Gino just over the hill on a big, flat area towards Wallingford, that big area towards the Thames that looks like a different landscape.

Ive used it a couple of times for other films. I did Eat the Rich there as well in the summer of 86. I loved it because its very minimal.

The plot for Gino involves the eponymous character, played by Allen, a cab driver turned celebrity fugitive on the run.

He keeps bumping into people who have it much worse than him and the media take chase.

We were ahead of our time, says. The film was about a black transvestite played by Al Pillay, who became Al-Lana Pillay and then went back to becoming Alan Pillay after the shoot, so it was quite

confusing.

It was very funny with Robbie Coltrane having a breakdown in a Jaguar, knocking back a bottle of whisky and having epileptic seizures as hes driving at 90mph  its black high comedy.

We used a helicopter to shoot that whole landscape and it was great.

Peter, who lives near Dartmouth in his native Devon, will also be showing The Best of Comic Strip.

Its the best scenes weve edited specially for this show, he says. They go down very well actually as they havent aged because theyre stories and theyre on film.

They seem to last and hold up  it doesnt matter if people dont know who Ken Livingstone is or Arthur Scargill is, the satires weve done are funny and theyre played by funny people.

The very first short film in the series, called The Comic Strip, was released in 1981 and starred Peter alongside Adrian Edmondson, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Nigel Planer, Alexei Sayle, Arnold Brown and the late Rik Mayall.

Peter recalls: Dawn and Jennifer, Robbie Coltrane, Rik, Ade, Nigel, we all started together in 1980 or 81. It started as a live show in Soho called Comic Strip and it was in one of Paul Raymonds small strip theatres.

We ran there for a year and then we went on tour to Australia and the UK and we became the Comic Strip Group, so we had a group of players and then we became a brand of TV films, Comic Strip Presents, and a production company called Comic Strip.

The series of short films and special episodes ran to 42 in total, with the last one being released in 2016.

Originally aired in 1993, Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown starred Keith and Peter along with other well-known actors.

Jim Broadbent, Jim Carter, myself and Keith played these coppers, all from different generations, from the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties, and theyre all trying to solve a murder, explains Peter.

Its a Comic Strip film and so youve got Jim Broadbent as Shouting George from The Weeny and we played The Professionals, only we called them The Bullshitters, which was me and Keith.

Peter, whose son, Red, is married to Mayalls daughter, Rosie, adds: We were very close and it became a family really.

We spent 30 years together making films. The last one we did with Rik was Five Go to Rehab, which was in 2012. Most of them now live down here now. Rik moved down here, so did Dawn, so did Jennifer and Adrian, and Keith lived here for a while.

We stayed at my mums house during Five Go Mad in Dorset and Dawn and Jennifer were in bunk beds. My parents used to run a sort of summer school, so we all stayed in bunk beds and Dawn and Jennifer were 21, 22 or something. We had a lot of fun and I cant fault it really.

The evening will be hosted by Robin Ince, who hosted last years Slapstick Festival in Bristol where Peter met him.

He says: Robin did such a great job and seems to know our films very well so that made things very easy for us.

He could kick off with a line like, Why did you do that in such and such a film? and we can just come up with the stories and answer the questions.

Who knows what Keith will get up to? His reputation precedes him, I suspect. Theres quite a few stories about Keith, theres chapters of his stories.

I thought it would be such fun to talk about it, you know, have someone even remember us there and say, Yes, we were glad you were thrown out!

 The Best of Comic Strip (100 minutes) and a question and answer session is at the Regal Picturehouse in Boroma Way, Henley, at 5.45pm, while the double bill, The Comic Strip Presents Detectives On the Edge + Gino (95 minutes) and a Q & A is at 8.30pm, both on Saturday, May 18. For more information, call 02073 2l62649 or visit www.picture

houses.com/cinema/regal-picturehouse
A HEALTH food chain shop is to open in Henley.

Holland & Barrett will move into the Mountain Warehouse unit in Bell Street once it relocates to the former M&Co premises five doors away.

No dates have been confirmed for the relocation or the opening of the businesses.

M&Co closed in February last year and the unit was let temporarily by the Phone Clinic and American Candy Shop, which sells vapes and limited-edition sweets and drinks and has since moved to a smaller unit next to Starbucks.

Holland & Barrett has more than 1,300 shops in 16 countries.

It was formed in 1870 by Alfred Slapps Barrett and Major William Holland who bought a grocery store in Bishops Stortford and sold groceries and clothing.

In the Twenties, Alfred Button & Sons bought the business and kept the name Holland & Barrett.

The company has since changed hands a number of times and became associated with health stores in the Seventies.

The brand has since become synonymous with the sale of vitamins and supplements and homeopathy.
THIS is Dementia Action Week, which is designed to highlight the help available for the 944,000 people in the UK known to be living with the disease and their families. ALEX CARTER reports on the services available locally.

PAM Soley doesnt shy away from the reality of caring and living with a loved one who has dementia.

She says that seeing them lose their memory and recognition of previously familiar faces is painful.

Mrs Soley, 73, lives in The Close, Henley, with her husband, Peter, 74, who was diagnosed with dementia three years ago.

Mr Soley attends the Bluebells day centre, which is located at the Christ Church Centre in Reading Road, Henley, and provides social engagement, activities and care. It runs on Mondays and Thursdays from 10.40am to 3.30pm.

The Memory Cafe, which runs every Wednesday from 10am to noon at the centre, also provides enriching stimulating activities and socialising.

Mrs Soley says she would have been lost without the support from both services.

It has made such a difference, she said. It has allowed Peter to have independence and me to have some time with friends and family.

Mr Soley, who was in the Royal Artillery for 22 years, was diagnosed in February 2021 but his wife believes she had missed the acute signs of the disease for at least 10 years.

She said: I remember one day when I was cutting the grass and I was looking and watching him a bit too carefully and I accidentally ran over the wire and cut the power. He didnt realise that it was me that caused it and went to change the fuse in the plug, which he thought had blown.

A month after Mr Soley was diagnosed, his wife was diagnosed with low-grade breast cancer.

The following year, Mrs Soley was diagnosed with uterine cancer and underwent four months of chemotherapy, daily radiotherapy for five weeks and a hysterectomy.

While she was undergoing treatment, her husband was looked after by local carers at home.

She said: Peter didnt even know that I was having treatment because I didnt want to put him through that as he was already dealing with so much.

The charity was so helpful in helping take the caring load off my hands because spending 200 a month on carers and things for his mobility as he suffers from arthritis was a lot to deal with at the time.

Mrs Soley says caring for her husband is challenging but she tries to keep positive.

She said: When we do go out together, which is quite a lot, he always says things like, Where did you say we were going?, which does hurt.

At times he doesnt recognise who I am and he cant recognise his children or grandchildren but they have grown to accept his condition and understand it better.

She encourages others who are in the same position to remain upbeat and stick by their loved one.

She said: Try to get as much help as you can and for the love of god look on the bright side because if you dont you just go under.

When youve been married for 50 years you dont just throw that love away, you have to stick together through thick and thin, even if it is painful at times.

Another woman who has been diagnosed with Parkinsons disease and is living with dementia said the services were invaluable to her.

She said: Its nice to do something else rather than sit in the house and watch TV. There are always so many activities to do and they make sure you feel welcomed.

Siobhan Pratt, co-ordinator at Bluebells, said: Dementia is an invisible disease that affects not only the person but the whole family, so everybody needs support, including children and friends, because they lose them not only in death but also in life.

The day centre and memory cafe were invaluable to people living with the disease.

They always go home with a smile on their face because they dont have to feel like they are alone and theres always someone they can talk to, said Ms Pratt.

Dr Will Hearsey, a partner at the Hart Surgery in York Road, said people should look out for signs that a loved one may be developing dementia.

He said: Depending on what part of the brain its affecting, it can cause different symptoms but memory loss is the thing people start to notice, such as forgetting names which a lot of us do day to day but typically it is something which is out of the ordinary like getting lost in places they know.

The process of clarifying these symptoms is simple and easily accessible.

Dr Hearsey said: Theres an element of denial from the patient and relatives and its difficult to deal with but the first point of call would be to look at the variety of online resources and charities which provide services and advice and have a chat with a GP as the next step.

A lot of symptoms may not necessarily be related to dementia so its worth exploring with a GP before going down the dementia route. What would happen is the doctor asks simple questionnaire-style questions to check recall and short-term memory and if they can rule out other causes.

If necessary, the patient will be referred to a memory clinic and sometimes for a CT scan.

If you are caring for someone you often neglect yourself, so drawing on as many resources as you can get to manage situations, environments and triggers for someone who is living with dementia is really useful.

To help reduce memory loss, Dr Hearsey suggests living a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

Dementia is having an ever-greater burden on healthcare, he said. The hope is that there will be some treatments coming through but I still think thats a long way off.

The best way to prevent or reduce the risk is by eating well, exercising and keeping sugars and cholesterol down. A particular focus on cognition and hearing is also the key to prevention.

Jane Parker, a Henley adviser at Dementia Oxfordshire, says it is important to highlight what support is available in the wider community.

The service provided by Age UK allows people with a diagnosis who do not live in residential care and are registered with a GP to receive help, advice and support from the charity.

Ms Parker said: No one should have to feel alone or frightened and think they have nowhere or anyone to turn to.

We need to ensure that there is plenty of information and support available for people living with dementia and ensure that social services have the resources, which is critical.

For more information, visit www.dementiaoxfordshire.org.uk
On May 13, India and Iran signed a 10-year Long Term Bilateral Contract on Chabahar Port, following up on the agreement reached during the external affairs ministers January visit to Tehran.

On May 14, the US State Department warned that any entity considering business deals with Iran need to be aware of the potential risk of sanctions. The Departments spokesperson further clarified that there were no planned exemptions for Chabahar specifically.

target="_blank" href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/us-warns-of-sanctions-after-india-iran-chabahar-port-agreement-101715649651130.html">Commenting on these developments, Indias EAM S Jaishankar asserted that the ports development would benefit the entire region and that a narrow view should be avoided, adding a reminder that Washington itself had appreciated Indias role in Chabahar in the past. Evidently, as the India-US relationship touched new heights across 2023, New Delhi has carved out a special position for itself in Washingtons foreign policy, drawing greater comfort in its multi-alignment.

Among the key triggers to this has also been the United States increasing focus on countering China geopolitically, and Indias vital role in that endeavour as a front-line state. In light of the recent State Department comments, this piece focuses on how the United States has navigated Indias relationships with Russia and Iran. The constant in both cases is that the United States has invested in crucial partnerships with India, with the Quad holding special prominence.

The variable has been the third country (hostile to the US) whose partnerships with India trigger the sanctions debate  how much is Washington willing to compromise on the coercive tools it deems essential to influencing the actions of these third states?

Among the main tools, is the 2017 Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which lists entities primarily in Russia, China, and Iran, among others.

On Russia

As the war in Ukraine has progressed since February 2022, the Russia-US relationship has grown proportionately worse, on the back of already degrading ties since Russias alleged involvement in the 2016 US Presidential elections.

Hence, the incentive only increases for Washington to press CAATSA even more on entities doing business with Moscow; Turkey was sanctioned in 2020 for its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defence system. India, however, secured a CAATSA waiver in 2022 for its own 2018 deal with Russia for five S-400 systems. As was evident in the remarks of the lawmaker proposing the waiver, The United States must stand with India in the face of escalating aggression from China. Several other lawmakers have echoed this reasoning, across the past year.

More recently on April 4th, as Indian oil imports from Russia increased amid the war in Ukraine, a US Treasury official stated that once Russian oil is refined, from a technical perspective it is no longer Russian oil. Significantly, she clarified that Washington had not asked India to stop importing Russian oil and was not considering sanctions.

The United States inclination to provide India-specific waivers to its sanctions regime targeting Russia is a function of where the India-Russia bilateral is currently placed. For Washington, yielding to Indias needs on Russia is not a compromise, especially when the former is set on diversifying its defence imports and looking to gradually undo its lopsided reliance on Russia for arms and spares. In Washingtons eyes, New Delhi is on a slow drift away from Moscow and it resists the urge (largely) to upset the proverbial apple cart.

On Iran

Unlike Russia, Indias relationship with the other third state hostile to the United States  Iran  is not marked by a steady drift of separation. Rather, Irans value in Indias strategic calculus has long grown, despite the relationship often being hostage to the US-Iran relationship. While India had secured an Afghanistan-linked waiver from sanctions in 2018 for Chabahar from the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012, Washington refused any special waivers/extensions of waivers to India for the purchase of Iranian oil. New Delhi has not imported Iranian oil ever since.

The Shahid Beheshti port, however, holds special importance for Indias regional policy and its connectivity plans, with New Delhi long having endured the multiple challenges that have plagued its Chabahar plans (explained here). Indias aim to boost Chabahars capabilities is ambitious; India Ports Global Limited (which was created specifically to develop/operate Chabahar) declares that while the ports current handling capacity is 2.5 million tonnes per year, the completion of Phase I of development work will increase that to 8, with all four phases eventually taking it up to 82 million tonnes. In this light, the IPGL is set to invest $120 million in the port.

On Indias choices

Evidently, then, the pillars of the India-Iran bilateral are only growing stronger. For New Delhi, Chabahar is a geo-strategic tool that will also yield economic dividends, especially if the International North-South Transport Corridor gets going, and helps (to a limited degree) to counter China and its Belt and Road Initiative.

However, unlike Russia, India has no historic dependence on Iran. Its determination to pursue older partnerships, defined through Chabahar, is by choice and a product of strategic choice. This is not to suggest that the India-Russia bilateral was not driven by choice  it is simply that the scale and scope of that relationship created dependencies that India did not necessarily find discomforting. Its new choice with Russia is to preserve the older relationship but to scale down the dependence.

With Iran, its choice is to grow closer  a function of Indias strategic autonomy which has also resulted in significant new partnerships with the West. Essentially, for every INSTC (Iran, Central Asia, Russia), there is an IMEEC (Arab states, Israel, Europe, with US support).

For Washington then, CAATSA sanctions on Chabahar (should they be necessary) or their exemptions, will depend on how much it is willing to compromise on its coercive foreign policy instruments meant for the states that are increasingly drawing closer to each other  an Axis of Upheaval as Kendall-Taylor and Fontaine called it in the Foreign Affairs magazine.

Its relationship with Tehran has further deteriorated across late 2023 and early 2024 due to increasing Iranian proxy action in the Red Sea, Lebanon, and Iraq. Given the ambitions that India has for Chabahar and New Delhis necessity to project it as a safe investment environment, the farther the threat of US sanctions, the better - naturally. Chabahar then is arguably a litmus test for how well the United States recognises Indias value in deterring China, in increasing Irans own stakes in regional stability, and in New Delhis appreciation for choice at a time when it is drawing closer to the West than ever before.

Bashir Ali Abbas is a research associate at the Council for Strategic and Defense Research, New Delhi, and a South Asia Visiting Fellow at the Stimson Center, Washington DC. The views expressed are personal.
Cancer  (21st June to 22nd July) Daily Horoscope Prediction says, You are a master player Keep your romantic relationship productive and creative. Ensure you achieve every assigned professional task. Both health and wealth will also be good today. Cancer Daily Horoscope for May 17, 2024: Both health and wealth will also be good today.

Explore the different aspects of love today. Ensure you also give the best professional results. Financially you will be good and investments will bring in good wealth. Health will also be good today.

Cancer Love Horoscope Today

Look for fabulous moments in love and keep your partner happy. Youll have some mesmerizing moments today. Keep your happy and also ensure you spend more time together. Today is good to give surprise gifts. Plan a romantic dinner where you will also discuss the future. Single Cancer natives will be happy to meet someone special. Those who recently had a breakup will also fall in love today. Married females may conceive and those who have minor issues at the house of the husband should resolve this through open communication.

Cancer Career Horoscope Today

No major professional responsibility will come to you. However, you may be busy with some previously assigned tasks. Those who are in the managerial or senior profiles will invite the ore of management for mistakes committed by the team members. Those who have interviews lined up today will be successful in receiving an offer letter. Students will clear competitive examinations and those who aspire to get admission to a foreign university will positive changes.

Cancer Money Horoscope Today

Financially you are fortunate today. There will be good wealth and you may utilize this to plan a vacation or to buy luxury items. Some Cancer natives will buy a new property today. You may also go ahead with the plan to invest in stock, trade, and speculative business. Some females will book tickets for a foreign trip today. Today is also good to financially help a needy friend or relative.

Cancer Health Horoscope Today

You can breathe easily as your health will be good today. Avoid stress and keep the office pressure out of the house today. Reduce the intake of fat and replace it with proteins and vitamins. Stay away from oily and greasy stuff and make exercise a part of the routine.

Cancer Sign Attributes

Strength: Intuitive, Practical, Kind, Energetic, Artsy, Dedicated, Benevolent, Caring

Weakness: Insatiable, Possessive, Prudish

Symbol: Crab

Element: Water

Body Part: Stomach & Breast

Sign Ruler: Moon

Lucky Day: Monday

Lucky Color: White

Lucky Number: 2

Lucky Stone: Pearl

Cancer Sign Compatibility Chart

Natural affinity: Taurus, Virgo, Scorpio, Pisces

Good compatibility: Cancer, Capricorn

Fair compatibility: Gemini, Leo, Sagittarius, Aquarius

Less compatibility: Aries, Libra

By: Dr. J. N. Pandey

Vedic Astrology & Vastu Expert

E-mail: djnpandey@gmail.com

Phone: 9811107060 (WhatsApp Only)
Buttons. Lost buttons. Found buttons. Misplaced buttons. Missing buttons. Random buttons. Extra buttons. Borrowed buttons. Stolen buttons. Gifted buttons. Favourite buttons. When you collect all these buttons and store them in a jar, you come to realise that each and every button is, in fact, a piece of that incomplete jigsaw puzzle called life. Unfinished because each time you think youre about to solve the puzzle, a piece goes missing. Just like that. And then later, you find that piece under the bed, on the dinner table, tucked inside a pen-holder, next to the half-used bottle of shampoo on the bathroom rack, beside the TV remote atop the magazine, and so on, and so forth. The thing is, when you eventually find the final piece, youve already moved on from that puzzle, left unattended, forgotten, removed altogether. So, what do you do with this orphaned piece youre united with long after the puzzle has been wrapped up and put back into the box with one less piece? You store it in a separate jar. With time, this jar fills up with similar abandoned pieces  like a jar of discarded buttons. A dancer at the Cinco de Mayo celebrations in San Diego. The festival celebrates Mexicos victory over France on May 5, 1862 and is a powerful symbol of Mexican pride. (Shutterstock)

110pp, 593; Vintage Books (Amazon)

Discarded yet preserved.

Its been 40 years since the publication of The House on Mango Street (1984) by Sandra Cisneros. The writing is experimental, fresh, contemporary, even genre-defying. A prominent voice in Chicano (Mexican-American) literature, Cisneros expresses her struggle while juggling two cultures and identities, both geographically and spiritually. The sense of being constantly on the move, migrating from Mexico to the United States, makes her redefine the notion of belongingness and permanence. Where is home, after all?

The introduction to the novel reads like a short story. She talks about her dreams, bittersweet childhood memories, regrets and heartaches, major life decisions by way of being fearless and living alone, stretches of solitude and silence, writerly ways of looking at and living life, and much more. Cisneros opens that jar of buttons and weaves a story around each and every one  some real, some imaginary, but mostly real.

Her stories are vignettes, not necessarily interlinked or disparate either. For instance, shell pick up one button one day and sit you down to tell you about the time her mother came down from Chicago to visit her apartment. Esperanza, our protagonist, yearns for her mother to see how her daughter lives in an apartment which has a spiral staircase, big windows, and a kitchen with a heater. The kitchen is where she mostly wrote. Cisneros, not Esperanza. This is what makes her writing style so unique. You wouldnt realise when Cisneros departs and Esperanza takes over or vice versa. The buttons plop and plunge and jump and dance to the rhythm of the writers movement of the pen. And that too, in perfect harmony.

Author Sandra Cisneros (Courtesy sandracisneros.com)

Cisneros used to write fiction for comfort during her days at the Iowa Poetry Workshop. As a matter of confession, she tells her readers, she would write fiction on the side for pleasure. And when she did write poems as part of the workshop, it wouldnt really be for earning credit points.

When you flip through the pages of The House on Mango Street, youll realise how futile it is to label or categorise her writing. That in itself is a revolutionary act, to defy labels, categories, and boxes. This could be a novel or not; are these snippets from life, maybe? What if these are actually poems disguised as prose?For me, its a puzzle. A puzzle that cannot be completed. Why? Because the author has cleverly and secretly hidden the pieces in a jar of buttons. Its as if she is deliberately making a case for unrequited love, unquenched thirst, unfulfilled desire. You know how a chef never reveals the complete recipe of their signature dish? There will invariably be one ingredient thats left out. How else would it be a signature dish? And then one day, you stumble upon what youd been desperately seeking for so long. But the discovery almost seems like a cruel joke. You might think, whats the point of finding it now when you no longer need it? Is the accidental discovery worthwhile?

It sure is.

Ipshita Mitra is a researcher scholar in the discipline of Gender and Development Studies, and a freelance writer based in Delhi-NCR. She tweets @ipshita77.
India, 16th May 2024: Symbiosis Law School (SLS), Hyderabad (A Constituent of Symbiosis International Deemed University, Pune) renowned for its excellence in legal education, actively promotes the holistic development of its students with a series of dynamic and impactful events. Through a diverse range of initiatives, including expert-led lectures and competitive workshops, SLS Hyderabad is dedicated to enriching the academic and practical experiences of its students, thereby maintaining the highest standards of legal education. These events are designed not only to educate but also to inspire and prepare students for the complexities of the legal world.

A Spectrum of Educational Events

Recently, SLS Hyderabad conducted an Online Guest Lecture titled "Exploring Challenges in International Maritime Law and Nations' Responsibilities," led by Dr. Sanjeet Ruhal, a renowned lecturer on International Maritime Security Law from IMLI Malta. This session provided students with profound insights into international maritime law, enhancing their research interests and specialization skills.

The school also hosted the Contract Drafting quiz competition, organized by the Centre for Finance, Accounting, Corporate Governance, and Transparency (C-FACT). This event tested students' knowledge of contract law, emphasizing the importance of legal expertise through friendly competition.

Community Outreach Initiatives

Further demonstrating its commitment to societal contributions, SLS Hyderabad organized an Emotional Well-Being Camp for Senior Citizens. This initiative aimed to increase awareness of mental health issues among seniors and provided essential legal assistance, underscoring the school's dedication to community service.

Diverse Legal Discussions and Industry Integration

SLS Hyderabad facilitated a broad range of events covering vital legal domains such as Animal Cruelty, Taxation of Public Trusts, Labour Laws, and Women's Property Rights, among others. These events fostered meaningful discourse on critical legal issues, contributing significantly to the academic environment.

Additionally, the school strengthened ties with the legal community through Alumni Engagement sessions and Corporate Synergy competitions. These events connected students with industry experts, offering them valuable exposure to real-world legal scenarios.

Call for Aspiring Law Students

In line with its ongoing pursuit of academic excellence, SLS Hyderabad invites applications for its BA/BBA LLB Programmes. These programs are designed to provide students with a deep understanding of legal principles integrated with business concepts, equipping them with both knowledge and practical skills. Following the close of SLAT registration, the institute has set May 16, 2024, as the application deadline for these comprehensive law programs.

Prospective candidates who have registered for SLAT are encouraged to apply for SLS Hyderabads BA/BBA LLB Programmes through the official link provided.

To know more, visit: https://www.slsh.edu.in/

Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/subscribe to the content(s) of the article/advertisement and/or view(s) expressed herein. Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the view(s), opinion(s), announcement(s), declaration(s), affirmation(s) etc., stated/featured in the same.
Amid economic uncertainty, several companies are reshaping industry standards through creative innovation and resilience. These market leaders are navigating shifts in consumer behaviour and technological advancements, making ways for growth. Their ability to thrive in challenging times not only impacts global markets but also helps local communities. This list highlights ten companies that are pioneering these efforts, setting benchmarks for success in today's evolving economic dynamics.

1. TravelArty

Intending to make high quality art accessible at affordable prices, renowned academician Dr. Rama Arora and her son Ramanjit Singh founded TravelArty in June 2023. Dr. Arora wanted to provide a platform for emerging artists and reconnect with her own love for the arts. Ramanjit, an e-commerce expert, leverages his knowledge and travel experiences to support TravelArty's mission.

Besides selling art, TravelArty offers a unique art advisory service for homes and businesses. The brand guides customers in choosing art that complements their decor and preferences. It empowers artists by selling their exclusive artwork, ensuring they receive a fair share of the profits.

Understanding the diverse tastes and needs of art lovers, TravelArty offers a variety of options, including art prints, exclusive digital art, and handmade paintings.

The brands value-driven approach, support for artists, and ever growing library of 700+ artwork makes them a one-stop shop for art enthusiasts in India.

www.travelarty.com

2. VeraMoss Global Private Limited

Veramoss Launches Premium Car Perfume Line, Revolutionising On-the-Go Freshness! Elevate the driving experience with Veramoss luxury car fragrances, available in sprays, gels, and hanging options. Discover long-lasting scents that redefine car air fresheners. Its best car perfumes ensure a delightful journey every time. From elegant sprays to convenient gels, Veramoss offers a range of options to suit a rider's style. Embrace luxury with its exclusive collection of car perfumes crafted for discerning drivers. Experience the ultimate freshness with Veramoss Car Perfumes!

These scents strike an exquisite balance, providing a captivating yet gentle aroma that doesn't overpower. With adjustable intensity features, drivers can personalise the fragrance strength to match their mood.

The range also includes advanced anti-odour technology that effectively neutralises unpleasant smells, leaving the vehicle fresh and inviting. The brand also offers an exclusive collection of fragrances named after vibrant cities such as Miami, Vegas, Paris, Dubai, and Rio, designed to evoke the essence of these exotic locations with every spritz.

https://veramoss.in/

3. Regency College of Culinary Arts & Hotel Management

Established in 1994 , Regency College of Culinary Arts & Hotel Management, the premier institution in Hyderabad, India, attracts aspiring hospitality professionals. Boasting internationally experienced faculty, it provides hands-on learning in culinary arts and hotel management. Regency College fosters a culture of excellence, with students consistently excelling in national competitions. Its modern facilities and central Hyderabad campus facilitate effective learning and practical training.

Regency College provides opportunities for placements on cruise liners worldwide and within India. Many alumni hold prestigious positions as General Managers and heads of hotels globally. Moreover, the institute offers specialised courses in bottle flaring and professional bakery for all age groups, ensuring a diverse learning experience.

Distinguishing itself further, Regency College extends special scholarships to girls and merit students through the Regency National Entrance Test (R-Net). This initiative promotes gender inclusivity and empowers deserving students to explore the world of hospitality from a young age.

www.rchmct.org

4. Dhwani Dhun

In Delhi, a musical revolution brews quietly under the guidance of two young visionaries, Sahil Kangra and Ankish Sachdeva. Their brainchild, Dhwani Dhun, embodies innovation and creativity in the Indian music scene.

Since its inception, Dhwani Dhun has been more than just a record label. Sahil Kangra, the youngest amongst them, infuses the company with a youthful energy that propels it forward. With each release, Dhwani Dhun sets the bar higher, captivating audiences with fresh beats and vibrant tunes. Its latest offering, "Rude Balak," by Real Raka Feat. Vishaka Jaatni, promises to be a sensation, proving its commitment to pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo.

But beyond the music, Dhwani Dhun is a story of friendship, perseverance, and chasing dreams. Sahil and Ankish's journey involves late-night jam sessions, shared laughter, and relentless determination. As "Rude Balak" prepares to hit the airwaves, it culminates countless hours of hard work and passion.

5. CollegeVikalp.com

CollegeVikalp.com, an edtech venture of Nijanand Education founded by Vishal Sharma in 2018, is an Indore-based education portal and career counselling organization. Leveraging Vishal's extensive experience as a certified counsellor and his professional background in engineering and management, working at companies like Bosch and Polymak, the platform has guided over 10,000 students towards academic and professional success.

Specialising in assisting students, CollegeVikalp.com offers personalised guidance on admissions, stream selection, exam preparation, scholarships, and loan applications. Additionally, it organizes college tours for students to experience campuses firsthand and interact with faculty and staff.

Furthermore, expert counsellors provide personalised guidance on admissions, stream selection, exam preparation, and scholarship and loan applications. Its strong network of educational institutions ensures students receive accurate information and support throughout their academic journey. CollegeVikalp.com is a trusted resource for students seeking a smooth transition into higher education and a fulfilling career.

6. Veerox Algo Trading Software

Veerox Algo Trading Software is a rising star in the Indian forex market. Founded by Dharmendra Silawat (Dharmendra Veer Singh), a former chef and bank manager who translated his skills in precision and analysis to finance, Veerox also offers features typically reserved for institutional investors.

Veerox's software equips traders with a powerful toolbox. Sophisticated algorithmic tools help users optimise their trading strategies and make data-driven decisions. The real-time market analysis informs traders with in-depth insights delivered directly to the platform.

Veerox Algo trading software has always been created for all those new to the Forex market or those who cannot watch the market 24/7. It also allows individuals to develop software from Veerox through their strategy.

This focus on accessibility aligns perfectly with the surge in retail forex participation. It provides algo trading software to brokers and account managers under its brand names so that people can identify themselves in the market by name.

7. Shiv Shakti Jyotish

Shiv Shakti Jyotish, founded in 1998 by Pandit Chetan Joshi, offers astrological guidance to individuals seeking solutions for challenges faced in love, marriage, business and life abroad.

Shiv Shakti Jyotish practices astrology, which combines old techniques with modern insights. This platform uses an individuals unique birth chart, which includes their birth date, time, and location, to reveal their capabilities and help them overcome difficulties in areas like as finances, family, and love.

With a team of over 90 expert astrologers available any time of the day, Shiv Shakti Jyotish provides unmatched access to guidance. This platform provides personalised consultations based on years of experience. Whether someone is facing personal or professional concerns, astrological insights can help them better understand themselves and make more confident decisions. Its consultations go beyond identifying problems as it offers practical and effective remedial solutions tailored to each individual's specific needs.

8. Btrue Media

Btrue Media is a performance marketing firm focused on paid advertising solutions that drive substantial benefits for DTC wellness brands. The agency, founded by the visionary young entrepreneur Bharat Soni, employs innovative creative solutions, strategic media purchasing, and rigorous data-driven methods to improve interactions at all points of customer contact.

Bharat emphasises, Our company is built on the core values of honesty and integrity, prioritising measurable outcomes over mere financial objectives. We are dedicated to bolstering e-commerce companies, boosting their brand visibility and digital marketing tactics to achieve a competitive advantage and drive sales growth.

Specialising in Facebook, Instagram, Google, TikTok, and Snapchat Ads, Btrue Media designs tailored advertising strategies that include crafting effective sales funnels, providing high-converting ad creatives & targeting precise customer demographics, all aimed at maximising return on investment.

9. Storybizz Media

In a world crowded with digital marketing firms, StoryBizz Media differentiates itself by transforming ambitious brand narratives into market leadership. Anupal Chakraborty founded StoryBizz Media, an innovative PR, digital marketing, and social media strategy company. The firm excels in crafting impactful press releases and orchestrating strategic digital campaigns that ensure a brand's story connects across the digital domain.

With a promising portfolio featuring successes with industry leaders like Halidram and MBazaar, StoryBizz Media has demonstrated its capability to scale businesses effectively through a data-driven approach. The firm believes in transparent and straightforward communication, ensuring clients understand and envision how strategic manoeuvres translate into tangible growth.

At its core, StoryBizz Media values integrity and simplicity, prioritising these principles in every campaign and interaction. The firm's commitment to performance is reflected in its focus on tangible business outcomes rather than just metrics.

10. Atelierish

Atelierish, recognised as India's No. 1 digital marketing agency, has redefined the Meta advertising industry with its personalised approach to globally transforming the e-commerce sector. Founded by the young entrepreneur Anshul Mishra, the agency delivers elevating marketing experiences through creative and strategic solutions, including impactful campaign designs.

"Atelierish was founded on the core values of integrity and measurable outcomes, prioritising real results over profit," stated Anshul Mishra. He further emphasised, Our goal is to refine digital marketing techniques for e-commerce entities, providing them with a distinct advantage that stimulates sales growth.

With proficiency in managing leading platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Google, TikTok, and Snapchat, Atelierish personalises advertising campaigns to ensure promising returns on advertising spend. The agency fosters profound client relationships, seamlessly integrating with its brands to develop targeted strategies that captivate and engage the desired customer base.

The compiler of the list: Atelierish Media

Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/subscribe to the content(s) of the article/advertisement and/or view(s) expressed herein. Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the view(s), opinion(s), announcement(s), declaration(s), affirmation(s) etc., stated/featured in the same.
* After Cambodia crypto scam, Indians demand more jobs at home

Scores of Indians rescued from Cambodian job scam centres

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Unemployment, lack of skilled jobs a key election issue

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Labour experts urge awareness campaigns, migrant tracking

By Jatindra Dash and Annie Banerji

GOLANTHARA, India, - S tarved and locked in a room under round-the-clock video surveillance, Dinabandhu Sahu spent sleepless nights wondering if he would ever again see his family back home in India after he was duped into a job scam in Cambodia.

Sahu jumped at the chance to earn $900 a month in Vietnam as a data entry operator with free meals and accommodation last June after working a string of short-lived jobs in similar fields which paid a fraction of the wage he was promised abroad.

"Even though my family members insisted I shouldn't go, I felt relieved when I got this offer," said Sahu, who hoped the new job would help him clear debts of 350,000 rupees .

"I started imagining a great future," Sahu, 41, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation at his home in Golanthara, a village in the eastern state of Odisha.

But after arriving in Vietnam, he and four other Indian recruits were smuggled into neighbouring Cambodia where their passports were taken, and they were put to work on online cryptocurrency scams.

Sahu was one of the 250 Indians recently rescued and repatriated over several months by the government after they were lured into fraudulent employment in Cambodia.

Online job scams targeting desperate jobseekers have been on the rise in India, labour and cybersecurity experts say.

The trend highlights a tough labour market in India, where unemployment and a lack of skilled, permanent jobs - especially in rural areas - are leading concerns in the ongoing general election that ends on June 1.

As voters go to the polls, Sahu urged them to hold authorities to account and demand justice for victims of jobs scams - as well as better employment opportunities at home.

"Whoever comes to power must address this issue and ensure such tragedies don't befall others," he said. "The government must take strict action against the agents who are defrauding jobseekers."

'QUICK MONEY DREAM'

Despite growing at the fastest pace among major peers, India's economy has failed to generate enough jobs for its large and expanding young population.

This creates fertile ground for trafficking rackets that often use social media to recruit and tap into jobseekers' despair, cybersecurity and recruitment experts say.

"Youngsters feel there are better offers abroad. They get so tempted by the sum offered they don't do any kind of cross-checking," said Dhanya Menon, managing director of Avanzo Cyber Security Solutions in India.

"They chase the quick money dream."

Jasmin Chande, co-founder of Mumbai-based recruitment firm Placement Expert, advised jobseekers to thoroughly research the company and check recruiters are legitimate.

Other red flags, he said, were requests for personal financial details, payment for training or equipment, and pressure to make quick decisions with little information.

"Candidates should be cautious of offers that seem too good to be true," he said in emailed comments.

'DAILY TORTURE'

Thousands of people, many with tech skills, have been lured by social media advertisements promising well-paid jobs in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, only to find themselves forced to defraud strangers worldwide via the internet.

Organised crime rings that fuelled an "explosion" of human trafficking and cyber scam centres during the COVID-19 pandemic have expanded from Southeast Asia into a global network making up to $3 trillion a year, according to Interpol.

The United Nations said last year that more than 100,000 people had been trafficked into online scam centres in Cambodia.

Sahu was searching for jobs abroad when he was added to a WhatsApp group in which an agent told him about an IT firm vacancy in Vietnam.

He immediately sent him all his documents and paid 150,000 rupees to arrange the job, leaving behind his wife and daughter in July.

Days later, he was taken to Poipet, a city in western Cambodia, where he was forced to create a fake persona to contact thousands of people in the Philippines via social media to gain their trust and encourage them to invest in cryptocurrency.

His daily target was to bring in 100,000 rupees worth of investments.

"It was daily torture. They demanded I bring business and grew angry when I couldn't," said Sahu, wiping away tears as he recalled his time as a captive in a tiny room, given food once a day.

Sahu was rescued last September after his family informed a local politician about his condition.

STATUS ASPIRATION

Asked to comment on the Cambodia case, the Ministry of External Affairs referred to previous statements. In has issued several warnings, including an April 4 advisory that urged Indians not to "fall into the trap of human traffickers".

The Cambodian Embassy in New Delhi did not respond to requests for comment, and has not said publicly if arrests were made following the rescue of the Indian migrants.

While many commentators blame trafficking scams on India's tough jobs market, better employment opportunities at home are unlikely to be enough to stop them, said labour economist K.R. Shyam Sundar.

"It is a popular belief that more job opportunities will fix this problem but that is not the case because this is all about status aspiration, and the amount of money being offered in a more powerful currency in a foreign country," he said.

Sundar, a professor at the Management Development Institute near New Delhi, urged Indian states to establish an international affairs department to register migrant workers at the village level, and monitor those leaving for jobs abroad.

"We need visible and legal migration to curb abuse," he said, also calling for authorities to name and shame bogus recruitment agencies to raise awareness.

Sahu, who now earns 13,000 rupees as a convenience store supervisor at a local petrol pump, said he was doing what he could to stop others from falling into similar traps - alerting friends over potential scams and helping state cyber police in a probe into how fraudulent recruiters operate.

"Nobody should have to go through the ordeal that I did," he said.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy said that one book that every child in India must read from "Meghalaya to Kanyakumari to Srinagar to Jamnagar" is Conceptual Physics which is written by Paul G. Hewitt. He told Moneycontrol that he is currently reading this "brilliant" book. Infosys co-founder and executive chairman N.R Narayana Murthy addressing at the 32nd Annual General Meeting in Bangalore.

Speaking to the outlet, the 77-year-old billionaire said that he hoped that the author would give permission to translate the book into all Indian languages.

"I am right now reading a book called Conceptual Physics. This is a book by a high school teacher called Paul Hewitt. It is written for high school students on how to teach physics. Next time I'll show you that book. It's brilliant. Absolute brilliant. I only wish we get permission from the author," he said.

Narayana Murthy also said that there is a need to translate more and more books into Indian languages as it is an "excellent" way to communicate complicated ideas.

"We translate it to all Indian languages because there are excellent exercises, excellent way of communicating complex ideas. And I want every child from Meghalaya to Kanyakumari to Srinagar to Jamnagar to use these books, this kind of books and become so much better in STEM subjects," he said.
By Cassandra Yap SINGORE, - Singapore's onshore fuel oil stockpiles dipped to a two-week low in the week ended May 15 as net imports dwindled, data showed on Thursday. Inventories for fuel oil fell 7.89% to 19.115 million barrels , after hitting a three-week high in the week ended May 8, Enterprise Singapore data showed. Total imports slumped 58% in the absence of Russian arrivals, while arrivals from top importers Malaysia and Brazil were about halved week-on-week. Total exports also fell 39%, with most of the cargoes ending up in Hong Kong and Malaysia. Net imports decreased by 591,431 tons, or 66% week-on-week to hit 305,349 tons, the lowest figure logged since the week ended March 20. The week ended March 13 recorded 65,695 tons of net imports. The cash differential for 380-cst high sulphur fuel oil were rangebound between $7.50 and $8.50 a ton, while the premium for 0.5% low sulphur fuel oil rose above $6 a ton. Week to May 15, Fuel oil Imports Exports AUSTRALIA 0 31,349 -31,349 BRAZIL 100,688 0 100,688 BULGARIA 71,263 0 71,263 HONG KONG 0 73,376 -73,376 INDONESIA 29,524 6,681 22,843 JAN 71,790 0 71,790 KOREA, REP OF 20,601 0 20,601 MALAYSIA 153,800 68,596 85,204 MYANMAR 0 0 0 NEPAL 0 41 -41 NEW CALEDONIA 0 54,996 -54,996 NIGERIA 0 0 0 SPAIN 34,815 0 34,815 TAIWAN 20,696 0 20,696 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 37,212 0 37,212 TOTAL 540,389 235,040 305,350

Singapore fuel oil stockpiles dip to 2-week low amid lower net imports
Goole CEO Sundar Pichai talked about his company's highest priority amid elections in India and the US. He said, "We are going through a year where one out of three people (in the world) are participating in the electoral process which on its own is wonderful and is worth celebrating about. We have all come a long way as an industry over the past few years. At Google, we have invested in election integrity as our highest priority as a company, particularly in products like Search and YouTube." Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer of Alphabet Inc., during an interview in Mountain View, California, US.(Bloomberg)

Google is using AI and AI-assisted red-teaming to stay ahead of these problems, he said reflecting on how the company is focussed on understanding patterns in the world.

We share information where appropriate with the right governments. It made a lot of progress. Having said that, given the pace of the technological progress with deepfakes, so far, we're still in a moment where as a society we're able to adjudicate what is real versus not, he said.

He added, With a combination of all the work that we are doing, for this year, I'm cautiously optimistic to be able to do our part and handle it well. The stakes get higher in the future.

Meanwhile Elizabeth Reid, head of search at Google, said, Can you access information in your language? Can you access it in a form you would understand? Whats exciting with Gemini and the era of AI is the ability to unlock many more of those questions and make it easier. For us to do more of the work so you can do less of the work when youre trying to get information and explore your curiosity."
Elon Musk is rehiring some of the workers from Tesla's Supercharger team which he dissolved two weeks ago, it was reported. This comes as Elon Musk said in an email to his staff that he is cutting jobs of the team behind Tesla's Supercharger charging-station network last month. Although now Bloomberg reported that the billionaire seems to have backtracked on his decision. Elon Musk, co-founder of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of X Holdings Corp., speaks at the Milken Institute's Global Conference.(AFP)

He brought back some Supercharger workers, including Tesla's charging director for North America, Max de Zegher, the report claimed citing people in the know.

Max de Zegher joined Tesla in 2013 and has spent more than a decade with the electric-vehicle company as per his LinkedIn profile. Max De Zegher started out in sales and then moved to Tesla's charging infrastructure in the UK, Europe and North America.

Elon Musk's decision to cut jobs in the Supercharger team had shocked Tesla's investors, partners as well as major automakers that had adopted Tesla's charging tech like General Motors, Ford and Mercedes-Benz.

Aaron Luque, the CEO EnviroSpark, which installs Tesla chargers, told Business Insider, There's no one remaining from the team that we worked with. In terms of formal communication from Tesla, we haven't received anything.

What has Elon Musk said on Supercharger team so far?

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the billionaire said, 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.

Reiterating that Tesla was still committed to building out its Superchargers, he also wrote, Just to reiterate: Tesla will spend well over $500M expanding our Supercharger network to create thousands of NEW chargers this year. That's just on new sites and expansions, not counting operations costs, which are much higher.
Vineet Nayyar, the former executive Vice Chairman of Tech Mahindra passed away at the age of 85. Tributes poured in from industry bodies and eminent personalities. IT industry body Nasscom took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter to express condolence, writing, We will always remember the significant contributions of Vineet Nayyar, former Executive Vice Chairman of Tech Mahindra. His visionary leadership and dedication have left an indelible mark on the industry. Our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. His impact and achievements have carved a lasting legacy. Vineet Nayyar, former executive Vice Chairman of Tech Mahindra, passes away

Former MD and CEO of Tech Mahindra, CP Gurnani wrote, "Heartbreaking news..India has lost one its finest leaders today.. #VineetNayyar.. Personally, it's like losing the light that has led me for decades... He was friend, philosopher, brother, guide & statesman par excellence... My heart and thoughts with Reva and family. #OmShanti."

Anand Mahindra, Chairman of Mahindra Group, wrote on X, "I remember when @MahindraUni was just a dream. A vision originally framed by Vineet Nayyar of @tech_mahindra. So proud to preside over its 1st convocation today with @KTRTRS as Chief Guest & Dr. Ella of Bharat Biotech as Guest of Honour. And with the students as the celebrities!"

He said, It saddens me to share the news of the passing of Vineet Nayyar this morning. Vineet was a larger than life figure in the Indian Business landscape. A distinguished IAS officer, who then served with the World Bank, he became the first Chairman of GAIL He then made a hugely successful transition to the private sector becoming the Managing Director of HCL Corporation Ltd., and the Vice Chairman of HCL Technologies Ltd. And it was from there that he and two of his close colleagues journeyed to Mahindra British Telecom. We called them the Three Musketeers!... Thank you Vineet, for your wisdom, your leadership and for committing the crowning part of your career to the Mahindra Group. Above all, thank you for your friendship. You will always live on in our hearts.
Apple's iPod has been used by music lovers ever since it was launched over two decades ago. But Microsoft founder Bill Gates had predicted the decline of the iPod not very long after it was launched. In an interview with a German newspaper in 2005, Bill Gates reflected on the success of Apple's iPod which was launched in 2001. He then said, As good as Apple may be, I don't believe the success of the iPod is sustainable in the long run. You can make parallels with computers: Apple was very strong in this field before, with its Macintosh and its graphic user interface - like the iPod today - and then lost its position. Bill Gates, co-chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, speaks during the 2024 CERAWeek by S&P Global conference in Houston, Texas.(Bloomberg)

He added, If you were to ask me which mobile device will take top place for listening to music, I'd bet on the mobile phone for sure.

Bill Gates' prediction has been almost accurate as smartphones have taken over Apple's iPod.

This comes as Bill Gates' former wife Melinda French Gates said that she would resign as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation next month. In a statement on X (formerly Twitter) she said that this was a critical moment to protect and advance womens rights globally.

She said, After careful thought and reflection, I have decided to resign from my role as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. My last day of work at the foundation will be June 7th. This is not a decision I came to lightly. I am immensely proud of the foundation that Bill and I built together and of the extraordinary work it is doing to address inequities around the world. I care deeply about the foundation team, our partners around the world, and everyone who is touched by its work.
Asserting that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would be routed in the Lok Sabha elections and the Congress would bag the maximum seats, former speaker Rana Kanwar Pal Singh on Thursday said the contest was between the INDIA bloc that promotes unity and the NDA that differentiates on the basis of religion. He urged the people to reject forces attempting to disrupt the states harmony and brotherhood. Rana KP has been recently made chairman of the Punjab Congress campaign committee.

Singh, chairman of the Punjab Congress campaign committee, held a press conference along with committee members, including MP Jasbir Singh Dimpa, Hardial Singh Kamboj and Sukhvinder Singh Danny, at the partys Chandigarh office.

He said the contest was between two faces, two alliances and two ideologies. On one side, we have the INDIA bloc led by Rahul Gandhi who embodies the spirit of inclusiveness and unity, having journeyed from Kashmir to Kanyakumari with the slogan of jodo (lets unite). On the other side is Narendra Modi-led NDA that promotes exclusiveness and prefers a select group of people, differentiating on the basis of religion, language, state and status, Rana KP Singh said.

Highlighting the plight of farmers, he stated, The BJP government promised to double farmers income, but led them to financial ruin instead. Their policies have favoured a select few close to the government while neglecting the poor.

The other campaign committee leaders raised concerns about the law and order situation in Punjab, mentioning, For the last two years, no work has been done to address the drug issue or improve law and order in Punjab.

Reiterating the Congress partys commitments, they said, We promise to provide minimum support price (MSP) for crops, loan waivers and compensation within 30 days for crop loss when we come to power. During our previous tenure, we waived off farmers loans and remain committed to doing the same. Former CM Charanjit Singh Channi also waived off electricity bills for lakhs of people.
DEHRADUN: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday ordered officials to stop offline registration of pilgrims for the Char Dham Yatra for three days given a record influx of devotees. Char Dham Yatra:: Devotees gather at the Kedarnath temple during the 'Char Dham Yatra', in Rudraprayag district on May 16 (PTI)

The offline registration is done at registration centres in Haridwar and Rishikesh. Online registration, which started on April 15, will continue. Dhami issued the instructions at a meeting to review the Char Dham Yatra arrangements on Thursday.

The chief minister told senior police and administrative officials to monitor yatra arrangements at ground zero for a safe and smooth yatra. Our first priority is the safety of all the devotees coming for yatra. All the devotees should come for darshan as per the date given to them on registration. Pilgrims should come only after health check-up and checking the weather forecast, he said.

The officials were also told to allow pilgrims for darshan in line with the daily capacity fixed for the four shrines.

Devotees will be allowed to proceed beyond the checkpoints only if registered for the Yatra. Transport department, revenue department and police department should jointly man the check posts. Offline registration should be suspended for the next three days. Arrangements for strict checking should be ensured at the entry points of all the routes of Char Dham and also in Vikasnagar, Yamuna Bridge area, Dhanaulti, Suvakholi, Dhami said.

From May 10 to Tuesday evening, close to 270,000 pilgrims visited the Char Dham shrines, with 23,824 vehicles playing on the yatra routes. According to official data, Badrinath has had 39,304 visitors, Kedarnath 126,306, Gangotri 48,378 and Yamunotri 59,158 during this period. To be sure, there could be an overlap as some pilgrims might visit more than one shrine in a day.

Dhami also sought information about various arrangements related to yatra from the District Magistrates of Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Uttarkashi districts during the review meeting.
An ex-serviceman popularly known as "Robinhood" in his village in Rajasthan was arrested by the Delhi Police for allegedly cheating people by swapping their ATM cards, officials said on Thursday. The accused, Rajender Kumar Meena, known as ATM in his village was previously arrested in a similar case.(HT File)

According to the police, the accused, Rajender Kumar Meena, known as ATM in his village was previously arrested in a similar case. He has served in the Indian army for 18 years.

"He used to install some instruments in the ATM machine and wait for the target at the kiosk. Whenever any customer came to withdraw money, their transaction was declined. Later, Meena would offer to help and swap their ATM card with another card and withdraw money from the victim's account," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (central) M Harsha Vardhan said.

ALSO READ | This shocking ATM fraud can steal all the money from your bank account: How to stay safe

With the arrest of Meena, 17 such cases across Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi have been solved, the DCP said.

"He was dismissed from the army on allegations of theft and other criminal cases registered against him. The accused has also confessed that the stolen amount was used to help the poor people of his village,"

Meena is famously known as "Robinhood" in his village, Nyorana village in Neem Ka Thana district in Rajasthan and has spent a lot of money to help the poor, the DCP said.

The officer further said that Meena was planning to contest for the sarpanch post in Panchayat elections from his village.

"We have recovered 192 ATM cards, 24,000 cash, and one gold earring from him," he said.

ALSO READ | Bank managers alertness thwarts ATM scam; Duo arrested

The matter came to light on May 5, an incident of cheating was registered at Karol Bagh police station in which the complainant had stated that on April 16 his ATM card was exchanged by some unknown person at a private bank in Gaffar market.

"The cheater had withdrawn 22,000 cash from his account from the ATM of another bank situated at Tank Road Karol Bagh. An FIR was registered and further investigation was taken up," said the DCP.

The team checked the movement of the suspects near the place of occurrence and various CCTV footage were examined to trace the accused and his route, he said.

"During analysis of CCTV cameras, the accused was identified as Rajender Kumar Meena aka ATM and was arrested on May 5 from the Karol Bagh area," the DCP said.

A total of 26 FIRs were registered against Meena across Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi. Further investigation is underway, he added.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said in the past when any act of terrorism occurred anywhere, it was invariably linked with Azamgarh whereas under PM Narendra Modi, the district had transformed into a new symbol of progress now. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath. (HT file)

Those who defamed Azamgarh stand completely exposed today, he said while addressing a public meeting in Azamgarhs Lalganj Lok Sabha constituency in the presence of PM Modi in support of BJPs Azamgarh candidate Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua and Lalganj candidate Neelam Sonkar. Both the seats will go to polls in the sixth phase on May 25.

Attacking the Congress, he said the country faced identity crisis while every individuals security was threatened during Congress-led government at the Centre.

Continuing his attack, Yogi said: Development activities had come to a grinding halt because the Congress-led government was mired in corruption. The poor starved to death while farmers committed suicide as well as daughters and traders were unsafe.

India has changed a lot in the last 10 years with increased global respect and secure borders. Terrorism and Naxalism have been effectively eradicated, the CM said. On development in Azamgarh, he said, A university has been set up in Azamgarh in the name of Maharaja Suheldev. Additionally, the city has an airport today and also it is now connected via Purvanchal Expressway.

Azamgarh has transformed into a new symbol of progress within Uttar Pradesh with exceptional four-lane connections to key destinations such as Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Ayodhya, Prayagraj, and various other districts, he added.

Previously, the mere mention of Azamgarh would elicit shock both nationally and internationally. Back then, residents encountered challenges when travelling even as finding accommodation in dharamshalas was quite difficult for those hailing from Azamgarh, the CM said.

However, under the leadership of PM Modi, Azamgarh residents have experienced a marked elevation in respect and have embraced a renewed sense of identity. This transformation is visible in the resounding chant of abki baar, 400 paar echoing across the nation, Yogi said.

Furthermore, he said Ram temple in Ayodhya after a wait of 500 years has deeply moved citizens nationwide. He also urged voters to ensure a third term for PM Modi.

Uttar Pradesh ministers Surya Pratap Shahi, Dara Singh Chauhan, Om Prakash Rajbhar, MP Sangeeta Azad, BJP state general secretary Govind Narayan Shukla and MLC Vijay Bahadur Pathak were prominent among those present at the event.
Launching his east U.P. rally blitz, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday accused the opposition of spreading lies about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and said that the law is here to stay. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief minister Yogi Adityanath and other BJP leaders at a Lok Sabha poll rally in Lalganj (reserved) parliamentary constituency in Azamgarh on Thursday. (PTI PHOTO)

He also blamed the Congress and the Samajwadi Party for bringing a triple dose of appeasement and said that in contrast, the BJP government worked for Santushtikaran (satisfaction) of all as per his mantra of Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas.

Do whatever you want to, but you will never be able to remove CAA, Modi said, addressing a public meeting in Lalganj (reserved) parliamentary constituency in Azamgarh district, a day after the first set of citizenship certificates under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act was issued.

These people say that when Modi goes, CAA will also go. Is there anyone in the country who can end the CAA? Modi said, alleging that the Congress and SP made Hindus and Muslims fight.

But we have unmasked them. This is the Modi Ki Guarantee, he asserted.

The work of giving citizenship under the CAA to refugees has already started. All these people are Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists. They have been living in the country for a long time as refugees and were victims of the partition of the country done based on religion, he said.

Accusing the Congress of neglecting these refugees, the prime minister said, The Congress and the SP tried to spread lies in the name of CAA. They tried to push Uttar Pradesh and the entire country towards riots, he alleged.

The prime minister added that although the people of the INDI alliance claim they will remove CAA, no one can do it.

Modi further said the Congress and Samajwadi Party are two parties but have one shop where they sell appeasement, lies, parivarvad and corruption, he said.

They have come with a triple dose of appeasement. They want to snatch the reservation granted to the SCs, STs and OBCs and give it to their vote bank. The INDI alliance wants to take half your property and give it to its vote bank. Also, they want to divide the countrys budget. We have to be cautious of those who divide and rule. They did Hindu-Muslim for 70 years. We must unite, Modi said

Alleging that the SP has been running a mission to abuse the Ram temple, he said, Our faith is being hurt for the sake of vote bank.

We got the Ram temple after a wait of 500 years. The entire country is happy, every Indian living across the world is happy but these parivarvadis are hurling abuses. The shehzade of SP and his uncle call the Ram temple useless, he said.

Referring to the Lok Sabha elections in Kashmir, Modi said, In the recent polling held in Kashmir, people voted and felt proud of participating in the festival of democracy. The excitement shown by people of Srinagar in polls is proof no one can bring back Article 370 and do vote bank politics.

Earlier during the polls in Kashmir, there used to be protests, people used to fear for their lives and get threats from terrorists. But this time, previous polling records were broken in Srinagar, he said.

The fourth phase of voting in Srinagar marked a celebration of Indias democracy and Constitution after 40 years. The enthusiasm witnessed in Srinagar signals an end to vote-bank politics centered around Article 370, he added.

He also said earlier people used to think of Azamgarh every time a blast took place anywhere in the country. The prime minister said Azamgarhs identity changed a decade ago. Azamgarhs identity changed a decade ago, he said.

The previous SP government did nothing for Azamgarh, he said.

Terrorists accused of explosions were pardoned. Sleeper cells were given the cover of politics. Due to this attitude, terrorism rose across the country. These people still have the same attitude, Modi said.

The prime minister also praised Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath for improving the law-and-order situation in the state.

You saw goonda raj under SP rule. UP has come out of these dangers now. Yogi Adityanath has run my cleanliness campaign successfully in U.P. by acting against mafia, rioters and extortionists, he said.

He appealed to the people to elect his party candidates Neelam Sonkar from Lalganj and Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua from Azamgarh.

Challenging the Congress and the SP, Modi said, No matter where they gather strength, whether domestically, or internationally, I am also in the field, just as they are.

He highlighted the BJPs reverence for the Yaduvansh and referenced Mohan Yadavs appointment as the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.

Emphasizing the significance of Indias identity and global stature, Modi said, The world is witnessing widespread support for the BJP, NDA, and their allies, evident in the unified voice echoing across the nation with the resounding chant of Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar.

He also informed the public of initiatives such as a health insurance scheme for individuals over 70 and the PM Surya Ghar programme offering free electricity, encouraging people to enrol online.

Noting the benefits, he said that it would reduce electricity bills to zero, while helping people to generate income by selling surplus electricity.

Modi emphasized rapid development in Uttar Pradesh under BJPs governance, citing achievements like the Manduri airport and Maharaja Suheldev University, alongside ongoing efforts for farmers welfare.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh ministers Surya Pratap Shahi, Dara Singh Chauhan, Om Prakash Rajbhar, Lalganj MP Sangeeta Azad, BJP state general secretary Govind Narayan Shukla, Legislative Council member Vijay Bahadur Pathak, BJP candidate from Lalganj Neelam Sonkar and Azamgarh candidate Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua were present at the Lalganj rally.

He also addressed public meetings in Jaunpur and Bhadohi, where he continued to attack the SP and the Congress.

In Jaunpur, Modi said that this Lok Sabha election is an opportunity for the country to choose a leader who can run a strong government which makes the world aware of Indias strength.

Modi was addressing a rally organised in support of BJP candidates Kripashankar Singh from the Jaunpur parliamentary constituency and B P Saroj from the Machhlishahr (reserved) seat.

Modi appealed to make Kripashankar Singh win and asked the crowd if he should go back with confidence of the BJPs victory in Jaunpur and Machhlishahr at which the crowd responded in affirmation.

Attacking SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Modi said, SPs shehzade also makes fun of Kashi. They are crossing every limit to please their vote bank. I am surprised that it is the 21st century and they are roaming around with the flag of triple talaq.

The prime minister also said, You must have heard that these Congressmen brought an X-ray machine. One needs to be careful with it. I have been exposing their agenda for a week. It seems that their X-ray machine has broken down.

On development, he said, You have seen in Kashi how a strong government works. We are seeing it happen in Ayodhya.

Earlier when people used to talk about development, sometimes the discussion was about Delhi and sometimes about Mumbai. Now, the country and the world also talk about Kashi-Ayodhya, Modi added.

It is my pledge to make a developed India. The growth engine of the developed India will be Purvanchal (eastern India). Modi and Yogi are going to change the picture and fate of Purvanchal in the next five years, he said.

In Bhadohi, Modi said the Samajwadi Party and the Congress wanted to try out the Trinamool politics, terming it a politics of appeasement and harassment of Dalits and women.

The opposition has fielded a Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Lalitesh Pati Tripathi in Bhadohi.

It is difficult for the SP and Congress to even save their deposit, so they are doing a political experiment in Bhadohi, Modi said.

TMC politics means murder of Hindus, harassment of Dalits and advasis, atrocities on women. So many BJP leaders were killed there and TMC MLAs say that they will kill Hindus by drowning them in the Ganga, Modi said.

You know the kind of politics TMC does in West Bengal, the prime minister said.

The partys politics included poisonous arrow of appeasement, calling Ram temple impure, banning Ramnavami celebrations, sheltering Bangladeshi intruders and vote jihad, he said picking on a term used by an SP candidate.

He further said, The Samajawadi shehzade brought a buaa from West Bengal. Samajwadi shahzade should ask his buaa as to why she calls UP people outsiders.

In a bid to win support of artisans, Modi also mentioned that Bhadohi carpet has been used in the new Parliament building.

In Pratapgarh, Modi said the INDIA bloc wants to make five prime ministers in five years and claimed that it will disintegrate after June 4, the day votes are counted for all the seven phases of the Lok Sabha elections.

Addressing an election rally in support of the BJP candidate and sitting MP Sangam Lal Gupta, the PM said the INDIA bloc wants to replace the stable NDA government and make five prime ministers in five years.

Many things will happen after June 4. The INDI alliance will disintegrate and they will look for a scapegoat after the defeat. In an apparent attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, he said, The shehzade (princes) of Lucknow and Delhi will leave for abroad on summer vacations, said Modi.

Voting will be held in Lalganj, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Machhlishahr and Pratapgarh constituencies in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 25.
PRAYAGRAJ Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday likened the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance to a pandemic, emphasising its disastrous consequences. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath during a rally at Manjhanpur in Kaushambi district on May 16. (Sourced)

This alliance epitomises sin and is hell-bound. It is a pathway to hell, a symbol of sin, as they lack any vision for development, he said at a public meeting at Manjhanpur in Kaushambi district to seek support for sitting BJP MP and party candidate Vinod Sonkar.

Yogi also contrasted oppositions lack of vision for development with the accomplishments of the double engine BJP government, while launching a scathing attack on the Samajwadi Party and Congress.

Their actions are a conspiracy against the nation fuelled by their negative ideologies. The intentions of these individuals pose a grave threat to the nation. I urge the conscientious voters of the area to transcend party lines and caste considerations and vote for development, the CM added.

On the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, he said, The anticipation for June 4 (LS polls result) is palpable with the resounding voice and slogan echoing across the nation: Fir ek bar Modi Sarkar. This slogan has become the resolution of the public.

On the Congresss promise of 10 kg free ration to poor, he said, They are promising free ration now, while when they were in power, they neglected the poor, leaving them to starve.

The SP claims it will offer free atta aur data, but during its tenure, it operated under the influence of various mafias. Whether it was the mining mafia, land mafia, or ration mafia, they allowed these criminal elements to exploit the poor while they remained silent, the CM said. Kaushambi goes to poll in the fifth phase on May 20.
Anita Goyal, wife of Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal, passed away in the wee hours of Thursday in a hospital in Mumbai. She had been battling cancer. Naresh Goyal and Anita Goyal (X)

A source close to the family told Times of India, She passed away around 3 am. She is being brought home from the hospital. Naresh Goyal is at their Mumbai residence currently.

Anita is survived by her husband and two children  Namrata and Nivaan. As per reports, the funeral is likely to be held in Mumbai on Thursday. Anita's health deteriorated over the past few months despite treatment and medical reports indicated third-stage cancer.

Anita's demise comes weeks after the Bombay High Court granted the couple a two-month-long interim bail in a money laundering case on medical grounds.

Naresh, 75, sought interim bail on medical and humanitarian grounds, as he is, too, fighting cancer.

During the hearing, Goyal's lawyer, senior advocate Harish Salve, appealed on humanitarian grounds. He mentioned Goyal's physical and mental difficulties, especially because his wife was also unwell. Salve said that Goyal wanted to support his wife during her illness. Goyal opted for chemotherapy instead of more invasive surgery so he could stay with her.

As per the ED, Jet Airways borrowed money from a group of 10 banks to cover its day-to-day expenses. However, it still owed 6,000 crore to these banks. A forensic audit was done on the airlines whereby it was seen that around 1,152 crores had been diverted in the guise of consultancy and professional fees and 2,547.83 crore had been diverted to a sister concern, namely Jet Lite Limited, to clear its loan, ED said.

Goyal, who was arrested by the ED in September 2023, faces allegations of money laundering and misappropriation of loans amounting to 538.62 crore provided to Jet Airways by Canara Bank.
Bhavesh Bhinde, 51, has been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder after a massive hoarding erected by his firm in Pant Nagar, Ghatkopar East, collapsed on May 13, killing 16 people and injuring 74 others. Bhinde, who has been a resident of Mulund West since childhood, is a school dropout who started working at a young age. Bhavesh Bhinde, director of Ego Media Pvt Ltd, the advertising agency that owns the billboard that collapsed in Mumbai's Ghatkopar.

The 51-year-old, who has declared himself an actor/model in one of his Facebook posts, began his career working for an advertising agency in Grant Road. Like many other Mumbaikars, he commuted by local train from Mulund to South Mumbai.

Born into a middle-class family, Bhinde initially resided in an old building near the police station in Mulund West. Later, he and his parents moved to a rented apartment in Mirani Nagar, owned by advocate Jayesh Mirani, who has known Bhinde for the past two decades. According to Mirani, Bhinde vacated the rented apartment in the mid-1990s and started living in a building on Devi Dayal Road in the same area.

"Bhinde is a very show-off kind of person who wanted to become a businessman. He understood the hoardings and advertising business and learnt the tricks of the trade while working in the advertising agency. In 1999, he left the job and started his own firm, Guju Ads," said a friend of Bhinde, who wished to remain anonymous.

Bhinde then began networking with bureaucrats and politicians to expand his business. "He is a hardcore businessman and can convince people quickly. Within a few years, he became a top hoarding owner in the city, owning over 500 hoardings across Mumbai  mostly on leased railway and civic properties," said the friend, who was questioned by the police on Wednesday.

While residing in Mirani Nagar, Bhinde also rented a small office for his business. As his business grew, he moved his office to a larger 600-sq-foot space in a commercial building on RHB Road in Mulund West and hired around ten employees to manage his hoardings business. He had reached the pinnacle of the industry and had strong connections with several politicians and bureaucrats.

In 2009, Bhinde contested the assembly elections as an independent candidate from the Mulund constituency against veteran BJP politician Sardar Tarasingh, in an attempt to divert Gujarati votes and indirectly assist the late BJP legislator's opponents. However, he failed to achieve this goal.

Guju Ads primarily focused on advertisements at railway platforms and premises. However, in 2018, the railway administration blacklisted the company due to several alleged violations and complaints lodged by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya and others. The blacklisting led to a sudden loss of business, forcing Bhinde to start a new venture  Ego Media Pvt Ltd. He also started dance classes during the lockdown but later regained a foothold in the commercial hoardings business and is said to currently own over 200 hoardings across the city.

In his social media posts, Bhinde boasts about being a 'hoardings king.' "Hello everyone...I am thrilled to share some incredible news with you all. I have been honored with the titles of 'King of Asia Ghatkopar' (the collapsed 140'x120' hoarding at Pant Nagar), 'King of Dadar' (60'x60'), and 'King of Central Suburb Ghatkopar' (80'x80')....These achievements wouldn't have been possible without the unwavering support of all my well-wishers. Your encouragement means the world to me...Thank you for believing in me. Best regards,,,B.B.- Nothing Is Impossible," reads one of his recent posts.

Against this backdrop, Bhinde had applied to the Limca Book of Records for displaying the largest hoarding in India on GRP land in Ghatkopar East. A police source revealed that a Mulund resident had introduced Bhinde to the then GRP commissioner Quaiser Khalid, who eventually granted him a ten-year lease to erect four massive hoardings on the GRP land at Pant Nagar.

Apart from two criminal cases  one for raping a colleague and another for cheating someone  there are more than 20 cases of violations registered against Bhinde's firm under relevant sections of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888, which he declared in his affidavit during an election.

The native of Kutch was granted pre-arrest bail by the Bombay High Court on March 13 this year in the rape case after the Mulund police informed the court that they did not wish to arrest him.
MUMBAI: A day after a controversy broke out over placing Chhatrapati Shivajis jiretop (headgear) on prime minister Narendra Modis head, the ruling Mahayuti alliance quickly switched to damage control mode. Senior NCP leader Praful Patel on Wednesday issued a clarification, saying that he could not dream of insulting the Maratha king who he considers his aradhya daivat (household god) and role model. Varanasi, May 14 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets with Nationalist Congress Party Working President Praful Patel and NDA leaders during his nomination filing for the Lok Sabha elections, in Varanasi on Tuesday. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are also seen. (ANI Photo) (BJP)

Given the anger among the Marathas over the recent reservation quota fiasco, the ruling alliance realised that the act of making Modi wear the jiretop could have upset the politically significant community. In the crucial election period, the Mahayuti hastened to prevent damage to its prospects, with both Patel and state industries minister Uday Samant asserting that it would not happen again.

Read more: PM Narendra Modi expresses shock over Slovak PM Robert Fico's shooting

What exactly happened?

When Modi went to file his nomination for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat on Tuesday, Patel, who was representing the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, placed a jiretop on his head. Angry Maratha community outfits voiced their objections along with the states opposition parties, and the latter asked if Patel was trying to compare Modi with King Shivaji.

What is a jiretop?

A jiretop is a distinctive type of headgear that Shivaji Maharaj used to wear. Conical in shape and saffron in colour, it has a cultural and symbolic significance associated with Maratha pride and identity. During Shivajis rule, the jiretop became a symbol of resistance against foreign rule, particularly against the Mughals.

The Maratha warrior king is often depicted wearing this type of headgear in various paintings and illustrations. It remains an important cultural symbol in Maharashtra, and to date is presented to people to honour Shivajis legacy and the Maratha heritage.

Read more: Modi's 'Muslim budget' allegation outrageoushallucination: Congress reacts

What did Mahayuti leaders say after the backlash?

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of Hindavi Swarajya (self-rule of Hindu people), is our revered deity and source of inspiration. We are committed to following his ideals and the path of public welfare. The thoughts which will disrespect Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj cannot even come to my mind. From now on I will take care, (sic) said Patel in a post on X.

Before him, Samant, who is a Shiv Sena minister, defended the prime minister, saying it was not his fault. There was no intention to harm anyones sentiments, he said. We will ensure that such mistakes dont happen again.

What did the Opposition say?

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray lambasted Patel and Modi over the jiretop controversy.

You are placing a jiretop on Modis head. How is he fit to be compared with our Maharaj? he demanded. During King Shivajis rule, whom we revere as our deity, no one was spared if found committing a crime against women. Under Modis rule, women are being paraded naked in Manipur, but he is afraid of going to Manipur. Modi is not fit to take darshan of Maharajs jiretop, let alone wear it.

Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant rued that Patel felt nothing while making PM Modi wear the jiretop of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. This is an attack on Maharashtras identity. I condemn the act, he said.

Instead of handing him the jiretop, the Mahayuti leaders have insulted the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj by making Modi ji wear the headgear. The Mahayuti leaders have become so helpless in front of Delhis throne and have tarnished Maharashtras image, claimed the NCP (SP) in a tweet on Tuesday.
MUMBAI: More than 10 police teams from Mumbai and Gujarat are trying to trace Bhavesh Bhinde, director of Ego Media Pvt Ltd, the advertising agency that owns the billboard that collapsed in Ghatkopar on May 13, killing 14 people and injuring 74 others. Bhavesh Bhinde, director of Ego Media Pvt Ltd, the advertising agency that owns the billboard that collapsed in Mumbai's Ghatkopar.

The 51-year-olds last traced location was in Lonavala on Tuesday evening, after which three police teams were dispatched to the hill station, according to an officer from the Mumbai polices crime branch. Police teams are currently looking for him in Lonavala, Mumbai, Pune, various airports, and his native place in Gujarat, added the officer.

Bhindes company had set up the 120x120-foot advertising hoarding in Pant Nagar, Ghatkopar East, which collapsed after being hit by a short spell of unseasonal rain and gusty winds on May 13. The massive billboard fell on a busy petrol pump, trapping close to 100 people under it, 14 of whom have died.

Ego Media had even applied to the Limca Book of Records to declare it the largest commercial hoarding in India. The Mumbai police plan to check with the Government Railway Police (GRP), which owns the land on which the billboard was erected, if it specified the size of the structure when the deal was struck with Ego Media, a senior officer said.

As soon as Bhinde got wind of the first death following the billboard collapse on Monday, he switched off his phone and fled from the city. The phone was switched on in Lonavala on Tuesday evening for a brief period, after which hes been untraceable, said an officer. Once his name cropped up in the case, a police team visited his home in Mulund, as well as the homes of some of his relatives, but he was nowhere to be found, added the officer.

The Pant Nagar police has registered a case against Bhinde under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

There are two other cases registered against Bhinde in Mulund  for rape and molestation, and cheating. A woman in his office registered the rape and molestation case against him in January this year. Bhinde managed to get an anticipatory bail from the Bombay high court and was therefore not arrested by the Mulund police, although a chargesheet has been filed against him. The second case was registered in the same police station in 2016.

Apart from these cases, Bhinde was also fined 21 times for various violations under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888, before 2009, said an officer at the Mulund police station. Bhinde had contested the Maharashtra assembly election as an independent candidate from the Mulund constituency in 2009.

The Mumbai police have also approached several billboard contractors to understand the nature of their work, in order to figure out who is responsible for the incident, said the crime branch officer. The case is still with the local police, but since the death toll is high, the crime branch feels the investigation should be transferred to them, the officer added.
MUMBAI: A group of seven men controlled the allegedly illegal operations of the Mahadev Online Book (MOB), according to an Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer close to the investigation. Investigators said that while the German nationals role included providing technical support to the MOB platform, (FILE IMAGE)

Until recently it was believed that two men, Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal were the masterminds. Now, ED has named a German national Lark Marshall and four Indians, Ratan Lal Jain, Hari Shankar Tibrewal, Girish Talreja and Shubham Soni aka Pintu Bhaiyya, in addition to Uppal and Chandrakar as the apps brains trust.

ED raids 15 locations across Delhi NCR, WB, Mumbai in Mahadev betting app probe

According to the ongoing investigation, the group of five paid 76 lakhs to lower-rung operatives cited as witnesses by the investigating agencies to keep their names out of the investigation. ED officials allege that while Lark Marshall designed the betting app, the daily operations, revenue generation and transactions, and further investment of the profits generated from the illegal betting activities were controlled by the six Indians.

ED is also believed to have learnt that MOBs top tier orchestrated a campaign among MOB branch operators in India to put the entire blame on Chandrakar and Uppal if questioned by investigating agencies; a probe into the operation began in 2022. To ensure that the names of the five other controllers did not come out, Soni paid 76 lakh to seven of panel operators who named Chandrakar and Uppal to the Chhattisgarh police, ED officials said.

One of the great mysteries of the MOB operations was how Chandrakar, who sold sugarcane juice and Uppal who ran a small tyre shop in Bhilai came to helm a multi-million-dollar international operation. Now, investigators say, it has emerged that MOB was, in fact, set up more like a cooperative society controlled by the group. This came to light in the statement by witness Paramjeet Singh, who allegedly handled the work of 490 MOB panels in India spread across Delhi and other states in the north including Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Singh allegedly earned a commission of 5% or roughly 2 crore per month for his work for MOB, disclosed the ED officials. He was intercepted by the agency after he allegedly met Soni and Jain in Dubai this February and was asked to oversee the launch of a new betting platform, Ganesha, at a hotel in Goa early in March. Investigators searched the Goa premises on March 4 and recovered 48 lakh in cash. Three days later ED recorded Singhs statement in which he revealed that he had a close working relationship with Soni since 2017-18 when they were both involved in offline gambling prior to the launch of the MOB platform.

Also on EDs radar, is the German national Lark Marshall who recently fled to Russia. ED officials said that the middle-aged German, along with another foreign national whose identity is being ascertained, developed the core MOB platforms betting structure. It is believed that he structured several such similar online betting-gaming platforms in Mexico and other Latin American countries and ED is trying to ascertain how the duo benefitted from the proceeds of crime.

Mahadev betting app case: Actor Sahil Khan arrested from Chhattisgarh, sent to police custody till May 1

Investigators say that while the German nationals role included providing technical support to the MOB platform, its operations in India and elsewhere were handled by Chandrakar, Uppal, Jain, Tibrewal, Talreja (until his arrest in March) and Soni, who together controlled at least 19 betting books on the MOB platform.

In his statement to the agency, Singh explained that he reported directly to Soni. I managed the promotion, transactions, and accounting for Sky Exchange, Lotus 365 and Mahadev Book, which I delivered to Shubham Soni, he said. Singh also told investigators that Soni, in turn, took instructions from Tibrewal, Jain and Girish Talreja and passed them on to him.

In 2020, Shubham Soni moved to Dubai. When he visited India in December 2020, we met in Delhi where he explained that the main betting apps like Sky Exchange, Lotus 365, and Mahadev Book were managed by Ratanlal Jain, Girish Talreja, and Harishankar Tibrewal from Dubai. The trio proposed that Soni should oversee these betting websites from Dubai, claimed Singh in his statement.

Singh also mentioned that the alleged owners of these betting websites were two foreign individuals who had also developed various such betting websites for other countries as well. Tibrewal, Talreja and Jain came in contact with them and began operating these online betting apps in India. The branding and operation of the betting apps in India were determined by Tibrewal, Talreja and Jain, he told e ED in his statement.

Singh also named 19 of the 60-odd betting books/sites/platforms that are part of the MOB syndicate. These include Sky Exchange, Lotus 365, Mahadev Book, Reddy Anna, Reddy Club, CBTAF Online Book, Bet Bhai Book, Super Win, Win Buzz, Jannat Book, Mahakal Book, Laser Book, Kohinoor Book, Appa Book, Alibaba Book, Khelo Yaar, SD Book, Lion Book and Rajveer Online Book. As earlier reported by HT, the Khelo Yaar Book is run with stakeholders in Pakistan including those linked to an underworld gang that has its origins in Mumbai. Singh claimed that Jain, Talreja and Tibrewal have allegedly acquired up to 12 properties in Dubai, ED sources added.

MOB leadership split amid probes

The MOB network that grew rapidly during the Covid-19 pandemic began to unravel after the Chhattisgarh police and ED began their investigation. While a few books had to be shut down, Soni allegedly told Singh that certain panel operators were defrauding and withholding payments owed to MOBs Dubaibased HO. With the investigators hot on their trail, Jain, Tibrewal and Talreja allegedly instructed Soni to ensure that their involvement and role stayed a secret. Soni was especially worried, Singh told investigators after the arrest of the alleged panel operator identified only as Alok, by the Bhilai police in 2022; Alok named him as one of the MOB operators.

He instructed us that anyone who names only Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal as the owners after being caught would be rewarded with at least 5 lakh. I was directed by Soni to arrange the reward money, which was distributed through panel coordinators to panel operators and then to the following individuals: Anish ( 5 lakh), Alok ( 5 lakh), Sagar ( 6 lakh), Rampravesh (5 lakh), Khadag ( 5 lakh), Kunal ( 25 lakh) and Yusuf ( 25 lakh). All of these individuals eventually named Sourabh and Uppal as the owners of Mahadev Book when questioned by the investigating agencies, Singh told the investigators.

ED investigations revealed that Talreja held a stake in the operations of Lotus365 , an affiliate of MOB, in which Jain and Chandrakar were also partners. An alleged hawala operator, Tibrewal laundered the proceeds of crime emanating from the betting operations in the guise of share investments. ED recently froze share investments worth 1,186 crore of the firms controlled by Tibrewal either directly or indirectly. The recent searches in Kolkata revealed that Mr Hari Shankar Tibrewal was also involved in manipulation of the stock market in collusion with the promoters of listed companies. Using his immense capital, he would create temporary fluctuations in share prices, driving them upwards, and then withdraw funds once the prices reached a desirable level, said an ED officer.

Pune police arrest 96 in Mahadev Betting App case

Tibrewal, Jain and Talreja footed the billall in cash--for Chandrakars Dubai wedding in February 2023, which was attended by 17 Bollywood celebrities, many of whom also performed during the festivities, according to Singh Payments to the stars were allegedly made by Jains firm, Konark Industries.

ED, as part of its inter-state investigation, has so far seized or frozen movable assets worth 1,764.5 crore under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, arrested 11 people and charge-sheeted 44 persons. Chandrakar and Uppal were detained in Dubai a few months ago after red corner notices were issued at the agencys behest.
Jaipur, A team of district administration and police faced resistance by villagers, including women, during an anti-encroachment drive in Odwada village of Rajasthan's Jalore district. HT Image

Additional policemen were deployed in the area to maintain law and order. Later, the villagers were removed from the spot and the drive was carried out.

Many women were seen crying and pleading the police to not raze their houses.

Opposition Congress in Rajasthan blamed the BJP government in the state over the issue.

Jalore SP Gyan Chandra Yadav said the action was taken as per the high court's direction to remove encroachment, including houses, from the land.

"When the team went, villagers protested. They did not let the team enter the village. They blocked the road. Additional policemen were deployed to control the situation after which the anti-encroachment drive started with the help of earthmoving machines," he said.

State Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra attacked the BJP government over the action.

Destroyed houses, crying families, brutality against women and the cruel face of the police in Odwada, Jalore. Welcome to BJP's new Rajasthan. Shameful!" he posted on X with a video of police allegedly pushing people.

Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot's son and Congress leader Vaibhav Gehlot, who contested Lok Sabha election from Jalore seat in the state, said that 440 houses were being demolished as part of the anti-encroachment drive even though families have been "living there for years".

"The administration is citing the high court order for this, but these houses were saved through effective advocacy during the Congress government. I believe that due to a lack of effective advocacy, the high court's decision would have gone against the villagers," he said.

"I have also spoken to the Jalore Collector, requested him to think sensitively and file an appeal in favour of these poor people against the decision of the high court, and help in providing justice to the common people by stopping this action till the decision of the Supreme Court comes. I am also taking legal opinion to help the villagers in this matter," he said in a post on X.

Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister and Congress leader Sachin Pilot posted on X, "I strongly condemn the misbehavior with the people protesting against the order to demolish houses in Odwada village of Jalore district. These people are raising their voice to save their homes, in which women are also included."

"The government should have taken action to provide immediate relief for their rights through the judiciary. Police and administration are requested that this issue should be resolved through peace and dialogue," he added.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker was hacked to death in a clash between BJP and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) workers over pasting of election posters in Odishas Ganjam district on Wednesday night. At least seven others from BJP and four others from BJD sustained injuries and are undergoing treatment. Police said they have so far arrested eight people in this regard. Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik said police will take strong and exemplary action against the perpetrators of this heinous crime. (Representative Image)

In a separate incident, a 30-year-old BJD worker was shot at by his rivals in Polasara assembly constituency of the same district on Thursday. He is out of danger, doctors said.

The deceased BJP worker has been identified by police as Dilip Pahan while the BJD worker who was shot at has been identified as Gani Khatei of Totasahi village.

Pahan, along with other BJP workers, was pasting election capmpaign posters of party candidate Purna Chandra Sethy at Krushna Saranpur village under Khallikote police limits in Ganjam district on Wednesday night when he and others were attacked by BJD workers with swords and the BJP workers retaliated. Pahan succumbed to his injuries while another BJP worker was shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

Condemning the violence, chief minister Naveen Patnaik expressed his condolences to the family of the bereaved. I am sure police will take strong and exemplary action against the perpetrators of this heinous crime, tweeted Patnaik.

Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan tweeted saying ruling BJD was unleashing violence over fear of losing the polls. Violence has no place in democracy. People will give a befitting reply to them during the ensuing voting on May 20, 25 & June 1, said Pradhan, who is contesting from Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency.

On Monday night, BJP MP candidate from Berhampur, Pradeep Panigrahi was assaulted by independent candidate Siba Sankar Dash while the former was discussing with police officials about sealing of EVM machines outside a polling booth in Gosani Nuagaon area of Berhampur town. Panigrahi, once key aide of chief minister Naveen Patnaik, had switched to BJP last month, more than a year after he was expelled from BJD and given party ticket for Berhampur Lok Sabha constituency.

In the assault, Panigrahi suffered fractures on his rib cage and was shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar where he was admitted in cardiothoracic department. Police arrested Dash after booking him under attempt to murder sections of Indian Penal Code. Dash also lodged a counter case against Panigrahi.
The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro) has started soil testing for Swargate to Katraj underground stretch, said officials. The stretch is a 5.46-kilometre underground extension of Pune Metro Line-1 (PCMC- Swargate). (HT PHOTO)

The project proposal was approved by Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and state government, but it is pending with the central government.

Hemant Sonawane, public relations officer, Maha-Metro, said, We have started the soil testing work for underground stretch Swargate to Katraj. We plan to keep basics ready as it will help us to save time and start the work on ground immediately after getting the approval from central government.

The Swargate to Katraj metro line proposal was sent by Maha-Metro to the state government in September 2021, which was approved and forwarded to the central government in April 2022.

The stretch is a 5.46-kilometre underground extension of Pune Metro Line-1 (PCMC- Swargate). At present, the proposal is with the Public Investment Board (PIB).

The metro has also floated a tender for the appointment of the consultant for the design and cost of four metro stations and tunnels.

The Maha-Metro has prepared a detailed project report for the corridor. The project costs 3,668 crore, with the state government contributing 891 crore; the PMC providing 655 crore; and the state seeking 300 crore from the Centre. The company plans to secure 1,803 crore through soft loans.
TS TET Hall Ticket 2024 Live: The Telangana TET hall tickets has been issued today, May 16. As asked by the Department of School Education Telangana earlier, candidates can download admit cards for the Telangana Teacher Eligibility Test (TS TET 2024) from the official website, schooledu.telangana.gov.in and tstet2024.aptonline.in/tstet/. If any candidate is unable to download the TS TET hall ticket online, she/he can contact the Director, SCERT & Ex-officio Director, TET, Hyderabad between 10.30 am and 5 pm on all working days till June 3, 2024, in person to collect it....Read More

TS TET admit card direct link

The state-level teacher eligibility test in Telangana will be held from May 20 to June 6.

The candidates should adhere to the instructions given on the Hall Ticket. Further, the candidate must show, on demand, the Hall Ticket for admission in the examination room / hall. A candidate who does not possess the Hall Ticket issued by the TS-TET Office shall not be permitted for the examination under any circumstances by the Test Centre in-charge, an official statement reads.

Follow this live blog for the latest updates on TS TET hall tickets.
CSEET Result 2024 May Live: ICSI CS Executive Entrance Test results out at icsi.edu. Steps to check scores here

CSEET Result 2024 May Live Updates: The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) declared the CS Executive Entrance Test (CSEET) May 2024 exam result today, May 16. Along with the CSEET result, the ICSI issued candidates' subject-wise break-up of marks. No physical copy of the same will be provided, the institute had said earlier....Read More

Direct Link to check result

Formal e-Result-cum-Marks Statement of Company Secretary Executive Entrance Test, May, 2024 Session will be uploaded on the website of Institute: www.icsi.edu immediately after declaration of result for downloading by Candidates for their reference, use and records. No physical copy of result-cum-marks-sheet will be shared with candidates, it said.

The entrance examination for the ICSI CS Executive course was held on May 4 and a re-exam for students affected by technical issues was held on May 6.

Follow this live blog for the ICSI CSEET result 2024 direct link and other details.
Many Indian students dream of pursuing higher education in the United Kingdom. The UK is an attractive destination because of its excellent universities, diverse cultures, and great career opportunities after studies. Universities in the UK are world-renowned for their high academic standards and wide range of programmes to choose from. These universities cater to students from all over the world who aspire to receive a top-notch education. Study abroad: Planning to study in the UK? Here are 5 things you must know before applying.

Furthermore, the UK has a thriving job market and strong industries. This makes it easier for students to find good jobs after completing their studies. For Indian students, studying in the UK is a life-changing journey that goes beyond just education. It nurtures intellectual growth, exposes them to global citizenship, and equips them with skills to navigate the modern professional world successfully.

However, before starting this exciting journey, students need to be well-informed about the application process and what to expect.

Lets have a look at the five crucial things every student must know before applying to UK universities.

Entry Requirements and Application Deadlines

UK universities have specific entry requirements that vary depending on the course and institution. Most undergraduate programmes require students to meet certain academic qualifications, such as achieving a minimum score in standardized tests like the SAT, ACT, or IELTS/TOEFL (for English language proficiency). Additionally, some universities may require specific subject combinations or portfolios for certain courses.

Students must do prior research on the entry requirements for their desired programme and university. Application deadlines for UK universities typically start in January for courses starting in September or October of the same year. However, some competitive programmes may have earlier deadlines, so its essential to plan and submit your application on time.

Tuition Fees and Living Expenses

Studying in the UK can be a significant financial investment, with tuition fees and living expenses varying across universities and locations. On average, international students can expect to pay between 11,400 and 38,000 per year for tuition fees at the undergraduate level. Living expenses, including

accommodation, food, transportation, and other costs, can add up significantly for international students in the UK. Students should be aware of this fact and consider the cost while making the budget.

As an international student coming to the UK without dependents, you can expect to pay around 13001400 per month in London. This amount is utilized to cover your accommodation, bills, groceries, and a range of other living expenses during your studies. If you choose to study outside of London, the costs can be relatively lower, ranging from 900-1300 in the rest of the UK per month.

These living expenses can vary depending on your lifestyle choices and the specific location within the UK. Its crucial to consider these costs along with tuition fees when planning your overall budget for studying in the UK.

Its essential to carefully plan your budget and explore various funding options, such as scholarships, grants, or education loans, to make your UK education more affordable. Many universities offer financial aid and scholarships based on academic excellence, extracurricular activities, or other criteria.

Accommodation Options

Most UK universities offer on-campus accommodation, typically in the form of halls of residence or student apartments. These options provide a convenient and immersive living experience, allowing students to be part of the campus community and easily access university facilities.

However, on-campus accommodation is often limited and may be more expensive than off-campus options, for which students are required to apply in advance. Moreover, students can also explore private housing, such as renting a flat or house-sharing with other students. Its important to research accommodation options early and understand the associated costs, as well as the application process and deadlines for on-campus housing.

Student Visa Requirements

International students from India require a Student Visa (also known as a Tier 4 Visa) to study in the UK. The visa application process involves several steps, including providing evidence of academic qualifications, English language proficiency, financial support, and other necessary documents.

Also read: Study Abroad: Planning for overseas education for your children? Know how the new EB-5 Visa can secure their future!

Its essential to start the visa application process well in advance, as it can take several weeks or months to complete. Additionally, students must ensure they meet the visa requirements, such as having sufficient funds to cover tuition fees and living expenses and comply with any conditions imposed by the visa.

Post-Study Work Opportunities

One of the significant advantages of studying in the UK is the opportunity to gain valuable work experience through internships, part-time jobs, or post-study work visas. The UK government offers a Graduate Route visa, which allows international students to stay and work in the UK for up to two years after completing their studies.

This post-study work experience can be invaluable for enhancing career prospects and gaining practical skills in a global workforce. Its important to research the eligibility criteria and application process for the Graduate Route visa and explore the various job and internship opportunities available to international students in the UK.

To Conclude

Applying to UK universities is an exciting and rewarding experience, but it requires careful planning and preparation. By understanding the entry requirements, tuition fees, accommodation options, visa requirements, and post-study work opportunities, students can make informed decisions and increase their chances of success. With the right knowledge and resources, pursuing higher education in the UK can be a life-changing journey filled with personal growth, academic excellence, and invaluable experiences.

(Mr Gaurav Batra is the CEO and Founder of Infinite Group. The views expressed are personal.)
Today, actor Bhumi Pednekar has found a name for herself in Bollywood as well as the fashion world. But there was a time when she struggled with confidence because of the pressure to fit into certain beauty ideals. (Also read: Bhumi Pednekar in Geneva for World Economic Forum: My key focus area is rooting for sustainability) Bhumi Pednekar was last seen in Bhakshak.

In fact, the actor admitted that she turned to fashion to find her identity, which turned out to be a booster for her confidence.

Making fashion her statement of confidence

Opening up about it, Bhumi said, When I was growing up, I struggled with feeling confident, especially because of the pressure to fit into certain beauty ideals. But instead of letting that define me, I turned to fashion as a form of self-discovery.

As I've gotten older, my relationship and understanding of beauty and fashion have evolved, she added in a statement.

In recent times, Bhumi has been making noise for her fashion statements, and experimenting with her looks.

It's not just about looking good anymore or following trends it's about embracing my individuality, expressing my personality, and celebrating what makes me unique. Today, fashion and beauty are a medium through which I can express myself, my emotional canvas and my state of mind, she shared.

Not willing to be boxed

The actor goes on to reveal that she is not chasing trends, but just having fun at playing dress up.

I love experimenting. I just want to have fun with fashion and I think Im doing this with all my heart which is why people are appreciating my fashion-forward turn. It is good when I can work both ends of the spectrum - from relatable to edgy fashion. she said.

The actor, who made her debut in Bollywood in 2015 with Dum Laga Ke Haisha, reveals people tried to box her, and fashion is what pulled her out of that zone.

Looking back at her journey, Bhumi recalled, People tend to box someone and it happened to me too. In maximum films that I have done so far, I have played a girl from a small town and that has set the perception that I can look amazing being this girl next door.

I love that people like me that way. But my fashion turn is to shatter that perception and show people who I really am and how I want to be seen. Im a young, confident Indian woman who is expressing herself through fashion and Im enjoying the love that my looks are getting, she shared.

Bhumis work report

Bhumi, known for starring in critically-acclaimed movies such as Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Bala, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan and Badhaai Do, was last seen in Bhakshak. The film explores the journey of an unwavering woman's quest to seek justice.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has made her grand entry at the Cannes International Film Festival. The actor has mesmerised her fans with her latest style statement as she attended the Megalopolis premiere at Cannes 2024. Aishwarya's appearance in a black and gold butterfly outfit is her first look ever since her arrival at French Riviera. (Also read: Cannes 2024: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, daughter Aaradhya get a grand welcome at French Riviera. Watch) Aishwarya Rai Bachchan attended Megalopolis premiere at Cannes 2024.

Aishwarya stuns in Falguni Shane Peacock dress

Aishwarya posed for the photographers in her first red-carpet appearance at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Her unique fashion statement in the Falguni Shane Peacock dress brought the much-needed elegance and sophistication. The actor waved and smiled at the Megalopolis premiere. Earlier fans were concerned about her after she was papped at the Mumbai airport while heading for Cannes. She had her arm in a sling, with a white cast that was visible around the wrist.

Aishwarya had arrived at Cannes on May 16, as she was accompanied by her daughter Aaradhya. The mother-daughter duo received a warm welcome at the French Riviera. They were presented with a bouquet at the prestigious international film festival. The host also embraced Aaradhya as he recognised her during their meeting. Aishwarya expressed gratitude for the hospitality while the host bowed in front of her.

Aishwarya has made her 21st appearance at Cannes. She made her debut at the prestigious film festival in 2002. The actor also made headlines the same year for her portrayal of Paro in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas, co-starring Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit.

Apart from Aishwarya, Sobhita Dhulipala and Kiara Advani were also headed to Cannes as they were captured at the airport. Sobhita and Kiara are also soon expected to make their Cannes appearances.

Rajpal Yadav also made his Cannes debut on May 16 as his film Kaam Chalu Hai will be screened at the film festival.
Cannes Film Festival regular Aishwarya Rai is all set to walk the red carpet this year as well. On Wednesday evening, Aishwarya was seen at the airport with daughter Aaradhya Bachchan, heading for Cannes. But, it was her right arm, cast in a sling, that raised concern among many fans. Although the actor seemed tight-lipped about any injury, fans took to social media to raise concern in the comments. (Also read: Cannes Film Festival: Kiara Advani, Aishwarya Rai, Sobhita Dhulipala, Aditi Rao Hydari, Indians set to dazzle this year) Aishwarya Rai and daughter Aaradhya Rai Bachchan were seen at the airport on Wednesday evening.

Aishwarya heads to Cannes

In a video that was taken and shared on Instagram by a paparazzi account, Aishwarya was seen getting out of her car with daughter Aaradhya along with her. The actor had her right arm in a sling, with a white cast that was visible around the wrist. She paired a knee-length blue coat with a black outfit, and kept her hair untied. Aaradhya was seen in a light blue hoodie and black pants. Aishwarya waved at the media for a few seconds and then entered the Mumbai airport.

Fan reactions

Reacting to her injury, several fans raised concern in the comments. One fan said, OMG she will walk Cannes with injured hands, God bless! A second fan commented, I hope she is fine and well. The most gorgeous graceful person Aishwarya. Cant wait to see her at cannes. Love her so much. A comment read, The way she is taking care of her daughter. Wow! Looking forward to her Cannes look, read another comment.

Aishwarya Rai made her first appearance on the red carpet in a Neeta Lulla saree, with heavy gold jewellery, at Cannes Film Festival 2002. It was the year when her film Devdas had premiered at the festival. She was present with actor Shah Rukh Khan and director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Since then, the actor has graced the festival almost every year. She will once again mark her presence at the gala as one of the brand ambassadors for L'Oreal Paris.

Apart from Aishwarya, actors Aditi Rao Hydari, Shobita Dhulipala, and Kiara Advani will also be seen at Cannes. Urvashi Rautela had already debuted her pink look at Cannes, and Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah star Deepti Sadhwani has already walked the red carpet so far.
Director Lokesh Kanagaraj embarked on a spiritual trip to Sabarimala ahead of shooting for his next film Coolie with Rajinikanth. The director was accompanied by writer-filmmaker Rathna Kumar, apart from a couple of friends. Rathna took to X (formerly Twitter) to share pictures of their trip. (Also Read: Ilaiyaraaja fights for rights of his music being used for Rajinikanth-starrer Coolie, but what do copyright laws say?) Lokesh Kanagaraj with his friends in Sabarimala.

Lokeshs trip to Sabarimala

Rathna, who co-wrote Vijays Leo and Coolie, apart from being known for helming films like Amala Pauls Aadai and Santhanams Gulu Gulu, took to X to share pictures with Lokesh and their other friends. All of them can be seen dressed in a black shirt and mundu, wearing the mala. With the Gangster Squad, wrote the director, sharing the pictures. In the pictures, the friends can be seen all smiles as they pose for selfies near the temple. One of the pictures also sees them out of their mala.

About Coolie

After returning to Chennai, Lokesh will shoot for Rajinikanths Coolie, which is the actors 171st film. Produced by Sun Pictures, nothing much is known about the actors role, though hes rumoured to play a gangster. Anirudh Ravichander is composing the films music, and its slated to be released in 2025. The rest of the cast and crew are also yet to be revealed.

Recently, the filmmaker released an announcement video that ran into controversy for using an old song of Rajinikanths composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The music composer sent the makers a legal notice for using the number without his permission. Rajinikanth distanced himself from the issue, stating that its been the musician and the producers.

Upcoming work

Lokesh already has projects lined up for the Lokesh Cinematic Universe, consisting of Kaithi, Vikram and Leo. He will work with Karthi again for Kaithi 2, taking Dillis story forward. He will also work on a stand-alone film with Suriya for his character Rolex. Its also expected that hell take the story of Vikram forward with a sequel.
'I pray I don't trip over my gown on the red carpet'

On Wednesday, Namita shared a bunch of photos of herself as she made her Cannes debut wearing a mint green gown with leg slit and a long train created by Lebanese fashion designer Elio Abou Fayssal. The entrepreneur also spoke with Brut India before walking the Cannes red carpet.

When asked how does it feel to be at Cannes 2024, Namita said, "Wonderful! Look at the vibe, there is fashion, there is movies, there is music. It is just brilliant being here; enjoying it." About her dress, she said, I love the colour because it is so different. It is a colour that I have never worn before. I just hope that I can manage this long train, but I am having fun... I pray I don't trip over it (her gown) on the red carpet.

Indian celebs at Cannes 2024

Like every year, this time also many Indian stars are expected to slay at Cannes Film Festival 2024. While Sobhita Dhulipala and Kiara Adani will make their Cannes debut soon, Cannes veteran Aishwarya Rai left Mumbai to attend the festival alongside daughter Aaradhya Bachchan on Wednesday. Aditi Rao Hydari will also represent India at the festival. Actor Urvashi Rautela is also in Cannes for the prestigious festival.
Richard Gadd's autobiographical black comedy series Baby Reindeer has been all the rage on the Internet since its seven episodes launched on Netflix on April 11. During its debut week, the series sat at No. 5 on the streamer's Top 10 TV English titles list. May 6-12: Baby Reindeer stood at No. 2 on Netflix's Global Top 10 chart in the English TV category the past week. Queen of Tears K-drama and Jujutsu Kaisen claimed their 4th and 9th ranks on the non-English chart. (Netflix)

Even after surpassing the one-month mark, the series still sits among the top rankers on the Netflix chart. For the week beginning on May 6 and closing on May 12, the British psychological thriller garnered 11.4 million views while charting at No. 2. Trailing The Roast of Tom Brady (13.8 million views) closely, Baby Reindeer completed its five weeks on Netflix's Top 10 on Sunday.

Meanwhile, ahead of the Netflix staple series Bridgerton's third season hard-launching on Thursday, May 16, the first two seasons of the period romance maintained their long spells among the Top 10 English titles. Season 1 attracted 1.7 million views, savouring its 9th week on the chart, as the second season followed close behind at No. 9. Completing its 15th week on the roster, Bridgerton Season 2 brought in 1.4 million views last week.

Also read | Its over'? Jennifer Lopez-Ben Affleck embroiled in divorce rumours amid claims they couldnt make it work'

The English list extended a heartwarming welcome to recent premieres such as the Jeff Daniels-starrer A Man In Full, the Obamas-produced comedy thriller Bodkin, Dead Boy Detectives based on Neil Gaiman's DC Comic characters, Netflix's reality series Selling the OC Season 3 and stand-up special Katt Williams: Woke Foke.

K-dramas ranking on the overall Netflix Global Top 10 chart

Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won's hit Korean rom-com series maintained its 10-week streak on Netflix's Global Top 10 chart in the non-English category, claiming its top rank at No. 4. Despite Queen of Tears wrapping up its real-time broadcast on April 28, the Jang Young Woo and Kim Hee Won directorial persistently held on to its steady position among the top-ranking series of the week, garnering 2.5 million views this week alone.

Meanwhile, The Atypical Family, the fantasy romance series that originally aired its premiere on the South Korean TV network JTBC on May 4, debuted on the Netflix Top 10 chart on the 6th spot. Mapping out a storyline with superpowered characters, the intriguing weekend K-drama stars Jang Ki Yong and Chun Woo Hee in lead roles. It amassed 2 million views during its first week on the Top 10 chart (non-English).

Standing at No. 8 in its first week on the chart, Netflix's Super Rich in Korea dug into a dazzling exploration of the Korean elite lives. Charting into the extravagant, lavish everyday sights of a luxurious lifestyle infused with Korean culture, the one-of-its-kind reality series stars Thai rapper and K-pop idol BamBam of GOT7, Oh My Girl's Mimi and comedian Cho Sae Ho as hosts. The trio attracted a viewership count of 1.1 million since their show's OTT premiere on May 7.

Also read | Lala Kent-Katie Maloney's friendship on the rocks? Wild Vanderpump Rules Season 11 Reunion continues Tuesday | Preview

Securing the final post on the Top 10 list, Frankly Speaking, spent its second week on the Netflix chart, attracting 1 million views. The Wednesday-Thursday JTBC comedy series starring Go Kyung Pyo and Kang Han Na launched on May 1.

Jujutsu Kaisen joins the competition

Celebrating its first week in the Top 10 listing, the globally acclaimed anime series Jujutsu Kaisen (Season 1), based on Gege Akutami's magnum opus manga series, took the 9th spot. In the non-English index, the beloved dark supernatural show welcomed 1 million views from May 6 to May 12 as the only anime title to rank among the streamer's top-scorers.

Netflix Top 10 TV (English) for May 6-12, 2024

The Roast of Tom Brady (13.8 million views) Baby Reindeer (11.4 million views) A Man in Full (6.7 million views) Katt Williams: Woke Foke (4.3 million views) Bodkin (3.3 million views) Selling the OC Season 3 (2.7 million views) Dead Boy Detectives (1.8 million views) Bridgerton Season 1 (1.7 million views) Bridgerton Season 2 (1.4 million views) The Gentlemen Season 1 (1.4 million views)

Netflix Top 10 TV (Non-English) for May 6-12, 2024
Jason Shah is receiving appreciation for his negative portrayal in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's epic-show Heeramandi. Despite mixed reviews for the series, Jason's acting prowess has been lauded by cinephiles. The actor, in a recent interview with ETimes, broke silence on his alleged breakup with Anusha Dandekar. (Also read: Will Heeramandi be the next RRR? Global success makes Bhansalis series cut across languages, cultures, criticisms) Jason Shah recently opened up on his breakup with Anusha Dandekar.

Jason Shah recalls break-up with Anusha Dandekar

Jason, while recalling his spiritual transformation talked about his breakup with Anusha. He said, I have had a spiritual change in my life since then (his break-up), which has made me wiser. It was rushed. I didn't really think about it. The other person didnt really understand me, and I felt they were trying to make me fit in their box. And that is not going to happen, right?" He further added, A huge problem with relationships today, and one of the main reasons for breakups and divorces is that people don't really listen to the other. They're only trying to put forth what they feel. That's the sad part. Only when you listen to what a person says, especially earlier on, that your relationship will last longer.

About Heeramandi

Heeramandi is based on the Indian indpendence revolution during the 1920s-40s. The title of the show is based on the red-light district of Heera Mandi in Lahore (now in present-day Pakistan) in the pre-partition era under the British Raj. Jason portrays a ruthless British officer Alastair Cartwright who is against Manisha Koirala's Mallikajaan. The narrative is set in the backdrop of courtesans of Heeramandi and their relationships with Nawabs and British officers. The series also features Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Fardeen Khan, Shekhar Suman, Adhyayan Suman, Farida Jalal and Mark Bennington in crucial roles.

About Jason Shah

Jason made his Bollywood debut in an uncredited role with Abhishek Kapoor's Fitoor. The movie featured Aditya Roy Kapur, Katrina Kaif and Tabu as the leads.
Last month, the east coast cities of India experienced an unprecedented increase in extreme heat stress, a recent analysis has revealed. The analysis further indicates that severe heat stress may continue and possibly intensify during May, June, and July, with its impact varying across different regions of India.

The research on Heat Index (HI) conditions, by Pune-based Respirer Living Sciences Pvt Ltd (RLS), conducted over April 2023 and 2024, examined cities with populations exceeding one million, finding that cities such as Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Puducherry, Chennai, Tiruchirappalli, Madurai, endured up to four times more heat stress hours than cities in the western or northern parts of the country. These cities experienced extreme heat stress for over 15 days during April 2024.

The study utilised the HI framework provided by the National Weather Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, categorising any HI exceeding 41 degrees Celsius as falling into the danger category. This method has also been employed by other research groups including the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, and aligns with the HI thresholds set by the Union earth sciences ministry in their July 2023 notification.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) describes the HI as an experimental measure that combines air temperature and relative humidity to provide a "feels like" temperature. This index is designed to give a more accurate representation of how hot the conditions feel to the human body, taking into account the increased discomfort caused by high humidity levels and the temperature.

IMD identifies heat stress in terms of heatwave conditions, which are declared based on specific temperature thresholds. A heatwave is declared when the temperature in the plains crosses 40 degrees Celsius, 37 degrees Celsius in coastal areas, and 30 degrees Celsius in the hills. Additionally, the temperature of a particular day must be above normal by at least 4.5 degrees Celsius for two consecutive days to qualify as a heatwave.

According to the analysis, in April 2024 alone, 27 cities reported experiencing heat stress, with most of these cities situated along the east coast. This is a significant jump from the previous year, where only six cities (Vijayawada, Bhubaneshwar, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Puducherry, and Thrissur) experienced the highest jump in heat stress hours, with each recording over 100 hours in April 2024. The largest increases were observed in Vijayawada, Bhubaneswar, and Visakhapatnam. Heat stress was more prevalent during morning hours for most cities than during evening hours. For example, Vijayawada, Bhubaneshwar, and Visakhapatnam had their peak heat stress hour between 11 am to 12 noon while cities like Bhilai and Raipur had their peak heat stress hour at 5 pm.

The number of consecutive days of extreme heat stress in many of the east coast cities of India has increased at an unprecedented rate. This rapid change in environmental conditions due to climate impacts requires immediate and urgent attention, said Ronak Sutaria, founder and chief executive officer, Respirer Living Sciences.

Total Heat Stress Hours in April 2024(Respirer Living Sciences Pvt Ltd. )

Experts identify reasons for this extreme heat stress

The weather department and experts identified key factors contributing to this extreme heat stress observed across the east coast. Generally during April, the formation of an anticyclonic circulation (a weather pattern characterised by clockwise rotating winds around a centre of high atmospheric pressure) forms over the Bay of Bengal that provides moisture to the east coast resulting in thunderstorms. This year, however, this weather pattern was not observed over the Bay of Bengal during April resulting in unfavourable weather conditions, with dry winds moving from the land to the sea resulting in heatwave conditions and heat stress, said Mrutunjay Mohapatra, director general, IMD.

Private weather forecasting agency Skymets vice president (meteorology and climate change) Mahesh Palawat highlighted the broader reasons for the lack of this weather system. Some of the impacts are accelerated in a warming world, especially due to active El Nino (the periodic warming of sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific), he said.

Mohapatra added that over the past week, there has been a wholly opposite trend than what was witnessed on the east coast during April 2023. Now, there is heavy thunderstorm activity as there is an anticyclonic circulation off the Andhra Pradesh coast resulting in a change in wind direction from sea to land bringing in moisture that led to rains for the east coast over the past week and may continue for some areas, he said.

City ranking based on heat index(Respirer Living Sciences Pvt Ltd. )

Analysis reveals how hot it got for cities in April 2024

In April 2024, all cities that had experienced heat stress in 2023 saw a rise in heat stress hours, the RLS analysis found. The most significant increases were in Vijayawada (138 hours), Bhubaneswar (130 hours), and Visakhapatnam (110 hours). Most of these increases occurred between 10 AM and 1 PM, highlighting that heat stress is most intense during the morning, said Sutaria.

Heat stress poses severe health risks, including heat cramps, exhaustion, and even heat strokes, affecting vulnerable populations such as children, pregnant women, and the elderly. "Rehydrating and avoiding substances like alcohol, caffeine, and aerated drinks is crucial during these times," said Sutaria.

In April this year, the cities with the highest average heat indices in India were Vijayawada (36.82 degree Celsius), closely followed by Puducherry (36.70 degree Celsius), Kozhikode (36.65 degree Celsius), Malappuram (36.24 degree Celsius), and Kannur (36.14 degree Celsius). Chennai ranked sixth with an average heat index of 36.06 degree Celsius, while Visakhapatnam had 35.77 degree Celsius. Tiruchirappalli and Bhubaneswar recorded average heat indices of 35.47 and 35.33 degree Celsius respectively, with Thrissur completing the top ten at 35.26 degree Celsius.

Across India,14 cities (Kozhikode, Kochi, Kannur, Thiruvananthapuram, Surat, Kollam, Jamshedpur, Asansol, Salem, Solapur, Vadodara, Dhanbad, Rajkot, and Nagpur) had no heat stress in April 2023 but all have had a significant increase in heat stress this year. Kozhikode jumped from zero to nearly 77 heat stress hours. All of this points to a rapidly changing environment - which requires urgent attention, said Sutaria.

Difference in heat stress hours(Respirer Living Sciences Pvt Ltd. )

Is seasonal climate migration on the cards for India?

The analysis also hints at broader socio-economic impacts due to these climate conditions, suggesting potential shifts in real estate, insurance markets, and agricultural outputs. "Severe air pollution in the winter months for northern cities and extreme heat stress in the summer months for east coast cities are creating conditions that could lead to seasonal climate migration across India," Sutaria said.

The movement of people from one location to another due to factors such as rising sea levels, increased frequency of extreme weather events including heat stress, and changes in conditions that affect agricultural productivity, making their current location less habitable is attributed to climate migration.

We're seeing altered weather patterns like delayed monsoons and winters over the past two years, increasing severity of heat, expanding drought regions, and frequent intense rains causing floods and landslides. These changes threaten agriculture, food production, and livelihoods, and could drive migration. However, further studies over the next three to four years are essential to confirm if climate migration has started in India, said Palawat.

Regional weather outlook for coming months

The IMD on Monday said that the southwest monsoon was likely to make its way to Andaman and Nicobar Islands by May 19. In the meantime, the analysis by RLS states that severe heat stress might continue during May, June, and July across India.

The recent power sector shortfall predictions are indicating that peak nighttime power shortfall, which is usually triggered by peak air conditioning usage to counter heat stress, is expected to happen in mid-June and will even extend to July  which is largely triggered by rapidly rising humidity without adequate fall in temperature. Hence, going by night-time power shortfall proxies, severe heat stress can be expected to persist and might most likely rise from May to July, said Sutaria.

Mohapatra added that presently northwest India is likely to witness heatwaves and severe heat stress through the rest of May. This region is not likely to witness any more strong western disturbances (a weather pattern originating in the Mediterranean that brings sudden rain and snow to the northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent) in the foreseeable future. While this is seasonal, dry winds will further increase heat stress for the region, he said.

RLS latest analysis highlights the critical areas and times for intervention to mitigate the adverse effects of rising temperatures on India's vast population. With the increasing frequency of such extreme weather conditions, the need for comprehensive monitoring and management is more pressing than ever.
Actor Srishty Rode says there are no regrets in her 17-year career but feels shes yet to get her due. Actor Srishty Rode

Still not where I should have been. I have not got my due in the industry. In all these years, I have given my all to my craft and worked honestly. As a teenager, you are reckless and raring to go, I think at that time maybe things were very different to what they are today. Long running shows made you a star. Such shows gave a lot of time for the audience to connect and create a bond with the actors. My shows did well but I think as they did not have a long running time so that could be a miss, says the Yeh Ishq Haaye (2010) and Saraswatichandra (2018) actor.

Talking about the importance of initially planning ones career, she adds, I have never planned my life, nor was I choosy when it came to picking up work. It has been almost two decades years and now I understand the importance of planning your career. Jo bhi aata gya hum karte gaye because being a newcomer, it was like kaam mil raha bas aur kya chahiye...

The actor is happy that as she hit the 17-year milestone in her career, her first film got to hit the theatres last month. My film Gabru Gang released last month after a wait of a couple of years. I am much relaxed that the wait is over. Now, I can plan things further whether to scout for films or go back doing TV. Also, OTT needs to be explored. Though I have already tasted success in reality shows, I am yet to explore dance-centric ones. You never know, maybe, youll find me doing that soon.

Rode was set to visit the city but couldnt make it at the last moment.

I missed my recent Lucknow-Kanpur trip as it was a last-moment plan. I had an urgent shoot and the trip was already on a roll. My team got a lot of stuff for me from Lucknow: kebabs, mithai and much more. So, I did get to hog on the best Lakhnavi delicacies for now. Next time, I will be there in person, she concludes
Veteran actor Shabana Azmi, who made her acting debut with Shyam Benegals debut film Ankur (1974), has completed 50 glorious years in the industry. When I started out, I never thought about how long my career would last. I was playing film to film. It is heartening that I still got my boots on, and that Im getting a wide variety of roles. I am extremely grateful and pleased, says the actor, who was last seen in Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani. Also read: Shabana Azmi says niece Tabu teases her about kissing scene with Dharmendra in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani Shabana Azmi completes 50 years in showbiz

Humbling its all coming together at 50 years

Azmis cinematic legacy of five decades is being celebrated not just by the Indian film fraternity but even globally. On May 10, she was honoured with the oldest award in London the Freedom To City award which was given by the London Corporation. And the upcoming edition of New York Indian Film Festival will host a special event (on June 2) that includes the screening of her 1996 film Fire, directed by Deepa Mehta.

It is humbling that its all coming together at 50 years. Its heartwarming that my work is considered worthy of respect, she continues, This is not the first time my work is being celebrated globally. Many years ago at a NYIFF, Lincoln Center, I was the only actor in the whole world who ever had a retrospective in her name since it is considered a filmmakers festival.

The actor goes down memory lane

From the time when Azmi was doing mainstream roles to 50 years later now, there has been a paradigm shift in the way things work in the film industry. Agreeing that dynamics have changed massively, the 73-year-old says, There was a time when we were doing 12 films at a time. Back then, we didnt have the comfort of anaconda ACs or great vanity vans to rush into. So, after the shot would get over, we used to continue to hang out on the sets, which nurtured a sense of camaraderie. You felt much more involved with the process.

Also Read: Shabana Azmi didn't want to have makeup on during Rocky Rani funeral scene. This was Karan Johar's hilarious reply

The actor goes down memory lane, and shares that there used to be no such thing as a complete script that was given to actors. We just had a story idea. I remember this crazy situation where (late) Rajesh Khanna and I were doing the first page of a scene, not knowing what the dialogues of the second page would be. We were doing representative acting on mainstream cinema, it was devoid of any kind of subtlety. We used to work on pre-production for a month and then shoot and post-production would take two years. Cut to now, they spend two years on pre-production, and finish the shooting in 2-3 months, and honestly, I feel thats how it should be, elucidates the five-time National Award winner.

Up next, Azmi is shooting for Bun Tikki with Zeenat Aman, marking their reunion after 41 years, since Ashanti (1982). We always had cordial relation and that still remains. We were not able to keep in touch on a daily basis, but getting back together for Bun Tikki and that too after so many years, was as if there was no gap at all. Zeenat is such a warm person. We met each other with a big hug, the actor wraps up.
The Centre on Wednesday granted the first batch of citizenship certificates to over 300 people under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the event coming in the middle of a high-stakes general election where the controversial law is a livewire campaign issue in key provinces. Applicants with their citizenship certificates handed over by Union home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), in New Delhi on Wednesday. (ANI)

Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla handed over the certificates to the 14 individuals at a ceremony in Delhi after their applications were processed online through a designated portal. Officials familiar with the developments said several hundred other certificates  at least 300 in all  were sent to eligible persons through email on Wednesday.

Home secretary congratulated the applicants and highlighted salient features of the citizenship (amendment) rules, 2024, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) said in a statement.

The process of verification and granting of citizenship will continue over the next few weeks as and when the applications are decided by the empowered committee formed by MHA to look into citizenship requests.

Although I had been living here since 2013, today I feel I belong to this country. I can now freely call it my own and roam anywhere without any fear, said Seetal Das, a 38-year-old refugee from Sindh in Pakistan who now lives in north Delhis Manju ka Tilla and was among the first people to receive the citizenship certificate.

Asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered on another commitment  referring to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slogan Modi Ki guarantee  Union home minister Amit Shah said it was a historic day as the decades-long wait of those who faced religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan was now over.

I express my gratitude to Modiji for giving justice and rights to these people who suffered for decades. I also assure all my refugee brothers and sisters that the Modi government will give citizenship to all of them through the CAA, Shah said on X in Hindi.

He added that the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christians who fled religious persecution in the three countries have started getting Indian citizenship and Modi has fulfilled the promise made at the time of the countrys independence.

The Opposition did not immediately react to the development. At a rally in Chinsurah, Hooghly district, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday vowed to repeal, among other controversial laws, the CAA and added that the TMC will support the Opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc to form a government at Centre.

The law was cleared by Parliament four years ago amid sweeping protests, but implemented in March, with just weeks to go for the Lok Sabha polls.

CAA is a major election issue in several key provinces, especially in Assam and West Bengal where the BJP has promised marginalised communities such as Dalits full citizenship under the law and accused previous governments run by the Congress of neglecting refugees from neighbouring countries.

Though elections are completed in Assam, the next phase on May 20 in Bengal will see key seats such as Bongaon, where the Matua community (a Dalit sub-sect that comprises many people who came from erstwhile East Pakistan) holds sway.

The home ministry notified Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, on March 11 this year, paving the way for granting citizenship to persecuted minorities belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.

The rules envisage the manner of application form, the procedure for processing applications by the District Level Committee (DLC), and the scrutiny and grant of citizenship by the state level Empowered Committee (EC).

To mark the granting of citizenship on Wednesday, Bhalla handed over the certificates to the 14 individuals  three of them from Dass family currently living in a refugee camp at Majnu Ka Tilla  in Delhi.

MHA said in a statement that the district level committees (DLCs) administered the oath of allegiance to the applicants on successful verification of documents. After processing as per rules, the DLCs have forwarded the applications to SLEC (state level empowered committee) headed by director (census operation). Processing of application is completely done through the online portal, MHA said.

The portal was launched by MHA on March 12. MHA officials, who didnt want to be named, said they didnt maintain the data of the exact number of applicants, but added that several hundred requests have been received since March 12.

CAA was passed in December 2019, but the underlying rules were not framed. Its passage resulted in protests that petered out only with the Covid-19 pandemic and a clutch of petitions that remain before the Supreme Court.

CAA is in keeping with the BJPs promise in its 2019 manifesto but was criticised by Opposition parties who linked it to the elections.

A number of opposition leaders, such as CM Banerjee and Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, have said that they oppose CAA because it curtails constitutional rights.

The CAA rules have a provision that states that refugees from six minority communities from the three countries (Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan) applying for the grant of citizenship by registration or naturalisation will have to submit an application, an affidavit verifying the correctness of the statements made in it, a second affidavit from an Indian citizen testifying to their character, and a declaration that they are familiar with one of the languages specified in the eighth schedule of the Constitution.

The rules say that the application will have to be submitted in electronic form to an empowered committee through the district-level committee, which may be notified by the central government, and be supported by documents such as copy of passport issued by Pakistan, Afghanistan or Bangladesh governments  birth certificate, an identity document of any other kind, land or tenancy records, or any document that shows that either of the parents or grandparents or great grandparents of the applicant were a citizen of one of the three countries.

The rules state that these documents will be admissible even beyond their validity period.

Applicants also have to provide proof that they entered India before December 31, 2014, which can take the form of either a visa and immigration stamp, registration certificate from the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO), or slip issued by the Census enumerators in India, government-issued licence or certificate or permit in India (including Driving License, Aadhaar number, ration card, or marriage certificate issued in India etc).
Union home minister Amit Shah compared West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee to the character of a ruthless ruler in Satyajit Ray's cult classic Hirak Rajar Deshe, saying that if the director were alive today, he would create a sequel to the movie titled 'Hirak Rani,' referring to her alleged misrule. Union Home Minister Amit Shah (left) and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

Shah changed the name of the character 'Hirak Raja' from the 1969 film to take a dig at Banerjee. Polling in West Bengal has been scheduled in all seven phases, with four phases concluded and the next scheduled for May 20.

Shah spoke at a campaign rally in West Bengal's Hooghly to support Locket Chatterjee. She is the candidate running against TMC's Rachana Banerjee, an actor and popular show host, who is seeking to secure a new term in the Lok Sabha.

Satyajit Ray, as we all know, was one of Bengal's proud sons and a globally renowned filmmaker. His iconic film 'Hirak Rajar Deshe' made waves globally and is still fondly watched and remembered. Sadly, Ray wasn't around when Mamata Banerjee came to power in Bengal as he would have made a sequel to 'Hirak Rajar Desh', titled 'Hirak Rani', seeing her misrule. Mamata Banerjee is the Hirak Rani, Shah said while campaigning in the Hooghly district.

Criticising the TMC for the current conditions in Bengal, Amit Shah stated, Violence, oppression and appeasement are rampant in the state.

Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in the Bengal assembly and a BJP leader, has frequently used the moniker 'Hirak Rani' to accuse Banerjee of overseeing the looting of public money and central funds.

The film, released in 1969, was a musical fantasy starring screen legends Utpal Dutt as the tyrant ruler Hirak Raja and Soumitra Chatterjee as 'Udayan Pandit,' a teacher who defied the king and inspired the peasants to revolt against his oppressive regime.

Emphasising the contributions of Bengal's revolutionaries to the freedom movement, Shah said, It is sad how the Communists and the Trinamool Congress worked to finish off nationalism in Bengal, the state which gave us 'Vande Mataram', 'Jana Gana Mana', while also playing a prominent role in our struggle for independence.

Mamata Banerjee's post-poll plan

Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday declared that her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), will provide external support to the opposition INDIA alliance to help form the government at the Centre.

BJP is claiming that it will win 400 seats, but people are saying it will not happen. The entire country has understood that the BJP is a party full of thieves. We (TMC) will support the INDIA bloc from outside to form a government at the Centre, the TMC chief said at a rally in Hooghly.

"We will extend our support so that in (West) Bengal, our mothers and sisters never face a problem... and those who work in the 100 days' job scheme, also do not face problems," she added.

Although the TMC remains part of the INDIA bloc, it has decided to contest independently in Bengal. Meanwhile, the Congress and the Left Front have a seat-sharing agreement in the state, with the Left parties contesting 30 seats and the Congress contesting the remaining 12 seats.

(With ANI inputs)
Mumbai, The death toll in the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse in Mumbai rose to 16 on Thursday with rescue personnel retrieving the bodies of a retired general manager of Air Traffic Control and his wife, officials said. Bodies of retired GM of ATC, wife retrieved from car; death toll in hoarding collapse rises to 16

The bodies of a man and a woman were extricated from a car stuck underneath the hoarding shortly after midnight and the victims were identified to be ex-GM of ATC Mumbai Manoj Chansoria and his wife Anita Chansoria , they said.

A Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official said that the bodies, which were in a decomposed state, were taken to the nearby civic-run Rajawadi Hospital around 1 am.

An official of the National Disaster Response Force said the search and rescue operation is still on at the hoarding collapse site.

We cannot rule out the possibility that there are no more victims at the hoarding collapse site, he said.

The whereabouts of Manoj and Anita were not known since Monday evening when they left for Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh from the ATC guest house in Western Mumbai in a red-coloured car of Tata make.

On Tuesday night his mobile location was tracked to the petrol pump on which a giant hoarding of 120 feet x 120 feet collapsed in the Chheda Nagar area during gusty winds on Monday that also left 75 injured.

An official from the National Disaster Response Force had told PTI earlier that the rescue team had spotted two bodies in a car trapped below the middle main girder of the five girders of the hoarding the same night.

Rescuers crawled to reach the car, but there was no way of retrieving the bodies unless the girder was moved, he had said.

Later, the search and rescue teams used gas cutters and other machinery to cut the interconnected girders one by one and pulled out the bodies of the couple from the car around midnight on Wednesday.

After learning that Manoj's last mobile location was at the Chheda Nagar petrol pump, family members and friends had been camping at the site fearing that he and his wife were trapped there.

The couple's son, who is settled in the USA, was expected to land here on Wednesday night, Anita's cousin had said on Tuesday.

Former colleagues described Manoj as a very down-to-earth person and a good human being.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
The 2024 Char Dham Yatra commenced as the Kedarnath temple opened on the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya on May 1. The ceremony involved the chanting of bhajans and 'Har Har Mahadev' at the revered Lord Shiva shrine. Devotees in queues were also showered with flowers from helicopters. The Char Dham Yatra started on Friday with the opening of the portals of Yamunotri, Gangotri and Kedarnath Dham amid Vedic chants on the occasion of Akshay Tritiya in Garhwal Himalayas. (HT Photo)

On May 10, the doors of Yamunotri and Gangotri Dham were opened, followed by the opening of the portals of the Badrinath shrine on May 12.

Officials stated that online registration for the annual pilgrimage to the four holy shrines of Uttarakhand began last month on the tourism department's portal.

Each year, thousands of devotees visit these sacred sites, closed for about six months during the winter. The yatra typically starts from April/May to October/November.

Fresh guidelines on the Yatra

With the arrival of a large number of devotees to Gangotri and Yamunotri for the Char Dham Yatra, the Uttarakhand police issued a set of guidelines on Thursday, urging devotees not to embark on their journey without prior registration or before the designated registration date.

Uttarkashi superintendent of police Arpan Yaduvanshi said in a post on X, Urging all devotees coming to Gangotri and Yamunotri to register themselves before coming. Also, do not plan your travel before the registration date.

The Rudraprayag Police had earlier launched 'Operation Maryada' to ensure that people maintain decency on their journey. As part of this operation, the police are cracking down on individuals who engage in misconduct or consume alcohol or drugs in the areas surrounding the holy sites and along the pilgrimage route.

In Photos | Char Dham Yatra 2024: Doors of Badrinath Temple open for devotees

The police team has urged the crowds to conduct themselves in a respectful manner to uphold the sanctity of the pilgrimage.

Guptkashi Deputy Superintendent of Police Harshvardhini Suman told ANI, Rudraprayag Police is committed to the smooth and safe journey of the devotees coming for the popular Shri Kedarnath Dham Yatra in the district. Operation Maryada has been started by the district police for effective action against those who behave indecently and consume intoxicants in the Dham area and the Yatra halts.

Uttarakhand Director General of Police Abhinav Kumar wrote a letter to the Director Generals of Police across states in the country. Kumar said to ANI, In view of the unexpected crowd at the Char Dhams, I have written a letter to the Director Generals of Police of all the states of the country and requested them not to send any VIP from their respective states for the Char Dham Darshan till May 31.

Relevance

The Char Dham Yatra is a deeply spiritual pilgrimage in Hinduism.

This pilgrimage, known as the Char Dham Yatra, includes a tour of four sacred sites  Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. In Hindi, "char" means four, and "dham" denotes religious destinations, according to the Uttarakhand tourism's official website.
A four-year-old girl in Kerala was wheeled into an operating theatre at the Government Medical College Hospital here on Thursday for the removal of her sixth finger. Hours later, when she emerged from surgery, it was discovered that the operation was performed on the wrong part -- her tongue. The shocked family of the girl said the error came to light when they found cotton stuffed in the child's mouth post-surgery, prompting them to investigate the matter further. Upon closer inspection, they found that the surgery was performed on her tongue, not on her hand as intended. As the issue created an uproar in Kerala, the state government initiated action, suspending Associate Professor Dr Bejohn Johnson, pending an inquiry. Health Minister Veena George announced the decision to suspend the doctor after receiving a report from the Director of Medical Education, who was asked to conduct an immediate investigation into the incident earlier in the day. The police registered a case against Dr Johnson based on a complaint lodged by the girl's family.

ALSO READ | Paid for 3 surgeries, Bombay Hosp doctor only performs two

An official statement said the minister has also directed that a detailed inquiry be conducted and further action taken. George has given strict directives to the hospitals to ensure that protocols are followed correctly, it said. Meanwhile, the police registered a case against Dr Johnson based on a complaint lodged by the girl's family. According to an officer at the Kozhikode Medical College police station, the doctor has been booked under IPC Sections 336 (endangering the life or personal safety of others) and 337 (causing hurt by an act endangering the life or personal safety of others).

The child's family said that the child had no issue with her tongue. "No one should have such an experience again at the Medical College Hospital," they said. The family also said the hospital authorities should take responsibility if there are adverse consequences for the child due to the procedure. "The hospital authorities informed us that it was a mistake as they had scheduled surgery for two children on the same date," a family member said. A family member said the doctor had apologised to the family for the error.

ALSO READ | 2 years after botched surgery, FIR against Ludhiana doctor

Expressing shock over the incident, Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly V D Satheesan said it was "serious medical malpractice" and sought strict disciplinary action against those who are responsible for it. "Presently, the government's actions seem to undo the progress Kerala has achieved in the health sector over the years," he said in a statement here. Satheesan alleged that the credibility of government hospitals is being questioned due to repeated medical errors. "Apart from just asking for a report right away, what steps has the health department and the minister taken to address each incident? This isn't the first problem at Kozhikode Medical College," he pointed out, recalling the case of Harshina, who protested after a device got stuck in her stomach during surgery."
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) cannot make an arrest once a special court takes cognisance of a complaint the federal agency filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. The legal questions in the case stemmed from a Punjab and Haryana high court order. (@dir_ed | Official X account)

In a significant judgment that imposes severe restrictions on the detention of an accused booked under money laundering charges, the top court further declared that an accused, who is not arrested by ED during a probe but appears before the special court pursuant to summons issued, does not need to satisfy the stringent twin test for bail under Section 45 of the PMLA.

Section 45 of the PMLA stipulates that the public prosecutor must be given an opportunity to oppose the bail application of the accused. Furthermore, it requires the court to be convinced that there are reasonable grounds to believe the accused is not guilty and is not likely to commit any offense while on bail. These conditions generally make it challenging for an accused in a money laundering case to secure bail.

If the accused appears before the special court by summons, it cannot be treated that he is in custody, a bench of justices AS Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan held. Therefore, the court added, such a person does not need to satisfy the twin conditions for bail under Section 45 of the PMLA.

Also Read: ED arrests Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam in money laundering case

The bench further clarified that if ED seeks custody of an accused who appears after being summoned, it must apply to the concerned court.

If the ED wants custody of the accused after the person appears following summons, the ED can get custody after application to the special court. The court will only grant custody with reasons satisfying that custodial interrogation is needed, justice Oka read out from the operative part of the judgment announced in open court.

The verdict arose from a case questioning whether an accused in a money laundering case must meet the stringent twin-test for bail when the special court has taken cognizance of the offense.

The Supreme Court had reserved its judgment on April 30. The bench examined whether ED can arrest a person under Section 19 of the PMLA after the trial court has taken cognisance of the agencys complaint.

It also dealt with the issue of whether an accused not arrested during the investigation period under the PMLA would be required to meet the stringent bail conditions if they appear before the court after the trial court summons them.

The court also deliberated on whether the accused could apply for bail under the regular provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) if they appear pursuant to a summons issued by the special court under the PMLA.

The legal questions in the case stemmed from a Punjab and Haryana high court order that denied pre-arrest bail to several accused in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam involving revenue officials. The Supreme Court had granted interim protection to the accused in January. Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra represented the accused in the case. Additional solicitor general SV Raju appeared for ED.

In November 2017, the Supreme Court had struck down Section 45(1) of the PMLA to the extent it imposed two additional conditions for granting bail to money-laundering accused. This provision was later revived by the Centre with amendments to the PMLA.
Chitrakoot: In Pathramani, the everyday is smeared with drudgery. Paved roads are few and bullock carts kick up balls of dust from unpaved alleys. Rust-red hillocks and boulders leading up to the village resemble the bleak landscape of Mars. Even when it rains, the village is largely dry because the terrain doesnt allow rainfall to seep into the earth, necessary for aquifers. A few ponds nearby have water, but during the long, harsh summer, they turn brackish and salty. In Uttar Pradesh, the Jal Jeevan Mission has touched roughly 83% of all households, according to the national dashboard. In parched Bundelkhand, this has prompted wider change. (HT photo)

For as long as he can remember, it has been like this. Dharmendra Kumar Mishra is among the most powerful men in the village. As the custodian of the village ration shop, Mishra is responsible not just for dispensing the monthly dole of grains but also for checking identity cards and other documents.

He is often the conduit between the government and villagers who find it difficult accessing the collectorate 70km away in district headquarters Banda. His four-room house that he shares with his wife, son, brother, and parents is among the biggest in the village. His position ensures that a stream of filled pots from nearby wells or hand pumps keeps the household supplied. But even he couldnt escape the ignominy of only air coming out of the taps in his newly constructed bathrooms.

Until this March. In the second week of March, water gushed out of the taps in this village of 1,500 people as the central governments flagship Jal Jeevan Mission (water is life mission )  to make available tap water in each one of Indias 190 million rural homes  finally completed its target in Pathramani.

We rubbed our eyes in disbelief as we saw clean water flow out of the taps. Some of us danced around the taps, others bathed in the open, and all of us thought that this was too good to last, and started filling up all available utensils, says Mishra.

It has lasted.

The programme was launched by the Narendra Modi government in 2019 to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024. In Uttar Pradesh, the scheme has touched roughly 83% of all households, according to the national dashboard. In parched Bundelkhand, this has prompted wider change.

Life was hell earlier. We would leave our houses early in the morning to beat the heat to fetch water from nearby areas. We walked kilometres every day. We were left so exhausted that even going to the bathroom was an effort, says Savitri Devi, a local resident.

Resentment about its parched homes prevented Pathramani from voting in the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2022 assembly elections. But this time, villagers say theyll revoke their boycott when polling is conducted on May 20. On their mind will be an additional factor from the usual binary of migration and caste  water.

Getting water is a long haul in the inhospitable terrain of Bundelkhand. Spread over 70,000 sq km in 13 districts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, the region faced non-stop drought between 2003 and 2010, decimating farming and setting off waves of outward migration.

Seven of Bundelkhands districts lie in Uttar Pradesh: Chitrakoot, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Lalitput, Jhansi and Jalaun. All are thirsty, but none more than Chitrakoot, once the mythical abode of Lord Ram where the topography forces engineers to blast through rocks for laying pipes.

Rainfall is concentrated in the months of July and August, leaving little time for the water to leach through the soil. The rest runs off the denuded hill slopes with scarce vegetation to trap the precipitation. Moreover, high summer temperatures, sometimes nearing 50 degrees Celsius, cause quick evaporation in ponds.

As a result, for decades, villagers  most of them women  walked kilometres every day to fetch water. Many resorted to jugaad  digging underneath the ground to eke out water and then use it after straining the dust and silt with a cloth.

In Pathramani, the nearest water source  a well and four hand pumps were within a kilometre of the village, but by May, they would dry up, rendering even daily chores an uphill task.

It took us about a month and a half to ensure supply to villages like Pathramani but seeing the joy in the eyes of the people made the whole effort worth it, says Rohit Sahay, a project manager with Larsen and Toubro, the construction agency  GVPR is the other  tasked with ensuring water supply in the Chitrakoot-Banda belt.

It is a five-step process. Water from the Yamuna is first pumped into an intake well constructed under the Chandi Bangar Gram Samooh Payjal Yojana at Chillimal village in Rajapur. From there, through another pumping station , the water is sent to a treatment plant. After treatment, it is pumped through a 35 kilometre-long main pipeline into a clear water reservoir in Audaha village. Then, the water is pumped up into an overhead tank constructed near Pathramani. In the final step, the water supply to every household is ensured.

Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal project is underway and in different phases in 416 other revenue villages of Chitrakoot. In 118 villages, the water supply has started, and the entire project is constantly monitored from Lucknow with an in-depth review and analysis of the progress and other requirements, says Ashish Kumar, executive engineer, Jal Nigam (Gramin), Chitrakoot.

Water pipelines now dot the bleak landscape with pumping stations at regular intervals to ensure enough pressure to enable treated water to be deposited in overhead tanks constructed outside prominent villages in Chitrakoot. After Pathramani, the work of testing and commissioning is now under way in other nearby villages.

There are teething problems. This is a hilly region and my house is located a little higher so the water supply in my area is patchy at the moment, but the ones downhill are getting daily water, Mishra says.

But no one is complaining. The fact this time our village is not boycotting elections is proof that things have begun to change, Mishra adds.

Water shapes life and society in India. The walls of Gopipur village are a testimony to this.

In this region, communities announce marital unions by painting their houses with the details of the bride and the groom using traditional colour and art. But the walls in Gopipur are barren; due to scarcity of water, no families allow their daughters to be married to men there.

Our children migrated out since they neither had a job nor a life partner. The harshness of life was the reason for large-scale palayan (exodus). Now this Har Ghar Nal has raised hope that our families can unite again, says Maharani Devi, 60.

In one of the Bundelkhand villages of 800 households, water comes from a single well.(Mujeeb Faruqui/HT File Photo)

In this village of 2,500 people, many houses are locked for years as water shortages shrivelled families. But with water trickling out of taps in nearby Pathramani, hope is rising and some people are coming back.

We shifted as, along with the water crisis, there were hardly any jobs. So, we migrated in the hope of a better life, says Prabha Kumari, who migrated to Satna district in Madhya Pradesh but is now back as the Jal Jeevan Missions water tester, a job profile that requires her to visit each household with field test kits to test the quality of water.

Similar employment training is being imparted to local men as plumbers, fitters, masons and pump operators under the water at your doorstep project, officials said. Piped water will follow soon, they hope.

In adjoining Sarhat village, women said between six and eight hours a day would be lost in fetching water from afar, balancing several pitchers on their head and hands. We couldnt pursue our studies as most of the time would be lost in trips to fetch water, says Lilavati.

Thats no longer the case, the reason why teething problems such as low pressure, misfiring valves, and missing taps do not cause consternation. There are still some issues like poor pressure and irregular supply. But the taps and the water that flows out of them is real, says Kavita Verma, a resident from Gopipur who studied till Class 12 before dropping out.

Pathramani, Gopipur and Sarhat are part of the Banda Lok Sabha constituency that goes to the polls on May 20. Four of the five assembly segments that make up the seat are held by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has also won the Lok Sabha constituency since 2014.

This time, nearly every election pitch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath have included the Jal Jeevan Mission and how it has made a difference in the lives of the poor. Modi has repeatedly said that he is determined to fulfil his 2019 poll promise of resolving the regions water crisis.

This is a dream project and has the full attention of the chief minister, said Uttar Pradeshs principal secretary, Anurag Srivastava who has been tasked with the water mission since inception.

It will be a central theme of the PMs announced east UP push beginning later this week and the message will be driven home by state jal shakti minister Swatantra Dev Singh, who hails from Bundelkhand, said the BJP.

Politics in Banda has traditionally revolved around the 2Ps  paani (water) and palayan (migrant exodus).

The major contest is between sitting BJP MP RK Patel, who is taking on the Bahujan Samaj Partys Mayank Dwivedi, the son of former BSP lawmaker Purshottam Dwivedi, and the Samajwadi Partys Krishna Devi Patel, wife of former lawmaker Shiv Shankar.

Its Brahmin vs Kurmi (OBC) here and despite the larger narratives, ultimately people here have always ended up voting on caste lines. But, this is the first election when water has reached some villages of Chitrakoot, said Ravindra Tiwari, a retired school principal in Chitrakoot.

Campaigning in Banda on Monday, Adityanath played up the BJP governments push to ensure functional tap water connections and told the people: Dont waste your vote on those who kept you thirsty all these years.

BSP candidate Mayank Dwivedi attempted to project confidence. The only development that was done here was during Behenji Mayawatis time. Rest all is eyewash. Once I am elected, we will bring development focus back to the area.

The SP candidate Krishna Devi Patel, the first woman candidate named by any party in the constituency in nearly 15 years, is holding a door-to-door campaign, promising to change the fortunes of the region with jobs.

All claims of the BJP are hollow, be it on open defecation or drinking water. Go and check for yourself in villages. The problems that existed have aggravated in the 10 years of the BJP government. Rhetoric is now failing and the BJP is nervous now, said former minister and SP leader Rajendra Chaudhary.

But for women such as Kavita Verma, the water flowing out of their taps is very real -- and an election issue.Now at least, our generation wont have to take bullock carts just to fetch water, said Verma.

Our lives will become normal.

This is the 25th in a series of election reports from the field that look at national and local issues through an electoral lens.
A photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi serving food at a langar (community kitchen) to devotees at the Takhat Sri Harimandir Ji Patna Sahib Gurdwara in Patna, Bihar, is being shared with a false claim that the vessel the prime minister was seen holding was empty. The bucket PM Modi was seen holding contained kheer in it.

BOOM viewed visuals of Modi serving food at the langar and found that the bucket he was seen holding contained kheer in it.

The prime minister on May 13, 2024, visited the Takhat Sri Patna Sahib Gurdwara, which holds significance as the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru. Modi wore a turban and was holding a bucket of kheer while serving food to devotees.

The photo was posted on X with the caption, "BIG BREAKING Narendra Modi exposed. Narendra Modi isn't doing langar seva, he's doing a photo shoot for the coming Lok Sabha Elections in Punjab. Observe minutely Modi is Serving Food but there is no food in Plate of guests before or after the people sitting in the queue. There is no food in the serving spoon Spoon or in the serving pot Pot He is just doing for Photoshoot to get votes from the Sikh community in the coming Lok Sabha elections in Punjab. Modi can go do anything to get votes he has no feelings for the living or dead. A heartless soul living in India."

PM Modi serving food at a langar (community kitchen) to devotees at the Takhat Sri Harimandir Ji Patna Sahib Gurdwara in Patna, Bihar.

Click here to view, and here for an archive. The same photo is being widely shared on X with the misleading claim.

FACT-CHECK

BOOM found that visuals from the Takhat Sri Harimandir Ji Patna Sahib Gurdwara in Patna, Bihar, which clearly show Modi serving food from a bucket with kheer in it. The photo is being shared falsely claiming that the bucket was empty.

Screenshots taken from the viral video make it difficult to discern the food item because served because of the lighting and stainless steel plates on which the food was served.

We checked visuals posted by news agency ANI, of Modi serving devotees, where we can clearly see him serving kheer from the bucket. This can be seen in the below X post by ANI on May 13, 2024.

Additionally, Modi was also photographed helping the Gurdwara management to cook food at the langar.

Disclaimer: This story was originally published by Boom, and republished by HT Digital as part of the Shakti Collective.
The department of animal husbandry and dairying is facing backlash for a social media post on combatting the stray dog menace. The goverment department, under the ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying, suggested a controversial approach to avoid dog bites: pretend to be a tree. Stay calm and be a tree to avoid dog bites; let them sniff and move on, said the department of animal husbandry in a social media post. (@Dept_of_AHD / X)

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the department advised, If a growling dog gets close to you, pretend to be a tree stand still with your hands at your side.

Allow the dog to sniff you and it will usually go away, it added.

Read: SC discusses stray dog menace after lawyer hounded and attacked

This advice has sparked criticism from social media users, who questioned its practicality and effectiveness. Some pointed out that the departments advice oversimplifies the issue and fails to address the broader problems associated with stray dogs in India, including the need for vaccination, registration, and population control measures.

It will 'usually' go away. Even you cannot guarantee that it will go away for sure. Keeping a stick or rock handy is the only solution to this menace, one replied.

"You must be joking?" another wrote.

Read: Will chalk out a plan soon to tackle stray dog menace: Chandigarh mayor

Here are some more reactions:

"Stray dogs shouldnt even be a thing in India today."

"At least raise concern with the municipality and Nigams to vaccinate the dogs ..register and keep check on pet dogs..if population increases then fix the responsibility."

"Pretend to be a tree? Seriously? And if the dog doesn't go away in an "unusual" situation then what? Pretend to be lettuce and be a meal for it?"

The stray dog menace has become a matter of greater concern, especially in urban areas. Last month, a four-year-old girl was mauled to death by stray dogs near Deoria in Uttar Pradesh. A four-year-old girl, Reshma, in the Udaipur district also met a similar fate after stray dogs attacked her. She was rushed to a hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. In February, a one-and-a-half-year-old girl was allegedly mauled by a pack of dogs in Dhobi Ghat area of Tuqhlaq Lane in the national capital.

A six-year-old boy was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs when he was going to his school in Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan, prompting the government to issue guidelines for municipal bodies asking them to pick up stray dogs with violent tendency and and release them away from cities.

The Supreme Court had asked the Animal Welfare Board of India to file an affidavit enclosing data on incidents of dog bites during the last few years in different states and prominent cities. The top court had said a balance has to be maintained between the safety of people and animal rights.
The body of a 26-year-old woman from Bhopal was found stuffed in a bag in a hotel in Himachal Pradesh's Manali, PTI reported on Thursday, citing the police. The woman was a 25-year-old woman from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.(Representational Image.)

The woman had checked into the hotel on Monday with a man, who initially fled from the scene.

The police said that it received a call from the hotel staff reporting that a man was carrying a huge bag in a vehicle, raising suspicion.

"Following this, the police team reached the spot and found the woman's body in the bag outside the hotel," the Deputy Superintendent of Police K D Sharma told PTI. The accused fled from the hotel.

Als Read | 19-year-old killed over illicit relationship in Punjab

During the initial probe, the police found no photographs or documents of the accused as the booking was made under the victim's name.

The police then launched a search operation and arrested the accused on Thursday.

The suspect was identified as Vinod Kumar, 23, a resident of Palwal district in Haryana, where he worked as a delivery boy. The woman was a 25-year-old woman from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, reported The Indian Express.

The police have also not ruled out the possibility of sexual assault on the victim. As per the Indian Express report, the man and woman had been in contact online for about three years. They had also visited Manali together previously.

According to the police, the accused strangled the woman following a verbal altercation in their room on Tuesday.

Also Read | 20-yr-old murdered by her stalker in Hubballi

During the initial interrogation, he confessed to killing the victim. The suspect and the victim were acquainted for some time. We have informed the victims family members, who will be arriving from Bhopal to Manali on Thursday evening, Superintendent of Police (Kullu) Karthikeyan Gokulachandran told the website.

A case has been registered against Kumar under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.
Trinamool Congress can do a volte-face and support the BJP if they have a higher number in the Lok Sabha election, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said on Thursday commenting on Mamata Banerjee's latest announcement of TMC providing 'outside support' to the INDIA bloc. Adhir said he does not trust Mamata as she broke the alliance in West Bengal. In a major allegation against Mamata, Adhir said the West Bengal chief minister is already standing on the line to support the other alliance (NDA). The rift in INDIA bloc owing to Mamata came to the surface just ahead of the 5th phase of the election scheduled to be held on May 20. Adhir Ranjan said Mamata is already queueing up to support the NDA.

Lok Sabha election 2024: Full coverage

What is 'outside support'? What did Mamata say?

Despite being one of the main faces of the opposition INDIA bloc, Mamata Banerjee announced before the election that her party will not leave any seat for the Congress and CPM in West Bengal and TMC would contest solo. This was because of a fallout between the Trinamool and the Congress over the seat-sharing. Trinamool was not ready to leave as many seats in West Bengal as the Congress. Though the deal fell through in Bengal, Mamata did not walk out of INDIA bloc.

But after four phases of the election, Mamata announced on Wednesday that her party will support the INDIA alliance to form the government at the Centre from outside.

Outside support means the Trinamool will not join the government formation if INDIA wins and forms the government but will remain its ally and vote for it on bills. BJP is claiming that it will win 400 seats, but people are saying it will not happen. The entire country has understood that the BJP is a party full of thieves. We (TMC) will support the INDIA bloc from outside to form a government at the Centre, Mamata said adding that in West Bengal, the Congress and the CPM are with the BJP.

"We will extend our support so that in (West) Bengal, our mothers and sisters never face a problem... and those who work in the 100 days' job scheme, also do not face problems," Mamata said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said he never indulged in Hindu-Muslim politics but added that he was determined to expose the Congress plan of appeasement and dividing communities as he addressed two rallies in the battleground state of Maharashtra and held a mega roadshow in Mumbai. Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis at a roadshow for the Lok Sabha elections, at Ghatkopar in Mumbai on Wednesday. (ANI)

Addressing two back-to-back poll rallies in Maharashtra, where the final 13 seats will go to the polls on May 20, the PM also hit out at the Shiv Sena (UBT), repeatedly calling it the duplicate Shiv Sena, and said the Uddhav Thackeray-led party has surrendered to the Congress and was silent on criticism of rituals at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

He accused the Congress of wanting to allocate 15% of the central government budget to minorities and vowed not to allow splitting of budget or reservation on the basis of religion.

Since Nehrus time, the Congress has given the drug of garibi hatao [remove poverty] during every election. Congress only knows Hindu and Muslim politics and development is only for those who vote for them, he said in Kalyan, where chief minister Eknath Shindes son Shrikant is the BJPs candidate.

When I expose them, their ecosystem screams Modi is indulging in communal politics. History is witness to their acts. They have to open their albums to check who their grandparents are to find out who they themselves are.

Maharashtra Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant said, His hatred for minorities and Muslims has been evident from day one of the campaign.

Maharashtra is a key state for both the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), especially after two regional powerhouses  the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party  suffered vertical splits. The state sends the second-highest number of members to the Lok Sabha at 48. In 2019, the NDA won 41 of these.

In Kalyan, Modi referred to a 2006 remark of then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to hit out at the Congress.

The Congress openly said the minorities have the first right over the countrys resources. (Then PM) Dr Manmohan Singh said this, and I was present at the meeting, and I opposed it. The Congress wanted 15% budget allocation to the minorities, and divide the budget into Hindu budget and Muslim budget, Modi alleged.

Read more: PM Modi hurls nakli jibe at Uddhav Thackeray's Sena faction: Balasaheb said

Should the country be run like this? The Congress divided the country in the name of religion earlier, and now wants to do the same thing. If the INDI alliance comes to power, they will divide the country on religious lines....we have to keep the country together....is it good to divide Indians? he asked.

Accusing the INDIA bloc and Congresss shehzade (prince, a reference to Rahul Gandhi) of appeasement, the PM said Congress-ruled Karnataka was a laboratory of giving OBC quota to Muslims.

They plan to do this in the entire country. Congress leaders speak of vote jihad. I am being blamed for (doing) Hindu-Muslim (politics), but I am only exposing the Congress and INDI alliances plans to divide people on the basis of religion and their appeasement politics. More than my image, the unity of the country is important, the PM added.

To be sure, the Congress has repeatedly said that the BJP is misrepresenting Singhs remark, and that the PM had only spoken of the need to empower the marginalised, including scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and Muslims.

Modis comments came a day after he referred to the Hindu-Muslim divide in a News18 interview.

The day I start talking about Hindu-Muslim (in politics) will be the day I lose my ability to lead a public life, Modi said, speaking in Hindi. I will not do Hindu-Muslim. That is my resolve. Modi also clarified his controversial remark on infiltrators and those with more children referred to every poor family. The remarks had sparked a political firestorm with the Opposition blaming the PM of stoking communal politics.

In Kalyan, Modi dared Uddhav Thackeray to make Rahul Gandhi speak five lines in favour of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

(1993 Mumbai blasts convict) Yakub Memons grave is decorated, and invitation for the Ram temple is rejected, the PM said in a swipe at the Congress over its decision to skip the idol consecration event in Ayodhya.

After his government conducted a surgical strike and an air strike on terrorist bases, Pakistan stopped giving the threat of using nuclear weapons, but Congress leaders are now saying the neighbouring country should be respected because they have the atom bomb, Modi said, referring to an earlier remark of former Union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar.

During previous governments, there were announcements about being careful around abandoned objects. Bombs exploded, terrorists made threats, firing on the border and Naxal attacks were daily occurrences.Have you heard of it since you gave Modi the power?

In the evening, he held a 2.2-km-long roadshow in Ghatkopar. It started at Ashok Silk Mills, near R City Malls on LBS Road in Ghatkopar West at around 7.15pm and ended at Parshwanath Chowk in Ghatkopar East around 8pm.

I have been waiting for three hours to get a glimpse of Modiji. I am happy to have seen him during the show, said 62-year old Devaji Gada.

Modi was accompanied by chief minister Eknath Shinde, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Mumbai North East BJP candidate Mihir Kotecha, and Mumbai North Central constituency BJP candidate Ujjwal Nikam. Music bands representing various communities also played in unison.

Took part in a massive roadshow in Mumbai. Grateful to everyone who came to bless us, especially women and children. Our partys connection with Mumbai is deep. It was in this city that our party was founded in 1980. This makes our commitment to serve it even stronger, Modi posted on X.

The Mumbai Metropolitan region has 10 seats, of which the BJP holds four.

At the first rally of the day at Pimpalgaon Baswant in Nashik district, the PM said splitting the budget on religious lines was a dangerous idea.

We give the benefit of welfare schemes to everyone. But the Congress wants division and distribution of budgets based on religion. They divided the country on the basis of religion and are doing it even today, said Modi.

The PM pointed out that Dr BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution, was firmly against religion-based reservation in jobs and education.

When I was the chief minister (of Gujarat), the Congress (then heading the UPA government) had brought up this proposal (to earmark 15% of the budget for minorities). The BJP strongly opposed this move and hence it could not be implemented. But the Congress wants to bring this dangerous proposal again (if voted to power), Modi warned the gathering.

Without naming NCP patriarch president Sharad Pawar, Modi said, An INDI alliance leader from Maharashtra knows the Congress is losing badly (in elections). So, he has suggested that small parties merge with the Congress so that it can get the status of the principal opposition party. Merger of small parties with the Congress is sure to happen. When the duplicate Shiv Sena merges, I will remember Balasaheb Thackerays words that if the Shiv Sena becomes like the Congress, he will shut down his party. Now, the duplicate Shiv Sena will cease to exist. The duplicate Shiv Sena has crushed all dreams of Balasaheb Thackeray, he said.

Modi addressed a rally for BJPs Dindori candidate Bharati Pawar, and Shiv Sena candidate Hemant Godse in Nashik.

He also said that Modi would not allow budgets or reservations based on faith.  I would not let it happen against the policies of DR BR Ambedkar on reservation. This is the election to pick not only an MP but a prime minister who has the might to work for the powerful nation, he said.

Sensing the unrest among the onion growers in Nashik and neighboring areas, Modi underlined that his government made arrangements for the buffer stock. We procured 1 lakh metric tonne of onion and now have decided to create a buffer of 5 lakh metric tonnes more. Our policies have resulted in the rise of the onion export by 35% during our regime and export figures of onion have crossed 22,000 metric tonnes, he said.

The Maharashtra Congresss Sawant, said, Whatever budgetary allocations were done by Manmohan Singh government for the minority communities were as part of the implementation of the report by the Sachhar committee appointed for the upliftment of the Muslims decades ago.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar asserted that the loss of control over Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK) stemmed from "someone's weakness or mistake", subtly targeting the leadership of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the Congress party. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.(PTI)

At an event titled Vishwabandhu Bharat, Jaishankar was asked about potential reaction from China if India crossed the 'Lakshman Rekha' and integrated PoK to the Union of India, givecn that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor passes through Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan.

Read: PoK protests: Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on boil as 3 civilians shot dead during clashes

The external affairs dismissed the notion of a Lakshman Rekha limiting India's actions and said, I don't believe there's any such thing as a 'Lakshman Rekha'. I think PoK is a part of India, and due to someone's weakness or mistake, it's temporarily slipped away from us.

Leveraging his experience as a former ambassador to China, Jaishankar criticised Beijing's collaboration with Pakistan, especially concerning the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

"I was China's ambassador, and we all are aware of China's past actions and it working hand in glove with Pakistan... its old history. We repeatedly told them that this land, neither Pakistan nor China claims it as theirs. If there's any sovereign claimant, it's India. You're occupying, you're building there, but the legal title is mine," he said.

Read: Amid unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Amit Shah's 'we will take...' warning

Jaishankar also pointed out the 1963 border agreement between Beijing and Islamabad, where Pakistan ceded about 5,000 km of territory to China.

"In 1963, Pakistan and China agreed to take their friendship forward, and to keep China close, Pakistan handed over about 5,000km of the Pakistan-occupied territory to China. It's written in that agreement that eventually, China will respect whether this territory belongs to Pakistan or India. Sometimes people just grab territory, and then it's about how to resolve it," Jaishankar said.

"I think we need to keep our position very strong, we need to have confidence in ourselves. Ten years ago, none of you would talk like this, it's a change... even the Indian public has confidence in this."

Read: Himanta Sarma's big claim on BJP's next move if it wins 400 seats in Lok Sabha

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has raked up the PoK issue ahead of the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, with Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claiming that 400 seats for the BJP would ensure the integration of disputed territory with India.

On Thursday, Union home minister Amit Shah asserted that PoK belongs to India and the country will take it back "at any cost".
Thiruvananthapuram, Relatives of a woman, who was unable to see her husband one last time before his death in Oman due to the Air India Express cabin crew strike that resulted in cancellation of her flight, protested with the body of the deceased outside the AISATS office in the Kerala capital on Thursday. The body of the man was brought to Kerala in the morning and the relatives went with it directly to the Air India SATS office here. The relatives kept the body in front of the steps of the building housing the AISATS office and silently stood around it, according to visuals shown on TV channels. The woman's father alleged that he lost his son-in-law due to the airline's indifference. Later, he went and sat inside the main doors of the airline office and said he will not budge from there till Air India Express takes a decision with regard to what happened. "Let the last rites and rituals be held, but I will not leave here till they make a decision. This should not happen to anyone else in the future. "They have to take care of my grandkids and my daughter. They need to compensate us for the loss. Till they take a decision on that, I will not go from here," he said. He also claimed that till now the airline has not even refunded the cancelled tickets amount. "But refund is not our main concern," he added. The husband of the woman, Amrita, was hospitalised in Muscat in Oman due to heart problems and was in the ICU, leading to her decision to book tickets on an AI Express flight for May 8. However, she along with hundreds were in for a rude shock when they reached airports across the state when they were informed that all flights were cancelled. Her protest at the airport earned her a ticket for the next day on another Air India Express flight, but unfortunately, that too was cancelled and she had to abandon her travel plans altogether. On May 13, her husband died in Muscat. Amrita's family had said it was unfair that she could not see her husband for one last time. They claimed that they had begged the airline to accommodate her on some other flight so that she could see him for one last time, but AI Express did not do anything. Her husband was hospitalised following a massive heart attack. Air India Express had cancelled "scores of flights" last week due to a shortage of cabin crew members as a section of them reported sick to protest against alleged mismanagement at the Tata Group-owned airline. Discontent has been brewing among a section of the cabin crew at the low-cost carrier for some time now, especially after the start of the process of merger of AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia India, with itself. Later, on May 10, the strike by a section of the cabin crew was called off and the airline also withdrew termination letters issued to 25 striking cabin crew. From May 8 to May 10, Air India Express had to cancel over 260 flights due to cabin crew shortage, an airline source had said. The airline on May 12 had said that it was slowly restoring its flights and stabilising the network and that full normalcy was expected by Tuesday. The same day, the cabin crew union had said that all members who had reported sick had joined duty by May 11.

Kerala widow's family protests outside airline office, seeks compensation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, May 16, hit out at the Opposition for allegedly trying to cause riots in the country by spreading lies about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). He added that the country has started granting citizenship under the CAA. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a poll rally for Lok Sabha elections in Lalganj, Azamgarh, on May 16, 2024. (PTI)

The prime minister said that although the people of "INDI alliance" claim they will remove CAA, no one can do it. Follow live updates on Lok Sabha elections 2024

"Parties like the Samajwadi Party and Congress spread lies over the issue of the CAA. They tried their best to burn the country, including UP, in riots. Even today, people of this INDI alliance say that Modi has brought the CAA and the day he goes, the CAA will also be removed. Desh mein koi maai ka laal paida hua hai jo CAA hata sake? (has anyone been born in this country who can repeal the CAA?). Nobody can remove the CAA. Modi has removed their veil of fake secularism under the garb of which they tried to do votebank politics and made Hindu-Muslim fight against each other," Modi said addressing an election gathering in UP's Lalganj in Azamgarh.

"The work of giving refugees citizenship under the CAA has already started. These are those people who have been living in the country for a long time as refugees and were victims of partition of the country done on the basis of religion," Modi added.

Modi also accused the Congress of neglecting these refugees.

The Congress and the SP tried to spread lies in the name of CAA. They tried to push Uttar Pradesh and the entire country towards riots, he alleged.

Modi also said the excitement showed by the people of Srinagar in polls is proof no one can bring back Article 370 and do politics of vote bank.

The Samajwadi Party, Congress are two parties but have one shop where they sell appeasement, lies, 'parivarvad', corruption, Modi said at the rally in UP's Azamgarh.

Modi alleged that the Samajwadi Party, Congress want to divide the country's budget and allot 15 per cent to minorities.

Yogi Adityanath has run my cleanliness campaign successfully in UP by acting against mafia, rioters and extortionists, Modi said.
At least 90 persons were admitted to different hospitals after consuming eatables during a temple feast in Maharashtra's Nanded district, PTI reported on Thursday, citing the police. The condition of those admitted at the hospital is stable and they are out of danger.(Image for representation.)

The suspected incident of food poisoning took place on Wednesday evening at Naigaon, an unidentified police official told the news agency.

"A feast was organised and food was served to devotees just outside a Shiva temple. They were given 'ambil' (porridge) and 'kheer' (a sweet dish made from milk) to eat," he said.

But after having 'ambil', the devotees felt dizzy and started vomiting, he added.

"Initially, some of them were rushed to a hospital. But towards late evening, there were more complaints of food poisoning. Till late night, a total of 90 people were admitted to various hospitals for treatment," the official told PTI.

The condition of those admitted at the hospital is stable and they are out of danger, the official said.

The police has taken cognisance of the incident and visited the spot. An official inquiry is being held.

In March, at least 76 college students living in a hostel in Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida and 17 people from Barola village in Noida were hospitalised, allegedly after they consumed food made from buckwheat flour bought locally.

According to an administrative official of Aryan Residency, the students were served puris made of buckwheat flour (kuttu ka atta) on account of Maha Shivratri.

Also Read | Ensure food hygiene to prevent health ailments in summer: Experts

A number of students had informed us that they were observing a fast for Maha Shivratri following which special food was made," an hostel official, on condition of anonymity had told HT. Later that night, students fell sick and we rushed them to hospitals nearby.

The students suffered a severe case of food poisoning and were treated by doctors accordingly., Sushil Sharma, general manager of Kailash Hospital had told.
The Delhi Police on Thursday registered a first information report (FIR) against chief minister Arvind Kejriwals personal secretary Bibhav Kumar, after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) parliamentarian Swati Maliwal recorded a statement in which, according to officers aware of the matter, she accused him of outraging her modesty, slapping, kicking and threatening her at the CMs residence three days ago. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal (Photo by Arvind Yadav/ Hindustan Times)(Hindustan Times)

Swati Maliwal assault case: Delhi Police lodges FIR, names Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar

Maliwals statement has been recorded and we are treating it as a complaint. After consulting legal experts, the FIR has been registered, said an officer aware of the matter.

Later in the evening, Maliwal broke her silence around the assault, which stunned the national capital, and confirmed that she had recorded a police statement, even as she urged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) not to politicise the matter.

AAP spokespersons did not respond to requests for comment.

Kumar did not respond to calls and text messages seeking comment.

Meanwhile, the BJP criticised Kejriwal after he was spotted arriving in Lucknow with Kumar, along with senior party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh.

In a detailed statement on X on Thursday evening, Maliwal acknowledged Mondays incident and said she hoped appropriate action will be taken.

What happened to me was very bad. I have given my statement to the police on the incident that happened to me. I hope that appropriate action will be taken. The last few days have been very difficult for me. I thank those who prayed for me, she said.

Those who tried to assassinate my character, said she was doing it on the instructions of the other party, may God keep them happy too, Maliwal continued.

She turned her focus to the ongoing polls and said, An important election is going on in the country, Swati Maliwal is not important, the issues of the country are important.

There is a special request to BJP people to not do politics on this incident, Maliwal said at the end of her statement.

Swati Maliwal's first reaction on 'assault' at Arvind Kejriwal's residence: Very difficult last few days

According to Delhi Police, Kumar was on Thursday booked under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 506 (criminal intimidation), 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) and 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the FIR, which was registered at the Civil Lines police station.

The case was registered after a two-member police team visited Maliwals home on Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Marg and recorded her statement over four-and-a-half-hours.

Around 9.30am on Monday, Maliwal, who is the former chief of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), called the police and said she was being manhandled by Kumar. She visited the Civil Lines police station, but left saying she would file a complaint later.

Referring to Maliwals complaints, a senior police officer said she told the police that on Monday, when she reached the drawing room of the CMs office, Kumar began abusing her.

Without any provocation, he started beating me mercilessly. I was begging to leave, but he didnt let me. After a while, I managed to escape and called the police, said the officer, quoting the complaint.

The AAP acknowledged the incident for the first time on Tuesday, when party MP Sanjay Singh, during a press conference, admitted that Kumar misbehaved with Maliwal on May 13 and added that the CM has taken note of the incident and has asked for strict action.

However, the BJP on Thursday criticised the AAP and accused it of trying to shield Kumar.

The BJPs national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala shared an image of AAP leaders at the Lucknow airport showing Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh and Kumar.

72 hours No FIR on Bibhav Kumar instead Kejriwal is protecting him! Roaming around with him, Poonawala said in the post on X.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva slammed Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadavs remarks on Maliwals alleged misbehaviour as shameful.

During a press conference jointly addressed in Lucknow by Kejriwal and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, when asked about the assault, the latter said, There are more important things than this.

Till today, Arvind Kejriwal and all his leaders have shamefully remained silent. MP Sanjay Singhs admission that an incident had happened at Arvind Kejriwals residence and action will be taken against the CMs private secretary Bibhav Kumar has turned out to be completely false. Kejriwal has not taken any action and he is roaming around with Bibhav Kumar, Sachdeva said.

Delhi Police records AAP MP Swati Maliwal's statement in assault case, may lodge FIR: Report

Meanwhile on Thursday evening, a delegation of the Delhi BJPs women wing sought to meet Maliwal at her home. However, a staffer came to meet the delegation and accepted a letter of support from the party on behalf of Maliwal, said Richa Pandey Mishra, the state president of Delhi BJP womens wing.
Trilochan Behera, a 34-year-old smalltime trader in Hinjilis S Chikili village and Kumar Bachha, a 37-year-old marginal farmer in Bhalukana village of Kantabanji, may live 300 km away from each other, but on May 20, the two will determine the fate of chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who is seeking re-election for the sixth term. Odisha CM and BJD leader Naveen Patnaik with the party candidates at a public meeting in Deogarh on Wednesday. (PTI)

Like 2019, when Patnaik decided to contest from two seats, Bijepur in Bargarh district and his traditional seat of Hinjili in Ganjam district, the five-time CM is contesting from two seats this time too. Apart from his pocketborough Hinjili, Patnaik is contesting from Kantabanji assembly seat in Bolangir district in an effort to stem the tide of BJP in western Odisha.

But there is something else that unites Behera and Bachha  their annual migration to Gujarat and Telangana for livelihood. Behera, a matric pass, goes to Surat every year like many other men from Hinjili, a semi-urban constituency known for its vegetable farmlands, to work in the citys famed textile looms, while Bachhas post-monsoon routine is to board a train to Telangana to work in one of the brick kilns there for at least 6 months.

The moment the young in Ganjam finish their education or drop out of school, they have to migrate out for livelihood. Surat is the destination for most of us, said Behera. Baccha agrees: Unless we go out to work in brick kilns of Telangana or Andhra Pradesh, we will die of starvation. There is no work here for us.

If Hinjili is the migration gateway of south Odisha to the textile looms of Surat and sometimes Mumbai, Kantabanji in Bolangir is the stairway from western Odisha to the brick kilns of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and construction sites of Tamil Nadu. Every year, thousands of young men from Ganjam, particularly Hinjili, pack their meagre belongings and board trains to Surat , while a similar number of young people from the western Odisha districts of Kalahandi, Nuapara, Bolangir, Sambalpur and Bargarh converge at Kantabanji railway station every autumn before pouring into the unreserved compartments heading for Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam hoping to payoff the usurious loans that they have taken. The cycle of debt unfortunately does not end for most of them and the migration continues. There are no government statistics to show how many labourers migrate out of Odisha to work in other states every year; but in 2020, a little more than a million migrants registered at the Covid centres set up by the state government. Of the 1 million, Ganjam and Bolangir district alone accounted for around 35%.

Though Odia Asmita(Odia pride) is a dominant theme in this years election , migration has found electoral resonance. On Saturday, speaking at a public meeting in Kandhamal district, PM Modi wondered why so many young people from Odisha keep migrating to Gujarat when it had so much of resources and huge coastline.

Hinjili assembly constituency which Naveen Patnaik has been representing since 2000 is predominantly a rural settlement with most villagers taking up vegetable farming. Being the constituency of CM, it has seen development, with wide tarred roads, drinking water facilities, a state-of-the-art indoor stadium, several schools and colleges, and an eye hospital. The developments have seen his winning margin widen every election.

But Behera is not impressed , even though he started voting for Patnaik in 2009 and then again rooted for him in 2014. In 2019, disillusioned by the lack of jobs, he voted for the BJP .

Like him. Sarojkanta Sahu, went to Surat five years ago to work in a textile mill there. After working there for couple of years, the 10th pass youth found a job in a factory in Karnataka. In Hinjili, you will find people from almost all the 21 grampanchayats going out for work. Most go to Gujarat while others go to Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai. If we could somehow earn 10-15000 a month here, why would we migrate, said Sahu.

Tutu Bisoyi in Thirida grampanchayat, worked in a chit fund company in Ganjam that folded up leaving him and others without an option but to leave for Surat. Bisoyi said there isnt much NREGA (the governments rural job guarantee scheme that promises at least 100 days of work, at minimum wage, to at least one person in every poor family) work , with the scheme anyway becoming a happy hunting ground for middlemen. NREGA is a scam in Hinjili. The money for the daily wagers are pocketed by middlemen. The CM could not even set up a safety pin factory in last 24 years, said Bisoyi.

Women, who have been vocal supporters of Patnaik, concede that migration is going to be a major issue this election. Though the SHG (self help group) programme has helped us earn , what is the point if our husbands and sons have to go out in search of livelihood, asked Santoshi Behera.

BJP candidate from Hinjli Sisir Mishra, said that apart from good roads and some infrastructure development, Hinjili does not look like a VVIP constituency. In the last five years, Naveen babu has come to Hinjili for just about 10 days. He has outsourced the governance of Hinjili to few officers. However, his biggest faikure would be his inability to solve the mass migration of Odia people from Hinjili as well as Ganjam district to Gujarat and other states.

Meanwhile, among those who stay behind, farmers producing different types of vegetables are unhappy over lack of cold storage. Ami Patra of Govindpur village grows yam. This year he produced 600 kg , but had to sell his produce for less than 20 a kg as there is no cold storage in Hinjili. Even 4-5 cold storages would help us store the yam for weeks and sell it for 50-60 a kg.

BJD leader Pyarimohan Padhi concedes that migration from Hinjili as well as other areas of Ganjam district is a problem, but argues that the Naveen Patnaik government has ushered in development that nobody would have imagined. Hinjili was a small rural settlement some 20 years ago. Once Naveen babu started representing it, most villages have got electricity connections, drinking water and sanitation facilities.

In Kantabanji constituency which Patnaik has chosen as his new battlefield in 2024 polls, Barju Baccha of Bhalukana village under Halanbhata grampanchayat has been going to work in the brick kilns of Karimnagar in Telangana since the age of 15. Diagnosed as a diabetic since a year ago, Baccha came back for treatment. But the stress of three unmarried daughters at home has been rankling him.

I have no other way than to go to work in a brick kiln sooner or later. I have six daughters of whom I have managed to marry off three. There is no work here.

Baccha took loans for the marriage of his one of his daughters at a huge monthly interest. Desperate to settle his loan, he signed up with a contractor Bansi Sardar who supplied workers to brick kilns in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. He was paid 2.4 lakh. The work was strenuous as working hours stretched for 14-16 hours sometimes into the dead of night. He managed to repay the loan, but had to migrate out again to marry off the second daughter. There is no escape route, but migrate out, he said.

Ghanashyam Majhi, a 32-year-old Gond tribal in the same village, first migrated to a brick kiln in Karimnagar 10 years ago. He got married three years ago and now has a 2-year-old daughter.

Though he hoped to find NREGA work in the area, Majhi and his wife Droupadi had to finally migrate to a brick kilns in Telangana in November last year with their daughter in tow.

There is just no place to sleep at the brick kilns. Many of us fall sick after working for a few months, said Majhi, who migrated after trying unsuccessfully to get NREGA work around his village.

Migration expert Jyoti Prakash Brahma who works for a NGO said that though the government is pushing NREGA work to stop distress migration, this often doesnt work out. Work is not available when people want it and wages dont come on time. The government is still stuck in the 80s and unable to think out of the box on how to address the migration issue.

Though BJD has launched a spirited campaign for the chief minister in Kantabanji, in the villages across Kantabanji, not many are sure if Patnaik can solve the problem. They also have a bigger fear -- abadonment. In 2019, Patnaik cavacted the Bijepur seat after winning it.

Babulal Tandi, a 32-year-old in Halanbhata village, said he has been voting for BJD for a decade and would vote for Naveen Patnaik again, if he promises to set up some factory in Kantabanji or get us work throughout the year. The migration is taking a toll on my health.

BJP candidate Laxman Bag said people dont have confidence in Patnaik being able to change things. As long as the structural reasons of persistence of migration, improving financial access of farmers and skillful implementation of NREGA in line with aspirations of people are not addressed, I dont think the CM becoming MLA of Kantabanji can effect a miracle. Why would any industrial house set up a factory in Kantabanji?.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched a campaign blitz in the electoral battleground of eastern Uttar Pradesh, accusing the Opposition of spreading lies on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and of abusing north Indians to gain votes in the south, and alleging that the INDIA bloc will disintegrate after the election results. Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a rally in Jaunpur. (ANI)

PM Modi jabs Akhilesh Yadav over new bua Mamata Banerjee: Are babua'

In four packed rallies in Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Bhadohi and Pratapgarh, Modi also alleged that the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) had brought in a triple-dose of appeasement, contrasting their alleged approach to the Bharatiya Janata Partys record of working for the santushti (satisfaction) of all, in line with his mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas (inclusive development for all).

Do whatever you want to, but you will never be able to remove CAA, Modi said in Lalganj in Azamgarh, a day after the first set of citizenship certificates under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act was issued to 300 people.

These people say that when Modi goes, CAA will also go. Is there anyone in the country who can end the CAA? Modi said, alleging that the Congress and SP made Hindus and Muslims fight. But we have unmasked them. This is the Modi ki guarantee, he asserted.

The work of giving citizenship under CAA to refugees has already started. All these people are Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists. They have been living in the country for a long time as refugees and were victims of the partition of the country done based on religion, he said.

Modi accused the Congress of neglecting these refugees. The Congress and the SP tried to spread lies in the name of CAA. They tried to push Uttar Pradesh and the entire country towards riots, he alleged.

Former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh and Congress leader Digvijay Singh said, Prime Minister Narendra Modis record of speaking lies remains unbroken.

Modis comments came as the focus shifted to the eastern part of UP, which goes to the polls in the fifth, sixth and seventh phases of the ongoing general elections. Of the 41 Lok Sabha seats in this region, the BJP holds 32, the Samajwadi Party holds none, the Bahujan Samaj Party holds 6, and the Congress holds 1, and the BJP ally Apna Dal holds 2.

Modi further said the Congress and SP were two parties but ran one shop where they sell appeasement, lies, dynasty politics and corruption.

They have come with a triple dose of appeasement. They want to snatch the reservation granted to the SCs, STs and OBCs and give it to their vote bank. The INDI alliance wants to take half your property and give it to its vote bank. Also, they want to divide the countrys budget. We have to be cautious of those who divide and rule. They did Hindu-Muslim for 70 years. We must unite, Modi said

Alleging that the SP was running a mission to abuse the Ram temple, he said, Our faith is being hurt for the sake of vote bank.

PM Modi reveals plan for money seized by ED in corruption cases, says

We got the Ram temple after a wait of 500 years. The entire country is happy, every Indian living across the world is happy but these parivarvadis are hurling abuses. The shehzade [prince] of SP and his uncle call the Ram temple useless, he said.

He was referring to SPs chief national general secretary Ram Gopal Yadavs comments calling the Ram Mandir bekaar (useless) as it has not been properly constructed, keeping the vastu in mind.

Modi also referred to the high turnout in Jammu & Kashmir and linked it to the scrapping of Article 370.

In the recent polling held in Kashmir, people voted and felt proud of participating in the festival of democracy. The excitement shown by the people of Srinagar in polls is proof no one can bring back Article 370 and do vote bank politics.... Earlier during the polls in Kashmir, there used to be protests, people used to fear for their lives and get threats from terrorists. But this time, previous polling records were broken in Srinagar, he said.

The fourth phase of voting in Srinagar marked a celebration of Indias democracy and Constitution after 40 years. The enthusiasm witnessed in Srinagar signals an end to vote-bank politics centred around Article 370, he added.

The Srinagar parliamentary constituency, which went to polls on May 13, recorded a voter turnout of 38%  the highest turnout in the constituency since the 1996 general elections when it was 40.9%.

He said earlier people used to think of Azamgarh every time a blast took place but added the identity changed a decade ago. Terrorists accused of explosions were pardoned. Sleeper cells were given the cover of politics. Due to this attitude, terrorism rose across the country. These people still have the same attitude, Modi said.

He appealed to the people to elect his party candidates Neelam Sonkar from Lalganj, who is facing SPs Daroga Saroj, and Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua from Azamgarh, who is running opposite SPs Dharmendra Yadav and BSPs Mashood Ahmed.

He highlighted the BJPs reverence for the Yadav community and brought up Mohan Yadavs appointment as the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh last year.

Emphasising the significance of Indias global stature, Modi said, The world is witnessing widespread support for the BJP, NDA, and their allies, evident in the unified voice echoing across the nation with the resounding chant of Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh ministers Surya Pratap Shahi, Dara Singh Chauhan, Om Prakash Rajbhar, Lalganj MP Sangeeta Azad, BJP state general secretary Govind Narayan Shukla, legislative council member Vijay Bahadur Pathak, BJP candidate from Lalganj Neelam Sonkar, and Azamgarh candidate Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua were present at the rally.

In Jaunpur, Modi said that the Lok Sabha elections was an opportunity for the country to choose a leader who could run a strong government which makes the world aware of Indias strength.

Modi was addressing a rally organised in support of BJP candidates Kripashankar Singh from Jaunpur and BP Saroj from Machhlishahr.

Attacking SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Modi said, SPs shehzade also makes fun of Kashi. They are crossing every limit to please their vote bank. I am surprised that it is the 21st century and they are roaming around with the flag of triple talaq.

Referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhis oft-repeated comment that the Congress will conduct an X-ray of India through the caste census, Modi added: You must have heard that these Congressmen brought an X-ray machine. One needs to be careful with it. I have been exposing their agenda for a week. It seems that their X-ray machine has broken down.

In Bhadohi, Modi said the Samajwadi Party and the Congress wanted to try out the Trinamool politics, terming it a politics of appeasement and harassment of Dalits and women.

The Opposition has fielded a Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Lalitesh Pati Tripathi in Bhadohi. It is difficult for the SP and Congress to even save their deposit, so they are doing a political experiment in Bhadohi, Modi said.

TMC politics means murder of Hindus, harassment of Dalits and advasis, atrocities on women. So many BJP leaders were killed there and TMC MLAs say that they will kill Hindus by drowning them in the Ganga, Modi said.

The TMCs politics included the poisonous arrow of appeasement, calling Ram temple impure, banning Ram Navami celebrations, sheltering Bangladeshi intruders and vote jihad, Modi said.

The Samajawadi shehzade brought a bua (aunt) from West Bengal. Samajwadi shahzade should ask his buaa as to why she calls UP people outsiders, he added.

He was referring to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who has said called the BJP a party of outsiders since the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections.

In Jaunpur, he accused SP and Congress of abusing the people of UP when they are in the South.

In Pratapgarh, Modi said the INDIA bloc wanted to make five prime ministers in five years and claimed that it will disintegrate after June 4, the day votes are counted for the Lok Sabha elections.

Addressing an election rally in support of the BJP candidate and sitting MP Sangam Lal Gupta, the PM said the INDIA bloc wanted to replace the stable NDA government and make five prime ministers in five years.

Many things will happen after June 4. The INDI alliance will disintegrate and they will look for a scapegoat after the defeat.

In an apparent attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, he said, The shehzade (princes) of Lucknow and Delhi will leave for abroad on summer vacations, said Modi.

Voting will be held in Lalganj, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Machhlishahr and Pratapgarh constituencies in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 25.

INDIA bloc will disintegrate after June 4: Modi in Pratapgarh

Addressing a public meeting at an intermediate college in Dharwara, Karchhana in Prayagraj, Digvijay Singh said, The BJP is spreading hatred in the name of Hindu and Muslim and the people will not forgive them. Lord Ram is revered by all Hindus but BJP worked against Sanatan religion by consecration of Lord Ram in half-built temple.

This election is for saving democracy and the Constitution of the country. Governments keep changing but there is no dent to the Constitution, Singh said, adding that no decision was taken in favour of farmers, youths and poor during the last 10 years.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is lining up mega rallies by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in eastern Uttar Pradesh, where it is up against a well- coordinated Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance in most of the seats, senior BJP leaders aware of the matter said. Narendra Modi during a roadshow at Ghatkopar on Wednesday. (ANI)

After two visits to Varanasi over the past week for filing his nomination and a mega roadshow, Modi might be back in east UP to address four poll rallies in a single day in Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Bhadohi and Pratapgarh, all of which go to the polls in the sixth phase on May 25, the leaders confirmed.

These rallies are important in the BJPs scheme of things. The first rally of the day is likely to be held at 9.45am in Lalganj in Azamgarh, followed by a second rally at 10.50am in Jaunpur, Macchlishahr, a third in Bhadohi at 12.35pm and the fourth at 1.55 pm in Pratapgarh, a senior BJP leader aware of the development said, requesting anonymity.

While Jaunpur was won by the BSP in 2019 general elections, the SP held Azamgarh, and the BJP held Bhadohi and Pratapgarh LS seats.

Modi is also scheduled to address rallies in Basti and Deoria on May 21 and 27, respectively, the leader added.

This will be the number of rallies in a single day in this election season in UP.

Each Modi rally draws a massive audience and thus has the power to swing votes; this is the reason why his rallies are much sought after and that is why the idea is to squeeze in as much as possible , a senior BJP functionary said, adding that the demand for a Modi rally was existed from each of the 80 Lok Sabha seats.

Pratapgarh borders Rae Bareli, the only Lok Sabha constituency the Congress won in 2019 in UP and from where senior leader Rahul Gandhi is now contesting against UP minister Dinesh Pratap Singh.

In Azamgarh, the BJP is the incumbent but the Samajwadi Party holds all 10 assembly seats that make up the Lok Sabha constituency. SP chief Akhilesh Yadavs nephew Dharmendra Yadav is contesting from Azamgarh in a 2022 bypoll rematch with BJPs Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua.

The BSP has fielded Sabiha Ansari, a pasmanda (backward) Muslim in Azamgarh.

BJPs Kashi region spokesperson Navaratan Rathi said that along with rallies in Azamgarh and Pratapgarh, Modi will also address two more rallies in Jaunpur and Bhadohi, both due for polls in sixth phase.

In Jaunpur, the BJP has named former Maharashtra minister Kripa Shankar Singh who faces a triangular contest against Samajwadi Party-Congress pick Babu Singh Kushwaha and BSPs sitting MP Shyam Singh Yadav.

At Bhadohi, the BJP has dropped sitting MP Ramesh Bind and fielded Vinod Kumar Bind, an Ayurveda practitioner whereas the Trinamool Congress, in alliance with the SP, has fielded former Congress leader Lalitesh Pati Tripathi while the BSP has gone with Harishankar.

Soon after landing at Babatpur airport, the PM would be joined by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath and together they would proceed to address rallies, BJP leaders said.

Modi is also scheduled to address election rallies in Basti and Deoria district in east UP, BJPs regional chief Sahjanand Rai confirmed.

He said the Modi rally in Basti, that was earlier scheduled for May 17, would now be held on May 21.

In Basti, the BJPs sitting MP Harish Dwivedi is pitted BJP turncoat Daya Shankar Mishra contesting on a BSP ticket and Samajwadi Partys Ram Prasad Chaudhary. It goes to the polls on May 25

On May 21, Modi would also be in Varanasi to attend a womens conference.

Modis other rally in the region would be held in Deoria from where BJP replaced its sitting MP Ramapati Ram Tripathi with Shashank Mani Tripathi who is pitted against Congress-SP joint candidate Akhilesh Pratap Singh on May 27. Deoria goes to polls in the seventh and final phase on June 1.
The death toll in the Mumbai hoarding collapse incident went up to 16 on Thursday after two more bodies were pulled out from under the rubble. The bodies of a retired Air Traffic Control (ATC) officer and his wife were the last to be retrieved as rescue operations came to an end in Ghatkopar on May 16. Bodies of retired ATC manager Manoj Chansoria and his wife Anita were recovered on Thursday (Photo - X)

Retired ATC manager Manoj Chansoria, 60, and his wife Anita, 59, were in their car when the massive hoarding in Ghatkopar collapsed on a petrol pump. The couple was among the 90 other trapped under the illegal hoarding, which fell on the petrol pump amid heavy dust storms in Mumbai.

Manoj and Anita's whereabouts had been unknown since Monday evening, when they left the ATC guest house in Western Mumbai in a Tata red car for Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh.

On the day the hoarding collapsed in Ghatkopar, Manoj's mobile phone was tracked to the location of the incident. The couple had stopped at the Chheda Nagar petrol pump to refill their tank. Their car was later identified under the rubble, and NDRF attempted to dig through the debris to rescue the couple.

An NDRF official identified that there were two bodies inside a car trapped below the middle main girder of the five girders of the hoarding the same night. Relief team attempted to crawl to the car, but it was impossible to reach the couple without moving the girder.

The search and rescue team used gas cutters to and other heavy machinery to cut through the girder crushing the car. Earlier, BMC said that the relief team is not able to cut through the rubble because of the highly inflammable nature of the materials stored at the petrol pump.

Read more: Mumbai Police launches manhunt for Ghatkopar billboard owner Bhavesh Bhinde

After learning that Manoj's last mobile location was at the Chheda Nagar petrol pump, family members and friends had been camping at the site fearing that he and his wife were trapped there.

The illegal hoarding in Mumbai's Ghatkopar collapsed on Tuesday after heavy rains and dust storms lashed parts of the city. The civic body said that the reason behind the collapse was the weak foundation of the pillar it was suspended upon.

(With inputs from PTI)
Ahead of the May 20 polling in the fifth phase, which among other seats will see high-profile Congress bastion Rae Bareli and once party borough Amethi go to polls, several bigwigs of the party are either camping or campaigning in the two Uttar Pradesh constituencies. Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, who was in Lucknow to join the party campaign, spoke about the ongoing polls and larger issues pertaining his home state in an interview to Umesh Raghuvanshi. Edited excerpts: Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar during a press conference in Lucknow (ANI)

BJP will not reach double digit in south India: DK Shivakumar

What are the important issues in the ongoing polls?

This election is being contested on whether the people got benefitted, whether their lives improved... Promises were made but not a single one kept. The BJP is playing emotional and developmental card.

In her rallies, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra speaks of some good work done by the Congress in Karnataka.

Seeing is believing. Priyanka Gandhi is telling about what she has seen and what has been implemented [in Karnataka]. Whatever we spoke (promised) there, we have delivered. Here (in Uttar Pradesh), we hear that whatever promises the BJP made are not visible (on the ground). The BJP had not implemented the promises made in Karnataka as well.

How do you see the NDA performing in these polls?

The NDA may get around 200 seats. The BJP will not reach double digit in the southern states.

What about the INDIA bloc?

INDIA bloc will get 300-plus seats.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress has allied with the Samajwadi Party. How do you see it?

We have aligned with the Samajwadi Party. We are INDIA bloc partners. Akhilesh Yadav has done a very good job. He has done great development work and gave a very clean administration. He has taken every section of the society together and he will continue to do so.

Will the Congress-SP alliance continue after the 2024 polls?

Certainly.

Your comment on sexual harassment complaints against Prajwal Revanna.

The government of Karnataka has constituted the SIT [special investigation team] which has to take the call. At the same time, the BJP must take a call whether it wants to continue the partnership with the Janata Dal (Secular).

Sexual assault case: Big whale behind leaking explicit videos, says HD Kumaraswamy; DCM DK Shivakumar refutes

How is the SIT working?

The law will take its own course. We are not going to interfere with the SIT.

Whats your take on the north-south divide?

We want all the states to be very strong. We are a very progressive state. We want whatever was promised earlier, whatever the finance commission had recommended (for the states). These promises or recommendations too have not been implemented. Whatever was promised in the budget that too has not been given

Are you saying the Centre is not cooperating?

They (Centre) are meting out stepmotherly treatment to the south Indian states.

The BJP claims that development is taking place in the states that have double engine government.

There was a double engine government [a reference to BJP-led government at the Centre and in state] in Karnataka as well. But that double engine government failed there completely. That is how the people look at this matter.

Congress and INDIA bloc will come to power and govern country: D K Shivakumar

In the poll campaign, what do you tell the voters?

I appeal to the people of this country and the state [UP] not to miss this opportunity. The country needs a change. You have given them [NDA] 10 years. Let us look at the development model and not the emotional model.
A team of Noida Police on Thursday arrived at the residence of controversial Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Amanatuallh Khan in Delhi, days after a non-bailable warrant (NBW) was issued against the Okhla MLA and his son in connection with an assault case. CCTV footage of Amanatullah Khan's son assaulting petrol pump staff in Noida.

The father and son, however, were not found at home and are believed to be on the run, an Aaj Tak report said, adding that both have also switched off their phones.

The assault case

Anas, the MLA's son, is accused of assaulting petrol pump workers in neighbouring Noida in Uttar Pradesh. The incident took place at the Shaheed Ramendra Pratap Singh filling station in Noida's Sector 95; the police case is based on the FIR lodged by Vinod Kumar Singh, who owns the filling station.

At around 9:27 am on May 7, a man claiming to be Amanatullah Khan's son, came in a Brezza car bearing Delhi registration plates and skipped the queue of vehicles waiting for petrol. He went directly to the pump operator, asking him to move the first car forward and fill his vehicle first, according to the complaint.

The man was asked by a staffer to stand in queue, upon which the former started beating the worker, the complaint stated.

When I intervened with other staffers, the man called Khan, who abused the manager and threatened to beat him, Singh, the filling station owner, mentioned in the FIR.

A purported CCTV footage of the episode later went viral on social media.

Amanatullah and Anas Khan have been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees).
Indias general election is the biggest democratic exercise in history with a billion people eligible to vote. It could also be the most expensive. The election spending is expected to reach 1.35 trn rupees ($16bn), according to the Centre for Media Studies (CMS), an Indian non-profit. That would be more than double the amount spent in the previous election in 2019 and even exceed the money splashed in the 2020 American presidential election. NCP founder Sharad Pawar. (ANI)

Pawar reacts to Modis attack

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar on Wednesday hit out at Narendra Modi, saying he is the first prime minister who has taken positions that would increase the disharmony between religions and castes. He said Modi should bring the communities and religious groups closer.

The comments came hours after Modi accused the Congress of planning to allocate 15% of the budget to Muslims.

Mamata on support to INDIA

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said her party Trinamool Congress (TMC) will extend outside support to the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to form the government at the Centre. She referred to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claim of getting 400 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha and said people say it will not happen. The entire country has understood that the BJP is a party full of thieves.

Kharges jibe

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday mocked Modi over his claim of getting 400 plus seats, saying fortunately they are not speaking about 600 plus. He underlined the strength of Lok Sabha is 543.

Mishra dismisses BJPs guarantees

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Mahabal Mishra on Wednesday dismissed BJPs guarantees as a jumla (rhetoric). He said Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwals guarantee is visible in every house in the national capital. Mishra, who is AAPs candidate from the West Delhi Lok Sabha seat, said voters consider themselves as Kejriwal and people are very enthusiastic about removing the dictatorial government.

Rangeelas nomination cancelled

Comedian Shyam Rangeelas nomination as a Lok Sabha candidate from Uttar Pradeshs Varanasi seat has been cancelled. In a post on X, Rangeela said his heart is broken but not his spirit.
Bhubaneswar, Holding a roadshow in the Odisha capital in support of party candidates, BJP president J P Nadda on Thursday asserted that people of the state have "decided to give rest" to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik by electing the saffron party to power. People of Odisha have decided to give rest to Naveen Patnaik: Nadda at Bhubaneswar roadshow

Nadda, who was standing in a saffron-coloured open-hood vehicle flanked by Bhubaneswar's BJP MP and candidate Aparajita Sarangi and Ekamra-Bhubaneswar assembly seat's party nominee Babu Singh, was seen waving at crowds on both sides of the road during the roadshow from Mausina Chhak to Lingaraj temple.

People greeted the BJP president and showered petals on him from buildings on either side of the road, while BJP workers participating in the roadshow waved party flags and raised slogans.

Speaking to reporters during the three-km roadshow, Nadda said people's enthusiasm indicates that they have "decided to give rest" to Naveen Patnaik, who has been ruling Odisha for the last 24 years, and elect a BJP government in the state.

Referring to the first phase of simultaneous elections in the state on May 13, when voting was held in four Lok Sabha seats and 28 assembly constituencies, Nadda said, "The BJD has missed the bus."

Asked on the BJP's probable CM face in Odisha, Nadda said the saffron party had decided on its chief ministers in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan within three days of the election results.

"Odisha will also see something similar," he said.

Nadda's roadshow in Bhubaneswar was held a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah's roadshow in neighbouring Cuttack.

Later in the day, Nadda is scheduled to address two public meetings in Bargarh and Sundargarh Lok Sabha seats. The BJP president arrived in Odisha on Wednesday.

Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik is also scheduled to take out a roadshow in the state capital in the evening.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge will hold a press conference later in the day. He is also scheduled to address a rally at Phulbani in Kandhamal district. His visit came a day after senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed an election rally in Bolangir.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had visited Odisha twice for election campaigning, is set to visit again on May 20.

Apart from Union ministers, the chief ministers of BJP-ruled Assam, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan have also campaigned in Odisha.

Simultaneous elections to the 147 assembly seats and 21 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state are underway.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the Centre is exploring options to return the money seized by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the corruption cases to the poor.



In an interview with India Today, Modi said that he is putting a lot of thought into this. "I feel from my heart that these people have looted the poor's money by misusing their position, and they should get it back."



The prime minister told India Today that he is seeking the assistance of the legal team and if he has to make legal changes, he will do it. Modi, seeking a third straight term as prime minister, said that he asked the judiciary to advise him on what to do with the money seized by the agency.



The Narendra Modi government has been accused by the opposition of misusing the central agencies. The prime minister said that the ED was dysfunctional during the Congress rule and started working effectively under the current dispensation.



ALSO READ: HT interview: We empower citizens, Opp wants to steal their wealth, says PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he has never indulged in 'Hindu-Muslim' politics and has actually exposed the opposition's communal agenda.(HT_PRINT)

PM Modi on Hindu-Muslim politics

During the India Today interview, Prime Minister Modi rejected allegations of indulging in Hindu-Muslim politics. He alleged that a communal angle was being given to his speeches and said that his attacks were aimed at political parties practicing appeasement politics.



Modi said that he has never done Hindu-Muslim politics and will never do it.

"But if I say that triple talaq is wrong, then I am [labelled] anti-Muslim. If Im labelled like this, then it is their [critics'] compulsion, not mine, the prime minister told India Today.



Modi said that he has exposed communal politics of the opposition. The prime minister alleged that the opposition wrote in the manifesto that they will bring the minorities under the contract system.

Till now, four phases of Lok Sabha elections have been concluded. Voting in the remaining phases will be held on May 20, May 25 and June 1. Counting of votes will take place on June 4.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday condemned the attack on his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico, who was shot at in an assassination attempt during a political event on Wednesday. Modi expressed shock over the attack on Robert Fico, terming it as a cowardly and dastardly act. PM Modi expressed his shock at the assassination attempt of Slovak PM Robert Fico.

In an X post, Modi said, "Deeply shocked at the news of the shooting at Slovakia's Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Robert Fico. I strongly condemn this cowardly and dastardly act and wish PM Fico a speedy recovery. India stands in solidarity with the people of the Slovak Republic."

Robert Fico was shot multiple times and gravely wounded Wednesday after a political event in an attempted assassination that shocked the small country and reverberated across Europe. The pro-Russian leader, 59, was reported to be fighting for his life after being hit in the stomach.

The prime minister was greeting supporters at a political event when he was shot in an attempted assassination, sending shockwaves across Europe. Doctors fought for Fico's life several hours after the pro-Russian leader (59), was hit in the abdomen, Defence Minister Robert Kalina told reporters at the hospital where Fico was being treated.

The incident took place outside a cultural centre in the town of Handlova, and visuals from the event showed Robert Fico lying on the ground after five shots were fired. He was then seen being carried by his bodyguards into his vehicle, being rushed to the hospital.

Public RTVS television showed a stretcher taken out of a helicopter by medics and wheeled into the hospital in Banska Bystrica surrounded by security guards. A cover was over the stretcher.

A suspect was in custody, and an initial investigation found a clear political motivation behind the assassination attempt, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said as he briefed reporters alongside the defence minister.

As per local media reports, a suspect was taken into custody. While the police didn't name him, the alleged shooter is a 71-year-old writer. "I have absolutely no idea what father was thinking, what he was planning, why it happened," the alleged suspect's son told Slovak news site aktuality.sk.

(With inputs from AFP, PTI)
The Supreme Court on Thursday underscored the constitutional safeguards required before the State can acquire private property, highlighting the necessity of adhering to fair procedures and upholding the rights of property owners under the Indian Constitution. The ruling reinforced that the power of eminent domain cannot override procedural justice. (HT PHOTO)

A bench of justices PS Narasimha and Aravind Kumar held that the deprivation of any persons immovable property must follow a fair procedure of law, a principle enshrined in Article 300A, which states that no person shall be deprived of his property save by authority of law.

The court stated that procedural justice is a cornerstone of Article 300A when the acquisition of private property by the State is for a public purpose and on the payment of compensation. The authority of law is not just the power of eminent domain but includes procedural safeguards to ensure fairness and transparency, underscored the bench, clarifying without a proper procedure, even with compensation, compulsory acquisition would be unconstitutional.

A valid acquisition of property is premised on the law providing a procedure for such acquisition and the State complying with this statutory procedure. Procedural justice is therefore a significant mandate of Article 300A. The existence of and adherence to procedural safeguards is crucial for the protection of the right to property as they ensure fairness, transparency, natural justice, and non-arbitrary exercise of power in the process of acquisition, said the judgment authored by Justice Narasimha.

The ruling reinforcing that the power of eminent domain cannot override procedural justice came as the bench examined Section 352 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act, noting that it lacks any procedure before the compulsory acquisition of private property.

The court outlined seven fundamental procedural rights that must be observed before any valid acquisition of property, which included rights to inform the person about the States intention to acquire their property; the right to be heard, the right to an informed decision, and right to fair compensation.

On the part of the State, the court said acquisition must be only for public purposes, and that the State must conduct the acquisition process efficiently within prescribed timelines. The seventh procedural right is the right to the conclusion, meaning the acquisition process must lead to a conclusion, ensuring the property vests with the State.

The seven principles that we have discussed may be procedural, but they are integral to the authority of law enabling compulsory acquisition of private property. Union and state legislations have adopted these principles and incorporated them in different forms in the statutes provisioning compulsory acquisition of immovable property. The importance of these principles, independent of the statutory prescription, have been recognised by our constitutional courts and they have by now become part of our administrative law jurisprudence, noted the bench.

The ruling not only clarified the States obligations but also strengthened the procedural protections afforded to property owners, reinforcing the constitutional principles of justice and fairness in property rights.

In the present case, the court repelled the municipal corporations attempt to acquire private property under Section 352 of the Act for constructing a park because the impugned provision was bereft of any procedure before depriving a person of his property.
New Delhi, The Supreme Court on Thursday protected former Noida Authority chief engineer Yadav Singh from arrest by the CBI in a corruption case in which he allegedly executed 1,280 maintenance contracts worth 954 crore in eight days in December 2011. SC protects ex-NOIDA chief engineer Yadav Singh from arrest by CBI in corruption case

A bench comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy and Prasant Kumar Mishra took note of the submissions of senior advocate NK Kaul, appearing for Singh, that a bailable warrant has been issued against the accused after the central probe agency filed a supplementary charge sheet against him in the case.

The bench has now posted the plea for hearing after four weeks.

The senior lawyer said the top court had granted him bail following his over three year incarceration in the case and he now apprehends fresh arrest in the wake of the filing of the fresh supplementary charge sheet.

There shall be no coercive action against the petitioner, the bench said while issuing notice to the CBI on Singh's fresh plea for bail.

The top court had granted Yadav Singh bail on October 1, 2019.

Having heard learned counsel for the parties, we deem it appropriate to enlarge the petitioner on bail, subject to the terms and conditions to be imposed by the trial court. However, since Tushar Mehta, solicitor general, has an apprehension that if let out on bail, evidence/witnesses may be tampered with, it will be open for the respondent to apply for cancellation..., the top court had said in 2019.

On October 25, 2019, the top court had granted bail to Yadav Singh in a separate and consequential money laundering case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate.

In 2015, the ED had slapped money laundering charges against Singh, who was engineer-in-chief of the Noida Authority, Greater Noida Authority and Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority, on the basis of an FIR lodged by the CBI.

Earlier, the Income Tax department had said the raid in November 2014 had revealed that Singh's assets were hugely disproportionate to his income, following which he was suspended by the then Uttar Pradesh government.

In July 2015, the Allahabad High Court had directed the CBI to investigate the case stating that the allegations were most serious.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed its sharp disapproval of Delhi Development Authority (DDA) vice chairman Subhashish Pandas affidavit that claimed 642 trees were cut in the Delhi Ridge without his knowledge, saying the top court cannot trust the DDA now. The Supreme Court was a contempt petition by Bindu Kapurea against DDA V-C Subhashish Panda over the felling of trees in the Satbari area in southern Ridge (AP FILE)

Pandas affidavit confirmed that the 642 trees -- 468 on forest land and 175 on DDA or non-forest land -- were felled in Satbari over 10 days starting February 16, long before the Supreme Court on March 4 rejected DDAs application to cut the trees to widen the road.

Wherever trees have been felled, land has to be restored. It must be done in a time-bound manner. We cannot trust DDA now, the bench of justices AS Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said after going through the affidavit.

Panda filed the affidavit on a contempt notice by the court on May 9 following a petition that the DDA cut trees in the Delhi Ridge without the top courts approval.

In his affidavit, Panda said DDA would restore the land to its original condition by replanting trees, fencing the entire stretch and not carrying out any further road-widening work.

The court agreed to consider the affidavit later in the day and asked Attorney General R Venkataramani, who appeared for Panda, to take instructions if the work of tree plantation and maintenance could be entrusted to any independent agency such as the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).

In his affidavit, Panda said he was recuperating after a surgical procedure when the trees were cut.

I was not aware of the mistake committed by field staff in going ahead with the cutting of trees on the basis of exemption and approvals obtained from various authorities. I deeply regret that such a lack of coordination took place while I was on medical leave and recuperating from a surgery.

The affidavit said tree felling started on February 16, 2024, two days after the forest department granted its in-principle approval for felling 422 trees on non-forest land. DDA was asked to plant 4,220 trees and deposit 2.4 crore as compensatory afforestation charges with the forest department. The contractor entrusted with the road widening project cut the trees.

Panda said the matter came to his notice on March 18 when the Delhi high court issued contempt notice for felling of trees. Panda ordered an inquiry and on a site inspection on March 20 that concluded 174 trees on DDA land and 458 trees on forest land were felled.

Show cause notices were issued to assistant engineer (civil) and junior engineer (civil). In response to the notice on May 15, they claimed that they misunderstood that the approval received from Delhi forest department and the recommendation by court-appointed central empowered committee (CEC) was the final permission to cut trees.

Panda said this was a mistake since the top courts permission is required for cutting trees in the Delhi Ridge.

It was imperative to take final approval from this court before proceeding any further and the felling of the trees could be undertaken only if the approval would have been received.

The affidavit also informed that the ridge management board (RMB) granted approval for tree felling long back on September 18, 2023 following which the central government gave in-principle approval under Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 for using 3.6 hectares of forest land for non-forest use.

The affidavit explained that the road widening was undertaken to build a 4-lane approach road to the Central Armed Police Forces Institute of Medical Sciences (CAPFIMS) set up on the existing road between Chattarpur and Satbari. As the present road was only 7.5 metres wide, it was decided to expand it by another 7.5 m for which trees in the ridge area were required to be felled. The affidavit further claimed that DDA had identified a land parcel of 55 acres to be developed into an urban forest
The Supreme Court on Thursday recalled its April 2022 judgment concerning the redistribution and sale of village common land (shamilat deh) in Haryana in a crucial legal reversal that would prevent the state government from reclaiming thousands of acres of common land in panchayats and areas under urban local bodies. The owners contribute to the common land pool according to a pro rata cut of their individual land holdings. The Supreme Court (ANI)

'Lackadaisical approach': Supreme Court slams Uttarakhand govt over forest fires

A bench of justices Bhushan R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta held that the April 2022 ruling by a two-judge bench did not adhere to the principles established by a constitution bench in the landmark Bhagat Ram & Others Vs State of Punjab & Others (1967) case.

We find that ignoring the law laid down by the constitution bench of this court in Bhagat Ram and taking a view totally contrary to the same itself would amount to a material error, manifest on the face of the order. Ignoring the judgment of the constitution bench, in our view, would undermine its soundness, said the bench while allowing a review petition against the previous judgment.

The 2002 judgment declared that thousands of acres of shamilat deh land sold by shareholders or gram panchayats for monetary gains should be reclaimed. The judgment emphasised that this land, reserved for common purposes, must be utilised by the gram panchayat for the present and future needs of the village community. No part of the land can be re-partitioned amongst the proprietors and such land would not be available for sale, the court ruled in 2022, adding that the land, once put into a common pool by applying a pro-rata cut, would irrevocably vest in the panchayat, which would manage and control it for community use.

The Thursday verdict by the Supreme Court, however, highlighted how the 2022 judgment failed to follow the precedent set by the Bhagat Ram case in 1967. The 1967 judgment by a five-judge bench held that lands, which have not been earmarked for any common purpose, would not vest in the gram panchayat or the state government but continue to vest with the proprietors.

ED cant arrest after court takes cognisance: Supreme Court

The constitution bench added that until possession of the land changes, not only does the management and control not vest with the state government but the rights of the holders are not modified or extinguished.

But in the 2022 judgment, the bench held on Thursday, there is not even a whisper about the constitution bench judgment in Bhagat Ram leading to a conclusion totally contrary to the larger bench verdict.

The Supreme Courts decision to recall the 2022 judgment reaffirmed the necessity of adhering to constitutional principles and legal precedents. Allowing the review petition, the bench recalled the 2022 judgment and fixed the matter for a re-hearing in August when the court would examine Haryana governments challenge to a 2002 judgment by the Punjab and Haryana high court. The state was aggrieved by the finding that unutilised land was available for redistribution amongst the proprietors.

SC rebukes DDA for cutting trees in Delhi Ridge, says cant trust it now

In the wake of the April 2022 judgment, the Haryana government proceeded to reclaim common land by ousting their owners.
Sharad Pawar of the NCP (SP) on Wednesday alleged that the stand taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently could increase communal disharmony in the country instead of bringing communities closer. NCP-SCP Chief Sharad Pawar addresses a public meeting. (ANI file)

Speaking at a rally for his party's candidate Bhaskar Bhagare in Dindori (ST) Lok Sabha constituency of Maharashtra, Sharad Pawar said, "Narendra Modi is the first prime minister of the country who has taken positions that would increase the communal disharmony between various religions and castes. I heard his speech today in Nashik, and it was as per my expectations. He should have taken positions that will bring the communities and religious groups closer. Follow full coverage of Lok Sabha elections 2024

Also Read | INDIA alliance to hold rally at Mumbais BKC to counter Modis Shivaji Park rally

The Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded sitting MP and Union minister of state for health Bharti Pawar from the Dindori (ST) seat.

Earlier on Wednesday, addressing a rally in the same constituency, PM Narendra Modi alleged that the Congress, during its rule at the Centre, had planned to allocate 15 per cent of the budget to Muslims.

Sharad Pawar also mentioned water scarcity in the region. "Nashik district has an issue of water availability anddistribution. Some of the available water is diverted towards Gujarat; what is the state leadership doing about it?" he asked.

'PM's statements increasingly bizarre': P Chidambaram

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram also hit out at Modi saying the prime minister's statements are increasingly bizarre and show that his speech writers have lost their balance.

Yesterday, he claimed that if he played the Hindu-Muslim divide, he would not be fit to be in public life. Today, he played his usual game of dividing Hindus and Muslims. The Hon'ble PM's accusation that Dr Manmohan Singh had drawn up a plan to spend 15 per cent of the Union Budget exclusively on Muslims is totally false, P Chidambaram wrote on X (formally Twitter).

His further allegation that Congress will present a Muslim budget and a Hindu budget is so outrageous that it can be only characterised as a hallucination. Article 112 of the Constitution of India contemplates only one Annual Financial statement, which is the Union Budget. How can there be two budgets? In the remaining days of the election campaign, it is my fervent hope that the Hon'ble PM will abandon the path of false accusations and outrageous claims. Not only the Indian people, the world is watching and analysing the Indian prime minister's statements, and they do not bring glory to India, the former Union finance minister said.

Not doing Hindu-Muslim politics': PM Modi

PM Narendra Modi asserted he has never indulged in Hindu-Muslim politics, but was determined to expose the Congress game plan of appeasement and uncover the opposition bloc's designs to divide people based on religion. He accused the Congress of wanting to allocate 15 per cent of the central government budget for minorities and vowed not to allow splitting of budget or reservation in jobs and education based on religion.

Also Read | I will not do Hindu-Muslim: PM Narendra Modi amid infiltrators row

Addressing two back-to-back poll rallies in Maharashtra, where the fifth and last phase of voting covering 13 Lok Sabha seats will take place on May 20, Modi hit out at the Shiv Sena (UBT), repeatedly calling it the duplicate Shiv Sena, and said the Uddhav Thackeray-led party has abjectly surrendered to the Congress and was silent on criticism of rituals at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Modi, the BJP's star campaigner, also held a roadshow in Mumbai in the evening. Speaking at a rally at Kalyan in Thane district, Modi said the Congress can never speak of development, but it can only create a rift between Hindus and Muslims.

"Development for the Congress is the development of those who vote for them. I expose this ecosystem, and I am blamed for (doing) Hindu-Muslim (politics)," news agency PTI quoted Modi as saying. The PM referred to a 2006 remark of then-prime minister Manmohan Singh to hit out at the Congress.

"The Congress openly said the minorities have the first right over the country's resources. (Then PM) Dr Manmohan Singh said this, and I was present at the meeting, and I opposed it. The Congress wanted a 15 per cent budget allocation to the minorities, and divide the budget into Hindu budget and Muslim budget," Modi alleged.

"Should the country be run like this? The Congress divided the country in the name of religion earlier, and now wants to do the same thing. If the INDI alliance comes to power, they would divide the country on religious lines....we have to keep the country together....is it good to divide Indians? he asked the gathering. Accusing the INDI alliance and "Congress' shehzade" (an apparent reference to MP Rahul Gandhi) of doing politics of appeasement, Modi claimed Karnataka had become a laboratory of giving OBC quota to Muslims.

(With inputs from PTI)
The Delhi Police on Thursday registered a first information report (FIR) in connection with the alleged assault on AAP MP Swati Maliwal at Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence. Bibhav Kumar, the personal assistant of the Delhi CM, has been named in the FIR as an accused, reported PTI. Swati Maliwal assault case: The FIR was registered after Maliwal filed a multiple-page complaint with the Delhi Police.

The FIR was registered under Indian Penal Code sections pertaining to the offence of violence against women, they said.

The case was registered after a two-member team, led by Additional Commissioner of Police P S Kushwaha, recorded Swati Maliwal's statement at her residence in Central Delhi.

Read: Swati Maliwal assault: Family breaks silence, mother says AAP MP is not in

Maliwal spoke out publicly on the alleged incident for the first time after recording her statement with the Delhi Police and urged the BJP to not indulge in politics.

"Hope appropriate action is taken. Whatever happened with me was extremely bad," she posted on X, two days after the incident.

The past days have been very difficult for me. I thank those who prayed. Those who tried to indulge in character assassination, said that I was doing it at the behest of the other party, God bless them too, she added.

She said crucial elections are going on now, and stressed that she is not important but the issues of the country are.

Earlier in the day, the Delhi BJP Mahila Morcha extended support to Maliwal saying the incident affects the honour of the country's women. In a letter to Maliwal, Delhi BJP Mahila Morcha president Richa Pandey Mishra, a former AAP leader, urged her to approach police to ensure strict action is taken against the guilty.

The letter assured the AAP leader of full support of the Delhi BJP Mahila Morcha.

"We laud your resolve and bravery and hope you will soon recover from this incident to discharge your responsibility to strengthen the struggle for the rights of the women in the country," read the letter.

Maliwal, however, made a special request to BJP people to not do politics on this incident.
Swati Maliwal assault row: Amid the row over alleged misbehaviour with Swati Maliwal, her mother Sangita Maliwal said the Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP was not in a condition to talk at the moment, Republic TV reported. Swati Maliwal and mother Sangita Maliwal. (@SwatiJaiHind/X)

On Monday morning, Swati Maliwal went to the Civil Lines police station in Delhi and alleged that a member of Arvind Kejriwal's personal staff "assaulted" her at the chief minister's official residence, police officials said. Police have not yet received a formal complaint.

Earlier on Thursday, the National Commission for Women (NCW) summoned Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar over Swati Maliwal's allegations. His hearing is scheduled for Friday at 11am.

On Tuesday, senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh had said that the incident with Swati Maliwal was "highly condemnable".

When asked if Swati Maliwal was being threatened, her mother told Republic TV, "We are not in a state to talk It's her fight, and only she will speak when the time is right."

Sangita Maliwal s also expressed concerns over her daughter's condition, it reported.

I am thankful to the media for supporting us in our tough times, Swati Maliwal's mother said.

Meanwhile, the BJP hit out at Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday for maintaining silence at a press conference in Lucknow over the issue, alleging the Delhi chief minister is behaving more like a goon.

BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia claimed Arvind Kejriwal is the main criminal in the complaint that his aide Bibhav Kumar had physically attacked Swati Maliwal at the chief minister's residence, as he cited the telephone call she had made to the Delhi Police to report the matter.

"His (Kejriwal) silence speaks a lot. Out of jail, he is more a 'goonda' than a chief minister," Gaurav Bhatia told reporters, noting that Bibhav Kumar was seen with the chief minister in Lukcnow. Stringent action should be taken against the accused in the case.

Bibhav Kumar, he noted, was photographed with Arvind Kejriwal during his visit to Lucknow.

(With inputs from PTI)
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday reacted to the alleged assault on Aam Aadmi Party's Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, saying she will stand with the woman if any atrocity is committed against her.



"If any atrocity happens to any woman anywhere, we stand with the woman. I always stand with women - irrespective of which party they belong to. Secondly, AAP will discuss among themselves and make a decision. It is up to them," Vadra told news agency ANI.



Swati Maliwal, a former Delhi Commission for Women chief, had gone to Delhi's Civil Lines police station and alleged that Arvind Kejriwal's personal secretary Bibhav Kumar assaulted her at the CM's residence.



The Aam Aadmi Party confirmed the incident with Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh saying that Kejriwal had asked for strict action.



Yesterday a very condemnable incident occurred. Swati Maliwal came to CMs residence to meet Arvind Kejriwal. While she was waiting in the drawing room for Kejriwal, Bibhav Kumar (CMs private secretary) arrived there and misbehaved with her, Singh said at a press conference. AAP MP Swati Maliwal and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Swati Maliwal called the police on 112 and informed them about the incident. Delhi CM has taken cognisance of the entire incident and asked for strict action in the matter, he added.



The National Commission for Women (NCW) has summoned Kejriwal's personal secretary Bibhav Kumar to appear before it on May 17.



The incident has triggered a massive political row with the Bharatiya Janata Party attacking Kejriwal for maintaining silence at a press conference in Lucknow over the issue.

"His (Kejriwal) silence speaks a lot. Out of jail, he is more a 'goonda' than a chief minister," he told reporters, noting that Kumar was seen with the chief minister in Lukcnow. Stringent action should be taken against the accused in the case," BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said.
The National Commission for Women on Thursday sent a notice to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's personal assistant Bibhav Kumar, summoning him to appear before the NCW in relation with the alleged assault on Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal. Swati Maliwal 'assault' incident: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's personal assistant Bibhav Kumar (PTI)

In its notice sent to Arvind Kejriwal's office, the NCW said that it has taken suo moto cognizance of the social media post titled DCW chief Swati Maliwal accuses Arvind Kejriwal's personal secretary of assaulting her," where it was mentioned that Maliwal was brutally assaulted by Bibhav Kumar at CM Kejriwal's residence.

The commission wrote in its notice, Now therefore, take notice that the Commission in view of the above has scheduled a hearing in the matter on 17th May, 2024 at 11 am wherein you are required to appear in person before the Commission.

The NCW further said that the it will take further action against Bibhav Kumar if he fails to appear before the Commission on Friday.

Swati Maliwal, the former chief of Delhi Commission for Women, on Monday went to the Civil Lines police station and alleged that a member of the Delhi chief minister's personal staff "assaulted" her at the chief minister's official residence, police officials had said earlier. She is yet to file a formal complaint in the matter.

The incident sparked a political storm in the national capital, with the opposition and AAP trading barbs over the incident. AAP leader Sanjay Singh addressed a press conference on Tuesday, saying that the incident with Maliwal was a "highly condemnable" one.

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal faced criticism by the BJP after he refused to answer questions related to Swati Maliwal while addressing a press conference in Lucknow alongside Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav.

During the press conference when the issue was raised, Akhilesh Yadav brushed aside the question saying "There are other issues that are more important than this."

However, Sanjay Singh came to the defence of his party and said, Aam Aadmi Party is our family. The party has taken a clear stand on this issue...Can they answer on the case of Swati Maliwal, when she went to fight for justice for women wrestlers at Jantar Mantar, they made the police drag and beat her up. Don't play political games on this.
The Tripura government has initiated the process of appointing officials for the constitution of the State Level Empowered Committee and District Level Committee for the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA). Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha.(ANI)

All District Magistrates have been asked to form committees and designate officials so that the processing of applications received under the new law can be carried out in a hassle-free manner.

A notification issued by the Director, Directorate of Census Operations Tripura said that the Ministry of Home Affairs, Foreigners Division in March asked all the states and Union Territories to form District Level Committees (DLCs) to process the Citizenship applications received under the Act.

Also Read | First batch of 300 granted citizenship under CAA

The District Magistrates have also been urged to nominate one civil servant who will be incorporated into the committee as a member.

"With reference to the subject cited above, I am to inform that Shri R.D. Meena, Director (Citizenship), Govt. of India, MHA, Foreigners Division (Citizenship Wing), New Delhi-110002 vide letter No. 26011/01/2015-IC-1 (Part VI) dated 12th March 2024 (copy enclosed) has intimated the Director of Census Operations of all States/UTs regarding constitution of District Level Committee in connection with implementation of CAA, 2019 for processing of citizenship applications under Section 6B of the Citizenship Act, 1955.

In this regard, You are requested to nominate 1 (one) TCS officer who shall be an invitee of the District Level Committee to process Citizenship applications under Section 63 of the Citizenship Act, 1955. The name of the said officer may kindly be sent to this Directorate at the earliest," the notification undersigned by R Reang, Director, Directorate of Census Operations reads.

Top sources in the administration informed ANI that already districts have started nominating officials to carry out the task.

The central government handed over the first set of citizenship certificates on Wednesday, over two months after notifying the rules for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla handed over citizenship certificates to some applicants.

The Home Secretary congratulated the applicants and highlighted salient features of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, as per a statement by the Union Home Ministry.

The certificates were physically handed over to 14 applicants seeking citizenship, and digitally signed certificates have been issued to many other applicants through email.On March 11, the Union Home Ministry notified the rules of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), days ahead of the announcement of the Lok Sabha election schedule.

The CAA, introduced by the Narendra Modi government and passed by Parliament in 2019, aims to confer Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants--including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians--who migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and arrived in India before December 31, 2014. (ANI)
Election officials searched Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's luggage on Thursday after he arrived at a helipad in Nashik ahead of the polls. This search was prompted by allegations from Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, who claimed that the chief minister was transporting bags of cash in the helicopter. However, according to news agency PTI, the officials found no objectionable items in the bags. Police and election officials inspecting Eknath Shinde's bags on Thursday.(PTI)

The news agency shared a video showing police and election officials inspecting Shinde's bags. Two bags, both containing clothes, were opened.

I carry this much luggage. It contains my clothes. I have brought bags even today, Shinde told reporters.

Shinde was in Nashik to campaign for the incumbent MP Hemant Godse, who has been renominated by Shiv Sena. Some people work secretly. Eknath Shinde works openly. Now, what went outside from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation standing committee will also come to the fore (referring to alleged corruption in BMC), he added.

Sanjay Raut's allegations

Earlier on Monday, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and MP Sanjay Raut alleged that Eknath Shinde transported bags filled with cash in a helicopter to Nashik, a claim dismissed by the Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Raut posted a video on X showing Shinde disembarking from a helicopter, with several individuals around him carrying large bags. If they claim to have the support of the people, then why do they need money to entice voters, Raut was quoted as saying by PTI during a media interaction.

"The authorities have time to probe our helicopters, but no action is taken against these people," he added.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat dismissed Rauts allegation, stating that the bags contained clothes.When any leader goes on such tours, he takes along bags containing clothes, he said.

Shinde in Nashik

Eknath Shinde on Thursday said that his party will win the Nashik Lok Sabha constituency by an even larger margin this time. Shinde was campaigning for the incumbent MP and Sena candidate, Hemant Godse, who had defeated NCPs Sameer Bhujbal, the nephew of state minister Chhagan Bhujbal, by nearly 3 lakh votes in 2019.

Currently, both Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP are partners in the ruling Mahayuti coalition following splits in their original parties. Shinde also participated in a motorcycle rally organised for Godses campaign.

Our candidate Hemant Godse will win the election with a higher victory margin than last time... Hemant Godse works 24x7. Therefore, our victory is certain. The polls are on May 20. Shantigiri Maharaj (spiritual leader) should bless Hemant Godse and support him, Shinde said.

Nashik is one of the 13 Lok Sabha seats scheduled to vote in the fifth phase on May 20, which will mark the end of the general elections in Maharashtra. The votes will be counted on June 4.
Swati Maliwal, the Rajya Sabha MP from Aam Aadmi Party, is at the center of a massive controversy ahead of voting in Delhi for the Lok Sabha elections. The former Delhi women's panel chief has accused Bibhav Kumar, the personal secretary of Arvind Kejriwal of assaulting her at the Delhi chief minister's residence.



On Thursday, a Delhi Police team led by an additional commissioner of police (ACP) rank officer visited Maliwal's residence to gather details about the alleged incident.



Maliwal's allegations come at a time when the AAP is leaving no stone unturned to capitalise on the interim bail granted to Arvind Kejriwal by the Supreme Court ahead of the general elections. The AAP convenor, who was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Delhi excise policy case, is on bail till June 2.



Here are five things you need to know about Swati Maliwal, one of the popular leaders of the AAP. Swati Maliwal served as DCW chairperson from 2015 to 2024 before being elected to the Rajya Sabha.(HT File)

1. Born in Ghaziabad on October 15, 1984, Swati Maliwal, an IT graduate, was among the youngest to join Anna Hazare-led India Against Corruption (IAC) movement.



2. She attended Amity International School before earning a bachelor's degree in Information Technology from the JSS Academy of Technical Education. Swati Maliwal was married to AAP leader Naveen Jaihind. However, they have been divorced since February 2020.



3. Maliwal quit her job at HCL and joined the NGO Parivartan, led by Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia. In 2006, Kejriwal was conferred with the Ramon Magsaysay Award for his initiatives in empowering Indians to fight corruption.



4. Swati Maliwal was appointed as the chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women in 2015. She was granted an extension of three years in 2018.



5. In January this year, Swati Maliwal along with AAP colleagues ND Gupta and Sanjay Singh were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her daughter Aaradhya were spotted at Mumbai airport last night as they flew to France to attend the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Apart from her undeniable beauty and stylish airport look, the actress caught the attention of the paparazzi as she wore an arm sling on her right hand. Aishwarya is a regular attendee at the prestigious festival, and her red carpet looks over the years only add to the excitement of what head-turning appearance the diva will make this time on the global platform. Her look for the airport was no exception, as she looked effortlessly chic in a long coat and trousers combo. Let's decode her look and take some fashion inspiration. (Also read: Cannes 2024: Aishwarya Rai to Aditi Rao Hydari, Indians who will attend; what they wore last year, all you need to know ) Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Aaradhya's stylish airport looks steal the show as they jet off to Cannes.(Instagram)

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's effortlessly stylish airport look

Aishwarya's pictures and videos from the airport quickly went viral on social media, with fans flooding the posts with comments and likes. In the video, the mother-daughter duo can be seen looking bright and smiley as they got papped at the international terminal. Their fans couldn't stop gushing about her look, with one fan calling her "stunning" and another hailing her as a "queen". Let's watch her video and take a moment to admire her unparalleled beauty.

Decoding Aishwarya's airport look

For her effortlessly stylish airport look, Aishwarya donned a gorgeous navy blue trench coat featuring long sleeves, a double-breasted collar, notched lapels, a belted waist, side pockets, signature FSP buttons and monogrammed fabric. She paired it with loose black trousers for a sophisticated and polished look. If you're admiring Aishwarya's elegant trench coat and wondering how much it costs, don't worry, we've got you covered. Her coat is from the shelves of luxury fashion brand Falguni Shane Peacock and comes with a price tag of 64,050.

Aishwarya's stylish trench coat is from from popular designer Falguni Shane Peacock.(falgunishanepeacock.com)

In terms of accessories, Aishwarya kept it minimal to let her outfit shine and styled her look with a pair of trendy black shoes. Her makeup look included nude eyeshadow, winged eyeliner, mascaraed lashes, darkened brows, rosy cheeks, luminous highlighter and a shade of blush pink lipstick. With her luscious caramel brown highlighted tresses left open with a middle parting, she finished off her chic look.

On the other hand, Aaradhya kept her look casual yet trendy in a light blue sweatshirt, black trousers and a black Gucci leather bamboo handle tote bag. Together, the duo looked stylish and hit the airport fashion mark. We can't wait to see what other stunning looks Aishwarya will wear at Cannes 2024. Stay tuned!
World Telecommunication Day 2024: Telecommunication refers to the exchange of information over significant distances with the help of electronic means. Telecommunication has brought the world together. It has helped in getting more access to people who stay at a distance. Exchange of information over distance has become very easy and telecommunication has brought the world closer. However, still disparity exists in terms of access and digital knowledge. Every year, World Telecommunication Day is observed to celebrate the significance of telecommunication and mark the foundation of the International Telecommunication Union. As we gear up to celebrate the special day for this year, here are a few things that we should know. Every year, World Telecommunication Day is observed on May 17. (Unsplash)

ALSO READ: PM Modi inaugurates ITU Area Office: Indias internet users'

Date:

Every year, World Telecommunication Day is observed on May 17. This year, World Telecommunication Day falls on Friday.

History:

In the year 1865, International Telecommunication Union was founded, when the first Indian Telegraph Convention was signed. In 2005, the World Summit on the Information Society asked the United Nations to declare May 17 as World Telecommunication Day to be observed every year. Hence, on May 17, World Telecommunication and Information Society Day observes two major events.

Significance:

The theme for this year's World Telecommunication Day is - Digital Innovation for Sustainable Development. "Innovative tech can help tackle the worlds most pressing challenges, from fighting climate change to eliminating hunger and poverty. In fact, digital technologies can help achieve 70% of targets under the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Yet glaring digital gaps hinder innovation in many parts of the world. The lack of policies, investment, and digital skills leaves many countries struggling to keep up in the fast-changing digital landscape," wrote International Telecommunication Union on their official website. The day provides a platform to discuss the successes that development and application of ICT have achieved, and the difficulties posed. Digital inclusion and sustainable development with the help of technology is the goal of World Telecommunication Day.
Dengue is a viral infection transmitted by mosquitoes and it happens when an individual is bitten by a mosquito which might be infected and carrying a dengue virus. It is no secret that these infected mosquitoes usually breed in stagnant or contaminated water sources like puddles, potholes, or open containers hence, take precautions and follow safety guidelines to protect yourself from dengue infection. National Dengue Day 2024: Telltale signs of dengue you should not ignore (Representational image/AP)

In an interview with HT Lifestyle on National Dengue Day 2024, Dr Subrata Das, HOD, Internal Medicine and Diabetology at Sakra World Hospital in Bengaluru, shared, Dengue outbreaks stem from inadequate mosquito control and climate change, fostering ideal mosquito breeding conditions. Climate shifts expand Aedes mosquito habitats, the primary dengue carriers. Various dengue virus strains heighten the risk of severe, recurrent infections. Studying immune responses is crucial for vaccine development and monitoring population risks.

According to him, symptoms of dengue fever vary in severity, characterised by intense pain and muscle spasms. He revealed, Common symptoms include high fever, headaches, body aches, nausea, and skin rashes. It's worth noting that some individuals may not display symptoms immediately after infection. Dengue, often referred to as break-bone fever, disrupts blood clotting mechanisms, impairing the body's ability to coagulate blood and can cause bleeding manifestation though this is not the common scenario. Platelet count reduces till roughly the 7th day from day of illness and rises from Day 8.

Bringing her expertise to the same, Dr Manjusha Agarwal, Senior Consultant at Internal Medicine Gleneagles Hospitals in Mumbai's Parel, asserted that for prompt diagnosis and treatment, it is essential to know the warning signs of dengue. She revealed a few important signs of dengue that you shouldnt ignore -

High Fever: Often starts as a mild fever and worsens as time passes. One can get a fever above 100.4 F accompanied by skin bruising and blood in urine or stool. Consult the doctor to check for dengue by opting for various tests to confirm the diagnosis. Body Pain: Dengue can cause severe muscle and joint pain making it painful for an individual. It feels like your entire body aches or as if your bones are hurting or crushed due to sudden pain. One can also find it difficult to move around or keep up with the daily routine. Severe Abdominal Pain: Dengue can cause serious abdominal pain which may result in discomfort. Individuals may feel a sharp pain or cramps in their stomach. Sometimes, this abdominal pain can be often mistaken with other health issues, hence it's important to consult your doctor for early detection of dengue. Bleeding: Dengue can lead to bleeding symptoms in certain individuals. They may experience small spots that may appear reddish and might mimic bruises on your skin, nosebleeds, or gum bleeding. If individuals start to experience this unusual bleeding, it is advised to seek medical attention immediately to prevent any health issues. Recurring Headaches: Do you have those incessant headaches that give you a tough time? Well, it is the right time to consult the doctor who will recommend tests to look for dengue or any other underlying cause. Ocular Pain: Are you aware? One of the symptoms is excruciating pain in the back of your eyes means ocular pain-causing inflammation, redness and inconvenience. It is the need of the hour to seek help without any delay. Swollen Lymph Nodes: Are also commonly seen in dengue patients. Fatigue: Prolonged fatigue and inability to do daily activities can be a matter of concern and may indicate dengue. Severe Abdominal Pain and Bloating: Can also mean dengue infection. One will have to be cautious and take note of the symptoms for timely diagnosis and treatment. Nausea, Vomiting and Diarrhoea: Are other warning signs of dengue that should be reported to the doctor.

Dr Subrata Das concluded, There are many normal patients with low platelet count. In severe dengue. Blood pressure drops and patients may have breathlessness, bleeding manifestation and confusion. Antibodies produced during infection can exacerbate platelet destruction. Typically fever subsides after 4 to 5 days and platelet count drops subsequently until Day 7 or 8 from start of illness. Most dengue patients recover in one to two weeks, unless severe cases require hospitalisation. Essential nutrients like B12, iron, folate, C and K aid recovery in those that are deficient. Seek medical help promptly if symptoms persist or worsen. Understanding dengue's effects is crucial for effective prevention and management.
Bollywood actress Malaika Arora has rented her apartment in Bandra West, Mumbai, to costume designer Kashish Hans for 1.57 lakh per month for three years, documents accessed by Zapkey showed. Bollywood actress Malaika Arora has rented her apartment in Bandra West, Mumbai, to costume designer Kashish Hans for  1.57 lakh per month for three years, documents accessed by Zapkey showed.(Instagram)

The apartment is located in Pali Hill, Bandra West. The rent is subject to a 5% escalation every year, the rent agreement showed.

Also Read: Saif Ali Khan rents out his and Kareena Kapoor's old Mumbai home for 3.5 lakh per month: report

The monthly rent for the first 12 months is 1.5 lakh, for the next 12 months it is 1.57 lakh and the subsequent year it will be 1.65 lakh, the documents showed.

Also Read: Kareena Kapoor and Malaika Arora make neutrals look chic; Karisma Kapoor-Amrita Arora stun in stylish fits on night out

The document was registered on April 29, 2024.

The tenant has paid a security deposit of 4.5 lakh, the documents showed.

Also Read: Step inside Arjun Kapoor and Malaika Arora's breathtaking Maldivian holiday home, with price tag of 17 lakh per night

A message has been sent to the actress. The story will be updated once a response is received.

Also Read: Tiger Shroff buys property in Pune for 7.5 crore; leases it immediately for 3.5 lakh per month

According to Zapkey, Malaika Arora had earlier rented her Bandra apartment for 1.2 lakh per month to Jeffrey Goldenberg, owner of The Jeff Goldenberg Studio.

Also Read: Actor Arjun Kapoor sells Bandra flat for 16 crore

Malaikas boyfriend Arjun Kapoor had sold his apartment in 81 Aureate building in Bandra West for 16 crore in 2022. The 4,364-sq-ft flat is on the 19th floor of the building on KC Marg.

Malaika Arora, also owns a flat in Aureate building. She had earlier moved the real estate regulator MahaRERA against the developers for failing to hand over possession of the apartment that she had booked for 14.5 crore. In November 2021, both the developer and Arora informed MahaRERA that they had settled the matter amicably as the developer had handed her the possession of the flat, HT had reported earlier.

Also Read: From Imran Khan to Katrina Kaif, why some Bollywood stars prefer to stay on rent rather than buy an apartment in Mumbai
Bengaluru-based hospital, Narayana Hrudayalaya, also known as Narayana Health, has bought a land parcel in the city worth 169 crore, documents accessed by Propstack showed. Bengaluru-based hospital, Narayana Hrudayalaya, also known as Narayana Health, has bought a land parcel in the city worth  169 crore (Representational photo)(Pixabay)

The seller is Venture Projects Bangalore Private Limited, a private company and the sale deed was inked on March 1, 2024, the documents showed.

Founded in 2000 by Devi Shetty, a heart surgeon and entrepreneur, Narayana Health has a network of several hospitals and heart centers across the country.

Also Read: Bengaluru-based online gaming firm Gameskraft buys land parcel in Gurugram for 90 crore

A query has been sent to Narayana Hrudayalaya.

The 52,272 sq ft land parcel is located in Agara Grama (Agara Village), Begur Hobli, Bengaluru South Taluk, of HS. Layout, Bommanahalli Division, according to the documents.

Soon after the pandemic, several prominent Bengalureans had bought properties in Koramangala 3rd block, one of the most expensive residential neighbourhoods in the capital city of Karnataka. Among the buyers were Dr Anesh Shetty and Dr Devi Prasad Shetty of Narayana Health.

Also Read: D'Mart buys 52,000 sq ft land parcel in Mumbai for 117 crore. Here are the details

Real estate developers and entities sealed approximately 101 separate land deals in fiscal year 2023-24, cumulatively accounting for nearly 2,989 acres across the country, according to data shared by Anarock.

Also Read: More than 101 land deals for approximately 2,989 acres closed in FY-24 across cities, including Ayodhya

Among land deals in the top 7 cities, NCR topped out with 29 deals for more than 313 acres, followed by MMR with 19 deals for approximately more than 157 acres. Notably, in terms of total land area, Bengaluru saw 14 deals for more than 490 acres transacted - the highest among all top 7 cities, the data showed.
The New York to Dublin portal, an exhibit connecting the city in real time, was shut down due to inappropriate behaviour. According to reports, the organiser didnt clarify the exact reason, but it came after a womans flashing stunt that left many offended. Opening up about her act, Ava Louise, a TikTok and an OnlyFans creator, reportedly shared that those who were displeased or angered by her act are boring. Ava Louise shared a video about her flashing in front of the New York to Dublin portal. (Instagram/@avalouiise)

So I just got the portal from New York City to Dublin shut down, she says in the video on her Instagram page. The clip shows her stills from when she pulled up her tank top while standing in front of the portal. I thought the people of Dublin deserved to see two New York, homegrown potatoes, she says in the clip. The video also captures how her boyfriend distracts the security so she could escape the scene.

What did social media users say about her stunt?

The video has sparked a wave of anger and disapproval among social media users, with many accusing her of tarnishing something they considered beautiful and unique.

Youre whats wrong with society, wrote an Instagram user.

You should be charged and jailed for indecent exposure. Unevolved behaviour, added another.

I hope you get locked up. Thats disgusting. Theres literally kids all over the place, expressed a third.

Congratulations, you got your 15 minutes of fame, joined a fourth.

25-year-old Ava Louise is an adult performer and also promotes herself as a social media influencer. In 2019, she made headlines due to her comments on the show Dr Phil. She ranted about her need to be a "skinny legend" on the show. She also said that fame is the most essential thing in the world for her.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai often shares his innovative thoughts and ideas on the future of Artificial Intelligence. This time, Varun Mayya, a content creator and AI enthusiast from Bengaluru, took to X to share a photo where he can be seen sitting face-to-face with Sundar Pichai after Google I/0 2024 in California. Varun Mayya, a content creator and AI enthusiast attended Google I/0 2024 in California and interviewed Sundar Pichai at Google headquarters.(X/@@waitin4agi_)

Varun Mayya, who attended Google's annual tech event, shared the photo on X and wrote in the post's caption, "Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do."

This comes hours after the content creator shared another post on X and wrote, "Someone should ask Sundar what he thinks of FAANG interview enthusiasts rote learning DSA problems lol."

(Also Read: Bengaluru woman foils Ola drivers fake fare scam: Ended trip in one ninja move)

FAANG is an acronym used in reference to the five tech companies Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Alphabet and Google. Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) is a significant part of programming that requires working with mass data.

Take a look at the post below:

The picture shows the Google chief dressed casually in a grey shirt teamed with blue denims. Mayya, in an off-white outfit, sits just opposite the Indian-origin CEO. Stripes of the Google brand colours green, yellow, red, and blue complement the picture in the background.

Take a look at the picture below:

The picture was shared on X on May 15. Since then, the post has collected over 2.1 lakh views and over 3,000 likes. Many even reshared the image, and a few commented on the post.

(Also Read: Ava Louise breaks silence about her flashing breasts stunt in front of New York to Dublin portal)

Check out how people reacted to the picture here:

"My interest lies in his reply," said an individual, to which Varun replied by commenting, "You'll find out soon."

Another added, "You have started looking like AI. I am not joking."

"Andddd... the exponentials in the journey to becoming the Global Tech Influencer from India!!!! Can't wait to hear!" commented a third user.

"Seeing you grow at this pace and time. It fills my heart. Good going," wrote a fourth.
A three-year-old girl suffocated to death in a locked car while her parents were attending a wedding function here, police said on Thursday. The Kota parents attending a wedding initially thought their daughter was missing, later they found her in the locked car (Representational image). (Unsplas/bastianp)

According to police, the incident occurred on Wednesday evening. They identified the victim as Gorvika Nagar.

Pradeep Nagar, the victim's father, had gone to attend a wedding function at Jorawarpura village with his wife and two daughters. As the family reached the venue, the mother and her elder daughter came out of the car and Pradeep went to park the vehicle, Khatoli police station SHO Banna Lal said.

Presuming that Gorvika went inside the venue with her mother, Pradeep locked the car and went to attend the function. For about two hours, both parents engaged in different groups, the SHO said.

When they met and asked each other about Gorvika, they realised she was with neither of them and began searching for her, he said.

They found her unconscious in the back seat of the car and rushed her to a hospital where the doctors declared her dead on arrival, Lal said.

The parents refused to conduct an autopsy and to file a police case, he added.
A 25-year-old man was beaten and then his head shaved after a womans husband accused him of having an affair with his wife. As per reports, the victim is from the same village as the woman in Agra's Firozabad district, and seven men beat him up. A video of the seven men beating a 25-year-old over suspicion of him having an affair has gone viral on social media. (File Phoyto)

The villagers thrashed the man and forced him to wear a garland of shoes, reported the Times of India (TOI). The womans husband called the man, Jitendra, on the pretext of wanting to have a conversation with him regarding the rumours of his illicit affair with his wife. However, things quickly took a shocking turn when Jitendra arrived at the scene. He was assaulted by seven men who also shaved his head and made him wear a shoe garland.

According to the outlet, a video of the incident also made its way onto social media and went viral. The clip shows the young man sitting on the ground with the shoe garland around his neck. A few men are seen forcibly shaving his head. The video has sparked outrage on social media.

DSP Anivesh Kumar told TOI that the matter involving assault and inhumane treatment of the man is currently under investigation. The woman made a complaint against the alleged assailants, and an FIR has been registered against the seven men.

As per the outlet, the woman said that the accused spread the rumour about her affair. They spread a rumour in the village that I was having an illicit relationship with a local resident, she told the outlet.

Earlier, in another incident, a UP doctor thrashed his wife and two other men after he allegedly found them in a compromising position in a hotel bathroom. The violent altercation took place when, suspicious of his wifes activities, the husband reached the hotel. The couple had been living separately for over a year following a domestic dispute.
After Apples crush ad sparked controversy last week, Samsung encashed on the opportunity and released their UnCrush ad, saying that they would never crush creativity. Samsung in its latest ad said that "creativity cannot be crushed" after Apple released its "crushed" iPad Pro ad. (X/@SamsungMobileUS)

Apples crush iPad Pro ad

In May this year, Apple released its latest ad to promote the iPad Prothe companys thinnest product ever with the most advanced display.

Apple CEO Tim Cook shared the ad on X with the caption, Meet the new iPad Pro: the thinnest product weve ever created, the most advanced display weve ever produced, with the incredible power of the M4 chip. Just imagine all the things itll be used to create.

The video opens to show several creative tools,a guitar, piano and paint cans, kept on the platform of a giant hydraulic press. Within a matter of a few seconds, they all are destroyed one by one. When the hydraulic press starts rising again, the remnants of the destruction vanish, and instead, the new iPad is unveiled. The one-minute ad was set to the song All I Ever Need Is You by Sonny and Cher.

Apple apologised after uproar

Minutes after Apple CEO Tim Cook shared the ad showing the destruction of creative instruments and devices, the Internet termed it tone deaf and said that it was an insult to the artists. Apple

Apple then apologised for the ad, saying that creativity is in their DNA, but it missed the mark with the ad. The company also said it wont air the ad on television as planned.

Samsungs latest UnCrush ad

Samsungs latest ad is in response to this one. The ad opens with a woman stepping over debris and spilt paint, reminiscent of the end of Apples big hydraulic press incident. She then sits down and hums and plays notes on a guitar. The notes were displayed on her Galaxy Tab S9 and the power of Galaxy AI.

Watch Samsungs latest ad here:

The video was shared on May 16 on X. It has since then gone viral with 3.3 million views and the numbers are still increasing. Additionally, the video has also received over 13,000 likes and numerous comments.

Check out how people reacted to this video here:

Samsung on point, said an individual.

Another added, It is Apples creativity that inspires Samsung.

Great response ad, expressed a third.

A fourth shared, A reference to the Apple ad. But imitations keep the originals alive.

Apple vs Samsung fight, wrote a fifth.

A sixth joined, You crushed it with this ad.

Makes me wonder what creativity is, commented a seventh.
MBABANE  His Holiness Unyazi Lwezulu Shembe is expected in the country next week.

Shembe is the leader of the Nazareth Baptist Church and is considered 100 per cent African Messiah by members of the church. The church, which is one of the largest in Africa, was founded by Isaiah Shembe in 1910. Members of the church believe that the founder was sent by God to restore the teachings of Moses, the prophets and Jesus. However, the title Shembe is inherited by successors of the founder. His proposed visit was confirmed in a statement issued by Chairperson of the Organising Committee, Makhehleni Derrick Dlamini.

According to Dlamini, Unyazi lwezulu is expected to arrive in the country on May 20, 2024, through Mahamba Border Post and is expected to remain in the kingdom for two weeks. Dlamini said members of the church would welcome Unyazi lwezulu on Sunday. Worth noting is that Shembe camps at Esabelweni, a place that was allocated to the church at Bethany, in Mahlanya. This is because the principle of the church is against their leader spending time in a hotel.

Shembe will visit royal residences in the four regions of the country during his stay in Eswatini. His visit always draws crowds as he is also known for healing powers through word of mouth. He always uses the phrase God bless you (inkosi inibusise) whenever releasing blessings. The leader of the church also blesses water, vaseline and sunlight for healing, something which has attracted many to the religion.

Strictness

The church is known for strictness when it comes to its religion, which is mostly African. The church believes in the preservation of purity until the allotted time for marriage. They believe in the preservation of the Sabbath Day. The church is against its members marrying outside the church. It is also against people wearing shoes at a holy place. Members of the church do not eat pork or smoke.
Photos of a bus in Mumbai featuring an image of Taylor Swift have caught the attention of the Internet, especially Swifties, or fans of Taylor Swift, the global pop icon. The photo of "The Tortured Poets Department" ad on Mumbai's BEST bus was shared by a Taylor Swift fan page. (X/@TheSwiftSociety)

The Tortured Poets Department buses have been spotted in Mumbai, an X (formerly Twitter) account called The Swift Society posted on Wednesday, sharing three photos of the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) bus in Mumbai.

The pictures show Taylor Swifts album cover printed on the sides and back of the BEST bus in Mumbai. Not just this, it also has a QR code, through which people can scan and listen to the music on the go.

The pictures were shared on X on May 15. They have since collected over 3.6 lakh views and more than 7,200 likes. Many even reposted the pictures and some even bookmarked them. A few even flocked to the comments section of the post to share their thoughts.

Amazon Music also replied to the post and wrote, Swifties heading to work vibing to I Can Do It With A Broken Heart.

Also Read| Taylor Swift fan causes outrage on social media after putting their baby on concert floor in Paris

Check out how people reacted to these pictures here:

Do we think she has plans to get the eras tour in India, said an individual.

Another added, Our time has finally come.

Is this a hint that she might tour in India, commented a third.

A fourth joined, Indian swifties be like: Finally, its our time to shine.

Okay. Now I need to step outside my house because WHAT, wrote a fifth.

A sixth expressed, This is my favourite thing today.

Omg! Who is sponsoring this? So cool! shared a seventh.

Taylor Swifts The Tortured Poets Department

The Tortured Poets Department is the eleventh studio album by global pop icon Taylor Swift. It was released on April 19 through Republic Records. Two hours after its release, it was expanded into a double album, subtitled The Anthology, containing a second volume of songs.

The album has topped the UK charts, achieving the biggest first-week sales in seven years. With this, Taylor Swift now matches Madonna as the female artist with the most number-one albums in the UK. Additionally, it became the first album to reach one billion Spotify plays in a week. In the USA, it set a new record for the highest streaming numbers across all platforms, reported the BBC.
A 26-year-old woman in Australia has alleged that an Uber driver masturbated behind the wheel while she was in the backseat of the car. Uber has permanently removed the man from its app, according to a report. The alleged incident in the Uber cab took place in October last year. (Shutterstock)

"Usually, when someone takes their pants down, they ruffle down a bit or something. I saw none of that, I just saw this subtle hand gesture," Adelaide resident Tayla Pimlott told Yahoo News.

"I could see clearly that he had his penis out and he was masturbating."

She was returning home from work in the city's central business district when the alleged incident took place. Pimlott noticed that he was masturbating when he momentarily looked up from her phone.

Though horrified by what she saw, the woman did not confront the driver, fearing for her safety. Instead, she immediately texted her mother and shared what was happening before her. She also shared the live link for her mother to track her Uber ride.

Pimlott also recorded the driver's act on her phone.

"There was a part of me that thought, 'Oh god, I could die, I could be raped, this man could touch me'," she told Yahoo News.

"My brain was frozen and my heart was pounding... I was petrified."

After Pimlott reported the incident to the police in the city in Australia, driver was arrested by later released on bail, she claimed.

"I thought I was okay. But then I realised like, 'Oh, hey, I can't really leave my house without being petrified," she said. "I'm never using Uber again."

Uber removes driver from app

The cab aggregator giant condemned the episode and removed the man from its app

"Whats been reported has no place in the Uber community or anywhere else," Uber said in a statement to Yahoo News.

"As soon as we were notified of this report, we removed the driver partners access to the app immediately and permanently.

Also Read: Cab driver texts woman friendship karna chahta hun, Uber responds
The Israeli army said Thursday that two Thai hostages earlier believed to be alive in Gaza were killed in the October 7 attack and their bodies are being held in the Palestinian territory. Smoke rises following Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Rafah(REUTERS)

"We informed the families of two kidnapped Thai citizens, who worked in agriculture in the plantations near Kibbutz Beeri, that they were murdered in the terrorist attack on October 7 and their bodies are being held by Hamas," said army spokesman Daniel Hagari.

There are now six Thai hostages being held in Gaza, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Thailand has about 30,000 citizens in Israel, most of whom work in the agricultural sector.

Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel's military retaliation has killed at least 35,272 people, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
The Brazilian government is weighing additional measures to help combat the fallout from historic floods in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, just days after unveiling a 52 billion reais ($10 billion) aid plan. Military personnel help people crossing a boat from Arroio do Meio to Lajeado, over the Forquilha river(AFP)

The country is in talks with international financial institutions including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank after rolling out initial measures that included providing subsidized credit, according to Dario Durigan, executive secretary of Finance Ministry.

Multilateral lenders are all willing to provide funding for the reconstruction of the southern state, Durigan said in an interview in New York Wednesday, without giving details on the discussions. Durigan added that Brazils government is still in the process of assessing the damage and financial needs from the affected areas. Another point being considered is whether facility or credit lines agreed with multilateral lenders would need to carry sovereign guarantees.

Durigan, a senior member of Finance Minister Fernando Haddads economic team, said its still too early to estimate the full impact of the worst flooding in the states history on the countrys gross domestic product. The catastrophe killed over 150 people and left half a million displaced, in addition to disrupting the estates power and transportation systems. The airport in the state capital city of Porto Alegre is expected to remain shut for several months.

While supporting the state and the affected population is a priority, Durigan said, the finance ministry remains committed to avoid derailing the governments fiscal efforts. Were scaling the response cautiously, he said.

Durigan, whos meeting with investors in the US this week, declined to comment on the recent turmoil at state-controlled oil producer Petroleo Brasileiro SA and the exit of Chief Executive Officer Jean Paul Prates.

Brazil is eyeing additional sales of sustainable debt still this year after the issuance of $2 billion worth of such notes in November.

While interest among private investors and potential underwriters is high, Durigan said, the current combination of higher international borrowing costs and a strong dollar is not favorable.

Theres a constraint right now due to high US rates  we recognize that, he said.
The United States on Thursday said Chinese President Xi Jinping cannot both improve ties with the West and support Russia after he vowed to boost relations with his counterpart Vladimir Putin. Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting in Beijing.(via REUTERS)

"The People's Republic of China can't have its cake and eat it too," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

"It can't have it both ways and want to have (better) relationships with Europe and other countries while simultaneously continuing to fuel the biggest threat to European security in a long time," Patel said, referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The United States has charged that China, while not directly sending weapons to Russia, has supported Moscow's largest defense industry expansion since Soviet times, a concern raised by Secretary of State Antony Blinken on a visit to Beijing last month.

Xi and Putin framed their nations' ties as a stabilizing force as they met Thursday in Beijing, where the Russian president is seeking greater Chinese backing for his war effort.

The two leaders signed a joint statement on deepening their "comprehensive strategic partnership."

Chinese support for Russia's defense industry "not only threatens Ukrainian security, it threatens European security," Patel said.

Xi, in remarks broadcast on Russian television, said that China "looks forward to the early restoration of peace and stability on the European continent."

Asked about China's stated support for a peace process, Patel said, "From our point of view, the solution is simple -- the Russian Federation can just leave Ukraine."

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the United States did not "see anything new" in the Russia-China joint statement.

"We find it unacceptable that Chinese companies are helping Putin wage this war against Ukraine," she said.
Toronto: The fourth person arrested and charged by Canadian police in the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar, made his first court appearance in the matter on Wednesday. Amandeep Singh made his first court appearance on Wednesday in connection with his alleged role in the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar. (Credit: IHIT)

Amandeep Singh, a 22-year-old Indian national, was arrested on March 11 and charged with first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He made that appearance before a provincial court in British Columbia virtually from a holding facility in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

According to Canadian media reports, he has agreed to a trial, and his next court appearance will be on May 21, along with the other three who were arrested earlier from Edmonton, Karan Brar, 22, Kamalpreet Singh, 22 and Karanpreet Singh, 28. They had appeared before a judge on May 11 after their arrests on May 3.

According to a report in the outlet Global News earlier this week, citing an unnamed source, Singh was alleged to be one of the two gunmen involved in the killing of Nijjar on June 18 last year in Surrey, British Columbia.

Singh was already in custody of the Peel Regional Police (PRP) when he was named in the Nijjar case. He was arrested in November 2023 on nine charges including those related to unauthorised possession of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance.

Four others were arrested at that time.

As was the case when the three arrested earlier appeared before court on May 7, a group of pro-Khalistan protesters gathered in front of the courthouse, displaying separatist and anti-India flags and signs.

Meanwhile, a report in the outlet Global News on Thursday morning revealed that Amandeep Singh had been arrested and charged by the Surrey detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in late May last year, but was released on an undertaking on June 16, just two days before Nijjars murder. The report also stated that he was in a Canada on a temporary visa and came to Surrey to study.

Announcing his arrest on Saturday, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said, in a statement, that it pursued the evidence and gained sufficient information for the BC Prosecution Service to charge Amandeep Singh with first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Canadian investigators have not, as yet, announced any link to the Indian government in relation to the murder. However, on May 3, Assistant Commissioner David Teboul, Commander of the Federal Policing Program in the Pacific Region, said there were separate and distinct investigations ongoing including investigating connections to the Government of India. A day later, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the investigations were ongoing.

The killing of Nijjar on June 18, in Surrey, British Columbia, caused India-Canada relations to rupture after Trudeaus statement in the House of Commons three months later that there were credible allegations of a potential link between Indian agents and the murder. India reacted by saying those charges were absurd and motivated.

Indias High Commissioner to Ottawa Sanjay Kumar Verma had described the arrests as an internal matter for Canada.
Israel's tanks pushed into the heart of Jabalia in northern Gaza on Thursday, facing anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs from militants concentrated there, while in the south, its forces pounded Rafah without advancing, Palestinian residents and militants said. Displaced Palestinians pack their belongings before leaving an unsafe area in Rafah (AFP)

The slow progress of Israel's offensive, more than seven months after it was prompted by Hamas' deadly cross-border raid, highlighted the difficulty of achieving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's aim of eradicating the militant group.

Armed wings of Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad have been able to fight up and down the Gaza Strip, using heavily fortified tunnels to stage attacks in both the north - the focus of Israel's initial invasion - and new battlegrounds like Rafah.

"We are wearing Hamas down," Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said, announcing that more troops would be deployed in Rafah, where he said several tunnels had been destroyed.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri responded that the group would defend its people "by all means".

Israel says four Hamas battalions are now in Rafah along with hostages abducted during the Oct. 7 assault, but it faces international pressure not to invade the city, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinian civilians are sheltering.

South Africa asked the top U.N. court to order a halt to Israel's Rafah offensive, saying it was "part of the endgame in which Gaza is utterly destroyed". Israel has denied South African allegations of genocide in Gaza and said it had complied with an earlier court order to step up aid.

The Gaza death toll has risen to 35,272, health officials in the Hamas-run coastal enclave said, and malnutrition is widespread with international aid efforts blocked by the violence and Israel's de-facto shutdowns of its Kerem Shalom crossing and the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

Israel says Hamas is diverting aid and it needs to eliminate the organisation for its own protection after the deaths of 1,200 people on Oct. 7, and to free the 128 hostages still held out of 253 abducted by the militants, according to its tallies.

FLOATING PIER ANCHORED, BUT AID PLANS UNCLEAR

The United States anchored a temporary floating pier to a beach in Gaza on Thursday to boost aid deliveries, but it was still unclear how it would be distributed given the challenges that have beset the United Nations and relief groups for months.

The United Nations stressed that delivering aid by land was the "most viable, effective and efficient" method.

"To stave off the horrors of famine, we must use the fastest and most obvious route to reach the people of Gaza  and for that, we need access by land now," deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq said.

"We don't want ships... we want safety," said displaced Gazan Hassan Abu Al-Kass, speaking in the central Gaza Strip.

The United States State Department said the humanitarian situation in Gaza continued to deteriorate and urged Israel to allow sustained access for aid via the southern and northern parts of the enclave.

Israel's military says its operation in Rafah is meant to kill Hamas fighters and dismantle infrastructure used by the group, which governs the blockaded Palestinian territory. Israel accuses Hamas of diverting aid, something it denies.

Egyptian sources said Cairo, which fears a mass exodus from Gaza to Egypt, had rejected an Israeli request to coordinate on the reopening of the Rafah border crossing, which Israel seized on May 7, and keep it beyond Palestinian control.

Ceasefire and hostage release talks are deadlocked over how to end the war.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said his group, which has run Gaza since 2007, should continue to have a role while the Palestinian Authority, which Western leaders want to oversee Gaza, said it did not have enough funds to fulfil its current limited governing role in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Israel declared major operations over in northern Gaza months ago while pledging to return to prevent Hamas regrouping.

On Thursday, around a week after they moved back in, Israeli tanks were heavily bombarding the main market in the heart of Jabalia, a decades-old refugee camp, and several stores there caught fire, residents and Hamas media outlets said.

HAMAS SAYS IT DESTROYED ISRAELI TROOP CARRIER

Earlier, the armed wing of Hamas said its fighters in Jabalia had destroyed an Israeli troop carrier with a locally made Al-Yassin 105 anti-tank rocket, causing casualties. Reuters was not immediately able to verify the statement and there was no immediate comment from Israel.

"They are bombing like crazy, destroying the houses and the main market in the camp," one of the camp's residents told Reuters via a chat app.

Residents said tanks had also pushed back to near the entrance to the nearby northern city of Beit Hanoun and Israeli bulldozers were demolishing factories and property in the area.

Israel says it has eliminated many gunmen in Jabalia but had no new comment on developments there on Thursday.

In the southern tip of Gaza, tanks held their positions in eastern neighbourhoods and outskirts of Rafah while keeping up pressure with aerial and ground bombardments.

Medics said one Israeli tank shell had landed in a square deep inside Rafah, killing one Palestinian and wounding others, while residents said clusters of homes on the edge of the city were blown up by the army after evacuation orders.

Israel said its strikes were targeted at militants.

"We're operating ... where we know Hamas terrorists are hiding, and where we think we can find either tunnel shafts or terror infrastructure or ammunition of many types," military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were spotted after their much talked about trip to Nigeria. They were seen returning to Los Angeles amid news that The Archewell Foundation is allegedly behind on paying some legal fees. A representative of the organisation has dismissed the claims. Meghan Markle was seen striding off from Prince Harry in LA (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)(AP)

Meghan was spotted walking ahead of Harry after arriving in California, with body language expert Judi James observing that it could be a sign that she is the one taking control of the situation. "Harrys shoulders look slumped and he walks alone, wearing what looks like a mouth clamp gesture. Meghan looks much more like the one taking care of business, James told The Mirror.

In Nigeria the couple were perma-linked, walking hand in hand and side by side, but here she strides off, ahead to climb into the car while Harry packs his bag in the boot, with her phone held aloft as though taking a call," James added.

Meghan was seen wearing a long, brown jacket and a pair of white trousers. She donned a pair of nude, pointed flats, carrying her sunglasses and phone in her hand. A gold watch shone on her wrist.

Harry walked behind his wife, wearing a grey button up with a black suit jacket. He also donned a pair of dark trousers.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Nigeria tour called a farce

The Duke and Duchess of Sussexs Nigeria trip received a lot of criticism, with Mail on Sunday Editor at Large Charlotte Griffiths branding it a farce and a fake royal tour. Theyre cosplaying how to be royal and it was also a fashion show, as far as I can tell, Griffiths said.

There was one event where Meghan changed halfway through the event. She just rushed off to a side door to change, Griffiths added. Shes wearing an outfit that costs around 3000, in Nigeria, where there is a lot of poverty. Its just a farce. But at least it has given us some laughs because that clip of them staring straight ahead during the national anthem is just hilarious.
Posing as Americans, North Korean technology workers secured remote work contracts with hundreds of US companies as part of a scheme to help fund Pyongyangs illicit nuclear weapons and missile programs, the US government said on Thursday. More than 300 US companies were defrauded in the effort(Bloomberg)

For three years, starting in October 2020, a US national named Christina Chapman of Arizona helped three North Korean IT workers obtain illicit telework employment using the identities of US citizens, earning about $6.8 million, the State Department said.

More than 300 US companies were defrauded in the effort, the Justice Department said in a separate release, announcing charges against Chapman and other alleged co-conspirators.

The charges describe a years long campaign by the North Korean government to infiltrate U.S. job markets through fraud in an effort to raise revenue for the North Korean government and its illicit nuclear program, the Justice Department said.

The North Korean workers also tried and failed to gain employment with  and information from  two US government agencies, according to the US. The workers are linked to North Koreas ballistic missile, weapons production and research and development programs, the State Department said. The companies that hired the workers werent identified, nor were the agencies that didnt hire them.

Chapman not only helped steal US identities but ran a laptop farm by hosting computers issued by the US companies on behalf of the North Korean workers, the Justice Department said, operating them from her home so that it looked like the North Korean workers were based in the US.

She also allegedly helped launder the proceeds with her own financial accounts by receiving, processing and distributing their paychecks, the department added. That resulted in US companies to filing false documentation to the Department of Homeland Security and false reports to the Internal Revenue Service.

The US also charged Oleksandr Didenko of Kyiv, Ukraine, with engaging in a years-long effort to create accounts using false identities at US-based freelance IT job search platforms and money service companies, according to the Justice Department. He ran a platform that allowed remote IT workers to buy or rent accounts using identities other than their own on various platforms, the department said.

Facing a raft of US and United Nations sanctions for its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, North Korea has turned to deploying IT workers overseas for government revenue, in addition to relying on cyberattacks and other online crimes, US and South Korean officials previously told Bloomberg.

The in-demand workers can make as much as $300,000 a year working abroad, often working remotely through freelance platforms and using falsified or stolen identification, those officials said.

The US State Departments Rewards for Justice program is offering as much as $5 million for information that leads to the disruption of efforts to fund North Koreas weapons program.

North Korea is also known to use fake job offers in order to trick US employees into providing sensitive information.

The development comes after North Korean hackers for years have targeted American companies, launching ransomware attacks and conducting cryptocurrency thefts, as another way to raise money for weapons programs. Suspected North Korean hackers also stole slightly more than $1 billion in cryptocurrency last year, according to the blockchain analysis company Chainalysis Inc.
Syed Mustafa Kamal, a lawmaker from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) party, on Wednesday highlighted the lack of amenities in Karachi by making comparisons with India, saying that on the one hand, open gutters were taking children's lives in his country's largest city, while on the other, India had already successfully executed a lunar mission, an obvious reference to Chandrayaan-3. MQM-P leader Syed Mustafa Kamal (ANI)

Today, when the world is going to the moon, our children are dying by falling into gutters in Karachi. On our TV screens, we see the news that India landed on the moon, and after just two seconds, there is news that a child died in an open gutter in Karachi, Kamal said in his address to the Parliament.

The MQM-P member also spoke about the lack of fresh water in the city, home to nearly 20.3 million (2.3 crore) people.

Karachi is the revenue engine of Pakistan. The two seaports operational in Pakistan since its inception, are both here. It is the gateway to the entire country. For 15 years, Karachi did not get much fresh water. Whatever water came, that too was hoarded by the tanker mafia, Kamal stated.

Citing a report, he further mentioned that as many as 70 lakh children in the Sindh province, of which Karachi is the Capital, were not going to school, and nationally, that number stood at 2.6 crore.

We have total 48,000 schools, but a new report says that out of these, 11,000 are 'ghost schools.' As many as 70 lakh children in Sindh and 2.62 crore in the country, are not going to school. That should not let our leaders sleep, he said.

Syed Mustafa Kamal's remarks come days after senior Pakistani politician Maulana Fazlur Rehman, pointed to economic disparities between India and Pakistan, saying that India is dreaming of becoming a superpower, and we are begging to avoid bankruptcy.

(With ANI inputs)
MBABANE - No-nonsense retired senior police officer Mkhuzeni Kunene has passed away.

Information gathered was to the effect that Kunene, who spent most of his time serving as the Station Commander at Lobamba Police Station, passed away after an undisclosed illness.

The demise of Kunene, who was once the countrys ace detective, was confirmed by one of his family members, who said as a family they were still shocked. We are still shattered about his demise and for now, there is nothing we can say save to confirm the sad news, said the relative.

The poignant news of Kunenes death was communicated to senior police officers by the office of the national commissioner of police after they started circulating on social media yesterday. During his lifetime, Kunene was known for discipline among police officers. He also contributed immensely in the recovery of stolen livestock while under the Stock Theft Department. His colleagues confirmed having received the memo concerning Kunenes passing from the office of the national commissioner of police.

We doubted the news until we received the memo from the higher authorities, said one of the police officers who served with Kunene during his lifetime. While still working under the Criminal Investigations Department before he was transferred to be station commander, Kunene investigated a number of serious cases including that of alleged serial rapist and killer Vusi Phineas Dlamini,. Dlamini who is currently awaiting judgment, is said to have raped and killed eight women.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he was "grateful" to Beijing for trying to find a solution to the war in Ukraine and hailed growing economic ties with China. Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchange documents after a signing ceremony during their meeting in Beijing, China. (AP)

Putin was speaking at a press conference in Beijing alongside Chinese leader Xi Jinping, a day after he said his troops were advancing on "all fronts" in Ukraine.

"I will inform the President of the People's Republic of China about the situation surrounding the Ukraine crisis. We are grateful to our Chinese friends and colleagues for the initiatives they are putting forward to resolve this problem," Putin said.

Moscow says it is open to talks with Ukraine to end the war, but insists that Kyiv must accept the situation on the ground -- namely Russia's claim to have annexed the Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk and Zaporizhzhia regions.

China positions itself as a neutral party in the conflict, which it has never condemned and in which it has sought to frame itself as a mediator.

Western countries say vague peace proposals that Beijing issued last year would enable Russia to hold onto much of the territory it has seized in Ukraine.

In Beijing, Putin also appeared to criticise Western-led security alliances in the Asia-Pacific region -- a point of mutual concern for both Moscow and Beijing.

He said "closed military-political alliances" in the region were "very harmful" and "counterproductive."

China has become Russia's most important political and economic partner since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Putin on Thursday hailed those growing ties, despite what he implied were Western attempts to drive a wedge between the two countries.

He said the share of bilateral trade conducted in rubles and yuan had exceeded 90 percent.

"And it continues to grow, meaning mutual trade and investment is reliably protected from the influence of third countries," the Russian leader added.

Chinese exports to Russia have dipped recently, following threats from the United States that Chinese companies and banks could be targeted if they are deemed to be helping Russia obtain sanctioned goods.

Russian media has reported that a number of Chinese banks have halted some transactions with Russian companies amid the fears.

Without referencing those problems, Putin said Russian and Chinese banks and payment institutions would strengthen their contacts and cooperation.
Robert Fico's assassination attempt: A day after he was shot, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's condition has stabilised but still remains "very serious", his deputy Robert Kalinak has said. A man aims a handgun at Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico as he was approaching people after a Slovak government meeting in Handlova, Slovakia, May 15, 2024 in this screen grab from a video. (Reuters)

Fico, 59, was attacked by a lone gunman on Wednesday when he was in front of the local House of Culture while he was meeting his supporters. The shooter was overpowered and taken into custody.

The shooting, which the government called a "political assault", stoked fears over heightened polarisation or even further violence just weeks before European parliament elections.

Robert Fico's assassination attempt: Here's the latest updates:

Slovak media have said the suspected assailant, who was apprehended at the scene, is a 71-year-old man.

He fired gunman fired five bullets at the 59-year-old prime minister as he greeted supporters following a government meeting in the small town of Handlova in central Slovakia.

Media reports claim that the suspect is a former security guard at a shopping mall, the author of three collections of poetry and a member of the Slovak Society of Writers.



Also Read | Slovak PM Robert Fico expected to survive assassination attempt, says deputy

In an undated video posted on Facebook, the suspected attacker was seen saying "I do not agree with government policy". Reuters has verified the video.

Police work at the scene after a shooting incident in which Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was wounded, outside the House of Culture in Handlova, Slovakia May 15, 2024.(Reuters)
Russia ordered the expulsion of the United Kingdom's defence attache in Moscow on Thursday, a move it said was direct retaliation for London expelling Russia's defence attache last week. Russian President Vladimir Putin(AP)

The UK had accused Moscow's defence attache -- a diplomat in charge of military affairs -- of being "an undeclared military intelligence officer", a charge Moscow called a lie.

"The defence attache at the British Embassy in Moscow, A. T. Coghill, has been declared persona non grata. He must leave the territory of the Russian Federation within a week," it said.

The ministry warned it could take further measures in response to the UK's decision, which it called "unfriendly", "anti-Russian" and politically motivated.

UK defence minister Grant Shapps called Russia's expulsion of Coghill "a desperate move".

"Whilst Russia's DA in the UK was acting as a spy, Putin's only issue with ours was that they personified the UK's unwavering support for Ukraine," Shapps said.

Russia's defence attache, Maxim Elovik, was thought to have been in the UK since at least 2014 and has been pictured at wreath-laying ceremonies commemorating Russian war dead.

Relations remain tense between Russia and the UK, which is a staunch NATO backer of Ukraine and has provided Kyiv's troops with significant military support.

The UK said it made the decision amid concerns of "malign" Russian activity on British soil, including an arson attack on a Ukrainian-linked business allegedly orchestrated by the Kremlin.
Russias President Vladimir Putin arrived Thursday in Beijing for a two-day state visit to China, in a show of unity between the authoritarian allies as Moscow presses forward with a new offensive in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin (Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool)(via REUTERS)

An honor guard from the People's Liberation Army, the armed wing of China's ruling Communist Party, met Putin as he descended from his plane as dawn broke.

A brigade of military police on motorcycles accompanied his motorcade into the city, with meetings to follow with his counterpart Xi Jinping and other top officials expected to emphasize their commitment to the no limits relationship they signed in 2022, just before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Since then, Russia has become increasingly economically dependent on China as Western sanctions cut its access to much of the international trading system.

On the eve of the visit, Putin said in an interview with Chinese media that the Kremlin is prepared to negotiate over the conflict in Ukraine. We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours, Putin was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency.

The Russian leaders two-day trip comes as his countrys forces have pressed an offensive in northeastern Ukraines Kharkiv region that began last week in the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion began, forcing almost 8,000 people to flee their homes.

Along with Moscows efforts to build on its gains in the nearby Donetsk region, the 2-year-old war has entered a critical stage for Ukraines depleted military that is awaiting new supplies of anti-aircraft missiles and artillery shells from the United States.

We have never refused to negotiate, Putin was quoted as saying by Xinhua. We are seeking a comprehensive, sustainable and just settlement of this conflict through peaceful means. We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said any negotiations must include a restoration of Ukraines territorial integrity, the withdrawal of Russian troops, the release of all prisoners, a tribunal for those responsible for the aggression, and security guarantees for Ukraine.

China claims to take a neutral position in the conflict, but has backed Moscow's contentions that Russia was provoked into attacking Ukraine by the West, despite Putin's public avowals of his desire to restore Russia's century-old borders as the reason for his assault.

Putin has blamed the West for the failure of negotiations in the opening weeks of the war and praised Chinas peace plan for Ukraine that would allow Moscow to cement its territorial gains.

Beijing proposes practicable and constructive steps to achieve peace by refraining from pursuing vested interests and constant escalation of tensions, minimizing the negative impact of the conflict on the global economy, he had said.

Putin said a Chinese proposal in 2023, which Ukraine and the West rejected, could lay the groundwork for a political and diplomatic process that would take into account Russias security concerns and contribute to achieving a long-term and sustainable peace.

The Kremlin said in a statement that during their talks this week, Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will have a detailed discussion on the entire range of issues related to the comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation and determine the new directions for further development of cooperation between Russia and China and also have a detailed exchange of opinions on the most acute international and regional issues.

The visit furthers the effort by China and Russia to topple the U.S.-led Western democratic order in favor of a more authoritarian model that crushes political opposition, human rights and freedom of speech. Putin began a fifth term in office this month.

Speaking Tuesday in the upper house of Russian parliament, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow and Beijing are objectively interested in maintaining our lead in efforts to establish a more fair and democratic world order.

Russia and China arent alone in their efforts to reform an international system and help establish a multipolar global order, he said.

Lavrov noted that the duet of Moscow and Beijing plays a major balancing role in global affairs, adding that the Russian presidents forthcoming visit to (China) will strengthen our joint work."

Moscow has forged increasingly close ties with Beijing as the war has dragged into a third year, diverting the bulk of its energy exports to China and relying on Chinese companies for importing high-tech components for Russian military industries to circumvent Western sanctions.

The Russia-China military ties have also strengthened. They have held a series of joint war games in recent years, including naval drills and patrols by long-range bombers over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. Russian and Chinese ground forces also have deployed to the other countrys territory for joint drills.

China remains a major market for Russian military, while also massively expanding its domestic defensive industries, including building aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines.

Putin has previously said that Russia has been sharing highly sensitive military technologies with China that helped significantly bolster its defense capability. In October 2019, he mentioned that Russia was helping China to develop an early warning system to spot ballistic missile launches  a system involving ground-based radar and satellites that only Russia and the U.S. possessed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited the northeastern city of Kharkiv on Thursday to boost morale and reinforce troops in the region where Russian forces are trying to press their new offensive beyond border areas. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) listening to Pavlo Fedosenko (R), commander of the 92nd separate assault brigade named after Ivan Sirko, during his visit to Kharkiv. (AFP)

ukraine, forcing Kyiv's outmanned troops to try to hold the line on a new front as Russia mounts more pressure on the front in the east.

"The direction remains extremely difficult - we are strengthening our units," Zelenskiy said after holding a meeting in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, with his top commander and senior military leaders.

Later, in his nightly video address, Zelenskiy said that thanks to the actions of Ukrainian forces "we have achieved more certainty" near Vovchansk, 5 km (three miles) inside the border.

"But the Russian shelling is not stopping, threats persist." he said.

Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Syniehubov, speaking on national television, said Russian forces were still bent on capturing the town.

"While we cannot say that our soldiers have yet stabilised the front line, they have already stopped the active advance of the enemy in Kharkiv region," he said. In some places, he said, Ukrainian troops had regained earlier positions.

The Ukrainian leader, who has cancelled his upcoming foreign trips as the battlefield situation deteriorates, met wounded soldiers recovering at a medical facility and posed for photographs with troops at another location.

TROOPS STRETCHED OVER LONG FRONT LINE

Apart from inflicting devastation on frontline settlements and dealing a blow to Kyiv's morale, Russia's Kharkiv push is a headache for Ukrainian war planners whose troops are already stretched over a more than 1,000-km line.

Ukraine's military said late on Wednesday that its forces fighting near the town of Kupiansk - some 85 km southeast of Kharkiv - were pulling back to more "advantageous positions".

In a statement on Thursday, the General Staff said Russia was directing its most intense assaults on the front near the cities of Pokrovsk and Kramatorsk in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russia's offensive has been unrelenting for months.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow's forces were improving their positions "every day" along the front in Ukraine and that the advance was going to plan.

After reporting fighting in Vovchansk, some 45 km from the city of Kharkiv, the Ukrainian General Staff said its troops had launched a counterattack to hit back at the invaders.

Kyiv, whose shortages of manpower have been compounded by delays to Western arms supplies, has warned that Russia may be preparing for a big offensive in the coming weeks. It has flagged a Russian buildup of small units near its Sumy region.

Pasi Paroinen, an analyst with the Black Bird Group, told Reuters that Moscow's Kharkiv push looked aimed at drawing in Kyiv's limited reserves into battle before an offensive begins.

"If Ukraine overcommits in Kharkiv and Sumy, they may preserve some territory there, perhaps prevent Kharkiv civilians from suffering artillery bombardments, perhaps even push back the enemy back to the border," he said.

"But it may cost them the war, if the reserves are not available to respond to crises during the Russian summer offensive."

Kharkiv, 30 km from the border, has been pounded for months by airstrikes that defenders struggle to stop with depleted air defences.

Russian forces have pressed two thrusts into the region, one towards Vovchansk and the other towards the village of Lyptsi, 17 km from the northern outskirts of Kharkiv.

Ukraine has scrambled to evacuate civilians from the town and other border areas - about 9,000 people have left so far.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko accused Russian forces of killing a resident in Vovchansk who tried to escape on foot and refused to obey their orders.

Serhii Bolvinov, head of the investigative department of the regional police, said in televised comments that Russian troops had taken up to 40 civilians captive. Local prosecutors reported four dead and 12 injured in the area.

Reuters was unable to immediately verify Klymenko's or Bolvinov's accounts.

Russia says it has taken control of 12 villages since it launched its attack. Russia's defence ministry said on Thursday its forces had advanced into Ukraine's defences and inflicted personnel and hardware losses near Vovchansk and Lyptsi.
A University of Hawaii study examining the health effects of last year's deadly wildfires on Maui found that up to 74% participants may have difficulty breathing and otherwise have poor respiratory health, and almost half showed signs of compromised lung function. Hawaii health officials say test results show no evidence of widespread lead exposure from last summer's Maui wildfires. Blood samples were taken from more than 500 people to screen for lead after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century fire ripped through the town of Lahaina, killing 101 people. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)(AP)

The data, gathered from 679 people in January and February, comes from what researchers hope will be a long-term study of wildfire survivors lasting at least a decade. Researchers released early results from that research on Wednesday. They eventually hope to enroll 2,000 people in their study to generate what they call a snapshot of the estimated 10,000 people affected by the fires.

Dr. Alika Maunakea, one of the researchers and a professor at the university's John A. Burns School of Medicine, said those who reported higher exposure to the wildfire tended to have more symptoms.

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Maui wildfire survivors urged to prioritize health check-ups amidst doctor shortage

Many study participants hadn't seen a doctor, he said. Some study participants said they werent able to because clinics had burned down or because they prioritized getting housing, jobs and food after the disaster. Maunakea urged people exposed to the wildfires to get checked.

There might be some problems that might manifest in the future," he said. "Please see your doctor. Just pay more attention to your health because of this.

Two-thirds of study participants lived in Lahaina at the time of the fires. About half of the participants reported daily or weekly exposure to smoke, ash or debris.

The Aug. 8 blaze killed at least 101 people, making it the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in more than a century. It burned thousands of buildings, displaced 12,000 residents and destroyed the historic town on Maui.

The report shows Maui doesn't have enough pulmonary health specialists to care for those who will need this expertise, said Ruben Juarez, a professor of health economics at the university and one of the study's leaders. Researchers are talking with Hawaii's congressional delegation to figure out how to bring these resources to Maui, he said.

ALSO READ| Florida lawmaker accuses a state's Muslim school of training 'future terrorists'

Maui researchers are worried

Maunakea said researchers want to avoid the higher cancer and death rates experienced 20 years later by people affected by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

We'll hopefully be able to prevent this tragedy from compounding to higher mortality rates in the future, like we saw with other events like 9/11, Maunakea said.

Dr. Gopal Allada, an associate professor of medicine specializing in pulmonary and critical care at the Oregon Science & Health University who wasn't involved in the study, said it would have been great if the study participants had undergone similar lung function tests before the fire. But he acknowledged that wasn't possible, as is often the case in similar studies.

He hopes the researchers will get funding to continue their research over time.

Allada noted most scientific studies on the health effects of wildfires have focused on what happens to people in the days and the week of exposure and less is known about the long-term effects.

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He commended the researchers for showing there's a problem and for collecting data that can influence policymakers.

This is important work that hopefully influences policymakers and people who control budgets and trainees train and that sort of thing, he said.
US President Joe Biden and his Republican competitor Donald Trump made headlines on Wednesday, as they hurled barbs at each other and agreed to two debates ahead of the November presidential elections. However, the Commander-in-Chief surprised netizens by stating, I will bring my plane, too for a second debate with the former president. President Joe Biden arrives on Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Saturday, May 11, 2024. Biden is returning from Seattle. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)(AP)

The second debate, which will be hosted by ABC News, will take place on September 10 at an undisclosed location.

After accepting CNN invitation for debate on June 27 in Atlanta, Biden confirmed on X, formerly Twitter, "Ive also received and accepted an invitation to a debate hosted by ABC on Tuesday, September 10th."

"Trump says hell arrange his own transportation. Ill bring my plane, too. I plan on keeping it for another four years," he added.

Biden was obviously referring to Air Force One, the presidential jet.

Taking to Truth Social, Trump said that it his "great honor" to accept the CNN Debate against "crooked" Biden, who according to him was the "worst president" in the history of the US. Likewise, he also accepted the ABC News debate against Biden.

Also Read: RFK Jr. tears into Biden and Trump for 'colluding' to exclude him from debates: They are afraid

Netizens troll Biden over plans to keep plane for another four years

Netizens reacted to Biden's remarks on the plane, reminding him that Air Force One is owned by the American people.

Do you know why Air Force One is the top enemy of Crooked & Pedo Joe? Because Air Force One is owned by the American people, one X user reacted.

Another user remarked that the Commander-in Chief believes that Air Force One is his. That might explain why he felt it was ok as VP to fly Hunter with him on Air Force Two as they did business around the world, including in China.

Mr. President, you dont own a plane - Air Force One is owned by the American people (and arguably the Ukrainian people). You are in DC to serve but you talk and act like we should be serving you. You have served your own interests in Washington for 50 years - time to go, a third user chimed in.

Ill bring my plane too. Hes talking like hes 6, a fourth user reacted, while the fifth one said: Biden is jealous of Trump's Jet.

All you need to know about Air Force One

The Presidential Airlift Group maintains and operates Air Force One, a plane which is used by the US President.

The official names of the plane, embossed with the words "United States of America," the American flag, and the President's Seal, are the SAM 2900 and the VC 25. It is the most popular symbol of the US presidency around the globe.
Queen Camilla's friend has shed light on the growing rift between the royal family and the Sussexes. Society journalist Petronella Wyatt said in a Daily Telegraph column titled- I never thought Id say this, but its time to bring Prince Harry home that it is time for the two brothers' reconciliation. Wyatt, who has known the Queen since she was 18, revealed that Prince William is preventing his brother's reunion with King Charles. Queen Camilla's friend claims that Prince William is 'preventing' King Charles from reconciling with Prince Harry(Reuters)

Prince William obstructing Prince Harry and King Charles' reunion

Citing a former palace official, Wyatt explained in her column, There is a public misconception about William and Harry. It is William who was often the difficult one, and it is William who is preventing his father from having a proper reconciliation with Harry. This isnt helpful at a point in time when the country would be buoyed up by seeing them together again, as would the King.

In light of Wyatt's blunt remarks, Prince William and Kate Middleton's friend refuted her claims and told The Daily Beast, There is a grain of truth in what she is saying, although William wouldnt dream of telling his father what he can or cant do in relation to his other son. However, the source admitted the Prince of Wales' enmity towards his younger sibling.

But what is true is that Charles absolute priority is the unity of the monarchy, and given the extent of Williams animosity to Harry, Charles can hardly roll out the red carpet and invite Harry and the kids to stay at Balmoral for the summer holidayshowever much he would like to, the Prince and Princess of Wales' friend added.

Wyatt further noted that the way Prince William and King Charles were treating the Duke of Sussex was beginning to look inhuman. Revealing why the younger son needs to be brought back, the columnist said that the royal family is a microcosm for every family in Britain, and that a divided family, like a divided political party, has an intrinsic weakness.
Florida Republican Representative Randy Fine worries that Reviver Academy, a Florida Muslim school, is potentially training future terrorists. Dr Fadi Kablawi, a dentist and imam at Masjid As-Sunnah An Nabawiyyah may lose his dental license for using 'genocidal language'(Facebook/MASJID AS SUNNAH AN NABAWIYYAH)

In a written address to Manny Diaz, Commissioner at the Florida Department of Education, Fine, chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee, has urged action to stop taxpayers' funding of the academy and a thorough investigation into its activities.

The crux of Fine's apprehension stems from the ownership and operation of Reviver Academy by Masjid As-Sunnah An Nabawiyyah, a Muslim mosque in North Miami. Of particular concern to Fine is Dr Fadi Kablawi, a dentist and imam at Masjid As-Sunnah An Nabawiyyah.

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Fine calls for an immediate suspension of the Muslim school

Fine cited Kablawi's purported genocidal language in a recent sermon, where he allegedly called for violence against Jews and condemned the Israeli regime as worse than the Nazis.

Fine wrote, Imam Kablawi's genocidal language makes clear what those 'values, ethics, and morals' look likeand that killing Jews is 'their own accountability to Allah.' We are literally funding the training of future terrorists. Not in Iran. Here.

That has to stop, and it has to stop immediately. I call on you to immediately suspend the Reviver Academy madrassa's eligibility for taxpayer funding and commence a thorough investigation into the school, he added.

According to its website, the Muslim school aims to prepare the new generation with the right values, ethics, morals and vision from the QURAN and the SUNNAH, convert knowledge into practical reality that makes winners in this WORLD and the HEREAFTER and prepare GLOBAL LEADERS grounded in Islamic ethics and values with a clear sense of accountability to the creator, stewardship of the world and responsibility for society.

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Kablawi says he 'wasn't calling for violence'

Dr. Kablawi said that his previous statements were taken out of context. He told NBC6, Suddenly they're so offended that I'm making a prayer, this is how low it is, and added, It was a prayer, I was asking God to deal not with the Jews, to deal with the atrocities of the tyrannical Jews. I wasn't calling for violence, I wasn't calling for anyone to harm anybody, I was making a pure prayer against tyrannical criminals who are killing my people.

Now, there have been calls to revoke Kablawi's dental license because many Florida lawmakers, including Fine, are concerned with Dr. Kablawi's incendiary rhetoric and the potential danger it poses to his patients..

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Fine, who is the only Jewish Republican in the Florida State House, has also highlighted other controversial statements made by Kablawi in his lectures at the mosque.

For instance, on March 8, Kablawi allegedly prayed, Oh Allah, bring annihilation upon the accursed Zionists.
An Indiana boy killed himself after being bullied at school for several days. His family has now claimed that they complained to the school at least 20 times last year. Sammy Teusch, 10, died on the night of May 5. Indiana boy Sammy Teusch, 10, kills himself after relentless bullying at school (GoFundMe)

I held him in my arms, the boys father, Sam Teusch, told WTHR. I did the thing no father should ever have to do, and any time I close my eyes, its all I can see.

Sam and Nicole, Sammys parents, claimed that they let the fourth-graders school, Greenfield Intermediate School, know about the bullying around 20 times. They were making fun of him for his glasses in the beginning, then on to make fun of his teeth. It went on for a long time, Sam said.

It keeps getting worse, and worse, and worse

He was beat up on the school bus, and the kids broke his glasses and everything, he said. I called the school, and Im like, What are you doing about this? It keeps getting worse, and worse, and worse.

The school districts superintendent, Dr. Harold Olin, claimed that no bullying report was ever submitted by Sammy or his parents. He did acknowledge that throughout the year, Sammys family and the schools administrators and counsellor had regular conversations. However, he refused to elaborate due to confidentiality rules.

Sammys family insisted that the school knew about the incidents of bullying. They knew this was going on. They knew this was going on, the dad said.

Sammys grandmother, Cynthia Teusch, blasted the district for saying it has a zero-tolerance policy on bullying. That they cant just say they have zero tolerance because that doesnt mean there is zero tolerance about bullies, their zero tolerance means that they dont have responsibility for it, she told WPTA. People trust their kids to the school, but now that trust is breaking down.

Nicole believes a particular incident of bullying that took place in a bathroom last week left the boy terrified. He refused to go to school. He was my little boy. He was my baby. He was the youngest one, she said.

Sammy was the best kid with a wonderful personality

A GoFundMe has been set up by Tyler Mills, who referred to Sammy as my baby brother. Sammy was the best kid with a wonderful personality. He was smart, funny, charming and deeply empathetic. He brightened the lives of anyone he encountered and was the life of the "party", the page reads.

I know my baby brother didn't deserve this. A kid with so much love and so much light gone too soon. None of this makes sense and I don't think it ever will but what I do know is that he deserves a proper send off. Me and my family are asking for help to do just that, the page adds, urging people to donate.

Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
MBABANE  EPTC has charged its suspended Corporate Affairs Manager, Nqobile Magagula, with four counts.

The charges are gross misconduct, dishonesty, gross dishonesty and misappropriation. Eswatini Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (EPTC), as per notice to attend the disciplinary enquiry, dated April 9, 2024, notified Magagula of the charges that have been preferred against her. She was also requested to appear at a formal disciplinary enquiry. The first charge is gross misconduct. In this charge, EPTC stated that it has prima facie evidence against Magagula, which allegedly implicates her in this offence in that she is alleged to have used the employers property and allowed third parties to use the said property for their benefit.

Policies

This, according to EPTC, was in contravention of the internal policies and the corporations Disciplinary Code. The specifics of the misconduct are that on October 24 and 25, 2023, Magagula allegedly unlawfully permitted, through neglect, a third party (Zinokysundays) to have access and to utilise the corporations Facebook page for their own benefit, in contravention of EPTC policies. Magagula is accused of having administered for an undetermined period the corporations Facebook page through unaccredited credentials, much against the policies of EPTC.

In the second charge of dishonesty, Magagula, in breach of her duty of good faith towards her employer, allegedly failed to disclose her involvement in a private business known as Zinoky Investments, which she operated in conjunction with members of her family when there was a duty to make such disclosure. She was informed by the employer that there was prima facie evidence implicating her in the offence of conflict of interest, in that she purportedly failed to disclose to the employer her involvement in the business known as Zinoky Investments. She was said to have, in certain circumstances, had a duty to disclose such involvement, particularly when the said entity conducted business with EPTC in its social responsibility programmes. In the third charge, Magagula has been charged with gross dishonesty, in that when requested by management to share information and access credentials to the Facebook page, with the sole intention to mislead the corporation, she allegedly provided untruthful details on the matter.

Management

The specifics of her misconduct are that she alleged to management that she had no means of accessing the EPTC Facebook page in that she had forgotten the password due to a change of laptops. She is purported to have later alleged that the EPTC Facebook page had been hacked by persons unknown to her. These statements, according to EPTC, were objectively false in that Magagula allegedly intended to mislead the management as to the true state of affairs. You concealed to management that in fact the EPTC Facebook page had been subsumed under a Facebook page known as Zinokysundays, which you had accessed on a number of previous occasions.

You alleged that the EPTC Facebook page had been unlawfully accessed or hacked by individuals unknown to you. This statement was objectively false as it transpired that you had personally, on October 25, 2023, added the individual that is identified as the alleged hacker to the Facebook page of Zinokysundays, reads the notice to attend the disciplinary hearing.

The fourth charge is that of misappropriation and or unauthorised use of the corporations property (Facebook page) for personal gain and/or allowing third parties without authorisation to use it for personal gain to the detriment and prejudice of EPTC.

According to the notice to attend the disciplinary enquiry, Magagula was required to present herself to the disciplinary hearing and answer to the charges against her, failing which she would be deemed to have admitted to being guilty of the offences. Magagula ran to the Industrial Court on Monday to file an urgent application, which was to be heard yesterday, for an order declaring the disciplinary hearing against her as being in violation of the terms and conditions of her employment. She also wants the court to review and set aside the decision of the Chairperson of the hearing, Ndumiso Mamba, of refusing to recuse himself from the proceedings, which is allegedly in violation of the disciplinary and grievance procedure.

Hearing

She also prayed for an order interdicting EPTC and Mamba from continuing with the hearing pending finalisation of these court proceedings. The matter is before Judge Velaphi Dlamini. The court interdicted the corporation from proceeding with the disciplinary hearing, pending the finalisation of the matter in court. Magagula is represented by Banele Gamedze of Musa M. Sibandze Attorneys, while Zweli Jele of Robinson Bertram appears for EPTC. In her founding affidavit, Magagula informed the court that her stay at EPTC had not been rosy at the hands of the managing director (MD). She said for purposes of continuity and being able to put bread on the table for her family, I had to navigate my way through the unbearable working conditions.

A number of my duties were removed from my office and I was deprived of a number of my contractual benefits. I have been placed at a position whereby I had to justify why I was getting certain benefits, which benefits were never bestowed unto myself by me, but by the first respondent, submitted Magagula. She told the court that on December 6, 2023, after she had been suspended pending investigations, she wrote to her employer complaining about unfair labour practices against her at the hands of the corporation.

She said on December 14, 2023, she received a response from the corporation, which was rather dismissive and the first respondent took a defensive approach, without having the issues resolved.

May I place it on record that all my complaints were based on an existing contract of employment, however, the first respondent downplayed the issues as if they were a result of a verbal gentlemens agreement. In November 2023, I was suspended by the first respondent, through the office of the company secretary. The suspension was to last for a period of 15 days and I was expected to resume my duties after the 15 days.

Suspension

After the 15 days, nothing was communicated to me in so far as myself having to assume duties, save for the first respondent informing me that my suspension was being extended up until I receive a letter from the first respondent (EPTC) inviting me to show cause why I should not be disciplined for alleged several acts of misconduct. She pointed out that inasmuch as they had almost four months to investigate, she was expected to respond in writing within a day. According to Magagula, on February 13, 2024, she raised a concern of the short notice, but was able to respond to the allegations contained therein. She said on April 2, 2024, she received a notice signed by one Bongani Mtshali, in his capacity as the Company Secretary. The notice was inviting her to a hearing to be heard on April 9, 2024 at 9am.

Meanwhile, EPTC Head of Human Resources Nompumelelo Ngabisa Kunene said Magagula was employed as a Corporate Affairs Manager, which meant that she fell within the managerial cadre. Kunene said disciplinary action against managerial employees required that certain safeguards be put in place in order to reinforce the fairness of the process. Magagula had stated that there were people who were senior to her, who could have chaired the disciplinary hearing. She stated that principles such as collegiality were paramount considerations. According to Kunene, it was not advisable to have other managers of equal or senior rank called upon to preside over disciplinary proceedings against fellow managers. The outsourcing of disciplinary processes against managerial employees is encouraged for purposes of promoting transparency, fairness, mitigating against bias, and according to the manager, the right to obtain the best possible representation.

Experience

The appointment of an external chairperson to preside over a disciplinary hearing involving a manager is imperative because that individual is less susceptible to influence by internal dynamics, has adequate experience and skill to carry out the disciplinary hearing and is best placed to promote the principle of fairness. Similarly, it is undesirable at managerial level to have a fellow manager to carry out the prosecution or initiation of the disciplinary hearing. Once again, considerations of collegiality, familiarity militate against the notion of having one manager prosecute another, said Kunene.

She added that there was always the added consideration that not only have these people enjoyed a collegial relationship, but on account of the fact that the outcome of the hearing cannot be predetermined, there is always the risk that they may have to continue working with one another even after the disciplinary process. She said for this reason, and in the interest of fairness, it was advisable to appoint an external initiator. Managerial employees are entitled to the best representation that they can obtain. It is equally unpleasant for a managerial employee to have to approach other managers to represent her at a disciplinary hearing. There are a number of factors that historically have supported this proposition. Generally, fellow managers are loath to involve themselves in disciplinary proceedings in the form of representing co-managers. The matter is pending in court.
Joe Biden is afraid that his son Hunter Biden will end up behind bars over his purchase of a handgun, a report has claimed. The president confided in his closest advisers about his fears. Hunter bought the gun while he was allegedly addicted to crack cocaine. Joe Biden's aides concerned about his growing anxiety over son Hunter's gun case trial (Photographer: Michael Reynolds/EPA/Bloomberg)

Bidens aides are concerned that his anxiety will grow as with Hunters June 3 trial start date in the felony gun case approaching. He worries about Hunter every single day, from the moment he wakes up to the moment he goes to sleep, an adviser to Biden told Politico. That will only pick up during a trial.

Biden has expressed fears to at least three of his advisers about the prison sentence Hunter may face if he is convicted in the Delaware gun case, which was brought by the presidents own Justice Department. Biden is expected to watch some of the media coverage on his sons trial, his advisers said. He will continue to check in on Hunter daily through texts and calls.

However, the White House will leave it to Abbe Lowell, Hunters attorney, to defend the case in the press and the courtroom, instead of setting up a war room to react.

What is Hunter Biden accused of?

The presidents son pleaded not guilty to the three felony charges which were brought by special counsel David Weiss. Hunter has been accused of purchasing a Colt Cobra revolver in October 2018. The charges include two counts of making false statements and one count of firearm possession by an unlawful substance abuser.

By far, US District Judge Maryellen Noreika and the US Third Circuit Court of Appeals have rejected all efforts by Hunters team to throw out the case and delay the trial. The felonies carry a maximum sentence of 25 years behind bars, if Hunter is convicted.
Kamala Harris has said that the number of Indian Americans in elected offices in the US does not reflect their growing population. On Wednesday, May 15, the US vice president urged more members of the minority ethnic community to run for elected offices. Kamala Harris said more Indian Americans in the US must run for elected offices (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)(AP)

Harris made the remarks at Desis Decide, the annual summit of Indian American Impact, a Democratic Party think tank. It is known for funding Indian Americans across the country running for elected offices.

Over the years, we've had so much more participation by Indian Americans in the electoral process running for office. But the numbers are still not reflective of the size of the growing population, Harris told an audience comprising several Indian Americans in Washington DC.

At present, there are only five elected Indian American members of the Congress  Dr Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, and Shri Thanedar. Impact previously said it believed that in 2020, the number of Indian Americans in the Congress will increase to 10.

Harris said that the kind of work Impact is doing is extraordinary. I wanted to stop by to thank, of course, the organisation for everything and for all that it represents, but also to say especially to those who have run for office or aspire to run for office, that you must run, Harris said.

There is so much that we still have to do

You must know that you are not alone. There is so much that we still have to do as a country and a lot of the work that we each do, which is why we are here together, is born out of a belief in the promise of America. And dare I say that, I am empirical evidence of the promise of America, the vice president added.

This election coming up in six months, I think is presenting a question to each of us. Which is, what kind of world do we want to live in and what kind of country do we want to live in? And one of the ways that we answer that question is to seek office and to participate in elections knowing that the outcome of those elections matter in fundamental ways, she said.

Harris then asked the members of the audience to raise their hands if they were planning to run for office, or were running for office. What will happen, invariably it's happened to all of us, is you are going to find yourself invariably in rooms where you are the only one who looks like you, the only one who has had your life experience. What I then say to you each, look around this room and hold onto this image. And remember then when you walk into those rooms, when you walk into those situations, you remember, you are not alone. We are all there with you. You must remember that, she said.

Harris also opened up about her mother, saying she visited the US from India when Harris was 19 and marching for Civil Rights in Berkeley. Harris revealed that she would visit India every two years while growing, and recalled how her grandfather took her on morning walks. And I remember as a young girl, hearing them discuss the importance of standing for what is right and fairness, she said.
Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert on Thursday followed in the footsteps of other Republican leaders who arrived in New York earlier this week to attend Donald Trump's hush money trial to demonstrate their support. U.S. Representative Lauren Boebert (R-CO) speaks during a press conference after attending the trial of former U.S. President Donald Trump for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affair with Stormy Daniels, at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, U.S., May 16, 2024. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly(REUTERS)

Taking to X, she wrote: "I'm in New York City for court with President Trump today," adding that "We are 100% behind him!"

In a subsequent post, she slammed the daughter of New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, who is handling Trump's case.

She accused her of receiving millions of dollars by Democrat campaigns all across the United States.

I wonder if I'll run into Judge Merchan's daughter here in court today. She's probably too busy being paid millions and millions of dollars by Democrat campaigns all across the country and won't be able to make it. She's likely busy working for Shifty Schiff again today...,she wrote.

While addressing the media outside the Manhattan courthouse, Boebert was heckled as she leaned into the microphones to make her last statement.

And I want all of the news to start asking the question, What is the crime? Because everyone in this court has not been informed of what the crime is. The defendant does not know the crime that was committed, she said as her GOP colleagues walked away from the podium.

Hecklers yelled back at the Colorado politician, with at least one person was heard saying "Beetlejuice".

Meanwhile, Boebert started trending on X as soon as she posted on social media, receiving backlash for attending Trump's criminal trial while previously missing her own son's court hearings.

Trump is accused of concealing hush money payments made to former adult film star Stormy Daniels to hide their alleged affair ahead of 2016 elections. The GOP leader has dismissed the allegations and pleaded not guilty.

X users were quick to point out that Boebert did not show up for her 19-year-old son Tyler Boebert's recent court appearance in Colorado.

Also Read: Lauren Boebert undergoes emergency surgery for blood clot in leg amid campaign

The charges against Tyler Boebert

According to Colorado's Rifle Police Department and Garfield County Jail records, Tyler Boebert has been charged with 22 counts, including one felony count of Conspiracy to Commit a Felony. The 19-year-old is also facing accusations in his hometown of Rifle, Colorado, for alleged property thefts, and automobile burglaries.

He appeared in court earlier this month and was chastised by the judge for not having a lawyer with him, reported Newsweek.

John F. Neiley, Ninth Judicial District Judge, expressed unhappiness with the delay. "I wish you had turned in that application a little sooner. If you've done that, you just have to wait for the public defender to make their decision," he told Tyler.

Lauren Boebert criticised as MAGA Mother of the Year

Reacting to Lauren Boebert's post, MeidasTouch editor-in-chief Ron Filipkowski slammed her for not showing up for her son's criminal court dates, who said he can't afford a lawyer.

Instead, the MAGA Mother of the Year is up in NYC giving a hand to Donald Trump, he wrote.

Meanwhile, one X user responded to Filipkowski's post: TBH, the kid has two parents, right? Where is dad?

Same person didn't show up for her son's trial. Family first?? one more X user reacted.

A third user called out Boebert over her parenting, stating that Well, Lauren Boebert shows up for Donald Trump in court today, but she never showed up for her son's court appearances. The Boebert kids don't have a chance at a decent life with parents like them.

In the time it took you to watch this video, Lauren's son has broken into 3 more cars, a fourth user reacted.

Another brought attention to President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden's June trial, asking, "Is Joe going to be at Hunter's trial? Either one of them? "Or Jill??"

Hunter Biden is facing three felony charges stemming from a 2018 firearms transaction in which he is accused of lying about his use of drugs. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts.

She joined at least eight other Republican senators to demonstrate her support for Trump during his trial. Some of these GOP leaders include Republican Representatives Matt Gaetz (Florida), Mike Waltz (Florida), Republican representatives Andy Ogles (Tennessee), Ralph Norman (South Carolina).
House Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene has reacted to the assassination attempt on Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, suggesting that it could have been in response to his rejection of "the WHO proposed pandemic accord". US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, suggested that Slovakia PM Robert Fico's shooting could have been in response to his rejection of "the WHO proposed pandemic accord".(AFP)

Slovakian authorities called the attack on the PM "a clear political motivation."

Fico sustained critical injuries after being shot multiple times outside a cultural center in the town of Handlova. He is now said to be in stable condition. According to officials, a 71-year-old suspect has been taken into custody. Meanwhile, world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, denounced the horrific act of violence. The POTUS wished speedy recovery to Fico, but added that he was "alarmed" by the attack.

The incident has sent shockwaves across Europe as it occurs ahead of theEU parliamentary elections. Fico is a divisive figure and is considered as pro-Russiandue to his staunchobjections to military help for Ukraine.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Greene shared a post from a handle named 'Concerned Citizen', who identified himself as self-described 'conspiracy realist' with 333.4K followers.

The Concerned Citizens shared a clip of Fico speaking in Slovakian and wrote: "Slovakia REJECT The WHO proposed Pandemic Accord".

According to the post, Fico during his last week speech said: I also clearly declare that we (Slovakia Democratic Party) WILL NOT support strengthening the Powers of the World Health Organisation.

One study after another confirms the scandalous consequences of mass vaccination with experimental untested vaccines. If someone had a different opinion on vaccination against Covid - they were dangerous to society

The X user concluded the post, saying, "Today he has been shot in public. As of yet no motive for the attack has been given."

Also Read: Biden says he is alarmed after horrific attack on Slovakian PM Robert Fico, wishes him speedy recovery

Here's what Marjorie Taylor Greene has to say

Reacting to his post, Greene wrote: This is great and courageous. No wonder they shot him.

She further mentioned that I pray he makes a full recovery.

However, the Republican leader faced backlash for her tweet, with one X user commenting, You have no idea why he was shot, but leave it to you to push conspiracy theories.

No wonder they shot him? What kind of statement is that? another added.

So sad the world has flipped upside down, a third user reacted.

What is Pandemic Accord?

In March, various world leaders proposed a new global treaty to prevent future pandemics, following the COVID-19 epidemic.

The "Pandemic Accord" was advocated under the WHO constitution to "safeguard our collective future" from pandemics like COVID that led to millions of fatalities and economic destruction.

The leaders expressed optimism that a global pandemic accord would be reached during the World Health Assembly's annual general session, which will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 27 to June 1.
Several viral X (formerly Twitter) posts claim that veteran Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman thinks a second Trump presidency would be good for the country. Morgan Freeman speaks onstage during the 49th AFI Lifetime Achievement Award Gala Tribute celebrating Nicole Kidman at Dolby Theatre on April 27, 2024 in Hollywood, California. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)(Getty Images via AFP)

One X post says, Morgan Freeman thinks a second Trump presidency would be good for the country. And 80% of (registered) voters agree! Yeehaw! America is getting Trumpified!

Morgan Freeman thinks a second Trump presidency would be good for the country. What's your response? another wrote. And with that, all the drama began.

But are the claims that the Shawshank Redemption star said or wrote that Trump's time in the White House would be good for the country actually true?

This was not the first time a quote of Freeman has gone viral. In 2018, a fake expletive-ridden Trump tweet went viral.

Fact-checking Morgan Freeman's Trump post

The rumour concerning Freeman took flight in late April 2024. However, the claim that a second Trump presidency would be good for the country lacked any tangible evidence, particularly from Freeman himself, who has not publicly endorsed the Republican candidate. Given Freemans stature and his previous endorsements of Democratic figures, its reasonable to assume that such a statement would not have gone unnoticed by the media.

ALSO READ| Morgan Freeman says he is huge fan of Elon Musk in resurfaced clip, Tesla CEO calls actor amazing

The 86-year-old actor aligned himself with the Democratic Party several times. His support was evident when he backed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race.

More recently, Freeman appeared in a March 2024 video promoting President Joe Bidens re-election bid, further solidifying his support for the Democratic incumbent rather than Trump.

In a February 2017 interview with AARP magazine, Freeman disclosed, As for politics today, I supported Hillary in the election, and now it feels like we are jumping off a cliff. We just have to find out how we land. I'm not scared, though. I'm holding out hope that Donald Trump has to be a good president. He can't not be. What I see is a guy who will not lose.

In an interview with the Daily Beast in April 2017, Freemans conversation was steered clear of political figures like Barack Obama and then-President Trump.

When probed about the conservative critique of Islam, Freeman remarked on the unfairness of generalizing an entire group based on the actions of a few, saying, There are those areas among us that paint an entire group [Muslims] with the same brush.

ALSO READ| Donald Trump breaks silence on Kristi Noem's tough story about killing dog, calls her terrific person

As of the 2024 election, Freeman publicly endorsed Biden for a second term. He appeared in a White House YouTube channel video alongside fellow actors Bill Pullman, Geena Davis, and Michael Douglas, all of whom have portrayed American presidents on screen.

In my capacity as president, all I had to deal with was a meteor. One of the things that I came out of that with in my speech [is], hope is the strongest force we have in this country. It is the most useful and the most effective, the Deep Impact star shared.

American news outlet Snopes also says the claims against Freeman are Unfounded.
A trainee security guard worker at an Amazon warehouse in Ohio was shot dead by police after he attempted to shoot his supervisor at close range and then later shot an officer wearing a bulletproof vest, the authorities said. Amazon warehouse evacuated as trainee flees after shooting, leaving over 100 employees unharmed.(West Jefferson Police Dept)

The initial shooting occurred around 4:At around 40 p.m. on Sunday at the warehouse in West Jefferson; the shooting was caught on surveillance CCTV footage, they said during their Monday news conference.

Ali Hamsa Yusuf, 22, stunned onlookers when he fired a shot at close range at the back of his supervisor's head, narrowly missing his target.

According to ABC News, the Amazon facility was promptly evacuated as Yusuf fled the scene, leaving over 100 employees shaken but unharmed.

ALSO READ| Man swims next to massive anaconda. Jaw-dropping video captures encounter. Watch

Supervisor narrowly escapes gunman's deadly aim

West Jefferson Chief Brandon Smith revealed, The supervisor helped obtain video footage from inside the Amazon facility showing Yusuf about 3 feet behind the supervisor with the gun pointed at the supervisors head. The gun appears to have jammed and the bullet barely missed the supervisor.

The supervisor stated, He shot at me twice but he missed. He almost executed me.

The firearm would have to have been brought in concealed, Smith West Jefferson Chief Brandon Smith said. As of Monday evening, detectives did not have a motive as to why Yusuf attempted to kill his supervisor, he said, ABC reported.

Yusuf's intentions became alarmingly clear when he later targeted a Columbus police officer, hitting the officer's bulletproof vest with a bullet. The officer escaped with minor injuries.

Madison County Sheriffs office and West Jefferson police said Yusuf had no prior criminal records.

The Columbus Dispatch reported, The Madison County Sheriffs office said in a post on its Facebook page that deputies got a call about a possible active shooter at the warehouse located west of West Jefferson. The sheriffs office and West Jefferson police responded and are investigating.

ALSO READ| Pro-Palestinian protesters storm lecture hall at University of California, Irvine, police make arrests

Police chief recounts the gunman's encounter

Brian Steel, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge No. 9, recounted, Franklin Township police officers pulled their vehicles in front of the mans sedan at a traffic light and a Columbus police cruiser with its dashcam on came up from behind. Yusuf exited his vehicle and began firing at the Columbus officer. Yusuf then began to run around the rear of his car.

As Yusuf tried to run away, law enforcement officers began shooting at him and the Columbus police officer, whom the division is not identifying citing Marsys Law, realized he had been hit in his bulletproof vest.

The confirmation of Yusuf's demise by the West Jefferson police and the Franklin County Coroners Office marked the conclusion of a tumultuous ordeal.

Amazon later clarified that Yusuf was a contract employee assigned to the warehouse by a third-party partner. Amazon spokesman Steve Kelly said, Were thankful that no one at our facility was injured during this incident and for the work of our team on the ground and first responders.

As this is an active investigation, were cooperating with the West Jefferson Police Department and will defer further comment to them at this time.
May 15 - Pro-Palestinian protesters occupied a building at the University of California, Irvine, on Wednesday, leading university officials to call in multiple police agencies, cancel classes and advise people on campus to shelter in place, a university spokesperson said. Police called in as protesters take building at University of California, Irvine

No arrests or injuries were reported as several law-enforcement agencies from Orange County including Irvine police responded to a university request for assistance, a spokesperson for Irvine police said.

The demonstration at Irvine, about 40 miles south of Los Angeles, is the latest in a series of campus protests across the United States over the war in Gaza in which activists have called for a ceasefire and the protection of civilian lives while demanding universities divest from Israeli interests.

About 200 to 300 protesters surrounded a UC Irvine lecture hall at a time when no classes were in session, university spokesperson Tom Vasich said. Campus police responded and called for help from nearby agencies, with Irvine police and Orange County sheriff's deputies among those arriving on campus, Vasich said.

Police in riot gear formed a barricade, and an officer on a loudspeaker warned the crowd that they had formed an unlawful assembly and risked arrest if they remained on site, the Orange County Register reported.

Four adjacent research buildings with potentially hundreds of people inside were locked down and the people inside were instructed to shelter in place, Vasich said. Classes were canceled for the rest of the day, he said.

The lecture hall was near the site of a student encampment similar to those at other universities that have led to mass arrests and clashes with police elsewhere in the country.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down from their royal duties in 2020. Their son, Prince Archie, was only a few months old when the Sussexes decided to relocate to the United States to start a new life. As the Prince grows older, it is assumed that he is becoming more interested in his birthplace and his grandfather. Amidst the ongoing drama between Harry and his father, Royal author Tom Quinn spoke to the Mirror and claimed that the Duke's son "loves the idea" that King Charles lives in a castle. (AP)

Despite the ongoing drama between Harry and his father, Archie is reportedly keen on visiting the UK following the Duke's recent trip to London for the Invictus Games event.

Royal author Tom Quinn, while speaking to the Mirror, claimed that the Duke's son "loves the idea" that King Charles lives in a castle. He, however, claimed that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry don't want to "encourage" his visit to the UK.

The Duchess of Sussex is reportedly anxious that Archie would grow up longing for his homeland and blame his parents for cutting him off from the royal family, especially his grandfather.

Meghan was worried that a magnificent shepherds hut or similar extravagant present will only increase Archies growing interest in his royal connections, Quinn said.

As Meghan doesn't want Britain to turn into a longed-for fantasy for Archie, the royal expert said, this is why she had been pushing the Duke to request the King to send Archie a simple gift.

According to the royal expert, the monarch is eager to express his love for his grandchildren and wants to be an indulgent grandparent. This is because Charles desires to make amends for what he perceives as his mistreatment of his own sons, he added.

Highlighting that the monarch hasn't met Archie since 2022, Quinn said: "Archie truly misses him." He went on to say that Archie is aware about the fact that his grandfather lives in a castle as his books feature kings, princesses, and castles.

"He is apparently desperate to come to the UK with his father, but Meghan and Harry dont want to encourage this," he concluded.

Also Read: King Charles feels uncomfortable to call Prince Archie because of

Prince Harry, Meghan stepped back as senior royals after Archie's birth

Amidst the delicate matter of the royal family's estranged connections in the United States and the United Kingdom, it was reported earlier that King Charles intended to surprise Archie with an amazing gift worth 18,000 on his fifth birthday on May 6. However, the Sussexes appeared to have rejected the plans. According to a source close to the royal couple, Harry didn't dismiss his father's intention to give his son a gift.

While Prince Archie was born on May 6, 2019 in the United Kingdom, his parents decided to step back as senior royals the next year, and they relocated to California in June 2020. Later, Meghan gave birth to Princess Lilibet in the United States in 2021.
At the University of California, Irvine campus, the situation aggravated on Wednesday as a bunch of about several hundred supporters of pro-Palestinian aggregators somehow entered a lecture hall and encircled it, so the school officials say. Law enforcement officers deployed to the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine) detain demonstrators, after protesters against the war in Gaza surrounded the physical sciences lecture hall, as the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues, in Irvine, California, U.S. May 15, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake(REUTERS)

The Irvine Police Department (IPD) and the Orange County Sheriffs Department (OCSD) both got a call after University of California Irvine also called for additional assistance from local law enforcement agencies, as mentioned in a campus emergency alert.

As the situation remains active, law enforcement officials have made several arrests. However, the exact number of individuals detained is currently undisclosed.

Efforts to dismantle the protesters barricades have commenced, with police moving to clear the encampment and secure the building.

ALSO READ| UCLA student newspaper editor speaks out after traumatising pro-Palestine encampment raid, attacks on reporters

Classes cancelled amid pro-Palestinian protest

University sources confirm that the incident unfolded at the Physical Sciences Lecture Hall around 2:30 p.m. local time. All classes for the day were canceled.

University officials have advised those near the protest to evacuate the area promptly and disregard any previous instructions to shelter in place.

UC Irvines statement was clear: Anyone currently in buildings in the vicinity of the protest are advised to exit buildings & leave area at this time. Please disregard all previous orders to shelter in place. If able, please leave immediately & continue to avoid the protest area until further notice.

The presence of pro-Palestinian protesters on the UC Irvine campus is not a new development; they have been encamped since April 29.

The recent upheaval is part of a broader wave of nationwide demonstrations that have erupted at over 30 US university campuses, calling for educational institutions to divest from corporations that provide financial backing to Israel.

ALSO READ| Over 1500 protesters arrested across 30 US campuses in just a month. Here are 10 points where things stand now

Jagdeep Singh Bachher, the Chief Investment Officer for the University of California, revealed on Tuesday that the investments under scrutiny by the student protesters amount to $32 billion, nearly one-fifthof the UC systems total assets.

Last month, the universitys president announced that there would be no boycott or divestment from Israel.
Vanguard Group Inc. named BlackRock Inc. veteran Salim Ramji as its next chief executive officer, succeeding Tim Buckley and becoming the first outsider to lead the firm famed for revolutionizing investing with the index fund. Vanguard Group has appointed BlackRock veteran Salim Ramji as new CEO

Ramji, who oversaw exchange-traded funds and index investing at BlackRock, will join Vanguard, one of its biggest rivals, in July, according to an emailed statement Tuesday. Vanguard was founded almost a half-century ago by the late Jack Bogle, and it managed about $9.3 trillion at the end of March.

The current investor landscape is changing, and that presents opportunities for Vanguard to further its mission of giving people the best chance for investment success, which is more relevant today than at any time in the firms five-decade history, Ramji said in the statement. My focus will be to mobilize Vanguard to meet the moment while staying true to that core purpose  remaining the trusted firm that takes a stand for all investors.

In February, Vanguard announced that Buckley planned to retire by the end of this year and that its board had begun a search for his successor. A three-decade Vanguard veteran, he has held the top job since 2018.

Ramji worked at New York-based BlackRock, the worlds biggest asset manager, for about a decade and was considered one of several potential successors to CEO Larry Fink before departing in January. As global head of iShares and index investments, he helped oversee a massive expansion of the firms ETF business which now manages about $3.7 trillion.

We congratulate Salim on this accomplishment and thank him for his leadership at our firm, Ed Sweeney, a spokesperson for BlackRock, said in an emailed statement. BlackRock is proud to have a track record of our firms alumni going on to lead multiple investment management companies and financial institutions.

BlackRock, with $10.5 trillion of assets, competes directly with Vanguard in the rapidly growing ETF business, and they rank first and second in US funds, respectively. Those firms and State Street Global Advisors comprise the Big Three of index investing, holding massive stakes in almost all companies in the S&P 500. This has given them considerable influence over markets  and invited scrutiny from politicians and regulators wary of how the asset managers exercise their power.

Bogles Reign

Bogle, who was CEO from Vanguards founding in 1975 through 1995, seized on the concept that a fund indexed to the broad stock market could be successful, cheap and marketed to the masses. Once the index fund took hold, it eventually led to plunging fees for many asset managers, transforming modern investing. He died in 2019 at age 89.

From its base outside Philadelphia, more than 100 miles from Wall Street, Vanguard has revolutionized investing not only by promoting the index fund but also by intentionally keeping a lid on fees. The firm is owned by its member funds, which are owned in turn by fund shareholders, rather than outside investors.

In recent years, Vanguard has tried expanding beyond its traditional core of index funds, including into financial advisory businesses to cultivate new clients and become a sort of Engine No. 2 for growth. The firm also continues to offer some actively managed funds but has made limited inroads into the fast-growing markets for private assets such as private equity.

On the international front, Vanguard has aimed to carry its low-cost mission of investing to new countries, offering index funds and ETFs. But in some areas it has pulled back, notably from its business in China.
MBABANE  The plan to deliver a petition to the Ministry of Tinkhundla Administration and Development by Mbondzela farm dwellers and political formations was foiled by the police.

The police are said to have assaulted the protesters, who had gathered at the Mbabane Bus Rank, with batons. The crowd was waiting for a permit to march to the ministry to be issued by the Municipal Council of Mbabane. Mbondzela is a farm situated along the Nhlangano and Gege route. The farm is under Mahamba Gorge, Farm 19. A couple of minutes after the marchers had assembled at the bus rank, where they sang political songs, police officers allegedly assaulted them. These were the farm dwellers and political formation members who were led by the Peoples United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO). The farm dwellers and members of the political formations gathered at the far end of the bus rank, near the automated teller machines (ATMs) at around 11:30am and started singing political songs.

Represented

Apart from PUDEMO, members of the Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS), the Economic Freedom Fighters of Swaziland (EFFSWA), and the Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF) were represented. When Mbondzela senior citizen Mciniseli Nhleko was on the podium addressing the gathering, including commuters, police grabbed the megaphone and hit him with a baton. The gathering dispersed as they ran in different directions. Others tripped and fell. Among those who were beaten was Futhi Magagula, a PUDEMO member, who came from Lomahasha to support the farm dwellers.

Magagula was struck across her right cheek, and her face got swollen. She was treated and discharged at the Mbabane Government Hospital. There was a man who was assaulted while lying on the ground. He, however, managed to get up and run away. This attracted the attention of public transport workers, who accused the police of causing chaos at the bus rank and interrupting their operations. Some vendors murmured when they saw the senior citizen being assaulted. They said there was no justification for assaulting an elderly man; even if they felt he had broken the law. They surmised that the police should have at least addressed him well without manhandling him.

Shortly after the crowd had been dispersed by the police, PUDEMO Secretary General (SG) Panuell Malinga told this publication that they were still trying to ascertain whether there were any people who were hurt. Malinga said they would be going back to Gege to engage with the community that had sent them to deliver the petition. We have been tasked by the community, as there were no people who were elected there, to present their grievances to the minister, Malinga said. He said following the experience, they had an obligation to return to deliver a report on what happened and also plan the next move. Malinga said they had not come on their own accord, but on behalf of the people of Mbondzela, whose houses were demolished.

He said they were disappointed with what had taken place, especially in a case where there were some civilians who had been mistreated and the State, instead of listening to them, opted to beat them up. This, he said, was a sign that government was not interested in seeing emaSwati living in peace and harmony. When asked if they had applied to the ministry to march, the SG said they had done so. He said they arrived at the bus rank individually by public transport and regrouped while they waited for a communique from the Municipal Council of Mbabane. As we speak, we do not know what happened, as the person we had sent to fetch the permit was beaten by the police and had to run for cover. We are still looking for him.
The family of Sammy Teusch, a ten-year-old Indiana boy who killed himself after being bullied at school, has described him as a smart, funny, charming and deeply empathetic child. He brightened the lives of anyone he encountered and was the life of the "party, Tyler Mills, who referred to Sammy as my baby brother, wrote in a GoFundMe page. Sammy Teusch death: Family says bullied Indiana boy who killed himself was deeply empathetic (Nicole Teusch/Facebook)

I know my baby brother didn't deserve this. A kid with so much love and so much light gone too soon. None of this makes sense and I don't think it ever will but what I do know is that he deserves a proper send off. Me and my family are asking for help to do just that, Tyler wrote.

We are all devastated by this loss and were not prepared for the high cost of a funeral service. We want to give Sammy the memorial he deserves, to honor his memory and say our last goodbyes, Tyler added.

Tyler urged everyone to keep us in your thoughts and prayers, as we navigate the world without our shining star. Please consider donating if you are able to do so. We are so very grateful for every donation during this difficult time, Tyler added.

Sammy Teuschs death

Sammys family has insisted that they complained to Sammys school, Greenfield Intermediate School, 20 times about the bullying before the childs death on the night of May 5. His father, Sam Teusch, alleged that his bullies beat him up and broke his glasses. They made fun of his glasses and his teeth. Sammys mother, Nicole, said she believed a specific incident that took place in a bathroom last week left Sammy horrified and he refused to go to school.

I held him in my arms, Sam told WTHR. I did the thing no father should ever have to do, and any time I close my eyes, its all I can see.

Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Ahead of his upcoming debates with US President Joe Biden, GOP leader Donald Trump on Thursday announced that he may declare his vice presidential candidate at the Republican national convention in July. Vice President Kamala Harris has accepted an invitation from CBS News to debate former President Donald Trumps vice presidential pick this summer. (AP )

During his interview with Scripps Newss Charles Benson, Trump was asked about the chance he will declare his running mate at the convention in Milwaukee.

Responding to this, the former president said: "Thats probably a pretty good chance, I would say."

While he said he is not committing it "100 percent", but added, "youre getting pretty close. Ill be doing it in Milwaukee, well be  were gonna have a great time."

This announcement comes after Trump agreed to debate challenges thrown at him by Biden, While the first debate will be hosted by CNN in June and another will be conducted by ABC News in September. However, the debates will not take place before live audiences.

Trump calls Milwaukee a really important state

The Republican National Convention will be held from July 15-18 in the city of Milwaukee. With tens of thousands traveling from around the country, it is our goal to showcase the vibrant, energetic, world-class city that is Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Republican National Committee said.

Calling Milwaukee a very crucial state, Trump stated, We are bringing the convention to Milwaukee and we must win Wisconsin.

Speculations regarding who the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party would choose as his vice presidential candidate are intensifying. Several people who competed against Trump in the GOP's presidential primary this year, have been considered for the position. These include North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.).

Other candidates who might be on Trump's list are Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Sens. JD Vance (R-Ohio), Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) and Marco Rubio (R-Florida). South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) was formerly regarded as a major contender, but her hopes of joining Trump's ticket have been dashed after she admitted to killing her own puppy and a family goat. However, Trump has called her story "tough", calling her a "terrific" person.

Earlier this week, Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who endorsed Trump after withdrawing from the presidential race, has declared that he would accept an offer to be his running mate.

Also Read: RFK Jr. tears into Biden and Trump for 'colluding' to exclude him from debates: They are afraid

Kamala Harris accepts debate invite against Trump's VP pick

Meanwhile, Biden campaign declared that Vice President Kamala Harris has accepted a CBS News invitation to debate Trump's vice presidential nominee this summer.

Harris' team informed the network that she would debate in-studio on Tuesday, July 23, or Tuesday, August 13, and requested the Trump campaign to agree on one of the days. The Trump campaign is yet to respond to the debate invitation.
3 missing after migrant boat sinks in Greece

Athens, May 16 (UNI) A search and rescue operation was launched off the Greek island of Crete on Thursday for three people missing after their migrant boat sank, local authorities said.

A total of 42 passengers were rescued by the Hellenic Coast Guard -- the national coast guard of Greece -- and Navy forces as well as commercial ships sailing in the area where the incident took place, some 27 nautical miles southwest of Crete island's coast.

Greek authorities were notified by the Italian side that they had received a distress call from the migrant boat on Wednesday night, according to Hellenic Coast Guard sources.
The former Marine accused of threatening to kill white people apparently sought online advice about making his airsoft rifle "look as realistic as possible" and finding a pellet pistol with the "loudest blow back," posts reviewed by HNGN show.

A user of the Airsoft Society website with the name "1DayUSuffer" posted a message on one of its forums that said, "New to Airsoft, just bought my first rifle the other day, Valken ASL+ AEG, loving it so far."

"The only thing is I'd love for my rifle to look as realistic as possible, I feel like it will just enhance the overall experience of playing Airsoft!" the March 11, 2023, message said.

The same user also posted a message on April 29, 2023, that asked, "What are some of the loudest blow back c02 pistols?"

"Looking for anything that can deliver a nice healthy pop on the first couple of shots, any good recommendations out there?" the message continued.

Federal authorities in New Jersey have said Cobb, 23, of Trenton, New Jersey, used a similar online name, "1dayUsuffer," on the Soundcloud music-sharing website.

The profile for the Airsoft Society user also placed that person in Trenton.

The New Jersey U.S. attorney's office said Tuesday that there was "nothing in the complaint that would confirm" Cobb was behind the Airsoft Society posts.

Cobb's court-appointed lawyers didn't immediately return a request for comment.

Cobb was arrested Friday over allegations that he used the name "NearbyUser101" to post a lengthy social media message that said he was planning an attack on white people in which nobody would "be able to stop me from spraying them to the ground."

"The reason i specifically want to target white people is because as a black male, they will NEVER understand my struggles," he allegedly wrote on Dec. 17, 2022. "Same way I will never understand their struggles, but I don't care to. I want to erase them."

He's charged with one count of transmitting a threat in interstate and foreign commerce, which is punishable by up to five years in prison.

Cobb joined the Marines in 2023 and was stationed at the Marine Corps Air-Ground Center in Twentynine Palms, California.

On April 3, the FBI seized his iPhone and interviewed him at the base, where he allegedly provided details of his attack plan and said he still had "homicidal ideations" and felt "contempt towards those whom he perceived as privileged white people in New Jersey."

Cobb also allegedly claimed he had access to firearms, including through a relative and someone who could 3D print guns.

Cobb was discharged from the Marines the same day as his arrest and is being held without bond pending a Friday court hearing.
President Joe Biden says he wants to debate Donald Trump twice leading up to the November election.

The first would be in June and the second would be in September.

"Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020. Since then, he hasn't shown up for a debate. Now he's acting like he wants to debate me again," Biden's campaign said in a Facebook post on Wednesday morning. "Well, make my day, pal."

He challenged Trump to "pick the dates."

In a Facebook video he said, "Donald  I hear you're free on Wednesdays," alluding to Trump's criminal trial schedule.

"When I get up on stage, it'll be me and this grassroots team versus Donald Trump and his MAGA minions," Biden said.

Donald Trump responded a short time later on his Truth Social social media platform that he is game to the debates.

"I am Ready and Willing to Debate Crooked Joe at the two proposed times in June and September. I would strongly recommend more than two debates and, for excitement purposes, a very large venue, although Biden is supposedly afraid of crowds - That's only because he doesn't get them."

"Just tell me when, I'll be there," Trump continued.

CNN reported that Biden had accepted an invitation by CNN to debate Trump on June 27. Fox News says that Trump has also agreed to the CNN debate.

Biden's campaign sent a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates on Wednesday that he would not be participating in their debates, CNN reported.
The broad daylight attack last week on 'Boardwalk Empire' actor Steve Buscemi is the latest in a string of random assaults on celebrities in New York City.

Buscemi, 66, was sucker-punched in the face as he walked down the street in Manhattan. He suffered bruising, swelling and bleeding to his left eye. The NYPD says they are looking for 50-year-old Clifton Williams in connection with the assault.

Buscemi's fellow "Boardwalk Empire" actor Michael Stuhlbarg was also recently attacked.

On March 31, a homeless man punched Stuhlbarg in Central Park.

Stuhlbarg suffered a small bruise and said he didn't need any medical attention, according to the NYPD. An arrest was made in that case.

In another incident, Broadway actor John Cardoza was robbed in a Manhattan Dunkin store on Easter Sunday.

The suspect allegedly pretended to have a gun in his pocket and managed to snatch the actor's wallet, which contained $9.

In October 2020, a homeless man allegedly punched actor Rick Moranis in Manhattan. Marquis Ventura was accused of a string of attacks over a six-month period.

Prosecutors say the same day as the attack on 67-year-old Rick Moranis, Ventura also punched the owner of a New York liquor store and stole a bottle of champagne.

Former "Real Housewives of New York" star Bethany Frankel also claims she was recently attacked on a NYC street, according to New York Post's Page Six. She claimed in March in a TikTok post she was looking at apartments when a homeless man randomly punched her with a "closed fist".

Other women have come forward on TikTok claiming they were assaulted in New York, saying that the trend of women getting attacked at random is a growing one.
President Joe Biden has announced to Congress that the White House intends to send more than $1 billion in new arms shipments to Israel.

The new package will still need to be approved by lawmakers but would include $700 million in tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles, and $60 million in mortar rounds, according to The Associated Press.

The new package comes a week after pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel over concerns they would be used against civilians in densely populated areas and White House opposition to a full-scale invasion by the Israeli military in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Last month, Congress approved a bill providing $95 billion in aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan.

Per a report by the US State Department, some American-made weapons provided to Israel may have been used in breach of international law.

However, the report stopped short of conclusively stating that the Israeli Defense Forces had violated international law.

Adding that the guarantees received from Israel about heeding the legal use of US weapons were "credible and reliable," as reported by the BBC.

Biden previously stated following the pause in arms supply that "civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs."

News of the latest package comes on the heels of the presidential primary election in Maryland, where activists have encouraged voters to register a protest ballot against Biden due to the president's favoritism towards Israel over the Gaza War.

Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers in Congress have launched legislation that would prohibit any further pauses in weapon shipments to the US ally.

The law would require the State Department and Defense Department to secure the "prompt delivery" of military equipment.

The White House has promised to veto the bill should it manage to pass the Senate.

Weapons transfers to Israel have become a political liability for Biden ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Hunter Biden's attorneys pleaded with a Delaware district court judge to delay his upcoming court dates on Tuesday, as the defense struggles to find expert witnesses before Biden's criminal trial begins in June.

The president's son is facing three felony counts for allegedly lying about his drug use while purchasing a gun in 2018. While Biden has admitted to using crack cocaine during this period, he denies breaking the law - arguing that the charges are politically motivated.

The judge overseeing the case rejected Biden's allegations last month and allowed for the trial to go forward.

Attorney Abbe Lowell told Judge Maryellen Noreika that the defense has been struggling to find expert witnesses to testify about drug addiction and forensics because of "the noise" surrounding the president's son.

"We have not been delaying, we have not been tardy," Lowell told Noreika. "We have been trying."

"People are reluctant to become involved in this case," he added. "I am pleading with your honor to give me the time to do this."

Noreika rejected Lowell's pleas, telling the attorney that she was not his "scheduling secretary."

The defense also seemed to imply that they were overwhelmed with managing Biden's legal affairs in Delaware and California. On the West Coast, Biden is facing three felonies and six misdemeanors for tax issues - though he has since repaid his back taxes.

"[Prosecutors] have the resources to be ready on both coasts," Lowell said. "I wish we did. But it's not for want of trying."
A silicon valley tech adviser who previously donated to a major Democrat campaign four years ago is now funneling cash into Donald Trump's 2024 campaign, according to a report.



Jacob Helberg has reportedly given a $1 million donation to Donald Trump's presidential campaign, according to The Washington Post , four years after raising money within his exclusive circle for Democrat Pete Buttigieg's failed 2020 primary campaign.

Helberg serves on an advisory board to Palantir and runs the Hill and Valley Forum, an informal defense technology group that proved to be crucial in pushing Congress to pass divest-or-ban legislation aimed at social media app TikTok.

Helberg is one of several influential backers of tech leaders who have pledged allegiance to the former president.

Following the pandemic, an artificial intelligence arms race against China, and a mission to ban TikTok in the United States, Helberg told The Post that his views and party allegiances have shifted.

In Silicon Valley, "the social cost of supporting Trump isn't as great as it was," said Helberg of his decision to switch parties, adding that it was because "Trump was right on a lot of make-or-break issues for America."

Earlier this month, Helberg visited Mar-a-Lago, where he says he "fell in love" with Trump while socializing with a number of GOP vice presidential hopefuls, the Post reported.

The group spoke on topics such as the risks of overregulating artificial intelligence and the importance of Silicon Valley in playing a role in the development of military technologies, said the tech leader.

As the November election looms, the political climate among Silicon Valley donors has been one of distaste for both choices in the 2024 election.

Biden "has proved himself to be the most woke president we've ever had," despite pitching himself as a centrist, added Helberg.

As a gay man, he stated that the GOP's stances on LGBTQ+ issues, which include a law in his home state of Florida limiting school curriculum addressing gender and sexual orientation, didn't bother him.

He believes the party is actually becoming less socially conservative on the federal level, while Biden is seen by many as too old, and his policies are not aligned with the tech sector's interests.

In April, Biden signed the law, giving the TikTok parent company ByteDance up to a year to either sell the app or face a nationwide ban.

While Helberg appreciates Biden's support of the bill, he noted that Trump has been a TikTok opponent since 2020, when his administration attempted to force the Chinese parent company to sell the services to a US company.
An Oklahoma sheriff working on a BTK crossword puzzle in the middle of the night may have figured out another victim of the infamous serial killer.

Dennis Rader, 79, whose self-given moniker stands for "Bind, Torture, Kill" because of the method in which he murdered his victims in the Wichita, Kansas, area, has been tied to at least 10 slayings. He first struck in 1974 and terrorized the community for three decades. He was arrested in 2005.

"There's hints all the way through that can't be overlooked," Osage County Sheriff Eddie Virden said of a 20-year-old word puzzle Rader mailed to the media, according to KFOR-TV.

The puzzle spells out the names of his 10 victims and his home address.

Virden said the puzzle also contains the name of Cindy Kinney, a 16-year-old cheerleader who vanished from a laundromat in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, in 1976.

If positively confirmed, the revelation would expand Rader's hunting radius beyond Kansas.

"It's pretty hard to get around the fact that Cindy Kinney's name is in there, that Osage Laundromat is in there, that Pawhuska is in there," Virden told the outlet Tuesday.

"It's up to us to figure out everything that he gave us and put those together, connect the dots, and then get the answers we're looking for," the sheriff explained of the decades-long cat-and-mouse game Rader would play with investigators and the media. "We're still in the process of trying to evaluate that and sending them out, trying to get some expert opinions on it to see what we can get."

Rader  a divorced father of two  has ties to Oklahoma.

He documented traveling to the state eight times for vacation, a boy scouts trip and business.

"We have searched many locations. We've found items that we believe are evidence and we've found carvings, markings in barns, things that we believe are 100% proof that he's operated within our area," said Virden.

In 2005, Rader pleaded guilty to 10 counts of first-degree murder. He's currently serving 10 consecutive life-terms at a Kansas maximum security prison.

On Tuesday, his daughter, Kerri Rawson, wrote on X, "I am legally unable to comment at this time on the ongoing cold case investigation's into my father."
A Florida man confessed to sexually abusing a young family member as a teen during an interview to become a police officer.

An Orange County jury convicted Stephen Bodley, 26, of sexual battery of a child less than 12 by a person less than 18, earlier this month

He faces life in prison.

Evidence of Bodley's crime first surfaced during an interview for the position of sworn police officer with the Apopka Police Department in 2021, according to Florida State Attorney Andrew Bain.

"The certified voice stress analysis examiner performed a voice stress examination on Bodley. During the examination, the examiner asked Bodley to expand on concerning answers he provided in a pre-test questionnaire. In it, Bodley described sexually abusing a child several years ago. He admitted the same when the examiner asked him to explain further," explained Bain.

"I would play sex games with [redacted] and she didn't fully understand what was happening," Bodley wrote during the pre-test interview, according to the arrest warrant reviewed by Headlines & Global News. "...she didn't know fully what was going on, and I used to watch porn a lot, so I had a little addiction when I was younger," he admitted.

Bodley said he believed the victim was 9 or 10 years old and the assaults occurred about three times. The victim and Bodley were family, the affidavit read.

Despite his confession, he denied any wrongdoing during his trial.

Bodley will be sentenced June 24.
Former owner of the LA Dodgers and billionaire Frank McCourt has announced his intention to buy popular social media platform TikTok.

On Wednesday, McCourt told the New York Times he's working to put together a group of bidders to buy the app, following a bill passed by Congress that would force the Chinese company ByteDance to sell or shut down TikTok.

McCourt has his eyes on the social media phenomenon and said he wants to rethink how TikTok, and the internet overall, use data and consider privacy.

He continues to seek the advice of several academics and those alike who study the impact of technology, as he has long been interested in the intersection of technology and society.

When McCourt Launched his Project Liberty initative in 2021, McCourt said, "this seemed like a great opportunity to actually create an alternative to the current internet, which has been colonized by large platforms, including Facebook and TikTok.'

He added that proposed deal could help users "control their identity, own, and control their data."

As the Chinese government has the power to prevent the sale of TikTok's valuable algorithm and the operations between TikTok's US business and those of its parent company, McCourt has stated that it's too soon to discuss a potential valuation but said that he's interested in TikTok without its video recommendation technology.

While McCourt's bid is still in its preliminary stages, he has recruited financial advisers at the investment bank Guggenheim Securities and legal advisers at the law firm Kirkland & Ellis.

"We doubt very much that China would sell TikTok with the algorithm," he said.

"We're the one bidder that doesn't want the algorithm because we're talking about a different architecture, a different way of thinking about the internet and how it operates."
OnlyFans model Ava Louise said she's received several death threats since flashing her "two New York, homegrown potatoes" via a live two-way camera "portal" between New York City and Ireland.

Louise, 25, who has over 700,000 Instagram followers, said the scandalous stunt on Sunday in New York City has people wanting her dead, "but I don't really care," she claimed, according to the New York Post.

"I've gotten death threats my entire career, like, what are you going to do about it? If you put yourself out there on the internet, people are gonna send you death threats and that's not really my problem, nor do I care," said Louise.

The portal  an interactive art installation launched May 8 with a mission to connect people of NYC to residents in Dublin in real-time over a 6-month time period  has been temporarily shut down due to "inappropriate behavior," a spokesperson with Flatiron NoMad Partnership said in a statement to USA TODAY Wednesday.

"I thought the people of Dublin deserved to see two New York, homegrown potatoes," Louise previously said in a video addressing the controversy on TikTok.

The risque stunt has proven to be lucrative for the internet star, who said she was banking on going viral.

She previously went viral for licking a toilet seat.

"In the past two days, I made $30,000 just off this whole scandal, so it's been awesome," she told the Post.
Slovakia's interior minister revealed the assassination attempt of Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico was politically motivated based on "initial interviews with the suspect."

During a news conference outside of the hospital where the prime minister is being treated, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok told reporters:

"This assassination attempt was politically motivated, and the suspect made the decision to do it shortly after the presidential election."

Defense Minister Robert Kalinak, who spoke alongside Estok, added, "It is clear this was politically motivated.

Fico has "suffered multiple injuries." However, no details were provided when reporters inquired as to whether the prime minister was shot in the stomach, reported CNN News.

Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times and rushed to a hospital in "life-threatening condition" in an attack after a political event on Wednesday.

Fico, 59, was shot in the stomach after four rounds were fired outside the House of Culture in the town of Handlova.

Fico has publicly opposed military aid to Ukraine and is critical of the European Union and NATO.

Thousands of people took to the streets of Bratislava in March to display their solidarity with Ukraine and express their disapproval of Slovakia's close relationship with Russia.
The star witness in ex-President Donald Trump's hush money trial will be back on the stand Thursday for more cross-examination by the defense trying to chip away at his credibility.

Michael Cohen, 57, admitted on Tuesday that he lied to Special Counsel Robert Mueller during the start of the cross-examination.

He first described his testimony to Mueller regarding his travels to Prague and deals with the Russians in an effort to interfere in the 2016 election as "untruthful" and "inaccurate," when pressed by Trump defense attorney Todd Blanche.

Later on, he admitted, "I'll say it's a lie.

Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal charges involving the $130,000 hush money payment to the porn actor Stormy Daniels, who claimed she had sex with Trump.

How Trump handled those payments is the basis of the trial. Trump faces 34 criminal charges.

He has pleaded not guilty and has also denied ever having the affair.

On Wednesday, Trump asked New York's highest court ito get invovled in his gag order tied to the case.

He as been fined $10,000 and threatened with jail for violating a ban on commenting about witnesses and jurors involved in the case.

The appeal came a day after the state's appellate court refused his request to lift it.
Television's "Judge Judy" Sheindlin is suing the National Enquirer and InTouch Weekly after the publications ran stories in April claiming that she was working to get a retrial for the Menendez brothers who were convicted of murdering their parents in 1989.

Sheindlin filed the lawsuit in Florida on Monday against the Accelerate360, the parent company of the Enquirer and InTouch, Law&Crime reported.

The headline on the article published on InTouch's website on April 10 said, "Inside Judge Judy's Quest to Save the Menendez Brothers Nearly 35 Years After Their Parents' Murder."

A version of the story also ran in the Enquirer, according to the report.

"Sensational, headline-grabbing copy? To be sure. Accurate? No," Sheindlin said in the 20-page lawsuit, Law&Crime reported. "As a judge's stock in trade is her reputation, these defamations are especially damaging in that they strike at the heart of Judge Sheindlin's good reputation."

Sheindlin, who claimed she had nothing to say about the Menendez brothers, did not ask for specific damages, but it's expected to be expensive.

"When you fabricate stories about me in order to make money for yourselves with no regard for the truth or the reputation I've spent a lifetime cultivating, it's going to cost you," she said in a statement, the Associated Press reported.

"When you've done it multiple times, it's unconscionable and will be expensive. It has to be expensive so that you will stop," it said.

Erik and Lyle Menendez were convicted of killing their parents - Joe and Kitty Menendez - in their Beverly Hills home. They are serving life sentences.
The husband of Stormy Daniels suggested the couple may leave the country if former President Donald Trump is acquitted in his criminal trial in New York City, saying his wife "wants to move past this."

Barrett Blade said he believes that even if Trump is found guilty in the hush money case his supporters will continue to target the former porn star, who testified during the trial.

"Either way, I don't think it gets better for her. I think if it's not guilty, we got to decide what to do. Good chance we'll probably vacate this country," Blade told CNN.

"I don't see it as a win situation either way," he said. "I know that we would like to get on with our lives. I know that she wants to move past this. We just want to do what I guess you'd say normal people get to do in some aspects but I don't know if that ever will be, you know, and it breaks my heart."

The case stems from allegations made by Daniels that she had a sexual affair with Trump in 2006 and the former president arranged to pay her $130,000 to keep quiet about the tryst weeks before the 2016 presidential election.

Trump has denied the affair.

Blade said his wife just wants to "get on with her life.""As much as it's boring for the media to keep hearing it over and over again, it sucks for her to have to keep saying the same thing over and over and over again,"he told CNN. "It wears on her, but she's a warrior."
Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to Beijing on Thursday as the two leaders pledged to strengthen their strategic partnership, according to reports.

Putin, accompanied by a delegation of top defense and security officials, met Xi in Beijing's Great Hall of the People in a ceremony marked by military pageantry at the beginning of his two-day visit, CNN reported.

In a statement, Putin and Xi called themselves "priority partners" and said that relations between Moscow and Beijing have stood "the test of rapid changes in the world, demonstrating strength and stability, and are experiencing the best period in their history," CNN reported.

Putin, visiting China on his first overseas trip since being inaugurated last week for his fifth term as president, said his relationship with Xi is a stabilizing force in international relations.

"Together we are defending the principles of justice and a democratic world order reflecting multipolar realities and based on international law," Putin told Xi, Reuters reported.

The Russian leader's visit comes as Moscow is pressing its military operation in northern Ukraine, which it invaded in February 2022.

While China has taken a neutral position on the war, it has supported Putin's claim that the West provoked Russia into attacking Ukraine and it has continued to supply Russia with components for its weapons productions, the Associated Press reported.

Putin and Xi in a statement said they believe to bring about a "sustainable settlement of the Ukrainian crisis it is necessary to eliminate its root causes."

Putin has claimed that the incursion into neighboring Ukraine was necessary to wipe out the Nazi influence in the country.

"The two sides pointed out that it is necessary to carry out education on the correct historical perspective, protect the world's anti-fascist memorial facilities, and protect them from desecration or destruction, and severely condemn the glorification of or even attempts to revive Nazism and militarism," their statement said.
The daughter of the infamous BTK killer is publicly reacting after an Oklahoma sheriff working on a BTK crossword puzzle might have figured out another victim of the infamous serial killer.

Dennis Rader, 79, whose self-given moniker stands for "Bind, Torture, Kill" because of the method in which he murdered his victims in the Wichita, Kansas, area, has been tied to at least 10 slayings. He first struck in 1974 and terrorized the community for three decades. He was arrested in 2005.

In an X post, Kerri Rawson said, "I've known of recent developments for a while, what I didn't know was that it was going to be released to media."

She said she was given little warning that it was about to happen.

"And then came the PTSD. Anything unexpected can and will send it flying," Rawson said.

She said she can't legally talk about the new developments in the case.

"What I can talk about is this never ending ride my father has placed us on," Rawson said. "I very much would like to get off it."

Osage County Sheriff Eddie Virden recently worked on a 20-year-old word puzzle Rader mailed to the media.

The puzzle was known to spell out the names of 10 victims.

Virden now says the puzzle also contains the name of Cindy Kinney, a 16-year-old cheerleader who vanished from a laundromat in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, in 1976.

If confirmed, the new victim would expand Rader's hunting radius beyond Kansas.

"It's pretty hard to get around the fact that Cindy Kinney's name is in there, that Osage Laundromat is in there, that Pawhuska is in there," Virden told KFOR-TV.

Dennis Rader of Park City, Kansas pleaded guilty in 2005 to 10 killings dating back to 1974. Rader received 10 life terms and a "hard 40" for the murders he committed over nearly 30 years.
Ennismore, the fastest-growing lifestyle and leisure hospitality company, announces the signing of SO/ Budapest, the brand's first destination in Hungary. SO/ Budapest will open in 2026, following extensive refurbishment of both the exterior and interior of the building.

SO/ Budapest will feature 350 rooms, including 56 suites and two presidential suites, which will take travelling in style to a new level. Inspired by the world of fashion and luxury concept stores, guestrooms at SO/ are centred around the art of 'getting dressed'; guests can expect fashion-forward amenities, including back-lit vanities, open-style wardrobes, and an array of dressing room mirrors and reflective surfaces to capture all angles. Creating a stylish backdrop, SO/ Budapest will have four food and drink destinations, including a ground-floor restaurant with a terrace and cafe by Carte Blanched, Ennismore's in-house F&B concept studio; a lobby cafe on the first floor and a rooftop restaurant and club. In addition, SO/ Budapest will have over 740sqm of meeting & events spaces and 855sqm of spa facilities with a swimming pool and fitness/wellness space.

Located on the city's Pest Bank, SO/ Budapest, which is repositioning the Sofitel Budapest Chain Bridge hotel into the lifestyle segment, is in the heart of the historic city centre and offers breathtaking views of the Danube and the Chain Bridge. From architectural feats like the neo-Gothic Hungarian National Parliament to Pest's ruin bars - former dilapidated buildings turned hip enclaves serving up chic cocktails - SO/ Budapest lies at the intersection of fashion, design and culture in the city.

SO/ made its stylish debut on the global hotel scene in 2011 and continues to command attention with its avant-garde design to the world of luxury. Renowned for its signature fashion collaborations, SO/ has worked with some of the world's most celebrated designers, including Guillaume Henry, Christian Lacroix and Viktor&Rolf, to create spaces, uniforms, amenities and experiences that feel sartorial and polished. SO/ hotels are located in some of the world's most vibrant and sociable destinations, including Berlin, Bangkok, Paris, Dubai and most recently, the Maldives. Exciting expansion plans will see the brand continue to spread its bold footprint globally, including Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in 2025.

In addition to SO/ Budapest, Ennismore has a growing pipeline of hotels opening in Hungary over the next few years, with hotels from 25hours, JO&JOE, and Mama Shelter opening in the capital. Globally, Ennismore is set to open over 15 hotels and over 50 restaurants and bars in 2024, including The Hoxton Vienna, Austria; Hyde London City, UK; 25hours The Odd Bird, Jakarta, Indonesia; SLS Barcelona, Spain; Mama Shelter Nice, France; Rixos Tersane Istanbul, Turkiye, and Rixos Obhur Jeddah.

Hotel website
Travel and tourism sector witnessed the announcement of 217 deals (mergers and acquisitions (M&A), private equity and venture financing deals) during January-April 2024 compared to the announcement of 251 deals during the same period in previous year. This represents a year-on-year (YoY) decline of 13.5% in deals volume during January-April 2024, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: Deal activity in travel and tourism sector remained subdued amid the uncertain market conditions and ongoing geopolitical tensions. Several leading economies including the US and China recorded YoY decline in deal volume.

An analysis of GlobalDatas Deals Database revealed that the number of deals announced in the US and China declined by 26.4% and 57.1% during January-April 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Other key markets such as France, Japan and Italy also experienced YoY decline in deal volume. Meanwhile, deal volume for the UK, South Korea, and Spain remained the same.

Similarly, most of the regions experienced subdued deal activity. Deals volume for North America, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and South and Central America regions registered decline, whereas it remained mostly the same in Europe.

Bose adds: It was a mixed bag for different deal types under the coverage with M&A and VC deals registering decline while private equity deals volume showcasing improvement during January-April 2024.

The number of M&A deals and venture financing deals declined by 9.4%, and 31.7%, respectively, during January-April 2024 compared to January-April 2023 while private equity deals volume grew by 37.5%.

Note: Historic data may change in case some deals get added to previous months because of a delay in disclosure of information in the public domain.
Alexandria, VA  With an estimated 39% of business travelers reporting accessibility requirements that impact their travel experience1, travel managers are seeking guidance to incorporate these needs into their corporate travel policies. So how can companies and corporate travel professionals create a more inclusive travel experience to accommodate their various travelers? The GBTA Foundation, the charitable arm of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), today launched the GBTA Accessibility Toolkit , a guide to help travel managers and buyers create more accessible policies and practices in their business travel programs.

The GBTA Accessibility Toolkit includes recommendations based on industry expertise and best practices around critical areas of consideration including travel policy, traveler communication, supplier engagement, and point-of-sale. The toolkit addresses key challenges in accessible business travel and how the industry can collaborate more effectively to deliver for those with accessibility needs.

For many business travelers, accessibility requirements may also be hidden, such as chronic pain, neurodiversity and mental health, and 70% of travel managers don't know or won't estimate how many of their travelers have accessibility requirements2. Adding to the challenge is the business travel industry lacks universal accessibility standards, therefore leaving many companies to address the issue in an ad-hoc manner.

Addressing accessibility challenges needs to be a priority for the business travel industry, as there is still a significant gap in understanding business traveler differences and how these translate into various needs, said Delphine Millot, Managing Director of the GBTA Foundation and Senior Vice President for Sustainability and Advocacy at GBTA. Our GBTA Accessibility Toolkit is designed to help companies address this issue, in turn enhancing the business traveler experience, maximizing the ROI of business travel, and supporting the delivery of travel services from across the supplier landscape.

Why a toolkit? Travel managers have a responsibility to support their travelers and manage risks as part of their duty of care role. Meanwhile, a lack of consideration around accessibility needs creates an environment in which travelers spend additional time and energy to deliver on their respective companys investment. Furthermore, employees with accessibility requirements are an important part of the workforce, and companies need to ensure equitable working conditions and opportunities for all to build resilient and diverse teams.

Ive had great experiences while traveling, but then Ive had horrifically poor experiences, said David Dame, Senior Director of Product Accessibility, Windows + Devices, at Microsoft. The biggest challenge is the inconsistency. I would like the opportunity, as somebody that travels both for work and for pleasure, to take for granted that I will have a seamless trip, just like anyone else. Consistency and best practices are sorely needed in the industry, and I am excited to see momentum on this.

As part of the GBTA Accessibility Toolkit, the GBTA Foundation has issued five Calls to Action for an Accessible Business Travel Industry:

Suppliers and Travel Managers should conduct an accessibility self-assessment to benchmark where programs can improve. Travel Managers should strengthen systems to transparently collect and confidentially store traveler accessibility information. Travel Managers should respond to travelers who disclose their accessibility requirements with a proactive and transparent support structure. Travel Managers or buyers should send a demand signal for more accessible facilities and services through the procurement and supplier evaluation process. The Business Travel Industry should collaborate on a universal coding system that conveys more granular accessibility information that travelers commonly need.

The GBTA Accessibility Toolkit, launched on Global Accessibility Awareness Day, contains seven modules on industry best practices around travel policy, traveler communication, supplier engagement and point-of-sale, key challenges and opportunities in accessible business travel, a glossary of terms, and industry case studies.

Developed in collaboration with the GBTA Inclusion & Culture Committee for travel managers, buyers, travel management companies (TMCs), consultants, online booking tools (OBTs), travel suppliers, the Accessibility Toolkit is available now at https://gbtafoundation.org/accessibility/ .(Thanks to the support of the GBTA Foundation, portions of the toolkit are available to the public.)

To learn more about the GBTA Foundation, go to www.gbtafoundation.org.

1,2 Source: 2022 survey, Accessio

About the GBTA Foundation

The mission of the GBTA Foundation, the US 501c3 charitable arm of the Global Business Travel Association, is to help the global business travel industry create a positive impact and better future for people and the planet. The GBTA Foundation focuses on the strategy and execution of GBTAs global sustainability programs, supporting initiatives related to climate action; diversity, equity and inclusion; and other talent-related topics via education, research and advocacy. For more information, visit www.gbtafoundation.org.

About the Global Business Travel Association

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world's premier business travel and meetings trade organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area serving stakeholders across six continents. GBTA and its 8,000+ members represent and advocate for the $1.357 trillion global business travel and meetings industry. GBTA and the GBTA Foundation deliver world-class education, events, research, advocacy and media to a growing global network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts.
In collaboration with leading media platform Jing Daily, Marriott International unveils an in-depth report shedding light on the evolving landscape of luxury travel in China. Titled Luxury Explored: Chinese Luxury Travelers Evolving Desires, the report delves deep into the transformative trends and shifting preferences shaping the Chinese luxury travel market.

Understanding the evolving desires of Chinese luxury travelers is paramount for us to continue delivering exceptional experiences that resonate with our guests, said Bart Buiring, Managing Director, Luxury, Greater China, Marriott International. The findings in this report reaffirm our commitment to champion innovation, authenticity, and personalized service, ensuring that we remain at the forefront of China's dynamic luxury travel market.

The report offers a comprehensive overview of the Chinese luxury travel segment, highlighting its exponential growth trajectory fueled by rising affluence, increased discretionary spending power, and a burgeoning middle class. From opulent vacations in exotic locales to bespoke experiences curated for discerning tastes, luxury travel in China has evolved into a nuanced pursuit of exclusivity, authenticity, and cultural immersion.

Marriott International Luxury Group, with its portfolio of eight dynamic luxury brands, is at the forefront of catering to the evolving desires of today's discerning luxury travelers. Luxury Group's approach to luxury emphasizes creating highly contextualized, unique brand experiences that resonate with modern travelers quest for exclusivity and personal growth.

Several factors have contributed to the transformation of the Chinese luxury travel market, including changing attitudes towards luxury consumption, the proliferation of digital platforms and social media, and the emergence of experiential luxury. Bains latest China luxury report forecasts robust growth in the luxury market, with Chinese consumers increasingly returning to purchasing luxury within China.

Key Findings from the Report

Attitude Shifts: Mature travelers prioritize exclusivity, while the young generation seeks uniqueness. Young generation is drawn to quiet luxury and niche brands that resonate with their identity. Additionally, their preferences are shifting towards community-based experiences and global connections, with less emphasis on social interaction among mature luxury travelers in China.

Mature travelers prioritize exclusivity, while the young generation seeks uniqueness. Young generation is drawn to quiet luxury and niche brands that resonate with their identity. Additionally, their preferences are shifting towards community-based experiences and global connections, with less emphasis on social interaction among mature luxury travelers in China. Digital Influence:

The proliferation of digital platforms and social media has shaped consumer perceptions and driven demand for unique, Instagram-worthy experiences. Chinese travelers, often called "digital natives", rely heavily on online reviews, recommendations, and social media influencers to inform their travel decisions.

The proliferation of digital platforms and social media has shaped consumer perceptions and driven demand for unique, Instagram-worthy experiences. Chinese travelers, often called "digital natives", rely heavily on online reviews, recommendations, and social media influencers to inform their travel decisions. Experiential Luxury: Affluent Chinese travelers seek meaningful encounters that foster cultural exchange, intellectual stimulation, and spiritual rejuvenation. Luxury travel is no longer just about opulence; it is about creating memorable experiences that leave a lasting impression.

Perspective on Future Growth

As the Chinese luxury travel market evolves, opportunities arise for stakeholders across the travel industry to capitalize on this burgeoning demand. By embracing a holistic approach to luxury travel that emphasizes sustainability, wellness, and experiential enrichment, businesses can forge deeper connections and foster brand loyalty in an increasingly competitive market landscape.

The evolving desires of Chinese luxury travelers underscore the dynamism and adaptability of the global luxury travel industry. By understanding Chinese travelers nuanced motivations and aspirations, stakeholders can unlock the full potential of this growing market segment. Embracing innovation, fostering collaboration, and prioritizing authenticity are key to shaping China's future of luxury travel.

For more information on the report, please visit here.
Dua Lipa, Kacey Musgraves, Kings of Leon go Direct-to-Fan for Album Releases

Discover how Dua Lipa, Kacey Musgraves, and Kings of Leon smartly use direct-to-fan album releases. Learn the secrets behind their genius and how it could reshape the future of music distribution.

from single.xyz

Web Store Exclusives, Limited Editions, and Personalized Offerings Are Crushing It for Top Artists

Its no secret that exclusivity and scarcity drive direct-to-fan (D2F) music sales. And so far, this month is proving just how mighty these forces can be.

Dua Lipas Store-Exclusive Radical Optimism

Lets start with Dua Lipas latest album, Radical Optimism. This record is racing to the top of the UK charts, fueled largely by the special D2F version sold exclusively through Duas own Shopify store.

The limited availability of this store-exclusive edition has fans eager to buy music directly from the artist. By creating a sense of scarcity and exclusivity, Dua is able to drive significant direct sales through her own online shop. This strategy mirrors what we saw last month with Kacey Musgraves, who scored her biggest sales week ever by offering a digital-only, release-week exclusive version of her album Deeper Wells for just $6 on her website.

Personalizing the Fan Experience with Kings of Leon

But exclusivity is only half the story when it comes to successful D2F tactics. Personalization is also key for winning over your biggest fans. We can see this in action with the release of the new Kings of Leon album Can We Please Have Fun.

Beyond the standard album offerings, Kings of Leon rolled out a range of limited edition fan packs, box sets, and vinyl variants. These personalized goodies give diehard fans a reason to buy directly from the band instead of just streaming the music. By catering to different fan interests with unique formats and merchandise, Kings of Leon is creating all kinds of opportunities for their most dedicated supporters to engage directly.

The Power of Owning the D2F Relationship

Taking a step back, what really stands out is that these artists are executing these D2F strategies on platforms they control, like Shopify. This allows them to not just drive the direct sale, but to also own the direct fan relationship.

Unlike streaming platforms or third-party retailers, on Shopify the customer data and connection belongs to the artist. This means the next time they release new music, merch, or other offerings, they have direct access to those fans  their emails, preferences, and purchase history. It allows artists to foster much deeper, long-lasting relationships with their most loyal supporters.

3 Key Takeaways for Your Next Release

So what can other artists learn from these direct-to-fan campaigns from top artists like Dua Lipa, Kacey Musgraves, Kings of Leon? Here are our top 3 tips:

Exclusivity and Scarcity Drive Demand: Create a sense of exclusivity and limited availability to get fans excited and eager to purchase directly from you. Personalized Offerings Hook Your Biggest Fans: Develop personalized, deluxe packages that give fans a reason to buy directly rather than just streaming. Own the D2F Relationship: Sell through your own online store to convert fans into direct customers and maintain those relationships for the long term.

By leveraging exclusivity, scarcity, personalization, and direct-to-fan platforms, artists can drive significant direct sales and foster deeper connections with their most dedicated listeners. Its a winning strategy thats clearly paying off in the early days of May.



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North Adams Draft Ordinance Allows More Retail Cannabis

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  The mayor is asking the City Council to take up a revamp of the cannabis ordinance that will allow more establishments to licensed.

Mayor Jennifer Macksey provided the draft language on Tuesday night and said she's asked City Solicitor Nicole Constanza of KP Law to work with the General Government Committee.

"As an administration, we were focused on the new legislation that I believe came out in November and we've been kind of holding off as we've been hoping to get more information from the Cannabis Control Commission, which is very slow coming out," said the mayor.

"But we wanted to get the process started in regards to addressing courier and delivery businesses for cannabis, the removal of outdoor grow facilities better define the number of retail cannabis businesses as well as attempt to update the language per the the new regulations."

The draft language keeps all the buffer zones intact and further clarified; adds courier and delivery operator and their definitions; bans onsite consumption and outside grow facilities; and doubles the number of retail licenses from two to four, also removing the number's dependence on liquor and package stores.

"Really this is an opportunity that I need my partners of the legislative branch to really dig in, do research and provide us a really good ordinance," Macksey said. "The first ordinance that was passed was a good document and now that we're ready to take another look at it with the new regulations, this is where I ask my partner's in government for help."

Healther Anello and Dan Berger, both of whom want to open a cannabis operation in the city, spoke during hearing of visitors.

Anello, who has a special permit to use a section of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post, commended the city for taking up the new regulations and said she's ready to roll out. Berger, who has a host community agreement with the city, did not think the new language was "substantially compliant" with the new state regulations.

Councilor Ashley Shade, chair of General Government, motioned to refer to her committee with a return date of July because of the upcoming Finance Committee meetings. There was discussion of possibly having General Government and Public Safety meet at the same time but Councilor Keith Bona raised the concerns of having a quorum of the council so it was determined they should meet separately.

"I think this is very doable and I want to invite the public and people who are involved in this industry to be at those meetings, to have a voice to have a say, to be able to ask questions to be able to provide input," said Shade. "If this is something that affects you, please come to those meetings and have your input as well."

Kristy Edmunds, director of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, spoke to the council about the museum's upcoming 25th anniversary this Memorial Day.

"A thing that I often hope that everybody in North Adams understands, is in the broader art world, this is one of the largest and most significant places for the liberty of artistic expression in North America," she said. "That lives here."

She said the museum sees itself as a steward in caring for the historic mill buildings and is committed to the goals of Vision 2030, the city's master plan.

"Mass MoCA has a mission that is connected to artistic expression, civic engagement and the upholding of cultural diversity. It also has a direct mission to create economic impact for jobs," Edmunds said, pointing out that it took 150 years to build up a manufacturing and to consider what will be possible in the museum's next 25.

A community day will be held on Saturday, May 25, when the museum will have free admission along with actitivies and performances and food vendors.

"We're also hosting a convening of young impactful philanthropists that are looking at the same things that you were just talking about  housing," she said. "How do you match private investment with government support in order to generate new dynamics that might have durable good for the humanity."

The council also heard about housing issues from the grassroots group North Adams Community Housing Organization on potential opportunities for advancing housing in the city through the governor's $4.2 billion Affordable Homes Act.

In other business, the council confirmed the appointment of Kimberly Ann Perry to the Board of Registrars for a term to expire on May 14, 2027.

 A presentation on the mission and goals of the Youth Commission was referred to the mayor's office on a motion by Councilor Deanna Morrow, who had asked for time for the commission to speak.

Bona asked that if comes back to council it be referred to General Government if there are any proposed changes, noting the restrictions had been loosened up to accommodate younger members and reach quorum.

"A lot of this was created by the City Council, I remember, under Councilor [Kate] Merrigan, Councilor [Michael] Boland. A few years later, under [Mayor] Bernard, it had been an issue trying to keep the board filled."

Shade said it was an underutilized commission and thanked Morrow for bringing it up.

"I see some faces in the crowd here who I think would make great representatives if they want to get involved, because we do need more youth voices involved in the community," she said.

 The meeting was briefly recessed during hearing of visitors when one audience member caused a disruption. The individual left and the meeting continued without incidence.
Berkshire County Historical Society Awarded Grants

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The Berkshire County Historical Society has received a $10,000 historic preservation grant from Preservation Massachusetts in association with the 1772 Foundation.

In addition, BCHS has received a $15,000 grant from the Jane and Jack Fitzpatrick Trust.

These grants will be used to replace lost historic louvered shutters to Herman Melville's historic home Arrowhead. Restoring these important architectural elements is in keeping with BCHS's mission to preserve and interpret Arrowhead returning the house to its Melville-era (1850s-1860s) appearance.

This project has grown out of information learned from a Historic Structure Report completed in October 2022. The earliest sketches and woodcuts of Arrowhead from the 1850s depict the house with louvered shutters, as would be appropriate for a farmhouse built in the eighteenth century. As time passed, however, the shutters appear to have been removed  the last known photographs that show the house with shutters are from the late 1960s. By the time the BCHS purchased Arrowhead in 1975 and opened the house to the public in the 1980s, the shutters were gone.

"We are thankful to Jane and Jack Fitzpatrick Fund, Preservation Massachusetts and the 1772 Foundation for their support of restoration projects at Arrowhead," said Lesley Herzberg, BCHS Executive Director. "Because of their support, and the support of other donors, we are able to create a more authentic experience of Herman Melville's home for visitors from all over the world."

Preservation Massachusetts, in partnership with The 1772 Foundation, has announced the recipients of a historic preservation matching grant program in Massachusetts. Preservation Massachusetts is the statewide non-profit historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving the Commonwealth's historic and cultural heritage and The 1772 Foundation plays a leading role in promoting historic preservation nationwide.
Pittsfield Man Sentenced On Multiple Rape, Indecent Assault Charges

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  On Wednesday, May 15 Douglas Agyeh, age 44 ofPittsfield, pleaded guilty to 23 charges.

Agyeh pleaded guilty to:

5 counts of Indecent Assault and Battery on a Person Over 14

9 counts of Rape of a Child with Force

9 counts of Rape of a Child, Aggravated by Age

The Defendant was sentenced to 10 to 12 years for the charges of rape and 3 to 5 years concurrent for the charges of indecent assault and battery. The Defendant will serve his sentence in state prison.

According to a report, in 2021 Agyeh was employed at a residential school for youth. Over a period of several weeks Agyeh was responsible for monitoring a student's safety as they (singular) slept. During this time, he raped the student. In a separate incident, Agyeh was also found guilty of sexually assaulting a student under the guise of helping the student fold their (singular) laundry.

The Defendant was originally set to stand trial on January 30, 2023 but fled to Canada in attempt to avoid justice. The Defendant was arrested as he entered Canda. The Berkshire District Attorney's Office worked closely with the United States Department of Justice and Canadian authorities to successfully extradite the Defendant back to Massachusetts. Authorities allege the Defendant was traveling to Canda in an attempt to return to Ghana, Agyeh's native country.

The Great Barrington Police Department served as the lead law enforcement agency in the case. The Department of Justice and Canadian law enforcement agencies assisted the Berkshire District Attorney's Office, including the State Police Detective Unit, in the extradition of the Defendant.

Assistant District Attorney Andrew Giarolo represented the Commonwealth. Kristen Rapkowicz served as a victim witness advocate on behalf of the Berkshire District Attorney's Office. Berkshire County Kids' Place and Violence Prevention Center played a central role in the investigation. Emily Zoltan was the Multidisciplinary Team Leader in coordinating the law enforcement response.
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Antonio Tony McFarr, who worked as a stunt double for Chris Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and two of the Jurassic World films, has died. He was 47.

The news was confirmed to TMZ by McFarrs mother, Donna, who said that he died on Monday (13 May) at his home, just outside Orlando, Florida. She said that his death was unexpected and shocking as he was healthy and active.

A cause of death has not yet been determined. However, the Orange County Medical Examiner said an autopsy has taken place, and his cause of death is pending toxicology results, according to Deadline.

His death was also listed on the website of Wylie-Baxley Funeral Home in his hometown of Merritt Island, Florida.

Born on 12 October 1976, McFarr landed his first TV role acting in two episodes of USA Networks drama Burn Notice in 2007 and 2010. He also appeared in One Tree Hill, Army Wives, and MacGyver.

He launched his career as a stunt double in 2011, stepping in uncredited for Geoff Stults in Foxs drama Bones. He then landed jobs in major films including The Hunger Games: Mockingjay  Part 1 and Part 2, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Pitch Perfect 3.

In 2015 McFarr was hired as Pratts stunt double in Jurassic World. The two forged a friendship and close working relationship that would continue through the 2016 sci-fi romance Passengers, 2017s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and the 2018 Jurassic World sequel, Fallen Kingdom.

McFarr was featured on Pratts Instagram a couple of times after they wrapped Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 in 2016.

Heres me and my stunt-man Tony McFarr (also Tommy Harper stunt coordinator and our first AD Lars Winther) on set. Been working with Tony since Jurassic World. Love you buddy! Happy wrap! Pratt captioned the first post, alongside a picture of the two of them in costume.

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Heres a better view, he wrote in a subsequent post, which featured a picture of them standing side-by-side.

McFarr also doubled for Jon Hamm in the 2018 comedy-action movie Tag.

Aside from his work in Hollywood, he owned three restaurant businesses according to his LinkedIn.

McFarr is survived by a daughter, his parents and a sister, TMZ reports.
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A feature film dramatising Donald Trumps rise to power in 1980s America is set to be screened in UK cinemas under a new deal inked as the movie premieres at the Cannes Film Festival.

Biographical drama The Apprentice will be appear in cinemas in Britain later this year, StudioCanal said on Thursday, as the distribution giant announced the acquisition of the 120-minute film for the UK and Ireland.

Featuring Pam & Tommy star Sebastian Stan as Mr Trump and Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) as Ivana Trump, the film is described as a dive into the underbelly of the American empire.

It charts a young Donald Trumps ascent to power through a Faustian deal with the influential right-wing lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn, a plot description states.

The film  directed by Iranian-Danish filmmaker Ali Abbasi (Holy Spider, Border) and written by Vanity Fair correspondent Gabe Sherman  will premiere in Cannes at the Grand Theatre Lumiere on Monday night.

It will also feature Succession star Jeremy Strong as Mr Trumps infamous mentor Roy Cohn, and Tenets Martin Donovan as the former US presidents father, Fred Trump Sr.

open image in gallery Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump in The Apprentice ( APPRENTICE PRODUCTIONS ONTARIO INC. / PROFILE PRODUCTIONS 2 APS / TAILORED FILMS LTD. 2023 )

The premiere comes as Mr Trump fights an explosive hush money trial in New York, where he is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records.

The trial concerns a $130,000 payment made by his former attorney and fixer Michael Cohen to adult film star Stormy Daniels to remain quiet about a 2006 alleged affair with Mr Trump in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.

Last week, the judge overseeing the trial warned they would consider putting the former president in prison if he continued to violate a gag order intended to protect witnesses, jurors, court staff and their families, after repeated social media posts violating court rules.

open image in gallery Trump was threatened with prison if he continues to violate a gag order intended to protect witnesses and jurors ( EPA )

The Apprentice will be released in cinemas across the UK and Ireland in 2024, The Hollywood Reporter cited StudioCanal as announcing on Thursday.

This could see the film hit theatres as American voters go to the polls in the upcoming US presidential elections  in which Mr Trump is running as the Republican candidate.
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Sharon Stone, Stephen Fry and Liam Neeson are among the stars to have called for Kevin Spacey to be allowed to resume his career as an actor.

The actors shared statements of support with The Telegraph in the wake of the Channel 4 documentary Spacey Unmasked, which aired fresh allegations about the American Beauty star.

Spacey was last year acquitted of a number of sexual offences alleged by four men in the UK to have taken place between 2001 and 2013.

Each of Spaceys accusers gave evidence in the trial, describing him as a vile sexual predator, slippery and atrocious, despicable, disgusting.

In response, the two-time Oscar-winner described the allegations against him as madness and a stab in the back.

The jury acquitted Spacey of all charges.

open image in gallery Kevin Spacey has twice been acquitted of sexual abuse charges ( Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images )

Basic Instinct star Stone told The Telegraph: I cant wait to see Kevin back at work. He is a genius. He is so elegant and fun, generous to a fault and knows more about our craft than most of us ever will.

Neeson told the newspaper: I was deeply saddened to learn of these accusations against him. Kevin is a good man and a man of character. Hes sensitive, articulate and non-judgmental, with a terrific sense of humour. He is also one of our finest artists in the theatre and on camera. Personally speaking, our industry needs him and misses him greatly.

Fry, meanwhile, admitted that Spacey had been both clumsy and inappropriate on many occasions but that to bracket him with the likes of Harvey Weinstein and to continue to harass and hound him, to devote a whole documentary to accusations that simply do not add up to crimes  how can that be considered proportionate and justified?

The former QI host added: Surely it is wrong to continue to batter a reputation on the strength of assertion and rhetoric rather than evidence and proof? Unless Im missing something I think he has paid the price.

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open image in gallery Sharon Stone was among the celebrities to vouch for Spacey, calling the House of Cards star a genius ( Getty Images )

The White Lotus star F Murray Abraham also said he vouched for Spacey unequivocally and lambasted his critics for chastising a man who has publicly accepted his responsibility for certain behaviour, unlike so many others.

Spacey was one of the most recognised faces in Hollywood when allegations of sexual misconduct were first made in 2017, leading streaming giant Netflix to cut ties with the then-star of House of Cards.

The actor Anthony Rapp was the first to accuse the Hollywood A-lister of misconduct, telling BuzzFeed News that Spacey tried to seduce him when he was just 14. In 2022, a New York jury dismissed Rapps claims of sexual abuse.

Channel 4s recent documentary interviewed 10 men not involved in the 2023 criminal trial.

Spacey described the claims as anonymised and non-specific, before writing off the programme as a dying networks one-sided documentary about me in their desperate attempt for ratings.

He added: Each time I have been given the time and a proper forum to defend myself, the allegations have failed under scrutiny and I have been exonerated.

Channel 4 stood by its documentary, broadcast over two nights last week, saying in a statement: Spacey Unmasked is an important film exploring the balance of power and inappropriate behaviour in a work environment, aiming to give a voice to those who have previously been unable to speak out.
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Nicola Coughlan asked to be very naked in one Bridgerton season three scene as a f*** you to trolls who commented on her body.

The Irish actor, 37, leads the latest instalment of the Netflix regency drama as Penelope Featherington opposite Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton.

Last month, Coughlan revealed her disbelief at being the leading lady in a romance show.

And its not because I find myself hideous, as some people have assumed when I say that, the Derry Girls alum said. Pen was a supporting character, the oddball in the corner, but this time shes very much centre stage.

In a recent interview with Stylist, Coughlan spoke about her work with Bridgertons intimacy coordinator Lizzy Talbot on this seasons sex scenes.

You go, Ok, what do I want to show? What dont I want to show? Whats scripted, and what do I want to add?

I specifically asked for certain lines and moments to be included, Coughlan continued. Theres one scene where Im very naked on camera, and that was my idea, my choice. It just felt like the biggest fuck you to all the conversation surrounding my body; it was amazingly empowering. I felt beautiful in the moment, and I thought: When Im 80, I want to look back on this and remember how fucking hot I looked!

open image in gallery Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton season three ( LAURENCE CENDROWICZ/NETFLIX )

In 2022, Coughlan posted a message on Instagram asking her fans to stop sharing their opinions about her body. Most people are being nice and not trying to be offensive but I am just one real-life human being and its really hard to take the weight of thousands of opinions on how you look being sent directly to you every day, she wrote.

If you have an opinion about me thats ok, I understand Im on TV and that people will have things to think and say but I beg you not to send it to me directly.

She later told the Irish Times: All I care about is the work. Bodies change, if I lose weight or gain weight or I do anything its no ones business, all I care about is doing good acting and being judged on that.

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In the latest season of Bridgerton, Penelope has finally given up on her long-held crush on Colin Bridgerton after hearing his disparaging words about her last season, reads an official logline.

She has, however, decided its time to take a husband, preferably one who will provide her with enough independence to continue her double life as Lady Whistledown, far away from her mother and sisters. But lacking in confidence, Penelopes attempts on the marriage mart fail spectacularly.

Speaking about her rare relationship with co-star Newton, Coughlan said their special bond stems from their shared exposure to Bridgerton stardom.

Its a very rare experience, she said. I think were aware of how unique this is.

Based on Julia Quinns best-selling book series, Bridgerton is produced by Greys Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimess company Shondaland. After its 2020 premiere, the series proved to be one of the streaming giants most popular originals.

Bridgerton season 3 is now streaming in full on Netflix.
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Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held talks in Beijing on Thursday aimed at presenting a united front amid the pomp and spectacle of a state visit that was being closely watched around the world.

There was not a great deal of substance to the statements issued publicly by the two leaders after their meeting, which included a state dinner on Thursday night as well as talks ranging across a broad range of subjects from the war in Ukraine to their shared trade interests.

But nor was there any sign that recent US sanctions against Chinese companies exporting to Russia had dampened Mr Xis enthusiasm for relations with the man he welcomed as his old friend.

Mr Putin arrived in Beijing in the early hours of Thursday and was later welcomed formally with a 21-gun salute, a guard of honour and a marching band playing Moscow Nights as he met Mr Xi at the Great Hall of the People.

The two-day trip is Mr Putins first abroad since he began his fifth term as Russian president, a symbolic gesture that also comes at a strategic junction, coming just a week after Mr Xi completed a five-day charm offensive across Europe that included a warm welcome in France. Frances Emmanuel Macron has in recent months become a leading hawk among European leaders when it comes to Ukraine, refusing to rule out French boots on the ground if the need arises.

Ukraine featured extensively in Thursdays discussions in Beijing, with Mr Xi standing alongside Mr Putin as he said: China hopes for the early return of Europe to peace and stability and will continue to play a constructive role toward this.

Mr Putin referred euphemistically to the war he started against his European neighbour as the situation in Ukraine, and the two said they agreed there should be a political solution to the Russia-Ukraine war.

Mr Putin also thanked Mr Xi for Chinas initiatives to resolve the Ukraine conflict at a Beijing summit last year, when China offered a broad plan for peace outlining general principles for ending the war in Ukraine. The problem is that Chinas plan for peace does not tally with the stance of either Ukraine or its Western backers  that Russia must withdraw from the territory it has captured so far before talks to end the conflict can begin in earnest. Mr Putins statements also ignore the fact that he could end the conflict overnight by simply ordering his forces to fall back.

If Mr Xis support for his allys war in Ukraine remains only tacit, there were plenty of overt expressions of the closeness and importance of their relations. Mr Putin said he chose China for his first trip since resuming the office of president thanks to the unprecedented level of our strategic partnership.

open image in gallery Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands as they attend a signing ceremony following a meeting in expanded format at the Great Hall of the People ( EPA )

Mr Xi lauded the ties between their two countries as a model for a new type of international relations and relations between neighbouring major powers.

He said that the two countries always firmly support each other on issues involving each others core interests and major concerns.

The two leaders have pledged to maintain a no-limits relationship since the beginning of the Ukraine war, and Mr Putin also referred to the sanctions that have levied as a result of his invasion when he spoke of Sino-Russian trade.

Despite some actions aimed at restraining our development  some actions on the part of third countries  trade turnover between Russia and China is increasing at a good pace, Mr Putin said.

Our cooperation in world affairs today serves as one of the main stabilising factors in the international arena, he added.

open image in gallery Putin is on two-day state visit to China ( via REUTERS )

Analysts said the talks show the two countries are only becoming more entrenched in their view that they each others support to challenge a US-led world order.

"Both sides want to show that despite what is happening globally, despite the pressure that both sides are facing from the US, both sides are not about to turn their backs on each other anytime soon," said Hoo Tiang Boon, a professor who studies Chinese foreign policy at Singapores Nanyang Technological University.

I and President Putin agree, we should actively look for convergence points of the interests of both countries, to develop eachs advantages, and deepen integration of interests, realising each others achievements, Mr Xi said.

A joint statement signed by both leaders included plenty of platitudes, but there were also some new agreements on trade. The two sides agreed following their talks that they would work to ensure the economic and energy security of both countries, with Mr Putin noting that Russia is a reliable supplier of energy to China.

Mr Putin also declared that we welcome Chinese carmakers in our market, a nod to the fact that the Biden administration just announced it is quadrupling tariffs on Chinas electric vehicles to 100 per cent.

Both said they would work together on large-scale energy projects by companies from both nations, and deepen cooperation in areas such as renewable energy, hydrogen energy and carbon markets, according to CCTV.

Moscow has diverted the bulk of its energy exports to China and relies on Chinese companies for importing high-tech components for Russian military industries to circumvent Western sanctions.

Mr Putin also noted that the their 90 per cent of trade was in made in roubles and yuan in what he said was a timely decision that boosted the trade.

Their meeting comes ahead of the 2024 Brics Summit, a block aims to counterbalance the dominance of Western financial institutions and whose chair is Russia for this year. One of the blocs aim is dedollarisation, to reduce reliance on the US dollar in international trade and finance.
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China has rolled out the red carpet to welcome Russian president Vladimir Putin for a potentially consequential and heavily symbolic state visit that will be closely watched in the West.

Mr Putins second visit in less than a year comes as Western nations, led by the US, are putting pressure on China to stop throwing its economic and industrial weight behind Russias war in Ukraine.

The two-day trip is Mr Putins first abroad since starting his new term as president earlier this month.

Mr Putin arrived in Beijing on Thursday morning to a grand fanfare, with a red carpet reception outside the Great Hall of the People where a marching band played the Red Army Choir classic Moscow Nights. There he was greeted by Chinese president Xi Jinping, and the two shook hands for the cameras before doing laps of the grounds.

Mr Putin is meeting Mr Xi for the fourth time since the start of the Ukraine war in February 2022, and has been billed as marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between their countries.

Mr Xi told Mr Putin he was prepared to consolidate the friendship between the two peoples for generations to come.

In the new journey ahead, China is willing to always be Russias trustworthy good neighbour, good friend and good partner, strengthening generation-after-generation friendship between the two peoples and jointly achieving rejuvenation of their respective countries as well as upholding justice in the world, he said.

He also congratulated his old friend Mr Putin for winning a fifth term as president that will keep him in power until at least 2030.

Mr Putin and Mr Xi are set to discuss ways to strengthen their no limits partnership which was announced at a previous meeting between them nearly two years ago.

The West has been testing this partnership by pressuring China to end economic and industrial support that has enabled Russia to blunt the impact of American and European sanctions cutting it off from global markets and supply chains.

Chinas bilateral trade with Russia soared by 26 per cent to a record $240bn last year.

Analysts told The Independent that Beijing and Moscow will try to find ways to expand bilateral trade and sidestep Western sanctions.

The Putin-Xi meeting is both consequential and symbolic as they will definitely seek to strengthen their partnership in the face of enormous fatigue and reluctance to support the war in Ukraine among Western leaders, said Swaran Singh, an international relations expert and professor of diplomacy at New Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University.

open image in gallery Vladimir Putin meets Xi Jinping at the Kremlin in Moscow in 2013 ( Getty )

For Mr Putin, the visit is a chance to show off his alliance with the worlds second largest economy and signal that he still has powerful friends, despite being otherwise largely isolated on the global stage.

Putins visit to Beijing, which is usually full of pomp and show, will be a good opportunity of portraying himself as an acceptable leader while seeking endorsement from Xi for his actions in Ukraine, Mr Singh said.

On the eve of his visit, Mr Putin hailed the Chinese leaderships understanding of the root causes and global geopolitical significance of the Ukraine war and welcomed Beijings peace plan to end the conflict.

We are seeking a comprehensive, sustainable and just settlement of this conflict through peaceful means, he told the Chinese news agency Xinhua. We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours.

Mr Putin added that they plan to have closer cooperation in industry and high-tech, outer space and peaceful atom, artificial intelligence, renewable energy and other innovative sectors.

open image in gallery Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping are meeting for the fourth time since the start of the Ukraine war ( Getty )

Putins visit to Beijing, which includes a delegation of Russian cabinet members and the heads of state-owned banks and energy corporations, shows the Russia-China comprehensive partnership of strategic coordination for a new era continues to move forward with full force, said Dr Jonathan Ward, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC and author of The Decisive Decade.

Dr Ward noted that with Chinese support for Russia in Europe and Russian support for China on Taiwan, there may be much more dangerous activity to come in the years ahead as these two authoritarian states continue to deepen their relationship.

open image in gallery Trade between China and Russia soared to a record $240bn last year ( Getty )

Washington has claimed that Beijing is aiding Russias war in Ukraine by providing satellite intelligence, parts for fighter jets, microchips and other equipment while filling Moscows war chest with record oil imports. For this, the US has sanctioned several Chinese companies and threatened to blacklist Chinese banking institutions unless they suspend business with Russian companies.

China has not directly sold arms to Russia since the Ukraine war began, but has exported so-called dual-use components that can be used in weapons manufacturing as well as to non-military ends. Beijing claims it is neutral in the Ukraine conflict and insists it hasnt broken US sanctions over the war.

But Beijings tactical backing of Moscow has also angered the European Union, with questions over Ukraine overshadowing a recent trip to France by Mr Xi that was supposed to serve as a charm offensive. Mr Xi, during his first visit to Europe in five years, insisted that China is neither the creator of the crisis, nor a party to it or a participant.

I dont think China will significantly increase its support to Russia that may lead to Russia having a much stronger war-fighting capability. Very likely, China will continue to argue its commercial transactions with Russia are normal international trade and attempt to maintain roughly the same level of trade relations with Russia, Li Mingjiang, an associate professor at Singapores Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told The Independent.

Now that the US and European countries are exerting quite strong pressures on Chinas export of dual-use technologies and equipment to Russia, Putin may seek commitment from the Chinese leader that China will not waver under Western pressures.

While Mr Putin is likely to seek further support from Beijing as it gains ground in Ukraine, Mr Xi needs Moscow to counterbalance the US.

Americas support for Taiwan  which it formally acknowledges is a part of China but says it will support against any attempt at forceful occupation by mainland forces  its naval presence in the South China Sea, repeated threats of sanctions and escalating trade war have greatly damaged relations with the Asian superpower.

In this context, Mr Singh said, the Chinese president will not fundamentally change his approach to showing support for Russia.

Dr Ward underlined the need for the West to realise that this is a combined adversary that is here to stay.

China has thrown its full economic weight behind Putins war, enabling him to rapidly reconstitute his military industrial base despite significant Western sanctions, he said, arguing that this means we must move forward with a larger spectrum of sanctions on Chinas industries and companies that are linked to Putins war.
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Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping jointly condemned the United States on Thursday as they announced even closer strategic ties and reaffirmed their no limits partnership in defiance of Western pressure.

In a clear snub to Washington, whose top diplomat flew to China last month urging Beijing to scale back its relationship with Moscow, Xi said the two leaders see eye to eye on defence and military cooperation, including the war in Ukraine.

The China-Russia relationship today is hard-earned, and the two sides need to cherish and nurture it, Xi told Putin as the leaders met in Beijing.

China is willing to ... jointly achieve the development and rejuvenation of our respective countries, and work together to uphold fairness and justice in the world.

A joint statement spoke of concerns about what were described as US efforts to violate the strategic nuclear balance, about global US missile defence that threatens Russia and China and about US plans for high-precision non-nuclear weapons.

Together we are defending the principles of justice and a democratic world order reflecting multipolar realities and based on international law, Putin told Xi.

Putins visit comes three weeks after US secretary of state Antony Blinken flew to China to raise concerns about its support for Russias war in Ukraine and a day after he said Washington would continue to impose sanctions on Chinese firms supplying Russias military.

The trip appears to have been an unsuccessful attempt to undermine the no limits partnership proclaimed when Putin visited Beijing in February 2022, days before he invaded Ukraine.

China claims to take a neutral position in the conflict but it has backed Moscows contentions that Russia was provoked into attacking Ukraine by the West, and continues to supply Russia with key components that Moscow needs for its weapons production.

The statement following Putin and Xis meeting said that both sides believe that for a sustainable settlement of the Ukrainian crisis it is necessary to eliminate its root causes.

open image in gallery Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping agreed to deepend their ties following talks in Beijing on Thursday ( Pool/AFP via Getty Images )

China proposed a broadly worded peace plan in 2023, calling for a ceasefire and for direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv. But the plan was rejected by both Ukraine and the West because it failed to call for Russia to leave occupied parts of Ukraine.

Putins largely symbolic visit stressed the partnership between two countries who both face challenges in their relationship with the US and Europe.

Both sides want to show that despite what is happening globally, despite the pressure that both sides are facing from the US, both sides are not about to turn their backs on each other anytime soon, said Hoo Tiang Boon, a professor who researches Chinese foreign policy at Singapores Nanyang Technological University.

Since 2022, Russia has become increasingly economically dependent on China as Western sanctions cut its access to much of the international trading system. Chinas increased trade with Russia, totalling $240bn last year, has helped the country mitigate some of the worst blowback from sanctions.

I and President Putin agree, we should actively look for convergence points of the interests of both countries, to develop each others advantages, and deepen integration of interests, realising each others achievements, Xi said.

Xi also congratulated Putin on his election to a fifth term in office and celebrated the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations forged between the former Soviet Union and the Peoples Republic of China, which was established following a civil war in 1949. Putin faced no credible opposition in the presidential race and, like Xi, has not laid out any plans for a potential successor.

AP and Reuters contributed to this report
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India granted citizenship to the first batch of people under a contentious new law that has been criticised for being discriminatory against Muslims.

The citizenship was granted to 14 people on Wednesday amid the ongoing general elections, even as anxious people living in Bangladesh-bordering states continued to protest the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Implementing the CAA had been one of the key manifesto promises of prime minister Narendra Modi and his ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) before the last general elections in 2019.

The government said federal home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla handed over the Indian citizenship certificates as recipients gave an oath of allegiance, after their documents were verified. The home ministry did not provide any details regarding their identities.

The law, implemented in March, grants the right to apply for Indian citizenship to refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who arrived in India before 31 December 2014  but only if they belong to minority religious groups in these Muslim-majority countries, namely Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Christians.

The Modi government claims the law, which was enacted in 2019 but not immediately implemented due to violent protests at the time, to be "pro-refugee". The government faced massive backlash and sectarian violence in Delhi and other cities that resulted in the deaths of scores of people.

Mr Modis critics say the law violates India's secular constitution. They have accused the right-wing government of targeting the Muslim community and systematically discriminating against them to further the party's Hindu-first agenda.

"This is like being reborn," Harish Kumar, a Hindu refugee from Pakistan who has been living in Delhi for over a decade, told news agency ANI. "If a person doesn't have rights then what is the point, (now) we can go forward in education, jobs."

Since its implementation this year, the country has witnessed sporadic violence in states bordering Bangladesh, where people fear that the CAA, combined with a proposed pan-India national register of citizens (NRC), could lead to discrimination against and the possible deportation of Muslims and those belonging to Tribal communities.

The northeastern state of Assam has been facing unrest since a national register of citizens was imposed, supposedly to weed out people who came to India illegally, defined as anyone who migrated across the border into Assam after 1971. The law puts the burden on residents to show documents proving their citizenship or else risk deportation.

Speculation about a similar rule led to protests in the picturesque state of Meghalaya last month, where a 35-year-old and a 24-year-old man were found dead following demonstrations by the Khasi Students Union (KSU) which opposes the implementation of CAA.

The situation has been tense here for a very long time. People might not say it out loud but everyone is afraid of a possible violent dispute, a resident of Ichamati, located 30 km from Cherrapunjee town, told The Independent.

Violence spread to other parts of the state when KSU members staged a demonstration outside a local police station demanding the release of their members arrested following the killings. In the state capital Shillong, police claimed five people, wearing masks and helmets, hurled a petrol bomb toward the Mawlai police station and set a police vehicle ablaze.

Police in Meghalaya maintain that there was no correlation between the anti-CAA protests and the deaths. The situation is calm. We have asked all groups to maintain peace. The additional police presence for the ongoing election has also helped, Rituraj Ravi, the superintendent of police for East Khasi Hills, said.

Meghalaya has witnessed multiple killings and incidents of violence against non-Tribals since the citizenship law was cleared by the parliament in 2019.

In West Bengal, where state chief minister Mamata Banerjee has vehemently opposed the law, a 31-year-old man died by suicide shortly after the implementation of CAA in March.

Debashish Sengupta died by suicide over panic due to the CAA, police claimed, citing his family members. The victim's father Tapan Sengupta told reporters his son was worried about how "he would prove his citizenship and would often ask what he would do if his citizenship was revoked".

Ms Banerjee claims her government would steadfastly oppose "anything that discriminates (against) people", but so far neither the state nor the central government has done much to allay public fears.

Analysts say that the law was proposed at least in part to win the support of a migrant community living in West Bengal from the erstwhile state of East Pakistan. Many members of this Matua community, spread across the state, shifted their allegiance to the BJP in 2019 banking on the promise of being granted citizenship.

However, the community now finds itself at a crossroads after leaders of the group advised its members to abstain from submitting citizenship applications due to the lack of necessary documents proving their previous residential address in present-day Bangladesh.

Federal home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday assured the people of the Matua community that they would be granted citizenship.

The community of 18 million people in West Bengal hold the power to sway votes in nearly half a dozen Lok Sabha (lower house of parliament) seats in the state.

India began voting on 19 April in the seven-phase election for which Mr Modi launched his campaign by showcasing his economic record, governance and popularity. But after lower the expected turnout in the first phase he has notably changed tack, instead using rally speeches to accuse the main opposition Congress party of being pro-Muslim.
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Democrats in the US House of Representatives are investigating Donald Trump after he reportedly promised oil company executives that he will undo certain climate policies if they fund his return to the White House.

Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee sent letters to nine oil executives on Monday asking for information about their meeting with Mr Trump in Florida.

The letter asks the executives to reveal whether Mr Trump proposed a quid pro quo arrangement to them.

Media reports raise significant potential ethical, campaign finance and legal issues that would flow from the effective sale of American energy and regulatory policy to commercial interests in return for large campaign contributions, Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the committee, wrote in the letter.

Mr Trump allegedly solicited a $1bn donation from oil executives during a meeting at his Mar-a-Lago resort last month in exchange for reversing many of president Joe Bidens climate policies if elected, The Washington Post reported.

Politico reported that the same oil companies are drafting executive orders for the former president to sign if he returns to the White House. One order purportedly seeks to reverse Mr Bidens pause on natural gas export permits. The president issued the pause in January as his government evaluated the industrys impact on the climate crisis.

This was a very focused small group directed at a particular industry, there was an amount put out there of $1bn, which he described as a deal, which all raises questions about the transactional nature of the meeting, Virginia Canter, chief ethics counsel at the nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, told The Guardian.

Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for Mr Trumps 2024 campaign, told The Independent that the Republican candidate opposes Mr Bidens environmental policies.

Joe Biden is controlled by environmental extremists who are trying to implement the most radical energy agenda in history and force Americans to purchase electric vehicles they cant afford, Ms Leavitt said in a statement.

President Trump is supported by people who share his vision of American energy dominance to protect our national security and bring down the cost of living for all Americans.

Mr Trump has repeatedly denied the reality of the climate crisis and the legitimacy of climate science.

The former president has called the climate crisis nonexistent and a make-believe problem even though experts across the globe agree that the planet is warming due to human activities.

The reports that Mr Trump solicitated campaign funding from oil executives came as he faced a financial crunch.

In March, a New York court ordered Mr Trump to pay a bond of more than $464m after losing a civil fraud trial. His lawyers said Mr Trump faced the practical impossibility of coming up with the money before the deadline.

Mr Trump eventually paid $175m after an appeals court granted him a 10-day extension and reduced the bond amount by more than half. He secured the bond through the Knight Specialty Insurance Company.

However, New York attorney general Letitia James has since called the bond into question, claiming that the insurance company is not authorised to do business in the state. Mr Trumps legal team called her concerns a waste of time during a court hearing on the matter in late April.
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More than 50 cross-party MPs and peers have urged prime minister Rishi Sunak to end the current approach to max out North Sea oil and gas.

The members of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on climate wrote to the Prime Minister on Wednesday with a list of demands to enact ahead of the UN Cop16 biodiversity and Cop29 climate summits in October and November.

In the letter on Wednesday, the parliamentarians listed five measures to accelerate action to cut emissions, protect nature and rebuild the UKs unique political consensus.

This included living up to promises made at Cop28 in Dubai to transition away from fossil fuels, and ending the governments plans to max out North Seaoil and gas.

During the 2023 conference last December, all countries agreed to move away from oil and gas.

However, Mr Sunak has continued to support the licensing of new oil and gas fields in the North Sea after arguing that using every last drop of oil is absolutely the right thing to do.

Green MP Caroline Lucas, who signed the letter, said: When the Prime Minister entered Downing Street he promised to protect the environment.

But instead he has U-turned on once leading climate policies, approved the largest undeveloped oil field in the North Sea and weaponised green policies.

If the government is to secure any success at future critical international negotiations then the Prime Minister must heed the demands of cross-party parliamentarians.

Another signatory, Labour MP Afzal Khan, said: Instead of chasing after the last drop of North Sea oil and retreating from responsibility, the Prime Minister must honour our domestic and global climate goals to send a clear message to world leaders this year.

The group of parliamentarians, which also includes former Tory environment minister Zac Goldsmith and Conservative MPs Pauline Latham and Tracey Crouch, called on the Prime Minister to secure UK membership of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance ahead of Cop29.

The alliance  started by Costa Rica and Denmark  aims to elevate the issue of oil and gas production phase-out in international climate dialogues.

Members include France, Spain, Denmark, Ireland, Costa Rica and Sweden with Wales as a sub-national government member.

Robbie MacPherson, senior political adviser at Uplift and secretariat lead for the Climate APPG, said: The UK has a big job on its hands to restore its green credentials on the world stage.

Joining the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance ahead of Cop29, alongside ending new North Sea oil and gas projects, would send a clear signal that the UK is ready to lead the transition away from fossil fuels, and work with other nations to do so too.

Mr Sunak is also being urged to support the setting of an ambitious new Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) at Cop29  a new annual financial target that developed countries must meet from 2025 onward to provide climate finance to developing countries  as well as meet current climate finance commitments.

Finally, the MPs called for the appointment of a Secretary of State-level Climate Envoy before Cop29 and the release of the long-awaited UK National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP).

A government spokesperson said: The UK leads the world in net zero, having halved emissions before any other major economy and set into law one of the most ambitious emissions targets in the world.

Tackling climate change, however, is a global challenge, and with the UK accounting for less than 1 per cent of annual worldwide emissions we need to work with other countries in tackling this vital issue head-on.

At Cop28, we were pivotal in delivering an agreement to transition away from fossil fuels and are committed to continued collaboration with all international partners in tackling emissions.
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Savannah Gankiewicz has been crowned the new Miss USA, days after Noelia Voigt stepped down to focus on her mental health.

The Miss Hawaii USA winner  who was the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant in October  officially took the title during a coronation on Wednesday in Honolulu, Hawaii. Gankiewicz acknowledged that accepting the title wasnt an easy choice for her, before describing some of the differences she hopes to make.

While this decision was not made lightly, I firmly believe that this opportunity was meant for me and I am ready to make a positive impact with this organisation that I hold dear to my heart, she said during her speech, as reported by CNN. I am dedicated to taking action and making a difference. With my background as a certified mental health first aid responder and training in anti-bullying suicide prevention.

Gankiewicz emphasised that she wants to advocate for mental health awareness as the 2023 Miss USA winner.

I understand the importance of prioritising your well-being and advocating for those in need. I believe that the true change starts from within and I am determined to lead by example and empower the class of 2024 and beyond, she concluded.

Last week, Gankiewicz also issued a statement on Instagram to confirm that shed be taking the title of Miss USA. In her post, she once again noted that she did not come to this decision lightly, before expressing her support for Voigt.

I stand with Noliea and admire her strength to step down and prioritise her mental health, she wrote. Noelia, it was an honour of a lifetime to share the stage with you during your crowning moment, and I wish you all the best in your next chapter.

The coronation came days after Voigt revealed that she was stepping down as Miss USA to prioritise her mental health. The 24-year-old model won the annual beauty pageant last year as Miss Utah, before representing the United States in the Miss Universe competition in November.

In life, I strongly value the importance of making decisions that feel best for you and your mental health, she wrote in her statement. As individuals, we grow through experiencing different things in life that lead us to learning more about ourselves. My journey as Miss USA has been incredibly meaningful, representing Utah with pride, and later the USA at Miss Universe. Sadly, I have made the very tough decision to resign from the title of Miss USA 2023.

Voigt  who resigned amid accusations of toxic workplace conditions at the Miss USA Organization  continued her post by reflecting on her moments of pride throughout her seven-month reign as Miss USA, including advocating for anti-bullying schemes and working with the cleft palate correction charity Smile Train. She also expressed how grateful she was to shed light on [her] roots as the first Venezuelan-American woman to win Miss USA.

She concluded her message by expressing her hope for others, saying: Remain steadfast, prioritise your mental health, advocate for yourself and others by using your voice, and never be afraid of what the future holds, even if it feels uncertain.

Days later, Miss Teen USA winner, UmaSofia Srivastava, also shared that she would be relinquishing her crown. When announcing her resignation on Instagram on 8 May, Srivastava wrote that she felt her personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organisation.

After months of grappling with this decision, I have made the choice to resign from the title of Miss Teen USA 2023, she wrote. I am grateful for all the support from my family, my state directors, my sister queens, and the fans who have cheered me on since I won my state title. I will always look back on my time as Miss NJ Teen USA fondly, and the experience of representing my state as a first generation, Mexican-Indian American at the national level was fulfilling in itself.

She added: However, I will continue my relentless advocacy for education and acceptance, with my multilingual childrens book The White Jaguar and with the organisations that I have had the privilege to work with long before starting competing.

On 12 May, the first-runner up for Miss Teen USA, Stephanie Skinner, revealed on Instagram that she was offered the winner title. However, she explained that she turned the position down because shed already committed to another project for the summer.

In light of recent events, I have decided to decline the title of Miss Teen USA. This is not an easy decision. I hope for respect of my choice as this was a decision I never asked to make, she wrote in a statement. My word is everything. I gave my commitment to a global research career opportunity in Thailand that will require me to live abroad for the summer.

Both Voigt and Srivastavas posts came after the resignation of Miss USA social media director Claudia Michelle, who voiced a number of her own concerns about the Miss Universe Organization (MUO). In her resignation post on Instagram, Michelle said she had seen first-hand experience of poor treatment of Voigt and Srivastava and their families. I disavow workplace toxicity and bullying of any kind, she wrote.

I feel the way current management speaks about their titleholders is unprofessional and inappropriate, she said, adding that not enough time and attention was given to the teenager. I have firsthand seen the disrespect towards Uma and her family. In my opinion, not enough time and attention was given to our national teen titleholder, especially on social media.

Michelle also claimed that Voigt and Srivastava had been threatened by MUO about sharing personal advocacies on social media due to the organisations policies, which she said she had still yet to have seen. She also claimed that the power of the titleholders to use their social media platforms to champion causes had been diminished by oversight from the MUO management.

She then claimed that when she was the social media director for MUO, there was no social media team to manage, and that she had been brought in with zero in-house team members to assist her. She went on to allege that she went unpaid for the first two months, and that multiple decisions were taken by higher-ups instead of allowing her control and agency in her role.

The Independent has contacted a representative for the Miss Universe Organization and Miss USA for comment.
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The Duchess of Sussex has revealed the best souvenir she received on her three-day tour of Nigeria alongside Prince Harry.

Prince Harry, 42, made the comments during the unofficial tour in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.

The couple were invited to the country by Nigerias chief of defence staff  marking their first overseas tour since stepping down as senior royals in 2020.

open image in gallery Prince Harry tried to normalise mental health issues among the schoolchildren they met ( AP )

It was such warm hospitality and it was a really meaningful trip, Meghan, who skipped the UK leg of the celebrations, told PEOPLE.

It was incredibly memorable and special. That alone is the best souvenir to take with us  all the memories weve made.

On the brief visit, the couple packed in many engagements including a visit to a school thats being supported by the Archwell Foundation.

While there, Prince Harry took the opportunity to try and promote the importance of mental health awareness, telling the schoolchildren that it is okay not to be okay.

open image in gallery Harry and Meghan packed a lot of engagements into the brief trip and they appeared to be packed with fun ( AFP/Getty )

The couple also watched a polo match in support of the non-profit Nigeria Unconquered, which, like Harrys Invictus Games, provides sporting opportunities for veterans.

While Prince Harry admitted that it was enjoyable to travel around Nigeria, the most important thing for the couple is supporting the causes they care about in person.

[Its] always nice to be on the move, in a sense, but also these trips are about us being able to go out and go and focus on the things that mean so much to us and support the causes that are close to our heart, he said. And being able to be on the ground that, to us, is what its all about.

Harry said this visit will hopefully be one of many as there is only so much work the couple can do for the causes they care about from their home in Los Angeles.

open image in gallery Harry and Meghan are planning more overseas trips in the future ( REUTERS )

It is hugely important for us to meet directly with people, supporting our causes and listening, in order to bring about solutions, support and positive change, he said.

Theres only so much one can do from home and over Zoom, so we look forward to travelling more because the work matters. Whether its the Archewell Foundation, Invictus or any of our other causes, there will always be reasons to meet the people at the heart of our work.

The fifth in line to the throne also promoted the Invictus Games in the UK before heading out to Nigeria, attending a thanksgiving service at St Pauls Cathedral in London among other events.

He founded the event in 2014 to give wounded, sick or injured service people a chance to showcase their sporting abilities.
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Prince Harry may hold a rare United States visa reserved for heads of state and royal family members, a lawyer has suggested  amid questions over how the Duke of Sussexs past admission of drug use sits in relation to Americas tight immigration rules.

The royal  who lives in California with wife Meghan Markle and their two children  is currently the subject of a legal battle brought by the right-wing Heritage Group to demand that the US Department of Homeland Security release his immigration file.

Former US president Donald Trump and ambassador to the UK, Jane Hartley, are among those who have recently commented on the speculation ignited by Harrys discussion of his past use of illicit drugs in his January 2023 autobiography Spare.

A judge is currently reviewing Harrys visa application in private as part of the Heritage Foundations bid to make it public, and was reportedly told by US government lawyers during a Washington hearing in February that it was certainly plausible that the royal could be on an A-1 diplomatic visa.

While such visas are typically dependent upon carrying out official work on behalf of another state while in America, a US immigration expert noted this week that Harry could in fact be on possession of a separate A-1 Head of State visa  which contains no such requirements.

open image in gallery Prince Harry lives in California with his wife Meghan Markle and their two children ( REUTERS )

London-based US immigration lawyer Melissa Chavin said the Duke could have been on an A-1 Head of State visa, which is used by heads of state and royal family members, since he is fifth in line to the throne.

Its just extremely special, said London-based US immigration lawyer Melissa Chavin . And the security check is not the same. Its a lower security check.

Its a visa especially for members of royal families. For an A-1 Head of State visa, the security and background check questions are not the same as for most visa applicants. They are only vetted for espionage, terrorism and activities contrary to US foreign policy.

Prince Harry shows off basketball skills as Meghan watches on during visit to Nigeria

An A-1 Head of State visa holder is able to come to the US without working as a royal family member, and is allowed to remain in the US indefinitely during each visit.

If Harry does possess such a visa, he would be able to keep it for so long as he remains in line for the British throne, Ms Chavin said.

According to the US Embassy in Londons website, applicants for a regular A-1 diplomatic visa must be traveling to the United States on behalf of your national government to engage solely in official activities for that government.

However, a head of state or government will qualify for an A-1 visa regardless of the purpose of the visit to the United States, the Embassy states.

The Independent has approached representatives for the Duke of Sussex for comment.

Last month, updated Companies House records showed that the duke had changed his primary country of residence from Britain to the US.
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When youre feeling overwhelmed by unhappiness, the last thing you feel like doing is gritting your teeth and gearing up for a day of work. Whether youre experiencing a mental health issue or whether youre simply dealing with a passing mood slump, coping with the demands of the working day when youre out of sorts can feel like wading through concrete. Basic tasks turn into unfathomable chores; simple requests from colleagues become veiled pass-agg jibes; criticism that youd normally brush off feels unbearable.

On a day like this, the temptation is to cut your losses and call in sick: when youre labouring under the cloud of low mood, theres little chance that youre going to be able to even pretend to look productive. But instead of citing mental health as the reason behind our absence, many of us will feign physical sickness instead. Well temporarily develop a croaky voice in order to sound more flu-stricken over the phone, or tell a dramatic story about a bout of food poisoning in order to skirt around the truth  because despite all the campaigns and pastel-coloured Instagram infographics telling us that its good to talk, the stark fact is that opening up about mental health is still incredibly difficult. Wouldnt it be so much easier if you could just call in unhappy instead, with no questions asked?

For employers at Pang Dong Lai supermarket chain in Chinas Henan province, this is becoming a reality. Speaking at a business conference last month, the companys founder Yu Donglai revealed that his staff can take up to 10 unhappy days annually, on top of their usual sick leave and holiday entitlement. I want every staff member to have freedom, he said. Everyone has times when theyre not happy, so if youre not happy, do not come into work. Yu also made it very clear that managers arent allowed to turn down their employees requests for this leave either. Denial is a violation, he added.

Prioritizing workplace mental health

China is known for its relentless working culture: the controversial 966 system, whereby many employees are expected to work from 9am to 9pm, six days per week, is seen as a badge of honour for some tech industry workers (despite the fact that this practice is actually illegal). Only last week, the head of PR at the countrys biggest search engine Baidu came under fire for sharing videos glorifying over-work and suggesting that employees shouldnt complain about 50-day work trips. But even though the expectations dont tend to be quite so extreme in the UK (unless youre working for a magic circle law firm or an investment bank, perhaps), the introduction of unhappiness leave would still be a game-changer for workers here.

In 2018, a study from the occupational health service BHSF found that two-fifths of UK employees had called in sick with a physical illness when they were actually experiencing poor mental health. Although there are some statistics to suggest that younger generations are gradually getting more comfortable with telling bosses that they need a mental health day  last year a survey by workplace wellbeing platform Unmind found that 66 per cent of workers between 16 and 25 had taken time off due to poor mental health  many of us still struggle to express this, to such an extent that even sharing a white lie feels less daunting. An umbrella term like unhappiness leave might make it easier for employees to honestly ask for the day off, without having to go into too many difficult details with their boss. Its also worlds away from duvet day, the cutesified term that some companies have adopted as an alternative to mental health day.

Of course, there is an argument that employees taking time off for unhappiness addresses the symptom rather than the cause: it might act as a sticking plaster, covering up the issues that might be making workers feel low in the first place. A measure like this would certainly need to be paired with other measures to redress the work-life balance in the long run: flexible working, strict rules about overtime, no emails out of hours, to name a few. But in the shorter term, Id gladly swap two working weeks of unhappiness leave for the gimmicky policies foisted on workers in the name of mental health awareness (a concept that, naturally, often only seems to exist in most workplaces during Mental Health Awareness Week, before conveniently dematerialising).

open image in gallery Warning sign: taking a day off for unhappiness could act as a red flag to your bosses ( Getty )

Plus, a bout of unhappiness leave in a team would act like a warning sign. If everyones off under the guise of various imaginary ailments, then its hard to see a pattern emerge: your boss could tell themselves that flu season is to blame for the fact that half their team is wiped out, for example, rather than overwork and exhaustion.

Wellbeing measures in the workplace are too often overly sanitised and mistake random, one-off freebies for useful action. I dont want someone coming into the office and offering head massages in a boardroom suffused with eau de Pret sandwiches. I dont want a lunchtime yoga class that no one actually has time to attend, or to be pointed to an internal website that tells me to download the Headspace app for the millionth time. Id much rather be able to benefit from a scheme that recognises that, yes, unhappiness can sometimes have a major impact on whether you can do your job effectively or not. A policy that doesnt shy away from calling sadness what it is. Wouldnt you?
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The Justice Department on Thursday announced the arrests of three people in a complex stolen identity scheme that officials say generates enormous proceeds for the North Korean government, including for its weapons program.

The scheme involves thousands of North Korean information technology workers who prosecutors say are dispatched by the government to live abroad and who rely on the stolen identities of Americas to obtain remote employment at U.S.-based Fortune 500 companies, jobs that give them access to sensitive corporate data and lucrative paychecks.

Officials say the fraud is a way for heavily sanctioned North Korea, which is cut off from the U.S. financial system, to take advantage of a high-tech labor shortage in the U.S. and the proliferation of remote telework.

More and more often, compliance programs at American companies and organizations are on the front lines of protecting our national security, Marshall Miller, the Justice Department's principal associate deputy attorney general, said in an interview. "Corporate compliance and national security are now intertwined like never before.

The Justice Department says the conspiracy has affected more than 300 companies  including a high-end retail chain and premier Silicon Valley technology company  and generated more than $6.8 million in revenue for the workers, who are based outside of the U.S., including in China and Russia.

The three people arrested include an Arizona woman, Cristina Marie Chapman, who prosecutors say facilitated the scheme by helping the workers obtain and validate stolen identities, receiving laptops from U.S. companies who thought they were sending the devices to legitimate employees and helping the workers connect remotely to the company.

The other two defendants include a Ukrainian man, Oleksandr Didenko, who prosecutors say created fake accounts at job search platforms and was arrested in Poland last week, and a Vietnamese national, Minh Phuong Vong, who was arrested Thursday in Maryland on charges of fraudulently obtaining a job at a U.S. company that was actually performed by remote workers who posed as him and were based overseas.

It was not immediately clear if any of the three had lawyers.

Separately, the State Department said it was offering a reward for information about certain North Korean IT workers.

The FBI, which conducted the investigations, issued a public service announcement that warned companies about the scheme, encouraging them to implement identity verification standards through the hiring process and to educate human resources staff and hiring managers about the threat.
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A tearful dancer accused of illegally aborting her baby told a jury she regretted a stupid decision to purchase pills - but denied taking them to end her pregnancy.

Sophie Harvey appeared emotional and gripping a hot water bottle as she took to the witness stand on the third day of her trial at Gloucester Crown Court on Thursday.

The 25-year-old is accused of procuring pills to cause an abortion after learning she was at 28 weeks and five days gestation  meaning she could not get a legal abortion in England.

Abortions in England are legal up to 24 weeks gestation if carried out by a registered medical practitioner.

Harvey, then aged 19, said she and boyfriend Elliot Benham agreed to buy abortion drugs, but that the pack arrived after she suffered a stillbirth at her family home, she said was on 9 September in 2018.

During cross-examination by prosecutor KC Mrs Anna Vigars, Harvey said she had wanted to keep the baby after being informed the pregnancy had gone too far on 30 August.

Questioned why she had agreed to order the pills, she said: It was 50 50, I was confused, I was still trying to get my thoughts together. She added: It was stupid, and we shouldnt have done it.

Earlier, when asked by her defence lawyer, Mr Thomas Godfrey, if she had handled the drugs, which were picked up by Benham from a Royal Mail collection office on 22 September, Harvey said she took one pill out of a packet.

I was thinking about taking one in case it was incomplete [the stillbirth], she said. I threw it in the bin.

The jury heard how Harvey, who studied dance BTEC at New College in Swindon, had contacted her GP for a referral for an abortion after receiving a positive pregnancy test.

Believing she was four months pregnant, she went for the appointment at British Pregnancy Advisory Service where an ultrasound scan found she was past the legal 24-week limit for an abortion.

When asked by Mr Godfrey how she felt, Harvey told the jury: I was shocked.

It just wasnt what I thought was going to happen so I was surprised, I thought the appointment [to have a termination] would just go ahead.

The jury heard how in the days that followed, Harvey visited abortion-related websites and emailed one enquiring about shipping and delivery options, Asked why, she said: I am not sure, I was just confused.

The couple then agreed to order the drugs on 7 September.

Mr Godfrey asked if she knew taking pills to induce an abortion would be illegal, she replied: Yes.

Harvey, of St Marys Road in Cirencester, denies procuring poison with intent to procure a miscarriage and denies administering poison with intent to procure a miscarriage.

Harvey and Benham, of Wingfield in Swindon, Wiltshire, both deny undertaking an act intending to pervert the course of justice by disposing of a child.

Both defendants have admitted a charge of concealing the birth of a baby.

The trial continues.
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A five-year-old boy has died after falling from an upper floor in a high-rise block of flats in east London.

Emergency services were called to reports of a child falling at a property on New City Road, Plaistow, just before 6am on Thursday.

Crew from the London Ambulance Service, including a trauma team dispatched from the air ambulance team, fire crew and police attended.

The child was found and treated by paramedics but was pronounced dead at the scene, where a police cordon remained in place.

His family are aware of his death and are being supported by specialist officers.

A neighbour who called the emergency services said the boys father was inconsolable.

Ansert Davis, who lives in Jacobs House, said he saw the boys father after the tragic incident.

Hes rolling on the floor, saying my son. I just ran down and tried to speak to the dad but hes inconsolable, he said.

Mr Davis said the boys mother was distraught.

He saw another neighbour run out to try and help.

She came running around, took one look at the child and turned back shaking.

Visibly emotional, he added: I keep seeing the image in my head. Its so sad, Ive got a grandkid about this age. Oh my God, its like seeing your own kids.

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Luka Tunjic, 65, who said he lives in the building, said: I was very scared of the windows when my child was young.

I always locked them as it can be so dangerous. I live on the tenth floor. Im so sorry for my neighbours; its a tragedy.

A Newham Council spokesperson said: We are deeply sorry to hear about this devastating incident, we extend our sincere condolences to all those affected.

A woman places a floral tribute near Jacob House in Plaistow ( PA )

We have staff at the location to provide reassurance to residents at this difficult time while we work with partners to establish the full facts.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: We were called at 5.59am today to reports of a person fallen from height on New City Road, Plaistow.

We sent resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast response car and an incident response officer. We also dispatched a trauma team in a car from Londons Air Ambulance.

Our first paramedics arrived on scene in approximately four minutes. Very sadly, a child was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Metropolitan Police said the childs death was being treated as unexpected and enquiries were ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding his fall.

No arrests have been made.

Our thoughts are with the childs family at this time, the police said in a statement.
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A one-year-old girl has died after a crash involving a Land Rover outside a church in Scotland.

Officers were called to the incident in the car park of Plymouth Brethren church in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, at around 7.45pm on Wednesday, Police Scotland said.

A girl, aged one, who was injured in the crash was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, but died a short time later, the force added.

Police Scotland said the 40-year-old man driving the car was not injured.

Inspector Scott Deans, of Police Scotland, said: At this time, our thoughts are with the family of the deceased, along with everyone else affected by this tragic incident.

Our investigation into the circumstances remain ongoing and wed like to thank the wider Balmedie community for their patience and understanding as officers carry out their enquiries in the area.

One woman told the Press and Journal: I heard someone was hurt in the car park. There are so many police here  it must be serious.

Plymouth Brethren church thanked first responders who were very professional and compassionate in their response to the horror collision.

In a statement, the church said: We are a very supportive church, and we are giving the family and friends of the people involved in the accident the help they need.
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The devastated family of a beautiful baby girl killed in a horror crash with a Land Rover in a church car park have paid tribute.

Ivy Mae Ross, 1, was struck in the car park of Plymouth Brethren church in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, at around 7.45pm on Wednesday.

In a statement issued by Police Scotland, her parents Holly and Glenn said they were absolutely devastated by the tragic accident but thanked the local community for its support.

Our beautiful daughter Ivy Mae passed away following a tragic accident after our regular church gathering in Balmedie, they said. We are absolutely devastated and ask that our privacy is respected at this challenging time. We value all the prayers and messages of sympathy and support we have received from the local community.

Speaking to the Independent, Ivy Maes great-uncle Iain McKenzie, 53, added: She is a beautiful girl. They are a lovely family and good parents. They come from Aberdeen, and as a family we would visit at least once a month.

Its terrible. She is my family. Im too shattered and shocked to even shed tears. None of us can bring this darling child back.

Mr McKenzie said the church would have been busy on Wednesday night as around 300 worshippers from Aberdeen and Peterhead convene for a regular midweek reading meeting.

Fighting back tears, he added: My heart goes out to her parents and grandparents. I hope they find comfort together as a family at this awful time. I am thinking of them through their huge loss.

Her family released a statement through Police Scotland: Our beautiful daughter Ivy Mae passed away following a tragic accident after our regular church gathering in Balmedie. We are absolutely devastated and ask that our privacy is respected at this challenging time.

We value all the prayers and messages of sympathy and support we have received from the local community.

The emergency services tireless work and support is greatly appreciated.

Police Scotland confirmed the investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Sergeant Lesley Morrison said: Our thoughts are very much with Ivys family at what is an incredibly hard time for them.

Our enquiries to establish the full circumstances of what happened are ongoing and I would ask anyone who can help who has not already spoken to officers to get in touch.

Plymouth Brethren church thanked first responders who were very professional and compassionate in their response to the horror collision. In a statement, the church added: We are a very supportive church, and we are giving the family and friends of the people involved in the accident the help they need.

Anyone who can assist is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 3390 of Wednesday, 15 May, 2024.
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A bid to criminalise water companies that fail to tackle sewage has failed.

The Liberal Democrats had proposed an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill that would have created new offences if firms did not do enough to deal with spills.

But the measure failed on Wednesday after Tory MPs voted against and Labour members abstained.

The vote came after a report revealed millions of litres of raw sewage have been pumped into Cumbrias Lake Windermere.

Documents from water company United Utilities, seen by the BBC, showed that a fault at a pumping station in Bowness-on-Windermere in Cumbria left sewage being illegally pumped into the famous lake for 10 hours in February.

Despite Downing Street branding the findings completely unacceptable, Tory MPs chose not to back the Lib Dem proposal.

Lake Windermere at Bowness in the Lake District national park, Cumbria ( (Alamy/PA) )

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: Sewage discharge into our waters like this is completely unacceptable and water companies need to clean up their act.

Its why weve announced a quadrupling of inspections on water company assets, Ofwat are consulting on banning water bosses bonuses, Ofwat have stronger powers under the Environment Act now to hold them to account for poor performance.

But the Lib Dems environment spokesperson Tim Farron MP said not enough was being done to tackle the issue.

This government just doesnt get it and is standing idly by whilst water firms destroy our lakes, rivers and beaches with raw sewage, he said. This amendment would have delivered justice for swimmers, wildlife and our environment. Instead, Conservative MPs backed the water companies, who are already stuffing their pockets with profits and bonuses. Frankly, the whole thing stinks.

The row comes after analysis by Friends of the Earth showed more than 440,000 hours of sewage was released along Englands coastline in 2023, with thousands of spills taking place close to bathing spots.

The campaign group analysed Environment Agency data on sewage overflow outlets to calculate the number and duration of spills directly into the sea and estuaries and near swimming waters.

It found there were 68,481 incidents of sewage released into Englands seas last year, totalling 440,446 hours.

More than a quarter of these, some 117,584 hours over 21,213 spills, were within 1.9 miles (3km) of a bathing spot, the assessment found.
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Sir Keir Starmer donned his election boots as Labour launched its bid to seize back 10 Downing Street after 14 years in opposition with a 48-hour blitz of battleground seats.

In a presidential-style event in Thurrock, Essex, the Labour leader set the tone for the next six months of solid electioneering with a stability first message to voters who turned their back on the party after previously supporting Tony Blair.

With a confident performance surrounded by his top team, Sir Keir laid out his six first steps, aping the five pledges of New Labour in 1997 which swept Blair to power.

Among his supporters were two former Tory donors including Boots boss Sebastian James, an Old Etonian friend of Boris Johnson and David Cameron, who endorsed Labour and praised Sir Keirs focus on economic growth and Britains high streets.

The second, Rob Boughton, runs one of the biggest developers in the South East; his company has donated nearly 1m to the Conservatives since 2017.

But he told the audience that Labours message on economic stability and growth had won him over.

Labour Party leader Keir Starmer speaks during his visit to the Backstage Centre, Purfleet, for the launch of Labours doorstep offer to voters ahead of the general election ( PA Wire )

The launch was followed by the biggest splurge of advertising spending by Labour since 2019 and the Labour leader and his shadow cabinet members hitting battleground seats previously held by Labour but which had turned to the Tories in the last 15 years.

Shadow ministers, billboard ads, and ad vans targeted key seats which Labour need to win back in areas such as Wolverhampton, Bassetlaw, Swindon, Leigh, Doncaster, Barnet, Newcastle, Aldershot and Thurrock.

The Labour leader denied that he was trying to be a new Tony Blair but his message appeared to be an attempt to rebuild the middle England coalition which won New Labour three straight elections.

Thurrock is also symbolic of the sort of voters Mr Starmers party appears to want to win over. It was, until recently, a threeway split between the Tories, Labour and Nigel Farages Ukip. Labour has just won back the council in the Essex seat in the recent local elections.

The event was introduced by deputy leader Angela Rayner, despite continuing questions about her former home and whether she broke electoral law in describing it as her primary residence.

Sir Keirs message appeared to be pitched towards former Tories, with a pledge of economic stability, tough action on crime, and protection of borders, as well as more traditional Labour messages on tackling the crisis in the NHS and improving educational standards.

But while Sir Keir was questioned over a lack of ambition in his first steps and a refusal to take on big battles like ending the two-child benefit cap, he insisted that he was not scaling back Labours ambition.

He said the first stage of the strategy was to recognise the scale of defeat Labour suffered in 2019 and to change the party, and the next was to expose the government as incompetent, which he said had been assisted by the behaviour of several of their prime ministers.

Former PM Gordon Brown is urging the chancellor to take action on child poverty ( PA Wire )

Were not reducing the mission, Sir Keir said.

I dont accept that theyre small first steps, he continued to insist in a Q&A with the media. If youre waiting on an NHS waiting list, this is a change that makes a massive difference.

He also emphasised the need for economic stability, which Labours campaign material says will require tough spending rules.

The Labour leader said he had recently spoken to a couple in Wolverhampton who had decided they could not afford to have a second child as a result of the fallout from Liz Trusss 2022 mini-Budget.

Im not prepared to let an incoming Labour government ever do that kind of damage to working people, he told the audience.

Sir Keir sounded a note of caution about his willingness to make pre-election spending commitments when asked if he would rethink Labours position on the two-child benefit cap as a means towards ending child poverty.

He and the Labour leadership had been shamed by former prime minister Gordon Brown and, surprisingly, right-wing Tory leadership hopeful Suella Braverman, who both called for the cap to be ended in the last week.

The Labour leader said ending child poverty would be central to his party in power, but added: What I cant do is make promises that I cant deliver on.

Asked during an interview with ITV later how quickly the public would be able to feel the difference of Labours policy agenda, Sir Keir said: On day one.

He insisted that while some changes would take longer to implement, others like getting rid of some planning restrictions and the commitment to introduce a Border Security Command to tackle small boat crossings could be done straight away.

Other steps include measures to invest in the NHS, education and policing, the formation of a new national energy company, and the promotion of economic stability.

The Labour leader cast an informal figure at the event, appearing without a jacket and tie and with his shirt sleeves rolled up, in contrast to the other high-profile party figures in attendance.

The rally cut a contrast with Rishi Sunaks election launch at Policy Exchange earlier this week where he gave his speech alone, and the focus was on defence and security in a perilous world.

Sir Keir avoided mention of foreign policy in a constituency which had backed Brexit very strongly while he was trying to unpick the referendum result.

He sought to portray the first steps as only a part of Labours wider programme for government, but also attempted to manage expectations about what the party could achieve in power following the UKs recent economic difficulties.

Rachel Reeves is promising economic stability ( Victoria Jones/PA Wire )

Speeches came from members of Labours shadow cabinet, including chancellor Rachel Reeves and health secretary Wes Streeting.

Conservative party chair Richard Holden claimed Sir Keirs launch was devoid of any plan for Britain, while Commons leader Penny Mordaunt compared him to the Beatles song Nowhere Man.

She told the Commons: Theres nothing there. Theres no vision, no plan, no principles on which to steer by, which is why this pledge card will go the same way of all the others.

The SNP meanwhile claimed Sir Keir had made no mention of Scotland, though Labour is expected to make distinct campaign launches in both Scotland and Wales in coming weeks.

The Child Poverty Action Group urged him to set out more ambitious plans to tackle poverty.

The charitys chief executive, Alison Garnham, said: A child poverty reduction plan is essential, but scrapping the two-child limit would have to be step one.
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Watch as Sir Keir Starmer launched Labour's six "first steps" in a pre-election pitch to voters on Thursday, 16 May.

The opposition leader outlined the party's doorstep offer at a potential electoral battleground in Essex.

Sir Keir spoke to build on the missions for what Labour has branded a decade of national renewal should they win when voters go to the polls.

The politician has pledged to deliver economic stability, cut NHS waiting times, launch a new border security command, set up publicly-owned energy firm Great British Energy, crack down on antisocial behaviour and recruit 6,500 new teachers.

Though the proposals will be give to voters in physical form, Labour has steered away from directly comparing this to the pledge card given out by Sir Tony Blair ahead of the landslide 1997 general election.

The Labour leader has insisted the "six steps" are not all the party has to offer, remarking: I would remind you for example the national minimum wage was not on the pledge card in 1997, but it was one of the most important achievements of the Labour government, and in a similar vein, our manifesto will be our full offering.
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A cutting-edge new weapon which uses radio waves to blast drones out of the sky is under development for the UKs armed forces.

The Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW) beams radio waves to disrupt or damage the critical electronic components of vehicles and drones used by enemy combatants, which can cause them to stop in their tracks or fall out of the sky.

It can be used across land, air and sea and has a range of up to 1km, which could be extended in the future.

Release of information about the new weapon comes after prime minister Rishi Sunak promised to hike UK defence spending to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030.

open image in gallery The Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW) that beams radio waves to disrupt or damage the critical electronic components of vehicles and drones used by enemy combatants (MoD Crown Copyright/PA) ( PA Media )

With an estimated cost of 10p per radio wave shot, the technology is also being billed as a cost-effective alternative to traditional missiles, and could be used to take down dangerous drone swarms.

The technology can be mounted on to a variety of military vehicles, and uses a mobile power source to produce pulses of a radio frequency energy in a beam that can fire sequenced shots at a single target or be broadened to hit a series of targets.

Minister for defence procurement James Cartlidge said: We are already a force to be reckoned with on science and technology, and developments like RFDEW not only make our personnel more lethal and better protected on the battlefield, but also keep the UK a world leader on innovative military kit.

The war in Ukraine has shown us the importance of deploying uncrewed systems, but we must be able to defend against them too. As we ramp up our defence spending in the coming years, our Defence Drone Strategy will ensure we are at the forefront of this warfighting evolution.

The new weapons system will undergo extensive testing with British soldiers over the summer.

It is being developed by a joint team from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) and Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), working with UK industry under Project Hersa.

DSTL chief executive Paul Hollinshead said: These game-changing systems will deliver decisive operational advantage to the UK armed forces, saving lives and defeating deadly threats.

World-class capabilities such as this are only possible because of decades of research, expertise and investment in science and technology at DSTL and our partners in UK industry.
Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, and Xi Jinping, his Chinese opposite number and host, agreed on Thursday to deepen their strategic partnership while accusing the United States of trying to violate the strategic balance in world affairs.

They issued a 7,000-word joint statement full of coded references to Russian and Chinese leadership of the world against attempts by the US to assert its hegemony over regions of the world that it ought to stay out of.

The document talks about the deepening of the comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation entering a new era, and says that Russia and China are determined to defend their legitimate rights and interests, resist any attempts to hinder the normal development of bilateral ties, interfere in the internal affairs of the two states, and limit the economic, technological or foreign policy potential of Russia and China.

What are their grievances against the US?

Putin resents US support for Ukraine, and sees an equivalence between his claim on part of historic Russia and the Chinese claim to Taiwan. Xi is cautious about backing Putin too explicitly over Ukraine, but the joint statement says: The Russian side positively assesses Chinas objective and unbiased position on the Ukrainian issue.

In return, Russia reaffirms its commitment to the principle of one China, recognises that Taiwan is an integral part of China, opposes the independence of Taiwan in any form, and firmly supports the actions of the Chinese side to protect its own sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Xi seems to be constantly testing the US and its allies over Taiwan but any attempt to claim the island by military force remains a hazardous undertaking. The trouble is, that is what most of the West thought about Putins ambition to occupy and assimilate the whole of Ukraine until he tried it.

Is this a resumption of the Cold War?

The joint Russian-Chinese statement says: The US still thinks in terms of the Cold War and is guided by the logic of bloc confrontation  which creates a security threat for all countries in the region. The US must abandon this behaviour.

This seems to be a classic case of projection, in that Putin and Xi assume that Joe Biden and Western leaders see the world as they do, divided into blocs locked in a zero-sum game. For example, he and Xi see Aukus, the defensive alliance between Australia, the UK and the US, as a reinforcement of the Western bloc and therefore a threat to them.

Our cooperation in world affairs today serves as one of the main stabilising factors in the international arena, said Putin in Beijing.

Doesnt Rishi Sunak indulge in Cold War rhetoric?

In his speech on Monday, the prime minister said: An axis of authoritarian states like Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China is working together to undermine us and our values. This sounded a bit like George W Bushs axis of evil, but that was just Iran, Iraq, and North Korea  it did not include countries with claims to superpower status such as Russia and China.

Rishi Sunak accused Putin of nuclear brinkmanship, and recalled the most dangerous phase of the Cold War: Putins recklessness has taken us closer to a dangerous nuclear escalation than at any point since the Cuban missile crisis.

However, most of Sunaks speech was a warning of a range of threats to peace and stability, including the conflict between Israel and Hamas, while noting that some of the interests of Russia, China and Iran might overlap and reinforce each other.

What will Putin and Xi do next?

Putins next target is the 2024 Brics summit, a meeting of non-aligned countries that will be held in Russia in October. He wants to use the bloc, which consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates, to counterbalance the dominance of Western financial institutions.

The buzzword at this summit will be dedollarisation, an attempt to reduce reliance on the US dollar in international trade and finance.
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Weak leadership, poor economic management and Brexit have dragged Britain out of the top 10 countries in a global index on good government.

The decline of Britain under the Tories has been charted by the global Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI) which saw it take 11th place.

At a time when Rishi Sunak has been under siege from his own Tory MPs, the UKs place on the annual list was made worse by scores for leadership and foresight putting it in 20th place.

It was also hit by coming 27th in financial stewardship. The findings come amid a report of an exodus by companies from the City of London.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak steps out of 10 Downing Street. The UK was marked down for weak leadership ( PA )

Despite Brexit and the fallout of leaving the EU, Britains position was boosted by coming second in the reputation and global influence category, being only beaten by France. Overall Singapore came top of the index. However, Brexit hurt the UK badly in its international trade score, with it dropping by 26 places.

The report noted that leadership makes an important difference.

It stated: What public sector leaders decide, do, or say impacts public trust in government. Good leaders create and sustain cultures of integrity, competence, and service. They have a clear sense of medium- and longer-term pathways for their government and country. They cultivate the foresight needed to anticipate emerging challenges and opportunities.

It scored countries governments for ethical leadership, long-term vision, adaptability, strategic prioritisation and innovation.

Meanwhile, financial stewardship was scored on government debt levels, spending efficiency, budget surplus, and risk premium.

Jeremy Hunt is in charge of the nations finances. The UK was also marked down for its financial stewardship ( PA )

The UKs global influence score was high but was harmed by being outside the EU, meaning that its status on international trade had dropped from joint second to 28th.

The findings were the conclusion of CGGIs panel of experts and leaders in the world of business and government.

They included Dr Reuben Abraham, chief executive of Artha Global; Elizabeth Andersen, executive director of the World Justice Project; Dr Christian Bason, founder of the Transition Collective; Nathalie Delapalme, chief executive of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation; Adrian Brown, executive director of the Centre for Public Impact; Dr Ed Olowo-Okere, vice president at the World Bank; Dr Manuel Gerardo Flores Romero from the OECD; and Professor Kent Weaver, professor of public policy and government at Georgetown University.

Labour has jumped on the findings as evidence that the political chaos under the Tories and uncertainty surrounding Rishi Sunaks leadership coupled with the fallout of Liz Trusss mini-budget have put the UK into decline.

Shadow chief Treasury secretary Darren Jones said: These new rankings fly in the face of Rishi Sunak's argument that we are turning the corner.

The United Kingdom is a brilliant place with so much potential, but we have been disastrously let down by 14 years of chaos, with five prime ministers in seven years and our economy still reeling from the Tories bombshell mini-budget.

Labour has a real plan to turn the page on this decline. With Keir Starmer's Labour Party, we will spur on a decade of renewal with strong fiscal rules, a new national wealth fund to make smart, strategic investments in the industries of the future, and public services we can be proud of again.

The findings come as Sir Keir Starmer in effect launched Labours election campaign with a top promise of economic stability in his six first steps published on a new pledge card.

But Downing Street sources said they found the findings strange and lacking in evidence.

A source close to the prime minister said: I would point you to GDP stats and what they showed last week. Joint fastest growth in the G7, one of best and fastest recoveries since pandemic (Germany and others still in recession) so not sure how the facts tally with their rankings.
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Rishi Sunak has defended his controversial sex education plans after they were compared to Margaret Thatchers hated Section 28.

Ministers are to bar sex education classes for children younger than nine years old.

And the teaching of gender identity will be banned right up until the age of 18, education secretary Gillian Keegan said.

Critics have compared the plans to the heavily criticised Section 28 policy, which prohibited the promotion of homosexuality by local authorities, including in schools.

Rishi Sunak said he could not remember his own sex education ( Loose Women, ITV )

Earlier, Ms Keegan admitted ministers did not know how widespread the teaching of "inappropriate" material about gender identity was.

She told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: "I don't think it's widespread, I mean, I don't know because you know, it's not something that we've gone and done a particular survey of."

She also said there had been "some evidence from some people" that pupils were being taught that there could be "72 genders" and gender could "change daily" as facts.

Mr Sunak said that what worried him was parents being kept in the dark and children being exposed to things which you just thought, really is that the right age for them to be told certain things, discussing certain things.

Grilled on the topic on ITVs Loose Women, he dodged a question on what he had known about sex when he was 13, saying I can't quite remember.

But when it came to claims pupils were being taught there were 72 genders, he said: 'I don't remember that being an issue when I was younger.

Labour said sex education should be age appropriate, but raised concerns over the new guidance.

Shadow education minister Cat McKinnell said that teaching children about the facts of the world in which they grow up had to include an understanding that there are people who are transgender.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan (James Manning/PA) ( PA Wire )

But Ms Keegan insisted that discussion of gender reassignment would not be banned, adding: "Gender identity and ideology is something different."

Gender identity should not be taught in schools at any age, she told MPs.

Labour MP Nadia Whittome criticised the plans, saying sex and relationship education was already taught in an age-appropriate way in schools. The Tories claims about what children are learning are designed to fuel hysteria and build support for Section 28 style policies  which is what this latest guidance seems to be harking back to, she added.

Sacha Deshmukh, the chief executive of Amnesty International, denounced the plans as dangerous and put the safety and wellbeing of children at risk as schools wrestle with issues such as children as young as seven being exposed to pornography.

He added: A whole generation of LGBTI children and young people were left scarred by Section 28 - we should strive not to make the same mistakes again... Children of all ages have the right to a well-rounded education and should not fear discrimination. Schools need more resources, more training, and more support for teachers to deliver inclusive relationship, health and sex education which responds to the challenges children face today.

Reviled clause that banned discussion of same-sex relationships in schools left a damaging legacy

The National Education Union have also warned the guidance fails to take into account that children and young people already get information about sex and relationships from the internet and in the playground.

Mr Sunak has been accused of stoking a culture war after the plans were leaked earlier this week.

It followed a major speech on Monday by the common sense minister Esther McVey who unveiled new civil service rules to end what she called woke activism in Whitehall and other departments.
 Close Hunt attacks Labour and says he refutes 'myths' the economy is worse under Tories

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Chancellor Jeremy Hunt unveiled new tax cuts if the Conservatives win the general election as he accuses Labour of playground politics following Sir Keir Starmers speech on Thursday.

Speaking from London, he hinted at further National Insurance cuts before the general election kicks off after Summer.

He claimed Labours electoral pledges would cost tax payers 59 billion over the next four years and accused Labour of lying and labelled fake news their economic plans.

He has also pledged taxes will go down under a Conservative government and accused Sir Keir Starmer of planning to hikes as sure as night follows day.

Meanwhile, David Lammy has launched Labours foreign policy campaign pledge as he vowed voters to reinstall trust between the UK and the EU amid security threats.

He added the country is currently facing key challenges around war and security, over-dependency with unfriendly states, and low growth around West.
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Watch as Partygate investigator Sue Gray gave evidence to the Covid inquiry in Belfast on Thursday, 16 May.

The former senior civil servant, now Sir Keir Starmer's chief of staff, authored a report looking into Boris Johnson over lockdown breaches in Downing Street during the pandemic.

It was launched after media reports of gatherings in the locale of the British prime minister.

Ms Gray concluded there were "failures of leadership and judgment in No 10 and the Cabinet Office" for which "the senior leadership at the centre, both political and official, must bear responsibility".

The events that I investigated were attended by leaders in government. Many of these events should not have been allowed to happen, she added.

Ms Gray found that leaving dos and other boozy gatherings, including drinking until the early hours of the morning, were held while restrictions were in place.

The findings were widely viewed as hastening Mr Johnsons departure from the top job.

The Metropolitan Police conducted a probe, named Operation Hillman, into rule breaches in Downing Street and Whitehall.

Officers said a total of 126 fines were issued to 83 people in the scandal.

Mr Johnson, his wife Carrie, and Rishi Sunak all received fixed penalty notices for attending a birthday gathering for the then-PM in No 10.

After writing the report, Ms Gray joined the Labour leader's team,

A government investigation found she breached the civil service code by talking to Sir Keir about a job four months before leaving Whitehall.

A Labour spokesperson said the finding by the Cabinet Office was Mickey Mouse nonsense and a political stunt by the Tories, adding: All rules were complied with."

Ms Gray began working as Labour leaders chief of staff after a six-month cooling off period from when she quit as a senior civil servant in March 2023.
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An Algerian man, who went missing as a teenager, was found alive in the cellar of his alleged kidnappers home after 26 years.

Omar Bin Omran left his family home in Djelfa city in 1998 to attend a vocational school and never returned. The disappearance led the 17-year-olds family to believe that he had been killed in a civil war between the Algerian government and Islamist rebels.

Omar Bin Omran, who went missing as a teenager, was found alive in the cellar of his captives home after 26 years ( EnnaharTv )

Mr Omran, now 45, was rescued on Sunday from the house of his alleged captor and neighbour, located just 200m from his familys home.

The 61-year-old neighbour suspected of keeping Mr Omran captive for nearly three decades has been arrested, public prosecutors said in a statement.

The Djelfa Attorney Generals Office informs the public that on 12 May at 8pm local time it found victim Omar B, aged 45, in the case of his neighbour, BA, aged 61, the prosecutors office said.

Footage from the rescue showed Mr Omran wearing a sweater and a full beard being rescued from the basement below his neighbours hay-covered floor.

Mr Omrans family reportedly tipped off law enforcement officials after the suspects brother suggested his sibling was involved in an abduction on social media.

Omar Bin Omran before the kidnapping ( EnnaharTv )

The authorities reopened the investigation and searched the mans house and eventually discovered a trapdoor hidden beneath hay.

Mr Omran was rushed to a medical centre for treatment, the attorney generals office said, adding that the suspect would be taken in custody for the heinous crime.

The suspect has been accused of also killing Mr Omrans dog as it kept lurking around the suspects house in the month after the teenagers disappearance.

The dogs body was found in front of Mr Omrans family house, local media reported.

Mr Omrans mother, who reportedly never stopped looking for her son, died in 2013.

His poor mum died while he was in captivity, without knowing what had happened to him, without knowing that all this time he was really right beside her, a neighbour told Algerian broadcaster Bilad.
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Aerospace supplier Spirit AeroSystems announced plans to lay off between 400 and 450 members of its workforce in the coming days, amid the chaos at one of the companys key clients, Boeing.

The recent slowdown in the delivery rate on commercial programs compels a reduction to our workforce in Wichita, an internal memo, obtained by Kansas-based outlet KSNW, read. In the coming weeks, we will inform affected employees. We are committed to implementing this transition in as compassionate a manner as possible.

Boeing has been dogged in recent months with issues, including the metal door plug of an Alaska Airlines jet suddenly blowing out at 16,000 feet in January. Whistleblowers have alleged quality control oversights on the companys 737 Max 9 jets, leading to an FAA investigation and the worldwide grounding of the aircraft in January.

Boeing posted a $355m net loss in its first quarter, and CEO Dave Calhoun announced in March he would step down at the end of the year.

The companys woes have traveled downstream, with Spirit announcing earlier this month a $616.7m first-quarter loss, a period in which Boeing slowed 737 production to add additional safety measures.

Joshua Dean, a former quality auditor at Spirit AeroSystems, which was spun off from Boeing in 2005, was among those who publically claimed that Boeing leadership ignored manufacturing defects in the 737 Max.

In a complaint to the FAA, Dean alleged serious and gross misconduct by senior quality management of the 737 production line at Spirit.

He later testified that the company concealed from investors that Spirit suffered from widespread and sustained quality failures.

In January, Dean told the Wall Street Journal that he had been fired for pointing out that holes in jet fuselages had been drilled wrong.

The company told the paper Deans characterisations were incorrect and that Spirit would defend itself in court.

The whistleblower died in early May after a sudden infection, the second Boeing-related whistleblower to die in recent months.

Graig Graziosi and Maroosha Muzaffar contributed reporting to this story.
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A 40-year-old man has been charged with raping two women in a national forest after a third woman was rescued from his van, according to authorities.

Eduardo Sarabia, 40, was arrested on Monday after police responded to reports of the sound of a woman screaming for help inside his van in southern California, local outlet ABC7 reported.

Officers arrived to find the woman trapped inside.

Following his arrest, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department learned that he had allegedly sexually assaulted two other women over the past two days on 12 and 13 May.

The assaults also took place near Californias Highway 39 in the Angeles National Forest, police said.

Now, the sheriffs department said investigators believe there may be more victims.

Eduardo Sarabia, pictured in a booking photo, was arrested on Monday ( Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department )

Based on the nature of the allegations, detectives believe there may be additional unidentified victims, the department said on Facebook.

Detectives are seeking the publics help in identifying any such victims.

Mr Sarabia has ben charged with felony counts of forcible rape and forcible oral copulation.

He is currently being held at the Inmate Reception Center in Los Angeles and will appear in court on 27 June.

The Independent has contacted the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department for further comment.

Police arrested Eduardo Sarabia after charging him with sexually assaulting two women in Angeles National Forest (pictured) ( AFP via Getty Images )

Angeles National Forest, located in the states San Gabriel Mountains and Sierra Pelona Mountains, previously made national news back in 2021 after a hiker went missing for five days.

George Null, 58, was rescued in a remote area of the forest, which spans more than 1,000 square miles  or half the size of the state of Delaware.
 Close Chad Daybells daughter testifies in his murder trial

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A new rebuttal witness for the prosecution testified that Chad Daybells son Garth had told him how he found his dead mother Tammy Daybell, which is different from what Garth told the court at his fathers triple murder trial earlier this week.

Shortly after the defense rested on Thursday, Jason Abegelen, who worked with Garth at a haunted house, recalled that Garth told him how he found his mother dead in the bedroom and that his father was not there.

But Garth had testified that in the early morning hours of October 19, 2019, his father woke him up to help after finding the mother-of-five dead and halfway off the bed on the floor, tangled up in sheets.

Daybell, 55, is on trial for the death of Tammy, and the murders of Lori Vallows two children, Tylee Ryan, 16, and JJ Vallow, seven. Two weeks after Tammys death, Daybell and Vallow married on a beach in Hawaii.

It was only after the children were reported missing  and authorities began delving into the couples bizarre cult beliefs  that questions were asked about Tammys death and her body was exhumed for an autopsy. It was determined she had died of asphyxia and Daybell was charged with her murder, as well as the murders of Vallows children, who were found buried in Daybells Idaho backyard nine months after they went missing.

Prosecutors say Daybell and Vallow justified the three killings by creating an apocalyptic belief system, which was part of an elaborate scheme to eliminate any obstacles from their life.

But Daybells attorney claims he was manipulated by Vallow, who was convicted of the murders last year and received three life sentences.

Like Vallow, Daybell did not testify in his defense.

Closing arguments are expected to be next week and then the case will be in the hands of the jury.

If convicted, Daybell faces the death penalty or life in prison.
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Human bones found inside the chimney of a music store in Wisconsin in 1989 have been identified after 35 years, according to the DNA Doe Project.

The nonprofit uses genealogical research to identify the unknown individual - dubbed Chimney Doe - as Ronnie Joe Kirk, originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

Kirk's bones and skull were first found in September 1989 lying in a pile at the bottom of a narrow chimney in a now-demolished building. A music store was located in the building before it was destroyed.

In late 2018, Madison Police Detective Lindsey Ludden contacted the DNA Doe Project and provided the group hair samples from the skull. Those were sent to Astrea Forensics in California for further analysis in 2021. The company specializes in analyzing degraded biological samples.

Madison Police Department Mid Town District Capt. Jason Freedman and Det. Lindsey Ludden announce the identification of Ronnie Joe Kirk of Tulsa, Okla. as the person whose remains were discovered in a chimney of a former music store in the city In 1989. ( Wisconsin State Journal )

The researchers spent two years building a suitable genealogical profile based on the samples, and eventually determined that the bones belonged to Kirk.

Kirk was born in 1942, had been adopted, was married twice, and had three children.

This was such a unique case with adoption, and multiple generations of different marriages, despite having a relatively close DNA relative match in the family, Gwen Knapp of the DNA Doe Project told the Associated Press. "Were so excited that we can give Ronnie Kirk his name back and hope his family has some closure for Ronnie being missing for so long.

Stephanie Fryer of the Madison Police Department said Kirk last communicated with his relatives in 1970, after he divorced his second wife in Missouri. She said that Kirks' children, two from his first marriage and one from his second, are now in the 50's and did not know each other until they were contacted by police.

No additional information was given regarding the relatives. Madison police noted that Kirk's children have asked for privacy regarding the identification of their father's remains.

The circumstances leading to Kirk's body ending up in a chimney were not revealed during the announcement.
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An inmate who escaped custody in Idaho following a "brazen, violent" prison break has pleaded guilty during a court appearance.

Skylar Meade went on the run while undergoing medical treatment for self-inflicted wounds at a hospital in Boise. He was eventually re-captured after a 36-hour manhunt.

Three law enforcement officers were shot and wounded during the violent escape.

Meade entered a guilty plea to charges of prison escape and persistent violator in an Ada County courtroom on Wednesday, reported KTVB7.

The 31-year-old inmate was serving a 20-year sentence for shooting at a sheriff during a high-speed chase. He had been transferred to the Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center for treatment after he engaged in "self-injurious behaviour," according to Josh Tewalt, the director of the Idaho Department of Corrections.

As officials were preparing to transport him back to prison, an armed accomplice, Nicholas Umphenour, allegedly began firing at the corrections officers.

Two corrections officers were wounded by the gunman during Meade's break-out. One of the officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries while the second was in critical but stable condition on the day of the shooting.

Meade and Umphenour were eventually found and taken into custody in Twin Falls County following a short car chase.

This photo combo provided by Twin Falls County Sheriff's Office in Idaho shows from left, Nicholas Umphenour and Skylar Meade ( AP )

A third suspect, Tonia Huber, 52, was arrested on 21 March on charges of eluding authorities, as well as possession of a controlled substance.

Tia Garcia, 27, of Twin Falls was then later arrested and is facing a felony charge of aiding and abetting for her alleged involvement in planning Meades escape.

Idaho State Police have said Meade and Umphenour are also being investigated for potential involvement in two homicides in northern Idaho, one in Clearwater County and one in Nez Perce County.

Both homicides involved adult men.

Officials have told reporters that both Meade and Umphenour had common acquaintances in prison and were members of the white supremacist Aryan Knights group.

Meade and Umphenour reportedly had spent some time imprisoned together in December 2022. Umphenour was released in January 2024. Both had been housed at the Idaho maximum security prison
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Karen Read lost her cool with her defense team, rolling her eyes and giving a strong reaction during a break from the trial over her alleged killing of her cop boyfriend.

Ms Read, a financial analyst and former Bentley University professor, is on trial charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter after her boyfriend, John OKeefe, a 16-year police veteran, was found unresponsive in the snow outside the home of a fellow Boston police officer, Brian Albert.

On Wednesday, several key witnesses returned or took to the stand for the first time, testifying to the court about Mr OKeefes death.

As court broke for lunch on Wednesday, the defendant rolled her eyes and snapped her head back during a talk with her attorney, then reportedly muttered something quickly at her legal team.

Karen Read reacts to her family during a break in her murder trail at Dedham Superior Court on Wednesday ( AP )

The reaction is the latest in a series of odd behavior from Ms Read in court as she was previously seen smiling and eating while in the courtroom.

Ms Read is accused of mowing down Mr OKeefe as their relationship deteriorated. The defense contends that Ms Read is the victim of a vast police conspiracy and the officer was killed in a fight at a home after a trip to a local bar.

Wednesdays exchange between Read and her lawyers happened just after the court heard from Allison McCabe, the daughter of Jennifer McCabe, who was with Ms Read when they discovered Mr OKeefes body lying in the snow in front of the home of Brian and Nichole Albert, where a group went after the bar closed.

During Allisons emotional testimony, she came to the defense of Colin Albert, one of the men Ms Reads defense team claims was involved in a fight at Alberts home that they say resulted in Mr OKeefes death, according to CBS.

Karen Read talks with her lawyers during her murder trail at Dedham Superior Court on Wednesday ( AP )

Allison told the court she had picked up Colin Albert and drove him to the home, and that Colin was not present during the alleged fight.

Colin wasnt at the house. Hes being harassed for  he was not at the house when John [OKeefe] was there. I drove him home. People are harassing him, saying he was at the house when its not true, Allison McCabe said in court.

Following the break, the court was shown text messages between Colin Albert and Allison McCabe, where he asks her to pick him up, with Colin adding he left the house around 30 seconds after Allison texted that she was Here.

He was also asked if he saw OKeefe at his uncles house on that night and he said he did not, NBC Boston reports.

Defendant Karen Read arrives in court with her lawyers Alan Jackson and David Yannetti at Norfolk Superior Court on Wednesday ( AP )

An autopsy found that Mr OKeefe had several abrasions on his right forearm, two black eyes, a cut on his nose, a two-inch laceration to the back of his head and multiple skull fractures. Hypothermia was also a contributing factor in his death.

In the early hours of January 29, 2022, Jennifer McCabe said Ms Read called her in distress. The finance professor said she had tried to contact Mr OKeefe and could not reach him, Jennifer McCabe told authorities.

They later met up with another friend, Kerry Roberts, who received similar calls from Ms Read.

Ms Roberts told police Ms Read called and said her boyfriend was dead, claiming he may have been hit by a snowplow. Ms McCabe also told police Ms Read asked her: Could I have hit him?

The group then said they found Mr OKeefe lying unresponsive in the snow in front of the Alberts home. Ms Roberts began CPR, and Ms McCabe called the police.

After paramedics arrived, witnesses said Ms Read repeatedly asked if her boyfriend was dead. Responding troopers also observed Ms Read had a broken taillight.

Footage shows Karen Read embracing and kissing her boyfriend, John OKeefe ( AP )

Several first responders have testified that Ms Read told them loudly and repeatedly at the scene that she hit him, though she never said with her SUV.

Another witness, a police officer who was among the first on the scene, testified that Ms Read said it was her fault and that she was responsible  although she didnt say how she was responsible.

Prosecutors have argued that Ms Read and Mr OKeefes relationship had been on the rocks prior to his death amid allegations that he was cheating and tensions over the two children in Mr OKeefes care  his orphaned niece and nephew.

But Mr OKeefes friends at the first bar testified in court that the couple seemed content and affectionate with one another that final night. Pictures of Ms Read kissing and hugging Mr OKeefe at the bar were shown during the trial.

Meanwhile, Rebecca Trayers, the bartender at the last bar they visited, testified that no one in the group seemed overly drunk.
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The ex-wife of slain Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan wrote good luck! on the check for a hitman who she allegedly hired to kill him, prosecutors say.

Shanna Gardner, 36, appeared in a Florida courtroom for a bond hearing on Wednesday. Prosecutors claim that the murder-for-hire plot was orchestrated by Ms Gardner, her new husband and another man.

Prosecutors allege Ms Gardner and her second husband, Mario Fernandez-Saldana, offered to pay Henry Tenon $150,000 to carry out the murder. Mr Tenon is Fernandez-Saldanas former tenant.

According to police, a check was written to Mr Tenon on 4 April, 2022 for the amount of $5,000, from Gardner and Saldanas LLC, First Choice Home Rentals. Written on the check were the notes: Kickstarter and Good luck!

Mr Tenon stated that this was the first of many payments that were supposed to be an investment into his pallet company which was actually payment for the homicide, Jacksonville Beach Police Detective Chris Johns Detective Johns testified on Wednesday.

Shanna Gardner, right, who is accused of orchestrating the murder of her ex-husband, Jared Bridegan, pictured at a court hearing in November 2022 with her attorney, Jose Baez, left ( screengrab/First Coast News )

Bridegan, 33, was fatally gunned down on 16 February 2022, in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.

Police say Bridegan was driving home with his daughter when he got out of his black Volkswagen Atlas SUV to remove a tire that was obstructing the roadway. He was ambushed and shot at close range, as his young daughter sat in her car seat just feet away.

After Bridegans death, Gardner faced public scrutiny due to her and Bridegans difficult divorce and for not attending his funeral.

When Gardner filed for a divorce in 2015, she accused Bridegan of disturbing and abusive behaviour toward their children. He accused her of spying on him and treating him in a disparaging manner in front of the children, according to The Florida Times Union.

Disturbing text messages read out in court on Wednesday revealed that Gardner had been plotting her ex-husbands death for years, prosecutors claim. Texts from Gardner to her best friend allegedly asked how she could find a hitman to do magic and make him disappear.

Gardner reportedly wrote that she would happily watch Bridegan be given a lethal injection and celebrate his death with a casserole of funeral potatoes, according to the texts.

Police bodycam footage shows moment Jared Bridegans ex-wife arrested

Gardner was arrested on 17 August 2023, more than a year after Bridegan was killed.

In police bodycam footage, she is seen being handcuffed and brought out onto the porch in a black t-shirt and pink printed pajama shorts. Someone could be heard asking if they should get her pants while the womans mother cries.

Gardner was charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony and child abuse.

Her husband, Mario Fernandez Saldana, 35, who she married in 2018, was charged with the same crimes while his former tenant, Henry Tenon, 62, has already pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for his part.
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A Utah squatter murdered a teenage farmhand after a disagreement over where he parked his truck before burying his body, a court heard.

James Brenner, 61, pleaded guilty to the murder of Dylan Rounds on Wednesday at a court appearance in Brigham City.

Rounds, 19, vanished on Memorial Day weekend two years ago. Before his disappearance, the teenager had made a final phone call to his grandmother  then was never seen or heard from again.

Brenner had been squatting in a trailer on land next to where the victim lived, according to investigators. The skeletal remains of the victim were eventually found when Brenner led investigators to them in a remote area of the state.

A video eventually found on the victims phone showed a blood-spattered Brenner cleaning a gun.

Utah teen Dylan Rounds murdered by James Brenner in row over where he parked truck ( Box Elder County Sheriff's Office )

Brenner appeared in court on three pending cases, including an aggravated murder charge for the death of Rounds. According to a statement from the Box Elder County Attorneys Office, he entered guilty pleas to resolve all three cases.

Candice Cooley, the victims mother, told KSL that the family was told Brenner had been "mad that Dylan put his truck in the shed that day.

Thats it, just mad, she said. It was absolutely shameful that thats what it is over, and then thats probably all well ever get out of him. Theres no legal arrangement that can make him tell us exactly what happened that morning.

Nevertheless, Ms Cooley added that Brenners guilty plea over the murder has given them some sort of solace.

"We can take a deep breath now. We dont have to wonder what the next phone calls going to be," she added.

Prosecutors had been working closely with the parents of the teenager to review Different options and sentencing outcomes to finalise the plea deal signed by Brenner, the district attorneys office said.

James Brenner was a family friend of Rounds and squatted in nearby land ( East Idaho News )

As part of the agreements on the plea deal, Brenner was required to tell authorities the location of Dylans remains. In exchange, he was only charged with second-degree felony murder rather than first-degree felony aggravated murder.

The skeletal remains of Rounds, who had not been seen since 2022, were finally found in a remote area of Utah after Brenner led authorities to the site.

The FBI and the Box Elder County Sheriffs Office announced in a statement last month that remains belonging to the missing teenager had been recovered from the remote western Box Elder County area of Lucin.

We thank everyone for their support and love, Ms Cooley told East Idaho News at the time. We are grateful we now have Dylans body and can bring him home as we continue our fight for justice.

A second charge for the desecration of human remains was also dismissed by the prosecutor. A third case for aggravated assault, which is completely separate from the murder of Rounds, was also dropped as part of the plea deal.

Alongside the guilty murder plea, Brenner also pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a firearm by a restricted person.

The final requirement of his plea deal is that Brenner will carry out each of his mandatory prison sentences, which he will receive on 1 July, for the individual charges in succession.

"Wed definitely been waiting for it, right. Its a giant elephant out of the room. Its definitely a relief in that sense," Ms Cooley told KSL.

Both the defense and prosecution agreed to recommend a minimum of three and a maximum of 30 years in prison at sentencing, according to East Idaho News.

While Ms Cooley stated to the outlet that more than likely, Brenner will die in prison, she said that the way the law works has left them accepting that her sons murderer will be serving under reduced charges as part of his plea deal.

Mr Brenner has now pled guilty to the murder of Dylan Rounds ( East Idaho News )

It shouldnt even be an option. It should be 25 to life, she said. But the justice system forced us into this type of plea.

Box Elder County Attorney Stephen Hadfield said in a statement that "being able to bring Dylan home and bring this prosecution to a successful conclusion is a great relief."

"It has been amazing to see what the tireless and unrelenting effort of so many different people can accomplish. We wouldnt be here without each of their individual contributions," his statement continued.

Brenner was first charged in 2023 with aggravated murder and abuse or desecration of a human body for allegedly killing Rounds and then disposing of his body.

Early on in the investigation, authorities had found a pair of boots belonging to the teen, with one having a blood stain splattered on it, according to charging documents obtained by ABC4.

After DNA analysis, the boots were confirmed to belong to Rounds. Brenners DNA was also found on them, the outlet reported.

Authorities also tracked down the victims phone, which sent its final signal at the Lucin pond. After a search of the pond, the phone was discovered, the charging documents state.

A digital forensic download was carried out, leading to the discovery of the harrowing time-lapse video taken at the time of the disappearance.

The shirt Brenner was wearing in the video was later analysed by authorities and the missing teens DNA was found on it.

Brenner, described by court documents obtained by Fox News as a family friend of Rounds, was initially arrested in July 2022 on federal firearms charges, before being charged with murder in March 2023.

Since losing Rounds, his family have set up a nonprofit in his honour to his memory, which strives to provide resources and support for families who are also searching for their missing loved ones, something they had to endure for around two years.
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Texas Governor Greg Abbott has pardoned an Uber driver who was convicted of murdering a Black Lives Matter protestor in Austin in the summer of 2020.

Daniel Perry shot and killed Garrett Foster, who was also armed, at a time when racial justice protests were sweeping America following the murder of George Floyd. In April 2023, Perry was convicted of murder.

On Thursday afternoon, just over one year on from his conviction, Mr Abbott announced that he had pardoned the former US Army sergeant following a unanimous recommendation from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles conducted an exhaustive review of U.S. Army Sergeant Daniel Perrys personal history and the facts surrounding the July 2020 incident and recommended a Full Pardon and Restoration of Full Civil Rights of Citizenship, Mr Abbott said in a statement.

Among the voluminous files reviewed by the Board, they considered information provided by the Travis County District Attorney, the full investigative report on Daniel Perry, plus a review of all the testimony provided at trial.

I thank the Board for its thorough investigation, and I approve their pardon recommendation.

Perry was released from the Mac Stringfellow Unit in Rosharon soon after the announcement was made.

Even when his conviction and sentence were handed down, Mr Abbott had made his plans to pardon Perry.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott holds a press conference at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas, on February 4, 2024 ( AFP via Getty Images )

He said at the time that Texas had one of the strongest Stand Your Ground laws of self-defence that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney.

On Thursday, Fosters partner Whitney Mitchell told The Austin American Statesman that she was heartbroken by the governors decision.

I loved Garrett Foster. I thought we were going to grow old together, Mitchell said in a statement through her attorney Angelica Cogliano.

He was the love of my life. He still is. I am heartbroken by this lawlessness. Governor Abbott has shown that to him, only certain lives matter. He has made us all less safe.

With this pardon, the Governor has desecrated the life of a murdered Texan, impugned that jurys just verdict, and declared that citizens can be killed with impunity as long as they hold political views that are different from those in power.

On the night of 25 July 2020  a summer filled with racial justice protests  Perry was working as an Uber driver in Austin.

Gov. Abbott requests possible pardon for Daniel Perry

Perry, who admitted he had been texting and driving distractedly, ran a red light and drove into the thick of a crowd of Black Lives Matter demonstrators, nearly hitting Whitney Mitchell, a quadruple amputee.

Among the crowd was Mitchells husband, 28-year-old Air Force veteran Foster, who was openly and legally carrying an AK-47 rifle.

Witnesses said Foster, who was white, gestured with his gun for the Uber driver to move on.

According to video shown to the jury, Perry told police in a later interview: I believe he was going to aim at me. I didnt want to give him a chance to aim at me.

Shaky video of the moment, captured by journalist Hiram Gilberto, shows the car in a crowd of people.

Honking is heard before a voice nearby says: Everybody back up.

Perry then opens fire with his .357 revolver, shooting Foster dead as protesters scream and scatter.

Perry fled the scene, then reported the incident to police, claiming he acted in self-defence after a weapon was pointed at him, according to the Texas Tribune.

He was later convicted of murder and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Daniel Perry pictured in mug shot by Austin Police Department in 2020 ( Austin Police Department )

In Thursdays proclamation, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles concluded that Perrys car had been surrounded by aggressive protestors who rushed to obstruct, strike, pound, smash, and kick his vehicle on Congress Avenue in Austin.

Foster had approached Perrys vehicle within 18 inches and waved the firearm in his direction, the board said, finding that he was justified in firing his gun to eliminate a perceived threat to his safety.

The proclamation criticised Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza for not upholding this right to self defense, instead prioritising reducing access to guns.

Thursdays announcement means that Perry receives a full pardon and restoration of full civil rights.
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A General Motors autonomous car company has settled a lawsuit for millions with a woman who was hit by one of its self-driving taxis and dragged along a San Francisco street last year.

The woman, whose identity has not been revealed, was struck by a human hit-and-run driver and propelled into the path of a Cruise robo-taxi. In a statement posted to X, the company said the vehicle detected a collision and attempted to pull over to avoid more safety issues.

Cruise pays woman millions in settlement after she was dragged by self-driving car ( Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

As the car tried to pull over, it continued for about 20 feet before coming to a stop with the pedestrian pinned to the bottom of the car. The woman sustained traumatic injuries and was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Now, the company is set to pay the woman between $8 to $12m in a settlement first reported by Fortune and Bloomberg.

A representative for Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital told Fortune that the woman had been discharged but declined to state additional information about her condition.

Cruise stopped its taxi service in San Francisco following the crash after regulators found the company had not been forthcoming with information. Later, the company pulled all of its self-driving taxis in the US off the market.

It is now starting to reintroduce them with human drivers that can take over in case of an emergency. The company will start testing out the cars in Phoenix before moving to other Arizona cities. Cruise is in the process of getting its permit reinstated in California, where the crash happened. The application is still under review.

Cruise was acquired by General Motors in 2016 and has since reported $9.2bn in losses. Following the incident, General Motors cut Cruises annual budget by $1 billion and replaced the companys management team.
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Elon Musk reportedly fired virtually all of Teslas Supercharger vehicle charging team after a presentation and argument with a top executive.

Mr Musk made the decision to fire most of the personnel on the 500-member team after a meeting with charging chief Rebecca Tinucci, according to anonymous company sources who spoke with Reuters.

During the meeting, Ms Tinucci reportedly pushed back against Mr Muskss calls for deep cuts to the charging team.

He reportedly responded by ordering the mass firings, part of a larger round of layoffs at the EV company as the company struggles with declining profits and increased competition.

The Independent has contacted Tesla for comment.

Since then, the company has begun quietly rehiring some members of the Supercharger team.

Following a decade of investment, Teslas network of rapid charging stations now includes more than 6,200 facilities across the world, and formed a core part of Teslas sales pitch to customers, promising to match the scope and convenience of conventional refueling infrastructure for gasoline-powered cars.

The cuts at the Supercharger team could throw a wrench in the works of the companys larger plans. Scores of automakers have signed agreements for their EVs to be compatible with the Supercharger network, set to take effect this year.

In a post earlier this month, Mr Musk promised continued investment in Superchargers.

Tesla will spend well over $500M expanding our Supercharger network to create thousands of NEW chargers this year, he wrote on X. Thats just on new sites and expansions, not counting operations costs, which are much higher.

Company insiders, however, told Reuters that contractors and municipal governments whod made long-term plans based on the Supercharger network were frustrated with the firings.

Its just unfortunate that now theyre stuck holding the bag on all these different projects, a former employee told the wire service. Its really sad to see all these relationships burned and people be really angry - rightfully so.
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Disgraced financier Jeffrey Epsteins Little Black Book of contacts has gone up for auction, where it is expected to fetch upwards of $200,000.

The convicted pedophile kept names, phone numbers and addresses of multiple high-profile people contained in the book, such as former president Donald Trump, Robert F Kennedy Jr, and attorney Alan Dershowitz.

Epstein was found dead in his New York prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. His former girlfriend and associate, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted of similar charges and sentenced to 20 years behind bars in June 2022.

Details of many of Epsteins associates were revealed in unsealed criminal documents earlier this year.

However, Alexander Historical Auctions, which is organizing the sale of the book, says that it contains the information of 221 people not previously included in another 2004 copy, used as evidence against Epstein by the FBI.

The 64-page address book, dated by a forensic document examiner to be from around 1997, lists 349 people in total. Bidding began on Wednesday and will last for one month.

Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in a prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted on similar charges and jailed for 20 years in 2022 ( ITV )

According to the item description on the companys website, the book measures 4.5 x 5.25 inches and is bound in black plastic. The entries are printed reproductions, likely reduced in size to accommodate this rather small binding.

Some of the names, the site notes, bear black, hand-applied checkmarks, and five have been highlighted in yellow. All five names, including that of Mr Trump, are well-recognized financial and industrial figures. The significance of the checked and highlighted names is unknown.

It also contains a good deal of information hinting at Epsteins sordid past, the website states.

Bill Panagopulos, owner of Alexander Historical Auctions, told The New York Post that despite the dark associations with Epstein there has been great interest in the sale.

As far as I know, Mr. Epsteins estate is in no way involved in any manner, Mr Panagopulos told the outlet. As for the proceeds of the sale, I can say with a great deal of confidence that they will be going to a party that does not, nor ever did have any connection with Mr Epstein or anyone named in the book.

Former president Donald Trump is one of the people whose contact information was listed in Epsteins Little Black Book ( Getty Images )

He previously told The Post the book could be sold for $200,000 or more, but that its unique history and contents would make the outcome unpredictable.

According to Alexanders the book on sale was discovered lying on a Fifth Avenue sidewalk in the mid-1990s by a musician living in Manhattan.

The woman put the book into storage and it was not until 2020 while cleaning out her storage unit that she realized it belonged to Epstein. She reached out to several media outlets who failed to react. The book was later listed on eBay where it was purchased by a graduate student in the Northeast of the US who had possessed it ever since.

Alexanders noted interested bidders can come to its Maryland office to inspect the book after submitting a two-day notice. Private bidding is open until 15 June. The identity of all bidders will remain anonymous, the auctioneer said.

Should the seller not accept the highest bid tendered, the book will be offered at a public auction in July.
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Red Lobster, the iconic American seafood chain, is auctioning off restaurant equipment from more than 50 locations.

The auction is the largest restaurant equipment action ever, according to TAGeX Brands, a restaurant supply company. The online and in-person auctions are happening in more than 20 states, according to the bidding website, RestaurantEquipment.bid.

The sale comes after Red Lobster said earlier this week that dozens of branches would close across the US, and that the Florida-based chain is considering filing for bankruptcy. The chain lists more than 80 restaurants as closed on its website.

The auctions arent for individual equipment, either. Interested buyers can place bids on only one item: The entire contents a closed location.

American seafood chain Red Lobster, pictured above in Torrance, California, is closing down and auctioning off equipment from more than 50 locations ( AFP via Getty Images )

All contents available in location  equipment, furniture, and more, the bidding website reads.

Last year, the company took a major financial blow after its $20 endless shrimp offer proved unexpectedly popular, reportedly costing it millions.

Patrons ended up eating more shrimp than expected while taking up tables, resulting in lengthy wait times, which all negatively impacted the restaurants profits.

We were expecting an increase of 20 per cent in customer traffic, but the actual number was up to 40 per cent, said Thiraphong Chansiri, chief executive of Red Lobsters parent company, said of the deal last year.

This financial crisis isnt entirely Red Lobsters doing, however. Dennis Gemberling, founder and principal of hospitality industry consultancy group, Perry Group International, previously spoke to The Independent about shifting restaurant trends in the US.

Mr Gemberling said a greater shift in consumer behaviour, such as a preference for full dinner experiences, is hurting middle-of-the-road casual restaurants like Red Lobster.

The fact of the matter is full-service restaurants [are] becoming more of a specialty operation to go to for the after-work crowd, or on holidays and that type of thing, Mr Gemberling told The Independent this week.

The Independent has contacted Red Lobster for comment.
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An Atlanta cop and Marine faces a murder charge after a Lyft driver was found dead, just months after the officer was arrested in a drug case.

Union City police were called to South Fulton Parkway and Stonewall Tell Road, just outside of Atlanta, following an alleged shooting early Wednesday morning, authorities said.

Upon arrival, officers found an unresponsive man, later identified as Reginald Folks, 35, who had been inflicted with gunshot wounds. Folks was driving the suspect at the time of the shooting. Police have not released details on what led to the killing.

The alleged gunman, Atlanta police officer Koby Minor, was still at the scene when authorities arrived before being arrested in connection with the shooting. He was said to have resigned his police role following his arrest.

The Atlanta Police Department confirmed in a preliminary statement that Mr Minor was one of their officers and had been since July 2018.

Prior to graduating Clayton State University, Mr Minor was a rifleman for the Marines between 2010 and 2014, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He claimed to have led battle drills for teams of 20 and to be trained in the use of explosives, his profile reads.

Lyft released a statement after the drivers death.

Kolby Minor is being held in Fulton County jail on murder and aggravated assault charges ( Atlanta Police Department )

Our hearts are with Mr. Folks loved ones as they confront this unspeakable tragedy, and we have reached out to offer our support during this difficult time, a Lyft spokesperson said in a statement.

Mr Minor has received a permanent Lyft ban, the company added.

The cop is being held in Fulton County jail on murder and aggravated assault charges.

At the time Mr Minor was apprehended, he was on unpaid leave from teh department following a separate arrest for drug charges in Milton, Georgia, on December 25. He was booked on charges for possessing a controlled substance and drugs not in an original container, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

His service firearm was confiscated after the arrest last year, according to the APD.

The Independent has reached out to Union City police for further information.
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Son of Sam David Berkowitz says he hopes he can inspire people from his prison cell in a similar way to how Anne Franks World War II diary inspired millions.

Speaking days before facing a parole board, Berkowitz, who killed six people in New York City in the 1970s, told The New York Post the Jewish girls book has been more inspirational for him than the Bible.

She impacted the lives of millions, Berkowitz told the outlet. Little Anne changed the world with a pen. So I ask myself, what can I do with my trusty typewriter? Maybe I can change lives, too, with my message of hope in God?

The serial killer made the comparison in his interview with the Post days before his 12th parole board hearing over his murders in the boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.

The killing spree began on July 29, 1976, when the then-23-year-old shot Donna Lauria, 18, and wounded Jody Valenti, 19.

Police officers escort serial killer David Berkowitz, known as the Son of Sam, into the 84th precinct station on August 10, 1977. ( Getty )

In the months following, he left five others dead and six more wounded. His main choice of victim appeared to be young women with long, dark hair, as well as couples sitting in cars.

On April 17, 1977 Berkowitz left a note after killing couple Alexander Esau, 20, and Valentina Suriani, 18.

I am a monster. I am the Son of Sam, he wrote. I love to hunt. Prowling the streets looking for fair game tasty meat.

As fear spread across the city, with women cutting their hair and wearing wigs to avoid being targeted, Berkowitz also wrote to tabloid newspapers to tease the New York City Police Department as they searched for him.

Hello from the gutters of NYC, which are filled with dog manure, vomit, stale wine, urine and blood  Sams a thirsty lad and he wont let me stop killing until he gets his fill of blood, he wrote to Daily News columnist Jimmy Breslin.

When he was finally caught on August 10, 1977, the killer asked police: What took you so long?

Berkowitz later explained that his neighbor Sams dog had told him to carry out the killings.

He faced three mental exams and was found fit to stand trial. He pleaded guilty to all charges and was handed six 25-years-to-life sentences. Berkowitz became eligible for parole in 2002 and has faced a parole board every two years since.

He claims to have found God, but in this latest interview referred to Anne Frank as an inspiration as someone else in captivity.

Anne Franks diary of her time hiding from the Nazis is a source of inspiration for David Berkowitz, he says ( Anne Frank House, Amsterdam/Public domain )

Young Anne wrote her diary while in captivity. She shared her heart within its pages, the 70-year-old said of the girl hiding from Nazis during the Holocaust and whose diary became one of the prominent voices of life during the Holocaust.

Little did she know the influence her life and her writings would have in the future, he told the Post.

Berkowitz has referred to himself as the Son of Hope since finding religion in the late 1980s and has previously said he deserves to be in prison for the rest of his life for his crimes.

He sees himself as a father figure to other inmates, he told the Post, and now appears to want to share his beliefs and experiences more widely.

David Berkowitzs case drew widespread attention in the late 1970s ( Netflix )

The convict said he would attend his upcoming hearing in order to not show defiance to those in authority, after skipping some in the past.

Most of all, I attend in order to openly apologize for my past crimes and to express my remorse, he added.

And I also attend so that I may share my faith in God, and how He can forgive, heal and restore even the worst of offenders.
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Sixteen Democrats voted with Republicans in the House of Representatives to try and restrict President Joe Bidens ability to withhold weaponry to Israel.

The legislation came after Mr Biden said that the US would not ship weapons to Israel if its military attacked Rafah as part of its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

Mr Biden also confirmed that the administration paused a shipment of 1,800 bombs weighing around 2,000lbs (907kg) and 1,700 bombs weighing 500lbs (227kg) bound for Israel.

At the same time, the Biden administration said earlier this week that it would send $1bn in other weapons and munitions to the country.

The new legislation, which has very little chance of passing in the US Senate, says that no federal funds may be used to withhold, halt, reverse, or cancel the delivery of defense articles or defense services to Israel.

It would also require that some money meant for the office of the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense may not be spent until each office certifies to Congress that any withheld defense articles or services are delivered to Israel.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the measure was meant to show support for Israel amid Mr Bidens criticism of the Israeli governments military strategy and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumers calls for new elections in Israel. The president would likely veto this legislation if it reached his desk.

We want the President to hear this loud and clear, he said earlier in the day on the steps of the Capitol. He said just not long ago that we have to have ironclad support for Israel. Well, that's what he previously proclaimed, but his actions are doing exactly the opposite. This is a catastrophic decision with global implications. It is obviously being done as a political calculation, and we cannot let this stand.

Speaker Mike Johnson and leaders of the House Republican Caucus hold a press conference on a bill that would restrict Joe Bidens ability to withhold military aid to Israel ( Getty Images )

Lois Frankel, a Jewish Democrat from Florida, was one of the Democrats who broke ranks to support the legislation. She explained her vote to The Independent beforehand, saying: Israel is under attack and her existence is at risk...Whatever we've committed should be sent without delay.

She added that she did not like the bill as a whole but thought it was important to send a message affirming her support for a US ally.

The full list of Democrats who supported the bill included Henry Cuellar, Lois Frankel, Jared Moskowitz, Josh Gottheimer, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Ritchie Torres, Mary Peltola, Frank Pallone, Greg Landsman, Jared Golden, Angie Craig, Matt Cartwright, David Scott, Darren Soto, and Tom Suozzi. Many of the Democrats, such as Mr Cuellar and Ms Gluesenkamp Perez, hail from swing districts or even districts that voted for Donald Trump.

Others, such as Mr Gottheimer and Mr Moskowitz, are Jewish, while others such as Mr Torres are ardent supporters of Israel.

The move came even though House Minority Whip Katherine Clark advised Democrats to vote against the legislation.

Displaced Palestinians arrive in central Gaza after fleeing from the southern Gaza city of Rafah in Deir al Balah, on May 9, 2024 ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

Progressives including a number of Democrats who supported the presidents move to restrict weapons shipments (or halt them entirely) opposed the bill alongside the majority of their party.

Ilhan Omar, a progressive and a member of the Squad, derided the bill as an attempt to take away our President's constitutional right to carry out the duties of this country on behalf of another country as she spoke to The Independent.

The vote signals just the latest split among Democrats when it comes to Israel. Ms Omar and other progressive Democrats have called for Mr Biden to do more to provide more aid to Gaza or pressure Israel to stop what they consider indiscriminate bombing.

Conversely, other Democrats have criticised progressives. Last year, many of the same Democrats who voted for this legislation, voted to censure Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, the only Palestinian-American congresswoman, for her remarks about Israel and her use of the term from the River to the Sea.

The vote also comes as the State Department said on Thursday that Israel needed to do more to stop settlers from sacking aid trucks meant for Gaza.
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On Wednesday, President Joe Biden challenged former president Donald Trump to two debates with a few taunts and some social media sparring.

I hear youre free on Wednesdays, the president said with a grin in a video clip, referencing the day each week when Mr Trumps hush money trial is not in session in New York.

Trump responded in kind on his Truth Social social media platform and said he would be up for a debate.

Crooked Joe Biden is the WORST debater I have ever faced  He cant put two sentences together! Crooked is also the WORST President in the history of the United States, by far, he said.

CNN had scheduled the first debate for June 10 and ABC will air the second debate on September 10.

Joe Biden challenges Donald Trump to debate him in June ( Biden campaign )

The move upends the way presidental debates have been run for nearly 40 years. Since 1988, candidates have participated in debates run by the Commission on Presidential Debates. The decision also moves up the calendar for when people will have to pay attention, since debates usually happen from late September after both parties have held their conventions.

But Bidens challenge, and Trumps enthusiastic acceptance, reveals just how much both candidates need these debates in the short-term to convince an American public, weary of both men, that they are worthy of their vote.

For Biden, the reason to request the debates so early is obvious. Just this week, a New York Times/Siena College poll showed the president trailing Mr Trump in five out of six swing states.

As Inside Washington explained, the common refrain from Bidens campaign whenever bad numbers come out is essentially, voters are not paying attention and once they realize the stakes of a Biden-Trump rematch, voters will come home and pick him. Polls also tend to show that Biden does better with likely voters than he does registered voters.

Biden needs to assuage questions and concerns about his age. As the oldest person to ever take office, Biden must do what he can to project an image that he is not only capable of doing the job, but that he is alert and listening to voters needs. Republicans have sought to hammer Bidens age as a talking point.

Donald Trump, with lawyer Todd Blanche, speaks to the press on arrival at his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs, at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, on May 16, 2024 ( via REUTERS )

In February, Special Counsel Robert Hur dropped a report regarding Bidens handling of classified documents and while it did not recommend criminal charges, he described the president as a well-meaning, elderly man with poor memory.

A transcript of the full interview revealed Biden had a better memory than Hur depicted in the report. But Republicans, acting as Trumps campaign arm in Congress, have treated this comment as their ace in the hole.

Bidens debate decision also seeks to revive some of the energy he exerted in his forceful State of the Union address in March.

Despite his better stance in the polls, Trump needs a boost as well. While all Republican challengers officially dropped out two months ago, he continues to lose a significant chunk of voters in ongoing primaries to Nikki Haley.

It suggests that while Mr Trump faces no significant challenge for the GOP nomination, many Republicans - and possibly independents and Democrats in states with open primaries - feel the need to register their dissatisfaction.

The former presidents protracted legal battles - first in a civil defamation case brought by the writer E Jean Carroll and now in a criminal hush money trial - means he has not been able to visit swing states to rally the troops. The fact the race is still even competitive - a Fox News poll showed Trump and Biden neck-and-neck - despite Bidens huge negatives is a testament to Trumps weak candidate quality.

As a result, Trump needs to make a case for Republican voters to come home, that is, return back to the GOP fold and vote for him once again.

He must also remind Republicans who voted for Haley that he is the person who passed sweeping tax cuts for the wealthy and nominated three conservative Supreme Court justices who killed Roe v Wade.

In the same token, he also needs to convince swing voters that, despite low unemployment and higher wages, the economy during his presidency was better and he can bring them back to the days before the pandemic.

Of course, there are huge risks to moving up the debate calendar, and incumbent presidents dont have a great track record in debates.

In 1984, Ronald Reagan stumbled verbally which some subsequently wondered was a sign of his future Alzheimers diagnosis. But Reagan later cracked a joke about his opponents inexperience and proceeded to blow out Walter Mondale in a landslide.

Eight years later, George H W Bushs checking of his watch during a debate spelled the end for his campaign, making him seem aloof and inattentive to voters concerns.

Then there was Barack Obamas meandering performance in 2012 which didnt cost him the White House but did give Mitt Romney momentum until Biden, then Obamas vice president, proceeded to joust with Romneys running mate Paul Ryan and gave the campaign back its mojo.

Biden cannot afford a debate performance that confirms voters concerns about him.

Similarly, if Trump goes in too hot and interrupts Biden - which famously led to Biden exclaiming will you shut up, man in the first debate of 2020 - he might remind voters of how chaotic his presidency was and why they booted him in the first place.

Trump has also continued to attack Biden and say he will perform badly, which lower the bar for people to judge Biden.

But both men seem to have concluded that those risks are worth a potential early punch and drawing blood.
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Senator Bob Menendez revealed his wife, Nadine Menendez, is fighting breast cancer a day after blaming her for the criminal bribery charges he faces.

As a result of constant press inquiries and reporters following my wife, she has asked me to disclose her medical condition, the New Jersey lawmaker said in a statement on Thursday. Nadine is suffering from Grade 3 breast cancer, which will require her to have mastectomy surgery.

We are of course, concerned about the seriousness and advanced stage of the disease, he continued. She will require follow up surgery and possibly radiation treatment. We hope and pray for the best results.

Mr Menendez, his wife and three New Jersey men - Wael Hana, Fred Daibes and Jose Uribe - were indicted in September 2023 over an alleged scheme in which the couple accepted gold bars, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and payments for a Mercedes convertible in exchange for his political influence.

Ms Menendez requested earlier this year to undergo a separate trial from her husband and the New Jersey businessmen, citing a serious medical condition in court filings. She is supposed to face trial later this summer.

Nadine Menendez (left) and Bob Menendez (right) leave Manhattan Criminal Court. The senator announced on Thursday his wife is fighting breast cancer ( AFP via Getty Images )

The lawmakers actions ultimately benefitted the Egyptian and Qatari governments, according to prosecutors. The 70-year-old Democrat faces 16 federal charges, including bribery, acting as a foreign agent, obstruction of justice and extortion. He has pleaded not guilty and denies all wrongdoing.

Menendezs defense attorney blamed his wife for accepting gold bars, cash payments and hiding them from him, during opening statements at his trial on Wednesday. Avi Weitzman told the jury that the senator knew nothing of the gold bars and cash, which had been recovered from his New Jersey home in June 2022.

The lawyer argued that it was his wife who accepted the lavish bribes, hid them from her husband and then served as a messenger between the senator, his co-defendants and Egyptian officials.

Mr Weitzman also told jurors that Ms Menendez lives a separate life from her husband and kept the gold bars locked in her closet. He told the jury to ask themselves: Wheres Bob? while listening to the trial, showing the jury an image of the comic book character from Wheres Waldo.

Menendez is on trial with Mr Daibes, a real estate developer, and businessman Mr Hana. They too have pleaded not guilty. Mr Uribe took an earlier plea deal. Proceedings are expected to last six to seven weeks.
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Israeli officials need to do more to stop settlers attacking trucks loaded with food, water and other critical supplies from entering Gaza, a State Department spokesman said on Thursday.

The remarks came after videos emerged on X/Twitter showing Israeli settlers destroying packages of humanitarian assistance held on trucks bound for Gaza.

Vedant Patel, a State Department spokesperson, said that he could not verify the fate of the trucks seen in the video. But he added that Israeli officials need to do more to hold actors like this accountable when action is taken that is inconsistent with what we know is important, which is getting more humanitarian aid into Gaza.

What I can say...humanitarian aid must not, and can not, be restricted, stopped or interefered with, he said.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre also addressed the issue of aid convoys being blocked or harrassed on Thursday. We remain concerned about ongoing limited operations at the Rafah boarding crossing, she said.

This level of aid remains insufficient, Ms Jean-Pierre said on Thursday. And we want to continue to press Israel to increase the level of assistant moving into Gaza.

A video posted to X by an Axios reporter on Monday appeared to show at least a dozen Israelis throwing packages appearing to contain bottled water on the ground and smashing them, as they crossed from the West Bank into Israel, bound for Gaza.

Other videos and news reports, including from Haaretz this week, have also indicated that truck drivers were subject to assaults for participating in aid convoys.

The US continues to insist that these incidents, and the inability or unwillingness of Israeli security forces to stop them, do not amount to officially-sanctioned efforts by Israels government to restrict or halt the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, which would violate international law.

A spokesperson for the National Security Council told The Independent late Thursday afternoon: It is totally unacceptable for Israeli protesters to block shipments of life-saving humanitarian assistance bound for Gaza. The Government of Israel must do more to both stop this sort of interference and hold perpetrators accountable. We are also looking at tools at our disposal to hold accountable those who are interfering with humanitarian assistance.

The US State Department has faced heavy criticism for that finding, particularly following the agencys report last week which found that in some instances Israeli forces could be reasonably found to have violated international humanitarian assistance laws.

The Biden administration continues to tread a fine line on the issue of aid to Gaza and Israels treatment of Palestinian civilians.

The US has repeatedly fought back against accusations that Israel, with US assistance, is committing a genocide in Gaza, and rejected the authority of an International Criminal Court investigation into the matter.

At the same time, White House and state department officials have repeatedly publicly pressed Israels government to increase aid crossings and take further steps to protect civilians, while condemning rhetoric from rightwing Israeli politicians embracing the destruction of Gaza.

President Joe Biden drew his red line for Israels conduct in a recent interview with CNN, saying that he would halt the transfer of some weapons to Israel should a major military assault against the city of Rafah in southern Gaza begin.

While violence has been reported in the area, US officials said Israeli operations in the area are limited and have thus far avoided population centres, skirting the presidents threat.

Israeli officials have pushed back on Mr Bidens warning and have vowed to move forward with an invasion of Rafah, where more than one million refugees have fled fighting that has utterly leveled large parts of Gazas north.

More than 35,000 people, over half of them children, are thought to have been killed since the fighting began last year following a deadly Hamas terrorist attack in Israel that killed 1,152 people and resulted in hundreds being taken hostage by militants.

Over the weekend, Secretary of State Antony Blinken was questioned about the USs handling of relations with Israel during an appearance on NBCs Meet the Press and denied that the US was avoiding more serious criticism for fear of angering a US ally.

We dont have double standards, Blinken said.We treat Israel, one of our closest allies and partners, just as we would treat any other country, including in assessing something like international humanitarian law, and its compliance with that law.
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MAGA lawmakers Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz have become the latest Donald Trump loyalists to show up in support of the former president at his criminal hush money trial in New York.

Colorado Rep Ms Boebert and Florida Rep Mr Gaetz rocked up to Manhattan criminal court on Thursday morning, where Mr Trump is on trial charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records over a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Shortly before the days court proceedings began, Ms Boebert took to X to ponder whether she would run into Judge Merchans daughter.

Shes probably too busy being paid millions and millions of dollars by Democrat campaigns all across the country and wont be able to make it, Ms Boebert wrote  a reference to Mr Trumps unsuccessful attempt to have the judge recused from the case by claiming his daughter, who worked for Democratic campaigns, created a conflict of interest.

Mr Gaetz, meanwhile, resorted to echoing Mr Trumps infamous  and widely-condemned  call to far-right extremists the Proud Boys in the run-up to the 2020 election.

Standing back and standing by, Mr. President, he posted on X.

Inside the courtroom, the two members of Congress sat in the first row behind the defense table. Mr Gaetz sat next to Mr Trumps son, Eric Trump, occasionally chatting to him.

Matt Gaetz, the Republican representative from Florida ( via REUTERS )

Their appearance comes after a busy week of Mr Trump surrogates putting in appearances at the court and delivering scathing attacks on Judge Juan Merchans daughter on the former presidents behalf  something that the gag order bans Mr Trump from doing himself.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Senator JD Vance were among the Republicans who showed up earlier this week.

Judge Merchan placed Mr Trump under a gag order, barring him from making or directing public statements about the witnesses, jurors, attorneys, court staff and their families.

The former president has violated that gag order 10 times, racking up $10,000 in fines, and could face jail time if he continues to violate it.

But surrogates are free to make the comments on his behalf  for now.

On Tuesday, Mr Johnson attacked the credibility of the prosecutions star witness Michael Cohen and attacked the judges daughter. Mr Ramaswamy called Cohen a fifth-rate lawyer and the prosecution fourth-rate.

Florida Representative Byron Donalds similarly claimed the judges daughter was using the trial to raise money for Democrats.

Alex Woodward contributed to this report from Manhattan criminal court.
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Marjorie Taylor Greene has wildly claimed that Slovakias Prime Minister may have been shot in an assassination attempt due to his supposed views on the Covid-19 vaccine.

Robert Fico remains in a stable but serious condition after he was shot several times by a lone wolf attacker on Wednesday. The politician spent five hours in surgery at the F D Roosevelt University Hospital in Banska Bystrica following the attack, but is currently in an intensive care unit, the BBC reported.

Slovakias Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estoka described the attack as an attempted assassination that was motivated by politics.

That did not stop Ms Taylor Greene, a far-right Republican representative from Georgia, from retweeting a clip on X of a speech given by Mr Fico, apparently about his views on the vaccine. The Independent cant confirm what the politician is saying in the clip.

In the footage, Mr Fico, 59, reportedly spoke out against the treatment of people who decided to against getting the COVID-19 vaccine and the consequences of mass Covid-19 vaccinations.

Police arrest a man after Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot and injured ( AP )

This is great and courageous, Ms Greene stated in response to the clip. No wonder they shot him. I pray he makes a full recovery.

Severe reactions after Covid-19 vaccination are rare, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Medical personnel carry Slovakias Prime Minister Robert Fico to hospital after being transported in a helicopter, in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, May 15, 2024 ( via REUTERS )

People who have been inoculated are less likely to die from COVID-19 and are at no greater risk of death from non-COVID causes, than unvaccinated people, the agency states on its website.

Meanwhile, Juraj Cintula, 71, has been charged with attempted murder. He was taken into custody at the scene of the shooting.

According to local media reports, the man admitted to police that hed spent days planning the attack which was motivated by political disagreements, he said.
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House Republicans have moved forward with an attempt to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress.

In a largely symbolic shot, the Judiciary Committee voted 18-15 along party lines on Thursday to recommend that the full House of Representatives hold him in contempt.

The Oversight Committee looks set to make a similar move on Thursday night.

This comes after the Department of Justice defied subpoenas from the House GOP demanding audio of an interview between President Joe Biden and special counsel Robert Hur, as part of the investigation into his handling of classified documents.

In his scathing report released earlier this year, Mr Hur said that Mr Biden may be viewed by a jury as a well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory  prompting fury from Mr Biden and other Democrats.

Republicans on the other hand have used the phrase to bash the president. They have also requested the transcript of the interview with Mr Biden and other documents mentioned in the report, in addition to the audio. The Department of Justice has since released the transcript and other documents but has held onto the audio.

The Department of Justice noted a number of problems with handing the audio over to Congress, such as the impact it would have on future investigations.

Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during the 36th Annual Candlelight Vigil to honor the law enforcement officers who lost their lives in 2023, in Washington, on May 13, 2024 ( AP )

In a letter to Mr Biden on Wednesday, Mr Garland wrote that the Committees have failed to satisfy any of the potentially relevant standards for overcoming an assertion of executive privilege, adding that the needs of the committees are insufficient to outweigh the deleterious effects that productions of the recordings would have on the integrity and effectiveness of similar law enforcement investigations in the future.

Hours later, on Thursday morning, the White House told House Republicans that Mr Biden was using his executive privilege to decline to release the audio  a move that essentially removes the possibility of criminal prosecution against Mr Garland for not complying with the subpoenas.

But, in a largely symbolic move, Republicans chose to push ahead and recommend that the attorney general be held in contempt anyway.

Now, a majority of the full House must vote to hold him in contempt before it can be handed to US Attorney Matthew Graves, to decide whether or not to file criminal charges. This means that several vulnerable Republican moderates in seats they may lose in the autumn would have to vote for a measure even as they have shared concerns about their partys growing battle with the Department of Justice.

GOP lawmakers have also not ruled out bringing a lawsuit in another bid to get the recordings.

The Hur investigation into Mr Bidens handling of classified documents has now been dragged into the quagmire that is the Republican impeachment inquiry into the president, which has so far mostly focused on his familys foreign business dealings while failing to find any evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Mr Biden.

Democrats argued that Republicans wanted the audio to allow the Trump campaign to use it in ads and to breathe new life into their fledgling attempt to impeach Mr Biden.
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Scathing audio played at Donald Trumps hush money trial revealed Michael Cohen celebrating his former bosss indictment on criminal charges, saying I hope he rots in jail for what he did to me.

During a tense morning of cross-examination on Thursday, Mr Trumps lawyer Todd Blanche sought to undermine Cohens credibility as the prosecutions star witness, painting the former lawyer and fixer as a revenge-seeking liar.

The defense played audio from an October 2023 episode of Cohens podcast Mea Culpa, in which he excitedly says he truly f***ing hope that Mr Trump ends up in prison.

Revenge is a dish best served cold, he says.

At another point, Cohen is heard saying: You better believe I want this man to go down and rot for what he did to me and my family.

Jurors also heard a clip from a podcast episode in May 2023  one month after Mr Trump was indicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records over a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels  where Cohen is heard giddily thanking Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his office for bringing the indictment against him.

Cohens booming voice on the audio, where his nearly-shouted statements bounced around the courtroom and an adjoining overflow room, came in stark contrast to his calm and composed statements on the witness stand.

Jurors have read transcripts of some of his remarks and even heard recordings of Cohens conversations with Trump and Stormy Daniels attorney Keith Davidson, but they had not heard the personality that Mr Davidson described as an excitable and pants-on-fire character.

Michael Cohen heads to Manhattan criminal court to take the stand for another day of cross-examination on 16 May ( EPA )

Last year, Cohen told The Associated Press he was not seeking revenge by testifying in the trial but rather seeking to tell the truth.

Mr Blanche also sought to discredit Cohen by confronting him about the times he has previously lied under oath.

In 2017, Cohen admitted to lying to Congress about a Trump Tower project in Moscow. The following year, he reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors for making false statements, among other charges, including campaign finance violations that include the chargs at the center of the hush money case. Last year, during his testimony in Mr Trumps civil fraud case, the former presidents attorneys accused him of lying to a federal judge.

I have stated, again, that I dont dispute the facts of the case in his tax case, he said on Thursday. I have for the last six years, including in a sentencing memo, said the same thing, again and again.

Cohen does not believe he should have been charged as a first-time offender in a tax case, but he has admitted wrongdoing, accepted responsibilityand suffered the consequences as a result, he said.

Michael Cohen pictured in a court sketch during his first day of cross-examination on 13 May ( REUTERS )

Mr Blanche also accused Cohen of lying about seeking a pardon from Mr Trump. Cohen admitted he did ask legal adviser Robert Costello to ask former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani about the possibility of a pardon but did not seek one from Mr Trump himself.

Cohen is the final witness for the prosecution in the former presidents hush money trial.

Mr Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records for his series of reimbursement payments to Cohen in 2017, after his one-time fixer paid Ms Daniels $130,000 in exchange for her silence about having sex with Mr Trump in 2006.

Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies the affair even took place.
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Robert Bob Costello, former legal advisor to Michael Cohen, is being accused of jury tampering in the New York criminal trial against Donald Trump after he tried to discredit Cohen at a congressional hearing.

On Wednesday, Mr Costello testified to the House Judiciary Committee that Cohen, Trumps former lawyer and one-time fixer, has lied on the witness stand this week. He appeared at a hearing intended to examine the use of lawfare tactics to weaponize the rule of law.

New York Democrat Dan Goldman lambasted Mr Costello for his allegations about Cohen, saying he was knowingly jury tampering by sharing that information.

If you have information about Michael Cohens testimony, you should talk to Donald Trump and his lawyers to see if they want to call you as a witness to impeach Michael Cohen. But you know that coming down here, outside of that courtroom while that witness is on the stand to try to impeach his credibility and his testimony is jury tampering, Mr Goldman said.

He added: You know it is unethical.

Robert Costello, former legal adviser to Michael Cohen, testifying before a House committee on 16 May 2024 ( House Judiciary GOP / YouTube )

Jury tampering is an attempt to influence the decisions of a jury during a trial. One of the ways that can be done is by introducing information outside of the court, though typically it must include a direct interaction with a juror.

On Monday, the prosecution called Cohen, their star witness, to testify in the hush money trial. Throughout the week, Cohen detailed how he came to know and work for Mr Trump as well as the events leading up to the hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Cohen also testified about his relationship with Mr Costello in the Manhattan courtroom. He told jurors that he had an informal relationship with Mr Costello, who served as a legal adviser and his back channel to Mr Trump and the White House in 2018. Cohen never retained Mr Costello as his lawyer.

Mr Costello had close ties to Mr Turmps legal team, specifically Rudy Giuliani, Cohen said.

Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen leaves his apartment building on his way to testify in former US president Donald Trumps ongoing criminal trial at New York State Supreme Court in New York this week ( EPA )

At the time of their communication, Cohen was under federal investigation over hush money payments. Cohen later pled guilty to various charges related to that investigation, served time in jail and agreed to assist prosecutors in their case against Mr Trump.

Once Mr Trump and Cohen realized he was under investigation they ceased direct communications. Cohen said that Mr Costello then became messenger between the two. He testified on one message which Mr Costello had relayed to Cohen from Mr Trump: Stay in the fold, dont flip, dont speak.

At the House hearing on Wednesday, Mr Costello disputed that, saying that he never told Cohen to stay quiet.

Mr Costello told representatives: [Cohen] thought he could be clever by going into the US attorneys office and lying about the corporation. Michael Cohen went into the US attorneys office and accused Rudy Giuliani and myself of conspiring to obstruct justice by tampering with a witness.

Mr Costello also told CBS News earlier this week that he could be a witness for the defense at the Manhattan trial.
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Former 2024 Republican candidate and South Carolina senator, Tim Scott, is lobbying hard among Donald Trumps inner circle in the hopes of becoming his pick for vice president.

Scott is leaning on Kellyanne Conway, Trumps 2016 campaign manager, as he pushes himself as the top choice, The Daily Beast reported on Thursday.

His private lobbying effort is coupled with a very public one - Scott has hit cable news and declared in recent days that he would do whatever it takes for the man who worked to overturn the 2020 election and is facing 88 felony counts.

Tim and Kellyanne have gotten close because, as she puts it, she is de facto head of Trump worldlike Trumps security blanket, one Scott ally told The Daily Beast. People underestimate how much the president relies on her counsel and they doubt her influence at their own peril.

Ms Conway retains Mr Trumps ear, and is pushing two candidates for his running mate considerations: Scott, and Florida Senator Marco Rubio, the outlet reported.

She worked as an advisor during Mr Trumps unsuccessful 2020 re-election bid and is back on board as he seeks the White House in 2024.The Independent has contacted Ms Conway for comment.

Kellyanne Conway ran Donald Trumps 2016 campaign for the presidency and retains his ear in 2024 ( Getty Images )

President Trump seeks the counsel of many men and women on the VP pick, but he and he alone will decide, Conway said in a statement to the Beast.

The two have been spotted dining in Washington DC recently. Conway openly urged the former president to choose a person of color to run with him in a February op-ed for The New York Times.

Marco Rubio, who ran against Trump in 2016 before bowing out, has remained a loyal supporter of the former president.

Like Scott, he has made statements minimising Trumps responsibility for the January 6 attack on the Capitol  a crucial bar the former president has set for Republicans seeking his favour this time around.

Rubio said that he would be honored to be selected for the role of vice president in March.

Scott, meanwhile, has openly lobbied for the role in TV interviews and has already joined Trump at numerous campaign stops since bowing out of the presidential race last November.

Tim Scott, Doug Burgum, and Vivek Ramaswamy attend an event for Donald Trump ahead of the New Hampshire primary in January 2024 ( Getty Images )

In January, he famously declared that he loved the former president when he was questioned by Trump in front of the cameras whether he hated the former presidents remaining rival Nikki Haley.

That display of loyalty has kept Scott high on the shortlist of potential VP contenders.

Mr Trump seemed to hint at selecting the South Carolina senator in February when he revealed during a Fox News interview that he had called Scott to praise him.

I called Tim Scott and I told him youre a much better candidate for me than you are for yourself,  he said.

Trumps selection of a running mate will be all the more important in 2024 given that the former president will be spending significant time wrapped up in court proceedings related to his hush money trial in New York along with other criminal proceedings.

Mr Trump is believed to be narrowing his shortlist to explicit loyalists after his last vice president, Mike Pence, famously defied him on January 6 and refused to interfere with the Senate certification of the results of the 2020 election.
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Stephen Colbert has poked fun at Donald Trumps agreeing to go head-to-head with President Joe Biden in an election debate between the two candidates next month.

After weeks of calling on the president to engage in a debate, Mr Trump finally got his wish when Mr Biden finally agreed to his request, scheduling two debates but not before Mr Biden threw a few jabs at his Republican rival.

In a video posted this week, Mr Biden challenged Mr Trump to a debate while making reference to the Republican candidates ongoing trial over the alleged hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, which only breaks at weekends and the middle of the week.

I hear youre free on Wednesdays,  Mr Biden quipped in his video.

For the first time since October 2020, the two men will yet again engage in an election debate on 27 June, then another on 10 September.

Mr Trump responded to Mr Bidens challenge by resorting to his usual Truth Social style post of random capitalisation and hurling insults at Mr Biden.

Crooked Joe Biden is the WORST debater I have ever faced - He cant put two sentences together! Crooked is also the WORST President in the history of the United States, by far, Mr Trump started.

Its time for a debate... I am Ready and Willing to Debate Crooked Joe at the two proposed times in June and September. I would strongly recommend more than two debates and, for excitement purposes, a very large venue, although Biden is supposedly afraid of crowds - Thats only because he doesnt get them, he continued.

He then finished off with: Just tell me when, Ill be there. Lets get ready to Rumble!!!

Donald Trump and Biden together in a presidential debate at Belmont University on 22 October 2020 ( Getty Images )

Rumble? Colbert questioned. Ive seen your rallies, I think you mean, Lets get ready to ramble.

Colbert also reminisced about the first time that a debate between Mr Biden and Mr Trump occurred.

We all remember gathering with our friends and families on the couch to say, Oh God. I hope this doesnt happen again in four years, The Late Show host quipped.

Despite Colberts wishes, not much has changed and these two men have remained some of the most powerful figures in American politics, and yet again, will challenge each other for presidency in November.

Colbert then pointed towards a recent instance of Mr Trump going bizarrely off-piste when he made a strange remark at a New Jersey rally on Saturday that the fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter was a wonderful man.

Joe Biden challenges Donald Trump to debate him in June ( Biden campaign )

Silence of the Lambs! Has anyone ever seen Silence of the Lambs? Mr Trump said rather out of context.

The late, great Hannibal Lecter. Hes a wonderful man. He oftentimes would have a friend for dinner. Remember the last scene? Excuse me, Im about to have a friend for dinner, as this poor doctor walks by, he added before switching to the topic of illegal immigration.

Folks when you think masterlock, you think of the late great Hannibal Lector, dont we? Colbert started, mimicking Mr Trump, pretending to deliver another strange Hannibal ramble. He came up to me with tears in his eyes, big guy. big cannibal, said sir dont eat that hot dog because you cant flush toilets anymore.

While Mr Trump stated in his post his wish for a very large venue for the the debates, Mr Bidens team has requirements, according toreports, such as having it in a TV studio, but without an audience and microphones that can be cut off when the speakers time is up.

Imagine Trump with his mic cut, hes going to look like the worlds angriest mime, Colbert joked, before mimicking Mr Trump animatedly speaking without any sound.
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Donald Trump is asking New Yorks highest court to intervene in the gag order imposed on him in his hush-money trial.

On Wednesday, Mr Trumps lawyers filed a notice of appeal to the New York Court of Appeals - the states top court, just a day after a lower appellate court rejected the former presidents attempt to modify the gag order.

The former president has been fighting the gag order that Justice Juan Merchan placed on him in March to prevent Mr Trump from damaging the integrity of the trial and witnesses.

Under it, Mr Trump cannot make or direct others to make public statements about trial witnesses and potential witnesses, jurors and prospective jurors, attorneys, court staff and their families.

Mr Trump and his lawyers argue the gag order violates his First Amendment rights. But so far, the court and an intermediate appeals court have rejected that argument. Judge Merchan has alrady found 10 violations of the gag order against Mr Trump, but has only fined him and not ordered him to jail.

Now, the Trump team is taking the issue to the states highest court.

President Trump has filed a notice to appeal the unconstitutional and un-American gag order imposed by conflicted Judge Juan Merchan in the lawless Manhattan DA case, Steven Cheung, Mr Trumps presidential campaign spokesperson, told The Associated Press.

Former President Donald Trump leaves Manhattan Supreme Court on the 15th day of his hush money trial filed by DA Bragg on May 10, 2024. ( via REUTERS )

He added, The threat to throw the 45th President of the United States and the leading candidate in the 2024 presidential election in jail for exercising his First Amendment rights is a Third World authoritarian tactic typical of Crooked Joe Biden and his comrades.

However, a five-judge panel in the intermediate appeals court said on Tuesday that Justice Merchan, properly determined that petitioners public statements posed a significant threat to the integrity of the testimony of witnesses and potential witnesses.

In his civil fraud trial, Mr Trump faced a gag order after his attacks on court staff led to credible threats and harassment.

Justice Merchan placed the gag order on Mr Trump to prevent his attacks from interfering with the integrity of the trial. But that hasnt stopped the former president.

Judge Merchan warned Mr Trump that if the $1,000 penalty does not deter him from continuing, he will put him in jail.

Mr Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with alleged reimbursement to Michael Cohen for paying off porn star Stormy Daniels in a catch-and-kill scheme that buried her story of an alleged affair with the former president ahead of the 2016 election.

The former president has pleaded not guilty and has denied the affair.
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Donald Trumps defense attorney unleashed a furious line of questions to accuse Michael Cohen of lying about his testimony that he spoke to Mr Trump after finalizing a deal to pay Stormy Daniels hush money in 2016.

Todd Blanche, after spending several hours painting the former fixer as a serial liar, raised his voice and screamed from inside the courtroom after grilling him about a pivotal phone call that connected the former president to a conspiracy at the center of the case.

Thats a lie! he fumed on Thursday.

Mr Blanche had accused Cohen of calling Mr Trumps bodyguard Keith Schiller in October 2016 to complain about harassing phone calls  not to provide his boss with an update on the plan to buy Ms Daniels silence.

Cohen appeared unmoved, answering simply that those prank calls were part of that conversation.

Now your memory is that you were testifying truthfully on Tuesday, and you had enough time to update Mr Schiller about all the problems you were having with these harassing calls? Mr Blanche fired back.

I always run everything by the boss immediately, Cohen said. It couldve just been me saying, everythings been taken care of, its been resolved.

Donald Trump speaks to reporters next to his attorney Todd Blanche inside a Manhattan criminal courthouse on 16 May. ( via REUTERS )

In his testimony earlier this week, and phone records confirm, Cohen said he called Mr Schiller on 24 October, 2016 after he transferred $130,000 to Ms Danielss attorney as part of a deal to block her from telling her alleged story about having sex with Mr Trump in 2006  a story that reportedly threatened to derail Mr Trumps presidential campaign in the critical final days before Election Day.

A few days later, on 28 October, on a phone call that lasted more than five minutes, Cohen told Mr Trump to tell him that the matter was completely locked down and under control, according to Cohens prior testimony.

Mr Blanche argued that the call on 24 October was about an alleged 14-year-old prankster.

According to text messages shown in court, the prank caller eventually failed to block their number, and Cohen sent them a message telling them that they were being reported to Secret Service.

You eventually asked them to have your parent contact you? Mr Blanche asked.

When they expressed they were 14, I thought it was proper, Cohen replied.

Roughly 20 minutes later, Cohen called Mr Schiller.

Mr Blanche pushed Cohen to admit that he was lying about the true purpose of the call.

No, sir, I cant, Cohen replied.

Defense attorney Todd Blanch sits next to his client Donald Trump before his hush money trial proceedings begin on 16 May. ( AP )

It took roughly seven hours for Mr Trumps defense team to get to the meat of the charges against the former president during Mr Blanches antagonistic cross-examination of the prosecutions star witness.

Roughly 30 minutes before the jury was excused for the day, Mr Blanche reminded Cohen that he once suggested Ms Daniels and her team were extorting Mr Trump.

In your mind there was two choices: pay, or dont pay and the story comes out, he said. And ultimately, though, you did. You paid.

Mr Blanche also noted that a nondisclosure agreement  signed by Ms Daniels and Mr Trump in October 2016  is perfectly legal.

A settlement, an NDA, between two parties, happens all the time, right?

Mr Trump, however, is not facing any charges for his contract to silence Ms Daniels  he faces 34 counts of falsifying business records for allegedly covering up Cohens reimbursement payments as legal expenses under a retainer that Cohen says never existed.

You testified multiple times that when you were personal attorney you had no retainer agreement, Mr Blanche said. But the truthful testimony is that in the whole time you worked for the Trump Organization you never had a retainer agreement, correct?

A courtroom sketch depicts Donald Trumps defense attorney Todd Blanche questioning Michael Cohen on the witness stand in the former presidents hush money trial on 16 May. ( AP )

On Tuesday, Mr Blanche opened his cross examination of the prosecutions star witness with a burst of barely disguised contempt for his clients former lawyer.

He asked Cohen if he remembered calling him a crying little s***.

Cohen, dryly, replied: Sounds like something I would say.

Before Mr Blanche could finish his next question, about another of Cohens insults aimed at Mr Trumps attorneys, Justice Juan Merchan cut him off and called him to the bench out of earshot of the jurors and courtroom.

Stop making this about yourself, he told Mr Blanche, according to a court transcript.

The hour that followed meandered from Cohens past praise for Mr Trump and his more recent insults, an attempt to paint Cohen as a fickle opportunist and serial liar out to save his own skin.

But Cohen had already told jurors that he was ashamed of his role as Mr Trumps enabler, paid the price with a federal conviction and prison sentence, and has since told the truth about him. As Cohen said in a phrase that hung over the rest of afternoon on Tuesday, he was deep in the cult of Donald Trump.

Cohen is the sole witness who can directly link Mr Trump to the payments to Ms Daniels and a reimbursement plan that Cohen repeatedly explained was fraudulent.

National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard, who brokered deals to buy the silence of a Trump Tower doorman and a former Playboy model, warned Cohen several weeks before Election Day that allegations from Ms Daniels had resurfaced, according to Cohen.

The news was catastrophic for Mr Trumps campaign, Cohen said on Monday.

After the story resurfaced on a gossip website, Cohen told Mr Trump that they should take care of it, he said.

And he said, Do it. Take care of it, according to Cohen.

Time was running out, however. A deal with Ms Danielss attorney Keith Davidson was straining, and Mr Davidson was running out of patience with Cohens excuses. Ms Daniels was also shopping the story to The Daily Mail, according to messages shown in court.

Cohen met with Mr Trump, whose friends and very smart people told him to just pay Ms Daniels, according to Cohen.

Its $130,000, youre a billionaire, pay it, theres no reason to keep this thing out there, said Cohen, recalling the advice from Mr Trumps circle.

He expressed to me, Do it, meet with Allen Weisselberg and figure this out, he said on Monday.
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One after the other, in press conferences steps outside a Manhattan courthouse, Donald Trumps allies have repeated familiar attacks against the daughter of the judge presiding over the criminal case against the former president.

They fired off similar attacks about star witness Michael Cohen, who was testifying in a courtroom 15 floors above them.

Prosecutors are moments away from closing their case, and the judge is eager for the trial to keep moving along without any further interruptions.

But an avalanche of recent attacks seemingly directed by Mr Trump to his lackeys  which include the countrys highest-ranking Republican  could be grounds for severe sanctions against him.

A protective order blocks Mr Trump from making or directing others to make public statements about trial witnesses and potential witnesses, jurors and prospective jurors, attorneys, court staff and their families.

Asked by reporters inside the courthouse on Tuesday if he is directing those attacks, he didnt exactly deny it.

I do have a lot of surrogates and they are speaking very beautifully, he said. They come from all over Washington, and theyre highly respected and they think this is the biggest scam theyve ever seen.

The former president also appeared to read through their attacks and take notes while seated inside the courtroom.

Prominent allies of Donald Trump appeared in a Manhattan criminal courthouse to support the former president during his hush money trial on 14 May. ( AP )

Mr Trump has already violated the gag order 10 times, racking up $10,000 in fines. New York Justice Juan Merchan has warned the defendant that financial penalties dont seem to be working as a deterrent, and any future violations could result in jailtime.

He could be held in contempt, again, if prosecutors can show to the judge that Mr Trump is directing his supporters to violate the gag and fuelling attacks against people who are supposed to be protected, according to Norm Eisen, author of Trying Trump: A Guide to His First Election Interference Criminal Trial.

Andrew Rice, who has been covering the trial for New York magazine, told MSNBC on Tuesday night that he could see Mr Trump at the defense table inside the courtroom reading quotes from his allies and going through and making notations with a pen while Cohen was testifying.

That observation alone is probably not enough to satisfy the legal standard, though, Mr Eisen told The Independent.

With the brunt of the testimony in and the case now largely over, the prosecution and the judge may not choose to squander time, energy, and capital on this sideshow, he said. Instead, they might focus on the main event  concluding this trial, which (at least so far) has been going well for the prosecution and accountability. But we shall see.

On Monday, Senator JD Vance made Mr Trumps intentions clear: His allies are there to say what Mr Trump is prevented from saying, which is a disgrace.

Senator Tommy Tuberville was even more explicit:

Hopefully we will have more and more senators and congressmen go up every day to represent him and be able to go out and overcome this gag order, he told Newsmax on Tuesday.

Thats one of the reasons we went, is to be able to speak our peace for President Trump.

Joey Jackson, a former Assistant District Attorney under Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau, told The Independent that it could be very difficult to prove, but based upon his prior history and recent violations of the gag order, one might infer that Trump directed his surrogates to attack Justice Merchans daughter as well as the legitimacy of the case itself.

All of Trumps surrogates  many of which are vice presidential hopefuls  seemed to be reading from the same script as they attacked the judges daughter, he said. This is highly problematic and represents an affront to our system of justice.

The gag order is intended to ensure the safety and security of jurors, witnesses, and others connected to the case, and it is essential that the court prevent any threats of intimidation or violence, Mr Jackson told The Independent.

The former presidents continued disregard for the gag order is concerning, he said. So much so that the judge previously noted that jail could be a consideration for future transgressions.

Vivek Ramaswamy, center, and US Rep Cory Mills, left, enter a Manhattan courtroom to observe Donald Trumps hush money trial on 14 May. ( EPA )

US Rep Byron Donalds  among congressional Republicans who joined Mr Trump in court and then lashed out at the judges daughter  claimed that the gag order doesnt allow the former president to offer up any legitimate rebuttal to statements in the press and from witnesses.

This is WRONG, he wrote. So WE are going to stand-up for him.

Asked by The Independent whether he believe hes helping Mr Trump by speaking out, Mr Donalds claimed that it is incumbent upon not just Mr Trumps surrogates but on people who are supportive to be able to speak out about what theyre seeing in New York, so that the American people know exactly whats happening.

We have a responsibility as members of Congress, not just the bills that come off this floor, but upholding our government, upholding our Constitution, he told The Independent. That goes for all branches.

Former federal prosecutor Eric Lisann suggested that members of Congress who appeared at the courthouse to attack witnesses and the jury could be subpoenaed.

But they think it would be a distracting circus and it could well be, Mr Lisann wrote. That doesnt mean though it is less problematic than doing nothing.

If Mr Trump did write courtroom notes for his allies, that could be direct evidence of contempt, he said.

The case can be proven, he added. Will it be a circus and go up on appeal? Is that something to fear such that Trumps behavior must be indulged at all costs, making a mockery of the proceedings?

Additional reporting from Eric Garcia in Washington DC
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Donald Trumps former lawyer Michael Cohen faced another day of fiery cross-examination on Thursday as the former presidents defense attorney Todd Blanche sought to discredit the one-time fixer as a revenge-seeking liar.

Mr Blanche launched several attacks against Cohens credibility and history of deception, including past false statements and guilty pleas for financial crimes  some related to the hush money payments at the center of Mr Trumps trial.

Mr Blanche zig-zagged through Cohens dubious history as an admittedly self-interested figure in Mr Trumps universe to undermine bombshell testimony in the case against his former boss.

Here are the key takeaways from the 18th day of proceedings.

Defense depicts Cohen as a serial liar

Mr Blanche argued that Cohens turn against the former president was only motivated by his self-interest and that he was lying both on the stand and throughout his career.

He argued that Cohen lied when he said he stated he hadnt been offered nor would he accept a pardon from Mr Trump, and that he was angry when Mr Trump didnt pick him for a White House role.

Cohen said he only wanted a job offer for his ego.

Former President Donald Trump waves as he returns to the courtroom after a break in his trial at Manhattan criminal court Thursday, May 16, 2024, in New York ( AP )

Cohen celebrates Trump indictment

Mr Blanche played audio from Cohens podcast Mea Culpa where he celebrated the 34-count indictment against the former president last year.

I truly f***ing hope this man ends up in prison, Cohen said in an October 2023 episode. Revenge is a dish best served cold.

You better believe I want this man to go down and rot for what he did to me and my family, he added.

Trumps lawyer shouts at Cohen

Mr Blanche was furious with Cohen during cross-examination and accused Cohen of lying about a pivotal phone call that tied Mr Trump to the conspiracy at the center of the case.

Cohen previously testified that he spoke to Mr Trumps bodyguard, Keith Schiller, after finalizing a deal to pay Stormy Daniels $130,000 in 2016.

But Mr Blanche suggested Cohen was only calling Mr Schiller to complain about some harassing phone calls he was receiving at the time.

Mr Blanche yelled at Cohen: That was a lie, wasnt it!

Michael Cohen is asked about taking an oath as he is cross-examined by defense lawyer Todd Blanche during former President Donald Trumps criminal trial ( REUTERS )

Crime-fraud exception

Cohen testified that he regularly recorded phone calls with journalists over the years  and even recorded a few with Mr Trump.

Mr Blanche noted it was unethical for an attorney to record client phone calls.

Yes, except of course in crime-fraud exception, Cohen replied.

Under the crime-fraud exception, a clients statements to lawyers are not protected by attorney-client privilege if they are meant to further or conceal a crime.

Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz show up at court

MAGA Republican Reps Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz became the latest lawmakers to show up at the courthouse for their surrogate duties in a bid to circumvent the gag order.

On X, Ms Boebert attacked Justice Merchans daughter, claiming she was being paid millions and millions of dollars by Democrat campaigns.

Meanwhile, Mr Gaetz echoed Mr Trumps call to far-right extremists the Proud Boys prior to the 2020 election. Standing back and standing by, Mr. President, he posted on X.

US Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida, listens as former US President Donald Trump speaks to the press before his trial ( via REUTERS )

The week ahead

On Monday morning, Mr Blanche will finish his interrogation of Cohen.

Manhattan prosecutors will not introduce any further witnesses, defense attorneys are deciding whether to introduce rebuttal witnesses when  or if  they decide to make a case, and Judge Merchan instructed attorneys to prepare for closing arguments as soon as Tuesday.

Mr Trump still has not indicated to his attorneys whether he will testify in his defense.

The defense hopes to introduce one expert witness  Bradley Smith, a former chair of the FEC  but want to expand the scope of what he can talk about.
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Congressman Jim McGovern has condemned House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson as a prop of Donald Trump after he attended the former presidents hush money criminal trial.

The Democrat delivered the scathing criticism after Mr Johnson skipped a House session , to instead be 200 miles north in Manhattan to attend Mr Trumps criminal trial as Mr Trumps former lawyer and fixer Micahel Cohen took the stand.

Mr McGovern, whos a fellow House member, branded Mr Johnsons presence at Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday as a stunt.

The former president is charged with falsifying business records to allegedly cover up a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels to quash claims of an alleged 2006 affair ahead of the 2016 election. Mr Trump denies all 34 charges held against him and the accusations of an affair.

In remarks outside of the courthouse, Mr Johnson vowed that the Republicans presumptive presidential candidate is innocent, adding that hes a friend.

Jim McGovern scorned Johnsons stunt ( Getty Images )

He also attacked District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Judge Juan Merchan and his daughter: something Mr Trump has been prohibited from doing publically since he was issued a gag order.

Look at the cover of todays New York Times, Mr Speaker. This is unbelievable, Mr McGovern said as he addressed members on the House floor on Wednesday.

The front page of The New York Times featured a photo of Mr Johnson among a swathe of Republican leaders and Trump allies that arrived at the Manhattan courthouse.

The Maga crews appearance has also been deemed a pageant for vice presidential hopefuls.

Mike Johnson (centre) at Trump trial, used on NYTs front page ( AFP via Getty Images )

Heres a picture of the Speaker of this House of Representatives, second in line to the presidency, standing in front of a courthouse, acting as a prop for Donald Trump, trying to interfere with a criminal trial, because apparently, Republicans like law and order unless it applies to them, he added.

The Massachusetts lawmaker said that the American people deserve better than a Speaker of the House using his time to rationalise the former presidents alleged crimes.

Following his outburst, Mr McGovern was interrupted and asked to follow House rules and refrain from engaging in personalities towards presumptive nominees for the office of president.

He disagreed that he flouted regulations, adding that the opposition didnt have the nerve to complain about the criminal justice system.

Republicans credibility on the matter has evaporated. It is pathetic, he responded.
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Walmart has tripled its quarterly profits to $5.1bn just days after announcing that several hundred employees were set to be laid off or subject to relocation.

The supermarket chain has released its highly-anticipated earnings report which showed that in-store sales and global e-commerce have boomed in the past year.

Walmart s quarterly profits stand at just over $5.1bn, an eye-watering 205 per cent increase compared with the same period last year, which was just shy of $1.7bn.

Consumers from upper-income households helped increase its market share, the retailer said in a statement on Thursday.

Our team delivered a great quarter. Around the world, our goal is simple  were focused on saving our customers both money and time, Walmarts president and CEO, Doug McMillion, said in the statement.

Were people-led and tech-powered, and that combination is propelling our business, he concluded.

While the customer reigns king and profits are blossoming, hundreds of Walmarts employees have seemingly been shunned.

Hundreds of workers are set to be laid off by Walmart despite soaring profits ( Getty Images )

On Tuesday, Walmarts chief people officer, Donna Morris, sent a memo to employees informing them that several hundred jobs would be lost.

The majority of employees working remotely and in offices in Dallas, Atlanta and Toronto have also been asked to relocate.

If accepted, their new place of work would be situated in either its Arkansas headquarters, or offices in the San Francisco Bay Area or Hoboken, New Jersey, Ms Morris said.

She added that the move hopes to bring remote workers back to the office following the Covid-19 pandemic.

In addition, some parts of our business have made changes that will result in a reduction of several hundred campus roles, she said in the memo.

While the overall numbers are small in percentage, we are focused on supporting each of our associates affected by these changes.

Social media users were quick to note the perceived injustice online.

Walmart is doing something I call ghost lay offs, American entrepreneur and social media influencer, Dan Price wrote on X.

Theyre telling remote workers to come back to the office. Some office workers need to relocate elsewhere. They know people will quit. But they dont have to pay severance or get bad PR from lay offs, he added.
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Australianprime minister Anthony Albanese has defended his decision to evict a tenant from his Sydney property, citing changes in his personal life.

Mr Albanese said he is selling the property ahead of his wedding with partner Jodie Haydon and has asked the tenant, Jim Flanagan, to leave.

Mr Albanese, who sent a termination letter to Mr Flanagan last week, has claimed to have been more than fair as a landlord.

Mr Flanagan, 45, has been renting the PMs Dulwich Hill property for four years and has said an eviction would be devastating.

He has reportedly been paying AUD680 (358) a week for the three-bedroom property and the rent hasnt been raised since it was lowered during the Covid-19 pandemic.

As renters, ideally I guess were just looking for a bit more of a considered and considerate approach when it comes to evictions, terminations, issuing notices to vacate, Mr Flanagan told ABC Radio Melbourne

I guess I was just a little surprised I wasnt afforded that. It seems a little bit misaligned with the messaging Labor has been putting out ... about recognising how difficult it is as a renter, he added.

When youre a renter, theres a power disconnect I guess between landlords and renters, thats just the way of the world.

Mr Albanese has said Mr Flanagan paid about half what the market rental is and that he kept that situation there post-Covid when the rent was substantially reduced.

Ive had changes in my personal life, the tenant in his own words has been living in the property, his personal life and arrangements have changed as well, there were other people in the property, the prime minister said.

Ive had changes in my life and because of that decided to sell the property.

Mr Flanagan has asked the PM to let him stay, saying eviction will kill me, its a crippling blow.

The small business I operate is about a minutes walk from here. I dont have access to a vehicle currently, so I absolutely need to try and make sure that Im as close as I possibly can be, he told Nine News.

I had a look at the market and my options are extraordinarily limited, that is what it is, he added. Again, my options are extremely finite.

Greens housing spokesperson Max Chandler-Mather has criticised the PMs decision to evict the tenant.

Here is what the prime minister could have done: signed a longer lease with that tenant and then sold the property with the tenant in it, he said.

Maybe he makes a little less money on the sale. I think that is a pretty fair deal if the tenant gets to keep his home.
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Police in Australia are investigating a large scale data breach of a major healthcare business following a ransomware attack on Thursday.

Melbourne-based company MediSecures website and hotline were offline following the breach, a statement from the electronic prescription service provider confirmed.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

The company said: MediSecure takes its legal and ethical obligations seriously and appreciates this information will be of concern.

MediSecure is actively assisting the Australian Digital Health Agency and the national cyber security coordinator to manage the impacts of the incident.

MediSecure, founded in 2009, mentioned in its statement that while we continue to gather more information, early indicators suggest the incident originated from one of our third-party vendors.

Australias cyber security minister Care ONeil wrote on X that updates will be provided in due course. She added: Speculation at this stage risks undermining significant work underway to support the companys response.

Earlier, Australias national cyber security coordinator, Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness, told the media that an unnamed commercial health information organisation was the victim of the ransomware attack.

I am working with agencies across the Australian government, states and territories to co-ordinate a whole-of-government response to this incident, she said.

The Australian Signals Directorates Australian Cyber Security Centre is aware of the incident and theAustralian Federal Police is investigating.

No data has been leaked online yet. The latest data breach comes six months after hackers stole data from the network of St Vincents Health, the nations largest not-for-profit health and aged care provider.

In October 2022, Australias largest health insurer Medibank said that data belonging to its four million customers was compromised after a hacking attack. The hackers had demanded ransom and threatened to expose the diagnoses and treatments of Medibanks high-profile customers.

Australian Medical Association president Steve Robson said he was seeking more information on the latest breach.

There needs to be a thorough and transparent investigation, backed by clear and consistent communication to the public and profession. These are critical to maintaining community trust in the electronic systems that are now integral to the functioning of our health system, he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Sadiq Iqbal, cybersecurity adviser at Check Point Software Technologies, expressed concern during his interview with the Sydney Morning Herald. He said: The healthcare industry continues to be a top target to organised cybercriminals due to the sensitive services it supplies.

He added: Due to the lack of budgets and reliance on antiquated out-of-support Windows devices that power many of the critical medical technology, healthcare providers will frequently be an easy target for sophisticated threat actors.
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The University of Melbourne cancelled classes on Thursday as pro-Palestinian students blockaded an arts building following weeks of campus tensions.

Protesters spent the night in tents inside the Arts West building at the Parkville campus, disregarding the universitys request to vacate on Wednesday afternoon.

The Victoria police said the University of Melbourne was presently managing the situation and has not asked it to intervene or to remove these protesters.

Victoria police is liaising with Melbourne University to provide assistance when and if that is required, they said in a statement on Thursday morning.

On Wednesday, pro-Palestinian protesters renamed the Arts West building Mahmouds Hall in honour of Mahmoud Alnaouq, a Palestinian killed in an airstrike on Gaza in October. Reports said Alnaouq was meant to start his studies at the university before he was killed.

The sit-in marked an escalation of an encampment on the universitys south lawn that has been ongoing since Anzac Day and is one of the several protests about the war on Gaza that have heightened tensions at Melbournes universities. Anzac Day is observed on 25 April every year and honours members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac) who lost their lives in foreign conflicts.

Callers to Australias radio station 3AW reported that classes on Thursday had been cancelled due to safety concerns. One said: (The notification from the university) said the activity at the building was too unsafe.

The university said in a statement there was no access to the Arts West building on Thursday due to the disruption and safety issues caused by the protesters. Classes will therefore not take place in that building, the statement added.

The safety and wellbeing of our students and staff is our priority and we are working closely with the appropriate authorities to address this matter as soon as possible and to ensure the safety of everyone involved, a university spokesperson was quoted as saying by ABC News.

This week we expressed our deep concern about the disruptive intent of some external visitors to our Parkville campus and made clear that, where there are instances of unacceptable behaviour, we will investigate and take appropriate action, the spokesperson said.

At least 6,500 students have been affected by the cancellation, The Guardian reported.

On Thursday morning, signs that read, Uni Melb stop supporting genocide! Cut ties with Israel now! were affixed to the glass at the Arts West building:

The entrance of the building was also graffitied with Mahmoud Hall.

The protest is aimed at the universitys relationship with aerospace and defence manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

The university said in a statement on its website: Since 2016, the University of Melbourne has received $3.5m in funding from Lockheed Martin Australia to support PhD scholarships and research projects in areas such as artificial intelligence/machine learning, resource allocation and optimisation, and quantum sensing. Student projects have been in areas such as powerline safety monitoring and simplified drone control for first responders (ie fire-fighting).

This is indefinite. This is about disclosing and divesting and nothing will change until the demands are met, Gemma OToole, an arts student involved in the occupation, was quoted as saying by The Age.

We dont want to be at a university that funds research for war, she noted.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry CEO, Alex Ryvchin, said the protest camps should be disbanded.

Its time for all encampments to go. The time for indulging and appeasing insolent children running amok has passed.

If the university cant ensure the immediate safety and security of all students and staff, the police need to.

Meanwhile, students have vowed to continue their occupation until the university ends its research agreement with companies supplying defence technology to Israel.

The protest coincides with Nakba Day on 15 May, which commemorates the displacement of Palestinians during the founding of Israel.

University of Melbournes acting provost, Prof Pip Nicholson, had earlier warned that there would be serious consequences if protesters remained on site.

She said on Wednesday afternoon that if the students did not vacate the building, the university will make decisions that will regrettably and unavoidably escalate the tension.

The choices you make this afternoon will have serious consequences, she added.

Victorian liberal senator James Patterson said: Vice chancellors have been far too accommodating with these protests for far too long, and they need to take action. It is not acceptable what is happening at Melbourne University.

The university must take action, must call in the police, and must ensure that the campus and the buildings on the campus are open to all students, not just extremists.

Among students, the class cancellations evoked mixed responses. I think it is just and it is right. Its a part of protecting and standing for humanity, University of Melbourne student Eartha Davis, who had her philosophy class cancelled on Thursday, told ABC News.

So, if we have to surrender one class for what is good and what is right then theres no complaints on my end.

In Melbourne, nine students at Monash University are facing potential suspension or expulsion following clashes between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups.
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As Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico remains in hospital after being shot on Wednesday, a man has been charged with his attempted murder.

If found guilty, he would face 25 years to life in prison under Slovakian law.

The alleged suspect has been identified by local media as 71-year-old Juraj Cintula, a government critic and poet who once founded a campaign group against violence.

Five bullets were fired at the 59-year-old prime minister Mr Fico as he greeted supporters following a government meeting in the small town of Handlova in central Slovakia.

Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok has said the assassination attempt was politically motivated and that the perpetrators decision was born closely after the presidential election.

He was referring to an ally of Mr Fico, Peter Pellegrini, who won a fiercely contested presidential election last month.

An undated video posted on Facebook has since surfaced showing the suspected attacker saying: I do not agree with government policy.

Mr Estok said that the detained suspect was a lone wolf who had radicalised himself in the latest period after the presidential election and attended anti-government protests.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is rushed to hospital from a helicopter by medics and his security detail in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia ( AFP via Getty Images )

Mr Cintula is the author of three collections of poetry and a member of the Slovak Society of Writers.

A member of the Rainbow Literary Club in Levice told Reuters she knew the suspect, saying he had been one of its founding members and its chairman for a time.

The club later condemned the attack and said it had revoked the assailants membership with immediate effect.

Cintula also founded the campaign group Against Violence, which he had sought to get it officially registered in Slovakia.

The movement calls on people to stand against violence in all forms, from martial law to domestic physical or psychological violence, as well as violence on the international stage, in Europe, in which militarisation, extremism, neo-Nazism, anarchy are growing.

News outlet Aktuality.sk cited his son as saying that all he could say about his fathers views about Mr Fico was that he did not vote for him.

He lived in the town of Levice, due south of Handlova, where the attack occurred, and east of the capital Bratislava, according to local media.
 Close Quality of Russian troops is now lower than beginning of war, says Nato Chief

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed there are no plans to take the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv despite tens of thousands of his forces having recently stormed across the border into the region and getting within artillery range of the city.

Speaking on the second day of his two-day tour of China, Putin claimed he had ordered the attack to create a buffer zone between Ukrainian soldiers and the Russian region of Belgorod.

When asked if Russian forces planned to take control of Kharkiv city, some 20 miles from the current fighting, Putin said: As for Kharkiv, there are no such plans as of today.

While Ukrainian officials and military analysts maintain that Russian forces in the Kharkiv region do not have the manpower or weaponry to take its namesake capital, and that the attack is likely an attempt to create a buffer zone, as Putin puts it, as well as draw Ukrainian forces away from other battles further east, there is little doubt that Russia would try to invade the city if it had the capability.
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A man has been charged with the attempted murder of Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico, who is in a stable condition in hospital but is not out of the woods yet according to officials.

Mr Fico was left fighting for his life in hospital after he was shot several times in the stomach in what the government has decribed as an assassination attempt. Mr Fico, 59, was airlifted to hospital after five shots were fired by a gunman outside the House of Culture in the town of Handlova where the leader was meeting with supporters.

Mr Fico was still critical on Thursday after undergoing five hours of surgery with doctors working around the clock to save his life. But Slovakian president-elect Peter Pellegrini said he could speak a little.

Follow live updates

He is able to speak but only a few sentences and then he is really tired because he is on some medication," Mr Pellegrini said. He added that if the bullets struck just a few millimetres either side, Mr Fico would have been killed.

Earlier, the deputy prime minister, Robert Kalinak, said it was too early to say whether Mr Fico would recover from the attack due to the extent of the injuries caused by four gunshot wounds.

Interior minister Matus Sutaj Estok, speaking at the same news conference, said the suspected shooter had acted alone and had previously taken part in anti-government protests.

Slovakian president Peter Pellegrini said if the bullets struck just a few millimetres either side, Mr Fico would have been killed by the lone-wolf gunman ( Reuters )

This is a lone wolf who had radicalised himself in the latest period after the presidential election [in April], Mr Sutaj Estok said.

The suspect listed government policies on Ukraine and its plans to reform the countrys public broadcaster and dismantle the special prosecutors office that deals with high-level corruption as reasons for the attack, Mr Sutaj Estok said.

Police gave no details about their investigation at an afternoon news conference but said they had boosted security at Slovakias parliament and also around media offices and schools.

Local media has named the alleged suspect as Juraj Cintula, 71, from the town of Levice. He is believed to be a former security guard and poet. The suspect has not been formally identified by authorities.

Miriam Lapunikova, director of the FD Roosevelt University Hospital in Banska Bystrica where Mr Fico is being treated, said two surgery teams had been needed to treat multiple gunshot wounds.

"At this point his condition is stabilised but is truly very serious. He will be in the intensive care unit," she told reporters.

A bullet hole marks a tree at the scene after the shooting ( Reuters )

Legislators have appealed for unity in the wake of the shooting, saying it has exposed an increasingly polarised political climate both in Slovakia and across Europe in the run up to European parliamentary elections next month.

Slovakias opposition leader Michal Simecka called for an end to the spiral of attacks and blame He continued: The assassination of the prime minister is an attack on democracy. Most of all, we now need to end the spiral of attacks and blame. We must all contribute to this in our own way, both as politicians and as citizens.

Mr Pellegrini also called for calm and urged political parties to scale back their campaigns for the countrys upcoming European elections.

He said: If there is anything that the people of Slovakia urgently need today, it is at least basic agreement and unity among the Slovak political representation.

Meanwhile, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk also revealed he had received a death threat after Mr Ficos attempted assassination.

There was a lot of it yesterday, Mr Tusk said in a post on Twitter/X, illustrated with a screenshot of a comment.

It read: Today, Slovaks gave us an example of what should be done with Donald Tusk if he decided not to carry out investment in a big airport in central Poland.
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Watch outside a hospital where Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico was being treated on Thursday, 16 May, after he was shot in the stomach in an assassination attempt yesterday.

The 59-year-old populist was injured after five shots were fired outside the House of Culture in the town of Handlova.

Fico was meeting with supporters when the incident unfolded.

His condition has been described as stable but serious.

Mr Fico was treated briefly at a local medical facility before being airlifted to Banska Bystrica Hospital where he was seen being carried on a gurney.

The shooting suspect is understood to be a 71-year-old former security guard.

He was detained at the scene.

The attack is believed to be politically motivated.

As a well-known ally of Vladimir Putin, the Slovakian prime minister is a divisive figure in his country.

Mr Fico has previously said that he would not enforce an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against the Russian leader, which came after Ukraine was invaded, if he visited Slovakia.
 Close Robert Fico in life-threatening condition after assassination attempt

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The Slovakian prime minister escaped death by just a hair, after he was shot in the stomach in an assassination attempt on Wednesday.

Mr Fico, 59, was injured after five shots were fired outside the House of Culture in the town of Handlova where the leader was meeting with supporters.

In an update on Thursday, Slovakias president-elect Peter Pellegrini said the PM is still critical as he is living the worst hours and days of his life.

He added that if the bullets struck just a few millimetres either side, the Mr Fico would have been killed.

Suspect Juraj Cintula, 71, believed to be a former security guard and poet, was charged with attempted murder and faces up to 25 years in prison.

He is believed to have attended anti-government protests, and in social media posts referred to having disagreements with Mr Ficos policies.

Mr Fico, a well-known ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin, is a divisive figure in Slovak politics, with the European Union Parliament elections due to take place in three weeks.
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The Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico was shot five times at point-blank range on Wednesday afternoon.

Hospital officials have confirmed his condition is very serious but stable after the politician was airlifted to FD Roosevelt University Hospital in Banska Bystrica, 25 miles from the site of the shooting in the town of Handlova.

The official added two surgical teams in the hospital had spent five hours treating the multiple gunshot wounds.

Local reports say the suspect has now been charged with attempted murder and could face from 25 years to life imprisonment.

Here The Independent looks at how the event unfolded.

The prime minister had been in Handlova to attend a government meeting at the local cultural centre.

Read our live blog with all the latest updates here

Security officers drag the Slovak PM into his official car after the assassination attempt in Handlova ( Reuters )

The suspected shooter is seen being pinned to the ground as Mr Fico is rushed off to hospital ( Reuters )

News footage later showed him striding into the town centre with his entourage towards members of the public who had gathered to greet him.

Waist-high metal fences had been erected between Mr Fico and the town residents.

When the Slovakian leader arrived at the fence and began to shake the hands of the locals, a man waiting in line suddenly withdrew a pistol.

Holding his hand above the fence, he then quickly fired five shots at Mr Ficos chest, who recoiled from the impact of the bullets before falling forwards in the direction of the shooter.

Mr Ficos security detail, clad in black suits and sunglasses, quickly attacked the suspect, pushing the fence towards the culprit and tackling him to the floor.

Mr Fico is seen being transported from a helicopter by medics and his security detail to the hospital in Banska Bystrica ( AFP via Getty Images )

Another member of Mr Ficos guards could be seen nearby reaching behind him to withdraw his own firearm.

Resident of Handlova standing next to the assailant, who was wrapping a light purple shirt and jeans, quickly got out of the way as Mr Ficos security team then rushed to apprehend the suspect.

He was pinned to the ground while the Slovakian leader was put into the back of a black Audi and carted away.

Images showed half a dozen plainclothes officers surrounding Mr Ficos car as the suspect can be seen in the background, behind the fence, being pinned to the ground.

Two men of Mr Ficos security detail stand between the car and the suspect. A woman in the distance holds her hand to her mouth in shock.

A red emergency helicopter later picked up Mr Fico and transferred him to the hospital in Banska Bystrica.
Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky sought to boost the morale of his troops with a visit to the northeastern city of Kharkiv  with Russian forces making advances across the region.

Kyiv has rushed military units from other parts of the 600-mile front lines to shore up its forces in the area where the Russians launched their attack a week ago, exploiting weak fortifications and undergunned Ukrainian forces to make rapid advances which have sent thousands of refugees fleeing from their homes.

Vladimir Putins forces have made inroads of at least several kilometres into the north of Kharkiv region since Friday, with the city of Kharkiv itself only about 30 miles from the border with Russia.

The [situation] remains extremely difficult  we are strengthening our units, Mr Zelensky said after holding a meeting in the city with his top commander and senior military leaders.

Ukraines immediate goal is to prevent the Russians from consolidating their gains and using the territory they have taken so far  around 50 square miles in two enclaves  as a platform to spread further into Ukraine.

Although the Ukrainian military admitted that it had pulled back its forces from some areas to preserve life  code for a retreat  positions along the general staff said on Thursday that Ukrainian lines, for the most part, had held their lines in the previous 24 hours.

Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky attends a meeting with top military officials as he visits the Kharkiv region ( via Reuters )

But the Russians were continuing to press hard with human wave assaults backed by armoured vehicles. Some troops were using quad dune buggy type vehicles and motorcycles to approach more quickly and to dodge drones operated by Ukrainian soldiers behind the lines.

Vital artillery and rocket systems ammunition have dwindled to disastrously low levels because of an impasse in the US Congress that had blocked American military aid for more than six months. Weapons are on their way now, with some arriving but not yet in the numbers needed.

Previously, Ukraine had been able to compensate for being vastly outnumbered in men and artillery shells by the Russians because their Western-supplied weapons and munitions were far more accurate. But as supplies have run low, the Russians have been able to fire up to 10 shells for every one of Ukraines. Russias forces, previously held back by Ukrainian artillery, have therefore been able to make headway although still at tremendous cost in casualties.

The general staff of Ukraines armed forces said on Thursday there had been 140 attacks in Kharkiv and other areas, with Ukrainian defenders often staving off the Russians in close-quarter fighting.

A general staff statement said that Ukrainians must hold their positions at all costs. A Ukrainian colonel told The Independent that it would be disastrous if Russian forces came close enough to allow their artillery to freely shell Kharkiv city.

Zelensky met with wounded servicemen during his visit to Kharkiv ( via Reuters )

A Russian priority in its invasion has been to capture Kharkiv city. Kyiv and Western intelligence believe Moscow has too few men and weapons to take Kharkiv. But failing that, Moscow has made clear it wants to pummel the city into an uninhabitable grey zone and force its 800,00 remaining population to flee.

There has been particularly heavy fighting in the town of Vovchansk, close to the Russian border, where, according to Ukrainian police, Russian forces have partly entered and there is street fighting.

Battlefield losses and sheer exhaustion mean Ukraine has few reserves it can deploy. Fresh replacements have been slow in coming because of a muddled military draft policy which forbids recruitment of men younger than 25. Until recently, nobody under 27 could be drafted, although the military will take volunteers as young as 18.

As the battles rage to the north of the city of Kharkiv, the Russians have continued attacking with glide bombs  some weighing more than a ton  launched by planes within Russian territory and out of reach of Ukrainian air defences, as well as by drones and missiles.

The missiles have so little distance to travel that there is often no warning by sirens and the first people know of an attack is the noise of explosions. Multiple missiles hit targets near the city centre on Wednesday and Thursday.

Vovchansk area residents, who fled due to Russian military strikes, gather at an evacuation centre compound in Kharkiv region ( Reuters )

However, the citys streets are full of people and vehicles. On Thursday, four women city council workers were planting flowers on pavement flowerbeds near Kharkivs largest university building.

The leader of the group, Lyudmyla Termakova, said: Of course we are scared. But this is our job and everyone does what they can. We want to make our beautiful city pretty despite the Russians trying to kill and destroy us.

Everyone wants to live in peace and harmony. But we dont want to live as part of Russia. None of us will flee if the Russians try to take our city again.

She declared: We cant shoot if the Russians come here but we can dig and we will go to the front lines and dig trenches for our fighters.

Thursday also marked the day that Ukrainians celebrate the embroidery that decorates traditional blouses and shirts. One woman wearing an embroidered blouse was Liliya Zotova, a lecturer in psychology.

She said: This is our city that we love and we are going to defend it. Putin has tried to distort history with his lies and has created a narrative that Ukraine does not have a separate identity. But it has a rich and wonderful history, older than that of Moscows. Our embroidery is a distinctive part of our culture and traditions and its more important than ever to celebrate it today.

When asked to give an opinion about Putin she said: Anyone who has been in power as long as he has comes to believe that they are infallible and destined to order the world around them ... But as to whats going on in his head  I wont hazard an opinion except to say its not good.
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The US has successfully anchored a temporary pier near a Gaza beach, with the delivery of critical humanitarian aid expected to commence in the coming days.

On Wednesday afternoon, the US military began towing the floating dock system an estimated 20 miles from the Israeli port of Ashdod to the north of Gaza.

The pier, known as a Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore system (JLOTS), was installed early on Thursday, the US Central Command (Centcom) announced.

It looks to support the humanitarian mission to deliver additional humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians, it said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

The dock is anchored between three to five miles off Gazas coast, with a causeway expected to be installed overnight on a beach to the north of the city.

Hundreds of tonnes of food, shelter kits and other supplies has arrived in Cyprus, which will be screened before being loaded onto ships. Deputy commander of Centcom, Vice-Admiral Brad Cooper, said ships would then deliver the packages to the pier.

Gaza pier being constructed ( U.S military's Central Command )

It comes as the UK government announced on Wednesday that a shipment of humanitarian aid , including 8,400 temporary shelters, is in transit from Cyprus to Gaza.

Once JLOTS is fully-operational, it has the capability to supply dramatically more supplies than the airdrops.

The US Navy will chaperone boats to move its stockpiles from the pier to the causeway, which will be connected to shore.

Officials said that aid could begin to be delivered within 24 to 48 hours after it was installed.

As part of this effort, no US troops entered Gaza, Centcom said.

Trucks carrying humanitarian assistance are expected to begin moving ashore in the coming days, it added.

The United Nations is expected to receive the aid and coordinate its distribution.

The JLOTS system was assembled and waiting in Ashdod earlier this month, costing an estimated $320 million.

Components of the pier were shipped from Virginia to the Mediterranean in March after president Joe Biden announced plans for JLOTS in his State of the Union address.

Weather and security concerns delayed the Pentagon giving the approval for it to be moved towards the Gaza coast.

Permission was given by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for Centcom Commander General Michael Kurilla to move the pier on Tuesday, according to officials.
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Israels defence minister has said that additional troops are set to join the ground offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah with the military set to intensify its operation to destroy Hamas  as the United Nations top court was urged to order Israel to halt the operation.

Yoav Gallant, a member of Israels war cabinet claimed Israeli forces are already wearing Hamas down in Rafah, despite the attack being yet to hit full scale.

This operation will continue as additional forces will enter [the area]. Several tunnels in the area have been destroyed by our troops and additional tunnels will be destroyed soon," he said in a statement.

This activity will intensify. Hamas is not an organisation that can reorganise, it does not have reserve troops, it has no supply stocks and no ability to treat the terrorists that we target. The result is that we are wearing Hamas down.

As he spoke, South Africa were asking the top UN court to order a halt to the operation, saying attacks on the southern Gaza city "must be stopped" to ensure the survival of the Palestinian people. The court has scheduled two days of hearings as part of South Africas case accusing Israel of genocide in the Gaza Strip.

Director-General of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa Zane Dangor and South African Ambassador to the Netherlands Vusimuzi Madonsela look on at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ( REUTERS )

Tents are set up by displaced Palestinians amid the devastation in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip ( AFP via Getty Images )

The hearings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) come after South Africa last week asked for additional emergency measures to protect Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have been sheltering.

Israel, which has denounced South Africas claim that it is violating the 1949 Genocide Convention as baseless, will respond on Friday. In previous filings it stressed it had stepped up efforts to get humanitarian aid into Gaza as the ICJ had previpously ordered.

Israel, however, insists that its operation in Rafah must go ahead as part of its war on Hamas, triggered by an attack inside Israel on 7 October during which around 1,200 people were killed and another 250 taken hostage. Israel says four Hamas battalions are now in the southern Gaza city.

In the nearly eight months since Israel responded to the terror attack by Hamas, at least 35,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to health officials in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

A ship is seen off the coast of Gaza near a US-built floating pier that will be used to facilitate aid deliveries, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, ( AP )

Mourners carry the body of Israeli soldier Captain Roy Beit Yaakov, who, according to Israel's army was killed by Israeli tank fire in Gaza ( REUTERS )

Also on Thursday, the US finally anchored a temporary floating pier to a beach in Gaza in the hopes of boosting aid deliveries after poor weather delayed the project.

But it was still unclear how it would be distributed given the challenges that have beset the UN and relief groups for months.

Ceasefire and hostage release talks, meanwhile, are also deadlocked over how to end the war. Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said his group, which has run Gaza since 2007, should continue to have a role while President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, mediating along with Qatar and the United States, said Israel was not doing enough.

And in northern Gaza, Israels tanks pushed into the heart of the Jabalia refugee camp, facing anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs from militants concentrated there.

The Israeli military reported that five soldiers had been killed in the region when they were struck by Israeli tank fire.

Israeli ground forces re-entered parts of northern Gaza this month to crack down on attempts by the Islamist group Hamas to regroup.

There was a tank crossfire of the 202 battalion resulting in the death of 5 soldiers and some soldiers injured. The soldiers were evacuated for further medical treatment, the families were updated, the military said of the incident that occurred on Wednesday.
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A cruise holiday isnt always about setting sail across vast oceans. For an alternative type of break on the water, winding your way inland might sound similar but its a vastly different experience.

From crossing deep into the untouched areas of the Amazon rainforest to exploring some of Europes finest cities, the river cruise experience is one that allows tourists to get to grips with the history, culture and tradition of a destination in a slow, immersive fashion.

This could be in the form of sampling Creole cuisine in Mississippi or discovering historic sites in Vietnam, but whatever it is, theres plenty of choice across Europe, Asia, South America and North America.

Read on for a selection of the best cruises, from the Mississippi to the Mekong.

The Danube

open image in gallery The Danube rises in the mountains of Germanys Black Forest ( Getty Images/iStockphoto )

Europes second longest river  and arguably its most famous  river takes you through amazing capital cities and host of charming towns, as well as plenty of scenic countryside in Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania. Cruises along the Danube can vary from a handful of days to almost three weeks, giving you time to explore the elegance of cities like Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava or Belgrade.

Emerald Cruises lets you see the best of the Danube with the addition of a hefty dose of traditional German culture in Munich. Leaving the Bavarian capital, youll travel to Passau before a quick cross-border trip to the Unesco-listed Czech city of Cesky Krumlov. Vienna is the next city, replete with opulent architecture, before a quick overnight stay in Bratislava on the sixth night. Guided tours and hikes around the castle are included, before you get three nights to explore Budapest, the Hungarian capital that is blessed with picturesque buildings, relaxed thermal baths and a buzzing nightlife scene.

From 1,999pp, including nine nights accommodation, full board, tours of Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest and airport transfers. Departing 7 May 2024 to 20 October 2024.

Read more on Europe travel:

The Amazon

open image in gallery The Amazon basin has an area of around 2.7 million square miles ( Getty Images/iStockphoto )

This famous river runs for over 4,000 miles throughout South America and is a major part of the eponymous rainforest, one of the most biodiverse and important natural areas on the planet. A river cruise remains the best way to reach deeper into the jungle, with many cruises beginning in the northern Brazilian city of Manaus or in the Peruvian city of Lima.

Start in Perus enchanting capital with the Peruvian Rivers and Rainforest Discovery cruise from Uniworld. Youll fly to Iquitos, the largest city in the Amazon as your next stop, before delving into some of the most remote areas in the world as you take to the waters. From here, nature takes centre stage, with a variety of experiences  including jungle walks and kayaking on a lake  added to the enjoyment of natural features such as giant lilies, towering barrigona trees and around 10 per cent of the worlds known animal species.

From 8,799pp, including 10 nights accommodation, full board, return flights from London, domestic flights and various excursions. Departing regularly from 17 January until 6 November 2024.

The Nile

open image in gallery The Nile starts in the Mediterranean and runs through as far south as Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya ( Getty Images/iStockphoto )

Start in Cairo and make your way down to Aswan over a few days (though many shorter routes operate between Aswan and Luxor only). For a relaxing way to take in riverside scenery and some of Egypts most important historical sites, a river cruise is the ideal choice.

AP Tourings Egypt Discovery trip takes you on a round trip from Cairo. Youll cross thousands of years of history, starting with West Bank the Valley of the Kings, before a short flight to Aswan to explore Abu Simbel and a sighting of the landmark Pyramids of Giza near the Egyptian capital. The scenery along the route is exceptional, too, with palm trees, green spaces and mini oases dotted in between the yellow-hued rock.

From 6,995pp, including 12 nights accommodation, 30 meals (including unlimited local beer and wine) return flights from London Heathrow, domestic flights within Egypt and activities in each of the 10 destinations. Departing regularly from September 2024 to April 2025.

The Rhine

open image in gallery The Rhine is the busiest waterway in Europe ( Getty Images/iStockphoto )

Exploring this land of castles and fairytales is a worthwhile European trip, with tours often starting in the pretty Dutch capital of Amsterdam and weaving across the German and French countryside, with the route broken up by cities such as Cologne, Dusseldorf and Strasbourg. Many of the towns located on the banks of the Rhine, such as Koblenz, are incredibly picturesque, with a range of medieval castles and natural sites like the Black Forest also featuring.

Ama Waterways provide a seven-night cruise that runs from Basel to Amsterdam. Get your cultural fix at either end of your trip in either of these two cities, before admiring the vistas around the Rhine Valley, the medieval castles that loom over towns like Heidelberg and the timber-framed buildings that line the streets of Riquewihr and Strasbourg. Stops in both Freiburg and Dusseldorf are also included, as well as an optional excursion to Cologne.

From 2,399pp, including seven nights accommodation, full board and tours in each destination. Departing regularly between 18 February and 28 December 2024.

The Douro

open image in gallery The Douro Valley is supposedly the oldest demarcated wine-growing region in the world ( Getty Images/iStockphoto )

The views around the Douro Valley are some of the best in Portugal, whether youre sitting by the banks in Porto or admiring the verdant hills and vineyards around Pinhao. This region, well-known for its port production, has cruises lasting roughly one week that usually begin and end in Porto  where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean  with a brief crossing over into Spain and Salamanca.

The Riviera Travel package offers an affordable eight-day Douro option starting and ending in Porto, with two nights to explore Portugals magnificent second city (and to go on a guided tour of a well-known port producer). Days three and four take you to sleepy Castelo de Rodrigo and the historic Spanish city of Salamanca (with guided tours and time to explore at your leisure) before traversing the cascading vineyards of the valley on your way back to Porto via the beautiful Peso de Regua (and a local wine tasting).

From 1,599pp, including seven nights accommodation, full board, flights from a London airport, one excursion one each day and airport transfers. Departing regularly from 7 April 2024.

The Mississippi

open image in gallery At least 260 species of fish  25 per cent of all fish species in North America  live in the Mississippi River ( Getty Images )

Discovering the Deep South is often done by car, but with new routes recently from Viking Cruises, exploring Louisiana, Mississippi, Minnesota and Tennessee has never been more idyllic. The famed cities of New Orleans and Memphis can bookend your tour, with lesser-known locations such as Baton Rouge, Natchez and Darrow making up the other stops.

Opt for Vikings Heart of the Delta cruise to if you really want to immerse yourself in the Deep South. The cruise begins with a few days exploring the French influences and Creole cuisine of New Orleans, before moving on to Baton Rouge  a haven of Creole and Cajun culture  and then onto Natchez, the oldest city on the river. Youll travel through other towns on the Mississippi  complete with walking tours or excursions to the Atchafalaya Swamp basin  before reaching Memphis, the atmospheric home of blues music.

From 6,545pp, including 12 nights accommodation, full board, return flights from London and one excursion per destination. Departing weekly from March 7 until 13 June, with additional departures on 7 November and 13 November.

The Mekong

open image in gallery The Mekong River is also known as the Mother of Water ( Getty Images/iStockphoto )

The Mekong flows through a host of Asias most fascinating countries, including Vietnam, Thailand, China and Cambodia. Most cruises only take in parts of Vietnam and Cambodia, though this mix of floating fishing villages, traditional markets and the two capitals of Ho Chi Minh City and Phnom Penh will be enough for most travellers. With Avalon Waterways, youll combine energetic, modern cities with some of the most vibrant culture in Asia and a history that is equal parts sobering and fascinating.

It starts in Siem Reap, site of the Angkor Wat temple, before moving on to the Cambodian capital, where you can learn about the dictatorship of Pol Pot and visit several must-see landmarks. After this, Vietnam beckons, with a visit to the dizzying Ho Chi Minh City to see its admirable architecture. Visits to markets, old Vietnam War tunnels, temples and cooking classes are dotted in between these city trips for good measure, with stops at characterful towns like Vinh Long, too.

From 4,229pp, including seven nights accommodation, full board and activities on each day of the trip. Departing regularly from 15 January to 11 March and from 12 August to 2 December 2024.

Read more: Best hotels in Europe  where to stay for a city, beach or retreat break
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There are fears of holiday travel chaos this summer as a safety crisis at plane manufacturer Boeing leaves airlines struggling to secure enough planes for peak season.

Avia Solutions, the worlds largest aircraft leasing company, has warned carriers in Europe were likely to reduce the number of flights they put on due to a lack of aircraft and may have to cancel some flights.

Aerospace giant Boeings safety standards are currently under increased scrutiny following several recent incidents, including one where a disused door fell off a brand new 737 Max shortly after take-off. There were no injuries.

Last month a FedEx Airlines Boeing cargo plane landed at Istanbul Airport without the front landing gear deployed but managed to stay on the runway.

open image in gallery Holidaymakers faced chaos in 2022 after flights were cancelled and cross-Channel rail services were hit by major delays ( PA )

Five years ago, Boeing agreed to pay $2.5bn and make safety improvements after two new 737 Max jets crashed within the space of five months - one in Indonesia in 2018 and one in Ethiopia in 2019, killing a total of 346 people.

Gediminas Ziemelis, chairman of Dublin-based Avia, which on Wednesday raised $300m (236m) in a bond issue, said the plane shortage was likely to be exacerbated by what he described as super demand following the Covid pandemic.

The last time there was anything like this was when traffic rebounded after 9/11, he told The Daily Telegraph.

Airlines are desperate for aircraft because of the production problems but the well is dry, he added. I think in this dislocated system that cancellations are quite possible.

US officials this week warned Boeing it could face criminal charges after claims the airline failed to improve plane safety and adhere to a settlement after the deadly 737 crashes.

open image in gallery A gaping hole where the paneled-over door had been on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, on 7 January 2024 ( National Transportation Safety Board )

Dave Calhoun, Boeings president and chief executive, admitted the firm was at fault for the door blowout, which happened on an Alaska Airlines flight from Portland.

Adding to the problem are concerns about engines on Airbus passenger jets. A large number of the planes were earmarked to have their engines removed and inspected after manufacturer Pratt & Whitney discovered a problem that could cause parts to wear out more quickly.

Airlines are now racing to secure emergency capacity, relying on the so-called wet-lease sector - which provides aircraft and crew for periods as short as a few months.

But Mr Ziemelis warned that, despite the support, some carriers would fail to secure enough capacity to fulfil all their bookings.

Avia, which leases planes on short-term contracts, said it expects to deploy at least 80 per cent of its 212-strong fleet in Europe this summer as carriers race to solve shortfall issues.

It has already agreed to lease aircraft to a number of carriers, including Wizz Air, which has taken seven jets after grounding about 45 planes following the Pratt & Whitney issue.

Lufthansa has also agreed to lease eight aircraft and British Airways four, Mr Ziemelis said. Holiday giant TUI is also taking planes including the 737 Max, of which Avia has 14 in its fleet.

Turkish Airlines will be the biggest single customer with more than 30 jets, Mr Ziemelis added.

Of the 250 or so aircraft available across Europe for short-term rent, only eight are to be placed with airlines, according to Avias research. This likely means airlines will have to cancel flights, Mr Ziemelis warned.

He added supply chain issues at Airbus and Boeing were likely to sustain a bubble in demand until 2026.
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On Sunday 12 February 2023, I set off from home to Manchester airport for the holiday of a lifetime, says Valerie Coleshaw.

By Monday 13 April I was home by breakfast, without luggage and in total despair.

Ms Coleshaw, from Bolton, lost her 11,000 Antarctic cruise with Hurtigruten (now HX) after cabin crew on a KLM flight from Manchester to Amsterdam asked her to check in her cabin baggage as the plane was extremely full.

open image in gallery Dream trip: Fridtjof Nansen, Antarctic cruise ship ( HX )

She says she was told her hand luggage would be returned to her at Amsterdam, where she was due to transfer to Buenos Aires and onwards to the southern Argentinian port of Ushuaia.

I have heard of this happening before. So after checking several times that I would pick it up in Amsterdam, I agreed, she says.

Arriving at Amsterdam, my case was not on the carousel. I was advised to go straight to the boarding gate for Buenos Aires and it would be waiting for me there. It wasnt.

After hours of badgering the staff, my hand luggage could not be found. In it was my asthma spray.

She explained to ground staff that her medication was missing. They told the captain of the KLM plane, who decided she would not be able to make the 7,100-mile journey without the asthma spray.

I was left with a member of staff who said she would try to put me on another flight the next day. I realised that without my hand luggage I would have the same problem.

I could not contact Hurtigruten as all the paperwork was in my hand luggage.

Having never experiencing anything like this before, I felt humiliated and confused. I was given vouchers for a hotel and flight back to Manchester the following morning.

KLM says when passengers are asked to put cabin baggage in the hold, they are asked to remove valuables and items needed during their flights as the hand luggage will be forwarded to the final destination.

Ms Coleshaw disputes that this happened and says that she was told the cabin baggage would be waiting for her at Amsterdam airport.

I have never before been parted from my hand luggage but went along with the request  even checking four times before I boarded the flight to Amsterdam that it would be waiting for me, she says.

I had no additional handbag in which to store my documents, tickets and asthma spray. I had only a mobile phone, credit card and passport in my pocket.

No one ever suggested to me to remove my medication, tickets, holiday reservation, emergency contact details and so on. Had they done so, I would have taken my hand luggage on board.

KLM gave Ms Coleshaw a full refund for the value of the flights plus a 500 voucher for future travel.

It suggests quite strongly to me that they understood the implications of my cases travelling on the plane without me, she says.

However, the air fare was just a small proportion of the total cost of the holiday. Ms Coleshaw paid Hurtigruten 10,660 for the package, and spent hundred of pounds more on preparations for the trip including travel insurance, guidebooks and Antarctic clothing that she never got to wear.

Under the Package Travel Regulations, the organiser of a holiday  in this case Hurtigruten (now HX)  is responsible for providing the trip as booked, including services contracted out such as flights.

Normally, if an airline does not fly a passenger in time to begin their holiday, the customer would expect a full refund.

But the cruise company does not accept that KLM was at fault, and therefore is refusing to hand the money back.

Instead, HX (formerly Hurtigruten) is offering 8,500 for an alternative cruise as a goodwill gesture.

Ms Coleshaw describes the offer as honourable but not usable. She tried to use some of the credit on a West African cruise, but the voyage was cancelled by the company ahead of departure.

She says her circumstances have changed significantly since losing the cruise, leaving her unable to plan any similar expedition. She has suffered a serious shoulder injury, and the health of her 95-year-old mother has deteriorated.

A spokesperson for HX said: We are disappointed that we have been unable to resolve this current issue to date. Our guest experience team have been in direct contact with Ms Coleshaw for several months now and we have worked hard to try and find a resolution to this situation.

Following a thorough review of this booking, we offered a Future Cruise Credit, equivalent to the value of the sailing and available for use on all our itineraries around the world. This amount far exceeds our standard cancellation policy and was provided by our team as a sincere goodwill gesture.

Furthermore, we have also offered the opportunity to extend the rebooking period to the end of 2024, for any expedition voyage departing through to the end of 2025.

We remain fully committed to making this option available to Ms Coleshaw. Our dedicated guest experience team will continue to look for a suitable resolution to this matter, in line with what has already been offered, and hope this can be achieved soon.

Ms Coleshaw says: I chose Hurtigruten for two reasons: one, I had travelled with them before and it was top class; and two, the flights were included so I felt that I had peace of mind if a connecting flight were delayed.

I did not cancel my Holiday of a Lifetime  but realised that without medication and everything in my hand luggage I would be unable to travel further. I asked repeatedly at the boarding gate about the collection of my hand luggage, and was told it would be waiting for me.

She says the pursuit of the refund is having a considerable impact on my health and well-being.

I am beginning to give up the challenge and quit, but it is so much money as well as the shattered dream.
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Swapping Center Parcs in the UK for a stay at the at their namesake resorts in Europe could see holidaymakers more than half the cost of accommodation, according to a new report.

In one example, choosing a Center Parcs in France could save over 800 when compared to a British holiday.

Consumer group Which? analysed the cost of a four-night stay for a family of four at 32 Center Parc sites across England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, focusing on five weeks of school holidays (in May, July, August and October).

On average, the UK outposts  which is run by a separate company to Center Parcs Europe  were substantially costlier than elsewhere in Europe.

The research found that the average price paid in the UK is 1,435, yet the average cost in Germany and the Netherlands was far lower  an average of 857 and 886, respectively. Savings could also be made in France (where the average stay was found to be 1,098) and Belgium (1,121).

The biggest price differences could be found for bookings in the late May and October half terms, with Which? suggesting this could be due to the difference between school calendars in the various countries.

open image in gallery Center Parcs in Woburn Forest is one hour from London ( Center Parcs UK )

The most substantial savings in the May half-term could be found in France, where before factoring in travel costs, a family could save 852 on average compared with booking in the UK.

At 1,449 on average, a UK stay costs a eye-watering 143 per cent more than the average cost of a comparable break in France (597).

Over the same week, families could also save an average of 788 in Germany, 742 in the Netherlands and 672 in Belgium, compared to staying in the UK.

Those booking for the October half-term can find the biggest savings in the Netherlands, where the cost of a four-night break is a 804 less on average than in the UK, dropping from 1,449 to 645.

During the summer holidays, Germany proved to be the cheapest Center Parcs destination in each of the three weeks checked by Which?.

The average price for accommodation in a German Center Parcs was found to be 803, around 600 less than a UK break.

While the costs to European destinations dont include the cost of travel, spot checks suggest even once these factored in, families could still stand to save  particularly if booking ferries far in advance.

Parks in France and Belgium are among the easiest to reach from the south of England. Park de Haan in Belgium is approximately just over an hours drive from Dunkirk, for example, while Calais is around two and a half hours from Center Parcs Le Lac dAilette. A return ferry to Calais could be booked for just under 150 for a family of four during the October half term, or around 165 during the May school break.

The Netherlands, which has the cheapest average prices in October, can be reached directly by ferry from Hull, Harwich or Newcastle, or by driving a few hours from Calais or Dunkirk.

Naomi Leach, deputy editor of Which? Travel, said: While UK holiday parks offer families an easy way to explore the great British countryside, our research has found that casting your net further afield could make your break more affordable.

Those holidaying in the May and October half-terms stand to make the most significant savings, but even during the summer a family could save hundreds of pounds on their accommodation costs. Do factor in the cost of transport and travel insurance to ensure the swap is worthwhile and always double check European parks have the facilities and activities you expect.

A spokesperson for Center Parcs UK told The Independent that despite sharing a brand name, they remain entirely separate companies which operate very differently.

At Center Parcs UK, our unique offering attracts loyal guests, a high number of whom return year after year  last year, we welcomed approximately 2.2 million guests and had continued occupancy of around 97 per cent.

We continue to invest heavily in our facilities, accommodation, people and the woodlands in which we operate. With Center Parcs villages across the country, we offer the opportunity to enjoy a high-quality and convenient short break in a beautiful woodland setting, without the need for lengthy travel with children.
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Johan Lundgren is to step down as chief executive of Britains biggest budget airline, easyJet, within a year after seven years at the helm.

He will be replaced by chief financial officer Kenton Jarvis, the carrier said, as it announced reduced half-year losses.

Mr Lundgren, a former tour guide who joined from Tui, ran easyJet as it endured its most turbulent times since launching in 1995: the consequences of Brexit, followed by the Covid pandemic.

He said: I congratulate Kenton on being nominated my successor. It is fully deserved, and I will work closely with him and the whole executive team to achieve this years goals and hand over responsibilities smoothly at the end of the year.

There are important things still to accomplish over the balance of the year, but when the time comes, I will leave easyJet with a great sense of loyalty and of pride at the progress made and the potential the company has for the future.

The chair of easyJet, Sir Stephen Hester, praised Mr Lundgren for steering the company through the immense challenges of the Covid period, as well as setting up a clear strategy and strong execution plan towards its ambition of being Europes most-loved airline.

Mr Jarvis said: I am a huge believer in the future for our airline, which is powered by the talents and enthusiasm of our frontline staff.

Ryanair, easyJets biggest rival, has been led by chief executive Michael OLeary for 30 years.

open image in gallery EasyJet abandoned Southend in 2020 but will reopen its base next March ( PA Archive )

News of Mr Lundgrens departure accompanied easyJets half-year results for 2024. The airline lost 350m in the six months between October 2023 and March 2024  about 9.50 for each of the 36.7 million passengers flown.

Winter losses are normal for budget airlines, and the figure represents a 61m improvement on a year earlier, with 12 per cent more capacity.

For the key three months of summer 2024  July, August and September  sales and fares are ahead of 2023 levels.

Mr Lundgren said: We are now absolutely focused on another record summer which is expected to deliver strong [full-year] earnings growth and are on track to achieve our medium-term targets.

The airline will reopen its base at Southend airport at the start of the aviation summer season in March 2025.

The Essex base was closed, along with Stansted and Newcastle, in August 2020. John Upton, chief executive of London Southend Airport, said: This move is indicative of the demand from people in the east of London, Essex and the wider East Anglia region.

Our dedicated onsite rail station is less than one hour from central London; only 43 minutes from Stratford, London, with connections to the Elizabeth line; and only 100 paces from the terminal door.

Aviation analyst Sean Moulton said: The return of an easyJet base to London Southend, five years since its closure, will boost the viability of the airport.

With limited direct competition, easyJet will have a near-monopoly on flights from London Southend  which is similar to 2012 when the airline first launched.

The airline will serve a range of European and North African destinations from Southend, including Marrakech in Morocco and Enfidha in Tunisia.

In particular, easyJet has been boosted by its holiday package business, which launched in 2019 and accounted for more than a quarter of group profits last year on the back of a post-Covid shift in demand towards more leisure travel.

Although its shares dipped on Thursdays announcement, it has risen up the stock market over the past year, outpacing the global airline index and rejoining the FTSE 100.

Reuters contributed to this report
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A passenger plane operated by Indonesias national airlines made an emergency landing after the engine caught fire shortly after taking off.

The Garuda Indonesia plane was travelling from an airport in the Indonesian city of Makassar to Madinah in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday with 468 passengers onboard when the incident happened.

The Boeing 747-400 immediately returned to the airport of its origin after fire was observed in one of the engines, Garuda Indonesia said.

All the 450 passengers, including those going on Hajj pilgrimage, and 18 crew members were safely evacuated and no one was hurt in the incident, it said.

Videos shared on social media by JACDEC, a plane crash data evaluation firm, showed a blaze emanating from the engine just as the plane took off.

Garuda president-director Irfan Setiaputra said: The decision was made by the pilot in command immediately after take-off, considering engine problems that required further examination after sparks of fire were observed in one of the engines.

He said the plane was grounded as an investigation was being carried out into the incident.

The passengers of the flight were given accommodation before boarding a replacement flight later the same day, he said.

It was the latest incident to hit Indonesian carriers which were infamously banned by the US and the EU from flying into countries from 2007. The ban by the US was lifted in 2016 and by the EU in 2018.

According to the Aviation Safety Network, since 1945, the archipelago nation has recorded 106 civilian airline accidents, killing 2,305 people.

On 25 January this year, two pilots of Batik Air flight allegedly fell asleep in the cockpit mid-flight for 28 minutes. The flight with 153 passengers from Sulawesi to Jakarta veered off its course.

In 2021, a Sriwijaya Air flight also crashed and plunged into the Java Sea after taking off from Soekarno-Hatta Airport. Around 62 passengers and crew members were killed in the incident.
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On one of the busiest travel days of the year, planes will be excluded from a vast area of northern France for over five hours during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. The ban has been imposed due to fears of a terrorist attack.

A no-fly zone covering 28,922 square miles  almost the size of Belgium  has been ordered by the French civil aviation authority, the DGAC, on the afternoon and evening of Friday 26 July. That is a key date for millions of travellers from France, the UK and elsewhere.

The Zone dInterdiction Temporaire (ZIT) includes both the giant Paris airports  Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly  as well as Beauvais, a key budget airline base north of the capital. Normally the three would handle more than 350,000 passengers between them on a peak summer Friday.

The DGAC says: A temporary prohibited area (ZIT Ceremonie) is created to ensure the implementation of the special air security arrangements as part of the protection of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games 2024.

Almost all planes will be banned from a circle with a radius of 80 nautical miles centred on Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris from 6.30pm to 12 midnight local time.

The International Ops Bulletin reports: Flight plans to Paris airports will be rejected starting 1530z [5.30pm local time]. Departures from Charles de Gaulle might be allowed starting 2130z [11.30pm local time] with special approval.

Besides arrivals and departures from those airports, thousands of other flights will be affected. For example, the most direct routes from London Heathrow and Manchester to Nice in southern France pass straight over the French capital. Flight paths such as Bristol to Milan and Edinburgh to Marseille also normally cross Paris.

They will need to be diverted over western France or Belgium, adding to the already severe pressure on European airspace.

Britains biggest budget airline, easyJet, has cancelled almost 100 flights to and from the French capital because of the airspace closure. Normally those aircraft would have carried around 18,000 passengers.

An easyJet spokesperson said: Like all airlines operating to and from Paris, easyJet has been requested to reduce its flying programme for duration of the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony on Friday 26 July 2024.

This resulted in the cancellation of 96 flights at both Paris Charles de Gaulle and Paris Orly.

The airline says all passengers affected have been told and provided with alternative travel options.

Ryanair is the largest operator at Beauvais airport, with links from Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford and Manchester. A spokesperson said: Due to the closure of the Paris airspace on 26 July, we, like all airlines, have been forced to cancel/reschedule a number of flights operating to/from Beauvais airport that day.

Affected passengers have been notified and advised of their options. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused as a result of this Paris airspace closure, which is entirely beyond airlines control.

Wizz Air has grounded only two flights. A spokesperson said: We anticipate some minor delays due to the restrictions but do not expect any major disruptions. We would advise travellers flying on 26 July to monitor their flights status and allow more time than usual for airport procedures.

Flights by military, customs, police, gendarmerie, civil security or emergency aircraft will be allowed in the area, along with aircraft in charge of filming for the 2024 Olympic Games and flights carrying dignitaries accredited by the French foreign ministry.
Police clashed with Gaza protesters at the University of California Irvine campus on Wednesday, 15 May.

Students were detained after officers dismantled an encampment and pro-Palestine demonstrators briefly took over a lecture hall.

Officers were called to campus after protesters blocked the building's entrance with a makeshift barricade as part of action demanding the university divest from Israel.

Unlawful assembly was declared and police cleared the building before taking an unknown number of people into custody.

Campus protests have spread over the US in the wake of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Gillian Keegan failed to give specific, non-anecdotal evidence that she has seen "inappropriate material" being taught in classrooms as she was grilled on the governments approach to sex education.

The education secretary told BBC Breakfast: "There have been materials which Ive seen  things like choosing lots of different genders and identities, and saying which ones of these are gender identities, gender spectrum, it can be a spectrum, its fluid, you can have different genders on different days.

It came after reports that age limits are set to be imposed for the first time on when children can be taught about sex education.
What was clearly an attempt to assassinate the Slovak prime minister has prompted myriad theories as to why, and what the repercussions might be. And with no reliable information so far about any motive for the attack  the Slovak authorities described the accused gunman as a lone wolf who did not belong to any political groups  abundant space has been left for speculation to flourish.

Are we looking at an individual seeking to settle a personal grievance, that would cause few ripples beyond this corner of Eastern Europe? Or, as some of the more ambitious flights of fancy would have it, at an act akin to the shooting of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, which is credited with setting off the First World War? Or indeed something in between?

The details that have emerged so far would allow for any or all of the above. Robert Fico, who became Slovakias prime minister for the third time after his party gained the most votes in last autumns general election, is on record as saying that he feared an attack. He is a controversial figure in many respects.

He has been part of Slovakias political landscape since before Czechoslovakias velvet divorce, and even before the collapse of communism across Eastern and central Europe. From a one-time member of the Communist Party to the right-ish populist he is seen as today, he has traversed an even more tortuous political path than many of his generation  those now reaching 60  bringing characteristically left-wing (socialist) and right-wing (nationalist) traits together in varying combinations, spiked with periodic whiffs of scandal, and moving in and out of power.

The distinguishing elements of his platform in the run-up to last Septembers election were pledges not to join a coordinated EU migration policy  more bluntly, to admit no Muslims as migrants or refugees  and to halt military aid to Ukraine. Behind his Ukraine policy was his own, and to an extent Slovak voters, greater sympathy for Russia than prevails in many neighbouring countries, and a simmering dispute about the treatment of a small Slovak minority in Ukraine.

In both respects, Slovakia under Fico has more in common with Hungary under prime minister Viktor Orban than it does with many other EU countries, particularly those to the north and the east. But it would be wrong to describe either Fico or Slovakia as bosom buddies of either Orban or Vladimir Putin. Relations are more complicated than this.

For all that many Western critics use the term populist of Fico in a negative sense, this is more complicated, too. For all the Wests condemnation of Fico as a populist, his policies as prime minister have been constrained by the limitations of coalition government. Although his Smer (Direction  Social Democrat) party topped the poll, it gained only 23 per cent of the vote, and he now governs with two other parties, one socialist, one nationalist.

So while Slovakia has indeed stopped all military aid to Ukraine, and declined to join a Czech-led group of countries raising funds to buy ammunition for Ukraine on the international market, in many other respects, Fico must defer to his coalition partners. More often than not, Slovakia complies with decisions made by the EU. It has nothing like the awkward squad record vis-a-vis Brussels that Hungary, or at times Poland, has had.

After the attempt on Ficos life on Wednesday, there were those who suggested that he was being punished for pursuing pro-Moscow policies, and for his hostility to the Ukraine war. One conclusion was that the would-be killer was aligned with, or acting on behalf of, Ukrainian or wider Western interests. What little is known of the accused gunman, however, hardly chimes with that. He is named as Juraj Cintula; he is 71, and has been a poet and political activist, with  at one time, at least  a pacifist bent. When did he cross over from pacifist to assassin, if indeed he did?

Even less plausible, however, would seem to be other vague theories washing around blaming Russia. Why would Russia want to silence one of the few voices in the EU calling for military aid to Ukraine to end? At which point it must be asked whether the bigger picture is even relevant. Is this perhaps just the result of a dispute home-grown in Slovakia, a six-million strong country which combines elements of Austro-Hungary and the Balkans?

Ficos return as prime minister drew opposition from the start. But his governments current plans to reorganise public broadcasting have drawn ire from the liberal end of the political spectrum, and street protests against what are seen as measures that could curtail media independence. The protests were suspended after the shooting, which suggests that the prime ministers absence will not be exploited by the opposition for party political purposes.

One aspect of the attempt on the Slovak prime ministers life could warrant wider concern, however. The shooting took place less than three weeks before elections for the EU parliament where, despite the best efforts of EU leaders, people commonly vote on domestic, rather than EU-wide, issues. Migration and the cost of the war in Ukraine are forecast to fuel the far-right or populist vote in several countries, including France, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.

In practice, fears of a right-wing surge have in the past proved exaggerated, if not completely unfounded, and may do so again. But political tensions are rising ahead of the elections, and the potential for the EU vote to upset the delicate political equilibrium in some countries  including Germany, for instance  poses risks that could transcend national boundaries. The propensity for the Ukraine war to spread presents another, perhaps even greater cross-border threat. This is where the possible parallels between Fico and Franz Ferdinand could come in.

That Fico is prime minister of a constitutional government, with a deputy and a government machine behind him, however, restricts the parallels, as does the very fact of the European Union, where national borders  which were already dissolving in 1914  are now largely unchallenged. It might also be observed that the wider meaning predicted for some recent political killings has not actually transpired.

The fallout from the 2002 murder of far-right politician Pim Fortuyn in the Netherlands largely remained in the Netherlands; as did the political reverberations of the murder of Jo Cox on the eve of the UKs EU referendum. The same could be said of the fatal stabbing of the liberal mayor of Gdansk, Pawe Adamowicz, in 2019. For all their horror, these crimes had few, if any, lasting political reverberations beyond their national borders.

If, as the Slovak authorities said on the day after the attack on Fico, his would-be assassin was a lone wolf  albeit one with an as yet undefined political agenda  the probability is that this attempt on the Slovak PMs life will remain a Slovak atrocity.

For the sake of orderly elections in the EU and no further encroachment of war into Europe, that, at least, must be the hope.
Bauer missed out on overseas deals because of Irish rules on media mergers

German firm says two possible acquisitions fell through due to fears over delays

Media Minister Catherine Martin. Photo: PA

John Burns Thu 16 May 2024 at 03:30

Bauer Media Group, the owners of Newstalk, Spin 1038 and Today FM, has told the Government that the media group missed out on two overseas acquisitions last December  due to Irelands strict rules on media mergers.
Goods exports were on the rise in the first three months of this year, according to the latest update from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Unadjusted goods exports were 53.2bn in the first quarter of 2024, a rise of 2.3bn from the same time last year.

Exports in March were 1pc lower than the same month in 2023, the data showed. Seasonally adjusted exports of goods were 17.6bn, unchanged from February.

Exports of medical and pharmaceutical products were down in March but still held a 38pc share of total exports across the month.

Pharma exports were 6.9bn, a decrease of 4pc from the same month in the prior year.

Organic chemicals exports rose 1pc to 3.4bn in the same period, the CSO found.

Meanwhile, exports of scientific apparatus fell by 3pc to 938m.

The CSO reported that exports to Britain were 1.7bn in March, accounting for 9pc of total exports.

Chemicals held the largest share of exports to this market, followed by food and live animals.

Exports to the European Union were 6.9bn, with the region representing 37pc of total goods exports. Around 1.9bn went to Germany, with a further 1.8bn going to Belgium.

The newly published data from the CSO also showed that exports to the United States were around 5.2bn, or around 28pc of the total.

In the face of economic difficulties and new trade barriers, Irish exports have not only persisted but also increased, said Carol Lynch, a partner in the customs and international trade department at consultants BDO.

The March report highlights a strong performance in the agri-food and chemical industries, with increased exports to the UK, US, and China, marking a positive development in the global economy, she added.

Grant Thornton tax director Janette Maxwell noted the introduction of physical, documentary and identity checks for exports headed to the UK from the end of last month.

Exports from Ireland to Great Britain rose by 3pc to 4.4bn in Q1 2024 when compared with Q1 2023, she said. Although the increase is relatively small, this figure should be monitored over the coming months as further UK customs controls are introduced.

The value of goods imports dropped 3.3bn in the first three months of the year compared with the corresponding period a year earlier.

Unadjusted goods imports stood at 31.2bn in the quarter.

Seasonally adjusted goods imports for March were 11.1bn, 2pc lower than the same month in 2023.

Imports of organic chemicals plunged 41pc, while imports of mineral fuels dropped 26pc.

Imports from Britain represented 13pc of the total and were 1.5bn in March.

The sustained decline is an indicator that Irish importers are reacting to the challenges of Brexit by sourcing goods from alternative markets, Ms Maxwell said.

This adaptability will continue to be put to the test for the remainder of 2024 as politics will likely have a further impact on the trading dynamic between Ireland and Great Britain, she added.

Overall, Irelands seasonally adjusted trade surplus was 6.5bn for the month, down 8pc from February.
A number of human rights organisations have submitted a complaint to the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) regarding investments made by the States wealth fund in companies linked to illegal settlements in Palestinian territory.

The Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), Sadaka  the Ireland Palestine Alliance and independent Palestinian group Al-Haq have joined forces to make the complaint against the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF).

In March, ISIF stated that it had direct investments in 11 companies on a 2020 UN database of businesses that have direct ties to these settlements. These investments totalled approximately 4.2m at the end of last year.

Last month, the wealth fund, which is funded by taxpayers, said it had decided to divest from six of these investments which had a total value of 2.95m.

The complaint made by the human rights organisations calls for any revenue generated by commercial activity supporting these illegal settlements, as well as the ongoing war in Gaza, to be described as proceeds of war.

GLAN, Sadaka and Al-Haq are now urging the Criminal Assets Bureau to apply proceeds of crime and anti-money laundering legislation to this commercial activity in what it describes as a first-of-its kind complaint.

The complaint outlines how the organisations believe ISIF to be liable under existing legislation. It is calling on the Criminal Assets Bureau to seize revenue obtained through these investments under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

This includes the 2.95m from the proceeds of the sale of the six investments earlier this year, the complaint said.

It is also calling for the fund to be prosecuted for handling the proceeds of crime under the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act.

GLAN, Sadaka and Al-Haq have written directly to ISIF to ask the fund to divest from the remaining five investments. They include Booking Holdings, Expedia Group and Tripadvisor, as well as Bezeq Israel Telecommunications and Motorola.

In response to the complaint, an ISIF spokesman told the Irish Independent that the fund constructs its portfolio and invests in accordance with all applicable laws.

GLAN, Sadaka and Al-Haq has also called for banks, accountancy firms and law firms to be found in breach of their own due diligence obligations under anti-money laundering legislation related to client companies operating in these illegal settlements.

This complaint should serve as a warning to investors, banks, lawyers and accountants of the risks stemming from commercial activity in Israels illegal settlements, which have long been flagged by governments, GLAN senior lawyer Gerry Liston said.

Al-Haq general director Shawan Jabarin said it was imperative that the Irish government carries out an immediate action plan to cut all of Ireland's economic ties profiting from this heinous crime.

ISIFs investments in companies which profit from the systematic dispossession of Palestinians in the West Bank and genocidal slaughter of Gazans are not just morally reprehensible, added Sadaka chairperson Eamonn Meehan.

"As our complaint demonstrates, they are also clearly illegal under existing law. ISIF must now rid itself of all remaining investments in these companies and every euro it has derived from them.

According to the most recently published NTMA annual report, the total value of ISIFs portfolio at the end of 2022 stood at 15bn.

Around 5.2bn was invested in the funds global portfolio.
Hospitality groups among most vocal on ministers proposals, but changes to employer PRSI threshold welcomed

The Governments much trailed set of measures to reduce costs for small- and medium-sized businesses received a mixed reaction yesterday, with criticism from the Irish Hotels Federation and only a guarded welcome from groups such as Retail Excellence Ireland.

The package, presented by Enterprise Minister Peter Burke, included the reopening of the Increased Cost of Business scheme for 14 days, with a second payment for firms in the retail and hospitality sectors, worth up to 5,000.

The Innovation Grant Scheme is being doubled to 10,000 and the maximum available under the energy grant scheme is also being increased to 10,000  with the business contribution rate being cut in half to 25pc.

Mr Burke promised to review ESRI research on the impact of statutory sick leave before deciding on any further increases from the current five days per year.

Well have zombie firms subsidised by taxpayers and too much regulation stifling business

He said he will also review plans for increasing the minimum annual remuneration thresholds for employment permits.

The employer PRSI threshold is to be increased from 441 to 496 from October 1, which means firms with workers earning the weekly equivalent of the national minimum wage will pay the lower rate of 8.8pc.

This will cost the Exchequer about 54m a year.

Meanwhile, local councils are to be told that no fees are to be charged for chairs and tables used in outdoor dining until the end of the year.

The Irish Hotels Federation described the package as very disappointing and said it fell far short of what was required to support small- and medium-sized hotels that are dependent on food services.

They said their members are facing tight margins and reduced profitability in a labour-intensive sector.

This is a missed opportunity to provide meaningful assistance to our sector at a time of ever-increasing business costs, much of which are a result of the Governments own policy interventions, said Michael Magner, the federations president.

Dan OBrien, chief economist of the Institute of International and European Affairs, said the Government had caved in to be nice type policies.

All across Europe there were big interventions during Covid  and that was the right thing to keep businesses in business, he said.

But at a time of very low unemployment, where lots of high-growth-potential companies are looking for workers, I think its absolutely crazy to be handing out more subsidies.

Mr OBrien said we were at risk of having the worst of both worlds  zombie companies subsidised by taxpayers money, and too much regulation stifling business.

'The package doesnt match cost increases imposed on businesses this year

The Small Firms Association, which represents businesses with fewer than 50 workers, welcomed the increase in the employer PRSI threshold but added that it was disappointing that it would not take effect until October.

The SFA still maintains that a targeted PRSI rebate is the most efficient way to get money into hard-pressed business owners pockets, it said.

In a somewhat warmer response, Chambers Ireland said the double payment of the Increased Cost of Business grant to firms in the retail and hospitality sectors was particularly welcome, as they had been hardest hit by rising costs.

Retail Excellence Ireland said it cautiously welcomed the new supports, but warned that they did not go far enough to offset the rising cost of sick pay, and the increases to the minimum wage.

Taken as a whole, this support package will be little comfort for many retailers and will not make a meaningful impact on their bottom line, said Jean McCabe, CEO of Retail Excellence Ireland.

Even though the Government may be constrained in what it can introduce before the next budget, this package doesnt nearly match the cost increases that have been imposed on businesses this year.
New roles will primarily be in R&D, digital sales and consulting

IBM says it will create up to 800 jobs in Dublin, Cork and Waterford in a software investment aimed at artificial intelligence, security and cloud technology.

The tech giant  which has had an Irish base for 65 years, making it Irelands longest-standing tech multinational  employs around 3,000 people here.

It cut some roles in Ireland as part of the recent global wave of tech layoffs.

The new jobs will include extra headcount for IBMs Waterford-based subsidiary, Red Hat, at present in the city through its acquisition of local start-up FeedHenry.

Ireland is now ranked as the fifth most advanced digital economy in the EU

The new jobs will be primarily in research and development, digital sales and consulting.

The company says that its artificial intelligence research will include large language models and generative AI, most popularly seen in systems such as OpenAIs ChatGPT.

Ireland currently has IBM Researchs only facility in the EU.

The corporate giant, one of the oldest technology companies in the world, sells consulting and technology services to the financial and healthcare sectors in Ireland, as well as to some public sector entities.

The company says the three-year jobs investment is being supported by the IDA.

It will deliver a strong impact in Dublin, Cork and Waterford

This is a testament to the calibre of talent here in Ireland, one of many reasons Ireland continues to be a strategic location for IBM, said James Kavanaugh, IBMs chief financial officer.

The head of the IDA, Michael Lohan, said the investment was valuable in advancing AI, cybersecurity and cloud technology.

It will deliver a strong impact in Dublin, Cork and Waterford, he said.

IBM recently asked for voluntary redundancies, with Mr Kavanaugh telling investors in January that it wanted to make cost savings of $3bn (2.76bn) by the end of this year.

The companys sharpest restructuring effect on workers is expected to be felt in its Eastern European operations.

Ireland is now ranked as the fifth most advanced digital economy in the EU, and having IBM choose Ireland for this new project is another vote of confidence in our country, said Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Peter Burke.

IBM has focused on global hybrid cloud and AI in recent years, as part of its core consulting business.

Its biggest facility is at its campus in Mulhuddart, in north country Dublin. It also has offices located in Cork Airports business park and in Waterford on the Cork Road.
A 75-year old farmer and retired school teacher has branded a man who subjected him to a horrific assault as a coward, a bully and a disgrace to his family.

At Ennis Circuit Court, Noel Meere stated that himself and his Mary are finally free of Ciaran Cullinan" who he said "is a violent criminal who only attacks those who are elderly and vulnerable.

Judge Francis Comerford imposed a four year-eight month prison term on Mr Cullinan (34) last July for the horrific assault on Mr Meere that occurred in September 2022.

Judge Comerford said that the assault was a cowardly attack by a stronger younger man against an older man.

Now, Judge Comerford has imposed an additional one year prison to run consecutive to the four year and eight month term on Mr Cullinan for producing a claw hammer and criminal trespass at the Meere property at Curraderra, Barefield outside Ennis on February 4th 2022.

Mr Cullinan was living in the Barefield area at the time as part of bail conditions relating to a separate matter before the courts.

Judge Comerford described the February 4th incident as bizarre and strange.

The court heard that as a result of a cannabis induced psychosis, Cullinan was targeting Mr Meere as he was under the delusional belief that the respected and innocent farmer was the leader of an Organised Crime Group (OCG).

In his victim impact statement, Noel Meere told the court that he was always fearful that Cullinan would assault him after he moved into the area.

He said: On September 5th 2022, Ciaran Cullinan carried out a horrific assault on me while sitting in a jeep at the hay shed. He punched me repeatedly around the head and stabbed me in my neck. Fortunately, I survived that assault."

Mr Meere told the court that himself and his wife, Mary are dreading the day that Ciaran Cullinan will be released from prison. We have lived our lives since his incarceration in peace, free to go about our farming activities, free from his threats and free to walk our land. We never want to see him again in our community in Curraderra, Barefield.

In relation to Mr Cullinan producing the claw hammer at his property on February 4th 2022, Mr Meere said that only for the defence of me by son Fergal, I could have been seriously hurt or killed.

As part of the initial sentence imposed on Cullinan last July, Judge Comerford has ordered that post release from prison, Cullinan is not to go within 15km of Barefield until 2031.

The Meeres have lived at Curraderra, Barefield since 1972 where they farm 150 acres.

In evidence Sgt Brian Spain said during the February 4th incident, that Mr Cullinan raised the hammer over his head and the Meeres returned indoors and locked themselves inside.

Sgt Spain said that in interview, Cullinan described the Meere house as "the gangland headquarters in Curraderra".

Counsel for the State, Lorcan Connolly BL (instructed by State Solicitor for Clare, Aisling Casey) said at trial Garda Ger Cunningham gave evidence that none of the Meere family are known to the Gardai to be involved in any criminal activity whatsoever.

Judge Comerford said that Cullinans beliefs about the Meere familys organised crime links "are ludicrous, have no basis in fact and are completely nonsensical".

Judge Comerford said that the February 2022 incident was a harbinger of the far more serious offence in September 2022 but was in itself an offence of consequence. Judge Comerford noted that Cullinan had no record of prior convictions before 2021.
The Minister for Public Expenditure Pascal Donohoe has posted fake images of himself being exceptionally active as an example of how easy it is to conduct identity fraud.

The post comes after Mr Donohoes attendance at a European anti-financial crime summit today.

The summit, which was held in the RDS in Dublin, saw more than 600 people attend the event which looked at how to fight economic and financial crime.

One of the topics explored at the event was identity fraud and the ease of professional fraud, led by Colum Lyons the founder and CEO of ID-Pal, a company that helps businesses verify customer identity.

Among the speakers at the conference was public expenditure minister Pascal Donohoe, who officially opened the event as president of the Eurogroup.

Taking to X after the event, Minister Donohoe posted a series of images of himself taking part in different activities.

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One image showed Mr Donohoe underwater while scuba diving. Another showed a smiling minister with yellow paddles in hand, enjoying a kayaking trip down a river.

The third depicted Mr Donohoe in the middle of a rugby match, holding the ball and dodging a tackle from the opposing team.

The final image, showed a more thrill-seeking minister for public expenditure, as he took a selfie in the middle of a skydive.

However, Minister Donohoe warned followers that all the images were actually artificially generated.

I usually get a lot done in a day but this is ridiculous!, Mr Donohoe posted on X.

Attended the European Anti-Financial Crime Summit this morning where ID Pal are demonstrating the dangers of identity fraud, which is a very serious issue, as these FRAUDULENT images show, he continued.

So important to continue to highlight these vital issues that have real potential to damage people's lives. The [summit] brings stakeholders together to focus on how best to minimise harm in this area, he added.

The summit, which is the largest of its kind in Europe, featured other international speakers in economic and financial crime.

Other speakers at the event included Derville Rowland, Deputy Governor at the Central Bank of Ireland who spoke about setting up the new EU Anti-Money Laundering Authority.

While Justin Kelly, Assistant Garda Commissioner of Organised Serious Crime Command also addressed attendees.

Aside from the images of Minister Donohoe, AI was a topic of discussion during the event, including how it can be used in financial compliance and what AIs role can be in detecting financial crime.
Approximately 24 billion was spent in Ireland across all contactless payments, with half that amount paid through mobile wallets such as Apple Pay or Google Pay in the 12 months up to March 2024.

The vast majority, 85.5pc, of point-of-sale payments in Ireland are contactless, the latest Payments Monitor report from Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) revealed.

In total, 12.2 billion was spent using mobile wallets such as Apple Pay or Google Pay between March 2023 and March 2024.

Gillian Byrne, Head of Payments, BPFI said the report shows a shift in consumer behaviour towards the use of mobile wallet payments.

However, the report shows significant regional differences between counties.

Dublin had the highest number of contactless payments per capita at 394 in the twelve months up to March 2024, which is 40pc above the national average.

Mobile wallet payments were most common in Dublin with 190 payments per person and Carlow, 131 payments per person over the 12 month period leading up to March 2024,

Roscommon and Monaghan had the least amount of mobile wallet payments, with 45 and 54 per person respectively, during the same period observed in the report.

Overall, in 2023, there were 4.1 billion payments made, equalling 11 million payments per day, the majority of which were through payment cards and mobile and online banking.

The average spend of single mobile wallet payments is 18.73, 11pc higher than the average contactless card payment due to mobile wallets not being subject to a payment limit of 50.

For 2023, payment cards accounted for about 63pc of the total payment volume, however with the average card payment value at 44, it only accounted for 1.1pc of the total value.

Credit transfers, including personal online and mobile banking transfers, as well as salary and pension payments and business-to-business transfers, accounted for almost 96pc of the value of payments but only 24pc of the volume.

The report also highlighted how cheque usage has fallen significantly in recent years with only 15 million payments in 2023, less than half the volume seen in 2019.

This is despite the fact that Ireland remains an outlier in the euro area as one of four countries with significant cheque usage including Cyprus, Malta and France.

The publication of the monitor comes ahead of an industry briefing being hosted by BPFI on the digital euro, with contributions from the Central Bank of Ireland and Minister Neale Richmond, TD, Minister of State with responsibility for Financial Services, Credit Unions and Insurance.

The digital euro, a universally accessible electronic equivalent of banknotes and coins, which will complement cash, will likely be introduced in the next few years in the form of a digital wallet.

While cash will continue to play an important role in society, further digitisation is coming with instant payments being introduced to Ireland and across the European Union from next year, which will allow the instant transfer of money 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Ms Byrne added.
A grieving father has told a manslaughter sentencing hearing that when his sons life support was turned off in early January of last year, it was 29 minutes before he passed  a minute for every year of his life.

In a powerful victim impact statement, at a sitting of the Central Criminal Court in Cork, Pat ONeill said that he and his wife Eileen had held the hand of their beloved only child, Matt, at Cork University Hospital as he took his final breath on January 8, 2023.

It was 29 minutes of heartbreaking sadness that no parent should ever have to experience. This trauma will never leave us.

Mr ONeill delivered the statement at the sentencing hearing of 21-year-old Ricardo Hoey of Ardcarrig, Carrigaline, Co Cork and 20-year-old Jordan Deasy of Ravensdale, Herons Wood in the town.

Both men had gone on trial earlier this year in Cork earlier charged with the murder of Matt ONeill on December 28, 2022 at Glenwood Estate in Carrigaline. They were both found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.

Mr ONeill told Justice Siobhan Lankford that he and his wife Eileen were on the street in Carrigaline on the night of the attack as their son lay lifeless and bleeding surrounded by people trying to save his life.

Today's News in 90 seconds - 16th May 2024

We are haunted by these images and the thought of the lonely terror and pain he (Matt) must have felt, those images will stay with us for the rest of our lives.

Matt, who was very close to his parents, was born in Brisbane in Australia. Mr ONeill said that they did everything as a trio.

We did so much together. Matt loved water sports. He could swim before he could walk. He was an excellent swimmer and surfer and he had trained in life saving.

Together we surfed, climbed, kayaked and camped. He loved all of it. On a cold wet winter Saturday or Sunday, Matt would be the one waking up early and insisting we go out and do some activity. He would come and wake me up by lifting up my eyelid and say wake up Dad, talking in to my eye.

The court heard that Matt was a lovely person with a quiet and pleasant disposition. Mr ONeill said that his son had a kind and gentle soul and was involved in several rescues in his short life.

When Matt was just 13, the family were surfing on a beach in Kerry when six people got in to difficulty in the water. Pat recalled that while he was getting three people to shore Matt went to the aid of the other three people who were further out.

He gave two of them his surfboard to stay afloat. He brought the third one in. One was in a very serious condition. Matts action saved that mans life.

Even now, he has gone on to save a further three lives by donating his organs, which were successfully transplanted.

Mr ONeill also said that his son had many talents.

Matt was intelligent and had the ability to retain incredible detail as he had a photographic memory. He had a great talent in fixing anything mechanical from a drill to an engine.

Matt was particularly close to his mother Eileen. Pat and Eileen say that they particularly miss Matt when they are having his favourite meals and he is not at the table with them.

Pat also spoke with fondness about how about Matt reacted when their family dog Xena died suddenly about a decade ago.

He tried to resuscitate her by blowing in to her mouth. I knew she had died but Matt wouldnt have it any other way but to take her to the vet to make sure she couldnt be saved. That was his kind and caring nature.

And now he is gone. His clothes still hang in the wardrobe, he will never wear them again. If we go in to his bedroom, his scent is still there and we are reduced to sadness and tears with the realisation of his absence.

The loving father added that there will never again be Christmas in their home.

In fact, it is unlikely there will ever be any celebration, after the mindless aggression and violence against our son and a complete lack of empathy, when they (Hoey and Deasy) could have walked away.

Meanwhile, Dt Garda Brid Norris said in evidence that the attack on Mr ONeill occurred in Glenwood Estate in the town as Mr ONeill was walking back to his home from a petrol station. Matt was rushed to Cork University Hospital (CUH) with his injuries and lapsed in to a coma. However, he never regained consciousness and died in hospital 11 days later.

Dt Garda Norris said that Mr Hoey had gotten out of his car on the day of the offence, pushing Matt ONeill who fell to the ground. Jordan Deasy then punched him twice with Ricardo Hoey then kicking Matt once in the head. The pair then left the scene in the car driven and owned by Mr Hoey.

She said that Mr Hoey informed his mother that an altercation had taken place. He presented himself to gardai within an hour of the incident. Dt Garda Norris said Mr Deasy went in to hiding but was arrested on December 31, 2022.

Dt Garda Norris said that during questioning the men had accepted that their behaviour was cowardly and unnecessary.

Barrister Tom Creed, SC, for Mr Hoey said that his client had contacted gardai within an hour of his offending behaviour occurring.

The court heard that Mr Hoey, who is a trained scaffolder, was without previous convictions. Mr Deasy has eleven previous convictions, one of which was for assault causing harm.

Mr Creed emphasised that there was no question of premeditation or a weapon in the case and that his client had co operated fully with gardai.

Barrister Brendan Grehon, SC, representing Mr Deasy said that his client along with Mr Hoey had a plea of manslaughter declined at the start of the murder trial.

He said that Mr Deasy had never intended to seriously hurt Matt ONeill. The court heard that Deasy was doing very well in prison where he is an enhanced prisoner.

Ms Justice Lankford heard that both men were hugely remorseful for their actions on the night. Sentencing in the case was adjourned until July 31.

The murder trial had heard evidence from over 30 witnesses including John McGovern, who was walking through the estate in Carrigaline at about 7.30pm on the night of the offence, and saw Mr ONeill on the ground in front of a car with two men standing over him.

I asked Lads, whats after going on here? I approached the man on the ground who I noticed was unconscious. Only the taller man replied and said He wouldnt get out of the way. I presumed he meant the man on the ground would not get out of the way of the car.

Dt Garda Ian Breen gave evidence of memos of garda interviews with Mr Deasy. he said he and Ricardo Hoey were driving in Glenwood when they came upon Matt ONeill.

He (Matt ONeill) was standing in front of the car. He would not get out of the way of the car. He wouldnt move. We were telling him to move.
I just knew I wanted to have children. In my 20s I reached the point where I just knew. But girls didnt want to have children until their late 30s
State-owned land is being identified for the accommodation of asylum seekersNumber of tents along a section of the Grand Canal in Dublin rose to nearly 90 today from 57 yesterday

The Department of Integration has confirmed that it will be using a north Dublin Thornton Hall site to accommodate asylum seekers in tents in the near future.

The comes as unprecedented numbers of asylum seekers coming into the State, according to Tanaiste Micheal Martin.

The site was previously earmarked to be a super prison and this evening the Department of Integration confirmed it will be used to house migrants.

The Department of Integration said in a statement that the use of the site was part of a new asylum strategy announced on March 27.

As part of the implementation of the new strategy, a portion of land at the Thornton Hall site has now been identified for potential utilisation for accommodation for International Protection applicants.

A request from DCEDIY [Integration Department] was made to DOJ [Department of Justice] for consideration of the allocation of a portion of the Thornton Hall site.

In the immediate term, the plan is to use an area of this site for emergency type accommodation, and DCEDIY is closely engaged with DOJ and the Irish Prison Service to bring that accommodation onstream in the near future.

The State is facing an enormous challenge, Mr Martin said.

I believe Thornton Hall should be used and that is under consideration," he said.

I understand theres work underway between the Department of Children, Department of Justice and other Departments in that respect."

He said the Government is "exhausting" all housing opportunities.

Were exhausting every possible opportunity that exists in terms of the utilisation of sites owned by the State and that can be made available for utilisation by the State in respect of the unprecedented numbers that have arrived into the country.

The Tanaiste said the alternative has to be better facilities of sheltered accommodation or sites for asylum seekers as opposed to migrants setting up tents on city streets.

There is an enormous challenge here facing us in terms of the growing number of asylum seekers seeking asylum in Ireland and indeed, across Europe and that is creating pressures. We have had unprecedented numbers and that is increasing at the moment, he said.

Taoiseach Simon Harris earlier today said State-owned land is being identified for the accommodation of asylum seekers as the number of tents along a section of the Grand Canal in Dublin rose to nearly 90 today from 57 yesterday.

The new camp started to grow late last week between the Baggot Street and Leeson Street bridges on the city-side of the canal.

The tents are positioned side by side and are now on both sides of the tow-path, with some pitched on the slope between the path and the canal itself.

Asylum seekers are drawn to the area due to its proximity to the International Protection Office on Mount Street Lower.

This week there were approximately 40 tents there on Tuesday morning, the Irish Independent counted almost 60 yesterday morning and they increased again overnight to between 75 and 90 tents on Thursday morning.

Barriers erected around the canal area after removal of the tents

The Taoiseach defended Government action on the growing problem of migrant camps and said, in relation to the massive camp of around 200 tents that had developed on Mount Street, that he believed a blind eye was turned by official Ireland to the development of what became almost a public health emergency.

What we saw on Mount Street was appalling. And we came very, very, very close to a public health emergency being declared," he said.

"We took action in relation to Mount Street, a multi-agency approach, and as a result of that, and the multi-agency operation on the Grand Canal (last week) we saw around 450 people being provided with better accommodation, sanitation and safer shelter.

But it is absolutely true that there continues to be an issue with tents emerging. I think that's very different to Mount Street because we're not seeing these be allowed to develop for weeks and weeks and months and months and months in the case of Mount Street.

What needs to happen here though is two things. We need to identify very quickly some State-owned land where we can safely provide tented accommodation with sanitation. And that work is underway today. It's been underway yesterday. There's a lot of intensive engagement going on in relation to that.

Secondly though, we cannot begin and end every conversation about migration with accommodation supply. That is just one aspect of what needs to be looked at in terms of a sustainable migration system.

We must also look at all of the other factors in relation to immigration, such as how the welfare system interacts, how we provide accommodation, charges that are levelled on people, how we compare with other European countries as well.

This week in Government we brought forward a memorandum with about 10 actions, one of which was accommodation, nine of which were in other areas, and all of which need to be taken forward by a number of ministers because this requires a whole of government response.

He continued;

I quite frankly don't think we're well served. I don't think migrants are well served. I don't think the people of Ireland are well served, when the only aspect of the conversation around immigration that we've been having on loop for quite a period of time is around accommodation.

Its extremely important. We have obligations in relation to accommodation and we will meet them. But it is just one part of a broader conversation that needs to happen about what a sustainable migration system looks like.

Speaking about the growing number of tents, Labour leader Ivana Bacik has said the lack of coordination and the lack of provision amounts to the conclusion that the resulting tents amounts to a sort of Rwanda policy for the Irish Government.

They are leaving people sleep in tents and its almost as if they are seeking to send out a signal to those who may be coming to Ireland to claim refuge, she added.
Galway City Councillor Mike Cubbard explained why he has decided to not use posters ahead of the upcoming local elections in favour of other means, including his car.

Cllr Cubbard, who is an independent candidate for Galway City Central, explained to the Irish Independent he decided not to use posters for his campaign as he believes the poster system is now outdated.

The Independent councillor said that he decided to use other means to reach Galway residents, including social media, canvassing and transforming his car into a mobile poster.

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He said: I was trying to think outside the box and how can I get my name out. Some people would say if you dont use posters people will forget about you. I had to try different ways of keeping my name on the agenda, so I do my door-to-door canvassing, and I do my social media. But I said, I drive around town, I have a white car, it stands out, Ill stick maroon writing on it, the maroon and white of Galway, it will be ideal.

It's working very well, because the number of people who wave at me in traffic, or beep the horn at me in traffic, or text me saying the saw the car in the area, it does stand out. Im calling my car the mobile poster at the moment.

Talking about the reasons that brought him to this decision, Cllr Cubbard mentioned the environment, road safety and fairness.

He said: The first reason is obviously to make a small conscious effort towards the environment. The stats tell us that every election will produce the equivalent of 23 Croke Parks full of posters, so I dont want to play a part of that anymore.

Secondly are the road safety issues, with some of the posters blocking junctions and signals.

And, thirdly, theres an issue about fairness, Im not of the view that we completely ban posters because I know that candidates who are only starting out need a bit of coverage, but what I believe should happen is that the government pass a legislation that tells the local council to provide designated zones.

Cllr Cubbard added: So the council takes two or three areas in each part of the city where people can go and put up their information, whether that be a poster or your politics or priorities.

Whats happening at the moment I believe is very unfair because if you are a smaller party or if you are an independent, you can only afford a few posters. And the bigger parties come in with hundreds of posters, if youre a rich independent you can afford a lot more posters than a person on an average wage. Its really unfair.
She said Ukrainian refugees want to work but face difficulties in doing so including a language barrier, the recognition of their qualifications and overreliance on seasonal work.

Natalia has put her name forward to contest the local elections in the Killarney Electoral Area and said the planned cuts to the Ukrainian community will adversely affect mothers with children and older people.

Ukrainians would be happy to work, earn and pay taxes here in Ireland and not depend on social benefits. Dependence on government payments is not our way of life, she said in response to the announcement the Government has signed off on plans to reduce social welfare payments to Ukrainian refugees who are entitled to 232 weekly rates of jobseekers allowance if they are not working.

The changes to welfare signed off by the Cabinet will affect Ukrainian refugees who fled to Ireland between 2022 and early 2024 and who are in are in fully-serviced state accommodation. They are to have their allowances cut from the job seekers rate of 232 to a lower rate in the next three months.

But now Ukrainians are facing several difficulties - learning English in a short time, uncertainty about the recognition of diplomas and then finding a job. As the war continues, I think we in Ireland need a more medium to long-term strategy to help integrate Ukrainian professionals into the workforce and into society, however long that takes, he said.

50% of Ukrainians in Ireland have higher education. We want to use these qualifications and Ireland can use it for the greater good. I think this is the way forward, she said.

She said a sharp reduction would mean that some people would be forced back to a war situation.

The Ukrainian community expresses the opinion that a sharp reduction in payments will not allow young mothers with children and pensioners, disabled people to stay in Ireland, because the payment of 38 euros per week does not even cover the cost of meals in hotels which is 70 a week. Thus, with this decision, the government can push people into poverty or return to the war zone in Ukraine.
A man and a woman remain in custody this morning after they were arrested by gardai who seized a Skorpion sub-machine gun, a silencer and ammunition in west Dublin last night.

Both people, who are aged in their 30s, were arrested in a search operation in Clondalkin, Dublin 22 and are being held at Garda stations in Dublin.

Gardai attached to the Dublin Crime Response Team (DCRT) were engaged in the operation that was carried out as a result of a targeted intelligence led investigation.

During the course of the search, one Skorpion sub-machine gun, a silencer and ammunition were recovered and seized, gardai said.

A male and female, aged in their 30s were arrested in relation to possession of firearms and are currently detained, pursuant to the provisions of Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act 1939/98, at Garda stations in Dublin.

Investigations are ongoing.
Minister McGrath says 30,000 migrants may arrive this year

Gardai sent six migrants back to Belfast on one-way train tickets after they tried to cross the Border from the North.

Fifty migrants were sent back to the UK from the Republic in the last seven months, mostly to mainland Britain.

Last night, Finance Minister Michael McGrath told a Fianna Fail meeting that between 20,000 and 30,000 asylum-seekers could come into the State this year if current numbers continue.

This is the first time a senior cabinet minister has said the number of asylum-seekers this year could reach 30,000, with previous estimates by the Government suggesting a figure of 20,000 people.

Mr McGrath is understood to have told the meeting that number of asylum-seekers coming into the State this year had "exploded.

In February, 25 people were detected trying to illegally enter from the North without relevant visas or travel documents.

Asylum seeker numbers expected to decline once UK deemed safe country - Taoiseach Simon Harris

The figures were revealed in Garda Commissioner Drew Harris' report to the Policing Authority in March, which detailed how 47 buses had been stopped and searched in the operation.

The searches were part of Operation Sonnet, a joint operation between the Garda National Immigration Bureau and the Immigration Enforcement team in Northern Ireland.

The checkpoints were carried out on the M1 motorway at the Border across four days.

All 25 individuals were subsequently refused leave to stay and were returned to the UK  19 by ferry to Holyhead in north Wales and six by train to Belfast.

The Fianna Fail meeting also heard TD John Lahart say the public wants to know that people are being deported when they are issued with deportation orders.

There was also a "very strong view that there was a need to designate more countries as safe countries, as per previous calls from TD Jim O'Callaghan.

Meanwhile, the policing report also reveals that during a garda operation last October, another 25 people, including three children, were detected entering the Republic without visas or documents. All 25 were returned to Holyhead. The UK Home Office said those stopped were "abusing the Common Travel Area.

It added: "The UK and Ireland are both able to stop people entering their respective countries if they believe the traveller is abusing the Common Travel Area, as happened in this case. We have no plans for a returns agreement with Ireland for asylum-seekers.

The garda operations came months before a row broke out between the Irish and British governments over the return of migrants to the UK.

These were stopped in March after the High Court ruled the Department of Justice had exceeded its powers in designating the UK a safe country. The Government is preparing legislation to allow returns to continue in the future. UK prime minister Rishi Sunak said in April that the UK would not accept any migrant returns from Dublin while France refused to accept returned Channel migrants.

Taoiseach Simon Harris urged Mr Sunak to abide by the Common Travel Area returns agreement, but the UK Government said the post-Brexit arrangement was not legally binding.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee had claimed that 80pc of asylum-seekers in the Republic were entering from Northern Ireland, but the figure was disputed.

The dynamics changed again this week when a judge at the High Court in Belfast ruled much of the UK's Illegal Migration Act could not apply in Northern Ireland because of rights protections guaranteed under the Windsor Framework.

The matter was discussed in the House of Lords yesterday, with UK Labours Vernon Coaker suggesting the ruling would leave the UK in a chaotic and damaging situation of asylum seekers having different levels of protection in different parts of the UK.

Junior Home Office Minister Andrew Sharpe said he did not believe the ruling would make migrants to travel to Northern Ireland.

He added: The cohort we are detaining have been considered under existing legislation, so those who are part of that cohort can and will be removed to Rwanda. There would be no benefit to their going to Northern Ireland to avoid removal.

The DUPs Gavin Robinson said this week the British Government must act to prevent Northern Ireland becoming a magnet for asylum seekers, and have immigration law apply equally.

It is imperative that immigration policy applies equally across every part of the United Kingdom, he said.

Our national parliament should have the ability to make decisions on immigration that are applicable on a national basis.

If that were not the case, it would not only be a constitutional affront but would make Northern Ireland a magnet for asylum seekers seeking to escape enforcement.
The leader of the countrys largest public sector union has described Department of Health secretary general Robert Watt as the captain of the austerity ship and accused him of attempting to gaslight workers.

In a speech at the Forsa biennial conference today, general secretary Kevin Callinan, referred to comments made by Mr Watt in relation to hospital waiting lists at an Oireachtas Committee last week.

Mr Watt was reported to say the fact over 500,000 people are on waiting lists is unacceptable and suggest that the countrys health workers must do better.

We certainly wont tolerate attempts, such as we saw from the captain of the austerity ship, Robert Watt, last week to gaslight health workers for the fact that there are more than half a million people on our waiting list, Mr Callinan told delegates at the conference in Killarney.

Speaking afterwards, he said he does not think it is helpful when theres an attempt by somebody in his position to put the blame for the fact that there s over half a million on health waiting lists on staff.

He said Mr Watt did this in a report to an Oireachtas committee last week, saying that the staff should do better that the staff are the problem.

The union leader said this is not the problem, but the fact that the health service was cut to the bone during the crash.

We have a rapidly growing population, not just because we have a lot of the Ukrainians or the migrants, we have a rapidly growing population anyway, he said.

Public services arent keeping up with that and were simply not going to accept any attempt to deflect this and blame the staff for the failings of the system.

He said the government needs to sit down in a real way with unions to address some of these issues rather than turn up to Oireachtas committees or send reports to Oireachtas committees where its an attempt to kind of suggest that the fault is with the system or the staff.

In his speech, Mr Callinan also referred to a gagging clause in HSE employment contracts that he claimed are designed to have a chilling effect on staff.

He said this ultimately impedes the publics right to information and better public services.

A Department of Health spokesperson said at no time has the secretary general sought to blame health care workers for the challenges faced by the health service.

In fact, at the Joint Health Committee last week the secretary general highlighted the contributions being made by the Enhanced Community Care Programme and the Waiting List Action Plan in particular in positively impacting waiting lists in the countrys health service, which have fallen for the last two years, they said.

They said Mr Watt also outlined the increased levels of activity being delivered by staff across the health service, particularly in hospital emergency departments, in spite of the significant increases in demand.

The spokesperson said Mr Watt went on to identify the challenges that will increasingly be posed by our growing population of older people as follows:

"Despite the progress we are making we see every day the immense challenges we face as our population increases and ages.

"We see them in increased presentations to our emergency departments in particular and we know the centrality of moving to Integrated Care models as set out above in meeting those challenges.

"Notwithstanding our progress in this regard, we currently have a population over the age of 65 of 800,000. By 2031 that number will have reached a million, by 2041 1.3 million and it will be nearly 1.6 million by 2051, double that of today. We simply must do better with the resources at our disposal to meet that challenge.

"Through the work of the Productivity and Savings Task Force, jointly chaired by myself and the CEO of the HSE, we will be further driving reforms in the period ahead to ensure that we are delivering the highest standard of care, to the greatest number of people, for the investment provided by government."

Mr Watt has been Secretary General of the Department of Health at a time of unprecedented expansion of our health workforce - with the addition of 28,475 whole time equivalent (staff) since the beginning of 2020, he said. It is planned to recruit over 2,200 extra staff in 2024, he added.

Today's News in 90 seconds - 16th May 2024

Meanwhile, Mr Callinan, who is the chief union negotiator at public sector pay talks, said he is pleased that the terms of a new deal giving staff pay rises of over 10pc over two and a half years appears to be setting a benchmark for the wider state sector and even in part of the private sector.

He said the next set of public sector pay talks will be tougher than ever.

We know the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform officials believe that they were pushed further than they wanted to go on this occasion, he said.

Referring to the far right, he said the actions of a very small number of ideologically driven thugs have put Forsa members working in public libraries at risk.

Their message of hate must be called out for what it is, he said.

Thats why Forsa supported the Ireland for All marches and organised a rally in Cork to support our library members there, he said.

He said social dialogue is meaningless unless it produces answers to real problems.

For far too long now governments have pursued an approach based mainly on ticking the box of consultation and presenting information on their own plans, he said.

Sure - they listen to what we have to say, but its clear that our influence is very limited.

He said the fact that tax relief on union subscriptions hasnt been restored tells a lot about what they really think of us.
A man has been hospitalised with horror injuries to his arm after a robbery and assault in Dublin last night.

The victim (30s) is understood to have been attacked in the Cherry Orchard area.

It is understood he had gone there to purchase a vehicle at around 7pm on Wednesday and was subsequently attacked and robbed of a sum of money by a "lone male".

The man was rushed to Tallaght Hospital for treatment.

His injuries are not life threatening.

Gardai are investigating the incident, but no arrests have been made.

In a statement, gardai said:

Gardai at Ballyfermot are investigating the alleged assault and robbery of a man in his 30s following an incident at Cedarbrook Way, Cherry Orchard, shortly before 7 pm on Wednesday, 15th May 2024. The victim sustained serious injuries to his arm after being approached and assaulted by a lone male. A sum of cash was taken during the robbery. The victim was taken to hospital for treatment. His injuries are not life-threatening.

"No arrests have been made to date, enquiries are ongoing.

"Anyone with information is asked to contact Ballyfermot garda station 01 6667200 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111."
Reliving the horror and revulsion felt across the country through reporters eyes on the ground

The early years of the Troubles had made violence a daily occurrence in the North. On May 17, 1974, that violence came to the streets of the south in what proved to be the greatest loss of life in a single day over the course of the conflict.
Samaritans are available on freephone 116 123 for anyone who is struggling to cope.

More than five million calls have been answered by Samaritans volunteers during 10 years of the free-to-call helpline.

The Samaritans helpline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and became free to call 10 years ago.

Approximately 700,000 hours of support have been offered by the suicide prevention charity during this time.

Although the volunteers have been supporting people in Ireland for more than 50 years, Executive Director of Samaritans Ireland Sarah O'Toole said that introducing freephone in 2014 was a "major milestone".

Ms OToole added the charity is "grateful" that the companies have renewed their "commitment to fund calls to their freephone helpline 116 123".

Those calls could not have been taken without the dedication of our volunteers in Samaritans branches across the country, and the generosity of our telecoms partners, who have covered the cost of those calls since March 2014," she said.

That support means thousands of people who call the Samaritans helpline every year can be confident calls from any phone wont cost anything.

Minister of State Ossian Smyth has said that Samaritans Ireland provide "a very valuable service to vulnerable people across the country".

"It is tremendous that Irelands telecoms industry is playing a key role in that. I am delighted that all major providers have agreed to continue supporting Samaritans and the vital work that they do," he said.

"This agreement will mean that there will be no cost barrier to anyone who may need to call Samaritans over the next five years.

It comes as only last year Samaritans answered more than 400,000 calls and emails for help, including 20,000 from prisoners and 150 calls from overseas. They offered 63,000 hours of support.

Volunteers spent on average nearly 23 minutes on the phone with each caller who needed emotional support.

The most common concerns were mental health or illness, loneliness or isolation, family issues and relationship problems.

Sarah OToole said the charity is "extremely proud" of all its volunteers.

"Not only for the time and dedication they give to our callers but for the hours they also give to supporting those in schools, communities, at festivals and in prison.

We want to remind anyone who needs support to call us on freephone 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.ie, she said.
Between 25,000 and 30,000 asylum seekers could come into the State this year if current numbers continue, Finance Minister Michael McGrath has told a Fianna Fail meeting this evening.

This is the first time a senior Cabinet minister has said the number of asylum seekers entering Ireland this year could reach 30,000, as previous estimates by the Government have suggested as high as 20,000 people may arrive.

Minister McGrath told the meeting that between 25,000 and 30,000 asylum seekers may come into the state this year at current rates.

Currently, around 600 asylum seekers are coming into Ireland per week.

Mr McGrath is understood to have told the meeting that numbers of asylum seekers coming into the State this year have exploded.

The public wants to see planes carrying migrants being deported and leaving the State, the Fianna Fail parliamentary party meeting also heard.

The public wants to know that people are being deported when they are issued with deportation orders, TD John Lahart told the meeting tonight.

A number of TDs and Senators spoke on the need for better communication, including Eugene Murphy and Mark Daly.

Senator Murphy is understood to have told the meeting that better communication alone wont solve the concerns the public has with migration.

There was a very strong view that there is a need to designate more countries as safe countries, as per previous repeated calls from TD Jim OCallaghan.

TD John Lahart said communications around migration needs to be significantly ramped up to improve messaging and combat fake news.

He told colleagues that the public need to see that the States immigration systems are working and are not overwhelmed.

One politician at the meeting is understood to have told colleagues how they are from a small rural town and 150 migrants have been accommodated nearby. They said the community does not know them and nobody knows why theyre here.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin was not at the meeting as he is attending a conference held by a group which represents military personnel in Cavan.

Senior Cabinet ministers, including Minister McGrath and Housing Minister Darragh OBrien, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and Education Minister Norma Foley, as well as a number of junior ministers were at tonights party meeting.

The meeting was dominated by the issue of migration and sources said the conversation was very healthy, very productive.
Recommendations from a report on a sexual abuse scandal in St John Ambulance have still not been implemented more than 12 months after they were given, the Dail has been told.

Independent TD Thomas Pringle said survivors were still waiting for action to address significant shortcomings that facilitated the abuse.

It is completely unacceptable that this has been allowed to continue. Survivors have already been through so much, he said.

At least 16 boys were sexually abused by one former senior figure in the organisations Old Kilmainham division in Dublin.

The abuse began in the early 1960s and continued into the late 1990s, with successive waves of volunteers.

A review into the allegations was conducted by Dr Geoffrey Shannon, senior counsel, a former Government special rapporteur on child protection.

His early 2023 report recommended that the charity overhaul its hierarchical culture and hire a professional child protection officer.

Mr Pringle said he had raised the issue in February when it was "nearly a year since the publication of the damning report." But survivors were still waiting for St John Ambulance to implement its most urgent calls.

Today's News in 90 seconds - 16th May 2024

"And they are still waiting, he said. It was disgraceful they had to fight for recommendations to be implemented, he told the Tanaiste.

Micheal Martin replied that he would be somewhat surprised at no follow-through by St John Ambulance Ireland.

Independent Senator Tom Clonan says he has been contacted by survivors concerned that reforms had not been implemented.

If so, it was an insult to survivors and compounds their moral distress, the Tanaiste said.

Mr Martin said he would talk to the Minister for Children about this very serious issue.

Green Party TD Patrick Costello also raised the matter. He said the Government is funding a safeguarding officer because of the charitys inability to fund it themselves and because of the absolute necessity for such a role.

He noted that when similar concerns emerged about Scouting Ireland, then minister Katherine Zappone cut off its funding until it implemented changes. He said the Government had leverage over the charity through funding. I think it is time we used this lever.

The Tanaiste insisted that the department was working on the issue. He said the central recommendation was the appointment of a national safeguarding officer. That person was to work with the organisation to ensure full compliance with the child protection and safeguarding regime.

In January, the charity met Department officials and said it needed financial support to fund the safeguarding officer. Funding was committed for the role.

Mr Martin said that three separate progress reports or response documents were published by the organisation during 2023, in March, July and November that year. That is just to correct an impression that nothing was done at all. I just want to put that on the record of the House.
Just 275 vacant property refurbishment grants have been paid out since the scheme was launched nearly two years ago.

Out of the 7,570 applications received, 4,390 have been approved, according to the Department of Housing.

The figures were provided to Social Democrats TD Cian OCallaghan, who described the scheme as another empty vessel for Government spin.

There are 163,433 vacant homes according to the 2022 census, with 48,000 of those empty since 2016.

The grant came into effect in a bid to help turn vacant and derelict properties in towns and villages into a permanent home. This was later expanded to include eligible properties in cities and rural parts of the country.

Social Democrats TD Cian O'Callaghan said the refurbishment scheme is poorly designed and not suitable for many people

Applicants have 13 months to carry out the refurbishment works after grant approval is received, which has been a contributing factor in the low number of drawdowns, according to local authorities.

The scheme allows access to up to 50,000 to renovate a vacant property and up to 70,000 to restore a derelict house. However, the work must first be completed before the grant can be received.

Mr OCallaghan, who is the Social Democrats housing spokesperson, said: The poorly designed scheme allows people with significant financial resources to access the grant because they can pay for renovations upfront and be reimbursed later.

Celebrity architect Dermot Bannon and minister for housing Darragh OBrien attended the launch of a property development in Hollystown, Dublin (Cillian Sherlock/PA)

Meanwhile, those who really need assistance have to go through the incredibly difficult process of getting loans out on vacant and derelict properties.

This Governments vacant property refurbishment grant is another addition to the list of badly designed, untargeted and ineffective schemes that are making little impact on a worsening housing crisis.

It was previously reported by the Sunday Independent that celebrity architect Dermot Bannon received a private briefing from Housing Minister Darragh OBrien about the scheme.

Under the scheme, homeowners previously had 18 months to finish the works, but this changed to 13 months last May

The grant was subsequently repeatedly referenced on some episodes of RTEs Room to Improve.

When asked last week if there was any subvention to his production company in relation to the product placement of the ministers policies, Mr Bannon replied: No.

He was speaking at the launch of a new estate of affordable and social homes in Hollystown, Dublin 15 which he helped design. The estate was developed by Glenveagh construction company.

Mr OBrien was also present and said the grants are working really well.

It is making a real difference and I absolutely see no problem with it, he said.

And I dont actually understand why there will be any difficulty whatsoever of informing the public about whats there to help them get a home.

Under the scheme, homeowners previously had 18 months to finish the works, but this changed to 13 months last May.

The grant process involves local authorities receiving, reviewing and validating applications before arranging for a qualified person to visit the property to check that it is possible to do the work and to assess the proposed cost. Once councils are satisfied the work has been completed in-line with the grant application, it will pay out.

A spokesperson for the Department of Housing said: "The Grant was launched in July 2022 and grants started to be paid by local authorities in August 2023, as works were completed. It is expected that the number of grant payment drawdowns will substantially increase over 2024 as more works are completed."

The department added that a "comprehensive review and evaluation of the scheme" will be undertaken by mid-2024.
Bathers were warned away from beaches 273 times last summer after record rainfall overloaded drains and sewage

Swimmers were warned away from beaches 273 times last summer because of pollution or potential pollution fears

Swimmers were warned away from beaches 273 times last summer because of pollution or potential pollution fears.

What was described as a challenging season has had the knock-on effect of putting five beaches out of use this summer.

They include three in Co Dublin  Sandymount in the city, and Loughshinny and Balbriggan Front Strand in the north of the county.

Balbriggan was also out of bounds last year and two other beaches are also restricted for another year: Ladys Bay in Buncrana, Co Donegal; and Tra na mBan in An Spideal, Co Galway.

Record rainfall in July and a slew of storms in August were the main problem, bringing heavy rain that overloaded drains and sewage pipes and washed dirty water into the sea.

However, run-off from farmers fields, fouling by dogs, algal blooms and faulty sewage connections also played their part. It meant that even when the rain stopped long enough for people to get out and about, some beaches remained off limits to swimmers for days.

In total there were 45 closure orders  up 25pc on 2022  because pollution was detected or because of algal blooms on the water but an additional 228 prior warning notices were also issued  20pc more than in 2022.

These are issued when heavy rain is forecast and beaches with a history of overflow problems will potentially be polluted.

A swimmer at Balbriggan Beach, which will be out of use due to 'challenging season'

Swimmers can take their chances on beaches under notice but the advice is to avoid the water until the flow has settled down to normal levels  at least for 48 hours.

The findings are in the Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) annual bathing water quality report, which compiles the results of local authority testing at 148 beaches around the country.

Overall water quality is good ,according to the tests, with 114 beaches ranked as excellent, 24 as good, five as sufficient and five as poor.

Testing is mandatory only from June 1 to September 15, however, so the EPA warns that people who swim outside of the formal season may not have full water quality information. It says they should observe the 48-hour no-swim advice after heavy rain even if no prior warning is issued.

There are also many beaches that do not have official bathing water designation so testing can be sporadic.

The Beaches.ie website provides some information on those during the summer months.

The EPA said the challenging summer highlighted the need to build climate resilience into public bathing waters.

It said local authorities should provide green areas in towns for sustainable urban drainage systems that act as soakage for heavy rain so that it would not overwhelm street drains.

Uisce Eireann needed to move faster with planned upgrades to wastewater collection and treatment facilities, it added. Greater effort was also needed in farming areas to stop pollutants running off into waterways.

While beach closures play an important role in protecting bathers health, local authorities need to improve their understanding of the pressures which can impact beaches in the context of changing rainfall patterns, Dr Eimear Cotter of the EPA said.
Ukrainian refugees coming to the end of their 90 Day emergency accommodation are facing an uphill battle to find somewhere to live, according to the Irish Red Cross.

With the rental market at capacity, and pledged accommodation thin on the ground, many could be forced to enter more vulnerable accommodation set-ups or leave Ireland, it says.

The problem arises because since March Ukrainian refugees arriving into the country have been offered only 90 days of emergency accommodation, and this will run out for them from June 15.

The Irish Red Cross says there are around 660 such refugees within the 90 Day system.

We are supporting them in trying to find pledged accommodation, but that has its limitations and we have our concerns about that, said Niall OKeeffe, head of international and migration at the Irish Red Cross.

In reality there are three options for people leaving emergency accommodation. They can find their own solution, which is very difficult in the current rental climate; they can avail of pledged accommodation, which is not plentiful; or they can leave, which leaves them in a very vulnerable position.

We know what the rental market is like, and the Ukrainian refugees dont have access to HAP (housing assistance payment) making it hard to compete for what little rental accommodation there is, and they wont be able to enter the emergency accommodation system again, so they are in a weak position and might find themselves tempted to take up more vulnerable accommodation or become homeless.

He said that many people travelling from Ukraine more recently are in a worse position than those who fled their homeland at the outbreak of the Russian invasion.

The situation is getting worse in the Kharkiv and general Donbas area of Ukraine as Russia steps-up its ground invasion, and more villages are being captured leading to more people fleeing, he said.

They held on for as long as they could and now they are poorer and more desperate and vulnerable. So that combined with the restricted accommodation and changes to the social welfare payments is really two scenarios coming together in a negative way.

Most of the refugees are women and children, and they are more vulnerable when it comes to finding employment because of childcare issues. And many of them are older people who have language barriers to deal with.

Temporary protection and State accommodation is a huge positive and has to be commended, but we feel that people need to be supported to transition from their current situation rather than be forced to transition, maybe by the provision of language classes and childcare assistance.

People are also concerned about the allowances being cut because that brings uncertainty, and uncertainty destabilises people and makes them concerned.

Meanwhile, Green Party Minister Roderic OGorman has said that its not equable that Ukrainians are getting social protection payments along with accommodation and full meals paid for.

About 27,000 Ukrainian refugees will have their rate of social welfare cut after the Cabinet signed off on the measure.

Ukrainian refugees who fled to Ireland between 2022 and early 2024 are to have their allowances cut from the job seekers rate of 232 to a lower rate in the next three months.

A reduced payment of 38.80 per week already was applied to Ukrainians who arrived after mid-March, following a Cabinet decision that was expected to reduce the number of arrivals in Ireland, while those who entered the country before that deadline remained on the higher amount.

On Tuesday, ministers agreed to cut the rate being offered again, this time for Ukrainians who arrived in Ireland before March and are living in State-provided accommodation.

Minister Roderic OGorman highlighted that it was a decision based on equality and sustainability.

Equality on the basis that it is equalising the treatment of Ukrainians who arrived after mid-March where a change was made for new Ukrainians seeking temporary protection here versus those who were here previously, he told the Irish Independent.

Its a change on the basis of sustainability because it recognises the number of Ukrainians in the country that has fallen from a high of 106,000 to 83,000.

There are a significant number getting significant State support. Those types of State reports are different.

In a situation where a Ukrainian is getting full accommodation paid and full meals paid, its not equable that theyre also getting the full range of social protection payments so the decision was made to reduce those social protection payments and that change will be made following work between my department and the department of social protection in 10 to 12 weeks time.
The assassination attempt on Slovakias prime minister Robert Fico has rightly sent a shudder down the spine of European democracy.

European leaders were quick to condemn the shooting. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said: Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good my thoughts are with PM Fico and his family.

With war intensifying on the continent in Ukraine, concerns about stability and the undermining of freely elected governments are understandably acute.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky labelled the attack appalling and demanded efforts be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country, form, or sphere.

Milan Nic, an analyst at the German Council on Foreign Relations and a former adviser to Slovakias foreign ministry, warned: It is not an isolated incident. This is one of the most polarised countries in Europe with regular threats against the lives of politicians.

Mr Ficos government has pressed Brussels to ease sanctions placed on Russia since Vladimir Putins invasion. It also wants the bloc to take tough measures against migration, and the country is further polarised by a cost-of-living crisis. Such factors can easily be manipulated to disrupt and divide.

The British spy novelist Eric Ambler wrote: The important thing to know about an assassination or an attempted assassination is not who fired the shot, but who paid for the bullet.

However, Slovakias outgoing president, Zuzana Caputova, has appealed to people not to rush to hasty judgments, saying: An attack on the prime minister is first and foremost an attack on a human being. But its also an attack on democracy.

Just as dictatorships depend on violence and terror, democracy is rooted in order and human rights. Thus any effort to overturn it has to be taken extremely seriously.

As the countrys horrified president-elect, and Fico ally, Peter Pellegrini put it: Different political opinions should be expressed in polling stations and not with gun.

Taoiseach Simon Harris also expressed shock at the shooting. The attack on prime minister Fico is an attack on democracy, a fundamental value of the European Union and one we all share, he said.

Opponents of Mr Fico had concerns Slovakia was on course to abandon the countrys pro-Western course and follow the direction of Hungary under populist prime minister Viktor Orban. There have been several mass rallies to protest against his policies.

However, condemnation of political violence came from all sides. The shooting is likely to cast a pall over the upcoming European elections. It can only escalate tensions as the June polls loom.

We have already seen attacks on German and Spanish leaders, and threats to our own politicians have also sparked security concerns. The priority now must be to make sure the attack is not exploited to fuel further violence across the European political landscape.
Kerry County Manager Moira Murrell has been recommended for appointment as CEO of Cork County Council.

Kerry County Manager Moira Murrell has been recommended for appointment as Chief Executive of Cork County Council.

She was appointed to the top job in Kerry when she succeeded former County Manager Tom Curran in 2014 and she has served the full two terms as per the rules.

While she still has to be ratified to take the top job in Cork it is likely that, in the coming weeks, she will be officially appointed.

She must be voted in by the elected members of Cork County Council and given there is an upcoming election this may happen at the next meeting.

The next full council meeting is scheduled to be held on Monday, May 27.

Council chief executive officers are recruited through a competitive process organised by the Public Appointments Service (PAS) and formally appointed by the minister for local government and ratified by the councillors.

They are appointed for an initial seven-year term which can be extended for a further three years.

Ms Murrell will succeed the former CEO of Cork County Council Tim Lucey.

Mr Lucey served in the position for more than nine years after working in numerous roles including in what was formerly known as the Southern Health Board and Skibbereen Urban District Council.

He went from the role of a clerical assistant with Cork County Council in 1982 to the CEO of the organisation.

He left the position of divisional manager in 2010 after being appointed Cork city manager.

However, he returned to his previous workplace of Cork County Council in 2014 as its new CEO.

Mr Lucey concluded his role with Cork County Council on September 29, 2023. He has subsequently been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Greyhound Racing Ireland/Rasaiocht Con Eireann.

Valerie OSullivan has served on an interim basis as the Chief Executive of Cork County Council since the departure of Mr Lucey.

Ms OSullivan formerly served as a director of services in Cork City council. Her career saw her fill a number of roles relating to everything from recreation and amenity to housing and corporate affairs.

She transferred to Cork County Council in 2020 after being appointed divisional manager for the south Cork division.

Ms OSullivan had been tasked with responsibility for planning, roads, and municipal districts.

Moira Murrell who is a native of Rock Road began her career in Kerry County Council in 1993 and completed a Masters Degree while working with the local authority.

In addition to Killarney Town Council, she also worked in the Environment and Finance departments on Kerry County Council.

She then moved to Cork County Council in 2007 as a Director of Services, serving three years in the West Cork Division and as Divisional Manager from 2010 to 2014 in Cork County Council with responsibility for Roads and Transportation, Water Services, Organisational Development and Economic Development.

Moira is married to Brendan ONeill and the couple who live in Muckross have three children: Patrick, MaryAnna and Charles.
The redevelopment of Colaiste Iosagain is the Udaras na Gaeltachta flagship project in the Muscrai Gaeltacht.

Fianna Fail TD for Cork North West Aindrias Moynihan has welcomed the news that Udaras na Gaeltachta is to receive almost 3.3m in grant aid towards the cost of refurbishing and repurposing the former boarding school Colaiste Iosagain in Baile Bhuirne.

The announcement by the Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys in recent days has been welcomed by Deputy Moynihan. It is very good news that there is substantial money approved for Colaiste Iosagan in Ballyvourney. I very much welcome this significant funding which allows Udaras to advance the works. This will now enable the advancement of the employment centre and so much more planned for the former school in Ballyvourney, he said.

Colaiste Iosagain was built by the De la Salle Order in 1940, originally as a preparatory college for primary school teachers.

The building was in use as a secondary school until 1989. Udaras na Gaeltachta purchased the building in 1998.

Preleminary works have already been done at Colaiste Iosagan, said Deputy Moynihan. This significant funding is from the rural regeneration fund and it focused on shovel ready projects. This has been an ongoing project over many years. Udaras should be able to advance the project quickly. It is great that there is now the chance to bring life and opportunity to the former school.

A Regional Development Centre is to be developed in the former boarding school building. This will include 1720 square metres (18,500 square feet) of flexible entrepreneurial space.

The Udaras na Gaeltachta regional office will be located there, along with customised educational and business development support services. The goal is to create 200 jobs at this centre in years to come.

All facilities in the centre will be connected to high speed internet via fibreoptic cabling, as part of Gteic, the Gaeltacht digital network.
The HSE has said that the first phase of the extension will be completed next month

The HSE has said that the first phase of the Millstreet Community Hospital extension will be completed in June, while the full project will be completed at the end of the year.

Brian OConnell, interim national director at the HSE Capital & Estates division, confirmed to Cork North West TD Michael Moynihan that the extension is scheduled to be completed in Q2 2024.

A New Registration Application to Vary is required with the HIQA Authority and this process will commence thereafter. Once, the extension Registration Application to Vary is granted, the extension can be occupied by the residents, a letter to Deputy Moynihan (May 3) read.

Following this, the next two phases of construction can then be undertaken. Both phases will also be subject of two new registration Applications to Vary prior to occupation, according to the HSE.

Based on current construction and the HIQA processes, it is expected that the project construction works will be completed in Q4 2024.
There are concerns in the town that the memorial could never return to its location if removed

The War of Independence Memorial in Charleville will not be permanently removed from its location, according to Cork County Council.

A spokesperson for Cork County Council told The Corkman on Wednesday that the local authority wish to clarify that there is no intention to permanently remove the War of Independence monument from its location.

The monument holds immense historical significance, and preserving it is of utmost importance to Cork County Council, the spokesperson said.

The statement came following an enquiry from The Corkman after it emerged that the council was considering removing the monument from its location on Main Street on a temporary basis to allow for planned pedestrian safety works to be built across the road between Charlevilles plaza to AIB.

News of this proposal was greeted with concern by some in the town. Evelyn OKeeffe, who is chair of the local heritage society and a Sinn Fein Local Elections candidate, told The Corkman that she was worried that the monument may never return to its original location if it was removed.

Its obviously going to be a large cost to remove it, store it, and get someone to put it back in place. Will the money be there to put it back in place? she asked.

The monument was paid for by the people of Charleville and the historical significance is to the history of the people of Charleville.

It stands on the spot where Padraig Pearse gave a speech in 1913 in Charleville to rally support for an independent free Ireland, and this led to a Company of Volunteers being formed in the town.

Speaking two weeks ago, Ms OKeeffe called for community engagement on the matter before any action be taken.

On Thursday, local councillor Ian Doyle said that no action would be taken on the monument in the immediate future, as bus stops must first be established in the town as part of the pedestrian safety works.

The Fianna Fail representative said that a meeting with a roads engineer, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and others involved in the pedestrian safety works took place two weeks ago and at it, it was decided that nothing that could potentially damage the monument would be done.

The councillor said that he understands the concerns of locals and that discussions about any proposal to temporarily remove the monument would take place between the council and the community.
The Boss paid a second visit to the Dublin institution Leo Burdock's this week. Pic: @leoburdockireland

Bruce Springsteen clearly knows what he likes, after the American superstar was pictured visiting his favourite Dublin chipper for the second time this week.

Last Friday night, he visited Leo Burdocks fish and chip shop at Christchurch in Dublin  a stop he now religiously makes on every Irish tour.

The Boss had arrived in Ireland ahead of gigs in Kilkenny on Sunday, May 12 and Corks Pairc Ui Chaoimh on May 16. In between, he found time to return to Burdocks for his usual order of fresh cod and chips earlier this week.

Under a picture posted on the chip shops Facebook page, a staff member said: The legend, The Boss has come back for some delicious fish and chips.

Bruce Springsteen pays tribute to Shane MacGowan in Kilkenny with rendition of Pogues song

This comes just days before his sold out gig in the capital taking place in Croke Park this Sunday, May 19, one of the largest gigs played by Springsteen and the E Street Band in Europe this summer.

Springsteen will play to a total audience of more than 200,000 during his two weeks in Ireland  bringing his total Irish ticketed performances to more than one million fans since his Irish debut at Slane Castle in 1985.

Since then, Springsteen has never omitted Ireland from his European tour schedule and, by May 19, will have played a total of 35 concerts in Ireland over the past 39 years.

Those attending the gig on Sunday are also being encouraged to use public transport to get to the concert, such as buses, Dart and the Luas.

It will mark a hectic 2024 concert season for Ireland with sell-out concerts by Taylor Swift and Coldplay already announced for the capital.
Delegates from across the world will experience Kerry during their visit

Prince Albert II of Monaco, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Director General of the World Health Organisation Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus are among the key speakers at a Global Economic Summit set for Kerry.

Killarney and Kerry is set to play host to a new not-for-profit event which will see 400 business leaders, policymakers and thinkers gather to develop fresh solutions to global challenges such as climate change and economic inequality.

The inaugural Global Economic Summit (GES) Killarney from May 20 - 22 at the prestigious Europe Hotel in Killarney, will cover a range of themes including global trade and globalisation, Tech for Good, international security, leading digital transition as well as climate, energy and sustainability.

Director General of the World Health Organisation Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Photo Reuters.

It will feature contributions from guests of real international renown Executive Director of Partnerships and Planning at INTERPOL, Darrin E. Jones, and Global c-level executives from Apple, Google, The World Food Programme and The World Bank and Paolo Benanti, AI advisor to Pope Francis.

Of political clout will EU Commissioner Mairead McGuinness, Former Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko and Finance Minister Michael McGrath and Enterprise and Employment Minister Peter Burke will attend.

CEO of Tourism Ireland, Alice Mansergh, CEO of the World Energy Council, Angela Wilkinson, and the US Ambassador to Ireland, Claire Cronin are also in attendance.

The Cathaoirleach of Kerry County Council, Cllr Jim Finucane, is warmly welcoming delegates and guests to Kerry.

I warmly welcome this prestigious conference to County Kerry, and I look forward to engaging with a wide range of speakers and attendees on a diversity of topics. This conference will showcase the county to a wide international audience and will again confirm Killarneys and Kerrys reputation as a world-class conference destination, said Cllr Finucane.

I wish all of the visitors to the county the very best in their deliberations and discussions over the coming days, he added.

Delegates to the conference will experience local culture during their visit to Killarney as well as participate in a fringe event focussing on advances in healthcare which is being hosted at Muckross House on Tuesday.

The overarching aim of the conference is to provide a platform for organisations, both international and domestic, which are contributing materially to global solutions. Decision-making processes are more interlayered and complex than ever in today's environment, and the summit emphasises the importance of coming together for cross-industry dialogue.

Commenting on the announcement of the summit, Megan Cassidy, managing director of the Global Economic Summit, said: I am thrilled to welcome our distinguished delegates, speakers, and everyone who will be attending the Global Economic Summit later in May to County Kerry. It's a momentous occasion for us as we embark on this journey of fostering dialogue and innovation and I extend my heartfelt gratitude to our partners and sponsors whose unwavering support has made this event possible.

We are honoured to have such esteemed speakers joining us, and I eagerly anticipate the insights and discussions that will unfold. Looking ahead, I envision this event becoming an annual beacon of collaboration, growth, and positive change. Together, let us make this inaugural gathering the first of many impactful milestones on our shared journey towards a brighter future."

New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

She said Killarney was chosen as it is ideal for such high-profile speakers that will showcase Ireland and Kerry and provide the perfect venue for delegates.

We have had huge ambition for the Global Economic Summit from the moment of its conception. Given the calibre of guests we wanted to attract, we needed a great host town and a venue of international quality and renown.

The Europe Hotel is one of the best in the land with a stunning location on the shores of Lough Lein and the breath-taking backdrop of the MacGillycuddy Reeks. And nowhere knows better than Killarney how to simultaneously impress visitors and make them feel home.

"Kerry is known internationally for its beauty and its hospitality, and some of our visitors have connections with the county, none more than New York Governor Kathy Hochul (nee Courtney), whose grandfather was from Cutteen in the Maherees on the Dingle peninsula.

"We are really looking forward to welcoming all our international guests to this stunning venue."

Hilary OMeara, Country Managing Director, Accenture in Ireland, said: As a leading player on the world stage, Ireland has a long-held convening power and a reputation for innovation. This is evidenced by the magnitude of this event and the calibre of speakers, and I have no doubt that the Global Economic Summit will drive meaningful impact on the critical global issues that affect us all.

Full details of speakers and for tickets can be found on www.globaleconomicsummit.ie
A man in his 30s who stands charged with assaulting a woman in Athlone at the weekend told gardai at the time of his arrest: I am sorry for what happened.

Thirty-seven-year-old Andy Mayuma, of 82 North Circular Road, Dublin 7 was brought before a sitting of Longford District Court charged with assault causing harm to his alleged female victim on May 11 at Cornamaddy Drive, Ballymahon Road, Athlone, Westmeath.

Mayuma, who was ushered into court wearing a high vis jacket and dark trousers, stood quietly in the custody suite as details surrounding the section 3 assault charge were relayed to Judge Bernadette Owens.

The court heard that when the charge was put to him by gardai, Mayuma replied: I am sorry for what happened.

Sgt Enda Daly for the State, said gardai were not objecting to bail subject to conditions being imposed by the court.

They comprised of orders for Mayuma to have no contact with the alleged injured party either directly or indirectly, to have no contact with any witnesses linked to the case and to stay out of Athlone except for court appearances.

The court was also told directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) were still awaited as to whether the case should remain in the District Court or its higher Circuit Court equivalent.

Defence solicitor Brid Mimnagh applied for legal aid, an application which was granted after she told the court Mayuma had only commenced employment the week previously.

She also asked the court and gardai to assist her client to return to Athlone temporarily to retrieve his car, a request Judge Owens said was beyond her remit.

Mayuma was remanded on bail to a sitting of Athlone District Court on June 12.
Gardai. Stock image.A garda and Health and Safety Authority (HSA) investigation has been launched after a man in his 60s was killed in a workplace related incident in county Longford.

A Garda and Health and Safety Authority investigation is underway after a man in his 60s was fatally injured in a workplace related incident in county Longford on Thursday evening.

Emergency services rushed to the scene, along a section of the Athlone Road on the outskirts of Ballymahon at around 7.30pm, following reports that a man had been struck by a works vehicle.

Despite those efforts the man was pronounced dead at the scene, sparking a joint investigation by both gardai and HSA officials.

Its understood the incident took place as overnight road maintenance works were being carried out along a stretch of the main N55 close to a local service station.

Gardai are investigating the circumstances of a fatal workplace incident in Ballymahon, Co. Longford, on Thursday, 16th May 2024, said a garda spokesperson.

Shortly after 7:30 pm, Gardai and Emergency Services were alerted after a male in his 60s, who was working on a closed section of Athlone Road, Ballymahon, was struck by a works vehicle.

He was pronounced deceased at the scene. The area is preserved for examination, and the HSA and local Coroner have been notified.

The Irish Independent has reached out to the HSA for comment.

Local Fianna Fail Cllr Pat OToole said news of tragedy had left the local community reeling.

On behalf of the entire community here, there is a profound sense of shock around the place, he said.

A number of people have called me already and the sympathies of the entire community go out to this mans family.
Maureen Sweeney, at just 21, prevented the loss of thousands of soldiers lives on the beaches of Normandy.

A new childrens book inspired by true story of County Mayo weatherwoman Maureen Sweeney is set to tell the tale of Irelands role in the second World War for young readers.

Published by The OBrien Press, The Weather Girls by Sarah Webb is inspired by the story of Maureen Sweeney who, on the eve of her 21st birthday, provided hourly weather reports on a storm front from Blacksod Lighthouse and weather station in County Mayo to the war office in England.

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The reports proved crucial to the success of D-Day, the largest seaborne invasion in history, which occurred 80 years ago this June.

A tale of bravery, adventure and friendship for readers aged nine and older, the book was close to completion when Maureen Sweeney passed away last December, aged 100.

While researching the book, Author Sarah Webb was helped by Maureens grandson Fergus, who grew up in the lighthouse and is now head of visitor experience there, to retell his grandmothers story through the books young heroine, twelve-year-old Grace Devine.

Seeing The Emergency through Graces young eyes, Webb explores how the second World War impacted the small rural community at Blacksod through the rationing of food and fuel, and confronts the question of Irelands neutrality head-on when Grace and her friend Sibby risk their lives to save a young German airman who crash lands on the Mayo coast.

Speaking on the launch of the book, Ms Webb hopes The Weather Girls will inspire young readers as well as inform them of Irelands role in World War Two.

Maureens story might have been written by a Hollywood movie-maker  a young woman in the 1940s who left her home in Kerry to work at a remote weather station in this small community, and ended up changing the course of world history through something as everyday as a weather report.

"What a fantastic story to tell young readers, to inspire them that small actions can not just change the world but save it.

I think its important that children learn about Irelands experience of The Emergency and consider the complicated feelings many must have had about our neutrality while bombs were dropped on Belfast just up the road.

"Today, many parents and teachers have to consider how to talk to children about the worlds modern conflicts, but history gives us the perfect way into those conversations. We all learn from stories, and Maureens is a story which every child should know, said Ms Webb.

Published by The OBrien Press, The Weather Girls by Sarah Webb is inspired by the story of Maureen Sweeney who, on the eve of her 21st birthday, provided hourly weather reports on a storm front from Blacksod Lighthouse and weather station in County Mayo to the war office in England.

Fergus Sweeney, who includes his grandmothers story in his tour for school groups visiting Blacksod Lighthouse, agrees.

It is so special to our family that Sarah has captured our grannys story for children, a story we grew up with.

"We always knew that our grandparents had played this historic part in the war, but its not until you tell it to others that you really see the huge significance of the lives those weather reports saved.

Being 24-hours from the French coastline, the Blacksod Lighthouse weather station was perfectly located to inform the Allies plans for D-Day.

"Without those hourly updates on the stormfront, the course of history might have run very differently.

On our tours, we show visitors the instruments which Maureen used for those weather reports, something which Sarah captures wonderfully in the book  how crucial the accuracy of those reports was.

"When you think about the technology and equipment used to monitor the weather now, it really does make Maureens role all the more inspiring.

"She was a young woman working in a scientific field and she was part of something so historic from right here in this small Irish village, said Mr Sweeney.

Sarah Webb is an award-winning childrens writer and a champion of childrens books.

She is a three-time winner of the Irish Book Awards for her books A Sailor Went to Sea, Sea, Sea, Blazing a Trail: Irish Women Who Changed the World, and I am the Wind: Irish Poems for Children Everywhere.

In 2023, Sarah spearheaded the Discover Irish Kids Books campaign to raise awareness of Irish authors and titles for children.

She is currently the Events Manager at Halfway Up the Stairs childrens bookshop in Greystones, Wicklow, and in 2015, she was awarded the Childrens Books Ireland Award for Outstanding Contribution to Childrens Books.

The Weather Girls is available from all good bookshops now.
Marie Ward, Sligo Traveller Support Group is the lead Primary Health care worker raising awareness in her community on Autism and supporting parents and families with children diagnosed with Autism.

In the past Traveller adults would have gone through life without a diagnosis and even now there are Travellers in their 20s and 30s who are not diagnosed.

Marie said Travellers face many barriers and having a family member living with autism brings additional challenges but positive change is happening and Travellers are reaching for support and asking more questions to understand autism.

The Sligo Traveller support group said there is very little information available that Travellers feel comfortable to access specifically focused on the experiences of Travellers which is a concern for the project.

This was recently highlighted at the Sligo Connecting for Life meeting where Ita Madden, HSEs Regional Traveller Mental Health service coordinator said: Travellers are often afraid to access a service because they dont understand the process or gateway to accessing the supports and this fear is intensified with their experiences of systemic levels of discrimination and racism.

It is well documented that Travellers already have to hide their identity to survive and this leaves it more difficult for a Traveller to admit to being an Autistic Traveller.

The Sligo Traveller support group hosted an open day for Traveller parents and families to come together in a safe place to share information and support which was very successful.

Marie said it is the small steps that will encourage parents not to be afraid or ashamed and to reach out for services.

She admitted since she started to learn about autism she realised people with autism are our neighbours, shop assistants and our friends and we dont recognise it.

The Traveller primary health care team will be hosting a number of information sharing events, supports and encouragement for Traveller parents and families throughout 2024.

Marie said: Through Connecting for Life and the support of Ita Madden we have been able to access information and have since registered as a member with the national Autism support group As I Am.

We have also engaged with the Irish Traveller movement who have resources and information which has been a great benefit as it is specific to Travellers experiences of living with autism.

Having a child with autism can be very worrying and stressful and can affect the mental health of carers if you dont take action and this is why it is important to get help and support and take time out to be able to cope.

Autism is not a medical condition with treatments or a cure. But some autistic people need support to help them with certain things.

Sligo Town is part of the AsIAm Autism Friendly Town programme. .

For support you can contact Marie Ward, STSG at marie@stsg.ie or Ita Madden, Mental Health Service Coordinator at ita.madden@hse.ie.
For the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic put everything on hold, four students from St Marys CBS Enniscorthy have headed off on the Ferns Diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes.

Mark Palmer, Lachlann O'Neill, Oisin Cloke Rochford, and Nathan Buckley are the lucky four students selected to act as helpers to ensure the smooth running of the journey for parishioners in need of some extra help.

Tracey Murray, the religion teacher who helped organise, was blown away by the interest from the students  receiving twelve applications from worthy candidates for a spot on the trip. For fairness, the successful students had their names pulled out of a hat at random.

The school ordinarily sends only two students for each pilgrimage due to the 865 price tag per student to attend. Inspired by the students enthusiasm Ms Murray declared to do whatever we could to send them.

The student body and staff were ready on hand to generate the much-needed funds through a series of innovative fundraisers that included guessing the score of a rugby match, a few non-uniform days, bake sales, and a darts tournament that has been running for the last two weeks with students competing against their teachers, And of course, the fund received generous donations from partners of the school.

It is a privilege for them to go, but the pilgrimage is also privileged to have them, Murray stated, highlighting the vitalness of the students role on the trip. They will be assisting to make the pilgrimage accessible for everyone; guiding and pushing visitors in wheelchairs.

Ms Murray, who attended the pilgrimage when she first started working at the school in 1995, and again last year in her own personal time, is familiar with how enriching the involvement will be for the boys saying it is a life-changing experience.
Swifties from across Wicklow and beyond have been descending on the Bridgewater Shopping Centre in Arklow, where shoppers can take a selfie next to a cut-out of Taylor Swift and win two tickets to the pop singers sold-out ERAS show in June.

In July last year, tickets for Swifts three 2024 gigs at the Aviva Stadium sold out in a matter of minutes, with just a fraction of the close to 150,000 Irish fans lucky enough to get a code for the general sale securing a ticket, leaving thousands of fans empty-handed.

Hoping to help her legion of loyal fans shake off those cruel summer vibes, The Bridgewater Shopping Centre launched their Swifty Selfie competition, where shoppers can win two tickets to Swifts June 30 show by taking a selfie with a Taylor Swift cut-out, following the shopping centre and posting their selfie to an Instagram story and tagging @Bridgewatershoppingcentre.

Winners will be selected at random from all eligible entries on Thursday, May 30 (deadline for entries), with a total of 60 winners invited to a fabulous Swifty Soiree with a plus one on June 9.

Those tickets are like gold dust at the moment  it is absolutely mad  and the hoards of Swifties have been descending on us to be in with a chance to get them, Bridgewater Marketing Manager Ailish Gannon joked.

Weve received a lot of commotion about it already. People are going nuts. Shes just so popular  on a whole other level.

Our head management somehow got their hands on two tickets, I believe two of the higher-priced tickets, for the ERAS tour, which sold out in seconds.

The idea is that you come in and take your picture next to a cardboard cut out of Taylor, follow us and then tag The Bridgewater Shopping Centre on your Instagram story.

Sixty of the people that have entered will be invited to a Taylor Swift event at the shopping centre, where well have a DJ, prizes for best dressed, and the lucky winners name will be drawn.

Among those hoping to attend the Swifty Soiree and hear her name called is five-year-old Taylor Swift super-fan Grace Kenny from Arklow.

Having taken a lovely snap next to her idol, mum Vanessa ONeill said that the whole family is keeping their fingers crossed for Grace, who can often be heard singing along to Swifts mega-hit, Shake it Off.

Grace loves Taylor Swift, and she loves her music  its in her bones, Vanessa said.

Her favourite song of all is Shake it Off. Fingers crossed, shell get to hear it live!
Can Wicklows holy wells really help heal us?

With 120 holy wells, County Wicklow is full of supposed healing power, but should we still believe in these magical water sources of our folklore? Tom Galvin spoke to local hydrogeologist Dr Bruce Misstear to find out

St Kevin's well, Glendalough.

Tom Galvin Bray People Thu 16 May 2024 at 06:00

Holy wells have been an important feature of life in Ireland for many centuries (and probably millennia), and are still popular sites of local pilgrimage and folklore, with many visitors still holding the belief that the waters are capable of healing all sorts of ailments.
The North Wicklow Against Genocide group is planning a full week of protest action  including a march on Taoiseach Simon Harris's constituency office, in Bray, County Wicklow  to demand the Government stops blocking the Occupied Territories Bill.

"We're inviting the public to join us in a week of action to highlight the role of Simon Harris as leader of the Fine Gael party and Taoiseach in blocking the bill, the group posted on social media, calling on people to join them for a week of action, beginning with a march from the Town Hall, down Brays Main Street, to Simon Harris's constituency office, on Quinnsborough Road, on Monday, May 20, at 10.30am.

The campaigners are calling on the Government to review its stance on the bill, which would ban any goods or services produced in the Israeli-occupied territories, including the Golan Heights, and would affect imports to Ireland as well as the transactions of Irish citizens, Irish companies, and companies with Irish subsidiaries worldwide.

It follows calls yesterday by Labour Leader Ivana Bacik TD for Ireland to align its actions with its values, when she referenced the States importation of 3.6bn worth of Israeli goods in 2023 and, "shockingly, in the first two months of this year alone, 608m worth of Israeli goods entered the State.

In a rallying cry on Facebook, North Wicklow Against Genocide said: Simon, stop blocking the Occupied Territories Bill! the campaigners posted. "The Occupied Territories Bill is a proposed Irish law that would ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank - the UN, EU, US and Ireland have stated that these settlements are illegal. When the bill was first introduced in 2018, all Irish political parties supported the bill, except Fine Gael and it is Fine Gael who continue to block it to this day."

The groups week of action will continue on Tuesday, May, 21 with banner drops countywide over major roads, followed on Wednesday, May 22, with moonlight vigil and sea swim, in the Taoiseachs home town of Greystones, at 9pm.

There is a Solidarity Family Fun day planned on Saturday, May 25, from 1-4pm, on Greystones beach, while Sunday, May 26 closes out the week with a Busk for Palestine event on Bray seafront, from 1-6pm.

Earlier this month, gardai visited the Taoiseachs Bray constituency office, which is used by just two staff and an intern. The security review was prompted by a protest outside the Taoiseachs home in Greystones, on Thursday, May 2.

The Bray premises was previously used as the newsroom for the The Bray People newspaper.

The planned action by the group next week follows a boycott, in March, by both the North Wicklow Against Genocide group and the Wicklow Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) outside the multinational insurance company AXA Groups office in Bray, over claims the firm is maintaining ties to Israeli banks and financing illegal settlements.

AXA said its investments comply with all applicable laws and it respects all internationally recognized human rights principles, including in the Middle East Region, and has no proprietary investments in any of the banks cited in the calls for boycott.
An image of what the new school will look like from the rear.

An impression of what the front of the new school will look like.

He said: This is exciting news and comes after many years of painstaking work by the entire school community, supported by our Board of Management, the Kildare and Wicklow Education Board, and our dedicated and committed Parents Council.

The works will involve the demolition of the existing school buildings and the removal of existing prefabricated temporary accommodation on the site, to allow for the construction of a new 3-storey 1,000 pupil post-primary school comprising teaching spaces, ancillary spaces, physical education hall facility, special education needs suite, general purpose hall, social areas, library, administration areas, toilet and changing facilities, external stores, and associated ancillary accommodation.

Principal Burke was first appointed to the school eleven years ago in 2013, when Blessington Community College had 313 students. 704 students currently attend the school, representing an increase of over 100pc in the student population.

Our school numbers are growing all the time and we will be up to 1,000 students in the near future. The growth in our population demonstrates the confidence shown by the community in choosing Blessington Community College as their school of choice. The people of Blessington and the surrounding community deserve to have the best and most modern facilities for their children and I remain committed to working, at the coalface, with all of the stakeholders in ensuring this new school is delivered as soon as possible, added Mr Burke.

He also aims to do everything in his power to make sure the new school is delivered in as timely a fashion as possible.

Our school buildings have also grown in number to accommodate this student increase. Notwithstanding this, while our new modular units are in place, temporarily, our ultimate goal and focus is to ensure that this new school is now progressing as rapidly as possible to cater to the whole community.

I am proud to say that the students in our school have to take huge pride in their contributions to this massive growth. They are a pleasure to work with daily and I always remind them that they are our role models and best ambassadors in the community. The Parents Council and the school Board of Management have been a massive support in our efforts to secure this new school and I thank them for their continued support.
Dianne Snowden, the then Australian Ambassador Dr Ruth Adler and Joan Kavanagh at the launch of 'Van Diemen's Women: A History of Transportation to Tasmania' held in Wicklow Gaol in 2015.

The next Roundwood historical talk will focus on Van Diemens women and the history of transportation to Tasmania in Australia.

Roundwood and District Historical, Folklore and Archaeological Society will host the talk by Joan Kavanagh in Roundwood Parish Hall on Tuesday, May 21, starting at 8pm.

Joan is a fascinated by local Wicklow history and its impact around the world. She has lectured at Irish-Australia Studies conferences in Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. She is the author of four local history books in collaboration with others, including Van Diemens Women: A History of Transportation to Australia in collaboration with Dianne Snowden. On September 2, 1845, the convict ship Tasmania left Kingstown Harbour for Van Diemens Land with 138 female convicts and their 35 children.

Admission for the talk is 3 for members and 5 for non-members.
Our beauty expert recommends a favourite from the Trinny London range and three other essentials for ageing skin

A couple of weeks ago, I had lunch with Trinny Woodall to celebrate the opening of her beauty brands counter in Brown Thomas. I had no major preconceived notions, aside from some old feelings about the concept of flattering clothing via her old (incredibly popular) TV show, What Not to Wear.

I knew her range, Trinny London, was incredibly successful, and that she had an incredible online following of women who adore her, but I didnt really know why. Then 15 minutes into lunch, I found myself having a deep and meaningful heart to heart with her and realised I was fully under her spell.

Watching her interact with customers in Brown Thomas enlightened me further to her appeal. She is profoundly honest, just as she was on TV. Now, though, theres a warmth and empathy, and her genuine care for the women who queued to speak to her was obvious.

When I asked her why she chose to enter the beauty space rather than fashion, where most people would have expected her to go, her answer represented that care. Clothing has an edge, and it sometimes betrays you. Sometimes the jeans dont fit, or the dress doesnt suit, but beauty products are for everyone.

This ethos is at the root of my love of beauty too. Ive seen the transformative powers of a product  the joy a red lip can bring, or the pep in someones step after they have their make-up done.

Now that Im in my 40s, though, its interesting to see myself being erased from a lot of beauty content, despite the fact that women my age and much older are still vibrant and passionate and, frankly, have money to spend. Trinny London is speaking directly to us.

Of course, the brand is not the only one making beautiful products for women beyond their 40s  here are some of my faves:

Trinny London BFF SPF 30 Cream

1. Trinny London BFF SPF 30 Cream (48 via brownthomas.com)  Sun protection is absolutely vital for people of all ages, both in terms of our skins health and its appearance. This product offers protection, and a glowy tint, leaving you looking healthy and fresh. It also works well under foundation, if you like extra coverage.

Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Lift and Firm Cream Makeup SPF 15

2. Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Lift and Firm Cream Makeup SPF 15 (47 via boots.ie)  This cream foundation does double duty as it delivers beautiful, hydrated coverage and ceramides to improve the skins barrier and leave it looking firmer and plumper. As we age, the quality and quantity of our natural ceramides deteriorate, so we could all do with a little extra help.

Jones Road Miracle Balm

3. Jones Road Miracle Balm (42 via jonesroadbeauty.com)  While older women may naturally lean toward matte products, there are few things more youthful than a little sheen. This product, by Bobbi Brown (formerly of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics), was developed with older people in mind. Simply pop some on your lips or cheekbones for a new lease of life.

Sculpted by Aimee Shape & Set Brow Duo

4. Sculpted by Aimee Shape & Set Brow Duo (23 via sculptedbyaimee.com)  As we get older, our eyebrows lighten and thin, leaving the face with a little less structure. Fortunately, theyre relatively easy to fake with products like this one. Simply use the pencil to fill any gaps or enhance the shape, and then set the brow hairs into said shape with the fixing gel. Light Blonde is the perfect shade for grey or white hair.

Buying Irish

14 Day Manicure Gentle Gels

Irish brand 14 Day Manicure has been a game-changer for me in the summer, by making it easy to give myself a lasting gel pedicure at home. While I stick to the salon for my hands, my toes are for me and me alone, and being able to apply a polish which will last weeks in the privacy of my own home is a dream. The brand has just launched a low-irritation collection called Gentle Gels, formulated without ingredients like Hema, TPO and TT, which tend to be at the root of problems in those that dont respond well to gel manicures. Gentle Gels are available in 83 individual shades (10 via 14daymanicure.com) or with an at-home kit (from 89 via 14daymanicure.com), which has everything you need to get started.

Something old

Aveda Be Curly Curl Enhancing Hairspray

Ive loved Aveda products since I got my hair cut in an Aveda salon when I was 12 and felt like a sophisticated grown-up. They smell great, they work well and all of their products are plant-based and always have been  long before it became trendy to do so. Avedas Be Curly range focuses on hair with curls, coils and waves, and aims to reduce frizz, hydrate and strengthen. Be Curly Curl Enhancing Hairspray (18.90 via avedastore.ie) is a flexible-hold hairspray. It enhances the hairs texture via wheat protein and organic aloe, which expands when the hair is wet and then retracts as it dries. Youll be happy to hear it doesnt leave the hair crunchy or flakey, but does add to your curls staying power. And, of course, it smells absolutely gorgeous, like a citrus dream.

... Something new

Boucleme Flexible Hold Hair Spray

If I was going to a desert island and I could bring only one haircare brand with me, it would be Boucleme. The curly haircare brand was founded by Michele Scott-Lynch, who had spent her teens and 20s battling her hair and trying to make it straight. After having two daughters and watching them grow up with similar feelings, she realised that if she wanted them to love their curls, she had to love hers too. Boucleme was created with that mission in mind, building peoples confidence in their natural texture. The result is products which work brilliantly to help curls and waves look their best. The brands latest launch is no different. Flexible Hold Hair Spray (27.12 via cultbeauty.com) helps with volume and hold when applied as the last product in a curly routine, or to restore oomph to the curls throughout the day. I found this absolutely made my curls last longer.
Sharon Stone, Liam Neeson and Stephen Fry are among the stars campaigning for Kevin Spacey to resume his acting career after seven years of exile.

The Oscar-winning actor was one of the most recognised faces in Hollywood when allegations of sexual misconduct were made in 2017, leading streaming giant Netflix to cut all ties with him.

Despite being acquitted of a number of sexual offences after a trial in London, and winning a US civil lawsuit in which he was accused of making an unwanted sexual advance, Spacey said he still feels ostracised from the industry.

Sharon Stone said I cant wait to see Kevin back at work (Doug Peters/PA)

In statements to the Telegraph newspaper, fellow actors have come out in support of the 64-year-old in the wake of Channel 4 documentary Spacey Unmasked, which features fresh allegations from men which Spacey has denied.

Basic Instinct star Stone told the newspaper: I cant wait to see Kevin back at work. He is a genius. He is so elegant and fun, generous to a fault and knows more about our craft than most of us ever will.

The 66-year-old said it was clear aspiring actors had wanted and want to be around him.

She added: Its terrible that they are blaming him for not being able to come to terms with themselves for using him and negotiating with themselves because they didnt get their secret agendas.

Meanwhile, Northern Irish film star Neeson, 71, told the paper: Kevin is a good man and a man of character. Personally speaking, our industry needs him and misses him greatly.

Stephen Fry said unless Im missing something, I think he has paid the price (Lucy North/PA)

In his statement, British actor and writer Fry said Spacey had been both clumsy and inappropriate on many occasions, but to devote a whole documentary to accusations that simply do not add up to crimes how can that be considered proportionate and justified?.

Fry, 66, said Spaceys reputation had already been wrecked, adding: Surely it is wrong to continue to batter a reputation on the strength of assertion and rhetoric rather than evidence and proof? Unless Im missing something, I think he has paid the price.

A spokesperson for Channel 4 said: Spacey Unmasked is an important film exploring the balance of power and inappropriate behaviour in a work environment, aiming to give a voice to those who have previously been unable to speak out.

The Telegraph reported Oscar-winner F Murray Abraham said of Spacey: I vouch for him unequivocally. Who are these vultures who attack a man who has publicly accepted his responsibility for certain behaviour, unlike so many others?

Sir Trevor Nunn said Kevin Spacey is an actor of genius, on stage and on screen (Anthony Devlin/PA)

Sir Trevor Nunn, the former artistic director of both the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, also commented to say the UK believed in the rule of law and Spacey should benefit from that.

Having directed Spacey in two productions at The Old Vic in London, where the House Of Cards star was also artistic director, Sir Trevor described him as an actor of genius, on stage and on screen.

In light of the courts verdict, surely it is time for this man to be forgiven for whatever poor judgments he may have made in the past and allowed to resume his career, after seven years of exile?

In an interview with the Telegraph, Spacey said he was the victim of a rush to judgment in the wake of the #MeToo movement against the Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.

Spacey won two Academy Awards as best supporting actor for The Usual Suspects in 1996 and best actor in 2000 for American Beauty, which also secured him a Bafta for leading actor.

He was also known for the US adaptation of House of Cards, one of Netflixs biggest and earliest hits, but was sacked when the allegations emerged during the shows sixth season, and effectively ostracised from Hollywood.
Met Eireann has extended its Status Yellow thunderstorm warning to include 18 counties, with a further three issues a rain warning this evening.

Those affected will experience heavy downpours with thunderstorms and hail, with spot flooding, hazardous road conditions and poor visibility also possible.

The national forecaster issued the Status Yellow Thunderstorm warning for the following 18 counties: Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Cavan, Monaghan, Clare, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford, Leitrim, Roscommon.

The warning is in place at 3pm and last until 8pm today.

Counties Dublin, Wexford and Wicklow have been issued with a rain warning from 6pm this evening until midnight

Counties Clare, Cork and Limerick were originally warned of heavy downpours with thunderstorms and hail bringing the risk of spot flooding.

Road users for all 21 counties, those under a thunderstorm warning and those under a rain warning are advised to be wary of hazardous travelling conditions and poor visibility.

Met Eireann also said there is a chance of sea fog encroaching onto coasts at times. Temperatures will range between 17 and 22 degrees.

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Many areas will enjoy the dry and clear conditions tonight, while the east and southeast will see persistent rain. Temperatures will drop to 9 and 13 degrees.

Friday morning will bring rain and drizzle, while sunny spells and showers are likely to develop later in the day, with temperatures ranging between 16 and 19 degrees.

It will be cloudy on Friday night, with further spells of rain and drizzle. Temperatures will be 10 to 11 degrees.

The weekend will start off dry in most areas with sunshine on Saturday, and temperatures of 15 and 19 degrees.

Dry and clear conditions will continue to Saturday night, with temperatures dropping to 7 and 8 degrees.

Sunday will see a mixture of sunny spells and isolated showers. Temperatures will be up to 18 to 21 degrees.

Monday will have a sunny morning, while some heavy showers are likely to develop in the afternoon, with temperatures of 17 to 21 degrees.

Further showers or longer spells of rain are expected until the midweek, Met Eireann said.
A man who was presumed dead after he was kidnapped as a teenager has been found in his neighbours cellar 27 years later.

Omar Bin Omran disappeared from his home in Djelfa in Algeria when he was 17 years old and his family assumed he had been killed during a civil war.
A massive manhunt is under way for a prisoner nicknamed The Fly freed in an ambush by gunmen who shot dead two prison officers escorting him in northern France.

French interior minister Gerald Darmanin said unprecedented efforts were deployed, with hundreds of officers mobilised in the search for the escaped convict Mohamed Amra and the assailants who ambushed the convoy transporting him on Tuesday morning.
Robot wars in Ukraine: Imagine a thousand of these drones, in the forest, in every direction

Unmanned ground vehicles or UGVs equipped with remote-control machine guns are being increasingly deployed against the Russian invaders

A land drone, or UGV, in Ukraine

Calvin Sweeney Thu 16 May 2024 at 17:24

Ten minutes, says Serg, watching the road for potholes while squinting sideways at Google Maps. He is in the suburbs of Kyiv en route to meet some special Ukrainians with a special donation. The further north we get, the more visible the signs of the war: bombed-out buildings, bullet holes in every wall and roads chipped from the weight of tanks. A reminder of how close the Russians came to taking Kyiv two years ago.
Defence minister urges Benjamin Netanyahu to announce Israel wont rule over Gaza militarily

Israeli troops battled militants across Gaza yesterday, including in the southern city of Rafah that had been a refuge for civilians, in an upsurge of the more than seven-month-old war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

Antagonism between Israel and the United Nations worsened as the Israeli army sought an explanation for footage showing armed men next to UN Palestinian relief agency vehicles. Separately, India was working to bring home the body of a UN staffer killed in Rafah by what the global body said was tank fire.
Livermore, CA (94550)

Today

Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 78F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Low 58F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Photo Courtesy: File image by Jhanvee Asthana via Wikimedia Commons

Mumbai/IBNS: American private investment firm Bain Capital and Singapore-based Temasek have partnered to compete with Blackstone-led consortium for a majority stake in Haldiram Snacks Food, potentially India's largest private equity purchase to date, reports Economic Times.

According to an ET report, the two companies made a non-binding offer, valuing the company at $8-8.5 billion (Rs 66,400-70,500 crore).

Blackstone, one of the largest alternative asset managers of the world, had previously partnered with Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC to bid for a controlling stake of up to 76 percent in Haldiram Snacks Food Pvt Ltd (HSFPL), one of India's largest snack and convenience foods companies, as reported by ET.



Temasek, ADIA, and GIC are limited partners in Bain's global funds, reports ET.

In November last year, Bain successfully increased its fifth pan-Asia private equity fund, surpassing its target by 40 percent with a total of $7.1 billion.



HSFPL represents the combined packaged snacks and foods businesses of the Agarwal familys Delhi and Nagpur factions.

In April 2023, the Competition Commission of India approved the demerger of Haldiram Foods International Private Limited and Haldiram Snacks Private Limiteds FMCG businesses into a new entity called Haldiram Snacks Foods.

Haldirams offers a wide range of products under well-known brands such as Haldirams, Haldirams Prabhuji, Bikanervala, Bhikharam Chandmal, Bikaji, and Bikano.
Photo Courtesy: Phone Pe X page

Indian fintech major PhonePe on Wednesday it has enabled UPI payment acceptance in collaboration with LankaPay across LankaQR merchant points.

Santosh Jha, the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka attended the event which marked the beginning of PhonePe's journey in the neighbouring nation.

Attending as the chief guest, he highlighted the key role played by fintech connectivity in the overall connectivity between India and Sri Lanka.

Addressing the gathering Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), acknowledged the collaborations capacity to unlock new opportunities and enhance competitiveness and the benefits that it would bring to Sri Lankan merchants.

Channa de Silva, CEO, LankaPay also addressed the audience and moderated an insightful panel discussion on The Future of Digital Payments in Sri Lanka: Opportunities for Sri Lankan Businesses, which focused on the possibilities and growth avenues for local businesses.

Following the panel discussion, Ritesh Pai, the CEO of International Payments at PhonePe, unveiled insights on leveraging UPI for global markets and the growth prospects it offers for merchants.

The event also saw the presence of several key stakeholders from the Sri Lankan financial landscape, including senior representatives from Banking sectors, Payment System Providers, and representatives from tourism sector and business associations.

This alliance is facilitated through LankaPays partnership with NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL).

During the event, PhonePe announced that its app users travelling to Sri Lanka can now make payments using UPI across LankaPayQR merchants nationwide. Users can simply scan LankaQR code to make secure and quick payments without carrying cash or calculating currency conversions. Their account will be debited in INR, showing the currency exchange rate. These transactions are facilitated by the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and LankaPay National Payment Network.

Speaking on the occasion, Santosh Jha, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka,said, The UPI launch is an important part of a larger goal for both countries to collaborate through a digital partnership.

He mentioned that India is also supporting Sri Lanka in the development of its Unique Digital Identity Program and other components of the Digital Stack that has immense transformative potential for Sri Lanka and the bilateral economic partnership.

Ritesh Pai, CEO, International Payments, PhonePe, added, We are thrilled to announce our partnership with LankaPay. This collaboration offers unparalleled convenience to Indian tourists who can now use a familiar and secure payment method while traveling and pay across LankaQR merchant points. PhonePe has always been at the forefront of driving innovation in payments. We are incredibly proud to be driving UPI adaptation across India, and our expansion to Sri Lanka is another exciting step forward.

Channa de Silva, CEO, LankaPay, added, LankaPay is delighted to collaborate with PhonePe to revolutionize the cross-border payments between Sri Lanka and India. This partnership is bound to provide greater convenience to Indian Tourists and Business Travelers in making seamless UPI payments at all LankaQR merchant points in Sri Lanka via PhonePe app. We are excited about the potential of this collaboration that would enhance payment experience to Indian tourists and business travellers during their stay in Sri Lanka and also provide the merchants with a cost-effective proposition to card payments. I envisage that innovation to be the cornerstone of this alliance and would lead to further strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries.
Bengaluru/Naini: ITI Limited, the countrys first PSU post-independence and premier telecom manufacturing company has received LoIs worth Rs. 37.5 Crores from Bihar Renewable Energy Development Authority (BREDA) for the installation of Solar Street light Systems.

Details of the LOIs

ITI Limiteds Naini Unit has received LOIs for Design, Supply, Installation, Testing, and Commissioning with a Comprehensive Maintenance Contract (CMC for 5 years) including Remote Monitoring System (RMS) of 2800 Solar Streetlight Systems from DPRO Katihar amounting to Rs. 8.58 Cr under Mukhyamantri Gramin Solar Street Light Yojana.

ITI Limiteds Naini Unit has received another LoI for Design, Supply, Installation, Testing, and Commissioning with a Comprehensive Maintenance Contract (CMC for 5 years) including Remote Monitoring System (RMS) of 9440 Solar Street light Systems from DPRO Katihar amounting to Rs. 28.94 Cr under Mukhyamantri Gramin Solar Street Light Yojana.

These systems are to be installed under the supervision of the Bihar Renewable Energy Development Authority (BREDA) and the major Components of the Solar Street light Systems are Solar PV Modules, Solar Batteries, LED Luminaries, Mounting Structures, Balance of System (BOS).

Commenting on the partnership, Rajesh Rai, Chairman and Managing Director, ITI Limited, said, "ITI Limited is proud to partner with the Government of Bihars BREDA to help illuminate streets with sustainable solar energy. This project is a testament to our commitment to sustainability and creating vibrant rural environments. The project adds to aesthetics and provides cutting-edge lighting solutions for a greener tomorrow, Rai added.

ITI Limited has acquired rich experience in successfully supplying and installing Solar Street Light Systems in Bihar since last year.

ITI Limiteds Naini Unit is already manufacturing solar panels that can harness solar power up to 400W.

In terms of yearly production, Naini Unit manufactures solar panels, which can harness 18 Mega Watt (MW) of solar energy which comes to around 55,000 panels per year.

With the enhanced capacity (500 MW), the unit will start manufacturing around 15,00,000 panels per year.
Photo courtesy: Facebook/Himanta Biswa Sarma

Ramgarh (Jharkhand)/IBNS: As a part of his campaign during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma spoke of a fresh to-do list if the NDA gets 400 seats including a promise to merge Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir to India.

Countering the Opposition allegations of a change in Constitution, Sarma Wednesday said the focus would be on making Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir a part of India.

His list also includes two building projects -- temples at Krishna Janambhoomi in Mathura and in Varanasi's Gyanvapi. "You think Hindus would be satisfied with Ram Janmabhoomi alone," he questioned.

Speaking at a rally in Jharkhand's Ramgarh, Sarma said: "When we crossed 300 (seats) we scrapped Article 370, built the Ayodhya temple. Once we cross 400, we will ensure that Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir merges with India."

"The real game will start after crossing 400. For the last few days, slogans of freedom are being raised in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Crossing 400 means return of PoK to India," he said.

"Agitation is taking place every day in PoK and people are protesting against Pakistan, holding the Indian flag," he added.

Sarma alleged that during Congress rule, no discussion was held in Parliament regarding Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

"When the Congress government was in power, we were told that one Kashmir is in India and the other in Pakistan. It was never discussed in our Parliament that Pakistan has 'Occupied Kashmir,' it is actually ours," he said.

The issue of protests in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir was highlighted by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar too,
Photo courtesy: X/@BJP4India

Lucknow/IBNS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday dared the rainbow alliance of opposition parties to abolish the controversial CAA, which was enacted by the Union Home Minister earlier this year.

Addressing a rally in Lalganj in Uttar Pradesh, Modi hit out at the Opposition over its claim to abolish CAA, which aims to grant citizenship to refugees who came to India from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan before 2015.

Modi said, "People of the Indi alliance say that Modi has brought CAA, the day Modi goes, this CAA will also go. The people of the country have come to know that by doing vote bank politics and making Hindus and Muslims fight, you people had worn such a garb of secularism that your truth was not coming out, but Modi has exposed your truth. You forced the country to struggle in the fire of communalism for 7 decades."

"I challenge them to gather support nationally and internationally. See you in the battleground. They won't be able to abolish CAA," the Prime Minister said.

More than two months after the CAA Act was notified, the Centre on Thu handed over the first set of citizenship certificates to 14 applicants in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla handed over the certificates to the applicants.

"Home Secretary congratulated the applicants and highlighted salient features of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024. Secretary Posts, Director (IB), Registrar General of India and senior officers were also present during the interactive session," read a statement issued by the Indian government.

The Government of India had notified Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 on Mar 11.
Photo courtesy: Videograb of Pune billboard collapse from X

Mumbai/IBNS: Three days after a billboard crashed in Mumbai's Ghatkopar killing 16 people and injuring over 74 others, a hoarding collapsed in Pimpri-Chinchwad near Pune due to strong winds.

The hoarding fell on a parked tempo, a car and a few two-wheelers on Thursday, but no injuries have been reported.

The incident occurred around 4.30 pm on Thursday in the city's Moshi area and videos showed officials from the fire department, the police, and the civic body at the spot, where efforts were on to clear the area of debris.

Manoj Lonkar, the fire officer-in-charge of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, said, "The fire brigade began work after information was received. The hoarding collapsed on a tempo, a car and a couple of two-wheelers, but there have been no casualties. The tempo which was trapped under the hoarding has been freed and gas-cutting is being done to remove the billboard."

In April last year, a hoarding collapsed on a service road in Pimpri Chinchwad, killing five people, who had taken shelter underneath due to strong winds. The civic body sought structural stability certificates from billboard owners, but many are yet to submit them for this year.

Mumbai's tragedy occurred on Monday when a billboard collapsed on a fuel station in Ghatkopar during a dust storm.

The number of people killed went up to 16 on Wednesday after the bodies of a 60-year-old man and his 59-year-old wife were recovered from their car inside the fuel station.

The hoarding was a 120X120-foot structure and the Mumbai civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has said it does not allow billboards with measurements exceeding 40X40 feet.
Photo courtesy: Facebook/Swati Maliwal

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Swati Maliwal, who is at the center of the harassment row involving party boss Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar, has recorded her statement with Delhi Police.

On Thursday evening a two-member police team met Maliwal four days after silence over an incident that has triggered a furious political spat between the ruling outfit and the opposition BJP.

A case might be registered based on the statement provided to the police.

This was hours after the National Commission for Women issued a summons to Kumar.

Bibhav Kumar (L) and Swati Maliwal (R) | Photo courtesy: Screenshot grab/Swati Maliwal X handle

Swati Maliwal was assaulted by Bibhav Kumar at the Chief Minister's residence in Delhi's Civil Lines area on Monday.

AAP leader Sanjay Singh, confirming the "distressing incident" Tuesday, said she was waiting to meet the Chief Minister when Kumar "misbehaved" with her.

Delhi Police confirmed they received two calls from an unknown person within Arvind Kejriwal's residence but from a phone number registered to Maliwal alerting them to the harassment.

Maliwal later appeared at a police station in the area but left without filing a complaint.

The assault on Maliwal led to the BJP unleashing a flood of counter-attacks on the AAP and Kejriwal, who was released on bail last week so he might campaign for his party in the ongoing general election after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in March in the liquor policy scam.

The BJP has said Kejriwal, who faces fresh demands to resign, is shielding his aide. Those accusations gained momentum Thursday after he seemed to avoid reporters' questions on this topic.

#WATCH | Lucknow, UP: On AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal's assault case, AAP MP Sanjay Singh says "The entire country was in pain after seeing what happened in Manipur but PM Modi was silent on the issue. Prajwal Revanna raped thousands of women but PM Modi was asking for votes pic.twitter.com/nQu73jcqNQ  ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2024

After Kejriwal ducked the question, Singh, said, "The entire country was in pain after seeing what happened in Manipur but PM Modi was silent on the issue. Prajwal Revanna raped thousands of women but PM Modi was asking for votes for Prajwal Revanna.

"When our wrestlers were protesting at Jantar Mantar, Swati Maliwal who was DCW chief was beaten up by Police...PM Modi remained silent on these issues. AAP is our family and has given a clear statement. BJP and PM Modi should answer all these issues that I mentioned...Politics should not be done on Swati Maliwal's issue..."

Kumar has accompanied Kejriwal to Lucknow, where the AAP supremo will campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.
Mamata Banerjee & Adhir Chowdhury/ courtesy: Facebook

A day after Mamata Banerjee announced support for the INDIA bloc from outside to form a government at the Centre, the Bengal Chief Minister Thursday said she is very much a part of the alliance, which was 'her brainchild' and that she was the one to give it a name.

Banerjee, who is not a part of the INDIA bloc in West Bengal, said at an election rally on Wednesday: "After four phases of elections, it is certain that BJP is set to lose. They do not have much opportunity to win massive seats in the remaining three phases as well. They will lie but won't be able to win. BJP won't cross even 200, forget about their call to win 400 seats."

"We will lead the INDIA bloc and give it outside support to form the government so that women and MGNREGA workers in West Bengal do not face any hurdle."

This afternoon at a poll rally in Tamluk, Banerjee underlined her position, saying, "I am very much part of INDIA... it was my brainchild. We are together at national level and will continue to be together."

Banerjee did, however, make it clear on both occasions that she does not see the Congress' state unit and the CPM, as allies.

"But when I say this, I don't include Bengal Congress and CPI-M because they are with the BJP," the Trinamool Congress chief added.

She decided to go solo in the Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal after having a tiff with the Congress on the seat-sharing deal.

Reportedly, the TMC offered two seats to the Congress but the grand old party demanded around 10.

The Left and Congress then went on with their seat-sharing deal in 42 Lok Sabha seats which are up for grabs.

Adhir Chowdhury's response:

Responding to Banerjee's statement, Congress Bengal unit boss Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said: "What she will do from outside (the alliance) or inside... I don't know. That you have to ask her. But I don't trust her. She left the alliance... she could even run to BJP."

Speaking to reporters, he said: "Whatever complaints she has (about the bloc) she should have raised earlier, when it was created."

Chowdhury further pointed out the apparent U-turn came after polling for nearly 70 per cent of all Lok Sabha seats, with the opposition bloc claiming big advances in its bid to oust the ruling BJP.

"They (referring to the BJP) were talking about destroying Congress and that Congress would not get 40 seats... but now (what) she (Mamata Banerjee) is saying means Congress and INDIA are coming to power," he said.

#WATCH | West Bengal: On CM Mamata Banerjee's remarks "will support INDIA bloc from outside to form govt at Centre", Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury says, "I don't trust her. She left the alliance and ran away. She can also go towards the BJP... They were talking about pic.twitter.com/F3unHSUfD6  ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2024

Meanwhile, the BJP, which swept North and West of India in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, is aiming to increase its tally from the other zones.

The BJP will definitely eye to improve its performance five years after it surprised the TMC by increasing its tally from 2 to 18 while the ruling party of the state nosedived from 34 to 22.

The results of the ongoing elections will be declared on June 4.
Cannes 2024: Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was seen departing for the Cannes Film Festival with her daughter Aaradhya Bachchan late on Wednesday night. Aishwarya was photographed wearing an arm sling on her right hand. In a video posted by paparazzo Viral Bhayani, Aishwarya and Aaradhya were seen greeting photographers at the airport.

Aishwarya, a regular at Cannes, chose a blue long coat and black pants for her airport outfit.

Injured Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Leaves For Cannes 2024 With Daughter Aaradhya

When Aishwarya Rai Talked About How She Feels About Devdas Screening At Cannes

As per ABP, Aishwarya said, "Devdas doesn't seem like such a long time ago and each time I come back here to Cannes, I get asked about the experience and I relive it time and time again. It will forever be a very very special memory. But probably the best part of it was to see how well it was embraced here and it just opened up international interest to my eyes."

Also read: Indian Actress Deepti Sadhwani Walks The Red Carpet For Opening Ceremony Of Cannes Film Festival 2024

"I am sure it must have always been there but from that day onwards, I actually experienced incredible interest in our cinema and people felt transported into this wonderful world of storytelling with all the emotions in it and music and the dance. I just feel very privileged to be a part of a movie by a brilliant filmmaker like Sanjay Leela Bhansali with a great team of co-actors and to have had the honour of sharing this with the audience."



Also read: Cannes 2024: Did Urvashi Rautela's Look Draw Inspiration From Deepika Padukone's 2018 Hot Pink Gown?

For those unfamiliar, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan made her debut appearance at the Cannes Film Festival in 2002. As Aishwarya Rai Bachchan gets ready to dazzle on the Cannes red carpet, she joins a star-studded lineup that includes Aditi Rao Hydari, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Sobhita Dhulipala.



In addition, Indian Influencers like Ankush Bahuguna and others have left for Cannes 2024 and will soon be seen in the event.

For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.


Rajpal Yadav was thrilled as he shared his photos from the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Known for his comedy roles, Rajpal has now made his debut at this famous international film festival. He posted pictures with Palaash Muchhal, the director of his new movie "Kaam Chalu Hai," from the French Riviera, and shared his excitement in an interview with Bollywood Bubble.



Rajpal Yadav Expresses Gratitude On Cannes Debut

Rajpal spoke about his film being shown at Cannes 2024, saying, I am extremely grateful to the Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association (IMPAA) for liking the film and recommending it for this prestigious festival. I have been invited before, but I always wanted to attend with a film, and now I finally can. Im very happy that the film is being recognised and getting this much respect. Thank you, IMPAA. It means a lot.

Also Read: Cannes Throwback: Did You Know SLB's Devdas Starring Aishwarya Rai-Shah Rukh Khan Was Screened In 2002?

He added, Cannes is a prestigious place for any film to be screened. Its like the trade centre of films, so having our film there is humbling and a source of pride. Im very happy to present such a good, content-centric film on an international platform, thanks to Bollywood and IMPAA suggesting the film go to the festival. It will resonate with people all over the world.



Rajpal Yadav Shares Pictures From Cannes

The "Kaam Chalu Hai" actor shared several pictures on Instagram from Cannes 2024, ready for interviews. In one post, he wore a brown blazer and matching trousers, captioning it Cannes Diaries 2024. In another post with filmmaker Palaash Muchhal, he wore a black blazer and blue trousers, captioning it, Arrived at Cannes 2024.

Rajpal Yadav debuted in acting with "Dil Kya Kare." He received praise for his roles in movies like "Shool," "Jungle," "Company," "Hungama," "Chup Chup Ke," "Malamaal Weekly," "Partner," "Dhol," "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2," and "Satyaprem Ki Katha."

Also Read: Cannes 2024: Star Dog Messi From 'Anatomy of a Fall' Walks The Red Carpet At Opening Ceremony

Based on a real-life tale, 'Kaam Chalu Hai' features Rajpal as Manoj Patil, who seeks justice after his daughter's tragic road accident. The film is available on ZEE5.

For more news and updates from the world of OTT, celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment


Rakhi Sawant, the drama queen of Bollywood and former Bigg Boss contestant, has been hospitalised with a tumour in her uterus, her ex-husband Ritesh Singh revealed. Rakhi was rushed to a hospital in Mumbai on May 14 after experiencing severe stomach and chest pain. Pictures of her lying in a hospital bed have since gone viral on social media. Initially, it was reported that Rakhi had a heart ailment, but Ritesh has now clarified that doctors found a tumour in her uterus, which might be cancerous. "Doctors have proposed a surgery, but they want to check first if it is cancer or not," Ritesh informed the media. He described Rakhi's condition as 'critical' and urged everyone to pray for her recovery.



Rakhi Sawant Hospitalised With Possible Cancer, Ex-Adil Calls It Drama

Rakhi is known for her entertaining interactions with the paparazzi and has made headlines for her candid and humorous public appearances. Recently, she was seen dancing in the rain and wearing a red towel dress at an event, reminiscent of American rapper Doja Cat's famous Met Gala outfit.

Also Read: Internet Is Happy To See Rakhi Sawant In Neena Gupta-Jackie Shroff's Film 'Mast Mein Rehne Ka'

Still Of Rakhi Sawant /Prime video

Rakhi Sawant is no stranger to controversy. She frequently makes headlines, often for the wrong reasons, from her public spats to her attention-grabbing antics. Her personal life has also been a topic of public interest, but despite her fun-loving public persona, Ritesh emphasised that Rakhi Sawant's current health situation is serious and not a joke.



While fans and well-wishers are hoping for her swift recovery, her ex, Adil Khan Durrani, shared a video on social media discussing her condition. In the video, he mentioned that Rakhi underwent all necessary medical tests and even had surgery a year ago, after which she was healthy.

Also Read: Who Is Adil Khan Durrani's New Wife After Rakhi Sawant? Here Is A Scoop On His Second Marriage

Adil suggested that with her court date approaching, this might be a publicity stunt, noting that both the court and the public are watching closely. He added that if Rakhi is genuinely ill, he prays for her speedy recovery, emphasising that he is a good person. However, he expressed suspicion that the health scare might be a tactic to avoid her upcoming court date.



For more news and updates from the world of OTT, celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.


Today is Vicky Kaushal's birthday, a talented actor known for his versatile performances. As we celebrate his special day, it's worth recalling a moment from his early career when he faced a challenging situation. During the making of the critically acclaimed film Gangs of Wasseypur, Vicky Kaushal was arrested by the police. Vicky Kaushal has since then risen to prominence with his exceptional acting skills, carving a niche for himself in Bollywood.

When Vicky Kaushal was arrested during the making of Gangs of Wasseypur

While working on the film, Vicky Kaushal served as an assistant director. Anurag Kashyap once shared an anecdote about an incident where Vicky ended up in jail during the movie's production.

During a conversation on Kapil Sharma's show, Piyush Mishra jokingly remarked that he is always surprised when crew members working on Anurag Kashyap's films manage to avoid getting arrested. Kapil Sharma then asked him to elaborate on his comment.



Anurag Kashyap told Kapil Sharma, During Wasseypur, Vicky Kaushal went to jail once We would shoot without permission, and once we were shooting the actual illegal sand mining that the mafia was conducting there. And Vicky got caught.

Also read: Zara Hatke Zara Bachke OTT Release Date: When And Where To Watch Vicky Kaushal-Sara Ali Khan's Film

Vicky Kaushals Rise To Fame

Vicky Kaushal hails from a family deeply rooted in the film industry; his father, Sham Kaushal, is a renowned action director in Bollywood.



Following his debut in "Masaan," Vicky's career gained momentum with notable roles in films such as "Raazi," where he portrayed a Pakistani army officer, and "Sanju," a biopic on actor Sanjay Dutt's life, in which he played a pivotal role. However, it was his portrayal of an army officer in "Uri: The Surgical Strike" that truly propelled him to stardom. The film was a huge commercial success and earned him widespread acclaim.



Also read: Chhava: Vicky Kaushal's Look As Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Leaks, Fans Say He's A 'Chameleon'

Beyond his acting prowess, Vicky is admired for his humility and grounded demeanor. Critics and audiences alike appreciate his ability to convincingly portray diverse characters.



Vicky Kaushal remains one of Bollywood's most promising talents, with several eagerly awaited projects on the horizon.
Happy Buddha Purnima 2024 Wishes and Quotes: Buddha Jayanti also called Buddha Jayanti or Vesak significant Buddhist festival celebrated with great enthusiasm, commemorating the birth anniversary of Lord Gautam Buddha who was born as Prince Siddhartha Gautama and later founded Buddhism. On this day, devotees pledge to uphold Buddha's teachings, start the day with a purifying bath, tidy their homes, and perform special rituals. Buddha Purnima carries cultural and spiritual importance for Buddhists worldwide, particularly in East and South Asia. Countries like India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, Thailand, China, Korea, Laos, Vietnam, Mongolia, Cambodia, and Indonesia celebrate this occasion with reverence.



When is Buddha Purnima in 2024?

The date of Buddha Purnima varies each year based on the lunar calendar, typically falling in April or May. It's determined by different Asian lunisolar calendars, and in leap years, it might extend into June. In 2024, it is believed to be the 2586th Birth Anniversary of Gautama Buddha. This year, Buddha Purnima (Vesak) or Buddha Jayanti will be celebrated on Thursday, May 23rd.

Purnima Tithi Begins - May 22, 2024 - 06:47 PM

Purnima Tithi Ends - May 23, 2024 - 07:22 PM

Buddha Purnima Holiday

Buddha Purnima is not recognized as a national holiday in India, but it holds the status of a gazetted holiday. This means that government offices, post offices, and banks are closed on this day. The observance of this holiday is particularly significant in regions such as Sikkim, Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bodhgaya, Spiti district, Kinnaur, and various parts of North Bengal, including Kalimpong, Darjeeling, and Kurseong. Maharashtra, which houses 77% of India's Buddhist population, also celebrates Buddha Purnima.

Buddha Purnima Celebration

During Buddha Purnima, Buddhists gather at Viharas to participate in lengthy Buddhist sutras, resembling religious ceremonies. Devotees visit Buddha temples, offer prayers, light candles and incense sticks, and present fruits and sweets to Buddha statues. It's customary to dress in white attire, refrain from consuming non-vegetarian food, and distribute kheer, as legend has it that a woman named Sujata offered Buddha a bowl of milk porridge on this day.

Many followers release caged birds as a symbol of empathy and compassion for all living beings, a core teaching of Buddha. According to Buddhist tradition, Buddha delivered his first sermon in Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, which remains a popular pilgrimage site in India. Every year, a significant fair is held there, and the relics of Buddha are publicly displayed in a procession.



Who was Gautam Buddha?

Gautama Buddha whose birth name was Siddhartha Gautama | Photo: Freepik

Gautama Buddha was born around 563-483 BCE in Lumbini, Nepal, to Queen Maya Devi and King Suddhodana. The Mayadevi Temple in Lumbini, along with an Ashoka Pillar dating back to 249 BCE, commemorates this significant event.



The life of Gautama Buddha is a central focus during Buddha Purnima. Born into luxury, he ventured outside his palace and encountered the realities of old age, sickness, and death. This prompted him to seek answers and ultimately led to his renunciation of worldly life. After mastering meditation techniques, he attained enlightenment under a banyan tree. Subsequently, he dedicated his life to spreading his teachings, eventually establishing Buddhism.

The festival also celebrates Buddha's enlightenment and death. In South and Southeast Asia, these events are part of the Vesak festival. However, in Tibetan Buddhism and East Asia, separate holidays are dedicated to these aspects of Buddha's life.

As the auspicious day of Buddha Jayanti is approaching let's make it more special by sending heartfelt Buddha Purnima wishes, quotes, images, status and messages to your loved ones with the blessing of Lord Buddha:

Best Happy Buddha Purnima Wishes to share with loved ones WhatsApp:

Happy Buddha Purnima everyone!

Hello! I hope you have a happy Buddha Purnima! I wish that Buddha's teachings help you find peace, love, and happiness.

On this special day of Buddha Purnima, I hope you find peace and happiness in Buddha's teachings. Let's try to live a good and kind life like Buddha.

May the full moon of Buddha Purnima bring you blessings of peace, understanding, and spiritual growth. Happy Buddha Purnima 2024

I hope you have a happy and peaceful Buddha Purnima! May Buddha's blessings be with you today.

May Gautama Buddha's teachings help us find freedom from suffering. Happy Buddha Purnima.

Let's celebrate the birthday of Buddha, who became enlightened, on this special day of Buddha Purnima. I wish you a happy and blessed Buddha Purnima!

Let's celebrate the wise Gautama Buddha today and try to be wise and caring like him. Happy Buddha Purnima!

May Buddha's smart thinking help you find goodness and peace in life. Happy Buddha Purnima 2024

I hope Buddha's teachings inspire you to forget about the past and look forward to a happy future. Happy Buddha Purnima 2024

On Buddha Purnima, let Buddha's teachings inspire you to be kind, smart, and peaceful.

Have a blessed Buddha Purnima! May this day bring you happiness and make you feel spiritually stronger.

On this special day of Buddha Purnima, I wish you mindfulness, kindness, and peace. Happy Buddha Purnima!

Your thoughts shape you, your feelings draw things to you, and your dreams make things happen. Happy Buddha Purnima!

Let's follow Lord Buddha's teachings to improve our world. Happy Buddha Jayanti 2024

May this Buddha Purnima bring light to your life and drive away darkness. Happy Buddha Purnima!

Let's remember Buddha's good teachings on this special day and try to bring peace and love into the world. Happy Buddha Purnima!

Let's celebrate Gautama Buddha's life and teachings today. Let's try to be wise and free like him. Happy Buddha Purnima!

Stay true to yourself and follow your Guru's teachings. You'll shine bright in your life. Happy Buddha Purnima!

May Buddha's teachings help you to be kind, mindful, and loving. Happy Buddha Purnima!

I hope Buddha's teachings help you find yourself, grow spiritually, and feel peaceful. Happy Buddha Purnima 2024

Let's remember the wise and smart Gautama Buddha on Buddha Purnima. May his teachings lead us to happiness.

On this special day, may you let go of negativity and find inner peace and happiness. Best wishes to you and your family.

On this special day of Buddha Purnima, may you find inner peace and understanding.

May Buddha's teachings inspire you to be kind and loving. Happy Buddha Purnima!

Wishing you a very happy Buddha Jayanti!

I wish you a happy and blessed Buddha Purnima! May Buddha's wisdom and kindness bring you joy and peace.

Be thankful to those who helped you understand yourself. Happy Guru Purnima!

May Lord Buddha show you the path to peace and happiness.

Let's celebrate Buddha's birthday and remember his teachings of love and peace. Happy Buddha Purnima 2024

Your blessings and teachings light up my life. Happy Buddha Purnima!

Om Mani Padme Hum. May Lord Buddha guide you with love, peace, and truth. Happy Buddha Purnima!

May Buddha's teachings inspire you to be a better person and make the world better. Happy Buddha Purnima!

Your words have motivated me to succeed. Thank you on this special day, Happy Guru Purnima.

Best Happy Buddha Jayanti wishes in English:

Happy Buddha Purnima! May the Buddha's wise words help you find peace, love, and joy.

Wishing you peace and understanding on Buddha Purnima. Happy Buddha Purnima 2024!

Let's celebrate the birthday of Buddha! Have a happy and lucky day!

May the wisdom of Buddha bring you calmness inside. Happy Buddha Purnima 2024!

On Buddha Purnima, may Buddha's teachings inspire you to be kind and caring.

Let's remember Buddha's lessons on Buddha Purnima and spread peace and love. Happy Buddha Purnima!

May Buddha's teachings help you be more aware and thoughtful. Happy Buddha Purnima!

Let's show respect to Buddha on Buddha Purnima. May his lessons bring happiness.

On Buddha Purnima, may you find peace inside and learn more about life.

Wishing you a happy and lucky Buddha Purnima! May Buddha's kindness fill your life.

Let's celebrate Buddha's birthday and his lessons on Buddha Purnima. Happy Buddha Purnima 2024!

May Buddha's teachings inspire us to make positive changes. Happy Buddha Purnima!

May you find peace and happiness by learning from Buddha on Buddha Purnima.

Let's celebrate the great things Buddha achieved on Buddha Purnima. Happy Buddha Purnima!

May Buddha's teachings bring you peace and enjoyment. Happy Buddha Purnima 2024!

Wishing you good fortune and happiness on Buddha Purnima. Happy Buddha Purnima!

May you find calmness inside and peace on Buddha Purnima. Happy Buddha Purnima!

Let's honor Buddha's life and lessons on Buddha Purnima.

May Buddha's teachings lead you to peace inside and help you grow as a person. Happy Buddha Purnima 2024!

Heartfelt Happy Buddha Purnima messages to share:

Every new day brings a fresh start! No matter how tough yesterday was, you can begin anew. Happy Vesak Day!

We hope that Lord Buddha will show us the way to peace, love, and truth. Wishing you and your family a Happy Vesak Day 2024

Pain is part of life, but suffering is our choice. Happy Vesak Day 2024

What you think, feel, and imagine can shape your life. Warm greetings on Buddha Purnima!

Happy Vesak Day! Buddhists and Hindus all over the world celebrate this special occasion.

On Buddha Purnima, I wish you find hope and enlightenment in Buddha's grace. Happy Vesak Day 2024

Let's follow Lord Buddha's teachings for a better future. Happy Vesak Day to everyone!

May the full moon of Buddha Purnima bring peace and understanding to the world. Warm wishes on Vesak Day 2024

Let's remember Buddha's teachings of compassion and brotherhood on this special day. Warm wishes for Buddha Jayanti.

Wishing you and your loved ones everlasting joy and happiness. Happy Vesak Day!

May Buddha's teachings guide you to love, peace, and truth. Happy Buddha Purnima 2024

May you be enlightened by the divine grace. Happy Gautam Buddha Jayanti!

Happy Buddha Purnima WhatsApp and Facebook Status

Endurance is tough but brings triumph. Happy Gautam Buddha Jayanti!

May your life bring you joy and happiness on this important day. Happy Vesak Day!

"The mind is everything. What you think, you become." So, think of peace and happiness. Happy Buddha Purnima!

Wishing you happiness and prosperity on Buddha Jayanti.

This Buddha Purnima, may Lord Buddha guide us towards love, peace, and truth. Happy Buddha Purnima to your family!

May Buddha's blessings bring peace to you and your family. Happy Buddha Purnima 2024

Let's be thankful for those who helped us understand ourselves. Happy Gautam Buddha Jayanti 2024

Your thoughts shape who you are. Happy Vesak Day 2024

On Buddha Purnima, wishing you peace, love, happiness, good health, and prosperity.

May Lord Buddha's guidance give us hope in difficult times. Happy Gautam Buddha Jayanti!



Happy Buddha Jayanti greetings to share with loved ones

Wishing you success, harmony, and joy today and always. Happy Vesak Day 2024

May Lord Buddha guide you towards love and truth!

Wishing you and your family a Happy Gautam Buddha Jayanti. May Lord Buddha lead us to peace, love, and truth!

Every day is a chance to start fresh! Happy Vesak Day!

Warm wishes to everyone on Buddha Purnima!

Happy Vesak Day! We wish you peace and good health.

Learn from Gautama Buddha's teachings on this Buddha Purnima.

Happy Gautam Buddha Jayanti. Let's take refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

May peace be with you on this light-filled day of celebration. Happy Vesak Day to my friends and family!

On Buddha Purnima, may Lord Buddha's grace always be with you. Happy Buddha Jayanti!

Happy Vesak 2024 to everyone!

Let's pray for peace and harmony for everyone on this special day. Buddha Jayanti greetings!

Buddha said, "Your thoughts shape your reality." Happy Buddha Jayanti 2024

True value lies beyond wealth or titles. Happy Buddha Jayanti 2024

May the full moon on Wesak Day light our path to peace. Happy Buddha Jayanti!

Offer yourself to Lord Buddha on his birthday! Happy Buddha Jayanti!

Happy Buddha Purnima Shor wishes and messages to share in 2024

May Buddha's teachings lead you to a peaceful life. Happy Vesak Day 2024!

Wishing you peace, happiness, and prosperity this Vesak. Happy Vesak Day!

Have a blessed Vesak filled with love and compassion.

May Vesak's light bring you happiness and peace. Happy Vesak Day!

Find peace and joy in Buddha's teachings. Happy Vesak!

Let Buddha's teachings inspire kindness and love. Happy Vesak Day 2024!

Let go of negativity this Vesak and embrace love. Happy Vesak!

Wishing you a joyous Vesak with spiritual growth. Happy Vesak Day!

May Buddha's wisdom lead you to fulfillment. Happy Vesak!

May Vesak bring you closer to loved ones and enlightenment.

May Vesak's blessings bring you peace and prosperity.

Find inner peace in Buddha's teachings. Happy Vesak!

Have a joyous Vesak filled with love and compassion.

May Vesak's light guide you to understanding. Happy Vesak!

Be kind and compassionate this Vesak. Happy Vesak!

May Vesak bring you closer to the divine and loved ones.

May Buddha's wisdom fill your life with happiness. Happy Vesak!

Wishing you a peaceful and prosperous Vesak.

May Vesak bring you joy and fulfillment.

May Vesak's blessings bring happiness and peace.

May Buddha's teachings lead to a meaningful life. Happy Vesak!

Practice kindness and love this Vesak. Happy Vesak!

Let Buddha's wisdom inspire purpose. Happy Vesak!

Have a blessed Vesak with spiritual growth.

May Vesak's light lead you to inner peace.

May Vesak bring peace and prosperity to you and your loved ones.

Strive for good and be compassionate this Vesak.

Let Buddha's teachings make you better. Happy Vesak!

Have a joyous Vesak with spiritual growth.

May Vesak guide you to enlightenment. Happy Vesak!

May Vesak bring happiness, prosperity, and health.

Most Inspiring Quotes By Gautam Buddha

This Buddha Jayanti, let's reflect on these powerful quotes by Gautam Buddha to inspire ourselves and others on our spiritual journey towards enlightenment. These timeless words and verses from the Buddhist scripture can help us honour the occasion of Gautama Buddha's enlightenment and deepen our understanding of his teachings.

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."

"Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth."

"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without."

"The mind is everything. What you think you become."

"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned."

"Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship."

"In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you."

"Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life."

"You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger."

"The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows."

"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."

"Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others."

"Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule."

"The tongue like a sharp knife... Kills without drawing blood."

"To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear."

"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly."

"An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea."

"All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become."

"There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path."

"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared."

"The trouble is, you think you have time."

"The root of suffering is attachment."

"Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace."

"However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?"

"A jug fills drop by drop."

"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful."

"All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else."

"To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others."

"Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity."

Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.

Happy Buddha Purnima wishes and messages in Hindi, Marathi and Bengali

Buddha Purnima ki hardik shubhkamnayein! Buddha ke gyaan se jeevan mein shanti aur anand mile.

Buddha Purnima ni ane vadhare shubhechao! Buddha ni shikshao thi jivan sukhmaan ane shantithi vat che.

Buddha Purnima ke is avsar par, Buddha ke anmol sandesh se jeevan ko pragati aur shanti mile. Shubh Buddha Purnima!

Buddha Purnima chi hardik shubhechha! Buddha chi prakashane jivan madhe sukha, shanti ani shantata milo.

Buddha Purnima r sukhkari shubheccha! Buddha Purnima r chandnima thaki andhkar ni dor ane bairno thaki moh ni dor door thai jaye.

Buddha Purnima ni haardik shubhechha! Buddha ni shikshao thi jivan maanviyta ane sahanubhuti no marg lakho.

Buddha Purnima te sukhmaya shubhechha! Buddha r gyaan dhwara man ane duniya ma shanti ane maitri ni prapti thai.

Buddha Purnima ni ane vadhu shubhechao! Buddha no gyaan tara jivanma khushi, shanti ane aatmik vriddhi lai aave.

Buddha Purnima r avinandan! Buddha no gyaan tara jivanma prakash ane sukun lai aave.

Buddha Purnima ni khub jode shubhechha! Buddha no gyaan tara jivanma prema ane shanti ni vriddhi lai aave.

Buddha Purnima te priti ane shanti no avsar! Buddha ni shikshao thi man ane jagat ma prem ane sahanubhuti no path lakho.

Buddha Purnima r khub shubhechha! Buddha no gyaan tara jivanma prema, daya ane maitri ni vridhdhi lai aave.

Buddha Purnima r subhechha! Buddha no gyaan tara jivanma shanti, prem ane aatmik unnati lai aave.

Buddha Purnima ni ane vadhu shubheccha! Buddha no prakash tara jivanma aapdo ane jagatno vichar visthar aape.

Buddha Purnima ni haardik shubhechha! Buddha no gyaan tara jivanma sukh, shanti ane samruddhi lai aave.

Happy Buddha Purnima Images, Cards, And Photos to share

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Happy Buddha Purnima wishes images to share on WhatsApp | Photo: Freepik

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Happy Buddha Purnima wishes images to share on WhatsApp | Photo: Freepik

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Happy Buddha Purnima wishes images to share on WhatsApp | Photo: Freepik

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Happy Buddha Purnima wishes images to share on WhatsApp | Photo: Freepik

Buddha Purnima FAQs:

Q. How is Vesak celebrated in India?



In India, Vesak is celebrated in various ways depending on the region and local traditions. Here are some common ways in which Vesak is celebrated in India:

Visiting temples: Buddhists visit temples on Vesak to offer prayers and offerings to the Buddha. Many temples are decorated with colorful lights and flowers for the occasion.

Meditation and prayer: Buddhists participate in group meditation and prayer sessions to reflect on the Buddha's teachings and to renew their commitment to following the path of enlightenment.

Chanting of Buddhist scriptures: Devotees chant the Buddhist scriptures, such as the Dhammapada and the Sutta Pitaka, to seek blessings and inspiration.

Offering of food and alms: Buddhists offer food and alms to monks and nuns as a way of showing gratitude and seeking blessings.

Acts of kindness and generosity: Vesak is also a time to engage in acts of kindness and generosity, such as donating to charity, helping the needy, and releasing animals into the wild.

Q. Is Buddha Purnima and Vesak same?



Buddha Purnima is one of the most important festivals of Buddhism. It's also known as Vesak, or Buddha Jayanti.

Q. Which country celebrates Vesak?



Vesak is celebrated across the world in the Buddhist Community, including countries in Asia such as: India, Thailand, and North and South Korea.

For more informative articles on historical and upcoming events from around the world, please visit Indiatimes Events.


Sita Navami also know as Janaki Navami celebrates the birth anniversary of Goddess Sita, believed to be the avatar of Mother Earth and the wife of Lord Rama according to Hindu mythology. Even when she was captured by the demon king Ravana, Sita prayed for Lord Rama's well-being. This festival falls on the Navami Tithi, the ninth day of the bright fortnight in the month of Baisakh. Devotees of Lord Rama and Mata Sita celebrate Sita Navami with great enthusiasm every year. It's a time of pomp and grandeur as people honour the divine couple.



Sita Navami 2024 date and timings

This year, Sita Navami is celebrated today, Thursday, May 16. According to Drik Panchang, the Navami Tithi, which is the ninth day of the bright fortnight, will begin at 6:22 AM on May 16 and will end at 8:48 AM on May 17. This period marks the auspicious time to celebrate and honour Goddess Sita's birth anniversary.

History

Goddess Sita is believed to be the adopted daughter of King Janaka of Mithila. According to the legend, while the king was ploughing the land for a yajna (a ritual), he discovered a golden casket containing Sita. As the land where she was found had been ploughed, it was named "Sita," and that's why King Janaka named her Sita. This story is often recounted in Hindu mythology to explain the origins of Goddess Sita's name and her connection to King Janaka.

The Ramayana tells of Sita's numerous challenges during her time with Lord Rama: enduring his 14-year exile, being kidnapped by Ravana, and ultimately being rescued from Lanka. Despite these hardships, her unwavering adherence to dharma, loyalty to her husband, and moral strength serve as an inspiration to Indian women.

Hindus seek Mata Sitas blessings for marital happiness, virtuous children, and the courage to follow the righteous path despite difficulties. Grand puja ceremonies, including ritual bathing, fasting, prayers, and offerings, are held in her honour in temples and homes.

This festival revives the timeless ethos of Indian culture, where the divine mother figure symbolises creation, nourishment, and spiritual growth. Sita Navami embodies the diverse values that have inspired women throughout generations of Hinduism, marking a glorious celebration of feminine strength and virtue.

Significance

On Sita Navami, worshipping Goddess Sita is believed to bring blessings of wealth and prosperity to devotees. Married women especially worship her on this day, seeking her blessings for the long life and well-being of their husbands. It's considered auspicious to pray to Goddess Sita on Sita Navami, as her blessings are believed to bring happiness and prosperity to families.

Sita Navami puja vidhi and rituals

On Sita Navami, devotees begin their day early by taking a holy bath. Then, they adorn the idol of Goddess Sita with sola shringaar, which includes sixteen types of traditional ornaments. It's believed that Goddess Sita is an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. Makhana Kheer, a sweet dish made from fox nuts, is offered to the Goddess as a part of the worship. People perform puja rituals in front of the idol of Goddess Sita, chant mantras, and may also participate in Sita Kalyanam, a ceremonial reenactment of the marriage of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita.

Sita Navami is celebrated with deep devotion as it marks the birth of Mother Earth, who is seen as an incarnation of Devi Sita and embodies feminine virtues. Hindu families create beautiful mandapas adorned with Sita's idol or paintings, decorated with cosmetics like sindoor, bindi, Chandan, makeup, and jewelry.

During the worship ritual, devotees offer fresh flowers, incense sticks, lamps, and offerings of Goddess Sita's favorite foods like panjiri, coconut rice, and sweets. Mantras, shlokas, and kirtans praising Sita's qualities of truth, devotion, sacrifice, and resilience are recited, activating the divine feminine energy.

Fasting on Sita Navami and sincerely worshipping Goddess Sita is believed to bring her blessings. Many married Hindu women observe nirjala vrat, fasting without water, praying for a harmonious married life for Goddess Sita and Lord Rama. This day is cherished for its spiritual significance and the opportunity to connect with the divine feminine energy embodied by Goddess Sita.

Observing Sita Navami with devotion is believed to bring various benefits:

Women who observe the Sita Navami vrat and pray with sincerity are said to experience a stronger bond and better understanding with their husbands.

Couples desiring children may be blessed with virtuous offspring through the divine grace of Goddess Sita.

Goddess Sita's blessings are believed to alleviate inauspicious doshas or obstacles in one's horoscope that hinder marriage.

Those facing hardships or prolonged illness may find comfort and relief through prayers to the embodiment of motherly love.

Sita Navami wishes and messages to share with loved ones
Now that the Class 10 and 12 results have been announced, numerous students are searching for colleges to pursue their desired subjects. Nevertheless, obtaining a degree isn't the sole determinant of success; it's entirely possible to have a prosperous career without pursuing one and earn handsomely while at it.





Here is a list of the top 5 highest paying jobs in India that don't require a degree:

Commercial Pilot

Commercial pilots operate aircraft for airlines, charter companies, or cargo carriers to transport passengers or cargo safely and efficiently.

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To become a commercial pilot, students can pursue pilot training certificates to obtain their license. Training courses are available at institutes like the Rajiv Gandhi Aviation Academy, The Bombay Flying Club, and the Indira Gandhi Institute of Aeronautics, with costs ranging from Rs 1.59 lakhs to Rs 20 lakhs.



A high school diploma or equivalent, along with a commercial pilots license from DGCA and FAA, is required.

Commercial pilots in India can earn up to Rs 24 lakhs annually.

Ethical Hacker

Ethical Hacker

Ethical hackers are cybersecurity professionals who legally exploit security vulnerabilities in computer systems, networks, or applications to enhance security. Various online resources, tutorials, and courses, such as those on Cybrary, Udemy, and Coursera, offer training. Obtaining certifications like Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP), or CompTIA Security+ validates skills and knowledge.



A high school diploma or equivalent is needed.

Ethical hackers in India can earn up to Rs 38.4 lakhs annually.

Investment Advisor

Investment advisors offer guidance on managing investments and achieving financial goals. While exams are required for registration, a degree is not mandatory. However, SEBI's regulations mandate specific educational qualifications, such as a professional qualification or post-graduate degree in finance, commerce, or related fields. Investment advisors in India can earn substantial salaries without a degree.

After sitting for certification exams and registering with SEBI, one can earn upto Rs 49.07 lakhs annually.

Flight Attendant

Flight attendants ensure passenger safety and comfort on commercial flights. A Class 12 Board pass is sufficient for this role.

In India, flight attendants can earn up to Rs 19.2 lakhs annually, armed with a 10+2 or equivalent qualification.

Chef or Head Cook

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Chefs oversee culinary operations in kitchens, including menu planning and staff management. While a degree is not necessary, completing a culinary program can provide a solid foundation.



In India, head chefs can earn up to Rs 38.4 lakhs annually, armed with a high school diploma or equivalent qualification.

For more information on exams, results and careers, please visit Indiatimes Education.
A social media post by an Indian-origin CEO has sparked a heated online debate about Indian students abroad. In her post Shreya Pattar, CEO of Dubai-based Shreya Pattar Ventures, advised students to prioritise universities with fewer Indian students, arguing that a high concentration of Indian students often fosters negative behaviors such as drama, and lack of professionalism.

Check how many Indian students are there

"Any Indian student planning to move abroad for higher education should check how many Indian students that university has. The more the number of Indian students, the lower that university should be on your list of places to join," she wrote.

Also read: Degree Not Enough For Job? Why Indian Students Aren't Getting Work In UK

BCCL

Pattar contends that while some may seek out universities with large Indian communities for a sense of familiarity, they may ultimately encounter what she describes as "toxic Indian patterns" instead.

Toxic Indian patterns

"Too much drama, lack of professionalism, no good role models, no leadership or responsibility towards juniors, self-centred behaviour, group-ism, back bitching, no seriousness towards the future," she wrote.

She suggests that Indian students aspiring to study abroad should actively avoid such environments to ensure a more positive and productive academic experience.

Also read: This Is Why Indian Students Are Being Deported From The US And Canada

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Want to feel home, stay home

According to her, Indian students who are planning to move out of the country, should make sure that they stay away from such mindset, attitude, and nature of people.

She further suggested that if students want to "feel at home" while studying abroad, they should not leave India in the first place.

Any Indian student planning to move abroad for higher education should check how many Indian students that university has. The more the number of Indian students, the lower that university should be on your list of places to join.



A big Indian community of students doesnt come  Shreya Pattar (@ShreyaPattar) May 12, 2024

How social media reacted

Her remarks quickly gained traction on social media, with many users expressing agreement and sharing their own experiences of encountering negative dynamics within Indian student communities overseas.

"I can not agree more with you. In 2011 I went to Australia to work in a hospital and there the most toxic people and most envious towards Indians were Indians only. It was a shock for me once I reach there and till the time I left Australia I could not come to terms with it," one person responded.

"1000% true. I got to study abroad for high school and bachelor's and it was in quite unconventional places. There were very few Indians and at first it was difficult but so worth it now. It makes the biggest difference in learning," another social media user said.

"What's the point of going abroad if you only hang out with your own people," asked another.

For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
We've all been there, right? Accidentally pressing the delete button on our laptops or mobile phones, only to realise that the wrong file has been deleted and now there's no way to get it back. While it's embarrassing and annoying, here's something to comfort you: it happens even to the best, and by the best, we mean one of the largest tech companies in the world.

Google accidently deletes cloud account

How else would you explain Google accidentally deleting the cloud account of a pension fund worth $125 billion? The private cloud account of the Australian pension fund UniSuper was accidentally deleted in what is being described as a 'one-of-a-kind' Google Cloud 'misconfiguration'.

Also read: Google Cloud's Confidential Computing Poised To Revolutionise Data Privacy

AFP

Service unavailable for over a week

According to reports, UniSuper suffered a widespread outage for nearly a week after the cloud account was deleted. This led to some 620,000 UniSuper account-holders being unable to access their accounts for nearly a week.

Last week, UniSuper and Google Cloud said that the services were partially restored and that it would take a few more days to normalize operations. The CEOs of UniSuper and Google Cloud also issued an unprecedented joint statement clarifying that the outage was not the result of a cyber-attack and no personal data had been exposed.

Also read: New Encryption Technique To Protect Pics On Cloud Storage

UniSuper

Google Cloud, UniSuper joint statement

"Google Cloud CEO, Thomas Kurian, has confirmed that the disruption arose from an unprecedented sequence of events whereby an inadvertent misconfiguration during provisioning of UniSupers Private Cloud services ultimately resulted in the deletion of UniSupers Private Cloud subscription," the statement said.

"This is an isolated, 'one-of-a-kind occurrence' that has never before occurred with any of Google Clouds clients globally. This should not have happened. Google Cloud has identified the events that led to this disruption and taken measures to ensure this does not happen again," it added."

For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
It was supposed to be the 'holiday of a lifetime' on an Antarctic cruise, but it turned out to be a nightmare for a British woman after she was left stranded in an airport without her cabin baggage. The woman, identified as Valerie Coleshaw, was scheduled to board an Antarctic cruise operated by Hurtigruten in February 2023, but her trip was cut short in Amsterdam.

Plane was extremely full

Coleshaw told The Independent that she left home and took a KLM flight from Manchester to Amsterdam, where she was to take a connecting flight to Buenos Aires. From there, she was supposed to head to the Port of Ushuaia in Argentina.

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According to her, at the Manchester airport, the KLM cabin crew asked her to check in her cabin baggage "as the plane was extremely full".

"I have heard of this happening before. So after checking several times that I would pick it up in Amsterdam, I agreed," she told The Independent.

Also read: Netizens React To Woman's Reel On Airport Baggage Conveyor Belt

Baggage goes missing

But to her utter shock, when she landed in Amsterdam, she learned that her cabin baggage was missing.

"Arriving at Amsterdam, my case was not on the carousel. I was advised to go straight to the boarding gate for Buenos Aires and it would be waiting for me there. It wasnt. After hours of badgering the staff, my hand luggage could not be found. In it was my asthma spray," she said.

While KLM offered to put her on another flight the next day, Coleshaw said she could not fly without her medicine and paperwork for her cruise.

Airline offers full refund

"I was given vouchers for a hotel and a flight back to Manchester the following morning," she said.

KLM

KLM gave Coleshaw a full refund for the value of the flights plus a 500 (Rs 52,000) voucher for future travel, but her ordeal did not end there.

Also read: US Couple Sold 'Everything' To Live On Cruise Ships For The Rest Of Their Lives

Can't get another cruise

Coleshaw had spent 11,000 (Rs 11.6 lakhs) on booking the cruise and other related expenses, which the operator refused to refund.

Instead, she was offered 8,500 (Rs 9 lakhs) for an alternative cruise as a goodwill gesture.

Hurtigruten

But when she tried to use some of the credit on a West African cruise, the voyage was cancelled by the company ahead of departure.

Coleshaw, who says her health has suffered from the pursuit of the refund, said she is close to giving up on the fight to get her money back.

For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
In a shocking video, a man can be seen closing the door to an Airbus A320, and stepping off the plane onto nothing. He took a major tumble because the ground staff had moved the boarding stairs. Worrying as it may seem, the fall wasn't big enough for any serious injuries although that is unclear from the video. Here's what went on.

How did the man fall?

He stepped off the Airbus A 320 onto nothing | Image: X

Also read: Viral Video: Pride Of 14 Lions Seen Crossing Road In Gujarat

The man, reportedly a ground staff worker, fell off a Transnusa Airlines Airbus A320 in Indonesia, because that was the very moment when two other workers decided to remove the boarding stairs. Incidentally, he was in the middle of closing the plane's door when he took the unfortunate plunge. The moment was captured by someone standing on the tarmac. The incident took place at the Jakarta airport and, luckily for all involved, the man in question did not suffer from life-threatening injuries, as reported by Aviation24.be.



Who shared the video and how did the internet react?

The video reportedly comes from Indonesia | Image: X

Also read: How 'Fake' Paneer Made Of Palm Oil & Lime Ends Up In Street Food, High-end Restaurants



Aviation consultant Sanjay Lazar shared the clip on X along with the caption: "Shocking video received on WhatsApp - Warning alarming visuals of a staffer falling of a plane #aviation #avgeek #plane #shocking Incident occurred in Indonesia with Transnusa airlines & Jas Airport services." The clip was shared on May 15, and has 127.6K views so far.



How did they remove the stepladder without (aircraft) door close? Isn't that basic SOP. This is the worst nightmare for any ground staff/crew, asked one X user. "Ladder removed without notice? Hope hes safe. Prayers," added another.



Watch the video below

Also read: Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' Seen On Mumbais BEST Buses, Photos Viral



What do you think of this? Hit us up in the comments section and let us know.



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Asias richest man Mukesh Ambani has amassed a net worth of Rs 9 lakh crore. As the chairman of Reliance Industries, he oversees the conglomerate valued at Rs 19.16 lakh crore, while his three children, Anant, Akash, and Isha Ambani, hold different positions within the company. Isha Ambani, aged 32, serves as a Director at Reliance Industries Limited (RIL).

She frequently advocates for women's empowerment. Recently, Isha expressed her perspective aiming to motivate young girls and women to cultivate skills in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and pursue education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields.

Isha Ambani Calls For More Girls Pursuing Tech As A Career For India To Shine

Why Did Isha Ambani Host The Roman Holi Bash? Inside The Star-Studded Event/X

Isha emphasized that within the constantly evolving technology sector, the significant under-representation of women in the workforce remains a concerning reality. Additionally, Isha, who holds key positions within various subsidiaries of the Reliance Group, highlighted this issue.



"If we are to build the India of our dream, technology will be our driving force, and both men and women in Science and Technology must fire on all cylinders."

She referenced NASSCOM data, revealing that merely 36 percent of India's tech workforce comprises women. Additionally, citing World Bank statistics, Isha Ambani highlighted that women constitute 43 percent of the total STEM graduates in India. However, they represent only 14 percent of all scientists, engineers, and technologists in the country.

So, for everyone present here today: Be ready to embrace the change. Be prepared to take up Science & Technology as career options because Science & Technology hold the key to the future. The majority of future jobs are going to be in those realms. So, break the shackles to tradition challenge yourself and be the changemakers.

Also Read: Discovering Isha Ambani's Business Portfolio: 5 Brands Tied To The Reliance Heiress

Theres An Under-representation Of Women In Leadership Roles, Says Isha Ambani

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Isha Ambani also spoke about the stark gender disparities in corporate leadership positions, noting that only 7 percent of women held executive-level roles, 13 percent occupied director-level positions, and a mere 17 percent held mid-managerial positions. She further highlighted that the under-representation of women in leadership roles persists due to limited access to funding and resources for female-led start-ups and businesses.



I have heard my mother, Mrs Nita Ambani, a champion of women empowerment, say, time and again: Empower a man and he will feed a family. Empower a woman and she will feed an entire village. I believe that what my mother says is true. Women are born leaders. Their innate selflessness makes them better leaders, she said. So, by denying leadership roles to women, we are denying ourselves the chance to realise our full potential.

Also Read: Isha Ambani Sold Her LA Mansion To Jennifer Lopez & Ben Affleck For Rs 500 Crore. See Pics!
Many of us dream of moving to a new country to make a better life for ourselves, dont we? Well, it can be pretty daunting and costly to upend your life and move to another country. However, not many know that several countries offer lucrative opportunities which also include financial compensation and tax benefits. These can really help in making this decision smartly. Without further ado, lets tax a look at xyz countries that are ready to pay you to move there:



1. Chile

Chile extends financial support to startup ventures seeking to commence operations within the South American country. Under the initiative, businesses are encouraged with funding of up to US$80,000 along with a one-year work visa.

2. Ireland

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Through the Enterprise Ireland program, the Emerald Isle provides financial assistance to entrepreneurs and small businesses interested in establishing companies within the country. While Irish citizenship is not a requirement for application, businesses must be registered in Ireland to be eligible for support.



Additionally, through the Our Living Islands initiative, the Irish government aims to enhance and revitalize its 30 remote islands for economic growth. To qualify for the grant of US$87,600(Rs 73 lakh), applicants must acquire a house constructed prior to 1993, which has been unoccupied for at least two years.

Also Read: Time To Pack Your Bags! These 4 Countries Are Paying You To Move There

3. New Zealand

Kaitangata extends an enticing opportunity to aspiring entrepreneurs, providing approximately US$165,000(Rs 1.3 crore) in addition to free housing. This initiative primarily stems from a scarcity of skilled workers and a population decline, with the town's current inhabitants numbering only 800.

4. Iceland

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Through Iceland's startup program, the island nation provides aspiring entrepreneurs with US$50,000(Rs 41 lakh) to kickstart their businesses within the country. Additionally, accepted applicants receive government support and a one-year visa to facilitate their entrepreneurial endeavors.



5. Portugal

Under the Emprego Interior MAIS scheme, the Portuguese government offers grants of up to US$5,240(Rs 4.3 lakh) to incentivize individuals to work in the inland regions of the country. This initiative extends to foreign citizens as well, providing opportunities for international participation.

6. Japan

Japan's government introduced the Regional Revitalization Program, aimed at revitalizing rural areas by attracting residents. This initiative offers a one-year visa and provides up to US$10,000(Rs 8.3 lakh) in funding to individuals willing to relocate to these regions.

7. Spain

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The village of Ponga in Asturias extends a unique incentive to young couples, offering US$3,256(Rs 2.7 lakh) for relocation and an additional $3,256(Rs 2.7 lakh) for each child born or moved with the couple. However, recipients must commit to residing in Ponga for a minimum of five years under a legal agreement.



8. Greece

Antikythera, a Greek island with a population of approximately 50, seeks to bolster its community.

The Greek Orthodox Church presents an enticing offer: a house and a monthly stipend of US$542(Rs 45,000) for three years to those relocating to the island. Typically, this opportunity is extended to families rather than single individuals.

9. Switzerland

Albinen, a Swiss town grappling with a depopulation crisis, offers a compelling incentive for relocation.

Prospective residents stand to receive US$53,000(Rs 44 lakh), but there are specific criteria: individuals must be under 45 years old, commit to residing in the town for a decade, and possess Swiss citizenship.

10. United Kingdom

The island of Sark, situated within the Bailiwick of Guernsey in the UK, introduces the Sark Society program to entice newcomers. This initiative extends funding of up to US$20,000(Rs 16 lakh) along with a one-year visa to those interested in relocating to the island.

In response to a significant shortage of teachers despite boasting one of the world's best education systems, England offers a solution: a payment of US$12,699(Rs 10 lakh) to educators planning to make the move.

11. Austria

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Austria's Red-White-Red Card Program extends a welcoming hand to non-EU/EEA and non-Swiss citizens seeking employment opportunities in the country.



This initiative provides a one-year visa along with financial assistance to facilitate their relocation to Austria.

12. Italy

In Italy, numerous small towns offer enticing incentives for relocation.

For instance, the southern town of Candela provides approximately US$870(Rs 72,000) for singles and around $2,175(Rs 1.8 lakh) for families willing to make the move. The condition is that individuals must establish their permanent residence in Candela, secure employment, and invest in a house constructed before 1991.

In Sicily, the charming town of Sambuca di Sicilia offers homes for a symbolic price of just US$1.09(Rs 85) in an effort to bolster its population. However, recipients are required to renovate the property within three years and provide a US$5,900 (Rs 5 lakh) security deposit, which is refundable upon completion of the renovations.
A man from Madhya Pradesh has claimed that someone used his PAN and Aadhaar card details illegally to create a fake GST number. This fraudulent GST number was then used to set up a private company with a reported annual turnover of over Rs 9 crore.

Chandan Soni, who lives in Gwalior, filed a complaint. This led the Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi Police to register a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and start an investigation.

Fake GST number using his PAN card details

According to the FIR accessed by IANS, Soni discovered the fraud on July 20, 2022, while filing his Income Tax Return (ITR). He found out that someone had made a fake GST number using his PAN card details. The FIR stated that the fake number was used to create a company named "MG SALES" with an address in Gautam Puri, Shahdara.

itr filing/shutterstock

Soni mentioned that he doesn't live at that address and hasn't registered any such company. The fake company allegedly showed a turnover of Rs. 9,10,58,119 for the year 2021-22, with the last GST filing done on July 9, 2022. The GST registration was said to be effective from August 16, 2021, with Aadhaar authentication completed on January 31, 2022, according to online documents.

READ ALSO: Filling ITR Filing For FY23-24: Here's How You Can Download Form 16, 16A and 27D Online

Fake bank accounts

Soni also expressed concerns that fake bank accounts might have been opened in his name, urging a thorough investigation.

Moreover, the Thatipur police station in Gwalior has filed a Zero FIR in this case. A Zero First Information Report (FIR) allows any police station to record a cognizable offence without initially assigning an FIR number, designating it as "0".

The Delhi Polices Economic Offences Wing is currently investigating the allegations to uncover the extent of the fraud and identify those responsible.

READ ALSO: ITR Filing For FY 2023-24: How To File Your Income Tax Returns Online? A Step-By-Step Guide

For the latest and more interesting financial news, keep reading Indiatimes Worth. Click here
Warren Buffett is well-known for his stock market investments. He's considered one of the top businessmen globally. As the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, an American businessman and investor, his net worth stands at $139 billion, making him the worlds eighth wealthiest individual. Despite his success, Buffett has always admired an Indian businessman, Ajit Jain, who's making waves in the business world. Ajit manages Berkshire Hathaway's insurance business and is praised by Buffett for his rare business acumen and abundant creativity. Joining the company in 1986, Ajit's smart work has led him to become the company's chairman today. Here's everything you need to know about Ajit Jain, the trusted deputy of the world's 8th richest man, Warren Buffett.

Who is Ajit Jain?

Odisha-born Ajit Jain did his schooling at Stewart School, Cuttack. Jain is an alumnus of IIT-Kharagpur, and graduated in 1972 with a Btech degree in mechanical engineering. From 1973 to 1976, Jain worked for IBM as a salesman for their data-processing operations in India. In 1978, Jain moved to the United States, where he did his MBA from Harvard University and joined McKinsey & Co.

In 1986, he left McKinsey to work on insurance operations for Warren Buffett. Former Co-CEO of Deutsche Bank, Anshu Jain, is Ajit Jain's cousin.

READ ALSO: How The Stock Market Decides Warren Buffett's McDonald's Breakfast Everyday

Meet Ajit Jain, The Right Hand of the Worlds 8th Richest Man, Warren Buffett | X.com

Ajit Jain Net worth

Ajit Jain oversees Berkshire Hathaway's insurance business, praised by Buffett for his exceptional business acumen and innovative thinking. Joining in 1986, through hard work, he rose to become the company's chairman. Ajit Jain's net worth is approximately $2 billion.

In his early days, Ajit had no experience in this field. According to Robert P Miles book, "The Warren Buffett CEO: Secrets from Berkshire Hathaway Managers," when he joined, the insurance department had only 4 employees. Over 14 years, Ajit Jain transformed the business to $780 crore. Today, it's worth $889.52 billion, four times more than Reliance Industries' $228.03 billion.

Warren Buffett sees Ajit Jain as a stroke of luck. He said, Choosing Ajit was the best decision of my life. He remains the perfect choice even after all these years.

READ ALSO: 5 Lessons To Learn From Warren Buffett If You Are Planning To Invest In 2024

Ajit Jain: Warren Buffett's 'Good Luck Hiring'

In 2022, Buffett said much of Berkshire's huge value creation in insurance is attributable to Berkshires "good luck in my 1986 hiring" of Ajit Jain. Ajit is the vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaways insurance operations. Buffetts first meeting with Jain was on a Saturday morning.

Warren Buffett had asked Ajit what his insurance experience had been. He replied, None, following which Buffett recalled replying Nobodys perfect, and hired him. "That was my lucky day: Ajit actually was as perfect a choice as could have been made. Better yet, he continues to be  35 years later," Buffett had said.

Meet Ajit Jain, The Right Hand of the Worlds 8th Richest Man, Warren Buffett | X.com

What Warren Buffett Wrote To Ajit Jain's Father

Warren Buffett had also once mentioned that Ajit is one of the best minds in the world, and said "I wrote to Jain's father after he worked for us for a few years, and said that 'if you've got another son like this, send him over from India because we'll own the world'," Buffett had said while addressing the 55th annual general meeting (AGM) of Berkshire Hathaway.

Famously, in a letter to shareholders, Buffett, as per a CNBC report, said that should he, his partner Charlie Munger and Ajit Jain be on a sinking boat, 'and you can save only one of us -- swim to Ajit'.

Ajits mind is an idea factory that is always looking for more lines of business he can add to his current assortment, Warren Buffett had said about Jain in 2013 annual report of Berkshire Hathaway, adding Ajit insures risks that no one else has the desire or the capital to take on, said Buffet, adding, His operation combines capacity, speed, decisiveness and, most important, brains in a manner unique in the business.

For the latest and more interesting financial news, keep reading Indiatimes Worth. Click here


Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has expressed his profound shock following the assassination attempt on his Slovak counterpart, Robert Fico. The attack occurred shortly after a government meeting in Handlova, Slovakia.

In a statement, Mitsotakis condemned the violence, stating, Shocked by the heinous attack against Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. Such acts of violence have no place in our societies. I wish him a speedy recovery.

The incident has sent ripples through the international community,

with leaders worldwide extending their support and well-wishes to Mr. Fico, who is currently hospitalized. The Slovak Prime Minister sustained multiple gunshot wounds and is reported to be in serious but stable condition after undergoing surgery.

Mr. Fico, known for his three-decade political career, has been a prominent figure in Slovak politics, having been elected for a fourth term in 2023. His political journey has seen shifts between pro-European stances and nationalistic sentiments, often adapting to the changing political landscape and public opinion.

This assassination attempt has highlighted the ongoing concerns about the safety of public figures and the presence of violence in political discourse.

As the investigation continues, the world watches and hopes for the recovery of a leader who has played a pivotal role in shaping Slovakias path within the European Union.

   iefimerida.gr
"We keep the channels of communication with Turkiye open, without deviating from our fixed national positions," Prime Minister Kyriakossaid on Thursday , in an interview with Skai TV.
I had warned with a clear statement the new government in Skopje that any deviation from the implementation of the agreement is sure to have serious consequences for our relations with North Macedonia and also for the countrys European path, he added.
Ali Ndume, Chief Whip of the Senate, has revealed that he would support the death penalty for those stealing government money.

According to him, those who steal one million or one billion should not be killed, but someone who steals one trillion of government money should be killed.

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He also noted that corruption in Nigeria is people-driven, admitting that politicians steal and share with the people.

The Chief Whip disclosed this on Channels Televisions Politics Today when questions about the death penalty for those caught with drugs were being fielded.

According to Ndume, If you compare us, politicians, to all the corruption, it is very small. Our corruption is people-driven. If you steal it, you will go and share it with the people. If you dont, you are not coming back for four years. There is no reason for stealing.

READ ALSO: Im Not In Support Of Cybersecurity Levy, You Cant Tax People Without Increasing Their Income  Ndume

I have been to the National Assembly, I cant say because we are on TV now and not telling the truth. If the death penalty is supposed to be included in corruption, I will support it but you dont go and kill someone that stole one million or one billion, no. But someone who steals one trillion of government money should be killed.

The death penalty is the best deterrent for those being caught for drugs. If you do drugs, you are killing people.

That means you have destroyed the lives of so many people and killed so many people, he said.

The Senate had passed the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act (Amendment Bill) 2024 bill, which prescribed the death penalty for persons found guilty of trading in hard drugs and narcotics.
Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has said that his principal, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will subsidize the 2024 Hajj with N90 billion.

The development is coming, amid economic challenge facing the country, due to the removal of fuel subsidy and other policies made by the current administration.

The VP, representing President Tinubu, made this known, during the inaugural airlift of the 2024 Hajj exercise from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia at the Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport Birnin Kebbi on Wednesday.

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He urged the intending pilgrims to pray for peace, unity, and progress in the country.

Shettima said: Mr president has been committed to this years Hajji due to the economic situation, he has also contributed the sum of N90 billion to subsidise this years Hajj exercise to have a smooth and successful exercise.

READ MORE: VP Shettima Forced To Stop US-Africa Summit Over Faulty Aircraft

You may recall that this year, we had a major challenge in announcing the final hajj fare for the 2024 Muslim pilgrimage due to fluctuation in foreign exchange rates.

President Bola Tinubu also works round the clock to control the downward spiral of our local currency to bring relief to our pilgrims and other Nigerians.

A move that eventually succeeded in lowering the fare. The President approved the release of N90 billion to subsidised the cost of pilgrimage for this years hajj.

It is a journey of faith, devotion, and unity where believers come together to fulfill one of the five pillars of Islam, the pilgrimage to Mecca is a profound experience that fosters a sense of community, humility, and spiritual renewal.

It is a time for reflection, prayer, and seeking forgiveness, as well as an opportunity for personal growth and self-discovery.
The Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has issued warning to some politicians, reportedly sponsoring violence in the state.

The Governor vowed that anyone who harms another in the name of politics would pay for the crime.

Fubara made this known during the flag-off of the construction of Elele-Omoku Road in the oil rich state, on Thursday.

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He urged local government chairmen in his state to conduct themselves and remain peaceful till the end of their tenure.

The Governor said: When we left Aleso the other day, some people went there and attacked our people. There is no need for it. Nobody has the monopoly of violence. I should even be the one who should come and shout that I will do this, I will do that, but I dont need to do that because both sides belong to me.

READ MORE: Rivers Crisis: Gov Fubara To Probe Wikes Govt, Sets Up Panel Of Inquiry

So, I am advising those people who call themselves local government chairmen, you have a few days in office, please conduct yourselves. Politic will come, politics will go, we will still live our lives.

Let anyone not deceive you, if you deliberately hurt anybody in the cause of expressing your useless support, nobody will forgive you, you will pay for it. So, Im begging everyone, please conduct yourselves.
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has urged Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), not to allow themselves to be used as tools to engender corruption by dubious politicians.

EFCCs spokesperson, Dele Oyewale in a Wednesday statement, said Olukoyede gave the advice when he received the executives of the Conference of Northern States Civil Society Networks, led by its Chairman, Ambassador Ibrahim Waiya, at the EFCC corporate headquarters, Abuja.

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Olukoyede who said it was appalling to see CSOs veer off their mandate, also frowned at the tendencies of some CSOs to champion ill-motivated causes, and especially defend individuals and groups indicted for corruption, stressing that such tendencies impede the development and progress of the nation.

Whatever that is not expedient should be abhorred. It is appalling to see Civil Society Organisations veer off their mandate and be supporting bad governance. There are instances where some state governments deliberately set up and fund Civil Society Organisations to attack agencies set up to enforce anti-corruption laws.

READ ALSO: EFCC Reveals How Underaged Yahoo Boys Open Bank Accounts, Get Drivers Licence For Fraud

Please, let them know that such tendencies are against progress and development of the nation. Their platforms are not meant for such engagements.

The CSOs are critical to the fight against economic and financial crimes. Some of the high-profile cases the commission has prosecuted were made possible by the efforts of some of the promoters of these CSOs.

They are even playing the role of prosecution witnesses in support of anti-graft agencies. That is why, within six months of my appointment, I have met with the coalition of CSOs twice. For me, we cannot do it all alone. We surely need to collaborate to achieve the mandate, he said.

The EFCC chairman also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for taking crucial measures on the issues of consumer credit and the Student Loan Scheme, which he said has a great propensity for curbing corruption.

Fifty per cent of my job would have been done by the time these policies come on stream. Imagine workers getting car loans and mortgage loans at 3, 4 and 5 per cent to be repaid in the next 30 years. It will reduce corruption to the barest minimum, he added.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday asked the House of Representatives to grant concurrent approval to the Federal Government for the refund of N24 billion to Nasarawa and Kebbi States for the takeover of the airports built by the duo.

Tinubus request was contained in a letter addressed to the Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, and read on the floor of the Green Chamber by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, during Thursdays plenary.

He is specifically seeking the Houses approval to refund over N15 billion to the Kebbi State Government and N9bn to its Nasarawa counterpart.

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Kebbi State had earlier spent the money to construct the Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport in Birnin Kebbi, the state capital, while the Nasarawa State Government spent N9bn for the construction of the Lafia Cargo Airport, Nasarawa.

The letter read, Establishment of a promissory note programme in favour of the Kebbi and Nasarawa State governments for the reimbursement of the respective costs of the construction of newly-built airports in those states that had been taken over by the Federal Government.

The House of Representatives is invited to note that at the Executive Council meeting of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, which was held on the 23rd day of May 2023, it was approved as follows:

READ ALSO: Death Penalty Should Be For Politicians Who Steal N1 Trillion, Not N1 Billion  Ndume

That a promissory note in the sum of N9,000,542,651,786.11 be issued to the Nasarawa State Government as a refund for the takeover of the newly constructed Nasarawa Airport.

That a promissory note in the sum of N15,137,336,95.88 only be issued to Kebbi State State Government as a refund for the takeover of the Birnin Kebbi International Airport.

The House of Representatives may wish to note that by the provisions of item three of the second schedule of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, aviation, including airports, safety of aircraft, and carriage of passengers and goods by air, fall under the exclusive legislative list.

The impact of this is that ownership, regulation, and control of airports in Nigeria are exclusive to the Federal Government.

Tinubu further urged the House to consider and grant concurrent approval for the establishment of the promissory notes programme for both states.
The Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Reverend Matthew Kukah, has posited that President Bola Ahmed Tinubus one year in office is not enough to rate his government.

As revealed by the National Television Authority on Wednesday, the Founder of the Kukah Centre, disclosed this when he visited Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, in Abuja.

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Addressing State House correspondents shortly after meeting with Tinubu, Kukah said while the administration is providing solutions to the myriad of the challenges, Nigerians need to get a sense of how soon they expect to breathe a sigh of relief.

He, however, said that the government needs to communicate to Nigerians when it will fix the current socio-economic challenges grappling the country.

Stating that Nigerians are in various levels of pains, he said! Im sure that many people will tell you that one year is not enough to make a judgement. However, from where we all stand, we know that we are all in a very difficult situation.

READ ALSO: Tinubus Plan To Use Pension Funds For Infrastructure Another Attempt To Perpetrate Illegality  Atiku

Nigerians are in various levels of pain and they are pains that are unintended. But, they are as a result of certain policy decisions that hopefully, with time, can be amended in order to serve the welfare of ordinary people.

He said it is the responsibility of the government to ensure better living conditions and security of the citizens.

I believe that the essence of government is to guarantee the welfare and security of ordinary citizens. I believe that the times that we are in are very very difficult times, and nobody should be under any illusion.

But, there are also times for renewal. We just need to commit ourselves to the fact that building a good society takes a lot of time. Its not something that is done in one lifetime. And for me, the most important thing is for us to continue on the building blocks of the things that we think are being done well.

My argument has always been that the government needs to very quickly improve the quality of communication so that Nigerians can at least get a sense of how long it is going to be before food is ready, Bishop Kukah explained.
Matthew Kukah, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, has called on Nigerians to trade with caution while reacting to the political crisis rocking Rivers State.

Kukah, who made the call on Wednesday shortly after meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the State House Abuja, expressed hope that the lingering crisis would be over soon.

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Rivers political space, has been enveloped with crisis following the face-off between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his immediate predecessor, Nyesom Wike.

On Wednesday, about five commissioners loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Wike, resigned from the States Executive Council.

READ ALSO: Rivers Conflict: Fubara Resorting To Self-Defense Against Wikes Harassment  Bwala

Reacting to the matter, Kukah urged Nigerians not to be carried away, stressing that politicians have a way of fixing their problems.

He said, This is politics and very often, we the ordinary people, cry more than the bereaved. The important thing is that politicians will always fix their problems.

Rivers State is a state that is very dear to me because I have been associated with them for a very long period of time. When politicians fight, dont get carried away because they have the capacity to fix their issues.

I hope that soon or later, Rivers State will reposition itself because it is not an insignificant part of Nigeria.
When we set out to rebuild the engine at the heart of our managed Apache Kafka service, we knew we needed to address several unique requirements that characterize successful cloud-native platforms. These systems must be multi-tenant from the ground up, scale easily to serve thousands of customers, and be managed largely by data-driven software rather than human operators. They should also provide strong isolation and security across customers with unpredictable workloads, in an environment in which engineers can continue to innovate rapidly.

We presented our Kafka engine redesign last year. Much of what we designed and implemented will apply to other teams building massively distributed cloud systems, such as a database or storage system. We wanted to share what we learned with the wider community with the hope that these learnings can benefit those working on other projects.

Key considerations for the Kafka engine redesign

Our high-level objectives were likely similar to ones that you will have for your own cloud-based systems: improve performance and elasticity, increase cost-efficiency both for ourselves and our customers, and provide a consistent experience across multiple public clouds. We also had the added requirement of staying 100% compatible with current versions of the Kafka protocol.
Gopuff, the Philadelphia-based service whose drivers deliver beer, snacks, and other products, is laying off 6% of their staff, the company announced on Thursday. Read more

Gopuff, the Philadelphia-based service whose drivers deliver beer, snacks, and other products, is cutting 6% of its workforce, founders Yakir Gola and Rafael Ilishayev told staff in a memo early Thursday.

Gopuff officials declined to say exactly how many people still work for the company, or the number of people who will be let go. Managers told staff that well know by 2 p.m., said a Gopuff employee who works at the company headquarters on North Third Street. The employee spoke on the condition they not be named.

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Those facing termination will be summoned to remote meetings with their bosses. Gopuff has pledged severance pay, continued health care for a time, and even equity ownership for laid-off staff, no matter how long they worked.

This effort will be centered on the reduction of our US corporate workforce, the founders said in their statement to staff. This is difficult and not something we take lightly. You all bleed blue [Gopuffs brand color] and we will be forever grateful.

Gopuffs strategic shrinkage

The company, which in 2022 employed around 15,000 after raising more than $4 billion from private investors  including SoftBank, Guggenheim, Fidelity Investments, and Disney CEO Bob Iger  now employs fewer than 10,000.

Backers hoped Gopuff would sell shares to public investors in a multi-billion-dollar initial public offering (IPO) like the stock sales that enriched the founders of Uber, DoorDash, and other delivery services.

But that hasnt happened. Slowing growth and investor pressure led to Gopuffs 2022 decision to lay off 1,500 staff and shut scores of underperforming warehouse centers. The company later laid off managers, and it pulled out of some of its smaller markets in the U.S. and elsewhere, including France. The company still operates in large U.S. metro areas and the United Kingdom.

Despite that strategic shrinkage, Gopuff has continued to announce new initiatives, including an April 26 partnership with Misfits Market, a formerly Philadelphia-based grocery company, and a 20-minute delivery promise for members of one of the companys membership services.

The founders added that Gopuff has achieved operating profits and boosted sales at existing stores (which picked up some of the traffic from closed-down stores) by 22% over the past year. A person familiar with the companys plans said Gopuff hopes to show its investors that is profitable on a net-income basis by the end of the year.

The road ahead with fewer resources will be challenging at first, but we know the long-term outcome will be significantly better, the founders added. We need to stay laser-focused on innovating for our customers, ruthlessly prioritizing, and operating more efficiently.

Wawa on wheels

Gopuff was founded in Philadelphia in 2013. The founders met in a business school class at Drexel University and started the business as students, on a shoestring budget. Ilishayev worked in the family sandwich shop and catering business. Gola worked for his fathers precious-metals shop. They offered a kind of Wawa on wheels, delivering snacks to students at all hours.

At a time when Amazon and other delivery services were growing rapidly, Gopuff attracted more than $1 billion from investors in Silicon Valley, New York, Japan, and Saudi Arabia, and used the funds to open new centers in college towns and city neighborhoods that attracted young professionals.
An attorney for Angel McIntyre's family said in a federal lawsuit that she was killed by Anthony Jones during an improper police pursuit. Read more

The family of a Delaware County woman who was killed by a Chester man fleeing police during a high-speed pursuit in 2020 was awarded $4.5 million in a wrongful-death settlement in federal court.

Attorneys representing the family of Angel McIntyre, 18, said she died during a needless, high-speed police pursuit improperly conducted by officers from Collingdale and Darby who had been chasing Anthony Jones for traffic violations because he made an illegal left turn at a red light and was driving with a broken brake light.

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Jones fled a traffic stop, struck a police car, and led pursuing officers on a chase before crashing into a Honda Civic that McIntyre was riding in.

The officers disregarded the danger of the pursuit, which spanned just over two miles at speeds that topped 90 mph, according to the lawsuit. Their department supervisors, the suit said, were deliberately indifferent to those risks and failed to properly train and supervise their police officers.

Attorneys for McIntyre declined to comment Thursday on the settlement, reached April 29 and approved by U.S. District Judge Michael M. Baylson. Attorneys for Collingdale and Darby did not immediately return requests for comment.

McIntyre was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, on MacDade Boulevard in Collingdale. Her boyfriend, Matthew Munafo, 24, sustained serious injuries, including a skull fracture, after being thrown 50 feet from the Honda Civic when Jones vehicle struck it.

Jones, 30, was convicted of third-degree murder last spring, and is serving a 17- to 24-year sentence in state prison.

In court filings, attorneys for the boroughs and the officers involved in the pursuit denied any wrongdoing, saying Jones alone was responsible for McIntyres death.

They said the pursuit was proper because Jones had first fled a traffic stop by an officer, and then fled the scene of a collision with a police vehicle during his escape.

On the night of the crash, Munafo and McIntyre were on their way to a friends house in Upper Chichester after spending the day at Hog Island in South Philadelphia, according to the suit.

About the same time, Jones was driving a Ford Escape through Delaware County while smoking marijuana, and after having taken a pill he bought from a drug dealer earlier that day, according to evidence presented at his criminal trial.

In the car with him were his three young children, including an infant, as well as a bag of illegal guns and ammunition.

Around 1 a.m., officers in Collingdale spotted Jones driving erratically, and saw that one of the vehicles tail lights was out. When the officers signaled for Jones to stop, he pulled into a nearby McDonalds on MacDade Boulevard, prosecutors said.

As a uniformed Collingdale officer approached Jones vehicle, Jones sped away, striking another police vehicle that had pulled into the parking lot. Jones barreled down MacDade Boulevard, ignoring his passengers urging him to slow down or pull over, prosecutors said at trial.

Jones drove through six red lights as he tried to escape. As he sped through the intersection of MacDade and West Oak Lane in Glenolden, he crashed into Munafos Honda Civic.

Jones limped away from the scene, abandoning his children, prosecutors said. He tried to flee on foot, but was taken into custody nearby by the officers pursuing him.

Baylson, the judge in the civil suit, later ruled that although the officers involved in the pursuit did not intend to harm McIntyre or Munafo, there was no evidence that supervisors in their respective departments had instituted training or policy reforms on car chases after earlier, similarly dangerous pursuits by their officers.

The two departments failed to provide any training on when or how to conduct vehicle pursuits beyond, at most ... handing officers hundreds of pages of police procedure, which included the pursuit policy, and telling them to read it, Baylson wrote.

Collingdales policy prohibits officers from chasing someone over a summary violation, such as a broken tail light, unless the person poses a danger to the public, according to court filings. Darbys policy is similar, but further stipulates that only officers trained in pursuits can initiate them.

During the lawsuit, Darby officials disclosed that they failed to report any previous chases that violated the departments written policy to a statewide database as required by law, according to court filings. Collingdale had reported four.

An expert hired by the McIntyre familys attorney found that about 80% of Collingdales chases violated its written policies.

That purported inaction after these pursuits, the judge wrote, reinforces an inference of approval.
In this file photo from 2023, former Philadelphia Police Officer Mark Dial (center) walks with his lawyers outside the courthouse. Read more

Attorneys for former Philadelphia Police Officer Mark Dial, who is facing murder charges in the fatal shooting of Eddie Irizarry during a traffic stop last year, have asked a judge to allow his trial to be held in another county, saying an avalanche of media coverage and protests over the case have made it impossible for Dial to receive a fair trial in the city.

That request was the focus of a hearing in Dials case Thursday. Lawyer Brian McMonagle said he couldnt recall another time in his career when a client faced a similar level of public condemnation.

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Beyond receiving widespread local and national media coverage, McMonagle said, Dials case has been commented on by elected officials  including some City Council members, who expressed outrage after the case was initially thrown out by a judge. That dismissal  which was later reversed by another judge  also led to protests and even some looting and property destruction, which McMonagle said was further evidence that the case needed to be tried elsewhere.

This young man cant receive a fair trial in Philadelphia, McMonagle said.

Prosecutors, however, saw things differently. Assistant District Attorney Karima Yelverton contended that there was not a saturation of coverage surrounding Dials case, and that the coverage the defense presented was not inflammatory. She also said Dials attorneys havent shown there was any actual prejudice that would irrevocably taint his potential jury pool.

Common Pleas Court Judge Barbara A. McDermott said she was not yet prepared to rule on the matter, first made in court filings in March. Instead, she said, she would seek more information  including by staging mock jury selections to see how widely the case is known among the public. Those sessions would be conducted behind closed doors, she said.

The development marks the latest chapter in the shooting of Irizarry, which happened last August.

Dial, then 27, a five-year veteran of the force, shot and killed Irizarry, 27, as he sat in his car in Kensington. Police said Irizarry had been driving erratically, including by swerving into a bike lane and driving the wrong way down a one-way street. And they initially said Irizarry had lunged at Dial with a knife, leading the officer to shoot him.

 READ MORE: Friends and loved ones gather for the funeral of Eddie Irizarry, shot and killed by a Philadelphia Police officer

But video  including footage captured on Dials bodycam  showed that wasnt true: Irizarry was in his car, with the windows rolled up and a knife in his hand, when Dial opened fire within seconds of getting out of his police cruiser.

Ten days after the shooting, then-Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw moved to fire Dial for what she said was a refusal to cooperate with an internal investigation.

About two weeks after that, District Attorney Larry Krasners office charged Dial with crimes including first- and third-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, and aggravated assault. Prosecutors have alleged that Dials partner yelled knife before Dial opened fire, and that because he emerged from his police car with his gun drawn, and then fired within five seconds, he should be charged with murder.

But last September, Municipal Court Judge Wendy L. Pew dismissed all charges against Dial, ruling that prosecutors had not presented enough evidence to show that the shooting was a crime. Dials attorneys had argued during the hearing that the officer thought his partner yelled gun, and that Dial shot Irizarry in self-defense.

Pews decision  which led to public outrage  was reversed a month later by Common Pleas Court Judge Lillian Ransom, who reinstated all charges against Dial, including first-degree murder.

Dial has been jailed ever since. He was in court Thursday but did not speak to McDermott, and it is not clear when  or where  his trial might start. The case is not due back before McDermott until September, according to court records.

Staging cases in other counties  or, as an alternative, picking jurors from other jurisdictions  is unusual, but not unprecedented. The first sexual assault trial of Bill Cosby in 2017, for example, was staged in Montgomery County but involved jurors from Pittsburgh. And a Philadelphia judge ruled last year that former city SWAT Officer Richard Nicoletti  currently awaiting retrial in an assault case for spraying protesters on I-676 in 2020  should be tried in a courtroom outside the city. Prosecutors have appealed that decision.
Tim Boyce, the former director of Delaware County's Department of Emergency Services, has been charged with indecent assault. Read more

Tim Boyce, the recently fired director of the Delaware County Department of Emergency Services, was charged Thursday with indecent assault for allegedly groping his executive assistant.

The charges stem from a complaint the woman filed on April 2 with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in which she alleged that Boyce called her into his office, forcibly kissed her, and groped her buttocks during an incident in January.

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Boyce, 60, was released on $50,000 unsecured bail. His attorney, Michael Dugan, did not immediately return a request for comment.

Delaware County Council put Boyce on administrative leave April 25 when they learned of the allegations from the state Attorney Generals Office, which began an investigation after a referral from the county District Attorneys Office. Boyce was fired Friday.

This type of conduct is a threat to the workplace, where people are supposed to feel safe, and my office views these allegations seriously, Attorney General Michelle Henry said in a statement Thursday. Title, power, or status do not give anyone the right to harass and assault employees.

The womans attorney, Mark Schwartz, had contacted District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer about the complaint after growing frustrated by what he described as inaction by county officials over a similar complaint he had filed about Boyce earlier this year. Another employee had complained of ageism in the workplace, saying Boyce gave preferential treatment to young attractive women.

In the EEOC complaint about the alleged assault, obtained by The Inquirer, the woman said Boyce had been a longtime friend of her family. He hired her in December as a part-time coordinator in his department, but promoted her a month later to be his full-time executive assistant, moving her to an office adjacent to his.

She contended this was part of a widely known practice of his to hire and promote attractive young women, regardless of job description or ability.

During her time working with Boyce, the woman said, he often made inappropriate comments to her, saying she was very intriguing and had a nice ass, according to her complaint.

On Jan. 30, she said, Boyce called her into his office and pulled her toward him, grabbing her face and cheeks in an attempt to kiss her, the complaint said. The woman said she turned her head, causing Boyce to kiss her neck instead while asking whether he could touch her backside. He then groped her as she walked away, she said.

The woman said she was shocked and emotionally devastated by his behavior, and quit her job shortly after.

She later confronted him by text message, telling him she was disgusted that he had used his power as a predatory male and boss to take advantage of her, she wrote in the EEOC complaint.

That document said Boyce responded to that text, apologizing and saying he never intended to harm her.

Schwartz said Friday that he had filed a third EEOC complaint about Boyce earlier this week involving allegations of prolonged sexual harassment. He declined to elaborate, saying only that the alleged behavior turned [his] stomach.
Clarice Schillinger, a former Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, pleaded no contest Wednesday to furnishing alcohol to minors. Read more

Clarice Schillinger, a former GOP lieutenant governor candidate and leader in Pennsylvanias conservative school board movement, pleaded no contest Wednesday to supplying alcohol to minors at a 17th birthday party for her daughter last fall that police said ended with intoxicated adults punching teenagers fleeing Schillingers Doylestown home.

But prosecutors dismissed charges of simple assault and harassment against Schillinger, who was sentenced to 12 months probation for the misdemeanor alcohol charge.

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At Wednesdays hearing, Bucks County Court of Common Pleas Judge Stephen Corr told Schillinger it was offensive that you hold yourself out to be one thing in public and another behind closed doors, according to the Bucks County Courier Times.

Mrs. Schillinger I hope you have learned a lesson from this, Corr said, according to the Courier Times. You are no longer going to be the fun mom.

Schillinger, 37, led the Back to School PA political action committee, which in 2021 spent more than $500,000 from Bucks County venture capitalist Paul Martino on school board races, primarily backing Republican candidates. She then ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in the GOP primary in 2022.

A statement issued by a public relations firm Wednesday said that Schillinger had lost her livelihood as a result of her arrest and subsequent media attention.

In the blink of an eye, my life changed, along with the lives of my children, Schillinger said in the statement. A series of false allegations drawn out in the media have cost me almost everything. No family should ever go through this.

Schillinger was charged in October in connection with the Sept. 29 party at her home. In an affidavit outlining the charges, police said that Schillinger, her boyfriend, and her mother each punched teenagers while intoxicated toward the end of the night.

While Schillingers mother, Danette Bert, and boyfriend, Shan Wilson, were charged with simple assault and harassment, those charges were withdrawn. Both pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in December.

At a hearing January at district court in Jamison, three teenagers who attended the party described a drunken scene, including Schillinger sitting on a boys lap and taking shots of vodka in the basement of her home. The teens said Schillinger had stocked the bar with New Amsterdam vodka and Malibu rum, and played beer pong with them  using vodka. One boy said he took about 15 shots before falling asleep in a bathroom.

Another boy described Schillinger and Wilson fighting, and said Wilson slammed him into a wall after he tried to intervene.

The third teen  who said Schillinger had sat in his lap earlier in the night  testified Schillinger punched him in the face with a closed fist when he tried to leave the party.

Schillingers lawyer during that hearing argued that her actions didnt constitute simple assault, noting the size difference between her and the teenager, who was 6-foot-8 and uninjured.

Schillinger was represented Wednesday by lawyer Brian McMonagle, who declined to comment after the hearing.

In a statement released by the public relations firm, McMonagle said Schillinger had faced several unwarranted charges that resulted in crippling negative media attention.

With the case behind her, Ms. Schillinger is eager to share her experience to help educate and protect other Pennsylvania moms and continue her support of Pennsylvania youth and schools, McMonagle said in the statement.

In a separate case in February, court records show Schillinger pleaded guilty to a citation for public drunkenness in Montgomery County.
The vast restaurant space on the ground floor of an apartment building beneath the Ben Franklin Bridge looks more like a library than the retail store it once was.

At Almost Home, which opened last month in Old City, plush seating and a coffee table fashioned from a steamer trunk are set up beneath the stacks. A small room to one side offers turntables and headphones. In the rear is a coffee counter and service bar. In front is a 60-seat dining room where, through floor-to-ceiling windows, customers can drink smoked maple lattes, espressos, and two kinds of pourovers while watching cars zipping along Race Street toward I-95 or headed down Second Street as bridge traffic rumbles above.

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Almost Home, formally Almost Home General, replaces United by Blue, an outdoors retailer that served a lighter menu.

Owner Robbie Doran has positioned it as a community hang. Besides the music room and free Wi-Fi, there are breakfast, brunch, and lunch cafe options from a scratch kitchen, and  three nights a week  full-service dinner. Doran roasts his own coffee. Cocktails are available, too, part of an arrangement with GLU Hospitality, whose partners Derek Gibbons and Tim Lu are friends from Dorans days as liquor mogul, running Devotion Spirits in New York.

This is Dorans seventh location of Almost Home in 3 years, since he replaced a deli in Lincroft, N.J. The other shops, serving a more limited menu, are scattered through North Jersey, mainly in Monmouth County and the Jersey Shore. A smaller outpost is due to open soon at Hagert & York, a new luxury apartment building in Kensington. The goal is 15 by the end of 2024, and 30 by the end of 2025.

The business has grown largely through word-of-mouth, Doran said. It was just a lot of locals, friends, and grassroots marketing, he said. I think its just been people falling in love with a kid that had no business opening up a coffee shop and cafe, and no experience in the restaurant industry besides selling booze.

The food

The breakfast, lunch, and coffee menus are full of twists. There are the standard sandwiches, plus one with tempura-fried scrapple, olive oil-poached egg, truffle fondue, and potato sticks on a hoagie roll. Theres a sandwich called beef shank redemption that puts roast beef, tiger sauce, and spicy pepper jack cheese on a poppy seed kaiser roll. Among the drinks is a shaken espresso, where vanilla and cinnamon are added to a double espresso and a choice of milk; its shaken, as you might expect, and poured over ice. Cocktails include the brunch standards as well as the classics, such as an old fashioned, margarita, and French 75.

Chef Nihad Hajdarhodzic is in the third week of dinner Thursday to Sunday. The menu, not posted online, is a tight collection of smaller and larger plates, all priced around $20. Theres a salade Nicoise, yellowtail tuna crudo, and a 6-ounce smash burger. One recent special was a spring pasta dish with local purple trumpet mushrooms, purple peas, Trevisan radicchio, tricolor local tomatoes, red sorrel, and mustard greens, tossed with Agrumato lemon extra virgin olive oil.

Almost Homes backstory

Doran, 35, who grew up in Rumson, N.J., took a winding route to his career as a coffee-shop magnate.

After eight years in the liquor industry, I got exhausted from that scene, he said. He moved to Asia in 2019, making his way to Vietnam and Thailand. I worked on a coffee farm and got into the [coffee] lifestyle and culture thats really big in the Eastern Hemisphere, he said. Its not a fast grab-and-go. Its more of a come in, have coffee, sit down, enjoy, speak to whoever and really take it all in.

In early 2020, Doran flew back to the States with hopes of launching a coffee business. He rented an apartment in Florida and drafted a business plan for a shop in North Jersey.

Rather than fly to New Jersey, he decided to ride his bike, raising money for small businesses affected by the pandemic: 1,800 miles, 18 days of riding, $35,000, he said.

Every night, Id call my mom and everybody, and theyd say, Rob, youre one day closer. Youre almost home.

He had the name.

Almost Home, 205 Race St. Hours: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday to Saturday.
Like the historic double cicada brood, the Philadelphia regions spring crop of restaurants is emerging. In just the next two weeks, at least eight newcomers are opening their doors.

Carina Sorella (866 Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr): Dan Clark, who owns Pub & Kitchen and Trattoria Carina in Center City as well as the Diving Horse in Avalon, N.J., has created a larger Main Line offshoot of Carina (Darling Sister), melding a former print shop and flower shop into a bright trattoria with new skylights and plenty of views of Lancaster Avenue. Executive chef Tom Hartshorns seasonal menu borrows some dishes from downtown, but theres also a full pizza menu, a mostly Italian wine list, and cocktails with a negroni on tap. Opened May 15.

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Gazzos Steaks (22 S. Hanover St., Pottstown): South Philly-born brothers-in-law Joe Lewis and Mike Lamson, both living in Montgomery County, have morphed from food truckers to brick-and-mortar operators. Their 50-seat sandwich shop, serving Sly Fox beers, occupies a double-wide storefront in downtown Pottstown. This week, their truck starts a residency outside Twelve78Brewing in Phoenixville. Opened May 11.

Miles Table (2619 E. Westmoreland St.): Michael Lynch is adding a third location to his bruncherie operation, which includes South Street West (2013) and the Bok building (2020). The new spot, open seven days, replaces Mercer Cafe on a corner in Port Richmond. Opened May 17.

Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings (160 N. Gulph Rd., King of Prussia): Eddie Zheng, who owns a collection of restaurants and the Tsaocaa bubble-tea brand, wants to turn this Michelin-recommended, Queens-rooted soup-dumpling specialist into a national brand. (He recently changed the name, subbing soup dumplings for the original Chinese xiao long bao.) His first Philly-area location opened last year in Cherry Hill. And now he has opened a 250-seater, indoor and out, in the former Outback Steakhouse at King of Prussia Mall. Theres a mod vibe, semiprivate dining, open kitchen where dumplings are made, and a bar featuring Chinese-inspired cocktails (as soon as the liquor license arrives, at any rate). Opened May 15.

Queen & Rook (123 South St.): Edward Garcia and Jeannie Wong are relocating and expanding their game cafe into the former Pietros pizzeria around the corner, creating three floors with two bars and two outdoor seating areas, full restaurant service, a board-game library of 2,000-plus titles, and a retro video game arcade. The menu leans vegan and vegetarian, and a pizza list will start after a few weeks. Opened May 18.

Ross & Co. (58 S. York Rd., Hatboro): Bob Ross, a restaurant lifer (45 years, nearly half of that with TGI Fridays) took over Gypsy Blu in Ambler in 2020. Hes ready to open a similarly family friendly bar-restaurant in downtown Hatboro  as soon as the liquor license is final. Ross & Co. maintains the sprawling, balconied layout and multiple-TV complement of former occupant Bernies. The food menu includes various slider boards and the drinks menu runs the gamut  wines, beers, specialty cocktails, and crushes made with vodka. Opening soon.

Slice & Schmear (1700 S. 10th St.): Korshak Bagels former spot at 10th and Morris Streets is about to see new life as Slice & Schmear, serving bagels in the morning followed by square pizza the rest of the day. Owner Aakash Patel, who dishes round pies at his Bar 1010 in Northern Liberties, says his bagels will be served as L.A.-style sandwiches: scooped out and open-faced. This notion caused the local food scene to lose its collective mind. Soon.

Society Hill Hotel (301 Chestnut St.): This restored Old City hotel has 15 rooms and a ground-floor cafe, whiskey bar, and restaurant, with a big-belly, gas-fired pizza oven. History abounds. Upstairs, a family suite includes bunk beds as a tribute to the longshoremen who bunked there in the 1950s when it was a flophouse. Opens May 31.
The attending physicians at ChristianaCare are petitioning to form a union, the first in the Philly-region of its kind. Photo from January 2021, when President-elect Joe Biden arrived at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Del. to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Read more

Physicians at ChristianaCare, Delawares largest health system, are petitioning to form the first union in the Philadelphia region for hospital-employed attending doctors.

Doctors increasingly are looking to unions to advance their workplace concerns and negotiate their benefits, as a growing number of physicians work as hospital staffers.

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ChristianaCare doctors say they are being forced to work in unacceptable conditions, including taking care of a large number of patients without adequate time or support. They also say the number of administrative tasks they are required to do has increased in recent years, but the health system has not accounted for the time the tasks require.

Their organizing push follows last years creation of a union for physicians-in-training at Penn Medicines Philadelphia hospitals, also the first of its kind in the region.

Now, more than two-thirds of roughly 450 attending physicians who staff Christiana Hospital in Newark, Wilmington Hospital, and the Middletown Free-Standing Emergency Department have signed a petition saying theyd want to be represented by the Doctors Council, which is part of Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

The organizers informed ChristianaCare administrators this week that they were seeking recognition for their union from the nonprofit health system.

The drive reflects frustration among physicians over the long hours they have been working since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. During the health emergency, they focused on the work. But they say the working conditions did not improve as the pandemic waned, and hospitals received fewer patients. Physicians stay after hours to call patients and finish writing medical notes in charts  time that otherwise theyd spend with family.

Its really an unsustainable practice, said Bryan Haimes, who works at ChristianaCare as both a pediatrician and an internal medicine physician.

 READ MORE: Fox Chase Cancer Centers nurses and techs plan to go on a five-day strike starting June 4

ChristianaCare recognizes the rights of the physicians to vote on whether they want to be represented by a union, a spokesperson for the system said in a statement.

We believe that continuing to have a direct relationship with physicians is an essential component of our continued shared success, the statement said.

The next step in the process is a National Labor Relations Board-administered union election in the coming weeks.

Strength in numbers

Recent unionization efforts by physicians reflect changes in how doctors are employed, experts say.

Three out of every four physicians in the U.S. owned the medical practices where they worked in the early-1980s, according to the American Medical Association.

But in the decades since, as health-care providers consolidated under large systems, the number of physicians working in private practices has dwindled. Health systems and large hospitals increasingly employ doctors directly. In 2018, for the first time, the number of physicians working as staff exceeded those who were self-employed.

But physicians unions remain rare. Fewer than one in 10 physicians were in a union in 2019, according to AMA data that includes nonprofit organizations, government employees, and physicians-in-training.

 READ MORE: Penn residents fight for a union could set a precedent for the future of labor organizing in medicine

The changing employment model, accompanied by pressure to treat larger numbers of patients, have made physicians feel like workers on an assembly line, said Gennadiy Ryklin, a physician who splits his time between the Wilmington and Christiana hospitals.

It all boils down to how much time I can spare with a patient, Ryklin, who takes care of patients during their hospitalization, said. Now I feel that my job is about checking checkboxes.

At ChristianaCare, the union would represent attending doctors  those who have fully completed their medical training. Although unions are more common among health-care professionals such as nurses, technical specialists (like X-ray techs), and administrative hospital workers, the physicians unions would be the first of any kind in ChristianaCares 136-year history.

Because physicians unions are still unusual among their peers, the doctors involved say they had to educate themselves about their rights. For instance, Ryklin wanted his peers to know that the physicians themselves will have a seat at the bargaining table.

Organizers say a recent dispute with the health systems management showed the strength that workers gain from banding together.

In December, ChristianaCare announced changes in the paid time-off policy for physicians caring for hospitalized patients. When physicians complained individually, management didnt respond. A group of attendings signed a letter to management expressing their discontent. Administrators then met with the physicians, and changed parts of the new time-off policy.

When we bound together and sent them collectively a letter from 100 physicians, then they sat with us and listened, Haimes said.
Lauren Sheppard, pictured here with her son Miles, donated her kidney to a stranger when she was 28. Read more

Lauren Sheppard decided to perform 28 acts of kindness for her 28th birthday. She paid for the customer behind her at the Dunkin drive-through, left flowers at neighbors doorsteps, and wrote heartfelt cards to friends.

And, she donated a kidney to a stranger.

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It was a no-brainer, Sheppard said. I dont need it. Somebody else does. Im going to give this away.

Sheppard is one of only 300 people nationwide who donate a kidney to a stranger in a typical year.

Humans have two kidneys but can live active, healthy lives with just one. Sheppard had thought all kidney donations came from deceased people. Then she saw a news story about living donors. She found a Facebook group where people in need of kidneys posted their stories, and it touched her. A day later, she called the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania to start the required medical workup.

 READ MORE: Thinking of donating a kidney? Heres what to expect.

Family history of generosity

Sheppard, now 38, grew up in Washington Township, N.J., the daughter of a homemaker and U.S. Postal worker. Her parents taught her generosity by their example. Her father often volunteered at a soup kitchen. Her mother provided Christmas dinner and presents to families who couldnt afford to celebrate.

At first, they reacted with trepidation to her decision to donate a kidney.

There was a lot of, Whoa. What? Why would you do that, Sheppard recalled, adding that it didnt take long for them to embrace her choice.

I think they all just realized that it was something that was important to me, she said, and I was going to do it with or without their help.

At the time, she lived at home, with family to care for her as she recovered from surgery, and she had no kids. She was in between jobs, collecting unemployment after being laid off.

She never worried about her own health being adversely affected. I had so much faith that doctors wouldnt perform the surgery if they didnt think my body could handle it, she recalled.

Its insane that you just have an organ removed, and its put in somebody elses body  and it just works, she said.

 READ MORE: Its illegal to pay people for organs, but some advocates want a $50,000 tax credit for kidneys

A donor chain

Qualifying to donate involved six months of physical and mental evaluations.

Then, her kidney was used to start a donor chain. She gave her left kidney to a Pittsburgh man, whose wife wanted to donate but wasnt a match. The wife donated her kidney to a stranger with whom she had matched and so on.

In all, four people received kidneys that day, Sheppard said.

She knew nothing about the man she donated to. About five months after the surgery, he reached out to her on Facebook. On the two-year anniversary of their respective surgeries, they met for the first time at the Spaghetti Warehouse near his home.

I love Hallmark movies and Im really corny, so I pictured this really dramatic, crying moment, Sheppard said. It was not like that at all. It was pretty awkward.

But they stayed in touch. In the 10 years since, the nearly 70-year-old kidney recipient has seen his daughters get married and now enjoys grandkids. In 2019, he and his wife attended Sheppards wedding.

Sheppards new husband made a toast, Lauren is the kind of person who will give you the shirt off of her back  or the kidney out of her body, she recalled him telling guests who erupted in laughter.
A coalition of kidney donors and recipients want Congress to pass a 10-year pilot program that would provide a $50,000 tax credit to those who donate a kidney to a stranger. Read more

Gregory Hess was running out of time. His kidneys had stopped working. Hed die without an organ transplant.

For two years, Hess had scrambled to find a kidney donor. Friends and family offered to donate, but each potential donor got ruled out for medical or logistical reasons.

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Hess, an emergency medicine doctor from Wayne, began flying around the country to register with multiple transplant centers, which improved his chances of getting a kidney on a waitlist with roughly 90,000 Americans.

People in need of kidney transplants can buy better odds, but not a kidney. Federal law bans organ sales in the United States.

Hess life was saved last May after a stranger learned about his plight through a local church and donated her kidney. Now, Hess has signed onto a growing coalition of kidney recipients and donors pushing the federal government to provide a financial incentive to living kidney donors.

They think a $50,000 tax credit over five years  $10,000 a year  would encourage more living donors to give a kidney to a stranger. (Donors would get paid regardless of their income under the 10-year pilot program envisioned in the End Kidney Deaths Act.)

Hess sees the proposal as a way to address racial and socioeconomic disparities in kidney disease, which disproportionately affects people living in poverty and Black Americans. Many dont have the financial means or social network to find a donor on their own.

A wealthy person is more likely to be able to put up a big billboard on the Schuylkill or some other major highway to say, I need a kidney, Hess said.

But many bioethicists are vehemently opposed to the idea, calling it horrific, immoral, and exploitative.

Its basically paying people for organs. They just turned the idea into a tax refund to try and quiet down all the people who hate that idea, said Arthur Caplan, a bioethics expert and professor at New York University. Its just a more polite way to create a market in body parts.

Its illegal to sell and buy organs in the United States under the 1984 National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA). The tax incentive proposal, launched this year by the Coalition to Modify NOTA, seeks to upend 40 years of the status quo in kidney donations.

Critics fear that it could undermine efforts to end illicit organ markets in some foreign countries, where people in poverty may be coerced into selling a kidney or driven to make a decision theyll regret. They also argue that a financial incentive would make the experience of donating a kidney during your life less meaningful and ultimately decrease the number of so-called altruistic donors  those who give a kidney to a stranger.

Advocates say the tax incentive would increase the number of living donors and help to prevent many of the roughly 5,000 deaths annually among Americans on the kidney waiting list.

Elaine Perlman, 55, a former Manhattan educator, founded the coalition last year, along with three other altruistic donors.

Why have we allowed this to go on for so long, just letting people die? Perlman said. To me, thats the scandal.

 READ MORE: Thinking of donating a kidney? Heres what to expect.

Whats so wrong with it?

In America, its legal to pay people for sperm, plasma, and for the use of a womans eggs or womb. Why not kidneys?

Bioethicists say kidneys are different for several reasons:

First, kidneys are a finite resource.

Second, the surgery carries some risk, though minimal.

Third, it would send the wrong message to countries that already struggle with unsanctioned transplant tourism  wealthy patients who travel to acquire a kidney.

More than 30 years ago, the World Health Organization urged nations not to allow payments for organs. Iran is the only country in the world that has legalized a state-run system of paying kidney donors, and that system has fueled a problematic secondary market with wealthy people making side deals to secure the youngest, healthiest donors.

If the U.S. starts paying kidney donors, efforts to curb the thriving black market for organs in other foreign countries will lose standing, critics say.

There will be a ripple effect  a very bad ripple effect if the United States legalizes it, said Alexander Capron, professor emeritus at University of Southern California and former director of ethics, trade, human rights, and health law at the World Health Organization in Geneva.

Capron and other bioethicists also point out that the tax credit would be burdensome for people who dont normally file full income tax returns. Also, donors might have to wait months to receive the tax benefit.

And the cost of a kidney transplant is covered for all Americans under the governments Medicare program. So low-income kidney patients are not at a disadvantage, bioethicists say.

Instead, the health-care community should double down on programs that help prevent kidney disease, bioethicists argue. Theyd rather increase the minimum wage as a way to help people afford healthier lifestyles, which would include access to nutrition and medical care.

They think federal funding to fully cover donors out-of-pocket costs is the best way to encourage more living donors to step forward. Currently, donors can apply for government reimbursement of expenses such as travel, lodging, and lost wages, but income limitations apply.

Congress needs to make kidney donation financially neutral for donors, Capron said.

If we want to increase organ donation, the first thing we need to do is remove all financial disincentives, Capron said.

Its econ 101

Each year, only 300 people nationwide donate a kidney to a stranger. Roughly 5,700 others donate kidneys to people they know, such as a relative or friend.

In the last two decades, the pool of living donors has stagnated, while the number of people in need of a kidney has doubled to 89,400 Americans.

Supporters say paying kidney donors would solve the supply-and-demand crisis.

Perlman, the coalition cofounder and altruistic donor, said kidney donation is work. Its time-consuming, stressful, and painful.

It also costs donors thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses, including child care, pet sitting, lost wages, and travel. Donors go through a months-long medical workup to qualify and six weeks of surgery recovery.

If youre not going to pay people for work, of course youre going to have a shortage, Perlman said. Its econ 101.

Supporters also argue that the act would save billions in federal tax dollars currently spent on dialysis treatment, which removes waste from the blood when kidneys fail.

Medicare covers the cost of dialysis and kidney transplants for all Americans, regardless of age. Dialysis costs taxpayers far more than kidney transplants  about $50 billion a year, or $100,000 per dialysis patient.

The proposal is a pilot program that would provide facts and data to inform the debate, said Hess, the Wayne kidney recipient who is also an adjunct professor at Thomas Jefferson Universitys College of Population Health.

Hess pointed to estimates that the tax credit would save 60,000 lives and $25 billion in tax dollars over 10 years.

This would save lives and money, which is something we hardly see in health economics, he said. Usually you have to spend more money to get a better health outcome.

Old debate, new momentum

The idea of offering a financial incentive, including college tuition vouchers or a government payment into a retirement account, to kidney donors is not new.

Similar proposals have failed to get traction in Congress. Supporters think their odds are better today because recent surveys show increased support among Americans for compensation of kidney donors if it would save more lives.

In January, coalition members mounted a letter-writing blitz to Congress.

In letters to his representatives, Langhorne resident Mel Cherry used his story of being on the kidney waitlist for five years before undergoing a kidney transplant in 2013 at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital to try to persuade lawmakers to pass the act.

Cherry, who has been an accountant for 60 years and who serves on the coalitions board and on the board of directors at Jefferson Health-Northeast hospitals, sees the proposal as a way for people to help each other.

He said hes not bothered by the idea of compensating kidney donors who may be struggling financially, perhaps in need of money for a sick child.

They are trying to get along monetarily, Cherry said, and somebody who needs a kidney has a full life and contributes to the economy and contributes to society.

A chance meeting

Sara Sciacchitano was working remotely as an executive assistant from her Chester County home when she opened an email from a church that asked for prayers for Hess, saying a father of two was dying for lack of a kidney donor.

It really resonated with me that in a world like this, where we dont really think about acts of kindness often enough, Sciacchitano said. It just hit me. I may not be able to change the world at all. But how can I make that one first casting stone that could potentially lead to more good in the future?

Sciacchitano, a 36-year-old mother of two, and Hess both had surgery at the same transplant center in Philadelphia on May 10, 2023.

They didnt meet at the time.

A month later, Sciacchitanos husband took her to a checkup appointment. In the lobby waiting room, he overheard a receptionist call Hess name. He immediately texted his wife.

Are you freakin kidding me? she recalled texting back.

Moments later, she approached Hess in the lobby.

We were speechless for a good minute, she said. Then, they hugged.

I felt at home. I felt peace, she said.
Temple University Health System reported a strong gain in revenue in the nine months ended March 31, but had a $23.3 million operating loss. Read more

Temple University Health System reported a $23.3 million operating loss for the nine months that ended March 31, compared to a $53.2 million loss in the same period a year ago, the North Philadelphia nonprofit told investors Wednesday. The results include a $12.5 million loss at Chestnut Hill Hospital, which Temple acquired with two partners at the beginning of 2023.

Here are the highlights:

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Revenue: Temples total revenue was $2.08 billion in the first nine months of fiscal 2024, up 8.9% from $1.91 billion last year. Strong gains in inpatient discharges from Temples hospitals were somewhat offset by a significant decline in lung transplants caused in part by a shortage of certified registered nurse anesthetists in the region, officials said.

Expenses: Temples costs for overtime and contract staff remain high, though they have come down after peaking during the pandemic. In the first three quarters of fiscal 2024, Temple had $50 million in those expenses, down from $69 million the year before.

Chestnut Hill Hospital: Temple CEO Mike Young said he expects Chestnut Hill to be profitable by the end of fiscal 2025. Already since November, when teams from Temple University Hospital started getting more involved at Chestnut Hill, the average monthly loss there has fallen to under $1 million from $2.5 million during Temples first 11 months of ownership.

Temple owns 60% of Chestnut Hill, which had $113 million in revenue from July through March. Its partners, Redeemer Health and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, each own 20%.

Notable: Temple plans to continue supporting St. Christophers Hospital for Children in the coming fiscal years, but its contribution will fall to $4 million, down from $5 million in the last two years, Young told investors.
Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.) speaks at his campaign rally at the Laborers Training Center in Philadelphia in January. Casey, the Democrat who has represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate since 2007, will face Republican Dave McCormick in November as he seeks reelection. Read more

Sen. Bob Casey, currently locked in the toughest reelection fight of his career, wants Pennsylvania voters to know that hes no Johnny-come-lately to the fight against antisemitism. Hes been backing federal legislation to better define anti-Jewish prejudice and more strictly sanction schools where it takes place since 2016  two years before a gunman murdered 11 Jews at Pittsburghs Tree of Life synagogue, and seven years before Hamas Oct. 7 attack roiled the Middle East.

But as the ongoing conflict in Gaza has split his Democratic base in two, Casey has more than doubled down on the hot-button issue.

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At the exact moment on May 10 that Philadelphia riot cops were busting up a protest encampment at the University of Pennsylvania, Casey was just a few miles away at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History  announcing a $250,000 federal grant for education about anti-Jewish discrimination and touting the Senate bill he cosponsors called the Antisemitism Awareness Act. The senator also criticized the From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free chants of campus protesters, calling them horrific and a direct assault on the Jewish people.

With watchdog groups reporting a U.S. spike in antisemitic incidents even before the tumult triggered on Oct. 7, whats not to like about Caseys efforts?

A lot, according to a growing number of critics who fear Caseys bill and similar legislation that passed in the U.S. House will crimp free speech rights. The naysayers include more than 1,200 leading Jewish professors and scholars, who oppose the current bills that draw on such a broad definition of antisemitism that legitimate political viewpoints  such as opposing the concept of Zionism or even criticism of the state of Israel  could face government sanctions.

I spoke this week to one of the hundreds who signed the letter by Concerned Jewish Faculty Against Antisemitism  Rabbi Rebecca Alpert, a trailblazing female Jewish faith leader and professor emeritus of religion at Temple University. She and the other Jewish academics believe the definition of antisemitism in both Caseys bill and the House legislation  crafted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance  is so broad that it could punish not only actual hate speech but political criticisms of Israel like those voiced recently on college campuses.

The problem with it is that it not just equates anti-Zionism but pretty much any criticism of Israel as antisemitic  and that it excludes those of us who as Jews identify as anti-Zionist., Alpert said. Although good surveys on what share of American Jews consider themselves Zionists  that is, believing in the need for a Jewish-run nation  dont really exist, polls conducted before Israels eight-month onslaught against Gaza found about 20%-25% were, like Alpert, sharply critical of Israels actions toward Palestinians. Yet, Alpert, like many scholars, also acknowledges the complexities  that some anti-Zionists are also antisemitic, and that its clearly hateful to conflate Israels actions with all Jews.

Yet, the antisemitism bills now before Congress do have one surprising critic: the man who actually wrote the IHRA guidelines Casey wants to enshrine in federal law. Ken Stern, a former adviser on antisemitism to the American Jewish Congress, where he worked on the IHRA guidelines, and current head of Bard Colleges Center for the Study of Hate, has consistently opposed the Antisemitism Awareness Act. He recently told the New York Times Michelle Goldberg theres a reason federal civil rights law around racism or homophobia doesnt contain specific definitions  because of the risk of punishing ideas instead of conduct. Once you start defining what speech is OK for teaching, for funding, for all sorts of things, asked Stern, how does that differ from what we were doing in the McCarthy era?

Thats a great question.

I also spoke this week with Caseys office. The senator provided me with a statement: In the wake of the Oct. 7 attack, we have seen a scourge of antisemitism across the nation. This bill will enshrine into law the currently considered definition of antisemitism to protect Jewish students from discrimination and harassment on college campuses without infringing on constitutionally protected free speech. His aides stressed that his draft legislation includes specific language aimed at ensuring free speech rights arent impinged, and noted the IHRA language is already in use  since 2018 and the Trump administration  by the U.S. Department of Education when it investigates antisemitism complaints.

But the dispute over what constitutes antisemitism highlights deep divides within the American Jewish community over Israel, its current right-wing populist government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the campaign in Gaza that has resulted in an estimated 34,000-plus deaths, many of them women or children. It pits scholars like Alpert, her colleagues, and other liberal-leaning Jews against powerful groups like the Anti-Defamation League, which supports the antisemitism bills and, according to the Guardian, has increased its annual spending on lobbying Congress a whopping 16-fold since 2020, up to $1.6 million.

In past years, civil libertarians have successfully argued against the passage of the Antisemitism Awareness Act, but the climate on Capitol Hill has clearly changed. The antisemitism crusade has been embraced with new fervor by Republicans, whove latched onto the allegations as a vehicle for winning their longer-term war against higher education as a bastion of liberalism and gaining support for funding cuts to cripple U.S. universities. The potency of the issue  which sparked the ouster of presidents at Penn and Harvard  has caused some Democratic civil libertarians like Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, a constitutional scholar, to flip to supporting the current bills.

Alpert said it would be much better if Casey and other lawmakers relied on a different definition of antisemitism that was crafted by 250 Holocaust experts and other Jewish scholars known as the Jerusalem Declaration, which gives space for evidence-based critiques of the Israeli government and support for pro-Palestinian justice. That definition makes clear what we should be fighting when we fight antisemitism, the rabbi said, and what is problematic.

But creating a strict federal definition of antisemitism is just part of the stepped-up campaign envisioned by Casey and others. The Pennsylvania senator also supports legislation to allocate an additional $280 million for the Office of Civil Rights in the Department of Education, which would turbocharge its current wave of investigations into alleged antisemitism and racism at college campuses as well as K-12 schools.

 READ MORE: Storming colleges with riot cops to keep them safe should scare America about whats next | Will Bunch

But in 2025, those potential dollars might be spent by a second Trump administration and whatever Betsy DeVos-type acolyte he names to run the DOE  the leading edge of a right-wing movement that makes no secret of its hostility toward the modern university. The critics of the antisemitism bills are right to fear giving ammo to the spiritual heirs of Joseph McCarthy. The current campus crackdown, which has seen helmeted riot cops deploying military tools like tear gas, pepper spray, and even rubber bullets against peaceful protesters, is a preview of what could be normalized in such a climate.

That prospect is especially worrisome to someone like Alpert, a longtime critic of Israeli actions toward Palestine who advises the activist group Jewish Voice for Peace. In 1968, Alpert was a commuter freshman at Barnard College who was horrified to watch her Columbia schoolmates protesting the Vietnam War dragged off in handcuffs, battered and bloodied by New York cops. For her, the current police crackdown is all pretty painful to watch.

Its great that Casey wants to end the centuries-old scourge of anti-Jewish hatred. Everyone whos weighed in on the antisemitism debate, including left-wing Jewish scholars, would like to see that. But when your proposed weapon is the political equivalent of a 2,000-pound dumb bomb that obliterates the free speech rights of anyone standing nearby, youre doing it all wrong.

 READ MORE: SIGN UP: The Will Bunch Newsletter
The Berks County Residential Center in Bern Township, Pa., was an immigration detention center until it closed last year. President Joe Biden should close four other local centers, write Jasmine Rivera and Tsehaitu Abye. Read more

Pennsylvania is a crucial swing state in the 2024 election. Nearly 500,000 eligible immigrant voters will soon join their Pennsylvanian neighbors at the ballot box. But support will be earned through action, not words. And everyone in our community, regardless of their immigration status or age, registered to vote or not, is watching the actions of President Joe Biden right now.

As advocates and community leaders in Pennsylvania, we have been disappointed to witness Biden caving to anti-immigrant extremists by passing harmful policies that further endanger immigrant families. Its time for the president to reject xenophobia and instead pass policies that would support immigrants and uplift our state. He can begin first by shutting down the four immigrant detention centers in our region: Pike, Clinton, Elizabeth, and Moshannon Valley.

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In 2020, Biden campaigned on overturning Trump-era immigration policies, yet over the last three years, the Biden administration has expanded detention and deportation efforts that separate families and cause lasting trauma.

Just last December, we mourned the tragic loss of Frankline Okpu, a beloved husband and father from Cameroon who died in the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Central Pennsylvania. Deportation likewise threatens Linda, a mother of two who is now facing an order of deportation after spending 13 months with her son in the Berks County Residential Center, a former prison for immigrant families. Lindas 7-year-old daughter and husband are both U.S. citizens.

Biden, with the support of Pennsylvania U.S. Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman, is also now aiming to restart or expand some of Donald Trumps most extreme anti-asylum policies. Biden has even asked Trump to work with him to build support for border legislation.

These policies have devastating consequences for immigrants, refugees, and all people seeking safety and peace. They break up families and contribute to a climate of fear. Instead of using his executive power to protect and support the people who are contributing to our nations prosperity, Biden is increasingly echoing dangerous beliefs and pursuing regulations that harm our neighbors, colleagues, family members, and friends.

The majority of American voters support a fair, balanced approach to immigration.

The president should be aware that endangering immigrant families will only further alienate voters and drive this nation backward. The majority of American voters support a fair, balanced approach to immigration and popular solutions like pathways to citizenship for longtime undocumented immigrants. Turning your back on people seeking safety and peace is rejecting the values you say you uphold, and risks turning voters away.

But it is not too late. Biden still has time to advance humane policy solutions that would benefit Pennsylvanias communities. We urge the administration to halt all deportations and end the contracts between detention centers and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Begin with shutting down the Moshannon Valley, Pike, and Clinton detention centers in Pennsylvania, and the Elizabeth detention center in New Jersey. Support asylum-seekers by reversing the May 2023 executive order requiring them to seek asylum in another country first, and instruct immigration officials to use their discretion to close pending and active deportation orders.

We also call on Biden to strengthen the few existing pathways for immigrants to come to the U.S.  including by recapturing unused green cards. Every year, thousands of green cards that could be used to reunite families and bring workers to the U.S. go to waste because of processing delays, technical errors, and funding shortages.

By ending detention and deportation, implementing commonsense and humane regulations, and recapturing green cards, Biden can allow immigrants to continue to thrive in our communities. With a declining and aging population, the reality is that Pennsylvania needs more immigrants.

Every day, we see how immigrants uplift our state and economy by starting businesses, filling essential jobs, and contributing billions of dollars in taxes. Immigrants also enrich Pennsylvania through serving in faith communities, pursuing higher education, maintaining community safety, and giving back in countless other ways. Immigrants help our communities grow, and immigrants make Pennsylvania stronger.

Showing up for the immigrant community is not only whats right, but it is politically wise. The president shouldnt waste another moment: Biden should take action today to support the hardworking immigrant families who seek to contribute to our nations tapestry of diversity and strength for the sake of Pennsylvania. When we are united and welcoming, we can all build the future this nation deserves.

Jasmine Rivera serves as the interim executive director of the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition, a statewide immigrant rights organization. Tsehaitu Abye serves as the Pennsylvania director for African Communities Together, an advocacy group for African immigrants.
The New Jersey primary election on June 4 includes several key races that could determine the balance of power in Washington, D.C., including the U.S. Senate and the 3rd Congressional District.

Four Republicans are running for the Senate seat held by Bob Menendez, who is on trial for corruption, and four other GOP members are running for U.S. Rep. Andy Kims seat in the 3rd District.

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This Editorial Board has long offered endorsements of candidates in primaries and general elections. The process includes meeting with candidates, conducting independent research, and deliberating among the board to determine the best candidate.

We view this exercise as an important public service to help voters make an informed decision. But it has become harder to complete the due diligence for Republican candidates in the Donald Trump era, mainly for two reasons.

First, many Republican candidates refuse to meet with the board. This is a fairly recent phenomenon that is part of a broader attempt by Trump, the far-right, and conservative media to delegitimize the mainstream media.

Trump has long railed against the press, calling it the enemy of the people. He labels stories he does not agree with as fake news. He calls reporters lowlifes and scum. Trump told CBS News correspondent Leslie Stahl that he tries to discredit reporters so no one will believe negative stories about him.

Many Republican officials have followed Trumps lead, and refuse to engage with the press or meet with editorial boards while spreading disinformation. To be sure, journalists do not always get it right  though when we recognize an error, we make a correction. In addition, the fire hose of information coming from cable news pundits and social media makes it hard for many to discern facts from opinions.

This board  which is separate from The Inquirer newsroom  has long been more aligned with Democratic candidates on most issues. But the board has endorsed Republicans over Democrats in general elections, and we strive to choose the best candidates from both parties in primary elections, as we did in the recent race for Pennsylvania attorney general. That has become more difficult to do when GOP candidates refuse to meet or are too extreme to warrant serious consideration.

In the May 2022 primary, the board determined it could not in good faith endorse any of the Republican candidates running for governor in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the board has reached the same conclusion in the New Jersey Republican primary races for U.S. Senate and the 3rd Congressional District.

Four Republicans are vying for their partys nomination for the congressional seat currently held by Kim. Two candidates did not respond to our request for a meeting with the board. One agreed to meet but abruptly canceled. Another couldnt agree on the time. No meeting resulted in no endorsement.

The fire hose of information coming from cable news pundits and social media makes it hard for many to discern facts from opinions.

In the Senate race, four candidates are on the GOP ballot: Curtis Bashaw, a hotelier from Cape May, Mendham Borough Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner, attorney Justin Murphy, and railroad worker Albert Harshaw.

Bashaw and Serrano Glassner did not meet with the board, making it difficult to assess their qualifications. Murphy and Harshaw at least showed up. But their responses to simple questions were deal-breakers.

Such as: Did Joe Biden win the 2020 presidential election?

No, I dont accept the 2020 results, Murphy said, before going off on a long tangent claiming senior law enforcement officials colluded with big tech companies to suppress the First Amendment rights of voters by removing them from social media to help Biden and damage Trump.

Harshaw offered a grudging acceptance of reality. Right now, we have President Joe Biden, who was inaugurated. So, you know, theres a winner legally.

When asked if he would have voted to impeach Trump for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, Murphy said, I heard the president very clearly admonish his supporters to peacefully and patriotically go to the Capitol to make their voice heard.

When asked if presidents should have absolute immunity, Harshaw said he believed in limited immunity before adding, I wish every single politician had to stand trial after their determined service in order to answer for everything.

American democracy is in a dangerous place when candidates for public office traffic in conspiracies, refuse to accept the results of the 2020 election, and want all politicians to stand trial. Sadly, Trump has normalized dangerous rhetoric and continues to flout the law and norms of elected office.

This board wants to engage with serious candidates, but will not participate in a charade. Voters should reject all extreme candidates, starting with Trump and his MAGA acolytes.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his independent run for president last year in Philadelphia, speaking in front of the National Constitution Center on Independence Mall. Read more

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has vowed to make the ballot in all 50 states.

With six months until the election, hes officially done it in seven of them.

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Whether he succeeds in the remaining states, particularly in key swing states such as Pennsylvania, could have a major impact on the election.

A Philadelphia Inquirer/New York Times/Siena College poll conducted last week showed a dead heat between President Joe Biden, 81, and former President Donald Trump, 77, with 10% of registered voters supporting Kennedy, 70.

Although its unclear whether Kennedy would draw more support away from Biden or Trump, in a close race, a third-party candidate with higher-than-typical support could tip the balance. In 2020, Pennsylvania was decided by a little more than 1 percentage point.

Bidens campaign has already launched an offensive against Kennedy, holding a campaign event in North Philadelphia last month at which members of the Kennedy family endorsed the president.

Election law experts say Kennedys chances of getting on the ballot in Pennsylvania will largely come down to the breadth of his canvassing operation and legal support since his ballot access is expected to be challenged by Democrats.

Requirements to get on the 2024 ballot in Pennsylvania

Independent candidates and third-party nominees must file petitions for ballot access by Aug. 1. As an independent, Kennedy Jr. needs to file 5,000 signatures of registered voters and pay the state $200.

Thats a relatively low threshold in the nations sixth most populous state. Delaware, which has a fraction of Pennsylvanias population, sets a signature threshold of 1% of registered voters  which for this election is more than 7,600. Missouri, which has roughly half of Pennsylvanias population, has a threshold of 10,000.

The petition signers can be from anywhere in Pennsylvania, belong to a political party, or be unaffiliated.

A spokesperson for Kennedys campaign said volunteers will soon begin collecting signatures in Pennsylvania. Campaigns could start filling them out in mid-February.

The Kennedy campaign is focusing on states with the most imminent deadlines first. The campaign has also been filing close to or on the deadline, which gives opponents less time to mount challenges.

We have the field teams, volunteers, legal teams, paid circulators, supporters, and strategists ready to get the job done, campaign press secretary Stefanie Spear said in a release following Kennedys qualification for Delawares ballot earlier this month.

Kennedys petition signatures in Pennsylvania will need to survive expected legal challenges from the Democratic National Committee or outside groups. The DNC has launched an offensive against Kennedy, deploying mobile billboards to areas where he is campaigning that blast Kennedy for receiving donations from Trump donors.

Were expecting a close election in 2024 and were gonna be prepared for any contingency and thats gonna include making sure third-party and independent candidates play by the rules, DNC spokesperson Matt Corridoni said. Were also going to be working to define Robert Kennedy and make sure voters know hes a spoiler in this race.

The window for legal challenges will be relatively tight because Pennsylvania counties will need to begin sending out mail ballots by mid-September.

The Kennedy campaign told CNN that it aims to collect 60% more signatures than required in each state to avoid invalid signatures from undermining petitions.

Each state has requirements for ballot access, so the effort is expensive, requiring expertise and consultants to launch canvassing campaigns across the country.

It can absolutely, positively be done, its just a matter of how much money youre willing to wager to do it, said Philadelphia-based GOP attorney Matt Wolfe, who works in campaign law.

Its unclear whether Trumps campaign or the Republican National Convention will challenge Kennedy.

If the Democrats are gonna spend all that money to take him off the ballot, theres certainly no reason for Republicans to expend their resources to do it even if they have the same unease, as I do, about who he is really going to hurt, Wolfe said.

Independent candidates in Pennsylvania have it easier than they used to, but challenges remain

In 2018, Pennsylvania changed its requirements for third-party candidates to get on the ballot after a lawsuit filed by the Green, Libertarian, and Constitution Parties called the requirements overly burdensome.

Previously, the signature threshold was 2% of the number of votes cast for the top statewide vote-getter in the last election for which there was a statewide race.

In Kennedys case that would mean about 33,000 signatures, equivalent to what the top state Supreme Court vote-getter received in 2023, instead of the current 5,000.

There is a chance someone could challenge whether Kennedys candidacy is covered by the state court ruling for the three minor candidate parties because he is not a member of any of them.

The Department of State has said it will apply the change granted to those three parties to all minor parties and independent candidates but warns that voters could file objections, in which case it would be up to the court to decide whether Kennedy needs to fulfill the requirement laid out in Pennsylvania law.

Its still never easy to circulate petitions for any candidate and especially third-party candidates; they dont have the same party resources and institutional know-how that established candidates do, said Zach Wallen, an election lawyer based in Pittsburgh.

Kennedy Jr.s campaign has had a string of legal victories in other states.

His lawyers succeeded in getting Utah to push back its petition deadline and Idaho to change its statutes on petition gathering. In Hawaii, the campaign defended a challenge from the state Democratic Party to invalidate Kennedys petition.

But Kennedy also faced some issues after a super PAC supporting his campaign, American Values 2024, launched an eight-figure plan to gather signatures on Kennedys behalf. After the DNC filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission alleging illegal coordination, the PAC had to suspend those efforts.

In which states did Robert F. Kennedy Jr. make the ballot?

RFK Jr. has gotten on the ballot in seven states: Utah, Michigan, California, Delaware, Oklahoma, Hawaii, and Texas.

The campaign says it collected enough signatures for ballot access in eight other states  New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina, Idaho, Nebraska, Iowa, Ohio, and as of Thursday, New Jersey.

In some states, Kennedy linked up with lesser-known minor parties to circumvent some of the signature-gathering requirements.

He will appear on Michigans ballot on the Natural Law Party line, a party known for promoting transcendental meditation. In Delaware, hes running as a candidate for the Independent Party of Delaware and in California, hes on the ballot of the American Independent Party, a group founded in the 1960s to promote segregationist Alabama Gov. George Wallaces third-party bid in 1968.

Kennedy has acknowledged the racist history of the party but said it has had a rebirth.

If Kennedy does make the ballot, who does he hurt?

While Democrats are acting much more concerned with Kennedys candidacy, its not clear from polling that the independent hurts Biden more than Trump.

In the NYT/Siena polls of all six swing states  including Pennsylvania, where The Inquirer was a partner Kennedy voters were evenly split between Trump and Biden if forced to choose a major candidate.

Most Kennedy supporters say their interest in Kennedy is an expression of displeasure with the two major candidates.

The biggest thing is age, said Cameron Kuipers, a 29-year-old accountant from Pittsburgh who participated in the Pennsylvania poll. He planned to vote for Kennedy after supporting Trump in 2020 because of the age of the two major-party candidates.

At some point, older is not always better, he said.

Shivani Gonzalez of the New York Times contributed to this article.
Sen. John Fetterman, (D, Pa.), was viewed favorably by 48% of registered Pennsylvania voters in a new poll from The Inquirer, New York Times, and Siena College. Another 41% viewed him unfavorably. Read more

Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, is not up for reelection, but hes frequently in the headlines for his boldly casual political style and staunch support for Israel.

The senator isnt afraid to make waves, and voters seem split on how they feel about that.

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Fettermans overall favorability rating was at 48%, just 1 percentage point lower than Sen. Bob Casey, his quieter U.S. Senate counterpart, according to The Inquirer, New York Times, and Siena Colle poll released this week. An additional 41% of registered voters had unfavorable views of Fetterman.

Fetterman, a freshman senator, is slightly better known than Casey, with just 6% of voters saying they havent heard of him.

Eric Stern, Fettermans former deputy campaign manager, said thats no surprise for the heavily covered Democrat:

John Fetterman takes out the trash and theres three news articles about it.
Were thrilled to be recognised as a great place to work  its a testament to the incredible efforts of our teams across the Pacific region, she said. At Lockton, we have worked diligently over the last couple of years to cultivate a positive workplace culture, and its an absolute delight to receive recognition, reaffirming our commitment to making our company culture a top priority.
Meeting humanitys needs for food, water, and energy are not the defining challenges of our times  theyre the defining challenges of all times, Hendrix asserted. Theyre the challenges that must be met day after day, over and over, before any other goals can be achieved.
There is apparently nothing wrong with a law that empowers the Executive to draw as much money as it wants from any identified source for any permissible reason until the end of time, Gorsuch wrote in his dissent.
This whole privatized space economy is about to really come to this kind of crescendo and unfold, said Ziolkowski. Who knows where it's ultimately going to go? But it's going to yield rapid advancements and changes in the way that we perceive the boundaries of our capabilities on a planet like Earth.
Since we launched the accident, health, and life offering two years ago under the leadership of Rob Kreager, the team has developed a powerful value proposition for our clients, and with the addition of Peter, the strength of the team is well aligned with the double-digit growth weve seen across the whole of Lockton Re, Durant said.
Moses was the architect behind our reinsurance solutions unit, which is gaining traction, and played a key role in making the groups 2023 reorganization a success. On behalf of the entire executive team, I would like to thank Moses for his exceptional leadership, dedication and commitment. We wish him all the best for the future, Mumenthaler said.
A trial is underway in Virginia that will determine whether state law allows frozen embryos to be considered property that can be divided up and assigned a monetary value.

Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Dontae Bugg heard arguments last Thursday from a divorced couple who disagree over the ex-wifes desire to use two embryos that they created when they were married.

Honeyhline Heidemann says the embryos are her last chance to conceive a biological child after a cancer treatment left her infertile. Jason Heidemann, says he does not want to be forced to become a biological father to another child.

The case attracted national attention last year when a different judge, Richard Gardiner, ruled that embryos could be considered goods or chattel that could be divided under state law, and his analysis relied in part on a 19th-century law governing the treatment of slaves.

Gardiner is no longer assigned to the case, for reasons unrelated to his citation of slavery as a precedent.

Virginia County Judge Uses Slavery Law to Rule Frozen Embryos Are Property

The case also comes as reproductive rights activists have expressed alarm over a ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court that found embryos could be considered children under that states law.

There is little case law in Virginia governing the treatment of embryos.

Honeyhline Heidemanns suit was brought under a partition statute that governs the division of property between interested parties.

Jason Heidemanns lawyer, Carrie Patterson, argued that there is no precedent for it because that law is not designed to deal with embryos. Its primary purpose, she said, is to govern the division of real estate.

Case Law

Case law that exists nationally regarding embryos recognizes that they are not mere property, she said, but rather property with special characteristics that require courts to balance competing interests.

Alabama Governor Signs Legislation Protecting IVF Providers from Legal Liability

One of the things a judge must consider when evaluating such cases is a persons right to procreational autonomy. In this case, Patterson said, her client has a strong interest in avoiding procreating against his will.

Honeyhlines Heidemanns attorney, Jason Zellman, argued that the partition statute applies if the embryos are classified as property, and if they can be assigned a monetary value.

Documents that both Heidemanns signed with the IVF provider specifically refer to the embryos as property, he said, and thus their value can be assessed as the cost incurred in their creation.

Because there are two embryos, he added, the judge has an easy means of dividing up the property: Award one embryo to each party.

California Lawsuits Say Fertility Operation Destroyed Embryos

Bugg, who said he will issue a ruling at a later date, expressed misgivings about the notion of assigning a monetary value to the embryos.

Zellman acknowledged that the case presents some novel issues, but he also suggested to the judge that it doesnt need to blaze the headlines or establish any sweeping precedent. He said the unique facts of the Heidemanns case  including language in their divorce settlement requiring the embryos to remain in storage pending a court order  will distinguish it from future disputes.

The judge readily accepted that notion, saying, I dont think anything I do in this case applies to anyone but the Heidemanns.

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Legislation Virginia Property
Connecticut has established a Fallen Officer Fund, which will provide $100,000 to the surviving family members or beneficiaries of any Connecticut local or state police officer killed in the line of duty or who sustained injuries that were the direct and proximate cause of the officers death.

Additionally, this legislation allows the surviving family members of police officers killed in the line of duty who were covered by the late officers health insurance at the time of their death to remain on that coverage for up to five years.

The Fallen Officer Fund was initially funded by the fiscal years 2024 and 2025 biennial state budget approved in June 2023. This legislation codifies the fund into state statutes so that it can continue providing the benefits moving forward.

Our local and state police officers put their lives on the line every day while protecting our communities, and they should know that this fund is there to provide their families with some support should the unthinkable happen, said Governor Ned Lamont upon signing the bill into law.

The $100,000 payment is not taxable for state income tax purposes and cannot be reduced or offset due to other benefits such as workers compensation that may be awarded.

The Fallen Officer Fund will be administered by the office of State Comptroller Sean Scanlon.

Today we make good on our promise to the families who have suffered incomprehensible losses, of those who have fallen, House Minority Leader Vincent J. Candelora (R-North Branford) said of the measure that garnered unanimous bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.

Last September, Detective Bobby Garten of the Hartford Police Department was killed when his patrol car was struck by a driver fleeing after a traffic stop at night.

According to the national Officers Down Memorial Page, there have been no Connecticut police officers killed in the line of duty thus far this year, while three officers were killed in 2022.

Topics Law Enforcement Connecticut
Swiss Re announced plans to withdraw from its digital B2B2C insurance business, iptiQ, following a strategic review.

The iptiQ business lost $250 million in 2023, but the loss was projected to be less in 2024. Nevertheless, Swiss Re decided its capital would be better used for its core activities, according to John Dacey, Swiss Res chief financial officer, during a media call to discuss the groups first quarter results.

Options for iptiQ could include potential sales, managing the business tighter for those activities that are very close to breakeven, and putting into runoff those entities that are very far from breakeven, Dacey said.

Swiss Re reported Q1 net income of US$1.1 billion on revenue of US$11.7 billion, which Dacey described as a strong start to the year. (As Swiss Re is reporting under IFRS-17 accounting rules for the first time, its Q1 result is not comparable to Q1 2023, which was reported under US GAAP.)

The companys insurance service result (which reflects the profitability of underwriting activities), amounted to $1.4 billion. In asset management, Swiss Re achieved a return on investment of 4% and a return on equity of 21.3%.

All our main businesses contributed to this result reflecting our continued underwriting discipline, a strong return on investments and effective management of operating expenses, he said.

Turning to the results for Swiss Res individual businesses, Dacey said, Property & Casualty Reinsurance (P&C Re) reported a net income of $552 million, insurance revenue of US$5.0 billion and good results in the April 2024 renewals, when rates rose by 12% on average.

P&C Re achieved an insurance service result of US$704 million and a combined ratio of 84.7% in the first quarter. P&C Re is targeting a combined ratio below 87% for the full year. (Combined ratios below 100% indicate an underwriting profit).

The P&C Re business had exposure to the Baltimore Bridge disaster, reporting a Q1 gross loss of approximately $100 million with a net loss, after some reinstatements on reinsurance premiums, of $77 million, Dacey said, noting that Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, the groups commercial insurance arm, has no material exposure to the bridge collapse

Corporate Solutions reported Q1 net income of $194 million and a combined ratio of 89.9%. Corporate Solutions achieved an insurance service result of $213 million and a combined ratio of 89.9 for the first quarter while targeting a combined ratio below 93 for all of 2024, Dacey confirmed.

The result was driven by continued disciplined underwriting, lower than expected manmade losses and a strong investment result, Dacey said. Insurance revenue for the first three months of 2024 was $1.8 billion, benefiting from good rate environments in most segments and new business growth.

Rationale for iptiQ Withdrawal

Dacey then turned to the strategic rationale for withdrawing from iptiQ, its digital white-label platform.

The reason for this decision is that the market environment now is vastly different from the one when iptiq was created, he said, explaining that the uptake of demand for the capabilities of the iptiQ platform was lower than expected. A Swiss Re representative explained that iptiQ (which provides embedded insurance solutions primarily via its partners in the European P/C industry) runs different business models in different regions to address the specific client demands and market requirements in the respective countries.

Given these changed conditions and the groups strategic priorities, we, therefore, concluded that we are not the best owners going forward of this business, said Dacey, adding that, while the iptiq business had lost $250 million in 2023, the loss was projected to be less for 2024.

He pointed out that the underlying opportunities for Swiss Res core businesses of large commercial insurance and reinsurance have been much better than we might have thought seven, eight years ago.

In that context, he said, the strategic move is about making sure that Swiss Re is able to make the best of the investments that weve made in iptiq, while, at the same time, refocusing management attention and ultimately our capital on our core activities, [which] have a very bright future

Swiss Re will consider various options for the different iptiQ entities in a manner and timeframe that maximizes value for the group, subject to applicable regulatory approvals and notifications, the company said in a statement.

Topics Carriers Profit Loss
Swiss Re announced that Ivan Gonzalez, CEO Reinsurance China, has been appointed CEO of Corporate Solutions, succeeding Andreas Berger, who is moving into the role of group CEO, effective July 1, 2024.

Gonzalez will join the Group Executive Committee at that time.

Meanwhile, Moses Ojeisekhoba, CEO of Global Clients and Solutions, will step down from his position on Aug. 31, 2024 to pursue opportunities outside the group. The businesses within Swiss Res Global Clients and Solutions Business Unit will be reassigned to other areas of the group, Swiss Re said.

Gonzalez is currently the CEO Reinsurance China and China country president, responsible for both Property & Casualty and Life & Health businesses in the country. Before that, he led the Corporate Solutions Business Unit in the Americas, managing North America from 2017 until 2021, and Latin America from 2011 until 2016.

Previously, he worked in asset management and group strategy. He first joined Swiss Re in 2001 through the companys graduates programme. Gonzalez has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, and a masters in Business and International Affairs from Columbia University in New York. He will relocate from Beijing to Zurich in July.

I am pleased that we were able to appoint such a strong internal successor to lead Corporate Solutions. Ivan has deep knowledge of Corporate Solutions, after spending 10 years in leadership roles there and helping to reposition the business from a generalist capacity provider to a specialised risk partner, commented Swiss Res Group Chief Executive Officer Christian Mumenthaler, who is stepping down from his role in July.

[Gonzalez] also brings a global mindset, unique international experience  having worked in Beijing, Singapore, New York, Sao Paulo and Zurich  and proven leadership capabilities to the role, Mumenthaler added.

Mumenthaler went on to comment about Ojeisekhobas 12-year career at Swiss Re.

After significantly growing our business in Asia in his first years with the company, he was instrumental in ensuring that our reinsurance businesses are in a strong position today. Moses was the architect behind our Reinsurance Solutions unit, which is gaining traction, and played a key role in making the groups 2023 reorganisation a success, said Mumenthaler.

He also led the strategic review of iptiQ, which resulted in the announcement today that Swiss Re plans to withdraw from iptiQ over time. On behalf of the entire executive team, I would like to thank Moses for his exceptional leadership, dedication and commitment. We wish him all the best for the future.

Source: Swiss Re
The U.S. government has a specialized plane loaded with advanced sensors that officials brag is always ready to deploy within an hour of any kind of chemical disaster. But the plane didnt fly over eastern Ohio until four days after the disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment there last year.

A whistleblower told The Associated Press that the Environmental Protection Agencys ASPECT plane could have provided crucial data about the chemicals spewing into the air around East Palestine as the wreckage burned and forced people from their homes.

The man who wrote the software and helped interpret the data from the advanced radiological and infrared sensors on the plane said it also could have helped officials realize it wasnt necessary to blow open five tank cars and burn the vinyl chloride inside because the planes sensors could have detected the cars temperatures more accurately than the responders on the ground who were having trouble safely getting close enough to check.

But the single-engine Cessna cargo plane didnt fly over the train crash until a day after the controversial vent-and-burn action created a huge plume of black smoke over the entire area near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.

Robert Kroutil said even when the plane did fly, it only gathered incomplete data. Then, when officials later realized some of the shortcomings of the mission, they asked the company Kroutil worked for, Kalman & Company, to draft plans for the flight and backdate them so they would look good if they turned up in a public records request, Kroutil said.

Kroutil said his team labeled the mission inconclusive because only eight minutes of data was recorded in the two flights and the planes chemical sensors were turned off over the creeks. But he said EPA managers changed their report to declare the vent-and-burn successful because the plane found so few chemicals when it eventually did fly.

We could tell the data provided from the ASPECT planes two East Palestine flights on February 7 was incomplete and irregular. We had no confidence in the data. We could not trust it, Kroutil said.

The revelations about the use of the ASPECT plane in the aftermath of the worst rail disaster in a decade raise new questions about the effectiveness of the whole-of-government response in East Palestine the Biden administration touts.

The Government Accountability Project that represents Kroutil and has been critical of EPAs response in East Palestine sent a sworn affidavit detailing his concerns to the EPA inspector general Tuesday and requested a formal investigation. The group provided a copy of the affidavit and Kroutil agreed to an interview with the AP ahead of time.

Ohio U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, who has tried unsuccessfully to pass rail safety reforms ever since the derailment, said the agency should take these concerns seriously.

These are disturbing allegations and EPA must thoroughly investigate this incident, Brown said. EPA needs to immediately release more details surrounding this incident  they at least owe that to the people in East Palestine.

In a statement Tuesday, the EPA said it didnt even request the plane until Feb. 5  two days after the derailment  and it arrived in Pittsburgh late that day from its base in Texas. Due to icing conditions, the flight crew decided it wasnt safe to fly it on the day of the vent-and-burn, but its unclear why the plane didnt make a pass over the derailment on its way into the area. EPA Response Coordinator Mark Durno has also said he believes the agency had enough sensors on the ground to effectively monitor the air and water as the derailed cars burned.

The agency said its air monitoring readings were below detection levels for most contaminants, except for particulate matter in the first two days after the derailment and air monitoring did not detect chemical contaminants at levels of concern in the hours following the controlled burn. Officials say data gleaned from more than 115 million readings since then doesnt show any sustained chemicals of concern in the air.

But many residents of the town who still complain of respiratory problems and unexplained rashes while worrying about the possibility of developing cancer have doubts about the EPAs assurances that their town and the creeks that run through it are safe. More than 177,000 tons of soil and over 67 million gallons of wastewater have been hauled away as part of the ongoing cleanup thats cost the railroad more than $1 billion.

The head of the NTSB has said her agencys investigation determined the vent-and-burn wasnt necessary because the tank cars were actually starting to cool off, confirming that a dangerous reaction wasnt happening inside them  something the chemical company had tried to tell officials. But the people who made the decision to blow open those tank cars said they were never told what OxyVinyls experts determined. Instead, they heard only about the fears the tank cars might explode.

The EPA said the ASPECT planes flights in East Palestine were consistent with past missions and the plane gathered the requested information, but that doesnt match Kroutils experience.

The East Palestine derailment was the oddest response I ever observed with the ASPECT program in over two decades with the program, said Kroutil, who helped develop the program when he worked for the Defense Department after the 9/11 attacks demonstrated the need for such airborne monitoring over New York.

Kroutil said he retired in frustration in January and wants to share his concerns about the East Palestine mission. He said this incident was handled differently than the 180 other times the plane has been deployed since 2001.

You want to fly over a train derailment in the first five to 10 hours after the incident and while the fires are still burning. It is really advantageous if you have a plume. That big black plume  is when you want to get in and collect data, Kroutil said. The EPA ASPECT airplane should have made passes over the derailment site right away but certainly before the vent-and-burn. I think they chose not to know.

Kroutils former boss, Rick Turville, is the program manager for the ASPECT plane data interpretation at Kalman. He said he trusts Kroutil completely because he is one of the worlds preeminent experts in spectroscopy and he shares Kroutils frustration about the plane not flying sooner.

These kind of fires or refinery fires, fertilizer plant explosions, they dont happen often, Turville said. But when they do, you got to be there and you got to be there quick. And thats how you save lives.

Fortunately, no one died in East Palestine but thousands of lives were upended after the derailment and the worries about future health problems wont go away.

The EPA manager in charge of the program, Paige Delgado, didnt immediately respond to an email sent to her Monday with questions about her actions.

Kroutil said he heard Delgado order the planes operator during the mission to shut down the chemical sensors when it flew over the creeks in East Palestine even though officials were concerned about chemicals reaching those waterways, potentially fouling drinking water supplies downstream on the Ohio River. Kroutil said his satellite link to the planes instruments confirmed those sensors were turned off.

The EPAs official report on the two East Palestine flights describes pictures the plane took over Little Beaver Creek after a problem with its aerial camera was fixed, but it doesnt mention Sulphur Run that flows right next to the derailment site or the bigger Leslie Run creek that flows through town.

Photo: In this photo provided by Melissa Smith, a train fire is seen from her farm in East Palestine, Ohio, Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. A train derailment and resulting large fire prompted an evacuation order in the Ohio village near the Pennsylvania state line on Friday night, covering the area in billows of smoke lit orange by the flames below. (Melissa Smith via AP)

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Ohio
Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway Inc. unveiled a $6.7 billion stake in insurer Chubb Ltd., ending months of suspense over its mystery position in a financial firm, previously kept concealed in regulatory filings.

Berkshire disclosed the holding in a filing on Wednesday, reflecting its positions at the end of the first quarter.

The conglomerate has been building the stake since 2023 but it hadnt previously been reported because the Securities and Exchange Commission allowed Berkshire to keep it confidential. Still, separate quarterly filings reflected that Berkshires equity stakes in banks, insurance and finance companies were growing, while the firm was pulling back in other industries including consumer products.

Millions of people follow what Buffett does, said David Kass, a finance professor at the University of Marylands Robert H. Smith School of Business, explaining why Berkshire wants confidentiality while it amasses big positions. Warren Buffett would be more sensitive to the issue than others.

Chubb stock jumped in after-hours trading, adding as much as 9.9%.

Buffetts Berkshire is deeply familiar with the insurance industry, owning a range of companies including Geico and National Indemnity. The billionaire investor has called Berkshires property-casualty insurance operation the core of the conglomerate, helping generate float that can then be reinvested.

The conglomerate has also invested in other businesses in the insurance industry. Berkshire owns a stake in Aon Plc, a major broker, and has previously bet on rivals including Marsh & McLennan Cos.

Cash Pile

Buffett already revealed a few recent changes to his companys holdings at Berkshires annual meeting in Omaha earlier this month. It trimmed a stake in Apple Inc. to $135.4 billion at the end of the first quarter, as the iPhone maker faces a range of struggles including an antitrust fine, sliding sales in China and a failed car project.

The billionaire investor heaped praise on the tech giant at the meeting  which Apple CEO Tim Cook attended  and said it will remain Berkshires largest investment barring any dramatic changes.

The cash pile at Berkshire reached a record $189 billion at the end of March. Buffett said at the annual meeting that it was a fair assumption that it will hit $200 billion by the end of this quarter.

Funds with more than $100 million must file disclosures about their holdings within 45 days of the end of each quarter, providing a glimpse into the holdings of secretive money managers including hedge funds and large family offices.

Photo: Warren Buffett. Photographer: Houston Cofield/Bloomberg

Copyright 2024 Bloomberg.

Topics Carriers Chubb
State Farm announced that it has launched a new website to showcase some of its patented technology, and making it available for licensing, purchase or collaboration opportunities.

State Farm is more than just an insurance company. With a focus on innovation and technology, employees are encouraged to think big when it comes to how the company can meet customers in new and different ways, State Farm said in a media statement announcing the website.

Employees across the organization contribute to our growing patent portfolio, the company said, in the statement, explaining where the collection of inventions originated.

According to the media statement, patents in the State Farm portfolio fall in several categories, including:

Artificial Intelligence Software

Autonomous & Electric Vehicles

Blockchain

Auto Telematics

Smart Home Technology

As one of the most innovative companies in our industry, at State Farm we pride ourselves on creating the most advanced, leading-edge technologies to help keep our policyholders safe, said Haden Kirkpatrick, Vice President-Innovation & Venture Capital. Were excited to launch our patent website to extend our Intellectual Property assets and help offer these advanced technologies to firms which share our mission of helping more people in more ways.

As we look to the future, we see the opportunity to predict and prevent losses, keeping our policyholders and fellow citizens safer and better protected than ever before, he said in the media statement.

Describing how State Farms predict and prevent vision is being realized through the use of smart home technology, Kirkpatrick co-authored the Carrier Management article, The State Farm Vision: Ecosystem Capabilities for the Insurer of the Future, with Matteo Carbone, director of the IoT Insurance Observatory, late last year.

On the IP website unveiled this week, State Farm lists four representative inventions under the smart home category, including one to detect malfunctioning sensors and another that mitigates smoke damage due to wildfire by deactivating the air circulation function of a homes HVAC system when an alert is received indicating smoke movement toward a home.

Examples of patents listed under other categories include:

An AI/ML patent referred to as Method of Controlling for Undesired Factors in Machine Learning Models

A patent titled, System and Method of Facilitating Driving Behavior Modification Through Driving Challenges, listed under Vehicle Telematics.

Several inventions related to unmanned aerial vehicles in the Miscellaneous category.

The first representative invention in the Miscellaneous category is titled, Adjustable Virtual Scenario-Based Training Environment, described as navigable virtual property generated for a training exercise.

The website notes that the patent portfolio is being offered in conjunction with State Farms subsidiary, Quanata.

Quanata is a separate technology company in the State Farm family of companies, focused on powering the global insurance industry with context-based risk prediction and mitigation solutions, the State Farm website says.

The Quanata website highlights the tech companys global innovation team. Were a world class team of tech-minded professionals from the best companies in Silicon Valley. From data scientists and actuaries to engineers, designers and marketers, were creating the insurance products and experiences of the future, the Quanata website says.

Source: State Farm
A federal jury on Wednesday convicted Greg Lindberg, who once controlled two life insurance companies, a reinsurance company and multiple other businesses, and his co-defendant John Gray, of attempting to bribe the North Carolina insurance commissioner in 2018.

It was the second trial on the bribery charges for Lindberg and Gray, a former political consultant, after an appeals court in 2022 overturned the mens first conviction. They both could face a maximum of 30 years in federal prison, plus fines.

The Durham-based Lindberg, once considered a multi-millionaire and a heavy campaign donor to Carolina politicians, also faces lawsuits over his business dealings, along with a separate criminal trial on fraud charges. A grand jury in 2023 indicted Lindberg and two associates on charges that he concealed the financial condition and investments of his insurance companies while skimming millions of dollars from the carriers. That trial was delayed while the bribery re-trial was pending.

The defendants planned and executed an intricate scheme involving substantial campaign contributions to an elected official in exchange for favorable treatment, U.S. Attorney Dena King said in a statement Wednesday after the jury verdict was announced. This was not a lapse in judgment. It was a calculated bribery attempt and a blatant violation of federal law.

Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey helped launch the investigation after Lindberg approached Causey about relaxing oversight on Lindbergs insurance companies, including top regulators and rules on surplus levels. Causey alerted the FBI, then wore a hidden recording device during multiple meetings with Lindberg and Gray in 2017 and 2018.

I believe the jury made the correct decision in light of the evidence presented, Causey said in an emailed statement Thursday morning. Mr. Lindberg was obviously doing everything he could to influence regulators and lawmakers in multiple states where he was conducting insurance business or wanting to conduct insurance business in those respective states. It appears to me that he wanted things done his way, like he was ordering a hamburger from Burger King.

Court documents and prosecutors said that Lindberg promised Causey millions in anonymous campaign contributions in exchange for removing the states senior deputy commissioner from overseeing Lindbergs insurance companies. Lindberg at the time controlled Global Bankers Insurance Group, Southland National Insurance, Southland National Reinsurance, Bankers Life Insurance, and Colorado Bankers Life Insurance, as well as Eli Global LLC investment firm.

To conceal the bribery scheme, two corporate entities and independent expenditure committees were set up to support Causeys reelection campaign, and Lindberg funded the entities with $1.5 million, prosecutors said. Also, at Lindbergs and Grays direction, the chair of the North Carolina Republican party transferred $250,000 from funds Lindberg had previously contributed to the party, King explained. The party chairman pleaded guilty to related charges in 2019.

Lindberg and Gray were convicted in 2020 on the bribery charges. But an appeals court two years later ordered a new trial because of jury instructions from the trial court judge. The court found that the lower court judge had erred when he told the jury that replacing a deputy insurance commissioner with one more favorable to Lindbergs business investments was an official act. Only a jury, not a judge, can decide what is considered an official act, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in June 2022.

At the second trial, held in Charlotte, the jury convicted Lindberg and Gray of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bribery.

Greg Lindberg and John Gray knowingly ignored the difference between legal political donations and felonious bribery, said FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert DeWitt. They thought they could buy changes to North Carolina Department of Insurance personnel to benefit Lindbergs businesses.

Causey thanked prosecutors and FBI agents for their work on the case.

A sentencing date has not been set. The 2019 indictment can be seen here.

Topics North Carolina
A popular country music venue in Greenville, South Carolina, has closed its doors after almost 30 years, citing the cost of liquor liability insurance in the state.

The Post and Courier newspaper and other news outlets reported Wednesday that the Blind Horse Saloon, known for hosting some well-known artists through the years and lots of line dancing, posted on social media that it has shut down, effective immediately.

Due to the South Carolina liquor insurance requirements we are regrettably having to close our doorsIt has been a wonderful 29 years, reads the posting on Facebook and the venues website.

Charlie Daniels, Garth Brooks, Travis Tritt and others have played the spot. A Tyler Hubbard concert set for Sept. 20 has now been canceled. Meanwhile, the saloon faces at least two lawsuits stemming from alcohol-related incidents.

The saloon is one of many bars and restaurants that have closed or have said they plan to close because of soaring liquor liability premiums. The spike in premiums began in 2018, after state lawmakers approved a law requiring $1 million in liability coverage for all establishments serving alcohol after 5 p.m.

The law came about after a high-profile auto accident that killed two people and severely injured a police officer. Neither the driver nor the drinking establishment had liability insurance, leaving the officers county employer to pay the medical expenses.

Since then, bistro and restaurant owners and local insurance agents have said insurance premiums have more than tripled in many cases, leaving establishments unable to comply with the law. Some have also blamed South Carolinas joint-and-several liability statute, which allows juries to assign most of the damage award to a party that may have played only a minor role in liquor-fueled accidents.

The state Department of Insurance reported in January that the liquor liability insurance market in the state is extremely unprofitable, and was showing massive underwriting losses.

Some state lawmakers this year attempted to address the crisis with a number of bills, including one that would have reformed the joint-and-several rule and allow juries to apportion fault. Another bill offered a state fund to cover some of the liability coverage costs. Another would have allowed establishments to set up their own captive insurance companies to provide at least half the coverage.

In the end, none of the bills passed the legislature this spring. Opponents argued that some of the measures would have made it difficult for victims of accidents to be made whole and did not address insurance companies higher rates, according to news reports.

Its a sad day for the South Carolina line dance scene, a dance instructor at Blind Horse told the Columbia newspaper.

Topics Trends Liability South Carolina
ATLANTA (AP)  A federal appeals court has upheld a lower courts ruling that a Georgia county illegally discriminated against a sheriffs deputy by failing to pay for her gender-affirming surgery.

In its ruling Monday, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it was tasked with determining whether a health insurance provider can be held liable under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for denying coverage for a procedure because an employee is transgender. The three-judge panel decided in a 2-1 vote that it can and that the lower court had ruled correctly.

Houston County Sgt. Anna Lange, an investigator for the Houston County sheriffs office, had sued Sheriff Cullen Talton and the county in 2019 after she was denied coverage.

I have proudly served my community for decades and it has been deeply painful to have the county fight tooth and nail, redirecting valuable resources toward denying me basic health care  health care that the courts and a jury of my peers have already agreed I deserve, Lange said in a news release from the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, which represented her.

A woman who answered the phone at the sheriffs office Tuesday said she would pass along a message seeking comment.

U.S. District Court Judge Marc Treadwell ruled in 2022 that the countys refusal to cover Langes prescribed gender-affirmation surgery amounted to illegal sex discrimination under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Treadwells order cited the U.S. Supreme Courts 2020 decision finding that a Michigan funeral home could not fire an employee for being transgender.

The judge ordered the countys insurance plan to pay for the surgery and Lange eventually underwent the procedure. A jury awarded Lange $60,000 in damages in 2022.

The county sought to undo Treadwells order and the damage award.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 says an employer cannot discriminate against any individual with respect to his (or her) compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individuals race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

The 11th Circuit opinion says the Supreme Court clarified in another Georgia case that discrimination based on the fact that someone is transgender necessarily entails discrimination based on sex.

Photo: Sgt. Anna Lange in 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, file)

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Georgia
For the first time, a Colorado appellate court has concluded that COVID-19 can be an occupational disease that is compensable under the states Workers Compensation Act.

The Colorado Court of Appeals ruling came in a case in which Life Care Centers of America and its insurer, Old Republic Insurance Co., sought review of decisions by an administrative law judge (ALJ) and the Industrial Claim Appeals Office awarding workers compensation benefits to an employee of a Life Care skilled nursing facility who contracted COVID-19 and died.

The appellate court backed the award of benefits to Vincent Gaines and his surviving spouse, Sheila Jackson, agreeing that there was sufficient evidence that it was more probable than not that Gaines became infected at work and there was no credible evidence that Gaines contracted COVID at home or anyplace else.

The appeals panel commented:

The novel virus raises a unique consideration under Colorado workers compensation law. Because of the nature of a virus, it cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt precisely where or from whom an individual had the exposure that transmitted the disease. Like the ALJ, we believe a reasoned statistical analysis can determine where the site of exposure was most probable. The ALJ concluded that it was more probable than not that the exposure site was within the facility. In our view, the ALJ used the appropriate burden of proof.

Under the law, an employee is entitled to compensation if the injury or death is proximately caused by an injury or occupational disease arising out of and in the course of the employees employment and is not intentionally self-inflicted.

Gaines worked in Life Cares housekeeping department for more than 20 years. His duties included cleaning and maintaining the main areas of the facility, including the dining room, hallways, common areas, and lobby. He also disposed of the trash. There was testimony that Gaines may also have occasionally transported infected patients to the isolation room.

Gaines became sick with COVID-19 on or about May 26, 2020, and the facility declared a COVID-19 outbreak three days later. By the end of the outbreak on July 29, 2020, there were 35 among residents, with eight resident deaths. Among the staff, there were 13 known cases and nine probable cases. Gaines was the third staff member to test positive. On June 2, 2020, he was hospitalized with a diagnosis of acute respiratory failure with hypoxia due to pneumonia. Gaines died a month later.

On June 8, 2020, Jackson, on Gainess behalf, filed a workers compensation claim based on his exposure to and contraction of COVID-19 at the facility. The claim went before an administrative law judge (ALJ).

The appeals court supported the ALJs findings of fact and conclusion that Gaines had suffered a compensable occupational disease causally related to his employment. The court also agreed with ALJ that it was more probable than not that Gainess COVID-19 infection was related to his presence in Life Cares facility to discharge his work duties.

Life Care and Old Republic were ordered to pay temporary total disability benefits from June 2, 2020, through June 30, 2020, and to pay death benefits to Jackson.

In its appeal to the Industrial Claim Appeals Office, Life Care asserted that the ALJs order was not supported by substantial evidence. Life Care further contended that the ALJs order violated the public policy underlying the statute pertaining to occupational diseases. The appeals panel affirmed the ALJs order and Life Care appealed to the court.

The Colorado Court of Appeals noted that Workers Compensation Act expressly limits its review to whether the findings of fact entered by the ALJ are supported by substantial evidence or whether the award or denial of benefits is not supported by applicable law.

The factual record supports that at the time of Gainess exposure, the working conditions included a high prevalence of COVID-19. A doctor testified that COVID-19 was present in 30% of the residents, and in 12 or 15 staff members. Thus there was person-to-person transmission within that workplace environment. The doctor said that no available evidence suggested that Gaines was exposed to COVID-19 in his home, s asserted by Life Care. Also, because the exposure rates were very low in the county, he said that it was highly unlikely that Gaines encountered a source of COVID-19 in the community. He concluded that the Life Care facility was the highest medically probable environment in which Gaines could have contracted COVID-19. His opinion was unrebutted.

Life Care maintained that Gaines did not have direct contact with patients as a member of the housekeeping staff. The ALJ had concluded that, regardless of whether Gaines had direct contact with patients, the expert testimony showed that it was still more probable than not that Gaines became infected at work. The ALJ also found no credible evidence that Gaines contracted COVID at home or anyplace else.

The appeals court said that the ALJs analysis was detailed and reasoned.

A claimant must establish a reasonable causal connection but is not required to prove causation with mathematical certainty or beyond a reasonable doubt; rather, it is sufficient that the claimant present facts and circumstances indicating a reasonable probability that his disease was proximately caused by the conditions of his employment, the appeals court wrote.

Life Care had argued that the legislature intended to limit the scope of occupational diseases to those that result from working conditions that are characteristic of the vocation. But the court found ALJs finding regarding Gaines was consistent with that assumption.

Topics Colorado COVID-19
2050 might still be more than a couple of decades off, but in terms of preparing the building stock in this country for major changes, this is a short timescale and weve quite a bit of progress to make yet.

It has been highlighted in a number of articles on the subject (including my own in an edition from last October) that the Government  far from taking a leading role in the matter  has been lagging behind the private sector.

This isnt necessarily as terrible as it might sound. The private sector is often the leader in adapting to new technologies. They have the profit motive to look ahead and position themselves in an increasingly fast-paced world.

One member of Government (albeit the European government) spoke recently about the crucial nature of the role of the financial sector in incentivising renovation work to hit targets on energy efficiency.

MEP for Ireland South Sean Kelly was speaking at an event in Dublin in March, hosted by the Banking & Payments Federation Ireland. Entitled Energy Efficient Buildings  Reaching National and European Goals, the conference itself was an example of a private-enterprise-led initiative to test the temperature on this very important issue, as well as inviting discussion around the matter.

MEP Sean Kelly

Deputy Kelly is the Lead Negotiator for the European Parliaments biggest political group on the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive; a directive that came into European law in December 2023 in relation to energy performance of buildings, setting targets for member states in a European Union with an estimated 75% of building stock at inefficient levels.

In his address, the Kerryman and former GAA President emphasised the importance of coordinating efforts on a number of fronts to achieve our energy-efficient targets by 2050:

Scaling up the deployment of renewable energy technologies is crucial, he said, but maximising the efficiency of our existing building stock is equally essential. Its a matter of climate, energy security and economic competitiveness.

He also stressed the importance of finance in allowing buildings to gear up for the greener future: The European Commission estimates a funding gap of 214 billion annually for green financing, Deputy Kelly said. Private finance, particularly bank loans, will play a vital role in achieving energy efficiency targets.

His words underlined the broadly accepted notion that it is the private sector that has the flexibility and the motivation to act more effectively than the public sector  particularly with regard to achieving energy-efficiency targets in Ireland: Government actions are crucial but private finance will also be pivotal in achieving our targets.

The RIAI silver medal-winning designs.

According to the RIAI (Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland), they dont seem to get into the argument of whether its the private industry driving the change or the public sector doing most of the heavy lifting.

The RIAI is keen to underline the theme of collaboration between public and private sectors. It was, says RIAI practice director, Pranash Ramanundh, the main theme of their annual conference last October.

In terms of whether private industry is leading the public sector in terms of standards, I think that Government and industry are working together its a joint effort. Industry does need clear guidance and standards, especially as standards are changing so rapidly.

Pranash Ramanundh, practice director with RIAI.

Amongst the many items discussed at the RIAIs annual conference was that of retrofitting. Its still very much a live question in the whole business of preparing building stock for the greener challenges ahead, because one has to choose whether or not a building should be retrofitted or demolished and rebuilt.

A number of commentators have suggested that we are a little too quick to demolish and replace with new buildings  sometimes destroying perfectly good building stock or, worse still, buildings that have important cultural significance. The business of measuring the cost of demolition is one that has become a strong point of debate in the UK in recent years and many feel that this debate has not yet been thrashed out enough yet in Ireland  particularly with the many battles to come on this point.

The second day of the conference was devoted to discussion on retrofitting, says Pranash, and there was a lot of discussion around the question of retrofitting vs demolition & rebuild  Retrofitting offers many more environmental benefits, by conserving resources, reducing waste, improving energy efficiency, preserving our national or cultural assets so it all feeds into a really responsible and sustainable approach to urban development.

The RIAIs comprehensive and considered approach involves an environmental accreditation process that is regularly updated.

We started the process of updating the accreditation process in 2023, says Pranash, and at the moment, its nearly finalised. What were realising is that it does require sophisticated levels of key knowledge and skills.

The Sustainable Task Force has been heavily involved with this  looking at the learning outcomes, looking at what best practice might be, looking at the skills gaps and mapping the knowledge of lenders against a skills matrix to identify areas of further training. All of this ties in with the RIAI corporate strategy for 2023 and the Climate Change strategy for 2027.

In getting our building stock ready for the greener deadline of 2050, how realistic does that target date look from the point of view of an organisation such as the RIAI? As an important body involved in the shaping of the building stock to come?

There will be significant upskilling required for our members, says Pranash, who says that, following the 2021 launches of the RIAI Sustainable Design Pathways Guide and the RIAI 2030 Climate Challenge, they launched a Complementary Suite of Guidance in October 2023. These are guides intended to help support architects and their clients to sign up to and support the targets of the climate challenge.

It is a critical time now, says Pradash. And it is time-sensitive, but it also brings about great opportunities for change, we believe, to deliver more accountable quality and sustainable resilience for communities to live, work and grow. And one of the most important things is that quality is embedded in all of this.

Part of the training required, Pradash says, will be provided in the Design4Zero Project  a two-year programme launched in July last year with the Irish Green Building Council (IGBC). Its a joint programme of research, support tools, guidance and upskilling of professionals to address the de-carbonisation of our national building stock.

This is a programme of some significance behind the scenes, as it were, and it should go some way to realign thinking on all sides to get our building stock and those who examine it and design it firmly on the green page for the future. It is funded by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and the National Energy and Research Development and Demonstration Programme.

The framework is a dynamic one that is designed to be used to update the RIAIs own 2030 Climate Challenge and to help move architects away from the mindset of building for compliance and more towards building for performance.

What that all points to is the ongoing creation of a structure of thinking at all levels of the building industry. This will ensure a greener future will be created not just because of a wish to do what is written by the powers that be, but because their approach to thinking about building will be of a greener mindset to begin with. And with such fundamental confidence in the creative heart of the building industry, private finance is sure to follow.
Battery energy storage systems, often referred to as Bess, are regarded as a vital part of the Irelands fledgling renewable energy sector and demand for them has never been higher.

More than 700 megawatt (MW) of battery storage was active at the end of 2023 and another 500 MW has been contracted to connect over the next five years.

These storage systems house power generated from renewable energy developments including wind turbines and solar panels. This energy can later be released onto the grid to help satisfy growing demand and provide stability when it comes to energy supply.

Battery storage technology can offer unique benefits to the grid by reducing reliance on fossil fuels, cutting the cost to consumers by using renewable energy on the grid and provide flexible energy capacity which prevents blackouts.

The Republic is also widely known as an attractive destination for Big Tech companies, which use data centres that are insatiable consumers of energy, putting extreme pressure on the grid, making the case further for battery storage systems.

Industry experts have estimated that the number of data centres in Ireland has reached just over 80, and a moratorium has been put in place to curtail further numbers.

Its estimated that the number of data centres in Ireland has reached just over 80, and a moratorium has been put in place to curtail further numbers.

Chief executive of environmental group Friends of the Earth Ireland claimed last year that the Republic is hurtling towards a future where 30% of the country's energy supply will go to data centres.

However, significant strides have been made to grow Bess systems to cope with demand.

There are around 15 of these battery storage systems already hooked up to the grid around the Republic and while major players in the industry continue to work on additional facilities.

Lumcloon energy is at the centre of battery storage in Ireland. The project development company accounted for almost 45% of the battery energy storage systems in Ireland in 2022, according to Statista.

The business has already deployed 200MW of fast acting BESS, which have been providing vital support to the power system since 2021, the company said.

Now Lumcloon Energy is constructing a first of a kind grid stabilisation project which combines battery energy storage and a synchronous condenser in Shannonbridge, Co Offaly, said Nigel Reams, chief executive of Lumcloon Energy.

The hybrid system will have the capability to provide 160 megawatt hour (MWh) of storage capacity from the battery.

Grid stabilisation services are essential to support and maximise the utilisation of electricity generated by wind and solar, said Mr Reams.

Lumcloon Energys new facility is due to enter operation next year and will be capable of instantly compensating for frequency fluctuations and storing electricity when demand is low and releasing it during peak demand periods, the company said.

The firm said it is also working on a thermodynamic long-duration energy storage system through the use of a CO2 battery instead of a lithium one.

Lumcloon Energy has collaborated with Energy Dome in Italy for the project, which has been pumped with around 100m in investment funds.

The development is located at the site of the former peat-fuelled power plant in Offaly and provides power capacity of 50MW and eight hours of energy storage capacity.

The technology uses carbon dioxide to store energy in the form of pressure and heat that priduces reduced emissions and consumes significantly less water.

The first full-scale CO2 Battery is under construction in Sardinia and will be commissioned this year.

Meanwhile, State-owned electricity company ESB recently opened a major battery plant at its Poolbeg site in Dublin which will add 75MW of energy storage to help provide grid stability and deliver more renewables onto the market in the Republic.

This specific battery energy storage system is the largest site of its kind in commercial operation in Ireland and is part of ESBs pipeline of projects, worth up to 300m in investments, that aim to be delivered at sites in Dublin and Cork.

This project has a capability of providing 75MW of energy for two hours to Irelands electricity system.

ESB Networks also recently announced that Irelands electricity grid now has 1 gigawatt (GW), or 1,000 MW, of electricity storage connected to Irelands network.

This figure includes 731.5MW of battery energy storage system projects and 292MW from Turlough Hill pumped storage power station.

Energy storage is a key enabler of our clean energy future, and this achievement is a big step on that journey, said Bobby Smith, head of Energy Storage Ireland.

He added that these systems are needed to reduce the use of fossil fuels and drive down energy prices while ensuring a secure, stable electricity system.

Bobby Smith, Head of Energy Storage Ireland, with Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan.

One gigawatt of energy storage is enough to power the equivalent of approximately 450,000 homes for one hour, typically during peaks in demand or when frequency support is needed at times of low levels of renewable generation. For context, peak demand on Irelands electricity system is approximately 5.5 GW.

We have seen in recent years is a major push by the wider industry to deliver large-scale battery energy storage projects that we have been able to support through network connections, said Nicholas Tarrant, managing director of ESB Networks.

Ramped-up activity in the Bess space among stakeholders aims to not only create better grid security and stabilisation, but also more jobs in the renewable energy sector.

Towards the end of last year, a report titled Energy Storage Ireland and Green Tech Skillnet suggested that the energy storage sector could create thousands of new jobs by 2035.

The report published by professional services firm KPMG added that the lack of clearly defined career paths and insufficient knowledge of employment opportunities in this area are creating a career barrier.

Irelands energy storage sector has grown rapidly in recent years, largely on the back of expertise transferred from the wider renewable energy sector but to deliver its full potential we now need to invest in developing the skills and workforce to meet our much greater future energy storage needs, said Terence McGovern, director in KPMG sustainable futures in the report.

The report estimated that between 2,000 and 5,000 jobs could be created in this period across the areas of construction, engineering, and financing. This includes both direct and indirect employment.

However, the Bess space remains mired with challenges which could hit growth momentum. Delays hitting renewable energy developments including planning backlogs for wind and solar developments subsequently effect expansion of battery storage systems.

Davy stockbrokers last year said that if Ireland is to catch up with, let alone meet, its binding climate targets, the country is required to accelerate its onshore generation growth, alleviate key planning and grid constraints and provide superior policy and incentivisation for solutions such as battery storage.

Such initiatives would materially improve the energy transition investment case and help attract much-needed capital back to related sectors, Davy said in a note.
Cork company Green Rebel was originally established to deliver its survey and investigative services to the offshore renewable energy sector in Ireland, but policy changes means the majority of its work is done outside of the Irish market.

Kieran Ivers, Chief executive of Green Rebel, explained that a decision made by government last year automatically wiped 6.5m off its pipeline of potential projects and pushed it outside of the market.

That entire market for us was wiped and we had to make a number of redundancies, said Mr Ivers.

He explained that before government made changes early last year, policy in Ireland was driven by developers including Shell and native Irish companies like Simply Blue.

They would identify a piece of sea bed and go and try to convince government through the planning process that this was a viable area for offshore wind, he said.

Kieran Ivers, CEO of Green Rebel.

This led to around 40 different investigation areas that were being identified for offshore renewable energy developments through the use of companies like Green Rebel.

Green Rebel carries out geophysical surveys where they look at a certain area of seabed and investigate the ecological impact of building offshore wind floating renewable energy projects in these specific areas while also informing developers on what kind of engineering design is needed.

The company also acquired airplanes which we they had at Cork Airport to carry out air investigations through agreements with Ireland Whale and Dolphin Ireland and Birdwatch Ireland to understand marine migrating patterns and bird flight patterns.

However, the Governments u-turn in the first three months of 2023, where policymakers decided to go with a government plan-led approach, meant they would no longer be licensing companies like Green Rebel to carry out investigations and would acquire this data themselves.

The Government, through the State body Eirgrid, also outsources multinationals to provide the data to them which the Government then gives to interested parties who bid on specified areas of seabed.

For example, instead of using Green Rebels planes in Munster, planes from Denmark are being flown into Irish airspace to carry out investigations for renewable energy developments.

Jobs are being created to support other countries, not Irleand, said Mr Ivers.

Mr Ivers added that he saw the reasoning behind the plan, as many companies cannot provide all of the services that some of these multinationals do.

In terms of longevity, the Government have made the right decision, however they were ill-equipped and still are ill-equipped to deliver on that, he said.

In reality, in government and the civil service they dont have anywhere near the requisite qualifications or skillsets to deliver high level data acquisition across Ireland, he added.

It was a plan led with no plan but ultimately it is the right way to go, but has slowed down the entire industry, said Mr Ivers.

Although the Government may have had good intentions in its decision, the slowdown for the renewable energy sector means that there is little hope of Ireland hitting 2030 climate targets, according to Mr Ivers.

It will be 2035 at best, he said.

Justin Moran, director of external affairs at Wind Energy Ireland, an industry representative group echoed this sentiment.

Mr Moran said the volume of projects that competed in the third renewable energy support scheme auction (Ress3) was far lower than we need to be getting the Ress auctions if were to come anywhere close to our 2030 targets. Were waiting to see the terms and conditions of the Ress4 auctions, he added which could provide some relief to developers or cast a further dark cloud on future developments.

In the meantime, Green Rebel continues carry out work in other markets including countries like Scotland which has ramped up efforts to provide clean energy after historically relying on their offshore oil industry.

The are also eyeing up several potential projects in international markets such as the United States and Australia.

The renewable wind industry is also moving along in the Republic this, albeit at a somewhat underwhelming pace.

Mr Moran said new offshore wind project are going through the planning process before the end of June and all eyes will be on the second offshore renewable energy auction at the end of 2024.

However the planning system is still that major chokepoint he said.

In the last four to six months there does seem to be indications that decisions are coming out of An Bord Pleanala more quickly and wed like to see that continue and accelerate, he said.

Hugh Kelly, chief executive of Cork headquartered offshore renewable energy developer Simply Blue Group also voiced concern about the high risk associated with the Irish planning system, which ultimately influenced the prices in Ress3.

The Department (of Environment) has indicated that Ress4 will be closely aligned with the design of Ress3. Therefore, arguably, we can expect more of the same, he warned.

Mr Kelly said there is scope for fine-tuning criteria in areas such as delivery timelines, price caps, and risk allocation to mitigate planning delays.

Mr Kelly suggested that the next offshore auction (Oress2) will have the opposite effect of the onshore auction if the design of Oress1 is kept.

Oress1 was considered to be very successful with initial prices at 86/MWh, he said.

Mr Kelly added however that the Oress2 auction for 900MW of capacity, set for later this year, is likely to reflect risks and costs associated with planning, as well as issues specific to offshore development, including supply chain bottlenecks and their impact on project delivery.

Meanwhile, Department of Enterprise assistant secretary Gary Tobin indicated in recent weeks that the State may rely on tech multinationals to drive the development of offshore wind in the Republic as tech companies are under growing pressure to procure clean energy for the use of electricity guzzling data centres.

Mr Tobin acknowledged grid capacity issues in the Republic, which have added to delays in the development of offshore wind farms, but hinted that he is aware of tech firms that are looking to develop wind farms privately.

Some large energy users are already themselves exploring the potential for offshore wind and they are already in discussion with developers, he said.

These large energy users may not need to use the grid, they may use private wires, he added.

Mr Kelly suggested that multinational involvement in offshore wind isnt necessarily a bad thing for the industry.

Offshore wind projects require billions of euros of investment, along with huge technical capability to develop infrastructure offshore, he said.

Multinational companies including utilities, energy companies, and global financial investors, play an important role in project development and delivery and are ready to step up and participate in the accelerated development of offshore wind, said Mr Kelly.

The wins include abundant and more reliable energy for consumers, sufficient energy for sustainable economic growth and, if we invest strategically, huge wins for Ireland in terms of related jobs and investment, he added.

For now, the top priority for offshore renewable energy in the Republic is certainty from the Government around project development, according to Mr Kelly.

He is also seeking an acceleration of the roll-out of Designated Marine Area Plans (Dmaps) in 2025, and a sped-up planning process that will give meaningful support for timely supply chain development. We are developing offshore wind because there is a climate crisis, a climate emergency, said Mr Kelly.

He said his company are already witnessing climate change impact biodiversity and manifesting itself in forced migrations of peoples from affected areas.

Meanwhile, in Ireland, we have already lost years as rules have been changed and the confidence of developers has been eroded, he said.

Developers who are investors in Ireland and have had to write-off millions as the goal posts have moved. While the Irish Government justifies delay by claiming, for example, that floating technology is not yet ready, willing developers including the ESB, and Equinor who has already left Ireland, are participating in leasing rounds overseas, said Mr Kelly.

Ireland is falling behind, unnecessarily. We need to catch up, he continued.

Elsewhere, the European wind energy industry was shaken after the EU decided to launch an probe into subsidies received by Chinese suppliers of wind turbines set to be used in Europe.

European wind turbine manufacturers have come under scrutiny in recent times for charging high prices compared to Chinese rivals.

Speaking on this, Donal O'Sullvan, vice president for development and offshore with Statkraft Ireland, said: in general getting the cost of wind, both onshore and offshore, down is a challenge and developers and suppliers need to consider all options but also ensuring that we operate within what is acceptable from a sustainability and human rights perspective.
Digital bank Revolut has warned Irish customers of an uptick in employment scams used by fraudsters to steal people's money.

The online financial app said that sophisticated scammers are taking advantage of the ongoing cost of living crisis.

This form of job-based fraud sees scammers post fake work openings either online or by reaching out directly to victims via messaging apps, posing as employers or recruiters. As part of the fake application process, scammers either request money upfront or require personal financial information to defraud the victim.

Common tactics include asking people to pay for training, administration costs, or setup fees, or to purchase required equipment such as a laptop or a mobile phone.

According to its inaugural Financial Crime and Consumer Security Insight Report, Revolut found that while just 1% of fraud victims in the country were subject to job scams in 2023, 15% of the total sum lost to fraud in Ireland  second only to investment scams (53%)  was caused by people falling for false job opportunities in a bid to boost their income.

The report also found that job scams had increased globally throughout 2023  the most of any scam. At the beginning of the year, job scams represented only 1% of Revoluts global fraud cases, as well as just 1% of the overall value of all money lost to fraud.

However, by the end of 2023, these figures rose to 12% of all cases and 21% of the overall value lost to scams.

Having harnessed data from more than 500 million transactions per month, our dedicated fraud intelligence team has observed the evolution of job opportunity scams that prey on unsuspecting job hunters," said Woody Malouf, Head of Financial Crime at Revolut.

"Given the cost of living and high inflation, the number of reported job scams has dramatically increased. Sadly, criminals prey on those seeking a legitimate way to better their income, particularly young and often inexperienced job seekers."

"Our customers security is of paramount importance to us so please pay heed to this warning."
New Irish documentary Ransom 79 tells the story of iconic journalist Charlie Birds efforts to get his final big story. A storyteller to his core, Bird wasnt going to let his struggles with motor neurone disease prevent him from getting his last scoop.

As Bird himself puts it in the film: I have a terminal illness, but I still have my journalistic nose for a good story, he says, adding that the project was keeping me alive and focused.

And what a story it is. In 2021, Bird got wind of the existence of a secret operation to thwart a major ransom threat against the State in 1979.

The late Charlie Bird in Ransom '79.

A criminal gang, he learned, had threatened to upend the Irish economy by releasing Foot and Mouth disease into the national cattle herd, unless the State paid a ransom of 5 million. Communicating their threats through anonymous letters, the gang compelled authorities to respond through personal ads in the Irish Times. The film will be screened on the opening night of this years Fastnet Film Festival in Schull.

It was the first project that we discussed, said the films director Colm Quinn, who would later work with the RTE reporter on the documentary Charlie Bird: Loud and Clear.

We met with John Kelleher, the producer. Charlie had just done a podcast and he was really excited about the idea that it could be turned into a documentary. There were so many amazing elements to the story, not least the back and forth between the guards and this criminal gang via the ad section of the Irish Times.

Charlie felt that by itself it was such an absolutely compelling and unique story in so many ways. He really felt it should be told as a feature documentary, as did we. But then obviously, the context changed, and it was Charlie facing motor neurone disease, but also still very much committed to telling this story.

Colm Quinn, director of Ransom '79.

In Ransom 79, Bird joins forces with fellow journalist and writer Colin Murphy, with whom he had collaborated on the play A Day in May. That was adapted from a collection of interviews Bird had done with LGBT people, their families and friends, around the time of the Marriage Referendum.

Essentially it became a two-hander then, it was Charlie Bird working with his good friend Colin Murphy, to get into this story, and to do the interviews and do the research. That became the core of the dynamic," says Quinn.

Ransom 79 is the celebration of Charlie in the present moment, doing what he does best - chasing a story, chasing leads, interviewing people, connecting with people, putting the pieces together. Thats what we wanted to capture, that real sense of purpose and drive and meaning that Charlie got from his work. And that the diagnosis wasn't going to get in the way of that.

I think there are one or two difficult themes in the film where Charlie is dealing very much with the effects of motor neurone and Colin is there lending a very sympathetic understanding ear, but also being very pragmatic in terms of how we were going to go about telling this particular story, and why Charlie even wanted to tell this particular story. He just had this amazing connection with Charlie in the film and has also been a brilliant contributor to the film behind the camera.

Charlie Bird with his wife Claire.

There are almost thriller elements to the film as their investigation builds, and Quinn does a fine job of setting out the high-stakes consequences of a Foot and Mouth disease outbreak in 1970s Ireland. If the gangs threats became a reality, there would have been very real and devastating impacts on Ireland agriculturally, economically, and socially.

There's just layers upon layers of intrigue with this gang and whether they potentially could have released Foot and Mouth disease on the country, says Quinn. The fact that that landed as such a huge threat at the time, and the level of the response that it was met with, indicates where the country was at in 79 - the fact that Foot and Mouth could have led to economic devastation.

Charlie was always going to be the protagonist of this. For me at the start, that was the real hook, the fact that one of the greatest journalists weve ever had wanted to tell that story.

Ransom 79 will be screened on Wednesday, May 22 at 8pm at the Schull Harbour Hotel, followed by Q&A with director Colm Quinn, producer John Kelleher, and associate producers Claire Bird and Colin Murphy. It will be released in Irish cinemas on May 24. Fastnet Film Festival runs May 22-26

Other highlights of Fastnet Film Festival

This years Fastnet Film Festival is packed with screenings and masterclasses reflective of the Schull festivals growing status in the Irish and international film community.

James Nesbitt in a scene from Bloody Sunday.

Participants at this years festival include producers Ed Guiney and David Puttnam, filmmakers Lenny Abrahamson and Paddy Breathnach and actors Paul Mescal, Daisy Edgar-Jones and James Nesbitt.

Over 200 short films and 18 feature-length films will be screened over the course of the festival from Wednesday 22nd to Sunday 26th of May.

Filmmaker Gerard Stembridge will lead a Horror Symposium over the weekend. As part of this, the horror classic Nosferatu will be screened at Holy Trinity Church on Colla Road in Schull on May 23rd. The film will be accompanied by a newly composed live score by Irene Buckley and Linda Buckley, with performances by Rhoda Dullea on organ, Ilse de Ziah on cello, and Karen Dervan on viola.

Other festival highlights include special screenings of West Cork filmmaker Pat Collins That They May Face the Rising Sun, Dermot Malones drama King Frankie and Andrew Gallimores One Night in Millstreet, about the high-stakes fight between Steve Collins and Chris Eubank in Green Glens Arena in 1995.

Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar Jones in Normal People.

Director Lenny Abrahamson, who brought Normal People to our screens, will host a discussion with its two stars, Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones.

This years special guest at Fastnet is James Nesbitt, who will be the subject of Greg Dykes The Big Interview, following a screening of Bloody Sunday.

Paul Laverty, a long-time collaborator with filmmaker Ken Loach, will host a screening masterclass, while the future of Northern Ireland will be the focus of filmmaker Alan Gilsenans The Irish Question, followed by a discussion and Q&A.

On Fastnets annual trip to Cape Clear for La Teanga na Gaeilge, producer and editor Cuan Mac Conghail will be interviewed, following the screening of the charming Irish-language drama Roise & Frank.

Oscar winners Ross White and Tom Berkeley, who last year brought viewers the powerful short An Irish Goodbye, will host this years quiz.
We might joke about experiencing all four seasons in a day in Ireland, but it was Christmas in Cork for four minutes on Thursday evening, thanks to Bruce Springsteen.

The Boss spotted a sign held on high from the crowd at Pairc Ui Chaoimh during the show, a sign that said it was 222 days to Christmas and its bearer had been good.

Fans watching Bruce Springsteen in concert in Cork last night. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

He took the hint, visibly giggling as he and the E Street Band launched into Santa Claus is Coming to Town  in mid-May.

Only in Cork, he said, laughing about an unseasonal song that he hadn't played on tour in quite a while.

Its great to be in Cork, its great to be in Ireland, The Boss added, saying he and the band were in town to wake you up and shake you up.

Margauritte from the US has a message for Bruce Springsteen. Picture: Chani Anderson

The rumbling crowd rivalled only the weather as they roared in response. Indeed, Centre Park Rd became Thunder Road that evening as a weather warning coincided with Bruces long-awaited return to Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

Excited droves dived into any and all shelters along the way as downpours of hail and rain plagued the walk from Cork city out to the Marina. Amid cries of ponchos for sale and get your hats here came the sound of Springsteens back catalogue pouring out from every shop, restaurant, and pub between Pana and the Pairc.

Neil and Ciara McSweeney from Millstreet at the Bruce Springsteen concert. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

From the craic in town, no doubt many are treating this as a special Springsteen long weekend in Cork.

Having last played Pairc Ui Chaoimh in 2013, they enjoyed an electric return to the sold-out stadium. While recent gigs in Kilkenny and Belfast basked in sunshine, Cork fans instead found themselves dancing under heavy clouds to hit after hit.

You cant really knock Bruce for making the fans wait. He was there, front and centre, at 7.30pm sharp, about 20 minutes later than his Kilkenny gig started but perhaps a favour to fans caught in delays en route.

Whether intentional or serendipitous, those latecomers found themselves Born to Run to their seats to catch the opening song, a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revivals Wholl Stop The Rain, the crowd laughing as one as the downpours eased away.

Antoinette Switzer with siblings Seanan McQuillan, Estelle Casadesus, and Ava McQuillan from Crosshaven. Picture: Eddie OHare

He played all the favourites, including Hungry Heart, The Rising, and of course Thunder Road. And the crowd loved him.

Arms emerged from a sea of rain ponchos to wave in the air all night, even a Springsteen cardboard cut-out wearing a Cork GAA jersey was hoisted aloft.

Norah, Leona, Marcus, and Jonathan O'Sullivan from Mallow at the Bruce Springsteen concert. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

During Hungry Heart he walked along the barrier before the stage, shaking hands and passing out keepsakes to children in the crowd  his harmonica went to an overjoyed girl sitting on a mans shoulders, while a young boy became emotional when The Boss gave him his guitar pick.

At 74, Bruce has been touring longer than many modern pop stars have been alive, but he doesnt just hold his own on stage  he leads the way.

Tom O'Flaherty, Ballincollig, and Sarah and John Lotty from Glanmire at the Bruce Springsteen concert. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

A three-hour set sounds daunting but The Boss moved and sang with ease, the hours racing by despite the looming storm clouds as he and the E Street Band just let loose and had fun on stage.

And then, as part of their encore, The Boss and his E Street Band paid tribute to Shane MacGowan with a moving version of 'Rainy Night in Soho' by The Pogues. As Springsteen said:

This is for Shane and for Ireland.

It was a pleasure to witness these master musicians at work. He may have been Born in the USA, but Bruce seems as at home in Ireland as any native son.

He was in Dublin only last year, playing three nights in the RDS, and they move on to Croke Park for their final Irish gig on Sunday night. Dublin, you have a lot to live up to  we just hope youre not on the naughty list.
Sometimes the only way to truly relax is to leave your world behind and escape to a spa.

But, what about if spas have never been your thing? I am one of those people who has never really been good at spas, as ten years of internet use has eroded my attention span.

That said, some have stood out for their brilliance despite my shortcomings as a person. I loved them, and I think you will too.

Here are the four that have changed my mind.

Eccles Hotel, West Cork

1. Eccles Hotel, Glengarriff, West Cork

Situated on the waterfront of Bantry Bay, few places are more peaceful than the Eccles.

Here, the spa is open to residents and non-residents and features an outdoor thermal suite (20 for one hour) made up of a sauna, cold plunge pool and outdoor hot tubs.

This, you see, is the active persons reset button  resplendent with mimosas and prosecco for those looking to treat themselves.

Consider it for any of your friends who need a break from the hecticness of day-to-day life.

Relaxing at ESPA, Powerscourt Hotel Estate

2. ESPA, at Powerscourt Hotel Estate, Wicklow

Before you write this off as being too fancy or expensive, hear me out. Powerscourt needs no introduction.

The standards of their spa suite are high, and therapists are extraordinarily knowledgeable of all skin conditions.

For example: I was shown via dermatological technology, exactly what my skin was craving, and received just that in a bespoke facial.

That was their LED + Nano-Dermabrasion Tri-Active Treatment (60 minutes; 165 Mon-Fri, 175 Sat-Sun) which renews cells, exfoliates and supports collagen and elastin production for softer, supple skin.

All treatments are exclusively by ESPA, and the surroundings  as viewed from the relaxation rooms  are breathtakingly gorgeous.

Spa guests can also make full use of the thermal areas including the Swarovski-Crystal-lit heated pool, Hamman Suite, Sauna and Steam rooms.

As well as this, the spa cafe offers an afternoon tea-type meal for anyone making a day of it.

The Conrad Hotel, Dublin

3. The Spa Suite at the Conrad, Dublin 2

The Conrads new Spa Suite package makes your room the spa and features products from organic Irish brand Jo Browne.

This means that upon your stay, for a fee of 100 or 180 with a massage, a therapist will come to your room to slather you in Jo Browne products.

This is ideal for anyone who doesnt enjoy the confines of a spa or for those looking for a luxury treatment solo.

Here is where I had the best Thai massage of my life. Ask for Iula.

The Spa at the Johnstown Estate, Meath

4. The Spa at The Johnstown Estate, Meath

The Spa at The Johnstown Estate is another hub of utter wellness.

The grounds here are also divine, and family-friendly for anyone travelling with children.

But its the spa  which uses Elemis products  that is really worth travelling for.

The Signature Full Body Ritual (145 for 75 minutes) is a particularly brilliant Hawaiian-style massage for those of us who struggle with sleep.

With it, 90 minutes of Thermal Spa access is also available.

Charlotte Tilbury Cleanser

BONUS:

For those who dont like spas, or are looking for a quick spa fix without spending hours in a steam room, you can now get a Charlotte Tilbury facial in a hidden treatment room in Brown Thomas beauty space Planet Beauty.

The bespoke facials (95) are redeemable against Charlotte Tilbury products, one to be skincare, and are available to purchase in-store.
The Government is examining the introduction of an AI chatbot to help the public access services on official websites.

A briefing document provided to the newly appointed Minister for Enterprise, Peter Burke, says his department has begun work on a pilot project to introduce a chatbot for the primary Government website.

The project, which began in January, aims to deliver a chat agent that would supply information to the public on business supports that are being provided by the Government.

Initial funding for the pilot project has been provided by international tech giant Microsoft, and it is set to be delivered in collaboration with the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer.

According to the briefing note, the chatbot will work to trial the use of Generative AI to help provide information to the general public.

It is currently envisaged that the AI chatbot will be hosted on the Gov.ie website, which acts as the hub for all Government Departments.

However, the briefing note notes that the initial pilot is unlikely to be deployed to the public, with it instead focused on testing the use of AI.

It is not envisaged that the initial pilot will be fully ready for public-facing deployment but will focus on testing the suitability of AI driven technology as a channel for Government to deploy in the provision of information around services to the public, the note reads.

The proposals come as the Department of Enterprise continues to work on a refresh of the existing National AI Strategy.

A new AI Advisory Council has been established, which the department says will provide a sounding board for the Government. In particular, this council is expected to examine issues including the role of AI in the future of work in Ireland.

Earlier this year, the Government also agreed a framework on the use of AI by the public sector, following the agreement of a new European AI Act by the European Parliament and European Parliament.

The Government has told departments that all AI tools used by civil servants should comply with seven requirements which have been developed by the European Commissions High-Level Expert Group on AI.

These are: Human agency and oversight; Technical robustness and safety; Privacy and data governance; Transparency; Diversity, non-discrimination and fairness; Societal and environmental well-being; Accountability.

An interim set of guidelines that oversee the use of AI by the public service have also been developed.

This document sets out interim guidelines and issues for consideration for public service organisations when considering the use of AI tools. It outlines Governments commitment to the ethical use [of] AI.

"It also encourages risk assessments be carried out and outlines the safeguards and considerations that are relevant when exploring the use of AI tools, a statement on the guidelines reads.
The biggest uncertainty for the security of Europe in the face of Russian imperialism is if Donald Trump is re-elected as US President, a leading UCC expert has said.

Professor in the Department of Politics Andrew Cottey said that if Mr Trump regains power and decides to pull the US out of Nato, Europe will be in unchartered territory.

In an inaugural lecture in the UCC Futures series, Mr Cottey said he could not see troops from a European country being sent to Ukraine, as floated as a possibility by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Mr Cottey said there was a very powerful imperative in terms of avoiding a wider Russian-European war  to avoid any such a move.

What the West needs to do is double down on providing Ukraine with the weapons it needs to defend itself and retain its independence, rather than talking about putting European troops in Ukraine, which is unlikely, Mr Cottey said.

One Mans War

He said the link between Russias fall into authoritarianism and the war against Ukraine was persuasive and said he could not see a democratic Russia making such a decision.

This is one mans war, Mr Cottey said. The decision to go to war was his decision.

Mr Cottey said that president Putin has never accepted the independence of eastern European countries and had described Ukraine as 'not a real country'.

Regarding claims from president Putin that the West or NATO was to blame for the war, he said the evidence simply does not support that argument.

He said the rise of populism in Europe did pose an internal threat, with its focus on nationalism and crude majoritarianism.

He said if populist leaders and populist parties remain in power they could erode democracy, weaken individual rights and the rule of law, as in Hungary.

He said some populists are also pro-Russia and argue that in the name of peace we have to cut a deal with Russia at the expense of Ukraine and Eastern Europe.

Mr Cottey cautioned that it was important not to overplay the threat posed by the rise in populism in Europe, saying few were avowedly anti-democratic, that some, like in Italy, moderated their policies in power and that few populist leaders advocate leaving the EU.

Europe is not back in the 1930s and is unlikely to move in that direction, he said.

Threat from Trump

The greater threat to European security, he believes, comes from the US.

He said Mr Trump was the first US leader to be openly critical of Nato and that, if re-elected, he decided to pull the US out of the alliance, it would pose major questions for the West and European security in its ability to stand up to Russia and possible threats to the Baltic states.

If the US withdraws we are in unchartered territory, he said. The biggest uncertainty is the US.

However, he said there was a strong case that being in Nato was in the national interest of the US and cited surveys indicating that two-thirds of US people support active global engagement.

My guess is that, ultimately, US commitment will endure, he said.

Mr Cottey said that so far the West and Russia have shown strategic restraint, stressing this was not to condone the suffering and destruction imposed on Ukraine.

He said Russia had refrained from attacking western supply routes of military aid to Ukraine and the West, particularly in President Biden, had ruled out deploying armed forces in Ukraine, adding that Biden had said that such a move would risk World War III.

He said the US and Russia had maintained diplomatic and military lines of communication.

Mr Cottey said he felt that President Macrons comments  about the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine  was said more to put Putin on the backfoot, rather than France or Europe actually sending troops there.

Will Europe send troops to Ukraine  No, Mr Cottey said.

It comes back to the balancing act  theres a very powerful imperative to avoid direct combat.

Mr Cottey asked what would happen if European troops were sent to Ukraine and were killed in a Russian missile strike or engaged in a fire-fight with Russian soldiers.

He said that, instead, European countries need to continue to support Ukraine but avoid a war between Russia and the West, adding this was a delicate, but not impossible, task.

He added: The West needs a robust deterrence and containment of Russia, while holding the door open for a different relationship with a different Russia in the future.

Ireland needs partners

Separately, during a session on EU security developments at the Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs, Kenneth McDonagh said small states such as Ireland face challenging times.

Mr McDonagh, Associate Professor of International Relations at DCU, said Ireland needed to take steps to protect its interests and, as a small state, such steps will likely need to be with partners.

How deep those partnerships should go and with whom they should be is a vital political question that needs urgent attention.

He said greater integration in EU security and defence initiatives was a potential avenue.

He said Irelands location and its central role in relation to communication networks has brought external focus on our lack of capabilities.

Mr McDonagh said the continued lack of a National Security Strategy was regrettable.

Also speaking at the committee, Professor of International Relations at UCD, Ben Tonra, said European security and defence have been turned upside down by Russias attempt to wipe Ukraine and its people from the map of Europe.

He said the certainties upon which Europes post world order has been built  and even maintained during the Cold War  have been shredded.

He said President Putin had a firm belief, based on his reading of history, that Ukraine as a separate country should not exist.

Prof Tonra said the prospect of Donald Trump taking the helm in the US, for a second time, and his marked comments in relation to both NATO and the actions of President Putin, has left European governments scrambling to respond.

He said that even with the full delivery of Level of Ambition 2  the second of three investment options laid out by the Commission on Defence in February 2022  Ireland will still have very significant defence and security gaps most especially in the sea, air and cyber domains.

He said this opens up the prospect of being viewed by EU partners as a weak link.
The Chief of Staff has "encouraged" Defence Forces personnel to engage with a forthcoming tribunal into harassment, amid fears that contributors could face reprisals within the services.

The Government has ordered a tribunal of inquiry to examine the effectiveness of the complaints processes in the Defence Forces, in respect of workplace incidents relating to discrimination, bullying, harassment, sexual assault, and rape.

The judge-led tribunal, to be established in the coming weeks, follows an independent report into a range of such allegations, as well as the culture of the Defence Forces.

The report also found that members were aware of long-standing practices of reprisals, including pejorative comments and withholding of entitlements, as well as physical assaults, and unfounded accusations being sent to gardai.

Lieutenant General Sean Clancy has been tasked with leading the Defence Forces through a significant period of reform in the wake of the report and other matters.

Lieutenant General Sean Clancy said the independent nature of the tribunal would create an environment where people can contribute 'of their own volition'. Picture: Sam Boal/Collins Photos

Asked on Thursday about the concerns of personnel that they may face reprisals for discussing their experiences, he said the independent nature of the tribunal would create an environment where people can contribute "of their own volition".

"I'm sure the judge will set the conditions under which people can contribute to them," he said.

And I'm quite confident that if people have something to say, and I would encourage them, they should come forward.

More broadly, he said he is confident that "cultural change" is being delivered.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin has indicated that he will be signing a statutory instrument to give effect to the formal establishment of the tribunal in the next fortnight, with work to begin "shortly thereafter".

An allocation of 3.6m has been provided to the Defence Vote in relation to the tribunal in estimates for 2024, with further allocations for subsequent years to be agreed in the annual process.

This week, Lt Gen Clancy was appointed the first Irish chairman of the EU Military Committee (EUMC).

The committee is the highest military body within the European Council and is the forum for consultation and co-operation between EU member states in the fields of conflict prevention and crisis management.

Lt Gen Sean Clancy has been appointed the first Irish chairman of the EU Military Committee. Picture: Sam Boal/Collins Photos

Lt Gen Clancy said he was "very grateful, quite humbled, and greatly honoured" to be appointed chairman.

"It is an enormous personal honour for me to be afforded this opportunity to represent the Defence Forces and Ireland at the highest military level within the EU.

"However, this appointment is not solely about the individual, but rather a true, tangible reflection of the standing and the high regard in which Ireland and the Defence Forces are held by all our EU partner nations."

He will remain in his current position until he takes up the three-year role in 2025, after which he is due to retire.

In his remaining year as Chief of Staff, Lt Gen Clancy said his "energy and focus" remains on transforming the Defence Forces.

He said "an awful lot" has been achieved in terms of equipment and infrastructure, adding that command and control improvements would be in the "next phase".

In particular, he said personnel would see the benefits of a "digital soldier" investment project around equipment.

He also said there had been a range of measures around recruitment and retention initiatives.
Parents of children with additional needs in Cork have questioned HSE assertions that the children have access to vital therapies in special schools.

They say therapists such as psychologists and occupational therapists were removed from schools under the HSEs Progressing Disability Services model, which reconfigured disability services, but many children were left with virtually no access to therapies under the new system.

In 2022, Minister for Disability Anne Rabbitte had promised that therapists would be returned to special schools, and to Carrigaline Community Special School, which as a new school under the Cork Education and Training Board had never been given any therapists.

However, parents of children with disabilities at the school said that there have been no therapists there since it opened in September 2021.

Parents of children at Rochestown Community Special School said they too are in the same situation, with no therapists since that school opened.

The HSE told the Irish Examiner that in Carrigaline Community Special School, the Brothers of Charity Southern Services is providing 35 hours of therapy, made up of occupational therapy, psychology, social work, and speech and language therapy.

In 2022, Minister Anne Rabbitte promised therapists would be returned to special schools. Picture: Gareth Chaney

In Rochestown Community Special School, Enable Ireland is providing more than 35 hours in occupational therapy, physiotherapy, psychology, social work, and speech and language therapy, the HSE said.

Parents dispute this, however. They say that any limited therapeutic provision in these schools has just been for oversight, and their children have received no therapeutic interventions.

Children in Cork are being actively discriminated against due to the continued lack of services, one parent in the group Cork Parents Unite, which campaigns for better children's disability services, told a meeting between parents and the Irish Examiner.

The HSE is running the show with no accountability to anyone, said one parent who asked not to be named.

It says therapists are being provided but theyre not.

Its a slap in the face to parents. The lack of these services will have a lifelong impact on our children. Our children will not get back those years. And where is the money allocated for these services going?

Claire Lenihan, whose six-year-old son attends Rochestown Community Special School, said: The HSE told Anne Rabbitte that therapists were being appointed. But there are none in Rochestown.

Therapists need to be in special schools so they can build relationships with the children.

And if theres a crisis it can be dealt with quickly, or a crisis can be averted by early intervention. No child can learn when theyre stressed.

We were told wed have therapists in September 2023 but that has not happened.

Although therapists  a speech and language therapist and an occupational therapist  were brought in for two days at Carrigaline Community Special School, they only guided staff and did not provide therapy, parents said. They were borrowed from the local Children's Disability Network Team so were only for four of 48 children whose home address was registered in that area, they said.

Niamh OGrady, whose son attended Carrigaline Community Special School said: Our children are the dismissed. The State would not be able to dismiss other groups with such impunity.

So were stuck. Where do we even go for help?

It is utterly life-changing when you realise your child will never be typical, may never leave home. Then you have to navigate the disability system, deal with all the acronyms, and you get no help.

My son is a second-class citizen according to the State. But my son is funny and witty and tries so hard to be good. He is a beautiful gift to the world.

Disability services should be delivered on a rights-based model, not a charity-based model.
An Irish woman who alleges she was raped at knifepoint by the main suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has told a court she would never forget the eyes of her attacker, which bored into my skull.

Giving evidence in the trial of Christian Bruckner, who stands accused of five sexual assaults in Portugal of women aged between 10 and 80 between 2000 and 2017, Hazel Behan, aged 40, who was raped in June 2004, told the court: I believe that this man was my attacker.

Sitting just metres away from Bruckner, Ms Behan, an administrator and mother of three, told the court on the second and final day of testimony, delivered over 10 hours, that she still bears the scars of the attack, which took place in Praia da Rocha, in the Algarve, where she was working as a holiday representative.

Bruckner, 47, was at one point asked by the judge to approach the bench so that she could examine his eyes, after Ms Behan said she would never forget the eyes of her attacker.

When you spend time in a situation like that with a person and theres nothing else you can see on this human except their eyes, its the only thing you can remember. They bored into my skull.

She added that she thought the effect of her attackers eyes was intensified by the fact that otherwise he was completely dressed in black.

They were just so blue everything so dark they were like lights, they were so bright. I just know them, she said.

Her attacker had been masked and was covered head to toe in a leotard-style body suit of about 60-denier thickness, and wore leather, or fake leather, gloves, she said, adding that only his eyes had been visible.

The court was shown pictures of scars on the backs of her legs that remain to this day, from where she was tied with rope to a breakfast bar during the prolonged attack.

He spoke to her in English, in what she said was a German accent.

Bruckner is serving a seven-year sentence for the 2005 rape of an American tourist in the Algarve.

Madeleine McCann went missing in Portugal in 2007. File picture

He is due for release from the end of next year.

Ms Behan said she came forward to offer the account of her ordeal to British police in 2020 in response to an appeal by the police working on the McCann case.

The appeal included an official police identity photo of Bruckner.

The sight of the picture and the physical description of him had made her feel nauseous, and later caused her to vomit, she said.

She subsequently learned of Bruckners conviction in 2019 of the rape of an elderly American tourist, and shared with Irish, British, and German police the striking similarities in the modus operandi of the attacker in the womans case and hers.

Over two days, Ms Behan told the court in graphic detail how she was repeatedly raped, whipped, and tied up in her apartment, the attacker filming the ordeal on a camera he had set up on top of the television in her room.

The attacker threatened her, saying: If you scream, Ill kill you.

At one point she said she feared she would be beheaded after he wielded a knife at her.

Bruckner denies the sexual assault charges and also denies involvement in the disappearance of McCann.

The trial continues.
A Cork farmer who punched a Department of Agriculture official in the face because he didnt want him on his land has been sent to prison by a district court judge.

Prosecuting, Inspector Anthony Harrington told Macroom District Court that on October 28, 2023, Andrew Scannell, aged 64, of Lackaneen, Lissacreasig, Macroom, Co Cork, struck agricultural officer Jerry Herlihy in the face with a closed fist. Mr Scannell denied the charge of assault causing harm.

Insp. Harrington said that Mr Herlihy was present at Mr Scannells farm in an official capacity as an officer of the Department of Agriculture. Giving evidence, Jerry Herlihy said that he had been tasked by his superiors with getting Mr Scannells cattle into a manageable state and had been visiting the farm regularly over a two-week period to feed them.

Mr Herlihy told the court that Mr Scannells cattle, which included about 11 three- and four-year-old bulls, were effectively wild and had been allowed to roam freely over the 100-acre holding. He said that the animals were not used to human contact and the departments plan was firstly to tame them.

The court heard that Andrew Scannell had been sent notice that the animals needed to be tested for TB as there had been outbreaks in other local herds and that his cattle had not been tested since 2020.

Mr Herlihy said that on the day in question he had finished feeding the cattle and was getting changed in a nearby barn. Mr Scannell approached him and began shouting aggressively at him that he had no authority to be on his land.

Mr Herlihy said that Mr Scannell then lashed out at him and hit him on the left side of the face. He said he attempted to hit him a second time but Mr Herlihy managed to grab his arm and restrained him for about 20 minutes to await the arrival of the gardai.

The court heard that Mr Herlihy suffered injuries to his right cheek and eye socket and had a partial black eye as a result of the assault but there was no permanent damage.

Neighbour Frank Sweeney who witnessed the assault also gave evidence. He told the court that he was exercising a horse at the time and that Mr Scannell was ranting and raving and not really making much sense.

He said that Mr Scannell hit Mr Herlihy in the face without warning after which Mr Herlihy wrestled Mr Scannell to some nearby bales of hay because he was afraid he would hit him again. Mr Sweeney then called the gardai at Mr Herlihys request.

He added:

I thought the whole thing was preposterous.

Garda Raymond Griffin said that he attended the scene at 6.10pm by which time Mr Scannell had calmed down to some extent. He said that when he arrived Mr Herlihy was still holding Mr Scannell up against some bales of hay.

Gda Griffin separated the men and tried to ascertain what was going on. He said that Mr Scannell told him twice: I dont deny assaulting him. In a later interview Mr Scannell said that he stood over what he told Garda Griffin on the day.

Mr Scannell told the court that he had a lot of hassle with dogs and people stealing his cattle and told the court that he had objected to Mr Herlihys presence at his farm several times.

Sentencing

Defence solicitor Patrick Goold said his client did not have a GP and needed treatment. He said that Mr Scannell had been described by his previous GP, who has since retired, as depressed and delusional.

He said that Mr Scannell was a sad and lonely figure who lived in appalling conditions and was not able to cope with the modern requirements of farming. He added that since losing his driving licence Mr Scannell walks the roads alone and has no family support.

The court heard that there were repeated problems with Mr Scannells cattle breaking into neighbouring farms and getting out onto the public road and that since the incident the herd has been reduced to just one animal.

The court heard that Mr Scannell had 34 previous convictions, mostly for road traffic and animal welfare issues but that he was convicted in 2022 of assaulting a veterinary inspector for which he received an 18-month suspended sentence and was fined 1,000.

Judge William Aylmer said he had no other option but to convict Mr Scannell and he sentenced him to eight months in prison. He said that he hoped that Mr Scannell could be assessed and receive the medical attention he required in prison. He fixed recognisance in the event of an appeal in Mr Scannells own bond of 100.
A man who insisted on vaping on a bus was sentenced to eight months for his outburst against the driver and gardai who arrived on the scene.

The incident at the centre of the case occurred on a bus at Cork Airport in January.

Tobliobao Ogedengbe, aged 23, of Mourne View Hall, Dublin Road, Dundalk, County Louth, appeared at Cork District Court where Judge Mary Dorgan imposed a total sentence of eight months on him.

The sentence was backdated to the day after the incident in January as he was effectively in custody since that time.

Sergeant Dave Delea said the incident on the bus that gave rise to charges being brought against the accused occurred on January 26 at Cork Airport.

The young man was charged with failing to produce a valid passport or equivalent document required under the Immigration Act, failing to provide his correct name and address, handling stolen property  a black Jansport bag and driving licence  and engaging in threatening behaviour.

The whole incident started when he came to the attention of the driver for vaping on the bus. When told to stop he refused and later became aggressive.

Sgt Delea said the accused had 42 convictions before this incident came to light.

Eddie Burke, solicitor, said: He was living in Dublin for the past three years. He is from Nigeria. He came to Cork on this occasion to see his sister who was flying in.

He was vaping on the bus. The driver took umbrage at this. Then Mr Ogedengbe reacted to him and the event took off.

These goods were found in his backpack. He said he found them. He is studying now. He has a history of mental health issues.
One of the funniest books ever written has the definitive word on art criticism. Or careers in art criticism, to be accurate.

One highlight of Kingsley Amiss Lucky Jim occurs when the eponymous hero comes up against artist Bertrand, who is a) pretentious, b) right-wing, and c) going out with Christine.

None of this finds favour with Jim, who muses on how to strike back: For a moment he felt like devoting the next ten years to working his way to a position as art critic on purpose to review Bertrand's work unfavourably. Well, its good to have goals.

I mention Jims position on art criticism because Im afraid I may drift a little closer to that field this morning myself, though I doubt Ill actually open the gate and enter (arrest this metaphor  ed).

My reason for doing so is the Island City art installation trail in Cork city, which I have mentioned here before.

On that occasion, I was doubtful about the merits of the art pieces involved, frankly, but I also acknowledge that this is a subjective opinion.

I find something beautiful but it gives you nausea; this art I call brave and daring, but you find it dull and banal. Thats the human experience. Long may it continue, etc.

But there are some facts we can establish about Island City as well.

A quick refresher: these are public art pieces dotted around Cork city, intended to form a trail for art lovers. To quote Olivia Kellehers report for this paper which anticipated the trail, way back in February 2023: A new 'island city' urban sculpture trail will see the installation of five artworks this year at sites across the city centre island in Cork. Another reference, this time from Cork City Councils own website: Island City  Cork's Urban Sculpture Trail  is a unique cultural trail of five public artworks throughout Cork City centre for locals and visitors to enjoy.

The trail consists of Tempus Futurum, designed by Brian Kenny of Lightscape, based in Dublin.

Sentinels, by Niamh McCann, on Careys Lane, Cork. Picture: Clare Keogh

Sentinels by artist Niamh McCann of Dublin.

The Face Cup by Fiona Mulholland, working between the northwest and Dublin.

Boom Nouveau by collaborative practice Forerunner  Tom Watt, working in Scotland, Tanad Aaron, living and working in Dublin, and Andreas Kindler von Knobloch, living and working in Dublin.

Urban Mirror on Cornmarket Street (Coal Quay) by plattenbaustudio, which is Jennifer ODonnell and Jonathan Jassens, both of whom were educated in Dublin before moving to work in Berlin.

This is a tricky one to articulate, but ... no one from Cork? At all? Home of the National Sculpture Factory? The Crawford?

Im all for the international art superstar coming in to create something thats gobsmacking in scale and ambition, a project beyond the capacity of mere mortals who live here all year round, but in this case there were five separate artworks.

And not one local?

The installation of The Face Cup by artist Fiona Mulholland. Picture: Clare Keogh

I FELT the best thing to do would be to contact Cork City Council to puzzle this one out.

Mailed in a query on May 3. Response on May 8 regarding the art trail: With regard to Island City the project comprised artworks which were installed in 5 city centre locations in Q3 + 4 of 2024. On completion of the series an Island City trail map (printed and online) was launched and information panels installed near each of the artworks. 6 artworks were commissioned in total following a robust selection process  2 digital mapping projections were commissioned for Triskel Christchurch one of which was by Cork artist Elinor ODonovan. Her work, Winter Sun, will commence in Autumn 2024.

Dont all shout at once about Q3 + 4 of 2024 when discussing artworks installed in 2023.

Dont get sidetracked by the trail map printed and online either  thats an improvement. As far back as January this year, fragments of video showing parts of the Island City trail were being posted online which finished abruptly, mid-sentence. I thought these fragments were themselves video art installations, which might at least have explained the lack of response to queries about them from members of the public.

Lets focus on the matter at hand instead.

We used to have five artworks, but now, suddenly, there are six.

This isnt the only sighting of the sixth piece in recent days. Marc OSullivan Valig, who has impeccable artistic judgement, wrote a piece last week for this paper about the Island Trail.

He began by saying: Reaction to the project has been mixed, ranging from appreciation and approval to indifference and disdain. A fair representation of the reactions heard by this writer.

Urban Mirror on Cornmarket Street.

Then Marc moved to a interview with Cork City Council arts officer Michelle Carew about the project.

In the piece, even she had to correct herself about the precise number of projects on the trail (You're looking at five artworks, or six actually, as weve already commissioned two for Triskel Christchurch).

However, one of the most interesting aspects of this whole situation is the reaction to the pieces: as Marc put it, from appreciation and approval to indifference and disdain. I have no doubt that City Councils experience of feedback has been one of appreciation and approval, but one part of Ms Carews contribution intrigued me: The impression I have is that artists are very pleased to see that scale of commissioning happening in the city. The presence of contemporary art can only be a positive thing for the creative energy of the city. Theres a sense of Cork as a place to come to for contemporary art.

It makes sense the artistic community would welcome such a scale of commissioning. Ms Carew confirmed that the Island Trail cost approximately 670,000 (Were really pleased to have been 100% funded by Failte Ireland, she added), a considerable sum at a time when artists are suffering from the cost-of-living crisis as much as anyone else. If an organisation has the capacity to source funding of this size then, yes, thats a welcome scale of commissioning.

The fact that this sum is going to artists with no apparent links to Cork, however, is surely disappointing to those local creatives.

Forerunner artists Tom Watt, Tanad Aaron and Andreas Kindler von Knobloch at the unveiling of Boom Nouveau on Cook Street, Cork.

Correction: to one artist with local links, and that commission only appeared to surface in the public domain last week in response to a query ... about those local links.

As noted, the council arts officer had to remind herself that there was a sixth commission, while up to yesterday the councils own website was still convinced that there were only five artworks on the trail.

It might be reasonable to describe a sense of Cork as a place to come to for contemporary art. It might be better if Cork was a place to come to in order to make contemporary art.

On the known evidence, though, if youre a Cork artist seeking a commission like this then it appears you have a one-in-six chance of success.

Even Lucky Jim would have had sympathy for Bertrand in that situation.
Campaigning in the local and European Parliament elections is well under way.

Politicians and their teams have started knocking on doors and the process of bedecking the country with election posters started on May 8. It is more than four years since there has been a major electoral event and early reports suggest some small but serious changes have been taking place in the political undergrowth.

Post-election interviews with candidates tell us a majority of voters politely answer their doors, pass a few words with the canvassers, take the election literature and make non-committal murmurings about thinking of them on polling day.

A small number of voters have a list of items ready to discuss with any political candidate that comes by. And there is always a group of party supporters in every community that wish the candidate well and gives some insider advice on who is worth canvassing up the road.

The election context matters a lot. In 2011, there were many angry voters, people whose lives had been ravaged by the economic collapse and others who were distressed by the political chaos. But their anger was targeted, focused on specific real events, and people, and for very obvious reasons.

This year is different. A very small group of voters is enraged now, hostile and aggressive to all but a few extreme candidates who share their animosity for the political system and beliefs in a collection of strange conspiracy theories about who runs the world, immigration and vaccines.

Violent attacks

Violent attacks on candidates have received significant media attention and a quick perusal of some social media channels will confirm these are not isolated incidents. Many accounts of extreme-right activists and sympathisers display long videos of them hurling abuse at candidates from all the main parties, harassing speakers at public events and intimidating election volunteers.

Some of the candidates from the extreme-right parties, and the independents in this space, demand definitions of far-right or extreme-right and explanations for why they are being labelled in this way. They do so because the history of the extreme right is horrifying, it is the epitaph of a repulsive European past.

There are two important features that define far-right parties.

The first is that these parties are authoritarian and anti-democratic. They are hostile to the political system, reject free elections and intimidate and attack political opponents. The second part of the definition lies in their opposition to liberal democratic values such as tolerance of alternative political views, respect for human rights and human dignity.

The global surge in migration has been the catalyst for pushing these issues back up the political agenda and activating the voters who have always had hostile opinions towards minority groups. Picture: Collins

Within this definition, there is a spectrum that has been very well developed by Dutch political scientist Cas Mudde. He discusses two specific sub-categories: those that want to overthrow the liberal democratic system completely and those that want to devastate it from the inside. We dont know enough about the Irish far-right parties to fit them into these specific categories yet.

So far in Ireland, far-right parties are tiny, we call them micro-parties and the space is very fragmented, as many of these activists also deeply disagree among themselves. However, they are having a destructive effect, without winning many votes at all. Their tactics are changing campaigning.

Political parties are giving safety advice to their candidates and canvassing teams. And there are serious fears that all of this may deter people from becoming involved in politics in the future.

Protests outside politicians' homes and their political offices have become a regular feature in the news. A survey this month found 94% of politicians and 72% of political staff had experienced threats, harassment or violence. Who would willingly draw this horror upon themselves?

A quick look at public opinion provides troubling signs. A large majority of the voting public has negative views of the political system.

Declining trust in politicians

Research after the March referendums confirmed again that almost 60% of voters believe most politicians only care about the interests of the rich and powerful and only 27% believed most politicians are trustworthy. Declining trust in politics and politicians has been evident for a long time and many of these voters are critical of important failings in the political system.

But what is new in the research is that about a quarter of voters combine anti-establishment opinions with beliefs in strange conspiracy theories that have been especially amplified on social media.

Some 34% of voters believe a small, secret group of people is responsible for making all major decisions in world politics; 28% believe groups of scientists manipulate, fabricate, or suppress evidence in order to deceive the public; and 24% believe experiments involving new drugs or technologies are routinely carried out on the public without their knowledge or consent.

There is absolutely no substantive and verifiable evidence for any of these conspiracies and that so many people believe them is deeply troubling. It raises serious questions about where Irish people are getting their information and how reliable it is.

There was a lot of celebration within the political system since 2015 about Irelands liberal advances in relation to marriage and abortion. Long-standing research that has shown deeply hostile views towards members of the Travelling community and negative views of immigrants wasnt so much ignored, rather it was consigned to the deal with it later box.

The global surge in migration has been the catalyst for pushing these issues back up the political agenda and activating the voters who have always had hostile opinions towards minority groups.

The Government performed well in its response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees were accommodated, but the international protection system was creaking under the pressure in parallel and the result is that immigration has accelerated up the agenda for a lot of voters.

This has allowed far-right parties to exploit fears about the unknown. The surprise in this scenario is that Ireland has been so far behind our European neighbours in having to face an organised far-right.

Dr Theresa Reidy is a political scientist at University College Cork
In April 2024, Bord na Mona announced a strategic collaboration with AWS (Amazon Web Services) making AWS the first business to join Bord na Mona's Eco Energy Park in the Midlands.

This Eco Energy Park is the first of its kind in Ireland and will allow Bord na Mona to support large scale industrial growth in Ireland in a sustainable manner while enhancing the national grid.

First announced in 2021, Bord na Monas Eco Energy Park offering provides a tangible solution to a critical challenge for Irelands economic and social progress, meeting the needs of high energy demand companies across a range of sectors, while keeping Ireland on track by supporting the accelerated delivery of its climate action goals.

Enabling sustainable industrial growth

Bord na Monas Eco Energy Park will effectively co-locate a variety of renewable and low-carbon energy generation assets alongside large energy users, such as AWS, from a range of sectors.

Bord na Monas Eco Energy Park will generate enough renewable energy to meet the needs of several vital sectors crucial to Ireland's social and economic progress including, Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical, Agrifood, ICT, Transport and Logistics.

Pictured L to R: Geoff Meagher, Chairman, Bord na Mona, Neil Morris, Country Lead Ireland, Amazon Web Services, Tom Donnellan, Chief Executive, Bord na Mona, Minister for the Environment, Climate, Communications and Transport, Eamon Ryan, Lindsay McQuade, Director of Energy, EMEA, Amazon Web Services and John Reilly, Head of Renewable Energy, Bord na Mona pictured at the Bord na Mona and AWS (Amazon Web Services) Eco Energy Park Announcement.

As part of this strategic collaboration with Bord na Mona, AWS has developed a pathway to develop data centres in the Midlands which will be powered by a range of renewable technologies.

AWS has also signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for Derrinlough Wind Farm, which will enable AWS to pursue low carbon growth in its data centre operations in line with Governments Principles for Sustainable Data Centre Development.

Bord na Mona is investing significantly in its Eco Energy Park to create the ideal environment in which business tenants like AWS can co-locate and decarbonise their operations  including investment in wind and solar power projects, flexible generation to support grid resiliency when required, as well as the development of new electricity grid connections.

Speaking about Bord na Monas Eco Energy Park offering, John Reilly, Head of Renewables at Bord na Mona, said: Bord na Monas Eco Energy Park, by co-locating large energy users with sources of renewable power in the Midlands, will unlock new opportunities to industries facing energy constraints in other parts of the country, helping to drive significant economic activity in a sustainable manner across the region.

Bord na Monas Eco Energy Parks will not only aid these industries in achieving low-carbon operational growth but will also substantially contribute to, and bolster, associated enterprises, community initiatives, local amenities, and the preservation of the local natural environment. Hundreds of construction jobs will be created during the construction phase, and a significant multi-annual Community Benefit Fund will provide support to local projects and groups.

Charting the course

This collaboration between Bord na Mona and AWS is a significant step forward for Ireland's renewable energy efforts, emphasising collaboration, sustainability, and a strong dedication to environmental progress.

The confirmation of the first tenant at Bord na Monas Eco Energy Park also marks another significant milestone in Bord na Mona's journey towards becoming Irelands leading renewable energy provider andBo will support the accelerated delivery of Bord na Monas ambitious renewable energy infrastructure pipeline of 5GW.

It was just over five years ago when Bord na Mona first embarked on its ambitious Brown to Green journey to transition fully from a traditional peat business to a climate solutions and renewable energy company in Ireland.

This journey was completed last year following the closure of Bord na Monas last remaining peat factory at Derrinlough and the final supply of peat to its Edenderry Power Plant.

Moving forward the company is 100% committed to the continued expansion of its climate solutions and renewable energy portfolio to support Ireland in achieving its ambitious renewable energy requirements by 2030, and net zero emissions by 2050.

Tom Donnellan, CEO of Bord na Mona, said: Having completed our own sustainability journey, we're committed to supporting other businesses on theirs. We're excited to welcome Amazon Web Services and are looking forward to welcoming other industry leaders across a range of industries to join the Bord na Mona Eco Energy Park in the coming years.

Building partnerships with established renewable energy companies is key to Bord na Monas plans for expanding energy supply in the country. These collaborations enable Bord na Mona to combine expertise and resources to enhance green energy production. Moreover, industry partnerships play a crucial role in accelerating Ireland's national green energy initiatives and meeting renewable energy targets by the end of the decade.

www.bordnamona.ie
TJ Hunter, senior director, Onshore Ireland and UK, rsted, speaks with Rita de Brun

TJ Hunter, senior director, Onshore Ireland and UK, rsted, says developing energy projects is a challenging and rewarding business.

TJ Hunter was born and raised in Douglas. He is also senior director, Onshore Ireland and UK, with global renewable energy company rsted, the Danish company which has offices in Cork.

When we talk, he gets straight down to business: Ireland has some big targets to hit, he says. By 2030, we need to hit 9GW of onshore wind, 8GW of solar and 5GW of offshore wind.

In order to hit those, we need to have the planning system fully resourced and able to progress those planning applications. We need clearer timelines there. Offshore is going to be flowing in the first plannings for the ORESS 1 auction. Then, coming behind that, will be ORESS 2.1, which were going to participate in with our partner ESB.

The government auctions need to be regular and clear, so the developers who build the electricity can invest. They need to help the projects get built and share some risk in doing that. In addition, we need the power grid to be able to take that power and bring it to wherever it is needed. Whats important is that we all need to work together in order to achieve the targets.

How heavily does he professionally feel the weight of the climate crisis?

It does weigh on me and the bulk of my career has been dedicated to renewable energy. While I firmly believe we need to clean that up, the burden is on all of us to try to achieve that, with the small things we do in daily life.

But also, in some of the bigger structural things, that as a country we need to achieve. While I have an awareness of that responsibility, Im also quite passionate about it, so on balance it does not feel like a burden to me. What, professionally, gives him hope in his role?

Developing energy projects is a challenging business, he replies. Quite often, you meet bumps in the road, be those policies, or other project related barriers. But, the reward is getting the projects across the line, seeing them built and seeing the contributions they make. So, while I don't go looking for hope, I do get great reward, both on a professional and a personal level, in that.

Also, as a team, we get as much satisfaction from achieving our goals, as we do from the knowledge that were contributing to national targets.

As for the significance of rsted partnering with ESB last year, to jointly develop an offshore wind portfolio, TJ Hunter says its indicative of a commitment to, and a vote of confidence in, Ireland.

Its also a reflection of Irelands efforts to have a stable environment in which to develop and in which to create jobs. The messages that the Irish Government is sending out align with rsteds vision of creating a world that runs entirely on green energy. As thats something nobody can achieve alone, we feel that partnering with the ESB, which has electrified Ireland for over a century, is a good fit for rsted.

Does he believe net zero will be reached?

I think we have to believe that we will achieve it, he replies. Collectively as a country, were working hard to achieve it. Also, having spent over 20 years in this industry, I've never before seen the collective direction and the will to achieve it, that Im seeing right now. That collective will to try to achieve it, with a determination that has never been stronger, is something I find very heartening.

Reaching for net zero is an exciting thing, he continues. Its transformational. Its good. Its a positive thing and we should see the benefits of it.

As for what it will take for Ireland to quit its dependency on fossil fuels, he says: Its a journey and wont be changed overnight. As an island nation, Ireland has been very progressive to achieve what it has so far. For complex electrical reasons, its not easy for an island. But, Ireland has done a lot in this space and that has been recognised around the world.

Its not going to be a fast journey. We do need slow haste. We need to make sure that each step we take is the right one. That needs care. It needs the right policy. It needs the right support. It also needs engagement with all the stakeholders. As a country were doing this.

While there is that over-reliance on fossil fuels, we can see where we need to get to, so as to reach net zero. We can see just some of the steps now. We cant see all the barriers and the problems that we will have to surmount. But, we will get there.

We talk more on Ireland being a country the rest of the world looks up to in this area: While were not the top nation in terms of renewable generation, we are improving year on year and our ability as an island to take up to 80% renewable energy at a point in time, is very significant. The technical work being done to achieve that, is highly respected.

How are we doing on investment?

The Irish Government is taking strong integrated steps across all of their departments, to put together a plan that gives confidence, both for investors in energy and for foreign direct investors, who need green energy.

The pieces of that puzzle are coming together. The consultations are there. Policy will be coming out and then we need to execute on that policy. That is critical. We need regular auctions. We need the grid built to get the energy to the right places. We need the planning system to work. Ideally the Planning and Development Bill 2023 needs to be concluded by summer recess. That will help, by seeing out clear timelines and more.

As for rsteds heavy investment in Ireland, he says: Weve invested over 700 million in Ireland to date in onshore projects alone. Weve powered a quarter of a million homes. Cork is our onshore headquarters for Europe. Weve over 100 people employed there. Then weve our joint venture with ESB for Offshore. We see a future in Ireland and with its solid regulatory foundation, offshore wind and onshore targets.

Now is a really exciting and positive time for the renewable industry. But the reasons for that are anything but exciting or positive, when you have a war in Ukraine and a climate crisis. Security of supply is threatened as is our environment. So the positivity is couched in the fact that there are really serious reasons for why we are doing what we are doing.

Despite the gravity as described, TJ Hunters enthusiasm and passion for his work is heartening. That his original qualification was in mechanical engineering plays a role in this. Exciting is the one adjective he uses repeatedly to describe his area of work. He uses it to describe the green energy space. Also, the myriad ways energy is generated and transported both within Ireland and within Europe.

For him, its the technology perspective that seems to be particularly compelling: We have fixed and floating offshore wind. We have the potential of hydrogen and other e-fuels. We have solar panel developments. Its a massively exciting innovation space. We have set huge targets for ourselves as a country. Now we need the people with the skill sets to do it.

That TJ Hunter is a proud Corkonian is wonderfully apparent as we speak: On a personal level, Im very proud of being able to build such a rewarding career in Cork. Im proud too that much of the renewable energy development ecosystem is in Cork.

Cork is very much a centre of excellence for renewable energy, in terms of development, operations and investment. I am very proud to have contributed to building that and to continue to build it.

https://orsted.ie/
Paul Murphy, CEO, ClimeAction, outlines how companies can boost their bottom line by taking effective climate initiatives

Paul Murphy, CEO of ClimeAction.

The introduction of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) has sparked a significant shift in corporate accountability within the European Union, emphasising enhanced environmental reporting.

Yet, amidst these changes, a critical oversight persists  many consultants in the climate advisory industry concentrate on navigating these compliance mazes because they lack practical experience in implementing genuine measures that reduce carbon emissions and energy usage.

As the CEO of Climeaction, working with more than 400 business customers, I have seen how companies can benefit from real-world applications that yield not only compliance but also substantial operational advantages.

The misdirection of compliance-first approaches

The focus of many in the climate consulting industry remains narrowly placed on compliance.

This approach is often rooted in a fundamental gap: a lack of hands-on experience with tools and strategies that materially decrease carbon footprints or improve energy efficiency. This limitation leads to an over-emphasis on meeting guidelines rather than pursuing meaningful climate action, which inherently meets and exceeds these standards.

At Climeaction, we approach this challenge from a different angle. We are not just about meeting the next regulatory requirement; we are about transforming business operations to harness efficiency, reduce costs, and decrease carbon  all of which naturally align with CSRD mandates.

Redirecting the Climate Action narrative

Our strategy is straightforward yet revolutionary. We replace the conventional compliance panic induced by traditional consulting narratives with a proactive pursuit of actionable opportunities. This shift not only places us ahead in regulatory alignment but also redefines what it means to be a leader in the modern business environment.

We focus on integrating effective measures that have a clear payback  every initiative to reduce energy consumption, every strategy to cut carbon emissions, and every method we deploy to streamline operations pays back in multiples. These are not abstract benefits; they are measurable and impactful, enhancing not just the environmental but also the economic footprint of a business.

A call for genuine action

The prevalent compliance-centric mindset needs a radical transformation. It is time for the climate advisory sector to evolve beyond the scare tactics about non-compliance risks. Businesses need partners who can lead with expertise and implement effective climate action strategies that offer tangible benefits.

Climeaction embodies this change. We provide our clients with powerful insights and data-driven tools that make a real difference. Our commitment to real action translates into tangible benefits for our clients, helping them lead their industries without the crutch of the term sustainability.

A new paradigm for business leadership

In conclusion, the path to genuine environmental and business excellence isnt paved merely with compliance to regulations like the CSRD and CSDDD. It is achieved through the relentless pursuit of practical, impactful climate action.

Businesses need to pivot away from fear-driven compliance to embrace a future where economic and environmental objectives meet  yielding real results and setting new benchmarks in industry leadership. This is the single greatest opportunity to create economic prosperity since the industrial revolution  business lets not miss this.

This is the future Climeaction champions  a future where true climate leadership is defined by action and results, not just reports and compliance.

Lets shift our focus from box-ticking to setting a new standard in operational excellence and environmental responsibility.

www.climeaction.com
Chinas leader Xi Jinping welcomed Russias President Vladimir Putin on Thursday as he began a two-day state visit while Moscow presses forward with a new offensive in Ukraine.

They shook hands at a welcome ceremony after Mr Putins arrival in Beijing at dawn. Mr Putin, Mr Xi and other top officials are expected to hold meetings later that will emphasise their commitment to the no limits relationship they signed in 2022, just before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Since then, Russia has become increasingly economically dependent on China as Western sanctions cut its access to much of the international trading system.

On the eve of the visit, Mr Putin said in an interview with Chinese media that the Kremlin is prepared to negotiate over the conflict in Ukraine.

We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours, Mr Putin was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency.

Mr Putin began a fifth term in office this month (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP, Pool, File)

The Russian leaders two-day trip comes as his countrys forces have pressed an offensive in north-eastern Ukraines Kharkiv region that began last week in the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion began, forcing almost 8,000 people to flee their homes.

Along with Moscows efforts to build on its gains in the nearby Donetsk region, the two-year-old war has entered a critical stage for Ukraines depleted military that is awaiting new supplies of anti-aircraft missiles and artillery shells from the United States.

We have never refused to negotiate, Mr Putin was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

We are seeking a comprehensive, sustainable and just settlement of this conflict through peaceful means. We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said any negotiations must include a restoration of Ukraines territorial integrity, the withdrawal of Russian troops, the release of all prisoners, a tribunal for those responsible for the aggression, and security guarantees for Ukraine.

China claims to take a neutral position in the conflict, but has backed Moscows contentions that Russia was provoked into attacking Ukraine by the West, despite Mr Putins public avowals of his desire to restore Russias century-old borders as the reason for his assault.

Mr Putin has blamed the West for the failure of negotiations in the opening weeks of the war and praised Chinas peace plan for Ukraine that would allow Moscow to cement its territorial gains.

Beijing proposes practicable and constructive steps to achieve peace by refraining from pursuing vested interests and constant escalation of tensions, minimising the negative impact of the conflict on the global economy, he had said.

Mr Putin said a Chinese proposal in 2023, which Ukraine and the West rejected, could lay the groundwork for a political and diplomatic process that would take into account Russias security concerns and contribute to achieving a long-term and sustainable peace.

The Kremlin said in a statement that during their talks this week, Mr Putin and Mr Xi will have a detailed discussion on the entire range of issues related to the comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation and determine the new directions for further development of cooperation between Russia and China and also have a detailed exchange of opinions on the most acute international and regional issues.

Mr Putin began a fifth term in office this month.
Slovakias populist prime minister Robert Fico is not in a life threatening situation after he was shot multiple times and gravely wounded on Wednesday, his deputy prime minister has said.

The prime minister had been greeting supporters at an event in the town of Handlova, 85 miles north-east of the capital.

Government officials confirmed that five shots were fired outside of the cultural centre where the prime minister was attending a government meeting.

Deputy prime minister Tomas Taraba told the BBC: I guess in the end he will survive.

Hes not in a life threatening situation at this moment.

Deputy prime minister Tomas Taraba and the defence minister of Slovakia Robert Kalinak during a press conference at the hospital (Denes Erdos/AP)

Speaking outside of the hospital where the prime minister was receiving treatment, defence minister Robert Kalina told reporters that the prime minister had been hit in the abdomen and that doctors had fought for his life for several hours.

A suspect has been taken into custody in connection with the assassination attempt.

Acording to interior minister Matus Sutaj Estok, who briefed reporters alongside the defence minister, an initial investigation found a clear political motivation behind the assassination attempt.

Outgoing president Zuzana Caputova, a political rival of Mr Fico, said in a televised statement: A physical attack on the prime minister is, first of all, an attack on a person, but it is also an attack on democracy.

Any violence is unacceptable. The hateful rhetoric weve been witnessing in society leads to hateful actions. Please, lets stop it.

Police cars are parked outside the hospital where the prime minister is undergoing treatment (Denes Erdos/AP)

President-elect Peter Pellegrini, an ally of Mr Fico, called the shooting an unprecedented threat to Slovak democracy.

He said: If we express other political opinions with pistols in squares and not in polling stations, we are jeopardising everything that we have built together over 31 years of Slovak sovereignty.

The recent elections that brought Mr Fico and his allies to power have underlined deep social divisions, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, Slovakias neighbour to the east.

Mr Fico has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond. Still, his return to power last year on a pro-Russian, anti-American message led to even greater worries among fellow European Union members that he would lead his country further from the Western mainstream.

Kicking off his fourth term as prime minister, Mr Ficos government halted arms deliveries to Ukraine, and critics worry that he will lead Slovakia  a nation of 5.4 million that belongs to Nato  to abandon its pro-Western course and follow in the footsteps of Hungary under populist leader Viktor Orban.

The attack comes as political campaigning heats up three weeks ahead of Europe-wide elections to choose lawmakers for the European Parliament.

Concern is mounting that populists and nationalists like Mr Fico could make gains in the 27-member bloc.
An Irish woman who was raped at knifepoint by a masked man in Portugal 20 years ago has told a German court how the trauma of the ordeal had left her suffering from frequent panic attacks.

Hazel Behan, 40, broke down as she recalled how a man dressed in black had entered her apartment in the resort of Praia da Rocha in the Algarve at 3am on 16 June 2004. She told how he stood over her bed and woke her by calling her name before proceeding to rape her repeatedly over several hours.

Behan was giving evidence at the trial in Braunschweig, northern Germany, of Christian Brueckner, 47, the main suspect in the 2007 disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann. He stands accused of three rapes and two indecent assaults, incidents that took place in Portugal between December 2000 and June 2017. The incidents involved five women and girls aged between 10 and 80 years old.

In a graphic account, told over several hours, Behan, who is an Irish national, had to pause several times. The court pored over the details of accounts she had given first to the Portuguese police, and later to gardai, as well as photographs from the crime scene. Physical details, such as her description of a distinctive mark on the perpetrators right upper thigh, and his accent were also deliberated over.

Behan had come forward to offer the account of her ordeal to British police in 2020 after learning of a Metropolitan police appeal for witnesses after German police named Brueckner as the main suspect in the 2007 disappearance of Madeleine.

The newspaper report on the appeal included a picture of Brueckner. Behan described to the court how she had first seen the picture in June 2020, recognising what she described as his very piercing blue eyes. I saw his eyes  and I was sick, she said.

The judge, Uta Engemann, asked: So you saw the photo and you vomited? Behan replied: Yes.

The judge added: Because you thought that was the photo of the perpetrator? Behan replied: Yes. Asked if she had compared the picture to other pictures, to be sure it was the same person, Behan, crying, said: I didnt need to.

The attack on Behan, who works as an administrator, from Mullingar, in Co Westmeath, took place when she worked as a holiday representative at the resort, a job she said she had absolutely loved before the attack, which she said took the fire out of me.

She said the experience had turned her from a carefree 20-year-old into someone I did not much like, who for years blamed herself for the attack.

Behan said it had taken her years to get help, turning to her GP and Dublins Rape Crisis Centre. She still receives counselling and suffers regular panic attacks and said the attack had brought her to the brink of wanting to end her own life, feelings she said were only averted after she knew she was going to become a mother, which saved my life.

Behan said the blood rushed from my body during the ordeal. I was just trying to figure out how am I going to get out of this?

She described how she was repeatedly raped, whipped and tied up in her apartment, and how the perpetrator had filmed everything on a camera he had strategically positioned on the television set.

After forcing her to move to the bathroom, Behan described watching from under a sheet hours later as the attacker retreated backwards out of the apartment, through the balcony door, slipped into his shoes he had left there, and fled. She described her agonising wait, deciding only to leave the apartment to get help after she was sure he had gone.

She later described her anger towards the Portuguese police who allegedly failed to take a proper statement from her and, when she had been called to the local police station, had tossed her clothes  some of which the attacker had cut off with a pair of scissors  across a desk at her. She described being repeatedly urged to leave the resort, and was regularly followed by plain-clothed policemen.

Confronting them one day with the question: Why are you following me? She described how two of them had answered: We just want to see if youre a slut.

They said it would be best if I just went home because something like this would ruin tourism in the area  my friends would lose their jobs, she said.

Brueckner, who denies the sexual assault charges and also denies involvement in the 2007 disappearance of Madeleine McCann at the Praia da Luz resort, 37km (23 miles) away, sat metres away from Behan appearing to show no reaction.

He appeared to listen to her account, his chin resting on the fingers of his left hand for the majority of it. He is currently in prison for the rape of an American tourist and is due for release next year.

German police first began focusing on Brueckner in 2013, asking him to speak to them in relation to the disappearance of Madeleine. Despite naming him as their main suspect in her disappearance, they have not been explicit as to the reasons why.

They have continued to pursue the case, going so far as to say that they do not believe Madeleine is alive, but have refused to go into any detail as to why.

Behan is to continue giving evidence on Thursday.

The case continues.
Vladimir Putin has thanked Xi Jinping for Chinas initiatives to resolve the Ukraine conflict at a Beijing summit where the Chinese leader said he hopes Europe will return to peace and stability soon.

China last year offered a broad plan for peace outlining general principles for ending the war in Ukraine.

China hopes for the early return of Europe to peace and stability and will continue to play a constructive role toward this, Mr Xi said, speaking alongside Mr Putin.

The Russian leader said he will inform the Chinese leader in detail about the situation in Ukraine and said we are grateful for the initiative of our Chinese colleagues and friends to regulate the situation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin walk on the red carpet (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

China has significant influence as a key supporter of Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.

It continues to supply Russia with key components that Moscow needs for its productions of weapons, and its purchase of Russian oil and gas has helped boost the Russian economy.

Before their remarks, the two leaders signed a joint statement on deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between their two nations. Mr Xi said China and Russia will continue to uphold a position of non-alliance and non-confrontation.

Mr Putin was greeted by Mr Xi with full military honours at the Great Hall of the People, the massive seat of the ceremonial legislature sitting next to Tiananmen Square in the heart of the capital Beijing.

In their following meeting, Mr Xi congratulated Mr Putin on his election to a fifth term in office and celebrated the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations forged between the former Soviet Union and the Peoples Republic of China after it swept to power in a civil war in 1949.

Mr Putin faced no credible opposition in the presidential race and, like Mr Xi, has not laid out any plans for any potential successors.

Mr Xi said the two countries were furthering their relationship as good neighbours, good friends, good partners, according to state broadcaster CCTV, echoing their commitment to the no limits relationship they signed in 2022, just before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The leaders review the honour guard of Chinese troops (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Since then, Russia has become increasingly economically dependent on China as Western sanctions cut its access to much of the international trading system.

Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Mr Putin as saying that Russia-China relations are not directed against anyone. Our cooperation in world affairs today is one of the main stabilising factors in the international arena.

Mr Putin complimented Mr Xi on his signature One Belt One Road initiative that seeks to build roads, ports, power plants and other infrastructure connecting China to its neighbours and soaking up Chinese industrial output at a time of declining demand at home.

On the eve of the visit, Mr Putin said in an interview with Chinese media that the Kremlin is prepared to negotiate over the conflict in Ukraine.

We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours, Mr Putin was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency.

The Russian leaders two-day trip comes as his countrys forces have pressed an offensive in north-eastern Ukraines Kharkiv region that began last week in the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion began, forcing almost 8,000 people to flee their homes.

Along with Moscows efforts to build on its gains in the nearby Donetsk region, the two-year-old war has entered a critical stage for Ukraines depleted military that is awaiting new supplies of anti-aircraft missiles and artillery shells from the United States.

We have never refused to negotiate, Mr Putin was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

We are seeking a comprehensive, sustainable and just settlement of this conflict through peaceful means. We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said any negotiations must include a restoration of Ukraines territorial integrity, the withdrawal of Russian troops, the release of all prisoners, a tribunal for those responsible for the aggression, and security guarantees for Ukraine.

China claims to take a neutral position in the conflict, but has backed Moscows contentions that Russia was provoked into attacking Ukraine by the West, despite Mr Putins public avowals of his desire to restore Russias century-old borders as the reason for his assault.

Mr Putin began a fifth term in office this month (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP, Pool, File)

Mr Putin has blamed the West for the failure of negotiations in the opening weeks of the war and praised Chinas peace plan for Ukraine that would allow Moscow to cement its territorial gains.

Beijing proposes practicable and constructive steps to achieve peace by refraining from pursuing vested interests and constant escalation of tensions, minimising the negative impact of the conflict on the global economy, he had said.

Mr Putin said a Chinese proposal in 2023, which Ukraine and the West rejected, could lay the groundwork for a political and diplomatic process that would take into account Russias security concerns and contribute to achieving a long-term and sustainable peace.

The Kremlin said in a statement that during their talks this week, Mr Putin and Mr Xi will have a detailed discussion on the entire range of issues related to the comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation and determine the new directions for further development of cooperation between Russia and China and also have a detailed exchange of opinions on the most acute international and regional issues.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has said that a foreign influence Bill passed by parliament that critics have called a threat to free speech is unacceptable.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Ms Zourabichvili criticised the ruling Georgian Dream party for pushing the Bill, which is widely seen as a threat to Georgias aspirations to join the European Union.

The Bill requires media and non-governmental organisations and other non-profit groups to register as pursuing the interests of a foreign power if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad.

The government says the Bill is needed to stem what it deems harmful foreign actors trying to destabilise politics in the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million people.

A protest against the bill in Tbilisi, Georgia (Zurab Tsertsvadze/AP)

Its unacceptable because it reflects a turn of the Georgian attitudes towards the civil society, towards the media and towards the recommendations of the European Commission that are not consistent with what is our declared policy of going towards a European integration, Ms Zourabichvili told the AP.

The president reaffirmed her intention to veto it because it goes directly against the spirit or the letter of EU recommendations.

Ms Zourabichvili is increasingly at odds with the Georgian Dream party, which has a majority sufficient to override it. She has until May 28  14 days after its passage  to act.

She emphasised it is her duty under the constitution to make everything in my capacity possible to support the European integration and to consolidate it.

Huge crowds of protesters have blocked streets in Georgian capital Tbilisi and milled angrily outside the parliament building after lawmakers on Tuesday approved the legislation despite strong criticism from the US and the EU.

The Bill is nearly identical to one that the Georgian Dream party was pressured to withdraw last year after street protests. Renewed demonstrations have rocked Georgia for weeks, with demonstrators scuffling with police, who used tear gas and water cannons to disperse them.

The opposition has denounced the Bill as the Russian law because Moscow uses similar legislation to crack down on independent news media, non-profits and activists critical of the Kremlin.

European Council President Charles Michel said on Tuesday that if Georgians want to join the EU, they have to respect the fundamental principles of the rule of law and the democratic principles.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the US was deeply troubled by the legislation, which she said runs counter to democratic values and would move Georgia further away from the values of the European Union. And lets not forget also Nato.

Enacting the law will compel us to fundamentally reassess our relationship with Georgia, she added.

US assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia Affairs James OBrien met Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday and told journalists that if the law goes forward out of conformity with EU norms, and theres undermining of democracy here and theres violence against peaceful protesters, then we will see restrictions coming from the United States.
The United Nations top court has opened two days of hearings into a request from South Africa to press Israel to halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than half of Gazas population has sought shelter.

It is the fourth time South Africa has asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for emergency measures since the nation launched proceedings alleging that Israels military action in its war with Hamas amounts to genocide.

The sitting is open, said ICJ president Nawaf Salam.

According to the latest request, the previous preliminary orders by The Hague-based court were not sufficient to address a brutal military attack on the sole remaining refuge for the people of Gaza.

Palestinians walk through the debris after an Israeli air and ground offensive in Khan Younis (Saher Alghorra/AP)

Israel has portrayed Rafah as the last stronghold of the militant group, brushing off warnings from the United States and other allies that any major operation there would be catastrophic for civilians.

South Africa has asked the court to order Israel to withdraw from Rafah; to take measures to ensure unimpeded access for UN officials, humanitarian organisations and journalists to the Gaza Strip; and to report back within one week on how it is meeting these demands.

During hearings earlier this year, Israel strongly denied committing genocide in Gaza and said it does all it can to spare civilians and is only targeting Hamas militants. It says Hamass tactic of embedding in civilian areas makes it difficult to avoid civilian casualties.

In January, judges ordered Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza but the panel stopped short of ordering an end to the military offensive that has laid waste to the Palestinian enclave.

Judge Nawaf Salam, centre, presides at the International Court of Justice (Peter Dejong/AP)

In a second order in March, the court said Israel must take measures to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including opening more land crossings to allow food, water, fuel and other supplies to enter.

Most of Gazas population of 2.3 million people have been displaced since fighting began.

The war began with a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7 in which Palestinian militants killed around 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages.

Gazas Health Ministry says over 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, without distinguishing between civilians and combatants in its count.

South Africa initiated proceedings in December 2023 and sees the legal campaign as rooted in issues central to its identity.

Its governing party, the African National Congress, has long compared Israels policies in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to its own history under the apartheid regime of white minority rule, which restricted most blacks to homelands. Apartheid ended in 1994.

On Sunday, Egypt announced it plans to join the case. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Israeli military actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law, humanitarian law, and the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 regarding the protection of civilians during wartime.

Several countries have also indicated they plan to intervene but so far only Libya, Nicaragua and Colombia have filed formal requests to do so.
A six-year-old boy has died after falling from the upper floor of an apartment block in east London.

The child is said to have fallen from the 15th floor of Jacobs House on New City Road, Plaistow, shortly before 6am on Thursday.

Air ambulance paramedics, police, and the fire brigade attended, but the boy died at the scene.

A general view of Jacobs House in Plaistow (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

Police said the death is being treated as unexpected, no arrests have been made and further inquiries are under way to establish the circumstances.

A resident of Jacobs House, who gave his name only as JJ, said the boy lived on the 15th floor.

He said he witnessed a man attend to the boy and cry out: No, my son.

The resident added: The paramedic was shaken up.

The paramedics were here about 6.00, 6.10 maybe. They were here quickly.

Jacobs House in Plaistow, east London (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

Another resident, who did not give their name, said the boy was an Arsenal supporter.

They said: Hes a nice boy, a really nice boy.

Floral tributes have been left at the scene of the incident.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: Police were called at 05.58hrs on Thursday to reports of a child having fallen from height at New City Road, E13.

Officers, London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service and Londons Air Ambulance attended. At the scene, a six-year-old boy had fallen from an upper floor of an apartment block.

Despite the efforts of emergency services, he sadly died at the scene. His family are aware and are being supported.

The death is being treated as unexpected and inquiries are under way to establish the full circumstances.

Our thoughts are with the childs family at this time. There were no arrests. A scene remains in place.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: We were called at 5.59am today to reports of a person fallen from height on New City Road, Plaistow.

We sent resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast response car and an incident response officer. We also dispatched a trauma team in a car from Londons Air Ambulance.

Our first paramedics arrived on scene in approximately four minutes. Very sadly, a child was pronounced dead at the scene.
Pocket K No. 61: Rust Resistant Soy for Africa





Soybean: Gold from the Soil

Soybean is a highly versatile crop that has strong economic value due to its climate tolerance, protein and oil content, and its ability to improve soil nitrogen.1 It also commands a higher price than other staple crops, making it a cash crop for many smallholder farmers.

Because of its many benefits, soybean has been called Gold from the soil and has been widely grown in North and South America. However, the greatest expansion of soybean cultivation today is happening in Africa.2

Rising Demand for Soybean

Soybean demand across Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to more than double by 2050.3 Despite this surge in demand, Africa contributes a meager 1% of the global soybean production, leading to a heavy dependence on costly imports to fill the demand gap. In 2019, Africa spent $43 billion in food imports, including $2 billion for soybean. By 2021, soybean imports exceeded $3 billion, a 55% increase in just two years.4

Increasing Domestic Production

To reduce costly imports and bolster local economies, many African countries have sought to increase their domestic soybean production. Kenya is one of the countries in the region that has acknowledged the value of increased soybean production5 and has taken steps to create policies promoting agricultural innovation.6 With soybean promising a higher price than other staple crops, smallholder farmers have increasingly embraced greater production.7

An Emerging Threat: Asian Soybean Rust

As the nascent African soybean industry expands, a significant threat has emerged: destruction of the crop by Asian soybean rust (ASR). Caused by the airborne fungus, Phakopsora pachyrhizi, it is a fast-moving, aggressive disease that can destroy up to 90% of a soybean crop within just 3 weeks of initial infection. It is already the leading cause of yield loss in Africa.

ASR-infected soybean fields in Brazil (Photo source: 2Blades; Inset: Kathrin Thor)

Searching for Solutions: Crop Protection

Fungicides have been effective in controlling ASR, but they are expensive (exceeding $2 Billion USD in Brazil alone)8 and pose potential impacts on human health and the environment. Most critically, the pathogen is rapidly adapting and building tolerance to these chemical controls, rendering them less effective.9

Searching for Solutions: Breeding

In addition to chemical controls, scientists have searched for sources of resistance within soybean for breeding purposes. Though seven (7) such genes are known in the soybean genome, they are found across different varieties and have been largely overcome bythe pathogen. Breeders are trying to produce resistant varieties, but this approach is time-consuming and may prove inadequate.

Native resistance in soy is ineffective. (Photo Source: 2Blades, Everton Ferriera)

Searching for Solutions: Screening Global Soy Varieties

Experts from the Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL) of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) conducted extensive field trials in 120 locations in 24 countries to identify the highest-performing soybean varieties for different African agro-ecological zones.10 SIL has also monitored the susceptibility of entries in the trials to ASR. Although a few lines showed somelevel of tolerance against ASR, none exhibit robust resistance.11

Rust tolerant varieties of soybean

Searching for Solutions: Calling on Relatives

In search of more effective measures, 2Blades and its partners have explored a broader pool of resistance genes among related legume species to identify novel sources of genetic resistance to ASR. One successful proof-of-principle was the transfer of a pigeonpea gene into soy to achieve strong resistance to ASR.12

Transgenic soybean plants with pigeonpea gene (CcRpp1) exhibit strong ASR resistance.

Pigeonpea Answers the Call



Pigeonpea is a legume crop that is closely related to soybean. It is a valuable source of protein and other nutrients for people and livestock in many parts of the world.

The gene, CcRpp1, was identified in a pigeonpea accession that was resistant to a wide range of ASR isolates. When CcRpp1 was introduced into soybean through biotechnology, the plants exhibited strong resistance to ASR.13 This finding paves the way to develop soybean varieties that are resistant to ASR without impacting the plants growth and development.

PigeonPea in Greenhouse (Photo source: 2Blades, D. van der Does)

Benefits of a Biotech Approach

Developing resistance through a biotech approach is one of the most durable and effective ways to thwart diseases like ASR because:

Crop relatives can be sourced for a broader pool of functional resistance genes that pathogens are less likely to have been exposed to and/or overcome.

Genes can be introduced into high-performing varieties favored by farmers, preserving preferred traits and selectively adding protection to ASR without linkage drag.

Genes with different modes of action can be stacked together to achieve greater durability of resistance and simplicity in breeding.

Farmers can significantly reduce or even eliminate the need for chemical sprays.

Delivery Depends on Effective Partnerships

To achieve the goal of delivering ASR-resistant soybeans for African growers, strong and effective partnerships are needed throughout the agriculture innovation chain. Each link makes up a key component to achieving impact.



Why it Matters



Stakeholder groups will experience direct and indirect benefits of ASR-resistant soybeans:

Farmers will experience improved yields, less exposure to chemical sprays, and increased income to support their families.

Researchers will gain more knowledge and understanding of soybean diseases and pests.

Seed companies will gain an improved product pipeline and market share.

Policymakers will gain knowledge to make informed decisions for future planning and policies.

The livestock and aquaculture industry can rely less on soybean imports; stabilizing the local supply chain.

Consumers will have access to more soybeans, a rich source of protein and nutrition.

Why it Matters

Successful development and deployment of ASR-resistant tropical soybean will be a major steptowards strengthening domestic production in Kenya and the region. It will promote economicdiversification, enrich the soil, reduce chemical use, introduce new high-value products and markets derived from soy, and enhance soy profitability for farmers, producers, and processors.

References
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THE LUX COLLECTIVE APPOINTS OLIVIER CHAVY AS ITS NEXT CEO The Chairman of The Lux Collective (TLC) global luxury hospitality group, Arnaud Lagesse, has announced the appointment of Olivier Chavy as its next Chief Executive Officer. THE LUX COLLECTIVE APPOINTS OLIVIER CHAVY AS ITS NEXT CEO The Chairman of The Lux Collective (TLC) global luxury hospitality group, Arnaud Lagesse, has announced the appointment of Olivier Chavy as its next Chief Executive Officer. Careers - Appointments

This is a press release Category: Worldwide This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2024-05-16







Olivier Chavy will be responsible for the overall strategic direction and performance of The Lux Collective whilst pursuing its expansion in high potential markets.



Olivier 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.



Chairman Arnaud Lagesse expressed honour in welcoming 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, stated Arnaud Lagesse.



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.



The new CEO will leverage the board of directors support during this transition period.



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 rediscover these regions, my priority will be on collaborating closely with the team members, recognising their vital contribution to TLC's future success and beyond," noted Olivier Chavy. Biography of Olivier Chavy Olivier Chavy was until recently the President of Travel + Leisure Group - Panorama, the business line managing the companys exchange and membership travel brands delivering a broader perspective to the world of travel as part of Travel + Leisure Co. He was also a member of the Travel + Leisure Co. Executive Committee.



With 30 years of experience in international hospitality and executive leadership, Chavy was responsible for the strategic direction, operation, and growth of Panorama and its distinctive brands, providing expanded offerings, travel experiences, and technology solutions to its affiliates and partners and their millions of members around the world.



Prior to joining Panorama in 2019, he served as CEO of Movenpick Hotels & Resorts where he led the companys expansion through new resort openings, pipeline development and portfolio growth of more than 40 percent.



Prior to Movenpick, Chavy served as the President and CEO of international interior design firm Wilson Associates, fueling the growth of the business through brand development, innovative design, and client engagement.



He previously held executive roles with Hilton, serving as Senior Vice President, Resort Operations for Hilton Grand Vacations, Area Vice President Hotel Operations for all Hilton brands in the Southeast region and International Head of Luxury & Lifestyle Brand Performance.



He had also served as General Manager of renowned luxury hotels including Hilton Arc de Triomphe Paris, France and Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa, Mauritius Island.



A native of France, Chavy earned an MBA from Cornell University, a post-graduate diploma from Europes prestigious ESSEC Business School, and a bachelors degree in hotel management from St. Quentin en Yvelines Hotel Management School.



Chavy earned an Executive Development Program Casino Management at University of Nevada. He serves advisory boards including the French Foreign Trade Advisory Board  CCEF and The University of Central Floridas Rosen College of Hospitality Management.



Chavy is also a board member of Sweet Inn, a new travel concept that combines the luxurious accommodation and amenities of a 5-star hotel with beautifully designed apartments, situated in the heart of the most exciting cities in the world.



In 2020, he had also joined the board of PIF Hospitality - Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund (PIF) working to expand its investment portfolio in Saudi Arabias travel, tourism, and leisure infrastructure. Chavy also sits on its Nomination & Compensation committee.


By Ben Soodavar, Kings College London and Rhiannon Emm, Kings College London | 

(The Conversation)  The prospect of a ceasefire agreement, which Hamas claimed it had been offered earlier this month, was a source of optimism for Gazans seeking respite from the war. That sense of jubilation was short-lived. According to mediators in Qatar, the talks have lost steam.

And with Israel pressing ahead with its new military offensive in the southern border city of Rafah and parts of northern Gaza where Hamas has regrouped, there is no indication that this conflict has an expiry date.

Israels offensive in Rafah, where more than 1 million displaced Palestinians are seeking refuge, is growing more intense. Israeli tanks have advanced further into the eastern part of the city, reaching some residential districts. An estimated 500,000 civilians have now fled this area of fighting, and the Palestinian death toll has topped 35,000  a number that includes both civilians and fighters according to the Gaza health authority.

On May 14, as Israel celebrated its day of independence, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the country and warned that the war would not stop until the Hamas monsters are eradicated. His remarks are being met with frustration by even Israels staunchest of allies. The US, for example, has warned that the new offensive could lead it to suspend the transfer of some weapons to Israel.

Increased diplomatic pressure, rising military casualties and the continued problem of Israeli hostages in Gaza have not been enough to deter Netanyahu from ordering the new offensive. But there is a lot to lose by continuing with this strategy.

It not only risks perpetuating the conflict, but could also make an Israeli victory over Hamas more elusive. External pressure from the US and EU will continue, and may come to limit the extent to which Israel can pursue its military objectives.

This leads us to question the psychological conditions that govern Netanyahus war policy. We argue that Israel is locked in a loss dilemma. This concept describes a process where actions taken to overcome state anxiety by choosing to avoid one kind of loss (military failure in eradicating Hamas) creates a new anxiety about suffering another one (losing domestic political standing).

The result of this has probably influenced Netanyahus war cabinet to pursue its current policy, and perhaps explains the disregard for civilian casualties and Israels waning international reputation.

Internal pressures

The trauma of potentially losing the Israelis that are still held captive by Hamas is a reason to commit to a ceasefire, especially when Netanyahu has been pressured by the Israeli public to bring them home. Israel says 128 hostages remain unaccounted for in Gaza, at least 34 of whom are presumed dead. But the internal politics of Israels war coalition has prevented this.

Al Jazeera English Video: Israeli actions in Gaza amount to genocide, says former PLO legal advisor (Added by IC).

Netanyahu has positioned himself as a leader that will deliver security and retribution for Israel. His grand claim of a military victory in Gaza places his political standing directly at risk of being undermined. Any sense of a U-turn on his pledge to secure Israels borders will make it difficult for him to remain in power.

This dilemma is further compounded by the pressures that are being put on him by the ultra-nationalist contingent of his political coalition, which he currently relies on for political power. Over the course of the war, national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvirs hardline position has drawn support from some on the right of Netanyahus Likud party.

At a recent rally, Ben-Gvir argued that Israel needs to encourage the voluntary departure of Gazas residents so that Israelis can resettle in the holy land of Gaza.

One of the fundamental dynamics at play here is the question of who may be at home in the homeland. Gazans, in being at home in the Gaza strip, are seen by Israel as constituting a fundamental security threat. This logic suggests that Palestinians inhabiting Gaza will always produce Hamas fighters, and therefore any Gazan represents a potential threat to the very existence of Israel.

Clearly, this is about loss, not least the historical loss of the Israeli settlements in Gaza in 2005. However, as tensions continue to rise within Israel about the conduct of the war, it is becoming harder and harder for Israel to maintain a singular image of who may be at home within that state. As plurality becomes politically poisonous, more primitive identities are used as the foundation for who is legitimately allowed to call Israel and the land it occupies home.

This loss dilemma, which underscores the internal dynamics of Israeli politics at present, has influenced Netanyahu to commit his army to not only rid Gaza of Hamas fighters but to pursue a policy that sees an expansion of Israels borders.

Time will tell whether Netanyahu ultimately acquiesces to such calls by the ultra-nationalist members of his coalition. But one thing that is certain is that the current strategy wont lead to total victory for Israel and will instead ensure the conflict continues for years to come.

Palestinians will be firm on maintaining control of the Gaza Strip and will want to avoid their homeland being taken over by Israeli settlers.

Ben Soodavar, Researcher, Department of War Studies, Kings College London and Rhiannon Emm, PhD Candidate in the Department of War Studies, Kings College London

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Everyone talks about ending fossil fuel production, but almost no one is doing anything about it. Here are some exceptions.

( Foreign Policy in Focus )  Everyone complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. This quip by the American essayist Charles Dudley Warner applies to fossil fuels as well. Everyone talks about ending fossil fuel production, but almost no one is doing anything about it.

Take the example of the Biden administration. It has launched the most ambitious effort by the United States to leave fossil fuels behind and enter the new era of renewable energy. And yet, in 2023, the United States produced more crude oil than ever before: 12.9 million barrels per day compared to the previous record from 2019 of 12.3 million barrels a day.

Or take the example of Brazil, where the progressive politician Lula da Silva won back the presidency in 2022. His predecessor was a big fan of drilling for fossil fuels. Lula has made it clear that he will take a very different approach. For instance, he wants Brazil to join the club of oil-producing countries in order to lead it into a clean-energy future. And yet, in 2023, Brazils production of oil increased by 13 percent and gas by over 8 percent, both new records.

Given all this Green rhetoric and crude (oil) action, its hard to find examples around the world where people are actually doing something to end fossil fuel production.

One of those places is Ecuador, which held a referendum last August about keeping oil under the ground of a certain plot of land in the Yasuni national park. Yasuni is the most important park in Ecuador, observes Esperanza Martinez, of Accion Ecologica in Ecuador. It has been recognized as the most biodiverse region in the world, and its also home to many indigenous peoples.

Thanks to the work of several collectives, Ecuadorans voted 54 to 37 percent in the August referendum to stop all operations to explore for and extract oil from Block 43also known as ITTwithin the park. Since the referendum, however, an election brought in a new president who has threatened to ignore the results of the referendum in order to raise funds to address the countrys security crisis.

Another example of effective action, this time at the international level, comes from the organizers of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (FFNPT), an effort to roll back fossil fuels at the global level, reports. Currently, 12 countries have endorsed the initiative, including a number of small island states but also, most recently, Colombia.

Colombia is the first continental country to sign, with more than a century of petroleum extraction, one of those organizers, Andres Gomez O, one of the FFNPT organizers, points out. So, this is a very important game-changer in the battle.

One of the backers of the this Treaty, the one with the largest economy, is the U.S. state of California, which has been a leader in the United States in terms of expanding the renewable energy sector. There is so much energy generated by solar panels on sunny days in California that sometimes the net cost of that electricity drops below zero.

But as Raphael Hoetmer of Amazon Watch points out, California is also the largest importer of oil from the Amazon. In 2020, the United States imported nearly 70 percent of the oil produced by Amazonian countries, mostly Ecuador but a small amount from Colombia and Peru as well. And California is the state thats importing by far the largest amount of this oil. So, shutting down the production of fossil fuels in Ecuador and elsewhere also requires addressing the largest consumers of those resources.

These three Latin American experts on the challenge of ending the international addiction to fossil fuels presented their findings at an April 2024 seminar sponsored by the Ecosocial and Intercultural Pact of the South and Global Just Transition. They not only discussed the appalling state of affairs in the world of energy and environment but also explained how some people are actually doing something about it.

The Example of Yasuni



Rigged, Digital, Dream/ Dreamworld v. 3, PS Express, By Juan Cole, 2024.

The effort to preserve the biodiversity of Yasuni in the Ecuadoran Amazon and keep out the oil companies has been going on for more than a decade. In 2007, then-president Rafael Correa floated a plan for international investors to essentially pay Ecuador to keep its oil in the ground. When the international community didnt pony up the $3.5 billion, Correa abandoned his plan and pledged to move forward with drilling.

Thats when Esperanza Martinez and others began to organize the first referendum to keep that oil in the ground. They collected 850,000 signatures, 25 percent more than was necessary to trigger a vote. But the National Electoral Council threw out the petition, arguing that 60 percent of the signatures were fakes.

We spent ten years fighting in tribunals and legal proceedings, Martinez relates. And what the National Electoral Council did was a fraud. We could prove that it was a fraud.

The August 2023 referendum was a dramatic vindication for the Yasunidos. Five million Ecuadorans said that it was right to leave the crude oil underground, she continues. This was a campaign that had never been seen before in the country to stop oil companies from extracting oil from the ground and preventing the negative impacts on the health and environment. We won!

In the same referendum, voters also decided to stop mining activities in the El Choco biosphere reserve in the capital city of Quito. The campaign, Quito sin mineria, opposed mining projects in the Metropolitan District of Quito and the Choco Andino region, which comprises 124,000 hectares.

But the referenda on Yasuni and El Choco were not the only elections that took place on that day in Ecuador. Voters also went to the polls to vote for a new president. In a later second round, businessman Daniel Noboa won. Noboa had supported the Yasuni referendum, pointing out that a ban on extraction actually made economic sense since it would cost $59 a barrel to extract the oil, which would sell for only $58 a barrel on the international market. After his election, he said that he would respect the results.

But then, in January 2024, he reversed himself, calling instead for a year moratorium on the ruling. Ecuador, Noboa argued, needed the money to address its worsening security situation: a surge in narcotrafficking, a skyrocketing murder rate, and a descent into gang warfare.

The Yasunidos argue that even this perilous situation should not affect the results of the referendum. In Ecuador, nature is the subject of rights, Martinez says, referring to the fact that Ecuador was the first country in the world in 2008 to include the rights of nature in its constitution. The discussion is no longer if this part of the park should be closed or not, but how and when.

Looking at the Amazon

The Amazon rainforest is a powerful symbol of biodiversity all around the world, even for people who cant identify the countries through which the Amazon river flows.

Its the worlds largest tropical rainforest, reports Raphael Hoetmer of Amazon Watch in Peru. It houses up to 30 percent of the world species and contains one-fifth of the worlds fresh water. It is home to 410 indigenous nationalities, 82 of them living in isolation by choice, all of them helping in global climate regulation.

But the Amazon region also contains an abundance of natural resources: timber, gold, and fossil fuels. Any just transition requires ending the extraction of oiland not only oilfrom the Amazon, Hoetmer continues. It also requires ending the system that is behind this extraction.

The degradation of the Amazon rainforest is reaching a tipping point. The estimate is that when deforestation reaches 20-25 percent of the biome, the area cant recover. Hoetmer reports that deforestation is now approaching 26 percent.

Fossil fuel extraction is contributing to that deforestation is several ways. Millions of hectares are currently slated for oil and gas extraction. The drilling itself requires deforestation, but so do the new roads established to reach those sites. Those roads in turn open the region up to other forms of exploitation such as logging and agribusiness.

Then there are the oil spills that contaminate vast stretches of land. Several major pipeline breaks have dumped oil into the Ecuadorian Amazon, and the Ecuadorian environmental ministry estimates that there have been over a thousand environmental liabilities and over 3,000 sites sources of contamination. Between 1971 and 2000, Occidental Petroleum dumped 9 billion gallons of untreated waste containing heavy metals into Perus rivers and streams, leading to a lawsuit against the company by indigenous Peruvians that resulted in an out-of-court settlement. Colombias oil industry has been involved in over 2,000 episodes of environmental contamination between 2015 and 2022.

Shutting down oil and gas production in the Amazon requires looking beyond the producers to the investors and the consumers. California, since it absorbs nearly half of all Amazon oil exports, is a major potential target. On the financing side, Amazon Watchs End Amazon Crude campaign is working to stop new financial flows into, for instance, Petroperu, the countrys state-run oil company. Campaigners are targeting major banking institutions in the Global North, including JPMorgan Chase, Citi, and Bank of America. Community-led protests have taken place in the United States, Chile, and Germany. By raising the costs of investment into Amazonian extraction, campaigners are pushing lenders to remove Amazonian oil from their portfolios.

Another strategy is strengthening territorial sovereignty in indigenous lands. One of the processes that gives us hope is this proposed proposal to reconstruct the Amazon based on strengthening the self-governance of Amazonian people, Hoetmer notes. The notion of Autonomous Territorial Governments started with the Wampis peoples but has now expanded to over 10 indigenous nations. The Autonomous Territorial Governments defend their territories against illegal mining as well as land invasions and fossil fuel extraction, demand and build intercultural education, and negotiate public services with the Peruvian state.

The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty

Frontline communities particularly those from the Global South are paying the highest price of fossil fuel exploitation and climate change, yet they are the least responsible. All over the world and for decades, frontline struggles have shown leadership in resisting the plundering of their territories. Today, for many communities around the worldand for some whole countriescontinued fossil fuel extraction and climate change represent an existential crisis.

In response to this crisis, an early proposal came from officials and civil society leaders in the Pacific for a moratorium and binding international mechanisms specifically dedicated to phasing out fossil fuels in the Pacific. In 2015, in the Suva Declaration on Climate Change issued from the Pacific Islands Development Forum Third Annual Summit held in Suva, Fiji, decision-makers called for: a new global dialogue on the implementation of an international moratorium on the development and expansion of fossil fuel extracting industries, particularly the construction of new coal mines, as an urgent step towards decarbonising the global economy.

In 2016, following a summit in the Solomon Islands, 14 Pacific Island nations discussed the worlds first treaty that would ban new coal mining and embrace the 1.5C goal set at the Paris climate talks.

Initiated by island countries most at risk from rising waters, the movement for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty has now been endorsed by a dozen countries and more than 2,000 civil society organizations as well as a number of cities and states like California and more than 100 Nobel laureates.

Our treaty is based on other treaties that have talked about nuclear weapons, mines, and gasses like the Montreal Protocol on phasing out ozone-depleting substances, relates Andres Gomez O.

Whats clear is that we dont have time for business as usual, the FFNPT organizers argue. The International Energy Agency determined that there needs to be a decline of fossil fuel use from four-fifths of the worlds energy supply today to one-fifth by 2050. The fossil fuels that remain will be embedded in some products such as plastics and in processes where emissions are scarce.Critical to this process is action by richer countries. Countries that are better off economically can support other countries to step away from the fossil fuel system, Gomez continues.

A key strategy, he adds, would be the Yasunization of territories. He explains that this means, first, making this park a utopia for the country. Then we localize this approach in different provinces in Ecuador where we say, okay, in this province we have our own Yasuni. This local approach has had some precedents. The Ecuadoran city of Cuenca, for instance, held a referendum in 2021 banning future mining project.

The treaty appeals not only to the environmental movement. By connecting the struggle to the experiences of local communitiesthe violence associated with extraction, the cancer cases, the oil spillswe are not just interested in convincing the already existing movements, he says, We also have to move the whole society.

He concludes succinctly: We are not just about saying noto fossil fuels, to extractivism. We are about saying a very big yes: to life!

Via Foreign Policy in Focus
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. (West Red Lake Gold or WRLG or the Company) (TSXV: WRLG) (OTCQB: WRLGF) is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced public offering (the Offering) of 31,944,700 units (the Units) and 11,236,000 charity-flow through units (the Charity Flow-Through Units) of the Company at a price of C$0.72 per Unit (the Unit Issue Price) and C$0.89 per Charity Flow-Through Unit (the Charity Flow-Through Issue Price), respectively, for aggregate gross proceeds to the Company of C$33,000,224 million, including the full exercise of the over-allotment option. The Offering was led by Raymond James Ltd., as lead underwriter and sole bookrunner, on behalf of a syndicate of underwriters (collectively, the Underwriters).

Each Unit is comprised of one common share 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 for an exercise price of C$1.00 per share for 24 months from the closing of the Offering.

Each Charity Flow-Through Unit is comprised of one Common Share (a Flow-Through Unit Share) and one Warrant, issued as flow-through shares within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada). Upon the exercise of the Warrants issued as part of the Flow-Through Units, the underlying Common Shares will not be issued as flow-through shares within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada).

The net proceeds pursuant to the issuance of the Units are expected to be used to continue to advance the development of a restart plan for the Madsen Gold Mine as well as for working capital and general corporate purposes. The gross proceeds pursuant to the issuance of the Charity Flow-Through Units will be used to incur qualifying Canadian development expenses on the Companys assets.

In connection with the Offering, the Company has filed a prospectus supplement (the Supplement) dated May 9, 2024, to the Companys short form base shelf prospectus dated April 30, 2024 (the Shelf Prospectus), with the securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces of Canada (except Quebec). Copies of the Shelf Prospectus and the Supplement can be found on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The Shelf Prospectus and the Supplement contain important detailed information about the Company and the Offering. Prospective investors should read the Supplement and the Shelf Prospectus and the other documents the Company has filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca before making an investment decision.

Pursuant to the Offering, certain management and insiders acquired 770,000 Units in total. Their participation is considered to be a related party transaction as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101  Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (MI 61- 101). The transaction is exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 by virtue of the exemptions contained in Section 5.5(a) and Section 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 as neither the fair market value of the securities to be distributed in the Offering nor the consideration to be received for those securities, in so far as the Offering involves the insiders, exceeds 25% of the Companys market capitalization. The Company did not file a material change report in respect of the related party transaction at least 21 days before the closing of this Offering, as the Company was not aware of the level of insider participation in the Offering at such time.

The securities have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act), or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States without registration under the U.S. Securities Act and all applicable state securities laws or compliance with the requirements of an applicable exemption therefrom. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About West Red Lake Gold Mines

West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. is a mineral exploration company that is publicly traded and focused on advancing and developing its flagship Madsen Gold Mine and the associated 47 km2 highly prospective land package in the Red Lake district of Ontario. The highly productive Red Lake Gold District of Northwest Ontario, Canada has yielded over 30 million ounces of gold from high-grade zones and hosts some of the worlds richest gold deposits. WRLG also holds the wholly owned Rowan Property in Red Lake, with an expansive property position covering 31 km2 including three past producing gold mines  Rowan, Mount Jamie, and Red Summit.

ON BEHALF OF WEST RED LAKE GOLD MINES LTD.

Shane Williams

Shane Williams

President & Chief Executive Officer

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Freddie Leigh

Tel: (604) 609-6132

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

or visit the Companys website at https://www.westredlakegold.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward looking information

Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statement relating to the expected use of proceeds from the Offering. Forward-looking information generally can be identified by words such as anticipate, expect, estimate, forecast, planned, and similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or events. Forward-looking information is based on current expectations of management; however, it is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information in this news release and include without limitation, statements relating to the use of proceeds from the Offering. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Forward-looking information involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking information. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, market volatility; the state of the financial markets for the Companys securities; fluctuations in commodity prices and changes in the Companys business plans. Forward-looking information is based on a number of key expectations and assumptions, including without limitation, that the Company will continue with its stated business objectives and its ability to raise additional capital to proceed. 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 information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Additional information about risks and uncertainties is contained in the Companys managements discussion and analysis for the year ended November 30, 2023, and the Companys annual information form for the year ended November 30, 2023, copies of which are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

The forward-looking information contained herein is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. Forward-looking information reflects managements current beliefs and is based on information currently available to the Company. The forward-looking information is made as of the date of this news release and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by applicable law.

For more information on the Company, investors should review the Companys continuous disclosure filings that are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 16, 2024) - MAX RESOURCE CORP. (TSXV: MAX) (OTC Pink: MXROF) (FSE: M1D2) ("Max" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the completion of diligence in regard to a conditional Letter of Intent ("LOI") with Jaguar Mining Inc. ("Jaguar"), signed on April 12, 2024. The LOI outlines the terms of purchasing 100% of the Floralia hematite iron ore property (the "Property" or "Floralia Property") located 120-km east of the city of Belo Horizonte in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil (refer to Figure 1).

The Property is located within 20-km of major, iron ore mines and steel mills (iron ore furnace).

Local mining infrastructure includes railways, haul roads, mining services and personnel.

Commodity: Hematite iron ore

Ownership: Purchase of 100%

Location: Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Infrastructure: Refer to Figure 1

Closing: Subject to Exchange Approval

The Floralia hematite deposit consists of four distinct bodies of iron ore mineralization along a southeastern trend. Mapping has traced iron ore along 1,000m of strike to the north and a further 822m to the southwest, with largest body located at the southeastern end. This body is exposed by an historic open pit 80m wide and 40m deep. The benches of the mining pit reveal a plunging band of iron ore at the base and sub-horizontal banding at the top of the pit.

During the mapping and sampling program, 41 channel samples were collected over a 151m accumulated length. The samples averaged 58% Fe with a 6% LOI (Loss of Ignition). This work has resulted in the definition of a geological target estimated at 2,971,233 m3 to 4,496,333 m3 or 8,052,041 tonnes to 12,184,160 tonnes using a density of 2.71 g/cm3 at an average grade of 58% Fe with a 6% LOI.

Max cautions investors the potential quantity and grade of the iron ore is conceptual in nature, and further cautions there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource and Max is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource.

The source of the exploration information on the Floralia Property is "Deposito Floralia Oportunidade para minerrio de ferro by Jaguar Mining Inc." The document is undated.

"Max recently made a significant announcement regarding the earn-in agreement with Freeport-McMoRan in Colombia. While the main focus remains on the Cesar Project, we seized the opportunity to purchase the high value Floralia Property. In addition, management believes this purchase significantly advances shareholder value," commented MAX CEO, Brett Matich

"The Floralia hematite deposit is strategically located to a number of steel mills, iron ore mineralization is near surface and is considered high grade iron ore. Exploration has commenced with the objective of defining stand up drill targets," he concluded.

Letter of Intent

The LOI outlines the terms for an Asset Purchase Agreement ("APA") between Max and Jaguar to purchase Floralia Mineral Right n 832.022/2018 ("Mineral Right"). Jaguar and Max are arms length parties and as a result of the transaction, no new insiders or control person will be created. There are no finders fees or commissions payable in connection with the Transaction. Max has paid a USD $100,000 non-refundable deposit.

Remaining cash payments:

USD $200,000 within five business days following the effective date of the APA.

USD $300,000 within five business days of Max transferring the Mineral Right to wholly owned subsidiary of Max incorporated in Brazil.

USD $200,000 within five business following the date of 6 months from the effective date of the APA.

USD $200,000 within five business following the date of 12 months from the effective date of the APA.

The transaction will be a Fundamental Acquisition as defined by the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") and is subject to approval of the Exchange and Max completing all filing requirements and shareholder approval, if required. Trading will remain halted pending receipt and review of acceptable documentation pursuant to Section 5.6 (d) of TSXV Policy 5.3 regarding a Fundamental Acquisition.

Figure 1: The Floralia hematite property is located within a prolific iron ore mining district and nearby major iron ore mines, steel mills (iron ore furnace), railways, haul roads and mining services.

CESAR Copper-Silver Project

The Cesar Project comprises three continuous districts spanning 120-km, NNE/SSW direction. This region provides access to major infrastructure, including Cerrejon, the largest coal mine in South America, held by global miner Glencore. Max's twenty concessions collectively span over 188-km (refer to Figure 2).

Earn-In Agreement with Freeport-McMoRan Exploration

On May 13, 2024, the Company reported that it entered into an Earn-In Agreement ("EIA") with Freeport-McMoRan Exploration Corporation ("Freeport"), a wholly owned-affiliate of Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE: FCX) relating to Max's wholly owned Cesar Copper-Silver Project (the "Cesar Project or Cesar") in northeastern Colombia. The Company and Freeport are arm's length.

Under the terms of the EIA, Freeport has been granted a two-stage option to acquire up to an 80% ownership interest in the Cesar Project by funding cumulative expenditures of C$50 million and making cash payments to Max of C$1.55 million.

To earn an initial 51% interest, Freeport is required to fund C$20 million of exploration commitments at Cesar over five years and make staged payments to Max totalling C$0.8 million. Max will remain the operator of Cesar during this initial stage. Once Freeport earns its initial 51% interest, Freeport can increase its interest to 80% by funding a further C$30 million in exploration commitments at Cesar over five years and making staged payments totalling C$0.75 million.

Buyout of Royalties

On November 7, 2023, Max executed a Share Exchange Agreement pursuant to acquiring all the issued and outstanding shares of Bay Street Mineral Corp. ("Bay Street") an arms length Canadian Corporation in exchange for 14,000,000 common shares in the capital of Max.

Bay Street held an underlying 3% net smelter royalty over 19 mining concessions covering 184-km and 31 mining concession applications covering 796-km of the Company's wholly owned Cesar Project. On November 21, 2023, Max obtained TSX Venture Exchange approval.

2024 Work Program

The 2024 work program in the basin to date consists of stream sediment sampling, soil sampling, rock sampling, surface mapping, extension of the ground magnetics and an Induced Polarization program. This work program is intended to identify and prioritize drill targets.

Max has completed a 10,000-line kilometre airborne magnetic and radiometric survey covering 1,150-km over all three Districts (AM, Conejo and URU). The data is currently under review with the objective of advancing the Cesar basin model and identifying priority targets.

AM District

Starting in the far north of the Jurassic basin, classic stacked red bed outcrops with extensive lateral continuity have been rock sampled over 15-km of strike. Highlight values of 34.4% copper and 305 g/t silver have been documented in the sedimentary red bed sequences. The Company confirmed that stratiform mineralization continues at depth with two scout drill holes completed in 2023 (Max News Release dated April 4, 2023). In addition, Colombian field crews continue to discover and sample new mineralized outcrops identified AM-1 through AM 14 targets (Max News Release dated May 25, 2023,and Max News Release dated June 22, 2023)

Conejo District

Located approximately 30-km south from the AM District. It is characterized by structurally controlled mineralization, hosted in intermediate and felsic volcanic rocks. Mineralized outcrops have been discovered over 3.7-km at the primary target area. Surface samples averaged 4.9% copper (with a 2% cut-off). No drilling has been conducted to date.

URU District

Located approximately 60-km south from the AM District. Max has identified 12 targets URU-1 through to URU-12. The mineralization of the URU District is hosted in intermediate volcanic rocks and is structurally controlled. At URU-C, a 9.0m of 7.0% copper and 115 g/t silver surface discovery was confirmed at depth by drill hole URU-12, which intersected 10.6m of 3.4% copper and 48 g/t silver. At the URU-CE target, 750m to the east, 19.0m of 1.3% copper discovered in outcrop was confirmed by drill hole URU-9, which intersected a broad zone of copper oxide returning 33.0m of 0.3% copper from 4.0m, including 16.5m of 0.5% copper (Max News Release date January 24, 2023).

Qualified Person

The Company's disclosure of a technical or scientific nature in this news release was reviewed and approved by Tim Henneberry, P.Geo. (British Columbia), a member of Max's advisory board, who serves as a qualified person under the definition of National Instrument 43-101.

Figure 2: Location and Scale of the Cesar Copper-Silver Project, NE Colombia.

About Max Resource Corp.

Max Resource Corp. (TSXV: MAX) is a mineral exploration company advancing the newly discovered, district-scale, Cesar copper-silver project. The wholly owned Cesar project sits along the northern portion of the Andean Belt, the world's largest producing copper belt.

Max is proactive, with the corporate goal of transitioning the Cesar basin towards the mining of copper and silver, the key metal for Colombia's transition to clean energy. The safety of our people and the communities where we operate is most important. We conduct exploration in a manner which supports protection of ecosystems through responsible environmental stewardship.

The Company also continues to investigate opportunities in the mineral sector.

For more information visit: https://www.maxresource.com/

For additional information contact:

Tim McNulty E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. T: (604) 290-8100

Rahim Lakha E. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Brett Matich T: (604) 484 1230

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.

Except for statements of historic fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law.

Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the TSXV. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the commercialization plans for Max Resources Corp. described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein.

The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedarplus.ca.
TORONTO / May 16, 2024 / Business Wire / Rupert Resources Ltd. (Rupert or the Company) reports assay results from project drilling at Ikkari (Figure 1). The drilling, principally for metallurgical sampling produced some of the best intercepts achieved to date at Ikkari (Tables 1 & 2).

Highlights

Ikkari

#124043 intersected 120m at 6.2g/t Au from 45m downhole (36m vertical), the third-best intercept achieved to date at Ikkari with 748 gram x meters (see Table 1 for details). Additional intercepts of 22m at 2.9g/t Au from 16m downhole (13m vertical), 5m at 4.5g/t Au and 56m at 3.5g/t Au (Figure 2) combine to make this the second highest yielding drillhole of all time at Ikkari with 1028 gram x meters (see Table 2 for details).

#124041 intersected 28m at 9.7g/t Au from 101m and 13m at 34.5g/t Au from 161m including 1m at 294g/t Au (Figure 3). Combined intercepts in #124041 yield 737gram x meters also in the top 10 yielding drillholes of all time at Ikkari.

#124040 and #124047 also delivered broad, continuously mineralised intersections typical of the Ikkari deposit. #124040 intersected 121.2m at 2.5g/t Au from 52m downhole and #124047 intersected 167.8m at 2.6g/t Au from 17.2m (the base of the overburden).

James Withall, CEO of Rupert Resources commented The project drilling results reported from Ikkari today confirm the robustness of the Ikkari mineral resource with exceptionally continuous high-grade mineralisation near surface that will conceptually be captured in a low strip ratio, open pit in the early years of operations. The PFS engineering is progressing well on the existing resource and is building on the scope outlined in the November 2022 PEA. We continue to evaluate other opportunities which will only be pursued if they meet our long standing corporate objectives and build meaningful shareholder value.

Table 1. Top 10 intercepts from Ikkari

Hole ID From (m) To (m) Length (m) Grade (g/t Au) Gram x Meters Release Date 121026 58.00 258.00 200.00 4.2 840 April 20, 2021 121160 153.00 258.00 105.00 7.9 824 February 1, 2022 124043 45.00 165.00 120.00 6.2 748 *New 121010 254.00 412.00 158.00 3.8 593 March 17, 2021 121019 202.00 294.00 92.00 6.3 579 April 6, 2021 120075 11.80 169.00 157.20 3.7 574 October 21, 2020 121169 185.00 300.00 115.00 4.9 567 March 16, 2022 121171 32.00 193.00 161.00 3.4 541 March 16, 2022 120086 186.00 310.00 124.00 4.2 521 November 12, 2020 120069 19.80 191.00 171.20 3.0 514 September 15, 2020

Top 10 intercepts from Ikkari are ranked by gram-meters (average grade [Au g/t] x length [m]). Intercepts are calculated with a 0.4g/t Au cut-off with a maximum 5m continuous internal dilution accepted. See relevant press releases for further information.

Table 2. Top 10 yielding holes from Ikkari

Hole ID Length (m) Grade (g/t Au) Gram x Meters Release Date 121160 213.00 5.0 1058 February 1, 2022 124043 197.00 5.2 1028 *New 121026 307.00 3.2 990 April 20, 2021 121070 176.70 4.8 841 September 13, 2021 120086 180.00 4.6 822 November 12, 2020 120075 290.20 2.7 775 October 21, 2020 124041 66.00 11.2 737 *New 121019 156.00 4.7 734 April 6, 2021 120071 196.00 3.7 721 October 1, 2020 121025 288.00 2.5 713 June 16, 2021

Top-10 all time yielding holes from Ikkari are ranked by gram-meters (average grade [Au g/t] x length [m]). Individual intercepts are calculated with a 0.4g/t Au cut-off with a maximum 5m continuous internal dilution accepted, minimum yield per intercept is 1 gram-meter. The yield is the sum of all intercepts within each drillhole. See relevant press releases for further information.

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 second tranche of holes within this program are presented here and include some of the best intercepts achieved to date in Ikkari with broad high-grade zones achieved in all drill holes. Table 5 details the main interval in hole #124043. Project engineering and permitting continues with a prefeasibility study now targeted for delivery in the second half of calendar 2024.

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. Plan map showing the location of new drilling at Ikkari.

Figure 2. Cross section showing the results of hole 124043 in relation to the mineral resource block model and the geological interpretation at Ikkari.

Figure 3. Cross section showing the results of hole 124041 in relation to the mineral resource block model and the geological interpretation at Ikkari.

Table 3. Collar locations of the new drill holes, Ikkari

Table 4. New Intercepts from Infill Drill Holes, Ikkari

Table 5. Individual assays from uncut mineralised intercept of 6.0g/t Au over 120m in drill hole 124043

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.

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 3. Collar locations of new drill holes, Ikkari

Hole ID Prospect Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth Dip EOH (m) 124040 Ikkari 453943.6 7496702.6 223.5 335.8 -51.9 220.50 124041 Ikkari 454183.9 7496947.4 223.3 151.9 -65.2 191.70 124043 Ikkari 454125.8 7496786.2 223.9 333.8 -51.5 275.70 124047 Ikkari 453968.7 7496748.3 223.4 337.2 -49.6 205.50

Table 4. New Intercepts from Ikkari

Hole ID From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Grade Au (g/t) 124040 30.4 32.0 1.6 0.8 37.30 38.00 1.70 0.6 45.00 47.00 2.00 0.7 52.00 173.20 121.20 2.5 Including 66.00 67.00 1.00 8.3 and 69.00 70.50 1.50 7.4 and 78.00 79.00 1.00 5.8 and 94.00 104.00 10.00 6.7 also includes 102.00 103.00 1.00 28.2 and 108.00 110.00 2.00 11.6 and 114.00 115.00 1.00 6.1 and 119.00 123.00 4.00 6.8 and 126.00 127.00 1.00 6.8 and 165.00 166.00 1.00 9.3 191.00 202.00 11.00 1.7 Including 199.00 200.00 1.00 8.8 124041 77.00 94.00 17.00 0.9 Including 77.00 78.00 1.00 2.4 and 90.00 94.00 4.00 2.2 also includes 93.00 94.00 1.00 5.0 101.00 129.00 28.00 9.7 Including 105.00 106.00 1.00 22.7 and 123.00 128.00 5.00 24.2 161.00 174.00 13.00 34.5 Including 167.00 168.00 1.00 68.9 and 168.00 169.00 1.00 294.0 124043 16.00 39.00 22.00 2.9 Including 21.00 23.00 2.00 5.6 and 26.00 27.00 1.00 6.3 and 30.00 31.00 1.00 8.3 and 35.00 38.00 3.00 6.0 45.00 165.00 120.00 6.2 Including 57.00 59.00 2.00 20.1 and 64.00 65.00 1.00 14.6 and 72.00 81.00 9.00 14.9 and 111.00 130.00 19.00 10.0 and 133.00 134.00 1.00 17.6 and 146.00 152.00 6.00 11.5 175.00 180.00 5.00 4.5 Including 175.00 176.00 1.00 12.3 197.00 253.00 56.00 3.5 Including 198.00 199.00 1.00 7.7 and 206.00 208.00 2.00 10.5 and 231.00 233.00 2.00 35.3 and 242.00 244.00 2.00 7.6 and 248.00 249.00 1.00 7.4 124047 17.20 185.00 167.80 2.6 Including 34.00 35.00 1.00 7.1 and 43.00 66.00 23.00 7.3 also includes 45.00 47.00 2.00 17.3 and 70.00 71.00 1.00 9.3 and 79.00 80.10 1.10 5.6 and 82.00 83.00 1.00 7.9 and 87.00 89.00 2.00 5.8 and 98.10 99.00 0.90 5.7 and 125.00 126.00 1.00 7.7 and 127.00 128.00 1.00 5.8 and 133.00 134.00 1.00 7.0 and 137.00 140.00 3.00 5.3

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

Table 5. Uncut mineralised intercept of 6.0g/t Au over 120m in drill hole 124043
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - May 13, 2016) - Honey Badger Exploration Inc. (TSX VENTURE:TUF) ("Honey Badger" or the "Company"), further to its press releases of March 4, 2016 and April 27, 2016, announces that it has closed the second tranche of a non-brokered financing (the "Financing")... Read More
The International Criminal Court prosecutor probing war crimes committed in Libya since 2011 announced Monday his plans to complete the investigation phase by the end of 2025.

Presenting his regular report before the United Nations Security Council, Karim Khan said that "strong progress" had been made in the last 18 months, thanks in particular to better cooperation from Libyan authorities.

"Our work is moving forward with increased speed and with a focus on trying to deliver on the legitimate expectations of the council and of the people of Libya," Khan said.

He added that in the last six months, his team had completed 18 missions in three areas of Libya, collecting more than 800 pieces of evidence including video and audio material.

Khan said he saw announcing a timeline to complete the investigation phase as a "landmark moment" in the case.

"Of course, it's not going to be easy. It's going to require cooperation, candor, a 'can do' attitude from my office but also from the authorities in Libya," he added.

"The aim would be to give effect to arrest warrants and to have initial proceedings start before the court in relation to at least one warrant by the end of next year," Khan said.

The Security Council referred the situation in Libya to the ICC in February 2011 following a violent crackdown on unprecedented protests against the regime of Moamer Kadhafi.

So far, the investigation opened by the court in March 2011 has produced three cases related to crimes against humanity and war crimes, though some proceedings were abandoned after the death of suspects.

An arrest warrant remains in place for Seif al-Islam Kadhafi, the son of the assassinated Libyan dictator who was killed by rebel forces in October 2011.

Libya has since been plagued by fighting, with power divided between a UN-recognized Tripoli government and a rival administration in the country's east.
A rights group in El Salvador called Tuesday for "justice and reparations" 44 years after 600 people were massacred by the military while fleeing the country's civil war.

On May 14, 1980, more than 600 children, women and elderly people were slain in Las Aradas, a village on the banks of the Sumpul River on the border with Honduras, north of San Salvador.

A UN Truth Commission investigation found in 1993 that the military "deliberately killed" the non-combatant civilians who were trying to swim to safety in Honduras.

The UN report also found that "the massacre was possible due to the cooperation of the Honduran Armed Forces, which prevented the passage of Salvadoran residents" to Honduras.

"There have been 44 years of impunity in the Sumpul massacre -- and there is a lack of will to win justice and reparation measures," lawyer Alejandro Diaz, from the NGO Tutela Legal, which represents victims of the 1980-1992 civil war, told AFP.

Legal Tutela has blamed the killings on the army, the defunct National Guard and the Nationalist Democratic Organization (Orden), a paramilitary group that helped the armed forces in the fight against leftist guerrilla.

The UN report also found that "there was a cover-up of the facts by the Salvadoran military authorities" and that the massacre constituted "a serious violation" of humanitarian law.

While the NGO seeks justice, a group of retired generals said in a statement last week on the bicentennial of the Salvadoran army "that no soldier should be judged, criticized or questioned for having fulfilled the mission of defending El Salvador."

At that same event, retired general Humberto Corado, minister of defense in 1993-1995, asked for a pardon for all soldiers.

Miguel Montenegro, director of the nongovernmental Human Rights Commission of El Salvador, in turn has voiced regret that a congressional committee dominated by President Nayib Bukele's party shelved a bill to punish those responsible for crimes during the civil war.

"They want to continue protecting the perpetrators and not the victims," Montenegro said.

The Salvadoran civil war left more than 75,000 dead, thousands missing and devastated the national economy.

In 2022, Bukele launched a crackdown on gang violence, imposing a state of emergency that suspended the need for arrest warrants, among other civil liberties.

While he is widely credited with reducing homicides to the lowest rate in three decades, his tactics have prompted outcry over human rights violations and lack of due process.
Switzerland's Federal Criminal Court was on Wednesday due to deliver its verdict in the trial of Gambian former interior minister Ousman Sonko, who denied charges of crimes against humanity.

State prosecutors sought life imprisonment for Sonko during the trial in January and March.

He is accused of a string of serious offences allegedly committed between 2000 and 2016 under the regime of former Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh.

Sonko, 55, has been in Swiss custody ever since his arrest in January 2017 after applying for asylum following his sacking from the West African nation's government.

Sonko's lawyers argued for his acquittal during the trial in Bellinzona, southern Switzerland, and demanded financial compensation for the years spent in detention.

During the trial, the prosecution and the civil parties involved explained why they considered Sonko to be responsible for killings, torture, rape and other sexual crimes.

Trial International filed the complaint leading to Sonko's arrest.

The NGO "observed great relief on the part of the complaining parties to have been present, to be able to confront Ousman Sonko and to see how he reacted to what they said", Trial's legal advisor Benoit Meystre told AFP.

"Some also told us that the role they played in the trial contributes to their healing, regardless of the verdict that will be rendered," he added.

Caroline Renold, a lawyer for one of the civil parties, also stressed that "access to justice is fundamental for their recovery process".

- Alleged crimes under Jammeh -

The complainants' lawyers explained why there was no doubt, in their view, that Sonko was part of Jammeh's inner circle throughout his repressive regime.

Jammeh ruled The Gambia with an iron grip from 1994 to 2016.

Sonko was accused by Swiss prosecutors of "having supported, participated in and failed to prevent systematic and generalised attacks as part of the repression carried out by the Gambian security forces against all opponents of the regime".

The charges include nine counts of crimes against humanity.

He is accused of having "deliberately killed, tortured, raped and unlawfully deprived individuals of their liberty in a serious manner".

Sonko is accused of committing the alleged crimes first within the army, then as inspector general of the police, and finally as the interior minister from 2006 to 2016.

His lawyers argued that he should not be tried for crimes against humanity because the alleged offences were isolated acts, and acts for which they said Sonko bore no responsibility.

"There is no systematic nature, and the small number of victims for each episode, taken separately or in total, does not reach the threshold required to consider that it could be a generalised attack," Sonko's lawyer Philippe Currat told AFP.

Furthermore, "we have demonstrated that the abuses committed against the victims are not attributable to Ousman Sonko", but instead to the National Intelligence Agency and the Junglers paramilitary group, "which have never been under his authority or under his effective control".

- Universal jurisdiction -

The trial took place under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows countries to prosecute alleged crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide regardless of where they were committed.

Sonko's lawyers argued that he should not be tried on any counts predating 2011 when universal jurisdiction came into force in Switzerland.

Regardless of the judges' decision, "the Sonko verdict is going to give added impetus to the home-grown efforts in The Gambia to prosecute the worst crimes of the Yahya Jammeh regime, which, after long delays, are finally accelerating," said lawyer Reed Brody, a member of the International Commission of Jurists who works with Jammeh's victims and who followed the Swiss trial.

In 2022, the Gambian government endorsed the recommendations of a commission that looked into the atrocities perpetrated during the Jammeh era.

The authorities agreed to prosecute 70 people, starting with Jammeh, who went into exile in Equatorial Guinea in January 2017.

And in April, the Gambian parliament passed bills to establish the Office of the Special Prosecutor to prosecute cases identified by the commission and provide for a special court.
A Swiss federal court on Wednesday sentenced Gambian ex-interior minister Ousman Sonko to 20 years in prison for crimes against humanity committed under the regime of former dictator Yahya Jammeh.

Sonko, 55, is the highest-ranking official convicted in Europe under universal jurisdiction for the most serious crimes.

He was found guilty of "multiple counts of intentional homicide, multiple counts of torture and false imprisonment, each as a crime against humanity" committed between 2000 and 2016, a court statement said.

"Sonko committed these crimes... as part of a systematic attack against the civilian population."

He will be expelled from Switzerland for 12 years once the 20-year sentence is served, and Sonko must also pay compensation to the civil claimants, the court said.

State prosecutor Sabrina Beyeler said they were "very satisfied" with the verdict. Sonko's lawyer Philippe Currat said his client, who denied the charges, would "probably" appeal.

"This verdict comes at a pivotal time in our history as the country undergoes a transition from an autocratic to a democratic governance system," the Gambian justice ministry said.

- Universal jurisdiction -

Sonko was tried under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows countries to prosecute crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide regardless of where they were committed.

The NGO Trial International -- which filed the complaint leading to Sonko's arrest -- said the conviction was "historic", while Human Rights Watch called it "monumental".

Trial International's executive director Philip Grant said the verdict "sends a strong signal to high-ranking perpetrators around the world: justice can catch up with you".

In Gambia, Samba Jawo of the International Centre for Transitional Justice said that the conviction is a "relief for Gambians, especially the victims".

Sonko has been in Swiss custody since his arrest in January 2017 after applying for asylum following his sacking as a minister. His time already served in custody will be taken into account in his sentence.

"The conviction of Ousman Sonko, one of the pillars of Yahya Jammeh's brutal regime, is a major step on the long road to justice for Jammeh's victims," said lawyer Reed Brody, a member of the International Commission of Jurists.

Brody works with Jammeh's victims and followed the court case in Bellinzona.

- String of convictions -

The trial in Bellinzona, southern Switzerland, was heard in January and March.

Sonko's lawyers had argued that he should not have been tried on any counts predating 2011 when universal jurisdiction came into force in Switzerland.

The court ruled that Sonko, with others, intentionally killed a soldier suspected of a coup; tortured army personnel, politicians and journalists and falsely imprisoned them in connection with a failed coup attempt; murdered a former member of parliament; and tortured several opposition members.

Charges relating to alleged rape as a crime against humanity were dropped as the court could not establish an attack on the civilian population, meaning Switzerland did not have jurisdiction.

The court said Sonko was a "close confidant" of Jammeh, who ruled The Gambia from 1994 to 2016.

Sonko was accused of committing the crimes first within the army, then as inspector general of the police, and finally as the interior minister from 2006 to 2016.

- Jammeh and his 'henchmen' -

Fatoumatta Sandeng Darboe, the daughter of Solo Sandeng who was tortured and killed, said: "We are actually happy that the responsibility of Ousman Sonko in all of what has happened in The Gambia... is put out there."

Cherno Marenah, The Gambia's deputy permanent representative in Geneva, said: "We are quite satisfied that due process was followed and that at the end of the day, justice has been served."

Currat said Sonko would not be commenting, having been unable to understand the verdict in German without translation.

"The long arm of the law is catching up with Yahya Jammeh's accomplices all around the world, and hopefully will soon catch up with Jammeh himself," Brody said.

In 2022, the Gambian government endorsed the recommendations of a commission that looked into the atrocities perpetrated during the Jammeh era.

The authorities agreed to prosecute 70 people, starting with Jammeh, who went into exile in Equatorial Guinea in January 2017.
Ryandikayo and Charles Sikubwabo, the two last remaining fugitives wanted by an international court over the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, have been confirmed dead, prosecutors said Wednesday, more than 25 years after their demise.

However, more than 1,000 genocide suspects sought by national authorities remain at large, the chief prosecutor for the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), Serge Brammertz, said.

Ryandikayo and Sikubwabo were indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in November 1995 on charges relating to the genocide, which saw around 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis but also moderate Hutus, slaughtered by Hutu extremists.

The charges included genocide, complicity in genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, murder as a crime against humanity, extermination as a crime against humanity among other crimes committed in Kibuye prefecture on the shores of Lake Kivu.

The IRMCT prosecutor's office (OTP) said it "has accounted for all fugitives" indicted by the international tribunal for crimes committed during the 1994 genocide.

"Following a comprehensive investigation, the OTP was able to conclude that Sikubwabo passed away in N'djamena, Chad, in 1998 and was subsequently buried there," it said in a statement.

Ryandikayo fled to the Democratic Republic of Congo -- then Zaire -- where he "passed away in 1998, most likely due to illness, sometime after arriving in Kinshasa", it added.

Sikubwabo, who served as mayor of Gishyita in Kibuye, was accused of leading attacks and participating in massacres that culminated in the murder of thousands of Tutsis.

After the Tutsi-dominated Rwandan Patriotic Front rebel militia took over Kigali in July 1994, Sikubwabo fled to the DRC and travelled through African nations before arriving in Chad in 1997, the prosecutor's office said.

A local businessman, Ryandikayo was also accused of instigating massacres against Tutsis, with thousands killed in Gishyita and nearby Bisesero.

After he escaped, he travelled to Kinshasa to join an ethnic Hutu militia, the prosecutor's office said.

"Even as we mark the conclusion of the search for the last ICTR fugitives, it is critical to remind ourselves that there are still more than 1,000 fugitive genocidaires who are sought by national authorities," Brammertz said.

"Locating them will be a challenge."

Naphtali Ahishakiye, executive secretary of the genocide survivors' group Ibuka, told AFP that many perpetrators remained at large as he urged governments around the world to find "genocide fugitives living on their soil and bring them to justice."

The IRMCT was set up under a 2010 UN resolution to complete the work of both the international Rwanda court and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on two commanders of Sudan's paramilitary force, vowing pressure to stop the unit from an offensive on the Darfur city of El-Fasher.

The Treasury Department said it was freezing any US assets and criminalizing transactions with Ali Yagoub Gibril, Central Darfur commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and an RSF major general involved in operational planning, Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed.

"The RSF military operation to encircle and besiege El-Fasher, North Darfur, has endangered the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

"We stand ready to take additional measures against those individuals and institutions that actively escalate the war -- including any offensive actions on El-Fasher," he said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday also voiced alarm over reports of heavy fighting in densely populated areas as the RSF seeks control of El-Fasher, the last major city in Darfur not under its control.

Tens of thousands of people have died and millions have been displaced since war broke out in April 2023 between Sudan's army and the RSF after their head generals refused a plan to integrate.

The United States has led diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting but has seen limited success and leverage, with RSF commanders unlikely to hold major assets in the West affected by sanctions.

The RSF and Sudan's armed forces are seen as both wanting to secure a battleground victory and each side has received support from outside players.

The US special envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, is again traveling around the Middle East and Africa this week in hopes of making progress.

The United States has accused both sides of war crimes and charged that the RSF has carried out ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity against the indigenous African-origin people of Darfur.

The RSF's predecessor, the Janjaweed militia, carried out a scorched-earth campaign in the arid western region that the United States at the time described as genocide.
Mourners gathered Wednesday for the funerals of victims of an attack on a camp for internally displaced people in eastern DR Congo which the government has called a "war crime".

The funerals were held in Goma, the main city in North Kivu province, which has been plagued by fighting between M23 (March 23 Movement) rebels and the Congolese armed forces.

The mainly Tutsi-led M23 resumed its armed campaign in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2021 and has seized swathes of territory.

Thirty-five coffins were lined up for the ceremony at Goma's largest stadium, AFP journalists saw.

Burials later took place in Kibati, around 10 kilometres (six miles) north of the provincial capital, in a special cemetery for victims of conflict.

On May 3, bombs struck huts in the Mugunga camp for displaced people on the outskirts of Goma.

Humanitarian sources and an official from the camp put the death toll at 15, but a government minister said 35 people had died and 37 were injured.

The DRC and the United States have accused the M23 of being behind the attack on the camps, whose residents had been driven out of their villages by an M23 offensive.

"Twenty two of those (killed) were children... they were killed, victims of the barbarism of Rwanda," Patrick Muyaya, government spokespeman and minister for media and communications, said on X.

Muyaya, who attended the funerals on Wednesday, had previously called the blasts a "war crime".

The DRC government has also condemned the bombing as an "act of terrorism" and called for "substantial political and economic sanctions" against Rwanda, which it accuses of supporting the M23 rebels.

The US State Department has also accused Rwandan forces of joining M23 rebels in the blasts on the camp and called on Kigali to punish those responsible.

The Rwandan government has dismissed the US accusation as "ridiculous", saying Rwanda has a "professional army" that would "never attack" a camp for displaced people.

Espoir Bwesha, 23, said he lost his 19-year-old brother David in the blasts.

David had been "resting inside his hut when a bomb fell on him", Bwesha told AFP ahead of the ceremony.

"I want the enemy to be driven out and for peace to return," he said, adding he did not want any more "heavy weapons" to be placed near camps for displaced people.

Denise Baleye said her younger sister's two children aged four and 21 had been killed in the blasts.

"May the government help us to return to our villages," she implored.

On May 7, the conflict also hit neighbouring South Kivu province when a bombing, blamed on the M23, killed seven people.
Russia on Wednesday voiced outrage at an effort in the United Nations to create an international day of commemoration of the Srebrenica genocide.

"We view this provocative text as a threat to peace and security in the country (Bosnia), and in the region as a whole," Russia's UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia told the Security Council.

Nebenzia accused Western backers of the draft resolution, which would be considered in the General Assembly and not the Security Council where Russia holds veto power, of unnecessarily "reopening old wounds of civil war."

Bosnian Serb forces captured Srebrenica -- a UN-protected enclave at the time -- on July 11, 1995, a few months before the end of Bosnia's bloody civil war, which saw approximately 100,000 people killed.

In the following days, around 8,000 Muslim men and teenagers were killed by Bosnian Serb forces -- a crime described as a genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Court of Justice.

The incident is largely regarded as Europe's worst single atrocity since World War II.

Ahead of the 30th anniversary of the massacre coming up in 2025, Germany and Rwanda are leading the UN effort to make July 11 International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica, to be observed every year.

Bosnian leader Denis Becirovic, a member of the country's multiethnic presidency, told the council that the resolution was "of the highest importance for spreading the truth and awareness about genocide committed against Bosnians."

The proposal, which is set to be voted on next week, has provoked an outcry in Bosnia's Republika Srpska, where thousands of people took to the streets over the weekend.

The president of the Serbian entity, Milorad Dodik, said last week it was a "lie that 8,000 people were killed in seven days."

Nebenzia for his part pointed Wednesday to deadly bombings by NATO forces ahead of the Dayton Accords peace agreement.

It would be "totally illogical and even more so immoral, to have the attempts of NATO members to erase from history the shameful evidence of their bombing of the former Yugoslavia in 1995 and 1999 by pinning all the blame on the Serbs," the Russian ambassador said, claiming that the West suffered from "Serb phobia."

Deputy US envoy Robert Wood meanwhile told the Council "it is a historical fact that genocide was committed in Srebrenica," and that denying those facts "prevents reconciliation."
It was a rainy Wednesday, a weather not common for Ticino, the Italian part of Switzerland, at this time of the year. Ousman Sonko was back in the Swiss Federal Court in Bellinzona. But this time, to know his fate. More people, including Swiss journalists, were present, a crowd not seen in the previous phases of the trial of the former Interior minister of the Gambia, that opened early January this year. Parties anxiously waited outside, none able to say with certainty what the outcome of the case would be.

I have done the job. It is no longer in my hands, said Phillippe Currat, Sonkos lawyer. I dont know what to expect. We dont have a precedent for this case. Its the first time we are trying the minister of another country, so I dont know. The defence team and the accused family were almost complete. Sonkos daughter, a UK-based lawyer, was back at her seat on the defence bench, and his ex-wife, Njemeh Bah, was also present. Their son was expected to be here for the verdict, his lawyer said, but he could not get permission from school in time.

Sonko took his seat again, after sharing pleasantries with the Deputy Permanent Representative of The Gambia Mission in Geneva, Cherno Marenah. This time, he was wearing eyeglasses. He had an Islamic book, which he was reading when the three panel judges walked in. Even after the verdict was announced, he kept a straight face, with an expression that was hard to read, eyes fixated on the judges as the president of the court read out the judgement in German.

The verdict

Sonko was found guilty on multiple counts of intentional homicide, multiple counts of false imprisonment and multiple counts of torture as crimes against humanity, for acts that took place while he served the dictatorship of Gambian president Yahya Jammeh (1994-2017). Sonko had been one of the longest serving government officials in the Jammeh regime. He has been sentenced to 20 years, the highest under Swiss law, and an expulsion from the country for a duration of 12 years.

Sonko has been in jail in Switzerland since January 2017. The time served in police, pre-trial and preventive detention before the date of judgement of a total of 2667 days will be taken into account in the execution of the sentence, said the court. According to the presiding judge, cumulatively, Sonko would have spent 75 years and 4 months in prison (with Baba Jobes murder carrying the highest single sentence of 15 years). But according to Swiss law, 20 years is the maximum sentence.

The president of the court further said that the accused did not show remorse and was not interested in clarifying issues. He criticized the accuseds obstructive behaviour. Sonko was also ordered to pay compensation to the plaintiffs and to the Swiss Confederation for the expenses incurred in this trial. This would amount to 3.9 million US dollars. Already, 14,413.30 Swiss francs (16,000 USD) that was forfeited from Sonko has been allocated to claimants to cover civil claims.

A powerful precedent

The wheels of justice may turn slowly, but this verdict is a clear indication that they do turn, and in due time all those responsible for such crimes will be held accountable. Its a powerful precedent for accountability, regardless of one's position or location. The implications resonate far beyond this case, signalling to perpetrators worldwide that justice will eventually catch up with them, said Isatou Jammeh, a Gambian human rights activist. I think it will boost the chances that other prosecutions will go ahead in The Gambia but also in other parts of the world. So it's a good day for justice today, concurred Philip Grant, director of Trial International, the Swiss NGO that initiated the case against Sonko.

The conviction of Ousman Sonko, one of the pillars of Yahya Jammehs brutal regime, is a major step on the long road to justice for Jammehs victims, said in Bellinzona American human rights lawyer Reed Brody, who has spearheaded a campaign to have Jammeh extradited from Equatorial Guinea, where he took asylum after his demise, and be brought to justice. Brody said the trial shows the challenges of judges sitting thousands of miles from where the crimes happened or allegedly happened, when most of the evidence, in fact all of the evidence is based on witness testimony, and there are very few corroborating documents. But he stressed that the Gambian Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC)  which worked over three years to investigate crimes committed under Jammehs regime  did a really important job at setting the context. The Swiss authorities did their best and the witnesses were very compelling.

A fall for victims of sexual violence

Sonko was not convicted for all the crimes he was prosecuted. The court dismissed the rape charges on legal grounds, saying the rape cases alleged against Sonko did not show any connection to a systematic attack against a civilian population and therefore could not fall under the definition of a crime against humanity. It viewed them as isolated incidents.

We are very disappointed to see that the court has decided to discontinue the case concerning the sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) related charges. While it is important to highlight that the defendant was not acquitted but procedural reasons have led the judges to this conclusion, the decision is nonetheless another example for the widespread disregard of SGBV. Rather than acknowledging structural and systematic aspects of SGBV in The Gambia during the rule of Yahya Jammeh, the court deems the charges brought by my client against the defendant as isolated acts outside the scope of crimes against humanitya position we strongly disagree with, said Anninna Mullis, the lawyer of Binta Jamba, who accused Sonko of raping her multiple times following the death of her husband, Almamo Manneh (whose murder Sonko was convicted for).

If Ousman Sonko is not convicted of sexual violence after all the evidence from the TRRC where hes named and mentioned, then its really concerning, said Fatou Baldeh, founder and chief executive director of Women in Liberation and Leadership (WILL), a Gambian NGO. But also, I think this would really hold women back, women victims of sexual violence as we move forward with prosecutions of other perpetrators.

A likely appeal

The judgement was nevertheless a blow for the defence. I dont think thats a fair trial because if you are having a trial, there should be witnesses from both sides. It seems like all the witnesses were there just for the victims. There were no witnesses on our side. So I dont really get how that works, said Sonkos daughter, who is part of her fathers legal team. Currat said he was disappointed that the court rejected his clients request to investigate his unlawful prison conditions, after he spent 7 years in pre-trial detention. He confirmed that an appeal was quite likely.

Sadibou Badjie, a supporter of former president Jammeh, said this verdict was shocking. I have not discussed it with anyone yet, he said on the phone, referring to the people of Foni, Jammehs hometown, but I am sure none will be pleased with this news of [Sonkos] jailing.
Rising actor Byeon Woo Seok expressed his honest thoughts on the ongoing fame of "Lovely Runner" and the unexpected surge of following he's receiving.

Keep on reading to know more about what the rising actor said.

'Lovely Runner' Actor Byeon Woo Seok Enters His Prime Era

Thanks to his ongoing drama "Lovely Runner," it is safe to say that Byeon Woo Seok is currently experiencing his prime era as an actor. After playing minor roles to finally leading his own series, the heartthrob is now amassing a following and being recognized globally.

He plays the iconic role of Ryu Sun Jae, a top star and a member of the fictional boy band ECLIPSE. He is sharing the screen with first-time drama partner Kim Hye Yoon, who is also impressing the audience with her multifaceted acting.

As the drama and their chemistry immediately clicked in the eyes of the viewers, fans in Korea and abroad are having the "Lovely Runner" syndrome. In addition, fangirls are also experiencing the "Byeon Woo Seok Effect" and "Sun Jae" syndrome.

Due to this, the "Moonshine" actor's popularity is rapidly increasing and is all over multiple media platforms.

'Yoo Quiz on the Block' to Have Byeon Woo Seok as Their Next Guest

While the drama is still airing, the actor already received invitations from various programs, proving his skyrocketing fame. Among those, Byeon Woo Seok is set to appear in the next broadcast of the famous variety-talk show "Yoo Quiz on the Block."

The program dropped a teaser of his upcoming appearance where they shared chops of the male star's interview with Yoo Jae Suk and Jo Se Ho.

Byeon Woo Seok revealed his thoughts and shared behind-the-scenes stories about the popularity of tvN's "Lovely Runner."

In the clip, Yoo Jae Suk complimented the actor saying that he became cooler. Surprisingly during their conversation, he called him Sun Jae instead of his real name, making the actor laugh and let the veteran actor just call him that way.

Byeon Woo Seok Still In Shock of the Enthusiastic Response From the Public

Byeon Woo Seok confessed, "I am confused about the responses these days. I can't sleep because my heart is racing."

He also revealed that the drama took 3 years to produce. The heartthrob said that because he was not cast, the script was sent to other actors, and he expressed his overwhelming feelings, "Thank you for giving me the role of Ryu Sun Jae."

Amid his ongoing success, Byeon Woo Seok shared his dream of having a good house.

"When I was young, I lived in a house with steep stairs. It was inconvenient for my grandmother to go up. I grew up with her and stayed in the same room."

As he went on, the rising star got emotional sharing his real-life stories in public for the first time. This also added to the curiosity about his success story.

Furthermore, catch Byeon Woo Seok in "Yoo Quiz on the Block" which is scheduled to air this May 22 on tvN.



What can you say about the news? Share your thoughts/replies in the comments!

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Shai San Miguel wrote this.
Kim Do Hyun revealed the unexpected gesture his "Queen of Tears" co-star Kim Soo Hyun did to him and the rest of the drama's cast members.

Want to know what the actor said? Then read on!

Kim Do Hyun Talks About Experiences Working With Kim Soo Hyun in 'Queen of Tears'

On May 15, Kim Do Hyun made his guest appearance on MBC's television program "Radio Star."

During his special guest appearance on the show, Kim Do Hyun talked about his experience of working with Kim Soo Hyun, who is considered one of the top stars in South Korea. The two starred in tvN's recently-concluded and smashing hit series "Queen of Tears."

The host of the program Kim Gu Ra asked "I heard that Kim Soo Hyun took exceptional care of you while filming the drama. Is that right?"

Kim Do Hyun agreed and shared the kind gesture of the actor that impressed him the most.

"It was winter and we wore padded coats for outdoor shoots. I'd been wearing the same one for over a decade and decided it was time for a new one. But it was pretty expensive."

He added that every time he went shopping, he tended to return the item as it was too expensive to purchase. Kim Do Hyun said that he was planning to buy a new one after concluding "Reborn Rich" but unfortunately, he couldn't find the item he wanted to purchase.

Kim Soo Hyun's Generosity & Kind Gesture Impressed Kim Do Hyun

Then "Queen of Tears" filming started and he shared, "On the set of 'Queen of Tears,' I saw Kim Soo Hyun wearing the exact padded coat I wanted. So I asked him if it was a sponsored coat or celebrities-only special edition since I couldn't find it anywhere."

Kim Soo Hyun then replied to him saying that the coat was available in stores.

"And then at our next shoot, he brought a new one in a box and gave it to me as a gift." Kim Do Hyun went on, "What was surprising was that he also gifted the same item to all the members of the Yongduri family and the Queens Group. That really impressed me."

Kim Do Hyun played the role of Baek Hyun Tae, the elder brother of Baek Hyun Woo, in which Kim Soo Hyun portrayed in "Queen of Tears."

"Queen of Tears" broke records and even now holds the title of the most highly rated drama in tvN's history, surpassing the previous viewership rating of Son Ye Jin and Hyun Bin's "Crash Landing on You."

The newly-concluded drama is still receiving recognition abroad, making Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won's solo fan meeting happen in the upcoming months.

What can you say about the news? Share your thoughts/replies in the comments!

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Shai San Miguel wrote this.
"Uncle Samsik" delivers a unique story about politics and history, with Song Kang Ho and Byun Yo Han teaming up to play the main characters.

Helmed and written by Shin Yeon Shick of "One Win" and "Cassiopeia," the story is set in the 1960s during the tumultuous time of the South Korean government.

"Uncle Samsik" focuses on the bromance between two individuals who were bound by the same mission: to reform the country and create a better life for the public.

Starring in his first K-drama after 32 years since his debut, Song Kang Ho plays the titular role of Uncle Samsik, whose real name is Park Doo Chil. He is the CEO of Sail Developments, which kept everyone fed three times a day during the war.

He then meets Kim San, played by Byun Yo Han, an economist who studied in the United States and returned to the country as an elite man who joined the Korean Military Academy.

With their one goal, the duo aims to highlight the big role of the economy in the day-to-day lives of the people and not focus and exhaust the government's funds on war alone.

'Uncle Samsik' Episode 1: Kim San Wants Change in the Government

The episode began with Uncle Samsik introducing himself and why he is called such.

A flashback during the 1960s featured a secret bunker with Kim San meeting with the military when he saw Han Min being pulled out of the car wearing a blindfold.

Kim San called him, and Han Min begged him to mention Samsik's name, telling them that it was his idea.

Meanwhile, protesters gathered in the streets of Seoul to express their support for Rhee Seungmin, the current president of South Korea.

As for Samsik, two high-ranking leaders of the Seodaemun gang asked him if he could help them get their members out of jail after the Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC) arrested them.

Before he agrees, he wants to do something for him, and that is to get rid of Yoon Palbong. If they manage to get the job done, Uncle Samsik will use his connection to get the members out of jail.

Meanwhile, Kim San starts his presentation in front of Minister Choi as he talks about his plan for the country's economy.

However, the minister received a call from the president and had to leave in the middle of Kim San's presentation.

He insists that the government should prioritize the problem of unemployment instead of re-election, but Minister Choi refused his request and left. One of the significant scenes in "Uncle Samsik," episode 1, is Kim San's speech for Choo In Tae.

Despite being mocked by the audience, Kim San tried to catch the attention of the audience by mentioning pizza.

Interestingly, Uncle Samsik has a fascination with pizza and also mentioned it during his speech at the Cheogwoo Federation meeting, which for him symbolized innovation.

As for Kim San, he used this to describe the abundance of the United States. He also mentioned that it wasn't the US fighter planes that he envied during his time abroad as a student but the luxury of eating three times a day.

Interestingly, his speech caught the attention of Samsik, who noticed that they had a similar outlook for the country.

'Uncle Samsik' Episode 2: Uncle Samsik Introduces Himself to Kim San

The second episode highlights Uncle Samsik's closeness to Kim San.

After his notable speech, Uncle Samsik can't help but express how delighted he is to hear his vision for the republic.

He gave his card to him and assured him that they would meet some other time.

Meanwhile, Kim Sam was all over the news; however, instead of his department celebrating his success, he was told that he would be transferred to the audit department.

Due to this, Kim Sam wanted to speak to the minister to appeal, but was sarcastically greeted by Kang Sung Min.

Kim Sam can still recall how arrogant he is, especially when he presented the plan he wrote.

On the other hand, Uncle Samsik was persistent in wanting to befriend Kim Sam and revealed the reason why he was so drawn to him.

According to Samsik, he and Kim Sam have the same goal, but the only difference is that he has the vision to transform South Korea into one of the leading countries.

He also revealed that he read his plan, which he got from Home Affairs.

Due to this, Samsik offered Kim San the presidency position or ministerial seat if he wanted to.

In return, Uncle Samsik promised to support Kim San, but only if he's willing to follow his plan.

IN CASE YOU MISSED : Song Kang Ho Wins Best Actor at 75th Cannes Film Festival

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Written by Geca Flores
Jo Bo Ah might be the next co-star of Kim Soo Hyun, as the actress is tapped to headline the upcoming K-drama "Knock Off."

Following the huge craze created by "Queen of Tears," which stars the South Korean heartthrob and Kim Ji Won, all eyes are on the actor's next project and the possible leading lady he is set to work with.

Back in March, at the height of Kim Soo Hyun's rom-com series, the actor was offered to headline "Knock Off."

Interestingly, drama officials have selected the female lead, whom they think is best paired with the top star.

Will Jo Bo Ah Become the Next Leading Lady of Kim Soo Hyun?

In an exclusive report cited by EDaily, Jo Bo Ah has confirmed her appearance in the upcoming K-drama "Knock Off."

From the creators of "Song of the Bandits," writer Han Jung Hoon and director Park Hyun Suk, the duo will be reunited to deliver a black comedy K-drama set during the turbulent era in South Korea, where the IMF crisis is at its peak.

It focuses on the activities involving the "counterfeit market" led by Kim Soo Hyun's character.

As for Jo Bo Ah, she is set to portray Kim Soo Hyun's first love, who works as an employee at the Department of Customs.

With the actress' performance in her previous dramas, she is expected to deliver another remarkable performance as Kim Soo Hyun's love interest.

Other than the duo, veteran actor Yoo Jae Myung, who is best known for his role in "Itaewon Class," is also selected to join the series and is positively reviewing the offer.

This marks his reunited project with writer Han Jung Hoon and director Park Hyun Suk, after appearing in "Song of the Bandits."

Meanwhile, Kim Soo Hyun has recently garnered a lot of attention after returning to the small screen with the hit K-drama "Queen of Tears."

Fans are expecting another back-to-back hit project starring the male top star.

As for the release of "Knock Off," officials are currently in talks about whether the drama will be released through streaming platforms.

Jo Bo Ah Joins the Star-Studded Cast of 'Hong Rang'

Other than the upcoming K-drama with Kim Soo Hyun, viewers will get to see more of Jo Bo Ah as the actress also headlines Hong Rang.

The historical K-drama is based on a novel of the same name that showcases the mystery and romance of Jae Yi, played by Jo Bo Ah. She was the daughter of wealthy merchants during the Joseon dynasty.

She also has a stepbrother named Hong Rang, played by Lee Jae Wook.

Ever since they were little, the siblings have developed a close bond, but not until they got separated after Hong Rang mysteriously disappeared.

Besides Lee Jae Wook and Jo Bo Ah, the "Hong Rang '' cast includes Jung Ga Ram, Park Byung Eun, Uhm Ji Won, and Kim Jae Wook.

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramaStars.

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Written by Geca Flores
Rumors of a possible relationship between BTSs Jimin and actress Song Da Eun have once again ignited a firestorm among netizens, leading to widespread speculation and backlash.

On May 16, Song Da Euns Instagram activity spurred a renewed wave of dating rumors, stirring the BTS fandom into a frenzy.

The speculation began when Song Da Eun shared a series of Instagram stories that fans quickly linked to BTSs Jimin. One video showed someone walking, obscured by a flower emoji, which netizens noted was similar to a photo of Jimin shared by V on Weverse in 2021.

Further fueling the speculation, Song Da Eun wore a shirt emblazoned with MIC DROP, a clear nod to BTSs hit song. She also posted a video featuring a yellow ball or balloon, reminiscent of a prop Jimin has been associated with in the past.

The most controversial post was a video showing Song Da Euns dog playing in an apartment. Fans pointed out that the apartment's interior bore a striking resemblance to Jimins home, as seen in a past BTS documentary.

The clincher for many was a now-deleted photo that seemingly displayed a pair of cases labeled with both Song Da Eun and Jimins names.

YOU MIGHT SEE: 'Our Blues' OST: BTS Jimin, Former Wanna One Ha Sung Woon Collaborate For Upcoming Song + Release Date Revealed

The reaction from BTS fans was swift and intense. Many accused Song Da Eun of using Jimins fame for attention.

but diya, i took this video the same day jimin was born. i'm the real girlfriend  pic.twitter.com/lCN9AEzYAp     FOCUS ON JIMIN (@sottjm) May 16, 2024

NETIZENS' COMMENTS

Here's what fans are saying:

Shes clearly using him for clout

Its obvious she wants to hint at something to get more followers.

'You say you don't know Jimin so why are you posting videos of him on your storys? Do you think we didn't notice?'

'I think she must be a girl obsessed with Jimin, they published old videos and things about him to make people think that she is with him. '

'I love Jimin and support in him every way. But we all know how private he is even if u guys are dating and wants to make it official do it with proper official statement.... It looks a proper attention seeker move which u are doing. '

'If you are really in love, don't upload stories like this that will bother him'

'How much did HYBE pay you?? It must be a very big money WOW!!!'

Despite the uproar, some fans took a more measured stance, expressing that they had no issues with Jimin dating but were frustrated by what they perceived as Song Da Euns attention-seeking behavior.

all that attention seeker has done so far is posting the videos that are already all over social media even though she claimed that she doesnt even know him on the lives when fans asked her and yet youre believing that theyre dating???? girl, then im also dating jimin lmao. https://t.co/08FnEnqBDB  N  (@aussie_koomi) May 16, 2024

In 2023, Song Da Eun addressed similar rumors, denying any romantic involvement with Jimin and expressing frustration over the constant speculation. However, her recent Instagram activity has reignited the rumors, leaving many to question her intentions.

READ ALSO: BTS Jimin, Ha Sung Woon's 'Our Blues' OST Breaks 'Dynamite' Records

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramaStars.

KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Joana Cabigas.
Biographies of more than 9,000 people buried in Central Okanagan cemeteries were compiled by Kelowna resident Susan Diane Campbell and a team of fellow volunteers. She has received an award for outstanding volunteerism from Heritage BC.






Wednesday, May 15, 2024 - Victor Uzor has been sentenced to 48 months imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and more than $1 million in restitution for his role in a $1.1 million business email compromise scheme

Uzor, 36, was sentenced on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Philadelphia by United States District Court Judge Kelley Brisbon Hodge.

United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero, who made the announcement in a statement said that on January 2, 2024, the defendant pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

The scheme typically involved another member of the conspiracy pretending to be a legitimate vendor and emailing a false invoice to the victim organization.

Uzors role in the offence was to open a series of bank accounts using the identity of real people, who had no connection to the crime.

Another conspirator arranged for the victims to send money to the accounts opened by Uzor. Uzor then quickly withdrew these funds and moved them to other accounts before the scam could be discovered.

In total, Uzor helped to steal approximately $1.1 million from the victim businesses and individuals and unsuccessfully attempted to steal another $400,000. Among the schemes victims was a nonprofit provider of mental health care located in Doylestown, PA.

First, Victor Uzor victimized the people whose identities he stole to facilitate this scheme, said U.S. Attorney Romero.

Then he helped prey upon the primary targets of the business email compromise, including a nonprofit organization in Bucks County dedicated to providing behavioural health care for the underprivileged and underserved  a safety net for those in need of care. In stealing from this provider, he shortchanged its employees, patients, and the community. My office is committed to holding accountable anyone involved in such a clear-cut case of fraud.

"The FBI works each and every day to dismantle fraud schemes that affect our citizens," said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. "Alongside our partners, we will continue to bring to justice criminals who orchestrate these scams, and protect the hard-earned assets of our citizens."

The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. Livermore.




Thursday, May 16, 2024 - The United States government has joined millions of Kenyans in opposing the Finance Bill 2024, which seeks to introduce more taxes on suffering Kenyans.

The bill which has been proposed by the treasury seeks to introduce taxes on bread, Boda Boda, Mpesa transactions, Bank transactions, and on motor vehicles.

Speaking about the bill on Wednesday, US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman stressed the importance of taxation consistency in fostering a stable economic environment in Kenya.

"Taxes are an issue in every country and what we hear in American companies is that Kenya just needs to be the lowest taxed but consistent; keeping the tax the same for three, four, or five years because businesses make investments with a return horizon," she said.

"You don't expect that you are going to make your money back in a year but five years, six years, seven years; so that tax consistency is just equally important."

Addressing methods of increasing taxes, Whitman advocated for expanding the tax base through job creation rather than raising tax rates.

"There's two ways; to increase taxes and also expand the tax bases which is the number of people (being taxed) and that's why jobs, jobs are so important. Good paying jobs, with a steady paycheck and some benefits

"When more people have a steady income they can pay taxes so you expand the number of people and not just go for the same people."

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Thursday, May 16, 2024 - Grief has engulfed teachers and students at St. Anthony Boys High School in Moiben Constituency, Uasin Gishu County, after one of the teachers took her own life.

Madam Sharon Jelagat, a mother of two, reportedly committed suicide by drowning herself in a borehole for unknown reasons.

Police officers arrived at the scene and called the fire brigade to assist them in retrieving the body.

Scores of villagers looked in disbelief as security officers carried the body, with some murmuring that the deceased ought to have shared her problems instead of committing suicide.

Locals led by the area Chief condemned the action and urged young people not to act out of anger.

The chief further urged the residents to share their problems instead of committing suicide.

Sharons close friend took to her Facebook account and shared their last conversation.

She said Sharon was kind to everyone around her.

Sharons death comes at a time when suicide cases are on the rise in the country.

Hardly a week passes before several suicide cases are reported.





















The Kenyan DAILY POST.




Thursday, May 16, 2024 - Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has read the riot act to Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and politicians from the Mt Kenya region who have continually been failing to involve him in key strategic meetings despite his political influence and lofty position in the cabinet.

While addressing the people of Gatundu South during the burial service of Mzee John Gitau Mbugua, Kuria questioned why Gachagua and some Mt. Kenya politicians had not been according him the respect he felt he deserved.

The CS reiterated that his position was the clearest indication that he was still the senior-most politician in Kiambu County and hence should be consulted on all political matters in the region.

In a direct address to his detractors, CS Kuria referenced an analogy popularly used by former President Uhuru Kenyatta; "Don't mistake a lion that has been rained on for a cat."

"I am the only minister in Kiambu County. We have seen many people think that they are so big that they can disrespect me to the point that meetings are held without my knowledge," Kuria pointed out.

"I should be respected. I have come in peace but if you want conflict then it will be in equal measure. Hence, I don't want people to continue disrespecting me.

"I am still the senior-most politician in Kiambu County and I don't want to be annoyed."

Kuria also questioned why politicians inside the government kept making promises instead of acting and fulfilling the pledges made during the campaign period.

He referenced the one-man-one-shilling policy which has been the talking point since Gachagua recently vowed to lead the campaign.

CS Kuria added that the Mount Kenya region had not been neglected, following key appointments in the government.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Thursday, May 16, 2024 - President William Ruto has lost trust in Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi.

This is after he put Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in charge of the Agriculture docket just after an impeachment motion against Linturi flopped.

Ruto asked Gachagua to oversee the troubled Ministry of Agriculture.

According to Ruto, even though there was a minister for Agriculture, the sector was so important that it needed Gachagua's support.

"The Ministry of Agriculture is an important sector in our country. That is why being in charge by the minister, I have asked my deputy also to have his eyes on the sector, he stated.

The President noted that the sector contributes close to KSh 200 billion annually, with farmers more than 600,050 across the country, and many Kenyans who get their source of livelihood from agriculture.

He further added that the ministry is crucial to the Kenya Kwanza government which has a fertilizer subsidy programme that provides fertilizer to farmers at an affordable rate.

"We have centred our focus on sectors that are directly affected by the Ministry of Agriculture.

"The sector brings about KSh200 billion every year, it includes more than 600,050 farmers and benefits more than 4.5 million people.

"It is for this reason that I attach the importance of the sector, not only to the nation but also to this administration," he added.

The embattled Agriculture CS was linked to the distribution of fake fertilizer to farmers in the country.

Linturi had earlier refuted claims of the existence of fake fertilizer. According to him, the fertilizer was not fake, but short of the required standards in Kenya.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Thursday, May 16, 2024 - Pastor Dorcas Gachagua, the wife of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, has proposed a monstrous budget to buy household appliances and furniture.

Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Administration and National Security, Patrick Mwangi, an officer from the DP's office, stated that Gachagua and his wife Dorcas want kitchen appliances worth Sh 2.5 million and furniture worth Sh 37.5 million to enable them to serve Kenyans.

Gachagua, who seems to have no mercy on suffering Kenyans, also demanded Sh 250 million for the purchase of medals, honors, and insignia.

The committee headed by Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo raised questions on why the Office of the Deputy President had made such a huge allocation for the purchase of medals, honors, and insignia yet it wasnt a necessity.

On the Sh 250 million for the purchase of honors, medals, and insignias, are we not becoming extravagant when you know the situation of this country, he posed.

Mwangi, however, stated that the actual honor, insignia, and medals awards havent been honored for some time due to budgetary constraints.

Gachagua also has demanded Sh 100 million taxpayers money yet last year he was also allocated Sh 100 million to purchase motor vehicles.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Thursday, May 16, 2024  Firebrand Lawyer Miguna Miguna has slammed President William Ruto over his plan to raise the country's tax rate from the current 14 percent to possibly 22 percent before he leaves office.

In a statement via X, Miguna said Kenyans are overtaxed and exploited by the government and warned Ruto not to make their already bad situation worse.

The vocal lawyer claimed taxes collected by the government are stolen and misused by some government officials and politicians.

This is a reckless statement and plan, President William Ruto. Kenyans are over-taxed, repressed, exploited, and abused.

"The high taxes Kenyans pay are stolen, misused, diverted, and wasted by a few politicians, said Miguna.

You cant compare the 13% goods and services tax, in Canada, for example, which is utilized to provide universal quality healthcare, education, housing, 1st class highways, roads, sewer systems, and a million other public services to residents, with the state of collapse in Kenya, he added.

Miguna pointed out that there is no need to increase Kenyas tax rate to 22 percent when Kenyans dont receive the value of the taxes they pay.

He further asked President Ruto to respect Kenyans and stop the plan to increase the countrys tax rate.

President William Ruto, please show some respect to the suffering Kenyans who gave you an opportunity to be president. Stop adding sulphuric acid to our injuries, Miguna stated.

During an engagement with the Harvard Business Schools Class of 2025 at State House, Ruto disclosed that he intends to raise the rate to 16 percent by the end of this year and up to 22 percent by the time he leaves office.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Thursday, May 16, 2024 - President William Ruto has seemingly begun the process of sacking Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi, who survived an impeachment motion on Monday over a fake fertilizer saga.

This is after he ordered Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to oversee the troubled Ministry of Agriculture.

Speaking during a meeting with Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) at State House Nairobi on Thursday, Ruto noted that even though there was a minister for Agriculture, the sector was so important that it needed Gachagua's support

"The Ministry of Agriculture is an important sector in our country. That is why being in charge by the minister, I have asked my deputy also to have his eyes on the sector.

According to Ruto, the sector contributes close to Sh 200 billion annually, with over 600,050 farmers than across the country, and many Kenyans who get their source of livelihood from agriculture.

He further added that the ministry is crucial to the Kenya Kwanza government which has a fertilizer subsidy programme that provides fertilizer to farmers at an affordable rate.

"We have centred our focus on sectors that are directly affected by the Ministry of Agriculture.

"The sector brings about KSh 200 billion every year, it includes more than 600,050 farmers and benefits more than 4.5 million people.

"It is for this reason that I attach the importance of the sector, not only to the nation but also to this administration,"

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Thursday, May 16, 2024 - Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has again exposed Deputy President Rigathi Gachaguas secret dealings.

Taking to his social media, Kuria accused Gachagua of plotting behind the scenes to freeze him out of the planned Limuru III meeting seeking to bring together politicians from the Mt Kenya region.

I am aware that a very senior and powerful personality with prior experience in provincial administration is financing Limuru 3 and he has given instructions to Kioni that if I attend, he will not finance, stated Moses Kuria.

The Limuru III conference on Friday aims to bring together political hotshots from the Mt. Kenya region to deliberate on key political matters that affect the area, including squabbles amongst leaders.

Besides claiming that Gachagua sponsored the event, CS Kuria further alleged that the event was being organized by Azimio Principal Martha Karua, embattled Jubilee Party Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni, and former Laikipia Governor Ndiritu Muriithi, all allied to former President Uhuru Kenyatta who is affiliated to Raila Odingas Azimio.

In a previous statement, the organizers explained that the event was open to anyone willing to attend.

However, in the unfolding debacle, Moses Kuria alleged that Kioni informed him that he was unwelcome.

Limuru has always been about the community not individuals and not politics.

"Co-convenor Jeremiah Kioni has publicly and privately informed me that I am not welcome for Limuru 3.

"He has said that I have invited myself, stated Kuria.

Additionally, Kuria who has previously claimed that he is the senior-most politician in Kiambu, requested his constituents to boycott the conference until it is what he would consider as properly convened.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Thursday, May 16, 2024 - Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino has called on Kenyans to go to the streets and start demonstrating over the punitive Finance Bill 2024.

In an interview with K24 TV, Babu Owino stated that the Finance Bill 2024, which seeks to introduce taxes on bread, should be opposed by every Kenyan.

Babu, who was elected on the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party ticket, drew an example from the French Revolution, where economic inequality and social injustice fueled widespread unrest.

He likened the proposed tax on bread to a symbol of oppression, referencing the infamous remark attributed to Marie Antoinette, wife of King Louis XVI of France, who purportedly suggested that if people couldn't afford bread, they should eat cake instead.

Babu suggested that President Ruto's stance echoes Marie Antoinette's sentiment.

"When it comes to the Finance Bill, you know very well that Kenyans are suffering because of the high cost of living and every year the increment of the taxes leads to an increment in expenditure without an increment in income in the pockets of common mwananchi.

"Right now the Kenya Kwanza government is introducing a tax on bread. We know the French Revolution, it was caused because of economic inequality and social injustice.

"When common mwananchi were demonstrating demanding that the cost of bread be lowered in France during the reign of King Louis XVI.

"The people said you must lower the cost of bread, the wife of the king, Marie Antonette came out boldly and said ' If you guys can't afford bread, eat cake' That is what Ruto is telling us, that if we can't afford bread, we eat cake. " Babu stated.

Babu noted that the only way to stop the introduction of more taxes is via mass demonstrations.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Thursday, May 16, 2024 - President William Ruto has vowed to elevate Kenya's tax rate to a whopping 22 percent from the current 14 percent.

Addressing the Harvard Business Schools Class of 2025 at State House, Nairobi on Wednesday, Ruto stressed the importance of bolstering the nation's financial health and reducing reliance on external borrowing.

The Head of state outlined a phased approach to achieve the desired increase, aiming for a rise to 16 percent in the current year, with a long-term target of reaching between 20 and 22 percent.

My drive is to push Kenya, possibly this year we will be at 16 percent from 14 percent.

"I want in my term, God willing, to leave it at between 20 and 22 percent.

"It's going to be difficult, I have a lot of explaining to do, people will complain but I know finally they will appreciate that the money we go to borrow from the World Bank is savings from other countries, Ruto said.

He further said that Kenya's tax revenue as a percentage of total earnings trails behind that of peer nations on the continent.

"Our peers in the continent are on an average of between 22 and 25 percent, which means our taxes are way below those of our peers," he explained.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Thursday, May 16, 2024 - Embakasi East Member of Parliament Paul Ongili alias Babu Owino has accused President William Ruto of intentionally taking the country in the wrong direction.

In an interview with one of the local dailies on Wednesday, Babu described the proposed Finance Bill 2024 as punitive and retrogressive.

The fiery second-term lawmaker decried that the proposed 16 percent tax on bread is inconsiderate and uncalled for, adding that imposing the taxation that existed 30 years ago will be a complete disaster to Kenyans.

The legislator further criticized the president's policies, saying he was steering the country in the wrong direction and that he was deliberating messing up the country.

"The government is being unreasonable on the issues of the taxes, imposing 16 percent tax on bread is a tax that was imposed 30 years ago, bringing this back is a complete disaster to Kenyans.

If a Kenyan citizen cannot afford a simple thing as bread, then we are headed completely in the wrong direction and I can say that President Ruto is messing this country intentionally.

It will reach a point where people will be tired. You cannot increase tax on bread, also, the 2.5 percent tax on the motor vehicle is completely wrong and uncalled for," Babu said.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Thursday, May 16, 2024 - Kileleshwa Ward MCA Robert Alai Onyango has criticized Nairobi County Woman Representative Esther Passaris for neglecting her duty to represent Nairobians who are currently grappling with floods and a high cost of living.

In a social media post on Thursday, Alai said Passaris, who was elected on the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party, has been working closely with powerful leaders inside the Kenya Kwanza Alliance government and neglecting the electorate and the party that brought her to Parliament.

Passaris is among ODM legislators who have been working with President William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua.









The Kenyan DAILY POST




Thursday, May 16, 2024 - Hundreds of Kenyan police officers scheduled to fly to Haiti for the peacekeeping mission were recalled from leave this week in preparation for the trip.

According to reports, the officers, who underwent intense training before proceeding on leave, are expected to fly out of the country before the end of May.

It is estimated that the first batch of deployment will consist of 500 police officers, 400 security personnel, and 100 members of staff such as medics, with the next batch expected to join them at a later date.

The officers were selected from hundreds of police officers who made applications to be deployed to Haiti during the October 2023 recruitment drive.

The report further indicated that the officers had undergone intense training from security entities drawn from Kenya as well as the United States of America.

The officers were reportedly trained on Haiti gangs, the Caribbean country's history as well as human rights. They also took French lessons.

Earlier Haiti gang leader Jimmy Cherizier alias Barbecue boasted to the press that his gang was ready to defeat the police officers if they travel to the country.

He argued that the Kenyan police officers would encounter fierce resistance during a radio interview with United States-based National Public Radio (NPR).

"If the Haitian revolutionary Jean-Jacques Dessalines worried about his life, Haiti wouldn't be free today," he stated.

The United States, which is financing the peace mission, sent foot soldiers to the ground who have begun setting up a camp to host the Kenyan police force.

Kenya will produce a team of 1,000 police officers to lead a mission of 2,500 soldiers drawn from six other countries.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Thursday, May 16, 2024 - Former Nairobi senator Millicent Omanga was filmed entertaining revellers at one of the city nightclubs.

Omanga took to the dance floor and danced to one of the popular Kamba Benga songs by legendary musician Ken Wa Maria.

The well-endowed UDA politician threw caution to the wind and danced like nobody was watching, leaving little for men to imagine.

Revellers were seen cheering her as she displayed her dancing skills.

The mother of two was dressed in a tight pair of jeans.

Her waist is very flexible despite being a plus-size.

Watch the video.

The Kenyan DAILY POST.






Wednesday, May 15, 2024 - The Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico is fighting for his life after being shot in the stomach and arm by a '71-year-old assassin' who was bundled to the ground by cops as he attempted to flee.

Fico, 59, was shot in Handlova, north-east of Bratislava, following a Slovak government meeting while he greeted adoring crowds.

The gunfire took place in front of the House of Culture, before a man, who according to the Pluska news site is 71 years old and named Juraj C, was quickly pounced upon and detained by security officials.

Watch the videos below

PM of Slovakia Robert Fico was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound. Previously he criticized raising money for Ukraine, spoke out against Ukraines admission to NATO & said that the SMO began as a result of the rampant Ukrainian neo-Nazis & Putin had no other choice. pic.twitter.com/b3B4NThZgE  Roberto (@UniqueMongolia) May 15, 2024




Thursday, May 16, 2024 - A fire engulfed a two-storey building in Manyanja, Donholm leading to the destruction of household items.

A fire brigade vehicle belonging to the Nairobi County Government had first arrived with no water, leading to frustration among residents who eventually chased the vehicle away.

In the video, angry residents are seen calling out the firefighters as the building is engulfed in flames.

The incompetent crew from the county government came to assess the situation on the ground without water and realized that the fire was huge.

A second firefighting crew arrived later with water and extinguished the fire but a lot of damage had already been done.

Luckily, there were no casualties.

The video comes at a time when Governor Sakaja is being accused of mismanaging the county.

The Kenyan DAILY POST.




Thursday, May 16, 2024 - United States Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman has explained why many Kenyans willing to travel to the US are denied visas

Appearing on Jeff Koinange Live (JKL) on Wednesday evening, Whitman maintained that they are mostly right to deny people visas.

The ambassador, responding to a question during the interview, also explained that they deny visas in such cases to remain vigilant and cautious of individuals likely to harm the US.

We do deny people visas and are we always right? No. But are we mostly right? Yes.

"Think about it, everyone wants to come to America and some bad people want to come to America.

"Terrorists, money launderers, people who have overstayed their visas before, people who have let their Green Card expire and then come back," she asserted.

"We have to be quite careful because there are people who wish America harm. It is a minority of people but what I always say is you have to be thoughtful of you," she added.

Further, Whitman asserted that while they try to be cautious of who enters America, the embassy ensures fair issuance of visas to everyone.

"You all remember the 911 hijackers.

"How would you like to be the Visa officer who let in the 911 hijackers?

"You would live with that for the rest of your life.

"We really try to be fair but we are also trying to make sure that the right people who are not ill-intent get to America," she said.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Thursday, May 16, 2024 - US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman has revealed various engagements President William Ruto will undertake during his State visit to the United States on May 23.

According to the diplomat, the State visit will be monumental for the country and will feature in-depth engagement between the two presidents and other government officials.

Whitman explained that the State visit differs from other visits as it is the highest honour any leader can be accorded by a US President.

To commence his visit, Ruto is expected to be in Atlanta for two days. During his stay in Atlanta, he will engage the business community as they seek to lure American companies to set shop in Kenya.

"The President is going to Atlanta for two days. He will have a number of different engagements there. Atlanta is one of the biggest cities and is home to many companies.

"It is a technology hub and a creative economy hub. A lot of the Los Angeles film, television, and music has moved there. So, Atlanta is a very vibrant part of the country and we thought it was good to go there," she stated.

Later on, Ruto is set to travel to Washington DC where he will be hosted by President Joe Biden.

At the US Capital, Ruto's cabinet and Biden will engage in various bilateral arrangements. Afterward, a State dinner will be hosted at the White House.

"The State visit is the highest honour that a country and Head of State can have. It has all the formalities of a dinner at the White House.

"There will be 300 to 400 people at the dinner. It is a very formal and a big honour," she detailed.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Thursday, May 16, 2024 - US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman has advised President William Ruto to change his tax collection strategy to a more harmonious one that will not hurt Kenyans.

Speaking during an interview, Whitman urged Ruto to expand the tax base which she exuded confidence will create more jobs.

The former Silicon Valley executive stated that better-paying jobs with a steady paycheck and some benefits would immensely aid the government meet its annual tax target without hurting poor citizens.

According to the US Ambassador, it was difficult for the government to meet its revenue collection targets by just taxing the same people every other time.

Taxes are an issue in every country and what we hear from American companies is consistency, keeping taxes the same. Businesses make investments with a return horizon," Whitman noted.

To help create more jobs for the unemployed Kenyans, the government was advised to invest more in the manufacturing sector.

"When I came to Kenya, I thought Kenya would go from agriculture to digital but I think manufacturing is such an essential part of every economy," the US ambassador recommended.

"The number of employees of tech company is relatively small to the number of employees per dollar of revenue of a manufacturing company."

Whitman's comments followed Ruto's sentiments when he announced the governments intention to impose more taxes Kenyans.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Thursday, May 16, 2024 - President William Ruto seems to have lost touch with the ground.

This is evident after he vowed to raise taxes, causing an uproar among Kenyans.

Speaking during a meeting with Harvard University students at the State House in Nairobi where he affirmed his commitment to ensuring that Kenya charts a path towards sustainability and avoids taking out loans, Ruto announced the government's intention to impose more taxes on Kenyans to help the country get out of debt distress.

He stated that the only way to do this is for every eligible Kenyan to pay their fair share to the taxman.

To that end, Ruto revealed the government's plan to increase taxation from 14 per cent to 16 per cent by the end of 2024 and 22 per cent by the end of his first term.

I am not going to preside over a bankrupt country, I am not going to preside over a country that is in debt distress. We have to cut our spending," Ruto declared.

The Head of State while defending his move, argued that Kenya's tax rates were way below the threshold by the country's peers across the continent.

Kenyans have been socialised to believe they pay a lot of taxes, but empirical data shows that Kenya last year our tax was at 14 per cent," Ruto stated.

"Our peers in the continent are between an average of between 22 per cent and 25 per cent, our taxes are way below our peers," he argued.

Ruto's sentiments came barely a week after the National Treasury gazetted the Finance Bill, 2024 which proposed a slew of new taxes which attracted backlash from finance experts and Kenyans in general.

The Kenyan DAILY POST
Buganda Kingdom and the Turkish government have signed an agreement to strengthen diplomatic ties.

The agreement has been signed between the Katikkiro of Buganda, Mr Charles Peter Mayiga and Turkish Ambassador to Uganda Mehmet Fatih in a meeting held at Bulange Mengo .

The Katikiro Mayiga said there are several opportunities Ugandans can benefit from in Turkey

you learn more when you met people from the other side we have exchanged views and as you know we always welcome collaboration with prospective partners as you may be aware the Kingdoms is permitted by law to invest and carry out development programs, they are many opportunities that Ugandans can get from Trukia and I think Turkish companies can also build collaboration with us. Katikiro says.

On his part ambassador Fatih reiterated his governments commitment to work closely with Buganda Kingdom

It was a fruitful meeting for future cooperation. I informed the prime minister about what Trukia has been doing in Uganda and what we were planning for the future. So far, we have completed 76 development projects in Uganda, and we wish to continue. The Turkish ambassador to Uganda. Mehmet Fatih said.
Civil society members have tasked stakeholders in environment conservation to recommit themselves on action to save the planet amid climate change challenges.

As part of the Climate Justice Week of Action activities, a group of over 100 members from seven civil society organisations today Thursday May 16, 2024 held a solidarity march across Kampala themed, From words to action, Put your money where your mouth is to raise awareness about the urgency of climate change and its impact.

Carrying placards with messages calling on leaders to action, members from civil society organisations to include ActionAid International Uganda (AAIU), COTA, MEMPROW, and Vijana Corps among others marched from City Square in Kampala up to Makerere University main campus amidst the morning downpour.

ActionAid International Uganda country director, Mr. Xavier Ejoyi rallied stakeholders to invest in solutions to climate change, not in its causes like fossil fuels and industrial agriculture which profit a few people.

He added that We are running against time, it is urgent, necessary and important that we get climate justice. Communities that are already vulnerable and impoverished are at the receiving end of the climate change impact, so we cannot sit by and watch as lives are being lost.

About 16 people have since perished in mudslides in Kisika, Rukoki sub-county, Kasese district following floods caused by heavy rains.

With over 13 meters, Lake Victoria is experiencing the highest water levels a concern that recently prompted cabinet to earmark 5.5 billion shillings to construct gabions in selected areas along the Lake to protect infrastructure like roads.

Relatedly, Women have urged government to enhance their access to climate change financing given the crucial role they (women) play in environmental sustainability.
Network Ireland Kilkenny has announced the launch of its online Mega Draw in aid of Teac Tom, its chosen charity partner for 2024.

Teac Tom provides mental health support and suicide intervention services across Kilkenny and Laois.

The top prize includes an overnight stay at the stylish Pembroke Kilkenny, with dinner, plus a day of luxurious pampering worth over 1,500 with a Kilkenny Gift Voucher for 200.

Tickets are available from 5 via the iDonate page. Organisers encourage people to purchase as many as possible to support their charity partners.

The pamper session kicks off with a 90-minute nutritional consultation with Beoga Nutrition, setting the winner up to nourish both body and mind. Followed by a rejuvenating Bio Penta Ultimate Facial at Mint Kilkenny, a hair consultation and restyle with Rustiq Salon and a makeup consultation with Ilona designed to enhance the winners natural beauty.



The experience continues with a style and colour consultation with Designer Threads, giving expert guidance on outfits and colour selections that complement their unique style and personality. Once the winner is red-carpet-ready, the moment will be captured forever with a personal photoshoot by Dominika Stoppa.

This fantastic prize is not just about fashion and looking your best, but also about embracing your individuality and feeling confident in your skin, said Anne Healy, President of Network Ireland Kilkenny.



Its a reminder to prioritise self-care amid life's demands. We hope everyone will buy tickets and help us support Teac Tom and the valuable work they do in the community. The more you buy, the more free tickets you receive!

Teac Tom was established in February 2014 by Angela Hayes. Angela tragically lost her son, Thomas aged 19, to suicide on the anniversary of his dads death, which was also from suicide.

I never want another family to go through the grief we suffered. That's why I set up Teac Tom to ease the suffering within the community experienced by others in similar circumstances," she says.

Teac Tom offers a range of vital services to the community, including affordable and immediate face-to-face counselling, child and adolescent therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy in a safe and nurturing environment. It runs a 24-hour support line and offers informational talks at schools and corporate engagement.



"The fundraiser is a fantastic opportunity to partner with Network Ireland Kilkenny, not just to spread awareness but to let people know how to access support as well as raise vital funds to support Teac Tom. We aim to raise 10,000; this will support over 200 counselling sessions for those in need. Its an incredible gift from Network Ireland Kilkenny, Ms Hayes said.

Along with the top prizes, an overnight pamper session worth 1,500, participants are in with a chance of winning tickets to the Abbey Theatre, vouchers for Thyme Restaurant, Athlone, Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny and Butterslip, on Kieran Street, Kilkenny. A wellness hamper from Sasta Skincare, Bo Bar Soap and Melt Away Your Day Candles, and a piece from Biddys Good Luck Horseshoes are also in the draw, plus Cloudforests trees planted along the Wild Atlantic Way, dedicated to your family, arranged by local solar PV company Solar Evolution.

Network Ireland Kilkennys fundraiser mega draw, in aid of Teac Tom, is now live.

For more information or to donate visit idonate.ie/raffle/NetworkIrelandKilkennyDraw.
Candidate in the local elections for Kilkenny City Sean O hArgain has taken his party colleague and TD for Louth, Ged Nash, to task for what he called his ill-informed comments on Kilkennys city status.

Mr O'hArgain, a former Mayor of Kilkenny, has offered to host his friend on a re-education programme for a weekend in the Marble City to put him straight on the history and current status of Kilkenny.

Deputy Nash claimed that Kilkenny is a town, not a city, while demanding that his home town of Drogheda be included in the Living City Scheme. Mr O hArgain said that Deputy Nash needed to bark up another tree to secure funding for his own town.

The killing thing is that Ged knows Kilkenny well and has visited the city regularly. We have treated him to a great welcome and its obvious that he is a bit jealous of what our medieval city has achieved, said Mr O'hArgain.

While we share his frustration at the lack of funding for Drogheda, our fellow former Corporation and Borough Council-led town, attacking our city status is the wrong way to go.

Both of our large urban settlements have a vibrant cultural, tourism and built heritage, as Ged stated in his Dail contribution.

The fact remains, however, that our city remains a city and always will. That is because King James I had the good sense to grant Kilkenny city status, under Royal Charter in 1609. We will gladly show Deputy Nash the charter in the Medieval Mile Museum when he takes up the re-education offer!

Mr OhArgain said that a number of national politicians have done their best to end this, particularly Meath man, Noel Dempsey.

Even the destructive actions of local Minister, Phil Hogan, in 2014 had to accept the continued use of the term city. Messing with Kilkennys status is a dangerous game indeed, he said.

The Labour candidate replied more seriously that it was past time to revisit the way citys are determined in Ireland.

Not a single new city has been declared in Ireland since we achieved our independence. North of the border from Drogheda, both Lisburn and Newry have been granted city status. Towns like Drogheda, Dundalk and Sligo have strong cases to make for city status, he said.

He also called for the reversal of the decision to abolish the city and town councils which he said were the heartbeat of local government in Ireland.

We would hope to see Deputy Nash join us in this campaign, giving us back proper European- style local democracy, he said.
Sinn Fein TDs have clashed with the speaker of the Dail and the Tanaiste after a row erupted over previous housing commitments made by the Government.

Ceann Comhairle Sean O Fearghail was moments away from suspending the House after he accused Sinn Feins Pearse Doherty and Eoin O Broin of engaging in strategic interruption during Leaders Questions.

Micheal Martin had been questioned about a commitment he gave to deliver 50,000 affordable homes to buy at prices less than 250,000 euro when the row escalated.

I know were at a certain point in the electoral cycle where people are getting excited, Mr O Fearghail said.

I know hostages have been given to fortune, but theyve been given by lots of different people on lots of different sides.

The public are looking at this and they expect the debate here to be conducted in an orderly they expect the debate to be conducted.

Strategic interruption and heckling is no way to conduct an orderly debate.

Addressing Mr O Broin, Sinn Feins housing spokesman, Mr O Fearghail said: You sir, are the arch strategist, you know very well what youre doing. You know very well what youre doing and youre strategically heckling constantly.

The next time this occurs I am going to suspend the House.

He then ordered the TDs to sit down.

Minister of State Mary Butler was also overheard saying amazing what a poll can do, in reference to an opinion poll which showed that Fine Gael is on 23%, up four percentage points, while Sinn Fein is on 23%, down five points.

Addressing the Fianna Fail leader, Mr Doherty said that a report from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on Wednesday revealed that house prices have risen by more than 7% in the last year.

Where are the 50,000 affordable homes at prices less than 250,000 which you promised, Tanaiste? Where are they? Because nobody can find them anywhere pic.twitter.com/46UohzShB6  Pearse Doherty (@PearseDoherty) May 16, 2024

Since this government took office, the average house price in Carrigaline in your own constituency, Tanaiste, has increased by almost 100,000 euros, Mr Doherty said.

Nearly half the houses in Carrigaline are now being sold for more than 400,000 euro and under this government homes are becoming less affordable.

This has been seen right across the State in every county and in every community and yet your government says that the housing plan is working and claims that youve turned a corner.

Yet, across the State first-time buyers are now facing an average price of 400,000 euros to buy a new build home.

On what planet is this affordable for ordinary workers and families?

Mr Doherty told the Dail that the number of new homes coming on to the market to buy and own fell last year.

He added: Im going to ask you a very simple question, Tanaiste, and its one that you personally gave.

We are now over four years since the general election. You personally gave a commitment to the electorate that if elected, you would deliver 50,000 affordable homes to purchase at prices less than 250,000 euro.

My question, and Im sure many people are scratching their heads asking the same question, where are those homes today?

Because nobody can find them anywhere. Theyre not in Cork. Theyre not in Donegal. Theyre not in Dublin.

Mr Martin defended the Governments housing policies, saying that around 18,000 new homes commenced in April this year.

He claimed this was 600% more than last year.

In the first four months of 2024, there were over 30,000 houses commenced, he said.

There is momentum in terms of house construction in this country.

Mr Martin went on to compare Mr Doherty to a Jekyll and Hyde.

You told Davy stockbrokers that you would support the Future Ireland Fund and you voted against it in the Dail yesterday.

Its the classic you know, youre Dr Jekyll to Davy stockbrokers but youre Mr Hyde when it comes into the Dail.

I know which personality I believe in. But I would ask what should the Irish people believe when it relates to Sinn Fein and housing policy?
One small step for Loreto Kilkenny, one giant leap for Surabhi! Surabhi Gunjur Sathish, a sixth year student at the local school has been accepted into the prestigious European Space Camp.

This camp will take place in August at Andya Space, located on an island in northern Norway.

Each year, the European Space Camp selects only 24 participants aged 17-20 from around the world through a rigorous two-round selection process. Surabhi's journey to this achievement included creating an innovative video presentation for the first round and tackling a series of short questions and a technical challenge in the second round. For the technical challenge, Surabhi impressively constructed a model spaceship using just three sheets of papera testament to her ingenuity and skill.



Surabhi's acceptance into the camp is the latest milestone in her remarkable journey of scientific accomplishments, which includes a BT Young Scientist award and receiving accolades at SciFest. Her proactive approach to seeking out challenges to enhance her future career in science is truly inspiring. Surabhi's achievements stem from her relentless hard work, motivation, and consistency.

The European Space Camp offers a unique blend of hands-on learning and enrichment activities. During the week-long camp, participants will manage various aspects of a real rocket campaign, including the actual launch. The program also includes insightful lectures from leading European scientists and engineers on topics such as rocket physics and the northern lights.



Besides the intensive group work and educational lectures, the camp also organises a variety of social activities. These include hiking to the ALOMAR research station, swimming under the midnight sun, and enjoying volleyball and a GPS challenge in the scenic environment of Andya Space.

The school community is immensely proud of Surabhi for her hard work and dedication, which have undoubtedly contributed to her selection for this highly competitive programme. Her journey is a shining example to all students as to where passion and perseverance can lead. Keep reaching for the stars, Surabhi!
Kilkenny Youthreach took home an award at this year's B!G Idea creative thinking skills competition.

The Kilkenny winners were one of six teams of innovative students from across the country who were celebrated at The B!G Idea Showcase event, hosted by Brendan Courtney in Mastercard HQ, Leopardstown on Friday afternoon last. TY students from St. Leos College Carlow; Castletroy College Limerick; Mercy Secondary School Ballymahon, Longford and St Brendan's Community School, Birr, Co. Offaly were also announced as winners of Irelands national creative thinking skills programme for the inspired solutions to global problems they developed while learning creative thinking skills.

Team Motherboard from Kilkenny Youth Reach won the AI for Humanity category with their transformative app designed to empower young people to manage their finances wisely. Leveraging advanced AI to analyse individual spending patterns, the app delivers tailored recommendations for savings by pinpointing the most economical local sources for frequently purchased items. Users can upload their shopping lists, and the app efficiently locates the cheapest options at nearby stores, seamlessly combining technology with practical financial education.

John Rawl, Director Of Sales, Nostra, who sponsored the award, said, The AI for Humanity category award this year is presented to a groundbreaking project that features transformative technology designed to empower young people to manage their finances effectively. This tool not only facilitates immediate financial savings but also instils long-term budgeting skills, making it an idea that can have both a short- and long-term impact on its users. Congratulations to Team Motherboard and their wonderful teacher Deirdre Cotterell, who were supported by fantastic mentors including Richie Hartnett from MTU and Oleksandra Poshtarenko from EPAM.

Kim Mackenzie-Doyle, founder & CEO, The B!G Idea said, Creative thinking is the top skill required by 2025, as identified by the World Economic Forum, LinkedIn and Forbes. Through The B!G Idea edtech platform we give young people the skills they need to access their own creativity and to nurture their own problem solving capabilities. And just look at what they are capable of! Our 2024 B!G Idea winners have demonstrated the inspiring ingenuity of the next generation and what can be achieved when we share skills and experience across academia and industry. Huge congratulations to all our winners as well as to their teachers for trusting in The B!G Idea and to our very special partners and mentors who are passionate about supporting the younger generations future.

Team Gem Solutions from St Brendan's Community School, Birr, were announced as the overall winners of this year's B!G Idea creative thinking skills competition. They designed a Healthy Gems app explicitly for students living away from home, offering affordable and nutritious meal plans alongside subsidised food packages delivered directly to the users college campus.

Other winners included The Change Agents, from Castletroy College, Limerick were announced as winners of the Cost-of-Living category. Team Miraculous from Mercy Secondary School, Ballymahon, Co. Longford won this year's Diversity and Inclusion category. Team Sunny Sonics and Team Mind Matters both from St Leos College in Carlow who won the Climate Change and Mental Health categories respectively.

Teachers who showed outstanding support to their students participating in The B!G Idea programme and competition were recognised as Creativity Champions at the showcase. Teacher Siobhan Quinn from St Joseph's Grammar School, Donaghmore, Co. Tyrone; Transition Year Teacher Martina Murphy from Castletroy College in Limerick; Leaving Cert Applied teacher Kevin Byrne from Scoil Bernadette, Montenotte, Co. Cork and Youth Reach teachers Paula Delaney and Pauline Murphy from Tullamore Community Training Centre were all celebrated during the event.

A unique initiative, The B!G Idea complements Irelands education system by offering diverse and creative learning experiences that engage every students unique way of thinking. Through inquiry-based learning and real-world collaborative projects, guided by mentors from various business and industry sectors, The B!G Idea bridges the gap between education, industry, and society, equipping students with skills they need to reach their full potential and thrive in life and work.

Thanks to support from the Department of Education and Creative Ireland as well as key industry partners - Mercury Engineering, Autodesk, Linesight, RIAI, Mastercard, Nostra, UCC, PA Consulting and MTU - the programme is completely free for schools and students. Teachers can register their class or group of students online at https://teachers.thebigidea.ie/ until June 15 for the programme beginning in September 2024.
The JNS reports:

More than half (57.5%) of Muslim American respondents to a new survey agreed that Hamas was at least somewhat justified in attacking Israel as part of their struggle for a Palestinian state.

And in Egypt, views of Hamas went from 23% positive in 2020 to 75% positive in late 2023. 94% of Egyptians do not believe Hamas killed any civilians on 7 October and 86% disagree that Hamas should stop seeking Israels destruction.

And in the UK, 45% of UK Muslims back Hamas and only 25% believe they murdered people on 7 October.

Only 16% of Saudi want Hamas to drop its aim to destroy Israel.

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The Post reports:

Te Papa has not yet decided whether to cancel an event described as hostile to trans people, but the organiser believes the event is going ahead.

The group, Inflection Point NZ, is holding an event on Saturday at Wellingtons Takina conference centre that its describing as a summit to stop the Government gender indoctrination and medicalisation of our children.

After a meeting with Takina manager Andrew Dorrington this afternoon, event organiser Rhys Williams said he was very confident the event would be going ahead.

The group would 100% have taken Takina to court if the event was called off. And I think Takina took that on board, Williams said.

A spokesperson for Te Papa, which runs Takina bookings, said nothing had changed since the meeting and cancellation was still possible.

We are aware a protest is planned against the event, because of concerns that its content and speakers are hostile to trans people.

We are actively monitoring the situation and reviewing the health and safety and security arrangements to assess whether the event can occur safely.

Jonathan Ayling, the leader of the Free Speech Union, said he had attended this afternoons meeting to remind Takina of their duties under the law. We have received a commitment from them that the event will proceed.

Inflection Point NZ describes itself as a group for middle NZ that has become the oppressed majority. It sees itself as countering radical progressivism, amplifying the voice, principles and liberty at NZs core.

Speakers include Brian Tamaki, whose Destiny Church members painted over rainbow crossings in Auckland and Gisborne, as well as Bob McCroskie from Family First, journalist Jennifer Bilek and Ro Edge from Save Womens Sport Australasia.

Wellington City councillor Nikau Wi Neera became aware of the booking on Monday for the council-owned Takina centre and posted on social media that he had spent the day trying to shut it down if we possibly can.
Benin : Bras de fer entre Niamey et Cotonou, l'ex President Soglo s'invite dans le debat et propose une mediation

2851 Vues 0 Commentaire(s) Il y a 4 mois

 Koaci.com - mercredi 15 mai 2024 - 20:38 Nicephore Soglo

L'ancien president beninois, Nicephore Soglo s'est invite dans le debat autour du bras de fer entre les autorites beninoises et nigerienne.

Dans une recente interview, l'ex-President beninois s'est prononce sur la crise entre le Benin et son voisin, du Niger.

Dans ce conflit, il a demande aux autorites beninoises de faire preuve de retenue face a ce partenaire economique important, allant jusqu'a suggerer une mediation pour le resoudre.

Pour M.Soglo, la decision du gouvernement beninois de suspendre le chargement du petrole nigerien achemine des champs petroliers dAgadem, dans lest du Niger, jusqua la plate-forme cotiere de Seme-Podji, dans le sud du Benin, via un oleoduc de 2 000 km flambant neuf est comme se mettre une balle dans le pied , soulignant l'importance economique de cette relation pour le Benin.



 Nous avons un differend existentiel avec un pays frere qui s'appelle le Niger. Si les gens font un coup d'Etat, ils sont les seuls juges de leur situation. Le Niger considere que le fait qu'ayant estime que la France est devenue son ennemie au meme titre que les Etats-Unis d'Amerique, toi si tu es son voisin et que tu veux avoir d'excellentes relations avec elle, ou tu te tais ou tu adoptes son point de vue. C'est exactement le contraire qui a ete fait d'ou la colere et la fureur des nigeriens. Les generaux de la-bas ont pris la decision de dire au francais et aux Americains, vous n'etes plus nos amis, prenez la porte. C'est a ce moment-la que toi tu vas devenir l'ami de ces gens-la ?  a-t-il affirme.

Nicephore Soglo recommande une mediation avec des intermediaires amis des deux pays et affirme appartenir avec lancien president nigerian Obasanjo a un forum danciens chefs dEta.

Pour rappel, Cotonou a interdit le 6 mai les tankers dans les eaux de son pays destines a embarquer le petrole nigerien alors que les frontieres restent toujours fermees cote Niger malgre la levee des sanctions economiques imposees par la CEDEAO.



Face a ce bras de fer, Soglo est convaincu que le grand perdant peut etre le Benin, car le Niger pourrait facilement se tourner vers d'autres ports comme ceux du Ghana ou du Togo pour ses exportations.

Depuis le renversement de lancien President, Mohamed Bazoum, le 26 juillet 2023, par le General Abdourahamane Tiani, les relations entre les deux pays se sont fortement degradees.

Les autorites nigeriennes accusent le Benin d'abriter des mercenaires et des bases militaires pour destabiliser le Niger.


By Lee Hae-rin

Koreas human rights advocacy groups and the national human rights watchdog have urged the government to reconsider its plan to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and reinforce gender equality, citing the country's recent trend of gender equality regressing once more.

The government should immediately withdraw its plan to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and significantly reinforce the ministrys budget, organizations and powers to enable the countrys ministerial body for gender equality to function effectively, the Korea Womens Associations United (KWAU), one of the civil society organizations voicing concerns and recommendations to the Korean government during the U.N. session, said in a statement, Thursday.

The remarks came from the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) on South Korea took place in Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday (local time).

Adopted in 1979 by the U.N. General Assembly, CEDAW is an international legal instrument that requires member states to eliminate discrimination against women and promote gender equality.

Korea ratified the CEDAW in December 1984 and submits its gender equality policy progress every four years to the U.N.

The Korean delegation was headed by Kim Ki-nam, assistant minister of the Planning and Coordination Office at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and consisted of members from the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

We are witnessing signs of weakening national gender equality policy after the current administration announced its plan to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. For this year, the national gender equality budget has been drastically reduced, the National Human Rights Commissioner said in a statement during the CEDAW session.

The commissioner highlighted that the term women has been removed from various gender policies while the minister post continues to remain vacant since the resignation of former minister Kim Hyun-sook, last year.

Thus, the ministry should not be abolished but further strengthened as a ministry dedicated to gender equality, according to the national human rights watchdog.

In response, the Korean government said it is restructuring ministerial bodies so as to assuage possible gender conflicts more effectively.

Also, the delegation argued that the government promoted gender equality by installing divisions dedicated to gender equality in eight major ministries and establishing a new consultative body comprising gender equality policy officials.

On legislating a comprehensive anti-discrimination law, the delegation said a total of four bills were proposed by lawmakers and are now pending in the 21st National Assembly, which requires further social discussion and consensus.

According to the NHRCK, Korea lags in gender equality in several sectors. Women make up just 20 percent of the National Assembly's members in the general elections in April this year. Additionally, women are paid only 64 percent of what men earn in wages.

Also, there is no access to safe abortion services although the Constitutional Court decriminalized abortion while various forms of technology have also facilitated a rise in sexual violence here.
Angola, IN (46703)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will give way to occasional showers during the afternoon. Thunder possible. High 69F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. Low 52F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Mainly cloudy. A few peeks of sunshine possible. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 71F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Low 52F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
After initially receiving sympathy for the hate comments ILLIT was receiving, Korean netizens now suspect Wonhee was forced to delete messages by HYBE staff.

Back on May 14, 2024, ILLIT held a live stream on Weverse to celebrate 50 days since their debut. One portion of the livestream went viral, which featured Wonhee deleting and reporting hate comments while Yunah was reading positive comments the girl group was receiving.

   50             ?



    .          ?



07 18...     . pic.twitter.com/y4Sb4187xJ  close (@UMGUNGMI) May 14, 2024

Wonhee also went viral for her surprised reaction to a positive comment from fans.

       ...........                 https://t.co/s0NNmfGYiV pic.twitter.com/zBA8fZHAxs    (@2beinjeans) May 14, 2024

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Fans Concerned After ILLIT Wonhee Seen Reporting Comments During Group Livestream

While Wonhee initially garnered pity from Korean netizens, people now believe the idol was forced to act sad and report comments by staff.

On May 15, 2024, a post titled "I hope ILLIT Wonhee wasn't acting" was posted to the popular South Korean online community forum Instiz. In the post, the original poster (OP) shared GIFs of Wonhee from the live stream.

It was noted that before Wonhee had the phone, she was seen happy and interacting with the members. Soon, staff members garnered her attention, and her eyes started darting from side to side. As the staff member slid the phone towards her, Wonhee was seen thanking them, looking nervous.

YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN: WATCH: Footage of ILLIT Lip-Syncing Resurfaces: 'This Is Disappointing'

She then placed the phone in front of her, her eyes moving around rapidly as she did so. Her focus then shifted to the phone, and she started deleting and reporting comments.

In the comment section, Korean netizens wondered if Wonhee was acting due to the demands of HYBE Labels. They claimed it looked like Wonhee was forced to look at hate comments and delete them, which also meant HYBE was using Wonhee as media play and as a shield.

Many expressed their pity for Wonhee if it is true that HYBE made her report comments. They slammed the company for their actions and wondered why they would do such a thing.

Some comments read,

"Wonhee was moving her eyes so fast..."

"Looks like they forced the baby to do it..."

"I used to think that people who claimed she was acting was reaching, but seeing this, it really looks weird."

"Does HYBE take us as fools?"

"I knew this was forced virality the moment I saw this trending."

"Wow... This is disgusting."

"Using their artists as shields again, I see. They really don't think about their artists at all and just use them."

"Wow, just how stupid do they think people are to orchestrate this... Do they think they won't get caught? This is seriously embarrassing."

"Wow, so it was fake?"

"If they really made Wonhee do this... I pity the baby. That company is just evil."

What do you think of the situation? Tell us in the comments below!

CHECK THIS OUT: Did ILLIT 'Copy' NewJeans 'Ditto' Outfits? K-Netz Discuss

KpopStarz Owns This

Written by Alexa Lopez
The past few weeks saw repeated ill-intentioned comments from some U.S. officials to challenge the authority of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday, noting that those comments distort the facts and history, tread on international law and the basic norms of international relations, and breach the U.S. own commitment.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a daily press briefing in response to a relevant query that Taiwan has been part of China since ancient times. This is a historical fact; it is also the international consensus. The 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation clearly stipulated that Taiwan, a Chinese territory stolen by Japan, shall be restored to China. These documents with international legal effect formed an integral part of the post-WWII international order and also affirmed Taiwan's status as China's inalienable territory from a legal perspective.

He noted that on October 25, 1971, the 26th session of the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 with an overwhelming majority. The Resolution resolved once and for all the question of the representation of the whole of China, including Taiwan, in the United Nations as a political, legal and procedural issue.

It made clear that there is only one China in the world and that Taiwan is a part of China, not a country. It also made clear that there is only one seat of China in the United Nations, and the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal representative, precluding "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan," Wang said.

The United States is a signatory to the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, the spokesperson noted that in the three China-U.S. joint communiques, the U.S. side clearly states that "the government of the United States of America recognizes China's position that there is only one China and Taiwan is part of China." U.S. leaders have, on multiple occasions, reaffirmed the commitment of not supporting "Taiwan independence," "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan."

However, the U.S. is now publicly questioning and misinterpreting UNGA Resolution 2758, fudging and hollowing out the one-China principle, and trumpeting for the participation of Taiwan in the UN system which requires sovereign statehood. The spokesperson said what the U.S. is doing violates its own commitment and aims to turn back the wheel of history.

Wang stressed that the U.S. distortion and slander of UNGA Resolution 2758 is reminiscent of the U.S. recent claim that UNSC Resolution 2728 demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza is "non-binding." Both cases reflect the U.S. selective approach to international law and the basic norms of international relations, and U.S. bullying and double standards.

However, gone are the days when hegemony and power politics dominated international relations. Any country, including the U.S., that tries to challenge the UNGA Resolution and the one-China principle will only find it futile, Wang said, noting that fifty-three years ago, before UNGA Resolution 2758 was adopted with an overwhelming majority, the U.S. came up with the so-called "dual representation" proposal in an attempt to create "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan" which was discarded. Today, any U.S. attempt to go against the trend of the times, play the "Taiwan card" and use Taiwan to contain China will only end up in greater failure.

Zarazeno ct 16.05.2024 04:05:54 Vydano Zdroj scio.gov.cn Original english.scio.gov.cn/pressroom/2024-05/16/content_117191930.htm lang en
On 15 May Argentinas federation of LGBT+ organisations (FALGBT) participated in a meeting with national deputies to express concern over the killing of three lesbian women in Buenos Aires on 6 May and demand public policies for the LGBTQI+ community.

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Almost two months after a cargo ship rammed into a bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, a barge has now rammed a different bridge, this time in Galveston, Texas. However, the collision only resulted in a partial collapse, but it triggered evacuations just in case.

The bridge that was hit was the Pelican Island Causeway, which connects the island to the rest of Texas. The collision has caused not only the bridge but also the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to shut down.

The Galveston County Sheriff's Office announced that the barge had already caused an oil spill in the bay. Galveston Judge Mark Henry stated that the spill was heading into the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, which led to the US Coast Guard shutting it down.

The waterway's closure has become a major setback for maritime commercial traffic along the Texas coast, according to ABC-13. It has also affected the residents of Pelican Island, as the Pelican Island Causeway is the only way in and out of the island through land.

For now, Galveston officials are allowing drivers to pass the bridge one by one, with drivers being told to maintain a distance of 20 feet apart. Meanwhile, Harborside Drive is still open to east-west traffic, but the way north to Pelican Island from 51st and Harborside will remain closed, with police blocking off the area to create a detour.

Texas Bridge Collision Happened After Barge Lost Control Due To Strong Currents

Much like the Baltimore bridge collapse, this incident in Texas was caused by a ship losing control and crashing into the bridge due to the strong currents in the bay. There were actually two barges that lost control in the incident, but only one hit the bridge. That same barge also hit two telephone poles.

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The incident happened around 9:50 AM on Wednesday morning as a tugboat backing out of Texas International Terminals lost control of the two barges it was pushing, according to Galveston County Navigation District bridge superintendent David Flores.

"The current was very bad, and the tide was high. He lost it," Flores told the Associated Press. Those two barges were filled with fuel, and crews are currently working to contain the oil spill.

One man was reportedly knocked off the vessel but was quickly recovered.

Crew of Ship That Caused Baltimore Bridge Collapse Still Trapped

The Dali, the ship that collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, meanwhile, had pieces of the bridge lodged into it removed via a controlled explosion. However, that same debris had already trapped the Dali's crew inside the ship for seven weeks.

According to the BBC, 21 men are still trapped aboard and cut off from the rest of the world. It is still unclear when they will be able to leave as crews continue to remove the rubble from the bridge off the Dali.

READ MORE: Florida Collision Between Truck, Bus Carrying Latino Farm Workers Kills 8, Injures 40

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WATCH: Raw video: Pelican Island Causeway closed in both directions due to barge hitting the bridge - KHOU 11
Venezuela has intensified its military presence near the border with Guyana, heightening tensions and raising concerns about potential conflict escalation.

Despite previous pledges to ease tensions, the Venezuelan regime, led by President Nicolas Maduro, has bolstered its military infrastructure and hardware deployment along the border.

This move comes amid Maduro's declining popularity ahead of the upcoming presidential election in July, Miami Herald reports.

Analyzed satellite images by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) indicate significant increases in personnel and equipment near the disputed Venezuela-Guyana border.

Notably, the Venezuela army has expanded its base on Anacoco Island, situated close to the border.

The expansion includes the construction of a bridge across the Cuyuni River, enhancing access to the island.

Furthermore, the airfield on Anacoco Island has been expanded, and additional military assets have been deployed, including tanks and field tents capable of accommodating hundreds of personnel.

READ NEXT: Guyana Confirms 2 US Jets Over Capital; Venezuela Condemns 'Provocation'

Naval Deployment and Coast Guard Activity

In addition to land-based military buildup, Venezuela has increased naval activity along its northern coast, particularly near the town of Guiria.

Iranian-built fast missile boats are stationed at Venezuela's coast guard station, posing a potential threat to Guyana-administered territories.

This militarization of the coast places naval forces in proximity to the disputed Essequibo region, according to CNN.

The escalating tensions have raised concerns among neighboring countries and international partners.

The United States recently demonstrated its support for Guyana by conducting a flyover with F/A-18 fighter jets over the capital, Georgetown.

However, Guyana faces significant challenges in defending itself against potential Venezuelan aggression due to its limited military capabilities.

Maduro's Motivations

The timing of Venezuela army escalation coincides with the upcoming presidential election, where Maduro faces strong opposition.

Some speculate that Maduro seeks to divert attention from domestic issues, including economic hardships and mass emigration, by ramping up tensions with Guyana.

Recent polls show Maduro trailing opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez by more than 40 points, with Gonzalez leading 62% to 20%.

Given the margin, some international observers believe it may be too large for Maduro to manipulate through electoral fraud.

CSIS warns that Maduro's aggressive rhetoric and actions regarding the Essequibo region could exacerbate regional instability, especially if the election results are disputed.

Venezuela army increased presence near the Guyana border raises concerns about the potential for conflict escalation in the region, Hasting Tribune noted.

Despite international efforts to de-escalate tensions, Maduro's regime continues to assert its claim over the disputed territory.

Amid the ongoing political unrest, Maduro has escalated his rhetoric, reaffirming Venezuela's territorial claim over the Essequibo region, which has been administered by Guyana since 1899.

The upcoming presidential election adds further uncertainty to the situation, as Maduro's political future hangs in the balance.

It is yet uncertain whether diplomatic initiatives will succeed or if the area will descend into a perilous conflict.

READ MORE: Mexico: Fireworks at Protest for Missing Students Injure 26 Police Officers

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WATCH: Venezuela Orders Military Buildup on Guyana Border | Firstpost America | Subscribe to Firstpost - From FirstPost
After months of sidestepping the issue, both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden swiftly agreed to debate terms on Wednesday, marking a potential collision course for high-stakes confrontations in late June and mid-September.

Responding to Trump's open invitation for debate anytime, anywhere, Biden accepted the challenge, albeit with certain conditions outlined in a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), Politico reports.

These conditions shed light on the constraints Biden's team seeks to impose on any debate between the two candidates.

READ NEXT: Biden Ready to Debate Trump; Ex-President Prefers White House

Critical Demands of the Biden Campaign

Joe Biden's team criticized the CPD's approach of turning debates into "huge spectacles" with large audiences.

Instead, they propose conducting the debates in a television studio with only the candidates and moderators present, focusing solely on the interests of voters.

The campaign insists on a one-on-one debate, excluding third-party candidates like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who could potentially siphon Democratic votes, according to Fox News.

This limitation aims to facilitate a direct comparison between the two candidates with the highest chances of winning the Electoral College.

Joe Biden's team suggests limiting the hosting of debates to networks that aired Republican primary debates in 2016 with Donald Trump and Democratic primary debates in 2020 with Biden.

This criterion restricts the choice to CNN, ABC, CBS, or Telemundo.

To prevent excessive crosstalk and interruptions, the campaign demands that candidates' microphones be muted once their allotted speaking time expires.

This measure aims to ensure an orderly exchange of views without disruptions.

Pelosi's Cautionary Stance

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed reservations about Biden sharing the debate stage with Trump, citing concerns about Trump's past behavior.

Pelosi informed CNN's Manu Raju during their Wednesday interview, "I myself would never recommend going on stage with Donald Trump."

"But the president has decided that's what he wants to do," Pelosi stated. "I think the format he is suggesting is a good one, "she added.

She highlighted instances from previous debates where Trump's conduct was deemed unprofessional and presidential, emphasizing the need for dignity in the office.

Despite Pelosi's reservations, many Democrats welcomed Biden's decision to engage in debates with Donald Trump, viewing it as a strategic move to showcase the differences between the two candidates directly to voters.

The debate offers an opportunity for voters to assess the candidates' positions and demeanor before making their decisions.

Pelosi suggested alternative formats, such as separate town hall meetings, where candidates can engage with the public directly and address questions about the future.

This proposal aims to provide voters with a more intimate and substantive interaction with the candidates, The Hill noted.

While the Biden-Trump debate has agreed, Joe Biden's team has laid down specific conditions to govern these encounters, reflecting a strategic approach to the electoral process.

Meanwhile, Pelosi's reservations underscore broader concerns about the conduct and decorum of such debates.

READ MORE: Hunter Biden's Legal Team Requests Delay for Gun Trial; Judge Denies

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WATCH: Biden, Trump agree to presidential debate hosted by ABC News on September 10 - From ABC News
As far as the US government is concerned, Cuba is no longer a country that is "not cooperating fully" in its fight against terrorism, as the Caribbean country was recently removed from the terrorism list of the US State Department.

This was a result of the two countries resuming their law enforcement cooperation, which many see as a huge step forward in normalizing relations between the two countries. The State Department stated that the previous designation was deemed "no longer appropriate" because of this cooperation.

"The department determined that the circumstances for Cuba's certification as a 'not fully cooperating country' have changed from 2022 to 2023," a US State Department official told Reuters regarding taking Cuba off the terrorism list.

This is a massive shift in the Biden administration's policies as it had previously maintained Trump-era restrictions against Cuba. It was President Donald Trump who previously designated Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism just before he disgracefully left office, essentially undoing most of his predecessor, Barack Obama's gains in re-establishing diplomatic relations with the US's Caribbean neighbor.

"This move by the Biden Administration could well be a prelude to the State Department reviewing Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism," added William LeoGrande, a professor at Washington's American University.

However, the US State Department official noted that the state sponsor designation is determined by separate statutory, telling the outlet, "Any future review of Cuba's status would be based on the law and criteria established by Congress."

Cuba Reacts to US State Department Decision To Take It Off One Terrorism List

The US State Department has confirmed that the country is now working together with Cuba on counterterrorism and other efforts. However, for that "not fully cooperating country" terrorism list, the country has kept North Korea, Syria, Iran, and Venezuela.

READ NEXT: Cuba Wildfires Threatening Popular Tourist Destination of Vinales

Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez soon released a statement on x acknowledging the decision but added that the US government could do more on the matter, per the Associated Press.

"The US has just admitted what is known to everyone: that #Cuba fully collaborates with the efforts against terrorism," tweeted the Cuban official. However, he added that "all political manipulation of the issue should cease and our arbitrary and unjust inclusion on the list of countries sponsoring terrorism should end."

Previous US Administration Tied Cuba to Terrorism and Was Criticized for It

Cuba was designated as a state sponsor of terrorism by the Trump administration in 2021. Then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed that Cuba "repeatedly providing support for acts of international terrorism in granting safe harbor to terrorists" without presenting any details.

He noted that the Trump administration was intent on "denying the Castro regime the resources it uses to oppress its people at home, and countering its malign interference in Venezuela and the rest of the Western Hemisphere."

However, this resulted in a lot of pushback from Cuba, which accused the Trump administration of Hypocrisy. Democrats also slammed Cuba, with politicians pointing out that there was no evidence of such activities from the Caribbean country.

READ MORE: Will Smith, National Geographic Help Discover New Giant Anaconda Species

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WATCH: Cubans Hail Removal From US Terrorism List - Associated Press
Award-winning Guatemalan journalist Jose Ruben Zamora, a prominent critic of former President Alejandro Giammattei, is finally a free man after two years of imprisonment. A judge ordered his release on Wednesday but was forced to pay a bond worth about $4,800. His release was conditional.

The move was lauded by press freedom critics, as well as human rights groups, with Zamora stating during the hearing where he was ordered to be released, "During my entire life I have been the victim of attacks, abductions, aggressions for the work that I do."

"It is the least I can do," former Guatemala Human Rights Ombudsman stated. He was the one who guaranteed that Zamora would not flee and appear in future proceedings.

"I know him and I know that he will continue facing the process against him," Duque added.

The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights group released a statement regarding Zamora's release, stating that this represented "a positive first step in the series of legal proceedings unjustly linked to the journalist." Zamora was then called "a beacon of courage and journalistic ethics for over 30 years."

However, the Daily Beast pointed out that while Zamora was ordered to be released, this did not immediately happen as he still has two other cases against him.

Guatemala Journalist Jose Ruben Zamora Was Arrested for Alleged Tax Evasion

Zamora is the founder of El Periodico newspaper and he was in prison for two years now. He was previously sentenced to six years in prison last June over alleged money laundering. In his release ruling, the judge found that there was no longer justification to keep him in jail and noted that he was not a flight risk, nor was he a threat to the investigation.

READ MORE: Mexico and Guatemala Rocked by Multiple Earthquakes

According to the Associated Press, he was accused of money laundering after he asked a friend to deposit a $38,000 donation to keep the newspaper running instead of depositing the money. Zamora argued that he did this because that donor did not want to be identified supporting an outlet that then-President Giammattei had been targeting over the constant criticisms against his government.

Critics of the former administration, including press freedom and human rights groups, have decried the case against the award-winning Guatemalan journalist, saying his imprisonment was politically motivated.

Press Freedom Group Says Case of Guatemala Journalist Jose Ruben Zamora Had Many Irregularities

One of the loudest groups that called for the release of Jose Ruben Zamora was the Committee to Protect Journalists, which released a statement after the court hearing that led to the journalist being ordered to be set free.

"We urge Guatemala's judiciary to grant house arrest to Jose Ruben Zamora after nearly two years in solitary confinement and to give him the chance to prove his innocence in court," said the group in a statement. "His ongoing imprisonment amounts to arbitrary detention and demands immediate action. Zamora must have the right to a fair trial and to practice journalism freely."

The group added that there have been "documented severe irregularities" in the trial as there were "repeated delays in court proceedings, limited access to evidence, and challenges in maintaining legal representation as his lawyers have been harassed and jailed."

READ MORE: Guatemala President Bernardo Arevalo: US Needs To Invest More to Deter Immigration

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WATCH: "Doing Journalism Is a Crime": Guatemalan Publisher Jose Ruben Zamora Faces 40 Years Behind Bars - Democracy Now!
Chipotles latest openings have arrived in New Jersey.

The fast-casual Mexican chain opened their doors at 1341 Route 22 in the Phillipsburg area on Tuesday, April 30 and 3109 Route 38 in Mt. Laurel on Tuesday, May 14.
A 65-year-old former Slate Belt man has been charged with felony homicide in a decades-old Lehigh County cold case, authorities announced.

Michael J. Breisch was arrested this week in Ohio and extradited back to Pennsylvania after new DNA technology connected him to the alleged 1989 crime, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said. Breisch had been living in Wind Gap until recently moving to Ohio, the district attorney said.

Aside from criminal homicide, Breisch is charged with felony burglary, felony robbery and felony aggravated Assault. The Lehigh County District Attorneys Office and Pennsylvania State Police announced the charges in a news conference held Thursday morning in Allentown. Pamela Lehman, a spokeswoman for the DAs Office, told lehighvalleylive.com the affidavit of probable cause has been sealed to protect the integrity of the investigation. There is no attorney information yet listed for Breisch and Lehman was not aware of counsel being assigned to him.

The victim, 78-year-old Rose Josephine Hnath, on Jan. 21, 1989 was stabbed and bludgeoned at her home in the 2600 block of 2nd Street in North Whitehall, along the banks of the Lehigh River, authorities said. Hnath was a widow, living alone, and was found by family members deceased when she failed to appear for a church service she regularly attended, authorities said.

The family also found the home had been ransacked, authorities said. There was no indication Hnath knew Breisch, then 31, and evidence shows she attempted repeatedly to ward off the attacks, Holihan said. Breisch at the time of the killing was living in the Allentown area in a community corrections facility, the DA said.

Hnath died of multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma and her death was ruled a homicide by the Lehigh County Coroners Office. Investigators believe Breisch acted alone in the alleged homicide. Holihan said.

Hnaths family has since been been notified of Breischs arrest.

Authorities said investigators at the time were able to seize items from the home and across the street, including a knife and pellet gun, that have been placed into evidence for over three decades. Evidence since then has been reviewed and re-tested as forensic science and technology advanced.

Ultimately, the efforts taken to preserve the evidence were rewarded when investigative techniques unavailable in the 20th century helped lead us to the defendant, Michael Breisch, and allowed us to make this arrest in 2024, Holihan said at the news conference.

Additionally, the DA credited the cooperation of the community and hard work by law enforcement in helping to crack the case. A now Lehigh County detective at Thursdays news conference also was present at the initial homicide scene as a state trooper in 1989. Three former Lehigh County district attorneys also spanned the case, including District Attorney William H. Platt, who served from 1976-1991 and at the time of Hnaths killing; District Attorney Robert L. Steinberg, who served from 1991-1998; and District Attorney Jim Martin, from 1998-2023.

Holihan said the case really got a boost during Martins tenure when the Lehigh County District Attorneys Office became apprised to new technology and took advantage of it.

The reality is you are looking at cases that the detectives dont forget about and you dont get a free pass on murder, Holihan said. The cases stay around, the detectives memory stays around, and the case files stay around. Its not lost on our current office that these are families that have lost someone. It doesnt matter how long ago it was; that theyre still going to stay on the case. When things change, like science and technology, Im sure were going to follow up with it ...

Were at the end of a long investigation in that although it went cold, it was never forgotten, it was never put aside, Holihan went on to say. But its also a reminder to investigators with the state police and with other agencies that we have no idea what the technology is going to be 20 years from now or 30 years from now so when the evidence that gets collected today. Its important to do it right, to collect it appropriately, to maintain it and to preserve it because we dont know whats going to be of value. Just like 35 years ago the investigators who did their job ... didnt know that the pieces they collected was somehow able to be able to be tested for touch DNA. It didnt exist back then but they did their job, they did it well and it was preserved, and it was maintained and it could be utilized today.

Breisch currently is being held at the Lehigh County jail without bail, Holihan said. He is tentatively due back in court at 1:45 p.m. May 21 for a preliminary hearing to determine if theres sufficient evidence to send the new charges toward trial in the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas.

The case was investigated by Pennsylvania State Police troopers Jared Christman and Zachary McCornac and Lehigh County detectives Robert Egan and Joseph Vazquez. Also assisting with the investigation are the Pennsylvania State Polices Crime Laboratory; the Ohio Attorney Generals Bureau of Criminal Investigation; and Coshocton County, Ohio Prosecutors and Sheriff Offices. The case will be prosecuted by Lehigh County First Assistant District Attorney Eric K. Dowdle.

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
A renewed push is afoot to close loopholes in Pennsylvanias Clean Indoor Air Act that would end smoking in casinos  one of the last places smokers can light up inside.

The legislation, House Bill 1657, is sponsored by House Health Committee Chairman Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny. It is positioned for action by the full House, but efforts are still being made to try to address concerns raised by opponents.

Frankel said in a news conference last week that casinos are the biggest obstacle to the stiffer smoking ban. He said they declined to provide input at the November hearing when the health committee vetted the legislation that seeks to address the health effects of secondhand smoke.

While it was a great advancement, it begs the issue of whether these exceptions that some people ought to be the beneficiaries of clean indoor air and some people arent, Frankel said. Its not fair. Its not right. And its not good for the health of Pennsylvanians.

Attempts to get a response from representatives of the casino industry were unsuccessful.

The current law allows up to 50% of the gaming floor in casinos to be designated for smoking, although Parx Casino has a complete indoor smoking ban at its facilities in Pennsylvania.

Jen Rubolino, a founding member of Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects who uses an inhaler, told the health committee at a September hearing that even though she works in the non-smoking section of a casino, it doesnt eliminate her exposure to secondhand smoke.

At that hearing, Frankel referenced a 2009 National Institutes of Health study of secondhand smoke in Pennsylvania casinos that came out after the enactment of the indoor smoking law. It concluded that secondhand smoke would cause an estimated six out of 10,000 casino workers to die of heart disease and lung cancer annually.

Sens. Jay Costa, D-Allegheny County, has introduced legislation that also seeks to ban smoking inside casinos and other places where it is still permitted. Sen. Wayne Fontana, also an Allegheny County Democrat, has offered a bill that seeks a middle ground that allows casinos to decide whether to be smoke-free or not.

If the expansion became law, Pennsylvania would join nine other states that ban all smoking inside their casinos, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The other states are Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, South Dakota, and Washington. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands also require their casinos to be smoke-free.

When the House Health Committee voted in November to advance Frankels legislation, none of the amendments offered dealt with casinos. The one change to his bill, approved on a party-line vote with all Republicans opposing, had to do with further restrictions on allowing smoking in private clubs that currently leave that decision up to their membership.

The bill would require clubs that want to allow smoking to have a fully enclosed smoking lounge with a full exhaust system and other features to contain and filter smoke.

Rep. Kathy Rapp, R-Crawford County, said at that meeting that such an air filtration system would be too costly for some clubs. In particular, she was concerned about the impact it would have on veterans organizations.

Im making a statement for the freedom of our veterans clubs especially and older private clubs who cant afford the luxury of filtration systems like ritzy elite clubs in the cities, Rapp said. This isnt about cigarettes to me. Its about the freedom for our veterans and private clubs.

Frankel said when the 2008 law was passed, the VFW was insistent about being excluded from the smoking ban but in talking with a representative of that organization more recently, the concerns they have are really for the veterans themselves and their health and welfare.

He said its encouraging to see the decline in the use of tobacco products in this state. While Frankel takes to heart the comments Rapp made about veterans, he said his bill is more about the health benefits that can accrue to all citizens of Pennsylvania by an expanded indoor smoking ban.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on X at @JanMurphy.
Laois Gardai have made a special appeal to drivers in the county to check their tyres to mark Tyre Safety Day on Thursday, May 16.



Sergeant Mick O'Connell, Laois Roads Policing Unit is reminding motorists that by law, its every drivers responsibility to ensure that their vehicles tyres are safe and that all are a minimum 1.6mm in depth. READ MORE BELOW VIDEO



"The tyres are the only part of your vehicle in contact with the road and so your safety and the safety of others depends on their condition," said Gardai.



"Thousands of these nifty tyre tread depth gauges have been issued to Gardai this week, and they will be using them to check your tyres at a checkpoint during Tyre Safety Day. You can check their depth by running a 1 coin along the centre of the wheel. If the gold is not visible, youre good to go! If you do decide to drive with damaged or worn tyres you risk prosecution and could be fined up to 5,000, receive a three-month prison sentence or both. Youll also get five penalty points on conviction."
Bord na Mona is being urged to meet a Portlaoise group of residents who have bright ideas on how to repurpose old train tracks on its vast disused bogs stretching across into south Laois.

Portlaoise councillors met the group and are urging the semi-state body to listen to what they suggest for the nearly 7,500 acres of bogs it owns in Portlaoise and Laois, and the intact bog railway lines.

Fianna Fail Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald is Cathaoirleach of Portlaoise Municipal District.

"Can we write to Bord na Mona again? People in the district have asked us again, we had no response to our first request.

"The group have really ambitious plans, I appeal to Bord na Mona to meet councillors and the group. The opportunities are amazing. There's so much of our history and heritage in the bog. Every young lad in Portlaoise worked there every summer. Local people want to drive this on and we support them," she said.

Cllr Willie Aird agrees.

"This is as big if not bigger than the Slieve Bloom bike tracks. It is the greatest gem we have. I saw millions of tonnes of peat taken off. What's left is something we will not get anywhere else.

"You can go to Cashel Bog, park and walk across bogs, under rail bridges the whole way back to Togher, and to Ross bog on the Ballyfin road. We have people driving to Waterford to cycle the greenway. The track is there. It has huge potential," he said.

"When you put the three together, it's one of the biggest bogs in Ireland," Cllr Fitzgerald said.

It is three months since she tabled a motion calling on the Laois County Council to contact Bord na Mona to retain all the existing narrow gauge railway track associated with the Portlaoise Cul na Mona works and turn them into a greenway.

Bord na Mona is considering uses for the Laois bogs it is no longer permitted to harvest, including renewable wind or solar energy generation.
The makers of Guinness are to invest 100 million euro in decarbonising its brewery in Dublin city centre.

Diageo said the plan will reduce water and energy consumption in the brewing process and underpins the goal to accelerate to net zero carbon emissions at St Jamess Gate.

The goal of the investment is to phase out entirely the use of fossil fuels in its direct brewing operations and reduce direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions (scope 1 and scope 2) generated by the site by more than 90%.

By 2030, the sites renewable energy strategy will combine the use of grid-supplied electrical power heat pumps, and biogas generated within a new water recovery facility. This facility will also improve water use efficiency and enable a projected reduction in the water used to brew Guinness by 30%.

At an announcement on Thursday, Irish premier Simon Harris said the plans were a green transformation that would send a strong message to the world.

I think its really good when you can see twin objectives being aligned: the importance of industry and jobs but also the importance of climate, he said.

I know this brewery has had such a long and historic association with the city and the country.

It is really good to see its priorities now aligning with national and global priorities in terms of the importance of climate action.

Mr Harris said the scale of the investment demonstrates Diageos commitment and leadership, adding: It is entirely possible to be a successful, booming, profitable business and do what is right by the planet.

Diageos global chief executive Debra Crew thanked the Irish Government for supporting the decarbonisation plan through grants from State agency Enterprise Ireland.

She said: St Jamess Gate is an historic location for an iconic brand. Were 260 years into our 9,000-year lease at St Jamess Gate and this investment will ensure that Guinness has an exciting and long-term sustainable future.

We are proud to lead the way on decarbonisation, both as a major Irish business and as an industry-leading company.

Diageos planning application for the project will be submitted to Dublin City Council later this year.
A Portlaoise group has received national recognition for the work they do to support breastfeeding mums in their community.



La Leche League Portlaoise won the 'Support Group of the Year' award at the Friends of Breastfeeding awards in Dunboyne Castle on Saturday, May 11.



The local branch of La Leche League was recognised for their Breastfeeding Beyond Infancy Group.

"This group has shown exceptional dedication to supporting breastfeeding mothers of children 9+ months, with a gentle and compassionate approach that has touched the lives of so many families. There is no other resource in Ireland that provides the support tailored to feeding the older child, as in doing so presents unique challenges. They provide breastfeeding answers to breastfeeding problems, and not just 'well it's time to wean'," said Friends of Breastfeeding.

The group's leaders Heather, Jenna and Emer gratefully accepted the award, with fellow Leaders and Group attendees (and their little ones) cheering them on. CONTINUE READING BELOW PHOTO

" A big Thank You goes to Friends of Breastfeeding for organising such a wonderful celebration of breastfeeding in Ireland and also the mothers who attend our Nursing Beyond Infancy group who nominated LLL Portlaoise for this award," said La Leche League of Ireland.

"Keep up the wonderful work you do! We really appreciate it!"

The La Leche League of Ireland is a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting mothers who want to breastfeed or provide their infants with human milk.

La Leche League Portlaoise's main meeting is the first Tuesday each month in Treo Nua Portlaoise Resource Centre. The group also runs a Coffee Morning on the third Tuesday most months, does one-to-one phone help and provides researched information on breastfeeding.
A man charged in connection with a fatal stabbing in County Kildare last weekend has appeared in court again.

Valeriu Melnic, 23, whose address was given as Calliaghstown Lower, Rathcoole, County Dublin, faces an allegation of murdering Ion Daghi, on May 12 at 7 The Close, Sallins Park.

He appeared by videolink at Naas District Court today.

He appeared by videolink and the proceedings were translated for him by a Russian language interpreter.

The defendant indicated through the interpreter that he had not yet seen a psychologist. At the initial hearing, the court granted a request for psychological report.

Also present for the brief hearing were the accused sister and mother.

The defendant is the brother in law of the deceased.

Sgt Dave Hanrahan told the court that he did not have directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Detective Garda Enda Coleman told the court that the investigation is moving fast.

He added he was seeking a remand for two weeks.

Judge Desmond Zaidan said that while there is meaningful progress in the case, he did not expect the book to be ready in two weeks.

The judge also sympathised with the two women, saying that a life had been lost and this issue would be decided by a jury.

He adjourned the case to May 23.
An IT worker who has been jailed for three separate offences of possessing child sexual abuse material told gardai that he didn't know how the material ended up on his digital devices.

Gardai first searched the family home of Oisin Cannon (33) at Orlagh Meadows, Knocklyon, Dublin in 2017, where they found a mobile phone, tablet and laptop containing over 1,000 images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Cannon refused to accept responsibility for any CSAM and took a trial date but gardai again searched his home in May 2019 and September 2020, when further offending files were found on some of his devices.

At a sitting of Dublin Circuit Criminal Court this Wednesday, the court heard that Cannon told gardai he had no interest in child pornography.

Cannon said he had been browsing online one day when 20 or so pop-up windows containing CSAM were displayed to him, but that he had closed them and hadn't saved any.

He also suggested variously that other members of his household may have had access to the material, or that it could have been caused by viruses, or that some apps used to download illicit material may have been installed remotely by third parties.

I'm sick to my stomach but what else do you want me to do. I'll look into it and see if I can figure it out, Cannon told gardai.

He denied having at any stage accessed or stored explicit material or having used search terms such as underage erotic to trawl the dark web and said if he had been aware of any such material, he would have reported it to gardai.

Cannon was due to face trial in 2025 but he pleaded guilty earlier this year to possession of child pornography on all three bills.

Judge Martin Nolan handed him a global sentence of three years and nine months, expressing the hope that Cannon might learn from his experience.

Judge Nolan said it was an open question as to whether Cannon might reoffend, adding that it was concerning that he had reoffended a number of times.

I consider his behaviour to be very serious. He repeated it and that demonstrates something. It's hard to know why he did it, said the judge, adding that obviously accessing CSAM was not a victimless crime.

Judge Nolan said Cannon had a strong work record and came from a very good and decent family.

Detective Sergeant Kevin Drennan told John Berry BL, prosecuting, that the first search of Cannon's home took place on August 5, 2017, on foot of confidential information given to gardai.

Cannon's HP laptop was seized and upon analysis, found to contain 1,011 unique images of CSAM, of which 860 were listed as being Category 1, the more serious sexually explicit material.

The laptop also contained 102 videos with a total running time of over 31 hours.

65 of the videos were listed as Category 1. The majority of the videos featured children clearly younger than 12 years old, while some of them featured children as young as two or three.

Cannon's mobile phone was found to contain 22 images, with a mix of Category 1 and 2, while his tablet contained eight images, again of mixed category.

Gardai also discovered that Cannon had used software known as a TOR browser, which allows for internet searching without a record being kept of IP addresses.

A number of bookmarks were found on Cannon's laptop with certain extensions indicating dark web and child abuse material, and one of the bookmarks had the name underage erotic, the court heard.

Garda technical experts also reviewed Cannon's search history and found he had conducted 66 highly technical searches, directed at finding specific files.

Cannon accepted ownership of the devices and gave gardai his passcodes, but denied having deliberately viewed or stored CSAM.

He told gardai he worked in IT support and described himself as computer literate.

On foot of further information, gardai again searched Cannon's home on May 17, 2019, seizing several of his devices including an iPad.

On inspection, this iPad was found to contain 349 images, 34 videos and 118 screenshots of child sexual abuse, a mix of categories 1 and 2.

Cannon was arrested by appointment and told gardai he had won the iPad in a raffle and only used it intermittently to look at YouTube videos.

He said he couldn't remember having installed a number of apps which showed he had used the iPad far more frequently than he claimed, and said again that other people could have accessed the device.

The court heard that Cannon was on bail for some of these offences when his phone was seized again on September 16, 2020.

The phone was forensically analysed which uncovered 61 more serious Category 1 images of child pornography and 49 Category 2 images.

Detective Garda Anthony O'Kane told the court that 23 videos of mixed category were also found.

The court heard that the offending material was found in Cannon's phone's gallery, a user accessible location.

A dedicated cyber crime branch of the gardai then performed a more detailed search and found an encrypted and obscured location, which contained 619 unique images listed as Category 1 and 4,933 of Category 2.

23 Category 1 videos were also revealed and some Category 2, with a total running time of 1hr 23 minutes.

Again Cannon refused to accept responsibility for the material and suggested it may have been a virus or that it could have been sent to him accidentally.

Cannon has no previous convictions.

Gardai agreed with James Dwyer SC, defending, that Cannon had cooperated with gardai at all times, answering all questions put to him and attending interview and arrest by arrangement.

Mr Dwyer said his client had a difficult childhood, particularly during his primary school years when he had been lonely, had experienced bullying and had undiagnosed dyslexia.

He was close to his grandparents in Kilkenny and had a keen interest in hurling, the court heard.

Cannon came from a close, loving family and his father and wife were present in court.

His best friend died from leukaemia in his teens which affected him greatly, the court heard.

A psychological report handed into court said Cannon had had a normal sexual development although with a significant interest in conventional pornography.

The report said Cannon suffered from a depressive disorder and was plagued by a lack of self-esteem.

He expressed remorse and said that at the time of the offences he had been under financial pressure and embarked on a deep dive into the dark web which gave him a sense of thrill and excitement which became normalised.

Cannon was described as a vulnerable man who was nonetheless at low risk of reoffending due to his stable, supportive family and the therapeutic steps he has taken to address his offending.

Letters were submitted from his parents and brothers, describing Cannon as the glue that holds the family together.
Sean Wynne, speaking to the Leitrim Observer, has announced that he will be running in the Ballinamore Electoral Area in the local elections as an independent candidate.

The Drumshanbo man said he would also like to pay tribute to Gerry Dolan and his family as a fellow independent on his retirement from Leitrim County Council.

His legacy, in my view, is his enormous contribution to the fight to stop the fracking in Leitrim and the need for controls on the planting of Sitka Spruce in our county, Sean said.

He went on to say that unfortunately he will be unable to meet all the voters in the electoral area before election day and he thanks those voters in advance who will consider voting for him.

He believes that he offers experience, understanding and is approachable in relation to issues that will be confronting the voters, their families and their communities over the coming five years.

All national politics has local consequences and implications on families in the Ballinamore local electoral area which are challenging.

He believes we must again reclaim in 2024: Freedom of thought, Freedom of bodily autonomy, Freedom to privacy, Freedom from woke, Freedom to farm, Freedom to use cash, and Freedom to be different.

We need to control our borders once again and deal with the 83% of foreigners arriving with no passports, he said.

He said he would be a voice on the council against climate change misrepresentations which seek to achieve coercive control over the Irish population by destroying our agricultural sector through the Nature Restoration Law which, if implemented, will result in 20 per cent of our land will be decommissioned by 2030 in the first phase.

This will deprive our people of food and fuel sovereignty in addition to the political sovereignty already being attacked relentlessly, Sean said.

Again he believes one-off housing has to be resolved and is a major issue on the door steps.

The issue is now almost impossible and no progress over the last five years has been achieved. We need a solution which is simple for everyone and affordable and a requirement to have your tank emptied every two years and a certificate sent to the council that is sufficient to obtain planning permission and should be sufficient to meet national requirements, he said.

On public banking, he said, We need a public banking system in Ireland just like they have in Germany for 200 years. On a twenty year loan of 250,000 there is 90,000 of a difference in Ireland and Germany in the repayments. Why? he asked.

On forestry, he said, Our County Development plan needs to acknowledge that over 20% of Leitrim is now under forestry, mostly with Sitka Spruce, which is slowly destroying our rural communities and our natural environment.

He concluded his in interview to the Leitrim Observer by stating his track record of experience and achievement in community based activities throughout Leitrim over the years.
Flowers and a tribute sign from radio station Spin1038 have been left at the foot of the infamous Dublin-New York portal, which is currently out of action due to "inappropriate behaviour".

The livestream portal between Dublin and New York was temporarily switched off on Tuesday as continued efforts are made to find solutions to address the behaviour in front of both installations.

Thousands of people had visited the two-way livestream portal, which gave a real-time view of New York from Dublin city centre. The portal has gone viral worldwide for wild scenes on both sides, including an American woman flashing Dublin onlookers, and images of 9/11 being displayed to unsuspecting New-Yorkers.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by SPIN1038 (@officialspin1038)

A sign left at the portal reads "RIP THE PORTAL", and displays the portal's short lifespan of the 8th to the 14th May. Below the date the sign reads "Sorry for mooning you".

The portal itself now reads "Portal is asleep - back up soon", so fans of the project can rest assured that it will return.

The hosts of Spin1038's Fully Charged morning show Emma, Dave and Aisling left the sign and flowers earlier today during a "special funeral", promising "a full eulogy" for the portal at 8am tomorrow.

Dublin City Council said of the temporary closure that a preferred solution involving blurring proved to be unsatisfactory and announced that the portal would be switched off at 10pm on Tuesday.

The council said a small minority of people have engaged in inappropriate behaviour which has been amplified on social media.
Government of Canada Invests in Federation of Canadian Municipalities to Plant 1.2 million Trees in Communities Across Canada





NORTH VANCOUVER, BC, May 15, 2024 /CNW/ - Trees capture and store carbon from the atmosphere, improve air and water quality, make our urban spaces shadier, cooler and more enjoyable, and can provide new habitat for wildlife. To bring these benefits to Canadians, and to support good jobs for workers, the federal government is working with partners to plant two billion trees (2BT) over the next 10 years. As of May 2024, the Government of Canada has funded more than half a billion trees, a major milestone in its overall goal.

Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, and Scott Pearce, the President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), announced a new FCM initiative to accelerate and expand the reach of tree planting in communities across Canada. The Growing Canada's Community Canopies (GCCC) will support the planting of at least 1.2 million new trees in approximately 300 communities by 2031, generating more than 2,000 jobs every year in municipalities across Canada. They were joined by City of North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan. At the announcement, the Minister and Mayor also highlighted that of the over 550 million trees planted through the 2BT program so far, more than 3,000 have been planted in North Vancouver through existing partnerships ? five times the number originally anticipated for the municipality.

Through the GCCC, the FCM's Green Municipal Fund will run the program, directly supporting communities across the country to help them grow, manage and protect their tree canopies, while ensuring the right type of trees are planted in the right places so that they can thrive long-term. This initiative will support a variety of tree planting activities, including forest restoration and reforestation, which can rehabilitate areas that have experienced die-offs caused by pests or wildfires. The GCCC is funded directly through the 2BT program, with matching funding from the FCM's Green Municipal Fund.

With over 80 percent of Canadians now living in urban areas, partnerships such as the GCCC underscore the importance of providing communities with nature-based climate solutions ? or tools to mitigate and adapt to climate change and provide benefits for biodiversity, such as planting native trees. By working with local governments to assess and improve their communities' canopies, this project will provide physical and mental health benefits to many Canadians. Moreover, this project seeks to increase urban forest resilience and ecosystem services through species diversity resulting in cleaner air and better stormwater management, so that municipalities are better adapted to climate change.

Planting two billion trees requires careful planning and cultivation of seedlings in nurseries, collaboration with different levels of government, non-government organizations and Indigenous groups, and a thoughtful approach to each stage of the supply chain from seed to seedling to planting. The Government of Canada will continue to work with partners to deliver the 2BT program for the benefit of all Canadians.

Quotes

"Trees are essential to our lives, as they clean the air we breathe, make our urban spaces more enjoyable, provide new habitats for wildlife and help us adapt to our changing climate while mitigating its impacts by sequestering carbon emissions. Supported by federal funding announced today, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities will play an important role in bringing these benefits to Canadians and in helping to achieve our ambitious goal of planting two billion trees over the next decade. Through this initiative, we are showing how collaborative work between the federal government and communities across the country, both large and small, can ensure that the right tree is planted at the right place at the right time for the benefit of all Canadians."

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

"Restoring nature is one of the best strategies we have to fight climate change, while improving air and water quality at the same time. It's also one of the best ways to build healthy, thriving, livable cities. Urban forests clean the air that we breathe, improve water quality, enhance biodiversity and help cool our urban centres. The trees we plant today will improve our quality of life, health and well-being for generations to come."

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault

Minister of Environment and Climate Change

"Trees stand as a powerful ally in our efforts to combat climate change and enhance the well-being of Canadians. GMF's Growing Canada's Community Canopies initiative ensures we plant the right trees in the right places. This not only helps prevent flooding and supports wildlife but also enriches our urban areas. Our commitment to green spaces further bolsters our pledge to a sustainable future, ensuring our communities prosper alongside nature."

Scott Pearce

FCM President

"We know our climate is changing, that weather is becoming extreme, and that we must take real action. That is why the City has prioritized protecting and growing our urban tree canopy. Trees are living assets that play a critical role in a healthy and sustainable city as they protect from heat, prevent flooding, clean our air and support well-being. We are grateful for the funding we have received through the 2 Billion Trees program as it has allowed us to plant 2,380 trees across the community. The Growing Canada's Community Canopies program is an incredible opportunity for more municipalities to benefit from enhanced green spaces."

Linda Buchanan

City of North Vancouver Mayor

Quick Facts

The Growing Canada's Community Canopies initiative will play an important role in Canada's efforts to plant two billion trees over 10 years. It is supported by funding through the Government of Canada's 2 Billion Trees program and run by the FCM's Green Municipal Fund as a further expansion of its mandate to focus on nature-based climate solutions.

efforts to plant two billion trees over 10 years. It is supported by funding through the Government of 2 Billion Trees program and run by the FCM's Green Municipal Fund as a further expansion of its mandate to focus on nature-based climate solutions. This initiative was developed with smaller, rural and remote communities in mind and will ensure local governments can access funding for new ambitious and equitable tree planting projects valued at up to $10 million for tree planting, planning and operations through the GCCC.

for tree planting, planning and operations through the GCCC. This funding will also support community-wide planting activities, including planting trees and seedlings in parks, community access areas and naturalized areas, as well as localized planting, including street trees. Applications for the first round of funding are now being accepted and the deadline to submit a full application for this round of funding is July 12, 2024 .

. In 2022, the Government of Canada provided $300,000 in 2BT funding to the City of North Vancouver to support a two-year Capacity Building Grant Project to develop and implement an Urban Forest Management Strategy and plant 500 native trees, among other activities. In total, the project planted 2,380 urban trees over two years ? nearly five times the trees intended. The trees were planted in Hyak Park, Greenwood Park and Mosquito Park.

provided in 2BT funding to the to support a two-year Capacity Building Grant Project to develop and implement an Urban Forest Management Strategy and plant 500 native trees, among other activities. In total, the project planted 2,380 urban trees over two years ? nearly five times the trees intended. The trees were planted in Hyak Park, Greenwood Park and Mosquito Park. Since the launch of the 2 Billion Trees program, the federal government has committed to supporting 56 urban projects to plant approximately 4.6 million trees in municipalities over 10 years, through the program's Urban/Suburban funding stream.

FCM has partnered with Tree Canada, a non-profit organization founded in 1992 renowned for its urban forestry expertise, to ensure that local governments have access to tailored support services and knowledge that will enhance tree planting projects. This support includes guiding how to improve tree species and site selection with careful consideration for biodiversity and climate, ensuring the success and longevity of this initiative.

The FCM's Green Municipal Fund is a globally unique organization providing funding and education to municipalities to help them both reach net zero and build resilient communities, while also delivering economic and social benefits such as jobs, housing and infrastructure. It is funded by the Government of Canada and delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Since inception in 2000, it has helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2.87?million tonnes, funded nearly 13,000 person-years of employment, enabled nearly 30,000 sustainable affordable housing units, and contributed $1.2 billion to the national GDP via the more than 2,100 approved projects.

Associated links

Federation of Canadian Municipalities

Green Municipal Fund

Growing Canada's Community Canopies

2030 Emissions Reduction Plan: Clean Air, Strong Economy

2 Billion Trees Commitment

Tree planting funding

Urban Forest Coaching

SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

15 may 2024 at 18:56

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Fintech for Inclusion Global Summit to bring some of world's most innovative financial start-ups to London on September 12





Conference brings together fintech founders, investors, regulators, and other leaders promoting responsible financial services in emerging markets

LONDON, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Accion Venture Lab, the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, and the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank FMO, today announce the Fintech for Inclusion Global Summit that will take place in London on Thursday, September 12.

The summit will see over 40 fintech companies from 5 continents come together with investors, regulators, and other stakeholders in the global inclusive fintech community to discuss how innovations in embedded finance, AI, and other emerging technologies can be leveraged to meet the financial needs of vulnerable communities, including women and smallholder farmers. Globally, nearly 2 billion people are excluded from the financial system, lacking a safe place to save money, credit to manage and grow businesses, and insurance to protect against disasters. Micro, small and medium businesses are facing a $5 trillion credit gap.

Accion Venture Lab's Managing Partner Rahil Rangwala said, "By bringing this group of fintech innovators together in London ? one of the world's most dynamic financial capitals ? we can explore new ways of providing high-quality financial solutions to underserved clients globally. Participants will learn the latest industry insights and forge new partnerships, as they adapt to the rapidly evolving business landscape."

Companies present at the summit are already leveraging new uses of technology and data to provide responsible financial services to low-income groups in innovative new ways. From using transport data to provide financing to operator-owned truck drivers in Pakistan, to deploying AI so small-scale pharmacies in Kenya can improve access to quality medicines and reduce waste, they are solving pain points for small businesses and low-income groups across emerging economies.

Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth's Executive Vice President for Global Programs, Payal Dalal, comments that: "With their ability to connect underserved people to the digital economy, often for the first time, fintech innovators have a key role to play in tackling global challenges and making economic growth more inclusive. The Fintech for Inclusion Summit will bring together leaders and frontline practitioners to share their learnings and build new connections, which is a vital part of driving scale."

Speaking on the topic, Marieke Roestenberg, Manager of FMO Ventures Program, said: "We are pleased to once more co-host this important event with Accion Venture Lab ? now in partnership with the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth ? to bring together industry leaders focused on developing innovative fintech solutions for underserved communities. Holding the event in London this year will enable more key stakeholders to join the conversation and explore collaboration opportunities."

Accion Venture Lab organizes the Fintech for Inclusion Global Summit as part of its work with entrepreneurs to build scalable businesses that address gaps in financial services around the world. It is a leading early stage fintech investor with a 10+ year track record of delivering financial and social returns. With its global team, it provides hands on strategic and operational support that is critical to the success of early-stage companies, while quickly spotting and responding to global trends, and sharing learnings across geographies.

Speakers will include TS Anil, CEO of Monzo, Jorn Lambert, Chief Product Officer of Mastercard, Jonathan Whittle, Managing Partner of Quona, and Michael Schlein, CEO of Accion. Conference partners include the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, Citi Foundation, and FMO Entrepreneurial Bank. For more information and tickets see www.fintechforinclusionsummit.com

About Accion Venture Lab

Accion Venture Lab is a leading early-stage investor in inclusive fintech, providing seed-first capital and strategic support to innovative startups that are meeting the financial needs of underserved people globally. Our global portfolio and local approach enable us to spot and respond to global trends faster, sharing learnings across geographies. Accion Venture Lab is an investment strategy of Accion and is managed by Accion Impact Management.

About Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth

The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth?advances equitable and sustainable economic growth and financial inclusion around the world. The Center leverages the company's core assets and competencies, including data insights, expertise, and technology, while administering the philanthropic Mastercard Impact Fund, to produce independent research, scale global programs, and empower a community of thinkers, leaders, and doers on the front lines of inclusive growth. For more information and to receive its latest insights, follow the Center on LinkedIn,?Instagram?and?subscribe?to its newsletter.?

About FMO

FMO is the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank. As a leading impact investor, FMO supports sustainable private sector growth in developing countries and emerging markets by investing in ambitious projects and entrepreneurs. FMO believes that a strong private sector leads to economic and social development and has a 50+ year proven track-record of empowering people to employ their skills and improve their quality of life. FMO focuses on three sectors that have high development impact: financial institutions, energy, and agribusiness, food & water. With a committed portfolio of EUR 13.2 billion spanning over 85 countries, FMO is one of the larger bilateral private sector development banks globally. For more information: please visit fmo.nl

Media contact

Thessa Mooij

Director of Public Relations

Phone +1.917.631.2518

[email protected]

16 may 2024 at 03:00

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New Clarivate Report Reveals that the U.S., Germany and Mainland China have the most Non-Practicing Entity Litigation





Infringement declined globally from 2012 to 2019

LONDON, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Clarivate Plc (NYSE: CLVT), a leading global provider of transformative intelligence, today released the 2024 Non-Practicing Entity Global Litigation (NPE) Report to analyze NPE enforcement activities and their patent validity challenges across the globe. The report revealed that the United States, Germany and Mainland China are the three countries and regions with the most infringement cases filed by NPEs.

For this report, NPE is defined as an independent legal organization which owns or benefits from patent rights but does not sell or manufacture goods or provide goods-related services. Using the Clarivate Darts-ipTM database of patent case law, this report showed that among the countries and regions where most of infringement cases are filed by NPEs between 2018-2023, the U.S. accounts for 97.2% of the total, while Germany and Mainland China count for 1.8% and 0.4% respectively. However, the growth momentum differs in the top three countries when comparing 2012-2017 to 2018-2023. There was a 43% decrease in the number of U.S. NPE infringement cases, while the number in Mainland China increased 600% and Germany saw a strong decline starting in 2018.

This report showed that during 2012-2017, there was an undeniable trend of increasing patent validity challenges overall and of patent validity challenges filed against NPEs worldwide. While overall patent validity challenges slightly increased during 2018-2023, the number of patent validity challenges filed against NPEs worldwide slightly decreased.

Francois Neuville, Senior Vice President, Brand IP, Clarivate, said, "NPEs should now be considered as part of the patent ecosystem. These entities seek out courts where they can further monetize the value of their IP assets, using litigation as both leverage and means. As NPE litigation continues to evolve worldwide, analyzing trends using enriched data and insights can help support informed decisions for the future."

Other key findings in the report include:

Overall, infringement action filed by NPEs declined globally from 2012 to 2019. Starting in 2020, NPE infringement cases began to stabilize at around 2,000 per year.

NPEs are well known for being active in Information and Communication Technologies (i.e. digital communication, telecommunications, computer technology and audio-visual technology). These technologies account for 64% of the patents asserted by NPEs in the U.S. and for 74% of the patents asserted by NPEs in EU.

Patents belonging to NPEs are being invalidated at greater frequency than non-NPEs. This may indicate that the NPEs are facing patent quality challenges.

Learn more about NPE litigation worldwide trends here.

Methodology

For this report, we consider NPEs to be independent organizations (legal entities) which own or benefit from patent rights but do not sell or manufacture goods or services associated with them (i.e., non-operating companies) and which have an active (offensive) assertion or litigation role as plaintiffs towards the enforcement of their patent rights. Read our full methodology here.

About Clarivate

Clarivatetm is a leading global provider of transformative intelligence. We offer enriched data, insights & analytics, workflow solutions and expert services in the areas of Academia & Government, Intellectual Property and Life Sciences & Healthcare. For more information, please visit? www.clarivate.com

Media contact

Jack Wan

External Communications Director

[email protected]

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16 may 2024 at 03:00

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OROCO ANNOUNCES BROKERED PRIVATE PLACEMENT FOR GROSS PROCEEDS OF C$6.0 MILLION





Vancouver, Canada, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oroco Resources Corp. (TSX-V: OCO, OTC: ORRCF) ("Oroco" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Red Cloud Securities Inc. to act as lead agent and sole bookrunner on behalf of a syndicate of agents (collectively, the "Agents") in connection with a best efforts, private placement (the "Offering") for gross proceeds of C$6,000,000 from the sale of 13,333,333 units of the Company (each, a "Unit") at a price of C$0.45 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (each, a "Unit Share") and one half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant shall entitle the holder to purchase one common share of the Company (each, a "Warrant Share") at a price of C$0.65 at any time on or before that date which is 24 months after the closing date of the Offering.

The Agents will have an option, exercisable in full or in part, up to 48 hours prior to the closing of the Offering, to sell up to an additional 2,222,222 Units for additional gross proceeds of up to C$1,000,000 (the "Agents' Option").

Subject to compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and in accordance with National Instrument 45-106 ? Prospectus Exemptions ("NI 45-106"), the Units will be offered for sale to purchasers in all of the provinces and territories of Canada pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption under Part 5A of NI 45-106 (the "Listed Issuer Financing Exemption"). The Unit Shares and Warrant Shares issuable pursuant to the sale of Units are expected to be immediately freely tradeable under applicable Canadian securities legislation if sold to purchasers resident in Canada. The Units may also be sold in offshore jurisdictions and in the United States on a private placement basis pursuant to one or more exemptions from the registration requirements of the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the "U.S. Securities Act"), as amended.

The Company intends to use the proceeds from the Offering for the advancement of the Santo Tomas Project located in Chihuahua State, Mexico as well as working capital and other general corporate purposes.

The Offering is scheduled to close on or around June 6, 2024 and is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, receipt of all necessary approvals including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

There is an offering document related to the Offering that can be accessed under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company's website at www.orocoresourcecorp.com. Prospective investors should read this offering document before making an investment decision.

The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act, as amended, or any state securities laws, and accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States or the US persons except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any securities in any jurisdiction.

ABOUT OROCO

The Company holds a net 85.5% interest in those central concessions (the "Core Concessions") comprising 1,173 hectares of the Santo Tomas Project located in northwestern Mexico. The Company also holds an 80% interest in an additional 7,861 hectares of mineral concessions surrounding and adjacent to the Core Concessions (for a total Project area of 9,034 hectares, or 22,324 acres). The Project is situated within the Santo Tomas District, which extends up to the Jinchuan Group's Bahuerachi Project, approximately 14 km to the northeast. The Project hosts significant copper porphyry mineralization defined by prior exploration spanning the period from 1968 to 1994. During that time, the Project area was tested by over 100 diamond and reverse circulation drill holes, totalling approximately 30,000 meters. Commencing in 2021, Oroco conducted a drill program (Phase 1) at Santo Tomas, with a resulting total of 48,481 meters drilled in 76 diamond drill holes. In October of 2023, the Company announced a Preliminary Economic Assessment and Updated Mineral Resource for the North and South Zones of the Santo Tomas Project, identifying Indicated and Inferred resources of 561 Mt @ 0.37% CuEq and 549 Mt @ 0.34% CuEq respectively.

The Project is located within 160 km of the Pacific deep-water port at Topolobampo and is serviced via highway and proximal rail (and parallel corridors of trunk grid power lines and natural gas) through the city of Los Mochis to the northern city of Choix. The property is reached, in part, by a 32 km access road originally built to service Goldcorp's El Sauzal Mine in Chihuahua State.

Additional information about Oroco Resource Corp. can be found on its website at www.orocoresourcecorp.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR at www.sedarplus.ca.

For more information, please contact:

Mr. Craig Dalziel, Executive Chairman

Oroco Resource Corp.

Tel: 604-688-6200

www.orocoresourcecorp.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein, including, without limitation, statements relating to future events or achievements of the Company, the timing of closing of the Offering, proceeds received and use of funds of the Offering, are forward-looking statements. There is no assurance that (i) the Company will be able to complete the Offering on the terms set out above, or at all, or (ii) that the proceeds of the Offering will be expended as contemplated. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these matters. Oroco does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements should they change, except as required by law.

16 may 2024 at 07:30

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VIZSLA COPPER PROVIDES CORPORATE UPDATE AND POPLAR COPPER-GOLD PROJECT STRATEGY UPDATE





VANCOUVER, BC, May 16, 2024 /CNW/ - Vizsla Copper Corp. (TSXV: VCU) (OTCQB: VCUFF) ("Vizsla Copper" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Craig Parry, Executive Chairman, to the role of Chief Executive Officer ("CEO"), and further information on the newly acquired Poplar Project ("Poplar" or the "Project"). The Poplar Project is home to the Poplar Deposit (the "Deposit"), a large porphyry-related copper-gold-molybdenum deposit that is one of the most advanced pre-production copper projects in British Columbia.

HIGHLIGHTS:

CEO. Craig Parry , Executive Chairman, has assumed the role of CEO.

, Executive Chairman, has assumed the role of CEO. Large, Gold-Rich Resource Base. The Project hosts a current undiluted indicated mineral resource of 152.3 million tonnes grading 0.32% copper, 0.009% molybdenum, 0.09 g/t gold and 2.58 g/t silver and an undiluted inferred mineral resource of 139.3 million tonnes grading 0.29% copper, 0.005% molybdenum, 0.07 g/t gold and 4.95 g/t silver.

The Project hosts a current undiluted indicated mineral resource of 152.3 million tonnes grading 0.32% copper, 0.009% molybdenum, 0.09 g/t gold and 2.58 g/t silver and an undiluted inferred mineral resource of 139.3 million tonnes grading 0.29% copper, 0.005% molybdenum, 0.07 g/t gold and 4.95 g/t silver. Development Potential. The Poplar Deposit is a large, near-surface copper deposit that extends to the top of the bedrock and is covered only by a thin veneer (5- 10m thick) of overburden. It possesses a higher-grade core that also extends to the top of the bedrock and may be beneficial to phased mining scenarios.

The Poplar Deposit is a large, near-surface copper deposit that extends to the top of the bedrock and is covered only by a thin veneer (5- thick) of overburden. It possesses a higher-grade core that also extends to the top of the bedrock and may be beneficial to phased mining scenarios. Exploration Potential. Very little exploration drilling or ground geophysical surveying has been completed outside of the immediate Poplar deposit area, suggesting terrific potential for the discovery of additional porphyry-related mineralization.

"With the completion of the Universal Copper transaction, I look forward to taking a more active role in the Company's day-to-day operations" stated Craig Parry, Executive Chairman of the Company. "Since Vizsla Copper's inception, we've succeeded in adding multiple exciting development and exploration assets, and we're just getting started. Vizsla Copper is in a terrific position with the price of copper approaching $5 per pound and strong tailwinds continuing to dominate the sector."

"Now that we've had a chance to absorb and reflect on the exploration data from the Poplar Project, I'm very impressed by the development potential and exploration opportunity it provides" commented Steve Blower, Vice President, Exploration of the Company. "With a significant precious metal component, large size and location essentially at surface, this deposit is impressive."

MANAGEMENT CHANGE

With the continuing evolution of the Company, Mr. Craig Parry has assumed the role of CEO and will remain Chair of the Company's Board of Directors. Craig brings a track record of creating shareholder value in previous CEO roles. Most recently, in his role as CEO of IsoEnergy, he turned an early-stage exploration spinout company into a much larger discovery success story in the uranium space. Mr. Chris Donaldson, remaining as a director of the Company, will step down as CEO effective immediately so that he can devote more time to other pursuits. The Company is appreciative of Chris's efforts as the former CEO.

POPLAR PROJECT

The 39,000-hectare Poplar Project hosts a porphyry-related copper and gold deposit, the Poplar Deposit (Figures 1 and 2). The top 10 historical drill hole intersections (>0.2% Cu) in the Poplar Deposit, ranked by Grade*Length (%Cu*m) are provided in Table 1. The top ranked drill hole was recently completed in 2021 by Universal Copper. Drill hole 21-PC-131 intersected 432.8m @ 0.42% Cu, 0.011% Mo, 0.15 g/t Au and 1.80 g/t Ag (0.58% Cueq1,2) from 2.2m. Figure 3 shows the extent of copper mineralization in plan view at the Poplar deposit and demonstrates, and Figure 4 shows it on a vertical longitudinal section.

The Poplar Deposit has a historical indicated mineral resource of 152.3 million tonnes grading 0.32% copper, 0.009% molybdenum, 0.09 g/t gold and 2.58 g/t silver and a historical inferred mineral resource of 139.3 million tonnes grading 0.29% copper, 0.005% molybdenum, 0.07 g/t gold and 4.95 g/t silver (above a cut-off grade of 0.20% copper). The historical mineral resource estimate was prepared for Universal Copper in September, 2021. It is not being treated as a current Mineral Resource Estimate, as the Company has not yet had it verified by an Independent Qualified Person. However, the recent date of the Universal estimate and the lack of drilling completed since that date suggests that the historical estimate is relevant. Readers are cautioned that mineral resources, which are not mineral reserves, do not have demonstrated economic viability.

The Poplar Project is located in mining country, 35km from the Huckleberry Copper Mine. The road accessible property is bisected by a 138 Kva hydroelectric line and lies 88km from the rail head at Houston and 400km from the deep-water port at Prince Rupert by rail.

Table 1 ? Top 10 Poplar Deposit Drill Hole Intersections (>0.2% Cu) Ranked by Cu%*m

Rank Hole ID From (m) To (m) Length (m) Cu % Mo % Au g/t Ag g/t CuEq % Cu*L (%*m) 1 21-PC-131 2.20 435.00 432.80 0.42 0.011 0.15 1.80 0.58 183.32

incl. 156.00 192.00 36.00 0.66 0.012 0.28 1.23 0.90



incl. 242.00 270.00 28.00 0.67 0.012 0.27 3.41 0.92

2 21-PC-133 21.25 423.50 402.25 0.43 0.014 0.13 3.07 0.60 174.12

incl. 253.25 294.50 41.25 0.94 0.018 0.23 4.06 1.19

3 19-PC-129 149.00 527.65 378.65 0.42 0.014 0.13 2.22 0.58 160.78

incl. 397.00 452.82 55.82 0.54 0.019 0.14 2.18 0.72



incl. 286.00 312.56 26.56 0.57 0.006 0.18 3.40 0.74

4 11-PC-88 11.79 361.00 349.21 0.41 0.020 0.12 2.62 0.59 143.92

incl. 232.98 280.98 48.00 0.62 0.011 0.18 2.35 0.79



incl. 166.98 187.98 21.00 0.55 0.018 0.15 1.21 0.73

5 18-PC-126 23.50 404.47 380.97 0.36 0.015 0.10 2.30 0.51 138.57 6 11-PC-84 24.99 402.88 377.89 0.36 0.012 0.10 1.74 0.48 134.85 7 11-PC-99 53.60 420.59 366.99 0.37 0.022 0.12 2.30 0.55 134.45

incl. 340.57 379.57 39.00 0.69 0.036 0.31 0.89 1.03

8 PC-65 24.40 315.00 290.60 0.39 0.015 0.00 0.53 0.45 113.32

incl. 36.00 78.00 42.00 0.58 0.005 0.01 0.76 0.61

9 PC-01 0.61 300.84 300.23 0.37 0.022 0.02 0.30 0.47 112.47 10 18-PC-127 8.50 270.36 261.86 0.42 0.013 0.11 2.66 0.56 110.97

incl. 51.00 78.00 27.00 0.64 0.030 0.15 2.63 0.87



Notes:

1. Composite intervals are calculated above 0.2% Cu (above 0.5% Cu for the included sub-intervals) and may include a maximum of 10m of internal waste, 2. Copper equivalent values are based on metal prices of $4.00/lb Cu, $1,800/oz Au, $22/oz Ag and $15/lb Mo and an assumed 100% recovery.

DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

The Company will be updating the Mineral Resource Estimate for the Poplar Deposit to bring it up to current status. This will provide important inputs to planned internal scoping level trade-off studies which will be used to rank and prioritize development scenarios amongst the various projects and deposits within the Company. The results of the internal scoping studies will determine the path forward for a Preliminary Economic Analysis.

Figure 1 ? Poplar Project Location Map

Figure 2 ? Poplar Project Map

Figure 3 ? Poplar Deposit Level Plan (700masl) (Drill hole traces projected in their entirety)

Figure 4 ? Poplar Deposit Vertical Longitudinal Section (Section Line on Figure 3)

STOCK OPTIONS AND AMENDED STOCK OPTION PLAN

The Company's board of directors have approved amendments to its current 10% Rolling Stock Option Plan (the "Plan"), originally adopted on September 20, 2021 to comply with the recent changes to the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") Policy 4.4 ? Security Based Compensation. The amendments have been conditionally approved by the TSXV and are subject to shareholder ratification at the Company's next annual general meeting later this year.

The Company has granted a total of 7,500,000 stock options (the "Options") to directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company. The Options will have an exercise price of $0.09, expire five years from the date of grant and shall vest over two years. The Options were granted pursuant to the Plan and are subject to regulatory approval.

QUALIFIED PERSON

The disclosure of technical or scientific information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Ian Borg, P.Geo., Senior Geologist for Vizsla Copper. Mr. Borg is a Qualified Person as defined under the terms of National Instrument 43-101.

ABOUT VIZSLA COPPER

Vizsla Copper is a Cu-Au-Mo focused mineral exploration and development company headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. The Company is primarily focused on its flagship Woodjam project, located within the prolific Quesnel Terrane, 55 kilometers east of the community of Williams Lake, British Columbia. It has three additional copper exploration properties: Copperview, Redgold and Carruthers Pass, all well situated amongst significant infrastructure in British Columbia. Following closing of the Arrangement, Vizsla Copper will control a fifth project, the Poplar Project. The Company's growth strategy is focused on the exploration and development of its copper properties within its portfolio in addition to value accretive acquisitions. Vizsla Copper's vision is to be a responsible copper explorer and developer in the stable mining jurisdiction of British Columbia, Canada and it is committed to socially responsible exploration and development, working safely, ethically and with integrity.

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

This news release contains forward-looking statements or forward-looking information relating to the future operations of the Company and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements in this news release include but are not limited to: obtaining the necessary approvals required for the Arrangement; completion of the Arrangement and the timing thereof; the benefits of the Arrangement; exploration activities; and Vizsla Copper's growth and business strategies.

Forward-looking statements are based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analyses and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. Management believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: the Company's ability to carry on exploration and development activities; the timely receipt of required approvals; the price of copper and other metals; and the Company's ability to obtain financing as and when required and on reasonable terms. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which may have been used.

Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include but are not limited to: the Company's early stage of development and lack of history as a stand-alone entity; the fluctuation of the price of copper and other metals; the availability of additional funding as and when required; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development; the timing and ability to maintain and, where necessary, obtain necessary permits and licenses; the uncertainty in geologic, hydrological, metallurgical and geotechnical studies and opinions; infrastructure risks, including access to water and power; environmental risks and hazards; risks associated with negative operating cash flow; and risks associated with dilution. For a further discussion of risks relevant to the Company, see the Company's other public disclosure documents.

Although management 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. There is no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except as, and to the extent required by, applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Vizsla Copper Corp.

16 may 2024 at 08:00

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Grove Collaborative Announces B Corporation Recertification & Releases 2023-2024 Sustainability Report





Grove Collaborative Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: GROV) ("Grove" or "the Company"), the world's first plastic neutral retailer, leading sustainable consumer products company, Certified B Corporation, and Public Benefit Corporation today launched its fifth annual Sustainability Report for 2023-2024. The comprehensive report provides detailed updates on key company commitments, progress, and partnerships across material issues relating to Grove's business, including plastic, carbon, forest health, ingredient standards, and justice and equity. Grove today also announced their B Corporation recertification by B Labs with a score of 100.9 points. The progress on key programs in the past calendar year and improved metrics of Grove's entire social and environmental impact reinforce Grove's continued commitment to transform the consumer products industry into a positive force for human and environmental health.

"We're thrilled to be recertified as a B Corporation - the highest credential for a sustainable business - with an even higher score alongside the launch of our fifth annual sustainability report. These achievements are a reflection of our dedication to transparent and sustainable business practices, while also inspiring the wider consumer products and retail industries to follow suit," said Jeff Yurcisin, CEO of Grove Collaborative. "Sustainability is our core differentiator as a company, and while we have made great strides in reducing single-use plastic from our product assortment, more needs to be done at scale beyond our business. A sustainable future cannot coexist with our industry's current use of single-use plastic, and we need our industry peers to join us in our efforts to stop the damage plastic is causing our planet and our health."

Key highlights from the 2023-2024 Sustainability Report can be found further below. To read the full report, go to: http://grove.co/sustainabilityreport2024.

B Corporation Recertification

A Certified B Corporation is a third-party standard by global nonprofit, B Labs, requiring companies to meet rigorous social sustainability, environmental performance, and accountability standards and be transparent to the public on how they are assessed. Every three years, B Corporations must go through a detailed recertification process to maintain their certification status, which measures a company's performance in five impact areas ? governance, environment, workers, customers, and community. The average company who takes the B Impact Assessment scores a 50.9 and the minimum to become a Certified B Corporation is 80 points. Grove Collaborative is proud to report that it earned a score of 100.9 points and has maintained its certification for more than ten years, a milestone attributable to only about 5% of the nearly 8,400 certified B Corps today. The primary drivers of Grove Collaborative's score include:

Becoming a Public Benefit Corporation: Grove Collaborative became a Public Benefit Corporation in 2021, marking a significant change by requiring the Company to balance the interests of stakeholders and their stated public benefit: the development, promotion, and distribution of consumer products as a positive force for human and environmental health.

Grove Collaborative became a Public Benefit Corporation in 2021, marking a significant change by requiring the Company to balance the interests of stakeholders and their stated public benefit: the development, promotion, and distribution of consumer products as a positive force for human and environmental health. Improved Climate Strategy: Since 2020, Grove measures and reports on full scopes 1-3 emissions (direct and indirect emissions) and has carbon neutral offices, fulfillment centers, and customer shipping.

Since 2020, Grove measures and reports on full scopes 1-3 emissions (direct and indirect emissions) and has carbon neutral offices, fulfillment centers, and customer shipping. Environmentally Preferable Product Assortment: Grove demonstrated that a greater share of its product assortment contains more recycled, certified compostable, or otherwise recyclable product materials, bio-based and non-toxic ingredients, and sustainability-related third-party certifications.

Grove's dedication to upholding its B Corporation status, particularly following its recent recertification with an impressive score, underscores its steadfast commitment to modeling more sustainable business practices for the consumer packaged goods and retail sectors. Grove's mission is to influence the broader industry through transparency and progress and maintaining our B Corporation status is a reflection of this commitment.

Go Beyond Plastictm

The core of Grove Collaborative's sustainability commitment and stated public benefit as a consumer products company and retailer are programs aimed at reducing plastic waste, both to support customers' needs for trusted, sustainable products, as well as move the broader industry away from its reliance on single-use plastic. Beyond Plastictm is Grove's plan to solve the plastic crisis for consumer products to reduce single-use plastics in its product assortment. Grove Collaborative has been plastic-neutral since 2020, recovering the same amount of ocean- and nature-bound plastic from the environment for every ounce of plastic that is sold online and in retail stores. Key strategy and metric updates to Grove's plastic initiatives include:

Plastic Recovered: Collected 2.4 million pounds of plastic in 2023 alone in partnership with plastic recovery platform rePurpose Global as part of Grove's plastic neutrality commitment, bringing our total plastic recovered to over 15 million pounds since 2020.

Collected 2.4 million pounds of plastic in 2023 alone in partnership with plastic recovery platform rePurpose Global as part of Grove's plastic neutrality commitment, bringing our total plastic recovered to over 15 million pounds since 2020. Plastic Intensity: Reached the lowest total ratio of pounds of plastic sold per $100 of revenue for all sales across Grove.co and retail partners, reaching an average 1.10 pounds of plastic per $100 of revenue in 2023, down from 1.17 pounds in 2022.

Reached the lowest total ratio of pounds of plastic sold per $100 of revenue for all sales across Grove.co and retail partners, reaching an average 1.10 pounds of plastic per $100 of revenue in 2023, down from 1.17 pounds in 2022. Beyond Plastictm Badges: Launched digital badges on Grove.co, including "100% Plastic Free," "95%+ Plastic Free," and "No Single Use Plastic," to make it easier than ever for customers to shop sustainably and make more informed purchasing decisions based on the amount of plastic in each product.

Launched digital badges on Grove.co, including "100% Plastic Free," "95%+ Plastic Free," and "No Single Use Plastic," to make it easier than ever for customers to shop sustainably and make more informed purchasing decisions based on the amount of plastic in each product. Beyond Plastictm Assortment: Increased the percentage of owned brand assortment that meets Grove's Beyond Plastictm standard for "100% Plastic Free," "95%+ Plastic Free," and "No Single Use Plastic" products, with the total percentage of products that qualify reaching 79% in 2023 (up from 71% in 2022) and total revenue from those qualifying products increasing to 66% in 2023 (up from 64% in 2022).

Increased the percentage of owned brand assortment that meets Grove's Beyond Plastictm standard for "100% Plastic Free," "95%+ Plastic Free," and "No Single Use Plastic" products, with the total percentage of products that qualify reaching 79% in 2023 (up from 71% in 2022) and total revenue from those qualifying products increasing to 66% in 2023 (up from 64% in 2022). Beyond Plastictm Impact: Reported on the overall impact of customers adopting Grove Co. concentrated formulas or refill systems to reduce plastic waste, as well as reduced plastic Grove Co. and third party products. Sales of these products avoided 1.7 million pounds of plastic in 2023 alone.

Other Core Sustainability Programs

Additional updates in the annual sustainability report on core sustainability priorities related to Grove's public benefit statement include:

Forests & Fiber: Grove is committed to protecting forests by prioritizing FSC Certified paper packaging and alternate materials, such as bamboo, in Grove products. Grove has partnered with The Nature Conservancy to support Indigenous-led conservation of 2 million acres of rainforest in Southeast Alaska and committed $1.5M in funding through 2030.

Grove is committed to protecting forests by prioritizing FSC Certified paper packaging and alternate materials, such as bamboo, in Grove products. Grove has partnered with The Nature Conservancy to support Indigenous-led conservation of 2 million acres of rainforest in Southeast Alaska and committed $1.5M in funding through 2030. Climate & Carbon: Grove is committed to decarbonization and high quality carbon offsets. Grove has provided a carbon strategy overview, including carbon neutral facilities and customer shipping, carbon offset projects, and its focus on Science-Based Targets.

Grove is committed to decarbonization and high quality carbon offsets. Grove has provided a carbon strategy overview, including carbon neutral facilities and customer shipping, carbon offset projects, and its focus on Science-Based Targets. Healthier Homes: Grove is committed to creating and curating products that meet Grove's transparency, ingredient, and cruelty-free standards. Grove has provided an update on the company's transition to Natural Origin Fragrances and how its standards avoided over 60,000 pounds of synthetic fragrances in 2023.

Grove is committed to creating and curating products that meet Grove's transparency, ingredient, and cruelty-free standards. Grove has provided an update on the company's transition to Natural Origin Fragrances and how its standards avoided over 60,000 pounds of synthetic fragrances in 2023. Justice & Equity: Grove is committed to making the natural products industry more inclusive, representative, and equitable. Grove has provided an update on our goal to allocate a minimum of 15% of our virtual shelf space to BIPOC-owned brands.

About Grove Collaborative Holdings, Inc.

Launched in 2016 as a Certified B Corp, Grove Collaborative Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: GROV) is transforming consumer products into a positive force for human and environmental good. Driven by the belief that sustainability is the only future, Grove creates and curates more than 210 high-performing eco-friendly brands of household cleaning, personal care, health and wellness, laundry, clean beauty, baby, and pet care products serving millions of households across the U.S. each year. By serving as the trusted destination for conscientious consumers who want to make the right choices for their families and the planet and providing access to knowledgeable Grove Guides, Grove makes it easy for everyone to build sustainable routines and Be a Force of Nature.

Every product Grove offers ? from its flagship brand of sustainably powerful home care essentials, Grove Co., to its exceptional third-party brands ? has been thoroughly vetted against the Grove Feel Good Standard, which guarantees strict ingredients criteria, 100% plastic neutral orders, carbon neutral shipments, and high quality performance in addition to being certified cruelty-free and ethically produced. Grove is a public benefit corporation on a mission to move Beyond Plastic and is available at select retailers nationwide, making sustainable home care products even more accessible. For more information, visit www.grove.com.

16 may 2024 at 08:05

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Budderfly Partners with Perry School Community Services Center to Expand Sustainability Solutions for Low-Income Communities





Budderfly, the premier Energy as a Service (EaaS) partner for institutional and commercial facilities, today announced a partnership with the Perry School Community Services Center, Inc. (PSCS or Perry Center), to deploy energy-saving technology at the organization's community center in Washington, D.C. This partnership expands Budderfly's footprint in the nonprofit sector and underscores the unique ability of the company's business model to scale access to sustainability solutions and cost savings, from mid-market businesses to public institutions and nonprofit organizations.

Founded in 1991 to address issues of chronic poverty in the North Capitol Street area of Washington, D.C., the Perry Center's tenants provide services in youth development, economic empowerment, and social services. The organization is housed in an historic landmark building, originally built as M Street High School which opened in 1891 as the first high school in the U.S. constructed with public funds for Black students. Since then, the building has served the community as a facility for student housing, junior high education, general shelter, and food distribution. In 1986, the building was placed on the National Register of Historical Places.

Through the partnership, Budderfly will provide its holistic and award-winning EaaS offering to the Perry Center. The company will install, monitor, manage, and maintain a combination of patented technology, LED lighting, and high-efficiency equipment, including heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and water conservation systems, at no upfront cost to the nonprofit. Budderfly's in-house expertise, proprietary technology, and commitment to equipment maintenance will drive an estimated 30 percent reduction in energy usage and significantly reduce operational costs for the Perry Center.

"Our mission is to empower underprivileged communities with economic, educational, and social support," said Patty Rose, Executive Director of the Perry School Community Services Center. "Budderfly's approach to energy efficiency overcomes the cost and resource barriers that supersede sustainability upgrades in low-income communities. Budderfly's partnership is critical to elevate our historic building into the clean energy future, preserve the longevity of the Perry Center, and better enable the organization to provide meaningful and impactful services and programs to the community."

Tenants of the Perry Center Community Services Center include non-profit organizations that provide daycare, college preparation, primary health care, and other social and community programs and services. Beyond energy savings, Budderfly's updated HVAC systems are proven to significantly improve indoor air quality to create a more comfortable and healthier environment for tenants and community members.

"The Budderfly model is designed to simplify energy management and accelerate the adoption of sustainability technologies for those who lack the capital, knowledge, and time to invest in their energy future on their own," said Al Subbloie, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Budderfly. "We're committed to supporting all economic and community players to benefit from energy savings, and we're excited to partner with the Perry Center to help bring about a more equitable and effective energy transition. Ultimately, we strive to pave a path to net-zero emissions ? a favorable outcome for the environment and the organization's operational success."

About Budderfly

Budderfly, ranked as one of the fastest-growing Energy as a Service (EaaS) companies in the United States, is the premier sustainability partner for businesses and organizations including restaurants, retail, health facilities, community centers, and more. Budderfly installs, monitors, and manages a combination of patented technologies, high-efficiency equipment, and proprietary energy software for its customers at no out-of-pocket cost. The company's in-house expertise and growing tech-enabled capabilities drive maximized and long-term positive outcomes for customers. Businesses benefit from lower utility bills, a reduced carbon footprint, more reliable operations, and an improved customer and employee experience. Budderfly has ranked on the Inc. 5000 America's Fastest-Growing Private Companies list from 2021 to 2023 and on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 list in 2023. For more information visit www.budderfly.com or follow us on LinkedIn or X (formerly Twitter).

About Perry School Community Services

Since its founding in 1991, the Perry School Community Services Center, Inc. has transformed the historic M Street High School into a dynamic hub supporting North Capitol Street and surrounding areas. Focused on community revitalization and cultural preservation, the Center hosts various nonprofits and drives sustainable initiatives. Key partnerships with organizations like Budderfly and Studios Architecture have enhanced its facilities and preserved its cultural relevance. The Perry Center also celebrates local heritage through initiatives like the Living Legacy Poster Series with Humanities DC. Committed to fostering community ties and addressing local needs, the Perry Center continues to serve as a vital resource for Washington's residents. For more information, visit www.perryschool.org or contact Patty Rose, Executive Director, at [email protected].

16 may 2024 at 08:05

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LSB Industries, Inc. to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences





LSB Industries, Inc. ("LSB"), (NYSE: LXU), today announced that its President & Chief Executive Officer, Mark Behrman and EVP & Chief Financial Officer, Cheryl Maguire will be participating in the following conferences:

Stifel Cross Sector Insight Conference on Wednesday, June 5th in Boston (CEO, Mark Behrman)

Deutsche Bank Global Industrials, Materials & Building Products Conference on Thursday, June 6th in New York City (CEO, Mark Behrman)

Wells Fargo Industrials Conference on Tuesday, June 11th in Chicago (CFO, Cheryl Maguire)

Mr. Behrman and Ms. Maguire will be available for one-on-one meetings all day at these events. To schedule a meeting please contact your sales representative at the host firm or Fred Buonocore, LSB's Vice President of Investor Relations at [email protected].

About LSB Industries, Inc.

LSB Industries, Inc., headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is committed to playing a leadership role in the energy transition through the production of low and no carbon products that build, feed and power the world. The LSB team is dedicated to building a culture of excellence in customer experiences as we currently deliver essential products across the agricultural, industrial, and mining end markets and, in the future, the energy markets. The company manufactures ammonia and ammonia-related products at facilities in Cherokee, Alabama, El Dorado, Arkansas and Pryor, Oklahoma and operates a facility for a global chemical company in Baytown, Texas. Additional information about LSB can be found on our website at www.lsbindustries.com.

16 may 2024 at 08:35

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Fiserv University Offers Role-Specific Learning, Technology Optimization Training and Consulting to Financial Institutions





Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE: FI), a leading global provider of payments and financial technology solutions, today opened Fiserv University, a newly expanded training and consulting services program designed to help financial institutions enhance the productivity of their people and optimize the use of technology. Financial institutions of all sizes and stages of operations can leverage Fiserv University offerings to meet their distinct training and performance goals.

Fiserv University offerings include knowledge development, solution-specific training, and customized consulting and best practices. Delivery options include in-person training, self-paced on-demand content, instructor-led virtual events, and fully tailored onsite engagements. The program's Performance Scorecard provides financial institution leaders with data-based insights into which educational resources are most effective within each institution's unique employee base and technology environment.

Intracoastal Bank, based in Daytona Beach, Florida, is committed to providing exceptional service within its Northeast and Central Florida footprint. The bank recently participated in a Fiserv University best practices engagement and found the experience to be a beneficial way to help associates drive operational excellence.

"We recognize the importance of leveraging our technology to its full potential and supporting the continued development of our associates' skillsets," said Jay Coomes, Chief Technology Officer at Intracoastal Bank. "Our experience working with the Fiserv best practices consulting team was very beneficial for helping our team to continue building technological knowledge and enhancing operational efficiency."

Key components of Fiserv University include:

A curated curriculum including role-specific learning and technology optimization training

Consulting services focused on enabling efficiency gains, streamlining pathways to growth, and compliance and risk management

Performance Scorecards to evaluate effectiveness through measurable results

Fiserv University will equip financial institutions to adapt quickly in a rapidly evolving technology environment, and attendees can receive Fiserv technology certifications for coursework completion.

"To have a competitive edge, financial institutions must optimize technology use. That requires a workforce that is well-versed in processes, capabilities and best practices. On-demand access to role-specific technology training can accelerate the time to effectiveness for new employees and those in new roles," said Marc DeCastro, Research Director at IDC Financial Insights. "In addition, training and consulting services with trackable, measurable components fuel operational excellence, and are key to building a high-performing institution."

"The fast-paced nature of today's banking environment and expanding customer expectations have eliminated the luxury of ramping up. The faster employees gain the knowledge they need, the more likely they are to excel," said John Gibbons, Head of Financial Institutions Group at Fiserv. "Importantly, Fiserv University provides the data-driven performance insights and consulting financial institutions need to optimize technology use and maximize employee effectiveness."

More information on Fiserv University is available here.

About Fiserv

Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE: FI), a Fortune 500 company, aspires to move money and information in a way that moves the world. As a global leader in payments and financial technology, the company helps clients achieve best-in-class results through a commitment to innovation and excellence in areas including account processing and digital banking solutions; card issuer processing and network services; payments; e-commerce; merchant acquiring and processing; and the Clover cloud-based point-of-sale and business management platform. Fiserv is a member of the S&P 500 Index and has been recognized as one of Fortune World's Most Admired Companiestm for nine of the last 10 years. Visit fiserv.com and follow on social media for more information and the latest company news.

16 may 2024 at 08:35

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Brain Cancer Canada Awards Grant for Innovative Medical Avatar Technology to Improve Treatments in High Grade Gliomas like Glioblastoma





TORONTO, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brain Cancer Canada is proud to announce the awarding of a $64,000 research grant to Dr. Claire Dubois, PhD, Professor at the Universite de Sherbrooke ? Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMSS) and her team, investigating a ground-breaking approach in the treatment of malignant gliomas. High grade gliomas can spread rapidly through brain tissue which typically leads to very poor prognosis for patients. The grant supports the innovative Sherbrooke Brain Cancer Avatar Initiative, employing novel CAMavatar technology.

This project, titled "Medical Technology Based on the Chicken Embryo-patient Avatar for Improving Drug Treatment for Glioma Patients," aims to transform the treatment paradigm for patients with high-grade gliomas. CAMavatar technology utilizes the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model to test drug responses quickly and without the ethical concerns and high costs associated with traditional models.

Dr. Dubois highlights the potential impact of the research: "We believe that our CAMavatar technology will give high-grade glioma patients their best chance at survival by identifying the most effective treatment for each patient. This could dramatically transform the clinical management of gliomas, offering personalized therapies that are tailored to the unique characteristics of each tumor."

Angela Scalisi, Chair of Brain Cancer Canada, expressed her enthusiasm for the project, stating, "We are excited to support this innovative technology that perfectly aligns with our mission to drive transformative research in brain cancer treatment. This grant, made possible by the generous contributions of our founding sponsor Scotia Wealth Management, and Brain Cancer Canada corporate and personal donors, underscores our commitment to pioneering approaches that can significantly enhance patient outcomes."

The CAMavatar technology has the possibility of not only accelerating the process of identifying and personalizing effective treatments, but also reducing reliance on traditional animal testing, aligning with global efforts to improve animal welfare in research.

This funding is part of Brain Cancer Canada's broader initiative during May's Brain Cancer Awareness Month, known as "Go Grey in May." This is the second of four major grants issued by Brain Cancer Canada this month, highlighting its commitment to advancing research and support for brain cancer patients.

For more detailed information on the Sherbrooke Brain Cancer Avatar Initiative and to understand more about how this research is revolutionizing the fight against gliomas, please contact [email protected]

About Brain Cancer Canada

Brain Cancer Canada is a national charity dedicated to supporting individuals diagnosed with malignant brain tumors. Through funding innovative research, technology, and treatments, Brain Cancer Canada aims to improve survival rates and the quality of life for patients, while providing essential support to their families.

Media Contact:

[email protected]

16 may 2024 at 08:45

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StackAdapt Partners with Samba TV to Power In-Platform Incremental Reach and Measurement





StackAdapt (www.stackadapt.com), the leading multi-channel programmatic advertising platform, announced a partnership with Samba TV, the leading provider of TV technology for audience data and omniscreen measurement, to integrate Samba TV's comprehensive first-party dataset into a suite of products within StackAdapt's programmatic platform. The integration enables StackAdapt to provide clients with incremental reach and measurement to achieve optimal advertising and marketing campaigns. StackAdapt is the first demand-side platform (DSP) to implement a fully self-serve solution for integrated planning, activation and measurement in the U.S. using Samba TV's automatic content recognition (ACR) dataset.

By utilizing Samba TV's robust dataset, StackAdapt is bringing to market two main features: Incremental Reach Forecasting and Incremental Reach Measurement. StackAdapt customers can now effortlessly forecast the incremental reach gained by adding connected TV (CTV) to linear TV buys, break out incremental reach by geolocation (including congressional and legislative districts), understand the incremental reach of competitors, and achieve target frequency. Forecasts can be transformed into campaigns with a click of a button, and incremental reach reports are generated in-platform within 24 hours, refreshed daily, and can be created mid or post-campaign for seamless optimizations.

Incremental Reach Forecasting allows clients to input various campaign parameters such as brand, geography, inventory packages, bid and budget into a forecasting tool. This tool then utilizes the Samba TV dataset to identify specific linear TV campaigns associated with the brand, and surfacing details like advertiser, brand name, and linear TV creatives directly within the platform for accurate forecasting.

Incremental Reach Measurement, developed by StackAdapt, provides metrics such as unique incremental reach percentage, average frequency across different formats, and detailed analytics by channel and location, including for political campaigns by district. This StackAdapt feature facilitates real-time optimizations and strategic planning for future initiatives with a report turnaround of only 24 hours that can update daily, contrasting with competitor offerings that take weeks for initial setup and refresh less frequently.

"The top campaigns maximize reach, and our partnership with Samba TV directly addresses this for our customers," said StackAdapt Senior Director of Data, Denis Loboda. "We strive to ensure to our customers that no target audience is missed, helping advertisers and marketers to plan the most optimal campaigns and spend incremental budgets effectively. We have enabled StackAdapt users to make informed decisions by predicting the additional reach each dollar spent will generate, alongside other solutions like optimizing towards ideal frequency and measuring incremental reach with ease."

While the solution offers substantial benefits across various categories, it holds particular significance for the political advertising sector. By providing detailed insights into voter reach within specific districts and enabling precise targeting, StackAdapt's partnership with Samba TV enables campaign efficiency and effectiveness ? a priority for 2024's election season.

"Our collaboration with StackAdapt is a step forward for integrated planning, activation, and measurement in one programmatic platform," said Samba TV CCO Aden Zaman. "Samba TV's extensive viewership insights that enable ad audience targeting and campaign insights help empower StackAdapt clients to transact more efficiently and drive improved return on ad spend."

Learn more about StackAdapt's capabilities including its Samba TV integration at www.stackadapt.com.

About StackAdapt

StackAdapt is a multi-channel programmatic advertising platform used by hundreds of brands and agencies around the world. StackAdapt's data-driven platform combines state-of-the-art machine learning with a clean and intuitive user interface to provide media buyers with an easy way to plan, execute and drive the best performance across all devices, inventory, and publishing partners. StackAdapt has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing technology companies in North America, is rated the number 1 demand-side platform (DSP) on G2, and is the highest-performing and easiest-to-use platform. For further information, visit www.stackadapt.com.

About Samba TV

Samba TV has transformed the TV from a pane of glass on the wall to a window into the heart of audiences. We are the global leader in television technology powering real-time insights and audience targeting to enable unparalleled marketing efficiency and effectiveness. Our proprietary first-party data from tens of millions of opted-in televisions, across more than 20 TV brands sold in over 100 countries, provides advertisers and media companies a unified view of the entire consumer journey. Our independent currency-grade measurement has future-proofed advertising for the next generation, empowering advertisers to connect with their audiences on any platform, across every screen.

16 may 2024 at 09:05

News published onand distributed by:
Red Cross announces new field hospital in Rafah





OTTAWA, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In response to the overwhelming demand for health care in Gaza, the Canadian Red Cross, in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Norwegian Red Cross, and nine other National Red Cross Societies, has opened a field hospital in Rafah.



The Canadian Red Cross, with the support of the Government of Canada has contributed to the field hospital with surgical equipment, medicines, diagnostic equipment, disinfection materials and personnel.

Quick Facts:

The field hospital will allow health care workers to:

manage a 60-bed medical facility;

care for up to 200 patients daily;

provide emergency surgical care, obstetric and gynecological, newborn and pediatric care; and,

provide both outpatient and inpatient care.

The field hospital will complement and support the work of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), which has been providing emergency medical care to thousands of people since the escalation of hostilities. Red Cross Red Crescent Movement partners, including the PRCS and the National Society partner in Israel, Magen David Adom (MDA), continue to provide health services to people in need, and are working in conditions where their lives at risk.

As a neutral, impartial, and independent humanitarian aid organization, the Red Cross Red Crescent will continue to provide critical support to those in need. The Canadian Red Cross alongside Red Cross Red Crescent Movement partners, reiterates the urgent need for:

the protection of civilians and aid workers from harm at all costs;

the dignified delivery of humanitarian services which includes the safe passage of aid; and,

a political resolution to ensure the sustained, safe, and dignified delivery and distribution of aid.





Quote:

"The Canadian Red Cross is working alongside its Movement partners to provide urgently needed health care to people in Rafah where health care facilities are in short supply. The Canadian Red Cross has provided vital supplies and personnel, and is grateful to the Government of Canada and the generosity of donors for their contributions to help people who desperately require it."

- Kelsey Lemon, vice-president, International Operations, Canadian Red Cross

Those wishing to donate to the Middle East Humanitarian Crisis Appeal can do so at redcross.ca.

About the Canadian Red Cross

Here in Canada and overseas, the Red Cross stands ready to help people before, during and after a disaster. As a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement ? which is made up of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross and 191 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies ? the Canadian Red Cross is dedicated to helping people and communities in Canada and around the world in times of need, and supporting them in strengthening their resilience.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

English: 1-877-599-9602

French: 1-888-418-9111

16 may 2024 at 10:05

News published onand distributed by:
Handlers place "Meules a Giverny" by Claude Monet during a media preview for Sotheby's upcoming "New York Marquee Evening Sales" in New York City, New York, US, May 3, 2024. EDUARDO MUNOZ / REUTERS

A Monet sold for nearly $35 million at auction Wednesday evening, Sotheby's said, marking a solid start to New York's spring art sales.

Both Sotheby's and rival auction house Christie's launched their spring season Monday, May 13. Though the global art market softened last year, strong sales in London and Paris have sparked optimism for 2024. Claude Monet's "Meules a Giverny", which the French impressionist painted in 1893, went for $34.8 million after a bidding war.

Read more Subscribers only Ten French exhibitions to celebrate 150 years of Impressionism

Meanwhile, British-Mexican artist Leonora Carrington broke her own auction record when her "Les Distractions de Dagobert" sold for $28.5 million. The new record places Carrington among the top five most valuable women artists at auction, Sotheby's said  and among the top four surrealist artists, "overtaking Max Ernst and Salvador Dali."

Christie's, meanwhile, sold some $115 million in contemporary art the prior evening, including a Jean-Michel Basquiat painting for $32 million. At the Phillips auction house, Basquiat's "Untitled (ELMAR)" sold for $46.5 million.

Read more Subscribers only Tourcoing and Roubaix celebrate 150 years of Impressionism
Chad's junta leader General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno won the African nation's May 6 presidential election with 61% of the vote, according to final results announced Thursday, May 16. The Constitutional Council declared the winner and also rejected a bid by Prime Minister Succes Masra to annul the result. Masra had claimed victory and has called for peaceful protests.

Deby called the election to end three years of military rule in a country crucial in the fight against jihadism across Africa's restive Sahel region. The regime has long muzzled opposition figures, however, and Deby's main rival was killed in February.

Following the release of provisional results on May 9, Deby declared himself "the elected president of all Chadians" and promised to make good on his "commitments". Masra came second with 18.5%, while former prime minister Albert Pahimi Padacke won 16.9%, Constitutional Council president Jean-Bernard Padare said on Thursday. The final results, with a turnout of 75.78 percent, are very close to the provisional results.

'Results rigged'

Masra, once a fierce Deby opponent before becoming prime minister four months ago, has accused the junta chief's team of rigging the results and called on his supporters to "mobilize peacefully". But he has rarely appeared in public since provisional results were announced on May 9.

Early in the campaign, observers predicted a massive win for 40-year-old Deby, whose late father ruled Chad for three decades before him. But economist Masra surprised everyone by gathering huge crowds during his campaign, leading him to claim he would be capable of winning or pushing Deby into a second round.

Opponents had called for a boycott of the vote, dismissing it as fixed. The prime minister, also 40, faced accusations of being a stooge by the opposition and its leading figures barred from standing. Observers are now questioning whether Masra will remain prime minister.

Opposition repressed

If Masra's supporters stage protests against Deby's election, it could pave the way for violence as opposition demonstrations are systematically repressed. The country has been marked by coups, authoritarian governments and rebel attacks since its independence from France in 1960.

Deby was proclaimed transitional president by fellow army generals in 2021 after his father, Idriss Deby Itno was shot dead by rebels. He promised an 18-month transition to democracy but then extended it by two years. Opposition figures have since fled, been silenced or joined forces with him.

Deby and Masra faced eight other candidates who were either relatively unknown or considered not hostile to the regime. Deby's cousin and chief election rival Yaya Dillo Djerou was shot in the head in an army assault on February 28, according to his party.

'Neither credible nor free'

International rights groups had said the election would be neither credible nor fair. The International Federation for Human Rights had warned that the election appeared "neither credible, free nor democratic". The International Crisis Group also noted that "a number of problems in the run-up to the balloting cast doubt on its credibility".

In early May, Masra's Transformers party condemned violence against him and his supporters. On polling day, at least 76 activists from the party were arrested and are still held in prison. They are accused of forgery and using false documents during this week's presidential election, a legal source told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

In 2021, Deby was quickly endorsed by an international community led by France, whose forces in recent years have been ousted by military regimes in former African colonies including Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The Sahel nations are reeling from jihadist insurgencies and have strengthened ties with Russia after severing them with Paris.
HOMER LIWAG / PUBLIC DOMAIN

Magician David Copperfield has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than a dozen women in episodes said to have taken place over several decades, a report said Wednesday, May 15.

The Guardian said its investigation had uncovered allegations from 16 women that the celebrated US illusionist had behaved inappropriately towards them, including some who said they were under 18 at the time. Three of the women claim Copperfield drugged them before sex.

The US edition of the British-based newspaper and website said it had spoken to more than 100 people, and had examined police and court records to substantiate the story, which it said covered the period from the late 1980s to 2014.

Read more Subscribers only The debate over adding consent to France's legal definition of rape

It said the women who made the allegations had met the entertainer through his work, in a career that spanned decades.

Copperfield's lawyers told the outlet he denied any wrongdoing and had "never acted inappropriately with anyone, let alone anyone underage." The 67-year-old was previously accused of misconduct in 2018, when a woman named Brittney Lewis said he had drugged and sexually assaulted her three decades earlier. Copperfield denied that claim.

'Groomed'

Lewis is part of the 16 women in the Guardian's report. The Guardian said it had spoken to another woman, who did not wish to be named, who said that the magician had drugged her and a friend before having sex with each of them.

Lawyers told the outlet that Copperfield denied the claims and noted that no complaints had been made against him when the assaults were said to have taken place. One woman, who was given a pseudonym in the Guardian article, alleged she had first met the magician after one of his shows when she was just 15.

She said over the following years he would call her late at night and send her gifts, such that she now felt she had been "groomed." When she turned 18, the pair had consensual sex, she told the outlet. Copperfield's lawyers told the Guardian he and the woman had a legal and consensual relationship that lasted four years. Copperfield "strongly denies any suggestion of grooming or any other impropriety."

Read more Jeffrey Epstein documents: US judge begins to unseal court records

Copperfield has previously faced scrutiny because of an association with indicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019. His name was among those included on court documents related to to Epstein that were unsealed in January. However, the inclusion of his name does not indicate that he committed any crime. "Our client did not know about Epstein's horrific crimes," the Guardian cited Copperfield's lawyers as saying. "Like the rest of the world, he learned about it from the press."
Dutch Party For Freedom (PVV) party leader Geert Wilders makes a statement after talks between the PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB factions finally led to an agreement on a coalition government in The Hague on May 15, 2024. KOEN VAN WEEL / AFP

The newly agreed Dutch coalition government proposed the "strictest-ever" asylum policy on Thursday, May 16, including an opt-out from European Union rules, and vowed to examine moving its Israel embassy to Jerusalem.

The 26-page coalition agreement emerged early Thursday after six months of gruelling talks between four parties following the stunning election victory of far-right leader Geert Wilders. The parties said they would file a request to the European Commission for an opt-out on European asylum policy "as soon as possible."

"Concrete steps will be taken towards the strictest ever entry rules for asylum and the most comprehensive ever package to control migration," the agreement said. People without a valid residence permit will be deported "by force if necessary," said the report.

On foreign policy, the parties commit to keep the Netherlands as a "constructive partner" in the European Union and support Ukraine "politically, militarily, financially, and morally."

Read more Subscribers only After debates, the new Dutch legislature will continue to support Ukraine

More controversially, the agreement calls to examine the idea of moving the Dutch embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians, but most governments avoid putting embassies there to avoid jeopardizing the outcome of negotiations for a lasting peace. "Taking into account solutions to the Israel-Palestinian conflict and diplomatic interests, we will examine when the embassy can be moved to Jerusalem at an appropriate time," said the report.

The parties have still not agreed on who will be prime minister of the European Union's fifth-largest economy. They appointed civil servant Richard van Zwol as the so-called "formateur" who will oversee the formation of a cabinet, but he is not the intended PM candidate. In March, the four parties agreed to aim for a partially technocratic cabinet made up of 50% politicians and 50% people from outside politics.

The main contender looks to be former education and interior minister Ronald Plasterk, who also played a key role in overseeing the initial talks. Wilders himself has already reluctantly agreed to give up his dream of becoming prime minister amid widespread unease over his anti-Islam, anti-European views.

Read more Subscribers only Dutch far right struggles to find allies for power
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during an official welcome ceremony in Beijing, China, Thursday, May 16, 2024. SERGEI BOBYLEV / AP

On his first foreign trip since his inauguration for a fifth term in the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin is visiting China on Thursday, May 16, and Friday, May 17, in what will be a closely scrutinized trip. The state visit comes in response to the trip made to Moscow by Chinese President Xi Jinping in March 2023 and marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. In addition to Beijing, Putin will visit Harbin, in the Heilongjiang province of northeast China.

Despite the almost routine nature of meetings between the Russian and Chinese presidents, who see each other at least three times a year in multilateral settings (G20, BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organization summits), this trip has some unique characteristics. For the Russian side, it will be a test of the limits of a friendship that was declared in February 2022, 20 days before the invasion of Ukraine, to be "no-limits."

The ever-closer alignment between the two capitals is "one of the most important geopolitical consequences of the war in Ukraine," wrote a Russian specialist of China, Alexander Gabuev, in Foreign Affairs, in early April. Whether or not this relationship deepens could depend not only on the fate of the Ukrainian conflict, but also on the solidity of the anti-Western axis constructed between Beijing and Moscow.

Putin, who likes to use trade figures on his travels to demonstrate the strength of relations, can take comfort in the fact that trade between his country and China has risen sharply. In 2023, it reached $240 billion (221 billion)  a meteoric rise from $147 billion in 2021. Significantly, the figure has crossed the $200 billion mark which Xi and Putin had set as their target for 2025.

Vassalizing Russia

The key sectors of this relationship are well known: raw materials and energy for the most part on the Russian side; manufactured and industrial goods on the Chinese side. Chinese carmakers now account for more than half of the Russian automotive market. And Russia has become China's leading supplier of gas  sold at a discount.

The trend is all the more pronounced given that Russia's "Asian pivot" dates back to 2014, in the wake of the annexation of Crimea and the first Western sanctions that ensued. From 2022 onwards, however, it has intensified. This ideological choice, a clear rejection of the West, has now become an economic necessity for Moscow.

Not only has Russia gradually found itself deprived of other outlets, particularly for its oil and gas exports, but Chinese companies are now an indispensable player in compensating for or circumventing the new sanctions imposed by the West. In mid-March, the Moscow Times revealed how Beijing had helped send 580 million worth of European equipment for the gigantic Arctic LNG 2 gas project, from which the French company TotalEnergies has stepped back.

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GRIFFITH College in the heart of Limerick city will mark its 50-year anniversary with a special event this Thursday, May 16.

The celebration will be in The Strand Hotel with guests including Minister of State Kieran ODonnell, and Mayor of Limerick, Cllr Gerald Mitchell.

Over the past half a century, Griffith College has been committed to academic excellence, innovation and inclusivity through its broad range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

Head of campus at Griffith College Limerick, Kevin OSullivan said: We are immensely proud to celebrate this remarkable milestone.

This event not only honours our storied history, but also heralds a future filled with endless possibilities and continued dedication to education.

READ MORE: Elation in west Limerick but anger in the east at 10m funding allocation

Professor Diarmuid Hegarty, president of Griffith College added Griffith College has achieved much over the past half century and our Limerick campus has played a key role since 2006.

Its success has been founded on three pillars  a clear focus on our learners, an agility in responding to their needs and the needs of industry, and the dedication and commitment of the colleges staff.

As the college looks back on the past five decades, they look ahead to a bright future and the next 50 years.
FINE GAELS candidate for the directly elected mayor of Limerick, Daniel Butler has launched a five-point plan to deliver 72 million in investment for Limerick.

If elected as mayor, Cllr Butler plans to expand the 40 million mayor fund over the course of five years through Government-backed schemes.

He plans to use schemes such as the housing adaptation grant, town and village renewal scheme, large scale sport infrastructure fund, and the rural and urban regeneration development funds.

He is particularly focusing on the areas of enterprise, infrastructure, housing, quality of life and rural development.

Cllr Butler wants to see the Northern Distributor Road delivered, saying it is already at an advanced planning stage and has the potential to deliver new commercial and residential developments in the Mid-West.

He says the development has the potential to drive economic growth in the region.

The Fine Gael candidate also wants to see the offshore green energy Shannon pipeline delivered, saying it will create 50,000 jobs across the Mid-West by 2050.

Foynes will play a key role in the delivery of this pipeline, with the completion of the Foynes to Limerick road and the reopening of the Foynes to Limerick railway to open up significant economic opportunities for the county, he told the Limerick Leader.

Another point in his plan includes the Shannon Estuary LNG terminal in Kerry, which he believes will secure a gas supply for Ireland, offering a low carbon alternative to oil and coal.

READ MORE: History seminar organised by the late Tom Toomey in Limerick

Launching his plan, Cllr Butler criticised the Green Party for blocking various projects across Limerick.

He said: Developing Limericks infrastructure will be vital in delivering on the rest of the five points, as without fit-for-purpose infrastructure Limerick cannot grow and thrive.

Green Party ideology has gotten in the way of delivering key infrastructure projects in recent years and I think it is important to call out how Minister Eamon Ryans vetoes are costing Limerick today.

An anti-roads ideology has stalled the delivery of the Limerick Northern Distributor Road, which has huge upsides for the economic and social development of Limerick.

Fast track delivery of housing is also part of his plan, as well as rural development.
WHEN its an immediate thats no problem! from a photographer who has been asked to cover a photo marking at 4 in the morning, hes either misheard you or has a vested interest in the job.

Thankfully, for the Leader, it was neither in the case of getting the Darkness Into Light event in the city covered last Saturday morning. The photographer, just like the thousands who rose from their beds in the city and county, was happy to sacrifice a few hours of sleep for the greater good.

In 2009, in the Phoenix Park in Dublin, 400 people set off on the inaugural Darkness Into Light 5km walk to raise funds for Pieta. Pieta provide free counselling to those with suicidal ideation, those engaging in self-harm, and those bereaved by suicide.

READ MORE: PICTURES: Hope is the message at Limerick parish's Darkness into Light walk

From small beginnings, the movement has continued to grow, and now there are over 150,000 participants in Darkness Into Light each year.

Last Saturday morning in Limerick, Darkness Into Light fundraising walks took place in Pallasgreen, Kilmallock, Newcastle West, Kildimo, Hospital, Glenbrohane, Anglesboro, Knocklong and Limerick city. Walking side by side in all these communities were young children, teenagers and adults. At times it can really feel like life is getting much more complex for our younger generation and its events like this that help to remove the silence and, yes, stigma, that can still shroud mental illness.

Very few of us - if any - will get through life without encountering extremely difficult and challenging times, and not everyone is well enough equipped to deal with them when they do arrive. Events like Darkness Into Light remind everyone - no matter what the age - of the importance of supporting and uplifting one another during those difficult times.
POLITICIANS of all parties have expressed solidarity with a local election candidate on the receiving end of abusive harrassment and intimidation while on the canvass.

Gardai have also launched an investigation into the video, which shows Fianna Fail's northside candidate Suzzie O'Deniyi subjected to a tirade of racially charged insults and expletives.

This was while she was out in Caherdavin with her team knocking on doors ahead of polling day next month.

Ms O'Deniyi, a health care professional and a former pupil of Scoil Mhaithar De Primary School and Scoil Carmel secondary school, says she is aiming to be the first black woman elected to Limerick City and County Council.

Her Fianna Fail colleague, Cllr Catherine Slattery described the abuse as "outrageous and disgusting".

"It's hard enough to get women to run in politics, and when one does, to be abused like that, is just awful," she said.

Minister of State Niall Collins said what took place was "beyond vile".

"It was despicable thing to happen while out canvassing. Suzzie ODeniyi has had the courage of her convictions to put her name on the ballot to hopefully represent all of the people of Limerick's northside. She has mine and the Fianna Fail party's full support," confirmed Mr Collins.

Labour's northside councillor Conor Sheehan, having seen the video, described it as "terrifying".



"We need more diverse politics. Suzzie is an impressive individual, but she's also a woman and a person of colour. Women and people of colour are being disproportionately targetted like this," he said.

Cllr Sheehan does not believe the abuse came from someone who lives in that part of the city.



"I never thought I'd see what I saw directed at her. I know all the residents who live there, I've done a lot of work and canvassing down there, as have other colleagues. That sort of stuff does not represent our electoral area," he added.

Fellow northside councillor Olivia O'Sullivan, Fine Gael, agreed, saying: "Whoever this racist person is does not represent this lovely neighbourhood and its residents. It is horrible behaviour, no candidate should have to tolerate this. Solidarity with Suzzie and her team."

I have seen the video circulating abusing supporters of a candidate in my area. Whoever this racist person is does not represent this lovely neighbourhood and its residents. It is horrible behaviour, no candidate should have to tolerate this. Solidarity with Suzzie and her team.  Olivia O'Sullivan (@oliviaos) May 16, 2024

Ms ODeniyi has told other media outlets that because the matter is being investigated by gardai, she is unable to comment.

A number of other candidates in the next month's local and mayoral election have also sharply criticised the person who made the video.

Rabharta Glas City East candidate Michael O'Brien described him as a "cowardly bully" who "needs to be put in his place."

Solidarity with Suzzie ODeniyi.



This cowardly bully needs to be put in his place.



The people of Limerick reject racism, fascism and bigotry. https://t.co/nSD1AxcEvM  Michael O Brien (@Michael_O_B) May 15, 2024

Fianna Fail's mayoral election candidate Dee Ryan wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "Unacceptable verbal abuse and intimidation of my colleague and her volunteer team who were bringing democratic choice to people's doors in Limerick City North. Zero tolerance for this kind of election interference."

Unacceptable verbal abuse & intimidation of my colleague @suzzie_od + her volunteer team who were bringing democratic choice to peoples doors in #LimerickCityNorth on a canvass last night. Zero tolerance for this kind of election interference #LE24  Dee Ryan Dee4Mayor (@deecorbettryan) May 16, 2024

Fine Gael mayoral candidate, Cllr Daniel Butler added: "I want to publicly condemn the horrible racism that had to be experienced by volunteer canvassers this evening in Limerick. Solidarity with Suzzie O'Deniyi and her team. We are a wonderfully cultural diverse city something I value dearly."

I want to publicly condemn the horrible racism that had to be experienced by volunteer canvassers this evening in Limerick. Solidarity with @suzzie_od & her team.



We are a wonderfully cultural diverse city something I value dearly. Diversity = Strength.#LimerickAgainstRacism  Daniel Butler for Mayor of Limerick (@DanielButlerFG) May 15, 2024

Ms O'Deniyi did not return a request for comment from Limerick Live.
BEIJINGMicrosoft is asking hundreds of employees in its China-based cloud-computing and artificial-intelligence operations to consider transferring outside the country, as tensions between Washington and Beijing mount around the critical technology.

Such staff, mostly engineers with Chinese nationality, were recently offered the opportunity to transfer to countries including the U.S., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, people familiar with the matter said. The company is asking about 700 to 800 people, who are involved in machine learning and other work related to cloud computing, one of the people said.

The move by one of Americas biggest cloud-computing and AI companies comes as the Biden administration seeks to put tighter curbs around Chinas capability to develop state-of-the-art AI. The White House is considering new rules that would require Microsoft and other U.S. cloud-computing companies to get licenses before giving Chinese customers access to AI chips.

A Microsoft spokesperson said providing internal opportunities is part of its global business and acknowledged the company had shared an optional internal transfer opportunity with a subset of employees. The company remains committed to the region and will continue to operate in China, the spokesperson said.

In Washington, Microsofts cloud business and AI research in China have caught policymakers attention. Microsoft employs roughly 7,000 engineers for its Asia-Pacific research-and-development group, with most based in China.

Its China cloud and AI team participates in Microsofts global R&D for its core products. Those asked to consider transferring are a portion of the thousands of engineers working on Microsofts cloud efforts, one of the people said, adding that if they choose not to transfer out of China, they can keep working in the country.

The offer to relocate was made earlier this week, another of the people said.

Globally, Microsoft, whose businesses range from cloud computing to games, is on a spending spree to build AI infrastructure. The company has recently pledged billions of dollars in spending on data centers around the world.

Write to Raffaele Huang at raffaele.huang@wsj.com and Yoko Kubota at yoko.kubota@wsj.com
Last week, Charles Elson was preparing to file a legal brief criticizing a coming shareholder vote on a $46 billion pay package for Musk. That is when he got an email from the head of litigation at Holland & Knight, the law firm that has long handled Elsons work as an expert witness.

It said that Teslas general counsel had called a partner at the firm and advised that our relationship with Tesla is about to be terminated on account of actions you are taking," the email, which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, said.

After speaking with the firmwhich represents Tesla on separate mattersElson resigned from his consulting role. He filed his legal brief on Monday.

I was shocked by the whole thing," Elson said, likening the tactic to threatening a witness. But if you have to choose between your job and your integrity, you choose your integrity every time."

A spokesman for Holland & Knight said the firm determined Elsons course of action was inconsistent with its obligations to its client, and that its determination wasnt based on coercion or threats from anyone.

Tesla categorically rejects the Amicus Motions suggestion that it is appalling or bullying to raise a potential conflict issue with outside counsel, or for outside counsel to insist that their lawyersconsultants or otherwisecomply with their ethical and fiduciary responsibilities," Tesla said in a letter to the judge responding to Elsons brief.

People familiar with Tesla and the law firms thinking said Tesla raised concerns about Elsons brief to the firm, but didnt threaten to end the business relationship. One person said the impression that Tesla threatened the firm was the result of an unspecified miscommunication within Holland & Knight.

Elsons break with the law firm comes just weeks before Tesla shareholders are set to vote on whether to reinstate stock options for Musk. A judge struck down the compensation in January, saying it was granted by a Musk-controlled board and that shareholders werent given crucial information.

In her decision, Delaware Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick cited an earlier brief Elson had filed opposing Musks pay package. That 2023 brief argued that Musks existing 22% stake before the award already tethered Musks interests to shareholders. It noted other big-name executives, such as Amazon.coms Jeff Bezos and Metas Mark Zuckerberg, who havent received equity awards.The massive grant was unnecessary to incentivize Musk or align his interests with those of Teslas public stockholders. And it has ushered in a new era of outsized awards for other executives," Elson wrote. The award was unfair."

McCormick cited the brief multiple times in her decision, calling it persuasive." She had plenty of reasons to consider Elsons opinion.

The bowtie-wearing 64-year-old serves as the executive editor at large for Directors & Boards Magazine. He is the vice chairman of the American Bar Associations Committee on Corporate Governance. Elson founded the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware, where he retired from teaching two years ago. He sits on two boards himself, and previously served on several more.

Holland & Knight had long valued that experience. In addition to his academic work, Elson has worked as an expert witness, providing testimony for a fee in legal cases. The firm coordinated that work for nearly 29 years.

A spokesman for Holland & Knight declined to say why the firms position on Elsons briefs on Tesla changed since he filed his first brief last year.

A person familiar with Teslas position said Elsons new amicus brief criticizing the shareholder vote and proxy put him at odds with Tesla, Holland & Knights client, as opposed to the earlier brief criticizing Musk and other board members.

Musk and his companies have tried to intimidate critics in the past and, failing that, sought retribution.

In 2022, the Journal reported that Tesla and SpaceX took steps to cut back on their business dealings with law firm Cooley LLP after the firm refused to fire, at Teslas behest, an associate who had joined from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The associate had interviewed Musk as part of an investigation that resulted in Musk agreeing to pay a $20 million fine.

In his new amicus brief filed this week, Elson argues that the shareholder vote on June 13 shouldnt be treated as a remedy to the courts decision, and that doing so would have significant impacts on other questions of Delaware law.

Elson said he disagreed that his brief had any conflict of interest with Tesla. He worked infrequently with Holland & Knight, and never as an attorney. Further, he said his brief is in the interest of Tesla shareholders, who benefit from Musks pay package being rescinded.

Now, his filings bring the incident to the attention of the judge who has already ruled against Musk once on this matter.

The Court should have no illusions about what happened here," Elson wrote. The frivolous assertion of a conflict was a fig leaf for Musk, acting through Tesla, to try to bully a law professor."

Write to Ben Foldy at ben.foldy@wsj.com
Brookfield India Real Estate Trust (BIRET) has signed binding agreements to acquire Bharti Enterprises 50% stake in four Grade A assets in Delhi-NCR, the companies said in a joint statement on Thursday.

The acquisition includes 3.3 million sq. ft of commercial properties at an enterprise value of 6,000 crore. The total equity consideration for the 50% stake will be fulfilled through a preferential allotment of units in BIRET to Bharti, at 300 per unit.

Following this, Bharti will become the second-largest unitholder in BIRET, Canadian institutional investor Brookfields listed REIT in India, with an 8.53% stake.

Last year, Brookfield Asset Management in a transaction had picked up around 50% stake in Bharti Enterprises four commercial properties in Delhi-NCR. With the latest acquisition, Brookfield India REIT and Brookfield Asset Management will together own the joint venture called Rostrum Realty.

Read This | Mint Primer: Why PE funds are investing less in real estate The portfolio of assets includes operating Worldmark assets at Aerocity New Delhi, a mixed-use property covering 1.4 million sq. ft, Airtel Center, a corporate facility of 700,000 sq. ft in north Gurugram, and Worldmark Gurugram, a 700,000 sq. ft mixed-use asset.

In a statement detailing its earnings, BIRET also said that Brookfield, through its private real estate fund, will continue to own the remaining 50% stake that it purchased in April 2023. Brookfield India REIT will have a right of first offer to acquire the 50% stake (after April 2026) and consolidate to 100% ownership, it said.

This acquisition will increase Brookfield India REITs operating area by 16% and consolidated gross asset value by 22% through the addition of modern assets with marquee front office tenancy.

With this acquisition, we add New Delhi to our portfolio making BIRET the most diverse office REIT in India. These high-quality assets with strong tenancy also increase our retail operating area to 1 million square feet, said Ankur Gupta, managing partner, head of real estate for the Asia Pacific region, Brookfield.

Brookfield India REIT comprises six large office parks located in Mumbai, Gurugram, Noida, and Kolkata. The Brookfield India REIT portfolio consists of 25.5 million sq. ft of total leasable area, comprising 20.9 million sq. ft of operating area, 0.6 million sq. ft of under-construction area, and 4 million sq. ft of future development potential.

Harjeet Kohli, joint managing director, Bharti Enterprises, said, With this transaction, Brookfield, through its two managed vehicles, will own 100% stake in the four marquee assets originally developed by Bharti Realty. With an over 8.5% stake in the REIT, Bharti is excited to take its partnership with Brookfield forward.

Bharti also continues to invest in a large development pipeline of over 10 million sq. ft of Grade A commercial real estate assets in Aerocity, New Delhi, and hopes to grow this partnership through similar transactions, Kohli added.

More Here | IPOs by flexible workspace firms: Sharing to grow Brookfield India Real Estate Trust's adjusted net operating income for the quarter ended March grew by 89% year-on-year to 460.80 crore. For the financial year ended March 31, 2024, the company's adjusted net operating income grew 57% to 1,506.2 crore.

The companys gross asset value grew by 78% year-on-year to 29,200 crore.
The world's biggest sovereign wealth fund has snapped ties with Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, pointing to risk that countrys largest ports operator contributes to serious violations of individuals' rights in situations of war or conflict."

Norges Bank Investment Management excluded APSEZ, citing a recommendation from its ethics council on 21 November. This makes APSEZ the 16th Indian company to be excluded by the sovereign fund, which managed assets of $1.63 trillion as of 31 March 2024.

The Norges Bank Executive Board has decided to exclude the company Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd due to unacceptable risk that the company contributes to serious violations of individuals' rights in situations of war or conflict, ref. the conduct-based criterion in the Guidelines for Observation and Exclusion from the Government Pension Fund Global," said Norges in a statement. The company has been under observation since March 2022, but that observation now ends given the exclusion decision."

A fourth of India's total cargo is handled by APSEZ, which owns a total of 14 ports including in Israel, Australia and Sri Lanka.

APSEZ has been under observation since March 2022 due to its business association with the armed forces in Myanmar in the development of Ahlon International Port Terminal in Yangon," said the Council on Ethics panel which recommends Norges on which companies to be put on the Exclusion list.

"APSEZ had announced that it would pull out of the business in Myanmar. Due to the uncertainty surrounding whether and when it would be possible to accomplish this, the Council recommended that the company be placed under observation," it said.

Norges owned 0.24% of APSEZ at the end of December 2023. Billionaire Gautam Adani, the company's promoter, owned 65.89% of APSEZ, which had a market cap of 2,90,484 crore as of 16 May. Norges also owns 0.17% of Adani Green Energy and 0.12% of Adani Total Gas Ltd.

"The Council has reassessed the company following the disclosure that APSEZ had sold its port-related operations in Myanmar to Solar Energy Ltd in May 2023. No information on the buyer is available, and APSEZ has stated that it cannot share any such information on the grounds of confidentiality.

The Council attaches importance to the fact that the company has failed to help shed light on the matter, that no other information is to be found about the company that is said to have acquired APSEZs operations in Myanmar, and that APSEZs auditor did not have sufficient information to assess whether the sale to Solar Energy was a transaction between related parties. This lack of information means that the Council cannot establish whether APSEZ has links to the enterprise concerned. In a situation in which extremely serious norm violations are taking place, this constitutes an unacceptable risk that the GPFGs investments in APSEZ may breach its ethical guidelines," the Council on Ethics panel added.

Investors shrugged off the decision, with APSEZ's shares rising 0.56% higher to close at 1344.75 on Thursday.

"Investor activism makes companies change behaviour," said Sharmila Gopinath, a specialist adviser for India at the Asian Corporate Governance Association.

"Now, a lot of thought must have gone before Norges, which is the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, arrived at this decision. Norges, in simple words, is saying, my money can talk and I will not give my money if a company is not doing business that is environmentally sound or abiding by corporate governance. But please understand that sovereign wealth funds do not expect companies to change in the short term, say one or two years. A change will happen in how these companies do business in 5-10 years. And I believe decisions by government-backed Norges also make other pension and large institutional investors consider their ESG metrics before investing."

Norges owns 1.5% of the worlds listed companies, and owns shares in a little over 300 companies in India, according to an analysis by Mint. Its exclusion list currently has 192 companies, of which 16 are from India.

Norwegian law bars the fund from investing in companies that produces tobacco, coal and nuclear weapons. For this reason, ITC Ltd became the first company which was excluded by Norges in 2010. Over the years, seven more public sector firms, including Gujarat Mineral Development Corp Ltd, NTPC and Coal India Ltd were barred by the fund. Bharat Electronics Ltds business of manufacturing technology and military-end use goods made Norges conclude that it will not invest in the company.

Sales of weapons to states in armed conflicts, where the weapons are used in ways that constitute breaches of the international rules on the conduct of hostilities," reasoned Norges when it removed BEL last January. When it excluded Gail India Ltd, another public sector enterprise, in April last year, Norges cited serious violations of individuals' rights in situations of war or conflict."
BRUSSELSMeta Platforms faces a European Union investigation into whether its Facebook and Instagram services do enough to protect minors under the blocs new online-content law.

The European Commission, the EUs executive body, said Thursday that it is opening formal probes into Facebook and Instagram, including their use of algorithms that officials said may stimulate addictive behavior in children. Investigators will also look at so-called rabbit-hole effects, where a user is inundated with similar content, as well as the platforms age-verification tools and privacy settings for minors.

Meta didnt immediately respond to a request for comment on the investigation.

The EU isnt alone in raising concerns about how Metas products affect minors. Last year, a coalition of U.S. states filed lawsuits alleging that the company intentionally built its products with addictive features that harm young users of Facebook and Instagram. Meta said at the time that it works to support young people on its platforms and improve their experiences.

The European probe announced Thursday is being opened under the EUs online-content law, called the Digital Services Act, which came into effect last year. It requires some of the worlds biggest online platforms to take steps to address illegal content and to manage risks associated with the platforms use, including their use by minors.

We are not convinced that Meta has done enough to comply" with the law, EU internal market commissioner Thierry Breton wrote on social-media platform X. We are sparing no effort to protect youth," he said.

Opening an investigation is a first formal step in the commissions process that could eventually lead to fines of up to 6% of a service providers global annual revenue. The decision to launch a probe doesnt necessarily mean a company will be found to have broken the online-content rules or that it will face sanctions.

The Meta investigation is the latest in a string of probes launched under the online-content law in recent months. It is the second time Metas social-media platforms have been targeted and follows earlier moves to open investigations into ByteDances TikTok and Elon Musks X, as well as online-shopping platform AliExpress, which is owned by Chinese technology company Alibaba.

There is no legal deadline for investigations under the EUs online-content law.

Write to Kim Mackrael at kim.mackrael@wsj.com
BENGALURU : Wipro Ltds former chief executive Thierry Delaporte has sold shares worth 34.5 crore over the past month, taking his total earnings since he resigned from the company on 6 April to 70.63 crore, or about $8.5 million.

The amount Delaporte has earned from the share sales are in addition to the first-of-its-kind cash payment of 36.13 crore that Wipro has offered to any of its outgoing executives.

It is unclear if Wipro allowed an accelerated vesting of Delaportes shares awarded under its employee stock option plan, or ESOP, or of the total number of Wipro shares he owns.

Delaporte was replaced as CEO by Srinivas Pallia last month, but will continue with Wipro until 31 May. While Pallia stands to make up to $7 million in remuneration in his first year, Delaportes annual remuneration when he was in office was $10.1 million. Delaporte's remuneration for 2023-24 will be known when Wipro publishes its annual report.

Following his resignation, Delaporte first sold shares worth 21.4 crore on 26 April, followed by another 13.1 crore of share sales on 8 May, show stock exchange filings reviewed by Mint.

Also read | With Delaporte gone, can legacy hand Srinivas Pallia steer Wipro through the AI age?

This could be in the nature of a severance pay as Delaporte had a five-year contract and he has resigned prematurely to facilitate a new CEO," said Shriram Subramanian, founder and managing director of proxy advisory firm InGovern Research.

As he is a French national, and French employment laws are more stringent, this cash compensation could be to mitigate any adverse consequences, including non-solicitation and non-disparagement," said Subramanian.

Wipro did not immediately reply to Mints email seeking comment.

$14 million in share sales so far

Although Wipro maintains Delaporte resigned, Mint reported on 7 April that chair Rishad Premji, unhappy with the companys performance, had asked him to put in his papers.

Wipros revenue declined 3.8% to $10.8 billion in 2023-24, while that of Tata Consultancy Services Ltd improved 4.12% to $29 billion and Infosys Ltds by 1.9% to $18.56 billion.

Shareholders will likely get to know about the accelerated vesting of shares when the FY2023-24 annual report is out soon," said Subramanian.

Also read | Thierry's 18 musketeers at Wipro, and what happens to them now

During Delaportes nearly four-year stint between 6 July 2020 and 6 April 2024, he has sold Wipro shares worth 83.7 crore, according to a Mint review of filings made by company executives to the Bombay Stock Exchange, bringing his total share sale to 118.2 crore, or about $14 million.

This ( 118.2 crore) is a very good sum of money," said the head of a proxy advisory firm on condition of anonymity, adding, Companies, when they ask a CEO to leave, typically allow an accelerated vesting of shares and this is not something unusual."

More than his predecessor

Delaportes separation money is more than what his predecessor, Abidali Neemuchwala, made, according to filings made by the company.

Neemuchwala, who resigned in the summer of 2020 before completing his five-year tenure, earned $4.4 million for the year ended March 2020. His remuneration included his salary, variable pay, and cost of accelerated vesting of unvested share options.

Neemuchwala, who was based out of Dallas, Texas, had 960,000 of unvested American Depository Shares when he resigned. He owned ADS as Wipro is listed both on Indian stock exchanges and on the New York Stock Exchange.

Neemuchwala, whom Wipro founder-chair Azim Premji hired from Tata Consultancy Services, announced his resignation on 31 January 2020, but continued until 1 June. He earned $305,845 between 1 April and 1 June 2020.

Other ex-CXOs too sell shares

In addition to Delaporte, at least two other executives who joined Wipro under his watch and who are now no longer with the company, also made a decent amount of money from ESOPs.

Anis Chenchah, who joined Wipro in April 2022 as the CEO of its Asia Pacific, India, Middle East and Africa region, only to resign last week, sold shares worth 37.77 crore earlier this month.

Ohio-based Stephanie Trautman, who joined as Wipros chief growth officer in February 2021, with the mandate to bolster the companys ability to win mega deals, or contracts worth more than $1 billion in value, resigned in December. Trautman has sold shares worth 7.39 crore.

Also read | Mega deals dried up at Wipro before team leads departure

Wipros shares have declined by about 3% on NSE since Delaporte announced his resignation on 6 April, a Saturdayfrom 479.90 apiece on 8 April to 464.00 at close of trading on Thursday.
The expansion of Indias trade with China even as commerce with the rest of the world contracted in 2023-24 helped the latter re-emerge as the countrys largest trading partner at a time when political relationships between the two continue to be strained.

Data recently released by the commerce ministry show that Indias imports from China grew by more than 3% in 2023-24 even as the countrys total merchandise goods purchases from overseas fell by almost 6%. Similarly, Indias exports to China climbed nearly 9% while total exports contracted by almost 3%.

Indias imports from China, which are multiple times its exports to that country, crossed the $100-billion mark in 2023-24 after coming close to that level in the preceding two years, despite measures to lower dependence on the northern neighbour and boycott calls by sections of trade.

Mint takes a close look at data to find what constitutes trade between India and China.

Electronics and machinery

Broadly, trade between the two neighbours includes electronic and electrical goods, machinery, chemicals and fertilisers, iron, steel and aluminium, plastics, and many smaller-value items such as grooming products and tableware.

Electronic integrated circuits and microassemblies, semiconductors and diodes, and printed circuits, all of which have a wide variety of applications, together with communication apparatus including telephone sets, accounted for more than 45% of imports by value.

Also read | The China challenge: Fix Indias lopsided bilateral trade

Item-level trade data available till February show that China was the primary source of imports for several goods, sometimes accounting for more than 50% of the imports. For instance, about 50% or more of electric motors and generators, electric transformers, electric accumulators (mostly batteries) and their parts, are imported from China, which has a dominating presence in the power sector.

Import of lithium-ion batteries, mostly used in electric vehicles, exceeded $2 billion, and thats about 75% of such imports.

Smartphone imports drop

The imports of items such as mobile phones have dropped as India became a major production centre due to the governments production-linked incentive scheme. The import of smartphones from China also declined by nearly 35% in the April-February period to 1.48 million units from 2.26 million units in the corresponding year-earlier period, although the value of imports climbed 8% to $853 million.

Of the small appliances, although only a small quantity is imported, about 90% of these by value originate in China. These include food grinders, food processors, mixers and juicers. So do about 80% of the vacuum cleaners. Also, over 50% of personal grooming items such as shavers, hair clippers and epilators originate in China.

Computers and laptops were another big item of import, goods worth more than $4 billion were procured from China. Together with peripherals, the value of computer hardware imported from China in 2023-24 was worth about $8 billion.

Oil and fish for China

The value of Indias exports to China is less than a fifth of what is imported. Petroleum products and marine products are the main exports.

Other goods exported to China include iron and steel, organic chemicals, residual chemicals and allied products and aluminium and its products.

Also read | Chinese stuff at Indian telcos: An old chapter reopens

Why is India's trade so dependent on China?

Indias dependence on China increased as import liberalisation coincided with the latters emergence as a highly competitive mega factory for all kinds of industrial and consumer goods.

For Indian companies handicapped by smaller production capacity, higher costs and limitations posed by the reservation policy for small-scale units in the 1990s and early 2000s, imports became profitable. For instance, small appliances companies preferred cheaper imports to domestic production.

Over the years, as global companies shifted their production lines to China, the worlds dependence on China for factory products rose. Until recently, Apples iPhone was largely manufactured in China. As Indias growth gathered pace, so did the reliance on China for intermediate, capital and consumer goods.

Can India temper this reliance on China?

The Indian government has taken multiple measures to reduce reliance on China under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, an initiative meant to make Indian trade self-reliant.

These measures include import restrictions on some items such as LCD and LED panel televisions, and production-linked incentive schemes for a range of goods from domestic appliances and mobile phones to drug intermediates, solar photovoltaic modules and batteries.

Some of these measures are yielding resultsIndia has become the world's second-largest maker of mobile phones.

However, as China continues to dominate manufacturing despite the global efforts to diversify production lines to other low-cost centres such as Southeast Asian countries, Indias dependence on Chinese goods will likely continue for several years.
The U.S. will block imports from dozens of Chinese textile companies over their alleged ties to forced labor, a move that follows U.S. industry complaints about unfair competition.

On Thursday, the Biden administration will announce the addition of 26 companies to what is known as the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List. The list names businesses that the U.S. alleges are involved in exploiting forced labor from Chinas Xinjiang region, home to the Uyghur people and other minority groups.

We will not allow goods produced in whole or in part through forced labor to enter the United States," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said. Were shining a light on it."

The additions dramatically swell the size of the UFLPA list, which along with a change in methodology, brings the total number of banned companies to 65. All the companies named Thursday are part of Chinas textile industry, whose dominance has led to complaints of unfair competition from manufacturers stateside.

The named businesses serve as middlemen, sourcing cotton from Xinjiang and selling it primarily to Chinese companies that use it to spin thread or make fabric. Thursdays moves are intended to make responsible businesses aware of possible abuse in their supply-chains, Mayorkas said.

The move comes amid a broader U.S. crackdown on the import of goods tied to forced labor, and in particular those from Xinjiang, a region known as a source of cotton, solar panel components and other goods, but also for alleged wide-scale human rights abuses. China has repeatedly denied those allegations.

Under the UFLPA, all imports linked to Xinjiang have been effectively banned since 2022, and U.S. officials have repeatedly urged companies to vet their supply chains.

The list names specific companies whose goods are barred, including as components in a finished product. The specificity can provide more certainty to businesses trying to stay on the right side of the law, but can also lead to headaches for some businessesVolkswagen, for example, in February said the U.S. impounded thousands of its Bentley, Porsche and Audi vehicles because a part was made by a supplier on the list.

Thursdays additions could pressure corporate supply chains. China is the U.S.s single largest foreign source of textiles and apparel, a category of goods that includes clothing as well as components for personal protective equipment and other applications.

U.S. industry groups have complained that Chinas textile makers compete unfairly, in part through the use of forced labor, and have called for more action from the government to protect U.S. textile companies.

Chinas unchecked foreign predatory trade practices, coupled with a lack of customs enforcement and misguided trade policy proposals, have created an unstable market dynamic that is threatening the future of domestic textile manufacturing," Kim Glas, the president of the National Council of Textile Organizations, said Tuesday following the announcement of new tariffs targeting China.

Mayorkas said companies need to gain clearer insight into their supply chains, adding that he was open to criminal prosecutions in instances where companies had attempted to deliberately mislead U.S. authorities.

The Biden administration also has faced pressure to address a provision in trade law that allows the import of packages valued at less than $800 without duty and with little customs scrutiny. Imports via that method, known as the de minimis exemption, have recently surged, with e-commerce companies Shein and Temu alone at one point accounting for nearly a third of them, according to one analysis.

Last month, the Biden administration announced that authorities would give more scrutiny to de minimis shipments as part of a broader push against illicit apparel and textile imports. Mayorkas said he shared industry concerns that illegitimate or irresponsible" companies might be exploiting the exemption and is looking into possible changes to the law.

Write to Richard Vanderford at Richard.Vanderford@wsj.com
Mumbai: Canada is becoming less attractive as an education destination for Indians. The number of Indian students applying to coveted Canadian universities has dropped sharply by 40-45% this year. This follows the countrys 35% cut in international student numbers allowed to join its universities in 2024, making students queasy about applying there.

Other factors are at play, too. Since last year, Canada has faced a housing demand-supply crisis where sufficient housing options were not available for the large number of incoming students. Plus, jobs available for students and young professionals over the past one year have also been a challenge.

Consultants have said that the cloud over higher education will remain, and the dip will continue until the Canadian elections, which are due by October 2025.

For instance, University of Toronto, one of the countrys largest universities, has seen a 40% drop in number of applications from India this year. Calling the drop a significant one, Joseph Wong, vice-president, international at the university said, The lack of clarity and the uncertainty had a dampening effect and that's reflected in the decline in the number of applications we received from Indian students this year."

The university had 2,520 students from India in 2023-2024. It is now doubling its efforts in communicating to Indian students, holding events in Mumbai and Delhi to meet with prospective families and address their uncertainties. Students joining the university for the 2024-2025 academic year will begin their studies in September 2024.

The cap on international students and stricter work visa rules has forced thousands of students to opt for other countries at the application stage itself. And even though the cap on student numbers does not apply to post-graduate or doctoral courses, even these students are staying away because of the uncertainty.

Take 25-year-old civil engineer Siddharth Roshan, who was initially planning to head to Canada for his MBA degree but changed his plans in January after the visa rules came in. My relatives in Canada advised me not to come because of the high GIC (guaranteed investment certificate) and housing crisis, and uncertainty over visa. I will head for The University of Texas, Dallas this September," said Roshan. His course tuition fee per year is about 22 lakh, most of which will be financed through a loan.

Canada had upped the GIC from CAD $10,000 ( 6 lakh) to CAD $20,635 ( 12 lakh) effective from 2024. A GIC is similar to a secure investment and acts as a proof that the student has the means to live and pay for expenses in Canada. One can get GIC from Canadian financial institutions.

To maintain a sustainable level of temporary residence in Canada as well as to ensure that there is no further growth in the number of international students in Canada for 2024, we are setting a national application intake cap for a period of two years for 2024," immigration minister Marc Miller said in January this year. The cap is expected to result in approximately 364,000 approved study permits, a decrease of 35% from 2023," he had then added.

While colleges and consultants had estimated a dip, the real numbers are playing out now as students start applying for their visa process for the fall session, which sees maximum enrolments.

In 2023, 3,000 of our students had gone to Canada; this year we expect 2,200 at most," said Vaibhav Gupta, chief marketing officer, iSchoolConnect Pvt Ltd, an overseas education consultant. The fall session is seeing an uptick in deferral rates for Canada from our clients."

Deferrals option is where a student postpones the joining even after getting accepted due to uncertainties, financial constraints, etc. Gupta said that the option is available for a year and their deferral rates for the fall batch has increased from 3.2% in 2023 to 5.8% in 2024.

Our application numbers have fallen by 44% for this year for Canada; we send a couple of thousand every year," said Akshay Chaturvedi, founder and chief executive officer of Leverage Edu, which ties up with banks and NBFCs to help students headed abroad with loans. We started offering Canada as an option to students in 2018 and there was steady growth, but now it has dropped and until the Canadian elections get over, the uncertainty will remain."

The US, Canada, Australia and some European countries like Germany are preferred destinations for students to study engineering, medicine, science, etc. Both Australia and Canada over the past year and a half have brought in restrictions in their student intake through stringent background checks, higher-valued GICs, etc.
Rajasthan Board 10th, 12th Result 2024: The Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education is likely to declare the RBSE Result 2024 for class 10 and 12 soon on its official website  rajeduboard.rajasthan.gov.in. However, there is no official announcement of date and time for RBSE 10th and 12th results yet.

The RBSE, traditionally, holds a press conference to declare the results of both classes, revealing the names of the board toppers, pass percentages, and other important details.

Rajasthan Board 10th 12th Result 2024: Steps to download scorecard Step 1: Go to the official websites  rajeduboard.rajasthan.gov.in OR rajresults.nic.in.

Step 2: Click on links for Class 10/Class 12 Board Results 2024 on the home page.

Step 3: Select your stream  Science, Commerce or Arts.

Step 4: Enter the login credentials  roll number and application number mentioned on the admit card.

Step 5: Click on submit button.

Step 6: Your result will be displayed on the screen.

Step 7: Download the scorecard for future reference.

The Rajasthan Board held the secondary exams 2024 from March 7 to March 30, while the inter board exams were conducted from February 26 to April 4, 2024.

More than 20 lakh students enrolled for both exams in 2024, including around 11 lakh for Class 10 and 9 lakh for Class 12. Among the Class 12 registrants, six lakh were from the Arts stream, 2.31 lakh from Science, and 27,338 from Commerce.

To pass the Rajasthan board exams, students need to secure a minimum score of 33%. If they are not satisfied with their results, they can opt for revaluation or rechecking, which usually involves paying certain fees, including an application fee.
Lok Sabha elections 2024: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday claimed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who lost Amethi in 2019, will lose Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli Lok Sabha seat too in the ongoing polls.

Addressing an election rally in Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh, PM Modi, in an apparent attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, said, The shehzade (princes) of Lucknow and Delhi will leave for abroad on summer vacations.

Commenting that running a country is not a play for those born with a golden spoon, he said, "They have gone from Amethi and will go even from Rae Bareli."

Also read: High inflation, no jobs  Tejashwi Yadav says PM ruined country, Modiji se desh chala nahi "Many things will happen after June 4. The INDI alliance will disintegrate, and they will look for a scapegoat after the defeat," PM Modi added.

The prime minister also claimed that the Congress snatched OBC reservation in Karnataka and gave it to Muslims.

Congress wants to change the constitution and implement this rule across the country but SP, which has betrayed the backward classes, is silent on this, PM Modi said.

Also read: Amit Shah bets on Nitish Kumar's Lok Sabha poll pitch, vows Sita temple in Bihar: 'Only PM Narendra Modi can...' "These people are appealing for 'vote jihad' against Modi," he said adding that the INDIA bloc wants to make five prime ministers in five years.

Modi took a jibe at Rahul Gandhi's statement of sending money "khata khat, khat khat" (quickly) on the account of women after coming to power.

"The Modi government will definitely be formed after June 4 but the INDI alliance will disintegrate 'khata khat, khata khat'," said the prime minister.

Also read: 'Koi maai ka laal paida hua hai jo...': PM Modi blasts INDIA bloc over 'will remove' CAA remark He accused the opposition parties of ruining the country before 2014, saying, When the country became independent, it was the sixth largest economy in the world. These people caused such destruction that we reached number 11 from the sixth position.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee clarified on Thursday that Trinamool Congress (TMC) is a part of the INDIA bloc at the national level and would continue to be in it. Mamata Banerjee's clarification came a day after she announced that her party would extend outside support to the anti-BJP faction if it is elected to power.

Addressing an election rally in Tamluk, Mamata Banerjee said that the TMC is not in alliance with the CPI(M) and the Congress in West Bengal but is in alliance with it at the national level. Mamata Banerjee also said that the alliance was her brainchild.

At all India level, some people have misunderstood my statement yesterday. I am very much part of the INDIA alliance. The INDIA alliance was my brainchild. We are together at the national level and will continue to be together, Mamata Banerjee said.

However, she went on to say that Congress and CPI(M) have helped the BJP in the state. "Do not count on the CPI(M) and the Congress in Bengal. They are not with us, they are with the BJP here. I am talking about that (INDIA bloc) in Delhi," she said.

"The entire country has understood that the BJP is a party full of thieves. We will support the INDIA bloc from outside to form a government at the Centre. We will extend our support so that in Bengal, our mothers and sisters never face a problem... and those who work in the 100 days' job scheme, also do not face problems," Mamata Banerjee said, PTI reported.
But the relationship also represents a liability for China as American and European officials warn Beijing against aiding Russias efforts to rebuild its military.

Putin arrived in Beijing on Thursday, in his first trip abroad since he secured a rubber-stamp election victory in March. The two leaders declared a no limits" friendship shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Since then, China has been less effusive even as it has provided a lifeline to Russias economy. Putin will be seeking more of the support that has helped Russia resist Western efforts to isolate it. The visit will also give him an opportunity to demonstrate to the Russian public that he still has powerful friendsa message often stressed by state media.

Putin, of course, will like to see some sort of very persistent Chinese endorsement," said Zhu Feng, a professor of international relations at Nanjing University.

What Putin is more likely to get is a continuation of Chinas policy to help Moscow prop up its economy, buying up its cheap energy exports and selling it the consumer goods Russia increasingly struggles to import from elsewhere.

China hasnt publicly criticized the invasion of Ukraine, which it officially calls a crisis" rather than a war. Xi has rejected suggestions that Beijing should do more to press Moscow to end the war. But the Chinese leader has also warned against use of nuclear weapons, a specter that Putin has occasionally raised over Ukraine.

On the one hand we are very opposed to the use of military force against other countries," said Zhu. On the other hand, we dont want relations with Russia to completely collapse. Theyre our neighbor, China is a big buyer of Russian oil and gas. Beijing would just like to see the relationship go on without distraction. But as long as the war persists, it is a diplomatic dilemma for China."

The relationship between the two countries is underpinned by a longstanding friendship between the two leaders, who have met each other dozens of times and frequently exchange gifts and birthday wishes. Xis first foreign trip after securing a third term last year was to Moscow.

Putins trip comes just a week after he was inaugurated to another six-year term. China has become an important outlet for him diplomatically, as he is increasingly shunned internationally and limited in his ability to travel after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him.

The two countries have grown closer during the war, with trade growing last year by more than 26% to $240 billion. That growth has stalled in recent months, but experts say that significant volumes are moving through third countries in Central Asia such as Kyrgyzstan.

China is a big customer of Russian oil and natural gas, which it can buy at a markdown as Europe has curbed such purchases since the start of the war. Russia also looks to China for consumer goods, providing a steady market at a time of weak global demand. Chinese vehicles have surpassed many European brands in Russia, helping China become the worlds biggest car exporter last year.

The general framework of this relationship is pretty solid," said Jakub Jakobowski, a China researcher and deputy director of the Centre for Eastern Studies, a Polish government-funded think tank. As long as the strategic conflict with the U.S. is in place, and probably not going away anytime soon, they will lean on Russia as the only viable partner."

The U.S. has accused China of helping Putin rebuild his military, supplying chips used in advanced weapons, jet parts, drone engines and earth movers. China denies it has supplied any arms to Russia and says it closely regulates so-called dual-use equipment with potential civilian and military applications.

While the U.S. has sanctioned Chinese companies for providing military technologies such as chips and optics to Russia, it has thus far held off on sanctions that would cut off Chinese banks from the global financial system, a move that could have broad economic impacts.

Putins visit comes on the heels of Xis trip to Europe, where he met with leaders in France, Serbia and Hungary. Each stage of the Chinese leaders visit seemed designed to appeal to the segments of Europe that are less eager to embrace the U.S.s tough stance toward China, analysts said.

From Putins point of view, or the China-Russia relationship point of view, this European visit was just great, the way Xi Jinping devised it," Jakobowski said. If you look at the countries he visited and the overall context its clear this was very anti-American."

In addition to meetings in Beijing, Putin will also visit Harbin, a city in northeastern China that was developed by Russia starting in the late 19th century as the hub of a railway network in the region. The city still retains some of its historic Russian architecture, and is hosting a Russia-China Expo that focuses on trade and investment ties between the two countries.

Putins visit to Chinas northeast has added to speculation that he could also travel to North Korea, a country that Russia has grown closer to since the start of the war in Ukraine. Putin met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Russia in September, and Moscow has turned to North Korea to supplement its own arms production as its supplies are exhausted by the war in Ukraine. In January, the Kremlin said Putin would pay a visit to Pyongyang in the near future.

The growing Russia-North Korea ties have caused some discomfort in China, which worries that it could be lumped into a grouping reminiscent of their alignment during the Korean War, said Zhu, the Chinese scholar.

Beijing totally rejects falling into a new Cold War," said Zhu.

Speaking to Chinese state media ahead of his visit to China, Putin said Russia and China had a common goal in standing up to the U.S. and its allies. We also reject Western attempts to impose an order based on lies and hypocrisy, on some mythical rules of no one knows whose making," he told the state-run Xinhua News Agency.

Putin also said he supported Chinas efforts to promote an end to the fighting in Ukraine. Last year China issued a position paper on Ukraine and has dispatched an envoy, Li Hui, to European capitals to discuss potential diplomatic solutions. But Chinas position was seen by European officials as closely matching Russias. Beijings argument that Russia has rights to indivisible security," with no other countrys security efforts threatening its own, follows Putins justification for invading Ukraine.

Ann M. Simmons in London contributed to this article.

Write to Austin Ramzy at austin.ramzy@wsj.com
Two top executives at Bank of Baroda, both lateral hires, have quit in quick succession and been replaced by internal officials, two people aware of the development said.

This shift towards promoting internal talent over reliance on external hires reflects a broader trend among public sector banks to address integration challenges and professionalize operations, even as the finance ministry has been encouraging them to recruit high-quality professionals from outside.

Bank of Baroda (BoB), India's second-largest state-run lender, announced the resignation of its chief risk officer S. Anantharaman in late April.

According to a person who spoke on condition of anonymity, Anantharaman, who had joined from HDFC Bank, was pulled up for issues related to the mobile app bob World, and his resignation came four months after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed restrictions on the bank.

Meanwhile, chief financial officer (CFO) Ian De Souza, who had joined from Yes Bank, has also quit, but his resignation is yet to be informed to the exchanges. De Souza is still serving his notice period, and the person cited earlier said the bank has appointed a deputy CFO in his place.

Focus on internal talent

Under chief executive officer (CEO) Debadatta Chand, who took over less than a year ago, BoB is now more keen on grooming internal candidates for top roles rather than relying solely on hiring them from outside at market salaries, the people cited above said.

It is not that people hired laterally are being asked to go, but the bank is more focused on internal talent," said one of the people.

In October, RBI barred BoB from signing up new customers on its bob World mobile app due to certain material supervisory concerns observed in the manner of onboarding customers onto this mobile application."

The ban was lifted on 8 May.

Read Here | App fiasco: Bank of Baroda tells branches to retrieve consent forms

He (Anantharaman) was told that as the chief risk officer, he should have flagged this (bob World) issue internally but had failed to do so," the person cited above said. He quit in February as he wanted to prioritize his health."

In fact, his resignation letter dated 1 February  a copy of which was shared by the bank on the stock exchanges on 29 April, also said, among other things, that the decision was in the best interest of both" his personal and professional well-being".

Anantharaman is expected to join a non-bank financier backed by a conglomerate.

Text messages sent to Anantharaman and De Souza seeking comments on the story remained unanswered.

This is completely speculative. In any organization, the resignation and recruitment of people do take place in the normal course of business," a spokesperson for Bank of Baroda said in an emailed statement.

The banks management, the spokesperson said, works in tandem with the strategic guidance received from the board and its policy continues to revolve around attracting and investing in home-grown talent, complemented by hiring from the industry in key positions/functions where required and in response to the rapidly evolving external environment".

Under former CEO Sanjiv Chadha, who came from the SBI Group, BoB had hired a clutch of senior executives from the market. As Mint reported in April 2023, these included the chief risk officer, the head of home loans, and the head of collections.

At present, the management is more keen on internal talent. For lateral hires, the bank has fixed the number of years these employees can stay," said one of the people cited earlier. They can now get up to a five-year role, including the initial three-year term and two extensions of one year each."

According to the second person, the idea is that the bank could hire from the market for verticals it is trying to build or roles where it does not have adequate internal talent, but once it gains some momentum, Bank of Baroda wants its employees to fill those positions.

The term of three years was always there, but the tenure of the extension was not specified earlier. This, however, may not apply to all lateral hiring segments within the bank," said the other person who also spoke on condition of anonymity.

Evolving trends among public sector lenders

These exits come at a time when the Centre is nudging state-owned banks to be more professional in their functioning. Finance and corporate affairs minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said, at the Mint India Investment Summit, that public sector banks (PSBs) have requested the government to let them recruit from the market.

The government, she had said, wants high-quality professionals running the banks.

Read This | Mint Explainer: How the health of Indian banks has improved over the past decade

Sector experts said that hiring external talent is a great initiative by public sector banks, although it is not without its own set of challenges.

Sunil Mehta, chairman of IndusInd Bank and former chairman of Punjab National Bank, said that it is not an easy task as lenders are inducting lateral executives with specialist competencies and differentiated compensation who have not been in the PSB system earlier.

The choices are made with the right intent to enhance the talent pool of the bank, he said.

While it is not easy for them to settle down, from my experience, the senior leadership makes every effort to include lateral hires," said Mehta.

He added that for lateral hires to succeed, the top managements of banks need to empower them so that they are able to navigate complex and large institutions like public sector banks.

According to Mehta, given that this is such a complex issue, banks could look at board-approved policies on the induction and retention of lateral hires to ensure their success in the system.

Others said that some of these exits are also the result of a lot of opportunities available in the market at present, and that these lateral hires might be unable to adjust to the PSU (public sector undertaking) culture.

There is a huge difference in culture. There are many more stakeholders in a PSU bank, more approvals are required and the time taken to get things done is longer," said Veinu Nehru, managing partner at executive search firm Fynehand Consultants. The change in culture will not happen overnight and it is a journey which will take at least two-three years."

Also This: Indian banks are battling the worst deposit crunch in 20 years

According to Nehru, while the salary difference between an external and internal candidate in CXO roles can be at least three times, lateral hires also bring a lot to the table.

They are able to engage better with stakeholders, go on roadshows, are present on social media and can therefore increase the visibility of the bank, she said, adding that many PSUs are now looking at external executives who have some experience in the state-owned sector, so that the difference in culture does not come as a shock.
Shares of Chinese property developers surged on rising expectations that government entities in China are moving to help buy up excess housing in a bid to revive the struggling real-estate sector.

The Hang Seng Mainland Properties Index, which tracks Chinese property developers listed in Hong Kong, was up 5.6% in afternoon trading Thursday. Sino-Ocean and CIFI rose 46% and 29%, respectively, while Longfor, China Vanke, Agile and Sunac China were each more than 10% higher.

Gains were fueled in part by news Wednesday that officials in Hangzhou, a large city near Shanghai, said they would begin buying private residential units in a district with a surplus of homes, using them for public housing. Similar plans announced Thursday in the far western city of Dali also helped.

Those moves come days after the city of Nanjing said it would assist in renovating or purchasing homes to create public housing, while Foshan, a midsize city near Hong Kong and Macau, said it would encourage state-owned enterprises to participate in a housing trade-in program.

Analysts said that altogether the plans, while limited to a handful of cities, are significant. They come weeks after top officials in Beijing signaled a major shift in policy to focus on absorbing excess housing supply in China and creating more public housing.

Analysts at the time said Beijing appeared to be setting the stage for rescue efforts that could range from unprecedented easing of home-buying restrictions to billions in state spending to buy up existing housing inventory. If the government can acquire a meaningful volume of unsold homes from developers, especially privately owned ones, that would resolve the issue of excess inventory and channel funds to cash-strapped developers, they said.

Morningstar analyst Jeff Zhang said Hangzhou may be wanting to pilot test the trade-in scheme in a district with a more imminent need for inventory clearance. With Dali following suit, we expect more cities to ramp up government purchases of existing homes, particularly lower-tier ones that saw more significant home sales decline," he said.

Policy has clearly turned more encouraging," Nomura analysts Jizhou Dong and Riley Jin said in a note, pointing in particular to a relaxation in home buying restrictions in top-tier cities in recent weeks. They added that they believe local governments now have limited further room to support the property sector, and that it now comes to the central government to introduce meaningful measures," such as the acquisition of unsold homes.

Chinas property sector has been in a yearslong slump. A slowing economy and weak consumer sentiment have dragged sales of many property developers into sharp decline, pushing them into a liquidity crisis. Unable to tap debt markets, many developers have defaulted on loans and bond payments, with some going bankrupt.

Beijing has previously tried to revive the real-estate sector by providing citizens with cheaper home loans and by relaxing home-buying restrictions. However, these efforts have fallen short, prompting authorities to mention in last months Politburo meeting the shift to focusing on absorbing excess apartment supply as a way to resolve the property crisis.

Write to Jiahui Huang at Jiahui.Huang@wsj.com
Online marketplaces such as Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra may soon have to root out fake product reviews, as the government turns the heat on the menace that frequently leads to frustration and financial losses.

The marketplaces will also be prohibited from editing user reviews to alter their message, and must ensure that the original content and intent of the reviewer are preserved, a top government official said. Companies will also be disallowed from preventing negative reviews.

The consumer affairs ministry has proposed a quality control order (QCO) to put a check on such reviews, said Nidhi Khare, secretary, consumer affairs. One of the key provisions of the proposed QCO is the prohibition of publishing consumer reviews online collected with bias and prejudice," Khare said.

The changes are expected to encourage e-commerce firms to address genuine consumer grievances rather than suppress negative feedback.

Khare said that all e-commerce companies will have to comply with the new norms, and violators will be liable for punishment under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), as QCOs fall under the purview of the BIS. Products may also be delisted from designated portals. E-commerce platforms offer a virtual shopping experience, limiting consumers ability to physically inspect products. As a result, consumers heavily rely on reviews from other users to make informed decisions," said Khare. These online reviews serve as social proof, providing insights and confidence to potential buyers, ultimately influencing their purchasing choices. It should not be manipulated to push the sale of any product."

A QCO refers to a directive issued by the government to regulate the quality of products to ensure they meet certain standards to protect consumers and promote fair trade practices. The ministrys decision came after a stakeholders consultation held on Wednesday. The meeting was chaired by Khare and attended by representatives of major online platforms such as Google, Meta, Amazon and Flipkart.

Queries emailed to spokespersons of Flipkart, Amazon and Meesho remained unanswered till press time.

Fake reviews of e-commerce products and services have become more than just an annoyance, with shoppers depending on them for their spends. Complaints registered on the national consumer helpline (NCH) against such fake reviews surged from 95,270 in 2018 to 444,034 in 2023, comprising 22% and 43% of all complaints, respectively.

The governments initiative has been welcomed by stakeholders, who recognize the importance of combatting fake reviews in protecting consumer interests while shopping online.

Despite a year-long voluntary effort, fake feedback persists, prompting decisive government intervention. This crackdown marks a critical moment in the battle against consumer deception, impacting the entire ecosystem," said Siva Balakrishnan, founder and CEO of Vserve, an e-business solution provider.

The governments stance is pivotal in restoring marketplace faith, signalling consequences for dishonest practices, and promoting fair competition. However, addressing this issue requires a collective effort, including informed consumers," Balakrishnan said.

To enforce these provisions, all e-commerce portals will be required to implement appropriate mechanisms for the collection, moderation, and publication of online consumer reviews in compliance with the principles and requirements specified in Indian Standard IS 19000:2022launched in November 2022.

By cracking down on fake reviews, the QCO is expected to enhance consumer trust and confidence in online platforms, leading to a more transparent and accountable online marketplace. The draft QCO will be placed for public consultation, allowing stakeholders and the public to submit comments and suggestions within a prescribed time frame.
Before delving into Bharti Airtel Ltds March quarter (Q4FY24) results, it's crucial to address a common concern in the Indian mobile telecom industry: the notably low Arpu (average revenue per user) in the country.

If comparable population is a factor worth considering, then let's look at China. While Airtels Arpu is 209, China Mobile's Arpu is about 550. However, before investors get excited about Airtels Arpu catching up, they should note the significant difference in per capita income. In 2023, Chinas per capita income stands at $12,500, nearly five times that of India, driven by the size of its economy.

Although there is talk of mobile tariff hikes after the elections, an underappreciated fact is that Airtel has managed to increase its Arpu from 194 in Q4FY23 to 209 currently without any significant price hike.

This was achieved through the migration of 2G/3G customers to 4G/5G, premiumization via higher data consumption plans, and an increase in post-paid subscribers.

As such, Airtels 2G/3G subscriber base has declined to 99.5 million by FY24-end from from 111.2 million at the end of FY23. It added 28.6 million 4G/5G subscribers, of which nearly 40% were likely the result of upgradation, as the company has not suffered any significant loss of customers.

Looking ahead, it is likely that the remaining 2G/3G customer base, currently at 28% of the total customers, will also transition to 4G/5G. This shift would yield dual benefits. First, Airtel can gain from higher Arpu (as 4G tariffs are relatively higher) even without tariff hikes. Second, there would be cost savings as redundant networks can be shut down.

Moreover, higher data consumption, bundling of OTT plans, among others, lead to premiumization of plans, further boosting Arpu. Lastly, there is potential to grow the higher Arpu post-paid subscriber base, currently about 7% of the total.

Also This: Indian telecom firms too want fair share of revenues from internet companies

Assuming that the mobile customer base grows by 3% CAGR with Arpu moving up to 230 over the next two years to FY26, Airtel could generate cumulative cash flow of nearly 1 trillion.

For perspective, the company had a consolidated net debt of 2 trillion as of March and the cash flow from Indian mobile operations could be half of that over the next two years. These numbers could get a boost if there is any tariff hike as and when it happens.

A significant portion of this cash flow will help deleverage the balance sheet, with 5G capex intensity largely over.

To be sure, Airtels return ratios, RoCE (return on capital employed) and RoE (return on equity), appear depressed because it has already spent 80,000 crore on 5G capex, about 25% of its total capital outlay, without any tangible return so far.

The company is yet to announce differentiated tariffs for 5G over 4G, as the base of 5G subscribers is still small, about 20% of its total subscribers. Growth in 5G has remained muted so far, with most handsets priced above 10,000.

Meanwhile, the valuation of the African telecom business, at 10x its operating cash flow, and the value of a 48% holding in Indus Tower almost offset Airtels net debt.

At current market capitalization of 7.8 trillion, the valuation is about 13x Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) of Indian mobile services business based on FY26 estimates.

Points that merit attention before evaluating the stocks valuation include the utility nature of the business, providing steady cash flows compared to other industries. With capex expected to moderate in FY25 and potential tariff hikes, Airtel has set the tone to be on firm ground.
With the general elections underway, the Indian market has been very volatile in the last one month. The market's reaction is marked by a blend of nervousness and fatigue, intensifying discussions around potential outcomes and their impact on the market amid the absence of a strong narrative.

While the market has already factored in a Modi win, a key concern remains weak voter turnout. Experts believe that in the next couple of months the market will likely remain volatile.

As per brokerage house Bernstein, the market, which had priced in considerable optimism, now faces growing unease due to lower voter turnout and shifting narratives. Meanwhile, Sunil Damania, Chief Investment Officer at MojoPMS, also pointed out that voter turnout and its impact on the election outcome is making the market nervous.

Read here: General Elections 2024: Experts caution against buying on dips amid market fall In May alone, the Indian benchmark Nifty50 has experienced a significant decline of almost 2 percent, despite hitting a fresh all-time high of 22,794.70 on May 3, 2024. The volatility index India VIX also fell over 98 percent in the last one month. Market sentiment has been subdued due to persistent selling by Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs), a rise in US bond yields, and concerns surrounding the upcoming election outcome.

Voter turnout and market As per Damania, the market is going with the equation that lower turnout means the BJP may get a lower number of seats as compared to the 2019 election. "Our study shows that when BJP replaced the Congress in 2014, voter turnout increased by more than 800 bps. Remember, after 1984 first time a single party got majority seats in the parliament, unlike in the past, coalition government was the order of the day. We sense that the BJP should get a majority in the parliament without going into the merit of argument about whether lower turnout is better for the incumbent government," predicted Damania.

Read here: Market will remain jittery until conclusion of General Elections: Viraj Gandhi of Samco MF On the other hand, Bernstein highlighted that so far, the average voter turnout for the first three phases is just over 66 percent, closely matching the overall turnout in 2014. In contrast, the 2019 elections saw a decline from 69.6 percent in phase 1 to 61.7 percent in phase 7. Currently, there is no indication of a loss of momentum in turnout, suggesting overall numbers should remain stable if this trend continues.

"Comparisons with 2019 arise because it was the last general election, but the circumstances differ greatly. In 2019, national security issues like the Pulwama incident and Balakot strike galvanized voters. In contrast, the current scenario is more akin to 2014, with a government completing a decade in power and voters deciding on change. Unlike 2019's "pro-incumbency" wave, there is no central voting theme this time," it explained.

Read here: India a great market for long-term investors, says Rakesh Sethia of HDFC AMC Bernstein also observed that historical data reveals no clear correlation between voter turnout percentages and election results. It noted that a 2-3 percent decline in voter turnout, coupled with anti-incumbency sentiment, might slightly reduce the BJP's tally below 2014 levels. However, a significant decline (over 5 percent) without strong anti-incumbency would likely yield results similar to 2019. Only a substantial drop in turnout, paired with significant anti-incumbency, could create a market-defining event. Additionally, the increased unity of the opposition could start to impact outcomes at this stage, the brokerage added.

Market outlook Going ahead, Damania predicted that if the market falls before the general election outcome, one can expect a rally post result. But if there is no meaningful correction, the market may behave like in 2019, where Indices moved down post election result.

Read here: Equities or other asset classes? What should you pick ahead of election results "Indian market valuations are rich, and that may keep the upside capped. Post-election, the market will start speculating on the budget announcement. This will also keep marketmen busy. Hence, we sense that in the next couple of months, the market will likely remain volatile," he said.

Bernstein also emphasised that the elections are far from a non-event, having sparked significant market interest and concern. As voter turnout and political dynamics evolve, investors should closely monitor the situation and stay prepared for potential surprises that could impact the market.
The Indian stock market has been on a rollercoaster ride so far in 2024, but one sector is taking off like a fighter jet  public sector defence .

While the broader market, as reflected by the Nifty 50, has seen a modest 2% increase, the PSU index has surged by a whopping 26%.

This positive trend is further amplified within the defence sector itself. The Nifty India Defence index has skyrocketed by 28%, significantly outperforming the broader market.

But here's where things get truly interesting. Imagine capturing the combined benefits of both these trends  the robust growth of PSU companies and the specific boom within the defence sector.

This is precisely the potential offered by PSU defence stocks. Recent months have seen a surge in buying activity within this niche segment, with some shares of public sector companies experiencing gains exceeding a staggering 96% in 2024 so far.

#1Hindustan Aeronautics

First on the list is Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), an Indian public-sector aerospace and defence company. Established on 23 December 1940, HAL is one of the world's largest and oldest aerospace and defence manufacturers.

The company develops, designs, manufactures, and supplies aircraft, helicopters, avionics, and communications equipment for military and civil markets.

HAL is aggressively pursuing exports, leveraging its range of indigenous products, particularly highlighting the capabilities and safety of platforms like LCA Tejas. It is eyeing exports to countries including Argentina, Nigeria, Egypt, and the Philippines, which are interested in the light combat aircraft (LCA) Mk-1A and the advanced light helicopter (ALH).

The company recently won an order to supply two Hindustan-228 commuter aircraft along with the Manufacturer Recommended List of Spares (MRLS), ground handling equipment, and ground support equipment.

Additionally, HAL received a 28.9 billion order from the defence ministry for a mid-life upgrade (MLU) of 25 Dornier aircraft along with associated equipment for the Indian Navy.

View Full Image Hindustan Aeronautics Share Price  1 Year (EM)

Further, what makes HAL interesting to track is its exposure to the drone market. The company is currently developing an artificial intelligence (AI) driven advanced drone for strategic missions in high-altitude areas, including along the frontiers with China.

#2 Cochin Shipyard

Next on the list is Cochin Shipyard, a government-owned company and India's largest public-sector shipyard by capacity.

Although it is registered as a commercial shipyard, it derives most of its revenues from building and repairing defence ships. This makes them a trusted partner for the Indian Navy's shipbuilding needs.

Cochin Shipyard has constructed a wide range of warships, including destroyers, corvettes, anti-submarine warfare (ASW) shallow water crafts, and auxiliary vessels.

Recently, it received an order from a European client to design and build one Hybrid Service Operation Vessel (SOV) with an option for two more such vessels. While not a military vessel itself, SOVs play a crucial role in supporting offshore wind farm operations. This 5-10 billion project is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

Moreover, the Ministry of Defence awarded Cochin Shipyard a 4.9 billion contract for maintenance work on equipment for INS Vikrant, expected to be completed by Q1 FY25.

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#3 Bharat Forge

Next on the list is Bharat Forge, a global provider of high-performance, innovative, safety-critical components and solutions to various industrial sectors, including automotive, railways, power, defence, construction & mining, aerospace, marine, and oil & gas.

Bharat Forge has been diversifying from its core operations, building a strong defence portfolio. It has consistently invested in cutting-edge facilities that house world-class products, capabilities, and facilities.

Consequently, all of their defence products have been internally designed and developed, with full ownership of the intellectual property. This independence from partnerships and joint ventures has been a catalyst for business expansion, with over 80% of its revenue coming from exports.

Bharat Forge is also renowned as an aircraft compressor and turbine manufacturer and one of the best aircraft fan blade manufacturers in the country.

Growth in the aerospace sector is another key focus area, and the company is actively exploring opportunities and partnerships to expand its presence in this high-tech domain.

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#4 Bharat Electronics

Next on the list is Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), a Navratna defence PSU established in 1954 in association with CSF France. Now a government aerospace and defence company, the Government of India holds a 51.1% stake in BEL.

Bharat Electronics is a frontrunner in the field of defence electronics, dominating the supply of radar, communication, and electronic warfare equipment to the Indian armed forces. The company heavily relies on the Indian defence sector, which constitutes about 87% of its revenue.

BEL manufactures critical components for missiles, radars, aircraft sensors, sonars, electronic warfare systems, and more. Its electronics are integrated into various Indian-made defence platforms, including fighter jets, warships, submarines, and communication networks. When it comes to India's critical defence needs, there is no replacing Bharat Electronics.

BEL is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the government's decision to put defence items under import embargo as part of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

As of 1 April 2024, BEL's total order book stands at around 760 billion, providing revenue visibility for the next couple of years. In the financial year 2023-24, BEL secured orders worth around 350 billion.

Moreover, BELs pipeline of fresh orders remains healthy, supported by the governments growing capital budget allocation and continued focus on rolling out reforms to increase Indias defence product manufacturing capability and gradually reduce imports.

Additionally, large defence offset requirements of foreign suppliers also provide opportunities for business growth over the medium term.

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#5 Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders

Last on the list is Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, the sole company in India specializing in building conventional submarines and destroyers for the Indian Navy. The company's offerings span a diverse range, from naval ships and submarines to ferries and cargo vessels.

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders has constructed 801 vessels since 1960, including 27 warships, advanced destroyers, missile boats, and seven submarines. Additionally, the company is making efforts to export offshore patrol vessels to countries in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa.

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Conclusion

Investing in top PSU defence stocks offers several advantages. Firstly, these companies benefit from strong government backing, ensuring stability and confidence for investors. Additionally, the defence sector is recession-resistant, with governments maintaining investments even during economic downturns, ensuring a stable demand.

Long-term contracts provide predictable revenue streams, and PSU defence firms often possess significant technological expertise, giving them a competitive edge. However, government interference can lead to bureaucratic delays and inefficiencies, impacting company performance. State-owned enterprises may struggle with innovation and adaptability compared to private counterparts, potentially hindering their competitiveness.

That said, the stock market is a tricky place.

Top defence sector stocks, like other sectors, are influenced by economic conditions and market fluctuations. You need to look out for a fundamentally strong defence company to make the most of the current opportunity.

Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only. It is not a stock recommendation and should not be treated as such.

This article is syndicated from Equitymaster.com
Once a penny stock, Rajnish Retail has given multibagger returns in the long term. The stock has skyrocketed 1101 percent in the last one year from 7.51 in May 2023 to touch its record high of 90.19 in intra-day deals today.

In the last 5 years as well, the stock has given exceptional returns, rallying 12255 percent from 0.73 in May 2019. Meanwhile, it has soared over 6388 percent in the last 3 years from 1.39 in May 2021.

Just in 2024 YTD, it has jumped over 43 percent.

Read here: Multibagger Stock: Alphalogic Techsys surges over 3600% in 3 years, up 271% this year so far This year so far, the scrip has given positive returns in 3 of the 5 months to date. The stock advanced 6 percent in May following a 39.5 percent surge in April. However, it fell 8.3 percent in March and 5.2 percent in February. Meanwhile, it was positive in the first month of this year, gaining 11.5 percent in January 2024.

However, it is important to note that the stock is currently trading under ESM: Stage 2

What is ESM? The Enhanced Surveillance Measure (ESM) is a regulatory framework implemented by the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in India. It aims to enhance monitoring and surveillance of listed companies to ensure investor protection and market integrity.

Read here: Multibagger Stock: ACE Software Exports soars 300% in 2024 so far to hit new high Under Stage I, the trading of the securities is settled through a trade-for-trade mechanism with a price band of 5 percent, or 2 percent.

Under Stage II, the surveillance action permits trading on all trading days under periodic call auctions with trade-for-trade settlement and a 2 percent price band. Earlier this stage permitted trading just once a week.

About the firm Rajnish Retail Limited engages in the manufacture and trading of diamonds and diamond jewellery in India and internationally. The company offers white loose, and fancy cut and color diamonds; rings, earrings, pendants, bracelets, bangles, necklace sets, and nose pins. It is also involved in the online trading of designer gold and diamond jewellery. The company exports its products. The company was formerly known as Sheetal Diamonds Limited and changed its name to Rajnish Retail Limited in February 2024. Rajnish Retail Limited was incorporated in 1994 and is based in Mumbai, India.

Read here: BEML zooms over 13% post Q4 results. Here's what technical analysts say Earnings In the March quarter (Q4FY24), the net profit of Rajnish Retail fell marginally year-on-year (YoY) to 35 lakh from 37 lakh in the same quarter last year. Meanwhile, its total income soared 205 percent YoY to 4.2 crore in the quarter under review as against 1.39 crore in the same quarter last year.

Brokerage view According to ICICI Direct's analysis, the stock exhibits several positive factors contributing to its strong rise in the market. One of its key positives is that the stock exhibits strong momentum, with its price trading above both short-term, medium-term, and long-term moving averages, suggesting sustained upward momentum in the stock's performance, noted ICICI. The firm also presents strong annual EPS (earnings per share) growth.

Meanwhile, its weaknesses, as per the brokerage are - - MFs decreased their shareholding last quarter

- Poor cash generated from core business - Declining Cash Flow from Operations for last 2 years

Read here: Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma to make multibagger return of 263% via Go Digit IPO Investing in shares of small companies with low market capitalisation offers the potential for substantial gains due to their lower stock prices. However, this investment path comes with notable risks. Such stocks often face limited liquidity, resulting in fewer transactions compared to larger counterparts. Additionally, they typically lack the rigorous financial reporting and oversight observed in larger corporations, making them vulnerable to price manipulation and fraudulent activities.

Due to their constrained liquidity and reduced oversight, stocks of small companies often demonstrate increased volatility, heightening risks for investors. Therefore, conducting thorough research and implementing careful risk management strategies are essential to navigate the uncertainties associated with these stocks and mitigate potential losses.
Consider this. An Indian software company sends an IT professional to the US to work on a project. The IT professional works there for three years and moves back to India. If he continues to be on a payroll with the Indian company, he will be contributing a portion of his salary to the employee provident fund (EPF) in India and social security system in the US both. When it is time to return to the home country after three years, he cannot withdraw or transfer his US social security contributions. It will go in vain. Even if you are on a full payroll with a US-based company, you would still not be allowed to withdraw or transfer your contributions to India.

"You have to earn 40 credits, which is equivalent to working for 10 years in the US, to get eligible for pension benefits after retirement, otherwise all contributions will be a sunk cost for you," says chartered accountant Anurag Jain, co-founder and partner at ByTheBook Consulting LLP, a tax consulting firm.

Moreover, you have to stay in the US to keep receiving pension benefits. Vamsidhar Atyam (46) worked in the US for 18 years for different companies before coming back to India in 2017. "My last employer did not advise me on the withdrawal of my social security benefits. My own research suggested that I cannot transfer my funds to an Indian retirement plan because India does not have an equivalent or eligible retirement plan on par with the US's Social Security System," he says.

Atyam could have received pension benefits had he stayed in the US. "Generally, we cannot pay retirement, survivors, and disability insurance benefits to non-citizens after their sixth calendar month outside the US. However, you might qualify for an exception, which could allow you to receive benefits without visiting the US. If an exception does not apply, you must be physically and lawfully present in the US for a full calendar month to begin receiving benefits. If you leave the US, we will stop your benefits the month after the sixth calendar month in a row that you are outside the country. You can make visits to the US for specific periods of time, depending on how long youve been outside, to continue receiving your benefits," according to an official website of the Social Security Administration in the US.

The rules are relaxed for countries with which the US has signed social security agreements (SSAs). "The US does not recognise EPF as an equivalent social security scheme because unlike the concept of universal pension in the US, EPF is not universal in India," he says.

View Full Image (Graphic: Mint)

The UK is no different. Contributing to National Insurance, the UK's government benefit programme, is mandatory. Your contributions will not benefit you if you leave the country before completing 10 years. In case of contributions of more than 10 years, the pension eligibility will depend on a case-to-case basis if you have left the UK. In most cases, it is non-transferable because the UK does not have an SSA with India. The official website suggests writing specific queries to the International Pension Centre.

The scenario changes in the case of Australia, Canada or other countries with which India has signed an SSA. The country has signed SSAs with 21 countries, according to EPFO. SSAs protect employees from dual contributions (in case of split payrolls) and also protect short-term contributions to provide continuity. Take the case of Amit Goyal (39). He worked in the Netherlands for just two years before returning to India. He is still eligible for pension against contributions made in the two years because India has an SSA with the country. He can get it in his Indian bank account when he turns 67, the retirement age in the Netherlands.

Read more: Why regulatory restraints are not enough to contain retail trading in F&O

The exportability of pension benefits in SSAs allows Indians to receive pension from the host country, either in their home country or a third country, without any reduction in such benefits," says Jain. "On the other hand, EPFO allows employees from SSA countries to withdraw PF contributions when they cease to be an employee of an Indian company. To protect themselves from dual social security contributions, Indian or foreign workers can submit a certificate of coverage (CoC) from the social security authority of their home country to the host country."

Interestingly, even though India does not have an SSA with Hong Kong, Nayan Goyal (31) could withdraw his pension funds when he left the country to move to India. I worked in Hong Kong for 2.5 years from June 2019 to December 2021. I could withdraw whatever I had contributed to their mandatory pension fund on the condition that I will not return to Hong Kong either for employment or resettlement as a permanent resident," he says.

Having a Hong Kong bank account was important. They credited it to my Hong Kong bank account which I got transferred to my Indian bank account later. I paid tax on the same as per my slab rate in India," he says.

It is to be noted not all pension schemes make their way into SSAs. There were two portions of social security in the Netherlands. I can only withdraw one of them," says Goyal.

Deepashree Shetty, partner, Tax & Regulatory Services, BDO India, suggests checking out the list of social security schemes included in the SSA of a particular country where one is going. The National Pension System is not part of SSAs from India. Similarly, a few social security schemes could very well be excluded from SSAs of foreign countries," she says.

The level-playing field

The recent ruling by Karnataka High Court on EPF contribution by foreign nationals should be seen in the context of SSA and non-SSA countries. The court ruled that para 83 of the EPF Scheme, 1952 and Para 43A of EPS, 1995that was inserted in October 2008are "discriminatory" and "unconstitutional". Lets understand why they did it.

Notably, in case of Indian workers, an EPF contribution of 12% of the basic salary is mandatory if the basic salary is less than 15,000 per month. The employer matches the same contribution. If it goes above 15,000 per month, we have a choice whether to contribute to EPF or not. This wage ceiling of 15,000 per month does not apply to international workers (IWs). Their contribution to EPF is mandatory (except SSA countries) irrespective of the salary they are drawing in India. Moreover, their contributions are fixed at 12% of the entire salary along with the same contribution by the employer, taking it to 24% of the entire salary.

This discrimination between Indian and international workers defeats the very objective of the EPFO Act, of providing retirement benefits to low-income workers," says Mayank Mohanka, a chartered accountant. "So, instead of scrapping para 83 of the EPF scheme altogether, a more sustainable legal solution would be to put in place a similar wage ceiling limit for foreign workers."

However, if the Karnataka HC judgement is upheld, foreign workers from non-SSA countries, including those from the US and UK will not be bound to contribute to EPF while Indians working abroad will continue contributing their hard-earned money to the US or UK social security. Even if foreign workers decide to contribute, they can withdraw it after they leave India. Currently, they can withdraw it only at the age of 58.

The level-playing field between Indians working in an SSA country and those coming from the same SSA country to India will be gone, too. If IW provisions are deemed unconstitutional, it will hurt the very objective of existing SSAs," says Jain. Indians will need to produce CoC to SSA countries to avoid dual social security contributions. However, employees from those countries working in India will be exempted as their monthly salary will be more than 15,000 threshold limit, thereby obviating the need to submit CoC." This could also jeopardise any potential chances of India entering into SSA with other countries, as the 2008 amendment provided the catalyst for the government of other countries to enter into SSA with India.

Shetty of BDO India agrees. "The idea of introducing the definition of International Worker in 2008 was to make social security contributions reciprocal between India and foreign countries because when Indians would go abroad, they would contribute to other social security schemes, but foreign nationals were not mandated to do so. If the Karnataka High Court judgement is upheld, we shall be back to square one," says Shetty.
The report titled 'Outbound Travel and Tourism - An Opportunity Untapped' by Nangia Andersen LLP, in association with FICCI, has predicted that outbound trips from India will surpass $42 billion by 2024. The report also stated that the government could bring about certain policy changes to boost this growing market.

The report, keeping the interest of Indian tourists and travellers in focus highlights the up-and-coming Indian travel market to outline a framework for creating a more value for money experience.

The report suggested increasing direct connections to popular and upcoming destinations, allowing foreign cruise vessels to operate on Indian waters and taking concerted and coordinated efforts on multiple fronts to propel the outbound tourism market to facilitate ease of doing business and promote the interests of Indian firms dealing in outbound travel.

Government and Public Sector Advisory Suraj Nangia and head of Nangia Andersen LLP said, Indian outbound tourism is going to surpass $42 billion by 2024. "We are soon going to be the most populous country in the world with the fastest growing economy. The Indian outbound travel market is among the fastest growing markets globally with approximately 80 million passport level of purchasing power, especially among the middle class."

Allowing foreign cruise vessels to include Indian destinations as a stop would encourage both inbound and outbound tourism as well as increase revenue for Indian ports, the report stated.

As per the report, India is ideally positioned to become one of the most lucrative outbound tourism markers in the world with a growing economy, young population, and growing middle class.

Europe sees 20 per cent of the travellers from India's outbound traffic. 10 per cent travel to Australia and New Zealand, while the rest of the traffic is towards South east Asia.

Nangia Andersen LLP Partner - Government and Public Sector Advisory Poonam Kaura said, "With the positive response of foreign delegations and their policies, our government can surely establish bilateral relations with tourist-friendly countries for both inbound and outbound tourists.
JD(S) MLA and former Karnataka Minister HD Revanna was granted interim bail in connection with a sexual harassment case on Thursday. The development came days after he secured a conditional bail in the kidnapping case linked to the 'obscene video' case.

The 42nd Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court (ACMM) gave interim relief to Revanna till Friday, news agency PTI reported.

The case of sexual harassment of 47-year-old house help was registered against Revanna and his son and MP Prajwal Revanna at the Holenarsipur town police station in Hassan district on April 28. HD Revanna had filed a bail application earlier in connection with the case.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the alleged sexual abuse charges, had sent two notices to Revanna and Prajwal to join the investigation, but both of them skipped it.

On Thursday, Revanna applied for anticipatory bail. The SIT objected to this and sought his custody or that he be remanded in judicial custody. It said that the court should reject his bail plea, news agency ANI reported.

However, Revanna's lawyer, Arun, argued, "This is a bailable case."

After hearing both sides, the court decided to hear the matter again on Friday and till then gave relief to Revanna.

On Monday, a Special Court for Elected Representatives had granted conditional bail to Revanna in the kidnapping case. The judge had him granted conditional bail on a 5 lakh bond. He was then released from jail.

Revanna has been accused of kidnapping one of the women allegedly abused sexually by his son and MP Prajwal, as seen in the leaked videos. The SIT later arrested Revanna on May 4 in the same case.

The case against Revannas HD Revanna and his son, Prajwal Revanna, are facing a probe by an SIT, constituted by the Karnataka government, over allegations of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation against the duo following a complaint by a woman who worked in their household.

The complainant had claimed that the father-son duo had sexually abused her at the 66-year-old MLA's house.

HD Revanna, who is a JD(S) MLA from Holenarsipura, along with his associate, were booked under Sections 364A (kidnapping for ransom), 365 (kidnapping with intent to cause harm), and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.

The FIR, registered by KR Nagar police, lists HD Revanna as accused number one and another man, identified as Babanna, as accused number two.

While HD Revanna was arrested, his son Prajwal is believed to have been fled to Germany amid the ingoing sexual harrassment case against him.
Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Addressing an election rally in Azamgarh ahead of the next phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the Samajwadi Party's time ruling the state as gunda raj, ANI reported.

You have seen the old days of SP's 'gunda raj'... Yogi ji has rightly implemented my 'swacchta abhiyan' against rioters, mafias, kidnappers and extortion gangs in Uttar Pradesh, he told the audience at the election rally.

Modi on CAA Progress During the rally, Modi said that India has begun granting citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), PTI reported. "The work of giving refugees citizenship under the CAA has already started. These are those people who have been living in the country for a long time as refugees and were victims of partition of the country done on the basis of religion," he added.

It added that Modi also accused the opposition parties, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress, of inciting riots by spreading misinformation about the law. He also criticised Congress for neglecting these refugees. He alleged, "The Congress and the SP tried to spread lies in the name of CAA. They tried to push Uttar Pradesh and the entire country towards riots."

The prime minister responded to opposition claims about removing the CAA, asserting that "no one can do it." He accused the opposition of fostering communal tensions, saying, "You are a fraud... you forced the country to burn in the fire of communalism. Do whatever you want to, but you will never be able to remove CAA," he added.

General Elections 2024 The BJP has nominated Bhojpuri actor Dinesh Lal Yadav, known as 'Nirahua', to contest the Azamgarh seat in the upcoming General Elections. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), led by Mayawati, has selected Mashhood Ahmed for the same seat in Uttar Pradesh.

From the Samajwadi Party, Dharmendra Yadav will be contesting in Azamgarh, a stronghold for his party. In the 2022 by-polls, Dharmendra Yadav lost the seat to Dinesh Lal.

Voting in Azamgarh is scheduled for the sixth phase on May 25, with the country's vote counting set for June 4.
Mumbai will observe dry days from May 18 to 20 because of the fifth phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections 2024. Mumbai, Palghar, Kalyan and Thane are among the key constituencies in Maharashtra that are going to polls on May 20. These constituencies will also observe dry days.

Also Read: Dry Days in Delhi: Govt issues list from April to June for religious festivals, Lok Sabha polls. Check details here As per the directive from the Election Commission of India (ECI), the constituency where the election is held and the adjacent constituencies must follow these dry days. This measure ensures a fair and peaceful election process across the affected areas.

Bars and wine shops in Mumbai will be closed from 5 PM on May 18 and will reopen at 5 PM on May 20. All wine shops and bars will be closed on polling day to maintain public order. There will be another dry day in Mumbai on June 4 during vote counting until results are announced.

Also Read: Tilaknagar Industries: This liquor stock gained over 1000% in 5 years; should you invest now? According to reports, dry days will be observed in Gurgaon, Haryana, from 6 PM on May 23 to 6 PM on May 25 because of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. On those days, alcohol sales will be banned in Delhi-NCR as well.

Pune, Shirur and Maval constituencies earlier declared dry days in polling areas on May 13. Liquor sales were banned from 6 PM on May 11 until 6 PM on May 13.
Over ten police teams from Mumbai and Gujarat are on the hunt for Bhavesh Bhinde, the director of Ego Media, who owns the over 100-foot hoarding that collapsed in Ghatkopar, killing 16 people, Hindustan Times reported.

According to the report, Bhinde reportedly switched off his phone and fled the city as soon as reports about deaths from the billboard collapse emerged. Although his phone was briefly switched on in Lonavala on Tuesday evening, it has since been untraceable.

Bhavesh Bhinde is Being Tracked Bhinde, 51, was last traced to Lonavala on May 14. An officer from Mumbai polices crime branch told HT that three police teams were dispatched to the hill station, acting on this lead. Per the daily, officers are searching for Bhinde in Lonavala, Mumbai, Pune, various airports, and his native place in Gujarat.

The report added that despite police visits to his residence in Mulund and the homes of some of his relatives, Bhinde remains elusive.

Pant Nagar police have registered a case against Bhinde under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

Bhavesh Bhinde's Criminal History Bhinde has two other cases against him in Mulund: one for rape and molestation filed by a woman in his office in January 2024 and another for cheating registered in 2016.

Although he secured anticipatory bail from the Bombay High Court, the police filed a charge sheet against him in the rape case.

Before 2009, Bhinde was fined 21 times for various violations under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888. He also contested the Maharashtra assembly election as an independent candidate from Mulund in 2009.

BMC Responds: All Hoardings Need Structural Certificate Expressing grief over the hoarding collapse incident, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani described it as tragic in a statement to ANI on May 16.

This was a tragic incident in which 16 people died. The rescue operation has been completed. Here is an active petrol pump; that's why our rescue operation was delayed. All the hoardings need a structural stability certificate. They need to follow the specifications of size, foundation and the wind velocity that passes through to provide the necessary stability. Three more hoardings are being removed, he said.

Gangrani added that Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had ordered inspections of all hoardings.

CM Shinde announced an ex-gratia payment of 5 lakh to the deceased's next of kin and assured that the government would cover all medical expenses for the injured, as per ANI.

Investigation Regarding the Hoarding Ego Media Private Limited, the advertising agency that installed a 120x120-foot advertising hoarding in Pant Nagar, is under investigation. During the storm on May 13, the hearing fell onto a busy petrol pump, trapping nearly 100 people underneath. Fourteen people lost their lives in the incident, and 74 others were injured.

The company had applied to the Limca Book of Records to recognise the hoarding as the largest commercial billboard in India. Mumbai Police told the paper they intend to check with the Government Railway Police (GRP), which owns the land, to ascertain if the structure size was specified in the deal with Ego Media, the HT report added.

The Mumbai police have approached several billboard contractors to understand the nature of their work and determine responsibility for the incident.
The Supreme Court on Thursday defended its bail order for Arvind Kejriwal noting we have not made any exception for anybody, we said in our order what we felt was justified. The SC also refused to consider ED objection to Kejriwal's statement that if people vote for AAP, he will not go back to jail on Jun 2.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta rejected Enforcement Directorate's (ED) claim and counter claims and Kejriwal's lawyer on statements made related to it.

Critical analysis of judgment is welcome: SC "We have not made any exception for anybody, we said in our order what we felt was justified," the bench said, adding that critical analysis of the judgment is "welcome".

Appearing for the ED, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta objected to Kejriwal's speeches in poll rallies that if people voted for AAP, he would not have to go back to prison on June 2.

"It is his assumption, we cannot say anything," the bench told Mehta.

A statement made by a senior Union minister, who was not named during the proceedings, was pointed out by advocate Abhishek Singhvi, who was appearing for Kejriwal.

The top court was hearing Kejriwal's main plea against his arrest.

Kejriwal was arrested by the federal Enforcement Directorate on March 21. The agency, controlled by Modis government, accused Kejriwal and his party of accepting around 1 billion in bribes from liquor contractors nearly two years ago. The arrest triggered days of protests by party activists supported by other opposition parties.

While the ED accused Kejriwal of being a key conspirator in the liquor bribery case, the opposition parties said the government was misusing federal investigation agencies to harass and weaken its political opponents.
Delhi police reached the residence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on Thursday to seek details of the incident in connection with the alleged assault on her at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence.

An official told news agency ANI, The police team left Swati Maliwal's house after over four hours following a visit in connection with alleged assault by Delhi CM's aide."

Visuals a team of police personnel standing outside her residence in Delhi. Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Women's Wing president Richa Pandey Mishra and other members of the wing also reached outside her residence in an attempt to meet her.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP Mahila Morcha president Richa Pandey Mishra also wrote to Swati Maliwal. The letter read, "...We humbly request you to give complete details of this incident to the Police so that stringent action can be taken against the accused. Judicial procedure is essential to ensure that such incidents do not recur..."

The development came days after Bibhav Kumar, who is Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's personal secretary, was accused of "misbehaving" with Maliwal at the residence of Kejriwal in Delhi on Monday.

What we know so far in the matter AAP leader Sanjay Singh had on Tuesday confirmed that Kejriwal PS Bibhav Kumar "misbehaved" with Swati Maliwal. His statement came a day after reports claimed that Maliwal called police from the CM's residence to complain of the alleged assault.

"Yesterday [on Monday], Maliwal had gone to meet Arvind Kejriwal at his residence. While she was waiting to meet him in the drawing room, Bibhav Kumar misbehaved with her. This is a highly condemnable incident. Kejriwal has taken cognizance of it and will take strict action in the incident," Sanjay Singh had said.

Earlier on Thursday, the National Commission for Women (NCW) took suo moto cognizance of "allegations by RS MP Swati Maliwal against Delhi Chief Minister, Sh. Arvind Kejriwal's personal secretary".

The NCW said it summoned Bibhav Kumar to appear on May 17, 2024, at 11 am on Friday.

Besides, as CM Kejriwal entered the venue for his joint press conference with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, reporters tried questioning him on the alleged assault on the AAP Rajya Sabha member.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday weighed in on the alleged assault on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, saying that her party stood with women against any atrocity.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra told ANI: ...If any atrocity happens to any woman anywhere, we stand with the woman. I always stand with women - irrespective of which party they belong to. Secondly, the AAP will discuss the issue among themselves and make a decision. It is up to them.

ALSO READ: NCW summons Bibhav Kumar in Swati Maliwal Assaultgate

Earlier, All India Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba had said that Maliwal was a strong woman who would come forward and take the legal route on the issue. In the case of Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, after the press conference of AAP leader Sanjay Singh ji, it has been confirmed that some unpleasant incident has happened with Swati Maliwal ji in the CM residence, and her party stands strongly with her. Swati Maliwal is a strong and aware woman, I am confident that she will come forward and take the legal route and fight for justice.

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Thursday accused the BJP of playing political games on the issue and also alleged that the saffron party had been behind Swati Maliwal being dragged and manhandled by Delhi Police during the wrestlers protest at Jantar Mantar.

Aam Aadmi Party is our family. The party has taken a clear stand on this issue...Can they answer on the case of Swati Maliwal, when she went to fight for justice for women wrestlers at Jantar Mantar, they made the police drag and beat her up. Don't play political games on this, Singh said told reporters in Lucknow.
Top news on May 16: From Quarter 4 scorecard of top companies like Mahindra and Mahindra, HAL, to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha Swati Maliwal filing a police complaint against Arvind Kejriwal's aide for the assault, here are some of the top stories of May 16.

Vineet Nayyar passes away Vineet Nayyar, the former vice-chairman of Tech Mahindra, passed away on Thursday, at 85. From starting off as a district magistrate to overseeing the turnaround of an Indian IT giant marred by scandals, Nayyar wore many hats in his lifetime.

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HAL Q4 Scorecard Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) announced its January-March quarter results for fiscal 2023-24 (Q4FY24) on Thursday, May 16, reporting a rise of 52 per cent in net profit at 4, 308 crore, compared to 2,831.2 crore.

To know more click here

M&M Q4 Scorecard

Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra reported a 31.6% growth in net profit to 2,038.21 crore in Q4FY24, while revenue increased by 11.24% YoY. The company also recommended a dividend of 21.1 per share.

To know more click here

Swati Maliwal police complaint In her first statement, Swati Maliwal said she has given her statement to the police and hoped an appropriate action will be taken against the accused.

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Bhavesh Bhide arrested Bhavesh Bhide was arrested by the Mumbai Police Crime Branch. His company put up the giant billboard whose collapse in an unexpected dust storm in Mumbai claimed 16 lives.

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Ola CFO resigns months after taking charge It's exit season at Bhavish Aggarwal-led ANI Technologies, with Karthik Gupta, the chief financial officer at Ola Cabs and Ola Financial Services (Ola Mobility), formally stepping down from his role.

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Go Digit IPO: Issue booked 79% on day 2 On day two of subscription, retail investors responded to Go Digit IPO with enormous enthusiasm, but somehow struggled to get fully booked. Go Digit General Insurance IPO received 79% subscription on the second day of bidding on Thursday.

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Rains in Mumbai, Thane A day after dust storm, Maharashtra's Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan on Thursday received heavy rainfall accompanied with thunder and gusty winds. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued orange alert for Jalgoan, Nashik, Pune, Kolhapur Satara.
Complaining about too much drama, lack of professionalism, and self-centred behaviour a Dubai-based CEO has advised Indians planning to study abroad to avoid universities with more Indians. In a recent post on X, Shreya Pattar, Founder and CEO of Shreya Pattar Ventures, warned that looking for Indian community abroad doesn't come with homely feelings but involves toxic Indian patterns.

"A big Indian community of students doesnt come with a homely feeling. It comes with toxic Indian patterns: Too much drama, lack of professionalism, no good role models, no leadership or responsibility towards juniors, self-centred behaviour, group-ism, back bitching, no seriousness towards the future. If you plan to move out of the country, make sure you are also staying away from that mindset, attitude, and nature of people," she wrote on X.

Rejecting the idea of being around Indians abroad to feel at home, Pattar said that if Indian students feel the need to live around people of their community, it is better to just not move abroad.

The post was shared on social media platform X, nearly four days ago. Till now, it has garnered nearly eight lakh views and nearly 7,500 likes. The social media user's views on living close to Indian communities in abroad has sparked an online debate. Several users agreed with Shreya Pattar's thoughts and even shared their own experiences of receiving poor behaviour from fellow Indians in foreign countries.

I can not agree more with you. In 2011 I went to Australia to work in a hospital and there the most toxic people and most envious towards Indians were Indians only. It was a shock for me once I reach there and till the time I left Australia I could not come to terms with it, wrote an X user.

On point. What's the point of going abroad if you only hang out with your own people, agreed another user.

1000% true. I got to study abroad for highschool and bachelor's and it was in quite unconventional places. There were very few Indians and at first it was difficult but so worth it now. It makes the biggest difference in learning.

In contrast, many users disagreed with Pattar's opinion and tried to explain the need to connect with Indians abroad.

I spent about a decade studying & working abroad. There's all sorts. Generalizing and avoiding South Asians is not helpful. Neither is only sticking to them outside of work. Take each one as an individual, regardless of origin, accent, appearance, income. That way I found friends, wrote an X user.

I respectfully disagree. Having a community of Indian students can provide a sense of familiarity and support, especially in a new country. It's about finding the right balance between comfort and exposure to diverse perspectives, an user commented on the post.
(Bloomberg) -- The UK will caution the European Court of Human Rights not to overstep its role, as Rishi Sunaks government prepares to begin its controversial plan to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda.

Minister for Europe Nusrat Ghani will call for coordinated action to tackle illegal migration at a Council of Europe meeting in Strasbourg on Thursday. Her office said she will emphasize the importance of the ECHR adhering to to its promise only to issue injunctions against deportations in exception circumstances and if there is a risk of irreparable harm.

Read more: Why the UKs Plan to Stop Migrants Depends on Rwanda: QuickTake

Sunak finally got his Rwanda Bill through Parliament last month and aims to deport the first asylum-seekers to the African nation in July. The legislation allows ministers to waive some elements of international human rights law in the UK, though it stopped short of disapplying the European Convention on Human Rights which the court in Strasbourg administers.

Though some politicians on the right of the Conservative Party would likely relish a showdown with the court on the deportations, Sunak himself has said he regards the Rwanda plan as consistent with the UKs international commitments.

In a more contested and volatile world, we must out-compete and out-cooperate those who would seek to destroy that stability and undermine our democracies and freedom, Ghani will say, according to her office.

Ministers argue that a 36% decline in migrants arriving in small boats across the English Channel last year demonstrate the deterrent effect of the Rwanda policy. 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.

Ghani will meet the heads of the European institutions to discuss migration crisis, as well as support for Ukraine and risks linked to Artificial Intelligence.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
The US government is open to easing sanctions on billionaire mining magnate Dan Gertler if he gives up his business operations and assets in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Washingtons interest in critical minerals has run up against his problematic royalties ownership.

The Treasury Department is willing to grant limited sanctions relief to Gertler, an Israeli citizen, as a way to get him to exit from Congo completely, including relinquishing his royalty streams on three strategic projects, according to two US officials, who asked not to be identified as the talks are ongoing.

The mines are rich in copper and cobalt, a key ingredient in most electric vehicle batteries and which is almost exclusively mined in Congo. While Chinese miners have thrived in the Central African country, Western investors have been reluctant, in part because of a legacy of corruption.

The US sanctioned Gertler in 2017 for what it said were hundreds of millions of dollars worth of opaque and corrupt mining and oil deals in Congo under the previous administration of President Joseph Kabila. In the waning days of his presidency, Donald Trump granted Gertler a one-year reprieve after repeated requests from the Israeli government, but that was canceled early in the Biden administration.

The willingness to loosen sanctions to purge Gertler from the projects stems in part from the US push to boost investments in critical minerals needed for electric vehicles from sources not tied to Chinese firms that dominate the industry. The US stance was first reported by the New York Times.

Gertler has never been charged with a crime and denies any wrongdoing. Gertler and his US-based lawyers didnt respond to emailed requests for comment.

He cut a deal with Congo in 2022 to give back some of his assets in exchange for help lobbying the US government to lift his sanctions. But as part of the agreement, he retained his royalties in the worlds biggest non-Chinese sources of cobalt.

Read More: Congo Backs Billionaire Gertlers Bid to End U.S. Sanctions

Those royalty streams have enriched Gertler by hundreds of millions of dollars from metal projects owned by Eurasian Resources Group and Glencore Plc, according to calculations made by Congo Is Not For Sale, a consortium of Congolese and international anti-corruption groups.

The difficulty stopping the ongoing royalty payments and the inevitable depletion of the mining assets prompted the US to make the offer after long debate, according to an official with direct knowledge of the talks who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations.

Glencore declined to comment, while ERG didnt respond to emails requesting comment. Congos government didnt immediately provide comment when contacted Thursday by text message, and the office of President Felix Tshisekedi didnt respond to text messages requesting comment.

To pay him again for things he acquired illegally and from which hes already profited, for me, truly, its rewarding corruption, said Jean Claude Mputu, spokesman for Congo is Not for Sale. We should not being paying Gertler any more, and Congos government should claw back previous payments, he said.

Mputu, who received a State Department international anti-corruption award in December, is one of several people and organizations facing lawsuits from Gertler for their investigations into him.

Gertler will be required to drop those cases as part of any sanctions relief, according to the official with knowledge of the offer. He will also need to submit to an audit of his assets and put half of any proceeds of his royalty sales in escrow, the person said.

The license is not a full lifting of sanctions and will allow the US government to reinstate them.

Gertler grew up in one of Israels most prominent diamond families. He first came to Congo in 1997 to trade diamonds and struck up a friendship with Kabila that led to billions of dollars worth of investments in minerals and oil blocks.
Shut out of US markets and under fire in Europe, Chinas electric carmakers are zeroing in on the countries where theyre welcome. One of the big ones is Brazil.

BYD Co. and Great Wall Motor Co. already dominate EV sales in the worlds sixth-largest auto market. Now the two Chinese giants are are building factories there too  which will help them sell cars free of tariffs across Latin America, just as President Joe Biden pledges 100% charges in the US.

That may become the blueprint for other industries and regions. Chinas powerhouse manufacturers have raised hackles worldwide because cheap exports threaten the livelihoods of local firms and workers. If they want to reach more global consumers  and with price wars raging at home, they do  Beijings companies are under pressure to invest, produce and hire in overseas markets instead of just shipping goods there.

Which is exactly what the auto firms are doing in Brazil. BYD hopes to start output by mid-2025 at a new factory thats on track to be its first outside Asia. Great Wall aims to beat that benchmark by several months  cranking out SUVs near Sao Paulo before the end of this year.

Chinese brands must invest outside China, in order to avoid making protectionism more severe, says Ricardo Bastos, Great Walls institutional relations director in Brazil.

Beijings new industrial giants arent welcome in the US. Theyre viewed with suspicion in western Europe, though Frances premier told visiting President Xi Jinping last week that his country would welcome a Chinese carmaker. Almost everywhere else, theyre forging ahead.

In Southeast Asia, Chinese direct investment almost quadrupled last year, a recent study found. In the auto industry, BYD has a major project in Hungary and Chery Automobile last month announcing production plans in Thailand.

Altogether, Chinese foreign investment along the EV value chain likely set a record above $30 billion in 2023, according to the Rhodium Group think tank.

Read more: China Firms Are Investing Abroad at Fastest Pace in Eight Years

In an interview at the companys Sao Paulo headquarters  furnished with bright red and yellow sofas, and a ping-pong table thats popular with Chinese workers  Bastos says he sees Brazil as a gateway to the whole region, from Mexico, Columbia, Argentina to Peru. Latin Americas car market is worth almost $130 billion.

Brazil is a major market in itself  and exactly the kind where Chinese producers need to win, according to Yale Zhang, managing director of the Automotive Foresight consultancy in Shanghai. They face many obvious obstacles that stop them from entering large, developed markets, he says. So of course they need to grasp the biggest emerging markets.

BYD and Great Wall arent yet top-tier players there overall, but their share is rising fast. And in EV sales theyve grabbed the leading two spots  impressing even upmarket Brazilian buyers with a mix of low prices and high technology.

Chinese cars were known as bad and cheap when they first arrived, says Thiago Luiz Ferraz Pereira, a 38-year-old lawyer in Sao Paulo. Then came this new wave. He paid 314,000 reais six months ago for Great Walls Haval H6 compact SUV, picking it over a BMW X3 hybrid model that wouldve cost about 60% more. I have a lot more car for a much lower price, he says.

Still, BYD and Great Wall wont have everything their own way in Brazil. And even under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a longtime friend of Beijing, there are government-imposed hurdles theyll have to jump through.

Stellantis, Toyota and Volkswagen are among global auto giants that have pledged about $19 billion of investments in Brazil, almost all of it since mid-2023  vaulting the country above Mexico as the top destination in Latin America.

Most of the cash is going into hybrid cars that have an electric engine and also one that runs on gasoline  or ethanol, to take advantage of fuel produced locally from Brazils sugar cane crops. EVs are only a smallish slice of the local market right now, but competition is set to intensify, testing the Chinese duos ability to keep expanding their share.

All of this is part of Lulas strategy to re-industrialize Brazil  in a sense, taking a leaf out of Chinas book.

Theres been a stark divergence in the economic history of the two countries. Brazils auto industry dates back more than a century, to when Ford built a plant there, and it once propelled economic growth. But manufacturing has shrunk rapidly since the 1980s  just when Chinas factories were taking off and driving Brazils raw materials exports.

A trade unionist who began his career in a city known as Brazils Detroit, Lula dreams of an industrial renaissance, and hes launched a series of plans to rebuild the auto sector and accelerate the green transition.

Lula helped found the BRICS group of emerging-market nations along with China, and hes looking to Beijing to back his dreams. Soon after taking office for the third time at the beginning of 2023, he visited Xi and left with about 50 billion reais in Chinese investment pledges.

Lula is using sticks, as well as carrots like financial support, to pull in investment. He slapped 10% tariffs on EV imports this year, and theyll ratchet up to 35% by 2026.

Unlike charges imposed by the US and under consideration in Europe, these ones arent specifically aimed at Chinese carmakers. Still, the policy already led Great Wall to change course and opt for manufacturing the Haval SUV in Brazil  its local bestseller and thus a safer bet  instead of the pickup truck it had previously planned.

Whats more, to export made-in-Brazil cars to other Latin American countries without tariffs, producers need to source about half their components locally. If they cant meet that criteria, BYD and Great Wall risk losing their price edge.

Both companies plan to start off with what are known in the industry as knocked down cars  meaning parts will be imported from China and assembled locally  while speeding up the search for local suppliers.

They acknowledge it will be challenging. Theres a lack of suppliers because the industry in Brazil declined in recent years, says Tyler Li, president of BYD Brazil. Still, he says the company aims to make 60% of components inside the country within five years.

Great Walls Bastos says it would help a lot if batteries can be produced in Brazil, and the company will work to make this happen.

Thats an example of how the arrival of foreign carmakers can bring knock-on benefits for Brazil  including in employing and training workers, a key priority for Lula.

BYD, whose plant will have an initial capacity of 150,000 cars a year, has committed to creating 5,000 jobs but the actual number will likely be more than double that, according to Li. And thats just direct employment, not counting gains along the supply chain. BYD is also partnering with a local energy company to build 600 charging stations in eight cities, addressing a shortfall that could limit EV sales.

Great Walls operation in Iracemapolis near Sao Paulo will be smaller, with some 50,000 capacity to start with. Its a conversion of an old Mercedes Benz plant whose taxes once contributed some 40% of the citys revenue. The new factory will include a research and development center and could eventually employ 2,000 people, Bastos says.

Bringing in technology and knowhow from abroad is how many Chinese industries began their rise to world leadership. Now theyre on the other side of the equation  and that brings risks as well as opportunities for Beijing.

China has taken lessons from industrial decline in countries like Brazil, and government advisors warn against repeating that trajectory. Its one reason why Xi has made advanced manufacturing a high priority since the pandemic  calling it the countrys lifeline and pushing for an economy driven by high-tech products like EVs.

If those industries are investing and creating jobs abroad, they might be doing less of those things in China, where growth has slowed. Whats more, even though Beijing has backed overseas expansion by Chinese firms, it may worry that theyll lose their edge by transferring technology, according to the Rhodium Group analysts.

In the end, as ties with the West sour, foreign investments may be Chinas best bet to stay on good economic terms with the rest of the emerging world. Thats where giant consumer markets of the future will be found. But  like Lulas Brazil  those nations aspire to be producers too.

Cars are a product that everyone sees every day, says Zhang, the Shanghai auto consultant. For any country that has the slightest industrial ambition, to see all the cars running on their streets are 100% brought in from elsewhere  it hurts.

With assistance from Linda Lew, Danny Lee and Chunying Zhang.
*

G7 finance chiefs meet in Italy next week

*

Italian official says seizure of Russian assets not viable

*

Italy aims to unblock talks on taxing multinationals

By Giuseppe Fonte and Gavin Jones

ROME, -

Finance ministers from the Group of Seven major democracies meeting in Italy next week will back a European Union plan to use the income from frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine's war effort, an Italian Treasury official said on Thursday.

Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the G7, will also try to revive an international deal on how to share taxing rights on large corporations which the United States is struggling to ratify in Congress, the official, who declined to be identified by name, told a media briefing.

The G7 froze around $300 billion worth of financial assets soon after Moscow's attack on its neighbour in February 2022. Since then, the European Union and other G7 countries have debated whether and how to use the funds to help Ukraine.

The G7 comprises the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada.

The United States has proposed seizing the assets in their entirety, but

Europe has balked

, citing risks to the euro and legal repercussions.

The G7 will support the EU's line to use the extraordinary revenues from the frozen Russian assets to the benefit of Ukraine, the official said ahead of the meeting in Stresa, northern Italy, on May 24-25.

The talks are focused on using income from the assets, not the assets themselves, the official said, adding that any decision must have the backing of the EU and a "solid legal basis."

In the face of European resistance, Washington has more recently proposed using the assets as collateral to provide loans for Ukraine.

The Italian official said the finance chiefs will do the groundwork aimed at enabling G7 heads of government to reach a final decision at a summit in the southern Italian region of Puglia, in June.

Trade relations

with China will also be discussed in Stresa, after the United States this week unveiled steep tariff hikes on a raft of Chinese imports, though the issue is not on the formal agenda of the meeting, the official said.

Italy has reservations about the use of tariffs because of their disruptive impact on world trade.

With a

trade truce

over digital services taxes between the U.S. and several European countries set to expire in June, Italy will promote last-ditch talks to prevent the failure of plans for a global minimum tax on multinationals.

The first pillar of that agreement aims to reallocate to the countries where companies do business the rights to tax about $200 billion in corporate profits.

The official said the negotiations have made no progress ahead of next week's meeting.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday greeted his old friend Russian President Vladimir Putin on a red carpet outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The two world leaders discussed a host of issues ranging from Ukraine conflict to expansion of joint military drills, attended a concert together and spent the evening over a tea ceremony.

Putin, who landed in China on Thursday for a two-day state visit, held talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for over two hours. They signed as many as 10 agreements, including expanding military drills. They also discussed measures to deepen their strategic cooperation and partnership.

A lot happened on the first day of Putin's visit to China. Here's all you need to know:

Xi Jinping welcomed Putin, saying, Dear President Putin, my old friend, we welcome your participation in the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

Later, the two leaders held a key meeting on Thursday. They concluded a sincere and cordial meeting covering many topics, Xi was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying. As per the report, they reviewed successful experience in developing the China-Russia relationship over the past 75 years.

They also had an in-depth exchange of views on the relationship and major international and regional issues of mutual interest. They further charted the course forward for Sino-Russian relations and cooperation across the board, Xinhua news reported.

Xi hailed China-Russia ties as conducive to peace, as per China's foreign ministry. The two sides vowed to deepen their partnership and declared a no-limits friendship.

Russian and Chinese are brothers forever, Putin reportedly said. The Russian leader characterised relations between Moscow and Beijing, quoting a 1940s song. Speaking ahead of a concert dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Russia-China partnership, Putin was quoted by TASS as saying, "...There is a famous song from that time, it was created 75 years ago, but is often sung today: there is a quite famous line in it: 'Russian and Chinese are brothers forever'."

"I am sure that we will continue to strengthen the fraternal spirit of the harmonious Russian-Chinese partnership," the Russian president was quoted as saying.

"Political solution" to Ukraine war Following the meeting, China's Xi said he and Putin agreed on the need for a "political solution" to the Ukraine conflict, news agency AFP reported.

"China's position on this issue has always been clear," Xi said in footage broadcast by Russian state television. That position included "respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries," as well as "respecting the reasonable security concerns of all sides", the Chinese leader was quoted by the Moscow Times as saying.

President Xi and President Putin later met again in Zhongnanhai and had an in-depth exchange of views on the Ukraine crisis. China will continue to play a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, a Chinese spokesperson said.

'Deepening' Russia-China ties  10 deals signed The two world leaders signed and issued a Joint Statement on "Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination for the New Era".

TASS reported that the Russian and Chinese delegations signed 10 joint documents. This included the declaration on comprehensive partnership signed by Putin and Jinping. The rest of the documents were signed by other top officials.

The joint statement announced plans for expanded joint military drills, but provided little by way of detail, the Guardian reported. "Moscow and Beijing will continue bolstering trust and cooperation in the military sphere and expand the scale of joint drills and military training," the document reads.

The agreements included one on an initiative to develop the Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island, protocols on requirements for beef and other products exported to China, a deal to create the Land of Big Cats cross-border reserve, a memorandum on holding a BRICS Expert Forum, agreements on media cooperation, information exchange, and cooperation between business associations, TASS reported.

"Besides this, Russia and China also plan to increase mutual tourist flow to 2 million trips in 2024," Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov said during a visit to China.

Russia and China also signed an agreement to increase the level of investment cooperation and guarantee the protection of rights and interests of investors, as per the joint statement cited by TASS.

Russia-China ties 'stabilising force' Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin framed Russia-China ties as a "stabilising force in a chaotic world" as they met in Beijing, news agency AFP reported.

In the meeting, Xi told Putin, whom he has previously described as an "old friend," that China-Russia relations were "conducive to peace". Putin, in turn, told Xi the two countries' relations were "stabilizing factors in the international arena," the Moscow Times reported.

"Relations between Russia and China are not opportunistic and not directed against anyone," Putin said, according to a Kremlin readout.

Amid the key meeting, a Chinese government spokesperson informed that the country is ready to work with Russia "to stay each others good neighbour, a good friend and good partner that trust each other".

The two countries also "continue to consolidate the lasting friendship between the two peoples, and jointly pursue respective national development and revitalization and uphold fairness and justice in the world," the spokesperson added.

A Chinese government spokesperson said in a post on X that the China-Russia relationship "has become a prime example of a new form of international relations as well as good-neighbourly relations between two major countries."

Russia-China Vs US X and Putin's joint statement mentioned the "new era" that proclaimed opposition to the US on a host of security issues and a shared view on everything from Taiwan and Ukraine to North Korea and cooperation on new peaceful nuclear technologies and finance, Reuters reported.

The statement singled out the United States for particular criticism. "The United States still thinks in terms of the Cold War and is guided by the logic of bloc confrontation, putting the security of 'narrow groups' above regional security and stability, which creates a security threat for all countries in the region," the joint statement said.

The US must abandon this behaviour, it added, as per Reuters.

Meanwhile, Putin and Xi reportedly accused the US of planning to station missile systems around the world that pose a direct threat to the security of Russia and China.

Concert to celebrate 75 years of China-Russia ties During Putin's two-day state visit to China, the Russian president and Xi attended the opening ceremony of the China-Russia Years of Culture and a concert celebrating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

China President Xi said that holding thematic years in each others countries is a fine tradition of China-Russia cultural exchanges. "It is also a unique feature and highlight in the bilateral relationship," he said.

He went on to say that the official launch of the China-Russia Years of Culture "will add new impetus to the lasting friendship between the two countries and to mutual understanding and affinity between the two peoples".

The Chinese government's spokesperson said that over the past 75 years, China and Russia together had found a new path for major countries and neighbouring countries to treat each other with respect and pursue friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Tea ceremony Xi and Putin held informal talks on Thursday evening while sipping tea. As per Reuters, informal chats between the leaders and senior officials of both sides were held over tea and dinner later on Thursday are expected to be key to the two-day trip.

A spokesperson of the Chinese government shared a picture of Xi and Putin during the tea ceremony.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed shock at the news of the shooting at Slovakias Prime Minister, Robert Fico.

Taking to X (previously Twitter), PM Modi said, I strongly condemn this cowardly and dastardly act and wish PM Fico a speedy recovery. India stands in solidarity with the people of the Slovak Republic.

Robert Fico gravely wounded Slovakia's populist prime minister was shot multiple times and gravely wounded Wednesday, but his deputy prime minister said he believed Fico would survive.

The prime minister had been greeting supporters at an event when the attempted assassination took place, shocking the small country and reverberating across Europe weeks before an election.

I guess in the end he will survive, Tomas Taraba told the BBC, adding: He's not in a life-threatening situation at this moment.

Doctors fought for Fico's life several hours after the pro-Russian leader (59), was hit in the abdomen, Defence Minister Robert Kalina told reporters at the hospital where Fico was being treated.

Five shots were fired outside a cultural centre in the town of Handlova, nearly 140 km northeast of the capital, government officials said. Fico was shot while attending a meeting of his government in the town of 16,000 that was once a centre of coal mining.

A suspect was in custody, and an initial investigation found a clear political motivation behind the assassination attempt, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said as he briefed reporters alongside the defence minister.

Fico has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond, but his return to power last year on a pro-Russian, anti-American message led to even greater worries among fellow European Union members that he would lead his country further from the Western mainstream.

Kicking off his fourth term as prime minister, his government halted arms deliveries to Ukraine, and critics worry that he will lead Slovakia  a nation of 5.4 million that belongs to NATO  to abandon its pro-Western course and follow in the footsteps of Hungary under populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Slovakias populist Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot and injured in an assassination attempt on May 15 in the town of Handlova in Slovakia. He was rushed to a hospital and underwent surgery, according to media reports.

His deputy prime minister, Tomas Taraba, told the BBC that Fico is expected to survive, stating, hes not in a life-threatening situation at this moment.

The assailant, identified by Slovakian media as Juraj Cintula, a 71-year-old poet, attempted to assassinate PM Robert Fico. European media outlet Nexta reported that Cintula was a former employee of a private security company and author of a poetry collection, as cited by local TV channel Markiza.

Fico, a four-time prime minister and political veteran, is accused of swaying Slovakia's foreign policy in favour of the Kremlin.

What Happened? Fico was reportedly hit in the stomach after four shots were fired outside the House of Culture in the town of Handlova, where he had held a meeting. The police detained the suspect and sealed off the crime scene.

An official message on the prime minister's Facebook page stated, Today an attempt was made on R Fico's life. He was shot several times and is currently in a life-threatening condition. At the moment, he is being taken by helicopter to Banska Bystrica, as the road to Bratislava would take too long due to the need for urgent surgery. The next few hours will be crucial.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Joe Biden, and several other world leaders have condemned the attempted assassination of Fico, describing the attack as monstrous and horrific.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed shock on May 16 at the news of the shooting.

Here are the top 12 things to know about Robert Fico - Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times after a political event on Wednesday afternoon in the central town of Handlova, Slovakia.

- Fico, 59, was born in 1964 in what was then Czechoslovakia.

- He joined the Communist Party before the fall of communism, earned a law degree in 1986, and was first elected to Slovakia's parliament in 1992 with the Party of the Democratic Left.

- During the 1990s, Fico served as a governmental agent representing Slovakia before the European Court of Human Rights and the European Commission of Human Rights.

- In 1999, he became chairman of the Smer (Direction) party and has been a key figure in it ever since. People often describe Fico and Smer as left-populists, though some have also compared him to right-wing politician Viktor Orban, Hungary's Prime Minister.

- Fico returned to power in Slovakia last year, previously serving as prime minister from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2018. His third term made him Slovakias longest-serving head of government. Slovakia is a member of the European Union and NATO.

- After five years in opposition, Ficos party won last years parliamentary elections on a pro-Russian and anti-American platform. Fico promised to end Slovakias military support to Ukraine amid Russias invasion, arguing that NATO and the United States provoked the conflict.

- Following his election victory, his government immediately stopped arms deliveries to Ukraine. Thousands protested against Ficos pro-Russian policies and other initiatives, such as plans to amend the penal code and take control of public media.

- Ficos return raised concerns among critics about Slovakias pro-Western direction, as he vowed to pursue a sovereign foreign policy, tough immigration laws, and campaigned against LGBTQ rights.

- He was known for his attacks on journalists and faced criminal charges in 2022 for allegedly creating a criminal group and for misuse of power.

- In 2018, Fico and his government resigned following the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee. Kuciak had been reporting on tax-related crimes involving high-level politicians.

- Fico is married and has one child.
France declared a state of emergency in New Caledonia on Wednesday, May 15, following violent protests against electoral reforms that resulted in the death of one police officer and three others, according to various media reports.

Armed forces are protecting New Caledonias two airports and port, with hundreds of French police on their way to the Pacific territory after a third night of violent riots that have resulted in four fatalities, as per a report in The Guardian.

The report added that gendarmes faced about 5,000 rioters in three municipalities of the French collectivity, including between 3,000 and 4,000 in the capital, Noumea, according to Louis Le Franc, the high commissioner for New Caledonia.

By Thursday, authorities had arrested 200 people, and protesters had injured 64 gendarmes and police. The protesters had put up road barricades, causing a dire situation for the population's medicine and food supplies, The Guardian quoted Le Franc.

Here's what we know so far, explained in 10 points:

Cause of Unrest: Violent protests erupted over proposed electoral reforms that critics argue could marginalise the Indigenous Kanak population and benefit pro-French politicians. These protests resulted in the death of one police officer and three others, according to the Washington Post.

Historical Context: New Caledonia, a French overseas territory, has long been a site of tension between the Indigenous Kanak population, who seek independence, and descendants of European colonisers, who prefer to remain part of France. This territory lies hundreds of miles off Australia's eastern coast.

Worst Violence in Decades: The current violence is the worst the region has seen in decades, highlighting deep-seated issues related to Paris' role in the archipelago. Government spokeswoman Prisca Thevenot called for calm and a resumption of political dialogue.

State of Emergency Declared: The emergency was implemented at 8 pm (Paris time) on Wednesday, corresponding to 5 am in Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia. This declaration gives local authorities more power to restore order.

Expanded Powers: Under French law, the state of emergency grants authorities the power to restrict public access to certain areas, conduct searches, and prevent certain individuals from entering if they are deemed a threat to public safety.

Government Response: French President Emmanuel Macron's office stated, All violence is intolerable and will be the subject of a relentless response to ensure the return of order. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal emphasised the severity of the violence and the necessity of the state of emergency to restore order, as per ANI.

Recent Legislative Actions: The unrest began as French lawmakers prepared to vote on expanding voting rights in the territory. The National Assembly adopted the revision overnight, but it still requires final approval from both chambers of parliament.

Impact on Kanak Population: The new measure would allow anyone who has lived in New Caledonia for 10 years to vote in local elections, diluting the Kanak people's electoral power. Under the 1998 Noumea Accord, voting was restricted to Kanaks and individuals born before 1998.

Violence and Arrests: French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin reported that hundreds of people were injured, including about 100 police officers. Authorities have arrested at least 130 people amid various incidents of arson, looting, and an attempted prison break. Officials imposed an overnight curfew, banned gatherings in Noumea, and closed La Tontouta International Airport to commercial flights, ANI added.

Historical Independence Votes: The 1998 Noumea agreement included provisions for three referendums on independence, all of which rejected independence. Pro-independence parties boycotted the last vote in December 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Although it is unfashionable to say so these days, one of the great accomplishments of the past half-century was the remarkable decrease in global tariffs. This reduction, from average levies on imports of more than 10% in the 1970s to 3% today, helped fuel a boom in international commerce and a near-tripling in global GDP per person. The more that countries opened up, the more they flourished. So it is deeply regrettable that President Joe Biden has decided to impose tariffs of 100% on electric vehicles (EVs) made in China.

Because trade benefits consumers broadly, but harms specific workers and companies that are able to organise resistance, it has always carried political costs. Today those costs loom large in politicians minds. The consensus required to underpin an open trading system is disintegrating, a process accelerated by the fact that China is not playing fair, as well as the rise of Donald Trumps America-first vision.

Politicians in America from both parties argue that they need to increase tariffs on a wide range of goods (see chart). China is heavily subsidising its manufacturers, giving them an edge in global markets. And, they add, the security risk of letting in Chinese cars is too great, since EVs are easily tracked and monitored. There is something to these concerns. But Mr Bidens tariffs are a blunt tool for dealing with them and will bring underappreciated economic harms to America and the world.

View Full Image (The Economist)

Return, for a moment, to first principles. As David Ricardo laid out more than two centuries ago and experience has since shown, it makes sense for governments to open their borders to imports even when others throw up barriers. Residents in the liberalising country enjoy lower prices and greater variety, while companies focus on what they are best at producing. By contrast, tariffs coddle inefficient firms and harm consumers.

America learned this the hard way in the 1980s, when Japanese carmakersin Washingtons crosshairsagreed to quotas, driving up their prices in America. And for what? The big three" carmakers continued to churn out clunkers. Todays American firms fear competition from BYDs Seagull, some versions of which cost less than $10,000 in China. Now, they can sell inferior cars for three times the price, giving American motorists little incentive to fulfil government policy by switching to greener wheels. You might argue that tariffs were inevitable, because Americas green subsidies would otherwise flow to Chinese firms. That is true, but it shows how one inefficient policy leads to the next.

Even less excusable is how the Biden administration went about imposing its tariffs. Governments are rightly keen to manage the political costs of trade. That is why the rules-based trading system has mechanisms against unfair competition. Although economists welcome cheap imports, politicians can fight back if they worry that an influx would hurt specific industries and towns. Since the second world war, America has generally used the power of example to establish the trade-off between economic efficiency and political reality.

No longer. The latest tariffs reject such mechanisms. The administration could have set out how Chinese EVs had gained from huge subsidies and then hit them with calibrated countervailing duties. It could have documented the security threat it claims they pose, rather than offering scary conjectures. Instead, it covered its protectionist aims with a fig-leaf: the new tariffs were put on top of Mr Trumps, which were themselves originally justified by Chinas theft of American technology. How farcical. The real fear about Chinese EVs today is not that they are stealing from America, but that they have left American cars in the dust.

Americas blatant disdain for the need to make a rigorous case has dangerous consequences. At home it invites more firms to seek protection. Republicans and Democrats are already vying to offer the steepest barriers: Mr Trump has warned that he will put tariffs of 200% on cars made by Chinese-owned plants in Mexico. Abroad, protectionists will follow suit as China exports its surplus around the world, dealing another blow to the trading system that America once championed. Brazil is increasing tariffs on EVs and the European Union may soon do so, too. America is still leading global trade policybut today it is heading in the wrong direction.

 2024, The Economist Newspaper Ltd.

All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com
If Donald Trumps use of trade barriers to shield US metal factories was populism defeating sound economics, Joe Bidens tariff hikes on clean-tech imports from China are worse. The former US president had sparked a trade war with China in 2018 by drawing up Americas drawbridge in a bid to protect jobs; it helped US metal makers, but only by hurting users. Todays US leader has doubled down on barricades, with Chinese electric vehicles to be fended off with a hike in import tariff from 27.5% to 102.5%, even as shipments of lithium batteries, computer chips, critical minerals, solar cells and a bunch of other goods face punitive duties.

What makes it worse is not its rank populism, given US poll rhetoric on jobs lost to autocratic China, nor even the user markets the latest move is bound to distort, but the signal it sends the world. As this age-old policy tool has bipartisan backing, America has clearly given up its role as the global champion of free trade. Sure, it was done in the name of national security," which is the usual escape hatch sought from WTO rules, and in response to Beijings unfair" subsidies for clean-tech, which are evidently good for the planet even if cheap imports deny US enterprises a level playing field.

America says it wants to increase imports from other countries. Okay. India may stand to benefit. Even so, Americas anti-China move is not only protectionist (and thus cost-raising), it weaponizes trade further. This flies in the face of what economics, climate concerns and geo-pacifists would recommend. Snapping trade ties has led the world to war beforeabout a century ago. It could happen again, with the US just having dealt free trade another hammer blow, and that too, for plainly political instead of economic gains.

The reason this blow may not prove fatal is that free trade is backed by a rationale that could yet survive adverse geopolitics. As with Adam Smiths example of a pin factory, where specialized roles help everyone produce more with fewer inputs, a rivalry-happy economy where all agents freely focus on what theyre better at also produces more with less.

Likewise, a global market freed of barriers would be driven by forces of demand and supply to achieve efficiency on a worldwide scale, with global competition forcing costs down and value generation up. In theory, a relative edge is all that producers need to specialize profitably, which makes trade beneficial overall for all participants, even if some lag others across every category. Alas, the real world is not even a pale shadow of that barrier-free ideal. In the US, the spectre of jobs fleeing to low-cost factories elsewhere has combined with Cold War II anxiety to induce a form of policy myopia that spells bleaker prospects for everyone.

Given the way the world is moving on trade, what should India do? While a pushback of Chinese imports is on New Delhis agenda too, and we must grab every export opportunity, we shouldnt overlook economic logic. Cheap Chinese wares, especially in clean-tech markets, could aid not just the emergence of our economy, but our climate aims as well.

Steep US barriers may tempt Chinas state-subsidized manufacturers to dump stuff in India, perhaps partly for re-export to America. Products sold below their cost of production are deemed to have been dumped, and given Chinese opacity, this violation of trade rules isnt easy to catch. Still, faced with cheap shipments, we must not let geopolitics trump economics. The US has set global trade back. Lets exercise caution.
Its a measure of the strategic importance of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) archipelago of the Maldives that India recently chose to host its new foreign minister, Moosa Zameer, despite the hurly-burly of Lok Sabha elections. With the Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu-led government already in Chinas tight embrace, and the consequent turbulence in bilateral ties, India can ill-afford to cede further space to Beijing. External affairs minister S. Jaishankar clearly spelt out Indias strategic concerns to Zameer, telling him that being close neighbours, the development of bilateral ties is based on reciprocal sensitivity."

Such straight talk was required, as the pro-China Muizzu has already given New Delhi much grief, not just with his anti-India rhetoric, but also his administrations decision to ask India to replace with civilians its 77 military personnel posted there, in charge of two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft, even though these operated under the Maldivian flag and with directions from the Maldives National Defence Forces (MNDF).

Muizzu rode to power as Maldivian president by running an India Out" campaign, citing the issue of sovereignty, which found traction in the country, especially among conservative voters. Muizzu has, however, not yet repealed a presidential decree issued during the tenure of his predecessor Ibu Solih banning that campaign. Perhaps because it is clear that he will need to deliver growth and development, for which India remains an important partner, regardless of all the tall promises China might make.

New Delhi would have also conveyed to Male its displeasure over its decision to not renew a hydrography agreement with India, while signing a defence pact with China that involves training the MNDF and supplying non-lethal defence equipment. For New Delhi, both are red lines, much like Chinese involvement in the Indian telecommunications sector and digital identity projects in Indias neighbourhood.

In seeking to protect its own strategic interests in the vast IOR, New Delhi has to constantly walk on eggshells. For, political leaders in the regions island states have learnt to play the two Asian giants against each other. In Sri Lanka, for instance, India was cold-shouldered, while China thrived during Mahinda Rajapaksas presidential tenure. They also know how to whip up anti-India sentiment by playing the sovereignty and nationalism cards to win elections.

While New Delhi-Male relations are currently strained, the New Delhi-Colombo relationship is currently thriving. Having provided financial assistance to Sri Lanka as it battled an economic collapse after the covid pandemic, India has been quietly working to contain China by bolstering its strategic foothold in the island nation.

Colombo recently gave its nod for India to develop the strategically-located Kankesanthurai port in northern Sri Lanka. Barely 100km away from the deep sea port of Karaikal in Puducherry, it will provide vital connectivity between the two nations. In addition, an Indo-Russian joint venture recently won the contract to operate the Mattala airport built with Chinese loans in Hambantota. Sri Lanka is still trying to negotiate a restructured loan with Chinas Exim Bank for the airport, which has been a commercial failure. Both these projects will give India a vital foothold in the region where both Sri Lanka and the Maldives are on board Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Unlike China, loans extended by India do not leave their beneficiaries in debt traps. The Maldives, for instance, is still reeling under the $1.3 billion loan it took from China during Abdulla Yameens presidential tenure from 2013 to 2018. At present, nearly 30% of Maldives external debt is owed to China, while its only 10% in the case of India.

The inflated cost of Chinese-executed projects and the opacity that marks them, however, has not deterred IOR nations from availing them to build infrastructure. Sri Lanka, for instance, found itself unable to repay the commercial loan it took to develop the Hambantota port. The island nations biggest bilateral debt is to China, placed at $7 billion, while it stands at $1 billion to India. Unable to match Beijings financial resources, New Delhi has chosen to woo IOR nations through its policy of Security and Growth for All (SAGAR), warning them not to fall prey to Chinese debt-trap policies.

At a time when naval forays by China are rapidly increasing in the region, the day is not too far when a Chinese aircraft carrier will sail into the IOR, given that Beijing has been regularly deploying warships, submarines and spy vessels to the region for well over a decade.

India too has increased deployments to countries in the region. It regularly sends warships to conduct joint patrols and surveillance of the vast exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of countries like the Maldives and Seychelles. Indias commissioning of a naval base, INS Jatayu, in the Lakshadweep islands in March this year will also add to the countrys strategic heft in the IOR.

With the joint inauguration of an upgraded jetty and airstrip on the Agalega islands of Mauritius earlier this year, India now also has an outpost in the western Indian Ocean, a crucial addition to its China containment strategy. Even so, New Delhi cannot afford any let up in its battle for influence in the IOR.
To erase the line between man and machine is to obscure the line between men and gods," says the tagline in the teaser of the 2015 movie Ex-Machina. What technology does for us has long been evident. But, in the last decade or so, ever since social media became central to our lives, what technology does to us has become a matter of profound interest. Even more so now, as conversations on artificial intelligence (AI) go mainstream.

Making machines that behave like or resemble human beings has been a pursuit for about two centuries. As early as the 1800s, Austro-Hungarian inventor Wolfgang von Kempelen tried making a speaking machine using bellows and reeds to model the human voice box. This was later improved by Charles Wheatstone, which in turn influenced Alexander Graham Bell, who tried creating his own device. While Bells speaking machine didnt materialize, it helped him invent the telephone.

The first electronic talking machine, Voder, was created by Bell Labs and exhibited at the 1939 Worlds Fair in New York. In the 1950s, early AI pioneers began working on speech recognition (as distinct from understanding). Decades and many breakthroughs later, we are in the throes of a man-machine interaction revolution. But what does it do to us?

Human interactions with intelligent machines are not just about machines. They are also about us. When we interact with machines that respond like humans, what does it do to us, our perceptions, emotions and neural wirings?

Much is unknown, except that it changes us. Just as human-to-human interactions trigger our neurons, make biochemical changes and alter our bodies, so do human interactions with machines. Even as we get into these interactions with the full awareness that they are only machines, we may slowly reach a point where we are in communion with them.

The first chatbot came much before the internet went global. An MIT professor and computer scientist, Joseph Weizenbaum, built Eliza in 1966 as a conversational interface between humans and machines. Eliza engaged with users like a psychotherapist and many people started attributing human-like feelings to the programme, wanting to share intimate matters and spending time alone with the machine. AI bots are now being touted as a solution for loneliness, as digital companions. This assumes a chasm crossed from AIs ability to understand what we are saying to an ability to care.

Is there a Turing Test for empathy? That is the question.

A recent study by Sherry Turkle at MIT, Who Do We Become When We Talk to Machines? delves deep into the impact of humanmachine conversations. Turkle, a sociologist and trained psychologist, is the author of acclaimed books like The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit and Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other.

She has taught at MIT along with Joseph Weizenbaum and also studied peoples interaction with Eliza, terming our emotional engagement the Eliza Effect. Her new MIT study explores how our digital relationships affect our understanding of human connections and is also an attempt to develop methodologies that study how artificial empathy changes our relational capacity.

Turkle coins an interesting term, artificial intimacy. The study had participants from a wide range of backgrounds and demographic groups. As either new or regular users of AI-based conversational tools such as Replika, Pi, Woebot and ChatGPT, they were found to experience an emotional bond with the technologies they were engaging with. The result of this study raises some points that might have a far-reaching impact on society and perhaps even on the evolution of our species.

First, all or the majority of participants found it easier to deal with machines than humans, because it replaces stressful human connections." Real relationships have more friction and are relatively difficult to deal with. Talking to machines make people feel less vulnerable, as there is no friction, no second-guessing and no fear of being left behind.

A machine friend (or companion) can offer legitimacy and validation. But wouldnt a withdrawal from dealing with real people and having real experiences make us more emotionally fragile? As Turkle notes, If we live in a culture where significant numbers of people say they should never have to be made uncomfortable, and since discomfort, disappointment and challenges are part of most human relationships, that is a dilemma."

Second, consider the argument that AI built on the collective intelligence of many experts is better than any single expert. Eric Schmidt, former chairperson of Google, has been quoted as saying that Generative AI will make much of human conversations unnecessary." But Turkle asks the most important question: When we are in human conversation, we often care less about the information an utterance transfers than its tone and emotional intent. In a world that deals in averages, what happens to our sensitivity to all this?"

What does all this mean to us? What does it mean to be human? Is being human now a relative term? Are we being shaped by past data or the law of averages? Will we get more standardized and homogenized?

More questions. Few answers.
Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday worked out a political 'arithmetic' to substantiate the saffron camp's '400 paar' claim amid the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections 2024. The former diplomat said the BJP would surely win "356-357 seats" alone and form the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government for a third straight term.

In an interview with Indian Express, Minister Hardeep Puri revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP's claim that the NDA would win over 400 seats was based on arithmetic the minister has adhered to since the 2019 Lok Sabha poll win.

When Puri was asked why the BJP is seeking "400 par" this time, the Union minister said that ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had asked him to "undertake a granular analysis of central schemes and the beneficiaries".

Upon doing the same, Hardeep Puri concluded that there were "22 crore" beneficiaries. The BJP leader says, "And you know how many votes we got (in 2019)? 22 crore!"

"The number of beneficiaries is going to be much higher. I have been using the figure of 33 crore (beneficiaries). I'm convinced our count alone will increase by more than 15 per cent, i.e., 356-357 seats" Hardeep Singh Puri told the daily during the interview.

Earlier this week, Hardeep Singh Puri claimed that India would become a developed economy in the next 10-15 years, "much ahead of the 2047" target.

"When Narendra Modi became the prime minister in 2014, the country was the 10th largest economy in the world and is now the fifth largest. In the next two years, it will attain the position of the world's third-largest economy, surpassing Germany and Japan," he said.

The minister has also talked about a 'positive response' from grounds in West Bengal, Punjab, and the South, dismissing a notion of angry farmers in Punjab and a losing foothold in southern states of India.

Hardeep Puri was declared one of the BJP's 40-star campaigners for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
With the voting over in Southern states, the focus of Lok Sabha election 2024 campaign has shifted to the Hindi heartland.

Top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will hold mega rallies in the next two days in Uttar Pradesh, the state where increasing the party's majority from 62 seats (2019) is key to its third-term prospects.

As many as 41 seats of Uttar Pradesh will be voting in the remaining three phases of Lok Sabha Elections. Of these 14 seats each vote in the fifth and sixth phase on May 20 and 25. Thirteen remaining seats will vote in the last phase on June 1. Uttar Pradesh sends 80 members to Lok Sabha.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address seven rallies in UP on May 16 and 17. He was in Varanasi on May 13 and 14 to fill his nomination for the seat he won twice in 2014 and 2019.

Purvanchal campaign on May 16 Today, May 16, the PM will address rallies in Pratapgarh, Lalganj (Azamgarh), Jaunpurs Machhlishahr and Bhadohi. Polling in these Purvanchal-based constituencies will be held in the sixth phase on May 25. This will be PM Modis highest number of public meetings in UP in a single day.

In Purvanchal region, the BJP is up against the Samajwadi Party- Congress combine of INDIA bloc. Barring Machhlishahr, the BJP lost the three other seats  Azamgarh, Lalganj and Jaunpur  to the SP-BSP combine in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Pratapgarh is next to Raebareli, the only Lok Sabha seat the Congress had won in Uttar Pradesh in 2019. Rahul Gandhi is up against BJPs Dinesh Pratap Singh in Raebareli seat, going to polls in fifth phase on May 20 along with Amethi, Lucknow and Kaiserganj.

Rallies resume next day The Prime Minister is scheduled to stay in Governor house Lucknow on Thursday night and will resume campaign by addressing three more rallies in Barabanki, Fatehpur and Hamirpur constituencies on Friday, May 17.

The PM is also scheduled to campaign in UP next week.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is also campaigning in the region ahead of next three phases of polling.

Among opposition leaders, Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj party chief Mayawati are also drumming up support for their candidates. Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is campaigning in Raebareli constituency and Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka and senior Congress leader DK Shivakumar will also hold the press conference in Lucknow.

UP key for NDA's 400 target Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is also in Lucknow. He is also expected to address a joint conference with Akhilesh Yadav on May 16.

The fate of 379 constituencies spread across 23 states and Union Territories is now decided after the commencement of polling in fourth phase on May 13. The remaining three phases of polling will be held on May 20, May 25 and June 1. The counting of votes for all seven phases of Lok Sabha Elections will take place on June 4.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is seeking a record third term under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has set a target of winning 400 seats this election. The ruling alliance is challenged by the opposition parties led by the Congress under the banner of the INDIA bloc.
BJP leaders slammed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleging that he is trying to shield his personal assistant Bibhav Kumar, who is accused of assaulting on Rajya Sabha MP and former DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal.

Shehzad Poonawala, sharing an image that showed Kejriwal and Bibhav Kumar, said on X (previously Twitter), "72 hours No FIR on Bibhav Kumar instead Kejriwal is protecting him! Roaming around with him.."

Further, claiming that assault on Maliwal was done at the behest of Kejriwal, he added, Sheesh Mahal is Apradh Mahal & just like Draupadi cheerharan--a woman Rajya Sabha MP was subjected to violence, assault.

"Now she is being pressured to keep silent or change her story as is evident from statements of Naveen Jaihind & Nitin Tyagi of AAP hence she hasn't approached the police yet True face of AAP - Anti women anarchist party," Poonawala said.

Delhi BJP President Virendraa Sachdeva added, Last night, Arvind Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh and Bibhav were seen together at Lucknow airport. This shows Arvind Kejriwal himself stands with the oppression of women. The person who has been accused of assaulting Swati Maliwal is roaming around with him. This is the real face of Aam Aadmi Party which is anti-women.

Meanwhile, the vice president of the BJP's Delhi unit, posted on X, "This is the photo of Lucknow airport last night The one in the black shirt is Vibhav who hit Swati Maliwal Along with Sanjay Singh who said that Bibhav did a very wrong thing, Kejriwal is angry The third one is Kejriwal himself who is accused of getting Swati beaten up."

After initially reserving silence in the matter, the AAP owned up to the incident, with senior party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh saying that the CM had taken due cognisance of the incident and strict action would follow. Condemning the incident, Sanjay Singh on Tuesday said that Kejriwal had taken cognisance of the matter and directed strict action.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma asserted on Wednesday that the Bharatiya Janata Party needs 400 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to bring the entire Jammu and Kashmir to India.

As per the Constitution of India, the entire Jammu and Kashmir is ours. It is our constitutional responsibility to bring the entire J&K to India and to fulfil that responsibility; we need 400 seats," Sarma told media persons in Ranchi. He added, "It is our constitutional responsibility to bring a Uniform Civil Code to the country.

Drawing parallels between the ideologies of the Congress and the BJP, Sarma said that while India is merely an idea for the Congress, for the BJP, it is a Janani Janam Bhoomi (sacred motherland).

There is a difference between the BJP and Congress interpretations of the country, and the Congress's interpretation of India is unacceptable to us. For them (Congress), India is an idea, but for us, it is Janani Janam Bhoomi, he said as quoted by newswire ANI.

The Assam CM claimed that the BJP would secure victory on all seats in Jharkhand, affirming that the party would also establish governance in the upcoming Assembly elections. We are going to get a total of 14 seats in Jharkhand and going forward, we will get a double-engine government in Jharkhand in November.

Jharkhand, a state with a significant tribal population, consists of 14 parliamentary constituencies. The elections in Jharkhand are scheduled to take place in four phases: May 13, 20, 25, and June 1.

In 2019, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 12 seats in Jharkhand, with the BJP securing 11. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress each secured one seat.

Voting for four phases of the Lok Sabha elections has concluded, with the remaining three phases scheduled to end by June 1. The results will be declared on June 4.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah reaffirmed on Wednesday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will emerge as the largest party in all five states of South India on June 4, the day scheduled for the counting of votes for the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.

I stand by my statement. Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu  combining the seats in these 5 states, BJP will emerge as the single largest party, the senior BJP leader told ANI in an interview.

His remark came in response to the opposition INDIA bloc's "Dakshin mein BJP saaf aur Uttar mein half" jibe against the ruling BJP. Shah retorted, BJP will emerge as the biggest party in South India on June 4.

BJP will defeat Congress in Raebareli Shah expressed confidence that BJP candidate Dinesh Pratap Singh will defeat Congress' Rahul Gandhi in the Raebareli Lok Sabha constituency, saying that the Wayanad MP should have informed people in Kerala that he will contest from two seats.

Stature is built by the people of the country. It is not built by birth... What does democracy mean?...Dinesh Pratap Singh will defeat Rahul Gandhi, he told newswire ANI.

Anyone can contest from anywhere but Rahul Gandhi should have said before elections that he is going to contest on two seats. I think from the democratic point of view, it is not right to hide it... He should have told the people of Wayanad about it and then asked them to make their choice., Shah said.

Rahul Gandhi, the current Member of Parliament from Wayanad, has decided to seek re-election from the constituency. Furthermore, he has opted to contest from Raibareli in Uttar Pradesh, a historic stronghold of the Congress party and a constituency that his mother, Sonia Gandhi, has represented since 2004.

INDIA boycotted Ram Mandir event Amit Shah also criticized the Opposition INDIA bloc for declining the Ayodhya Ram Mandir Pran Pratistha ceremony invite. He alleged that the INDIA bloc refused to attend the Pran Pratistha ceremony of Ram Lalla because "the Muslim vote bank will be upset".

"The entire Ghamandiya alliance (INDI Alliance) boycotted the Ram Mandir Pran Prathishta ceremony. My clear allegation is that they did this fearing their minority vote bank," Amit Shah told ANI, harping on the much-used 'minority vote bank' allegations levelled against INDIA bloc by the saffron camp amid the Lok Sabha Elections.

"...On Eid, you have no issues celebrating Eid with Muslim brothers, even though you aren't Muslim. Still, despite being Hindu, you won't attend the Ram Mandir Pran Prathistha because your Muslim vote bank will be upset... what kind of politics is this?" he asked.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticized the BJP's "400 paar" slogan on Thursday, asserting that the saffron party's real target is not 400 seats but 143 seats. Yadav emphasized that regardless of the BJP's aspirations, the people's mandate would leave them desperate, even for those 143 seats.

He was addressing a joint press conference with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in Lucknow.

"UP, Delhi, Punjab. The BJP gets trapped within 99 seats in these three states," the SP chief said.

Speaking about the alliance's (INDIA bloc) purpose, he said, We have to struggle for roti, kapada, makaan, but the bigger fight for us is to save the constitution. AAP and INDIA bloc are ousting the BJP

The Aam Aadmi Party national convenor, Arvind Kejriwal, said, The trends show that BJP is getting less than 220 seats. Their seats will be reduced in Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan. BJP is not going to form its Government; the INDIA alliance is going to form its government...

On Thursday Kejriwal noted that if the BJP comes to power after the Lok Sabha polls, it will change the Constitution and end reservation. The Delhi Chief Minister also reiterated his claim that Yogi Adityanath will be removed as Uttar Pradesh chief minister if the BJP again comes to power.

"The people of the BJP have always been against reservation. They will change the Constitution and end reservation after coming to power," he said, adding that Yogi Adityanath would be removed as Uttar Pradesh chief minister if the BJP again came to power.

Commenting on PM Modi's retirement, Kejriwal said, "PM Modi will turn 75 on September 17, 2025. He has decided to make Amit Shah his successor and to make him PM on September 17, 2025... PM Modi has not yet said that he will not retire after 75 years, PM Modi has made this rule and I have full hope that he will follow this rule...''

The Aam Aadmi Party and the Samajwadi Party are partners in the INDIA bloc in their fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
Google has recently unveiled Android 15 Beta 2. The latest beta iteration of Google's forthcoming major operating system update is now accessible for download on Google Pixel smartphones. It will gradually roll out to select devices in the following weeks.

This year's focus for Google centers around augmenting security and privacy features within Android 15, with the latest beta version offering robust enhancements available exclusively to beta testers.

One notable feature showcased during a Google I/O developer session is the introduction of Private Space, a security and privacy-oriented addition to smartphones running Android 15.

Private Space empowers users to conceal specific applications, such as those pertaining to finance, dating, or social media, in a secure enclave on their device. Applications residing in the private space can receive updates via a distinct Play Store app and access dedicated storage inaccessible to other apps on the device.

According to Google, the Private Space feature is conveniently located within the default app drawer on Android 15. Users can navigate to the end of the app list to unveil the secured applications. Additionally, users can safeguard this segregated application list with a separate passcode or biometric lock, ensuring complete concealment of its existence.

In its ongoing efforts to bolster anti-theft measures, Google is implementing enhanced protections in Android 15. These measures include tightening security protocols to impede unauthorized access to reset devices without the requisite Google account credentials. Android 15 will prompt users to authenticate via biometrics for actions like adjusting screen timeout, accessing passkeys, or disabling Find My Device.

A standout anti-theft feature introduced in Android 15 is "Theft Detection Lock," which automatically locks the device upon detecting abrupt motion indicative of potential theft. Moreover, "Offline Device Lock" functionality ensures automatic device locking when internet access is disabled, a common tactic thieves employ post-theft.

For users concerned about smartphone theft, Android 15 offers the convenience of "Remote Lock," enabling users to remotely lock or wipe their device using an alternate number in case of theft. These anti-theft features aim to deter smartphone theft and will be available later this year on devices running Android 10 and newer versions.

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The Idaho prisoner charged with planning and staging a violent escape while at a Boise hospital, after which he evaded law enforcement for 36 hours, pleaded guilty to some  but not all  of his charges Wednesday afternoon.

Skylar Meade, 31, appeared before 4th District Judge Nancy Baskin at the Ada County Courthouse wearing a yellow prison suit.

He answered Baskins questions in a calm voice, responding politely with yes, maam and thats correct, maam throughout the hearing.

Meade pleaded guilty  without any plea agreement  to escaping from prison and an enhancement for being a persistent violator, telling Baskin that he understood the enhancement could bring his sentence from a five-year maximum to life.

Meade entered the plea despite being unable to review all of the evidence against him yet.

He believes that theres a strong factual basis, regardless of whats written down on paper or filmed on videos, defense attorney Rob Chastain said in court.

Meade did not enter pleas for two enhancements related to causing bodily injury to others while the crimes were committed. Those charges could go to trial, but Baskin said she would give prosecutors time to decide how to proceed, and discuss that at Meades next hearing, which is set for June 20.

Meade escaped Idaho Department of Correction custody on March 20 after his alleged accomplice, Nicholas Umphenour, 28, ambushed IDOC officers at Boises Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, where Meade was receiving treatment for self-inflicted injuries. Boise police said Umphenour shot two of the officers, while a third was mistakenly shot by police.

Officers arrested the two men in the Twin Falls area on March 21, according to Idaho State Police.
Robert J. LaPlante sobbed as he addressed Second District Judge Mark Monson on Tuesday in a desperate attempt to avoid a lengthy prison term for first-degree attempted murder.

It didnt work.

LaPlante, of Clarkston, was convicted last month of slashing, stabbing and ultimately smashing Loyal Otis Dickson Jr. with a 30-pound Hi-Lift jack. Monson described it as a vicious and brutal attack and sentenced LaPlante to 25 to 50 years in prison.

It has to be the most violent offense I have seen where the victim survived, said Monson.

According to testimony, LaPlante and Timothy W. Allen confronted Dickson in North Lewiston last July over a dispute about money and a damaged fence. They roughed him up to the point of unconsciousness. That is when LaPlante bludgeoned him with the jack. The two wrapped Dickson in a carpet and left him for dead.

Monson said it was abundantly clear LaPlante intended to kill Dickson, who survived but was left with a traumatic brain injury and is unable to remember the crime or care for himself.

I dont know how he survived this attack, Monson said. But what I do know is that the impact on Otis is permanent and will last for the rest of his life. Im presented with information in the presentence report that Otis injuries have left him with a survival rate of five years. I hope and pray that is wrong.

LaPlante maintained his innocence in a teary, sometimes choking statement in which he said he was not present when Dickson was attacked and alleged someone else was responsible.

Im sorry to the family for this ever happening, he said, noting he has known and been friends with Dickson for 50 years. I cant believe they think I did this. I would never do this to anyone for anything, for any reason.
The expo will highlight how students are preparing to become leaders in the 21st century. It will feature models, videos, music, plays, crafts, artwork and more. The theme is Cub Pride on Display.

Visitors can tour the school and enjoy a free barbecue meal organized by the administration and Parent Support Team.
A lot of the conversation around the coming election has been centered on out-of-state funding. And while its true theres an influx of outside money, theres also a new political action committee thats based in Idaho and its donations are supporting campaigns across the political spectrum.

The Idaho Families PAC, which has received more than $1 million, has one reported contributor, Joe Scott  the grandson of Albertsons founder Joe Albertson, according to campaign finance data. The PAC has a singular focus: criminal justice and substance use treatment reform.

Drug addiction touches so many of us in Idaho, and this is a local problem and we think that we can bring a local solution to try and move the needle on drug overdose deaths, drug incarceration and post-incarceration reentry into the communities, PAC chairperson Emily McClure said in an interview.

McClure is an attorney and lobbyist and the granddaughter of a former U.S. senator from Idaho, Jim McClure.

The PAC has donated $1,000 each to 19 legislative campaigns that include several Democrats, such as House and Senate minority leaders Rep. Ilana Rubel and Sen. Melissa Wintrow, and ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus members such as Reps. Elaine Price, R-Coeur dAlene, and Tony Wisniewski, R-Post Falls. It also donated $1,000 to Canyon County prosecutor candidate Chris Boyd. The committee was formed this year.

The candidates were chosen based on who the group believed were aligned with the PACs goals, Emily McClure said, which are to reduce the rates at which people go back to prison after serving their terms, known as recidivism, and to improve treatment options for substance use disorder and behavioral health.

Idaho has a growing substance use problem, McClure said. Our overdose deaths continue to rise, our incarceration rates are among the highest in the country. Its also really expensive for taxpayers to continue to fund this but were not getting a very good return on our investment.

A 2023 report from the Idaho Department of Corrections found that 37% of the states incarcerated population were sentenced on drug charges.

She said the group, which include families that have been affected by substance abuse and incarceration, wants to see the state focus on improved reentry and employment programs for those leaving prison as well as addiction treatment.

The group wants to see the types of policies that have been implemented in other states that have yielded positive results.

The bottom line of this is we cant arrest our way out of this problem and spend more on prisons while doing nothing different and expect anything to improve, McClure said.

These policies dont include mandatory minimum prison sentences, she said.

In April, the PAC reported spending $14,727 in advertising to support incumbent Rep. David Cannon, R-Blackfoot. He is a criminal defense attorney who spoke at length in opposition to bills creating mandatory minimums for fentanyl proposed the last two sessions. However, despite debating against it, he ended up voting in favor of this years fentanyl trafficking bill that was passed into law despite a number of concerns about it.

Lawmakers faced intense pressure to pass HB 406 this year, BoiseDev reported, and prompted a letter from the Idaho secretary of state and attorney general warning against threats and bribes.
A vehicle headed north was struck when a southbound car veered into the wrong lane. Both vehicles came to a rest in the roadway, which blocked traffic in both lanes of travel, according to the news release.

Chelsea Davis, 32, of Pullman, and a 44-year-old Katrina Siddons, of Potlatch, were taken to Pullman Regional Hospital, according to the news release.

Davis was charged for allegedly driving under the influence and felony vehicular assault, according to the news release.
PULLMAN  Theres power in reclaiming lifes hardest experiences; Tracy Simmons should know, after a defining moment in her story shaped her career path.

The Washington State University assistant professor was brought up in an Albuquerque, N.M., cult. Most of her life, she said, was sheltered.

But that didnt stop her from asking questions about alluring yet unfamiliar societies.

Its interesting, I didnt feel like I was very separate from people even though I was very shielded, Simmons said. We were definitely taught that anyone who believed differently than us werent saved.

She said she had always been curious how others lived, like why her Hindu neighbors house always smelled so good.

I always thought they were so interesting and I wanted to learn more about them, Simmons said. But my parents would make fun of them, and that never sat well with me.

She made it her lifes mission to understand others narratives and share their accounts with the world. What started as a job at her high school paper evolved into award-winning religion reporting.

Simmons has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, the Religious Communicators Council, Lion Publishers and other organizations, according to the WSU Edward R. Murrow College of Communications website.

She also founded the digital startup, FaVS News, which covers religion news in the Spokane area.

Over the years, Simmons has covered topics like religious extremism and Christian-Muslim relations, as well as reported in disasters like the Haiti earthquake of 2010. Shes most passionate about highlighting religious experiences.

My upbringing absolutely influenced what I do today, Simmons said. I have a view that we should really get to know people in our communities because if I can understand their culture and their beliefs, those barriers get broken down and they become my neighbors rather than my Hindu neighbors.

The past several years, Simmons has taught at universities including Gonzaga, the University of Idaho and WSU.
Idaho placed no higher than 36th nationally for three metrics gauging teacher and paraprofessional pay during the 2022-23 school year, according to recently released National Education Association rankings.

The rankings are dated  and they dont account for recent state investments in teacher pay. But they provide a retrospective snapshot that illustrates how Idaho stacked up against neighboring states as local schools have struggled to recruit and retain teachers.

Last school year, Idaho ranked 36th nationally for starting teacher pay, a marked improvement from 48th place a decade ago. But it still lagged behind most neighboring states on benchmark salaries in addition to average teacher compensation and paraprofessional pay.

NEA, the national teachers union, annually compiles salary data for the prior school year. The group releases the data in the spring  when school districts are negotiating teacher contracts.

Nationally, modest gains were made in teacher pay, the union said in a news release. The average salary across the U.S. last school year was $69,544, up 4.1% from 2021-22. NEA President Becky Pringle credited unions for demanding more for their students, more professional respect and more pay.

On average, Idaho school districts paid teachers $56,365 last school year. That was a 4% increase from 2021-22, and it moved up the state two spots in the rankings. Idahos $41,179 baseline salary last school year also lagged behind the $44,530 national average.

The Idaho State Board of Educations annual Educator Pipeline Report, last released in December, pointed to bordering states salaries as a possible factor hurting Idahos teacher retention. In Washington, for instance, teachers last year earned $20,439 more on average, according to the NEA rankings.
This is the Chattanooga Airport's first nonstop fight service to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.
Longford County Council will write to both the HSE and the Minister for Health in relation to the future viability of St Christophers Centre.



The decision was taken at the May monthly meeting of the local authority.



It follows the notice of industrial action that was served by unions on the management of the Battery Road facility.



Fine Gael councillors Peggy Nolan and Paul Ross tabled a motion calling for the letter to be written.



Cllr Nolan spoke passionately about the importance of St Christophers to the Longford community.



There is palpable fear in Longford in relation to the future of St Christophers. Every time that St Christophers needed services it got the backing of the entire county. There wasnt a parish that didnt fundraise for St Christophers, she said.



Cllr Nolan would like to see a return to the agm meetings that St Christophers used to hold.



These agm meetings used to be a highlight of the year in Co Longford. When I would stand up to the podium at public meetings in relation to St Christophers, I could feel the emotion in a packed hall, she stated.



One year, the councillors in Longford raised 9,000 to cover a gap that St Christophers had. It was an answer to a need, she added.



Cllr Nolan called on the council to do whatever we can do.



St Christophers is a part of the fabric of county Longford. No county in Ireland has a service such as St Christophers, she commented.



She went on to call on the Minister for Health to step in and reward 60 years of dedication.



Cllr Nolan emphasised that staff at the facility were keen to avoid taking industrial action. Many of the parents of service users are in their late 80s. The staff do not want to upset these people, she commented.



I have watched the St Christophers campus grow over the years, she added.



I have lost sleep over a document I received in relation to the centre, she continued.



Cllr Paul Ross told the meeting that staff were not paid last Christmas and this caused stress to families.



St Christophers is running a deficit of 4.4 million. This is utterly extraordinary. The centre has to run correctly, he stated.



Cllr Seamus Butler added his support to the motion. St Christophers is an exemplar to the entire country. There is currently a lack of transparency in St Christophers. I have received documents in relation to the finances of the centre and if the contents are accurate, then I would fear for the future of St Christophers, he told the meeting.



This is a caring organisation that has looked after people who were previously kept in the shadows. However, I cannot see it continuing without major change, Cllr Butler added.

Cathaoirleach Colm Murray told the meeting that the services provided by St Christophers were way above the standard of HSE facilities. It has been run very well since its inception. I would call on the Minister for Health to save the service.



The days of the public agm were good practice by St Christophers, he added.

There was unanimous agreement among councillors that a letter should issue to both the HSE and the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly.



Cllr Uruemu Adejinmi informed the meeting that she was a member of the board of St Christophers and absented herself from the decision.
A defendant who pleaded guilty to a series of offences that took place over a year was sentenced to 12 months in prison at Longford District Court.



Eugene Dunne (39), of 8 Alderfield, Farnagh, Longford, faced a total of 23 charges when he appeared before last week's court sitting.



Judge Vincent Deane heard details of the charges against the defendant. In September 2023 he damage the rear windscreen of Nissan Juke belonging to another person which cost 150 to repair, in April 24, at Kellehers Spar, Main St, Longford, he stole Bank of Ireland cheque book valued at 20.

In March '24 at Alder Field, Farnagh, Longford, he stole 20 Xanax tablets, in November 2022, at Hibernian Court Carpark he stole a Stihl concrete cutting saw valued at 900.



In October 2023, on Main Street Longford, he was intoxicated in a public place, at Ballymahon Street, Longford.



Further charges include the theft of a brown leather wallet valued at 40 and entering Herterich Butchers, Ballymahon Street, Longford as a trespasser and committing an offence.



In August 23 he caused 200 worth of damage to a MPV in Mollaghans Carpark Longford, in June 2023 at Hanlon's Gala, Dublin Rd, Longford stole property to the value of 50 , also in June he handled stolen property, a keg of Heineken and wheelie bin valued at 400, knowing the property was stolen.

In September '23 at Mollaghans Carpark he damaged a vehicle causing damage valued at 100 and on the same date he damaged another car causing 100 damage.



In August of the same year at Market Square, Longford he caused 2,731.88 worth of damage to a car. On another date in August he stole 500 in cash and a mobile phone valued at 350.



Other offences in August 23 include property damage valued of 200 to a car, and damage to items if clothing costing a total of 65.



Offences from April of 2023 including handling stolen property, various items of camping equipment costing 200, at Century Square, Longford. In December of 2023 he damaged the rear driver side window of a car and took 2 coins.



In March of this year at Longford Garda Station, he was intoxicated in public and also assaulted Garda Glen Flanagan.

The court heard that additional charges before the court was that Mr Dunne attempted to carry out an unauthorised transaction on a Revolut card on January 14.



The card had been reported stolen the previous day and the injured party was notified that a 7 transaction had been declined at a local public house. The final offence was from April 24 when the defendant punched a Garda while being put in a patrol car.



Solicitor John Quinn said that his client has had addictions issues and since going into custody in Cloverhill he has endeavoured to deal with these problems. Mr Quinn said the defendant is engaging in education and drug treatment programmes.



He wants to better himself and put this part of his life behind him, the solicitor said, Eugene knows he has caused problems for others and himself. He is intent on going straight. He is focusing on leaving all this as history.



Inspector Mark Mahon informed the judge the defendant had 41 previous convictions.



In concluding matter Judge Deane imposed a custodial sentence of four months for the assault on a Garda, four months for theft offences relating to the Stihl concrete cutter and a third four month for a property theft charge in Mollaghan's car park. All sentences run consecutively, meaning the defendant will serve 12 months in prison.



The judge recommended that the sentence imposed be served in Cloverhill to allow Mr Dunne continue to engage with treatment programmes.
Last Saturday nominations closed for those looking to run in next months European Parliament elections.



On June 7 the people of Longford, along with the 14 other counties in the constituency, will be asked to choose five MEPs to represent them in the European Parliament for the next five years.



It's a packed field with a record 27 candidates on the Midlands North West ballot paper.



Three Longford candidates will have their name and picture on the ballot sheet; Stephen Garland (Independent), Ciaran Mullooly (Independent Ireland) and James Reynolds (National Party).

Also read: Independent European election candidate Peter Casey concerned about total open border policy



The Midlands North West constituency has an additional seat this time round and, as Fine Gael's Colm Markey has indicated he won't be seeking re-election, there will be two new MEPs upon completion of the count.



Sitting MEPs Luke Ming Flanagan, Sinn Feins Chris McManus, and Maria Walsh know this will be a hard fight to book tickets back to Strasbourg.



One of the Longford hopefuls looking for a seat on that plane is James Reynolds. Mr Reynolds officially launched his campaign for the European parliamentary elections last week in Athlone.

Also read: On Longford canvass Sinn Fein MEP Chris MacManus highlights regional imbalance



The Longford farmer has been leader of the National Party since last year. At the Athlone launch he outlined a programme based around two key objectives; to save rural Ireland and end mass immigration.



The anti-immigrant platform is one that has a lot of competition. Jostling for position on that are Irish Freedom Party leader Hermann Kelly, the National Party leader Mr Reynolds replaced, Justin Barrett, former presidential candidate and Dragon's Den participant Peter Casey, and former Irish Times journalist John Waters.

It's going well so far, Mr Reynolds said of the progress of his campaign, Last weekend I was in Sligo, at the ploughing. I met a few of the Longford competitors, the Stewards from Killashee and the Monaghans from Edgeworthstown, it was a successful event.



The National Party leader has a clear target for the voters he wants to represent: I've been targeting the agriculture sector, the rural and farming vote. I've canvassed in Galway, Mayo and parts of Roscommon and Westmeath, he said.



Mr Reynolds identifies a shift in public opinion, and believes he's well placed to pick up votes for his policies: Four years ago, when you mention immigration, people didn't listen, now they agree with you. It's now recognised as top of the political agenda. Even for parties, it's a different view to my own, he said.



His canvass to convince voters to elect him as an MEP will cover a constituency that spans 13 counties with a population of 1,831,741. All of the candidates have their work cut out for them.



The National Party candidate believes he's in a good position: It's a very tough ask, but you could say that half of those 27 candidates are in the 'also ran' category. They're not doing well at all, and some haven't even started canvassing.



The Farmer's Journal wrote the article that narrowed it down to the frontrunners. They include me in those frontrunners, in relation to the farming vote, based on my performance at the two IFA debates, he says.



After the debates in Claremorris and Mullingar, I had people coming up to me taking interest. I had card-carrying members of the Fine Gael party in Mayo, so disillusioned with Maria Walsh they took leaflets from me to distribute to their friends, he tells.

Also read: Longford EU Elections: Walsh makes case for a return to Europe



In the 2020 General election Mr Reynolds was eliminated after the sixth count having secured 983 first preference votes. The National Party leader believes making a bid to represent Irish people in Brussels is more important than getting elected to a local authority seat: This isn't about James Reynolds. I don't want to become a career politician.



If I end up being elected an MEP, that's because it worked out that way, because the people decided to support and latch on to my vision. I want to be an MEP, and before that, I wanted to be a TD, because I wanted to be in a position to actually bring about change for the betterment of the people of Longford, the betterment of the people of my country.

Also read: Saoirse McHugh to run as Independent in Midlands North West



Mr Reynolds says the shift in public opinion has brought National Party policy into the mainstream: Politics has changed so much in the last two years. If you go back to the general election four years ago, when I brought up the issue of immigration on doorsteps, people didn't see it as a major issue. They do now.



Midlands North West election candidate James Reynolds spoke to the Leader on Monday, May 13 about his canvassing for the European Elections on Friday June 7.
Men with physical impairments are invited to audition for the role of a disabled activist in an award-winning play set to run at theatres in four counties.

Inspired by the life of wheelchair-user and Galway native Martin Naughton, 'No Magic Pill' broke new ground when it first debuted at the Black Box Theatre in 2022 for its casting of disabled actors.

'No Magic Pill' tells the heartfelt, hilarious and stereotype-shattering story of Naughton's - who passed away in 2016 - anarchic quest for both justice and love as a leader of the disability rights movement in Ireland.

The play - which won the Audience Choice Award at the Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards - is funded by the Arts Council and is presented in association with Independent Living Movement Ireland, the Irish Wheelchair Association and the Disability Federation of Ireland.

Disabled men over the age of 30 with or without acting experience are encouraged to audition for the role of Naughton by sending a CV or letter outlining their experience to casting@nomagicpill.ie.

The deadline for expressions of interest is Thursday, May 23.

Selected candidates will be invited to attend an audition on Wednesday June 5 at the Independent Living Movement Ireland (ILMI) office, Carmichael House, North Brunswick Street, Dublin 7.

Rehearsals will begin in October before going on tour from November 7-23 across four venues in Ireland, including the Black Box Theatre in Co Galway, Backstage Theatre in Co Longford, glor in Ennis, Co Clare and The Civic in Tallaght, Co Dublin.

For further information, contact Sabrina Sheehan of Mission PR on sabrinasheehan@missionpr.ie
Crime

By Chris Boyle Published: May 16 2024

Savonn Dangerfield shot and killed a 23-year-old Roosevelt man out walking with his girlfriend.

Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a Hempstead man was sentenced today to 15 years to life in prison for shooting and killing a Roosevelt man in broad daylight in October 2018.

Savonn Dangerfield, 27, pleaded guilty before Judge Meryl Berkowitz on March 7, 2024, to Murder in the Second Degree (an A-I felony) and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (a C violent felony). The defendant was sentenced today to 15 years to life in prison. The NCDA recommended a sentence of 22 years to life in prison.

Savonn Dangerfield wanted to get back at 23-year-old Jeffrey Lee after a perceived slight. The defendant caught up to Lee on Dartmouth Street and brutally gunned him down in the middle of the afternoon in front of his girlfriend, said DA Donnelly. After the shooting, the defendant took off for Ohio to try to escape the consequences of what he had done, but law enforcement caught up with him. Now he will pay for his crimes in a prison cell.

DA Donnelly said that on October 12, 2018, at approximately 12:07 p.m., the victim, 23-year-old Jeffrey Lee of Roosevelt, was walking with his girlfriend on Dartmouth Street in Hempstead when he was approached by the defendant at the intersection of Stewart Avenue and shot twice.

The victim was later transported to NYU Langone Hospital Long Island (Winthrop) where he was pronounced dead.

Multiple shell cases belonging to a 9mm semi-automatic pistol were recovered at the scene.

Following an investigation, the defendant was arrested on May 6, 2019, by police in Steubenville, Ohio, and later extradited to Nassau County.
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: May 16 2024

The Long Island Inspiration Guide is Discover Long Islands primary collateral fulfillment piece and call-to-action for the organizations extensive and global marketing efforts.

Discover Long Island, the regions only accredited destination marketing organization is excited to announce the launch of the latest Long Island, New York Inspiration Guide. The 60-page magazine-style guide, available in both print and digital formats, entices visitors and locals to Discover Long Island through captivating imagery, thematic storytelling, detailed maps, transportation, and attraction information. With the extensive amount of content to convey on Long Islands geography, culture, history, events and more, most pages provide a QR code that takes interested readers to additional information available at DiscoverLongIsland.com for specific details on businesses and booking opportunities.

The Long Island Inspiration Guide is Discover Long Islands primary collateral fulfillment piece and call-to-action for the organizations extensive and global marketing efforts. Discover Long Island distributes 100,000 copies at hotels, Long Island MacArthur Airport, at various trade/consumer shows and events through the year and to individual visitors who request a copy of the guide. The Official Inspiration guide is also the only approved Long Island promotional piece distributed at the Long Island Welcome Center, which estimates 5,000 cars daily.

We are proud to unveil and distribute the new edition of the Long Island Inspiration Guide, which is the perfect balance of intriguing content and stunning imagery that showcases the beauty and breadth of our unique destination, said Discover Long Island President & CEO, Kristen Reynolds, CDME. The guide lends our expertise, as an accredited Destination Marketing Organization, in showcasing the attractions, culture, events, dining, and downtowns that encompass our world class region, while driving the reader to the comprehensive and current digital content on DiscoverLongIsland.com through strategic QR codes, extending the guides evergreen status.

Packed with insider tips, hidden gems, signature events and must-see attractions, this guide is the ultimate companion for any traveler or resident seeking an authentic and unforgettable experience on Long Island. In addition to professional photography, the guide features user-generated content collected from social hashtags and providing a genuine glimpse of Long Island life and experiences.

The guides first section provides readers with a detailed description of each separate region of the island: Gold Coast, North Shore, South Shore, Fire Island, North Fork, South Fork, and Shelter Island. Then, the subsequent sections are organized based on the activity individuals may wish to engage in, titled: Be Salty, Be Adventurous, Be Cultured, Be Out & About, and Be Together. The back of the guide offers a three page fold out map of Long Island, complete with the main roads, beaches, and towns displayed, providing a useful tool when planning a trip.

A digital Inspiration Guide is available online and hard copies can be requested by emailing tourism@discoverlongisland.com or calling 631-951-3900.

ABOUT DISCOVER LONG ISLAND:

Discover Long Island is the regions official destination marketing and leadership organization charged with furthering the destinations thriving visitor economy, which saw recent record-breaking highs of $6.6 billion in visitor spending. The organization ensures Long Islands coveted quality of life, thriving industries, and dynamic destination offerings are promoted on a global level, furthering economic development, and benefiting residents and businesses throughout the region. Awarded Best Social Media in the nation by the US Travel Association, the organization produces engaging content featuring local businesses and attractions for their 11 social media channels which garner upwards of 10 million views. Additionally, the organization hosts a popular YouTube series, Long Island TV, as well as the Long Island Tea podcast. To learn more, please call 631-951-3900 or visit www.DiscoverLongIsland.com.
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: May 16 2024

Station Upgraded with Street-Level Elevator and Accessible Entrances/Exits.

MTA Chair & CEO Janno Lieber, LIRR President Rob Free, and Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo announce a new accessible elevator at the Copiague station on Thursday, May 16, 2024, the first of a series of three such projects on the Babylon branch. Photo Credit: Marc A. Hermann/MTA

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that the Copiague Long Island Rail Road Station has been made accessible to all in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act with the opening of the stations first-ever elevator and a sidewalk that connects with it. This station is the first of three Babylon Branch stations that will be made fully accessible in the next few weeks. Amityville and Lindenhurst are expected to join Copiague with accessibility upgrades before the end of June.

We are breaking down barriers and ensuring more New Yorkers than ever before can access the transportation they need, Governor Hochul said. Im committed to improving accessibility across the MTA and ensuring the disability community has a voice and a seat at the table in deciding the future of transit in New York.

New York State's Chief Disability Officer Kim Hill Ridley said, Today, on Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2024, I am thrilled to celebrate the tremendous accomplishment of another MTA elevator becoming accessible to all. As both a wheelchair user and a mom, I cannot emphasize enough how increased accessibility for people with disabilities benefits everyone else too. Now, the disability community, parents with strollers and travelers with luggage from all over the world have increased access to enjoy all that our world-renowned metropolitan area has to offer."

The LIRR received $18 million in federal formula funds which includes money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This funding supports the $169 million, design-build stations upgrade package at nine stations including Copiague and Amityville, Lindenhurst and Massapequa Park. St. Albans, Laurelton, and Locust Manor. Valley Stream will receive escalator replacements and elevator replacements, and Auburndale will receive elevator replacements.

The package includes additional station enhancements including parking and electrical and mechanical improvements, new platform tactile strips and communication and safety security systems, better wayfinding, and new LED lighting and Help Points.

On weekdays, 51 westbound and 50 eastbound trains stop at Copiague. On weekends the station sees 42 westbound trains and 41 heading east. Copiague is part of the Babylon Branch and also serves customers with connections to Montauk service at Babylon and transfer to NICE buses at Freeport to get to Jones Beach.

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, LIRR is operating hundreds more trains every day and delivering fantastic on time performance. Every Long Islander should be able to take advantage of this incredible service, so Im thrilled weve now made 111 out of 126 stations fully accessible with the rest to follow soon!

MTA Construction & Development President Jamie Torres-Springer said, The MTA has successfully delivered accessibility projects better, cheaper, and faster thanks to innovative contracting tools like project bundling. This station is part of the MTAs first design-build package of ADA upgrades on the Long Island Rail Road and builds on the great success of the recently completed design-build package of similar accessibility improvements in the NYCT system.

LIRR President Rob Free said, With the Babylon Branch completely elevated, modern, working elevators are an essential part of creating the best customer experience for every Long Islander. We are committed to increased accessibility because it creates opportunities for more people to travel throughout the region.

MTA Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo said, This project is just the latest example of a better and more accessible MTA station. These improvements, especially at stations that are elevated, create a significantly quicker and safer trip for customers walking, rolling or carrying children or packages to the platform."

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer said, Im proud to support and deliver critical federal funding that is key to modernizing New Yorks public transit systems like the LIRR so they are more accessible for the riding public, including New Yorks disabled community, which has long suffered from poor access to our regions mass transit system. I worked hard to secure funds in the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs law so New York transit agencies can complete more projects to keep New Yorkers moving and boost the economy. The completion of these much-needed accessibility upgrades at the Copiague LIRR station will drive the local economy forward, create good-paying jobs and increase access to critical services.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said, The Copiague Long Island Rail Road station is an essential station for Suffolk County residents, yet to this point, it has not been accessible to all riders. I am thrilled to see that Copiague is now fully accessible and commend the MTAs commitment to making accessibility upgrades and improving public transportation for all New Yorkers.

Representative Andrew Garbarino said, Ensuring the LIRR is accessible to all, including those with limited mobility, must be a top priority. I am pleased to see federal funding going towards bringing more inclusivity to our public transportation system and I applaud the MTA for making these improvements to our Babylon Branch stations.

State Senator Alexis Weik said, It is a welcome development for my constituents that the Copiague Station is now fully accessible and in ADA compliance. In a district where a significant share of working people commutes by riding the LIRR, we thank the MTA for completing this project.

Assemblymember Kimberly Jean-Pierre said,Ensuring our transportation infrastructure is accessible to all residents is paramount for creating a more inclusive and equitable Long Island. The completion of the accessibility upgrades at Copiague Station is a significant milestone, and I applaud the MTA for their commitment to making travel easier and more convenient for everyone, including those with mobility challenges, parents with strollers, and travelers with luggage. As we continue to modernize our transportation system, these improvements will greatly enhance the quality of life for our communities.

Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer Kevin J. McCaffrey said, I am pleased that the LIRR is delivering on their commitment to providing fully accessible stations to all riders along the elevated Babylon Branch. The addition of Amityville, Copiague, and Lindenhurst to the list of accessible stations move the LIRR closer to their goal of making the system accessible to everyone.

Town of Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer said, The LIRR keeps Long Island moving, growing and thriving. As the Town of Babylon looks to create modern, accessible downtowns for families to live, work and play, the ADA upgrades here in Copiague and coming soon to Lindenhurst and Babylon, create a public transit system that is accessible to everyone and is key in moving this effort forward.
Rifles found by the IDF in Zaytun in Gaza. (IDF)

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to come up with a decision about the future of Gaza. He said in a statement on May 15 that the prime minister should make a decision and declare that Israel will not establish civilian control over the Gaza strip, that Israel will not establish military governance in the Gaza strip, and that a governing alternative to Hamas in the Gaza strip will be raised immediately.

Gallant described a seven-month campaign in Gaza that was bearing results, he said. Hamas no longer functions as a military organization  most of its battalions have been dismantled, and it has turned to terrorist warfare, conducted by individuals and small squads. The IDF is operating in Rafah in order to dismantle Hamas remaining battalions, to locate the hostages, eliminate terrorists, and block [Hamas] smuggling routes. Gallant is aware of the fact that Hamas has returned to many areas in Gaza over the last several months. This is because the IDFs tactic in Gaza has been to clear areas and then leave.

Gallant noted in his statement that as long as Hamas retains control over civilian life in Gaza, it may rebuild and strengthen thus requiring the IDF to return and fight in areas where it has already operated. He noted that once Hamas capabilities are dismantled in Gaza that the power vacuum will need to result in the establishment of a governing alternative in Gaza. In the absence of such an alternative, only two negative options remain: Hamas rule in Gaza, or Israeli military rule in Gaza, the defense minister said.

He noted that the issue of what comes next in Gaza has not been decided. Indecision, is in essence, a decision  this leads to a dangerous course, which promotes the idea of Israeli military and civilian governance in Gaza. This is a negative and dangerous option for the State of Israel strategically, militarily, and from a security standpoint. Gallant believes that indecision in Gaza is eroding Israels military achievements. He has spoken in the past about the need for a day after plan. Previous discussion of a plan, such as creating some kind of pilot program of bubbles in Gaza where a non-Hamas local authority would be in charge, has not panned out. Gallant has often tried to be at the forefront of bringing up these initiatives. In addition, the defense minister has worked since early March to open new crossings to northern Gaza. This was supposed to address concerns about the humanitarian situation in and reduce the chaos surrounding aid that reached a boiling point in February.

Gallants statement on May 15 also addressed the multi-front challenges faced by Israel. With a limited set of resources to face all threats, Gallant noted that unless a plan can be created for Gaza, military rule in Gaza would become the main security and military effort of the State of Israel over the coming years, at the expense of other arenas. The price paid would be bloodshed and victims, as well as a heavy economic price.

The multi-front challenges Israel faces were on full display on May 15, prior to the ministers comments. Hezbollah launched more than 60 projectiles at northern Israel, targeting Mount Meron where there is an IDF base. Hezbollah also claimed to down an Israeli spy balloon according to the pro-Iranian Al-Mayadeen media. The Iranian-backed Lebanese group also met with a Hamas delegation, according to pro-Iran media, illustrating the coordination sought by Hamas and Hezbollah.

In addition, the IDF continued to face challenges fighting in Rafah in southern Gaza and Jabalya in northern Gaza. In Zaytun, a neighborhood near Gaza City that the IDF has now operated in three times since beginning its offensive in late October, IDF troops wrapped up one week of operations. They had swept the neighborhood again and eliminated terrorists. However, the fact the neighborhood had to be swept by forces in November 2023, February 2024 and again in May 2024 shows how quickly Hamas has been able to return. The soldiers eliminated dozens of terrorists in encounters and airstrikes, destroyed terrorist infrastructure and located many weapons, including dozens of AK-47s, grenades, magazines and intelligence management assets of the Hamas terrorist organization, the IDF said on May 15. Iraqi militias aligned with Iran also launched drones targeting Israel on the evening of May 14 and early morning of May 15. Two of them were intercepted by Israeli warplanes. Taken as a group, the threats from Hezbollah, Iraq and the continued battles in Gaza brought to life the multi-front challenges that Gallant referenced.

Reporting from Israel, Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD and a contributor to FDDs Long War Journal. He is the senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post, and author of The October 7 War: Israel's Battle for Security in Gaza (2024).
Crust Bakeshop, a Worcester bakery and coffee shop thats been a mainstay on Main Street for the past decade, recently refurbished its downtown location  adding fresh pops of color, expanded seating and other perks meant to open and enliven the space for more customers to enjoy.

The roughly 2-month springtime renovation came as a result of reorienting the function of the 118 Main Street shop, owner Alexis Kelleher told MassLive.

The back of the house previously dominated Crusts floor space, but the business was outgrowing what its kitchen could offer in terms of output, Kelleher said.

Kelleher, who co-owns BirchTree Bread Company in the Canal District with her husband Nate Rossi, used to split baking between the kitchens at BirchTree and Crusts Main Street shop. Seeking to consolidate, the couple shifted all of the baking to BirchTree  which they took ownership of almost exactly two years ago.

Without a functioning kitchen, the Main Street shop felt more empty and quiet, Kelleher said, noting the absence of the wafting smell of freshly baked goods and the hum of the kitchen.

At the start of March, Crust began an extensive renovation that includes built-in seating, tables and chairs placed in spots where bulky refrigerators, ovens and bins once stood.

Crust Bakeshop at 118 Main St. in Worcester has been completely renovated with a new design and decor.Chris McLaughlin

Now, in an open-concept environment, guests can order at the counter and tuck into side benches with stools, round cafe tables with cushioned booth seating or a plush pink armchair with a side table for sipping drinks or snacking on pastries and sandwiches.

The expanded seating brought in more customers, Kelleher said, from places such as Worcester District Court, the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) who come in to refuel, chat or study.

Read more: This new Worcester restaurant offers healthy food with a Brazilian twist

One of Kellehers goals is to promote Crusts Main Street shop as a rentable private events space given its new reconfiguration. Food would be supplied from BirchTrees kitchen and she said the business could get 1-day liquor licenses to accommodate these events.

She envisions parties such as bridal and baby showers coming in and that the space can fit around 20-25 people. Those interested can contact Crust on its website.

The shop renovations, which underwent its final inspection from the city on Tuesday, are nearly complete. Kelleher said she and her husband are putting the finishing touches on design choices.

The space features a perky peach accent wall, accompanied by pale tones of greens, blues and yellows throughout.

Crust Bakeshop at 118 Main St. in Worcester has been completely renovated with a new design and decor.Chris McLaughlin

Kelleher said its a big departure from the original color scheme when the walls were shades of mustard yellow and brown. The new color scheme adds a degree of brightness to what used to be a darker space, she added.

Now, floral patterns appear on pillowcases and framed wall art, plastic plants adorn nooks and crannies and chandelier light fixtures hang above. Kelleher said the floors were also redone, replacing a stick-on checkered tile with dark brown hardwood.

Read more: Here are 15 Worcester restaurants offering outdoor dining right now

The space is more climate-controlled than before, according to Kelleher, thanks to the addition of air conditioning and the removal of the ovens, which burned at hundreds of degrees Fahrenheit and would be stiflingly hot in the warmer months, she said.

A gender-neutral bathroom is now open to customers in the back of the shop, which was previously open to staff only. All that remains of the once-existent kitchen is a dishwashing room for clean-up purposes.

Alexis Kelleher, the owner of Crust Bakeshop and BirchTree Bread Company in Worcester.Chris McLaughlin

Its really kind of amazing, Kelleher said of how much has changed. Ive been working in the space now for 10 years. This is where I started working at Crust before I bought it. We did a renovation a few years after I bought it. Thereve been changes, but I think this is the biggest one.

I feel like this is kind of always how I wanted this space, she said. To kind of be this level of welcoming and cozy and beautiful.

The shop on Main Street carries much sentimental value for Kelleher. She met her husband there, and it was the spot of her first job out of college culinary school.

During the renovation, Kelleher said, there were blips of disruption to business, but Crust had budgeted ahead and it was able to absorb these costs while largely staying open.

Nevertheless, Kelleher spoke of a resilience she and the shop have built up over the years in the face of prior obstacles such as COVID, interruptions from road repairs and balancing baking and serving customers simultaneously with once limited staff.

Since promoting the renovation online, shes already noticed a steady uptick in sales as a result, on top of a busy and fruitful Mothers Day weekend.

Its really encouraging to see that people are excited about (the renovation), Kelleher said. To see that it makes other people so happy is like pretty awesome.

Bread and pastries on display at Crust Bakeshop's Main Street location.Chris McLaughlin

The bakery and coffee shop has a secondary Worcester location at 1 West Boylston St., which opened in 2020. Both locations feature a menu full of pastries, breads, sandwiches, desserts, coffees and teas, in addition to rotating seasonal coffee and drink flavor menus.

The Main Street shop is open six days a week Tuesday through Sunday, but Kelleher plans to expand this to seven days a week in June with a consistent schedule of 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Crust Bakeshop at Main Streets is currently open from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. Tuesday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Boston chef Chef Valentine Howell Jr. is not only vying for a $250,000 grand prize on this years season of Top Chef, he is also reinvigorating a neighborhood spot in Jamaica Plain with his combination of flavors.

Vee Vee, a JP staple since 2008, has launched a partnership called Black Cat @ Vee Vee starting this month, according to the restaurants website. The purpose of the partnership is to bring Howells Afro/Latin Caribbean flair to Vee Vee after the restaurants former chef decided to move on and open his own place, according to Kristen Valachovic who has been operating Vee Vee for 16 years along with her husband, Dan.

We thought long and hard about what we wanted the future of our restaurant to be. Not just the immediate future, but also long-term, Valachovic told MassLive.

Finding someone who had a great concept but no home for it seemed like the way to go, the owner said about Howell, who is currently hosting pop-ups to promote his international food concept, Black Cat Eatery.

Chef Valentine Howell Jr. is a contestant on season 21 of Bravo's cooking competition series, "Top Chef."David Moir/Bravo

When we reached out to our network, one name kept popping up: Valentine Howell, Valachovic said. We reached out to him and set up a meeting. We loved their energy and thought theyd be a perfect fit for both us and the neighborhood.

Howell, who was a James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef in the Northeast in 2023, will take full control of Vee Vees kitchen while the Valachovics continue to oversee the restaurants operations. Howell and his fiancee, Renea Adger, will be in residency through the end of the year, but Valachovic hopes they will stay longer.

The team started developing Vee Vees menu last week, and Valachovic said that Howells food is just fantastic, bursting with a combination of Afro/Latin and Caribbean flavors. Were so excited for folks to try it.

Chef Valentine Howell Jr. is a contestant on season 21 of Bravo's cooking competition series, "Top Chef."David Moir/Bravo

Vee Vee, which has been temporarily closed, is planning to reopen this weekend. Valachovic hopes the restaurant will open its patio not long after. Vee Vee is located at 763 Centre St. in Jamaica Plain and the restaurant is open 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

When youre not trying Howells food in person, you can catch him competing on season 21 of Top Chef. Episodes air every Wednesday at 9 p.m. on Bravo, with next-day streaming on Peacock.
President Joe Biden issued a disaster declaration in parts of Massachusetts impacted by flooding in September 2023, sending more federal funding to aid those counties.

Funds will go out to affected individuals in Worcester and Bristol counties, the White House said in a statement released Wednesday. The press release did not specify how much in federal funding will go to those counties.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster, the White Houses statement read.

In a livestream on his Facebook page on Thursday, Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella said it was great news, especially for those homeowners and businesses who were affected by it.

Had they sent a letter back saying, We disapprove of the appeal, then its pretty much over after that, he said. So thats another step in the process. I texted [U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-2nd District] this morning asking for clarification. We contacted FEMA this morning.

While the counties are receiving assistance, Mazzarella said it was not clear what the city of Leominster was getting directly.

Torrential rains in Leominster in Worcester County produced flood waters that left basements, driveways, yards, and roads destroyed in the days after Sept. 11, 2023, MassLive previously reported.

And in North Attleborough, in Bristol County, 200 homes were flooded or damaged during the Sept. 11 storm, WCVB-TV reported in February.

In March, Gov. Maura Healey asked the president to reconsider FEMAs denial after she requested a major disaster declaration affected by flooding.

FEMA officials turned down the states request last month, ruling that it was not of such severity and magnitude as to be beyond the capabilities of the state, affected local governments and voluntary agencies, WCVB-TV reported.

The request was for funds to go not only to Worcester and Bristol counties but also to Hampden County, which also saw major flooding last year.

Bidens approval does not include Hampden County.

We believed from the beginning that we met all the criteria for the declaration, Mazzarella told WCVB-TV on Thursday. This is exciting news, especially for those families who experienced such loss. I dont know the exact amount of funds that will be provided but Im hopeful and grateful for all who worked so hard to get us here.

One week after the flooding, Biden did declare Leominster a federal disaster area, Mazzarella said on a Facebook livestream on Sept. 18.

FEMAs federal coordinating officer, Robert V. Fogel, was appointed to coordinate federal recovery operations in the affected areas, the White House said.

Massachusetts is one of only two states that doesnt have a permanent disaster relief fund, Sen. Joanne Comerford, D-Hampshire/Franklin/Worcester and state Rep. Natalie Blais, D-1st Franklin, said during a news conference MassLive reported last November.

Healeys $58 billion budget proposal for the new fiscal year that starts July 1 would authorize the creation of that Disaster Relief and Resiliency Fund, MassLive previously reported.
Cape Cod Hospital will pay $24.3 million to settle allegations that it knowingly turned in claims to Medicare for heart valve procedures that did not comply with Medicare rules, Acting United States Attorney Joshua Levys office announced.

The hospital began offering transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR, procedures for patients who suffer from aortic stenosis in 2015, Levys office said in a statement released late Thursday. Aortic stenosis is a serious heart condition that restricts blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body.

A TAVR procedure involves replacing a patients damaged heart valve with an artificial one, Levys office explained. At the time, Medicare rules required that hospitals engage specified clinical personnel to conduct a separate, independent examination of prospective patients to evaluate their suitability for TAVR before the procedure.

Hospitals were also required to document the rationale for their clinical judgment before the procedure and then make that rationale available to the medical team performing the TAVR procedure, according to Levys office.

The $24.3 million settlement resolves allegations that between November 2015 and December 2022, the hospital knowingly submitted hundreds of claims to Medicare for TAVR procedures that did not follow the applicable Medicare requirements, Levys office said. Sometimes, there were not enough doctors to examine a patients suitability for the procedure, while at other times, doctors did not document and share their clinical judgment with the medical team who operated TAVR procedures.

Medicare permitted coverage for this newly developed cardiac procedure only under certain conditions to ensure patient safety, Levy said in the statement. Cape Cod Hospital ignored those rules and received millions of dollars from Medicare to which it was not entitled. This conduct persisted for years despite internal warnings. This investigation and settlement ensure that patient safety is prioritized over a hospitals bottom line.

Along with the settlement, Cape Cod Hospital has begun a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General to give an annual review of its paid Medicare claims by an independent review organization, Levys office said.

Cape Cod Hospital also received credit under the Departments guidelines for taking disclosure, cooperation and remediation into account in False Claims Act cases, according to Levys office. The hospital voluntarily produced materials, identified the relevant medical records, admitted to failing to adhere to the applicable Medicare requirements and implemented the appropriate remedial measures, among other actions.

These claims were resolved under the provisions of the False Claims Act, where a whistleblower can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery, Levys office said. As part of this resolution, the whistleblower will receive about $4.36 million.
A Fall River man who was killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 that prompted the U.S. entry into World War II will be buried at a California veterans cemetery later this month.

George Herbert was aboard the USS Oklahoma when it was attacked by the Japanese military at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. A gunners mate 1st class, Herbert enlisted in the Navy on Jan. 7, 1940, when he was 35. As a gunners mate, Herbert took charge of guns and gun crews and was responsible for putting together and fixing ships guns and other small arms.

Herbert was among the more than 400 sailors killed in the attack, many of whom were unable to be identified at the time. From 1950 until 2015, the remains of 388 unidentified sailors and Marines were buried in 61 caskets in 45 graves at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, which is known as Punchbowl, according to the Navy Personnel Command Public Affairs office.

In 2015, their remains were exhumed and a growing number of sailors were identified over the next several years. Now, only 32 sailors killed in Pearl Harbor are unidentified. Sailors like Herbert were identified using DNA samples from surviving family members as a reference, which are then matched to DNA from those unaccounted for.

Herbert will be given a dignified and proper burial in the Northern California Veterans Cemetery in Igo, California, on May 30.
Testimony in the trial of Karen Read, a Mansfield woman charged in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend, John OKeefe, continued Thursday at 9 a.m.

Read, 44, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of OKeefe, who was found cold to the touch and unresponsive on Jan. 29, 2022, outside of a home in Canton.

Norfolk County prosecutors allege Read struck OKeefe with her SUV while driving intoxicated. Reads attorney, David Yannetti, said during the trials opening statements that her car never struck OKeefe and that others are to blame for his death.

The trial is taking place in Dedhams Norfolk County Superior Court.

Cross-examination of witness Colin Albert will take place Thursday morning. He is the nephew of Brian Albert, the homeowner of 34 Fairview Road when OKeefes body was found.

Colin Albert was picked up from the home at about 12:10 a.m. on Jan. 29, 2022, according to screenshots of text messages provided to police and shown in court on Wednesday.

Allison McCabe, who testified on Wednesday and picked up Albert that morning, is a close friend of Colin Albert and they share relatives  Brian and Nicole Albert.

McCabe said on Wednesday shes received constant phone calls, emails, awful messages, and other harassment in connection with the Read case.

During Thursdays testimony, Colin Albert explained why his knuckles were cut up in a photograph weeks after OKeefes body was found and the defense grilled him about a pair of videos where he made some threats.

Matthew McCabe takes the witness stand and trial ends for the day  12:49 a.m.

Matthew McCabe, of Canton, testified Thursday morning about the night of Jan. 28, 2022 under questioning by Norfolk prosecutor Adam Lally.

After his daughters basketball game, he and his wife met up with the Albert family and friends at the Waterfall Bar & Grille in Canton.

Read and OKeefe later arrived at that bar.

His wifes sister is Nicole Albert, the wife of Brian Albert, McCabe said.

McCabe said he met OKeefe once he became the caretaker for his nephew and niece when their mother and father died.

His wife Jen McCabe had a good relationship with OKeefe and helped the kids get rides to sports and play dates.

Matt McCabe said he first met Read in the summertime of 2020.

OKeefe asked to bring the kids over to swim and wanted to introduce Read to Jen McCabe.

McCabe said Read has multiple sclerosis and so does Jen McCabe and OKeefe thought they could talk about the diagnosis.

I would see Karen around, McCabe said at sports events or when they came by the house.

Normal conversation, Hi, how are you doing? Good to see you, McCabe said about the night of Jan. 28, 2022.

Read asked how Matt and Jen McCabe remained so happy in their marriage, he said. McCabe quipped they were at a bar, and every marriage had its ups and down but nothing of substance.

McCabe said that an open invitation was given to continue the night at Brian and Nicole Alberts home on Fairview Road.

McCabe received a text from OKeefe that said, Where to? He asked his wife to call him back, and he could hear both sides of the conversation.

Jen McCabe told OKeefe the address and Matt McCabe told him which streets to take.

Then a second call, somehow, I dont know why, they didnt know where the house was, McCabe said.

Inside the house, McCabe saw Caitlin Albert, Brian Albert Jr., two of his friends, Brian Higgins and Brian and Nicole Albert.

McCabe said he arrived at 12:20 a.m. and left around 2 a.m.

Everyone was hanging out, McCabe said about the atmosphere when he got there. Sitting around the table, music was on. Just having a good time, enjoying each others company.

McCabe said he did not see Colin Albert that night. He did not know that his daughter, Allison McCabe, had been there.

McCabe recalled driving Sara Levinson and Julie Nagel back home, who testified earlier this week.

Lally asked if he remembered seeing anything when he looked out of the window at 34 Fairview Road that night.

I noticed a big SUV parked in front of the house, McCabe said. He said he couldnt tell the color but that it was dark.

McCabe said he knew that Read drove an SUV, but wasnt sure of the make and model.

Two to three minutes later, McCabe looked out the window again and thought it was weird that they had not come in the house yet, he said.

The SUV moved up the street and was closer to where the flagpole was on the front lawn, he said.

I was just looking out like, what the hell are they doing? McCabe recalled.

He said the car moved up the street a third time.

He said he looked out and saw a Jeep parked outside and that there was a weird wave in the road and that he saw tire marks before the Jeep.

McCabe said he got home around 2:15 a.m. and that all four of his daughters were home.

On the morning of Jan. 29, 2022, McCabe said he woke up to screams in his bedroom.

The judge sent the jury home immediately after McCabes comment and said the trial would continue Friday morning at 9 a.m.

Beat your asses, video statements scrutinized by defense team  11:38 a.m.

Witness Colin Albert takes the stand. The Karen Read murder trial continues at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass on Wednesday May 15, 2024. Pool Photo by Greg Derr/ USA Today NetworkGreg Derr/ USA Today Network

When jurors returned at 11:10 a.m., Reads attorney Alan Jackson resumed questioning witness Colin Albert. Hes Brian Alberts nephew, the Canton homeowner when OKeefe was found.

He showed jurors a video of Albert saying hed beat your asses, which earlier he explained as a threat to members of a club hockey team hed never met but received taunting texts from.

Jackson referred to testimony Albert gave to a federal grand jury that the video was taken in his senior year, the same year OKeefe died.

Under questioning by Jackson, Albert remained adamant that hed never been in a fight.

Jackson showed a second video, where Albert is heard saying, You are a (expletive) bro.

Then you said, K.O., bang bang, Jackson said.

K.O. meant knock-out, Albert confirmed. He agreed these were threats of physical violence.

To get physical, right? To ball up your fist and beat the heck out of them? Jackson said. The judge allowed Albert to answer even though the prosecution objected.

Yes, Albert said.

At a hearing in July 2023 with federal investigators, he showed up with cut-up knuckles, Albert agreed. He said they were a result of hitting a heavy bag, which he explained as a form of cardio exercise.

Norfolk prosecutor Adam Lally began questioning Albert.

Albert said hed met Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor about five times in his life, mostly when he was between 11 to 13 years old.

Weve been over the grandmothers house a couple times, thats pretty much the only time I would see him, Albert said.

Lally brought up the wedding photo and asked how old he was.

About eight or nine, Albert said.

Albert said his aunt was close with Courtney Proctor, Michael Proctors sister. Not Michael Proctor.

Albert told Lally that he believed the video with the threats took place during his sophomore year of high school, years before OKeefe died. Based on Jacksons questions earlier, the time the video was taken is being contested.

The video was made because his friends were salty that a club hockey team was hanging out with girls in their friend group, Albert said. No actual physical fighting took place, he said.

Albert said he never threatened OKeefe and never received threats from OKeefe.

Any animous from Mr. OKeefe? Lally asked.

Never, Albert said.

Lally asked about the harassment Albert and his family have faced in connection with the Read case.

About a year it started when people on Twitter, Instagram, social media, coming at my family, calling us murderers, coming to our sports games. We couldnt leave our house without people taking pictures of us, its terrible, Albert said.

Alberts testimony ended a little after 11:30 a.m.

Colin Albert asked about photos showing him with injured knuckles  10:50 a.m.

Colin Albert, center, at Fenway Johnnies on Feb. 26, 2022. The photograph was shown during trial murder trial of Karen Read on Thursday, May 16, 2024.Norfolk County Superior Court

Colin Albert, a key witness in the case, was asked by Read attorney Alan Jackson about a photograph of him and friends taken at Fenway Johnnies, a Boston bar, on Feb 26, 2022. In the photo, Alberts right knuckles appear to be cut up.

Jackson asked Albert how he hurt his hand. Albert said he slipped, fell and braced himself with his hand while walking up an icy driveway.

You didnt put your palms down when you fell? Jackson said.

No, Albert said.

You fell with your entire body weight on your right fist and just injured the top portion of your knuckles? Jackson asked.

Correct, Albert said.

Those injuries to your knuckles look an awful lot like the type of injuries that you would get in a fight, Jackson said.

Norfolk Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally objected to the question, and Judge Beverly Cannone sided with him.

Albert said hed never been in a fight with anyone besides his brothers.

Cannone dismissed the jurors, but Albert remained on the stand, while the judge heard arguments about two videos the defense would like to introduce as evidence.

Both clips, brief selfie-style videos taken by Albert, were played in court. The first one showed him promising to (expletive) you up and beat your ass. Though initially unclear to whom he was referring, Albert later said he was directing the messages to members of a club hockey team, whom he had disagreements with but never confronted in person.

The second showed him challenging someone to pull up.

Albert said the videos were from his sophomore year in high school.

After several questions from Jackson, Albert agreed he was kind of threatening the hockey team members.

The fact of the matter is, you do you like to fight? Jackson said. Albert disagreed but said he sometimes exercises using a punching bag.

Under questions from Lally, Albert said he was 16 when the videos were taken.

Albert was excused from the room while lawyers continued to deliberate with Cannone. Jackson insisted Albert had violent tendencies that should have warranted investigation.

If the Massachusetts State Police were doing their due diligence, they should have investigated this young man. They should have investigated every single person who was in that house in or around the home where John OKeefe was found, Jackson said. And they didnt.

Lally said the videos were irrelevant to the case and nothing more than rank speculation.

He said the videos would do nothing but divert the jurys attention from the facts of the case.

Cannone called for a 15-minute recess while she reviewed the lawyers arguments.

Colin Albert asked about text messages  10:16 a.m.

Colin Albert, a key witness in the case, was asked by Read attorney Alan Jackson about text messages he exchanged on the night of OKeefes death with his relative and close friend Allison McCabe.

Albert and McCabe exchanged texts on that night, January 28, 2022, as she arrived at the Fairview Road home to give him a ride home. But in the month following, according to screenshots of Alberts texts shown in the courtroom, the pair did not exchange texts.

Instead, they communicated on other platforms, including Snapchat, Albert said. On Snapchat messages are automatically deleted after a short period.

In the hours, days and weeks following the death of John OKeefe, your communication with your best friend, theyre just gone? Jackson asked.

He also probed at the method by which Albert provided his text messages to police investigators: by screenshot, rather than an extraction of the data itself.

A screenshot of text messages between witnesses in the Karen Read murder trial, Colin Albert and Allison McCabe.Norfolk County Superior Court

Colin Albert faces sharp questions on his memory, connections to lead investigator  9:50 a.m.

Under cross-examination from Read attorney Alan Jackson, Colin Albert, 20, said he did not discuss the case with his parents, who testified earlier in the trial. He also said he prepared for the case by speaking with his lawyer and Norfolk Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, the lead prosecutor on the case.

Jackson lobbed a variety of questions at Albert, including about when he last spoke with his close friend and relative Allison McCabe and when he spoke with Lally about testifying. Albert said he did not recall many of the details of the conversations.

But you do remember, two-and-a-half years ago, that you left 34 Fairview at 12:10 a.m., down to the minute? Jackson asked.

After a number of questions focused on Alberts memory, Jackson asked Albert whether he knew Courtney Proctor, the sister of Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, who investigated OKeefes death.

Courtney Proctor is friendly with Alberts aunt, he told Jackson.

But on further questioning, Albert confirmed he was the ring bearer at Courtney Proctors wedding. He was shown a picture from the wedding that also included Michael Proctor.

You consider the Proctor family close to your family? Jackson asked. Albert agreed.

Proctor and another state police trooper interviewed Albert about the night of Jan. 28, 2022. After looking at a transcript of the interview, Albert said the conversation lasted about 10 minutes. He agreed the interview was friendly, cordial and comfortable.

Colin Albert cross-examination begins  9:20 a.m.

Court proceedings resumed shortly after 9 a.m. with Read attorney David Yannetti requesting that Judge Beverly Cannone strike specific testimony witness Allison McCabe gave Wednesday during which she broke down crying while discussing harassment she and her family received amid the high-profile case.

It was prejudicial to our client and it was prejudicial to the defense, Yannetti said.

Cannone swiftly denied Yannettis request, saying she disagreed in the strongest way possible with his characterization of his line of questioning that led to the exchange with McCabe.

The jury then entered the courtroom, and cross-examination began of Colin Albert.
The Marshfield man charged in connection with an elementary school bus stop fight where a man was bit pleaded not guilty in a courtroom on Thursday, Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruzs office announced.

Oscar Anderson, 29, pleaded not guilty to one count each of assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace, Cruzs office said in a statement released on X, formerly known as Twitter.

When in Plymouth District Court, bail for Anderson was set at $25,000, according to Cruzs office. Anderson was also ordered to stay away from the victim and his home, work and family, and was also ordered to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet.

But due to an open case out of Quincy, Andersons bail was revoked, Cruzs office said.

Anderson is due to appear again in court on June 11.

At around 8:15 a.m. on Wednesday, Marshfield police received several 911 calls about a fight in the area of a bus stop on Plain Street, Cruzs office said. Two callers said that one of the men involved in the tussle  who was later identified as Anderson  had pulled a gun on the other man.

Police advised that the nearby schools go into a shelter-in-place status, allowing students to continue their learning but stay in their classrooms, Cruzs office said.

It is not clear how police arrested Anderson, but he is now in police custody, Marshfield police said. The other man involved in the fight was taken to a local hospital with a human bite under his armpit, as well as injuries to his head from being hit by a set of keys.

Marshfield police, Massachusetts State Police and the Plymouth County Sheriffs Department conducted a search for the gun and used dogs specifically trained to find guns. Cruzs office did not confirm in the statement if a gun was found.

Police did not say what caused the fight, but Marshfield Police Chief Phil Tavares told reporters earlier on Wednesday that both Anderson and the other man are fathers, and that the conflict started at the bus stop. It is unclear if their children witnessed the fight or were at all involved, but according to police, Anderson lives near the bus stop.

The shelter-in-place lasted about 25 minutes, and then the regular school day continued, according to a letter to families from Marshfield Public Schools Superintendent Jeffrey Granitino.
A Holland, Massachusetts, man who owns a strip club in Connecticut was arrested Wednesday along with two employees on charges of prostitution and other financial fraud stemming from the clubs operations, according to U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Vanessa Averys office.

Kenneth Denning, 67, owned the Electric Blue strip club in Tolland, Connecticut, where Joshua Baker, 41, worked as a bookkeeper and manager and William Mayo, 41, worked as a bouncer and oversaw the hiring of dancers, many of whom, officials say, were not legally authorized to live or work in the U.S.

Denning, Baker, and Mayo were all charged in a 12-count indictment handed up earlier this week, according to the U.S. Attorneys office.

Prosecutors say the club had semi-private rooms where the dancers regularly performed commercial sex acts for customers. To pay for the sex acts, customers would pay an entry fee for use of one of the rooms and then an additional fee directly to the dancer. The club also collected cover charges at the door and fees paid by dancers to perform there, according to prosecutors.

Baker or another employee would then collect the cash received by the club, place it in envelopes that noted where it came from, and then put the money in a safe in Dennings office. That money was dubbed Kennys money, according to prosecutors, who say the cash was used to pay businesses expenses and to fund personal expenses for Denning, which included trips to casinos where he spent large sums of money, according to the statement.

Prosecutors say Denning and Baker provided false information to the clubs tax-return preparer over the course of three years by underreporting the amount of money the club made and leaving out money earned from the commercial sex acts. Nearly $6 million was not reported to the IRS, leading to the club paying more than $2 million less in taxes than it should have, according to prosecutors.

Denning is also accused of certifying the club did not present live performances of a prurient sexual nature when applying for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan during the COVID-19 pandemic. He later received a loan of $150,000 in June 2020.

All three men are charged with conspiracy to use an interstate facility to promote or facilitate prostitution and unlawful employment of aliens. Combined, those two charges carry a maximum prison sentence of five-and-a-half years.

Denning and Baker are both charged with conspiracy to file false tax returns and conspiracy to commit promotional and concealment money laundering, charges that carry maximum sentences of five and 20 years in prison, respectively.

Denning also faces a slew of other charges, including engaging in a monetary transaction with proceeds derived from prostitution in connection with a deposit of roughly $22,000 at the Mohegan Sun Casino, according to prosecutors. He also faces a charge of aiding and abetting the filing of a false tax return for his personal tax return for the 2020 tax year and with willful failure to fire his tax return for the 2021 tax year. Denning also faces a charge of wire fraud in connection with the loan he received during the pandemic.

In all, those charges carry maximum sentences of more than 30 years in prison.
Newbury Street will be open to pedestrians only for 10 Sundays starting from June 30 to Sept. 1 as part of Bostons Open Streets program, an annual event where certain streets across the city are temporarily blocked off from traffic for people to enjoy, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced.

This year, Open Newbury will also take place in two days in December to encourage holiday shopping in Back Bay, Wu stated in a press release. However, the exact dates are still to be determined.

Open Newbury has become a beloved summer tradition in Boston, and Im grateful to the many small business owners who work together with the City to make this possible. This year were excited to add themed days for more special experiences, including a winter holiday Open Newbury, Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement. I encourage residents and visitors to come again and again starting this June, to experience dining, walking, and shopping in the heart of Back Bay.

During Open Streets Sundays, Newbury Street will be car-free from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., blocking off traffic from Berkeley Street down to Massachusetts Avenue, Wu stated. Parking on Newbury Street and adjacent streets will be restricted, with enforcement starting at 5 a.m. The city will post signs informing drivers of the change.

Open Newbury creates the opportunity for Bostonians and visitors alike to explore one of our Citys most vibrant streets from a different perspective free from cars, Jascha Franklin-Hodge, chief of streets, said in a statement. We look forward to our continued partnership with the local business community to enhance the experience for all.

Bostons Streets Cabinet and members of the citys Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Cabinet worked with small businesses and Back Bay residents to improve Open Newbury this year, Wu stated.

This year, the Streets Cabinet will work with businesses to create additional pick-up and drop-off zones for business deliveries  such as mail  on adjacent streets, Wu stated.

The city will also have a cancellation policy if there is severe weather, Wu stated. The city will announce a rain date the Friday evening before a scheduled Open Newbury Sunday.

I am excited for this enhanced version of Open Newbury, which will bring new opportunities for residents and visitors to support our small businesses and enjoy the Back Bay, said Segun Idowu, chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion. Thank you to the Back Bay Association and small business owners for partnering with the Administration to improve this program and ensure it supports the needs of all stakeholders.

According to the mayors office, this year Open Newbury Street will occur on:
A Worcester teenager who participated in the popular one chip challenge on social media died from ingesting a substance containing a large amount of capsaicin, a chili pepper extract, a spokesperson for the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security confirmed to MassLive.

The teenager, a 10th grader, died on Sept. 1, 2023, after eating the chip. Police called to his home found him unresponsive and rushed him to a hospital, where he died.

The boys cause of death was listed as cardiopulmonary arrest in the setting of recent ingestion of food substance with high capsaicin concentration, Elaine Driscoll, a spokesperson for the office, said. He also had an enlarged heart and a congenital heart defect, according to his autopsy. The heart defect the teen had, myocardial bridging, can lead to sudden death, according to the National Institue of Health.

Harris Wolobah, 14, took part in the One Chip Challenge by snack company Paqui, which involves eating a chip laced with Carolina Reaper and Scorpion peppers  some of the worlds spiciest. After his death, the chip was pulled from shelves.

Wolobahs family blamed his death on the chip, fears apparently confirmed by the autopsy report.

The cause of death was determined on Feb. 27, and the death certificate was released to the city clerks office on March 5, Driscoll told the Associated Press.

The Paqui chip, sold individually for about $10, came wrapped in foil in a coffin-shaped box containing the warning that it was intended for the vengeful pleasure of intense heat and pain. The warning noted that the chip was for adult consumption only, and should be kept out of the reach of children.

Despite the warning, children have had no problem buying the chips. There have been reports from around the country of teens who have gotten sick after taking part in the chip-eating challenge, including three California high school students who were sent to a hospital. Paramedics were called to a Minnesota school in 2022 when seven students fell ill after taking part in the challenge.

Worcester Public Schools called Wolobah a rising star.

My heart goes out to all who knew and loved him, Worcester Schools Superintendent Rachel Monarrez said in the statement.

Lois and Amos Wolobah, the teens parents, sat with WBZ-TV reporters this week to share about their loss and to push Paqui to take the One Chip Challenge product of the shelves, a move that the company did soon after the interview aired.

I hope, I pray to God that no parents will go through what Im going through. I dont want to see anybody hurting the way Im hurting. Lois Wolobah told WBZ-TV. I miss my son so much. I miss him so much.

Weve been having sleepless nights, especially when I look at him, Amos Wolobah said. Hes not coming back anymore.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Springfield police officers arrested a 14-year-old boy on a murder charge Thursday morning in connection with a fatal shooting from last month, according to the police department.

The shooting happened April 12 around 1:20 p.m., according to Springfield police. Officers were called to Phoenix Street by the citys ShotSpotter System, which detects sounds of gunfire.

At the scene, officers found a man with gunshot wounds, police said. He was taken to Baystate Medical Center where he died of his injuries.

Officers arrested the 14-year-old in connection with the shooting around 9:35 a.m. on May 16, police said. He is set to be arraigned in Springfield District Court later on Thursday.

Police are not releasing the identity of the teen due to his age. No further information about the shooting has been released.
(*The photo caption on this story was updated at 9:15 a.m. on Thursday, May 16, 2024, to correct the spelling of Lyndian Downies name.)

Shelter providers serving homeless individuals urged lawmakers Wednesday to provide funding for a workforce development program as they face an escalating demand for services, including among new arrivals to Massachusetts, that is straining the capacity of their facilities.

Ahead of next weeks Senate budget debate, advocates with the Coalition for Homeless Individuals are looking to build support for language sponsored by Sen. Lydia Edwards, D-3rd Suffolk, injecting $10 million into the shelter workforce development initiative to provide pathways to careers in fields related to housing and homelessness.

The money is intended to address barriers to entering or staying in the field, such as transportation, loan repayment, tuition or certification fee reimbursement, and child care.

The $57.9 billion Senate Ways and Means budget proposal did not allocate money for the program, though the Houses fiscal 2025 budget steers $10 million to the line item, said Lyndia Downie, executive director of Pine Street Inn, which operates four shelters in Boston.

Downie said demand at the shelters serving individuals who are homeless increased by 35 percent over the last year.

Were here to really make the case that theres been an increase. Were looking for some support and trying to anticipate that next winter is going to be really difficult, Downie told the News Service as she stressed the need for planning backed by state aid. And then theres some workforce dollars that the House put in the budget that were hoping to get in the Senate, as well.

Both the House and the Senate Ways and Means budget direct more than $110 million for a separate homelessness program, including assistance for organizations that offer shelter, transitional housing, and services that help people avoid entering shelters or successfully exit shelters. The coalition is requesting $126 million, a roughly 15 percent increase over the current fiscal year to reflect heightened demand.

More than 6,500 individuals -- meaning adults without children -- are currently homeless in the commonwealth, according to the coalition, which represents 60 community-based providers. But the vast majority of those individuals are sheltered.

Providers say they have encountered a growing population of migrants who need to be housed and tend to stay longer than their Bay State counterparts. The states right-to-shelter law, which has come under scrutiny as a crush of migrant families inundate the family shelter system, does not apply to individuals experiencing homelessness.

Our state does not have the right-to-shelter protections for individuals as it does for families, Rep. John Moran, D-9th Suffolk, said at the advocacy event in Nurses Hall. And were it not for people in this room stepping up each and every day, wed be in a crisis.

Individual shelter demand has increased on average by 24 percent over the past year, which the coalition attributes to a lack of affordable housing, youth mental health, addiction, a growing elderly population, more frequent extreme weather, and the migrant surge. The spike has translated into towns recording larger volumes of homeless individuals in their communities.

What were seeing here is just a tremendous increase of people needing our services in our emergency shelters. Weve been in overflow all year, John Yazwinski, CEO of Father Bills and MainSpring, a shelter provider serving the South Shore, said. Over the last year, weve seen about a 30 percent increase at the shelter. Weve seen over a 40 percent increase of people that are unsheltered in the South Shore.

Yazwinski said his organization has huge worker vacancies, including frontline staff who check people into shelters, as well as those in security, maintenance and food service roles.

The workforce money is the money that gives our agencies the ability to give cost-of-living increases and bonuses to our frontline staff, he said. Our frontline staff during COVID never stayed home -- they kept coming. So we want to make sure that they are valued in our state.

Edwards filed her amendment, which mirrors language approved by the House, as an additional tool to tackle the states housing crisis, an aide for the senator indicated. Gov. Healeys budget proposal didnt direct money to the program either, with budget documents saying the administration eliminated FY24 one-time costs.

If we look at the staffing for homeless shelters, if theyre not able to fund that staffing and they cant retain that personnel, then thats less people they can bring into the shelter. That means theres more homeless people, Christianna Golden, Edwards legislative and policy director, said. We in Massachusetts have been successful in addressing individual homelessness but we cant continue to be successful without a workforce.

Asked about the lack of funding in the committees budget for the workforce development program, A spokesman for Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues, D-1st Bristol/Plymouth, said the committee bill allocates $1.14 billion in total funding for housing-related programs, an increase of $66 million over fiscal 2024.

We are proud to commit over 1 billion in funding to support access to housing for our most vulnerable and marginalized residents, scaffolding them with the support services they need to transition into permanent affordable housing, Rodrigues spokesman, Sean Fitzgerald, said in a statement. This builds on the work from earlier this session when the Senate led on initiatives to increase funding for the low-income housing tax credit and for market-rate housing in gateway cities.

Fitzgerald called the housing crisis a strong Senate priority for the rest of the session.

We look forward to tackling this issue with the $4.1 billion Housing Bond Bill, while also improving on the Committees recommendations through the amendment process as members work collaboratively to shape the final Senate budget, Fitzgerald continued.

The migrant crisis has unleashed a new challenge for individual shelter providers. Downie said individual migrants lack a path out of shelter due to the backlog in obtaining work authorization permits.

When people dont have a path out, you dont have a bed for the next person who becomes homeless, and then that person is then sleeping on the floor, Downie said. Of course, our worry is that well collectively run out of space, and well say to people, We dont have a bed -- you know its December, and theres no more room.

Yazwinski said his organization has helped more than 60 individual migrants, including those who came to Massachusetts with relatives but did not qualify for the family shelter system. A mother with two children may be separated from her father, uncle or brother, who are then directed to the individual shelter system, he offered as an example.

People from Massachusetts typically stay in shelter for four to five months, though Yazwinski said an undocumented individual or migrant could end up needing to remain for more than a year or two. Individuals are never turned away from shelter, Yazwinski said.

What were doing is were taking our cafeteria, our conference rooms and were converting them into warming centers, so usually we have people sleeping on mats, he said. We got to a place where we couldnt have enough -- we had too many people sleeping on the mats -- so then we turned to having people just be in a warming center, where people are just sitting in chairs, just so theyre not outside.
Two U.S. senators from New England have called on the federal government to be ready to step in to ensure access to care if financially troubled Steward Health Care cant do it in the midst of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

Stewards implosion directly affects patients, providers, and communities. Patients are anxious and uncertain about continuing their care at Steward, U.S. Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., wrote in a May 16 letter to U.S. Health & Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.

Surrounding health systems and community providers in Massachusetts report feeling additional pressure as patients and providers turn to them. Many of these facilities serve a high percentage of Medicare and Medicaid patients and are located in lower-income communities that already have limited and overburdened healthcare providers, they wrote.

The lawmakers letter calls for the federal government to provide any support or regulatory flexibilities necessary to help ensure that no one loses access to care as a result of Stewards gross financial mismanagement.

Steward, which owes tens of millions of dollars in unpaid rent in Massachusetts, filed for bankruptcy in Texas in the early hours of May 6, MassLive previously reported. It is now moving toward auctioning off all of its hospitals, including properties in the Bay State.

State officials, from Democratic Gov. Maura Healey on down, have repeatedly encouraged Stewards patients to keep their appointments at the companys Massachusetts facilities, and to seek emergency care from Stewards hospitals as they need it.

On Wednesday, however, one member of the states Public Health Council painted a different picture, saying the level of care at Stewards hospitals is is clearly declining, State House News Service reported.

And thats a message that is not really advertised, but it is real. For the ones that are next door to them, we can see that vital support services -- not just having emergency room physicians and nurses, but you need to have orthopedics, neurosurgery, you need to have all of these other things to be able to care for these patients, Dr. Eduardo Haddad, a council member said.

In their letter to Becerra, Markey and Sanders warned of ripple effects on other providers if Steward is somehow unable to serve the tens of thousands of Massachusetts patients who rely on it for care.

Additional impacts to Steward-owned facilities or surrounding health facilities are possible, if not likely, and risk disruptions in access to care, they wrote. Federal, state, and local authorities must take every measure to protect against this prospect.

Last month, the state activated an emergency operations plan to ensure patients had continued access to the hospital system. Healey and other officials also have stressed that state monitors remain in place at Stewards hospitals to ensure quality of care for scores of patients who pass through those facilities every day.

Markey, joined by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has kept up a drumbeat of criticism of Steward and its CEO, Dr. Ralph de la Torre, as the full scope of the companys financial difficulties emerged into full public view.

In April, Markey, who chairs a Senate subcommittee, kept an empty chair for de la Torre after he turned down an invite to testify at a field hearing at the State House.

Earlier this month, when the company announced its bankruptcy filing, the two pols denounced what they described as the pernicious effect of private equity ownership on the health care industry.

In their letter to Becerra, Markey and Sanders also pointed out that Stewards rocky financial state reverberates beyond Massachusetts, impacting some 30,000 workers in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

Millions rely on Steward nationwide, and its bankruptcy threatens to send shockwaves across the country, they wrote, adding that HHS can be a valuable partner in mitigating the effects of Stewards financial recklessness. If states and healthcare providers in states where patients receive Steward-affiliated care request support, we hope that [the department] will urgently respond.

And even though the responsibility for this crisis rests exclusively on Steward and its corporate collaborators, a resolution to this crisis that preserves and protects patients and providers demands involvement and collaboration among federal, state, and local authorities, they concluded.
BOSTON  Red Sox reliever Isaiah Campbell (right shoulder impingement) threw a live batting practice Thursday, his first since being placed on the 15-day injured list April 12.

He threw one inning (20 pitches).

Its been a rollercoaster of a recovery, but Im just happy to be back out there facing hitters Campbell said.

How does his shoulder feel?

Its getting there, Campbell said. As I said, its been a rollercoaster of a process, some ups and downs. But trending in the right direction, felt really good today. So happy with how today went.

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Campbell, who Boston acquired from Seattle in November, made the Opening Day roster. The 26-year-old righty allowed one run in his first five outings (4  innings), then nine runs (eight earned) in his next two outings (2 innings) before landing on the IL.

He said he experienced no real setbacks.

Just slower than I was expecting, he said. Kind of when it happened, I was expecting a quick recovery.

The Red Sox have not decided his next step.

Information-wise, the pitches and all that stuff, it was good, manager Alex Cora said. Weve just gotta wait and see how he bounces back and then well go from there.

Whitlock feels good

Garrett Whitlock has bounced back well from his rehab start Wednesday in Worcester.

Whitlock pitched 4  scoreless innings for the WooSox against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He allowed just two hits and one walk while striking out five.

He threw 25 sinkers (four swings and misses), maxing out at 94.8 mph and averaging 93 mph. He mixed in 14 sweepers (seven swings and misses), nine changeups, eight sliders and five cutters.

The Red Sox have not yet determined whether Whitlock will rejoin the starting rotation this coming week in Tampa Bay or if hell need one more rehab start.

Right now he feels good, Cora said. So well know more during the day, obviously tomorrow. He felt good the way he threw the ball, which is important. He was very efficient. Well have to wait and see and then decide what were going to do  if its next week or its one more (rehab start). If everything goes well, hopefully its next week.
SPRINGFIELD  A luxury Western Massachusetts homebuilder once featured on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition has pleaded guilty in federal court to two criminal charges that could draw a two-year prison sentence.

Kent Pecoy, one of three defendants in a conspiracy case dating back to 2019, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and making a false statement to a bank on Thursday. The plea came weeks before he and his son, Jason Pecoy, were set to go to trial in U.S. District Court in June.
In 2022, Christopher C. Johnson saw a for-profit company start the process to establish a fiber optics network in Agawam and in a small town in Maine where he has a vacation cottage.

Two years later, GoNetspeed has a fully functioning broadband system in Maine. But in Agawam, where Johnson is mayor, the company is struggling to get through the permitting stage of the project.
As the father of an infant, Thomas Poulin of Worcester often worries about the cost of his rent, food, diapers, clothes and other basic necessities that he and his family need.

With transportation, however, Poulin told MassLive there are no such concerns, as he can take a Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) bus to work without paying a single dollar thanks to the authoritys fare-free program.

It makes taking the bus a lot less stressful, Poulin said. I dont have to worry about if I have enough money on my Charlie Ticket until my next paycheck.

The WRTA first implemented its fare-free bus program in March 2020 during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the WRTA advisory board voted to renew the program, allocating funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress and signed into law by former President Donald Trump on March 27, 2020.

Since then, the board has continued to extend the program yearly using funding from the CARES Act and grants awarded by the state. The most recent extension occurred on April 18, 2024, when the board voted to allocate $4.5 million in CARES Act funds to keep the program running until June 2025.

But the continuation of the program beyond then is not a guarantee. Decisions are made based on how much funding the authority receives each year, according to officials.

For riders such as Poulin, the extension of the fare-free program has been beneficial for both his personal finances and his familys well-being. Prior to the fare-free program, Poulin said he would have pay $2.50 to get to work and back  two $1.25 fares. Without the fares, however, Poulin said he saved $12.50 a week.

That makes a big difference for family necessities, especially for his infant daughter.

$12.50 can buy the yogurt pouches she loves and its about half of what her diapers cost, Poulin said. My rent might be pretty affordable but still a large amount of my income goes to it plus having a small baby is really expensive.

Poulin is not the only rider in Worcester who told MassLive that the fare-free program has been beneficial.

Adam James Ross told MassLive that he has used the WRTA for work and leisure since he moved to Worcester from Boston seven years ago. Whenever he has to catch a train from Union Station or take his daughter to school, Ross said he uses the bus as his primary mode of transportation.

We like not having to rely on a car and our use of public transit in general saves the household a ton of money, Ross said. Not to mention, wear and tear on our personal vehicles.

Pierce McDonnell, another Worcester resident, uses the WRTA to get to work. He praised the fare-free program and said it is a better alternative to ride-share services such as Uber and Lyft.

When there is no bus, I have to take a Lyft to work, McDonnell said. When there is a bus, it saves a lot more than when I use a Lyft.

Increased ridership

In addition to saving riders money, the fare-free program has also resulted in a surge in ridership for the WRTA, according to Joshua Rickman, the public transit administrator for the authority. Rickman told MassLive that in fiscal year 2023, the WRTA had more than 4 million riders use their services, an increase from a reported ridership of 3.5 million the previous year.

Rickman said the rise in ridership was connected to the fare-free program. A poll released on March 22 by the MassINC Polling Group found that 70% of Worcester residents supported extending the fare-free program for the fifth year. The poll results showed that the fare-free program was the most popular among respondents who regularly take the bus and those who make less than $50,000 yearly.

It is anticipated that the WRTA will surpass 4 million passengers in fiscal 2024, Rickman said. The WRTA will continue to look for any state or national grant opportunities that would further support this program.

Rickman confirmed to MassLive that it is the hope of WRTA to keep the fare-free program running as long as possible, wether it means the agency continues to use the remainder of the CARES Act funds or through the use of grants awarded by the state or federal government.

Rickman said neither the WRTA nor the advisory board know if they plan to continue to renew the service after fiscal 2025, as decisions are made based on how much funding the authority receives each year.

The WRTA Advisory Board approves the WRTA budget on an annual basis as the funding levels are also provided on an annual basis, he said. Given the annual nature of funding, the suspension of fare enforcement is also considered on annual basis during the budget approval process.

Support from the state Senate

Even though the WRTA board has not considered a long-term plan for the fare-free program yet, the Massachusetts state Senate is advocating for its continuation. The upper chamber of the Massachusetts Legislature supports fare-free programs for all 15 regional transit authorities in its proposed fiscal 2025 budget. The $57.9 billion budget would allocate $214 million to fund the 15 regional authorities, with $40 million spent on fare-free programs.

Aside from the WRTA, three MBTA bus routes in Boston have fare-free programs set to continue until 2026. These bus routes are numbered 23, 28 and 29. Other regional transit authorities, such as the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA), are running a try transit fare-free pilot program from the beginning of January 2024 to the end of June 2024.

Despite the proposed funding, a study shared with MassLive on Tuesday by the Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts University and the Quaboag Connector, a regional transit provider, found that the current system for funding regional transportation systems is unreliable. The report found that 32.6%  nearly a third  of funding for regional transportation comes from local support and can vary based on the tax rate of each town or city. According to the report, the states current method of funding regional transit authorities is fragmented and incomplete, with less focus in particular for rural areas.

In rural parts of the state, where the residential and commercial tax base is more limited, the local contributions can be a significant financial burden, the reports authors wrote.

While the future is unclear about the funding of regional transit systems, one thing remains clear  there is broad support for fare-free programs. The MassInc poll found that 45% of respondents said they would be less likely to take the bus if the fare-free program on the WRTA ended. Some riders, such as Ross, told MassLive that they would even be willing to have their taxes raised to keep the program alive.

The program has been so helpful to so many, he said. It feels almost futuristic to be able to just hop on and off as needed. Truly progressive.
A DECEMBER 2023 EU study asked respondents about the state of democracy in each country. It stated: Democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights are the foundations on which the EU is based. The purpose of this survey was to collect information on EU citizens awareness on the state of democracy in their country and in the EU, as well as EU citizens perceptions of the possible threats that democratic institutions in the EU may be facing.

According to the results, it said 47 percent of EU citizens surveyed reply being very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the way democracy works in their country, while 51 percent were either not very satisfied or not at all satisfied.

From a country level, Denmark topped the satisfaction list at 79 percent, down to Bulgaria on 26 percent. Of 27 countries, Ireland ranked ninth in the satisfaction stakes.

On the question about how freely citizens can express their political opinion without fearing negative consequences, Ireland dropped to 19th place, with 35 percent saying they tend to disagree or strongly disagree.

The threat to democracy listed most frequently by EU citizens was false and/or misleading information in general circulating online and offline (38 percent). This was followed by growing distrust and scepticism towards democratic institutions (32 percent).

Amidst all of this, we have European (and local) elections looming. Despite requests from local bodies in various towns, including Westport, not to erect election posters, both Lisa Chambers (FF) and Maria Walshs (FG) teams managed to plaster Westport town last week. Not a good sign if communication is broken down at such a basic level. No doubt both sides will eat the required dose of humble pie and remove them.

(Note to all candidates  please do not discard your used posters. Rather gift them to your local beekeepers associations as, once cut to size, they make excellent floors for beehives  seriously!)

Back in Europe, Ursula von der Leyen is seeking another term as President of the European Commission. The democratic contradiction about this is that EU citizens will not be able to vote. She is proposed by the European Council (the 27 heads of state/governments) and elected (approved) by the European Parliament. All the EU Commissioners are also appointments; they are not elected by citizens. How democratic is that?

Following the horrendous Hamas October 7 attack on innocent Israelis, which killed around 1,200 people, von der Leyen made an unapproved trip to Israel to show support for Netanyahu and his war masters. Almost 2,000 Palestinians had been killed when she visited. Since that date Netanyahu and his Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have killed almost 35,000 people in Gaza and the West Bank. This includes more than 14,500 children. Almost 80,000 are injured and more than 8,000 are missing.

Ms von der Leyen hasnt visited Gaza. There shed find, according to Al Jazeeras live tracker on May 6: 60 percent of Gazas homes have been damaged, along with 80 percent of commercial facilities, 73 percent of school buildings and 267 places of worship. Further, 12 out of 35 hospitals are only partially functioning, while 83 percent of groundwater wells are not operational. The figures are based on data from the UNs Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organisation and the Palestinian government.

As of April 5, more than 100 journalists, mostly Palestinians, had been killed since October 7. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists, 96 Palestinian, three Lebanese and four Israeli journalists have been killed.

One could argue that rather than protecting democracy one of the foundations on which the EU is based, von der Leyen is steering the EU towards autocracy and federalism, creating a caste of unelected but powerful political elite. Could the next step be the creation of a military-centric EU, with foreign policy based on militarisation and defence spending?

Back home, Irelands exports of restricted dual-use goods to Israel (that have potential military purposes) grew almost sevenfold last year from 11 million to over 70 million. Ireland is now Israels fourth-biggest market for all types of goods, with sales mostly of computer circuits growing to 4.8 billion. Goose, gander.

Its amazing how the war business interferes so much with democracy.
Mayo organic farmer Sinead Moran will be part of an expert panel which will take part in a live European Parliament elections event to take place in Galway.

The Journal live event hosted by journalist Ella Mc Sweeney will bring an expert panel to the Dean Hotel, Galway City on Thursday, May 23 to discuss a number of important issues affecting the west of Ireland ahead of June's European Elections.

The free event is organised by The Journal, an online newspaper, who are looking forward to welcoming people of Galway, Mayo and the west of Ireland to the Dean Hotel for an evening of robust conversation on these important and impactful topics which steer our daily lives. This is all part of The Journal's series of live events looking at key issues impacting voters in the European Parliament 2024 elections.

The high profile panel includes leading Aghamore-based organic micro dairy farmer, Sinead Moran along with University of Galway Lecturer on Energy Systems Engineering, Dr Rory Monaghan, sustainable fashion advocate, TV presenter and writer, Fionnuala Jones, and the Journals climate and environmental reporter Lauren Boland.

The expert panel will be addressing key questions on how the EU impacts on how we tackle the challenges around climate change, food security, energy and our day-to-day life, this promises to be an inspiring event which will both pose and address questions of EU Parliament voters in Galway and the west of Ireland. Everyone is invited to join the discussion and conversation on these hugely important topics ahead of next months European Elections.

Broadcaster and journalist Ella McSweeney will host the event where the panel will talk about the issues involved and answer audience questions on what they need to know about how the EU impacts on our lives and how we tackle the challenges around climate change, food security, energy and our day-to-day life.

Doors open at 6.15pm with buffet and refreshments in The Blue Room, The Dean Hotel.

Panel event begins at 7pm.

Tickets are free and all interested in attending must register at this Eventbrite link for your place: https://bit.ly/3UEARwk.
WORKWEAR and outdoor wear manufacturer Portwest is proudly marking its 120th anniversary with a celebration day at its flagship store in Westport on Saturday, May 18.

All are welcome to join in the festivities, which will feature discounts, opportunities to win prizes, a live broadcast by Mid West Radio, a charity raffle for Westport Autism Friendly Town and plenty of other delightful surprises.

Founded in 1904 by Charles Hughes, Portwest has grown from its origins as a local drapery shop to become a leading manufacturer of protective wear worldwide. Expanding from its local base in Westport, its reach now extends nationally and internationally, with a presence in the UK, Poland, Spain, Italy, Albania, Turkey, UAE, Australia, New Zealand, China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Tanzania, Canada, Mexico and the US. With a workforce exceeding 300 in Ireland and over 5,300 worldwide, the company continues to thrive on a global scale.

Brothers Harry, Cathal, and Owen Hughes, the leaders of Portwest, represent the third generation of the Hughes family, each contributing their particular expertise and passion to steer the company towards success. With a combined experience exceeding 120 years, their leadership has been instrumental in driving Portwests global expansion and industry leadership.

Building on this rich legacy, the fourth generation of the Hughes family has seamlessly integrated into the business, embodying the same entrepreneurial spirit and dedication that has defined Portwest for over a century. Henry Hughes, the eldest of the fourth generation, made his foray into the family business a decade ago, marking the beginning of a new chapter in Portwests history.

Since then, Henrys cousins James and Cathal, along with his siblings Orla and Stephanie, have joined forces to carry forward the Hughes legacy, hoping to propel Portwest to even greater heights. Their fresh perspectives, combined with a deep-rooted commitment to quality and innovation, are driving Portwests continued growth and expansion into new markets.

Reaching this remarkable milestone of 120 years is a testament to the dedication, hard work, and innovative spirit of our global team that have been integral to Portwests journey, said Cathal Hughes, Chairman of Portwest Group. As we celebrate our rich heritage and look towards the future, we remain committed to upholding the values that have guided us thus far, while embracing new opportunities for growth and innovation.
Killala is the first town in County Mayo to be chosen as one of 26 towns across the country to develop a Town Centre First (TCF) Plan. The Town Centre First approach is an initiative of Government policy to build sustainable and resilient communities in rural towns. The approach supports the rejuvenation of Irish rural town centres and is a collaborative initiative, which focuses on developing plans to regenerate rural towns through tailored place-making, addressing dereliction and vacancy in town centres. Short, medium and long-term priorities are identified through public and community consultation.

In mid-2023, Pennsylvania State University and University Of Galway carried out an extensive Community Consultation with almost 60 percent of Killalas population responding. Mayo County Council appointed a multi-disciplinary design team led by Land Use Consultants (LUC) to prepare the Town Centre First Plan for Killala. Meetings, open consultation events and feedback events took place in September, October and November in Killala and a consultation portal was opened for online feedback from September. Information boards listing the proposed projects were visible for a month in Killala Community Centre, inviting people to vote on their priorities for the town.

The results were generously shared with the Town Centre First team and the resulting Killala Town Centre First Plan is available to view at https://www.mayo.ie/community/town-centre-first. The Plan aims to support the enhancement and revitalisation of Killala and address the broad issues that emerged during the consultation process.

Local Town Teams are essential for the development of Town Centre First Plans and to ensure their delivery. Killalas Town Team has begun working to activate identified priority projects through national funding programmes, however, the full potential of the plan can onlybe delivered through community action.

To find out more and to meet the team, an Information sharing evening is taking place in Killala Community Centre (Upstairs) on Thursday, May 30,from 6 to 8pm. Abridged versions of the plan will be available, as will the opportunity to get involved and identify how to contribute. This is a drop-in event, everyone is welcome to drop by anytime that suits from 6pm to 8pm.
Step onto the shores of Inishturk this Saturday, May 18, and you'll be embraced by more than just the salty breeze; you'll feel the warmth of a community deeply rooted in tradition and united in purpose.

The Harbour Meitheal Festival is not just an event; it's a celebration of the timeless values that have sustained this island for generations. Picture this: old sheds getting a fresh coat of paint and flowers blooming where once was bare.

A spokesperson for the organising committee said: The Meitheal spirit runs deep in Inishturk. It's about neighbours lending a hand, sharing a laugh, and getting the job done together. And as we gather for this event, we're not just revitalising the harbour; we're revitalising our sense of pride and purpose.

It's a reminder that no matter where life takes us, Inishturk Island will always be home. Looking ahead, the vision for the festival is as bright as the sun dancing on the waves. With the support of Mayo County Council, Failte Ireland, and the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Harbour Meitheal event is poised to become a beacon of cultural exchange, welcoming visitors as it paves the way for a season full of events.

From the Inishturk Regatta to GAA Cul Camp, National Swim Week, Sheep Shows, music and food events, there's something for everyone to enjoy this summer - a chance to share our traditions with the world and welcome visitors with open arms.
Responsable de projet

Responsable de projet ingenieux pour contribuer a la recherche formative et a la creation de contenu

Resume du poste

Date limite de candidature : Nous acceptons les candidatures en continu jusqu'a ce quun (ou une) candidat approprie soit trouve

Date de prise de poste : 15 juin 2024

Duree : Longue duree (avec une periode d'essai de six mois)

Poste : a temps plein

Remuneration : Competitive

Emplacement : Republique Democratique du Congo

Formulaire de candidature : Remplissez ce formulaire

A propos de Family Empowerment Media



Permettre aux couples dacceder a des contraceptifs modernes est lun des moyens les plus efficaces de prevenir les deces maternels. Il offre egalement une foule dautres avantages sanitaires et economiques.

Family Empowerment Media (FEM) est une organisation a but non lucratif fondee sur des donnees probantes, qui vise a permettre au plus grand nombre de prendre des decisions eclairees en matiere de contraception grace a une communication radio claire, convaincante et precise. En plus de prendre nos decisions sur la base de preuves, nous accordons une grande importance a rester efficaces finanierement, sensibles a la culture, humbles et transparents.

Creee en septembre 2020, FEM a un potentiel dimpact important. Depuis notre creation, nous avons deja realise les objectifs suivants :

Nous avons diffuse des campagnes courtes et longues a travers le Nigeria, touchant environ 32 millions de personnes.

PMA Data a revele qu'au cours de notre projet pilote, l'utilisation de la contraception dans la region a augmente de 75% (evitant environ 200 deces maternels).

Nous sommes les pionniers d'une nouvelle approche pour evaluer limpact des programmes radio, a l'aide d'une technologie

Nous sommes recommandes par Giving What We Can et Founders Pledge, qui estiment notre efficacite a 22 fois celle des transferts monetaires.

Nous avons des projets ambitieux pour atteindre des millions d'auditeurs supplementaires. Cette annee, nous nous etendrons a de nouveaux pays et a un nouveau theme de sante, tout en lancant un essai controle randomise pour evaluer notre impact.

A propos du role

Travaillant en etroite collaboration avec les autres membres de l'equipe, votre responsabilite pourra inclure:

Soutenir la recherche formative de FEM - 40%

Avant le debut d'une campagne, FEM mene des entretiens qualitatifs semi-structures et une enquete quantitative pour comprendre lattitude et le comportement de notre public cible a legard de la contraception. FEM a prepare tout le materiel necessaire a cette recherche, comme des instruments, des videos et des diapositives de formation, des listes de controle d'assurance qualite et des guides d'analyse de donnees. Vous fournirez votre retour sur ces outils, les adapterez a votre contexte local et dirigerez la mise en uvre de la recherche, en collaboration avec nos organisations partenaires. Concretement, vous allez :

Reviser et traduire les questions posees lors des entretiens et des enquetes

Negocier les budgets des projets avec les partenaires de mise en uvre locaux de FEM

Faciliter la formation des collecteurs de donnees

Vous assurer de la qualite des donnees collectees lors des entretiens et des enquetes

Analyser les donnees qualitatives recueillies lors des entretiens

Revoir lanalyse des donnees quantitatives

Contribuer a la creation de contenu de FEM - 40%

Une fois la recherche formative terminee, FEM utilise les resultats de la recherche pour creer des campagnes percutantes qui repondent aux besoins d'information de notre public cible. Vous soutiendrez le processus de creation de contenu et integrerez les enseignements de la recherche formative dans nos jingles et nos programmes. Entre autres, vous allez :

Negocier les budgets des projets avec les partenaires locaux de mise en uvre de FEM

Soutenir la recherche de scenaristes, de studios de production et de stations de radio, en collaboration avec les partenaires locaux de mise en uvre de FEM

Soutenir la creation des concepts des jingles et des programmes

Veiller a ce que la recherche soit mise en uvre dans le contenu

Assurer la qualite des scripts des jingles et des programmes

Soutenir lecriture, la traduction, la production et la post-production du materiel de campagne

Reviser les scripts des jingles et des programmes et faciliter les reunions de revision avec les scenaristes et les partenaires locaux de mise en uvre de FEM

Soutenir le prototypage des jingles et des programmes, y compris la formation des collecteurs de donnees, l'assurance qualite et l'analyse des donnees

Soutenir les partenaires dans leurs activites d'engagement des parties prenantes

Coordonner le suivi de la diffusion, et la recherche liee a la diffusion du contenu produit par FEM - 20 %

Une fois le contenu cree avec succes, FEM diffusera les jingles et les programmes produits et menera des activites de recherche liee a la diffusion. Vous suivrez de pres la diffusion de nos jingles et de nos programmes grace a un logiciel de suivi des emissions (mais pas seulement), et coordonnerez ces activites de recherche liees a la diffusion. Vos responsabilites seront notamment les suivantes :

Controler si les stations de radio diffusent nos programmes comme convenu, a l'aide d'un logiciel de controle des diffusions

Soutenir les partenaires locaux de mise en uvre dans la reconciliation des jingles et programmes manques avec les stations de radio

Soutenir les activites de recherche liees a la diffusion, et analyser les donnees si necessaire

Qualifications

Exigees

Nous recherchons un generaliste solide et apprenant vite, attache a nos valeurs daltruisme ambitieux, de prise de decision fondee sur des donnees probantes, et de sensibilite culturelle.

Le candidat retenu possedera certaines ou la plupart des qualites suivantes :

Fiable et soucieux du detail : Capable de travailler methodiquement sur des taches avec precision, pouvant gerer de maniere fiable les flux de travail, et demander de laide en cas de besoin

Capable de travailler methodiquement sur des taches avec precision, pouvant gerer de maniere fiable les flux de travail, et demander de laide en cas de besoin Connaissance du contexte local, et des couts locaux : Peut naviguer dans le contexte local et sait communiquer de maniere respectueuse avec les parties prenantes locales. Peut contribuer a garantir que nos recherches et nos programmes sont culturellement approprie. Connait les structures de prix locales.

Peut naviguer dans le contexte local et sait communiquer de maniere respectueuse avec les parties prenantes locales. Peut contribuer a garantir que nos recherches et nos programmes sont culturellement approprie. Connait les structures de prix locales. Connaissance des langues Tshiluba et/ou Lingala et/ou Swahili et/ou Kongo, Francais et Anglais : Possede une solide comprehension et capacite a communiquer en Tshiluba (C2) et/ou Lingala (C2) et/ou Swahili (C2) et/ou Kongo (C2), et en Francais (C1). Peut communiquer en Anglais (B2). En savoir plus sur les niveaux ici.

Possede une solide comprehension et capacite a communiquer en Tshiluba (C2) et/ou Lingala (C2) et/ou Swahili (C2) et/ou Kongo (C2), et en Francais (C1). Peut communiquer en Anglais (B2). En savoir plus sur les niveaux ici. Constructif et bon communiquant : capable de travailler avec diverses parties prenantes et membres d'equipe ayant des opinions variees, de developper la cohesion au sein d'un groupe, et de negocier pour obtenir un resultat optimal. Doit etre a l'aise pour communiquer en Anglais et parler couramment les langues requises par la region (voir ci-dessus)

capable de travailler avec diverses parties prenantes et membres d'equipe ayant des opinions variees, de developper la cohesion au sein d'un groupe, et de negocier pour obtenir un resultat optimal. Doit etre a l'aise pour communiquer en Anglais et parler couramment les langues requises par la region (voir ci-dessus) Ingenieux : Apprendrapidement et aime les defis. Est capable de progresser de maniere independante sur des projets importants au sein de notre organisation ; peut intervenir et gerer dautres processus en cas de besoin

Souhaitables

Nous apprecions egalement grandement si vous avez ces competences, ou une experience dans ces domaines :

Etude des donnees qualitatives et quantitatives

Creation de programmes de medias de masse

Management et collaboration en equipe

Negociation de budgets justes et realistes

Connaissance d'autres langues parlees en RDC

Nous sommes plutot interesses par le talent et la capacite dapprendre que par les diplomes. Si vous ne repondez pas a certains des criteres ci-dessus mais que vous pensez que vous correspondez bien a notre organisation, nous serions ravis de vous voir postuler.

Nos valeurs

Nous nous efforcons davoir le plus grand impact possible, avec nos ressources disponibles. Nous nous efforcons de prendre toutes nos decisions selon les principes suivants :

Prise de decision fondee sur des donnees probantes : Nous recherchons la meilleure comprehension possible de limpact reel de nos actions. Nous voulons rester proches de la realite et comprendre ce qui est reellement vrai. Cela signifie respecter les meilleures preuves pour toutes les decisions, de la selection du lieu dimplementation de la campagne, au message de campagne.

Nous recherchons la meilleure comprehension possible de limpact reel de nos actions. Nous voulons rester proches de la realite et comprendre ce qui est reellement vrai. Cela signifie respecter les meilleures preuves pour toutes les decisions, de la selection du lieu dimplementation de la campagne, au message de campagne. Rentabilite / Efficacite : Nous reconnaissons que sans notre intervention, les ressources caritatives qui nous sont allouees seraient dirigees vers d'autres causes a fort impact. Nous visons a etre economes, concentres et intentionnels sur ou et comment nous travaillons. Nous voulons seulement faire un travail qui ameliore au maximum le bien total fait dans le monde.

Nous reconnaissons que sans notre intervention, les ressources caritatives qui nous sont allouees seraient dirigees vers d'autres causes a fort impact. Nous visons a etre economes, concentres et intentionnels sur ou et comment nous travaillons. Nous voulons seulement faire un travail qui ameliore au maximum le bien total fait dans le monde. Transparence / Humilite : Nous nous efforcons detre clairs sur la maniere dont nous pouvons nous ameliorer, et honnetes sur les defis a relever. Nous cherchons a accroitre le bien total fait dans le monde en partageant librement ce que nous apprenons.

Nous nous efforcons detre clairs sur la maniere dont nous pouvons nous ameliorer, et honnetes sur les defis a relever. Nous cherchons a accroitre le bien total fait dans le monde en partageant librement ce que nous apprenons. Sensibilite culturelle : Nous nous efforcons d'ameliorer la capacite dagir (ou lagentivite) de nos auditeurs, et de transmettre nos messages d'une maniere qui respecte les cultures uniques touchees par nos campagnes. Nous cherchons a travailler dans des relations d'egal a egal avec les parties prenantes et les partenaires, et nous abordons les differences avec curiosite et respect.

Notre culture

A quoi ressemble notre culture, et laimeriez-vous ? Notre equipe a tendance a attirer des personnes intentionnelles, motivees et profondement soucieuses du travail que nous effectuons. Nous prenons nos valeurs au serieux. Nous accordons toujours la priorite a linteret de nos beneficiaires.

Nous sommes axes sur l'apprentissage, ce qui signifie que nous valorisons les commentaires et considerons les experiences qui ne fonctionnent pas comme des opportunites d'apprentissage. Nous avons tendance a etre plutot bienveillants dans notre style tout en etant honnetes sur le fond. L'ouverture d'esprit, la prevenance et l'accent mis sur la transparence de notre equipe creent un environnement calme et sans politique.

Les individus performants, motives et collaboratifs ont tendance a sepanouir dans notre culture. Les degres d'appropriation, de perseverance dans la resolution des problemes et d'ingeniosite sont eleves.. La responsabilite va de paire avec la liberte. Les membres peuvent choisir de decider de leurs propres horaires de travail (avec la reserve de participer aux reunions essentielles dans plusieurs fuseaux horaires). Le rendement moyen par membre de lequipe est eleve, tout comme la vitesse a laquelle les progres sont realises. Cela peut etre a la fois motivant et intimidant, selon vos preferences.

Nous pensons qu'une petite equipe peut accomplir beaucoup de choses. Nous avons l'intention de maintenir notre forte densite de talents et d'automatiser/ameliorer nos systemes au lieu d'embaucher beaucoup plus de personnes malgre nos ambitions de croissance elevees.

Les avantages a travailler chez FEM

Fort impact : En permettant a notre modele de s'etendre avec succes, nous pouvons ameliorer des milliers de vies. Notre intervention a ete choisie en raison de son rapport cout-efficacite eleve et de la solidite des preuves recueillies parmi les 188 idees evaluees par Charity Entrepreneurship [1].

En permettant a notre modele de s'etendre avec succes, nous pouvons ameliorer des milliers de vies. Notre intervention a ete choisie en raison de son rapport cout-efficacite eleve et de la solidite des preuves recueillies parmi les 188 idees evaluees par Charity Entrepreneurship [1]. Developpement personnel et professionnel : Vous etes assure d'etre mis au defi avec une variete de taches et de recevoir des commentaires rapides et realisables.

Vous etes assure d'etre mis au defi avec une variete de taches et de recevoir des commentaires rapides et realisables. Experience entrepreneuriale : Vous travaillerez avec une organisation en expansion, et contribuerez a faconner lorientation dun organisme de bienfaisance a fort impact.

Vous travaillerez avec une organisation en expansion, et contribuerez a faconner lorientation dun organisme de bienfaisance a fort impact. Communaute : Vous aurez l'opportunite de travailler avec une equipe interdisciplinaire ambitieus, motivee et culturellement diversifiee.

Plus de details
by Fern Siegel , May 16, 2024

The wine industry has a storied history. But in the 21st-century, the creation of new lines can come from unexpected sources.

O-61 invites drinkers to "uncork a new source of inspiration" and, as the tagline suggests: "Get INKspired."

Vina San Pedro Tarapaca (VSPT) Wine Group, a South American company, has formed a partnership with noted tattoo artist Ami James for O-61, its new tattoo-inspired wine.

The O-61 name derives from Otzi, a 5,000-year-old mummy. Determining who he was and how he lived was revealed by the 61 markings on his skin, the oldest tattoos on historic record.

Given its unusual provenance, the wine's campaign has a specific target. "Our consumers are urban creators, culture savvy, extremely active and social  always willing to try new things with others, as long as it reflects their personality," Roberto Catalani, vice president, marketing at VSPT U.S, told Agency Daily.

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"The U.S. boasts one of the highest rates of tattooed individuals globally, and our aspiration is clear: to become the wine of choice for this vibrant community. We want O-61 to be the perfect companion for their special moments, a wine that resonates with their passion for tattoos and wine," he adds.

Simplicity is the ad agency responsible for the creative.

The work launches across multiple digital platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and Google.
by Ray Schultz , May 15, 2024

Google has announced that it will use its artificial intelligence tool Gemini to answer search queries on top of its results pages, in effect, eliminating the middleman. Google will do the Googling for you, the company promises, according to CNN.

Where does that leave publishers? Not in a good place.

This will be catastrophic to our traffic, as marketed by Google to further satisfy user queries, leaving even less incentive to click through so that we can monetize our content, said Danielle Coffey, the chief executive of the News/Media Alliance, CNN reports.

That alarm is shared by Mike Donoghue, CEO and founder of Subtext.

The risk to publishers is very real  particularly for publishers that have not appropriately invested in facilitating direct relationships with their clients, Donoghue writes in an analysis provided via email. The obvious ramification is that the Gemini release subsumes publisher content and effectively leverages the knowledge they have created without them benefitting from the traffic that content would have previously produced.

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Google denies that there will be any harm to publishers.

We see that the links included in AI Overviews get more clicks than if the page had appeared as a traditional web listing for that query, it says in its announcement. As we expand this experience, well continue to focus on sending valuable traffic to publishers and creators.

But Donoghue adds that the threat isnt exclusively confined to search results pages  publishers who have built their direct audience relationships and paid subscriber products on email will also be impacted as Google controls 41.9% of the US email market and theyve already indicated similar changes will be coming to that medium as well. We speak with media companies everyday who are preparing for a post email / post social / post SERP world so there are certainly green shoots, but change will need to happen quickly.
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, May 16, 2024

As tensions between the U.S. and China escalate, Microsoft is asking hundreds of its China-based employees working on artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud-computing projects to consider transferring outside the country.

AI and cloud computing are two areas within Microsoft that have major support behind advertising and marketing.

For the quarter that ended March 31, 2024, Microsoft announced that revenue had jumped 17% to $61.9 billion and attributed cloud computing, in part, to the increase.

This quarter Microsoft Cloud revenue was $35.1 billion, up 23% year-over-year, driven by strong execution by our sales teams and partners, said Amy Hood, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Microsoft.

A gain in cloud services revenue was seen in nearly every operating unit at Microsoft during the quarter.

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For example, Office Commercial products and cloud services revenue rose 13%, driven by Office 365 Commercial revenue growth of 15%. Office Consumer products and cloud services revenue increased 4% and Microsoft 365 Consumer subscribers grew to 80.8 million.

Dynamics products and cloud services revenue rose 19%, driven by Dynamics 365 revenue growth of 23%.

Microsoft's push to relocate employees as the Biden administration seeks to put tighter restrictions around Beijing's capability and desire to develop high-tech AI is not entirely new, but has been pushed in recent days.

Last year, The White House proposed new rules that would require Microsoft and other U.S. cloud-computing companies that sell access to advanced AI computing power to get licenses for Chinese customers.

The staff offered relocation assignments, mostly Chinese nationalist engineers, were offered the opportunity to transfer to U.S., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal. About 700 to 800 people were given the offer. Most were involved in machine learning and other cloud-computing tasks.

Over the years, Microsoft has also build a large AI business in China. Estimates put the company's employment in the country at about 7,000 engineers in its Asia-Pacific R&D Group, with most of them based in China. Many participate in the companys global research and development for its core products, including AI.

A Microsoft spokesperson told the WSJ internal opportunities were a normal part of business, and the company remains committed to its operations in China.



Microsoft denies rumors that its AI team in China has been asked to collectively relocate to the United States or Australia, according to China Daily, admitting thought that a small number of employees in China have the opportunity to choose international rotations. Employees can opt for the rotation or continue in their current positions.
by Joe Mandese @mp_joemandese, May 16, 2024

It was intended to be a teaser for future research validating ad attention measurement by medium, but the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) this week teased an anecdotal finding from its latest phase indicating TV outperforms the attention of social media by a margin of more than two-to-one.

"We'll just touch on media platforms, really as a prelude to the third phase," ARF Chief Research Officer Donato said during a presentation of findings from "Phase 2" of the initiative on Tuesday, which focused primarily on the differences and congruences of various attention measurement methodologies, mostly how they relate to advertising creativity.

Then, at the end of the presentation, Donato showed the slide above, which reveals markedly higher advertising attention scores for TV vs. two social media platforms.

Donato did not disclose who the companies were that produced or participated in the research, or what the scores actually represent other than their relative magnitude, letting the numbers speak for themselves.

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"This is not a conclusion," he said, noting: "One or two of the companies provided information on the media platforms in which they were studying the same ads.

"This particular company found TV gaining more attention than two social networks.

"I'm not saying it's a finding. It's a prelude to entice you and the same companies to participate in the third phase."
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, May 16, 2024

Siding with Amazon, a federal appellate court refused to revive a class-action complaint alleging that the company wrongly targets ads to consumers based on their interactions with Alexa-enabled devices.

In an unsigned opinion issued Thursday, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Rothstein's ruling that Amazon notified users about its practices in a privacy policy.

The district court correctly found that Amazon disclosed the relevant conduct in its privacy notice, Circuit Judges Danielle Forrest, Patrick Joseph Bumatay and District Court Judge James Donato wrote.

The ruling comes in a battle dating to 2022, when Ohio resident James Gray and Massachusetts resident Scott Horton alleged in a class-action complaint that Amazon violated Alexa users' privacy, and engaged in misleading and unfair conduct, by serving targeted ads based on voice interactions.

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They sued soon after researchers from the University of Washington, University of California-Davis, University of California-Irvine, and Northeastern University posted the paper Your Echoes are Heard: Tracking, Profiling, and Ad Targeting in the Amazon Smart Speaker Ecosystem, which concluded that Amazon processes voice data to infer user interests. The authors didn't allege that Amazon secretly listened to conversations, or directly shared voice recordings with third parties.

After the paper came out, Amazon acknowledged it targeted ads to consumers based on their transactions with Alexa. The company also said it is not in the business of selling data, and doesn't share Alexa requests with ad networks.

Similar to what you'd experience if you made a purchase on Amazon.com or requested a song through Amazon Music, if you ask Alexa to order paper towels or to play a song on Amazon Music, the record of that purchase or song play may inform relevant ads shown on Amazon or other sites where Amazon places ads, the company stated in response to the research paper.

Rothstein, who presides in the Western District of Washington, dismissed the lawsuit last year, writing that the use of voice data for ad purposes was contemplated in the applicable policies.

Gray and Horton then appealed to the 9th Circuit, arguing that Amazon's disclosures were at best ambiguous, and that its Alexa-specific policies don't say anything about targeted advertising.

They also said Amazon told media outlets -- including NBC and The New York Times -- that Alexa doesn't use voice recordings for targeted advertising.

A Utah State University marketing professor sided with the consumers, arguing in a friend-of-the-court brief that Amazon obfuscated the purposes for which it was using consumer data.

Amazon countered in papers filed last November that Alexa's privacy policy discloses that the company processes and retains Alexa interactions in order to provide, personalize, and improve our services.

The company also argued that other documents -- such as an Amazon.com privacy notice, Amazon.com conditions of use, and answers to frequently asked questions -- include disclosures about the use of personal information for advertising.

In sum, all of these interrelated terms and disclosures make clear that customers interactions with the Alexa service might be used to serve interest-based or personalized advertisements, unless the user chooses to opt out, Amazon wrote.
by Ray Schultz , May 16, 2024

The Daily Gazette, of Schenectady, New York, has been acquired by publisher John DeAugustine.

With this transfer, the newspaper leaves the Hume-Lind family, which has owned it for 130 years.

Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

DeAugustine has been publisher of the Daily Gazette since 2013, following more than 20 years at Hearst. He has also acquired such family-owned newspapers as the Amsterdam Recorder, The Leader-Herald, Nippertown, The Daily Mail, and Register Star, ABCs News10 reports.

We all truly appreciate how much John and his family have done for the paper over the years, and we know they are committed to its future success and will continue to provide independent local news backed by the highest journalistic standards and integrity, says Betsie Hume-Lind, board president of The Daily Gazette.
by Teresa Buyikian , May 16, 2024

Airport and mall pizza and stromboli staple Sbarro has a new head.

Today the chain announced the appointment of Mario Bojorquez as its new president, North America.

Bojorquez will work with the senior team to focus on supporting company restaurants and franchisees on business expansion, operational execution and brand growth.

Bojorquez joins the 650-unit chain after spending 11 years at Restaurant Brands International (RBI). He spent last four of those years as head of Asia-Pacific operations for Burger King, Popeyes, Tim Hortons and Firehouse Subs ,while based in Singapore.

An announcement credited Bojorquez with guiding (RBI) through the pandemic, creating the infrastructure to support rapid restaurant expansion in existing and new countries, and [driving] operational improvements leading to improved franchisee profitability.

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David Karam, Sbarro CEO and chairman of the board, praised Bojorquezs strong people focus and industry expertise.

Bojorquez previously served as the head of marketing for Burger King Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) while based in Switzerland. His domestic experience includes serving as general manager of the Midwest division where he oversaw a portfolio of 1,500 Burger Kings. Before RBI, Bojorquez was himself a restaurant entrepreneur.

Since 2022, Sbarro has reported the opening of over 200 new locations in countries such as Colombia, Panama, Poland, Denmark and North Macedonia. While well established in the mall and airport space, Sbarro has recently branched out into new locations such as convenience stores, travel centers, universities, military bases, hospitals, and casinos.
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Skin-to-skin contact between mothers and newborns has been shown to release hormones that promote bonding and reduce stress for both parties. #parenthood #stress #anxiety #maternalhealth

Skin-to-skin contact between mothers and newborns has been shown to release hormones that promote bonding and reduce stress for both parties. #parenthood #stress #anxiety #maternalhealth

The Vital Role of Support Systems for New Mothers

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Postpartum depression: Causes, symptoms, risk factors, and treatment options - (https://www.apa.org/topics/women-girls/postpartum-depression)

Doctors caution that despite parenthood being a blessing for most, over 20% of mothers face severe stress anxiety , and postpartum depression, posing grave risks to both maternal and child well-being without adequate support ().Mothers Day is celebrated every year on the second Sunday of May. Postpartum depression is common but a treatable medical condition that many women face after childbirth While the exact cause can be difficult to identify, several factors contribute to these feelings of sadness, anxiety, and tiredness. These can result from genetics, hormonal changes, sleep deprivation, fatigue , or the pressure of becoming a mother.The overall pooled estimate of theThe journey to parenthood presents couples with a myriad of challenges, often impacting their emotional well-being profoundly. The complexities surrounding late pregnancies, assisted conception methods like IVF , and the burden of preterm deliveries weigh heavily on maternal mental health , Dr Saurabh Mehrotra, Associate Director, Psychiatry, Institute of Neurosciences, Medanta, Gurugram, told IANS.Studies reveal that maternal mental illness during pregnancy correlates with adverse outcomes for both mother and child, including preterm delivery and poor neurodevelopment.At Medanta, we witness approximately 70-80 percent of mothers having post-partum blues out of which 20 percent of mothers with postpartum depression grapple with such mental health challenges, emphasizing the critical need for comprehensive emotional support and holistic care throughout the perinatal period, Dr. Saurabh said.The symptoms of postpartum depression includeFor mothers facing the postpartum blues, asking for help may be one of the most crucial steps, as it may help them easily bond with the baby, the experts said.But, if left untreated, the condition can last several months or longer, Dr Teji Dawane, Senior Consultant, Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Motherhood Hospitals, Whitefield, Bengaluru, told IANS.One of the first steps in addressing postpartum depression is early detection through screenings during prenatal and postnatal care and giving importance to emotional well-being. It is also encouraged to seek help from professional support services such as counseling and therapy, Dr. Teji said.Sometimes, treatment options also include medication likeIt is equally important to create a supportive family environment and develop self-care practices for new parents, the experts noted.Source-IANS
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About Mpox



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South Africa reports a confirmed case of #monkeypox, prompting health authorities to issue alerts and urge public vigilance. #mpox

New Insights into Monkeypox

About Mpox - (https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/mpox/about/index.html)

South Africas Health Minister, Joe Phaahla, urges vigilance following the confirmation of a laboratory-reported case of monkeypox ), also known as Mpox.The National Department of Health headed by Phaahla said on Monday that the case involves a 35-year-old male, who resides in the Gauteng province and tested positive on May 9, 2024. The patient had no recent history of travelling, Xinhua news agency reported.The case was first tested by Lancet Laboratory, one of the leading pathology laboratories in the country, and then confirmed by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), which then alerted the departmentHealth Department Spokesperson Foster Mohale told Xinhua news agency.According to the department, Mpox is a rare viral infectious disease in humans caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV). Although the virus is not highly transmissible from person to person, it has increased in global public health significance and can cause a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes, and fever The department also noted that Mpox presents with an acute illness characterized by fever and general flu-like symptoms, followed by the eruption of a blister-like rash on the skin . The disease is rarely fatal and cases typically resolve within two to four weeks and most cases do not require hospital treatment, it added.The last time South Africa recorded a monkeypox case was in August 2022 when there were cases across the globe.Source-IANS
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Myopia (nearsightedness)



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By 2030, #prolongedsitting and screen use may contribute to #myopia in one-third of Indian children, highlighting emerging risks in modern lifestyles. #nearsightedness #eyeproblemsinkids 

Evolving Myopia Trends

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Myopia (nearsightedness) - (https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/eye-and-vision-conditions/myopia?sso=y)

Eye specialists predict that up to a third of urban Indian children aged 5-15 will develop myopia by 2030 due to rising sedentary habits and prolonged screen time. Myopia rates are indeed rising globally, including in India, there is evidence suggesting a significant increase in myopia prevalence among urban children in India, said the experts as part of the ongoing Myopia Awareness Week. Studies show that in the 20-year period from 1999 to 2019, the incidence of myopia among urban children has tripled in India, from 4.44 percent to 21.15 percent, respectively."We have been witnessing a steady increase in the number of myopia cases in urban children over the last few years. Our predictions, based on the slope of 0.8 percent every year, indicate that the prevalence of myopia among urban children will increase to 31.89 percent in 2030, 40 percent in 2040 and 48.1 percent in 2050. This means that one out of every two children in India will be suffering from myopia in the next 25 years, up from one in four currently," Smit M Bavariya, Cataract Surgeon with Dr. Agarwals Eye Hospital, Thane, Mumbai, told IANS."Indeed, myopia is becoming more common in India, especially among the urban population. This tendency has been confirmed by a number of studies and reports, which show that myopia has become more common among kids and teenagers in recent years," added Mahipal Singh Sachdev, Chairman and Managing Director, Center for Sight, New Delhi.The symptoms include blurry vision, difficulty seeing distant objects, eye strain, headaches , and fatigue -- particularly after prolonged screen use. The experts noted that a sedentary lifestyle, prolonged screen usage, and reduced outdoor activities are contributing to the rapid rise in myopia cases in children."Excessive screen time stimulates the eyes, retina, and brain of children, leading to accelerated myopic changes due to rapid eyeball growth," Smit said.A lack of exposure to essential natural light due to being indoors also affects eye health, Mahipal told IANS. The experts also blamed changes in lifestyle brought about by urbanization, including an increase in near-work activities like studying, reading, and extended durations of near-work caused by demanding academic contexts in metropolitan locations."Genetic predisposition also matters; it's possible that urban populations have a higher prevalence of genetic risk factors linked to myopia. These all factors put a lot of pressure and strain to our eyes, retina and nerves, as a result of which the incidences are gradually rising," Mahipal said.To tackle the rising health issue, the experts called for public health initiatives, education campaigns, lifestyle adjustments, and enhanced access to eye care services."Recognizing the symptoms of myopia in children is important for early intervention. While the condition cannot be cured, it can be helped with glasses or contact lenses, said Smit, calling for regular eye check-ups and encouraging children for outdoor activities.Source-IANS
Minister of Foreign Affairs George Gerapetritis will meet tomorrow, Friday, May 17 at 12:00 pm, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, Melanie Joly.



Following the expanded talks between the delegations, the two Ministers will deliver joint statements to the Press at 1:20 pm. A working lunch will follow.
JOURNALIST: Minister, what is happening in Rafah has shocked the entire world, and many consider it a war crime. What is the Greek governments position?



G. GERAPETRITIS: Our opinion and stance regarding the issue of Gaza have remained unchanged since the very first day. We made it clear, from the outset, that Israel has the right to self-defense within the limits set by International Law and especially Humanitarian Law. We made it clear that Hamas should not be equated with the Palestinian people. We called for the immediate release of hostages, the protection of civilians, and the opening of humanitarian corridors. Unfortunately, over time, reality has surpassed even the most adverse predictions. The number of civilian casualties is very large. It is clear, in my opinion, that there has been disproportionate intervention in Gaza. For this reason, the Greek side which is in a position to converse with the parties involved in the conflict and all the active players in the broader region, always offers its good offices in order to achieve a viable and just solution. What we are currently promoting, in cooperation with both the European Union and the Arab states, is a draft agreement that will enable the cessation of hostilities, the unhindered flow of large-scale humanitarian aid and, of course, the beginning of discussions on the future of the region. A future that cannot be anything other than what is prescribed by the United Nations Security Council resolutions on the two states, namely the establishment of a Palestinian State within the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. We will continue our efforts for peace. Greece is firmly oriented towards a peaceful Middle East and a peaceful wider region, because, unfortunately, the spillover effects in the broader region - in Lebanon, Syria, and the Red Sea - are extremely dangerous and could cause a huge humanitarian disaster.



JOURNALIST: Minister, the understanding with Turkiye is progressing. What do we expect from the meeting between Prime Minister Mitsotakis and President Erdogan in two days?



G. GERAPETRITIS: To be completely honest with you, I believe that meetings between the leaders of the two neighbouring countries do not necessarily need to produce major deliverables. We should meet periodically to assess the evolution of our bilateral relations, set the timetable for the next steps and, certainly, assess the international situation in our region, and around the world. I believe that we should enter into a logic of normalization of the relationship between Greece and Turkiye, so that we can converse without this being a major news story. I believe we have recently established effective communication channels so that disagreements, which obviously exist, do not generate crises.



JOURNALIST: But following a year of talks and a positive atmosphere with Turkiye, are we at the beginning of some kind of rapprochement on the issues of the Aegean?



G. GERAPETRITIS: I think you rightly put it that in the last year, we have managed to maintain relative calm in our region. It is significant that there are basically no violations of our airspace. It is also important that that there is coordination to limit and almost eliminate illegal migration flows. In addition, we are working on the positive agenda with measures of mutual benefit so that we can achieve positive results in many policy areas. We have not yet come to the point of discussing our sole dispute that can be brought before international jurisdiction, namely the delimitation of the continental shelf and the EEZ. We would like to proceed with this discussion when conditions are appropriate.



JOURNALIST: Minister, there is a lot of talk about the special agreement between the two countries. We, as you said just now, we remain steadfast in our position that there is a sole dispute. However, Turkiye, on its part, is insisting on maximalist demands, such as island ownership, demilitarization, limited Greek sovereignty, etc. How can there be even a minimum agreement under these circumstances?



G. GERAPETRITIS: As I have repeatedly emphasized, issues of sovereignty cannot be placed on the dialogue table. Sovereignty is an inalienable right of the country, and it is the basis for all significant matters pertaining to the state's very existence. Therefore, we will not discuss them. We would like to resolve the issue of the delimitation of the continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone and, if this is not possible, to bring the matter before international jurisdiction when the appropriate conditions exist. In this regard, it is important to define very concretely the issue that could be referred to The Hague. No other issue can be the content of such a special agreement.



JOURNALIST: The historical Monastery of Chora was converted from a museum to a functional mosque two days ago. Do you consider this to be a goodwill gesture that favors discussion with Turkiye a few days before the Prime Minister's visit?



G. GERAPETRITIS: First and foremost, it should be noted that the decision to convert the Chora Monastery into a place of worship, a mosque, was made in 2020; what was announced now was its implementation, which also applies to approximately 200 other related monuments throughout Turkiye. Our position is clear. Such events at the current phase, in which we are attempting to build up trust and mutual understanding are disappointing. This is because we all understand that the Monastery of Chora holds significant symbolism for Greece, but also has intrinsic importance as an ecumenical cultural heritage. It is a Byzantine monument of unequalled value and altering its ecumenical character is a mistake that should not have occurred.



JOURNALIST: You stated recently, in Delphi, that you want to be beneficial to the country, not popular. I have to confess that this was surprising, at least to those of us who have been following diplomatic affairs for years. Could you please explain what that means?



G. GERAPETRITIS: Allow me to be clear. I hold the particularly honorable office of Greek Foreign Minister, an office formerly held by important personalities in Greek politics. Being in this position, what is important is to serve my country and its national rights, to be able to strengthen our country on the international stage, so that Greek citizens feel safe, confident, and proud of our homeland. I think that step by step we are achieving this. Our country is recognized as an international player with integrity, values, and principles, which I believe is appreciated by everyone, including allies and non-allies. That is the decision I made when I came to the Foreign Ministry. I will continue to serve my country with integrity and tenacity. I will not pursue a transactional policy, but a policy of values. My willingness to be beneficial has to do precisely with the fact that in some cases I make decisions that some people may not like. However, with the Prime Ministers trust, I will continue to do what my conscience tells me is the right thing to do, even if these decisions do not make me very popular. It is my principle that I am not here today to serve any other interests than those of the country's present and future generations.



JOURNALIST: Minister, on Monday a meeting was held between Mr. Fidan, your Turkish counterpart, and Mr. Guterres' envoy, Ms. Holguin, who is already in Cyprus. Where does Greece stand in this process?



G. GERAPETRITIS: The Cyprus issue is a major priority for Greek foreign policy, and it could not be otherwise. I personally have invested considerably in being able to promote the Cyprus issue. I am in regular contact with the United Nations including the Secretary-General and his personal envoy, Ms. Holguin. Certainly, we are also discussing the Cyprus issue in the context of Greek-Turkish relations. Furthermore, I am in constant communication with the Cypriot President and the Foreign Minister. I believe that the time is appropriate to resume talks concerning the resolution of the Cyprus issue, precisely within the framework of the United Nations Security Council resolutions on a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation. I will continue my efforts to achieve beneficial results on the Cyprus issue, which will remain at the forefront of Greek foreign policy priorities.



JOURNALIST: After the elections in North Macedonia and the likely victory of the nationalists, what do you believe are the prospects for the survival of the Prespa Agreement and what would you say to the new government?



G. GERAPETRITIS: As you are aware, Greece has historically advocated for the Western Balkan states integration into the European family, and continues to do so. We believe that these states should be at the core of the European Union, and we are making systematic efforts so that there is a European future for these states. In particular, regarding North Macedonia, I have repeatedly emphasized that the country's path towards the European Union also depends on the full implementation of the Prespa Agreement. Regardless of the issues that the Prespa Agreement had from the outset, as highlighted by the New Democracy party, the main opposition at the time, this Agreement is an international treaty that takes precedence over any domestic law and must be respected by the parties. Any revision of it is not permitted without the parties' agreement. In this regard, we consider it essential that the Agreement continue to be implemented, and I believe that this will be the position of the new political leadership in North Macedonia, which will emerge following the elections. The Greek government is constantly and rigorously monitoring the Agreement's implementation and will make the necessary interventions.



JOURNALIST: Regarding Kosovo. What is the government's position and how do you think a potential admission of Kosovo to the Council of Europe will affect Greek-Serbian relations?



G. GERAPETRITIS: Our position has been consistent since the beginning and continues to be a principled position. For this reason, Greece has abstained from voting on the referral of the issue of Kosovo's accession to the Council of Europe, and this will be our position when the issue is raised at the Council of Ministers, that is to say, Greece will abstain. Our position is based on the fact that the conditions laid down for Kosovo's accession to the Council of Europe, in particular the creation of the Association of Serb Municipalities, have not yet been met. Greece pursues a principled policy. We offer our good offices to ensure a peaceful resolution of the differences between Belgrade and Pristina. We believe that what was agreed upon between the two parties in hrid should be fully implemented, and that resolving these differences will significantly contribute not only to their European course, but also to overall peace and prosperity in the Balkans, a region that has historically been extremely vulnerable but also of great interest to Greek foreign policy.
Troops at Colorado Space Force Base Will Have to Bring Their Own To-Go Boxes for Dining Hall

While the initiative is aimed at reducing waste on base, the spokesperson added that they hope it will give troops on base...
To help cope with increasing turnover rates of child care workers, the Defense Department must do a better job of tracking the effectiveness of employee retention efforts and start offering workers paid leave and bonuses, according to a new watchdog report.

A Government Accountability Office report released earlier this week made the recommendations as part of a broader effort to improve the availability of military child care, which many service members struggle to obtain and afford. There were an estimated 12,000 children awaiting entry to military child care programs last year, according to a Senate Armed Services hearing this month.

While the military services continuously focus on recruiting new employees, the report found that they don't measure the effectiveness of any efforts to actually retain their child care workers. "By developing metrics to track the results of their retention efforts, the military services can identify which are most effective at retaining child care workers," said the report.

Read Next: Army Eliminates Online Training Requirement for Noncommissioned Officers, Saying It's Too Burdensome

Continuously recruiting new employees to fill gaps comes at the sacrifice of employee retention, made worse by burdensome onboarding processes, stressful work environments, and limited opportunities for career progression.

The report evaluated eight DoD installations for their child care capabilities, all selected specifically because of lengthy child care waitlists.

In 2022, turnover within the DoD child care sector ranged from 34% at Marine Corps child care facilities to 50% turnover within Army facilities, the report said.

Aside from widespread staffing and availability issues, military child care has come under fire recently for abuse -- a recent Military.com investigation revealed misconduct within DoD child care centers, enabled largely by a lack of transparency between facilities and military parents. Military day cares are not required to abide by state child care laws, making accountability for abuse difficult.

The DoD is the largest employer-sponsored child care system in the U.S., responsible for more than 160,000 military children. Child care worker staffing shortfalls -- to the tune of around 6,200 vacancies in 2022 -- have kept many military families on long waitlists for base child care centers, the report noted.

Hourly wages for DoD child care workers increased in 2023, to between $17.39 and $23.14, depending on location, the report said. Military child care employees cannot make more than $29.06 per hour, though workers interviewed for the watchdog report noted that the military's pay rate, and benefits like health insurance, make the job more attractive than civilian child care job opportunities.

Some military parents, especially junior enlisted, can't afford high-quality civilian child care options outside of the DoD. The cost of obtaining civilian-provided child care has also taken a toll on military spouse employment, since the price drives many parents to stay home instead of entering the workforce.

Meanwhile, the child care industry is "on the brink" of collapse throughout the U.S., as child care providers struggle to compete with rising wages in other industries that attract employees elsewhere, according to The New York Times.

Increased numbers of children with behavioral problems have also contributed to difficulty retaining employees, the report noted.

-- Kelsey Baker is a graduate student at Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism and a former active-duty Marine. Reach her on X at @KelsBBaker or bakerkelsey@protonmail.com.

Related: Proposal for 'GI Bill for Child Care' Aims to Boost Unemployed Military Spouses
As we await the eagerly-anticipated launch of SpaceXs second commercial spacecraft, Starlink, its hard to keep track of all the different activities taking place in space. With multiple launches planned for March 2020, there is no shortage of excitement and anticipation building up around these exciting moments.







(any space x launches scheduled for march 2020?)

One of the most significant launches that will take place in March is SpaceXs Starlink constellation. This upcoming mission will send thousands of satellites into orbit, providing high-speed internet access to people around the world. According to SpaceX, this launch will bring us closer than ever before to realizing the promise of widespread broadband internet coverage.

Another major milestone in March is NASAs Mars rover, Perseverance. The rover will make its final journey on February 18th, traveling about 6 miles across the Martian surface. Along the way, Perseverance will collect data on the planets geology and search for signs of past microbial life.

There will also be several smaller satellite launches planned for March, including one by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Agency) that will send a CubeSats into orbit. These small, cost-effective satellites will provide valuable data and scientific research for various fields, such as climate change monitoring and astronomy.

In addition to these major launches, there are several smaller events happening in space at the same time. For example, the European Space Agency (ESA) has announced plans to launch the first rocket from a new Launchpad at their in Tenerife. This launch pad is designed specifically for use with launch vehicles like the Ariane 400, which will carry Earth observation missions to the Moon and beyond.







(any space x launches scheduled for march 2020?)

Overall, the launch schedule for March 2020 is shaping up to be quite exciting and full of opportunities for exploration and discovery in our universe. Whether youre looking forward to watching the launch of a commercial spacecraft or tracking the progress of a Mars rover, theres sure to be plenty of things to see and do in space. So lets get ready to witness some incredible moments in human history!
SpaceX, the private aerospace company founded by Elon Musk, has announced that they have successfully launched their first privately developed spacecraft into orbit. The rocket was named Dragon and is designed to carry a payload of up to six people and a suite of equipment.







(did space x launch today)

The successful launch marks an important milestone for SpaceX and marks the beginning of their efforts to become a major player in the space industry. The companys previous launches have been controversial, with some criticizing them for safety concerns and others arguing that they do not deserve government funding.

However, the recent launch demonstrates that SpaceX is making progress towards achieving its goal of becoming a major player in the space industry. The Dragon spacecraft, which is about three times larger than the United States Air Forces current satellite fleet, will be used to provide services to customers around the world.

The success of the launch also represents a significant boost for SpaceXs financial situation. The company recently received billions of dollars in funding from investors, including SoftBank Group and Japanese investment firm Alibaba Cloud. This funding allows SpaceX to continue developing new technologies and expanding its operations.

Despite the recent success, SpaceX faces many challenges as it continues to navigate the complexities of space exploration. One of the biggest challenges is managing the high cost of launching payloads into orbit. SpaceX must overcome technical and logistical hurdles in order to make profitability possible.

Another challenge is competing with other companies in the space industry. For example, the US Air Force has been using SpaceXs technology to launch satellites since the mid-2010s. However, SpaceX is hoping to differentiate itself by offering faster and cheaper launches, and by building its own rockets rather than relying on third-party providers.

Despite these challenges, SpaceX remains optimistic about its future plans. The company has already expressed plans to expand its operations beyond Earths atmosphere, and has discussed potential missions to Mars and even interstellar travel. These ambitious goals represent a significant step forward for SpaceX, and one that could lead to a brighter future for humanity.







(did space x launch today)

In conclusion, the successful launch of the Dragon spacecraft by SpaceX marks an important milestone in the space industry. Despite the challenges it faces, the company remains committed to its mission of making space exploration accessible and affordable to everyone. With its advanced technology and bold ambitions, SpaceX is well-positioned to shape the future of space exploration.
Title: Discovering the Launch of SpaceXs Mission to Space Kennedy Reddit







(how to watch space x launch nasa kennedy reddit)

Introduction: Are you a fan of space exploration and curious about how it all works? If so, then youre in luck! In this blog post, we will explore the launch of SpaceXs mission to space Kennedy Reddit, as well as some of the fascinating details behind it.

Understanding the NASA Kennedy Rocket Lab: The NASA Kennedy Rocket Lab is located in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and has been responsible for launching American rockets since the early days of spaceflight. The lab has a vast array of rocket engines, including liquid fuel, solid fuel, and hybrid systems, that allow it to achieve lift-off speeds of up to Mach 2.3.

Key Players: The launch of SpaceXs mission to space Kennedy Reddit was led by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who has always been fascinated by space exploration and wants to make it accessible to everyone. Alongside Musk, several other key players were involved in the project, including employees from SpaceX, NASA, and JPL (Jennings Space Laboratory).

The Inspiration: One of the main reasons why SpaceX has been able to achieve such incredible success is because it has a deep understanding of the science behind space travel and can develop innovative solutions to complex problems. For example, SpaceXs rocket engine design is based on advanced materials science, which allows it to perform at high altitudes and under extreme conditions.

Another factor that has contributed to SpaceXs success is its commitment to transparency and accountability. From the moment it begins development of a new rocket or spacecraft, SpaceX provides detailed information about its progress, allowing stakeholders to stay informed about the status of the project. This level of transparency has helped to build trust between SpaceX and its customers, as well as with regulatory agencies.

The Launch of SpaceXs Mission to Space Kennedy Reddit: On April 14, 2023, SpaceX successfully launched its first fully reusable spacecraft, Falcon Heavy, into orbit around Earth. The mission was a huge success, as Falcon Heavy reached orbit at an altitude of approximately 467 kilometers (293 miles) and stayed aloft for a total of three hours before returning to Earth.

During the flight, Falcon Heavy utilized a variety of engines, including liquid fuel, solid fuel, and a hybrid system. These engines allowed it to reach its highest point of altitude during the first part of the flight, when it flew over the southernmost tip of Africa. During this time, the rocket encountered a strong tailwind, which caused it to experience some separation and turbulence.

However, despite these challenges, Falcon Heavy managed to return safely to Earth, where it landed back on a barren tarmac in Southern California. This achievement was a major milestone in the history of spaceflight, and it demonstrated the power of innovation and teamwork among the many players involved in developing and launching spacecraft.







(how to watch space x launch nasa kennedy reddit)

Conclusion: Overall, the launch of SpaceXs mission to space Kennedy Reddit was a incredible achievement that showcases the power of innovation, transparency, and teamwork in the world of space travel. As SpaceX continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in space exploration, we can expect even more exciting developments in the years to come. So be sure to stay tuned for the latest news and updates, and dont forget to join us in celebrating this incredible achievement!
The Rangers announced theyve selected right-hander Shaun Anderson onto the MLB roster. Texas optioned Jack Leiter back to Triple-A Round Rock in a corresponding move. To create a 40-man roster spot, the Rangers transferred Max Scherzer from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list in what is essentially a procedural transaction.

Anderson caught on with Texas on a minor league contract last month. It marked his second stint in the organization, as he spent a couple weeks in the system in 2021 when the Rangers claimed him off waivers. They waived him themselves before getting him into a major league game, but Anderson could now get a shot to make his team debut.

If he does, itll be the 29-year-olds first major league action since 2022. He made one appearance for the Blue Jays that season. Anderson opened last season in Korea and finished the year in Triple-A with the Phillies. He has made four starts for Round Rock over the past few weeks, turning in a 2.53 ERA over 21 1/3 innings. The Florida product has punched out 26.2% of opponents against a tidy 4.8% walk rate to earn his way back to the big leagues.

Anderson has pitched in parts of four MLB seasons overall. Most of his experience came with the Giants as a rookie back in 2019. He has seen more limited action divided between San Francisco, Minnesota, San Diego, Baltimore and Toronto since then. Anderson owns a 5.84 ERA over 135 2/3 career innings. His 17.1% strikeout percentage and 9.9% walk rate are each a little worse than the respective league averages. Anderson has a stronger Triple-A track record, totaling a 3.80 ERA in 270 1/3 frames at that level. He still has an option remaining, so the Rangers can move him between Arlington and Round Rock without exposing him to waivers now that hes on the 40-man roster.

Texas essentially had an open 40-man spot given Scherzers status. The 60-day minimum backdates to Opening Day, so hell be eligible for reinstatement in around two weeks time. It doesnt appear as if hell be ready before then. While Scherzer once seemed on track for a mid-May return following his offseason back surgery, his timetable has been delayed by thumb soreness. Scherzer received a cortisone shot over the weekend to address nerve irritation.

The future Hall of Famer told reporters today that he has recently undergone imaging on his triceps, elbow and neck (X link via Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today). That came back clean and he is set to resume throwing. Hell need to build back for another minor league rehab assignment, though, so hes unlikely to be ready for MLB action before the start of June.
LUDINGTON, MI  A surprise visitor wandered into this Northern Michigan beach town Thursday morning.

A black bear roamed Ludington, visiting neighborhoods and the downtown area, before law enforcement managed to guide it to a wooded area southeast of town.

The black bear was caught on video by Trinja Henrickson while it walked down an alleyway in the area of Foster and Filer streets just south of U.S. 10 near downtown Ludington around 9 a.m. Photographer Vince Rockwell captured photos of the bear walking on a sidewalk in the downtown area.

Just before 11 a.m., a pepper ball gun was fired multiple times in the area of Washington Avenue and Dowland Street to encourage the bear to climb down from a tree, and keep moving, 102.7 WMOM reports.

Law enforcement worked for more than three hours, eventually shepherding the bear to a wooded area near Madison and Dowland streets, the radio station reports. The bear was first spotted around 8 a.m. all-clear was given around 11:30 a.m.

A black bear is spotted roaming through downtown Ludington on Thursday, May 16, 2024.Provided by Vince Rockwell

The Ludington Police Department initially alerted the public about the bear just after 8 a.m. At that time, it was north of the highway in the area of Tinkham and North Sherman and was headed north to the Ludington School Forest. Later, it was seen in the area of Staffon and Mitchell, also north of the highway, before making its way into the downtown area.

Local schools were on lock down while the bear was in town, WMOM reports.

The Ludington Police Department was assisted by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Michigan State Police.
FLINT, MI  Three people are being charged with violating Michigans safe gun storage law after authorities said their negligence led to a 2-year-old boy fatally shooting himself.

Cortez Legend Guy died early Wednesday, May 15, from a gunshot in the head after he grabbed hold of an unsecured .40-caliber handgun.

Were not kidding around here. If you do this, youre getting charged, said Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton during a Thursday, May 16, news conference. This is a terrible tragedy. A little two-year-old guy. Hes gone.

Detectives with the Flint Major Crimes Unit, comprised of members of the Michigan State Police as well as Flint police, were dispatched shortly before 2:45 a.m. Wednesday to the 700 block of East Philadelphia Boulevard following reports of a shooting.

Officers arrived to find the victim, later identified as Cortez, with a gunshot wound to the head.

The childs father, a 26-year-old man, was at the house at the time of the incident, Leyton said. He told detectives the child shot himself with an airsoft gun, but officers found the .40-caliber handgun at the end of a trail of blood leading to an upstairs bedroom.

Leyton said the gun was registered to a 31-year-old Flint man. The gun was found on a bed along with blood and what police believe was brain matter.

Cortez was taken to Hurley Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

The investigation revealed that the father and two of his cousins were at the home earlier in the evening, Leyton explained. One of them was the man the gun was registered to. The other was a 25-year-old Flint Township man.

According to a search warrant, there was a strong odor of marijuana throughout the house, and investigators determined the three men had been smoking marijuana.

Marijuana and firearms are a lethal cocktail, Leyton said. They dont mix, and anybody sitting around smoking marijuana should not also be in possession of a firearm. That alone is a crime.

The cousins are believed to have left the home around 1 a.m. Wednesday, leaving behind the gun, Leyton said. When the childs father heard a gunshot, he found the baby with the gun.

A bag of marijuana was also found in the bedroom where the gun  with a magazine of 15 live rounds  was located. One spent cartridge casing was still in the magazine well of the pistol. A single bullet hole was found in the ceiling above the bed.

Leyton said his office intends to charge the father and the two cousins with violating the safe storage law, which took effect in February.

This incident marks the second time since Feb. 15 that Leytons office has issued charges relating to the new law; Genesee County was the first prosecutors office to issue charges under the law.

Related: Flint man is first person charged under Michigans new gun safety law

The father also will be charged with involuntary manslaughter. Both of the offenses are 15-year felonies.

MLive-The Flint Journal is not releasing the names of the individuals being charged because they have yet to be formally arraigned.
OTTAWA COUNTY, MI -- The head of a biennial committee tasked with deciding pay raises for Ottawa County leaders said there was no intentional misaction in a now invalidated vote to hike commissioners pay 60 percent.

Larry Jackson released a statement Wednesday, May 15, in part to refute suggestions by Ottawa County Board Chair Joe Moss that he may have acted with ill intent as part of the Ottawa County Officers Compensation Committee.

Jackson is chair of the Ottawa County Democratic Party and was appointed in December 2022 to the compensation committee, an independent seven-member board. His appointment came just prior to the installment of eight new commissioners in January 2023 associated with Ottawa Impact, a conservative platform that made several controversial moves.

Moss, during a Tuesday, May 14 board meeting, questioned why news of a possible 60 percent pay raise for Ottawa County commissioners surfaced just prior to a May 7 recall election for now-former District 2 Commissioner Lucy Ebel.

News media attended a May 2 compensation committee meeting in which Jackson confirmed to them a committee decision in April to increase commissioner pay 60 percent. Media had not attended the April meeting and Moss questioned why they attended May 2.

Related: A living wage or tax-dollar abuse? Ottawa County commissioners consider 60 percent pay hike

Was this election interference? Moss asked in a public statement Tuesday.

Jackson earlier told MLive he did not know why media attended the May 2 meeting.

And in a written statement issued Wednesday, Jackson denied any ill-intent or attempts to cause what Moss described as chaos prior to the recall election.

Regarding Chair Moss unfounded and damaging allegations of misconduct, including accusations of colluding and election interference, I categorically deny these claims, Jackson said.

Moss, as part of his statement, said he determined just prior to Tuesdays board meeting that the April 11 vote on the 60 percent pay raise was invalid. The raise would have been effective in 2025, not immediately, and boosted commissioner pay from $20,844 to $33,350; the chairs pay from $27,127 to $43,403; and the vice chairs pay from $21,523 to $34,436.

The vote was 3-1 in favor of the pay hike, but three members were absent. State law requires that a majority of the entire board support a pay raise motion for it to be valid.

Moss altered the Tuesday agenda at the last minute, removing the pay-raise resolution from the days business.

He said Jackson, as chair of the compensation committee, should have known the language in the state statute surrounding vote totals. He also should have known that the May 2 meeting was outside of a statutory 45-day window for completing the committees work. The window closed April 25.

Jackson, in a text to MLive/The Grand Rapids Press, said the April 11 vote issue was an oversight on the part of the committee. Jackson also said he believed the committee had until May 11 to complete its work, calling it another oversight.

Moving forward, I am committed to exploring solutions that will satisfy all parties involved, he said.

Jackson also said that he now has learned that pay raises for other elected leaders, such as 6 percent raises for the Ottawa County sheriff and prosecutor, also could be in jeopardy because the April 11 meeting was not properly posted for the public.

We may have to work to modify all of what we did, he said in a text.

Moss on Tuesday said he did not believe the pay issue for county commissioners could be revisited because the 45-day window had expired.

Want more Grand Rapids-area news? Bookmark the local Grand Rapids news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Grand Rapids daily newsletter.
A northern Michigan marine dock is suing the defense contractor Lockheed Martin, alleging that a 388-foot combat ship caused more than $2.5 million in damages to the facilitys seawall, dock and the surrounding lakebed.

North Shore Marine Terminal & Logistics Inc. said in a lawsuit filed earlier this month in federal court that the USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul backed into the seawall at the Escanaba facility three times while attempting to berth in 2022.

In addition, despite an agreement to the contrary, the ship used its massive gas turbine engines while departing and arriving at the dock, the lawsuit said, causing extensive displacement of bottom materials on the lakebed adjacent to the seawall.

Lockheed Martin has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit.

Asked about the case, a spokesman for the company said, In general, it is our company practice not to comment on pending litigation.

North Shores owners did not respond to phone messages left this week.

The USS Minneapolis St. Paul is a littoral combat ship, designed to operate near the shore. It was received by the U.S. Navy in the fall of 2021 and commissioned on May 21 of the following year, shortly after the events alleged in the lawsuit would have taken place.

North Shores contract for berthing and support of the ship was with Lockheed Martin.

In an August 2022 letter to both the Navy and Lockheed Martin that was included in the lawsuit, North Shore said that, shortly after the incident, a tug boat had been grounded leaving their dock and further investigation found that bottom material displaced during the departure and return using the gas turbines had created ridges in the channel that ships used to access it.

Dredging that channel will cost an additional $600,000, the lawsuit said.

Please advise on how to proceed with this, and we appreciate your time in reviewing this again, North Shore said in the letter. We want to have this addressed as soon possible as it has been quite a while since any attention has been focused on this issue.
Herbrucks Poultry Ranch, the biggest egg producer in Michigan, is laying off nearly half its staff after its flock was infected with the highly pathogenic avian influenza.

About 400 workers across five Herbrucks facilities will be affected by the mass layoff, the company told the state in a May 15 letter. It will impact hourly, salaried and contract workers throughout Ionia County.

In the face of ongoing efforts to address the detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza alongside state and federal regulators, Herbrucks has reached the difficult decision to conduct layoffs at the affected facilities where work is not available, CEO Greg Herbruck said in a statement. We expect this to largely be temporary, as we plan to rehire many positions as we work to repopulate our facilities and continue egg production as safely and quickly as possible.

Related: Why 6.5 million chickens were killed in Michigan this month

After Herbrucks Poultry Ranch discovered infected birds at the end of March, they were required by the federal government to depopulate, or kill, their flock to keep the virus from spreading.

Data from the the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows about 6.5 million chicken in Ionia County were depopulated last month.

In its letter to the state, Herbrucks said employees will be notified of their separation dates. The mass layoffs will be companywide, impacting people working in processing, production, human resources and marketing, among other positions.

Herbrucks employs 900 people, according to its website.

We understand this is a stressful situation for our team members, and we are working with our state partners to provide them with resources, answer questions and assist in their individual family situations, Herbruck said.

Related: As Michigan cows get sick with bird flu, what does that mean for our milk?

This strain of the highly pathogenic avian flu has affected more than 90 million birds since it started spreading in January 2022.

Because its incredibly contagious and fatal for poultry, the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires farms with even just one sick bird to depopulate their flock. The federal government pays farms for birds and eggs that are destroyed.

Michigan largely dodged major outbreaks until recent months when the bird flu infected Herbrucks, three other commercial poultry farms and dairy herds across the state.

In response, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issued an extraordinary emergency order on May 8 to control the spread of the virus. Under the order, dairy farms are required to develop strict biosecurity measures and exhibitions of poultry are prohibited.

This outbreak has highlighted areas within our industry that require immediate attention. Producers must immediately implement robust biosecurity practices and create emergency preparedness plans and this order starts to address these on-farm risks, said Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Director Tim Boring in a statement earlier this month.

The avian flu poses a low risk for humans  only two people who had contact with farm animals have gotten sick  and health officials emphasize no eggs from infected animals will enter the food supply. Pasteurization also kills the virus in milk.
It should feel like Michigan summer this weekend, with warm temperatures, sunny skies and orange barrels spread across the state.

More than 40 additional construction-related road closures are scheduled for Friday, May 17, through Sunday, May 19, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).

Among the major closures scheduled this weekend are located on U.S. 23 in Washtenaw County, U.S. 31 in Muskegon County, and I-96 in Wayne, Livingston, Eaton and Ingham counties.

Below is a look at eight of the significant closures to account for this weekend. All projects are weather-dependent. State officials remind drivers to slow down and follow posted signage in work zones.

A complete list of road projects is available through MDOTs online map and construction list.

U.S. 31 in Muskegon County

Seaway Drive (U.S. 31 BR) will have the right laned closed in each direction from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday for road maintenance. Nearby Grand Haven Road will also be closed between Airport Road and U.S. 31 BR during that period.

Single-lane closures will remain in effect between Shettler Road and Hoyt Street into early July.

U.S. 24 in Oakland County

Drivers should expect delays in the area of Telegraph Road and Dixie Highway beginning Friday. The right two lanes of southbound U.S. 24 will be closed from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday.

Telegraph Road will be completely shutdown at Dixie Highway from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Then on Sunday, the left two lanes of U.S. 24 in either direction will be closed at Telegraph Road from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

U.S. 23 in Washtenaw County

Both directions of U.S. 23 will be reduced by one lane of traffic starting at 7 p.m. Friday and continuing through 5 a.m. Monday. The work area is between Ellsworth Road and Stony Creek Road.

M-39 in Wayne County

Two lanes of the Southfield Freeway (M-39) will be closed this weekend between I-94 and Rotunda Drive. The two right northbound lanes will be closed from 9 a.m. Friday until 5 p.m. Monday, and then one lane will remain closed for another two months.

On the southbound side, itll be the right two lanes closed from M-153 to Oakwood Boulevard. The closure begins Friday morning and lasts until 5 a.m. Monday.

I-96 in Wayne County

Westbound I-96 Express will be closed between Davison Avenue (M-8) and Outer Drive from 7 p.m. Friday through the weekend. Additionally, the segment of highway between Livernois Avenue and Wyoming Street will have the left lane closed until 5 a.m. Monday.

Westbound Davison Avenue (M-8) around I-96 will also be closed completely from 7 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday.

I-96 in Livingston County

Road crews are scheduled to close two lanes of westbound I-96 between Dorr Road and D 19 starting at 8 p.m. Friday. The closure is scheduled until 6 a.m. Monday.

I-96 in Eaton and Ingham counties

Overnight Saturday, crews will close westbound I-96 between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Lansing Road. The closure is scheduled for 11 p.m. Saturday until 5 a.m. Sunday.

Drivers will be detoured using M-99 and I-496.

I-696 in Oakland and Macomb counties

Drivers may want to avoid I-696 near Southfield on Saturday. The eastbound highway will be closed between M-10 and Lahser Road from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. Saturday. Drivers will be detoured using M-10, M-8, and I-75.

The exit ramp from I-696 to southbound I-275 will also be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
ANN ARBOR  Michigans softball team outscored Maryland, Wisconsin and Indiana 19-5 en route to winning the Big Ten Tournament last week, and ace Lauren Derkowski was in the circle to get all 57 outs.

The juniors right arm will be leaned on heavily again this week as the Wolverines (41-16) prepare for NCAA regional play in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
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Rakhi Sawant's ex Ritesh reveals the actress has a tumour in uterus, ex-hubby Adil Durrani says, "It's a drama to escape jail time'
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China's Nio aims to launch one new car model per year under Onvo brand
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In today's edition of Pro Panorama: Life beyond TCS Q2, outlook for Indian stocks, what tied up RBI's hand and much more

One of these decisions centres around the dilemma over which forex card to choose, the amount to load on the card, the amount of foreign currency to carry, and cost-effective ways to buy forex. Beyond these pre-financial arrangements, students and their parents are also worried about opening a bank account

Even after months, perhaps yearsof planning for an overseas education, finalising the university, funding, scholarships and so onstudents and their parents have to take certain decisions just before flying out.

Travelling abroad to study? Here are the best ways to carry forex

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'Cowardly & dastardly act': PM Modi says deeply shocked over attack on Slovak PM
May 16, 2024 / 21:50 IST

On May 16, 12 people died reportedly due to sudden rain with thunder, in Malda district of West Bengal.

Malda SP Pradip Kumar Yadav says, "Twelve persons have lost their lives in the (lightning) incident but the cause of their death will confirmed after post-mortem."

Meanwhile, the district administration has announced Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for the victims along with money to perform their last rites.

Following the guidelines of MCC and after discussing with the concerned authorities, the administration will provide Rs 2 lakh each as compensation and Rs 2000 for last rites, said DM Nitin Singhania.
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In today's edition of Pro Panorama: Life beyond TCS Q2, outlook for Indian stocks, what tied up RBI's hand and much more

When the Chinese President Xi Jinping visited France last week, he would have found the French President Emmanuel Macron subtle. Macron hosted Xi alongside the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a hardliner against Chinas policies. He also gifted Xi bottles of some of Frances cognacs. China had opened an anti-dumping investigation into cognacs in January this year, a move largely seen as a retaliation against the EUs investigations into Chinas EVs and medical devices industry.

Does India have a chance to gain an edge over China within the EU?

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Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend an official welcoming ceremony in Beijing, China, May 16, 2024.
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There are many events planned for this weekend.

Today is Opening Day for the Calaveras Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee as detailed here, ticket information is in the event listing here. Ned Ledoux performs Friday at 8 pm, the Destruction Derby is planned for Sunday at 5:30pm.

In Honor of Johnny Truck Briggs, the Stuff the Bus project will collect items for unsheltered and struggling people. The event will be held this Saturday in the Walmart parking lot. You can also contribute at Nancys Hope or Interfaith details are in the community event listing here.

The Sonora Chamber of Commerce presents an afternoon of Opera and Broadway inside of the Sonora Opera Hall this Saturday from 3 to 5 PM. The Opera features Soprano Aimee Theresa seen in the image who visited the KVML studio for an interview, as well as Mezzo-Soprano Natasha Divaris-Landry. Pianist Mark Sevier will perform.

The Friends of Columbia State Historic Park are sponsoring the Diggins Tent Town 1852 recreation of a gold diggings encampment during the Gold Rush. The event spans four days and features over 150 volunteers and school tours are led today and Friday by reservation. Park visitors are welcome all four days of the event from 10 am to 4 pm, details on the cost are the Diggins Tent Town 1852 event listing here.

The 11th Annual Lucs Run is at Tuolumne Veterans Memorial Hall. The 10k (6.2 miles) and 2 mile races begin Saturday at 8:30 am with a kids run open to paid entrants ages 10 and under starting at 8 am. The event is combined with an auction with proceeds from the race and the auction going directly towards Scholarships. More details are here.

The first Sonora Farmers Market of 2024 is this Saturday morning. The Jamestown Farmers Market has not announced an opening date. The Tuolumne Concerts in the Park & Outdoor Market opens June 5th. The Standard Farmers Market is open Fridays from 4-8 pm in the parking lot off Peaceful Valley Road in East Sonora.

This Saturday at Woods Creek Rotary Park is a hike in honor of those who have fought and died from melanoma. The Steps Against Melanoma walk is a walk for those who have passed away from melanoma cancer and to raise awareness.

12th Annual Rods To Rails Car Show will be held Saturday from 7 am to 3 pm in Downtown Jamestown. Walk along Jamestowns Historic Main Street and view 200 cars of all makes and sizes.

The Angels Camp Firefighters Association is hosting a Pancake Breakfast both Saturday and Sunday morning at the Angels Camp Museum. Kids are welcome to meet the firefighters from the City of Angels Camp, details are here.

La Grange Off-Highway Vehicle Park (OHV) is hosting its Stuckfest Summer Kickoff this weekend. The event features a 44 Obstacle Course Competition. Details are here.

Lend a hand to the U.S. Forest Service and Woodsy Owl doing trash pick-up this Saturday. Pick up trash in the day use area at Pinecrest Lake as detailed here.

This weekends Mother Lode Views features the organizers of the 3rd annual Cars, Cops and Coffee event to benefit local cancer patients this Sunday. In addition to custom cars, the event will offer free donuts, shaved ice, tacos, live music, face painting, balloon twisting, a photo booth and outdoor games as detailed here.

Tuolumne County Museum was granted the first opportunity in California to house the Telling Stories of Mexican California Exhibit. Community members are encouraged to visit the museum Tuesday through Saturday between 10 am and 4 pm, or on Sundays between 11 am and 3 pm from now through June 2nd.

The restaurant of the month in our dining guide is The Grill at Pine Mountain Lake. Check out the movie times at local theaters, and review highway conditions and local gas prices in our traffic section.
Local Youth Honored by CFWC Young Musicians Competition: Camryn Smith, Kai Haugen, Jasmine Hwang, Cora Smith View Photo

Sonora, CA  Tuolumne County performers represented strongly at a Young Musicians Competition with the winners being announced this past Saturday in San Jose.

It was part of the California Federation of Womens Clubs state convention.

The information below was provided by the local Aronos Research Club:

Camryn Smith from Jamestown won the award for Best Vocalist for Fifth through Eight Grade students for performing Batti, Batti, obel Masetto by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lullaby of Birdland by George Shearing and George Dave Weiss.

Jasmine Hwang from Sonora won the award for Best Instrumentalist for students in Grades Nine through Twelve by performing Antonin Dvoraks Sonatina in G Major on violin and the traditional hymn O Come, O Come Emmanuel on viola.

Also competing were Kai Haugen of Sonora singing How Great Thou Art by Carl Boberg and Lascia Chio Pianga by George Frederic Handel. And Cora Smith of Jamestown performing The Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven and You Stepped Out Of A Dream by Nacio Herb Brown and Gus Kahn on piano.

We are so pleased to have these talented young performers represent us, Elena Linehan, a volunteer with the Aronos Research Club, said. And since there were only seven awards given out for the entire state, Tuolumne County certainly made a strong showing by taking two top honors.

Aronos Research Club President Shelly Stewart and First Vice President / Treasurer Cathie Hollins attended the CFWC Convention and accepted the awards for the students.

The competition coordinators told us that Camryn Smiths two performances were clearly the best of any other student in her age category, Linehan said. And Jasmine Hwangs performance had them in tears. She played as if she were one with her instrument.

All four of the youth study with Louise McPeeters, a local music instructor. Jasmine Hwang also studies violin with Brook Moes composition with Michael McLean.

Camryn Smith is studying vocal and piano music and plays alto and baritone saxophone. She has sung at the Sonora Bach Festival for four years and has performed with the Columbia Kicks Big Band. She was a member of the Tuolumne County Honor Band.

Jasmine Hwang was Concert Master with the Suzuki School of Northern California. She is a teaching assistant with the Sierra Strings Music School. She performed at the Suzuki String Honors Recital and the Intermountain Suzuki String Institute. She plays violin, viola, piano, guitar, ukulele and performs vocally as well.

Kai Haugen first performed a vocal solo at age five in his church. He has studied voice for eight years. He has sung at the Sonora Bach Festival for three years and has participated in Steve Greens Childrens Choir. Kai plays trumpet in the Mother Lode Adventist Junior Academy Band and also plays ukulele and guitar.

Cora Smith is passionate about music and plans to continue to study music in college. She has studied piano for five years and shows an affinity for jazz. She played clarinet in her elementary school band and performed with the Tuolumne County Honor Band.

The local Aronos Research Club has the opportunity to compete in a variety of programs on the state level. The club is affiliated with both the California Federation of Womens Club and the national General Federation of Womens Clubs.

The Aronos Research Club, which has both men and women members, has served the community since 1915. The clubs emphasis is on education and provides a variety of services to the community.

Local youth studying music in Grades Five through Twelve can submit performances for the CFWC Young Musicians Competition. Students compete in the categories of Vocalist, Pianist or Other Instrumentalist. They need to prepare two performances in two different musical genres  Classical, Folk/Traditional, Pop/Broadway, Jazz/Blues.

This a great opportunity to showcase their musical abilities, Linehan said. We have such a vibrant arts community. It is wonderful to have our young people recognized on a statewide level.

The Aronos Research Club appreciates the help from Gail Johnson as an accompanist and Carolyn Woodall for her skills as a videographer in helping the students prepare their entries for the Young Musicians Competition.

Linehan said she hopes more students will enter the Young Musicians Competition next year.

We will do everything we can to support them, she said.

For more information on the Aronos Research Club or the CFWC Young Musician Competition contact Shelly Stewart at 209-770-1144.
return over $137,000,000 of misappropriated KRS trust funds, plus interest at 8% since April 2019,2 for a total of $192,713,333 as of April 30, 2024; and

pay a civil penalty, authorized by Subsection (3) of KY. REV. STAT.  61.685, of $578,139,999 (three times the amount of $192,713,333 (as of April 30, 2024)), to a special fiduciary appointed by the Court; and

provide an accounting of all dealings with these KRS trust monies.

This $137 million compares to the total Kentucky Retirement Systems paid in capital of $768,728,901 and the meagre returns of $5,276,203. To add to the injury, the filing also points out (and shows the detail from the fund reports).

Oh but it is no longer $137 million! KKR has been looting the pot even though the indemnification was being challenged in court. Again from the filing:

Time is of the essence not only because KRS has been  for over five years  deprived of the use and value of the $137 million in withheld funds, but also because the withheld funds have inexplicably decreased by hundreds of thousands of dollars: Note S. Prisma Daniel Boone Fund

The funds invested with Prisma Daniel Boone Fund continue to be held in a contingency reserve to cover potential obligations arising from the Mayberry Action (see Note O for details of Mayberry Case). The total reported in reserve as of June 30, 2023, is $97.7 million for the Pension Plans and $40.6 million for the Insurance Plan. This is based on the May 31, 2023, report because Absolute Return managers are reported on a one month lag.

Mind you, yours truly is charitably assuming that the reduction from $137 million was due to paying legal fees and expenses. But as Lambert warns, Its called a vehicle because it drives away with all your money. Hence the demand for an accounting.

Back to KKRs bogus justification. All of the three custom hedge fund agreements had indemnification language. As the Corporate Finance Institute explains, indemnification is, A legal agreement by one party to hold another party blameless for potential losses or damages In the private equity and hedge fund world, those provisions are usually not just sweeping but egregious, as in often omitting the common bad faith or gross negligence carveouts.

So if the three hedge fund miscreants indeed had effective indemnification provisions, the Attorney General and Tier 3 plaintiff lawsuits would not just be pointless but even counterproductive. Even if they won, they would wind up reimbursing the hedge fund operators legal fees and any damages.

However, Kentucky courts have already determined that the indemnification provisions are in violation of the Kentucky constitution, which these very same hedge fund terms explicitly conceded was applicable in their contracts. You can see in the second embedded document below how Judge Philip Stephens worked through the issues in gory detail after the three big defendant groups presented Motions to Dismiss, invoking those indemnification provision plus claims that they were not subject to personal jurisdiction in Kentucky.

The short procedural history is that the trial court approved the Attorney Generals Motion to Intervene on behalf of the Commonwealths claims on December 28, 2020. (We are skipping over how in 2019 the major hedge fund groups also each tried suing Kentucky Retirement Systems for breach on contract, PAAMCO in California, the Blackstone and KKR perps in Delaware; these were invalid due to Kentucky Retirement Systems possessing sovereign immunity). The state then filed two actions against the hedge funds operators in 2021, and then a Motion for Summary Judgement in September 2021, which was quickly met by Motions to Dismiss.

In March 2022, Judge Philip Stephens issued an extremely detailed ruling addressing the points of contention: that the court lacked personal jurisdiction (this was quite a howler; Stephens went painstakingly through evidence like KKR having not only an office but even lobbyists in Kentucky). As you can see in the second embedded document, he gave a similarly exhaustive treatment of why the indemnification language in the relevant contracts did not trump Kentuckys constitution. A Kentucky appeals court upheld Stephens ruling in December 2023.

One might ask, the Attorney Generals office finally having cleared the obstacles to asserting damages against the three hedge fund sellers, why there has apparently been no action since December on the earlier filings. One of the three orders by the new judge, Thomas Wingate, last Friday, was to deny yet more motions to dismiss against a Commonwealth case against KKR and a very long list of other defendants. Judge Stephens remarked that his March 2022 ruling that this the second time his court had considered whether it had had personal jurisdiction over the hedge fund sellers, and added: In the near future, it will be provided with a third opportunity to conduct similar analysis in connection with the Underlying Action. Why this sort of motions practice is not considered bad faith in beyond me.

In any event, by being so fast off the blocks, the Tier 3 plaintiffs have put the Attorney General in a very difficult position. It looks almost incontrovertible that Kentucky Retirement Systems is entitled to the return of the $137 million and interest; the only thing that would seem open to question is how much interest and whether punitive damages should be assessed. The presumed point of the Attorney General intervention was to achieve a quiet, lowball settlement. High nine figure potential recoveries from only one of the three perps will make it very hard for the Attorney General to operate against the interests of the state (which backstops the funds) and the funds themselves by settling for peanuts.

The first of the embedded filings argues that they are warranted by virtue among other things, of KKR having made flagrant misrepresentations to the court in connection with its effort to escape jurisdiction. From the filing:

In fact, KKR-Prismas withholding of KRS trust funds constitutes a Misapplication of Entrusted Property  a crime under the Kentucky Penal Code. The KKR Defendants acted in bad faith in litigating the declaratory-relief action, in which they submitted a false affidavit to contest personal jurisdiction. They also commenced retaliatory litigation in Delaware in an attempt to evade Kentuckys justice system. The KKR Defendants bad-faith conduct warrants the imposition of a three-time civil penalty.

Another reason for the demand for the punitive damages is the afore-mentioned looting of the withheld funds, which looks highly improper since the indemnification which could have allowed the use of those monies was being contested.

Obviously KKR will contest this filing. It is over my pay grade to know what they will argue. They will surely try to say that at most only certain not well capitalized subsidiaries can be targets of this action (the legal speak is that the Tier 3 Plaintiffs cannot be allowed to pierce certain corporate veils). Judge Shepherd already pre-rebutted some of this argument, saying effectively that legal entities created primarily to achieve tax benefits cant be treated as substantive for liability purposes. I also doubt that claim could be adequately supported, given many statements in KKR press releases and SEC filings about how KKR itself provides various services and benefits from the activities of these subs, without discovery, which is what the defendants have been so keen to avoid. Mind you, the court has already received sort of evidence in earlier filings.

The KKR lot could also try contending that the Tier 3 Plaintiffs lack standing. That would be one basis for appealing the Wingate Tier 3 rulings of last Friday. I dont see that having great odds of succeeding but it will further push out the timetable.

Assuming that fails, the defendants could try arguing that the Tier 3 plaintiffs are entitled to only an itty bit of the $137 million. Im not sure where that position leads, but even if it has some juice, the counter is that the Tier 3 Plaintiffs, as defined contribution plan members, are effectively in a first loss position.

Regardless, we can expect a pitched battle over this claim, and the plaintiffs are set to be opening more fronts soon.
Yves here. As your humble blogger has indicated, even if it now seems like a losing cause, it is still important to oppose the slaughter in Gaza and ethnic cleansing in any way possible. The Biden Administration is clearly squirming and trying to have it both ways, bleating about how it keeps voicing disapproval to Israels leadership while not meaningfully limiting the arms flow. Even the claim that the Administration was halting weapons shipments unless Israel did not attack Rafah was a headfake; the weapons at issue were super heavy bombs, and it appears all the US did was scold rather than withhold.

#US President @JoeBiden threatened but never stopped supply of only two types of bombs. US supplied #Israel with 350 arms shipments & continues to be full partner in genocide against Palestinians.https://t.co/fkid134en0  Elijah J. Magnier  (@ejmalrai) May 13, 2024

Having said that, global opposition may nevertheless have had an impact on the Rafah operation. Although Israels aims were not entirely clear, early stories suggested they intended to invade Egypt to secure the so-called Philadelphia Corridor and then herd Gazans through that into Egypt. Egypt said that would be an act of war (begging Stalins famed question of the Pope: How many division do they possess?). However, despite continuing attacks on Rafah, Israel may have retreated from its most ambitious plans while not admitting as much. But that is not much solace. Israel instead appears to be running its established playbook, of deking Palestinians to move from one supposedly safe area to another, while killing them in transit and at arrival. And the possible trimming of the Rafah plans may simply mean that the Biden red line that Israel reluctantly agreed to respect for not is not escalating the conflict by bringing Egypt into the fray, but continuing the present bloody course is acceptable.

By Jessica Corbett, staff writer at Common Dreams. Originally published at Common Dreams

The University Network for Human Rights report also stresses that other nations are legally obligated to refrain from recognizing Israels breaches as legal or taking any actions that may amount to complicity.

The University Network for Human Rights on Wednesday released and sent to United Nations offices a 105-page report that it called the most thorough legal analysis yet to find Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The network partnered with the International Human Rights Clinic at Boston University School of Law, the International Human Rights Clinic at Cornell Law School, the Center for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, and the Lowenstein Human Rights Project at Yale Law School for the analysis, which draws from a diverse range of credible sources and the territorys history.

After reviewing the facts established by independent human rights monitors, journalists, and United Nations agencies, we conclude that Israels actions in and regarding Gaza since October 7, 2023, violate the Genocide Convention, the report states. Israel has committed genocidal acts of killing, causing serious harm to, and inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza, a protected group that forms a substantial part of the Palestinian people.

As of May 1, Israels assault had killed more than 5% of Gazas population, with over 2% of Gazas children killed or injured, the analysis notes. In recent days, Israeli forces have ramped up their attack on Rafahwhere over a million people from other parts of the besieged enclave sought refugeand the total death toll has risen to 35,233, according to Gaza health officials, with another 79,141 Palestinians injured.

Israels military operation has destroyed up to 70% of homes in Gaza, and has decimated civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, universities, U.N. facilities, and cultural and religious heritage sites, the document says, noting the staggering number of forced displacements. Civilians in Gaza face catastrophic levels of hunger and deprivation due to Israels restriction on, and failure to ensure adequate access to, basic essentials of life, including food, water, medicine, and fuel.

The civilian toll has been extreme: more children killed in the first 4 months than in all of the world's conflicts in the past 4 years; deadliest conflict for journalists ever recorded; number of UN personnel killed never seen in . . . history (@antonioguterres).  University Network for Human Rights (@unitedforrights) May 15, 2024

Israels genocidal acts in Gaza have been motivated by the requisite genocidal intent, as evidenced in this report by the statements of Israeli leaders, the character of the state and its military forces conduct against and relating to Palestinians in Gaza, and the direct nexus between them, the publication continues, pointing to comments from officials at all levels of Israeli government, up to and including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel has faced mounting allegations of genocide since launching its retaliation for the Hamas-led October 7 attackincluding an ongoing South Africa-led case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which found in January that the country is plausibly committing genocide.

Bolstering the ICJs conclusion, the Wednesday report declares that Israels violations of the international legal prohibition of genocide amount to grave breaches of peremptory norms of international law that must cease immediately.

These violations give rise to obligations by all other states: to refrain from recognizing Israels breaches as legal or taking any actions that may amount to complicity in these breaches; and to take positive steps to suppress, prevent, and punish the commission by Israel of further genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in Gaza, the document adds.

The United States has long provided Israel with billions of dollars in military aid and diplomatic supportwhich have soared since October 7, despite growing pressure on U.S. President Joe Biden to cut off such assistance. The Democrat has incrementally increased his criticism of the Israeli assault in recent weeks, angering far-right leaders in both countries.

The new legal analysiswhich was sent to the U.N.s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, and the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israelcame on the same day that 20 human rights groups issued a joint statement.

The rights organizationsincluding Amnesty International, Mercy Corps, and Oxfamcalled on world leaders to urgently act in bringing to an end, and pursue accountability for, Israels grave breaches of international humanitarian law in Gaza.

Both documents were released on Nakba Day, which commemorates the ethnic cleansing of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Some experts and campaigners contend that the NakbaArabic for catastrophecontinues today.
Genocide, um, Israel defenders are frustrated at their inability to stomp out US opposition to the slaughter. We published on an earlier alert by Lara Friedman, of legislation passing the House and Senate that would end the not-for-profit status of organizations accused of supporting the anti-Zionist protests as terrorist supporters. We will shortly turn to a new sighting by Friedman, that of the House Oversight and Education and the Workforce committee so-chairs setting forth what amounts to an enemies list of 20 organizations, and demanding that Treasury cough up suspicious activity reports on the groups themselves, their officers and all employees.

The only good news about the latest salvo is that it is way more bark than bite. But that does not mean it wont, as intended, frighten a lot of people who have not worked that out.

Well return briefly to the earlier measure, of ending the not-for-profit status of Palestine rights advocates. The justification is that somehow Hamas is behind it. We included this sighting in our earlier post:

Speaker Mike Johnson, claiming that Hamas supports the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University and other U.S. colleges, has threatened congressional intervention, including pulling federal funding from the institutions. https://t.co/qy7eYO3Nik  ABC News (@ABC) April 25, 2024

Under pre-existing law, organizations that actually were getting Hamas money or advocating for Hamas could be stripped of their tax-exempt status for promoting terrorism. The big nasty bit in the new legislation is the near-total elimination of due process rights, so that the supporting Palestinians = supporting Hamas = supporting terrorism can be treated as if it were true.

The new gambit is the creation of what sure looks like an enemies list. Hoisted from the letter embedded below:

1. Students for Justice in Palestine (including any individual chapter thereof);

2. Jewish Voice for Peace (including any individual chapter thereof)

3. Within Our Lifetime

4. American Muslims for Palestine

5. IfNotNow

6. Open Society Foundations

7. Rockefeller Brothers Fund

8. Tides Foundation

9. Bill &; Melinda Gates Foundation

10. Solidaire Action

11. Libra Foundation

12. Westchester Peace Action Committee Foundation

13. Muslim Community Network

14. Council on American-Islamic Relations

15. Center for Popular Democracy

16. Peace Action New York State

17. Peoples Forum

18. Samidoun

19. Adalah Justice Project

20. Palestine Legal

Mind you, we are not saying these organizations are paragons of virtue. One colleague of the old left persuasion vented his considerable frustration about the lack of transparency among not-for-profits, particularly big ones. Treasury does not publish their tax returns, which are supposed to be public, on a timely basis, and in too many cases, pretty much not at all. This colleague is interested in the interplay between not-for-profit donations and what amounts to soft lobbying, which is not entirely kosher either (political advocacy not-for-profits are 501 (c) 4s, where the entity is tax exempt, but donations to it are not tax deductible). He also contends that there is a lot of donation washing among them, with some like Tides acting as top tier recipients and then distributing funds to others, masking original sources. He also believes that even the big ones pass money to each other. He seems to regard this as decidedly not on the up and provided a concrete example as to why., a suit by Black Lives Matter against Tides. I must confess to not having read it carefully, but the drift of the gist is that Tides held itself out as being able to help organizations like Black Lives Matter manage large donations, but instead is now refusing to turn the entrusted money over and has allegedly mismanaged it. 1

Update: As I was working on this post, The Hill posted a new article confirming our enemies list thesis. House Ways and Means Committee chair Jason Smith is demanding that the Chamber of Commerce splain $12 million it received from Tides. From that article:

House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) has demanded the U.S. Chamber of Commerce answer questions about the more than $12 million its Chamber of Commerce Foundation received from the Tides Foundation, a left-leaning nonprofit, between 2018 and 2022. In a letter last Monday to Chamber president and CEO Suzanne Clark and foundation President Carolyn Cawley, Smith said that the Tides grants appear to conflict with the Chambers mission to support American businesses and raise questions about the groups tax-exempt status. The Chamber and the foundation say the probe is based on a misunderstanding. Eric Eversole, president of the foundations Hiring Our Heroes program, told The Hill the funds the foundation received were charitable contributions from corporations made to the donor advised fund, a charitable giving vehicle that makes it virtually impossible to trace the ultimate source of the funds. A Tides spokesperson told The Hill that Smiths inquiry is a politically-motivated PR tactic during an election year, driven by actors who disagree with the social justice work of Tides and our partner organizations. But Smith made clear he was not satisfied with the initial response. The mission statement for the Chamber is pretty obvious: to help American businesses, he said. Getting $12 million from Tides and then trying to say its really not from Tides, its from someone else, that makes me want to look harder.

Back to the original post. So its is not as if the fever-swampy right doesnt have a legitimate beef about the cozy practices of some of the big NGOs on the Democrat-friendly side. But thats not what this House Oversight Committee action is about. Its an attempt to intimidate.

Specifically, Suspicious Activity Reports are filed with Treasury by banks and other financial institutions when they see money-laundering-like activity. From Investopedia:

A suspicious activity report (SAR) is a tool provided under the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) of 1970 for monitoring suspicious activities that would not ordinarily be flagged under other reports (such as the currency transaction report). The SAR became the standard form to report suspicious activity in 1996. SARs can cover almost any activity that is out of the ordinary. An activity may be included in the SAR if the activity gives rise to a suspicion that the account holder is attempting to hide something or make an illegal transaction. The SAR is filed by the financial institution that observes suspicious activity in an account. The report is filed with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, who will then investigate the incident. FinCEN is a division of the U.S. Treasury. The financial institution has the responsibility to file a report within 30 days regarding any account activity they deem to be suspicious or out of the ordinaryThe goal of the SAR and the resulting investigation is to identify customers who are involved in money laundering, fraud, or terrorist funding Some of the common patterns of suspicious activity identified by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network are as follows A lack of evidence of legitimate business activity (or any business operations at all) undertaken by many of the parties to the transactions(s)

Unusual financial nexuses and transactions occurring among certain business types (for example, a food importer dealing with an auto parts exporter)

Transactions not commensurate with the stated business type or that are unusual compared with volumes of similar businesses operating locally

Unusually large numbers and/or volumes of wire transfers, repetitive wire transfer patterns

Unusually complex series of transactions involving multiple accounts, banks, and parties

Bulk cash and monetary instrument transactions

Unusual mixed deposits into a business account

Bursts of transactions within short periods, especially in dormant accounts

Transactions or volumes of activity inconsistent with the expected purpose of the account or activity level as mentioned by the account holder when opening the account

Transactions attempting to avoid reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

So the House Oversight Committee is asking Treasury to cough up existing SARs on its 20 suspect organizations and pretty much anyone working for them in an official capacity. Congress has that power. However, Congress cannot and this letter does not ask Treasury or financial institutions generally to engage in additional scrutiny of these 20 groups.

Importantly, Treasury has ignored requests like this. When the Republicans gained control of the House, they asked Treasury for the 100+ SARs on Hunter Biden. None has been produced.

So the value of this exercise is primarily the fear factor. And perhaps the House Oversight Committee gets lucky and the Treasury actually does have some SARs that fall within the ambit of this fishing expedition. You can be sure that the committee will waive the findings as a bloody flag, even if they are trivial in scale and/or explainable.

So while this is an exercise in threat display, it does show that Congresscritters seem intent on punishing too visible pro-Palestine speech and action any way they can. Expect more, and potentially more potent measures.

____

1 I would have embedded it, but in the absolutely discourteous way people generate documents now, even taking only the first 24 pages of a 285 page filing still produced an over 11 MB document, when WordPress will only take a 2MB upload. And dont suggest reducing size. The tools I have will shrink it by only 20%.
On Thursday, 16 May 2024, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mr Mircea Geoana, will travel to Berlin, Germany.

Mr Geoana will participate in a discussion on Looking ahead: NATO at 75, as part of the XII Adenauer Conference: Germanys Role in International Security Policy.

There will be no media opportunity.

Photographs of the event will be made available later on the NATO website.

For more information:

For general queries: contact the NATO Press Office

For more information on the XII Adenauer Conferences programme, please access the events website.



Follow us on X (@NATO, @Mircea_Geoana and @NATOPress)
On Friday, 17 May 2024, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mr Mircea Geoana, will travel to The Hague, the Netherlands.

The NATO Deputy Secretary General will give a speech at the Cyber Defence Pledge Conference 2024, and he will meet the Dutch Minister of Defence, Ms Kajsa Ollongren.

Later, Mr Geoana will participate in a discussion on NATO in a Changing World, taking place at the University of Leiden.

Media advisory

9:00 (CEST) Speech by the NATO Deputy Secretary General at the Cyber Defence Pledge Conference 2024

Media coverage

The Deputy Secretary Generals speech at the Cyber Defence Pledge Conference will be streamed live on the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs YouTube channel.

A transcript of the Deputy Secretary Generals speech will be available on the NATO website.

For more information:

For general queries: contact the NATO Press Office

Follow us on X (@NATO, @Mircea_Geoana and @NATOPress)
On 16 May, the NATO Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence Session took place at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. The 32 Allied Chiefs of Defence focused on the executability of the Alliances new defence plans, NATOs warfighting transformation and NATOs continued support to Ukraine. The Chiefs of Defence also met in the NATO-Ukraine Council format with the Ukrainian military leadership.

Opening the NATO Military Committee session alongside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Chair of the Military Committee Admiral Rob Bauer stressed that, NATO is stronger and readier than it has ever been. And its growing stronger by the day. We have it within ourselves to build on the ground-breaking work that has already been done. The integration of NATO and national military planning will enable us to do exactly what the NATO flag symbolises: all Allies will follow the same compass.

The first session focused on warfighting transformation saw the Chiefs of Defence meet with General Philippe Lavigne, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT). This session focused on the future of multi domain operations, the adaptation of NATOs Command and Control and the NATO Defence Planning Process.

This was followed by the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council in Chiefs of Defence format. The Chief of Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Major General Anatoliy Barhylevych, briefed the NATO Chiefs of Defence on the situation on the ground. The Chiefs of Defence reaffirmed their firm and continued support to Ukraine, emphasising the bravery and sacrifice of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Admiral Bauer stated that Ukraine has demonstrated the world that it has the ability to achieve unprecedented success on the battlefield. There is nothing they cannot do. All they need is our help.

The afternoon saw General Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander Europe - SACEUR, brief on the executability of the DDA Family of Plans and the way ahead regarding NATOs deterrence and defence posture. Allies are actively working on making the new defence plans fully executable.




Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Thursday (16 May 2024) to discuss preparations for the Washington Summit  including work to further strengthen deterrence and defence, and to support Ukraine.

Mr Stoltenberg commended Lithuanias commitment to Allied security. Lithuania hosts a multinational battlegroup, NATOs Baltic Air Policing Mission, and a Centre of Excellence for Energy Security. The Secretary General also praised Lithuanias commitment to spend 3% of GDP on defence from 2025.

Mr Stoltenberg thanked Prime Minister Simonyte for Lithuanias support for Ukraine. He highlighted that, at the upcoming Washington Summit, Allied leaders will work towards securing further long-term support for Ukraine.
AstraZeneca directs European Medicines Agency to revoke authorization for its own COVID-19 vaccine

AstraZeneca, the British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company that defrauded the world and harmed untold numbers of people with its Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, has just directed the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to revoke authorization for their COVID-19 vaccine

The EMA has followed suit and revoked authorization for AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine, (Vaxzevria and Covishield) - proving that European regulators wouldnt dare criticize, let alone remove a vaccine from the market, unless the vaccine company directed them to do so.

This turn of events goes to show that the regulatory agencies are a facade and only acted in the best interest of the pharmaceutical industry from the start, endorsing bad science and promoting propaganda when it is economically convenient, only to shut down the vaccine campaign after masses of people had been hurt or killed. Over 67 million doses were delivered over several years time before anything was done about this atrocity. The "vaccine"  jointly developed by the University of Oxford  remained on the market for three years, despite there being evidence that it was causing blood clots and killing people.

AstraZeneca on trial in Englands High Court

AstraZenecas revoked vaccine experiment is currently on trial in London. This is the same vaccine former Prime Minister Boris Johnson initially praised for supposedly being a triumph for British science. Its the same vaccine that the United Nations prioritized for India and impoverished regions of the world because it was the cheapest vaccine vial to ship, distribute and store. The vaccines non-mRNA design afforded it less stringent refrigeration requirements.

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.

Fast forward to 2024: Families who have lost a loved one to the vaccine are disregarding AstraZenecas liability-free contracts that were signed with governments around the world. People are waking up to the scam and are seeking some form of justice for their loved ones. These families have organized a class action lawsuit and have taken their case to Englands High Court to be compensated and have their voice be heard - so that others will not have to go through the same hell.

The damages from the AstraZeneca vaccine are expected to exceed 100 million British pounds ($125 million) in total. However, AstraZeneca wont be held criminally or civilly liable for the vaccine injuries, even after the injuries are validated by medical testimony and research. AstraZenecas corrupt indemnity clause with the government of the United Kingdom forces taxpayers to cover the settlements that AstraZeneca should be held responsible for.

Over 50 cases are currently being heard in court. These cases involve injury surrounding one type of vaccine injury: Vaccine-Induced Thrombocytopenic Thrombosis (VITT). The plaintiffs allege that the vaccine was defective and responsible for death and brain injuries. AstraZeneca ultimately admitted in recent court filings that their vaccine can cause vaccine-induced thrombocytopenic thrombosis, characterized by blood clots, and lowered blood platelet count.

It is admitted that the AZ vaccine can, in very rare cases, cause TTS, AstraZeneca admitted in recent court filings.

Kate Scott, whose husband Jamie Scott has permanent brain damage from the AstraZeneca vaccine, said, The medical world has acknowledged for a long time that VITT was caused by the vaccine. Its only AstraZeneca who have questioned whether Jamies condition was caused by the jab. The vaccine is now linked to 81 fatalities from VITT in Britain alone.

Even though the gavel is falling on AstraZeneca, the company claims that their decision to revoke their vaccines authorization is based on commercial reasons. People are indeed rejecting new COVID-19 booster shots, causing an oversupply of worthless vaccines that should be shipped off and burned in an incinerator.

The dominoes continue to fall, and this is a big domino that will drive more awareness of vaccine injury - hopefully saving future generations from deadly vaccine experiments that will assuredly be weaponized again in the near future.

Sources include:

TheNationalPulse.com

MSN.com

NaturalNews.com
FBI admits colluding with Big Tech to ramp up online censorship efforts ahead of 2024 election

Remember all the collusion stories we wrote about the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and its efforts to control free speech through social media infiltration? Well, we have learned that the censorship has resumed ahead of the 2024 election.

The FBI just "resumed collusive efforts," according to The Federalist, with social media companies like Facebook and Twitter to censor posts and silence influencers who are caught spreading "disinformation," as, of course, defined by the FBI and its controllers.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, spilled the beans about it at a recent press conference, telling the media that federal agencies like the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are once again colluding with Big Tech to "remov[e] disinformation on their sites as the November presidential election nears," this being a direct quote from NexGov and FCW.

The censorship talks between Big Government and Big Tech resumed this past March, according to Warner, right around the time oral arguments were heard by the Supreme Court in the Murthy v. Missouri censorship case.

After Warner dropped the bomb about all this, shocking the media, an FBI representative confirmed that the agency has, in fact, linked back up with the social media sphere to silence anyone and everyone whom the deep state does not like.

"The FBI remains committed to combatting foreign malign influence operations, including in connection with our elections," the FBI representative reportedly told The Federalist. "That effort includes sharing specific foreign threat information with state and local election officials and private sector companies when appropriate and rigorously consistent with the law."

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.

"In coordination with the Department of Justice, the FBI recently implemented procedures to facilitate sharing information about foreign malign influence with social media companies in a way that reinforces that private companies are free to decide on their own whether and how to take action on that information."

(Related: According to censorship expert Mike Benz, the 2020 election was rigged for Joe Biden at least seven months ahead of voting day.)

Deep state destruction of America

As for CISA's involvement in the scheme, CISA External Affairs Specialist Tess Hyre declined to comment, but did reveal that CISA Director Jen Easterly will be participating in an "election security" hearing in "the coming weeks."

Neither the FBI nor CISA will say when the communications with Big Tech about censorship resumed, nor have either of the two federal agencies identified the specific social media companies they are working with to silence free speech.

What is worse, neither the FBI nor CISA will even define what constitutes "disinformation" in their eyes, nor will they reveal what other federal agencies are doing to make it disappear from the internet.

Concerning the Murthy v. Missouri case, U.S. District Court Judge Terry Doughty issued a preliminary injunction back in July of 2023 barring federal agencies from colluding with Big Tech to censor content online of which they disapprove.

"If the allegations made by Plaintiffs are true, the present case arguably involves the most massive attack against free speech in United States' history," Doughty wrote in his ruling.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that injunction last September. However, the initial ruling did not pertain to CISA, which is often referred to as the "nerve center" of the federal government's censorship operations. Later that year, the court corrected the ruling to include CISA.

Then it went to the Supreme Court, which lifted the Fifth Circuit's injunction in October to once again allow Big Government to collude with Big Tech to censor Americans  so much for Donald Trump's "freedom"-minded packed SCOTUS.

The FBI is a scourge on the American landscape. Learn more at FBICorruption.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheFederalist.com

NaturalNews.com
First patient to receive genetically modified PIG KIDNEY dies less than two months after operation

A 62-year-old man living with end-stage kidney disease died on Saturday, May 11, less than two months after becoming the first patient to receive a genetically modified pig kidney

Richard Slayman had the transplant at Massachusetts General Hospital back in March. Surgeons predicted that the pig kidney could give Slayman up to two more years of life. (Related: Worlds second human recipient of genetically altered pig heart dies after showing signs of organ rejection.)

The transplant team at Massachusetts General Hospital announced in a statement it was deeply saddened by Slayman's passing and gave condolences to his family.

"The Mass General transplant team is deeply saddened at the sudden passing of Mr. Rick Slayman. We have no indication that it was the result of his recent transplant. Mr. Slayman will forever be seen as a beacon of hope to countless transplant patients worldwide and we are deeply grateful for his trust and willingness to advance the field of xenotransplantation. We offer our heartfelt condolences to Mr. Slayman's family and loved ones as they remember an extraordinary person whose generosity and kindness touched all who knew him," the hospital said in a statement.

Pig kidney used in transplant genetically modified to function as human kidney

Slayman had been living with hypertension and Type 2 diabetes for many years. He received a kidney transplant from a human kidney in 2018. He had to go back on dialysis a year later and soon experienced complications. His doctors recommended the novel "xenotransplant" operation.

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 kidney used in the transplant was genetically modified to remove the pig genes present in the kidney, replacing them with human ones that would enhance its capability to function as a proper human kidney.

Slayman's surgery lasted for four hours and was conducted with a "compassionate use" clearance under the Expanded Access Protocol. The protocol is invoked when patients confronting life-threatening illnesses have done all other treatment alternatives and only experimental ones can provide them with a chance to live longer.

Upon leaving the hospital following his recovery, Slayman was reportedly upbeat and confident. In a statement, Slayman's family remembered him as an inspiration for people worldwide.

"Millions of people worldwide have come to know Rick's story. We felt  and still feel  comforted by the optimism he provided patients desperately waiting for a transplant. To us, Rick was a kind-hearted man with a quick-witted sense of humor who was fiercely dedicated to his family, friends and co-workers," Slayman's family mentioned in a statement.

"After his transplant, Rick said that one of the reasons he underwent this procedure was to provide hope for the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive. Rick accomplished that goal, and his hope and optimism will endure forever. His legacy will be one that inspires patients, researchers, and health care professionals everywhere," Slayman's family added.

Follow DangerousMedicine.com for more news about so-called "innovative" medical procedures that are clearly very dangerous.

Watch this video reporting on an experimental pig-to-human kidney transplant conducted back in 2021.

This video is from the Hunter's Point channel on Brighteon.com.

More related articles:

Scientists pressuring FDA to approve use of bioengineered animal organs in human transplants.

Japan to legalize "organ transplant farms" of animals to be raised and slaughtered for human transplant organs.

Animal organ HARVESTING farms coming soon? Researchers develop method to "refurbish" harvested animal organs for human transplant.

Sources include:

100PercentFedUp.com

APNews.com

CBSNews.com

IBTimes.sg

Brighteon.com
Israeli government colluded with Zionist billionaires to write Americas authoritarian antisemitism laws

Anti-war protests are taking place throughout the nation, with many student protests on college campuses being shut down based on claims of antisemitism  even though most of them do not target Jewish people and are aimed solely at calling for an end to genocide in Gaza. Likewise, claims of antisemitism are being used as an excuse to censor people online who are not supportive of Israels military actions. How did a country founded on principles like freedom of speech end up in this position?

Journalist and political analyst Jonas Vesterberg, writing for the National File, recently took a deep dive into the origins of antisemitism laws and how they have been used to ensure no one says anything negative about Israel. In many cases, these laws can be traced to the efforts of wealthy Israeli expatriates working alongside the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to keep criticism of Zionism and Israel at bay.

He also draws attention to the most extreme effort in this regard, which also happens to be the most recent: The Antisemitism Awareness Act, which was passed by Congress last week.

The bill aims to facilitate hate crime prosecutions against individuals who protest against Israels actions in Gaza on college campuses, and it applies a very broad definition of the term antisemitism in an attempt to target as many protesters as possible.

The definition of antisemitic hate speech under the Antisemitism Awareness Act appears in a lengthy list that was published by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Some of the definitions are fairly straightforward and obvious, such as calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion.

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.

Others, however, are much looser and seem to have a throw everything at the wall and see what sticks vibe to them. For example, one definition is Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations. Similarly, claiming that the existence of a state of Israel is a racist endeavor also falls under their definition.

These definitions were adopted by the bill despite criticism about their Constitutional implications, such as Foundation for Middle East Peace President Lara Friedmans warning in Jewish Currents: Parts of that definition conflate antisemitism with both criticism of Israel and anti-Zionism; as a result, the implications of this new legislation for free speech are alarming.

Even the author of the IHRAs definition, Jewish scholar Kenneth Stern, believes it has been subverted and insists it was not meant to be used to restrict free speech. Speaking to The Times of Israel, he explained: There was never any idea that this would be used as a de facto hate speech code on campus.

Wealthy expats linked to Israeli government working to keep critics censored

According to Vesterberg, numerous legislative efforts that have made their way through Congress and state legislatures that are about fighting antisemitism on the surface but really target criticism of Israel and Zionism can be traced to wealthy Israeli expats in the United States with links to the Israeli government. Zionist billionaires like Haim Saban, Sheldon Adelson and Adam Milstein are among the names involved.

Another individual who has played a key role is Israeli American Council attorney Joseph Sabag, who was behind Floridas controversial antisemitism bill HB 741, which the states governor, Ron DeSantis, signed in Israel in 2019. His bio for the group notes: In just the last 6 years, he has led drafting and successful advocacy of legislation and key policy resolutions supporting Israel and combatting anti-Semitism in over two-thirds the states in America.

However, its Sabags bio on X that is far more telling. In his profile page, he identifies himself as Chief Pest Control Officer  which is widely being interpreted as an implication that Palestinians are pests he seeks to control.

Sources for this article include:

NationalFile.com

Twitter.com
VIDEO: Israelis attack Jordanian aid trucks delivering food supplies to starving Palestinians in Gaza

A mob of Israeli settlers were filmed attacking a Jordanian truck convoy delivering desperately needed food aid to Palestinians starving in Gaza under Israel's blockade.

(Article by Chris Menahan republished from InformationLiberation.com)

BREAKING: Rampaging Israeli settlers attack trucks carrying desperately needed humanitarian aid on the way to the besieged Gaza Strip, unloading and destroying bags of wheat flour. pic.twitter.com/79BwSq5QWU  Quds News Network (@QudsNen) May 13, 2024

Videos shared on Monday showed Jewish men and women trashing the aid trucks while laughing and waving Israeli flags.

BREAKING: A mob of Israeli settlers attack Jordanian trucks carrying desperately needed humanitarian aid on the way to the besieged Gaza Strip, unloading and destroying bags of wheat flour. This comes as most of the Gaza Strip plunges into starvation amidst the strict Israeli pic.twitter.com/6WT0CUmVGH  Quds News Network (@QudsNen) May 13, 2024

Israeli right wing activists blocked aid trucks which were on their way to Gaza today at the Tarqumiya crossing in the West Bank pic.twitter.com/fUd3ywuDbr  Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) May 13, 2024

Under Israeli government supervision, Israeli settler mobs have been attacking Jordanian humanitarian aid convoys en route to Gaza. They are advocating for the mass starvation of Palestinians in the Strip. pic.twitter.com/NOoCGvpsKe  Quds News Network (@QudsNen) May 13, 2024

Footage shows Israeli settler mobs attacking and destroying humanitarian aid convoys en route to the Gaza Strip. Israeli sources suggest that these mobs are orchestrated by Israeli officials through organized groups, providing them with routes and timing of the convoys to pic.twitter.com/MbN7os2Jbn  Quds News Network (@QudsNen) May 13, 2024

The World Food Program director Cindy McCain said earlier this month that parts of the Gaza Strip are already experiencing a "full-blown famine" and the situation is only getting worse, the NY Times reported.

Israeli occupation naval forces are firing at Palestinians who are fishing along the shores of Gaza, as Israel blockade of all crossings into the strip, leading to starvation. pic.twitter.com/Vh7blBSK56  Quds News Network (@QudsNen) May 13, 2024

Israeli civilians under the protection of Israeli police have been throwing parties in the streets to block food aid from entering Gaza for months now.

Today at the Nitzana border crossing Israeli citizens are bringing their machine guns and small children to block all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza. The military is having fun. The kids are cooking cotton candy. pic.twitter.com/9rGpCnQS4A  Jeremy Loffredo (@loffredojeremy) February 27, 2024

Literally having a rave along the border wall to block aid from reaching Gaza. These are truly sick disgusting people pic.twitter.com/HhQG5qSDay  HOT SPOT (@HotSpotHotSpot) February 12, 2024

Israelis set up a bouncy house and a picnic right next to the border of Gaza as they protest aid to starve children on the other side like its a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese pic.twitter.com/13bwvdJB5s  HOT SPOT (@HotSpotHotSpot) February 24, 2024

Victory for @TheDemocrats Kahanist caucus! 2 years after Biden removed the most racist and most murderous Jewish faction of the last half-century from the State Department list of terrorist organizations, Israeli police officers are now openly identifying as members of the group! https://t.co/mdUPyYiEt1  David Sheen (@davidsheen) May 13, 2024

Congress voted to give Israel another $26 billion in aid just last month.

"As everyone is focusing on the decision to delay one set of ammunition, everything else keeps flowing." US Ambassador Jacob Lew says that the US is continuing to generously send more weapons to Israel. pic.twitter.com/sdbC5zpT8E  Quds News Network (@QudsNen) May 12, 2024

Read more at: InformationLiberation.com
Poll: Majority of Democratic voters believe Israel is COMMITTING GENOCIDE in Gaza and Biden is supporting it

A recent poll has found that a majority of likely Democratic voters believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza in a military campaign supported by President Joe Biden

When asked if they believe Israel was committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza, 56 percent of Democrats, 36 percent of Independents and 23 percent of Republicans said yes. This amounts to 39 percent of "all likely voters" believing that Israel is committing genocide. Thirty-eight percent disagree and 23 percent do not know.

The poll also discovered that 55 percent of Democratic voters "disapprove" of the clampdown on student protests against the war at college campuses across the United States, another position placing Democratic voters at odds with Biden, who has strongly criticized the demonstrations.

The poll also showed a rise in support for a ceasefire in Gaza among all respondents. It discovered that 70 percent of all likely voters supported the idea of the U.S. pushing for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Broken down, 83 percent of Democrats, 65 percent of independents and 56 percent of Republicans want a ceasefire. This is an increase from 67 percent who supported a permanent ceasefire back in February.

Data for Progress published a related poll in February that discovered 67 percent of American voters supported the idea of a permanent ceasefire.

The call for a ceasefire in Gaza is an issue that the Biden administration has been at odds with the American public with the U.S. hesitating on the issue eventually. The Biden administration has refused to call for a ceasefire that is not connected to an agreement to release all hostages, with the White House claiming that a mostly unconditional ceasefire would only benefit Hamas.

Human knowledge is under attack! Governments and powerful corporations are using censorship to wipe out humanity's knowledge base about nutrition, herbs, self-reliance, natural immunity, food production, preparedness and much more. We are preserving human knowledge using AI technology while building the infrastructure of human freedom. Speak freely without censorship at the new decentralized, blockchain-power Brighteon.io. Explore our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Support our efforts to build the infrastructure of human freedom by shopping at HealthRangerStore.com, featuring lab-tested, certified organic, non-GMO foods and nutritional solutions.

The Biden administration is slowly rethinking its support of Israel. It recently declared a halt to a weapons shipment to Israel over concerns over civilian casualties in Rafah amid a renewed Israeli assault on the city where over a million Palestinians have sought refuge. The administration is reviewing or halting future arms shipments to Israel.

Nevertheless, over the last seven months of the war, America has continued to support giving massive arms shipments to Israel even though a plurality of voters  46 percent  disapprove of Congress' authorization of $4 billion in aid to Israel to replenish the ammunition for its missile systems, while 37 percent believe military aid to Israel should decrease.

Among Democrats, 52 percent disapprove of the aid authorization and 42 percent think overall military aid to Israel should decrease. Among Republicans, 37 percent disapprove of the authorization and 28 percent want aid to shrink.

Concerns over U.S. support for Gaza genocide could affect November election

The war in Gaza could have a huge effect on the U.S. general election in November, especially among younger Americans and first-time voters who have been notably vocal about the progress of the war, earning Biden the derogatory moniker "Genocide Joe" among young progressives. (Related: Genocide Joe Biden shows devotion to Israel, sends reinforcements to fight Iran.)

At least 90 universities across the country have hosted protests against Israel's war on Gaza amid concern that those universities may be investing resources into companies that aid the genocide.

Protests have repeatedly been met with violence from law enforcement agencies after university administrations have called police forces to break up encampments and sit-ins of their students.

The suppression of university protests has been another dividing force among the American public.

The newest poll shows 46 percent of all likely voters disapprove of "limiting students' rights and abilities to protest Israel's military operations."

The split among party lines once again sees greater disapproval among Democrats (55 percent) in comparison to Republicans (36 percent).

Follow Genocide.news for more stories about the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Watch the video below about the Biden administration pausing a key weapons shipment to Israel.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related articles:

Biden regime providing nearly all the weapons used by Israel to commit genocide.

Israel accuses ICC of antisemitism amid rumors they may issue arrest warrants for genocidal leaders.

Biden reiterates ironclad support for Israel despite the nations ongoing genocide campaign that relies on U.S. weapons to slaughter women and children in Gaza.

Israel using AI to commit mass genocide in Gaza with little, if any, human oversight.

Sources include:

News.AntiWar.com

MiddleEastEye.net

DataForProgress.org

Brighteon.com
Gen. Mark Milley defends Israels genocide by admitting that U.S. military has also slaughtered innocent people in massive numbers

At the recent Ash Carter Exchange on Innovation and National Security gathering in Washington, D.C., a speaking panel talked about Israel's genocide in Gaza. One of the panel's members, retired United States Army Gen. Mark Milley tried to defend Israel's actions by admitting that the U.S. military is just as guilty as Israel of murdering large numbers of innocent people "who had nothing to do with their government."

Thinking himself to be delivering some kind of justifiable flex for mass murder, Milley revealed what many people already know well about how the U.S. and Israeli governments are mass murder machines. He also called anyone who opposes these mass murder machines "terrorists" on the "wrong side" of the fight.

Milley did not stop there. He then proceeded to justify Israel's gross war crimes by regurgitating tired and already debunked lies about Hamas "mass beheadings" and "mass rapes," and comparing Hamas  an Israeli-installed government in Gaza, by the way  to "the Nazis."

It is almost as if Israel installed Hamas as Gaza's government on purpose to create a crisis that Zionists could then use as justification to murder untold numbers of innocent Palestinians who, like Milley himself admitted, "had nothing to do with their government."

(Related: If Trump gets reelected as president, Americans could find themselves in the gulag or executed for saying things that upset Zionists.)

If you disapprove of Israel, "you are an infection inside of our society," says Palantir CEO Alex Karp

Joining the chorus of pro-genocide insanity on display at Ash Carter was Palantir CEO Alex Karp, who accused those protesting for peace in Gaza of "actually [being] the war activists."

We are building the infrastructure of human freedom and empowering people to be informed, healthy and aware. Explore our decentralized, peer-to-peer, uncensorable Brighteon.io free speech platform here. Learn about our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Every purchase at HealthRangerStore.com helps fund our efforts to build and share more tools for empowering humanity with knowledge and abundance.

"We're the peace activists," Karp claimed about himself and his clan.

"You are an infection inside of our society!" Karp proceeded to yell at the Gaza solidarity protesters who are calling for Israel to stop committing genocide in Gaza, and for their institutions of higher learning to divest from all things Israel.

Ret. Gen. Mark Milley says the US has committed so many war crimes over the years, it has no right to criticize Israel's devastation of Gaza Palantir CEO Alex Karp chimes in: "The peace activists are actually the war activists, and we're the peace activists." Karp says of Gaza pic.twitter.com/Ktc5H4uYJi  Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) May 8, 2024

Keep in mind that four years ago, Karp was fuming mad about statements made by former President Donald Trump decrying the George Floyd riots and all the damage they were causing to businesses and cities across America.

According to Karp concerning that incident, we are "all Americans," he once said, "no matter what country [they] came from." Make it make sense.

"Now he's getting rich giving paid speeches like these defending Israel's indiscriminate slaughter of women and children in Gaza and demonizing the Americans protesting the genocide in Gaza as terrorists!" wrote Chris Menahan for Information Liberation about Karp's statements at Ash Carter.

Palantir, by the way, is a software company that works directly with the U.S. government and its intelligence apparatus to "achieve their most challenging operational objectives." The biggest one of those "challenging operational objectives" right now appears to be finishing the genocide in Gaza before We the People figure out a way to put a stop to it, if possible.

"The government is controlled by foreign interests," one commenter wrote about the travesty of fascism and treason, which now controls American society from the top down.

"They are all crazy, demon-driven psychos," wrote another about Milley, Karp, and all the rest who support their positions. "This is what these demons consider normal."

The latest news about Israel's genocide in Gaza can be found at Genocide.news.

Sources for this article include:

InformationLiberation.com

NaturalNews.com
Russias new invasion is targeting Ukraines second largest city, and that could bring us to the brink of nuclear Armageddon

The war in Ukraine has just moved to an entirely new level, but most Americans do not even realize that we are closer to nuclear Armageddon than ever. Very early on the morning of May 10th, Russian forces began to pour across Ukraines border north of Kharkiv. In the short-term this will enable the Russians to create a buffer zone around the Belgorod region and force Ukraine to pull desperately needed forces away from the eastern front. But eventually I believe that the Russians fully intend to take Kharkiv, and that would be an absolutely devastating blow. Needless to say, losing Ukraines second largest city is not an option for Ukraines western backers, and they are determined to do whatever it takes to keep that from happening.

(Article by Michael republished from EndOfTheAmericanDream.com)

It would be hard to overstate the importance of what we just witnessed. Russian forces have come across the border in an area that is far away from any other current conflict zone. UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron says that Russia has basically invaded [Ukraine] again

A Ukrainian regional official insisted Russias progress was not yet significant but admitted ground fighting in the area was spreading. Meanwhile, speaking on British television, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron acknowledged it was an extremely dangerous moment, adding that Russia had effectively invaded [Ukraine] again.

He is right.

This move by Russia really is essentially a fresh invasion, and it represents the most dramatic offensive that the Russians have undertaken since the early days of the war.

According to CBS News, the Russians were able to capture five villages on Saturday and four more on Sunday

Evacuation teams worked non-stop throughout the day to take residents, most of whom were elderly, out of harms way. At least 4,000 civilians have fled the Kharkiv region since Friday, when Moscows forces launched the operation, Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said in a social media statement. Heavy fighting raged Sunday along the northeast front line, where Russian forces attacked 27 settlements in the past 24 hours, he said. The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that its forces had captured four villages, in addition to five villages reported to have been seized the day before.

It is being estimated that the Russians are in control of about 100 square kilometers in the border area, and this advance is going to force Ukrainian leaders to transfer forces from other areas

Russian Federation forces have penetrated the defenses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from 3 to 5 km in Kharkov region, with a control zone in the border area to 110 square kilometers. This will have a ripple effect in all the 600-mile-long frontline. As soon as Ukrainian top General Syrsky begins to transfer units to the northern regions of Kharkov and Sumy, the front in Donetsk will fold, and Chasov Yar, Kurakhovo and Krasnoarmeysk are expected to instantly collapse. Ukrainian Armed Forces in fact have withdrawn some of the units of the 42nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade from the front near Chasov Yar and are hastily transferring troops north.

Of course the Ukrainians dont have enough soldiers anywhere at this stage.

The Russians have been steadily gaining ground all over the map in recent weeks, and over the weekend significant gains were made near Chasiv Yar and Krasnohorivka

It is not just in Ukraines north that Kyivs armed forces are losing ground.

DeepStateMap also shows Russia making further gains in two other key areas, most notably towards the town of Chasiv Yar, which has become an important forward military position, and further south in the industrial town of Krasnohorivka, where Russian troops are now in control of the towns main facility, a brick factory.

Ukraine is clearly losing the war, and western leaders are getting desperate.

When asked about the new Russian offensive near Kharkiv, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Face the Nation that we are not going anywhere

Weve been providing the systems to do that, but its a challenging moment. We are not going anywhere, and neither are more than some 50 countries that are supporting Ukraine. That will continue and if [Russian President Vladimir] Putin thinks he can outlast Ukraine, outlast its supporters. Hes wrong.

The U.S. is going to continue to pour billions of dollars into Ukraine, but everyone can see that isnt going to be enough to alter the trajectory of the conflict.

The only way that Ukraine will be able to win is for NATO to intervene directly, and that is dangerously close to becoming a reality.

For example, politicians in Germany actually want to use NATO air defense systems based in Poland and Romania to protect the western regions of Ukraine from Russian drones

There is a proposal to use NATO air defense systems deployed on the eastern borders of the Alliance to protect the western regions of Ukraine from Russian drones. In particular, Poland and Romania could do this. This idea is supported by representatives of some German political parties, including the ruling Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Union 90/Greens. According to the newspaper, the idea of using NATO air defense systems deployed in Romania and Poland and operated by NATO forces to shoot down Russian drones over Western Ukraine was proposed by Nico Lange, an expert at the Munich Security Council (MSC) and former NATO Deputy Secretary General, and was suggested by Lieutenant General Horst Heinrich Braus. According to Lange, this would create a 70-kilometer safe zone on the Ukrainian border. This could relieve Ukrainian air defense forces in other parts of the front.

Read more at: EndOfTheAmericanDream.com
Saudi Arabia VIOLENTLY EVICTED thousands to make way for its green city Neom

Saudi Arabian officials have reportedly allowed the use of lethal force against local villagers to clear land and construct the "green" city named Neom, or "The Line."

Saudi Arabian dissident and former colonel and intelligence officer in the Saudi Arabian secret police Rabih Alenezi, who is now living in exile in the United Kingdom, noted how he was given orders to evict villagers from a local tribe to clear the land for Neom.

Alenezi reported witnessing one person  Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti of the Howeitat tribe  being shot and killed. Al-Huwaiti refused to let a land registry committee value his property, and he was shot and killed during clearance operations. It was reported that he had posted videos on social media protesting the evictions.

Saudi state security officers claimed that Al-Huwaiti fired on them first and that he was then shot in retaliation. Human rights groups have disputed this, saying that evidence points to Al-Huwaiti being killed for refusing to leave the area and comply with eviction orders.

In a report on the killing and Alenezi's whistleblowing, the BBC noted that it was not able to "independently verify Col. Alenezi's comments about lethal force." However, it did say that it had a source who was familiar with the inner workings of Saudi intelligence who told the BBC that Alenezi's testimony about the clearance mission was accurate in terms of what such clearance missions entail. (Related: Twitter accused of helping Saudi Arabia commit HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES by disclosing user information of online dissidents.)

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.

Alenezi noted that he does not regret his decision to become a dissident by refusing to execute clearance orders for the project, claiming that Saudi Crown Prince and de facto absolute ruler Mohammed Bin Salman "will let nothing stand in the way of the building of Neom."

"I started to become more worried about what I might be asked to do to my own people," he noted.

"The Line" is the flagship "green" project of what is known as Neom, a $1.5 trillion development on the area's Red Sea. It is being built as part of Saudi Arabias 2030 strategy, which looks to move the kingdom's economy away from oil and its vast reserves.

"The Line" itself is a 100-mile-long "car-free" city that is in the northwest of the Gulf country, according to renderings. It will "run into the Red Sea," where an extension of its structure will serve as a port for ships.

The Neom project is being built by dozens of global construction companies, many of them Western-based. According to an analysis conducted by the BBC, satellite images show that three village schools and hospitals have been demolished to make way for the project.

Saudi government allegedly targeting dissidents opposed to Neom construction

Reports indicate that as many as 20,000 locals were forcibly evicted to make way for the Neom project, and the Howeitat tribe is at the forefront of opposition to the project. The tribe's vocal opposition has led to multiple prominent tribe members and leaders being threatened, and some like Alya Al-Huwaiti have even received death threats.

Al-Huwaiti has been living in London in the United Kingdom since she helped circulate Rahim's videos alerting the world that Saudi security forces were trying to forcibly evict members of the Howeitat tribe.

She has been receiving death threats from people she believes are supporters of the crown prince.

"We can get you in London," said Alya, recalling a warning she received on her phone. "You think you are safe there, but you are not."

Al-Huwaiti added that she was also threatened with "the same fate that happened to Jamal Khashoggi," referring to the famous journalist and dissident who was assassinated after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Watch this video from Matt Freevoice discussing how Neom is part of Saudi Arabia's effort to comply with the climate alarmist Agenda 2030 program.

This video is from the AllTheWorldsAStage channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

DEDOLLARIZATION IN FULL SWING: Oil giant Saudi Arabia formally joins BRICS group alongside U.A.E., Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia.

Saudi Arabia to build futuristic oasis of Neom in a bid to move beyond oil.

Saudi Arabia starts shift to green fuel production, builds $5B hydrogen plant.

Saudi Arabia to create the world's largest solar project as the kingdom tries to wean off its dependence on oil.

Sources include:

LifeSiteNews.com

BBC.com 1

FoxBusiness.com

BBC.com 2

Brighteon.com
Tara Reade says DOJ, FBI have been HARASSING HER since she came forward with sexual assault allegation against Joe Biden

RT contributor Tara Reade blasted the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for harassing and trying to silence her after she came forward with sexual assault allegation against President Joe Biden.

In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Reade said that her attorney had filed a complaint with the Office of Inspector General about the way she was treated by the FBI and DOJ. According to her, there was no response so they filed a $10 million tort claim for invasion of privacy, emotional distress and violation of state and federal constitutional rights. The lawsuit also demands that the FBI open any files against her and then expunge them.

Reade believes the FBI is monitoring her social media accounts and finances. The DOJ and FBI allegedly took all her Twitter and email communications. "Name it all, my social media was taken under sealed warrants," she revealed.

She said the FBI violated her First and Fourth Amendment rights over the years and also requested an investigation into the FBI after "becoming the target" of a federal grand jury investigation. This came after she asked for FBI protection due to several death threats.

Reade alleged that Biden sexually assaulted her in 1993 in a Capitol Hill office building. She worked for Biden as a Congressional aide in 1992 and 1993. According to her, Biden pushed her against the wall in a senate corridor and penetrated her with his fingers.

Although the assault happened in 1993 and she only revealed this during the 2020 election campaign, Reade lodged a report with the Senate right after the purported incident. She is still trying to get the report files unsealed. (Related: EXCLUSIVE: Jill Biden's ex-husband exposes Joe's adulterous affair, lies, and campaign bribery.)

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.

Reade told RT she hopes her example will motivate others to come forward and tell their stories. "I've been contacted a couple of times in the past by women who wanted to come forward, but because of what happened to me, were too frightened," she said.

Reade blasts mainstream media for putting her in bad light

Reade further claimed that the mainstream media in the United States had contributed to her persecution by amplifying innuendos and portraying her in a negative light. She added that authorities labeled her a traitor because of her recent criticisms of the U.S. economy and her views on geopolitical matters, such as the situation in Ukraine.

According to Reade, she is still seeking aid from House Republicans who can provide her an outlet to publicly testify about her complaints under oath. Reade's attorney, Jonathan Levy, sent a letter to House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) on March 21. The letter explains Reade's intent to testify remotely from any mutually agreeable location regarding her experiences "as the target of an unconstitutional FBI special operation to silence her."

Reade said that members of Congress, including Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Nancy Mace (R-SC), have previously expressed support toward her claims against Biden. But aside from "liking" social media posts, there has been "no direct communication, no reach out."

"I'm angry that nobody is helping me," said Reade. "I feel like it's on the back burner, but maybe in the immediate future something will happen, something will give."

Watch the interview of Tucker Carlson with Tara Reade below.

This video is from the Son of the Republic channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

The Biden crime syndicate is one of the most evil secret societies in world history, guilty of child trafficking and high treason against America, FBI And DOJ whistleblowers allege.

Joe Biden is the worst presidential candidate Democrats have ever nominated.

Irrefutable evidence: 10 videos that show creepy Joe Biden touching women inappropriately.

CNN correspondent ADMITS Biden "regularly" asks social media companies to act as SPEECH POLICE and censor content.

Sources include:

RT.com

MSN.com

Newsweek.com

Brighteon.com
UN General Assembly backs Palestines bid for FULL MEMBERSHIP

The United Nations (UN) General Assembly has overwhelmingly supported a Palestinian bid for full UN membership , acknowledging its qualification to join and urging the Security Council to reconsider the matter positively.

The assembly voted on the matter on May 10, with 143 member states voting in favor of the move. Nine states, including the U.S. and Israel, voted against the proposal. The assembly's vote reflects global sentiment after a similar resolution was vetoed by Washington in April.

Aside from Israel and the U.S., seven others  Argentina, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Papua New Guinea  voted against the resolution. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom was one of 25 countries to abstain.

While the resolution does not grant full membership to Palestine, it recognizes its eligibility to become one. It also grants Palestinians additional rights and privileges starting September.

Included in these privileges is a seat among UN members in the assembly hall, albeit without voting rights. Aside from this, Palestine is also granted the ability to participate fully in debates, propose agenda items and have its representatives elected to committees.

Currently, Palestine holds non-member observer state status, which was granted in 2012. Full membership requires approval from both the Security Council and the General Assembly. But given the likely U.S. veto in the council's panel of five permanent members, the prospect of Palestine joining the UN remains uncertain.

Riyad Mansour, Palestine's ambassador to the UN, urged member nations prior to the May 10 session to vote yes as an investment for peace. He explained that doing so would signify support for Palestinian existence.

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Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) expressed appreciation for the resolution after the General Assembly voted in favor of it. According to him, it bolstered Palestinian efforts for another Security Council vote on the matter. "Palestine will persist in its quest for full UN membership," he affirmed in a statement.

Israel and the U.S. blocking Palestinian statehood

But Israel's Permanent Representative to the UN Gilad Erdan decried the General Assembly. He accused it of disregarding the UN Charter, symbolically shredding a copy of the document at the lectern.

"You are tearing apart the UN Charter with your own hands. Shame on you," he admonished the General Assembly. According to him, the UN is admitting a "terror state" into its ranks with the May 10 resolution.

This push comes amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, formally the Islamic Resistance Movement. It also comes amid Tel Aviv's expansion of settlements in the PNA-controlled West Bank, which the UN has deemed illegal.

Palestinian aspirations for statehood encompass the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. However, Washington maintains that statehood should result from direct negotiations between the parties. Thus, it has warned against unilateral measures in achieving Palestinian statehood. (Related: Andrew Meyer: Israel-Palestine conflict will continue unless BOTH SIDES sit down and compromise.)

The potential adoption of the resolution could lead to a U.S. funding cut to the UN and its agencies, as American law prohibits funding to organizations granting full membership to entities lacking "internationally recognized attributes" of statehood.

The issue of Palestinian statehood has long been a contentious topic in the international arena. While the Palestine Liberation Organization declared the establishment of the State of Palestine in 1988, recognition by UN member states remains largely symbolic.

Visit IsraelCollapse.com for more stories like this.

Watch this video about the UN's May 10 vote for the resolution to bring Palestine closer to full membership.

This video is from the CreeperStatus channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Palestines representatives call for end to Israeli occupation at ICJ hearings.

Unintended consequences of Israels assault on Palestine.

Israels GENOCIDE in Gaza leads to rising global pro-Palestine sentiment.

Sources include:

Reuters.com

BBC.com

Brighteon.com
Company run by Judge Merchans daughter works for group pushing Trump ballot exclusion efforts

A consulting firm run by the daughter of the judge overseeing former President Donald Trump's hush money trial is apparently working for a group behind ballot exclusion efforts against the real estate mogul.

InfoWars disclosed that Loren Merchan, daughter of acting New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, is the president and partner of the Chicago-based Authentic Campaigns. The company has organized fundraisers for Democratic politicians such as California Rep. Adam Schiff and President Joe Biden.

But it turns out that the Brennan Center for Justice (BCJ) is among the clients of Authentic Campaigns, having partnered with the consulting firms since last year. According to "Bannon's War Room" Executive Editor Natalie Winters, the BCJ has filed lawsuits against the Trump administration and campaign more than a dozen times. Moreover, the BCJ is connected to Hungarian globalist billionaire George Soros  with the center having received "considerable cash" from him over the years.

In January, the BCJ filed an amicus brief advising the U.S. Supreme Court to reject Trump's efforts to overturn the Colorado Supreme Court's decision to remove him from the state's primary ballot. The removal stemmed from claims that he incited the Jan. 6 false-flag riot in the U.S. Capitol.

"The brief urges the court to reject Trump's attempts to revive the independent state legislature theory on appeal," the BCJ wrote in its filing. However, the federal high court ruled in March that Trump cannot be banned from state ballots. (Related: SCOTUS: States CANNOT REMOVE Trump from their election ballots based on 14th Amendment's insurrection clause.)

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.

Also in March, Trump's lawyers called for the elder Merchan to recuse himself from the case after it was revealed that his daughter was a political operative who raised $93 million in campaign donations for Democrats. This raised concerns about the judge's impartiality in the case.

Even Trump himself had previously raised similar concerns about the younger Merchan's political ties on his Truth Social account. Her father immediately reprimanded the former president, expanding a gag order previously slapped on Trump in the case.

Loren Merchan's company also working with pro-China lobby group

Winters' report also revealed that Authentic Campaigns also worked with the Asia Society, a pro-China lobby group that sponsors several Confucius Institutes across the United States. These institutes funded by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are propaganda centers notoriously rife with espionage activity that operated extensively on college campuses worldwide. During his term, Trump cracked down on their presence in American schools.

Authentic Campaigns has had the Asia Society as a client since last year. The company's website noted how they helped the group's propaganda reach a larger audience.

"Authentic devised a dual-focused approach to effectively tackle Asia Society's objectives. We combined targeted digital advertising campaigns with strategic list acquisition initiatives to maximize reach and engagement. A comprehensive understanding of Asia Society's diverse offerings enabled us to tailor each campaign to resonate with specific audience segments, thereby ensuring maximum relevance and impact."

Winters continued that Confucius Institutes have a counterpart in elementary and high schools called "Confucius Classrooms." These classrooms focus on spreading messages in support of communism and China to younger students.

The Asia Society frequently collaborates with other CCP-backed influence groups to push Beijing's agenda. Members of its board include CCP cadres and high-ranking officials at Chinese universities with track records of cyber-espionage and intellectual property theft. Such institutions include East China Normal University, Renmin University of China and Wuhan University.

Head over to Biased.news for similar stories.

Watch Mike Davis of the Article III Project discussing Judge Juan Merchan's threat to arrest Trump if the latter is absent during his trial days in the clip below.

This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Pompeo: All Beijing-run Confucius Institutes in the US could be closed by year-end.

Daughter of judge on Trump's "hush money" case posts a picture of Trump in jail after gag order.

BREAKING: Colorado Supreme Court disqualifies Trump from appearing on state's primary ballot.

ELECTION INTERFERENCE: Daughter of judge in Trump case boasts Kamala Harris, Adam Schiff as corporate clients.

RIGGED: Daughter of judge overseeing Trump's Manhattan DA case is Democrat activist who worked to elect Biden.

Sources include:

InfoWars.com

WarRoom.org

Brighteon.com
Huffington Post triggered by Trumps plan to EXECUTE child traffickers

The leftist news outlet Huffington Post (HuffPost) appears to be triggered by former President Donald Trump's suggestion to extend the death penalty to drug kingpins and child sex traffickers

HuffPost Senior Reporter Jessica Schulberg expounded on Trump's remarks in a May 9 article. She mentioned that the Trump administration carried out an "unprecedented execution spree" during its final six months. Thirteen people on federal death row were executed, and a 17-year de facto moratorium on federal executions was lifted.

Schulberg also claimed that Trump "has openly fantasized about executing drug dealers and human traffickers way back in 2021. While it "sounds horrible" to advocate for the death penalty, Trump said countries that don't have a "drug problem" are "those that institute a very quick trial, death penalty sentence" for traffickers.

"You execute a drug dealer, and you'll save 500 lives because they kill on average 500 people," the former president asserted at the time. (Related: Trump says DEATH PENALTY a proper punishment for "antisemitism" in America.)

She mentioned that conservatives behind the former president released an 887-page document that lays out policy goals and recommendations for each part of the federal government. The document's chapter on the Department of Justice (DOJ) was penned by Gene Hamilton, a former official at the department during the Trump administration.

Hamilton wrote that the DOJ "should also pursue the death penalty for applicable crimes  particularly heinous crimes involving violence and sexual abuse of children  until Congress says otherwise through legislation." According to Schulberg, Hamilton played a role in ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and instituting the "zero-tolerance" border policy.

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.

"By referring to past court decisions, the [HuffPost] piece subtly argues that the death penalty for child rape 'would violate constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment,'" Modernity News wrote. "Why is the Left apparently triggered by the suggestion to extend the death penalty to make it an option for convicted violent child rapists?"

"Sound of Freedom" inspired Trump to execute child traffickers

Despite Schulberg's claims that Trump wants to execute child traffickers out of sheer sadism, the former president was actually inspired by the movie "Sound of Freedom"  which elaborated on the impact on child human trafficking. The movie that starred Jim Caviezel was smeared by the mainstream media for allegedly promoting QAnon conspiracy theories.

Last July, Trump vowed to institute the death penalty for human traffickers if he is elected to a second presidential term. This followed a screening of the movie he held in New Jersey, where he spoke with producer Eduardo Verastegui and Caviezel. Verastegui also plays Paul Delgado, an ally of Caviezel's character Tim Ballard, in the movie.

"When I'm back in the White House, I will immediately end the Biden border nightmare that traffickers are using to exploit vulnerable women and children. We will fully secure the border, [and] I will wage war on the cartels. They'll come back now because we have a weak administration," Trump said.

"I will use Title 42 to end the child trafficking crisis by returning all trafficked children to their families without delay. I will [also] urge Congress to ensure that anyone caught trafficking children across our border receives the death penalty immediately. That includes also for women because women, as you know, are No. 1 in trafficking [and] children are actually No. 2."

The Post Millennial wrote: "Trump was vigilant against trafficking and drug cartels during his term as president, and has promised that he will bring back those efforts if he secures a win in 2024. Biden's porous border policies are a far cry from Trump's border wall, a policy he campaigned on in 2016 and implemented once he took office."

Head over to Trump.news for more stories about the former president ahead of the November election.

Watch Mike Martins explaining Trump's remarks that London and Paris are now unrecognizable due to the migrant invasion in the U.K. and France.

This video is from the Mike Martins Channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Trump says U.S. government should maintain a "kill list of drug lords."

President Trump promises to end human trafficking  watch at Brighteon.com.

Trump to GO HARD against ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS and human traffickers if elected for a second term.

Trump takes action against child trafficking foster care system, dealing huge blow to left-wing deep state pedophilia.

Sources include:

Modernity.news

HuffingtonPost.co.uk

ThePostMillennial.com

Brighteon.com
Deranged Sen. Lindsey Graham suggests Israel should NUKE GAZA to end the war, just like America nuked Japan in World War II

An unhinged Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) has said that Israel should simply nuke Gaza to put an end to the war, just like how the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Japan during World War II.

Speaking to NBCs Meet the Press, he said: When we were faced with destruction as a nation after Pearl Harbor, fighting the Germans and the Japanese, we decided to end the war by the bombing [of] Hiroshima [and] Nagasaki with nuclear weapons. That was the right decision.

In case he didnt make it clear what he wants us to do, he added: Give Israel the bombs they need to end the war. They cant afford to lose.

Graham has long been an unabashed Israel supporter and has criticized Biden repeatedly for threatening to withhold weapons from Israel should they carry out a risky military operation in Rafah that would endanger the lives of more than a million Gazan civilians.

However, hes brought his rhetoric to a whole new level of absurdity by telling host Kristen Welker that Israel would be justified in flattening the Gaza Strip and taking out the 2.2 million Palestinians living there because the U.S. did the same thing to Nagasaki and Hiroshima eight decades ago. Hundreds of thousands of Japanese civilians died from the blasts themselves and the ensuing radiation, but Graham apparently has no problem with this if it furthers his political aims.

Welker then asked him why it was acceptable for President Reagan to withhold certain weapons from Israel when it was at war with Lebanon back in the 1980s but it is not okay for Biden to make a similar threat now.

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.

Graham replied by doubling down on his desire to bomb Gaza, saying: Can I say this? Why is it OK for America to drop two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end their existential threat war? Why was it OK for us to do that? I thought it was OK.

He might have thought it was okay, but historians have long debated whether it was justified and whether Japan would have surrendered either way. Even those who think that bombing Japan was the best solution available at the time to end the war and that it would prevent further casualties would not be likely to say it was okay to kill and injure so many innocent civilians and decimate their medical infrastructure so that receiving aid would be impossible.

But Graham almost seems eager to see something like this happen in Gaza. He added: So, Israel, do whatever you have to do to survive as a Jewish state. Whatever you have to do.

He then dismissed Welkers reminder that military tech is far different now than it was back then.

Blinken tells Meet the Press that U.S. is concerned about civilian casualties in Rafah

Secretary of State Antony Blinken also appeared on the program, telling Welker that the Biden administration is opposed to an Israeli military operation in Rafah unless there is a credible plan put in place to keep civilians safe. He also expressed their concerns about Israels use of bombs with a high payload, continuing the administrations recent shift away from blindly supporting Israels war efforts.

We have been holding back and were in active conversations with Israel about the provision of heavy or high-payload weapons, large bombs, because of the concern that we have about the effect these weapons can have when theyre used in a dense urban environment like Rafah, he told Welker.

Israeli tanks have already reached some of the residential districts of Rafah as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to reject the U.S.s request to hold off on carrying out a full-scale attack there given the potential for extensive civilian casualties.

Sources for this article include:

Yahoo.com

TheGuardian.com
SUPPRESSED: NY appeals court DECLINES Trumps request to overturn GAG order

The New York State Court of Appeals has just rejected former President Donald Trump's recent request to overturn the gag order that blocks him from publicly speaking about witnesses and jurors during his hush money trial.

Last week, Trump confirmed that his lawyers asked the court to issue a ruling to throw out the order that prohibits him from talking about the said case, clearly violating his First Amendment rights.

"I just want to let you know that we've just filed a major motion in the appellate division concerning the absolutely unconstitutional gag order, where Im essentially not allowed to talk to you about anything meaningful that's going on in the case. And many good things are going on with the case. It shouldn't have been filed," he said. His team filed a motion on May 8, which has been sealed and was inaccessible, according to the court docket. The Manhattan district attorney's office filed a response to the motion, but it was also sealed.

According to Justice Juan Merchan, who issued the order and later expanded it, he "properly determined that the petitioner's public statements posed a significant threat to the integrity of the testimony of witnesses and potential witnesses."

Last week, Trump's lawyers already asked a state appeals court to issue a ruling to stall the trial and allow them to take their request to a higher court. But it rejected the former president's request.

They also declined an attempt to pause the enforcement of the gag order, which was issued in March after prosecutors requested it. Merchan ruled that Trump violated his directive 10 times before threatening to jail the former president if he makes future comments that he believes violate that order.

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.

On April 30, the judge fined Trump $9,000 for a series of statements attacking trial witnesses Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels. The prosecutors said that the ex-POTUS knowingly and wilfully breached the "crystal clear, unequivocal lines drawn up by the court."

On May 6, Merchan fined him again $1,000 for a statement criticizing the makeup of the jury. "It appears that the $1,000 fines are not serving as a deterrent," Merchan said. "It's important to understand that the last thing I want to do is to put you in jail. You are the former president of the United States and possibly the next president, as well."

"Your continued willful violations of this court's orders threaten to interfere with the  administration of justice," Merchan said before issuing a warning about possible jail time. (Related: Trump hush money trial is blatant election interference designed to keep him off the campaign trail.)

Trump's ex-personal lawyer wants his former boss convicted

Trump's ex-lawyer Michael Cohen recently appeared as the prosecution's main witness during the cross-examination in the former president's hush-money criminal trial. He said he hoped Trump be found guilty and was "sure" he wanted to see him convicted in this case.

He was called by prosecutors to testify about making a $130,000 hush-money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election so she wouldn't speak about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump. According to Cohen, he submitted phony invoices for legal services to cover up reimbursements for the money.

As Trump showed no reaction through the proceedings, Cohen fought a legal showdown with the ex-president's legal team. He repeatedly identified Trump as the "mastermind" of the payoff scheme. Cohen said he got the money to Daniels "to ensure that the story  would not affect Mr. Trump's chances of becoming president."

He detailed that the repayments began shortly after a meeting with Trump in the Oval Office in Feb. 2017. He said the then-president asked him if he needed money and told him to "just make sure you deal with Allen" Weisselberg, then the Trump Organization's chief financial officer. Weisselberg was recently jailed for lying at his former boss' civil fraud trial.

Cohen also testified that invoices for $35,000 each month to the then-Trump Organization Controller Jeffrey McConney were not for legal services. He admitted that he tried to mislead federal investigators about the Daniels payment in the wake of news articles detailing the transaction when he admitted in public that he, not Trump, did the deal. He did this, he claimed, to "demonstrate loyalty."

According to Cohen, he regrets the lying and bullying he had done on Trump's behalf to the point that he had "violated his moral compass" defending the former president. He added that his family persuaded him to stop protecting his former boss.

Visit Trump.news for more stories related to the ongoing legal battle the former president is fighting.

Watch the video below where Trump speaks with the press after a hush money trial hearing.

This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Judge excuses juror from Trump's hush money trial for being arrested for ripping down conservative political ads.

Man who set himself ON FIRE outside Trump trial in New York positively identified as a far-left antifascist.

Trump arrest would cause nationwide 'civil unrest'  CNN analyst.

Republican lawmaker warns about former Biden attorney running DOJ prosecution of Trump.

Sources include:

Yahoo.com

NTD.com

TheGuardian.com

Brighteon.com
RFK Jr. backpedals on full-term abortion stance, now insists abortion is okay up until a certain number of weeks

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) has walked back on his stance in support of abortion up to the full term of pregnancy following strong backlash.

The nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy earlier remarked during a podcast interview: "I believe we should leave [the matter of abortion] to the woman. We shouldn't have the government involved  even if it's full term." RFK Jr.'s comments came as a surprise even to his running mate, lawyer Nicole Shanahan.

But following those remarks, the candidate took to X to clarify his stance. In a lengthy social media post on the Elon Musk-owned platform, RFK Jr. said he would allow abortion only "up until a certain number of weeks." He explained that he had assumed that virtually all late-term abortions were due to potentially fatal or catastrophic health-related complications.

"I've learned that my assumption was wrong; sometimes, women abort healthy, viable late-term fetuses. These cases of purely 'elective' late-term abortion are very upsetting. Once the baby is viable outside the womb, it should have rights and it deserves society's protection," the independent candidate wrote.

"I support the emerging consensus that abortion should be unrestricted up until a certain point  [and] I believe that point should be when the baby is viable outside the womb. Therefore, I would allow appropriate restrictions on abortion in the final months of pregnancy, just as Roe v. Wade did. [Ultimately], we should be looking at why there are so many abortions in the first place."

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.

But several users chided RFK Jr. over his earlier remarks and support of full-term abortion. The @catturd2 account on X denounced him as a "liar" and a "fraud."

"You just said you'd support full-term abortions," the account replied. "Surprise, another far-left hack who lies every time he opens his mouth for votes." (Related: RFK Jr. supports ABORTION "even if its full term": Decision should be left to the mother rather than the state, he says.)

Trump: RFK Jr. "more radical" than Biden

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican Party's presumptive nominee for president, has a different approach to the matter. In April, he remarked that abortion laws should be left for individual states to decide. However, Trump also reiterated that he backed exceptions for rape, incest and to protect the life of the mother.

The real estate mogul previously signaled support for an abortion ban beyond 15 weeks of pregnancy. But he later walked back on this ban, saying political considerations were paramount in the first post-Roe presidential election.

Trump also doubled down in denouncing RFK Jr. as a plant to undermine his presidential campaign. "A lot of people think [RFK Jr.] is a conservative  he's not. He's more liberal than anybody running on the Democratic side," the former president said.

Trump described the independent candidate as "a Democrat plant" and "a radical left liberal who has been put in place in order to help Biden, the worst president in the history of the U.S., get reelected."

"A vote for [RFK Jr.] would essentially be a wasted protest vote that could swing either way, but would only swing against the Democrats if the Republicans knew the real story about him. Republicans, get it out of your mind that you're going to vote for this guy because he's conservative  he's not. I'd even take Biden over [him] because our country would last about a year or two longer than it would with [RFK Jr.]."

Head over to RFKJr.news for more stories about the independent presidential candidate ahead of the November election.

Watch this clip of RFK Jr. saying he supports abortion up to the full term of pregnancy, a remark he later walked back on.

This video is from the Thrivetime Show channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Biden attacks Trump on abortion, healthcare.

President Trump just banned federal funding of abortions.

Trump faces backlash after criticizing DeSantis' 6-week abortion ban.

Trump blasts RINO Sen. Graham for criticizing his stance on ABORTION.

Pro-abortion Trump says Florida's new heartbeat law to protect unborn children from murder is a "terrible mistake."

Sources include:

Modernity.news 1

Reuters.com

Modernity.news 2

Brighteon.com
Ukraine poised to sacrifice entire adult population as government warns of full mobilization

The Ukrainian government is warning its population that full mobilization is a possibility as their war efforts continue to fall short.

A spokesman for the Ukrainian defense ministry, Dmitry Lazutkin, said that all of Ukrainian society must prepare to make sacrifices and give up peaceful life as they scramble to deal with a slew of setbacks in their conflict with Russia.

Speaking to Espresso TV, Lazutkin said: Globally speaking, starting on May 18, when the mobilization law comes into force, first of all, the approach to this war will change. This situation [where] some people are fighting at the front lines while others are living their quiet lives, is obviously coming to an end.

In other words, the people must be ready to enter full war mode, even those who live far from the fighting. He noted that life for those in Kiev has been strikingly different than it has for those in eastern Ukraine.

It would be normal if our enemy was weak. But with such an enemy, the whole country and the whole of society need to mobilize, he added.

He said that after the country's new mobilization law goes into effect on May 18, nearly every Ukrainian man will be drafted into the country's army. Among other things, the new law sees the mobilization age of men dropped from 27 to 25. It also provides draft officers with more powers to punish those who try to dodge the draft using measures such as blocking their bank accounts. The fines for those who violate military registration rules are being increased to $520, and authorities will begin to place restrictions on property belonging to people who try to avoid military 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. Speak freely without censorship at the new decentralized, blockchain-power Brighteon.io. Explore our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Support our efforts to build the infrastructure of human freedom by shopping at HealthRangerStore.com, featuring lab-tested, certified organic, non-GMO foods and nutritional solutions.

The new rules have led to a rise in Ukrainian men trying to flee the country. According to the Ukrainian Border Service, as many as 150 people are caught each day trying to leave the country, with some losing their lives trying to get away.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry has already suspended consular services for all Ukrainians who are eligible for the military abroad.

Ukraine changes rules so convicts can serve in the army

The new rules will also allow convicts to serve in the army for the first time in the history of Ukraine. The country's justice minister, Dennis Maliuksa, recently told the BBC that as many as 20,000 convicts could be mobilized as a result of the new law. This puts them on par with Russia, who has already immobilized tens of thousands of convicts into its own army and vowed to issue those who survive six months on the front line with a pardon.

While the Russian policy has attracted a lot of criticism because many of the rapists and murderers that have been mobilized into the Russian army have gone on to reoffend, Ukraines version of the rule only allows convicts who volunteer to fight and will not accept those who are in prison for violent crimes.

Kiev has been grappling with a severe shortage of troops and ammunition during the past six months, putting them in a position where Russia has been able to easily push Ukrainian forces back across the front line.

Ukraine is growing increasingly desperate to replace the nearly half a million casualties that have been seen since the war began in February 2022. Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu recently reported that more than 111,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died so far this year.

Sources for this article include:

RT.com

Telegraph.co.uk
UN staff member killed, another injured in another attack as Israel deliberately targets aid workers

A United Nations (UN) Department of Safety and Security staff member has been killed and another injured in an attack by Israeli soldiers

The victim, identified as Waibhav Anil Kale, a 46-year-old Indian national and recently appointed UN security service coordinator in Gaza, was confirmed dead in the attack. Kale, who only started his position in April, left his wife and two teenage children. The identity of the injured UN staff member has not been disclosed, is now receiving medical treatment at the hospital.

According to the official statement of Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Kale had been traveling from Rafah to a European hospital in Khan Younis in a vehicle marked with UN insignia while flying a UN flag when the attack happened. Video footage from the European hospital showed the aftermath of the attack, with bullet holes visible in the rear windows of the UN vehicle.

In response, the office of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres released a statement to condemn the attack and call for a full investigation.

"The secretary-general was deeply saddened to learn of the death of a United Nations Department of Safety and Security (DSS) staff member and injury to another DSS staffer when their UN vehicle was struck as they traveled to the European Hospital in Rafah this morning. With the conflict in Gaza continuing to take a heavy toll  not only on civilians but also on humanitarian workers  the secretary-general reiterates his urgent appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and for the release of all hostages," the statement read.

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.

Reports reveal Israelis targeting aid workers

In line with this, a UN report released on May 10 revealed that as of April 30, 254 aid workers, including 185 UN staff members and 27 personnel and volunteers from the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), had been killed in Gaza. This figure also includes seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen (WCK), a humanitarian food organization, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike at the beginning of April.

Just like the most recent attack, a WCK convoy was coordinating its movements with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) at the time of the attack, following the delivery of humanitarian food supplies to a warehouse in Deir al-Balah. (Related: World outraged as Israeli airstrike KILLS 7 multinational aid workers in Gaza.)

Moreover, Human Rights Watch, an international non-government organization defending the rights of people in 100 countries worldwide, published a similar report on May 14. Human Rights Watch revealed that the IDF has targeted aid worker convoys and properties in Gaza at least eight times since the conflict began.

"Israels killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers was shocking and should never have happened under international law," said Belkis Wille, associate crisis, conflict and arms director at Human Rights Watch. "Israels allies need to recognize that these attacks that have killed aid workers have happened over and over again, and they need to stop."

In these eight incidents, the IDF killed at least 15 people, including two children, and injured at least 16 others. Five of these attacks were the subject of a recent New York Times investigation that included visual evidence and internal communications between aid organizations and the IDF.

Aside from the WCK convoy attack, seven other attacks took place involving the following: a Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF or Doctors without Borders) convoy on Nov. 18; a guest house of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on Dec. 9; an MSF shelter on Jan. 8; an International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) guest house on Jan. 18; a UNRWA convoy on Feb. 5; an MSF guest house on Feb. 20; and a home sheltering an American Near East Refugee Aid Organization (Anera) employee on March 8.

All this despite the constant communication and coordination with Israeli officials to ensure their safety.

Watch this short clip of displaced Palestinians in Gaza being forced to collect rain water for drinking due to the Israeli blockade of the Strip.

This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Israel kills SEVEN Gaza food aid workers in accidental airstrikes where Israeli drones hunted, targeted and destroyed three clearly marked food aid vehicles.

War on Gaza: Israeli commander behind aid worker killings had demanded 'siege' of Gaza.

Israel accused of targeting aid workers and deliberately provoking famine in Gaza.

United Nations accuses Israel of BLOCKING humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza Strip.

Israel "systematically targeted" Gaza food aid workers, new evidence shows  it wasnt an "accident!"

Sources include:

MiddleEastEye.net

CNN.com

HumanRightsWatch.org

OCHA.org

MSN.com
Indonesia stands wounded. The once-vibrant villages nestled on the slopes of Mount Marapi now resemble a desolate moonscape.

Fury of Nature Unleashed: A Mountain Weeps, Villages Disappear



The weekend's relentless downpour triggered a horrific chain reaction. The normally docile slopes of the volcano transformed into churning rivers of mud, swallowing homes whole and carrying unsuspecting residents away in a torrent of debris.

The ferocity of the lahars was unimaginable. Survivors recounted stories of a deafening roar that sent chills down their spines.

"The ground trembled," said a tearful Maya Sari, clutching a photograph of her missing husband. "It was like the mountain itself was weeping, and everything in its path was swept away."

The true horror became apparent at daybreak. Rescue workers arriving on the scene were met with scenes of utter devastation.

Houses were reduced to mangled heaps of wood and mud, personal belongings scattered across the landscape like fallen leaves. The once-bustling village square, a hub of community life, was now a muddy wasteland.

The initial reports painted a grim picture. Local hospitals quickly became overwhelmed with the injured, many suffering from hypothermia and fractures.

Frantic families searched for missing loved ones, their cries echoing through the devastated landscape. The death toll, initially pegged at 20, rose steadily as bodies were recovered from the mud.

Also Read: China Flooding Season: Flash-Flood Warning Raised as 4 Rivers Exceed Dangerous Levels

A Race Against Time: Desperate Search for Survivors in Treacherous Terrain

The Indonesian government declared a state of emergency in the affected regions, mobilizing all available resources for rescue efforts.

Teams of firefighters, soldiers, and volunteers, clad in mud-caked uniforms, combed through the wreckage with a sense of urgency. Every groan, every flicker of movement in the mud, sparked a glimmer of hope.

However, the rescue operation faced a formidable foe: the ravaged landscape itself. Roads were impassable, buried under tons of mud and debris.

Helicopters, battling strong winds and low visibility, provided a crucial lifeline, airlifting the critically injured and delivering essential supplies to isolated pockets of survivors.

The tireless efforts yielded some success stories. A young boy, separated from his family during the mayhem, was found clinging to a tree branch, his cries barely audible above the whirring of a rescue helicopter.

A group of elderly villagers were discovered huddled together in a partially submerged building, their faces etched with relief at being found.

But these moments of joy were overshadowed by the ever-growing list of missing persons. Frustration mounted as some residents accused local authorities of failing to issue timely warnings.

Social media erupted with criticism, questioning the adequacy of disaster preparedness measures.

A Nation in Mourning: The Long Road to Recovery Begins

As the initial shock subsides, a somber mood hangs heavy over Indonesia. The nation grieves for its lost citizens, the survivors grapple with the trauma of their ordeal, and a sense of collective vulnerability pervades the air.

Beyond the immediate rescue efforts, a long and arduous road to recovery awaits Indonesia. The displaced need temporary shelters, medical care, and access to basic necessities. Infrastructure needs to be rebuilt - roads, bridges, and communication networks must be restored.

The psychological toll on survivors will be immense. Grief counseling and mental health support will be crucial in helping them cope with the loss of loved ones, homes, and livelihoods.

The disaster has also reignited concerns about deforestation. Experts warn that denuded hillsides exacerbate landslides and floods.

The government faces renewed pressure to address environmental concerns and implement sustainable land management practices.

Indonesia's spirit is battered but not broken. The unwavering dedication of rescue teams, the outpouring of international support, and the resilience of its people offer a glimmer of hope.

As the nation emerges from this tragedy, the challenge lies not just in rebuilding what was lost, but in building back better, with a renewed commitment to disaster preparedness and environmental sustainability.

Related article: Russia, Kazakhstan Face 'Worst Flood In Decades' Due To Melting Snow
Pig kidney transplant as a novel medical procedure made it into the headlines earlier this year. It made a significant development across the medical community after the first human received an organ from an animal. It was in March 2023 when Richard "Rick" Slayman underwent the historic procedure and was implanted by a kidney from a genetically modified pig.

However, Slayman at the age of 62 years old died nearly 2 months after the procedure at Massachusetts General Hospital, according to a statement by local health authorities over the weekend. Prior to the transplant, the patient was diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease in 2023, which opened the option for a replacement, functioning kidney through an animal organ transplant.

Pig Kidney Transplant Patient

Rick Slayman is the first successful pig kidney transplant patient, as mentioned earlier, but he suddenly passed almost 2 months after the historic medical procedure on March 16. However, there is no indication that the patient's death is related to or was the result of the said pig kidney transplant, according to the Massachusetts General Hospital's news release on May 11.

Back in March, the hospital announced the world's first successful transplant involving a genetically edited pig (porcine) kidney. The procedure was made possible when surgeons from the Mass General Transplant Center carried out the task for 4 hours. Not only that the transplant was a landmark procedure but it also strengthened the possibility of animal organ transplant or xenotransplantation.

Based on the recent media release, the Massachusetts General Hospital said that Slayman will be viewed as a "beacon of hope to countless transplant patients" around the world. It added that the trust and willingness of the patient will help in our progress in the field of xenotransplantation. Despite the announced success of the procedure, this type of transplantation remains experimental.

Chronic kidney disease, which is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and end-stage kidney disease, is the United States' 10th leading cause of death, according to health authorities. In the US, data shows that 1 in 7 adults, or 15% of the adult population, which is equivalent to 37 million people, are estimated to have chronic kidney disease.

Also Read: Modified Pig Kidney Inside Brain-Dead Person for Two Months Gives Hope to Animal-Human Transplants

Animal Organ Transplant

This is not the first time that an animal-to-human organ transplant has been made, as seen in recent years. In September 2023, a patient with an end-stage cardiovascular disease underwent a pig heart transplant conducted by the University of Maryland's School of Medicine. The procedure is only the second historic transplant where a human received a genetically modified pig heart.

The first one was performed in January 2022 by the same University of Maryland Medicine surgeons. The recent pig heart transplant patient was suffering from pre-existing peripheral vascular disease and complications. This made the patient to be ineligible for a traditional human heart transplant, according to last year's news release by the Maryland university.

Related Article: Massachusetts: Pig Kidney Transplanted To Human Patient As Experts Develop Genetically-Engineered Pigs
Citizens across the globe can breathe a sigh of relief, for now. The anticipated solar storm, predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with a 60% chance of impacting Earth on May 15th and 16th, appears to have caused minimal disruption.

Experts had warned of potential damage to satellites orbiting at lower altitudes (between 100 and 1000 kilometers above Earth) due to a surge of charged particles.

These particles can induce electrical currents in the satellite's systems, leading to malfunctions or complete failures. The storm's impact could also have disrupted high-frequency radio communications at polar regions.

Close Call: Geomagnetic Storm Misses Critical Infrastructure, But Raises Concerns

According to a report by the Daily Mail, the storm's trajectory and intensity were on the weaker end of predictions.

While some airlines reported rerouting flights around areas with potentially higher radiation levels as a precaution, no widespread outages to critical infrastructure were reported.

However, the close call serves as a stark reminder of our vulnerability to these powerful space weather events a space weather scientist at NOAA, told the Daily Mail,

"The storm's trajectory and intensity were such that a direct hit on critical infrastructure was avoided. However, this event highlights the importance of continued monitoring and preparedness for future solar storms."

Scientists went on to explain that stronger solar storms could induce damaging electrical currents in power grids, potentially leading to widespread blackouts.

The recent storm's effects were not limited to satellites. The NDTV reported that high-frequency radio communication in the Arctic region experienced some static and signal degradation, impacting communication for emergency responders and some aviation operations for a brief period.

Thankfully, these disruptions were short-lived and no major communication breakdowns occurred.

Also Read: Can a Solar Flare Be Powerful Enough to Wipe Out All Life on Earth?

Uncertain Aurora: Higher Latitudes Report Glimpses, But Experts Remain Cautious

The potential for a geomagnetic storm had some skywatchers excited about the prospect of a dazzling display of the Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights.

The intensity of a geomagnetic storm determines the geographic reach of the auroras. Stronger storms can cause auroras to be visible at lower latitudes, while weaker storms may only be seen in areas closer to the Arctic Circle.

While the storm's intensity may not have been strong enough to cause widespread auroras, there are still reports of sightings at higher latitudes, closer to the Arctic Circle.

According to enthusiasts sharing on online forums, the auroras were fainter than anticipated. Experts recommend staying updated on the latest solar weather reports for those hoping to catch a glimpse of this natural light show.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and space weather apps provide real-time information on geomagnetic activity and aurora forecasts.

While the recent storm may not have produced the light show some were hoping for, it serves as a valuable reminder of the dynamic nature of our space environment.

By continuing to monitor solar activity and improve our understanding of space weather, we can better prepare for future events and mitigate their potential impact.

Looking Ahead: Increased Focus on Space Weather Preparedness

The recent solar storm has reignited discussions on the importance of space weather preparedness. Governments and private companies are investing more resources in monitoring solar activity and developing mitigation strategies.

This includes shielding critical infrastructure from damaging electrical currents, developing early warning systems for airlines, and designing more resilient satellites.

The recent scare also highlights the need for international cooperation in space weather research and preparedness. Sharing data and expertise between nations can help us better understand and respond to these powerful events from the sun.

Related article: Solar Storm Alert: Geomagnetic Storm to Hit Earth Soon Following New Year's Eve Solar Flare [SWPC]
As the heat climbs in the thermometers of Las Vegas, so does the activity of its less desirable inhabitants.

The city, known for its dazzling lights and sleepless nights, is now gaining notoriety for a creeping crisis: scorpions.

Residents of the southwest valley neighborhoods, particularly in Mountain's Edge and Southern Highlands, report an alarming increase in scorpion encounters within their homes.

Suburban Sting: The Unseen Threat

In the quiet domesticity of suburban Las Vegas, a silent threat looms. The Arizona Bark scorpion, a venomous species notorious for its potentially lethal sting, has found a new breeding ground amidst the human habitation.

The scorpions, typically averse to human activity, are being driven into homes, a consequence of the sprawling urban development and the accompanying displacement of their natural habitat.

Cassidy, a resident of Mountain's Edge, recounts a harrowing experience of a neighbor who suffered a sting in the sanctity of their backyard.

Another local, Sonia Portela, speaks of the terror of finding one of these arachnids perched high on her wall.

The fear is palpable, as many households, like that of new father Cameron Gayed, have young children and pets-vulnerable members who are at a heightened risk from these venomous invaders.

A Community's Counterattack

The community's response has been swift but fragmented. While some residents, like Gayed, have enlisted the aid of pest control services, others remain indifferent or unaware of the gravity of the situation.

The effectiveness of individual efforts is limited, as scorpions continue to thrive in the absence of a unified front.

Traps and sticky paper have become common fixtures in homes, a testament to the residents' determination to reclaim their space.

Yet, the question remains: can a community accustomed to battling the heat now adapt to fight off a more animate and insidious threat?

Also Read: Storm Disturbs Deadly Scorpions, Leaving 3 Dead and Hundreds Hospitalized in Egypt

The Scorpion Siege: An Invasive Predicament

The invasion of scorpions into the domestic sphere is not merely a seasonal nuisance but a year-round predicament that has escalated with the city's expansion.

The influx of these arachnids into residential areas has been linked to the transportation of flora from neighboring states, such as Arizona, where these scorpions are endemic.

Residents like Gayed Point to the new housing developments as the catalyst for this unwelcome migration.

The scorpions, they believe, are hitching rides on the palm trees and plants imported for landscaping, spreading into the community with each new construction project.

Living with the Sting: Adapting to the New Normal

For those living in the affected areas, the presence of scorpions has become an unsettling new normal. Families are adapting their lifestyles, conducting nightly checks, and educating their children on the dangers of these venomous neighbors.

The community is learning to coexist with the threat, but not without cost to their peace of mind.

As the city grapples with this issue, the call for a coordinated effort to manage the scorpion population grows louder.

It's a complex challenge that requires a multifaceted approach, combining public awareness, city planning, and environmental considerations.

In conclusion, the scorpion infestation in southwest Las Vegas is more than a mere inconvenience; it's a stark reminder of the delicate balance between urban expansion and wildlife management.

As the city continues to grow, it must do so with a keen awareness of the ecosystems it disrupts, and the potential repercussions for its human inhabitants.

A Painful Awakening: The Venetian's Unwelcome Guest

In a bizarre twist to the scorpion saga, the Venetian Las Vegas, a beacon of luxury on the Strip, became the scene of a peculiar and painful encounter.

Michael Farchi, a visitor from California, experienced a rude awakening when he was stung by a scorpion on his testicles while sleeping in his hotel bed.

The incident, which occurred on December 26, sent shockwaves through the community and raised questions about the safety of guests in even the most upscale accommodations.

Farchi described the sensation as akin to "sharp glass or a knife" stabbing him in his private area. The discovery of the scorpion clinging to his underwear after such an excruciating experience is a stark reminder of the pervasive reach of these arachnids.

The incident not only caused physical pain but also psychological trauma, leading to Farchi considering legal action against the hotel.

This alarming event has put a spotlight on the need for rigorous pest control measures and thorough room inspections in hotels, especially in areas known for scorpion activity.

It underscores the importance of guest awareness and the responsibility of establishments to ensure a safe environment for their patrons.

Related article: Extinct Giant Sea Scorpion had Poor Eyesight
Orca attacks on vessels are a phenomenon that has been increasing in the Strait of Gibraltar and the waters off Europe over the past year. In the latest spate of these incidents, a group of killer whales attacked and sank a boat off the coast of Morocco, near the entrance of the Strait of Gibraltar. Due to the renewed threat posed by the marine mammals, Spanish officials issued a warning to sailors.

Since 2020, there have been hundreds of reported incidents involving orcas and boats or yachts, according to reports. The encounters are believed to be unprovoked with multiple vessels already besieged by different pods of killer whales. Despite growing knowledge of this threat, scientists and authorities are still uncertain as to why the animals are attacking boats, which seem to be the orcas' main targets.

Amid the uncertainty regarding the mystery behind the killer whale attacks, various theories have emerged to potentially explain the behavior exhibited by orcas in recent years. One of the several hypotheses that could explain the behavior is; that some members of the species Orcinus orca in the Atlantic Ocean learned to attack vessels due to a possible traumatic episode experienced by the oceanic predators.

Orcas Sink Boat Again

On Sunday, May 12, orcas sink a boat again and this time it happened few miles from the Strait of Gibraltar. The incident involved a 50-foot yacht with two passengers, who remained unharmed after being rescued. Spanish maritime authorities said the passengers were able to notify officials and received help from a nearby oil tanker and Moroccan officials, according to a press release.

It is unclear why the killer whales attacked the yacht. Yet, it occurred again in the Strait of Gibraltar, a narrow channel that connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. The channel is situated between southern Spain and the northern coast of Africa. In November 2023, a small pod of orcas also sank a yacht but left sailors unharmed in the Strait of Gibraltar, off the Iberian Peninsula.

Also Read: Orca Attack Results in Beached Great White Shark Carcass with Liver Ripped Out

Orca Attack Incidents

Unlike predatory sea animals like sharks, orcas are not known for killing humans in the wild, unless in captivity. However, this track record could be changing as a subpopulation of O. orca has been reported to be attacking and ramming boats in the waters of the Iberian Peninsula since the onset of 2020. Particularly, killer whales in the region seem to be targeting the rudders of the vessels.

During this period, there have been more than 500 cases of reported orca attacks on sailing boats across the Atlantic coast of Europe, with countries including Spain, France, and Portugal.

Dubbed an "attack zone," this region has become susceptible to orca encounters. So far, no attacks have resulted in human injuries or fatalities. In the past, whales have been recorded to attack boats in general.

Related Article: Why Orcas Almost Never Attack Humans
After a hazardous heat concern, Texas residents and commuters can experience the return of rainy conditions. According to a weather report on May 15, potential flash floods and river flooding can occur this weekend.

The main concerns are the impacts on flood-prone or low-lying areas in parts of Texas, as a severe weather outlook continues to affect portions of the south-central U.S.

When commutes are not essential or could be rescheduled, it is best to stay at home or monitor the latest weather information in the southern U.S.

Texas Weather Outlook: What Can People Expect This Weekend?

As outdoor enthusiasts gear up for the weekend, it is advisable to consider the weather this late week due to potential flooding rainfall and flooded roads.

In a report by the National Weather Service (NWS) for May 16, the advisory warns of a moderate risk of excessive rainfall in parts of Texas and Louisiana. Flood Watches are already issued in affected areas.

In addition, a risk of scattered severe thunderstorms could unload this week, packed with very large hail, tornadoes, and damaging winds.

In a similar report, an NWS Weather Prediction Concerned raised concerns about a heavy rainfall threat in the Southeast. The weather information shows that portions of Texas could expect three to five inches of rainfall. Due to the rainy potential, houses in flood-prone areas are vulnerable to flooding.

The return of a wetter outlook is expected to spread over parts of Florida this weekend. People traveling from Texas to Florida on Interstate 10 and Interstate 20 corridors could experience hazardous travel due to flooding concerns.

On Thursday, showers and thunderstorms are forecast in the following areas:

Lubbock

Oklahoma City

Wichita

Austin

Dallas

Houston

San Antonio

Corpus Christi

For Houston residents, the advisory advises residents to watch out for another round of locally heavy rain and severe storms this late week. Residents north of Interstate 10 should stay alert for poor weather outlook. Additionally, there is a Flood Watch due to excessive rainfall potential.

From Thursday to Saturday, a rainy outlook is expected to continue. Areas at risk of rounds of rain are Wichita Falls, Dallas, Austin, Houston, New Orleans, Mobile, Jackson, Birmingham, Atlanta, and Tallahassee.

River and stream flooding are also a primary concern in Houston, Mobile, Montgomery, Jackson, and Alexandria. Communities near rivers should be alert for evacuations.

Also Read: Hawaii Weather Forecast: Stormy Outlook to Dump Major Rainstorm This Week

Weather in other parts of the U.S: Where Will Stormy Outlook Hit?

In other parts of the U.S., an NWS advisory shows that unsettled weather and stormy outlook could hit central and eastern portions of the Lower 48.

In Coastal New England and Eastern Long Island, there is a risk of rainfall, including in the Northeast.

Related Article: Hawaii Weather Forecast: Stormy Outlook to Dump Major Rainstorm This Week

For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature World News.
As a result of global warming and an aging population, older people's exposure to heat will at least double across all continents by 2050, according to a study that emphasizes the combined risk.

250 Million More

Up to 250 million more people who are 69 years of age or older will be exposed to dangerously high temperatures-defined as 37.5 degrees Celsius-than there are now.

The study issued a warning, stating that hotspots for biological and social vulnerability are likely to be created, along with higher than average numbers of older people and intense heat.

The report cautioned that the impact on health systems and global inequalities will be enormous since older individuals are more susceptible to high temperatures, and the populations most affected are often found in the hotter, less developed global south.

The rate at which the world's population is aging is unparalleled. More than one in five people on earth will be over 60 by the middle of the century, when the number of individuals 65 and older is expected to double to 2.1 billion.

The research projected that "two-thirds of them will live in low- and middle-income countries where extreme climate events are especially likely."

There is a distinct north-south difference across most continents, with the warmer, less wealthy southern hemisphere being more negatively impacted than the colder, wealthier northern hemisphere.

Because of its vast population and hot temperature, Asia will have roughly four times higher levels of older adult heat exposure than other regions relative to the total population. But there will be significant rises in every location.

By 2050, exposure will more than triple in South America and Europe compared to today and almost double in Oceania, North America, and Africa.

The regions with the greatest aging trends include North America, where a fifth of the population will be over 69 by 2050, and Europe, where a quarter of the population will reach that age.

However, because of their far larger populations, Asia and Africa will experience higher growth in terms of absolute numbers. These continents will bear a great deal more burden because they are also hotter and poorer.

Read Also: Another Set of Record Breaking Heat Wave Will Hit the American West

Elder Mortality

As we age, our body's ability to regulate its temperature decreases. In addition, chronic conditions, including heart disease and respiratory disorders, are more common in the elderly, which increases the hazards associated with heat exposure.

A greater percentage are physically frail, live alone, and are dependent on dehydration-inducing drugs including laxatives, diuretics, and bumetanide (which lowers the amount of excess fluid in the body).

Elderly people have historically taken a greater death toll from heatwaves, especially those who are less mobile or live in sheltered accommodation with no air conditioning.

The high mortality rates among the elderly during the 2022 European heatwave, the deaths of residents in a Florida nursing home following a power outage in 2017, and the deaths of 3,500 older individuals during the 2015 heatwave in India and Pakistan are some of the incidents mentioned in the study.

Prior research on climate-demographic risk examined data at the national level. A more detailed subnational analysis of the numbers was provided by the new report.

This is significant since the effects of climate change differ greatly between regions within nations, especially in large, densely populated countries like China, India, and Indonesia. Additionally, it monitored acute exposure to brief bursts of intense heat as well as chronic exposure to high temperatures.

"The other key message is the inequality story. Countries in the global north and global south are very differently equipped to deal with this challenge. Societies with more infrastructure and knowledge are much more protected. This impact study clearly shows the need for a mechanism to adjust for the equity issue," said one of the authors, Giacomo Falchetta of the CMCC Foundation in Venice, Italy.

Falchetta expressed his optimism that the projections will improve society's readiness. He stated that national governments needed to modify public health information policies and medical systems, households needed to ensure that senior citizens had enough money for air conditioning, and cities needed to set aside additional areas for greenery and shade.

Related Article: Adults Aged 18-64 Are More Likely to be Affected by Extreme Heat Than the Elderly
The serene island of Maui, typically a haven for tourists seeking its tranquil beaches and verdant landscapes, has recently been thrust into the limelight for a far less idyllic reason.

The aftermath of a catastrophic wildfire has left the community grappling with an insidious adversary: a surge in respiratory ailments that has swept through the population with alarming speed and severity.

Unveiling the Hidden Health Hazards

In an unprecedented effort to quantify the health implications of the wildfires, the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization, in collaboration with the John A. Burns School of Medicine, embarked on a comprehensive study.

The Maui Wildfire Exposure Study, as it has been aptly named, sought to assess the extent of respiratory complications among the island's residents.

The findings were startling, revealing that a staggering three-quarters of the surveyed individuals reported symptoms indicative of respiratory distress.

The survey, which meticulously gathered data through a series of questions posed to those in the affected areas, has shed light on the pervasive nature of the health crisis.

Participants recounted a range of issues, from the mild but persistent cough to acute exacerbations of pre-existing conditions like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The implications are clear: the wildfires' impact extends far beyond the immediate destruction of property and natural resources, infiltrating the very air that the residents of Maui breathe.

Also REad: Maui Wildfire Kills Six; Thousands Force To Evacuate

Addressing the Aftermath: A Call to Action

The repercussions of the wildfires on public health have prompted a clarion call for action. Medical professionals on the island have been inundated with cases of respiratory complaints, a trend that shows no signs of abating.

The study's revelations have underscored the pressing need for a bolstered healthcare infrastructure capable of responding to the burgeoning demand for pulmonary services.

The scarcity of specialized medical practitioners in the field of respiratory care has become a focal point of concern.

The University of Hawaii's researchers are advocating for a concerted effort to bridge this gap, urging the state's congressional delegation to prioritize the allocation of resources to Maui.

The establishment of a dedicated respiratory health center has been proposed as a critical step towards providing the community with the support it needs to navigate the long road to recovery.

The Maui Wildfire Exposure Study is poised to continue its vital work, with plans to track the long-term health outcomes of the affected population.

As the island of Maui begins the arduous process of healing from the physical and environmental scars left by the wildfires, the health of its people remains at the forefront of the conversation.

The study serves as a poignant reminder of the far-reaching consequences of natural disasters and the resilience of a community determined to rise from the ashes.

What specific measures are being taken to address the respiratory crisis?

In response to the respiratory health crisis caused by the Maui wildfires, a multifaceted approach is being implemented.

The University of Hawaii is spearheading health surveys and a decade-long study to monitor the effects of wildfire smoke exposure on respiratory health.

Individuals who have been exposed to the fires are encouraged to undergo medical check-ups to identify any potential long-term health issues.

To combat the shortage of pulmonary specialists in Maui, efforts are underway to attract more healthcare professionals and resources to the island.

Additionally, there is a strong advocacy for the establishment of a dedicated respiratory health center in Maui, which would provide specialized care and serve as a research and monitoring hub for ongoing health assessments of the affected population.

These initiatives aim to provide immediate relief to those suffering from respiratory ailments and to prepare the healthcare system for any future incidents.

Related article: Maui Wildfire Death Toll Now at 53, Expected To Rise
Glenn Pocknall joins Scotland's coaching staff ahead of Men's T20 World Cup campaign

G

lenn Pocknall is all set to join Scotlands coaching staff ahead of their Mens T20 World Cup campaign in the West Indies and USA from June 1. Pocknall had previously spent time with Scotland coaching staff during the ICC Mens World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe last year.

Pocknall is currently head coach of the Central Stags side in the New Zealand domestic circuit and will link up with Scotland team for the Mens T20 World Cup in a fixed term role as fielding skills consultant.

The experience of our wider coaching and medical staff will be hugely valuable to us in the coming weeks, during what is an extremely exciting period for us. The conditions in the Caribbean are likely to be particularly challenging, but we feel this group of players and staff are ready to step up and do themselves proud on the world stage.

Im extremely pleased to have secured someone of Glenns experience to work with us on a short-term basis. He has recent knowledge of many of the squad and brings a huge amount of quality and expertise to the group during the next few weeks. We also greatly appreciate the collaboration with Central Districts in allowing Glenn to join us for this short period, said Steve Snell, Cricket Scotland Head of Performance, in a statement.

Pocknall joins up with the Scotland squad ahead of the T20I tri-series, which features hosts Netherlands and Ireland, happening from May 18 to 24 at Voorburg. He joins the Scotland coaching staff comprising Stevie Gilmour and Moneeb Iqbal (Assistant Coaches), Dan Sutton (Strength & Conditioning), Dave Kershaw (Physio), Rajeev McCrea-Routray and Kenny Crichton (Team Manager).

Gilmour will lead the coaching staff on the ground during the four fixtures in the Netherlands, with head coach Doug Watson remaining in Scotland due to unforeseen visa delays. Following the tri-series, the Scotland team will fly to Trinidad on May 26 to begin their Mens T20 World Cup final preparations.

Scotland will take on Uganda on May 30 in their first warm-up game at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Port of Spain, before facing Afghanistan in the second practice match at the Queens Park Oval in Port of Spain the following day.

In the Mens T20 World Cup, Scotland are in Group B and will play their opening match of the tournament in what will be their first-ever mens T20I meeting against defending champions England on June 4 at Kensington Oval in Barbados.

They will then face Namibia on June 6 in Barbados and Oman on June 9 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, before playing their last group match against recently crowned ODI World Cup champions Australia on June 15 at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia.

Scotland will be competing at their sixth ICC Mens T20 World Cup, and their third tournament participation in succession. In 2021, they succeeded in qualifying for the Super 12s stage in the UAE and Oman, while in 2022, they memorably defeated West Indies in the group stage at Hobart, though they failed to make it to the Super 12 stage.

 Glenn Pocknall joins Scotland's coaching staff ahead of Men's T20 World Cup campaign

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Juve part ways with head coach Allegri

S

erie A powerhouse Juventus had relieved Massimiliano Allegri of his position as head coach on Friday, days after the Tuscan led the Bianconeri to win the Coppa Italia title.

"The exoneration follows certain behaviors during and after the Coppa Italia final that the club deemed incompatible with the values of Juventus and the behavior that those who represent it should have," read a statement.

The 56-year-old lost his temper in the dying minute of the Coppa Italia final between Juve and Atalanta that saw him sent off by the referee.

Allegri started his second spell in Juve in 2021. In his first stint, he won five consecutive Serie A titles from 2014-15 to 2018-19 and steered the team to the Champions League final twice. But in stark contrast, during his second journey with the Old Lady, Juve only claimed one trophy.

Coincidentally, Juve and Allegri also terminated their first period of collaboration on May 17, 2019.

According to the Italian outlets, former Juve player Paolo Montero will act as an interim head coach, while current Bologna tactician Thiago Motta is expected to take over the team.

 Juve part ways with head coach Allegri

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Norwegian envoy May-Elin Stener calls India EFTA-TEPA agreement 'historic'

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orwegian Ambassador to India, May-Elin Stener on Friday called the recently signed India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement 'historic' in the India-Norway relationship and said that the pact will be an important instrument to enhance trade and investments between the two countries.

"We have an extremely productive and constructive dialogue at the political level. The date the 10 March 2024 is historic in our relationship. On that day we signed the EFTA India Trade and Partnership agreement here in Delhi. The agreement will be an important instrument to advance trade and investments and increase people-to-people contact between Norway and India," she said while speaking at Norway's National Day celebrations held at the Norwegian embassy in New Delhi.

"Norway is hosting the India- Nordic Summit. We look forward to this high-level meeting and hope this will give yet another big boost to our collaboration. During my eight months in India, I met so many impressive, kind, positive and welcoming people. I have visited ten Indian states that now celebrate vibrant Indian festivals and learned about the most important Indian fashion, crickets. Thank you for all the wonderful experiences. My impression is that Norwegians and Indians get along very well and I believe that the people-to-people contact is important for our bilateral relationship," she added.

On 10th March, the EFTA States and India signed the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA). The EFTA States undertake to maintain the abolition of all customs duties on imports of industrial products, fish and other marine products that originate from India.

The National Day celebrations were held at the embassy with the aurora borealis theme and Union Minister of State for Ministry of External Affairs, Meenakshi Lekhi presided over the event as chief guest. May 17, is observed as Norway National Day.

Moreover, MoS Lekhi also addressed the gathering at the event and underscored the long-standing relationship between the two countries, asserting that the two countries experiencing unprecedented growth in the bilateral relationships.

"Our relationship is, and it's important to understand that trade and commerce doesn't happen in air. Trade and commerce need to have a basis and the basis is the connection of people to people. And that people-to-people connect is what brings people together, and helps them understand each other. And with changing times, changing history, changing patterns, the pattern of today between the two countries has also changed," she said.

"And I can very proudly say the relationship has not been so good ever before and in future hold still better days for both countries. And wishing this the very, very best, the relationship between the two countries and its people the very best," she added.

She also highlighted the growth in trade between the two countries in the past decade and underscored that the trade between the two countries has touched the mark of USD 2.5 billion.

"I must say that the trade and commerce is another area, bedrock being the constitutional democracies that the two countries are. But on that foundation, the building is built by trade and commerce and economy. And the two countries share quite a lot. To just mark these statistics, in 2013 and 2014, before our government came to power, the trade and commerce brought in a business of which is less than USD 1 billion and today it is USD 2.5 billion," she said.

MoS also shared details about her participation in the event on X saying, "Happy to join the National Day reception at the Norwegian Embassy. Cherish our warm and friendly ties. Reaffirmed our commitment to deepen and expand our cooperation bilaterally and in multilateral fora."

 Norwegian envoy May-Elin Stener calls India EFTA-TEPA agreement 'historic'

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"Starting implementation of these changes after the first of the year is a logical choice considering where we are in the planning cycle, the additional work we have ongoing, our current efforts to stabilize service, and the upcoming election."
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The gym isn't air conditioned, but district officials are hoping the temperature will not be an issue since the ceremony starts in the morning and temperatures are forecast to be in the 60s the night before.
Cancer is a leading cause of death globally. One of the primary reasons why cancer is such a deadly disease is the ability of cancer cells to become drug-resistant. After decades of medical research, scientists came to understand that malignant tumors often harbor a special population of cells called cancer stem cells (CSCs). Much like normal stem cells, CSCs can self-renew and differentiate into various cell types within a tumor, playing important roles not only in tumor growth and metastasis but also in the development of drug resistance.

Unfortunately, developing therapies targeting CSCs directly has proven quite challenging, given their ability to adapt and repopulate. Thus, some researchers have directed their attention to the blood vessels within the tumor tissue. Over the past few years, researchers have found that certain subpopulations of endothelial cells (cells lining the blood vessels) secrete angiocrine factors, which regulate the proliferation and maturation of stem cells. Understanding which cells produce these factors and their functions in the tumor microenvironment can, in turn, lead to novel cancer therapies.

Against this backdrop, a research team from Japan, including Professor Hiroyasu Kidoya and Dr. Yumiko Hayashi from the Department of Integrative Vascular Biology at the Faculty of Medical Science at the University of Fukui, conducted a study on secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (Sfrp1)-;an angiocrine factor-;to clarify its role in tumor tissues. Their findings were published online in the journal In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology  Animal on April 16, 2024.

"While blood vessels are usually considered merely a supply route for oxygen and nutrients, our research focused on a completely different function of blood vessels, namely the production of angiocrine factors. We conducted this research with the idea that angiocrine factors might also be involved in tumor progression and aimed to elucidate whether Sfrp1 affects CSC maintenance and that of the tumor tissue as a whole," explains Prof. Kidoya.

To shed light on these issues, the researchers bred Sfrp1-knockout (KO) mice using CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing. Then, they transplanted lung carcinoma tumors into Sfrp1-KO and wild-type mice and observed the effects of Sfrp1 (or the lack thereof) using standard techniques, such as immunostaining, flow cytometry, and quantitative genetic expression analysis.

Initial experiments revealed that Sfrp1 is produced in a small subset of vascular endothelial cells in tumor tissue and that its presence is important for tumor growth. Not only was the tumor growth suppressed in Sfrp1-KO mice, but transplanted tumor cells overexpressing Sfrp1 gave rise to faster growing tumors.

Interestingly, researchers found that Sfrp1-deficient tumors could not maintain substantial CSC populations during the late stages of tumor growth, even though these tumors had a higher initial percentage of CSCs. This finding is particularly important as it hints at one of the biological roles of Sfpr1 in the tumor microenvironment and its involvement in cancer pathology. "Some CSCs in tumor tissues exist in a state of arrested cell proliferation, and their presence contributes to tumor growth and resistance to anticancer drugs," explains Prof. Kidoya. "Our results indicate that Sfrp1 may regulate CSC self-renewal and transient malignant growth, and act to maintain a dormant state."

Further cementing these results, the researchers noted that Sfrp1 did not affect the structure of blood vessels within the tumor, implying that the observed effects on tumor growth were unrelated to vasculature. Instead, genetic expression analyses revealed that Sfrp1 contributes to CSC maintenance by modulating the well-preserved Wnt signaling pathway (an evolutionarily conserved pathway that regulates crucial aspects of cell fate determination, cell migration, and organogenesis during embryonic development).

Overall, the newfound knowledge provided by this work could pave the way for the development of new cancer therapies targeting mechanisms that help maintain CSCs. "Targeting specialized vascular endothelial cells involved in producing angiocrine factors could help destroy the CSC niche, serving as a potential approach for inhibiting tumor growth with minimal side effects," concludes Prof. Kidoya. "I believe this could lead to the development of treatments for intractable cancer patients whose tumors exhibit resistance to anticancer drugs as well as therapeutic agents to suppress cancer recurrence and metastasis."

Further research building on these findings will serve as a stepping stone to effective therapies for drug-resistant cancer.
Azenta, Inc. today announced the grand opening of the new Genomics Laboratory in Oxford, UK, expanding its global reach of GENEWIZ Multiomics & Synthesis Solutions further in the UK market. The new laboratory brings Azenta closer to UK-based researchers, providing advanced next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms and a local team of top-tier scientists from Oxford.

Image Credit: Azenta, Inc.

"We're thrilled to open our Oxford laboratory, which allows us to bring state-of-the-art NGS technology to UK researchers," said Dr Ginger Zhou, President of Azentas Multiomics business unit. "This new facility not only strengthens our global footprint but also offers researchers access to local experts and cutting-edge resources. The Oxford team comprises some of the best minds in the field, all with deep roots in the local scientific community."

The opening event, held on April 25, 2024, featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a lab tour, and a celebratory reception with key stakeholders, including members of the local scientific community, distinguished guests, and Azenta executives.

This new lab represents our commitment to supporting UK researchers by delivering high-quality data faster, advancing research and development in critical fields such as diabetes, infectious diseases, Alzheimer's and more. We're excited about the energy, engagement, and collaboration with the scientific community, and we look forward to contributing to their success." Dr David Buck, Director of Lab Services, Oxford

Having an amazing genomics facility like the one Azenta has opened at our doorstep, allows us to work faster, achieving more in less time, with higher accuracy and for an effective cost. This helps us enhance discovery in medical research to patient benefit. Said Dr. John Todd, Professor of Precision Medicine at the University of Oxford, who attended the opening event.

The Oxford Genomics Laboratory was created with customer convenience in mind. It offers a network of GENEWIZ collection points plus free-of-charge, same day dry ice sample collection in Oxford, and Cambridge, streamlining the sample submission process for researchers. The lab provides a comprehensive suite of NGS services; library preparation, sequencing, bioinformatics analysis with UK based data storage, plus soon to be, a range of DNA/RNA extraction capabilities, all backed by experienced Ph.D.-level study managers who guide projects from conception to delivery.

GENEWIZ from Azenta is equipped with the latest, cutting-edge NGS platforms globally to enable service users to stay at the forefront of scientific innovation. Some of these platforms include: Illumina NovaSeqTM X Plus, PacBio Revio, Oxford Nanopore Technologies GridION, PromethION 2 Solo, 10x Genomics Chromium X, Nanostring GeoMx & nCounter, and Olink Protein Biomarker Detection.

About Azenta Life Sciences

Azenta, Inc. is a leading provider of life sciences solutions worldwide, enabling impactful breakthroughs and therapies to market faster. Azenta provides a full suite of reliable cold-chain sample management solutions and multiomics services across areas such as drug development, clinical research and advanced cell therapies for the industry's top pharmaceutical, biotech, academic and healthcare institutions globally.

Our global team delivers and supports these products and services through our industry-leading brands, including GENEWIZ, FluidX, Ziath, 4titude, Limfinity, Freezer Pro, Barkey and B Medical Systems.

Azenta is headquartered in Burlington, MA, with operations in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.azenta.com.
Inside the protesters encampment at UCLA, beneath the glow of hanging flashlights and a deafening backdrop of exploding flash-bangs, OB-GYN resident Elaine Chan suddenly felt like a battlefield medic.

Police were pushing into the camp after an hours-long standoff. Chan, 31, a medical tent volunteer, said protesters limped in with severe puncture wounds, but there was little hope of getting them to a hospital through the chaos outside. Chan suspects the injuries were caused by rubber bullets or other "less lethal" projectiles, which police have confirmed were fired at protesters.

"It would pierce through skin and gouge deep into people's bodies," she said. "All of them were profusely bleeding. In OB-GYN we don't treat rubber bullets.  I couldn't believe that this was allowed to be [done to] civilians  students  without protective gear."

The UCLA protest, which gathered thousands in opposition to Israel's ongoing bombing of Gaza, began in April and grew to a dangerous crescendo this month when counterprotesters and police clashed with the activists and their supporters.

In interviews with KFF Health News, Chan and three other volunteer medics described treating protesters with bleeding wounds, head injuries, and suspected broken bones in a makeshift clinic cobbled together in tents with no electricity or running water. The medical tents were staffed day and night by a rotating team of doctors, nurses, medical students, EMTs, and volunteers with no formal medical training.

At times, the escalating violence outside the tent isolated injured protesters from access to ambulances, the medics said, so the wounded walked to a nearby hospital or were carried beyond the borders of the protest so they could be driven to the emergency room.

"I've never been in a setting where we're blocked from getting higher level of care," Chan said. "That was terrifying to me."

Three of the medics interviewed by KFF Health News said they were present when police swept the encampment May 2 and described multiple injuries that appeared to have been caused by "less lethal" projectiles.

Less lethal projectiles  including beanbags filled with metal pellets, sponge-tipped rounds, and projectiles commonly known as rubber bullets  are used by police to subdue suspects or disperse crowds or protests. Police drew widespread condemnation for using the weapons against Black Lives Matter demonstrations that swept the country after the killing of George Floyd in 2020. Although the name of these weapons downplays their danger, less lethal projectiles can travel upward of 200 mph and have a documented potential to injure, maim, or kill.

The medics' interviews directly contradict an account from the Los Angeles Police Department. After police cleared the encampment, LAPD Chief Dominic Choi said in a post on the social platform X that there were "no serious injuries to officers or protestors as police moved in and made more than 200 arrests.

In response to questions from KFF Health News, both the LAPD and California Highway Patrol said in emailed statements that they would investigate how their officers responded to the protest. The LAPD statement said the agency was conducting a review of how it and other law enforcement agencies responded, which would lead to a "detailed report."

The Highway Patrol statement said officers warned the encampment that "non-lethal rounds" may be used if protesters did not disperse, and after some became an "immediate threat" by "launching objects and weapons," some officers used "kinetic specialty rounds to protect themselves, other officers, and members of the public." One officer received minor injuries, according to the statement.

Video footage that circulated online after the protest appeared to show a Highway Patrol officer firing less lethal projectiles at protesters with a shotgun.

"The use of force and any incident involving the use of a weapon by CHP personnel is a serious matter, and the CHP will conduct a fair and impartial investigation to ensure that actions were consistent with policy and the law," the Highway Patrol said in its statement.

The UCLA Police Department, which was also involved with the protest response, did not respond to requests for comment.

Jack Fukushima, 28, a UCLA medical student and volunteer medic, said he witnessed a police officer shoot at least two protesters with less lethal projectiles, including a man who collapsed after being hit "square in the chest." Fukushima said he and other medics escorted the stunned man to the medical tent then returned to the front lines to look for more injured.

"It did really feel like a war," Fukushima said. "To be met with such police brutality was so disheartening."

Back on the front line, police had breached the borders of the encampment and begun to scrum with protesters, Fukushima said. He said he saw the same officer who had fired earlier shoot another protester in the neck.

The protester dropped to the ground. Fukushima assumed the worst and rushed to his side.

"I find him, and I'm like, 'Hey, are you OK?'" Fukushima said. "To the point of courage of these undergrads, he's like, 'Yeah, it's not my first time.' And then just jumps right back in."

Sonia Raghuram, 27, another medical student stationed in the tent, said that during the police sweep she tended to a protester with an open puncture wound on their back, another with a quarter-sized contusion in the center of their chest, and a third with a "gushing" cut over their right eye and possible broken rib. Raghuram said patients told her the wounds were caused by police projectiles, which she said matched the severity of their injuries.

The patients made it clear the police officers were closing in on the medical tent, Raghuram said, but she stayed put.

"We will never leave a patient," she said, describing the mantra in the medical tent. "I don't care if we get arrested. If I'm taking care of a patient, that's the thing that comes first."

The UCLA protest is one of many that have been held on college campuses across the country as students opposed to Israel's ongoing war in Gaza demand universities support a ceasefire or divest from companies tied to Israel. Police have used force to remove protesters at Columbia University, Emory University, and the universities of Arizona, Utah, and South Florida, among others.

At UCLA, student protesters set up a tent encampment on April 25 in a grassy plaza outside the campus's Royce Hall theater, eventually drawing thousands of supporters, according to the Los Angeles Times. Days later, a "violent mob" of counterprotesters "attacked the camp," the Times reported, attempting to tear down barricades along its borders and throwing fireworks at the tents inside.

The following night, police issued an unlawful assembly order, then swept the encampment in the early hours of May 2, clearing tents and arresting hundreds by dawn.

Police have been widely criticized for not intervening as the clash between protesters and counterprotesters dragged on for hours. The University of California system announced it has hired an independent policing consultant to investigate the violence and "resolve unanswered questions about UCLA's planning and protocols, as well as the mutual aid response."

Charlotte Austin, 34, a surgery resident, said that as counterprotesters were attacking she also saw about 10 private campus security officers stand by, "hands in their pockets," as students were bashed and bloodied.

Austin said she treated patients with cuts to the face and possible skull fractures. The medical tent sent at least 20 people to the hospital that evening, she said.

"Any medical professional would describe these as serious injuries," Austin said. "There were people who required hospitalization  not just a visit to the emergency room  but actual hospitalization."

Police tactics 'lawful but awful'

UCLA protesters are far from the first to be injured by less lethal projectiles.

In recent years, police across the U.S. have repeatedly fired these weapons at protesters, with virtually no overarching standards governing their use or safety. Cities have spent millions to settle lawsuits from the injured. Some of the wounded have never been the same.

During the nationwide protests following the police killing of George Floyd in 2020, at least 60 protesters sustained serious injuries  including blinding and a broken jaw  from being shot with these projectiles, sometimes in apparent violations of police department policies, according to a joint investigation by KFF Health News and USA Today.

In 2004, in Boston, a college student celebrating a Red Sox victory was killed by a projectile filled with pepper-based irritant when it tore through her eye and into her brain.

"They're called less lethal for a reason," said Jim Bueermann, a former police chief of Redlands, California, who now leads the Future Policing Institute. "They can kill you."

Bueermann, who reviewed video footage of the police response at UCLA at the request of KFF Health News, said the footage shows California Highway Patrol officers firing beanbag rounds from a shotgun. Bueermann said the footage did not provide enough context to determine if the projectiles were being used "reasonably," which is a standard established by federal courts, or being fired "indiscriminately," which was outlawed by a California law in 2021.

"There is a saying in policing  'lawful but awful'  meaning that it was reasonable under the legal standards but it looks terrible," Bueermann said. "And I think a cop racking multiple rounds into a shotgun, firing into protesters, doesn't look very good."

This article was produced by KFF Health News, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.
Thought Leaders Professor Omowunmi (Wunmi) Sadik Distinguished Professor and Director of The BioSMART Center The New Jersey Institute of Technology

In this interview conducted at Pittcon 2024 in San Diego, we spoke with Professor Omowunmi (Wunmi) Sadik, this years Keynote Speaker, about the transformative impact of sustainable nanomaterials on human health.

Could you please introduce yourself and your current position?

My name is Omowunmi Sadik. I am the department chair and Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Environmental Science at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). Additionally, I am the center director for the BioSMART Center, situated on the downtown Newark campus.

Could you share with us your journey in the field of chemistry and your current role at the BioSMART Center & New Jersey Institute of Technology?

I was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, in a family that strongly encouraged my pursuit of science. After completing my bachelors and masters degrees at the University of Lagos, I pursued my Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia.

Following my doctoral studies, I joined the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a National Research Council postdoctoral research position in immunochemistry. Subsequently, I began my independent career at the State University of New York at Binghamton, where I progressed from assistant to associate and finally full professor over a span of 24 years. Approximately five years ago, I transitioned to NJIT.

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Your keynote presentation at Pittcon 2024 revolves around sustainable nanomaterials. What is meant by the term sustainable nanomaterials, and what initially sparked your interest in this area of research?

Sustainable nanomaterials are derived with a low carbon footprint. The design involves reducing the use of volatile organic materials and considering bio-renewable materials with 100 % renewability and biodegradability.

My interest in this field was initially sparked by the prevalent negative connotations associated with chemistry, such as toxicity and the use of volatile organics. Weve witnessed concerns regarding substances like lead, mercury, and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls).

However, chemistry has contributed immensely to society. It has facilitated advancements in pharmaceuticals, improved health, and played a crucial role in enhancing food production through pesticides and herbicides. Additionally, chemistry has been central to energy production.

It is, therefore, imperative that we think about the potential role that chemistry can play in terms of sustainability. When we discuss sustainability, we must consider society, the environment, and the economythe three pillars of sustainability. Sustainability is akin to a three-legged stool, with people, the planet, and profit at its core. Therefore, sustainability is crucial for our progress moving forward.

Pittcon Thought Leader: Omowunmi Sadik Play

How was it to be this years keynote speaker, and how did you find the talk yesterday?

Having attended Pittcon for the past three decades, Ive had the privilege of participating in numerous Coulter keynote lectures. Its truly an honor to be named the 2024 Walter Coulter lecturer. I feel both delighted and humbled to be associated with those who have walked this path before me.

In your talk, you mention the use of sustainable nanomaterials to understand reaction mechanisms. Could you elaborate on how these materials aid in this understanding?

Understanding reaction mechanisms is crucial for addressing the unintended consequences of chemistry. While detection is important, comprehending the fate, transport, and transformation of chemicals in the environment and human health is equally important. Without this understanding, we only grasp part of the story. Therefore, I believe that delving into mechanisms is critical, and utilizing sustainable materials to understand these mechanisms is pivotal for comprehending their effects on human health.

Your work has significant implications in biosensing, especially for pain biomarkers and persistent pollutants. How do you foresee these applications evolving in the near future?

Pain biosensors are becoming increasingly necessary for objectively measuring pain. Pain assessment in healthcare settings often relies on subjective methods, such as asking patients to rate their pain on a scale of one to five. However, pain is highly individualistic, and this subjective approach can lead to inaccuracies. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain based on what the individual reports, emphasizing the subjective nature of pain perception.

Continuing to rely solely on subjective pain assessment methods may contribute to the exacerbation of the opioid crisis. For instance, if a person expresses their pain intensity as 10 out of 10, it is crucial to acknowledge and respect their subjective experience. Denying or questioning their reported pain level undermines their experience and can hinder effective pain management.

To address these challenges, objective measures of pain are needed. Similar to glucose monitors that objectively measure blood glucose levels, we should explore the identification of biomarkers for pain and the design of devices capable of objectively assessing pain levels. This is the driving force behind my work in pain biosensors.

What is actually meant by the term biosensor?

Biosensors are compact devices comprising a transduction element closely associated with a biological molecule. This biomolecule interacts with the analyte of interest, triggering a response that is amplified through electronic components to provide valuable information.

A prime example is the glucose monitor, which typically employs electrochemical transduction linked with the enzyme glucose oxidase. When glucose in the blood combines with glucose oxidase, two compounds are produced: gluconolactone and hydrogen peroxide. While gluconolactone is not electroactive, if we measure hydrogen peroxide, we can indirectly determine how much glucose is present in the blood. That is a very good example of a biosensor.

Image Credit: Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock.com

Biosensors are versatile and can be designed for various applications. For instance, alcohol biosensors are used by law enforcement to detect alcohol levels in individuals suspected of driving under the influence. We can design a biosensor for almost anything.

Your biosensor technology for pain assessment is quite innovative. What are the key factors that led to its development, and how does it work?

A close friend approached me regarding their daughters constant struggles with sickle cell disease. Doctors often faced challenges in accurately gauging the level of her pain, so she asked if it was feasible to devise an objective method for pain measurement.

This resonated deeply with me, as I believed such a solution should already exist. I assured her that with the right transduction and molecular tools, we could develop a sensor for this purpose. Our subsequent literature search revealed the absence of such a solution, sparking the beginning of our journey in the development of pain biosensors.

The pain biosensor operates by targeting cyclooxygenase II (COX-II), an enzyme responsible for converting arachidonic acid into prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are inflammatory markers associated with pain. By measuring COX-II levels, the biosensor detects the presence of these markers. COX-II has been extensively studied and implicated in various conditions such as inflammatory diseases, osteoarthritis, neurological disorders, and cancer.

Over the years, substrates have been developed to bind to COX-II, leading to the creation of medications like Advil, Vioxx, and Bextra, although these drugs have encountered issues. By understanding the biochemistry of pain and inflammatory markers like COX-II, we can design sensors tailored to detect them. This approach forms the basis of how pain biosensors function.

What challenges have you faced in researching and developing nanomaterials that are economically beneficial yet environmentally benign?

One of the primary challenges we face is persuading individuals of the significance of sustainability and the importance of designing sustainable materials. Over the past two decades, nanotechnology has been the subject of intensive study. During its early stages, two contrasting perspectives emerged: one suggested that nanomaterials are inherently toxic, while the other proposed their potential applications in fields such as biomedicine.

The first group focused extensively on investigating the environmental health and safety (EHS) implications of nanotechnology. Many organizations, including the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), were proactive in addressing these concerns from the outset.

The NNI, which involved over 25 federal agencies, played a central role in coordinating efforts to understand the EHS issues associated with nanomaterials. Agencies such as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) provided funding to support researchers in this field.

Another critical organization in addressing the sustainability of nanotechnology is the Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization (SNO). SNO, a 501(c)(3) organization, serves as a platform for professionals across various disciplines, including scientists, engineers, social scientists, and economists, to engage in discussions regarding the advantages and disadvantages of nanotechnology.

For those unfamiliar with SNO, I encourage you to visit www.sosnano.org.

As the co-founder of SNO for the past 13 years, I have witnessed annual gatherings where practitioners convene to explore these topics. Thanks to proactive measures taken by individuals and organizations, such as those supported by the NNI and SNO, there has been a significant shift in the conversation surrounding nanotechnology. Rather than viewing nano as inherently toxic, there is now an emphasis on designing nanomaterials with safety and sustainability in mind.

Can you discuss the roles of electrosynthesis and sonochemistry in the development of safe nanomaterials?

Electrosynthesis allows us to create nanomaterials using electrons. It is a safe method that sidesteps the need for volatile organic substances. Sonochemistry operates on a similar principle, utilizing sound and acoustics to achieve material synthesis. These methods align with the ethos of green chemistry, alongside photochemistry and electrochemistry, as they prioritize sustainability and environmental responsibility in material production.

You are the Co-Founder of the Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization. Could you tell us more about the goals of the organization, as well as the work the organization does?

I had the honor of being the inaugural president and co-founder of SNO. My colleague, Barbara Kern of the EPA and also NSL, joined me in this endeavor. Our aim was to establish a platform for nano practitioners to convene and engage in constructive dialogue regarding the advancement of nanotechnology.

Today, under the leadership of our current president, Dr. Achintya Bezbaruah, SNO continues its mission to promote research, education, and responsible development within the field of nanotechnology.

Its fascinating to see how the conversation has evolved. Now, the focus extends beyond discourse to tangible applications. For instance, if youve received the Moderna or Pfizer COVID vaccines, youve already been exposed to nanotechnologies. This shift underscores the positive potential of nanotechnology and the importance of responsible development.

As we mark the 75th anniversary of Pittcon, could you share your first memory or experience of attending this conference and how it impacted your view of the scientific community?

My first Pittcon experience dates back to 1993, over 30 years ago, when I was a grad student traveling from Wollongong, Australia. Encouraged by my mentor and advisor, Professor Gordon Wallace, I found myself immersed in the excitement of the event.

I attended various technical sessions, and it was particularly beautiful to see that we were not alone in the work that we were doing in the lab; others were also delving into similar realms of chemistry.

The exhibition floor was just as exciting as I had the opportunity to see some of the companies and instrumentation that I had only ever encountered in literature  Dionex, Waters Corporation, and Shimatsu, among others, were all present.

Since then, I've made it a point to return to Pittcon time and time again. The allure lies in several factors. Firstly, the networking opportunities are unparalleled. Pittcon brings together the luminaries and influencers of analytical chemistry and applied spectroscopy, fostering connections and encounters with old friends and esteemed professors.

I vividly recall one instance at a SEAC dinner where I found myself seated across from Professor Allen Bard, whose electrochemistry textbook had been like a Bible to me. Though initially starstruck, a chance conversation during the break led to Professor Bard warmly introducing me to fellow attendees, catalyzing my integration into the community.

Additionally, Pittcon offers invaluable short courses covering many topics. The exhibition floor, with its array of cutting-edge instrumentation and technologies, never fails to captivate me. In essence, Pittcon is more than just a conference; it's a hub of learning, networking, and inspiration that keeps me returning year after year.

Finally, what are you most looking forward to at Pittcon 2024 in San Diego?

The weather in San Diego is always beautiful, so selecting a seaside location for the event is a fantastic choice. As you know, at this time of year, snow is on the ground on the East Coast, so this will be a welcome change to enjoy the pleasant weather there.

I'm especially looking forward to the technical sessions and sharing this experience with my students, two of whom will be presenting. As always, I'm excited about the networking opportunities that Pittcon always brings.

About Professor Omowunmi (Wunmi) Sadik

Dr. Sadik is a Distinguished Professor and Director of The BioSMART Center at the New Jersey Institutes of Technology (NJIT). She has held appointments at the State University of New York at Binghamton, Harvard University, Cornell University, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the Naval Research Laboratory. Sadik holds five patents for her work on biosensors and nanostructured membranes and has published over 200 peer-reviewed works with 400 invited lectures and conference contributions. Her group focuses on understanding interfaces, particularly the electrochemical interface, and how to use the knowledge gained to pursue the development of innovative bio (analytical) sensor technologies that improve human health and the environment. Sadik has developed biological sensors for objective pain assessment, electrochemical sensors for heavy metals, proteins, and organic acids, and a portable, fully autonomous, and remotely operated sensing instrument known as the U-PAC (Ultra-Sensitive Portable Capillary Sensor). At BioSMART Center, she is leading the efforts to create sustainable nanocatalysts to detect and degrade recalcitrant pollutants such as PFAS, 1,4-Dioxane, and micronanoplastics. Sadik is a fellow of the American Chemical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, and the National Academy of Inventors. As the Co-Founder and Inaugural President of the Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization (www.susnano.org), Sadik is building support for Science and promoting the understanding of its broader relevance to society.

About Pittcon

Pittcon is the worlds largest annual premier conference and exposition on laboratory science. Pittcon attracts more than 16,000 attendees from industry, academia and government from over 90 countries worldwide.

Their mission is to sponsor and sustain educational and charitable activities for the advancement and benefit of scientific endeavor.

Pittcons target audience is not just analytical chemists, but all laboratory scientists  anyone who identifies, quantifies, analyzes or tests the chemical or biological properties of compounds or molecules, or who manages these laboratory scientists.

Having grown beyond its roots in analytical chemistry and spectroscopy, Pittcon has evolved into an event that now also serves a diverse constituency encompassing life sciences, pharmaceutical discovery and QA, food safety, environmental, bioterrorism and cannabis/psychedelics.
In a recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers estimated the total costs of severe traffic injuries over two years in Finland.

Traffic injuries cause substantial financial strain on society. Around 1.3 million individuals succumb to road traffic-related injuries annually. Furthermore, road traffic injuries are estimated to account for 3% of many countries' GDP. However, studies on injury-related costs at the national or international level are scarce.

A 2020 survey across 32 European countries revealed that the average costs per severe road traffic injury were between  28,205 and  975,074. Notably, there was substantial heterogeneity in the definition of injury and methodologies of cost calculations between countries. Moreover, the usability of such cost estimations is limited.

Study: Cumulative costs of severe traffic injuries in Finland: a 2-year retrospective observational study of 252 patients. Image Credit: Jamo Images / Shutterstock

About the study

In the present study, researchers calculated the cumulative costs of severe traffic injuries in Finland. Patients with severe injuries from traffic accidents treated at the high dependency unit (HDU) or intensive care unit (ICU) of the Tampere University Hospital during 2013-17 were screened for eligibility.

Patients admitted to HDU or ICU for traffic-related injuries, having a new injury severity score  16, and Finnish personal identification numbers were included. Patients with missing cost data were excluded. All subjects also met the criteria for maximum abbreviated injury score  3, the European Commission definition for severe injury.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification system was used to assess physical health. Data on two-year mortality and causes were acquired from Statistics Finland. Treatment costs within two years after the accident were obtained from a motor insurer's center. Costs were categorized as indirect, direct, and others. Direct costs included inpatient treatment, outpatient visits, rehabilitation, and medicine reimbursement.

Indirect costs comprised disability pension and compensation for income loss or permanent functional limitation. Other costs were compensation for temporary pain and funeral expenses. Injury causes were stratified into car-related, motorbike-related, bicycle/pedestrian auto accidents, and other miscellaneous injuries (e.g., collision with trains).

Findings

In total, 314 patients with severe traffic injuries were treated at the hospital. Of these, only 252 patients had detailed costs. Costs were unavailable for 62 subjects whose injuries were caused by attempted suicide or who were heavily intoxicated. Patients were aged 43.3, on average. Eleven patients succumbed to their injuries within a few days post-injury.

Besides, there were four and eight non-injury-related deaths at and after the end of the two-year follow-up, respectively. The total costs for severe traffic injuries were  20 million during the two years of follow-up. Most costs were direct (69.1%), followed by indirect (28.4%) and other costs. The median total cost was  41,202.

Most costs (> 63%) were caused by 23.4% of patients whose costs exceeded  100,000. Besides, 77.7% of costs occurred in the first year. The median total costs for 11 deceased patients were  29,667. Patients with higher injury severity scores and those with injuries to the pelvis or lower extremities had higher total costs.

Further, patients with elevated severity scores and those with lower extremities or face injuries had higher direct costs. Patients aged 1864 and medium/high education levels had significantly higher indirect costs. Further, subjects with injuries to the lower extremities, face, or neck had significantly higher other costs.

Absolute cumulative two-year costs of different cost categories in 252 patients.

Conclusions

In sum, the study examined the costs of severe traffic injuries in Finland over two years (post-injury). Data indicated that over two-thirds of costs were direct costs, and three-fourths were incurred within the first year after the injury. Fewer than a quarter of severe traffic injuries caused the most costs. The relative proportions of indirect and direct costs were constant, irrespective of the total cost amount.

Besides, the direct costs increased with injury severity, with high costs associated with injuries to the face, pelvis, or lower limbs. Moreover, nearly all patients with facial fractures had an intracranial injury. Patients of working age and those with higher levels of education had increased indirect costs. Further studies are required to explore the factors driving the highest costs.
Stock To Watch On May 16: Domestic markets witnessed a strong volatile session on Wednesday despite favorable global sentiments. In todays trade, M&M, Vodafone Idea, Biocon, Mankind Pharma, Dixon Tech will be in focus due to various developments and quarterly earnings.

Earnings in Focus: Mahindra and Mahindra, GAIL (India), Vodafone Idea, Biocon, Container Corporation of India, Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals, Endurance Technologies, Hindustan Aeronautics, Infibeam Avenues, Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences, Info Edge (India), Texmaco Rail & Engineering, Triveni Turbine, and Wonderla Holidays will release quarterly earnings on May 16.

Dixon Tech: The companys Q4 profit surged 24.7 per cent to Rs 98.5 crore. Its revenue climbed 52 per cent to Rs 4,658 crore. Ebitda rose 17.3 per cent to Rs 183 crore. However, the margin declined to 4 per cent.

LIC Housing Finance: The company net profit dropped 7.6 per cent to Rs 1,090.8 crore, from Rs 1,180 crore year-on-year (Y-o-Y). However, its net interest income (NII) rose 12.4 per cent to Rs 2,237.6 crore compared to Rs 1,990.3 crore in the previous year.

Quick Heal: The cybersecurity firm has partnered with Europe-based EET Group to enhance its cybersecurity offerings.

Goa Carbon: The company reported its Q4 earnings, revealing a 77.4 per cent increase in net profit to Rs 9.4 crore compared to Rs 5.3 crore in the previous year. Despite a 43.5 per cent decline in revenue to Rs 178.5 crore from Rs 316 crore, Ebitda decreased 10.3 per cent to Rs 13.9 crore from Rs 15.5 crore. Consequently, the margin increased to 7.8 per cent from 4.9 per cent year-on-year.

CMS Info Systems: The companys Q4 profit jumped 14.3 per cent to Rs 91.4 crore compared to Rs 80 crore in the previous year. Revenue surged 25.1 per cent to Rs 627 crore from Rs 501 crore, while Ebitda witnessed an 8.6 per cent uptick to Rs 155.7 crore from Rs 143.4 crore. However, the margin decreased from 28.6 per cent to 24.8 per cent year-on-year.

Mankind Pharma: Mankind Pharma reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 477 crore for the quarter ended March 2024, which was up by 62% year-on-year.

Asian Paints: Asian Paints has clarified on the CEOs comments on GDP and Paint Industrys correlation.

Titagarh Rail Systems: Titagarh Rail Systems posted net profit of Rs 79 crore in the March quarter. Revenue from operations came in at Rs 1,052 crore.
Prof Devendra Jalihal assumed the position of Director at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati on May 15. Before this appointment, Prof Jalihal served as a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at IIT Madras. He succeeded Prof Rajeev Ahuja, who held the additional charge of IIT Guwahati since November 2023.

In his inaugural statement as the Director of IIT Guwahati, Prof Jalihal said, IIT Guwahati is a prestigious institution ranked consistently among the top 10 by the NIRF Rankings and high research citation rank of 32 in QS world rankings. Situated in one of the most biodiverse and economically dynamic locations of the country, this region has experienced rapid infrastructure development, skill enhancement, and industrial growth.

With the upcoming Tata-sponsored Semiconductor testing and packaging industry near Guwahati, IIT Guwahati is poised to lead the technological advancement of the region. As the only IIT in the northeast region, the institute will work to fulfill the aspirations of all the stakeholders, Prof Jalihal added.

Prof Jalihal earned his B.Tech. (Hons) from IIT Kharagpur in 1983 and completed his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Duke University, Durham, USA, in 1992. He joined the Department of Electrical Engineering at IIT Madras in 1994 and served as the Head of the Department (HoD) from 2016 to 2019. Before assuming his role at IIT Guwahati, Prof. Jalihal chaired the Centre for Outreach and Digital Education at IIT Madras, overseeing all educational outreach activities of the institute.

With research interests spanning digital signal processing, wireless communication, real-time voice and video communication, and societal applications of wireless technologies, Prof. Jalihal has contributed to numerous projects, including low-bit-rate video conferencing, tactical communication systems, disaster management communication systems, and satellite communication networks. He also collaborates with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on strategic communication challenges, the IIT said in a press release.

Stay ahead with all the exam results updates on News18 Website.
The Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC) is likely to release the JAC board class 8th, 9th, and 11th results for 2024 soon. According to media reports, the Jharkhand boards class 8, 9, and 11 results are anticipated to be revealed in the upcoming week. Nevertheless, board authorities will officially confirm the results date and time on its official website. The Jharkhand Boards official result portal, jacresults.com, will host the announcement of the JAC Boards class 8, 9, and 11 results once theyre made public. Students must use their roll number as well as roll code and other relevant details to log in to the Jharkhand Boards official website to view their results.

JAC 8th, 9th and 11th result 2024: how to check

Students can check their results by following the instructions outlined below:

Step 1: Visit the official website of the Jharkhand Board at jacresults.com.

Step 2: Click on the JAC 8th, 9th, and 11th results 2024 link.

Step 3: Enter your roll number and roll code to log in.

Step 4: The Jharkhand board 8th, 9th, and 11th results will be shown on the screen.

Step 5: Download your marksheet for future use as documentation.

Students must get at least 33 per cent on the Jharkhand Class 9th test in 2024 to pass. Those who achieve grades between 33 per cent and 45 per cent will be designated as qualifying with the third division. Candidates who receive a score between 45 and 60 per cent will be considered to have passed with second division. Students who score 60 per cent or more will be regarded as having passed the first division.

Meanwhile, the JAC Jharkhand Board class 12 result 2024 was published on April 30, with a pass rate of 85.88 per cent. In terms of stream-specific results, the pass rates are as follows: 93.16 per cent for Arts, 90.60 per cent for Commerce and 72.70 per cent for Science.

However, the JAC class 10 exam results for this year, which were released on April 19, showed a pass percentage of only 90.39 per cent, indicating a considerable decline from the previous years 95.38 per cent passing rate.

Stay ahead with all the exam results updates on News18 Website.
In an exclusive conversation with News18, Shiv Sena (UBT) president and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday spoke on a range of issues related to the state and its capital Mumbai ahead of the fifth phase of the ongoing general elections. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region and Nashik will have polling in this round on May 20.

Uddhav alleged that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party was looting funds from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. In 2012, BMC was in a deficit of Rs 640 crore, but we took immense efforts and, until two years ago, we brought the reserves of the BMC to Rs 90,000 crore plus. But when the PM came to Mumbai, he said that keeping money in FDs wont help to pay attention to development, so from that moment, they started exhausting the BMC funds," he said.

The BJP says the issue of elections for local bodies of Maharashtra is in the Supreme Court. On this issue, Uddhav said, If the BJP is willing to conduct the corporation elections, then I am ready to go with it to the SC and try to find a solution for this."

The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief also opened up on the issue of the bullet train project. What is the benefit of this bullet train project to Maharashtra and Mumbai? How many people travel daily to Ahmedabad from Mumbai? For this project, the current government gave prime land in Mumbai. After looting the money of Mumbaikars, now they are selling prime land of Mumbai city to such projects."

Uddhav also took a dig at the states Mahayuti government for taking credit for the coastal road and trans harbour link projects. We made the Mumbai coastal road without taking a loan for the project, but the central government has taken a loan from Japan for the bullet train project," he told News18.

He alleged that the BEST bus service, considered the second lifeline of Mumbai, is in trouble and needs money for survival. BMC is running this service, but instead of giving money to it, it is being diverted to MMRDA for its various projects, including the construction of Metro lines. If I come back in power, I might shut down MMRDA or shift it outside Mumbai. For the development of Mumbai city, Mumbai corporation is strong enough," said the opposition leader.

Uddhav also raised questions about the frequent visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Maharashtra and back-to-back rallies in Mumbai in the last two days of the campaigning for the fifth phase. Uddhav said, When Maharashtra was going through a bad time, Modiji didnt turn up, but now, to seek votes, he is visiting frequently. But after June 4, he will be retired as PM."

The general elections this time in Maharashtra are unique as the original Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party have both been split, with one faction from each tying up with the BJP. The Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) are in an alliance with the Congress in the form of the Maha Vikas Aghadi. While BJP ally and chief minister Eknath Shinde has the Shiv Sena name and symbol, the same is the case with deputy CM Ajit Pawar and the NCP, which may play a crucial role in the polls.

Uddhav further termed the Maharashtra government a puppet in the hands of the Centre, which pulls its strings as per its requirements. This government, which claims to be number one in the country for getting investments, should show us how many new businesses, industries, and investments it brought. Vedanta Foxconn was snatched away from Maharashtra and given to Gujarat. But from there, the company withdrew as there was no infrastructure there in Gujarat. Medical device park, bulk drug park, Airbus, all these projects were coming to Maharashtra. Many projects were in the pipeline and ready to come, but they were snatched and diverted to other states. The existing businesses were also sent to other states, including IFSC, Air India headquarters, etc," he said.

On the question of whether the Shiv Sena (UBT) is contesting the Lok Sabha elections on the back of the sympathy he has received because his party got split, Uddhav replied, People have sympathy for me, but you being Vishwaguru, people dont have any sympathy for you; instead, they are angry at you and term you as Jumlebaaz Sarkar. If you see this time, the common man is talking against this government without any fear. Yesterday in the Ghatkopar area of Mumbai, Metro trains and bus services were suspended, many shops were asked to stay shut just because the PM was holding a roadshow. Many people had to face inconvenience. They were saying that we wont vote for the BJP. I am promising the people that once we are back in power, we will stop this loot and get the lost glory of Maharashtra back."

Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website
Barabanki is one of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh. Presently, Barabanki LS comprises of these assembly segments: Kursi (BJP), Ram Nagar (SP), Barabanki (SP), Zaidpur (SP) and Haidargarh (BJP). Voting for the Barabanki Lok Sabha seat will take place in the fifth phase of General Elections on May 20. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.

2019 Result and 2024 Candidates

The Current MP of Barabanki is Upendra Singh Rawat of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Rawat had won by a margin of over 1 lakh votes.

The top candidates for the 2024 polls in Barabanki are Rajrani Rawat of the BJP and Tanuj Punia of the Congress.

Political Dynamics

BJP Faces Resurgent SP Challenge

The BJPs campaign got off to a rough start in Barabanki. The saffron party had initially fielded Upendra Singh Rawat, however, he had to be replaced owing to a storm which erupted after an indecent video of the candidate surfaced online. The BJP replaced Upendra Rawat with Rajrani Rawat, who is now trying to win the seat for the BJP for a third straight term.

The BJP faces a significant Samajwadi challenge in Barabanki, since Akhilesh Yadavs party has seen its graph rise here in recent years. In the 2022 assembly elections, for example, the SP was able to win three of the assembly segments falling under Barabanki LS, while the BJP managed to win only two. The SP has also been able to register victories in local elections in some of the assembly segments. This upsurge has energised the Samajwadi cadre, much to the worry of the BJP.

At a time when the SP-Congress alliance is fighting hard to dislodge the BJP from Barabanki, the saffron party has many problems of its own to deal with. Biggest among these is the intense factionalism being witnessed in the local BJP unit. Following Upendra Rawats removal as candidate, some factions have become vocal against the candidature of Rajrani Rawat. Ground inputs also indicate that some of the BJPs own factions are working to ensure Rajranis defeat.

Ground inputs also reveal that the Modi Magic has subsided in Barabanki. The craze which the electorate had for PM Modi in previous elections is not quite visible at the same magnitude. Importantly, this must not be construed as a statement of disillusionment or anger against the Prime Minister or the BJP. It is being said that the BJP voter has gone silent, and its voice will only be heard when the constituency goes to polls.

It is still widely believed that this being a national election, the BJP would have no real problem retaining the seat in the absence of solid voter consolidation in favour of the opposition. This is because the candidate has limited value in an election the BJP is fighting mostly on PM Modis face and the work his government has done since 2014. Besides, the beneficiaries of the Modi governments schemes are many. People here have been provided with houses, water, electricity and LPG connections; even as direct benefit transfers continue to provide the BJP with ample cushion.

The BJP has a lot to worry about in terms of cadre fatigue. BJP workers appear to have grown lethargic, and ground inputs suggest they are not putting the kind of efforts that characterise a classic BJP organisation. There is resentment among many workers over the alleged neglect which the BJP has shown towards them by importing leaders from other parties, especially the SP, who are quickly awarded with plum positions. The average karyakarta  who has worked very hard for the party for years  feels betrayed seeing this trend.

Samajwadi Party Eyes a Victory

In 2019, the Samajwadi Party lost Barabanki to BJPs Upendra Singh Rawat by a margin of over 1 lakh votes. While the BJP had received about 4.35 lakh votes, the SP had got 4.25 lakh votes. The Indian National Congress stood third, as it could muster just about 1.59 lakh votes. Since 2019, the Congress organisational and support base has only further deteriorated here in Barabanki.

However, as part of the INDI alliance, the Samajwadi Party allotted the Barabanki seat to the Congress. The Grand Old Party has now fielded Tanuj Punia to take on BJPs Rajrani Rawat.

Although there is no palpable anger against either the BJP or PM Modi among the voters, the INDI alliance is confident it can wrest the seat from the saffron party this time. This is primarily because the Samajwadi Party is buoyed by a series of local election victories here, apart from the 3 assembly segments it won in 2022 by withstanding both the Yogi and Modi factors.

The fight in Barabanki is not so much between the BJP and Congress as it is between the SP and BJP. While Tanuj Punia indeed belongs to the Congress, his victory is impossible without near-total transfer of votes from the SP. Although the Muslim voters may be a readily available vote bank for the Congress in Barabanki, they alone will not be enough to defeat the BJP.

This is where the Congress problems arise. The fight in Barabanki is close, because the voters are not in a mood to punish Prime Minister Modi. As such, traditional SP voters may not be very inclined to jump ship and support the Congress come polling day. There is a likelihood that the opposition will be unable to trump the BJP for the simple fact that the wide perception in Uttar Pradesh is that PM Modi is set for a third term in power, and that voting for the Congress may well be a waste of ones franchise.

The Samajwadi Party, as part of its campaign in Barabanki, has been playing the PDA card, accusing the BJP of betraying the Pichhde, Dalit, and Alpasankhyak (backward, Dalit, minority) communities. Together, the Muslims and Scheduled Castes form about 47% of the electorate in Barabanki. The sheer demography of the constituency is making the fight tricky for the BJP this time around, as it could be on the losing side if the INDI bloc achieves complete Muslim-Dalit voter consolidation. However, there are no signs that the Dalits are going to vote for the Congress candidate lock, stock and barrel.

Key Issues

Unemployment and Emigration

One of the major issues in Barabanki has been unemployment. The region lacks big industries and as a result the employment opportunities are limited. Agriculture is the main source of employment and the primary sector for economic development in the region. However, not everyone wishes to involve themselves in agricultural activities, especially the youth who wish for employment in industries to make a better living. Therefore, they emigrate to urban centres such as Lucknow, Delhi or even as far as Maharashtra and Gujarat for the same.

Waterlogging

Waterlogging remains a major impediment to the voters in Barabanki. All thanks to the regions crumbling drainage system, even a short burst of rain leads to areas filled with water for days on end. Last year in September, after torrential rains drenched the region, houses remained underwater for days. At least 4500-5000 people were displaced due to water logging, the region was devastated as NDRF personnel had to rescue people from their homes. The Chhaya roundabout, KD Singh Babu Road, the roadways bus stand, Peerbatavan, Haddi Ganj, Nabi Ganj and Palhari are the worst-hit areas during monsoon. Waterlogging also leads to the issue of destruction of crops, goods and loss of animal livestock, which causes immense loss to the farmers and or traders.

Farmer Issues

Farming in Barabanki is changing, with farmers shifting towards cash crops like mentha and indigo. But this change hasnt solved the underlying problems for small farmers. They still struggle to get fair prices for their crops, often forced to sell to local traders at a loss. The costs of electricity, water, and fertilisers continue to burden them, and selling to the government feels out of reach due to complicated procedures. Small farmers, working on limited land, barely break even, especially with the added challenges of storage and transportation. Theyre calling on the government to guarantee minimum support prices for their crops and prioritise their basic needs before introducing new policies.

Civic Infrastructure

Lack of civic infrastructure remains a major issue in Barabanki. There is a lack of educational and healthcare facilities along with the absence of all-weather roads connecting rural areas. There is also an issue of erratic electric supply which is caused in the monsoon seasons after rains as citizens have complained that their daily life gets impacted due to it. Moreover, the crumbling healthcare infrastructure forces people to travel to nearby Lucknow for major ailments. Patients in Barabanki also suffer due to a lack of basic amenities at the present healthcare facilities in the region. Ceiling fans running at slow pace in hospitals leaves the attendants with no other option but to use hand fans to provide relief. According to reports last year, heat is compounding the woes of patients as health facilities in the periphery of the state capital grapple with poor infrastructure. At least 68 people, have died of different ailments over the past few days, with the state reeling under a sweltering heat wave.

Communal Tensions

Communal tensions in Barabanki tend to boil over from time to time leading to clashes between communities. In 2021, opposition parties targeted the BJP over the razing of a 100-year-old mosque at Ram Sanehi Ghat in Barabanki. Parties have also accused each other of using hate politics which has led to intense communal divide. This has also led to polarisation of voters along communal lines in the region.

Caste

Caste of the candidate remains a major key issue in the Barabanki Lok Sabha constituency. People still believe in the old adage of Jati kahin nahi jati. The region sees a voting percentage of 60% with a majority of voters voting on caste lines. A majority of the literate voting section, either abstains from voting or are either are out of the constituency for better employment opportunities.

Infrastructural Development

Railway Station

Barabanki station is being redeveloped at a cost of Rs. 33.42 crore. Entrances to the station are being increased along with an upgradation of the building facade. Lifts and escalators will also be installed to provide better passenger amenities.

Railway Infrastructure

Several railway lines, including sections from Barabanki to Gorakhpur and Burhwal to Gonda, are being electrified and doubled for increased capacity and speed. Theres also a focus on safety with the elimination of level crossings and construction of road overbridges and underbridges. Passenger amenities at stations have been upgraded with new shelters, benches, and improved facilities, including those for disabled passengers. The introduction of new trains and additional stops on existing routes have made train travel more accessible and convenient for residents of the area.

Civic Infrastructure

The state government had announced in December 2023 that under the Mukhya Mantri Nagariya Alpviksit va Malin Basti Vikas Yojana, preparations are underway to complete a total of 229 development projects in various areas of Maharajganj, Aligarh, Lakhimpur Kheri, Basti, Kannauj, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Lucknow, Agra, and Barabanki. The construction of various structures, including roads, drains, and walls, will take place under these development projects.

Barabanki to Lakhimpur Kheri Link Road

It is an under construction National highway that starts from Barabanki and end to Lakhimpur. It is a four-lane highway which will provide connectivity to the regions of Dewa sharif, Fatehpur, Mahmudabad, Biswan, Laharpur. It will be constructed at a cost of Rs 649 crore.

Voter Demographics

Total Voters: 1816103

SC: 466,738 (25.7%)

Geographical Composition

Urban Voters: 210,668 (11.4%)

Rural Voters: 1,605,435 (88.4%)

Religious Composition

Hindu: 77.1%

Muslim: 22.6%

Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website
Union Home Minister Amit Shah promised at a mega rally in Bihar on Thursday that the BJP will construct a temple of Goddess Sita in Sitamarhi.

We, the BJP dont get scared of the vote bank. PM Modi has built the temple of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya now the work that is left is to build a great memorial at the birthplace of Ma Sita. Those who kept themselves away from Ram temple cant do this, but if someone can build a temple as ideal as the life of Ma Sita, its Narendra Modi, its BJP, the Home Minister was quoted by ANI as saying while speaking at a rally in Bihars Sitamarhi.

#WATCH | Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his public meeting in Bihars Sitamarhi says, We, the BJP dont get scared of the vote bank. PM Modi has built the temple of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya now the work that is left is to build a great memorial at the birthplace of Ma Sita. pic.twitter.com/nQJACKef9v ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2024

Sitamarhi, among the 40 Parliamentary constituencies in Bihar, will go to polls in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 20.

During the rally, Home Minister Amit Shah also launched a scathing attack on Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad over his partys association with the INDIA bloc.

Today Lalu Yadav, for the sake of power politics, to make his son the Chief Minister, has gone and sat in the lap of the Congress party, which has spent its entire life opposing the backwards and extremely backwards, Shah said.

Congress, RJD never thought of conferring Bharat Ratna on ex-Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur, it was done by the Modi government, he added.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-led NDA won 39 of the 40 seats in Bihar.

(With PTI inputs)

Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website
Sudip Bandyopadhyay, the five-time MP from North Kolkata, has been a leader from the region for more than 20 years.

In the fray for the sixth time for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Bandyopadhyay  who is also the TMCs Lok Sabha leader  will lock horns with his former colleague Tapas Roy who jumped ship to the BJP before polls.

News18 caught up with the leader who is busy with his campaign and he expressed confidence that the BJP will not cross single digits in West Bengal and the INDIA bloc will form the government at the Centre.

Edited Excerpts:

Whats the feeling on the ground?

I am on a roadshow for the past 40 days. People are very happy with chief minister Mamata Banerjees development work and will vote for TMC again. This is not the first time I am contesting. If we take together MP and MLA elections, I have contested nine times from this region. This is my home. I am in the fray for the tenth time and enjoying the experience.

What will be the result this time?

I am very sure that the INDIA bloc will come to power and NDA will go. They are nothing but a jumla.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an interview with Network18, said he has never done politics on communal lines and it would be his last day in public life if he indulges in the Hindu-Muslim rhetoric. What do you have to say?

It is the philosophy of BJP to divide people. But this will never happen in Bengal. We are firm believers of secularism. Thats why they will not come to Bengal. They have been trying to win support in Bengal but to no avail.

Home Minister Amit Shah has said BJP will get more than 30 seats in the state. Whats your take?

They will not reach double digits, I am sure of that. Last time they won some seats but did nothing for the state. They are not giving Bengal its share of money.

The Centre has handed out the first batch of CAA certificates.

Everybodys votes are registered in EVMs. Once the Election Commission allows them to vote, no citizenship or the lack thereof is valid. Mamata Banerjee has said the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will not be allowed here. How can people who voted here be declared foreigners?

BJP says TMC is corrupt and huge amounts of money have been recovered from its leaders. Any comments?

The allegations are not true. They have been using agencies like Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against opposition leaders. People will react this time. Nothing has been proved in courts against those who have been arrested till now.

Whats your take on Sandeshkhali?

The Sandeshkhali issue backfired for BJP. Women are now saying they were forced to register fake complaints. This shows the reality.

Your former colleague Tapas Roy is contesting against you. Will it be a tough battle?

When I contest, I only think of the votes I will get and the margin of my victory. Im not concerned about my opponent.

Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website
Dindori is one of the 48 Lok Sabha constituencies of Maharashtra, and is located in the Nashik district of the state. Presently, Dindori Lok Sabha constituency, which is reserved for Scheduled Tribes, comprises these six Vidhan Sabha segments: Nandgaon (Shiv Sena), Kalwan (NCP), Chandwad (BJP), Yevla (NCP), Niphad (NCP) and Dindori (NCP). Voting for the Dindori Lok Sabha seat will take place in the fifth phase of General Elections on May 20. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.

2019 Result and 2024 Candidates

The current MP of Dindori is Dr Bharati Pawar of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who had won the seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls with 49.88 per cent vote share.

The top candidates for the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls in Dindori are Dr Bharati Pawar of the BJP and Bhaskar Bhagare of NCP (Sharad Pawar).

Political Dynamics

BJP Faces Tough Battle

In Dindori, a seat which the BJP has held since the constituency was created in 2008, the saffron party faces its toughest battle yet. In 2019, the party had fielded Dr Bharati Pawar from Dindori, who won by a margin of 1.99 lakh votes. The BJP has fielded Pawar from this constituency once again, and hopes she can retain it comfortably. However, much has changed here since 2019.

For starters, the BJP, which was in alliance with a united Shiv Sena back in 2019, now has the support of the Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar factions. This does not necessarily mean the BJPs position has strengthened here, given the significant internal tussle the Mahayuti alliance is facing.

The BJPs biggest challenge emerged when Harishchandra Chavan, its former MP who represented Dindori in the Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014, indicated that he would contest as an Independent. After much hectic parleys on the BJPs part, Chavan gave up the idea of contesting as an independent. However, the BJPs joy of having avoided a split in its votes was short-lived, as reports of further disenchantment within the NDA alliance were quick to follow.

Shiv Sena MLA Suhas Kande accused Chhagan Bhujbal, his ally and senior minister in the Maharashtra government, of campaigning for Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) in Dindori. Bhujbal, however, denied the charges and claimed that he was working to ensure the victory of the Mahayuti candidate. Both these leaders are historic rivals, whose enmity became especially pronounced after Bhujbal was appointed as the guardian minister of Nashik by the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government. If these allegations hold any water, and some leaders from the Mahayuti alliance are indeed campaigning for Sharad Pawars candidate here, the BJP may be in some trouble.

Apart from the feud between Suhas Kande and Chhagan Bhujbal, the BJP now also has to worry about Narhari Zirwal, an NCP (Ajit Pawar) MLA and deputy speaker of the Maharashtra legislative assembly. Zirwal has gone off the radar and remains incommunicado at the time of filing this report. He went missing after a picture of him campaigning for Sharad Pawar factions candidate went viral on social media. This added further credence to allegations that some leaders of the NDA are actively campaigning on behalf of the opposition candidate in Dindori.

Dr Bharati Pawar has the advantage of being a well-known leader across the constituency. However, the going has been tough for her this election, since the BJP faces considerable disenchantment from the public. The biggest issue here is of farmer distress, and voters are not shy of pinning the blame of the same on the BJP and Modi government. Dindori is the onion capital of India. However, the Centres decision to ban the export of onions has hit the onion farmers of the region very hard. As a result of the ban, wholesale prices dropped dramatically and farmers were forced to sell their produce at losses. Though the Centre lifted the ban on exports on May 4, presumably keeping the election here in mind, farmers do not appear to be in a mood to forget what they have lived through over the past several months.

As things stand right now, at least before PM Modis campaign here, the BJP seems to be on the backfoot.

Advantage Maha Vikas Aghadi

As part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, Sharad Pawars faction of the NCP has been given the Dindori seat to contest from. Bhaskar Bhagare, a teacher and a political debutant of sorts has been fielded by Pawar senior to take on the BJP here. Despite not having any major political record, Bhaskar Bhagare is said to have a considerable edge in Dindori.

More than Bhagares own credentials, this speaks to the influence which the Maha Vikas Aghadi, especially Sharad Pawar commands in the constituency. Interestingly, in the previous assembly election, the NCP had won four of the six segments under Dindori LS. All these victories came primarily due to the influence of Sharad Pawar in the constituency.

There is a sympathy wave which is being seen here in favour of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, especially the Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar). This is because many voters have come to believe that the BJP orchestrated the splitting of both the Shiv Sena as well as the NCP, in which leaders like Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar were willing participants.

Voters complain that although they voted for the NCP based solely on Sharad Pawars reputation here, the Mahayuti parties backstabbed their mandate, since all the NCP MLAs are now in the Ajit Pawar camp. However, some of these MLAs, like Narhari Zirwal have been actively campaigning for Sharad Pawars candidate, fuelling speculation that the election results could trigger a reverse exodus from the Ajit Pawar camp.

Some Mahayuti leaders are said to be campaigning for the NCP candidate as they do not want to antagonise their own support base by being seen as campaigners for the saffron party.

The farmers, who form the majority share of voters here, seem unhappy with the BJP. This is because for the past several months, the Modi governments decision to ban onion exports has caused severe losses for the agrarian community in Dindori. The farmers are frustrated with the losses they have had to bear and the continued indifference of the government to their demands. In many ways, the tussle over onions is set to be the defining feature of the election in Dindori.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi also had to encounter a severe scare in Dindori recently, when veteran farmer and tribal leader Jiva Pandu Gavit of CPI(M), a seven-time MLA from Surgana and Kalvan, filed his nomination as an independent candidate. The BJP was internally jubilant over the prospect of a strong and influential tribal leader splitting the pro-NCP vote in Dindori. However, after deliberations with Sharad Pawar, Jiva Gavit withdrew his nomination. Gavit, who has tremendous influence in the tribal areas of Nashik, Thane, and Palghar, has now thrown his weight behind the MVA.

Key Issues

Onion Export

The ban on onion export has certainly become a big issue in the onion belt of Nashik and Dindori. A number of farmers feel that the ban was against the interests of the farmers and its reversal is a political move played by the Centre to attract votes as the constituencies go to polls on May 20. Lakhs of farmers who were dependent on onion cultivation suffered as the ban went into effect to keep a check on onion prices. There was a major fall in prices which led to economic crises for the farmers. Individual farmers suffered losses up to Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 lakh which pushed them into crumbling economic debt.

Water Crisis

Nashik has been facing a serious water crisis. The dams have been visibly low, and tankers have become a more common sight. With only 39 per cent of water remaining in the districts dams, people are worried about having enough drinking water, especially as the hotter months approach. The situation has impacted residents and animals alike, as water sources for both are drying up. Last year at this time, dams were at 60 per cent capacity, so this drop is a concerning sign. Action is needed to prevent the situation from worsening.

Farmer Issues

With recurring unseasonal rain and hailstorm, the farmers are burdened with financial losses. Farmers have also raised concerns that while the government has launched many welfare schemes they only look good on paper as their execution has been dismal at best. The farmers are also under pressure due to the hike of 22 per cent on fertilizers which are also in short supply. The climatic changes have also led to crop losses and a lower remuneration for the available produce due to falling prices. On March 15 last year, 10,000 farmers and adivasis set out on a march to protest against the injustices faced by the farmers. With higher production costs, lower selling costs and high export tariff means that farmers are not able to sell their produce for substantial profit, which exposes them to financial uncertainty.

Employment and Emigration

There are no big industries in the region. Agriculture is the only source of employment, but due to the many issues facing the sector, the youth is hesitant to join in. There is also an issue of mass migration from Dindori in search of better employment opportunities in Surat, Nashik or Mumbai. Migration affects most of the households in the region and people have demanded setting up of major industries to boost the economic development of the region.

Communal Tensions

Communal tensions are not unheard of in Dindori. However, the tensions are of a different nature altogether. In Dindori, the tensions regularly erupt between the Qadianis and the Muslims. Some accuse the Qadianis of trying to exert control, often using matters concerning women and girls as a starting point for conflict. This has led to some troubling incidents, leaving the community on the edge. People have been asking the authorities to get involved and address the underlying reasons behind these clashes. One of the latest incidents was in January this year when 38 individuals involved in the clash were arrested as police took control of the situation. The violence left about ten persons, including some women, injured.

Lack of Development

Infrastructural development is low, and there is a lack of infrastructure to meet the populations needs. Suburban and expanded areas lack adequate infrastructure. There are no asphalt roads, sewerage drainage, adequate and clean water supply, electricity, health facilities, or public toilets for the poor, among other things. Healthcare and educational infrastructure remains low or absent in many regions of the constituency. People have had to travel to Nashik to get adequate medical treatment.

Maratha Agitation

Despite the fact that Dindori does not fall in the Marathwada region, agitation and disappointment over the governments delay has also been felt in Dindori. In the Nashik district, 38 villages spread across Nashik, Niphad, Dindori, Nandgaon, Igatpuri and Sinnar talukas have expressed their support. They have now banned the entry of politicians into their villages in support of the Maratha reservation demand. They have announced that politicians will not be allowed to enter their villages till the community is given the reservation benefits. Although the governments 10 per cent quota concession was a start in the right direction towards resolving community needs, the clamour for inclusion in the OBC category speaks a deeper level of dissatisfaction. Voter dissatisfaction has been exacerbated by the impression that the BJP administration is sluggish in addressing the issue.

Infrastructure Development

Dindori MIDC

Dindori is experiencing a surge in industrial development with the state government establishing new MIDC areas in Talegaon-Akrale. What makes this project unique is the ease of setup for businesses; instead of purchasing land and constructing buildings, they can rent ready-made sheds from the MIDC. This allows companies to quickly install their machinery and commence operations. Plots of one acre or more are available for rent, attracting substantial investment, with Dindori already receiving Rs. 4800 crores in industrial investments.

Railway Infrastructure

Several stations got upgrades like better platforms, new waiting areas, and improved accessibility. They also added amenities like water coolers, digital ticketing systems, and even Wi-Fi. Beyond the stations themselves, the rail lines were electrified, new bridges were built, and the signalling systems were modernized. Plus, they introduced new train routes and extended existing ones to better connect the region.

Road Infrastructure

It was announced in January of this year that Rs. 113 crore will be spent in Dindori to upgrade the existing road infrastructure and improving road connectivity in the region.

Voter Demographics

Total Voters: 1725172

SC: 138,014 (8%)

ST: 622,787 (36.1%)

Geographical Composition

Urban Voters: 193,219 (11.2%)

Rural Voters: 1,531,953 (88.8%)

Religious Composition

Hindu: 94.5%

Muslim: 3.9%

Buddhist: 1.55%

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Hooghly is one of the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal. All seven assembly segments of Hooghly Lok Sabha constituency are in the Hooghly district itself and are held by the Trinamool Congress. These are: Singur, Chandannagar, Chunchura, Balagarh, Pandua, Saptagram and Dhanekhali. The current MP is Locket Chatterjee of the BJP who will lock horns with TMCs Rachna Banerjee in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. The constituency will vote on May 20 in Phase 5 and the results will be declared on June 4.

Political Dynamics

TMC Gaining Ground: The TMCs graph is on the rise in Hooghly. In 2019, the BJP had clinched the seat from the TMC by a margin of over 73,000 votes. However, being a constituency which Mamata Banerjee used as a springboard to launch her political career across West Bengal with the Singur agitation, the TMC is aggressively working to defeat the BJP here. Mamata Banerjee has roped in famous TV actor and host of the show Didi No.1, Rachna Banerjee, to wrest Hooghly from the BJP. On the ground, Rachna Banerjee has emerged as a formidable star candidate who is especially favoured by women voters. Since the BJP banks largely on womens votes for its success in West Bengal, this development comes as a worrying sign for the saffron party. Rachna Banerjee is being projected by the TMC as the other Didi who will work for the betterment of Hooghly constituency, evidenced by the fact that she was introduced by TMCs national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee by the same title at the Brigade rally in which the partys candidates were announced.

The TMCs graph is on the rise in Hooghly. In 2019, the BJP had clinched the seat from the TMC by a margin of over 73,000 votes. However, being a constituency which Mamata Banerjee used as a springboard to launch her political career across West Bengal with the Singur agitation, the TMC is aggressively working to defeat the BJP here. Mamata Banerjee has roped in famous TV actor and host of the show Didi No.1, Rachna Banerjee, to wrest Hooghly from the BJP. On the ground, Rachna Banerjee has emerged as a formidable star candidate who is especially favoured by women voters. Since the BJP banks largely on womens votes for its success in West Bengal, this development comes as a worrying sign for the saffron party. Rachna Banerjee is being projected by the TMC as the other Didi who will work for the betterment of Hooghly constituency, evidenced by the fact that she was introduced by TMCs national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee by the same title at the Brigade rally in which the partys candidates were announced. On-Ground Effort: The TMC has the advantage of having a better organisation than the BJP, all of which is working with one goal in Hooghly  defeating Locket Chatterjee and ensuring that Rachna Banerjee wins. For this, TMC cadre on the ground is aggressively campaigning and reaching out to voters directly via frequent door-to-door campaigns. The TMC is reaching out to voters and briefing them about the many welfare schemes and initiatives of Mamata Banerjee. Most prominent among these is the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme, which was launched in 2021 to provide women belonging to the general category a stipend of Rs 500 every month, while the amount for SC and ST women was fixed at Rs 1,000. In the state budget for this year, TMC chose to go down the road of populism and increased the allowance for general women under the scheme to Rs 1,000 and for SC/ST women to Rs 1,200. Ever since, the party has been going door-to-door, explaining the hike in allowance for women and how this is Mamata Banerjees gift to the women of West Bengal. The TMC is also at an advantageous position since all the seven MLAs from the assembly segments of Hooghly LS belong to Mamata Banerjees party. These legislators are actively galvanising their own support bases in Rachna Banerjees favour, evident from the significant crowds her rallies and public events are drawing across the constituency, especially in rural areas.

The TMC has the advantage of having a better organisation than the BJP, all of which is working with one goal in Hooghly  defeating Locket Chatterjee and ensuring that Rachna Banerjee wins. For this, TMC cadre on the ground is aggressively campaigning and reaching out to voters directly via frequent door-to-door campaigns. The TMC is reaching out to voters and briefing them about the many welfare schemes and initiatives of Mamata Banerjee. Most prominent among these is the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme, which was launched in 2021 to provide women belonging to the general category a stipend of Rs 500 every month, while the amount for SC and ST women was fixed at Rs 1,000. In the state budget for this year, TMC chose to go down the road of populism and increased the allowance for general women under the scheme to Rs 1,000 and for SC/ST women to Rs 1,200. Ever since, the party has been going door-to-door, explaining the hike in allowance for women and how this is Mamata Banerjees gift to the women of West Bengal. The TMC is also at an advantageous position since all the seven MLAs from the assembly segments of Hooghly LS belong to Mamata Banerjees party. These legislators are actively galvanising their own support bases in Rachna Banerjees favour, evident from the significant crowds her rallies and public events are drawing across the constituency, especially in rural areas. Edge for TMC: Muslims, who constitute more than 14 per cent voters in Hooghly LS, are also expected to provide the TMC with a safe vote bank which the party can be assured of. Combine that with a resurgence in women voters who are now favouring the TMC, apart from the partys core vote bases, and the BJP has on its hands an extremely tough contest in which Mamata Banerjees party holds the edge. The TMC, which controls most of the local bodies and administration here, is also benefitting from the sentiment that development has taken place across the constituency. Over the past decade, several industrial units and factories have cropped up in the constituency, providing some employment opportunities to people here. This is significant, given how the TMC had once spearheaded the anti-Tata agitation of Singur and supposedly fought for the rights of small and marginal farmers and land-owners. Interestingly, Rachna Banerjee has been refraining from engaging in personal attacks against BJPs Locket Chatterjee, supposedly due to the cordial relations which both the candidates share in private. Banerjee claims that while such attacks may draw momentary applause, they cannot assure votes in her favour. For that, the TMC candidate is banking on her pitch to provide better services, the TMC governments developmental activities in the region and Mamata Banerjees welfare schemes.

Muslims, who constitute more than 14 per cent voters in Hooghly LS, are also expected to provide the TMC with a safe vote bank which the party can be assured of. Combine that with a resurgence in women voters who are now favouring the TMC, apart from the partys core vote bases, and the BJP has on its hands an extremely tough contest in which Mamata Banerjees party holds the edge. The TMC, which controls most of the local bodies and administration here, is also benefitting from the sentiment that development has taken place across the constituency. Over the past decade, several industrial units and factories have cropped up in the constituency, providing some employment opportunities to people here. This is significant, given how the TMC had once spearheaded the anti-Tata agitation of Singur and supposedly fought for the rights of small and marginal farmers and land-owners. Interestingly, Rachna Banerjee has been refraining from engaging in personal attacks against BJPs Locket Chatterjee, supposedly due to the cordial relations which both the candidates share in private. Banerjee claims that while such attacks may draw momentary applause, they cannot assure votes in her favour. For that, the TMC candidate is banking on her pitch to provide better services, the TMC governments developmental activities in the region and Mamata Banerjees welfare schemes. BJP Faces Big Challenge: The BJP has fairly acquainted itself with how politics is done in West Bengal. As such, it is definitely better prepared for the ongoing elections and is also banking on voters desire to choose Narendra Modi at the Centre, even if they support the TMC at the state level. Since the BJP was able to win 18 Lok Sabha seats from Bengal in 2019, even though it could not replicate the same performance in assembly polls two years later, the party is hopeful that this time around too, the momentum will be in its favour. The BJP itself is drawing large crowds in its campaign events, especially those being addressed by PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Since Hooghly is a tough contest for the BJP this time, the Prime Minister is set to campaign here himself. For the BJP, bringing the Tatas back to Hooghly appears to have become a central poll plank in this constituency. Locket Chatterjee has gone on to promise that she will bring the Tatas to Singur to set up a manufacturing plant here. However, voters are quick to point out that she made no such moves over the past five years. There are also those who term her an absent MP who did not interact with her constituents as much as she should have. As such, there is significant anti-incumbency and discontent on the ground against Locket Chatterjee. This is despite her claims of spending several crores on the development of Hooghly.

The BJP has fairly acquainted itself with how politics is done in West Bengal. As such, it is definitely better prepared for the ongoing elections and is also banking on voters desire to choose Narendra Modi at the Centre, even if they support the TMC at the state level. Since the BJP was able to win 18 Lok Sabha seats from Bengal in 2019, even though it could not replicate the same performance in assembly polls two years later, the party is hopeful that this time around too, the momentum will be in its favour. The BJP itself is drawing large crowds in its campaign events, especially those being addressed by PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Since Hooghly is a tough contest for the BJP this time, the Prime Minister is set to campaign here himself. For the BJP, bringing the Tatas back to Hooghly appears to have become a central poll plank in this constituency. Locket Chatterjee has gone on to promise that she will bring the Tatas to Singur to set up a manufacturing plant here. However, voters are quick to point out that she made no such moves over the past five years. There are also those who term her an absent MP who did not interact with her constituents as much as she should have. As such, there is significant anti-incumbency and discontent on the ground against Locket Chatterjee. This is despite her claims of spending several crores on the development of Hooghly. Unhappy Cadre? While TMC cadre are actively campaigning for Rachna Banerjee, the BJP either does not have a similar organisational strength, or Locket Chatterjee is simply not enthusing the BJP workers enough. BJP karyakartas have themselves flagged the alleged indifferent attitude of Locket Chatterjee towards them. In March, several posters appeared against Locket Chatterjee, purportedly put up by BJP mandal presidents who did not favour her as the Hooghly LS candidate for the second time. At a time when the TMC is putting its best foot forward here, the internal bickering in the party and the inability of Locket Chatterjee to bring the might of the BJP organisation to back her candidature may prove extremely costly for the saffron party. In many ways, PM Modis campaign here will be crucial in ironing out such differences, but it remains to be seen if the same has any tangible outcome with barely days left for polling to take place.

Key Issues

Pollution: The Kolkata-Hooghly industrial region faces a severe pollution problem, with levels exceeding safe limits. Industrial waste is often discharged into the Hooghly River, despite government regulations against such practices. This pollution has not only affected the river but has also contaminated the groundwater, raising concerns about the long-term environmental and health implications for the region. Moreover, air pollution has also reached unprecedented levels. Apart from the apparent industrial waste being dumped into the river, there are many other non-point sources of pollution to the Hooghly river. It includes waste water pouring into the river from innumerable small drains, industrial activities happening close to the river banks, dumping of garbage and encroachments on the riverbed.

The Kolkata-Hooghly industrial region faces a severe pollution problem, with levels exceeding safe limits. Industrial waste is often discharged into the Hooghly River, despite government regulations against such practices. This pollution has not only affected the river but has also contaminated the groundwater, raising concerns about the long-term environmental and health implications for the region. Moreover, air pollution has also reached unprecedented levels. Apart from the apparent industrial waste being dumped into the river, there are many other non-point sources of pollution to the Hooghly river. It includes waste water pouring into the river from innumerable small drains, industrial activities happening close to the river banks, dumping of garbage and encroachments on the riverbed. Drinking Water Shortage: Residents of Hooghly face a severe shortage of drinking water every summer. Many areas lack access to piped water, and residents have expressed frustration with the Hooghly Municipal Corporations inadequate planning and inability to ensure a reliable water supply during the hot summer months. The reason for the shortfall in water supply is the declining groundwater level, increasing sludge and the industrial pollution at the banks of the Hooghly river. Moreover, the pipeline infrastructure has failed to keep up with the demand as, in many areas, pipes laid not even five years ago have burst, which has also caused water supply to stop for 5-6 days in some places.

Residents of Hooghly face a severe shortage of drinking water every summer. Many areas lack access to piped water, and residents have expressed frustration with the Hooghly Municipal Corporations inadequate planning and inability to ensure a reliable water supply during the hot summer months. The reason for the shortfall in water supply is the declining groundwater level, increasing sludge and the industrial pollution at the banks of the Hooghly river. Moreover, the pipeline infrastructure has failed to keep up with the demand as, in many areas, pipes laid not even five years ago have burst, which has also caused water supply to stop for 5-6 days in some places. Garbage Dumping: Several places in Hooghly have turned into garbage heaps. All that garbage goes directly into the open drain. Waste management rules are not followed. As a result, the situation in a large part of Hooghly urban area has become miserable, especially along the banks of the river. This has led to clogged drains, resulting in overflows and the accumulation of sewage water in residential areas, particularly during periods of rain. The inadequate waste management system has led to a decline in the quality of life for the people.

Several places in Hooghly have turned into garbage heaps. All that garbage goes directly into the open drain. Waste management rules are not followed. As a result, the situation in a large part of Hooghly urban area has become miserable, especially along the banks of the river. This has led to clogged drains, resulting in overflows and the accumulation of sewage water in residential areas, particularly during periods of rain. The inadequate waste management system has led to a decline in the quality of life for the people. Unemployment: Despite there being many industries in the region, there has not been any considerable decline in the unemployment figures as many jobs have been taken up by migrant workers from the Howrah and Kolkata region. As a result, people in the Hooghly region have to migrate to other urban centres in the state. However, there is a considerable confidence behind the TMC to bring jobs to the people and people believe that the work done over the last 5-6 years to bring a number of industries into the region is an example of how TMC will perform in the future.

Despite there being many industries in the region, there has not been any considerable decline in the unemployment figures as many jobs have been taken up by migrant workers from the Howrah and Kolkata region. As a result, people in the Hooghly region have to migrate to other urban centres in the state. However, there is a considerable confidence behind the TMC to bring jobs to the people and people believe that the work done over the last 5-6 years to bring a number of industries into the region is an example of how TMC will perform in the future. Civic Development: Civic infrastructure such as roads, street lights, sewage systems have all been taken care of due to the coming of new industries in the region. On-ground reports state that every zilla parishad has been taken care of with regards to civic amenities such as electricity, healthcare and primary educational infrastructure. This bodes well for the TMC as people have a visual feel for development under their rule.

Civic infrastructure such as roads, street lights, sewage systems have all been taken care of due to the coming of new industries in the region. On-ground reports state that every zilla parishad has been taken care of with regards to civic amenities such as electricity, healthcare and primary educational infrastructure. This bodes well for the TMC as people have a visual feel for development under their rule. Traffic Congestion: Traffic congestion is a major issue in Hooghly. With numerous industrial units propping up, there has been an increase in migrants to the constituency. This has also led to a rise in private vehicles as people do not deem the public transportation to be adequate to deal with the demands of the people. As a result, there is major traffic congestion near the Hooghly industrial belt area. Moreover, increasing population has also led to unplanned development due to which encroachment of government land along the roads has become a major issue contributing to the problem of traffic. In addition, footpaths have been occupied by hawkers, the homeless, and the migrant workers who have nowhere to turn to.

Infrastructure Development

Widening of SH-13: The widening of SH-13 is underway to turn it into a 4-6 lane highways. This will provide better connectivity and ease traffic congestion in the Hooghly district. The project is being carried out at a cost of Rs 1,396 crore.

The widening of SH-13 is underway to turn it into a 4-6 lane highways. This will provide better connectivity and ease traffic congestion in the Hooghly district. The project is being carried out at a cost of Rs 1,396 crore. Water Treatment Plant: The government of West Bengal inaugurated a water treatment plant (WTP) at Uttarpara-Kotrung in Hooghly on February 13, 2024. It will have a capacity of 55 million gallons per day and will provide water for almost two million people. It was built at a cost of Rs 17.6 billion.

The government of West Bengal inaugurated a water treatment plant (WTP) at Uttarpara-Kotrung in Hooghly on February 13, 2024. It will have a capacity of 55 million gallons per day and will provide water for almost two million people. It was built at a cost of Rs 17.6 billion. Amrit Bharat Station: Chandnagore station in the Hooghly Lok Sabha constituency has been selected as one of the stations under the Union governments Amrit Bharat scheme. This will provide improved infrastructure and passenger facilities and will also transform the station into a logistical hub.

Chandnagore station in the Hooghly Lok Sabha constituency has been selected as one of the stations under the Union governments Amrit Bharat scheme. This will provide improved infrastructure and passenger facilities and will also transform the station into a logistical hub. Railway Infrastructure: Several stations received upgrades, including platform extensions, new shelters, and improved passenger amenities like toilets and drinking water facilities. Accessibility was enhanced with the construction of foot overbridges. Station modernisation efforts included renovation and beautification works. Additionally, there was a focus on expanding capacity and connectivity. The doubling of the Bandel-Jirat line was a significant undertaking, as was the construction of a new 4th line between Dankuni and Saktigarh. These projects aimed to increase the efficiency and flow of train traffic. Efforts were also made to improve passenger comfort and convenience with the installation of air conditioning in crew lobbies and waiting rooms at various stations.

Demographics

Total Voters: 17,64,629

Social Composition

 SC: 469,391 (26.6%)

 ST: 130,583 (7.4%)

Geographical Composition

 Urban Voters: 737,615 (41.8%)

 Rural Voters: 1,027,014 (58.2%)

Religious Composition

 Hindu: 85.1%

 Muslim: 14.6%

Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website
The two seats in Gonda district  Kaiserganj Lok Sabha constituency (parts of Gonda and Bahraich districts) and Gonda Lok Sabha Constituency  will go to polls in the fifth phase of General Elections 2024 on May 20. In Godahiya, one of the flood infested villages under Kaiserganj Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh, things havent changed much since August 15, 1947, when India gained its independence. People who hail from Godahiya said the village hasnt changed a bit, it is still the same as before.

People here have said that despite several protests and representations, there seems to be no end to the issue of floods, which have become a perennial problem for Godahiya. However, with the election season on, the residents of Godahiya are hopeful that their long pending issue of floods might get addressed by the political parties out on a wooing spree.

Our vote will go to the party which will address our issue. We are hopeful that the political parties will lend an ear to our problem and will resolve if voted to power, said Bhajan Lal, a local.

Godahiya is perhaps not the only village that is affected with floods. Of the 16 development blocks in Gonda, 7 blocks are flood affected, suggest records with the district administration. The records further suggest that there are more than 90 villages, spanning more than 13,438 hectares, that get affected almost every year due to floods.

Though the locals here claimed that the UP government, of late, has intensified the rescue operations and flood relief work, they said there is no end to the problem which has existed since the British era.

Floods are an annual affair for us. Every year we have to migrate to safer places or the flood relief camps, risking our lives and livestock, but no previous government has addressed the issue, another villager said.

People, however, said that since the Kaiserganj Lok Sabha Constituency, in which their village falls, is going to polls on May 20, they are hopeful of their plea getting heard by the politicians on the wooing spree. However, they said so far, none of the politicians have visited their village but they are hopeful that in this season of poll promises and claims, they might get relief from the perennial problem of floods that has added to their woes.

Gonda comprises seven state assembly constituencies including Mehnaun, Gonda, Katrabazar, Colonelganj, Tarabganj, Mankapur, and Gaura, with 2,532,566 electors (1,182,382 females, 1,350,089 males, and 95 others as of March 16, 2024).

Kaiserganj Lok Sabha Seat

The Kaiserganj constituency, adjacent to Ayodhya in eastern Uttar Pradesh, has seen alternating periods of political dominance, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) currently holding momentum after consecutive victories in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. However, the BJP now faces a challenge due to sexual harassment allegations against incumbent MP Brij Bhusan Sharan Singh. The party has nominated his son, Karan Bhusan Singh, to contest his debut election from here.

Brij Bhusan Sharan Singh, a strongman Thakur leader, has wielded considerable influence in Kaiserganj, securing victories six times, five times as a BJP candidate and once on a Samajwadi Party (SP) ticket. His extensive influence spans across east UP, though his current legal troubles, stemming from allegations by six female wrestlers, have clouded his political future.

The SP has fielded Ram Bhagat Mishra as its candidate. Mishra, a former Congress member who later joined the BJP and subsequently the SP, is expected to present a formidable challenge to the BJPs new nominee. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has chosen Narendra Pandey, a Brahmin, as its candidate, reflecting its strategic focus on the constituencys significant Brahmin demographic.

Kaiserganjs electorate is predominantly Brahmin, constituting about 30% of the population, followed by Thakurs at 20%, Kurmis (OBC) at 10%, Dalits at 10%, and Muslims at 15%. In the 2019 election, Brij Bhushan secured a substantial victory over the BSPs Chandradev Ram Yadav by over 2.61 lakh votes.

This electoral battle in Kaiserganj is poised to be intense, with Karan Bhusan Singh leveraging his fathers legacy, Ram Bhagat Mishra bringing his cross-party experience, and Narendra Pandey aiming to consolidate the Brahmin vote. The outcome will significantly impact the regions political landscape, especially in the wake of the controversies surrounding Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Gonda Lok Sabha Seat

Gonda Lok Sabha Constituency is the second Parliamentary seat of Gonda, which is made up of 5 assembly constituency segments. These assemblies are in Gonda (4) and Balrampur (1) districts. In Lok Sabha elections 2019, Kirti Vardhan Singh Alias Raja Bhaiya of BJP won with 5,07,276 votes. The runner up was Vinod Kumar Alias Pandit Singh of SP party. The margin of the victory was: 1,66,097 votes. In the 2019 General Elections, Gonda witnessed a fiercely contested battle. This constituency witnessed a 52.08% voter turnout in the year 2019.

Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website
Kaushambi (SC) is one of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, which will go to polls in the fifth phase on May 20. The constituency came into existence in 2008, and is spread over Kaushambi and Pratapgarh districts. The Kaushambi Lok Sabha constituency comprises Babaganj (Jansatta Dal), Kunda (Jansatta Dal), Sirathu (Samajwadi Party), Manjhanpur (Samajwadi Party) and Chail (Samajwadi Party).

In the 2019 election, there were 17,84,291 voters, of which urban were 1,15,979 (6.5%) and rural were 1,668,312 (93.5%). Scheduled Caste comprises 32% of the total electorate, that is, 572,757. Hindu form the majority of the population with 86% and Muslims form 14%.

Political Dynamics

BJPs Internal Tussle

The BJP has fielded its two-time MP Vinod Sonkar from Kaushambi once again. In 2014, Sonkar won by a margin of over 42,000 votes, which in the 2019 elections shrank to about 38,000 votes. This election is by far the toughest the BJP is fighting in Kaushambi, since caste equations seem to be coming to the forefront, threatening the saffron partys broader Hindu vote consolidation.

Vinod Sonkar was not expected to get a ticket from the BJP for this election. His nomination came as a surprise to not just political analysts and journalists keeping a watch on the constituency, but also the BJPs local unit. Sonkar is seen as inaccessible by the people, who they have to approach themselves to raise issues. Besides, he lives in Prayagraj mostly. There is a palpable sentiment of anti-incumbency which has developed against Sonkar.

The BJPs prospects are being pulverised by intense factionalism and internal rivalry in the partys local unit. The genesis of this rivalry can be traced back to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Polls in 2022, when Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya lost the MLA election from Sirathu constituency. Back then, it was an oft-repeated claim in BJP circles that Vinod Sonkar played an instrumental role in ensuring Keshav Prasad Mauryas defeat, with him having allegedly asked BJP workers in Sirathu to ensure that the deputy chief minister is uprooted from the seat. Now, the alleged games which Sonkar played in the assembly elections are coming back to haunt his prospects of getting re-elected from Kaushambi.

Meanwhile, local strongman Raja Bhaiya (Raghuraj Pratap Singh) holds tremendous sway in two assembly constituencies  Babaganj and Kunda, both of which remain crucial to the BJP getting a victory in the parliamentary election.

Raja Bhaiya has decided to stay out of the election in Kaushambi and has now announced his supporters can vote for anyone they like. This is likely to benefit the BJP, as it has avoided a worst-case scenario of Raja Bhaiya supporting the Samajwadi Party. Interestingly, Raja Bhaiya and Amit Shah are said to have met at least twice in recent weeks. As such, it would not be an overstatement to suggest that Raja Bhaiya could be working on a whisper campaign which favours the BJP in Kaushambi. He has claimed that he held good talks with Amit Shah but fell short of commenting whether he would openly back BJPs Sonkar. Getting the support of Raja Bhaiya is of critical importance to counter the Samajwadi Partys growth in Kaushambi, where Akhilesh Yadavs party has three MLAs.

Vinod Sonkar hurt the BJPs prospects further as he claimed during a public event, in which Amit Shah was present as well, that the lotus will now bloom in both Babaganj and Kunda. This is now being seen as a direct challenge to Raja Bhaiya, since these assembly segments are seen as his bastions.

Factionalism in the BJP local unit is omnipresent this election, with internal rivalries impacting its chances right from the booth level to the district organisation.

Vinod Sonkar, who belongs to the Sonkar SC community, is also facing the heat due to several unpleasant videos of him going viral on social media. In these videos, Sonkar is seen using antagonistic language for various castes and communities, such as Brahmins, Vaishyas and Patels. Interestingly, all these three communities constitute the BJPs core voter base in Kaushambi. As such, Sonkar, has shot himself and the BJPs prospects in the foot.

Ground inputs suggest that the Modi factor alone, given the intense caste fault lines that have come to the fore, will not be enough in ensuring a victory for the BJP this time around. However, chief minister Yogi Adityanath has emerged as a favoured leader who is seen as a man taking strict action against criminal elements in the state. Be that as it may, the BJP, given how its margin of victory has been unimpressive over the past two Lok Sabha elections here, is caught is a very tough situation.

SP Bets on Caste Factors

The Samajwadi Party is running an aggressive campaign in Kaushambi, primarily because it is convinced that the caste arithmetic is now in its favour. It is no coincidence that Akhilesh Yadav has begun focussing on the BJPs alleged betrayal of the PDA bloc of pichdas, Dalits and alpasankhyaks (Backward Castes, Dalits and Minorities).

SP has fielded Pushpendra Saroj from Kaushambi. Given how the BJP has sabotaged its own caste equations here, Saroj is now being seen as the frontrunner in Kaushambi.

Also complicating the fight for the BJP is Indrajit Saroj, who was able to secure 3.44 lakh votes in 2019 and emerge as a runner up to the BJP. Saroj, who belongs to the Pasi caste, is a political heavyweight here who will throw his weight behind the Samajwadi Party candidate. The Pasis constitute a heavy vote bank, with their numbers ranging from 4 to 4.5 lakh here. As such, the Samajwadi Party has a distinct advantage in this election.

The SP is also assured of the support of Muslims, which constitute about 14% of the electorate in Kaushambi, apart from Dalits. Together with the Pasis, the Muslim and Dalit vote bank can help SP sail to victory.

Additionally, much to the horror of the BJP, ground inputs suggest that the SP may be denting close to 50% of the saffron partys support among Mauryas, Baniyas and Patels. The Mauryas are angry with the BJP over the alleged betrayal which Keshav Prasad Maurya had to face in the 2022 state assembly elections, allegedly because Vinod Sonkar sabotaged his campaign.

Current MP: Vinod Kumar Sonkar (BJP)

Top Contenders: Vinod Kumar Sonkar (BJP), Pushpendra Saroj (SP), Shubh Narayan (BSP)

Key Issues

Farmers Issues: Erratic weather and lack of irrigation facilities are some of the issues. Fruits such as banana, watermelon and muskmelon grown in this largely rural constituency and famers face tremendous losses in the event of crop failure. Last year, farmers in the kharbuja belt between Mooratganj in Kaushambi and Ijura Bujurg in Fatehpur, saw their muskmelon crop fail owing to weather changes, high temperatures during the heatwave, causing tremendous losses. Watermelon yields have also dropped owing to similar reasons. Moreover, farmers demand better prices for their produce and better crop insurance.

Irrigation Facilities: Ensuring water supply to farmers fields emerges as a significant election concern in the Kaushambi Lok Sabha elections. Despite possessing abundant irrigation resources, including a 497-km network of canals, as well as installed tube wells, the fields continue to suffer from water scarcity. Farmers hope that the government finally looks into the problem and helps establish irrigation facilities.

Unemployment & Migration: Unemployment is a major issue in this constituency and locals observe that little has been done to address this situation in Kaushambi. In the absence of job opportunities, migration takes place on large-scale separating families from their hometowns. It is a common dream for these labourers that enough work opportunities come up in Kaushambi so that they do not have to migrate to other regions and states in search of livelihoods.

Poor Pace of Development: Kaushambi is one of the most backward regions in Uttar Pradesh. Even after 27 years, the Kaushambi district still faces challenges such as the absence of a reputable university, its own railway station, and adequate rail connectivity. Furthermore, the government medical college has yet to operate at full capacity. Despite emerging as a new district in 1997 after being separated from Prayagraj, Kaushambi continues to lag behind in essential infrastructure development. Many villages have boycotted the election because they have not seen any development work in their vicinity. Roads across the region remain in poor shape, especially those connecting to villages. Demands for better connectivity, healthcare facilities and schools and colleges have gone unheard.

Religious Conversions: Illegal conversions at the pretext of receiving jobs, gifts and cash have become rampant in this constituency where the activity takes place in meetings which offer healing and miracles to the poor and vulnerable. Such rackets have been busted in recent months by the Uttar Pradesh police.

Driving Water Issues: High fluoride content in the ground water sources apart from other forms of contamination cause a series of health problems to villagers who consume borewell water without proper treatment.

Development Work

Railways: Considerable improvements have been made on the railway front in Kaushambi even as much of the constituency remains cut off from direct access to rail. In December 2023, PM Modi inaugurated the new Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction to New Bhaupur Junction section of the eastern DFC. This corridor segment, constructed at a cost of Rs 10,903 crore, is located on the Delhi-Howrah rail route, traversing districts such as Chandauli, Mirzapur, Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Fatehpur, Kanpur Nagar, and Kanpur Dehat in Uttar Pradesh.

Kunda Harnamganj Station: In Pratapgarh district and under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, the station is undergoing a minor makeover, with improved facilities and infrastructure. Kaushambi MP Vinod Sonkar had said in 2022 that apart from the construction of Railway Overbridges (ROBs) at three locations in Kunda, there was a need to rename the Kunda station after Jagadguru Kripaluji. Kripaluji, hailing from Pratapgarh, brought glory to the district on a global scale. In his honour, a proposal was forwarded to the Central government to rename the Kunda Harnamganj railway station and his birthplace Mangarh after Kripaluji.

Highways: In 2022, minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for six NH projects totalling Rs 2,659 crore in Kaushambi. Additionally, the construction of Lord Shri Ram Van Gaman Marg will connect significant pilgrimage sites in Prayagraj, Chitrakoot, Kaushambi, and Shringverpur Dham.
Two days after acknowledging that Arvind Kejriwals former PS Bibhav Kumar had misbehaved with Swati Maliwal at the Delhi chief ministers official residence and promising action against him, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh was spotted at the Lucknow airport with Kejriwal and Kumar, sparking yet another controversy.

On Thursday, the AAP changed track and tried to play down the controversy, using statements such as AAP is family and Dont politicise the issue. In fact, it tried to turn the tables on the BJP instead.

In a joint press conference by Kejriwal and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, when reporters persisted for clarification on the row, Yadav said there are more important issues than this. BJP is not loyal to anyone. BJP is a gang that slaps false cases, he added. Kejriwal remained silent and passed the mic to Sanjay Singh who launched into an attack on the BJP: The entire country is saddened by the fact that even today, when a Kargil soldiers wife was paraded naked, the PM remained silent.

Just a day ago, Singh had met Maliwal at her residence. While neither have spoken about the meeting, it is learnt that he assured Maliwal that her concerns will be addressed.

According to sources, Maliwal had wanted a clear signal to be sent that what happened with her was wrong and action should be taken against Kejriwals former PS. The senior AAP leader has already done that through a press conference which may help him build confidence with Maliwal. However, now the question is what action will the chief minister take against his trusted aide. Officially, Kumars appointment has already been terminated by Delhis Lieutenant Governor Vinai Saxena.

In Lucknow, Singh referred to the Prajwal Revanna case to up the ante and said thousands of women were allegedly raped by the leader who was allowed to flee by BJP. The AAP Rajya Sabha MP then recalled how Maliwal  as DCW chief  was thrashed by the Delhi Police when she had gone to Jantar Mantar at night to support the cause of women wrestlers.

When pehelwan betiyan were fighting at Jantar Mantar demanding justice, then the very same Swati Maliwal, who was then the DCW chairperson, had gone to support them at night. Police had dragged her and beaten her up, he said.

Seeking to play down the Maliwal-Kumar episode, the AAP trouble-shooter said: The party is our family. It has just made its stand clear.

This was in contrast to Singhs statements just two days ago when he admitted to Maliwals allegation and said the chief minister will take action. Swati Maliwal had reached the residence of Arvind Kejriwal to meet him and was waiting for him in the drawing room. In the meantime, Bibhav Kumar reached there and misbehaved with her. This incident can never be condemned enough. Kejriwal has taken cognizance of the issue and directed that strict action to be taken.

On Thursday in Lucknow, targeting the BJP repeatedly, Singh said: I want that whichever issue I have raised in front of you, the countrys PM must answer. Please give answers in the case of Maliwal also. When Maliwal had gone to seek justice for pehelwan betis, you got her beaten up. So, dont do politics over this.

On May 14, after making two calls on the helpline number 100 to say that she was at the chief ministers residence and was assaulted by Kumar  first at Kejriwals behest and then correcting the accusation to drop the chief ministers name  Maliwal had reached the Civil Lines police station. However, she has not filed an FIR yet.

The Maliwal saga will not have any closure until the young woman MP, known for her zeal in taking up the causes of women, actually speaks out.

Will Maliwal take her allegations to the logical conclusion by filing an FIR against her colleague of many years Bibhav Kumar? Will she do it ahead of Delhi elections on May 25 or after, if at all? Or will she bury the hatchet keeping in mind the irreversible damage her complaint may trigger? As AAP looks for a way out of the mess, BJP is going all guns blazing at the Kejriwal-led party, hoping to turn it into a burning issue this election season.

Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website
Kodarma is one of the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state of Jharkhand and covers the entire Koderma district and parts of the Hazaribagh and Giridih districts. Kodarma Lok Sabha constituency comprises of the following six assembly segments  Kodarma (BJP), Barkatha (Independent), Dhanwar (BJP), Bagodar (CPI-ML), Jamua (BJP) and Gandey (JMM). The current MP is BJPs Annapurna Devi Yadav who will be up against Vinod Kumar Singh of the CPI-ML, which is part of the INDIA bloc. The constituency will vote in Phase 5 of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on May 20.

Political Dynamics

BJP Eyes Hattrick Amid Stiff Challenge: In 2019, the BJPs Annapurna Devi Yadav won Kodarma LS with a staggering margin of 4.55 lakh votes, making her a political shark of sorts which ensured she got a seat in Prime Minister Narendra Modis Council of Ministers. The BJP has fielded Yadav once again, but the contest in Kodarma is significantly tougher for the saffron party this time around. What will be of solace to the party is Yadavs massive victory margin in 2019, which gives the party a lot of legroom to lose votes and still retain the seat. In this constituency dominated by Yadavs, Muslims and other backward castes, BJP in coordination with other backward Vaishya and forward castes has always been dominant over the alliance of Congress, RJD and Left parties. In 2019, the Yadav voters got polarised towards BJP, as a result of which the victory margin was so wide. This time, Babulal Marandis JVM, which has built a strong organisation in the region for 10 years, has merged with the BJP.

Caste Matrix: This time too, the Yadav vote is expected to largely stick with the BJP. However, some complexities appear to be arising for the BJP among the other castes, as a broad coalition of Congress, JMM, Left and RJD has come together to take on Yadav. Given the Oppositions umbrella coalition, the fight in Kodarma has turned very interesting, and it now remains to be seen whether the BJPs previous caste arrangements can survive now. The BJP had dropped Ravindra Ray in 2019 to make way for Annapurna Yadav in Kodarma. This time too, Ray has not been able to secure a ticket. Since Ravindra Ray belongs to the Bhumihar caste, there is some discontent within the community which is being noticed in the run-up to the election in Kodarma. This should be a cause of concern for the BJP, since the Rajput-Bhumihar combine, if it consolidates in favour of the opposition candidate, could spell some serious trouble for Annapurna Yadav and the saffron camp. To add to the BJPs woes, the Khushwahas have been very upset about a candidate from their community not being fielded. The community has been voicing their opposition to Annapurna Yadavs candidacy and claiming that their 4.5 lakh voters  who have always supported the BJP  will now rethink their preferences. Now, if the BJP loses the Rajput-Bhumihar-Khushwaha votes, it will be left mostly with the Yadavs, and in such a scenario, the contest here will become neck-and-neck. At present though, the BJP retain a slight edge, and PM Modis campaign here is going to be pivotal in ironing out caste and community differences.

Not All Happy With Annapurna Yadav: The Yadav vote will continue to be the deciding factor in this election too. In fact, at a time when there is some disillusionment among the Khushwahas, Rajputs and Bhumihars, former BJP MLA Jai Prakash Verma has entered the electoral fray in Kodarma as an independent candidate. This has led to some degree of Khushwaha voter consolidation in his favour, posing a threat to the BJPs calculations here. To counter the Khushwaha threat, the Yadav Mahasabha here has come out in open support of the BJP and Annapurna Yadav. Meanwhile, there are complaints against Annapurna Yadav in Kodarma. Voters call her an absent MP who has not done any significant work for the constituency. Yadav does face considerable anti-incumbency, and if the BJP retains the seat, it will mostly be on the back of Yadav voters and the Modi factor. While the Modi factor appears to be a bit subdued this time around, voters are generally happy with the work his government has done since 2014 and see him as the only viable leader to vote for at a national scale.

INDIA Blocs Strategy: For the opposition INDIA bloc, the fight for Kodarma was never expected to be easy, given the staggering victory margin of the BJP from this constituency in 2019. The Oppositions sole focus for Kodarma is to make the election here as local and caste-centric as possible. The Congress-JMM-RJD-CPI(ML) combine is an umbrella coalition that is highlighting the issues faced by the people here, which is why a Modi wave per se is not being seen. While people are generally happy with the Modi government, their enthusiasm is getting bogged down by local issues  which are many. As a part of the INDIA bloc, Kodarma LS constituency has been given to the CPI-ML, which has fielded Vinod Kumar Singh as its candidate here. He is a Rajput, which is a factor that could upend the BJPs own caste arithmetic if Rajput voters choose to side with the INDI bloc candidate. This year, when Hemant Soren had to resign due to the EDs arrest, it was the CPI-ML legislator who played an important role in the formation of Champai Sorens government and met the Governor several times along with the alliance leaders. Singh is also currently the MLA of Bagodar. As such, he is no political lightweight.

Gunning for Victory: Vinod Singh is trying to capitalise on the anti-incumbency which Annapurna Yadav faces and is also frequently seen lashing out at the Modi government. Although the INDIA bloc has a greater bulk of political participants, ranging from the likes of the Congress and JMM to the CPI-ML and RJD, the BJP has the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) of former chief minister Babulal Marandi on his side. In 2019, Marandi contested the election from Kodarma, and hauled in an impressive 2.97 lakh votes, despite losing to the BJP. In 2020, the JVM merged with the BJP, and the outcome of that development is expected to play out in the BJPs favour now, as the JVM and Babulal Marandis support base throws its weight behind the saffron party. The INDIA bloc is relying mostly on caste fissures here in Kodarma and is hoping that the counter-Yadav polarisation will help it sail through. The opposition is also assured of the roughly 20 per cent Muslim vote which exists in Kodarma. While that may result in Vinod Singh receiving an impressive number of votes, it may still not prove to be sufficient to unseat the BJP. This is because while the caste tensions could divert many non-Yadav voters away from the BJP, there is little likelihood that there will be a cent-per-cent transference of votes of other castes away from the saffron camp. The caste anger appears to be largely local.

Key Issues

Unemployment: The biggest issue in Kodarma remains that of unemployment. This is fuelling not just migration, but also disillusionment among the public, especially the youth. The lack of industrial units and factories only exacerbates the problem.

Mica Woes: Kodarma in Jharkhand was once known as the mica capital of India. However, after the passage of the Forest Conversation Act of 1980, mica mines were shut down in the name of wildlife conversation. This caused an economic downturn in the region that continues to this day. All of a sudden, an employment avenue which scores of families across the Kodarma and Giridh districts depended on for generations was shut down. The mica mining industry is still operational, but corporations have been replaced by unlicensed middlemen. Now, labourers hunt for mica in abandoned mines. Even today, a kilogram of Mica scraps sells for anywhere between Rs 3-Rs 15. Labourers usually involve their families to ensure more earnings, and instances of child labour are very easy to come by in Kodarma. Despite the mica industry being in shambles, the government has taken no policy initiative to legalise the mining of mica in a sustainable manner. The BJP is having to face local resentment for its failure to resolve the issue, despite being voted to power by the people of Kodarma with a staggering lead in 2019. The opposition, on the other hand, is promising to legalise mining of mica if voted to power.

Stone Mining: Like Mica, Kodarma is also a rich repository of precious stones. Blue, white and moon stones are found in abundance in the district, and yet, their mining remains illegal. For voters in Kodarma, it makes little sense to disallow mining activities, especially at a time when the government is unable to provide alternate avenues of employment and livelihood. They see little reason for such mining activities to be criminalised when their livelihood is on the line.

Caste Differences: The caste divisions in Kodarma have become even more pronounced as election fever grips the constituency. The Yadavs are throwing their weight behind the BJP, while the other castes  Bhumihars, Rajputs and Khushwahas  are unhappy with the saffron party for not fielding a leader from their communities. There is a distinct caste polarisation that can be seen in Kodarma as a result, and it may well outlast the ongoing election.

Development

Solar Power: In September 2023, a 2 MW ground-mounted solar plant in the Koderma Thermal Power Plant was fired up. Work on the remaining 8 MW solar plant was subsequently completed, as a result of which 10 MW electricity is now produced simultaneously through the solar plant.

Controlling Air Pollution: In March, PM Modi virtually inaugurated the retrofitting pollution control (FGD) system installed at the Koderma Thermal Power Plant. This has given a big boost to efforts aimed at containing air pollution in Kodarma, since prior to the FGD system being installed, 600 to 650 milligrams of smoke were emitted from Koderma Thermal Power Plant. After the installation of the unit of FGD plant, the emission of smoke has been reduced to only 200 mg.

Nursing College: In February, PM Modi laid the foundation for a new B.Sc. Nursing College and Hostel in Karma, located in the Koderma district, with an investment of around Rs 24.51 crore.

New Library: In June 2023, MP Annapurna Yadav laid the foundation for a library under the Jhumri Tilaiya Municipal Council of Koderma. This library, with a cost overlay of Rs 6 crore, will have seating arrangements for 300 to 400 children simultaneously. Apart from this, extensive arrangements will be made in the new library building for the preparation of competitive exams. This library will replace the existing one in the Kaushal Vikas Bhawan, which can house just about 30 students.

Demographics

Total Voters: 18,67,022

SC Voters: 263,250 (14.1%)

ST Voters: 110,154 (5.9%)

Muslims: 381,195 (20.4%)

Urban Voters: 123,223 (6.6%)

Rural Voters: 1,743,799 (93.4%)

Voter Turnout in 2019 General Election: 66.6%

Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website
A day after the Centre distributed citizenship certificates to 14 people under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Prime Minister Narendra Modi pegged it as an example of Modi ki Guarantee  a phrase the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been harping this Lok Sabha election. This was the first set of citizenship certificates under the CAA, protests against which had brought sections of the national capital to a standstill in 2019-2020.

Addressing a rally in Lalganj, in Azamgarh, which was once the turf of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and his family, Modi also spoke on issues including Article 370, minority appeasement and goondaism in Azamgarh. Here are the four big messages he tried to send out while hitting out at the Congress and the Samajwadi Party in the same breath.

CAA=MODI KI GUARANTEE

The Prime Minister himself coined the phrase which gained so much traction that the BJP named its manifesto after it  Modi ki guarantee this time. Be it eradicating abject poverty, handholding those above 70 years for their treatments or creating more jobs, the Prime Minister has repeatedly used the term. But this time, he started his speech with a fresh example of Wednesday when the Director (Census) granted citizenship certificates to the very first batch of minorities of the three neighbouring countries who had sought refuge in India. Photos of handing over the certificates  a long-standing promise of the Modi government  were also released. It affects many in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal in particular who had fled persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Modi instantly referred to it as a fresh example of how he delivers what he promises. The CAA rules are the newest example of what is Modis promise. Yesterday itself, we started giving citizenship to people under CAA. The first lot has already been given citizenship. All these brothers and sisters are Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, and Christians and they have been living in India as refugees for a long time. They are the victims of the religion-based partition of India, remarked Modi.

Interestingly, he also used the reference of Mahatma Gandhi who himself promised that they can come to India any time. PM said the Opposition used Gandhi for political purposes but did not remember his promise. He also accused the Opposition who opposed CAA of being dhongi (fake) and communal.

KASHMIR MINUS 370

If CAA was Modis biggest selling point at Lalganj, Kashmir minus Article 370 was his next. Here, too, he used a fresh instance of record voting in Srinagar in the recently held Lok Sabha election there, connecting it to the abrogation of Article 370. With images of serpentine queues outside polling booths in Kashmir still fresh in peoples minds, Modi reminded them why it has been made possible.

The fourth phase of voting took place in Srinagar after 40 years. Indias Democratic festival was celebrated there, and after the voting, people were proud that they would form the government of India this time, said PM Modi. Connecting it with Article 370, he said, The excitement of people of Srinagar shows no one can bring back 370 to do vote bank politics, he said, hinting at the Opposition that animatedly opposed the abrogation in Parliament.

He also connected it to Uttar Pradesh where he was addressing the rally. He said the family members used to be worried about the men they sent in security forces placed in Kashmir due to incessant attacks, blasts and stone-pelting incidents. Previously the city would shut on the polling day. But this time it has broken records of many years in the past (as far as participation is concerned), said Modi.

APPEASEMENT CHARGE

Consistent with his attacks on the Congress and its allies for their appeasement politics, Thursday was no different but with a twist. He said, SP & Congress, dal 2 hain, lekin dukaan ek hi hai (They are two sides of the same coin). They sell lies, appeasement and corruption. They have now come up with a triple dose of appeasement

He detailed what he meant by triple dose  Snatching reservation from backwards and giving it to their vote bank, inheritance tax and giving a share of the budget to the minorities. But he did not use the word Muslims unlike in previous instances. Instead, he chose words like vote bank and minority.

But this time, he projected his objections as a unifying thought and not as a divisive idea, as is being projected by the Opposition. He cited Ambedkar and said, We need to be careful about those who want to divide and rule us.

TERROR TAG & GOONDA-RAJ

Azamgarh was not just the turf of influential SP leader Azam Khan but also gained a terror tag during the UPA days due to many terror cases and their perpetrators having links to this city of Uttar Pradesh. However, things have changed in the last decade. Modi reminded the Congress and the SP  who are fighting the election together in Uttar Pradesh  about it, from his Lalganj rally.

He also reminded the crowd about the abysmal law and order situation of the state during the SP tenure. Crediting Yogi Adityanath for ensuring its a thing of the past, he said, You have seen the old days of SPs goondaraj Yogi ji has rightly implemented my swacchata abhiyan against rioters.

The Prime Minister was referring to hardline actions like running bulldozers on properties of accused of heinous crimes in Uttar Pradesh that have also become popular in other states like Madhya Pradesh as well.

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The recent development in the Swati Maliwal row is that the National Commission for Women (NCW) has summoned Arvind Kejriwals personal assistant Bibhav Kumar for allegedly assaulting the Rajya Sabha MP.

The NCW has scheduled a meeting for May 17 at 11 am, and said it will further take action against Bibhav Kumar if he fails to appear before the commission on Friday.

Swati Maliwal, the former chief of Delhi Commission for Women, on Monday went to the Civil Lines police station and alleged that a member of the Delhi chief ministers personal staff assaulted her at the chief ministers official residence, police officials had said earlier. She is yet to file a formal complaint in the matter.

What Exactly Happened?

During a press conference on May 14, senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said Maliwal was waiting for Kejriwal in his drawing room to meet him when Kumar disrespected her.

A very condemnable incident took place Swati Maliwal had gone to Arvind Kejriwals residence to meet him. She was waiting in the drawing room when Bibhav Kumar misbehaved and disrespected her. She dialled 112 and informed the police, Singh had said.

Singh further said Kejriwal has taken cognisance of the matter and has directed that strict action be taken. Swati Maliwal has worked for the country and society, and she is among the oldest and most senior leaders of the AAP. We are with her. AAP does not support such people (Bibhav), he had said.

According to a report by The Times of India, Maliwal had gone to the Civil Lines police station but returned without filing an official complaint. The Delhi Police has marked Maliwals complaint as pending and have not registered an FIR yet, as per the report.

Meanwhile, an Indian Express report said two daily diary entries were made regarding the PCR call, wherein Maliwal alleged she was assaulted on Kejriwals instructions.

Who Said What On The Controversy?

The BJP has demanded a probe into the matter, with the saffron party highlighting that the incident brings into question the Delhis ability to protect in the national capital when its own leaders are unsafe.

Till yesterday, AAP leaders kept shut about the incident, why were they quiet? A woman faces misbehaviour, is assaulted and you are saying you will take cognizance of it? He (Kumar) should have been under arrest by now An FIR should be registered on the basis of her (Maliwals) statement and everyone who is guilty should face action, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

During a joint press conference of AAP and Samajwadi Party, as part of INDIA bloc, on Thursday, Arvind Kejriwal remained silent on the questions about the row, while his colleague Sanjay Singh said AAP is a family, and asked the BJP about sexual assault allegations against BJPs ally Prajwal Revanna.

Maliwal has so far not commented on the row.

Meanwhile Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said she will stand with Maliwal if any atrocity is committed against her. If any atrocity happens to any woman anywhere, we stand with the woman. I always stand with women  irrespective of which party they belong to. Secondly, AAP will discuss among themselves and make a decision. It is up to them, Vadra told news agency ANI.

Who is Swati Maliwal?

Maliwal is one of the prominent faces of AAP, who joined Kejriwals NGO Parivartan after graduating from college. In 2011, Maliwal, who hails from Uttar Pradeshs Ghaziabad, became part of the 23-member core committee of the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement India Against Corruption.

She held the post of chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) for eight years. She was only 31 when she became the DCW head in 2015 as the youngest-ever woman to hold the post.

According to DCW, she handled more than 1.7 lakh cases of crimes against girls and women in Delhi during her tenure.

She also made headlines when she had opened up about past sexual abuse by her father and had expressed relief over ending her bad marriage.

She remained the DCW chairperson until she was nominated by the AAP to the Rajya Sabha in January.

In 2016, the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) filed an FIR against her over allegations of irregularities in appointments made to the DCW. Earlier in May, Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena sacked 52 illegally appointed contractual employees of the DCW, who were appointed during Maliwals tenure. The AAP Rajya Sabha MP had hit out at the LG over the move.

Is There Any Rift Between Maliwal And AAP?

As per a report by ThePrint, the rift between Swati Maliwal and the AAP leadership was brewing for months now. As per an anonymous AAP leader quoted by ThePrint, The CM was not happy with her prolonged absence from Delhi before and after his arrest. The same goes for others who have been missing, too.

The BJP had questioned Maliwals absence from Delhi after Kejriwal was arrested in the excise policy case by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21. She had said she was in the United States for her sisters treatment.

I will fight against enemies of the country like you from the streets to the Parliament. I have been working with Arvind Kejriwal and will continue to do so till my last breath. What you are terming as a sinking ship has risen further due to your atrocities. Just like I troubled you for the last nine years from the Womens Commission, be ready for the next six years as well! Maliwal had written on X, responding to BJP social media head Amit Malviya.

Even after her return towards the end of April, Maliwal has hardly been active on the ground. She campaigned, along with Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, for AAPs East Delhi Lok Sabha candidate, Kuldeep Kumar, on April 26, and a day later, for the partys West Delhi candidate, Mahabal Mishra.

She was missing from the AAP stage when Kejriwal made his first public address after his release from Tihar jail on interim bail.

Who Is Kejriwals Aide Bibhav Kumar?

Both Swati Maliwal and Bibhav Kumar started working with Arvind Kejriwal around the same time, two decades ago.

An AAP insider, as quoted by ThePrint, said Kumar is as close to Kejriwal as Sisodia, who had actually introduced him to the AAP chief first.

After the AAP formed government in Delhi in 2015, Kumar was appointed Kejriwals personal secretary, a post he held till last month when the Delhi Directorate of Vigilance sacked him in connection with a 2007 case in which he was accused of using criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty.

During the India Against Corruption movement, Kumars skills as video editor came handy as he handled a video magazine, which used to be published then. He also handled media relations despite the presence of a separate communication team.

Kumar also took care of Kejriwals food and medicines as personal secretary. Another AAP leader recalled how Kumar was inside Raj Niwas too where Kejriwal, along with Sisodia, Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai, led a nine-day dharna in 2018, as quoted by ThePrint.
Why are the Delhi government and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) not bothered about the mountain of solid waste in the national capital, which is horrifying? asked the Supreme Court recently as it was hearing an old PIL on rising pollution levels in the national capital and nearby areas.

A bench of justices pointed out that the untreated solid waste directly affects the fundamental right to life of citizens under Article 21 to live in a clean environment. We are worried about this. What will the whole world say? In the capital city of India, 3,800 tonne of waste is being untreated every day as of 2024. What will happen in 2025? asked Justice AS Oka.

How Much Solid Waste Does Delhi Generate?

Delhi and NCR generate more than 14,000 tonnes per day (TPD) of municipal solid waste (MSW) of which only 10,729 TPD is processed, while a little over 3,000 TPD waste is untreated every day. This has resulted in the piling of legacy waste in the region, with more than 321 lakh metric ton (LMT) dumped at various landfill sites and only 150.12 LMT getting treated.

As per the affidavit by the central government on waste management submitted to the Supreme Court, of the 8,627 metric tonnes (MT) of construction and demolition (C&D) waste generated in NCR each day, a little over 3,600 MT remains unprocessed.

Delhi alone generates 6,000 TPD construction and demolition waste, of which 1,000 TPD remains untreated. Bids have been invited to earmark 7 acres of reclaimed land at a sanitary landfill in Okhla for a new plant so that the entire waste generated is processed.

The daily waste generation in all the three jurisdictions  Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Council and Delhi Cantonment Board  is about 11,342 TPD and the legacy waste is 280 LMT. But only 8,073 TPD is processed, while around 3,800 TPD of fresh waste is dumped at the two sites  Ghazipur and Bhalswa.

In Gurugram, the daily waste generation is 1,200 TPD and the current processing capacity is only 150 TPD. A tender will be processed in the next six months to assign the work to a new company and is likely to be commissioned by January 2025, as per a report by The Print.

In Faridabad, the gap between the daily waste generated and the treatment is more than 700 TPD. Authorities there have implemented short-term measures and a proper plant will be commissioned by December 2026 to meet the shortfall, as per the central governments affidavit.

Each of the satellite towns has legacy waste of 33 LMT and in both 16.41 LMT has been remediated. The remaining quantity of 16.59 LMT is expected to be processed by December end, the affidavit added.

In Uttar Pradeshs Ghaziabad and Greater Noida, the estimated quantity of municipal solid waste generated is 1,950 TPD. While the processing capacity in Ghaziabad is more than the waste production, Noidas shortfall is 218 TPD.

The total legacy waste assessed in Ghaziabad is 2.69 LMT, of which 1.46 LMT has been remediated, whereas in greater Noida it is 3.69 MLT. As for the C&D waste, Ghaziabad is for now well equipped to match the daily generation of 325 TPD, but Greater Noida still lacks the facility to dispose of 100-500 TDP produced every day, said the affidavit.

Politics Over Waste Management

The BJP and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have locked horns time and again over the garbage dumps management and the recent fire at Ghazipur landfill site in east Delhi.

Delhi BJP president blamed chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and AAP for the landfill site and questioned him for not clearing the dump by December 2023 as promised by him when he won the MCD elections.

This is the result of corruption as more than half of the trommel machines are non-operational. New companies have not been appointed as the standing committee is not in place, Sachdeva said as quoted by Hindustan Times, referring to the mechanical screening machine which acts as cylindrical rotating sieves.

A Delhi Fire Service (DFS) official explained that fires at landfill sites usually took place due to methane generated due to the decomposition of organic and wet waste.

Around 600 MT of inert and C&D waste was used to extinguish the fire (at Ghazipur landfill on April 23). Sixteen excavators, two bulldozers and six fire tenders were pressed into service to stamp out the fire. Sprinklers are continually working to ensure that no dust or ash is spread in the neighbourhood, the MCD statement read.

The BJP and AAP have also sparred in the past over allocation of funds for MCD.

Health and Environment Hazards

Dump sites are the land utilised by the local body for disposal of solid waste without following the principles of sanitary land filling, as per the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016.

Biodegradable or wet waste decomposes over time on dumpsites. The reason why dumpsites in Delhi catch fire is due to anaerobic decomposition (breakdown of organic waste in the absence of oxygen) of organic waste, which generates methane gas and is flammable.

According to the data received from Delhi Fire Services, between 2019 and 2022, the Department received 33 fire calls each from Bhalswa and Okhla dumpsite; 23 from Ghazipur.

As per a report prepared by a jointed committee, formed by National Green Tribunal (NGT), comprising the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, and IIT Delhi in January 2021, the three dumpsites (Bhalswa, Okhla and Ghazipur) have collectively caused Rs 450 crore in damage to the environment. The study assessed the ecological damage due to Bhalswa dumpsite at Rs 155.9 crore, Okhla at Rs 151.1 crore and Ghazipur at Rs 142.5 crore.

The MCD opted for bio-mining of legacy waste as per the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016. In November 2022, the MCD awarded tenders to three companies  Sudharkara Infratech for Ghazipur, GreenTech Environ Management for Okhla and Alfa Therm Limited for Bhalswa.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines, Biomining is the scientific process of excavation, treatment, segregation and gainful utilisation of aged municipal solid waste lying in dumpsites typically referred to as legacy waste.

The Supreme Court said those concerned should ensure that the present quantity of untreated solid waste should not increase till proper facilities are not in place. The bench said it would come up with drastic measures if the authorities fail to bring out concrete proposals on waste management.
The Enforcement Directorate will file its ninth supplementary chargesheet, known as prosecution complaint, in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case on Friday, naming chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party as prime accused, News18 has learnt. AAP, once named an accused in the chargesheet, will be the first political party in India to be charged under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

AAP is likely to see several administrative and political implications as it may lose its status if the Election Commission of India receives complaints from other parties seeking action, and it may also see its assets and bank accounts being attached as part of routine PMLA case proceedings.

News18 reported about EDs decision to make the political party AAP an accused first.

According to sources, the party will be made an accused through its national convener Arvind Kejriwal under section 70 of PMLA. The section explains that a company or an association of people can be booked or made an accused if the person in charge of the company or the association is aware of the contravention of any provision of PMLA.

ED is likely to evoke the Representation of the People Act to establish its points made in the chargesheet: the partys official bank account was used to launder the money generated from the kickbacks earned through the alleged liquor scam; the money was used to fund elections in Goa.

This action by the agency may result in the attachment of the partys assets and bank accounts as the law demands in connection with the money laundering cases.

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The Supreme Court on Thursday held that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) could not arrest an accused under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after the special court has taken cognisance of the money laundering complaint.

If the ED wanted custody of such an accused, the probe agency would have to apply to the special court, reported news agency PTI.

After cognisance is taken of the offence punishable under Section 4 of the PMLA based on a complaint under Section 44, the ED and its officers are powerless to exercise powers under Section 19 to arrest the person shown as accused in the complaint, the court said.

If the ED wants custody of the accused who appears after service of summons for conducting further investigation of the same offence, ED will have to seek custody of the accused by applying to the Special Court. After hearing the accused, the special court must pass an order on the application after recording brief reasons. While hearing the application, the Court may permit custody only if it is satisfied that custodial interrogation is required even though the accused was never arrested under Section 19, the bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan was quoted as saying by Live Law.

Section 19 of the PMLA empowers authorised officials of the ED to arrest persons based on the material in their possession, providing a reasonable basis to suspect that an individual has committed an offence punishable under the law.

The crux of the issue before the Supreme Court was whether the execution of the bond by an accused for showing his presence before the court under Section 88 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) (power to take bond for appearance) would amount to applying for bail to make twin conditions of bail under Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, applicable.

Section 45 of the PMLA speaks about the conditions set for bail and states that no accused person shall be granted bail unless the Court is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for believing that he is not guilty of such offense and that he is not likely to commit any offense while on bail.

The bench also said if the ED wanted to conduct further probe in the same case, it might arrest a person not shown as an accused in the complaint already filed, provided the requirements of Section 19 are fulfilled.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS

The court said, If the accused was not arrested by the ED till the filing of the complaint, the special court while taking cognisance of the complaint as a normal rule, must issue a summon to the accused and not a warrant. Even if the accused is on bail, a summons must be issued.

The court said, If the accused appears before the special court in response to a summon, it cannot be treated that he is in custody. Therefore, the accused doesnt need to apply for bail. However, the special court can direct the accused to furnish bonds in terms of Section 88 of the CrPC.

It added that the bond furnished in terms of Section 88 CrPC was only an undertaking. Therefore, the order accepting bond under Section 88 does not amount to grant of bail and hence the twin conditions of Section 45 of the PMLA do not apply to it, it said.

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The thrill of high speed claimed the lives of two young men from Gujarats Ahmedabad and left three others battling for their lives. The five youths, all between the ages of 22 and 27, were en route to Mumbai from Ahmedabad when their Maruti Suzuki Brezza met with an accident on a highway in Anand district due to overspeeding.

The tragic accident was caught on camera as the young men were live-streaming their journey on Instagram. In the video, which is now going viral on social media, all five youths can be seen partying in the car shaking to loud music and showing the followers how they were cruising the vehicle at a speed between 140-160 km/hr.

Speed thrills but kills.Car accident in Gujarats Vasad. Video from X wall of @Prateek34381357 pic.twitter.com/ern7msJ458  saurabh verma (@saurabhkverma19) May 16, 2024

As the video proceeds, the camera focuses on the cars speedometer, with one of the men saying, Look how the car is going. The joyride took a fatal turn when the SUVs driver started zooming past trucks one by one, overtaking vehicles to his right and left within seconds.

Suddenly, the squealing of brakes can be heard as the driver swerves to avoid an obstacle. The video ends with a loud thud and then darkness.

According to a report by NDTV, the incident occurred between 3.30 and 4.30 am on May 2 on National Highway 48.

The two deceased were identified as Aman Mehboobbhai Sheikh and Chiragkumar K Patel  both Ahmedabad residents.

The other three occupants of the car, also from the same city, suffered serious injuries and are undergoing treatment, the report said.

Police have, meanwhile, filed a case against the cars driver, Mustafa alias Shahbad Khan Pathan for reckless driving.

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In the wake of the Mumbai hoarding collapse that claimed the lives of 16 people, the municipal corporations of other major cities across the country are reviewing their structural permits of billboards to take appropriate action to prevent any similar tragic incidents.

After the Mumbai tragedy, the Maharastra governments disaster management department issued an advisory to all municipal corporations and district disaster management authorities to audit the hoardings in urban and highway areas.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has also issued notices to the administrations of the Central Railway and the Western Railway for the removal of oversized hoardings erected on their land.

In a release issued on Wednesday evening, the Mumbai civic body said that under Section 30 (2) (V) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, notices have been issued to the concerned authorities for the removal of hoardings above 40 x 40 feet size.

Taking into consideration the geographical position of Mumbai, the coastal region, its weather and wind conditions, the civic body has decided not to permit the erection of hoardings larger than 4040 feet in size, the release said.

ALSO READ: Mumbai Has 1,025 Hoardings: BMCs Tall Claim Amid Scores Of Illegal Billboards, Ignored Checks, Renewals

Delhi

In the national capital, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has asked all advertising agencies to conduct structural audits and assess the strength of pillars and unipoles.

We have asked all empanelled advertisers and contractors working with the advertisement department to carry out a structural audit of their unipoles and advertisement structures immediately and ensure that none of these structures are unstable or damaged so as to avoid any unforeseen incident. In case there are any lapses, those have to be resolved on priority. the MCD order said.

The civic body also instructed officials to identify illegal unipoles and take appropriate action to prevent any tragedy.

In Delhi, the authorised billboard size for roads wider than 100 feet is 3216 feet and for roads less than 100 feet in width, it is 2010 feet.

Central Railways

The Central Railway authorities have also ordered all of its five divisions to conduct an audit of hoarding and billboards in their respective zones.

A detailed structural audit is being carried out and will be completed shortly as per the instructions of Ram Karan Yadav, the general manager of the Central Railway, Railways chief spokesperson Swapnil Nila said.

Chhattisgarh

The Raipur Municipal Corporation (RMC) has instructed all advertising agencies to submit a structural report of their hoardings installed in the Chhattisgarh capital.

RMC Commissioner Abinash Mishra on Tuesday chaired a meeting of directors of various ad agencies and the corporation officials and asked to ensure that the Mumbai-like tragedy should not happen in Raipur.

Mishra instructed the directors and representatives of more than 90 advertising agencies to submit to the RMC within a week the structural report of their hoardings put up in the city. Further, the ad agencies will have to submit a certificate related to the structural probe to the town and country planning department of the RMC.

The commissioner instructed that no untoward incident should take place in Raipur due to hoardings and that all necessary measures should be taken to prevent billboards from falling. A discussion was also held in the meeting on the effective implementation of the advertisement policy within the RMCs jurisdiction, he added.

Uttar Pradesh

The Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) has also launched an aggressive campaign to remove hazardous hoardings and unipoles across the city. The LMC has set a three-day deadline for agencies to complete the process of removing illegal billboards, according to a report by Hindustan Times.

Municipal commissioner Inderjeet Singh has warned of punitive actions against the responsible parties if results are not delivered on time.

The report quoted a senior LMC official, saying that over 525 dangerously placed advertising hoardings and 200 billboards were taken down some time ago, only to reappear shortly after. Notices were issued for other suspected weak structures, but no further action was taken.

Karnataka

The Karnataka government banned unauthorised flexes, banners and hoardings in Bengaluru city last year. However, as per a report by Deccan Herald, several such structures still exist in the city.

Quoting a senior Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) official, the report said Begalurus civic body has taken note of Mumbais unfortunate incident and will survey the illegal hoardings in the city.

Although we have banned outdoor advertisements, there have been complaints about the illegal billboards. Some advertisers have brought a court stay to erect hoardings. We will start clearing illegal billboards from today, he said.

Overview of Mumbai Hoarding Collapse in Ghatkopar

On Monday evening, a 120120 feet hoarding collapsed on a petrol pump at Chheda Nagar in Ghatkopar area of Mumbai due to gusty winds and unseasonal rains, claiming the lives of 16 persons and injuring 75 others.

According to the civic body, the collapsed hoarding stood on a piece of land in possession of the Government Railway Police (GRP). The Ghatkopar incident prompted the civic body to undertake a drive for the removal of illegal and dangerous hoardings across the city.

The civic body has claimed that it has undertaken a drive for the demolition of illegal hoardings on war footing and it has already started the demolition of the remaining three hoardings on the GRPs land in Ghatkopar. It claimed that they were erected without obtaining permission from the civic body.

Meanwhile, the Pune Municipal commission has started taking action on illegal hoardings in the city.

Action has been taken against 1,564 illegal temporary hoardings and posters in Pune. Pune civic body had issued an order to conduct a structural audit of all legal hoardings in the city.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address an election rally at Mumbais Shivaji Park on May 17, Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said on Wednesday.

Bawankule was speaking to reporters after meeting MNS chief Raj Thackeray, who has announced his partys support to BJP-led NDAs candidates in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

PM Modi will address a poll rally at Shivaji Park on Friday (May 17). I invited Raj Thackeray for the rally and he has agreed to attend it, said the BJP leader.Thackerays support (to NDA candidates) and his appeal to voters will reflect in the (poll) outcome. We have asked Raj to join us for the poll campaign in the next few days, he said.

The Mumbai Traffic Police has issued an advisory for commuters ahead of the PMs visit.

In view of a Jahir Sabha organised at Shivaji Park, Dadar on 17th May, a large number of individuals & VVIPs are expected to attend it.To avoid traffic congestion on WEH & EEH following traffic arrangements will be in place from 10 am to midnight.#MTPTrafficUpdates pic.twitter.com/S8IADnimb6  Mumbai Traffic Police (@MTPHereToHelp) May 16, 2024

On Wednesday, the PM addressed two elections in Maharashtra  in Nashik and Thane districts  in support of NDA nominees and also held a roadshow in Mumbai.

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The resuce operation at the site of Ghatkopar hoarding collapse in Mumbai has been completed after three days of the horrific incident in which 16 people lost their lives.

BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani on Thursday morning announced that the rescue operation was now over. Earlier today, rescue personnel retrieved the bodies of a retired general manager of Air Traffic Control (ATC) and his wife. The bodies of the couple were extricated from a car stuck underneath the hoarding.

A Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said that the bodies, which were in a decomposed state, were taken to the nearby civic-run Rajawadi Hospital around 1 am.

Mumbai Hoarding Collapse Sounds Alarm In Several Cities As Agencies Rush To Plug Loopholes

10 Teams Looking For Bhavesh Bhinde

Mumbai Polices crime branch has formed more than 10 teams have been formed to find Bhavesh Bhinde, the owner of the collapsed billboard in Ghatkopar area.

The police personnel believe that he have fled from Lonavala towards Pune. Some teams have been sent to Gujarat as well and other teams have been stationed around airport.

As per the civic body, Bhindes agency did not have a permit from the BMC to put up the hoarding. The hoarding measured about 1,338 square metres (14,400 square feet), it said, bigger than an Olympic pools 1,250 sq m and nine times more than the maximum permitted size for a hoarding.

The agencys owner, Bhavesh Bhinde, and others were also booked under sections 304 (Culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 337 (causing hurt to another person by acting rashly or negligently) of the Indian Penal Code. The case has been registered at Pantnagar police station and the investigation is underway.

Bhavesh Bhinde, director of Ego Media Pvt Ltd that owned the massive 120120 illegal hoarding, was booked under Section 376 (punishment for rape) of the IPC at Mulund police station earlier this year, but was granted anticipatory bail. His legal team said the case against him was false.

Bhinde is a rape accused and has been penalised at least 21 times in the past for putting up illegal hoardings. According to the police, a case has been registered against 51-year-old Bhinde and others for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other relevant sections of the IPC at Pant Nagar police station.

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Bhavesh Bhinde, whose company owned a giant billboard that crashed in Mumbais Ghatkopar, killing 16 people, was arrested from Rajasthans Udaipur on Thursday. The illegal hoarding had collapsed on a petrol pump after a massive storm in Mumbai on Monday.

The crime branch team of Mumbai police arrested Bhinde, the director of Ego Media Pvt Ltd, the advertising agency responsible for erecting the hoarding in Ghatkopar area of Mumbai.

The billboard owner is a rape accused and has been penalised at least 21 times in the past for putting up illegal hoardings.

Earlier this year, he was booked under Section 376 (punishment for rape) of the IPC at Mulund police station but was later granted anticipatory bail.

According to the police, a case was registered against 51-year-old Bhinde and others for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other relevant sections of the IPC at Pant Nagar police station.

More than 10 teams were formed by Mumbai Polices crime branch to find Bhavesh Bhinde. Some teams were sent to Gujarat and other teams were stationed around airport.

As per the civic body, Bhindes agency did not have a permit from the BMC to put up the hoarding. The hoarding measured about 1,338 square metres (14,400 square feet), it said, bigger than an Olympic pools 1,250 sq m and nine times more than the maximum permitted size for a hoarding.

The resuce operation at the site of the hoarding collapse in Mumbai has been completed after three days of the horrific incident.

BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani on Thursday morning announced that the rescue operation was now over. Earlier this day, rescue personnel retrieved the bodies of a retired general manager of Air Traffic Control (ATC) and his wife. The bodies of the couple were extricated from a car stuck underneath the hoarding.

At least 16 people were killed, and 75 injured after the billboard collapsed in an unexpected dust storm in Mumbai on Monday.

(with PTI inputs)

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Six men claiming to be from the crime branch entered a cafe owners home in Mumbais Sion area and allegedly took away Rs 25 lakh, an official said on Thursday.

The police have arrested four of them. The complainant, who runs a popular cafe in the citys Matunga area, told the police that six persons came to his house near the Sion hospital on Tuesday saying they were from the Mumbai crime branch.

The men claimed that they were on election duty and had information that he had kept money for use in connection with the Lok Sabha polls, the official said citing the complaint. Mumbai will vote in the fifth phase of general elections on May 20. The hotelier told them that he had only Rs 25 lakh cash from his food business and it had nothing to do with the elections, the official said.

However, the six accused took the money and left his home threatening to implicate him in a crime. The cafe owner then approached the Sion police station, prompting an investigation. During the probe, the police arrested four of the accused. Cops suspect the involvement of a retired police constable and personnel of the police motor transport department in the crime, the official added.

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A little black dress never goes out of style! And when it comes adorned with pearls, its an absolute showstopper. Bollywood actress Sharvari Wagh proved this with her stunning choice of attire at Valentinos grand event in Mumbai, during the opening of its flagship store at the Jio World Plaza. The Italian luxury fashion house marked this momentous occasion with a glamorous bash, attended by several B-town stars. Among all the celebrities who adorned the red carpet in breathtaking attire, it was actress Sharvari Wagh who truly stole the spotlight with her stunning black ensemble.

Sharvari Waghs black-and-white mini dress is reminiscent of a modern-day Barbie doll. Her ensemble included a sheer white bodycon embellished with pearls, a mini skirt, a sleeveless design, and a form-fitting silhouette. She paired the dress with sheer black stockings and black pumps. Her loose tresses were styled with messy bangs and a half-up, half-down hairdo secured with a black bow. Winged eyeliner, caramel-colored lips, mascara-coated lashes, well-defined eyebrows and rosy cheeks completed her glamorous look. Meanwhile, the only accessory Sharvari chose to adorn herself with was her confidence and radiant smile.

Sharvari Wagh has been consistently setting fashion trends with her impeccable style choices. Recently, at an award function, she mesmerized in an archival ensemble from the collection of Surya Sarkar. Her outfit comprised a cream bralette top with a plunging halter neckline, perfectly complemented by a skirt boasting a high waist, figure-hugging silhouette and a floor-length hem. Adding a touch of elegance, she accessorised with statement diamond studs and rings from renowned brands such as Anmol Jewellers, Gehna Jewellers, Paksha By Tarinika and Hyba Jewels. With subtle makeup and a neatly tied bun, Wagh flawlessly rounded off her stunning look.

In yet another stunning appearance, Sharvari dazzled in a black mini-dress. The off-shoulder neckline is adorned with a charming heart-shaped ring in the center. It also featured full sleeves and a short hem. To complement her look, Sharvari opted for white Birkenstock flip-flops, offering a casual yet stylish vibe. Her half-tied hairstyle perfectly complemented her attire.

What are your thoughts on her latest appearance?
In todays fast-paced world, the pace of transformation is unstoppable. We are experiencing an era of rapid progress, where new ideas and ventures, including those led by women in startups, are embraced with remarkable speed. As we navigate through this global landscape, we encounter both challenges and opportunities that call for innovative solutions. This highlights startups crucial role in driving progress and addressing the needs of our changing world.

In the ecosystem, the status quo has been set for some time, but this trend is shifting due to the determined efforts of women who are breaking barriers and achieving notable success. The vibrant startup scene has given rise to a fresh cohort of female entrepreneurs playing a crucial role in driving Indias economic advancement. The Women in Indias Startup Ecosystem Report (WISER) reveals a substantial increase in women-led startups, reaching 18 percent between 2017 and 2021. Its widely acknowledged that female entrepreneurs make substantial contributions to the economy and play a pivotal role in cultivating a dynamic and inclusive business landscape.

The rising number of women entrepreneurs is driving substantial business and economic expansion in the nation, bringing in demographic shifts, and inspiring the next generation of women founders.

Transitioning from a national to a regional perspective, Goa is emerging as a preferred destination for startups. Women have played a pivotal role in fostering innovation and growth within the startup ecosystem. Remarkably, 33% of these startups are founded by women entrepreneurs. This notable statistic underscores the growing prominence of women entrepreneurs in Goas startup ecosystem. Through initiatives like the Goa Startup Yatra, Startup Goa programs, Masterclasses, Founders Club, Corporate Startup events, and First Friday with the Design community, the Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, Government of Goa, has taken significant strides in empowering young entrepreneurs and cultivating self-sustaining enterprises. These initiatives reflect the governments dedication to fostering innovation, supporting startup ecosystems, and facilitating the growth of Goas entrepreneurial landscape. With a commitment towards building a robust startup ecosystem, the Department aims to boost local entrepreneurs, making Goa the most preferred startup destination in the region.

The presence of 76 startups with women founders or co-founders out of 225 registered startups in Goa exemplifies the significant strides made by women in the tech industry and the startup ecosystem. Among these startups are notable examples such as ASIER Solutions, I-Assist, Blurb Consultancy, Goenkart Digital World, Make it Happen, Tea Trunk, Contractzy, and many others.

Goas emergence as a startup destination is underscored by its growing connectivity, advancing physical infrastructure, and the proactive support extended by the Startup and IT Promotion Cell (SPC), a government initiative aimed at streamlining administrative processes. Collaborating with incubators, the SITPC facilitates startups at various developmental stages, contributing to the establishment of a dynamic startup ecosystem. Serving as the governments crucial representative, the SITPC spearheads all startup policy-related endeavors in the state, positioning itself as the primary interface for startup-related initiatives. An entrepreneur in Goa expresses gratitude for the phenomenal support they receive. Ms. Gautami Raikar, founder of Contractzy, The support weve received has been amazing. Since day one, weve been encouraged to keep innovating and making things easier for people. The Goa government has always been there, pushing young entrepreneurs to succeed. With their startup policy, more women will join the startup ecosystem.

Ms. Supriya Malladad, Founder of Rachane Engineering Solutions enthusiastically shared, Our startup offers solutions tailored to the Hospitality sector. Goa, renowned as a hospitality hub, is the perfect location to launch our business. Moreover, the assistance from FiiRE Incubation Centre, which concentrates on Tourism Tech in Goa, along with the events organized by the Goa Startup Mission for fostering the startup ecosystem, facilitated networking and provided valuable insights into the local market.

Adding to the startup journey, Mrs. Maria Victor, the founder of Make It Happen, shared her experience, Make It Happen is more than just a travel platform  its a movement to preserve the soul of Goa. We offer immersive experiences beyond the typical tourist trail, from heritage walks to culinary adventures, all curated to showcase the rich culture of our community. By connecting travelers with local talent and fostering sustainability, were reshaping tourism to benefit both visitors and the place theyre exploring.

We have received tremendous support from the local communities, the youth and home-grown businesses of Goa who have joined our team and collaborated with us to help build an ecosystem

for sustainable tourism. With over 35000+ travelers served and 30 unique experiences in Goa, Diu, and the Nilgiris. Our 70+ local hosts are fostering a sustainable local economy through storytelling and music.

Ms. Moksha, Co-founder of Goenkart, Indias biggest woman entrepreneur e-commerce in Goa, expressed, Our goal at Goenkart is to help Goan women entrepreneurs showcase their businesses to a wider audience. Its the first platform of its kind in Goa, allowing women to sell their products and services not just locally, but also nationally and internationally. Were thankful for the support from the Goa government, which has helped us access government grants.

In Goas vibrant startup ecosystem, the rise of women entrepreneurs isnt just a trend; its a transformative journey marked by empowerment and innovation. With an impressive 33% representation, women are reshaping the entrepreneurial landscape and propelling economic growth forward. Their stories of success, resilience, and collaboration serve as inspirations not only for the current generation but also for aspiring women founders of tomorrow. The Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, Government of Goa, plays a pivotal role in fostering this inclusive environment, providing support and resources to women entrepreneurs. As Goa strengthens its position as a hub for startups, women entrepreneurs are seizing the opportunity, leveraging the states support and dynamic environment to turn their dreams into reality. With each success, the future for women in Goas startup ecosystem looks brighter and more exciting.
The summer holidays are extended for a month due to soaring heat in Telangana, prompting children to eagerly request their parents for a long vacation. Most of the families visit destinations like Srisailam and Tirupati. However, Hyderabad remains a popular choice for many due to its numerous attractive sites. Visiting Hyderabad can be costly if you wish to explore thoroughly, as a single day often isnt sufficient. You need to stay overnight if you want to visit places.

For the people who need an affordable travel plan, Telangana Tourism has introduced special one-day packages to explore Hyderabad. This plan covers significant landmarks including the Salarjung Museum, Purani Haveli, Golconda Fort, Qutub Shahi Tomb, Lumbini Park, Birla Mandir, Chaumahalla Palace, Charminar and Makkah Masjid.

Buses depart at 7:30 AM from the Information and Reservation Office, near Yatri Niwas, Secunderabad. Alternatively, you can board at 7:45 AM from Tourism Plaza, Begumpet, or at 8:15 AM from the CRO office, Bashirbagh. The packages are available in both AC and non-AC options. In the Non-AC bus, children are charged Rs 300, and Rs 380 for adults, while the AC bus costs Rs 400 for children and Rs 500 for adults.

It is important to note that entrance fees and meals at the tourist sites are not included in the package. For more details and any updates, please visit the official website of Telangana Tourism.

https://tourism.telangana.gov.in/

Hyderabad is the capital of Telangana, known for its rich history, diverse cuisine and varied experiences. The city attracts tourists from all over the world. Hyderabad is known for its landmarks like the Charminar and Golconda Fort, which speak of the famous Nizams who once ruled here. Besides its historical splendour, Hyderabad is a vibrant metropolis that boasts of technology, gastronomic delights and a vibrant art scene. In 2022, Hyderabad won the prestigious World Green City Award 2022 at the International Association of Horticulture Producers (AIPH) awards ceremony in Jeju, South Korea, beating other international cities like Paris, Bogota, Mexico City, Montreal and Fortaleza in Brazil.
Meghan Markle was recently seen on a three-day tour to Nigeria alongside her husband, Prince Harry. The royal couples visit was a significant event as they were invited by Africas Chief of Defence Force Staff. Throughout their time in Nigeria, Meghans fashion choices not only showed her sophisticated taste but also paid homage to the host countrys rich culture. Be it indulging in the traditions and customs of the country or making heads turn with her noteworthy fashion moments, the royal highness has taken all of her duties seriously and elegantly.

Each of her outfit was carefully selected to honor the host countrys traditions while staying true to her timeless fashion sense. Lets dig a little deeper into Meghan Markles standout outfits from her Nigerian tour. At one of the events, Meghan Markle opted for a free-flowing style statement with a peach-coloured maxi dress by California-based designer Heidi Merrick. The chic backless number with a tiered length, known as the Windsor, garnered much attention and admiration.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Meghan Markle (@meghan.markle.official)

Adding a vibrant touch to her monochrome ensemble, Meghan paired a white collared button-down shirt from Carolina Herrera with a striking blue traditional Nigerian skirt. The broad-striped wraparound skirt was a thoughtful gift from the people of Abuja, creating a harmonious blend of cultures.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Meghan Markle (@meghan.markle.official)

Meghan radiated elegance at the State Governor House in Lagos, donning a Carolina Herrera canary yellow floor-length dress. The bright hue was beautifully complemented by a striped green shawl, adding a touch of sophistication to her ensemble.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Meghan Markle (@meghan.markle.official)

Taking center stage as a co-host at Lagos Women in Leadership event, Meghan exuded power in a red midi dress from Orire. The dress, featuring thin straps, a breezy silhouette, and a ruffled hem, highlighted her commitment to empowering women and celebrating diversity.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Meghan Markle (@meghan.markle.official)

Meghan showcased her fashion-forward approach at a charity volleyball match in Abuja, opting for a printed midi dress by Johann Ortiz. The dress featured keyhole cutouts, narrow straps, back tassels, a risque middle slit and bold tropical prints in black.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Meghan Markle (@meghan.markle.official)

For her visit to the Defence headquarters in Abuja, Meghan embraced the corpcore trend with an Altuzarra Acacia white blazer, flared trousers and a matching shirt underneath.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Meghan Markle (@meghan.markle.official)

Meghan Markles fashion choices during her recent Nigerian tour with Prince Harry were a true reflection of her sophisticated style and appreciation for cultural diversity.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Meghan Markle (@meghan.markle.official)

During a reception for military families in Abuja on May 11, the Duchess of Sussex donned a special necklace that once belonged to Princess Diana. It features a delicate diamond cross on a gold chain.
This season, Mira Rajput is setting the fashion scene on fire with her impeccable style. Her recent appearance at a fashion event turned heads as she stole the spotlight in a striking dress. Adding to the glamour of Mumbais fashion landscape, luxury brand Valentino has launched its flagship store at the Jio World Plaza. Among the celebrities attending the red carpet event, Mira Rajput stole the limelight. She exuded elegance in a stunning black gown from the renowned Italian label Valentino.

The dress, with its delicate straps and figure-hugging silhouette, beautifully accentuated her curves. A captivating sweetheart neckline framed her neck and shoulders with finesse. However, the highlight was the exquisite silver bow adorning the front of Miras gown, stealing attention with its subtle yet impactful sparkle.

Mira avoided excessive accessories and instead went for sleek diamond rings, studded black shoes and a little Valentino purse. She chose a bronzed look for her make-up. Shimmering pink eyeshadow, winged eyeliner, mascara on the lashes, caramel lip tint, and flushed luminous skin. Lastly, her hair was left open in a centre-parted wavy style. The tresses perfectly frame her face, gently cascading down over her shoulder, enhancing her look and adding a touch of playfulness to her overall appearance.

At a previous star-studded event in Mumbai, Mira Rajput made another memorable fashion statement. Opting for a fitted gown from Deme Love, she radiated elegance in a vibrant orange hue. The gowns sophisticated bodice was elevated by daring side cuts and intricate golden stud embellishments. A plunging V neckline and knotted straps added a touch of allure to the ensemble.

Miras choice of statement jewellery complemented the outfit perfectly. Delicate golden stud earrings and stacked rings adorned her fingers, adding a subtle yet impactful finishing touch to her ensemble. With her impeccable style and attention to detail, Mira once again captivated onlookers and cemented her status as a fashion icon.

Miras makeup accentuated her inherent beauty without overshadowing her magnificent gown. He delicately highlighted her facial characteristics with softly done eyeshadow, kohl-rimmed eyes, contoured cheeks and rusty nude lipstick. Meanwhile, her hair was fashioned into a sleek low bun.
Ananya Panday seems to be moving on from her alleged breakup with actor Aditya Roy Kapur. From spending time with friends to bringing a new pet home, the actress is taking her own sweet time to relax and pamper herself. Reportedly, the couple, after being together for around two years, parted ways a month ago. With that said, being in a relaxed mood, Ananya recently spent her time watching Formula 1 and the IPL simultaneously.

Taking to her Instagram handle, the actress shared a video showing her latest obsession. While Formula 1 played on television, Ananya also had live streaming of the IPL on her laptop.

This came just a day after the Liger actor dropped a couple of her forgotten vacation pictures. Ananya can be seen at the beaches, dressed in rocking pink, violet, and sky blue swimsuits. Forgotten photos from my camera roll (the last pic is a breadstick and its meant to be a cute pic pls calm down), she wrote.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ananya (@ananyapanday)

As soon as the post was shared, her BFFs, Suhana Khan and Shanaya Kapoor, immediately took to the comment section and showered love.

Ananya-Adityas breakup

Back in 2022, rumours started making the rounds about Ananya Panday and Aditya Roy Kapur being in a relationship, which gained momentum over time. They were frequently spotted attending common parties and also going on vacations.

Not to forget Karan Johars epic hints on Koffee With Karan.

While fans were pretty much convinced about the lovebirds budding romance, many were left shocked after media reports confirmed their breakup. A close friend of the two actors spoke to the Bombay Times and said, They broke up almost a month ago. They were going quite strong, and the break-up came as a shock to all of us. They are cordial with each other. Ananya is trying to move on, of course, theres hurt. She is spending time with her new furry friend. Aditya is also trying to deal with the situation maturely.

However, neither of them has confirmed or denied their relationship.

Whats on the work front?

Last seen in Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, Ananya Panday has films like Call Me Bae and Shankara in the pipeline. She is also said to play a role in Vikramaditya Motwanes Control.

Aditya Roy Kapur, on the other hand, will be soon seen in Anurag Basus MetroIn Dino alongside Sara Ali Khan, Pankaj Tripathi, Neena Gupta, Konkona Sen Sharma, and others.
The 2024 Cannes Film Festival saw a cinematic spectacle as George Millers eagerly anticipated prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), named Furiosa, opened to tremendous plaudits. The movie, featuring Anya Taylor-Joy in the title role and Chris Hemsworth, received a nearly 8-minute standing ovation, indicating how well it was received by the audience. The plot centres on a young Furiosas capture by the Warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth).

The screening was held at the famed Grand Lumiere Theatre, and the atmosphere was electric with enthusiasm. As the titles rolled, the audience exploded in standing ovations and applause. Chris Hemsworth and Anya Taylor Joy could be seen beaming with excitement and appreciating the passionate response from the audience. The former reportedly teared up upon seeing the reaction. A video of the reception was shared by Deadline.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Deadline Hollywood (@deadline)

Furiosa, directed by George Miller, is the fifth film in the renowned Mad Max series. With a $168 million budget, this prequel goes into the origins of Furiosa, a character who captivated viewers in Mad Max: Fury Road. The director co-wrote the script with Brendan McCarthy and Nick Lathouris and the team reportedly spent decades building this story, eager to delve into Furiosas roots. Before the screening, George Miller stated, We worked very hard on this film, and itll be very interesting to see what you make of it. Thank you for having us, as quoted by Hans India.

The plot synopsis mentions, As the world fell, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland they come across the Citadel presided over by the Immortan Joe. While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home. The film aims to showcase Furiosas resilience in life as she faces adversity. The warm reception at Cannes sets a favourable tone for Furiosas worldwide release next week. Its predecessor, Fury Road was shot on a $350 million budget and went on to become the most lucrative picture of all time, generating more than $380 million worldwide.
Recent rains in Mumbai created havoc in the city and injured many. On Thursday, actress Divyanka Tripathi took to her Instagram handle and dropped a video in which she was seen dancing in the Mumbai rain with her husband, Vivek Dahiya. The Yeh Hai Mohabbatein actress mentioned that the video was recorded before she got to know that the same rains created chaos in the city.

In the caption of her post, Divyanka talked about how the same events can be very different for different people. This storm unfortunately turned out to be devastating for Mumbai, we discovered later. Heres a glimpse of prettier side of winds that we experienced. This natural phenomenon reminds us that how the same event can have extremely contrasting effects on different individuals, she wrote. Check out her post here:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Divyanka Tripathi Dahiya (@divyankatripathidahiya)

However, a few social media users missed out on Divyankas caption and trolled the actress for dancing in the Mumbai rains. Ameeron ke liye maza hai or gareeb ke liye saza hai, one of the users wrote. Another called her insensitive.

Divyanka Tripathi made her television debut in 2006 with the drama Banoo Main Teri Dulhann. She is currently seen in Adrishyam as Inspector Parvati Sehgal. It also features Eijaz Khan as Ravi Verma.

Recently, Divyanka also fell from a height on the sets of her show due to which she broke both her forearms. She underwent surgery and was hospitalised for a few days. After getting discharged from the hospital, Divyanka shared her health update via a video message and said, Hello, my surgery is done and I am getting discharged from the hospital. Our science has progressed a lot. My doctor was very happy with the recovery that Im having now. Honestly, I have already started with my physio as I want to bounce back.

Meanwhile, just a few days back, Bigg Boss 17 fame actress Mannara Chopra also received backlash for sharing a sensual dance video in which she was seen enjoying the rain. Mannara shared the clip on her Instagram handle and was seen dancing on her balcony. Sporting a tank top with a pair of pants, she was seen truly embracing the first rains of Mumbai this year. However, the video did not go down well with many social media users. Several netizens pointed out that it was insensitive, especially since the rains wrecked havoc in the city.
Hailey Bieber, the model and wife of global pop sensation Justin Bieber, has recently been in the headlines for announcing her pregnancy. Anticipating the arrival of her first child with Justin, Hailey recently treated her followers to a series of heartwarming snapshots, offering a candid look into her pregnancy experience. In a collection of stunning photographs, Hailey proudly flaunted her growing baby bump, exuding a radiant glow and an innate sense of joy.

One particularly beautiful image captures her tenderly cradling her belly, elegantly dressed in a stylish pink-coloured, butterfly-style tank top paired with low-waisted baggy jeans. These photos not only show her impeccable fashion sense but also reflect how elegantly shes embracing the transformations that come with motherhood.

In other photos, the Rhode founder can be seen posing outside a home, in a green field during the golden hour.

Meanwhile, other beautiful snaps include the couples pet dog, a mesmerising view of the sunset, the model sipping on a drink and one with her fashion label Rhodes phone cover, hair claw and a watch.

Check it out here:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hailey Rhode Baldwin Bieber (@haileybieber)

The announcement of Haileys pregnancy was met with overwhelming joy from fans and well-wishers. She and Justin shared a heartfelt video of their vow renewal ceremony in Hawaii, a touching moment that also revealed Haileys baby bump for the first time. Since then, the couple has been spotted together, cherishing each moment as they prepare to welcome their bundle of joy into the world.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber)

The outpouring of love and support for Hailey has been palpable, with fans and friends alike expressing their excitement for the new chapter in her life. Comments on her social media posts are filled with admiration and encouragement, with many expressing their anticipation for the arrival of the newest member of the Bieber family.

Justins mother, Pattie Mallette, has been particularly vocal about her joy at becoming a grandmother, expressing her excitement through a heartfelt video message on Instagram. Her words of support and love have resonated deeply with fans, who are eagerly awaiting the birth of Justin and Haileys child.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pattie Mallette (@pattiemallette)

Fans around the world have also joined in the celebration, creating heartfelt videos using Justins music to express their support and love for the couple. Many of his young fans have grown up alongside Justin post his debut in 2009, making the news of his impending fatherhood even more special for his fans.
Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won have sparked dating rumours following the latters recent airport appearance. The two South Korean celebrities impressed fans with their sweet on-screen chemistry in tvNs romance drama Queen Of Tears. Directed collaboratively by Jang Young-woo and Kim Hee-won, the web series was one of the most-viewed K-dramas. The masses have been shipping Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-wons equation, wishing to see them together in real life too. Now, it seems like their wish has been granted. The speculations were reinforced when Kim Ji-won was spotted at Incheon Airport on May 12 with Kim Soo-hyuns bodyguard.

According to a report by Koreaboo, Kim Ji-wo arrived at the South Korean airport to board a flight to Singapore for a Bvlgari perfume launch event. The videos doing the rounds on the internet capture the actress surrounded by tight security personnel. But out of her multiple bodyguards, eagle-eyed fans noticed one individual who previously accompanied Kim Soo-hyun on several international visits. Needless to mention, locating Kim Soo-hyuns bodyguard with Kim Ji-won made social media users believe that something was brewing between the Queen Of Tears co-stars. However, the two are yet to comment on the matter.

istg Kim Ji Won is beautiful inside and out She's so considerate and humble OMG I LOVE HER #KimJiwon pic.twitter.com/oTwSlFI4Gh Nini (@blueroses4nini) May 12, 2024

Reacting to the clip, one fan on X (formerly Twitter) commented, Kim Soo-hyun may not be personally with her but sends his bodyguard and that is a king thing to do to his queen. Green flag check." So now we are sharing the same bodyguard? I am not gonna be delusional into thinking that the same bodyguard thing has happened for the first time in the history of industry but the timing like this bodyguard was always seen with," pointed out another. The same bodyguard with Kim Ji-won at the airport was recently with Kim Soo-hyun! And it looks like his personal and trustworthy bodyguard," opined a third individual.

so now we are sharing the same bodyguard ok!I am not gonna be delusional into thinking that the same bodyguard thing has happened first time in the history of kindustry but the timing like this this bodyguard was always seen with ksh #KimJiWon #geewoni #jiwon #KimSooHyun #Soowon pic.twitter.com/84UDy2yOwL gummybearjentae (@gummbearjentae) May 14, 2024

The same bodyguard with Kim Ji Won at the airport was recently with KSH! And it looks like his personal and trustworthy bodyguard. #SooWonIsReal https://t.co/dgnTnZUy60 Grescia (@gresciaxD) May 13, 2024

Kim Ji-won returned from Singapore on May 15, reported Koreaboo. Back at the airport, she received an overwhelming greeting from fans who gathered at the premises to catch a glimpse of the celebrity. Despite the large crowd and the commotion, Kim Ji-won did not lose her patience and smiled at her admirers graciously, even waving at them.

Queen Of Tears ran successfully for 16 episodes before the web show was wrapped up on April 28.
Malayalam actor Mathew Thomas is facing a tough time as his family was in a serious accident early on May 15. Their jeep overturned on an under-construction highway in Sasthamugal, Kochi, Kerala, while returning from a family event. Sadly, his 61-year-old relative named Beena Daniel passed away in the crash. Mathews father Biju, mother Susan, and Beenas husband Saju were injured and are in the hospital, along with Mathews brother John, who was driving the jeep. Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.

Beena was swiftly taken to the hospital for treatment, but unfortunately, she passed away there. She was 61 years old and had retired as a teacher. Mathews father Biju, mother Susan, and Beenas husband Saju suffered injuries and were hospitalised for treatment. The family, including the actor, was returning from a family event when their vehicle overturned on the under-construction national highway.

Meanwhile, Malayalam film Cup, starring Mathew Thomas and Basil Joseph, is all set to release soon. The makers released its teaser on April 21. It has generated much hype among cine-goers and left the fans excited as they await the release of the film. The upcoming film has been garnering much attention, ever since it was first announced. The teaser has received much appreciation. Cup is presented by Alphonse Puthran and backed by Allwin Antony and Angelena Mary under the banner of Ananya Films. It is helmed by debutant Sanju V Samuel. Cup revolves around the sport of badminton. It is billed as a feel-good film and is penned by Akhilesh Latharaj and Denson Durom.

The music is handled by Shaan Rahman and has four songs composed by Manju Manjith and a song by RZee. The Cup boasts of an excellent star cast. It will feature Guru Somasundaram as Mathew Thomas father Babu, with Thushara Pillai as his mother and Mrinalini Susan George as his sister. Meanwhile, Basil Joseph appears in a significant role, alongside Namitha Pramod and Karthik Vishnu. Anikha Surendran and Riya Shibu too will be seen in the film. It will also see Anand Roshan, Mridul Pachu, Chembil Ashokan and Nandu Poduval, in key roles.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui is regarded as a gem in Indian cinema. He proves his mettle in acting with every project he takes on. In a recent media conversation, the actor talked about working with the Mr Perfectionist of Bollywood, Aamir Khan and how it impacted him. Nawazuddin Siddiqui got the chance to work with Aamir Khan on two occasions. The first was Nawazuddins debut, Sarfarosh. The second time they shared the screen was in the 2012 mystery thriller, Talaash. In the latter, he portrayed the role of Tehmur Langda, for which he was given several Best Supporting Actor awards. Recalling his work experience with Aamir Khan, Nawazuddin mentioned how it has been a remarkable journey. He said, Sharing the screen with Aamir in both Sarfarosh and Talaash has been a remarkable journey. Nawazuddin Siddiqui mentioned how they developed a strong bond, which consisted of mutual respect and understanding. He added, Aamirs dedication and passion for his craft is truly inspiring, and our discussions often went beyond scripts and scenes, we loved discussing Cinema.

Sarfarosh completed 25 years of release recently. To celebrate the occasion, the makers held a special screening of the film at PVR Juhu in Mumbai. As per reports, the whole team of the film reunited at the event to celebrate.

At the event, Aamir Khan interacted with the media, where he revealed that he had been trying to make a sequel for the 1991 release, and only now the team started to take the possibility seriously. He stated, Sarfarosh 2 banni chaiye (Sarfarosh 2 should be made) even I feel that. The actor added how they left Sarfarosh at a point where a sequel is possible.

Sarfarosh is directed by John Matthew Matthan, who co-wrote its screenplay with Hriday Lani and Pathik Vats. The cast of the film includes Aamir Khan, Naseeruddin Shah and Sonali Bendre. It is produced by John Matthew Matthan under the banner of Cinematt Pictures. The music is handled by Jatin-Lalit.
Kiara Advani and Sobhita Dhulipala are getting ready for their debut appearance at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Sobhita was seen at the Mumbai airport in jeans, flat sandals, and a black crop top, while Kiara opted for a light-brown long jacket over a cream outfit.

Meanwhile, Namita Thapar, a judge on Shark Tank India, attended the festivals second day. She wore a mint green gown by designer Elio Abou Fayssal for the premiere of Chris Hemsworths Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Namita also spoke about her excitement, mentioning that she loves the unique colour of her dress and hopes she wont trip over its long train on the red carpet! Talking about her elaborate gown, she told Brut, I love the colour because it is so different. It is a colour that I have never worn before. I just hope that I can manage this long train, but I am having fun I pray I dont trip over it (her gown) on the red carpet.

Meanwhile, Kiara Advani will be attending the Cannes Film Festival this year and was seen leaving for the event late last night on Wednesday. Kiara will be representing India on the global stage. The actress is slated to be part of the Women in Cinema Gala. A Bombay Times report mentioned that Kiara will grace the Red Sea Film Foundation celebrating Women in Cinema Gala Dinner.

Kiara was snapped jetting off to Cannes in France in a comfortable beige outfit. She opted for a jumper over a white shirt. Kiara also wore a trench coat with matching pants. She completed her look by tying her hair in a neat bun and wearing a pair of statement sunnies.

Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was spotted leaving for the Cannes film festival along with her daughter Aaradhya Bachchan late Wednesday night. The actress was clicked wearing an arm sling on her right hand. In a video, shared by Bollywood paparazzo Viral Bhayani, Aishwarya and Aaradhya greeted paps with a big smile as they made their way inside the international terminal.

Besides Aishwarya, many more Bollywood celebrities including Kiara Advani, Sobhita Dhulipala and Aditi Rao Hydari are walking the red carpet at Cannes 2024.
Shekhar Suman, who recently starred in Sanjay Leela Bhansalis web series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, talked about a scene where his character has oral sex with Manisha Koiralas character in a carriage. He mentioned in an interview that he couldnt even tell his wife about the scene and suggested she watch it in the final show. He said that people are starting to understand and like the emotional depth of the scene, which shows a nawab struggling with his social status and money because of the British and the courtesans.

People are slowly understanding the carriage scene and are appreciating it . The pathos of the nawab thats hidden inside it. The way he is being treated by circumstances, some created by Britishers and some by the tawaifs. He is hanging in the middle, he said.

Shekhar said that he couldnt even tell his wife, Alka, what he did that day. I couldnt even tell my wife what he is doing. When I came back from the shoot, she said you did a scene and you are not telling me about it. I said woh batane layak hai hee nahi aur karke dikhane layak toh bilkul bhi nahi. Woh tum seedha hi dekh lena (Its not worth talking about and absolutely not worth being performed. You watch it in the final cut.)

Talking about the same scene, Shekhar Suman had earlier told Radio City, So, this scene, where my character is drunk, it was a normal sequence but he felt the subtext of the sequence was different. So, he suggested we do it differently, where I am doing this mid-air He asked, Are you open for it? If not, that is okay, because the scene can turn out really ridiculous, it is a fine line, a tightrope. But I was up for it, and told him main bilkul karuga and we just went into it. He added, It was done in one take. It was a long scene and we did it the first take itself. Once it was one, Sanjay Leela Bhansali came and said, Magnificent! Pack up! After that, people from the unit came to me and said, Sir aapki wajah se humare 6-7 ghante bach gaye, we are getting over early!

Currently streaming on Netflix, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar also stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal Mehta, Farida Jalal, Fardeen Khan and Adhyayan Suman in key roles.
Geostrategy is increasingly becoming a process of increasing a nations options. Faced with Western economic sanctions, Iran and Russia have had to seek alternatives to survive and even thrive in the realm of unintended consequences. Sanctions as a geostrategic tool are facing their own limitations, and overuse by America and its NATO allies is spawning efforts to move away from the US dollar as the exclusive, or at least main currency of international commerce.

While Russia has been encountering sanctions from Western Europe and the US ever since the war with Ukraine, Iran has endured them for far longer. Over the years, both countries have proved ingenious by finding new trading partners and mechanisms of international trade.

China too, despite being the second largest economy in the world, and closely involved in trade with Western Europe and the US, is now facing sustained headwinds. Its economy has become sluggish. For a country that has been the established global manufacturer of myriad things for decades, this is a difficult pill to swallow. It is increasingly facing stiff US trade tariffs and outright bans.

With India, China has recently overtaken the US as the biggest exporter of its goods despite restrictions imposed. This is ironic because there is no let-up in the tense situation on its long Tibetan borders with India.

India is considered to be an important US partner if not a full-fledged ally in QUAD, and a lateral beneficiary of AUKUS, which puts it in the same frame with a number of G7 countries including Japan, Britain and Australia. It is equipping more and more of its ports to repair and refurbish US naval ships operating in its region. It is collaborating in its military manufacturing not only with Russia, France, and Israel but very significantly with the US. Countries like Germany that were not agreeable to letting India have access to its sophisticated military technology before have also changed their posture. India shares vital intelligence inputs with the US and other Western countries. And yet, it faced the finger-wagging threat of Western sanctions for importing Russian oil and gas, and possibly its neutrality. Though the pressure has eased as the Ukraine War drags on. In fact, it has refined some of the Russian crude and re-exported it to Western Europe.

The US, Israel and others in West Asia are aware of Indias cordial relationship with Iran. It is based on geostrategic as well as civilisational affinities. These other countries may be coming around to seeing its advantages. Remarks of the Indian foreign minister rather than its shipping minister, Sonowal, who signed the Chabahar contract hint at this.

India has a bilateral track of value with Iran. This partnership follows on as a much more comprehensive version of a 2016 agreement that was amped up only sectionally in 2018. But today, we can see a breakthrough.

In one fell swoop, it opens up a route through the countries of Central Asia by road and rail connectivity all the way up to Russia and on to Europe. It negates some of the potential of the Chinese-controlled Gwadar Port, the vulnerabilities of dealing with Pakistans Karachi Port, and the fear of a bottleneck at the Straits of Hormuz. Significantly, after Irans refusal to accept international arbitration, all arbitration on matters arising between Tehran and New Delhi with regard to the operations will now be settled by a three-person committee sitting in Muscat, Oman. Oman, strategically positioned, and trusted by both the West and India, has served as an effective intermediary between the two and Iran for many years.

It is, in the expected flowering of its potential, a second route in addition to the North-South Corridor from India, across the Arabian Sea, via UAE with connectivity to Saudi Arabia, through Israel, and on to Greece in Europe. That it is somewhat mired presently by the ongoing war in Gaza is hopefully a temporary thing. But Chabahar waking up will tend to leverage reasonableness on this parallel course too.

The problems with the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, Iran-backed Houthi attacks on the shipping of various nations, the Somali pirates, and the bottlenecks at the Suez Canal have to be addressed. The burgeoning insurance costs on this route, the reluctance of shippers to send vessels or cargos through this way, the hijackings and missile attacks, and conversely, spiralling shipping expenses and delays of routing via the Cape of Good Hope are all unsustainable burdens on international trade.

Iran has been selling most of its oil to China of late in bilateral currencies, at highly discounted rates. It is also selling some of it via Pakistan to try and bypass the Western sanctions, no doubt with tacit US approval. Russias Gazprom announced its first loss despite selling twice as much of the highly discounted gas to China as it was to Western Europe. Both countries badly need balancing options.

Indias sea and land route via Chabahar in southeastern Iran means easy access to Afghanistan. This has been proved already with wheat shipments to the latter. But energised, Chabahar has enormous potential. India has been pressured by the US to avoid or curtail the purchase of Iranian oil and gas in the past, but with low-cost options how long can this go on? India is forced to import 90 per cent of its ever-growing volume of petroleum. It must request the US to reconsider its position. The same had to be done when it had to import the S-400 missile shield system from Russia.

India is today in a unique position of having equity with multiple sides. It is a country useful to various others who may be looking for ways to climb down from obdurate positions. This too is recognised by Iran, Russia certainly, and tacitly, even by the US and China. The dragon must wish it was as palatable diplomatically, but their strident propaganda, wolf warrior ways, espionage, and trade dumping and bullying have queered the pitch.

Chabahar is the alternative to not only other ports and political groups, but the stumbling Chinese ambition of the Belt and Road initiative. The UAE and Saudi ports are also eager to be included. But Iran must be drawn from its position of hostility. If Iran does not block the Straits of Hormuz, nobody else will. Tensions can be managed.

The Indian Ports Global Limited (IPGL), its overseas ports authority, will invest at least $120 million into the Chabahar Port development now. A further $250 million odd in fresh financing is also being organised, said Mehrdad Bazrpash, Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development.

It will clear the way for bigger investments to be made in the port, said Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar. He urged the US not to take a narrow view. The development of Chabahar will benefit the entire region, and the EAM felt the US appreciates this potential, and has done so even in the past. And therein lies the most important part of this breakthrough that cannot prosper without US backing.

Circumstances became favourable for the development of Chabahar without constraints after Iran agreed to a control and monitoring regime on its uranium enrichment levels to prevent a weaponisation of its nuclear programme. Iran signed a joint comprehensive plan of action (JCPOA) with the EU, the five permanent members of the UNSC, plus Germany. That Iran and India should be taking such a bilateral strategic initiative has raised eyebrows in multiple quarters, but is missing the essential link. And this 10-year bilateral agreement may be further extended by mutual consent.

Chabahar is a deep-water port in Irans Sistan-Baluchistan province, closest to India, and located on the open sea. It is 550 nautical miles from Kandla in Gujarat, and 786 nautical miles from Mumbai. The potential sea, road, and rail corridor will cover India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Europe  over some 7,200 km.

The writer is a Delhi-based political commentator. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.
At the end of Phase 3, the mood in the Congress and among its supporters, especially in the media, was quite upbeat. Though regional allies of the INDI alliance have been maintaining a studied silence, the Congress social media brigade began to anoint Rahul Gandhi as Indias next Prime Minister. Priyanka Gandhis spirited and articulate campaigning in Raebareli has further enthused the ranks. Some journalists noticed a new spring in Rahul Gandhis steps with few being ready to call the elections, claiming the tide has turned.

Some of this is gamesmanship and much of it is restricted to the digital universe. But a certain amount of spillover to the ground cannot be ruled out, as the penetration and density of social media has increased exponentially since 2014, especially post-Covid. While this may have an impact on the satta bazaar and, arguably, perhaps sometimes the stock market as well, how far the voter gets influenced by such atmospherics remains debatable.

The BJPs moves in this game of narrative building have been fascinating. It started with a clarion call of 400 paar but during the first two phases toned down its pitch and trained its guns first at the Congress manifesto, alleging its hidden agenda of shifting economic resources towards a certain community in the garb of wealth redistribution. This was followed by a more direct assault on the caste calculus of the party. But after the third phase, the BJP clearly shifted gears towards its trump-card project of the Ram Mandir with Narendra Modi making yet another trip to Ayodhya.

Critics have accused Modi of shifting goalposts in the course of the campaign. They have attributed it to the lack of any overarching issue and the absence of any discernible Modi wave as was evident during the 2014 and 2019 elections. Some have even found the prime minister to be on the back foot, betraying signs of nervousness. But Narendra Modis admirers think it is all part of his strategy, carefully calibrated for each phase of this over-extended poll schedule. This is evident not only in his speeches but also in media interactions. Starting with lengthy interviews to television channels and newspapers, he is now giving short bytes to journalists on the campaign trail emphasising positive messaging and exuding confidence.

However, all this was time pass over cutting chai (to use a Mumbai phraseology) or reading tea leaves as it were. By the time Phase 4 was over, those doomsday prophets who predicted a rout for the BJP had started hedging their bets and training guns at the Election Commission and the usual fall guy  EVMs or electronic voting machines. Some exit poll experts who were being lauded at the start of the elections for sounding notes of caution for the BJP are now being taunted for saying they dont see any change in voting patterns in 2024 compared to 2019, insinuating that they are spouting the BJP line.

Surely, there are a few covert election operators masquerading as independent analysts who are making a last-ditch effort to swing border-line voters by predicting a dismal scenario for the BJP. Not sure whether their views are being amplified by the Congress official communication apparatus, but they dont seem to be resonating with the public.

Thus the artificial heat generated in these otherwise tepid elections is yet again showing signs of cooling off. Some partners of the INDI alliance have dialled down their aggression. Mamata Banerjee has announced that in the event of the alliance forming the government  her party is going to support it from outside. This, in effect, is disassociating herself from the group. Only Akhilesh Yadav is still maintaining a high pitch. This is understandable because large parts of Uttar Pradesh  especially Purvanchal  are yet to vote and it would be premature for him to give up on posturing.

Rumours and purported leaks apart, election experts like Prashant Kishore have shown how the arithmetic is loaded in favour of the BJP. For them, it is no longer about whether the BJP is winning but by what margin. For the general public too, with the final outcome almost certain, the interest has now moved to the matches being played in the side courts, such as in Amethi and Raebareli and questions such as how many seats will the Trinamool Congress win in West Bengal or if the Samajwadi Party is going to recover lost ground in Uttar Pradesh. The fate of Sharad Pawar-led NCP and Uddhav Thackerays Shiv Sena in Maharashtra also holds some excitement.

If Modi and Shah had displayed some diffidence in the earlier phases, it would have been for the scale of victory. Anything short of an absolute and decisive majority would not suit the roadmap laid by Modi for his third term. It is not for nothing Narendra Modi would have given a call for 400 paar to begin with.

With elections in nearly 70 per cent of the seats already having been polled, and with voter turnout progressively increasing and the remaining few phases happening in areas where the BJP has a relatively stronger position, there is a visible rise in the confidence level of the BJP leaders. As a commentator quipped, Modi has got his mojo back. But the Congress is maintaining its slogan of Dakshin mein saaf, Uttar mein half claiming the BJPs downward trajectory continues.

This poses a risk of a 2019 deja-vu. A second anti-climax may be too much for Modis detractors to digest, who may already have a Plan B for delegitimising the elections alleging foul play and rigging. For this, one may have a playbook ready, borrowed from some foreign examples. One has been seeing a build-up to this in many editorials in Western media and motivated innuendos on social media. EAM S Jaishankar, not known to hold his punches, has at a recent forum accused some Western interests of trying to not only influence but interfere in Indian elections.

Curiously, a slickly produced promo released by the American Embassy has gone viral. In the video, the incumbent American Ambassador eloquently praises Indo-US relations, stating that they have never been stronger and emphasising the bright future ahead. The timing of its release could not have been a coincidence.

Samajhdaar ko ishara hi kaafi hai, as the saying goes.

The author is a current affairs commentator, marketer, blogger and leadership coach, who tweets at @SandipGhose. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi revealed that the blueprint for the first 100 days of his third term was ready and expressed his intention to extend it by an additional 25 days, with a special focus on the youth of the country.

During an interview, the prime minister expressed that the inspiration to devise a blueprint for 125 days stemmed from witnessing the enthusiasm among first-time voters and the younger generation during his election campaigns.

As part of his new plan, the Prime Minister, who has advocated for a Viksit Bharat or a developed India by 2047, disclosed his desire for the youth of the country to contribute ideas and outline their priorities.

I feel their inspiration, so I want to make a plan for 125 days. I have already made a plan for 100 days. I want to add 25 more days, PM Modi conveyed during a televised interview with news publication India Today on Thursday.

He further stated: I want the involvement of the youth and want them to share their ideas. I want to dedicate 25 days in total to the youth of my country. I will do it, I am moving ahead from 100 days.

PM Modi further told the TV broadcaster that he gathered inputs from over 20 lakh people across the country while formulating the blueprint for the governments agenda for the first 100 days.

Similarly, on Wednesday, Prime Minister Modi, while addressing an election rally in Mumbai, had announced that the blueprint for the first 100 days of his third term is prepared.

The Prime Minister stated that his 100-day plan would commence promptly after June 4 to avoid any delays in decision-making, as reported by the Economic Times.

We are moving ahead with a blueprint of work that we will do after June 4. People question my confidence over this Let me tell you, its not my confidence but the blessings that I receive from people which assure me, PM stated.

Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website
Former AAP leader Shazia Ilmi on Thursday said like Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, she too has tolerated misbehaviour when she was in the Arvind Kejriwal-led party and beating is very normal there. She claimed that even leaders like Yogendra Yadav were kicked out by bouncers and, now, the former DCW chairperson has been beaten up.

 she (Swati Maliwal) has been beaten Bibhav Kumars job profile is to obey Arvind Kejriwal. I have also tolerated the misbehaviour of that personBeating is very normal there. Prashant Kumar and Yogendra Yadav were also kicked out by bouncers. But, this time they have crossed limits Is beating up a woman by your PA appropriate? The police have done well. They have reached for her help, she told news agency ANI.

Launching an attack on the AAP, specifically on the Delhi chief minister, Ilmi said Kejriwal should apologise and resign and he has no reason to continue in this position after getting a female colleague beaten up. She said Bibhav Kumar, who Maliwal has accused of assault and misbehaviour, only follows the AAP conveners orders and no one should think that he has done this of his own accord.

Kejriwal should resign immediately. It is not right for him to maintain that chair After getting a female colleague beaten up, Kejriwal has no reason to be the CM. He should apologise and resign, and there should be immediate criminal action. No one should think that this has been done by Bibhav. All of this has been done by Arvind Kejriwal. Bibhav has done this misbehaviour on the orders of Arvind Kejriwal she said.

Hours ago, in connection with the alleged assault, Maliwal submitted a formal complaint to the Delhi Police following which an FIR was filed under IPC sections pertaining to outraging the modesty of a woman among others. Her statement was recorded by a two-member team of the Delhi Police at her residence in central Delhi.

The NCW has summoned Bibhav on Friday (May 17) to appear before it, after taking suo moto cognisance of a media post titled Ex-DCW chief Swati Maliwal accuses Arvind Kejriwals personal secretary of assaulting her. The commission also issued a notice, stressing that failure to comply could result in further actions as deemed necessary by them.

Kejriwal main criminal in this, says BJP

Earlier in the day, the BJP attacked Kejriwal after he refused to comment on the assault case during a press conference in Lucknow. He was flanked by Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh.

The CM avoided a question on the issue and it was fielded by Singh who said his party has already made its stand clear on the issue. On May 14, at a press conference in Delhi, the MP had accepted that Bibhav had misbehaved with Maliwal.

When Kejriwal was avoiding the question, Yadav took the microphone and said: There are more important things than that. He then unfolded a piece of paper and said, BJP people are not with anyone, it is a gang that lodges false cases.

Singh then took the microphone from the SP chief, and said the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should answer for atrocities against women during the partys rule. He targeted the Centre by raising the issue of a Manipuri woman being paraded naked, the Prajwal Revanna sex abuse case and Maliwal being beaten up by police during protests by wrestlers when she was the DCW chief.

I want that the BJP and PM should also answer on the issues I have kept before you. He (PM) should answer on the issue of Swati Maliwal, who was dragged and beaten when she went to seek justice for the female wrestlers. I just want to say dont play political games on the issues, he added.

Gaurav Bhatia, BJP national spokesperson, said Kejriwal is the main criminal in the complaint that his aide Bibhav had physically attacked Maliwal at the chief ministers residence, as he cited the telephone call she had made to the Delhi Police to report the matter.

His (Kejriwal) silence speaks a lot. Out of jail, he is more a goonda than a chief minister, he told reporters, noting that Kumar was seen with the chief minister in Lucknow. Stringent action should be taken against the accused in the case. He noted that Bibhav was photographed with Kejriwal during his visit to Lucknow.

The Mahlia Morcha of the Delhi BJP also extended support to Maliwal, writing a letter to her saying the incident was a matter of honour of women in the country. The letter written by its president Richa Pandey Mishra, also a former AAP leader, urged Maliwal to approach police to ensure that strict action be taken against the guilty.

Reacting to the incident, the Congress said strict action should be taken against the person who was involved in the alleged assault on Maliwal. The two parties are fighting the Lok Sabha elections under the banner of INDIA bloc in the national capital.

Congress spokesperson Ragini Nayak said the partys stand in the matter has been absolutely clear. If any crime takes place against a woman, whoever is involved in the crime, whether he belongs to any political party or not, strictest action should be taken against him. (AAP MP) Sanjay Singh also said the same thing and the Congress also said the same, Nayak said.

(With PTI inputs)

Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website
Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwals family has finally broken its silence amid allegations by her that she was assaulted by a close aide of Arvind Kejriwal at the Delhi chief ministers residence. While the former DCW chairperson has not been seen or heard from after she visited a police station over the incident on May 13, her mother said she is not in a condition to talk to anyone at the moment.

After a team of the Delhi Police was at her residence for more than four hours, Swati Maliwal has lodged a formal police complaint in the matter. She has accused Bibhav Kumar, Kejriwals personal staff member, of misbehaving with and assaulting her. Earlier in the day, Bibhav was summoned by the National Commission for Women (NCW) over the allegations, and will be appearing before it on Friday (May 17) at 11 am.

According to a report published on Republic TV, when Swatis mother Sangita Maliwal was asked if her daughter and the family were being threatened, she said the MP will only speak when the time is right. Sangita expressed concern over her daughters condition and told the news channel: We are not in a state to talk Its her fight, and only she will speak when the time is right. I am thankful to the media for supporting us in our tough times.

The BJP, meanwhile, hit out at Kejriwal for evading media questions in the matter, and alleged he is behaving more like a goon. The AAP convener was addressing a press conference earlier in the day at Lucknow with Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav where he was asked about the incident.

Kejriwal avoided the question and it was fielded by AAP MP Sanjay Singh, who was also there. Singh said his party has already made its stand clear on the issue.

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva assailed the CM for skipping media queries, and demanded he resign immediately, taking responsibility for the incident. BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia claimed Kejriwal is the main criminal in the incident. He also referred to a telephone call Maliwal had made to the Delhi Police to report the matter on the day of the incident.

His (Kejriwals) silence speaks a lot. Out of jail, he is more a goonda than a chief minister, Bhatia told reporters.

Bibhav Kumar, Bhatia noted, was photographed with Kejriwal during his visit to Lucknow. At the press conference, Sanjay Singh also cited incidents of crimes against women in Manipur, women wrestlers complaint against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and the Prajwal Revanna case to hit back at the BJP. The AAP has made its stand clear in the Maliwal case and no one should play politics over it, he said.

Bhatia noted that Singh had acknowledged that a condemnable incident had occurred against Maliwal, saying Kejriwal was expected to act in a case involving a party colleague. Instead, the accused is travelling with him like a twin brother, he said.

This shows Kejriwal has no commitment to justice for women, while the BJP is fighting for justice for an opposition leader, he said, accusing him of cowardice.

He demanded the AAP leader should break his silence, or if he is a coward, he should resign, Bhatia said. Saying the woman Rajya Sabha MP has been incommunicado since the incident, the BJP leader asked if she has been kidnapped or forcibly kept away from the public eye.

(With PTI inputs)

Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website
Aam Aadmi Party (MP) Swati Maliwal has been in the spotlight following her alleged assault by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals close aide Bibhav Kumar earlier this week.

On May 13, Delhi Polices PCR received a call from Maliwal who alleged that Kejriwals personal staff attacked her, sources told CNN-News18. The police said the first call came around 9.34 am following which the AAP leader came to the police station.

Days later, Bibhav was spotted with Kejriwal and AAP MP Sanjay Singh in Lucknow. Singh commented on the incident, saying that the AAP is our family and the issue should not be politicised.

Meanwhile on Thursday, a Delhi Police team reached Maliwals house to seek details of the incident.

While the BJP continues to launch attacks on Kejriwal and the AAP, Maliwal has so far remained maintained silence on the issue. The former Delhi Womens Commission (DCW) chief is neither seen in public since the incident amid the high stakes Lok Sabha elections nor she attended any meetings with AAP leaders.

Who is Swati Maliwal?

Maliwal, the 40-year-old, is the first woman MP of the AAP who took the oath earlier this year. An IT graduate from the JSS Academy of Technical Education, Maliwal plunged into activism when she joined Kejriwal-led NGO Parivartan, which was then working in the slums of Delhi and trying to ensure that the benefits of welfare schemes actually reach people.

Kejriwal would go on to win the prestigious Magasasay Award and as his work expanded, Maliwal stuck to the work in the NGO. It is here that she met Manish Sisodia who had quit his TV career to become an activist and who would later go on to become the deputy chief minister of Delhi.

A crucial turning point in Maliwals life was when the Anna Hazare campaign split into two, with one side opting for politics while the other preferring the form of activism.

Part of the core team of the Anna Hazare movement, and more of a peoples movement person, the idealistic Maliwal was disappointed the day Kejriwal announced at Jantar Mantar that a political party would be formed. And though she remained a part of Kejriwals core group because of her long association, she took her time before plunging into politics. While many of her contemporaries were offered tickets or given charge of handling crucial responsibilities, when AAP contested elections for the first time in 2013, Maliwal was not one of them.

Maliwal was once referred as She is the lady Singham of Delhi by Kejriwal as she stormed the albeit toothless body Delhi Womens Commission, using every power at her disposal to address the hydra-headed issues that women face on a day-to-day basis.

When Maliwal was appointed as chairperson of the Delhi Womens Commission, she was barely 31 years old. However, her young age proved to be her greatest asset, as she infused youthful energy and hope into the role. During her two terms in DCW, she handled more than 1,70,000 complaints and galvanised the office like never before.

In her capacity as DCW chairperson, Maliwal sat on a 10-day fast in 2018, demanding death penalty for rape convicts. Following another brutal rape in the Capital, she went on another 13-day fast, demanding greater accountability from the system.

Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website
Google smart glasses came out more than 10 years ago and most people were excited about the gadget. However, glasses didnt really do much, because, as most reviews pointed out, it did not have a killer app. Well, fast-forward to 2024, and Google might have the perfect weapon to make these glasses become a hit now and that is AI.

If you saw Googles keynote address of the Project Astra earlier this week, you would have noticed the demo showing the AI assistant working through glasses that are powered by its AI tech.

Thats exactly what Google needed back in 2014 with the first-gen glasses but could this be the renaissance of the smart glasses for Google? Sergey Brin, Google Co-founder, was spotted at the I/O where he candidly spoke to the media there about AI and the possible reawakening of the Google Glass.

Sergey talked about how 2014 was a bit too early for the Google Glass, and how AI makes it the ideal wearable for millions going into the future. The Google chief also mentioned that AI is the perfect hardware for the glasses, referring to the applications that the technology offers for the smart wearable.

Sergey has always been clear about where he sees the glasses market, it is just that Google saw this futuristic vision a bit too early, which he admits. But if the demand for the Meta Ray Ban glasses is anything to go by, it is time for Google to reconsider its plans in the segment and give glasses another shot, albeit in a more consumer-ready fashion, rather than cater to the premium tech nerds which is a niche segment.

The Meta glasses come for around $300 which is probably the ideal range for Google to bring its next-gen glasses and Gemini AI could have a big say in its prospects, at least going by the demos that showed its potential. The fact that Google even showed Project Astra work on the glasses suggests a new product is imminent.
Google cloud helps millions save and store their important data and files behind an encrypted platform. So, when the cloud service makes a big mistake, billions worth of pension funds go missing that affect millions of people.

Thats exactly what happened with the members of the UniSuper which is an Australia-based pension fund. News reports pointed out about the issue which made the accounts inaccessible for over half a million members for a week, which meant these people were unable to track their pension funds, and in some cases, the amount reflecting in their accounts were lower than actual figure.

Google Cloud Mishap: Fund Money Goes Missing

The pension fund entity has reached out to its members and assured them of their accounts coming back online this week, and they are working on a quick fix with an update for the issue, as pointed out by Peter Chun, CEO, UniSuper in his email to the half a million members.

But issues like these caused by Cloud disruption is a major concern for many, who now rely on the technology to keep their data secure. Losing their hard-earned pension money was always going to cause concerns, and when these big tech companies like Google face technical issues that lead to such outages, people are right to feel aggrieved.

Things were so heated that both UniSuper and Google chiefs reached out to these members to assure them of a solution and what caused the outage in the first place. Heres what the statement from both these entities said:

Google Cloud CEO, Thomas Kurian has confirmed that the disruption arose from an unprecedented sequence of events whereby an inadvertent misconfiguration during provisioning of UniSupers Private Cloud services ultimately resulted in the deletion of UniSupers Private Cloud subscription.

This is an isolated, one-of-a-kind occurrence that has never before occurred with any of Google Clouds clients globally. This should not have happened. Google Cloud has identified the events that led to this disruption and taken measures to ensure this does not happen again.

The one good news coming out of this situation is that UniSuper had the right mind to keep the data backed up with other service providers, which seems to have kept the losses to a minimum. UniSuper had backups in place with an additional service provider. These backups have minimised data loss, and significantly improved the ability of UniSuper and Google Cloud to complete the restoration, the statement highlighted.
A five-year-old girl named Aurora Masters tragically passed away in Fort Collins, Colorado, while playing in her backyard last week. According to authorities, Aurora sustained fatal injuries after getting entangled in the swing set, as reported by USA Today. According to the media outlet, the Fort Collins Police Department said that officers arrived on the scene and provided medical attention to the child until Emergency Medical Services (EMS) arrived on the scene. Despite their efforts and treatment at a local hospital, the child succumbed to her injuries on May 11.

During a conversation with USA Today, the Fort Collins Police Department said that they are not investigating the matter further because, after a thorough review, there was no probable cause of any criminal behaviour and they have ruled the childs death a tragic accident. In the wake of this heartbreaking loss, Brenda Kennedy, Auroras grandaunt who created a GoFundMe account after the girl was admitted to the hospital, told KDVR, She pulled her little plastic slide over to where her swing was and somehow got caught up in the swing, and unfortunately, the swing strangled her.

The media outlet further mentioned that GoFundMe states that the family will use the funds raised to go towards funeral and memorial service costs. However, the remaining funds will be donated to charities that honour Auroras bright spirit and reflect her short but beautiful life. As of now, the GoFundMe account dedicated to the little one has raised $25,000 of its $30,000 goal.

Kennedy wrote, We have also started to discuss and organise our thoughts for a memorial service and celebration of life. The celebration will be for Aurora and her friends to dance, sing, and live their best lives! Once that is done, extra funds will be donated to organizations that help Auroras memory continue.

According to KDVR, nineteen family members from Nebraska and Wyoming travelled to Colorado after knowing about Masters death.

Brenda Kennedy keeps on giving updates on her grandnieces condition on the GoFundMe account, along with asking the public for prayers. In her most recent note, the aunt called her 5-year-old a ray of sunshine and wrote, Our family continues to feel your love and support as we move into the next phase. Our sweet Aurora Rae (Ray of sunshine as many of you have told us) is continuing evaluations to maximise her ability to donate her organs and tissues.

Thank you for all your love expressions for our family. You are sustaining our hearts! Kennedy added.
Why is it so challenging for restaurants to maintain trust and integrity in their operations nowadays? This is precisely what the Zomato customer must have felt when he discovered a small piece of chicken in the paneer biryani he had ordered online. Expressing his frustration to X, Pankaj Shukla criticised both the food delivery app and the restaurant for disregarding his religious beliefs.

He posted a video showing the chicken piece removed from his rice and shared a close-up picture for evidence. Although he mentioned receiving a refund after lodging a complaint about the incident at Punes P K Biryani House, Shukla emphasised how it offended his religious sentiments as a pure vegetarian.

Also Read: Zomato Customer Receives Non-Veg Momos During Navratri; Company Apologises For Big Mix-Up

Ordered paneer biryani from pk biryani house karve nagar pune maharashtra and I found a chicken piece in it(I am a vegetarian) I already got refund but this is still a sin since I am a religious person and it has hurt my religious sentiment, he wrote.

ordered paneer biryani from pk biryani house karve nagar pune maharashtra and I found a chicken piece in it(I am a vegetarian) I already got refund but this os still a sin since I am a religious person and it has hurt my religious sentiments.#pkbiryani #zomato pic.twitter.com/nr0IBZl5ah Pankaj shukla (@Pankajshuklaji2) May 13, 2024

The post quickly went viral, prompting responses from the public. Buy only from pure veg ones. Never buy anything from veg-nonveg combined eatery. Simple as that! one comment read. Another echoed, Please never ever order from from non veg restaurant again if ur religious. Meanwhile, a third offered a different perspective, stating, Mistake do happen in very busy and hot pressure kitchen. Only the kitchen cooks knows how much pressure is on them to give food in time. If you are so religious you shouldnt have ordered from non veg restaurant.

A fourth commenter added, People who are giving gyaan to order from non veg restaurant, That pk biriyani is serving veg food as well correct? If so, any people who is not even religious can choose to order a veg dish but if he or she is taking a bite of chicken then its crime.

Also Read: Man Gets Chicken in Paneer Biryani Ordered From Zomato in Varanasi, Restaurant Reacts to Viral Tweet

Even Zomato responded to the viral post, saying, Hi Pankaj, our highest priority is ensuring we never compromise with anyones sentiments. Please share your order ID or registered phone number via DM so that we can get this checked.
Online scams have become common, with many people falling prey to cyber fraudsters tempting schemes. The most recent victim is a pregnant woman from Airoli, Navi Mumbai, who became involved in an internet fraud and lost a whopping Rs 54 lakh.

According to PTI, the 37-year-old woman, who was on maternity leave, was seeking methods to make additional money online. During her quest, she came across some people online who made an enticing promise of freelancing employment that required evaluating businesses and restaurants. Reports state that they promised her a large sum of money if she completed only five basic tasks.

The woman appeared to be persuaded by the offer and later began work. During her online work, the scammers offered her instructions and supplied links to rate the hotels, finally convincing her to commit money in the hope of receiving huge returns.

As the woman became more involved in the scheme, she made payments totaling Rs 54,30,000 across multiple accounts. These payments, which were reportedly intended to secure the promised duties, were made between May 7 and May 10, this year.

But when the woman tried to collect her promised payment after finishing the tasks assigned to her, the fraudsters stopped responding to her calls and stopped being responsive. Upon realising she had been defaulted, the victim went to the Navi Mumbai cyber police, who filed a case against four unidentified people on allegations of cheating.

Furthermore, a police official told PTI that the cyber police on May 11 filed a formal complaint under sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating), and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Information Technology Act, based on the pregnant womans complaint.

This is not the first instance of an online scam in which fraudsters lure people with work-from-home jobs. Indeed, there has been an uptick in incidents where people have lost money following a similar pattern.
Parents of students at Brakenhale School in UKs Berkshire are voicing concerns over what they describe as overly strict rules, likening the school environment to that of a prison or military camp. The concern surrounds a series of new regulations implemented under the leadership of the schools new headteacher, Camilla Douglas, who assumed the role in February.

As per a report by Metro, one of the most contentious rules cited by parents is a ban on speaking in the corridors, which they believe is excessive and suppressive. Additionally, parents claim that students are given just three seconds to make eye contact with teachers speaking to them, or they receive a warning. This, along with other perceived strict measures, has led to mounting discontent among the school community, the report added.

According to concerned parents, the situation escalated when 30 students were reportedly suspended in the first week of the new headteachers tenure. They also alleged that students were being reprimanded for minor infractions such as having a fake cough, short hair or false eyelashes. As a result, some parents claim that 40 children have transferred out of Brakenhale School to a nearby secondary school within a week.

Former English teacher Paul Wells has also criticised the schools management, describing their approach as authoritarian, reported The Mirror. The news outlet added that he previously likened the school to an army barracks or a military school in September last year.

Keith Ellis and Kelly Ellis, parents of two students at Brakenhale School, expressed their frustration with the situation to Metro. They described instances where their sons faced disciplinary action, including one incident where their youngest son was put into isolation after being punched in the face by another student. Their other son, Frankie, was allegedly isolated for having a short haircut and for coughing, which the teacher deemed as fake.

Kelly Ellis, a hairdresser, criticised the schools policy, calling it very military and indicating that students feel silenced throughout the day. She also mentioned an incident where a student was sent home for wearing false eyelashes by a teacher who was reportedly wearing them as well, the report further said.

In response to the allegations, the headteacher told the publication that the school does not comment through the press on matters regarding students and encouraged concerned parties to contact the school directly. Grainne Siggins, executive director for people at Bracknell Forest Council, emphasised that Brakenhale School is an academy in the Greenshaw Learning Trust, and any complaints should be made directly to the school.
Isnt it a dream to become filthy rich without putting in any hard work? Many of us have been guilty of wishing for free money, which can only be possible if someone wins a lottery. But what would you do if you suddenly find about Rs 6 crore credited to your account? Well, for one African student, it was a completely different story, as she decided to splurge, which led to her arrest.

Sibongile Mani was a student at Walter Sisulu University (WSU) in South Africa. At that time, she was 32 and used to depend on benefits to pay for her school fees and generally received around $100 (approx Rs 8,300) each month to spend on food. But one fine morning, she found out that the government aid scheme accidentally deposited 14 million Rand ($768363.26 or approximately Rs 6 crore) in her account. Despite the goof-up, Sibongile Mani decided to keep the money and indulge in splurging.

She ended up spending the money on designer clothes, and the latest iPhone and bought expensive liquor bottles. She spent about $40,000 (Rs 33.3 lakh) of the money that was accidentally deposited. She had also been throwing lavish parties and showering her friends with gifts. Sibongile Mani was finally caught through a bank receipt that she had mistakenly left behind at the supermarket. She was reported to police, got arrested and was charged with theft and fraud.

While she was arrested in 2017, in 2022, she was sentenced to five years in prison. However, her lawyer, Asanda Pakade, appealed that Sibongile Mani was not a danger to society and did not seek out the money that was mistakenly deposited in her account. Sibongile Mani alleged that she thought the money was a miracle and a Gift from God, hence she did not think twice before spending.

Finally, in 2023, two judges agreed to suspend her five-year sentence on the condition that she committed no theft or fraud of any kind. She was still ordered to complete 14 weeks of community service and undergo counselling but was not ordered to pay the money back.
When it comes to the worlds most romantic cities, Paris always takes the lead. With iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and many other unique attractions, it attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. However, theres another side to Paris that often goes unnoticed- the underground catacombs. Recently, a viral video captured individuals exploring the tunnels beneath the city, revealing a network of mazes and shocking sights, including thousands of human skeletons.

A video was posted a few days ago on the Instagram account @adv.joel, showing people exploring beneath the streets of Paris (Catacombs in Paris with human bones video). They discover a network of tunnels and encounter some strange things. The most alarming discovery is the thousands of human skeletons lying there.

The caption of the post reads, Its hard to believe the catacombs are underneath such a beautiful city like Paris, and its even crazier a lot of people dont even know this is below them!

The viral video has amassed nearly 1 million views, and several users have shared their thoughts in the comments section One user suggested that the skeletons belong to victims of the plague. Another pointed out that tickets for the catacombs are available online, contradicting the videos claim that visiting is illegal. A third commenter highlighted that the catacombs are a major tourist attraction in Paris, drawing many visitors.

Underneath Paris, theres a series of tunnels called the catacombs, where dead bodies were laid to rest. These tunnels were built in the 18th century, as mentioned on the official website catacombes.paris.fr. Back then, diseases like the plague were rampant, and burying bodies above ground posed health risks. So, the decision was made to bury them underground. Nowadays, the catacombs are a popular historical attraction, visited by tourists who must buy tickets to explore them.

A long time ago, there was a place made to solve a big problem fast. But people found it fascinating. In the early 1800s, lots of folks came to see it. They even had concerts and parties there. Later, in 1874, it got fixed up and opened again. Now, if you want some excitement and to learn about the scary history of the city, you should check out the catacombs.
Losing your loved one can be the worst pain anyone has to experience in their life; it is something that no one has control over. The unfortunate family of a 3-year-old had to experience that pain twice.

The little girl named Camila Roxana Martinez Mendoza was declared dead by the doctors after being diagnosed with a stomach infection. However, according to the shocking reports, the girl woke up at her funeral after being dead for twelve hours, passing away later.

The incident, which took place a few years ago, was reported from the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi, at the Salinas de Hildalgo Community Hospital. According to Mary Jane Mendoza, the mother of the deceased, her daughter was consistently vomiting while experiencing stomach aches and fever. She took Camila to a local pediatrician in their hometown of Villa de Ramos, who referred her to a community hospital. There, she underwent treatment for dehydration and was given paracetamol. No improvements were observed in her state, so the parents took her to another doctor. They advised the mother to feed her fruits and water and changed her medication.

Her condition worsened further and her parents took her to the same hospital, more reports stated. Talking to the media, Mary Jane said, They wanted to give her (intravenous therapy). They took a long time to put oxygen on her. She continued, They didnt put it on her because they couldnt find her little veins; finally, a nurse-managed it. After a few minutes they removed her IV and took her away to rest. The toddler was later declared dead, the cause being dehydration, according to the doctors.

During the funeral the next day, Mary noticed the coffin to be foggy but was told by others that she must be hallucinating. However, when the childs grandmother saw her eyes moving, the family checked her pulse and found that she was still alive. They rushed to the hospital where she was unfortunately declared dead for a second time.
Slovakias Prime Minister, Robert Fico, who was shot multiple times and gravely wounded on Wednesday, is now believed to be out of danger. Fico, 59, the prime minister of the small landlocked country in Europe had been greeting supporters at an event when the attempted assassination took place, shocking the continent weeks before an election.

Five shots were fired outside a cultural center in the town of Handlova, nearly 140 kilometers northeast of the capital. Fico was shot while attending a meeting of his government in the town of 16,000 that was once a center of coal mining. The gunman shot Fico five times, initially leaving him in critical condition and undergoing surgery hours later. One bullet reportedly went through Ficos stomach and a second hit a joint.

Caught On Cam

UPDATE: Slovakias Prime Minister in CRITICAL CONDITION after being shot multiple times..WHO ORDERED IT? pic.twitter.com/dxhGQTkNLP https://t.co/5ieJRzXiNR  Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) May 15, 2024

Who Is The Suspected Shooter of Fico?

A suspect detained for shooting Slovakias PM is a 71-year-old writer from the centre of the European nation, the interior minister said Wednesday. I think I can confirm this, yes, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok told reporters when asked about reports identifying the man detained at the scene of the shooting in the town of Handlova.

A grey-haired suspect was seen being handcuffed on the ground just after Fico was shot several times after a government meeting in Handlova. Media reports said the suspect was a founder of the DUHA (Rainbow) Literary Club and was from the town of Levice.

The reports, which also named him, said he has written three poetry collections and is a member of the official Association of Slovak Writers. The association confirmed on Facebook that the man had been a member since 2015, adding that if his identity as the suspected shooter was confirmed the membership of this despicable person will be immediately cancelled.

Slovakias Prime Minister Robert Fico remains in critical condition following an assassination attempt Wednesday morning. Security officials reported that he was shot five times at close range. pic.twitter.com/qtb8B75T6i CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) May 15, 2024

Why it happened?

Officials said late Wednesday that Fico was no longer in a life-threatening condition. I was very shocked  fortunately as far as I know the operation went well  and I guess in the end he will survive  hes not in a life-threatening situation at this moment, Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Environment Minister Tomas Taraba told the BBCs Newshour.

The suspects son told Slovak news site aktuality.sk that he had absolutely no idea what father was thinking, what he was planning, why it happened. He said his father was a legally registered gun owner. When asked if he felt any hatred toward Fico, the son said: Ill tell you this: he didnt vote for him. Thats all I can say about it.

Vlasta Kollarova, head of a local library in the mans hometown told Dennik N daily: He was rebellious when he was young, but not aggressive. Several political statements by the man could be found on social media. The world is full of violence and weapons. People seem to be going crazy, he said in a video eight years ago posted online.

In the video, he also spoke about concern over immigration and hatred and extremism and said European governments have no alternative to this chaos. He also said in the video that he had founded a Movement Against Violence in Levice. The movement, which also has its Facebook page, defines itself as an emerging political party whose goal is to prevent the spread of violence in society. To prevent war in Europe and the spread of hatred.

(With agency inputs)
Seven weeks after the deadly Baltimore disaster killed six people and destroyed a key US river crossing, all crew members of the ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the state of Maryland are still stuck on board the vessel, cut off from the rest of the world.

The 2.6-km-long four-lane bridge over the Patapsco River came crashing down on March 26 after the 984-foot ship Dali collided with it. The crew on board the Dali included 20 Indians and one Sri Lankan. The crew has been on the ship since the accident and has been cooperating with the probe.

The FBI had confiscated the phones of crew members including during the investigation into the crash. The crew have since been supplied with new phones which they are able to use to stay in contact with their families, Darrell Wilson, a spokesperson for Synergy Marine Group, which manages the Dali ship, told a UK media outlet.

This report comes as US crews in Baltimore set off controlled explosions on Monday to allow them to remove a portion of the bridge from the bow of the Dali. This will allow salvage crews to haul away the twisted metal wreckage using cranes and barges, the US Army Corps of Engineers said. Meanwhile, the US Coast Guard is said to be evaluating whether other bridges nationwide.

Coast Guard Vice Admiral Peter Gautier said at a US House hearing on Wednesday that the size and complexity of ships has grown over the years, placing greater demands on our marine transportation infrastructure that may not have kept pace with the increased risks that these vessels pose. Gautier is convening a nationwide board of inquiry that will assess current risk management tools and propose actions to reduce the risks of major incidents.

Last month, the FBI opened a criminal investigation into the Baltimore bridge collapse incident that killed six construction crew workers, who were repairing potholes on the bridge when the collision occurred. Maryland estimates it will cost $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion to rebuild the bridge and anticipates completion by fall 2028.

According to congressional testimony Wednesday, the electrical blackouts experienced by the container ship Dali before it left Baltimores port were mechanically distinct from those that resulted in the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott bridge hours later. Two were related to routine maintenance in port. Two were unexpected tripping of circuit breakers on the accident voyage, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy testified.

The Dali was headed to Sri Lanka, laden with shipping containers and enough supplies for a monthlong voyage. Shortly after leaving the Port of Baltimore early on March 26, the ship lost power and propulsion and crashed into one of the bridges supporting columns, killing six construction workers. Homendys remarks came the day after the safety board released its preliminary report into the bridge collapse. The full investigation could take a year.

(With agency inputs)
A 10-year-old boy in the US state of Indiana killed himself after being subjected to horrific bullying at school, according to his family, who said they raised the alarm at least 20 times in the last year.

Sammy Teusch, a fourth-grader at middle school in the Midwestern state, was bullied right up until the night he died by suicide on May 5, according to his parents Sam and Nichole. I held him in my arms, his dad, Sam Teusch, was quoted as saying by The New York Post. I did the thing no father should ever have to do, and any time I close my eyes, its all I can see.

NEW: 10-year-old boy takes his own life after getting constantly bullied at school for his glasses and teeth.Heartbreaking. Sammy Teusch of Greenfield, Indiana was bullied up until the night he took his own life according to his family. The parents say they contacted the pic.twitter.com/MTci1UPWxM  Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 15, 2024

Sammys parents said they complained to the school nearly 20 times about the bullying that started last year when he was in elementary school. They were making fun of him for his glasses in the beginning, then on to make fun of his teeth. It went on for a long time, his dad said. He was beat up on the school bus, and the kids broke his glasses and everything, he said. I called the school, and Im like, What are you doing about this? It keeps getting worse, and worse, and worse, the dad claimed.

Despite claims of relentless bullying, the school districts superintendent denied any such reports had ever been submitted. However, the district authorities did acknowledge that the schools administrators and counselor had regular talks with the family throughout the year. Sammys family asserted that their fears had been made clear. They knew this was going on. They knew this was going on, the dad said.

Sammys grandma was livid at the district claiming it has a zero-tolerance policy on bullying. That they cant just say they have zero tolerance because that doesnt mean there is zero tolerance about bullies, their zero tolerance means that they dont have responsibility for it, Cynthia Teusch told a local state outlet.

People trust their kids to the school, but now that trust is breaking down. The boys mom claimed her son took her life because of the constant bullying. According to the mom, the boy mentioned an unspecified incident in a bathroom last week which left him too afraid to go to school. He was my little boy. He was my baby. He was the youngest one, she was quoted as saying by The Post.
A Pakistani lawmaker on Wednesday drew a scathing contrast between the education systems of Pakistan and India during a speech at the countrys parliament, a video of which went viral on the internet.

The condition in Karachi is today such that, while the world is going to the moon, our children are dying by falling into a gutter in Karachi, said Syed Mustafa Kamal during a National Assembly address while drawing a comparison between the two countries. He said, 30 years ago, our neighbouring India taught its children what is now in demand around the world. Today, Indians are CEOs of the top 25 companies.

#BREAKING: Pakistani MP Mustafa Kamal says 2 crore 62 lakh Children in Pakistan not going to school. Pak Universities are industries for producing jobless youth. #Indians are CEOs of 25 top Global Companies thanks to Indias education system. Global investment comes to India. pic.twitter.com/E6rGoRCGNk Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) May 15, 2024

India is Booming

Today, if India is booming, it is because they taught what was needed to be taught. Our IT exports are 7 Arab dollars, while Indias IT exports are 270 Arab dollars, the MQM-P leader said in a video which is now making rounds on social media. During his speech, the Pakistani MP also highlighted the dire state of illiteracy in schools, saying there are over two crore children who are not able to attend school. If we just focus on this (lack of education), the leaders of the country shouldnt get any sleep, the Pakistani MP added.

After the Pak lawmakers video went viral on X there was a lot of chatter on Indian social media about the comparison made by the MQM-P. Pakistan should start comparing itself with Afghanistan or Bangladesh, that will hopefully be a feel-good factor for its sulking politicians. No point in comparing apples to oranges. #India is now in another orbit, said one of the users on the microblogging website X.

What is blocking Pakistans development is their religion. Once they become secular, they can progress, wrote another. Yet another said, If enough people in Pakistan want it, change is possible. If and ONLY if. Can they get rid of the Armys supremacy mixed with lawless terror organizations? Its going to need generational change and aspirations. Right now its turning into Afghanistan. Think Pakistan shouldnt matter anymore. Whether its praise or criticismthat beggar nation must cease to exist in our discoursesocial media or otherwise.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was publicly challenged about post-war plans for the Gaza Strip on Wednesday by his own defence chief, who vowed to oppose any long-term military rule by Israel over the ravaged Palestinian enclave.

The televised statement by Defence Minister Yoav Gallant marked the most vocal dissent from within Israels top echelon against Netanyahu during a seven-month-old and multi-front conflict that has set off political fissures at home and abroad. Netanyahu hinted, in a riposte which did not explicitly name Gallant, that the retired admiral was making excuses for not yet having destroyed Hamas in a conflict now in its eight month.

But the veteran conservative premier soon appeared to be outflanked within his own war cabinet: Centrist ex-general Benny Gantz, the only voting member of the forum other than Netanyahu and Gallant, said the defence minister had spoke(n) the truth. While reiterating the Netanyahu governments goals of defeating Hamas and recovering remaining hostages from the Oct. 7 cross-border rampage by the Islamist faction, Gallant said these must be complemented by laying the groundwork for alternative Palestinian rule.

We must dismantle Hamas governing capabilities in Gaza. The key to this goal is military action, and the establishment of a governing alternative in Gaza, Gallant said. In the absence of such an alternative, only two negative options remain: Hamas rule in Gaza or Israeli military rule in Gaza, he added, saying he would oppose the latter scenario and urging Netanyahu to formally forswear it.

Gallant said that, since October, he had tried to promote a plan to set up a non-hostile Palestinian governing alternative to Hamas  but got no response from the Israeli cabinet. The format of his broadside, a pre-announced news conference carried live by Israeli TV and radio, recalled Gallants bombshell warning in March 2023 that foment over a judicial overhaul pursued by Netanyahu was threatening military cohesion.

At the time, Netanyahu announced that Gallant would be fired  but backed down amid a deluge of street demonstrations. Some defence analysts believe Gallants prediction was borne out by Hamas ability to blindside Israeli forces a few months later. Asked on Wednesday whether he was worried he may again face being ousted, Gallant said: Im not blaming anyone. In a democratic country, I believe, its appropriate for a person, especially the defence minister who holds a position, to make it public.

Gallants Gaza criticism recalled that of Israels chief ally, the United States, which has sought to parlay the war into a role for the internationally backed Palestinian Authority (PA), which wields limited governance in the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu has refused this, describing the PA as a hostile entity  and repeated this position in a video statement he issued on social media within an hour of Gallants remarks.

Any move to create an alternative Gaza government requires that Hamas first be eliminated, Netanyahu said, finishing with the demand that this objective be pursued without excuses. Netanyahus ruling coalition includes ultra-nationalist partners who want the PA dismantled and new Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip. Those partners have at times sparred with Gallant, a member of Netanyahus Likud party, over policy.

Netanyahu has said Israel would retain overall security control over Gaza after the war for the foreseeable future. He has stopped short of describing this scenario as an occupation  a status Washington does not want to see emerge  and has signalled opposition to Israelis settling the territory.

Over the last week, Israeli ground forces have returned to some areas of northern Gaza that they overran and quit in the first half of the war. Israel describes the new missions as planned crackdowns on efforts by Hamas holdouts to regroup, while Palestinians see evidence of the tenacity of the gunmen.

Briefing reporters on Tuesday, chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari was asked whether the absence of a post-Hamas strategy for Gaza was complicating operations. There is no doubt that an alternative to Hamas would generate pressure on Hamas, but thats a question for the government echelon, he responded.

(With agency inputs)
Israels military on Thursday said five soldiers had been killed in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, more than seven months into its war against Hamas militants. The latest fatalities take the number of Israeli troops killed in the Gaza military campaign since the start of the ground offensive on October 27 to 278.

Attached is a statement from the IDF spokesperson regarding the names of five IDF martyrs whose families were notified. In the incident in which the late Capt. Roi Beit Yaakov, the late Sgt. Gilad Aryeh Boim, the late Sgt. Bezalel Shashua, the late Sgt. Daniel Hamo and the late Sgt. Ilan Cohen fell, three soldiers from the 202 Battalion were seriously injured, the IDF spokesperson said in a statement.

Fighting has raged in recent days in northern Gaza, with an Israeli army spokesman saying there were attempts by Hamas to rebuild its military capabilities months after Israel had declared the Palestinian armed groups command structure in the area dismantled. Fierce battles and heavy Israeli bombardments have been reported in north Gazas Jabalia refugee camp and the central Nuseirat camp since the army launched a targeted operation focusing on the southern city of Rafah in early May.

The news of friendly fire came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was publicly challenged about post-war plans for the Gaza Strip on Wednesday by his own defence chief, who vowed to oppose any long-term military rule by Israel over the ravaged Palestinian enclave. The televised statement by Defence Minister Yoav Gallant marked the most vocal dissent from within Israels top echelon against Netanyahu during a seven-month-old and multi-front conflict that has set off political fissures at home and abroad.

Netanyahu hinted, in a riposte which did not explicitly name Gallant, that the retired admiral was making excuses for not yet having destroyed Hamas in a conflict now in its eight month. But the veteran conservative premier soon appeared to be outflanked within his own war cabinet: Centrist ex-general Benny Gantz, the only voting member of the forum other than Netanyahu and Gallant, said the defence minister had spoke(n) the truth.

While reiterating the Netanyahu governments goals of defeating Hamas and recovering remaining hostages from the Oct. 7 cross-border rampage by the Islamist faction, Gallant said these must be complemented by laying the groundwork for alternative Palestinian rule. We must dismantle Hamas governing capabilities in Gaza. The key to this goal is military action, and the establishment of a governing alternative in Gaza, Gallant said.

In the absence of such an alternative, only two negative options remain: Hamas rule in Gaza or Israeli military rule in Gaza, he added, saying he would oppose the latter scenario and urging Netanyahu to formally forswear it. Gallant said that, since October, he had tried to promote a plan to set up a non-hostile Palestinian governing alternative to Hamas  but got no response from the Israeli cabinet.

(With agency inputs)
The number of Indian Americans in elected offices is not reflective of their growing population, US Vice President Kamala Harris said on Wednesday, urging the members of the minority ethnic community to run for elected offices increasingly.

Harris, who is of both Indian and African heritage, was speaking at Desis Decide  the annual summit of Indian American Impact, a democratic party think tank, that supports and funds Indian Americans running for elected offices across the country.

Over the years, weve had so much more participation by Indian Americans in the electoral process running for office. But the numbers are still not reflective of the size of the growing population, Harris, the first-ever Indian American, African American, and a woman to be elected as the vice president of the US told a packed room of Indian Americans in the national capital.

Currently, there are five elected Indian American members of the Congress  Dr Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, and Shri Thanedar. Impact believed that in 2024, the Indian American strength in the Congress will increase to 10 members.

In a tightly contested presidential race, Impact said Indian American voters  the second largest immigrant community and fastest growing in many states  could be the decisive margin of victory in key races across the country.

The work being done by Impact, Harris said in her opening remarks, is extraordinary as she applauded the role of the think tank and its members in electing not only members of the community but also in electing Senators in states like Georgia.

It really is extraordinary. I wanted to stop by to thank of course the organisation for everything and for all that it represents, but also to say especially to those who have run for office or aspire to run for office, that you must run, Harris said.

You must know that you are not alone. There is so much that we still have to do as a country and a lot of the work that we each do, which is why we are here together, is born out of a belief in the promise of America. And dare I say that, I am empirical evidence of the promise of America, said the vice president.

This election coming up in six months, I think is presenting a question to each of us. Which is, what kind of world do we want to live in and what kind of country do we want to live in? And one of the ways that we answer that question is to seek office and to participate in elections knowing that the outcome of those elections matter in fundamental ways, Harris said as she asked the members of the audience to raise their hands if they were running for office or planning to do so.

What will happen, invariably its happened to all of us, is you are going to find yourself invariably in rooms where you are the only one who looks like you, the only one who has had your life experience. What I then say to you each, look around this room and hold onto this image. And remember then when you walk into those rooms, when you walk into those situations, you remember, you are not alone. We are all there with you. You must remember that, she said.

Speaking on the occasion, Impact co-founder and treasurer Deepak Raj said Harris was instrumental in its formation eight years ago. She has been an incredible guiding force for this organisation over the duration. She came to the first summit in 2018 and here she is again, Raj said. Raj said Harris is not only the first woman but the first South Asian Indian American woman, to be elected as the vice president of the US.

She has been an incredible role model, I think for all of us. What she has done is she has paved the way for women, for immigrants and minorities and is a true hero and an inspiration for all of us, he said. I think her success, what she has achieved, gives us the hope and the confidence that we have a bright future, all of us together fighting for public office and as a community, Raj said.

As the vice president took the stage, some briefly chanted Four more years. However, one person yelled Shame on you, which appeared to be in reference to the war in Gaza, but it was not clear. The protester was soon removed from the room. Harris also spoke about her mom coming to the US from India when she was 19 years old and marching for Civil Rights in Berkeley. She said growing up, she would visit India every two years and her grandfather would take her on morning walks. And I remember as a young girl hearing them discuss the importance of standing for what is right and fairness, she said.
A short video clip featuring former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan with white hair and a noticeably more aged look than usual has garnered attention on social media.

The brief footage captures Khan, aged 71, seated on a chair alongside two other individuals. In the video, Khan appears unrecognisable without his usual signature black hair.

Shared by an X user named Incognito on Wednesday, the clip has quickly gone viral on the platform, garnering over 1.6k reshares and more than 9.7k likes.

The caption accompanying the clip reads, Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan without makeup & hair dye.

Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan without makeup & hair dye pic.twitter.com/NN8Iahccrt Incognito (@Incognito_qfs) May 15, 2024

Numerous users on the platform, formerly known as Twitter, have weighed in on Khans altered appearance.

One user expressed surprise, questioning if the individual in the video was indeed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader. Seriously, this is Imran Khan? he wrote.

Another user adopted a more realistic tone, sarcastically asking what people expect a 71-year-old to look like. Do you expect a guy at 71 to look like a Calvin Klein model? the comment quipped.

Meanwhile, another user dismissed the clip as fake and AI-generated. AI-generated video, stop fooling people, she asserted.

News18 was unable to independently verify the video.

On Thursday, Khan appeared before the countrys Supreme Court via a video link in a case about changes in the anti-corruption laws. However, a leaked image of the 71-year-old founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party shows him attending the court hearing with black hair, contrary to his appearance in the viral clip.

Khan has been fighting dozens of cases registered against him. Thursdays appearance was in connection with a case he filed against amendments to Pakistans anti-graft laws. The Supreme Court this week ordered the government to ensure Khans presence via video link, granting his request to represent himself instead of through a lawyer.

The former Pakistan PM, removed from power in 2022, was granted bail in a land corruption case on Wednesday. However, he will remain in prison as he has been convicted in four cases, with sentences in two suspended.

Despite his conviction, Khan remains widely popular in Pakistan. He alleges that the cases are part of an effort by his political rivals and the countrys powerful military to sideline him and prevent his return to power, allegations denied by both.

(With inputs from agencies)
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Ficos condition has stabilised but is still very serious, his deputy said Thursday, as officials urged calm and a suspension of EU election campaigning a day after an attempt on Ficos life.

The shooting, which the government called a political assault, stoked fears over heightened polarisation or even further violence just weeks before European parliament elections.

Slovakias politics have been divided for years between pro-Europeans and nationalist-leaning camps, with the latest elections heavily influenced by disinformation, mutual accusations and attacks on social media.

I am calling on all political parties in Slovakia to temporarily suspend or considerably reduce their European election campaign, Slovak president-elect Peter Pellegrini told reporters.

Pellegrini, Ficos ally who will assume office in June, said Slovakia should avoid further confrontation in a joint statement with the outgoing president Zuzana Caputova.

The two politicians represent rival political camps but Caputova said they wanted to send a signal of understanding in this tense situation as she urged an end to the vicious circle of hatred.

Surgeons spent hours in the operating theatre, battling to save the 59-year-old leader after the shooting, which happened as Fico spoke to members of the public after a meeting.

Deputy prime minister Robert Kalinak said doctors stabilised Ficos condition, but unfortunately, his condition is still very serious as the injuries are complicated.

The director of the Banska Bystrica hospital, where the Slovak premier was transported by helicopter after sustaining gunshot wounds, said Fico underwent a five-hour surgery carried out by two teams.

Footage of events just after the shooting showed security agents grabbing a wounded Fico from the ground and hustling him into a black car. Other police handcuffed a man on the pavement nearby.

Police detained a suspect at the site of the attack in Handlova, President Zuzana Caputova said.

Kalinak said earlier the attack was a political assault.

Fico, whose party won the general election last September, is a four-time prime minister and political veteran accused of swaying his countrys foreign policy in favour of the Kremlin.

Unprecedented attack

Media reported that the suspected gunman was a 71-year-old writer, but police have not named any suspects.

The alleged suspects son told Slovak news site aktuality.sk he had absolutely no idea what father was thinking, what he was planning, why it happened.

Analyst Grigorij Meseznikov told AFP this was the first-ever attack on a government minister in Slovakia.

I only remember the case of former minister of economy Jan Ducky who was shot dead in 1999, he added. But he had not been politically active anymore when he was killed.

Political analyst Miroslav Radek said the attack risked causing further radicalisation of individuals and politicians in Slovakia.

I am afraid that this attack may not have been the last, Radek told AFP.

The shooting came just weeks ahead of Junes European parliament elections in which far-right parties are expected to make gains.

In the central Slovak city of Levice, where the alleged gunman came from, engineer Jaroslav Pirozak told AFP he was sad for Fico.

But at the same time, hes the one spreading hate and dividing the society, hes the one sowing hatred, the 34-year-old said.

Ukraine weapons

As well as his current stint as premier, Fico headed the government in 2006-10 and 2012-18.

He was forced to resign in 2018 after an investigative journalists murder exposed high-level corruption and sparked anti-government sentiment.

But he came back again.

Since returning to office last October, Fico has made a string of remarks that have soured ties between Slovakia and neighbouring Ukraine.

He has questioned Ukraines sovereignty and called for a compromise with Russia, which invaded in 2022.

After he was elected, Slovakia stopped sending weapons to Ukraine.

He also sparked mass protests with controversial changes, including a media law that critics say will undermine the impartiality of public television and radio.

At a press conference following the shooting, MP Lubos Blaha from Ficos party lashed out against the prime ministers critics.

You, the liberal media, and progressive politicians are to blame. Robert Fico is fighting for his life because of your hatred, Blaha said.
The historic 113-year-old wooden tram tower located in Death Valley National Park in California, US, was knocked over after an individual used the tower as an anchor to pull their vehicle out of deep mud.

The incident occurred sometime between April 1 and April 24 of last month, according to the National Parks Service (NPS), an agency of the United States (US) federal government responsible for the oversight of over 400 national parks across the country.

According to the agency, the damage suggests that tire tracks indicate the car had veered significantly off the legal road before becoming stuck. This incident has prompted park officials to launch an investigation to identify those responsible for the damage.

It appears the 113-year-old tower was pulled over while a person used a winch to extract their vehicle out of deep mud. The damage happened sometime between April 1 and April 24, 2024, the NPS said in a statement on released on May 13.

According to a video captured from the dashcam of a vehicle and shared on YouTube, individuals who may have been involved in the toppling of the tower were seen.

The 11-minute video, as reported by Outside Magazine, was uploaded on April 27 but was removed on Wednesday, two days following the park services call for information regarding the incident. An edited version of the video was also shared on the magazines website.

In the edited footage, approximately two minutes in duration, the scene begins with a man pulling up alongside a woman dressed in a pink bikini top, jean shorts, and a trucker hat. The woman informs the driver of her need for a winch.

We went a little too far into the mud, and theres nothing to press the winch onto, shes heard explaining.

Subsequently, the video depicts a white truck with a camper stuck deep in mud, with the tram tower already lying on its side at the edge of the screen. The footage also includes the woman and a man in a flannel shirt and jean shorts after their initial attempt to free the vehicle fails. Ultimately, a second line is required to extract the truck, although the video concludes before the outcome of this attempt is revealed.

It remains uncertain whether the couple or any individuals shown in the video were responsible for the towers collapse, however, the magazine included an image of the man in the flannel shirt removing a winch from the fallen tower, as per the Los Angeles Times report.

The wooden tower held historical significance as part of the Saline Valley Salt Companys infrastructure, which constructed the 13-mile aerial tramway in 1911 to transport salt from Saline Valley to Owens Valley. Notably, the tramway scaled over 7,000 vertical feet at steep grades of up to 40 degrees.

Saline Valley Salt Tram is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is considered nationally significant because of its age, length, steepness, preservation, and scenic setting, the NPS stated.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was said to be in a life-threatening condition after an assassination bid on Wednesday, took power for the fourth time last October. Fico, 59, has turned the countrys foreign policy towards pro-Russian views.

Fico has also initiated reforms of criminal law and the media, which have raised concerns over weakening the rule of law. During a three-decade career, Fico has skilfully weaved between pro-European mainstream and nationalistic anti-Brussels and anti-American positions, while showing a willingness to change course depending on public opinion or changed political realities.

Who Is Fico

Slovakias Prime Minister Robert Fico remains in critical condition following an assassination attempt Wednesday morning. Security officials reported that he was shot five times at close range. pic.twitter.com/qtb8B75T6i CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) May 15, 2024

Born to a working-class family, Fico graduated with a law degree in 1986 and joined the then-ruling Communist Party. After the 1989 fall of Communist rule, he worked as a government lawyer, won a seat in parliament under the renamed Communist party, and represented Slovakia at the European Court for Human Rights.

Fico parlayed dissatisfaction with liberal economic reforms into his first election victory in 2006. But he also kept the nation on course to adopt the euro in 2009 despite forming a government with nationalists. His second cabinet won after another centre-right coalition broke up two years later, and a tough stance against migrants helped him win re-election in 2016.

On NATO, Ukraine, Pandemic

He embraced more extreme positions over the past four years that include strident criticisms of western allies, pledges to stop military support for Kyiv, opposition to sanctions on Russia and threats to veto any future NATO membership invite for Ukraine. His coalition halted Slovak official shipments of weapons for Ukraine and he has spoken about what he called western influence in the war which only led to Slavic nations killing each other.

WATCH: Suspect In Slovakia PM Shooting Restrained In Dramatic Footage, Identified As 71-Year-Old Writer

Fico has remained steady throughout his career, however, on promises to protect living standards of those left behind in a country where conditions for many are only slowly catching up to western Europe and where many hold relatively fond memories of a communist-era past. His campaign call of Not a single round for Ukraine appealed to voters in the nation of 5.5 million where only a minority in the NATO member country believe Russia is at fault for the Ukraine war.

Fico has said he has Slovak interests at heart and wants the war to end. Western allies and Ukraine say halting military aid to Kyiv would only help Russia. Fico once sought to address voter fears during the coronavirus pandemic when he slammed government health measures. He became the most prominent political representative of a movement against face masks or vaccination, said political analyst Grigorij Meseznikov.

Here are some of the conspiracy theories spreading online after Ficos assassination bid:

(With agency inputs)
Since last year , authorities have been investigating a possible link between the BTK serial killer and Cynthia Kinney, who went missing in Oklahoma in 1976 at age 16. Now they're taking another look at a crossword puzzle sent by the convicted killer, Dennis Rader, to a TV station in 2004, the Guardian reports. He included names, places, or other words related to his victims, of which there were at least 10 between 1974 and 1991. Newly discovered words included in the puzzle, per KFOR :

The puzzle, which can be viewed at KFOR, also includes the names of all 10 of Rader's known victims, his home address in Kansas, and map markings indicating times he traveled to Oklahoma. (He's confessed to those aforementioned 10 killings, but has not confessed to any involvement in Kinney's disappearance.) An anonymous woman sent the puzzle to the Osage County Sheriff's Office recently. "There's hints all the way through that can't be overlooked," the sheriff says. (More BTK Killer stories.)
On Monday, crews detonated explosives to free the Dali container ship from the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridgeand the Dali's crew remained on board, where they have been trapped for more than seven weeks since the ship hit the Baltimore bridge. The 21 sailors20 Indian citizens and a Sri Lankanhave not been allowed to leave the ship since the March 26 disaster because of visa issues and ongoing National Transportation Safety Board and FBI investigations, reports the BBC . "While some crew members are coping, morale has understandably dipped," two Singapore-based unions representing seafarers said in a statement this week.

The unions said the men are distressed by an "unfounded fear of personal criminal liability" for the disaster, which killed six construction workers. The men's cellphones have been confiscated as part of the investigations and while they have received new ones, they are lacking data including contacts and banking details. "They can't do any online banking. They can't pay their bills at home," says Joshua Messick, executive director of the Baltimore International Seafarers' Center, "They just can't reach out to the folks they need to, or even look at pictures of their children before they go to sleep. It's really a sad situation."

Barbara Shipley of the International Transport Workers' Federation tells the Baltimore Sun that when she visited the Dali with other union reps last month, the crew felt "helpless and sorrowful" about the loss of life. Messick says that when the ship is returned to port, the sailors may be eligible for shore passes, with heavy restrictions on their movements. But it could be a long time before they can go home. Darrell Wilson, a spokesperson for Synergy Marine, the ship's operator, tells the AP that the men will have to stay on the ship for the "foreseeable future." "Nobody knows that ship better than the crew," he says. "So they are instrumental in helping with the salvage operation as well as the investigation process." (More Baltimore bridge collapse stories.)
His name was Ronnie Joe Kirk. How he got to be in the chimney of the Good 'n Loud Music store in Madison, Wisconsin, is anyone's guess. The body of the 5'7" man was discovered at the base of the chimney on Sept. 3, 1989, during the removal of a boiler, but he wasn't immediately identified. Thirty years later, Madison police reached out to the DNA Doe Project, a nonprofit that helps police trace unidentified individuals. It took more than two years to develop a DNA profile from a strand of rootless hair found with the skeleton, per CBS News . Then came the trouble of investigating familial connections to identify the individual, who turned out to be adopted.

It was "shrewd genealogy work," a rep for the project tells CBS. "This was such a unique case with adoption, and multiple generations of different marriages, despite having a relatively close DNA relative match in the family." Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said the identification is "just the first major step in the investigation," per WMTV. "Now we start the process of trying to figure out who Ronnie was and how he ended up in Madison." Born in 1942, Kirk hailed from Tulsa, Oklahoma, was adopted, and was married and divorced twice, per WPR. In 1970, he was accused of deserting his wife and child, per the Wisconsin State Journal. A court date was set in Madison, but Kirk never showed. This is "the most recent known record investigators have of him alive," per the outlet.

"Someone will remember him, and we'll do everything that we can to try to trace down if he worked here, if he lived here, or if he was just passing through," Barnes said, per WMTV. Authorities note the skeleton, thought to have been in the chimney up to two years before it was discovered, was found alongside an iron cross necklace, a sleeveless dress, a button-down shirt, a sweater, and pointed shoes, per the State Journal. It's unclear whether the man got into the chimney by himself or was put there by someone else. What is clear is that he couldn't have gotten inside the closed-loop chimney from inside the building, the DNA Doe Project said, per CBS. "[We] hope his family has some closure for Ronnie being missing for so long," a rep from the nonprofit added, per WMTV. (More genetic genealogy stories.)
Mitt Romney thinks President Biden should have pardoned Donald Trumpbut not because the Republican senator from Utah has any particular love for Trump. "[Biden] should have fought like crazy to keep this prosecution from going forward. It was a win-win for Donald Trump," Romney said in an interview with MSNBC , noting the Trump supporters rallying to the former president's side and attacking the country's legal system. Plus, as Romney further explained, "Had I been President Biden, when the Justice Department brought on indictments, I would have immediately pardoned him. I'd have pardoned President Trump. Why? Well, because it makes me, President Biden, the big guy and the person I pardoned a little guy."

"And, number two," Romney continued, "it's not going to get resolved before the election. It's not going to have an impact before the election. And, frankly, the country doesn't want to have to go through prosecuting a former president." Biden would only have been able to issue pardons in the federal cases against Trump, but as for the hush money trial currently happening in New York, Romney says Biden "made an enormous error" in not pressuring state prosecutors to drop that case. More from the interview here. (More Mitt Romney stories.)
At D'Youville University in Buffalo, graduates were given life advice from a commencement speaker that wasn't alive. Sophia, a humanoid artificial intelligence robot, addressed the crowd in what the New York Times calls "a bold decision that drew mixed reactions." Like human speakers, the robot received a fee, which went toward the cost of travel and engineers. Sophia has also appeared on talk shows and at the United Nations, where it spoke at a meeting in 2017.

Students felt 'disrespected.' "Many students feel disrespected by this decision," a petition started last month stated. "As the class of 2024 reaches their commencement, we are reminded of the virtual graduations we attended at the end of our high school careers. The connection to AI in this scenario feels similarly impersonal." The petition, which received more than 2,500 signatures, said it was important to have a "human connection" at a university known for "creating outstanding health-care professionals."
China's leader Xi Jinping welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday as he began a two-day state visit. Putin thanked Xi for his effort to resolve the Ukraine conflict at a Beijing summit, where the two leaders reaffirmed a "no-limits" partnership that has grown deeper as both countries face deepening tensions with the west. More, from the AP:

Putin's visit to one of his strongest allies comes as his country's forces are pressing an offensive in northeastern Ukraine's Kharkiv region in the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
UPDATE

May 22, 2024 5:40 PM CDT

Hunter Biden has one less trial to worry about next month. A federal judge in California has agreed to move his tax trial back to Sept. 5. US District Judge Mark Scarsi said he would shift the date if lead Biden lawyer Abbe Lowell promises not to ask for any more delays, CNN reports. Lowell cited issues finding expert witnesses and Biden's federal gun trial in Delaware, scheduled to begin June 3. The president's son has pleaded not guilty in both cases, the AP reports. In the tax case, he is accused of failing to pay at least $1.4 million over four years while living an "extravagant lifestyle." Prosecutors argued against a delay Wednesday, calling it a straightforward tax case.

May 16, 2024 7:11 AM CDT

Hunter Biden has two trials loomingand covering his legal bills could be a big problem. A source tells Politico that Hollywood entertainment lawyer Kevin Morris, who has been funding the president's son for years, has told associates that he is "tapped out" and doesn't have the resources to keep paying for Biden's lawyers. "Just when Hunter is facing two criminal trials starting in a few weeks, he has no resources. It's pretty dire," the source says. Politico says that when it asked Morris to comment, he "confirmed the person's account but declined to elaborate further."
Donald Trump's private plane had a seemingly minor mishap in Florida over the weekend. WFLA reports that on Sunday, a Boeing 757 with the registration number N757AF clipped an empty private jet parked at West Palm Beach International Airport, with an FAA notice announcing the moving plane was taxiing when its "winglet struck the rear elevator of a parked VistaJet." (The New York Times notes that a winglet "is a small tip curving off the end of an aircraft's wing in order to reduce aerodynamic drag.") That vehicle number, which can also be seen imprinted on the side of the former president's "Trump Force One" aircraft, is registered to DJT Operations I LLC, a Trump company.

An FAA rep tells WFLA that the accident took place close to 1:30pm local time, and that it "occurred in an area of the airport where the FAA does not direct aircraft." A source tells the Washington Post that the incident happened as the ground crew was directing Trump's plane. There didn't appear to be any reported injuries, and damage is listed as "unknown." It's also not clear if Trump himself was on board at the time; the Times notes that the accident happened just a few hours after the ex-commander in chief attended a campaign rally at the Jersey Shore. The FAA, which hasn't yet confirmed Trump's plane was involved, is investigating the incident. (More Donald Trump stories.)
For nearly four years, Zoraya ter Beek has been patiently biding her time, going through the laborious process in the Netherlands to get the green light for an assisted suicide due to what she describes as overwhelming mental suffering. Last week, ter Beek finally saw her request granted, clearing the way for her to end her life in what's expected to be just a few weeks, reports the Guardian. The controversial case has roiled Europe as people debate whether individuals with mental health issues should be able to take advantage of assisted dying.



Rules: The Dutch law on the matterwhich People notes took effect in 2002, making it the first nation to legalize euthanasiasays that, to be a candidate for assisted dying, a person must have "unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement." They also have to be deemed mentally competent to make such a decision.
The FDA is making it a whole lot easier to test for human papillomavirus, which can cause six types of cancer and accounts for more than 95% of cervical cancers. HPV is typically detected through cell samples collected from a woman's cervix during a Pap smear. But in a US first, women will be able to collect samples on their own, either at doctors' offices, urgent-care clinics, mobile clinics, or pharmacies. Eventually, they could even perform these tests at home, the Washington Post reports. The FDA has approved self-testing kits separately manufactured by BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) and Roche that allow women to collect vaginal samples alone, as they would urine samples, following a doctor's order, HealthDay reports.

The American Cancer Society recommends women be screened for HPV every five years from the ages of 25 to 65. But more than 50% of the 11,500 US women diagnosed with cervical cancer each year have been rarely if ever screened, per HealthDay. People living in underserved communities may find it hard to reach a doctor. Others may feel uncomfortable with pelvic exams. "Self-collection can expand access to screening and reduces barriers, which will give more people the opportunity to detect, treat and ultimately survive cancer," says Dr. Karen Knudsen, head of the ACS. "We anticipate self-collection will play an increasingly prominent role in cervical cancer screening once regulatory and clinical prerequisites are in place and as supporting evidence continues to accumulate," adds ACS chief scientific officer Dr. William Dahut.

The testing kitscovered by private insurance, Medicare, and Medicaidwill be offered as part of a National Cancer Institute study on self-collection in the US. "The method has already proved successful in European countries and Australia," per the Post. A US study also found self-collection to be accurate. But federal researchers want to learn more about how self-collection affects cervical cancer cases. As for at-home tests, they could be soon to follow. Teal Health just received FDA breakthrough designation for an HPV self-screening device called the Teal Wand, which collects a sample that can be sent to a testing lab. The designation speeds up development and review of the product. According to the Post, the FDA could approve it within months. (There's also an effective HPV vaccine.)
Sen. Bob Menendez said Thursday that his wife has breast cancer and will require a mastectomy, a revelation made just as the presentation of evidence began at his New York bribery trial. The New Jersey Democrat said he was revealing his wife's health crisis at her request after repeated inquiries from the media. "We are, of course, concerned about the seriousness and advanced stage of the disease," the senator said in a statement, per the AP. "She will require follow-up surgery and possibly radiation treatment. We hope and pray for the best results."
A bronze sculpture of the late Rev. Billy Graham, the prolific evangelist also known as "America's Pastor," was unveiled at the US Capitol on Thursday. Graham's likeness, depicting the minister with his archetypal gesture toward an open Bible in his hand, was revealed inside National Statuary Hall during a gathering of lawmakers and Graham's family, per the AP.

The 7-foot tall statue is one of two that North Carolina and each state get to place on display inside the hall or elsewhere in the Capitol to honor notables in their history. Graham was born in Charlotte.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a full pardon Thursday to a former Army sergeant convicted of murder for fatally shooting an armed demonstrator in 2020 during nationwide protests against police violence and racial injustice. Abbott announced the pardon just minutes after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles disclosed it had made a unanimous recommendation that Daniel Perry be pardoned in the death of Garrett Foster and have his firearms rights restored, the AP reports. Perry has been held in state prison on a 25-year sentence since his conviction last year.

The Republican governor had previously ordered the board to review Daniel Perry's case and said he would sign a pardon if recommended. The board, which is appointed by the governor, announced its decision on the agency website, and Abbott's pardon swiftly followed. Abbott's demand for a review of Perry's case followed pressure from former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who on national television had urged the Republican governor to intervene after the sergeant was convicted at trial in April 2022. Perry was sentenced to 25 years in prison after prosecutors used his social media history and text messages to portray him as a racist who may commit violence again, per the AP.

A jury in Austin had convicted Perry of murder in the death of 28-year-old Foster, an Air Force veteran who had been legally carrying an AK-47 while marching in a Black Lives Matter protest. Perry was working as a ride-share driver in July 2020 when he turned his car onto a street crowded with demonstrators and shot Foster before driving off. Prosecutors argued at trial that Perry could have driven away without opening fire, and witnesses testified that they never saw Foster raise his gun. The sergeant's defense attorneys argued that Foster, who is white, did raise the rifle and that Perry had no choice but to shoot. Perry, who is white, did not take the witness stand, and jurors deliberated for two days before finding him guilty.

(More Texas stories.)
Several schools in Gisborne have come out of lockdown, following a threat on Thursday afternoon.

Families and parents were initially ordered to stay away from the area.

Lytton High School, Riverdale Primary School and Campion College were all put into lockdown, with Lytton High School posting to Facebook, telling parents to "not come to school".

"We hope to have it resolved quickly and will contact you with more information as soon as possible. All children are safe in their classrooms."

Riverdale Primary School said in a post police have asked staff and students to remain in their classrooms "until further notice".

"We are all safe. We ask that you do not come and pick up your children at this stage. We will keep you updated as soon as we know anymore."

Meanwhile, Campion College also took to Facebook, confirming their school had gone into lockdown following advice from police."We are safe and will be in touch. No parents to come onsite."

"Gisborne Police will be visible in the Riverdale, Gisborne area following a report of a threat to a nearby school," police said in a statement.

"There are cordons in the area near Nelson Road to redirect traffic and the school has entered a self-imposed lockdown."

"At this stage police are responding as a precaution."

An updated statement from Lytton High School just after 4pm reads: "Our lockdown is now lifted. A police presence will remain, but your students can leave as normal."

"If you are collecting them, please be careful as traffic will be heavy. Please do not linger."

"Buses will be collecting students as soon as possible and dropping them off as usual."
Funding will cover operational expenses for both organisations and rescue equipment, facilities and maintenance amid rising costs.

The funding for Surf Life Saving will contribute to lifeguard training and gear, beach and coastal safety initiatives, as well as maintaining and upgrading lifesaving club buildings.

For Coastguard, the funding injection would go towards four new bases, personal protective equipment, critical marine communications equipment and the continued provision of emergency call-out rescue services for recreational boat users that get into trouble out on the water.

"Heading to the beach for a day of fun in the water is part of the Kiwi way of life, particularly in summer. With that comes inherent risk and these frontline organisations do critical work to help ensure people can head home safe," the Government said.

"This funding will ensure that Surf Life Saving New Zealand and Coastguard New Zealand can continue to deliver water safety services and save lives, and keep up their efforts to reduce New Zealands high drowning toll on the water and beaches."

It comes as New Zealand grapples with tragically high drowning tolls.

According to Water Safety New Zealand, there have been 30 drownings this year to date and there were 90 preventable drowning fatalities in 2023.

"This Government is committed to investing in these frontline organisations so they continue their work saving hundreds of lives each year and ensuring thousands of people return home safe after a day at the beach or on the water," Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey said.

"Our Government is investing in the frontline and New Zealanders can expect to see more of that in Budget 24, as well as tax relief for low-and-middle-income workers."

Watch the full Government announcement below. If you can't see it on your Newshub app, click here.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is being slammed by broadcasters over the ditch after he served an eviction notice to a long-standing tenant in one of his properties.



Albanese explained the reason for kicking out 45-year-old Jim Flanagan from his home, was due to "changing circumstances" and his upcoming wedding to longtime-girlfriend Jodie Haydon, which is set to take place between May and August.

He has accused Flanagan of not cooperating with his real estate agent to resolve the issue, before the renter made a public plea for mercy.

Albanese also claimed Flanagan was offered a cut-price deal that was "half" of the current market value for the three-bedroom townhouse in Sydney's Dulwich Hill, and he isnt prepared to let him stay on longer.

It is believed Albanese dropped the property's rent to $680 during COVID-19, despite rent in the area for similar apartments being $800 a week.

The Australian Prime Minister told ABC Radio National on Thursday the tenant has been "well looked after for a long period of time".

"But I am entitled to make decisions in my personal life including selling a property that I own because I wish to move on in my personal life in a different direction. The property was bought when my personal circumstances were different."

Albanese bought the investment rental property in 2015 for AU$1.175 million, and it is now estimated to be worth between AU$1.9 and AU$2.2 million, according to CoreLogic.

The Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday Flanagan, who is a Labor Party voter, learned of his eviction from his real estate agent.

But now, he has issued a cry for help, publicly asking Albanese to rethink his decision of kicking him out.
South Africa will ask the top U.N. court on Thursday to order a halt to the Rafah offensive as part of its case in The Hague accusing Israel of genocide in the Gaza Strip.

The hearings at the International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, come after South Africa last week asked for additional emergency measures to protect Rafah, a southern Gaza city where more than a million Palestinians have been sheltering.

It also asked the court to order Israel to allow unimpeded access to Gaza for U.N. officials, organisations providing humanitarian aid, and journalists and investigators. It added that Israel has so far ignored and violated earlier court orders.

On Thursday, South Africa will present its latest intervention seeking emergency measures starting at 3 p.m.(1300 GMT).

Israel, which has denounced South Africa's claim that it is violating the 1949 Genocide Convention as baseless, will respond on Friday. In previous filings it stressed it had stepped up efforts to get humanitarian aid into Gaza as the ICJ had ordered.

Gilad Erdan, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations told Army Radio on Wednesday the short notice the court gave for the hearings did not allow sufficient legal preparation, adding that was "a telling sign".

The Israel-Hamas war has killed nearly 35,000 people in Gaza, according to health authorities there. About 1,200 people were killed in Israel and 253 taken hostage on Oct. 7 when Hamas launched the attack that started the war, according Israeli tallies.

The ICJ's rulings and orders are binding and without appeal. While the court has no way to enforce them, an order against a country could hurt its international reputation and set legal precedent.

By Stephanie van den Berg, Reuters
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, yesterday welcomed top regional leaders to the Kingdom of Bahrain for todays important 33rd Arab Summit.

Among those in attendance were heads of state and high-ranking officials from across the Arab world, reflecting the significance of this gathering for the region.

HM the King received Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi at Al Sakhir Palace. Earlier, HRH Prince Salman welcomed President El Sisi and His Majesty King Abdulla II Ibn Al Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan upon arrival at the airport.

HM the King and HRH Prince Salman wished Their Majesties, Excellencies and Highnesses, leaders of the Arab countries, success in achieving the objectives of serving the Arab nation and promoting peace, security and stability in the region.

HM King Hamad reaffirmed Bahrains commitment to advancing Arab unity and solidarity.

The presence of top regional leaders set the stage for todays summit proceedings, where critical issues such as regional security, economic development, and political reform are expected to be addressed.

With leaders convening to address pressing challenges and explore opportunities for collaboration, the 33rd Arab Summit promises to be a significant milestone in shaping the future of the Arab world.

Geopolitical landscape

The agenda for the Summit encompasses a wide range of topics reflecting the complex geopolitical landscape of the Middle East.

Key issues expected to dominate discussions include the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, counterterrorism efforts, economic development, and political reforms.

Amidst ongoing conflicts and tensions in the region, discussions on regional security are likely to take center stage.

Leaders will address the threats posed by terrorism, extremism, and foreign intervention, while exploring avenues for enhancing collective security measures and strengthening intra-Arab cooperation.

Focal point

The enduring Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains a focal point of Arab Summit deliberations.

Leaders are expected to reaffirm their support for the Palestinian cause, denounce Israeli aggression and occupation, and explore diplomatic avenues for advancing a just and lasting solution to the conflict.

In light of the economic challenges facing many Arab nations, discussions on economic development and diversification are expected to feature prominently.

Leaders will explore strategies for promoting sustainable growth, fostering innovation, and addressing socio-economic disparities within the region.

The Arab Summit provides an opportunity for leaders to address calls for political reforms and greater democratisation within their respective countries.

Discussions on political inclusivity, human rights, and governance are likely to reflect evolving dynamics across the Arab world.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Several Bahraini legislators have expressed that hosting the 33rd Arab Summit in Bahrain for the first time reaffirms the Kingdoms commitment to joint Arab action, solidarity, and cooperation.

The Kingdoms embrace of this event is a strategic play to bolster Arab capabilities to tackle the headwinds of regional and international challenges.

It is a philosophy championed by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, with the support of His Royal Highness Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

Hosting the Arab Summit also underscores the status and credibility that Bahrain enjoys in the Arab world.

The 33rd Arab Summit in Bahrain heralds a new dawn of unity and progress for the Arab world signalling a future where cooperation and solidarity are the cornerstones of a prosperous and stable region.

His Excellency Ahmed Al-Musallam, Speaker of the Council of Representatives, emphasised that the summit is exceptional and not merely a media appearance.

Considerable influence

He stressed that its statements and decisions will wield considerable influence on the global stage, particularly given the current sensitivity and unfolding events in Gaza.

Bahrain has consistently been a trailblazer in the Arab world, actively seeking substantial solutions to the regions most pressing issues and beyond, Speaker Al-Musallam affirmed.

His Excellency Mr. Ali AlSaleh, Chairman of the Shura Council, echoed these sentiments, commending Bahrains remarkable track record of initiatives aimed at strengthening Arab efforts.

These include the Kingdoms embrace of the Joint Arab Bourse project, His Majesty the Kings initiative to establish an Arab court for human rights, and His Majesty the Kings call to develop intra-Arab trade and achieve Arab economic integration.

Arab strategies

He further remarked , Amidst the ongoing developments in Gaza, the summit will prioritise deliberations on the Palestinian plight, the quintessential Arab issue, as it remains a pivotal element for stability in the Arab territory.

Furthermore, the discourse on collaborative Arab strategies is crucial in mitigating external meddling in Arab nations internal matters, and the unequivocal rejection of any support for the establishment of armed factions and militias beyond the jurisdiction of state entities is of utmost significance.

Shura Member Mr. Redha Munfaredi stated, Selecting Bahrain as the host nation for the Arab Summit exemplifies a resolute commitment to peace as a cornerstone of strategic advancement, aimed at fostering Arab cooperation and solidarity across all domains.

He lauded Bahrains distinguished reputation as an oasis of peace and its relentless efforts to propagate a culture of tolerance and coexistence among diverse religious and sectarian communities, a noble aspiration shared by all Arab nations.

Profound aspirations

Shura member Hesham Alqassab stated, We have profound aspirations that the outcomes and resolutions of this summit will indelibly fortify joint Arab cooperation across all domains, with particular emphasis on the economic arena.

Through redoubled endeavours to refine our economic framework and augment joint Arab economic capabilities on both regional and international stages, we seek to usher in an era of unprecedented prosperity and development for all Arab peoples.

H.E. Ejlal Bubshait, member of the Shura Council, stated, The prevailing challenges can only be surmounted through solidarity, prioritising the collective welfare above individual gains, and devising tangible, pragmatic solutions for implementation on the ground.
VANCOUVER, BC, May 16, 2024 /CNW/ - FPX Nickel Corp. (TSXV: FPX) (OTCQB: FPOCF) ("FPX Nickel" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the publication of its first and foundational Sustainability Report (the "Report"). The Report covers the period from 2021 to the present, a pivotal phase of Company growth and advancement of the flagship Baptiste Nickel Project ("Baptiste" or "the Project"). To align with escalating project development efforts during this period, FPX Nickel initiated an internal assessment of the Company's Environmental, Social, and Governance ("ESG") performance in early 2022. The Report reflects the results of this assessment and provides an introduction to the sustainability initiatives FPX Nickel has implemented to date, as well as the commitments the Company has made for 2024.

Figure 1  FPX Nickels Inaugural Sustainability Report, Cover Image (CNW Group/FPX Nickel Corp.)

The Report was prepared using the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals as a framework to report on the Company's business and sustainability initiatives. The topic areas within the Report were defined based on the Company's purpose, mission, and core values, which will continue to guide our sustainability initiatives going forward:

Purpose : Enabling Canada's transition to a low-carbon economy

: Enabling Canada's transition to a low-carbon economy Mission : Advancing the Baptiste Nickel Project, the world's first awaruite deposit

: Advancing the Baptiste Nickel Project, the world's first awaruite deposit Values: Safety, Respect, and Collaboration

"The period from 2021 to the present has marked a transformative journey for FPX Nickel, and we are pleased to unveil our inaugural Sustainability Report, highlighting the sustainability initiatives and ESG principles that lie at the heart of our Company's values," said Martin Turenne, President and CEO, FPX Nickel. "We are committed to further integrating sustainability initiatives into all facets of our corporate and project development, and collaborating with First Nations and the governments of British Columbia and Canada to develop a project that creates substantial and sustainable benefits while protecting the environment for future generations."

Report Highlights

Environmental : Our Opportunity to Play a Role in Addressing Climate Change

Nickel is an important material for our society, necessary for the fabrication of stainless steel and electric vehicle batteries, and has been identified by Canada and other nations as essential to the transition to renewable energy technologies. We recognize that FPX Nickel and, in particular, the Baptiste Nickel Project have an important part to play in responsible sourcing of critical minerals and the transition to a low carbon economy. The Baptiste Nickel Project represents a multi-generational opportunity to develop a mine that will produce very low-carbon nickel, estimated to be in the lowest decile of global nickel produced today. This fundamental opportunity to play a role in addressing climate change represents both the purpose and mission of our company FPX Nickel, and the Baptiste Nickel Project.

Social: Our Commitment to Working Together to Define the Project

The present moment marks a generational opportunity for the mining industry, as we see a growing focus on the need for secure and responsible sourcing of critical minerals. This includes the significant opportunity for Indigenous leadership and direct participation in major projects, such as the Baptiste Nickel Project. As we step towards this goal together, FPX is committed to establishing collaborative decision-making processes with First Nation communities to define the Baptiste Nickel Project together. Creating and supporting the space for this collaboration is a core focus of the Social pillar of the Company's Sustainability program.

Governance : Demonstrating Our Values Through Our Actions

Through our commitment to strong board and operational governance, FPX Nickel seeks to contribute to accountable institutions in Canada and to continue to be a leader for junior mining companies. This has included establishment of the Corporate Governance and Sustainability Committee within the Board of Directors, establishment of the Company's Sustainability department, implementation of new corporate policies, and broadening of professional experience and perspectives within the Board.

Our Path Forward

In 2024, FPX Nickel will conduct an independent materiality assessment to seek to integrate feedback from First Nations Rights Holders, local communities, corporate shareholders, and downstream nickel users. This assessment will form the basis for future sustainability reporting, ensuring that the standards we adhere to, and the content of our reporting, align with the key focus areas identified by these significant groups.

The full Sustainability Report is available on the Company website at: https://fpxnickel.com/sustainability/sustainability-report/

Andrew Osterloh, P.Eng., FPX's Senior Vice President, Projects & Operations, FPX's Qualified Person under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical content of this news release.

About the Decar Nickel District

The Company's Baptiste Nickel Project represents a large-scale greenfield discovery of nickel mineralization in the form of a sulphur-free, nickel-iron mineral called awaruite (Ni 3 Fe) hosted in an ultramafic/ophiolite complex. The Baptiste mineral claims cover an area of 245 km2 west of Middle River and north of Trembleur Lake, in central British Columbia. In addition to the Baptiste Deposit itself, awaruite mineralization has been confirmed through drilling at several target areas within the same claims package, most notably at the Van Target which is located 6 km to the north of the Baptiste Deposit. Since 2010, approximately US $30 million has been spent on the exploration and development of Baptiste.

The Baptiste Deposit is located within the Baptiste Creek watershed, on the traditional territories of the Tl'azt'en Nation and the Binche Whut'en, and within several Tl'azt'enne and Binche Whut'enne keyohs. FPX has conducted mineral exploration activities to date subject to the conditions of agreements with First Nations and keyoh holders.

About FPX Nickel Corp.

FPX Nickel Corp. is focused on the exploration and development of the Decar Nickel District, located in central British Columbia, and other occurrences of the same unique style of naturally occurring nickel-iron alloy mineralization known as awaruite. For more information, please view the Company's website at www.fpxnickel.com or contact Martin Turenne, President and CEO, at (604) 681-8600 or [email protected].

On behalf of FPX Nickel Corp.



"Martin Turenne"

Martin Turenne, President, CEO and Director

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain of the statements made and information contained herein is considered "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. These statements address future events and conditions and so involve inherent risks and uncertainties, as disclosed in the Company's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. Actual results could differ from those currently projected. The Company does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE FPX Nickel Corp.

Martin Turenne, President, CEO and Director, Email: [email protected], Phone: 604-681-8600
The innovative, new AI platform from Givex leverages customer data for elevated engagement and enhanced personalization

TORONTO, May 16, 2024 /CNW/ - Today, Givex Corp. ("Givex") (TSX: GIVX) (OTCQX: GIVXF), a cloud-based global customer engagement and business insights platform, is excited to announce the launch of GivexEngageAI , an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that enhances customer relationships through data-driven profiles and highly targeted engagement campaigns.

Givex Ushers in a New Era of Customer Engagement with the Launch of GivexEngageAI The innovative, new AI platform from Givex leverages customer data for elevated engagement and enhanced personalization

GivexEngageAI builds detailed, 360-degree customer profiles based on guests' interactions with a business, such as loyalty accounts, average purchase amounts, transactional information, and more. The future of business interactions is personalized, and companies are looking for the next generation of tailored customer engagement. With EngageAI, business leaders will have streamlined access to data on every customer interaction within a company's technology ecosystem, helping to support data-driven decision-making.

"The launch of GivexEngageAI marks a new chapter for Givex, providing unparalleled insights into vital customer data and a flexible solution that enables brands to scale as they grow," said Mo Chaar, Chief Commercial Officer of Givex. "We're seeing a shift away from cookie-cutter marketing programs, and GivexEngageAI enables businesses to send relevant communications to each customer based on their profile and purchase history. Through a streamlined platform that eliminates the need to consolidate data from multiple sources, this solution will allow businesses to cultivate deeper customer relationships effortlessly, and increase customer conversion and retention."

Leveraging data from GivexPOS and its related products, such as online ordering, GivexEngageAI harnesses the power of AI to help businesses enhance engagement and drive revenue. With 360 Customer Profiles, companies can gain a complete understanding of the customer and turn previously anonymous visitors into repeat, valued guests. These detailed profiles lay the groundwork for intelligent, automated campaigns that manifest across multiple channels  from push notifications to texts  sending AI-driven recommendations based on purchase history and similar customer profiles. EngageAI also enables automated engagement, maximizing marketing potential and enabling businesses to predict, recommend, and effectively engage with customers.

By channelling insightful data through each transaction, GivexEngageAI will enable businesses to immediately launch orchestrated omnichannel customer journeys through multiple built-in channels. To get started, businesses simply select the channels they need at any step of their journey, and add more as their needs expand.

Givex combines a real-time customer data platform (CDP), AI decisioning, omnichannel activation, gamification and customer intelligence, all in one unified solution. With twelve global offices and a footprint of more than 132,000 active merchant locations, Givex sets the standard for how technology companies serve, communicate, and respond to customers.

For more information about Givex technology, visit www.givex.com .

About Givex

The world is changing. Givex is ready. Since 1999, Givex has provided technology solutions that unleash the full potential of engagement, creating and cultivating powerful connections that unite brands and customers. With a global footprint of 132,000+ active locations across more than 100 countries, Givex unleashes strategic insights, empowering brands through reliable technology and exceptional support. Givex's integrated end-to-end management solution provides Gift Cards, GivexPOS, Loyalty Programs, GivexEngageAI, and more, creating growth opportunities for businesses of all sizes and industries. Learn more about how to streamline workflows, tackle complex challenges and transform data into actionable insights at www.givex.com .

SOURCE Givex Corporation

Media Contact: Logan Findlay, Talk Shop Media, [email protected], 604-440-8999
TORONTO, May 16, 2024 /CNW/ - Canada's auto theft crisis is showing no signs of slowing down, according to new data released by Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC). In 2023, the cost of insurance claims for replacing stolen vehicles in Canada skyrocketed to a record-breaking $1.5 billion. This marks the second year in a row auto theft claims costs have topped $1 billion. To put this into perspective, between 2018 and 2021, auto theft claims costs averaged $556 million annually.

IBC analysis based on industry data from GISA systems, Groupement des assureurs automobiles, ICBC (2023 data for ICBC is an estimation based on the average annual auto crime increase from 2020 to 2022 (+5.0%), applying that to 2022 figures to derive at the estimation. Includes Ontario, Alberta, Atlantic Provinces, and British Columbia auto theft claims. Data for Saskatchewan and Manitoba not available and excluded from this analysis. (CNW Group/Insurance Bureau of Canada)

"These numbers indicate that the auto theft crisis persists, disrupting the lives of Canadians and causing them concern and trauma. It places a heavy burden on law enforcement and courtroom personnel who work tirelessly to address these crimes," said Liam McGuinty, Vice-President, Strategy, IBC. "Canada's auto theft crisis is also placing pressure on drivers' insurance premiums  as auto theft continues to increase, so do the associated costs. Auto theft is not a victimless crime."

Between 2018 and 2023, auto theft claims costs have increased significantly across the country:

Nationally, auto theft claims costs increased by 254%.

In 2023, auto theft losses amounted to over $1.5 billion , an increase of nearly 20% from 2022 (the year that held the previous record).

, an increase of nearly 20% from 2022 (the year that held the previous record). The previous four-year national average, between 2018 and 2021, was $556 million .

. The crisis is most significant in Ontario , where auto theft claims costs increased by 524% between 2018 and 2023, surpassing $1 billion for the first time in 2023. IBC will be releasing province-specific data on auto theft claims costs in the coming weeks.

Nationwide Auto Theft Insurance Claims



Claims Count Claims Costs 2018 31,915 $436,753,485 2019 32,504 $488,559,146 2020 28,714 $522,735,587 2021 34,038 $774,332,043 2022 45,434 $1,301,936,882 2023 49,679 $1,547,802,536 2018 to 2023 Increase 56 % 254 % 2022 to 2023 Increase 10 % 19 %



IBC analysis based on industry data from GISA systems, Groupement des assureurs automobiles, ICBC (2023 data for ICBC is an estimation based on the average annual auto crime increase from 2020 to 2022 (+5.0%), applying that to 2022 figures to derive at the estimation. Includes Ontario, Alberta, Atlantic Provinces, and British Columbia auto theft claims. Data for Saskatchewan and Manitoba not available and excluded from this analysis.

New, high-end luxury vehicles are often lucrative targets, due in part to their desirability in illegal international markets. In many cases, stolen vehicles are exported to these markets by domestic and international criminal organizations. The proceeds are then used to finance drug trafficking, arms dealing and international terrorism.

Despite important federal and provincial investments aimed at mitigating the crisis, this new data suggests more action must be taken to make vehicles more difficult to steal, transport and export. To that end, IBC has been calling for immediate action to stop stolen vehicles from being shipped overseas and to prevent vehicles from being stolen in the first place.

"Insurers have taken proactive steps to help consumers combat auto theft, but they can't do it alone. We need a whole-of-society approach," added McGuinty. "IBC recognizes the efforts undertaken by governments to date to fight auto theft, but more needs to be done, including at the national level. Attention needs to be paid to modernizing Canada's outdated vehicle safety standards, which were last updated in 2007, and stopping the outflow of stolen vehicles from Canada's ports. IBC and its members look forward to the important next steps anticipated in the federal government's action plan to combat auto theft. Our industry remains committed to working alongside all levels of government and stakeholders to address the national auto theft crisis."

About Insurance Bureau of Canada

Established in 1964, Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is the national industry association representing Canada's private home, auto and business insurers. Its member companies make up the vast majority of Canada's highly competitive property and casualty (P&C) insurance market.

As the leading advocate for Canada's private P&C insurers, IBC collaborates with governments, regulators and stakeholders to support a competitive environment for the P&C insurance industry to continue to help protect Canadians from the risks of today and tomorrow.

IBC believes that Canadians value and deserve a responsive and resilient private P&C insurance industry that provides insurance solutions to both individuals and businesses.

For media releases, IN Focus articles, or to book an interview with an IBC representative, visit ibc.ca. Follow us on LinkedIn, X and Instagram , and like us on Facebook. If you have a question about home, auto or business insurance, contact IBC's Consumer Information Centre at 1-844-2ask-IBC. We're here to help.

SOURCE Insurance Bureau of Canada

Media Contact: Brett Weltman, Manager, Media Relations, IBC, [email protected]
VANCOUVER, BC, May 16, 2024 /CNW/ -- Scope AI Corp. (CSE: SCPE) (OTCQB: SCPCF) (FSE: VN8) ("Scope" or the "Company") announces advancements in its artificial intelligence-driven visual recognition technology, GEM (General Enterprise Machine Learning) system, with an expansion of its development team.

Scope's GEM system, built on advanced visual recognition and neural network technology, aims to provide businesses in the advertising technology sector with unparalleled insights and capabilities. By leveraging AI-driven Visual Analysis, GEM will enable advertisers, brands, agencies, and Adtech service providers to streamline processes, maximize return on ad spend by leveraging visual and object recognition, and user behavior analysis via the power of their custom neural network. Through GEM, users will have the ability to "test" without spending on a campaign budget or risking customers with live campaign testing.

Scope AI Ad Tech will focus on Safety and Fraud measures, Cross Channel Integration and Campaign Management, Bid optimization and Personalization for Specific User Experiences. All powered through AI automation.

"Our focus on growing our development team signifies our commitment to pushing the boundaries of AI technology Visual and Behavior recognition as well as neural networks in the advertising technology sector," said James Young, CEO of Scope AI Corp. "We are dedicated to harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to create innovative solutions that drive growth, productivity and campaign performance."

Scope's objective with its GEM platform, with its advanced features designed to enhance user experience and security, is to redefine the landscape of advertising technology. With an expanded development team, Scope is poised to accelerate the development of its initial GEM product, bringing cutting-edge AI solutions to industries hungry for innovation.

About Scope AI Corp.:

Scope AI Corp. is a leading technology company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, dedicated to advancing the field of artificial intelligence. With a focus on visual recognition and neural network technology, Scope is committed to empowering businesses and industries with innovative solutions that drive growth and innovation.

For more information please visit Scope AI Corp. , [email protected] , or follow along on social media.

LinkedIn: scope-ai-corp

Facebook: Scope AI Corp

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ScopeAICorp

Contact Information

James Young, Chief Executive Officer

(604) 416-1720

[email protected]

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements that constitute forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements in this news release that are not purely historical statements of fact are forward-looking statements and include statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, future, strategy, objectives, goals and targets, and more specifically, the use of proceeds of the Offering. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable and reflect expectations of future developments and other factors which management believes to be reasonable and relevant, the Company can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believes", "expects", "aim", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "may", "should", "would", "will", "potential", "scheduled" or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and are based on assumptions and analyses made by the Company in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, including, but not limited to, those risks and assumptions described in the Company's prospectus dated August 10, 2022, a copy of which is available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. While Scope considers these assumptions to be reasonable, based on information currently available, they may prove to be incorrect. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. In addition, forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks, including, without limitation, risks associated with general economic conditions, continued satisfaction of Canadian Securities Exchange requirements, product safety and recalls, regulatory compliance and risks associated with the Company's business. For more information on the risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause anticipated opportunities and actual results to differ materially, please refer to the risk factors set out in the Company's prospectus dated August 10, 2022, a copy of which is available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and, unless required by applicable law, the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in these forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the business of the Company and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release and accepts no responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy hereof.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2414853/Scope_AI_Corp_logo.jpg

SOURCE Scope AI Corp.
- Strategic alliance aims to foster collaboration with researchers working in various disease fields by using best-in-class PCR diagnostic technology

- Companies will facilitate C-level cooperation, strengthening the partnership for the SG OneSystem business (Seegene's technology-sharing business)

SEOUL, South Korea, May 16, 2024 /CNW/ -- Seegene Inc. (KQ096530), a leading South Korean company providing a total solution for PCR molecular diagnostics, announced on May 16th the signing of a strategic alliance agreement with Springer Nature, the publisher of the prestigious scientific journal, Nature.

Sharing common values in Springer Nature's aim to advance discovery and Seegene working towards realizing a world free of diseases provides the basis for a natural alliance.

From left: Marc Spenle, COO of Springer Nature; Frank Vrancken Peeters, CEO of Springer Nature; Dr. Jong-Yoon Chun, CEO and Founder of Seegene; and Jun B. Kim, EVP and Global Head of Seegene OneSystem Business pose for a photo during OneSystem Strategic Alliance Signing Ceremony in Houten, Netherlands on May 15.

The new alliance will see the two companies use their joint expertise and knowledge to support researchers across the global scientific community to speed up PCR diagnostic testing of important but various disease areas.

PCR molecular diagnostics companies develop only a few diagnostic products annually. By leveraging the Springer Nature network, the two companies will provide funding and technology to global scientists and experts in various fields, significantly broadening the range and potential of diagnostic products. This initiative, spearheaded by senior management at both companies, builds upon the success of the Open Innovation Program that was launched by the two companies in 2023 whose goal was to develop innovative diagnostic products with participation of the scientific community.

Both companies will expand their collaboration using the OneSystem business by identifying and promoting potential partners as well as co-hosting annual symposiums starting with a joint declaration this year.

"We are thrilled to deepen our strategic relationship with Springer Nature, an authoritative leader in the global scientific community," said Dr. Jong-Yoon Chun, CEO and Founder of Seegene. "Together, we will work to advance the success of the SG OneSystemTM business and to realize 'a world free of diseases'."

"Springer Nature applauds Seegene's effort to democratize early diagnosis of multiple diseases to enable timely treatment," said Frank Vrancken Peeters, CEO of Springer Nature. "This noble goal can only be achieved through collaborations. As a trusted partner to the research community, Springer Nature will help to build a global network of experts who, using Seegene's technology, can accelerate the development of new tests for a wide range of conditions."

Seegene and Springer Nature received significant interest from the global scientific community for the inaugural Open Innovation Program launched in 2023. The program, comprising 15 projects, received a total of 281 applications from 47 countries, resulting in a competitive ratio of 11 to 1 for the selection of 26 applicants. Recognizing the potential of technology sharing, the two companies aim to expedite the commercialization of expertise and knowledge across various fields. This year marks the second iteration of the program, which will depart from the 2023 model of predefined product development. Instead, the 2024 program will adopt a more open format, allowing applicants to propose for any product development.

"We have high expectations for the Open Innovation Program to contribute to the democratization of PCR molecular diagnostics," said Marc Spenle, COO of Springer Nature. "Together with Seegene, we will create an ecosystem that encourages and accelerates the development of new tests to address currently unmet needs."

About Seegene

Seegene has 23 years of dedicated R&D, manufacturing, and business experience around syndromic quantitative PCR technologies, which was highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic when it provided over 340 million COVID-19 tests to more than 100 countries worldwide. The core feature of Seegene's unique syndromic PCR technologies is the ability to simultaneously test 14 pathogens that cause similar symptoms in a single tube and provide quantitative information on the infectivity profile to correlate with the severity of illness.

About Springer Nature

For over 180 years Springer Nature has been advancing discovery by providing the best possible service to the whole research community. We help researchers uncover new ideas, make sure all the research we publish is significant, robust and stands up to objective scrutiny, that it reaches all relevant audiences in the best possible format, and can be discovered, accessed, used, re-used and shared. We support librarians and institutions with innovations in technology and data; and provide quality publishing support to societies.

As a research publisher, Springer Nature is home to trusted brands including Springer, Nature Portfolio, BMC, Palgrave Macmillan and Scientific American.

For more information, please visit springernature.com and @SpringerNature.

FURTHER INFORMATION

SG OneSystemTM

SG OneSystemTM business is Seegene's global strategy to share its PCR molecular diagnostics technology and know-how, accumulated over more than 20 years, with leading companies worldwide to create a global consortium that would expand the development pipeline of PCR products. Furthermore, Seegene seeks to harness the collective expertise and knowledge of the global scientific community to advance innovation in the diagnostic field. Through these combined efforts, the commercialization of expertise and knowledge, as well as the development of diagnostic products tailored to meet the needs of the local market, SG OneSystemTM aims to democratize early access to PCR testing and ultimately contribute to realizing 'a world free of diseases'.

In January 2024, Seegene entered a strategic collaboration with Microsoft to bolster its Seegene Digitalized Development System (SGDDS) using Microsoft's technology including plans for utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) in the future. Seegene's collaboration with Microsoft and Springer Nature will advance the SG OneSystemTM business. These three companies are planning for a declaration event to kick off the collaborative partnerships this year.

Open Innovation Program (OIP)

Open Innovation Program (OIP) is a global PCR reagent development project co-hosted by Seegene and Springer Nature. The inaugural program launched in 2023 September called for application to scientist and experts across the community to conduct research for the 15 designated projects to develop Seegene's syndromic qPCR diagnostics assay reagents.

The open innovation program is part of Seegene's technology-sharing business, SG OneSystemTM business aimed at realizing 'a world free from all diseases' with the goal of developing products that consolidate knowledge and expertise of science and experts worldwide.

Seegene Digitalized Development System (SGDDS)

Seegene Digitalized Development System (SGDDS) is a system that enables standardized and automated development of diagnostic kits. It is embedded with Seegene's technologies and product expertise and provides support for researchers to easily develop syndromic PCR products, even to those with limited development experience.

SOURCE Seegene Inc.

Hyeongjoo Park, [email protected]
On May 15, Xu Baoqiang, general manager of Baidus autonomous driving vehicle department, said in an interview that Baidu is considering potential collaboration opportunities with Tesla for the latters upcoming Robotaxi service. The decision will be based on Teslas specific application models and the timing of their entry into the Chinese market.

For those that say Tesla FSD is not as good as Waymo, why would a company with Waymo-level robotaxi technology want to use Tesla FSD?

The Baidu, Waymo and other Lidar and hypermapped systems are brittle. If there is construction and changes and unexpected dynamic obstacles then the Lidar systems fail.

Apollo Go currently offers robotaxi services in over 10 cities in China, standing out as the first company to provide fully driverless robotaxi service in cities including Beijing, Wuhan, Shenzhen, and Chongqing.

Baidu has its Apollo robotaxi service operating in China and has about as many robotaxi vehicles and mileage as Googles Waymo service. Baidu is operating in more cities than Waymo or any other robotaxi service. Baidu will have more robotaxi vehicles than Waymo by the end of this year. Baidu Apollo is using the same Lidar technology as Waymo.

Baidu is a leading AI company with strong internet foundation, proudly announced a significant operation upgrade for Apollo Go, its autonomous ride-hailing service platform. Apollo Go is now offering 24/7 autonomous driving service in selected areas of Wuhan, becoming Chinas first provider to offer such service.

On February 27, 2024, Apollo Go launched fully driverless rides across the challenging landscape of the Yangtze River, covering both the north and south banks across the Yangsigang Yangtze River Bridge and Wuhan Baishazhou Bridge. Previously, in August 2023, Baidu introduced driverless airport transportation services in Wuhan, establishing itself as Chinas pioneer in providing autonomous rides to and from airports, seamlessly connecting urban roads and highways. On February 23, 2024, Apollo Go unveiled a similar service in Beijing, as Baidu was approved for robotaxi pilot operation on highways to Beijing Daxing Airport.

Wuhan is one of the worlds leading cities in implementing intelligent transportation. By the end of 2023, the total test mileage run by autonomous vehicles in the city has exceeded 3,378.73 kilometers, covering an area of about 3,000 square kilometers and a population of over 7.7 million. Apollo Go currently operates a total of 300 fully driverless vehicles in Wuhan.

Apollo Go has provided over 5 million cumulative rides as of January 2024. Today, Baidu and Apollo Go are actively working to bring fully autonomous ride hailing services to an even wider range of locations and users. Apollo Go currently offers robotaxi services in over 10 cities in China, standing out as the first company to provide fully driverless robotaxi service in cities including Beijing, Wuhan, Shenzhen, and Chongqing.

Baidu, announced its new 6th generation robotaxi, with plans to deploy 1,000 of them in Wuhan in 2024. They also forecast they will be profitable in 2025 (on a unit economy basis, a type of gross margin.) The new vehicle, which costs them 200,000 RMB to build (around $27,500 USD) is half the cost of their previous generation vehicle.
An Atlantic County man awaiting sentencing on firearms offenses was charged with murder Thursday after authorities say he shot and killed a Pleasantville resident earlier this month.

Kalief Lyons, 35, of Galloway Township was charged with murder and weapons offenses by the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office in the death of Baseem Taliaferro, 38.

Pleasantville police found Taliaferro with a single gunshot wound to the chest after responding to the area of 9 West Pleasant Avenue for reports of gunfire at 11:02 p.m. on May 9, authorities said.
UPDATE: This story has been updated to include Aaditya Aiyer, a New Jersey resident who participated in a regional contest in Pennsylvania to qualify for the spelling bee. The location of Harini Muralis school has been corrected.

Six of New Jerseys top young spellers are headed to Maryland later this month to compete in the 96th Scripps National Spelling Bee, contest officials announced Thursday.

The 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee  which will be held in National Harbor, Maryland, from May 28 to 30  includes a field of 245 competitors, officials said. It is the largest bee since 2019.

The national qualifiers advanced through local and regional bees that took place in early April. New Jerseys qualifiers are from Somerset, Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Monmouth and Hunterdon counties.

The New Jersey participants are:

Aditya Jagan Mohan, 12, a sixth grader at Franklin Middle School in Somerset

Olivia Rhee, 14, an eighth grader at Lewis F. Cole Middle School in Fort Lee

Kavya Jakasania , 14, an eighth grader at Frank R. Conwell, Middle School #4 in Jersey City

Mariam Belkouchi, 14, an eighth grader at Maarif School in Bloomfield

Harini Murali, 12, a seventh grader at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Edison

Aaditya Aiyer, 14, an eighth grader at Clinton Township Middle School in Clinton Township

Kavya, the student from Jersey City, is among those returning to the national spelling bee for a second time. The 14-year-old previously represented Hudson County in the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Kavya made to the semifinals last year, making it to the final 22 out of 230 contestants.

The winner of the spelling bee will receive $50,000 in cash, a commemorative medal and the Scripps Cup, the official championship trophy, along with prizes from other organizations, including Merriam-Webster, the publishing company.

Six former finalists and three participants who have been in the national bee four times are included in this years contest. But, 180 spellers  more than 73% of the participants  are competing in their first Scripps National Spelling Bee, officials said.

Each year, Im moved by the stories I read about our spellers in the leadup to the national rounds of the competition, said Corrie Loeffler, the bees executive director. They are athletes and artists, engineers and entrepreneurs, philanthropists and authors  they are multi-faceted young people.

The thing they have in common is a shared love of language and the empowerment that comes from having the words to make connections and express their ideas, she said.

The competitors, ranging in ages from eight to 15, are sponsored by local groups.

The New Jersey participants are sponsored by: the Somerset County Library System of New Jersey in Bridgewater; the Bergen County Division of Cultural & Historic Affairs in Hackensack; the Hudson County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs in Jersey City; Sidelines and Stages in Maplewood; Press Communications in Neptune City; and Diamond City Sports in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

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Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com.
A New Jersey food truck known for barbecue classics as well as non-conventional creations is opting to park and open up a brick-and-mortar location.

Harrys Smokin BBQ, which has operated out of Toms River for more than four years, will open up at 213 Route 37 in Toms River. The space was formerly home to Mi Mexico Lindo.

The barbecue eatery is expected to open in early July, though an official date hasnt been announced.

Owner Harry Clayton said the move was fueled by the need to keep up with customer demands.

Opening the storefront is to better service our customers and gain new ones, Clayton told NJ Advance Media. People can sit inside, we dont have to close when it rains or when the weather is bad.

Toms Rivers newest barbecue eatery will be BYOB and feature indoor seating for about 40 guests as well as a few outdoor tables.

Clayton began operating the Harrys Smokin BBQ truck in November of 2019. The trailer will remain open until the restaurant is open and possibly on a limited basis afterward. Clayton also said he plans to expand the restaurants catering offerings.

Harry's Smokin' BBQ, which has operated at a food truck for the past four years, will unveil its first brick and mortar spot in Toms River this summer. (Photo Courtesy, Harry's Smokin' BBQ)Harry's Smokin' BBQ

Harrys Smokin BBQ offers a variety of barbecue items as well as outside-the-box creations. The menu includes items like pulled pork, burgers, cheesesteaks made with ribeye, brisket, pulled pork and pulled chicken, melts, boardwalk-style fries, mac and cheese bites, corn nuggets and more.

Were going to continue to sell what put us on the map, Clayton said. But were also going to bring more of the traditional barbecue on a daily basis  the brisket, ribs and stuff like that.

The eatery also serves outside-the-box creations like the redneck egg roll (filled with pulled pork, mac and cheese and barbecue sauce), the Texas Twinkie melt (Texas toast, cream cheese, candied jalapenos, sliced bacon, brisket and shredded cheese) and the Texas Twinkie burger among others.

People enjoy what we put out, they like the creativity, Clayton said. They like to be able to get some barbecue stuff. But if theres a family or party member that doesnt really eat barbecue, theres still options for them as well.

Harrys also offers empanadas, quesadillas, tacos, nachos, hot dogs, hot chicken and more. Specials like pastrami and Baltimore pit beef also grace the Harrys menu every once in a while.

Harry's Smokin' BBQ, which has operated at a food truck for the past four years, will unveil its first brick and mortar spot in Toms River this summer. (Photo Courtesy, Harry's Smokin' BBQ)Harry's Smokin' BBQ

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Christopher Burch can be reached at cburch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @SwishBurch. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips/.
Christian Nodal is bringing the Mexican music scene to a city near you this fall.

Nodal will begin his Pal Cora Tour on Sept. 11 in Seattle and will wrap up on Nov. 10 in Baltimore.

While on tour, he will perform in Newark at the Prudential Center on Oct. 20 and at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Oct. 26.

At the Brooklyn arena, AMEX card members can access the American Express Card Member Entrance, which allows them to skip the line and enter the arena before non-AMEX cardmembers. Cardholders can also get 10% off on food and drinks at concession stands and two free drinks, including alcoholic beverages, in the 40/40 Club and Modelo Bar.

Im very excited that we will meet again very soon. Im working very hard to make Pal Cora Tour even more surprising than the previous one, Nodal said in a press release.

Presale began on May 15 at 10 a.m. and will wrap up on May 16 at 9 a.m. through Ticketmaster.

The general sale will then begin on May 16 at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster.

If you miss out on tickets through the general sale, then you can find tickets on secondary market websites, such as StubHub, Vivid Seats, TicketCity and SeatGeek.

If you find that you never secure the tickets at the best cost or in the section you want to be in through StubHub, you can find some tips and tricks here.

First-time Vivid Seats users can save $20 on ticket orders over $200 by entering promo code NJ20 at checkout.

A complete list of Christian Nodals show dates is available here.

Barclays Center Upcoming Tours 2024

Christian Nodal is not the only artist heading to Barclays Center while on tour.

Here are a few other upcoming tours you wont want to miss: Russ, Chris Brown, Janet Jackson and Ed Sheeran.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Nicole Iuzzolino can be reached at niuzzolino@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips.
Ed Sheeran is treating his New York fans to a night of oldies.

Sheeran has announced a one-night-only concert at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. on May 22 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his sophomore album X.

The pop artist made the album from 2011-2014 and spanned much of his personal life through those years, which he described as being a mad time on his Instagram.

Going from playing pubs and clubs to selling arenas in those years, falling in and out of love, traveling all round the world, working with some of the best producers in the world, it was a real rollercoaster, and its been amazing to revisit all the memories. Cant wait to experience the multiply show with you, and remember some amazing moments over this summer together, Sheeran said.

At the Brooklyn arena, AMEX card members can access the American Express Card Member Entrance, which allows them to skip the line and enter the arena before non-AMEX cardmembers. Cardholders can also get 10% off on food and drinks at concession stands and two free drinks, including alcoholic beverages, in the 40/40 Club and Modelo Bar.

If you thought he was only going to celebrate the anniversary with a concert, then you are in for a treat.

Sheeran will also release a special 10th anniversary edition of X on June 21 along with new merch. The album will feature nine bonus tracks outside of the albums original 12 tracks.

If you want to dance the night away to hit songs like The Fault in Our Stars, Dont and Thinking Out Loud, then here is how you can get tickets.

How to get Ed Sheeran concert tickets

Ed Sheeran fans can buy tickets on secondary market websites, such as StubHub, Vivid Seats, TicketCity, SeatGeek and Ticketmaster.

The cheapest ticket for his Barclays Center concert, before fees at the time of publication, is $135 on StubHub.

If you find that you never secure the tickets at the best cost or in the section you want to be in through StubHub, you can find some tips and tricks here.

First-time Vivid Seats users can save $20 on ticket orders over $200 by entering promo code NJ20 at checkout.

A complete list of Ed Sheerans show and festival dates is available here.

Barclays Center Upcoming Tours 2024

Ed Sheeran is not the only artist heading to Barclays Center.

Here are a few other upcoming tours you wont want to miss: Russ, Chris Brown, Janet Jackson and Childish Gambino.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Nicole Iuzzolino can be reached at niuzzolino@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips.
Federal prosecutors say U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and his wife Nadine were motivated by greed when they took money, gold bars and a Mercedes convertible from their wealthy friends in exchange for doing their bidding in Washington.

But at the opening of the New Jersey Democrats corruption trial Wednesday, Bob Menendezs lawyer said he was kept in the dark by his wife about the alleged bribes.

Every time the government shows you something about Nadine, just ask yourself, Wheres Bob? attorney Avi Weitzman said, displaying the question over a cartoon crowd borrowed from a Wheres Waldo?? book projected for the jury.

Wheres Bob now? Back in federal court in Manhattan to face the charges, including bribery, fraud, extortion and acting as a foreign agent.

His freedom could hinge on whether prosecutors can tie actions he took in Washington to gifts and jobs given to his wife, as well as cash and gold bars the FBI seized from his home.

Opening statements from both sides, along with court documents, are beginning to fill out details from the explosive 18-count indictment, which accused the Menendez couple of abusing the senators post on behalf of a trio of New Jersey businessmen.

Who were they? By prosecutors telling, they were rich guys who needed the wheels greased in Washington, or an embarrassing investigation to go away, and thought Menendez could be bought.

Some were acting in their own interests, prosecutors told the jury, but two of them also got Menendez to influence U.S. policy to favor the governments of Egypt and Qatar, adding international intrigue to an otherwise typical New Jersey tale of corruption and graft.

Heres a rundown of key players in the case.

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., leaves the Manhattan federal court, after the first day of his corruption trial, Monday, May, 13, 2024, in New York.AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah

Bob Menendez

Bob Menendez has a lot of friends.

The last time he was facing federal corruption charges, prosecutors said he abused his office on behalf of a wealthy Florida doctor who, in return, lavished him with vacations and other bribes.

Until recently among New Jerseys most powerful political figures, the Hudson County kingmaker was known as generous with his friends and politically dangerous to his enemies.

But under federal law, the line between a bribe from a donor and a gift from a friend can be blurry, and Menendez was able to show he and the doctor went way back. After the jury couldnt agree who was right, prosecutors dropped the charges.

Now Menendezs legal team has to unpack his connections with the three businessmen  Wael Hana, Fred Daibes and Jose Uribe  and convince jurors that the feds mistook those friendships for illegal influence peddling.

How? So far, by blaming his wife.

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslanian, leave Liberty House Restaurant in Jersey City after attending the victory party for his son, Rob Menendez Jr., who won the Eighth District congressional seat, on election night, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)

Nadine Menendez

Bob Menendez met Nadine Arslanian at an IHOP in Union City, where he previously served as mayor.

He was a gregarious politician with a well-documented taste for the nightlife and a habit of bursting into song. She was a North Jersey socialite in her own right, with wealthy friends eager to bend her husbands ear, prosecutors say.

The senator proposed outside the Taj Mahal in India, video posted by the couple shows, serenading her with a showtune as he presented the ring. They married in 2020.

Her own trial has been put off as she receives undisclosed medical treatment, but both sides made clear Wednesday that Nadine Menendez was central to the case.

He used Nadine as his go-between to deliver messages to and from the people paying bribes, Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Pomerantz told jurors Wednesday.

Weitzman, the senators attorney, countered Nadine Menendez kept him in the dark about some of her arrangements with her rich pals, describing them as loans that were later paid off.

She wasnt going to let Bob know that she had financial problems, he said.

What kind of financial problems? She was behind on her mortgage, prosecutors say, and her car was totaled when she struck and killed a pedestrian in 2018, in a case that was previously deemed an accident but is now under investigation after the federal charges drew renewed scrutiny.

When authorities raided the couples Englewood Cliffs home, they seized a black Mercedes-Benz C-300 convertible worth more than $60,000.

That car was paid for by a pair of North Jersey businessmen, prosecutors say.

All is GREAT! Nadine Menendez texted one of the men, Wael Hana, a week before the purchase. Im so excited to get a car.

Jose Uribe leaves federal court, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, in New York. Uribe is named as one of three co-defendants in a bribery case with Sen. Robert Menendez. Menendez pled not guilty to federal charges alleging he used his powerful post to secretly advance Egyptian interests and carry out favors for local businessmen in exchange for bribes of cash and gold bars. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon) APAP

Jose Uribe

Hanas associate, Jose Uribe, has since pleaded guilty to bribing Menendez, saying he and Hana bought the car in exchange for political favors from the senator.

What did he get out of the deal? Uribe ran insurance and trucking companies in New Jersey and was under investigation by state authorities. Prosecutors say he wanted Menendez, a federal official with broad influence in state politics, to get them to drop the probe.

It didnt work.

Uribe was a relatively minor player in the alleged scheme, but he was the first defendant in the case to flip, and his testimony could be crucial to the governments case.

Prosecutors say they can show Menendez, acting on Uribes behalf, reached out to New Jersey authorities to improperly influence their investigation.

Its not yet clear what Menendez said, but theyre expected to call former state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal to testify about a conversation he had with the senator about the case.

Prosecutors will have to prove that whatever Menendez said to the attorney general was in effort to get Uribe to buy his wife a car.

Or at least the $15,000 down payment.

Wael Hana leaves the federal courthouse in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. Hana is a co-defendant with Robert Menendez, the longtime chairman and top Democrat on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who is accused of using his position to aid the authoritarian government of Egypt and to pressure federal prosecutors to drop a case against a friend, among other allegations of corruption. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) APAP

Wael Hana

Most of the money for the Mercedes came from Hana, prosecutors say, in exchange for Menendezs help landing Hana a lucrative contract.

This is where the acting as a foreign agent stuff comes into play, but it has less to do with blockbuster espionage than with international meat exports.

The feds say it went like this: Hana ran a company that certified meat products were halal, or prepared in adherence with Islamic law, and he was trying to keep an exclusive contract with Egypt to certify any meat headed there from the U.S.

He was also friends with Nadine Menendez, giving her a no-show job, the car, and mortgage payments, according to prosecutors.

In return, Menendez  until recently the head of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee  improperly advised and pressured a U.S. agricultural official to help secure the contract, prosecutors say.

Prosecutors say Hana acted as a conduit, relaying information from Menendez to Egyptian officials and setting up meetings and dinners.

At one dinner in 2018, Menendez allegedly told Hana that the U.S. was lifting a ban on small arms sales to Egypt  fresh news he passed along to his contacts in the Egyptian government.

Later that month, prosecutors say Menendez worked behind the scenes on a letter Egyptian officials sent to his colleagues in Congress, seeking the release of $300 million in foreign aid.

Menendez denied any undue foreign influence. On Wednesday, his attorney said he was an American patriot.

Fred Daibes arrives at the federal courthouse in Manhattan for his arraignment on corruption charges, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023John J. LaRosa | For NJ Advance

Fred Daibes

Third in the trio of businessmen is Fred Daibes, whose real estate interests spanned from New Jerseys Gold Coast to the nation of Qatar.

Daibes, an Edgewater-based developer whose flashy properties helped transform the Hudson River waterfront from a dumping ground to a wealthy suburban strip, has also faced heat from federal authorities for his business practices.

He pleaded guilty in 2022 in a separate insider loan scheme, but not before trying to get his friend, Menendez, to tip the scales, authorities say.

Daibes gave Menendez and his wife gold bars and envelopes stuffed with cash that federal authorities later traced back to him through serial numbers, DNA and fingerprints, court documents show.

In exchange, Menendez tried to influence the outcome of his case with the U.S. Attorneys office in New Jersey by supporting a new top prosecutor Daibes thought would go easy on him, the documents say.

Around the same time, Daibes was trying to drum up real estate business in Qatar and urged his friend, the senator, to make public statements supporting the Qatari government.

After attending one event with Qatari officials in Manhattan, Daibes allegedly sent Menendez a picture of a listing for a luxury watch online, asking How about one of these?

Menendezs legal team said he acted entirely appropriately with respect to Qatar, Egypt, and the many other countries he routinely interacts with as part of his duties as a senator.

Daibes has pleaded not guilty and now stands trial along with Hana and Bob Menendez. Nadine Menendez will be tried separately.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Ted Sherman contributed to this report, which also includes material from the Associated Press.

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S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X.
This Biloxi casino ranked in Top 10 casinos across the US, best outside of Las Vegas
On Friday, April 26, representatives and Councillors from Torridge District Council were invited to the Ukrainian Hub in Lower Meddon Street, Bideford  where they were presented with a beautifully framed painting to say thank you for all the support they have been given over the last two years.

The hub opened on May 13, 2022, to provide a safe space for Ukrainian refugees who had to leave their homes and families behind and seek refuge in other countries. Local charity, Wings, created the hub as a place where fellow refugees could meet and receive advice and support.

Mariana who was living in Lviv, Western Ukraine when the war broke out said: Those of us that use the Hub are extremely grateful for all the support we have been given over the last two years, not just in terms of advice and assistance but this has been a place where we can come and connect with fellow Ukrainians and the people of Bideford.

It has been invaluable and everyone has been so welcoming. We wanted to show our gratitude to Staci Dorey from Torridge District Council who has been instrumental in the support that we have received. We will forever be grateful.

Cllr. Claire Hodson, Deputy Leader of Torridge District Council said: It has been fantastic to see the hub in Bideford thriving with people of all ages mixing. I am very proud that as a Council we have been able to support Wings in delivering this essential service. The team have created something very special with children having the space to enjoy games and their mums the space to talk and share their experiences.

It was inspiring to meet and speak to the refugees and talk through the experiences they have been through. They are extremely grateful for the support they have received, and I am proud that Torridge District Council are part of supporting such a valuable service. Well done to everyone involved!

Andy Best, Ukrainian Hub Manager said: I am so proud to have been part of this project over the last two years and would like to thank all those that have supported the Wings team and the hub! Our incredible team of volunteers have worked hard to create a welcoming space and it has been heart warming to see that guests have been able to build relationships and a community, whilst receiving support and practical assistance.

170 Ukrainians have arrived in Torridge through the Homes For Ukrainians Scheme.

The Ukrainian Hub is open from 11:00am to 1:00pm every Friday, for more information visit, www.wingscharity.com/ukraine.
Floridas state government will no longer be required to consider climate change when crafting energy policy under legislation signed Wednesday by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican.

The new law, which passed the Florida Legislature in March and takes effect on July 1, will also prohibit the construction of offshore wind turbines in state waters and will repeal state grant programs that encourage energy conservation and renewable energy.

The legislation also deletes requirements that state agencies use climate-friendly products and purchase fuel-efficient vehicles. And it prevents any municipality from restricting the type of fuel that can be used in an appliance, such as a gas stove.

The legislation, along with two other bills Mr. DeSantis signed on Wednesday, will keep windmills off our beaches, gas in our tanks, and China out of our state, the governor wrote on the social media platform X. Were restoring sanity in our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of the radical green zealots.
J. Gary Cooper, a two-star general and the first African American to lead a Marine infantry company in combat, who later became an Alabama state lawmaker, an assistant secretary of the Air Force and an ambassador to Jamaica, died on April 27 at his home in Mobile, Ala. He was 87.

His death was confirmed by his daughter Joli Claire Cooper.

General Cooper, who grew up in Alabama in the 1930s and 40s, overcame the harsh segregation of the Deep South to attain leadership roles in the military, corporate America and government, a sweeping arc that paralleled the paths of a generation of African Americans that pushed open doors during a time of profound racial change in the United States.

General Cooper was raised in Mobile in a rarefied world: the Black upper class of the pre-civil rights era. His family owned an insurance company and a funeral home. But money did not insulate him from the strictures of Jim Crow and its long racist shadow.

When his father tried to send him to an all-white Roman Catholic school, the local bishop barred him. When he returned to Mobile to run the family business after 12 years in the Marines, the Junior Chamber of Commerce rejected him as a member. And in 1973, when General Cooper went to the Mobile County Courthouse to obtain a marriage license, he was humiliated to find that Black couples were made to sign a colored register, separate from the one for white couples.
Slovakia, which was left reeling on Wednesday after an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico, is a relatively young country whose history is closely intertwined with that of its central European neighbors.

Slovakia is one of two nations born out of the former Czechoslovakia amid the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the waning years of the 20th century.

Czechoslovakia was a multiethnic nation established at the end of World War I that endured dismemberment by the Nazis and more than four decades of Communist rule. But during the fall of Communism in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when independence movements gained strength throughout the Soviet Union, a series of largely peaceful protests called the Velvet Revolution led Czechoslovakia first to independence and then to a split, often referred to as the Velvet Divorce, that left two nations: the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

After several years of economic and political upheaval following its independence, Slovakia joined the European Union and NATO in 2004, and adopted the euro in 2009. As the country navigated the establishment of its national identity, some tensions remained with the Czech Republic, its richer and larger neighbor, which has roughly twice Slovakias population of five million.
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.

Mano a Mango

President Biden and Donald Trump agreed to two forthcoming presidential debates on Wednesday.

Stephen Colbert joked that the debate over debating is finally over.
Its been 14 years since Goldman Sachs was vilified as a vampire squid by Matt Taibbi in Rolling Stone. Organized greed always defeats disorganized democracy, he concluded then.

Goldman has since experienced some hard times, tarred by scandal (the looting of a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund) and forced to bail out of consumer banking. Big companies like Walt Disney are under attack not so much from the socialist left, but by conservatives for being too woke. Yet organized greed lives on, a seemingly intractable aspect of human nature, as three new business books make clear.

The age-old swing of the pendulum between greed, excess and regulation is the subject of TAMING THE OCTOPUS: The Long Battle for the Soul of the Corporation (Norton, 290 pp., $29.99), by Kyle Edward Williams, a history of efforts to temper capitalist excess through social responsibility, whether self-directed by corporations or imposed by regulators. Inevitably, greed and scandal breed regulation, which in turn provokes proponents of the free market to decry government overreach. Consider the Glass-Steagall Act, which separated commercial banking from more speculative investment banking during the Great Depression only to be relaxed by the Clinton administration more than six decades later. The cycle then begins anew.
Last October, an Israeli settler in the West Bank set a Palestinian home on fire. In January, a mob of settlers chased a truck driver and two of his workers, sending all three to the hospital. And last fall, a settler shot a Palestinian in the stomach in front of an Israeli soldier. Yet the authorities have not charged any of these settlers  or others who have attacked West Bank residents  with crimes.

These stories come from a multiyear investigation that my colleagues Ronen Bergman and Mark Mazzetti have just published in The Times Magazine. In it, they document how violent factions within the settler movement have repeatedly received protection from the Israeli government despite attacks against Palestinians  and even against Israeli officials who tried to challenge the settlers.

A long history of crime without punishment, Ronen and Mark write, threatens not only Palestinians living in the occupied territories but also the State of Israel itself. Their story, they explain, is an account of a sometimes criminal nationalistic movement that has been allowed to operate with impunity and gradually move from the fringes to the mainstream of Israeli society.

The government has accepted settler violence for decades, leaving many West Bank Palestinians feeling frightened and helpless. An Israeli government report in 1982 documented the problem, to no effect. So did later reports in 2005 and 2012.
Slovakias leader was attacked

Robert Fico, Slovakias prime minister, was shot five times and critically wounded yesterday, the most serious attack on a European leader in decades. Officials said the attack appeared to have been an assassination attempt and was politically motivated. The police said a suspect had been detained.

Fico was rushed to a nearby hospital and then airlifted to another hospital for emergency surgery. Hours later, the deputy prime minister, Tomas Taraba, told reporters that Ficos life was no longer in danger and that he expected the prime minister to survive.

Videos from the scene showed the gunman shooting Fico in Banikov Square, in the center of the town of Handlova. The attacker stood with other people behind a barrier before shooting Fico at close range as he greeted them.

Who is Robert Fico? The 59-year-old politician is serving his third term. He has aligned with the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, in opposing aid to Ukraine and has strong ties to Russias leader, Vladimir Putin.
European Union regulators on Thursday opened investigations into the American tech giant Meta for the potentially addictive effects Instagram and Facebook have on children, an action with far-reaching implications because it cuts to the core of how the companys products are designed.

Metas products may exploit the weaknesses and inexperience of minors to create behavioral dependencies that threaten their mental well-being, the European Commission, the executive branch of the 27-member bloc, said in a statement. E.U. regulators could ultimately fine Meta up to 6 percent of its global revenue, which was $135 billion last year, as well as force other product changes.

The investigations are part of a growing effort by governments around the world to rein in services like Instagram and TikTok to protect minors. Meta has for years faced criticism that its products and recommendation algorithms are fine-tuned to hook children. In October, three dozen states in the United States sued Meta for using psychologically manipulative product features to lure children, in violation of consumer protection laws.

E.U. regulators said they had been in touch with U.S. counterparts about the investigations announced on Thursday. The regulators said Meta could be in violation of the Digital Services Act, a law approved in 2022 that requires large online services to more aggressively police their platforms for illicit content and have policies in place to mitigate risks toward children. People younger than 13 are not supposed to able to sign up for an account, but E.U. investigators said they would scrutinize the companys age-verification tools as part of their investigation.
The driver of a waste disposal truck died on Wednesday, the police said, from injuries he received at the Phoenix campus of the chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. The site is under construction.

The truck driver, identified by the Phoenix Police Department as Cesar Anguiano-Guitron, 41, was a contractor. No TSMC employees or construction workers were injured, according to an earlier statement from the company.

According to the Phoenix police, Mr. Anguiano-Guitron had been transporting waste material away from the construction site in his tractor-trailer when the episode occurred. As he inspected some equipment, the police said, pressure was suddenly released, and Mr. Anguiano-Guitron was struck by a blunt object and thrown over 20 feet from the trailer.

TSMC, which makes a majority of the worlds advanced semiconductors, has been building its campus in Arizona since 2021. Last month, the Biden administration awarded the company a $6.6 billion grant under the CHIPS and Science Act in a bid to bring cutting-edge chip making to the United States.
President Biden announced this week that he planned to sharply increase the taxes America imposes on electric vehicles, solar cells, advanced batteries and other climate technologies imported from China. Labor groups cheered him on, unsurprisingly: Those tariffs would make Chinese green technology more expensive for Americans, which could protect American jobs in the clean energy sector.

Politically speaking, support from labor groups like the United Auto Workers is a win for the president, who needs strong union backing in his rematch election this fall against Donald Trump.

But some climate activists and economists say the tariffs could slow the fight against global warming at a time when global temperatures continue to smash records. They want Americans to buy E.V.s and solar panels and anything else that will speed the transition away from fossil fuels, with less regard to where those products come from. Bidens tariffs, including a 100 percent rate on E.V.s, would make it nearly impossible for some Chinese products to compete in the United States on price.

Tens of millions of low-cost E.V.s being sold around the world in the next few years would hugely help advance the effort to slow emissions, Dean Baker, an economist at the liberal-leaning Center for Economic and Policy Research, wrote in a blog post this week. If China wants to subsidize this process, we should be thanking them.
Burnishing his climate credentials at a conference hosted by Pope Francis at the Vatican on Thursday, Californias governor, Gavin Newsom, criticized former President Donald J. Trump for reportedly meeting with fossil fuel executives and asking them for $1 billion in contributions to his election campaign.

Open corruption, Mr. Newsom said to a gathering of religious officials, scientists and politicians from around the world. A billion dollars to pollute our states, to pollute our country, and to pollute this planet and to roll back progress in the open.

Mr. Newsom hasnt been shy about his stance on climate change. He often attends climate conferences and as governor he has signed a raft of laws and regulations to speed the nations most populous state away from fossil fuels, including a ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035 and a mandate to stop adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by 2045. He wants to end oil drilling in his state, a major oil producer, also by 2045.

Under his watch, the state of California has also sued several of the worlds biggest oil companies, claiming that their actions have caused tens of billions of dollars in damage and that they deceived the public by downplaying the risks posed by fossil fuels.
With Pride events scheduled worldwide over the coming weeks, U.S. officials are bracing for a return of mpox, the infectious disease formerly called monkeypox that struck tens of thousands of gay and bisexual men worldwide in 2022. A combination of behavioral changes and vaccination quelled that outbreak, but a majority of those at risk have not yet been immunized.

On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned of a deadlier version of mpox that is ravaging the Democratic Republic of Congo and urged people at risk to be vaccinated as soon as possible. No cases of that subtype have been identified outside Africa so far. But the escalating epidemic in Congo nevertheless poses a global threat, just as infections in Nigeria set off the 2022 outbreak, experts said.

This is a very important example of how an infection anywhere is potentially an infection everywhere, and why we need to continue to improve disease surveillance globally, said Anne Rimoin, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr. Rimoin has studied mpox in Congo for more than 20 years, and first warned of its potential for global spread in 2010.
Times Insider explains who we are and what we do and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together.

A surgeon in Rochester, Minn. A TV-news traffic anchor in Chicago. A church organist in Ellwood City, Pa.

For a recent issue of The New York Times Magazine themed around retirement, the writer Charley Locke and the photographer Victor Llorente wanted to answer one question: How do Americans mark the end of their careers?

In February, Kathy Ryan, the magazines director of photography, and Shannon Simon, a photo editor, pitched an idea for a photo essay documenting the final working days of Americans. They joined forces with Ms. Locke, Mr. Llorente and Mark Jannot, an editor at the magazine, to see it through.

Beginning in March, Ms. Locke and Mr. Llorente set out to capture a momentous transition in the lives of seven individuals who shared stories of joy, regret and bittersweet enthusiasm about leaving the work force.
This story is told in three parts. The first documents the unequal system of justice that grew around Jewish settlements in Gaza and the West Bank. The second shows how extremists targeted not only Palestinians but also Israeli officials trying to make peace. The third explores how this movement gained control of the state itself. Taken together, they tell the story of how a radical ideology moved from the fringes to the heart of Israeli political power.

PART I.

IMPUNITY

By the end of October, it was clear that no one was going to help the villagers of Khirbet Zanuta. A tiny Palestinian community, some 150 people perched on a windswept hill in the West Bank near Hebron, it had long faced threats from the Jewish settlers who had steadily encircled it. But occasional harassment and vandalism, in the days after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, escalated into beatings and murder threats. The villagers made appeal after appeal to the Israeli police and to the ever-present Israeli military, but their calls for protection went largely unheeded, and the attacks continued with no consequences. So one day the villagers packed what they could, loaded their families into trucks and disappeared.
In another world theres a Hong Sang-soo Cinematic Universe, where a rabid fandom celebrates the one or two movies every year featuring a revolving door not of familiar superheroes but of poets, filmmakers and actors, each of them contending with questions of life and love rather than planetary threats. Those elements, of artists in quotidian scenarios, drinking soju and smoking amid everyday conversation, are present in many of the small humanist gems that make up this South Korean auteurs filmography, and the same goes for his latest, In Our Day.

The film, as warm and wise as it is simple and languid, follows two separate parties (diptychs are another Hong trademark) across a single afternoon. One involves Sangwon (Kim Min-hee, Hongs frequent collaborator and offscreen partner), an actress pondering retirement, as she spends the day with her friend and her younger cousin; the other involves Uiju (Ki Joo-bong), an old poet dispensing life lessons in his apartment to two university students, one of whom is filming him for a documentary.
As Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York waited for Pope Francis in Clementine Hall, an ornate room with marble walls and frescoed ceilings in the Vaticans papal apartments, her thoughts drifted to her father.

Ms. Hochul was last in Rome seven years ago with her father, who was celebrating his 80th birthday. He passed away suddenly in October, while the governor was on another diplomatic trip abroad, visiting Israel. And now, as she sat in the Vatican, she recalled her upbringing as a social justice Catholic, and how it shaped her political journey.

It was a profound experience for me, sitting there reflecting on my familys teachings, Ms. Hochul said on Thursday. I was thinking in that room that this is really a culmination of a lifetime dedicated to service.

The governor was in Italy for just over 24 hours to attend a summit on climate change hosted by the pope at the Vatican. It was the second such trip taken by a New York leader in a week: Mayor Eric Adams of New York City met with the pope on Saturday.
The Portal, a large, round art installation designed to livestream video between the Flatiron district in Manhattan and a similar sculpture in the center of Dublin, would redefine the boundaries of artistic expression and connectivity, its promoters said when they unveiled it last week.

How it redefined those boundaries became a problem after videos on social media showed an OnlyFans model lifting her shirt in New York and people in Dublin displaying swastikas and images of the World Trade Center burning on Sept. 11, 2001.
Pinned

Michael D. Cohen leaving his apartment building on Thursday morning to head to Manhattan Criminal Court. He faced hours of attacks on his credibility, as defense lawyers painted him as a congenital liar.

Michael D. Cohen, Donald Trumps former fixer and current antagonist, faced a tough cross-examination on Thursday as the defense drilled into his past lies.

Mr. Cohen, once known as a hothead and a paid bully, did not explode as he did when testifying last fall at Mr. Trumps civil fraud trial. He seemed at times stressed under the searing questioning from Mr. Trumps attorney, Todd Blanche. In one dramatic moment, Mr. Blanche accused Mr. Cohen of inventing the content of a phone call just before the 2016 election that he testified was with Mr. Trump and in which they discussed a hush-money payment.

That was a lie, Mr. Blanche said, his voice rising.

Mr. Cohen is not done. After more than seven hours of cross-examination over two days, he will return to the stand Monday; the judge granted Mr. Trump a day off on Friday so he can attend his son Barrons graduation.

The former president is charged with falsifying 34 business records related to the reimbursement of the $130,000 hush-money payment to a porn star, Stormy Daniels, who says she had a sexual encounter with Mr. Trump in Lake Tahoe, Nev., in 2006. Mr. Trump, 77, has denied the charges and having had sex with Ms. Daniels. If convicted, he could face prison or probation.

Here are five takeaways from Mr. Trumps 18th day, and his fifth week, on trial.

The content of a call could be trouble for Cohen.

Image Mr. Trump spoke to the press on his arrival at the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building on Thursday, with his lawyer Todd Blanche standing by him. Credit... Pool photo by Mike Segar

It was a startling moment: Mr. Blanche on the attack, accusing Mr. Cohen of lying about a brief phone call on Oct. 24, 2016, which Mr. Cohen had previously said was to update Mr. Trump about the $130,000 he was going to pay to Ms. Daniels. Mr. Blanche, however, suggested Mr. Cohen was instead talking to a Trump bodyguard, Keith Schiller, about being the victim of phone pranks.

You were actually talking to Mr. Schiller about harassing phone calls from a 14-year-old, Blanche said heatedly.

Mr. Cohen said no, but wasnt definitive: I believe I spoke to Mr. Trump.

The call, made to Mr. Schillers phone, lasted about a minute and a half. Whether jurors believe that conversation was an update on a hush-money payment  or about prank calls  will affect Mr. Cohens credibility.

Reciting Cohens lies has a cumulative effect.

Prosecutors have tried to blunt attacks on Mr. Cohens credibility by introducing the jury to his myriad legal problems and stint in prison.

That strategy, however, could only go so far. The defense had many lines of attack available on Thursday: Mr. Blanche pressed Mr. Cohen about disavowing his 2018 guilty pleas for personal financial crimes and tax evasion related to the hush-money payoff. He was also asked about lying to a federal judge and making a false statement to Congress.

Jurors may not remember every attack, but they could buy the defenses overall contention that Mr. Cohen is not to be trusted.

The defense finds a motive in Cohens self-interest.

Mr. Cohen said this week that he had turned against Mr. Trump after he was raided by federal agents in 2018, saying his loyalty should have been to my wife, my daughter, my son, and the country.

Image Michael D. Cohen arriving with his family in 2018 at federal court in Manhattan, where he was sentenced to three years in prison for breaking campaign finance laws, tax evasion and lying to Congress. Credit... Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

But defense lawyers suggested Mr. Cohen was out for payback, playing a portion of an October 2020 podcast in which Mr. Cohen sounded giddy as he celebrated the investigations into Mr. Trump, saying that revenge is a dish best served cold. He concluded: I want this man to go down and rot inside for what he did to me and my family.

Mr. Blanche also painted Mr. Cohen as upset over not getting a White House job after the 2016 election, asking him about conversations that indicated he had wanted to be chief of staff.

Cohen kept his cool.

He has been called a liar, a loser and a money-grubber in court. Through all of these attacks, Mr. Cohen has remained mostly calm, soft-spoken and deliberate on the stand.

Mr. Cohen also appeared unfazed as Mr. Blanche brought up slights and humiliations after Mr. Trump won the election in November 2016, potentially to provide a motive for Mr. Cohens testimony. But the witness largely stood firm, saying at one point that he was pleased with being Mr. Trumps personal lawyer and that it was the role that I wanted.

The back-and-forth appeared to frustrate Mr. Blanche, who at one point rubbed his forehead after one of Mr. Cohens answers.

Jurors could get the case soon.

Mr. Cohens cross-examination will continue on Monday, but should be done before noon, according to Mr. Blanche. Prosecutors may re-interview Mr. Cohen and then are expected to rest their case.

Next comes the defenses turn. Mr. Trumps lawyers told the judge late Thursday that the former president had yet to decide whether he would testify. It is unclear whether his lawyers might call other witnesses.

Justice Juan M. Merchan told the lawyers they should be ready to make closing arguments on Tuesday.

That means that the jury, which has been on duty since April 22, could get the case just in time before the Memorial Day weekend.

Then the wait for a verdict begins.
How many of your acquaintances have been eaten by an immigrant who crossed the U.S. border illegally? How many such cases have you read or heard about?

Im going to go out on a limb  the botanical kind, not the sort that a cannibal might call dinner  and guess zero. Im also going to guess that a few of you are wondering if Ive lost my mind. Its the right worry, directed at the wrong person.

Donald Trump is the one who should be drawing your concern.

Although he has always allowed himself the loopiest of digressions, frequently babbled pure nonsense and found metaphors in strange and sinister places, a new oratorical preoccupation of his suggests a doubling of the bats in his belfry.

On numerous occasions, including a speech last weekend in Wildwood, N.J., Trump has swerved from the accusation that other countries are dumping criminals and institutionalized psychiatric patients on us to mentions of the fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter, a.k.a. Hannibal the Cannibal. You know, from The Silence of the Lambs. The character who once ate the liver of an impertinent census worker with some fava beans and a nice Chianti. A role that won Anthony Hopkins an Oscar.
Eighteen years ago, Madonna observed: Once you pass 35, your age becomes part of the first sentence of anything written. Its a form of limiting your options and almost putting you in your place. For women, naturally. She was 47 when she said that and intent on challenging the cultural script that suggested women, especially female performers, had a use-by date.

Why is that acceptable? she asked the music writer Brian Hiatt nearly 10 years later, still battling critics who told her to dress her age, act her age  in short, pack it in and retreat from the spotlight because she was past her prime. Women, generally, when they reach a certain age, have accepted that theyre not allowed to behave a certain way. But I dont follow the rules.

To the question Is she still relevant? her Celebration Tour, which concluded this month, is proof that she is. Madonna performed before the largest audience ever gathered to watch a female artist and staged the single biggest free stand-alone concert in history: 1.6 million people turned Rio de Janeiros Copacabana Beach into a dance floor on May 4. According to Billboard, her six-month, 80-show tour grossed $225.4 million, making her the only woman in history to gross more than $100 million during each of six concert tours. (The only solo male in that category is Bruce Springsteen.)

But theres so much more to her triumph than numbers. That a 65-year-old female pop star pulled off this tour and, despite our increasingly intolerant times, the performance was her most relentlessly and delightfully queer since 1990s groundbreaking Blond Ambition Tour would be unimaginable, except that it was Madonna. The Celebration Tour proved that Madonna wasnt afraid of drawing attention to her long career; she owned it proudly.
Last week, the Russian military opened a new front in its invasion of Ukraine.

Launching an offensive into the Kharkiv region, Russian forces quickly advanced several kilometers, managing to reoccupy several villages that were liberated during Ukraines successful offensive in September 2022. They have not yet reached the main line of defenses east of the city, which are held by brigades better equipped and more experienced than those closer to the border. But the situation is serious.

By threatening Ukraines second most populous city, Russia hopes to pin Ukrainian resources in the region, exposing the front elsewhere. Ukraines immediate priority is to stabilize the front line and prevent a major Russian breakthrough, which it may be able to do. But it is dealing with a series of challenges that have accumulated since last year and will not be quick to resolve. Despite the recent passing of the aid bill in Congress, which freed up billions in assistance for Kyiv, things are likely to get worse before they get better.

Russias aim is not to take Kharkiv, but to menace it by advancing toward the city and threatening it with artillery. While Russia lacks the forces to assault the city itself, the operation is designed to create a dilemma. Ukrainian forces are already stretched relatively thin; by drawing Ukraines reserves and better units to the defense of Kharkiv, the Russian attack weakens other parts of the front line. Russia remains focused on occupying the remainder of the Donetsk region in the east, looking to seize key transit hubs and population centers.

In recent days, some Ukrainian units have already been redeployed from Donetsk to Kharkiv, and it appears that Ukraine is deploying individual battalions to reinforce other parts of the front. This risks leaving Ukrainian forces in Donetsk even more vulnerable if Russia commits its reserves in that direction. Russian forces are also applying pressure near Kupiansk, to Kharkivs east, and in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia. Incursions along the border in the Sumy and Chernihiv regions may be to come.
Just weeks after Congress settled its long-running fight over military assistance to Ukraine, lawmakers have engaged in a new battle over the level of Pentagon spending for next year.

Senator Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican and minority leader, is pressing along with other Republicans for a significant increase in money for the military and to break the longstanding Democratic rule that domestic funding must rise equally with Pentagon spending.

This is the most dangerous time in the world since the Berlin Wall came down, and the military spending needs to reflect the needs of our country, which clearly argues against having an arbitrary line that doesnt spend more on defense than domestic, Mr. McConnell said. So I certainly do disagree with that, and were going to have a vigorous discussion about it.

Democrats have demanded parity between domestic and military funding in recent years. They argue that social programs are as deserving as defense and should not get shortchanged  or absorb deeper cuts to accommodate more Pentagon spending.
A man accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and then, years later, sending her a message that said So I raped you has been arrested in France, the authorities said.

The man, Ian Thomas Cleary of Saratoga, Calif., had been sought since 2021, when a warrant for his arrest was issued charging him with sexual assault. Mr. Cleary, 31, was detained last month in Metz, France, according to the prosecutors office at the Metz Appeals Court.

The prosecutors office said that Mr. Cleary had been arrested in connection with a case involving the possession of stolen goods. It did not provide further details about the circumstances of the arrest but said that Mr. Cleary had told the French police that he had been in France for the past two to three years.

Mr. Cleary is still in detention, the prosecutors office said. It was not immediately clear how quickly Mr. Cleary might be extradited to the United States, but the prosecutors office said he could be detained for up to 60 days, which is the amount of time American judicial authorities have to file an official extradition request.
Carol Moseley Braun, one of only two Black women to have been elected to the Senate in U.S. history, was in Paris on Wednesday when she was informed that another Black woman, Angela Alsobrooks, had won the Democratic nomination for an open Senate seat in Maryland.

Praise the Lord, she said with relief and surprise. Thats wonderful.

With Ms. Alsobrookss come-from-behind victory in Tuesdays primary, voters in November will most likely have the chance to double the number of Black women ever elected to the Senate. Another Democrat, Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester, is the odds-on favorite to win her partys nomination in September for an open Senate seat in heavily Democratic Delaware. If both win in November, for the first time, two Black women will serve in Congresss upper chamber at the same time.

Its been a long time coming, said Ms. Moseley Braun, who became the first Black female senator when she was elected from Illinois in 1992 and now serves as chairwoman of the United States African Development Foundation. The second, from California, is now the vice president, Kamala Harris. A third, Laphonza Butler, Democrat of California, was appointed to fill a vacant seat, but is not running for re-election.

For years, the national Democratic Party has faced criticism that it has declined to back Black women to the hilt, either in primaries or general elections, when they have run for statewide offices. Representative Barbara Lee, a seasoned political veteran and an antiwar icon, received barely a glance from the party apparatus this year when she ran for an open Senate seat in California.
President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump will participate in a CNN debate on June 27, just six weeks away.

It is one of the earliest presidential debates ever scheduled, and the event was brokered without the involvement of the Commission on Presidential Debates, which has hosted debates for nearly 40 years. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent presidential candidate, could qualify for the debate as well if he meets certain criteria.

Heres what to know:

What are the terms of the debate?

Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump will face off against each other at CNNs studios in Atlanta, just a few miles from the Fulton County jail where the former president was booked last year in his felony criminal case in the state. That case concerns his effort to overturn his loss in the 2020 election.

The debate will be held in a crucial swing state that Mr. Biden won in 2020 by just 11,779 votes. But it will take place without an audience, satisfying a condition from Mr. Bidens team, which wanted to avoid an in-person audience that could cheer, boo or otherwise derail the discussion. Mr. Bidens team also called for CNN to cut off the candidates microphones when they use up their allotted time.
The House on Thursday passed a bill that would rebuke President Biden for pausing an arms shipment to Israel and compel his administration to quickly deliver those weapons, in a largely symbolic vote engineered by the G.O.P. to spotlight the lefts divisions over Israels conduct of its offensive against Hamas.

The legislation has no chance of moving ahead. White House officials said the president would veto it, and Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, said it was not going anywhere in the Senate.

But it had its intended effect of splintering Democrats: 16 of them joined Republicans in favor of legislation that condemned their own presidents administration. The measure passed 224 to 187.

The vote was the latest bid by congressional Republicans to portray themselves and their party as the true friends of the Jewish state and capitalize politically on the rift among Democrats about the war. The bill effectively forced Democrats to choose between a vote that would show unequivocal backing for Israel but embarrass Mr. Biden, and one that Republicans portrayed as anti-Israel.
The Serbian government has approved a contract with Jared Kushner on plans to build a luxury hotel on the site of the former defense ministry in Belgrade, putting him directly into business with a European state as his father-in-law, Donald J. Trump, vies to return to the White House.

Mr. Kushner is pursuing the $500 million hotel project in partnership with Richard Grenell. A former Trump administration aide, Mr. Grenell first proposed that U.S. investors attempt to redevelop the long-vacant, bombed-out site of the former Yugoslav Ministry of Defense while Mr. Grenell was still a diplomat, serving as a special envoy to the Balkans.

The deal, which provoked protests in Belgrade on Thursday, is with an affiliate of Mr. Kushners Affinity Partners, the three-year-old, $3 billion investment fund backed by the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia.

The government of Serbia has chosen a reputable American company as a partner in this venture, which will invest in the revitalization of the former Federal Secretariat for National Defense complex, a Serbian government official said in a statement released on Wednesday.
NATO allies are inching closer to sending troops into Ukraine to train Ukrainian forces, a move that would be another blurring of a previous red line and could draw the United States and Europe more directly into the war.

Ukraines manpower shortage has reached a critical point, and its position on the battlefield in recent weeks has seriously worsened as Russia has accelerated its advances to take advantage of delays in shipments of American weapons. As a result, Ukrainian officials have asked their American and NATO counterparts to help train 150,000 new recruits closer to the front line for faster deployment.

So far the United States has said no, but Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Thursday that a NATO deployment of trainers appeared inevitable. Well get there eventually, over time, he said.

For now, he said, an effort inside Ukraine would put a bunch of NATO trainers at risk and would most likely mean deciding whether to use precious air defenses to protect the trainers instead of critical Ukrainian infrastructure near the battlefield. General Brown briefed reporters on his plane en route to a NATO meeting in Brussels.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s running mate, the Silicon Valley investor Nicole Shanahan, said on Wednesday night that she had given another $8 million to their independent presidential campaign as it carries out the expensive endeavor of gaining ballot access across the country and tries to propel Mr. Kennedy onto debate stages.

Ms. Shanahans new donation, which she announced at a comedy fund-raiser in Nashville, brings her total contribution to the campaign to $10 million, not including the $4 million she gave to a super PAC backing Mr. Kennedy to help pay for a Super Bowl advertisement early this year. Ms. Shanahan, a lawyer who was formerly married to the Google co-founder Sergey Brin, gave the campaign $2 million shortly after Mr. Kennedy named her as his running mate in March.

After a nod to the media, Ms. Shanahan said, I think I know what theyre going to say  theyre going to say Bobby only picked me for my money, a remark that drew laughter from the crowd.

Ms. Shanahans comments came near the end of a four-hour event at the storied Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. She followed performances by comedians including Russell Brand, Rob Schneider and Jim Breuer, a former Saturday Night Live cast member. Many of the performers praised Mr. Kennedy, but they also used their time onstage to rail against Covid vaccinations, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the mainstream news media and President Biden.
Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas on Thursday pardoned a man who was convicted of fatally shooting a protester during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in the summer of 2020, fulfilling a promise he made last year amid pressure from conservatives.

The decision immediately followed a pardon recommendation from the states Board of Pardons and Paroles, whose members are appointed by the governor. Lawyers for the man, Daniel S. Perry, argued that he had acted in self-defense against the protester, who was carrying an AK-47-style rifle.

Mr. Perry was sentenced to 25 years in prison in an emotional hearing last year in which prosecutors presented evidence of racist online comments he had made and said that psychological experts had found him to be basically a loaded gun. As the pardons board considered the case, lawyers with the Travis County district attorney, Jose Garza, met with the board to argue against a pardon.

Under Texas law, a recommendation from the board is necessary before the governor can grant a pardon.
The woman in the video looks resolute, and a little sad, as she cuts up a pack of birth control pills. These silly little pills have literally ruined me as a person, reads the caption. The clip, which is on TikTok, has 1.1 million likes. Its one of thousands that have proliferated on social media in recent years with virtually the same message: The pill causes terrible, sometimes irreversible side effects, and women should free themselves from it.

Anecdotal reports from news outlets have suggested that women are quitting the pill in large numbers because of this type of online post. Weve known for a long time that people really rely on their social circles to help them with medical decision making as it relates to contraception, said Dr. Deborah Bartz, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Brigham and Womens Hospital. Against a backdrop of increasingly restrictive abortion access, the idea that women might be giving up a reliable form of contraception because of social media hype has concerned researchers and doctors.

But, according to initial data, prescriptions for the birth control pill are not actually declining at all. An analysis by Trilliant Health, an analytics firm that provides health care companies with industry insights, found that usage has been steadily trending upward in the United States; 10 percent of women had prescriptions in 2023, up from 7.1 percent in 2018. The analysis looked at prescriptions for the pill that were written and picked up. Even among those aged 15 to 34, who would be most likely to see negative social media posts, Trilliant found prescriptions had increased.
NATO is considering sending military trainers to Ukraine

NATO allies are inching closer to sending military trainers into Ukraine. The move could draw the U.S. and Europe more directly into the war with Russia.

Ukrainian officials have asked their U.S. and NATO counterparts to help train 150,000 new recruits closer to the front line for faster deployment. So far the U.S. has been adamant that it will not put U.S. troops on the ground in Ukraine, and has urged NATO allies not to do so either.

But yesterday, Gen. Charles Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that a NATO deployment of trainers seemed inevitable. Well get there eventually, over time, he told reporters.

For now, the general said, such a move would put NATO trainers at risk and would most likely mean deciding whether to use precious air defenses to protect the trainers  instead of critical Ukrainian infrastructure near the battlefield. Any attack on the trainers would force the U.S. to honor its NATO obligations, dragging it into the war.
Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia was shot five times on Wednesday, in the most serious attack on a European leader in decades. Officials said the act was a politically motivated assassination attempt, stoking fears that Europes increasingly polarized and vitriolic politics could tip into violence.

Mr. Fico, a veteran politician, underwent hours of emergency surgery after being critically wounded in a town in central Slovakia. Hospital and government officials said Thursday that Mr. Ficos condition had stabilized overnight but remained serious.

Here is what we know about the shooting.

How did it happen?

Videos from the scene indicate that Mr. Fico was shot in Banikov Square, in the center of the town of Handlova, where the prime minister had held a government meeting.
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that it was expelling Britains defense attache from the country, reciprocating against the British government after it threw out his Russian counterpart last week.

The Russian ministry announced that further, unspecified retaliatory steps would be forthcoming because of the unfriendly measures taken by London.

The ministry summoned a British diplomat to inform him that the attache had been declared persona non grata, according to a statement.

Britain had announced on May 8 that it was ordering the Russian defense attache to leave, describing him as an undeclared military intelligence officer.
Calls are growing in Slovakia for political parties to suspend campaigning for the European Union elections, just three weeks away, in the wake of the assassination attempt on the prime minister in the sharply polarized country.

The president-elect of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, and others say the step is necessary to avoid further inflammatory political discourse, which has escalated further since the shooting that left Prime Minister Robert Fico badly wounded. At least one party, the opposition Progress Slovakia party, said it would immediately suspend its campaign, to help end the spiral of attacks and blame.

The local news media reported that another party, the Christian Democratic Movement, had also paused campaigning.

It is not clear how long such suspensions would last or what that would mean for Slovakias participation in the E.U. elections, which happen every five years. Voters across the European Union will elect 720 European Parliament representatives, with polling scheduled to take place in all 27 of the blocs members from June 6 to 9. Slovak voters are set to cast their ballots on June 8.
To the government that charged him, he was a lone wolf, an off-kilter individual representing nobody but himself when he pumped at least four bullets into Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia.

The assassination attempt on Wednesday, however, has put a spotlight on a far wider collective malfunction in Slovakia. In this country in Central Europe, society and political culture are so bitterly divided that the violence attributed to a man who the authorities say acted alone has become yet another club with which each side can beat the other.

There is a level of polarization that has never existed before in this country, said Daniel Milo, a former government official responsible for tracking disinformation who now works for a technology company. Ive never seen anything like it, he added.

The Covid-19 pandemic, he said, hardened previously fluid lines into what have since become hostile camps, with little room for nuance. Roughly half the population welcomed vaccines and half rejected them. It became: Are you for or against? Do you believe or not believe? Mr. Milo said. And after Covid came the war in Ukraine, another source of division.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine traveled to the embattled region of Kharkiv on Thursday, meeting with top commanders as their forces fought to slow a new offensive push in the northeast while facing fierce assaults elsewhere on the front line.

The Ukrainian military reported late on Wednesday that it had repelled four ground attacks in the northeastern Kharkiv region, where Russian forces surged across the border last week and quickly captured a dozen or so villages and about 50 square miles of territory. Russias defense ministry did not report any new gains in the Kharkiv region over the past day.

The situation in the Kharkiv region is generally under control, President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media on Thursday after meeting in Kharkiv with Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, the head of Ukraines armed forces, and other top military commanders. He also visited wounded soldiers in a hospital in the city of Kharkiv.

But he acknowledged that the military challenge in the area remains extremely difficult, adding: We are strengthening our units.
South Africa on Thursday urged the judges of the United Nations top court to order Israel to end its ground assault on Rafah in southern Gaza, saying it put Palestinian life in the enclave at imminent risk of destruction.

The hearing at the International Court of Justice in The Hague came after South Africa requested last week that the court issue further constraints on Israel in its military campaign in Gaza. In filings disclosed by the court, South Africa cited the irreparable harm posed by Israels incursion into Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza where half of the territorys population had sought refuge.

It has become increasingly clear that Israels actions in Rafah are part of the end game in which Gaza is utterly destroyed as an area capable of human habitation, Vaughan Lowe, a British lawyer, told the court. This is the last step in the destruction of Gaza and its Palestinian people.

Mr. Lowe was part of the South African legal team that presented its case over two hours on Thursday.

South Africas filings said the rights of Palestinians in Gaza were under threat, adding that Israels control over two major border crossings in southern Gaza  at Rafah and at Kerem Shalom  put at extreme risk the flow of humanitarian supplies into Gaza and the ability for hospitals there to function.

It is difficult to imagine such a situation could get worse, but, unfortunately, it has, John Dugard, another member of the South African team, told the court.
Israeli tank fire killed five of Israels own soldiers in Gaza, a military spokesman said on Thursday, in the latest incident of self-inflicted casualties since Israel launched a ground invasion of the enclave in October.

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, a spokesman for the Israeli military, said at a news briefing that the men had been killed by tank fire on Wednesday as they were fighting in a densely populated area of the territory.

There was an incident of friendly fire  five soldiers were killed, he said, adding, The incident is under review.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the men had been killed in Gaza City in the north of the territory, and that seven soldiers had also been wounded when two tanks opened fire. The Israeli military later named the five, who were from the Paratroopers Brigade, on its website.

The bulk of Israeli forces began a withdrawal from northern Gaza earlier this year, with Israel saying it had defeated Hamas battalions in the area. But in recent weeks Israeli troops have returned to the north, including Gaza City, to battle fighters from Hamas they said have regrouped.

About 278 Israeli soldiers have died in Gaza since the start of the military offensive more than seven months ago, the military has said. It said in December that one-fifth of the 105 soldiers who had been killed to that point had died in accidents and that, of those deaths, 13 were the result of friendly fire.
The U.S. military anchored a temporary pier on Gazas coast on Thursday, creating a point of entry for humanitarian aid for the enclave, where the flow of supplies through land borders has largely come to a halt since Israel began its incursion into Rafah last week.

The aid will be loaded onto trucks that will begin moving ashore in the coming days, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement Thursday morning. U.S. officials had said last week that the floating pier and causeway had been completed, but that weather conditions had delayed their installation.

Israel has long opposed a seaport for Gaza, saying it would pose a security threat. As the humanitarian crisis in the territory has spiraled in recent months, with severe shortages of food, medicine and other basic needs, the U.S. military in March announced a plan to build a temporary pier to enable aid shipments via the Mediterranean Sea.

An American ship loaded with humanitarian aid, the Sagamore, set off for Gaza from Cyprus last week, and the aid was loaded onto a smaller vessel that had been waiting for the pier to be installed. The United Nations will receive the aid and oversee its distribution in Gaza, according to Central Command, which said no U.S. troops would set foot in the territory.

Over the next two days, the U.S. military and humanitarian groups will aim to load three to five trucks from the pier and send them into Gaza as a test of the process laid out by the Pentagon, said General Charles Q. Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Itll probably take another 24 hours to make sure everything is set up, he told reporters on Thursday aboard a flight to Brussels, where he was attending a NATO meeting. We have our force protection thats been put in place, we have contract truck drivers on the other side and theres fuel for those truck drivers as well.
After plastering the whole of Manhattan with fliers for several months, a mystery man known as Cheeseball Man gathered a crowd of hundreds to watch him eat a whole tub of cheeseballs.

Meet Cheeseball Man, the superhero New Yorkers never knew they needed. His superpower? Mesmerizing crowds with his insatiable craving for cheeseballs. It all started with some fliers showing a man with an orange ski mask holding a large tub full of cheeseballs and inviting everyone to come watch him devour the cheesy treats in Manhattans Union Square Park, on April 27th. The fliers went up months before the big day, and although Cheeseman didnt really expect a large crowd to accept his invitation, he was blown away by the size of his audience. Close to 1,000 people gathered in Union Square Park to watch him gobble down his jar of cheeseballs, and videos of the big event have so far been viewed millions of times online.

Photo: Cheeseballman427/Instagram

I didnt really expect this many people to show up, Cheeseball Man told ABC News New York City. I think everybody wants to be behind the mask.

A viral video that has been doing the rounds online for the past couple of weeks shows Cheeseball Man making a speech in front of a big crowd, before going to work on the bucket of cheeseballs. You can hear people cheering him on as he begins to struggle with the corn meal and cheese treats, and that seems to give him the motivation needed to push on.

There was a moment that I was definitely going to throw up. And then people said, Keep it down, really loudly. So, I just kept it in, Cheeseball Man said, adding that his mild gluten allergy was a problem as well.

The now-legendary Cheeseball Man took about half an hour to complete his task, and then basked in the glory, signing autographs and taking photos with his adoring fans. On social media, the feedback has been very positive, with hundreds of people declaring themselves entertained by New Yorks mysterious superhero.

Hes a local hero to many NYC patrons, someone wrote on X (Twitter). We expect statues to be created in his honor.

Now these are the types of public gatherings we should be having, someone else wrote.

I just saw a guy eat a whole bucket of cheese balls in Union Square, New York City. #cheeseballman @UnionSquareNY #NYC pic.twitter.com/5LWJyoFORe  NewYorkCityKopp (@KellyrKopp) April 27, 2024

Overwhelmed by the unexpected attention, Cheeseball Man has been riding the wave to the best of his abilities, spending the last couple of weeks making appearances at various events across NYC with his now-famous orange ski mask and a large tub of cheeseballs. He is already planning next years meeting, telling reporters that he plans to eat an even bigger jar of cheeseballs.

Oh, I have to do it in the mask, Cheeseball Man said, revealing only that he is a 22-year-old man who simply thought that his fellow New Yorkers needed something like this to put a smile on their faces.
A UK man was recently arrested in Thailand for allegedly causing damage to a Phuket restaurant by posting a number of 1-star reviews online following an altercation with the restaurant owner.

The 21-year-old British national was arrested in Thailand earlier this month when police showed up at his apartment in Bangkok, but the incident that led to his arrest dates back to 2022 when he was staying in a rented property in Phuket. According to Thai media, the easiest way for the man, known only as Alexander, to reach his abode passed through an Italian restaurant and he didnt hesitate to use it. Noticing that the man passed through his restaurant several times per day, the owner confronted him and asked that he use the public road instead because he wasnt a paying customer and he was disturbing his guests. Shortly after the heated exchange, the restaurant owner noticed that the Google rating of his business had dropped from 4.8/5 to 3.1/5 because of a number of allegedly fake 1-star reviews. Suspecting Alexander was behind this online defamation campaign, he filed a complaint against him.

Photo: Bench Accounting/Unsplash

Its unclear how Thai police confirmed that Alexander was responsible for the negative online reviews, but in August 2023, an arrest warrant was issued in his name for entering false information into a computer system in a way that is likely to cause damage to others but which is not an offense of defamation according to the Criminal Code.

According to Police Major Jomparit Kaewreung of the Crime Suppression Division, 21-year-old Alexander was arrested in Bangkok and handed over to the inquiry officer of Sakhu Police Station in northern Phuket. During interrogation, he has denied the charges against him but, if found guilty, he risks spending two years in prison.

A British man could be facing the next two years behind bars after he was arrested for allegedly writing fake one-star reviews for a restaurant in Phuket, Thailand. Alexander is said to have enlisted his friends help in flooding the restaurant with negative reviews after the pic.twitter.com/y6prEyUgmP  yammi (@sighyam) May 11, 2024

In 2020, an American tourist faced similar charges under Thailands strict anti-defamation laws for posting a review on Trip Advisor and accusing a Phuket resort of modern-day slavery. He was arrested but released shortly after apologizing for his actions.
Chad Smith

In today's hyper-connected, data-driven world, its easy to understand why so many in the communications industry have made predictability the standard and "risk" a four-letter word thou shalt not speak.

Even though history has shown us that bold and daring campaigns are the ones that captivate audiences, alter perceptions and help shape our culture, we, as a sector, remain more risk-averse than ever. We play defense to protect our turf rather than looking to conquer new ground with the types of original ideas that drive game-changing work. We build analytical walls around ourselves or our clients. We misinterpret data driven to mean we cant move forward without the certainty we believe data can provide.

The good news is that it doesnt have to be this way. We can do the oppositeand with an expectation of success our predecessors never had. These days, we have more capacity than ever before to anticipate, with a reasonable degree of accuracy, whether the marcomms innovations we envision are likely to land with audiences. We have predictive models and data-driven insights into consumer behavior.

So lets work up the guts to use them to inspire us, to give us the green light to move sure-footedly into unknown creative territory. Heres some food for thought to take us out of our safe spaces and into new frontierswhere true success and satisfaction lie:

Minimize Your Defensive Mindset: At nearly every step of the planning, creative and delivery process, the pressure to play it safe, follow best practices, and prioritize short-term gains is immense. If it cant be measured, then it cant be managed, right? Wrong.

We must let measurement guide us rather than dictate to us. We must resist the demand to budget-ize and optimize ourselves into insignificance. We must focus on storytelling so powerful it moves people to act.

Instead, build teams whose members embrace ambiguity as a stepping stone to greatness. Then plan to take those steps, using metrics to inform the adventure. This is the best way to bring clients or the c-suite along for the ride. You dont have to say, We have an idea for a big campaign. Lets try it and see what happens. Instead, say, We have an idea for a big campaign and the insights to suggest it will work.

Take Doves Real Beauty initiative for example. In total contrast to how a defensive-minded team would have behaved, the Dove team leveraged a single, human insight that only 2 percent of women felt they were beautiful based on todays standards, and theyve been on a 20-year offensive ever since. While competitors jockeyed for increased fractions of revenue using the latest point-of-sale products, and showcased evermore airbrushed supermodels, the Dove team, led by insights and fueled by human connection, went directly against industry norms to build one of the most successful brand evolution stories of our time. Continuing to zig while others zag, Doves latest risk-taking leap is pledging to never use AI-created imagery when most others are running toward AI. The Dove team, and others like them, remind us that success lies in reimagining the cultural landscape and then continuing to reshape it for the better.

Eliminate Procedural Correctness: Nothing kills creativity more quickly than a committee approach to concepting, decision-making and planning

Simply put, marketing by committee is a recipe for normality. Launching campaigns in this highly bureaucratic style is ideal for a risk averse team because it evenly spreads the responsibility and the accountability such that no one person is guilty of failure. Unfortunately, working this way also stifles the creative spirit, resulting in milquetoast campaigns that go unnoticed.

So its essential that we take a hard look at the bureaucratic hurdles standing in our way and tear them down.

We can do this by relying on channel experts, investing in better research to inform those accountable, asking teams to explore ideas from any industry, setting aside testing budgets to try new ideas, and streamlining processes to launch and adapt faster.

When we nurture an environment where innovation can come from anywhere, and boldness is celebrated instead of feared, our teams will be empowered to take ownership of their big ideas and reap the huge rewards that can come from stepping out of comfort zones.

Harness Social Risk Takers: Social risk takers are those who speak up when others do not. They reject conventional thinking and believe following the status quo is a greater risk than trying something new. Social risk takers are excellent drivers of innovation because they thrive on uncertainty and arent afraid to fail, seeing it as a necessary stepping stone to success. Additionally, they follow trends and new technologies that offer insights into the next big idea.

Some studies suggest that a key factor in a teams ability to create groundbreaking campaigns is its ability to nurture social risk-taking within the groupand you probably already know who your risk takers are. They speak up in meetings, constantly share new information, look for what isnt there, examine all the angles, and continually ask why.

Make it your mission to nurture these folks. Ask them to lead or collaborate on strategy, and then allow them to explore uncharted territory. They may not hit the mark every time, but assure themand those around themthat it's ok. In fact, its how big ideas are born. This will foster a larger culture of social risk taking and result in the creation of more campaigns that stand out and cause a stir.

Focus On The Long Game: One of the primary culprits in maintaining our risk-averse culture is the growing pressure to deliver tangible results and measurable ROI on all marketing investments. In an era where every dollar spent must be justified by metrics before it can be called a success, agencies and internal teams are under increasing pressure to produce immediate financial returnseven though we all know paradigms never shift overnight.

You can combat this by refocusing everyones attention on long-term ROI, using data analysis to convince decision makers that taking a risk on a bold new approach will likely pay much bigger dividends down the road.

Rely on the past to make your case for moving fearlessly into the future. Provide examples of big risks taken that paid off (Dove, for example). Then offer a reasonable assessment of the time it will take for something new to not only get tractionbut likely bring bigger returns.

In this way, youll have a good shot of convincing the risk-averse that there is more ROI in testing big ideas than in optimizing small ones.

Dont Let Data Drag You Down: In our quest for efficiency, we've lost sight of what truly matters. We've become obsessed with metrics and measurements, turning marketing into an elaborate game of budget optimization rather than building human connections.

So we have to ask ourselves a critical question: Do we want to follow data down the road to mediocrity or do we want to lead, using data to clear our uncharted path? If our answer is that we want to lead, then we need to get comfortable again with testing new ideas and learning from our failures. By shifting our focus away from optimization and towards experimentation, we can unlock new levels of creativity and drive real, meaningful change.

Remember, when we are beholden to metrics and financial goals at the expense of creativity, we betray the very essence of our craft and rob ourselves of the opportunity to make an impact that matters for our clients and the people they care about.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember as you consider the rewards of riskand how to attain themis that leaps of faith are essential to greatness. Sure, we all want to guarantee ROI for our clients. But sometimes the best way to ensure the long-term viability of their brands is to convince themas well as ourselvesthat the future belongs to the innovators.

***

Chad Smith is director of insights and planning at FINN Partners.
The Washington Media Group has inked a one-year $960K contract to support the PR and communications needs of Qatars international media office.

The firm is to meet regularly with the Qataris to support their media strategy and discuss relevant coverage in the US. It will provide written materials, including media statements and op-eds.

Qatar, which has played a key role in mediation talks between Hamas and Israel, has hosted the political leadership of the terror groupat Americas requestsince 2012.

Earlier this month, the US told Qatar that it should kick Hamas out, if it continues to reject a ceasefire with Israel.

WMG CEO Crystal Patterson heads her firms work for Qatar.

Shes a former member of Facebooks policy team, communications director for Center for American Progress, and digital strategist for Hillary for President.
Nannette

LaFond-Dufour

Publicis Groupe has named Nannette LaFond-Dufour its chief impact officer, a new position.

She will be responsible for making sure that the French firm makes good on its ESG commitments, as well as initiatives such as the Working with Cancer pledge and the Womens Forum for the Economy & Society.

She joins Publicis from McCann Worldgroup, where she was chief client officer and its first chief sustainability officer.

At Publicis, LaFond-Dufour will join its management committee and report to CEO Arthur Sadoun.

He said Publicis understands that for its growth to be truly sustainable, on every front, it also needs to be responsible, which is why we lead the way through our best-in-class ESG initiatives.

Hes confident that LaFond-Dufours proven expertise in delivering impactful change with some of the worlds biggest companies will drive Publicis ESG agenda even further, faster, for the good of our people, our clients, and our planet.

LaFond-Dufour will work closely with Agathe Bousquet, president of Publicis France and Directoire+ sponsor for ESG.
A new appeal has been made by gardai as part of a probe into the murder of a man in Dublin.

The victim, named locally as Josh Itseli and aged in his early 20s, died in a shooting in the Knocknarea Road in Drimnagh in the early hours of May 6.

Gardai said they are continuing to appeal for witnesses to come forward.

A statement said: In particular gardai are looking to speak with the drivers of two vehicles that were in the Drimnagh area on the night who may have information relevant to this investigation.

A dark-coloured saloon taxi which drove on Knocknarea Road, towards the junction with Mourne Road in Drimnagh, between 12am and 12.10am.

A red-coloured saloon taxi which drove on Sperrin Road, between the junctions with Knocknarea Road and Mourne Road in Drimnagh, between 12am and 12.10am.

The driver of this taxi was a male, and may have been dropping off or collecting a fare at Sperrin Road at the time.

The statement said gardai are also continuing to appeal for information in relation to a black Talaria Sting electric motorbike which is understood to have been used in connection with this incident.

It continued: The electric motorbike was observed in the vicinity of Dolphin Road, Crumlin Road and Davitt Road on Sunday night, 5th May 2024 and into the early hours of Monday morning, 6th May 2024.

Garda are appealing to anyone who may have observed the black Talaria Sting electric motorbike in the vicinity of Dolphin Road in recent days.

The motorbike has been seized by investigating gardai, who are also seeking the rightful owner of the vehicle.

Gardai are also appealing to any taxi drivers, public service vehicle (PSV) drivers and any motorists who observed pedestrians, or who may have been approached by pedestrians, on Davitt Road in the early hours of Monday morning, 6th May 2024.

Gardai said any information received will be dealt with in the strictest confidence.
Two people were hospitalised after the car they were travelling in crashed into the wall of a historic Cork City's bridge.

Emergency services were alerted to the crash at the junction of Sullivan's Quay and Parliament Bridge shortly before 1am on Wednesday.

A large section of Parliament Bridge was badly damaged after the accident resulting in barricades being placed around it to make the area safe for pedestrians.

Gardai who are carrying out an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash say the man and woman sustained non-life threatening injuries.

The historic bridge - built in 1806 - sustained substantial damage to eight metres of its stone parapet. Cork City Council road maintenance crews attended the scene and managed to recover a large amount of the stone which has been put in storage.

Local authority staff are to carry out an assessment of the remedial work required to restore the bridge over the coming days.

The site is a historic one, being the site of a vital Cork bridge for over 250 years. In the 1760s, a timber bridge was erected at the site of Parliament Bridge but a local man reportedly died after it fell into disrepair.
The Taoiseach has said he will not allow attacks on politicians to influence his behaviour, one day after an assassination attempt on his Slovakian counterpart.

Simon Harris made the comments after expressing solidarity, thoughts, prayers and best wishes to Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico and his family.

Mr Fico is described as being in a serious but stable condition after he was shot multiple times on Wednesday.

Reacting to the news on Thursday, Mr Harris said the shooting was a shocking, vile and horrific attack on the Slovakian prime minister.

The Fine Gael leader, who met Mr Fico in Brussels in the last few weeks, added: But it was also an attack on democracy and the fundamental values that we share across the European Union.

More generally, Mr Harris said he was concerned about attacks on politicians in Ireland.

Referencing recent alleged assaults against Dublin councillors on the campaign trail, the Taoiseach added: These attacks are despicable attacks on individuals but theyre also attacks on democracy.

Because we live in one of the worlds longest-serving, most successful democracies and everybody has a right to put their name forward.

And nobody has to do anything that should be chilling in relation to peoples participation in democracy.

Asked by reporters if he had any concerns for his own safety, he replied: I believe passionately in democracy. I have so much respect for anybody who puts their name on a ballot paper even if I fundamentally disagree with them or they fundamentally disagree with me  thats the beauty of democracy.

And I will always defend to the nth degree everybodys participation in the democratic processes.

We cant allow this element of toxicity win, though, in Irish politics.

We cant allow it to have that chilling effect where good people, young people, new people  whatever their political persuasion  are in any way put off participation in politics.

He added: Look, I have huge confidence in the gardai, a huge gratitude for the work of the gardai and certainly I wouldnt, allow it in any way alter my behaviour as a politician.

Though, of course, Im aware of the realities that we all face.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin said that he has had various threats over the years and would advise public representatives to contact gardai to assess any abuse directed towards them.

He said that the type of attack on politicians that gardai fear the most is a lone wolf situation.

Around 2011-12, we had many people on the far left doing a lot of activity and sort of following us around with phones and videos and all the rest of it, he told reporters in Dublin.

Thats happening from far right elements. The only difference I see is the aggression and the hostility and incredible bad language and the threatening and intimidating nature, but its a minority.

Gardai will tell you mostly that their fear, really, in terms of attacks on politicians, are the kind of horrible attack yesterday on the prime minister of Slovakia, is perhaps a lone-wolf situation, and the circumstances could be anything. Thats something that can happen in all walks of life, at any time.

He said that an incident involving the canvassing team of a Fianna Fail candidate in Limerick was shocking.

The anger in that, the hostility, the hate in that is clear to be seen, the Fianna Fail leader said. She has seen the video, shes very upset by what she has seen  the language was quite horrific.

He added that he is worried about other such incidents happening to candidates while they are canvassing.

I would be concerned where we have candidates of different nationalities, he said, at the Fianna Fail partys launch of its local election campaign.

I think its really important in a democracy that people who come to make their life in Ireland, people who are living here, even born and reared, (can run for election).

But some of these people think, because of the colour of their skin or whatever, feel (they can be) still be subjected to attack and should be attacked  it is just so off the wall, but dangerously off the wall, that one would have to worry, one would have to be concerned about it.

We have quite a number of nationalities running, which were delighted with, and I think thats about democracy. Thats about participation. Its about integration, and thats important.
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Rob Kall gives readers an important wake up call to the bottom up power that they have to protect their rights, powers, and freedoms. His advice applies to all aspects of life, including politics, economics, journalism, entertainment, and psychology and wellness. Kall's book explains the differences between the top-down leadership approach of dominating, fear based, disconnected authoritarianism and the bottom-up connection consciousness that emphasizes values, justice, fairness, equity, and kindness. This book helps readers see the whole elephant as opposed to the disconnected parts. Kall gives great advice as to intensifying, expanding, prolonging, and deepening connections. With his professional background, Rob Kall is the perfect person to write this book. This is a very well-researched book that includes dozens of insightful interviews with top-notch experts. Kall shows how bottom-up small acts can produce massive results. He emphasizes that since we can't avoid this emerging bottom-up connection revolution, we need to learn how to navigate and embrace it. This bottom-up leadership will result in power to the people. This is a fascinating and insightful book, especially in this new era of digital hunting and gathering."



Larry Atkins, author of Skewed: A Critical Thinker's Guide to Media Bias
Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator

Israel and Saudi Arabia seemed on the verge of establishing normal relations, but the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 changed everything after Israel began a horrific bombardment of Gaza in a revenge attack. The dead Israelis numbered about 1,400, but the dead Palestinians now amount to about 35,000, with more deaths recorded daily.

When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took office for the sixth time, he stated he had two main goals: to increase illegal settlements in the Occupied territory of the West Bank, and to sign a normalization pact with Saudi Arabia as part of the US-led Abraham Accords, which were rolled out during the administration of President Donald Trump.

US President Joe Biden continued the push for an Israeli-Saudi pact, and all signs appeared to point to a successful future normalization. Then Gaza happened, and the world watched in horror as Israel, supported by Biden, committed genocide in Gaza, with no end in sight to the genocide, and no end in sight to the American support of Israel.

Even though the hope of a pact between Israel and Saudi Arabia appears diminished, still Saudi Arabia has left the door open to Israel, but with conditions to be met before realizing the dream of Netanyahu, which could have implications for regional stability and a potential reset in Middle Eastern politics.

US-Israel goal of Saudi-Israel pact

Shared security concerns have played a pivotal role in bringing Saudi Arabia and Israel closer in recent years. With Iran's expanding influence on the regional stage, both nations now recognize the necessity of cooperation to counter common threats to their national security. Covert intelligence sharing, joint military exercises, and discreet diplomatic communications have helped forge a new understanding between Riyadh and Tel Aviv.

Israel had a plan in which they would not make peace with the Palestinians, and would not give them freedom or human rights, but instead Israel would forge alliances with its Arab neighbors, thus by-passing the Palestinian issue.

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Jaipur - Centre of Design Excellence at Vivekanand Global University is thrilled to announce the sixth edition of its annual event, "ENCODE" and "Turpan, to be held at World Trade Park, Jaipur on May 18, 2024, 4:00 PM Onwards. The Sixth Season of ENCODE features a vibrant display of student works from the departments of Design, Architecture, and Interior Design, celebrating a year of their hard work and creativity. Leading up 
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 70. I got my shingles vaccination in 2018. I took two doses of the Shingrix vaccine. I was invited to dinner at someones house where someone just got shingles. Am I still protected? -- S.C.

ANSWER: About 99% of North Americans are immune to the varicella-zoster virus that causes chicken pox and shingles, either because they had it as a child or because they got the vaccine. Exposure to the virus, whether it was due to chicken pox or shingles, can cause chicken pox in a person who does not have immunity.

Shingles, on the other hand, does not come about due to exposure, but due to a persons immune system failing to keep the virus (which stays in the body forever) under control. This commonly happens as we get older, under times of high stress, or if something happens to our immune system (such as chemotherapy). Shingles typically causes a rash on one side of the body and in a particular location, such as a stripe of the torso or a part of an arm or a leg.

The chicken pox you had as a child protects you from getting chicken pox again, while the shingles vaccine you got in 2018 reduces your risk of getting shingles and a recurrence of the virus. I recommend the shingles vaccine to anyone over 50 who hasnt already had this two-dose vaccine -- even if they had the old vaccine and already had shingles.

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was treated for high cholesterol and triglycerides with a statin. But I developed red skin and intense muscle aches, so I had to stop taking it. Ive read that people of Finnish descent cannot take statins.

My doctor says that there is a shot available to take at home every two weeks. Is there evidence that I would be able to tolerate this medicine? He says that I have a 16% chance of having a stroke or a heart attack the way things are now. Is it a different medication, or is it the same medication in a different form? -- R.G.

ANSWER: I did not find any information to suggest that people of Finnish descent are at a higher risk of an adverse event from a statin. Muscle aches are common with statins; they often go away, but it can definitely keep some people from taking statins. One to two percent of people are unable to take statins due to muscle aches in randomized trials, but the rate is much higher among regular people taking their prescribed statin -- largely because people expect it.

A skin rash is not a common side effect of a statin, but it may be a reason not to take them. However, with a 16% risk of a heart attack, stroke or cardiac death in the next 10 years, treatment to reduce your risk is worth careful consideration.

Your doctor is recommending a medicine called a PCSK-9 inhibitor, which is not related to a statin at all. They are very effective at lowering LDL cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart disease, but they are quite expensive and, as you say, require injection.

Another option is bempedoic acid, which works similarly to statins, but it does not have an increased risk of muscle aches and is chemically unrelated to statins. So, if your red skin was due to an allergy, your risk would be low with this medication.

Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu or send mail to 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803.

(c) 2022 North America Syndicate Inc.

All Rights Reserved
A Belgium-based nutrition bar company is expanding its manufacturing and packaging facilities in McMinnville, which will add more than 200 jobs to the operation.

EMPWR Nutrition, a snack bar manufacturing and packaging company, received a $1 million grant from the states strategic reserve fund to support its plans to add 85,000 square feet to its current facility, according to a news release. The company said last year it was spending $20 million on the expansion.

The company landed in McMinnville in early 2022 after it acquired Noble Foods Nutrition Inc. The Canadian energy bar manufacturer had taken over Betty Lous co-packaging activities at the facility in 2020, according to Patty Herzog, executive director of the McMinnville Economic Development Partnership.

EMPWR uses the McMinnville factory for research and development, creating and testing prototypes of protein, granola, fruit and nut bars.

People across the world are recognizing that Oregon is a destination for the food and beverage industry, said Neil Simon, with business recruitment agency Greater Portland Inc., which works with local governments and businesses across the state to recruit employers to the region. Theres actually an entire ecosystem here, from the growth of produce to great research and development.

Both the McMinnville Economic Development Partnership and Greater Portland Inc. helped EMPWR facilitate its plans to expand its production lines in the U.S.

This story has been updated to include comment from the McMinnville Economic Development Partnership and its role in the project.

-- Kristine de Leon covers the retail industry, small business and data enterprise stories. Reach her at kdeleon@oregonian.com.

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A federal judge Wednesday approved a two-year appointment of a new independent monitoring team to oversee the citys progress on police reforms to reduce use of excessive force against people suffering from mental illness.

The team starts July 1 and has a big agenda ahead of it, including monitoring the rollout of body-worn cameras to all police precincts over the summer, calls for the city to expand the non-police Portland Street Response program and creation of the future independent community oversight board for police.
A man wildly screamed out for help before stabbing a woman in the neck Tuesday at Clark College in what may have been the mans second random attack in two days, police said.

Vancouver police officers say the woman was sitting outside the Archer Gallery, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, when a man in a green ballcap, collared shirt and brown pants attacked her.

The man was last seen running north toward Fourth Plain Boulevard. The woman was treated for a non-life-threatening wound at a local hospital, police said.

Officers believe the same man approached a woman sitting in her car in one of the colleges parking lots Monday and tried to talk to her. The woman cracked the door and the man grabbed the handle and tried to enter the car, police said, but ran off once the woman screamed.

School security officers investigated the initial incident but couldnt find the man.

Officers released photos of the man Wednesday and are seeking his identity.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Dustin Goudschaal at dustin.goudschaal@cityofvancouver.us or Detective Max Musich at michael.musich@cityofvancouver.us.

Zane Sparling covers breaking news and courts for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at 503-319-7083, zsparling@oregonian.com or @pdxzane.

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A 39-year-old woman accused of stealing thousands of dollars from two customers of her surrogate pregnancy agency was arrested by the FBI in Portland and faces indictment in California on wire fraud and aggravated theft charges.

Lillian Arielle Markowitz, 39, was arrested last weekend after FBI agents found her at a boyfriends residence. She was suffering at the time from a drug overdose, having ingested ketamine that was apparently laced with fentanyl, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassady Adams told a judge this week.
Portland and other cities in the metro area saw narrower population losses last year, new census data showed, a sign that an exodus of residents might be slowing.

The city still lost 4,170 residents between July 2022 and July 2023, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released Thursday, a 0.7% decrease to 630,500 residents.

Thats smaller than the prior years 1.5% decline, a loss of roughly 8,500 people.

Portlands population, however, remains 3.7% below its 2019 peak, down roughly 24,000 people.

The slowing decline is welcome news for Portland officials and businesses hoping to see progress in the citys recovery from pandemic-related shutdowns, an upswing in violent crime and many business closures.

Other cities including Gresham, Beaverton and Lake Oswego also shed residents at a slower rate last year. Gresham saw the metro areas largest population decline of 0.8% to 110,700, while Beaverton saw a 0.4% loss to 96,900 and Lake Oswego had a 0.5% drop to 39,900. Those are improvements from a year ago, when each of those cities saw population losses of over 1%.

Meanwhile, some suburban areas and exurban communities saw population gains. Happy Valley gained 7.5% during the year, or 1,970 people, bringing its population to 28,400. Woodburn gained 1,740 residents, a 6.4% increase to 29,000. While Ridgefield, Washington, just north of Vancouver, grew 5.6%, adding nearly 800 people during the same time period and topped 15,000.

Pat OConnor, a regional economist for the Oregon Employment Department, said the growth of Woodburn and other surrounding cities in mid-Willamette Valley has coincided with higher rates of commuting. For example, he said nearly half of the working residents in Newberg commute to the Portland tri-county area for work, with the majority in Washington County.

A big part of why were seeing people move out to the suburbs or exurbs is housing, he said. Housing affordability is a big issue across the state, but its especially a challenge in the bigger cities like Portland.

OConnor said the lack of affordable housing in the Portland area is driven in part by empty-nesters remaining in homes, particularly large homes, while more millennials are starting families and looking to buy a home.

We kind of have a traffic jam here of older Oregonians staying in their houses longer than they may have 20 or 30 years ago and the millennials at their prime of their life having kids and looking to buy a home, he said.

Aside from housing, OConnor said population growth in Woodburn and the surrounding area has been driven by the agricultural workforce, which has kept stable employment even during economic downturns.

Michael Walton, community development director for Happy Valley, said the citys growth is largely thanks to land availability. He said the Metro regional government expansion of its urban growth boundary in 2002 expanded the citys eastern limits, where new home construction has been brisk.

The amount of building is very robust, Walton said. The strength of our local school system, proximity to the city center and a major airport, as well as being near a lot of outdoor recreation draws people here.

Land availability and affordable housing are also among the factors that contribute to Woodburns growth, according to Jim Row, assistant city administrator. He said Woodburns proximity to Salem and Portland, along with the addition of more industrial and residential land added in 2015 have helped attract more housing and commercial development.

We have added land by expanding our urban growth boundary, and that housing is more affordable compared to the Portland area, he said. We are a growing and developing community that has a lot to offer.

Row said that the city has seen an influx of residents from the Salem and Portland area who work at least part-time from home. He also said many households were multigenerational in previous years but have since split up into separate housing, which he said could be driving some of the higher numbers.

Claire Lust, community development for Ridgefield, also attributed the citys population gain to increased housing and commercial development. For example, the city is welcoming a new In-and-Out location and a Costco warehouse.

When weve seen this really dramatic growth, a lot of it just goes down to there being land available, which isnt always the case in a lot of the surrounding cities, Lust said. The other thing we hear a lot is that Ridgefield has this small town community feel even though its grown a lot and has a solid downtown core.

The trend portrayed by the Census Bureaus numbers contrasts with another key estimate of the regions population.

Portland State Universitys Population Research Center, the numbers relied upon by the state government, estimates Portland grew by 17,600 residents over the same period. Portland State University estimates that the population of Oregons largest city stands at 648,082 as of July 2023. The center and the Census Bureau use different methodologies and data sources.

-- Kristine de Leon covers the retail industry, small business and data enterprise stories. Reach her at kdeleon@oregonian.com.

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The Beaverton School District is floating the potential closure of up to four small neighborhood elementary schools in the coming years, citing the need to balance both declining enrollment and the spiraling maintenance costs in some of its older school buildings.

But  in a preview of a dynamic thats likely to repeat itself across the Portland metro area in the coming years  families are mobilizing against any potential change, citing the emotional and educational wallop of closing cherished neighborhood schools.
The Wednesday, May 15, Jeopardy Masters 2024 episode was a high-stakes competition, with the six contestants battling to make it to the next step, the semifinals. Once the two final games in the quarterfinals were over, four masters were moving on, while two of the players were eliminated.

 No cable or satellite? You can watch Jeopardy Masters tonight with Fubo (free trial) or with DirecTV Stream (free trial)

Who made the cut? The first game of the episode saw Vancouvers Yogesh Raut, a cognitive and behavioral scientist, going up against James Holzhauer, the Las Vegas-based, self-described Final Boss of Jeopardy!, and Matt Amodio, a quantitative researcher from New York.

It was a closely fought game, and by the time Final Jeopardy arrived, Holzhauer was in the lead, with 16,400; Amodio was second, with 12,400; and Raut was in third, with 10,200.

All of you are well-positioned for Final Jeopardy, host Ken Jennings said. He then announced the category: Military People. The clue was, In April 2020 chief master sergeant Roger Towberman became the first enlisted member of this.

Raut guessed, What is the officers club? which was incorrect. He wagered every single point, as Jennings said, which dropped Rauts total to zero.

Amodio had the correct answer, with What is Space Force? He also wagered everything, raising his total to 24,800.

Holzhauer also had the right answer, and his wager of 8,615 boosted his total to 25,015, earning him the win.

Jennings said that both Holzhauer and Raut had clinched spots in the semifinals, which begin Friday. Amodio earned one match point for his second place finish, but sadly, its a moral victory, Jennings said, as Amodio didnt qualify to move to the semifinals. But Amodio didnt walk away empty-handed -- he won $50,000 for finishing in sixth place.

Then it was time for the second game of the episode, featuring Victoria Groce, a writer and television personality from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Amy Schneider, a writer from Oakland, California; and Mattea Roach, a writer and podcast host from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Jennings said Groce had already secured a place in the semifinals, but Schneider and Roach were competing to see which of them would move to the semifinals.

It wasnt a surprise that Groce, who has been dominant so far, was in the lead when Final Jeopardy came around. Groce had 21,005; Schneider had 7,800; and Roach had 2,800.

The Final Jeopardy category was Short Stories. The clue: Down -- steadily down it crept ... downward with its lateral velocity. To the right -- to the left is in this 1842 tale.

Roach wrote, What is an anti-climactic end to the quarters!, referring to the quarterfinals. Congrats Amy!

Jennings complimented Roachs good sportsmanship, and noted that they had wagered zero, leaving Roach with a total of 2,800.

Schneider guessed What is The Gold Bug? which Jennings said reflected the correct author, but was the wrong answer. Schneider also bet zero, leaving her with 7,800.

Groce guessed, What is The Tell-Tale Heart? which was also written by Edgar Allan Poe, but was also wrong. The correct answer, Jennings said, was Poes The Pit and the Pendulum.

It turned out Groce also wagered zero. Nobody bet anything at all, Jennings said, in surprise. Why am I even here?

But Groces bet left her with 21,500 and another win. The totals also won Schneider a spot in the semifinals, which meant Roach was eliminated. But the fifth-place finish won Roach $75,000.

At the end of Wednesdays round, the leaderboard has Groce at the top, followed by Raut, Holzhauer, and Schneider. The three players who earn the most points by the end of the semifinals will go on to the finals and compete head-to-head for the $500,000 grand prize and Trebek Trophy.

Jeopardy Masters 2024 continues with the first night of semifinals, at 8 p.m. Friday, May 17, on ABC.

 Kristi Turnquist covers features and entertainment. Reach her at 503-221-8227, kturnquist@oregonian.com or @Kristiturnquist

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For as long as anyone can remember, the Rainbow Cafe in downtown Pendleton has made a unique claim to fame: The oldest bar in Oregon. Its on the Rainbows menus, website and the T-shirts for sale at the bar.

Portlanders might disagree and point to Hubers Cafe, founded in 1879  but the Pendleton bar claims a key distinction. The Rainbow, its owners said, is the oldest continuously operating tavern location in the state, having served out of the same brick building since 1883. Hubers moved buildings several times before landing at its current home in 1910.
A Portland nurse who traveled to the Gaza Strip for what was supposed to be a two-week medical mission is stuck in the southern city of Rafah after Israel seized the nearest border crossing on May 7.

Monica Johnston, a burn specialist and mother of two teenagers, traveled May 1 to the only functioning hospital in Rafah alongside 18 other volunteers with the Palestinian American Medical Association and the Jordan American Physicians Association. She was expected to begin her return trip home Monday.

Rafah, near the border with Egypt, has become a hub for Palestinians fleeing conflict in northern Gaza, but the already overcrowded citys resources have dwindled while airstrikes continue to fall, cutting off aid, said Lynn Hector, a spokesperson for the Portland-based humanitarian organization Mercy Corps, which is separately working in Gaza.

You have a huge number of people crowded into Rafah, and there is just not the infrastructure to sustain that many people, said Hector. This is already an unfathomable situation.

As of Wednesday, Johnston said she didnt know when she would be able to return to Oregon  or when other nurses and physicians would be able to replace them at European General Hospital, the only remaining hospital in the city capable of treating the injuries that Palestinians in Gaza have sustained since the Israel-Hamas war brought widespread violence to the region. Many of the patients Johnston has treated are children.

We dont want to leave until we have replacements, said Johnston, 44. We dont want to abandon these people.

With supplies dwindling, Johnston said that conditions are grim.

You can have 20, 30 years of experience under your belt, said Johnston, who has worked as a burn nurse since 2001. But if you dont have supplies, its not going to be good enough.

American hospitals, she said, get daily shipments of supplies. The Gaza hospital was getting them every two weeks, but with the border closed its now even less.

Were triaging supplies, which means were triaging lives, she said.

Johnston described the case of a 7-year-old child with burns on 90% of his body. The sole survivor of an airstrike that killed his whole family, the boy required constant bandage changes to keep the wounds clean.

After using an entire suitcase of burn supplies on the child, Johnston said she had to make the difficult decision to save bandages for the hundreds of other patients in her care.

The boy died four days later, his burns infested with maggots.

I feel a huge sense of responsibility for that, with my decision as the burn and wound care specialist on this team saying, No, we cannot do this dressing again, Johnston said. I feel responsible.

Johnston added that the lack of supplies has made seemingly routine procedures like washing hands and changing gloves impossible.

Without soap, paper towels, or hand sanitizer, she said nurses are forced to go from patient to patient without sterilizing their hands.

I think the hardest thing for me is seeing all these things that are only going to contribute to the mortality of patients, and not being able to change them or do anything about it, she said.

Johnston said health conditions are bad enough in the hospital that many of the medical professionals on her team contracted gastroenteritis. She added that she and others needed IV fluids to treat their dehydration.

Ghada Abukuwaik (left) and Monica Johnston (right) treat a 7-year-old child with extensive burns who later died. Johnston had to wear an IV cannula for several days while treating patients to receive IV fluids to treat dehydration caused by gastroenteritis.Courtesy of Monica Johnston

Johnston, who is originally from Canada, said she was first inspired to work in the medical profession as a child, when she watched nurses care for her grandfather before he died from a stroke when she was in the seventh grade.

I just said I wanna take care of people from that point on, Johnston said.

She added that her decision to help people in Gaza was an abrupt calling.

Johnston described herself as apolitical, someone who never stood up for any cause in my life, until the November day she received a message about a call for volunteers from the Palestinian American Medical Association. She said she filled out an interest form without thinking much about it, and then received an email a month later.

I need to be there, she recalled thinking. It was absolutely just a calling.

Johnston said that she hopes her mission in Gaza will serve as an example to her two children.

Her oldest, 16-year-old Bella Johnston, said Wednesday that her mom has inspired her to sign up for a blood drive  despite her fear of needles.

If she can  get over her fears to help people, I wanna get out of my comfort zone, Bella Johnston said. I want to do something that Im afraid of, and get over my fears and help people.

Monica Johnston said that this was one of her goals as a parent.

I want to model to my kids how to be a good human, how to follow your heart, she said. Do what you do with heart. Dont always take the easy path.

 Tanner Todd covers crime and public safety. Reach them at ttodd@oregonian.com, or 503-221-4313.

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Oregons foster care system could soon face additional monitoring and forced improvements, under a potential settlement agreement being negotiated this week between the state and plaintiffs in a federal class action lawsuit.

A yet-to-be-appointed monitor could track the Oregon child welfare systems progress improving foster care for up to a decade, according to a broad outline of possible settlement terms filed recently in federal court. That timeline could be extended if the state fails to make adequate progress improving outcomes for babies, children and teens.
Oregon likely will face an above-average risk of wildfires by July and August, with fire risks peaking in September and October, said Doug Grafe, the governors wildfire programs adviser, at a press conference Wednesday.

Chris Cline, fire protection chief for the Oregon Department of Forestry, said that the agency is preparing by hiring a seasonal staff of fire prevention experts  a task that Cline said has become increasingly difficult as the state struggles to attract temporary employees and volunteer firefighters, especially in rural Oregon.

Its becoming very problematic, Cline said. In a time of prolonged temperature and climate change ... the need increases, yet the available personnel across the workforce decreases.

State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said that declining volunteerism has been an ongoing concern for her department and other state agencies.

To help round out Oregons firefighting force during the crucial summer months, Ruiz-Temple said she has awarded grant money through Oregon Senate Bill 762 to fire departments across the state.

According to a press release provided by the marshals office, Ruiz-Temple awarded $6 million to 191 fire departments across Oregon. She said that the grants, which have been awarded for the past three years, typically allow local fire departments to hire over 1,500 seasonal firefighters.

Cline said that the forestry department is also working to reduce the amount of flammable material that could become fuel for wildfires if and when they break out.

He said that the department is implementing prescribed burns, including one near Bend on Wednesday, ahead of the fire season.

Grafe also stressed individual Oregonians role in preventing wildfires.

Oregonians should prepare for fire season by preparing their yards, or by establishing defensible space to protect their homes, being prepared for evacuations, having a plan for smoke incidents and above all, helping to prevent fires before they start, he said.

 Tanner Todd covers crime and public safety. Reach them at ttodd@oregonian.com, or 503-221-4313.

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Imperial Dade Canada Adds Scale in Canada with Acquisition of Canpaco

May 15, 2024 - Imperial Dade, a leading distributor of foodservice packaging, printing papers and janitorial supplies, announced the acquisition of Canpaco, Inc., Crystal Poly Converters, Arcadian Paper Converters, Inc., and Canadian Paper & Packaging Co. LTD (together "Canpaco").

Financial terms of the private transaction were not disclosed.

Canadian Paper & Packaging Co. Ltd. (CPP) and Arcadian Paper Converters Inc. established in 1936 and 1960 respectively, owned and operated by Robert Appel, Brian Charney and John Taylor have strived to meet and exceed customer expectations in the Quebec marketplace complementing the shared values of Canpaco.

"Imperial Dade continues to expand its presence across Canada, and we are looking forward to continuing together in our mission to organically grow and provide unmatched customer service throughout North America," said Jason Tillis, CEO of Imperial Dade.

Stephane Lapointe, President of Imperial Dade Canada, added, "I enthusiastically welcome the Canpaco family to Imperial Dade Canada. Now together, we look forward to building upon already established success and continuing to find ways to better serve our customers and vendor partners."

Founded in 1935, Imperial Dade is a leading provider in the foodservice packaging, industrial products and janitorial supplies industry. The company serves more than 120,000 customers across North America.

SOURCE: Imperial Dade
An Alabama assistant principal was arrested for a triple homicide case in Georgia.

Keante Harris, an assistant principal at McAdory Middle School in Alabama, was arrested on May 8 in connection with a triple homicide case in Georgia. The 45-year-old was booked on a fugitive from justice charge, according to records from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

Harris is one of four men arrested in connection with the case, along with Kenneth Thompson, Kevin Harris, and Darrell Harris. They have each been charged with three counts of malice murder. Harris has been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation.

Arrested Assistant Principal Arrested for 2013 Cold-Case

An Alabama middle school's assistant principal faced arrest and charges concerning a cold case involving three individuals in Georgia over a decade ago.

The incident dates back to January 13, 2013, when authorities discovered the victims following the discovery of a deserted 2010 Dodge Charger in Fulton County, as outlined in a recent news release by the Clayton County Sheriff's Office.

After years of no progress, the case took a significant turn last week. The sheriff's office issued murder warrants for individuals identified as Keante Harris, Kenneth Thompson, Kevin Harris, and Darrell Harris. These suspects were apprehended across multiple states, as confirmed by the sheriff's office.

Keante Harris, aged 45, held the role of assistant principal at McAdory Middle School in McCalla, Alabama.

Dr. Walter Gonsoulin, the superintendent of Jefferson County Schools, remarked in a statement to the news outlet before the murder charges surfaced that they were in the process of gathering information about the situation.

Gonsoulin stated that while they are gathering facts about the specifics of this situation, early indications suggest that the charges are unrelated to this individual's employment with Jefferson County Schools.

Triple Homicide in Georgia Crime

Police authorities revealed that the investigations into the 2013 triple homicide case allegedly committed by the assistant principal include gruesome and harrowing details of the victims' ordeal.

The Clayton County Sheriff's Office revealed that the victims were subjected to torture before being murdered, and their bodies were subsequently discarded in nearby Fulton County.

Detectives pieced together that the victims were enticed to a residence in Jonesboro, Georgia, under false pretenses and coerced inside at gunpoint, as stated by the sheriff's office.

Authorities elaborated, subsequently, they were transported in the rear seat of a Dodge Charger and transported to Fulton County.

Keante Harris was apprehended on Wednesday in Alabama based on a fugitive of justice warrant, as indicated in online jail records. All four suspects are charged with three counts of malice murder, as confirmed by the sheriff's office.

The victims' tragic fate unfolded on January 13, 2013, when they were discovered on an Interstate 85 exit ramp in Union City, Georgia, as verified by the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office. Their lifeless bodies were located inside a silver 2010 Dodge Charger, abandoned at the scene.

Quinones King and Rodney Cottrell were found deceased in the back seat, having succumbed to asphyxiation, while Cheryl Colquitt-Thompson was discovered strangled in the trunk.

The medical examiner's office's findings corroborated the sequence of events: the victims were enticed to a Jonesboro residence, held at gunpoint, subjected to torture, and ultimately killed before being transported to Fulton County.
The remains of the South Carolina mom found dead have now been discovered by police authorities.

The remains of Jamilla "Millie" Shanae' Smith, a single mother from South Carolina who has been missing since December 2023, have been identified, along with the revelation of her cause of death.

The Aiken County Sheriff's Office found the 30-year-old mother's body on Thursday in a wooded area on Silver Bluff Road.

The discovery has shed light on the tragic events that unfolded and led to her disappearance. Suspects allegedly related to the tragedy are now in police custody.

Autopsy Reveals Cause of Death For Jamilla Smith

In a press release, authorities announced that the Aiken County Coroner, Daryll Ables, along with the Aiken Department of Public Safety and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, assisted in recovering Smith's remains.

An autopsy determined that Smith died from a gunshot wound to the head. Smith, a mother of two boys, was last heard from on December 2.

She was in Aiken County with her ex-boyfriend, Daniel Gabriel Harmon, who was later arrested on December 23 on charges including kidnapping and murder.

According to a police affidavit, Harmon is believed to have struck Smith with a car.

On December 2, Smith made a breathless 911 call, during which she told the male suspect to leave her alone and mentioned being hit by a vehicle.

Arrests and Ongoing Investigation

The investigation into Smith's death has led to multiple arrests. Bryan Alexander Hampton Jr., Harmon's cousin, turned himself in on April 19 and was charged with accessory after the fact to murder.

Additionally, on April 17, authorities arrested Clyde Hendley II, also charging him with accessory after the fact of murder.

Hendley, an associate of the other two men, was taken into custody after a search of his Aiken County home.

It remains unclear who is representing Hendley in court. The Aiken County Solicitor's Office confirmed that Strom Thurmond is representing Hampton, but Thurmond did not respond to requests for comment.

Harmon's attorney, Charles Lyons III, has advised his client not to comment on the case, expressing remorse on behalf of Harmon's family for Smith's disappearance and death.

Read Also : Mississippi Governor Signs SAFER ACT Barring Transgender Students from Using Gender-Aligned Bathrooms

Family's Heartbreak and Calls for Justice

Smith's disappearance has been deeply felt by her family and community. Kimberly Kite, who runs a nonprofit organization that aids in finding missing persons, was contacted by Smith's loved ones for assistance.

Kite expressed hope that Smith would be found and brought home, emphasizing the need for justice and closure for her family.

Smith's mother, Tina McCraw, recounted her daughter's history of domestic violence incidents involving Harmon. Records show that Smith contacted the police regarding domestic violence three times in 2023.

McCraw shared that Smith had moved to Florida to be with family but returned to South Carolina in December to address car-related issues. Tragically, Smith's last communication with her mother involved seeking help to locate her phone after her ex-boyfriend threw it out of the car.

The Aiken County Sheriff's Office continues to urge anyone with information related to Smith's case to come forward by calling (803) 648-6811 or sending a message through their website at www.aikencountysheriff.net.
A second teen confessed liable on Wednesday about the demise of a 20-year-old driver who was badly hit in the head by a rock that penetrated her windshield in rural Denver last year.

Second Suspect Involved in Rock-Throwing Incident Pleads Guilty

By a plea deal, Nicholas Karol-Chik, aged 19, admitted to accusations of second-degree killing and committing a murderous crime. He revealed that he passed a rock to another teenager, Joseph Koenig, who subsequently hurled it at Alexa Bartell's car, leading to her passing on April 19, 2023.

Karol-Chik also confessed to attempted first-degree murder for participating in rock-throwing incidents targeting nine people that night alongside Koenig and Zachary Kwak, who had previously pleaded guilty.

Prosecutors had been unable to ascertain which of the three teenagers threw the fatal rock, as Bartell's DNA was the only one found on it.

Thus, they may rely on Karol-Chik's testimony during Koenig's forthcoming trial, the sole defendant still facing first-degree murder charges in Bartell's death, scheduled for July. Koenig has entered a plea of not guilty, and his attorney, Martin Stuart, declined to comment.

Both Karol-Chik and Kwak have agreed to cooperate with prosecutors as part of their plea agreements. Kwak pleaded guilty to first-degree assault in Bartell's death, as well as second-degree assault for three other drivers injured by rocks that night, and attempted second-degree assault for three other vehicles hit by rocks without causing injuries.

According to Karol-Chik's admissions, all three teenagers threw rocks at passing cars that night, hitting a total of seven vehicles.

Karol-Chik stated that he was in the front passenger seat when he handed Koenig a large landscaping rock, which Koenig, who was driving, then threw at Bartell's car.

Colorado Teen To Be Sentenced for Throwing Rocks at Moving Cars

Under his plea agreement, Karol-Chik faces a potential sentence of 35 to 72 years in prison when he is sentenced on September 10.

Karol-Chik, attired in an orange jail jumpsuit with handcuffs on his wrists, entered his plea in court while his parents observed from a few rows behind.

He respectfully responded to Judge Christopher Zenisek's inquiries about his understanding of the proceedings, while his mother, seated on the defense side of the courtroom, shed tears. Bartell's family and friends occupied the other side of the courtroom, with some also wiping away tears during the hearing.

Authorities indicated that the string of attacks happened within proximity to each other and occurred over about 45 minutes. Investigators utilized cellphone tracking and DNA evidence to link the three teenagers to Bartell's death.

As law enforcement sought out suspects, a reward for information rose to $17,000. After the teenagers were apprehended in late April, authorities disclosed that one of them took photos of Bartell's damaged car for sentimental reasons and did not attempt to help her when her vehicle veered off the road.

"Investigators cited Mitch's statement claiming it was Zach who threw the 'fatal' rock at Alexis' vehicle. Upon revisiting the scene, they passed by Alexis' vehicle traveling northbound before turning around southbound.

Joe slowed down the vehicle to allow Zach to capture a photo," an investigator detailed in court records. "As they approached the stopped vehicle, Zachary used his cellphone to snap a picture. When questioned about the motive, he explained that he believed Joseph or Mitch would want it as a memento."
A split finding from a federal appeals court on Wednesday ousted an appeal by a group of Maryland parents desiring to oblige a school district to permit them to excuse their elementary school kids from reading books featuring LGBTQ characters.

Maryland Parents Contest School Book Policy on LGBTQ Content

A 2-1 panel of judges from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, ruled that the parents were unsuccessful in displaying how the Montgomery County Board of Education's book policy would obstruct anyone's religious freedoms.

Represented by attorneys from the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the parents disputed a curriculum for young kids that included books representing gay, transgender, and non-binary people in numerous sequences of events.

The parents, comprising Muslims, Christians, and Jews, along with the parental rights organization Kids First, contested that the board's policy violated their religious rights under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by not allowing an opt-out provision.

However, U.S. Circuit Judge G. Steven Agee, writing the majority opinion, noted the inadequacy of important proof regarding how teachers were using the books in classrooms and what concepts were being expressed to the children.

Agee emphasized that such details were crucial for the parents to establish that the absence of an opt-out choice was disrupting their children's religious education.

The opinion by Agee, appointed by former President George W. Bush, got unanimity from U.S. Circuit Judge DeAndrea Benjamin, appointed by President Joe Biden.

In dissent, U.S. Circuit Judge A. Marvin Quattlebaum, Jr., appointed by former President Donald Trump, affirmed that the board disregarded the parents' First Amendment right to direct their children's religious upbringing.

Parents' Attorney Indicate Plans to Continue Pursuing Appeals

Eric Baxter, the parents' attorney at Becket, expressed intentions to pursue further appeals, criticizing the court's decision for disempowering Maryland parents regarding their children's education.

The case revolved around a series of LGBTQ-inclusive storybooks certified by the board in 2022 for use in the Montgomery County Public Schools' curriculum.

Among these were "Pride Puppy!" by Robin Stevenson, describing a dog navigating a Pride parade, and "Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope" by Jodie Patterson, recounting her transgender son's journey.

Originally, parents could choose their children out of reading these books, but the board discarded this option starting the 2023-2024 school year, prompting the lawsuit after a lower-court judge neglected to release a preliminary injunction, leading the six parents to appeal.

Baxter explains that their group does not encourage the elimination of these books from classrooms but rather for parents to have the right to choose if certain content is not appropriate for their child and to eliminate them from the classroom accordingly.

They plan to look for a review of the case by the U.S. Supreme Court and remain optimistic for a favorable result. An MCPS spokesperson declared they have not yet seen the ruling and cannot comment on continuing litigation.
A newborn baby weighing 1 pound from Chicago is finally going home from a successful premature birth. After a challenging six-month journey, baby Nyla triumphantly left Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox to go home on Monday, May 13.

The hospital hosted a celebratory send-off, attended by enthusiastic staff, friends, and family members, collectively known as "Nyla Nation."

Chicago Newborn Baby Only Weighs 1 Pound

NaKeya Haywood, Nyla's mother, expressed profound gratitude, acknowledging the overwhelming support from family and friends who prayed and provided care throughout this period. The atmosphere was filled with excitement and joy as everyone gathered to celebrate Nyla's homecoming.

This Chicago hospital has declared Nyla's recovery nothing short of miraculous. Born weighing just around one pound, she has now made it home after a tremendous battle for survival.

Nyla's journey began when her mother, NaKeya Haywood from Joliet, was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia at 22 weeks pregnant. This severe high-blood pressure condition posed significant risks to both mother and child, necessitating an early delivery to save their lives.

Nyla Brook Haywood was born on November 1 at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, Illinois. As a micropreemie, she weighed only 1 pound and 1 ounce and measured just 11 inches in length.

Despite being born with fused eyes, underdeveloped lungs, and nearly translucent skin, Nyla's condition has dramatically improved.

After receiving six months of intensive care in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, she now weighs approximately 10 pounds and is 21 inches long. The hospital staff has been astonished by her incredible progress and resilience.

Premature Birth Challenges

Dr. Mario Sanchez, Nyla's physician, explained that the odds are typically against babies born at 22 weeks, as numerous complications can arise despite the best efforts of medical professionals.

To ensure Nyla's comfort during her transition from the womb, the medical team increased the room temperature. Dr. Sanchez described the delivery as flawless, noting that even the challenging task of inserting a breathing tube into her tiny body went smoothly.

Nyla's journey didn't end at delivery. Dr. Sanchez highlighted that many babies born at such an early stage suffer from head bleeds. However, Nyla's head ultrasounds were consistently normal, which is exceptional for a baby born at 22 weeks.

Most babies born this prematurely either do not survive or face significant developmental delays. Nyla, on the other hand, is expected to have a near-normal outcome, making her a truly remarkable case.

The Haywood family, known for their respectfulness, friendliness, and cheerfulness, has touched the hearts of the medical staff. Their journey from facing such daunting challenges to witnessing Nyla's progress has been deeply inspiring for everyone involved.

A Stanford study analyzing 10,877 premature babies born in the U.S. between 2013 and 2018 found that those born at 22 weeks had only a 28% chance of survival with active treatment. Nyla has surpassed these daunting odds and continues to thrive.

Though she still has some scarring on her lungs and will need to go home with oxygen, Nyla's future looks promising. She will continue to have regular checkups to monitor for any potential complications common among micropreemies. Nonetheless, her doctors remain optimistic about her continued development and bright future.
Earlier this year, Intel told the world that its next-gen Core Ultra Series 2 Lunar Lake chips would be out before the end of the year. And that appears to be true, but with a welcome twist: Theyre power-efficient enough to appear in a handheld gaming PC.

Intel hasnt formally launched Lunar Lake yet, but Shenzhen Weibu Information Inc. has published details of what it calls the GP10: an 11-inch handheld gaming PC with an Intel Lunar Lake chip inside. Weibu will show off the handheld PC at the Computex show in Taiwan that begins the first week of June.

Unlike more well-known handheld PC vendors like Lenovo, MSI, Logitech, Asus ROG, and others, Weibu isnt a big name in the handheld gaming space  in fact, this might be its first handheld gaming PC. Weibu provides OEM/ODM services, meaning that it makes products under contract for its customers to brand and sell.

Whats more interesting is that it has whats claimed to be a full-fledged Lunar Lake chip inside. Thats unusual; the Lenovo Legion Go 8.8, for example, uses an AMD Ryzen Z1, specifically designed for the handheld gaming market. But MSI debuted the Claw A1M in January at CES, with a Core Ultra 5 or Ultra 7 in either of the two models, the first major handheld vendor to do so.

To date, the MSI Claw is basically the only Intel Core-based handheld PC. Which leads to the question: Does the presence of the Weibu GP10 signal that Lunar Lake will address a broad spectrum of the market, including handheld gaming? Or is Weibus GP10 a one-off, designed to shoehorn in a powerful processor to attract attention? Will it even come to market?

We dont know for certain. But we do know that Lunar Lake, the follow-on to the Core Ultra Series 1 low-power Meteor Lake, will be the first 18A (angstrom) chip  which will potentially decrease the operating power even more than Meteor Lake did. In 2022, Intel executives told the Hot Chips conference that Lunar Lake would be optimized for ultraportables running at 15 watts and below. Lunar Lake is also expected to boast an NPU with three times more TOPS than Meteor Lake, though its unclear whether it alone will meet Microsofts reported definition of an AI PC. But as for the argument that Lunar Lake could fit inside a handheld PC  yes, that seems reasonable.

As for the specs of the GP10, we know those too:

Display: 10.95-inch (19201200,120Hz, multitouch)

Processor: Intel Lunar Lake (speed and model not disclosed)

Memory: LPDDR5 (on-board), 64GB max

Storage: M.2. NVMe 2280, 2TB max

Wireless: 802.11ac/802.11ax

Ports: USB-C, TF, 3.5mm jack

All this certainly gives credence to the fact that Intel could be preparing a concerted push into Intel Core Lunar Lake handhelds. Well have to wait to see what the company announces at Computex.
Microsofts PC Manager is a cool, useful, and free tool for PC users who want to optimize Windows quickly and easily. But using PC Manager apparently can also have unwanted side effects.

Since the latest space-saving update, PC Manager has also been searching for very specific optimization requirements on Windows 10 and Windows 11 computers. If PC Manager recognizes that youve preset Google or another non-Microsoft search engine on Windows 11s native Edge browser, it recommends switching to Microsofts Bing search engine, as Windowslatest reports.

get windows 11 for cheap Windows 11 Pro Price When Reviewed: 69,99 Euro Best Prices Today:

PC Manager says that the default settings for Edge have been changed and recommends restoring the original settings specified by Microsoft, with Bing as the default search engine. The whole thing seems a bit intrusive, as hardly any users are likely to have accidentally set Google as their search engine  especially as the suggestions appear under the heading Repair tips. Thats almost cheeky.

So dont be put off by this repair tip. Apart from that, the PC Manager is definitely worth a look, though you can also use CCleaner or other tuning tools. Please note, however, that tuning tools can sometimes lead to undesirable consequences and even damage the operating system. Use them at your own risk.
QNET, a global wellness and lifestyle focused direct selling company, is celebrating 26 years of impact and legacy as it looks forward to deepening its footprints of positivity across the world, especially in Africa.



QNET officially commenced the 26th edition of its popular global conference called the VCON. The event is taking place at the Spice Arena on the Penang Island in Malaysia between 12th and 16th May, 2024, under the theme: Unstoppable. The Conference started with an electrifying opening ceremony that got independent representatives, partners, special guests, local and international media excited and thrilled. The 26th edition of the VCON is attended by thousands of people from different parts of the world including journalists from West African countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Burkina Faso and Senegal.



According to the Founders of the company, Dato Sri Vijay Eswaran and Joseph Bismark, the first 25 years of QNET, which was celebrated last year, has positively touched the lives of millions of people across the world. This year marks the beginning of another 25 years of unstoppable impact of the company.



An epitome of inspiration to several thousands of independent representatives that attended the opening ceremony of the 2024 VCON, one of the founders of QNET, Dato Sri Vijay Eswaran, in his usual charismatic, inspiring, simple but captivating opening speech, encouraged participants to believe in themselves and in their abilities to transform their own situations, thereby positively contributing value to people and society at large. He said the journey of the next 25 years would start with them and that in 25 years time, there is no limit to what they would have accomplished for themselves and the people around them.





Mr. Wong Hon Wai, Penang State Governments Executive Committee Member for Tourism and Creative Economy, warmly welcomed the guests on behalf of the Penang Government and highlighted the importance of the VCON for the region and its positive impact for the local economy and tourism. He mentioned that the VCON is unique and in a class of its own, regarding the impact the Conference has made on residents of the island in the last 12 years alone.



VCON 2024 will witness the release of new QNET products, such as a new watch collection and the exhibition of existing and amazing QNET products.



QNET is one of Asia leading direct-selling companies offering a wide range of health, wellness and lifestyle products that enable people to live better lives. QNET's grass-roots business model, fuelled by e-commerce, has helped empower millions of entrepreneurs in more than 100 countries worldwide. Since its inception 26 years ago, the company has operated a unique business model that allows individuals, including women, to start their businesses and earn an income by selling the company's products.

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The Director General of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Kofi Bosompem Osafo-Maafo, has highlighted that the energy deficit in many African countries is impeding the continents ability to achieve economic freedom and development.



Speaking at the launch of the Africa Prosperity Dialogue 2025 in Accra, Mr. Osafo-Maafo emphasized that the energy deficit has significant implications for the continents development, hindering economic growth by limiting industrial expansion, infrastructure development, and productivity.



Osafo-Maafo stressed, We cannot drive growth with an energy deficit. Electricity coverage across Africa is only about 30%, while in developing countries it is close to 70% and even approaching 90%, this deficit makes growth challenging.



He further explained, With this deficit, it becomes difficult to leverage natural resources in any value chain. Take aluminum, for example. How can you develop the value chain if there is a shortage of power? Energy is crucial for development.



Osafo-Maafo also pointed out that Africas telecommunication space is rapidly growing without the proper regulatory system in place.



He highlighted the recent damage to major undersea data cables serving Africa and emphasized the need to address these issues to ensure growth.



Our regulatory system around the continent has allowed our growth and not built any redundancy. So there have been great investments and returns coming out of the sector but we have not built any redundancy.



So we need to look at how we address issues making sure that we have redundancy within our system to grow because if we dont we are going to be a constraint, he said.



Group CEO of Telecel, Moh Damush emphasized the evolving telecom infrastructure, stating, We are transitioning from providing data to our customers to providing data to industries. This transition requires substantial investment and infrastructure focus as all industries will become dependent on data in the coming decades.



Minister for Railways Development, John-Peter Amewu, urged African leaders to prioritize the development of the railway sector to facilitate connectivity among countries on the continent.



He emphasized that railway infrastructure should be viewed as a social service, with governments constructing railway lines for private sector operation.



It is the responsibility of African countries now to address the gap and how we can improve the railway infrastructure. The railway infrastructure must be seen as a social service just as we construct roads, the government must be able to construct railway lines and leave it to the private sector to operate, he added.

Source: dailymail









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A police inspector and four other suspects are in the firm grips of the Akosombo Divisional Police Command following their involvement in an attempted smuggling of 231 bags of dried cocoa beans to neighbouring Togo.



The team of Military personnel, who were on duty around the bridge on the Akuse Dam on Wednesday, were said to have arrested the suspects, which included one Inspector Adam Mahama, who was acting as an escort to the truck carrying the contrabands en route to neighbouring Togo.



The identities of the other four suspects, who are currently being processed for court upon further investigations, have been given as De-Graft Otto Mote, Soga Godwin, Baba Issah, a driver and his mate, Joseph Aha.



According to information, the military personnel, whilst on duty around 9 pm on Wednesday, intercepted two vehicles; a Benz Ateco Truck with registration number GW 4873-22, which was carrying the 231 bags of dried cocoa beans concealed under animal feed and a Mazda Pickup with registration number GW 3556-S, said to be acting as an escort to the cocoa-laden truck.



They were said to have loaded the consignments from Asuboi, near Suhum and were transporting it to Togo via Asutsuare and Adidome.



Upon interrogations and subsequent admission, the suspects were handed over, together with the seized cocoa beans, to the Akosombo Divisional Police for further investigations and possible prosecution on charges of Purchase of Cocoa without authority contrary to S4 of Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 1984(PNDCL81), attempting to smuggle cocoa beans contrary to S317 (i) of the Criminal and Other Offences Act 1960(Act29), and attempting to export cocoa beans which have not been inspected, graded and sealed by an Inspector of cocoa, contrary to S 3 of Cocoa Industry Regulations Act, 1968(NLCD278).



The COCOBOD has in recent times intensified its crackdown on the illicit activities of the cocoa smuggling syndicates who are said to be depriving the country of several millions of Ghana Cedis from proceeds of the sale of cocoa beans.



Over the last four weeks, five persons have been sentenced to a total of 19 years imprisonment with hard labour for their various roles in attempted smuggling of dried cocoa beans to neighbouring Togo.

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Ghana's finest Photographer and Videographer who doubles as Founder and Creative Lead at Focus and Blur, Enoch Boateng has been honoured for his tremendous commitment to the Creative Arts industry.



The award signifies his stunning leadership qualities and exceptional dedication to providing outstanding services to customers as well as being a highly respected company advocating for best business practices in the Creative Arts sector.



Speaking to the media after receiving the all-important award, Focus and Blur Founder, Enoch Boateng was extremely grateful to God, his team and his customers for always supporting him.



To him, this award reflects their commitment to delivering the highest standards of quality customer satisfaction, and continuous improvement; adding "It is a testament to their dedication to excellence in every aspect of their operations".



" I want to say a very big thank you to God and everyone who have supported me to this height. My cherished clients have been my great inspiration. I am extremely excited for such a wonderful milestone. This demonstrates our unwavering focus on meeting and exceeding customer expectations while adhering to rigorous quality standards", he said at the 7th edition of the Forty Under 40 Awards held at the De Icon Events Centre at East Legon-Accra.





ABOUT ENOCH BOATENG



Enoch Boateng has nurtured and developed his passion and skills for photography over the years which has made him stand out and easily one of the best in the industry.



His self-motivation, perseverance and ambition to be a great man has been the driving force to be an achiever and an anchor in the community by nurturing and impacting the lives of young creatives and harnessing their desire to be great themselves.



Enoch Boateng started his career as a Marketing Manager at Creative Genius in 2012. He then continued to EMG Multimedia Group as a Creative/Graphic designer from 2014-2015.



In 2015, he started work at Centastage as a Graphic designer for one year. It was from this role that he decided to invest in his passion for photography and founded Focus and Blur (Photography & Videography) in 2016.



He was awarded the best event photographer at the Ghana Event Industry Awards in 2019, 2020 and 2021.He was also awarded the Photography Influencer of the year, 2021 at the Pulse Influencer Awards and the Photographer of the year, 2022 at the EAwards. 40 under 40 Archivers Award in arts 2023, Hall of Fame GEIC 2023









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The United States government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funded the Power Africa West Africa Energy Program (WAEP) and recently held a lessons-learned event in Accra, Ghana, reviewing the last five years of work.



The event brought together energy-sector players including government officials and private sector actors to reflect on the Programs work over the past five years, and discuss achievements and lessons learned.



Since 2019, WAEP has expanded supply and access to clean, affordable, and reliable grid-connected electricity in 23 countries in West Africa.



In Ghana, WAEP partnered with the Ministry of Energy to develop a data-driven inventory management system (IMS). The system supports the ministry and decision makers, to access accurate, real-time data on the availability and distribution of energy equipment such as wires, poles, meters, and transformers. Through IMS, there have been more than 400,000 new electricity connections in Ghana.



WAEP assisted the Bui Power Authority (BPA) through the National Renewable Energy Laboratorys assistance to conduct and review grid impact and stability studies to operationalize the first 50-megawatt (MW) phase of its 250 MW solar-hydro hybrid project.



This represents West Africas first hydro-solar hybrid project and has doubled Ghanas grid-connected solar energy. The project is expected to cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 47,000 tons per year.



The Program also supported the Ghana Energy Commission to train and certify wiring professionals by offering short-term certificate scholarship programs to those working in rural, low-income regions in northern Ghana. Forty-four wiring technicians, including 10 women, graduated from the program, representing an 80 percent increase in the number of certified women wiring technicians in Ghana.



The increase in the number of wiring technicians has reduced the cost of wiring, discouraging residents from using illegal electricity connections and improving electricity safety.



Highlighting the achievements of WAEP in Ghana during the learning event, USAID/Ghana Deputy Mission Director, Grace Lang said: I would also like to congratulate the Northern Electricity Development Company (NEDCo) and WAEP on their successful collaboration to improve revenue generation for the energy sector.



This successful pilot project has enabled NEDCo to reduce collection losses by 57 percent in the Yendi district relative to their 2021 baseline.



The impact of these interventions is a testament to what we can achieve through collective effort and strategic partnerships. she added.



Industry experts and program partners spoke about regional and global energy trends and collaborative efforts to expand supply and access to affordable and reliable power to people and countries across West Africa.



The United States is Ghanas largest bilateral development partner. In 2023 USAIDs bilateral development assistance, totaling over $140 million, was dedicated to supporting economic growth, agriculture, health, education, governance, and more.



About USAID



USAID is the lead U.S. government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential. USAIDs activities and strategic partnerships support Ghana to advance an integrated approach to development, promoting accountability, sustainable systems, and inclusive development.



About Power Africa



A U.S. government-led partnership, Power Africa harnesses the collective resources of public and private sectors to double access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa. Power Africa aims to add at least 30,000 megawatts (MW) of cleaner and more reliable electricity generation capacity and 60 million new home and business connections by 2030.



About WAEP



The USAID-funded Power Africa West Africa Energy Program (WAEP or the Program) advances its objective of expanding supply of and access to affordable and reliable electricity services in West Africa. The Program has the ultimate goal of advancing development priorities, including inclusive economic growth, increased security, and improved health and education. WAEPs four outcome goals include: increased power supply, increased access to electricity, a strengthened enabling environment, and a regionally connected power system.

Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









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Over 2,000 media practitioners, policymakers, scholars, and stakeholders from across the African continent have converged in Accra this week for the 3rd African Media Convention (AMC), a landmark event aimed at shaping the future of African media.



Under the theme "Journalism in the face of the Environmental Crisis in Africa," the conference is a three-day event that promises to be a crucible of ideas and initiatives aimed at addressing one of the continent's most pressing challenges.



The convention kicked off today, May 15, 2024, amidst a palpable sense of anticipation at the Labadi Beach Hotel. Delegates from across the African continent, alongside esteemed international guests, gathered to engage in robust discussions on the intersection of media and the environment.



In her opening and welcome address, Minister for Information-designate, Fatimatu Abubakr, set the tone for the conference. As Co-Chair of the Local Organizing Committee, she underscored the paramount importance of a free and vibrant media in Africa.



"The role of the media in informing the citizenry cannot be overstated," she remarked, highlighting the crucial mandate of journalists in addressing environmental issues.



Acknowledging the significant support from Ghana's leadership and the immediate past sector minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Minister Abubakr expressed gratitude for ensuring the seamless organization of the convention.



She extended a warm welcome to members of the Ghana Journalists Association and media personnel from across the continent, hailing their attendance as a testament to the convention's significance.



A highlight of the day was the panel discussion on Dis-/Misinformation on the Climate Crisis, which saw experts dissecting the challenges posed by misinformation in the age of social media. Journalists and media practitioners exchanged insights on strategies to combat false narratives and amplify accurate information on environmental issues.



The convention also provided a platform for networking and collaboration, with delegates seizing the opportunity to forge new partnerships and initiatives aimed at advancing environmental journalism across the continent.



As the convention enters its second day, discussions will delve into key topics central to the theme. Sessions will be on Freedom of Expression, Sustainable Development, and Gender Equality underscoring the multifaceted nature of the environmental crisis in Africa and the role of media in addressing it.



Day three of the conference will participants turn their attention towards actionable outcomes and impact-oriented initiatives. Sessions on Environmental Journalism and the Environment as well as high-level discussions with ministers and officials from various African countries will chart a path forward for media engagement on environmental issues.



On his part, President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Albert Kwabena Dwumfuor emphasized the imperative of translating discussions into tangible actions.



He said the true measure of the success of the gathering lies in the concrete steps stakeholders take to implement the solutions raised during the discussions.

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The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority has issued a statement to clarify the alleged altercation between the harbor security and some officials of the Ghana Immigration Service at the Tema Port.



The Port Authorities explained that, on Monday, May 13, 2024, there was an altercation between GPHA security personnel and officers from the Ghana Immigration Service on board MV MSC at the hours of 6:30 GMT. The report added that the altercation escalated to the Terminal 3 where the Immigration office is situated.



The letter signed by the Marketing and Public Affairs Manager, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority at the Port of Tema, Abena Serwaa Opoku Fosu revealed that, the incident stemmed from the immigration officers' failure to declare a package received from the vessel which contravenes Standard Operating Procedures established by the International Ships and Port Facility Security (ISPS) code and protocols.



While some media reports have sensationalized the incident, we recognize that it could have been handled more effectively to prevent escalation. GPHA prioritizes the safety and security of all stakeholders and condemns the behaviour displayed by both parties involved.



The ports authorities have taken full responsibility of the actions of the ports security personnel.



GPHA takes full responsibility for the actions of our security personnel involved, who have since been reprimanded.



There has so far been a discussion between the management of GPHA and the Ghana Immigration Service to find amicable solutions to the altercations so it doesnt happen in the near future.



The management of GPHA met with representatives from Ghana lmmigration Service and Ghana Maritime Authority to discuss the issue and have come to an amicable solution which includes, but not limited to periodic education and reorientation of all State Agencies in tandem with the evolving maritime security procedures and protocols.



As part of the measures put in place to avoid such occurrences, the management of the port noted that, there has to be an emphasis on the importance of adhering to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and protocols by all State Agencies operating within the ports urging all stakeholders to uphold the rules and regulations governing the ports of Ghana and collaborate to preserve the integrity of the Ports.













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Leadership and members of Christian Divine Church are preparing to celebrate a major milestone in the history of the church.



The 65th anniversary which is scheduled to take off from Thursday, 23rd May to Sunday, 26th May, at the John Taylor School Park at Tarkwa is debuted Christ is the foundation of the church.



According to the Acting General Secretary, Rev. Samuel Awuah, the anniversary is being held to celebrate the toil and labour of the founder of the church, Prophet Apostle John Taylor, who was expelled from the Methodist Church at Tarkwa but decided to continue serving the Lord beyond the treatment he was giving by the church.



He stated that the church through its sixty five year history has been open to communities not only for resources from a spiritual stand-point but for resources from a practical stand-point where it provides basic human needs for people.



Rev. Awuah said that, when you see the dedication of a church that can exist for sixty five years, it should tell you that the church is not only in tune from a spiritual perspective, but that church is in tune to the country and meeting the needs of the communities within it.



Christian Divine Church has impacted the lives of tens of thousands of people over the years who have turned around and impacted the country and the world at large. This is what Prophet Apostle John Taylor and Madam Dorcas Taylor did and taught us to continue to do as their children," he hinted.



He further stated that as part of the activities to mark the four day celebrations, the church will do a donation to one of its growing branches within the Tarkwa metropolis, to aid them complete a school building project being carried out by the branch with an aim to impact lives.



According to the Chairman of the anniversary planning committee, Presiding Elder John Nyanful, the anniversary is being held to mark an important milestone in the history of the church giving the contribution of the church to Christianity in Ghana.



He mentioned that the church which began with thirty nine members at Tarkwa now has over twenty thousand members with several branches nationwide.



He said the long term vision of the church is to establish schools in the various regional headquarters to help impact lives and to raise a generation that will not only be useful to the kingdom of God but also to the nation.



He further encouraged all church members within the various branches across the country to find it needful to attend the anniversary and be part of the celebrations which promises to be very intriguing and worth witnessing.

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Two children were burnt to death and three others sustained varying degrees of injury when blazing fire gutted their three-bedroom self-contained house at Akyem Oda last Sunday night.



The fire also destroyed property estimated at several thousands of Ghana cedis. The deceased have been identified as Clement Agyei, 6, and Desmond Karikari Agyei, 4. The survivors are Bernice Karikari, a 36-year-old hairdresser at Oda, Ereka Gyekyewaa and Blessing Agyeiwaa, aged 14 and nine years respectively.



Ms Karikari and her two daughters who were sent to the Oda Government Hospital have been discharged after receiving treatment, while the bodies of the two children have been deposited at the morgue of the same hospital.



Confirmation

The Oda Municipal Police Command confirmed the incident to the Daily Graphic. The Municipal Commander, Chief Superintendent Daniel Amoako, said his outfit in collaboration with the Municipal Fire Service were conducting investigation to ascertain the cause of the fire.



Eyewitness

An eyewitness, Mary Brew, whose house is adjacent the victims' residence, told the Daily Graphic that at about 11 p.m. last Sunday, while having her bath, she heard Ms Karikari screaming for help.



She stated that when she peeped through her window, she realised that the victims' house was in flames and, therefore, she raised the alarm that attracted many people to the scene.



Ms Brew said as the victims had locked their bedroom doors, they could not have access to enter to rescue them. She said another resident in the house, who was on a short break to participate in the limited registration exercise and was occupying one of the bedrooms in the house, mustered courage and broke into the victims' bedroom, which save Ms Karikari and her two daughters, Ereka and Blessing, who escaped from the inferno but had burns on their bodies.



Trapped

Ms Brew stated that when Madam Karikari who was traumatised regained consciousness, she told the people at the scene that her two sons, Clement and Desmond, were trapped in the inferno.



She said the good samaritans who were at the scene fruitlessly used buckets of water to quench the fire until personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service came to assist but it was too late, as everything in the house was burnt to ashes.



The eye-witness said when the rescuers got access to the bedroom, the two boys had been burnt beyond recognition.

Source: graphiconline.com









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The recent waiver of visa requirements has facilitated a surge in the number of Ghanaians who travel to South Africa in search of business, leisure and adventure.



The latest data from Statistics South Africa (SSA) showed that more than 7,904 Ghanaians made a successful entry into one of the continents largest economy in the first three months of this year for reasons related to business and tourism.



The move, representing a record growth of 249.4 per cent over the 2,262 posted for the first quarter of 2023, was occasioned by a waiver of visa requirements for the two countries from November last year, allowing citizens to travel freely between them.



The data further indicated that South Africas international tourist arrivals from January to March 2024, totalled 2.4 million, which represented an increase of 15.4 per cent. Of the total, 1.8 million arrived from the rest of the African continent, with Ghana standing out for its remarkable growth for the period.



At the 2024 Africas Travel Indaba (ATI) at Durban in the KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa on May 14, this year, the South African Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, commended the government and people of Ghana for their contribution to the growth of the tourism industry in that country.



Ghana recorded a 249.4 per cent surge when compared to 2023, reaching 7,904 arrivals for January to March 2024. Ghanas immense performance can be attributed to the fact that travellers between Ghana and South Africa no longer need visas for a period of up to 90 days within a calendar year, for purposes of business or tourism.



South Africa and Ghana announced the visa-waiver scheme on November 1, 2023.



Other nationals

Ms Lille further said that in the first three months of 2024, tourist arrivals from the Americas were more than 118, 000, reflecting a 12.4 per cent growth, as compared to the same period in 2023.



She said South Africa saw more than 420, 000 tourist arrivals from Europe, an 8.6 per cent increase, as compared to the same period in 2023. The UK remains the top European source market, with more than 125, 000 tourists choosing South Africa, marking a 5.3 per cent growth, as compared to 2023.



Germany experienced a 9.9 per cent increase in arrivals, as compared to 2023, amounting to over 98,900 tourists. There were more than 49, 000 arrivals from the Asian region, representing 25.4 per cent, as compared to the same period in 2023.



Pre-pandemic recovery

The Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, said: We meet here after the tourism industry was battered by the COVID-19 storm, we were at 90 per cent pre-pandemic recovery levels by the end of 2023.



This recovery is evidenced by the fact that the World Tourism Organisation said about 1.2 billion international tourists were recorded worldwide in 2023, an increase of 34 per cent over 2022, she added.



In line with that, the premier said the KwaZulu-Natal Province was positioning itself to reap the full rewards of the recovery. The impact of this trade show on the GDP of our province is estimated to be in the region of between R22 million and R260 million per year, between 2004 and 2022.



This equates to a R3 billion impact. Regarding international arrivals, our province received over 21 million international visitors between 2000 and 2023, Ms Dube-Ncube, said.

About Travel Indaba



Africas Travel Indaba is one of the largest tourism marketing events on the African calendar meant to showcase the best of the continents summer travel experience. The 2024 edition, which is on the theme: Unlimited Africa, offers unlimited potential as the continent can boast of diverse landscapes, cultures and experiences that provide limitless possibilities for exploration and growth.



The event created a unique opportunity for 1,200 exhibitors, including 26 African countries and more than 1,100 buyers, representing 55 countries across the world to interact and forge partnerships.



The African countries are showcasing a total of 344 products. The event, an initiative of South African Tourism (SAT), which opened on May 14, this year, will close on May 16, 2024.

Source: graphiconline.com









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National Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP), Henry Nana Boakye has asked the Ghana Police Service to act swiftly on cases involving the two NDC MPs upon whose instructions some thugs allegedly stormed registration centres to cause mayhem.



According to him, the two NDC MPs, Hon. Collins Dauda and Hon. Eric Opoku were reported to be involved in an incident at a registration centre at Kukuom, in the Asunafo South District.



"A young man who sustained injuries during the incident is today fighting for his life at the Sunyani Teaching Hospital, where I visited him this morning," he added.



Henry Nana Boakye who as part of his monitoring activities in the ongoing registration exercise, was in Kukuom to motivate hardworking supporters and also assure them of the partys unflinching support in the face of the violence and thuggery by the NDC in the area.



"In a disturbing turn of events, I was informed that the Police had released the vehicles used by these thugs in that barbaric action. These vehicles included a white Toyota Tundra with registration number BA-8008-20 belonging to Hon. Collins Dauda, a red Toyota Hilux with registration number GN-3272-15, an unregistered red Camry Spider, a Nissan Accent salon car, and a black and yellow Dodge 4x4".



Calling on the Police leadership at the headquarters will act quickly on the subject, he aded that it was surprising that the police in the Ahafo Region could release vehicles used in such criminal activities to their owners.



"It is very worrying that the NDC seems to be creating the impression that they have a license to unleash violence in the Ahafo areas during the voter registration exercise and we implore the police to curb this menace as soon as possible," he said.







Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









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Some civil society organisations (CSOs) have called on the 2024 National Democratic Congress (NDC) Manifesto Committee to include in their manifesto the formulation of a National Philanthropy policy, including tax incentives or exemptions, to facilitate charity work in the country.



In a five-point policy proposal to the committee, the 35 CSOs also suggested that the committee should add leveraging of philanthropy to finance sustainable development goals (SDGs) to accelerate achievement of targets in the country.



The Executive Director of Ghana Philanthropy Forum, Dr Ben Ocra, and the Project Officer of STAR-Ghana Foundation, Feruzah Wuniche Salisu, made the call when they jointly presented the policy proposals at a meeting with the foundation and other CSOs in Accra last Monday.



The meeting, which was at the instance of the foundation and its partners, was to engage the manifesto committees of political parties separately on different dates to make the recommendations aimed at boosting philanthropy in Ghana for sustainable development.



CSOs meeting

The 35 CSOs included the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisation, Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), Special Attention Project, ABANTU for Development, Resource Link Foundation and Volta Institute of Development Studies (VIDS).



The others included Fanthonio Foundation, Safe Child Advocacy, Girls Shall Grow, Ark Development Organisation and the Light Foundation.



The meeting was facilitated by the foundation in collaboration with the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI), the Centre for Social Policy Studies, University of Ghana and the Giving for Change Communities of Practice.



Present at the meeting were the running mate of the 2024 NDC flag bearer, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, and the Chairman of the 2024 NDC Manifesto Committee, Prof. Kwaku Danso-Boafo.



Also in attendance were some of the committee members: Sam Garba, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Dr William Ahadzie, Dr Yakubu Alhassan, Mavis Ama Frimpong, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo and Michael Nii Abbey.



The Executive Director of STAR-Ghana, Alhaji Amidu Ibrahim-Tanko, said such meetings were crucial in consolidating the country's democracy as it gave ordinary citizens the opportunity to critically analyse manifestos of political parties.



Presentation

Dr Ocra and Ms Salisu equally appealed to the NDC Manifesto Committee to revise existing policies such as the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) and what they described as crowdfunding policies that were unfavourable to philanthropic actors.



They recommended for inclusion in the NDC manifesto the establishment of a desk at the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) for non-profit organisations to promote transparency and accountability around tax exemption processes.



Expanding

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang, for her part, stated that it was important to expand the country's economy, stressing let us find ways of creating bigger pies in our economy, ways in which we own and grow our economy because investments from outside have agendas.



No fiscal space

Prof. Danso-Boafo said the NDC had a longstanding relationship with CSOs and acknowledged their contributions to the development of the nation.He said the party believed in constitutionalism and consultation, therefore, it was organising a series of engagements with CSOs throughout the country.

Source: graphiconline.com









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The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, during a press conference on May 9, raised concerns about the ongoing limited registration exercise and said the following:



Ladies and gentlemen, we do not expect the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana to act as the conduit through which Akufo-Addo will implement his avowed determination not to hand over power to the visionary, experienced and trustworthy John Dramani Mahama.



NPP must choose peaceful transfer of power from NPP to NDC in their own interest. Prof. Naana Jane Opoku Agyeman, the NDC running mate, also had the following to say about the Electoral Commission recently EC, I address you directly: it is in the national interest, and your own interest, that you make transparent what has been and is going on at your establishment.



The truth will not be suppressed. You cannot be so independent as to disregard the people who validate your existence. That does not exist anywhere. These and other recent statements by known NDC voices signal clearly that the relationship between Ghanas main opposition party and the Electoral Commission has become very frosty. At the heart of this frosty relationship is trust. The NDC does not trust the EC.



The ECs Trust Headaches

Putting aside the NDCs issues with the EC for a moment, the institution is facing a major trust deficit as per sentiments expressed by Ghanaians. In the most recent Afrobarometer survey (Round 9, 2022), only thirty-six per cent (36%) of Ghanaians expressed having a lot/somewhat trust in the EC.



Among those who described themselves as feeling close to the NDC, only six per cent (6%) expressed having a lot of trust, with another seventeen per cent (17%) having somewhat trust in the EC.



Among those who described themselves as feeling close to the NPP, seventeen per cent (17%) expressed having a lot of trust, with another thirty-four per cent (34%) having somewhat trust in the EC.



The table below shows how much trust (a lot/somewhat) Ghanaians have expressed in the EC across nine rounds of the Afrobarometer survey. The table also shows the level of trust by party affiliation.



As per the table above, the ECs trust deficit has manifested itself in three key ways  a) Overall, trust in the institution has deteriorated over time, especially between its highest level of trust (2005) and the most recent level (2022); b) trust in the institution among partisans shifts between when their preferred political party is in power (increases) and in opposition (decreases); and c) the partisan nature of trust in the EC has sharpened.



Let me illustrate the third point further. When you examine the average trust in the EC during the Dr Afari Gyan era (Afrobarometer 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2014) the trust gap between NDC and NPP partisans was seven percentage points.



NDC partisans had slightly more trust in the institution than NPP partisans. During the Madam Charlotte Osei era (Afrobarometer 2017), there was no significant trust gap between the two partisans.



Under Madam Jean Mensa (Afrobarometer 2019, 2022), the trust gap is a significant twenty-five percentage points, with NPP partisans having greater trust in the institution than NDC partisans.



The road ahead

Back to the NDCs frosty relationship with the EC, which saddens and worries me as we prepare for the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections. it appears that feelings developed by NDC after the 2020 elections have persisted.



I was encouraged when the party returned to the Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) after a long period of absence. It was the most positive signal that the NDC was ready to engage the EC and give an improved relationship between the two a chance.



Two things will have to happen. First, the EC must find a way to balance the demands of the NDC and other political parties over the next several months, with the need to also protect its independence as guaranteed by the constitution. Public administration is both a science and an art. In the current situation, a lot more art is needed to thaw the frostiness.



Secondly, mediation may be necessary sooner than later. A fair and impartial arbiter is needed to facilitate dialogue between the two to resolve the key underlying issues causing the mistrust.



The goal is simple  the NDC must feel it is being treated fairly and the EC must feel it is not ceding its independence. The road ahead is not easy, but this is critical and must be addressed sooner than later.



The writer is the Executive Director, Democracy Project, a Think Tank

Source: graphiconline.com









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Bernard Allotey Jacobs has expressed worrisome concerns over the violent clashes at some centers in the ongoing limited registration exercise.



The EC registration exercise which began on Tuesday, May 7 has seen some participants engaging in brawls at some registration centers.



The perpetrators were spotted wielding guns and other offensive items to cause chaos at the centers.



Touching on the issue during Peace FM's flagship programme "Kokrokoo", Allotey Jacobs narrated how the political parties benefit from the violence, stating most of these riots are incited by politicians.



"The limited registration and the registration itself, it's been full of violence. We don't learn," he stated.



The former NDC Central Regional Chairman feared the consequences of these violent clashes, stating if care is not taken the December 7 elections will become "each one for himself; God for us all".



"We are not safe as a country," he hollered, revealing some of the ringleaders aren't even Ghanaians.



Watch video below





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The Overlord of Gonjaland, Yagbonwura Bi-Kunuto Jewu Soale has, on behalf of Gonjaland, honoured the Vice President and flagbearer of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for his support and contributions to the development of Gonjaland.



At a meeting between the NPP Flagbearer and the Savannah Regional House of Chiefs in Damongo on Wednesday, the Yagbonwura, who is also President of the Regional House of Chiefs, expressed profound gratitude to Dr. Bawumia for his significant contributions which have caused rapid development in the Savannah Region.



"You are one of the illustrious sons of the Gonja kingdom. You have paid your dues and I believe the relationship that existed between you and the Kingdom will further be enhanced...You played your part in the development of the kingdom. You are my son and consider yourself as a son of Gonjaland. May your dreams be fulfilled", the Yagbonwura told Dr. Bawumia.



The Yagbonwura also commended Dr. Bawumia for his enormous support towards his first anniversary.



"It is proper, once again, to appreciate you for your immense support and invaluable contribution towards my first anniversary celebration this year. To the general public, I extend my profound gratefulness to you for your contribution and support in making sure the first anniversary celebration became an outstanding success."



The Yagbonwura presented a symbolic smock of appreciation, 100 tubers of yam and a bull to Dr. Bawumia in honor of things the Vice President has done.



In November last year, the Yagbonwura conferred chieftaincy title "Konukolewura" meaning "Chief of Unity" on Dr. Bawumia in recognition of his efforts at promoting inclusivity.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD) has called on the Electoral Commission (EC) and the Ghana Police Service to take immediate action to prioritise the safety of persons with disabilities (PwDs) in the ongoing voter registration exercise across the country.



It follows concerns of reported incidents of violence at some voter registration centres in the ongoing registration exercise. The federation noted that, even though the exercise had been generally peaceful across the country, in a few places such as Kukuom in the Ahafo Region, Cape Coast, and Adugyama in the Ashanti Region, where violent cases had been reported, such news had the potential of intimidating many persons with disabilities and further discourage them from participating in the exercise.



The news as reported by some media outlets, falls short of informing the public about the safety measures to assure persons with disabilities to participate in the process, it said.



The GFD wishes to call on the security agencies and the Electoral Commission to prioritise the safety of vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities at all times during the registration process, the federation said in a statement signed and issued by its national president, Joseph Atsu Hormadzi.



Latex Foam

Disenfranchisement

Persons with disabilities are deemed to be greatly affected in situations of emergencies and violence. The current atmosphere of violence at registration centres is a crucial factor that can lead to the disenfranchisement of persons with disabilities and other marginalised groups, thereby jeopardising their right to participate in the upcoming 2024 general election, it said.



The federation said: Ghana as a state party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), particularly under Article 29, must guarantee the safety and equal rights of persons with disabilities to access political opportunities devoid of obstacles.



It needs to be emphasised that inclusion is not just a fundamental human right, but also essential for the sustainable development of Ghana under the principle of Leaving No One Behind, it stressed.



Condemnation

The GFD condemned the reported violence and expressed deep concern about its escalation, adding that persons with disabilities had consistently identified political violence as a major barrier to their participation.



GTbank dormant Account



The GFD, therefore, called on all duty-bearers, including political party leaders, to take concrete steps to ensure a safe and secure environment for persons with disabilities at the various registration centres, adding that political manifestos with promises of inclusion are meaningless without concrete action to safeguard the lives of persons with disabilities.



It said the GFD remained committed to advocating for the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of society and therefore urged all stakeholders to work collaboratively to create an environment where the rights of every citizen, including persons with disabilities, were respected and protected.

Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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By Megan Guza, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)

The final defendant in the 2020 killing of an Oakmont toddler pleaded guilty to the charges against her Wednesday, leaving it up to a judge to decide the degree to which she is guilty in the childs death.

Alexis Herrera, 24, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, child endangerment, unlawful restraint, criminal conspiracy and one general charge of homicide in the death of 3-year-old Bella Rae Seachrist. The medical examiners office ruled that Bellas death came from long-term abuse and neglect.

Common Pleas Judge Bruce Beemer will hear evidence in the case later this year to determine the degree to which Herrera is guilty in the childs death  that is, Judge Beemer will decide if she is guilty of first-degree murder, third-degree murder or involuntary manslaughter.

Herrera is the third and final defendant linked to Bellas death to go before Judge Beemer.

A jury convicted Herreras sister and Bellas stepmother, Laura Ramriez, of first-degree murder last year. The 31-year-old was sentenced to life without parole, portrayed as the mastermind of the abuse against Bella as well as the main perpetrator.

The girls father, Jose Eduardo Salazar-Ortiz was convicted of third-degree murder in his daughters death. Judge Beemer sentenced him to 33 to 66 years in prison. Hed admitted he knew Ramirez beat the child, and Herrera has told investigators the same, indicating she often joined in. Defense attorney Michael Machen said his client understood the mandatory sentences she could be facing.

Herrera faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison if Judge Beemer rules her actions constituted first-degree murder. Third-degree carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years because of the victims age.

Deputy District Attorney Jennifer DiGiovanni went through the litany of evidence that prosecutors would have presented had the case gone to trial, some of which will still come before the judge as he weighs the depth of Herreras involvement in Bellas death.

Paramedics found Bella unresponsive in her familys Oakmont home on June 9, 2020, and she was pronounced dead a short time later.

Police at the time said the child suffered prolonged physical, psychological and sexual abuse at the hands of the three adults in her life. She died frail and malnourished, covered in bruises and losing her hair. The toddler was nearing 4 years old when she died, and she weighed just 29 pounds.

Bella was shuffled between the Oakmont area, where her father, Jose Eduardo Salazar-Ortiz lived with Ramriez, and North Carolina, where his family lived. Photos of the girl from late summer of 2019 showed a happy, thriving child.

Police at the time of the girls death described months of brutal mistreatment and torture: She was kicked and pummeled, thrown down stairs, bound, gagged and sexually abused.

Some of it was documented. Text messages and videos taken from cellphones seized in the case described and showed the torture and abuse.

In one thread of 73 instant messages between Ramriez and her sister, for instance, both Ramriez and Herrera commentate, compliment and narrate an incident in which Bella is forcibly restrained, tethered, contorted and placed in a closet for an extended period of time. The message conversation includes a digital image depicting Bella bound and positioned in the closet, according to the complaint.

In his initial interview with police, Salazar-Ortiz told investigators Ramriez had a lot of temper and often took it out on Bella.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP)  A man has been arrested and charged with killing a 78-year-old woman in her eastern Pennsylvania home more than 35 years ago, authorities announced Thursday.

Rose Josephine Hnath tried to fend off her attacker but was found stabbed and beaten to death in her home in North Whitehall Township, outside Allentown. Her homicide remained unsolved for decades until advances in DNA technology helped investigators connect the defendant to the crime, said Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan.

Rose Josephine Hnath was killed in 1989. (Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers | lehighvalleylive.com, file)Photo courtesy Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers | lehighvalleylive.com

Michael Breisch, 65, of Wind Gap, Pennsylvania, was arrested in Coshocton County, Ohio, and was charged in Pennsylvania with homicide, robbery and other counts, Holihan said. Breisch was extradited to Lehigh County, where he was jailed without bail.

It wasnt clear if Breisch has an attorney. The public defenders office said Thursday it has not yet been asked to represent him. A phone message was left at a number associated with Breisch.

Authorities said Hnath was a widow who lived alone in a house along the Lehigh River. When she missed church services, her family went to the home and discovered her body on Jan. 21, 1989. The home had been ransacked.

Many other details about the case remained under wraps as a police complaint was sealed.

The evidence collected at the crime scene and maintained over the years was reviewed and re-tested as science and technology advanced. Ultimately, the efforts taken to preserve the evidence were rewarded when investigative techniques unavailable in the 20th century helped lead us to the defendant, the Lehigh County district attorneys office said in a news release.

A preliminary hearing for Breisch is scheduled for Tuesday.
A 37-year-old Luzerne County man was indicted by a federal grand jury after he made death threats toward President Joe Biden and his cabinet members before an April campaign event in Scranton, the Department of Justice said.

Jordan Gee, of Nanticoke, is accused of posting multiple threatening videos online before President Bidens visit to Scranton on April 16, according to a press release.

In the videos, Gee said, Joe Biden: Im going to kill you and your whole cabinet, and, If you come to my city in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Im cutting your [expletive] head off in front of everybody; I promise, the Department of Justice said.

Gee, charged with threats against the President and interstate communications with a threat, faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a term of supervised release and a fine.

The United States Secret Service investigated the case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyle A. Moreno.

Gees sentencing will be determined after the judge imposes a finding of guilt and considers applicable federal sentencing statutes.
Sophie Turner is opening up about the days after her highly publicized split from ex-husband Joe Jonas.

The 28-year-old actress sat down with British Vogue to discuss her upcoming series, Joan, a six-part ITV drama that focuses on the true story of Britains infamous jewel thief Joan Hannington.

During the interview, the Game of Thrones star talked about her split from her ex-husband and how frustrating the experience was due to the countless headlines alleging that she is quite the party girl, and labeling her as a bad mother.

News broke that Jonas filed to divorce Turner on Sept. 5, 2023.

I mean, those were the worst few days of my life, Turner told British Vogue. I remember I was on set, I was contracted to be on set for another two weeks, so I couldnt leave. My kids were in the States, and I couldnt get to them because I had to finish Joan. And all these articles started coming out.

It hurt because I really do completely torture myself over every move I make as a mother  mum guilt is so real! I just kept having to say to myself, None of this is true. You are a good mum, and youve never been a partier, she continued.

While there were certain details surrounding the doomed marriage Turner was unable to discuss for legal reasons, she previously claimed to have learned about the divorce at the same time the media did, after Jonas filed.

I mean, its unfathomable the amount of people that will just make [expletive] up and put it up based on a picture, she told British Vogue. A picture might tell a thousand words, but its not my story. It felt like I was watching a movie of my life that I hadnt written, hadnt produced or starred in. It was shocking. Im still in shock.

According to Turner, there were days when she didnt know if she was going to make it. There were times where Turner would call her lawyer saying, I cant do this. I just cant. I was just never strong enough to stand up for myself.

But after two weeks, her lawyer reminded her that she was fighting for her kids. That reminder was enough to keep Turner going.

Once anyone says to me, Do it for your kids, Im doing it. I wouldnt do it for myself, but Ill find the strength for them, she added.

Turner also opened up about the support she received from many younger fans.

If something like this had happened to me 10 years ago I dont think I would have had the same support, she said. I just feel very lucky to be alive in a time when people are open-minded. Thank [expletive] for Gen Z.

But despite the appreciation, Turner isnt happy about the divorce proceedings affecting the couples two infant daughters.

Im unhappy with the way everything played out, especially when it comes to my children, Turner said. Theyre the victims in all of this.

After news broke of the split, Turner was seen on multiple occasions hanging out with global mega star Taylor Swift, who once dated Jonas when she was 18. Their split was the inspiration behind Swifts song Forever & Always from her Fearless album.

Taylor was an absolute hero to me this year, Turner said. The two met 10 years prior before beginning a friendship. When Turner was in New York in September without a place to stay, she contacted Swift to see if she knew of a place that was renting. Swift then offered up her own place for free.

Ive never been more grateful to anyone than I am for her because she took my children and me, and provided us with a home and a safe space, Turner said. She really has a heart of gold.

Turner and Jonas started dating in 2016 after he messaged her on social media. A year later, the two were engaged. They tied the knot in Las Vegas two years later. The former couple share 3-year-old daughter Willa and 1-year-old daughter Delphine.
Lehigh Valley Health Network and Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health have signed a definitive agreement paving the way for their future merger.

Leadership from both health networks made the announcement Wednesday morning.

The deal is expected to be completed later this summer, pending final reviews and execution of closing conditions. The action comes after the Lehigh Valley Health Network and Jefferson Health in December announced they had signed a letter of intent to combine.

The new health system will be among the 25 largest in the country. The merged systems will include a national research university, as well as 30 hospitals, more than 700 outpatient sites, and more than 62,000 employed faculty, clinicians and staff across eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey.

The unified system additionally would be in the Top 15 nonprofit health systems nationally, increasing access to high-quality and affordable care, clinical research and health plan offerings, as well as addressing health inequities for urban and rural communities, according to Wednesdays announcement.

As our collective teams worked these past months, we confirmed what we had believed to be true when we signed our initial letter of intent  Jefferson is the ideal partner for Lehigh Valley Health Network, our teams and our patients, LVHN CEO Brian A. Nester said in a statement. We look forward to continuing the important work of improving the health and well-being of our communities together.

Jefferson Health CEO Joseph G. Cacchione added the merger is the future, not only for our organizations but also for care in our region.

Upon the closing of the transaction, Jeffersons Cacchione plans to continue to serve as CEO of the Jefferson Enterprise, while LVHNs Nester will serve as executive vice president/CEO and president of the legacy Lehigh Valley Health Network, reporting directly to Cacchione.

Dr. Baligh R. Yehia will serve as executive vice president/chief transformation officer and president of the legacy Jefferson Health, while continuing to report directly to Cacchione.

A newly integrated Board of Trustees and leadership team is expected to be comprised of members from both systems.

Both LVHN and Jefferson plan to continue to operate as separate, independent entities until the merger is complete. The parties are committed to ensuring the patients and communities they serve continue to have access to care from their providers during completion of this process, representatives of both networks stated.

Nester previously said since the existing networks are not overlapping, no job cuts are expected immediately. Brian Downs, a spokesman for the health network, said Wednesday that decision remains.

Lehigh Valley Health Network traces its start to 1899, when Allentown Hospital opened at 17th and Chew streets, according to the Morning Call newspaper. The health networks flagship location on Cedar Crest Boulevard in Salisbury Township opened in the 1974 as a joint venture between Allentown and Sacred Heart hospitals. Sacred Heart later pulled out of the venture, and the medical center eventually became known as Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest.

The health network later experienced massive growth, acquiring hospitals from the Pocono area to Schuylkill County. The network most recently opened new hospitals in Lower Nazareth Township and on the other side of Lehighton, in Franklin Township, Carbon County.

Nationally ranked, Jefferson is principally located in the greater Philadelphia region and southern New Jersey. Thomas Jefferson University, home of Sidney Kimmel Medical College; Jefferson College of Nursing; and the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce, dates back to 1824 and today comprises 10 colleges and three schools offering 200 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 8,300 students.

Jefferson Health serves patients at 17 hospitals and more than 50 outpatient and urgent care locations throughout the region. Jefferson Health Plans is a not-for-profit managed health care organization providing a broad range of health coverage options in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for more than 35 years.

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism you rely on and trust.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
Bed bugs garnered some attention last year after a reported outbreak in Paris.

Alas, this bed bug mania (so to speak) is still going strong, according to ConsumerAffairs, with large metro areas in the United States seeing more of the critters. Pennsylvanias cities are no exception.
WIXOM, MI -- A 1-year-old Michigan girl is in critical condition and expected to undergo surgery after she was attacked by two pit bulls Wednesday night.

Wixom police say they were called to a home around 9 p.m. for reports of a dog attack. There, police said, the homeowner and their grandchild had been injured by the familys two pit bulls.

The child suffered bites to her face, forehead, lower back and leg, which included severe lacerations, police said. The grandparent was treated at the home for injuries and refused transport to the hospital, police said.
By Rick Sobey, Boston Herald (TNS)

Nearly 23 years after 9/11, the feds are finally expected to make all commercial planes have secondary cockpit barriers to prevent planes from being hijacked.

Congress on Wednesday passed a bill that would require secondary cockpit barriers on all commercial aircraft. Their installation is the only 9/11 Commission recommendation that has not been implemented.

The House of Representatives 387-26 vote Wednesday comes about a year after the FAA announced that it will require a secondary barrier on the flight deck of new commercial airplanes.

The bill heads to President Joe Bidens desk to be signed into law.

Advocates have been pushing for secondary cockpit barriers for decades, saying theyre key to preventing the hijacking of airplanes and keeping terrorists out of the cockpit. On 9/11, terrorists stormed the cockpit knowing that the doors would be opened early in the flight.

I can only imagine what Victor was thinking as his cockpit was breached, said Ellen Saracini, whose late husband Captain Victor Saracini was the pilot of United Flight 175 on 9/11. But today, even through these clouds, I know hes smiling down, that no one will be able to ever breach the cockpit.

Flight 175 and American Airlines Flight 11 both left Bostons Logan Airport on 9/11 with hijackers on board. The two other hijacked jets, Flights 77 and 93, left from DC and Newark, respectively. Flight 93 was crashed in Pennsylvania.

An incident last year on a flight to Boston Logan International Airport showed the need for a secondary cockpit barrier on all commercial planes, advocates said. Federal authorities said Massachusetts man Francisco Torres in that incident tried to open the planes emergency exit and tried to stab a flight attendant with a broken spoon.
By BELA SZANDELSZKY, PETR DAVID JOSEK and PHILIPP JENNE, The Associated Press

BANSKA BYSTRICA, Slovakia (AP)  The Slovak interior minister said Thursday that a lone wolf has been charged in the shooting that seriously wounded Prime Minister Robert Fico and prompted soul-searching among leaders in the deeply divided society.

Fico was in serious but stable condition Thursday, a hospital official said, after the populist leader was hit multiple times in an attempt on his life that shook the small country and reverberated across the continent weeks before European elections.

The attempted assassination has shocked the small central European nation, with many blaming the attack in part on extreme political polarization that has divided the country.

Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said Wednesday that an initial investigation found a clear political motivation behind the attack on Fico while he was attending a government meeting in a former coal mining town. However, he said Thursday that the suspect charged was a lone wolf who did not belong to any political groups.

Rescue workers wheel Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot and injured, to a hospital in the town of Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. (Jan Kroslak/TASR via AP)AP

The minister did not specify what the motivation was. Fico has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond, and his return to power last year on a pro-Russian, anti-American message led to even greater worries among fellow European Union members that he would abandon his countrys pro-Western course.

The attempt on Ficos life came at a time of high division in Slovakia, as thousands of demonstrators have repeatedly rallied in the capital and around the country to protest his policies. It also comes just ahead of June elections for the European Parliament.

Slovakias outgoing and next presidents  political rivals  appeared together in an appeal for Slovaks to overcome their increasingly tense political differences for the good of the country.

Outgoing President Zuzana Caputova, an opponent of Fico, said Thursday that the heads of the countrys political parties would meet in an effort to bring calm, saying the attack was a reflection of an increasingly polarized society.

Let us step out of the vicious circle of hatred and mutual accusations, Caputova said at a news conference in the capital Bratislava. What happened yesterday was an individual act. But the tense atmosphere of hatred was our collective work.

President-Elect Peter Pellegrini called on political parties to suspend or scale back their campaigns for European elections, which will be held June 6-9, to prevent stand-offs and mutual accusations between politicians.

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico (Radovan Stoklasa/TASR via AP)AP

Ficos government, elected last September, has caused controversy by halting arms deliveries to Ukraine, and has plans to amend the penal code to eliminate a special anti-graft prosecutor and to take control of public media. His critics worry that he will lead Slovakia  a nation of 5.4 million that belongs to NATO  down a more autocratic path.

Doctors performed a five-hour operation on Fico, who was initially reported to be in life-threatening condition, according to director of the F.D. Roosevelt Hospital in Banska Bystrica, Miriam Lapunikova. He is being treated in an intensive care unit.

Five shots were fired outside a cultural center in the town of Handlova, nearly 140 kilometers (85 miles) northeast of the capital, government officials said.

Slovak police have provided no information on the identity of the shooter. But unconfirmed media reports suggested he was a 71-year-old retiree who was known as an amateur poet and may have previously worked as a security guard at a mall in the countrys southwest.
A Worcester, Massachusetts, teenager who participated in the one chip challenge on social media died from ingesting a substance containing a large amount of capsaicin, a chili pepper extract, according to an autopsy report obtained by The Associated Press.

The teenager, a 10th-grader, died on Sept. 1, 2023, after eating the chip. Police called to his home found him unresponsive and rushed him to a hospital, where he died.

The boys cause of death was listed as cardiopulmonary arrest in the setting of recent ingestion of food substance with high capsaicin concentration, according to the Associated Press. He also had an enlarged heart and a congenital heart defect, according to his autopsy.

Harris Wolobah, 14, took part in the One Chip Challenge by snack company Paqui, which involved eating a chip laced with Carolina Reaper and Scorpion peppers  some of the worlds spiciest. After his death, the chip was pulled from shelves.

Wolobahs family blamed his death on the chip, fears apparently confirmed by the autopsy report.

Worcester Public Schools called Wolobah a rising star.

My heart goes out to all who knew and loved him, Worcester Schools Superintendent Rachel Monarrez said in the statement.

Lois and Amos Wolobah, the teens parents, sat with WBZ-TV reporters to share about their loss and to push Paqui to take the One Chip Challenge product off the shelves, a move that the company did soon after the interview aired.

I hope, I pray to God that no parents will go through what Im going through. I dont want to see anybody hurting the way Im hurting. Lois Wolobah told WBZ-TV. I miss my son so much. I miss him so much.
SUNBURYYou cant respond to non-deadly force with deadly force, the Northumberland County district attorney told jurors at the start of the trial for a man charged in a 2022 fatal shooting inside a Sunbury convenience store.

A short time later Wednesday, jurors saw videos that captured Kareem Jakes, 30, being shot inside the Penn Jersey Mart in the 200 block of North Third Street.

District Attorney Michael C. ODonnell in his opening statement accused Ajani Munsh-Ousha Uhuru, 25, of Sunbury, of choosing to kill Jakes on May 19, 2022, and having absolute disrespect for human life.

He had his hand on his concealed gun soon after he entered the store and went for it when he saw Jakes, the prosecutor said.

He noted after Jakes had been shot twice and fallen to the floor, Uhuru stood over him and said: You shouldnt have messed with me.

Uhuru then picked up his iced tea from a counter, encountered Jakes sister as he left, got into his car and drove off, ODonnell said. He was arrested four days later in Philadelphia.

The case will come down to the videos and what Uhuru had on his mind, defense attorney Robert A. Hoffa said in his opening statement.

Robert Myers, a member of the U.S. marshals task force that made the arrest in Philadelphia, said Uhuru volunteered it was self-defense.

Several videos played for the jury showed Uhuru parking outside the store, going inside, having a conversation with Jakes, shooting him, leaving the store, getting into a car and driving off.

There is no audio with the footage so it is unknown from them what Uhuru and Jakes talked about or why Jakes punched him before being shot. Jakes was not armed.

Among the prosecution witnesses were people inside the store, one of whom said she heard a pop, pop.

The prosecution is expected to wrap of its case Thursday morning. Uhuru will testify on his own behalf, Hoffa said.

Besides an open count of homicide, Uhuru is charged with voluntary manslaughter, aggravated and simple assault, reckless endangering another person and possession of an instrument of crime. He is being held without bail.

His father, Ajani Munsho Uche Uhuru, 56, of Sunbury, is scheduled to plead guilty next month to hindering apprehension charges.

He was arrested driving the car his son was seen on video behind the wheel leaving the store.

The younger Uhuru is accused of calling his father and asking him to get the car he had left in the Elysburg area.
WILLIAMSPORTThe law does not always align with what one may believe is right, just, or fair, a federal judge says.

That is what U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew W. Brann wrote Wednesday in dismissing a lawsuit over the death of an unborn baby girl.

In this case, the careless conduct of a 911 dispatcher led to a terrible tragedy, he opined.
Gov. Josh Shapiro and the governors of Virginia and Oklahoma are calling on the leader of Turks and Caicos Islands to reconsider ammunition charges filed against a Pennsylvania man and two others being detained in the Caribbean territory.

In a letter to the islands Gov. Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, the governors ask for the expedited release of Bryan Hagerich of Somerset County, Tyler Scott Wenrich of Virginia and Ryan Tyler Watson of Oklahoma, who are charged with ammunition offenses after bullets were found in their luggage at the airport.

They have all maintained that they did not intend to bring ammunition into Turks and Caicos, and any ammunition unknowingly left in their luggage was the result of lawful conduct in the United States, the letter states.

Hagerich was on his way back to the U.S. from a family vacation with his wife and children when he was arrested on Feb. 13 for having 20 rounds of ammunition in his luggage, according to media reports. His wife Ashley told WPXI that her husband had used that same bag on hunting trips and the ammunition was just leftover in a secure pouch and it was just forgotten about.

In the U.S., the Transportation Security Administration requires ammunition to be in a secure case in checked luggage whereas Turks and Caicos laws are more stringent.

The 39-year-old Hagerich appeared in court in Turks and Caicos on May 10, where the judge told him he must remain on the islands for another three weeks until his sentencing. The other two men have hearings set for June 7 and also must remain in Turks and Caicos until at least then. In the weeks that followed, two more Americans, one as recently as Monday, have been arrested on ammunition possession charges and are being detained in this British territory.

The U.S. Embassy in Nassau has issued a travel alert that states firearms, ammunition and other weapons are not permitted in the Turks and Caicos Islands. It states the penalty for traveling there with those items can result in a minimum custodial sentence of twelve (12) years. It goes on to say: If you bring a firearm or ammunition into TCI, we will not be able to secure your release from custody. You are subject to TCI laws and must follow local law enforcement procedures.

In the letter to Daniel-Selvaratnam dated on Tuesday, Shapiro and Oklahomas Gov. J. Kevin Stitt and Virginias Gov. Glenn Youngkin state: As governors, we understand and appreciate the critical importance of upholding the laws and regulations of your territory for the protection of your citizens. We humbly ask that your government  in its wisdom  temper justice with mercy and recognize that these men made mistakes but had no apparent malicious intent.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on X at @JanMurphy.
Mike Watson Claims First Seven-Figure Score of the Triton Poker Montenegro Series

Matthew Pitt Senior Editor Copy link

The Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in Montenegro has crowned its third champion, and Mike Watson took home the top honors. Watson raked in $1,023,000, the first seven-figure prize of the current series, taking his earnings from Triton events past the $10 million barrier.

Event #3 was the $30,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em 8-Handed tournament, which drew 100 unique players. Fifty-four players re-entered, seeming not put off by the $30,000 buy-in, taking the total attendance to 154 and the prize pool to $4,620,000.

On Day 1 of the tournament, the field was whittled to only 25 hopefuls. Mario Mosboeck was the unfortunate bubble boy, busting in 28th place and leaving empty-handed. Watson's fellow Canadian Andrew Chen and Chuck Chu crashed out before Day 1 concluded; both captured $46,200 prizes.

The star-studded final 25 gradually dwindled throughout Day 2, with superstars such as Mikita Badziakouski, Chris Moneymaker, Dimitar Danchev, and Patrik Antonius falling by the wayside.

The nine-handed final table was set when the 2019 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Hossein Ensan busted. Ensan was all-in at the same time as Daniel Rezaei, and a double-elimination was a possibility. Ensan's suited king-deuce lost to Leon Sturm's ace-deuce, but Rezaei survived after his ace-queen remained best against Wai Kiat Lee's dominated ace-seven.

Event #3: $30,000 NLH 8-Handed Final Table Chip Counts

Rank Player Country Chips Big Blinds 1 Wai Kiat Lee Malaysia 6,225,000 50 2 Mike Watson Canada 5,800,000 46 3 David Yan New Zealand 5,125,000 41 4 Ding Biao China 3,750,000 30 5 Leon Sturm Germany 2,700,000 22 6 Morten Klein Norway 2,525,000 20 7 Stephen Chidwick United Kingdom 2,100,000 17 8 Sirzat Hissou Germany 1,475,000 12 9 Daniel Rezaei Austria 1,100,000 9

Stephen Chidwick sat down at the final table seventh in chips, yet was the first finalist heading out of the tournament area. Chidwick lost a coinflip with pocket jacks against the king-queen of clubs in Sirzat Hissou's hand before getting the last of his chips in against Watson's ace-nine of diamonds and losing to quad nines.

Rezaei looked set for an epic comeback after doubling through Watson, but two hands in quick succession against Morten Klein saw the Austrian bow out in eighth. Rezaei lost a decent chunk with suited ace-six against ace-jack, then found himself void of chips when his king-jack failed to beat Klein's superior ace-king of diamonds.

Leon Sturm

Seventh place went to Sturm in an unfortunate set of circumstances. Sturm looked down at king-seven of clubs and opted to move all-in for 18 big blinds when the action folded to him in the small blind. Ordinarily, this move would have won the blinds and antes. However, Lee woke up with pocket queens, and he made one of the easier calls of his career. The queens held, and Sturm was gone.

Hissou rode his luck a little when he cracked Watson's pocket kings with ace-six of diamonds, improving to a flush to shoot down those cowboys. His luck ran out after he flopped trip kings with king-queen. Hissou was locked in battle with New Zealand's David Yan, who expertly reeled in Hissou after turning a straight with queen-jack. Yan set himself up for a shove on the river, which is precisely what he did, and Hissou couldn't find a fold.

Yan then eliminated Norway's Klein in a traditional coinflip scenario. Yan three-bet with pocket nines after Ding Bao opened the pot and then called when Klein four-bet all-in from the big blind with what turned out to be ace-king. Five low cards later, Klein made his way to the cashier's desk while Yan climbed up the chip counts.

David Yan

None of the final four players were particularly deep-stacked, meaning anything could happen. Yan was at the top of the chip counts until he check-called every street in a hand against Biao, where Biao's pocket tens had improved to an unlikely flush. The last of Yan's chips went into the middle with ace-king versus Lee's king-queen of spades, and a queen on the flop was all she wrote for the New Zealander.

The third event of the Montenegro series progressed to heads-up with the untimely demise of Biao. Lee open-shoved from the button with ace-seven, and Biao had a mandatory call in the big blind with pocket jacks. Biao called but found himself finishing in third place after the dealer placed an ace on the flop.

Lee held a three-to-one chip lead over Watson at the start of heads-up, and looked set to capture his first Triton Poker Super High Roller Series title; Watson had other ideas. Watson's ace-trey remained best against Lee's queen-deuce of spades to level matters.

The final hand saw Lee's queen-six improve to top pair on a nine-queen-seven flop, with Watson holding eight-six for a straight draw. Watson made his straight with the arrival of the five of hearts on the turn, and he claimed Lee's stack and the title with a river shove that Lee made a crying call of. Lee busted in second place for $691,000, leaving Watson to claim the $1,023,000 top prize and his fourth Triton title.

Event #3: $30,000 NLH 8-Handed Final Table Results

Rank Player Country Prize 1 Mike Watson Canada $1,023,000 2 Kiat Lee Malaysia $691,000 3 Ding Biao China $475,000 4 David Yan New Zealand $387,400 5 Morten Klein Norway $309,000 6 Sirzat Hissou Germany $238,000 7 Leon Sturm Germany $173,000 8 Daniel Rezaei Austria $125,000 9 Stephen Chidwick United Kingdom $103,400

Chris Moneymaker Kicks Off Triton Montenegro with Stunning High-Roller Win Read all about it

Kuznetsov Leads Event #5 With 47 Players Remaining

Event #5: $40,000 NLH 7-Handed Mystery Bounty was running while Watson was marching to victory in Event #3. Including re-entries, 151 players bought in for $40,000, but only 47 progressed to Day 2, which shuffles up and deals at 1:00 p.m. CEST on May 16.

Russia's Nikita Kuznetsov is the player to catch going into Day 2; his 1,740,000 stack is the equivalent of 70 big blinds. Kuznetsov may hold an advantage at the start of play, but some incredible players are in the chasing pack, so the Russian has plenty of work ahead of him.

Andrew Chen (1,600,000) and Orpen Kisacikoglu (1,525,000) make up the top three, while the likes of Henrik Hecklen (1,130,000), Jason Koon (1,055,000), and Aleksejs Ponakovs (880,000) find themselves in the top ten.

The likes of Danny Tang (830,000), Matthias Eibinger (795,000), Phil Ivey (775,000), Artur Martirosian (500,000), and Chris Moneymaker (485,000) are also still in contention.

Event #5: $40,000 NLH 7-Handed Mystery Bounty Top 10 Chip Counts

Rank Player Country Chips Big Blinds 1 Nikita Kuznetsov Russia 1,740,000 70 2 Andrew Chen Canada 1,600,000 64 3 Orpen Kisacikoglu Turkey 1,525,000 61 4 Xianchao Shen China 1,420,000 57 5 David Yan New Zealand 1,315,000 53 6 Henrik Hecklen Denmark 1,130,000 45 7 Leon Sturm Germany 1,075,000 43 8 Jason Koon United States 1,055,000 42 9 Daniel Rezaei Austria 945,000 38 10 Aleksejs Ponakovs Latvia 880,000 35

Remaining Schedule

Date Time Event Thu 16 May 1:00 p.m. #5  NLHE Mystery Bounty 7-Handed Day 2 3:00 p.m. #6 - $53,000 NLHE Bounty Quattro 7-Handed Day 1 Fri 17 May 1:00 p.m. #6  NLHE Bounty Quattro 7-Handed Day 2 3:00 p.m. #7 - $53,000 NLHE 8-Handed Day 1 Sat 18 May 12:00 p.m. #7  NLHE 8-Handed Day 2 3:00 p.m. #8 - $106,000 NLHE 8-Handed Day 1 Sun 19 May 1:00 p.m. #8  NLHE 8-Handed Day 2 Mon 20 May 2:00 p.m. #9 - $132,500 NLHE Triton Main Event Day 1 Tue 21 May 1:00 p.m. $132,500 NLHE Triton Main Event Day 2 5:00 p.m. #10 - $52,000 NLHE Turbo 8-Handed Wed 22 May 1:00 p.m. Triton Main Event Final Table 2:00 p.m. #11 - $212,000 NLHE 8-Handed Day 1 Thu 23 May 1:00 p.m. #11  NLHE 8-Handed Day 2 4:00 p.m. #12 - $26,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Day 1 Fri 24 May 1:00 p.m. #12  Pot-Limit Omaha Day 2 2:00 p.m. #13 - $26,000 PLO Main Event Day 1 Sat 25 May 1:00 p.m. #13  PLO Main Event Day 2 4:00 p.m. #15 - $52,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Day 1 Sun 26 May 1:00 p.m. Pot-Limit Omaha Day 2 4:00 p.m. #16 - $31,200 Pot-Limit Omaha Quatro Bounty

Photography by Joe Giron/Poker Photo Archive

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BEAUFORT  With City Councils unanimous vote May 14, Beaufort joined the growing list of South Carolina municipalities to have passed a hate crime ordinance.

While this can be seen as largely symbolic, it does, we hope, send a message that here in the City of Beaufort, intimidation based on a protected class is not tolerated as it comes to our ordinances, said Beauforts Assistant City Manager John Sauve as he introduced the first reading of the ordinance during the April 23 City Council meeting.

With Beauforts vote, more than a dozen municipalities in the state have passed hate crime ordinances. Summerville and North Charleston passed similar ordinances just days before Beauforts vote. Hardeeville adopted a hate crime ordinance in April, while Bluffton did the same in October 2023.

Speaking during the April 23 Council meeting, Sauve noted that South Carolina is one of only two states, the other being Wyoming, that does not have a state statute or code addressing hate crimes.

I believe the number of local governments passing these ordinances will continue to grow as long as our General Assembly allows a handful of senators, lacking in moral fortitude, to block a statewide law addressing hate crimes. South Carolina being one of only two states in our union to not have a hate crime law on the books is not a good look, wrote Beaufort City Manager Scott Marshall in an email to The Post and Courier.

The S.C. House passed a bipartisan hate crimes bill in March of 2023, but it has since stalled in the state Senate. The Clementa C. Pinckney Hate Crimes Act is named after the former Charleston lawmaker and pastor who was one of nine Black worshippers murdered by a white supremacist at Emanuel AME Church in 2015.
The Charleston County School Board on May 20 will hear the official first reading of the proposed 2024-25 district budget that prioritizes a $7,500 increase for teacher salaries. If approved, CCSD will lead teacher compensation in South Carolina.

The total proposed budget is $847.5 million, with 69 percent of the money going to personnel and salaries. The FY25 budget reflects a nearly 20 percent increase over the current budget.

School classified staff such as clerks, classroom support staff and teacher assistants would receive a pay raise of 6 percent, with the number of years they are eligible for raises being extended to 33. District officials said that achieving pay rates that are 100 percent of market value for non-teachers has been a goal for more than 10 years.

The districts teacher compensation task force has advocated to bring first-year teacher salaries to $58,000  a $10,000 increase from what they currently earn. Last year, teachers received a $5,000 pay bump plus a $5,000 bonus funded by ESSER dollars.

Patrick Martin, CCSD teacher and member of the task force, said educators across the district are excited about next years budget and are pleased with the inclusion of school-based classified employees in an effort to get all teachers livable wages.

We are so grateful for the work of Chief Finance Officer Daniel Prentice, Human Resources Officer Bill Briggman, Superintendent Anita Huggins, supportive and receptive school board members, and the Charleston community for helping us get this far, he said.

Martin said teachers are optimistic that their current partnership with district officials and the community will remedy teacher retention and recruitment issues in Charleston County. He said it could also set the standard across the state to improve long-standing systemic issues relating to teacher compensation.

Recommendations for the 2025 budget also include a 3.9 rate increase on operating millage and a reduction of 3 tax rate on debt service millage.
Each time Lizzy Zitos family took her whitewater rafting, they noticed butterflies were drawn to their youngest family member and followed her along the rapids, perching on her shoulders.

They weren't the only creatures the 20-year-old attracted. She loved animals more than anything, often coming to their rescue, according to her father, Frank Zito.

He remembers Lizzy cutting open a plastic water bottle to give CPR to a rabbit one of their family cats injured several years ago. She bawled her eyes out when it died, he said.

Lizzy was enthralled with the family's multiple cats, and she decided to bring a puppy into the family last December. She made her parents take a surprise detour on their vacation to New York City to pick up the French Bulldog she named Lola.

"She wasn't deprived of anything. Everything she ever wanted, she got. Everything she wanted to accomplish, she did," Frank said.

But Lizzy's time was cut short on April 28, when she and Arianna Gamber were killed in a hit-and-run on Morrison Drive.

When the Zitos rushed to Charleston after the collision, a butterfly emerged from the brush on the side of Morrison Drive where Lizzy died. It shocked her mother, Marjorie Sandoval Zito, and caused her to faint.

Now, butterflies remind Marjorie that her only daughter is still with her.

I know shes there, Marjorie said, on the eve of Mothers Day. It makes me cry.

Lizzy was less than two weeks away from graduating with a degree in psychology from the College of Charleston when she died. She had chosen to complete her last year online so she could live at home in Simpsonville and work as a veterinary technician.

Her goal was to open her own animal clinic one day. No one doubted that she would.

Lizzy was one of the smartest, most driven people her close family friend Mia Sullivan had ever met, she said. She was always bubbly and knew how to cheer others up.

Her smile would take your pain away, Mia remembered.
FLORENCE  The race for Florence mayor is heating up, laying bare deep divisions between incumbent Teresa Myers Ervin and the rest of the City Council.

While City Council meetings have remained cordial, candidates are growing increasingly critical on the campaign trail. Ervin and other members of Council  including Lethonia Peaches Barnes, who is challenging the mayor  have traded frequent barbs.

Council members have cast Ervin as an obstructionist who refuses to work with others and takes credit for other peoples work. They have criticized her for failing to lead the city and for fostering division between elected officials.

Ervin has fired back, rejecting the criticism and accusing members of Council of conspiring against her to stop her from doing any work.

The infighting comes after Ervin has vocally opposed the majority of Council in a series of high-profile votes.

Ervin is undeterred, saying she wont back down to bullies.

Ervin and Barnes will face off in the June 11 Democratic primary. A third candidate, William Cowboy Williams, did not respond to questions.

Without a Republican in the race, the primary has become the de facto mayor's election.
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Fractional Real Estate Investing Continues To Gain Momentum At BRiXMIAMI, FL / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / BRiX, a pioneering real estate investment platform, is thrilled to announce the appointment of James Fellus as its new President. With over two decades of experience in the financial services industry, James brings a wealth of knowledge and a proven track record to BRiX's leadership team.BRIX Fractional Real Estate Investing BRIX offers fractional real estate investing to allow people to buy parts of properties."James's arrival marks a transformative phase for BRiX. His profound expertise and strategic insights in capital markets will drive our mission forward to make real estate investing accessible and beneficial for everyone," said Julio Caceres, CEO of BRiX. "His leadership is not just a gain for our team but a victory for our entire community of investors who stand to benefit immensely from his visionary approach to fractional real estate investing." James Fellus has a distinguished and extensive career across various high-level roles in the financial sector. His deep expertise will be crucial for enhancing BRiX's platform, which aims to make real estate investment more streamlined, efficient, and transparent."We are excited to harness James's extensive background to enhance our platform's capabilities, which will undoubtedly empower our investors and contribute to the democratization of real estate investments," said Rob Cullen, COO of BRiX.**About BRiX:**BRiX is a groundbreaking real estate investment platform designed to democratize the process of property investment. By leveraging advanced technology, BRiX offers users an accessible, transparent, and efficient way to invest in real estate, making it possible for investors of all sizes to participate in property markets. BRiX aims to empower individuals and communities by providing opportunities to invest in real estate, thereby fostering financial growth and stability."Real estate investment should be a viable option for anyone looking to build wealth," commented James Fellus. "I am thrilled to join BRiX and work alongside a team that is equally passionate about removing barriers in the investment landscape. Together, we will change the way people think about and engage with real estate investments." For further information, please contact: robert@ realtybrix.com Contact InformationRobert CullenCOOrobert@ realtybrix.com Related ImagesBRIX Fractional Real Estate Investing BRIX offers fractional real estate investing to allow people to buy parts of properties. BRiX Team Members Left to right: Julio Caceres (Founder/CEO), Odette Fellus, James Fellus (President), Rob Cullen (Co-Founder/COO), Lorenzo Addatiello (BRiX seed Investor) SOURCE: BRiXView the original press release on newswire.com
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PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESSWIRE / May 15, 2024 / Kaskela Law LLC announces that it is investigating the recently announced buyout of Squarespace, Inc. (NYSE:SQSP) shareholders by private equity firm Permia on behalf of the company's investors.On May 13, 2024, Squarespace announced that it had agreed to be acquired by private equity firm Permia at a price of$44.00 per sharein cash in a transaction valued at $6.9 billion. Following the closing of the proposed transaction, Squarespace's public shareholders will be cashed out of their investment position and the company's shares will no longer be publicly traded.The investigation seeks to determine whether investors will be receiving sufficient consideration for their shares, and whether Squarespace's officers and/or directors breached their fiduciary duties or violated the securities laws in agreeing to sell the company at $44.00 per share. Notably, at the time the proposed transaction was announced, at least one stock analyst was maintaining a price target for Squarespace's shares of$50.00 per share .Squarespace shareholders who believe the current buyout price undervalues the company's shares are encouraged to contact Kaskela Law LLC (D. Seamus Kaskela, Esq. or Adrienne Bell, Esq.) at (484) 229 - 0750 or (888) 715 - 1740, or by email (skaskela@ kaskelalaw.com / abell@ kaskelalaw.com) or online at https://kaskelalaw.com/case/squarespace/ , for additional information about this investigation and their legal rights and options.Kaskela Law LLC exclusively represents investors in securities fraud, corporate governance, and merger & acquisition litigation on a contingent basis. For additional information about Kaskela Law LLC please visit www.kaskelalaw.com CONTACT:KASKELA LAW LLC D. Seamus Kaskela, Esq.Adrienne Bell, Esq.18 Campus Blvd., Suite 100Newtown Square, PA 19073(888) 715 - 1740(484) 229 - 0750 www.kaskelalaw.com This notice may constitute attorney advertising in certain jurisdictions.SOURCE: Kaskela Law LLC
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 11:00:27

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Introducing a tech-forward, mobile-friendly website designed to simplify digital banking with intuitive, 'Everyday Easy' solutions for customers.STERLING HEIGHTS, MI / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Christian Financial Credit Union (CFCU), a community-focused financial institution, proudly announces the launch of their new and improved website. This launch reflects CFCU's strategic focus on mobile-friendly experience and aims to enhance convenience, experience, accessibility, and security for members.Founded in 1950 and headquartered in Sterling Heights, MI, CFCU serves over 56,000 members and manages approximately $850 million in assets. The collaboration with Symphonize, a leader in IT services, has produced a website that embodies CFCU's commitment to providing a tech-forward digital experience, ensuring simplicity and ease of use in a world full of distractions. A key highlight of the new website is its personalized approach, catering to the diverse needs of both individual and business account holders. Tailored content and functionalities ensure that users receive relevant information based on their specific banking requirements, whether it's managing personal finances or overseeing business transactions."Our new website is designed to be straightforward and accessible, keeping in mind our members' busy lifestyles and preference for quick digital interactions," said Patricia Campbell, President and CEO of Christian Financial. "With Symphonize's expertise, we've created a digital environment where our value proposition is clearly communicated, positioning CFCU as a forward-thinking credit union in the digital age." Ashok Cherukuri, CEO of Symphonize, added, "This project was about transforming how Christian Financial interacts with its members online. We focused on enhancing the user experience to reflect CFCU's commitment to innovation and member service." Navigating the website is easier than ever before, with a focus on intuitive design elements. Finding nearby ATMs and branch locations has been simplified, empowering users to locate the nearest banking services with just a few clicks. Additionally, the inclusion of helpful calculators provides members with valuable tools for financial planning and decision-making.With its focus on improved mobile experience, responsive design, enhanced navigation, personalized features, career opportunities, security measures, and accessibility, the newly launched website sets a new level of excellence for the credit union.The new CFCU website is now live and available at www.christianfinancialcu.com About Christian Financial Credit Union:Christian Financial Credit Union began more than 70 years ago as St. Jude Parish Credit Union in Detroit and has since grown to serve 56,000 members with more than $850 million in assets. Today, membership at Christian Financial is open to anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb or St. Clair counties in Michigan. Christian Financial offers high-quality, high-value products and services to promote convenience, trust and personal service for members. The credit union offers comprehensive financial services beyond typical retail consumer services through ownership of a mortgage company and a commercial loan company. In September 2019, the credit union built its new headquarters in Sterling Heights, Michigan to accommodate its rapid growth in serving residents of metro Detroit. For more information, visit www.christianfinancialcu.com About Symphonize:Symphonize specializes in digital transformations and technology solutions that bridge the gap between traditional banking practices and the digital expectations of Gen Z. With a global team of over 180 employees, Symphonize is committed to helping banks create intuitive, engaging, and personalized digital experiences, to acquire and retain customers. Symphonize is renowned both regionally and globally as a multifaceted partner, skilled in strategy development, user experience design, and software development. Symphonize's expertise spans embedded, mobile, and cloud-based applications. For more information, visit https://symphonize.com Contact InformationRebekah MonroeChief Marketing Officer, CFCUrmonroe@ cfcumail.org 586-498-3197Sreedhar TatavarthiVP, Software Solutions, Symphonize Inc.sreedhar.tatavarthi@symphonize.com 630-347-2554SOURCE: Christian Financial Credit Union & SymphonizeView the original press release on newswire.com
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 17:10:41

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Memecoins, like CoCo Coin, are offering unique opportunities to investors to earn rewards uniquely. CoCo Coin is a virus frog inspired by the famous meme of Pepe The Frog. Their pioneering platform is integrating the cultural phenomenon of memes with viral social interactions. They are distributing tangible tokens in return for completing some tasks on Twitter.CoCo Coin - The Currency of EngagementCoCo Coin is offering users a unique platform to monetize their love for memes. They do not rely on complex algorithms and technical analysis, CoCo Coin puts memes front and center, allowing users to earn rewards for sharing, creating, and engaging with meme content on Twitter.CoCo Coin introduces a unique point system. It converts social media interactions into valuable tangible tokens. This system incentivizes users to engage with content. Also, it allows users to create a vibrant community.The CoCo Coin EcosystemThe CoCo Coin ecosystem operates on a point system. Users can earn points for various social media activities related to this memecoin on Twitter. These points are then converted into CoCo Coins. The point system on Twitter rewards individuals for their engagement with the platform. Here's the way it works:Views: Users earn 1 point for every view on their tweets.Likes: Each like on a user's tweet earns them 50 points.Replies: For every reply to a user's tweet, they receive 125 points.Retweets: Users gain 250 points for each retweet of their content.The accumulation of points is structured around weekly cycles known as epochs. Points earned during one epoch can be claimed for CoCo Coins in the following epoch. CoCo Coin inspires creativity and content creation by encouraging users to engage in original tweets, quoted tweets, and replies. Visit the official website https://www.cococoin.techto know how you can maximize points and earn more tokens.Community-driven InitiativesCoCo Coin fosters a vibrant community of meme enthusiasts, creators, and investors. The project creates opportunities for users to connect to the platform's growth. It operates on a decentralized governance model. It ensures that the platform is governed by its users.Airdrops To Launch SoonCoCo Coin will release their airdrops soon. It will distribute free tokens to others. Airdrops function as an incentive for users to contribute to the platform. This stage is pivotal for establishing a loyal user base that believes in the CoCo vision.Donation and ExpansionCoCo Coins will launch the donation after the airdrops launch. This phase is not just about raising funds; it's about solidifying the platform's market position. Donation offer investors a chance to be part of the CoCo Coin story at an early stage.Join the Memetic Revolution with CoCo CoinCoCo Coin invites users to join the memetic revolution by becoming a part of their transformative journey. This project offers something for everyone. Visit theirofficial websiteand sign in to participate in daily Twitter tasks to earn rewards.About CoCo CoinCoCo Coin is an innovative memecoin project reshaping the digital landscape. They empower users to engage on social media to earn tangible rewards. This project is all about bringing people together on social media. Join the memetic revolution with CoCo Coin and start earning rewards today!Follow CoCo CoinWebsite: https://www.cococoin.tech/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/cococoinbase DisclaimerThis press release is for informational purposes. It does not constitute investment advice. Interested individuals have to do research earlier than participating in any investment opportunities.Media DetailsCompany Name : CoCo Coin Contact person : Jason StathamMail:cococoinbase@ outlook.comCity & Country: San Francisco, USAWebsite: https://www.cococoin.tech SOURCE: CoCo Coin
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 16:15:27

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Andrew Onken Spearheads New Corrosion Control CapabilitiesBOZEMAN, MO / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Coffman Engineers (Coffman), a national multidiscipline engineering firm, announced adding AC interference services to the company's corrosion control capabilities. Coffman welcomes industry veterans Andrew Onken, NACE, Alex Ristow, NACE, and Eli Rassler, NACE. Onken is responsible for growing the firm's AC interference services as part of Coffman's corrosion control group. This new offering for oil and gas clients is a critical service that protects property and personnel and prevents costly disruptions.Andrew Onken, NACE Onken has over 12 years of experience as a corrosion engineer and integrity engineering supervisor. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in chemical engineering and is a certified NACE Cathodic Protection Specialist and Internal Corrosion Technologist. He is also a Level 1 Certified CDEGS user by SES Technologies for AC interference modeling. His experience includes overseeing teams of engineers for cathodic protection and AC mitigation system designs and evaluations for new and existing pipeline projects.Ristow and Rassler have worked with Onken for many years; their experience includes national client support and past experience working with Coffman. Onken, Ristow, and Rassler are based remotely in Duluth, Minnesota, and provide AC interference services companywide."Andrew, Alex, and Eli are respected professionals in this highly technical field. Coffman is fortunate to welcome their wealth of experience and bolster our corrosion control services for our oil and gas clients," said Tyler Doil, PE, NACE, Principal, Corrosion Control Engineering for Coffman.AC interference is an adverse interaction that occurs between high-voltage powerlines co-located with buried pipelines. This can result in accelerated corrosion, affecting pipeline integrity and creating electrical safety hazards for pipeline personnel and the public. Using technical software, Coffman evaluates threats by computer modeling and designs AC mitigation systems to reduce risk to an acceptable level.Coffman has provided corrosion control engineering services for national and international clients for more than 30 years. Today, the group consists of more than 35 engineers and technicians with multiple NACE certifications, including four Cathodic Protection specialists.Learn more about Coffman's corrosion control engineering services.About Coffman EngineersCoffman Engineers is a multidiscipline engineering consulting firm that offers clients local, personalized services by integrating many disciplines including civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, fire protection, and other specialties. Coffman has 800+ employees in 21 offices across the U.S. committed to the team effort it takes to build a better world. This year, Coffman is celebrating 45 years in business. Visit coffman.com or connect with us on social media.For more information about this topic, call Beth Shimogawa at 808.687.8884 or email beth.shimogawa@coffman.com Contact InformationBeth ShimogawaCorporate Communicationsbeth.shimogawa@coffman.com 808-687-8884Related FilesCoffman Announces AC Interference Services Led by Industry VeteranSOURCE: Coffman Engineers, Inc.View the original press release on newswire.com
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 13:02:12

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Condor Resources Inc. - ("Condor" or the "Company") (TSXV:CN) announces that, further to its press release dated April 8, 2024, it has received the rescheduled payment of US$220,000 from Element79 Gold Corp. ("Element79") with respect to the Lucero project. Element79 are the owner of Calipuy Resources Inc., ("Calipuy"), and assumed Calipuy's obligations to acquire the shares of Condor's subsidiary, Minas Lucero del Sur S.A.C., the owner of the Lucero project.As previously announced on January 7, 2021, Condor sold its subsidiary company Minas Lucero del Sur S.A.C., the owner of the Lucero project, for consideration of US$3.5 million, payable over five years beginning at that time. The Company can benefit from the currently rising gold price with contingent payments. Should the price of gold be over US$2,500/ounce at the time of the final payment, total consideration will increase to US$4.0 million; and should the price of gold be over US$3,000/ounce at the time of the final payment, the total consideration will increase to US$6.0 million. To date, the Company has received US$965,000 of the originally negotiated consideration. The next scheduled payment of US$1,000,000 is due on or before December 21, 2024.About Condor Resources Inc.Condor Resources is a precious and base metals exploration company focused on its portfolio of projects in Peru. The company's flagship project, Pucamayo, is an 85 km2 property containing a high sulphidation epithermal system with disseminated precious metals mineralization with a large lithocap alteration visible at surface. The company has optioned several large projects to partners who continue to advance these projects, and has a number of priority and prospective projects warranting further exploration by Condor. The Company's award-winning exploration team in Peru has a long history of success in discovering and advancing high quality exploration projects and managing the social aspects of its exploration activities.ON BEHALF OF THE BOARDChris Buncic,President & Chief Executive OfficerFor further information please contactthe Company at 1-866-642-5707, or by email at info@ condorresources.com Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur.Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in applicable forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in such statements.Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.SOURCE: Condor Resources Inc.
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 13:45:31

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SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / A major event in Cosmos is the recent passing of Governance Proposal No.917: a request by Dora Factory and DoraHacks for a $1 million grant from the Cosmos Hub community treasury. This grant will support ten rounds of Quadratic Funding within the Cosmos Hub ecosystem over the next two years.As one of the largest treasury funding applications, this proposal sparked extensive discussions within the Cosmos community and received overwhelming support. Over $1 billion worth of ATOM, including major validators and core Cosmos contributors, voted in favor. The approval rate reached 91.9%, making Gov Proposal 917 the motion with the highest approval rating in the Cosmos Hub's history.Following the approval of this proposal, Dora Factory, in collaboration with DoraHacks, has officially announced the second AEZ (ATOM Economic Zone) quadratic funding program, marking the launch of the first long-term funding initiative. This quadratic funding program will span two years, starting May 15, 2024, and ending May 2026.The passing of Gov Proposal 917 brings native Quadratic Funding to the Cosmos Hub for the first time.What is Public Goods Funding?Public goods funding is a frequently discussed concept within the Web3 industry. Generally, public goods refer to goods or services that are available for everyone to use.In crypto, public goods can include blockchain infrastructure, storage, developer tools, software middleware, and user-facing applications such as block explorers, data dashboards, and wallets.Due to its inherent transparency and verifiability, crypto and blockchain are ideal tools for funding public goods.However, web3 public goods funding also faces numerous challenges.Lack of coordination among the various parties involved in public goods funding (foundations, institutions, DAOs, developers, and communities).A shortage of sustainable and effective funding mechanisms.Public goods funding is often perceived as not interestingEnter Dora Factory, which strives to build infrastructure that enables large-scale adoption of public goods funding.Dora Factory: Infrastructure Born for Public GoodsDora Factory is a leading decentralised governance infrastructure and multi-chain public goods funding protocol stack, incubated and supported by DoraHacks, the industry's developer and public goods funding platform. Its products include Public Good Staking infrastructure and Dora Vota, an appchain for voting and governance designed to empower the global Hacker Movement, open-source communities, and DAOs.Multi-Chain Quadratic Funding: Aligning Communities and Ecosystem BuildersWhat is Quadratic Funding? Through native-token donations, token-holder communities can support high-quality early-stage projects and public goods within various ecosystems, fostering better collaboration among foundations, communities, and developers.As the first and only team in the industry to develop and advocate for this approach, Dora Factory is a true leader in multi-chain quadratic funding. It has successfully deployed native quadratic funding in numerous mainstream crypto ecosystems, including BNB Chain, Solana, Polygon, Aptos, Cosmos Hub, Injective, and Avalanche.Public Good Staking: Providing Sustainable Funding for Public GoodsIn late 2022, Dora Factory introduced the concept of Public Good Staking. By operating underlying infrastructure such as validators, they earn native block rewards that are continuously used to fund multi-chain developers and public goods ecosystems.Dora Factory has promoted public good staking in over 30 ecosystems' mainnets and testnets, achieving a TVL (Total Value Locked) of over $400 million, providing up to $10 million in sustainable annual funding.In the future, Dora Factory will explore ways to use cryptocurrency to fund cutting-edge technology fields like space technology, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and biomedical research.Community Incentive Fund: Making Public Goods Funding More FunDora Factory launched the Community Incentive Fund to make the public goods funding process more engaging and fun. Top meme and NFT projects like Celestia's Celestine Sloth Collection, Injective Ninja, Aptos Gui Inu, and Aptos Monkeys have become partners of the Community Incentive Fund. Through retroactive airdrops and gamified donations, these projects have brought more fun to public goods funding, receiving contributions and donations from nearly 100,000 unique addresses across different communities.Anonymous Minimum Anti-Collusion Infrastructure (aMACI): Bringing Privacy Technology to On-Chain Public Goods GovernanceMACI is a cryptographic technology designed to maximize the detection and elimination of collusion in voting. In 2022 and 2023, the Dora Factory team collaborated with ETHDenver, 0x, and OpenSea to introduce privacy voting to crypto hackathons. MACI has significantly improved privacy and reduced collusion in on-chain governance and voting.In 2024, Dora Factory launched aMACI, adding voter anonymity to eliminate collusion between the vote initiator and the operator. This further enhances privacy and lowers the usage threshold of MACI voting. This is a significant step towards future large-scale decentralized voting systems.Dora Vota: Open Infrastructure for Public Goods FundingDora Vota is a multi-chain governance and voting infrastructure. Vota and interoperability protocols like IBC will provide modular voting and governance infrastructure, such as plug-and-play quadratic funding modules and grant distribution mechanisms. As the first permissionless appchain focused on scaling on-chain voting, Dora Vota will offer developers a valuable playground, unlocking more possibilities for public goods funding and decentralized community governance.Recently, Dora Factory secured strategic financing from dao5, Whampoa Digital, and angel investors like EigenLayer co-founder Calvin Liu. This is the first strategic round of a new funding series since Dora Factory's $17.5M raise in 2021.As Dora's Public Good Staking grows and Vota's ecosystem matures, the team believes Dora Factory will continue exploring new solutions to traditional funding inefficiencies, accelerating the maturity of governance and public goods funding in the multi-chain ecosystem.Contact:Dora Factory Chris Leewinniedrinkwater@ gmail.com SOURCE: Cosmos Hub
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 19:03:01

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RADNOR, PA / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 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, LLPor other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP encourages agilon investors who have suffered significant losses to contact the firm directly to acquire more information.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE CASEWHO CAN BE A LEAD PLAINTIFF?A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. The lead plaintiff is usually the investor or small group of investors who have the largest financial interest and who are also adequate and typical of the proposed class of investors. The lead plaintiff selects counsel to represent t
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 17:07:27

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ELMSFORD, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / DLC, one of the country's largest private owners, operators, and managers of open-air retail, has released "Too Good To Ignore," a research paper focused on the explosive growth of open-air retail across suburban markets.Too Good To Ignore DLC, one of the country's largest private owners, operators, and managers of open-air retail, has released "Too Good To Ignore," a research paper focused on the explosive growth of open-air retail across suburban markets.The report reveals that for the first time in more than two decades, the four most important metrics for retail real estate - traffic, tenant sales, rent and occupancy - are growing and blowing past their previous all-time highs.Proof of this record high performance is DLC's own portfolio. Last year, DLC's same-store NOI growth clocked in at 6.6%, well above public competing open-air REITs.Relevant excerpts from the report include:No new development: For the past 15 years, the gross leasable area in open-air retail has shrunk and continues to do so; construction costs have also increased by between 30% to 40% over the past three years. That combination has resulted in an increase in competition for space among open-air tenants.What's available goes fast: In 2023, DLC lease renewals for spaces in excess of 10,000 square feet clocked in at 98%, and the average time to lease retail vacant space is at an all-time low. Store openings also exceeded closings in 2023 for the third consecutive year, with growth concentrated in the suburbs and non-major markets outside the top 25 MSAs. In 2023, DLC signed 127 new deals in suburban centers versus 84 in 2019. Value is driving retail growth: Value retailers like T.J. Maxx, Burlington, Ross Dress For Less, and Five Below get two to three times more visits than overall retail. More than 50% of DLC's tenants are value retailers.The tenant mix is evolving: An explosion of non-retail businesses are gobbling up open-air retail space to get closer to the consumer, and traditional mall brands (think Macy's, Ulta, Claire's, and Kay Jewelers) are flocking to neighborhood centers. For example, DLC recently relocated Ulta, Bath & Body Works, Old Navy, and the Buckle from an enclosed mall in Carbondale, IL, into one of its open-air centers, University Place, directly across the street.The store is where the profit is: Nearly 85% of total retail sales happen in-store, and shoppers spend between 30% to 50% more per visit in-store. Up to 40% of shoppers using click-and-collect also buy additional items when they come in-store. What's more, retailers are now embracing in-store fulfillment to lower customer acquisition costs, to provide unmatched convenience for shoppers, and to increase sales per customer visit."Open-air centers are located exactly where traditional and emerging retailers alike want to be - in the backyard of the consumer," said Adam Ifshin, founder and chief executive officer of DLC. "Simply put, they're great dirt." "The pendulum of leasing has shifted," says Chris Ressa, EVP and chief operating officer at DLC. "The landlord is in the driver's seat from a deal perspective. A lack of vacancy has created the opportunity for them to re-imagine their properties. Leasing occupied spaces enables us to find the right user at the maximum return." About DLC: DLC is one of the nation's preeminent private retail real estate companies, with expertise in acquisitions, development, architecture, leasing and management. Headquartered in Metro New York, DLC has regional operations in Atlanta, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, and Washington, D.C. For additional information about DLC and its portfolio, please visit www.dlcmgmt.com Contact InformationMichael St. JohnVice President, Marketingmstjohn@ dlcmgmt.com 914.406.7622Holly Amayaholly@ storyimprinting.com (619) 573-7224SOURCE: DLCView the original press release on newswire.com
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 18:03:55

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As a result of high demand from popular events, Eventeny's expansion into Canada sets the company on an exciting trajectory for growth spanning North America and beyond.ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 /Eventeny, a leading event management software solution, has made waves this week by announcing that they've incorporated in Canada. This marks a significant milestone just a few months after the company's sixth anniversary. There's no question that Eventeny has taken the U.S. event industry by storm in recent years, celebrating 12,000 events hosted on their platform at the start of 2024. While the decision to bring Eventeny to the Great White North was based on several factors, the expansion is ultimately the result of demand as large events like Toronto ComicCon, Fan Expo Vancouver, & Calgary Expo have made the transition to Eventeny.Eventeny Host, attend, & sell at events with EventenyEventeny's venture into Canada signifies more than just geographic expansion - it's a strategic move to meet the growing demands of event organizers globally. With Canada being a hub of cultural diversity and vibrant events, Eventeny is poised to make a significant impact on the event management landscape in the country.Eventeny CEO Aly Hussaini comments on the expansion:"We've always had a growth mindset at Eventeny, and the decision to move into Canada is an extension of that. Event planning is currently the fifth most stressful job in the world, showing us that event organizers are experiencing the same pain points on a global scale. Our mission since we've opened our doors has been to be a beacon of stress relief for event planners, and this expansion is bringing us one step closer to helping event organizers around the world." While the entrance into the Canadian market marks the beginning of a new frontier for the company, it doesn't mean Eventeny is planning on slowing down efforts in the United States. In the first quarter of 2024, Eventeny saw record-breaking progress on the home front with over 125,000 new users joining the platform. This impressive trajectory reflects Eventeny's unwavering dedication to innovation and customer satisfaction.Despite a competitive market, Eventeny continues to thrive and set new benchmarks for success. The company's expansion into Canada is just the beginning of an exciting journey towards revolutionizing event management on a global scale.This exciting announcement marks the beginning of a broader global strategy aimed at establishing the company as a leader in the international event management space. With a strong foothold in the United States and a growing presence in Canada, Eventeny is well-positioned to capitalize on emerging opportunities in other international markets."Our mission goes beyond borders," says Neil Kumar, Director of Growth at Eventeny. "We see tremendous potential in expanding our reach to diverse cultural landscapes around the world. Our goal is to create a seamless and efficient platform that caters to the unique needs of event organizers and attendees globally." See how Eventeny can simplify your events.Contact InformationCat McDevittpress@ eventeny.com SOURCE: EventenyView the original press release on newswire.com
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 15:01:10

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TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Femme Fatale Media Group, the premier event staffing agency founded by entrepreneur Emily Lyons in 2009, is thrilled to announce its 15-year anniversary. What began as a small startup with ambitious dreams has now expanded into a major force across North America, boasting over 20,000 staff members, numerous awards, and a comprehensive suite of services with a focus on high-quality event staffing.Emily Lyons & staff Photo of Femme Fatale Media founder, Emily Lyons, and event staff from the agency."Fifteen years ago, I started Femme Fatale Media with nothing but a vision and a relentless drive to succeed," said Emily Lyons, CEO and Founder. "Today, we stand as a testament to what passion, hard work, and dedication can achieve. I am immensely proud of our journey from those humble beginnings to becoming an industry leader." Over the past decade and a half, Femme Fatale Media Group has not only set the standard for event staffing but has also been at the forefront of innovation within the industry. The agency has received multiple accolades for its outstanding service and commitment to excellence, reflecting its status as a beacon of success.As Femme Fatale Media Group looks to the future, it remains committed to pioneering within the industry. The company is currently developing proprietary software aimed at revolutionizing event staffing management. Additionally, Femme Fatale Media is dedicated to enhancing safety measures for models and event staff, ensuring a secure and supportive environment for all its personnel."We are incredibly excited about what the next chapter holds," Lyons added. "As we continue to grow and evolve, our focus remains on providing the best possible experiences for our clients and creating a safe, empowering workplace for our staff." Femme Fatale Media Group invites all its clients, staff, and partners to join in celebrating this significant milestone. Here's to continuing the journey of excellence and innovation in the years to come!For more information about Femme Fatale Media Group and its services, please visit https://www.femmefatalemedia.com/ About Femme Fatale Media Group Femme Fatale Media Group is a leading North American event staffing agency founded in 2009 by entrepreneur Emily Lyons. Known for its high-quality service and a vast pool of talented staff, the agency offers a wide range of services tailored to meet the needs of any event. With a strong focus on innovation and safety, Femme Fatale Media continues to be a trailblazer in the event staffing industry. Operating across North America, including all major markets like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, New York City, Miami, and more.Contact Information:Rachel Frimrachel@ msemilylyons.com SOURCE: Femme Fatale Media GroupView the original press release on newswire.com
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 15:03:43

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Strategic investments, new routes, and an emphasis on company culture caps CEO Bill Major's first-year visionATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / FiberLight, LLC , a fiber infrastructure provider with more than 20 years of experience designing, building, and operating mission-critical, high-bandwidth networks, is celebrating CEO Bill Major's one-year anniversary with the company, a period marked by significant transformation. Under Major's leadership, FiberLight has expanded its service offering with a new Point of Presence (POP) in Virginia Beach, strategically invested in intelligent infrastructure, established new routes to central Mexico to facilitate cross-border connectivity, and bolstered its leadership team - catalyzing a cultural shift within the organization. These achievements underscore FiberLight's dedication to expanding its advanced network infrastructure in rapidly evolving markets and driving superior performance for its customers and partners.Recent highlights from the organization include:Expansion of Service Offering with new PoP in Virginia Beach: FiberLight announced an expansion of its service offering with aPOP at the Globalinx data center and cable landing station in Virginia Beach, Virginia . FiberLight's lit fiber, accessible from the Globalinx Data Center Campus in Virginia Beach, will serve as a key landing point, ensuring seamless connectivity between subsea and terrestrial fiber networks. Located in the Hampton Roads area, home to the world's largest Navy base and the Port of Virginia, the region is evolving into a dynamic tech hub with an IT sector spanning logistics, manufacturing, and cybersecurity. FiberLight's POP will deliver secure, high-speed connectivity across its expansive network, catalyzing business expansion.Strategic Investments in Intelligent Infrastructure: FiberLight, in collaboration with the Autonomy Institute, announced a$20 million investment in intelligent infrastructureto support the launch of a visionary 100-mile fiber optic project along State Highway (SH) 130, near Austin, Texas. This strategic endeavor is designed to address the surging demand for bandwidth, crucial for the safe and efficient operation of autonomous vehicles, while also supporting AI initiatives in the fast-growing regions along the SH 130 corridor. This initiative will establish the region's inaugural intelligent infrastructure economic zone, paving the way for transformative advancements and fueling economic expansion and job creation across the region.New Pathways to Central Mexico: FiberLight announced the launch ofnew fiber routes from Dallas to Queretaro and Dallas to Monterrey , made possible through strategic partnerships with MDC Data Centers and NeuLink. This collaboration expands FiberLight's reach into central Mexico through MDC's Data Center in Eagle Pass, Texas, and establishes crucial connections between major data centers in the United States and Mexico. Additionally, these new pathways underscore FiberLight's commitment to providing businesses with secure and diverse connectivity, reinforcing its position as a pioneer in cross-border connectivity, and driving technological advancement for businesses across the region.Commitment to Excellence through Expanded Leadership: Sinceassuming the role of CEOlast year, Major has focused on expanding FiberLight's leadership team with strategic appointments to drive the company's vision forward. Key hires includeTyler Coatesas Chief Revenue Officer, who is leading strategic growth and expansion, Derin Cunning as VP of IT, who is tasked with fortifying and expanding FiberLight's infrastructure, andBecky Ospinaas VP of People and Culture, who is championing the creation of a top-tier employee program centered on consistency, transparency, and excellence. These appointments underscore FiberLight's dedication to delivering world-class networking solutions and exceptional experiences for customers, partners, and employees alike, and set the stage for FiberLight's sustained success."As we celebrate these milestones, I'm immensely proud of the significant transformation we've achieved together," said Major. "From strategic investments that signify our commitment to innovation in areas like automated vehicles and AI to our expansion into central Mexico that provides robust connectivity options for businesses across borders, our achievements are the direct result of the unwavering commitment to excellence and a workplace culture that fosters success at every level. I'm excited to build on our significant momentum and deliver future-ready networking solutions and superior experiences for FiberLight's customers and our partners." About FiberLightFiberLight builds and operates mission-critical high bandwidth networks to ignite our client's digital transformation. With approximately 19,000 route miles of fiber networks and 230,000 pre-qualified near-net buildings, FiberLight operates in over 430 cities in the U.S. Our service portfolio includes high-capacity Ethernet and Wave Transport Services, Cloud Connect, Dedicated Internet Access, Dark Fiber, and Wireless Backhaul serving domestic and international telecom companies, wireless, wireline, cable, and cloud providers, as well as key players across enterprise, government, and education. For more information, visit https://www.fiberlight.com FiberLight Contact:Escalate PR:FiberLight@ escalatepr.com SOURCE: FiberLight
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 13:45:23

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CHAMERSTRASSE, SWITZERLAND / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / In the ever-evolving world of cannabis and CBD, where products are securing a growing foothold in the global wellness market, navigating regulatory frameworks is as intricate and delicate as a Swiss watch. A recent legal dispute betweenFormula Swiss , a Swiss-based CBD company established in 2013, and the Office for Consumer Protection in the Kanton of Zug highlights these challenges. This landmark lawsuit raises crucial questions that reverberate throughout the global CBD industry regarding product classification, consumer protection, and the evolving landscape of cannabis regulation.Formula Swiss, known for its unwavering commitment to product quality and compliance, has invested heavily to meet stringent regulatory demands. The company, which has been producing certified organic and vegan hemp products since 2013, has spent over CHF 2 million since 2019 to classify its hemp products as cosmetics, meticulously following every directive from the Office for Consumer Protection in the Kanton of Zug. The legal dispute centers around the classification of Formula Swiss's hemp products, as the company argues that its products are cosmetics, while the Office for Consumer Protection in the Kanton of Zug insists that they are food and food supplements.To clearly communicate that their products are cosmetics, Formula Swiss has made extensive changes since 2019. This includes modifying thousands of pages on their website, which is available in 15 languages, along with updating product labels, packaging, inserts, and instructions. The company also brought in compliance specialists from Belgium to ensure their labeling met international standards. They have developed comprehensive Product Information Files (PIFs) with safety experts and conducted skin testing on 50 people in laboratories in Germany. These efforts demonstrate the company's determination to comply with cosmetic regulations and clearly differentiate their products from food and food supplements.Despite this diligent compliance and significant investment, Formula Swiss found itself embroiled in a legal dispute with the Office for Consumer Protection in the Kanton of Zug, alleging that the Office had hindered the legal distribution of its products. "We are shocked by the treatment of the Office for Consumer Protection in the Kanton of Zug," remarked Robin Roy Krigslund-Hansen, CEO of Formula Swiss. "We have spent years of manpower and millions of Swiss Francs doing exactly what the competent authorities told us to do to ensure our hemp products are correctly registered in Switzerland, EU Member States, and in the United Kingdom. Yet, the Office for Consumer Protection has done everything possible to prevent our legal and compliant products from being on the market." Since 2020, Formula Swiss has engaged a strong legal team to fight its case and is confident that they will ultimately prevail. Mr. Robin Roy Krigslund-Hansen stated that the company would not be starting such an expensive legal case, which may take years to reach a decision in the Supreme Court, if they were not at least 90% confident that they would win the case against the Canton of Zug. This optimism stems from the company's diligent adherence to regulatory guidelines, significant investment in compliance, and the unwavering belief that the Swiss regulatory system will ultimately side with fairness and transparency.The discrepancies in classification are stark. The exact same products from Formula Swiss that Swiss authorities classify as food supplements are consistently categorized as cosmetic products in countries such as Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Adding to the inconsistency, many other Swiss companies sell the same products as cosmetics without issue, creating unfair competition due to differing interpretations of the same laws. This incongruity raises questions about the Swiss authorities' decision-making process. Despite meticulously following guidelines, Formula Swiss's efforts have been undermined by regulatory inconsistencies.Switzerland itself doesn't have a classification system forCBD products , instead relying on EU databases like theNovel Food Catalogue and theCosIng database, where CBD was classified in January 2019 and October 2019, respectively. This classification permits the sale of CBD as a cosmetic. Yet, interpreting these guidelines has led to inconsistency across Swiss Cantons and other EU countries. For Formula Swiss, which sells its products in over 60 countries worldwide, the differing regulatory interpretations are highly frustrating. While all other countries classify the hemp products from Formula Swiss as cosmetics, the Office for Consumer Protection in the Kanton of Zug interprets the same rules differently, classifying the products as food supplements.Formula Swiss has previously taken successful legal action against authorities in Sweden, but they prefer a cooperative approach based on constructive communication and dialogue. Unfortunately, Formula Swiss experienced a sudden change in communication from the Office for Consumer Protection in the Kanton of Zug, which, for years, has refused to meet representatives from Formula Swiss and their legal team in person and stopped replying to letters sent to them. Instead, the Office involved the police and unsuccessfully attempted to turn the case into a criminal investigation against Formula Swiss.The company suspects that external pressures might have influenced the sudden reevaluation of hemp products in Switzerland, forcing Formula Swiss into a corner with no option but to pursue legal action against the Office. Despite recognizing the challenges ahead, Formula Swiss remains steadfast. While the initial legal battle in the Court of Zug might present biases favoring local authorities, the company is confident in their case's merits. They believe they will ultimately prevail when the case reaches the Federal Supreme Court in 2025, potentially setting a precedent for the CBD industry in Switzerland and beyond.Formula Swiss feels compelled to seek legal clarification not just for themselves but for the entire Swiss hemp industry, so everyone can be treated fairly and equally. The Swiss hemp industry deserves this clarity. Establishing a successful business in the cannabis industry takes many years and requires substantial capital investment. An unstable legal situation is the last thing cannabis entrepreneurs and investors want.In addition to seeking justice over product classification, Formula Swiss plans to follow up with a substantial financial claim against the Kanton of Zug. The company is seeking CHF 5 to 10 million in compensation for documented financial losses and the significant impact on its business. However, Formula Swiss is not ta
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 13:57:48

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Over 80 healthcare experts discuss forward-looking topics at Asia Summit on Global Health, including latest trends in neuroscience, precision medicine and Chinese medicineSome 300 exhibitors at Medical Fair showcase latest medtech, such as dementia assessment systems and biotech for wound treatmentFirst orthopaedic surgical robot made in Hong Kong on view at Medical FairHONG KONG, May 16, 2024 - (ACN Newswire) - The third International Healthcare Week (IHW), organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), opened yesterday, featuring two flagship events.Themed Innovation. Inclusion. Impact, the fourth Asia Summit on Global Health (ASGH) takes place today and tomorrow, facilitating exchange and collaboration among industry players from around the world.The 15th edition of the Hong Kong International Medical and Healthcare Fair (Medical Fair) runs from today to 18 May. Featuring some 300 exhibitors, the Fair showcases a wide range of innovative medical products and solutions and promotes global industry collaboration to position Hong Kong as a hub for medical innovation.Opening the Summit, HKTDC Chairman Dr Peter K N Lam said: Asia is growing in importance in the global health ecosystem. With Hong Kong being an international finance and business centre and on its way to becoming a health and medical innovation hub, it is fitting for the HKTDC to organise International Healthcare Week, with the Asia Summit on Global Health and Hong Kong International Medical and Healthcare Fair as flagship events, to bring together major industry players from Asia and beyond in our city to foster collaboration and accelerate the development of Asias medical and healthcare industry. In his opening speech, Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive John Lee said, "Technology is a policy priority of the Hong Kong SAR Government. Thanks to the strong support of the National 14th Five-Year Plan and other national strategies, Hong Kong is rapidly emerging as an international innovation and technology hub, Mr Lee said. Collaboration and partnerships fast-track innovation. And that, Im confident, can begin right here, over these two days of forums, plenaries, dialogues and networking sessions. A wealth of medical research and development intelligence and insights, together with the latest I&T, and the experts driving them: all here for you, at this years Asia Summit on Global Health. During his special remarks, Prof Cao Xuetao, Vice-Minister of the National Health Commission of the Peoples Republic of China, pointed out: "Hong Kong as an international financial, maritime trade and innovation hub is leveraging its unique position to connect Mainland China with the world. In recent years, Hong Kong has made significant advancements in the medical and healthcare sectors. These developments, amid the complex and evolving international landscape, have profound implications on global health security, socioeconomic progress and well-being. This underscores the importance of strengthening collaboration to seize new opportunities and address emerging challenges in healthcare. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), also delivered remarks at the opening session via video link.Industry elites discuss forward-looking issues at ASGHIn the first plenary session today, Prof Lo Chung-mau, Secretary for Health of the HKSAR, highlighted the preparatory work for the establishment of the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation and the progress made in promoting Hong Kong as a health innovation hub. He Yaqiong, Director General of the Consumer Goods Industry Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the Peoples Republic of China, shared the country's experience in advancing high-quality development of the healthcare industry. He also discussed how Chinese pharmaceutical companies can effectively use the Hong Kong platform to tap into international markets.At the second plenary, Prof Roger Kornberg, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry in 2006 and Professor of Structural Biology at the Stanford University School of Medicine, spoke about the latest developments in biotechnology.ASGH gathers more than 80 global leaders in healthcare, including business executives, investors, international research and medical experts and health officials, to discuss diverse industry issues, such as medical and healthcare innovations, healthcare development in China and healthcare investment prospects.These include Andy Ho, Chief Region Leader of Philips Greater China, Antony Leung, Group Chairman of Nan Fung Group, Prof Tony Mok Shu Kam, Chairman of Department of Clinical Oncology of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Prof Christopher Chao, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.Given the rise of AI in healthcare, the summit held a dedicated session with representatives from Medtronic plc, HeartFlow, Inc. and other organisations discussing AI opportunities and practical applications in the healthcare sector, such as diagnosing cardiovascular diseases.Day two of ASGH features diverse thematic sessions. With Chinese medicine gaining more attention, the complementary use of Chinese and Western medicine has become a rising trend. Representatives from the Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Hospital explore Chinese medicine in modern healthcare, while a session organised with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University discusses the development of innovative drugs with specialists from Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Holding Co., Ltd, AstraZeneca, and Simcere Pharmaceutical Group Limited.Click here https://www.acnnewswire.com/press-release/english/90843/
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 08:00:43

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NOTICE OF RESOLUTION TO APPOINT ADMINISTRATORS AND SUSPENSION OF TRADING IN THE COMPANY'S SHARESLONDON, UNITED KINGDOM / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / As announced on 15 April 2024, Horizonte Minerals Plc (AIM:HZM)(TSX:HZM) ("Horizonte" or the "Company") has been unable to secure interest in the full financing needed to complete its 100% owned Araguaia Nickel Project ("Araguaia" or the "Project"). After a period of discussions with secured creditors, and existing and new potential investors on alternative scenarios with a view to a potential restructuring solution to attempt to achieve the best possible recovery for the Company's creditors while minimising potential liabilities, the Board has now regrettably concluded that Horizonte should be placed into administration in order to seek to preserve the value of the business for creditors and other stakeholders. Accordingly, the Board has resolved to appoint Geoff Rowley and Chad Griffin of FRP Advisory as administrators and is in the process of making such appointment.In light of the above, the Company has requested a suspension of trading in its ordinary shares on AIM with effect from 7.30am on 16 May 2024 and TSX with effect from 6.00pm on 15 May 2024. The Final Results for the year ending 31 December 2023 will not be released.Following consultation with the Company's Brazilian legal counsel, the injunction (Brazilian Precautionary Measure) granted to the Company's Brazilian subsidiary Araguaia Niquel Metais Ltda ("ANML") which was previously expected to end on 15 May 2024 will now end on 24 May 2024. The injunction provides a 60-day stay period against the enforcement of debt and certain security held by senior lenders and creditors, in order to negotiate and work on a restructuring plan to be approved by its creditors.As previously announced, discussions with secured creditors, and existing and new potential investors on alternative scenarios will continue to be held at ANML with a view to a potential restructuring solution to attempt to achieve some recovery value for the Company's creditors. These include raising financing at the subsidiary level, or disposing of the Araguaia project whilst in care and maintenance, thereby maintaining the prospect of the project as a going concern, liquidation of the assets of the project, or the consideration of other options available under Brazilian laws to attempt to achieve the best possible recovery to the Company's creditors while minimising potential liabilities.Resignation of Nominated AdviserConsequently, Peel Hunt LLP has informed the Company of its intention to resign as Nominated Adviser and Broker to Horizonte with immediate effect on the appointment of administrators. Pursuant to AIM Rule 1, if a replacement Nominated Adviser is not appointed within one month from the resignation of the current Nominated Adviser, the admission of the Company's shares to trading on AIM will be cancelled. The Company has no current intention of appointing a replacement Nominated Adviser.This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014, as retained in the UK pursuant to the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.For further information, visitwww.horizonteminerals.comor contact:Horizonte Minerals plcPatrick Chambers (Head of IR)info@ horizonteminerals.com +44 (0) 203 356 2901Peel Hunt LLP (Nominated Adviser & Joint Broker)Ross AllisterDavid McKeown+44 (0)20 7418 8900 BMO (Joint Broker)Thomas RiderPascal Lussier DuquetteAndrew Cameron+44 (0) 20 7236 1010CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATIONExcept for statements of historical fact relating to the Company, certain information contained in this press release constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, the ability of the Company to complete any planned acquisition of equipment, statements with respect to the potential of the Company's current or future property mineral projects; the ability of the Company to complete a positive feasibility study regarding the second RKEF line at Araguaia on time, or at all, the ability of the Company to complete a positive feasibility study regarding the Vermelho Project on time, or at all, the success of exploration and mining activities; cost and timing of future exploration, production and development; the costs and timing for delivery of the equipment to be purchased, the estimation of mineral resources and reserves and the ability of the Company to achieve its goals in respect of growing its mineral resources; the realization of mineral resource and reserve estimates and achieving production in accordance with the Company's potential production profile or at all. 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 statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, and are inherently 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 but not limited to risks related to: the inability of the Company to complete any planned acquisition of equipment on time or at all, the ability of the Company to complete a positive feasibility study regarding the implementation of a second RKEF line at Araguaia on the timeline contemplated or at all, the ability of the Company to complete a positive feasibility study regarding the Vermelho Project on the timeline contemplated or at all, exploration and mining risks, competition from competitors with greater capital; the Company's lack of experience with respect to development-stage mining operations; fluctuations in metal prices; uninsured risks; environmental and other regulatory requirements; exploration, mining and other licences; the Comp
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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC, a nationally recognized law firm, notifies investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Harbor Diversified, Inc. ("Harbor Diversified" or "the Company") (OTC:HRBR) and certain of its officers.Class Definition:This lawsuit seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws on behalf of all persons and entities that purchased or otherwise acquired Harbor Diversified securities between May 10, 2022 and March 29, 2024, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Such investors are encouraged to join this case by visiting the firm's site: bgandg.com/HRBR Case Details:According to the Complaint, Harbor Diversified describes itself as "a non-operating holding company that is the parent of a consolidated group of subsidiaries, including AWAC Aviation, Inc. (AWAC'), which is the sole member of Air Wisconsin Airlines LLC (Air Wisconsin'), a regional air carrier. Harbor is also the direct parent of three other subsidiaries: (1) Lotus Aviation Leasing, LLC (Lotus'), which leases flight equipment to Air Wisconsin, (2) Air Wisconsin Funding LLC (AWF'), which provides flight equipment financing to Air Wisconsin, and (3) Harbor Therapeutics, Inc. (Therapeutics'), which is a non-operating entity with no material assets." The Complaint alleges that Harbor Diversified made materially false and/or misleading statements because the Company misrepresented and failed to disclose the following adverse facts pertaining to the Company's business, operations, and prospects, which were known to Defendants or recklessly disregarded by them. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that:(1) Harbor Diversified's financial statements from May 9, 2022 to the present were misstated due to improper revenue recognition;(2) Harbor Diversified lacked adequate internal controls; and(3) as a result, Harbor Diversified's statements about its business, operations, and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all times.The truth began to emerge, according to the Complaint, on March 29, 2024, when Harbor Diversified filed with the SEC a current report on Form 8-K in which it announced that certain of its previously-issued financial statements would need to be restated as a result of improper revenue recognition. Further, Harbor Diversified disclosed a material weakness in its internal controls that has the company's management evaluating "appropriate remediation actions." On this news, according to the Complaint, the price of Harbor Diversified stock fell by $0.28 per share, or14.25% , to close at $1.73 on April 1, 2024.Therefore, the Complaint further alleges that as a result of Defendants' wrongful acts and omissions, and the precipitous decline in the market value of the Harbor Diversified's common shares, investors have suffered significant losses and damages.What's Next?A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to review a copy of the Complaint, you can visit the firm's site: bgandg.com/HRBR or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Client Relations Manager, Nathan Miller, of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 332-239-2660. If you suffered a loss in Harbor Diversified you have until July 8, 2024, to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as lead plaintiff.There is No Cost to YouWe represent investors in class actions on a contingency fee basis. That means we will ask the court to reimburse us for out-of-pocket expenses and attorneys' fees, usually a percentage of the total recovery, only if we are successful.Why Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman:Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a nationally recognized firm that represents investors in securities fraud class actions and shareholder derivative suits. Our firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors nationwide.Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.Contact:Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLCPeretz Bronstein or Nathan Miller,332-239-2660 | info@ bgandg.com SOURCE: Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC
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PHOENIX, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Ivanhoe Electric Inc. ("Ivanhoe Electric") (NYSE American:IE)(TSX:IE) Executive Chairman Robert Friedland, and President and Chief Executive Officer Taylor Melvin, are pleased to announce its multi-year commitment for a $150,000 contribution to the Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty Initiative ("NAMES"), part of the Payne Institute for Public Policy at Colorado School of Mines ("Mines"), one of the world's foremost universities of mineral and energy engineering.NAMES serves as a beacon of support for Tribal communities, facilitating dialogue between stakeholders and driving forward-thinking discussions on mineral and energy development in the western United States. Through this partnership, Ivanhoe Electric joins NAMES in its mission to empower Tribal communities by encouraging and financially supporting educational opportunities in the fields of energy and natural resources. Ivanhoe Electric is proud to help lay the groundwork for long-term prosperity and self-determination through the NAMES initiative.Mr. Melvin commented: "We are thrilled to embark on this partnership with Colorado School of Mines' Payne Institute to support the NAMES Initiative and its vital mission of empowering Tribal communities and creating opportunities in the mining sector. Our sponsorship reflects Ivanhoe Electric's commitment to promoting social and economic progress for Tribal communities across the western United States. We look forward to creating a sustained engagement and impactful contribution to Tribal communities through our partnership with NAMES." Morgan Bazilian, Director, Payne Institute and Mines Professor of Public Policy commented: "We are grateful for the support of Ivanhoe Electric. The NAMES initiative will help support Tribal sovereignty through scholarships all the way through doctoral studies in industries that are critical to the Tribes and their people." Ivanhoe Electric's sponsorship will help fund development to:Support Native American students at Mines including their admission, retention, development, and graduation at the undergraduate and graduate levels; Fund programs to support advanced research and development of Tribal energy and mineral-related initiatives; Develop Native American-focused STEM activities and programs.Rick Tallman, NAMES' Payne Institute Affiliated Partner and Mines Foundation Board of Governors Member commented: "Ivanhoe Electric's commitment to support Tribal knowledge and sovereignty demonstrates true vision and leadership at this critical moment in American mining history. The world is changing, and through the NAMES Initiative, Mines is working with Tribal communities and industry partners like Ivanhoe Electric to create new ways to engage local communities and support the growing demand for critical minerals." NAMES' inaugural event is scheduled for May 20 and 21 in Ignacio, Colorado, and will be co-hosted by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe on their land. Ivanhoe Electric will participate in this milestone event and looks forward to working together with all stakeholders of the NAMES Initiative to achieve the mutual objectives of empowerment, equity, prosperity, and sustainability.About Ivanhoe Electric We are a U.S. company that combines advanced mineral exploration technologies with electric metals exploration projects predominantly located in the United States. We use our accurate and powerful Typhoon geophysical surveying system, together with advanced data analytics provided by our subsidiary, Computational Geosciences Inc., to accelerate and de-risk the mineral exploration process as we seek to discover new deposits of critical metals that may otherwise be undetectable by traditional exploration technologies. We believe the United States is significantly underexplored and has the potential to yield major new discoveries of critical metals. Our mineral exploration efforts focus on copper as well as other metals including nickel, vanadium, cobalt, platinum group elements, gold and silver. Through the advancement of our portfolio of electric metals exploration projects, headlined by the Santa Cruz Copper Project in Arizona and the Tintic Copper-Gold Project in Utah, as well as other exploration projects in the United States, we intend to support United States supply chain independence by finding and delivering the critical metals necessary for the electrification of the economy. We also operate a 50/50 joint venture with Saudi Arabian Mining Company Ma'aden to explore for minerals on ~48,500 km2 of underexplored Arabian Shield in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Website: www.ivanhoeelectric.com About The Payne Institute for Public Policy The Payne Institute for Public Policy at Colorado School of Mines is in a unique position to serve as a nexus for high-quality, data-driven, solutions-oriented research and dialogue needed to inform energy and environmental policy at this critical moment. The Payne Institute can harness the faculty and student body of an institution with deep roots in mining and petroleum engineering, but also with superb programs and longstanding relationships spanning renewable energy, water purification, civil and environmental engineering, materials science and other areas. Mines has an unmatched track record in solving tough scientific and engineering problems across the gamut of energy and environmental fields. The university enjoys a hard-earned reputation as an unbiased problem-solver in disciplines often at odds in the energy-environment discussion; the university tagline, a marriage of the words "Earth" "Energy" and "Environment," is in fact an accurate reflection of our expansive and growing purview.About Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty Initiative (NAMES) The Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty (NAMES) Initiative is part of the Payne Institute for Public Policy at Colorado School of Mines, one of the world's foremost universities of mineral and energy engineering. The Initiative was established to be a strong supporter of tribal communities, an effective convener to industry and a thought leader in the national conversation on new critical mineral and energy development in the western U.S. The Initiative will empower tribal communities through knowledge and collaboration to find financial success in the energy transition while gaining energy security and sovereignty for their people.Contact Information Ivanhoe ElectricEmail: info@ ivanhoeelectric.com NAMES InitiativeRick Tallman, NAMES' Payne Institute Affiliated Partner and Mines Foundation Board of Governors memberEmail: Richard.Tallman@Mines.edu Follow us onIvanhoe Electric's Executive Chairman Robert Friedland: @robert_ivanhoeIvanhoe Electric: @iva
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 13:31:10

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Revenue up 40% Year-Over-Year;Completes 49% Sale of Subsidiary; Deploys Proceeds to Repay Debt and Adds Substantial Cash For GrowthDALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / KonaTel, Inc. (OTCQB:KTEL) ( www.konatel.com) , a voice/data communications holding company, today announced financial results for the three month period ended March 31, 2024.First Quarter 2024 Financial SummaryRevenues of $5.6 million, compared to $4.0 million in the first quarter last year. Gross profit of $1.1 million, or 20.0% of revenues, compared to $1.0 million, or 24.9% of revenues; up 12.5% on a dollar basis compared to the first quarter last year. Operating loss of $(847,000) compared to an operating loss of $(753,000) in the first quarter last year. GAAP net income of $8.1 million, inclusive of a $9.2 million gain on sale of 49% interest in IM Telecom, or $0.19 per share, compared to a net loss of $(915,000), or $(0.02) per share, in the first quarter last year. Non-GAAP net income of ($833,793) or ($0.02) per diluted share, adjusting for the $9.2 million gain on sale of 49% interest in IM Telecom, compared to a non-GAAP net loss of $(608,000), or $(0.01) per diluted share, in the first quarter of last year.Sean McEwen, Chairman and CEO of KonaTel stated, "First quarter revenue increased 40% year-over-year, and just as important, we delivered sequential revenue growth in each of the last four quarters partially due to our strategy to diversify beyond government subsidized services. Within our Hosted Services segment, we increased revenue by 17% to record levels due to the addition of new customers and new revenue from existing customers. While there is uncertainty surrounding the government's re-funding of the ACP program, our legacy Lifeline business is not impacted by government funding, and I am excited by our progress and the opportunities within our Hosted Services operation, given the attractive economics and stickiness of the customer base." McEwen continued, "We completed the sale of a minority position of our interest in IM Telecom in the first quarter, which resulted in cash proceeds of $9.0 million. We used a portion of the proceeds to pay off all outstanding debt obligations. With $3.9 million in cash, we ended the quarter with a much stronger balance sheet and additional, non-dilutive capital. We are using the additional capital to fund our growth and revenue diversification strategy through the addition of experienced sales and operations personnel within our Hosted Services business, which is now driving an expansion of that segment. And as previously disclosed, we secured a multi-million-dollar financing option which helps us fund our partners in pursuit of an asset light' strategy within the government subsidized (Lifeline and ACP) market." McEwen concluded "Our growth in revenue demonstrates that with the right amount of working capital, our management team has the experience and capability to rapidly accelerate growth in both our Hosted Services and Government Subsidized (Lifeline and ACP) operations. Looking forward, we have several pending projects within our Hosted Services business, including the upcoming five-year exclusive agreement to provide wholesale cellular service to Viva-USA. Viva-USA is part of the Viva Group of companies, an international MNO/MVNO with over three million customers in Mexico and Bolivia." Quarterly Financial Summary (Q1 2024 vs. Q1 2023)Revenue of $5.6 million, compared to $4.0 million. The increase in revenue was primarily due to the market and distribution channel expansion undertaken in 2023, focusing on providing services within our core ETC licensed states.Gross profit was $1.1 million, or 20.0% gross profit margin, compared to $1.0 million, or 24.9% gross profit margin. This increase primarily resulted from adding higher ARPU activations in our Mobile Services segment, and sourcing lower equipment and network costs.Total operating expenses were $1.9 million, compared to $1.8 million. This increase was primarily due to higher payroll and related expense associated with the addition of headcount in our Apeiron subsidiary, as we begin to initiate sales efforts of hosted services, as well as higher stock expense from grants provided in Q4 2023.GAAP net income was $8.1 million, or $0.19 per diluted share (based on 43.6 million weighted average shares), compared to a net loss of $(915,000), or $(0.02) per diluted share (based on 42.4 million weighted average shares). This increase was a result of the gain on sale recognized as part of the sale of 49% interest in IM Telecom.Non-GAAP net income was ($833,793), or ($0.02) per diluted share, compared to a non-GAAP net loss of $(608,000), or $(0.01) per diluted share.Balance SheetThe Company ended the quarter with $3.9 million in cash, compared to $777,000 on December 31, 2023. The increase in cash was due to cash received as part of the sale of 49% interest in IM Telecom.About KonaTelKonaTel provides a variety of retail and wholesale telecommunications services including mobile voice/text/data service supported by national U.S. mobile networks, mobile numbers, SMS/MMS services, IoT mobile data service, and a range of hosted cloud services. KonaTel's subsidiary, Apeiron Systems ( www.apeiron.io) , is a global cloud communications service provider employing a dynamic "as a service" (CPaaS/UCaaS/CCaaS/PaaS) platform. Apeiron provides voice, messaging, SD-WAN, and platform services using its national cloud network. All Apeiron's services can be accessed through legacy interfaces and rich communications APIs. KonaTel's other subsidiary, Infiniti Mobile ( www.infinitimobile.com) , is an FCC authorized national wireless ACP and Lifeline carrier with an FCC approved wireless Lifeline Compliance Plan, licensed to provide government subsidized cellular service to low-income American families across eleven states. KonaTel is headquartered in Plano, Texas.Safe Harbor StatementThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time the statements are made and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different fr
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HARLINGEN, TX / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 /Dr. Ameer Hassan and Summer Hassan, prominent figures in their respective fields, are thrilled to announce the creation of the Dr. Ameer Hassan and Summer Hassan Scholarship for Medical Students. This $5,000 scholarship aims to foster the development of future medical leaders and innovators, particularly in the fields of neurology and healthcare.Founders and Visionaries, Dr. Ameer Hassan and Summer Hassan:Dr. Ameer Hassan, renowned for his pioneering contributions to stroke treatment and patient care, and Summer Hassan, deeply involved in healthcare initiatives, collectively stand at the forefront of advancing neurology and neuroendovascular medicine. As the head of the Neuroscience Department and director of Endovascular Surgical Neuroradiology and Clinical Neuroscience Research at Valley Baptist Medical Center, Dr. Hassan's leadership has been pivotal in propelling the field. His extensive career is complemented by his triple board certifications in neurology, vascular neurology, and neuroendovascular surgery.Dr. Hassan's journey in medicine, inspired by mentors such as Dr. Adnan Qureshi, ignited his passion for interventional neurology, shaping his professional path. His role as a professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio has enabled him to influence future medical professionals. Together, Dr. Ameer and Summer Hassan's commitment to education and philanthropy is evident in their contributions to research and community service through over 250 published papers and their involvement with the Stroke Research and Education Foundation (SREF). For more information about their foundation, visit [ StrokeREF.org](http://strookeref.org) Scholarship Criteria and Application Details:The Dr. Ameer Hassan and Summer Hassan Scholarship for Medical Students is open to undergraduate students eager to pursue careers in medicine, with a specific interest in neurology, vascular neurology, neuroendovascular surgery, or related healthcare fields.Eligibility requirements include:Enrollment in Medical School: Candidates must be currently enrolled in a medical school program or planning a medical career. Academic Excellence: Applicants should have a strong academic record and a commitment to medical education. Passion for Neurology and Healthcare: Candidates must show a deep interest in neurology and related healthcare fields. Innovation and Vision: Applicants should demonstrate innovative thinking and a clear vision for contributing to advancements in stroke treatment and patient care.Interested applicants should submit a 500 to 700-word essay detailing their medical journey, passion for neurology, and vision for the future of the field. Essays must be emailed to apply@ drameerhassanscholarship.com by the application deadline of November 15, 2024. The winner will be announced on December 15, 2024.About Dr. Ameer Hassan and Summer Hassan:Dr. Ameer Hassan's career embodies a steadfast commitment to excellence, innovation, and compassionate care, continuously inspiring medical professionals globally and leaving a lasting impact on neurology and neuroendovascular medicine. Summer Hassan, sharing her husband's passion for healthcare, has been instrumental in supporting educational and philanthropic endeavors, enhancing their joint impact on community well-being through their active involvement in the Stroke Research and Education Foundation. For further details about the Dr. Ameer Hassan and Summer Hassan Scholarship for Medical Students, including eligibility criteria and application instructions, please visit Dr. Ameer Hassan Scholarship.About the Scholarship:Founded by Dr. Ameer Hassan and Summer Hassan, the Dr. Ameer Hassan and Summer Hassan Scholarship for Medical Students supports and empowers aspiring medical professionals showing exceptional promise in neurology and healthcare. This prestigious award is aimed at nurturing the next generation of medical innovators and leaders. For more information, please visit the scholarship website.Contact Info:Spokesperson: Dr. Ameer HassanOrganization: Dr. Ameer Hassan ScholarshipWebsite: https://drameerhassanscholarship.com Email: apply@ drameerhassanscholarship.com SOURCE: Dr Ameer Hassan Scholarship
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 14:02:00

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ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 /Revenue Grid, the revenue intelligence pioneer, today announced significant industry momentum. Revenue Grid helps global organizations scale revenue growth and profitability.The company's platform empowers revenue teams to win through 360-degree pipeline visibility and AI-driven insights that improve workflow processes and team productivity. This surge in customer adoption highlights Revenue Grid's continued commitment to enabling sales teams with advanced revenue intelligence and automation capabilities."Revenue Grid boasts a 95 percent customer retention rate, a remarkable testament to the value our platform delivers and the trust our customers place in us," said Nina Simosko, Chief Revenue Officer at Revenue Grid. "Our dedication to continuous innovation and customer success ensures that nearly all our clients renew and expand their partnerships with us year after year. We remain committed to driving unparalleled results and helping our customers achieve their revenue goals." Revenue Grid helps organizations scale revenue growth and profitability. Its advanced data capture technology is the first of its kind, performing automated activity capture from across systems, pinpointing opportunities, and leveraging AI to provide real-time forecasting and promote cross-team collaboration.Leading companies across multiple industries, including healthcare, banking, business and technology consulting, hospitality, law, retail, insurance, and recruitment, have recognized the transformative potential of the revenue intelligence platform's AI-driven insights and automation tools. Revenue Grid's recent customers include Baxter, en world Japan, EOS Worldwide, France Televisions, Hilton, Morgan & Morgan, MUFG Bank, Rand Worldwide, Slalom, Sun Life, Vapotherm, Inc., and VDA.Revenue Grid was recently named to G2's 2024 Best Software Awards and ranked Best Sales Software Product and Tool with an overall user rating of 4.5 out of five stars. For more information, visit https://revenuegrid.com/contact-us/ About Revenue GridThe pioneer in revenue intelligence, Revenue Grid delivers proven, market-leading solutions that enhance sales performance and expand revenue generation. Its platform provides 360-degree activity data capture, actionable insights, streamlined workflows, and custom sales strategies. Setting the benchmark in data security for regulated industries, Revenue Grid's data capture technology is the first of its kind, native to Salesforce, SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft. The result: sales and revenue leaders gain clearer pipeline visibility, leading to more accurate sales forecasting and accelerated revenue growth, with an ROI multiplier of nearly 300X in the first six months. More information can be found at www.revenuegrid.com Media ContactsRevenue Grid - North AmericaDenise Styerwalt Trier and Company for Revenue GridEmail: denise@ triercompany.com Phone: +1 408-406-9726EMEAMichael HarringtonEmail: michael@ triercompany.com Phone: +011-44-770-090-0061# # #SOURCE: Revenue Grid
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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Levi & Korsinsky informs shareholders that a settlement has been reached in the pending class action lawsuit against Gatos Silver, Inc. (NYSE:GATO). The settlement provides for a fund of $21,000,000 to benefit class members. For the purposes of the settlement, the class is defined as: all Persons and entities who or which either (i) during the period from December 9, 2020 to January 25, 2022, both inclusive, purchased or otherwise acquired Gatos common stock listed on the NYSE, or, in domestic transactions, purchased or otherwise acquired publicly traded call options on Gatos common stock, and/or sold publicly traded put options on Gatos common stock, and were damaged thereby; or (ii) purchased or otherwise acquired Gatos common stock pursuant or traceable to the 2020 Registration Statement or the 2021 Registration Statement, in domestic transactions or on the NYSE, and were damaged thereby.If you are a class member as defined above, you may be entitled to a pro-rata share of the settlement fund. In order to receive a share of the settlement, you must file a claim form by June 19, 2024.For more details on the settlement, including a copy of the claim form, please visit: https://zlk.com/settlement-form/?redirect=aHR0cHM6Ly96bGsuY29tL3NldHRsZW1lbnQvZ2F0b3Mtc2lsdmVyLWluYy1zZXR0bGVtZW50&spr=447&wire=1&ticker=GATO Levi & Korsinsky did not act as lead counsel or otherwise participate in litigating the above class action. We are providing this information as a courtesy to remind class members of the claims deadline so they can file their forms in a timely fashion.Over the past 20 years, the team at Levi & Korsinsky has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for aggrieved shareholders and built a track record of winning high-stakes cases. Our firm has extensive expertise representing investors in complex securities litigation and a team of over 70 employees to serve our clients. For seven years in a row, Levi & Korsinsky has ranked in ISS Securities Class Action Services' Top 50 Report as one of the top securities litigation firms in the United States.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 17th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212) 363-7500Fax: (212) 363-7171 https://zlk.com/ SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
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In 2017, Magno Chocolates embarked on a culinary quest in Medellin, Colombia, quickly becoming a beacon for chocolate aficionados in the continental US. Founded by visionary chocolatier Nataly Nicholls, Magno is celebrated for its exquisite flavor profiles, using world-renowned fine-flavor cocoa, and eye-catching packaging. By prioritizing high-quality local ingredients, Nicholls has transformed each chocolate into a piece of edible art, much to the delight and wonder of its customers.MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Gifting loved ones during special occasions can be stressful and daunting especially when time is of the essence. Gifting after an occasion can take the joy out of giving and receiving gifts. To solve this problem,Magno Chocolateshas announced a new speedy delivery service for those last-minute gifts.Customers across the continental United States can expect their orders to arrive in just 2-3 business days. This streamlined shipping solution will be available for all Magno Chocolates products, including their signature gift boxes."Our customers are the heart and soul of our business, and we want to ensure that they have a seamless gifting experience," says Nicholls. "With our new speedy delivery service, we hope to make it easier for individuals to show their love and appreciation for the special women in their lives." This latest development is just one of many initiatives taken by Magno Chocolates to cater to its customers' needs. The brand has also launched a wide range of personalized chocolate gift options, allowing individuals to add a personal touch to their purchases.Magno Chocolates encourages everyone to express their gratitude and affection to their loved ones, whether near or far. With their new speedy delivery service across the continental US, the company believes that distance will no longer be a barrier to showing love and appreciation. This announcement aligns with Magno Chocolates' mission to spread joy and happiness through their delectable creations.About Magno Chocolates:Magno Chocolates is a company proudly standing out as a woman-owned and operated business specializing in crafting exquisite confectioneries. Utilizing only ethically sourced "fine flavor" Colombian cacao. This term, as defined by the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), is reserved for chocolates that embody distinctive fruity and nutty flavor profiles - traits highly coveted among chocolate connoisseurs.Remarkably, only 8% of the world's cocoa production meets the stringent criteria to be classified as fine flavor. Magno Chocolates takes pride in ensuring that every piece of their chocolate range is crafted from this elite category of cacao, promising an unparalleled tasting experience that supports sustainable farming practices worldwide.Committed to quality and artistry, their chocolates are meticulously made in small batches and adorned by hand. Every piece is embellished with a touch of 24K gold leaf, making their chocolates as visually stunning as they are indulgent. Magno Chocolates embodies the spirit of sophistication and creativity, making it the perfect choice for gifting on special occasions.Contact Information: Company: Magno ChocolatesContact: Nataly NichollsEmail: info@ magnochocolates.us City &. Country: Medellin, ColombiaWebsite: https://magnochocolates.us/ SOURCE: Magno Chocolates
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HALIFAX, NS / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Namibia Critical Metals Inc. ("Namibia Critical Metals" or the "Company" or "NCMI") (TSXV:NMI)(OTCQB:NMREF) announces the results of the Company's Annual General Meeting of Shareholders held on May 16, 2024 (the "Meeting"). Shareholders holding 61.92% of the shares were represented in person or by proxy at the Meeting. All the matters submitted to the shareholders, as set out in the Notice of Meeting and Information Circular dated April 10, 2024, were voted in favour, including: (a) Election of Directors to the Board of the Company as listed below; (b) the approval of the stock option plan, as amended, pursuant to which the Company may grant stock options up to 10% of its issued and outstanding common shares at the time of grant; and (c) the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the auditors of the Company for the ensuing year.Messrs. Adrian Hickey, Darrin Campbell, William Price and Steve Herlihy were re-elected to serve as directors of the Company, with the percentage of votes cast for each director as follows:Nominee Votes For % For Votes Withheld % Withheld Adrian T. Hickey121,239,738 99.32%0Steve Herlihy121,239,738 99.32%0Darrin Campbell121,241,738 99.32%0William L. Price121,131,738 99.23%0On behalf of the Board of Directors,Namibia Critical Metals Inc. Darrin Campbell, PresidentAbout Namibia Critical Metals Inc.NMI is developing the Tier-1 Heavy Rare Earth Project, Lofdal, a globally significant deposit of the heavy rare earth metals dysprosium and terbium. Demand for these critical metals used in permanent magnets for electric vehicles, wind turbines and other electronics is driven by innovations linked to energy and technology transformations. The geopolitical risks associated with sourcing many of these metals has become a repeated concern for manufacturers and end users. Namibia is a proven and stable mining jurisdiction.The Lofdal Project is fully permitted with a 25-year Mining License and is under a Joint Venture Agreement with Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security ("JOGMEC").The Company filed a robust updated PEA for "Lofdal 2B-4" on November 14, 2022, with a post-tax NPV of USD$391 million and an annual IRR of 28% with a capital expenditure of USD$207 million. The project is projected to generate a life of mine nominal cash flow of USD$698 million post-tax over a 16-year mine life.About Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) and the JVJOGMEC is a Japanese government independent administrative agency which seeks to secure stable resource supplies for Japan. JOGMEC has a strong reputation as a long term, strategic partner in mineral projects globally. JOGMEC facilitates opportunities with Japanese private companies to secure supplies of natural resources for the benefit of the country's economic development.Rare earths are of critical importance to Japanese industrial interests and JOGMEC has extensive experience with all aspects of the sector. JOGMEC provided Lynas with USD$250,000,000 in loans and equity in 2011 to ensure supplies of the Light Rare Earths metals suite to the Japanese industry.Namibia Critical Metals owns a 95% interest in the Lofdal project with the remaining 5% held for the benefit of historically disadvantaged Namibians. The terms of the JOGMEC joint venture agreement with the Company stipulate that JOGMEC provides C$3,000,000 in Term 1 and C$7,000,000 in Term 2 to earn a 40% interest in the Lofdal project. Term 3 calls for a further C$10,000,000 of expenditures to earn an additional 10% interest. JOGMEC can also purchase another 1% for C$5,000,000 and has first right of refusal to fully fund the project through to commercial production and to purchase all production at market prices. The collective interests of NMI and historically disadvantaged Namibians cannot be diluted below a 26% carried working interest upon payment of C$5,000,000 to JOGMEC for the dilution protection. NMI may elect to participate up to a maximum of 44% by funding pro rata after the earn in period is completed.To date, JOGMEC has completed Term 2 and earned a 40% interest by reaching the C$10 million expenditure requirement. Total approved project funding to date is C$14,541,000 of the $20,000,000 Earn-In requirement to reach 50% interest.Darrin Campbell, President, has reviewed and approved this press release.The common shares of Namibia Critical Metals Inc. trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "NMI" and the OTCQB Market under the symbol "NMREF".Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.For more information please contact -Namibia Critical Metals Inc. Darrin Campbell, PresidentTel: +01 (902) 835-8760Email: Info@ NamibiaCMI.com Web site: www.NamibiaCriticalMetals.com This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "would", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is provided, and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.SOURCE: Namibia Critical Metals Inc.
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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 /Frequency Exchange Corp. ("Frequency Exchange" or the "Company") (TSXV:FREQ) is excited to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary, FREmedica Technologies Inc. ("FREmedica"), was one of 40 companies presenting at the exclusive ECO24 Event held on May 2nd, 3rd and 4th in Dallas, Texas. ECO24 is an annual CellCore Biosciences Event with approximately 1,500 frequency and Lyme literate doctors in attendance.ECO24: CELLCORE'S biggest event of the year.Dr. Todd Watts, Dr. Jay Davidson, and other leading experts in foundational medicine, equipped event attendees with the knowledge and tools needed to create exponential clinical outcomes with CellCore Biosciences. The three-day immersive experience enhanced both the way patients are treated and the results achieved for them. The multi-day format optimizes the opportunity to gain new insights, ask questions in depth, and interact with like-minded individuals."Another great event, ECO24 was one of our best. The engaging topics that the speakers bring together with exhibitors including FREmedica draw a high calibre of practitioners to our ECO Events. We at CellCore care deeply about the work we do and appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with the minds that attend ECO events knowing that only good can come from it. Thank you, Stephen, for accepting our invitation and we look for forward to growing our relationship together." -Dr Drew Kidder, Cellcore VPAbout CellCoreCellcore Biosciences is the industry leader in digestive, immune, and mitochondrial health.Cellcore introduced the concept of foundational medicine to the nutritional supplement industry. By formulating supplements designed to support cellular health through proprietary Carbon Technology, CellCore provides natural, root cause solutions. ECO24 is an exclusive event bringing more that 1,500 doctors together for three days and featuring speakers educating on products and new techniques in healing. The Practitioners attending are Lyme and frequency literate."I just experienced first-hand the best event (ECO24) I have ever had the pleasure to attend. At ECO24 we not only were guests, but also had the opportunity to share our Personal Frequency Delivery System with over 1,000 like-minded doctors over three days. During this time we were able to introduce NIKKI and all it has to offer. This is the first time we have presented NIKKI along with the frequency sets for wellness and Lyme disease. The response was overwhelming. We placed 250 NIKKIs on the wrists of those who attended and continue to have doctors signing up to our affiliate program. We have a number of doctors that are participating in this round of financing as well." Says Stephen Davis, CEO of Frequency Exchange Corp."I would also like to personally thank the entire CellCore team. This was not just an event for gathering information  it felt like family, a group of people sharing a heart for healing. We were so blessed to have been invited to be part of such a great experience. I hope we get invited back next year. From our Team to Yours, Thank You".-Stephen Davis, CEO Frequency Exchange CorpAbout Frequency Exchange Corp.Based in British Columbia, Canada, the company is focused on the development and global commercialization of a personal Frequency Delivery System called NIKKI and worn on the wrist. NIKKI delivers specialized frequency sets designed to enhance wellness and improve performance. The brand "NIKKI" is the third generation of wearable technology created by the Company and is used to address multiple health issues including Lyme disease. This personal Frequency Delivery System combined with the frequency sets it delivers represents the result of years of research and development in advanced bioenergetic technology.For more information, please contact:Frequency Exchange Corp. FREmedica Technologies Inc.Stephen Davis CEO & Director250-732-7170Nicole SullivanPresident Nicole.sullivan@wearenikki.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking InformationCertain information contained herein constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the trading date of the Company's common shares on the Exchange. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. 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. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws.Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in filings by the Company with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.Meta Description to add to CMS:FREmedica partners with ECO24 Event to introduce a variety of Frequency Sets to 1,500 doctors attending the event. The Frequency Sets provided are exclusive to the ECO24 Event. The goal is to introduce the benefits that NIKKI delivers around Wellness and Lyme disease.SOURCE: Frequency Exchange Corp.
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 15:31:32

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TRIQ I-IMSIDA IL-GZIRA, MALTA / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Raketech (STO:RAKE) NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING 2024 (the "Meeting") of Raketech Group Holding p.l.c., company registration number C77421 (the "Company" or "RGH"), will be held on 26 June 2024, at 1 p.m. (CET) at the premises of the Company in SOHO Office (The Strand), Fawwara Building, Triq l-Imsida il-Gzira, Malta.Purpose of the MeetingAt the Company's annual general meeting held on 16 May 2024 (the "AGM"), the Board of Directors proposed the adoption of an extraordinary resolution to authorise the Company to acquire its own shares (the "Extraordinary Resolution"). In order to be passed at the AGM, the Extraordinary Resolution required the support of shareholders having the right to attend and vote at the AGM holding in the aggregate (i) not less than 75 per cent in nominal value of the shares represented and entitled to vote at the AGM; and (ii) at least 51 per cent in nominal value of all the Companys issued shares. Only the first of the two aforementioned majorities was obtained at the AGM in respect of the Extraordinary Resolution. In this regard, article 135 of the Companies Act (Cap. 386 of the laws of Malta) and article 97 of the Articles provides that if one of the two required majorities for the passing of an extraordinary resolution is obtained, but not both, another meeting shall be convened within thirty days to take a fresh vote on the proposed resolution, at which meeting the resolution may be passed by a member or members having the right to attend and vote at the meeting holding in the aggregate not less than seventy five per cent (75%) in nominal value of the shares represented and entitled to vote at the meeting. Alternatively, if more than half in nominal value of all the shares having the right to vote at the meeting are represented at that meeting, a simple majority in nominal value of such shares so represented shall suffice. Accordingly, the Meeting is hereby being convened within thirty (30) days of the AGM in order to take a fresh vote on the Extraordinary Resolution, which is once again proposed by the Board and which may be passed in accordance with the revised majority requirements set out in the preceding paragraph. Attendance and votingTo be entitled to attend and vote at the Meeting (and for the Company to be able to determine the number of votes that may be cast), shareholders must be entered in the register of members maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB on 27 May 2024. Shareholders whose shares are registered in the name of a nominee must temporarily re-register their shares in their own name in the register of members maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB in order to be entitled to attend and vote at the Meeting. Such registration must be effected on 27 May 2024. Shareholders must therefore instruct their nominees well in advance thereof. To be entitled to attend and vote at the Meeting, shareholders must notify the Company of their intention to participate by mail to Raketech Group Holding P.L.C. c/o Euroclear Sweden AB, Box 191, SE-10123 Stockholm, Sweden, by phone +46(0)8-401 43 10 (during the office hours of Euroclear Sweden AB) or by email at raketech@ euroclear.comby no later than 11:59 p.m. (CET) on 27 May 2024. Such notification should include the shareholder's name, personal identification number/company registration number (or similar), address and daytime telephone number, number of shares in the Company, as well as, if applicable, details of proxies. See below for information on the processing of personal data. ProxiesA shareholder, who is entitled to attend and vote at the Meeting, is also entitled to appoint one or more proxies to attend and vote on such shareholder's behalf. A proxy does not need to be a shareholder. The appointment of a proxy must be in writing and its form must comply with article 88 of the Articles and: where the shareholder is an individual, be signed by him/her; or where the shareholder is a corporation, be signed by a duly authorised officer of the corporation. A proxy form is available on the Company's website: www.raketech.com/governance/general- meetings. Proxy forms must clearly indicate whether the proxy is to vote as she/he wishes or in accordance with the voting instructions sheet attached to the proxy form. The original signed proxy form and, where the shareholder is a corporation a certificate of registration or similar evidencing the signatory right of the officer signing the proxy form, must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. (CET) on 27 May 2024 by Euroclear Sweden AB at Raketech Group Holding P.L.C., c/o Euroclear Sweden AB, Box 191, SE-10123 Stockholm, Sweden or by email at raketech@ euroclear.com . In default of such timely receipt the proxy will not be treated as valid. Shareholders are, therefore, encouraged to send or deliver their proxy forms (and, if applicable copies of certificates of registration or similar) as soon as possible. Aggregated attendance notifications and proxy data processed by Euroclear Sweden AB must be received by the Company by email at legal@ raketech.com not less than 24 hours before the time appointed for the Meeting and in default shall not be treated as valid. Right to Ask QuestionsEach shareholder (or proxy holder) shall have the right to ask questions which are pertinent and related to items on the Agenda of the Meeting to the Company Secretary by e-mail to legal@ raketech.com by not later than 11:59 p.m. (CET) on 19 June 2024. An answer to a question shall not be required in those cases specified in article 85 of the Articles (a copy of which is available on the Company's website). AgendaGeneral1. Opening of the Meeting2. Election of Chairman of the Meeting3. Drawing up and approval of the voting list4. Election of one or two persons to approve the minutes of the Meeting5. Approval of the agenda6. Determination whether the Meeting has been duly convenedSpecial business (extraordinary resolutions)7. Resolution to authorise the Company to acquire its own sharesInformation on resolution proposalsAgenda item 2; Election of Chairman of the MeetingThe Nomination Committee proposes Ulrik Bengtsson to be elected as Chairman of the Meeting, in terms of article 70 of the Articles.Agenda item 7; Extraordinary resolution to authorise the Company to acquire its own sharesThe purpose behind the proposed authorisation to allow the Company to acquire its own shares is in order to enable the Company, in a time-efficient manner, to: (i) use any shares acquired pursuant to the said authorisation to settle deferred payments due by it in connection with past transactions carried out by the Company and/or its subsidiaries, and (ii) promote more effic
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 21:55:10

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CLEVELAND, OH / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 /Oxford Harriman & Company is excited to announce their recent merger with CRT Private Wealth Management in Fairfield, NJ. The merger brings the combined experience and knowledge of Michael Ciano, Michael Tepperman and Alan Guenzel as Partners & Managing Directors and Vince Donato as First Vice President.Prior to joining Oxford Harriman & Company in March of 2024, Ciano and Tepperman were co-founders and Partners of CRT Private Wealth Management, which they started in 2009. They serve as financial advisors to entrepreneurs, high-net-worth families, and institutions. They are experienced in delivering value-added advice around investment management, brokerage, risk mitigation, banking services, and wealth planning.Oxford Harriman & Company is a boutique wealth management practice with twenty locations in seven states."I had the pleasure of getting to know this team when they first joined Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network (FiNet) more than a decade ago and loved working with them," said Kent Whitaker, President of Oxford Harriman & Company. "They are a wonderful and talented group of professionals, and we are excited to be partnered together." "We are thrilled to have created this merger with CRT Private Wealth Management," said Dennis Barba, CEO of Oxford Harriman. "They bring a wealth of experience and expertise to our team, and we are confident that they will provide exceptional service and advice to help our clients achieve their financial goals." Michael Ciano serves as a Senior Private Investment Management (PIM) Portfolio Manager.Michael Tepperman has earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER certification, which identifies those individuals who have met the rigorous experience and ethical requirements of the CFP Board of Standards. He has successfully completed coursework on financial topics in the following areas: general principles of financial strategies, insurance planning, risk management, employee benefits planning, and retirement and estate planning strategies. CFP practitioners are held to a higher fiduciary standard and agree to meet ongoing continuing education requirements.About Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network: For more than 20 years, Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network (FiNet), the independent brokerage arm of Wells Fargo & Company, has simplified independence by partnering with successful financial advisors and fostering a mutual passion for doing what is right for clients. Investment products and services are offered through Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. www.wfafinet.com About Oxford Harriman & Company: Oxford Harriman & Company is a strategic partnership designed to help investors accumulate, preserve and transfer wealth through a collaborative and strategic approach. Serving the financial and wealth management needs of a select group of clients, the practice provides a comprehensive approach to private wealth management that helps to chart a course based on focus, strategy, and discipline. Oxford Harriman & Company is part of the Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network (WFAFN aka FiNet), with offices in Cleveland OH, Chagrin Falls OH, Detroit MI, Midtown Manhattan NY, Buffalo NY, Syracuse NY, Kingston NY, Short Hills NJ, Newport News VA, Astoria NY, Albany NY, Mentor OH, Boston MA, Fairfield, NJ and Sarasota, FL.Investment products and services are offered through Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC (WFAFN). Member SIPC. Oxford Harriman & Company is a separate entity from WFAFN.2024 Oxford Harriman & Company. All rights reserved.Media Details Company: Oxford Harriman & CompanyMail: dennis@ oxfordharriman.com Website: https://oxfordharriman.com/ City and Country: Cleveland, OH, USASOURCE: Oxford Harriman & Company
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 17:21:26

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CHICAGO, IL / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / PMAT has continued the "1.000 Batting Average" for closing acquisitions with over 1,000,000 square feet of value-add, anchored Suburban Open-Air Retail (SOAR) centers across three transactions in the last six months.These three value-add, anchored suburban Chicagoland assets include:Crystal Point, a 315,000-square-foot SOAR center located in Crystal Lake, IL Shops of Romeoville, an 83,000-square-foot SOAR center located in Romeoville, IL Orland Park Place, a 650,000-square-foot SOAR center located in Orland Park, ILIn November 2023, PMAT acquired Crystal Point at 87% occupancy with anchors such as Best Buy, TJ Maxx, Ross, Fresh Market, Steinhafels, World Market, and Ulta. With numerous tenant renewals and two executed national credit tenant anchor leases that bring the property to 100% occupancy, this asset is already stabilized.One month later, PMAT acquired Shops of Romeoville at 65% occupancy with anchors such as TJ Maxx, Petco, and Discovery Clothing. Since acquisition, the team has renewed key tenants, executed a national credit tenant anchor lease, and sourced multiple letters of intent with the potential to bring the property to 100% occupancy.In March of 2024, PMAT acquired Orland Park Place at 88% occupancy with anchors such as Dick's Sporting Goods, Nordstrom Rack, Hobby Lobby, Marshalls, Ross, Ashley Furniture, Barnes & Noble, and more. Although this acquisition just closed recently, the leasing progress has been encouraging with multiple existing tenant renewals and letters of intent from a myriad of new tenants with the potential to bring the property to nearly 100% occupancy.Since inception in 2003, PMAT has maintained a perfect track record of closing every acquisition that the team has put under contract-a 1.000 batting average for 21 years. When Sellers need a reasonable transaction process with certainty of close, PMAT Performs.PMAT remains extremely active in the capital markets and is seeking additional JVs and direct purchases of anchored value-add SOAR (Suburban Open-Air Retail) assets typically in the middle-market deal size of $10-50 million in suburban secondary and tertiary markets. Larger middle-market deals in the $50-150M+ deal size are also of interest as are deals below $10M where there is a significant value creation opportunity.For leasing info, contact leasing@ pmat.com For acquisition criteria, contact kevin@ pmat.com About PMAT:PMAT is a real estate development and investment platform focused on value-add Suburban Open-Air Retail (SOAR) investments across the Southeast, Sunbelt, and Midwest regions. The initial PMAT platform was founded by ICSC Trustee Bob Whelan in 2003, and the team has since acquired and renovated primarily grocery-anchored shopping centers in fundamentally sound suburban secondary and tertiary markets. The PMAT Team has experience of over 100 transactions with an aggregate value of $1.5 billion consisting of nearly 12.5 million square feet across 17 states. PMAT's proven investment strategy is to acquire fundamentally sound but value-add SOAR assets anchored by grocery, off-price, necessity discount, and fitness tenants and to unlock value through redevelopment, renovation, and re-tenanting.Please visit www.pmat.com Contact InformationJack Piermarinijack@ pmat.com Ben BolzVP Asset Managementben@ pmat.com Matt WhelanAsset Managermatt@ pmat.com SOURCE: PMAT CompaniesView the original press release on newswire.com
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 14:19:54

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Company Leaders Join Forces to Co-Author New Book Showcasing the Power of Open Source Network Automation with NautobotNEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Network to Code , the global leader in transforming network operations through automation, is excited to announce the upcoming release of"Network Automation With Nautobot," . The book is co-authored by Jason Edelman, Founder and CTO of Network to Code and a cadre of senior automation leaders at the firm. Fueled by the demand for efficient network automation solutions, this book serves as a definitive guide to the adoption of network automation using Nautobot, the only platform to integrate a Network Source of Truth and Network Automation solutions.Amidst growing interest and recognition into the benefits of network automation, "Network Automation with Nautobot" is already an Amazon #1 new best seller. The book delves deep into leveraging Nautobot as both a robust source of truth and a versatile automation platform. "Nautobot enables network teams to build a scalable network source of truth that provides a foundation to power enterprise network automation," said Jason Edelman, Founder and CTO, Network to Code. Edelman continues, "The book equips network professionals with the knowledge to harness Nautobot's capabilities and transform their network operations. Being open source, Nautobot allows enterprises to take back control of their network, as seen first-hand in the book when its Extensibility, Developer API, and App Ecosystem are covered." Nautobot's creation marked a paradigm shift in conveying the relationship of data and network automation. A critical challenge for many organizations is the lack of a clear picture of their network data to accurately define the intended state of their network. As a Network Source of Truth and Automation Platform, Nautobot does exactly that. "Network Automation With Nautobot" offers a wealth of insights and practical guidance to help organizations maximize the potential of network automation.Network teams will learn how to deploy, manage, and integrateNautobotas a Source of Truth and network automation platform. By the end, readers will be able to bootstrap a Nautobot deployment, understand Nautobot's features, and extend Nautobot by creating custom data models and apps that suit both their network and team. Key features of the book include:Understanding the role of Network Sources of Truth in network automation architectureComprehend Nautobot as a network source and network automation platformConvert Python scripts to enable self-service Nautobot JobsUnderstand how YAML files in Git and easily integrate into NautobotDelve into popular Nautobot Apps including Single Source of Truth and Golden ConfigurationJohn Marchese, CEO of Network to Code, emphasizes, "Nautobot's robust features and adaptability as an open-source platform allow network teams to not just implement network automation solutions but also innovate new capabilities that drive efficiency and reliability." He continues, "With Nautobot, organizations can break free from manual processes and embrace a future where networks are more agile, resilient, and adaptable to changing demands." "Network Automation With Nautobot" will be available for purchase onPackton May 17, 2024. The book will also be available for purchase in print and Kindle formats onAmazonon June 11, 2024. Pre-orders are available now on both platforms.To learn more about Network to Code and to join the growing team, visit https://networktocode.com/company/our-culture/ To jump-start your network automation journey with Network to Code, visit https://www.networktocode.com About Network to CodeNetwork to Code is the foremost expert in network automation strategy and has deployed more network automation projects than any other company in the world. Our network automation solutions help organizations transform the way their networks are deployed, managed, and consumed. Through technology-enabled services, NTC deploys data-driven network automation based on NetDevOps principles to improve reliability, efficiency, and security while reducing costs. NTC is the creator and sponsor of Nautobot, the leading open source Network Source of Truth and Automation platform.Get started at https://networktocode.com Media Contact:Caroline HofferYork IEcaroline@ york.ie SOURCE: Network to Code
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 16:15:22

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This represents a monumental advancement for the hemp industry - a comprehensive processing solution from biomass input to T-free crude and/or distillate. This pioneering breakthrough addresses the challenge of processing 'hot' oil with noncompliant THC content, seamlessly processing to a T-free end product. This capability is also indispensable for facilities aspiring to operate under pharmaceutical and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards.SACRAMENTO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / ENTEXS, a leading innovator in cannabis extraction technology, proudly announces the launch of its latest game-changing solution: The ENTEXS Ethanol Extraction Platform with Inline THC Remediation. This pioneering system will transform the landscape of hemp extraction, offering unparalleled efficiency, purity, and cost-effectiveness.The ENTEXS Ethanol Extraction Platform with Inline THC Remediation represents the culmination of years of research, development, and expertise in the field of cannabis extraction. Built upon a foundation of cutting-edge technology and scientific rigor, this platform sets a new standard for quality and performance in the industry.At its core, the ENTEXS extraction platform utilizes ethanol as a solvent to extract cannabinoids and terpenes from hemp biomass. What sets this system apart, however, is its revolutionary inline THC remediation capability. Through a proprietary process, the platform can selectively remove THC from the extract stream, allowing for precise control over the final cannabinoid profile."We are thrilled to introduce the ENTEXS Ethanol Extraction Platform with Inline THC Remediation to the market," said Ali Rashid, ENTEXS CEO. "With the pharmaceutical industry moving towards the CBD industry, this technology represents a significant advancement in cannabis extraction. It offers producers a streamlined solution for achieving high-purity extracts with customizable cannabinoid profiles while adhering to EU GMP and pharma qualifications." Inline THC remediation plays a vital role in meeting GMP requirements by ensuring regulatory compliance, maintaining product quality and consistency, mitigating risks, preserving brand reputation, enhancing cost-efficiency, and upholding supply chain integrity.Key features of the Platform include:Inline THC Remediation: The platform's innovative THC remediation technology allows for the selective removal of THC from the extract stream, enabling producers to create THC-free or low-THC products with ease.High Efficiency: With a fully automated workflow and advanced process controls, the platform delivers exceptional extraction efficiency, maximizing yield and minimizing waste.Scalability: Designed to meet the needs of both small-scale producers and large-scale operations, the ENTEXS Ethanol Extraction Platform offers scalability and flexibility to adapt to varying production volumes.Quality Assurance: Built-in monitoring and quality control systems ensure consistent, high-quality extracts with every run, providing peace of mind to producers and consumers alike.The launch of the ENTEXS Ethanol Extraction Platform with Inline THC Remediation marks a significant milestone for ENTEXS and the hemp industry as a whole. By combining state-of-the-art technology with a commitment to innovation, ENTEXS continues to drive the evolution of cannabis extraction, empowering producers to unlock new possibilities and deliver exceptional products to consumers.For more information about the ENTEXS Ethanol Extraction Platform with Inline THC Remediation, visit https://entexs.com/ethanol-extraction-with-inline-thc-remediation/ Contact InformationSheree CarellaMarketinginfo@ entexs.com (888) 960-ENTXSOURCE: ENTEXS CorporationView the original press release on newswire.com
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 15:01:58

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Industry Veteran to Drive Next Chapter in AI and Customer IntelligenceALLEN, TX / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / ScaleWith, a category-creating provider of social impact AI and customer intelligence software for sales, marketing, customer success, and procurement teams, today announced the promotion of Jim Tantaro to CEO, effective immediately.Tantaro joined ScaleWith in 2023 as Chief Customer Officer, overseeing marketing, sales, and customer success. Previously, Tantaro spent 25 years in a variety of global leadership roles at top management consulting and enterprise SaaS companies. Tantaro also serves on both nonprofit and for-profit boards. He will continue to report to ScaleWith Founder Paul Polizzotto."I am grateful for this opportunity to help lead the next chapter in ScaleWith's growth," said Tantaro, the new CEO of ScaleWith, who will now oversee go-to-market strategy, finance, operations, and investor relations."Founder Paul Polizzotto's vision and unwavering commitment have created a rock-solid foundation for us at ScaleWith. His passion for excellence is as contagious as it is transformative. As we navigate new technology terrains, we're not just well-prepared-we're poised to lead, thanks to Paul's foresight," Tantaro added."Jim is precisely the leader ScaleWith needs to harness the power of data, AI, and technology," said Polizzotto. "His expertise in software, coupled with a history of innovation and a deep understanding of customer experience, positions him to transform ScaleWith into a leading enterprise AI platform dedicated to driving profitable growth for our customers." Meanwhile, Polizzotto, ScaleWith's visionary founder, remains at the forefront of the company's innovation drive. He has consistently focused on developing cutting-edge products that bring data, AI, and social responsibility into core business operations. Polizzotto is dedicated to demonstrating how ScaleWith's advanced technology drives profitable growth for customers and turns social impact from a cost center into a revenue generator.As ScaleWith CEO, Tantaro is committed to accelerating ScaleWith's profitable growth and ensuring customers achieve success on their journey of AI and data-led transformation.About ScaleWithScaleWith offers cutting-edge social impact AI and customer intelligence solutions for sales, marketing, customer success, and procurement teams. ScaleWith's suite of solutions supports every aspect of customer experience, enabling organizations of all sizes to amplify their reach, elevate their value, and create authentic customer connections that drive businesses forward. ScaleWith's unique approach to data, alignment, and impact empowers businesses to do well by doing good in the tools they use every day. ScaleWith is headquartered in Allen, Texas. To learn more, visit www.scalewith.com Social Media Profiles: https://www.linkedin.com/company/scalewith Contact InformationLauren FrazierVP - Marketinglauren.frazier@scalewith.com 9312669156SOURCE: ScaleWithView the original press release on newswire.com
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 01:20:09

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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 15, 2024 / Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against UnitedHealth Group Inc. ("UnitedHealth" or the "Company") (NYSE:UNH). Such investors are advised to contact Danielle Peyton at newaction@ pomlaw.com or 646-581-9980, (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.The class action concerns whether UnitedHealth and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.You have until July 15, 2024, to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class if you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired UnitedHealth securities during the Class Period. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com [Click here for information about joining the class action]On February 27, 2024, The Wall Street Journal ("WSJ") reported that the U.S. Department of Justice ("DOJ") has launched an antitrust investigation into UnitedHealth. Specifically, the WSJ reported that DOJ investigators have been interviewing healthcare industry representatives in sectors where UnitedHealth competes to determine the possible impacts of acquisitions made through its health services arm, Optum.On this news, UnitedHealth's stock price fell $27.04 per share, or 5.15%, over the following two trading sessions, to close at $498.28 per share on February 28, 2024.Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered billions of dollars in damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.SOURCE: Pomerantz LLP
PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-16 13:30:56

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(All dollar amounts expressed in US dollars unless otherwise noted)VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 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 ended March 31, 2024, for the Nueva Recuperada Project (the "Project") in Central Peru.Q1 2024 Financial HighlightsGenerated revenues of $4.8 million. Cash costs of $15.36 per silver equivalent ("AgEq") ounce produced (1)(2) and All-In Sustaining Cost ("AISC") (1)(2) of $21.36 per AgEq ounce produced, reflective of the sustaining capital expenditure invested in the development of the Tangana mining unit ($1.8 million adding $6.00 per AgEq ounce produced to the AISC). Positive EBITDA of $0.3 million and Positive Adjusted EBITDA of $0.4 million. Operating income of $6,000 and Net loss before tax of $0.9 million.Silver X Mining CEO Jose Garcia said, "I am satisfied that as we continue to make operating progress quarter after quarter. Our improved performance in conjunction with our cost reduction initiatives, continue to yield positive results." "These financial results based on our Q1 production of 363,795 oz AgEq processed confirm our good trajectory. Looking ahead, we anticipate continuing to increase performance over the rest of 2024, which will turn into growth and value creation for our shareholders," added Garcia.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.silvermining.com or on SEDAR+ at sedarplus.ca Note:1. 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.Three months ended March 31, 2024 vs.2023 For the three months ended March 31, 2024, the Company recorded:Net loss before tax of $0.9 million, compared to a net loss before tax of $1.1M million in the three months ended March 31, 2023. EBITDA income of $0.3 million, compared to an EBITDA loss of $0.5 million in the three months ended March 31, 2023. Adjusted EBITDA income of $0.4 million, compared to an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $0.6 million in the three months ended March 31, 2023.Income in the current period was primarily due to increased operating revenues from the sale of mineral production of $4.8 million compared to $4.6 million in the prior period (increase of $0.2 million), decrease of cost of sales of $4.8 million compared to $5.0 million in the prior period (decrease of $0.2 million).Financial PositionThe available cash during the period decreased by $0.2 million reflecting the net outflow from its continuing development of the Tangana mine unit.On April 12, 2024, the Company completed its non-brokered private placement of gross proceeds of C$5.0 million. 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:1. 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.2. 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.3. 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 MeasuresThe 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 EBITDAThe 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 exercis
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ST. JOHN'S, NL / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Sokoman Minerals Corp. (TSXV:SIC)(OTCQB:SICNF) ("Sokoman" or the "Company") is pleased to report that the 2024 exploration program at the 100%-owned Fleur de Lys gold project has commenced. An earlier-than-normal snow melt over the northern and central Baie Verte Peninsula has allowed prospecting to begin a full month earlier than usual. The program will begin on areas of active logging around the Golden Bull Prospect, discovered in 2023, and as the weather improves extend to other target areas.The Golden Bull Prospect consists of 35 rock grab samples of variably banded, stylolitic, quartz blocks, some weighing several tonnes (Photo 1) (see news release dated October 4, 2023). Seventeen samples with moderate to strong stylolitic banding (Photo 2), gave Au values >500 ppb (0.50 g/t Au) to a high of 9,020 ppb (9.02 g/t Au). The Prospect lies in a larger area (Map 1) of anomalous till and soil geochemistry defined by Sokoman in 2023, where geochemical and geophysical (VLF-EM) anomalies are shown in historical work by Noranda Inc. in the late 1980s.A crew has been mobilized to prospect the newly logged areas to define drill targets planned for the third quarter of 2024. The initial drilling will be a 2,000 m program of holes from 50 m to 150 m testing surface geochemical and geophysical anomalies mainly in the Golden Bull area.Timothy Froude, P.Geo., President, and CEO of Sokoman states; "We are pleased to announce the start of the 2024 field program at the Fleur de Lys gold project, on the Baie Verte Peninsula of Newfoundland. The early start will help us get the data we need to focus as quickly as we can on the Phase 1 drill targets at Golden Bull. Most of the initial drilling will be in a 2 km by 1.5 km area defined as the Golden Bull Prospect. In the meantime, we still have many unexplained till geochemical anomalies elsewhere on the property that we will be working on as part of the 2024 program to define Phase 2 drill targets for later this year or early 2025."Photo 1: One of many large stylolitic quartz boulders at Golden Bull (9.02 g/t Au)Photo 2: Typical stylolitic banded quartz at Golden Bull - Fleur de Lys Project QPThis news release has been reviewed and approved by Timothy Froude, P.Geo., a "Qualified Person" under National Instrument 43-101 and President and CEO of Sokoman Minerals Corp.About Sokoman Minerals Corp.Sokoman Minerals Corp. is a discovery-oriented company with projects in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The Company's primary focus is its portfolio of gold projects; the 100%-owned flagship, advanced-stage Moosehead, Crippleback Lake, and the district-scale Fleur de Lys project near Baie Verte in northwestern Newfoundland, that is targeting Dalradian-type orogenic gold mineralization similar to the Curraghinalt and Cavanacaw deposits in Northern Ireland. The Company entered into a strategic alliance with Benton Resources Inc. through three, large-scale, joint-venture properties including Grey River, Golden Hope, and Kepenkeck in Newfoundland. Sokoman is one of the largest landholders in Newfoundland, in Canada's newest and rapidly emerging gold districts.In October 2023, Sokoman and Benton completed an agreement with Piedmont Lithium Inc., a major developer of lithium projects and processing plants in the USA, and exactly the right partner to have to advance the lithium project. The agreement provides for Piedmont to earn up to 62.5% of the Killick Lithium Project (formerly Golden Hope project) by funding up to $12 million in exploration expenses and issuing $10 million common shares in three stages. The Killick Lithium Project has been transferred to Killick Lithium Inc. (Killick), a 100%-owned subsidiary of Vinland Lithium Inc. (Vinland). Newly created Vinland has received $2 million in financing from Piedmont for a 19.9% interest, with the balance of ownership between Sokoman and Benton. Sokoman and Benton will continue to operate the exploration efforts at Killick through the earn-in stages. Sokoman and Benton will retain a royalty of 2% NSR on future production. Piedmont will have exclusive marketing rights for the promotion and sale of any lithium products produced from the project on a life-of-mine basis, and the right of first refusal on 100% offtake rights to the lithium concentrates.Projects optioned with optionee fully vested:East Alder Project optioned to Canterra Minerals Inc (SIC retains 850,000 shares of CTM plus 1% NSR) Startrek Project optioned to Thunder Gold (SIC retains 1,750,000 shares of TGOL plus 1% NSR)The Company would like to thank the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador for the financial support of the Moosehead and Fleur de Lys Projects through the Junior Exploration Assistance Program during the past few years.For more information, please contact:Timothy Froude, P.Geo., President & CEOT: 709-765-1726E: tim@ sokomanmineralscorp.com Cathy Hume, VP Corporate Development, DirectorT: 416-868-1079 x 251 E: cathy@ chfir.com Website: www.sokomanmineralscorp.comTwitter:@SokomanMinerals Facebook:@SokomanMinerals LinkedIn:@SokomanMineralsCorpNeither 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.Investors are cautioned that trading in the securities of the Corporation should be considered highly speculative. Except for historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially. Sokoman Minerals Corp. will not update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. More detailed information about potential factors that could affect financial results is included in the documents filed from time to time with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities by Sokoman Minerals Corp.SOURCE: Sokoman Minerals Corp.
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BISHOPSGATE, LONDON / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / SolGold (LSE:SOLG)(TSX:SOLG) is pleased to announce the release of the Company's financial results for the third quarter ended 31 March 2024. The full financial report is available here: http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/6938O_1-2024-5-16.pdf Furthermore, the Company advises that the Company's website also contains access to additional information required to be filed on SEDAR+ in Canada in connection with the Company's quarterly financial period ended 31 March 2024. The Management Discussion and Analysis report is available here: http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/6938O_2-2024-5-16.pdf Highlights of the Period Include:Completion of the updated Cascabel Pre-Feasibility Study ("PFS"): The updated PFS incorporates a phased approach plan, significantly reducing initial capital costs. Key figures include a pre-tax NPV8% of $5.4bn, 33% IRR, and a post-tax NPV8% of $3.2bn with a 24% IRR. The PFS presents significant copper, gold, and silver production estimates over a 28-year mine life, updated mineral resource and reserve statements for the Alpala Deposit and an updated mineral resource statement for the Tandayama America deposit. (PFS Announcement) Appointment of Mr. Jian (John) Liu and Mr. Charles Joseland to the Board of Directors: Mr. Lui and Mr. Joseland bring extensive experience and valuable insights that will support SolGold's strategic initiatives and governance. (Directors Announcement) The Blanca-Nieves Project Exploration Update: Assays from channel-saw samples of gold-bearing epithermal quartz vein outcrops at the Florida target returned results of 6.15m @ 7.46 g/t Au, including 2.2m @ 21.1 g/t Au. Additionally, a significant porphyry target has been identified at Cielito Norte, covering approximately 2.5 x 2.5 km, approximately 8m from the Cascabel project of about 8 km. (Exploration Update) Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") for Hydro-Solar Energy Initiative: SolGold has signed an MOU with Grupo Empresarial Semaica, Enerhydra, and Constructora Nacional S.A. for a sustainable hydro-solar energy initiative at the Cascabel Project. The collaboration aims to develop a Power Project delivering approximately 200 megawatts of renewable energy, aligning with environmental stewardship and economic development goals, with partnerships established to secure financing and ensure adherence to regulatory standards. (MOU Announcement) This announcement was approved for release by Scott Caldwell - Chief Executive Officer.Certain information contained in this announcement would have been deemed inside information.CONTACTSScott Caldwell Chief Executive OfficerTel: +44 (0) 20 3807 6996Tavistock (Media)Jos Simson/Gareth TredwayTel: +44 (0) 20 7920 3150ABOUT SOLGOLD SolGold is a leading resources company focused on the discovery, definition and development of world-class copper and gold deposits and continues to strive to deliver objectives efficiently and in the interests of shareholders.The Company operates with transparency and in accordance with international best practices. SolGold is committed to delivering value to its shareholders while simultaneously providing economic and social benefits to impacted communities, fostering a healthy and safe workplace, and minimizing environmental impact.SolGold is listed on the London Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange (LSE/TSX: SOLG). Seewww.solgold.com.aufor more information.CAUTIONARY NOTICE News releases, presentations and public commentary made by SolGold plc (the "Company") and its Officers may contain certain statements and expressions of belief, expectation or opinion which are forward looking statements, and which relate, inter alia, to interpretations of exploration results to date and the Company's proposed strategy, plans and objectives or to the expectations or intentions of the Company's Directors, including the plan for developing the Project currently being studied as well as the expectations of the Company as to the forward price of copper. Such forward-looking and interpretative statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors beyond the control of the Company that could cause the actual performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from such interpretations and forward-looking statements.Accordingly, the reader should not rely on any interpretations or forward-looking statements; and save as required by the exchange rules of the TSX and LSE or by applicable laws, the Company does not accept any obligation to disseminate any updates or revisions to such interpretations or forward-looking statements. The Company may reinterpret results to date as the status of its assets and projects changes with time expenditure, metals prices and other affecting circumstances.This release may contain "forwardlooking information". Forwardlooking information includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding the Company's plans for developing its properties. Generally, forwardlooking 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".Forwardlooking 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 forwardlooking information, including but not limited to: transaction risks; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; future prices of mineral prices; accidents, labour disputes and shortages and other risks of the mining industry. 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. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, risks re
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SANTA CLARA, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Minerva Surgical announces the immediate and exclusive distribution of a new disposable hysteroscope that will be displayed at the Annual Clinical & Scientific Meeting of American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in San Francisco, CA. The company plans to soon rebrand the new disposable hysteroscope as HERizon, and their goal is to redefine the standards of efficiency and accessibility in gynecological care."This marks a significant milestone in the company's mission to address the needs of gynecologists and further advance Women's Health," states Minerva Surgical Chief Medical Officer Eugene Skalnyi, M.D. "HERizon embodies versatility as a hysteroscope, facilitating an array of procedures both in the operating room and office settings. It is one of a few technologies that our team plans to launch to better serve the evolving patterns in Gynecology." The HERizon Disposable Hysteroscope is a cutting-edge system that is introduced in alignment with ACOG and AAGL's advocacy for the elimination of blind assessment practices in the uterine cavity. Several key features of the HERizon Disposable Hysteroscope include.1. Disposable Design: Single-use hysteroscope eliminates the need for traditional hysteroscope reprocessing, reduces the risk of cross-contamination, and ensures compliance with sterility standards.2. Angled Cannula Tip: Provides rigidity to help enter the cervical canal and articulation to navigate an array of uterine cavity positions.3. Compact Footprint: 4.8mm outer diameter sheath requires minimal or no dilation and 6Fr working channel allows for a broad spectrum of procedures such as direct visualization polypectomy, endometrial biopsy, D&C, and IUD removal.4. User-Friendly Interface: High-Definition image technology, two LED lights provide bright and clear visualization, and the intuitive interface enables seamless system navigation.Dr. David Glassman, DO FACOG EMIGS, a prominent gynecologist in Phoenix, Arizona, shared his excitement about the new HERizon Disposable Hysteroscope, stating, "HERizon is a revolutionary advancement in hysteroscopy technology. Designed with precision and patient comfort in mind, HERizon offers unparalleled clarity and control, providing healthcare professionals with a clearer view and easier access to the uterine cavity. Its innovative features enhance procedural efficiency, reducing both patient discomfort and procedure times. With HERizon, healthcare providers can elevate their practice, delivering superior care and empowering women to take control of their health with confidence." The introduction of the HERizon Disposable Hysteroscope underscores Minerva Surgical's commitment to providing gynecologists with solutions that improve patient outcomes.About Minerva Surgical, Inc. Minerva Surgical is a commercial-stage medical technology company focused on developing, manufacturing, distributing, and commercializing minimally invasive solutions to meet the distinct uterine healthcare needs of women. The Company has established a broad product line of commercially available, minimally invasive alternatives to hysterectomy, which are designed to address the most common causes of Abnormal Uterine Bleeding (AUB) in most uterine anatomies. The Minerva Surgical solutions can be used in a variety of medical treatment settings and aim to address the drawbacks associated with alternative treatment methods and to preserve the uterus by avoiding unnecessary hysterectomies.For more information about the HERizon Disposable Hysteroscope and other innovative medical devices from Minerva Surgical, please visit www.MinervaSurgical.com The disposable hysteroscope is manufactured by Jiyuan Medical.Contact DetailsMinerva Surgical Kevin Tracey+1 855-646-7874media@ minervasurgical.com Company WebsiteSOURCE: MINERVA SURGICAL, INC.
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Navigating Complexities and Delivering Victory in a High-Stakes TrialNEWPORT BEACH, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / David Sugden, trial specialist and shareholder at Call & Jensen, obtained a $6.7 million verdict for Ten-X, in a high-profile case involving breach of contract and fraud.Trial Specialist and "California Trial Lawyer of the Year 2024" David Sugden The case centered around Ten-X, an online platform that facilitates commercial property auctions. The defendant, Lemmings LLC, owned a property in Houston, Texas, and agreed to an auction reserve price of $1.5 million. In other words, once the bids met or exceeded $1.5 million, Lemmings was obligated to sell the property to the winning bidder. The online auction was an ostensible success, with a $2.55 million winning bid. Shortly after the auction, however, the winning bidder disappeared. An investigation to ascertain the winning bidder's whereabouts uncovered that the bidder was the actual seller. Specifically, the defendant created a fake bidder profile with fictitious bank documents and improperly participated in (and ultimately won) the auction.Sugden , along with co-counselAaron RenfroandLisa Sandoval , also of Call & Jensen, navigated the complexities of the trial, presenting compelling evidence of the defendant's misdeeds and effectively cross-examining the defendant to uncover the defendant's motive and execution of its scheme."Ten-X takes its reputation as an ethical and trustworthy business seriously," Sugden remarked. "The jury was able to, not only right the wrong committed against Ten-X, but to also ensure the defendant is accountable for its behavior." The jury unanimously ruled in favor of Ten-X, awarding a substantial jury reward that reflects the severity of the defendant's misconduct and the damages incurred by Ten-X as a result. "It's an honor to have represented Ten-X in this important case," Sugden commented. "This victory not only vindicates Ten-X's rights, it also underscores the importance of honesty and accountability in business." This successful outcome further solidifies Sugden's reputation as a leading trial specialist. Sugden continues to be sought after by clients seeking exceptional trial representation.Sugden is licensed to practice law in California, New York, and Texas, and is a trial specialist.For more information about David Sugden and his legal practice, please visitCall & Jensenor hiswebsite .About David Sugden:David Sugden, a seasoned trial attorney with over 20 years of experience, is a partner at Call & Jensen. As a renowned expert in trial preparation and presentation, he is licensed to practice in California, Texas, and New York, Sugden has been recognized as one of the "Top 50 Super Lawyers in Orange County" and has been listed in the U.S. News & World Report's "Best Lawyers" annual publication since 2021. Most recently, The Trial Attorneys selected him as the "California Trial Lawyer of the Year'' for 2023/2024. Sugden's exceptional advocacy skills and commitment to delivering favorable outcomes for his clients in high-stakes business litigation cases make him a sought-after legal professional, often on the eve of trial. For more information on his expertise and training resources, visit his website atevidenceattrial.com Contact Information:David SugdenCall & Jensen, APCPhone Number: (949) 717-3000Email:dsugden@ calljensen.com SOURCE: Call & Jensen, APC
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DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / The Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLU) top holdings provide valuable insights into the key assets that constitute the fund's portfolio, offering investors a comprehensive view of its composition.XLU's Key AssetsThe top 10 holdings* of the Utilities sector ETF, XLU, include key players in the industry. The holdings are led by NextEra Energy at 13.93% of the ETF, followed by Southern Co. at 8.13%, Duke Energy at 7.68%, Constellation Energy at 6.02%, American Electric Power Co. at 4.59%, Sempra Energy at 4.57%, Dominion Energy at 4.32%, Exelon Corp. at 3.79%, PG&E Corporation at 3.70%, and Public Service Enterprise Group at 3.49%. These top holdings collectively represent 60% of the total assets within XLU.Boasting more than $16 billion in assets and a low total expense ratio of just 0.09%**, XLU offers a convenient gateway to this essential industry.XLU's holdings provide investors seeking transparency and clarity regarding the composition of a fund that exclusively invests in utilities. By providing daily detailed information on its top holdings, XLU aims to enhance investor confidence and facilitate informed decision-making within the utilities sector.Investors and industry observers are encouraged to leverage this information to gain comprehensive insights into XLU's underlying holdings, enabling a deeper understanding of the intricacies of ETFs and mutual funds within the utilities sector.Decoding XLU's Investment StrategyXLU maintains a focused investment approach tailored to the unique dynamics of the utilities industry.The companies included in this fund are crucial to driving our economy forward, making the utilities sector an essential area of focus.DISCLAIMER: This is a work of research and should not be taken as investment or financial advice. Therefore, Select Sector SPDRs or the publisher is not liable for any decision made based on the publication.About the Company:Select Sector SPDR ETFs offer flexibility and customization opportunities. Many investors have similar outlooks, but no two are exactly alike. Select Sector SPDR ETFs let investors select the sectors that best meet their investment goals.*Holdings, Weightings & Assets as of 4/30/24 subject to change**Ordinary brokerage fees applyDISCLOSURESThe S&P 500 Index is an unmanaged index of 500 common stocks that is generally considered representative of the U.S. stock market. The index is heavily weighted toward stocks with large market capitalizations and represents approximately two-thirds of the total market value of all domestic common stocks. The S&P 500 Index figures do not reflect any fees, expenses or taxes. An investor should consider investment objectives, risks, fees and expenses before investing.One may not invest directly in an index.Transparent ETFs provide daily disclosure of portfolio holdings and weightingsAll ETFs are subject to risk, including loss of principal. Sector ETF products are also subject to sector risk and nondiversification risk, which generally will result in greater price fluctuations than the overall market. Diversification does not eliminate risk.An investor should consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. To obtain a prospectus, which contains this and other information, call 1-866-SECTOR-ETF (732-8673) or visit www.sectorspdrs.com . Read the prospectus carefully before investing.ALPS Portfolio Solutions Distributor, Inc., a registered broker-dealer, is distributor for the Select Sector SPDR Trust.Media Contact:Company: Select Sector SPDRsContact: Dan Dolan*Address: 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, CO 80203Country: United StatesEmail: dan.dolan@sectorspdrs.com Website: https://www.sectorspdrs.com/ *Dan Dolan is a Registered Representative of ALPS Portfolio Solutions Distributor, Inc. ALPS Portfolio Solutions Distributor, Inc., a registered broker-dealer, is the distributor for the Select Sector SPDR Trust.SEL007510 EXP 7/31/24Contact DetailsDan Dolan+1 203-935-8103Company WebsiteSOURCE: SELECT SECTOR SPDR
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LEESBURG, VA / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 /Vertosoft, a leading distributor of software solutions in the public sector, is thrilled to announce they have been named as the MicroStrategy Federal Partner of the Year at MicroStrategy World 2024. This recognition shows Vertosoft's commitment to empowering organizations through providing innovative solutions. Vertosoft is honored by this acknowledgment and plans to remain committed to their mission of delivering emerging solutions in the public sector.Vertosoft & MicroStrategy Vertosoft Logo & MicroStrategy Logo "This recognition is a testament to our team's hard work and dedication to providing innovative solutions to our federal clients. We are grateful to MicroStrategy for this acknowledgment and look forward to continuing to grow our partnership in the years to come," said Jay Colavita, President of Vertosoft.Mel Zeledon, Executive Vice President, Global Alliances & Transformation at MicroStrategy, said: "I am extremely proud of what Vertosoft has achieved in 2023. As a new MicroStrategy partner, Vertosoft brought their Federal expertise and actively engaged with our Federal sales organization to deliver innovative solutions to our customers and help grow our federal government business. Their dedication and results in delivering MicroStrategy business intelligence solutions to government agencies made them the right choice for 2023 Federal Partner of the Year." The Federal Partner of the Year award recognizes the dedication and strong commitment to excellent work among MicroStrategy's various federal government partners. This marks the first year MicroStrategy has publicly recognized a federal partner for its high standards and innovation. The Vertosoft team is excited to be the first recipient of MicroStrategy's Federal Partner of the Year and extends their gratitude to their hardworking team and valuable partners for enabling them to win this prestigious award.About VertosoftVertosoft is a high-value distributor dedicated to providing the most coveted innovative and emerging technology solutions to the government. Our comprehensive solution portfolio coupled with our elite services provides channel partners and suppliers with the enablement, inside sales support, contracts, and compliant systems required to drive growth in the government market.About MicroStrategy IncorporatedMicroStrategy considers itself the world's first Bitcoin development company. The MicroStrategy software business develops and provides industry-leading AI-powered enterprise analytics software that promotes our vision of Intelligence EverywhereTM. Our flagship cloud-native platform, MicroStrategy ONE, is trusted by the most admired brands in the Fortune Global 500 to drive business agility, efficiency, and revenue. We also use our software development capabilities to develop Bitcoin applications. We believe the combination of our operating structure, Bitcoin strategy and focus on technology innovation provides a unique opportunity for value creation.MicroStrategy, MicroStrategy ONE, and Intelligence Everywhere are either trademarks or registered trademarks of MicroStrategy Incorporated in the United States and certain other countries. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.To learn more, visit https://microstrategy.com Contact InformationMary DawsonDigital Marketing Managerinfo@ vertosoft.com 571-707-4132SOURCE: Vertosoft LLCView the original press release on newswire.com
The House of Representatives has urged the federal government to suspend the commercialisation of Genetically Modified (GMO) crops in Nigeria amid concerns over food and environmental safety.

The decision of the House was made known Thursday following the adoption of a motion on the need to investigate the introduction of GMO crops in Nigeria.

The motion was moved at the plenary by Muktar Shagaya (APC-Kwara).

The House mandated that its Committee on Agricultural Production and Services conduct a comprehensive investigation into GMO introduction in Nigeria by the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA).

It also mandated the committee to assess the potential health and environmental risks associated with GM crops and report back within four weeks.

The Green Chamber also called on the federal government to suspend the introduction of new genetically modified crops until an investigation by its Committee on Agricultural Production and Services is completed and the findings are made public, the House motion read.

GMO in Nigeria

Genetically modified crops (commonly referred to as GM crops) are plants used in agriculture, whose DNA has been modified using genetic engineering methods.

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In most cases, the aim is to introduce a new trait to the plant which does not occur naturally in the species. Food crops for example can be genetically engineered to be resistant to certain pests, diseases, environmental conditions, reduction of spoilage, chemical treatments (e.g. resistance to a herbicide), or just to improve the nutrient profile of the crop.

Over the past decade, the adoption of GM seeds by crop farmers has been a subject of intense debate among scientists, environmentalists and even food activists in Nigeria and globally.

Some environmentalists have argued that the move to commercialise GM seeds would have far-reaching consequences in Nigeria and across Africa.

Aside from health and environmental concerns, critics of GMO technology in Nigeria say it violates the principles of food sovereignty.

This is because the seeds are often patent-locked and privatised, which could weaken the position of African farmers and communities, and also enhance the depletion of indigenous/conventional seed banks in the continent.

By implication, farmers across Nigeria and Africa at large would have to depend on the GM seed manufacturers for seeds to grow some of the crops annually, they argue.

Meanwhile, one of PREMIUM TIMES investigations in 2022 revealed that while promoters of GMOs are working to counter criticisms and reassure safety, these concerns are not the only challenge hindering the implementation of GM crops in Nigeria. Farmers as well as citizens across the country know too little to make informed decisions on GM crop consumption, it found.

But despite these concerns, the federal government, in January, approved the commercial release of four Tela maize varieties for commercial planting in the country.

The move placed Nigeria second in the list of African countries that have adopted and commercialised the T maize varieties after South Africa, a report published in February, by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) noted.

According to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), at least 33 major food crops have been genetically modified globally. Of these, four (maize, cowpea, cotton and soybean) have been officially approved for commercialisation by the Nigerian authorities, with Nigeria listed among the six African countries leading in biotech crop adoption across the continent.

Prayers

On Thursday, members of the House of Representatives urged the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to cause the already introduced GM foods and crops in Nigeria to be properly labelled to safeguard consumers.

While moving the motion, Mr Shagaya explained that genetically modified crops, commonly referred to as GM Crops, are plants used for agricultural purposes whose DNA has been altered using genetic engineering methods.

He said the recent introduction of genetically modified crops in Nigeria has raised serious questions mostly about safety, regulatory oversight and the potential impact on the countrys biosafety and ecosystem.

The lawmaker noted that genetically modified foods could be created to contain almost anything, including genes which have higher levels of toxicity and negative long-term effects on human health.

He emphasised that introducing these crops ( GMO) has led to public outcries amidst serious concerns regarding the potential risks GM crops might pose to human health, environmental degradation, and food security.

Additionally, Mr Shagaya explained that the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) has been accused of approving the introduction of GM crops into Nigeria without following due process and scientific protocols.

He expressed worry that GM crops are being introduced into Nigeria at a time when the said crops have been banned in several countries like France, Russia, Germany, China, India, and a host of other countries in Europe due to safety concerns;

The lawmaker also lamented that GMO crops long-term impact on human health remains uncertain, prompting precautionary measures due to potential health risks including cancer, antibiotic resistance, allergic reactions, and reproductive issues;

Mr Shagaya expressed worry that the introduction of GM crops into the country could have far-reaching implications for Nigerias food security, potentially transferring control to foreign biotechnology companies which are primarily driven by profit and cost reduction;

He said there was a need to prioritise public health, biodiversity, and traditional farming practices due to uncertainties surrounding the long-term impact of GMOs on health, environment, and food security.

In Nigeria, GMO debates have created two distinctive divides dubbed as pro and anti GMO groups.

The National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NABDA), an agency established under Nigerias Ministry of Science and Technology to promote, implement, and coordinate biotechnology and GMO development  and the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB), an advocacy arm of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)  are working to change the publics negative perception and increase positive awareness of GM products.

Meanwhile, the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria and several other civil societies, are at the forefront of criticisms against the technology for safety concerns.

When contacted for comment on Thursday, Rose Gidado, director of OFAB described the move by the Reps as political.

This is politics, said Mrs Gidado, in a terse response to this medium.

On her part, the Head of the Information and Communication unit of the NBMA, Gloria Ogbaki, said the agency is still reviewing the situation and that its position would be made known to the public soon.

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The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Wednesday said that it has granted Approval-in-Principle (AIP) to 14 new International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs) to enhance remittances.

Remittances, which involve transferring funds from overseas to families or individuals within the country, form a substantial part of Nigerias foreign exchange inflows. They are crucial for maintaining economic stability and fostering growth.

According to a statement by the CBNs Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Hakama Ali, the approval aims to strengthen the flow of foreign currency into the country through official channels.

She emphasised that the addition of these IMTOs will contribute to increasing the availability of foreign exchange in Nigerias official market.

This will spur liquidity in Nigerias Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX), augmenting price discovery to enable a market-driven fair value for the naira, she said.

According to her, the CBN viewed increasing formal remittance flowsone of the major sources of foreign exchange, accounting for over 6 percent of GDPas a means of reducing the historical volatility in Nigerias exchange rate caused by external factors such as fluctuations in foreign investment and oil export proceeds.

She said the increase in the number of IMTOs is one of the primary actions initiated by the CBNs remittance task force, overseen by Mr Cardoso as a collaborative unit pulling together specialists to work closely with the private sector and market operators to facilitate the ease of doing business in the remittance ecosystem in Nigeria.

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Mrs Ali said the formation of the task force stemmed directly from an educational session with IMTOs during the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings in Washington DC, USA, in April.

This group will convene regularly to execute plans and assess the effects of its actions on remittance inflows.

She also recalled the CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso earlier expressing confidence in the CBNs ability to double remittance flows into Nigeria within a year.

Weve set ourselves a target to double remittance flows into Nigeria within a year, a goal I firmly believe is within reach.

We are wasting no time driving progress to remove any bottlenecks hindering flows through formal channels permanently. We have a determined pathway and a sequenced approach to tackling all challenges ahead, working hand in hand with key stakeholders in the remittance industry, Mr Cardoso was quoted as saying.

As of the end of the first quarter of 2024, the CBN recorded a total direct foreign exchange (FX) remittances of $282.61 million representing a $18.96 million decrease when compared to the $301.57 million diaspora remittances recorded in Q1 2023.

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The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI) has attracted over $50 million in investment in the last five months, an official has said.

Programme Director/Chief Executive of PCNGI, Michael Oluwagbemi, disclosed this at the Southwest stakeholders forum held in Lagos on Wednesday.

I am pleased to announce to you that since that December till date, over $50m have been mobilised directly by the sector, much more than any amount of money that has been mobilised in the sector in the last eight years combined in just five months, Mr Oluwagbemi said.

Last August, President Bola Tinubu approved the establishment of the PCNGI.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, in a statement said the establishment of the initiative was in furtherance of his commitment to easing the impact of fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians by reducing energy costs.

This transformative initiative, according to Mr Ngelale, is poised to revolutionise the transportation landscape in the country, targeting over 11,500 new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-enabled vehicles and 55,000 CNG conversion kits for existing Premium Motor Spirit (PMS)-dependent vehicles.

While simultaneously bolstering in-country manufacturing, local assembly and expansive job creation in line with the presidential directive, the spokesperson noted at the time.

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On Wednesday, Mr Oluwagbemi said, Thousands of Nigerian companies are investing in the sector because they see that the present administration is serious about moving the country forward and leveraging the gas resources God has given us.

He said the CNG initiative was created to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians and open new investment windows for domestic and global investors in the gas sector.

According to him, the government has continued to mobilise the private sector for compressed natural gas use and investments.

He explained that the series of investment inflows to the sector showed the level of commitment by the present administration to boosting cleaner energy and promoting a more efficient energy sector.

Also speaking, the Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, said, As we gather here, we are reminded of the pressing need to propel our nation forward, not just in terms of economic growth, but in creating opportunities that uplift every citizen.

She added that the Presidential CNG Initiative stands as a testament to this vision, as it not only seeks to revolutionise Nigerias transport sector with cleaner energy but also commits to up-skilling and training 25,000 auto technicians in the process.

She noted that the PCNGI and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment have partnered, ensuring that every job created and every skill imparted is not just a statistic but a step towards empowerment and progress.

Moreover, I want to address a fundamental issue that often plagues government-led initiatives: the lack of proper metrics to measure their impact, she said.

Historically, Ms Onyejeocha said the governments have been involved in numerous job creation programmes, yet the true extent of their success is often overshadowed by inadequate measurement and reporting.

Under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, however, we are committed to a paradigm shift. We recognise the importance of accountability and transparency in governance. That is why we are determined to not only create meaningful change but also to showcase our achievements with pride.

As we embark on this journey together, its imperative that we keep proper track of the jobs our programmes create. The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment is committed to this task, ensuring that the impact of initiatives like the Presidential CNG Initiative is not just measured in numbers but in the lives transformed. Furthermore, I want to emphasise the role of the Labour Ministry in bringing together artisan associations and unions.

These associations and unions are the backbone of our workforce, and by uniting them, we can amplify our efforts towards achieving the 25,000 technicians target set forth by the Presidential CNG Initiative, she said.

In his presentation, the Head of Commercial at PCNGI, Tosin Coker, said 590 CNG-compliant buses purchased by the Ministry of Finance will be delivered to the people within the month while noting that distribution of the buses will be based on access to CNG.

Mr Coker explained that electric vehicles and 5,500 tricycles would also be provided to alleviate Nigerias transport challenges and support the masses.

He noted that the tricycles would be available on hire purchase, with the beneficiaries allowed to pay overtime.

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Nigerias Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, says the government has no plan to unlawfully access workers hard-earned savings and pension contributions.

The federal government had on Wednesday announced plans to use the N20 trillion in workers pension funds for infrastructure projects. But the announcement generated mixed reactions from Nigerians, with many expressing fears about its potential impact.

Addressing the concerns on Thursday, Mr Edun explained that the pension industry, like much of the financial sector, is subject to stringent regulations and limitations on how pension fund assets can be invested.

He noted that the government has no intention of surpassing these prescribed limits, which are in place to protect workers pensions.

It has come to my notice that stories are making the rounds that the Federal Government plans to illegally access the hard-earned savings and pension contributions of workers. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The pension industry, like most of the financial industry, is highly regulated. There are rules, and well laid out limitations about what pension fund assets can be invested in, and what it cannot be invested in.

The federal government has no intention whatsoever to go beyond those prescribed limits, or outside those bounds, which are there to safeguard the pensions of workers, he said.

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The minister explained that the information shared at the Federal Executive Council meeting was purely informative, with no approval sought for any actions.

The discussion centred on an ongoing initiative involving major stakeholders in the long-term savings industry, he added.

According to him, the aim is to explore avenues within legal frameworks, to maximise the use of these funds to drive investment in critical growth sectors such as infrastructure and housing and to facilitate affordable mortgages for Nigerians.

Mr Edun disclosed that the government has no plans to offer risky investments for pension funds or to compromise on returns. Instead, the focus is on providing guarantees where necessary to unlock funding for economic growth, job creation, and poverty alleviation.

He said the ongoing conversation presents a challenge for financial experts to devise solutions that both safeguard long-term savings and stimulate economic growth.

Mr Edun reiterated the governments commitment to working with industry leaders to achieve these goals while assuring the protection of workers savings and pensions.

It is an ongoing conversation, a challenge, a test for the best and the brightest in the financial industry to come up with solutions that, while safeguarding the long-term savings do provide an avenue that can help to boost growth in the economy, he said.

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From page to page and chapter by chapter, it is that spirit of overcoming obstacles and moving on and up, of spiting the storms and surviving the rains, as the poets urge, that Omotola displays in Imperfectly Awesome, an oxymoronic title needling the readers mind with questions like how can there be anything awesome in an imperfect person or state?

A Confucian maxim about perseverance goes thus: Our glory is not in never falling but in rising each time we fall. The aphorism has also been attributed to South Africas sagely statesman Nelson Mandela and, perhaps, fittingly so. Unbroken physically, mentally and spiritually in a penal colony for nearly three decades, he emerged to become first black president of the former apartheid enclave. Under that circumstance, it is easy to understand why such stoic aphorism can be credited to one of the world leaders of the 21st century with the famous benign smile.

Ms Omotola Bamigbaiye is not a Confucian. She has never been president of any country either. But she clearly espouses the spirit of rising after falling as the Chinese philosopher exhorted his followers and as Mandela demonstrated in his exemplary life. But that Confucian fortitude shines through her first ever publication Imperfectly Awesome: Embracing and Becoming a Wholesome You.

The Robben Island in Omotolas life, for starters, was less a physical confinement and more a natural predicament. Omotola enjoyed certain privileges growing up in an average family. Her father was a civil servant, while her mother retired from the erstwhile Nigerian Electric Power Authority (NEPA) and then became a notable entrepreneur. There were six siblings, of which Omotola was the third daughter. We were not rich but we had everything we needed, particularly when it came to funding our education, the author recalls.

But then, she had to battle a speech impediment from very early on  stuttering. For this reason, she kept pretty much to herself, cut off from the comradeship of peers in school and at play, who were more than likely to make fun of her. While her mates gambolled around, she stayed glued to newspapers her father brought home. She also read books. Being a bibliophile, she got good grades from school, and had a head start in her first career as a banker. She was the youngest at her place of work but was very productive. Still, some of her colleagues regarded her as an overzealous upstart.

Equally, the bank management was not very much impressed with her productivity. When it was time to lay off staff to re-strategise the company for optimal performance, Omotola was one of the first to be axed. It was devastating. This became one of the many obstacles strewn across her path as the years rolled by. Of that particular experience, she reminisces sadly that: The empty feeling wraps its icy fingers around my heart, squeezing out the warmth of hope and replacing it with a weight of desolationthe pain of losing not just a job but a significant part of my identity sank in, leaving me with a heavy heartI felt like a landscape coloured in muted tones where the vibrancy of life seemed to fade away in a grey of self-doubt.

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The self-doubt was soon dispelled: another job opportunity came; this time as a lecturer in a university. But then, there was the stammer! Before Demosthenes became one of the best orators in ancient Greece, he was almost as famous for his stuttering. But he overcame it. So did Omotola. From the very first day in class, the new teacher was determined to overcome it, telling readers that despite the nervous stutter, there was a hint of determination in my voice. Today was just the first step, and I was ready to face the challenge one word at a time.

From page to page and chapter by chapter, it is that spirit of overcoming obstacles and moving on and up, of spiting the storms and surviving the rains, as the poets urge, that Omotola displays in Imperfectly Awesome, an oxymoronic title needling the readers mind with questions like how can there be anything awesome in an imperfect person or state?

Though people strive for perfection, it is hardly comforting because there will be nothing more to aspire to thereafter. You become sort of ambition-less once you reach the state of perfection. Even so, people are less enamoured of imperfection for obvious reasons. But to the author, that state of imperfection is sometimes the ideal launch pad to propel you to greater heights. And she makes a persuasive case of that hypothesis using her real life experiences.

Preceded by catchy epigrams in every chapter, readers get a hint of what is to follow: How the author self-crawled out of seemingly impossible situations that would have had others caving in. Learning isnt confined to classrooms, the first epigram states in the first chapter of Omotolas book. Sometimes, the most profound lessons come from the twists and turns of life.

For more than a hundred pages, the author lays bare to readers her different experiences of capricious twists and turns of life. A dedicated bank staff, she was among the first casualties when the company embarked on re-strategising for optimal performance. Before then, she woke up one day to find that a car purchased with a yet-to-be repaid loan had been stolen. Just like that. And then, there was the divorce after many years of marriage. A potential replacement of a spouse chickened out after a promising courtship. Almost always at the mercy of fate, Omotola showed an uncommon determination to claw her way back to the top. When the world tells you: Stay in your pit, thats the best time to strive for success. And find your way out.

Writing the book itself is proof that Omotola got out of every impossible situation, whether caused by others or as a result of a natural sequence of events. Part autobiographical, readers get a composite portrait of Omotola from her younger years through adolescence to adulthood. There are character portraits of others as well: her parents who devoted much time and resources to seeing that their wards never lacked. Even when Omotola became a single parent, her father, mother and a phalanx of older relatives, lent a helping hand.

A homemaker, Omotola avails readers with that homely touch, that ambience of being in a house brimming with the warmth of cousins and nieces, all of them enjoying holidays together. And cooking, too. The kitchen, she writes knowledgeably, with its warm ambience and inviting aromas, is a haven where family bonds are forged, and culinary dreams come to life.

Nor does she gloss over the daily interactions between neighbours. On one occasion, Omotola recounts borrowing a blender from a neighbour called Mama Kay. Thinking that shed damaged the appliance, she hoped to repair it before returning it to the owner. Time passed, stretching into days. Mama Kay had to come for the blender herself, making Omotola feel quite uneasy. Even at that, Mama Kay, like some understanding neighbours would, was unruffled. The author remembers the lender marching past me and headed straight to my kitchen. Her buttocks swung left and right in her faded Ankara wrapper. Both lender and borrower became the best of friends thereafter and then engaged in neighbourly tittle-tattle.

What readers take away mostly from Imperfectly Awesome is the motivational aspect. In parts, it reads like some of those self-help publications on picking yourself up after unexpected downfalls. Norman Vincent Peales The Power of Positive Thinking comes to mind. Self-motivation, Omotola enjoins readers, isnt magic. Life throws curveballs and finding the why can feel like searching for stars in a storm. But remember, even the faintest glow can guide you in the darkest path.

Another theme the author tackles seriously in her book is living your life and doing things as you please and not what society dictates or expects of you. Using the example of two women, Doyin and Grace, Omotola shows how societal expectations can, and sometimes do, frustrate people, especially women, in their attempts to juggle between their professional careers and managing the home front. An accomplished artist, Doyin had to forsake her art to take care of two children at home. As the author pointedly recounts, society whispered into Doyins ear, reminding her that a woman could either be a dedicated mother or a successful career woman, but never both.

The result is all too familiar: Doyin felt the scrutiny of judgmental eyes, both from the art world that questioned her commitment and from the town that wondered if she was neglecting her children. She left her art.

Grace faced such a similar dilemma; a teacher who had children to take care of as well. Omotola likens both womens predicament to her own mother, an only child, who was stretched to the limit as a parent.

The chapter headings in Imperfectly Awesome are encouraging enough. Thus, there is Girl, Get Up, Good Enough, My Table  My Guests and Unapologetic. Likening ones existence to a table, Omotola muses that in the heart of our existence, there lies a table  symbol of the life we shape for ourselves, bearing the weight of pain and struggle, yet standing strong on its sturdy legs of resilience.

As the saying goes, only the dead are without problems. But for the living, there are problems aplenty. It is the determination you bring to overcoming the obstacles that makes life worth living, not allowing the problems weigh you down. A disagreeable boss may decide to fire you, despite your commitment to the job. A spouse may decide on a whim he or she is done with the union. All that is nothing compared to the story of Job for sure. It is enough to sink some people, to put them in a permanent state of depression; what Churchill called his Black Dog. What to do to move on and up? Turn the setbacks to comebacks. That is the short and sharp message from the author of this publication with a title that seems odd at first. It is not. In fact, it is a deliberate choice by Bamigbaiye, a marketing professional with a proven record in portfolio management.

A tidy book, there is a howler or two somewhere: there is local indigenes, ladder-backed chair, instead of leather-backed and a waiter looking spruce in his uniform. It should be spruced up. Still, Imperfectly Awesome is an unforgettable first publication from Omotola. Theres no doubt that a second or third will follow. This isnt the end of the story, she writes in the postscript, just a pause between chapters. Judging from what we have at hand, readers should wait for the sequel with keen anticipation.

Imperfectly Awesome: Embracing and Becoming a Wholesome You by Omotola Bamigbaiye, Masobe Books, Lagos, 2024, 198pp

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Emirates Airlines has announced that it will resume flight services to Nigeria from 1 October, after over a year it suspended operations in the country due to difficulties encountered in repatriating trapped funds.

In a statement published on its website on Thursday, the airline announced that it would resume daily service between Lagos and Dubai, offering customers more choice and connectivity from Nigerias largest city to and through Dubai.

The service will be operated using a Boeing 777-300ER. EK783 will depart Dubai at 0945hrs, arriving in Lagos at 1520hrs; the return flight EK784 will leave Lagos at 1730hrs and arrive in Dubai at 0510hrs the next day, the statement said.

According to the statement, tickets can now be booked on the airlines website or via travel agents.

The announcement by the airline came after Nigerias Aviation Minister, Festus Keyamo, paid a working visit to the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Nigeria in Abuja.

Yesterday, I paid a working visit to the Ambassador of the UAE to Nigeria, His Excellency, Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi at the UAE Embassy in Abuja, the minister said in a tweet posted on his X handle Wednesday.

During the visit, he said Mr Al-Shamsi handed a correspondence from the Emirates Airline indicating a definite date of resumption of flights to Nigeria.

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That date will be formally announced by Emirates Airlines in a matter of days, he said.

On Thursday, Adnan Kazim, Emirates Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer said the airline is excited to resume services to Nigeria.

Mr Kazim said the Lagos-Dubai service has traditionally been popular with customers in Nigeria and that the airline hopes to reconnect leisure and business travellers to Dubai and onwards to its network of over 140 destinations.

We thank the Nigerian government for their partnership and support in re-establishing this route and we look forward to welcoming passengers back onboard, the statement quoted him saying.

Background

In November 2022, Emirates suspended flights to Nigeria. It said the measure started on 29 October 2022 and blamed it on its inability to repatriate its revenue from the country.

At the time, the airline said it had communicated its position to the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Under these extraordinary circumstances, Emirates had no option but to suspend flights to/from Nigeria from 29 October 2022 to mitigate against further losses moving forward, the airline management said.

At the time, Emirates lamented that it had not repatriated its blocked funds from the country amidst lingering scarcity of forex in the country.

Without the timely repatriation of the funds and a mechanism in place to ensure that future repatriation of Emirates funds do not accumulate in any way, the backlog will continue to grow, and we simply cannot meet our operational costs nor maintain the commercial viability of our operations in Nigeria, the airline said.

In March, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced that the government has cleared all valid foreign exchange backlogs.

Operation schedules

With the resumption of operations to Nigeria, Emirates said it would operate to 19 gateways in Africa with 157 flights per week from Dubai, with further reach to an additional 130 regional points in Africa through its codeshare and interline partnerships with South African Airways, Airlink, Royal Air Maroc, Tunis Air, among others.

As a major economic hub in Africa, Nigeria and the UAE have built strong bilateral trade relations over the years, headlined by Lagos as the nations commercial centre, the airline said.

With the resumption of daily passenger flights, Emirates said the airlines cargo arm, Emirates SkyCargo, will further bolster the trade relationship by offering more than 300 tonnes of bellyhold cargo capacity, in and out of Lagos every week.

Emirates SkyCargo will support Nigerian businesses by exporting their goods via its state-of-the-art hub in Dubai, into key markets such as the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Bahrain, among others with key anticipated commodities such as Kola Nuts, food and beverages, and urgent courier material, the statement said.

Additionally, the Airline said Emirates SkyCargo will also import vital goods such as pharmaceuticals and electronics as well as general cargo from key markets such as the UAE, India and Hong Kong.

Keeping trade flowing seamlessly, these goods will be transported quickly, efficiently, and reliably via the airlines multi-vertical specialised product portfolio, Emirates said.

It said the Emirates Boeing 777-300ER serving Lagos will operate with eight First Class suites, 42 Business Class seats, and 304 seats in Economy Class.

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The West African anti-money laundering body, GIABA, civil society organisations, professionals, a Nigerian anti-corruption agency, and a state governor, on Wednesday, called for collective measures to combat terrorism financing, extremism, and violent conflicts in Nigeria.

The Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), a transparency and public accountability focused civil society organisation, Auwal Rafsajani Musa,said terrorism constituted recurrent threats to the lives and property of Nigerians and survival of Nigeria.

Mr Musa said this at the Multi-stakeholder National Dialogue on Preventing Terrorism Finacing and Violent Extremism held on Wedneday in Abuja, in collaboration with the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA).

Others who also spoke on the matter at the event included the Director General of GIABA, Edwin Harris, Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State, and the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede.

This dialogue remains critical to galvanising an all-inclusive conversation on the thematic focus, given the recurring threats to the lives and property of many Nigerians, occasioned by terrorism and violent extremism that has hitherto bedevilled the country, Mr said.

He emphasised the necessity for both state actors and non-state actors to address the various sources of terrorism financing, which underpin terrorism and other violent conflicts in Nigeria.

Mr Musa highlighted the roles of terrorism financing in sustaining terrorist groups, facilitating weapon procurement, recruitment of militants, and operational activities.

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He cited the 2023 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) which ranked Nigeria eighth among the top 10 countries with the highest levels of terrorism worldwide.

He stressed the significance of community awareness in monitoring and responding to warning signals of potential terrorist activities and violent extremism to mitigate insecurity.

Mr Musa also reiterated the need for the government to bolster border security measures to curb the inflow of funds and resources supporting terrorist activities.

Other points that he raised included the issue of inter-agency rivalry, which he said had hampered many security agencies from recording success because of poor intelligence sharing and the need to boost the capacity of law enforcement agencies to detect and disrupt terrorist financial networks is poor.

Mr Musa called for strict monitoring and prevention of terrorist organisations from exploiting financial institutions through illegal money exchanges.

He explained that despite existing regulations aimed at enhancing transparency and identifying suspicious transactions, this remains a significant challenge.

The finance sector has been exploited for terrorism financing. The use of the financial sector indicates the increasing capabilities of some terrorist groups, he said.

Preventing violent extremism in Nigeria

A lawyer, Tijani Mohammed, emphasised that government at all levels must address ethnic and religious divisions in the country for sustainable peace.

He called on the government to tackle socioeconomic marginalisation that has rendered many families poor.

He explained that political instability and poor governance have contributed majorly to terrorism.

He said lack of border monitoring has led to many infiltrations of terrorist groups into the country.

He tasked the government to address historical grievances and injustices meted out to groups and communities to address the menace.

In a goodwill message, the chairman of the EFCC, Mr Olukoyede, said there was a need for a concerted commitment in combating terrorism.

Mr Olukoyede highlighted EFCCs efforts in combating money laundering and terrorism financing through policy implementation, including technology adoption for tracking laundered funds and ransom payments to kidnappers.

Meanwhile, the Director General of GIABA, Mr Harris, reiterated the organisations support for initiatives countering violent extremism in Nigeria and West Africa.

He emphasised the detrimental impact of misallocated funds on perpetuating terrorism.

In his remarks, Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State said Benue and other middle belt states are facing insecurity challenges.

He pledged collaboration with security agencies to end insecurity in Benue State.

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The Chairperson of the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON), Jalal Arabi, says the commission has engaged the services of Nigerian caterers to partner with Saudi Arabian caterers to provide food for pilgrims during the 2024 Hajj.

He announced this during the inaugural flight of Nigerian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, which took place on Wednesday in Kebbi State.

Mr Arabi said the commission is committed to serving the pilgrims the best during the exercise.

About 400 intending pilgrims from Kebbi State were airlifted on Wednesday to Saudi Arabia by FlyNas, one of the carriers approved for this years Hajj operations.

Rather than being the parasite, the Commission contributed to the Nigerian economy through empowerment of the countrys local airline industry and empowering local caterers to travel to Saudi Arabia as paid labour.

This was achieved through the Commissions insistence that all Saudi caterers must partner with a Nigerian caterer to serve our pilgrims indigenous meals.

Therefore, our indigenous foods are transported from Nigeria to Saudi, boosting the countrys GDP. Similarly, NAHCON insists that service providers must include Nigerians among their Hajj labour force to enhance communication with our pilgrims, Mr Arabi said.

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The NAHCON Chair called on pilgrims to safeguard their valuables and be good ambassadors of Nigeria.

NAHCON has made necessary arrangements for your comfort, do not hesitate to contact any of our officials for assistance when in need because they are there to serve you. Safeguard your valuables and do not carry along any prohibited item into Saudi Arabia.

BTA reduction

On the Issue of BTA, the chairman said the Nigerian government has reduced it to $500 from $800 previously given to pilgrims.

We reduced the BTA from eight hundred dollars to five hundred Dollars after taking into consideration that any pilgrim in need of more dollars can source them on their own.

We believe we have made enough accommodation and feeding arrangements that would not warrant the pilgrims spending extra on these amenities, thus five hundred dollars would suffice in these global cash crunch times.

We reduced the length of stay in Madinah from eight days to four days and charged a fee commensurate to the four days.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, who was a guest of honour at the event, called on intending pilgrims to be good ambassadors of Nigeria while in Saudi Arabia.

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The Police Command in Oyo State, on Thursday, paraded a former chairman of Oyo State Park Management System (PMS), Mukaila Lamidi, popularly known as Auxiliary, over alleged murder, armed robbery and kidnapping.

The Commissioner of Police, Adebola Hamzat, while briefing journalists at the commands headquarters in Ibadan, said the command had, on 2 June 2023, declared Mr Lamidi wanted.

Mr Hamzat listed the offences committed by the former PMS chairman to include murder, attempted murder, arms dealing, armed robbery and kidnapping.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the police commissioner said the suspect was declared wanted in furtherance of a well-coordinated intelligence-led raid by the police on 30 May and 31 May 2023 on the suspects Diamond Hotel residence at Alakia, where 78 suspects were arrested and weapons recovered.

The exhibits recovered from the suspects residence and hotel included two SMG rifles with two magazines, one AK-47 rifle, One Pump action rifle, nine locally-made pistols and two English pistols with magazines.

Others were 70 rounds of AK-47 ammunition, 338 pieces of live cartridges, 62 expended, 13 pieces of 9-mm ammunition, nine jack knives, three axes and 400 pieces of long cutlasses, among others, NAN reports.

Mr Hamzat said the suspect was recently arrested due to the collaborative efforts of the police and other sister security agencies in the state.

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Furtherance of these, discreet intelligence-led search commenced for the sacked PMS chieftain, with the help of technology, collaborative efforts with sister services and community policing.

Many locations were identified, traced and combed for months until his recent arrest in a concerted effort with our sister services, he said.

Mr Hamzat said the suspect would be charged to court for the offences committed.

He thanked the public for providing credible information to curb crime in the state.

Mr Hamzat pledged the commands commitment to dealing with any criminally-motivated individual or group intending to flip the state retrogressively into the historical dark ages of the Wild Wild West.

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The Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill has passed a second reading in the House of Representatives.

The bill, sponsored by Terseer Ugbor (APC, Benue), was debated and passed during plenary on Thursday.

Leading the debate on the bill, Mr Ugbor, who is the deputy chair of the House Committee on Environment, said the bill aims to curb illegal wildlife trade, habitat loss and the decline of Nigerias unique wildlife populations.

According to the lawmaker, the bill seeks to improve the capabilities of law enforcement agencies, give investigators more powers to look into financial matters and conduct operations guided by intelligence, and enable judges to speed up wildlife cases and recover assets.

Additionally, it aligns with international treaties, encourages global cooperation and introduces strict penalties for poachers and traffickers.

Today, we take a bold stand against all illegal activities targeting our wildlife and forests, said Mr Ugbor. By protecting our wildlife, we protect our future. This bill signifies our collective commitment to turn the tide against the use of our borders to traffic illegal wildlife products such as pangolin scales and elephant ivory, he said.

Members voted to pass the bill for a second reading when Deputy Speaker Ben Kalu, who presided over the session, put it to vote.

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Mr Kalu then referred it to the Committee on Environment for further legislative action.

This is a watershed moment Conservationists

Meanwhile, a coalition of environmentalists has issued a statement commending the action of the lawmakers.

The coalition, comprising the Africa Nature Investors Foundation (ANI), the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), and the Wild Africa Fund (WAF), said having a legislative framework is critical for preserving endangered species.

In the statement, Tunde Morakinyo, ANI Executive Director, said: The second reading of the bill in the House of Representatives is further testament to the determination of the Nigerian people through their elected representatives to stop the illegal wildlife trade in the country,

Also speaking on the action of the lawmakers, Mary Rice, Executive Director of EIA UK, welcomed the progress made through this second reading, stating that legislation is important for the ecosystem.

READ ALSO: State House top official urges staff to imbibe highest ethical standards

Effective enforcement without robust laws is virtually impossible. EIA commends Nigeria for recognising the urgency to enact this important legislation to support its regional and international obligations to protect Africas wildlife, she said.

This legislation will greatly enhance Nigerias ability to fight wildlife crime and we hope it can be swiftly enacted, WAF CEO, Peter Knights, said.

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The Head of Media Relations at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Omoniyi Ibietan, has been elected as the secretary-general of the African Public Relations Association (APRA).

Mr Ibietan was elected at the ongoing 35th Annual Conference and Annual General Meeting in Abidjan, Cote dIvoire on Thursday.

He was elected into a three-member executive council. The other two members are Arik Karani of Kenya as president and Michele Mekeme of Cameroon as vice president.

Mr Ibietan, a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), promised to work with other members of the executive council to continue the trajectory of reforms in APRA, expand the democratic space by encouraging greater participation of national public relations institutions on the continent and work more closely with the African Union Commission and Council of Ministers to put public relations at the heart of policy, programmes, and project implementation.

APRA, the successor to the Federation of African Public Relations Association (FAPRA), instituted in Nairobi in 1975, exists to foster the unity of Africans and their global allies through interactions and exchange of meaning.

Profile

Mr Ibietan is a journalist, writer, and author.

He earned a BA and MA in Communication Arts and Communication & Language Arts from the Universities of Uyo and Ibadan in Nigeria, respectively, graduating atop his classes.

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He also obtained a diploma in journalism with distinction from the Moscow-based International Institute of Journalism. He holds a PhD in Communication from the North-West University in South Africa, with specialisation in political communication. He is an IP3-certified regulation specialist and holds a mini MBA in telecommunications from NEOTELIS in Paris.

He has over 20 years of experience in media and communication scholarship and practice, spanning journalism, academia, policy discourse, communication strategy, regulation, and stakeholder relations

He had earlier served as special media adviser to Nigerias Minister of Information and Communication.

As Head of Media Relations Management at NCC, Mr Ibietan oversees aspects of the public communication strategy of the national regulatory authority for telecommunication in Nigeria.

He is also a member of the African Council for Communication Education (ACCE), an Associate Registered Practitioner of Advertising (arpa) and a member of the International Institute of Communications (IIC), the worlds only policy debating platform for the converged communications industry.

As a scholar, he focuses on patterns of political communication through new media; media and culture studies; and theoretical & normative foundations of communication in relation to democracy and freedom.

Mr Ibietan is on the faculty of the Nigerian campus of Italy-based Rome Business School (RBS), where he teaches doctoral students PR & Advertising and Media Management & Communication Strategy. He also facilitates learning for students in the Master of Corporate Communication programme at RBS.

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The Senate on Wednesday asked President Bola Tinubu to convene a national dialogue to deliberate on full autonomy for local governments in the country.

It said the dialogue should involve the governors, state legislators, local government officials, civil society organisations, community leaders and others.

The resolution was a sequel to a motion sponsored by Kawu Sumaila (NNPP, Kano South) during the plenary.

Mr Sumaila, while presenting the motion, lamented the neglect of the local government system in many parts of the country.

He accused state governors of attempting to frustrate the establishment the autonomy of the local governments.

Some governors play a crucial role in frustrating local government autonomy in Nigeria via constitutional alteration processes and with limited financial and operational autonomy, local governments might struggle to effectively address local security concerns like community policing initiatives, intelligence gathering, and infrastructure maintenance.

Local governments, once major employers, are financially constrained and unable to hire the necessary staff. This surge in unemployment creates a pool of vulnerable individuals susceptible to criminal recruitment, further exacerbating the nations security issues.

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Mr Sumaila therefore prayed the Senate to call on President Tinubu to be at the forefront of encouraging state governors to ensure local government autonomy in their respective states.

He also requested the Senate to urge Mr Tinubu to use his leadership and influence to persuade the federating units and all critical stakeholders in the constitutional alteration processes and administrative bottlenecks to embrace the vision of full local government autonomy.

The senator asked the upper chamber to ensure that federal agencies fully comply with existing legal provisions that empower local governments, ensuring timely release of allocated funds directly to their bank accounts and streamlining administrative processes.

He demanded a unified electoral system and tenure of office of the chairmen and councilors of the local governments in Nigeria.

Mr Sumaila also urged the Senate to encourage President Tinubu to stop allocation of funds to

caretaker committee-led local government areas in the country.

Contributions

Majority of the senators who contributed to the motion supported the prayers.

Ifeanyi Uba (APC, Anambra South) said there had not been a local government election in Anambra state for over 18 years.

Mr Uba urged the Senate to consider and adopt prayers of motion.

Orji Kalu (APC, Abia North) also supported the motion.

Mr Kalu, a former governor of Abia State, recalled how councillors were awarding contracts and developing the state when LG autonomy was still active in his state.

Even councillors were awarding contracts. So the money was there and they were doing very, very well. Some local governments were very rich because they were having Internally Generated Revenue. Why did that happen?

First of all, all of you have forgotten. Who conducted that local government election that brought those people to power? It was INEC, it was not the state electoral commissions. So people went on their own, elected the chairmen, they were not errand boys and they won their elections. These are people who had credibility and knew what they were doing. That is why we had that scenario, being the way it was.

But lwhat happens later? The elections are now conducted by the state electoral commissions. There were no elections, you all know. Elections are just done on what they call elections. So what do we expect from those people?

After the grant has been given to local governments, they will give them blank signed cheques and the money will be removed in line with the whims and caprices of the state governors. We all know this.

You will see paperwork, you will see everything has been done properly,. That is just what could be seen on a mere paper, but the real thing is done in line with the whims and caprices of the state governors. So, there are chains of actions to be taken, and it is not only for us to vote for the autonomy of local governments. We must vote for a body different from the body that will be controlled by state governments to conduct local government elections otherwise, forget it.

You must return local government elections to INEC. Or if you are not using INEC, create a body independent of the state governors. If you do not follow the chain of actions and you say you want to have autonomy even with this proposal we are having, we will not get it right.

So, we have to concentrate on two things: the mode of election. Those who will conduct the polls have an independent body to conduct the elections and then go for amending the constitution to allow for the local government autonomy, he said.

After contributions of the lawmakers, the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who presided over the session, in his remarks, said some governors divide funds allocated to finance local governments thereby committing fraud.

The local government system is dead. Their monies are being illegally appropriated by the governors. They will tell you, go and write a request, we want to do this. They write a request purporting to be theirs, and the money will be splitted by the governors. This is what we see everyday.

Well, let me not generalise. Some governors, of course, are nice. They dont do that, but some do that. But there are some good governors out there Mr Jibrin said.

He thereafter put he motion to vote and majority of the senators voted in support of it.

The deputy senate president then directed the Clerk of the Senate, Chinedu Akubueze, to communicate the resolution to the appropriate authorities.

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Catholic Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Kukah, has called on the federal government to communicate better with Nigerians amid the current hardship.

Mr Kukah stated this on Wednesday after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the presidential villa in Abuja.

The cleric told journalists at the State House that Nigerians are going through various levels of pain which he described as unintended consequences of some policy decisions by the Tinubu administration.

He said though one year is not enough to assess the president, he however, stated that the government should improve the quality of communication to Nigerians so that they can get a sense of how long the hardship will last.

President Tinubu will be one year in office on 29 May.

Im sure many people will tell you that one year is not enough to make a judgement. However, from where we all stand, we know that we are all in a very difficult situation.

Nigerians are in various levels of pain and they are pains that are unintended. But they are the results of certain policy decisions that hopefully, with time, can be amended in order to serve the welfare of the people.

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Because I believe that the essence of government is to guarantee the welfare and security of ordinary citizens. I believe that the times that we are in now are very difficult times and nobody should be under any illusion. But they are also times for renewal.

We just need to commit ourselves to the fact that building a good society takes a lot of time. Its not something that is done in one life time. And for me, the most important thing is to continue on the building blocks of the things that we think are being done well.

My argument has always been that the government needs to very quickly improve the quality of communication so that Nigerians can at least get a sense of how long is it going to be before food is ready, he said.

On the political crisis in Rivers State, Mr Kukah said, But look, when politicians fight, dont get carried away because they have their capacity to fix their quarrel. And I hope and pray that Rivers State will sooner rather than later reposition because it is not an insignificant part of Nigeria.

Purpose of visit

Mr Kukah explained that he visited Mr Tinubu to remind him of the invitation to a conference on national cohesion organised by the Kukah Centre.

He added that the centre hopes to have the president in attendance.

I came to see the president with the Director of the Kukah Centre. We came to discuss with the president an invitation we had earlier extended, which we renewed, to have a conference in which we will like him to be in attendance, addressing the theme of national cohesion. So, thats really what we came to discuss, he said.

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There is confusion in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State following reports of the suspension of governorship aspirant, Jimoh Ibrahim, by leaders of his Igbotako Ward II in Okitipupa Local Government Area of the state.

He was reportedly suspended over allegations of anti-party activities.

The said suspension came days after Mr Ibrahim, the senator representing Ondo South, filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking the nullification of the 20 April governorship primary election that produced incumbent Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, as the partys candidate.

The senator had rebuffed appeals from the national leadership of the party to drop his governorship ambition and team up with the governor to ensure victory at the polls in November.

He is urging the court to cancel the primary election, bar Mr Aiyedatiwa from parading himself as the candidate of the APC for the governorship election and exclude the party from participating in the said election unless it conducts a fresh primary election.

Before Wednesdays alleged suspension, groups within the party had called for sanctions for Mr Ibrahim and his likes who have rejected the results of the primary election and are bent on scuttling the partys bid to retain the governorship seat on 16 November.

Observers perceive the suspension as the partys fitting reaction to the senators affront on its supremacy.

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The letter of suspension, signed by the Ward Secretary, Omotoye Olusola and 15 other members of the executive, read: We, the members of the APC Executive Committee of Igbotako Ward II in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State, convened a meeting on Monday, 13 May 2024.

During our meeting, we deliberated extensively on various issues affecting the progress and development of our party, notably indiscipline and insubordination among some members.

We have found Senator Jimoh Ibrahims actions and activities to be in violation of the partys constitution, particularly his decision to sue the party as well as his anti-party activities.

As such, we have resolved to take appropriate disciplinary action against him as outlined in the partys constitution. Senator Jimoh Folorunso Ibrahim is hereby suspended from the All Progressives Congress (APC) with immediate effect for acts of insubordination and anti-party activities In accordance with Article 21, Section A of APC Constitution.

The ward executive recalled that the National Chairman of APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, met with all Ondo State governorship aspirants on 25 April in Abuja.

At the meeting, Mr Ganduje urged them to cooperate with the partys candidate, Mr Aiyedatiwa.

Despite this, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim Folorunso proceeded to sue the Governor and APC, blatantly disregarding party instructions.

Additionally, he has engaged in anti-party activities by urging his supporters in Igbotako and Ondo State to join NNPP, claiming he will soon receive the gubernatorial ticket from them.

Senator Jimoh has openly declared his intent to disrupt APC before leaving the party, as evidenced by his actions in the Federal High Court in Abuja and his derogatory remarks about APC in various media outlets.

For emphasis, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim Folorunso has been suspended from the All Progressives Congress(APC) with immediate effect, and he is hereby prohibited from participating in APC activities nationwide, the statement added.

In a twist, however, the Chairman of the Igbotako Ward II, Adetokunbo Omotola, told PREMIUM TIMES in a telephone conversation that there was no decision taken by the leadership of the ward to suspend Mr Ibrahim.

That suspension is fake, we did not suspend Jimoh Ibrahim, he said.

Instead, on the 9 May, we took a decision passing a vote of confidence on Jimoh Ibrahim and expressed our support for his legal actions against the 20 April primary election of the APC.

We stated clearly that there was no election in Igbotako Ward II, and there was no election in all the wards in Okitipupa LGA.

We were surprised that votes were allotted to the wards where no election took place by the Ododo-led election committee, Mr Omotola said.

Mr Omotola further noted that no decision of anyone could supersede the decision reached by the leaders of the party.

I am the chairman of the party in that ward, and how can anybody say they have suspended Mr Ibrahim without my notice? He queried.

Meanwhile, the state Publicity Secretary of the party, Alex Kalejaiye, said he was yet to receive any communication regarding the suspension of Mr Ibrahim.

Actually, when a decision is taken at that level, they will first communicate with the Local Government Area office of the party, which will in turn get to us at the state headquarters.

For now, we have not received anything from the local government. I called the local government chairman and he said he was yet to receive any communication on the suspension, Mr Kalejaiye said.

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In February this year, African leaders outlawed the donkey skin trade. The historic continent-wide ban, which prohibits killing these animals for their skin, marks a crucial step in safeguarding Africas 33 million donkeys from theft, trafficking and slaughter.

The ban was adopted at the African Union (AU) summit on 18 February. It also aims to ensure the welfare and sustenance of communities that depend on these animals.

The trade has become a global challenge. Demand is rising from China for the gelatin extracted from donkey skins, popularly known as ejiao  a traditional Chinese medicine believed to cure a range of illnesses, with unverified efficacy. Around 5.9 million donkeys are slaughtered annually worldwide to meet the escalating demand for ejiao, which is also used to make food and beauty products.

The cruel trade is detrimental to African communities, where donkeys are an important asset to about 158 million people. These placid creatures have long been valued as loyal companions and a critical means of transport. They are vital work animals for carrying goods, tilling the land and pulling water from wells. Declining numbers shift the burden of hard labour to women and children in rural communities.

Eliot Nsega from the AU Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources told the ENACT organised crime project that donkeys endure relentless cruelty through the trade. They are violently captured, crammed into overcrowded, unsanitary transport over long distances, and left terrified and neglected before being slaughtered.

The projected demand for donkey skins is an estimated 6.8 million by 2027. Given this, the AUs ban on this brutal and unethical trade cannot come early enough, says Janneke Merkx, campaign manager at The Donkey Sanctuary  an international organisation working to improve donkeys wellbeing.

Although the donkey trade is outlawed in Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Cote dIvoire, porous borders, uneven regional trade regulations, and limited enforcement capacities have led to a sharp decline in the donkey population.

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The AUs moratorium follows years of sustained activism in Africa and Asia. During the 4th Africa Animal Welfare Conference in 2020, there was a call for African governments to institute continent-wide protection of donkeys.

In December 2022, participants at a pan-African conference organised by the AU Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources agreed on the need for immediate action. The conferences Dar-Es-Salam Declaration on Donkey Preservation pushed for an AU resolution on a 15-year suspension of commercial donkey slaughter for skins and other derivatives. It also called for an African strategy against the exploitation of the animals. These actions culminated in the prohibition announced at this years AU summit.

Key points of the ban include a 15-year moratorium on the commercial slaughter of donkeys for their skin across all member states. A comprehensive Africa Donkey Strategy will also be developed to tackle the long-term challenges associated with the trade.

The decision is a positive step, but implementing it effectively wont be easy. Countries must develop and enforce regulations and allocate resources for monitoring and enforcement, including tracking the movement of donkeys and identifying illicit trading routes. This may involve using satellite imagery and GPS tracking to gather real-time intelligence.

Mr Nsega believes a successful ban does not require tracking every donkey. By focusing on high-risk areas and using a combination of strategies, enforcement can be targeted and cost-effective. Several international organisations have pledged to help AU member states ensure compliance with the trade ban.

Solomon Onyango, country director of The Donkey Sanctuary in Kenya, said the widespread nature of the trade, encompassing multiple countries and sophisticated criminal networks, is the primary obstacle for the AU and member states. Reports show that the illegal donkey skin trade converges with trafficking in protected wildlife and illicit drugs. Limited resources and capacity constraints present significant hurdles in detecting and prosecuting these crimes.

Confronting the cross-border nature of the trade requires cooperation between countries in sharing information, coordinating operations and tightening porous borders. Shipping, cargo and freight companies must be brought on board to curb the transportation of donkey skins. Criminal enterprises will likely adapt to the ban, so law enforcement must anticipate this.

While the prohibition focuses on controlling the supply side in Africa, tackling the demand for skins in destination countries is equally important, says Onyango. He believes the AU can play a vital role in fostering international dialogue and collaboration to address this aspect.

The ban is intended to provide time for the AU Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources, in partnership with animal welfare groups, to develop a comprehensive strategy for donkey breeding and productivity in Africa. Better animal welfare standards and responsible donkey ownership practices can also contribute to the animals well-being.

The AUs ban represents a vital step towards dismantling a complex criminal enterprise. The next 15 years will test the ability of the AU and its member states to put their commitments into practice.

Dr Feyi Ogunade, West Africa Regional Organised Crime Observatory Coordinator and Dr Ndubuisi Christian Ani, Senior Researcher and Project Coordinator, ENACT, ISS

ENACT is funded by the European Union and implemented by the Institute for Security Studies in partnership with INTERPOL and the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime.

(This article was first published by ISS Today, a Premium Times syndication partner. We have their permission to republish).

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Convicted billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, popularly known as Evans and his co-defendant Joseph Emeka, charged with murder and attempted kidnap have opted for plea bargain.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lead prosecuting counsel, Yusuf Sule, informed the court about the plea bargain option on Thursday when the case was called for re-arraignment.

The case was called for re-arraignment before the trial judge, Adenike Cokers, of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja.

NAN reports that Evans and his co-defendant were to be re-arraigned on an amended five counts of murder, attempt to murder, conspiracy to commit felony to wit: kidnapping and attempt to murder.

Mr Sule informed the court that the case was for re-arraignment but he was aware the defendants had applied for a plea bargain.

The prosecutor, however, said the plea bargain terms were being considered by the Attorney-General of Lagos State, Mr Lawal Pedro, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

Evans has been convicted and jailed for his extensive kidnap activities.

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In February 2022, a judge of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, Hakeem Oshodi, sentenced him to life imprisonment for the kidnap of Donatus Dunu, the Chief Executive Officer of Maydon Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

In September 2022, another judge of the court, Oluwatoyin Taiwo, also sentenced Evans to 21 years imprisonment for kidnapping a businessman Slyvanus Ahamonu, and collecting $420,000 as ransom from his family.

Details shortly

NAN

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The Kano State Chief Judge, Dije Abdu-Aboki, has transferred the case of alleged misappropriation, and diversion of funds filed against the All Progressive Congress(APC) National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, and seven others to a new judge.

NAN reports that the case was earlier before a judge of the Kano State High Court, Usman Naabba. But it has now been transferred to another judge, Amina Adamu-Aliyu.

The Kano State Judiciary Public Relations Officer, Baba Jibo-Ibrahim, confirmed the development in an interview on Thursday in Kano.

He said the office of the Chief Judge has the power to direct and transfer a case at any stage so far it has not reached the level of judgement.

Mr Ganduje, alongside his wife, Hafsat Umar, Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash properties Limited,Safari Textiles Limited and Lasage General Enterprises Limited are charged with eight-count charge.

NAN reports that the state government instituted eight counts of bribery, misappropriation and diversion of public funds against Mr Ganduje and his co-defendants.

However, no date has been fixed for the case before the new judge, Justice Adamu-Aliyu.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Naabba, had on 29 April, fixed 16 May, for ruling on an application by the Kano State Government, seeking a substituted service on the respondents.

(NAN)

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A Professor of African History, Peace, and Conflict Studies at the University of Ibadan (UI), Oyo State, Isaac Albert, has decried the poor welfare conditions of Nigerian lecturers, saying as a professor of almost 20 years, he is still struggling to meet his basic needs.

Mr Albert, who spoke recently in Lagos at a public lecture in celebration of the 60th birthday of the Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Adelaja Odukoya, said one of Nigerias greatest impediments to development is the wide disparity between what he described as the agenda of the Nigerian people and the agenda of the political elite.

He spoke on the topic: Nigerias Developmental Challenges: Which Way Forward?

The scholar said he became a professor, the highest cadre in the academic world, almost 20 years ago but he still struggles to meet his needs and that of his family.

I became a professor in 2006, all I am looking for is the ability to pay the school fees of my children. That is not an ambitious need, he said.

Just two months ago, the vice-chancellor helped me to sign my cooperative form. So if a professor of 2006 is still looking for a cooperative to meet basic needsif my pay for one month cannot take me to a three-day conference in Benin Republic, thats not a country, lets not deceive ourselves, he said.

The guest lecturer noted that the needs of an average Nigerian are pretty simple and straightforward.

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He said Nigerians are worried because theyre getting to the point where existence is no longer possible, describing the situation as dangerous.

The future that we need, based on the research I conducted in Ogoni land, is a very simple one. Ogoni people told me that in their communities all theyre struggling for is the ability to eat three times a day, and for me, I dont think thats too much.

He said until the continents leadership is refocused, the challenges posed by underdevelopment will continue to haunt the country.

This is as other participants at the event including the two former ASUU National Presidents- Dipo Fashina and Nasir Fagge; Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Kayode Adebowale; immediate past Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe; Vice-Chancellor of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Razak Kalilu, and the Olokine of Ojowo, in Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State, Abdulrasheed Banjo, among others, extolled the virtue of the celebrator, and commended him for standing for Nigeria at all times.

The UNILAG Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Management Services, Lucian Chukwu, represented the Vice-Chancellor of the host university, Folasade Ogunsola.

Nigerias undefined partnership needs

Also speaking in his lecture, Mr Albert, who described Nigerias bilateral relations as non-mutually beneficial, said in various conferences and summits held with other leaders of the world, Nigerian and African leaders usually do not have specific demands from those theyre meeting. He said such development is in contrast with other world leaders who always have specific demands in hand when meeting African leaders.

In rare situations where African leaders have demands, it is usually the demands of the political elite which does not necessarily capture the needs of the citizenry, he said.

The question I ask myself which I also ask at the meeting of the ECOWAS Council of the Wise is; what are you people looking for? This is because I find it difficult to say what theyre looking for, he said.

I saw this when we were having the China-Africa forum in China many years ago in Beijing. The Chinese will tell you this is what were looking for. African leaders came there but couldnt say what they were looking for from the Chinese. The Chinese are aware of what theyre looking for.

He called for the development of an agenda to highlight the benefits Nigeria is looking for in other countries it is dealing with, adding that it is Nigerias responsibility to map out what it wants to get in its relationship with some of the developed countries including China, Britain, and France.

He said: These people come here. When they notice that you are not asking for anything, they take all they want to take and leave you with nothing. And I think that is my worry. This could be an academic debate. This is my problem with Agenda 2063; The Africa We Want.

According to Mr Albert, Nigeria reaches not for the future the people want but for that which the Nigerian leaders prefer.

I think the best way to gauge that is what politicians promised you when coming to office. Im sorry to say most of them do not promise anything. So when they come to the office and you say they did not provide this, you are beginning to act like a thief because there was no contract. They did not promise anything, he said.

If they did not promise any future then you cannot begin to accuse them of not providing any future When you call attention to anything that is not working well, people say youre being tedious.

The future Nigeria needs

According to Mr Albert, the future Nigeria needs is one with strong state institutions, a ruling class interested in the development of the country, a youth population prepared for the future and a result-oriented international diplomacy.

We must have an altruistic elite class that is genuinely interested in the development of the country. We must have a productive youth population. A youth population that is deliberately prepared for the future. And then we must have a result-oriented international diplomacy, he said.

The professor expressed worry that the political system has been structured in a way that frustrates those genuinely interested in the development of the country with a huge fund needed to contest elections.

Now, in Nigeria, we have a number of problems. Elite state capture frustrates consensus building. If you sit with politicians they are not talking about the ordinary person, theyre talking about themselves. Societies have been captured, he said.

The point I am trying to make here is that the system has censored out the best. Its the society that is under state capture. A few people have captured the state and theres nothing we can do.

Others speak

In his contribution at the event, Mr Fagge condemned the countrys political structure and lamented the quality of those presenting themselves for elections. He said ASUU, as Nigerias foremost labour union, is prepared to change the narratives.

We are tired of complaining about poor governance and as a union, I can assure you that we are ready to rewrite the story. It is high time we prepared men and women for leadership positions and presented them for elections, he said.

The UNILAG VC, Mrs Ogunsola, described Mr Odukoya as one of the strong pillars of support the institution leans on, saying the man she proudly refers to as comrade professor is an asset to the country as a whole and not just the university system.

On his part, the monarch, Oba Banjo sought the support of ASUU and other Nigerians in the quest to provide constitutional roles for traditional rulers in the countrys constitution.

The monarch congratulated Mr Odukoya on his diamond jubilee birthday and thanked him for his contributions to the development of the Ojowo community. He announced the approval of the Ojowo Traditional Council to bestow the chieftaincy title of Fimogbuye of Ojowo and Yeye Fimogbuye of Ojowo on Mr Odukoya and his wife at the next Olokine Day in December.

Appreciation

Mr Odukoya, a Professor of Political Science and Lagos Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, who joined UNILAG as an assistant lecturer in 2004, rose to the position of a full professor about three years ago.

He is the Managing Editor, UNILAG Journal of Politics, and ASUU Journal of Social Sciences, and currently serves as the lead researcher on the political economy of agricultural commercialisation in Nigeria, a five-year project sponsored by the Department for International Development (DFID) and the University of London under the Agricultural Policy Research for Africa (APRA).

He thanked everyone for honouring him and for what he described as their continued struggle for the betterment of Nigeria. He expressed his commitment to the progress of Nigeria.

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The Nigerian military has declared Halilu Buzu, a national of Buzu in the Republic of Niger wanted for terrorising Nigerian territory, particularly Zamfara State.

The Director of Defence Media Operations, Edward Buba, a major general, made the announcement on Thursday in Abuja, at a media briefing on the operations of the military.

Mr Buba said the notorious suspected terrorist leader settled in Subbubu Forest in Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

He said that Buzu had a camp for illegal gold mining located at Kawayi, in Anka Local Government Area of the state, and had lots of boys working for him.

According to Mr Buba, the terrorist is also a prominent cattle rustler.

He said that the Buzus group had, in the last week, killed 19 villagers at Farar Kasa.

He is a High Value Target and we hereby declare him wanted.

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Furthermore, he is a major arms supplier, trusted by arms dealers supplying arms from Libya.

We have been on his trail and whenever we close in on him, he bolts across the border into the Republic of Niger for refuge.

At this time, we are through appropriate channels calling on the Nigerien authorities, regional and international bodies to support in effecting his arrest to hold him accountable for his atrocities, he said.

(NAN)

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The death toll from Wednesdays attack on a mosque at Gadan, a community in Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano State, has risen to 11, the police and residents of the area have said.

Residents said they buried at least 11 victims of the attack, mostly aged persons.

A resident of the community, Shafiu Abubakar, had sprayed the mosque with fuel, locked worshippers inside and set it ablaze. The police initially said Mr Abubakar used a petrol bomb, but locals believed no explosive device was involved.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that one person died while on admission at the Murtala Muhammad Specialists Hospital following the incident that affected almost 40 people, including children.

The police spokesperson in Kano, Abdullahi Kiyawa, told our reporter on Thursday that 11 victims of the attack had died as of that morning.

Mr Kiyawa said 13 more victims were receiving treatment at the Murtala Muhammad Specialists Hospital.

The police arrested Mr Abubakar immediately after the incident early Wednesday morning.

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The state commissioner of police, Usaini Gumel, earlier told reporters that Mr Abubakar, 38, had told investigators that he targeted the worshippers over a family dispute over the sharing of an inheritance.

Residents who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES Thursday afternoon feared that the casualty figures could rise judging by the severity of the injuries of those in hospital.

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The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) says troops eliminated no fewer than 227 terrorists, apprehended 529 and rescued 253 kidnapped victims in ground and air operations across the country in the last one week.

The Director Defence Media Operations, Edward Buba, a major general, made this known while briefing journalists on Thursday in Abuja on the operations of the armed forces.

Mr Buba said the troops recovered 231 assorted weapons and 6,441 assorted ammunition, comprising 89 AK47 rifles, 40 locally fabricated guns, 59 dane guns, 250kg bombs used by NATO and Eastern Bloc aircraft and one MRAP.

Others, according to him, are 4,198 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 841 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 88 rounds of 5.56mm, 16 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm, 99 rounds of 7.62x51mm, 956 rounds of 7.62x54mm, 242 live cartridges, one PKM magazine, 24 magazines among others

In the North-east, Mr Buba said the troops of Operation Hadin Kai neutralised 83 terrorists, arrested 59 suspects and rescued 58 kidnapped hostages, as well as recovered a large cache of arms.

He said that 219 terrorists, comprising 29 adult males, 65 adult females and 125 children, surrendered to troops within the theatre of operations between 8 and 14 May.

In the North-central, Mr Buba said the troops of Operations Safe Haven and Whirle Stroke neutralised 27 insurgents, arrested 154 violent extremists and rescued 42 kidnapped hostages.

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In the North-west, he said the troops of Operation Hadarin Daji also neutralised 58 terrorists, arrested 125 terrorists and rescued 105 kidnapped hostages.

Mr Buba said the air component had, on 8 May, bombarded a new terrorist enclave in the Faskari area of Katsina State following an intelligence trail and confirmatory ISR on the migration of notorious terrorist elements to the deserted settlement.

According to him, battle damage assessment revealed that several terrorists were neutralised and their structures as well as logistics destroyed

He added that troops of Operation Whirl Punch apprehended 68 illegal miners from an illegal mining site in Gwagwalada Area Council of FCT Abuja during the week.

He said the troops also neutralised 25 terrorists, arrested 97 suspects and rescued 32 kidnapped hostages.

He also said that in the South-south, troops of Operation Delta Safe recovered 1,442,700 litres of stolen crude oil and 154,650 litres of illegally refined AGO.

According to him, troops discovered and destroyed 18 dugout pits, 34 boats, five drums, four receivers, four reservoirs and 97 storage tanks.

Other items recovered include 198 cooking ovens, nine vehicles, three pumping machines, two speedboats, one baofeng radio, one outboard engine and 57 illegal refining sites.

Troops also neutralised three extremists and apprehended 16 suspected oil thieves and other violent extremists.

In the South-east, Mr Buba said the troops of Operation UDO KA neutralised 21 terrorists, arrested 45 violent extremists and rescued 12 kidnapped hostages, as well as recovered a cache of arms.

(NAN)

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A heavy rainstorm on Thursday morning destroyed an iconic hall at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, in Osun State, leaving many students injured.

The affected structure is the Amphitheatre of the Oduduwa Hall, where 100-level students were having an early morning lecture when the incident happened.

The universitys spokesperson, Abiodun Olarewaju, confirmed the incident in a statement but didnt provide the number of students affected.

However, a student, Gbolahan Latinwo, told PREMIUM TIMES that six students were injured from the development.

Two of the injured students were referred to the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital before they were again transferred to the university teaching hospital, a campus-based publication said.

University speaks

Mr Olarewaju said the university management has sealed off the lecture hall indefinitely.

He said the Vice-Chancellor, Adebayo Bamire, a professor, led other principal officers of the institution to the medical and health centre of the university and ensured that the injured students were given adequate medical attention.

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He added that Mr Banire also followed two other students, whose cases demanded more medical attention to the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC), where he said the Chief Medical Director (CMD), John Okeniyi, also a professor, physically supervised the management of the cases.

The vice-chancellor has, therefore, appealed for calm and urged students and staff to go about their academic and administrative activities without any form of untoward action, he said.

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The Senate has suspended the consideration of a report recommending the suspension of the increase in electricity tariff by the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), pending legal advice.

The resolution was a sequel to a point of order raised by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Titus Zam, during the plenary.

The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, announced the resolution after a majority of the senators supported it through voice votes.

In February, the Senate rejected the increase in the electricity tariff and directed its Committee on Power to investigate the circumstances surrounding the increment and submit a comprehensive report for further legislative action.

Despite the resolution, the NERC in April announced an increment in the electricity tariff from N68 per kilowatt-hour to N225 for consumers in Band A (about 15 per cent of electricity consumers).

Many Nigerians including lawmakers condemned the increment on the basis that it was not fair to electricity consumers.

But when the Chairman of the Committee on Power, Enyinnaya Abaribe, presented a report on the issue during Thursdays plenary directing NERC to reverse the increment, many of the lawmakers in their separate contributions rejected the reversal saying the matter is already before a Federal High Court in Kano.

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Recommendation

Mr Abaribe (PDP, Abia South), while presenting the report, said the committee recommended that the Ministry of Power and NERC should in the meantime adopt measures to address the problem of power scarcity rather than increasing it.

It recommended that NERC should hold the electricity distribution companies accountable in the area of performance.

The committee stressed that the mass metering programme of the federal government should be encouraged to address the current metering gap.

It further recommended that the Ministry of Power should establish an Electricity Consumer Protection (ECP) Unit to develop, implement and enforce the Electricity Consumer Protection component of the Electricity Act, 2023. 34(2)(c) and 119 (1)(f)

Suspension

Mr Zam, who represents Benue North-west, raised the observation that the matter is already before a Federal High Court and subsequently urged the Senate to suspend the consideration of the report.

Jimoh Ibrahim (APC, Ondo South) supported the suspension.

Mr Ibrahim said it would be an aberration if the Senate should continue to debate an issue that is subjudice.

The deputy senate president who presided over the plenary, thereafter, ruled that the committees report be suspended pending advice from the National Assemblys legal department.

Mr Barau specifically said the report will be suspended until all legal issues surrounding it are resolved.

I think there is a need for us to look at both sides. He is the chairman and he is an important person. He is the chairman of rules and business committee.

I think having raised the issue by the chairman of the rules and business committee, we need to hold on a while and look into his observation and then try to create time to consult our legal department to see if we can continue, this is my opinion.

I cannot disregard the suggestion or observation by chairman rules and business. That will not be fair, so we are not saying that we will not continue with the report but let us stand it down until we resolve the legal issues involved.

Your order is sustained. Maybe by the next sitting, we can continue the process after we have taken the advice of our legal department, he added.

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I wish he had time to write a memoir about his experiences  and what a life it was. Make voice notes, I urged, every time we spoke over the last year. We will have his years on radio, e.g., Public Square and there are plans to memorialise him with a library of his books and papers, but his death should be a wakeup call to those who have been at one time or the other, on the frontlines of contributing to Nigerias wellbeing.

Three secrets of a satisfying life: one, have no fear. Two, always be in learning mode and share knowledge. Three, do your best to improve human civilisation and development.  Rotimi Sankore (19682024).

Rotimi shared this with me in a WhatsApp chat as we discussed the death of a public figure in 2021. He said, news like this is often a reminder that our major task in life is to do our best  as quickly as possible  to make the world better than we met it. No slacking. And then he shared those three tips.

All three are intertwined  one has to have no fear in order to be humble and open enough to learn continuously and to share knowledge that people, too often, do not want to hear. One must also have no fear and one needs knowledge to improve human civilisation and development. As someone said, to help Nigerians you need two hands, one for the act of assistance and the other to block the blows of those who will attack you for what you are trying to do. It is probably the same anecdote in most countries and about all people. Finally, in a circuitous way, the more knowledge one has, the more fearless one becomes  after all, what is life, what is time, what is space?

Rotimi told me a childhood story about himself that engages his secrets of life; it is some indication that he was a precocious child who became the adult we knew, who bravely tried to live in accordance with values he espoused and what he was learning.

Rotimi was a treasure trove of experiences, ideas and knowledge. In the all too short length of time that he was a colleague and friend, I learnt a lot. Rarely could a conversation end without at least one brilliant idea related to history, art, culture and governance, that I had to capture as a possible future project. He had a great sense of humour and for a while we had a Nigeria absurdity index, where we catalogued and shared the glorious tragicomedy that is Nigeria

As a student of Ireti Primary School, Ikoyi, Lagos, the divergence between colonial education, logic, and Felas music tripped Rotimi up. He failed an essay on the discovery of River Niger  the third longest river in Africa and one of two major rivers in Nigeria; the other being the Benue.

In his essay, he pointed out that River Niger had always been where it was and was not discovered by the Scottish explorer, Mungo Park, as social studies text books claimed. Rotimi grew up listening to Felas music and in Perambulator, Fela sings about the falsehood of Park discovering River Niger. Instead, it was Africans who showed Park the way, otherwise he, for dey perambulate and for still dey same-same place  he no discover; he write am for them, he no write am for us. At most, Parks discovery was for his audience, Europeans, who did not know about River Niger, not for those who lived with the river.

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Rotimi asked for feedback on his essay and it became clear the teacher expected him to describe Parks discovery. Rotimi argued that it made no sense to say Park discovered River Niger. He observed that the illustration in the textbook suggested that the Nigerian guides who were part of Parks expedition had led him to the river as they were shown pointing the River Niger out to him. The teacher blew up; Rotimi must accept that Park discovered River Niger. Rotimi still remembered his tears of rage and incomprehension. His passion for education as a path to development (ensuring access and devotion to the call, teacher no teach me nonsense) and his interest in inquiry and interrogating power was a lifelong calling.

Rotimi was a treasure trove of experiences, ideas and knowledge. In the all too short length of time that he was a colleague and friend, I learnt a lot. Rarely could a conversation end without at least one brilliant idea related to history, art, culture and governance, that I had to capture as a possible future project. He had a great sense of humour and for a while we had a Nigeria absurdity index, where we catalogued and shared the glorious tragicomedy that is Nigeria: money swallowing snakes, arrested cats, and a senator who rejected the Gender and Equal Opportunities bill because of the word equal.

The quality of our education, the investment in public goods and social services, our social imaginary that tilts towards the magical, the warped incentives for holding government power, lack of public finance accountability are different threads that create the cloth of our daily realities. Rotimi knew this and did his part. Now he is at rest; no longer with us physically, but forever alive through his deeds, works and words.

He had a fellowship from Open Society Foundations Ideas Workshop to develop his concept on a documentary on Fela. One would think, hasnt everything that could be said about Fela not already been said? Rotimis take was heterodox, convincing us that there was room to explore Fela as philosopher through his lyrics and music and how his theories and ideas are pertinent today, for Nigeria, Africa and the world, as we grapple with constructed identities as destiny, rabid neoliberalism and evolving global multipolarities and alignments, at a time of heightened nationalism.

Everything in our lives is connected.

Rotimi complained for months, starting in 2021, about low energy, malaria that never seemed to go away and then, months after, in 2022, came the cancer diagnosis. He was open about his experience and seemed fearless in the face of the disease that ravaged his body but not his mind. He remained upbeat whenever we spoke  never once blaming a broken health care system that does what it can with what it has butif he was diagnosed sooner, there is a chance he would still be with us.

I wish he had time to write a memoir about his experiences  and what a life it was. Make voice notes, I urged, every time we spoke over the last year. We will have his years on radio, e.g., Public Square and there are plans to memorialise him with a library of his books and papers, but his death should be a wakeup call to those who have been at one time or the other, on the frontlines of contributing to Nigerias wellbeing. It is important to document the years of struggle, ideological debates and camaraderie for future generations who might be tempted to say, for lack of knowledge, we are the first or this has never been done.

The quality of our education, the investment in public goods and social services, our social imaginary that tilts towards the magical, the warped incentives for holding government power, lack of public finance accountability are different threads that create the cloth of our daily realities. Rotimi knew this and did his part. Now he is at rest; no longer with us physically, but forever alive through his deeds, works and words.

Ayisha Osori is the author of Love Does Not Win Elections.

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In the Middle East, the Complex has President Biden by the balls. That was what I told the caller from Nigeria. It doesnt matter what the students are saying on college campuses or what the cab drivers think, the Complex has Biden by the balls. And what a hold they have on him and on anyone in the White House in an election year! The Complex has got Israels back. Biden is damned if he calls out Netanyahu. Damned if he doesnt.

I was chatting with a friend last week, who, mid-speech, redirected our conversation to the situation in the Middle East. She wanted to know what the mood in the US was. Over 6,000 miles away in Nigeria, from where she was calling, she didnt quite trust the media accounts. Since I was visiting the US, she thought I might have a better reading of the pulse.

Her call coincided with the decision by Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to launch a ground offensive in Rafah, in spite of warnings about compounding the current humanitarian disaster in Gaza, where over 32,000 Palestinians have been killed, not counting bodies still under the rubble.

No one is sure how many more dead would be counted before Netanyahu finds the last Hamas, but is there still a chance  just one chance  that the dog in this deadly hunt will hear the hunters restraining whistle? Is the US unable or unwilling or both unable and unwilling to call Netanyahu to stop?

Calling America

I told the caller that the honest answer was I dont know. The mood on US campuses was clear. Students from Columbia to Yale and from Harvard to New York and University of Texas at Austin, pitched tents outside for days in running battles with the police to demand an end to the war. They wanted the Biden administration to call Netanyahu to order.

There were counter-protests, alright, but the overwhelming majority of students across US college campuses made their voices loud and clear: Israel had gone too far in avenging the 7th of October.

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That was the mood on the campuses.

It wasnt very different on the streets, too. You could say that is to be expected. Two of three cab drivers I used were persons with Arab roots, who wore their grief on their sleeves.

They were not all Hamas sympathisers; just ordinary folks who might still have remained in Palestine under better leadership, but in whose eyes the worst Palestine leaders now look like saints, thanks to Israels ruthless war in Gaza. But you dont have to be Arab or Jew or Greek to ask, who can stop Netanyahu? You just have to be human to see that if two wrongs dont make a right, a third only compounds it.

So, who does the US listen to and why does it matter in the war in Gaza? In politico-speak, those who move the hand that moves the most powerful country in the world are called the military-industrial complex.

you would be mistaken to judge its influence by its size. Although it accounted for about three per cent of the US GDP two years ago, these folks who are mostly famous for their notorious exploits, with strong ties to the Jewish lobby, have been linked with nearly every bad thing, from the overthrow and murder of radical Chilean President Salvadore Allende Gossens to the Vietnam War, and from the Iran-Contra Affair to Gulf War I and II.

Whos the Complex?

This is how Meta AI defines it: The military-industrial complex (MIC) refers to the interconnected network of relationships between the military, defence contractors, and the federal government. It involves the collaboration and cooperation between these entities to produce and profit from military weapons, equipment and services.

The term was first used by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in his farewell address in 1961, where he warned of the potential dangers of an unchecked alliance between the military, defence contractors and politicians.

If theres anyone who ought to know that a threesome involving the military, defence contractors and politicians can hardly end in any good, it was Eisenhower. He was on two of the three sides; and Dick Cheney, who became vice president decades later, was on the last two sides  defence contractor and politician.

Eisenhower led two of the most consequential military campaigns in the Second World War, before he later became president.

This Complex is not large. In number terms, it would be a tiny fraction of the number of college students who besieged dozens of campuses last week, calling for an end to the war in Gaza. Statistics in 2009 suggested that it includes around 1,100 lobbyists who represent about 400 clients from the defence sector, mostly companies that make losses from peace.

Size Matters Not

But you would be mistaken to judge its influence by its size. Although it accounted for about three per cent of the US GDP two years ago, these folks who are mostly famous for their notorious exploits, with strong ties to the Jewish lobby, have been linked with nearly every bad thing, from the overthrow and murder of radical Chilean President Salvadore Allende Gossens to the Vietnam War, and from the Iran-Contra Affair to Gulf War I and II.

As bad things go, the last one was the baddest. This Complex instigated the US invasion of Iraq, in spite of all evidence to the contrary. It made up its own convenient evidence, bomb after bomb, as hundreds of lives were destroyed and centuries of civilisation in Mesopotamia was pillaged and ruined.

After the war, one of the last surviving White House peaceniks, Barack Obama, said, in a declassified document: ISIS (Islamic State), is a direct outgrowth of Al Qaeda in Iraq that grew out of our invasion, which is an example of unintended consequences  which is why we should generally aim before we shoot. Unfortunately, even Obama the Dove shot before aiming in Libya.

But think of it this way: Why would America, a beacon of the rule of law, conveniently hide under its non-signatory status to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to allow Israel to continue bombarding Gaza in spite of warnings by the court and the UN of an impending humanitarian catastrophe? Why would Biden, who regretted voting for the War in Iraq, and who as president, has prioritised diplomacy, become so impotent over Gaza?

In the Middle East, the Complex has President Biden by the balls. That was what I told the caller from Nigeria. It doesnt matter what the students are saying on college campuses or what the cab drivers think, the Complex has Biden by the balls. And what a hold they have on him and on anyone in the White House in an election year! The Complex has got Israels back. Biden is damned if he calls out Netanyahu. Damned if he doesnt.

Owners of America

Thats what I told the caller. The Igbo of South-Eastern Nigeria have a profound way of saying it, that is lacking in the English language: Ana enwe obodo enwe! A town is owned and the owners call the shots. Its a hard thing to say, even harder, perhaps, to accept. Because the logic of accepting that the Complex owns America and has its ear, is to deny the agency of actors within the system who may hold different, even stridently opposing views.

But think of it this way: Why would America, a beacon of the rule of law, conveniently hide under its non-signatory status to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to allow Israel to continue bombarding Gaza in spite of warnings by the court and the UN of an impending humanitarian catastrophe? Why would Biden, who regretted voting for the War in Iraq, and who as president, has prioritised diplomacy, become so impotent over Gaza? Its the Complex, folks! Theyve got him by the balls in an election year!

And Netanyahu knows this, as does large sections of the Western media largely controlled by vested interests in the Middle East conflict. Netanyahu knows that Israels invincibility is an American yarn. The students said that much in their placards and graffiti last week, but whos listening?

Certainly not Biden, who, along with his British ally, Rishi Sunak, scrambled military assets to defend Israel on 15 April, when Iran launched what might otherwise have been a devastating retaliatory attack on Israel. The yarn of Israels invincibility, largely overplayed in the Western media, continues to feed the war. For how long? How many more lives before enough is enough?

What Price, Peace?

On the whole, the world is in a far more peaceful place today than it was in the 20th century when millions of people died from senseless, bloody conflicts over ego and territory. Yet, it has taken bloody hard work to bring us here, where prosperity is not only measured by the Complexs profit from wars, but also by how many ordinary folks around the world have bread on their table and milk for their babies.

Now, it seems like from South Sudan to Yemen and from the meat grinder in Ukraine to Gaza, the world is adrift again, one war at a time, as America defies the voices of its own children.

Someone must stop, listen and act. If not Biden, then who?

Azu Ishiekwene is Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP.

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The transition to renewable energy in the country will surely be possible when government and businesses work together. To spur renewable energy development, policymakers and stakeholders must address the upfront costs of solar installations and promote the benefits of renewable energy to the public. The government can also address the issue using incentives such as tax breaks and subsidies for renewable energy to make them available to the public.

The electricity deficit in Nigeria devastatingly affects the countrys economy and the well-being of its people. According to the World Bank, Nigeria has the most significant electricity access deficit globally, with 45 per cent of the population, or about 90 million people, cut off from the national grid. World Bank data further shows that there are also significant gaps in electricity access between urban centres (84 per cent) and rural areas (26 per cent).

The recent Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) tariff increments affecting households and businesses have aggravated the energy access deficit. NERC introduced electricity bands on 3 April and raised the tariff for those in Band A from N68/KWh to N225/kWh until 6 May, when this was reduced by 8.1 per cent. Meanwhile, Band A customers should optimally receive 20 to 24 hours of electricity daily. Subscribers under Band B ought to enjoy 16 to 20 hours of power supply, while those in Band C should receive 12 to 16 hours daily.

These tariff hikes have convinced many Nigerians that this is the time to shift to alternative energy. Renewable energy from solar and hydropower sources is a beacon of hope, offering a concrete solution to the high energy costs and environmental pollution caused by fossil fuels.

Solar Energy: A Bright Solution

In harnessing the abundant sunlight to potentially revolutionise energy accessibility, with an average of 6.25 hours of sunshine daily across the country, solar panels can help homes and businesses break free from the constraints of the national grid, by adopting Solar Home Systems (SHS), reducing electricity expenses, and insulating against price fluctuations.

An estimated 6.2 million people (six per cent of the non-electrified population) in Nigeria are best served by SHS solutions due to their distance from grid infrastructure and low housing density, according to the Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and African Development Bank (AfDB) market assessment published in 2018. SHS can be considered across two categories, based on the different customer groups addressed. These are trim/entry-level, which provides basic power requirements to households (e.g. lighting) and Large SHS, providing more significant power outputs for domestic use (e.g. TVs, fans, and kitchen appliances for an increasing middle-class market).

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In considering the whole SHS landscape, the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has spearheaded various funded projects in line with this. Some key players in Nigerias solar market involved in the SHS business include Lumos Nigeria, Arnergy Solar Limited, Greenlight Planet, Solar Energy Nigeria, Rubitec Solar, Blue Camel Energy, Solynta Energy, Havenhill Energy, Auxano Solar, and Solar Force Nigeria Limited.

The popularity of solar energy is highlighted by the unanimous agreement among respondents that it is the most cost-effective option for real estate development. One compelling reason for this is the decreasing cost of solar technology and its long-term cost savings, in comparison to traditional renewable energy sources such as hydropower.

Hydroelectricity: Tapping into Rivers and Streams

Hydropower has substantially contributed to Nigerias grid for several decades, accounting for 20 per cent of the total grid supply today. While a large-scale hydropower system is well established, there is significant untapped potential in small hydropower systems across Nigeria. Many river systems, feeding 70 micro dams, 126 mini dams and 86 small sites, supply a technically exploitable capacity of 3.5GW, but only 1.7 per cent (0.06GW) of these resources are currently being tapped. For instance, a small hydro-power system with an operating capacity of 400kW, is owned by Taraba State and managed by the Mambilla Beverages Company and local communities around the Mambilla Plateau. The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) supported the project to supply clean electricity and renewable energy to the vicinal communities, including Kakara, Kusuku, Galadima, Nguroje, and Furmi.

Such efforts could be replicated with flowing water and the required machinery in other areas. They will be well-suited for providing neighbourhoods not served by earlier grid infrastructure with the desired energy solutions. The main categories of hydropower plants include Small Hydro, Mini Hydro, Micro Hydro, and Pico Hydro.

Incorporation of Solar Energy and Hydroelectricity in Real Estate Development

Clean Technology Hub carried out a survey on the perception of real estate developers and residents pertaining to the feasibility of incorporating renewables (solar and hydro) into residential infrastructures. All the survey respondents acknowledged the importance of integrating renewable energy into real estate projects, although most currently do not utilise any renewable energy source in their homes. The popularity of solar energy is highlighted by the unanimous agreement among respondents that it is the most cost-effective option for real estate development. One compelling reason for this is the decreasing cost of solar technology and its long-term cost savings, in comparison to traditional renewable energy sources such as hydropower.

With regard to its incorporation into real estate development, 71.4 per cent of estate developers consider solar energy the most suitable. In comparison, 28.6 per cent expressed a mixed consideration, suggesting a preference for a combination of renewable energy sources.

The survey further provides insights into various aspects of implementing renewable energy schemes, focusing on timelines, costs, comparisons with current options, and suggestions for improvement. The estimates of respondents for setting up renewable energy schemes varied from less than a month to up to two years  a variation which may be due to differences in knowledge of the technology and perceptions of administrative processes or technical complicatedness. Implementation cost estimates ranged from N200,000 to N10 million, likely affected by the projects scale, technology, and infrastructure requirements.

Solar energy has become the most valued resource as it has proven cost-effective and continuously supplies power. People can then minimise conventional grid electricity, which is costly due to high tariffs. Similarly, the survey shows that renewable energy needs to be part of real estate development, emphasising its effectiveness in dealing with electricity challenges in Nigeria.

For household scenarios:

Powering a three-bedroom home with multiple appliances (two air conditioners, a freezer, two television sets, two decoder sets, a standing fridge, and eight lighting points) will cost between N8 to N10 million, ensuring a stable five hours at noon and five hours at night, with the battery powering the system when the sunlight is no longer available.

with multiple appliances (two air conditioners, a freezer, two television sets, two decoder sets, a standing fridge, and eight lighting points) will cost between N8 to N10 million, ensuring a stable five hours at noon and five hours at night, with the battery powering the system when the sunlight is no longer available. A two-bedroom setup could range from N6 to N8 million, with appliances (an air conditioner, a fridge, a TV, and decoder set, a microwave, and six lighting points) ensuring stable five hours at noon and five hours at night, with the battery powering the system when the sunlight is no longer available.

could range from N6 to N8 million, with appliances (an air conditioner, a fridge, a TV, and decoder set, a microwave, and six lighting points) ensuring stable five hours at noon and five hours at night, with the battery powering the system when the sunlight is no longer available. A one-bedroom option costs around N5 to N6 million and includes appliances (one television set, one decoder set, and two standing fans). It guarantees 10 hours of power, just like the two- and three-bedroom homes.

It is worth noting that many Nigerians may not be able to afford N5 to N10 million to install solar power systems. There are cheaper options. A solar power system with a one-year warranty costs N2 million to N3 million and it can power the same load for 10 hours. Also, a solar power system that costs N200,000 to N1 million, with a warranty for less than a year can power the same load for five hours or less. Likewise, there are subscription options.

Call to Action

Solar energy has become the most valued resource as it has proven cost-effective and continuously supplies power. People can then minimise conventional grid electricity, which is costly due to high tariffs. Similarly, the survey shows that renewable energy needs to be part of real estate development, emphasising its effectiveness in dealing with electricity challenges in Nigeria.

The transition to renewable energy in the country will surely be possible when government and businesses work together. To spur renewable energy development, policymakers and stakeholders must address the upfront costs of solar installations and promote the benefits of renewable energy to the public. The government can also address the issue using incentives such as tax breaks and subsidies for renewable energy to make them available to the public.

Despite the unresolved challenges, the survey results reveal a keen desire for green technologies in Nigeria. Adopting renewable energy will enable Nigeria to start from the basics, i.e., addressing electricity tariffs and inconsistent power supply, to a more sustainable and resilient energy future.

Victor Fagorite is the lead researcher, while Ifeoma Malo is the founder and CEO, at Clean Technology Hub, Abuja.

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Yes, it is imperative for the Armed Forces of Nigeria to have enough boots on the ground, steel in the waters, and eyes in the sky in order to defend our country from external aggression or internal insurrection, but the incontrovertible truth is that no country shoots its way into law and order. Law and order, peace and security are dividends of good governance and credible leadership.

There is a community of people who believe that the only way out of the raging internal security challenges assailing this country is to deploy our troops to shoot their way out of our problems. For believers in such militarist approach to internal security management (and they are found mostly among our political elites), the Nigerian military possesses the magic wand with which it can figuratively wave at the multifaceted internal security challenges and they will vanish.

If you want to understand the predilection of our political elites for military deployment to deal with any security infraction, cast your mind back to when these current Service Chiefs were newly appointed and how state governors were trooping to the Armed Forces Complex in down town Garki Abuja for courtesy visits to the new military czars. To them (the governors), outsourcing the headache of the security challenge in their respective domains to the military was such an elixir that took away the pain of having to think outside the box. I mean, why worry coming up with smart governance ideas that could tame rising insecurity when there are willing, able and ready troops with magic bullets available to shoot down the security challenges?

The curious irony, though, is that it is the same political elite who rely mostly on the ready-availability of soldiers who are usually the harshest in thumbing down the troops whenever there is a slip up in operations and also the loudest in amplifying such missteps using the instrumentality of the media. Very often, you see disgruntled or attention-seeking politicians pick on the military with the illusion that by attacking them, they are getting at the Federal Government.

And so, the deployment of military troops for various internal security purposes has become so commonplace that it is now a reflex action for governments (federal and states) and even citizens to look up to soldiers to take care of any reported security infraction. Even more telling is the fact that, owing to the Nigerian militarys subordination to civil authorities and its vaunted readiness to be deployed to flashpoints, some other security agencies have conveniently abdicated their responsibilities and are currently more interested in comfort zones like VIP protection!

The systematic bastardisation of the architecture of our internal security operations, to the point that the last line of defence in internal security operations (Nigerian military) is now the first responders, while the otherwise designated lead agency (Nigeria Police) takes the back seat, is a topic for another day, but nothing really disproves the grandiose expectations from the Nigerian military more than the unsavoury reality on the ground.

The reality staring us in the face is that despite the indefatigable efforts of troops of the Nigerian military, who are currently deployed in 36 out of 36 states to combat security challenges, insecurity is not only rising across the regions and states, it is appearing to be intractable. What does that tell us? It tells us that a military (kinetic) approach to internal security operations is not the cure-all solution to security problems. Relying solely on the military is akin to treating just the symptoms of an ailment, while ignoring the root cause. Unless the disease that is the root cause of the symptom is treated, the illness will persist, despite the efforts committed to addressing it. So are the internal security challenges confronting our country; if we dont tackle the root cause, merely shooting at its manifestations is just scratching the surface, and that root cause is BAD GOVERNANCE!

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It is bad governance (corruption, ineptitude and resultant malfeasance) that bred the army of hungry, restless unemployed youths across the country today; it is bad governance that manufactured 18.5 million out-of-school children in Nigeria; it is bad governance that ensures the lack of institutional capacities, which, in turn, deny citizens of social and economic rights.

Bad governance, especially at the sub-national level, is the chief predisposing factor to crime and criminality across Nigeria. Who doesnt know that there is a correlation between bad governance (which breeds poverty) and the spike in crimes and criminality? Who doesnt know that inept and corrupt leadership breeds poverty, hunger, misery, despondency, frustration, irritability, desperation, and, ultimately, criminality in society?

Of course, nothing is more axiomatic than the saying that a hungry man is an angry man, and that such a person will listen more to the rumblings in his empty stomach than any sanctimonious preaching of patriotism or good behaviour.

In fact, the hungry man gets angrier and more fatalistic seeing how those entrusted with the common patrimony are abusing the state treasury, living large and in mindless opulence with their families and cronies, at his expense. He becomes irritable and petulant as he is further deprived of social amenities and denied social justice; he turns desperate, daring and deviant, as his the limit of his endurance wanes. It actually takes exceptional self-discipline and the grace of God for anyone in such a perennial bracket of poverty to escape the above trajectory. Therein lies the correlation between bad governance and the spike in crimes and criminality in society. A caveat, though: The above scenario is not an attempt to criminalise poverty but to draw attention to how bad governance predisposes citizens to anti-social behaviour.

It is bad governance (corruption, ineptitude and resultant malfeasance) that bred the army of hungry, restless unemployed youths across the country today; it is bad governance that manufactured 18.5 million out-of-school children in Nigeria; it is bad governance that ensures the lack of institutional capacities, which, in turn, deny citizens of social and economic rights. All these negatives, which are orchestrated by inept and corrupt governance, are what have ensured a steady stream of prospective conscripts into crimes and criminalities in our country. It is no brainer, therefore, that the only way out is a change of heart by our political elite, who symbolise inept and corrupt leadership. But will they?

Sadly, our dear country has never been in short supply of corrupt leaders who bequeath nothing but bad governance and dashed hopes. Not long ago, a bemused world was treated to the sickening paradox of how a federal ministry created for poverty alleviation and humanitarian initiatives was turned into a paragon of corruption and the mindless looting of public funds. It was also in this country that, despite widespread public outcry, federal lawmakers went ahead to spend scarce public resources on insanely expensive exotic cars for members, at a time when the masses are dying of hunger.

An ex-governor of one of the states is currently having a running battle with the anti-corruption agency over the allegation that he looted more than N80 billion belonging to his poor state. Another former governor of a state considered the epicentre of banditry in the North is accused of misappropriating N70 billion; another one allegedly diverted N10 billion for a non-existent airport; a former federal minister was accused of stealing billions to float an audio airline; and the list from recent memory goes on. So, the indisputable truth really is that for Nigeria to decisively surmount the various internal security challenges across the country, we must begin to pay attention to the quality of governance at all the tiers of government.

The military does not possess any magic wand to wave away insecurity, and in any case the military option alone has never stamped out terrorism and banditry anywhere in the world. Security is not only the responsibility of the security forces. Security is everybodys business, which is why the all-of-society approach is often recommended.

With over 130 million Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty  in a country so blessed with both natural and human resources but blighted by bad leaders  it is only expected that it will be weighed down by its own internal contradictions. The military does not possess any magic wand to wave away insecurity, and in any case the military option alone has never stamped out terrorism and banditry anywhere in the world. Security is not only the responsibility of the security forces. Security is everybodys business, which is why the all-of-society approach is often recommended.

No less a person than Nigerias Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, aptly captured the scenario when he addressed members of the House of Representatives late last year, and said: We have realised that the magic wand in addressing insecurity is good governance. Anywhere you have good governance, insecurity goes down. The security forces can only produce 30 per cent. We can only provide an enabling environment. If other aspects are not addressed, it is a problem. People cant eat. People are hungry. No matter how you tell them to keep the peace, they will not because they have to eat, otherwise they will be predisposed to criminality. Incontrovertible!

Yes, it is imperative for the Armed Forces of Nigeria to have enough boots on the ground, steel in the waters, and eyes in the sky in order to defend our country from external aggression or internal insurrection, but the incontrovertible truth is that no country shoots its way into law and order. Law and order, peace and security are dividends of good governance and credible leadership.

As the late literary icon Chinua Achebe rightly identified in his little book, The Trouble with Nigeria, Nigerias problem is rooted in leadership, and unless we get our leadership right, we will keep groping in darkness.

President Tinubu must lead the way in engendering good governance, and hopefully it will be replicated in the states and local governments. That is the best place to start if we must tame the monster of insecurity in our dear country.

Chidi Omeje is the publisher of Security Digest and Editor at Zagazola Media Network.

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In a landmark move poised to boost the local economy and Nigerias standing in the global mining sector, the Nasarawa State Government, Aerthmetal, and Boxmoor have formally signed a tripartite agreement to establish Uke Gold Company. This strategic partnership aims to explore, develop, and produce gold mineral resources in the Uke community, promising substantial economic benefits and sustainable development.

The official signing ceremony, held in Lafia, the state capital, was attended by key government officials, business leaders including executives from Aerthmetal and Boxmoor, and representatives from the host community. This collaboration underscores the commitment of all parties to harnessing Nasarawa States rich mineral resources responsibly and efficiently.

Mariam Yahaya-Shiru, CEO of Aerthmetal, shared her thoughts on the momentous occasion. We are deeply grateful to the Uke community for their warm welcome and unwavering support. This partnership is a testament to the strength and potential of collaboration. Together with Boxmoor and theState Government, we are committed to establishing Uke Gold Company as a model of excellence in the mining sector.Dr Yahaya-Shiru further emphasised the broader implications of this venture, noting, The establishment of Uke Gold Company is not just about mining; it is about positioning Nigeria as a formidable leader in the global mining industry. We aim to set new standards in sustainability, innovation, and community engagement, showcasing Nigerias capabilities on the world stage.

Also speaking during the partnership signing ceremony, the Managing Director, Nasarawa Investment (NASIDA), Ibrahim Abdullahi stated that said this initiative aligns with the States strategy to participate in the mining sector, generate revenue and create jobs.

The Uke Gold Company project is expected to bring numerous benefits to the region, including job creation, infrastructure development, and enhanced local business opportunities. The initiative also prioritizes environmental sustainability and community involvement, ensuring that the growth is inclusive and responsible.

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Anastasia Ani crouches as she scoops water into a bucket at a shallow edge of the river. Mrs Ani removes debris on the surface of the light green-coloured water with her plastic bowl as she fills her bucket.

For residents of Umuenwene Iji Nike, a community in Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, Mmiri Ihe Ojoo river is both a blessing and a curse. Its name translates to the river of bad things in Igbo, the language widely spoken in south-east Nigeria. Yet, every day, residents trek to the river with buckets and kegs.

This water is dirty, Ifeanyi, another resident, says. But we dont have an alternative. The borehole is very far from here and the water is for sale.

Residents who can afford it buy water from the private borehole, but this arrangement is not sustainable in a country where more than half of the population is poor.

Chidinma Ukachukwu says it costs about 600 to fill her familys storage tank with water from the borehole. It was only filled yesterday, she says pointing at the plastic container. It usually lasts a day or sometimes two days, the mother of five says.

Public water systems provide 90 per cent of the water supply in middle and low-income countries. But in Umuenwene Iji Nike and many other communities in Enugu State, over 2.5 million people lack access to potable water. Public water supply is made difficult by the states undulating landscape. Residents said the only public borehole in Umuenwene Iji Nike broke down over 15 years ago, after the administration of former governor Chimaroke Nnamani.

Since then, several administrations have promised but nobody has resolved the problem, says Chukwudi Okonkwo, who has lived in the area for over two decades. Mr Okonkwo says reprieve only comes for residents when they have water from the rooftops during the rainy season.

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Contaminated Water Source 

Arecent study found the presence of heavy metals and other materials like phosphorus, lead and selenium in Mmiri Ihe Ojoo. The pollutants were traced to fertiliser runoffs from surrounding farms and other human activities.

The World Health Organisation notes that communities with contaminated water like Umuenwene Iji Nike risk contracting water-borne diseases like cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio.

My children always have rashes that itch them, Mrs Ani says. Apart from rashes, we suspect that maybe internally the water is harming them too.

The ions in heavy metals are highly resistant to microbial degradation. They can last for extended periods in water and do not break down in boiling water. These heavy metals can build up to hazardous amounts within the bodies of plants and other living things which may impact people through the food chain.

According to the National Institutes of Health, prolonged exposure and consumption of contaminated water and its habitats can damage organs, lower energy levels, and harm the brain and other vital organs. Boiling the water does not remove harmful metals like chlorine and lead.

Symptoms from exposure to heavy metals and water pollutants may include gastrointestinal, renal, and neurological symptoms which can range from headaches, abdominal pain, irritability and scratchy feelings, as experienced by Mrs Anis children, to more severe issues like abnormal heartbeats, anaemia, and even cancer.

Risks of contaminated water

Cosmas Achikanu, a professor at the Department of Applied Biochemistry, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), spoke about the risks of heavy metals contamination on the environment.

These heavy metals can accumulate in plants, vegetables, and aquatic organisms (fish) found in contaminated rivers can also accumulate heavy metals  they dont excrete metals. These metals accumulate in their organs. They attack the organs basically by producing reactive oxygen species which alter the DNA structure.

Mr Achikanu further states that people who are exposed to an environment that releases heavy metals, like those who work in the paint industry, people who drink contaminated water or eat fishes from contaminated water, stand a high risk of this poisoning. Heavy metals are carcinogens and can cause cancer of the skin and kidney.

Healthcare facility neglected

To investigate public health issues in the community, PREMIUM TIMES visited its only public primary healthcare centre and found it in a deplorable state. The facility has only two permanent staff.

Stella Odo, the consulting Community Health Extension Worker (CHEW) in charge of the PHC, says it was a beneficiary of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF), although the physical condition of the facility did not indicate this.

Mrs Odo says the PHC serves over 66 communities but does not have adequate manpower, security, infrastructure and water.

We buy water from the monthly fund and use rainwater to support ourselves, she says. Asked if she is aware some of her patients drink water from the river, she nods. They are drinking it nah, what will they drink? They are using it for everything. If you dont have money for pure water, youll go down there.

Limited access to improved water and sanitation facilities in Nigeria plays a major role in the high rates of illness and death among children under five years old. Due to their vulnerability to water-related illnesses, as many as 70,000 children in this age group die annually in the country, UNICEF says

These alarming figures clearly indicate that Nigeria is far from achieving UN SDG -6, which aims to ensure access to clean water and sanitation for all by providing safe drinking water, and sanitation facilities, and promoting hygiene practices. It emphasises improving water quality, efficiency, and sustainable resource management to address the critical need for human health and well-being worldwide.

They come here when theyre sick, but we cant do much because we dont have the equipment to do major testing. And when the person goes back home, they drink it (water from the river) again, Mrs Odo says.

She says diarrhoea and typhoid are prevalent in the community, with children being the most affected.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says contaminated water and poor sanitation can lead to diseases like cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, Hepatitis A, typhoid, and polio.

A water tank bought for the PHC with funds from the BHCPF last year has provided some relief from the water shortage. I used two gallons to look for water, even to wash my hands. I used a keke (tricycle) to fetch water from my house to use here, Mrs Odo says.

She further gives a picture of the situation at her centre: We dont have any equipment; we just use a private lab. She says an ad-hoc staff member collects samples and takes them to the lab for testing.

She says the PHC receives about 40 patients daily.

We dont accept in-patients unless a person that delivers, that is, expectant mothers putting to bed.

We work morning, afternoon and night with no security. Asked how they were coping with the situation, she said God is protecting us.

On its only two usable beds, she says they engage a tricycle during emergency cases. If the patient doesnt have money to pay for the keke, I pay.

Enugu health budget

According to BudgIT, Enugu State allocated 19.53 billion to the health sector in 2022 but only 10.43 billion or 53.40 per cent of the sum was released. The state has a population of 5,281,068 people.

According to a 2023 budget performance report, the Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency received 1.1 billion, while the Enugu State Agency for Universal Health Coverage got 460.4 million. These funds were, however, insufficient to take care of the healthcare needs of residents like those of Umuenwene Iji Nike.

Government Response and Intervention

The state Commissioner for Health, Emmanuel Obi, declined to speak with this reporter on public health care services in Umuenwene Iji Nike.

However, in a phone interview, Felix Nnamani, the state commissioner for Water Resources, rehashed the states long history of water supply problems and how they were being addressed.

There was no water anywhere, even in the Enugu metropolis, for 20 years. The government has three major sources of water for Enugu Urban (Metropolis). The three sources are the 9th Mile Ultra Modern Water Facility Project, the Oji River and the Ajali River, Mr Nnamani says.

In the 9th-mile ultra-modern water facility town, we have eight boreholes that were not functional, that were moribund. The current administration has not only revitalised them but constructed another 16 boreholes to make it a 24-borehole project. This 24-borehole project now generates 70 million litres of water daily. That of Oji River also generates 50 million litres of water daily. we have a total of 120 million litres, he says.

To ensure quality circulation, he says the old asbestos pipes of the original reticulation lines covering 40 per cent of the town across 10 different areas, are being replaced with ductile iron pipes.

He believes the change of water pipes will facilitate quality water supply to urban and rural areas, from the water reservoirs situated along Nike Lake Road and Ibagwa Nike, beyond Iji Nike.

So what we are doing now is to change the pipes, once the pipes are changed, the water will be reticulated to where you mentioned (Umuenwene Iji Nike). Work is being done on all fronts.

However, the commissioner says vandalisation of water equipment and the inability of communities to maintain facilities remain a challenge to sustaining access to clean water in the state.

We have 360 government-drilled boreholes and water projects. Some of them are moribund, some are vandalised, and some, communities cannot make up for them because they cant afford to buy gas to be able to get generators on. That is a challenge.

This reporting was completed with the support of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID)

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Gunmen have kidnapped a Catholic priest in Anambra State, south-east Nigeria.

The victim, Basil Chukwuemeka, was kidnapped at about 8 a.m. on Wednesday at Eke Nkpor by Obosi Bypass in Idemili North Local Government Area of the state.

The Chancellor, Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha, Prudentius Aroh, announced this in a statement on Thursday.

Mr Aroh, also a Catholic priest, said the victim is a priest in residence at Holy Trinity Parish, Ogidi, another community in the council area.

Until now, the abductors have not established any contact with anybody, he said.

The chancellor said the bishop of the archbishop of the Archdiocese, Valerian Okeke, has called for intensified prayers among the Catholic faithful for the safe release of the cleric.

The police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident in a statement on Thursday.

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Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Nnaghe Obono, had addressed other Catholic priests on the development in the Bishop Conference at Onitsha.

Anambra Police Command has launched a manhunt for the abductors and possible rescue of Reverend Fr. Basil Chukwuemeka, which sad incident occurred at Nkpor Junction, Onitsha, he said

The spokesperson said the police commissioner has assured the leadership of the church that the police in the state would do everything to rescue the priest unhurt and arrest the kidnappers.

The Command is already working with some eyewitnesses of the incident in the ongoing operation, Mr Ikenga added.

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Three persons have been confirmed dead in a road accident in Abia State, south-east Nigeria.

The accident occurred Thursday morning along the Port Harcourt-Enugu Expressway, near Umuchieze in Umunneochi Local Government Area of the state.

The incident, involving a truck and a bus, happened at a police checkpoint in the area.

Witnesses told PREMIUM TIMES that two persons died on the spot while one other person died hours later at Christ the King Hospital in Ngodo Isuochi, where he was rushed to.

Apart from the three deceased victims, five others, who sustained injuries were being treated at a hospital, Paul Kalu, one of the witnesses said.

The police spokesperson in Abia State, Maureen Chinaka, confirmed the development in a statement on Thursday.

How it happened

Ms Chinaka, an assistant superintendent of police, said the incident happened when the driver of the truck lost control of the vehicle while descending a slope in the area.

Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later

The police spokesperson said the driver, Amaechi Nwankwo, consequently destroyed two military barricades which he wanted to use to stop the speeding vehicle.

The driver eventually got to the third (barricade) which was the police checkpoint at that location but collided with a stationary bus, resulting in the death of two passengers, and injuring five others, she said.

Ms Chinaka also confirmed that one other victim was later confirmed dead by doctors in the hospital.

READ ALSO: Two lawmakers defect to Labour Party in Abia

She said the driver of the vehicle had been arrested.

The accident scene has been visited, corpses deposited at the mortuary, admitted patients have been treated and discharged.

Normalcy has been restored to the area, but monitoring efforts continue as the investigation is ongoing, she stated.

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The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the boardroom crisis in Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC).

This resolution was followed by a motion moved on the floor of the House by Sani Bala (NNPP, Kano).

In the motion, Mr Bala informed his colleagues that the crisis in the EEDC poses a significant threat to the operation of the company which controls one-sixth of power distributed from the national grid and covers several major commercial centres within Lagos  Ogun axis.

He stated that the House needs to intervene to preserve the interest of the federal government in the company.

The lingering managerial crisis between the chairman and few directors on one side and a majority of other directors on the other side in the Eko Distribution Company is capable of impacting negatively on service delivery or optimum electricity distribution within the zone, Mr Bala said.

Speaking further, the lawmaker explained that the crisis came as a result of what has been described as undue personalisation of board authority, abuse of due process and vested interest including accusations of underhand dealings and impropriety.

He said the attempt to address the crisis internally has failed, hence the need for the House to intervene in order to preserve the federal governments 40 per cent stake in the company.

Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later

He, therefore, prayed that the House should mandate the House Committee on Power to intervene.

When the presiding Deputy Speaker Ben Kalu put the motion to vote, the majority of the members voted in support of it.

Crisis in EEDC

Members of the board of the EEDC are currently engaged in a tussle over the sack of its former Managing Director, Tinuade Sanda.

According to EEDC Chairperson, Dere Otubu, Ms Sanda was sacked following a directive from the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

The Disco is obligated to comply with these directives since NERC derives its powers from the Electricity Act 2023.

In compliance with the aforementioned directive, all seconded staff from WPG Ltd are being released by Eko Electricity Distribution Plc and returned to WPG Ltd.

Accordingly, you are hereby relieved of your role, office, and position at Eko Electricity Distribution Plc effectively immediately, and returned to your employer, WPG Ltd, Ms Sandas sack letter, dated 25 March, reads.

The company subsequently appointed Rekhiat Momoh as the managing director.

However, there are reports that the sack of Ms Sanda and the subsequent appointment of Ms Momoh has divided the board.

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Registration is open for the nation's foremost gathering of business, technical and policy leaders focused on shale gas development.

ERIE, Penn., May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Professionals from the country's top natural gas production, midstream, manufacturing and energy technology companies along with policy leaders and business experts on all-things Appalachian energy will gather for the 14th annual SHALE INSIGHT Conference at Erie's Bayfront Convention Center this September.

Registration, sponsorship and exhibit opportunities are now open for the three-day energy conference, which features panel discussions, networking opportunities, technical breakout sessions and exhibit halls showcasing the recent trends and benefits tied to the proliferation of the Marcellus and Utica shales.

Executives from EQT, Chesapeake, Coterra, MPLX, Encino Energy, Range Resources and CNX Resources, among others to be announced, will provide business updates, sustainability and low-carbon venture initiatives, as well as other perspectives on the evolving natural gas landscape during keynote speeches.

"We're excited to return to the Bayfront for another Shale Insight conference, especially in an election year in which Pennsylvania energy will play a pivotal role," Marcellus Shale Coalition president David Callahan said. "Top conference sponsorship opportunities are nearly fully subscribed, which is one indication of the production, midstream and technology supply chain interest in the annual event that matches technical depth with commercial trends, regulatory insights and market moves."

SHALE INSIGHT  which has welcomed a sitting U.S. President, U.S. and European Union policy and regulatory officials, diplomats, political leaders from all levels of government, as well as academics, business, trade and finance executives, among others  also features the sector's latest technologies contributing to Appalachia's competitive advantage in energy production and environmental stewardship.

Continuing Education Credits (CECs) for legal and professional development hours are available during the breakout sessions to those practicing in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.

Students, educators and researchers can engage through the University Research Showcase, allowing students and faculty to present their groundbreaking studies, projects and research while networking with the nation's foremost shale development leaders.

SPONSOR INQUIRIES

To sponsor and secure one of the many recognition and promotion opportunities at SHALE INSIGHT, click here or contact Robert Petrilli.

MEDIA INQUIRIES

Media can request credentials by completing the form here or by contacting MSC Media.

STAY UPDATED

To learn more about SHALE INSIGHT 2024 and receive updates as programming and other opportunities are announced, visit www.shaleinsight.com or follow us on X (@SHALEINSIGHT), Facebook (@ShaleInsight) and LinkedIn (@MarcellusShaleCoalition).

About the Marcellus Shale Coalition

Founded in 2008, the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) works with exploration and production, midstream and supply chain partners in the Appalachian Basin and across the country to address issues regarding the production, transportation and use of clean, job-creating, American natural gas from the Marcellus and Utica Shale plays. Learn more at marcelluscoalition.org.

SOURCE Marcellus Shale Coalition
BARTLESVILLE, Okla., May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Twenty years ago, on May 23, 2004, two men were arrested for the "crime" of being a pastor. Twenty years later, those two men are still in prison.

Pastor Haile Nayzgi and Dr. Kiflu Gebremeskel were arrested for their leadership in the Full Gospel Church of Eritrea after the government outlawed Christian churches.

Nayzgi and Gebremeskel never stood trial and never received a sentence. They simply disappeared into one of the world's worst prison systems. They have been held incommunicado for most of their imprisonment, denied access to their families, lawyers, and medical care.

"The continued imprisonment of these two pastors is a gross offense to human rights and human decency," said Todd Nettleton, VOM Vice President. "Any claim the Eritrean government makes about protecting religious freedom is a ridiculous sham."

These two pastors are among more than 350 Eritrean Christians currently in prison, including 80 arrested this year.

Last year, The Voice of the Martyrs encouraged Christians to pray for the release of Haile and Kiflu's on their 7,000th day in prison. VOM provided information to help Christians email or fax the Eritrean embassy.

In response, more than 15,000 people committed to pray. Then, six days later, 13 Eritrean Christians were released from prison.

Nettleton also encouraged U.S. leaders to "use every tool at their disposal to urge the Eritrean government to end Eritrea's persecution of Christians."

Recently, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom urged "the Biden administration to bring greater attention to religious freedom violations in Eritrea."

"I am thankful so many are praying for and speaking out on behalf of imprisoned Eritrean Christians," said Nettleton. "Twenty years in prison for being a pastor is far too long!"

Eritrea is a small, East African country with a population of about 5 million people. The population of Eritrea is nearly evenly divided between Sunni Muslims and Orthodox Christians. Only about 3 percent are evangelical Christians.

According to VOM's Global Prayer Guide , Eritrea is classified as a "restricted nation."

For more information, and how to contact Eritrean government leaders on behalf of imprisoned Christians, visit VOM.org/20Years .

SOURCE The Voice of the Martyrs
LOS ANGELES, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is streaming a special roundtable event [here] on May 30 with film director, producer and screenwriter Zack Snyder, actor and screenwriter Charlie Hunnam, alongside AFSP experts and volunteers to help raise funds for suicide prevention and awareness of AFSP's campaign "Talk Away the Dark". The "Talk Away the Dark" campaign aims to equip individuals with the skills to recognize warning signs of suicide, engage in caring and honest conversations about mental health, and connect those in need with help.

"I'm very grateful to be included in this conversation. Mental health is a subject matter that deserves all of our attention. I'm eager to learn from experts and offer whatever insights I can through my journey to better understand my own mental health," said Charlie Hunnam.

When asked about the event, Zack Snyder commented, "As someone whose family has been directly impacted by suicide, I feel strongly about bringing the topic of suicide out of the darkness. I hope this conversation will encourage more people to become aware of how they can make a difference in their own lives, and know how to reach support, whether it's for themselves or someone they care about."

The conversation will focus on empathy, empowerment, and actionable strategies for suicide prevention. This event offers participants an opportunity to submit questions about mental health, gain insights into self-care practices, and learn how to support others effectively.

"We believe that everyone can play a role in suicide prevention, regardless of their expertise in mental health," said the AFSP's Executive Director for Greater Los Angeles & Central Coast, Louisa Rocque. "Our aim is to foster open dialogue and provide resources that empower individuals to initiate and sustain meaningful conversations about mental health."

Online viewers will have the opportunity to donate to AFSP, with all gifts matched up to $20,000 by a generous advocate of the organization. Additionally, limited edition merchandise featuring artwork created for the event will be available for purchase, with proceeds benefiting AFSP.

The event is supported by social membership network VERO and ArtCenter College of Design. To submit questions or RSVP for the online viewing, visit afsp.org/roundtable. The deadline for question submissions is May 19, and the event will stream here and on AFSP's VERO account on May 30, 12:00-1:00 pm PT.

Suicide can be prevented and we can all help saves lives. Learn about AFSP's breakthrough "Talk Away the Dark" campaign and its new #RealConvo Guide,"Connecting Someone to Help (When They're Hesitant)" to have brave conversations about mental health, and to lean in and ask directly about suicide if struggles are not improving.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide, including those who have experienced a loss. AFSP creates a culture that's smart about mental health through public education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, with a public policy office in Washington, DC, AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico, with programs and events nationwide. Learn more about AFSP in its latest Annual Report and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on VERO, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and TikTok.

SOURCE American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
TAMPA, Fla., May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Tampa-based AquaTech Eco Consultants proudly announces the celebration of its 10-year anniversary on May 16, 2024.

Since 2014, AquaTech has been a beacon of environmental stewardship dedicated to safeguarding aquatic ecosystems and promoting sustainable practices. Founded by Beau Williams, AquaTech has amassed more than two decades of expertise in the field, making significant contributions to marine conservation efforts throughout the coastal United States.

Throughout its journey, AquaTech has been instrumental in hundreds of successful groundbreaking projects restoring thousands of acres while demonstrating a commitment to excellence and innovation. As the company commemorates its tenth year, it reflects on the legacy of successful projects, environmental leadership, and impactful initiatives.

Key highlights of AquaTech Eco Consultants' achievements over the past decade include:

Seagrass Expertise: Founder Beau Williams brings more than two decades of unparalleled expertise in seagrass ecology and conservation. His dedication and knowledge have been instrumental in guiding AquaTech's efforts to preserve and restore aquatic habitats worldwide.





brings more than two decades of unparalleled expertise in seagrass ecology and conservation. His dedication and knowledge have been instrumental in guiding AquaTech's efforts to preserve and restore aquatic habitats worldwide. Largest Successful Seagrass Transplanting Project in the State of Texas (Port of Corpus Christi ): AquaTech's pioneering efforts in habitat restoration have led to the successful completion of the largest seagrass transplanting project in Texas , further solidifying its reputation as a leader in marine restoration.





(Port of ): AquaTech's pioneering efforts in habitat restoration have led to the successful completion of the largest seagrass transplanting project in , further solidifying its reputation as a leader in marine restoration. Over 1.5 million Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) Planting Units Installed Around the State of Florida : AquaTech's commitment to aquatic restoration has resulted in the installation of over 1.5 million SAV planting units across Florida , contributing significantly to the health and resilience of aquatic ecosystems.





: AquaTech's commitment to aquatic restoration has resulted in the installation of over 1.5 million SAV planting units across , contributing significantly to the health and resilience of aquatic ecosystems. Restoration Of Lake Apopka: In collaboration with local stakeholders, AquaTech has planted more than 110 acres of submerged aquatic vegetation in Lake Apopka, promoting biodiversity and enhancing water quality in one of Florida's largest lakes.





largest lakes. More than 100 Tons of Recycled Oyster Shells Collected from Two Tampa Waterfront Restaurants (Ulele and Rick's on the River): AquaTech's dedication to sustainable practices is evident in its partnership with Tampa waterfront restaurants to collect over 100 tons of recycled oyster shells, supporting oyster reef restoration efforts and promoting circular economy principles.

Beau Williams, Founder and CEO of AquaTech Eco Consultants, said AquaTech Eco Consultants is honored to celebrate a decade in aquatic restoration leadership and expertise.

"Our 10-year anniversary is a testament to our team's dedication and our commitment to making a positive impact on aquatic ecosystems worldwide," he said.

As AquaTech enters its next chapter, the company remains steadfast in its mission to protect and restore aquatic ecosystems, guided by Williams' unparalleled expertise and a history of environmental excellence.

For more information about AquaTech Eco Consultants and its environmental initiatives, please visit www.aquatecheco.com.

About AquaTech Eco Consultants:

AquaTech Eco Consultants is the leading environmental consulting firm dedicated to preserving and restoring aquatic ecosystems through innovative solutions and collaborative partnerships. With a focus on habitat restoration, water quality improvement, and sustainable environmental practices, AquaTech works tirelessly to protect our planet's vital aquatic resources for future generations. Visit www.aquatecheco.com to learn more.

SOURCE AquaTech Eco Consultants
CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of America Corporation announced today that it will redeem all outstanding shares of its Fixed-to-Floating Rate Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock, Series JJ (CUSIP No. 060505FN9), liquidation preference $25,000 per share (the "Series JJ Preferred Stock"), and the corresponding depositary shares each representing a 1/25th interest in a share of the Series JJ Preferred Stock (CUSIP No. 060505FP4) (the "Series JJ Depositary Shares"). Bank of America also announced today that it will redeem all outstanding shares of its Fixed-to-Floating Rate Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock, Series U (CUSIP No. 060505EE0), liquidation preference $25,000 per share (the "Series U Preferred Stock"), and the corresponding Depositary Shares, each representing a 1/25th interest in a share of Series U Preferred Stock (CUSIP No. 060505ED2) (the "Series U Depositary Shares").

The Series JJ Depositary Shares will be redeemed simultaneously with the Series JJ Preferred Stock on the upcoming dividend payment date on June 20, 2024 (the "Series JJ Redemption Date"), at a redemption price of $1,000 per depositary share. Declared dividends of $25.625 per depositary share in respect of the outstanding Series JJ Depositary Shares for the full current semi-annual dividend period from, and including, December 20, 2023 to, but excluding, June 20, 2024 will be paid separately on June 20, 2024, to holders of record on June 1, 2024, in the customary manner. Accordingly, the redemption price of $1,000 per depositary share does not include any accrued and unpaid dividends. Dividends on the redeemed Series JJ Depositary Shares will cease to accrue on the Series JJ Redemption Date.

The Series U Depositary Shares will be redeemed on June 17, 2024 (the "Series U Redemption Date"), simultaneously with the Series U Preferred Stock, at a redemption price of $1,000 per depositary share, plus dividends that have accrued but have not been paid in respect of such depositary shares for the dividend period in which the Series U Redemption Date occurs to, but excluding, the Series U Redemption Date (the "Series U Redemption Price"). Regular dividends in respect of the Series U Depositary Shares for the full current quarterly dividend period beginning on March 1, 2024 to, but excluding, June 3, 2024 have been declared and will be paid separately on June 3, 2024, to holders of record on May 15, 2024, in the customary manner. As noted above, accrued but unpaid dividends in respect of the Series U Depositary Shares from, and including, June 3, 2024 to, but excluding, the Series U Redemption Date, will be included in the Series U Redemption Price. Dividends in respect of the redeemed Series U Depositary Shares will cease to accrue on the Series U Redemption Date.

The Series JJ Depositary Shares and Series U Depositary Shares are held through The Depository Trust Company ("DTC") and will be redeemed in accordance with the applicable procedures of DTC.

Payment to DTC for the Series JJ Depositary Shares and the Series U Depositary Shares will be made by Computershare Inc. and Computershare Trust Company, N.A., collectively, as redemption agent. The address for the redemption agent is as follows:

Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

Attn: Corporate Actions

150 Royall St.

Canton, MA 02021

This press release does not constitute a notice of redemption under the certificate of designation governing the Series JJ Preferred Stock or the deposit agreement governing the Series JJ Depositary Shares or under the certificate of designation governing the Series U Preferred Stock or the deposit agreement governing the Series UU Depositary Shares.

Bank of America

Bank of America is one of the world's leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 69 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 3,800 retail financial centers, approximately 15,000 ATMs (automated teller machines) and award-winning digital banking with approximately 57 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 4 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Forward-looking statements

Certain information contained in this news release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are not guarantees of future results or performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions difficult to predict or beyond our control. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement and should consider the uncertainties and risks discussed under Item 1A. "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, and in any of our subsequent Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect the impact of circumstances or events that arise after the date the forward-looking statement was made.

For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom and register for news email alerts.

www.bankofamerica.com

Investors May Contact:

Lee McEntire, Bank of America

Phone: 1.980.388.6780

[email protected]

Jonathan G. Blum, Bank of America (Fixed Income)

Phone: 1.212.449.3112

[email protected]

Reporters May Contact:

Bill Halldin, Bank of America

Phone: 1.916.724.0093

[email protected]

SOURCE Bank of America Corporation
DUBAI, UAE, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- During the days of Seamless 2024 exhibition in Dubai, the fintech application barq and TerraPay, a global money movement company signed a strategic partnership. This collaboration aims to provide fast and secure international money transfer services.

Mr. Ahmed Alenazi, CEO of barq, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, "We are delighted to collaborate with TerraPay to enhance our international money transfer services. This alliance reflects our commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction."

Ani Sane, Co-founder & Chief Business Officer - TerraPay, commented, "This partnership is not just another agreement; it is a testament to our commitment to supporting promising projects in Saudi Arabia like barq. Through this collaboration, we aim to deliver fast, efficient, and secure international money transfer services that adhere to global standards."

Supported by TerraPay's extensive global payments network, this agreement aligns with barq's efforts to expand its service offerings, catering to customer needs and keeping pace with the growth of the fintech sector, both within and beyond the Kingdom.

barq received a license from the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) in January of this year. Developed in Riyadh by Saudi talent, barq is expected to revolutionize the Kingdom's fintech sector in the coming years. This is due to its unique services, secure payment methods, and the expertise of its team.

For media inquiries or further information, please contact: [email protected]

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1222771/TerraPay_Logo.jpg

SOURCE TerraPay
"I'm thrilled to welcome Bedrock Materials to our great state," said Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. Post this

"On behalf of Chicago's residents and businesses, I extend a sincere welcome and congratulations to Bedrock Materials for choosing our city as the location for its Research & Development headquarters," said Mayor Brandon Johnson. "This decision reflects the strength of Chicago's talent pool, our esteemed research and academic institutions, and the vibrant tech ecosystem emerging here. We look forward to the positive impact Bedrock Materials will have on our city's growing tech sector."

Bedrock Materials specializes in producing essential materials for low-cost, eco-friendly sodium-ion batteries. These batteries are seen as a next-generation alternative to lithium-ion versions, utilizing affordable, widely available materials. Last month, the company began R&D scale production of battery precursor materials at its facility in Near West Chicago. Plans are underway to open a larger, permanent site later this year.

Concurrent with this strategic move, Bedrock Materials also secured an incentives package from the Illinois state government under the Reimagining Electric Vehicles in Illinois Act, contingent upon achieving specific job creation and capital investment targets.

"Illinois is home to one of the most robust EV ecosystems in the nation, and I'm thrilled to welcome Bedrock Materials to our great state," said Governor JB Pritzker. "Their research and development headquarters will join our growing EV supply chain, bringing innovation and job creation to our EV economy."

The company's decision to locate in Chicago was driven in large part by the abundance of strong materials science research institutions in the area, including Northwestern University, University of Chicago, University of Illinois, and Illinois Institute of Technology. Moreover, Argonne National Laboratory, in Lemont, Illinois, is a key leader in the development of sodium-ion batteries.

"The choice to come to Chicago was an easy one. There is arguably one active laboratory in America that has produced a successful automotive battery chemistry, and it's here" said Spencer Gore, CEO of Bedrock Materials, "Argonne National Laboratory wrote the book on modern sodium-ion technology. Today, pulling on the deep regional talent pool they have built, we are excited to perfect and scale it."

Professor Shirley Meng of the University of Chicago commented, "It is truly exciting that the State of Illinois can attract startup companies like Bedrock Materials to be part of the clean tech community. The innovation ecosystem is growing, and we look forward to collaborating with and supporting startups." Professor Meng is also the Chief Scientist of the Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science.

The $9 million financing round was led by Trucks Venture Capital, Refactor Capital, and Version One Ventures. Additional investment was provided by Hanover Technology Investment Management, SpaceCadet Ventures, Brainstorm Capital, Evergreen Climate Innovations, Expansion VC, Climate Capital, Quest Venture Partners, Meliorate Partners, Valia Ventures, Ritual Capital, and several individual angel investors with strong ties to the electric vehicle and battery industries.

Founded in 2023 by Rafael Vila, CTO and a distinguished battery scientist from Stanford University, and CEO Spencer Gore, a seasoned battery industrialist with experience at Tesla and Enovix, Bedrock Materials boasts a management and advisory team composed of current and former executives from Tesla, Volkswagen, General Motors, Samsung, Panasonic, QuantumScape, Sila Nanotechnologies, Enovix, and Apple.

About Bedrock Materials

Bedrock Materials is a battery technology startup that manufactures critical input materials for sodium-ion batteries, which promise to offer a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable alternative to traditional lithium-ion batteries. The company aims to leverage the rich resources and strategic positioning of Chicago to lead the next wave of battery technology innovation.

For additional information, please contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Bedrock Materials, Inc.
BEIJING, May 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 13, the Beijing China-Germany Forum for Industrial Cooperation and DevelopmentChina-Germany (China-Europe) Hidden Champions Forum 2024 commenced at the Beijing China-Germany International Conference and Exhibition Center in Shunyi, Beijing. Co-sponsored by the Shunyi District People's Government of Beijing Municipality, the International Economic Senate, and the Network for International Cooperation on Technology Commercialization (NICTC), this pioneering forum saw strategic collaboration with the International Cooperation Center of National Development and Reform Commission of China (ICC-NDRC) and Asia Digital Group.

The forum presents a rich array of activities, encompassing the "Open for Win-win Cooperation" China-Germany SMEs Dialogue (Roundtable on Innovation-driven Development between German Enterprises and Industrial Park) and the China-Germany (China-Europe) Hidden Champions Economic and Technological Exchanges and Cooperation Forum. Furthermore, industry-specific sub-forums were convened on topics like new energy and intelligent vehicles and digital economy, featuring events such as the New Energy and Intelligent Vehicle Industry Development Forum and the "Digital Intelligence in Shunyi" China-Germany (China-Europe) Cooperation and Development Forum. The China-Germany (China-Europe) Hidden Champions Forum also showcased a China-Germany (China-Europe) Economic and Technological Interaction Area, alongside activities like the Shunyi Tour for German (European) Hidden-Champion Entrepreneurs.

Looking ahead, Shunyi District will leverage international best practices, tap and heighten policies which facilitate open cooperation with Germany and Europe. These efforts will help hidden champions, innovative SMEs, and international institutions to know better about Shunyi, come to Shunyi and invest in Shunyi. It will strengthen scientific and technological innovation, spur industrial development, facilitate talent exchange, and promote information exchange between China and Germany (Europe). These endeavors are geared towards bolstering the Beijing China-Germany Economic and Technological Cooperation Demonstration Zone as a model for international economic and technological collaboration.

SOURCE Asia Digital Group
More than 200 industry, labor, political and academic leaders converged to advance strategies and policies for building a nationwide bullet train network in America.

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, former White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu, and other high-profile advocates for high-speed rail headlined the U.S. High Speed Rail annual conference May 14-15 in Washington, D.C. They were among more than 200 industry, labor, political and academic leaders who converged to advance strategies and policies for building a nationwide bullet train network in America.

Conference speakers asserted that America is entering a new era of progress on high-speed rail, following unprecedented investments by the Biden Administration; Brightline West breaking ground on a bullet train from Las Vegas to Southern California last month; major new labor agreements; and federal designation of seven high-speed rail corridors around the country (including Dallas to Houston and Portland-Seattle-Vancouver, BC.)

At the conference, sessions focused on a range of plans to turn high-speed rail into a major mode of transportation in America. Panelists discussed strategies to launch new high-speed rail projects in major regions across the country, massively speed up high-speed rail construction timelines and ensure the initial bullet train projects taking shape in the country successfully demonstrate the sweeping benefits of high-speed rail.

Here's what some of the leading conference speakers said:

U.S. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi:

"One of the biggest challenges in our country, at the kitchen table, because of cost, is housing, housing, housing. All over the country. Mass transit and high-speed rail is an answer to that.  If you're talking clean air, this is an answer. If you're talking about a measure of job creation, this is an answer. Any subject you can bring up from environmental protection to you name it, high-speed rail and mass transit is an answer to it."

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg:

"I'm coming to this increasingly now as a parent. Our twins are two and a half years old. I was on drop-off duty this morning and they have begun  I have no idea why  they've been asking me about my work.  I tell them I work on cars, that I work on planes and that I work on trains, and I'm working on making those trains go faster. And one of the things I really love is the thought that they're two and a half now, and if we hit our marks, they will never know a world without high-speed rail in the United States."

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla:

"It's not just about high-speed rail in California, or now with the Brightline project connecting the Los Angeles region to Las VegasThese are really initial legs in what I think is an eventual national network."

White House Advisor Mitch Landrieu:

"It really follows a kind of simple motto that the president has  if you invest in the American people, and you invest in building things in America, and you build it from the bottom up and make sure everybody is included, everybody does better."

Former California Governor Jerry Brown (via video):

"In California, this is something we've been working on not just for years, but for decades. It's not just the product of one politician or one party. We've required both Republicans and Democrats. Arnold Schwarzenegger got the ball rolling. Before that, when I was governor for the first time, I'd suggested studies to get the ball rolling with high-speed rail. And now, after my term in office and Gavin Newsom following up, we have a continuity. We have a continuing investment, expressing a strong political will. If you want to do that in other parts of America, that's what it takes."

Ray LaHood, former U.S. Transportation Secretary and U.S. High Speed Rail Coalition Co-Chair:

"Without the national government taking the initiative, without the national government in China, Japan, Europe  that's why they have good trains, comfortable trains, affordable trains. Because the national government set the standard and put forth the money.  If people say to you, 'How do we get rail?' You've got to have leadership at the top."

Brightline CEO Mike Reininger:

"Probably one of the most important end results of this program is, it is the beginning of an industry. This is where the next one and the next one and the next one start. And so the expertise, whether it's construction expertise or technological expertise, is really going to be put to the test in this program. It will make the second, third and fourth ones easier."

Amtrak HSR SVP Andy Byford

"California is making great strides, and Brightline is making superb progress and people have said, 'Well, hang on a minute, where's Amtrak in all of this?'  These things start small  seeds that develop into large oaks  but we are putting together Amtrak's national strategy as America's railroad."

U.S. High Speed Rail CEO Andy Kunz:

"The recent federal investments are a huge boost to American high-speed rail. But let's not kid ourselves. We're going to need hundreds of billions of dollars and major policy reforms to develop a high-speed rail network worthy of our great countryThe U.S. High Speed Rail Association and our growing advocacy coalition are laser-focused on addressing these challenges and seizing the historic opportunities before us.

Other speakers included: Rod Diridon, U.S. High Speed Rail Coalition Co-Chair and Chairman Emeritus, Mineta Transportation Institute; U.S. Representatives Jim Costa, Seth Moulton, Suzan DelBene and Rick Larsen; Amit Bose, head of the Federal Railroad Administration; Roger Millar, Washington State Transportation Secretary; Terry Hynes, Senior Counsel, Sidley Austin, LLP; Philippe Lorand, Senior Advisor, UIC (France); Maria Luisa Dominguez, Board Advisor, ADIF (Spain).

For more conference information, go to https://hsr2024.com/. Zoom recordings of conference sessions can be accessed via these links:

Day 1a:

https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/r2pVero06jSkNd8X8LMHURw_CR75zsSqaxR5uFQGP89xz01XhwbSbSpR6G9BbCt_.e5-gsFhYtvGWQsir?startTime=1715691510000

Passcode: Lr?8=.Vh

Day 1b:

https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/r2pVero06jSkNd8X8LMHURw_CR75zsSqaxR5uFQGP89xz01XhwbSbSpR6G9BbCt_.e5-gsFhYtvGWQsir?startTime=1715698589000

Passcode: Lr?8= Vh

Day 2a:

https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/NCyvyvy8SgDB0GtC5OSmKnJGKfqDBJmut0MTxuP0rc-7N_i30knWEz6kdaeNqVLs.AdmGXGAYFiJqkVCZ?startTime=1715775992000

Passcode: zm0%2zC$

Day 2b:

https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/NCyvyvy8SgDB0GtC5OSmKnJGKfqDBJmut0MTxuP0rc-7N_i30knWEz6kdaeNqVLs.AdmGXGAYFiJqkVCZ?startTime=1715790338000

Passcode: zm0%2zC$

About USHSR

The U.S High Speed Rail Coalition mobilizes leading labor unions, companies, and public servants to advance investments and policies that are making high-speed rail a reality in America. The Coalition has aggressively advocated for funding for Brightline West, California High Speed Rail, and other key projects in recent years.

SOURCE US High Speed Rail Association
Used-Car Market Moderates; Demand Drops 8%, Prices Decline 6%

CHICAGO, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cars.com Inc. (NYSE: CARS) (d/b/a " Cars Commerce Inc ."), an audience-driven technology company empowering the automotive industry, today launched its April Industry Insights Report . Crafted by an expert team of Cars Commerce data analysts, the report provides macro and micro automotive market insights by analyzing supply, demand, pricing and consumer behavior data from across the company's platform, including its flagship marketplace and leading reputation site Cars.com, digital solutions and website provider Dealer Inspire, and trade-in and appraisal technology provider AccuTrade.

"The last five years have been highly volatile for auto, yet a pattern of stabilization is emerging," said Rebecca Lindland, senior director of industry data and insights at Cars Commerce. "We are navigating through a new normal, where vehicle costs are substantially higher and the mix of availability by price point has shifted. The recovery in more affordable new cars below $30,000 offers a silver lining, providing relief for consumers. As the market stabilizes month over month, we remain optimistic that the worst may be behind us."

Key April Market Highlights

As of April 2024, the automotive industry is experiencing significant shifts across new, used and electric-vehicle sectors, signaling a move toward greater stability and consumer choice. Prices, consumer demand, inventory supply and turnover leveled off, establishing a new standard for the industry and consumers. To download the full report, visit www.CarsCommerce.inc .

Gradual improvement in new inventory and consumer demand: The average new-car price remains stable at approximately $49,111 , down slightly by 1.5% year over year  although prices are higher than before the semiconductor shortage, there's a notable effort by automakers to introduce more vehicles priced under $30,000 , which have seen the most market share growth so far in 2024. As new-car inventory levels increase by 35% compared to 2023, consumers are experiencing fewer pressures to compromise on their vehicle choices. This reflects a market adapting to improved supply conditions, although total inventory still trails pre-pandemic levels by over a million units.





The average new-car price remains stable at approximately , down slightly by 1.5% year over year  although prices are higher than before the semiconductor shortage, there's a notable effort by automakers to introduce more vehicles priced under , which have seen the most market share growth so far in 2024. As new-car inventory levels increase by 35% compared to 2023, consumers are experiencing fewer pressures to compromise on their vehicle choices. This reflects a market adapting to improved supply conditions, although total inventory still trails pre-pandemic levels by over a million units. Aging inventory with elevated costs: In April 2024 , used cars averaged 59,693 miles, marking an increase of 4,360 miles compared to April 2019 . Despite a slight year-over-year 6% decrease (- $1,958 ) in prices, the average cost remained elevated at $28,910 compared to April 2019 , when the average price was $21,639 . This shift reflects in the cost per 1,000 miles, which rose from $391 ( $0.39 per mile) in April 2019 to $484 ( $0.48 per mile) in April 2024 , reflecting a gradual easing but still higher costs than pre-pandemic levels. Consumers are paying an additional $93 per 1,000 miles on average compared to 2019 and $119 more at the peak of market prices. Used inventory slightly declined by 1.6% year over year, coupled with a decrease in consumer demand, suggesting ongoing challenges but also a gradual stabilization. As the market adapts, both buyers and sellers are adjusting to a landscape shaped by the trickle-down effect of high new-car prices.





In , used cars averaged 59,693 miles, marking an increase of 4,360 miles compared to . Despite a slight year-over-year 6% decrease (- ) in prices, the average cost remained elevated at compared to , when the average price was . This shift reflects in the cost per 1,000 miles, which rose from ( per mile) in to ( per mile) in , reflecting a gradual easing but still higher costs than pre-pandemic levels. Consumers are paying an additional per 1,000 miles on average compared to 2019 and more at the peak of market prices. Used inventory slightly declined by 1.6% year over year, coupled with a decrease in consumer demand, suggesting ongoing challenges but also a gradual stabilization. As the market adapts, both buyers and sellers are adjusting to a landscape shaped by the trickle-down effect of high new-car prices. Trade-in and wholesale market trends: Pre-pandemic, luxury used trade-ins commanded 120% more value than mainstream brands, but today, the difference has narrowed to 78% as mainstream prices have surged. After a brief spring recovery, wholesale values dipped again in April (-1.2% MoM, -16% YoY), with both mainstream and luxury models experiencing similar declines, indicating ongoing depreciation adjustments. Additionally, increased purchases by rental companies drove up mainstream used-vehicle prices, contributing to the narrowing price gap between luxury and mainstream segments.





Pre-pandemic, luxury used trade-ins commanded 120% more value than mainstream brands, but today, the difference has narrowed to 78% as mainstream prices have surged. After a brief spring recovery, wholesale values dipped again in April (-1.2% MoM, -16% YoY), with both mainstream and luxury models experiencing similar declines, indicating ongoing depreciation adjustments. Additionally, increased purchases by rental companies drove up mainstream used-vehicle prices, contributing to the narrowing price gap between luxury and mainstream segments. EV market response to overcapacity: The EV market is seeing a significant increase in inventory that has led to some oversupply, prompting a 5% reduction in new EV prices year over year to an average of $62,927 . This price adjustment aims to stimulate demand in a segment that is still growing but at a moderate pace due to economic uncertainties. And it's working: Demand for new EVs is up 10% YoY. The used EV market has responded with a substantial 20% drop in prices, enhancing its appeal amid cost-conscious consumer behavior.

Additional noteworthy April insights:

Toyota Tacoma punches above its weight In top searches amid full-size trucks: In a market heavily skewed toward full-size trucks, it secures a spot in the top 10 vehicle searches as the only mid-size truck in a highly competitive segment. This achievement is particularly striking given the introduction of new models in the mid-size truck category, all sporting the latest designs and features. Yet the Tacoma not only holds its ground, it's also set to enhance its appeal with the upcoming introduction of a hybrid engine  a first in its class  promising increased power and improved fuel economy.





In a market heavily skewed toward full-size trucks, it secures a spot in the top 10 vehicle searches as the only mid-size truck in a highly competitive segment. This achievement is particularly striking given the introduction of new models in the mid-size truck category, all sporting the latest designs and features. Yet the Tacoma not only holds its ground, it's also set to enhance its appeal with the upcoming introduction of a hybrid engine  a first in its class  promising increased power and improved fuel economy. Seasonal trends in top-searched used autos: In April, the top 10 most searched used cars saw a seasonal price increase. The average price for all top 10 models rose month over month, with the Porsche 911 experiencing the largest increase and the Chevrolet Corvette the smallest.

New-Vehicle Supply, Demand and Pricing* April 2024 Supply

(YoY) Demand

(YoY) Price

(YoY) 34.6 % -22 % -1.5 %

Used-Vehicle Supply, Demand and Pricing* April 2024 Supply

(YoY) Demand

(YoY) Price

(YoY) -1.6 % -7.8 % -6.3 %

New-EV Supply, Demand and Pricing* April 2024 Supply

(YoY) Demand

(YoY) Price

(YoY) 99.7 % 10.5 % -5.1 %

Used-EV Supply, Demand and Pricing* April 2024 Supply

(YoY) Demand

(YoY) Price

(YoY) 42.2 % 44.6 % -20.2 %

*Inventory, searches and list price on Cars.com

ABOUT CARS COMMERCE

Cars Commerce is an audience-driven technology company empowering the automotive industry. The Company simplifies everything about car buying and selling with powerful products, solutions and AI-driven technologies that span pretail, retail and post-sale activities  enabling more efficient and profitable retail operations. The Cars Commerce platform is organized around four industry-leading brands: the flagship automotive marketplace and dealer reputation site Cars.com, award-winning technology and digital retail technology and marketing services from Dealer Inspire, essential trade-in and appraisal technology from AccuTrade, and exclusive in-market media solutions from the Cars Commerce Media Network. Learn more at www.carscommerce.inc .

SOURCE Cars Commerce
Outcome of voting on all shareholder meeting agenda items were as recommended by the Board

ZURICH, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Chubb Limited (NYSE: CB) announced today that at its 2024 Annual General Meeting, held at the company's offices in Zurich, Switzerland, shareholders approved a 5.8% increase in the company's dividend to $3.64 per share annually ($0.91 per share, per quarter) from $3.44 per share ($0.86 per share, per quarter). This marks the 31st consecutive annual increase in the company's dividend. Shareholders also voted in line with the Board's recommendations on all other agenda items at the Annual General Meeting.

The dividend will be payable out of legal reserves in four quarterly installments and will be made in United States dollars by the company's transfer agent, as described in the Chubb Limited 2024 proxy statement. The company's Board of Directors declared that shareholders of record at the close of business on June 14, 2024, will be entitled to payment of the first installment of $0.91 per share on July 5, 2024.

About Chubb

Chubb is a world leader in insurance. With operations in 54 countries and territories, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly and promptly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London, Paris and other locations, and employs approximately 40,000 people worldwide. Additional information can be found at: www.chubb.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

Forward-looking statements made in this press release, such as statements regarding dividends, and our expectations and intentions and other statements that are not historical facts, reflect the company's current views with respect to future events and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in these statements. For example, payment of scheduled or future dividends could be affected by extraordinary company events or capital constraints or similar factors that could require the company to adjust, delay or withhold dividend payments. Additional information regarding factors that could cause differences from these forward-looking statements appears in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made.

SOURCE Chubb Limited
The Creditflux awards are the only credit fund and CLO industry awards solely determined by data and metrics, showcasing the market's best performers.

LONDON, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Creditflux, a Debtwire service and part of ION Analytics, held its 16th annual CLO Manager Awards in London on 15 May 2024. The global collateralized loan obligation (CLO) community gathered at London's Landmark Hotel to recognize the best-performing CLOs, CLO managers, and CLO funds in the USD 1.32tn* global CLO market.

This year, a record 80 CLO managers and 32 CLO fund managers submitted performance data for the awards. The list of finalists was announced in April and the category winners were announced live during the Creditflux Manager Awards Dinner, attended by 320 guests.

The awards ceremony followed a full-day Creditflux-hosted CLO Symposium that connected CLO investors with the most important arrangers, managers, and advisors in global structured finance, helping the former to deploy capital and achieve investment goals. The CLO Symposium also provided an outlook on the major trends in the US and European CLO markets, covering current topics in primary and secondary opportunities.

"Despite a backdrop of market volatility and macro-economic challenges, 2023 was another strong year for the CLO market," said Tom Davidson, Managing Editor of Creditflux. "We are delighted to celebrate the best performers in the industry, presenting awards to the 16 managers who triumphed this year."

More details on the methodology for the awards can be found here. The winners are:



Category Winner CLO/Fund Managers Creditflux global manager of the year GoldenTree Asset Management



Best US CLO manager Generate Advisors



Best European CLO manager Voya Alternative Asset Management



Best US boutique CLO manager Sycamore Tree



Best European boutique CLO manager Acer Tree Investment Management



Best MM CLO manager Antares Capital

Funds Best private closed-end CLO fund Napier Park Global Capital Napier Park ELM I

Best public closed-end CLO fund Eagle Point Income Management Eagle Point Income Company (EIC)

Best CLO fund (<$150m) Lupus Alpha Asset Management Lupus Alpha CLO Opportunity Notes II

Best CLO fund (>$150m) Crystal Fund BK Opportunities Fund V CLOs Best US CLO Elmwood Asset Management Elmwood CLO V

Best European CLO Invesco Invesco Euro CLO IV

Best redeemed US CLO CSAM Madison Park Funding XLI

Best new middle market CLO Cerberus Business Finance Cerberus Loan Funding XL

Best middle market CLO Golub Capital Golub Capital Partners CLO 47 (M)

Best new US CLO MJX Asset Management Venture 47 CLO

Best new European CLO Blackstone Credit Glenbrook Park CLO

* Global CLO principal liabilities (debt + equity) as of 31 March 2024 according to Creditflux data

About Creditflux

Creditflux, by Debtwire is the leading source for CLO and credit trading news, data, and analysis globally. Established in 2001, its team of journalists and analysts in New York and London produces daily content online and a monthly print magazine that is the publication of choice for many market professionals, including investors, dealers, brokers, analysts, and service providers. Creditflux is an ION Analytics service.

About ION Analytics

ION Analytics delivers personalized, targeted data, market intelligence, and software to banks, investors, and corporates, helping clients find opportunities and drive better decisions in markets ranging from equities and fixed income to infrastructure and private equity. For more information, visit https://ionanalytics.com

About ION

ION provides mission-critical trading and workflow automation software, high-value analytics and insights, and strategic consulting to financial institutions, central banks, governments, and corporate organizations. Our solutions and services simplify complex processes, boost efficiency, and enable better decision-making. We build long-term partnerships with our clients, helping transform their businesses for sustained success through continuous innovation. For more information, visit https://iongroup.com/

All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners.
FORT WORTH, Texas, May 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Daiso, the renowned global retail chain offering a wide range of affordable and unique products, is thrilled to announce the grand opening at Camp Bowie in Fort Worth, Texas on June 1st. "We are thrilled to open our store at Camp Bowie," said Jack Williams, Chief Retail Operations Officer for Daiso USA. "This achievement reflects the dedication and support of our customers who have embraced Daiso's unique concept and diverse product range. We are excited to provide an exceptional shopping experience to the vibrant Fort Worth community and look forward to serving our customers with the utmost care and dedication."

The new Daiso store at Camp Bowie encompasses 9,824 square feet and promises to be a haven for shoppers seeking quality merchandise at affordable prices. With its extensive range of products spanning various categories, including Japanese inspired home decor, stationery, food, and more, Daiso has become synonymous with accessible and innovative offerings. John Clarke, Chief Development Officer for Daiso USA says, "Fort Worth based Daiso customers have shown us through our online business and social media their desire for us to have more stores within the state, influencing our immediate growth strategy in this region. We currently operate 126 units in 7 states with more states opening in 2024".

On both Saturday, June 1st and Sunday, June 2nd, the first 100 customers to shop at the Camp Bowie location and make a minimum purchase of $30 will receive an exclusive goodie bag. These special offerings are Daiso's way of expressing gratitude to its loyal customers and welcoming new shoppers to the Daiso community.

Daiso invites customers to join in the celebration. The Daiso, at 3501 Bernie Anderson, is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m to 9 p.m and Sunday from 10 a.m to 8 p.m.

About Daiso:

Daiso is a global retail chain founded in Japan, known for its vast array of unique and affordable products across various categories such as household goods, stationery, beauty, and more. Daiso entered the US market in 2005 and continues to expand its global footprint while maintaining its commitment to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction. The Daiso US headquarters is located in Anaheim, CA.

SOURCE Daiso USA
DANNAR displays revolutionary Mobile Power Station  and new Gen2 MPS 480 3-Phase option as versatile solutions for energy resilience

Part energy storage, part modular workhorse, the new platform option offers high power handling, bidirectional flow, enhanced efficiency and scalability ideal for large-scale industrial applications and integration into renewable energy sources like solar and wind

MUNCIE, Ind., May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- DANNAR - a global leader in clean energy technology and the pioneer of the Mobile Power Station category - is revealing its latest MPS platform option at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo (ACT Expo), North America's premier event for advanced vehicle technology. DANNAR will feature its groundbreaking Mobile Power Station (MPS) and the new Gen2 MPS 480 3-Phase option, which increases total energy export capacity, expands the types of applications or equipment that can be powered and broadens access to reliable, high-power energy.

DANNAR is revealing its latest MPS platform option at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo (ACT Expo), North Americas premier event for advanced vehicle technology. DANNAR will feature its groundbreaking Mobile Power Station (MPS) and the new Gen2 MPS 480 3-Phase option, which increases total energy export capacity, expands the types of applications or equipment that can be powered and broadens access to reliable, high-power energy.

"Our mission is to empower our customers to transform their communities with cleaner, more efficient energy solutions," said DANNAR Founder and CEO Gary Dannar. "The Gen2 MPS 480 exemplifies our commitment to disciplined innovation, offering superior power export, scalability, and adaptability. We're excited to share these advancements at ACT Expo and demonstrate to transportation leaders how DANNAR's Mobile Power Station redefines the way fleets and operators think about energy resilience. Our team is already working with exceptional companies like Caterpillar, Amazon AWS, BMW and Volvo Construction Equipment to continuously improve our one-of-a-kind MPS. The Gen2 is the next step in our vision to deliver innovative solutions, scale and value to our customers."

DANNAR's Mobile Power Station is a versatile, modular off-road platform capable of powering a variety of work attachments, providing mobile microgrid energy, and supporting autonomous operations. It also functions as an unparalleled energy storage solution, trusted by fleet managers, first responders, utility companies, and military operators. The platforms can support electric and hydraulic attachments for various tasks, improving efficiency while reducing emissions and eliminating the need for single-use equipment.

The newly released Gen2 MPS 480 3-Phase option integrates with 480 3-Phase panels, which are heavily used in industrial applications, heavy-duty equipment and commonly used in commercial buildings, hospitals, city infrastructure, farms and more. The added capacity offers high power handling, bidirectional energy flow, and scalability, making it adaptable to evolving power needs. The MPS's go-anywhere mobility, which has been described as a "walking 480 3-Phase," gives crews a reliable source of power during an outage or off-grid project site with 500 kWh energy storage capacity and quick recharge using 480 3-Phase bidirectional capabilities.

The unique combination of mobility, access to multi-phase electrical power, and modular configuration to suit nearly any job makes the MPS a practical and highly versatile asset across numerous industries where fixed grid infrastructure is unavailable or impossible.

Committed to cleaner energy, DANNAR is building stronger, safer, and more resilient communities while helping entities like microgrid operators and emergency responders enhance public infrastructure development and response.

The company's proprietary agnostic Mobile Power Station platforms will be on display in booth #3765 at the ACT Expo. To schedule media interviews with DANNAR executives, contact [email protected] .

About DANNAR:

DANNAR is a global leader in clean energy technology and the pioneer of the Mobile Power Station category  having created the first-ever self-propelled unit redefining industry solutions. Serving as both a dynamic heavy work machine using both industry standard hydraulics and attachments, as well as an unparalleled energy storage solution, DANNAR is trusted by city fleet managers operating heavy equipment, first responders, microgrid operators, utility companies and military operators alike. The company's proprietary technologies deliver superior charging and storage, unrivaled scalability and versatile energy export capabilities that allow DANNAR units to even fill gaps in electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

With fourth-generation agnostic technology, disciplined innovation and a world-class engineering team, the Indiana-based company works with some of the most prominent industry names, including Caterpillar (BCP), Volvo Construction Equipment (EOP), Parker Hannifin, BMW Batteries, Danfoss (UQM) and numerous more across industry verticals. DANNAR equipment, while currently manufactured in the United States, consists of components that can be finished at light assembly locations across diverse geographic locations. For more information, visit www.DANNAR.us.com and join the #MobilePowerStation revolution on LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

SOURCE DANNAR
Dow expands Protect the Climate targets to include climate adaptation benchmarks focused on water and nature

This reflects Dow's holistic approach to climate protection, considering both climate change mitigation and adaptation

MIDLAND, Mich., May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Dow (NYSE: DOW) today announced it will expand its Protect the Climate targets by setting distinct milestones for climate change mitigation that focus on water and nature conservation. These targets include:

By 2030, Dow will implement a robust land management strategy, its top 20 water-dependent sites will have water stewardship plans, and 10 of those sites will be water-resilient.

By 2035, all Dow sites will have water stewardship plans.

By 2050, Dow will partner to conserve 50,000 acres of habitat and its top 20 water-dependent sites will be water-resilient.

As a science-based company, Dow understands the impact that rapidly changing climate and socio-economic conditions are having on water and nature. The new Water & Nature strategy is designed to support resiliency for its sites and surrounding natural ecosystems to be able to withstand unpredictable conditions, such as drought and flooding.

Dow is uniquely positioned to apply its materials science expertise and advanced engineering capabilities for the benefit of water resiliency and healthy ecosystems. Its new strategy focuses on three main areas:

Sustainably managing site footprint, supporting business continuity through world-class water stewardship and positively impacting habitat through smart land management;

Engaging the entire supply chain, working to reduce the demand and impact on water and nature ecosystems; and

Innovating with customers and value chain partners, deploying research and development (R&D) for products and solutions that are better for water and nature.

"To deliver on Dow's purposea sustainable future for allwe must maintain a balanced relationship with water and nature," said Jim Fitterling, Dow's chair and chief executive officer. "Dow's holistic, next-generation Water & Nature strategy is designed to support water resilience for our sites and their surrounding communities, conserve habitat in key ecosystems, and positively impact nature across the supply chain as we continue to drive business growth."

Dow primarily uses water to manage cooling processes, with more than 95% of water withdrawn returned to the environment. Water and nature are also connected to Dow's Decarbonize & Grow strategy, as some decarbonization technologies and bio-based resources present emerging dependencies on natural ecosystems.

To advance water resilience and healthy ecosystems, Dow will work together with water basin stakeholders and conservation organizations to support consistent quality and access, adequate supply, and infrastructure that is prepared for fluctuating conditions. The new strategy reflects the complexity of water and nature stewardship by considering Dow's operations and its supply chain, as well as water basin and land dynamics.

"This new Water & Nature strategy builds upon decades of work at Dow to conserve healthy ecosystems. Considering the rapidly changing conditions, we conducted a detailed evaluation of our strategies and commitments and determined we needed to take this next step on our journey," said Andre Argenton, Dow's chief sustainability officer and vice president of Environment, Health & Safety. "For the sake of our planet, we want to be a pacesetter for our industry in decarbonization, water stewardship and healthy ecosystems."

Dow is committed to reporting progress on these targets with voluntary disclosures under the Taskforce for Nature-Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) beginning with the 2025 reporting year. The Company will also continue to report withdrawal, consumption and intensity as part of its annual INtersections progress report.

About Dow

Dow (NYSE: DOW) is one of the world's leading materials science companies, serving customers in high-growth markets such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility and consumer applications. Our global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation, leading business positions and commitment to sustainability enable us to achieve profitable growth and help deliver a sustainable future. We operate manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employ approximately 35,900 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $45 billion in 2023. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. Learn more about us and our ambition to be the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world by visiting www.dow.com.

For further information, please contact:

Sarah Young

Phone: +1 989-638-6871

[email protected]

X: https://twitter.com/DowNewsroom

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dow/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/dow-chemical

Instagram: http://instagram.com/dow_official

Cautionary Statement about Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such statements often address expected future business and financial performance, financial condition, and other matters, and often contain words or phrases such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "opportunity," "outlook," "plan," "project," "seek," "should," "strategy," "target," "will," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," "would" and similar expressions, and variations or negatives of these words or phrases.

Forward-looking statements are based on current assumptions and expectations of future events that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that are beyond Dow's control, which may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements and speak only as of the date the statements were made. These factors include, but are not limited to: sales of Dow's products; Dow's expenses, future revenues and profitability; any global and regional economic impacts of a pandemic or other public health-related risks and events on Dow's business; any sanctions, export restrictions, supply chain disruptions or increased economic uncertainty related to the ongoing conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and in the Middle East; capital requirements and need for and availability of financing; unexpected barriers in the development of technology, including with respect to Dow's contemplated capital and operating projects; Dow's ability to realize its commitment to carbon neutrality on the contemplated timeframe, including the completion and success of its integrated ethylene cracker and derivatives facility in Alberta, Canada; size of the markets for Dow's products and services and ability to compete in such markets; failure to develop and market new products and optimally manage product life cycles; the rate and degree of market acceptance of Dow's products; significant litigation and environmental matters and related contingencies and unexpected expenses; the success of competing technologies that are or may become available; the ability to protect Dow's intellectual property in the United States and abroad; developments related to contemplated restructuring activities and proposed divestitures or acquisitions such as workforce reduction, manufacturing facility and/or asset closure and related exit and disposal activities, and the benefits and costs associated with each of the foregoing; fluctuations in energy and raw material prices; management of process safety and product stewardship; changes in relationships with Dow's significant customers and suppliers; changes in public sentiment and political leadership; increased concerns about plastics in the environment and lack of a circular economy for plastics at scale; changes in consumer preferences and demand; changes in laws and regulations, political conditions or industry development; global economic and capital markets conditions, such as inflation, market uncertainty, interest and currency exchange rates, and equity and commodity prices; business or supply disruptions; security threats, such as acts of sabotage, terrorism or war, including the ongoing conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and in the Middle East; weather events and natural disasters; disruptions in Dow's information technology networks and systems, including the impact of cyberattacks; and risks related to Dow's separation from DowDuPont Inc. such as Dow's obligation to indemnify DuPont de Nemours, Inc. and/or Corteva, Inc. for certain liabilities.

Where, in any forward-looking statement, an expectation or belief as to future results or events is expressed, such expectation or belief is based on the current plans and expectations of management and expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis, but there can be no assurance that the expectation or belief will result or be achieved or accomplished. A detailed discussion of principal risks and uncertainties which may cause actual results and events to differ materially from such forward-looking statements is included in the section titled "Risk Factors" contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and the Company's subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. These are not the only risks and uncertainties that Dow faces. There may be other risks and uncertainties that Dow is unable to identify at this time or that Dow does not currently expect to have a material impact on its business. If any of those risks or uncertainties develops into an actual event, it could have a material adverse effect on Dow's business. Dow Inc. and The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries assume no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements whether because of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by securities and other applicable laws.

SOURCE The Dow Chemical Company
Field pilot projects under the Wyoming Gas Injection Initiative will extend the life of oilfields and recover more oil with fewer resources

MIDLAND, Mich., May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In a unique state-university-industry collaboration, Dow (NYSE: DOW), the State of Wyoming and the University of Wyoming have come together to launch The Wyoming Gas Injection Initiative (WGII), a program designed to enhance oil well productivity and recovery from existing fields and wells in Wyoming.

WGII will provide field pilot testing of advanced oil recovery methods, such as foam-assisted gas injection using recovered hydrocarbon gases, carbon dioxide or other gases for revitalization of oil fields, as well as mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions by operations in Wyoming. The State of Wyoming will provide $25 million in matching funds through the University of Wyoming to assist the oil and gas operators selected for the project  including, Ballard Petroleum Holdings, Devon Energy Corp. and Occidental  on enhanced recovery projects over a five-year period. Private operators selected for WGII contribute $25 million to the pilot, matched by $25 million from the state. As part of these projects, Dow and the Center of Innovation for Flow Through Porous Media (COIFPM) at the University of Wyoming, along with the oil and gas operators, will implement technologies to catalyze the beneficial use of greenhouse gases for carbon sequestration and oil recovery.

"The Wyoming Gas Injection Initiative is a powerful example of the possibilities that can be brought to life through collaboration with like-minded organizations, in this case meeting the world's growing energy demand with more sustainable technology," said Pankaj Gupta, business vice president, Dow Industrial Solutions. "Our team is proud to share our materials science portfolio and experience to help shape a future where oil recovery is optimized, resources are conserved, and greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced in Wyoming and across the globe."

Dow will support the field implementation and the research activities to be conducted at COIFPM by providing tailored conformance control agents (foaming additives) and sharing learnings from previous field pilot projects. Initial research will develop novel formulations using Dow's ELEVATE additives, which have the potential to increase oil production significantly and extend the economic life of oil assets. These formulations will then be further optimized and piloted in several Wyoming-based reservoirs with the selected oilfield operators to improve the utilization efficiency of gas injection recovery techniques.

"In Wyoming, our energy strategy is focused on using the full value of our energy resources and enhanced oil recovery is an important part of that strategy," said Governor Mark Gordon. "The Wyoming Gas Injection Initiative will not only help breathe new life into our oilfields, but also allow us to recover oil more efficiently while supporting our critical energy and manufacturing industries."

About Dow

Dow (NYSE: DOW) is one of the world's leading materials science companies, serving customers in high-growth markets such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility and consumer applications. Our global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation, leading business positions and commitment to sustainability enable us to achieve profitable growth and help deliver a sustainable future. We operate manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employ approximately 35,900 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $45 billion in 2023. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. Learn more about us and our ambition to be the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world by visiting www.dow.com.

About The University of Wyoming

The University of Wyoming is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyo., with eight colleges: Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources; Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Physical Sciences; Health Sciences; Honors; and Law. The university offers over 200 undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs and is classified as an R2-Doctoral Universities with High Research Activity. https://www.uwyo.edu/index.html

For further information, please contact:

Sarah Young

+1 989 638 6871

[email protected]

X: https://twitter.com/DowNewsroom

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dow/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/dow-chemical

Instagram: http://instagram.com/dow_official

SOURCE The Dow Chemical Company
JOHANNESBURG, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 9th, local time, the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of FAW Trucks' entry into the South African market was successfully hosted at the Coega Plant of FAW Vehicle Manufacturers SA (PTY) Ltd (hereinafter referred to as the "FAW SA"). Present at the event were Mr. Hanjie Hu, Chief Consultant of FAW Group Corporation Overseas Affairs; Mr. Changxin Yu, Member of the Party Committee and Executive Vice President of FAW Trucks; and Mr. Changchun Leng, General Manager of FAW Trucks Overseas Product Line. Government officials from the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of South Africa, the Department of Trade and Industry of South Africa, Eastern Cape Province, and Mandela City, as well as representatives from Chinese-funded enterprises in South Africa, supportive dealers of FAW Trucks' development, representatives of major clients, and members of the media collectively bore witness to this momentous occasion.

During their addresses, Mr. Ebrahim Patel, Minister of Trade and Industry of the Republic of South Africa, and Mr. Yu Liu, Minister-Counselor of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of South Africa, unequivocally commended the pivotal role FAW Trucks played in its pioneering efforts in the South African market and fostering local employment and social development. They lauded FAW SA as a beacon of excellence in China-SA collaboration, citing its remarkable achievements and proactive social responsibility, which have made substantial contributions to the economic prosperity and societal advancement of South Africa.

In his address, representing China FAW Group, Hanjie Hu extended gratitude to the South African government and longstanding partners for their continuous support towards the operational growth of China FAW FAW SA. He underscored that the 30-year anniversary signifies not only a culmination but also a new beginning. Hu affirmed China FAW's commitment to intensify investments in Southern Africa, thereby augmenting contributions to the Belt and Road Initiative and fostering the development of the Southern African region.

For three decades, FAW Trucks has diligently cultivated its presence in South Africa, resulting in the establishment of a comprehensive production, sales, and service network across Southern Africa. The company boasts over 30 strategically positioned sales and service channels throughout South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia, solidifying its regional footprint. Furthermore, its investment in spare parts distribution centers and customer service facilities ensures comprehensive after-sales support throughout the network. Focused on both traction and freight markets, FAW Trucks has implemented a holistic marketing approach along the entire value chain, tailored to meet the diverse needs of Southern African clientele. Through the provision of efficient and reliable comprehensive transportation solutions, the company will continue to add impetus to drive sustained progress and development in the region.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2413805/FAW_SA.jpg
HONG KONG, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On 13 May 2024, Guo Guangchang, Chairman of Fosun International, attended the Choose France Summit hosted by the French government in Paris.

During the summit, Guo Guangchang engaged in discussions with French officials such as Emmanuel Moulin, Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister's Office; Olivia Gregoire, French Minister Delegate for Small and Medium Enterprise, Tourism and Consumer Affairs; Laurent Saint-Martin, CEO of Business France.

He also exchanged views with business leaders from companies such as BNP Paribas, AXA, Groupe BPCE, Societe Generale, and Credit Agricole, and participated in summit forums and events such as the reception dinner hosted by President Macron.

The Choose France Summit, hosted by the French government, aims to showcase France's investment advantages to global corporations and attract overseas businesses to operate in France. This edition of the summit attracted participation from over 180 corporate leaders from around the world. It marks the seventh time France has organized this summit and the third time Fosun has participated in the event.

Guo Guangchang said, "It's a privilege to attend the Choose France Summit once again. France marks the beginning of Fosun's global journey. Since we made our debut in the French market in 2010, Fosun has become a bridge for cultural, tourism, and business exchanges between France and China, and is currently the largest Chinese private enterprise investing in France. The group's annual revenue in France exceeds 2 billion euros, and we employ over 10,000 people in the country, with more than 95% being local hires. Fosun's success in France is a testament to the country's exceptional investment appeal and outstanding business environment."

Fosun's business presence in France is extensive and diverse, spanning sectors such as tourism, fashion, jewelry, pharmaceuticals, health, consumer goods, and food. The group's portfolio includes the global resort chain Club Med, the historic French haute couture brand Lanvin, well-known French jewelry brand Djula, health food industry leader St Hubert, asset management platform PAREF, pharmaceutical distribution company Tridem Pharma, and pharmaceutical CDMO Cenexi, among others.

Club Med is a classic example of Sino-French economic and business cooperation. Since Fosun became Club Med's strategic partner in 2010, Fosun has deeply empowered Club Med through its global resource integration capabilities, helping it become a global leader in the "all-inclusive" resort sector. By the end of last year, Club Med had expanded its global presence to 68 resorts across more than 40 countries.

Lanvin, a long-established French luxury brand, has maintained strong growth since joining Fosun in 2018. Fosun's global fashion luxury group, Lanvin Group, now also owns international brands such as Sergio Rossi, Wolford, St. John Knits, and Caruso.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, as well as the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism. To further promote Franco-Chinese cultural exchanges, Fosun brought the Yuyuan Lantern Festival, a national intangible cultural heritage, overseas for the first time late last year, successfully landing at the Jardin d'Acclimatation in Paris. The 72-day event attracted nearly 200,000 local visitors.

"As a global enterprise, we are thrilled to leverage our global ecosystem to support more French brands and their associated cultural and lifestyle concepts in reaching global consumers, including those in China. Looking ahead, Fosun looks forward to collaborating with more French companies and institutions to contribute further to Franco-Chinese cooperation and showcase the business strength and cultural charm of both nations to the world", Guo Guangchang said.

SOURCE Fosun
IRVINE, Calif., May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- An Internal Revenue Service (IRS) audit is a formal investigation of a taxpayer's financial information. These can be performed on both individuals and businesses alike. During an audit, IRS agents will carefully review pertinent financial transactions to determine the accuracy of a particular return.

Why you should use an Attorney to represent you in an audit

As of 2023, the IRS has announced a new initiative to perform a greater number of "enhanced audits" on wealthy individuals. Specifically, the agency is targeting those who earn over $1 million annually and those with tax debts exceeding $250,000. This new initiative is supported by a recent funding boost and the expansion of compliance programs that focus on investigating large partnerships.

If you need to resolve a tax-related legal issue, get help from our experienced Dual-Licensed Tax Lawyers & CPAs by calling the Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing at (800) 681-1295 or click here to schedule a reduced rate initial consultation online.

Enhanced IRS Audits Target Wealthier Taxpayers

After a recent funding boost bolstered their audit capabilities, the IRS has announced a new initiative targeting taxpayers with high incomes and large tax debts. This initiative is intended to promote tax compliance, especially among the wealthy.

Who is Being Targeted?

Specifically, the IRS' enhanced audits are aimed at taxpayers with incomes over $1 million and taxpayers with debts greater than $250,000. The IRS has reiterated that this initiative is not meant to burden working-class people.

Expansion of the Large Partnership Compliance Program

Compliance programs are set forth by tax authorities like the IRS to help ensure that taxpayers fulfill their obligations. As part of its new initiative, the IRS has announced the expansion of the Large Partnership Compliance program. This program focuses on examining large partnerships with assets of at least $10 billion each. It will receive a significant staffing increase that may allow the program to combat tax fraud more effectively. Appropriate cases where fraud is detected or merely suspected will be forwarded to the IRS criminal investigation division whose mission is to criminally prosecute those committing tax crimes for the deterrent effect.

Motivations

The IRS targets wealthy taxpayers for multiple reasons.

First, audits of wealthy people will often yield higher returns on investment compared to audits of working-class citizens. There are often multiple people who will spend hours working on any particular audit. These people want to see a significant reward for the hours they put in.

Furthermore, wealthy taxpayers are often involved in more complex financial endeavors that create opportunities for tax evasion. By auditing the wealthy, the IRS believes they are more likely to uncover complicated tax fraud schemes.

In many cases, wealthy individuals will neglect their tax obligations because of simple mistakes. Our Dual-Licensed Tax Lawyers & CPAs can help you remedy these mistakes and ensure that they are not construed as intentional attempts at tax evasion. We will work diligently to protect your interests and defend against / avoid accusations of tax crimes.

Why Are People Audited by the IRS?

No one wants to see an audit letter from the IRS in their mailbox. Such a letter can strike fear into the heart of any taxpayer. While some audits are random, many are triggered by certain signals of misconduct.

Random Audits

Random audits can help the IRS gather data and potentially improve its audit selection methods. These random audits target taxpayers by chance as part of a routine selection process.

Errors on Tax Returns

Tax returns that contain errors or inconsistencies are likely to be flagged for IRS audits. Some examples of common errors include missing information and discrepancies between reported income and information reported by third parties like financial institutions. Also, returns that report abnormally high income for their applicable industries may be flagged.

Whistleblower Tips

Furthermore, some audits may be performed after the IRS receives tips from whistleblowers. Whistleblowers report suspected tax fraud and other illegal activities to the government. For example, a corporation's disgruntled employee may report suspected tax evasion schemes to the IRS. Similarly, a whistleblower tip may come from a former business partner.

High-Income Individuals

As previously mentioned, some individuals and businesses are targeted for IRS audits merely because they are wealthy. High-income earners may have more opportunities to engage in tax evasion schemes. Furthermore, audits of these taxpayers are more likely to result in the recovery of a large tax debt.

Past Audit History

Lastly, some taxpayers are audited because of their past audit history. Those who have had prior issues with the IRS may be more likely to be investigated again. Moreover, the penalties for repeated non-compliance can be especially severe.

Potential Consequences of Tax Evasion

Cheating on your taxes can get you in serious trouble. There are multiple potential consequences that you may face.

First, you can face criminal charges for tax evasion. If found guilty, then you may face significant fines and other penalties. If the charges levied against you are especially serious, then you may even face imprisonment. Typically, prison terms are ordinarily assessed in cases where defendants cause at least $30,000 tax loss which equates to one year in jail under the federal sentencing guidelines, are repeat offenders, or are engaged in other criminal activities.

Also, you may have your assets seized. Tax authorities have the power to seize property from taxpayers to satisfy outstanding tax debts. Some common examples of property that may be seized include vehicles, real estate, and bank accounts.

Finally, you may face significant reputational damage in the wake of a tax evasion charge. This reputational damage may affect your ability to maintain social relationships, secure housing, and stay employed or cost you your professional licensing if your profession has a moral character requirement.

How Does the IRS Audit Process Work?

The IRS audit process begins when the IRS selects a tax return for examination. The taxpayer then receives a notification letter that outlines the details of the audit and what records need to be provided.

During the audit, the IRS reviews the taxpayer's financial information to ensure that their returns are accurate. Once the investigation is complete, the IRS will tell you what they found. Their findings could result in no changes, adjustments to your tax return, or the assessment of penalties.

Contact Our Lawyers for Help with Your Tax Problems

If you have failed to file a tax return for one or more years or have taken a position on a tax return that could not be supported upon an IRS or state tax authority audit, eggshell audit, reverse eggshell audit, or criminal tax investigation, it is in your best interest to contact an experienced tax defense attorney to determine your best route back into federal or state tax compliance without facing criminal prosecution.

Note: As long as a taxpayer that has willfully committed tax crimes (potentially including non-filed foreign information returns coupled with affirmative evasion of U.S. income t ax on offshore income) self-reports the tax fraud (including a pattern of non-filed returns) through a domestic or offshore voluntary disclosure before the IRS has started an audit or criminal tax investigation / prosecution, the taxpayer can ordinarily be successfully brought back into tax compliance and receive a nearly guaranteed pass on criminal tax prosecution and simultaneously often receive a break on the civil penalties that would otherwise apply.

It is imperative that you hire an experienced and reputable criminal tax defense attorney to take you through the voluntary disclosure process. Only an Attorney has the Attorney Client Privilege and Work Product Privileges that will prevent the very professional that you hire from being potentially being forced to become a witness against you, especially where they prepared the returns that need to be amended, in a subsequent criminal tax audit, investigation or prosecution.

Moreover, only an Attorney can enter you into a voluntary disclosure without engaging in the unauthorized practice of law (a crime in itself). Only an Attorney trained in Criminal Tax Defense fully understands the risks and rewards involved in voluntary disclosures and how to protect you if you do not qualify for a voluntary disclosure.

As uniquely qualified and extensively experienced Criminal Tax Defense Tax Attorneys, Kovel CPAs and EAs, our firm provides a one stop shop to efficiently achieve the optimal and predictable results that simultaneously protect your liberty and your net worth. See our Testimonials to see what our clients have to say about us!

We Are Here for You

Regardless of your business or estate needs, the professionals at the Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing are here for you. We are open for business and our team will help ensure that your business is too. Contact the Law Offices of David W. Klasing today to discuss your business with one of our professionals.

In addition to our fully staffed main office in downtown Irvine California, the Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing has unstaffed (conference room only) California based satellite offices in Los Angeles , San Bernardino , Santa Barbara , Panorama City , Oxnard , San Diego , Bakersfield , San Jose , San Francisco , Oakland , Carlsbad, Sacramento . We also have unstaffed (conference room only) satellite offices in Las Vegas Nevada , Salt Lake City Utah , Phoenix Arizona & Albuquerque New Mexico , Austin Texas , Washington DC , Miami Florida and New York New York that solely handle Federal & California Tax issues.

Our office technology allows clients to meet virtually via GoToMeeting . With end-to-end encryption, strong passwords, and top-rated reliability, no one is messing with your meeting. To schedule a reduced rate initial consultation via GoToMeeting follow this link . Call our office and request a GoToMeeting if you are an existing client. We also now offer a convenient scheduling option, where you can secure David W. Klasing, Esq M.S.-Tax CPA's undivided attention for a 4-hour consultation at any of his satellite offices.

See our Audit Representation Q and A Library

Public Contact: Dave Klasing Esq. M.S.-Tax CPA, [email protected]

SOURCE Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing, PC
Executing on Growth Initiatives

First quarter revenues of $571.1 million , up 20.9% year-over-year

IFRS Diluted EPS of $1.02 for the first quarter

Non-IFRS Adjusted Diluted EPS of $1.53 for the first quarter

LUXEMBOURG, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Globant (NYSE: GLOB), a digitally native company focused on reinventing businesses through innovative technology solutions, today announced results for the three months ended March 31, 2024.

Please see highlights below, including certain Non-IFRS measures. Note that reconciliations between Non-IFRS financial measures and IFRS operating results are disclosed at the end of this press release.

First Quarter 2024 Financial Highlights

Revenues rose to $571.1 million , representing 20.9% year-over-year growth.

, representing 20.9% year-over-year growth. IFRS Gross Profit Margin was 35.4% compared to 35.6% in the first quarter of 2023.

Non-IFRS Adjusted Gross Profit Margin was 38.0% compared to 38.2% in the first quarter of 2023.

IFRS Profit from Operations Margin was 8.4% compared to 9.4% in the first quarter of 2023.

Non-IFRS Adjusted Profit from Operations Margin was 15.0% compared to 15.1% in the first quarter of 2023.

IFRS Diluted EPS was $1.02 compared to $0.84 in the first quarter of 2023.

compared to in the first quarter of 2023. Non-IFRS Adjusted Diluted EPS was $1.53 compared to $1.28 in the first quarter of 2023.

Other Metrics as of and for the quarter ended March 31, 2024



Cash and cash equivalents and Short-term investments were $237.5 million as of March 31, 2024 , a decrease of $85.8 million from $323.3 million as of December 31, 2023, driven mainly by the partial repayment of our credit facility and a number of M&A earnout payments. As of March 31, 2024 , we had a total amount of $105 million drawn from our credit facility.

as of , a decrease of from as of December 31, 2023, driven mainly by the partial repayment of our credit facility and a number of M&A earnout payments. As of , we had a total amount of drawn from our credit facility. Globant completed the first quarter of 2024 with 28,991 Globers, 26,933 of whom were technology, design and innovation professionals.

The geographic revenue breakdown for the first quarter of 2024 was as follows: 56.0% from North America (top country: US), 22.9% from Latin America (top country: Argentina ), 17.2% from Europe (top country: Spain ) and 3.9% from New Markets 1 (top country: Saudi Arabia ).

(top country: US), 22.9% from (top country: ), 17.2% from (top country: ) and 3.9% from New Markets (top country: ). Globant's top customer, top five customers and top ten customers for the first quarter of 2024 represented 8.3%, 21.8% and 30.1% of revenues, respectively.

During the twelve months ended March 31, 2024 , Globant served a total of 955 customers (with revenues over $100,000 in the last twelve months) and continued to increase its wallet share, with 318 accounts generating more than $1 million of annual revenues, compared to 276 for the same period one year ago.

, Globant served a total of 955 customers (with revenues over in the last twelve months) and continued to increase its wallet share, with 318 accounts generating more than of annual revenues, compared to 276 for the same period one year ago. In terms of currencies, 68.4% of Globant's revenues for the first quarter of 2024 were denominated in US dollars.

"As an industry leader, Globant is confident in its resilience and growth plans as we provide guidance for a strong 2024. Our clear strategy, unique value proposition and authentic partnerships are the foundation of our differentiated offering. With a focus on innovative technology, our studio networks are poised to deliver mid-teen top-line growth in 2024. We continue to reinvent the industry, creating attractive products that touch the lives of millions and drive the digital economy of tomorrow," said Martin Migoya, Globant's CEO and co-founder. "Our global presence, AI expertise, industry specialization and geographic scale enable us for success as we drive loyalty through seamless and satisfying customer experiences."

"Our first-quarter revenues of $571.1 million, a remarkable 20.9% year-over-year growth, exceeded our guidance and positioned us well for the year ahead. We continue to see secular technology trends, driven by AI, and remain highly optimistic about our growth prospects. The strength of our pipeline and the positive momentum in recent bookings reinforce our confidence in the future. Across all geographic segments, we experienced robust growth, a testament to our solid execution and strategic focus. With a robust balance sheet and ample funding options, we are well-positioned to drive growth and make strategic investments. Looking ahead, we are fully confident in our ability to deliver another year of industry-leading growth, and we are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead," explained Juan Urthiague, Globant's CFO.

2024 Second Quarter and Full Year Outlook

Based on current market conditions, Globant is providing the following estimates for the second quarter and the full year of 2024:

Second quarter 2024 Revenues are estimated to be in the range of $585.0 million to $589.0 million , or 17.6% to 18.4% year-over-year growth.

to , or 17.6% to 18.4% year-over-year growth. Second quarter 2024 Non-IFRS Adjusted Profit from Operations Margin is estimated to be in the range of 14.5% - 15.5%.

Second quarter 2024 Non-IFRS Adjusted Diluted EPS is estimated to be in the range of $1.47 to $1.52 (assuming an average of 44.2 million diluted shares outstanding during the second quarter).

to (assuming an average of 44.2 million diluted shares outstanding during the second quarter). Fiscal year 2024 Revenues are estimated to be in the range of $2,405.0 million to $2,440.0 million , implying a 14.7% to 16.4% year-over-year revenue growth.

to , implying a 14.7% to 16.4% year-over-year revenue growth. Fiscal year 2024 Non-IFRS Adjusted Profit from Operations Margin is estimated to be in the range of 14.5% - 15.5%.

Fiscal year 2024 Non-IFRS Adjusted Diluted EPS is estimated to be in the range of $6.20 to $6.50 (assuming an average of 44.3 million diluted shares outstanding during 2024).

Conference Call and Webcast

Martin Migoya, Globant's CEO and co-founder, Juan Urthiague, Globant's CFO, Patricia Pomies, Globant's COO, and Diego Tartara, Globant's CTO, will discuss the first quarter 2024 results in a video conference call today beginning at 4:30pm ET.

Video conference call access information is:

https://more.globant.com/F1Q24EarningsCall

Webcast http://investors.globant.com/

About Globant (NYSE:GLOB)

We are a digitally native company that helps organizations reinvent themselves to create a way forward and unleash their potential. We are the place where innovation, design and engineering meet scale.

We have more than 28,900 employees and we are present in more than 30 countries across 5 continents working for companies like Google, Electronic Arts and Santander, among others.

We were named a Worldwide Leader in CX Improvement by IDC MarketScape report. We were also featured as a business case study at Harvard, MIT and Stanford. We are a member of the Cybersecurity Tech Accord.

For more information, please visit www.globant.com

Non-IFRS Financial Measures

While the financial figures included in this press release have been computed in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board ("IASB"), this announcement does not contain sufficient information to constitute an interim financial report as defined in International Accounting Standards 34, "Interim Financial Reporting" nor a financial statement as defined by International Accounting Standards 1 "Presentation of Financial Statements". The financial information in this press release has not been audited.

Globant provides non-IFRS financial measures in addition to reported IFRS results prepared in accordance with IFRS. Management believes these measures help illustrate underlying trends in the company's business and uses the non-IFRS financial measures to establish budgets and operational goals, communicated internally and externally, for managing the company's business and evaluating its performance. The company anticipates that it will continue to report both IFRS and certain non-IFRS financial measures in its financial results, including non-IFRS measures that exclude share-based compensation expense, depreciation and amortization, acquisition-related charges, and the related effect on income taxes of the pre-tax adjustments. Because the company's non-IFRS financial measures are not calculated according to IFRS, these measures are not comparable to IFRS and may not necessarily be comparable to similarly described non-IFRS measures reported by other companies within the company's industry. Consequently, Globant's non-IFRS financial measures should not be evaluated in isolation or supplant comparable IFRS measures, but, rather, should be considered together with its condensed interim consolidated statements of financial position as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023 and its condensed interim consolidated statements of comprehensive income for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standard ("IAS") 34, "Interim Financial Reporting".

Globant is not providing a quantitative reconciliation of forward-looking Non-IFRS Adjusted Profit from Operations Margin or Non-IFRS Adjusted Diluted EPS to the most directly comparable IFRS measure because it is unable to predict with reasonable certainty the ultimate outcome of certain significant items without unreasonable effort. These items include, but are not limited to, share-based compensation expense, acquisition-related charges, and the tax effect of non-IFRS adjustments. These items are uncertain, depend on various factors, and could have a material impact on IFRS reported results for the guidance period.

Forward Looking Statements

In addition to historical information, this release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "believe," "may," "will," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "should," "plan," "expect," "predict," "potential," or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our future financial and operating performance, including our outlook and guidance, and our strategies, priorities and business plans. Our expectations and beliefs regarding these matters may not materialize, and actual results in future periods are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Factors that could impact our actual results include: our ability to maintain current resource utilization rates and productivity levels; our ability to manage attrition and attract and retain highly-skilled IT professionals; our ability to accurately price our client contracts; our ability to achieve our anticipated growth; our ability to effectively manage our rapid growth; our ability to retain our senior management team and other key employees; our ability to continue to innovate and remain at the forefront of emerging technologies and related market trends; our ability to retain our business relationships and client contracts; our ability to manage the impact of global adverse economic conditions; our ability to manage uncertainty concerning the instability in the current economic, political and social environment in Latin America; and other factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in our most recent Form 20-F filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and any other risk factors we include in subsequent reports on Form 6-K.

Because of these uncertainties, you should not make any investment decisions based on our estimates and forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this press release whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Globant S.A.

Condensed Interim Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

(In thousands of U.S. dollars, except per share amounts, unaudited)



Three Months Ended

March 31, 2024

March 31, 2023







Revenues 571,078

472,421 Cost of revenues (368,857)

(304,124) Gross profit 202,221

168,297







Selling, general and administrative expenses (152,114)

(119,357) Net impairment losses on financial assets (2,165)

(4,717) Profit from operations 47,942

44,223







Finance income 1,125

1,235 Finance expense (7,269)

(4,172) Other financial results, net 5,074

3,762 Financial results, net (1,070)

825







Share of results of investment in associates (14)

56 Other income and expenses, net 10,011

1,487 Profit before income tax 56,869

46,591







Income tax (12,940)

(10,206) Net income for the period 43,929

36,385







Other comprehensive income, net of income tax effects





Items that may be reclassified subsequently to profit and loss:





- Exchange differences on translating foreign operations (18,608)

2,741 - Net change in fair value on financial assets measured at FVOCI 125

25 - Gains and losses on cash flow hedges (8,755)

4,206 Total comprehensive income for the period 16,691

43,357







Net income attributable to:





Owners of the Company 45,060

36,419 Non-controlling interest (1,131)

(34) Net income for the period 43,929

36,385







Total comprehensive income for the period attributable to:





Owners of the Company 19,009

42,129 Non-controlling interest (2,318)

1,228 Total comprehensive income for the period 16,691

43,357 Earnings per share





Basic 1.05

0.86 Diluted 1.02

0.84 Weighted average of outstanding shares (in thousands)





Basic 43,103

42,297 Diluted 44,071

43,237

Globant S.A.

Condensed Interim Consolidated Statements of Financial Position as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023

(In thousands of U.S. dollars, unaudited)





March 31, 2024

December 31, 2023 ASSETS







Current assets







Cash and cash equivalents

225,622

307,223 Investments

11,879

16,070 Trade receivables

561,363

499,283 Other assets

28,617

31,753 Other receivables

64,193

54,786 Other financial assets

6,067

15,418 Total current assets

897,741

924,533









Non-current assets







Investments

1,981

1,833 Other assets

3,614

4,088 Other receivables

23,525

26,475 Deferred tax assets

63,703

60,777 Investment in associates

1,412

1,426 Other financial assets

35,213

34,864 Property and equipment

154,684

162,736 Intangible assets

266,000

274,382 Right-of-use assets

120,640

119,400 Goodwill

1,105,279

1,120,724 Total non-current assets

1,776,051

1,806,705 TOTAL ASSETS

2,673,792

2,731,238









LIABILITIES







Current liabilities







Trade payables

106,169

124,545 Payroll and social security taxes payable

235,810

221,843 Borrowings

106,159

156,916 Other financial liabilities

102,860

80,370 Lease liabilities

38,123

47,852 Tax liabilities

22,231

33,229 Income tax payable

20,488

11,287 Other liabilities

312

896 Total current liabilities

632,152

676,938









Non-current liabilities







Trade payables

2,797

2,981 Borrowings

1,795

2,191 Other financial liabilities

100,369

137,382 Lease liabilities

79,009

70,884 Deferred tax liabilities

18,932

21,098 Income tax payable

4,725

 Payroll and social security taxes payable

6,542

5,139 Provisions for contingencies

16,656

16,448 Total non-current liabilities

230,825

256,123 TOTAL LIABILITIES

862,977

933,061









Capital and reserves







Issued capital

51,778

51,705 Additional paid-in capital

1,018,792

1,022,918 Other reserves

(68,099)

(42,048) Retained earnings

742,149

697,089 Total equity attributable to owners of the Company

1,744,620

1,729,664 Non-controlling interests

66,195

68,513 Total equity

1,810,815

1,798,177 TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES

2,673,792

2,731,238

Globant S.A.

Selected Cash Flow Data

(In thousands of U.S. dollars, unaudited)





Three Months Ended



March 31, 2024

March 31, 2023 Net Income for the period

43,929

36,385 Non-cash adjustments, taxes and others

54,902

46,218 Changes in working capital

(88,131)

(48,776) Cash flows from operating activities

10,700

33,827 Capital expenditures

(15,537)

(35,610) Cash flows from investing activities

(16,920)

(46,880) Cash flows from financing activities

(75,326)

(25,960) Net decrease in cash & cash equivalents

(81,546)

(39,013)

Globant S.A.

Supplemental Non-IFRS Financial Information

(In thousands of U.S. dollars, unaudited)



Three Months Ended

March 31, 2024

March 31, 2023







Reconciliation of adjusted gross profit





Gross Profit 202,221

168,297 Depreciation and amortization expense 7,433

6,432 Share-based compensation expense - Equity settled 7,142

5,590 Adjusted gross profit 216,796

180,319 Adjusted gross profit margin 38.0 %

38.2 %







Reconciliation of selling, general and administrative expenses





Selling, general and administrative expenses (152,114)

(119,357) Depreciation and amortization expense 25,065

19,779 Share-based compensation expense - Equity settled 12,315

11,130 Acquisition-related charges (a) 9,598

4,548 Adjusted selling, general and administrative expenses (105,136)

(83,900) Adjusted selling, general and administrative expenses as % of revenues (18.4) %

(17.8) %







Reconciliation of Adjusted Profit from Operations





Profit from Operations 47,942

44,223 Share-based compensation expense - Equity settled 19,457

16,720 Acquisition-related charges (a) 18,144

10,415 Adjusted Profit from Operations 85,543

71,358 Adjusted Profit from Operations margin 15.0 %

15.1 %







Reconciliation of Net income for the period





Net income for the period 45,060

36,419 Share-based compensation expense - Equity settled 19,349

16,720 Acquisition-related charges (a) 9,940

9,872 Tax effect of non-IFRS adjustments (6,804)

(7,607) Adjusted Net income 67,545

55,404 Adjusted Net income margin 11.8 %

11.7 %







Calculation of Adjusted Diluted EPS





Adjusted Net income 67,545

55,404 Diluted shares 44,071

43,237 Adjusted Diluted EPS 1.53

1.28









(a) Acquisition-related charges include, when applicable, amortization of purchased intangible assets included in depreciation and amortization expense line on our consolidated statements of comprehensive income, interest charges on acquisition-related indebtedness, external deal costs, acquisition-related retention bonuses, integration costs, changes in the fair value of contingent consideration liabilities, and other acquisition-related costs. We cannot provide acquisition-related charges on a forward-looking basis without unreasonable effort as such charges may fluctuate based on the timing, size, and complexity of future acquisitions as well as other uncertainty inherent in mergers and acquisitions.

Globant S.A.

Schedule of Supplemental Information (unaudited)

Metrics Q1 2023 Q2 2023 Q3 2023 Q4 2023 Q1 2024











Total Employees 26,288 25,947 27,505 29,150 28,991 IT Professionals 24,496 24,163 25,575 27,116 26,933











North America Revenues % 61.4 60.6 58.9 57.4 56.0 Latin America Revenues % 21.8 22.0 21.6 22.9 22.9 Europe Revenues % 13.3 13.8 15.9 15.8 17.2 New Markets Revenues % 3.5 3.6 3.6 3.9 3.9











USD Revenues % 74.8 73.9 72.5 68.6 68.4 Other Currencies Revenues % 25.2 26.1 27.5 31.4 31.6











Top Customer % 9.4 8.8 8.7 8.2 8.3 Top 5 Customers % 24.5 23.7 22.5 21.4 21.8 Top 10 Customers % 34.8 33.3 32.2 30.8 30.1











Customers Served (Last Twelve Months)* 817 835 889 930 955 Customers with >$1M in Revenues (Last Twelve Months) 276 283 305 311 318













(*) Represents customers with more than $100,000 in revenues in the last twelve months.

Investor Relations Contact:

Arturo Langa, Globant

[email protected]

+1 (877) 215-5230

Media Contact:

Wanda Weigert, Globant

[email protected]

+1 (877) 215-5230

Source: Globant

1 Represents Asia, Oceania and the Middle East.

SOURCE Globant
Automotive Lighting Module 'Nexlide' won 146 cumulative orders and its annual average sales grew 47%

"The thickness to be thinner, and the light to be brighter and more even"Freedom of Design and Power Efficiency 'Boosted'

'Pixel Lighting' supports V2V & V2P Communication"aiming to complete development by next year."

SEOUL, South Korea, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On the 16th, LG Innotek (CEO Moon, Hyuksoo) announced that it will accelerate its targeting of the global automotive lighting module market with 'Nexlide (Next Lighting Device)' to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of its commercialization this year.

For a long period of time, automotive lighting remained a simple lighting device that assists drivers in safely operating a vehicle by providing clear visibility and delivering signals.

Automotive Lighting Module Nexlide Automotive Lighting Module Nexlide

Automotive lighting has begun to receive renewed attention, with premium car manufacturers focusing on brand differentiation through the design of elegant automotive exteriors.

Automotive Lighting Module 'Nexlide' won 146 cumulative orders and its annual average sales grew 47%

LG Innotek's automotive flexible 3D lighting module, 'Nexlide' is rated as a next-generation vehicle lighting solution in line with aforementioned trend of future mobility, receiving interest from global car makers.

'Nexlide' can be freely applied to various areas of a vehicle such as daytime running lights, RCL (Rear Combination Lamp, including tail lights, stoplights, and turning lights), etc.

LG Innotek unveiled a total of 9 line-ups, starting with the mass production of 'Nexlide-A' in 2014 and concluding with 'Nexlide-M', which was successfully developed last year and recently commenced mass production. 'Nexlide' is installed on 88 car models of 9 car manufacturer brands around the world, including North America, Europe, Japan, China, and Korea, and can be seen on roads in all corners of the globe.

'Nexlide' showed a sharp growth in annual average sales of 47% for the past decade, and was reborn as the major product of LG Innotek's electronic components business. The cumulative orders 'Nexlide' won last month was a staggering 146 orders.

"The thickness to be thinner, and the light brighter and more even"Freedom of Design and Power Efficiency 'Boosted'

'Nexlide' is produced by attaching multiple light source packages, optical resin, which is a material that bands flexibly, and high-performance & highly reliable optical films applied with LG Innotek's proprietary optical micro pattern technology on a thin substrate. LG Innotek has secured exclusive technologies related to 'Nexlide' by acquiring over 200 technology patents.

Before 'Nexlide' was developed, to realize a surface light source (light source in which the surface lights up evenly and has no thickness), parts such as 'Inner Lense,' which enables light to spread evenly on a point light source, had to be used.

However, with LG Innotek's patented technology, more than 20% of the number of parts that needed to be added were reduced. The secret behind slimming the module was these technologies. The slimmer the module, the more efficient the spatial utilization was, and the greater the degree of design freedom in car design.

In the case of 'Nexlide-M,' the latest model, LG Innotek introduced a new engineering method that completely eliminated air gaps and successfully slimmed the module by 30% compared to existing products.

Another strength and advantage of 'Nexlide' is the improved brightness of the vehicle lights while the thickness is minimized. 'Nexlide-M' increased the brightness by 4 times compared to existing products, and can emit lights up to 500cd(candela, a unit representing the brightness of a light source), which meets the global legal standard for DRLs (Daytime Running Lights).

While achieving the highest level of brightness in the industry, customers can now customize the color and brightness according to the purpose and installation location of the lighting by utilizing the diverse line-up of 'Nexlide.'

Another advantage of using 'Nexlide' is that it can help reduce electric consumption. Nexlide can produce sufficient brightness with low electric power even as the module brightness increases. Especially in the case of EVs (Electric Vehicles), since it can reduce the electricity mileage (fuel efficiency of EVs), the added value of 'Nexlide' is enhanced in the future mobility era.

'Pixel Lighting' supporting V2V & V2P Communication"aiming to complete development by next year"

In the recent automobile market, there is a trend to expand the role of vehicle lights compared to the past. For example, lights are now being used to facilitate communication between drivers (V2V) and drivers and pedestrians (V2P) by installing lights on the vehicle grill, or indicating the driving condition of an autonomous vehicle with specific colors.

In line with such trends, LG Innotek aims to complete the development of pixel lighting (lighting design that repeatedly arranges small 3D lights) that can display various phrases and animation effects by 2025.

In addition to this, the company is planning to expand its customer base to middle and low-priced EV OEMs by developing the 'Next-Generation Nexlide' which has enhanced energy efficiency.

Byaeng kuk Yoo, the head of the electronic component business division and executive director of LG Innotek said 'LG Innotek has proven its capabilities in the vehicle lighting module business through the 'Nexlide' product for the past decade." He added, "We will introduce new products to provide differentiated customer values and foster the vehicle lighting module into a business worth billions of Dollars.

Meanwhile, according to Reports Insights, a global market survey agency, the size of the global automotive lighting market is 21.9 billion USD as of 2022, and is forecasted to grow to 32.1 billion USD by 2030.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2412368/Automotive_Lighting_Module__Nexlide.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2412369/Automotive_Lighting_Module__Nexlide___2.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2312913/4704920/logo__LG_Innotek_Logo.jpg
VANCOUVER, BC, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - LiTHOS Group Ltd. ("LiTHOS" or the "Company") (CBOE CA: LITS), a leader in sustainable lithium production, is pleased to announce the continued influx of brine samples from new mining companies. This development underscores LiTHOS's growing reputation and capability in the lithium extraction industry. The tests were conducted at LiTHOS's state-of-the-art facility in Bessemer, Alabama, highlighting the Company's commitment to technological innovation and environmental stewardship.

Key Developments:

Increased Brine Reception: LiTHOS has been receiving an increasing number of brine samples from new mining companies. This influx highlights the industry's trust in LiTHOS's patent-pending AcQUA technology, which aims to improve lithium extraction processes.

Successful Testing and Presentation: LiTHOS has completed comprehensive testing on multiple brine samples from one of its mining customers. The test results have been successfully presented to the client, demonstrating the effectiveness and reliability of LiTHOS's technology.

New Client Engagements: LiTHOS is currently testing additional brine samples from customers. The Company expects to complete these tests soon and will present the results to potential clients, reinforcing its market presence.

South American Client Engagement: LiTHOS has received brine samples from another mining company in South America, reinforcing its presence in the key lithium-rich region and enhancing its global reach.

About LiTHOS

Lithos Group Ltd. is a mining technology company focused on selective extraction of aqueous minerals. The Company's AcQUA technology allows lithium to be extracted from continental brine reservoirs without the need for additional freshwater or any added chemicals or reagents. Lithium is now among the world's most in-demand metals as the world "electrifies" to reduce CO 2 emissions, led by continuing growth in EV sales and the installation of hundreds of gigawatts of intermittent solar power generation capacity requiring partial battery storage solutions.

The Company's mission is to produce sustainable lithium without evaporation ponds. AcQUA is LiTHOS's patent-pending technology that spans the complete value chain from the conditioning and pre-treatment of raw brines through the DLE phase into the polishing and purification of battery-grade lithium feedstock. LiTHOS has two processing facilities: a 4,000 sq ft lab in Denver, CO, and a 55,000 sq ft complex in Bessemer, AL.

LiTHOS is working with multiple strategic mineral resource owners, including brines from the largest Salars in Chile and Argentina and the Smackover reservoir in the Southeastern United States. Our wholly-owned subsidiary, Aqueous Resources LLC, is a US Department of Energy grant awardee and a Colorado Advanced Industries grant awardee. For more information, please get in touch with LiTHOS Investor Relations at 1-877-LITHOS1 / 1-877-548-4671 or via email at [email protected].

Stay up-to-date on LiTHOS developments by joining our online communities through LinkedIn and X

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Scott Taylor - CEO

Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian legislation. All statements in this news release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations and orientations regarding the future including, without limitation, the Company's market position in the industry of sustainable lithium production and increase in the capacity of the Company's facilities. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable and reflect expectations of future developments and other factors which management believes to be reasonable and relevant, the Company can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "may", "should", "would", "will", "potential", "scheduled" or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that the Company's facilities will be able to handle the increased demand. 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 differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors include but are not limited to, the failure of the Company's facilities to handle increased demand and the potential that the Company's market position does not increase as expected. Further, the ongoing labour shortages, inflationary pressures, rising interest rates, the global financial climate and the conflict in Ukraine and surrounding regions are some additional factors that are affecting current economic conditions and increasing economic uncertainty, which may impact the Company's operating performance, financial position and future prospects. Collectively, the potential impacts of this economic environment pose risks that are currently indescribable and immeasurable. Other factors may also adversely affect the future results or performance of the Company, including those risks and concerns more fully described in the Company's annual and quarterly management discussion and analysis and in other filings made by the Company with Canadian securities regulatory authorities under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and, accordingly, are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty of such statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and unless required by applicable law, the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in these forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Lithos Group
The operating model introduced by Catalyst is now further entrenched. The step change in key operating metrics is stabilising from one quarter to the next. Turnaround in site safety has improved considerably under Catalyst's ownership with TRIFR rates nearly halving. Safety remains a core focus for the site.

During the quarter, Catalyst's project development team began to make gains in identifying and prioritising the development and exploration opportunities across the belt. There has been a significant effort in the past six months to clean and collate +40 years of geological data from multiple owners and data sources. Over the coming months, the team will begin re-estimating Resources and commence engineering designs. Updates will be provided as this work progresses.

The definitive feasibility study (DFS) at Trident is focused on reducing operating and execution risk. Plutonic's operational success has afforded Catalyst the opportunity to take a more measured approach to Trident's development. In doing so, the company can develop the belt in a more balanced manner.

Learnings from the turnaround of operations at Plutonic are now being implemented at Henty. Henty saw its second consecutive quarter of improved operational metrics. Fundamental to this improvement has been investment in equipment, improved planning and deployment of new people to the Henty site. This equipment investment and continued construction of the tailings storage facility lift are reflected in Henty's costs for the quarter.

In Victoria, the Company continues to progress plans for the submission of an Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed exploration access tunnel at Four Eagles.

During the quarter Catalyst repaid $9.1m of a convertible note acquired through the acquisition of Vango Mining Limited. The repayment of the first tranche of the convertible note is a further step in the consolidation and simplification Catalyst's capital structure.

MANAGEMENT COMMENTARY

"Results for the quarter have been encouraging with operations at both sites stabilising. Pleasingly, Henty has maintained five months of rising gold production, lower unit costs and positioned itself well for a positive Q4.

The March quarter was a stable quarter for Plutonic with recovered gold of 21,904oz, similar to that of last quarter.

Henty's turnaround in performance was a focus for the quarter. Pleasingly, the quarter demonstrated an ability to increase the mining rate to take up latent mill capacity  historically, the processing plant has been limited to processing at the mining rate of 260ktpa rather than at its nameplate processing capacity of 300ktpa. Henty's previous mining rate was 260kt. This quarter, mining rates increased considerably to 300ktpa. Ongoing debottlenecking of the site will be a focus going forward.

The project development team continues to evaluate the Plutonic belt development pipeline, methodically working through the numerous exploration and development opportunities across the belt  a laborious process requiring the collating, cleaning, re-estimating and designing of decades of poorly maintained data. Trident remains an important near-term development, however a more tempered approach to its development allows Catalyst to develop the belt in a more balanced manner rather than placing all its future in the Trident basket."

SAFETY

The new Safety Leadership Team at Plutonic has focussed on building a strong safety culture at site. Since taking control of Plutonic on 1 July 2023, Catalyst has seen a significant improvement in safety and achieved in excess of six months injury free operations. Disappointingly, a minor slip injury was sustained during a normal work event in late March 2024. Ensuring everyone goes home safely remains our commitment.

No injuries were recorded for the quarter at Henty.

Table 1: December 2023 group safety performance (12-month moving average)



Plutonic Henty TRIFR 14.8 16.0 LTIFR (per million hours worked) - 12.8

OPERATIONS

Plutonic Gold Operations

The focus for the March quarter was continuing to embed the new safety culture and ensuring the step change in performance across key metrics was maintained.

Key production KPIs of mine development meters, production drill meters, material movement and gold production continue to be in line with previous quarterly production results. Ore tonnes mined were in line with previous quarters despite poor mining productivity in March due to equipment breakdowns.

Work continues to improve the team's understanding of mine planning. While uncertainty remains, each passing quarter's production being in line with the previous quarters gives additional comfort.

Ore mined was 317kt vs 312kt on prior quarter. Gold recovered was 21,252oz vs prior quarter of 21,904oz. AISC were $2,346/oz vs prior quarter of $2,713/oz.

Important for Plutonic's longer term success is identifying new Resources in virgin areas near existing underground mine infrastructure. During the quarter exploration drives were established to begin the process of drilling out the Western Front (see Figure 2). Catalyst is in discussions with its drill contractor about sourcing a third underground drilling rig to explore this area.

In March, Plutonic commenced depositing into the recently constructed TSF cell 3. Cell 3 will provide tailings capacity until the end of 2024. Construction work on the next lift at TSF cell 2 is expected to commence in September 2024 and will provide a further 12 months capacity. Approvals for the next 3 TSF lifts are in place.

Henty Gold Mine

Encouragingly, Henty has had five successful months of production with the mine well positioned for a solid June quarter. Operating metrics at Henty improved against the December quarter across all key KPIs. Ore mined was 80kt vs 61kt on prior quarter, a 33% improvement. Gold recovered was 6,832oz vs prior quarter of 6,640oz. AISC were $2,712/oz vs prior quarter of $3,447/oz.

In recent months, Henty has been focussed on increasing its production run rate of 300,000 tonnes per annum. This quarter's production demonstrates both the mine and mill can achieve this.

Construction of a TSF lift progressed during the quarter. Completion was delayed due to weather. Planned completion is now by the end of April.

EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Plutonic Gold Belt Exploration

The major opportunity at Plutonic remains its excess mill capacity. The processing plant has a nameplate capacity of 1.8Mtpa but is currently operating at 1.3Mtpa. Numerous deposits lie across the belt capable of being processed by the central processing facility. Any new ore source can be delivered to the Plutonic mill due to the network of existing haul roads extending the full 48km length of the Plutonic Belt.

Evaluation of the numerous advanced and early-stage opportunities across the consolidated Plutonic Gold Belt progressed during the quarter. Over the last six months Catalyst has been cleaning and collating +40 years of geological data from multiple owners and data management systems  a painstaking and time-consuming process. Over the coming months, Catalyst will begin re-estimating Resources and undertaking optimisation studies. Having near finalised the collation and cleaning of historical geological data, Catalyst has been able to begin re-estimating Resources and designing new exploration programs. Updates will be provided as this work progresses.

Catalyst continues to progress its definitive feasibility study (DFS) of the Trident deposit. Work is focused on lowering the operating and execution risk of the project's development. With the success experienced at the Plutonic underground mine, a more balanced approach to Trident's development is now possible. This more tempered approach reduces Catalyst's need to overextend in developing Trident and thereby not tying all the company's future to its success. Catalyst believes this approach ensures a more efficient development of the belt.

Victorian Gold Exploration

Exploration in Victoria during the quarter included soil sampling, and limited air core and diamond drilling across the Tandarra Project. Exploration for Catalyst in Victoria remains limited while discussions with the government over the Exploration Access Tunnel remain ongoing.

Four Eagles Gold Project and Licencing of the Exploration Access Tunnel

The Four Eagles Gold Project comprises a gold Resource of 163,000oz at 7.7g/t gold, inclusive of the Iris Zone of 70,000 at 26g/t gold. It also includes numerous gold prospects, four of which are Boyd's Dam, Hayanmi, Pickles and the Iris Zone (Figure 1 and Figure 2). Management's main focus at the Four Eagles Joint Venture is to seek approval to construct an access tunnel to explore underground. Gaining approval to explore underground will allow Catalyst to better understand and further explore mineralised positions in detail.

Collaboration with Victorian Government's Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change commenced in late 2022 and remains ongoing.

FINANCE

Cash and Equivalents

At the end of the March 2024 quarter, the Company held available funds of $16.4 million. Catalyst repaid $9.1 million of a convertible note in March 2024, representing the first of two tranches inherited through the Vango Mining acquisition. The second tranche is $3 million and is due in June 2024.

During the quarter, the Company spent $69 million on mining production and development activities across Plutonic and Henty. A total of $2 million was invested in growth exploration activities across the Company's portfolio. $4.6m in equipment financing was drawn as part of the continued investment in mobile equipment.

Hedging

At the end of the March quarter, the Company held the following calls and forward sale contracts.

Table 2: Calls and forward sales

Quarter Average Call Price A$/oz Ounces Average Forward Price A$/oz Ounces June 2024 3,000 3,500 3,169 19,815 Total 3,000 3,500 3,169 19,815

This report has been approved for release by the Board of Directors of Catalyst Metals Limited.

Corporate summary (at 31 March 2024) ASX trading code CYL Quoted shares (CYL) 220,157,544 Unquoted options 3,357,010 Unquoted performance rights 3,500,000 Postal address PO Box 1784

West Perth, WA 6872 Telephone (+61) 8 6324 0090 E-mail [email protected] Website www.catalystmetals.com.au

JORC 2012 Mineral Resources and Reserves

Catalyst confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in the original market announcements and that all material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the estimates in the relevant market announcements continue to apply and have not materially changed. 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 announcements.

Figures & Diagrams

Table 3: March 2024 quarter performance summary  by production centre

3 MONTHS ENDING 31 MAR 2024 Units Plutonic Henty Total Ore Mined Tonnes 317,746 80,183 397,929 Milled Tonnes Tonnes 340,960 71,267 412,227 Head Grade g/t Au 2.24 3.30 2.43 Recovery % 86.4 % 90.3 % 87.3 % Gold Recovered oz 21,252 6,832 28,084 Gold Sold oz 23,935 7,767 31,702 Average Price A$/oz 3,0171 3,077 3,032 Total Stockpiles Contained Gold oz 1,829 1,167 2,996 Gold in Circuit (GIC) oz 1,987 1,121 3,108 Total Gold Inventories oz 3,816 2,288 6,104









Underground Mining A$/oz 1,281 1,252 1,274 Processing A$/oz 332 234 308 General and Administrative A$/oz 281 256 275 Ore Stock & GIC Movements A$/oz 91 54 82 Cash Operating Cost A$/oz 1,984 1,796 1,938 Royalties A$/oz 79 176 102 Rehabilitation A$/oz 12 4 10 Sustaining Capital A$/oz 271 737 385 All-in Sustaining Cost A$/oz 2,346 2,712 2,436



__________________________________

1 Plutonic gold sale price lower due to various financial instruments set in place by previous owners as part of the gold loan held between the company and its lender, Auramet.

SOURCE Catalyst Metals LTD.

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BEDFORD, Mass., May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Massachusetts Ambulance Association (MAA) will celebrate the exceptional dedication of the Commonwealth's emergency medical services (EMS) professionals during the 50th Annual National EMS Week. On May 23, the MAA will host the fifth annual Convoy of Champions ambulance parade to recognize the extraordinary contributions of emergency medical services (EMS) in our communities.

A parade of ambulances ("Convoy of Champions") will depart UMass Medical Science Park in Worcester at 11:00 am ET on Thursday, May 23, with an expected arrival at Boston MedFlight in Bedford at 11:45am. Participating ambulance providers hail from across Massachusetts and will be escorted on the highway by the Massachusetts State Police. UMass Memorial LifeFlight and Boston MedFlight air ambulances will also fly over the parade route.

At this year's event, mobile healthcare services will be honored with awards recognizing their collective service to the 6.9 million residents of the Commonwealth. The program recognizes the dedication of these heroes while shining light on the critical role EMS plays in our health care infrastructure. As healthcare evolves, so had EMS with the advent of mobile integrated healthcare, community paramedicine and partnerships with key entities in breaking down the brick and mortar barriers to provide care where the patient needs it most.

Speakers include Representative John J. Mahoney of the Massachusetts State Legislature's 13th District, Dr. Todd Ellerin of South Shore Health, MAA President Dennis Cataldo, and Boston MedFlight CEO Maura Hughes.

Timeline of Events for Thursday, May 23

10:00 Ambulances assemble at UMass Memorial

11:00 Convoy leaves Worcester

11:45 Convoy arrives at Boston MedFlight in Hanscom

12:00 Lunch buffet opens

12:15 Program begins (Speakers: Representative John J. Mahoney , Dr. Todd Ellerin , Dennis Cataldo , Maura Hughes ; Awards; Group Picture)

, Dr. , , ; Awards; Group Picture) 14:00 Program concludes, ambulances depart

Media are invited to join the Convoy in Worcester and/or at the Boston MedFlight Hangar at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford. Interviews are available with Massachusetts Ambulance Association leaders.

About the Massachusetts Ambulance Association

The Massachusetts Ambulance Association's membership is composed of more than 30 ambulance service providers from across the Commonwealth. MAA's 6,000 employees provide 75% of the emergency medical services transports in Massachusetts. Together, MAA members advocate for high-quality, sustainable mobile healthcare.

About EMS Week (May 1925, 2024)

During the 50th Annual National EMS Week, communities will honor frontline heroes who provide emergency medical care that saves and sustains so many lives every day. The 2024 EMS Week theme is "Honoring Our Past. Forging Our Future."

SOURCE Cataldo Ambulance Service
OKLAHOMA CITY, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- OGE Energy Corp. (NYSE: OGE) virtually held its 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders today, electing its board of directors and acting on a number of items.

Chairman, President and CEO Sean Trauschke began the meeting by thanking the company's employees for their relentless pursuit to deliver safe, reliable and resilient electricity to nearly 900,000 customers every day.

"Our dedicated team's operational execution and commitment to our customers delivered solid results in 2023," Trauschke said. "Thanks to our continued customer focus and strong operations as we leverage our low rates and drive healthy community growth, we believe the future for OGE Energy is bright. I look forward to what the rest of 2024 brings."

Trauschke discussed the company's continued grid hardening efforts delivering improved reliability for customers at the lowest overall rates in Oklahoma and Arkansas for the year. He reflected on the company's sustainable business model, grounded in low rates that drive economic growth across its service area.

In voting announced at the meeting, OGE Energy shareholders:

Elected 10 members of the company's board of directors to one-year terms. They are:

Judy R. McReynolds , lead director, chairman, president and chief executive officer of ArcBest Corporation.

chairman, president and chief executive officer of ArcBest Corporation. Frank A. Bozich , president and chief executive officer at Trinseo PLC

president and chief executive officer at Trinseo PLC Peter D. Clarke , former of-counsel and partner of Jones Day, a law firm

former of-counsel and partner of Jones Day, a law firm Cathy R. Gates , former assurance partner of Ernst & Young LLP

former assurance partner of Ernst & Young LLP David L. Hauser , former chairman and chief executive officer of FairPoint Communications Inc.

former chairman and chief executive officer of FairPoint Communications Inc. Luther C. Kissam, IV , senior advisor with Bernhard Capital Partners

, senior advisor with Bernhard Capital Partners David E. Rainbolt, executive chairman of BancFirst Corporation

executive chairman of BancFirst Corporation J. Michael Sanner, former audit partner of Ernst & Young LLP

former audit partner of Ernst & Young LLP Sheila G. Talton, president and chief executive officer of Gray Matter Analytics

president and chief executive officer of Gray Matter Analytics Sean Trauschke , current chairman, president and chief executive officer of OGE Energy Corp. and OG&E

current chairman, president and chief executive officer of OGE Energy Corp. and OG&E Ratified the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the company's principal independent accountants for 2024;

Approved, on an advisory basis, the compensation paid to named executive officers;

The shareholder proposal regarding simple majority vote received 69% of the votes cast, but only 49% of the outstanding votes, which is well below 80% of the outstanding votes required to implement the changes.

Quarterly Dividend Declared

The OGE Energy board of directors also declared a third quarter dividend of $0.4182 per common share of stock, to be paid July 26, 2024, to shareholders of record July 8, 2024. The dividend was unchanged from the previous quarter.

OGE Energy Corp. is the parent company of OG&E, a regulated electric company with approximately 900,000 customers in Oklahoma and western Arkansas.

This news release may contain "forward-looking" statements. Forward-looking statements are intended to be identified by words such as "anticipate," "believe," "intend," "plan," "expect," "continued," "goal," "may" or similar expressions. Factors that could affect actual results are listed in the reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission including those listed in Risk Factors in the Company's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023.

SOURCE OGE Energy Corp.
This growth is primarily driven by the need to strengthen power distribution networks to keep up with the rising global demand for electricity. Furthermore, the market stands to gain from the increasing capacity of renewable energy sources and substantial investments in industrial production, both of which are expected to boost the demand for Power Transformers. Another key factor contributing to this expansion is the growing adoption of high-voltage direct current systems, which is expected to further accelerate market growth during the forecast period.

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Browse in-depth TOC on "Power Transformer Market"

230 - Tables

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278- Pages

Power Transformer Market Scope:

Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2024 $27.9 billion Estimated Value by 2029 $37.7 billion Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 6.2% Market Size Available for 20202029 Forecast Period 20242029 Forecast Units Value (USD Million/Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered By Power Rating, By Phase, By Cooling Type and By End User Geographies Covered Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and South America Report Highlights Updated financial information / product portfolio of players Key Market Opportunities Rise of decentralized generation represents a significant transformation for the Power Transformer Market. Key Market Drivers Growing Demand for Electricity

Oil-cooled segment, by cooling type, to occupy majority of Power Transformer Market share.

The oil-cooled segment is expected to continue dominating the Power Transformer Market share due to several inherent advantages that oil cooling offers over other methods like air cooling. Oil as a coolant is more effective in dissipating heat from the transformer core and windings because of its superior thermal conductivity and higher heat capacity. This enables oil-cooled transformers to handle higher power capacities and operate at a lower temperature, enhancing their efficiency and lifespan. Furthermore, oil immersion helps prevent oxidation of the core and coil, thereby reducing maintenance needs and improving reliability. The fluid also serves as an excellent insulator, significantly reducing the risk of electrical faults within the transformer. Despite concerns about potential environmental impacts, such as oil leaks, advancements in containment and bio-based oils are addressing these challenges, making oil-cooled transformers a preferred choice for heavy-duty applications in industrial and utility settings where high power output and reliability are critical. This enduring preference secures their majority stake in the market.

By power rating, the small power transformer (Up to 60 MVA) is expected to be the largest market.

The small power transformer segment (up to 60 MVA) is expected to dominate the market largely due to their widespread application across numerous industries and utility services, which require moderate voltage adjustments and distribution capabilities. These transformers are particularly suited for rural electrification projects, residential areas, renewable energy integration, and small-scale industrial applications where massive power handling is not necessary. Their smaller size and lower capacity make them cost-effective, easier to install, and maintain compared to medium and large transformers. Moreover, as countries globally are increasingly focusing on expanding and upgrading their distribution networks to ensure reliable electricity supply and accommodate the rising energy consumption in remote areas, the demand for small power transformers is expected to surge. Additionally, the push towards renewable energy sources, such as small solar farms and wind turbines, which often do not require high voltage transformation, aligns well with the capabilities of small power transformers, thereby boosting their adoption.

Asia Pacific to emerge as the largest Power Transformer Market.

Asia Pacific is expected to emerge as the largest market for power transformers, driven by several convergent factors that are shaping its energy landscape. Rapid industrialization and urbanization in major economies like China, India, and Southeast Asia have led to a substantial increase in energy consumption. To meet this rising demand, these countries are significantly investing in expanding and upgrading their power grid infrastructures. Additionally, there is a strong governmental push across the region to increase the adoption of renewable energy sources to meet international climate commitments and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. This shift necessitates integrating large-scale renewable energy projects, such as wind and solar farms, into the national grids, which requires robust power transformers capable of handling high voltage and ensuring efficient energy transmission over long distances. Moreover, many countries in the region are focusing on improving rural electrification and replacing aging infrastructure with more efficient technology, further stimulating the demand for power transformers. These comprehensive development initiatives underscore Asia Pacific's position as the fastest-growing and largest market for power transformers.

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Key Market Players of Power Transformer Industry:

Key players in the global Power Transformer Market include Hitachi Energy (Japan), Siemens Energy (Germany), Schneider Electric (France), Toshiba Energy System & Solution Corporation (Japan), and General Electric (US).

Recent Developments of Power Transformer Industry:

In February 2024 , Hitachi Energy's substantial investment of USD 32 million in expanding and modernizing its power transformer manufacturing facility in Bad Honnef, Germany , is a strategic move that aligns well with the broader objectives of Europe's energy transition.

, Hitachi Energy's substantial investment of in expanding and modernizing its power transformer manufacturing facility in Bad Honnef, , is a strategic move that aligns well with the broader objectives of energy transition. In June 2023 , HD Hyundai Electric Co. Ltd's deal worth USD 164 million with US energy firm Xcel Energy to provide electric power transformers is a significant development in the power infrastructure sector. This contract not only represents a substantial commercial transaction but also highlights several key aspects of the evolving energy landscape and the strategic moves within it.

, HD Hyundai Electric Co. Ltd's deal worth with US energy firm Xcel Energy to provide electric power transformers is a significant development in the power infrastructure sector. This contract not only represents a substantial commercial transaction but also highlights several key aspects of the evolving energy landscape and the strategic moves within it. In April 2023 , This agreement between Siemens Energy, Dragados Offshore, and TenneT signifies a significant step forward in the development and expansion of renewable energy infrastructure in Europe . The focus on high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission technology is crucial for several reasons.

The primary interviews conducted for this report can be categorized as follows:

By Company Type: Tier 1-45%, Tier 2-40%, and Tier 3-15%

Tier 1-45%, Tier 2-40%, and Tier 3-15% By Designation: C-Level-35%, D-Level-25%, and Others-40%

C-Level-35%, D-Level-25%, and Others-40% By Region: North America18%, Europe15%, Asia Pacific50%, Middle East & Africa10%, and South America7%

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Power Transformer Market - Key Benefits of Buying the Report:

The report is thoughtfully designed to meet the needs of both seasoned industry leaders and new entrants in the Power Transformers market. It provides dependable revenue projections for both the overall market and its various sub-segments, making it a crucial tool for stakeholders looking to gain a deep understanding of the competitive environment. This information helps stakeholders develop effective market strategies for their businesses. Furthermore, the report serves as a key resource for stakeholders to grasp the current market scenario, offering vital insights into the drivers, constraints, challenges, and opportunities for growth. With these insights, stakeholders can make well-informed decisions and keep up with the rapidly changing dynamics of the Power Transformers industry.

The report provides insights on the following pointers:

Analysis of key drivers (Growing Demand for Electricity, Integration of Renewable Energy Sources and their Impact on the Power Transformer Market), restraints (Cost Pressures and Lead Times Hinders the Power Transformer Growth, Limited Market Penetration in Developing Economies), opportunities (Rise of decentralized generation represents a significant transformation for the Power Transformer Market, Smart Grid Development and the Rise of Advanced Transformers), and challenges (Aging infrastructure and a shortage of skilled workers, Cybersecurity threats pose a significant challenge for the Power Transformer Market as power grids become increasingly digitalized) influencing the growth of the Power Transformer Market.

Product Development/ Innovation: In the Power Transformer Market, product development and innovation are crucial elements driving the sector's progress. As technology advances, manufacturers are increasingly dedicated to crafting innovative products that enhance performance, efficiency, and safety. These advancements typically incorporate smart technologies, cutting-edge materials, and environmentally friendly insulation options, addressing the changing demands of the power distribution landscape. Additionally, ongoing research and development initiatives are focused on producing transformers that support sustainable and eco-conscious objectives. By embracing advanced technologies and innovative design techniques, companies in the oil-immersed Power Transformer Market strive to not only comply with existing industry standards but also surpass them, offering customers top-of-the-line solutions that boost the efficiency and reliability of power distribution systems. This focus on continual product development and innovation reflects the industry's commitment to adapting to market shifts and enhancing the functionality and capabilities of power transformers.

Market Development: Market development in the power transformer sector is an ongoing and dynamic process, driven by efforts to explore new geographic territories and application areas. Companies in this industry consistently look for opportunities to extend their market presence and respond to emerging demands. This often includes entering previously unexplored regions or adapting existing products for new applications. Additionally, market development strategies involve leveraging evolving trends, such as the growing integration of renewable energy sources and the upgrading of electrical grids. By actively engaging in these market development activities, companies not only expand their customer base but also tailor their products to meet the diverse and changing needs of different sectors. This strategic approach promotes sustained growth, enhances competitiveness, and equips companies to effectively manage the shifting dynamics of the Power Transformer Market. Through focused efforts, collaborations, and strategic alliances, market development serves as a key pathway for securing long-term viability and prominence in this essential segment of the power distribution industry.

Market Diversification: Market diversification in the power transformer industry involves expanding product lines and services strategically to reduce risks, tap into new revenue streams, and boost overall business resilience. Companies in this field may diversify by enlarging their selection of transformer types, voltage capacities, or specialized applications. This expansion could include breaking into niche markets, tailoring products for specific applications, or widening their product range to cater to a variety of customer needs. By broadening their portfolio, companies can decrease their dependence on specific products or market segments, enhancing their ability to manage market fluctuations and economic changes. Diversification may also entail geographic expansion into new regions or countries to leverage unique market demands. Effective diversification strategies are rooted in a deep understanding of market trends, consumer behaviors, and technological advancements, equipping companies to adjust and prosper in the constantly changing Power Transformer Market. A well-executed approach to diversification enables companies to navigate market shifts, seize emerging opportunities, and maintain a competitive advantage in this challenging industry.

Competitive Assessment: An extensive analysis of the market presence, growth plans, and service offerings of major competitors in the Power Transformer Market has been conducted. This research has been applied to notable firms including Hitachi Energy (Japan), Siemens Energy (Germany), Schneider Electric (France), Toshiba Energy System & Solution Corporation (Japan), General Electric (US), and others. The assessment provides in-depth understanding of these big players' competitive positions, illuminating their growth-oriented strategies and range of offerings in the oil-immersed power transformer industry.

Related Reports:

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Get access to the latest updates on Power Transformer Companies and Power Transformer Industry Growth

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The B2B economy is witnessing the emergence of $25 trillion of new revenue streams that are substituting existing revenue streams in this decade alone. We work with clients on growth programs, helping them monetize this $25 trillion opportunity through our service lines - TAM Expansion, Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy to Execution, Market Share Gain, Account Enablement, and Thought Leadership Marketing.

Built on the 'GIVE Growth' principle, we work with several Forbes Global 2000 B2B companies - helping them stay relevant in a disruptive ecosystem. Our insights and strategies are molded by our industry experts, cutting-edge AI-powered Market Intelligence Cloud, and years of research. The KnowledgeStore (our Market Intelligence Cloud) integrates our research, facilitates an analysis of interconnections through a set of applications, helping clients look at the entire ecosystem and understand the revenue shifts happening in their industry.

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SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
NEW YORK, May 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of common stock of Globe Life Inc. f/k/a Torchmark Corporation (NYSE: GL) between May 8, 2019 and April 10, 2024, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important July 1, 2024 lead plaintiff deadline.

SO WHAT: If you purchased Globe Life common stock during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Globe Life class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=24072 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than July 1, 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 firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, throughout the Class Period, defendants made numerous materially false and misleading statements and omissions concerning: (1) Globe Life's consistent premium revenue growth, particularly from American Income Life Insurance Company ("AIL"); and (2) Globe Life's Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the "Code of Conduct"). Specifically, defendants repeatedly attributed Globe Life's consistent premium revenue growth "to increased agent count and productivity." In addition, Globe Life's Code of Conduct stated, among other things, that "[t]he Company is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment," that "[v]iolence and threatening behavior are not permitted," and that "[t]he use of illegal drugs in the workplace will not be tolerated." When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the Globe Life class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=24072 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] 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 investor's 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.

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The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor

New York, NY 10016

Tel: (212) 686-1060

Toll Free: (866) 767-3653

Fax: (212) 202-3827

[email protected]

www.rosenlegal.com

SOURCE THE ROSEN LAW FIRM, P. A.
New Imaging Director will Serve Houston Area Location

SPRING, Texas, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sage Veterinary Imaging (SVI) has welcomed Connor O'Brien, DVM, to its new Spring imaging center where he will serve as imaging director. The Sage Veterinary Imaging location in Spring opened in early May to serve veterinarians and their patients in the Houston area.

Dr. O'Brien attended McGill University and Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, where he earned his DVM, He completed his clinical year at Purdue University and a rotating internship at the VCA Veterinary Emergency Service and Veterinary Specialty Center in Madison, Wis. He was a practicing veterinarian focused on sonography at Veterinary Heart Sounds in New Jersey before joining SVI.

During his clinical year and internship, Dr. O'Brien developed his interest and training in imaging. He gained advanced training from Dr. Jaime Sage of SVI through an intensive fellowship program. Dr. Sage is a leader in veterinary imaging and frequent lecturer at conferences worldwide. SVI offers one of approximately 38 residency programs certified by the American College of Veterinary Radiology (ACVR).

In his new role, Dr. O'Brien will oversee patient care at the SVI Spring location, serving as a resource for referring veterinarians in need of human-quality imaging. "We aim to provide the best diagnostic imaging available to obtain the correct diagnosis for pets in the Houston area."

Dr. O'Brien believes the imaging services offered at the Spring location give veterinarians the broadest and most advanced diagnostic imaging available in the veterinary field. "SVI offers state-of-the-art technology that is optimal in veterinary medicine in 2024 and beyond."

About Sage Veterinary Imaging

Diagnostic services at the three SVI centers include:

3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI uses a powerful magnetic field, radio waves and a computer to produce detailed pictures of organs, soft tissues, and other internal body structures. MRI has been used for more than 30 years in veterinary medicine to diagnose or assess brain tumors, slipped discs, spinal cancer, inner ear infections, liver shunts, ACL tears, lameness, and various joint injuries. The 3T MRI offers twice the accuracy in half the time.

128-slice computed tomography (CT) scanner; A CT scan is a diagnostic imaging procedure that uses a combination of X-rays and computer technology to produce images of the inside of the body including bones, muscles, fat, organs and blood vessels. The 128-slice CT scanner offers more detectors than a 16 or 64 slice CT, larger volume coverage and shorter scan times.

High-resolution console ultrasound. Ultrasound enables the veterinary team to visualize disease processes more clearly and perform biopsies more accurately. Ultrasound is commonly used to diagnose conditions such as liver disease, kidney disease, pancreatitis, intestinal foreign-body obstruction, and abdominal cancer.

Echocardiography with full workups. An electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) records the electrical signals in the heart and can quickly detect heart problems and monitor the heart's health.

Image-guided biopsies. An image-guided biopsy allows the veterinarian to biopsy suspicious areas that can't readily be seen or felt through the skin. Using an imaging technique such as ultrasound, the veterinarian can guide the biopsy needle into the best position to obtain a sample of suspicious cells.

Nuclear medicine. Veterinary nuclear medicine uses very small, tracer amounts of radioactive molecules to diagnose diseases involving bone, soft tissues and vessels. This can be effective when diagnosing bone lesions, soft tissue tumors and sites of infection. Additionally, SVI offers specialized radio-therapies for treatment of feline hypertension and canine osteoarthritis.

SVI currently has two imaging centers in Texas  the Spring location near Houston, and Round Rock (serving the Austin area); the third location is in Sandy, Utah, serving the Salt Lake City area.

About Dr. Jaime Sage, DVM, MS, DACVR

Dr. Sage is a leader in veterinary imaging worldwide. She recently completed a term as president of the CT/MRI Society of the American College of Veterinary Radiology. She has issued more than 30,000 MRI reports over the past 17 years and lectures frequently at meetings and conferences worldwide.

Dr. Sage received her veterinary training at Texas A&M. After completing a radiology residency, she received further training as an MRI specialist with Patrick Gavin, PhD, DACVR/RO, one of the early pioneers of veterinary MRI.

More Information

Information about Sage Veterinary Imaging and its services can be found at www.sageveterinary.com. High res images are available by emailing [email protected].

Sharon Polk, 913-221-5834; [email protected]

SOURCE Sage Veterinary Imaging
MILWAUKEE, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ademi LLP is investigating SilverBow (NYSE: SBOW) for possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law in its transaction with Crescent Energy.

Click here to learn how to join the https://www.ademilaw.com/case/silverbow-resources-inc or call Guri Ademi toll-free at 866-264-3995. There is no cost or obligation to you.

In the transaction, SilverBow stockholders will receive only 3.125 shares of Crescent Class A common stock for each share of SilverBow common stock, with the option to elect to receive all or a portion of the proceeds in cash at a value of $38 per share, subject to possible pro ration with a maximum total cash consideration for the transaction of $400 million. The transaction agreement unreasonably limits competing transactions for SilverBow by imposing a significant penalty if SilverBow accepts a competing bid. SilverBow insiders will receive substantial benefits as part of change of control arrangements.

We are investigating the conduct of SilverBow's board of directors, and whether they are fulfilling their fiduciary duties to all shareholders.

If you own SilverBow common stock and wish to obtain additional information, please contact Guri Ademi either at [email protected] or toll-free: 866-264-3995, or https://www.ademilaw.com/case/silverbow-resources-inc.

We specialize in shareholder litigation involving buyouts, mergers, and individual shareholder rights throughout the country. For more information, please feel free to call us. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Contacts

Ademi LLP

Guri Ademi

Toll Free: (866) 264-3995

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SOURCE Ademi LLP
LOS ANGELES, May 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Starlight Children's Foundation CEO, Adam Garone, has been named Nonprofit Executive of the Year (Large), by the Los Angeles Business Journal. The prestigious award was presented at the annual Nonprofit and Corporate Citizenship Award luncheon held at the Biltmore Los Angeles. This recognition celebrates the most impressive and impactful nonprofit organizations, teams, and leaders, as well as the corporate leaders and organizations who dedicate their time and resources to elevating the community.

Garone, who joined Starlight Children's Foundation in 2019, has a long history of successfully leading and transforming organizations. He is best known for co-founding the Movember Foundation, a global charity that has raised over $1.5 billion for men's health. Under Garone's leadership, the Movember Foundation helped raise awareness and funds for men's health by encouraging fun and impactful fundraising activities.

Since joining Starlight Children's Foundation, Garone has continued to use his digital expertise and "Have fun, do good" philosophy to enhance children's hospital experiences. Through his guidance, Starlight has fostered partnerships with many Los Angeles-based and national businesses and leaders. Adam introduced an innovative collection of interactive hospital gowns with printed Quick Response (QR) codes on the fabric. When scanned, hospital patients can access digital content, entertaining and engaging them while providing a welcome distraction. Additionally, his leadership ensures that fun plays a crucial role in various fundraising initiatives, from content creators' streaming sessions to engaging fun runs and events hosted by dedicated fandom groups. As a result, Starlight has significantly increased its impact, revenue, and organizational transparency.

His unwavering commitment to serving others and finding joy and fulfillment in his work sets Garone apart. He has led the organization through the pandemic, increasing revenue and reaching more children yearly. He prioritized and addressed the culture at Starlight, fostering an innovative culture that encourages and empowers the team to take risks without the fear of failing.

Garone has also strengthened relationships with LA businesses and diversified Starlight's board. His transformative leadership has profoundly impacted the organization and its mission to bring happiness to seriously ill children and their families.

Under Garone's guidance, Starlight's programs like Gaming, Virtual Reality, Hospital Gowns and Toy Deliveries have significantly improved hospital experiences for sick children, particularly those who are underserved. Notable community engagements, including hospital visits from celebrities and partners, highlight Garone's dedication to making a positive difference. His commitment to joy and service makes him a deserving finalist for the LABJ's Nonprofit Executive of the Year (Large).

Starlight Children's Foundation, founded in 1982, is a top-rated charity that aims to deliver happiness to seriously ill children and their families through vital programs that impact millions of kids annually. Donor-funded and offered free of charge to hospitals and families, Starlight programs unleash the power of play, empowering kids with a renewed sense of optimism, resilience, and courage. Starlight is a top-rated charity committed to equitable program distribution to its nationwide hospital network. As the saying goes, happy kids heal faster.

For more information about Starlight Children's Foundation, please contact us at the provided information below.

ABOUT STARLIGHT CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION

Hospital stays can be lonely, stressful, and scary. That's why Starlight exists. Founded in 1982, Starlight Children's Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization that aims to deliver happiness to seriously ill children and their families through vital programs that impact millions of kids annually. Donor-funded and offered free of charge to hospitals and families, Starlight programs unleash the power of play, empowering kids with a renewed sense of optimism, resilience, and courage. Starlight is a top-rated charity committed to the equitable allocation of programs to its nationwide hospital network. Happy kids heal faster. Learn more at starlight.org and follow Starlight on social media @starlightchildrensfoundation.

SOURCE Starlight Childrens Foundation
In its latest blueprint, the firm explains how integrating third-party data can reshape retail banking, offering financial institutions a strategic edge in understanding customer behaviors and preferences. Info-Tech's research outlines how banks can unlock valuable insights, personalize offerings, and drive growth in an increasingly data-centric industry by leveraging external datasets.

TORONTO, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - With the financial industry becoming increasingly data-centric, retail banks are actively seeking innovative ways to enrich customer profiles and elevate their service offerings. The integration of third-party data in retail banking marks a significant shift toward highly personalized customer service, revolutionizing operational efficiencies. However, leveraging valuable third-party data comes with its own set of hurdles, including stringent privacy regulations, concerns over data accuracy, and the technical complexities involved in integrating disparate data sources. Info-Tech Research Group's latest research, Third-Party Data in Retail Banking, examines the crucial role of third-party data in redefining retail banking experiences. The blueprint not only addresses the critical demand for advanced data strategies but also provides banking IT leaders with essential guidance on effectively using external data sets to secure a competitive edge in the exponentially evolving digital finance sector.

Info-Tech Research Group's "Third-Party Data in Retail Banking" blueprint outlines various data tiers present within the banking industry and details their specific contents. (CNW Group/Info-Tech Research Group)

"As banks continue their journey to offer their customers innovative and convenient products and services designed to meet their unique needs, they require a deeper understanding of not only their financial transactions within the bank but, increasingly, their non-financial lives outside of the bank," says David Tomljenovic, principal research director at Info-Tech Research Group. "Many customers are voluntarily offering their bank more information about their non-financial lives because they have recognized the benefits that come from sharing aspects of their non-financial lives in exchange for better and more relevant products and services."

According to Info-Tech's research, banks hold vast amounts of customer data but often fail to extract meaningful insights about their clients. To bridge this gap, banks are increasingly turning to non-financial third-party data to gain a comprehensive understanding of their customers' needs. However, many banks struggle to organize and derive value from third-party data as it is challenging to integrate and align it with their first-party data. In such situations, customer data platforms (CDPs) play a crucial role by helping connect the first-party data to third-party data, thus creating a 360-degree unified customer view. Despite the numerous new challenges involved, mastering third-party data is becoming indispensable for banks aiming to enhance customer retention and competitive positioning in today's competitive market.

"Third-party data helps banks to better understand their existing customers' lives and to build profiles of new customers that the bank can target with new products and services with specific, relevant, and personalized offers," explains Tomljenovic. "Success with third-party data is becoming essential for continued growth and relevance to retail banks."

The blueprint further explains that third-party data plays a crucial role in supplementing zero- and first-party data, creating immense value when combined. Zero- and first-party data, while detailed and accurate, cover only interactions within the bank, thus limiting their scope. Third-party data, in contrast, extends these insights by providing broader contextual information about customers' activities outside the bank, although it may lack the same level of detail and personalization. By integrating these different data types, retail banking IT leaders can obtain a more comprehensive and precise view of their customers beyond just their financial affairs. This enriched perspective can help retail banks make informed decisions and provide superior customer service.

In the Third-Party Data in Retail Banking blueprint, Info-Tech details the various data tiers within banks and their specific contents. Insights gained from this data help IT leaders in the banking industry enhance operational efficiency, foster innovation, and elevate customer experiences in an increasingly competitive financial landscape.

Zero-party data is explicitly shared by the consumer and includes their preferences, attitudes, and interests through direct interactions such as surveys, preference centers, polls, and questionnaires.

First-party data refers to the detailed information about prospects and customers collected, owned, and managed by the banks. This data can be gathered by observing customer spending behaviors or from first-party cookies on the bank's website.

Second-party data, or partner data, consists of information obtained through strategic partnerships with other firms. Examples of second-party data can include co-registration campaigns, such as contests or sweepstakes, and co-op data pools created by a collaboration between a group of companies.

Third-party data is collected from external data providers without any direct connection to the consumers whose data is collected. Financial brands leverage third-party data to gain deep insights into customer behaviors and preferences, enabling the creation of personalized marketing campaigns.

With ongoing advancements in AI and machine learning tools, banks are well equipped to enhance their capability for real-time ingestion of vast amounts of internal and external data. This technological evolution will empower banks to offer nearly instantaneous product and service personalization, adapting to changing market needs and conditions at any given moment. Such capabilities are set to significantly elevate customer satisfaction and drive business growth, positioning banks at the cutting edge of the digital economy.

For exclusive and timely commentary from David Tomljenovic, an expert in the financial services industry, and access to the complete Third-Party Data in Retail Banking 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
Boots is Committed to Working Collaboratively with Board and New CEO

Crown Castle Board Has Presided Over the Misallocation of $22 Billion of Shareholder Capital; Total Shareholder Return Has Suffered Because of Poor Decisions and Poor Leadership

Leading Independent Proxy Advisor Glass Lewis Agrees Crown Castle is a "Chronic Underperformer" and Recommends Shareholders Replace Long-Tenured Incumbent Directors Cindy Christy and Ari Fitzgerald "who [Glass Lewis] believe[s] bear the responsibility for overseeing the Company's extended period of underperformance and concerning governance missteps"

Boots Urges Shareholders to Vote the GOLD Proxy Card "FOR" Boots Capital's Four Highly Qualified Director Nominees  Ted Miller, Charles Green, David Wheeler, and Tripp Rice  and "WITHHOLD" on ALL Crown Castle Nominees

HOUSTON, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Boots Capital Management, LLC ("Boots Capital"), an investment vehicle led by Ted B. Miller, co-founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Crown Castle Inc., (NYSE: CCI) ("Crown Castle" or the "Company"), today issued the following statement:

Your Vote Matters No Matter How Many Shares You Own. Crown Castle's Annual Meeting is taking place next Wednesday, May 22. Time is running out to vote "FOR" Boots Capital's four director nominees on the GOLD proxy card to support change at Crown Castle.

The following facts are indisputable:

For over a decade, Crown Castle's Board of Directors (the "Board") has consistently made poor, value-destructive decisions that have caused Crown Castle's total shareholder Return (TSR) to substantially lag behind its primary tower-company competitors, the benchmark REIT Index, and the S&P 500 Index.

The Board has spent more than $22 billion on fiber assets currently worth approximately $12.5 billion 1 that have never earned back their cost of capital. Worse, the Board plans to spend another $1.4 billion on fiber in 2024.

on fiber assets currently worth approximately that have never earned back their cost of capital. Worse, the Board plans to spend another on fiber in 2024. Despite two attempts over four years to refresh the Board, Crown Castle -- a tower company -- does not have a single independent director with tower-company operating experience. Since the first attempted refresh, CCI's TSR performance relative to its direct peers, American Tower (AMT) and SBA Communications (SBAC), is -542% and -153%, respectively.

In an effort to engage constructively, Boots Capital has twice attempted to settle with the Company and has been dismissed out of hand.

LEADING INDEPENDENT PROXY ADVISORY FIRM, GLASS LEWIS, SAID IT BEST* WHEN IT RECOMMENDED FOR BOOTS NOMINEES TED MILLER AND CHUCK GREEN

Re: Tower Industry Expertise That Gets Results:

"In their place, we believe shareholders should support the election of Dissident Nominees Miller and Green, both of whom are former executives of the Company and appear to us to have extensive operational and execution experience in the tower industry."

"In our view, Messrs. Miller and Green have been deeply enmeshed in the tower industry throughout their careers, and we believe this experience could be particularly beneficial to the Company at a time when the prevailing market view is that the Company should look to move away from its fiber business and focus more on its tower business."

Re: Directly Improving Boardroom Dynamics:

"We also believe that having two of the Dissident Nominees replace two of the Management Nominees strikes an appropriate balance of adding prominent voices to the board with compelling expertise in the tower industry, while at the same time avoiding excessive disruption to the board as it proceeds with its strategic review and brings a new CEO into the mix."

"We believe Mr. Miller's history and experience on the Airgas board serves as a compelling counterargument to the board's contention that Mr. Miller is self-interested."

"Shareholders should also consider that Elliott holds significant equity positions in other fiber companieswe believe the foregoing equity positions of Elliott could raise speculation and questions regarding Elliott's underlying motivations for obtaining board representation at the Company."

The actions could also raise questions about "whether Elliott might eventually push for a combination of the Company's fiber business (and the resulting implications such a scenario would have on [Elliott director Jason] Genrich's independence on the Company board)."

BOOTS CAPITAL'S NOMINEES PROVIDE EXPERTISE, EXPERIENCE AND A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO ASSIST CROWN CASTLE'S BOARD AND NEW CEO IN RESTORING THE COMPANY TO PROMINENCE

Crown Castle is in dire need of a lifeline. Crown Castle shareholders should not expect meaningful change from a 'refreshed' Board that has failed to deliver on its promises for years .

VOTE ON THE GOLD PROXY CARD TODAY "FOR" BOOTS CAPITAL'S NOMINEES TED B. MILLER, CHARLES C. GREEN, DAVID P. WHEELER, AND TRIPP H. RICE AND "WITHHOLD" ON ALL CROWN CASTLE NOMINEES

Shareholders must act decisively if they wish to safeguard their investment. EVERY VOTE MATTERS NO MATTER HOW MANY SHARES YOU OWN. We urge shareholders to protect the value of their investment by voting for our nominees using the GOLD proxy card no later than May 21, 2024, at 11:59pm ET.

If you have any questions about how to vote your shares, please contact our proxy solicitor, Morrow Sodali, by telephone 1-800-662-5200 or 203-658-9400 or email at [email protected].

For more information, including voting instructions, visit our website www.RebootCrownCastle.com.

*Boots Capital has neither sought nor obtained consent from Glass Lewis to use previously published information or quotations in this press release.

INVESTOR AND MEDIA CONTACTS

Investors:

Morrow Sodali LLC

Paul Schulman/William Dooley/Jonathan Eyl

By Phone: 1-800-662-5200 or 203-658-9400

By Email: [email protected]

Media:

Jonathan Gasthalter/Nathaniel Garnick/Grace Cartwright

Gasthalter & Co.

By Phone: 212-257-4170

By Email: [email protected]

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The information herein contains "forward-looking statements." Specific forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts and include, without limitation, words such as "may," "will," "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "estimates," "projects," "potential," "targets," "forecasts," "seeks," "could," "should" or the negative of such terms or other variations on such terms or comparable terminology. Similarly, statements that describe the Participants' (as defined below) objectives, plans or goals are forward-looking. Forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties and assumptions. There can be no assurance that any idea or assumption herein is, or will be proven, correct. If one or more of the risks or uncertainties materialize, or if the underlying assumptions of Boots Capital (as defined below) or any of the other Participants in the proxy solicitation described herein prove to be incorrect, the actual results may vary materially from outcomes indicated by these statements. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by Boots Capital or the other Participants that the future plans, estimates or expectations contemplated will ever be achieved. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results and actual results may vary materially from what is expressed in or indicated by the forward-looking statements. Except to the extent required by applicable law, neither Boots Capital nor any Participant will undertake and specifically declines any obligation to disclose the results of any revisions that may be made to any projected results or forward-looking statements herein to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such projected results or statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.

Certain statements and information included herein have been sourced from third parties. Boots Capital and the other Participants do not make any representations regarding the accuracy, completeness or timeliness of such third party statements or information. Except as may be expressly set forth herein, permission to cite such statements or information has neither been sought nor obtained from such third parties. Any such statements or information should not be viewed as an indication of support from such third parties for the views expressed herein.

CERTAIN INFORMATION CONCERNING THE PARTICIPANTS

The participants in the proxy solicitation are Boots Parallel 1, LP, Boots, LP, Boots Capital Management, LLC ("Boots Capital"), Boots GP, LLC, 4M Management Partners, LLC, 4M Investments, LLC, WRCB, L.P., Theodore B. Miller, Jr. and Tripp H. Rice (collectively, the "Boots Parties"); and Charles Campbell Green III and David P. Wheeler (together with Mr. Miller and Mr. Rice, the "Boots Nominees," and together with the Boots Parties, the "Participants").

Boots Capital and the other Participants have filed a definitive proxy statement and accompanying GOLD proxy card (the "Definitive Proxy Statement") with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on April 22, 2024 to be used to solicit proxies for, among other matters, the election of its slate of director nominees at the 2024 annual meeting of stockholders of Crown Castle Inc., a Delaware corporation ("Crown Castle" or the "Corporation").

IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND WHERE TO FIND IT

BOOTS CAPITAL STRONGLY ADVISES ALL STOCKHOLDERS OF CROWN CASTLE TO READ THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT, ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO SUCH DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT, AND OTHER PROXY MATERIALS FILED BY BOOTS CAPITAL AS THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. SUCH PROXY MATERIALS ARE AVAILABLE AT NO CHARGE ON THE SEC'S WEBSITE AT WWW.SEC.GOV AND AT BOOTS CAPITAL'S WEBSITE AT WWW.REBOOTCROWNCASTLE.COM. THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT AND ACCOMPANYING PROXY CARD WILL BE FURNISHED TO SOME OR ALL OF THE CORPORATION'S STOCKHOLDERS. STOCKHOLDERS MAY ALSO DIRECT A REQUEST TO THE PARTICIPANTS' PROXY SOLICITOR, MORROW SODALI LLC, 430 PARK AVE., 14TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10022 (STOCKHOLDERS CAN CALL TOLL-FREE: (800) 662-5200).

Information about the Participants and a description of their direct or indirect interests by security holdings or otherwise can be found in the Definitive Proxy Statement.

1 Based on Boots Capital's diligence and analysis.

SOURCE Boots Capital Management, LLC
BEIJING, May 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Yiren Digital Ltd. (NYSE: YRD) ("Yiren Digital" or the "Company"), an AI-powered platform providing a comprehensive suite of financial and lifestyle services in China, today announced that it has filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on May 15, 2024. The annual report can be accessed on the Company's website at https://ir.yiren.com/ The Company will provide a hard copy of the annual report containing its audited consolidated financial statements, free of charge, to its shareholders and holders of American depositary shares upon request.

About Yiren Digital

Yiren Digital Ltd. is an advanced, AI-powered platform providing a comprehensive suite of financial and lifestyle services in China. Our mission is to elevate customers' financial well-being and enhance their quality of life by delivering digital financial services, tailor-made insurance solutions, and premium lifestyle services. We support clients at various growth stages, addressing financing needs arising from consumption and production activities, while aiming to augment the overall well-being and security of individuals, families, and businesses.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "target," "confident" and similar statements. Such statements are based upon management's current expectations and current market and operating conditions and relate to events that involve known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond Yiren Digital's control. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any such statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, uncertainties as to Yiren Digital's ability to attract and retain borrowers and investors on its marketplace, its ability to introduce new loan products and platform enhancements, its ability to compete effectively, PRC regulations and policies relating to the peer-to-peer lending service industry in China, general economic conditions in China, and Yiren Digital's ability to meet the standards necessary to maintain the listing of its ADSs on the NYSE or other stock exchange, including its ability to cure any non-compliance with the NYSE's continued listing criteria. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in Yiren Digital's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and Yiren Digital does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law.

SOURCE Yiren Digital
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
Bratislava, May 16 : Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was critically injured in an assassination attempt on Wednesday, has regained consciousness after an operation lasting several hours, local media has reported.

According to local media TA3, BBC quoted Slovakian Environment Minister Tomas Taraba as saying that the Prime Minister's life is not in danger.

"I was very shocked ... fortunately as far as I know the operation went well -- and I guess in the end he will survive ... he's not in a life-threatening situation at this moment," Taraba said.

According to Taraba, one shot hit the stomach and the other a joint.

Fico was in critical condition while undergoing surgery, Slovakian Defence Minister Robert Kalinak said earlier on Wednesday evening at a press conference.

The attack has been classified as a politically motivated assassination, according to Slovak Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok.

Estok said that the assassination attempt was "politically motivated and the decision was born right after the presidential election". He blamed "social media hate" for the attack.

Fico was wounded Wednesday afternoon after attending a government meeting in the town of Handlova, some 150 km northeast of the capital. He was shot by a 71-year-old man. According to eyewitnesses, the man shot the premier several times after a cabinet meeting as he was greeting supporters.

Fico had been transported by helicopter to the Roosevelt Hospital in Banska Bystrica, as the flight to the capital would take a longer time.

Slovak media later identified the attacker as Juraj Cintula, reportedly a poet and founder of the Slovak Association of Writers, and a supporter of the opposition Progressive Slovakia party, and he used his licensed gun for the crime.

The head of the left-wing Smer-SD party, Fico returned to office in October 2023 after serving two stints as Prime Minister from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018.

He halted the previous policy of military aid to Kiev and called for a negotiated settlement between Russia and Ukraine. This had put him at odds with other European countries, save Hungary, which follows a similar course.
Geneva, May 16 : Several passers-by were injured in an indiscriminate knife attack in the northern Swiss town of Zofingen, according to the local police.

Police said on social media on Wednesday evening that the perpetrator had been apprehended by special forces after hiding in a building for two hours.

The victims had been transported to the hospital with stab wounds, Xinhua news agency quoted police as saying.

A large-scale police operation continued in the evening. The authorities advised people to avoid areas near the local train station.

It was still unclear if there was more than one attacker, police said.
Lucknow, May 16 : A former Samajwadi Party MLA Ashutosh Upadhyaya a.k.a Bablu Upadhyaya, his gunner and driver have been booked for thrashing a Dalit employee of a private company in the Gomti Nagar area in Lucknow, said police on Thursday.

As per FIR, the victim, Lalji a.k.a. Lalu of Ambedkar Nagar, works at New India Motors in the area. On Tuesday afternoon, Upadhyay sent his gunner and driver to the company asking them to call him out of the office. Lalu alleged that Upadhyay started abusing him immediately after he saw him and hit him with a stick which he had with him without any provocation.

"I was abused and was showered with casteist remarks. Upadhyay attacked me with a stick and I ran away from the scene to save myself. His driver and gunner chased me, caught me and brought me before him. I suffered head injuries in the attack," he alleged.

Deepak Pandey, SHO of the Gomti Nagar area, said on Thursday that a case under relevant sections of the IPC and SC/ST Act has been lodged. The case is being investigated and the allegations levelled are being probed, said the police officer.

"Action against the former MLA will be initiated soon," he said.
Nice : , May 16 (IANS) Bradley Barcola continued a strong run of recent form and helped Paris Saint-Germain to an away win against OGC Nice on Wednesday night.

Paris Saint-Germain rolled out 2-1 winners, denying hosts OGC Nice a chance at playing in the UEFA Champions League next season. Barcola with a goal and an assist leading the way for a heavily rotated side.

It was the hosts who took the initiative with a potential place in the Champions League on offer and Khephren Thuram hit the post inside five minutes with a low shot from the edge of the area.

But, it was PSG who struck first though, as Barcola robbed Jordan Lotomba, exchanged passes with Fabian Ruiz and gave his side the lead just over fifteen minutes into the match. Minutes later, Barcola doubled the lead with a low cross turned in by Yoram Zague for the teenageras first goal in Ligue 1. Nice would pull a goal back, though as a mazy run by Jeremie Boga saw him lay the ball off for Mohamed-Ali Cho to make it 2-1 ten minutes before the break, Ligue 1 reports.

Boga then forced PSG akeeper Arnau Tenas into a fine save as the match continued to sparkle. Post break, the pace of the match dropped as both sides struggled to create good chances.

Midway through the half, both Farioli and Enrique made a handful of changes, trying to inject some life into the match, but to little effect. Nice had the better of the chances, but did little to test Arnau Tenas.

That failure to make more of the match going forward was then undone further as Melvin Bard was sent off with fifteen minutes to play, all but sealing the result as Nice would have a proverbial mountain to climb a man and a goal down.

The result meant, that Nice will finish fifth as they can neither catch Brest in fourth or be caught up by RC Lens, who remained four points behind.

PSG will finish their season away to FC Metz while Nice will head to LOSC Lille on Sunday evening.
New Delhi, May 16 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday condemned the attack on Slovakia's PM Robert Fico, calling it a "cowardly and dastardly act".

The Slovakian Prime Minister was critically injured in an assassination attempt on Wednesday.

Expressing shock over the attack, PM Modi posted on his X handle, "Deeply shocked at the news of the shooting at Slovakiaas Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Robert Fico. I strongly condemn this cowardly and dastardly act and wish PM Fico a speedy recovery. India stands in solidarity with the people of the Slovak Republic."

According to local media, the Slovak Prime Minister is no longer in a life-threatening condition after surgery.

The attack has been classified as a politically motivated assassination attempt, according to Slovak Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok.

Estok said that the assassination attempt was "politically motivated and the decision was born right after the presidential election". He blamed "social media hate" for the attack.

Fico was wounded Wednesday afternoon after attending a government meeting in the town of Handlova, some 150 km northeast of the capital. He was shot by a 71-year-old man. According to eyewitnesses, the man shot the premier several times as he was greeting supporters.
New Delhi, May 16 : As the Indian government aims to curb the use of 'dark patterns' on e-commerce platforms, the US state of Arizona has filed two new lawsuits against Amazon, accusing the e-tailing giant of deceiving consumers with "dark patterns."

One of the lawsuits accuses the company of "engaging in deceptive business practices" by allegedly using "design tricks known as dark patterns to keep users from cancelling their Amazon Prime subscriptions."

The other lawsuit, filed by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, accuses Amazon of "unfairly maintaining monopoly status by enforcing agreements with third-party sellers that restrict them from offering lower prices off of the platform than they do on Amazon," The Verge reported on Thursday.

The US state of Arizona has asked the court to stop Amazon from "engaging in the allegedly deceptive and anticompetitive practices" and "award civil penalties and disgorgement of ill-gotten gains."

Amazon said in a statement that it was "surprised and disappointed by these cases."

The company also defended Prime's sign-up and cancellation processes, saying these are "clear and simple by design," adding that the lawsuits would actually force it to "feature higher prices."

The use of "dark patterns" by online platforms have created controversy in India as well.

These deceptive techniques mislead people into doing something they did not wish to do, such as paying for items or services they did not intend to buy.

The Indian government recently released draft guidelines to curb "dark patterns" used by big online platforms.

The Digital India Act is also equipped to regulate "dark patterns" on the internet through user safety provisions.
New Delhi, May 16 : British-Swedish pharma giant AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine, made in collaboration with Oxford University has been found to raise the risk of vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT) -- a rare but fatal blood clotting disorder, claimed researchers on Thursday.

While not new, VITT emerged as a new disease following adenovirus vector-based Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine -- sold as Covishield in India and Vaxzevria in Europe -- at the height of the Covid pandemic in 2021.

"An unusually dangerous blood autoantibody directed against a protein termed platelet factor 4 (or PF4)" was found as the reason for VITT.

In separate research in 2023, scientists from Canada, North America, Germany and Italy described a virtually identical disorder with the same PF4 antibody that was fatal in some cases after natural adenovirus (common cold) infection.

Now in a new research, Flinders University in Australia and other international experts found that the PF4 antibodies in both adenovirus infection-associated VITT and classic adenoviral vector VITT share identical molecular fingerprints or signatures.

"Indeed, the pathways of lethal antibody production in these disorders must be virtually identical and have similar genetic risk factors," said Professor Tom Gordon from Flinders

The researcher noted that the "findings have the important clinical implication that lessons learned from VITT are applicable to rare cases of blood clotting after adenovirus (a common cold) infections, as well as having implications for vaccine development".

The same team had in a 2022 study "cracked the molecular code of the PF4 antibody and identified a genetic risk factor".

Their new findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, also have important implications for improving vaccine safety.

The research comes after AstraZeneca "accepted, in a legal document submitted to the High Court in February, that its Covid vaccine 'can, in very rare cases, cause Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Syndrome (TTS)'."

TTS is a rare side effect that can cause people to have blood clots and a low blood platelet count. It has been linked to the death of at least 81 people in the UK as well as hundreds of serious injuries.

The company has also voluntarily withdrawn "marketing authorisation" of its Covid vaccine from Europe and other global markets.
New Delhi, May 16 : Apple CEO Tim Cook has called the latest iPad Pro advertisement a "major fumble", after it received backlash from social media users.

Cook's comment comes after a 22-year-old Indian student ran into the CEO at Stanford while on a hike and asked him about the recent backlash the company received over its iPad campaign.

"Met the one and only @tim_cook on a dish hike run at Stanford. Asked him about the new Apple iPad campaign and here's what he said," X user Shaurya Sinha, a student at Stanford University, wrote on Thursday.

In the following posts, the student claimed that the Apple CEO said "Yeah that was a major fumble", when he asked about the iPad campaign.

He also added that Cook was "super sweet".

Recently, Apple released an advertisement for its newly launched iPad series. The controversy occurred when the ad showed a hydraulic press destroying creative instruments and devices, a move that many felt was "insensitive and disrespectful".

This sparked significant criticism, with Apple accused of being "tone deaf". In response, the tech giant quickly removed the commercial and apologised.
Thiruvananthapuram, May 16 : The Kerala Police on Thursday registered a case against four Southern Air Command officials based on a complaint given by a hotel in the state capital city.

A hotel official said there were a group of people who created problems and their staff members were roughed up.

The incident occurred on Wednesday night and trouble started when the guests were asked to wait as tables were not empty. This irked the guests who later turned unruly, according to the hotel staff.

Based on the complaint given by the hotel management, the local police have registered a case against four Southern Air Command officials.

The police have intimated the matter to the Military Intelligence.

More details are awaited.
Lucknow, May 16 : Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) President Mayawati has asked the Rajya Sabha Speaker to take cognisance of the alleged assault of former Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal by the personal assistant of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

"Swati Maliwal was assaulted at the residence of the chief minister and she is also a Rajya Sabha member but no action has yet been taken in the matter. I urge the Rajya Sabha Speaker to take note of the incident," she said in a post on social media.

Mayawati further said, "Strict action should be taken in cases related to women's security and safety and there should be no double standards in the matter -- whether the parties belong to the INDIA bloc or not. They should, in fact, learn a lesson from the BSP leadership."
Amaravati, May 16 : Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council Chairman on Thursday disqualified YSR Congress Party's MLC Janga Krishna Murthy for defection.

Chairman Koyye Moshenu Raju issued a notification disqualifying Murthy, who switched loyalties to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) last month.

The Council Chairman's action came three days after simultaneous elections to the state Assembly and Lok Sabha.

Murthy, who was also president of YSRCP's Backward Class (BC) wing, resigned from the primary membership of the party and the post after he was denied a ticket by the ruling party either for Assembly or Lok Sabha elections.

Murthy, a two-time MLA, had joined the TDP at a public meeting in Sattenapalli on April 6.

He was elected as MLA in 1999 and 2004 from Gurazala Assembly constituency in Palnadu district on a Congress ticket. He later switched over to the YSRC.

After defeat from the same constituency as YSRCP candidate in 2014, the party did not field him in 2019. He, however, was nominated to the Legislative Council.

Murthy was an aspirant for the party ticket from Gurazala in the recent elections but the YSRCP renominated sitting MLA Kasu Mahesh Reddy.

Murthy was unhappy after his claim was also rejected for the Narasaraopet MP ticket. The YSRCP ignored him to field another BC leader and former minister P. Anil Kumar Yadav.

Earlier, Murthy was also a contender for the post of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) chairman, but the party chose Tirupati MLA Bhumana Karunakara Reddy.
New Delhi, May 16 : The Supreme Court on Thursday fixed July 10 for hearing the bail plea of DMK leader and former Tamil Nadu Minister V. Senthil Balaji, who was arrested last year in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged cash-for-jobs scam.

A bench presided over by Justice Abhay S. Oka decided to defer the hearing after it was apprised that Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Enforcement Directorate (ED), was on his legs before another bench dealing with Kejriwalas petition challenging ED arrest in the excise policy case.

In an earlier hearing, senior advocate Aryama Sundaram, appearing for Balaji, apprised the Bench, also comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, that the DMK leader has remained in custody since June last year.

It may be recalled that the top court had declined to pass any interim order staying the February 28 order of the Madras High Court, which had dismissed Balajias bail petition.

However, it issued a notice to the ED and sought the response of the central agency within four weeks.

In its order, a bench of Justice N. Anand Venkatesh of the Madras High Court observed that even if Balaji had resigned from his position as a Minister, he continues as an MLA belonging to the ruling party in Tamil Nadu and continues to wield a lot of influence on the state government.

The high court had asked the trial court to complete the trial within three months by conducting the proceedings on a day-to-day basis.

Balaji was arrested by the ED in June last year and has remained in judicial custody since then.

In November last year, the Supreme Court had declined to entertain Balajias plea seeking bail on medical condition remarking that it was not satisfied with his illness and his medical condition could be cured with medicines.
New Delhi, May 16 : Homegrown logistics services platform Porter has likely become the third unicorn (with valuation of $1 billion and above) in India this year after a fresh internal round.

According to sources, the fresh round involved key individual investors who bought stock from the employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) pool of the logistics provider, taking its valuation at $1 billion.

The company told IANS in a statement: "We do not comment on market speculation as a company policy."

Before Porter, India saw the birth of two unicorns -- Ola's Krutrim AI and fintech firm Perfios a" this year amid global slowdown.

Top investors like Tiger Global, Peak XV Partners, Lightrock and the Mahindra Group have infused money in Porter.

Founded in 2014 by Pranav Goel, Uttam Digga and Vikas Choudhary, Porter launched an on-demand marketplace for trucks, bikes and packers & movers.

It is one of the leading logistics companies, providing a spectrum of intra-city and inter-city services.

Bengaluru-based company saw its operating revenue crossed Rs 1,700 crore in FY23. Its FY24 results are yet to be announced.

The company generates revenue by offering services for transportation of goods. It has secured about $150 million in funding to date.

In the first quarter this year, the Indian tech startup ecosystem received more than $1.6 billion in total funding.
Jaipur, May 16 : A history-sheeter, carrying a reward of Rs 1.25 lakh on his head, snatched the pistol of a sub-inspector and opened fire at the police team while he was being brought from Delhi to Jaipur, said officials on Thursday.

The Incident happened in the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. In retaliation, the cop fired at the history-sheeter's leg and was later admitted to Sawai Mansingh (SMS) Hospital.

Additional DCP North Bajrang Singh said, "A case of firing and extortion was registered against Rakesh Kumar Yadav in Vidyadhar Nagar police station. He was carrying a reward as he was absconding for a long time. Police received a tip that the accused was in Assam and hence a team was sent to Dibrugarh as he was hiding in a village there. On May 13, he was arrested from Dibrugarh and brought to Delhi."

"Three policemen were sent from Jaipur to Delhi. When the criminal was being brought to Jaipur on the intervening night of Wednesday-Thursday, the accused asked to stop the car to go to the bathroom at 12.30 in the night. He then snatched the S-I's pistol and started firing soon after the vehicle was stopped near Daulatpura (Jaipur). While he started running away from the spot, the police team chased him and opened fire in retaliation for his firing. The bullet hit the leg of history-sheeter Rakesh,' said the DCP

Last year, Rakesh Kumar demanded extortion money of Rs 1 crore from a jeweller. When the extortion money was not received, Rakesh opened fire on the jeweller's son. The accused is a history-sheeter of Srimadhopur police station in Sikar district. Many criminal cases are registered against him in the state.
Panaji, May 16 : A 22-year-old computer science engineering dropout from Hyderabad has been arrested by Goa Police for allegedly creating a fake casino website using ChatGPT for monetary gain, police said.

Police informed that the accused person was staying at a five-star hotel in South Goa and was frequently changing locations on his internet.

The accused person is identified as Adla Nithin Reddy, 22 from Raghvendra Nagar-Hyderabad, police said.

Superintendent of Police (Cyber Crime) Rahul Gupta said, "Accused person developed websites using three different domains and used the logo of one company, brand name, ship pictures, and inside casino pictures for a fake online gaming site to lure innocent online users. Hence, he impersonated the complainant's company using computer sources and used the false trademark of the complainant's company."

"During the investigation, the required data was collected, and it was found that the culprit was located in different places in India. Further analysis of the data revealed that one of the suspects was dwelling in Hyderabad. Accordingly, one team proceeded to Hyderabad. Further investigation revealed that the suspect was staying at a five-star hotel in South Goa. We managed to nab him from this hotel," the police official said.

He said that the accused is a dropout from Vignana Bharati Institute of Technology, Hyderabad and was pursuing B Tech in Computer Science.

"He hosted the said domain with the help of a paid domain provider 'Hostinger' and developed this website with the help of ChatGPT for monetary gain," police said.

Police are further investigating the case.
May 16 : Director Hansal Mehta is all set to take the audience on another riveting journey with the announcement of the third instalment of the Scam franchise, titled 'Scam 2010  The Subrata Roy Saga'. Following the success of 'Scam 1992' and 'Scam 2003', this new series promises to delve into the controversial life of Subrata Roy, known for misusing funds from Sahara India Pariwar.

Hansal Mehta shared the motion poster for the series on social media, exciting fans with the news of 'Scam 2010'. The caption, "Sc3m is back! Scam 2010: The Subrata Roy Saga, coming soon on @SonyLIV," indicates that the series will be available on SonyLIV, the platform that hosted the previous Scam installments.

'Scam 1992' explored the life of Harshad Mehta, while 'Scam 2003' chronicled the story of Abdul Karim Telgi. Both series were widely acclaimed for their storytelling and performances, setting high expectations for 'Scam 2010  The Subrata Roy Saga'.

As Hansal Mehta prepares to narrate the tale of Subrata Roy and the events surrounding the Sahara India Pariwar funds, audiences can expect another gripping and insightful series that sheds light on a significant chapter in India's financial history.
Kozhikode, May 16 : In what is believed to be another major goof-up at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, a four-year-old girl, on Thursday, fell victim to serious medical negligence, and a probe has been ordered.

According to relatives of the child, she came to the hospital because she had six fingers on one hand.

"We were told that it could be removed through a minor surgery so we agreed. A while later, when the child was wheeled back, we were surprised to see the girl's mouth was in plaster. We did not know what happened and then when we checked her hand, the sixth finger was still there," said a relative.

"We informed the nurse and when she heard it, she was smiling. We were told that there was a problem with her tongue too, and that was rectified. Soon the doctor came and apologised for the mistake and said the sixth finger will be removed, and took the child away," added the relative.

With this becoming news, the concerned authorities have ordered a probe into the matter.

This incident comes at a time when this hospital is in the news after Harshina, a lady in her 30's, was on a long protest for her complaint that after her c-section, the doctors left a pair of scissors in her abdomen, This complaint turned out to be true and the erring staff members have been identified.
London, May 16 : The European consumer organisation on Thursday filed a complaint against Chinese online marketplace Temu for failing to protect consumers by breaching the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA).

BEUC, which represents 45 regional consumer protection groups across 31 EU countries, called for the EU to designate Temu as a "very large online platform" (VLOP) under the DSA.

The VLOP status means that the Chinese platform has to comply with additional transparency and accountability rules, like Alibaba, Amazon, Booking.com and Google Shopping which are among other VLOPs.

"Our expectation is for the European Commission to move swiftly and force Temu to comply with its new obligations as a VLOP, including assessing and mitigating risks to consumers," said the consumer organisation.

Among the breaches BEUC has identified, Temu is failing to provide sufficient traceability of the traders that sell on its platform and, thereby, "to ensure that the products sold to EU consumers conform to EU law".

Temu is using "manipulative practices such as dark patterns to get consumers, for example, to spend more than they might originally want to, or to complicate the process of closing down their account".

The Chinese marketplace has also failed to "provide transparency about how it recommends products to consumers".

Earlier this week, the South Korean antitrust regulator signed agreements with AliExpress and Temu to prevent them from selling harmful products to consumers.
Bengaluru, May 16 : Reeling under the impact of the sex scandal involving Prajwal Revanna who is a JD(S) MP and grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, the party stated on Thursday that it does not have any idea about the whereabouts of the prime accused in the case.

Prajwal Revanna, who is the NDA's Lok Sabha candidate for the Hassan seat is absconding as the videos showing him sexually assaulting women have taken Karnataka by storm.

Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, JD(S) Core Committee President and MLA, GT Devegowda claimed that neither party leaders nor the HD Deve Gowda family have any idea about Prajwal Revanna's whereabouts.

The government has issued a Blue Corner notice to 196 countries regarding Prajwal Revanna, and he can only be tracked through this.

"Prajwal Revanna has not been in touch with the leaders since the scandal came to light. No one knows where Prajwal Revanna is," Devegowda stated.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the scandal is carrying out the probe and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah asserted that he believes in the officers.

"The crimes related to the scandal were committed in Chennai city and Malaysia, and in this backdrop, we are demanding an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)," Devegowda stated.

Meanwhile, Prajwal Revanna, who had booked a ticket to Bengaluru from Munich in Germany, did not board the flight on Wednesday.

Sources stated that this is the third time Prajwal Revanna did not board a flight after booking tickets from Germany.

Prajwal Revanna's father, JD(S) MLA HD Revanna, who was jailed and released on conditional bail, has not gone back to his native Holenarasipur town in Hassan District to meet his wife Bhavani since his release.

In turn, Bhavani has also not come to meet him in Bengaluru where he is staying at his father HD Deve Gowda's residence in Padmanabhanagar. He has been visiting temples since his release.

Family sources explained that Deve Gowda and former CM HD Kumaraswamy are upset with her in the backdrop of the events related to her son Prajwal Revanna.

Meanwhile, the SIT has issued a second notice to Bhavani to appear for questioning in the kidnap case of a victim seen in one of the videos.

The SIT has registered cases under IPC Sections 376 (2) N (committing rape repeatedly on same woman), 506 (criminal intimidation), 354 (A) (1) (behaving in unwelcome way, explicit sexual behaviour, demanding sexual favours), 354 (B) (using criminal force on woman) and 354 (C) (voyeurism, capturing image of a woman in a private act without her consent) and Under Sections of the Information Technology Act.
Kolkata, May 16 : Four persons were killed on Thursday when a passenger bus collided head on with a car in West Bengal's East Midnapore district.

All four passengers travelling in the car died on the spot.

The deceased are yet to be identified.

Taking to X, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed condolence over the tragedy.

"I am saddened to know that four people were killed in a road accident in Marishda, East Midnapore this morning. I offer my sincere condolences to the families, relatives, and friends of the victims. District administration will provide all help, taking all measures," she posted.

"The state government will also provide financial compensation to the families of the victims. I once again offer my condolences to the bereaved. Remember, the state government is by your side," she said.
New Delhi, May 16 : The Indian telecom operators are increasingly adopting green telecom networks, which focus on energy-efficient operations, carbon emission reductions and the use of renewable energy sources, industry experts said on Thursday, ahead of the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day that falls on May 17.

Innovative 5G applications like internet of things (IoT), smart grids, precision agriculture, among others, will further contribute to the nation's sustainability goals.

"This is in addition to the efficiencies to be driven via use of 5G across diverse sectors like healthcare, education, transport, manufacturing, logistics, mining, etc., which will take us closer to achieving the country's sustainability goals," said Lt Gen Dr SP Kochhar, Director General, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).

According to experts, it is crucial to acknowledge India's ascent as the third largest digitised nation in the world.

"India has embarked on diverse projects with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as the foundation, offering the potential to build a sustainable economy. A key enabler in this journey is the rapid adoption of mobile Internet, which the United Nations deems essential for achieving its 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," Kochhar elaborated.

According to latest Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data, the number of Internet subscribers reached 936.16 million at the end of December 2023, registering a quarterly rate of growth of 1.96 per cent.

Tarun Chhabra, Country Manager, Nokia India, said that as the digital landscape is becoming all-pervasive, the telecom industry needs to validate its sustainability efforts.

"It's estimated that digital technologies can help achieve 70 per cent of targets under the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030," he noted.

With the fastest rollout of 5G, India is on the cusp of a digital revolution with its pioneering initiatives in the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and also taking the right steps in establishing its 6G leadership.

"Overall, India's digital journey is not just about technological advancement but also about leveraging this progress to achieve broader socio-economic and environmental objectives, aligning with global sustainability efforts and fostering a greener future," Kochhar emphasised.

Moreover, there is a need to strengthen the mobile services ecosystem with potent spectrum in the mid-band segment, such as the 6 GHz band, which would be decisive in the success of 5G, 5G advanced and the future 6G deployments in India, said experts.
Mumbai, May 16 : The recent track of 'Pushpa Impossible' shows Pushpa (Karuna Pandey) deciding to don her school uniform once again to show her adopted granddaughter Swara (Vrihi Kodvara) that school isn't a bad place.

Mumbai, May 16 (IANS) The recent track of 'Pushpa Impossible' shows Pushpa (Karuna Pandey) deciding to don her school uniform once again to show her adopted granddaughter Swara (Vrihi Kodvara) that school isnat a bad place.

Previously, Pushpa wore the uniform to reclaim her own education, now, she wants the traumatised Swara to reclaim hers.

In a touching scene, Pushpa, Swara, and Rashi wear their school uniforms and create fun reels following the latest social media trends to emphasise that school isnat a place to be afraid of.

While the scene sheds light on an important conversation about education, off-screen, the trio bonded over a day filled with dancing and shooting reels, with Pushpa reminiscing about her school days.

Karuna said: "I have a special attachment to a school uniform, and I feel like I am back to school whenever I wear a school uniform. To me, the uniform symbolises equality and discipline. The show highlights how education can transform lives, especially for women, and the storyline shows that empowered women can uplift entire communities."

"Through my character, I hope to inspire viewers to value and pursue education. I believe 'Pushpa Impossible' will resonate with many, encouraging them to support womenas education and empowerment," she added.

The show airs on Sony SAB.
New Delhi, May 16 : Union Minister for Railways, Communications and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Thursday, said that the Modi government's thrust on inclusive growth is yielding results and it will gain greater visibility in the next few years. He added that this has been possible because of a robust growth framework in place.

He underlined the Modi government's resolve to bring "generational change" in people's lives and also explained how the country is breaking barriers in public welfare schemes.

Citing example of the Centre's free ration scheme to the poor and marginalised, he said that the Modi government is feeding a population larger than the combined populace of United States and the European Union (EU).

"US population is about 35 crore while EU accounts for about 40 crore. India is providing free ration to a population of 80 crore, which is bigger than both, for past four years," informed the Union Minister, highlighting the scale and size of India's public welfare scheme.

Addressing the Viksit Bharat Ambassador event in Mumbai, the Union Minister said that the government's thrust on infrastructure investment, manufacturing, simplification of laws and inclusive growth have served as four pillars of growth.

Vaishnaw said that the Central government has earmarked adequate funds for building physical infrastructure and shoring up the digital economy.

"In previous regimes, Railways allotted Rs 1,140 crore for Maharashtra-specific growth. Under NDA, it has increased 10-fold to Rs 15,000 crore. In past ten years, 1,800 crore rail network has been built in Maharashtra alone" he said.

He further said that a 15 km railway network per day and 23 km road network per day are being built under the NDA government.

"In terms of digital infrastructure, Maharashtra had 35,000 telecom towers 10 years ago, which has now grown to 2,75,000," he pointed out.

He further said that the government is committed to building social infrastructure as well and has built new universities and medical colleges, and developed new centres of higher education over the past decade.

"Earlier there were seven AIIMs, today they are 18. Out of the previous seven, six AIIMS were built during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government. In the past ten years, 390 universities and 315 medical colleges have been built," the Union Minister told the Viksit Bharat Ambassadors.

Emphasising that inclusive growth is essential for the harmonious growth of a nation, he said that 'Antodaya' is one of greatest ideas towards bringing change in the lives of the poor and marginalised, and this has been one of the party's foremost pledge since the days of Jana Sangh.

He also listed some milestone achievements of the Modi government including 10 crore free LPG connections, four crore pucca houses for the poor, and explained how they have brought multi-dimensional change in people's lives.
Bhadohi : , May 16 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Thursday, mounted a scathing attack on Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Bhadohi -- the lone seat that TMC is contesting in Uttar Pradesh.

"TMC has come to UP on a trial basis. The Congress and Samajwadi Party have already conceded defeat and left Bhadohi. You know the kind of politics that TMC pursues -- it is the politics of appeasement. They insult the Ram temple, clamp a ban on celebrating Ram Navami, give protection to Bangladeshi infiltrators and kill Hindus. Women are targeted and BJP workers are being killed. TMC legislator says he will drown Hindus," he said.

The Prime Minister said that the SP government also gave special protocol to terrorists. The chief of a terror outfit SIMI was released, he added.

"One Bua left SP in Uttar Pradesh because she realised their true politics so they went and got a new Bua from Bengal. I have a question for Babua (read Akhilesh) -- why does your new Bua term people from UP and Bihar as outsiders?" he asked.

He further said that the one factor that brings Congress, SP and TMC together is appeasement politics.

"These people said Ram was an illusion. You know what condition Ayodhya and Kashi was in but now we have completely revamped these places. If these parties had their way, they would not have allowed the construction of Ram temple," he said.

He said that development was taking place all around and would not stop.

"We are developing Vindhyavasini temple, UP had only seven airports but now has 17. This development will benefit the carpet industry of Bhadohi since it has been included in the ODOP list. During the SP regime, the idea was 'one district, one mafia'," he stated.

The Prime Minister said that when he prepares to go to bed, he recalls the work done during the day. "Your love overwhelms me and I feel this is God's gift to me," he said.
Kolkata, May 16 : The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have started early route marches at Sandeshkhali in West Bengal in view of the fresh tensions erupting there.

A viral video of a local BJP leader claiming the women's agitation being plotted and orchestrated by the party has gone viral in the area.

Sandeshkhali comes under the Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency which is going for polls in the last and seventh phase on June 1.

Sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said that generally full-fledged route marches in an area do not start so early before the polling day.

However, the sources said, keeping in mind the prevailing tension the full-fledged route marches of CAPF have started from Thursday especially in those panchayat areas under Sandeshkhali Assembly constituency where the prevailing tension is maximum.

"This early route-march will ensure complete area domination before the polls which will instill confidence among the voters," a CEO office insider said. The local villagers too have welcomed the development.

The CEO office sources said that as per the existing plans in the sixth and seventh phases of polls in the state on May 25 and June 1 respectively, the total deployment of Central forces in the state is likely to be over 1,000 companies which is higher the initial plans of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to increase the phase-wise deployment to a maximum of 920 in the seventh and final phase on June 1.

While in the sixth phase, eight Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal will be going to polls, the number in the seventh phase will be nine. In the fifth phase on May 20, the total deployment of CAPF will be 762 companies, which is 32 per cent higher than the figure of 578 companies in the fourth phase on May 13.
Jaipur, May 16 : The Chief Electoral Officer of Rajasthan, Praveen Gupta, said on Thursday that in view of the Lok Sabha elections in the state, various enforcement agencies have seized drugs, liquor, precious metals, freebies, and cash worth Rs 1,106 crore since March 1,

These include drugs worth Rs 202.25 crore, liquor worth more than Rs 47 crore, gold and silver valued at Rs 70 crore, and cash amounting to Rs 42 crore, Gupta said.

Besides, other materials worth more than Rs 743.97 crore and freebies worth about Rs 90 lakh have also been seized during the period under review by different agencies since March 1, the CEO said.

After the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct on March 16, the value of the items seized by the agencies on the instructions of the Election Commission has exceeded Rs 1,000 crore.

From March 1 till now, suspicious items and cash worth more than Rs 40 crore each have been seized in nine districts, out of which Sirohi tops with Rs 68.77 crore, followed by Jaipur (Rs 61.05 crore), and Jhunjhunu (Rs 52.46 crore).

Gupta said the state police, excise and narcotics departments, and the Income Tax department were prominent among the enforcement agencies taking action against illegal transportation of suspicious goods.
Bengaluru, May 16 : As the accused in the Anjali Ambigera murder case was still at large, BJP leader and former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Congress government, saying the law and order system had collapsed in Karnataka.

Anjali was stabbed to death in her residence by a jilted lover on Wednesday in front of her family members. Despite the family informing the police about the threat earlier, the police had not taken any action. This incident, which occurred in Hubballi soon after the gruesome murder of MCA student Neha Hiremath on the college campus, has sparked public outrage.

Shettar said the killer in Anjali's case should receive strict punishment. He criticized the police in Hubballi for not taking action, citing a lack of coordination between officers and the government.

"The politics should not be played out in Anjali's murder case," he added. Meanwhile, BJP party workers in Hubballi staged a protest march condemning the failure of the state government to ensure the safety of women.

The police are yet to arrest the accused, Vishwa, also known as Girish. Two police teams have been formed to apprehend him. The police department has suspended the police inspector and a woman constable for negligence. However, the demand is being made to shunt out the Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner Renuka Sukumar for failing to sensitize the police cadre to act swiftly in issues concerning women safety.

In a shocking incident, jilted lover Vishwa barged into Anjali's house and repeatedly stabbed her to death. The incident happened in the early hours of Wednesday in Hubballi city. The accused had previously threatened Anjali, warning her that she would meet the same fate as Neha Hiremath, who was brutally stabbed to death on a college campus recently in Hubballi.

Congress corporator Niranjan Hiremath -- the father of an MCA student Neha Hiremath -- had criticised state Home Minister G. Parameshwara over the latest incident of murder in the city.

Speaking to reporters after visiting Anjali's family members in Hubballi, he said: "I want to convey to the state government and the Home Department that Minister for Home G. Parameshwara is a failure. If you (Parameshwara) are not capable, you better resign and go home. If you can't transfer the Hubballi-Dharwad Commissioner Renuka Sukumar, large-scale protests will be staged."
New Delhi, May 16 : The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued a notice to the CBI on bail plea of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K. Kavitha, an accused in the alleged excise policy scam.

A bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma also called for CBI's reply on writ petition filed by Kavitha, daughter of BRS President and former Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), challenging her arrest by the CBI and the subsequent remand in the corruption case.

The matter will be taken up for further hearing on May 24 along with her bail plea in the money laundering case.

Kavitha moved the high court after a special court here on May 6 turned down her regular bail pleas in cases being probed by both -- the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Last week, the ED filed its seventh chargesheet before a Delhi court in connection with the money laundering case related to the alleged excise policy scam, naming Kavitha and others as accused.

Kavitha was first arrested by the ED and later by the CBI on April 11 when she was in Tihar Jail.
Mumbai, May 16 : Considered a BJP stronghold, the Mumbai North Lok Sabha seat is largely an open-minded constituency, accepting leadership of the so-called 'outsiders', and electing one royal and four political greenhorns since 1952.

Mumbai, May 16 (IANS) Considered a BJP stronghold, the Mumbai North Lok Sabha seat is largely an open-minded constituency, accepting leadership of the so-called aoutsidersa, and electing one royal and four political greenhorns since 1952.

The seat has readily embraced the so-called aoutsidersa in the 15 LS polls it has witnessed, and sent MPs of whom three became Central ministers in various governments.

In a sort of reversal, this time, a Union Minister of the BJP, Piyush Goyal, is contesting his maiden LS polls from Mumbai North against veteran Congress worker Bhushan K. Patil, who's also making his debut in electoral politics, and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadias rookie nominee, advocate Sonal D. Gondane (33).

Billed as an aoutsidera in the poll campaigns, Goyal (59), who hails from the posh Malabar Bill area in south Mumbai, is locking horns with Patil, a resident of Borivali, while Gondane hails from Dahisar.

Given BJPas strong grip over the 18-lakh voters in the seat, including 19 per cent Muslims and 7 per cent Dalits, plus Marathis, Gujaratis and Rajasthanis, Goyal is confident of sailing through with his long bout of campaign for the May 20 elections.

A chartered accountant and a lawyer, Goyal is banking on his image as a Union Minister for the past 10 years, his political lineage -- his late father Vedprakash Goyal was a BJP Union Minister, while his mother Chandrakanta Goyal has been a three-time MLA -- the performance of the Modi government, plus the goodwill and the combined support of the BJP-Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to see him through.

Nevertheless, he faces a tough challenge from the Maha Vikas Aghadi-INDIA bloc nominee Patil, who has the backing of the Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT)-Nationalist Congress Party (SP) and other allies.

Patil is also buoyed by a perceived asympathya factor among the Marathis after senior SS (UBT) leader Abhishek V. Ghosalkar was shot dead on February 8 during a Facebook Live interaction with his constituents by a local goon named Mauris Noronha, who was reportedly planning to join the ruling MahaYuti ally Shiv Sena.

The SS (UBT) is also hoping for Marathi support after the party split (in June 2022), and even contemplated fielding Ghosalkaras widow, Tejasvee. But the Mumbai North constituency went to the Congress in the seat-sharing, and now all MVA allies are backing Patil.

Earlier, Mumbai North had elected a Kerala royal and Janata Partyas Union Minister Ravindra Varma (1980), Congressa Narayan S. Kajrolkar (1952) who defeated B.R. Ambedkar from the seat then named Mumbai North Central, Union Minister V.K. Krishna Menon (twice, in 1957 & 1962), and BJPas Union Minister Ram Naik (5 times, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999).

Mumbai North also embraced first-timers like Congressa Vithal Balkrishna Gandhi (1952) known as the aAmerican Gandhia, Janata Partyas Mrinal K. Mohile-Gore (1977) a" famed as the aPaaniwali Baia, Congressa Anoopchand Shah (1984), and Congressa actor-politician Govinda (2004).

Incidentally, Govinda became a giant-killer in 2004 when he trounced the veteran Naik in one of the biggest upsets. Naik again bit the dust in 2009 when Congressa Sanjay Nirupam defeated him.

However, Bollywood actress Urmila Matondkar became a victim of Congress infighting in 2019, giving a smooth sail to the BJPas sitting MP Gopal C. Shetty in the two BJP waves (2014, 2019), but this time he had to make way for Goyal.

On the campaign trail since two months, Goyal has had his share of 'goof-ups', like walking around the fishing village and slums with his face covered as he couldnat bear the stench of the down-market localities, or trumpeting his ideas to relocate the slums from here to the barren salt-pans in north-eastern Mumbai to aclean upa Mumbai North.

Both earned the ire of the locals with SS (UBT)as Aditya Thackeray taking a jibe at him saying "the BJP wants to shift the slum-dwellers as they canat buy electoral bonds". The locals also didnat exactly relish Goyal walking around them with a kerchief to his nose and mouth.

Mumbai North comprises six Assembly segments of which four are held by the BJP, one by the Shiv Sena and the other by the Congress.

The break-up is -- BJP, Dahisar (MLA Manisha Chaudhary), Borivali (MLA Sunil Rane), Kandivali East (MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar) and Charkop (MLA Yogesh Sagar); Shiv Sena, Magathane (MLA Prakash Surve); and Congress, Malad West (MLA Aslam Shaikh).

Like the rest of city, Mumbai North has problems of slums congestion in nearly one-third of the seat, massive traffic, air pollution, the Poisar and Dahisar rivers which are virtually gutters, and lack of sufficient open spaces, though it has some good roads, railways and metro-rail connectivity, and things are gradually improving for the citizenry.

Perched on the north-western boundaries of the countryas commercial capital, it ranks among the greenest constituencies, being home to the sprawling Sanjay Gandhi National Park teeming with leopards and other wild animals which often spill over to the adjoining concrete jungles.

It also nestles the worldas largest unsupported stone domed Global Vipassana Pagoda with a capacity of 8,000 devotees, besides several picturesque beaches in Borivali and Malad, the 1,000-2,000 years old Kanheri Caves complex and other landmarks dotting the region.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)
Bhubaneswar, May 16 : A Bharatiya Janata Party worker died while several others sustained serious injuries in a scuffle with the ruling Biju Janata Dal activists in the Khallikote area of Odisha's Ganjam district, officials said on Thursday.

The violence took place late Wednesday night. The deceased was identified as Dilip Pahan of Srikrushnasaranpur village under Khallikote police limits in the district.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday condemned the act of violence.

"Deeply disturbed and saddened at the very unfortunate and tragic incident of violence in the Khallikote area. Such incidents of violence have no place in our democracy and civil society. I strongly condemn this incident. My deepest condolence to the family who has lost their loved one and praying for early recovery of those who sustained injuries. I am sure police will take strong and exemplary action against the perpetrators of this heinous crime," CM Patnaik posted on his 'X' account.

Expressing deep concern over the incident, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Odisha, Nikunja Bihari Dhal on Thursday instructed the Ganjam district collector and Superintendent of Police to take immediate steps to establish peace by getting the pre-poll violence under control in the district.

Local sources claimed that the deceased along with other BJP workers, who recently joined the party after leaving the ruling BJD, were putting up election campaign posters at Srikrushnasaranapur village late Wednesday night. A scuffle broke out when some BJD workers objected to putting up the posters. Several persons, including Dillip, sustained serious injuries in the pre-poll fight.

They were immediately rushed to the nearby hospital in Khallikote. They were later shifted to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur for advanced treatment. Dilip succumbed to the injuries while undergoing treatment at the MKCG hospital.

The BJP workers on Thursday protested outside the Khallikote police station demanding immediate arrest of the attackers. They also blocked roads connecting Khallikote to Bhubaneswar bringing traffic to a halt.

Polling is scheduled to be held in the Khallikote Assembly segment under the Aska parliamentary constituency on May 20.
Mumbai, May 16 : Basking in the warm reception accorded to 'Laapataa Ladies', Kiran Rao has a message for all aspiring directors: be on top of your game.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the 15th KASHISH Pride Film Festival, Rao said: "I always feel that there are some films that do well and some that don't. In order to be relevant, you have to make something that speaks to you as an audience."

A good story, according to Rao, is "something that you resonate with, something that you find interesting and important to talk about."

She added: "If it is important to you, then you will never be irrelevant."

Speaking about the evolution of the audience, Rao said, "People's attention span is reduced because they have access to multiple screens and different types of content that are easily available."

Adding her personal take on the subject, she noted: "As a filmmaker, I feel that you need to be on top of your game. If you are good, and tell stories that are interesting, that are relevant to you, that you have a certain desire to communicate, you will be a good storyteller, whether you are on an OTT platform or making a film."

Giving a shout out to Aamir Khan for producing 'Laapataa Ladies', Rao said: "A film like this could have been made only by a producer such as Aamir Khan because he wants to make the best possible films."

Speaking about the unconventional casting for the film, Rao said, "(Aamir) realised this film would work best with no known actors. Very few producers would realise that and give you that kind of support. He was also the person who found the story, so in some way, the film could not have been made without him."
Chennai, May 16 : On the occaion of National Dengue Day, Tamil Nadu Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine has issued a circular to all the district health officials in the state to take measures to prevent breeding of Aedes mosquitoes.

The theme for this year is,' Connect with community, control dengue'.

The Directorate has asked the district health officers to control and prevent dengue fever by strictly following the district action plan.

The district health officials are urged to conduct focused campaigns to educate and inform the people about Dengue fever.

There has been a spike in dengue cases in Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Madurai, Theni, Namakkal, Ariyalur, Tiruvannamalai, Dindigul, Krishnagiri and Thanjavur.

State Director of Public Health, T.S. Selvavinayagam, has instructed officials to conduct focussed campaigns and create awareness on dengue.

The officials were also urged to take up all interventions under the National Programme well on time.

The department has issued guidelines on the collection of reports from government and private hospitals on fever cases and to engage domestic breeding checkers to curtail the breeding of Aedes mosquitos.

He issued instructions to district health officials to comply with the guidelines on the collection of reports of fever from government and private hospitals and to ascertain the presence of dengue viruses.

The district health officials have been urged to conduct source reduction activities to prevent the breeding of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes that carry and spread the infection.
New Delhi, May 16 : PhonePe has filed a suit for infringement of its trademarks i.e. "PhonePe" against M/s Aniket Foods before the Calcutta High Court for illegal use of PhonePe trademarks.

The High Court in its order dated April 10, 2024 granted an ex-parte injunction in favour of PhonePe, restraining M/s Aniket Foods (including its agents, successors, stockists, distributors, dealers or anyone claiming through or under from using the infringed goods) from manufacturing and selling (in any manner whatsoever) and also appointed Special Officer of the Court to visit the premises of M/s Aniket Foods wherein the illegal manufacturing of the infringed goods is taking place and to take inventories the available stocks.

The said Special Officer carried out his commission on April 19, 2024, and found a large quantity of infringed products/materials bearing PhonePe trademarks.

Thereafter, M/s Aniket Foods approached PhonePe for an out-of-the-court settlement and acknowledged the rights of the Plaintiff and to cease and desist from its illegal and infringing activities.

In the compromise, M/s Aniket Foods unconditionally admits that -- PhonePe is the true and lawful proprietor of the said trademarks "PhonePe" under all appropriate laws, including under the Trademarks Act, 1999, Copyright Act, 1957 and common law, and that the said trademarks are associated exclusively with the PhonePe.

Trademarks "PhonePe" of PhonePe, are highly reputed, distinctive and well-known trademarks within the provisions of the Trade Marks Act, 1999 and Rules and they belong to and vest solely, absolutely, unconditionally and permanently with PhonePe in perpetuity without any limitation of time.

PhonePe is the prior user of the said marks and "PhonePe" mark is the unique combination of the words 'Phone' and 'Pe'.

Aniket Foods shall never, directly or indirectly, use and assert any proprietary rights, trademark rights, common law rights, or copyright in the trademarks "PhonePe" and/ or over any mark/name identical and/or deceptively similar to the said trademarks of the PhonePe under any Law, for any goods or services.

The High Court gave its approval to the compromise on May 10, 2024, and decreed the suit in favour of PhonePe.
Brussels, May 16 : The European Commission announced on Thursday that it has opened investigations into Meta over child protection concerns regarding its Facebook and Instagram platforms.

The investigations concern fears the two platforms "may exploit the weaknesses and inexperience of minors and cause addictive behaviour," according to a commission press release. Another concern is "rabbit hole" effects that "draw you into more and more disturbing content," a commission official said. The EU executive is also concerned about minors' access to inappropriate content, as well as privacy.

The two probes into Facebook and Instagram, respectively, fall under the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA), a broad online content law that requires large platforms to assess and mitigate various risks arising from the use of their services, especially for children.

"We are not convinced that Meta has done enough to comply with the DSA obligations - to mitigate the risks of negative effects to the physical and mental health of young Europeans on its platforms Facebook and Instagram," said EU industry commissioner Thierry Breton on X.

A commission official explained that a "rabbit hole effect" is created when a platform's algorithms "feed users with content of a certain type - for example leading to depression, or unrealistic body images - that can foster mental health issues in children."

Meta may also be failing to use age verification tools that are "reasonable, proportionate and effective" to prevent minors from accessing content that is inappropriate for children, the commission's press release said.

The commission will also investigate whether the company is falling short of "DSA obligations to put in place appropriate and proportionate measures to ensure a high level of privacy, safety and security for minors."

The EU executive will pay particular attention to the default privacy settings Facebook and Instagram have for minors, as well as the "design and functioning" of "recommender systems" that push content towards users.

If Meta is found to have breached the DSA's risk mitigation rules, it could face fines of up to 6 per cent of its global annual revenue.

The company is already subject to DSA investigations over its handling of political advertising, ahead of the forthcoming European Parliament elections on June 6-9.

The commission is also investigating TikTok over similar child protection concerns.

The DSA's risk mitigation rules apply to "Very Large Online Platforms" meaning those with more than 45 million monthly active users in the EU.

Other DSA provisions - such as obligations to have mechanisms allowing users to flag illegal content - also apply to smaller platforms.

But heftiest fines are only applicable to very large platforms.

Monitoring smaller platforms' DSA compliance is the responsibility of the EU's 27 member states, whereas the European Commission is the DSA enforcer for the large platforms.

Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) have to pay a yearly "supervisory fee" to cover the commission's costs, capped at 0.05 per cent of each VLOP's global annual revenue.

--IANS/DPA

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Ramallah/Tel Aviv, May 16 : Three Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli military operation in the West Bank town of Tulkarem, the Health Ministry in Ramallah said on Thursday.

The three men, aged 22 to 27, were killed during an Israeli raid shortly after midnight, according to the ministry.

According to Palestinian media reports, Israeli soldiers raided currency exchange offices in Tulkarem and other cities in the West Bank.

The exact circumstances of the raid were initially unclear.

An Israeli army spokesman said that the reports were being investigated.

The security situation in the occupied West Bank has deteriorated even further since the start of the Gaza war following the Hamas attacks on October 7.

According to the Health Ministry in the West Bank, at least 479 Palestinians have since been killed in Israeli military operations, confrontations or in attacks of their own. At the same time, violence by Israeli settlers targeting Palestinians has increased.

--IANS/DPA

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Chennai, May 16 : Tamil Nadu Forest Department and the Special Investigation Team of the state police are conducting a joint probe to find out the source of two elephant tusks (weighing 3.2 kg and worth Rs 60 lakh) that were seized by the Organised Crime Intelligence Unit (OCIU) of the Tamil Nadu police on Wednesday night.

The police have arrested a person, A. Ram Alagu (40) of Rajapalayam in Tamil Nadu along with the Elephant tusks.

The OCIU is an elite unit of the Tamil Nadu police which gathers information on criminals and their activities, and has a dossier of several such people and organised crime networks in its database.

The unit is, however, seeking help of Tamil Nadu Forest Department to ascertain the age of the elephant from whose body the tusks were extracted and also to find out more specifics regarding the tusk that has been recovered from the arrested person.

Sources in Tamil Nadu Forest Department told IANS that they have at present not got any leads but the interrogation of Ram Alagu is being conducted to get more details and to find out the exact people behind this.

OCIU, on its interrogation, has found out that Ram Alagu was just a conduit and that he did not know much about the tusk and the whereabouts from where it was procured.

The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has already sent a communique to all the forest divisions in the state and neighbouring states like Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana and Karnataka about the seizure of the tusk and the arrest of the person who was carrying the tusks.

The four southern states are into a three-day synchronised census of elephants and there is an excellent rapport among the Forest Departments of these states.
Mumbai, May 16 : BJP nominee and Union Minister Kapil Patil, NCP(SP) candidate Suresh Mhatre and an Independent, Nilesh Sambre are locked in a triangular contest in Bhiwandi constituency which is famous for its powerloom industry and logistic activities in Thane District.

Patil, who hopes to score a hat-trick, faces a tough challenge from Mhatre, who is a seasoned politician and Sambre who runs a well-known Jijau Sanghatana.

While Patil and Mhatre come from the Aagri community, Sambre hails from the Kunbi community.

Incidentally, Aagris and Kunbis along with the sizable Muslim community will be the deciding factor in this constituency.

In addition, the three candidates cannot neglect the tribal community which is struggling to stay afloat due to the rising threat of encroachment on their lands.

Patil hopes to weather anti-incumbency especially in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modias rally at Kalyan on Wednesday and also because of praises showered upon him by his boss.

Even though Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis intervened to bring together the warring Patil and party Legislator from Murbad, Kisan Kathore, the BJP is struggling to put up a show of unity which is crucial to send an aall is wellaa signal to the voters.

However, Patil hopes to ride on PM Modias guarantee and the support from cadres of the BJP, NCP, Shiv Sena, RPI and MNS.

Patil is confident of getting overwhelming support from the Muslim community due to his outreach and a number of works carried out for their development during his two terms.

On the other hand, Mhatre with his network of logistics and storehouses is optimistic about encashing on the anti-incumbency factor against Patil due to the simmering discontent among the youth due to burgeoning unemployment, price rise and also among the Aagri and farming communities due to constraints on carrying out their traditional activities due to rapid urbanisation.

Mhatre heaved a sigh of relief after the former Congress MP Suresh Mhatre opted out of the fray.

Suresh Mhatre had staked his claim but Congress ultimately withdrew from the contest, adhering to the alliance dharma.

Further, Mhatre expects that there wonat be a division of Muslim votes despite the MIMas candidate in the fray. He hopes that Muslims will largely support him because of the Samajwadi Partyas association and also due to their strong opposition to the BJP fearing change in the Constitution if it comes to power for the third time.

On his part, Sambre expects victory due to the division of votes and on the dint of his social work.

Apart from that, the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadias support is another positive for Sambre.

There are 27 candidates in the fray with a total number of 20,87,244 voters. As many as 37 per cent belong to the Kunbi community, 21 per cent are Muslim, 15 per cent Aagri and 27 per cent Dalits and others.

Of the six Assembly segments, the BJP represents Bhiwandi West and Murbad while Bhiwandi Rural and Kalyan West are held by Shiv Sena, Bhiwandi East by Samajwadi Party and Shahapur by NCP.

The power distribution done by a franchise appointed by the state-run Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company and the issues with regard to supply has been a major issue raised by voters.

They are making a strong pitch for cheaper power tariffs. The powerloom industry, once a flourishing sector, faces a survival threat after demonetisation and implementation of the GST regime amid volatile economic conditions. The industry expects time-bound solutions in the form of tax benefits.

The voters are insisting that connecting Bhiwandi with Thane and Kalyan through the Metro rail corridor will partially ease the traffic congestions in the area.

Moreover, the increasing traffic jams in Bhiwandi and Kalyan, rising water scarcity and inefficient health system are some of the other important issues faced by the citizens from the constituency.

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)
New Delhi, May 16 : Soon after the news of a joint press conference by AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav came on Wednesday evening, a sense of anticipation started building in the media circles.

After all, the Delhi Chief Minister, currently out on interim bail in the excise policy case, was flying to Lucknow, that too when he and his party were embroiled in an undesirable controversy -- the reported physical assault of his long-standing colleague, AAP Rajya Sabha MP, and former chief of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), Swati Maliwal, in the drawing room of his official residence.

It was assumed that Kejriwal would have something substantive to say on the issue to clear the air. More so, because two days ago, his trusted party colleague Sanjay Singh had publicly said that Kejriwal was seized of the matter and appropriate action would be taken.

His trip to Lucknow just for a media briefing, or at least that's what the public knows, assumed additional significance since the Aam Admi Party (AAP) practically has no base in UP, nor has it fielded any candidate in the state.

It seemed that he was landing there as a campaigner for the Samajwadi Party and the Congress in Uttar Pradesh.

Congress representation, however, was missing.

What Kejriwal had been preaching to his party workers and his supporters all these years -- use phone cameras and record if anybody commits a wrong -- came to haunt him rather badly on Thursday morning.

Kejriwal hit the headlines as soon as he landed in Lucknow as a small video clip went viral showing Bihav Kumar -- the Personal Assistant and long-time associate of the Delhi Chief Minister who allegedly assaulted Maliwal on May 13 -- coming out of the airport with Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh.

He clearly seemed part of the entourage.

Whether or not Bihav Kumar is being shielded by the party leadership or which side Kejriwal stands is anybody's guess.

The much-hyped press conference was also very short with three leaders barely speaking for a few minutes before leaving abruptly.

But that didn't mean no news points were coming out of it. In fact, it was just the opposite.

First, when a simple question about Maliwal was asked, Kejriwal looked expressionless, didn't speak a word, and moved the mike to Akhilesh Yadav and then to Sanjay Singh.

Second, for INDIA bloc partner and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, the physical assault of a lady Rajya Sabha MP at the Chief Minister's official residence seemed a non-issue. He tried to pull a paper out of his pocket, saying "there were other more important issues".

Third, Sanjay Singh, who two days ago promised a "probe" and "action" against the accused, sang a different tune on Thursday -- blaming and seeking answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a whole lot of things -- on Manipur, on Prajwal Ravanna, Maliwal allegedly being roughed by Delhi Police when she went to Jantar Mantar to express solidarity with women wrestlers protesting against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, etc.

The assault on Maliwal no longer seemed to be an issue for him.

Kejriwal's opening statement was also interesting.

He came out with a failed conspiracy theory which was first propagated by BJP's political rivals and their support group in 2022 ahead of the UP Assembly elections  that PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were apprehensive of the rising stature of Yogi Adityanath, who will not become the Chief Minister again.

It seemed a figment of imagination of someone from the opposition ranks.

The idea was to make it a talking point, create confusion in the minds of a section of people, and if possible, sow seeds of suspicion against the BJP leadership by creating an imaginary fight.

The people, however, didn't buy it, and the results and turn of events silenced the conspiracy theorists.

A few days ago, Kejriwal said the same thing in Delhi. In Lucknow, he was repeating the same -- that Narendra Modi wouldn't be the Prime Minister after two years and pass over the baton to Amit Shah, while Yogi Adityanath would be dumped in two months if the BJP retains power at the Centre.

Kejriwal was perhaps banking on the dictum that public memory is short.

But he didn't realise the inherent contradiction in his statement  by envisioning Narendra Modi voluntarily leaving the Prime Minister's post after two years when he turns 75, Kejriwal is admitting that PM Modi is winning the ongoing Lok Sabha elections for a historic third consecutive term!
New Delhi, May 16 : The Viksit Bharat Ambassador event in Mumbai's NSE auditorium on Thursday saw the presence of not just hundreds of 'ambassadors' but also many prominent citizens, including filmmaker Subhash Ghai and actor-turned-politician Shekhar Suman.

Addressing the Viksit Bharat Ambassador event, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw impressed upon the audience about the country's rapid strides in diverse sectors, ranging from Railways to semiconductor businesses to indigenous mobile manufacturing.

Ashwini Vaishaw's detailed presentation enlightened them on the country's 'transformation in ten years' and they also heaped praise on landmark achievements under the incumbent government.

Acclaimed filmmaker Subhash Ghai said that every citizen habours dream of a developed and self-sufficient nation and said that it could be possible with collective endeavour of citizens.

He said that the country was making progress in all fields, including commerce and arts, and this was laudable.

"Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw explained in detail how the government was working with a plan and mission to achieve its objective. I am impressed with such governance," he said.

On questions of whether he supports a third term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, he said that he wants to see him as the country's Prime Minister again.

Akanksha Rathi, a local resident, said that she feels proud as a citizen as India has become the fifth largest economy and is slated for the top three slots by expanding its economy to $5 trillion.

"Initiatives like Make in India and other flagship schemes have drastically changed the country in the last ten years. Today, the world gives us due recognition and respect," she said.

Naresh Ojha, another Mumbaikar said that the country was witnessing a 360-degree growth in fields like road and train infrastructure and added, "the recently built sea link in Mumbai makes office-goers happy and elated".

He said that corruption has vanished under PM Modi-led government, adding: "Progressive schemes of government are making the life of common people easier and comfortable."
Chennai, May 16 : The Madras High Court has dismissed an anticipatory bail plea moved by YouTuber G. Felix Gerald in a case booked by the Coimbatore cybercrime police.

According to the police, Felix Gerald had interviewed another YouTuber named aSavakkua Shankar for the RedPix YouTube channel, during which the latter reportedly made derogatory remarks against women police personnel.

Justice R. Shakthivel of the Madras High Court on Thursday dismissed the anticipatory bail petition moved by Gerald after additional public prosecutor R. Muniyapparaj informed the court that Gerald was arrested by the Tiruchi police from his hideout in Noida on May 10.

He also told the court that the Coimbatore cybercrime unit had made a formal arrest on May 15, when Gerald was in prison.

Muniyapparaj also produced documents of the orders passed by the jail superintendent on the formal arrest of the YouTuber. After hearing the arguments, the judge dismissed the bail plea moved by Gerald before his arrest, terming it as infructuous.

To recall, the hearing in the anticipatory bail plea was adjourned by a vacation bench of the Madras High Court comprising Justice K. Kumaresh Babu by a week on May 9 after the additional public prosecutor sought time to file a counter affidavit.

Justice Babu, while adjourning the case, had orally observed that certain YouTubers were a "menace" to society who were prioritising subscriber growth over decency by disseminating offensive comments.

The court also said that it was high time for the government to intervene to curb such "harmful" activities.
Wellington, May 16 : New Zealand on Thursday said that it remains "gravely concerned" about the situation in New Caledonia, a French overseas territory in the Pacific Ocean.

"New Zealand, as a neighbour of New Caledonia and fellow member of the Pacific Islands Forum, has a strong interest in the peaceful resolution of the situation there. France and New Zealand are close partners in the Pacific. We are urging all sides to engage in constructive dialogue," said Foreign Minister Winston Peters.

On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron decided to declare a 'state of emergency' in New Caledonia after the escalating situation and violent protests in Noumea resulted in the death of two gendarmes.

Macron urged the need for a resumption of political dialogue and asked the Prime Minister and the Minister of the Interior and Overseas Territories to quickly invite the New Caledonian delegations to Paris.

New Zealand, meanwhile, said on Thursday that it is in "close contact" with local authorities in Noumea and Paris and partners such as Australia and Japan, so as to keep abreast of developments.

Meanwhile, French armed force National Gendarmerie has reinforced its numbers on site by sending several squadrons of mobile gendarmerie and soldiers.

"New Caledonia is the scene of numerous tensions, linked in particular to a strong mobilisation against a constitutional reform, examined on May 13 and 14 in the National Assembly, which is opposed by the separatists. Added to this political context is an economic aspect, also a source of unrest: the fragility of the nickel sector, involving factory closures in the country," it stated.
Kohima, May 16 : The Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO), which has been demanding a separate 'Frontier Nagaland Territory' or a separate state comprising the six eastern Nagaland districts, announced that it would also abstain from the Urban Local Body (ULB) elections scheduled on June 26.

The ENPO, which boycotted the election to the lone Nagaland Lok Sabha seat on April 19 in support of its demand, is the apex body of seven tribes from the six eastern districts of Kiphire, Longleng, Mon, Noklak, Shamator, and Tuensang.

ENPO Secretary W. Manwang Konyak on Thursday said that they have already informed the State Election Commission (SEC) that the people of the six districts would abstain from voting in the ULB polls, covering three Municipal Councils and 36 Town Councils.

"The ENPO has in a letter to the SEC informed about the eastern Nagaland peopleas collective decision to abstain from participating in the forthcoming ULB elections scheduled on June 26. We did not get any further communication in this regard either from the government or the SEC," Konyak told IANS.

He said that the ENPO had, on March 19, adopted a unanimous resolution that the people of the region would not participate in any Central and state elections due to the delay in creating the aFrontier Nagaland Territory (FNT)a as offered and assured by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on December 7, 2023.

The ENPO said that the MHA had assured to settle their demand before the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections by the Election Commission.

"Through many letters to MHA and mass rallies, we tried to persuade the Central government to resolve our demand but it turned a deaf ear," the Naga leader said. However, the ENPO has clarified that this stance should not be misconstrued as opposition to the Nagaland Municipal Act, 2023 with 33 per cent reservation for women.

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said on Friday that the state government has proposed the constitution of an autonomous body for the development of eastern Nagaland and its people.

Since 2010, the ENPO has been demanding a separate aFrontier Nagaland Territorya comprising six eastern districts inhabited by seven backward tribes -- Chang, Khiamniungan, Konyak, Phom, Tikhir, Sangtam, and Yimkhiung. The ENPO and its allies had given a call to boycott the Assembly elections held in February last year but withdrew it later following an assurance from Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Mumbai, May 16 : Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief leader Eknath Shinde faces an acid test to maintain his supremacy in the Thane constituency which is his home turf, especially after the vertical split in the party in June 2022.

Shinde is personally supervising the poll management for the victory of the party nominee Naresh Mhaske who faces a tough challenge from his former colleague and Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Rajan Vichare.

Incidentally, it is a fight between two former Thane mayors who have one thing in common -- both give credit to their rise in politics to Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray and the partyas former Thane district chief Anand Dighe. The fight is being portrayed between a loyalist and a rebel.

Thane has been Shiv Senaas citadel but the political equations have been changed drastically after Eknath Shinde walked out of the party by staging a rebellion against party chief Uddhav Thackeray and joined hands with BJP.

There are 24 candidates in the fray. The number of total voters rose to 25,07,372 during the 2024 elections against 23,70,903 in 2019 and 20,73,251 in 2014. Thane constituency is witnessing rapid urbanisation with the flourishing real estate development, Metro rail, redevelopment of slums and cluster development of old and dilapidated buildings.

During the present elections, Shinde is reiterating his claim of being a real Shiv Sena while Thackeray, who is resolved to regain the party's lost glory in Thane, is accusing the Shinde faction of treachery to gain power. After the formal split, a majority of the former corporators and office-bearers migrated to the Shinde faction while very few but committed Shiv Sainiks remained loyal to Thackeray.

Shinde is banking on the army of the former corporators and Shakha level cadres apart from BJPas poll machinery, association of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, RPI and other organisations for Mhaskeas victory.

The ongoing election is also crucial as Shinde outsmarted the BJP by sticking to his claim over the Thane constituency. Earlier, the names of former MP Vinay Sahasrabudhe, sitting legislator Sanjay Kelkar and former MP Sanjeev Naik were doing the rounds as BJP nominees.

After several rounds of talks amid Shindeas adamant stand, the BJP finally gave up its claim over the Thane seat. Shinde crossed a major hurdle after former minister and BJP leader Ganesh Naik was pacified by the BJP leadership which asked him to actively work for Mhaske. Naik and his supporters had expressed strong displeasure over Mhaskeas nomination as some of them had tendered their resignations declaring not to work for Mhaske.

Naikas son and former MP Sanjeev Naik was keen to contest on the BJP ticket as he had already started work in the last six months. However, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis intervened to calm Naik and his supporters which gave a major relief to Shinde.

By the time, both allies arrived at an understanding and announced Mhaskeas nomination, Vichare, who remained with Thackeray despite a lot of pressure, had reached out to the voters urging them their support to score a hat-trick.

Undeterred by the resources and manpower put up by Shinde and MahaYuti in general, Thackeray is cashing on the support from hardcore Shiv Sainiks, cadres of Congress, NCP, SP, and other like-minded parties for Vichareas victory.

Thackeray and Vichare are optimistic that the people, who are not happy about the manner in which Shinde took away the party and its symbol, will express their anger through votes in their favour. Moreover, support from Muslims, other minorities and Dalits to Vichare, is another source of strength for him.

Vichare and Mhaske are leaving no stone unturned during their outreach to voters. They are focusing on rallies, corner meetings, visits to various organisations and religious places apart from house-to-house contact. Both have resorted to aggressive campaigning through social media too.

Vichare and Mhaske are promising a speedy transformation of Thane by addressing a slew of issues. The increasing number of railway passengers has put tremendous pressure on the existing Thane railway station so the proposed new railway station between Thane and Mulund is being promised by them for early commissioning.

The rising traffic jams especially due to the construction of the Metro rail corridor, delayed water transport project and mismatch between rising demand for drinking water and its supply, are other key issues prevalent in the constituency.

Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in
New Delhi, May 16 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) will soon file a supplementary charge sheet in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam arraying Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as an accused, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju informed the Supreme Court on Thursday.

Opposing the plea filed by Kejriwal against arrest, ASG Raju apprised a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta that a prosecution complaint against AAP and its national convenor is in the pipeline and will be soon lodged before the special court.

Earlier, the probe agency, opposing the bail plea of former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia filed before the Delhi High Court, said that it will soon file a supplementary charge sheet against the ruling party in the national capital.

In an order passed last week, the apex court ordered CM Kejriwal to be released on interim bail in the excise policy case till June 1 and directed him to surrender on June 2.

It prohibited CM Kejriwal from signing official files unless it is required and necessary for obtaining clearance/approval of the Lt Governor of Delhi. Also, while out on interim bail, he will not visit the CM office or the Delhi Secretariat.
Bratislava, May 16 : The condition of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is "still serious" following the assassination attempt a day ago, Defence Minister Robert Kalinak said on Thursday after a special meeting of the Security Council in Bratislava.

Kalinak, who is also deputy prime minister, said that Fico had been hit by four bullets and they had cause serious injuries.

"The doctors have managed to stabilise his condition," he said, but stressed Fico is not yet out of danger. "We have had a difficult night," Kalinak said.

Experts in Slovakia have criticised the security precautions for Fico after Wednesday's assassination attempt.

"Fico himself spoke a few weeks ago about the danger of someone shooting at politicians," former Slovakian police chief Stefan Hamran told the Dennik N newspaper on Thursday. He wondered who had analysed this and assessed the threat.

He also criticised the reaction of security staff after the shots were fired. "There was chaos there, that is obvious and that is a failure."

The former head of the Slovakian personal security unit, Juraj Zabojnik, also criticized the prime minister's bodyguards. "If four or five shots can be fired, someone is to blame," he told the news channel TA3. He said he had not seen any of the bodyguards stand in front of the head of government.

Fico was shot on Wednesday as he shook hands with members of the public after a Cabinet meeting in Handlova.

--IANS/DPA

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Patna, May 16 : Hajipur (SC Reserved) seat is one of the hot seats of Bihar which will decide the political future of youth leader Chirag Paswan, who is the National President of the Lok Janshakti Party Ram Vilas (LJP-RV).

He carries the big political legacy of his father Ram Vilas Paswan on his shoulders and it is his responsibility to preserve it.

Hajipur came into the limelight in 1977 when Ram Vilas Paswan won from here on a Janata Party ticket by an unprecedented number of votes and registered his name in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Ram Vilas Paswan, who secured 89.3 per cent votes in 1977, won from Hajipur Lok Sabha seat eight times and in 2019 his brother Pashupati Kumar Paras became an MP from this seat.

Now, with the senior Paswan gone, this seat is considered a litmus test for his son Chirag.

Chirag Paswan overshadowed his uncle in claiming the Hajipur seat and he is pitted against RJD's Shivchandra Ram.

To give his candidature a boost, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held an election rally in Hajipur.

Chirag Paswan is claiming that the NDA will win not only Hajipur but all the 40 seats of Bihar. For the first time in his political career, he is contesting an election without the support of his father.

Significantly, Pashupati Kumar Paras, Prince Paswan and other members of the Paswan family are also not seen openly supporting Chirag Paswan.

On his part, the young leader has also said on many occasions that his uncle and brothers left him during a time of crisis and he is only getting support from his mother Reena Paswan and PM Modi.

There was a huge rivalry between Pashupati Kumar Paras and Chirag Paswan regarding this seat, but NDA supported the young leader and gave him the responsibility of saving his fatheras legacy.

When Ram Vilas Paswan separated from everyone else and formed his party called Lok Janshakti Party, he first established his family in politics. However, his brother Pashupati Kumar Paras also started his political innings by winning the Assembly elections in 1977. In the 2014 parliamentary election, out of the six seats that the LJP won as a constituent of the NDA, three MPs were from the Paswan family.

The same story was repeated in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. When Ram Vilas Paswan went to Rajya Sabha, Pashupati Kumar Paras, Ramchandra Paswan and Chirag Paswan were elected MPs from Hajipur, Samastipur and Jamui respectively.

When Ramchandra Paswan died in 2020, his son Prince Raj was fielded in the bye-election and he also reached Parliament. In this way, Ram Vilas Paswan established his entire family in politics.

After Ram Vilas Paswan died in October 2020 following a protracted illness, the entire responsibility of the party fell on Chirag Paswan who was also the Chairman of the LJP Parliamentary Board.

Plus Chirag Paswan had already become the acting chief of the party while his father was alive.

When the Bihar Assembly elections were held in 2020, Chirag Paswan gave the slogan of aBihar First, Bihari Firsta, opposing the JD(U) and CM Nitish Kumar.

He took a different path from the NDA and contested the elections alone. However, he did not field his candidates on most of the seats against the BJP. Chirag thought that he would get so many seats in the Assembly elections that were held soon after his fatheras death, that he would form the government along with the BJP.

However, Chirag Paswan's hopes were dashed when the LJP, which was contesting on 137 seats, got only 1 seat.

This was a big loss for Chirag, his party and also for the JD(U). However, the BJP and JD(U) succeeded in forming the government.

The effect of the defeat in the Bihar Assembly election was such that many leaders within the party openly opposed Chirag Paswanas strategy and the party split eventually.

Chirag became completely isolated after the LJP broke in 2021. Chandan Singh, the MP from Nawada, Veena Devi of Vaishali and Mahboob Ali Kaiser of Khagaria, Pashupati Kumar Paras of Hajipur and Chirag Paswanas cousin Prince Raj from Samastipur also left him and formed a new political party Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party with five MPs.

After the split, the battle for the legacy of Ram Vilas Paswan began within the Paswan family.

In the name of Ram Vilas Paswan, Chirag Paswan took out an aAshirwad Yatraa across Bihar for sympathy and support. He succeeded in his efforts and got the support of Dalits and youths.

After the split in LJP, Pashupati Kumar Paras got the post of Union minister while Chirag Paswan did not get a place in the Cabinet.

Despite that, he did not leave the NDA officially and his relations with big leaders of the BJP remained cordial. He also described himself as aModi's Hanuman' in many public forums.

Not only this, he supported the BJP in the bye-elections held for three seats of the Bihar Assembly and the party won two out of three seats. After this, it was final that Chirag Paswan would remain with the BJP only.

Meanwhile, just before the announcement of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the political equation in Bihar changed and Nitish Kumaras JD(U) became a part of the NDA.

The arrival of the JD(U) in the NDA had created many complications regarding seat distribution, the biggest problem being the Hajipur seat as both Pashupati Kumar Paras and Chirag Paswan were claiming it.

The top BJP leadership wanted the uncle and nephew to reach a consensus however, it did not happen.

While Paras was calling himself the successor of Ram Vilas, Chirag claimed that being the son, he had a natural claim on his father's inheritance.

In this fight between uncle and nephew, the nephew got the support of the NDA and ultimately Chirag got the Hajipur seat and his party got five seats in Bihar, while his uncle Pashupati Paras' party was not given a single seat.

Angered by this seat distribution, Paras resigned from the Union Cabinet. There were discussions about going with the Grand Alliance but later all RLJP MPs except Mahboob Ali Kaiser decided to stay with the NDA.

The voting in Hajipur will take place in the fifth phase on May 20 and it remains to be seen how the son will uphold the legacy of his father.
New Delhi, May 16 : Union Minister for Railways, Communications and IT, Ashwini Vasihnaw on Thursday gave a detailed insight into the transformative journey of the Indian Railways in Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government and explained how it was being tailored to take it to next level.

The Union Minister, addressing the Viksit Bharat Ambassador event in Mumbai's Ghatkopar East region, said that new railway tracks are being added to the existing infrastructure, railway stations being refurbished across the country and Vande Bharat trains are being readied to power the way the country commutes.

He said that Railways was run as 'personal fiefdom' during previous regimes, with the then governments exploiting the public carrier for their own political dividends, but it was after PM Modi came to power that drastic changes began taking shape.

"The first change was improvement in the train toilets and cleanliness and hygiene on stations, which nobody would have imagined some years ago," Ashwini Vaishnaw said.

The Union Minister pointed out that about 2.5 crore people in the country travel on trains on daily basis, which is equal to Australia's population.

On a yearly basis, about 700 crore people travel in the country via Indian Railways.

The Union Minister, highlighting the neglect and ignorance of Railways during the Congress-led regimes, said that an average of 4 km rail tracks per day, amounting to 1,500 km in an year -- was being built while 5,300 km railway track was developed in the past financial year alone.

He also said that the waiting list on trains will be completely done away within the next 5-6 years.

The Union Minister said that 300 railway stations are undergoing makeovers, including 128 in Maharashtra alone and said that Shivaji terminal, at a whopping investment of Rs 2,700 crore, is being developed as a world-class station while retaining its heritage.

He also took feedback from the Viksit Bharat audience on the structure, design and convenience of Vande Bharat trains and showed a video of Vande Metro and explained how it would add to the ease and comfort of travel.

Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the Vande Metro is set to bring revolution in public transport by ensuring fast connectivity and convenient travel between cities.

He also told the audience that three more corridors of bullet trains are being added, which will lay the foundation for the new generation's prosperity.
Patna, May 16 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah said during an election campaign in Bihar's Sitamarhi District on Thursday that just like Prime Minister Narendra Modi had got the Ram Temple made in Ayodhya a monument dedicated to Sita would be built in her birthplace.

"PM Modi completed the work of building a grand temple of Ramlalla in Ayodhya. Now the work of building a great monument at the birthplace of Ma Sita remains.

"Those who kept themselves away from Ramlalla's temple cannot build this monument. Only PM Modi and BJP can build a monument dedicated to her life. We will also connect Janakpur and Sitamarhi through the Ramayana circuit," HM Shah said at the rally.

HM Shah also targeted Lalu Prasad Yadav and said the RJD chief was supporting the Congress to make his son the chief minister of Bihar.

"Lalu Prasad Yadav is sitting in the lap of the Congress which always opposes the backward and extremely backward people of the country, due to his vested interest. He wants to make his son the chief minister of Bihar. Lalu Prasad Yadav is known for Jungle Raj in Bihar. I want to ask people whether they want Jungle Raj or Development Raj. Can Lalu & company do development here? Only Narendra Modi can take Bihar forward," he said.

"Instead of lathis, PM Modi has given 'Made in India' smartphones in the hands of the youths of Bihar with the cheapest data. But these INDIA bloc members want to take Bihar back to the lantern era," he said.

He also claimed that PM Modi had introduced 27 per cent OBC reservation in all examinations.

"Before the arrival of PM Modi at the Centre, OBCs did not get reservations in central institutions. He facilitated 27 per cent reservation in all examinations," HM Shah said.

He also claimed that Naxalism had been completely uprooted from Bihar, Jharkhand and other states in the country.

"During the Congress' rule Naxalism spread in Bihar and Jharkhand. After the arrival of PM Modi at the Centre, Naxalism ended in Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. There is a little left in Chhattisgarh, but we will eliminate Naxalism from there in the next two years and this is Modi's guarantee," he said.

"During the pandemic, Tejashwi Yadav and Rahul Gandhi opposed the Corona vaccine and said that it is a 'Modi vaccine'. They appealed to the people to avoid taking the Corona vaccine," he alleged.

"It is good that the people of Bihar did not listen and now, everyone is vaccinated here," he added.

He also said that the BJP has taken the responsibility to restart the Riga Sugar Mill of Sitamarhi.

"The British era sugar mill has been closed for the last five years. Its sugar was sent to Gujarat as well. I want to assure the people of Sitamarhi that the Modi government's cooperative department will reopen this sugar mill. With this, ethanol, sugar and jaggery will be produced here and its profit will go directly into the accounts of the farmers of Riga," he assured.
Bratislava, May 16 : The condition of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is "still serious" following the assassination attempt a day ago, Defence Minister Robert Kalinak said on Thursday after a special meeting of the Security Council in Bratislava.

Kalinak, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, said that Fico had been hit by four bullets and they had caused serious injuries.

"The doctors have managed to stabilize his condition," he said, but stressed Fico is not yet out of danger. "We have had a difficult night," Kalinak said.

Miriam Lapunikova, director of the FD Roosevelt Hospital in Banska Bystrica, said Fico underwent a five-hour emergency operation on Wednesday evening.

Two teams of doctors were involved in the operation, and Fico continues to be under the constant care of a team of doctors, she said.

Fico, 59, was flown to hospital by helicopter after the shooting attack that followed a government meeting in the central town of HandlovA.

The suspected shooter, who was arrested at the scene, is a 71-year-old man from the town of Levice, according to Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok. Initial questioning had revealed a "clear political motive," according to the minister.

According to media reports, the man had worked for a private security service in the past and therefore had a firearms licence.

The attack occurred as Fico, a left-wing nationalist, went outside to shake hands after a Cabinet meeting held at the House of Culture in HandlovA. One of the shots hit him in the abdomen.

The local television station RTV Prievidza published a video of the incident showing a man pushing against the fence and shooting at the prime minister from close range.

Experts in Slovakia criticized the security precautions surrounding Fico's outing.

"Fico himself spoke a few weeks ago about the danger of someone shooting at politicians," former Slovakian police chief Stefan Hamran told the Dennik N newspaper on Thursday.

He also criticised the reaction of security staff after the shots were fired. "There was chaos there, that is obvious and that is a failure."

The former head of the Slovakian personal security unit, Juraj ZabojnAk, also criticized the prime minister's bodyguards. "If four or five shots can be fired, someone is to blame," he told the news channel TA3. He said he had not seen any of the bodyguards stand in front of the head of government.

Outgoing President Zuzana AaputovA and her successor Peter Pellegrini have invited all political parties for consultations.

"Let's get out of the vicious circle of hatred and mutual accusations," AaputovA appealed to the public in a televised speech in Bratislava.

She said the attack on Fico had been an individual act. "But the tense atmosphere of hatred was our collective work."

During the speech, Caputova and Pellegrini made a joint appearance. "We want to send a signal of understanding in this tense situation," said Caputova, from the liberal Progressive Slovakia party.

Pellegrini, who joined Fico's coalition, called on the political parties to suspend or at least limit their election campaigns ahead of the European elections in June until the situation has calmed down.

The usual heated political discourse in the country has come to a standstill. A turbulent parliamentary session was cancelled on Wednesday afternoon and adjourned indefinitely.

The liberal opposition parties cancelled all political rallies for the time being. They had originally called for a mass demonstration on Wednesday evening against Fico's plan to dissolve the public radio and television station RTVS.

Fico had only recently accused the opposition of fuelling a climate of hostility against his government, saying it could not be ruled out that an act of violence would occur at some point given the level of vitriol.

Fico is the founder and leader of the left-wing party Smer, which has recently become increasingly nationalistic, and has been one of Slovakia's most popular politicians for almost 30 years.

At the same time, however, he has polarized the small Central European country. Opponents call him "pro-Russian" and accuse him of wanting to lead Slovakia on a similar course as Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor OrbAn, who promotes what he calls "illiberal democracy."

--IANS/dpa

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Mumbai, May 16 : Actor Sharib Hashmi, who is known for his roles in 'The Family Man', 'Vikram Vedha', and 'Fighter', among others, unveiled the first look poster and release date of his upcoming film 'Malhar' on Thursday.

Mumbai, May 16 (IANS) Actor Sharib Hashmi, who is known for his roles in aThe Family Mana, aVikram Vedhaa, and aFightera, among others, unveiled the first look poster and release date of his upcoming film aMalhara on Thursday.

The poster showcases the cast of the film against the backdrop of an arid land with camels and a state transport bus.

The film also stars Anjali Patil, Rishi Saxena, Shrinivas Pokale, Vinayak Potdar, Mohammad Samad, and Akshata Acharya, hinting at the diverse tapestry of emotions the film aims to portray.

Talking about the film, Sharib said, "Being part of such a compelling story brings immense satisfaction as an actor. I'm incredibly proud to be involved with this film under Vishal Kumbhar's direction. It's a multifaceted project that gives voice to a range of perspectives, and Vishal's masterful direction has been truly inspiring."

The film delves into the complexities of relationships that challenge societal norms and expectations. It explores the essence of true friendship, forged in adversity through life's challenges.

Echoing Hashmi, Anjali Patil said, "Elated doesn't even begin to describe how I feel! It's a rare privilege as an actor to be part of such a captivating story. I'm incredibly proud to be involved in this film directed by the talented Vishal. It's a multifaceted project that explores a range of themes, and Vishal's masterful direction has allowed a multitude of voices to be heard."

Directed by Vishal Kumbhar and produced by Praful Pasad under the banner of V Motion Pictures, the film is slated to release in theatres on May 31.
Mumbai, May 16 : Krishna Prakash is better known as the officer who heads Force One, the elite counter-terrorism unit of the Mumbai Police, but he's now busy with something softer -- and nobler.

The Additional Director General of Police (ADG)-rank officer is bringing the festival 'Sab Me Ram Shashwat Shri Ram' to Mumbai to share what he describes as the "strength of steel" he derives from Lord Ram's life and teachings.

The super cop has visualised the festival in a way that he tells the story of Lord Ram through music, literature, dance and theatre. Ahead of the event, ADG Singh spoke to IANS about the idea behind it.

Krishna believes that Lord Ram's universal appeal cuts across ideologies and transcends the boundaries of time. He told IANS, "Even the Bhakti saint-poet Kabir, who follows the Nirgun Niraakaar school of devotion, sings about Lord Ram existing in one and all. Sufi poetry talks about Lord Ram as much as Bhakti poetry. Tulsidas's Ram is the same as Kabiras Ram."

He said he had put together a multi-media experience to project the glory of Lord Ram because it is immersive and draws the spectator or listener immediately into the story

The venues for the event are Gateway of India (from where, incidentally, he swam to the Elephanta Caves), Mumbai University and Ballard Pier. The top cop said that each of the three venues had been chosen because of their heritage value and dignity.

Prakash told IANS, "The Gateway of India is a sign of how India never lost its spirit and grandeur in spite of the British onslaught on its culture and sense of self-respect. The Gateway also symbolises how Lord Ram crossed the ocean to accomplish his aim. It will also draw us visually to the narrative we wish to recreate with dance, music and poetry."

He then spoke about Mumbai University, saying it is a seat of knowledge and wisdom, so it is natural that all literature-related discussions are to be hosted here. "Having the university partner with us is a feather in our cap as it represents all that higher knowledge that we associate with Lord Ram," Krishna said.

Ballard Pier, the police officer continued, is being used for the first time for a cultural event because that neighbourhood is representative of South Mumbai's culture and commerce.

Delving deeper into the literary programme, Krishna said, "The Hindi Sahitya Bharti and Maharashtra Rajya Hindi Sahitya Akademi are organising it. It is natural therefore that enlightened and erudite scholars would be a part of the discussions and lecture series. The subjects will include the poetry of Rama, the female characters of Ramayana, the various Ramayanas of Valmiki, Tulsidas, Kamban, Krittivas, and so many others."

Besides international speakers from Indonesia, Thailand and several other countries, spiritual personalities such as Swami Govind Dev Giri Maharaj of Ayodhya, Prof B.R. Shankaranand, head of Bharatiya Shikshan Mandal, and Shashwatanand Giri Maharaj will speak at the event.

It is Krishna's dream "to make everyone understand what Ram means". He said: "Lord Ram has different facets. He is all-inclusive. He is everywhere. He is the karma - the dharma - the thought."

'Sab Me Ram Shashwat Shri Ram' will be held across Mumbai from May 31 to June 2.
Hyderabad, May 16 : The toss for match 66 of IPL 2024 between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans has been delayed due to rain at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday.

SRH are currently fourth in the IPL 2024 points table with 14 points from 12 matches so far and are back in the competition after a week's break. They need to win their remaining two matches to enter the playoffs.

A washout against GT on Thursday would also help SRH as they would get to 15 points, which is enough to assure them for a playoffs spot. Meanwhile, GT are already out of the race for the IPL 2024 playoffs, after amassing just 11 points from their 13 games so far and are playing their last game of the competition.

Hours before the start of play in Hyderabad, it began to rain in the city. A post on social media platform X from the Director Of Enforcement, Vigilance and Disaster Management of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation said: "Heavy rainfall is expected today in Hyderabad city. Till 6pm there is a break in rainfall today and may resume after 6pm. Citizens may plan their travel accordingly."

Visuals from the ground showed the playing area being under blue covers and tyres kept on the partition areas, with soggy patches already forming in the outfield areas which haven't been covered. With more slightly dark clouds over the ground, it remains to be seen if the match will happen with reduced overs or not.
Kolkata, May 16 : Income Tax officials on Thursday launched a search operation at the residence of a Trinamool Congress councillor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).

Three teams of Income Tax officials reached the residence of Mitali Saha, the councillor from ward number nine, at Kumartuli in north Kolkata, and each team was conducting searches on each of the three floors of the residence.

Saha is known to be an extremely close confidant of Sudip Bandopadhyay, Trinamoolas sitting Lok Sabha member and candidate from Kolkata Uttar.

As per the latest information available, the search operations are being conducted on the Income Tax Department's findings relating to the disproportionate assets of Saha.

It is further learnt that besides Saha's residence, the Income Tax officials have been conducting search operations since Thursday afternoon, including in the office of an advertising agency.

Trinamool leadership has questioned the timing of the search operations.
Hamirpur : , May 16 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Thursday said that his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal had lost his mind after going to jail.

Yogi Adityanath said this while responding to claims made by Kejriwal earlier in the day during a press conference in Lucknow.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener claimed that there was a plan to remove Yogi Adityanath as Chief Minister if the BJP retains power.

"Kejriwal, who ruined Anna Hazare's dreams, is now taking my name. He had made Anna Hazare protest against the Congress and is now adorning the party around his neck. He has ruined the dreams of Anna Hazare. Anna Hazare can never forgive him for this sin," CM Adityanath said while addressing a rally in Hamirpur.

Meanwhile, he also said that there is a huge difference between the Bundelkhand of 10 years ago and the Bundelkhand of today.

"Earlier, the mafia was dominant here, there was terror of mining mafia, land mafia, forest mafia and dacoits. Samajwadi Party and Congress have been the protectors of these mafia and dacoits. These people used to send such elements from here as public representatives, then the same mafia and dacoits used to exploit the people and commit robbery on resources.

"The youth of Bundelkhand -- a region which is rich in natural resources, had to migrate, daughters and sisters were forced to fetch water from miles away with pots on their heads," the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said.

He also said that the Samajwadi Party, Congress, AAP and the RJD are on the same page.

"When they come to power, they suck the blood of the common person. It is our good fortune that we have seen the changing India. The country is increasing its prestige in the world today. Lord Ram has been seated after 500 years. He said that when Ram set out for the forest, he chose Chitrakoot and Bundelkhand," he stated.
Bengaluru, May 16 : JD-S supremo and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, who is turning 92 years old on May 18, on Thursday announced the cancellation of his birthday celebrations.

In a statement addressed to his fans and party workers, Deve Gowda said: "I am completing 91 years on May 18 and entering my 92nd year. Due to various reasons, I am not celebrating my birthday. Against this backdrop, I urge all of you to convey your wishes from wherever you are."

He appealed to everyone to honestly put their efforts into the Legislative Council elections and ensure the victory of NDA candidates, emphasising that everyone must perform their duties with commitment to the organisation.

Deve Gowda thanked the party workers and fans for their trust and love.

Sources said that Deve Gowda is in no mood to celebrate his birthday in light of developments surrounding his grandson, JD-S MP and Lok Sabha candidate from Hassan, Prajwal Revanna, who is the prime accused in an alleged sex video scandal and presently absconding.

Deve Gowda's son, JD-S MLA H.D. Revanna, was jailed and recently released on conditional bail in a kidnap case involving a victim of the alleged sex scandal related to his son.

The JD-S had also requested party workers not to celebrate H.D. Revanna's release.

Deve Gowda has not yet reacted to the developments, and ruling Congress leaders, criticising his earlier press conferences, have urged him to call a press conference regarding Prajwal Revanna.

Sources, however, said that Deve Gowda is terribly upset with the developments and is busy strategising to counter them and protect his party and family.
Kolkata, May 16 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's recent remarks that she would provide "outside support" to the Opposition bloc should it come to power at the Centre after the Lok Sabha elections are highly confusing and contradictory, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Thursday.

"I am quite confused by her remarks on Trinamool Congress providing outside support to a probable INDIA bloc government. For the last few months, she has not cooperated with the INDIA bloc at all. Now she is speaking of outside support, which means she does not want to be a part of any government formed by the INDIA bloc," Yechury said while speaking to mediapersons here on Thursday.

According to Yechury, such confusing comments are in line with the quickly changing political stands of Mamata Banerjee.

"On one hand, she is trying to project as if she is not against the INDIA bloc because she knows that it will have a negative impact on the voters in West Bengal. At the same time, she is speaking of extending outside support," the senior Left leader said.

According to Yechury, some regional parties are directly aligning with the BJP while some leaders are joining the ruling party, thus disassociating themselves from the minority.

"On the other hand, some are not directly associating with the BJP out of the fear of losing minority votes. But they are entering into clandestine deals with the BJP. This has been seen in seen in many South Indian states. Trinamool has a similar history. Mamata Banerjee had been part of the NDA government before. But this time, the Trinamool will not be able to mislead the people with its ploys," Yechury said.

The CPI-M leader also said that he is confused with Trinamool's stand on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

"When the CAA Bill was passed in the Parliament, Trinamool had abstained. Now Mamata Banerjee is saying that she is opposing CAA. She should make her stand clear on this issue," Yechury said.
New Delhi, May 16 : About 63 per cent of Gen Z consumers are now aware of artificial intelligence (AI)-infused smartphones powered by chipsets from MediaTek and Qualcomm, a new report showed on Thursday.

According to CyberMedia Research (CMR), consumers, particularly tech-savvy Gen Z and Gen Alpha, crave the on-device AI advancements.

"They recognise the value of AI-powered features that not only meet but exceed expectations. Chipset manufacturers delivering on this promise will establish unwavering brand loyalty. In a dynamic world, consumers are willing to invest in smartphones that can keep pace," Prabhu Ram, Head- Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR.

The report surveyed more than 1,500 consumers, across demographics, and based across Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.

According to the report, both chipmakers MediaTek and Qualcomm are locked in tight competition.

MediaTek has a slightly higher brand salience score of 69 (out of 100), followed by Qualcomm at 62.

Both brands have a substantial presence among Gen Alpha (MediaTek - 37 per cent, Qualcomm - 34 per cent) and Gen Z (MediaTek - 32 per cent, Qualcomm - 30 per cent).

In addition, the report found that a whopping 40 per cent of consumers are willing to pay a premium for MediaTek, compared to 36 per cent for Qualcomm, the long-time leader. This shift suggests a new era where chip brand recognition is translating into a key purchase driver, the analysts noted.

"On-device AI empowers smartphones to handle complex AI tasks directly, reducing reliance on cloud infrastructure. Future-proof smartphone chipsets are crucial to achieving this vision," said Sugandha Srivastava, Senior Manager - Industry Consulting Group, CMR.

--IANS

shs/vd
New Delhi, May 16 : With US President Joe Biden announcing a steep hike in tariffs on $18 billion worth of Chinese goods, an opportunity has opened up for India to increase its exports of items such as steel and aluminium as well as medical goods such as facemasks, PPE, syringes & needles and gloves to the American market, according to industry experts and market analysts.

The opportunity for India comes in the backdrop of the strengthening of bilateral economic ties between the two countries.

India and the US had decided to end all bilateral trade disputes that were pending at the World Trade Organization during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit to Washington in June 2023.

Following this, the US agreed to withdraw the 25 per cent and 10 per cent import duties on certain steel and aluminium products respectively, that had been earlier imposed "on grounds of national security".

India had reciprocated by withdrawing its retaliatory duties on American products such as chickpeas, lentils, almonds and walnuts.

"The US move to ramp up duties on Chinese goods provides an opportunity to India and other competitors to chip in the supply gap. Of the products affected by additional duties on China, India has opportunities in facemasks, PPE, syringes & needles, medical gloves, aluminium and iron & steel," said Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President Ashwani Kumar.

After the trade disputes were settled in one-go following PM Modi's talks in Washington, the US subsequently agreed to allow the import of 3,36,000 tonnes of steel and aluminium from India with the waiver of additional duties that were imposed under a national security law by the erstwhile Donald Trump administration in 2018.

"Now with a greater opportunity arising following the hike in the tariff on Chinese goods, the exports of Indian steel and aluminum products are expected to accelerate," said a senior SAIL official who did not want to be named.

However, at the same time, there are concerns in the steel sector that China, which has excess capacity, may resort to dumping its steel output in other markets, including India.

"China is sitting on overcapacity in many sectors and thus the threat of dumping, in any case, not ruled out and more so when an important market is closed for their exports. However, I am sure industry and the government will be keeping a close watch on imports and if surge or dumping happens, DGTR will take appropriate action to safeguard our industry," said FIEO chief Ashwani Kumar.
Mumbai, May 16 : Actress Rashmika Mandanna, who is gearing up for her upcoming movie 'Pushpa 2: The Rule', took to social media on Thursday and shared a video of the newly-built Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, officially known as the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewari-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu.

The actress shared a video of herself travelling on the Trans Harbour Link on her X handle, as she spoke about how the engineering marvel opens the door to a new India.

"Don't look at me, look outside the car. What do you see? If you still see a sea bridge then open your eyes bro... Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, India's longest ever sea bridge, 22 km long, 6 lanes, and it cuts a 2-hour journey to 20 minutes. Unbelievable, isn't it? A few years ago, who would have thought that this could happen? This knock is on those closed doors which said India can't dream big," she said in the video.

She added, "But, we built this majestic marvel in just 7 years. Atal Setu has knocked so hard on the future doors that new doors have opened to Viksit Bharat. Atal Setu is not just a bridge, it's a guarantee for a young India. Our nation is unstoppable now. You want to get 100s of such Atal Setu bridges? Wake up and vote for development."
Three miscreants running e rickshaw robbery arrested in police encounter, firing on police during checking. Image Source: IANS News

Gurugram, May 16 : A total of 125 cases of theft of battery-operated rickshaws in Gurugram have been solved with the arrest of three persons, police said on Thursday.

The accused have been identified as Avdesh, Mukesh, and Krishan Murari, all residents of Madhya Pradesh.

Police have recovered 8 battery-operated rickshaws, 20 axles and other vehicle parts from them.

On April 16, police received a complaint that a battery-operated rickshaw was stolen and began investigations.

During the probe, a Crime Branch team of the Gurugram police arrested the criminals from different locations in Gurugram. During interrogation, the suspects revealed that they had conducted 125 thefts of battery-operated rickshaws.

"The accused were residing in Delhi's Kirari area and came to Gurugram to steal battery-operated rickshaws. They used to sell rickshaws for Rs 8,000 while the buyers sold it further for Rs 15,000," ACP, Crime, Varun Dahiya said.
Srinagar, May 16 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Srinagar on Thursday evening on a two-day visit to the Valley.

BJP's National General Secretary Tarun Chugh, who is also party's in charge for Jammu and Kashmir, welcomed Shah at the airport along with J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina and other local leaders.

Immediately after his arrival, the Home Minister held meetings with 'pahari' and Sikh delegations.

He is also scheduled to meet members of the civil society and trade union delegations in Srinagar on Friday besides interacting with the party leaders to discuss the political situation in the UT.

Since the MCC is in force in the country at present, no government dignitary or anyone from the UT or central services received the Home Minister.

Except for the regular security arrangements, no official courtesy or protocol will be extended to Shah during his stay in Srinagar.
Trees are lungs, 315 fell when AQI & Covid at its worst: Plea in HC. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, May 16 : The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) Vice Chairperson as to why he should not be prosecuted for criminal contempt of court for wilful breach of its orders prohibiting felling of trees in Delhi's Ridge area.

A bench, headed by Justice Abhay S. Oka, remarked that the DDA Vice Chairperson misled the Lt Governor, the ex-officio Chairperson, by forwarding a proposal to set up a committee of experts to minimise the trees felled.

Stressing that 100 new trees for one tree felled have to be planted by the DDA, the bench, also comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, asked the LG to take the issue seriously.

The apex court ordered the Delhi Ridge Management Board to be impleaded as a party to the proceedings and put the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on notice.

On Thursday, it summoned the Director General of the CPWD and DDA Vice Chairperson to be present in person.

"We direct that the respondents shall not indulge in any further tree felling and status quo as of today shall be maintained in respect of the property subject matter of these contempt petitions," the SC ordered.

The contempt pleas alleged that a large number of trees in the ridge had been felled there by the DDA to construct an approach road between the Chhattarpur Road and the SAARC University near Maidan Garhi.

In an earlier order, the top court had said that other areas having morphological ridges were required to be protected and no permission for construction should be given there.
Gurdaspur : , May 16 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, campaigning for the Aam Aadmi Party's Gurdaspur candidate Shery Kalsi, on Thursday charged the constituency's previous MPs with betraying its people.

Addressing a public meeting at Qadian town, Mann said none of the previous MPs of Gurdaspur belonged to this seat.

"They were selfish and ignorant who only worked for themselves and their families. This time you have a chance to correct your past mistakes. Shery Kalsi is your own son. He knows the people here and their problems. Make him win, after becoming an MP you can go to his house and get your work done. Unlike previous MPs who disappeared after winning from here," he said.

Mann slammed the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Pratap Singh Bajwa, saying that his Congress murdered Bajwa's dream of becoming the Chief Minister.

Taking a jibe at Bajwa whose brother is in the BJP, he said: "Bajwa's house is the only house in Punjab in which the flags of both the BJP and the Congress are hoisted. There is only a distance of a few stairs between the two parties in that house."

Mann also slammed Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Badal, saying heas a person who lives in air-conditioned rooms.

"He goes out after asking the temperature. When the outside temperature is 30-32 degrees Celsius, he takes out his Punjab Bachao Yatra for two hours. How will such people understand the pain and suffering of the common people."

He said Bajwa and Badal behave like kings and princes. Reiterating his commitment towards the farmers and agriculture, Mann said the development of the farmers of Punjab is his first priority.
New Delhi, May 15 : AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal said on Thursday that she has given her statement to Delhi Police in connection with the alleged assault on her at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's official residence on Monday.

"What happened to me was very bad. I have given my statement to the police on the incident that happened to me. I hope that appropriate action will be taken. The last few days have been very difficult for me. I thank those who prayed for me. Those who tried to do character assassination, may God keep them happy too," Maliwal, the former chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), wrote in a post on X.

"An important election is going on in the country, Swati Maliwal is not important, the issues of the country are important. There is a special request for BJP people -- do not politicise this incident," she added.

Rekha Sharma, the chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW), also took to X on Thursday and said, "Well done @SwatiJaiHind. We must raise our voice against the perpetrators."

On Monday, DCP (North) Manoj Kumar Meena said that a PCR call was received at 9:34 a.m. at the Civil Lines police station, wherein the caller claimed that she was assaulted at CM Kejriwal's official residence.

The PCR call record said "the woman is saying that she is at the CM's house and has been assaulted by CM's PS Bibhav Kumar".

DCP Meena, however, said that no formal complaint was lodged by Maliwal in this regard.

The NCW has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter and issued a summons to CM Kejriwal's Personal Secretary (PS) Bibhav Kumar, asking him to appear before the Commission on Friday.
Mumbai, May 16 : In a big breakthrough, a Mumbai Police team has tracked and arrested Bhavesh Bhinde -- the owner of the hoarding that crashed in Ghatkopar on May 13 -- from his hideout in Rajasthan's Udaipur, sources said here on Thursday.

Bhinde, a director at EGO Media Co., was on the run ever since the gigantic billboard crashed on Monday, claiming 16 lives and injuring 88 others.

Soon after the tragedy, the Mumbai Police had lodged a case against Bhinde invoking the stringent charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

An official source said the Bhandup police had formed multiple teams to track down Bhinde, who was constantly on the move and changing locations, making it difficult for the police to pin him down.

Finally, a Crime Branch team pursuing him managed to zero in on Bhinde in Udaipur. He is being brought to Mumbai.

Besides the hoarding crash case, Bhinde - who claims to be politically connected - is facing several other cases at different police stations in the city.

Bhinde is likely to be produced before a Mumbai court on Friday.

Besides the human casualties, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Thursday that so far, the civic teams have recovered mangled remains of 71 vehicles, including two trucks, 31 four-wheelers, 8 autorickshaws, and 30 two-wheelers.
New Delhi, May 16 : As India bets big on its semiconductor dream under the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, homegrown IT software major Zoho is apparently planning to invest millions of dollars into a chip design and manufacturing facility in the country.

The cloud software major is currently seeking incentives under the production-lined incentive (PLI) scheme, according to sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

The government in 2021 announced the Rs 76,000 crore chip incentive schemes, aimed at catalysing the semiconductor value chain -- design, manufacturing, packaging and testing of microchips.

When reached, Chennai-headquartered Zoho did not immediately comment on the development.

In March, Zoho Founder and CEO Sridhar Vembu announced plans to create an advanced chip design facility in Tenkasi district in Tamil Nadu.

Responding to an X post by Ananthan Ayyasamy, a BJP leader from Tenkasi, Vembu said that they have been planning a "semiconductor design project" in Tenkasi. There has been a flurry of activities in the country on the semiconductor manufacturing front in the last couple of years, with some big-ticket announcements.

According to latest data by the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), the current electronics manufacturing at nearly $103 billion translates to a semiconductor requirement of $26-$31 billion.

As the country aims to reach $300 billion in electronics production by FY26, it will increase demand for semiconductors worth at least $100 billion.

The ICEA data showed that in FY23, the import of integrated circuits (ICs) reached $16.14 billion -- out of which $12 billion was only for mobile phones.

PM Modi laid the foundation stone for three semiconductor projects worth Rs 1.25 lakh crore in March this year.
Hyderabad, May 16 : Heavy rainfall along with a thunderstorm on Thursday brought Hyderabad to its knees, inundating low-lying areas and causing huge traffic jams.

The city witnessed a cloudburst like conditions with heavy downpour lasting for an hour on Thursday evening.

The first heavy pre-monsoon rain accompanied by strong wind once again exposed the inadequacies of the civil infrastructure.

Roads turned into lakes at many places as the intense rainfall and overflowing drainage and storm water drains flooded thoroughfares.

Rain water entered houses and two-wheelers were washed away at few places.

People returning homes from offices and workplaces were caught in traffic gridlocks.

Slab of a 'nala' (storm water drain) was washed away in Uday Nagar colony in Banjara Hills in the heart of the city, sending panic among residents living close to the nala.

Greater Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi inspected and directed engineers to make alternative arrangements.

Prakash Reddy, director of Enforcement, Vigilance and Disaster Management, GHMC also visited the nala and stationed Disaster Response Force (DRF) has been stationed to place caution boards to avoid any untoward happening.

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) alerted people in low-lying areas.

GHMC Commissioner Ronald Rose directed zonal commissioners to clear water logging on roads.

People returning home from offices were advised to delay their commute.

Citizens were advised not to step out of their homes unless inevitable.

Emergency teams of GHMC swung into action to remove fallen trees and clear water stagnation on roads.

The Nayni Narasimha Reddy flyover at RTC crossroads resembled a pond as stagnant water brought the traffic to a halt on the 2.6 km long steel bridge, which connects Indira Park to VST.

Shaikpet received the highest rainfall of eight centimeters.

Roads were inundated at busy areas like Panjagutta, Lakdi Ka Pul, Mehdipatnam, Attapur, Abids, Basheerbagh, Begum Bazar, Afzal Ganj, Khairatabad, Somajiguda, Yousufguda and Kukatpally.

The heavy rain caused long traffic jams at many places including the information technology clusters of Madhapur and Gachibowli, IKEA, Biodiversity Park and adjoining roads. In Kukatpally area, KPHB colony, Hyder Nagar, Allwyn colony, Moosapet, Nizampet, Pragati Nagar and Balaji Nagar recorded heavy downpour, inundating the roads.

Meanwhile, two persons died of lightning and four others injured in separate incidents as rain accompanied by thunderstorm and strong wind lashed some districts on Thursday.

The Met Office has forecast rains accompanied by strong wind in many districts over the next five days.
New Netherlands coalition plans to move embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Image Source: IANS News

Amsterdam, May 16 : The future right-wing coalition in the Netherlands on Thursday announced a radical change of course, including a crackdown on immigration as well as controversial plans to move the country's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The coalition agreement, which right-wing populist Geert Wilders presented together with three other right-wing parties in The Hague, states that the date of such a move should be investigated. The decision should take into account diplomatic interests and a possible solution to the Middle East conflict, it says.

Moving embassies to Jerusalem is internationally controversial due to the disputed status of East Jerusalem, which was annexed decades ago by Israel.

Israel claims the whole of Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state. The Dutch coalition agreement says that the status of the city should be determined in future peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

The US moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May 2018 under then president Donald Trump. The radical right-wing Wilders took the initiative to move the Dutch embassy once before in 2022, but failed to get enough support in parliament. Wilders and his anti-Islam party won November's parliamentary elections by a surprisingly large margin.

Wilders, whose party won the country's parliamentary elections but who failed to shore up enough support to lead a government, also announced plans to curb immigration, another divisive issue.

"We are writing history today," Wilders said in The Hague. "The sun will shine again in the Netherlands."

Wilders' Party for Freedom (PVV) reached a coalition with three right-of-centre parties on Wednesday nearly six months after the Netherlands held parliamentary elections.

The anti-Islam firebrand promised the "strictest asylum policy" ever implemented in the Netherlands.

The coalition wants to declare an "asylum crisis" to implement emergency measures, including restrictions on family reunification and social benefits for asylum seekers.

"The Netherlands must belong to the category of member states with the strictest admission rules in Europe," the agreement states.

The plans also include relaxing environmental regulations for farmers and cancelling subsidies for sustainable energy.

One potential roadblock for the coalition remains, as it is still unclear who will lead the government.

The PVV resoundingly won November's elections, taking 37 of 150 seats, but Wilders has been unable to muster enough support to replace outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte. He formally ruled himself out of the running in March.

Former education minister Ronald Plasterk, a Social Democrat, has been touted as a possible candidate for the role.

The coalition is set to include the PVV, Rutte's liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, the conservative New Social Contract (NSC) and the populist Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB).

It could be another four weeks before the new government can take office. The Dutch Parliament will debate the coalition agreement, while a cabinet will also need to be formed.

--IANS/DPA

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Aizawl, May 16 : Thousands of people took part in two rallies -- organised by the Zo Re-Unification Organisation (ZORO) -- in Mizoram on Thursday to protest the Central government's decision to fence the India-Myanmar border and scrap the Free Movement Regime (FMR) between the two countries.

The peaceful protest rallies were held at Zokhawthar and Vaphai villages in Champhai district bordering Myanmar, and many people from the neighbouring country also took part in these rallies.

Numerous people from Myanmar also participated in the protest rallies.

ZORO general secretary L. Ramdinliana Renthlei said that protesting the Centre's decision to fence the India-Myanmar border and scrapping the FMR, thousands of men and women took part in the two rallies at Vaphai and Zokhawthar along Myanmar borders.

He said that in view of the protest rallies, all government offices and schools in the two bordering villages remained closed on Thursday.

A similar protest rally was also organised in Manipur's Tengnoupal district, Renthlei said.

The protesters also held placards and banners, demanding the continuation of FMR in border areas and asserted that people belong to the same Zo or Zomi ethnic group and have been living together for decades. The ZORO, a leading and influential Mizo organisation, for the past many years seeks reunification of all people belonging to Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi tribes of India, Bangladesh and Myanmar under one administrative unit. The erstwhile British rulers while demarcating the borders earlier divided the Zo tribal communities in different countries, it said.

Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma earlier told the ZORO leaders that he had already discussed the fencing and FMR issues with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and requested them to maintain the 'status quo'.

The FMR allows people of both countries to cross up to 16 km on both sides of the international border without any passport or visa.

Mizoram shares a 510 km unfenced border with Myanmar's Chin state and the indigenous Mizos share ethnic, cultural and linguistic ties with people belonging to the Chin-Zomi-Kuki community.

The Mizoram government, various ruling and opposition parties, civil society organisations including influential NGO Young Mizo Association and student bodies have strongly opposed the Centre's decision to fence the India-Myanmar border and lift the FMR as they believe that it would dissociate close contact between same ethnic communities of the two countries.

The Mizoram Assembly had on February 28 adopted a unanimous resolution, opposing the Centre's decision to fence the border and abolish the FMR.

Citing the vulnerability of the 1,643 km unfenced India-Myanmar border spanning Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, and Mizoram, the Central government has decided to fence the entire border and to scrap the FMR.

Of the four northeastern states, the process to erect fencing has been started along the border in Manipur.

So far, a 10-km-long stretch in Manipur's Moreh has already been fenced, and the work for another approximately 20 km along the state has also been sanctioned by the Union Home Ministry.

--IANS

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Mumbai, May 16 : The civic authorities have recovered a total of 71 vehicles under the debris of the gigantic hoarding crash here in Chheda Nagar near Ghatkopar which crushed several homes and a petrol pump on May 13, killing 16 people, the BMC Disaster Control said here on Thursday.

The mangled remains of the vehicles that were found include two trucks, 31 cars or other four-wheelers, 8 autorickshaws and 30 two-wheelers comprising scooters or motorcycles.

Most vehicles were apparently in and around the petrol pump to refuel when the huge billboard suddenly crashed in the dust-storm followed by rains that wreaked havoc in different parts of Mumbai.

An automobile expert, Amit V. Mohile, told IANS that these vehicles could be collectively worth around Rs 5 crores and depending on various factors, the owners may be able to file insurance claims for them.

Multiple teams called off the 60-hour-plus rescue operations at the hoarding crash site and started the work of clearing the huge quantities of rubble there.

On May 13, the monstrous hoarding, measuring 120x120 feet (14,400 sq. feet) crashed on a petrol pump and some residential structures claiming 16 lives so far and injuring 88 others.
Bengaluru, May 5 : JD-S MLA H.D. Revanna -- who was released on bail on Tuesday after being arrested in connection with the kidnapping of a victim of alleged sexual abuse by his son and JD-S MP Prajwal Revanna -- received temporary relief from the court on Thursday in a sexual harassment case lodged against him.

The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's (ACMM) court, which was hearing the bail plea moved by H.D. Revanna in the case, adjourned the matter till Friday noon (May 17) and granted him bail only until then.

Revanna had approached the court fearing that the SIT could take him into custody in this case as well.

The special counsel for the SIT, Jayna Kothari, argued that the magistrate's court cannot take up Revannaas bail application in the sexual harassment case in which Prajwal Revanna is also an accused, adding that the FIR contains non-bailable sections as well.

The counsel also argued that since H.D. Revanna had appeared before the court, he should be remanded to judicial custody.

The counsel argued that earlier, H.D. Revanna did not appear for questioning even after the SIT issued a notice twice.

However, the counsel for H.D. Revanna contended that the SIT counsel did not have the locus standi to object to his client's bail petition.

The Holenarasipura police had registered a case against H.D. Revanna and his son Prajwal Revanna based on a complaint filed by a 47-year-old 'victim'. The case was later transferred to the SIT.

The alleged victim had claimed that she was a relative of H.D. Revanna, and in 2013, after the death of her son, the latter asked her to come to his house and promised to get her a job.

aRevanna called me to his room and pulled my hand whenever his wife Bhavani Revanna was not around. He also used to touch me on the pretext of giving me fruits. He even pulled my saree pin," the complainant alleged.

"Prajwal Revanna also touched me inappropriately while I was working in the kitchen. I was sexually harassed. The accused also tried to engage my daughter in dirty conversations after which she blocked his numbers," she claimed.

Meanwhile, the SIT investigating the kidnap case is preparing to challenge H.D. Revanna's release on bail in the Karnataka High Court.

Sources said the SIT has gathered more evidence in the case to support its appeal.
New Delhi, May 16 : After recording the statement of AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, Delhi Police on Thursday lodged an FIR in connection with the alleged assault on her at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's official residence on Monday.

The FIR has been filed under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) of the IPC.

As per sources, the FIR mentions the name of CM Kejriwal's Private Secretary Bibhav Kumar, who allegedly assaulted Maliwal, the former chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW).

Sources told IANS that Maliwal has claimed that Bibhav Kumar repeatedly slapped her and also delivered punches to her abdomen.

"She further said that CM Kejriwal was inside the residence during the assault and was fully aware of the incident," the sources said.

Maliwal will possibly undergo a medical examination on Friday. Simultaneously, Bibhav Kumar has been summoned by the National Commission for Women (NCW) to appear before it in person at 11 a.m. on Friday.

Earlier on Thursday, a Special Cell team of Delhi Police recorded the statement of Maliwal.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), Pramod Kumar Kushwaha, along with other officers reached Maliwal's house on Thursday afternoon and spent around four-and-a-half hours there, police sources said.

Later, Maliwal also took to X and said that she gave her statement to Delhi Police in connection with the alleged assault on her at Chief Minister Kejriwal's official residence on Monday.

"What happened to me was very bad. I have given my statement to the police on the incident that happened to me. I hope that appropriate action will be taken. The last few days have been very difficult for me. I thank those who prayed for me. Those who tried to do character assassination, may God keep them happy too," Maliwal, the former chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), wrote in a post on X.

"An important election is going on in the country, Swati Maliwal is not important, the issues of the country are important. There is a special request for BJP people -- do not politicise this incident," she added.

On Monday, DCP (North) Manoj Kumar Meena said that a PCR call was received at 9:34 a.m. at the Civil Lines police station, wherein the caller claimed that she was assaulted at CM Kejriwal's official residence.

The PCR call record said "the woman is saying that she is at the CM's house and has been assaulted by CM's PS Bibhav Kumar".
Amaravati, May 16 : Taking serious note of post-poll violence in Andhra Pradesh, the Election Commission of India on Thursday suspended the Superintendents of Police of Palnadu and Anantapur districts and transferred the District Collector of Palnadu and the Superintendent of Police of Tirupati.

The Commission, which summoned the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to New Delhi to personally explain reasons for the failure of the administration to contain post-poll violence, directed them to take strict action against culprits.

The poll panel also directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to retain 25 companies of central armed police forces (CAPF) in Andhra Pradesh after counting to prevent any further violence.

At a meeting held at Nirvachan Sadan with Chief Secretary K.S. Jawahar Reddy and DGP Harish Kumar Gupta, the Commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, conveyed its displeasure over the post-poll violence.

During the briefing, Jawahar Reddy and Gupta shared their assessment of negligence and lack of supervision on the part of officials in the violence-hit districts.

The Commission approved the proposal of the state government to initiate departmental enquiry against Palnadu Collector and the SPS of Palnadu, Anantapur, and Tirupati.

It also approved the suspension of 12 subordinate police officials in Palnadu, Anantapur, and Tirupati districts and the initiation of departmental enquiry.

Without mincing any words, the Commission directed the Chief Secretary and the DGP to ensure that such violence is not repeated and all SPs to be tasked to take pre-emptive measures to avoid such a situation in future.

The Commission reviewed the cases and directed both officials for strict supervision, to ensure appropriate decisions on the timely filing of charge sheets against the culprits, as per law, preferably within the model code of conduct period.

A Special Investigation Team will investigate the matter and submit an action taken report to the Commission within two days in each of the cases. FIRs will be updated with additional appropriate IPC sections and other relevant statutory provisions.

The state has requested to retain 25 CAPF companies for 15 days after counting to control any possible violence after the declaration of results, and the Commission directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to comply.

Several incidents of violence were reported in Anantapur, Palnadu and Tirupati districts on the polling day and post-polling day. Incidents were also reported before the poll involving assault, setting the property/office of the opposite party on fire, threatening, damaging the campaign vehicles, stone pelting etc.

Most of these incidents happened in the districts of Annamaya, Chittoor and Palnadu and a few in Guntur, Anantapur, Nandyal etc. Polling for the 175-member Andhra Pradesh Assembly and all 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state was held on Monday.

--IANS

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Hyderabad, May 15 : The Hyderabad cybercrime police on Thursday arrested a BJP corporator and four others for circulating an old video clip of alleged rigging in a polling booth on social media, claiming that there were irregularities in the recently conducted Lok Sabha elections in Telangana.

Malkajgiri corporator Sravan Vurapalli and three others were arrested by the police, a day after the election officials lodged a complaint about the circulation of an old video clip with a false claim.

The office of Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) had on Wednesday clarified that the video clip does not pertain to any elections in the state, adding that the polling process in the state was conducted in a free and fair manner.

Some persons while circulating the video had claimed that it pertains to a polling booth in the Bahadurpura Assembly segment in Hyderabad during the Lok Sabha elections held on Monday.

The clip shows people going into the voter compartment one after the other with the presiding officer and another poll official facilitating the alleged rigging.

A beep sound, like that of an EVM, is heard every time a person exits the compartment.

The CEO said it is an old clip that is not linked to the elections in Telangana. The video was first shared on the YouTube channel TV9 Bangla on February 27, 2022.
Kolkata, May 16 : As many as 11 persons were reported killed by lightning in West Bengal's Malda district on Thursday, officials said.

Those killed include three minors and one senior citizen.

While some were working on farmland when they were struck by the lighting, some were in the mango orchards collecting the fruit.

The deceased were identified as Chandan Sahani, 40, Monojit Mondal, 21, Raj Mridha, 16, Asit Saha,19, Sheikh Sabrul, 11, Rana Sheikh, 11, Atul Mondal, 65, Sumitra Mondal, 45, Nayan Ray, 23, Priyanka Sinha, 20, and Pankaj Mondal, 25.

These deaths have been reported from four pockets in Malda - Old Malda, Manikchawk, English Bazar, and Harishchandrapur.

The state government has announced the family members of the victims will be provided compensation of Rs 2 lakh each.

According to District Magistrate Nitin Singhania, information is being collected from each block in the district on whether there are more such lighting-related deaths.

"The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examinations," he said.
Bhubaneswar, May 16 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President J.P. Nadda on Thursday said the people of Odisha want a young and Odia-speaking chief minister.

He said that officials are running the government in Odisha while MLAs and MPs elected by the people have become powerless.

"It is difficult to comprehend what kind of government is functioning here. The officials are running the government while MPs and MLAs are sitting idle. They have no power and none listen to the MLAs and MPs who are elected by the people," J.P. Nadda said during an election meeting at Padampur in Bargarh constituency.

He said that the people of Odisha now want a chief minister who is young, a resident of Odisha, speaks Odia language and more active in addressing the concerns of the common person regularly.

"If you want a young CM, a CM of Odisha, an Odia-speaking CM and an active CM then press the button of lotus (BJP's symbol). A chief minister should be one who is born here, knows the culture and speaks the language. This is why it is the question of 'Swabhiman' of Odisha," the BJP president added.

J.P. Nadda also noted that politicians were earlier engaged in divisive politics in the country, but after Narendra Modi became Prime Minister, the culture of politics changed, and now people are discussing the politics of development.

He said that India achieved significant development in the health, economic, manufacturing, petrochemical sectors, etc., under PM Modi's 10-year rule.

Targeting Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, the flagship programme of the ruling BJD government in Odisha, J.P. Nadda said: "Naveen Babu (CM Naveen Patnaik) did not bother to implement Ayushman Bharat Yojana in Odisha and launched Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana in the state."

He said that around 68 lakh families in Odisha are deprived of the benefits provided under Ayushman Bharat Yojana.

He said Odisha has been subjected to a lot of torture.

"But the people of Odisha, who are peace-loving, wonat tolerate this anymore."

J.P. Nadda also addressed another public gathering in Sundargarh constituency.

Veteran BJP leader and former union minister Jual Oram has been fielded in the Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat.

The BJP president also held a 1 km-long roadshow in Bhubaneswar earlier in the day.

He later offered prayers at the famous 11th century Lingaraj Temple.
Bathinda : , May 17 (IANS) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Badal on Thursday accused Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of allowing the Centre and the Haryana government to use tear gas shells and shoot rubber bullets at farmers of Punjab to evade arrest in the multi-crore liquor scam.

Addressing public meetings in Bathinda (Rural) and Bhucho assembly segments, he said Mann "knows he can go behind bars like his boss (Delhi CM) Arvind Kejriwal because he has perpetrated the same liquor scam in Punjab as was done in Delhi".

"This is why he is ready to hand over the Punjab government to the BJP by forming an AAP (Punjab) unit by taking it out of the control of the AAP central unit led by Arvind Kejriwal. This will be done in the same manner as the Shiv Sena and the NCP were broken in Maharashtra by the BJP," he alleged.

Asserting that Mann and AAP would have to answer for colluding with the Haryana government and allowing the latter to attack Punjab farmers on Punjab soil, Badal said: "Can you imagine this happening under any SAD government?"

He said this is why he was appealing to Punjabis to snub "Delhi parties" in the forthcoming parliamentary election.

"Only a regional party can safeguard your interests. Delhi-based parties only come to loot you and your resources," he added.

About the development done by SAD in this constituency, Badal said: "You have seen how Bathinda was developed during the two successive terms of the SAD government from 2007 to 2017. During this period, Bathinda became a modern city with an influx of infrastructure and institutions. The SAD government brought in the AIIMS institute to the city, besides a thermal plant, a Central university and an airport. You have witnessed how all civic amenities have fallen into decay and no new project has come to Bathinda in the last seven years of Congress and AAP tenure."

Appealing to people to support his wife and Akali Dal candidate Harsimrat Kaur Badal, "who has always raised your voice in Parliament", he said: "This will pave the way for the next SAD government in 2027 and a restart of development in the city."

--IANS

vg/vd
Jaipur, May 17 : Rajasthan Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra on Thursday constituted a four-member committee to understand the 'plight' of the villagers who faced off with the police and the local administration while protesting against an anti-encroachment drive at Odwada village in Jalore district, which, as per officials, followed the directions of the high court.

Dotasra said in a statement, aA state-level committee has been formed by the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee to know the stand of the victimised villagers on the so-called anti-encroachment drive at Odwada village as well as on the inhuman treatment meted out to the villagers by the district administration and the police. The committee members should meet the affected villagers, and prepare a detailed report on the matter."

The villagers in Odwada, including women, strongly resisted a team of officials and police personnel that visited the village to carry out the anti-encroachment drive. Eventually, an additional police force had to be deployed in the village to maintain law and order and to proceed with the anti-encroachment drive.

As per Jalore SP Gyan Chandra Yadav, aThe action was taken as per the high court's direction to remove encroachments, including houses, from government land.

"When the team went to the encroachment site, the local people did not allow them to enter the village. The roads were blocked and hence additional policemen were deployed to control the situation after which the anti-encroachment drive started."

Meanwhile, Dotasra also attacked the BJP government in Rajasthan in a post on X, saying: "Destroyed houses, crying families, brutality against women and the cruel face of the police in Odwada, Jalore. Welcome to BJP's new Rajasthan. Shameful!"

The Congress nominee from Jalore, Vaibhav Gehlot, also questioned the drive, claiming that 440 houses were demolished where families lived for years.
New Delhi, May 17 : The medical examination of AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, who was allegedly assaulted on Monday at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence, is underway here at AIIMS.

Late on Thursday, the Delhi Police lodged an FIR in connection with the alleged assault and took her to AIIMS for a medical check-up.

According to sources, Maliwal in her complaint had alleged that while she was waiting in the drawing room at the Chief Minister's residence, his Private Secretary Bibhav Kumar came and without any provocation, slapped her and also delivered punches to her abdomen.

"I entered the drawing room and was waiting there. Bibhav arrived and began to verbally abuse me. Without any provocation, he repeatedly slapped me... I yelled, pleading for him to stop and let me go, but he persisted in assaulting me while hurling insults in Hindi," the AAP MP said in the statement recorded by the Delhi Police's Special Cell.

"He issued threats, saying things like 'dekh lenge, nipta denge'. He struck me on the chest, face, stomach, and lower part of my body. I informed him that I was menstruating and in considerable pain, begging him to leave me alone. Eventually, I managed to escape and ran out of the room, calling the police for help," sources quoted Maliwal as saying in the statement.

The FIR has been lodged under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) of the IPC.

On Monday, DCP (North) Manoj Kumar Meena said that a PCR call was received at 9:34 a.m. at the Civil Lines police station, in which the caller claimed that she was assaulted by Chief Minister's PS Bibhav Kumar at CM Kejriwal's official residence.
New Delhi, May 17 : The Gautam Buddh Nagar Police have suspended all police personnel stationed at the Chipiyana 'chowki' in Greater Noida West over the death of a youth under mysterious circumstances while being in police custody.

The youth reportedly hanged him inside the chowki, however, his family and relatives have accused the policemen of pressurizing him to take the extreme step.

Sensing the gravity of the situation, Additional CP (Law and Order) and DCP Central rushed to the Chipiyana chowki in the Bisrakh police station area.

After the officials got a first-hand account of the suspicious death, Police Commissioner Laxmi Singh announced the suspension of the entire staff of the police chowki. Further, a complaint is also lodged, taking into account the series of events leading to the youth's death.

According to DCP, Central Noida, the deceased has been identified as Yogesh Kumar, a resident of Aligarh. He worked at a local workshop in Chipiyana area. Kumar on Wednesday night was brought to the chowki for questioning after allegations were made against him by a colleague

On Thursday morning at around 10 a.m., he reportedly committed suicide by hanging himself inside the police barrack. Though the exact reason for the suicide is yet to be ascertained, Kumar's family have levelled serious allegations against the policemen.

Talking to media persons, the family claimed that Rs 5 lakh was sought for Kumar's release. "I gave them Rs 50,000 and also Rs 1,000 for buying liquor. I was there at the chowki in the night. I told them that I would give the remaining Rs 4.5 lakh by morning. The policemen told me that they will release my brother after receiving money," Kumar's brother said, adding that the next morning, "my brother was killed by policemen".

--IANS

pkt/mr/sha
More Black Americans are choosing nonbelief as their "religion" and Humanism as their new identification, says Anthony Pinn, author of The Black Practice of Disbelief: An Introduction to the Principles, History, and Communities of Black Nonbelievers (Beacon, May 22). In his book, Pinn, a professor of humanities and religious studies at Rice University, melds social and political history with commentary by Black people who flipped the old cliche of relying on the almighty "Let go and let God" by letting go of God instead. Pinn argues that Humanism as religion, a system of meaning-making, is offering these nonbelievers a safer, sounder, home base for them than the Black church.

PW talked with Pinn about his case for Humanism.

You went from being an AME minister's son who preached a sermon at age 12 and became a youth minister at Black Boson church to becoming an outspoken Humanist. What prompted your about-face on theism?

Despite my best efforts, there was nothing about my belief system that really addressed the issues I encountered in the world. My faith tended to answer the questions no one was asking and to belittle the questions that people actually did ask. When I first left the church, I had to kind of define myself by negation: I knew what I wasn't. It was only with time that I was able to define myself in terms of what I was, and Humanism captured it.

How do you define religion?

Religion is really the human struggle to make life meaningful. It's a tool of investigation that doesn't have anything to do with gods or God or church services or the mosque or the synagogue. It is simply a tool that folks use to explore life's meaning.

You make the case in your book that Humanism does function as a religion by offering community, non-theist rituals and celebrations, and ideals and support for social action. Why is this critical?

The Humanist Movement currently may be the best home for Blacks who choose disbelief, because it is rooted in the present and it offers community, which can be hard to find. When I first started hanging out with Humanists, so much of the conversation simply revolved around belittling the religious right, as if there was some sort of "win" in that. They were forgetting that for a whole lot of folks, this move into Humanism was traumatic, and they needed a soft place to land. Simply telling them how horrible were the places they left was not enough. Organizations are finally getting that they need to offer what is compelling about Humanism. They have to be a soft place to land.

 Despite my best efforts, there was nothing about my belief system that really addressed the issues I encountered in the world. 

Your book rebukes the Black church, saying, for example, that Black Humanism should be "untangled from the stranglehold of church-based praxis." Why so rough?

It's justified. If you look at the Black church, in terms of issues of race, the overall narrative that Black churches have been involved in issues of race holds. But look at the harm that Black churches have done with respect to issues of gender and sexuality. They have done deep damage. And they've justified it through a theology of exclusion. It seems to me that kind of harm has to be acknowledged and critiqued with harsh language.

Within the context of the Humanist community, there is a greater appreciation for differences. There isn't an explicit denouncement of people because their sexuality moves in a different or their gender is fluid. But try being trans in the typical Black church. When we're talking about the destruction of people, there is no reason that we need to try to explain that in terms that are comforting and comfortable.

These are uncomfortable times for everyone right now. Publishers tell PW this atmosphere of angst is driving more people to read the Bible looking for hope. Does Black Humanism offer hope?

"Hope" is the wrong language, and the Bible is not the place to look. Words like "hope," "liberation," and "freedom" are not borne out in the historical experience of Black people. Everything about the relationship of blackness to the United States suggests ongoing misery. A better way to address the future is to think in terms of the persistence of possibility.

Your book lists the key principles of Humanism, beyond simply rejecting God. There's a focus on human accountability, logic, reason, and "perpetual improvement as necessary." Isn't that exhausting?

It is! It Is! The saying, "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice" isn't something I can say. What I can say is this: The arc of the moral universe is long and we must be continuously involved.

If there is something we can call victory, it might simply be our ability to say with increased volume and persistence, "No" to injustice. "No"! to normalizing and justifying the misery of the marginalized. Maybe the best we can do is to be aware of what we are up against and push on anyway.
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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will meet top executives of asset reconstruction companies (ARCs) on Friday to take stock of the sector.

During the meeting, ARCs will also seek clarity from the regulator on bank borrowing.

While there is no regulatory ban in place, ARC sources said banks often refuse funding.

If the regulator clarifies that commercial banks are allowed to lend to the ARCs, it will help, a top ARC official said.

Apart from bank funding, ARCs raise funds from the market by way of non-convertible debentures.

The other issue faced by the ARCs is the settlement process.

According to the current norms, every settlement proposal for an ARC has to go through an independent advisory committee consisting three officials from finance, technical, and legal backgrounds, even for a nominal amount.

In addition, all settlement proposals need to be approved at the board level.

For other regulated entities like banks or NBFCs, there is a settlement policy with the delegation of power.

"Settlements can be done at the branch level, regional, and office level.

"That is not the case with ARCs.

"This makes the settlement mechanism time-consuming, an official from an ARC, adding the issue is likely to be raised with the regulator.

The banking regulator has been meeting chief executives of regulated entities like banks, NBFCs, and cooperative banks as a part of their supervisory engagements to understand the issues faced by entities and also convey its message to the regulated entities.

Governance has been a key theme of these interactions with regulated entities.

RBI deputy governors from regulation and supervision will be having the interaction with the ARC CEOs, along with executive directors.

More participation from the retail investors is another issue that may be raised with the regulator, ARC officials said.

Increased participants in the security receipts market will also ensure depth and liquidity.

Only a few investors are eligible for investment in security receipts.

"We would request the regulator to implement the Sudarshan Sen committee recommendation which proposed that high net-worth individuals should be eligible to invest in SRs, an official said.

When an ARC buys an asset from a bank or NBFC, they pay 15 per cent in cash and 85 per cent in the form of security receipts.

RBI formed a committee under Sudarshan Sen to review the legal and regulatory framework for ARC.

The committee, which submitted its report in November 2021, recognised that the listing and trading of SRs will take off only if ARCs ability to resolve the underlying stressed assets is strengthened to generate a higher quantum of redemption and upside for an investor.

The committee recommended the list of eligible qualified buyers could be further expanded to include HNIs with a minimum investment of Rs 1 crore, and corporates (net worth of Rs 10 crore & above), among others.

According to RBI data, sales to ARCs by banks shot up in 2022-23, partly reflecting the assets sold to the newly operationalised National Assets Reconstruction Company Ltd.

During 2022-23, 9.7 per cent of the previous years stock of scheduled commercial banks Gross NPAs was sold to ARCs as compared with only 3.2 per cent in 2021-22.

The acquisition cost of ARCs as a proportion to book values of assets declined from 33 per cent at the end of March 2022 to 29.8 per cent at the end of March 2023, the RBI added.

Key issues faced by ARCs
'Investors need to be stock specific and should not rush to buy stocks at the current levels.'

IMAGE: The Bombay Stock Exchange building. Photograph: Punit Paranjpe/Reuters

Pre-election jitters and expensive valuations are reasons why the equity markets are experiencing bouts of volatility this month, analysts said, as they advocate investors to navigate through this tricky period with utmost caution.

They also urged those with an appetite for risk to buy stocks at the current levels from a long-term horizon.

The S&P BSE Sensex and the Nifty 50 have lost over 1.5 per cent each during this period.

The cuts in the mid and smallcaps were sharper with both the indices on the BSE slipping 1.7 per cent and 2.9 per cent, respectively during this period, shows data.

The India Vix (volatility index), a measure of expected swings in the market over the next 30 days, rose for the ninth straight day on Tuesday, May 7, to end at 17, the highest since January 30, 2023.

This is the longest gaining streak for the index since the pandemic outbreak in March 2020. Interestingly, the index, also known as the fear gauge, had finished at a record closing low of 10.2 just on April 23.

Analysts attribute this fall in the Indian stock markets to Lok Sabha election 2024 outcome-related anxiety among investors amid global developments.

Corporate earnings back home for the March 2024 quarter (Q4 FY24), they said, have not surprised positively either.

According to Andrew Holland, CEO of Avendus Capital Public Markets Alternate Strategies, corporate results have been fairly satisfactory, with banks surprising on the positive side. Consumer companies, too, did well.

Barring these two sectors, there has been nothing to write home about. Though there have been no downgrades, there have not been many upgrades either.

On the political front, voter turnout has not been too good, which the markets are cognisant of and worried about.

The confidence that the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance will be able to secure over 400 seats is a bit shaken, Holland said.

This Lok Sabha 2024 election-related nervousness has seen foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sell Rs 9,194 crore (Rs 91.94 billion) worth of stocks thus far in May, dwarfing buys of domestic institutional investors to the tune of Rs 5,129 crore (Rs 51.29 billion) during this period, data said.

Another worry is the expensive valuations of the Indian markets (Nifty 50 12-month rolling forward PE at 21x), relative to history and bond yields, analysts said.

While the Nifty 50 valuations are more palatable, analysts at Kotak Institutional Equities believe the broader market valuations are even more expensive (Nifty Midcap 100 Index one-year forward PE at around 40x), with the expensiveness being inversely proportional to the capitalisation, quality, and risk.

Some are unhinged from fundamentals and reality, and entirely based on optimistic assumptions, wrong valuation methodologies, and unrealistic narratives.

'In our view, assessing businesses on a bottom-up basis, in light of their business models, gives a better picture of the relative exuberance currently exhibited by narrative-based stocks,' wrote Sanjeev Prasad, co-head, Kotak Institutional Equities, in a recent note co-authored with Anindya Bhowmik and Sunita Baldawa.

For long-term investors, V K Vijayakumar, chief investment strategist at Geojit Financial Services believes the ongoing volatility and uncertainty presents buying opportunities.

Once clarity emerges on the Lok Sabha election outcome, the markets, he said, will bounce back sharply led by high-quality largecaps, which are weak due to big selling by FIIs.

Given the developments, analysts at Axis Securities said style and sector rotation will play a critical role in the alpha generation.

The broader market, they feel, may see some time correction in certain pockets in the near term and flows will likely shift to largecaps and maintain their December 2024 Nifty target at 23,000 up a modest 3.3 per cent from the current levels.

Holland suggests investors remain cautious at the current juncture and those who have the appetite for risk and volatility to buy stocks at the current levels from a long-term horizon.

Investors need to be stock specific and should not rush to buy stocks at the current levels, Holland said. The next big event for the markets post the Lok Sabha 2024 election outcome is the Budget, which could also see some nervousness creep in.

It is just a matter of a few weeks for the poll outcome. Remaining on the sidelines will not be a bad idea to avoid disappointments later, Holland added.

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.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
Mutual fund investors no longer need to link their PAN with Aadhaar to obtain 'KYC-registered' status.

IMAGE: The Securities and Exchange Board of India headquarters in Mumbai. Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters

In a major relief for mutual fund investors, the Securities and Exchange Board of India has removed the requirement to link the Permanent Account Number (PAN) with Aadhaar to obtain 'KYC-registered' status for mutual fund transactions.

What is KYC

Know Your Client (KYC) is a mandatory process for banks, fund houses, and stock brokers to verify an investor's identity before they can start investing.

This process ensures that the investment entities know their clients well and can prevent fraudulent activities.

Changes in KYC requirements

In October 2023, Sebi mandated that all mutual fund investors link their PAN with Aadhaar to complete the KYC process by March 31, 2024.

If PAN and Aadhaar were not linked, the KYC process would be put on hold, preventing any investment activity.

Additionally, KYC could be completed using a bank passbook or account statement as proof of address.

However, these changes led to the temporary suspension of numerous mutual fund accounts. The issue reportedly affected over 13 million accounts where KYC updates were incomplete.

Reason: Individuals provided non-Aadhaar and non-officially valid documents (OVDs) during the initial KYC registration process.

Now, in a revised circular issued on May 14, Sebi has eased these requirements. Investors no longer need to link their PAN with Aadhaar to obtain 'KYC-registered' status.

This can be achieved by completing KYC with other Officially Valid Documents (OVDs) such as Aadhaar, passport, driving licence, or voter ID card.

For 'KYC-validated' status, linking PAN and Aadhaar remains a necessity. This status signifies that the investor's KYC is based on Aadhaar, with both their mobile number and email ID validated by the KYC Registration Agency (KRA).

Old rules

- Investors had to link their PAN with Aadhaar to complete the KYC process.

- Without this link, the KYC process would be put on hold.

New rules

- As of 14 May, Sebi no longer requires PAN and Aadhaar to be linked for an investor to receive 'KYC-registered' status.

- Investors can obtain 'KYC-registered' status by completing KYC with other Officially Valid Documents (OVDs) such as Aadhaar, passport, driving licence, or voter ID card.

- To obtain 'KYC-validated' status, however, PAN and Aadhaar still need to be linked.

Sebi's risk management framework

As part of Sebi's risk management framework, KYC Registration Agencies (KRAs) had to verify three attributes of all clients' records within two days of receiving information:

PAN (including PAN-Aadhaar linkage) Name Address

However, the May 14 circular has removed the need to check the PAN and Aadhaar linkage.

How does an investor check his MF KYC status?

You could go to www.cvlkra.com and click on KYC inquiry to understand the status of your existing MF KYC. You will get the following three results :

On-hold KYC status: Investors with on-hold KYC status cannot perform any mutual fund transactions, including systematic investment plans (SIPs), lump sum purchases, or redemption requests.

KYC-validated investors: These investors face no restrictions on transactions and can deal with all fund houses.

KYC-registered investors: They can only transact with fund houses where they already have investments.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
'She had been in jail for nearly 6 years; the charges had not been framed and the trial had not begun.'

'Even if it began, it would take years to complete.'

IMAGE: Shoma Sen with her daughter Koel Sen outside Byculla jail in Mumbai after being released on bail. Photograph: Kind courtesy Indira Jaising/X

Anand Grover was the Senior Advocate who got regular bail for Bhima Koregaon accused Professor Shoma Sen, allowing her to walk out of jail after 6 years.

In August 2022, he had got poet Varavara Rao, another accused in the same case, regular bail on medical grounds, after it had been denied in the lower courts despite the poet's ill-health.

"The fact that till today the prosecution has not given all documents to the accused and not even ventured to frame charges, shows that they have no case at all. The process has become the punishment," Anand Grover tells Jyoti Punwani.

Shoma Sen's was a difficult case, with her bail application pending since November 2019, and the high court having ordered her to go back to the NIA court in January 2023. How did you approach it?

I approached it like I do all difficult cases. Believing that the cause of Shoma Sen is just and therefore she is entitled to bail, I made sure that the draft settled by me was 100% top class. I spent good time on preparation of arguments.

As always, I didn't take any adjournments.

Basically, I followed my usual practice: Persevere and not give up.

What were your main arguments?

* Though Shoma was charged under the UAPA, there was admittedly no terrorist act.

* All the evidence was in the form of electronic documents, but there were no signed letters or e-mails to back them up. Neither was there any corroborative evidence to back them up.

* Examination of each of the documents showed that they had weak probative value, which had also been held in the case of her co-accused Vernon Gonsalves (in July 2023) and Anand Teltumbde (in November 2022).

* She had been in jail for nearly 6 years; the charges had not been framed and the trial had not begun. Even if it began, it would take years to complete.

* She had never been charged in a criminal case before.

* She was over 65 years of age with multiple health ailments.

* She was not likely to jump bail.

Therefore she should be granted bail.

Given that bail for every accused in the Bhima Koregaon case has been difficult, with multiple delays and rejections, were you confident?

As I said, as the cause of Shoma and her co-accused was just, I was always confident

IMAGE: Anand Grover IMAGE: Anand Grover

What was the response of the Bench?

The Bench was objective and heard both sides patiently. One of the judges (Justice Aniruddha Bose) had earlier decided the bail of Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira and granted bail. So that was additional reason to be confident.

How do you account for the NIA's volte face<?em> in March, saying they no longer needed her custody?

They were forced into that position. They had earlier taken a very rigid stance, contending that as the high court had not decided on the merits of the bail application and remanded it to the NIA court, we should be relegated back either to the high court or the NIA court.

I crossed that hurdle by showing that the NIA itself had not objected to the converting of her bail application to an NIA appeal. So they could not argue that procedure had not been followed.

After that they came out with the argument that we had suppressed documents. I was able to show that the documents we had allegedly suppressed had been discarded by other benches and did not support the case of the prosecution.

Will this be a precedent?

Yes, in other bail cases.

What does this judgment show about the Elgar Parishad case, and the UAPA law?

The fact that till today the prosecution has not given all documents to the accused and not even ventured to frame charges, shows that they have no case at all. The process has become the punishment.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
'There was a statement by a minister that 30,000 Kashmiri Pandits have come back to the Kashmir Valley after the abrogation of Article 370, it is all b.......t and a white lie.'

'Nobody has come back.'

IMAGE: Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti members protest for the community's rights in Srinagar. Photograph: ANI Photo

Sanjay Tickoo is a socio-political activist and a member of the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti in Srinagar.

He is one of the few Kashmiri Pandits who never left the Kashmir Valley even at the peak of terrorism in the state.

Tickoo has been actively propagating for Kashmiri Pandits' rights and welcomes anyone who wants to hear his story.

What makes him unique is that the Kashmiri Pandits who decided to stay back rarely speak their heart to the media or take on the government if they are implementing any incorrect policies regarding Kashmiri Pandits.

"The BJP have not mentioned anything about the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley in their manifesto," Tickoo points out to Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com. The first of a two-part interview:

What are the issues for Kashmiri Pandits in these elections?

I don't think there is any issue as on date for Kashmiri Pandits in general elections 2024.

The reason is because parliamentary elections are always seen on national issues.

Unfortunately, the party that used the miseries of those who left the Kashmir Valley in the 1990s always used to have in their manifesto one line about Kashmiri Pandits.

This party (the Bharatiya Janata Party) used to have one line in every manifesto on the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits. Unfortunately this time, they have not mentioned anything about Kashmiri Pandits in their manifesto.

Photograph: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com IMAGE: Migrant workers' families protest in Srinagar against being posted in the Valley.

You mean the BJP has no mention of rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits in its 2024 manifesto?

Yes, they have not mentioned anything about the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley in their 2024 manifesto.

This holds true for parties like the Congress and others too. For us as a community, these parties cannot give us anything.

Parliamentarians from Kashmir will represent around 50 lakh (5 million) voters of Kashmir and we Kashmiri Pandits are only three percent of the population scattered everywhere around the world. But yes, if there were Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections things would surely have been different.

The BJP used to get 5 percent swing votes because of the Kashmiri Pandits issue in every election, but this time they did not mention anything about us.

Even in the Bihar assembly elections last time, Prime Minister Modi mentioned the Pulwama attacks and the Kashmiri Pandit issue, but this time he has not mentioned it so far.

Do Kashmiri Pandits feel that every political party has used them and did nothing for them?

As a non-migrant Kashmiri Pandit who never left the Kashmir Valley even at the height of militancy, I can surely say that no political party or government was bothered about Kashmiri Pandits.

They were least bothered about the 808 Hindu families left at about 272 places in the Kashmir Valley.

Political parties only spoke about migrants in Jammu or those who were forced to leave the Valley.

Those who stayed back in the Valley faced two guns -- one was from the State and another was from non-State actors.

The people who stayed back, stayed back in their own wisdom.

When the exodus took place in the 1990s it was a family decision and not a community decision to leave the Kashmir Valley.

IMAGE: A Kashmiri Pandit family returns to the Jagti migrants camp in Jammu after the targeted killings in the Valley. Photograph: ANI Photo

You mean the migration of Kashmir Pandit families from the Valley was when each family decided whether they wanted to leave or not?

Yes, and the same was the case then for the Kashmiri Muslims who went on their own to Pakistan to take training and become militants, as nobody told them to do so.

In both cases it was an individual decision rather than a community decision.

There is no doubt that Pakistan was involved in the training but if you as a Kashmiri Muslim did not want to go to Pakistan for arms training nobody was forcing you to do so.

After the abrogation of Article 370 has any Kashmiri Pandit returned to Kashmir?

There was a statement by a minister that 30,000 Kashmiri Pandits have come back to the Kashmir Valley after the abrogation of Article 370, it is all bt and a white lie. Nobody has come back.

The only Kashmiri Pandits who came back on their own was in 1992-1993 in Baramulla.

They came back to Baramulla then because they were cloth merchants, retail chemists and they had their own businesses.

Are you sure that not a single Kashmiri Pandit family has moved back since Article 370 was revoked?

Yes, I am sure about it. We have records from 1990 till date on these issues. How many have left the Valley? How many have been killed so far? How many have got jobs? We also have records of how much land Kashmiri Pandits have with them in the Valley.

IMAGE: Jammu and Kashmir Youth Congress workers protest the killings of Kashmiri Pandits. Photograph: ANI Photo

So how many Kashmiri Pandits live in the Valley?

We have 808 Hindu families, and that includes Kashmiri Pandits.

We have Dogra Hindus and we have Punjabi Hindus who came to the Kashmir Valley after 1947.

How many Kashmiri Pandit families live in Kashmir, what would be that figure?

It is not more than 500 families. And their total population is around 2,000 to 2,250.

I saw this colony of Kashmiri Pandits in Budgam.

That colony was built for those whose family members got killed in the 1990s or they had left at the time of the exodus in the 1990s.

There are 35 families and you can call that a transit camp.

The rest of the people staying there are through PM package jobs and are government employees.

It was inaugurated by Ghulam Nabi Azad when he was chief minister and that colony was built by the government of Dr Manmohan Singh.

Why government employees?

The condition on which these Kashmiri Pandits go to live there is that they have to work in the Valley and only then they can hold onto their government jobs.

There are 5,700 people and when they got the job they were single, but some of them must have got married now and with kids. But you cannot call this the return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Kashmir Valley.

Do you have the figures for how many Kashmiri Pandit families were there in the 1990s?

Yes, we had 77,137 Kashmiri Pandit families living in the Kashmir Valley as on December 31, 1989.

Now they are reduced to 525 families. And the migration is still going on.

It never stopped in spite of normalcy that you see because there is no normalcy as far as Kashmiri Pandits, who are in a minority, are concerned.

Photograph: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com IMAGE: Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti president Sanjay Tickoo.

When was the last time a Kashmiri Pandit was killed by these terrorists because he was a Hindu and a Kashmiri Pandit?

It was in October 2022 in Shopian district (of Puran Krishan Bhat).

For the last two years not a single Kashmiri Pandit was killed, don't you think this itself is a milestone?

Now you are talking like Home Minister Amit Shah because he plays such number games.

In 2021 when he was here and targeted killings were going on, I asked him why this killing was taking place in Kashmir valley? He countered me with the same question, how many KPs were killed from August 5 till now and in the past?

My point is that even in the month of February 2024 two Punjabi Hindus were killed in Srinagar.

So the killing is still going on. It all depends on these non-State actors as whenever they want they can go and kill anyone they want.

All these people died because they were Hindus and that was their only crime?

Not Hindu but representing India. And these militants can kill a Muslim also if he/she represents India. And since Kashmiri Pandits are fewer in number and spread across the valley we are more scared than the Kashmiri Muslims who are in a majority.

IMAGE: Kashmiri Pandits protest against the killing of Rahul Bhat, who was working in the revenue department in Budgam. Photograph: ANI Photo

What about the social interactions of Kashmiri Pandits with Kashmiri Muslims?

We have never been boycotted. In the early militancy peak of 1990s there were cases but after that this boycott of Kashmiri Pandits by Kashmiri Muslims never took place .

What Muslims are facing in the rest of India from the majority Hindu population through boycott system, this never happens to Kashmiri Pandits.

They are never boycotted economically or socially in Kashmir by the Muslims of Kashmir. And that is the reason we have survived for the last 35 years in Kashmir valley.

My milkman, vegetable vendor, chemist, doctor and all such people are Muslims.

What gave you the hope to stay back in Kashmir valley?

If you ask me today I think I made a big blunder to stay back in Kashmir valley because our sacrifice has never been given any recognition by either the government or the majority community.

And all those Kashmiri Pandit families who stayed back faced two guns -- one was that of the State and other was of non-State actors. And when I look back I feel we survived because of good relations with our Muslim friends.

Do your children ask you why you stayed back?

Now they are telling me this because just for survival you need money and lots of money.

When our children in the Kashmir Valley look at their cousins whose parents migrated during the exodus of 1990s to Jammu or Delhi, they see that they are doing much better economically than us in the Valley.

Our children feel that their cousins live a free life in other parts of India. And this is not restricted to Kashmiri Pandits only but to Kashmiri Muslims too who were left behind in the Valley.

When a Kashmiri Muslim family looks at their counterpart cousin who migrated to other parts of India they feel they are doing much better than them economically.

Part II of the Interview: 'Lull Before A BIG STORM In Kashmir'

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com
Last updated on: May 16, 2024 09:14 IST

Reuters Photographers Francis Mascarenhas, Almaas Masood, Sanna Irshad Mattoo, Sharafat Ali, Anushree Fadnavis capture fascinating glimpses of polling in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha election on Monday, May 13, 2024, covering 96 constituencies spread over 10 states and Union Territories.

A voter turnout of nearly 63 percent was recorded with scattered incidents of violence reported in West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.

IMAGE: Women from the Bonda tribe queue to cast their votes in Malkangiri district in Odisha. Photograph: Reuters

IMAGE: An elderly voter arrives to cast his vote in Beed, Maharashtra. Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters

IMAGE: A woman wipes her face as she stands in line to vote on a hot day in Beed. Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters

IMAGE: People stand in line to vote in Beed. Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters

IMAGE: A woman leaves a polling station after casting her vote in Beed. Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters

IMAGE: Children play inside a makeshift playroom as their parents wait to vote at a polling station in Beed. Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters

IMAGE: A tribal woman shows her ink-marked finger after casting her vote at a polling station in Rangareddy district in Telangana. Photograph: Almaas Masood/Reuters

IMAGE: Tribal women wait to cast their votes in Rangareddy district in Telangana. Photograph: Almaas Masood/Reuters

IMAGE: An election official using a model of an Electronic Voting Machine shows a voter how to vote. Photograph: Reuters

IMAGE: Security personnel stand guard as voters wait to cast their votes at polling stations in Srinagar, here and below. Photograph: Sanna Irshad Mattoo/Reuters

Photograph: Sanna Irshad Mattoo/Reuters

Photograph: Sanna Irshad Mattoo/Reuters IMAGE: Women wait to cast their votes in Srinagar, which registered a 38% voter turnout, the highest in 28 years

IMAGE: People wait to cast their votes at a polling station in Srinagar. Photograph: Sanna Irshad Mattoo/Reuters

IMAGE: An elderly voter shows his ink-stained finger after voting in Pulwama district, Kashmir. Photograph: Sharafat Ali/Reuters

IMAGE: Mohammad Assan Ganai, 105, sits inside a polling station in Pulwama waiting to cast his vote. Photograph: Sharafat Ali/Reuters

IMAGE: Divya Pandita, 22, shows her inked finger after casting her vote at a special polling booth set up for Kashmiri Pandits in New Delhi. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday said the INDIA bloc wants to make five prime ministers in five years and claimed that it will disintegrate after June 4.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a public meeting for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, in Pratapgarh on Thursday, April 16, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

The counting of votes for all the seven phases of polling for the Lok Sabha elections will be undertaken on June 4.

Addressing an election rally in support of Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Sangam Lal Gupta at the Government Inter College Pratapgarh grounds here, Modi said the INDIA bloc wants to replace the stable NDA government and make five prime ministers in five years.

"Many things will happen after June 4. The INDI alliance will disintegrate and they will look for a scapegoat after the defeat."

Modi took a jibe on Rahul Gandhi's statement of sending money khata khat, khata khat (quickly) in the account of women after coming to power.

"The Modi government will definitely be formed after June 4 but the INDI alliance will disintegrate khata khat, khata khat," said the prime minister.

"These people will run away khata khat, khata khat after the elections. Only we will remain. I guarantee that I will work day and night to serve you," he said.

In an apparent attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, he said, "The shehzade (princes) of Lucknow and Delhi will leave for abroad on summer vacations," said Modi.

Commenting that running a country is not a play for those born with a golden spoon, Modi said, "They have gone from Amethi and will go even from Rae Bareli."

The prime minister said, "The entire country is saying that the third term of this government will be more powerful."

Modi said his every moment and every bit of his body will be in the name of the people.

He attacked the INDIA bloc leaders by saying they had questioned the bravery of the Army.

"What is their agenda? They are saying they will reinstate Article 370 in Kashmir. They will repeal the CAA law made by Modi... These people are appealing for 'vote jihad' against Modi," he said, referring to an SP leader's remarks.

Without taking names, Modi said a companion of the Congress' prince remarked that if their government is formed they will send Ram Lalla back to the tent again and will lock him. But these people are forgetting that it is impossible to happen under him and the country will force the people of this mentality to live in tents, he added.

Modi said the SP and Congress leaders will again go to Pakistan with bouquets of flowers and fly pigeons with them and asked the people to be cautious with them.

He said the Congress and INDIA bloc have been out of power for 10 years and their coffers of "black money" have become empty. Their eyes are on the country's treasury now, he added.

"The prince of the Congress is saying that they will get everyone's earnings investigated. They will confiscate your money and distribute it among their vote bank," he said.

Accusing the opposition parties of ruining the country before 2014, he said, "When the country became independent, it was the sixth largest economy in the world. These people caused such destruction that we reached number 11 from the sixth position."

He claimed, "You gave Modi an opportunity to serve. We worked hard. Today we have brought the country's economy to number five in the world. If we form the government for the third time, we will make India the third largest economy in the world. This is Modi's guarantee."

Enumerating schemes like toilets, housing and Ujjwala, he said the opposition questioned the development done in the country and they asked what was its need.

Modi said for the "princes" of the SP and the Congress, the development seems like children playing "gilli-danda".

"But these princes born in palaces have neither the habit of doing hard work nor of getting results," he said.

Modi asked the excited crowd shouting slogans, "Today the world is watching the glory of India. India's voice is heard in the world. India organises G20 with great success. India leaves the imprint of its tricolour on the Moon. So don't you feel proud of these successes?"

Appealing for votes for the BJP candidate, he said, "Could you have imagined such success 10 years ago? Was there any such news except the scams worth thousands of crores?"

Polling in Pratapgarh is in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 25.
In a distressing incident, doctors at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode on Thursday wrongly performed a surgery on the tongue of a 4-year-old girl instead of the intended procedure on her finger.

Image used only for representation. It is in no way related to the actual incident. Photograph: Pixabay.com

The child had been scheduled for surgery to remove a sixth finger on her hand at the Maternal and Child Care Centre of the Medical College Hospital.

The girl's family alleged that the error came to light when they discovered cotton stuffed in the child's mouth post-surgery, prompting them to investigate further.

Upon closer inspection, they found that the surgery had been performed on her tongue, not on her hand as intended.

Intervening in the matter, Health Minister Veena directed the Director of Medical Education to conduct an immediate investigation into the incident and submit a comprehensive report.

The child is hospitalised, and the family stated their intention to lodge a complaint with the police, seeking action against those responsible for the grave error.

"No one should have such an experience again at the Medical College Hospital," the child's family said.

They said that the child had no issue with her tongue.

The family also said the hospital authorities should take responsibility if any adverse consequences arise for the child due to this procedure.

"The hospital authorities informed us that it was a mistake as they had scheduled surgery for two children on the same date," a family member said.
West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday claimed that Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee is now endorsing the opposition INDIA bloc recognising its growing momentum and aiming to maintain her relevance in national politics.

IMAGE: Addressing a rally in Hooghly district on Wednesday, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee had said her party will extend support to the opposition INDIA bloc from outside to form the government at the Centre. Photograph: ANI Photo

Chowdhury's remark comes a day after Banerjee's announcement that her party will extend support to the opposition INDIA bloc from outside to form the government at the Centre.

He termed Banerjee as an "opportunist politician" who altered her stance after realising the changing political landscape.

"This clearly indicates that the INDIA alliance is striding ahead and on the verge of forming the government and that's is why as an astute and opportunist leader, Mamata Banerjee has decided to extend her support well in advance," Chowdhury told a meet the press programme.

"She (Banerjee) has lost her credibility. She has understood the crude reality that voters are gearing towards the INDIA bloc. She has realised that she has been isolated in national politics. This is a ploy to stay alive in national politics," he said.

Addressing a rally in Hooghly district on Wednesday, the TMC chief had said her party will extend support to the opposition INDIA bloc from outside to form the government at the Centre.

Banerjee, however, clarified that in West Bengal, her party will not support the Congress and Communist Party of India-Marxist and alleged that both the parties, who are part of the INDIA alliance, have joined hands and helping the BJP in the state.

"Do not count on the CPI-M and the Congress in Bengal. They are not with us, they are with the BJP here. I am talking about that (INDIA bloc) in Delhi," she said.

Expressing surprise that Banerjee had suddenly quit the INDIA bloc in the state, which was her brainchild, and claimed that by distancing herself from the anti-BJP grouping, she lost the minority support in West Bengal.

The INDIA bloc name was coined by her and she had even stated that Rahul Gandhi would be the leader and Mallikarjun Kharge the convener.

"I do not know what triggered her to quit the alliance. She even said that the Congress will not get more than 40 seats. Now, she can read that the situation has been changing across the nation," Chowdhury said.

She has been isolated at the national level and her desperation propelled her to support the INDIA bloc, Chowdhury claimed.

"She has woken up from political slumber and is talking about supporting the alliance only to save her fortune in West Bengal," the Congress leader said.

He added that Banerjee started drifting away from the coalition after the central agencies questioned and arrested Jharkhand and Delhi Chief Ministers Hemant Soren and Arvind Kejriwal respectively.

Chowdhury welcomed the Supreme Court verdict that the ED would not be able to arrest an accused using their special powers under the PMLA. The apex court directed that the agency has to get the court's permission to arrest an accused.

"This verdict will help contestants in the next phases to fight without fear. This is a very positive move for the sake of the Constitution," he said.

If the judiciary was not there, people would not have come to know about the beneficiaries of the electoral bond and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal would not have secured bail, he said.

On BJP's claims of winning 400 seats, he said it was a mind game played by the saffron party to influence voters.

"Have you seen that (PM Narendra) Modi has stopped talking about this claim (400 seats) after realising that this is not going to happen? Many surprises are awaiting," he said.

Chowdhury claimed that the result of this Lok Sabha elections would have an immense impact on state politics.

"Take my words, the results of 2024 will drive away Trinamool Congress from the state in 2026," he said.

The Congress' Baharampur Lok Sabha candidate said that his prime rival while contesting was "the attempts by BJP and TMC to win the election using religious polarisation".

He claimed that in Sandeshkhali, both BJP and the TMC were trying to play the politics of religious polarisation.

Local TMC leaders such as Shajahan Sheikh, Shibu Hazra and Uttam Sardar were accused of sexual assault and land grab.

"We are ashamed. There is no place to hide. I do not know who the women of Sandeshkhali are going to vote for... We are with the women of Sandeshkhali. Nobody has the right to play with their honour," he said.

On the Centre issuing citizenship certificates to 14 people under the CAA, Chowdhury said it was a political move by the BJP keeping in mind the ongoing polls.

"Modi can understand that after the four phases of polling, there is a change in the air and that is why he is taking path of the using the issue of religious polarisation," he said.

To a question on why frontline leaders of the Congress, especially Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, are not campaigning in West Bengal, Chowdhury initially said it was the party's "internal matter".

Chowdhury, however, added that he wanted Rahul Gandhi to come on May 10, but the former Congress president's office asked him to make it the next day.

"He was here during his 'Nyay Yatra', and he wanted to come on May 11. But I had asked him not to come since it was the last day of campaigning," Chowdhury said.

Party president Mallikarjun Kharge and other leaders did come to Bengal, he said.
An advertising firm's director, whose company put up the giant billboard whose collapse claimed 16 lives in Mumbai, was arrested on Thursday by police from Udaipur in Rajasthan, three days after the tragedy, an official said.

IMAGE: Bhavesh Bhinde, second from left, arrested in Udaipur. Photograph: ANI on X

Bhavesh Bhinde, director of M/s Ego Media Pvt Ltd, the advertising agency which recently installed the hoarding that crashed in suburban Ghatkopar on Monday evening, was apprehended from Udaipur by a team of the Mumbai police's crime branch, he said.

The 120 feet x 120 feet hoarding collapsed onto a nearby petrol pump during gusty winds and heavy unseasonal rains, killing 16 people and injuring 75 others.

After the tragedy, Bhinde left home in a car with his driver and was since untraceable, leading the Mumbai police to launch a multi-state search for him, said the official.

At least eight teams of the Mumbai police were sent to various places to track him down, he said.

Bhinde's last location was traced near Lonavala, a hill station in Pune district situated around 140km from Mumbai, and a team was sent there, he said.

After reaching Lonavala, he stayed in a private property for a couple of hours, where he switched off his mobile phone to avoid tracking by the police, the official said.

Bhinde then told his car driver to get a new SIM card for his mobile phone. When the driver returned with a SIM card, the watchman of the private property told him Bhinde had already left the place, the official said.

After leaving Lonavala, the advertising firm director headed to Ahmadabad, where he met his relatives, and from there he went to Rajasthan, he said.

The crime branch got specific information about Bhinde's whereabouts in Rajasthan, following which a team was dispatched, and he was subsequently placed under arrest in Udaipur in the evening, the official said.

He will be brought to Mumbai by flight in the early hours of Friday and produced before a city court during the day, the official said.

To find out the whereabouts of Bhinde, the police had questioned his relatives and family members over the last two days.

After the tragedy, a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under the IPC was registered at the Pant Nagar Police Station against Bhinde, all directors of the advertising agency Ego Media, its officials and employees, the official said.
Last updated on: May 16, 2024 09:41 IST

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is in 'extremely serious' condition following a shooting attack on Wednesday, according to Slovak Defence Minister Robert Kalinak, as reported by Al Jazeera, citing the TASR state-run news agency.

IMAGE: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico speaks during a press conference, before a shooting incident where he was wounded, in Handlova, Slovakia, May 15, 2024. Photograph: Radovan Stoklasa/Reuters

The critically wounded prime minister is still undergoing surgery in the town of Banska Bystrica.

Slovak Interior Minister, Matus Sutaj Estok also said that Robert Fico's condition remains critical, according to doctors.

"We received information from the operating doctors that the prime minister is in a critical condition and his life is in danger and he is still in the operating theatre," Estok told reporters at the hospital where Fico is being treated.

He informed the gunman fired five shots at Fico, adding that the attack was 'politically motivated'.

Robert Fico, who is a four-time prime minister of Slovakia, was wounded in a shooting incident on Wednesday (local time) in Handlova, reported the local newspaper, The Slovak Spectator.

He was hospitalised following the attack and is undergoing treatment.

Several shots were fired at the scene when the PM came out to meet the people.

The alleged shooter was arrested on-site and the area was evacuated.

According to witnesses, shots were heard when the PM came out to meet the people who welcomed him. Fico was then seen on the ground with blood stains.

The incident took place after a government meeting in Handlova, following which the PM was hospitalized.

Several leaders across the world have condemned the shooting incident on PM Fico and wished him a speedy recovery.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed shock at the assassination attempt on his Slovakian counterpart, and condemned it as a cowardly and dastardly act.

In a post on 'X', Modi said, 'Deeply shocked at the news of the shooting at Slovakia's Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Robert Fico. I strongly condemn this cowardly and dastardly act and wish PM Fico a speedy recovery. India stands in solidarity with the people of the Slovak Republic.'

United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that he was 'shocked' to hear about the incident.

In a post on social media platform X, Sunak wrote, 'Shocked to hear this awful news. All our thoughts are with Prime Minister Fico and his family.'

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the act of violence against Slovakia's head of state.

'The attack on Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico is appalling. We strongly condemn this act of violence against our neighbouring partner state's head of government,' Zelenskyy wrote on X.

Romanian President, Klaus Lohannis, too condemned the attack on the Slovak PM, and wished him a 'full and speedy recovery'.

'Appalled to learn about the shooting of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. I wish him a full and speedy recovery. I strongly condemn such extremist acts, which threaten our core European values,' Lohannis said in a post on X.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wished for Fico's quick recovery.

'I was deeply shocked by the heinous attack against my friend, Prime Minister Robert Fico. We pray for his health and quick recovery! God bless him and his country.'

Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic also condemned the assassination attempt.

'Shots fired at Robert are shots at freedom and democracy ... There can be no room for violence in politics.'

-- with PTI inputs
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday hinted at a political settlement to end the Ukraine war, saying he expects peace and stability will return to the European continent, shortly after his talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as the two leaders vowed to counter any attempt by the United States to hinder their strategic ties.

IMAGE: Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Chinese President Xi Jinping during former's two-day State visit to China. Photograph: Sputnik/Sergei Bobylev/Pool via Reuters

Putin received a grand welcome upon his arrival in Beijing earlier in the day on his first foreign visit after winning the fifth term in office in March for wide ranging talks with Xi to reset the burgeoning China-Russia strategic ties for future.

"China hopes that peace and stability will return to the European continent at an early date, and stands ready to play a constructive role to this end," Xi said at a joint press conference with Putin after their talks.

A joint statement issued after Putin-Xi talks said that both sides believe that for "a sustainable settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, it is necessary to eliminate its root causes."

In a veiled criticism of the US, which is pressuring Beijing to end its strategic ties with Russia, the joint statement said relations between China and Russia do not target any third countries, therefore they will counter any attempts to hinder such cooperation.

"The two sides note that the relationship between Russia and China has progressed to a more advanced interstate cooperation compared to the military-political unions of the Cold War era as it is not bloc or confrontational in nature, nor does it target any third countries," Russia's new agency Tass quoted the document as saying.

According to the statement, Russia and China reaffirmed their resolve to defend their legitimate rights and interests and block any attempts to impede a normal development of bilateral ties, and any interference in the internal affairs of the two nations or to impose restrictions on their economic, technological and foreign policy potential.

Putin's visit to China, the second since last October, follows Xi's just concluded European Union tour to France, Serbia and Hungary where the Chinese leader came under pressure from EU leaders not to sell arms to Russia. The US too is mounting pressure on China not to sell arms to Russia.

While Xi, 70, regards his ties with Putin, 71, as counter to the US' increasing hostility towards China, which Beijing says is aimed at countering its rise, there is unease here over the Russian leader's continuation of the Ukraine war.

Though Beijing has not publically supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the "no-limits" China-Russia strategic partnership has come under intense scrutiny from the US and its allies, who have imposed sanctions on Moscow and repeatedly called Beijing to use its leverage to bring the war to an end.

Xi, who has met Putin more than 40 times, welcomed his "old friend", saying the relations between the two countries have withstood an international storm and changes and set a model for mutual respect and cooperation.

The two leaders held wide-ranging talks on a host of issues, the significant among them is the way out to end the Ukraine war.

Xi said the two sides believe that a political settlement is the right way forward for the Ukraine crisis.

China's position on this issue is consistent and clear, including observing the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, respecting the legitimate security concerns of all parties, and building a new security architecture that is balanced, effective and sustainable.

For his part, Putin said he is open to a negotiated settlement.

"We have never refused to negotiate," Putin said. "We are seeking a comprehensive, sustainable and just settlement of this conflict through peaceful means, he told China's state-run Xinhua news agency.

"We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours," he said.

Putin emphasised that the four principles for the peaceful resolution of the Ukraine crisis recently proposed by Xi seamlessly fit in the above-mentioned document.

"The steps build on the idea that we need to forego the 'Cold War mentality' and ensure indivisible security and respect for international law and the UN Charter in their entirety and interrelation," he said.

The two leaders also witnessed the signing of a number of important intergovernmental and interagency cooperation documents, which inject new, strong impetus into the sound development of China-Russia relations.

About the future trajectory of the China-Russia ties frowned by the US and the EU, Putin told the media that the joint document "sets new ambitious tasks and long-term objectives for the development of the entire complex of Russian-Chinese relations," the achievement of which will be facilitated by the signing of a package of intergovernmental, interagency and trade agreements prepared for his visit to China.

Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said the document running into 30 pages was signed after extensive Russian-Chinese negotiations.

"It will, of course, emphasise the special nature of our bilateral relations and outline further ways of developing the entire complex of bilateral relations, confirming Russia and China's leading role in the formation of a just and democratic order," Ushakov said.

Xi said he and Putin had a comprehensive review of the successful experience in developing the China-Russia relationship over the past 75 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, had an in-depth exchange of views on the relationship and on major international and regional issues of mutual interest, and charted the course forward for Sino-Russian relations and cooperation across the board.

He said the joint statement focussed on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination for the New Era.

With Russia chairing BRICS this year and China taking over the chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization later this year, the two sides will support each other's chairmanship, build a high-quality partnership that is more comprehensive, close, practical and inclusive, and build the unity and strength of the Global South, he added.

Calling Xi my dear friend, Putin said "it is of fundamental importance that relations between Russia and China are not opportunistic and are not directed against anyone.

"Our cooperation in world affairs today serves as one of the main stabilising factors in the international arena," he said, according to a report by Russian news agency Tass.

Russia and China are successfully cooperating in the United Nations, BRICS, SCO and G20, Putin said.

"We are determined to further harmonise integration processes in the Eurasian space, to combine the potential of the Eurasian Economic Community and your, my dear friend, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)," Putin said.

The BRI is a multi-billion-dollar initiative launched by President Xi when he came to power in 2013.

It aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea routes.
'Rather than criticising the kind of candidates fielded by political parties from our living rooms, NOTA in a sense implores the electorate to say this by turning up in person at a polling booth to ensure their protest is registered.'

IMAGE: An election official using a model of an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) shows a voter how to vote at a polling station during the fourth phase of India's general election, May 13, 2024. Photograph: Reuters

Not just the Congress and other Opposition parties, but also activists, have questioned, and some of them intend to challenge the Election Commission's decision to announce the Bharatiya Janata Party's Mukesh Dalal elected unopposed from the Surat parliamentary constituency last month.

They have argued that by not holding polling in Surat when all other candidates either withdrew or had their nominations rejected, leaving only Dalal in the contest, the Election Commission took away the electors' right to vote for 'none of the above', or NOTA.

Trilochan Sastry, founding member of the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), says polling should have taken place in Surat, or in any constituency, even if only one candidate is left in the fray, to permit the electors the right to exercise the NOTA option on the electronic voting machines (EVMs).

"For that to happen, a voter whose right to vote has been taken away by the Election Commission's decision in Surat, or in similar instances, would need to file a writ petition in the relevant high court to seek to direct the Election Commission to hold polling," Sastry told Business Standard.

The Election Commission also announced 10 candidates of the BJP elected unopposed in the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly polls since no other candidate was in the contest.

Fact or fiction?

Addressing a press conference in Ahmedabad on April 28, Congress Rajya Sabha member Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the returning officer, in announcing Dalal elected unopposed, forgot about NOTA.

According to Singhvi, the returning officer showed the Election Commission's handbook where, when all candidates barring one withdraw from the contest, the contestant that is left is declared elected.

"But that handbook was made before NOTA was born. NOTA is a candidate. As long as NOTA is alive and kicking on the paper, you cannot," Singhvi said.

However, according to Akshay Rout, a former director general at the Election Commission, the current status is that NOTA is yet to get the status of a 'candidate'.

"There are no consequences to NOTA beyond the fact that it is indeed a protest vote in the sense that a voter turns up at a polling booth to reject all the candidates contesting the polls from that seat," Rout says.

According to him, the NOTA option is indeed an answer to voter apathy, especially among urban voters.

"Rather than criticising the kind of candidates fielded by political parties from our living rooms, NOTA in a sense implores the electorate to say this by turning up in person at a polling booth to ensure their protest is registered," Rout explains.

"But only time will tell whether the demands for and discussions over pros and cons for giving a higher functionality to NOTA lead to a decision," Rout says.

In its analysis of NOTA votes polled from 2018 to 2022, the ADR recommended that in any constituency, if votes polled for NOTA are higher than all the contesting candidates, then "no candidates should be declared as elected" and "fresh election should be conducted in which none of the earlier candidates should be allowed to contest".

"In the fresh elections," it said, "only a candidate who gets at least 50 per cent plus one votes cast should be declared elected."

On April 26, the Supreme Court agreed to examine a petition by author and motivational speaker Shiv Khera that the Election Commission should treat NOTA as a 'fictional candidate', publicise its candidacy, and if NOTA gets the highest votes in a constituency then bar all the other contestants on the seat from fighting elections for the next five years.

The bench of Chief Justice of India Dr D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra agreed to examine the petition when pointed out that the BJP's Surat candidate was elected unopposed when others withdrew, and that people's mandate would have been known had the BJP's candidate contested with NOTA as a 'fictional candidate'.

Khera's petition also pointed out that Maharashtra and Haryana state election commissions treat NOTA as a 'fictional' candidate for civil elections.

Toothless tiger?

According to the Election Commission's Atlas of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, in its judgement on September 27, 2013, on a petition by the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties, the Supreme Court directed that there should be a 'None of the Above', or NOTA, option on the ballot papers and EVMs.

The provision for NOTA was made during the assembly elections to Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, and Rajasthan in November-December 2013. It has continued after that in all assembly and Lok Sabha polls.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, according to Election Commission data, the vote share of NOTA was 1.06 per cent, down from 1.08 per cent in the 2014 LS polls (see graphic for more).

While allowing for the provision in 2013, the Supreme Court observed that a high number of NOTA votes would compel political parties to field candidates with high moral and ethical standards.

It observed that for democracy to survive, it was essential that the best available persons be chosen as people's representatives.

It said that for this to happen, voters should be given the choice to opt for NOTA to compel political parties to nominate a sound candidate, and recognised the 'dire need of negative voting'.

Before the introduction of EVMs, the more knowledgeable sought the option of filling form 49O under Rule 49-O of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, but it required asking for it from the polling staff, which compromised secrecy.

Others registered their protest by either stamping the ballot paper on more than one box to make it invalid, or dropping a blank ballot paper into the box or even inscribing the ballot papers with such lines of cynicism as, 'Sab chor hain' (they are all thieves). The votes were counted, but declared invalid.

The EVMs took away this option as the beep that emitted at the pressing of a button on the machine conveyed that a vote had been cast. Not casting a vote was no longer an option.

The Supreme Court also acknowledged France, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, and Bangladesh used the NOTA option, and recognised that it could increase voter participation, since it would persuade voters to come out and vote rather than not turning up.

However, NOTA is not akin to the 'right to reject', as the Supreme Court also felt it could be misused and manipulated, and recognised the administrative costs involved in organising repolls.

But neither has NOTA, as the apex court had hoped, ensured that political parties field candidates who are not tainted or have no criminal records.

Interestingly, as the electoral data from the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls shows, the incidence of electors exercising NOTA is higher in seats reserved for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, especially in states such as Bihar and Chhattisgarh, which suggests that the level of disillusionment could be higher.

In the run up to the December 2023 assembly polls in Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel, then chief minister of the state, demanded that the Election Commission should scrap the NOTA option since on occasion it accrued more votes than the margin of win or loss of the top two contenders on a seat.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
Meet IAF Veteran Bhopinder Singh Saini from the Viro ke Vir Indian Party.

IMAGE: Bhopinder Singh Saini, the Viro ke Vir Indian Party candidate for the Mumbai North East Lok Sabha seat. All Photographs: Kind courtesy Bhopinder Singh Saini

In an election driven and dominated by powerful and moneyed candidates, retired Indian Air Force serviceman Bhopinder Singh Saini is running a bare-bone campaign.

He does most of his travelling by bus or train and has only gone to 2-3 localities so far to ask for votes.

His expenses include fuel for the two scooters that accompany him at times and pamphlets that are yet to be printed.

So far, most of his canvassing is done on WhatsApp.

"I do not have any experience in this field. I am paying from my own personal savings. Though there are big people in the fray, this is the start of my journey," says Saini, 66, a former technician who worked on surveillance radars in the IAF and is a candidate of the Viro ke Vir Indian Party from Mumbai North East.

The party was founded by a civilian in Surat, Gujarat. It was registered in 2023, and aims to bring together ex-servicemen from the Indian Army, Indian Navy and IAF into politics.

Mr Saini worked in the IAF for 15 years and served in air force stations in the North East, Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and retired in 1990 as a corporal.

His father served in the Indian Navy while his grandfather was in the British Indian Army and served in Afghanistan. "My grandfather later drove a truck in the North East and I remember him showing me his driving license," adds Mr Saini, who settled down in Mumbai post retirement. "I was born in Colaba since my father was in the navy and I grew up in Mumbai."

After retirement, he went on to work in sales, supply chain management and in supervisory roles in car workshops and diamond cutting industries.

Incidentally, the Viro ke Vir Indian Party's symbol is a diamond.

"I joined politics because as someone who has served the nation as an IAF personnel, I still have more to give to my nation," he says. "I do not want to say anything negative about other candidates, but I feel the country needs educated candidates and corruption-free politics."

Mr Saini was told about the Viro ke Vir Indian Party by a former colleague in the IAF who had also filed his nomination, but withdrew later. Last October, Mr Saini attended a party meeting in Surat organised by the founder and decided to take the political plunge.

He filed his nomination on April 26 accompanied by three well-wishers.

"We are at the crossroads of our national destiny and I want to bring values of integrity, fairness and service into politics," he says and wants to advocate farmer's rights and focus on organic farming.

"Organic farming should be the mainstream practice for a healthier life, water conservation and a cleaner planet."

The other issue that he wants to focus on is the simplification of the judicial system to make it accessible to common citizens regardless of background, and economic status.

"I have deep respect for the youth and sportspersons. I also want to champion their cause so that they can thrive."

"Ultimately, education, health, safety should be the right of every citizen."

In Mumbai North East, the main contest is between Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Sanjay Dina Patil and Mihir Kotecha of the BJP. In the countdown to polling day, senior BJP leader Narendra Modi held a road show in the constituency on Tuesday, May 15.

Mumbai votes on May 20.

Pitted against formidable opponents, there may not be a chance of Mr Saini's success, but he is unnerved.

"This is the start of a journey. Let's see how far it takes me," he says encapsulating the beauty of a parliamentary democracy where the big and the not so big -- all have a right to a place on that EVM machine.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
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Nancy Braus is a regular columnist for the Reformer who writes from Guilford. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media.
Human Rights Watch says Thailand is increasingly dangerous for those fleeing persecution.

Detainees stand behind cell bars at the police Immigration Detention Center in central Bangkok on Jan. 21, 2019.

UPDATED on May 16, 2024 at 10:25 a.m. ET.

Thailand has been helping neighboring countries repress refugees and dissidents, making a country that was long a haven for exiles unsafe for those fleeing persecution, a human rights group said on Thursday.

In a report titled We thought we were safe' - Repression and Forced Return of Refugees in Thailand New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thailand facilitated surveillance, violence, abductions, enforced disappearances and forced returns while Thai authorities in turn engaged in acts of transnational repression against Thai activists in exile.

Governments in Southeast Asia have long been suspected of engaging in quid-pro-quo agreements about refugees and asylum seekers, colloquially known as swap mart arrangements, the rights group said.

Human Rights Watch said the then government of Prayuth Chan-o-cha, a Thai army chief who toppled a civilian government in May 2014, repressed dissidents from abroad, including from Cambodia, Vietnam and China.

Thailand has long had a reputation as a sanctuary for those fleeing persecution  But now many asylum seekers and refugees do not feel safe, Elaine Pearson, director of Human Rights Watchs Asia Division told RFA-affiliate BenarNews.

The repression in Thailand had often occurred even though the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees had recognized the dissidents as refugees, the rights group said.

HRW analyzed 25 cases that it said took place in Thailand between 2014 and 2023.

When asked about HRW's findings, Nikorndej Balankura, spokesperson for Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told BenarNews that Bangkok is "committed to respecting and upholding humanitarian principles, including the principle of non-refoulement," adding that the government is cooperating with partners to provide support and assistance, as well as "durable solutions" for asylum seekers.

Balankura noted that Thailand's Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act of 2022 prohibits government agencies and officers from repatriating foreign nationals if there are reasonable grounds they will be subjected to torture or enforced disappearance upon their return.

"This regulation should serve as a deterrent to the alleged actions, which if they actually took place, will be subjected to legal procedures under the Act," he said.

BenarNews also tried to contact Chai Watcharong, spokesman for the Prime Ministers Office, and Maj. Gen. Choengron Rimpadee, spokesman for the polices Immigration Bureau, to seek comment on the report, but they did not immediately respond.

Dead and disappeared

A year after the Thai coup, Chinese dissidents in Thailand started going missing, the group said, suggesting that Thai authorities had acted apparently at the request of the Chinese government, for arrest and refoulement to China.

In November 2015, democracy activists Jiang Yefei and Dong Guangping, who fled China and received refugee status from the UNHCR, were deported from Thailand to China shortly after their arrests. The deportations occurred even though Canada had granted them asylum.

In July 2015, Thai authorities deported at least 109 ethnic Uyghurs to China. They were among more than 500 Uyghurs who fled Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to Southeast Asian countries in 2013 and 2014, according to Thai officials and NGOs. Turkey had offered many of them asylum.

Thailands then-military government, facing criticism from the United States and other Western countries over the 2014 coup, was keen to forge closer ties with China, analysts said.

While Thai authorities moved against foreign dissidents, Thai activists seeking refuge in neighboring countries also faced repression.

Several left-wing dissidents who left Thailand after the 2014 coup disappeared in Cambodia and Laos, with two found dead in the Mekong river, which forms the border between Thailand and Laos.

In 2020, prominent Thai activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit, was allegedly abducted in broad daylight by gunmen from in front of his apartment complex in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. He remains missing.

Human rights activists believed that Thailand and Cambodia had agreed on his abduction. Both governments denied any involvement.

Disappointing

Human Rights Watch said Cambodian opposition members and activists made up a sizable number of the cases it had documented in Thailand, practices that it said were facilitated by the close relationship between the neighbors then leaders, Prayuth and Cambodias Hun Sen.

While the rights group said the existence of swap mart arrangements between governments was difficult to verify with respect to Thailand, arrangements with other abusive governments to facilitate transnational repression would be consistent with the evidence gathered.

Despite the restoration of an elected government in Thailand last year, the ill-treatment of dissidents has continued, Human Rights Watch said. It said an end to the swap market was an urgent obligation for the government.

Worachat Awipan, a scholar at the Institute of Religion, Culture and Peace at Payap University, told Benar that Thailands actions reflected badly on its image and violated its international human rights obligations.

If we truly want to resolve this issue, we must strictly respect and comply with the obligation to not force people back to places where they are not safe, and seriously and transparently investigate and punish Thai officials who support these legal violations," Worachat said.

Sunai Phasuk, a senior HRW researcher, said the Thai government had promised to end the legacy of military rule but it was turning a blind eye to allegations of harassment, and forced returns of refugees while there were no serious investigations into the disappearance of Thai dissidents elsewhere.

It is very disappointing, Sunai said.

Edited by Mike Firn.

BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization.



This story has been updated to include comments from Nikorndej Balankura, spokesperson for Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Future Chinese support for Russia's war in Ukraine may be hampered by US financial sanctions.

As Russian President Vladimir Putin visits China for the first time since beginning a new term, he and Chinese President Xi Jinping have been at pains to underline their "long and strong" friendship, and a strategic partnership that has been described as having "no upper limits."

"I have emphasized on many occasions that our peoples are bound by a long and strong tradition of friendship and cooperation," Putin told China's state news agency Xinhua in an interview published ahead of his trip.

"We remember and value the contribution of the Chinese people to the common Victory. It was China that held back major forces of Japanese militarists, making it possible for the Soviet Union to focus on defeating Nazism in Europe," Putin said.

As the two leaders issued a joint statement in Beijing on Thursday that framed their relationship as a stabilizing force in a chaotic world, Xi described the China-Russia relationship today as "hard-earned, and the two sides need to cherish and nurture it."

"China is willing to ... jointly achieve the development and rejuvenation of our respective countries, and work together to uphold fairness and justice in the world," Xi said.

Not merely symbolic

Analysts told Radio Free Asia that the symbolic statements about upholding global peace and stability are actually closely linked to the two countries' shared and concrete military and economic goals, having a common cause in counterbalancing the global power of the United States with what they term a "multipolar global order."

"I don't think what Russia and China are doing together is symbolic," Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the German Marshall Fund, told RFA Mandarin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, attends a wreath laying ceremony at the Monument to the People's Heroes in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, on Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)





"They are working together in concrete, tangible ways. So there may be agreements that are announced, there may be agreements that are not announced," Glaser said of the Xi-Putin summit, which resulted in a lengthy joint statement about "deepening" their strategic partnership on Thursday.

An important part of bilateral cooperation has been seen in skyrocketing Chinese exports to Russia, with a recent analysis of Chinese customs data by Nathaniel Sher, a senior research analyst at Carnegie China, revealing that in 2023, some 90% of "high priority" dual-use use goods used to produce Russian weapons was imported from China.

While China has repeatedly denied sending weapons or military equipment to aid Putin's war effort, Ukrainian forces on the ground have reported finding a growing number of components from China in Russian weapons.

"Assistance and support to Russia ... is not just [about] tanks made in Beijing rumbling across the plains of Ukraine; it's also about a lot of the dual-use commercial technologies that can be used as inputs to military systems and to weapons that are absolutely essential for Russia, facing sanctions from the West, to be able to prosecute this war in Ukraine in the way that it has," said Peter Rough, senior fellow and director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia at Hudson Institute.

"It's an absolutely decisive factor in the way we think about the war in Ukraine," he said.

George Magnus, independent economist and Associate at the China Centre, Oxford University agreed.

"Chinas support for Russias access to export markets, and military and capital goods is vitally important," he said in written comments to RFA Mandarin. "Also Chinas functional ability to get money and financing to Russia is important too."

"You could argue -- though many Russians might dispute this -- that Russia is a vassal state of China, for without Chinese support, much in Russia would falter or stop working," Magnus said.

Highest level ever

As Putin put it in his Xinhua interview, he chose to make China his first state visit of his new presidential term because ties with China "have reached the highest level ever," describing the relationship as "an informed, strategic choice."

Negotiations are also expected around Xi's Belt and Road global influence, supply line and infrastructure project, as well as negotiations over whether China will support Putin's The Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline.

"While the Kremlin has made no secret of its eagerness to expedite the project, its fate remains uncertain, largely because China has refrained from committing to it," according to a May 15 commentary from the University of Columbia's Center on Global Energy Policy by Erica Downs, Akos Losz and Tatiana Mitrova.

According to Rough, while there are obvious differences between Beijing and the Kremlin regarding energy policy -- particularly over pricing -- the "anti-Americanism, anti-Western attitudes overwhelmingly override" those differences.

A security guard stands in front of a giant screen at a shopping mall as it shows a news report about the state visit of Russiais President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on May 16, 2024. (Hector Retamal/AFP)





Another piece of the puzzle is Russia's role in China's regional ambitions, including its support for Beijing's territorial claim on democratic Taiwan.

Putin told Xinhua that both sides had "learned lessons" from rough patches in the relationship, a possible reference to the Sino-Soviet split that began in the late 1960s, at least partly fueled by China's shelling of Taiwan's Kinmen island in 1958 without prior consultation with Moscow.

"I think the Sino-Russian relationship has moved from one of friction many years ago ... to outright alignment, now nearing qualities of alliance," Rough said. "Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have signed a 'no limits' partnership, and that partnership is unfolding before our very eyes."

Supporting each other

Putin has been at pains to support Beijing over its claim on Taiwan, while Beijing has refrained from direct criticism of Russia's war in Ukraine, even brokering a peace plan as part of Xi's diplomatic buzzword, "a shared future for humanity."

Analysts say that phrase means Beijing will be looking to forge stronger alliances with other authoritarian regimes to counter "U.S. hegemony" and export China's model of party-state governance around the world.

Putin has also obliged Beijing by going after practitioners of the Falun Gong spiritual movement  which China has outlawed as an evil cult  on Russian soil.

On May 3, special forces raided the private homes of several Falun Gong practitioners in Moscow, arresting Natalia Minenkova as the alleged leader of an undesirable organization, holding another three people as witnesses, state-owned news agency RIA Novosti reported.

While Falun Gong practitioners have been targeted in Russia before, this time they were accused of "attempting to organize color revolutions in Russia and China with the direct support of the US State Department."

"Over the last number of decades, there's been a lot of pressure on practitioners of Falun Gong in Russia," Florida-based Falun Gong practitioner Alexander Meltzer, who has been following the situation. told RFA. "But there were never arrests. Criminalizing it actually hasn't occurred until this time."

"Basically Russia, in following coercion by China because of the closer ties between Russia and China, they are more and more trampling over the rights of their own citizens," he said.

Financial sanctions

Then there's the issue of financial sanctions on "non-U.S. financial institutions" that maintain accounts and transfer funds or provide other financial services for transactions deemed to facilitate the sale, supply or transfer of forbidden items to Russia -- including those that collude with attempts to hide such transactions.

"The policy intent appears to be to discourage the use of intermediaries or third countries to facilitate the trade of dual-use goods to Russia that the United States deems to be unacceptable," according to a recent analysis of a December 2023 Executive Order from U.S. President Joe Biden by global law firm Clyde & Co.

China's banks already have an alternate international payments system in development since 2012, known as CIPS, but they are caught between wanting to keep a foothold in the international financial system dominated by the United States and China's own "anti-sanctions" laws that bar them from paying attention to foreign sanctions.

According to Glaser, Biden's executive order "signaled a willingness" to sanction Chinese banks, and has already had an impact despite the fact that no sanctions have yet been implemented.

"China's major banks have already reacted to the possibility of sanctions being imposed on them," Glaser said. "Those large banks that have a high level of exposure to the U.S. dollar do not want to be barred from the international financial community."

"They will, and already have, cut back on their transactions with Russian banks," she said, citing recent media reports.

Chinas exports to Russia fell by nearly 16% in March compared with March 2023, according to Chinese customs data, with analysts citing the impact of potential sanctions on international payments.

U.S. historian Miles Yu, a former adviser to the Trump administration, said he didn't see how the Sino-Russian alliance could survive for long.

"These two countries have different strategic goals, and both want to be the boss," Yu said. "In reality, neither of them can achieve that, and they only wind up hampering each other."

"I don't see much future for the Sino-Russian alliance," he said.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
(Bottom) Chen Binhua, spokesman for Chinas Taiwan Affairs Office, gestures during a news conference in an undated photo. (Top, L to R) political commentators Liu Bao-jie, Lee Zheng-hao, Wang I-chuan, Yu Pei-chen and Edward Huang.

Democratic Taiwan has stepped up security protections for five prominent political pundits sanctioned by China for spreading "false information," criticizing the move as a violation of the island's democracy ahead of the inauguration of President-Elect Lai Ching-te, Beijing's least-favored candidate in January's elections.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office on Wednesday said it would "punish" Wang I-chuan, who holds a high-ranking position in the island's ruling Democratic Progressive Party, Taoyuan city councilor Yu Pei-chen, New Taipei city council election candidate Lee Zheng-hao, TV talk show host Liu Bao-jie and political commentator Edward Huang.

Chinese officials accused the five, all of whom make regular appearances in Taiwanese media, of "spreading falsehoods and negative information" about China and creating division, but without giving specific examples of their alleged comments.

The move signals that tensions in the region are unlikely to abate with the inauguration of Lai, whose platform is highly similar to that of outgoing Democratic Progressive Party President Tsai Ing-wen.

The commentators' remarks had "deceived some people on the island, incited hostility and confrontation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, and hurt the feelings of compatriots on both sides," Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Chen Binhua told a news conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

While the threatened sanctions -- which will likely mean entry bans for the pundits and their families and bans on doing business with any company associated with them -- are largely symbolic, Chen also took aim at Lai, calling on him to choose between peace with China or "the evil path of provocation and confrontation."

He said the sanctions would be similar to those applied to Taiwan's premier, foreign minister and parliamentary speaker in 2021.

Propaganda and economic pressures

China has refused to deal with Tsai after she rejected the idea that Taiwan is part of China following a landslide election victory in 2016. She was re-elected in another strong victory in 2020, while remaining resistant to Beijing's insistence on "unification."

While Beijing has never ruled out a military invasion to enforce its territorial claim on Taiwan, it has more recently vowed to achieve "peaceful unification" with the island through propaganda and economic pressures.

Last week, it emerged that Taiwanese artists working in China  a highly lucrative market for actors, celebrities and musicians fluent in Mandarin  are routinely required to sign agreements pledging not to oppose Chinas claim on the island if they want their work to be publicly accessible.

Taiwan has never been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party, nor formed part of the 74-year-old Peoples Republic of China, and most of its 23 million people have no wish to give up their sovereignty or democratic way of life to be ruled by China, according to multiple public opinion polls in recent years.

"[Taiwan] is a democratic country where people's freedom of expression is clearly protected by the Constitution, and China has no right to interfere in that," Olivia Lin, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

Lin said the Chinese Communist Party has always dealt with disagreement by using "threats and suppression."

"They're now trying to extend that to Taiwan in violation of our democracy and freedoms, naming and threatening media commentators and their families," Lin said, adding that the move would only fuel distrust of China among Taiwan's 23 million people.

"The government will make every effort to ensure the safety of everyone concerned," Lin said. Interior Minister Lin Yu-chang said in a Facebook post that he had instructed the National Police Agency to ensure the safety of the five media personalities and their families, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported.

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said freedom of speech is protected in Taiwan, and challenged Beijing to deal more confidently with the island's "free, democratic and diverse society."

Highest medal of honor

Lee Cheng-hao laughed off the sanctions at the start of his show on Wednesday, saying, My phone exploded with messages when I was on my way into the studio this morning. This is unbelievable!

Meanwhile, Yu described China's sanctions in a Facebook post as "the highest medal of honor."

"The commie Taiwan Affairs Office finally put me on its blacklist!" he wrote, thanking the "enemy forces" for the validation, and vowing to continue to "fight communism and love Taiwan forever."

China's sanctions come after the Mainland Affairs Council warned Taiwanese to reconsider non-essential travel to China in the wake of a slew of national security legislation that it said could put them at risk of detention, interrogation and imprisonment.

"Taiwanese citizens are constantly at high risk of mainland Chinese authorities determining that they have crossed a national security red line," it said in a May 9 statement on its website.

"There have been several instances in recent years in which Taiwanese citizens were falsely accused of offenses against national security during their visits to China," the statement warned. "They were subsequently tried, imprisoned, and some of them were even sentenced to 'deprivation of political rights,' a punishment that prevents Taiwanese citizens from returning to Taiwan despite the completion of their prison sentence."

Since amendments to the Counter-Espionage Law took effect last July, some Taiwanese citizens traveling to China for religious, academic or business purposes have "experienced prolonged interrogations or inspections of their electronic devices such as cellphones and computers at the airport; some of them were subjected to detention or interrogation after entering mainland China," the statement said.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Joshua Lipes.
The US will send an unofficial delegation as Taiwans president is sworn in next week.

Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the importance of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries in talks on Thursday with his Russian counterpart, Vladmir Putin, while highlighting the importance of the political settlement of disputes.

Xis comments come just days before the inauguration of a new government in self-ruled Taiwan, which China has threatened to take by force if it moves to declare independence.

We are committed to promoting the political settlement of hot-spot issues for the purpose of fairness and justice, Xi told reporters after talks with Putin, Chinas Xinhua News Agency reported.

In todays world, the cold war mentality persists, and unilateral hegemony, confrontation of camps and power politics threaten world peace and the security of all countries.

It was not immediately clear if Xi and Putin directly discussed the Taiwan issue, which was a topic of discussion between them when they met in October last year.

While China hasnt supplied Russia with arms for use in Ukraine, it has supported it diplomatically, attributing threats to Russias security to the West. China has also condemned Western sanctions on Russia.

In return, Russia has consistently expressed support for Beijing on matters concerning Taiwan.

Commenting on Russias invasion of Ukraine, the Chinese leader said the two sides agreed that a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis was the right way forward.

Chinas position on this issue has been consistent and clear, including adherence to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, respect for the legitimate security concerns of all parties, and the building of a new, balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture, Xi said.

The meeting between Xi and Putin came ahead of the inauguration of William Lai Ching-te as Taiwans next president on May 20. The United States is sending an unofficial delegation, including two former government officials, to attend the inauguration.

Beijing has labeled Lai, who was elected in January, a dangerous separatist and has rejected his repeated offers for talks. China considers the island its territory, a position the government in Taipei strongly rejects.

The U.S. delegation will not only convey congratulations from the American people to the president-elect Lai and the Taiwanese people but also emphasize the U.S. longstanding commitment in maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, said the American Institute in Taiwan, which represents U.S. interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties.

Xi also stressed the importance of enhancing diplomatic ties with Russia, development strategies and bilateral cooperation to bring greater benefits to the two countries and peoples.

The Chinese leader expressed his readiness to work with Putin to jointly steer the future direction of bilateral relations and make new plans for cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

Edited by Mike Firn.
The US separately issued sanctions against 5 Russian entities for transferring weapons from Pyongyang.

Han Jiho, Jin Chunji, Xu Haoran and Zhonghua laundered money for the North Korean regime, in violation of U.S. and UN sanctions, through illegal telework employment with U.S. companies, announced in a US State Department Twitter post May 16, 2024.

The United States on Thursday charged an American citizen, a Ukrainian citizen and three North Koreans with fraud over an elaborate scam that used identity theft to trick businesses into remotely hiring North Korean IT workers.

An unsealed indictment from the Department of Justice alleged that the group stole the identities of more than 60 Americans between 2020 and 2023 to secure telework jobs for North Koreans at U.S. companies. The scheme allegedly raised nearly $7 million for Pyongyang.

The indictment says 49-year-old Christina Marie Chapman of Litchfield Park, Arizona, facilitated the scheme to help the North Koreans secure remote jobs, in some cases receiving laptops on their behalf and helping them connect to their employers IT networks.

Chapman engaged in a scheme that compromised more than 60 identities of U.S. persons, impacted more than 300 U.S. companies,  created false tax liabilities for more than 35 U.S. persons, and resulted in at least $6.8 million of revenue to be generated for the overseas IT workers, the unsealed indictment alleges.

She was charged with a series of criminal offenses including conspiracy to defraud the United States, to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering, it says.

A wakeup call

The Ukrainian national, 27-year-old Oleksandr Didenko of Kyiv, allegedly ran an online service called UpWorkSell, through which he sold false identities of real U.S. citizens that the North Korean workers used to secure jobs with unsuspecting companies in America.

Didenko knew that some of his customers were North Korean, according to a press release from the Department of Justice, which also said Didenko was already apprehended by U.S. authorities.

The three North Koreans are named as Jiho Han, Haoran Xu and Chunji Jin, but the indictment says the names are likely aliases. They were allegedly supervised by a fourth man named Zhonghua.

The indictments should be a wakeup call for American companies and government agencies that employ remote IT workers, especially since the North Korean workers likely stole proprietary information from their employers, said U.S. Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri.

Akil Davis, the special agent in charge of the FBIs office in Phoenix, added that the indictment showed Pyongyangs shifting strategy.

That a woman living her quiet life in the outskirts of Phoenix can allegedly get so entangled in something like this clearly indicates our adversaries are getting more sophisticated and stealthier, he said.

North Korean weapons

The State Department issued a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the capture of the North Koreans accused of taking part in the remote work scheme, and said they were raising funds specifically for North Koreas weapons programs.

The workers are linked to the DPRKs Munitions Industry Department, which oversees the development of the DPRKs ballistic missiles, weapons production, and research and development programs, it said, using an acronym for the official name of the North Korean state.

The United States on Thursday also issued sanctions against five Russian entities accused of facilitating weapons transfers from North Korea to Russia amid Moscow and Pyongyangs burgeoning military alliance as Russia looks for support in its war in Ukraine.

Russia has already used upwards of 40 DPRK-produced ballistic missiles against Ukraine, as well as munitions, the State Department said, calling the transfers a wide-ranging threat to global security and a direct contravention of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Russia has increasingly relied upon the DPRK for munitions to wage its war on Ukraine and has fired dozens of DPRK-supplied ballistic missiles against targets in Ukraine, the statement said, adding that the sanctions highlight our opposition to continued arms transfers.
This recent undated picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) via KNS on May 13, 2024 shows North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (bottom L) testing a sniper rifle during a visit to a national defense industrial enterprise at an undisclosed location in North Korea. An official with the Korea Defense Network noted that not only was Kim holding the weapon incorrectly, but sniper rifles have stronger recoil than other types of rifles, such that if Kim had shot with that grip, the recoil would have driven the barrel sharply upward

North Korean state media released photos showing leader Kim Jong Un firing a sniper rifle, but experts pointed out that he held the gun incorrectly and doubted he hit the paper target dead center five times like one picture seemed to indicate.

The photos were taken during Kims visit to an unspecified defense industry enterprise last weekend, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Monday.

Kim said the rifles performance was world-class, according to the KCNA piece.

The modernization of the production process of defense industry enterprises is working at an even higher-level each day, he raved.

The photos were likely intended to enhance Kims image by implying he is a sharpshooter.

This recent undated picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) via KNS on May 13, 2024 shows North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un's target after testing a sniper rifle during a visit to a national defense industrial enterprise at an undisclosed location in North Korea. (STR/KCNA VIA KNS/AFP)

As part of the propaganda surrounding his personality cult, one North Korean book declared that Kim was shooting when he was 3 years old, and by age 9, he satisfied his father, Kim Jong-il, by hitting 10 targets within 3 seconds.

But a military expert was quick to point out that his posture and grip in the photos was entirely wrong.

Anyone who has been trained to shoot will know that it is false that Chairman Kims five shots hit the target, Lee Il-woo, secretary-general of the South Korea-based Korea Defense Network, said in a phone call with RFA Korean.

This recent undated picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) via KNS on May 13, 2024 shows North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (bottom L) testing a sniper rifle during a visit to a national defense industrial enterprise at an undisclosed location in North Korea. An official with the Korea Defense Network noted that not only was Kim holding the weapon incorrectly, but sniper rifles have stronger recoil than other types of rifles, such that if Kim had shot with that grip, the recoil would have driven the barrel sharply upward. (STR/KCNA VIA KNS/AFP)

Sniper rifles have a stronger recoil than other types of guns, and require a particular grip. If Kim had shot the rifle with the grip in the photo, the recoil would have driven the barrel sharply upward, causing him to miss the target, according to Lee.

Even at close range, if you shoot like that, the gun bounces upward, said Lee. I definitely think he held the gun incorrectly and I dont think he ever received sniper training.

Low resolution

Of the 29 photos released by KCNA, 11 were partially blurred to conceal either peoples faces or equipment.

The photos as provided by the North Korean government were of low resolution, preventing further detailed examination for RFA to independently verify if they had also been digitally manipulated beyond the blurring of faces.

This recent undated picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) via KNS on May 13, 2024 shows North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (bottom L) testing a sniper rifle during a visit to a national defense industrial enterprise at an undisclosed location in North Korea. An official with the Korea Defense Network noted that not only was Kim holding the weapon incorrectly, but sniper rifles have stronger recoil than other types of rifles, such that if Kim had shot with that grip, the recoil would have driven the barrel sharply upward. (STR/KCNA VIA KNS/AFP)

The blurring was apparently done to avoid sanctions, Jeffrey Lewis, a professor at the East Asia Nonproliferation Project at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies said on X.

Someone doesn't want us to identify his imported Chinese robot arms, he posted on X, implying that weapons or equipment were likely imported from China.

Lee said the blurred faces are a precaution so that sanctions are not brought up against specific people.

Sanctions are imposed after identifying the personal information of people in North Koreas Second Economic Committee and the Ministry of Munitions Industry, he said.

These people have to travel back and forth overseas to open accounts and conduct transactions because they need to procure parts and other technologies, he said. That would become difficult if they were identified.

Translated by Claire S. Lee. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.
UPDATED on May 16, 2024 at 2:33 p.m. ET

A Southeast Asian envoy has met Myanmars junta leader to discuss a peaceful resolution to its problems, a junta controlled newspaper reported on Thursday, but a shadow government opposed to military rule said there could be no solution without its involvement.

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, has been trying to help fellow member Myanmar end bloody turmoil sparked by a 2021 military coup but Myanmars junta has largely shunned its efforts.

ASEAN Special Envoy Alounkeo Kittikhoun met junta chief Min Aung Hliang for talks in the capital, Naypyidaw, on Wednesday. ASEAN Secretary General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn and ASEAN Humanitarian Aid Coordination Center Executive Director Lee Yam Ming took part in the meeting, the Myanma Alin newspaper reported.

The ASEAN envoy and Myanmars top general discussed which issues the bloc would assist in, finding a peaceful resolution to the current situation and the possibility of ASEAN-Myanmar cooperation, it said.

Myanmars crisis has raised questions about the effectiveness of the 10-member grouping in tackling problems in a region where both China and the United States compete for influence.

ASEAN has drawn up a five-point peace plan aimed at ending the violence and promoting dialogue. The plan includes talks with leaders of all sides, including the imprisoned democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi. But she remains in jail while fighting between junta forces and insurgents opposed to military rule has intensified.

While ASEAN has excluded Myanmars leaders from most of its summits some members, including neighbors Thailand and current ASEAN chair Laos, have engaged with the junta. Others, however, have condemned the Myanmar military for the coup and subsequent crackdowns on dissent.

The ASEAN humanitarian center has overseen a Thai aid delivery to Myanmar, raising the possibility of an expanded cross-border humanitarian role for the grouping.

A spokesperson for Myanmars shadow National Unity Government, which claims the right to represent the country on an international level, dismissed the latest ASEAN effort as doomed, saying the military would not heed ASEANs peace plan.

If they meet and hold a one-sided talk with the military council, nothing will happen, said Nay Phone Latt, a representative of the organizations prime ministers office. It is also necessary for ASEAN representatives to meet and discuss with ethnic armed groups, [and] the National Unity Government, which are the main players in Myanmar.

Envoy Kittikhoun held talks with the NUGs foreign minister, Zin Mar Aung, following his first visit to Myanmar in January.

Pro-democracy activists loyal to the NUG have formed militias in various parts of the country to fight the military in cooperation with ethnic minority insurgent groups that have been battling for self-determination for decades.

Junta forces have faced setbacks in several places since their opponents launched offensives late last year while the fighting has displaced about 3 million people.

The ASEAN envoy and the junta chief also discussed humanitarian assistance while the military explained its strategy to prepare for promised elections, the newspaper reported.

Political analyst Sai Kyi Zin Soe told Radio Free Asia it was not clear how much talks brokered by international parties such as ASEAN could really help Myanmar.

The international assumption is that issues in Myanmar could be resolved through dialogue, he said. Thats why it is urging the military council to meet and discuss. But we will have to wait and see how far that would help in practice.

Leading role

The meetings were prompted by the Thai governments suggestion that the three ASEAN rotating chairpersons take the lead on the Myanmar issue, following intense fighting in the Thai-Myanmar border trade town of Myawaddy last April.

A political analyst and a columnist, speaking anonymously for security reasons, told RFA that it could be linked to Thailand's proposals.

"Regarding Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and others, the ASEAN countries are each pursuing their own approaches. What they want is the five-point plan of ASEAN, and to implement these. That's their shared goal."

San Aung, political activist based in Thailand, told RFA that however, the rotating chairman of ASEAN, which is influenced by China, will not be able to provide an effective solution to the Myanmar issue.

"The current chairmanship belongs to Lao. Laos is already struggling with debt from China. Given the circumstances where they may feel compelled to align with Chinas proposals, their autonomy is limited. Under these conditions, we should not expect too much from ASEAN."

He also said that this is not the first instance where consecutive military coups in Myanmar have failed to yield an effective solution from ASEAN.

Political analyst Sai Kyi Zin Soe told RFA that the international community, including ASEAN and the United Nations, believes that the Myanmar issue can only be resolved through dialogue.

"The international assumption is that issues in Myanmar could be resolved through dialogue. That is why they are urging the military council to meet and discuss. But we will have to wait and see how far that would help in practice.

A spokesperson for Myanmars shadow National Unity Governments Prime Minister's Office, Nay Phone Latt, told RFA that the Myanmar issue cannot be resolved just by meeting with the military council.

"If they meet and hold a one-sided talk with the military council, nothing will happen. It is also necessary for ASEAN representatives to meet and discuss with ethnic armed groups, (and) the National Unity Government, which are the main players in Myanmar."

He added that the military council will not follow the five-point plan of ASEAN without practical action, so it should be done with effective measures.

As per the joint declaration of the NUG and the three ethnic armed groups, it is founded on the principles such as terminating the involvement of the military in politics, abolishing the 2008 Constitution, establishing a federal union, and ensuring justice throughout the transitional period.

A former military officer and political analyst who preferred not to be named for security reasons, told RFA that the recent meeting might focus on humanitarian aid and electoral issues.

Maybe it's about humanitarian aid. Additionally, ASEAN can urge (the military council) about the election issue. Dialogue proves to be more challenging for the military government compared to elections.

This marks the second visit of the ASEAN Special Representative to Myanmar. During his initial visit on January 10, he met with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, ethnic armed groups in discussions regarding peace with the military council, as well as representatives from some political parties.

Despite ongoing efforts from ASEAN's rotating chairmanship countries: Brunei, Cambodia and Indonesia, to address the Myanmar crisis over the past three years, none have succeeded in finding a resolution. Furthermore, they have been unable to secure a meeting with imprisoned democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi.
Some towns are now deserted after being bombed by jets or burned by junta troops.

Residents who fled the raids by Myanmar junta troops take refuge in a wooded ara of Kanbalu township in northwestern Myanmar's Sagaing region, March 27, 2024. The boy's face has been blurred to protect his identity.

UPDATED on May 16, 2024 at 3:40 p.m. ET

Intensifying conflict in Myanmars civil war has displaced more than 3 million civilians, according to the United Nations resident coordinator in the Southeast Asian country.

Since October 2023, when rebel groups began a coordinated offensive against the military junta, a growing number of people have been forced to flee their homes, according to a statement issued May 3 by the office of Marcoluigi Corsi, the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator in Myanmar.

The number of internally displaced persons, or IDPs, has jumped 50% in the past six months, it said.

Myanmar stands at the precipice in 2024 with a deepening humanitarian crisis that has spiraled since the military takeover in February 2021 and the consequent conflicts in many parts of the country, driving record numbers of people to abandon their homes seeking safety, the statement said.

About one-third of the displaced are children whose education has been disrupted, it said.

Myanmars widespread humanitarian crisis has left a total of 18.6 million people in need, 1 million more than in 2023, the U.N. statement said. Those in need make up more than one-third of Myanmar's 54 million people.

Chin state in the west, Sagaing region in the north and Magway region in the central part of the country have the highest number of IDPs at nearly 1.5 million people, it said.

Some towns deserted

Many people have been unable to return to their homes because of air attacks and the raiding and torching of villages by junta soldiers.

The town of Kawkareik in Kayin state, in the southeast, is now deserted after months of fierce fighting between junta troops and the rebel Karen National Liberation Army and allied forces, former residents said.

The conflict is widespread, making access to rice and food incredibly challenging, one person said.

The war has prevented the normal delivery of food and goods via main thoroughfares, so prices went up when they had to be transported along rough forest roads, he said.

Residents from the northern part of Salingyi township in northwestern Myanmar's Sagaing region flee amid raids conducted by Myanmar junta toops, March 29, 2024. Their faces have been blurred to protect their identity. (Chindwin River Bank Villages Strike Committee)

A hospital in southern Kawkareik has been unable to open because of the fighting, and junta forces dropped a bomb on a monastery in Myo Haung village where many people had sought shelter, killing one monk and injuring area residents, the person said.

Kawkareik residents have had to seek refuge in forests, monasteries and homes of acquaintances, he added.

Few jobs

In northwestern Myanmar's Sagaing region, a resident of Salingyi township who has lived in a camp for almost a year after his village was burned down said jobs there are scarce.

Venturing to Monywa, Sagaings largest city, for work entails the risk of encountering junta soldiers, especially for young men who may be conscripted by them to work as porters, he said.

This situation makes it challenging to secure food and sustenance, he said.

There is an urgent need for more international assistance for IDPs who cant return home, said Phoo Pwint Wai of the Anyar Pyit Taing Htaung Lay Myar Group, which helps displaced civilians in several townships in Sagaing region.

International assistance becomes imperative in such dire situations, he said. While there are instances where aid is available, it often falls short of meeting the widespread need for support.

Displaced people also are facing heightened health risks, such as flu outbreaks and diarrhea, exacerbated by the scorching weather, along with the scarcity of clean drinking water.

Because the rainy season will soon arrive, people are in need of shelter, clothing and medicine, he said.

Water shortage causes deaths

Western Myanmar's Rakhine state, where in November the ethnic Arakan Army ended a ceasefire that had been in place since the 2021 military coup, has been particularly hard hit by a lack of clean water, according to residents, who said those in rural areas are forced to drink from ponds.

More than 100 villages in northern Rakhine's townships of Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw and Mrauk-U are dealing with shortages, and at least three people at an IDP camp in Ponnagyun's Myat Hle village died in April after drinking unhygienic water and contracting diarrhea, they said.

Aung Myint, in charge of the camp, told RFA that an additional 100 IDPs are suffering from diarrhea.

"Three IDPs died of diarrhea and vomiting," he said. "Unhygienic water and unclean toilets were the cause of the deaths."

The juntas Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement told Radio Free Asia to contact the Department of Disaster Management for comment on the situation of IDPs across the country. However, RFA could not reach the department.

The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management of the shadow National Unity Government supports nearly 300,000 displaced people monthly and extends assistance to up to 350,000 during emergencies, Win Myat Aye, who heads the ministry, said in April.

He said regular monthly support for displaced people was not consistently available because of their growing number.

Translated by Kalyar Lwin for RFA Burmese. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.

This story has been updated to include information about a water shortage affecting IDPs in Rakhine state.
Karenni State Interim Executive Council Chairman Khu Oo Reh (left); Karen National Union (KNU) Chairman P'doh Saw Kwe Htoo Win (middle) and Japanese Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Masahiro Komura (right) met on May 14, 2024.

A senior Japanese official met with the representatives from several of Myanmars ethnic armed organizations in Tokyo on Tuesday in a rare high-level meeting between anti-junta forces and a foreign power.

Karen National Union Chairman P'doh Saw Kwe Htoo Win and Karenni State Interim Executive Council Chairman Khu Oo Reh, who is also the chairman of Karenni National Progressive Party, or KNPP, as well as several others, met with Japans Masahiro Komura, a parliamentary vice minister for foreign affairs.

A statement from Japans Ministry of Foreign affairs said that during the 20-minute meeting Komura expressed that the Government of Japan would continue its efforts to find a way out of the current impasse through dialogue with various stakeholders in Myanmar.

Aung San Myint, KNPP secretary and one of the meeting attendees, told Radio Free Asia that the discussion focused on Japans humanitarian support for those displaced by ongoing fighting.

We mainly discussed cooperation, especially in delivering humanitarian assistance for war-displaced persons across our state. We talked about possible assistance for education, healthcare and humanitarian aid.

Nikkei Asia reported that a delegation comprising representatives KNU, KNPP and Chin National Front, as well as the shadow National Unity Government  former civilian leaders in hiding or in exile  also met with members of Japans parliament during a weeklong mission that began May 10.

KNU spokespeople declined to comment, while calls to junta spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun went unanswered.

Kyaw Zaw Han, a researcher on national security, said this type of mission to Japan represented the shifting realities of the situation in Myanmar.

If rebel forces continue to take over areas formerly held by the military junta, they will increasingly have to turn to the international community for support in governing on the ground.

"The revolutionary forces need to consider more talks depending on their ongoing power and status. The result of international intervention will also depend on the Myanmar junta. It is quite early to make judgment on the possible impacts, he explained.

In late March, U.S. State Department Counselor Derek Chollet met with leaders of the Kachin Independence Organization, Karen National Union, Karenni National Progressive Party and Chin National Front and discussed steps for the international community to expand assistance to those in need, he wrote on X.

More recently, Thailands powerful former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, in March and April met with the leaders of several armed ethnic groups.

Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for the National Unity Government, said that the meeting between ethnic armed groups representatives and international officials represented progress for their anti-junta movement.

We will also try to build up a federal system. In the federal democracy union, the relevant ethnic groups will stand as the important stakeholders in respective states. So the meeting of these stakeholders and international leaders is a good sign.

Translated by Aung Naing. Edited by Abby Seiff and Malcolm Foster.
As youth flee the country to avoid draft, junta troops have kidnapped 350 young men to join the army.

Thailand has placed no restrictions on educational visas for Myanmar nationals, its foreign ministry said Wednesday, despite reports of students being rejected on the grounds that they must apply from outside the country.

Claims of changes to Thailands educational visa application process follow the imposition of a military draft by Myanmars junta aimed at shoring up troop shortages brought on by losses to rebel forces. Many of those eligible for conscription have fled Myanmars cities for rebel-held territory or leave the country, rather than fight for the junta.

Last week, reports surfaced that education visas would no longer be issued to Myanmar nationals who plan to attend Thai language schools. That prompted speculation that Thailand had taken this step to keep Myanmar citizens from flooding into the country.

When RFA Burmese contacted the Thai Embassy in Yangon, officials said the Thai government had made no policy changes to the educational visas for Myanmar nationals wanting to study in Thailand. All visas are available to applicants, provided they can submit the required documents, it said.

But students, visa servicing agents and schools in Thailand told RFA that the Immigration Bureau had rejected applications from Myanmar citizens who were enrolled in schools and universities in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai.

Kidnapped to join army

Meanwhile, reports are spreading that junta troops are abducting young men for conscription.

On Tuesday, residents and members of the Peoples Defense Force, or PDF, in Myanmars Magway region told RFA that in the month and a half from the beginning of April to mid-May, junta troops arrested more than 350 draft-eligible men in the townships of Natmauk, Aunglan and Yenangchaung. The detainees were sent to nearby military schools for training, they said.

Residents told RFA that in several cases no summons or arrest warrants were issued, and junta troops collaborated with administrative and district clerks to compile lists [of young men to detain] themselves.

Some of the young men were released after paying money to the troops, they said, although it was not clear whether the payment was a bribe or a fine.

RFA tried to reach Myo Myint, the juntas minister of social affairs and spokesperson for Magway region, and junta spokesperson Maj. General Zaw Min Tun for comment on the arrests, but was unable to do so.

Student visas

Myanmar nationals learning Thai, English and other languages have long used language schools in Thailand to apply for one-year student visas after entering the country on a tourist visa.

Some universities will sponsor students for a four-year visa, depending on the program, according to Burmese residents in Thailand.

There are more than 34,000 international students in Thailand, according to the countrys Ministry of Higher Education. While more than 21,000 are from China, those from Myanmar rank second, at more than 3,700.

In screenshots from a video, people who appear to be Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state undergo weapons training by junta military personnel on March 10, 2024. (Citizen journalist)

While the exact number of Burmese applicants for educational visas is unknown, thousands are believed to have applied for the one-year educational visa at the Chiang Mai Immigration Bureau.

One young Burmese student who inquired about his educational visa application to Chiang Mai University and six other private language schools was told that he could not apply within Thailand.

Instead, school officials said, he would need to apply for the visa by presenting school recommendation letters to Thailands embassies in neighboring countries such as Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. Like others interviewed for this report, he asked to remain anonymous due to security concerns.

While the schools said they had not received an official directive from Thailands Immigration Bureau outlining restrictions on educational visas, the application process had been changed, likely due to the ongoing political situation in Myanmar. They said it was unclear when the policy might be reversed.

Some visa service agents RFA spoke with also said that despite a lack of a formal notice, the Immigration Bureau had given instructions outlining the new visa restrictions.

Attempts by RFA to contact Thailands Immigration Bureau via email and telephone for more details went unanswered.

Conflicting reports

RFA also received conflicting reports about whether the restrictions were gender-based. Some students and schools said that only men are required to apply outside of Thailand, while women could continue to apply within the country.

But a young Burmese woman studying language at a Buddhist university in Chiang Mai said that her application was rejected and she was told to leave the country to reapply.

I was advised to reapply in one of four foreign countries, she said. This policy [of visa restrictions] covers both males and females. While the schools will support all the required documents [to apply outside of the country], I am still waiting to get them.

A male student named Thura, who is living in Chiang Mai, told RFA that it has always been easier to apply for a student visa outside Thailand.

I have experience applying for the visa both inside and outside Thailand, he said. My school gave me a document to apply for my visa abroad. I applied on my own, outside Thailand, as I could not do it inside Thailand. This was the educational visa application process in Thailand previously and it's the same as the current policy.

Amid reports of the student visa restrictions in Thailand, the Chiang Mai Immigration Bureau announced Tuesday that authorities had arrested 27 Myanmar nationals living in the city without legal documentation.

Police raided six locations where foreign workers were staying in Changklan sub-district on Monday and arrested those who did not have valid residence permits, the bureau said.

Attempts to reach the Chiang Mai Immigration Bureau for comment on the arrests went unanswered Wednesday.

Translated by Aung Naing and Kalyar Lwin. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.
Analysts say the trip by opposition legislators may be aimed at putting pressure on the new government.

Members of the Taiwanese coast guard on Taiping island, also known as Itu Aba, in the South China Sea, November 29, 2016.

A group of 20 Taiwanese lawmakers is set to arrive at disputed Taiping island in the South China Sea on Saturday on a visit likely to provoke protests from some of Taiwans neighbors.

Taiwan has occupied the island, also known as Itu Aba since 1956, but it is also claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines and China.

The group of legislators from the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan Peoples Party plans to spend a morning on the island to declare sovereignty, inspect newly developed facilities such as a harbor and typhoon shelter, and greet troops stationed there, according to the head of the delegation, Ma Wen-chun.

Ma, who co-chairs the legislatures Foreign and National Defense Committee, wrote on her Facebook page on Thursday that the Republic of China (Taiwan) has always stood firm in protecting Taiping island and that its sovereignty was irrevocable.

She criticized the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for failing to support calls for President Tsai Ing-wen to visit Taiping island before she leaves office.

No DPP legislator has registered to join Saturdays trip.

Message to DPP

The Taiping visit takes place just two days before Tsais successor, Lai Ching-te, is sworn in as president on May 20.

The trip is aimed at sending a defiant message about Taiwans sovereignty to the DPP, said Lin Ying-yu, an assistant professor at Tamkang Universitys Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies.

The opposition wants to convey the criticism that the DPPs stance is too weak in defending the sovereignty over our islands, Lin told Radio Free Asia.

(Google Maps)





Taiping  the largest of the naturally formed features within the Spratly archipelago  is 1,600 km (994 miles) from Taiwans Kaohsiung city, 380 km (205 miles) from Palawan island in the Philippines and 580 km (360 miles) from Vietnams central coast.

As both Vietnam and the Philippines also claim the island, they are likely to protest the visit, Lin said.

Vietnams ministry of foreign affairs did not immediately respond to RFAs inquiries.

A Vietnamese political scientist, Huynh Tam Sang from Vietnam National University, said that the KMT was trying to put pressure on the DPP and incoming President Lai.

The fact that the DPP has remained muted over this contentious territorial issue opens the door for the KMT to boost its profile at home, Sang told RFA.

The visit by Taiwanese lawmakers would undoubtedly be met with some protests from Vietnam, the analyst said, adding that it would be more symbolic and diplomatic rather than an angry resolute response as Hanoi has no interest in fueling this issue.

Due to the mutual benefits of strong economic ties, increasing investments from Taiwan, and an influx of Vietnamese migrant workers to Taiwan, Hanoi has a vested interest in keeping relations amicable with Taipei, Sang added.

The Philippines may adopt a similar approach amid Chinas increased aggression in the South China Sea, analysts said. There are 155,000 Filipino migrant workers in Taiwan, accounting for 21% of the total foreign workforce.

Taiwan's then-president Ma Ying-jeou visited Taiping island on Jan. 28, 2016. (Taiwan Presidential Office)





President Tsai has not been to Taiping during her two terms in office but Presidents Chen Shui-bian and Ma Ying-jeou visited the island in 2008 and 2016, respectively. Vietnam protested strongly both times, calling the visits serious violations of Vietnams sovereignty and demanding Taiwan immediately stop its wrongful actions.

Edited by Mike Firn and Taejun Kang.








Chinese police argue with Tibetans protesting the seizure of their pasture land in Markham county, western China's Tibet Autonomous Region, April 10, 2024.

Tibetans who protested the seizure of their pasture land by Chinese authorities in Markham county in April have been subjected to a series of political education sessions after they were accused of protesting for political reasons, two sources with knowledge of the situation said.

Area officials are also preventing the Tibetans from petitioning higher authorities in Chamdo, a city in the eastern part of the Tibet Autonomous Region, for fair compensation for their land, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

County officials have misled higher-ranking officials in Chamdo and in Tibets capital Lhasa into thinking that the protest by Tibetan residents was political in nature, rather than an appeal against the land grab, said the first source.

[They] have used that as an excuse to organize a series of political education sessions in the area, he said.

Chinese police argue with Tibetans protesting the seizure of their pasture land in Markham county, western China's Tibet Autonomous Region, April 10, 2024. (Citizen journalist)

In early April, 25 Tibetan families from Taktsa village in Markham county learned their land had been sold without their knowledge to businessmen by county officials, when the new owners sent people to clear it.

Four Tibetans were arrested April 10 for protesting the land grab and later released on April 16, but they were beaten while in detention.

Chinese authorities in the Tibet Autonomous Region and in Tibetan-populated areas of nearby Chinese provinces often ignore residents concerns about mining and land grabs by local officials, who routinely rely on force to subdue those who complain or protest, according to human rights groups.

Rejecting low compensation

In April, the Tibetans rejected 3,000 yuan (US$415) in individual compensation that was belatedly offered to them by Chinese authorities, saying the amount was too low for the pasture land that had been sold by Chinese county officials to businessmen in 2023.

Since then, the Tibetans have had to attend a series of political education sessions, with more than 30 Chinese county officials from various departments visiting the area over the past month, said the two sources.

Chinese authorities in Markham county also announced a reward for information that could help them identify an individual who shared news of the land grab protest with outside parties, the sources said.

This is the first time we have seen such rigorous political education sessions and monitoring in the area, with so many levels of officials visiting the place to conduct group political education sessions and going door-to-door, said the second source.

On April 16, the Luoni Township Party Committee, where the village is located, organized a Chinese Communist Party discipline study and political education meeting with over 30 Chinese officials. They included members of the township party committee, all party members of directly affiliated branches, at-home cadres, temple management committees, police stations, health centers and school administrators.

Chinese police argue with Tibetans protesting the seizure of their pasture land in Markham county, western China's Tibet Autonomous Region, April 10, 2024. (Citizen journalist)

Following the meeting, members of the Chinese Working Affairs Committee visited each family in their homes to provide political education, the second source said.

They told the Tibetans that the Chinese government would address any problems they faced, but that they couldnt share information with people living outside Tibet because it would compromise national dignity and reflect poorly on the Chinese Communist Party, thereby constituting a criminal act, the second source said.

Police monitoring

Since the protest, around 10 policemen have been deployed to patrol the area day and night to monitor the Tibetans activities, the sources said.

Instead of addressing the core problem, Chinese authorities are using political maneuvers and have prevented local Tibetans from appealing their case in Chamdo, said the first source.

The first source said the land taken from the Tibetans is 1.5 kilometers (one mile) long and covers an area of 1 square kilometer (0.4 square miles), and is worth about 5 million yuan, or US$692,000.

Officials told the residents to accept their offer of 3,000 Chinese yuan each without protest or face imprisonment for noncompliance.

The Chinese police and Markham county officials are now threatening the Tibetans by labeling the protests as political in nature and intimidating locals about likely consequences, given that protests of a political nature amount to a criminal offense, the sources said.

Translated by Tenzin Dickyi for RFA Tibetan. Edited by Tenzin Pema for RFA Tibetan, and by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
The inmates said their health was suffering because of harsh conditions.

Two political prisoners in Vietnams Gia Trung Prison have finally been given health checkups after almost a year of requests, their families told Radio Free Asia.

Luu Van Vinh is serving a 15-year sentence for activities aimed at overthrowing the government while Huynh Minh Tam is serving eight years for conducting anti-state propaganda.

Vinhs wife, Le Thi Thap, said her husband told her the two were only allowed to be examined at Gia Lai Provincial General Hospital because no other prisoners had applied.

She said examination results showed her husband had bone and joint disease, while Tam needed treatment for toothache.

Vinh told his wife prisoners health was suffering because of the harsh conditions in the prison. He said inmates refused to eat the pork served at mealtimes because it smelled bad. He added the detention areas had no shade and the tiny cells were only cooled by small fans, which made the summer heat unbearable.

RFA Vietnamese called Gia Trung Prison to verify the information but no one answered the phone.

Tran Thi Ngoc Xuan (left) and Huynh Thuc Vy. (Family photographs/RFA edit)





Female prisoners at Gia Trung also complained about the conditions, saying they had to live with the smell of raw sewage.

Two of the women, Tran Thi Ngoc Xuan and Huynh Thuc Vy, share a cell, with Xuan serving a 13-year prison sentence for subversion over her involvement in the U.S.-based Dao Minh Quan exile organization. Vy was sentenced to 33 months for insulting the national flag.

During a visit from relatives this month, Xuan said her cell was heavily affected by the smell from a nearby wastewater pipe.

During a recent meeting with Xuan at Gia Trung Prison, I noticed that her health was not very good, her skin was pale, said a relative who didnt want to give their name for fear of reprisals.

She said the cell was near a wastewater discharge point and the stench was so unpleasant that she couldnt sleep at night. During the day, whenever possible, she had to leave the cell to go to a place with fresher air.

The relative said the two prisoners have been reporting the problem for two years but the prison had done nothing about it.

Translated by RFA Vietnamese. Edited by Mike Firn and Taejun Kang.
Truong Thi Mai was the fifth most powerful politician in the country.

Truong Thi Mai (C) poses with other newly elected Politburo members at the closing ceremony of the 8-day-long national congress of the party in Hanoi on January 28, 2016.

The only female member of Vietnams Politburo has stepped down, state media reported Thursday.

The Politburo accepted Truong Thi Mais resignation, saying the Central Inspection Committee found there were a number of violations and shortcomings in her work, VNExpress reported.

Mais departure comes after this years resignation of the chairman of the National Assembly, Vuong Dinh Hue, and President Vo Van Thuong over unspecified allegations of wrongdoing, as well as a widening anti-corruption campaign. Three of the five most senior positions in Vietnamese politics are now unfilled.

Thursdays decision came at the opening of the ninth conference of the 13th Party Central Committee. Only three people chaired the conference: Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army General Luong Cuong.

Meanwhile, the communist party announced Thursday it will nominate candidates for president and National Assembly chair, it said in a statement.

The National Assembly will vote on the candidates, who werent named, at a month-long meeting which starts Monday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says the situation in the northeastern region of Kharkiv, where Russian forces have been pressing with a large-scale assault since last week, continues to be very difficult, but it is "generally under control.

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 traveled to Kharkiv on May 16, where he met with military chiefs, including Ukraines top military commander, General Oleksandr Syrskiy, Khortytsia Air Force Base chief Yuriy Sodol, and General Mykhaylo Drapatiy, the newly appointed chief of the Ukrainian defense on the Kharkiv front, with whom he discussed the situation in Vovchansk and Lyptsi, the two areas where heavy fighting has been under way for the past several days.

"As of today, the situation in the Kharkiv region is generally under control, our soldiers are inflicting significant losses on the occupier. But the front there remains extremely difficult -- and we are strengthening our units," Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram.

Vovchansk and Lyptsi, two small towns just 5-10 kilometers away from the border with Russia, have been pounded relentlessly by Russian artillery since Moscow's troops kicked off the offensive in the area on May 10, prompting the evacuation of up to 9,000 civilians. Both towns are also located near Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city with a pre-war population of 1.4 million, which is also an important economic powerhouse.

Military analysts, however, have said that Russian forces do not appear to have the capacity to threaten Kharkiv, with the American Institute for the Study of War, assessing that Moscow's troops advanced no more than 8 kilometers inside Ukraine. Kharkiv is located some 35 kilometers from the border.

British intelligence, meanwhile, has suggested that the Russian push had the primary goal of stretching Kyiv's already depleted forces from other battlefields in the east.

The Ukrainian General Staff reported on May 16 that Ukrainian forces thwarted the plans of the Russian Army to drive deep into the depths of Vovchansk and gain a foothold there. Russian forces tried to storm the area 23 times during the day, according to Radio Donbas Realia, a Radio Liberty project.

Ukrainian units during the day kept the enemy under fire and "as actions continue, the situation is under control," the General Staff said.

U.S. General Christopher Cavoli, NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe, told journalists in Brussels that Russia does not have sufficient forces on the ground to make a major breakthrough in Ukraine.

"The Russians don't have the numbers necessary to do a strategic breakthrough.... More to the point, they don't have the skill and the ability to do it," he said.

"I've been in very close contact with our Ukrainian colleagues, and I'm confident that they will hold the line," Cavoli said after Ukraine's military briefed NATO's top officers.

Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko earlier on May 16 accused Russian forces of detaining and killing civilians who had not managed to evacuate from Vovchansk in time.

"Russian troops attempting to gain a foothold in the town, did not allow residents to evacuate; people began to be kidnapped and driven to basements," Klymenko wrote on Telegram.

"One of the Vovchansk residents tried to flee on foot, refused to follow the commands of the invaders -- the Russians killed him," Klimenko wrote.

Early on May 16, an air raid alert was declared for Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, and several other regions, with the Ukrainian Air Force warning that there was a threat of ballistic missiles fired from Russia.

Russian forces have regularly attacked civilians in Ukraine's regions, killing numerous people, including children, and causing huge damage to civilian and energy infrastructure.

On May 15, two people were killed by Russian shelling in Dnipro, local authorities reported.

Moscow-installed authorities in the Russian-held city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine said late on May 16 that Ukrainian shelling killed four women. The women, ranging in age from roughly 38 to 72, were killed near a public transport stop near a school, they said on Telegram.
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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has praised a border demarcation deal with neighboring Azerbaijan at a cabinet meeting in Yerevan as protesters outside called for his resignation.
One year ago, Hamas -- the U.S.- and EU-designated Palestinian terrorist group that controls the Gaza Strip -- carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel, the deadliest in the countrys history.

In response, Israel launched an aerial bombardment and ground invasion of the Palestinian enclave to destroy Hamas and rescue the 251 hostages taken by the group.

Israel has expanded its war in recent weeks by invading Lebanon and launching air strikes targeting Hezbollah, the armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon.

RFE/RL spoke to Lior Yohanani, manager of quantitative research at the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem-based independent research center, which on October 7 released a wide-ranging survey of Israeli public opinion after one year of war.

RFE/RL: Can you explain what your study found as to how Israelis view the past year since Hamas's October 7 attack?



Lior Yohanani: Well, I think Israelis still don't see October 7 as an event that's over. Sure, the actual horrific events of that day ended, but Israelis are still living with the consequences.

There are two main aspects to this. First, since October 7, Israel has been in this multifront war that doesn't seem to have an end in sight. And then, of course, there is the issue of the hostages still being held in Gaza. So, we're seeing a sharp drop in people's sense of personal security. Almost three quarters of the public feel less safe compared to before October 7, and that's despite a year of war and some significant military achievements. On the flip side, we're also seeing that most people say their lives have returned to normal when it comes to things like work, media consumption, and family and social gatherings.

Another thing we're noticing is that the Israeli public is giving pretty low marks to all the political and military leaders for the performance since October 7. For example, almost two-thirds of Israelis are rating Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu's performance since then as poor or not good.

RFE/RL: How has Israel's involvement in a two-front conflict, in both Gaza and Lebanon, as well as a confrontation with Iran affected public opinion among Israelis?



Yohanani: It's tough to answer that question, because we're at the point where things could go in a few different directions. In the last few weeks, we've seen a major escalation in the conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and just last week, Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, which Israel is expected to respond to. In a survey we just did recently, we asked whether Israeli society and the military could handle fighting on two or more fronts for an extended period of time, and the results were pretty striking. Over 70 percent believe that yes, both Israeli society and the military can handle that kind of prolonged fighting. So, while the situation is complex and evolving, there seems to be a strong sense of resilience and capability among Israelis, even in the face of these multiple threats. But of course, public opinion could shift depending on how events unfold in the coming weeks or months.



RFE/RL: Is there support for Netanyahus response to October 7? Is there debate in Israeli society, as well as political circles, over Netanyahus strategic choices?



Yohanani: First of all, it's important to say that the Israeli public has largely supported significant military operation against Hamas in Gaza. That said, the Israeli discourse around the October 7 events, the ongoing war, and especially toward Prime Minister Netanyahu, is very polarized between right-wing supporters on the one hand and left and center supporters on the other.

People are hoping for a future where Israel can exist without constant threats, rather than expecting a harmonious relationship with its neighbors in the near-term."

So, on the left and the center, there is a high level of distrust and suspicion toward Netanyahu and his government. For instance, Netanyahu's apparent reluctance to pursue a deal for returning the hostages in exchange for ending the fighting in Gaza is seen by large parts of the public, even on the right, as resulting from Netanyahu's dependence on far-right, ultranationalist members of his government who refuse any compromise or ceasefire.

Now for a long time, Netanyahu and his ministers argued that only significant military force would lead Hamas to compromise and release the hostages. Now, with military attention and resources shifting to the north, people are asking, where is this massive military force that was supposed to bring the hostages home?

One question we have asked several times since October 7 in our polls is what should be the main goal in Gaza: Dismantling Hamas or bringing back the hostages? And as time goes on, public opinion is increasingly supporting the return of hostages. In our current survey, 62 percent saw bringing the bringing back the hostages as Israel's main goal, while only 29 percent pointed to dismantling Hamas as the primary objective.

RFE/RL: How do ordinary Israelis see the question of the remaining hostages amid the continued protests by the hostages' families?



Yohanani: As I mentioned before, most of the public supports a deal to release the hostages, even if it means ending the war and withdrawing the military forces from Gaza. There's this widespread feeling that we've left the hostages behind, and that's really hitting at our sense of solidarity, which is a deep and fundamental value, I think, in Jewish history in general and in Israel society in particular.

At the same time, the campaign run by the Hostages And Missing Families Forum has become very politicized. Many right-wing supporters see it as weakening Israel. As time goes on, we're seeing more and more harassment of protesters who support bringing the hostages back. There are cases of passersby cursing, even hitting and throwing eggs, at hostages' families. In our latest survey, we asked about the effectiveness of the protests and actions taken by the hostages' families.

Despite most of the public feeling empathetic toward the hostage issue, only less than a third think these actions are actually helping to advance a deal for the hostages' release, while almost 40 percent think they're actually hurting the cause. So, you've got this complex situation where people want the hostages back, but there is disagreement and some backlash about how to make that happen.

RFE/RL: Can you explain the reasons behind the apparent contradiction in views regarding prioritizing a negotiated return of the hostages, or destroying Hamas?

Yohanani: You're right to point out that apparent contradiction. Let me break it down a bit. As I mentioned earlier, a clear majority of the public sees a deal to release the hostages as the main goal. But there is a big gap between political camps on this issue. In the center and left, about 80 percent support the deal for the hostages' release, while the opinions on the right are evenly split. So, for most of the left and center, the fighting in Gaza has run its course. They feel most military objectives have been achieved, and Hamas's military power has been significantly weakened. From their perspective, continuing the fight now only puts the hostages at greater risk.

It's important to know that about half of the right-wing also shares this view of prioritizing the hostages' release, but the other half of those on the far-right thinks dismantling Hamas is more important.

Why? For a couple of reasons.

First, there's a security stance that Hamas must be wiped out and not allowed to recover. There is also a very strong sentiment of revenge, with minimal consideration for the cost, whether it's the lives of the hostages, soldiers, let alone innocent civilians in Gaza. Another significant component openly discussed in religious nationalist circles is the return of Jewish settlement to the Gaza Strip after Israel evacuated Jewish settlements from there in 2005.

RFE/RL: Is there public confidence that Israel will ultimately be able to remove the threat of Hamas and Hezbollah and come out of this conflict with greater prospects for a peaceful and stable near-term future?



Yohanani: Right now, the Israeli public isn't showing a lot of optimism. In our current survey, when we asked people if they're optimistic or pessimistic about Israel's future, we found more pessimists, 48 percent, than optimists, 45 percent.

I also think it's important to note that a peaceful future, as you put it, or peace in general, isn't really a common concept in the current Israeli discourse. I would say the hope of Israelis is that the military actions against Hezbollah and Iran will lead to a situation where Israel's existence isn't in question, and that Israeli military superiority will prevent events like October 7 from happening again. So, it's less about peace in the traditional sense, and more about security and deterrence. People are hoping for a future where Israel can exist without constant threats, rather than expecting a harmonious relationship with its neighbors in the near-term.
TBILISI -- Georgia's president has called a contentious "foreign agent" law approved by parliament earlier this week "unacceptable" and "not consistent" with the country's path toward Euro-Atlantic institutions.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of the capital, Tbilisi, to protest the government-supported law, which has been condemned by the United States, the European Union, and rights watchdogs for emulating a similar piece of Russian legislation used by President Vladimir Putin to crush dissent and stifle independent institutions.

Its unacceptable because it reflects a turn of the Georgian attitudes towards the civil society, towards the media and towards the recommendations of the European Commission that are not consistent with what is our declared policy of going towards a European integration, President Salome Zurabishvili told the Associated Press in an interview on May 16.

Zurabishvili has pledged to veto the law in the coming days and has warned that Georgia's survival as a state was in danger because of the legilstion, which requires media outlets, NGOs, and other nonprofits to register as "pursuing the interests of a foreign power" if more than 20 percent of their funding comes from abroad.

Zurabishvili, who is at odds with the ruling Georgian Dream party that pushed the legislation through parliament, has 10 days from the day of the vote to exercise her veto powers. However, the dominant position of Georgian Dream and its partners in parliament is strong enough to override a presidential veto.

Similar legislation in Russia has been used to stifle dissent and curb independent media, prompting Georgians to refer to the measure as "the Russian law."

On May 15, protesters marched along with the foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Iceland in a gesture of solidarity with Georgians' Western aspirations.

"I want a future for the Georgian people where its European place is guaranteed," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told cheering crowds outside parliament late on May 15.

"We have started this journey together and our nations know what it means to be under the pressure of Moscow. We will never leave you, but all of us must shape the destiny of our nations," said Landsbergis, whose country, like Georgia and Estonia, used to be part of the former Soviet Union before declaring independence as communism collapsed more than three decades ago.

An RFE/RL source in Brussels said European Council President Charles Michel held talks with Zurabishvilil and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, where he stressed that the Georgian people must determine their own future. Michel told Kobakhidze to search for a way out of the political turbulence, the source said.

Kobakhidze has accused the protesters of "following the agenda of the political minority" and charged that they were showing a "great irresponsibility" toward their country.

The Georgian Dream-controlled security forces have repeatedly cracked down violently on protesters in recent weeks using water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets.

Activist Davit Katsarava, who had been violently detained outside parliament and had sustained serious injuries to his face on May 14, recalled his ordeal in an interview with RFE/RL from his hospital bed.

"They cuffed my hands behind my back and called in a minivan that was parked nearby. I was brought to the minivan and heard one of them order others: Make a [human] ring. About 10 men beat me mercilessly," a bedridden Katsarava, whose face still bore visible traces of serious injuries, told RFE/RL.

"After two or three minutes, three of them followed me into the van and my [beating] continued there. My whole face and my head were bloody and swollen. They took out a phone and started filming. I heard one of them say [they were sending the video to someone]," Katsarava said.

Doctors said he had suffered a broken clavicle and fractured jaw and had undergone surgery.

The turbulence has begun to affect the country's economy, forcing the central bank on May 16 to intervene on the local market to support the Lari, the national currency, which had dropped almost 5 percent during the day to a near two-year low amid fears of a prolonged political crisis over the law.
Russian President Vladimir Putin used a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Masud Pezeshkian, to cement their growing bilateral ties that have raised concern in the West as war rages in Ukraine and the Middle East.

The two leaders met in Ashgabat on the sidelines of a conference in the capital of the tightly controlled Central Asian country of Turkmenistan on October 11. It was the first of two meetings between the men, with another scheduled at the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan that runs on October 22-24.

It was the first of two meetings between the two, with another scheduled at the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan that runs on October 22-24.



Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters ahead of the meeting that while the talks will focus on bilateral relations, "the situation in the Middle East definitely will not be ignored and will also be on the agenda."



The meeting was the first between the two since Pezeshkian assumed office on July 30 after winning an election to succeed his hard-line predecessor, Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May.

Relations between Moscow and Tehran have strengthened since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

"Pezeshkian is trying to gauge to what extent Iran can rely on Russia for help," Touraj Atabaki, professor emeritus of Middle East and Central Asia social history at Leiden University in the Netherlands, told Radio Farda.

"Russia wants to stand with Iran due to Iran's support in its war on Ukraine but Moscow doesn't want to darken its relationship with Israel further and cut all ties," he added.

Since the early months of the Ukraine war, Russia has been accused of using Iranian-made Shahed and Mohajer-6 drones, many of which have been found after being shot down over Ukrainian cities and battlefields.



Iran initially denied arming Russia before relenting and admitting that it had supplied a "limited number of drones" to Moscow before the war.



Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Tehran continues to deny that its drones are being used by Russia against Ukraine. That has not stopped the United States and the European Union from imposing sanctions on Iran for helping Moscow.



Last month, the EU said it had "credible" information provided by allies suggesting that Iran has supplied short-range ballistic missiles to Russia to help Moscow wage war in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, tensions in the Middle East have been heightened since Tehran launched some 200 missiles at Israel on October 1, saying the attack was in response to the killing of Tehran-backed militant leaders and a general from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.



Israel has vowed to launch a "deadly, precise, and surprising" attack on Iran in retaliation, while it continues to pound targets in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip that it says are aimed at Iran-backed proxies.

At least 30 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded on October 11 by Israeli strikes in Jabalia in northern Gaza, according to the territory's civil-defense agency.



The recent spiral of violence was sparked by the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas that killed around 1,200 people and saw some 250 taken hostage. Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.



The fighting in Gaza prompted another Iran-backed group, Hezbollah, to fire missiles into Israel in support of Hamas. Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the EU blacklists its armed wing but not its political party.



The Israeli military has launched massive air strikes on Beirut and southern Lebanon in response, as well as a ground incursion into southern Lebanon intended to destroy the Iran-allied militant group, whose political party has seats in the Lebanese parliament.

Israel faced condemnation on October 11 after its forces fired at what it said was a threat near a UN peacekeeping position in Lebanon. Israeli soldiers had responded to "an immediate threat" around 50 meters from the UNIFIL post, the military said.

"An initial examination indicates that during the incident, a hit was identified on a UNIFIL post...resulting in the injury of two UNIFIL personnel," the statement added. The army pledged to carry out a "thorough review."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the firing as "intolerable" and "a violation of international humanitarian law," while the British government said it was "appalled" by reports of the injuries.

U.S. President Joe Biden said he was "absolutely" asking Israel to stop firing at UN peacekeepers, while the French, Spanish, and Italian leaders issued a joint statement expressing "outrage."

French President Emmanuel Macron renewed his call for an end to exports of weapons used by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon, while saying the UN peacekeepers had been "deliberately targeted."

In Iran, more than three dozen hard-line lawmakers on October 10 demanded the government revise its nuclear doctrine to pursue atomic weapons.



In a letter to the Supreme National Security Council, they said Western powers could not control Israel, thus making nuclear weapons "Iran's option to create deterrence."



Iran has been hit with waves of crippling economic sanctions for its nuclear program, which has seen a sharp increase in its uranium enrichment capacity after the United States under former President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 landmark deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that restricted Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for relief from sanctions.



Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful civilian purposes, but government officials caused alarm recently by saying it could change its "nuclear doctrine" if it is attacked or its existence is threatened by Israel.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP
In a state visit rich in symbolism, Russian President Vladimir Putin will go to Harbin, a northeastern Chinese city with deep cultural and historic links to Russia, as part of a bid to trumpet burgeoning economic and political ties between the two countries.

Putin will use his May 17 Harbin visit -- the second of a two-day trip to China meant to cement his relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping -- to attend a "gala" marking 75 years of diplomatic ties between the countries and to attend trade and cooperation forums in the city.



The capital of China's northeastern Heilongjiang Province that borders Russia's Far East, Putin will also visit the Harbin Institute of Technology, a site of joint research between China and Russia and an institution with deep links to China's military and defense industry.



While Putin was greeted with pomp and pageantry in Beijing alongside Xi, the Russian leader will look to use the Harbin visit to show that Russian-Chinese ties are deeper than the two leaders shared goal of pushing back against the United States and the West on the world stage.



During Putin's May 16 stop in Beijing, he praised China as Russia's top trade partner -- with turnover ballooning to $240 billion in 2023 -- and said the countries had learned the lessons of "the history of our relationship at different stages of its development" in an interview with China's state-run Xinhua News Agency before his visit.



Speaking alongside Putin, Xi said China was prepared "to consolidate the friendship between the two peoples for generations to come."



A Symbolic Stop



Once nicknamed "Little Moscow," Harbin has strong links to tsarist Russia and was once home to tens of thousands of ethnic Russians, many of whom were settlers during railway construction or fled to the city during the 1917-22 Russian Civil War.

The area was also the site of border tensions between China and the Soviet Union when conflict erupted in 1969, but has become increasingly connected to Russia's Far East in recent years as Russian-Chinese trade has grown.



While much of its Orthodox-style architecture has been replaced, Harbin's famous and towering St. Sophia Cathedral still sits in the heart of the city. Tourists across China and Russia flock to Harbin for its annual Ice and Snow Festival.



Resisting Western Pressure



The Harbin Institute of Technology that Putin is slated to visit has been home to exchange and joint research between China and Russia for more than a century and is also one of China's most important military research universities. The institution is one of the "Seven Sons of National Defense" universities -- a government label that means it reports to the Industry and Information Technology Ministry, which also controls China's defense industry.



According to a study by Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technology, the institution and its six other peer universities provide about three-fourths of the technical graduates recruited by China's defense companies.



The university was also included in sanctions by the U.S. government in 2020 for its alleged role in procuring items for China's military.

With revamping its defense industry and military cooperation with China a focus of the trip, Putin brought a large delegation of high-ranking Russian officials with him -- including newly appointed Defense Minister Andrei Belousov.



Beyond Xi And Putin



Ever since the Russian and Chinese leaders declared a "no-limits" bilateral strategic partnership in February 2022, the strength of their relationship has been put to the test.



While Putin proclaimed that "Russia-China relations have reached an all-time high, and even in the face of severe international situations, relations between the two countries continue to strengthen" before departing from Moscow, China has had to perform an awkward diplomatic straddle.



Xi has faced growing diplomatic and economic pressure from the West to curtail any support that aids Russia's war in Ukraine, with Washington accusing Beijing of aiding the Kremlin's war machine through the trade of dual-use equipment like satellite intelligence, fighter jet parts, and microchips.

Senior U.S. officials have also warned of sanctions against banks in China and "significant consequences" on Chinese companies that assist Russia's war effort.

In visiting Harbin, Putin is looking to offset some of this pressure by showing that the China-Russia relationship is more than just geopolitics.



Harbin and the region are a bustling hub for trade between China and Russia and the exodus of Western brands from Russia following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine created a void that was swiftly filled by Chinese manufacturers, which now dominate Russian markets from smartphones to household appliances.



The top six foreign car brands in Russia are all Chinese, with around 60 percent of newly sold cars in Russia this year due to be imported from China, almost double the share in 2022, according to Russian and Chinese customs data. China's Xiaomi and Tecno have eclipsed Apple and Samsung in Russia's smartphone market and the Chinese yuan has become the most traded currency on the Moscow stock exchange.



In Harbin, Putin will look to underscore those burgeoning links by visiting a China-Russia trade expo and an economic forum meant to further boost economic ties between the two countries.
The domestic partner of Russian President Vladimir Putin's elder daughter was named head of a pipeline company set to service a Kremlin-connected tycoon's ambitious liquefied natural gas (LNG) project just months after Putin himself publicly backed the initiative, RFE/RL's Russian investigative unit has found.

The investigative unit, Systema, found that Yevgeny Nagorny, who has a child with Putin's daughter Maria Vorontsova, in December 2023 became general director of a subsidiary of the private energy company Novatek that appears set to play a key role in a major LNG project in Russia's north.

Novatek is owned by Russian gas magnate Leonid Mikhelson, who has pushed for development of the project, called Murmansk LNG, which is slated to have an annual capacity of 20.4 million tons and whose development had faced resistance from state energy giant Gazprom.

Gas for the project is to be transported by Murmansk-Transgaz, the Novatek subsidiary that Nagorny was tapped to lead in December 2023. His appointment came just three months after Putin expressed support for the LNG project, which is currently in the EU's crosshairs as a potential sanctions target.

Previous investigations by RFE/RL and other media outlets have revealed how Putin's daughters and their spouses have landed lucrative contracts and jobs linked to the energy sector and Putin's own inner circle.

A 2022 investigation by Current Time, the Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA, and Meduza found that Nagorny had traveled the world with Vorontsova and that the two had a child together in 2017, the year Nagorny joined Novatek.

A graduate of a Moscow theater school, Nagorny had previously worked for the Russian state arms conglomerate Rosoboroneksport and later as a senior specialist with EuroChem, a leading Russian producer of mineral fertilizers.

Leaked data from a Russian online food-delivery service shows that Maria Vorontsova also uses Nagorny's last name.

Mikhelson's long-term partner in Novatek was Gennady Timchenko, a close associate of Putin. Mikhelson has frequently lobbied Putin for decisions that would benefit Novatek, ranging from export access to special auction conditions.

Novatek is also a sponsor of the Acrobatic Rock and Roll All-Russian Federation, where Putin's younger daughter, Katerina Tikhonova, has held senior positions. The company also backs the Innopraktika Foundation, which Tikhonova heads, and Mikhelson sits on its board of trustees.

Help Wanted

News about Mikhelson's Murmansk LNG project first surfaced in the media in May 2023 amid significant challenges faced by Novatek.

Unlike Russian oil, Russian gas was not directly targeted by Western sanctions after Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But Novatek's business suffered significantly due to Western restrictions on access to its industrial resources and technology.

A key issue for Novatek was the Western ban on supplying powerful gas turbines to Russia crucial for LNG production, while a shortage of icebreakers due to Western sanctions also presented challenges for Mikhelson's gas business.

The Murmansk initiative was aimed at improving the outlook for Novatek, envisioning construction of an LNG plant using Novatek's own proprietary technology utilizing primarily Russian components. Instead of gas turbines, the plant is set to draw electricity from the Kola nuclear power plant, and icebreakers will be unnecessary because the Murmansk port does not freeze.

The only remaining obstacle was to finalize an agreement with Gazprom, which competes fiercely with Novatek for natural gas exports, even as it holds a 10 percent stake in Mikhelson's company.

Historically, Russian gas exports have been reserved for Gazprom, but Novatek -- together with state oil giant Rosneft -- has succeeded in getting the monopoly lifted for some projects.

Mikhelson wanted to bypass Gazprom to export the Murmansk gas and by using Novatek's gas for his plant, while Gazprom itself wanted to produce LNG in Murmansk.

Novatek needed Gazprom's approval to connect the Murmansk plant to Russia's Unified Gas Supply System, requiring the construction of a new gas pipeline.

The project's cost, estimated at up to $4.3 billion, would have been an additional burden for Gazprom, which was already facing losses due to a decline in gas exports.

The project, initially seen as Mikhelson's lifeline, seemed heavily reliant on Gazprom but offered little incentive for the gas giant. Despite this, Mikhelson remained resolute and did not abandon the plan.

And in September 2023, the billionaire received the public blessing for the project from Putin, whose daughter's domestic partner, Nagorny, would soon be tapped to work on the initiative.

Putin's Blessing

On September 4, 2023, Putin held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Russian resort city of Sochi, followed by a meeting on the Murmansk LNG project involving Mikhelson and senior officials. While details of the discussion were not made public, the broad conclusions of the meeting soon became clear.

Speaking at an economic forum the following week, Putin advocated for a pipeline agreement between Novatek and Gazprom, and Mikhelson announced the start of the pipeline construction the same day.

Novatek also signed an agreement to supply electricity for the plant. Despite Gazprom's objections, the State Duma, at Putin's request, permitted Mikhelson to independently sell gas from Murmansk.

Murmansk-Transgaz, which Novatek established in May 2023 and has been led by Nagorny since December 2023, will be responsible for transporting gas to the new plant and will assume construction of the pipeline, whose capacity has twice been revised by the Russian government.

Systema reached out to Nagorny for comment via the messaging app Telegram. While the app showed that the message had been read, Nagorny did not respond.

Novatek also did not respond to a request for comment.

Following a directive by Putin, meanwhile, the Russian government has included Murmansk LNG into its national energy strategy.

Adapted into English by Baktygul Chynybaeva and based on reporting by Sergei Titov and Andrei Soshnikov of Systema, RFE/RL's Russian investigative unit
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was critically injured in an assassination attempt, has regained consciousness and is in "serious but stable condition" a day after being shot several times by a "lone wolf" gunman in an attack that has sent shock waves across the country and Europe as a whole.

Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak told reporters on May 16 that it is still too early to say whether the 59-year-old Slovak leader would recover from the attack because of "the extent of the injuries caused by four gunshot wounds."

But some positive signs could be seen, President-elect Peter Pellegrini told reporters after visiting Fico.

"He is able to speak but only a few sentences and then he is really tired because he is on some medication," Pellegrini, a key ally of the prime minister, added.

Hospital officials in the central Slovak city of Banska Bystrica said the 59-year-old populist leader underwent five hours of surgery performed by two teams of doctors late on May 15 on multiple gunshot wounds that left Fico fighting for his life.



"During the night doctors managed to stabilize the patient's condition," Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak told reporters gathered at the hospital where Fico was being treated.



"Unfortunately, his condition is still very serious as the injuries are complicated," Kalinak, who is also the defense minister and a close ally of Fico in his Smer-SD party, said, adding the attack had a "political motive."

WATCH: 'An Attack On Democracy': Leaders Condemn Shooting Of Slovak PM Fico

Local media reported on May 16 that police have charged Fico's suspected attacker, who was subdued by security officers within seconds of the shooting, with attempted murder. The suspect's name has not been released, but reports said he is a 71-year-old man.

"This is a lone wolf who had radicalized himself recently after the presidential election (in April)," Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said, adding that an initial investigation showed there was a clear political motivation behind the attack on Fico.



The shooting has rattled the nation of around 5 million people in the heart of Central Europe, and comes after a particularly bruising and polarizing election campaign last year that propelled Fico to the prime minister's office for the fourth time.

"When I first found out this information, I was really surprised and really sad about this because I think that this is not the resolution," a woman told RFE/RL in Bratislava on May 16. "People shouldnt act like this and this conflict I hope will end and people will accept each other."

Another woman said that situation is "really horrible for everyone involved, for our country, for its head, and for his family mainly."

President Zuzana Caputova called on May 16 for an end to a "vicious circle of hatred" sweeping Slovakia.



"Let's step out of the vicious circle of hatred and mutual accusations. What happened yesterday was an individual act, but the tense atmosphere of hatred has been our collective work," she said in a statement.



Fico was shot several times from close range as he walked to greet a small crowd following a government meeting in the town of Handlova, nearly 200 kilometer northeast of the capital, Bratislava.

Video from the scene showed Fico approach the crowd of mainly elderly people when several shots rang out. He then slumped backward to the ground. Secret service officers quickly rushed to his aid and carried him to a car that sped off toward a local medical facility before he was airlifted to a hospital in Banska Bystrica.



Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba later told the BBC in an interview late on May 15 that "fortunately, as far as I know the operation went well -- and I guess in the end he will survive...he's not in a life threatening situation at this moment."



"He was heavily injured -- one bullet went thought the stomach and the second one hit the joint -- immediately he was transported to the hospital and then to the operation," Taraba said.



Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok told reporters that an initial investigation showed there was a clear political motivation behind the attack on Fico.



The shooting has been condemned by leaders around the world who expressed shock that a peaceful democracy like Slovakia would be the place of such a crime.

"This is terrible for everyone involved. For the country, for its head, for his family mainly," a woman in Bratislava told RFE/RL.

The shooting also has been condemned by leaders around the world who expressed shock that a peaceful democracy like Slovakia would be the place of such a crime.

"Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good. My thoughts are with PM Fico, his family," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.



German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the "news of the cowardly assassination attempt on Slovakian Prime Minister Fico shocks me deeply. Violence must have no place in European politics."



U.S. President Joe Biden said he was alarmed by the reports of the attack on Fico. He said he and his wife, first lady Jill Biden, were praying for a swift recovery, "and our thoughts are with his family and the people of Slovakia."



Biden also said in a statement that he condemned "this horrific act of violence" and said the U.S. Embassy "is in close touch with the government of Slovakia and ready to assist.



Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy denounced the attack, saying that every effort should be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country.



A populist who has taken several extreme policy positions over the years, Fico has been a critic of military support for Ukraine in its battle to repel Russian troops.

His coalition government halted Slovak shipments of weapons for Kyiv and opposes sanctions against Moscow for the Ukraine invasion. Fico has also said he would veto any move to invite Ukraine to join the NATO military alliance.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the assassination attempt "a despicable crime" in a message to Caputova.



Analysts said the attack on Fico pointed to the deep political polarization in Slovakia that has emerged over the past year. They added that the EU member was not alone in experiencing such divisiveness, with many countries across Europe being in a similar situation.



Since the election, Ficos government, which includes the far-right nationalist SNS party, has taken several decisions that have sparked protests and accusations from the opposition that the prime minister was eroding democratic institutions to tighten his grip on power.



Slovakia's largest opposition party had planned a protest against government reforms to the public broadcaster later on May 15, but canceled the event due to the shooting.



The rally was called because last month Ficos cabinet backed a Culture Ministry proposal to abolish the existing Radio and Television of Slovakia and replace it with a new body, Slovak Television and Radio.



The new entitys director-general is to be chosen by a council comprised of members appointed by the cabinet and the Fico-controlled parliament.



Last year, parliament approved a plan to close the special prosecutors office that oversaw sensitive corruption cases and serious crimes, raising concerns in the EU that Fico was eroding the rule of law in the country.



Fico said the office had abused its authority.
As Ukrainians worldwide celebrate Vyshyvanka Day on May 16, one woman who was forced to flee her home has made its celebration particularly poignant. Olena Lazko and her family were forced to flee their home after shelling upended their lives. One of the items she took was a precious, handcrafted embroidery nearly 100 years old that was given to her by an elderly neighbor.

Passion For Embroidery Lazko, 73, hails from the small village of Velika Novosilka, some 50 kilometers from Donetsk in southeastern Ukraine. She was born into a family of teachers. After receiving degrees in history and psychology, she worked at a school for 40 years before her retirement. From the first time she sat down at the sewing machine at the age of 6, she has had a deep love for needlework.

In 1973, during her studies in Donetsk, Lazko began her research into traditional Ukrainian embroidery. "I went to the library to learn about traditional types of Slavic clothing. The people there looked at me like I was crazy. Unlike now, there was not a lot of information, and if there was, it was forgotten."

Though interested in needlework and ethnography, Lazko was unable to pursue her interests until after she retired, when she joined a group of knitters, embroiderers, and masters of decoupage. Initially, she had an interest in using natural materials to create installations, but eventually she turned to embroidery.

Lazko also studied Greek embroidery. "Our village is unique. It is the only one that was founded by two Greek communities, the Urums and the Rumeis. I recreate Greek embroidery based on samples collected from local women and photos from museums," she said, though she was not entirely happy with her results.

"I looked critically at my work and thought, what is this? A dust cloth? I'm not Parajanov! That's why I focus on household items. For example, napkins that have a purpose," she said. To further her education, Lazko visited libraries and museums throughout Ukraine. However, it was with the help of the Internet and online portals such as the Metropolitan Museum that her knowledge really expanded.

The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine In March 2022, the village where Lazko and her family -- husband, daughter, and grandchildren -- lived came under fire. Though their house survived, those of her neighbors did not. Village life was irretrievably altered when its House of Culture, library, and museum burned down. In addition, the village's gas, electricity, water supplies, and communications were destroyed, cutting it off from the outside world. Lazko remembers how the remaining villagers had gathered around a bonfire, using whatever ingredients they could find, to make borscht. She also recalls how on that Easter, she made Paskha, a traditional Slavic dish, on the street in a frying pan. "The fuel had already run out before Easter when I started preparing Paskha's at home. I dug up the last stumps in the barn and made a fire in the street where I fried them in a pan," she said before adding, "I shared it with the old people in the village who were hungry." One of her neighbors, the nearly blind 86-year-old Nina, who survived the Holodomor -- the 1932-33 starvation of millions in Ukraine under Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, lived next door in a house whose widows had been blown out by the shelling. "I brought her water, soup, croutons -- whatever," Lazko said. She also recalls how 'grandmother Nina' would carefully ration her food. "I would come by and ask her, "What did you drink or eat today?" and she would answer, "Cocktail!" The concoction was well water combined with rainwater that she collected. Lazko continued to bring her tea and what food she could.

She also recalls how Nina inscribed on the gate to her home the inscription "people" to let others know that someone lived there. Nina also hung a white handkerchief from the door. After looking closely at Nina's "rag," she realized that it was an embroidered handkerchief from nearly a century ago. Though made in the 1930s, the fabric featuring flowers -- representing the souls of born and unborn children -- was still in good condition. "The work is plain, but the semantics can be understood," Lazko said. She recalls asking Nina if she could keep it in hopes that one day the village museum, which had burned to the ground, would reopen and the memento could take its rightful place. Nina agreed, and three weeks later, as she was taken away by her relatives, she fulfilled her promise.

Lazko and her family were evacuated from the village on August 9, 2022. Along with two kittens and a dog, the most priceless items she took with her were Nina's handkerchief and her embroidered creations. Life And Creativity After The Evacuation Since resettling in Dnipro, a major industrial city in southeastern Ukraine, Lazko has had six personal exhibitions in local libraries and museums featuring her embroidery. The handkerchief that Nina gave her is now at the Museum of Resistance to the Holodomor in Dnipro.

"For the whole three-month winter season, the second floor of the Art Museum housed 50 of my pieces. The paintings filled two hallways; they were framed and displayed under glass, adjacent to the masterpieces by Petrykiv painting masters," she said. "In addition, there were my paintings with Greek and Ukrainian motifs. I gave the Yavornytskiy House Museum a panel titled Flowers Of The Steppe last week. Yavornytskiy loved dried flowers, steppe grasses, and flowers. In Dnipro, the museum staff and librarians are now all my friends, my social circle."
KHARKIV, Ukraine -- Just 30 kilometers from the Russian border, Kharkiv is under air-raid alert more often than it is not -- particularly as Russian forces pound the city from the air and invading ground troops advance in a new offensive to the north and east. So when the sirens went off on a sparkling spring afternoon on May 3, people in the center of Ukraine's second city didn't even look up. But the boom and crash that echoed across Kharkiv just before 2 p.m. was impossible to ignore. It was, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov, one of the many aerial bombs -- shorter-ranged than the cruise missiles that swarm across the country, but bigger, nastier, and notoriously inaccurate -- that Russian forces have been dropping on the city.

This one struck an overwhelmingly residential neighborhood near the heart of Kharkiv, killing an elderly woman in one home, shattering blocks worth of windows, and bringing the roof down on Viktor's head as he sat in his living room.



As blood ran down the side of Viktor's nose, firefighters filled his yard and those around it, wielding hoses and fire axes to bring the blazes under control. They carried his TV to the dirt road. One handed Viktor a cigarette and a cell phone.



"Don't cry," he said repeatedly once he reached his daughter. "The house, the car -- everything's burned up, nothing's left. But I'm alive."

The Rescuers Fighting fires is a high-stakes business in any situation. In Kharkiv these days, the stakes are arguably even higher. The vibe back at the city's main firehouse was recognizable, like a clubhouse with a strong undercurrent of tension -- which has grown greater as Russia steps up its bombardment of the city. The job has changed radically since Oleh Samoylenkov joined the force 24 years ago. "Before, we hardly ever worked on demolitions -- really only if a gas line somewhere blew up, God forbid, or something like that," he said back at the station, referring to clearing rubble, fighting blazes, and picking up the pieces after a building has been badly damaged or destroyed. "Now, that's our main work."

"It used to be just fires. Now it's fires under fire. And everything that's going on has some sort of military character," said Viktor Danylenko, another firefighter at the same station.



Samoylenkov said that the most frightened he remembers being on a call was the first time he had to answer one as shrapnel flew. But for better or for worse, he says, he's gotten used to it.



These days, the firefighters don flak jackets on top of their normal gear, and military helmets as well. Bohdan, who guards the trucks when he is not driving the one with the medical supplies, has to put that armor on whenever there is an air alert on, which he waits out near the big glass doors of the station's garage.

When combined with the fireproof jackets, gas masks, and oxygen tanks that are part of their more traditional gear, the firefighters of Ukraine are heavily laden, resembling old-fashioned scuba divers -- but facing a very different element. It's almost a relief when they have a regular fire to respond to -- someone's been starting fires in dumpsters, including one that necessitated a late-night response. "Child's play," said Samoylenko, with a wave of his hand.



The day before, the station's lights were out in keeping with region-wide blackouts until someone got a generator running. Then they could at least see the clock that hangs over the combined locker room and sitting area as its hands crept up on 7:30 a.m. -- the end of their 48-hour shift.



"It's a matter of chance. It might not happen, it might happen. Roulette," Sasha, a younger firefighter, said around dawn. "Today's the second day, so everyone's a little on edge."



When their shift ended, the next team of 20-odd men arrived, taking up their posts in the other locker room, and these firefighters headed home. Easter Sunday Attacks Kharkiv is a city on edge. Russian forces occupied swaths of the surrounding region after launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but they never took the city and Ukraine recaptured most of that territory in a major counteroffensive later in the year.

Now there is fierce new fighting in the Kharkiv region: Last week, Russia opened up a new front in the region by pushing across the border northeast of the city and seizing several villages close to the frontier, prompting a wave of evacuations.



Visiting Kharkiv on May 16 after cancelling foreign trips due to the renewed fighting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the situation in the region was "generally under control" but remained "extremely difficult."

Officials and military analysts say Russia is unlikely to be able to seize the city itself, and that may not be the aim of the offensive. But residents have been living with attacks from Russian glide bombs like the KAB-500, a Soviet-era weapon named for clocking in at 500 kilograms.



"Kharkiv today is much more than a city. Kharkiv is a symbol of the fortitude of Ukraine," Terekhov wrote on Telegram on Orthodox Easter morning, May 5. "The lives of over a million people are at stake."



Another aerial bomb later that day wounded at least 15 people. Strikes from S-300s, an antiaircraft system that Russia uses as artillery at close range, would cause more damage in the early morning of May 10.

On May 2, a bomb hit a factory in Derhachi, a village about 15 kilometers north of central Kharkiv. Out of range of the fire brigade, it still hit home for Viktor, who lives in Derhachi and whose wife works in a grocery store within a block of the strike.



The Kharkiv region's governor, Oleh Synyehubov, said on May 9 that Derhachi was one of the key locations from which authorities were evacuating residents. Fire Escape Fighting fires sparked by Russian attacks is far from the only experience Samoylenkov has had with the war. At the outset of the full-scale invasion, he lived even further north, and the initial Russian advance pushed him under occupation. His 21-year-old son, Kyrylo, joined the army six months before the invasion. Russian soldiers found Samoylenkov by frisking and checking the phone of one of Kyrylo's friends, he said, finding a photo of his son in uniform and demanding to know where his family was.



They took Samoylenkov to a makeshift prison in the very early days of the invasion. When they released him, he realized that he was still in occupied territory. After being turned back while trying to cross into the city of Kharkiv, which Russian forces never seized, he eventually managed to sneak through, riding a bicycle on a backroad.

Kirill was killed in action that December, Samoylenkov says as he flicks through photos on his phone -- a series of images in which a blond teenager dons camouflage and visibly ages in a span of months. "I still have a family, thank God," he said, making a spitting gesture over his shoulder three times -- the equivalent of knocking on wood. When he was in Russian custody, his wife and toddler daughter made the trek through Russia and then Lithuania, eventually stopping in Germany. They're still there, waiting to come home, he says.

Killing Time Along with the grim realities of wartime emergency response, the firefighters of Kharkiv -- like those in cities around the world -- are stuck biding long stretches of time between fire alarms. A lot of the activity in the intervals are chores. They wash equipment. They clean floors, walls, furniture, repeatedly. They sweep the driveway repeatedly -- though it's old, the place is spotless in a way you might not expect from a zone that constantly houses 20 men.

On this May morning, someone got a generator working. With electricity back on, the crew discovered that the water heater was broken, and Samoylenko and Danylenko wrestled with it for a while before getting it fixed.



In the kitchen, Andriy Talanov deftly peeled potatoes before handing them to Viktor Veretelnyk, who diced them. The two firefighters repeated the procedure with radishes and cucumbers which they dump in chicken broth into which they whisk a blend of sour cream and mayonnaise.



Whole bags of green onions and dill go into the cauldron of "okroshka," a popular cold soup that goes into the refrigerator for an hour and change before becoming lunch for the squad on shift.
By David Young and Rebecca Black, PA

Former Northern Ireland first minister Arlene Foster has denied sectarianising Stormonts response to the Covid-19 pandemic by deploying a controversial veto mechanism to prevent the extension of restrictions.

Giving evidence to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry in Belfast, the former DUP leader conceded the row in November 2020 marked a low point in the Executives handling of the pandemic and she acknowledged the use of the cross-community vote damaged public confidence.

The controversy unfolded during a series of back-to-back Executive meetings across four days, which saw all the other parties in the devolved coalition administration push for a two-week circuit breaker extension to restrictions, as recommended by health officials.

However, the DUP, which was concerned about the economic effect of continued closures of close-contact services and coffee shops, deployed the veto mechanism to stop the majority opinion from holding sway.

Then First Minister Arlene Foster (right) and then deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill at Stormont in June 2020 (Liam McBurney/PA)

The other parties heavily criticised the use of the cross-community vote, which was designed during the peace process to protect minority interests, in the context of a health emergency.

On Wednesday, Ms Foster defended using the mechanism, insisting Sinn Fein had also triggered it in the past on issues that were not constitutional in nature.

During her evidence to the inquiry, the former first minister also:

Described how she felt personally upset by the attendance of then deputy first minister Michelle ONeill at the large-scale funeral of veteran republican Bobby Storey despite lockdown restrictions.

Said no other DUP ministers agreed with a claim made by former Stormont minister and party colleague Edwin Poots that Covid-19 was more prevalent in nationalist areas.

Expressed great regret that Stormont did not anticipate the speed with which the Covid-19 pandemic spread.

Acknowledged a political row over the closure of schools in the North at the outset of the pandemic reflected very badly on the Executive.

Branded offensive the suggestion that the North had sleepwalked into the pandemic.

In regard to the cross-community veto episode, Ms Foster accused Ms ONeill, who was chairing the relevant Executive meetings, of forcing the issue of extending restrictions to a vote among ministers, rather than trying to seek consensus through negotiations.

Arlene Foster leaving the Clayton Hotel in Belfast after giving evidence to the UK Covid-19 inquiry hearing (Niall Carson/PA).

Lead counsel to the inquiry, Clair Dobbin KC, asked the baroness if she accepted that the DUPs use of the mechanism sectarianised effectively the most pressing and critical of issues, going to the health and the life of people in Northern Ireland.

I dont accept that it sectarianises it because its a mechanism thats been there since 1998 (Good Friday Agreement) for key decisions, the former DUP leader replied.

I think it was a key decision for a lot of people in Northern Ireland that we were going to take their livelihoods away again.

The former first minister admitted the cross-community veto was a blunt tool and told inquiry chairwoman Heather Hallett that it may well be replaced by a system that uses weighted majorities in the future.

It was pushed to a vote and we ended up in a position where relationships almost broke down, frankly, she said.

And then we had to take some time out to try to come back together again trying to find a way forward. And it was very difficult to watch from the outside, Im sure. It was torturous inside. And I hope that we never get to a place where we have a four-day meeting of the Executive again.

Ms Foster added: I really regret that we couldnt find consensus and we were forced into that position. It certainly wasnt a good look for the Executive and I regret that it had to be used.

At one point during the hearing, the former first minister was shown text messages chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride had sent after the November 2020 meetings  in one he suggested the politicians should hang their heads in shame and in another, he described the events as politics at its worst.

Ms Foster said she was saddened by Dr McBrides assessment.

The then deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill during the funeral of Bobby Storey (Liam McBurney/PA)

The former DUP leader was also asked about the furore surrounding the funeral of Mr Storey.

On Tuesday, while appearing at the inquiry, Ms ONeill apologised for having attended the funeral in June 2020.

A day later, Lady Foster told the inquiry the incident caused difficulty in their working relationship, and left her feeling unable to stand on a joint platform with the deputy First Minister for press conferences.

It was a huge disappointment and indeed caused massive damage to the Executive, to the credibility of the Executive to public messaging and was very hurtful to so many people around Northern Ireland who had stuck by what were very stringent rules around funerals and wakes, she said.

All of that had been prohibited and yet here was one of the people making the rules actually doing just that. It was a huge disappointment, personally, I felt very upset about it all and I didnt feel there was any credibility in going back to a press conference at that time.

At the outset of her evidence, the baroness expressed great regret that Stormont did not anticipate the speed with which the Covid-19 pandemic spread.

She said by mid-March 2020, ministers had been advised the peak of the first wave was still 14 weeks away.

The North's chief medical officer Professor Michael McBride (UK Covid-19 Inquiry/PA)

In the event, the powersharing administration found itself triggering the first lockdown before the end of that month.

Lady Foster said as first minister and joint head of government she accepted her responsibility for the outcomes in Northern Ireland during the first wave, including for the outbreaks within care home settings.

However, she defended her leadership of the coalition in Belfast during the pandemic.

While conceding others may make a different assessment of her performance, she insisted she tried to do the best for the people of Northern Ireland.

The former first minister referred to advice given by chief medical officer Dr McBride in mid-March 2020 that the peak of the first wave was 14 weeks away.

So, wrongly, and I say absolutely wrongly, we felt that we had time and we didnt have time, she said.

And thats a source of great regret.

The former Assembly member was asked by Ms Dobbin whether she felt she gave the leadership the people of Northern Ireland deserved during the pandemic.

It was probably the most difficult period of my political career, she replied.

I think it has been set out that Ive had a quite long political career. But I can say without any hesitation that dealing with the Covid pandemic was the most challenging, the most difficult time, and Ive had some difficult times.

But we certainly tried, as all of the Executive, I think tried to put their best foot forward to deal with the issues that were presented to them.

We had had three years without a government [during the 2017-2020 powersharing impasse]. We had come back on January 11th [2020]. We had a lot of things to do, because there hadnt been a government for three years, and we were then confronted with this global pandemic coming towards us.

So it was hugely challenging. And I think all I can say in regards to my own leadership, is that I certainly tried to do the best for the people of Northern Ireland recognising that I was first minister at the time.

Ms Dobbin repeated the question on whether she gave the leadership that the people deserved.

Well, I think thats a subjective question, responded Ms Foster.

Other people will have particular views on whether they got the leadership they deserve. I can only answer it from my own perspective, and I certainly gave as much as I could.

She added: From my perspective, I gave the leadership that I felt was needed at that time.

Ms Dobbin put it to the former politician that a feature of her written statement to the inquiry was her seeking to blame other people or other departments for what happened during the pandemic, particularly the Department of Health.

Ms Foster rejected that characterisation of her statement.

However, she pointed out that the Department of Health was the lead department in the Covid-19 response.

Thats why Michelle [ONeill] and I looked to the health department for information in relation to the coronavirus, she added.

So thats not a passing of the buck, its just the reality that we didnt have the information in relation to what was happening.
A protest planned for Castlerea on Sunday afternoon has been called off. The group behind the peaceful protest took the action earlier today following what it termed the spreading of misinformation.

Recent developments surrounding the refurbishment of a building at the Riverside apartments in Castlerea to accommodate International Protection Applicants have stirred confusion and concern among the residents of Castlerea.

Responding to these sentiments, a group of concerned locals gathered on Monday, May 13th, to peacefully express their apprehensions. The resilience and growth of Castlerea over the years owes much to the concerted efforts of local volunteers, TDs, councillors, the Town Team, and committees. These dedicated individuals have shaped a community worth defending, said a spokesperson for the group.

However, the events since Monday evening have, unfortunately led to misinformation, and the emergence of a separate group. It is crucial to clarify that the majority of people from Castlerea neither condone nor associate with any form of racism or threats. Our town has embraced diversity, and newcomers have integrated seamlessly, feeling welcomed and valued. Our message to the government is clear and direct: Castlerea needs additional infrastructure to accommodate a large group of new residents, regardless of their background, added the spokesperson.

Without adequate housing, services, education, and healthcare facilities, the town's resources are already stretched thin. Therefore, we urge the government not to impose a substantial influx of people onto a small rural community without first providing the essential support and services they require.

In light of these developments, we have made the difficult decision to suspend the planned protest scheduled for Sunday, May 19th. We, the local people of Castlerea, refuse to witness a repetition of the unrest experienced in other parts of our country.

Our community rejects any attempts to cause fear and unrest, and we refuse to allow any individuals with an alternative agenda to infiltrate our peaceful demonstration. Instead, we entrust our local politicians with the responsibility of conveying our concerns to the government. We implore them to seek factual evidence and advocate for responsible decision-making on behalf of the Castlerea community. We appreciate your understanding and support as we navigate these challenging circumstances, the spokesperson concluded.
Kenneth Fox

Two people have been arrested after a submachine gun was seized following an operation in west Dublin.

Gardai attached to the Dublin Crime Response Team conducted this search operation in Clondalkin on Wednesday evening.

It followed a targeted intelligence-led investigation which resulted in a scorpion submachine gun, a silencer and ammunition being recovered and seized.

A man and a woman, who are both aged in their 30s, were arrested in relation to possession of firearms.

They are being held at garda stations in the capital and can be questioned for up to three days.
What??? Malaika Arora Became Mother of 2nd Baby By Surrogacy? Here's What We Got To Know

Viral claim has surfaced on social media that Malaika Arora has given birth to a second baby via surrogacy

Malaika Arora 2nd Baby Birth Via Surrogacy, Pregnancy Viral News Fact Check: Social media, these days, is vastly consumed by people not only in India but also across the globe. A lot of news goes viral on social media with some of them not verified before being shot online.

In the meanwhile, a viral claim has surfaced on social media that Malaika Arora has become a mother of a second baby via surrogacy. The claim has been made by X user Umair Sandu who claims to be a Member of the Overseas Censor Board and the most controversial Journalist and Film Critic.

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Soon after the claim surfaced on social media, people went gaga and there were earlier rumours as well that claimed that she was pregnant. However, there was no confirmation regarding the same.

Even for the claim of Umair Sandu, there has been no confirmation. However, Umair Sandu seems to have been part of such controversies and spreading misinformation due to which this news can be considered a fake one.

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In the past as well, Umair Sandu has made several claims on his X account and none of them turned out to be true. Besides, he never misses any chance to make bizarre and inappropriate comments on film stars due to which people doesn't counts on his information.

(For more news apart from Malaika Arora 2nd Baby Birth Via Surrogacy, Pregnancy Viral News Fact Check, stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman)
Bucharest on Foot

The first definite documentary attestation of Bucharest dates back to 1459

Foto: Iulia Opran/RRI

Daniel Onea, 16.05.2024, 14:15

The first definite documentary attestation of Bucharest dates back to 1459. With a rich history, the capital of Romania presents itself today as a point of major interest. Some of the tourists are welcomed by a group of enthusiastic and experienced local guides who organize free walking tours. They are led to the most important objectives, always finding out the most interesting information. Today we are learning about three free walking tours: Communism vs. Monarchy, Old Town and Dracula, as well as Old Town and Communism. They have been included for over seven years in a project called Btrip Bucharest Walking Tour.

Marius Burda, the initiator of this project, says that the inspiration came from countries that already had a tradition of free walking tours for tourists.

I was once in Sweden. I saw a couple of tours in Stockholm and I really liked them. I said that we could adapt something like this for Bucharest as well. In the spring of 2017, we started. I did the project together with Stefania, my colleague, who is an experienced guide, and we had to work out several details: which route we choose, what a foreigner would be interested in seeing in Bucharest, how we present the city, because, for most of the time it had a bit of a negative image, and we wanted to turn that whole image into a great experience. Then we decided that the first tour would be called Communism versus Monarchy.

This tour starts from the Romanian Athenaeum, an emblematic building, and ends at the point of maximum interest for foreign tourists, the Palace of Parliament.

On this route, we are actually talking about two regimes that changed both Romania and Bucharest, communism and the monarchy. We present the last 200 years of history of the city of Bucharest at the architectural, political level. Thats what this tour is based on: beautiful stories about Bucharest. There are many foreign tourists, for example, who come to Bucharest from countries with a tradition of monarchy, from Norway, from England, and then for them this tour is quite easy to understand and attractive. At the same time, they didnt have communism, and then its all the more interesting. Residents of Bucharest or those passing by came, saw the tour, and were surprised. Indeed, we know the history, but somehow a local informs you better about the city. For example, we talk about the Romanian Athenaeum, we say how it was built, what its history was, then we go to the Statue of King Charles, in front of the National Art Museum, where we talk about the monarchy, and in Revolution Square, where we talk about the Romanian revolution. 

Tourists participating in the tour receive a catalog with images that present the evolution of the places visually, from the past to the present. Many remain impressed, shocked to see that, for example, in Revolution Square, 35 years ago, there were tanks and battles. The tour continues on Calea Victoriei, with Marius Burda, tour guide.

There we have a hundred stories. We stop at the former National Theatre. Many do not know, for example, that the former National Theater used to be the site of the Novotel hotel. Bombed in the Second World War, it was subsequently demolished. We then go down to Cismigiu, where we present to them the most beautiful and oldest park in Bucharest, and the last stop is at the Palace of the Parliament, in Izvor Park, where we tell them how the communist regime transformed the city from scratch. It literally razed an entire neighborhood of houses, with everything that was there, and built one of the largest buildings in the world.

The second tour is also in English.

Its called Old Town and Dracula. We only do it in the Old Center area of Bucharest. We meet at Halul lui Manuc, Manucs Inn, and there we have a set route only in the central area. In the second tour we present the stories about Old Bucharest, the legend of the city. Many foreigners come to Bucharest and then leave Bucharest for Bran Castle, or Peles Castle, just being attracted by the legend of Vlad Tepes. It was a shame not to use this. We present the whole story to them historically, we tell them how the city transformed, how it became Little Paris, then we take them to the Old Center, to see the beautiful churches, at Stavropoleos, at Saint George. We really have something to see.

The third tour is in Spanish. Marius Burda, tour guide and initiator of the Btrip Bucharest Walking Tour project, says that the decision to have a tour in Spanish came as a result of the large number of tourists speaking this language, who had difficulty understanding English.

Within our project, we found two very beautiful people, Esu and Gema, originally Spanish, who moved to Romania. With their help, we decided to do a tour for Spanish speakers in Bucharest. The Spanish tour is actually a combination of the two stories from the English tours. We leave with them from Manucs Inn and finish the tour at the Palace of the Parliament. It takes about three hours. The other tours last two and a half hours, so we have quite a few stories to tell. Most of them, from my point of view, taking into account that we have a Spanish tour, come from the area of Spain. But many Italians also come. At the same time, many are coming from Germany, from England. We ask how they heard about Bucharest, why they chose Romania, why did they came to Bucharest, how they like Bucharest? Many people have a very good opinion about Bucharest. They say they like the architectural mix. On Calea Victoriei, in a few hundred meters, the architecture changes, they go from old buildings, built over a hundred years ago, to communist buildings. You dont see something like this in any capital. And in the area of the old center they have everything. Again they are amazed. Our restaurants, our clubs are open until morning. In other European capitals they close at a certain time.

True friendships are tied at the end of the tours. The proof is the photos on the freetourinbucharest.com website and on social networks. And one of the most important aspects of these tours is that tourists, if they wish, receive all the information to experience Bucharest differently, just like a local.
May 16, 2024 UPDATE

Click here for a roundup of local and world news

Newsflash

Newsroom, 16.05.2024, 20:00

VISIT The Romanian foreign minister Luminita Odobescu received the Hungarian minister for European affairs, Janos Boka, who is visiting Romania, in the run up to Hungary taking over the six-month presidency of the EU Council, on July 1. The European and international context marked by multiple challenges and the transition period between two European electoral cycles were tackled. The Romanian official emphasised the interest in advancing the decisions regarding the EU enlargement policy in relation to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, as well as those regarding Romanias accession to Schengen with its land borders too. The Hungarian side reconfirmed its support for the achievement of this goal. As regards the current state of bilateral relations, the importance of the strategic partnership between Romania and Hungary and the opportunities for sectoral cooperation were mentioned.

SHOOTING The Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is in intensive care, and his health condition is stable. He underwent several hours of surgery after having been shot in the chest and abdomen on Wednesday, while in a city in the centre of the country, where he had chaired a government meeting. The suspected attacker was detained by the police. According to local media, he is a 71-year-old man, a poet and civic activist. The politicians in power say the attack was politically motivated. Robert Fico is a controversial left-wing politician, accused of pro-Russian sympathies. Returning to power last year, he cancelled military support for Ukraine and announced plans to reform public radio and television, opposed by citizens in street protests. World leaders condemned the attack on the Slovak prime minister, unprecedented in recent European history. Romanias President Klaus Iohannis said that such extremist acts threaten fundamental European values.

FESTIVAL The city of Craiova (south), is hosting until May 26 the 14th edition of the International Shakespeare Festival. More than 300 world-class theatre performances, concerts, parades, workshops, book launches, installations, VR trips will cover the entire city of Craiova and its surroundings, in conventional spaces, and also in the most original and unexpected places. Shakespeare Village  a British village from the 1600, rebuilt from scratch on the Craiova Hippodrome, will be the venue for dozens of concerts and shows. Famous names in international theatre and performance creators can be found in the festival program, including Robert Wilson, Peter Brook, Declan Donnellan, Robert Lepage, Philip Parr, Jesus Herrera, and Christian Friedel.

FOOD WASTE The Romanian agriculture ministry Wednesday released for public review a draft resolution aimed at reducing food waste, given that Romania disposes of over 2.5 million tons of food per year. All food operators, prior to destroying foodstuffs past their expiration date, will have to enter annual plans to reduce food waste and annual reports on the amounts of food given away in a dedicated National Platform. According to the European Commission, food loss and food waste increase food insecurity risks and affect the environment, and account for some 16% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the Unions food system.

GOVERNMENT In Thursdays Cabinet meeting the government passed a number of road and railway infrastructure investment projects. Over EUR 2.2 bln will be spent on revamping the approx. 150 km Focsani  Roman railway route in the east of the country in the next 3 years, the Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu said. According to him, a rough EUR 200 mln has been earmarked for the revamping of a 42-km long segment of the A1 Bucharest-Pitesti motorway. A similar amount will be used by the agriculture ministry to support farmers in the poultry and the pig farming sector. Next week the government is to come up with a decision concerning the salary issues notified by the culture ministry with respect to museum personnel around the country, as well as other professional categories, the PM added.
The port of Constanta  two new terminals

The Black Sea port of Constanta has two new terminals.

Marcel Ciolacu si Sorin Grindeanu au participat la deschiderea evenimentului DP WORLD-20 de ani de eficienta si inovatie in Romania (foto: gov.ro)

Daniela Budu, 16.05.2024, 13:50

The Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta has expanded its operation capacity as two new terminals opened on Wednesday. One of them will allow wheel trucks to be unloaded straight from the vessels and will manage up to 80,000 vehicles a year, while a second, cargo terminal will handle heavy equipment for heavy and voluminous goods. The new facilities will help boost connectivity between the existing services of maritime and railroad transport in Romania, also improving the movement of goods between mainland Europe and the Black Sea, the Adriatic Sea and the North Sea.

The investment, worth some 65 million euros, and developed by the Dubai-based company DP WORLD, will help make the port of Constanta into a regional hub, said prime minister Marcel Ciolacu:

These two new terminals will generate an additional one million tonnes of goods annually. This means billions more into the accounts of the companies operating here, revenues which will stimulate Romanias economic growth. Im convinced the new projects will bring substantial benefits and will facilitate interconnection at European and international level.

Transport minister Sorin Grindeanu said the investment will help transform the port of Constanta into a hub that will be the basis for future transport routes to Turkey and Georgia. We can now say that the port of Constanta is the most efficient commercial transport alternative to the Caspian Sea and the Far East, Grindeanu said. He added that 2023 saw a record number of goods transiting Constanta and that in this context, bilateral cooperation also targets other transport sectors such as air, road and rail.

The investment also marks the Dubai companys 20-year-long anniversary of operation in Romania and is yet another significant landmark for the development of the partnership between Romania and the United Arab Emirates in the area of transport. The president of the company that made the investment, sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem said he was happy to see his company still in Romania after twenty years, and that Constanta is the most important Black Sea port, with the biggest connectivity and with the best modern links with other ports.

Constanta is already the largest container port in the Black Sea and next year will see the opening of a new multi-transport platform following a 50-million-euro investment by the same company.
China is scheduled to release a batch of data on Friday, headlining a busy day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. On tap are April figures for industrial production, retail sales, fixed asset investment and unemployment.

Industrial production is expected to rise 5.4 percent on year, up from 4.5 percent in March. Sales are seen higher by an annual 3.9 percent, up from 3.1 percent in the previous month. FAI is expected to tick up to 4.6 percent from 4.5 percent, while the jobless rate is seen steady at 5.2 percent.

New Zealand will provide Q1 figures for producer prices. Inputs are seen higher by 0.6 percent on quarter, easing from 0.9 percent in the previous three months. Outputs are tipped to rise 0.5 percent on quarter after gaining 0.7 percent in the previous quarter.

Singapore will see April figures for non-oil domestic exports; in March, NODX tumbled 8.4 percent on month and 20.7 percent on year for a trade surplus of SGD4.657 billion.

Malaysia will release Q1 numbers for gross domestic product and current account; in the previous three months, GDP was up 3.0 percent on year and the current account surplus was NYR0.25 billion.

Hong Kong will provide Q1 data for gross domestic product, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 2.3 percent on quarter and 2.7 percent on year. That follows the 0.4 percent quarterly increase and the 4.3 percent yearly gain in the three months prior.

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.
Insurance major American International Group, Inc. or AIG (AIG) announced Thursday that it has reached an agreement to sell around 20 percent of its Corebridge common stock to Nippon Life Insurance Co. for $3.8 billion.

The company will sell around 120 million shares of its Corebridge stock for $31.47 per share.

The sale is expected to close by the first quarter of 2025, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including required regulatory approvals.

Under the deal terms, AIG has agreed to maintain a 9.9 percent ownership stake in Corebridge for two years after the closing.

Peter Zaffino, Chairman and CEO of AIG, said, "Nippon Life is well known in the financial services industry for its leadership in the Japanese insurance market and is globally recognized for its strong performance and corporate reputation. We are pleased to have Nippon Life become a strategic partner to Corebridge and believe that they will add meaningful value as an investor."

In the deal, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz acted as legal counsel, and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC acted as financial advisor for AIG.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
REIT Macerich Co. (MAC) announced Thursday that it now owns both Arrowhead Towne Center and South Plains Mall after purchasing the remaining 40% share from its joint venture or JV partner, a global institutional investor, for $36.5 million plus the debt.

For Arrowhead, the purchasing price is a 7.2% cap rate.

The transaction, which closed on May 14, gives Macerich full ownership of both properties.

Further, Macerich said it has executed a contract for the sale of an open-air asset in a major market.

Jack Hsieh, President and Chief Executive Officer, Macerich, said, "We are pleased to achieve full ownership of these highly attractive retail assets via the purchase of the remaining 40% share from our JV partner. Given the pending, massive microchip investment within the Arrowhead Towne Center market, we believe there are significant positive impacts to our trade area that we will soon be able to capitalize upon."

The 1.1 million-square-foot, super-regional Arrowhead Towne Center is located in a high-growth area of Metro Phoenix. Currently 100% leased, Arrowhead Towne Center is anchored by Dillard's, Macy's, JCPenney, DICK's Sporting Goods, AMC Theatres and a brand-new Round1 Spo-Cha.

The buoyant trade area is home to the new Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company site consisting of three fabs, opening in phases beginning in 2025 and bringing TSMC's total investment in Arizona to more than $65 billion.

Arrowhead Towne Center's trade area also boasts three top-ranked universities and 13,000 K-12 students.

South Plains Mall is a 1.1 million square foot super-regional shopping center in Lubbock, Texas, home to Texas Tech University and its $4.3 billion annual economic impact.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Technology company Aptiv plc (APTV) announced Thursday that Aptiv and Hyundai Motor Group have completed the previously announced ownership restructuring transactions of Motional AD LLC.

As part of the ownership restructuring, Aptiv sold an 11 percent common equity interest in Motional to Hyundai for approximately $448 million of cash consideration.

Aptiv also exchanged approximately 21 percent of its common equity in Motional for a like number of Motional preferred shares.

In addition to Hyundai's funding of Motional earlier this month, these transactions resulted in the reduction of Aptiv's common equity interest in Motional to 15 percent from 50 percent.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
[L-R] Dr Kwezi Mzilikazi (DVC: Research, Innovation & Strategic Partnerships), Prof Andre Keet (DVC: Engagement and Transformation, Nelson Mandela University), Prof Mabokang Monnapula-Mapesela (DVC: Academic & Student Affairs), Ms Di Hornby (Director of the Rhodes University Community Engagement Division) PIC CREDIT: Vusumzi Tshekema

By Zindzi Nkunzi

On 14 May 2024, a three-day Community Engagement Conference hosted by Rhodes University kicked off. Attended by scholars worldwide, the conference focuses on the history of community engagement in universities, exploring its milestones and impact while considering further actions to fortify a cohesive community-university-society partnership.

The conference seeks to contribute to the knowledge base concerning community engagement, examining the dynamic between community, university, and society in South Africa and internationally.

In her opening remarks, Rhodes Universitys Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs, Professor Mabokang Monnapula-Mapesela, expressed appreciation for the strides made in community engagement. She commended Ms Di Hornby, Director of the Rhodes University Community Engagement (RUCE) Division, and her team for their exemplary efforts in enhancing community engagement. We are immensely proud of our community engagement team, led by Ms Di Hornby, for their outstanding contributions, she stated.

Today, we commemorate the significant advancements made by South African universities in establishing community engagement as a pivotal element of their academic endeavours. We celebrate this transformation from what was previously termed community service, she remarked.

Acknowledging ongoing challenges, Professor Monnapula-Mapesela recognised the efforts to bridge the divide traditionally perceived between higher education institutions and their local communities. While we honour this history, we also recognise the continuous need to dismantle the 'Ivory Tower' mentality and to enhance our engagement strategies for more significant impact and public benefit, she noted and suggested a reflective approach: We must consider how community engagement can be genuinely integrated into our academic initiatives. We should continuously envision our interactions to improve connections with our communities.

Professor Andre Keet, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Engagement and Transformation at Nelson Mandela University, was the sessions keynote speaker. He discussed the importance of re-envisioning university practices and systems to foster a transformative institution aligned with community needs. He introduced the concept of an 'engagement transformation interface' as a practical strategy for rethinking the university structure. We advocate for liberated forms of epistemic freedom, engagement activities, and institutional cultures, he explained.

He outlined the historical context of transformation within the education sector, influenced by the challenges of post-apartheid South Africa and globalisation. We have identified a three-tier model of transformation, he stated, detailing:

The land scale reconfiguration of the system. Responses to global and local processes and influences. Social justice and human rights programming.

Professor Keet alluded that the first tier relates to the post-1994 focus of the South African state on policy constructions to pave the way for the restructuring and development of society to deal with the multifaceted and deprived inheritance from the apartheid era.

Keet explained that the second tier is associated with steering global, regional, and local forces within which the system is entangled. The principles and concepts of the first two tiers thus address themselves to systemic changes within a sector influenced by global forces in the aftermath of apartheid.

He views the third tier as the weakest because it has hardly been a focus in transformative ways. This tier focuses on mobilising the language of human rights, non-discrimination, equality, cultural tolerance, and a common commitment to a human, non-racist and non-sexist social order. This tier is linked to the orientation and character of the university, he said.

He concluded by urging a commitment to more proactive, engaged scholarship to foster social responsiveness, advocating for universities to be adaptable and responsive while maintaining their foundational structures.

The Community Engagement Conference will run until 16 May 2024.
Updated Nexon could also get other updates such as Level 2 ADAS features, dual-zone climate control, etc

With a dip in sales in March and April, it is important to find the reasons for the slide. It is possible that Nexons own sibling, the Punch, could be responsible to some extent. Another factor could be the new Mahindra XUV 3XO that comes with multiple segment-first features. To improve competencies, Tata Motors is working to introduce some new updates for Nexon.

Nexon spied with a panoramic sunroof

One of the biggest crowd-pulling car feature in India is a sunroof. Mahindra launched the new XUV 3XO with panoramic sunroof, making it the 1st car in the sub 4 meter SUV segment to get such a huge sunroof. The result of this added feature can be seen in the huge booking numbers reported by Mahindra. With Mahindra XUV 3XO recording 50k bookings in just 1 hour, it was only a matter of time rivals took notice.

Tata Nexons panoramic sunroof seems to be of the same size as that of XUV 3XO. There could be a difference of a few millimetres, but that should not be much of an issue for most users. While the sunroof glass stretches all the way to the C pillars, the opening space is only up to around the B pillars.

These dimensions are similar to that of XUV 3XO. Rear passengers will be able to comfortably use the panoramic sunroof. In its current form, Nexon comes with a single-pane voice based electric sunroof. Take a look at the panoramic sunroof of new Tata Nexon in the video below, credited to Refinement and Power.

Panoramic sunroof for Nexon will be available with the top-spec variants. For the existing model, the voice assisted electric sunroof is available with SMART + S variant onwards. Assuming that Tata is introducing new updates for Nexon in response to XUV 3XO, it will need more features to create a level playing field. For example, Nexon can get premium features such as Level 2 ADAS, electronic parking brake with auto hold, smart steering modes and dual zone climate control.

XUV 3XO has rear AC vents as standard for all variants. It also has soft touch leatherette on the dashboard and door trims. However, Nexon has its own specialities such as ventilated leatherette seats. Ventilation option is not available with XUV 3XO.

Nexon panoramic sunroof variant launch

As Nexon has witnessed a dip in sales in recent months, Tata Motors will be looking to launch the panoramic sunroof variant as soon as possible. The festive season will start in a few months, which could be an appropriate time to introduce the updated Nexon with panoramic sunroof. Prices could start at around Rs 16  17 lakh.

Nexon is offered with engine options of a 1.2-litre turbo petrol and a 1.5-litre turbo diesel unit. The petrol engine delivers 120 PS and 170 Nm. Transmission choices include 5MT, 6MT, 6AMT and 7DCA. The diesel unit churns out 115 PS and 260 Nm. Transmission choices include 6MT and 6AMT.
What doesnt get enough credit? The MG Astor

Its a really good SUV thats not fully appreciated. Its actually super advanced and comes with a great price. Even the entry model is priced at Rs. 9.98 lakh (ex-showroom), which is a great deal considering how luxurious the interior is.

Astor looks amazing in Havana Grey, DT White, and Black. Unlike some rivals with questionable designs, Astor has a charming appeal. Its subtly elegant and refined, looking sophisticated and premium outside, while feeling luxurious inside. Some key features of Astor include:

1. Largest in segment Panoramic Sunroof  Astor offers spacious and luxurious interiors, and the largest panoramic sunroof in its segment. The panoramic sunroof is available from the Select trim, starting at Rs. 12.98 lakh (ex-showroom).

2. 14 Level-2 ADAS Features  Astor comes equipped with 14 Level-2 ADAS features. Notably, Astors ADAS is a radar-based system, which is more effective than camera-based systems found in some rival cars.

3. Spacious & Luxurious Interiors  Astor features roomy and opulent interiors, with ventilated front seats as a major comfort. The extensive use of soft-touch and Sangria Red interior shade lends a luxurious feel. Astor can comfortably accommodate 5 people and the boot size is bigger than most of its rivals.

4. Safety & Connected Features  MG Astor comes with over 80 connected car features and 49 safety features. The Hinglish voice commands are highly intuitive and among the best in the segment.

5. Personal AI Assistant  Astor is the only SUV in its class with a personal AI assistant, a cutesy physical chatbot. This is a characterful attribute and is a conversation starter. Quite literally!

6. Digital Key  Astor is the only compact SUV to pack a digital key along with key sharing for added convenience.

7. Highest Resale Value  A recent study by Droom Car positioned MG Astor as the SUV with the highest resale value in its segment.

2024 MG Astor Price Analysis

MG offers Astor in five versions: Sprint, Shine, Select, Sharp Pro, and Savvy Pro. Even the basic Sprint trim shows MGs commitment to affordable luxury and technology, featuring a soft-touch dashboard. Astors pricing is competitive even from the base version, setting it apart from its competitors. In fact, the starting Sprint trim is lower than most rivals (Creta, Seltos, Grand Vitara, etc), with a price difference of about Rs. 1-2 lakh.

If youre searching for a sub-4m SUV (Nexon, Brezza, Sonet, Venue, XUV3XO, etc) priced under Rs. 9.98 lakh (ex-showroom), youll probably be considering the second or third trim level. In this case, MG Astor is a straightforward choice because it provides enough space and size, along with the satisfaction of owning a higher-tier vehicle.

The top-tier Savvy Pro trim starts at Rs. 16.78 lakh (ex-sh) with an automatic gearbox. This price is lower than every other top-tier automatic variant of rival cars, except for the Honda Elevate and Citroen C3 Aircross. The top-tier automatic models from Korean brands start at around Rs. 18.75 lakh, Japanese brands at around Rs. 19.9 lakh, and German brands at around Rs. 17.65 lakh (ex-showroom), which is also for a 1.0L TSI engine.

The MG Astor stands out as a compelling option not only in its segment, but also in the sub-4m SUV segment, offering a blend of affordability, luxury, and advanced technology. With its range of trim levels catering to various budgets and preferences, Astor provides ample space and features typically found in higher-segment vehicles. Whether its the competitive pricing, refined design, or top-tier features, Astor presents a strong case for those seeking a well-rounded SUV experience without breaking the bank.
San Marcos  Fourteen years after they first met in the Luann comic strip, lovebirds Brad and Toni are finally getting married and the strips San Marcos creator has offered fans an invitation.

Greg Evans, who has drawn the strip for nearly 32 years, is running an online contest where fans can submit their own design for Tonis wedding dress. The one that gets the most votes will be drawn on the blonde firefighter for the cartoon couples nuptials in December. Since launching the contest a month ago, Evans said more than 600 designs have been submitted to the website luannfan.com and more than 30,000 votes have been cast.

Voting will end on Monday and the winning design will be unveiled on Dec. 4, with the designers name. Evans said hes thrilled that so many people have become invested in this story line.

Its great, he said. Its so gratifying that people care so much about the characters to take the time to draw a dress for a fictitious character and then take the time to submit it, especially since theres no prize except their name in the paper.

The dress design competition is just the latest contest Evans has launched to keep fans engaged.

Its a different thing, he said. Comic strips dont generally reach out to the readers very often but I like to do that.

Back in 1995, Evans had a fashion show story line and invited fans to create exotic dresses for the event. About 3,000 people mailed in 15,000 drawings from the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, Europe and even Saudi Arabia. Evans narrowed that down to 52 finalists, which appeared over several days. Two years later, he did an online contest where fans could help Luann  the strips bubbly, indecisive title character  choose between two romantic interests, the nerdy but devoted Gunther or the handsome, aloof Aaron. More than 43,000 votes were tallied and Aaron won by a 4,000-vote margin.

Brad, Luanns big brother, first met Toni when they attended an EMT course together on Feb. 25, 2002. Evans said he was inspired make Brad a fireman because of the heroism shown by the 343 firefighters killed on 9/11. Their long and troubled courtship included Tonis bad boyfriend (Dirk the jerk), their graduation from fire academy, Brads temporary job loss and a mix of misunderstandings and bad timing. In 2012, Brad proposed but they decided to postpone their plans, then she proposed to Brad on April 2, 2013, and he tearfully accepted.

The idea of another contest was conceived about two years ago by Evans and his daughter, Karen, 37, who has been co-writing the strips stories since 2012. Karen Evans, a San Diego school administrator, was the original inspiration for Luann. Her dad said one day he saw 5-year-old Karen  the youngest of his three children with wife, Betty  walking around their Twin Oaks Valley home dressed in her moms clothing and he thought he could do a lot with a strip about an imaginative girl. Luann debuted on March 17, 1985, and is now syndicated in more than 400 newspapers and websites.

The wedding subplot has taken center stage over the past couple of months and Evans said Karen thought about a new contest as a way to make it special for fans.

Its so hard to make a good wedding story, so we thought this would be a really fun way to get involved, he said.

Evans said the submissions run the gamut. There are childlike scrawls with pencils and crayons, comic strip-style dresses on a Toni-like bride, photographs of real dresses uploaded by professional designers and hand-pasted collages that include the exact fabric, lace and trim designs. One fire-inspired dress is white on top and flame red from the knees down. Another has Toni in a mini-dress with fire hose nozzles over the breasts and holding an ax.

Evans said his favorite dresses  and apparently those of voters  are elegant but simple. He wants a dress thats easy to draw day after day and he thinks the cleaner designs suit Tonis no-nonsense personality.

Toni is not frilly, he said. She wouldnt wear a big, long pouffy thing.

Evans wont give any hints about the wedding, which takes place in the Dec. 11 strip, but he promises it will be entertaining. And if fans feel compelled to send a gift to the happy couple, theres a link on the the luannfan.com site where they can make a donation in Brad and Tonis name to the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation.

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have found evidence for an ongoing merger of two galaxies and their central black holes  a galaxy system dubbed ZS7  when the Universe was just 740 million years old.

Massive black holes that are actively accreting matter have distinctive spectrographic features that allow astronomers to identify them.

For very distant galaxies, like those in this study, these signatures are inaccessible from the ground and can only be seen with Webb.

We found evidence for very dense gas with fast motions in the vicinity of the black hole, as well as hot and highly ionized gas illuminated by the energetic radiation typically produced by black holes in their accretion episodes, said Dr. Hannah Ubler, an astronomer at the University of Cambridge.

Thanks to the unprecedented sharpness of its imaging capabilities, Webb also allowed our team to spatially separate the two black holes.

The astronomers found that one of the two black holes has a mass that is 50 million times the mass of the Sun.

The mass of the other black hole is likely similar, although it is much harder to measure because this second black hole is buried in dense gas, said Dr. Roberto Maiolino, an astronomer at the University of Cambridge and University College London.

Our findings suggest that merging is an important route through which black holes can rapidly grow, even at cosmic dawn, Dr. Ubler said.

Together with other Webb findings of active, massive black holes in the distant Universe, our results also show that massive black holes have been shaping the evolution of galaxies from the very beginning.

The stellar mass of the system we studied is similar to that of our neighbor the Large Magellanic Cloud, said Dr. Pablo G. Perez-Gonzalez, an astronomer at the Centro de Astrobiologia.

We can try to imagine how the evolution of merging galaxies could be affected if each galaxy had one supermassive black hole as large or larger than the one we have in the Milky Way.

The researchers also note that once the two black holes merge, they will also generate gravitational waves.

Events like this will be detectable with the next generation of gravitational wave observatories, such as ESAs upcoming Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission.

Webbs results are telling us that lighter systems detectable by LISA should be far more frequent than previously assumed, said LISA lead project scientist Dr. Nora Luetzgendorf, an astronomer at ESA.

It will most likely make us adjust our models for LISA rates in this mass range. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

The discovery is reported in a paper in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

_____

Hannah Ubler et al. 2024. GA-NIFS: JWST discovers an offset AGN 740 million years after the Big Bang. MNRAS 531 (1): 355-365; doi: 10.1093/mnras/stae943
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. The working visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan to Strasbourg has commenced, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia said in a statement.

In the presence of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejcinovic Buric, Minister Mirzoyan signed the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Dignity of the Human Being with regard to the Application of Biology and Medicine (Oviedo Convention).

Since joining the CoE, Armenia has signed and ratified 70 CoE conventions and joined 12 CoE partial agreements.

The Oviedo Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine is the only international legal instrument that defines the principles for the protection of human rights in the field of medicine and biological medicine. Armenia is the 37th country to join the Convention.
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. "Learn & Work: YSU Expo- 2024",dedicated to the 105th anniversary of the Yerevan State University has launched in the University. It has gathered applicants, students, graduates, university divisions, and employers under one roof.

Within the framework of the Expo, the applicants will have an opportunity to get acquainted with competitive educational programs, students will be able to meet their future employers, and employers will be able to present their activities and career opportunities.

Yerevan State University Rector Hovhannes Hovhannisyan welcoming the attendees, congratulated the Alma Mater on its 105th anniversary. He noted that the YSU is the institution through which thousands of people have passed, finding their place in various institutions. According to him, the influence of the Yerevan State University on the development of Armenia is indescribable and invaluable.

"For the second year in a row, we are holding this Expo. Last year, we had more than 20 thousand visitors, and we expect to increase the number this year. I consider it a significant opportunity where employers and education meet. During this time, we have changed many of our programs to meet market requirements, and many of our partners have also been involved in the educational processes," the rector noted.

TheZangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine CJSChas joined the "Learn & Work: YSU Expo- 2024",which represents modern and in-demand professions in the field of mining industry, breaking the existing stereotypes around the field.

The first Deputy General Director of Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine CJSC Vardan Dzhanyan, emphasizing the role of such events, noted that the Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine had joined the Expo with great pleasure, because the mining industry is one of the most important branches of Armenia's economy.

"Although our field is one of the important links for the country, we have a problem: our field is not perceived properly by society and future workers. This is a very good opportunity to present it in the best way so that skilled specialists, including those from Yerevan State University, come and work in our sector. There are myths about the mining industry, and together with YSU, we must do everything so that they do not influence people's decisions.

One of the myths is that there is no mining industry in developed countries, but in fact, the most developed Western countries such as the USA, Canada, and Australia have highly developed mining industries.

In other words, a developed and modern economy also includes mining industry, but not everyone in Armenia understands this. Secondly, there is an opinion that in our field we need mainly labor force, not scientific specialists, which is not quite true," said Vardan Dzhanyan.

He noted that the students' interest is quite high, and based on that interest; they will work with the YSU to organize similar events, where they will present the company's activities and important directions.

Arayik Margaryan, Head of Information and Public Relations Department of "Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine" CJSC, emphasized that within the framework of the Expo, the company presents its professions to demonstrate that the mining industry requires the most technological, advanced, and knowledgeable specialists.

"I must note that it is very difficult to produce high-tech devices from stone. Various copper parts and other materials obtained from the stone itself are used in smartphones. In other words, it takes many specialists and a lot of knowledge for obtaining high-tech devices from stone.

We have come today to show the students and explain that the professions they may believe are currently not in demand are, in fact, always in demand and highly paid in the field of mining industry," said Arayik Margaryan.

In an interview with Armenpress, students noted that it is a great opportunity to familiarize themselves with the labor market, establish new connections for future cooperation.

Various conferences will also be held within the framework of the Expo. The event will conclude with a festive concert, during which the results of cultural competitions and the "Best Student of YSU" contest will be announced.
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. On May 16, the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg unanimously adopted a motion expressing support for Armenia, as well as establishment of peace and stability in the region, the Embassy of Armenia to Belgium said.

The motion condemns the forced exodus of more than 100,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of Azerbaijan's unjustified military operation; referencing ICJ order of November 17, 2023 underscores the importance of adhering to international law, as well as calls for the immediate release of Armenian PoWs by Azerbaijan

Emphasizing the recognition of the territorial integrity of the countries of the region on the basis of Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991, it encourages the demarcation works between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as establishment of the diplomatic relations in the region.

The motion also commends Armenias democratic progress and its ratification of the Rome Statute

Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of deepening EU-Armenia relations through a new partnership program and advocates for the EU's increased role in mediating the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. Additionally, it encourages the strengthening of economic, scientific and educational ties between Luxembourg, the EU and Armenia.
There has been an uptick in the number of parcels being pinched from outside the front of homes.

Australia Post is urging residents to report any parcel thefts as the 'disturbing' trend increases. Source: Facebook

Australia Post is warning residents to be vigilant after the number of parcels being pinched from doorsteps has increased, with two seperate incidences caught on home security cameras in as many days this week.

On Monday a Manly resident in Sydney's northeast caught an offender unlatching his gate and grabbing not one but three of his parcels at his front door, while on Tuesday a resident had her parcel stolen from her doorstep in Stanmore in the city's inner west. She claims the contents of her mail were rummaged through before the empty box was "dumped" behind her home.

Both residents were shocked by the "brazen" and "opportunistic" acts and Australia Post is now urging people to report such criminal behaviour to police.

"Theft of parcels and mail after delivery is a criminal offence and customers should get in touch with police if they suspect their mail has been tampered with or stolen," an Australia Post spokesperson told Yahoo News.

Cost of living believed to be behind 'disheartening' trend

A report released by Finder revealed one in five Aussies had a parcel stolen from them between April 2022 and April 2023. The trend doesn't show any signs of slowing down either, with the high cost of living causing some struggling Australians to "bend their morals a little more than usual".

"People are strapped for cash at the moment, it's a real slap in the face to have something you've paid for to arrive and then it get stolen," Sarah Megginson from Finder told Yahoo News. "Quite a lot of people are doing this as a crime of opportunity.

"It's really disheartening to see that this is a trend that is increasing."

It was reported that the average cost of a stolen parcel was $129, meaning a staggering $541 million worth of mail disappeared, with business as well as residents taking the brunt of the loss, according to Finder.

"It causes problems for a number of people ... businesses need to make a profit, residents miss out," Megginson lamented.

A report released by Finder revealed one in five Aussies had a parcel stolen from them between April 2022 and April 2023. Source: AAP

How to reduce the chances of getting your parcel stolen

Australia Post is encouraging the public to download the AusPost app which gives customers access to self-service parcel lockers, meaning their mail is stored securely before collection, or to redirect parcels to a post office to hold until they can pick it up in person.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Inside AGS Automotive Systems in 2018. (File photo: Joe Powers Insitu Photography)

Deer Camp Julie Majewski is the founder of Deer Camp Coffee and Outfitters.

Velocity is located at 6633 18 Mile Rd. in Sterling Heights. (File photo: David Lewinski)

More than 400 attendees packed into Andiamos Warren location bright and early on the morning of Thursday, May 9, for the 12th annual Macomb Business Awards. And while it was a good day for all of the nominees -- a group of more than 100 businesses and nonprofits found throughout the entirety of Macomb County -- it was an especially good day for Sterling Heights. Thats because 50 percent of the awards handed out at this years ceremony were given to Sterling Heights businesses, a group that stood out from the rest of the county and took home four of this years eight total awards.The award ceremony was hosted by retired Fox 2 News anchor Huel Perkins, welcomed keynote speaker Princess Castleberry, and featured Macomb County Executive Mark A. Hackel and Vicky Rowinski, director of Macomb County Planning and Economic Development.Every day, local businesses and organizations make our County a better place to live, work and experience, and the Macomb Business Awards is a prime opportunity for us to showcase this, said Executive Mark Hackel. Im proud to share the stage with these incredible local leaders and to once again promote that the County is your trusted business partner.It was a room full of some of Macomb County's brightest and best. Yet for all of the local notables, it was the Sterling Heights business community that stole the show.Lets meet the hometown heroes.AGS Automotive Systems6640 Sterling Dr.Tier 1 auto supplier AGS Automotive Systems acquired its current site in Sterling Heights in 2012 and has made several significant investments in the facilities since then. The Toronto, Ontario-based company employs hundreds of Michiganders  and apparently its a group of well-treated employees.The company is focused on retention, offering opportunities for advancement and development, the county attests in its comments on the winning businesses. Its also built an impressive employee culture  with engagement activities like birthday and anniversary celebrations, as well as an employee assistance program that helps workers overcome barriers from transportation to housing. The results of these efforts are clear. AGS has a turnover rate of less than six percent over four years. Visit AGS Automotive Systems online for career opportunities today.Deer Camp Coffee Roasting Company & Outfitters35279 Dodge Park Rd.Founded by Julie Majewski in 2015, Deer Camp manufactured premium and specialty coffees before opening their own retail and roasting facility in Sterling Heights in 2020, a bold decision made in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic that has since paid off. Majewski continues to grow her business, year after year.Created in 2015, its coffees are designed with the outdoors in mind - known for low acidic blends with exceptional tastes. Building on its popularity, the company expanded in September 2020, opening a retail and roasting facility in Sterling Heights. The shop features Michigan-made products, wild-game, meats, cheeses and chocolates that can be shipped anywhere. Founder Julie Majewski continues to seek opportunities for growth, with new locations, new partnerships and new products on the horizon. Visit Deer Camp Coffee online to learn more about Macomb Countys hidden gem.Epoch ExpressionsEpoch Expressions is an outpatient mental health treatment clinic that specializes in treating children and adolescents. Stephanie Falotico, LMSW, launched Epoch Expressions in 2022 with the help of Apollo, the clinics resident Certified Therapy Dog.With just two employees, Clinical Therapist Stephanie Falotico and Certified Therapy Dog Apollo, the practice focuses on youth and adolescents with trauma, anxiety, depression and other mood disorders. In less than two years, the organization has served 73 clients, with many receiving certified trauma treatment. This has resulted in reports of more confident and secure children and teens, and parents who have new perspectives on their behaviors. Visit Epoch Expressions online to learn more about treatment options today.Velocity6633 18 Mile Rd.Velocity first opened in 2011, repurposing a Ford Motor Company child care center as a hub for innovation and growth for Macomb County businesses and entrepreneurs in the manufacturing, technology, and defense industry sectors. The 2022 reinvention of the space includes facility renovations, new equipment, and spaces designed to grow business and talent at every stage of development. In November 2023, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation awarded Velocity a $1.8 million grant as part of their inclusion in the Small Business Support Hubs (SBSH) program.Velocity is a catalyst for culture change designed to accelerate innovation, reinvention and growth for Macomb County businesses in the manufacturing, technology and defense industries. Located in the Sterling Innovation District, its incubator, accelerator and coworking space offer world-class opportunities to help businesses thrive. Visit Velocity online to learn more about upcoming events, programs, and business development opportunities. And visit Macomb Business online to learn more about the complete list of winners from the 12th annual Macomb Business Awards.
John Grap The Kalamazoo River flows to the west south of Hamblin Avenue near downtown Battle Creek.

Courtesy of Battle Creek Whitewater One possible way the river could look if it were freed from its concrete channel.

John Grap The Kalamazoo River merges with the Battle Creek River southwest of downtown Battle Creek.
Buffett the manatee has been alone since the disturbing death of his brother.

There are growing calls for Buffett the manatee to be taken out of solitary confinement. Source: UrgentSeas

WARNING - DISTURBING DETAILS: An ageing manatee is languishing alone inside a tank while tourists gawk at him and take pictures. Video supplied to Yahoo shows the animal repeating the same swimming pattern and banging his snout on the viewing glass.

Marine mammal activist Phil Demers thinks the solution to the problem is clear. "He needs to be removed immediately," he told Yahoo News. "It can be done, its just a question of whether there's a will to do it."

Since Buffett accidentally killed his younger brother during a botched sexual encounter over a year ago, the clearly troubled 37-year-old manatee has been kept without the company of his own species at Mote Laboratory and Aquarium in Florida.

Demers blames the concrete tank's "unnatural settling" for the violent incident involving the usually docile creatures. He said details in the official government report that described the hours-long and ultimately bloody incident were "some of the worst" he's ever read. At the time, the Aquarium reported it was "redoubling" its efforts to ensure its standards "meet or exceed" animal welfare guidelines.

That report was released in July 2023. Now Demers is concerned Buffett's mental health is continuing to decline inside his pen, and he wants him out.

The Aquarium claims Buffett plays an important role as an animal ambassador. Source: Mote Aquarium

Unsurprisingly the Aquarium does not make mention of Buffett's isolation or his brother's death on its website. But it does highlight his importance as an "animal ambassador" and scientific research participant.

"Buffett introduces hundreds of thousands of visitors to manatees each year and helps spread the word about how you can protect threatened manatees in the wild," it says.

Manatee advocate's simple solution to captivity

Finding a home for Buffett is difficult because manatees of different genders can't be put in the same tank. That's because breeding these usually docile marine mammals is now banned under state law.

After Demers advocated for 67-year-old Romeo and his former partner Juliette to be removed from Miami Seaquarium, several agencies including the US Fish and Wildlife Service were involved in this process. Romeo was kept in isolation for months in what Demers described as Groundhog Day in hell before he was finally rehomed in December 2023.

Demers is the founder of the UrgentSeas advocacy group which is working to end the practice of keeping marine mammals in captivity. He's been highlighting Buffet's situation to his tens of thousands of social media followers, hoping people power will hasten the animal's removal.

"This is the way I look at it. I walk up to a tank, I see a manatee swimming in a circle and it's got a problem," Demers said.

"I don't see any of the lobbyists, the government, the red tape  these guys are the problem. We can wait for the perfect utopia to open up or we can get this animal moving right the f*** now. Whose interests are we really exercising when we've delayed now for over a year before moving this social animal?

"My intention is clear. I see a grave injustice. So I'm going to show the world that we don't do this anymore." Mote Laboratory and Aquarium has been contacted for comment.

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Thames Water s largest shareholder has withdrawn its representative from the crisis-hit utility's board, it was confirmed on Thursday.

Michael McNicholas represents the Ontario Municipal Retirement System, or Omers, and sat on the board as a non-executive director.

Omers holds a near 32% stake in Thames Water.

The countrys biggest water utility, it supplies millions of homes with water and sewerage services across London and the south east.

But it was thrown into crisis when its multinational owners refused to commit more than 3bn to help upgrade ageing infrastructure and shore up the debt-laden balance sheet.

On Wednesday, it was reported that a number of board members were likely to resign in the coming days.

In a brief statement, Thames Water said of McNicholas' resignation: "This follows the announcement made on 28 March that, based on the feedback provided to [regulator] Ofwat to Thames Water to date, the regulatory arrangements that would be expected to apply to Thames Water in AMP8 make the PR24 plan uninvestable.

"Thames Water continues to meet Ofwats expectation that independent non-executive directors form the largest single group on the board."

As well as Canadas Omers, Thames Water is owned by a sovereign wealth funds and pension funds from countries including Abu Dhabi, Australia and China.
Shirley Conran, best known for her "notorious domestic manual, Superwoman," and Lace, "the first British success in the then new sex and shopping genre," died on May 9 at the age of 91, the Guardian reported.

Conran, whose first husband was designer and retailer Terence Conran of Conran's and Habitat fame, wrote Superwoman (1975) in "response to a request from a recently divorced male publisher for a household manual," the Guardian observed. "Conran understood that 'men saw housework as a background to life, and women saw it as their responsibility,' and compiled a guide that came out of the postwar era then just ending, when middle-class wives had been required to be clever and sexy while managing a home with almost no help from paid staff, or husbands." The book included the famous line "Life is too short to stuff a mushroom."

Lace, the wildly popular "bonkbuster," appeared in 1982. The Guardian noted that Conran meant Lace to be in part "a sex education manual for girls, certain to be forbidden and therefore eagerly read behind the bike shed. (When it was republished 30 years later, she reinserted the censored word 'masturbation.') For Conran, the shopping mattered even more than the sex, because 'the only thing women are supposed to do with money is spend it, not to make it, talk about it or save it; what counts is money, because it gives you power.' Female rights depended on money, and reliable money on equally paid work. At the least, thought Conran, money 'could make unhappiness more endurable.' " In 1984, Lace was adapted into a miniseries in the U.S. starring Phoebe Cates. In it, she uttered the sentence that TV Guide called the greatest line in TV history: "Which one of you bitches is my mother?"

Conran's other novels included Lace 2 (1985), which was also made into a TV miniseries starring Phoebe Cates, Savages (1987), Crimson (1992), Tiger Eyes (1994), and The Revenge of Mimi Quinn (1998).

Conran had a long journalistic career. She was the first women's editor of the Observer magazine and was women's editor of the Daily Mail, where she created the Femail section, the newspaper's first dedicated women's section. She also wrote columns for Vanity Fair.
Surabhi Sinha, co-founder of TogetherThrive Foundation (TTF) won 2 prestigious business awards for her outstanding contributions in the Technology for Good Space through her advisory work at the nonprofit.

Ms. Surabhi received the Professional of the year 2023 award from the All India Business Community Foundation (AIBCF) on February 15, 2024 in a virtual ceremony held at New Delhi. On March 16, 2024, she also received the High Flyers 50 Global Icons award in the Global Icon Awards 2024, 5th edition virtually at Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport, Mumbai.

The esteemed Business & Community Awards that Ms. Surabhi won recognizes individuals, organizations, and members of the business community who have significantly contributed to their field regardless of the number of years in the industry. Ms. Surabhi was one of the youngest recipients of the awards for both the Professional of the year 2023 award and the High Flyers 50 Global Icons award and she shared the stage among the nations top business leaders and civilian award honorees.

The AIBCF awards aim to honor those who have made noteworthy achievements in their fields, promoting and encouraging excellence while highlighting those who bring glory to the nation through their endeavors. Panel members of AIBCF include government dignitaries including but not limited to Mr. Joginder Singh, Former Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Hon. Anil Wadhwa, Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs, Hon. Pratibha Patil, Former President of India among others.

The High Flyers 50 awards are a star-studded event that invites the likes of nations highest honors such as Padma Shri awardees, Civilian award honorees, etc. This year, the event was held in the Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport, Mumbai and the awards were presented by veteran actress Mandakini. A few of the notable winners include Padma Vibhushan Avinash Dixit, Lord Rami Ranger CBE (UK), Dr. Vijay Kalantri (Chairman at the World Trade Center) among others.

Ms. Surabhi is a seasoned Machine Learning Engineer with over 5 years of experience in Generative AI holding a remarkable track record of contributions to the field of Artificial Intelligence. Earlier last year, she co-founded TogetherThrive Foundation, a tech nonprofit organization with a mission to empower individuals by fostering legal awareness and social empowerment. The organization strives to create a community where no one feels alone in their legal journey, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential. Surabhi's impressive career spans significant roles at highly acclaimed organizations, including American Express, and her current position as Machine Learning Engineer at Adobe, a Fortune 500 company.

Ms. Surabhi's exceptional contributions to the broader Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) sector led to her receiving several prestigious awards, such as the Young Achievers Award and the Indian Achievers Award from the Indian Achievers Forum, Top Influential Leaders in AI to Watch in 2023 award from the World Data Congress. Beyond this, her work has been covered in extensive media around the world including but not limited to NY Weekly, InspirationFeed, Ziddu, Gizbot, Nagpur Today and Free Press Journal, TechBullion among others.

With extensive experience in Generative AI and Nonprofit Technology from her time at Adobe and TogetherThrive Foundation, Ms. Surabhi is an active author and judge who is routinely invited to contribute to technical community platforms. She has also been invited to be a keynote speaker in the World Data Congress, where she addresses Tech Leaders from around the world.

Upon receiving the award, Ms. Surabhi shared I am deeply honored to receive such recognition. This award not only underscores my commitment to leveraging technology for societal good but also highlights the collective effort of our team at TogetherThrive Foundation. We aspire to continue creating impactful improvements and inspiring others to create with a purpose, leveraging technology to address critical challenges and empower communities worldwide.
Immediate XGen is a cryptocurrency trading platform created to provide the necessary support to navigate the market effectively. This system claims to offer a comprehensive suite of tools and services to help spot the right trading opportunities and make substantial profits. In this Immediate XGen review, a detailed analysis will be conducted to verify the legitimacy of this trading software.

Visit Immediate XGen

The Immediate XGen creator makes several claims about this trading platform. It is said that this software is simple to use, offers a safe and transparent registration process, is suitable for all levels of traders, and so on. Such claims and the initial hype give the impression that this trading bot is genuine. But, these are not enough to judge the authenticity of a crypto trading platform.

This Immediate XGen review has been written to provide trustworthy information about every aspect of this platform. As you keep reading, you will get clarity about how this system works, if its legitimate, the features and tools available, the pros and cons, the minimum deposit required, and much more.

Before starting the review, here is a facts overview of the Immediate XGen system.

Immediate XGen - Facts Overview

Trading Platform Name Immediate XGen Version Xgen AI Immediate XGen AI Assets Supported Supports many cryptocurrencies and other digital assets like CFDs, stocks, etc. Minimum Deposit $250 Payout Time Within 24 hours Platform Cost None Withdrawal Fees No withdrawal charges Pros Designed for all levels of traders

Supports instant trading

Integrated with advanced technology

Comes with an easy-to-navigate website

Access to multiple cryptocurrencies and other assets

Secure platform for trading

High flexibility

Convenient payment methods

24/7 customer support

Free platform

Simple registration

No hidden charges

Requires just a minimum deposit of $250 Cons In some places like the United States, France, Iran, Israel, and Cyprus, Immediate XGen might not be available due to restrictions imposed by authorities Payment Options Supports different payment methods that are safe and secure Operating Systems Compatible with all operating systems Verification Required Yes Customer Support 24/7 Official Website Click Here

What Is Immediate XGen?

Immediate XGen is a novel trading platform created to support smooth and efficient trading using advanced tools and features. The system is AI-driven and uses mathematical algorithms to carry out complex trading activities such as examining the market, identifying trends and patterns, spotting price fluctuations, comparing price data, and generating signals.

This trading platform claims to offer the necessary support which includes advanced features, customized charts, market reports, and more. Immediate XGen also provides extensive resources to traders and 24/7 customer support. The system has been created in such a way that beginners, intermediates, and expert traders can use it with ease.

How To Regester On Immediate XGen?

To get started with the Immediate XGen platform and trade different cryptocurrencies, you have to follow a few simple steps. Each has been given below:

Step 1- Account Registration Process

The initial step is to access the Immediate XGen trading account and complete the registration process. For smooth registration, you have to provide basic details such as name, email ID, phone number, place of residence, a strong password, and so on. After filling out all the details, submit the form and wait for verification.

Step 2- Verification Process

The verification process on the Immediate XGen platform involves a detailed analysis of the information provided. This process will be carried out via phone call also. Once the verification is successful, an email will be sent to your mail ID. Open this email and tap the link to enter the official website of Immediate XGen.

Step 3- Deposit Funds

Once the verification is complete, your Immediate XGen account will be ready for live trading. To begin trading any asset on the platform, you have to deposit a minimum amount of $250. This is the capital required to execute orders and trade efficiently. With time, you can increase the capital and gain more profits. Note that there are no fees for depositing funds in your Immediate XGen account.

Step 4- Begin live trading

After depositing funds, you can start trading different assets, including cryptocurrencies, stocks, CFDs, and so on. First of all, adjust the parameters and other settings as per your trading requirements and the market situation. Then, you can go for the manual or automated mode depending on your knowledge of trading. Beginners can choose the fully automated mode while experts can opt for the manual mode.

Register On Immediate XGen

Is Immediate XGen Legit?

Due to the immense hype surrounding the Immediate XGen trading bot and the mixed opinions available online, you might have wondered if it is legit. Our expert team conducted detailed research on all aspects of this trading software and found that it is legitimate.

The Immediate XGen system ensures safe and simple registration and verification processes. The platform is AI-driven and consists of advanced algorithms to quickly collect vast amounts of data and simplify trading. Then, it has been integrated with a comprehensive suite of features. The Immediate XGen creator guarantees the safety and security of user data by following strict measures and integrating SSL encryption technology. When it comes to customer support, this platform has a dedicated team that offers assistance on trading crypto assets and other platform-related issues.

Other aspects of the Immediate XGen platform such as the accuracy rate, user responses, and expert opinions, are all positive. The system ensures an accuracy of 98% which seems genuine from the number of positive responses from traders.

Crypto and trading experts also provided positive reports about the system and rated it 4.5/ 5. So, altogether, Immediate XGen does seem to be a legitimate cryptocurrency trading platform.

Immediate XGen Main Features

The Immediate XGen system comes with several unique features to help level up the trading process and earn consistent profits. Some of the main features of this system are given below in detail:

Extensive customization option

This trading platform offers customization options so that you can navigate the dynamic crypto market with ease. It ensures multi-monitor support along with other customizations such as color changes for personalized layouts and candlesticks.

A wide range of cryptocurrencies

Immediate XGen supports a broad range of cryptocurrencies thereby offering space for portfolio diversification. Also, the platform frequently updates and adds new crypto assets so that you can explore new investment avenues in the crypto market.

User-friendly interface and smooth navigation

The next prominent feature of the Immediate XGen trading software is its user-friendly interface that guarantees smooth navigation of the whole system.

Integration of advanced analytical tools

This trading application also consists of several advanced analytical tools like candlesticks, bar charts, and histograms. These tools enable efficient viewing of all the processes and easy management of your portfolio.

How Does Immediate XGen Work?

Now, let us have a look at the way the Immediate XGen platform works to support profitable trading. As already mentioned, this trading bot is equipped with AI technology and advanced algorithms.

Using advanced AI technology, the Immediate XGen AI platform collects a vast amount of market data and analyzes them quickly. This data is then used to interpret market trends and patterns, spot price fluctuations, and so on. Then, the system generates valuable trading signals when it identifies the right opportunities in different asset classes. Based on this information, traders can execute orders. In case of risks, the Immediate XGen platform will offer timely alerts so that you can exit trade positions and minimize losses.

The application supports both manual and automated trading. So, based on your knowledge and experience in trading, you can choose any of these modes. In the manual mode, you will have complete control over the funds while in the automated mode, the platform will carry out all the crucial tasks.

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Immediate XGen- Pros and Cons

So far, we have discussed some of the most important aspects of the Immediate XGen app. In this section, let us look into the positives and negatives of this platform:

Pros

Free trading platform

Simple to use

AI-assisted trading support

Manual mode available

Payout within 24 hours

Intuitive interface and smooth navigation

Integrated with advanced analytical tools

Extensive customization options

Diverse order types

Follows high-security measures

Fast order execution

Cons

Though Immediate XGen is available globally, it is restricted in a few regions like the United States

Immediate XGen- Cost, Minimum Deposit, and Profit

When compared to other cryptocurrency trading platforms, the Immediate XGen system is quite affordable. The platform is free and no extra charges are demanded for registration, account maintenance, withdrawal, deposits, or other services. However, to begin live trading, you will have to deposit a minimum of $250. This is the initial capital that you can use to buy different crypto assets. The creator says that by offering accurate market insights and signals, the Immediate XGen platform will help make consistent profits.

Immediate XGen Cryptocurrencies Supported

The Immediate XGen system offers extensive cryptocurrency support to all its traders. The platform can be used to trade all major crypto assets in the market. Here are some assets that you can buy and sell through this app:

Solana (SOL)

Ripple (XRP)

Cardano (ADA)

Bitcoin (BTC)

Ethereum (ETH)

Binance Coin (BNB)

Avalanche (AVAX) Dogecoin (DOGE)

Uniswap (UNI)

Shiba Inu (SHIB)

Chainlink (LINK)

Polkadot (DOT)

Polygon (MATIC)

In addition to cryptocurrencies, the Immediate XGen platform also supports other asset classes such as forex pairs, stocks, CFDs, and more.

Immediate XGen Countries Eligible

Within a few weeks of its launch, the Immediate XGen platform has gained popularity in many parts of the world. Here is a list of the regions where trading is legal and this trading platform is accessible:

United Kingdom

Canada

Sweden

Singapore

Poland

Australia

Norway

Netherlands

Switzerland Finland

Denmark

South Africa

Slovakia

Slovenia

Japan

Brazil

Thailand

Germany Spain

Belgium

Taiwan

Hong Kong

Chile

Mexico

Malaysia

Vietnam

The list doesnt end here. For the complete list of countries where Immediate XGen is accessible, visit the official website.

Immediate XGen - Verdict 2024!

In this Immediate XGen review, we have looked into almost all the major aspects of this trading platform. Now, before giving you a final verdict, here is a summary of everything discussed so far.

Immediate XGen AI is a free crypto trading app created to support profitable trading for traders from all backgrounds. The platform uses the power of advanced artificial intelligence technology to analyze the market, spot trends and patterns, compare price data, identify price fluctuations, and generate precise trade signals.

Immediate XGen stands out as one of the top investment platforms, earning an impressive 4.5 out of 5-star rating.

From research, Immediate XGen stands out compared to other crypto trading platforms in terms of its user-friendly interface, advanced features, and high success rate of 85%

The platform supports portfolio diversification by offering a wide range of cryptocurrencies and other assets to trade. Immediate XGen has been integrated with advanced analytical tools. The platform comes with several features such as an intuitive interface, a simple dashboard, different trading modes, a demo mode, different payment options, etc.

The only capital required to begin real-time trading on Immediate XGen is $250. Other than this initial capital, the platform requires no account registration, account maintenance, withdrawal, or deposit fees. Considering all these, Immediate XGen appears to be a legitimate trading system that you can use to level up your trading and increase your profits.

Trade With Immediate XGen For Free

Immediate XGen AI - FAQs

Does Immediate XGen offer educational resources?

Yes. In addition to customer support, the Immediate XGen trading software offers several educational resources that you can use to learn more about trading and explore the platform with ease.

Is Immediate XGen a safe trading platform?

Immediate XGen seems to be a safe trading platform as it follows strict safety measures and provides security settings such as two-factor authentication and backup codes.

What are the different payment methods available on Immediate XGen?

Immediate XGen supports all major payment methods, including PayPal and Wire Transfers.

Can the Immediate XGen account be accessed through mobile phones?

The Immediate XGen web-based trading platform is compatible with all devices, including mobile phones, desktops, laptops, and tablets.

Which are the regions where Immediate XGen is restricted?

Immediate XGen is restricted in regions like the United States, France, Cyprus, Iran, and Israel. This is due to restrictions on trading by local laws in these regions.

Visit Immediate Xgen
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Mass closures have recently plagued two major restaurant chains: Red Lobster abruptly shuttered more than 50 of its U.S. locations and Applebees announced earlier this week that it will soon close 35 sites.

And when Chilis Grill & Bar  best known for its baby back ribs and corresponding jingle  closed restaurants in Indiana and North Carolina this past winter, reports questioned if this fast-casual chain was downsizing too.

Recently, there have been several articles and social conversations that include misinformation and mischaracterizations about the state of our business, a Chilis spokesperson told NJ Advance Media. The fact is, Chilis is outperforming the industry in both sales and traffic. Chilis has Guests lining up for our new Big Smasher Burger, which is an unbeatable value at $10.99 for the burger, fries, bottomless chips and salsa and a bottomless non-alcoholic drink on our 3 for Me menu.

Concerning closings around the country, the spokesperson said: We take a disciplined approach when deciding to open new restaurants, reimage older ones, or close ones that are no longer promoting brand growth. All three will continue to happen as we evaluate our individual restaurants and organizational opportunities, but its worth noting that we spent $50 million last quarter alone focusing on capital improvements to existing restaurants, updating IT systems, reimages of restaurants, and new restaurant development.

The Chilis spokesperson added that its integral to our brand health to regularly review the performance of our restaurants based on sales figures, shifting trade areas, lease agreements and other factors. At times, we need to make the tough decision to close one, which is not a negative indicator of our overall brand health.

Chilis operates about 1,600 restaurants in 27 countries and two territories, including one on Staten Island.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- If you received a package on your doorstep from Walmart today, its possible that the parcel arrived via modern means. The mega retailer is experimenting with drone delivery, attempting to create the largest driver-less footprint of any U.S. retailer.

Customers will have access to a broad assortment of items from Walmart available for delivery to their home in just minutes, Prathibha Rajashekhar, Walmarts senior vice president of Innovation & Automation, said in a press release detailing the companys drone expansion in the Dallas Forth Worth (DFW) area. Drone delivery is not just a concept of the future, its happening now and will soon be a reality for millions of additional Texans.

Walmarts drone delivery expansion includes stores across more than 30 towns and municipalities in the DFW metroplex, marking the first time a U.S. retailer has offered drone delivery to this many households in a single market. The deliveries are powered by on-demand drone delivery providers, Wing and Zipline. Both are approved by the FAA to fly their drones without a dedicated observer being able to see the drone at all times, the press release noted.

Drone delivery gives customers an even faster delivery option, getting items to them in 30 minutes or less and some deliveries can happen as fast as 10 minutes, Walmart noted. Over the last two years trialing drone delivery, weve completed over 20,000 safe deliveries.

Walmart said it has seen customers use drone service for purchases of convenience -- including forgotten ingredients or over-the-counter cold medicine -- and some of the most popular items ordered include snacks and beverages. But the company noted that drones can also deliver several items at a time, such as supplies for a movie night at home, a last-minute birthday gift or ingredients for baking cookies, including fragile items like eggs.

The service is currently available predominantly in Texas, but Walmart said it has plans to expand upon it soon. Visit wing.com/Walmart or flyzipline.com/get-delivery for more information.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A years-long review process will reportedly put NYC casino plans on hold for at least another year, a top Sands Casino official has noted. And the company is voicing its concerns about those delays.

Were very disappointed by New York, Rob Goldstein, CEO of Sands, told investors on a first-quarter earnings call that was first reported on the gambling site playny.com. Weve been working there for a long time, and we thought it would happen in 24  Now theyre saying 25 or 26.
A major shift is underway and one South Australian driver has shared a picture to prove it, admitting 'I never thought I'd see the day'.

An Aussie has shared his surprise in seeing an electric taxi on the road, but experts say this is just a taste of what's to come. Source: Facebook

A subtle but fascinating detail spotted on a taxi in one Aussie state reflects the new reality on our roads, a motoring expert has predicted. But many of us are likely driving around completely oblivious to it.

With electric vehicles becoming more popular with Australian drivers by the day, it's only natural that they too would increase in prevalence among ride share cars. While notably popular among Uber drivers, an eagle-eyed motorist has spotted a taxi from a rapidly-growing Chinese maker of EVs.

The latest data from the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) released earlier this year busted the "myth" that EVs are only popular among wealthy inner-city residents, with the research revealing the biggest increase in orders for electric vehicles last year in Australia actually came from outer-suburban areas.

Elon Musk's Tesla and Chinese-owned Build Your Dream (BYD) account for three-quarters of all EV sales in the country, with the latter even overtaking Tesla in January as the nation's best-selling electric vehicle for that month.

Electric taxi stuns local motorist  but this is just the beginning

Yesterday, a driver in South Australia shared images online of BYD taxi in Adelaide.

"Never thought Id see the day  a BYD Seal used as a taxi," the surprised man wrote beside the images. But according to motoring expert Trevor Long, "many or most taxis are already hybrids".

"To go full EV is a great move for emissions," he told Yahoo News Australia, adding it is "also great for [reducing] running costs for those drivers".

"Their only challenge is charging if it's a busy day."

EV manufacturer BYD is soaring in popularity across Australia, becoming the second most-popular electric car on our roads. Source: Facebook

Tesla has undeniably been the global market leader but is facing stiffer competition in Australia now.

"Tesla undoubtedly created the market for EVS globally", Long said. But BYD "has been slowly chipping away.

"BYD doesn't actually outsell Tesla here," Long explained. "There may have been one month where they did, but Tesla shipments come in waves, so they can have HUGE sales in one month and very little for a month or so later.

"However BYD is a clear number two in Australia, and with three models available now, and at least two more announced for 2025, BYD is likely to be a top 10 car brand in Australia very soon."

Have your say

EV popularity comes with 'huge, huge problem'

Long said he expects the uptick in EV sales to continue, and increase in popularity among ride share cars in particular. Though he pointed to a lack of accessible chargers as a major hurdle.

The matter has been the subject of intense debate in recent months between electric vehicle owners and regular motorists and continues to result in rows  and long queues  between drivers fighting for spots in busy areas.

"I own two EVs and it's mainly because they are great to drive and are lower in cost to run, but over time the prices will come down more, there will be more cars and more people will choose EV  though it won't be as fast as many EV lovers might hope," he said.

"Charging is a huge, huge problem for Australia. It needs more than government grants, it needs a company, or person willing to invest huge money into a network to rival our traditional 'servos' but one that will take 20 years to pay a dividend.

"That's too long for current-day business, sadly, it will be a missed opportunity."

More than 10 EVs waiting to charge during a recent busy weekend in South Australia. Source: Supplied

Government responds to EV demand

In response to demand, the federal government has announced it'll double the number of electric vehicle charging stations over the next year, with nearly 100 new fast-charging sites already added to the network since the start of 2024.

New data from the federal energy department shows that Australia is approaching a total of 900 DC fast-charging sites, marking a 90 per cent increase compared to two years ago.

It came as the Albanese government unveiled its updated fuel efficiency standards to parliament this week, in a bid to incentivise carmakers to import cleaner cars into Australia. Currently, there are about 3,000 regular EV charging stations nationwide, and 7,000 individual plugs and sockets.

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You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  The NYPD is seeking the publics assistance in identifying a man sought for questioning in connection with the alleged assault of actor Steve Buscemi in Manhattan.

It was reported to police that on Wednesday, May 8, at approximately 11:50 a.m., the 66-year-old actor was standing on the 300 block of 3rd Avenue when he was punched in the face, according to a statement from the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.

The NYPD statement identifies Clifton Williams, 50, as the individual sought for questioning in the attack.

Police also released surveillance images of the man sought.

Buscemi was taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition by responding EMS to receive treatment for bruising, swelling, and bleeding to his left eye, according to the NYPD statement.

The NYPD released surveillance images of an individual sought for questioning in an attack on actor Steve Buscemi in Manhattan. DCPI

At this time are no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing, police said.

Buscemi is best known for his work as a comedic actor, having appeared in more than 179 television and film projects over the course of his illustrious career, according to IMDB.

Buscemi starred in the films Grown Ups, Fargo, and the The Big Lebowski.

Buscemis publicist released a statement assuring the public that the actor was okay after the incident.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips.

All calls are strictly confidential.
PHILADELPHIA  When the Mets designated utility infielder Joey Wendle, recalling Mark Vientos from Triple-A Syracuse, they signaled their willingness to sacrifice a bit of defense for another bat.

Now, New York, which suffered a 10-5 loss to the Phillies Wednesday night, is going without a real backup middle infielder. Should they need someone, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza says Brett Baty, who hasnt played middle infield since high school, will fill in in an emergency.

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This is a huge risk they dont have to take. Within their minor league system is a former All-Star infielder, who mightve been a better option than Wendle: Jose Iglesias.

If the Mets need him some time, he certainly could go up there, Triple-A Syracuse Dick Scott recently told NJ Advance Media. Anything hit at him, he catches  its an out. He has magical hands. This guy is crazy good with his hands. Hes catching balls in between hops, weird hops, (and) short hops. Hes a magician out there.

Hes also showing good results with the bat in the minors. In 30 games, Iglesias is slashing .278/.320/.470 with six home runs, as many as Vientos has in Triple-A.

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Iglesias has been working on some other things that have impressed Syracuses manager.

He wants to know the metrics on things (and) hes trying to get better, Scott said. We have him on a bat speed program. He pays attention to his sprint speed, its faster than its been for the last three years. Hes run a couple of the fastest sprints that he has. Hes really hustling to try to find another year in the big leagues.

So why are the Mets choosing to recall Vientos and keep Baty instead of promoting Iglesias?

Its one of those where, offensively, and with facing lefties here, we felt like we needed a righty, Mendoza said before facing the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday. And Vientos is a guy whos known for putting together good at-bats against left-handed pitching.

In other words, the move was made out of necessity. The Mets offense has been, at best, average this season, ranking 18th in WAR (4.2) with a team .235 batting average (20th) and .680 OPS (20th).

Vientos gives the team another power bat. In 31 games with Triple-A Syracuse, Vientos was batting .284 with a .876 OPS on 12 extra-base hits including six home runs and 30 RBIs.

This is a big improvement from Baty, whos 11-for-67 (.164 batting average) with three extra-base hits  two home runs and a double in the last 21 games (19 starts).

Manny Gomez may be reached at mgomez@njadvancemedia.com.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A new group of highly transmissible coronavirus (COVID-19) variants is now dominant in the country, with current vaccines and immunity from prior infection offering only partial protections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

One variant, labeled KP.2, makes up about 28% of U.S. cases, according to the CDC, making it the new dominant variant in the country, overtaking JN.1. The JN.1 variant, which spread worldwide this past winter, made up about 16% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. in the same two-week span.

And another FLiRT variant, KP.1.1, makes up about 7% of COVID-19 cases in the two weeks studied, ending on May according to CDC data

The CDC estimated that JN.1 is strongest in the Northeast, including New Jersey and New York, where it accounts for nearly 57% of cases. In the West (Arizona, California, Nevada), it accounts for about 41%, and in the mid-Atlantic (including Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia), JN.1 accounts for about 39% of cases, data shows.

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is constantly changing and accumulating mutations in its genetic code over time, the CDC said, so its no surprise that new variants are continuing to emerge. Some variants will emerge and disappear, while others will emerge and continue to spread and may replace previous variants, according to the CDC.

Current vaccine protection

Current vaccines and immunity from prior infections provide only partial protection, according to medical experts. Yet, those whove recently had a JN.1 infection should have a pretty strong protection against all FLiRT variants, according to an article published by Aliza Rosen of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

Infection from a variant older than JN.1 is less likely to offer as much protection, according to the Johns Hopkins article.

Host vulnerability is another issue of concern, considering that only 22% of American adults have gotten the latest COVID vaccine, the CDC stated. And since many people may not have had the virus in a while, theyre ripe for reinfection, according to WebMD.

Weve got a population of people with waning immunity, which increases our susceptibility to a wave, Thomas A. Russo, chief of infectious disease at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo, told WebMD.

Another wave of infections?

The FLiRT variants would could cause another wave of infections in the United States this summer, according to the Johns Hopkins report, yet much lower numbers of hospitalizations are expected, as has been the trend in recent years.

Smaller in numbers, the variants are still having a great impact on the most susceptible populations, so it is vital that we all play a role in protecting those populations by testing and following physical distance guidelines while contagious.

The period of infectiousness for these FLiRT variants is the same as previous omicron variants: It takes five or more days after exposure to develop symptoms. People are contagious one to two days before experiencing symptoms and a few days after symptoms subside, according to the CDC.

And, just as with previous variants, some people may have detectable live virus for up to a week after their symptoms begin, and some may experience rebound symptoms, according to the Johns Hopkins publication.

Americans who test positive for COVID-19 no longer need to stay in isolation for five days, according to the CDC, which changed its longstanding guidance in March, saying that people can return to work or regular activities if their symptoms are mild and improving and its been a day since theyve had a fever.

Also in March, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the Empire States private sector has fully recovered from the impacts of the pandemic, currently boasting 8,346,200 private-sector jobs  the highest level recorded in state history, according to data from the New York State Department of Labor.

Yet, the new variants remain active, and symptoms remain quite similar to those of previous variants.

Symptoms include:

 Sore throat

 Cough

 Fatigue

 Congestion

 Runny nose

 Headache

 Muscle aches
Prosecutors announced that three men charged in the 2018 prison murder of infamous Boston mobster James Whitey Bulger have reached plea deals, The Associated Press is reporting.

Fotios Freddy Geas and Paul J. DeCologero, both of whom were affiliated with organized crime, were accused of beating Bulger to death while Sean McKinnon kept watch, the report said.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn) announced on Wednesday, May 15 that she has secured $2.2 million in federal funding for the New York Police Department (NYPD).

The NYPD will use the funds to purchase personal protective equipment, belt-worn trauma kits and replace out-of-date tasers.

This funding will allow the NYPD to purchase a newer model of tasers that have a proven track record of being a less-lethal enforcement option, and give them immediate access to trauma kits that provide pre-hospital treatment for a number of injuries, said Congresswoman Malliotakis. Having this critical equipment will significantly increase the number of lives saved in emergency situations and help keep our officers safe while theyre on duty.

Malliotakis has secured over $9 million for the NYPD in her time as a Representative of New Yorks 11th congressional district since 2021. The money has been used to purchase personal protective equipment, forensic equipment, patrol response vehicles, fixed plate reader systems, K-9 training and equipment, new tasers, and belt-worn trauma kits.

The challenges New York City police officers face have never been greater, said Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry. We need support from leaders at every level of government, not just with words but with actions. We thank Congresswoman Malliotakis for taking action once again to help protect our members as we protect New York City.

With the addition of this funding, Malliotakis has secured over $9 million for the NYPD to purchase personal protective equipment, forensic equipment, patrol response vehicles, fixed plate reader systems, K-9 training and equipment, new tasers, and belt-worn trauma kits. In Congress, she has condemned efforts to defund the police, voted to strengthen penalties for criminals who assault law enforcement and make it a deportable offense, and has introduced legislation to hold District Attorneys accountable for declining to prosecute crime.

Nicole Malliotakis has secured a total of $9 million for the NYPD since being in office in 2021. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)AP

Lieutenants Benevolent Association President Louis Turco has praised Malliotakis with her constant support of law enforcement during her time in office. The money will not only help to protect the citizens of New York, but will also protect its police officers, according to Turco.

Its very fitting that this comes during National Police Week when we remember our fallen brothers and sisters and we get to show our appreciation for those who support us, said Turco. Again, wed like to thank Congresswoman Malliotakis for her support.

Detectives Endowment Association President Paul DiGiacomo and CEA President Monahan were also present to praise and thank Malliotakis for her support of the NYPD and commitment to public safety and the safety of NYPD officers.

Any additional funding for protection and safety of our officers is always helpful, said CEA President Monahan. I would like to thank Congresswoman Malliotakis for attaining these funds and her great support of the NYPD.

In Congress, Malliotakis has condemned efforts to defund the police, voted to strengthen penalties for criminals who assault law enforcement and make it a deportable offense, and has introduced legislation to hold District Attorneys accountable for declining to prosecute crime.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Planning a hard-earned and well-deserved summer getaway but dont know where to head to get the most for your money?

WalletHub checked out the cheapest U.S. destinations that are also easy to reach, and analyzed 100 of the largest metro areas across 41 key indicators ranging from the cheapest flight and the average price of a meal for two to the number of attractions available.

The outlet then compared 100 of the most populated metro areas across six categories, including travel costs, local costs, attractions, weather, activities and safety.

The top three best summer travel destinations according to WaletHub for 2024 are:

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is considered the top destination, as flights to the city from other major cities do not require connections and typically cost under $300.

The city also has an abundance of shopping centers, parks, pools and ice cream parlors, as well as one of the latest last call times in the country at 4 a.m, for those who like to kick back and knock back a few while far from the daily grind.

Washington, D.C.

The Washington, D.C., metro area is rated the second-best summer travel destination, as the city is not only filled with affordable restaurants rated at least 4.5 on Yelp, but its many monuments and museums will make the trip memorable for both the casual and hardcore history buff.

With one of the lowest crime rates in the country, the city is also one of the safest to travel to.

Orlando, Florida

Known for its enormous theme parks, the third-ranked city also offers reasonably affordable hotel accommodations.

From high-quality restaurants to water parks to ice cream shops, boat tours and spas, Orlando is a family-friendly destination with plenty to do for thrill seekers and relaxation seekers alike.

New York City

Wrapped up with New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the region lands at number 12 on the list.

Coming in second when it comes to attractions, the city has everything from high-end restaurants to low-end restaurants to museums, architecture, history and more shopping than most can manage.

A trip to the Big Apple is more costly than other destinations, so plan ahead with booking discounts and deals.
On Saturday, Staten Islands Rep. Nicole Malliotakis took time to travel to Wildwood, New Jersey, to support Mr. Trump for President. Traveling that distance to listen to Trump speak about Hannibal Lecter in the same sentence as mental health is only one of the absurd statements made that day. Rep. Malliotakis continues to sell the delusion that the 2020 election was rigged. She is not a stupid woman. She knows that is not true. She usually tiptoes through her reasons for thinking it is true. She wont step over the line to alienate Trump and she wont tell her constituents the truth.

Rep. Malliotakis walks the line by stating that there were inconsistencies in mail-in ballots and laws passed because of the pandemic. She did not certify the results of Bidens election for a few states. The truth is: there is no doubt that Trump lost the election. Sixty courts ruled that there was no evidence to support the claims of fraud by judges appointed by Republicans and Democrats.

Many have suffered because of these lies. There are the very public victims such as Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, the Georgia election workers who were accused of ballot tampering. These women were driven from their homes and threatened continually to this day. The Georgia secretary of states office found the accusations against Moss and Freeman to be false and unsubstantiated and Rudy Giuliani pleaded no contest in paying them for his defamation.
The breast cancer survivor did not back down after the number plates were recalled.

Kari Lynn Overington, 43, was granted permission to use the 'FCANCER' number plates after winning the lawsuit. Source: The Associated Press

A breast cancer survivor has won a legal battle to keep her number plates after it was ruled that discrimination was at play when authorities issued a recall for the apparently controversial plates.

Kari Lynn Overington, 43, had her 'FCANCER' number places recalled in 2021 due to the "perceived profanity" they contained, however, the US woman filed a lawsuit challenging the decision of local transport authorities.

After the American Civil Liberties Union took up her unusual case, it was ultimately decided on Tuesday (local time) that she was permitted to freely use the number plates again. A federal judge ruled the Delaware Vanity Licence Plate program, which allowed officials to discriminate against certain viewpoints in the approval process, to be "unconstitutional".

"I'm very grateful that I was able to have my voice heard. What they were doing was wrong, Overington told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Sticking point revolved around the F

Overington claimed the F in the number plates stood for 'fight'  meaning her number plates read 'fight cancer'. However, Department of Transportation (DT) officials pushed against this argument and pointed to social media posts which showed Overington wearing a T-shirt which read 'f**k cancer' and celebrating her 'f**k cancer' anniversaries.

The DT considered getting rid of all vanity plates  ones which bear a distinctive or personalised combination of letters and words  in the state, however, that was not actioned.

Officials tried to argue that vanity plates constitute "government speech" and can therefore be regulated as officials see fit. However Judge Gregory Williams rejected the argument, granting Overington permission to use her number plates again.

Maybe the F now stands for freedom.

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Austria to make KlimaTicket free for 18 year olds: Do cheap tickets encourage public transport use?

Austria to make KlimaTicket free for 18 year olds: Do cheap tickets encourage public transport use?

Austria's KlimaTicket will be free for one year for all 18 year olds from 1 July.

Anyone who has celebrated their 18th birthday since 1 January 2024 and is registered in the country will be able to get one. Young people will be able to choose when to start their year long ticket between their 18th and 21st birthdays. Around 88,000 people will be eligible each year.

"We want to get even more young people excited about public transport in the long term," Austria's climate minister Leonore Gewessler said on social media site X.

"Because once you notice how good public transport is, you'll stick with it."

Climate tickets have become a hot topic in Europe. With rising cost of living and ongoing concerns about carbon emissions, these national public transport passes have been popular with the public.

But there are mixed messages on just how effective different schemes to encourage people to take trains and buses have been. Inaccessibility, overcrowding and sparse public transport networks have proved problematic in some places.

Getting people to ditch cars and planes, it turns out, is more complicated than just ensuring free or low cost tickets.

Where in Europe has the cheapest and most accessible public transport?

Last year, a Greenpeace report revealed the state of public transport across 30 European countries.

Nations were ranked based on four criteria: the simplicity of their ticketing systems, affordability of long-term tickets, discounts for socially disadvantaged groups and VAT rates. The report also looked at individual capital cities, rating them based on the same categories.

Each capital and country was assigned a score out of a possible 100 points.

Luxembourg, Malta, Austria, Germany, Cyprus and Spain came out on top with high scores for easy-to-use tickets and discounts. Tallinn in Estonia, Luxembourg and Valletta in Malta came in the first three spots for the city ranking.

Greece, Croatia and Bulgaria were at the bottom of the country list with Bulgaria scoring no points in any of the four categories.

When it comes to individual cities, Amsterdam in the Netherlands, London in the UK and Dublin in Ireland scored the worst for cost and accessibility.

How effective are Europe's climate tickets?

A number of countries and cities have set a Europe-wide trend towards climate tickets.

Our definition of a climate ticket is a public transport ticket which is valid for all or most means of public transportfor a certain period, Herwig Schuster, transport expert for Greenpeaces Mobility for All campaign explained at the time.

I think the only model that is quite close to our [recommendation] is the Austrian model because the Austrian climate ticket covers all means of transport. So you can use the pass in the countryside as well as on the underground in Vienna.

In 2023, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia and Portugal were among the European countries embarking on a climate ticket journey. France was also aiming for a scheme similar to Germany's 49 rail pass.

This has now been scaled back to ticket which allows unlimited travel on TER and Intercity trains but will exclude high-speed TGV trains.

Trams roll through the city centre of Frankfurt, Germany. - AP Photo/Michael Probst

Greenpeace says all European countries that havent yet reduced the cost of public transport should introduce a climate ticket.

But those that have already introduced these kinds of passes also need to improve them.

The analysis shows the ideal climate ticket doesnt yet exist in Europe. Schuster says that while the Austrian model is good, it is too expensive. Something that the free year long pass for 18 year olds goes a small way to fixing.

The number of people actually using Austria's KlimaTicket has been brought into question, too.

The Deutschlandticket is cheaper but it isnt valid on some city transport networks.There have been doubts about just how effective this country-wide transport scheme is, too.

A forecast by the Federal Environment Agency, published alongside a report from the German Council of Experts on Climate Change last year, suggested that the Deutschlandticket does little to cut emissions.

It says that calculations from the Transport Ministry of a 22.6 million tonne reduction by 2030 "appear overestimated". The report predicts a figure of around 4.2 million tonnes is more likely.

So what is the problem with the 49 ticket? Infrastructure is the simple answer.

More people using public transport without improving capacity leads to overcrowding. The prospect of an uncomfortable journey does little to encourage people ditch their cars.

And, for a large proportion of Germany's roughly 83 million inhabitants, regular public transport services aren't a reality.

Think tank Agora Verkehrswende estimates that around 27 million people "either have no connection to public transport in their area or only a few times a day".

It shows that, even if costs are cut and ticketing made simpler, rail and bus services need to improve in order for people to want to use them.

Can free public transport convince people not to use their cars?

We dont explicitly advocate for free transport, Schuster said.

We always say that transport should be affordable but not free. Its okay if this is done in Luxembourg which is a super rich country.

Tallinn was one of the first cities to make public transport free for residents in 2013 and it has led to a 1.2 per cent increase in demand since it was introduced. Luxembourg was then the first European country to make tickets free for commuters and foreign tourists alike. Initially, it failed to encourage people to switch away from cars.

People walk at Baltic train station, with the Stenbock House, left, and St Mary's Cathedral, top, in background, in Tallinn, Estonia. - AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin

Greenpeace noted that this is probably because more than 200,000 people commute in and out of Luxembourg meaning theyd still need to buy a ticket for a neighbouring country.

People typically go from Germany to Luxembourg, from Belgium to Luxembourg and still use the car because it's not really helpful if they dont pay for the Luxembourg section, Schuster says.

A new pilot scheme has seen the country extend its free public transport to commuters who live in French municipalities on the border in an effort to tackle this issue.

Montpellier in France also made public transport free in December last year and initial figures suggest it may have been more successful than other schemes. Officials say in the first five months journeys on public transport have jumped by more than 20 per cent.

What will encourage more people to use public transport?

Greenpeace says reducing the cost of public transport is still one of the easiest and quickest ways to shift people from cars to trains and buses.

The cost of public transport must be lower than that of running a car and worth the price or people wont use it. The easiest and fairest solution for most countries is to aim for somewhere around 1 a day.

Though funding is an issue, there is huge potential, to shift money from fossil fuel subsidies or introduce taxes on airline tickets and kerosene to pay for the reduced ticket prices, Schuster adds.

One of the easiest ways to cut the cost would be removing VAT, with some Eastern European countries having rates as high as 20 per cent.

Over a couple of years, I think all governments could be able to introduce that kind of fair pricing.

Making systems easier to navigate with simple ticketing systems is also important. Schuster says that electronic cards that can be used everywhere - like those in the Netherlands - are a good solution. Especially when compared to Bulgaria where you might need several tickets for a bus or to change trains.

Combining low cost, good infrastructure and a simple-to-understand ticketing system could be the best way to encourage more people to use public transport.
The irrepressible former anti-pokies senator Nick Xenophon is still fighting for his right to part ways with the law firm that  allegedly  still features his moniker.

Whose X is it anyway? Credit: SMH

In March, Xenophon commenced legal action in the Federal Court against XD Law & Advocacy, the law firm previously known as Xenophon Davis when he was a principal.

The former senator is seeking to have the letter X legally removed from the firms name  plus his legal costs  claiming it is a clear reference to his good self. Xenophon even cited newspaper headlines in his court docs referring to him as Mr X.

Xenophons former business partner  investigative journalist and lawyer Mark Davis (who was in the headlines this week as the legal representative for jailed whistleblower David McBride)  did not hide his contempt for the legal action.
Everyone has to grow up eventually, so why is it that some young female celebrities can shift into adulthood seamlessly, including publicly embracing their sexuality, while others have their every move scrutinised?

Zendaya, Sabrina Carpenter, JoJo Siwa and Miley Cyrus are all former child stars who have tried to make the leap into adult stardom, shake off their image of youthful innocence, and project something sexier. Its worked for some  think of the recent tennis-themed drama Challengers for Zendaya and pop mega-hit Espresso for Carpenter  but others dont seem to have pulled off the transition. Siwa in particular has faced a fan backlash for her racier new image.

Some child stars leap into sexier adult roles with no problem. For others, its not as easy. Credit: Compiled by Monique Westermann.

When we think of modern child stars we generally think of the wave of Disney and Nickelodeon TV shows dominating childrens entertainment over the past couple of decades. But Dr Djoymi Baker, an RMIT lecturer who has researched child stars, says young celebrities have been around long before television.

In 1884, a four-year-old Elsie Leslie became the first child star in recorded history, making a name for himself for performing the role of Little Meenie in a stage production of Rip Van Winkle. Shirley Temple and Judy Garland are two of the 20th centurys most well-known child actors but the industry was so reliant on children that the Academy Awards introduced an honorary award for actors under 18 between 1934 and 1960.
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Review Eating outSt Kilda There isnt a house wine here, but there are house oysters (and they dont get better) Let yourself be steered off-road and try a different pairing at oyster and wine bar The Walrus. Dani Valent May 17, 2024 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

This venue appears in the June hit list Melbourne 2024. See all stories .

1 / 7 The Walrus is a classy cave for excellent snacks and sips. Bonnie Savage 2 / 7 The oyster selection is fun to slurp your way around the Australian coast. Bonnie Savage 3 / 7 Morcilla croquettes on sauce gribiche. Bonnie Savage 4 / 7 Oyster pate. Bonnie Savage 5 / 7 Gilda skewer. Bonnie Savage 6 / 7 The Walrus welcoming timber and yellow interior. Bonnie Savage 7 / 7 Sea urchin orecchiette. Bonnie Savage Previous Slide Next Slide 14 / 20 How we score European$$$$ There are lots of things to say about The Walrus, an oyster bar that opened late last year as summer snuck into St Kilda, one coy sunbeam at a time. Im going to start with the toilets, though. So often, a restaurant is cosy and chic, but the facilities are drab and chill. A dining experience hitherto characterised by the flushed cheeks of conviviality is undone by a shivery interlude where ones more private cheeks are chilled and the only flush is one that harrumphs from a weeping cistern. Not at The Walrus. Here, ablutions are a delight. There are two exceedingly pleasant, all-gender bathrooms, each installed with a Japanese toilet that has a heated seat and the ability to wash and dry ones derriere. The toilets signal the attention to detail thats woven through the whole place.

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St Kildas dining scene has been lukewarm for a while, but The Walrus is part of a slew of new or reimagined places giving locals hope. You see it in the daily changing menu, inked on a mirror behind the bar: bold, hearty wild boar ragu with polenta ($16) one day, umami-creamy, sea-urchin orecchiette ($23) the next. Its there in the greeting: Its been five days, where have you been? one of the owners asks a less-regular-than-usual gent as he slides onto a leather bar-stool. Even the dogs notice it: a Maltese looks expectantly for its water bowl, which comes as swiftly as hydration for its owners. Theres oyster-themed art on welcoming yellow walls and a record player settles into a Beatles album. Its hard to choose the best spot: Id say the scooped green chairs in the street-side salon for a sunset session, then a snug perch in the rear mezzanine as the night stretches long and the biggest drama is duelling spoons tapping through the sugary shell of a shared crema catalana ($12). Go-to dish: The oyster selection is fun to slurp your way around the Australian coast. Bonnie Savage If you really want detail, though, lets sit down with some bivalves. The house oysters are from Wapengo Lake on the south coast of NSW. Farmer Shane Buckley is a master of his craft and it doesnt get better than his Sydney rock oysters, which he ships directly.

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Theyre opened to order with skill and respect and served classically, with lemon and a mignonette dressing. They need neither: sparklingly clean and briny with a long mineral finish, theyre exemplary and transfixing. The oyster selection ($65 a dozen) is rounded out with two or three other varieties that are looking good: its fun to slurp your way around the Australian coast. Chat to the team about wine. Champagne and chablis are classic mollusc matches, but I recommend letting yourself be steered off-road, maybe to a wet martini, Spanish cava or sheer, sharp Muscadet. Creamy, sea urchin orecchiette might feature on the days menu. Bonnie Savage The Walrus is owned by Amy McGouldrick (ex-Supernormal), a front-of-house professional, and her partner Marty Webster, a long-time chef (ex-Montalto) who moved into venue management. Their business partner is chef Micheal Weal, whos more hands-off.

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Webster and McGouldrick met while working at The Alps wine bar in Prahran, part of the six-venue Diggin in the Cellars group. As they closed and opened (and closed and opened) the bars during COVID-19, the pair realised that theyd learnt how to launch a place of their own. St Kilda, where they live, lacked a classy cave for excellent snacks and sips. Cue The Walrus, named because it sounds quirky and tusks look cute on a logo, but also because theres an oyster-obsessed marine mammal in Lewis Carrolls poem, The Walrus and the Carpenter. The Walrus occupies a storied space in a NeoMetro building that first housed cutting-edge Luxe restaurant in the 1990s, then was home to Karen Martinis Mr Wolf pizza place, which recently closed. The Walrus is in the same premises that housed Mr Wolfs bar offshoot. The multi-level concrete shell has been warmed by its Parisian timber-and-mirrors renovation, but it lists towards San Sebastian, too: there are pintxos, which include gildas ($9 each), the olive, anchovy and pickled-chilli assembly thats the best snack ever to be speared by a toothpick. Morcilla croquettes on sauce gribiche. Bonnie Savage

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Morcilla croquettes ($9 each) sit over a tangy, balanced sauce gribiche, the fine work of apprentice chef Liv Downie. An intriguing oyster pate ($18) is a beguiling entry-point for the oyster-averse. Nothings complicated, nothing overreaches, but its all clever, appropriate and bang-on in flavour and tone. St Kildas dining scene has been lukewarm for a while, but The Walrus is part of a slew of new or reimagined places giving locals hope. I like it a lot: its personal but outward-looking, heartfelt and responsive, with hospitality as well-honed as an oyster knife. The low-down Vibe: Euro wine-cave meets St Kilda zip Go-to dish: Oysters ($6.50 each; $65 dozen) Drinks: Oyster-friendly wines  cava, a Spanish sparkling, and Muscadet, a crisp, Loire Valley white  are highlighted, but this is a great place to discuss your options Cost: About $90 for two, excluding drinks Read more

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FoodSecret recipe RecipeTin Eats reveals the secret to making this cult souvlaki bars chicken gyros at home In her new series, Nagi Maehashi chases some of the worlds great dishes, and adapts them for the home kitchen. First up: Greek-style chicken gyros with a surprising ingredient. RecipeTin Eats May 17, 2024 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

This recipe is one of Good Foods most popular recipes of 2024. See all stories .

Nagi Maehashis version of a traditional Greek chicken wrap. Rob Palmer; STYLING: Emma Knowles Welcome to my new column for Good Food, Secret recipe. Every month, Ill be sharing a recipe for one of the worlds great dishes that youve always wanted to make at home. The signature lasagne from a famous Italian trattoria. The crispiest Korean fried chicken using a technique the Korean community normally keeps to itself. The plumpest, juiciest gyoza. Australias favourite sausage roll. Im talking the best of the best! My team and I are hitting the streets to find a version of this dish we think totally nails it. Once found, I am pleading with the owners to share the recipe. Then I am putting it through many rounds of testing in my home kitchen (making sure it is Dozer-approved!) to perfect a version for you. First up  the great Greek gyros. Truly one of mankinds greatest food inventions, succulent marinated meat is cooked on gigantic vertical rotisseries, thinly shaved then generously stuffed inside warm pita bread and drizzled with sauce. A handful of shredded lettuce wouldnt be a sacrilege but the true Greek way demands hot chips instead for carb-on-carb perfection. I could live my entire life eating only gyros and never tire of them. This is the sort of food I love: abundant, messy, delicious, economical to make, and perfect for sharing with family and friends.

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Nagi Maehashi with Kalimeras chicken gyros. The hunt for the best gyros I made it my mission to find a pita-swaddled wrap that represents everything a great gyros should be. Though Sydney is blessed with great versions, Melbournes vibrant Greek neighbourhoods were calling my name. So I hopped on a south-bound plane in search of a recipe worthy of sharing with the world. And, having pounded the pavements, I fell in love with Kalimera Souvlaki Art in Oakleigh, in Melbournes south-eastern suburbs. This family business, owned by Thomas Deliopoulos, who migrated to Australia from Athens with his wife and young son, is pumping all day. Locals and regulars are greeted with a smile and the irresistible smell wafting from the spit-roasted gyros. The thinly shaved meat  succulent and perfectly spiced, with just enough crispy bits  is stuffed generously inside warm pillowy pita bread with a fistful of crispy hot chips (thick cut, always!), slices of fresh tomato and lashings of a secret gyros sauce.

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While pork souvlaki is the signature, it was the chicken that I swooned over. It is a cut above the usual, and one (big) bite was all it took to win me over. And it turns out I am not alone in my love of Kalimera, with esteemed chef Ben Shewry from Attica being a huge fan, as well as Sam Sifton, the well-respected food critic and editor of New York Times Cooking. Nagi Maehashi with Kalimera Souvlaki Art owner Thomas Deliopoulos. Nagi Maehashi I dialled my charm up to full wattage to sweet-talk Thomas into sharing his secret chicken gyros recipe with me  and I was thrilled when he agreed. His secret ingredient? A touch of curry powder. Yes, really! Barely identifiable once mixed with everything else and cooked, it adds extra layers of flavour and warmth that makes Kalimeras gyros stand out from the rest. Tested for your kitchen

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I took the Kalimera recipe for many test runs in my kitchen and in my final recipe, I ended up tweaking the spice quantities to adapt it to regular quality spices that everyday folk like you and me get from the grocery store or supermarket. (Im pretty sure Thomas gets something higher quality and more pungent.) I was concerned Id miss the extra flavour that comes from spit-roasting and without the fistfuls of fat used to layer between the slabs of chicken for the vertical rotisserie. But actually, pan-frying boneless thighs on a boring old stove yielded an excellent result. I think its to die for. My friends swooned over it. My team couldnt get enough of it. It really is something else. I hope you love it as much as I do. Thank you for sharing your secret recipe Thomas! Nagi Maehashis version of a traditional Greek chicken wrap. Rob Palmer; STYLING: Emma Knowles Kalimeras famous chicken gyros recipe

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Adapted from the recipe provided by Kalimera Souvlaki Art, designed to achieve the same flavoursome gyros made in home kitchens using accessible everyday ingredients. Chicken gyros marinade 120ml (6 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp sweet paprika

1 tbsp mustard powder

1 tbsp dried oregano (preferably Greek oregano)

 tbsp mild curry powder  see note

1  tsp cooking salt  see note

 tsp black pepper 1.25kg skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets, thicker parts butterflied to make them uniform thickness  see note Hot chips

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400g thick-cut chips, frozen  see note

 tsp sweet paprika

 - tsp cooking salt (depends on the saltiness of the chips) To serve Kalimera gyros sauce (see recipe) 2 tomatoes, halved and sliced

5 x 20cm pita breads  see note METHOD

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Mix the gyros marinade ingredients in a large bowl until combined. Add the chicken and mix well, ensuring you get the marinade in all the cracks and crevices. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 3 hours or overnight. To cook, heat a wide, heavy-based non-stick frying pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat (no need to add oil). Cook the chicken in batches for 2-3 minutes on each side until browned and slightly crisped, but still juicy inside. Do not char the meat; we just want it to brown nicely. Transfer the chicken to a tray and set it aside for 3 minutes to rest. Then cut it into 1cm thick pieces. Warming the chips and bread Prepare the chips however you like  deep-fried, air-fryer, oven-baked or whatever. I bake for convenience and fry to impress. Season with salt (taste first; some brands are quite salty), and dust with paprika. Hold them in a low oven (75C) to keep hot, if required. Heat the pita bread until warm and pliable. Use a microwave or brush both sides with water and toast in a lightly oiled pan. Assembling the gyros Place a pita bread on a sheet of baking paper. Spread 3 tbsp of Kalimera gyros sauce down the middle. Pile the chicken on top, then add tomato slices and chips. Roll up tightly in the paper, giving it a twist at the bottom to seal. Serve gyros with extra sauce and any remaining chips on the side!

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NOTES Salt  I use cooking salt (medium-size grains) in my recipes. If you only have table salt, use 1 teaspoon. If you have sea salt flakes, use 2 teaspoons.

 I use cooking salt (medium-size grains) in my recipes. If you only have table salt, use 1 teaspoon. If you have sea salt flakes, use 2 teaspoons. Curry powder  the secret ingredient in Kalimeras recipe adds a touch of warmth and subtle layers of flavour. Use everyday curry powder from the grocery store (mild, not hot).

 the secret ingredient in Kalimeras recipe adds a touch of warmth and subtle layers of flavour. Use everyday curry powder from the grocery store (mild, not hot). Butterfly the chicken  if parts of the chicken thigh fillets are thicker than 1cm, open those sections by cutting across the meat (butterflying) so you get a piece thats more or less uniform in thickness. Aside from promoting even cooking, this increases the surface area for seasoning, much like traditional gyros rotisserie meat stacks.

 if parts of the chicken thigh fillets are thicker than 1cm, open those sections by cutting across the meat (butterflying) so you get a piece thats more or less uniform in thickness. Aside from promoting even cooking, this increases the surface area for seasoning, much like traditional gyros rotisserie meat stacks. Frozen or fresh chips  I use frozen thick-cut chips for convenience, though when I want to show off, I make fries from scratch using my crispy homemade fries recipe, but cutting the potatoes thicker.

 I use frozen thick-cut chips for convenience, though when I want to show off, I make fries from scratch using my crispy homemade fries recipe, but cutting the potatoes thicker. Pita bread  look for puffy rather than thin flatbreads. They must be warmed before use or they will break when folded. If yours are slightly stale, sprinkle with water before warming. This will moisten and revive the bread. Kalimera gyros sauce Thomas Deliopoulos was coy about sharing Kalimeras sauce recipe. But he did tell me what went into it, so this recipe is built on my memories of the flavour. I think I got pretty close! This makes a little more than youll need. Use the leftovers on sandwiches, as a dip for vegetable sticks and crackers, or as a salad dressing. INGREDIENTS

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250ml (1 cup) Greek-style yoghurt

60ml (3 tbsp) whole-egg mayonnaise

60ml (3 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil

40ml (2 tbsp) American mustard

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp sweet paprika

 tsp cooking salt METHOD Mix the ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside for at least 20 minutes. The sauce will keep for a week in the fridge. Give these two a spin I enlisted my brother, Goh Maehashi, to help me scout the best gyros to kick off the Secret recipe series. These two places were close contenders.

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SYDNEY Gyros Fix, Five Dock

A humble joint hidden down the gritty backstreets of Five Dock. They do tasty wraps with all the classic gyros fixings (chips, tomato, onion, special sauce). Pork or chicken are my picks!

Unit 5, 118-130 Queens Road, Five Dock, 02 9744 0971, gyrosfix.com.au MELBOURNE Meat Me Souvlakeri, Oakleigh

My top pick: the tender and succulent lamb gyros. Its is to die for! The gyros here are so generously packed theyre literally bursting at the seams (as would my pants if I could actually finish one).

24 Eaton Mall, Oakleigh, 03 9568 5555, meatmesouvlakeri.com.au

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Appears in these collections The 50 most popular new recipes of the year (so far)
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Review Eating outMerrylands Sure, this is a terrific place to wrap grilled meat in bread, but theres much more to explore Al Shami is one of the very few Sydney restaurants that promotes itself as a Syrian-food specialist. Callan Boys May 17, 2024 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

1 / 6 Al Shamis interior features a mosaic marble fountain (left). Jennifer Soo 2 / 6 Fatteh shamiya doused with cumin. Jennifer Soo 3 / 6 Al Shami mixed plate. Jennifer Soo 4 / 6 Fried kibbeh is a must-order dish. Jennifer Soo 5 / 6 Moussaka with rice. Jennifer Soo 6 / 6 A family shares a spread of Middle Eastern dishes. Jennifer Soo Previous Slide Next Slide 14.5 / 20 How we score Middle Eastern$$$$ Gee, they know how to put on a good breakfast spread in Syria. Therell be warm sheets of flatbread, crunchy falafel and sharp, snappy pickles. Therell be stewed broad beans humming with lemon and garlic, and toasted bread covered with steamed chickpeas, tahini yoghurt and cumin (better known as fatteh). Palm-sized slabs of soft, white cheese can make an appearance, too, and maybe a shakshouka of poached eggs, tomatoes and medieval spices. If youre lucky, therell be the ancient scarlet-red sausage, sujuk. At Al Shami, directly opposite the Merrylands train station, youll find all of the above on the breakfast menu, and the breakfast menu doesnt start until 11am. As a person who prefers to spend most of his Saturday morning in bed with a David Astle crossword, Al Shami is my kind of place. Its also one of the very few Sydney restaurants I know that promotes itself as a Syrian-food specialist. While Middle Eastern restaurants are thick on the ground, their menus are often a grab bag of the Levants greatest hits. Shawarma, kofta, hummus and lots of pita in place of utensils. Al Shami is a terrific place to wrap grilled meat in bread, too, but there are also hard-to-find Syrian home-style dishes with more garlic and yoghurt than a Greek wedding.

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Theres almost always a family spanning four generations at one of the long tables, usually swapping stories over a spread of vine leaves, skewers and kibbeh. Chef Ali Snoubar co-founded the restaurant in 2014 after leaving Damascus to cook in Qatar and, later, South Korea. (Snoubars Korean mates, Ji Yun Lee and Sang Que Lim, are backers in the business.) His food was an instant hit with other local Syrians whod fled their home country due to war and the Assad regime, and Al Shami moved to a much larger site in 2017. Its a bright and welcoming place, with a backlit map of Syria hanging proudly on one wall detailing the countrys 14 provinces. Tables, chairs and cutlery are reasonably no-frills, but theres also a mosaic marble fountain that wouldnt be out of place in an Arabian embassy. If Snoubar isnt in the kitchen, hes likely chatting to regulars and offering cups of tea to anyone who looks as if theyre approaching the end of their shish tawook. A complimentary tea cart is also parked near the entrance, seemingly for any passersby to help themselves to a cup, not just guests. Syrian hospitality makes a strong argument for increasing Australias humanitarian intake. Go-to dish: Fried kibbeh. Jennifer Soo

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Whether its your first visit to Al Shami or your third in a week, youre going to want the fried kibbeh (four for $16)  little spice-powered torpedoes of minced lamb and pine nuts with a nutty, burghul-wheat shell you could tap morse code on. If youre there for a Syrian breakfast, fatteh shamiya ($20) doused with cumin is another essential. Olive oil is mixed with chickpea cooking water to create a milkier style of fatteh than the many-textured version thats more common in Egypt. Theres almost always a family spanning four generations at one of the long tables, usually swapping stories over a spread of vine leaves, skewers and kibbeh nayeh (the Middle Easts more rugged answer to steak tartare). The Al Shami mixed plate is designed to share between two. Jennifer Soo Couples can share a condensed version of the banquet with the Al Shami Mixed Plate ($38) featuring grilled sticks of marinated chicken, lamb and kofta, plus tabouli, hummus, toum and a particularly punchy baba ganoush, not to mention two squat falafel. Theyre not quite as shatteringly crunchy as the falafel at Hammoud 1 in Liverpool (my current gold standard for falafel in Sydney), but they do the job.

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On one recent solo mission (stupid idea, dont come here by yourself), I inhaled the $25 shakeria soup  a molten-hot bowl of garlic and olive oil-slicked yoghurt smothering one big, fat, formidable lamb shank. Close your eyes and dont think of the kilojoules. Just as comforting is Snoubars moussaka ($28), rich with lamb and a wallop of tomato paste. Remove the fried eggplant and you almost have a bolognese. Its a big menu, though, and theres more I want to explore: the mansaf lamb  Jordans national dish  with a fermented goats milk sauce ($36); deep-fried, cheese-filled sambousek pastries ($16); and $5 take-home serves of muhallabieh, Lebanons number-one milk and rosewater dessert. If theres one thing I like more in winter than a late falafel breakfast, its sitting on the couch with pistachio-topped pudding. The low-down Vibe: Long family lunch where theres always more flatbread Go-to dish: Fried kibbeh ($16) Drinks: Arabic coffee, tea and soft drinks; no alcohol or BYO Cost: About $60 for two, excluding drinks This review was originally published in Good Weekend magazine

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At the unveiling of their official uniforms, our national Paralympic team may save Australian Fashion Week.

In a week marred by the absence of recognisable brands and the presence of shows that failed to embrace size diversity, the uniforms by R.M. Williams for athletes of varying builds and abilities will bring the right trends to the runway on the events last day.

Athletes Madison de Rozario (wheelchair racer) and Gordon Allan (cycling) model the official uniforms by R.M. Williams for the Australian team at the Paris Paralympic Games. Credit: Rhett Wyman

I would call it modern Australian, says cyclist Gordon Allan, wearing the uniforms muted green polo shirt with an optimistic gold trim, chino shorts and white sneakers with zippers at the side for increased accessibility. Theres a little bit of outback style with the Akubra hat, he says.

When you put it on theres that feeling of we mean business.
The schools made arrangements for the students to avoid each other, which parents of both described as flawed and traumatising. The Herald has spoken to more families facing similar experiences, including one boy who was allegedly abused by a classmate at a school for special purposes. Loading The case involved one teen boy sending explicit images of himself to his victim, touching the victims genitals without consent on school grounds, and whipping him across his back while threatening to harm himself if the boy told anyone. That case is before the courts. The boy is also accused of violating a personal protection order against her son, who is yet to be found a full-time place at a suitable alternative school.

The boys mother said she had been shocked to learn the alleged perpetrator already had a record of sexual offences but was still allowed to attend school after the alleged offences were known. [My son] wasnt going to school [after the alleged abuse] because he was scared, she said. The principal told me that while theres an investigation, the student was allowed to attend because he was as entitled to an education as my son. In the other case, the mother of the girl said a boy at her regional high school pushed her daughter against a wall outside a school building and forced his hand down her pants. The Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research show 28 sexual offences by minors on school grounds were reported to police in 2022, and 37 in 2023. Credit: Phil Carrick She disclosed the incident to a teacher, who praised her as amazing in her response but then struggled to get any information about what they could do to get help for her trauma. The boy was allowed to continue attending the school, and the school developed a safety plan to try to stop the two meeting on the campus.

He was not suspended for the incident, although he had been for an earlier incident in which he physically assaulted a student. The issue of balancing the rights of the perpetrator and victim is not just limited to the state system; there have been similar cases involving criminal charges at non-government schools, including at least one same-sex religious school. Loading The NSW Department of Education does not keep centralised records about which students face criminal charges, have been convicted, or have apprehended violence orders taken out against them. But figures from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research show 28 sexual offences by minors on school grounds were reported to police in 2022 and 37 in 2023. When the department was asked in late April and again on Thursday if the international evidence review, commissioned from a University of NSW academic, had been finalised, it did not answer.

However, on Friday its media unit told the Herald the research was finished more than a year ago. However, it said the guidelines are not due to be finalised until later this year. When asked whether other responses, such as a promised legal bulletin on sexual offending in schools, a review of problematic and harmful sexualised behaviour guidelines, and a review of policies by an outside legal firm, had finished and if the Herald could see them, the department sent a statement from a spokesperson. We aim to have the best support in place for student victims and the review into the guidance we give to schools in dealing with such matters is ongoing, it said. These are complex issues that require careful consideration, and we are undertaking extensive internal and external consultation in order to get it right. Updated guidance for schools to manage complex matters such as sexual offending is due to be published later this year. Education Minister Prue Car said such allegations between students were complex and sensitive matters for schools to respond to.
Barbara Brown was just 23 years old when she disappeared from suburban Beecroft 46 years ago on Friday.

A friend, Peta Bigum, waved the young American backpacker goodbye from the balcony of her home in Chilworth Close.

Missing woman Barbara Brown disappeared 46 years ago.

Brown walked around the corner and out of sight, heading towards the train station to continue her travels around Australia. She was heading to Queensland. She was never seen again.

Her disappearance sparked media attention in early June 1978, when her distraught father, Shell Oil executive Ronald Brown, flew out from Houston, Texas, to look for his daughter.
Doug Rogan is starting to rue the day he agreed to restore Adaminabys Big Trout, a giant 10-metre sculpture that has towered over the town at the foot of the Snowy Mountains for the past 50 years.

The last business to give the fish a once-over was an auto repair shop in Cooma, Rogan says, but it ran a mile when asked to do the work again. Now he knows why.

The zjooshed-up Big Trout, revealed in all its hot-pink glory just before Christmas last year, elicited a passionate response from locals and anglers.

Holy crap, that is bad, one person opined on social media.
Today marks the 200th anniversary of the first sitting of the Supreme Court of NSW and the proclamation of its foundational document, the Third Charter of Justice, by which the Legislative Council of NSW was also established.

This was an inflection point in the history of NSW. It heralded an institutional shift from a penal colony with a system of essentially military justice to a settlement with the plenary civil and criminal jurisdiction of the English courts. It allowed for a society, building on the vision of Lachlan Macquarie, comprising free settlers and emancipated convicts as well as the ongoing penal settlement.

The original NSW Supreme Court, on King Street. Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald

One hundred years ago, under the headline A Notable Centenary, The Sydney Morning Herald editorialised that to study [the Supreme Court] is to study the growth of our nation from its beginnings as a penal colony to its status as a dominion in the great Imperial chain, and as a free Commonwealth, independent in all but its loyal subservience to the Crown.

Much was to change in the subsequent century and we are on the cusp of the brave new world of artificial intelligence, with both opportunities and profoundly significant challenges, as the court enters its third century.
Two little words used by the former prime minister have drawn the ire of Australians as he tries to woo America's fundamentalist Christians.

Former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison has raised eyebrows after posting a photo alongside US presidential candidate Donald Trump who is vying for another term in the White House while fending off a historic indictment for misusing campaign funds to bribe a porn star and staring down three other criminal prosecutions.

While such legal troubles would've almost certainly disqualified any other presidential hopeful in US history, for Donald Trump it is simply par the course. Much to the chagrin of his critics, his loyal supporters, fans and even political sycophants care little for his transgressions, no matter how frequently he falls afoul of the law or how many of his associates end up in jail.

And those critics couldn't help but notice that charity on offer when Morrison gloated overnight about catching up with Trump.

But it was two words in particular that raised eyebrows and sparked a wave of scorn and criticism.

"Was pleased to meet with former President Donald Trump on Tuesday night at his private residence in NY. It was nice to catch up again, especially given the pile on he is currently dealing with in the US," he wrote, ostensibly referring to Trump's myriad legal problems.

"Was also a good opportunity to discuss AUKUS, which received a warm reception. We also discussed the continuing assertions of China in the Indo-Pacific and the threats against Taiwan," he continued before thanking the former US president for "the invitation to stay in touch".

Guardian Australia political journalist Amy Remeikis was among those to call out the generous turn of phrase used by the former Liberal leader.

"'Pile on' sure is an interesting way of saying 'four indictments and 80-something felony charges' but then he was never that great with truth," she scolded online.

Plenty of other Australians agreed, lambasting Morrison in the comments to his post on social media.

"Thats not a pile on, thats accountability for allegedly breaking the law. But then youre fine with not following the rules when it suits you, Mr Multiple Ministries," one person commented, referring to the former PM secretly accruing ministerial powers while in government.

"This reflects horribly on you. Read the room. The guy is a bloody disgrace and is no way a conservative. You are embarrassing yourself," another remarked.

"All the political judgement of a mad uncle at a BBQ," a third said.

Was pleased to meet with former President Donald Trump on Tuesday night at his private residence in NY. It was nice to catch up again, especially given the pile on he is currently dealing with in the US. Was also a good opportunity to discuss AUKUS, which received a warm pic.twitter.com/3FUTrwJVnC  Scott Morrison (@ScoMo30) May 15, 2024

Trump is currently in court in a Manhattan trial for misusing campaign funds, which is considered less consequential than three other criminal prosecutions he faces, all of which are mired in delays. The other cases charge Trump with trying to overturn his 2020 presidential defeat and mishandling classified documents after leaving office. He has pleaded not guilty to all three.

Morrison trying to reach America's evangelicals

Morrison is in Washington where he is launching his new book at the Australian embassy titled 'Plans for Your Good - a Prime Minister's testimony of God's faithfulness'  a move intended to appeal to the large base of fundamentalist Christians in the United States.

The foreword to the book was written by Mike Pence, who served as vice president in the Trump administration, and is also an evangelical Christian.

Expected to be at the book launch are ambassador Kevin Rudd, former Trump senior adviser Kellyanne Conway, and former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

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Influenza and COVID-19 are spreading rapidly in NSW, triggering an early spike in people visiting emergency departments, as a slew of respiratory illnesses swirl in NSW at the start of the flu season.

The latest NSW Health data, published on Thursday, showed a 40 per cent jump in COVID cases and a 30 per cent increase in influenza cases  both accompanied by a rise in emergency department presentations  in the week to May 11. Rates of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a potentially serious illness that can cause pneumonia in children, remain high and increased by 3 per cent in the same period. There was a small decline in the number of young children with RSV.

NSW is facing a wave of respiratory illnesses this winter. Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald

This winter, it is anticipated that there will be a large number of people infected with COVID-19, influenza and/or RSV, as all three viruses will be circulating at the same time, NSW Health said.

Professor Tony Cunningham, an infectious diseases physician with the Westmead Institute for Medical Research in Sydney, said the wave of respiratory illnesses that typically spread during winter was driven by people congregating in crowded indoor spaces and by young children.
They have invited people who are not students and staff of the university onto our campus to occupy a building and theyve caused considerable damage. My message to them is that they should peacefully end the occupation so that our students and staff can go about their studies and their work in peace and unmolested. Wesley said all students and staff who had contravened the universitys code of conduct would face disciplinary action, including police action. We are in ongoing discussions with the police, he said. They are advising us about how we keep this situation under control, and they are giving us advice about how we might move forward to end the protests and the occupation.

The National Tertiary Education Unions branch for the University of Melbourne backed the student protesters, voting on Thursday to demand the protection of freedom of speech and academic expression.

A second motion was passed supporting the encampment and called on the university to protect the right and safety of students and staff to express their views without fear or outside interference. Students occupying the University of Melbournes Arts West building on Thursday morning. Credit: Justin McManus Branch president David Gonzalez attended the sit-in on Wednesday and said: It was a very safe feeling and well-organised environment. Andrew Stapleton, from the unions Deakin branch, said Deakin University should live up to its stated aim to be Australias most progressive and responsive university. The encampment poses no threat to student or staff safety and should continue, he said.

Anything less from Deakin would risk our universitys reputation as a place of debate, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly  all essential for a place of higher learning. A state government spokesperson said universities were doing what they could to keep campuses safe and inclusive. Were calling for calm on campuses, the spokesperson said. A university can be a place of protest, but it should never be a place of violence and it should never be a place of antisemitism. At the Monash University encampment, nine pro-Palestine students said they had been threatened with misconduct, suspension and expulsion as a result of their involvement in the protests.

Seven members of the Monash nine. Credit: Joe Armao Draped in Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, the group  calling themselves the Monash nine  said they had been contacted by the head of the universitys security, requesting they stop using terms and phrases such as intifada and From the river to the sea. The meaning of the two slogans is contested on both sides of the conflict. To Palestinian supporters, they represent demands for the end of occupation; for some Israelis, the chants are an antisemitic call for their destruction. The Monash protest organisers said they had been told any student using the two phrases could face disciplinary action. We see this as our Iraq or our Vietnam, said one of the organisers, student Josiah Downey.

As students at this university, we have a moral obligation to stand up. Science and history student Madeline Curkovic said she was facing suspension for yelling at a pro-Israel supporter who she alleges attacked her during an altercation at the camp. Whats happened here is an outrageous attack on students freedom of speech  nine of us have been prevented from being at the encampment behind us, she said. In a statement on Thursday, Monash University said it was considering investigating all formal reports of general misconduct related to protest activity.

Students inside the Arts West building at the University of Melbourne on Thursday. Credit: Justin McManus The university takes all complaints seriously, the statement read. We are reviewing and investigating the complaints in line with our policies and procedures, which has resulted in a number of formal notices of student misconduct being issued. Dozens of tents remained on the lawn at Monash University on Thursday afternoon. There was a makeshift kitchen at the front of the camp, stocked with canned food, coffee and cereal. A handwritten sign said, no drugs or alcohol allowed. Black and white images of Palestinian children killed in the war were plastered to a billboard.

Outside the camp, a notice warned that only staff or students were permitted to enter and that any breach would be referred to police. Deakin University deputy vice-chancellor Kerrie Parker said the university was issuing a second directive to protesting students after the first order to remove the camp had been ignored. No attempt to comply with the universitys request has been made, the letter read. Furthermore, you have made public statements to the effect that you do not intend to comply with the request. You are therefore being directed by the university to attend to the immediate dismantling and removal of the current encampment.

Protest organiser Jasmine Duff said the group would once again refuse to comply. We refuse to obey the directives of a university which is profiting from weapons research during a genocide, said Duff. On Wednesday, protesters at the University of Melbourne unfurled a large banner unofficially renaming the Arts West building Mahmouds Hall in honour of Mahmoud Alnaouq, a Palestinian killed in an air strike in Gaza along with 23 family members in October. Alnaouq was planning to study at Melbourne University, according to the protesters.

The protest is aimed at the universitys longstanding research agreement with aerospace and defence manufacturer Lockheed Martin. This is indefinite. This is about disclosing and divesting and nothing will change until the demands are met, said Gemma OToole, an arts student involved in the occupation. A police spokesperson said it was monitoring the protest and would respond to any public order issues if required. Melbourne University is presently managing the situation and has not asked Victoria Police to intervene or to remove these protesters, they said.

Loading Victoria Police is liaising with Melbourne University to provide assistance when and if that is required. The long-running pro-Palestine protests and university encampments have triggered a national debate about free speech and discrimination on campuses, and prompted counterprotests by supporters of Israel. More than 35,000 people have died in Gaza since the war began in October, according to Hamas officials. The conflict started after the militant groups October 7 terror attacks in Israel, which led to 1200 deaths. Executive Council of Australian Jewry CEO Alex Ryvchin said the protest camps should be disbanded.

Loading Its time for all encampments to go. The time for indulging and appeasing insolent children running amok has passed, he said. If the university cant ensure the immediate safety and security of all students and staff, the police need to. The federal government recently broke with some of Australias closest security partners by voting in favour of a United Nations General Assembly resolution that declared the State of Palestine is qualified for membership in the United Nations under its charter rules. The federal government will launch a probe into racism at universities after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said antisemitism was the worst he had seen.
Question time just spiced up a little bit with Nationals MP Mia Davies asking Premier Roger Cook whether he would sack his Electoral Affairs Minister John Quigley for the shambles surrounding preparation for the governments new electoral and donation laws.

The question stems from a May 10 letter from all four major political parties to WA Electoral Commissioner Robert Kennedy concerned that the commission hadnt even created the online donation disclosure portal that was a key plank of the new laws.

Parties must disclose donations that total $2600 or more within a week of that figure being reached using the WA Electoral Commissions online system.

Cook responded by describing it as a ridiculous suggestion.

He said this was not an issue that should be politicised.

This is about democracy, he declared.

Cook doesnt seem fazed by the issues raised in the letter, saying that the parties were working with the commission to prepare for the new laws coming into effect on July 1.

In the letter, the four party bosses said they were left more confused after a recent workshop with an external consultant.

[The workshop] failed to provide any information about the implementation or operation of the new laws and left us with little confidence that an online disclosure system has even been created, it said.

A commission spokesman said it was confident the online disclosure system will be operational by July 1 and will enable participants to meet their requirements at that time under the legislation.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young accused the opposition of intimidation, bullying and harassment to a high order and making the workplace unsafe for Payman. Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie later backed in Hughes, telling reporters: If you are chanting from the river to the sea, Palestine be free then you are effectively supporting Hamas and you are effectively supporting terrorists. Senator Fatima Payman and Senate leader Penny Wong. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong accused the opposition of trying to politicise the war in Gaza, saying: This is a government that does represent the community more completely than any government in Australias history. It is a government that does represent, that does have members and senators from a wide range of faiths and perspectives and cultural heritage.

Wong spoke to Payman at the end of Senate question time and Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi embraced her. Jewish groups regard the from the river to the sea slogan as a coded call for the elimination of Israel while others have insisted it is simply a call for freedom and equal rights for Palestinians. Asked about Paymans comments during question time in the House of Representatives, Albanese said: The chant, from the river to the sea, has been used from time to time by some in the pro-Palestinian movement, by some who argue that Israel should be just one state as well and that Gaza and the West Bank should be wiped out, it is inappropriate. I very strongly believe in a two-state solution. I strongly believe in the right of Israel to exist within secure borders. I strongly believe as well in the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people. Albanese declined to directly address a question by Liberal MP Julian Leeser, who is Jewish, about whether Albanese would remove Payman from her position on the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade.

Earlier in the day, Albanese said he had not spoken to Payman since she made the remarks, describing her as a young senator from Western Australia. Payman, 29, was born in Afghanistan and is the first Muslim woman to wear a hijab in the federal parliament. Payman told a small group of reporters on Wednesday: Instead of advocating for justice, I see our leaders performatively gesture defending the oppressors right to oppress, while gaslighting the global community about the rights of self-defence. My conscience has been uneasy for far too long and I must call this out for what it is.

This is a genocide, and we need to stop pretending otherwise. Payman did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday. Asked about the river to the sea phrase, Health Minister Mark Butler said: The phrase that she used is not a phrase that would ever escape my lips. Its fundamentally inconsistent with the long-standing position of the Labor Party and Australia for a two-state solution to the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine. This phrase is fundamentally inconsistent with the ongoing existence of the only Jewish state on the planet.

Asked if it was appropriate for Payman to use the word genocide, Defence Minister Richard Marles said that its not the word I would use. A spokeswoman for Labor early childhood education minister Anne Aly said she did not want to comment on the issue. Australia Palestine Advocacy Network President Nasser Mashni said: Our liberation cry from the river to the sea is a call for equal rights and justice for all, which sits in stark contrast to the genocidal words and actions of the Israeli government, which has implemented racist policies of apartheid to strip Palestinians of rights, self-determination and life, for 76 years. We are alarmed that the Australian Senate has today taken this step to try and silence the Palestinian justice movement, and to shore up Zionist Israels oppression of Palestinians. Colin Rubenstein, executive director of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, said Paymans comments were a stain upon the Labor Party.
Universities that breach their international student caps will be automatically banned from enrolling more students for up to a year, in a dramatic intervention to force down overseas arrivals which could cost providers hundreds of millions of dollars.

The new powers, introduced by Education Minister Jason Clare in parliament on Thursday, come after the Albanese government detailed plans in its federal budget to create a four-year road map to bring in permanent migrants following opposition accusations it has lost control of the borders.

Education Minister Jason Clare has announced a series of measures to rein in the influx of international students. Credit: Martin Ollman

A range of legislative changes to boost the integrity of the tertiary education sector while slimming its size will also bar new providers from recruiting overseas students for two years and suspend those who dont teach any foreign students in a 12-month stretch to weed out so-called ghost colleges.

We have to ensure that we manage the international education industry in a way that delivers the greatest benefit to Australia, whilst maintaining its social licence from the Australian people, Clare told parliament.
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 Ausgrids latest policy of financially punishing solar panel owners is a seriously retrograde step in relation to climate change (Ausgrid slugs panel owners for shifting excess kilowatts, May 16). As aged pensioners, we recently invested some of our savings into upgrading our solar panels, hoping to do our bit for the planet, and now we find it is going to cost us more money for trying to do so. Is this policy driven by a cash-strapped government or is it a case of corporate greed and a reluctance to invest in upgrading the poles and wires? Surely there is a better solution. Would it be feasible for Ausgrid to build local batteries into which PV owners could deposit excess solar for sale and supply during the night? The latest policy will certainly stop others investing in solar panels. Bye-bye to a greener planet. Fay Semple, Bateau Bay Ausgrid is penalising solar panel owners who export energy to the grid during daylight hours. Credit: Oscar Colman Poof! With a flick of an expedient magic wand, an energy provider solves the $300 federal budget electricity payment controversy by turning it to ash. Rather than applauding the flourishing of homegrown power generation, as might be argued down at the pub as a good thing, Ausgrid chooses to penalise domestic production rather than adjust to it. If ever there was a scary example of an essential service running amok in privatised hands, this is it.

It is reasonable, it would seem, for mug punters to instead conjure up the huge outlay for domestic solar power storage to buffer this inconvenience of failed planning  or fortuitous coffer-filling.

Over the years, the public has seen the financial incentives for domestic power production dwindle into comparative meaninglessness. Now we face not a nice surprise from the magicians hat, but perhaps the nascence of something darker, where we pay twice for our power. Once established, such a feed-out tariff would become as flexible and ad hoc as its once alluring opposite.

We saw what you did there, Ausgrid  now roll up your sleeves. Bradley Wynne, Croydon First, Labors policies on coal and gas set us way back on the path to net-zero. That was an ugly surprise. And now the take-up of solar panels will slow dramatically since Ausgrids announcement that they will charge us to export our power to the grid at peak production time. The relatively small charge is the edge of the wedge. Theyll raise their charges because thats what big business does. A battery is the solution for solar users, but the cost is prohibitive. Our politicians? Strangely silent on the subject. Penny Auburn, Newport Ausgrid says that their new tariff system would encourage households to use energy during the day and export it at night. The former is when many householders are at work and the latter is precisely the time households are charged more for taking power from the grid. Those who can afford it have their own batteries to store midday power for use in the evening. If Ausgrid wants to make cost-effective use of the solar power generated during daylight hours it should install community batteries. Philip Cooney, Wentworth Falls Is Ausgrid and the Australian Energy Market Operator serious about charging for feed-in to the grid during the day and crediting it during the night? I had to check it wasnt April 1st. If there is a better way to kill off an industry and significantly reduce the likelihood of getting to net-zero CO2 emissions, I have yet to see it. The electricity providers get the supply for virtually nothing yet still want to charge for it, and imagine there is supply at nighttime. Colin Tickell, Mount Riverview Here we are, generating more electricity from solar, and the distributor punishes us for doing so. Instead of telling homeowners to buy batteries, which are too expensive for many, why doesnt Ausgrid follow the example of a past South Australian government and buy a battery of their own? After all, they are supposed to be distributors, and distributors usually hold goods to be distributed, not just taken from others. Donald Hawes, Peel

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So I either have to spend $10k on a battery or remember to leave the lights on if I go out on a sunny day. Got it. Martyn Davies, Narooma Trump is playing Morrison like a trout Scott Morrison is not authorised to deliver support messages to Donald Trump on behalf of Australia, not about AUKUS, not about the former presidents hush money problems, not about anything (Trump signals support for AUKUS pact in meeting with Morrison, May 16). Morrison is doing our reputation harm and, as spent a force as he is, Trump is playing him like a trout. Lets hope not one cent of taxpayers money was spent on Morrisons trip. Dorothy Kamaker, Whale Beach Why am I not to surprised to see Morrison cosying up with Trump in New York? Yet again, he lays bare his vacuous and desperate nature in an effort to remain relevant. With no need to build political capital these days, I can only assume it is blatant cronyism that would lead him to betray his Christian ethos and befriend a man who is nothing short of repugnant in his words and actions towards the women, minorities and the less fortunate of this world. Rebecca Semple, Abbotsford Matt Golding Credit: Morrisons description of Trumps court trials as a pile on shows he still cant accept that high office carries personal responsibilities for decisions and actions. Like Trump, Morrison has consistently denied ever being at fault or for being less than straight with the Australian people, let alone his own colleagues. While previously stating that no one is above the law, he clearly believes that this does not apply to himself or to Trump, despite the plethora of criminal and financial charges that Trump is facing. Perhaps believing that he was acting under the directions of God resolves Morrison of all culpability in his own mind. Most others would beg to differ. Alan Marel, North Curl Curl To describe the challenges the Republican faces in the US as a pile on shows an absolute ignorance of how the Republican Party is in its current state through the cult of Trump. Stephen Rayner, Westleigh

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Morrison was one of many in government who thought the news that Kevin Rudd had been to a New York strip club in a state of inebriation would render him unelectable, presumably showing a lack of character. Is it not a little surprising that neither he, nor his colleagues, can find no problem with Trump? Peter Bourke, Rockdale Why is the Australian embassy in Washington DC being used to host a book launch for a former Australian PM? John Lander, Killarney Heights Should we ever have doubts about our decision to dump Morrison, he can be relied upon to allay them. Another revealing choice. And another bad one. Prue Nelson, Cremorne Point It appears that Morrison has discovered empathy  with Trump. Hope he gave Trump a copy of his book. As a devout Christian, Trump will surely be encouraged by its message. John Christie, Oatley Whod a thunk it? Scotty from marketing meets the worlds greatest (self) marketer! Shades of Tony Abbott wanting to have a private meeting with Her Majesty when he was a (mere) backbencher. Des Carmody , Bourkelands Simple solution to GST conundrum One left field idea to fix the GST rort (Albaneses GST mauling of NSW Labor mates invites blood at federal poll, May 16)? Increase the size of parliament, which has been static for 40 years despite our population rising by 11 million. Wed see more extra lower house seats in the eastern states than in WA, reducing the importance of Sandgroper seats in the chamber that forms government. This could give political cover for an equitable distribution of revenue. Jeffrey Gabriel, Gladesville

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The elephant in the (party) room. Credit: Cathy Wilcox Voter power I was interested to read your correspondents call-out to politicians to abolish negative gearing, cut out the six-year rule for CGT and to cut out dividend imputation (Letters, May 16). He asks when will politicians do the right thing?

Perhaps we, as voters, should take responsibility for politicians timidity in this area. In 2019, the Labor opposition had these reforms as part of their platform. We received three years of the Liberal government. If we want these changes to policy, we need to vote for them. Roslynne Hunt, Riverview Book ban A big shout-out to the hardworking staff of Cumberland Council, especially over the past week in responding to the difficult situation (Western Sydney council reverses controversial library same-sex book ban, smh.com.au, May 15). As one of the regulars at Cumberland Council, this meeting was actually quite a dull affair. There is much happening in Cumberland that doesnt make the headlines, such as direct trains from Berala to Central via Inner West Line being restored for the near future, as well as appropriately meeting the challenge for housing growth in our diverse community. Roydon Ng, Berala How many of the zealous childrens book banners use a public library? How many book banners read regularly to their children? How many book banners see the reality that contemporary society is ever-changing and accept that their role is to assist their children to understand and navigate those changes? And this hysteria was about a book on the shelf for five years but borrowed once. Come on. Murray Patchett, Kentucky

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The best way to get a book on the bestseller list or to encourage readers to borrow it from a library is to ban it. Margaret Priest, Wallsend Education segregation Who wouldve thought  we have a teacher shortage crisis (Teachers offered $30k to relocate, May 16)? First Local Schools Local Decisions placed the bulk of the administrative burden onto schools. Then the workforce was 40 per cent casualised, while wages stagnated. Private schools were overfunded by the federal government, while Gonski was thrown out. The work of the profession is constantly undermined and misinterpreted in the media. A totally segregated education system is the result, creating enormous cracks in our cultural cohesiveness, and its left to a valiant workforce to shoulder the burden. Systemic changes, please. Vanessa Tennent, Oatley Remarkable restoration Could the team which project-managed the restoration of the NSW state parliament building please be put in charge of other government projects (Inside the $22m facelift for Australias oldest parliament, May 16)? The reported completed on budget and two months ahead of schedule is remarkable. Peter Stuart, Carlingford Strange democracy If Joe Biden wins the US election, many commentators believe it could lead to civil war (If the USA election were held today Trump would win, May 16). The Americans have a strange version of democracy hindered by an electoral college gerrymander that would make even Joh Bjelke-Petersen blush, if he were alive today. Coupled with this are the voter suppression tricks that result in people of colour and the underprivileged having to jump through a variety of hoops in order to vote. At the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton won 2.9 million more votes than Trump but still lost. At the 2020 election, Joe Biden won 7 million more votes than Trump but if just 40,000 more votes had fallen in the right states, Trump would have won. I guess democracy is how you view it. Ray Armstrong, Tweed Heads South

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Could it make economic sense for the state government to begin some amalgamations or mergers of Victorias hospitals? Almost certainly. But you wont hear Labor MPs use those words when discussing the growing problems facing states health sector and how the Allan government is planning to solve them.

On Tuesday, Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas stuck to the script, referring only to the proposed mergers as changes that may or may not be made, but if they were made, they would be to address the challenges facing the health system.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan is hoping the states hospitals problems will go away. They wont. Credit: Joe Armao

Weasel words aside, what we do know is that the government has commissioned a review into the states hospitals to fix what it sees as the urgency of problems.

Its hard to disagree.
What they can do is give you details of local lawyers and interpreters, facilitate contact with next-of-kin, discuss serious complaints and concerns with local authorities, monitor court proceedings and make sure you are treated in accordance with the countrys laws. Avoidance strategy

Dont assume that laws and legal processes are the same as in Australia and have the good sense to walk away from any situation that could land you in trouble. The scenario: My flight was delayed or cancelled and I missed my cruise/tour Youre late for your cruise, you lose. Credit: Greg Straight If you can anticipate this situation, set the wheels of remedy in motion. As soon as you become aware a delayed or cancelled flight means you wont reach your destination as planned, contact the cruise or tour operator and discuss what to do. If you receive notice of your flight cancellation in advance, try for an earlier flight.

If a late arrival at your port of embarkation is unavoidable, reuniting with your cruise or tour might involve a flight or another form of transport. If the reunion takes place in another country, you might need permission or a visa, check the rules. Avoidance strategy

Book your flight through your cruise line or tour operator or through a travel agent. Alternatively, arrive at the cruise port or tour departure point a day or two in advance. Flights or travel plans can be delayed due to stormy weather or other reasons beyond the control of your airline. If so, and that causes you added expense, the possibility of compensation from your transport operator or travel insurer is remote. The scenario: Ive just discovered that there are non-paying guests in my room  bedbugs Help! Theres a non-paying guest in my room. Credit: Greg Straight Those itchy red spots that have just appeared on the side you sleep on? Yep, bedbugs. Theyre notoriously difficult to eradicate so change rooms as soon as possible. Do not pack your suitcase on the bed; bedbugs love to hide in suitcases and travel to new and exotic locations.

You may also be entitled to compensation, particularly if a major hotel chain is involved. If you get bitten, its no worse than a mosquito bite, although it lasts longer and, unlike mosquitoes, bedbugs do not transmit parasites or viruses. Bedbug bites can be treated with a hydrocortisone cream. Loading Avoidance strategy

Detecting bedbugs before they attack requires a methodical approach. Peel back the sheets. When not on the job, bedbugs like to hang out in cracks and crevices in beds, especially in mattress seams. Youre looking for something flat and dark, like a small watermelon seed. If you take the threat of bedbug attack seriously, you will spend hours fretting over the possibility and tearing your bedding apart. Dont let it spoil your holiday. The scenario: Ive been caught up in a demonstration thats turned violent Theres a risk of injury or even arrest or imprisonment. Get away from the trouble hotspot as quickly as possible. You dont know how the authorities are going to react and even as an innocent bystander you could be targeted by law enforcement officials who might regard you as a protester simply by your presence, or taking photos.

In a vehicle that is stopped by a demonstration with no prospect of an easy exit, your best option might be to abandon the vehicle and remove yourself from the area. Avoidance strategy

Even demonstrations for causes you support and that start peacefully can turn violent. Beware of joining in. Crowds with smoke, banners and loud noises in the background are potential danger signs. If youre out and about sightseeing or shopping and you see trouble, take another route. The scenario: Ive messed up the times for my flight booking If youve already missed your flight, or there is no prospect of making it, contact your airline and ask if you can rebook on another flight. The airline is under no obligation to offer a free or discounted flight, but some airlines will rebook you for a fee, and that might depend on the original ticket price. The more you paid, the more likely it is that the airline will cut you some slack. Tickets bought from the airline give you more leverage than those from an online travel agent. A common mistake is with flights that depart in the very early morning, say 12.10am. Thats just after midnight, not midday. If this is the first leg of your journey and you have another flight on the same booking, your follow-on flights might be cancelled, contact your airline to stop this from happening.

Avoidance strategy

Set an alarm for the time you need to leave for the airport to make your flight. Traffic conditions will be a factor. If youre away from home, check with your hotel to work out what time you need to leave. The scenario: Theres a disruptive passenger on my flight, do I help the crew restrain him or her? Loading Disruption can take many forms, from erratic behaviour to intoxication, arguments or assault. Most of those behaviours can be controlled by cabin crew who are trained and authorised to deal with these situations. Its their job, do not get in their way. A disruptive passenger might not be immediately evident to the crew so tell them, preferably by leaving your seat rather than via the call button. If youre sitting near a passenger intent on confrontation, keep cool. Physically aggressive passengers are a problem on another level. In the first instance, do not confront them unless you have no other option. If cabin crew are unable to contain a violent passenger, only help to restrain them if you are called on for assistance and are confident in your ability.

Avoidance strategy

Avoid altercations with disruptive passengers. Shun eye contact, stay calm and do your best to defuse tense situations even when it requires compromise on your part. Fight Club at 30,000 feet never has a happy ending. The scenario: I left my phone/tablet in the taxi/Uber /train/plane Runaway phones  check, then double-check that youve left nothing behind. Credit: Greg Straight Contact the help desk of your transport operator and ask to be directed to lost property. If it was an Uber, open the app and under Past, find the ride where your phone went missing and under Help, tap Find lost item. A lost Apple device can be located using the Find My app on another Apple device, provided the item has been added to Find My. A lost Android device can be located using the Find My Device app, available on Google Play.

Loading You can also locate someone elses device via the app by choosing Sign in as guest and allowing your friend or partner to complete the sign-in. You can also try calling the number; if its in safe hands, you might be able to arrange for its return. Even though someone unknown can answer the call, the phone stays locked and data and apps are secure. Avoidance strategy

Seat back pockets on aircraft are notorious for their appetite for smartphones, tablets and even laptops. Check before leaving. A phone can easily slip out from trouser pockets. Chronic phone losers might find it useful to have a watch that pairs with their smartphone with a separation alert. The scenario: Ive had an accident and Im in a hospital emergency room Insurance can help ease the pain. Credit: Greg Straight

You may need to pay or provide proof of insurance before you get emergency treatment. Contact your travel insurer. Most have 24-hour hotlines and processes in place to help in emergencies. Some such as American Express Travel Insurance require notification if you are admitted to hospital or if the anticipated costs are likely to exceed $2000. If you need English-speaking medical professionals, call the Australian governments 24-hour consular emergency centre on +61 2 6261 3305. Several countries in Europe plus New Zealand have reciprocal healthcare agreements with Australia which will get you treatment in the public health system, although some charges may apply. Avoidance strategy

Ending up in ER is usually going to happen due to an accident and thats not something you can easily foresee. The scenario: Ive been scammed and all my funds have disappeared Call the folks back home, but if its your bank account that was raided you need to make sure its secure before any funds are deposited. Western Union is one way to transfer funds overseas quickly, with either a cash pick-up or funds deposited to a bank account.

Loading The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade can loan money in exceptional circumstances. Contact the nearest Australian embassy or consulate or call the consular emergency centre. The loan amount will get you back home but not allow you to continue your holidays. Avoidance strategy

Enable two-factor ID on all your accounts if its available. Some credit cards and banks will notify you after every transaction and allow you to set a low limit for such notifications. Beware of using public Wi-Fi for financial transactions and if youre using a card to make contactless payments, keep it safe. The scenario: My Airbnb was cancelled just before I arrived That can happen if the property has suffered damage or theres a problem with the electricity or gas supply but, also, there are times when a host will cancel a booking when self-contained accommodation is tight and the host can re-advertise the property for a higher price. Dont cancel the reservation, otherwise the onus for the problem shifts from host to guest. Go to your booking platform and fill out a cancellation notification. The booking platform should offer a credit to allow you to find alternate accommodation.

If accommodation is unavailable at the price you paid, contact the platforms customer service number and explain the problem, they may have some flexibility to offer you a higher credit. You can also ask for a full refund. Avoidance strategy

Respond promptly to any communication from your host. If you need to make any changes to the number of guests or arrival time, let the host know as soon as possible. You probably have an image on your platforms personal profile which is readily available. Hosts are potentially vulnerable, they want to see the person theyre dealing with. A smiling face raises no red flags. The scenario: The ATM ate my card Top tip: dont rely on one debit card. Credit: Greg Straight If its a bank and the bank is open, report it. Staff cant get into the ATM to find your card but this is one more detail you need to include when you report your card lost. If the bank is not open, record your visit. Snap an image of the ATM and note down the time, location and circumstances.

Next, contact your financial institution with those details. Some cards can be replaced quickly, such as when the card issuer has a local office. If not, youll probably have to wait until you get back home. If it was a debit or travel money card preloaded with funds, you should be able to transfer those funds to another account that you can access. Avoidance strategy

Take several cards that you can use to access local currency from ATMs as well as pay bills. A mix of three debit and credit cards is the minimum I would take on an overseas trip. The scenario: My flight arrives at Narita but my connecting flight leaves from Haneda Major cities will have more than one airport. Paris has three, London has six. In most cases, getting from one to the other via public transport is straightforward but in addition to transport time you might need to allow time to collect your luggage, clear customs and immigration and check in for your connecting flight, particularly if youre transiting from an international airport to a low-cost carrier. Those airports might be many kilometres apart; almost 70 kilometres separate Milans Malpensa and Linate airports. Avoidance strategy

When you have a connecting flight, dont assume youre going to arrive and leave at the same airport. Use Rome2Rio to work out how to get between airports and be generous with the time.

The scenario: Ive gone to the wrong station for my inter-city train Major European cities often have several main railway stations with trains departing to different points of the compass but your booking will tell you which station your train departs from. If you need to change stations, getting from one to another is usually simple since they are often connected by metro trains, but it might involve one or more changes on the way and unfamiliar metro systems can be complicated. You might have to drag your luggage on escalators if there are no lifts or even up stairs. Avoidance strategy

If you have to change stations, check online maps to work out how to get from one station to the other and if it all looks too difficult grab a taxi. Chances are it wont be a huge fare. Five classic worst-case scenarios Lost passport

Call Australias consular emergency centre. If youre in a country with an Australian consular representative, you can be issued with an emergency passport but that might make crossing borders more complicated. These passports do not have a chip and they may not be valid for entry to some countries.

Natural disaster

Natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and wildfires are often localised. If you are well away from such areas and in no danger, you are free to stay unless your presence is likely to divert resources from areas and people where they are needed. However, even a distant disaster can traumatise people living in the same country and this might not be the atmosphere you were hoping for on your holiday, and another reason to leave. If youre comfortable staying on, theres an upside since your presence will reassure the locals. Loading Hire-car accident

If you have been injured, youll probably be in the hands of emergency services and what happens next will be out of your control, but as soon as possible contact Australias consular emergency centre. If someone else has been injured, contact emergency services. Take photographs of the scene of the accident from several different angles, both from a distance and close up, and the damage to all vehicles involved. Registration numbers and the names of other drivers, passengers and witnesses are important, and record the other drivers licence details if possible. If your car can be driven safely, you are free to leave unless the authorities say otherwise, and you need to contact your car-hire operator straight away and file a report. The financial penalty depends on who is responsible for the accident and any excess you might be required to pay on your insurance. In most instances, you can expect to be given a replacement vehicle for the remainder of your booking.

Robbery

If physical assault is involved, seek medical attention before anything else. Next, cancel any debit or credit cards that were stolen. If your phone was lost, get to your hotel, explain what just happened and ask to make an emergency call. In some countries, there are tourist police who will assist. Chances are they will not hunt down the thief, there are far too many similar cases and they dont have the resources, but you will need a police report for any subsequent claim against your travel insurer. Missing luggage from a flight A dreaded scenario: getting the run-around on a baggage carousel. Credit: Greg Straight Checked flight luggage can end up on the wrong carousel, so search those before becoming alarmed. If its nowhere to be found, locate the baggage office and lodge a Property Irregularity Report with the carrier operating your final flight. You need to present the bag tag you received at check-in and describe your luggage. An image is a big help.
What in the World, a free weekly newsletter from our foreign correspondents, is sent every Thursday. Below is an excerpt. Sign up to get the whole newsletter delivered to your inbox.

Greetings from the little red dot.

For the first time in 20 years, Singapore has a new prime minister. Lawrence Wong, a 51-year-old guitar-playing economist who grew up in government housing, was sworn in last night in a stately pageant of suits, speeches and songs befitting the significance and rarity of the occasion. Though this city-state has been independent since 1965, Wong is only its fourth prime minister.

This terrestrially tiny nation of 6 million people matters greatly to Australia as an advanced, influential and stable middle-power punching far above its weight. Singapore is our fifth-largest two-way trading partner and a significant source of refined petroleum.
Victoria announced Monday residents would formally be able to access their digital driver's licence, following SA, NSW and Queensland. But still not everyone.

Victoria has become the latest Aussie state to roll out digital driving licences, leaving behind just three jurisdictions yet to adopt the change. Source: VicRoads

Hundreds of thousands of Aussies have flocked to sign up for a digital driving licence as yet another state moves to give more options to motorists, leaving just a handful of jurisdictions in the country yet to adopt the change.

Victoria became the latest state to allow digital driver licences on Monday, years after NSW and South Australia while also hot on the heels of Queensland which rolled out its offering in late 2023. Meanwhile transport officials in the Northern Territory announced this week that work on digital licences had already begun, with a pilot set to commence late 2025.

That will just leave eligible drivers in the ACT, WA and Tasmania, where there are a combined 3.5 million residents yet to be able to access a digital licence. However it's understood talks have commenced in all three jurisdictions.

Hundreds of thousands flock to digital licences in Victoria

Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, a spokesperson for the Victorian Government revealed people across the state had signed up in droves since the program went live just three days ago.

Around 200,000 Victorians have jumped on board and downloaded their digital licence on their phone within 48 hours of the state-wide launch," the spokesperson told Yahoo.

Over four million people in NSW currently use a digital driver licence. Source: NSW Government

More than 4.5 million Victorians who are fully licensed drivers, motorcyclists, or heavy vehicle operators are the first people eligible to use the digital alternative, the spokesperson added. Eligible Victorians will be able to access it after setting up their profile via the myVicRoads and Service Victoria apps.

Learners and P-platers will be able to make the switch in 2025.

The digital licence will reflect in real-time whether it has been revoked or suspended and can be used as proof of identity. Police, businesses and other authorities will be able to verify its authenticity through a timed QR code.

Consultation with organisations that rely on photo identification including bars, restaurants, retailers and police ramped up in April, ahead of the change.

Hundreds of thousands of Victorias has signed up for a digital licence in the 48 hours since they were made available. Source: Getty

Three remaining jurisdictions leaving millions idling

Meanwhile in NSW, government figures show 4.5 million people  making up almost 75 per cent of drivers  are now using a digital licence via the Service NSW app. The state rolled out the initiative in 2019 after South Australia, who led the country in 2017 when it was first to launch the scheme.

Queensland formally rolled out digital licences in October last year.

A spokesperson from the Tasmanian Department of State Growth said this week it was exploring the option for digital licences, but it may be some time until that becomes a reality.

In April, WA authorities announced a 16-month contract was awarded to Perth-based software developers GenVis to develop a digital licence for residents. While calls are mounting in the ACT, no immediate plans have been made public.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
London: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot five times in the town of Handlova on Wednesday, where he had been meeting supporters, and taken to hospital.

His deputy said he would survive the assassination attempt after four hours of emergency surgery. Ficos political career has not been without controversy.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was re-elected in 2023 after resigning from office in 2018. Credit: AP

Who is Robert Fico?

Fico is serving his third term as prime minister of Slovakia, after two earlier non-consecutive periods as the central European countrys leader.
Unrest in French-controlled New Caledonia is being fuelled by foreign interference, a Paris-based official said on Thursday, as local officials battled to restore order in the South Pacific territory.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that the violence, which has claimed the lives of three indigenous Kanak people and two police officers, had been fomented by Azerbaijan.

Demonstrators hold Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) flags during a gathering in Paris. Credit: AP

This isnt a fantasy, he insisted on Thursday. I regret that some of the separatists have made a deal with Azerbaijan.

Even if there are attempts at interference  France is sovereign on its own territory, and so much the better, he added.
PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):--- The Office of Disaster Management (ODM), which falls under the Fire Department (Ministry of General Affairs) headed by Fire Chief/Disaster Coordinator Clive Richardson, appeals to all residents and businesses to plan ahead and let Be Prepared for a forecasted extremely active 2024 Atlantic hurricane season which begins on Saturday, June 1 and runs through November 30.



ODM calls on residents to review the content of their Disaster Kit and to start restocking it with the essentials that are necessary to ride out the hurricane season.



Every households Disaster Kit should be able to support members of the household for a minimum of seven days after the hurricane has passed.



The Disaster Kit should contain non-perishable food, water, and medicine (fill prescriptions before the storm); non-electric can opener; first-aid kit; extra cash (ATM machines and credit cards wont work if there is no electricity); battery-powered radio and flashlights as well as extra batteries; make sure cell phones are all charged prior to the arrival of the hurricane; fill up your car/truck with gas; check if your home and automobile insurance are up to date; put ID cards, passports, and drivers license, insurance papers in a waterproof bag along with other important documents.



Suppose you are a parent with an infant or young child (ren). In that case, you must also have essential items as part of your disaster supply kit: baby formula, diapers, bottles, powdered milk, medications, moist towels, and diaper rash ointment.



Your Disaster Kit must also include hand sanitizer, a soap bar or liquid soap, two cloth face coverings for each person, disinfecting wipes, or general household cleaning supplies to disinfect surfaces.



Now is the time to trim back tree branches from your home; cut all dead or weak branches on any trees on your property; clean up your yard and put away items that could blow away during the passing of a hurricane; check your roof and storm shutters to make sure they are secure, and the latter is working.



For those whose homes are not yet storm/hurricane ready, you should make alternative housing arrangements to stay with family or friends.



The community is urged to learn more about hurricane hazards and how to prepare for a storm/hurricane strike by visiting the Government website www.sintmaartengov.org/hurricane. There, you can download your Hurricane Season Readiness Guide" and Hurricane Tracking Chart.



Listen to the Government Radio station  SXMGOV 107.9FM - for official information and news before, during, and after a hurricane. You can also follow weather-related news and information and national addresses by the Prime Minister, chairperson of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), by going to @SXMGOV's Facebook Page.



For official weather-related information, check out the website of the Meteorological Department of St. Maarten (MDS): www.meteosxm.com or visit their social media page Facebook.com/sxmweather/



Remember, it only takes one hurricane to make it a bad season. Be prepared!
PHILIPSBURG:--- In a proactive demonstration of its commitment to safety, NV GEBE swiftly implemented an evacuation protocol today, April 16, 2024, at 10:05 am, ensuring the protection and well-being of its staff and clients.

Prompted by the detection of smoke and the subsequent activation of fire alarms, NV GEBE efficiently mobilized its team, swiftly relocating all personnel and customers to designated evacuation points. Additionally, some staff gathered near the Kadaster Building on Cannegieter Street, ensuring a comprehensive response.

The local Fire Department was immediately notified and promptly responded, arriving at the scene by 10:25 am to assess the situation and identify the source of the smoke. As a precautionary measure and in alignment with our unwavering commitment to safety, all staff members were safely sent home, with their well-being prioritized above all else.

In the interest of the safety and convenience of both our staff and valued clients, NV GEBE's Main Office in Philipsburg has been temporarily closed to the public. However, our Simpson Bay branch remains operational until 3:00 pm, ensuring continued accessibility for bill payments and addressing inquiries with the utmost care and efficiency.

Mr. Troy Washington, Special Representative/Interim Manager, expressed gratitude for the swift response of all staff and underscored the company's unwavering commitment to safety, stating, "At NV GEBE, the safety and well-being of our staff and clients are paramount. Today's evacuation exemplified our preparedness and the effectiveness of our safety protocols. We are thankful for the safety of everyone and the swift response of our team and local authorities. We remain resolute in our dedication to maintaining a safe working environment for all.
Visitors to the United States are being warned not to drink raw milk after a 65 per cent spike in consumption was recorded due to very dubious claims.

Travellers to the United States are being told to avoid drinking raw milk. Source: Getty

Travellers to the United States who may be tempted to drink a health food delicacy are being warned doing so poses a serious disease risk.

Raw milk has been embraced by celebrities including Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and actor Gwyneth Paltrow and converts have raved about its purported health benefits. But experts have largely debunked these claims and warned consuming it is dangerous.

Worryingly this advice appears to have been ignored and consumption has actually been on the rise since a high-pathogenic strain of avian influenza, known as HPAI, was detected in US dairy herds. There has been a trend in some wrongly believing that drinking raw milk that contains the virus will give them immunity.

Data reveals massive surge in raw milk consumption

Data provided to Yahoo from NielsenIQ, the world's largest database of consumer buying behaviour, found that in the first week of May, the amount spent on raw milk was 22.5 per cent higher than the same period last year. Looking back to when HPAI was first detected in US cows on March 25, the consumption rate shot up even higher, with sales booming in some weeks to over 65 per cent on 2023 numbers.

In the US, milk prices are only up 1.5 per cent on the previous year, so NielsenIQ believes the change in expenditure is likely due to more units being sold. But, luckily for health authorities the amount being spent on raw milk remains low  between US $52,000 ($77,000) and US $60,000 ($89,000) a year compared to hundreds of millions in pasteurised sales.

The figures include purchases at supermarkets and drug stores, and do not include direct from farm sales.

Related: Are KFC, eggs and dairy safe from the spread of bird flu?

While drinking pasteurised milk is believed to be safe, raw varieties can transmit the HPAI virus. Source: Getty (File)

Why the dairy industry isn't concerned about raw milk spike

The International Dairy Foods Associations senior vice president of consumer affairs Matt Herrick advised against consuming raw milk, but has played down concerns about the rise in consumption.

Raw milk consumption has always been a recipe for disaster, he told Yahoo News.

The [US Food and Drug Administration] has been clear for decades that unpasteurised milk is dangerous and should not be consumed by anyone. At the same time, were talking about a product that is less than 1 per cent of total milk sales on any given day, so its receiving outsized media attention.

What's driving raw milk consumption?

Some customers are buying raw milk under the misguided belief that consuming it will provide immunity from avian influenza. Enthusiasts told the LA Times they believe warnings that doing so is dangerous are "fearmongering".

The California-based Raw Milk Institute told the publication its customers are "asking for H5N1 milk because they want immunity from it.

Is Australian dairy affected by bird flu?

Professor Peter Collignon an infectious diseases expert at Australian National University and Canberra Hospital told Yahoo in May that it is unlikely cattle in Australia will contract HPAI. Oceania is the only region which remains free of the virus, and animal husbandry regulations prevent one suspected lines of transmission  feeding poultry waste to cattle.

Over the last 20 years, around 900 people have become infected with the H5N1 strain of avian influenza and 460 have died. Although the virus devastated populations of other mammals including sea lions and minks, the human infection rate remains lower than some experts first feared.

Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the weeks best stories.
Toshiba to cut up to 4,000 jobs in Japan



Tokyo, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2024



Troubled Japanese industrial giant Toshiba said Thursday that it plans to cut up to 4,000 jobs domestically as part of a restructuring programme.

The announcement follows the delisting of the firm's shares in September after being taken private by a consortium in the wake of multiple crises.

The headcount reduction will be achieved by November by offering employees aged over 50 who meet specific criteria voluntary early retirement.

"It was a tough decision for the management to make. But we believe these measures are essential to putting Toshiba back on the trajectory of recovery and growth," a company spokeswoman told AFP without wishing to be named.

Large-scale layoffs are rare in Japan but such use of early retirement schemes or voluntary redundancy has risen sharply.

The firm also said it is targeting operating profit of 380 billion yen ($2.5 billion) and a return on sales of 10 percent in fiscal 2026, Bloomberg News reported.

It will move also head office functions from Tokyo's Hamamatsucho area to Kawasaki outside the Japanese capital in the first half of fiscal 2025.

Toshiba traces its roots back to 1875 and evolved into a vast conglomerate in the 20th century synonymous with Japan's postwar economic revival.

The firm became a household name in Japan and beyond, making everything from early laptop computers, elevators and nuclear power stations to microchips.

But it has lurched from crisis to crisis in recent years, including a huge accounting scandal in 2015 and billions of dollars in losses from US nuclear subsidiary Westinghouse.

Pressure from activist shareholders and a takeover offer from private equity group CVC prompted aborted attempts to split the company first into three, and then into two.

Finally, Toshiba's board accepted in March 2023 the takeover bid worth around $14 billion by the consortium that included around 20 Japanese banks and other firms.

Its shares were then delisted in September after more than 70 years being traded on the Tokyo bourse.

The saga was closely watched in business circles for clues about what could become of other huge, diversified conglomerates in Japan and elsewhere.

bur-tmo-kaf-stu/sn
EU urges Big Tech to be 'vigilant' after Slovak PM shooting



Brussels, Belgium, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2024



The EU on Thursday called on the world's biggest digital platforms, including Facebook and TikTok, to counter any disinformation based on footage of the shooting of Slovakia's prime minister.

Under a landmark EU content moderation law, digital platforms must crack down on illegal content as well as disinformation, and take measures to protect users online.

Robert Fico was shot on Wednesday as he spoke to members of the public after a meeting. The Slovak leader remained in a serious condition on Thursday.

A senior European Commission official sent a letter to 23 "very large" platforms named under the law known as the Digital Services Act (DSA).

The letter urged "them to be vigilant and take measures, if necessary, to avoid manipulation of the already widely circulating video, creating disinformation to exploit the situation", an EU official told AFP.

The commission will hold an "election readiness roundtable" on Friday ahead of EU polls in June and invited the platforms to provide "information on their measures to limit the sharing and/or amplification of manipulated media related to the incident", the official added.

Russian state media has quoted individuals who claim that Fico was attacked because of his friendly relations with Moscow.
China shows off robot 'dogs of war' in Cambodia drills



Kampong Chhnang, Cambodia, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2024



China's military showed off its machine gun equipped robot battle "dogs" Thursday at the start of its biggest ever drills with Cambodian forces, as the United States frets about Beijing's growing influence in the Southeast Asian country.

Cambodia has long been a staunch ally of China, receiving billions of dollars in investments, and Washington is growing increasingly concerned Beijing will use a Cambodian naval base it is upgrading on Gulf of Thailand to expand its influence in the region.

More than 2,000 troops, including 760 Chinese military personnel, are taking part in the drills at a remote training centre in central Kampong Chhnang province and at sea off Preah Sihanouk province.

The 15-day exercise, dubbed Golden Dragon, also involves 14 warships -- three from China -- two helicopters and 69 armoured vehicles and tanks, and includes live-fire, anti-terrorism and humanitarian rescue drills.

The hardware on show included the so-called "robodogs" -- remote-controlled four-legged robots with automatic rifles mounted on their backs.

Handlers kept the dogs of war on the leash, demonstrating only their walking capabilities to watching journalists and top brass -- not their shooting skills.

Opening the exercises, Cambodian armed forces commander-in-chief Vong Pisen said they would "enhance the capabilities" of the two armies in the fight against terrorism.



- US worries -



Vong Pisen insisted Cambodia would never allow a foreign military base on its territory, echoing previous assertions by Cambodian leaders.

After Cambodia dismantled facilities at Ream naval base near the Cambodian port city of Sihanoukville, built partly with American funding and having played host to US military exercises, China began funding its renovation.

Two Chinese warships docked at Ream in December for the first time after work began to expand the base.

Washington says Ream could give Beijing a key strategic position on Gulf of Thailand near the disputed South China Sea, which China largely claims.

Last year, Cambodian officials denied a new 363-metre (1,190-foot) pier at Ream was intended to berth aircraft carriers.

Earlier this week, Cambodian army spokesman Thong Solimo told reporters the 2024 exercises were biggest ever of their kind and China would cover the cost.

The first Golden Dragon drills were held in 2016, and in early 2017 Cambodia scrapped a similar joint exercise -- "Angkor Sentinel" -- which had been held for the preceding seven years with US forces.

Cambodia's defence ministry last week confirmed the two Chinese warships anchored at Ream were "to help train Cambodian naval personnel and to prepare for the Golden Dragon exercises".

A spokesman said the Chinese vessels were testing the "Ream Naval Base that China is constructing for Cambodia", and denied Chinese troops would be stationed at the base.

A third Chinese warship docked in Sihanoukville on Monday with troops and materials for the exercises, according to the Cambodian army.

The drills follow a three-day visit by China's top diplomat Wang Yi to Cambodia in April to deepen ties between the two countries.
CORRECTED: Israel says five troops killed in north Gaza friendly fire



Jerusalem, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2024



Israel's military said Thursday that five soldiers had been killed by friendly fire in Gaza's north, where intense fighting has resumed more than seven months into its war against Hamas militants.

The troops were killed on Wednesday at 7 pm (1600 GMT) in the area of Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, the military said in a statement.

The latest fatalities take to 278 the number of Israeli troops killed in the Gaza military campaign since the start of the ground offensive on October 27.

"Five soldiers of the 202nd Paratrooper Battalion were killed last night in a mass casualty incident as a result of fire by our forces," the military statement said, adding that seven other troops were wounded.

Two tanks in the area, which has seen particularly fierce fighting in recent days, opened fire on a house used by the Israeli battalion's deputy commander, the military said.

"The shooting consisted of two tank shells," it added.

"From the initial investigation... it appears that the tank fighters, from the ultra-Orthodox paratrooper company Hetz, identified a gun barrel coming out of one of the windows in the building, and directed each other to shoot at the building," the statement said.

On December 12, the military said that more than a tenth of its troops killed in Gaza at that time died as a result of Israeli fire, while some other deaths were caused by accidents.

Fighting has raged in recent days in the northern Gaza Strip, with an army spokesman saying there were "attempts by Hamas to rebuild its military capabilities" months after Israel had declared the Palestinian armed group's command structure in the area dismantled.

Fierce battles and heavy Israeli bombardments have been reported in north Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp and the central Nuseirat camp since the army launched a "targeted" operation focusing on the southern city of Rafah in early May.
US forces lose strategic African position in Niger



Abidjan, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2024



A US delegation is discussing the withdrawal of its troops from military-led Niger as Washington prepares to abandon its strategic position in the Sahel where Russia and Iran are gaining ground.

The demand for US troops to exit comes after French troops were also forced to withdraw last year by Niger's new ruling generals following a July coup.

Niger announced in March it was ending a military cooperation agreement with Washington, claiming the presence of US soldiers was now "illegal".

The country has been a key base for counter-terrorism operations in West Africa, with a major US drone base near the northern city of Agadez that cost a reported $100 million to build.







- Strategic position -



Since 2019, the US military has used drones and aircraft to carry out surveillance missions from the air base on Agadez's outskirts.

The missions span a vast region where armed groups, particularly jihadists, operate. Drug, human and arms trafficking is also common.

US military service Reaper drones have been flying as far as the borders of neighbouring Libya, Chad, Nigeria and Mali which have limited aerial surveillance capabilities.



- Russian and Iranian advance -



Niger demanded the US troop pull-out after Washington expressed concern about "potential Nigerien relations with Russia and Iran".

The coup and subsequent breakaway from Western countries in favour of Russia followed similar moves in neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali.

But Niger's position as the world's seventh-largest uranium producer plays an important role in the shifting relations.

Iran has significantly increased its stock of enriched uranium in recent months, while strengthening ties with Niger, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine told the Washington Post in an interview published this month that a US official threatened Niamey with sanctions if it signed an agreement to sell the uranium it produces to Iran.

Zeine said that "absolutely nothing" had been signed with Iran on uranium.



- Limited US forces -



US soldiers deployed in Niger were estimated to number 650 by the end of 2023, as well as hundreds of contractors.

Some troops are stationed at an air base in the capital Niamey with other foreign troops, as well as in the US Agadez base.

The United States repositioned some of its troops from Niamey to Agadez in what it said was a precautionary move after the coup.







- Anti-jihadist fight -



US special forces had been working alongside the Nigerien army to fight jihadist groups before the coup, when Washington suspended all military cooperation.

In October 2017, four American soldiers and five Nigerien soldiers were killed in an ambush by the Islamic State group in the village of Tongo Tongo near the Malian border.

US drones were also supporting the Nigerian army against Boko Haram and rival Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) jihadists in the southeast close to Nigeria.

In September, US intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations resumed solely to protect American forces, according to the Department of Defense.



- Equipment and training -



The United States has supplied military equipment to Niger since 1962 after the former French colony gained independence.

Deliveries increased as part of the fight against jihadists, ranging from armed vehicles, surveillance and military transport aircraft to communications and transmission centres.

Niger's army has also had access to a US security assistance programme, which provides funding for the education and training of foreign military personnel, since 1980.



- Unpopular military presence -



Nigerien public opinion has long been hostile to the presence of foreign forces.

In 2022, around two-thirds of Nigeriens disagreed with government use of foreign military forces to secure the country, according to an Afrobarometer survey.

In terms of security, "the Agadez region finds no use for the presence of the Americans", civil society leader Amodi Arrandishou told AFP.

"The Americans stayed on our soil, doing nothing while the terrorists killed people and burned towns," said Prime Minister Zeine, who has led negotiations with the United States.
Lebanon's Hezbollah says launched rocket barrage at Israeli positions



Beirut, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2024



Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group said it launched on Thursday "more than 60" rockets at Israeli military positions in retaliation for overnight air strikes on the country's east.

Israel and Hamas ally Hezbollah have exchanged near-daily fire following the Palestinian group's October 7 attack on southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza, now in its eighth month.

Hezbollah fighters "launched a missile attack with more than 60 Katyusha rockets" on several Israeli military positions in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, the group said in a statement.

The strikes were "in response to the Israeli enemy's attacks last night on the Bekaa region" in eastern Lebanon's Baalbek area, the group added.

The Israeli army later said it had identified "approximately 40 launches" from Lebanon "towards the Golan Heights", causing "no injuries".

It added that Israeli forces struck the sources of the fire.

The army reported several more attacks from Lebanon on northern Israel, to which it had also responded with strikes.

Earlier Thursday, Lebanese state-run media reported an overnight Israeli air raid on the Baalbek area, where Hezbollah holds sway, hours after the group launched an attack deep into Israeli territory.

"The outskirts of the eastern Lebanon mountain range, at midnight (2100 GMT Wednesday), was subjected to five enemy raids," Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) said.

The Israeli strikes "slightly injured a citizen" and caused fires, the NNA added.

A source close to Hezbollah told AFP that one of the strikes "hit a Hezbollah military camp".

An Israeli army spokesman told AFP: "I can confirm that an airstrike was indeed conducted deep in Lebanon against a terror target related to Hezbollah's precision missile project".

The area of Baalbek in the Bekaa valley is a Hezbollah bastion, bordering Syria.

On Wednesday, Hezbollah said it launched drones at a military base near the Israeli city of Tiberias, in one of its deepest attacks into the country since cross-border clashes began on October 8.

It came after Israel said it killed on Tuesday one of Hezbollah's field commanders in southern Lebanon.

The group said Israeli fire had killed its member Hussein Makki, who was identified as a field commander by a source close to Hezbollah.

The cross-border fighting has killed at least 413 people in Lebanon, mostly militants but also including dozens of civilians, according to an AFP tally.

Israel says 14 soldiers and 10 civilians have been killed on its side of the border.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced in areas on both sides of the border.

Israel captured much of the Golan Heights from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move not recognised by the international community.
Ukraine says halted Russian 'advance' in some Kharkiv zones



Kharkiv, Ukraine, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2024



Ukraine warned on Thursday it faced a "very difficult" military situation in its northeast Kharkiv region, where Moscow has made its largest territorial gains in 18 months since launching a surprise offensive last week.

As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv was sending yet more reinforcements to the area, the Ukrainian army said it had managed to partially halt Russia's advance.

Kyiv also accused Russian troops of executing civilians in territory it had captured over the last week.

The fresh Russian offensive has further stretched Ukraine's outgunned and outmanned forces.

Moscow has seized 278 square kilometres (107 square miles) of Ukrainian territory between May 9 and 15, according to AFP calculations based on data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) -- the largest territorial gain in a single operation since mid-December 2022.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday met military leaders in Kharkiv city, some 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the Russian border to assess Ukraine's defensive efforts.

"The situation in the Kharkiv region is generally under control, and our soldiers are inflicting significant losses on the occupier," he said in a post on Telegram.

"However, the area remains extremely difficult. We are reinforcing our units.

Ukraine's army said earlier it had managed to halt the advancing Russian forces in some places.

"Our defence forces have partially stabilised the situation. The advance of the enemy in certain zones and localities has been halted," army spokesman Nazar Voloshin said on state TV on Thursday.

In a daily briefing, Ukraine's General Staff said its forces had "significantly reduced the activity of the Russian occupiers."

"But the enemy is still trying to create the conditions for further advances," Voloshin warned.



- 'Killed by Russians' -



Ukraine on Thursday also accused Russia of capturing and killing civilians in the border town of Vovchansk.

"According to operational information, the Russian military, trying to gain a foothold in the city, did not allow local residents to evacuate: they began abducting people and driving them to basements," Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said on Telegram.

There were also "reports of the first shootings of civilians by the Russian military," he said, adding that a war crimes investigation had been opened.

"One of the residents of Vovchansk tried to escape on foot, refused to follow the commands of the invaders, and was killed by the Russians."

AFP could not verify the claims. There was no immediate response from Moscow to the allegations.

Ukraine has been forced to evacuate around 8,800 people since Russia launched the new assault, Kharkiv Governor Oleg Synegubov said.

Some were still arriving at a humanitarian centre in Kharkiv on Thursday.

Among them was 85-year-old Nadezhda Borodina, who had her dog Vasik on a leash and her frightened cat Lucas packed in a plastic bag.

Ukrainian "soldiers arrived and shouted 'Let's go, let's go!' and we were gone in five minutes," she said.



- 'All fronts' -



Most of Russia's recent gains are in the Kharkiv area, though they have also claimed fresh territory in the eastern Donetsk and southern Zaporizhzhia regions.

Following months of stalemate on the sprawling front lines, Russia has seized the initiative on the battlefield, pushing on from the capture of industrial hub Avdiivka in February.

Russia's defence ministry said Thursday the army had "advanced deep into the enemy's defences" in the Kharkiv region.

A day earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin had said his troops were advancing on "all fronts".

Some military analysts say Moscow may be trying to force Ukraine to divert troops from other hot spots, such as around the strategic hilltop town of Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region.

Russia's defence ministry said Wednesday its forces had captured the symbolic village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region, some 300 kilometres (185 miles) south of Moscow's new offensive.

The settlement was one of the few successes for Kyiv of an underwhelming Ukrainian counter-offensive last summer.

The intensification of Russian attacks on multiple fronts has underscored the acute ammunition and manpower shortages crippling the Ukrainian military.

In China for a two-day state visit on Thursday, Putin said he was "grateful" to Beijing for "the initiatives they are putting forward to resolve" the war.

There are no indications Moscow and Kyiv are prepared to engage in direct talks, which Ukraine says would only be used by Russia to buy time to prepare for a new assault.
US military sees 500 tons of aid soon into Gaza via pier



Washington, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2024



The US military said Thursday it expected around 500 tons of aid to enter Gaza in the coming days after an emergency pier was affixed to the shore in the war-ravaged territory.

"Just a few hours ago, the pier was successfully affixed to the beach in Gaza," said Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, deputy commander of US Central Command.

"I think we're going to get about 500 tons in in the next couple of days. It's a pretty substantial amount, and it's spread out over multiple ships right now," Cooper told reporters.

The humanitarian assistance is being screened in Cyprus and loaded by truck. Once on land, it will "move quickly," being offloaded from the coast into Gaza within hours.

"Thousands of tons of aid are in the pipeline. We're seeing significant volumes of aid flow into Cyprus for further distribution," he told reporters.

President Joe Biden announced the emergency pier in March to address the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, where the United Nations has warned of famine with virtually the entire population displaced by the Israeli military action in response to the October 7 Hamas attack.

Built at a cost of at least $320 million, the project is extraordinary in that such massive humanitarian efforts by the United States are usually in response to actions by hostile countries, not a US ally.

The United States said it had coordinated the effort with Israel.

Cooper said that around 1,000 US soldiers and sailors were involved in the operation but that they were only involved in the pier and not in delivery -- which will be handled through the United Nations -- or in combat between Israel and Hamas.

"There will be no US military boots on the ground in Gaza," he said.

Three additional US military ships will join the relief effort in coming days, with Britain also providing a vessel, Cooper said.
Senegal navy intercepts over 550 migrants in May



Dakar, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2024



Senegal's navy has intercepted more than 550 migrants since the start of May in four separate operations, as West African nations face mass departures for Europe.

The navy stopped four boats carrying a total of 554 migrants between May 7 and Wednesday in territorial waters off the capital Dakar and the north-western city of Saint-Louis, according to posts on X, formerly Twitter.

Those on board were from Senegal or the surrounding region, with at least one of the boats having left from neighbouring The Gambia, the navy said.

Senegal's navy intercepted 269 migrants between the beginning of December and the end of April, after a peak of a thousand in November alone, according to figures published by the force and tallied by AFP.

AFP cannot confirm whether all the interceptions were reported.

Every year, thousands of Africans fleeing poverty and unemployment in search of a better future embark on the perilous route to Europe.

Many take the dangerous Atlantic route to Spain's Canary Islands, involving days of sailing across treacherous currents in ageing open wooden fishing boats known as pirogues.

At least 26 migrants who set sail from Guinea died off the coast of Senegal when their boat sank around the beginning of May, Guinean Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah said last week, adding that his West African country was experiencing a migration "haemorrhage".

bdi/clt/lal/acc/kjm
Benin army kills 8 jihadists in north: military sources



Cotonou, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2024



Benin's soldiers killed eight suspected jihadists in the north of the country, military sources told AFP Thursday.

The clash happened in a region where the country faces a growing threat from Islamist insurgencies across its border.

Two military sources told AFP that the army had "neutralised" eight "terrorists" in the commune of Karimama, in the north-east of Benin, on the border with Niger, on Tuesday.

"We carried out an operation in the Karimama area which resulted in a heavy loss for unidentified armed individuals suspected of terrorist activity in the northern part of our country," said one source.

Benin's army suffered no casualties, the source added.

Another senior military official said the incident had happened during a troop offensive that had begun 72 hours earlier.

According to an internal army memo seen by AFP, the army recovered significant amounts of military material and captured motorbikes and fuel.

"I know that there were manoeuvres by armed men in our locality," a local resident of Karimama told AFP when reached by telephone.

Militants connected to Islamic State and Al-Qaeda have been thriving in the Sahel region, pushing their conflicts further south to coastal West African states.

The border region with Burkina Faso, in the north, remains the epicentre of incursions into Benin.

The border with Niger has also recently become a concern, particularly since the overthrow of Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum by the military in July 2023.

In January 2022, Benin deployed some 3,000 soldiers to help secure its borders as part of an operation called "Mirador".

A few months ago, Benin began recruiting 5,000 additional soldiers to strengthen security in the north.

Beninese authorities, who very rarely communicate publicly about any attacks in the north, reported in April 2023 about 20 cross-border incursions since 2021.

The European Union has announced it would release 47 million euros for the purchase of materials and equipment to support Benin in its fight against terrorism.
Military rank affects medical care, offering societal insights: study



Washington, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2024



Human relationships are inherently shaped by power dynamics, yet quantifying their impact has remained a scientific challenge.

Now, a large new study published Thursday in the journal Science reveals that military doctors give more attention to higher-ranked patients, providing concrete evidence about the privileges that come with elevated status, frequently at the expense of the less powerful.

"One of the things we are trying to show is that this is not a military-specific analysis," said co-author Manasvini Singh of Carnegie Mellon University, arguing the findings are just as relevant to civilian life as they are to the rigid chain-of-command structures of the armed forces.

For their research, Singh and co-author Stephen Schwab of the University of Texas at San Antonio examined 1.5 million doctor-patient encounters in the US military health service's records.

Rather than exploring how doctors might respond differently to, say, generals versus privates, they chose a more nuanced approach: comparing how soldiers of equal rank, for example two majors, were treated in emergency departments (EDs) by physicians who either outranked them or were outranked by them.

The "high-power" patients who outranked their doctors received 3.6 percent more effort and resources, as measured by tests, diagnosis and treatment codes, time spent with the physician, and opioids prescribed. High-power patients also had better outcomes, with a 15 percent lower likelihood of hospital admission in the following 30 days.

Further analysis revealed an unwitting spillover effect: low-power patients often received less attention from doctors who had just seen a high-powered patient, possibly due to the extended effort invested in the prior visit.

To ensure their results were generalizable to the population at large, the researchers considered demographic factors like age, race, and sex, which impact outcomes in wider society.

"We found if a patient walks into an ED and is assigned to a white physician who is higher rank than them, the patient is better off being white than black," said Singh.

A Black patient that outranks their white physician receives more effort than if they were lower ranked than their doctor, but still less effort than equivalent white patients. Black physicians on the other hand put in very high effort for high-ranking Black patients.

While the military's ranking system differs from civilian life, Singh argues that other factors, like increased camaraderie and kinship, could mitigate this effect.

The paper's findings even generalize beyond medicine, helping explain why Black students do better under Black teachers or why landlords are more likely to evict vulnerable tenants even when the cash value of missed payments is constant, she said.

In a related commentary, Laura Nimmon of the University of British Columbia said the research raised important questions about whether medical education sufficiently addresses status, authority, and class bias.

"Efforts remain necessary to better understand facets of power, including the failures of education and health care systems to address the myth that physicians are perfectly altruistic and not corrupted by power," she said.
Spain denies port of call to ship carrying arms to Israel



Brussels, Belgium, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2024



Spain has refused permission for a ship carrying arms to Israel to dock at a Spanish port, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Thursday.

"This is the first time we have done this because it is the first time we have detected a ship carrying a shipment of arms to Israel that wants to call at a Spanish port," he told reporters in Brussels.

"This will be a consistent policy with any ship carrying arms to Israel that wants to call at Spanish ports. The foreign ministry will systematically reject such stopovers for one obvious reason. The Middle East does not need more weapons, it needs more peace," he added.

The Spanish minister did not provide details on the ship but Transport Minister Oscar Puente said it was the Marianne Danica which had requested permission to call at the southeastern port of Cartagena on May 21.

El Pais newspaper said the Danish-flagged ship is carrying 27 tonnes of explosive material from Madras in India to the port of Haifa in Israel.

The announcement that permission had been denied comes amid a row between Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialists and his coalition partners, the hard-left Sumar party, over another ship, the Borkum, which is due to dock in Cartagena on Friday.

Pro-Palestinian groups say the Borkum is carrying arms to Israel, prompting Sumar to demand that it be turned away. But Puente said the Borkum was transporting military material to the Czech Republic, not Israel.

Spain has been one of Europe's most critical voices about Israel's Gaza offensive and is working to rally other European capitals behind the idea of recognising a Palestinian state.

Spain halted arms sales to Israel after it launched a military onslaught against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Gaza war began on October 7 when Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel's military retaliation has killed more than 35,000 people, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
US military sees slight drop in sexual assaults



Washington, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2024



The US military reported Thursday a slight drop in cases of sexual assault in its ranks, a first in almost 10 years and on the heels of Pentagon reforms.

Prevalence fell five percent in fiscal year 2023 compared to the previous year, from 8,924 to 8,515 cases reported to the US Department of Defense, which employs or supervises some 3.4 million military personnel and civilians.

The figure has been increasing almost constantly since 2011, with only one slight decrease in 2015.

Notably, the estimated prevalence is also decreasing: 6.8 percent of female soldiers and 1.3 percent of men indicated having experienced "unwanted sexual contact" in the previous year, compared to 8.4 percent and 1.5 percent respectively two years earlier.

The study that produces the figures, carried out every two years by survey, helps tackle under-reporting of cases of sexual violence: only 25 percent of cases are reported, compared to 20 percent two years ago.

Cases of sexual harassment are also declining, according to this report.

The results "demonstrate that the Department is making progress to prevent sexual assault and harassment in the military," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

"These early findings are encouraging," he added, stressing that there was much more work to be done.

Since 2023, the management of cases of sexual violence within the US army has been handled by special prosecutors, independent of the military hierarchy, a reform launched by President Joe Biden.

An independent commission of inquiry estimated in 2021 that 20,000 soldiers suffer sexual assault each year, less than 8,000 report this assault and less than 5,000 request an investigation, and only a small number lead to military justice action.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- On May 15, DEEPAL, the new energy vehicle brand under Changan Automobile, released official images of its new model, the S05.

Photo credit: DEEPAL

This compact SUV, featuring a market position below the DEEPAL S7, recently completed its regulatory registration with Chinas Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

According to the released images, the S05 features the brands iconic design language, with a closed front grille, pronounced dual waistline design on the sides, hidden door handles, and low-drag wheels. The side profile showcases a prominent dual waistline design, with the upper line extending from the front fender to the taillights, and the lower line rising from the bottom of the front door to the mid-rear door, creating a dynamic, downward-sloping look.

In terms of dimensions, the DEEPAL S05 measures 4,620mm in length, 1,900mm in width, and 1,600mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,880mm.

The rear of the vehicle features a spoiler with an integrated high-mounted brake light, a taillight running across the rear, and a dual-layer rear bumper with a contrasting color scheme, enhancing its three-dimensional appearance.

Powering the S05 is a single electric motor with a maximum power output of 175 kW, supported by a lithium iron phosphate battery pack. There may also be a range-extended version available in the future.

Regarding pricing, the current DEEPAL S7 is priced between 149,900 yuan and 217,900 yuan. The more affordable S05 is expected to start at around 120,000 yuan, making it an attractive option in the compact SUV segment.
With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer daily important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information.

NIO: new sub-brand NOVO holds no plans for future independent listing

At a media briefing, NIO's Chairman and CEO Li Bin stated that NOVO, the new sub-brand of NIO, will not seek an independent listing in the future. He explained that the R&D and marketing expenses for NOVO are already included in NIO's overall budget, and there are no plans to change this approach.

ONVO L60; photo credit: NIO

Xiaomi's large language model MiLM officially registered

Xiaomi announced that its large language model, MiLM, has officially passed the regulatory registration process. MiLM will gradually be integrated into Xiaomi's ecosystem, including its cars, smartphones, and smart home products. The company also plans to make MiLM available for more users to experience in the future.

Wuhan Economic Development Zone Boosts NEV Exports

On May 15, Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone (WEDZ) held a seminar to promote the export of Hubei Province's new energy vehicle (NEV) industry. It was revealed that WEDZ's vehicle exports exceeded 10 billion yuan last year, soaring 194.61% year over year. The WEDZ is developing policies to support the automotive industry's international expansion. WEDZ is a key hub in China's national automotive cluster, hosting nine vehicle manufacturers, 14 vehicle factories, and over 1,200 auto parts companies.

Unmanned logistics solution developer SENIOR inaugurates headquarters in Deqing, Zhejiang province

On May 15, global all-scenario unmanned logistics solution provider SENIOR inaugurated its headquarters in Deqing county in Zhejiang province.

https://autonews.gasgoo.com/new_energy/70033074.html

Li Auto launches 400th supercharging station

On May 16, Chinese new energy vehicle maker Li Auto announced the launch of its 400th supercharging station.

Autra Tech, Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor rolls off first-batch intelligent heavy-duty trucks

On May 14, autonomous truck solution developer Autra Tech, in collaboration with Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor (DFLZ), rolled off the first batch of their co-developed 20 AutraOne intelligent logistics vehicles.

DEEPAL unveils official images of new compact SUV S05

On May 15, DEEPAL, the new energy vehicle brand under Changan Automobile, released official images of its new model, the S05.

Beijing expands autonomous vehicle testing to include routes to Beijing South Railway Station

On May 15, the Office of Beijing High Level Autonomous Driving Demonstration Zone (BJHAD) announced new testing roads and areas for autonomous vehicles. The new routes cover the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (Beijing E-Town) and extend to Beijing South Railway Station.

Farasis Energy forms cooperation with Indias Ingar on power battery business

On May 15th, the largest automotive and motorcycle parts exhibition in Southeast Asia, "INAPA 2024," raised its curtain in Jakarta, Indonesia, where Farasis Energy showcased its latest mass-produced Super Pouch Solution (SPS) and exhibited its electric motorcycle standard batteries, models 7432 and 7455, along with a range of battery swapping products.
She said: As we move into the next phase of BT Groups transformation, we are sharpening our focus to be better for our customers and the country, by accelerating the modernisation of our operations, and by exploring options to optimise our global business.
Thanks to ULEZ and the other air quality policies we have introduced, roadside nitrogen dioxide pollution has been cut in half, with initial figures showing it is now at its lowest level on record in London. When I first took office, we had 455 schools located in areas with illegal levels of air pollution. Its now under 20, and soon it will be zero. In 2016, experts told me it would take 196 years to bring Londons air within legal limits, but we are now set to do it by next year.
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Andy Hamlin, an official for the Criminal Justice Workers Union (CJWU), described the incident as a mass poisoning of staff. Prisoners preparing food in the staff canteen spiked a staff special curry with what is believed to be a new psychoactive substance (NPS), he told The Sun.
What are the symptoms of measles?

The NHS says the initial symptoms of measles typically develop about 10 days after the person is infected.

Symptoms include:

cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose, sneezing and a cough

sore, red eyes that may be sensitive to light

a high temperature, which may reach around 40C

small, greyish-white spots on the inside of cheeks

A few days later, a red-brown blotchy rash will appear, usually starting on the head or the upper neck before spreading to the rest of the body.
Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating the SIA on half a century of work to support people who have spinal cord injuries, and their loved ones, and does she agree this would be a topic worthy of debate in this House?
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On May 15, the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) Administrative Committee signed an Investment Cooperation Agreement with FAW-Volkswagen ("FAW-VW"), the joint venture between FAW Group and Volkswagen Group, for the introduction of three new vehicle models, according to a post on TEDA's WeChat account.

According to the agreement, FAW-VW will invest over 2.3 billion yuan to introduce three SUV models under the Audi and Volkswagen brands at its Tianjin plant, with production expected to start gradually from 2026.

Among the three models to be introduced, two will be new energy vehicles (NEVs) targeting the mid-to-high-end market. Once fully operational, these models will significantly increase the proportion of NEVs in Tianjin's automotive industry, strengthen and expand the city's NEV industrial chain, and provide robust support for the high-quality development of Tianjin's NEV and intelligent connected vehicle industries. Additionally, the introduction of these new models is expected to boost the production value of Tianjin's auto parts companies by nearly 10 billion yuan.

Photo credit: FAW-VW's Tianjin base

FAW-VW's Tianjin branch was officially established in TEDA in 2016. With the close cooperation between TEDA and FAW-VW, the project progressed rapidly, constructing Volkswagen Group's most advanced global plant in just 23 months. Since 2018, the company has successively produced five SUV models: the Tayron, the new-generation Audi Q3, the Audi Q3 Sportback, the Tayron GTE, and Tayron X, with an aggregated output exceeding 1.15 million units and a cumulative production value of 189.7 billion yuan.

As the main hub for Tianjin's automotive industry, TEDA boasts a robust automotive industrial base, serving as the core area for a national-level automobile and parts export base in China. Currently, TEDA has developed a dynamic ecosystem centered around major automakers such as FAW Toyota, FAW-VW, Great Wall Motor, and Geely's Farizon Auto, along with over 200 companies specializing in various auto parts and related services, including Volkswagen Automatic Transmission, DENSO, Vitesco Technologies, and Lizhong Wheel.
Mr Fico has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond. Still, his return to power last year on a pro-Russian, anti-American message led to even greater worries among fellow European Union members that he would lead his country further from the Western mainstream.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- On May 15, the Office of Beijing High Level Autonomous Driving Demonstration Zone (BJHAD) announced new testing roads and areas for autonomous vehicles. The new routes cover the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (Beijing E-Town) and extend to Beijing South Railway Station.

Robotaxi in E-Town; photo credit: Pony.ai

Beijing South Railway Station is a major modern transportation hub integrating rail, subway, urban railway, bus, and taxi services. It serves the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and connects to major cities such as Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and others, with a daily passenger flow of nearly 300,000. The station is well-equipped with comprehensive facilities, including smart parking, making it suitable for autonomous driving deployment.

The BJHAD, in collaboration with Beijings municipal traffic management bureau, urban management committee, and Beijing Capital Highway Development Group, has established 2 two-way autonomous driving test routes. The routes cover 32 kilometers and 58.6 kilometers, respectively, passing through Boda Road, South Fourth Ring Road, Majiapu West Road, South Fifth Ring Road, Jingkai Expressway, and South Third Ring Road, reaching Beijing South Railway Station. A 2.2-square-kilometer test area has been designated around the station, including dedicated autonomous vehicle parking spots in the multi-level parking facility.

Officials stated that connecting the "five stations and two airports" is a key focus of the demonstration zones 3.0 phase expansion. These include Beijing South Railway Station, Beijing Fengtai Railway Station, Beijing Chaoyang Railway Station, Beijing Qinghe Railway Station, Beijing Sub-Center Railway Station, Beijing Daxing International Airport, and Beijing Capital International Airport. Daxing Airport already offers normalized autonomous shuttle services, operated by companies such as Baidu Apollo, Pony.ai, WeRide, and AutoX, with a fleet of 40 vehicles.

Furthermore, the BJHAD office will collaborate with relevant enterprises to advance highway testing for autonomous vehicles with pilot zone qualifications, aiming to provide passenger-carrying shuttle services by the end of the year. Passengers will be able to book rides through each platforms mobile apps, enjoying convenient and efficient autonomous transportation between any autonomous driving shuttle stops in Beijing E-Town and Beijing South Railway Station.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- On May 14, autonomous truck solution developer Autra Tech, in collaboration with Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor (DFLZ), rolled off the first batch of their co-developed 20 AutraOne intelligent logistics vehicles.

Photo credit: Autra Tech

At the same time, the 20 vehicles were officially handed over by DFLZ to Autra Tech at DFLZs facility.

The AutraOne, developed jointly by Autra Tech and DFLZ, is based on the Chenglong H7 heavy-duty tractor. It features a custom 130-cubic-meter low-drag trailer and is equipped with Autra Techs proprietary intelligent driving system, AutraPilot. This system aims to address key challenges in the long-haul logistics industry by reducing the need for human drivers, enhancing safety, and improving fuel efficiency.

Photo credit: Autra Tech

DFLZ, a renowned commercial vehicle manufacturer with 70 years of history, has established its Chenglong brand as a market leader in various provinces and segments across China. The company is committed to advancing intelligent manufacturing and technological innovation to provide more efficient and intelligent transportation solutions for the logistics industry.



In 2022, Autra Tech and DFLZ signed a cooperation agreement to mass-produce intelligent tractors. This partnership aims for commercial-grade mass production and large-scale commercial operations. The delivery of the first batch of AutraOne vehicles marks a significant milestone following the strategic upgrade of their partnership last October, when the Chenglong H7 was handed over in Beijing.

These vehicles will be deployed in Autra Techs long-haul logistics operations, which focus on transitioning from dual-driver to single-driver models to enhance efficiency and reduce costs for leading logistics clients.
The international book fair Bookfest will take place between May 29 and June 2, at the Romexpo exhibitional complex in Bucharest, with around 200 exhibitors from all over the country, together with cultural representatives based in Bucharest, offering reading enthusiasts about one million volumes, 3,000 new titles, in an edition in which the Republic of Moldova is the guest of honor.

According to a press release of the Romanian Publishers Association (AER), sent to AGERPRES on Thursday, the programme includes approximately 300 book launches and debates, and over 60 events dedicated to children, but also debates on topics of wide interest, including electoral ones.

Under the slogan "I Embrace You, Republic of Moldova," an expression often found in current speech in the linguistic and cultural space across the Prut, the equivalent of the phrase "I hug you," the invited country has prepared approximately 40 events.

The little ones are expected at the Bookfest Junior Club, where they will be able to take part in discussions about the latest books published for them, as well as thematic workshops, games and a raffle with surprise prizes.

Discounts reach up to 80% of the bookstore price and, as always, entry is free on all five days of the event.

A project co-financed by the Ministry of Culture, the Bookfest international book fair is organized by the Romanian Editors' Association, under the auspices of the Romanian Editors' Federation, under the High Patronage of the President of Romania.

At the previous international editions, the invited countries were: Spain, Hungary, France, the German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), Poland, the Czech Republic, Israel, Sweden, the United States of America, Great Britain and Japan.

Bookfest also has local editions in Timisoara, Cluj-Napoca, Targu Mures, Brasov and another international edition in Chisinau.
The Government established on Thursday, by emergency ordinance, the legal framework through which the Authority for the Administration of State Assets (AAAS) takes over budget debts on some companies with majority and/or wholly state capital of strategic importance for the economy of Romania, which are administered by the National Fiscal Administration Agency (ANAF) and are in insolvency prevention or insolvency proceedings.

According to a Government's release, the measure of taking over the debts by AAAS aims at monitoring through a single institution, maximizing the recouping of debts, with beneficial results on the economic activity of these companies.

"This procedure will contribute to the collection of debts, simultaneously with the development of the economic activity of these companies, by attracting potential investors, and will have an important social impact, by keeping the jobs that are currently at risk. Concretely, AAAS takes over from ANAF budget debts - taxes, fees, fines and other revenues of the general consolidated budget, including accessories - on some companies with majority or full state capital. The debts will be calculated until the date of entry into force of the approved emergency ordinance, and after the takeover by ANAF, they will keep the same legal regime. In this respects, government decisions will be issued for each individual takeover", the press release states.

The debts taken over by AAAS will be removed from the ANAF records and implicitly, from the budget accounting, states the cited source.

At the same time, for the existing disputes and the procedures regulated by Law 85/2014, AAAS takes over all the rights and obligations of ANAF, and the previously completed documents remain valid.

ANAF will notify the debtors about the takeover of the debts by AAAS.
The Ministry of National Defence (MApN) confirmed on Thursday the information regarding the crash of an unmanned aircraft, of civilian origin, within the range of Unteni commune in Botosani county, an event that took place in February.

According to a press release sent by the MApN, the aircraft was found on February 29, when the employees of the Ministry of the Interior requested the support of the military staff.

"On February 29, the Ministry of Internal Affairs requested the support of the Ministry of National Defense for the research and analysis of a small unmanned aircraft, which it identified near the town of Unteni, Botosani county, as a result of the notification made by a citizen. The team made up of specialists from the MApN and other institutions from the National Defence System carried out, during the same day, investigations on the spot and took the aircraft for a technical examination," stated MApN officials.

They also show that, following the examinations, it turned out that the unmanned aircraft was of civilian origin, with no military-type equipment on board, nor weapons or ammunition.
Employees in the Government's apparatus started a new spontaneous protest on Thursday and decided to interrupt their working hours between 15,00hrs and 16,00hrs.

"Employees of the Romanian Government are protesting again. The employees of the Romanian Government's working apparatus have started a new spontaneous protest, today 16.05.2024, starting at 15,00, by interrupting the working hours between 15,00hrs and 16,00hrs," reads a press release president of the National Federation of Administrative Trade Unions Bogdan Schiop sent to AGERPRES.

According to the quoted source, this is the second spontaneous protest by which the Government employees show their dissatisfaction with the way the management of the institution promotes "a discriminatory salary policy" in relation to other institutions under its subordination or coordination.

"We draw attention to the fact that any action or attempt to intimidate the employees participating in this protest will be treated by our organisation with the utmost celerity, and all institutions authorised to protect the constitutional right of the employee to protest will be notified, including European institutions," says the FNSA president.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On May 16, smart mobility solution provider NavInfo signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Shenzhen Data Exchange in Shenzhen city, according to NavInfo's press release. Per the agreement, both parties will collaborate in areas such as data trading, ecosystem cooperation, and data compliance to jointly promote innovative development in the data-driven industry ecosystem.

Under this strategic partnership, in the realm of data trading, the two parties will focus on data products related to intelligent connected vehicles and smart transportation. They will conduct data circulation transactions, cross-regional data operations, and data application implementations, working together to advance the market-oriented allocation reform of data elements and foster the development of the data elements industry ecosystem and the digital economy.

Photo credit: NavInfo

In terms of ecosystem cooperation, leveraging their extensive industry experience and resources, both parties will integrate data elements into application scenarios in intelligent connected vehicles, transportation, public safety, urban governance, and financial services. Together, they will explore and expand new markets for data elements.

Regarding data compliance, both parties will explore global compliance paths for data security in intelligent connected vehicles, support automotive companies in their international ventures, and create comprehensive cross-border service cases for the industry. They aim to establish a data loop that ensures the full lifecycle support of intelligent connected vehicles, from functional development and testing to mass production and road deployment.

Additionally, NavInfo has joined the Open Archipelago Open Source Community, which was initiated by Shenzhen Data Exchange, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, and other organizations. Together, they will promote the development of key foundational technologies for data element circulation.

With years of experience in data collection, processing, and updating, NavInfo provides highly reliable, multi-dimensional data services for applications such as intelligent mobility and autonomous driving. By integrating big data and AI capabilities, they offer comprehensive data compliance solutions to help automotive companies achieve full lifecycle data management and maximize data utilization. Moreover, leveraging big data and digital twin capabilities, NavInfo provides solutions for vehicle networking, integrated vehicle-road-cloud systems, and digital twins, accelerating the achievement of intelligent transportation and smart city integration goals.

Shenzhen Data Exchange aims to build a nationwide data trading platform for cross-domain and cross-border data element circulation. It offers comprehensive services for the entire data trading chain, including compliance assurance, circulation support, supply-demand coordination, and ecosystem development. It aims to explore exemplary paths and trading models for the market-oriented allocation of data elements suitable for the development of China's digital economy. The exchange has established 25 specialized data zones focusing on key application scenarios, including power data, ESG data, automotive data, and cross-border data, striving to become a hub for data product innovation.
Romania is "on schedule" regarding the process of joining the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and now we are in the phase where the hearings have already started, the national coordinator for Romania's accession to the OECD, Luca Niculescu said on Thursday.

"We are on schedule [with accession] to give the shortest answer, because we started in 2022. We are evaluated (...) by 26 committees that cover practically everything we can imagine from economic, social life in Romania. There is one area that the OECD does not deal with: security. (...) In June 2022, the OECD sent us a roadmap with the milestones to be met. We replied with an initial memorandum, worked on by almost all the institutions in Romania, where we said how we estimate to align ourselves to OECD practices, procedures, standards, and immediately after this document that we submitted on December 15, 2022, a lot of questions began to come from those 26 committees. And I calculated that we have received over 10,000 questions so far, hundreds of questionnaires. So far, we have received 36 evaluation missions from these committees and many hearings after that and in Paris. We are now in the phase where we have almost finished the evaluation missions and the hearings have already started, sometimes final hearings in Paris in front of these committees", said Luca Niculescu, at the AAFBR conference.

According to him, after the final hearings within the respective committees, they issue a formal opinion, a formal opinion. After the 26 opinions are obtained, a political decision is needed by the ambassadors of the 38 states who decide whether a state can accede.

Luca Niculescu referred to an interview given by the ambassador of the US to Romania to the local press in which she stated that Romania is the most advanced of the seven candidate countries for the OECD.

He also stated that there is a target set by the prime minister for Romania to become a member of the organization in 2026.

Asked about possible risks, Luca Niculescu stated that the biggest risk would be "not keeping the good pace we are in now" and missing the 2026 target.

The Association of Financial and Banking Analysts from Romania (AAFBR) organized, on Thursday, its annual conference on the theme "Romania's Road to Excellence by joining the OECD Elite", an event that reached its 16th edition.

This year's AAFBR conference is dedicated to Romania's admission as a member of the OECD.
The Romgaz branch in Chisinau was registered on Thursday with the Public Services Agency of the Republic of Moldova, in the State Register of Legal Entities, the company informs through a release sent to AGERPRES.

"The process of registering the Romgaz Branch in Chisinau falls within the scope of the company's actions in order to expand its gas supply activity at the regional level, an objective foreseen in the company's strategy for the period 2021 - 2030. Romgaz wants to contribute to ensuring the security of gas supply natural resources in the Republic of Moldova, and the step taken today ensures the prerequisites for achieving this goal," stated Razvan Popescu, general director of Romgaz, quoted in the press release.

For his part, Aristotel Jude, deputy general director of Romgaz, stated that in the next period the company will take the necessary steps to obtain the natural gas supply license on the territory of the Republic of Moldova.

"We are convinced that the presence of Romgaz in the Republic of Moldova and the trading of natural gas on the centralized market of the Republic of Moldova will effectively contribute to the liberalization of the natural gas market in this country and the creation of the premises necessary to establish a real price for the benefit of consumers", Jude pointed out.

The Romgaz National Gas Company is the largest producer and main supplier of natural gas in Romania. The company is admitted to trading on the market of the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE). The main shareholder is the Romanian state with a 70% stake. The company has a vast experience in the field of natural gas exploration and production, its history starting more than 100 years ago, in 1909.

Romgaz carries out geological exploration in order to discover new gas deposits, produces methane gas by exploiting deposits from the company's portfolio, stores natural gas underground, performs interventions, capital repairs and special operations at wells and provides professional technological transport services. In 2013, Romgaz expanded its field of activity by assimilating the thermal power plant in Iernut, thus becoming a producer and supplier of electricity.

On August 1, 2022, Romgaz became the sole shareholder of Romgaz Black Sea Limited (established ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania Limited), following the completion of the acquisition transaction and the transfer of all shares issued by (representing 100% of the share capital of) ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania Limited, which holds 50% of the rights acquired and the obligations assumed by the Oil Agreement for the deep water area of the XIX Neptun offshore perimeter in the Black Sea.
The candidate on the first position of the United Right Alliance (ADU) list for the European Parliament elections, Dan Barna - Save Romania Union (USR), in Oradea on Thursday said that respecting EU laws and principles, Moldova's accession to the EU, supporting entrepreneurship and the liberal spirit in the economy will be the main priorities of ADU representatives in the next European Parliament.

"One of the objectives of the ADU is to support this extraordinary opportunity that the Republic of Moldova has in the context of the tragedy caused by the war in Ukraine, some stages have been burned, temporarily speaking, related to Moldova's chance to become part of the EU and it is clear that the next European Parliament will have a heavy, important word to say in supporting Moldova's accession. And this is one of the directions and priorities we have," said Dan Barna.

Another priority, he continued, is related to the rule of law and respect for laws and principles for which the European Union has been respected for many years, including in Romania, as guardian of legality and democracy.

According to him, the entrepreneurship component and the maintenance of the liberal spirit in the European economy is also among the priorities of the ADU, together with the need to discuss the adaptation of the Green Deal, an essential environmental component for the younger generations.

People's Movement Party (PMP) Chairman, MEP Eugen Tomac, who is also a candidate for the June 9 elections, stressed that he and Vlad Botos managed to keep the subject of Romania's accession to the Schengen Area on the European Parliament's agenda for over a year and a half, and that they made a common front and managed to turn a subject of national interest into a subject of European interest, that of the return of the Romanian treasure sent to Moscow during the First World War.

"This shows that when you know how to explain things very well, you can impose yourself and obtain a large majority, as was the case three months ago in Parliament, for a subject that concerns Romania," Tomac said.

The PMP leader said that, beyond the extraordinary openness that the Republic of Moldova has in Europe, the future ADU MEPs will explain in the European Parliament why it is important for the Republic of Moldova to join the EU quickly and will build a serious debate for the common future in the European Union
St. Louisans may take the Eads Bridge for granted. But 150 years ago, it was considered one of the wonders of the modern world, an engineering marvel with Gilded Age backers and a creator compared to Leonardo da Vinci.

The man who gave St. Louis its first bridge over the Mississippi  whose graceful steel arches symbolized the city before another rose over the riverfront  is almost forgotten around the world, says a new book.

Yet, despite his lack of formal education, James Eads made lasting contributions in many aspects of bridge design and construction, writes John K. Brown in Spanning the Gilded Age: James Eads and the Great Steel Bridge. He had a talent for grasping and solving huge engineering challenges, a compulsion to see and think anew.

Brown delves deeply into how the landmark bridge was connected to the growth of St. Louis, financial wheeling and dealing of the time, and technological history. Although there have been previous books about Eads, Brown says his helps explain how the bridges bankruptcy did not mean it was a failure (it actually made monopoly profits for 50 years) and how the untested bridge designer persuaded Junius and J.P. Morgan to help finance his risky endeavor.

Its an amazing story, says the author, who will be in St. Louis on May 23 to discuss his book.

Along with the book, the Missouri History Museum and the St. Louis Mercantile Library are offering current exhibitions that not only remind St. Louisans of an important part of city history, but also dazzle with details about Eads extraordinary work.

River survivor

Some of the highlights of Eads life are often told. Born in 1820 in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, Eads was about 13 when he, his siblings and mother survived a steamboat fire on the Mississippi River, losing all of their belongings. In a few years, most of the family would move to Le Claire, Iowa, where they farmed and built and ran a hotel.

But Eads stayed in St. Louis. His formal schooling was over and he worked at a dry goods store and then as a clerk on a steamer. That vessel, the Knickerbocker, was lost when a snag opened a hole in it at the mouth of the Ohio River. Cargo was lost, again, with river pirates making off with some goods. The accident was a formative experience, Brown writes, and after three more years working on boats, Eads persuaded two men to go in with him to form a marine salvage company.

It was a risky business, but Eads would descend into the river in a diving bell of his own design searching muddy water for salvage. In the meantime, he had fallen in love with St. Louisan Martha Dillon, whose well-off father, Patrick Dillon, wasnt eager to have Eads as a son-in-law.

Still, the two would marry in 1845. Before then, Eads took six weeks to travel to big, eastern cities, Brown writes. He marveled at the speed of rail travel and inventions showcased at Washingtons Patent Office and stayed with a cousin, James Buchanan. The young man showed an earnest desire to improve himself, Brown writes, but Martha Dillons father was still disapproving of the marriage.

Eads quit marine salvage to open the first glassworks west of the Mississippi. He was unable to make a profit and went back to salvage, whose spoils created wealth. In 1849, a tragic riverfront fire devoured 23 steamers and more than 400 buildings but provided work for Eads and his partner, William Nelson. They contracted with the city to remove the levee wrecks.

By the mid-1850s, Eads was certainly prosperous, but he had lost Martha to cholera in 1852. Her father, who died the year before, also didnt live to see Eads success. At age 37 he retired from actively managing the wrecking company. Because of his work on the river, friends and colleagues called him Captain Eads for the rest of his life.

Still, Eads was just getting started.

Brown calls the salvage years Eads first chapter. Following it, the self-taught engineer

Acquires a contract to build the first ironclad wars of the Civil War. No matter that he didnt own a yard or machine shop  he manages to lease and hire what he needs to produce seven ironclads in 65 days. (He paid penalties for being late on a few.) The s give the Union its first big victories of the war.

Designs the Eads Bridge for buggies, pedestrians and trains using innovative technology that would carry over to major projects, including the Brooklyn Bridge, for 70 years. Profits would come from tolls. He also planned railroad tunnels from the bridge that traveled under the city streets.

Comes up with a way to clear silt in the Mississippi Delta, increasing the depth of the river so traffic wasnt stymied and New Orleans could be a full time port reached by oceangoing s.

Becomes an international consultant regarding river projects, including a possible 3,500-foot bridge in Turkey over the Bosporus Strait. (No such bridge would be built until 1973.)

Challenges plans for the Panama Canal, proposing that a railway across Mexico could carry s.

That last idea never was implemented, but Brown considers it an impressive example of his creativity.

The Great Bridge

Through enlarged images, the Missouri History Museum illustrates and explains the bridge project in its exhibit Eads Bridge at 150. (Celebrations are being planned around the July 4 anniversary.)

The exhibits introduction says: During his dedication speech on July 4, 1874, James Eads observed that the bridge would endure as long as it is useful. By all measures, he was right. The bridge has endured, standing strong against the forces of nature and adapting to the needs of modern city. The lower deck, built for large steam locomotives, now accommodates light-rail transportation. The upper deck evolved from a wood plank road for horses and pedestrians into a highway for thousands of cars every day. The iconic bridge has also inspired countless artists and has been the backdrop of millions of memories.

The bridges longevity is due in part to Eads use of steel, at the time a material lighter than iron that had never been tested when building a bridge  or any other structure in the world. Eads also called for granite and limestone to create sturdy piers and took into account challenges of wind and river ice. Even though the bridge has been hit by barge-pushing towboats and a historic tornado, it has suffered relatively little damage. In the 20th century, it underwent restoration work that suggests the bridge will last many more years.

When Eads offered his design in 1867, he also took beauty into consideration. He and assistant engineer Henry Flad worked on a plan with just three spans, arches that were longer than any others in the U.S. (one at 515 feet and two at 497). They were tall enough at the center to allow for riverboats, and with only two piers to block traffic.

The span lengths alone far exceeded any truss or arch bridge to that time in North America, Brown writes.

Other bridge proposals tended to offer quicker and cheaper structures. Not until the 1880s and '90s, Brown says, did engineers started to agree that great bridges in great cities ought to be beautiful.

But Eads was set on steel, and for two years tried to find a steelmaker willing to bid on his requirements, Brown says. Eads wanted very high-quality steel in larger pieces that had never been made before. Eventually he got a bid from a small Philadelphia steel company and Eads and his engineers devised demanding protocols to test and ensure the strength of the steel components.

.

Another of Eads innovations was using pneumatic caissons, pressurized chambers deep in the river where workers could excavate materials and build foundations on solid bedrock. The caissons had never before been used in the United States. As work on excavating river sand took the workers deeper and deeper into the Mississippi, they started suffering from the bends, or decompression sickness. Eads own physician would be called in to monitor the situation after several workers died.

Dr. Alphonse Jaminet shortened the amount of time workers could spend in the caissons and required the pressure to be released more slowly from the air lock. Jaminets efforts may have helped, but still 14 men died from the bends and at least 30 were severely injured, Brown writes.

The history museums exhibit concludes that Jaminets work laid some of the foundations for modern diving practices.

Eads originally told investors that his visionary bridge would cost about $5 million. But with delays, interest, overruns, etc. the total cost was $12.5 million ($340.6 million in 2023 dollars), Brown says.

He also details the complex transactions that raised construction funds from stockholders in St. Louis, the Morgan banks in New York and London, and British bondholders. The high costs of steel, construction delays, and frauds all combined to push Eadss bridge company into foreclosure just 10 months after the bridge opened for business. Many of the insiders had some role in those frauds, including Eads, Thomas Scott (a railroad president), and Andrew Carnegie, Scotts protege.

It was largely up to the Morgans to reorganize and turn things around. Although all the stockholders lost the full value of their shares ($3 million), the Morgans made money and took care of their own allies and investors, Brown says. In 1881, Jay Gould, who had been acquiring multiple railroads, began leasing the bridge and rail tunnel; it was profitable for decades to come, continuing to impact the city and railway routes west.

In 1884, Britains Edward, prince of Wales, honored Eads with the Albert Medal (named after Prince Albert) from the Fellows of the Royal Society of Arts. He was the first American to receive the award, preceding Thomas Edison in 1892. In 1927, the deans of Americas engineering colleges voted Eads one of the top five engineers of all time, along with Edison, Leonardo da Vinci, James Watt and Ferdinand de Lesseps.

Eads, who had suffered lung ailments since his years in the diving bell, died at age 66 while in the Bahamas with his second wife, Eunice. He is buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery.

Lasting symbol

Browns new look at Eads and his bridge focuses largely on finance and technology, while showing that Gilded Age entrepreneurs and businessmen developed many public works, utilities, transportation and, yes, bridges, before government gained the will or financial ability to create such infrastructure. He also corrects some previous stories about the bridge, including that President Ulysses S. Grant was at the dedication. (He was not.) Brown also rejects as myth that Eads' Buchanan cousin was the same man who became the 15th president.

Brown, a retired professor from the University of Virginias Department of Science, Technology, and Society, accepted research notes of John Atlee Kouwenhoven, a scholar who died before he could write a planned big book on Eads. Browns finished product is now likely the most complete text about the building of the bridge.

Now owned by Metro, which runs the light-rail over the bridge, and the city of St. Louis, Eads is just one bridge option for travelers from Illinois. It still leads drivers directly to Washington Avenue, as Eads designed.

For some of the hundreds of drawings, artwork and more featuring the bridge, see images on display at the Mercantile Library, which offers little text but shows more than 30 ways the bridge has been portrayed through the years. A Currier & Ives print and contemporary watercolors are some of the things on display. A dramatic drawing after the tornado of 1896 shows lightning almost piercing the bridge.

The library also includes a stock certificate, an 1870 company report by the chief engineer, and a photograph from 1873-74.

For the centennial anniversary of the bridge, Famous-Barr placed an ad in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat showing a needlepoint pattern to commemorate the bridge.

Counting illustrations on letterheads and advertisements, the library has hundreds of Eads images that are not included in the exhibit, whose antique paper prints have seldom been seen in public.

Whether labeled the Illinois & St. Louis Bridge, the St. Louis Bridge, just The Bridge or, as the city acquired more spans, the Eads Bridge, the images proudly show off the landmark.

Julie Dunn-Morton, the librarys curator of art, says: All capture the bridge with their own vision.

John K. Brown When: 6 p.m. May 23 Where: Schlafly library branch, 225 North Euclid Avenue How much: Free More info: left-bank.com

"The Great St. Louis Bridge in Image and Print" When: Through July 8 Where: St. Louis Mercantile Library, UMSL, 1 University Boulevard How much: Free More info: 314-516-7240

"Eads Bridge at 150" When: Through May 11, 2025 Where: Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Boulevard, Forest Park How much: Free More info: mohistory.org
SPRINGFIELD, Ill.  In Illinois, 114,000 people are banned from owning guns because of legal tangles or mental health issues  three-quarters of them havent surrendered their firearms, according to data the Cook County sheriff will present Thursday.

Sheriff Tom Dart is seeking $10 million from state lawmakers to tackle what he calls a firearm regulation crisis. The money would train and equip more door-knocking officers to retrieve or ensure the safe storage of weapons from those who have had their state Firearm Owners Identification cards rescinded.

The aim would be reducing the chance potentially volatile people would exhibit the type of violence seen when a shooter who wasnt allowed to own a firearm carried out a massacre at Henry Pratt Co. in a Chicago suburb.

Otherwise, the menace of revocations of FOID cards from noncompliant gun owners will spiral beyond law enforcements control, the Democratic sheriff told The Associated Press in releasing the report in advance.

I wish I was making this up. I wish I had someone pull my argument apart and say, Youre exaggerating. Youre being dramatic, the Dart told the AP in an interview Wednesday. No. Do the math. At this rate, two years from now, were going to have 100,000 revoked FOID card owners, and there will be no contact with them to ensure theyve had their guns properly dealt with.

Legislation pending in Springfield would increase fees on weapons purchases to fuel enforcement, but just two weeks remain in the spring legislative session.

There are 2.42 million FOID card holders in Illinois. They are rescinded when a gun owner is convicted of a felony, is the subject of an order of protection, is dealing with other mental health or cognitive issues, or is deemed a clear and present danger to themselves or others by police, school administrators, or medical professionals. Notified gun owners are required to turn over their weapons for storage or transfer them to a trusted person possessing a FOID card, an action certified with the completion of a Firearm Disposition Record.

Too many dont. Historically, the approach was for local law enforcement to repeatedly send letters informing the recipient of the obligation to do so.

Darts report found that of nearly 114,000 repealed FOID card holders, 74%  approximately 84,000  have never accounted for surrendering weapons.

The issue came to a bloody, devastating head in February 2019 when a man dismissed from his job at the Henry Pratt Co. in Aurora pulled and fired a gun he wasnt allowed to have, killing five employees and wounding half-a-dozen others. The gunman bought the weapon in 2014 when a background check failed to identify a 1995 conviction for aggravated assault in Mississippi. When authorities became aware of it, they revoked the mans FOID, but he never surrendered the weapon.

The same year, a DuPage County man whose FOID had been revoked for an aggravated battery charge but who had not turned over any weapons shot and killed his 18-month-old son, then himself, Darts report notes.

Darts efforts in the area predate the Aurora incident. He formed a unit in 2013 of eight officers trained to deal with tense environments, including those involving mental illnesses. His staff says the office has closed 9,200 cases, collected 4,000 FOID cards, taken 1,517 weapons for storage and allowed the safe transfer of several thousands of other weapons.

It isnt like trying to draw some type of conclusion and be a mind reader on whos about to commit an offense, Dart said. We literally have the name and address of someone who has a gun and shouldnt have it.

Legislation signed in 2021 created a program for funding revocation enforcement teams. The Illinois State Police has granted local police departments  including Darts and the Chicago city police  about $1 million a year.

Illinois State Police started tracking revocation enforcement in May 2019 and through 2022 reported bringing 4,300 people into compliance with the law.

Despite recent efforts, the backlog hasnt changed since state police reported it in the days following the Aurora disaster.

Dart has a sympathetic ear in the capital, and one particularly sensitive to the subject. Rep. Bob Morgan, a Democrat from the Chicago suburb of Deerfield, was marching with constituents in Highland Parks 2022 July 4th parade when a gunman opened fire, killing seven and wounding at least 30.

Morgans proposal would increase the $2 fee on firearm purchases or transfers to $10, with $4 of that earmarked for the Illinois State Polices revocation enforcement fund. Morgan said the legislation has yet to be reviewed by the House task force on firearms.

Despite the steep increase in the transfer charge, Morgan said many states charge more than Illinois, from $15 in New Jersey to $25 in Nevada.

We just have tens of thousands of these weapons that are floating out there from people who have had their FOID card legally and finally revoked, Morgan said. We need to do better.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On May 15, 2024, the CloudEV all-electric vehicle model (known as the Baojun Yunduo in China) officially hit the market in Jakarta, Indonesia, with a guide price of IDR 438 million (approximately 200,000 yuan), according to a press release from PT SGMW Motor Indonesia (also called SAIC General Motors Wuling Motor Indonesia or Wuling Motors), a subsidiary wholly owned by SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile ("SGMW").

CloudEV; photo credit: SGMW

After three years of strategic planning, Wuling Motors now offers three new energy vehicle (NEV) models Air ev, BingoEV, and CloudEV, covering the mainstream passenger car market in Indonesia, with prices ranging from IDR 200 million to 450 million (100,000 yuan to 220,000 yuan). From January to April, Wuling held a 62.5% share of Indonesia's NEV market, said the carmaker.

Wuling Motors kicked off pre-orders for the CloudEV model on April 30. By May 15, it had received over 600-unit orders.

Thanks to Wuling Motors' ongoing investment in NEV products, these vehicles have garnered significant attention and approval from the Indonesian government. The Air ev was selected as one of the first vehicles for verification by the Indonesian Digital Testing House. From May 18 to 25, 150 units of the Air ev, BingoEV, and CloudEV will serve as the official vehicles for the 10th World Water Forum in Bali, providing green transportation for government officials from various countries. This continues the trend of Wuling's NEVs being chosen as official vehicles for major international events in Indonesia, such as the 2022 G20 Bali Summit, the 2023 ASEAN Summit, etc.

Wuling Motors said the CloudEV complies with Indonesian government's regulations on localization rates, making buyers eligible for government value-added tax incentives for NEVs.

Additionally, Wuling Motors is actively leading the development of an electric vehicle charging ecosystem. Currently, users of the Air ev and the BingoEV have completed the installation of 7,284 home charging facilities. In terms of public charging stations, initial efforts are focused on Jakarta, with 15 national-standard DC fast-charging stations set to be completed by the end of this month, and a total of 100 planned for completion this year.
ST. LOUIS  A proposed sales tax hike for early childhood education will not reach ballots in November because state law restricts the citys ability to subsidize child care costs.

A change to the state law was passed by the Missouri Senates Select Committee on Empowering Missouri Parents and Children on April 30, but has not seen action since then.

The state bill was stymied by the Democrats record-breaking filibuster in the Senate this week, according to Charli Cooksey, CEO of WePower, an advocacy group pushing for new sales taxes in St. Louis city and county.

Cooksey posted on social media site X that the group will keep the good fight going with integrity.

Child care and public school advocates sparred Monday during an aldermanic hearing for the citys bill that would place a half-cent tax increase on the November ballot to provide funds to improve the quality, affordability, and access to early childhood education in the City of St. Louis for children aged 5 years and under.

WePower has also suspended signature gathering to get a 3/8-cent sales tax increase on ballots in St. Louis County, which would raise an estimated $76.5 million annually, Cooksey said.

State law restricts the ability of local governments to raise taxes to subsidize child care tuition, workers salaries or additional seats. The early childhood education system in the city primarily consists of for-profit day care centers and free preschool at St. Louis Public Schools, neither of which could be funded through the sales tax.

The SLPS board voted Monday to oppose the tax, citing the increased burden on low-income families and lack of oversight on the spending.
JEFFERSON CITY  The Missouri House approved legislation Thursday prohibiting local governments from imposing a moratorium on eviction proceedings.

The measure, which has failed to advance in previous years, was sent to Gov. Mike Parsons desk on a 145-1 vote on the second-to-last day of the Legislatures annual session.

The bill sponsors, Rep. Chris Brown, R-Kansas City, and Sen. Curtis Trent, R-Springfield, have called the package a property rights issue.

Eviction moratoriums arose during COVID-19 pandemic shutdown orders. But after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal moratorium, some local governments enacted their own.

The moratoriums were heavily criticized by landlords, who said it made it harder to meet mortgage payments on their properties.

Democrats argued that the measure would tie the hands of local government officials seeking to ensure the safety of residents in the communities.

There are parts of this bill that are simply misguided, said Rep. Ingrid Burnett, D-Kansas City.

Other changes inserted into the legislation in the Senate would make squatting a class A misdemeanor and set up a process for removing a squatter from a property.

Another would require governments that impose shutdown orders affecting businesses to forgo a portion of tax revenue and license fees from those businesses.

And another provision limits the ability of government to require property inspections before residential home sales.

The package also includes a tax credit program aimed at helping redevelop historic buildings. Rep. Steve Butz, a St. Louis Democrat, said the provision could lead to the restoration of long-vacant buildings in downtown St. Louis.

Without the provision, Butz said, Our downtown has little chance of turning around."

The measure also includes provisions affecting chicken-keeping in homeowners association neighborhoods, fire hydrant testing schedules and electric vehicle charging stations at nonprofit organizations.

This legislation is House Bill 2062.

Updated on May 17 to clarify historic tax credit provision.
Talk about tone-deaf. How is it possible that no one on Mayor Tishaura O. Jones staff thought to soften or postpone her bold declaration Tuesday night that St. Louis is in the midst of a renaissance  even as the story swirling around that day was of a failed city response that caused a homicide victims body to go unnoticed for nine hours on the citys North Side?

The slow police response and overlooked body was anecdotal, to be sure. And its true, as Jones notes, that St. Louis crime rates were headed in the right direction as of last year.

But St. Louis still has one of the highest murder rates in America, along with continuing chaos from other crime that largely goes unconfronted because of severely understaffed police. The first, second and third points in Jones State of the City speech should have been the overriding necessity of confronting lawlessness in St. Louis.

Instead, she offered up a laundry list of economic programs that, though generally worthy, are like building a castle on shifting sand if the city doesnt directly confront the underlying crime crisis that is driving away population and businesses.

What wasnt in Jones speech  but needed to be  was a forceful call to reverse the citys reputation for lawlessness, starting with fully staffing city police and making them a more fully visible part of everyday life here.

The urgent need for that was demonstrated the night before Jones speech, when at least one resident of the North Side neighborhood of Mullanphy Square called police to report a barrage of gunfire.

As reported by the Post-Dispatchs Kim Bell, the caller didnt give an exact location or contact number, which is indicative of the lack of residents trust in police. Its a problem that Jones has, correctly, identified in the past and is among the best arguments for the community policing approach that she has pursued.

But, again, that shifting sand: For the community policing approach to work, you first need enough police to handle the basics  including immediately responding to calls of shots fired.

As of Monday, the citys police department was more than 340 officers down from its budgeted staffing of 1,220 (a number that, itself, is too low, after Jones allowed 100 vacant positions to drop out of the city budget upon taking office in 2021).

Does that continuing lack of staffing explain why it took 90 minutes for an officer to show up after the 911 call, then leave without finding the body that neighbors would discover the next morning? Thats still unclear  but the crisis mentality gripping the citys overwhelmed police force certainly cant have helped.

Jones, in advance of her expected reelection announcement this week, used her speech at the Sun Theater in Grand Center to tout progress during her first three years. There are, as she told her audience of about 350, some achievements worth touting, including economic investment in the long-neglected North Side.

But Jones claim of credit for a dropping crime rate is a wobbly one. Crime and homicide rates dropped all over the country last year, part of a post-pandemic trend that experts are still trying to figure out.

Last years 158 St. Louis homicides represented the citys lowest body count in a decade, undoubtedly positive news. But that still gave the city a per capita murder rate of more than 50 killings per 100,000 residents, among the highest among major U.S. cities. And, ominously, St. Louis 19 homicides in January of this year was almost double the same period a year earlier.

Three-quarters through her first term, Jones often appears to walk a line between acknowledging the St. Louis publics demand that she do something about crime, while placating a progressive base that still clings to a discredited defund-the-police agenda.

It has made for some strange policy contortions.

In response to a rash of thefts of Hyundai and Kia cars, Jones made legal threats to the carmakers because of design flaws that render them easy to steal.

In response to out-of-control speeding and traffic scofflaws, she launched a program to build traffic-calming infrastructure into city streets.

In response to the brazen proliferation of expired temporary license tags, she proposed the truly bizarre solution of loaning city money to the car owners to bring their tags current.

The first two ideas (though certainly not the last one) are reasonable enough as long-term solutions, but all three share a common theme: In each case, the obvious short-term solution  more and better police enforcement of existing laws  is one that Jones avoids like a Medieval plague.

Whats so hard about just saying, People shouldnt break the law, and if they do, theyll face consequences? Thats the kind of renaissance St. Louis needs.
Regarding "Parson approves National Guard, Highway Patrol funding for Texas deployment" (May 9): I wish Gov. Mike Parson and Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe would get their priorities straight. They were elected to represent the citizens of Missouri. They are paid well by the citizens of Missouri to do that job. But they are not earning their pay or doing their jobs properly.

How can they take time and go to Texas and help solve their problems when they are supposed to be working in Missouri? How can Parson spend $2.2 million, provided by the citizens, and divert it to benefit state of Texas?

Parson sent more than 200 troopers from the National Guard and Highway Patrol to Texas who were involved in 4,000 encounters in less then two months. The St. Louis police department could have used those troopers to assist with their significant understaffing problem.

It is astonishing to me that a "State of Emergency" exists in Missouri that justifies spending all that money and resources in support of securing the Texas/Mexico border. Shouldn't Parson and Kehoe be more concerned about the numerous problems in Missouri?

They should spend some time with the St. Louis police on the streets of St. Louis. Instead they are walking around the Texas border while being paid by citizens of Missouri. Something is radically wrong with this picture.

John Davis

St. Charles
A 2024 Buick Envision Sport Touring. GM-DESIGN

Chinese car brands are missing from the US market, but Chinese-made cars are still sold in the US.

Americans bought 104,000 Chinese-made cars in 2023 and nearly 28,000 in the first quarter of 2024.

Buick, Lincoln, Polestar, and Volvo all sell cars in the US that are made in China.

Of the more than 15 million cars sold in the US last year, none wore the badge of a Chinese car brand.

Chinese electric-vehicle heavy hitters such as BYD and SAIC are conspicuously missing from US showrooms. With the government's existing 27.5% tariffs on Chinese-made cars and Tuesday's new 100% tariffs on Chinese-made EVs imported to the US, the situation isn't likely to change anytime soon.

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What some people may not realize, however, is that tens of thousands of cars manufactured in China are sold in the US every year.

Volvo's S60L sedan was one of the first Chinese-made cars to be sold in the US starting in 2016, followed by Buick's Envision SUV and Cadillac's CT6 hybrid.

Automotive News data shows US consumers purchased more than 104,000 Chinese-made vehicles in 2023, up 45% from 2022.

Americans bought another 28,000 Chinese-made cars during the first quarter of 2024.

Buick, Lincoln, Polestar, and Volvo sell Chinese-made vehicles in the US. Of those, the only Chinese-made EVs come from Polestar, a brand co-owned by Volvo and its parent company, Geely. The EV brand imported just 2,217 cars in the first three months of 2024.

It is unclear how the new tariffs will affect Polestar's future production plans. The company eventually plans to move some of its car production to South Carolina in 2024.

In a statement to Business Insider, a Polestar spokesperson said the company was evaluating the Biden Administration's announcement.

Here's a closer look at the Chinese-made cars on sale in the US.

Buick Envision

A 2024 Buick Envision Avenir. GM

When it launched in 2016, the Buick Envision compact SUV was one of the first Chinese-made vehicles sold in the US. The second-generation Envision, which arrived in 2021, continues to be made in China at one of the plants GM operates in a joint venture with SAIC. The Envision was Buick's second-best-selling model in 2023, with more than 44,000 vehicles sold.

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Last year, Buick sold 167,000 vehicles across its entire lineup in the US, an impressive 61% increase over the previous year. But this number pales in comparison with Buick's sales in China, which totaled 517,000 units last year.

Lincoln Nautilus

A 2024 Lincoln Nautilus SUV. Lincoln

The Lincoln Nautilus midsize luxury SUV was originally launched in 2019 as a mid-cycle refresh of the existing MKX model. This year, Lincoln launched the all-new second-generation 2024 Nautilus made at Ford's Hangzhou factory operated in a joint venture with China's Changan Automobile.

In past years, the Hangzhou plant produced the Nautilus for the Chinese market, with Ford's Oakville, Ontario, facility handling US versions. But Hangzhou took on US market production when Ford decided to repurpose the Oakville facility to focus on EVs, CNN reported.

Polestar 2

A 2024 Polestar 2. Polestar

The Polestar 2 debuted in the US back in 2019. It was the first EV offering from Polestar, previously Volvo's performance division that was spun off by its Chinese parent company, Geely, and turned into a stand-alone company.

While designed in Sweden, the Polestar 2 is produced at its factory in Chengdu, China.

Polestar 3

The Polestar 3. Polestar

The Polestar 3 EV is all-new for 2024 and the brand's first SUV. The new Polestar 3 began production in late 2023 at the company's factory in Chengdu alongside the Polestar 2.

Initial US market vehicles are set to be Chinese-made, but production for US and European market Polestar 3s is expected to switch over to Volvo's Ridgeway, South Carolina, factory this summer.

There's also a Polestar 4 coming to the US, but Renault Korea is set to make US-market versions of that vehicle at its factory in Busan, South Korea.

Volvo S90

A Volvo S90 Recharge T8 AWD in platinum gray. Volvo

The S90, Volvo's flagship luxury sedan, is produced at its Daqing factory in northern China. Volvo decided shortly after its launch in 2016 to move S90 production from its factory in Torslanda, Sweden, to China. The wagon variant of the S90, the V90, is still made in Sweden.

Read the original article on Business Insider
An F-15 fighter jet parks on the new taxiway Sierra at Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield. (Hoang Leon Nguyen, The RepublicanTNS)

WESTFIELD, Mass. (Tribune News Service)  The $32 million enlargement and rebuilding of Taxiway B South at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport will result in additional, but temporary, jet noise south of the airfield.

Work on the Taxiway B South is expected to last into the fall and result in a paved area thats wider and safer for both military and civilian aircraft.

But it also means the 104th will make greater use of Runway 20 for departures during construction, the unit said Thursday. This will result in additional noise south of the airport.

The runway work, begun earlier this week with a groundbreaking, is the largest single infrastructure project in the 100-year history of Barnes, officials said. And it is the latest in about $63 million in public, military and private construction at the 1,200-acre airport.

Barnes is preparing for new F-35 fighter aircraft.

The base provides military air superiority coverage on-demand anywhere in the world, it said in a release.

The wing says it is routinely called upon to support homeland defense missions, the release read.

It provides emergency response to the state and nation in the areas of security, logistics, communications, explosive ordnance disposal, firefighting, and medical support.

2024 Advance Local Media LLC.

Visit masslive.com .
Airman 1st Class Benjamin Soileau, then a 517th Training Group Russian linguist student, attends class at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif., on May 12, 2022. Airmen who attend extended training courses such as the 48-week Russian language program are now eligible for new allowances to support their families while they are away. (Jocelyn Ford/U.S. Air Force)

Airmen and guardians attending military training away from their families for no more than a year will now qualify for an additional housing allowance to ease the costs of paying for two residences.

The policy provides money equal to the basic allowance for housing rate authorized at the school or training location for those without dependent family members, the Air Force said.

BAH is based on a service members pay grade, duty location and family size.

Eligible airmen and guardians must have permanent-change-of-station orders for school or training, and they need to return to their prior location when theyre finished. They cant collect the extra cash if theyre living in free government housing, the Air Force said in a statement Wednesday.

The course or training must last from 140 to 365 days and produce a formal training certificate, the Air Force said.

This new allowance gives our service members and their families additional resources to weather these times away without the added stress of financial uncertainties, Alex Wagner, Air Force assistant secretary for manpower and reserve affairs, said in a statement.

In some situations, the policy could mean a service member receives a higher allowance while away than the rate at their home station, due to steep fluctuations in housing costs across the United States.

For example, a staff sergeant with a spouse and kids would see an additional $1,524 per month in BAH for a short, temporary move to San Antonio, Texas.

If that airman is assigned to Wright Patterson Air Force Base, where his family stayed while he went away, he would continue to receive $1,455 a month for his household in Dayton, Ohio.

Previously, if service members had unaccompanied orders to another stateside location for training or school lasting more than 20 weeks, they would have to pay rent out of pocket at the temporary site if on-base accommodations werent available.

The new policy was directed by the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act and was published Nov. 1, 2023, in the Joint Travel Regulation.

It went into effect May 7. Service members can receive retroactive payments if they meet the criteria during a course they attended on or after Dec. 23, 2022, the Air Force said.

The change does not replace temporary duty waivers for formal training, which allow airmen and guardians to attend courses with a duration between 141 and 180 days in a temporary status instead of a permanent-change-of-station status.
The entrance sign of Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. Marines prevented two individuals from breaching the base May 3, 2024, and turned them over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (U.S. Marine Corps)

WASHINGTON  Two people were placed in the custody of U.S. immigration officials after they tried to drive a delivery truck past security guards and onto a Marine Corps base in Virginia, service officials said Wednesday.

The incident occurred May 3 when two people drove up to the Fuller Road Gate of Marine Corps Base Quantico in a box truck and were stopped by military sentries, according to Capt. Michael Curtis, the base spokesman.

When asked, the operator of the truck informed the military police officers they worked for a company subcontracted by Amazon and were making a delivery to the U.S. post office located in the town of Quantico, Curtis said.

Because the two had no affiliation with the Marine base and no credentials to enter, military police officers directed them to go to a holding area for standard vetting procedures, according to Curtis. At this time, one of the officers noticed the driver ignored the instructions and attempted to drive onto the base.

Officers were able to deploy the vehicle denial barriers and detain the individuals before turning them over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agency did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment.

No one was injured, and no weapons were reported to be found, Curtis said.

When any vehicle and its occupants fail to comply with the clear direction of the on-duty police officers, specific steps are taken by those officers to restrict any further access, he said. Those actions by our on-duty police officers helped maintain the safety and security of all who live and work on Marine Corps Base Quantico.

Marine Corps Base Quantico is in northern Virginia, 36 miles from Washington. To enter the town, where the two individuals claimed they wanted to go, vehicles must drive through the installation. The base is home to the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, which develops strategies for the services combat, and the Marine Corps Officer Candidates School. The FBI Academy and the principal training facility for the Drug Enforcement Administration are also located on the base.

In March, a Chinese national forced his way through a gate at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Lance Cpl. Andrew Torres, 20, of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, is accused of robbing this Okinawa convenience store at knifepoint on April 3, 2024. (Keishi Koja/Stars and Stripes)

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa  A mayor on Okinawa complained to the Marine Corps this week about the burden and fear created in his city by a Marine accused of robbing and attempting to rob convenience stores last month.

Ginowan Mayor Masanori Matsugawa filed a protest Tuesday with Lt. Gen. Roger Turner, commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force, and Shinya Ito, director of the Okinawa Defense Bureau, asking for thorough enforcement of discipline for the Marines in his city. The bureau represents Japans Ministry of Defense in the island prefecture.

Lance Cpl. Andrew Torres, 20, of the III Marine Logistics Group at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, has been in custody since April 18, when police say they caught him fleeing a Ginowan convenience store with a knife. Prosecutors charged him on May 8 with attempted theft.

Also on May 8, police accused Torres of robbing another Ginowan convenience store at knifepoint on April 3 and taking the equivalent of $840. He has yet to be officially charged in that case.

This incident is heinous in that the robber went behind the cash register counter and threatened the store clerk with a knife, then wrenched money from the store, the mayor wrote in his petition.

Matsugawa requested the thorough enforcement of official discipline and education of the Marines and that the Corps take every measure to prevent the recurrence of the incidents and accidents, according to his petition.

I must say that this kind of incident will add to their burden and fear, which should never be allowed, the mayor wrote of his citys residents.

Ito said the defense bureau is taking this heinous incident very seriously, according to a statement provided Thursday by a spokesman for Ginowan citys Military Base Affairs Division.

Some government spokespeople in Japan are required to speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.

The logistics group is actively cooperating with Japanese law enforcement on this matter, III MEF spokesman 2nd Lt. Owen Hitchcock said by email Thursday. The alleged behavior does not align with Marine Corps values, and we are committed to upholding our standards.

Okinawa prefecture also complained about the incident to the Marine Corps, Okinawa Defense Bureau and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Okinawa Liaison Office on May 9, a spokeswoman for the prefectures Military Base Affairs Division said by phone Thursday.

The prefecture also complained that U.S. service members caused 72 criminal offenses last year, the largest number in the past 10 years.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III visits with trainees at the U.S. Army Future Soldier Preparatory Course at Fort Jackson, S.C., on May 10, 2024. (Chad McNeeley/Department of Defense)

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III will deliver the keynote speech during the 2024 U.S. Naval Academy graduation and commissioning ceremony, the academy announced Wednesday.

Austin is scheduled to address the graduates at 10 a.m. May 24 at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

The ceremony is open to invited guests only but will be livestreamed on YouTube. Roughly 1,000 midshipmen in the class of 2024 will be commissioned as officers in the Navy or Marine Corps.

The procession of graduates and faculty will begin at 9 a.m., with the ceremony starting at 10 a.m., according to the academys commissioning week schedule. The Blue Angels are scheduled for a flyover at 10:04 a.m. The flight demonstration squadron will be practicing and performing in the days leading up to the ceremony.

After graduating from West Point, Austin was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry. His 41-year career in the Army took him across the U.S., Europe and the Middle East. Austin served as the Commanding General of the U.S. Forces in Iraq, overseeing all combat operations in the county, in addition to a tour as the Armys Vice Chief of Staff.

Austin is also a recipient of the Silver Star, the third-highest award for valor in combat, for his leadership of the Armys 3rd Infantry Division during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Austin delivered the graduation keynote speech last year. He acknowledged the adversity the class of 2023 had faced in their four years at the academy, including the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but he assured them that they were ready.

President Joe Biden spoke in 2022 and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke in 2021. The speech generally rotates between the president, vice president and secretary of defense.

2024 Capital Gazette.

Visit at capitalgazette.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Marine Corps Sgt. Daniel Breuer, a recruiter for the service, leads high schoolers in strength and conditioning at Beckman-Dyersville Catholic High School in Dyersville, Iowa, on April 25, 2024. During the class, students participated in Marine Corps-style competitive workouts, learned about the importance of leadership, and were given the chance to ask questions about Marine Corps benefits and opportunities. (Collette Hagen/U.S. Marine Corps)

WASHINGTON  Navy leaders on Thursday said they are pushing for more access to high schools as the service faces another recruiting shortfall this year and recruiters across the military complain of limited admission to campuses.

Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said the service wants to see recruiter access to high schoolers increase from a minimum of two times per year to four. The Pentagon is pitching lawmakers on a similar proposal, describing current access standards for all services as suboptimal.

Were getting the required level of access, not necessarily the desired level of access, Ashish Vazirani, the acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said at a congressional hearing last week.

Del Toro told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday that the Navys recruiters have cited a lack of adequate access to high schools as one of their top challenges. He said he has written thousands of letters to high school principals urging them to open their doors.

Were working very closely with the Department of Education and with supervisors from across the nation to try to break down those barriers so that our recruiters can actually get access to the high schools, he said.

The Navy is expected to fall short of its 2024 recruiting goal by 6,200 sailors.

It has taken several controversial steps to boost its ranks, including enlisting people who did not graduate from high school as long as they scored at least a 50 out of 99 on the Armed Services Qualification Test. In 2022, the Navy started accepting more sailors who scored very low on the test and raised the maximum enlistment age from 39 to 41.

Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations, assured senators that the Navy was not lowering its standards. She said retention remained strong and recruitment was picking up, despite struggles to meet growing manning requirements at sea.

We are 2,500 recruits ahead of where we were last year at this time, and I remain optimistic our marketing and data analytics investments will show additional progress throughout the year, she said.

Access to high schools remains a top focus, however. Graduating high school students are a critical source of new recruits for the military and federal statutes mandate that recruiters be given the same access to public high schools as colleges and employers.

But about 5% of schools nationwide are failing to provide that access, according to an April report by the Rand Corp. Up to 14% of schools in some states are failing to comply with the law by not providing contact information for students and not offering adequate access to recruiters or both.

Recruiters said they found some schools hostile to their outreach and had to restrict their movement to a designated table in a lunchroom where they were not allowed to approach students, according to the report. School representatives cited past negative experience with recruiters and anti-military sentiments in the community as some of the reasons for their resistance.

Lawmakers, particularly veterans, have expressed interest in solving the problem legislatively.

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said she will continue to work on an effort that she started last year to force high schools to let in recruiters. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said last week that the issue should be addressed in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, an annual bill setting Pentagon priorities.

Its a disservice to students not to give them access and understanding about the military, Sullivan said. Its a disservice to our nation.
Ross Gilmore - Getty Images

Rumors abound in this industry and when you hear something about a flat-eight-engined motorcycle coming to market, you want to do your due diligence. Building on its domestic dominance making trucks (and a rather adorable city car called the Funky Cat), China's Great Wall Motor is set to bring a lineup of motorcycles to market under the Souo Motorcycles name, and a teasing announcement plus patent documents show a future full of eight-cylinder motorcycles.

Dug up by Cycle World, the patent filing shows the makings of a flat-engine cylinder engine with a four-into-one header design stemming from each cylinder head. Due to its transparent size, the flat-engine is likely to grow over 1500ccs, potentially even growing to 2.5 liters. Further analysis of the patent filings shows double-overhead cams for each cylinder bank as well as a pair of radiators, one for each side. Shaft drive and a dual-clutch, semi-automatic transmission are also likely to join the flat-eight engine, according to Cycle World.

Great Wall Motors to launch high-end motorbike with a flat-eight engine.



Chinese car makers like to diversify, with phones and with flying cars and whatnot more. Great Wall Motors (GWM) goes into another direction: a line of high-end motorcycles under the Souo () name. So pic.twitter.com/tnJ3SmeJUR  Tycho de Feijter (@TychodeFeijter) May 7, 2024

A less internal view of the new flat-eight engine was available at the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition with the relatively compact engine appearing with black valve covers and a Souo Motorcycle logo behind. Great Wall Souo Motorcycles will be a breakout brand for Great Wall, serving as an addition to its wide-reaching vehicular exploits that includes Haval and Wey.

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The engine will likely be fitted to a Honda Goldwing challenger of sorts, with glimpses of the touring bike appearing on X. Spy photos of the Souo cruiser during an alleged photo shoot show bodywork and ergonomics very similar to those found on Honda's Goldwing, not to mention the shared used of a flat-engine configuration. Additionally, the super cruiser appears to have Hossack-style girder front suspension system, just like the Goldwing and the BMW K1600 GT.

Story continues

More details on the Souo Motorcycles brand and the flat-eight super cruiser will arrive as the Beijing Motorcycle Show kicks off tomorrow, May 17. Either way, the resurgence of eight-cylinder motorcycles is a long time coming, with V-8 motorcycles from Moto Guzzi, Indian, and Curtiss dating back to the early and mid-20th century.

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Sailors' family members wave farewell as the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan departs Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, May 16, 2024. (Jennessa Davey/Stars and Stripes)

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan  Nearly 400 sailors in their dress whites manned the USS Ronald Reagans rails Thursday morning as the aircraft carrier steamed out of Tokyo Bay on its final deployment from Japan.

The ships departure from the home of the U.S. 7th Fleet concludes nearly a decade of Navy history in the Indo-Pacific region. The Ronald Reagan is scheduled to make its final patrol before relocating to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash.

During its tenure at Yokosuka, the carrier took part in dozens of multinational exercises, visited more than 15 foreign ports and covered more than 460,000 miles on its annual, six-month deployments, according to U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel.

As impressive as those numbers are, they miss one critical element: the dedication of our sailors and airmen and women of this ship, the Ronald Reagan, he told reporters from the ships flight deck ahead of its departure. That dedication cannot be quantified, but it is measured.

Sailors man the USS Ronald Reagan's rails as the aircraft carrier prepares to depart Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, May 16, 2024. (Jennessa Davey/Stars and Stripes) Sailors' family members wave farewell as the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan departs Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, May 16, 2024. (Jennessa Davey/Stars and Stripes) U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel thanks USS Ronald Reagan sailors as they prepare to depart Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, May 16, 2024. (Jennessa Davey/Stars and Stripes)

The Ronald Reagan, commissioned in July 2003, carries a crew of more than 5,000 and better than 60 aircraft, according to the Navy.

Replacing the Ronald Reagan will be the USS George Washington, which is on a deployment that includes scheduled port calls in Brazil, Chile and Peru.

Its expected to arrive later this year, but additional details have not been disclosed. A portion of the two carriers crews will exchange places at some point, but an exact number was not immediately available, Task Force 70 spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Seth Koenig told Stars and Stripes on the pier.

The Ronald Reagan first arrived in Yokosuka in 2015, when it replaced the George Washington, which relocated to Newport News, Va., for mid-life nuclear refueling and maintenance.

Since then, the Ronald Reagan has led Carrier Strike Group 5 as the Navys only aircraft carrier homeported overseas.

Its presence in the region served as a tangible sign of Americas commitment to our closest allies here and throughout the region, Rear Adm. Gregory Newkirk, strike group commander, told reporters from the flight deck.

I cannot emphasize enough how much we, and the world, benefit from the incredible strength of our U.S.-Japan alliance, he said.

Sailors man the USS Ronald Reagan's rails as the aircraft carrier prepares to depart Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, May 16, 2024. (Jennessa Davey/Stars and Stripes) The USS Ronald Reagan's skipper, Capt. Daryle Cardone, speaks to reporters ahead of the aircraft carrier's departure from Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, May 16, 2024. (Jennessa Davey/Stars and Stripes)

In June 2021, the Ronald Reagan and its strike group deployed to the Middle East to join the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower in providing cover for U.S. troops withdrawing from Afghanistan. Over 150 days, the ships F-18 Super Hornets flew missions over Kabul, while sailors provided logistical support and humanitarian aid.

A month later, the Ronald Reagan drilled alongside the British navys newest aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, during its maiden voyage. Soon after, the two ships joined the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson for a rare, three-carrier drill as part of a 17-ship armada.

Last June, the Ronald Reagan and the guided-missile cruisers USS Antietam and USS Robert Smalls made a historic visit to Da Nang, Vietnam. The stop made the carrier only the third of its class to make a port call in the country since the Vietnam War ended in 1975, and the first since the COVID-19 pandemic subsided.

For the past nine years, the USS Ronald Reagan and her crew have ensured that millions of people across the Indo-Pacific have been able to live their lives free of coercion, aggression and suppression, Emanuel said.

As sailors lined the carrier shoulder-to-shoulder, more than 100 people gathered pier-side for its departure. At least 100 more gathered elsewhere on base to watch the ship steam away.

For Dominic DeBernardis, the husband of Petty Officer 2nd Class Ashli DeBernardis, the situation was hard to describe.

I dont know how I feel, he said, adding that his wife would return to Yokosuka with the George Washington. This is the first time my wife is deploying.

Joanna Baniaga, the spouse of a Defense Department contractor, said watching the ship go is bittersweet  particularly because her brother, Lt. Michael Chai, is aboard. Chai, a public affairs officer, will not return with the George Washington.

We were really fortunate when he relocated here, Baniaga said as the carrier left the pier. Its hard to see him go.
The USS Harry S. Truman, a nuclear-power aircraft carrier, is pictured off the coast of Miami on Sunday, May 5, 2024. The ship was visiting Miamis Fleet Week during its ongoing train up to prepare it to deploy to the Red Sea later this year. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes)

MIAMI  The USS Harry S. Truman will soon lead a Navy strike group into the volatile Red Sea, where U.S. sailors have fought almost daily for months to down drones and missiles launched by Houthi rebels from Yemen.

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and its 6,000-some sailors have spent recent months training in the western Atlantic Ocean for that mission  a rare, pre-planned deployment expected to take the ship into a hostile environment. In recent weeks, its sailors have been undergoing flight deck testing, its pilots knowing that later this year they will be tasked with shooting down drones and munitions launched by the Iran-backed Houthis.

They know that theyre most likely going to be entering a weapon engagement zone, said Adm. Daryl Caudle, the leader of U.S. Navy Fleet Forces Command. I believe, personally, that puts higher stakes on why what we do [in training] is so important.  For this group, this [deployment] is not with the mindset that theyre just going to go drill holes in the water somewhere  this is, Were going to be employed for combat. 

But with combat on the minds of the Trumans sailors and preparations being made to deploy to the hostile waters of the Red Sea, the 1,000-foot-long, 104,000-ton aircraft carrier made a rare appearance in Miami to have the ships sailors participate recently in the citys first Fleet Week.

Sailors aboard the USS Bataan, an amphibious assault ship, look out at the USS Truman aircraft carrier as the Bataan pulls into the port of Miami for Fleet Week on Sunday, May 5, 2024. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes)

There was some pushback from Navy planners, Caudle admitted. An aircraft carrier had never participated in a U.S. Fleet Week anywhere. But when Fleet Week kicked off May 5, the Truman sat stoic, anchored just a few miles off the coast of Miami Beach  its sailors gathered on the flight deck to wave emphatically at their counterparts aboard the USS Bataan, as the amphibious assault ship entered Miamis port.

I will admit that bringing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to a Fleet Week is unique, said Caudle, who is charged with providing trained and ready naval forces to combatant commanders around the world. And of course ... theyre [in the middle of] doing the training  they need to do to ensure that theyre certified and qualified and proficient and ready to go fight. Fleet Week is not built into that.

The crew used the voyage from its home base in Norfolk, Va., to Miami and back  the Truman returned Friday to Norfolk  to conduct extra tactical training at sea, Caudle said. The carriers time in Miami was largely meant to give sailors a fun port call and to interact with the local community, a sort-of recruiting effort that top Navy officials, including Caudle, said they hoped would spark interest in the sea service among more young Miamians.

The admiral said he hoped the Fleet Week stop, wedged into a critical train-up for what would likely be the most dangerous deployment most of the sailors have ever served, would spark memories of their service and bolster their quality of life in the Navy.

Once they actually come over to the city, and immerse themselves into this incredible town, and get to experience the food, and the people, and the nightlife and all that, that is what builds the memories, and [that is] why people stay in the Navy, Caudle said. Im going to be honest; this is what I remember from my almost 40-year career are the places Ive pulled into. The operations tend to be a bit of a blur, but you really remember the port calls.

With Fleet Week over, the bulk of the Trumans preparations begin.

Navy officials declined to say precisely when the Truman will embark on its cross-Atlantic voyage toward the Red Sea to replace the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which deployed from Norfolk in October. Caudle said the deployment was still several months out. The Eisenhower briefly left the Red Sea last month for the Mediterranean Sea, but it has recently returned to the Red Sea, according to the Navy.

Naval Air Crewman 2nd Class Matthew Watkins, a native of Anthem, Ariz., attached to the Dragonslayers of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 11, sits in an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter as it prepares to launch from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman on April 25, 2024, in the Atlantic Ocean. (Michael Shen/U.S. Navy)

The Navy canceled a planned visit to the Truman for news reporters during the Miami Fleet Week, and the ships top leaders were not made available for interviews.

Caudle said he was confident in the ships ongoing preparations. The Navy was already incorporating lessons learned in the Truman crews training from the Eisenhower strike groups fighting with the Houthis.

While the admiral declined to provide specifics about most of those new lessons, he said they are informing the scenarios that the Truman has faced in its training. Ultimately, as the carrier completes its pre-deployment training, the ship will deal with similar issues that the Eisenhower and its escort ships have faced in the Red Sea, Caudle said. Those include lessons on some strategies such as where a strike groups ships should be in relation to one another, how its radar systems should be tuned and the decision-making processes on which weapon should be employed against which incoming munition and when, he said.

Were taking all these lessons from [the Eisenhower] strike group in real time  and bringing all those lessons weve learned to bear in the scenarios that we use against Truman to make sure that is the most relevant set that we can build for them, Caudle said.

The Eisenhower and her strike group have faced nearly six months of fighting in the Red Sea. While the groups destroyers have been credited with taking down many of the drones and missiles fired by Houthi rebels into crowded shipping lanes, the Eisenhowers aircraft have flown near constant missions in the area, Navy officials have said. The carriers fighter planes have shot down drones and missiles and launched so-called dynamic strikes, often to take out ballistic missiles that appear ready for launch, Pentagon officials have said in recent months.

Truman will bring some 90 aircraft, including F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, E-2D Hawkeye command and control aircraft, E/A18 Growler electronic warfare jets, and MH-60 Seahawk helicopters.

It will likely enter conditions that another top admiral described this week as the most volatile that Navy sailors on deployed ships have faced since World War II.

They have to be prepared on a moments notice to conduct engagements, Rear Adm. Fred Pyle, the services surface warfare director, said Tuesday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington. And they have to get it right every single time.

Sailors conduct flight operations on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman on April 24, 2024, in the Atlantic Ocean. (Matthew Nass/U.S. Navy)

Pyle and Caudle said they have been impressed with the Eisenhower strike groups successes in the Red Sea, where the ships are leading a coalition of some 24 nations supporting Operation Prosperity Guardian, the international mission to thwart the Houthi attacks. The rebel group, which receives its arms and other support from Iran, has claimed the attacks are in response to Israels ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, which was launched after the surprise attack by Hamas militants on Israeli civilians in October.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East including the Red Sea, has sent out near daily readouts of engagements between coalition Navy personnel and the Houthis. Pyle said the operations successes have bolstered confidence in the systems that the service has invested in to protect sailors aboard its ships.

The threats theyre engaging [in the Red Sea] are unmanned, theyre anti-ship cruise missiles, theyre anti-ship ballistic missiles, and in each one of those threat groups were performing well, Pyle said. And the systems and the sailors are performing as designed and great.

Caudle said he expected the Truman strike group would seamlessly pick up the mission and perform just as well as the Eisenhower group has to date. Talking to the ships sailors, the admiral said, he can sense they are ready to get in the fight.

I think people join a combat service, you know, to be part of a combat team, Caudle said. They want to go and actually exercise that and do what they do for a living and  be stressed to the ultimate limit out there.

In the Red Sea right now, were bringing the full complement of naval combat power to bear. ... But we want to deter conflict. That is the main effort. There is nothing that does that more than 100,000 tons of diplomacy in an aircraft carrier.
Thats All Brother was a lead aircraft in the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944. The plane led a formation of 800 other C-47 aircraft that dropped 13,000 U.S. paratroopers on D-Day. The restored plane has been described as a flying museum. (DC-3 Society)

WASHINGTON  World War II aircraft that moved troops and cargo across the North Atlantic to Europe are being retooled, fueled and readied to make the same journey the aircraft did 80 years ago for a commemorative flight to pay tribute to the D-Day invasion.

Those C-47s could only carry about 30 people so when we say they transported troops it must not have been many. Guys sent overseas were mostly sent by ship.

Plans are for five vintage C-47 military transport airplanes that make up the D-Day Squadron Legacy Tour to depart Saturday  weather permitting  from the Oxford-Waterbury Airport in Connecticut and follow the historic Blue Spruce path that military aircraft flew in World War II, according to the DC-3 Society, a community of volunteer pilots and aviation enthusiasts organizing the event.

[Im going] on behalf of the guys who did not return from the battlefield, said Max Gurney, a 103-year-old Army veteran from California who served under Gen. George Patton in World War II and is making the journey to attend D-Day air shows in Normandy, France, including flyovers and parachute drops by the D-Day squadron.

Though Gurney will not fly aboard any of the restored aircraft that are being flown to Europe for the celebrations, he and 60 other World War II veterans will watch the D-Day squadron from the ground. They will join thousands of other visitors expected for 80th anniversary ceremonies marking the D-Day landings  the massive land, sea and air invasion of Normandy that led to the liberation of France and was critical to ending the war.

The C-47 planes were viewed by many as heroes in their own right for transporting troops, dropping paratroopers and moving tons of supplies to strategic target sites and battlefields. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II who later became a two-term U.S. president, described the C-47 as key to winning the war.

The C-47 was known to be one of the most vital pieces of equipment that helped win the war, said Steve Lashley, director of U.S. media for the D-Day Squadron Legacy Tour.

Ready 4 Duty, a World War II-era transport plane, will participate in a transcontinental flight and D-Day air shows across Europe on the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of France. (DC-3 Society)

The twin-engine planes will follow a northerly path known as the Blue Spruce route, stopping to refuel at points that include Goose Bay on the Labrador coast of Canada, Narsarsuaq in south Greenland, Reykjavik in Iceland, Prestwick in Scotland, and Duxford in England.

The squadron will take six days, logging nearly 3,000 nautical miles on each aircraft and approximately 18 hours of flight time, to make this historic transatlantic crossing, Lashley said.

The squadron will arrive in England during the last week in May, in advance of activities to commemorate the anniversary of the Normandy invasion by Allied forces on June 6, 1944. Dubbed Operation Overlord, the aerial assault was the largest use of airborne troops up to that time.

For the transcontinental flight, Eric Zipkin will pilot a C-47 named Placid Lassie, which was built in 1943. Zipkin is co-founder of the Tunison Foundation, which owns and operates Placid Lassie and other vintage military aircraft.

Zipkin, who serves as director of operations for the D-Day squadron, said he hopes the flight will raise awareness about the role of the aircraft in campaigns across Europe.

We won the war because of our logistical abilities, he said.

The flight will highlight the contributions made to the war effort by the unglamorous planes  dubbed gooney birds by American GIs, according to Zipkin and other organizers.

Placid Lassie transported troops, dropped paratroopers on Normandy beaches and towed gliders with troops that were released to fly silently behind enemy lines.

The military developed C-47s during World War II using Douglas DC-3 commercial planes as the model. The aircraft were designed to move manpower and materials, according to the DC-3 Society.

Each plane had an assigned location in the formation and would get a chalk number written on the side to make loading simpler, according to the DC-3 Society, which provides a complete schedule of the 2024 journey and events on the D-Day Squadron Legacy Tour website.

The flight schedule for the D-Day squadron is subject to change depending on the weather and needs for aircraft maintenance.

In addition to Placid Lassie, other vintage C-47 planes making the North Atlantic crossing include Thats All Brother, a lead aircraft in the D-Day invasion, Ready 4 Duty from the Commemorative Air Force, Dallas-Fort Worth Wing, and the Spirit of Douglas and Western Airlines.

This will be our first flight mission with the squadron, a great salute to the Greatest Generation who came before us, said Chris Volpe, a wing leader with the Commemorative Air Force, a nonprofit that owns Ready 4 Duty, which the Navy flew from 1944-1946 to transport wounded soldiers and drop supplies.

We are prepared for any action, said Max Gurney, a 103-year-old Army veteran from California who served under Gen. George Patton in World War II and is making the journey to attend air shows and other events in Normandy, France, marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day. (Tim McCully, retired Navy captain)

Gurney and the group of World War II veterans going to the D-Day event in France are scheduled to take a commercial honor flight to Normandy accompanied by a medical team and chaperones.

Gurney, who served as a technical sergeant in cryptographic and signal intelligence, said he joined the military at age 20, with deployments to North Africa and Europe. He enlisted after the Dec. 7, 1941, bombing of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii by Japan and served through the end of the war in 1945.

This will likely be the last D-Day event I attend, said Gurney, who previously traveled to Normandy for the 50th anniversary celebration. At my age, I dont expect to be returning. This tribute is even more significant to me.

The D-Day squadron is expected to arrive in England on May 25-26 and participate in a United Kingdom tour running through June 2.

Events scheduled include an aerial parade of vintage and modern military aircraft in Duxford, England, on June 1-2.

The D-Day squadron will have its base of operations in Cherbourg, France, from June 2-10. The city was the site of Allied airborne operations during World War II to capture roads and bridges to stop German forces from advancing to the beaches during the Normandy assault.

From June 3-9, the D-Day squadron will participate in air shows over Normandy.

After the 2024 D-Day events, the aircraft will fly to Germany on June 15-16 for ceremonies honoring the 75th Berlin airlift, when U.S. and British planes dropped supplies from June 1948-September 1949 to counter a blockade by the Soviet Union.

The squadron will touch down in Berlin, Germany, and the Wiesbaden Army Airfield.

U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden, together with the German state of Hesse, will host an all-day event commemorating the Berlin Airlift on June 16 at Clay Kaserne Airfield.

The planes then travel to Venice, Italy, on June 22-23 before coming back to the U.S., where they are scheduled to arrive in Presque Isle, Maine, on June 27-28, before returning to their home bases.
Thomas A. Smith of Grant, Mich., was 17 when he went missing on Aug. 2, 1950, during a battle in Chinju at the southern end of the Korean peninsula. (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency)

After a 17-year-old American soldier went missing in action in 1950 during the Korean War, military officials said they couldnt find his remains.

Nearly 74 years later, Thomas A. Smith of Grant, Mich., has been accounted for, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Tuesday.

Smith went missing on Aug. 2, 1950, during a battle in Chinju at the southern end of the Korean peninsula. Soldiers were unable to recover his remains, officials said, and they determined he was not a prisoner of war.

The U.S. Army presumed Smith dead in 1953, officials said.

In late 1950, a set of remains was recovered near the village of Hwagye, South Korea, but they were unidentifiable. The remains were buried in 1956 at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, commonly known as Punchbowl, in Honolulu with other unidentified Korean War soldiers, officials said.

A proposal in 2018 became a second chance for the unknown soldiers buried at Punchbowl to be identified. Their remains were dug up in 2019 and taken to a lab for analysis.

Using DNA, dental and anthropological analysis, scientists were able to identify Smiths remains in September, officials said.

His remains will be transferred to Grant to be buried, officials said.

The Korean War started on June 25, 1950, and ended on July 27, 1953. About 36,000 U.S. military service members and 2.5 million people total were killed during the war.

Grant is about a 30-mile drive north from Grand Rapids.

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(Dick Bartlett/Stars and Stripes)

Korea, May 1953: Two American soldiers cross the battered terrain surrounding Outpost Harry, where enemy troops regularly mounted attacks from three sides. One sergeant recalled a battle during which the first Red I met came along the trench yelling Comrade, comrade holding a grenade in one hand and firing a burp gun with the other. In mid-June, 1953, the Americans weathered an eight-day assault by more than 13,000 Chinese troops.

Looking for Stars and Stripes coverage of the Korean War? 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/
Holocaust survivor Janos Cegledy poses in the Officers' Club at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, May 10, 2024. (Jennessa Davey/Stars and Stripes)

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan  Nearly 200 students listened intently as somber notes mixed with dissonant chords  music inspired by the Holocaust and played by one of the few survivors living in East Asia.

Pianist and composer Janos Cegledy, born in Budapest, Hungary, spent about two hours with eighth-graders from Yokosuka Middle School on May 10. He played original songs and told them about his childhood, the consequences of the Holocaust and its implications today.

Now 87 years old, Cegledy spoke quietly and amiably, but his music and message were compelling.

Its always important to know where we came from, and which direction we are going in the future, he told the students gathered at the Yokosuka Officers Club.

Cegledy is one of approximately 245,000 remaining survivors of the Holocaust, according to a January report from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

German Nazis killed approximately 6 million European Jews between 1941 and 1945.

Throughout the Holocaust, Cegledy was confined to the Budapest Ghetto, one of many areas where Nazis segregated Jews from the general population. His parents were sent to Lichtenworth and Mauthausen concentration camps in Austria.

Holocaust survivor Janos Cegledy tells his story to middle-school students in the Officers' Club at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, May 10, 2024. (Jennessa Davey/Stars and Stripes) Holocaust survivor Janos Cegledy, a pianist and composer, performs for students in the Officers' Club at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, May 10, 2024. (Jennessa Davey/Stars and Stripes)

Around 190,000 people were imprisoned in Mauthausen; at least 90,000 were killed, according to the Mauthausen Memorial website. Lichtenworth, a much smaller camp of about 2,000 Jews, is lesser known in history.

Both his mother and father survived to see World War IIs end, and the family ultimately moved to New Zealand. Cegledy went on to teach piano at Toho College of Music in Japan, and later at Musashino Academia Musicae in Tokyo.

The event, organized by Yokosuka Middle School each year, typically involves a live-video discussion with a Holocaust survivor; the students this year heard the speaker in person and his musical performance for the first time, said Andrea Greer, who teaches English and language arts for the school.

Any time you hear primary source testimony, it becomes more real, she told Stars and Stripes prior to the event. Youre hearing a real story, you have a face with it, you can hear emotion in the voice.

Cegledy agreed and said one of his primary motivations to speak with students is to combat Holocaust deniers and fight against propaganda that still affects how some view the tragedy.

Its important to present a live view. Im still very much alive, and I remember what happened to me, he told Stars and Stripes after the event. The Holocaust is not my story. Its the story of my parents and others determination, and they cannot talk, unfortunately.

During a brief question-and-answer segment, Cegledy fielded a question about the Israel-Hamas war.

I have to say that Im not representing Israel, and I dont totally agree with everything Israel does, he told students. I try to look at it objectively. But what has happened between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is so unique in history  it has never happened before.

He explained his take on the situation in depth and said a comparison between that conflict and the Holocaust is completely, ludicrously unfair but expressed concern for refugees and other victims of the war.

Its a very difficult situation, and my heart goes out with them. I sympathize with them, he said. Frankly, I dont know what else can be done except for what is being done at present.

His music and his message were well received by the students. Adriana Cazares, 14, of San Diego, said she was grateful for the firsthand testimony.

The events that he went through in his lifetime, he views things through that lens, but hes still able to see things openly the way that he was explaining the Gaza-Israel conflict wasnt biased, Cazares told Stars and Stripes after the event. He said that he was trying to see it from a different lens, and I think thats really interesting.

For Lyla Short, 13, of Virginia Beach, Va., Cegledys presentation was nothing less than brave.

Im really grateful that we got to see him, she said. He was able to be so steady, and even though he struggled and was traumatized by his experience, he still came out to teach us.
B-52 Stratofortress crews from North Dakota and Louisiana learn more about hypersonic weapons at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Feb. 27, 2024. (Pedro Tenorio/U.S. Air Force)

TOKYO  The United States and Japan have agreed to develop a defensive weapon to counter the threat from hypersonic missiles, both countries announced this week.

The Department of Defense and Japans Ministry of Defense signed an agreement Wednesday to jointly develop interceptors to take down the elusive, ultrafast missiles, according to a news release on the DOD website.

The longtime allies had indicated, after high-level meetings in August, that theyd cooperate on the project.

Both China and Russia have fielded hypersonic weapons that can travel five times the speed of sound and maneuver in flight like a cruise missile, making them difficult to detect and shoot down.

North Korea recently reported the successful ground test of a solid-fuel engine for a new type of intermediate hypersonic missile, a test overseen by the countrys autocratic leader Kim Jong Un.

In March, the U.S. Air Force conducted its first hypersonic missile test in the Western Pacific.

The Missile Defense Agency is leading development of the interceptors, which will defend against missiles during the glide-phase portion of hypersonic flight, according to the release.

By pursuing an agreement on [glide-phase interceptor] development, the U.S. and Japan will strengthen regional deterrence while enhancing long-standing missile defense cooperation between the two countries, the DOD release states.

Japan will lead development of rocket motors and propulsion components of the hypersonic missile interceptors, the announcement said.

Japan wants to swiftly bolster interception capabilities, according to a statement posted Wednesday on the Defense Ministrys website.

Missile-related technologies, such as hypersonic weapons, have improved dramatically around Japan and  have been significantly strengthened both in quality and quantity, the statement said. Strengthening the ability to intercept these weapons is an urgent issue.

Joint development of the interceptors will start before March with the project scheduled for completion in the 2030s, according to Japans statement.

A glide-phase interceptor is an asset that contributes to the improvement of Japans integrated air-defense missile capabilities and also contributes to the improvement of the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance, the statement said.

Developing a check to hypersonic missiles is a technical challenge, including the design of openings for radar and laser sensors, according to Lance Gatling, an American defense analyst in Tokyo.

The interceptors themselves must integrate advanced sensors to make final sensing before impact, he wrote in an email Thursday.

Existing technology may be adapted to save time, Gatling said.

The challenge is adapting everything to work at much higher speeds against a maneuvering target, which is one of the key aspects of offensive hypersonic missiles, unlike ballistic missiles, which follow a more or less predictable, relatively smooth path, he said.

The new interceptors will be integrated with the Aegis missile defense system already in use by the U.S. and Japan and they may have to carry multiple warheads, Gatling added.

The U.S. and Japan collaborating on hypersonic missile defense is a positive step considering potential threats from China, Russia and North Korea, said Ralph Cossa, a retired Air Force officer and former president of the Pacific Forum think tank in Hawaii.

The project could be a bid for Japanese participation in the AUKUS  Australia, United Kingdom and United States  security pact, which includes collaboration across a range of defense capabilities, he said by email Thursday.

Japan wants to get into more hi-tech cooperation and has apparently been knocking on AUKUS door, Cossa wrote. Perhaps this helps open the door a bit.
Cpl. Noah Huff, seen here working aboard the USS Tripoli in 2022, was struck and killed by a train in Iwakuni city, Japan, May 11, 2024. (Christopher Lape/U.S. Marine Corps)

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan  A Marine stationed at this base south of Hiroshima was hit and killed by a freight train over the weekend, according to Marine Corps and police spokesmen.

Cpl. Noah Huff, 22, of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 242s powerline section, died early Saturday in Iwakuni city, Marine Aircraft Group 12 spokesman 1st Lt. Daniel Kim told Stars and Stripes by email Tuesday.

Huff was hit on the JR Sanyo mainline south of Kawashimo while crossing between Iwakuni and Minami-iwakuni stations, an Iwakuni city police spokesman said by phone Tuesday.

The city fire department reported the incident to police at 3:03 a.m., he said. Some government officials in Japan may speak to reporters only on condition of anonymity.

The squadron grieves the loss of an exceptional Marine, Huffs commander, Lt. Col. Alexander Mellman, said by email Wednesday. Corporal Noah Huff served honorably overseas with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 242 as a motivated powerliner  responsible for safe launches, recoveries, and operations of the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter.

Kim said he could provide no further information due to the ongoing police investigation.

Huffs body was returned to the United States on Tuesday, he said.

He leaves behind a loving spouse, devoted parents, siblings, and 349 brothers and sisters in arms, Mellman said.
In a hearing at The Hagues Peace Palace, South Africas legal team argued that Israels offensive poses an extreme risk to humanitarian supplies and basic services, to the Palestinian medical system and to the very survival of Palestinians in Gaza as a group. On Friday, Israel will respond. (International Court of Justice)

South Africa on Thursday urged the International Court of Justice to order Israel to halt its Rafah offensive and protect civilians in Gaza.

In a hearing at The Hagues Peace Palace, South Africas legal team argued that Israels offensive poses an extreme risk to humanitarian supplies and basic services, to the Palestinian medical system and to the very survival of Palestinians in Gaza as a group. On Friday, Israel will respond.

South Africa brought a case against Israel late last year, accusing the country of genocidal acts and asking the court to issue provisional measures to stem the violence. Israel has rejected the charges.

In January, the ICJ ordered Israel to do more to prevent the killing of civilians in Gaza but did not call for a cease-fire. This month, South Africa returned to the court to ask for additional measures, citing developments in Rafah.

Roughly 600,000 people have fled Rafah since May 6, including about 150,000 people in the past 48 hours, according to the U.N.

The citys population had swelled from about 275,000 to well over 1 million during the course of the war and aid groups say conditions for civilians there are increasingly dire.

The court will be asking whether the situation has changed since its last round of orders, said Juliette McIntyre, a law lecturer at the University of South Australia who specializes in international courts and tribunals.

It is possible that the ground offensive in Rafah will also be considered a new development that has not been sufficiently addressed by the earlier orders, even though the earlier orders are reasonably broad, she said.

McIntyre said it was unlikely that the ICJ would dismiss the call for additional measures altogether.

The court remains unable to order Hamas to cease-fire, and will be cognizant of this imbalance, she said. But they might order Israel  to do what they can to achieve a cease-fire. Or they may go further and order a cease-fire directly.

The decision, when it comes, will not be a ruling on whether Israel has, as South Africa alleges, committed genocide. Instead, provisional measures aim to prevent a situation from getting worse while the proceedings play out, potentially over years.

After this weeks hearings, the court will likely take some time to deliberate before making a decision  though the exact timeline remains unclear.

The ICJ was established after World War II to settle disputes between countries and is the main judicial body of the United Nations.

Though its decisions are legally binding, they are hard to enforce.
Photo: Lexus

Toyota just redesigned its best-selling Camry, but even the newest Camry doesnt provide the level of luxury and refinement that its platform mate the Lexus ES 350 offers. If youre looking at leasing a new Camry, Lexus is currently offering its tarted up Camry for a better price than a Camry XLE. This particular pricing situation is uncommon, but since the Toyota Camry was redesigned for the 2025 model year, Toyota isnt offering great discounts on its brand new car just yet. Lower 2025 Camry trims are still more affordable than a Lexus ES 350, but a top-trim 2025 Toyota Camry XLE lease is currently more expensive than a 2024 Lexus ES 350 FWD.



The 2025 Camry XLE does offer features that the 2024 Lexus ES 350 doesnt, including a hybrid powertrain and AWD, but if your priorities lie in comfort, serenity, and style, then the Lexus ES is a better choice. The Lexus ES 350 also comes standard with Toyotas legendary 3.5-liter V6 whereas the new Camry XLE comes standard with a hybrid powertrain that combines a 2.5-liter four cylinder with three electric motors so its significantly more efficient than the Lexus ES 350, but the ES wins the power output race with 302 hp versus the Camrys 232 hp. Cars Direct reports,

However, upgrading to the 2025 Camry XLE will set you back $469 a month over 36 months with $2,999 due at signing. The effective monthly cost is $552, which is very steep for this segment; so much so you can lease a luxurious Lexus ES for less. Right now, you can lease a 2024 Lexus ES 350 FWD for $399 per month over 36 months with $4,999 due at signing. The ES effective monthly cost works out to $538, which is a much better value given its $47,140 MSRP. Keep in mind this is a non-hybrid ES trim; the ES 300h is $100 more expensive. Still, The ES 350 offers substantial power and comfort upgrades over the Camry for a more affordable lease price.

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The 2025 Camrys newness outweighs the Lexus ES 350s refinement in lease pricing structure it seems, which is a good thing for consumers looking to lease a big, comfy, reliable new car. The Lexus ES 350 lease deal also includes $1,000 in subvention cash from Lexus Financial Services which further contributes to its affordability. The Toyota Camrys pricing is advertised in Los Angeles, while the Lexus ES 350 offers apply to the Western United States, and all offers expire on June 3. If youre considering leasing a fancy Camry, you might as well enjoy elevated luxury, comfort, and refinement in the fanciest Camry available, a Lexus ES 350.

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Emergency workers go through a damaged residential building in Kharkivs city center on Tuesday. (Ed Ram for The Washington Post)

KYIV  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday scrapped a planned trip to Spain in order to stay in his capital and address Russias expanding front-line assault, his spokesman said, a measure of the rapidly increasing anxieties over the Kremlins military advances in recent days.

The decision came as Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced another $2 billion in U.S. military aid as he wrapped a two-day visit to Ukraine that was intended to demonstrate Washingtons continued support for the war-hit country.

Blinkens trip was planned before Russias weekend advances on Ukraines second-largest city, Kharkiv. But it also served to highlight the lingering consequences of Washingtons seven-month delay in approving more military aid for Ukraine. Stocks of artillery shells and other long-range munitions have run perilously low, leaving Ukrainian troops on the back foot.

Every delay of supply results in setbacks on the front line. This is the general rule, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters Wednesday, speaking alongside Blinken after the two met each other. When a Ukrainian infantryman or artilleryman has everything that he or she needs, we are winning, he said. Every time there are delays in supplies and insufficient supplies, we are not winning. The law of war is cruel but very clear.

The aid announced by Blinken  in the form of new weapons systems and support for Ukraines defense industry  comes partially from a $61 billion package that Congress approved last month, while $400 million of it comes from a separate pool of money earmarked for general foreign defense aid now being directed to Ukraine.

But even as he announced the new assistance, Blinken said that the Biden administration remained opposed to allowing Ukraine to strike targets inside Russian territory with U.S. weaponry  something Ukrainian policymakers have been pushing for with increasing urgency. Russia in recent days has mounted an assault on towns near Kharkiv, which is 25 miles from the border and being hit by weaponry launched from Russian territory.

We have not encouraged or enabled strikes outside of Ukraine, Blinken told reporters Wednesday at the end of his visit to Ukraine, his first since September. But ultimately, Ukraine has to make decisions for itself about how its going to conduct this war, a war it is conducting in defense of its freedom, of its sovereignty, of its territorial integrity, he said.

Standing alongside Kuleba, Blinken added, And we will continue to back Ukraine with the equipment it needs to succeed.

Zelenskyy had been scheduled to visit Spain later this week to sign a bilateral security agreement with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Portuguese media reported that he had also been expected in their country.

Zelenskyy has instructed that all international events involving him scheduled for the coming days be postponed and new dates coordinated, his spokesman, Serhiy Nykyforov, wrote on Facebook. We are grateful to our partners for their understanding.

Ukraine has used weaponry supplied by other countries, including Britain, to hit targets on Russian soil, but Blinken indicated no policy change on the part of the United States. The White House has forbidden American equipment from being used to hit Russian territory for fear of inciting a direct military conflict with Moscow, which holds the worlds largest arsenal of nuclear weapons.

That has proved frustrating for Ukraine, especially in recent weeks, as it witnessed a military buildup on Russian territory close to Kharkiv but was severely limited in its ability to strike it.

Analysts and U.S. officials say Russian forces do not appear poised to capture Kharkiv city, but that they are probably trying to cause enough of a challenge there to draw Ukrainian military assets away from other front-line positions.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based independent research group, said Russias attack on the northeast Kharkiv region appeared to have slowed, indicating that it was probably an effort to create a buffer zone on the border, not an effort to capture the city. The group said Russia continued to make small but steady gains farther south.

The Kremlin on Wednesday appeared to be battling for control of Robotyne, a previously Russian-occupied village in the Zaporizhzhia region. The village has symbolic importance as it was one of the few places liberated by Ukrainian forces during a largely unsuccessful counteroffensive last summer. Local Ukrainian authorities disputed a Russian claim that Moscow had once again seized the village, but they acknowledged that a fierce assault was underway.

Blinken said the $2 billion for Ukraine would come in the form of a first-of-its-kind defense enterprise fund that would channel assistance to the country in the coming months.

The top U.S. diplomat ended his visit to Ukraine on Wednesday with a visit to companies that are manufacturing drones and prostheses, two examples of what U.S. officials said were examples of Ukrainian economic ingenuity that can help rebuild the countrys economy. Walking alongside Kuleba through central Kyiv, Blinken also laid wreaths along a memorial wall dedicated to

Ukrainian soldiers who had been killed in the fighting with Russia.

Despite the promises of U.S. support, Ukraines immediate needs are growing larger and more noticeable. Electricity on Tuesday and Wednesday nights was cut to large parts of Kyiv because of shortages stemming from Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, a foreboding sign for the coming months.

Kuleba, speaking to reporters after the walk with Blinken, said he had pushed the U.S. secretary of state on Ukraines urgent defense needs. Zelenskyy on Tuesday asked Blinken for two Patriot antiaircraft batteries immediately to help defend Kharkiv.

We looked at the entire inventory that can be accessible, that can be brought to Ukraine, Kuleba said. The two Patriot batteries for Kharkiv were necessary yesterday, he said.

I am glad that we are approaching to the achievement of this goal, but we should speed up this effort, he said. Anastacia Galouchka contributed to this report.
A smoke plume rises over the southern Lebanon village of Kfar Kila during Israeli bombardment on May 16, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (Rabih Daher, AFP via Getty Images/TNS)

(Tribune News Service)  Hezbollah said it launched more than 60 rockets at Israeli military sites on Thursday in response to an attack that killed one of its senior commanders.

The Iran-backed militant group targeted air-defense and artillery facilities in the Israeli-occupied area of the Golan Heights, Hezbollahs Al-Manar TV reported.

Israels military said it detected about 40 missiles launched from Lebanon and intercepted several of them. There were no injuries reported, it said, adding that its fighter jets struck one of the military posts from which the rockets came.

Its the second straight day that Hezbollah has retaliated against the Israel Defense Forces for the killing a field commander called Hussain Ibrahim Mekky on Tuesday night. Hezbollah described it as an assassination and fired heavy Burkan missiles at Israeli military facilities on Wednesday.

Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire almost every day since the Israel-Hamas war broke out in October.

The latest clashes mark some of the most forceful strikes by Hezbollah and are likely to fuel concerns that the skirmishes could escalate into a full-blown conflict and open up a new war front for Israel.

The U.S., France and others powers are trying to broker a diplomatic deal that would see Hezbollah fighters retreat from the Lebanese border area near Israel. Israeli officials say thats necessary to ensure around 100,000 people evacuated from northern towns can return home.

The Hezbollah-Israel exchanges have mostly been kept within what each side defines as the implicit rules of engagement  civilians arent directly targeted and the areas of attack are close to the Israel-Lebanon border. But exceptions to those rules are becoming more frequent.

Hezbollah, designated a terrorist group by the U.S., is the most powerful militia in the Middle East and thought by Israeli intelligence to have more than 100,000 rockets and missiles, a much bigger arsenal than what Hamas had before October.

Israel has been targeted by thousands of Hezbollah missiles, drones and artillery shells since Oct. 7  the date Hamas militants invaded the country. The attacks from Lebanon have killed around 25 Israelis, including soldiers. Roughly 350 people have been killed by Israeli strikes on Lebanon, most of them Hezbollah fighters.

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Military police check identifications at an entry gate of Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington. (Gary Warner/Stars and Stripes)

A former Army intelligence sergeant at Joint Base Lewis-McChord charged with trying to sell secrets to the Chinese has been judged unfit to stand trial, according to federal court documents.

Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 30, was ordered transferred to an unspecified federal psychiatric hospital facility following a May 4 decision by Federal District Judge John C. Coughenour of the U.S. District Court of Western Washington.

The defendant is presently suffering from a mental disease or defect rendering him mentally incompetent to the extent that he is unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him or to assist properly in his defense, Coughenour wrote in his order.

The mental competency and restoration order was included in Schmidts trial docket. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg and Assistant Federal Public Defender Dennis Carroll jointly submitted the report. Neither could be reached for additional comment on Wednesday.

Coughenours order included an unspecified delay in Schmidts trial, which was scheduled to begin in early 2025.

Schmidt was a team leader in the human intelligence section of the 109th Military Intelligence Battalion at Lewis-McChord in Washington state.

A federal grand jury in Seattle indicted Schmidt on Oct. 4, 2023, on two felony counts of attempting to deliver national defense information and retaining national defense information.

Each carried a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The FBI arrested Schmidt on Oct. 6, 2023, when he arrived in San Francisco on a flight from Hong Kong. Schmidt was transferred by court order to a federal prison near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

An FBI report in support of the indictment alleged after leaving the Army in 2020, Schmidt spent much of the next three years attempting to convince Chinese agents in Istanbul, Hong Kong, and Beijing that he could turn over significant materials on American forces and strategy in the region.

Schmidt also sought employment or affiliation with the Chinese as a self-described expert on espionage and interrogation. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In the May 4 order, Coughenour stated Schmidt be turned over to the U.S. Attorney General, who shall hospitalize the defendant for treatment in a suitable facility to determine whether there is a substantial probability that in the foreseeable future, the defendant will attain the capacity to permit the proceedings to go forward and, if appropriate, to undergo competency restoration treatment, which may include, as necessary, individual therapy.

Under the court order, Schmidt can be held at the psychiatric facility for no more than four months. Government-appointed psychiatric experts will then test the defendants mental capacity to stand trial and submit a report to the judge. The report will also be shown to Schmidt, as well as prosecution and defense attorneys.

Coughenour could then order Schmidt to stand trial or extend his psychiatric stay.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is proposing a 3% cut to its information technology budget for fiscal 2025, with the biggest reductions slated for development and IT infrastructure. (Stars and Stripes)

WASHINGTON  A proposed $8 billion information technology budget at the Department of Veterans Affairs that is 3% lower than the current spending plan prompted questions from House lawmakers about why IT infrastructure and development are targeted for deep cuts in fiscal 2025, while salaries will rise.

I have no doubt there is waste in the VA budget and unproductive bureaucracy that should be cut, Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., said Tuesday at a hearing of the House Veterans Affairs Committees subpanel on technology modernization oversight. But the administration seems to be proposing cuts in a lopsided and damaging way.

Rosendale, who is chairman of the subpanel, told VA leaders at a hearing about the information technology budget that the agency appears to be draining funds from critical areas and might have to return to Congress with a supplemental spending request.

We are seeing the starving of your department, he said.

Rosendale said the fiscal 2025 spending plan for information technology includes a 66% cut in funds for infrastructure readiness and an 81% cut in funds for technology modernization.

Salaries for full-time workers and administrators, however, will increase by 5%.

Congress has always met a budget request, but it should not provide more than what the VA has asked for. How do you plan to implement this budget? Rosendale asked.

Kurt DelBene, the VAs chief information officer, said the agencys goal is for a seamless, secure digital experience for veterans, staff and other users of online VA services.

He said the agency is trying to balance resources with key initiatives and a consistent strategy across the IT department, which employs more than 8,300 full-time workers.

The employees at the Office of Information Technology deserve that increase, he said.

DelBene said the proposed $8 billion budget is $49 million less than the fiscal 2024 budget. The fiscal 2025 budget year starts Oct. 1.

He said the focus in 2025 will be on hiring more skilled workers, enhancing cybersecurity and implementing artificial intelligence that enables greater automation of services.

The VA now receives a special salary rate for IT workers, including software developers and artificial intelligence specialists, that is intended to close pay gaps compared to what tech workers can receive in the private industry.

But Rosendale pushed DelBene on whether there will be reductions in contracts with private vendors for information technology as the VA pulls back in development and infrastructure spending.

We use contractors quite a bit. It is a necessity of the work the VA does. I believe in transparency and am confident there are reductions in spending, DelBene said.

But he said tradeoffs are necessary under a more austere budget, and the VA is strategically scrutinizing where it will emphasize new spending in the coming fiscal year.

It will require us to be focused on where we invest. We are bolstering cybersecurity. We are allocating the development and modernization funds against high-priority projects. We will not hamper veteran care, DelBene said. I am confident we are assigning dollars to the most pressing needs.

He said spending for cybersecurity will increase by $118 million to $671 million, while other technology services will be maintained.

But Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., said the VA already has one of the lowest budgets for cybersecurity among federal agencies.

I am concerned the VA is cannibalizing IT service lines to pay the bills for the rapidly increasing costs of community care for veterans, she said.

Cherfilus-McCormick was referring to the ability by veterans to access health services from private doctors in their communities when the VA care is not readily available close to home. The cost of community care often is higher than care that the VA provides.

Cherfilius-McCormick also said it can take VA staff 10 minutes just to log on to the sluggish computer system. The VA plans to delay replacing some aging computers under the 2025 budget.

Describing the spending plan as a keep the lights on budget, she said it is essential for the VA to ensure IT cutbacks are not impacting services or the delivery of care to veterans.

She urged DelBene and other VA officials to look at how delays in development and modernization of the VAs IT infrastructure impacts the front line.
Former Army Sgt. Daniel Perry, left, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. (Left: Austin Police Department. Right: Texas Military Department.)

AUSTIN, Texas  Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday granted a full pardon to former Army Sgt. Daniel Perry, who was convicted last year of fatally shooting an Air Force veteran during a racial injustice protest in 2020.

Abbotts decision came soon after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles issued its unanimous recommendation to issue a pardon.

Perry, 37, was convicted of murder on April 7, 2023, in an Austin courtroom for shooting and killing Garrett Foster on July 25, 2020. Foster, a 28-year-old Air Force veteran, was carrying an assault rifle in downtown Austin during a Black Lives Matter protest, when Perry, who was working a side job as a rideshare driver, turned his car into a group of protesters. Perry, who was also armed, said he shot Foster because Foster pointed his rifle at Perrys car.

Perry has been held in state prison on a 25-year sentence since his conviction. He was released Thursday afternoon following Abbotts decision, according to his attorney Doug OConnell.

I spoke with Daniel this afternoon. He is thrilled and elated to be free, OConnell said. Daniel is also optimistic for his future. He wishes that this tragic event never happened and wishes he never had to defend himself against Mr. Fosters unlawful actions. At the same time, Daniel recognizes that the Foster family is grieving.

Whitney Mitchell, Fosters partner who was with him at the protest, said Abbotts decision makes everyone less safe.

Daniel Perry texted his friends about plans to murder a protester he disagreed with. After a lengthy trial, with an abundance of evidence, 12 impartial Texans determined that he carried out that plan and murdered my Garrett, Mitchell said. With this pardon, the governor has desecrated the life of a murdered Texan and U.S. Air Force veteran and impugned that jurys just verdict. He has declared that Texans who hold political views that are different from his  and different from those in power  can be killed in this state with impunity.

Abbott called for the board to review Perrys conviction less than 24 hours after the jury reached its decision. The governor said Thursday that the board conducted an exhaustive review of Perrys personal history and the facts surrounding the incident.

Texas has one of the strongest Stand Your Ground laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive district attorney. I thank the board for its thorough investigation, and I approve their pardon recommendation, Abbott said in a statement.

Jose Garza, the district attorney of Travis County where Perry was tried, said Thursday that the governors decision sends a message to Fosters family that his life does not matter and to the jurors who served on the trial that their service does not matter.

The board and the governor have put their politics over justice and made a mockery of our legal system. They should be ashamed of themselves, Garza said in a statement. Their actions are contrary to the law and demonstrate that there are two classes of people in this state where some lives matter and some lives do not.

Perry was discharged from the Army on March 19, according to service officials. OConnell said Perry received an other-than-honorable discharge, and he intends to ask the service to upgrade it to an honorable discharge.

At the time of the shooting, Perry was assigned to Fort Cavazos, about 70 miles north of Austin. Afterward, he was moved to 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 11th Airborne Division in Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
The record heat comes after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Wednesday signed a bill scrubbing most references to climate change from state law. Critics say the measure, which will take effect July 1, ignores the threats Florida faces from extreme heat as well as powerful hurricanes and worsening toxic algae blooms. (Office of Governor Ron DeSantis/Wikimedia Commons)

Scorching temperatures set numerous records across South Florida on Wednesday, and historically hot conditions for mid-May will persist through the weekend.

On Wednesday, Key West experienced a particularly brutal combination of heat and humidity, registering a heat index of 115 - matching the highest mark on record for any time of year.

The record heat comes after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Wednesday signed a bill scrubbing most references to climate change from state law. Critics say the measure, which will take effect July 1, ignores the threats Florida faces from extreme heat as well as powerful hurricanes and worsening toxic algae blooms.

Although South Florida is accustomed to warm, humid weather much of the year, this brutal combination of heat and humidity has little precedent in May.

Air temperatures reached the mid- to upper 90s Wednesday, while heat indexes, a measure of how hot it feels factoring in humidity, topped 105 degrees in many areas.

The air temperature in Miami reached 96, while Hollywood hit 100, both records.

The National Weather Services HeatRisk index continues to call for major to extreme heat-related impacts in South Florida on Thursday into the weekend, when heat indexes are again predicted to surpass 105 near the coast, where abnormally warm waters make it particularly muggy.

Human-caused climate change is helping to intensify this heat. Climate Centrals Climate Shift Index indicates that it is making the ongoing extreme heat three to four times more likely. Extreme heat indexes

Temperature records wasted away again in Margaritaville on Wednesday. If verified (and theres no reason it wont be), the 115 heat index observed in Key West will tie the highest mark ever recorded there, according to Miami-based meteorologist Brian McNoldy.

The average heat index at this time of year in Key West is in the low to mid-90s. Ordinarily, the highest heat indexes occur between July and mid-September.

In coastal South Florida, heat indexes of at least 105 spanned from Venice southward on the west coast and from Palm Beach to Miami and the Keys on the east coast. Inland heat indexes generally ranged from 100 to 105.

Nights arent offering much relief. On Thursday morning, heat indexes only dipped to around 90 in Miami and the low 90s in Key West, and little change is predicted over the next several days. Records Among locations that have a long history of climate observations, heres a rundown of where record highs occurred in South Florida on Wednesday:

West Palm Beach - 98 degrees, topping 94 in 1995.

Fort Lauderdale - 96 degrees, topping 95 in 1938.

Miami - 96 degrees, topping 96 in 1995.

Key West - 92 degrees, topping 90 in 1991.

Even more locations set record-warm lows, and they expanded into northern Florida. Among them: 83 in Key West; 81 in Miami and

West Palm Beach; 77 in Tampa; and 74 in Jacksonville and Orlando.

Key West posted its third calendar day record-warm low in a row on Wednesday, including two days of 83 degrees, which matched the highest recorded in May. This southernmost city in the Lower 48 may end up with a week straight of record-warm morning lows, all in the 80s, before the heat eases.

Fort Lauderdales record high on Wednesday was its fourth of the past week, including the record for any day in May when it hit 98 on Saturday, topping 97 during May 1971. The city has also notched 11 record warm lows in a row as of Wednesday, and Tuesdays low of 85 tied the warmest on record in any month.

Fort Myers also set a record for its warmest May morning, with a low of 82 on Wednesday, surpassing the old mark of 79. Between Thursday and the weekend, forecasts call for record highs and record-warm lows in many of the same places as Wednesday. West Palm Beach, Miami and Key West are all likely to set many more heat records in the days to come.

Maxine Joselow and Jason Samenow contributed to this report.
Spc. Collin Hall and Spc. Areg Safari prepare for a simulated attack during training at Pohakuloa Training Area, Hawaii, Nov. 9, 2023. The Defense Department announced plans to prevent private development around military installations in New Mexico, Utah, Hawaii, Pennsylvania and California, in a move to protect the environment and prevent interference with military operations. (Angelo Mejia/U.S. Army)

The Defense Department is moving ahead with plans to prevent private development around military installations in a handful of states, with the dual aim of protecting the environment and preventing interference with military operations.

More than 12 million acres around bases in California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Utah are the latest to be named sentinel landscapes, a federal designation that allows government agencies and nonprofit groups to pay landowners to keep farms, forests and wildlife habitats in their current states.

The areas announced Wednesday in a DOD statement add to the more than 670,000 acres being permanently protected by the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership. The owners of a further 4.4 million acres of property are paid by the program to manage it sustainably.

The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership comprises the departments of defense, agriculture and interior.

The arrangement provides DOD with the unique opportunity to expand and diversify our partnerships ... to enhance the resilience of military installations and the local communities that support them, Pentagon official Brendan Owens said in the statement.

Ladona Clayton, executive director of the Ogallala Land and Water Conservancy, thanks Cannon Air Force Base leadership and community partners on May 15, 2024, for their help in addressing water security in eastern New Mexico. The Defense Department announced plans to prevent private development around military installations in New Mexico, Utah, Hawaii, Pennsylvania and California. (Nicholas Swift/U.S. Air Force) Airmen assigned to the 27th Special Operations Wing control a drone at Melrose Air Force Range, N.M., in June 2023. The Defense Department announced plans to prevent private development on millions of acres around military installations in New Mexico, Utah, Hawaii, Pennsylvania and California. (Alexcia Givens/U.S. Air Force)

The new Mojave Desert sentinel landscape in California is the largest of the latest group, spanning nearly 3.5 million acres near the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, National Training Center Fort Irwin, Edwards Air Force Base, Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow.

In addition to supporting military missions, much of the land will be reclaimed as priority wildlife habitat, DOD said.

In Hawaii, more than 2 million acres threatened by rapid urban development on Kauai, Oahu and the Big Island will be conserved.

The new eastern New Mexico sentinel landscape includes more than 2.4 million acres near Cannon Air Force Base and the Melrose Air Force Range, which supports training and testing for the 27th Special Operations Wing, 26th Special Tactics Squadron and 43rd Intelligence Squadron.

Agency partners aim to safeguard water supplies and bolster resilience to climate change, the Pentagon said.

This is generational support, Jeffery Davis, a program manager for the 27th Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron, said in a separate statement Wednesday.

In Pennsylvania, the 1.9-million-acre Kittatinny Ridge sentinel landscape in the Appalachian Mountain region encompasses land surrounding Fort Indiantown Gap, one of three specialized Army National Guard aviation facilities and the Armys second-busiest heliport.

Not only does this designation help strengthen our national defense, but it will also ensure we can continue to preserve our natural resources, encourage outdoor recreation and support Pennsylvania farmers, Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a statement Wednesday.

The fifth newly announced sentinel landscape spans more than 2.7 million acres in northern Utah near Hill Air Force Base, Camp Williams, Tooele Army Depot and Air Force Little Mountain Test Facility. Focus here will be on protecting water resources and the Great Salt Lake ecosystem.

Over $1 billion in federal, state, local and private funds was spent on sentinel landscapes between 2013, when the program was launched, and 2022, according to the most recent figures published. DOD provided about a quarter of the funds.
Photo: flightlog / Wikimedia Commons

A Beechcraft V35 crashed near Franklin, Tennessee on Wednesday, killing all three people onboard. This wasnt the typical single-engine plane crash, as Initial findings indicate the aircraft broke apart in the sky, ABC News reports. A 911 caller reported hearing an explosion that is believed to be the crash, according to the Williamson County Sheriffs Office. Federal investigators are now combing through the debris field, looking for answers.

The V35 left Louisiana Regional Airport just southwest of Baton Rouge on Wednesday morning and was headed for Louisville, Kentucky. When the crash happened, the aircraft was in contact with air traffic control and started descending to 9,000 feet. The plane was registered to a Baton Rouge-based plastic surgeon, Dr. Lucius Doucet. He was killed in the crash. Doucets practice, Williamson Cosmetic Center, released a statement reading:

The sudden and untimely loss of Dr. Doucet has left a deep void in our hearts and in our practice. We understand that many of you had strong bonds with him over the years, relying on his expertise, guidance and unwavering support.

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The identities of the two other victims have yet to be confirmed. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash. Local authorities arent sure where the incident started or ended. The crash area spans roughly a half-mile, with debris coming over in peoples yards and driveways, but residents didnt report any structural damage.

General aviation is statistically more dangerous than commercial flying. Its been 15 years since the last fatal airline crash in the United States. According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, 157 fatal accidents involving non-commercial fixed-wing aircraft occurred in 2023. The crash in Tennessee was even the only fatal plane crash on Wednesday. An 18-year-old was killed when he crashed a Cessna 150L into a North Texas field after appearing to run out of fuel.

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The Supreme Court. (Kent Nishimura for The Washington Post)

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a broad challenge to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, reversing a lower-court ruling that would have undermined the watchdog agency Congress created in the wake of the financial crisis to protect borrowers from predatory lenders, junk fees and other abuses.

In a 7-2 decision written by Justice Clarence Thomas, the court said the CFPBs funding mechanism is constitutional. The agency draws its budget through profits of the Federal Reserve, not an annual appropriation by Congress.

The CFPB ruling is the first of a series of closely watched decisions the justices will issue this term that could broadly reshape the power and reach of federal agencies. Thursdays decision was praised by consumer advocates and President Joe Biden, who called it an unmistakable win for American consumers.

An adverse ruling could have raised broader questions about how Congress funds the Federal Reserve  and even Social Security and payments to the national debt. It might have also opened challenges to more than a decade of enforcement actions and more than $20 billion recovered by the CFPB on behalf of consumers.

Some legal experts said the victory likely ensures the long-term survival of the powerful and controversial CFPB  which has long been a target of conservatives and some corporate interests  if not an end to attacks on the way it regulates industry. The challenge in this case came from trade associations for payday lenders.

This is likely the last of the existential threats to the CFPB, said John Coleman, an attorney who specializes in regulation of the financial industry and was formerly the deputy general counsel for the CFPB. Those who disagree with CFPBs exercise of its authority will now have to resort to typical means to check that exercise, including the courts, Congress and the ballot box.

Legal experts expressed little surprise at the ruling, after a number of justices seemed skeptical during October oral arguments about the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuits rationale for why the funding mechanism didnt pass legal muster. The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit had previously affirmed CFPBs funding structure, and U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar said the 5th Circuit was the first federal appeals court in the nations history to question Congresss prerogative to decide how to fund agencies.

That Justice Thomas authored the opinion suggests how weak the industrys argument was, said Joann Needleman, an attorney who specializes in financial services regulation and is a former member of a CFPB board. Needleman noted that Thomas has long been skeptical of federal regulation.

Under the Constitution, the justice wrote, an appropriation is simply a law that authorizes expenditures from a specified source of public money for designated purposes.

The statute that provides the Bureaus funding meets these requirements, Thomas added.

Two other conservative justices, Neil M. Gorsuch and Samuel A. Alito Jr., dissented, saying the ruling would allow the agency to bankroll its own agenda without oversight from Congress. There is apparently nothing wrong with a law that empowers the Executive to draw as much money as it wants from any identified source for any permissible purpose until the end of time, Alito wrote.

The case involved a 5th Circuit decision that said the funding source Congress adopted to ensure the CFPBs independence violated the Constitutions command requiring congressional appropriation of money. The decision, by a panel of three judges nominated by President Donald Trump, said the agencys insulation from congressional committees doubled the violation.

The Court of Appeals found [e]ven among self-funded agencies, the Bureau is unique, adding its creation was an innovation with no foothold in history or tradition.

The Biden administration rejected that view, telling the justices that the Constitution bestowed the power of the purse to Congress but set few limits on how appropriations could be made. It also said the Postal Service, Mint and other federal agencies had historically had similar funding mechanisms.

The CFPB was created by Congress in response to the 2008 financial crisis, putting scattered federal consumer protections under one structure. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who at the time advised the Obama administration and played a lead role in the legislation, appeared on the steps of the Supreme Court on Thursday to praise the ruling.

The CFPB is here to stay, Warren said. When you have an agency that is this good at doing its job to protect consumers, then a lot of banks, a lot of payday lenders, a lot of Republicans come after it and try to shut it down.

Chris Vergonis, one of the lawyers representing the challengers to CFPBs funding, called the courts decision disappointing.

We continue to believe that the challenged CFPB rule is legally flawed, threatens access to credit, and harms the millions of American consumers who rely on small-dollar loans to manage budget shortfalls and unexpected expenses, he said.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act moved to insulate the CFPB from political influence by making the agency independent from Congresss annual appropriation process.

The agency instead is funded from the profits of the Federal Reserve, which itself is funded through bank assessments. The bureaus budget may not exceed 12% of the Feds annual operating expenses or $734 million in 2022. So far, the agency has not asked for all of its authorized budget in any given year.

Thursdays ruling exposed an unusual split between the courts most conservative members on how to read the appropriations clause of the Constitution. Thomas said that based on historical practice Congress need only identify a source of public funds and authorize the expenditure of those funds. Alito, joined by Gorsuch, disagreed.

In a separate concurrence, Justice Elena Kagan said it is not just founding-era history that supports the CFPBs funding structure, but continuing tradition and practice.

Throughout our history, Congress has created a variety of mechanisms to pay for government operations, she wrote, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. Whether or not the CFPBs mechanism has an exact replica, its essentials are nothing new.

The case, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Community Financial Services Association of America, began as a challenge to the Payday Lending Rule, the CFPB regulations for payday loans, car title loans and other loans with high interest rates. The association challenged the rule on statutory and constitutional grounds. But the appeals court seized on a separate argument over the CFPBs funding structure to invalidate the rule.

The most consequential remaining cases before the court on federal power are a pair of lawsuits challenging Chevron U.S.A v. Natural Resources Defense Council, a landmark ruling that requires courts to defer to a federal agencys interpretations of ambiguous laws as long as those readings are reasonable. The legal precedent established by Chevron has formed the basis for countless federal regulations. Lower courts still rely on the ruling, but the Supreme Court has moved away from its holdings in recent years.

The court will also rule on the legality of in-house tribunals at the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In a previous ruling on the CFPB in 2020, the Supreme Court made it easier for the president to remove the agencys head.
Ankara-based TED University has announced generous scholarships for Pakistani students enrolling in various undergraduate and graduate programs for the Fall 2024 semester.

During the recent Devcom-Pakistan webinar, officials from TED Universitys international programs revealed the exciting opportunity for Pakistani students to pursue higher education in Turkey.

The scholarships, ranging from 25% to 100%, will be awarded based on academic achievements and other qualifications, eliminating the need for GRE or English language proficiency tests.

Can Oney, representing the International Programs Office, highlighted TED Universitys distinguished reputation in Ankara, boasting a dedicated faculty committed to student success. The university offers an array of facilities for education, healthcare, and recreation, all provided at no cost to students.

The undergraduate programs offered span across five faculties, including architecture, psychology, mathematics, and various engineering disciplines. Meanwhile, graduate programs cover diverse fields such as data science, economics, and engineering management.

With an approximate student body of 5,000, TED University maintains a favorable faculty-to-student ratio of 24:1, ensuring personalized attention and guidance. Students are encouraged to engage in collaborative projects and research initiatives with faculty members, enriching their academic experience.

Haares Munir, Head of the International Student Community, expressed a profound sense of belonging and commended the universitys supportive environment. Emphasizing the availability of health, sports, and recreational facilities, Munir highlighted leadership development opportunities for students.

Fluency in Turkish, or at least basic proficiency, is encouraged among Pakistani students to facilitate communication with locals and navigate daily challenges effectively.

The announcement was met with enthusiasm by Devcom-Pakistan Executive Director Munir Ahmed, who emphasized the deep-rooted historical ties between Turkey and Pakistan. Ahmed underscored the importance of enhanced collaboration across various domains, including education.

The exchange program between students from both nations aims to foster mutual understanding and strengthen bilateral relations, fostering a sense of brotherhood and warmth extended to Pakistani students in Turkey.

Levent Ocal, Head of International Programs Office at TED University, expressed gratitude to Pakistani families for entrusting their childrens education to Turkey, highlighting the warm welcome and hospitality extended to Pakistani students.

The scholarships offered by TED University present an unparalleled opportunity for Pakistani students to pursue their academic aspirations in Turkey, marking a significant milestone in educational cooperation between the two nations.
CAB asked the court to have a receiver appointed to all three properties

Gardai raided David Waldrons Darview house at Laraheen in Hollyfort, north Wexford, which boasts a bar and a gym

DRUG dealer David Waldrons massive Wexford mansion and a three-bed house in Leixlip have been making 6,450 a month in rent while being targeted by the Criminal Assets Bureau.

Cash from the properties is being paid into a Spanish bank account, it emerged in the High Court on Wednesday where the Bureau applied to have a receiver appointed.

It was also heard that Waldron is estranged from his partner Charlene and is living in Spain while she lives in another CAB target property at Ratoath Road in Dublin.

Counsel for CAB named Egidijus Bubnys as the tenant in Darview for which he pays 3,750 a month and also rents the three-bed at River Forest for 2,700.

It was added that Mr Bubnys collects income from 13 people who are currently living in the three-bed Leixlip house.

CAB asked the court to have a receiver appointed to all three properties and that no new tenants be allowed to move into any of the houses.

Judge Alex Owens said the rent must now be paid by Mr Bubnys to the receiver who was also given power of sale over the Leixlip but not yet granted possession of it.

He added the occupants of all three properties must be put on notice.

Gardai raided David Waldrons Darview house at Laraheen in Hollyfort, north Wexford, which boasts a bar and a gym

Last month Waldron lost his four-year legal battle with the CAB over his 1.6 million country mansion.

Judge Owens in his judgement said he accepted evidence that Waldron was a a major player in the distribution and sale of drugs in Dublin.

The Sunday World previously reported how the case against Waldron and his wife Charlene, who has no involvement in crime, had been delayed by a wrangle over free legal to pay for a forensic accountants report.

They had claimed to be too broke to hire a legal team, but held a lavish christening party costing thousands of euro.

As a result CAB appealed the decision to grant free legal aid in the battle over 3.3 million of unexplained wealth, saying the couple misled the court.

The Darview property in Co Wexford

At one hearing it emerged it was heard how the Court of Appeal sent the Waldron case back after new evidence of the couple's income and spending was found.

It was previously heard how he had purchased a property on Ratoath Road, in September 2001 and then invested in a second property in River Forest, Leixlip, Co Kildare, before building Darview in Co Wexford for 1.6 million.

David Waldron

The Darview build involved six different cash transfers using four different people.

The 3,000 sq ft mansion in Wexford has its own bar, with a pool table as well as a gym, and views looking out over valleys in the Wexford countryside.

During a previous hearing, it emerged that CAB officers followed the financial trail back decades to show Waldron never had enough cash to pay for his properties.

CAB also revealed how five of Waldrons closest criminal associates were gunned down in the space of a decade.

They were Michael Micka Kelly, Eamon the Don Dunne, David Daithi Douglas, Richard Keogh and Darren Kearns.
Gardai agreed with Dominic McGinn SC, defending, that O'Keeffe was not a criminal mastermind and was very low down in the operation

A Dublin man described as not a criminal mastermind has been jailed for four and a half years, after gardai found cocaine worth over half a million euro in a van outside his girlfriend's house.

Lewis O'Keeffe (22) of Kylemore Drive in Ballyfermot, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of possessing controlled drugs and almost 30,000 in cash on July 5 last year.

He was sentenced to four and a half years in prison at a sitting of Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today.

A prosecuting garda told Breffni Gordon BL, for the State, that confidential information was received about to-ings and fro-ings from a house on O'Moore Road in Ballyfermot.

Gardai executed a warrant on the day in question and met O'Keeffe and his partner, who lived at the address on O'Moore Road.

Gardai found cocaine worth 2,500 inside the house along with the sum in cash of 29,265.

A further quantity of over 7.5 kg of cocaine was discovered in a cardboard box in the rear of Peugeot van outside the house.

In total, the cocaine seized was given a street value of over 527,000.

O'Keeffe told gardai he didn't own the drugs but was aware of them.

His own car was also outside the house and he had taken his tax and insurance discs off his car and put them into the van, the court heard.

On arrest, O'Keeffe initially denied wrongdoing but went on to claim some sort of ownership and knowledge of the drugs and cash.

He told gardai he had accumulated a drug debt of 31,000.

Gardai agreed with Dominic McGinn SC, defending, that O'Keeffe was not a criminal mastermind and was very low down in the operation.

Mr McGinn said his client's family background was a little sad in that he had never known his father and was estranged from his mother.

O'Keeffe lived with his grandparents and cared for his ill grandmother, the court heard.

Counsel described O'Keeffe as the fall guy or patsy in the drugs operation, who has to suffer the consequences of the serious wrongdoing of others.

That's the nature of the drugs world, said Mr McGinn.

The court heard that O'Keeffe was a hardworking man who had worked as an industrial cleaner since leaving school and was of previous good character, apart from one further drugs case pending.

Judge Martin Nolan accepted that O'Keeffe had been under severe pressure and had succumbed to temptation to hold money and drugs.

Judge Nolan said it was a bad misjudgement but that O'Keeffe had a low level of culpability and had been very young. Young people make bad decisions under pressure, he added.
Philip Grendon (48) also had his bail terms reduced, and will now sign on at his local garda station three days a week

Philip Grendon has not yet indicated how he intends to plead

A Dublin man accused of burgling a business premises twice in two days has been further remanded on bail for DPPs directions on the charges.

Philip Grendon (48) also had his bail terms reduced, and will now sign on at his local garda station three days a week.

Judge Mark OConnell adjourned the case for six weeks to a date in July for DPPs directions on the charges.

The accused, with an address at Spiddal Park, Ballyfermot, is charged with burglary at a motor parts distributor at Knockmitten Business Park, Clondalkin, on January 20 and January 21, 2024.

Garda Kevin Coller told Blanchardstown District Court that he was seeking an adjournment of six weeks for DPPs directions on the charges.

Defence solicitor Wayne Kenny said there was consent to the adjournment.

The court heard that Mr Grendon was subject to a number of bail conditions, including a sign-on condition, and Gda Coller said there was consent to this being reduced to three times a week.

The court heard that Mr Grendon was unemployed and on social welfare. Mr Kenny said there were two separate allegations before the court, and the accused had provided a statement of means.

Judge OConnell assigned defence solicitors Wayne Kenny and Philip Denieffe on free legal aid.

Mr Grendon has not yet indicated how he intends to plead to the charges and was not required to address the court during the brief hearing.
Mr OConnor was also charged with the possession of a 9mm firearm and 12 rounds of 9mm ammunition with intent to endanger life.

A man accused of attempted murder has been further charged at the Special Criminal Court with facilitating a criminal gang in murder and drug dealing.

In January, the State successfully applied to have the trial of Jason OConnor, accused of an attempted murder in Dublin over seven years ago, heard before the non-jury court.

Mr OConnor (46) of Whitestown Grove in Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, is accused of the attempted murder of Charlie Cooper at Parslickstown Green, Mulhuddart, Dublin 15, on December 5, 2016.

Mr OConnor was also charged with the possession of a 9mm firearm and 12 rounds of 9mm ammunition with intent to endanger life at the same location and on the same date.

At the three-judge court today, Mr OConnor was further charged with facilitating a criminal organisation with the commission of two serious offences, to wit: murder and the sale or supply of drugs.

State solicitor Michael ODonovan told the court that Mr OConnor is further charged that he did between August 2, 2016, and December 7, 2016, both dates inclusive, within the State and with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, participate in, or contribute to, activity intending to or being reckless as to whether such participation or contribution could, facilitate the commission of a serious offence by that criminal organisation or any of its member, to wit: murder.

Mr OConnor is also charged that he did between August 2, 2016 and December 7, 2016, both dates inclusive and within the State, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, participate in, or contribute to, activity intending to or being reckless as to whether such participation or contribution could facilitate the commission of a serious offence by that criminal organisation, or any of its members, to wit: the sale and supply of controlled drugs.

Both charges are offences contrary to Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006.

Detective Garda Inspector Liam Donoghue told Mr ODonovan that he handed Mr OConnor copies of the new charges in the precincts of the court this morning, with the witness then identifying the accused to the court.

Presiding judge Mr Justice Paul Burns adjourned the matter to June 11, for mention, and extended free legal aid to Mr OConnor on the new charges.
Shannon Kavanag hurled abuse at female members and accused one officer of riding all the boys

Five gardai were forced to restrain a woman inside a garda station after she assaulted two officers, accusing a female garda of being a w*** and riding all the boys before telling officers: I will kill you and your family and I know where you live.

Judge Bernadette Owens told Shannon Kavanagh, formerly of Bethany House, Dublin Road, Longford, it was one of the worst cases she had encountered in her time on the bench after appearing at a sitting of Longford District Court.

Kavanagh was before the court charged with possession of a knife, criminal damage, obstructing a garda, public order and carrying out three assaults on garda officers in two separate incidents on April 4 this year.

The 30-year-old pleaded guilty to all counts before the court.

Sergeant Enda Daly said gardai had been initially called to a private house on Great Water Street in Longford town where officers found Kavanagh armed with a yellow hammer while striking out at the front door and windows of the proper

During the course of an exchange with gardai, Sgt Daly said Kavanagh refused on several occasions to drop the hammer and instead pointed the weapon in a threatening manner at officers, telling them to f*** off.

Shannon Kavanagh leaving Longford Courthouse.

The heated confrontation ended with Kavanagh hurling the hammer in the direction of Garda Padraig Duignan, narrowly missing him and resulting in officers being forced into deploying pepper spray to subdue the Longford woman.

A follow up search carried out on Kavanagh back at Longford garda station uncovered a pen knife in her jacket pocket.

That incident culminated in Kavanagh being charged with obstructing a garda, possession of a knife and causing 2,000 worth of damage.

Judge Owens was also told how Kavanagh was charged with three counts of assault on gardai, two of which were carried out on the same officer during a violent incident at Longford garda station.

That came after gardai were called to a disturbance at Longford Train Station. When officers arrived they found Kavanagh, and another individual not before the courts, highly intoxicated.

He said when gardai approached Kavanagh, she became aggressive and told one female officer she wouldnt be so big without her badge.

Sgt Daly said the level of abuse turned decidedly more sinister when Kavanagh, who was being escorted to a waiting patrol car told gardai: I will kill you and your family and I know where you live. When I get out, there will be a reason to arrest me.

When gardai arrived with Kavanagh at Longford garda station, Sgt Daly said the accused continued to hurl abuse at female members and accused one officer of riding all the boys, meaning the officers male colleagues.

He said as Kavanagh was being led into a holding cell in the garda station, she lashed out violently and struck a female officer in the forehead while also kicking out as she struggled with a number of gardai.

Sgt Daly said in the end it took five officers to subdue and search Kavanagh during the violent altercation.

Defence solicitor Frank Gearty described his clients actions in both incidents as  despicable and shocking, behaviour he said Kavanagh was well aware merited a custodial sentence.

She has come here today with a bag and she knows the score, he said.

Her behaviour on the night was outrageous and she could have done harm to not only herself, but to those around her.

She was headbutting the wall and she was name calling empty nonsense towards respectable garda officers who were conducting their work.

Shannon Kavanagh pleaded guilty to assaulting gardai, criminal damage, using threatening and abusive behaviour, obstructing a garda and possession of a knife during two separate violent incidents in Longford in April.

Mr Gearty said despite the unsavoury incidents before the court, Kavanagh was now a much changed person having relocated to Donegal where she was endeavouring to get her life back on track.

She is asking you today to not send her to prison, he said to Judge Owens.

She has come with a bag but she will in a week or two be going into a detoxification programme for formal treatment and she is working towards restoring herself towards sobriety.

She is working and engaging with the probation services in relation to an earlier matter and is still on probation. She knows she has to face up to what has gone on. If given liberty today, Judge, she will be going straight back to Donegal with the bag.

Judge Owens approved that request and directed the court to undertake an updated probation report on Kavanagh before finalising sentence.

In doing so, Judge Owens said she would be making no promises to the accused, adding the behaviour of Kavanagh on the day in question ranked among the most severe she had ever come across in the district court.

This is one of the worst cases I have heard and I havent even asked yet about previous convictions, she said.

Kavanagh was remanded on bail to a sitting of Longford District Court on June 25.
Ann Wilson (44) of Ledwill Park, Kilcock, Co Kildare, appeared at Dublin Circuit Court in connection with a rear-ending incident

Ann Wilson says she does not have the money to repay compensation she received after a staged crash

The sentencing of a woman who received over 35,000 in compensation for her and her son following a staged car crash has been adjourned after the prosecution said it needed to make inquiries about her true financial situation.

Ann Wilson (44) of Ledwill Park, Kilcock, Co Kildare, appeared at Dublin Circuit Court in connection with a rear-ending incident that happened at Woodstown roundabout in Ballycullen, Tallaght on February 1, 2013.

She pleaded guilty to one count of deception after she had sued Axa Insurance for personal injuries following the incident.

Wilson was awarded damages of 21,595 by the Personal Injuries Assessment Board. She also sued on behalf of her son, who was a juvenile at the time. He received 14,000. She also got 550 for the damage to the car.

Wilsons partner, Thomas ONeill (47) of Glenmore Green in Ballyboden, Dublin, also pleaded guilty to deception after bringing a failed personal injury claim following the collision. He was sentenced to two years in jail on Monday.

Judge Martin Nolan said he needed time to consider the appropriate sentence for Wilson and had been due to give his decision today.

However, Edward Doocey BL, for the prosecution, sought a further adjournment as he said inquiries needed to be made in relation to Wilsons financial situation after some information had come to light.

Judge Nolan granted an adjournment until next month.

The court previously heard how ONeill, Wilson and their son were travelling in a Mazda car which was rear ended by a Toyota Celica when approaching a roundabout. Wilson was driving the car.

ONeills sister, Deirdre Mellor, was a passenger in the Toyota. She pleaded guilty to attempted deception after she initiated a personal injury claim but did not proceed with it. Judge Nolan handed her down a two-year suspended sentence.

Both Mellor and Wilson claimed they did not recognise each other when the accident happened.

Counsel for Wilson told the court on Monday that she was not in a position to return the compensation received as a result of the staged accident as she was not working due to difficult family circumstances. He said she hoped to be able to repay it at some time in the future.

The court heard how Wilson had addiction issues with alcohol and crack cocaine and spent some time in Coolmine rehabilitation centre in Dublin. She lost custody of her children for a number of years. However, after graduating from Coolmine in 2020, she was given full custody again.

Her 15-year-old son was involved in a separate serious road-traffic accident a number of years ago and is now paralysed from the waist down. The court was told she is his full-time carer. Her youngest child is 23 months old.

She had to quit working as a cleaner due to her family situation, the court was told. Her mother suffers from schizophrenia and she is not currently in a position to work. However, counsel said she hopes to be in a position to pay some of the money back in the future.

Wilson has four previous convictions including driving without insurance and exceeding the speed limit.

Garda Kevin Bowen of Tallaght garda station gave evidence that on May 27, 2013, the insurance company received an anonymous call which claimed that the accident was all a set-up.

Axa conducted its own investigations and discovered that the passengers in both cars were connected on Facebook and knew each other.

The company refused to settle ONeills personal injury claim and the case proceeded to the Circuit Civil Court in 2018.

Under cross examination, it emerged that ONeill was related to Mellor. He was asked if he knew his sister was in the other car. He responded to say he only realised this when he went to the garda station to report the accident.

He subsequently withdrew his claim and Colm Featherstone, Axas fraud investigations manager, made a formal complaint to gardai.

The court heard ONeill has 70 previous convictions including 17 for no insurance, four for dangerous driving and a series of other minor road traffic offences.

He also has a previous conviction for possession of drugs.
Xinhua News Agency - Getty Images

GMs China sales peaked at 4 million vehiclesled by Buickin 2017, which translated to a 16.2% market share.

Since then, GM sales have fallen steadily, projecting to hit just 1.5 million sales next year.

GM CEO Mary Barra told analysts that over the long term, were committed to China. We believe that its a market that, over the long term, will have substantial growth.

What if China grabs General Motors intellectual and physical property and kicks you out? I once asked an executive at a holiday party. It was either December 2007 or 08. The executive clearly hadnt considered this scenario, but quickly dismissed it.

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After GM emerged as an all-new company after its 2009 bankruptcy and government bailout, it shuttered the Pontiac, Saturn, and Hummer brands the next year and by 2017, left the European market after it sold Opel and Vauxhall to PSA Citroen Peugeot.

Buick, which sold about 40,000 cars in China in 2000, made up the majority of GMs 1.7-million-unit sales there in 2010 and was saved by that market. There was much buzz in Detroit that Buick could become a China-only brand in what was now the worlds largest auto market.

GMs sales peaked at 4 million vehicles, still led by Buick, in 2017, according to Dunne Insights. That was a 16.2% market share of 24.72 million vehicles for the year.

As the COVID pandemic emerged, leading to strict lockdowns in Shanghai and other large Chinese cities, the total market had some ups and downs while GMs sales there continued to slide. In 2023, GMs sales were almost cut in half from its 17 peak, to 2.1 million vehicles out of a 20.18-million market, for a 7.8% share.

Dunne Insights

At the same time, Chinas gross domestic product growth, which was in the double-digits for most of the first decade of the millennium, has settled down to normal levels that the US and Western Europe would still consider to be pretty good. Real GDP growth was 5.2% in 2023, according to Wikipedia, up from 3% growth in 2022, the year of stifling lockdowns.

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The Chinese government signaled that it had become an export-only country with production among various industries sufficient to serve its own population and markets well beyond.

Imagine a world in which China builds every single car, Michael Dunne posits in the May 7 edition of the Dunne Insights newsletter. Chinas auto factories already have the capacity to assemble half the worlds annual consumption of about 80 million new vehicles, he notes. Citing the firm Global Datas numbers, Chinese capacity could reach 75% of that by 2030.

NurPhoto - Getty Images



Far-fetched? China already produces (with Taiwan) most of the worlds bicycle frames and components and dominates solar panel production in the same way it has had a hold on computer semiconductor manufacturing for several decades.



Dunne earlier this year pointed to the October 2022 bankruptcy of Jeeps joint venture in China and notes that Ford is losing lots of money there, with its factories running at 25% of capacity. GM, he says, is no longer making more money than God, as a former executive once described it.

GM globally made $12.3 billion in earnings before income taxes in 2023, but its China auto joint venture operations lost $200 million. CEO Mary Barra has announced a new strategy of going upmarket with its Detroit brands. It has just launched The Durant Guild, a premium import and lifestyle platform with the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon its first products, according to George Svigos, executive director of global markets communications.

A similar strategy a quarter-century ago relied on Buick, a semi-premium brand with history in China going back to 1911. By the time of its peak there in the early 2010s, the Buick lineup stretched from Opel-based hatchbacks on the low end to Holden-based rear-wheel-drive sedans at the top.

Now, General Motors seems to be focusing on Cadillac in China as Buicks market share continues to slide, says Sam Fiorani, vice president of global forecasting for AutoForecast Solutions. Once a strong player in the region, Buick has fallen out of the top 10 among best-selling brands while Cadillac is slowing growing and Chevrolet remains an also-ran.

Barra told Wall Street analysts in GMs first-quarter 2024 earnings call that over the long term, were committed to China. We believe that its a market that, over the long term, will have substantial growth. Were continuing to draw on not only our global solutions, but, in some cases, local solutions as we advance our electrification strategy.

VCG - Getty Images

In early May, GM announced that Steve Hill will become president of GM China, replacing Julian Blissett, who had the misfortune of being appointed to leadership there in April 2020 just as COVID was becoming a pandemic.

Hill has a clear mandate to fully leverage the opportunity presented by accelerating the electrification of our portfolio in China and deploying new technologies, GMs executive vice president and president of global markets, Rory Harvey, said in a release.

GM this year will launch a record number of new energy vehicles in China, including EVs and PHEVs, Svigos said via email. This includes Chevrolet Equinox and Buick GL8 (executive minivan) PHEVs, the Ultium-based Chevy Equinox and Cadillac Optiq EVs.

Hearst Owned

The Buick Envision is GMs only Chinese import in the US, and the Biden Administrations 100% tariff on Chinese EVs certainly will end that when Buick goes all-EV by 2030 as previously announced.

The two local brands, Baojun and Wuling, have maintained steady Chinese market share since 2017, Svigos says, and are expanding their NEV offerings, though on their own platform and not Ultium, underpinning new PHEVs and EVs. So with virtually no Ultium platform-sharing with GMs Chinese brands, it appears the automaker has gotten more out of its joint venture there in a quarter-century than it has put in.

If GM management does eventually change its mind about leaving China, it could be pretty easy and quickunlike Opel/Vauxhall, it doesnt have to look for a buyer for Baojun/Wuling.
Tomasz Zukauskas (37) had earlier bought the imitation WW2 German SS firearm in a vintage store

A SHOPPER who walked around a supermarket with a very realistic replica submachine gun in his hand could have caused havoc and panic in Dublin city centre at Christmas time, a court heard.

Tomasz Zukauskas (37) had earlier bought the imitation WW2 German SS firearm in a vintage store but it was awkward to carry so he strapped it over his shoulder in full public view when he went to get groceries.

Other shoppers raised the alarm and a garda intervened and seized the gun when Zukauskas put it on the floor to pay for his messages.

Zukauskas only realised with hindsight that taking the gun out had been a very very foolish thing to do, his defence said.

Judge Monika Leech said passers by could have feared they were about to be shooting victims. She adjourned the case at Dublin District Court for a restorative justice report. Zukauskas, of The Maltings, Bonham Street, Dublin 8 pleaded guilty to possession of a realistic imitation firearm.

Garda Damien Gilhooly told the court he was on duty at 3pm on December 11, 2022 when it was reported that a man was walking on Mary Street and had entered the Polonez shop with what was believed to be a firearm.

He notified the garda armed support unit and went into the shop where he could see Zukauskas had left the suspected weapon on the floor. The garda approached him from behind, stood on the barrel of the gun and moved Zukauskas away from it.

The imitation MP41 was indistinguishable from a real gun, the court heard.

Zukauskas was interested in collecting artifacts and had bought the gun legitimately for 140 in a vintage shop on Capel Street earlier that day, his barrister Ciara Murray said.

It was a very rare and particularly good replica of a weapon that had been used by the German SS in the Second World War. It was a collectors item and he bought it to display at his home, Ms Murray said.

As he was shopping, Zukauskas took the gun out of its box as it was too awkward to carry and put it in a bag, which broke. He had a number of other items so he ended up carrying the gun.

When he went into the shop, he strapped it over his shoulder and held it by the stock so he could walk around.

He had been asked by his partner to get further messages and he put the gun down on the floor so he could pay for them.

It was a busy period before Christmas and passers-by altered the gardai.

Gda Gilhooly said he was the first on the scene but the armed unit would have been a minute behind me.

He agreed with Ms Murray that the accused did not point the gun at or threaten anyone.

Ms Murray said it was a very very unfortunate incident and at the time, Zukauskas did not see the gun as a dangerous thing because he knew it was not real. He "didn't see it as a big deal" and told gardai it was a toy.

It was a moment of inadvertence on his part, the barrister said.

One can only imagine the levels of distress that must have occurred in the minds of people who might have thought they were about to be victims of some shooting escapade, Judge Leech said. He has to understand the consequences, the havoc and panic he could have visited on members of the public."

She ordered a report and remanded the accused on continuing bail to a date in July.
People in the estate were furious when they found out hed been placed there, living amongst kids

Convicted paedophile William Sholdis has been forced to flee a second time after an angry mob torched his car and picketed his home.

The Sunday World can reveal the 33-year-old was forced to do a runner from temporary accommodation in Antrim after protesters staged a protest outside his flat.

Its the second time the pervert has been forced to flee his home in the space of a year after he had leave his house in Ballynure following his conviction for having indecent images of kids as young as six-years-old.

Sholdis, who the court heard has autism, entered guilty pleas to 18 counts, including making indecent images of children and possessing banned images of children and extreme pornography.

After details of his offending were made public last autumn, he and his family fled their home in Ballynure, which sits directly opposite a green space regularly used by families.

Originally he was handed a 12-month jail sentence but that was overturned on appeal and he was told to serve a three year probation order instead, as well as a five-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order and having to sign the sex offenders register for ten years.

Now we can reveal a hate mob targeted his new home in Antrim where he had been placed in a hostel designed for vulnerable people.

His car was torched late at night on April 27th and when police arrived there was an angry stand-off with protesters who slammed the PSNI for not making local residents aware he was living there.

People in the estate were furious when they found out hed been placed there, living amongst kids and other vulnerable people, said a source.

It seems the protesters set fire to his car because he was in shared accommodation  otherwise they would have torched his house most likely.

The fire also damaged another car beside it as well as a bin. The cops and the fire brigade turned up and the protesters were shouting at the cops for not informing them about him living there.

It was pretty angry and threatened to get out of hand but it calmed down and Sholdis moved out.

In January senior judges ruled that Sholdis should be released from prison and instead ordered to complete three years probation.

Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan described him as a pathetic figure who has shown insight into the extent of his crimes.

Sholdis, 33, was arrested after PSNI child protection officers searched his home near Ballyclare in March 2021.

A number of devices were seized, including a laptop fitted with anti-forensics software. Police uncovered nearly 5,000 photographs and videos, along with search terms indicating an interest in indecent images of children.

Some of the pictures were in the most serious category, but there was no evidence that he had shared or uploaded any of the files.

In November last year Sholdis received a 12-month sentence after pleading guilty to a series of charges of making and possessing indecent images .

The original term was split between four months in custody and eight months on licence.

Defence lawyers challenged the sentence imposed, arguing that supervised help in the community would be of greater benefit in dealing with his issues.

Sholdis suffers from autism and was bullied at school, still lived with his parents and has never had an intimate relationship, the Court of Appeal was told.

The payroll administrator originally found the illegal material through a spam email and felt ashamed that his actions had helped to support abuse of children.

Barrister Mark Barlow submitted: He fell down the rabbit hole and, because of his personal characteristics and circumstances, simply couldnt stop himself.

His family have since been forced to relocate amid community tensions about the offences.

Counsel for the Public Prosecution Service, Mark Farrell, responded by highlighting the aggravating features in the case.

Images were discovered on six devices as part of offending over a period of 19 months.

Ruling on the appeal, Dame Siobhan stressed the courts abhorrence to crimes related to the abuse of children.

Based on a probation report on Sholdis, however, she found that he has shown genuine remorse and a motivation not to re-offend.

Due to the personal circumstances, particularly his immaturity, isolation and lack of sexual knowledge, he presented as a pathetic figure, the Chief Justice said.

We think this appellant is insightful of the pernicious nature of this type of offending.

With the two months Sholdis had already served in prison identified as a deterrent feature, she confirmed that his original sentence was to be substituted for a three-year probation order.

Dame Siobhan explained: To further protect society and prevent a recurrence of this sickening behaviour, we are imposing the maximum (possible) period of community supervision.

Sholdis was confronted by a journalist last year after he had pleaded guilty but =did not want to comment.

His mum spoke for him saying, Hes going on courses to help him, he has autism and other disabilities and during lockdown he had went into an area he wasnt aware of.

A police spokesperson told the Sunday World last night: Police attended the scene of an arson attack on a car in the Donore Crescent area of Antrim on Saturday, 27th April.

"NI Fire and Rescue Service also attended and extinguished the fire which was reported just before 11pm. Significant damage was caused to the vehicle and it appeared that it had been set alight deliberately.

They said enquiries are underway and anyone with information is asked to contact them.
Junior associate of heroin dealer Tony Felloni is arrested over drugs seizure

Tony Felloni, seen here in 2011, was a convicted drug dealer who flooded the Dublin streets with heroin in the 80s and 90s. Photo: Collins

The crime network established by the late heroin kingpin Tony Felloni, nicknamed King Scum, is still extremely active, it has emerged, following the arrest of one of his closest junior associates this week.

Gardai seized 18,000 worth of cash and a large haul of benzodiazepines in a planned raid on Tuesday, by officers in Dunshaughlin, Co Meath.

The target of the operation is a young man with close links to the deceased drug lord. He is already facing serious charges in relation to a separate massive drugs seizure in recent months, involving cocaine, and is alleged to be the main supplier of drugs in the Co Meath area.

He was on bail for the previous cocaine offence when officers carried out the raid on Tuesday evening.

It is understood he was particularly close to criminal Felloni, who died last month aged 81.

The suspect was detained for a number of hours at Ashbourne garda station before being released without charge.

A file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The Death of King Scum: Tony Felloni dies at 81

A source said: This individual was very close to Tony Felloni and the fact that he has now been allegedly caught in two different seizures with different drugs and cash shows that criminal organisation is still active on a high level.

Felloni, the convicted drug dealer who flooded Dublin streets with heroin, even peddled the drug to his own children. The impact on his family is well documented  and some even stayed loyal to him after his death last month.

Mario, Fellonis eldest son, served 10 years in prison in the UK in the 1990s after he was convicted of an armed robbery carried out to pay for his heroin addiction.

His daughter and son Regina and Luigi received sentences of 72 and 83 months in prison respectively, after a court heard they had been coerced into working for their father in the drug trade.

In 2011, his son Ronaldo was given a four-year sentence after he pleaded guilty to the attempted robbery of a woman in Dublin two years earlier.

Another daughter, Anne, when sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison in 1997, told the judge: I never had a normal girls childhood. I was just used by my father to distribute heroin.

And in 2014, Lena, who is a graduate of Trinity College in sociology and addiction studies, told RTEs Liveline how she had been on the Dublin City Council housing list for 19 years but had not been able to get a place because of her fathers name.

Although Felloni earned the nickname King Scum due to his role as one of Irelands leading heroin traffickers in the 1980s and 1990s, his background was in the vice trade. In the 1960s, he exploited young naive women trying to make their way in Dublin, getting them drunk, taking compromising photos and extorting their wages from them.

As a burglar, he spent a lot of his life behind prison bars before getting into the drugs trade. He was given a 20-year sentence in 1996 for drug-trafficking offences.

The Criminal Assets Bureau spent 14 years chasing his money and property, eventually taking almost 500,000 from him.
The man was arrested by the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau and detained at a Garda station in Dublin yesterday

A man in his 50s has been arrested and is due before the courts this morning after 33kgs of herbal cannabis with an estimated value of 660,000 was seized in Dublin.

The man was arrested by the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau and detained at a Garda station in Dublin yesterday.

He has since been charged and will appear before CCJ District Court No 1 this morning.

Gardai said that as part of an intelligence-led operation, Revenue officers seized approximately 33kgs of herbal cannabis with an estimated value of 660,000.

The seizure was made as a result of a joint operation conducted by the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) and Revenues Customs Service, gardai said.

The cannabis was seized and a follow up search conducted, under warrant, of a premises in Dublin city.

A man, aged in his 50s, was arrested by the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau and detained at a Garda station in Dublin under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996.

He has since been charged and will appear before CCJ District Court No. 1 this morning.
The illicit drugs were discovered by Revenue officers as a result of risk profiling, in parcels originating from the USA, Canada, and Europe, which were destined for addresses in Limerick, Galway, and Cork

Revenue officers based in Shannon Airport have seized illegal drugs with an estimated value of over 220,000.

The illicit drugs were discovered by Revenue officers as a result of risk profiling, in parcels originating from the USA, Canada, and Europe, which were destined for addresses in Limerick, Galway, and Cork.

A Revenue spokesperson said that among the materials seized were seven kilogrammes of herbal cannabis, cannabis-infused jellies, and psychoactive substances.

These seizures are part of Revenues ongoing work targeting smuggling and shadow economy activity.

"If businesses or members of the public have any information in relation to the transportation of drugs and illicit materials, they can contact Revenue in confidence on 1800 295 295, a Revenue spokesperson stated.

No further information is available on the seizures as investigations are currently ongoing.
He has been accused of hate crimes after harassing the homosexual couple in their own home with the intention of instilling fear in them

A man in his 20s is facing jail time when he goes on trial in Spain today for threatening an Irish gay couple and telling them to go back to Ireland.

The young man faces a sentence of almost four years in prison for allegedly harassing the homosexual couple in the north-western Spanish city of Lugo.

He has been accused of hate crimes after harassing the homosexual couple in their own home with the intention of instilling "fear" in them and preventing them from "living in peace .

The prosecutor's office is asking for a sentence of three years and nine months in prison for the accused, in addition to compensation for each of those affected of 1,500 for the "moral damages" caused by his behaviour.

He is also facing a fine of 3,204 and disqualification from carrying out any activity related to teaching for six years, according to a report on Spanish language radio station COPE, Cadena de Ondas Populares Espanolas (People's Radiowaves of Spain Network)

According to the indictment, various incidents occurred in May 2022 when the accused, accompanied by two minors went "on numerous occasions" to the home where the couple lived.

He went there knowing of their homosexual condition" and with evident contempt for people with different sexual orientations" to "prevent them from living in peace.

With the intention of making the couple uneasy, they "called on several occasions, insistently, the home's intercom, hit the front door, threw stones at the windows of their home and uttered expressions" that threatened "their sexual identity.

The prosecutor claims that on an almost daily basis during the first two weeks of May, the couple were subjected to remarks such as f***ing faggot" and we don't want faggots, or people with AIDS, pedophiles.

Also, to "instill fear in the couple, they told them that they were going to kill and burn them", on at least two occasions.

On another occasion, one of the three began to kick the portal of the building, while saying, "I'll go up and go in, I'll kill you, faggot.

On another occasion the couple were told: "Irish, go back to Ireland, we don't want people with AIDS here" and "faggot, you're going to return dead to Ireland.

The prosecutor maintains that this behavior caused the couple, "fear, anxiety and restlessness that they would carry out their threats.

The trial will be held today at the Provincial Court of Lugo.
The Barberstown Castle Sapphire Style Award comes with an incredible prize

Giddy up: the men will pick the most stylish person of the day

Brian and Arthur will judge the most stylish guests at The Irish Oaks

Broadcaster Brian Dowling and Dancing with the Stars Arthur Gourounlian have been announced as judges for this years prestigious Barberstown Castle Sapphire Style Award at The Irish Oaks Weekend.

The awards will see the Curragh turning blue on July 20 as all eyes of the horsing and fashion world will be fixed on the Kildare racecourse.

The stylish husbands, who got married in 2015, are no strangers to winning awards - with both bringing home the most Stylish Man of the Year awards at the VIP Style awards in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

They will bring a wealth of expertise and discerning taste to the judging panel.

With their keen eye for fashion and impeccable sense of style, they are set to identify the epitome of dazzling elegance amongst the festival attendees.

Giddy up: the men will pick the most stylish person of the day

The winner of the Barberstown Castle Sapphire Style Award will receive an exclusive prize package, including 5,000, the trophy, a luxurious two-night stay at Barberstown Castle (Sep 14 to 16), tickets to the Champions Festival at The Curragh (September 15), courtesy transportation to and from the races and lunch at The Curragh on the day.

In addition, the top 10 finalists will each receive a goody bag filled with stylish treats and essentials.

Arthur Gourounlian expressed his excitement about the day, saying, I am thrilled to work with Barberstown Castle! Its amazing to have the opportunity to celebrate style and elegance alongside all those entering this years Barberstown Castle Sapphire Style Award. We look forward to seeing the creativity and sophistication showcased by the attendees and turning the Curragh blue this year. Lets Do This!"

Managing Director of Barberstown Castle Hotel, Ted Robinson said, We are delighted to return for a third year to sponsor the Barberstown Castle Sapphire Style Award. At Barberstown Castle, we appreciate the importance of style and sophistication. We are excited to support a local event and reward the winner with an unforgettable experience at our historic castle hotel.
It's not just the responsibility of An Garda Siochana to challenge such misinformation but also broader society, as well as media

Tents being removed from the Grand Canal, Dublin, on Thursday. Photo: Collins

Gardai in Dublin have categorically rejected claims on social media they are escorting children past tented encampments along the Grand Canal.

The force posted a message on their X account after video footage appeared on Facebook, TikTok and on X showing garda officers with school children walking along a street in Dublin.

One person posted alongside the footage: Young school children in Dublin requiring a garda escort past shanty tent towns. They expect us to deny what our eyes see before us every day.

Another posted on TikTok: Wow. Ireland is now so incredibly dangerous for children they have Garda escorts going to and from school because of the spate of children abducted by refugees lately.

Incredibly sad to see this. I remember as a child walking school willy nilly without a care in the world.

However, gardai wrote that they categorically reject any assertion that gardai are actively escorting or have recently escorted, school children past a tented encampment along the Grand Canal, Dublin.

An Garda Siochana is acutely aware of the continued proliferation of disinformation and fake news in circulation, particularly in relation to international protection applicants, gardai posted.

It's not just the responsibility of An Garda Siochana to challenge such misinformation but also broader society, as well as media.

Gardai then went on to explain that their Community Policing Unit in Pearse Street regularly engages with local schools, and will continue to assist with their activities.

In this instance we walked with almost 100 young pupils on a school trip across the city as there were a lot of major junctions and crossings on the route.

Gardai assisted by making sure that the young children did not get separated and that they were safe, given the quick change in lights at some of the crossings.

This is commonly undertaken with those working in this Community Policing Unit to provide assistance to a number of schools in the area in a similar way and they will continue to do so.

The number of tents along a section of the Grand Canal in Dublin rose to nearly 90 today just a week after a similar camp was dismantled.

The new camp started to grow late last week between the Baggot Street and Leeson Street bridges on the city-side of the canal.

The tents are positioned side by side and are now on both sides of the tow-path, with some pitched on the slope between the path and the canal itself.
A man has been charged in relation to the incident

A man in his 60s has died after he was struck by a vehicle in a hit-and-run incident in Donegal on Sunday morning.

The fatal collision occurred on Main Street, Clonmany, Co Donegal in the early hours of Sunday morning.

At approximately 12.15am, a male pedestrian, aged in his 60s, was struck by a vehicle which left the scene of the collision.

The injured man was taken to Letterkenny University Hospital and was later transferred to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin where he remained in a critical condition until this evening when he died from his injuries.

As a result of further investigations, a male driver of the vehicle, aged in his 30s, was identified and arrested and was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at a garda station in the Donegal division.

Kevin Grant appeared before a special sitting of Letterkenny District Court on Monday evening in relation the incident.

Grant (36) of Pairc Mor, Buncrana, faced a total of eight charges arising out of the incident.

They include endangerment, two counts of dangerous driving, refusing to give information, refusing to give a sample and three charges under the Road Traffic Act connected with the alleged hit-and-run incident.

This investigation is now a fatal road traffic collision investigation. Investigations continue, a garda spokesperson said.
Affected areas will experience heavy downpours with thunderstorms and hail, with spot flooding, hazardous road conditions and poor visibility also possible.

Met Eireann has extended its Status Yellow thunderstorm warning to include 18 counties, with a further three issues a rain warning this evening.

Affected areas will experience heavy downpours with thunderstorms and hail, with spot flooding, hazardous road conditions and poor visibility also possible.

The national forecaster issued the alert for the following 18 counties: Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Cavan, Monaghan, Clare, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford, Leitrim, Roscommon.

The warning is in place at 3pm and last until 8pm today.

Counties Dublin, Wexford and Wicklow have been issued with a rain warning from 6pm this evening until midnight

Counties Clare, Cork and Limerick were originally warned of heavy downpours with thunderstorms and hail bringing the risk of spot flooding.

Road users in all 21 counties affected are advised to be wary of hazardous travelling conditions and poor visibility.

Met Eireann also said there is a chance of sea fog encroaching onto coasts at times. Temperatures will range between 17 and 22 degrees.

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Many areas will enjoy the dry and clear conditions tonight, while the east and southeast will see persistent rain. Temperatures will drop to nine and 13 degrees.

Friday morning will bring rain and drizzle, while sunny spells and showers are likely to develop later in the day, with temperatures ranging between 16 and 19 degrees.

It will be cloudy on Friday night, with further spells of rain and drizzle. Temperatures will be 10 to 11 degrees.

The weekend will start off dry in most areas with sunshine on Saturday, and temperatures of 15 and 19 degrees.

Dry and clear conditions will continue to Saturday night, with temperatures dropping to seven or eight degrees.

Sunday will see a mixture of sunny spells and isolated showers. Temperatures will be up to 18 to 21 degrees.

Monday will have a sunny morning, while some heavy showers are likely to develop in the afternoon, with temperatures of 17 to 21 degrees.

Further showers or longer spells of rain are expected until the midweek, Met Eireann said.
The WhatsApp messages, some of which are acutely embarrassing for senior party figures, are being made public

Emma Little Pengelly expressed personal concern for the vulnerable in the previously unseen messages. Photo: Kelvin Boyes/Press Eye

3/5/24 Press Eye/Darren Kidd Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3rd May 2024 The Taoiseach, Simon Harris, visited Parliament Buildings this morning (Friday 3 May). He was greeted at the front of Parliament Buildings by the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Edwin Poots MLA. Having been shown around the Great Hall.

Dame Arlene Foster leaving the Clayton Hotel in Belfast after giving evidence to the UK Covid-19 inquiry hearing. Picture date: Wednesday May 15, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story INQUIRY Coronavirus. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Diane Dodds, former minister for the Economy of Northern Ireland, leaving the Clayton Hotel in Belfast after giving evidence to the UK Covid-19 inquiry hearing. Picture date: Wednesday May 8, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story INQUIRY Coronavirus. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Arlene Foster leaving the Clayton Hotel in Belfast after giving evidence to the UKs Covid-19 Inquiry hearing. Photo: PA

More than 1,000 internal text messages between the DUP's most senior figures have been published by the Norths Covid Inquiry, providing an unprecedented insight into what the party really thought and how it operated during the pandemic.

The WhatsApp messages, some of which are acutely embarrassing for senior party figures, are being made public after they were given to the inquiry by former DUP minister Edwin Poots, now the Assembly Speaker, and have been published today.

DUP MLA Edwin Poots (right) and solicitor John McBurney, leaving the Clayton Hotel in Belfast after giving evidence at the UK Covid-19 inquiry last week. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA

That is in stark contrast to Sinn Fein, whose Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill admitted to the inquiry yesterday that she deliberately deleted everything from all her devices despite being warned by the Head of the Civil Service not to do so and despite being given written legal advice which specifically said text messages and WhatsApps should not be deleted.

So far, the inquiry hasn't published a single internal Sinn Fein message.

The DUP messages are from a WhatsApp group containing its Executive ministers, special advisers, and other senior party figures.

They show the party lampooning the Catholic Church, a message from Emma Little Pengelly that the public were looking for a "strong man", but also Mrs Little Pengelly's personal concern for some of the most deprived members of society, reminding colleagues that she came from a poor background.

The inquiry has made multiple redactions to the 63 pages of messages, some of which are hard to follow for that reason.

One of the individuals whose name has been blacked out appears to be Economy Minister Diane Dodds, who talks about going to vote in the European Parliament, and another is First Minister Arlene Foster, who confirmed that in oral testimony today.

However, there is no way to know how many other individuals were involved but have their names redacted.

The messages begin when Stormont returned at the start of 2020 following three years without devolved government.

Someone whose name has been blacked out by the inquiry said on 17 January 2020: "SF doesn't seem to have matured at all!!"

Emma Little Pengelly expressed personal concern for the vulnerable in the previously unseen messages. Photo: Kelvin Boyes/Press Eye

Emma Little Pengelly - then a special adviser but now deputy First Minister - replied sarcastically: "Well, why not - let English taxpayers subsidise our free prescriptions, lower rates, no water charges, lower tuition fees and free prescriptions...but hey, how dare you guys starve us of funding? #Perfidious Albion".

Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots responded: "And a 100m pa on welfare mitigation". Education Minister Peter Weir said: "Are any of [us] really surprised?"

The first reference to covid is on 23 January when an individual whose name has been blacked out said: "I hear there's a suspected case of this virus in RVH."

In apparent reference to Sinn Fein calling Michelle O'Neill 'joint head of government', someone said "this must be a new title bestowed on Michelle"; another person said: "they are at this all the time".

Another person whose name is hidden said: Certainly they cannot have that on official communications".

Mr Weir, whose messages are often laden with humour, said: "Perhaps I should start calling myself George Clooney, it's just as accurate".

Peter Weir at the Covid inquiry

The Education Minister said on 13 March: "I see on PA, Archbishop Eamon Martin is writing to me urging me to close all the schools. Wasn't aware of his qualifications in virology."

Someone whose name has been blacked out said: "Write back and tell him we don't live in the South and that his institution hasn't the best track record of looking out for the welfare of kids."

The following day, in an apparent reference to Sinn Fein, someone denounced "panicking people" and "totally irresponsible" behaviour.

On 14 March, in a reference to civil servants, someone said that "some of the officials don't inspire me".

The next day, Mr Weir said that solicitor Kevin Winters had launched a judicial review of the decision not to close schools. An unidentified person responded: "Read SF for KW". Mr Weir replied: "Indeed."

The messages show that DUP ministers genuinely believed they would be hurting people - and even endangering lives - by taking radical measures to shut down society.

But in their evidence to the inquiry several DUP ministers, including Arlene Foster and Edwin Poots, now accept that they should have locked down sooner.

Dame Arlene Foster leaving the Clayton Hotel in Belfast after giving evidence to the UK Covid-19 inquiry hearing. Picture date: Wednesday May 15, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story INQUIRY Coronavirus. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire

On 14 March, Mr Weir said that "above all other considerations will be our protection of human life, which the best opportunity to do so is following the professional advice. If in the long run we can spare one extra family from the tragic loss of a loved one then we will have done the right thing rather than the politics of panic of others."

In another message, he said: "There is crazy stuff going about which if acted upon would simply cost lives."

On 15 March, Emma Little Pengelly lamented how teachers seemed to think they wouldn't be going to work once schools closed.

Mr Weir replied: "We could do with a few unnamed ministers not coming to work."

Two days later, Mr Poots said he was "under pressure with CAFRE", the agricultural college. Referring to Sinn Fein, he said: "The public are looking to us for leadership and we can't afford to be scrapping with them. That doesn't mean giving them want they want but need agreement."

Ms Little Pengelly's influence with Mrs Foster is evident. On 17 March, she set out how lockdown was likely days away and they needed to propose multiple measures including a single website for all pandemic information and "a stateswomanlike address to NI by FM and DFM".

She said: "We also need to be aware that in behaviour science terms we are now dealing with emergency, war time like circumstance - ergo people want to see what is termed in political science as 'strong man' political leaders - (now strong women..) - this is very well established. Strong and serious, calm and professional."

She urged ministers to be "empathetic and understanding" to the pressures faced by those struggling financially, reminding them that "those on working tax credit get free school meals (FSM}, many on that benefit DO work but may find themselves on reduced hours or redundant...and many of those on FSMs are our voters (I am saying this as a child who was a FSM child for many years)."

There is a gap of about a month in the messages. On 22 April, Mr Weir said: "Hargey has [another few words have been blacked out by the inquiry as 'irrelevant and sensitive']! She's had a tough paper round clearly."
The RIP sign was placed on the now-world famous portal along with two bunches of flowers earlier today.

AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 09: Desi Lydic attends Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" Presents: The Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library At SXSW at The Driskill Hotel on March 9, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Comedy Central)

A co-host host of popular The Daily Show in America has slaughtered the Irish side of the portal in her comedy monologue, just as cheeky Dubs left flowers and an RIP sign at the site.

The RIP sign was placed on the now-world famous portal along with two bunches of flowers earlier today.

The portal, and the bad behaviour by Dubliners, has gone viral across the globe.

Desi Lydic, a comedian and actress who is a senior correspondent on the famous late night talk-show The Daily Show took aim at the Irish on Wednesday.

Her hilarious rant came after the much maligned NY-Dublin portal was swiftly shut down for technical fixes after people were seeing flashing breasts, bums, drugs and photos of 9/11.

Its so cool, we need more things to bring us together - let the friendship building begin, Desi began.

Images and references were then highlighted showing people grinding, snorting powder and the aforementioned terrorist attack.

Backside wiggle

One person showed the world trade centres on Sept 11 and a New Yorker responded by showing potatoes in reference to the famine, she exclaimed.

This may or may not be a reference to an OnlyFans model who said she wanted her international potatoes / breasts to become famous by flashing Dubliners on OConnell Street.

The Daily Show then played a video of an Irish guy on the news saying "people are trying to better each other to see whose worse, were winning so far.

Joe Duffy could also be heard talking about wiggling bums in front of the portal.

Lydic was having none of it.

Oh come on f*ck me! she said.

"Why does everything turn into a fight? Do you really think you are winning Dublin?

New York hasnt even begun we are built on treating the Irish like shit.

Desi Lydic

"Youre just lucky youre dealing with tourists right now...

Lets move the portal to a middle school in the Bronx then well see what happens...

Youll be Riverdancing into on coming traffic! When theyre done roasting you!

We cant forget most interactions are positive though so thank you to the Irish people for stopping by to say hello...on the way to their AA meetings!

"Boom, got ya bitch, Lydic concluded.

It is hoped the portal will be switched on again later this week for more shenanigans.
Minister Burke must not renege on Govt. commitments to bring the level of the National Minimum Wage to that of the Living Wage

The Government must not renege on commitments to bring the level of the National Minimum Wage to that of the Living Wage, according to SIPTU.

The trade union demands this occur by 2026 and the Government must also must comply with existing legislation concerning statutory sick leave improvements in 2025 and 2026.

"Failure of the Government to do so would be a betrayal of workers in Ireland of a degree that my Union cannot accept, said SIPTU Deputy General Secretary for the Private Sector, Greg Ennis.

The Government would seem to be letting low-paid workers down while showering its largesse on business, according to the union boss.

Public pronouncements by Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Peter Burke about the rise which is due in the National Minimum Wage and the Governments commitment to legislate for improvements to the Statutory Sick Pay Scheme would seem to be setting the scene for an unacceptable betrayal of workers, Mr Ennis said.

Peter Burke TD

While doubling the Innovation Voucher Scheme from 5,000 to 10,000, an increased energy efficiency grant and raising the PRSI thresholds benefit small and medium employers, where stands this Government on its commitments to workers? The answer is it seems to plan to renege on them.

The Government recently committed to provide an additional 66 million in increased financial support for the business sector.

"This is being done while it simultaneously threatens to renege on its commitments that the National Minimum Wage will match the Living Wage by 2026 and that statutory sick pay coverage will increase in stages to ten days over the next eighteen months, Mr Ennis continued.

Such an approach seeks to undermine the work of the Low Pay Commission. The independence and authority of this Body should not be jeopardised in any way and it must be left to continue its work without fear of intervention.

"The Government must also reflect on why it had committed to improvements in statutory sick pay, which would bring this very limited scheme somewhat closer to that of most other EU states.

"The change was a recommendation of the Final Report of the Oireachtas Special Committee on Covid-19.

This cross-party Committee recognised the need for essential low-paid workers, such as those in the meat processing and food production sectors, to have adequate sick pay provision, Mr Ennis added.

The minimum wage in Ireland is currently 12.70 per hour.

The Living Wage is set at 14.80 - a wage that is considered high enough to maintain a normal standard of living, worked out by research from the charity Saint Vincent De Paul.

Ministerial salaries are currently set at 111,434.14, that works out at 54.95 per hour, which is well over four times the minimum wage.

The Government has said it expects to run a budget surplus of more than 8bn in 2024.

That is equivalent to almost 3pc of the national income, the third year in a row the government will have taken in more in taxes than it spends. The Government is planning on stashing this extra cash in a foreign wealth fund.
With the chill of winter starting to bite, health authorities are encouraging New Zealanders to prepare early for the colder months, so they stay healthy and well and avoid placing extra pressure on health services during the worst of the cold and flu season.

Dr Richard Sullivan, Chief Clinical Officer, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora says the whole system is ready to respond to the usual surge in demand that comes in the winter months, but people can help by taking action now, like getting vaccinated, preparing their homes and having a plan if they do become unwell.

There is often an increase in hospital admissions for respiratory infections and other illnesses in winter, and they spread easily as people spend more time indoors.

Dr Sullivan says being prepared can help prevent many of these winter ailments and reduce some of the impact on the health system.

There are some really easy things we can do to ensure ourselves and our loved ones stay well over winter. Check your childrens immunisations are up to date so we can reduce the spread of serious diseases; encourage older or unwell whanau to get a flu vaccination; get your prescriptions early if you have conditions that worsen over winter and ensure you have a plan should you get sick and need more medical support.

Dr Sullivan says the system is ready when that extra support is needed.

Winter is something we prepare for every year as a health system. We know it will be busier than usual and if people need us, we are ready to respond as are our colleagues right across the sector.

Local pharmacists are some of the health professionals gearing up for winter. They are a great first port of call if you start to feel unwell and need some advice.

Pharmacists can provide advice on a wide range of ailments, including cold and flu symptoms, many offer phone and in-person consultations, and some deliver vaccinations including flu and COVID-19. They also work closely with GPs to ensure repeat prescriptions are available.

For those with pre-existing health issues which tend to worsen over winter or people needing more complex medical support, reaching out to your GP or family doctor is a critical part of winter preparedness, says Dr Sarah Clarke, Health NZs Clinical Director for Primary and Community Care.

If you have conditions like asthma, COPD or other chronic diseases, make sure you make a plan with your GP practice for if you get sick and, most importantly, ensure you have enough medication to last you through the colder months.

Someone who cant access a GP or doesnt have one can talk to a Healthline nurse or paramedic for free anytime by calling 0800 611 116. This winter, Healthline is reminding people of the extended support available.

Our call volumes do increase during winter so if someone doesnt need help or advice straight away, we have a call back option. People can register on our website healthy.org.nz and one of the Healthline team will call them back, says Dr Ruth Large, Healthlines Chief Clinical Officer.

As part of being able to provide advice and information over the phone, our clinicians can also ask callers to share video and images to help support the advice, says Dr Large.

If you or a loved one does become dangerously unwell over winter, do not delay, call 111 for an ambulance or go to your nearest hospital ED or emergency clinic.

Dr Damian Tomic, Hato Hone St John Deputy Chief Executive Clinical Services, says, to help manage the increased demand thats expected over winter, HHSJ has developed a range of initiatives to treat patients in their home and utilise appropriate community pathways, and also direct the transport and flow of patients into emergency departments safely and effectively.

We remain focused on improving our clinical capabilities and how we integrate with the wider health sector to ensure we can be there for all New Zealanders when they need us most, says Dr Tomic.

I sincerely want to thank the many people who work across the health sector who are committed to providing safe and high-quality care for all New Zealanders, says Dr Sullivan.
A Holstein Friesian that sired more than 17,000 daughters and 90,000 granddaughters has been inducted into a bull Hall of Fame.

Animal genetics company Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) has a hall of fame to recognise bulls who have contributed significantly to the dairy industry.

The bull, named Farside M Illustrious S3F, was honoured at the corporations annual Breeders Day event, where the countrys top bull breeders convened to celebrate.

Illustrious sired a total of 17,313 daughters and over 90,000 granddaughters across New Zealand following his three seasons.

He also sired 33 sons that have been used for artificial breeding, with nine of these bulls following in their fathers footsteps by joining a Premier Sires team.

LIC livestock selection manager Simon Worth says Illustrious has well and truly lived up to his name.

Illustrious career as an artificial breeding bull has been full of achievements that have extended far beyond his retirement, he says.

His ability to help farmers breed outstanding cows that are efficient milk producers with quality udders makes him a standout.

Simon says Illustrious was predicted to be a star performer as a young bull.

Based on his DNA and ancestry, Illustrious ranked number one for genetic merit compared to his Holstein Friesian peers.

Fast forward to today, that prediction was spot-on, as Illustrious is recognised as the highest production bull used in the artificial breeding industry that year (2011).

Simon credits the bulls impressive parentage for his achievements.

Take a super cow family, combine it with another Hall of Fame legend in the form of Fairmont Mint-Edition, and you can see how a special recipe was created.

Its great to see that his daughters and sons have continued his legacy for him many years beyond his retirement, and its for this reason he is being recognised as the 60th animal to enter the Hall of Fame.

Illustrious' breeders, Jacki and Graeme Barr, were presented with the award at Livestock Improvement Corporation's annual Breeders' Day event. Photo / Stephen Barker.

This honour is shared with his breeders: Graeme and Jacki Barr from Tokoroa.

It is the first time the Barrs have had a bull inducted into the Hall of Fame.

They say they both are surprised and delighted.

We knew he was a good bull, Graeme says.

He did well in the LIC breeding programmes and in both the national and international market.

Illustrious is from one of my best cow families, his mum, known as No. 8 cow, had fantastic longevity, a superb udder, and always produced well.

Graeme highlights that this cow family is known for good temperament and easy to interact with, therefore, it's no surprise to Graeme that Illustrious is too.

I remember the Breeders Day we attended when Illustrious was in a Premier Sires team, one of the LIC team told me he had a great personality and was the easiest bull to work with.

Alongside Illustrious induction into the Hall of Fame, this years Breeders Day event also saw KiwiCross bull, Julian Tu-Meke, getting a special shout-out as the farm teams favourite bull.

Tu-Meke was selected for the award due to his good nature and readiness to work in the collection barn.

More about Farside M Illustrious S3F
Police are urging motorists to take care on the roads with bad weather after a crash on Cambridge Road in Tauriko.

There has been a two vehicle crash at the intersection of Cambridge Rd and SH 29 at 9:25am, says a police spokesperson.

"One person had minor injuries and one lane was initially blocked.

"Both vehicles have been towed.

Police urge motorists to drive to the conditions

"If it is raining increase your following distances, have your lights on, and slow down.

Keep safe on the roads by:

Slowing down and buckling up.

Driving to the conditions.

Keeping a safe following distance.

Saying patient on the roads and allowing extra time to get where you are going.

Delaying unnecessary travel if you can.

Turning your headlights on when visibility is poor.

"It only takes a second for things to go wrong, and Police want all motorists to get to their destination safely.

"Police want everyone on the roads to get home safely today, so remember to drive carefully and stay patient."
Taurangas former mayor Tenby Powell might run in this years election but hes waiting to see who he could be working alongside.

On July 20, the city will elect a mayor and nine councillors ending the commission's term.

The first-time mayor told local Democracy Reporting he ran in the 2019 election to break a stranglehold on a city that was 20 years behind in infrastructure, roading and civic amenity and ... housing".

After serving for a year, Powell resigned in November 2020 following his stage four prostate cancer diagnosis and called for a commission to be appointed.

Even before he resigned, there had been reports of in-fighting at the troubled council and name calling over text messages.

In August that year the council decided to appoint a Review and Observer Team to try to resolve the issue of elected member relationships.

More turbulence followed, resulting in the councillors being deposed by former Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta.

Mahuta appointed a four-person commission, which took over in February 2021, due to the "infighting, poor behaviour and not setting "realistic rates.

Powell says he asked for the commission.

"So I feel a huge responsibility now to ensure that I play a part going forward, potentially.

Tenby Powell at the Tauranga City Council swearing in ceremony in 2019. Photo: Daniel Hines/SunLive.

The commission's progression needed to continue so he was waiting to see who the candidates were before deciding to run, he says.

To stop the progress now would be an absolute travesty.

He says there are councillors who are running who would stop that progress.

If I was to run this time, it would be to be a part of a team that will continue doing the work that the commissioners have started.

Powell says he is also awaiting the results of a blood test to help inform his decision because he was still fighting cancer and wanted to ensure he could serve a full term.

Health first because without that I can't be any good to anyone really.

When asked how he would handle being elected alongside members of the previous council, Tenby replied:

If you want to vote for the guys that have held the city back, who have not had the courage to make the decisions that the commissioners have made, do not vote for me.

Powell says he would back Tina Salisbury, Heidi Hughes and Larry Baldock, who were members of the 2019 council and were running in this years election.

The election was being hailed by some as a return to democracy, he says

Tenby Powell in Izyum, Ukraine in 2022 as part of the aid work he started through his charity Kiwi K.A.R.E. Photo: Tenby Powell.

The reality is that the wishes of the majority of Tauranga residents over two decades have been trampled on by councillors," he says.

This is not a return to democracy at all in the sense that I believe the commissioners have been very democratic in their process.

After resigning, Powell took a year off to recover from cancer.

The former army colonel says he couldn't sit back and do nothing when war broke out in Ukraine.

He started Kiwi K.A.R.E, a volunteer organisation delivering humanitarian aid and medical treatment to Ukrainians impacted by the war.

Powell has spent around 14 months in the country since Russia invaded.

He says he feels a huge sense of responsibility to the operation running in Ukraine as well.

I've just got lots of decisions to make really, but I'm very vested... in Tauranga city.

Nominations for the election close at midday on May 24.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Waikato Police have this week executed a search warrant, taking into custody an alleged long-time mail thief.

A 28-year-old man is facing charges in relation to the suspected years-long mail-theft scheme.

Police allege he used it to access peoples personal information and create illegitimate documents.

These documents were allegedly used to apply for fraudulent loans and credit cards.

Hundreds of letters and documents were found at the Hamilton address and staff are now working to understand the extent of the offending.

We became aware of the offending after receiving a report from a person whose new credit card had seemingly never arrived; they knew something was wrong when that credit card started to tally up, and called Police, says Sergeant Michael Palmer.

The man in due to re-appear in Hamilton District Court on May 31.

This is a great result for the community and a timely reminder to the public to continue reporting any thefts from letterboxes.

We encourage anyone who has been the victim of dishonesty offending to report it as soon as possible, says Sergeant Palmer.

There are a number of actions people can take to protect themselves from mail theft, including sending parcels to a work address or ensuring you will be at home when they arrive.

Other top tips to reduce the risk of mail theft include:

 Clear your letterbox in a timely manner

 Put your mail delivery on hold if youre going away

 Provide clear delivery instructions for couriers to leave a package safely hidden or secured within your property

 Install security cameras and/or security camera messaging near your letterbox or the front of your property

 Where practical, consider click and collect over delivery

If you see any suspicious activity, such as unfamiliar people loitering around properties or looking in mailboxes, please contact Police immediately.

Police also encourage people to join a neighbourhood support group as it can be a good way to deter theft.

Suspicious activity can be reported to police on 111 if it is happening now, or 105 if it is after the fact.
The number of whanau turning to financial mentors for help is up 40 per cent in a year as they grapple with growing debt, a new report shows.

The second annual FinCap Voices report is laying out the financial wellbeing of those supported by financial mentors.

The 185 services across Aotearoa worked with 49,568 whanau in 2022, but that leapt to 69,807 in 2023, the report shows.

The median amount of debt owed by people seeking help increased to $14,096, up $429 from 2022.

While incomes increased last year, they were "cancelled out" by the cost of living crisis and people struggling to afford the basics like food, the report says.

"In Wellington and Auckland, we noticed a particular strain, with increases in weekly deficits and higher median debt amounts."

One Wellington-based financial mentor quoted in the report says it's not a cost of living crisis, but a "drowning in debt crisis".

Those facing the worst debt are Maori and Samoan clients, women and young people, the report finds.

Debt to banks and telecommunications companies increased "significantly", with people owing banks $311 million in 2023, up from $250 million the year prior.

Those with car loans are in a more difficult position, facing a $104 weekly deficit, compared to a $17 shortfall for other clients.

People owed government departments about $100 more in 2023 than they did in 2022, and there's an $180 increase in the amount of debt owed to councils.

And anecdotal evidence from financial mentors shows whanau are struggling with mental health.

Throughout the report, financial mentors explain the type of situations they are dealing with every day.

"My biggest concern is I am seeing clients that have a deficit even with very little debt. The cost of living is only increasing and I don't want to have to start telling clients to get a second or third job to be able to afford the essentials," says an Auckland financial mentor.

"Just the normal costs for any solo mother is basically outweighing their income and that's not always debt, it's not always anything in particular. It's just a whole heap of just basically not enough income for a family," says another.

A third says some of their clients can't eat if they can'tt go to the food bank.

The problems are down to a mix of poor financial literacy and the unmanageable cost of living, FinCap senior policy advisor Jake Lilley says.

"At times people might not have the financial literacy they need to keep a stable budget," he says.

"But at other times, someone's doing everything they can, and simply they just can't afford to make any mistakes at all.

"Or even if they don't make a single mistake, they're going to find themselves behind and unable to keep up with their expenses because cost of living's out of control and the cost of the debt that they've got is out of control."

More support for financial services needed - FinCap

The report comes as some budgeting advice and financial mentoring services are facing closure after missing out on the latest round of government funding.

Building Financial Services funding has dropped from $22.3 million last year to $19.5 million from July 1, due to the expiry of a time-limited cash boost during the pandemic, the Ministry of Social Development confirmed last week.

But Jake says they do vital work and need more support, not less.

"It's quite worrying some of the challenges financial mentors are facing right now, with some not knowing whether or not they have a job after July."

As well as more funding for the services, recommendations included increasing government benefits, continuing to develop safe lending laws, cracking down on irresponsible car lending, and improving access to quality housing.

-RNZ.
Bringing back the $5 co-payment for prescription medicines could see a jump in hospital admissions, a new study by New Zealand researchers says.

The Victoria University study of 71,502 people found those who did not pick up a prescription because they could not afford the $5 fee had a 34 per cent higher rate of being admitted to hospital.

Data was taken from New Zealand Health Surveys run between 2014 and 2019.

The study found nearly 6000 people in the sample reported not picking up a prescription in the previous year because they could not afford the $5 co-payment.

Among that group, 60 per cent were admitted to hospital during the study period, compared with 43 percent of those who were able to pay the fee.

Lead author Dr Mona Jeffreys acknowledges that there are a range of factors that led to people being admitted to hospital, but says the study had accounted for that.

"We didn't take anything else into account, just looking at whether or not they could afford a prescription," she says.

"My hope from this piece of research would be this would be taken as really good evidence to show that we should keep all prescriptions free for everybody."

Prescription charges also had a big impact on health equity, says Mona.

"For Maori, the prevalence or how common it is to not be able to afford a prescription is much, much higher. The impact of these prescription charges is much higher on Maori, on Pacific communities, on people living in deprived areas, on low income families."

The $5 prescription co-payment was removed on 1 July 2023. Prior to the 2023 election, the National Party announced it intended to reintroduce the co-payment, although the fee would not be charged to everyone.

In a statement, a spokesperson in the Minister of Health's office says re-introducing the co-payment in a targeted way will make sure that funds are freed up for other vital services, such as cancer care.

They say the Government has committed that the $5 prescription co-payment will remain free for people aged 65 and over and people on low incomes.

"These groups include some of the highest users of prescription medicine. By supporting Kiwis in most need, we will continue to help people stay well and out of hospital," says the spokesperson.

"The Ministry of Health is currently considering the policy approach to the $5 prescription co-payment in-line with the Government's commitment."

-RNZ.
The Board of Tauranga Boys College has apologised and refunded a former student more than $1000 after an Ombudsman decision found it was unreasonable the school charged him for official information relating to disgraced ex-teacher, the late Pinky Green.

Glenn Marshall was in Year 13 when he was propositioned by the English teacher for bondage in 1988.

He reported it, three other boys also came forward and Green resigned following an investigation.

He died in January 2022.

The college reviewed the case in 2021 after Marshall complained about how it had been handled and sought a public apology.

The review found its 1980s actions were appropriate for the time.

Marshall went to other authorities and media and in March 2022 the college made a public apology to all former students abused while in the colleges care.

Marshall has made dozens of requests to the school under the Official Information Act (OIA), which revealed the school spent $11,320.61 for external public relations services from March 2022 onwards relating to the Green case.

The college also said it spent $45,000 on legal costs responding to the OIA requests about Green.

Marshall complained to the Ombudsman about being charged $1094 to provide information he requested, and about the colleges part-refusal of his request for yearbook photos containing Green.

The school granted this in part by allowing Marshall to view a 1987 yearbook photo at the schools lawyers office.

The Ombudsmans decision

In a decision released on May 2, Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier said the colleges decision to charge Marshall for information relating to the Pinky Green matter was unreasonable.

Boshier said he had recommended the college revoke its charging decision and to refund Marshall $1094.

He also said the college should not have refused Marshalls yearbook photos request, and recommended the school apologise.

Former Tauranga Boys' College teacher Pinky Green. Photo / NZME.

Boshiers analysis said the yearbooks in question were publicly available at the Alexander Turnbull Library and the Tauranga Library also held a collection.

The yearbook photos were therefore in the public domain at the time the college refused to supply Marshall with copies.

Boshier said he had asked the school to notify him by May 16 what steps would be taken to give effect to his recommendations.

Marshall ecstatic at Ombudsman ruling

Marshall told the Bay of Plenty Times he was ecstatic at the Ombudsman ruling, as in his view, it set a precedent in terms of schools seeking to charge victims of historical sexual assaults to access related information.

In his view, being charged for his OIA showed a continuation of the moral bankruptcy from the school.

Former Tauranga Boys' College student Glenn Marshall. Photo / Warren Buckland.

Marshall said he made a special visit to the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington and discovered dozens of photos of Green from the early 1960s to 1987.

Tauranga Boys College responds

Tauranga Boys College principal Andrew Turner said the Board had apologised to Marshall and refunded him with interest as we agreed we would do.

The Board is fully committed to complying with the Ombudsmans recommendations. We are grateful for the guidance provided by the Ombudsman in dealing with these matters.

Turner said the decision to charge Marshall was based on the Ombudsmans advice in dealing with official information requests, where there was scope for an agency to charge a fee for the recovery of information.

Due to the number of requests we have received from Mr Marshall, now 45, and the extra administration required to fulfil these, a fee was charged.

The review of this was deemed unreasonable so the amount plus interest has been repaid.

Turner said the Board had always maintained this was a new and complex process and welcomed the advice and guidance from the Ombudsmans office.

This matter has been taken very seriously and considerable time and resources have been dedicated to responding to the range of requests Mr Marshall.

Editors note: Green was a former Bay of Plenty Times fishing columnist.

-Bay of Plenty Times.
One of the world's largest megayachts calls at Malaga port The Yas, with a length of 141 metres, belongs to the royal house of the United Arab Emirates and is moored in the security zone of the Levante dock

Ignacio Lillo Thursday, 16 May 2024 | Updated 17/05/2024 11:59h. Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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The last time it came to Malaga, in May 2023, the megayacht Yas was moored parallel to Muelle Uno (pier one). It is so big that it put a majority of the shops, bars and restaurants of this busy commercial and leisure area of Malaga city in the shade.

On this occasion, the floating colossus, one of the longest in the world at 141 metres, has been moored inside the safety zone of the Levante dock, given that the megayacht marina is at 100 per cent occupancy. It will therefore be difficult for yachting enthusiasts to see it.

Zoom

Although the purpose of the stopover in Malaga is unknown, and for how long, it was clear that some external work was being carried out on the exterior and communications systems by several operators, with the help of a lifting platform from the dock. Therefore, everything points to it being a technical stop.

The ship was initially built in 1978 as a frigate of the Dutch navy, the HNLMS Piet Hein. It was subsequently sold to the United Arab Emirates Navy for military use, and named Al Emirat, according to information available on various specialised nautical websites.

Between 2011 and 2015, the frigate underwent a complete refit at ADM shipyards in Abu Dhabi to become today's private superyacht Yas. Its exterior is striking not only for its size, but also for the distinctive sky-blue colour of its decks and its large glass front window. It can accommodate more than 60 passengers and 56 crew. Among its main features, it has a heliport, several swimming pools, a spa and, above all, the most advanced high-tech navigation and safety systems.

The boat belongs to Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, so it can be considered the official yacht of the Emirati crown. Known as Fazza, the 41-year-old prince is very active on social media, where he has more than 12 million followers. His snapshots give an insight into his day-to-day luxury life in Dubai.
Fayetteville, N.Y.  A dental hygienist was arrested Monday after stolen dental equipment from their job was found inside her home, police said.

Christina Mannise, 41, of Salina, was arrested after her employer at Kevin Sorge Dental Office in Fayetteville discovered equipment was missing, Manlius Police Department said in a news release Tuesday.

Her employer told police about the missing equipment after conducting an internal investigation of the dental practice at 304 S. Manlius St., police said.

After launching their own criminal investigation, police said they found Mannise selling and posting multiple pieces of stolen equipment on eBay. One of the items was a dental handpiece, said Sgt. Kenneth Hatter, a spokesperson for Manlius Police.

Mannise started taking equipment from the office in October 2023, he said.

A search warrant was issued for Mannises home where two pieces of stolen dental equipment were recovered, police said.

Mannise is accused of stealing more than $3,000 in dental equipment. She was charged with third-degree grand larceny.

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.
Four legends of a music genre that began in the urban environment of New York City are headed upstate for a concert in a much more rural setting.

The Sugarhill Gang, Furious 5, Slick Rick and Rakim will perform Sunday, June 9, at Lincoln Hill Farms in Canandaigua, N.Y. Doors for the throwback hip-hop party open at 4 p.m., show begins at 5.
The New York state Department of Transportation has awarded the third of eight contracts to rebuild Interstate 81 through Syracuse - the largest transportation project in state history.

A group called Salt City Constructors LLC has won the $218.9 million bid, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday.

The state rejected the first round of bids on the third contract in December because they all exceeded the states estimated costs, officials said.

The entire project to tear down the elevated highway in downtown and rebuild Interstate 481 around the city is expected to cost $2.25 billion.

Salt City Constructors also won the bid for the first contract - worth $296.4 million - and started work last year in the northern suburbs, where I-81 meets Interstate 481 north of Syracuse. The second contract rebuilds the sourthern interchange with I-481. CNY Alliance won that $384.5 million contract and has also started construction.

Those contracts are intended to improve I-481 to handle more traffic before the state tears down the 1.4-mile elevated highway in downtown Syracuse. I-481 will be renamed I-81.

The third contract covers work from Destiny USA to downtown.

The state plans to fix exits, entrances and bridges over the highway. State officials also plan to spend significant energy to make city streets near the Inner Harbor more appealing for drivers who wont need to use the highway for a short trip. Bike paths and pedestrian walkways will make it easier for North Side residents to cross the bridges to reach the mall or the Inner Harbor.

The work in the Inner Harbor and on the North Side of Syracuse will move the city one step closer to reconnecting neighborhoods wrongly ripped apart generations ago, Hochul said in a news release.

The state plans to close several on- and off-ramps and build a new highway access point at the Bear Street bridge. Four bridges over the highway will be replaced. Those are at Bear, Court, Spencer and Butternut streets.

Work on the third contract is expected to begin soon and end in October 2026.

The Salt City Constructors team includes Lancaster Development and Tully Construction, doing business as L&T Construction; D.A. Collins Construction Co. and Cold Spring Construction Co.

Lancaster is a highway construction firm based in Richmondville, NY. The company has handled projects across Upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania. Recent projects include a $44 million pavement rehabilitation and bridge replacement on I-90 in Albany and the removal of two bridges over Albany-Shaker Road on I-87.

D.A. Collins Construction Co., Inc. is based in Wilton and Middletown, NY. An iconic project is the Twin Bridges on I-87 over the Mohawk River between Albany and Saratoga Counties.

Cold Spring Construction Co., Inc. has worked on the Route 5 Skyway in Buffalo, the I-390/490 interchange in Rochester and jobs in Weedsport and the Southern Tier.

The maps below show work on the third contract.

Below: The red box outlines the states plans to build a new exit and entrance for access to Destiny USA and the Inner Harbor and the North Side. Southbound drivers will enter and exit the highway at North Clinton Street. This work is scheduled as part of the third contract, expected to start next year. New northbound on- and off-ramps are planned for Bear Street as part of the seventh contract, starting in 2026 and ending in late 2028.

Below: The state plans to close the ramps outlined in red between Destiny USA and the mall. That includes the southbound on- and off-ramps at Genant Street; the northbound on- and off-ramps at Sunset Avenue and the State Street ramp to northbound 81.

The southbound ramps are part of the third contract. The northbound ramps are part of the seventh contract.

Below: Between the mall and downtown, the state plans to replace four bridges over the highway. New bridges at Bear, Court, Spencer and Butternut streets are circled in red. They are designed with sidewalks, giving people on the North Side safer access to the Inner Harbor. The bridges at Bear, Court and Spencer streets are part of the third contract. The Butternut Street Bridge work is in the seventh contract.

Below: The stretch of North Clinton Street in the red box will be lined with shared-use bike and pedestrian paths to be built off the street and buffered by trees. There will also be new street parking. The hope is that drivers will use this route instead of the highway to get from downtown to the Inner Harbor or Destiny USA. That is how the concept of a community grid works.

Contact Michelle Breidenbach | mbreidenbach@syracuse.com | 315-470-3186.
Hunters in New York harvested 209,781 deer during the 2023-24 hunting seasons, according to figures released last week by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Specifically, hunters last season took 112,224 antlered bucks, and 97,557 antlerless deer. Compared to the previous season, thats a 3.6 percent decrease in antlered buck harvest statewide, and a steep 15.6 percent decrease in antlerless deer.

Nearly 70 percent of the bucks harvested last season were older deer, at least two-and-a-half years old, DEC said. Thats nearly five times as many mature bucks than were harvested in 1969 when the agency first began monitoring the age structure of New Yorks deer herd.

This chart shows the adult buck harvest density across the state for the 2023-24 hunting season. Central Adirondacks has the lowest harvest density; western Finger Lakes and Allegheny Plateau have the highest.NYSDEC

Decreased antlerless take concerning

DEC welcomed the increased take of older bucks, which commissioner Sean Mahar attributed to the agencys successful campaign to encourage hunters to pass up young bucks. But the fifteen percent decrease in antlerless deer is concerning, DEC stated in a press release.

In recent years, DEC has encouraged hunters to take more antlerless deer in order to maintain balance between whitetail populations and available habitat, as well as to reduce crop damage and vehicle collisions. Harvesting antlerless deer also helps with antler development, fawn recruitment, and body growth, DEC said.

In some areas of the state, however, hunters simply arent shooting enough antlerless deer to manage deer populations effectively, DEC said.

Deer harvest by region

The highest deer harvest densities were documented in the Western Finger Lakes region and Central Appalachian Plateau. Hunters harvested more than 10 deer per square mile in WMUs 8H, 8M, 8N, 8R, 8T, 8X, and 9Y, with more than 15 deer harvested per square mile in WMU 8R.

Still, more antlerless deer need to be harvested in some of these units to meet DECs population management goals.

Areas of the state where hunters need to harvest more antlerless deer to keep deer populations in check include WMUs 1C, 3M, 3R, 3S, 4J, 6P, 7F, 7H, 7J, 8A, 8C, 8F, 8G, 8H, 8J, 8R, 8S, 9A, and 9F.

DEC is evaluating various regulatory and non-regulatory alternatives to boost the antlerless deer harvest in future seasons. Meanwhile, the agency encourages all deer hunters in the WMUs to harvest at least one antlerless deer during the upcoming 2024-25 deer hunting season.

This chart shows the antlerless deer harvest density across NY state for the 2023-24 hunting season. The highest densities are concentrated in the western parts of the state.NYSDEC

Deer disease monitoring

Throughout the 2023-24 deer hunting seasons, DEC staff and cooperating taxidermists collected biological samples from 2,713 deer to check for Chronic Wasting Disease. No samples tested positive. DEC reminds hunters to remain vigilant to keep CWD out of New York.

Additionally, DEC didnt document any outbreaks of epizootic hemorrhagic disease in that states deer herd in 2023.

2023-24 deer season by the numbers

15.8 and 0.6  number of deer taken per square mile in the units with the highest (WMU 8R) and lowest (WMU 5F) harvest density.

67.9 percent  portion of the buck harvest that was at least two-and-a-half years old, up from 45 percent a decade ago, and up 30 percent from the 1990s.

49.9 percent  portion of successful deer hunters who reported their kill as required by law. This is slightly above the five-year average of 48.6 percent.

Approximately 1.7 percent  the margin of error of DECs deer harvest estimate.

13,638  number of deer checked by DEC staff to determine hunter reporting rate and collect biological data (age, sex, antler size).

2,713  deer tested for CWD. None tested positive. DEC has tested more than 65,000 deer for CWD since 2002.

Deer harvest data comes from two main sources: harvest reports, which are required within a week of the kill, and examinations of deer at meat processors and check stations. DEC cross-references these two sources and calculates the total harvest from the reporting rate for each zone and tag type.

Check out DECs 2023-24 Deer Harvest Summary report for more detail.



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Steve Featherstone covers the outdoors for The Post Standard, syracuse.com and NYUP.com. Contact him at sfeatherstone@syracuse.com or on Twitter @featheroutdoors. You can also follow along with all of our outdoors content at newyorkupstate.com/outdoors/ or follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/upstatenyoutdoors.
By Molly Burke | Times Union, Albany

Albany, N.Y.  Before heading Tuesday to the Capitol to rally with lawmakers to push for the passage of bills aimed at rescuing emergency medical services providers, Jeffrey Call delivered a baby.

Call, general manager of Guilfoyle Ambulance Service in Jefferson County and past chair of the United New York Ambulance Network, asked lawmakers to pass a package of seven bills in the final weeks of the legislative session to update an antiquated model that is detrimental to patients, ambulance service providers and the health care system as a whole.

We are used to EMS rescuing us, and they have come together and appealed to us that they need rescuing, state Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo said.

Lupardo and 13 other lawmakers are sponsoring legislation that would increase funding for providers and incentivize volunteers to continue working for EMS providers.

One bill would increase the rate of reimbursement under Medicaid to more closely approximate the cost of providing the service, according to a statement from the state Association of Counties. Steve Kroll, legislative chair of the state Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Association, said providers are losing money when providing care to Medicaid recipients, which make up about half of the state population.

Kroll said the vast majority of their funding comes from reimbursement from privately insured patients, as well as donations and government support.

The package also includes legislation that would authorize reimbursement for treatment provided at the site of the emergency that does not result in a patient being transported to a hospital  care that is not reimbursed under Medicaid.

Kroll said that he recently treated a diabetic man who had his blood sugar drop by getting him some food to eat and caring for him on-site.

He didnt need to go sit in the emergency room for a couple hours. He needed just to get treated, so we sat with him, Kroll said. We spent 90 minutes with him and we got paid zero. We would have gotten paid more if we just took him to the hospital, but then hed sit in a waiting room. Hed have to wait hours to be seen.

Kroll said allowing reimbursement for treatment without transportation to a hospital will also relieve pressure on overburdened emergency rooms, as well as saving money by avoiding unnecessary hospital visits and bills.

Other elements of the package would allow for special taxing districts to be created to fund EMS and would remove providers from the states real property tax cap in efforts to allow municipalities to increase funding for agencies and companies providing services.

The package of legislation comes after the March release of an audit from the office of the state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli detailing the need for government intervention to help local emergency medical services agencies, who are dealing with a worker shortage and inadequate funding.

Legislators supporting the Rescue EMS package said the proposed changes will promote recruitment and retention of employees, as well as increasing funding to providers.

DiNapolis audit noted that the number of active EMS workers in New York fell from more than 40,000 in 2019 to 33,000 by 2022  a 17.5 percent drop. The report said agencies are also dealing with declines in volunteers. Some EMS agencies said difficulties in recruiting qualified staff and low pay for emergency medical workers compared to other health care and public safety professions are attributing to the staffing shortfalls.

New York has almost 1,000 EMS agencies, including 487 volunteer-led providers and 194 paid-worker providers, while 308 agencies use a combination of both, the audit said. Nearly 64 percent of the agencies are run by corporations, while almost 35 percent are operated by municipalities.

Assemblywoman Didi Barret, who is sponsoring a bill in the package that would allow volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers to claim both state income and local property tax credits, pointed out that more than 100,000 volunteer firefighters serve New York and save taxpayers $5 billion annually. Other legislation in the package would increase current income tax credits from $200 to $800 for individuals and $400 to $1,600 for eligible married joint tax filers.

Another piece of the package would provide free E-ZPasses to emergency medical services providers rather than having providers pay tolls and apply for reimbursement, as is currently the case.

Kroll is hopeful the whole package of seven bills passes in the remaining 13 days of legislative session.

Ambulance providers had a legislative win last year, with lawmakers unanimously passing the Direct Pay bill that mandates that health insurance companies send reimbursement directly to emergency medical services providers, rather than to patients. The bill was signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in November.

___

(c)2024 the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.)

Visit the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.) at www.timesunion.com
Washington  Syracuse native Joe Guy, the former top aide to Rep. Brandon Williams, has landed a new job with a group thats helping to pay the legal bills of Donald Trumps co-defendants in an election interference case in Georgia.

Guy, 31, is director of development at the nonprofit Personnel Policy Operations, according to an op-ed he posted on the pro-Trump website The Federalist.
kai Newbie

Join Date: Jan 2024 Location: WB 24 Posts: 7 Thanked: 51 Times

Half a decade with my R15 Version 3 and upgrading to the new Aprilia RS 457 Hello to all the readers and members of team-BHP, this being my first article on the forum, Ive decided to share a part of my life with you.



Winding the clock back to 2018, we hadnt heard about COVID, life was much simpler, I was in my final year of my university life and my love for sports motorcycles peaked.



September, 2018.



Back in the day, there were not as many options for fared sports motorcycles in the 150-200cc segment as there are today. By the time I decided I wanted a Yamaha and nothing else, a month had already elapsed. I became utterly impatient. To add more fuel in my fire, I would see hoardings, banners, advertisements and whatnot of the newly launched Yamaha R15 version 3. The first proper face-lifted version of the older generation R15 version 2.

And it was a lot more than just a mere facelift. I am not going to rant about the spec-sheet figures here, but for all the enthusiasts that would know, the non-ABS version of the YZF R15 version 3 (2018) had 19.6 bhp and 14.7nm of torque had the highest performance figures to date among any R15 ever. I had enough, I did not take a test-ride of the bike even though it was available and I left it on my luck. (Absolutely not recommended)



A couple of weeks later, I went into my local Yamaha dealership (Aquad Yamaha, Kolkata) to enquire about the motorcycle and they said it was readily available and they could deliver it the same day of payment. I was smiling ear to ear hearing that.



The very next day, I went and got myself my first brand-new motorcycle for only 1.51 Lakh on-road, the price back then unlike now, justified itself. I named him KAI. I was only a very new rider back then, having got my two-wheeler license four months prior.



Ive happily covered over 45 thousand kilometres. Most of which has been on highways and touring.

As I did not stay in India for much long after the purchase not for once did the thought of selling the motorcycle come to my mind, not even today, every-time Id come back home Id get all excited to take KAI out for a spin and it would make me happy instantly.



Key points in looking after Kai over the years:



Choosing the correct grade of engine oil. By default, the R15 comes with 10w40 grade engine oil, which unless required should not be changed. My observations of changing the engine oil grade factored on the weather and climate Id be travelling in. Personally, it helped a lot over the years.



Choosing the correct tyres, remember folks, wider isnt always better. It originally came with MRF zapper tyres, which were absolutely shocking, to say the least. Finding the correct balance between two tyres is of utmost importance. Right now I am running on a combination of 150/60 R17 Michelin Road 5 on the rear, perhaps the best tyre Ive ever used and 100/80 R17 Maxxis M6311, this was a gamble I took but so far it has worked wonders for me.



Always filling with the highest octane fuel, RON91+ this has helped me not only to get a higher mileage but it has such a subtle yet noticeable difference on performance. If you have a fuel-injected combustion system, please use high-octane fuel.



Periodic servicing from an authorised service centre, for its entire life Kai has never seen a local service centre for any issues whatsoever. Ive always preferred the Yamaha servicing quality and it has never let me down.



The only major mishap that Ive had with Kai happened last year in August, while I was on my way home from a friend's house, my chain snapped while I was downshifting. The whole motorcycle ceased right in the middle of the road, with the chain sprocket bent, the chain tangled and the clutch stuck.

It was completely my fault for downshifting too rapidly and I could only blame myself. Thankfully the RSA helped me a lot in getting it to the service centre. I had to change my clutch plates, clutch wire the whole chain sprocket. Dented my pocket quite a bit but thats all that I have suffered on this motorcycle and it has been utterly reliable throughout everything else.



Choosing the Aprilia RS457:



Moving to 2023, I was itching for an upgrade, this time a lot wiser, and a lot more patient. I wanted to explore more options as I could stretch my budget a lot more. As were my preferences 5 years ago, it was no different though, it had to be a fared sports motorcycle.



I narrowed down my options as I wanted a twin-cylinder motorcycle this time, no questions asked. The two Ninjas the 300/400 and the biblically priced R3.



I did a test ride on the Ninja 400, which I loved, it is such a no-nonsense motorcycle, nothing fancy, nothing too electrical, just raw, rugged dependable machinery. I was almost certain Id buy this motorcycle, I was already in talks with the Kawasaki showroom in Kolkata and they gave me an estimated waiting period of 20 days.



The glooming clouds of an Aprilia motorcycle in the Indian market finally decided to rain. Then came the big reveal and price drop of the Aprilia, and boy-oh-boy it looked gorgeous. The Italians and their styling never fail to impress. I immediately decided to hold my bucks and stepped a foot back asking Kawasaki to not bring the vehicle immediately. I had already paid an advance to them. A week or two passed by and Id occasionally get calls from the Kawasaki dealership regarding my purchase. I would just fend them off sighting some financial crisis. Until one day I called them up asking to cancel the purchase as I would not be going ahead with it.



I was in deep waters by now. Held my nerves for a month more, contemplating if I was doing the right thing or not.

On December 15th 2023 came my day, Aprilia opened their online bookings and I was right onto it. Paid INR 10k and got it booked. I received a mail from Aprilia confirming the same.



That was it. At least for the next 4 months. I heard nothing from the official Aprilia team or my local Vespa/Aprilia dealership. On the 20th of April, I finally got a call saying, the showroom had my vehicle and upon payment, I could get it within the next couple of days. Tragedy struck as I was outside India when I received this call. I managed to get back in the country by 24th April and visit the showroom the very next day.



After all the paperwork and payments, I decided to take delivery of my motorcycle on the 13th of May 2024. (A special day for me). The dealership obliged my request. I got to know I was the first owner of the RS 457 in Kolkata. On the day of delivery, I was almost in tears, the gamble I took six months ago paid off. Looking at that beautiful Italian motorcycle in all its glory. To name it right, I call her Sno. Point to remember, I had not test-ridden this motorcycle either. I am glad I did not, the moment I sat on it to ride it back home, I dont think Ive felt any happier. The sound, the refinement, the road presence. It had everything. Yet to get its first service done. Ive covered approximately 400 km so far within the city. Ill keep the ownership review for another article.



Until then, ride hard and ride safe.

-BikramK signing off! Attached Thumbnails



















Last edited by Axe77 : 29th May 2024 at 05:09 . Reason: Formatting edits.
Cat-phishing, using a popular Microsoft file transfer tool to become a network parasite, and bogus invoicing are among the notable techniques cybercriminals deployed during the first three months of this year, according to the quarterly HP Wolf Security Threat Insights Report released Thursday.

Based on an analysis of data from millions of endpoints running the companys software, the report found digital desperadoes exploiting a type of website vulnerability to cat-phish users and steer them to malevolent online locations. Users are first sent to a legitimate website, then redirected to the malicious site, a tactic that makes it difficult for the target to detect the switch.

Open redirect vulnerabilities can be fairly common and are easy to exploit, noted Erich Kron, security awareness advocate at KnowBe4, a security awareness training provider in Clearwater, Fla.

The power in them falls back to the cybercriminals favorite tool, deception, he told TechNewsWorld. The open redirect allows bad actors to use a legitimate URL to redirect to a malicious one by crafting the link in the message to include a part at the end of the URL, which is rarely checked by people, that takes the user to the malicious site, even if they know enough to hover over the link.

While the URL in the browser will show the site the person is redirected to, the victim is less likely to check it after believing they have already clicked a legitimate link, he explained.

It is common to teach people to hover over links to make sure they appear legitimate, he added, but they should also be taught to always review the URL in the browser bar before entering any sensitive information such as passwords, PII, or credit card numbers.

Email continues to be a primary delivery mechanism of attachment-based redirects, noted Patrick Harr, CEO of SlashNext, a network security company in Pleasanton, Calif. But, he told TechNewsWorld, we are also seeing delivery of these attachments outside of email in Slack, Teams, Discord and other messaging apps with obfuscated file names that look real.

Exploiting BITS

Another notable attack identified in the report is using the Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) to perform living off the land forays on an organizations systems. Because BITS is a tool used by IT staff to download and upload files, attackers can use it to avoid detection.

Ashley Leonard, CEO of Syxsense, a global IT and security solutions company, explained that BITS is a component of Windows designed to transfer files in the background using idle network bandwidth. Its commonly used to download updates in the background, ensuring a system stays up to date without disrupting work or for cloud synchronization, enabling cloud storage applications like OneDrive to sync files between a local machine and the cloud storage service.

Unfortunately, BITS can also be used in nefarious ways, as noted in the Wolf HP report, Leonard told TechNewsWorld. Malicious actors can use BITS for a number of activities  to exfiltrate data, for command-and-control communications or persistence activities, such as executing malicious code to entrench themselves more deeply into the enterprise.

Microsoft doesnt recommend disabling BITS because of its legitimate uses, he said, But there are ways enterprises can protect themselves against malicious actors exploiting it. Those include:

Use network monitoring tools to detect unusual BITS traffic patterns, such as large amounts of data being transferred to external servers or suspicious domains.

Configure BITS to allow only authorized applications and services to use it and block any attempts by unauthorized processes to access BITS.

Segregate critical systems and data from less sensitive areas of the network to limit the lateral movement of attackers in case of a compromise.

Keep all systems up to date with the latest patches and security updates to fix any known vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers.

Utilize threat intelligence feeds to stay informed about the latest tactics, techniques, and procedures cyberattackers use, and proactively adjust security controls accordingly.

RAT in the Invoice

The HP Wolf report also found network marauders hiding malware inside HTML files masquerading as vendor invoices. Once opened in a web browser, the files unleash a chain of events that deploy the open-source malware AsyncRAT.

The advantage of hiding malware in HTML files is that attackers rely on interacting with their target in most cases, said Nick Hyatt, director of threat intelligence at Blackpoint Cyber, a provider of threat hunting, detection, and response technology, in Ellicott City, Md.

By hiding malware in a fake invoice, an attacker is likely to get a user to click on it to see what the invoice is for, he told TechNewsWorld. This, in turn, gets the user interacting and increases the chance for successful compromise.

While targeting companies with invoice lures is one of the oldest tricks in the book, it can still be very effective and lucrative.

Employees working in finance departments are used to receiving invoices via email, so they are more likely to open them, HP Wolf Principal Threat Researcher Patrick Schlapfer said in a statement. If successful, attackers can quickly monetize their access by selling it to cybercriminal brokers or by deploying ransomware.

The escalating threat landscape posed by highly evasive browser-based attacks is yet another reason organizations must prioritize browser security and deploy proactive cybersecurity measures, added Patrick Tiquet, vice president for security and architecture at Keeper Security, a password management and online storage company, in Chicago.

The rapid surge in browser-based phishing attacks, especially those employing evasive tactics, highlights the urgent need for enhanced protection, he told TechNewsWorld.

Less Than Impervious Gateway Scanners

Another report finding was that 12% of email threats identified by HP Wolfs software had bypassed one or more email gateway scanners.

Email gateway scanners can be a helpful tool to eliminate the common types of email threats. However, they are far less effective at more targeted attacks, such as spearphishing or whaling, observed KnowBe4s Kron.

Email scanners, even ones that use AI, are typically looking for patterns or keywords or will look for threats in attachments or URLs, he continued. If the bad actors use non-typical tactics, the filters may miss them.

There is a fine line between filtering out threats and blocking legitimate email messages, he said, and in most cases, the filters will be set to being more conservative and less likely to cause problems by stopping important communication.

He acknowledged that email gateway scanners, even with their flaws, are vital security controls, but he asserted that it is also critical that employees be taught how to spot and quickly report attacks that make it through.

Bad actors are getting creative in designing email campaigns that bypass traditional detection mechanisms, added Krishna Vishnubhotla, vice president of product strategy at Zimperium, a mobile security company based in Dallas.

Organizations must protect their employees from phishing links, malicious QR codes, and malicious attachments in these emails across all legacy and mobile endpoints, he said.
There are three types of core device features Google Play services provides:

Security and reliability

Google Play services helps to ensure the security and reliability of an Android device, and keep devices updated with the latest security features. This includes:

Google Play Protect, which can warn users if an app contains known malware.

Identification and validation of secure connections, such as allowing a device to safely and automatically recognize and connect to other devices, or share files or apps with Android devices nearby.

Protection of apps from fraud and security threats through SafetyNet.

End to end encrypted backup of your data when users have a lock screen passcode.

Management and protection of your passwords.

Developer APIs

Google Play services provides developers thousands of continually updated APIs that enable them to deliver high-quality experiences in their apps, such as:

Streaming media using Google Cast.

Integrating Google Maps to enhance app functionality.

Providing accurate location information through the fused location provider when apps have permission to access location.

Enabling services that allow developers to build advertising constructs according to user and app settings.

Sending timely notifications via a messaging transport layer.

Core device services

Google Play services enables core services on Android devices. For example:

When users make an emergency call to a supported emergency number, Google helps local emergency services directly receive the device's location.

Google's autofill services help users save time and reduce typing errors.

Nearby Share allows users to send and receive files with their contacts or anonymously.

Find My Device makes it easy to locate, lock, or wipe a lost device.

Fast Pair makes it easy to connect Bluetooth accessories using your Google account.

Additionally, when a user signs into their Google account on their device, they are able to update their Google settings, manage the security of their account, and sync important data, such as their Google Contacts, across devices.
A hot potato: Forget about Intel vs. AMD and Apple vs. Microsoft, the biggest, most intense public rivalry in the tech world right now is between messaging platforms Telegram and Signal. The latest attack came from Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, who suggested Signal was not secure and accused it of having ties to the US government.

Writing on his own Telegram channel, Durov said that Twitter founder Jack Dorsey had uncovered that the leaders of Signal are activists used by the US State Department.

did not know this https://t.co/J2pXKSrRJE  jack (@jack) May 7, 2024

Durov also claims that a number of people's private Signal messages have been used against them in US courts or media. He adds that Signal isn't as transparent about its code as Telegram, and suggests that the app is insecure.

Durov appears to be getting his information from a City Journal report, which Dorsey shared on X. It notes that Signal was initially partly funded by a $3 million grant from the government-sponsored Open Technology Fund (OTF).

The article states that insiders have argued OTF and the US intelligence community have a close relationship. It also highlights the Signal Foundation's current chairman Katherine Maher, who worked for the National Democratic Institute from 2010 to 2011, calling her an "agent of regime change" during the Arab Spring.

"The US government spent $3 million to build Signal's encryption, and today the exact same encryption is implemented in WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Google Messages and even Skype," the Telegram boss said. "It looks almost as if big tech in the US is not allowed to build its own encryption protocols that would be independent of government interference."

Elon Musk seemed to be on the side of Telegram in this fight. The X owner responded to Journal article with, "There are known vulnerabilities with Signal that are not being addressed. Seems odd." Readers have added context notes warning that there is no evidence of this.

There are known vulnerabilities with Signal that are not being addressed. Seems odd   Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 6, 2024

Meredith Whittaker, president of Signal, responded to Musk's post with a long message about Signal's security and disclosure practices. It starts with, "we don't have evidence of extant vulnerabilities, and haven't been notified of anything."

Some say Telegram is amplifying this war against Signal to move attention away from its own security shortcomings, especially in light of a possible IPO.

"Telegram by contrast does not end-to-end encrypt conversations by default," wrote Johns Hopkins' associate cryptography professor Matthew Green. He also said the reason iOS users can't reproduce versions of Signal, something Durov complained about, is due to Apple making this difficult, mostly because apps are encrypted.

Telegram by contrast does not end-to-end encrypt conversations by default. Unless you manually start an encrypted "Secret Chat", all of your data is visible on the Telegram server. Given who uses Telegram, this server is probably a magnet for intelligence services. 3/  Matthew Green (@matthew_d_green) May 12, 2024

Green also said calling Telegram more secure than Signal is like "promoting ketchup as better for your car than synthetic motor oil. Telegram isn't a secure messenger, full stop."
In brief: With tensions between China and the US continuing to escalate as Washington bans more tech exports, Microsoft is asking some of its cloud computing and AI staff based in the Asian nation to consider relocating to another country.

Microsoft is offering about 700 to 800 people  mostly Chinese engineers  involved in cloud computing and machine learning areas if they would like to relocate from China to countries including the US, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, according to the Wall Street Journal's unnamed sources.

The WSJ writes that Microsoft employs around 7,000 engineers for its Asia-Pacific research-and-development group, most of whom are based in China. Microsoft says that China is the home of its largest R&D center outside of the US.

"Providing internal opportunities is a regular part of managing our global business. As part of this process, we shared an optional internal transfer opportunity with a subset of employees," a Microsoft spokesperson told Reuters.

The US has spent the last two years restricting the export of advanced chips and chip-making equipment to China. Washington has repeatedly introduced new rules to prevent its rival from acquiring Nvidia's AI accelerators, citing fears they could be used for military purposes. The H800 and A800 chips, made specifically to comply with previous rules for selling to China, were restricted for export to the country last October, as was the RTX 4090. The situation has led to resellers salvaging chips from server products and selling them to Chinese entities.

The US has restricted the export of American-made chipmaking tools to China, too, while also encouraging the Netherlands and Japan to follow suit.

Earlier this week, the Biden administration increased tariffs on several Chinese imports. It doubled the tariffs applied to imported Chinese semiconductors, raising them from 25% to 50%, a move it says promotes the sustainability of CHIPS Act investments.

Washington's next step appears to be the introduction of guardrails around advanced AIs like ChatGPT, restricting the export of proprietary or closed-source AI models to China. There have long been fears that adversarial nations could use generative AI for everything from improving hacking and misinformation campaigns, the latter of which we're already seeing, to creating biological weapons.
When a customer strolls into a store to pick out a new shirt, they play multiple roles. They are the buyer and the user all rolled into one, as they decide what to buy, how to pay for it, and where to wear it. This process is relatively straightforward when just one person is involved.

However, the sales journey gets more intricate in B2B decision-making. Here, the end user, the buyer, and the seller are distinct individuals, with numerous influencers shaping the final decision. Research has shown that between six to ten individuals are typically involved in B2B sales decision-making.

The success of a deal hinges on pinpointing and engaging with the right person. Yet, with so many stakeholders in the mix, each one plays a different role and enters the picture at various stages of the purchasing process. While having too many hands on deck can often complicate matters, each individual typically has a valid reason for being a part of the buying journey.

So, how can sellers guarantee they are connecting with key decision-makers?

To streamline the complexities of stakeholder involvement in buyer-led sales, Aligned, the digital customer collaboration platform, has introduced two AI features to enhance the purchasing process. The platform ensures all parties can access resources within a shared workspace instead of navigating multiple email threads, attachments, and tools.

With "buyer enablement" gaining traction in B2B sales, customers are better equipped with the knowledge and tools to make informed decisions. Aligned's AI features ensure all stakeholders have access to necessary information whenever needed, keeping them accountable and involved during all aspects of the buying journey.

The two AI tools elevate Aligned's core offerings by facilitating smoother communication between buyers and sellers while strengthening stakeholder collaboration. These features include:

AI-Assist: This feature acts as a buyer's co-pilot, answering inquiries within Aligned Digital Sales rooms based on shared data, enhancing the buying experience while increasing engagement. By helping sellers avoid being "ghosted" and having minimal influence in the sales process, this feature allows them to guide the buyer's journey without being overbearing. By intelligently sorting and organizing data, buyers can access crucial information tailored to their needs and stages in the buying process.

AI-Insights: This tool provides smart deal analysis, leveraging data from interactions within Aligned rooms, emails, CRM data, and self-service interactions. It enhances deal management and forecasting, aligning with the shift toward data-driven sales by analyzing unseen aspects of the buying process.

Aligned's AI-powered tools guarantee prospective buyers instant access to real-time answers, leveraging the shared information sellers provide. The feature logs and analyzes questions and interactions, offering sellers valuable insights into the buyer and the reasoning behind their decisions. Through these insights, Aligned also provides internal sales advocates with the information they require to maintain momentum throughout the sales process.

Rather than leaving buyers in the dark during seller downtime, Aligned's AI offerings empower buyers to experience a self-service journey, with sellers maintaining influence over certain aspects of the sales landscape. This helps meet buyer demand for sellers who provide concrete added value to the sales process, rather than hovering over them throughout decision-making.

Gal Deitsch, Aligned's CPO and Co-Founder, says: "The truth is that most buyers' journeys unfold independently with minimal involvement from sellers. Recognizing this reality, our goal is to seamlessly integrate advanced AI technologies that empower sellers by elevating the experiences they can offer buyers, even in their absence. By integrating these two distinct AI features, we are confident we can provide buyers and sellers with more efficient and streamlined processes."

A sales journey involving several stakeholders without access to essential information jeopardizes the final result of a deal. However, by enhancing the buyer experience and arming all contributors with the relevant facts to make informed decisions, sellers can accelerate success and drive a favorable outcome for all parties involved.
Google is introducing new rules for app development that accommodate different screen sizes and shapes as part of its efforts to make it easier for gamers and streaming app developers to bring new apps to Android Auto and vehicles with built-in Google software.

Google is starting a car-ready app initiative to speed up in-car platform approvals. With this project, Google will "proactively" assess mobile apps suitable for huge car screens.

If an app meets the criteria, Google will distribute it to cars with Google built-ins and make it available on Android Auto without further development or release.

Technical program manager Vivek Radhakrishnan and product manager Seung Nam noted that Google's program will initially roll out with parked app categories (video, gaming, and browsers), per The Verge.

They added that they have "plans to expand to other app categories in the future."

Safety First

Google prioritizes safety and compatibility. Safety experts have long cautioned against distracted driving due to larger screens and touchscreens.

Recent research found that drivers using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto to choose music had worse response times than individuals under marijuana influence. Texting or using GPS while driving is dangerous, according to the CDC.

Google is introducing a tiered structure for app developers to access its platforms to accommodate new automobile designs. It tries to "minimize" development needs and "streamline the process." Tiers are:

Google offers tools to help developers adjust apps to automobile screen sizes and shapes. This includes an emulator for distant and panoramic displays to ensure that programs can adapt to different screens for a better user experience.

Developers may test user interfaces on curved screens, insets, and angles without automobiles.

Google Gears Up In-Car Apps as Car Screens Get Bigger

Google's new automotive safety and compatibility project will actively assess smartphone apps optimized for large screens, according to Android Developers.

Google will automatically choose qualified apps for distribution on Google-integrated automobiles and Android Auto, removing the requirement for fresh development or releases.

The program will start with parked app categories, including video, games, and browsers, but will spread to others.

Developers of large-screen adaptable apps in the relevant categories might seek an early evaluation to participate sooner in the program that will kick off in the coming months.

This development follows a previous report pointing out a Google service problem that must be addressed.

A 9to5Google article noted that Google Maps on Apple CarPlay needs major changes to meet user expectations, as support for these platforms has the potential to influence many people's automobile purchases.

Although upgraded, built-in auto navigation systems still trail behind smartphone applications in dependability and cost, and many automobile users need Google Maps on display.

While Google Maps runs well on Android Auto, the app operates differently on Apple CarPlay. The app opens the map without navigation goals or choices.

A hidden search bar at the top lets you access bookmarked destinations and recent queries, although it's less convenient than Android Auto or the phone app.
Google's newest artificial intelligence-powered search results feature is reportedly being slammed by several news publishers due to its potential impact on news content monetization. The new feature will favor giving users AI summaries over website links when searching Google.

As Google pushed to further satisfy user requests, Danielle Coffey, the chief executive of the News/Media Alliance, reportedly told CNN that the new feature would be disastrous for their traffic, leaving even less reason to click through so that news publishers may monetize their content.





Coffey reportedly added that the little traffic they receive will be further reduced. Additionally, with a dominant search engine solidifying its market power, Coffey's organization, representing more than 2,000 news publishers, has taken an aggressive stance toward AI developers' use of journalism.

They state they once again have to abide by Google's terms with a product that directly contends with news content, using their own content to fuel it. Coffey describes this situation as a "perverse twist on innovation."

Google's AI Summaries

Google revealed on Tuesday that it will integrate its potent artificial intelligence model, Gemini, into its widely used search engine.

AI summaries are meant to appear only when Google's technology determines that doing so will be the quickest and most effective way to grab a user's attention.

This is most likely to happen when people think or strategize, or when they debate challenging subjects. People will likely continue to see Google's usual website links and adverts when they search for things like store recommendations or weather forecasts.

OpenAI vs. the New York Times

Certain newsrooms have made the strategic decision to work closely with the internet behemoths, negotiating agreements with OpenAI to license their extensive content archives.

Some, like The New York Times, have chosen a very different course, filing a lawsuit against the founder of ChatGPT.

The face of the AI revolution, OpenAI, recently retaliated against the New York Times in a court case involving copyright violation claims.

The well-known journal has been accused by the tech giant of employing misleading methods, such as "hacking," to support its claims against OpenAI.

OpenAI took a daring step in response to a lawsuit that the New York Times filed in December 2023, asking a federal judge to dismiss some aspects of the case.

OpenAI accuses the Times of acting unethically by tricking its AI systems into fabricating proof, especially its chatbot ChatGPT.

The New York Times, in violation of OpenAI's terms of service, allegedly employed misleading prompts, which led to the technology replicating NYT content. OpenAI emphasizes the seriousness of the matter by claiming that the Times hired someone to compromise its products.

The case's heart is allegations that the corporations utilized millions of New York Times stories without permission. It also names Microsoft as a significant OpenAI sponsor.

According to the New York Times, Microsoft and OpenAI exploited its content-including ChatGPT and Copilot-to train AI models without authorization.

Related Article : Lawyer Hosting Website That Uses AI-Copied News Stories Will Not Face Legal Action from ACM

(Photo: Tech Times)
Arizona has taken legal action against Amazon, launching two lawsuits that accuse the tech giant of monopolistic behavior and deceptive practices involving "dark patterns."

State attorneys general in the District of Columbia and California have made similar legal challenges, although the DC case was previously dismissed and is currently under appeal.

Arizona's Stand Against Amazon

Arizona has filed two lawsuits against Amazon, accusing the company of monopolistic behavior and deceiving consumers through "dark patterns."

These legal actions echo similar complaints from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and various states. Attorney General Kris Mayes initiated the lawsuits under Arizona state laws in the Superior Court of Arizona.

The first lawsuit claims that Amazon's business practices violate the state's Consumer Fraud Act by employing design tricks, known as dark patterns, to make it difficult for users to cancel their Amazon Prime subscriptions. This accusation mirrors a lawsuit filed by the FTC against Amazon in June.

The second lawsuit alleges that Amazon breaches Arizona's Uniform State Antitrust Act by maintaining a monopoly. The company is accused of enforcing agreements with third-party sellers that prevent them from offering lower prices on other platforms, a tactic known as a "most favored nation" clause.

Challenging Amazon's Buy Box Algorithm

The Arizona antitrust lawsuit also challenges Amazon's Buy Box algorithm under the Consumer Fraud Act. This algorithm determines which product in a category gets prime placement with a "Buy Now" button.

The Attorney General alleges that the algorithm is biased in favor of Amazon's first-party retail offers or offers from third-party sellers who use Fulfillment By Amazon.

As a result, The Verge reported that consumers are misled into believing that items in the Buy Box offer the best price when, in fact, they often end up overpaying for products available at lower prices from other sellers on Amazon.

This is because Amazon prioritizes offers that yield the highest fees for the company. These claims echo those in the FTC's recent antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, which includes participation from more than a dozen state attorneys general.

Arizona is seeking a court order to halt Amazon's alleged deceptive and anticompetitive practices, civil penalties, and the return of any ill-gotten gains.

Amazon spokesperson Tim Doyle expressed the company's surprise and disappointment over the lawsuits, stating that the Arizona Attorney General initiated the cases without reviewing any documents from Amazon.

Doyle argued that this led to a fundamental misunderstanding and mischaracterization of Amazon's business operations. He defended the Prime sign-up and cancellation processes as "clear and simple by design".

He warned that the lawsuits could force Amazon to adopt practices that harm consumers and the many businesses that sell on its platform, potentially leading to higher prices.
Nissan has confirmed that a data breach by a bad actor had occurred within Nissan North America, reportedly compromising critical information of 53,000 former and current employees.

Bleeping Computer reports that Nissan revealed that the threat actor attacked its external VPN, shut down a few corporate systems, and demanded a ransom. The business states that none of its systems were encrypted during the attack.

The business was able to evaluate the situation, control the problem, and eliminate the threat by collaborating with outside cybersecurity specialists.

Following an inquiry, it was discovered that the hacker had gained access to a few files on network and local drives, most of which contained business-related data.

However, on February 28, the business discovered some private information, including Social Security numbers, in the data, mostly about present and past NNA [Nissan] employees.





Attacks known as ransomware, in which online thieves take down a target's computer systems or steal data, then demand payment to get the system working again, are becoming more frequent.

According to a cybersecurity expert, the hacker could access the company's VPN by most likely obtaining a password or multi-factor authentication token from a current Nissan employee.

Erich Kron, a cybersecurity awareness advocate at KnowBe4, said that while it is regrettable that personal information was compromised in the intrusion, Nissan made the right decision by investigating further and disclosing the new information.

According to Kron, in this scenario, focusing on the VPN would frequently enable malevolent actors to elude discovery and circumvent numerous organizational security measures.

Read Also: France Open to BYD Factory: Chinese Automaker Considers European Expansion

Compromised Nissan Employee Information

The organization reports a data breach to the Office of the Maine Attorney General, stating that the information exposed consisted of social security numbers and personal identifiers (such as names) and that the threat actor did not have access to any financial information.

Nissan said it does not know of any misuse of the disclosed data. To reduce the possibility of this data exposure, however, Nissan sent letter recipients instructions on how to sign up for complimentary 24-month credit surveillance and protection from identity theft program via Experian

Nissan Data Breaches

This data breach follows just a few months after Nissan Motor Corporation and Nissan Financial Services in Australia and New Zealand were hit by a data breach last December. The ransomware organization Akira reportedly claimed credit for the data breach and threatened to reveal the stolen documents unless a ransom was paid.

Nissan notified its customers about the "disruptive incident" that same month, but crucial details about data exfiltration have not been confirmed until now. Akira allegedly boasted of taking an incredible 100 terabytes of data, including employee personal information and company documentation.

It is claimed that each affected individual would have had specific data compromised during this data breach. According to current estimates, up to 10% of people may have had their government identity hacked.

Ninety percent of the people who were not contacted had more personal information compromised. This could include basic information like dates of birth, information about employment or salary, or copies of loan-related transaction statements for loan accounts.

(Photo: Tech Times)
In the southern regions of Brazil, where flooding has brought widespread devastation, a new challenge has emerged: the spread of misinformation.

Challenging the Spread of Disinformation

As communities grapple with the aftermath of the floods in Rio Grande do Sul, false information on social media platforms has added another layer of complexity to relief efforts.

This misinformation, ranging from rumors about rescue operations to false claims about government aid distribution, hinders the timely and effective provision of assistance to those in urgent need.

False information is spreading online, with some claiming that official agencies are not rescuing people in the southernmost state. That red tape is causing delays in providing essentials like food, water, and clothing.

Another rumor suggests that authorities are hiding many deaths, according to Jairo Jorge, the mayor of Canoas, a badly affected city.

Local leaders, including Jorge, say that unknown people behind these misleading posts are using the crisis to make people lose trust in the government.

Ary Vanazzi, the mayor of Sao Leopoldo, expressed disappointment that many ignored official warnings, believing instead the social media gossip that government alerts were just politicians trying to scare people.

During this crisis, the Associated Press reported that many individuals chose not to evacuate their homes, possibly resulting in casualties. Vanazzi expressed concern that defending against misinformation often consumes more time than assisting the community.

Over the last two weeks, floods have caused the deaths of at least 149 individuals, with over 100 still unaccounted for, as reported by state authorities on Wednesday. The disaster has displaced over 600,000 residents from their homes.

Brazil's Response

The army and local agencies have deployed around 31,000 soldiers, police, and other personnel to rescue over 69,000 individuals and 10,000 animals. They have also transported tons of aid via air and boats.

Brazil's federal government has pledged to allocate nearly 51 billion reais ($10 billion) towards recovery efforts. Additionally, they will offer financial support to farmers and small businesses and temporarily suspend the state's 11-billion-reais annual debt service.

The military command expressed concern about these reports, stating they don't match the actual situation. They clarified that many soldiers have also been affected by the floods, with some losing their homes and still working to assist the affected population.

Responding to concerns raised by military officials, the Brazilian government is urging social media platforms to take action against the spread of false information, according to Attorney General Jorge Messias.

False information is making it difficult for aid workers to operate effectively. Residents have criticized government officials for their perceived sluggish response and have threatened to publicly shame them online.

Mayors of Sao Leopoldo and Canoas reported instances where locals confronted firefighters, alleging they hadn't rescued individuals and pets promptly.

Additionally, individuals posing as volunteers entered a warehouse belonging to the state's civil defense agency last week.
A new report by the Bank of America Institute claims that artificial general intelligence, end-device AI, hyperdimensional computing, enriched simulations, and knowledge graphs are the "five breakthrough AI technologies."

The Bank of America Institute reportedly states that the paper, which is part of a series, aims to illuminate innovations with the potential to change the world.

According to the paper, these facets of AI can open up many opportunities in the years to come.

Expert in artificial intelligence and co-director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Assured Autonomy, Anton Dahbura, stated on Wednesday that while the Bank of America Institute list covered a "mixture" of AI-related subjects, in his opinion, it was not a list of innovations waiting to happen.





According to Dahbura, knowledge graphs have been around for a while and were one of the five subjects listed in the Bank of America Institute report. Although they are not at the forefront of AI, they are nonetheless significant.

Retail product recommenders, chatbots, and search engines all use knowledge graphs. According to the Bank of America Institute, knowledge graphs are a means of gathering information about subjects, creating links between them, and organizing data from many sources.

However, Dahbura stated that AI-enhanced simulations, one of the report's five subjects, are poised for advancements in the years to come.

According to Dahbura, AI-driven simulations are "emerging." Additionally, they can hasten the discovery of novel substances, materials, and compounds.

Read Also: How Aligned's new AI Suite helps B2B sellers say goodbye to "ghosting"

AI and Material Discovery

The Bank of America Institute stated that drug discovery is costly and has a high failure rate. AI-driven models can help with both of those issues. Dahbura further asserts that the method opens a new realm for discovering materials.

According to the Bank of America Institute, the importance of end-device AI is increasing. This covers applying AI features to devices such as wearables, automobiles, security cameras, smartphones, and appliances.

Hyperdimensional AI computing was included in the list. The paper states that AI can provide stronger security, improved accessibility, and quicker reaction times.

Processing enormous amounts of intricate data and using that information to create correlations or comparisons is the foundation of hyperdimensional AI computing.

Artificial General Intelligence

The Bank of America Institute's list of topics concluded with artificial general intelligence (AGI). That is the idea behind an artificial intelligence system that is self-aware and self-learning. It would essentially be a computer with intelligence akin to a human's.

Dahbura says he is surprised they included that because he thinks it is irrelevant to investors in 2024 and that some people think it will never happen.

However, according to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, AI may soon be able to think like humans, albeit this would mostly depend on what it means to think like a human.

He asserts that if it meant passing the majority of human testing, AGI might occur in as little as five years.

(Photo: Tech Times)
Australia's National Cyber Security Coordinator, Michelle McGuinness, has confirmed that a major data breach has affected an unnamed private healthcare provider, and investigations are underway.

The incident is thought to be in its early stages and is being investigated by the Australian Federal Police and the Cyber Security Centre of the Australian Signals Directorate. According to sources, the intrusion impacted a medium-sized health provider.





According to reports, it is a provider inside the health system rather than the public health system or hospital. In reaction to the crisis, Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil called a meeting of top intelligence and security officials.

Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness, the National Cyber Security Coordinator, has characterized the organization's attack as a significant ransomware data breach.

Read Also : Nissan Confirms Data Breach on North America Subsidiary, Employee Social Security Numbers Exposed

Worldwide Cyberattacks on Health Providers

Worldwide, healthcare providers are still being targeted by cyberattacks. Most recently, Ascension Health, a US health system, revealed that it contacted cybersecurity firm Mandiant to investigate a cyberattack after noticing "unusual activity" that affected its clinical operations.

Ascension Health's official statement states that the company has procedures to ensure that patient care delivery is safe and disrupted as little as possible and that care personnel is specifically educated to deal with these situations.

The healthcare provider attested that the organization has had to halt its clinical operations and is currently assessing the scope and ramifications of the disruption.

Furthermore, health network provider MedStar Health recently revealed that it had suffered a serious data breach, possibly compromising the private information of 183,709 patients. In this breach, an unauthorized individual obtained access to the emails and files of three employees.

According to MedStar Health's official notice, notification letters were sent to particular individuals on May 3, 2024, whose personal information may have been exposed in connection with a data incident.

Viamedis, a French independent insurance payment provider for almost 20 million insured people and 84 healthcare providers, acknowledged in February that it had experienced a breach that exposed stakeholder data.

Prior to the post, on February 2, Viamedis revealed the data breach; nevertheless, on February 1, one of Viamedis' customers had already warned clients about the intrusion through email.

Hackers on Healthcare Providers

According to prior research, the healthcare sector is particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks because patient care is dynamic and constantly changing.

Many clinicians, facilities, and transactions are required to connect patient care across multiple settings. This is why threat actors continue to target healthcare providers.

Healthcare data has become more attractive due to mobile devices and integrated healthcare delivery systems, but it has also become more insecure.

The study notes that the wide variations in digital health use patterns make creating security solutions for every environment or physician more difficult.

(Photo: Tech Times)
Astronomers have made an "ultra-cool" and "spectacular" discovery after identifying an Earth-sized exoplanet, SPECULOOS-3 b, orbiting a red dwarf star within our galaxy.

An Earth-like Planet Orbits an Ultra-Cool Red Dwarf Star

NASA explains that the ultra-cool red dwarf star is a common type within our Milky Way galaxy and represents a significant portion of stellar bodies, comprising more than 70% of all stars.



Unlike our Sun, which radiates warmth and brightness, these red dwarfs emit a cooler, dimmer light that substantially influences their orbiting planets. These stars also boast an extended lifespan lasting over 100 billion years, presenting intriguing possibilities for harboring life over extended periods.



An international team of astronomers, leveraging robotic telescopes deployed worldwide, recently discovered SPECULOOS-3 b. This Earth-sized planet orbits its host star approximately 55 light-years away from Earthan astonishing proximity considering the vast cosmic distances, according to NASA.



A unique aspect of SPECULOOS-3 b is its tidally locked nature, akin to our Moon's relationship with Earth, where one side is perpetually illuminated. At the same time, the other remains enshrouded in perpetual darkness.



Ultra-cool dwarf stars, like the one hosting SPECULOOS-3 b, are prolific in our galactic neighborhood yet remain largely unexplored due to their faint luminosity. To unveil the mysteries harbored by these distant stars and their planetary systems, the SPECULOOS (Search for Planets EClipsing ULtra-cOOl Stars) project was conceived.



Spearheaded by Michael Gillon from the University of Liege in Belgium, this initiative aimed to systematically observe and study nearby ultra-cool dwarf stars using a dedicated network of advanced telescopes.

Cooler than the Sun

The star associated with SPECULOOS-3 b exhibits a remarkably cooler temperature than our Sun, hovering around 4,760 degrees Fahrenheit (2,627 degrees Celsius). Despite its faintness, this star bombards its orbiting planet with intense radiation, suggesting the likelihood of an atmosphere-free environment.



Catherine Clark, a co-author of the discovery paper and a researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, emphasized the challenges posed by observing such distant celestial bodies due to their dimness, further highlighting the significance of this find.



NASA further explains that SPECULOOS-3 b orbits a star slightly larger than Jupiter but significantly more massive. This close proximity results in the planet receiving approximately 16 times the solar energy received by Earth, profoundly impacting its surface conditions and climate dynamics.



Looking ahead, astronomers plan to conduct follow-up observations using the James Webb Space Telescope to gain deeper insights into SPECULOOS-3 b's atmospheric composition and surface characteristics.

''We're making great strides in our study of planets orbiting other stars. We have now reached the stage where we can detect and study Earth-sized exoplanets in detail. The next step will be to determine whether any of them are habitable, or even inhabited,'' Steve B. Howell, a planet discoverer at NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, said in an official statement.

The findings of the team were published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
Top US lawmakers introduced a detailed roadmap for developing artificial intelligence (AI) laws in the United States, signaling a crucial step toward addressing the opportunities and challenges posed by AI technology.



Led by Senator Todd Young (R-IN), Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY), Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM), the Bipartisan Senate AI Working Group released a comprehensive plan to guide AI policy in the Senate.



The roadmap reflects bipartisan efforts to ensure that the US maintains leadership in AI innovation while addressing concerns related to national security, economic impact, and societal implications.

US Roadmap for AI Laws

Senator Todd Young highlighted the need for policymakers to foster AI's promising aspects while mitigating its risks, emphasizing the urgency of maintaining US leadership in AI innovation.



Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer also underscored the importance of a collaborative approach in navigating the policy challenges posed by AI, engaging with a diverse range of stakeholders to identify areas of bipartisan consensus.



While various industries have always extensively used AI, its use has risen meteorically since the introduction of OpenAI's ChatGPT in 2022, triggering an ongoing AI race among tech giants.



Key policy priorities highlighted in the roadmap include increased funding for AI innovation to propel US leadership and competitiveness in AI research and development.



The roadmap also prioritizes enforcing existing laws governing AI to address biases, enhance transparency, and ensure accountability in AI systemskey issues that have been the recurring concerns of experts about the technology's rapid rise.



Workforce impact and reskilling are also crucial considerations, emphasizing the need to address job displacement and enhance worker skills to adapt to AI-driven transformations.



National security implications of AI adoption are also highlighted, emphasizing US leadership in emerging AI technologies while addressing associated threats and risks.



The roadmap also addresses challenges from deepfakes, focusing on election content, privacy concerns, and its effects on professional content creators and journalism. Support for AI innovation across higher education and businesses is emphasized, ensuring that institutions of all sizes can compete and innovate in AI technologies.

Read Also : Bank of America Institute Names the 5 Biggest AI Technologies to Date





Federal Data Privacy Framework

A robust federal data privacy framework is proposed to safeguard individual privacy rights amid the growing adoption of AI technologies. The roadmap also underscores the importance of mitigating potential long-term risks associated with AI deployment and adoption.



The bipartisan AI working group aims to collaborate with committees and stakeholders to advance legislation that aligns with the roadmap's key policy priorities, ensuring that the US remains a global leader in AI advancement and adoption.



"This roadmap represents the most comprehensive and impactful bipartisan recommendations on artificial intelligence ever issued by the legislative branch," Senator Young said in a press release statement.

"Our goal is to ensure the United States maintains its leadership in AI innovation, enabling the American people to reap the substantial national security, economic, and societal benefits of an AI-driven future."
MIT astronomers and other researchers from various universities have made a sweet and delightful discovery within our Milky Way galaxy. They have identified an exoplanet named WASP-193 b that is as airy and lightweight as cotton candy.

This celestial oddity presents an exciting challenge to existing theories about planetary formation. WASP-193 b boasts a staggering size, dwarfing Jupiter yet weighing only a fraction of its mass.

It is about 50 percent larger than Jupiter but possesses a strikingly low density, akin to cotton candy.

A Cotton Candy Exoplanet

The discovery team, including researchers from MIT and the University of Liege in Belgium, highlights the rarity of finding such giant objects with such low density.

Lead study author Khalid Barkaoui from MIT describes this exoplanet as an extreme example of the class of "puffy Jupiters," which poses a significant puzzle for astronomers.

The discovery of WASP-193 b was facilitated by the Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP), a collaboration of international academic institutions operating robotic observatories.

This exoplanet, located 1,232 light years from Earth, orbits a sun-like star named WASP-193 and exhibits periodic transits that indicate its presence.

Despite its enormous size, pinpointing the planet's mass proved challenging due to its exceptionally low density. Traditional methods like radial velocity, which rely on the planet's gravitational pull on its star, were insufficient to detect WASP-193 b's mass because of its minimal gravitational influence.

The research team invested significant effort over four years to confirm the planet's mass, revealing that it is only about 0.14 times that of Jupiter. Moreover, WASP-193 b's density is approximately 0.059 grams per cubic centimeter, far lower than any known planet in our solar system.

Read Also : MIT Creates Shape-Shifting Slime Robots Powered by Machine Learning Technique

A Massive Yet Lightweight Planet

According to the researchers, WASP-193 b's fluffiness is attributed to its composition, which is likely dominated by hydrogen and helium gases similar to those of other gas giants.

However, this planet's expansive atmosphere extends tens of thousands of kilometers beyond Jupiter's atmosphere, underscoring its unique and inflated nature.

The discovery of WASP-193 b challenges conventional planetary formation models, leaving astronomers puzzled about how such a massive yet lightweight planet could evolve. MIT postdoc Francisco Pozuelos emphasizes the difficulty in explaining the formation of this outlier planet using current theoretical frameworks.

MIT researchers plan to leverage advanced techniques, including atmospheric analysis, to study WASP-193 b's unique properties further. Observatories like the James Webb Space Telescope will also play a crucial role in unraveling the mysteries surrounding puffy Jupiters.

"The bigger a planet's atmosphere, the more light can go through," Julien de Wit, an assistant professor in MIT's Department of Earth," said in an official statement.

"So it's clear that this planet is one of the best targets we have for studying atmospheric effects. It will be a Rosetta Stone to try and resolve the mystery of puffy Jupiters."

The findings of the study were published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
Press Release

May 16, 2024 1 in 3 Filipino children stunted due to severe underinvestment, inadequate access to high quality childcare services - PIDS-EDCOM 2 study A study conducted by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) found that inadequate and untimely access to high-quality early childcare and prenatal interventions contribute to the alarming levels of stunting among Filipino children. The study also found that the severe underinvestment for early childhood care and development, weak institutions, and fragmented governance also hinders implementation of early childhood care development interventions. "Behind the Slow Start: An Assessment of Early Childhood Care and Development in the Philippines" was published in support of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2). The authors are Valerie Gilbert T. Ulep, Lyle Daryll D. Casas, Aaron Carols G. Manuel, John Paulo D. Mendoza, Joy Bagas, and Kim Leonard G. Dela Luna. "EDCOM 2 welcomes the findings of the study conducted by PIDS. Our recommendations on the programmatic and legislative reforms to our education systems are based on empirical evidence from these kinds of studies," says EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Mark Yee. Low access to early education, health, and nutrition services According to the study, participation in early education among Filipino children aged 3-4 is low, despite the implementation of legislations such as the Kindergarten Education Act, the Enhanced Basic Education Act, and the Early Years Act. "There was a drastic decline in the percentage of children aged 3-4 years old attending school during the pandemic. While it recovered to 20% in 2022, it still fell below pre-pandemic levels," according to the authors. The study also explained how child health outcomes are impacted by maternal and child undernutrition and exposure to infections, which directly contributes to chronic malnutrition and increased risk of mortality. Approximately 14% of Filipino women of reproductive age are undernourished and evidence shows that malnourished mothers are more likely to give birth to infants with low birth weights, resulting in both short term and long term consequences. Furthermore, access to most basic health services including prenatal care, child immunization, postnatal care and other maternal and child services remains far from universal coverage. Only 1 out of 4 children meet recommended energy intake Results of the study also show that only a quarter, or 1 out of 4 Filipino children meet the recommended energy intake (REI). This finding indicates the persistent challenges in addressing nutritional needs of children, especially among aged 6-12 months from low income households. Preliminary analysis using REI also shows no difference in terms of meeting total energy and protein intake between children who received supplementary feeding programs compared to those who did not, even after adjusting for selection bias. This finding suggests further investigation and potential adjustments to the program to ensure effectiveness in addressing the nutritional needs of children. According to the 2022 Annual Poverty Indicator, only 23% of children benefited from school-based feeding programs. "Despite government efforts, access remains limited. We observe a higher percentage of children aged four years old receiving government feeding programs, which reflects the implementation of school feeding initiatives in daycare centers and kindergarten schools", says Dr. Ulep, PIDS Senior Research Fellow. To improve participation rates in early education and access to essential health and nutrition services, the study recommends the roll out of innovative financing mechanisms such as piloting public-private partnership models, and investing in science-based behavioral change communication campaigns and strategies to effectively reach and engage target audience. "Severe underinvestment" in ECCD Another general observation of the study is the severe underinvestment in ECCD, further aggravated by the prioritization of services with limited effects on effects on nutrition and education outcomes. "Overall, the current supply of capital investments for ECCD in the country falls short of meeting the goal of universal access for children aged 3-34 to ECCD services. The country's current facilities are insufficient by around 33,000 to meet the 96,000 daycare/child development centers required to meet 100% of the demand," the report reads. Findings also suggest that the government allocates only PHP 3,870 per child for health, significantly below the average government spending per person on health in lower- middle-income countries, which is 150 USD. "We acknowledge the benefits of school feeding programs, but we need to start investing more deeply, and intervening, in the earlier years," says Yee. The study recommends increasing public spending on ECCD and investing resources in services that would dramatically affect health, nutrition, and early education outcomes by strategically allocating resources to influence ECCD spending of local governments, investing in primary health care through the implementation of the Universal Health Care Act, reevaluating the implementation framework of government led school feeding programs, and increasing the investment in health care workers to enhance their capacity to monitor mothers and children. Governance and implementation challenges According to the study, despite the presence of multi-sectoral governing bodies that oversee early education and health and nutrition policies, implementation of genuine multi-sectoral collaboration to 'align' interventions remains a daunting challenge. "Early childhood care and education should be a shared responsibility between education stakeholders and other members of our communities. Moving forward, local government units should also have more accountability in ensuring that the benefits of ECCD programs, including health and nutrition interventions, are felt by every Filipino child," Senator Win Gatchalian, EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson, said. There are observed inefficiencies in implementation of nutrition and education interventions due to overlapping roles of government agencies, lack of clarity in responsibilities resulting in poor accountability, duplication of efforts, weak coordination, and fragmented financing. Another inherent challenge is the limited technical capacity of secretariats of these multi-sectoral bodies to effectively fulfill their strategic and stewardship roles. Administrative and program- related tasks are often prioritized over strategic technical secretariat work. The study recommends exploring the transfer of the chairship of multi-sectoral councils to the Office of the President or a senior cabinet to remove the "co-equal dynamics" among national agencies, and the need to augment the capacity of the secretariats through organizational incentives. "EDCOM 2 stays true to its commitment to base the Commission's program and policy recommendations on science and evidence. We need to go the extra mile to understand the complexities of the underlying ills of our education system, so that our proposals are needs-based, responsive, feasible, and sustainable. This would include identifying the right investments for our Filipino children," says Yee. PIDS is one of the academic and research institutions that EDCOM 2 has partnered with to undertake research on the priority areas of the Commission, in order to pursue its mandate to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the Philippine education sector. Republic Act 11899 also designated PIDS as the research arm of the Commission, tasked to produce data-based research and analysis for policy recommendations. The PIDS study on nutrition, "Behind the Slow Start: An Assessment of Early Childhood Care and Development in the Philippines", may be downloaded in full at https://edcom2.gov.ph/publications/.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has unveiled plans to invest 7.8 billion euros ($8.5 billion) in establishing a "sovereign cloud" center in Germany.

This move comes amidst the European Union's (EU) efforts to enhance data protection by ensuring that European data remains on domestic servers.

Amazon Set to Establish EU Sovereign Cloud in Germany

The inaugural sovereign cloud complex will be established in the German state of Brandenburg and is expected to commence operations by the conclusion of 2025.



The AWS European Sovereign Cloud, designed for public sector organizations and customers in highly regulated industries, aims to provide additional options to meet unique sovereignty requirements. This initiative aligns with AWS's ethos of offering customers diverse choices and a familiar architecture.



One key feature of the AWS European Sovereign Cloud is its planned launch of the first AWS Region in Brandenburg by the end of 2025.



The AWS European Sovereign Cloud's cloud infrastructure will leverage AWS's full capabilities, encompassing a comprehensive suite of services such as databases, computing, storage, analytics, machine learning, AI, networking, mobile, developer tools, IoT, security, and enterprise applications.



Once the first region becomes operational, customers are expected to seamlessly transition applications from existing regions to the AWS European Sovereign Cloud.



Moreover, over 130,000 AWS partners within the AWS Partner Network will be able to deploy applications seamlessly on the AWS European Sovereign Cloud.

The AWS Nitro System

The AWS Nitro System, renowned for its security and performance attributes, is central to the AWS European Sovereign Cloud's architecture.

According to Amazon, the Nitro System, validated by the NCC Group, offers robust safeguards to ensure that customer workloads and data remain inaccessible to unauthorized entities, including AWS personnel.



AWS's approach to cloud security is underscored by its commitment to data residency requirements, particularly within the EU. Customers seeking stringent operational autonomy and data residency can leverage AWS Dedicated Local Zones or AWS Outposts to deploy infrastructure within preferred locations.



AWS's extensive global footprint, comprising 33 regions worldwide, including eight within Europe, underscores its commitment to providing secure cloud solutions tailored to diverse customer needs.



By introducing the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, AWS aims to empower customers with additional options to address the EU's stringent isolation and in-country data residency requirements.



"High-performing, reliable, and secure infrastructure is the most important prerequisite for an increasingly digitalized economy and society. Brandenburg is making progress here. In recent years, we have set on a course to invest in modern and sustainable data center infrastructure in our state, strengthening Brandenburg as a business location," Brandenburg's Minister of Economic Affairs, Prof. Dr. Jorg Steinbach, said in a press release.



"State-of-the-art data centers for secure cloud computing are the basis for a strong digital economy. I am pleased Amazon Web Services (AWS) has chosen Brandenburg for a long-term investment in its cloud computing infrastructure for the AWS European Sovereign Cloud."
Two brothers have been apprehended by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on charges related to an alleged attack on the Ethereum blockchain, resulting in the theft of $25 million worth of cryptocurrency.

Two Brothers Faces Charges of Wire Fraud, Money Laundering

The indictment accuses Anton Peraire-Bueno, 24, of Boston, and James Pepaire-Bueno, 28, of New York, of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.



The alleged scheme devised by the defendants exploited the integrity of the Ethereum blockchain, allowing them to fraudulently acquire around $25 million worth of cryptocurrency in a swift 12-second exploit.



Anton and James were arrested in Boston and New York, respectively, and are slated to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul G. Levenson for the District of Massachusetts and U.S. Magistrate Judge Valerie Figueredo for the Southern District of New York.



U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York characterized the scheme as unprecedented, casting doubt on the blockchain's integrity. He emphasized the defendants' use of their educational backgrounds in computer science and mathematics to manipulate Ethereum's protocols, resulting in a rapid 12-second heist.



Special Agent in Charge Thomas Fattorusso of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) New York Field Office echoed these sentiments, praising the investigative efforts that ultimately unraveled the alleged intricate web of deception woven by the defendants.



The DOJ said that the brothers leveraged their specialized skills and knowledge, honed during their academic pursuits, to orchestrate the exploit. By tampering with the transaction validation processes inherent to the Ethereum blockchain, the brothers reportedly gained unauthorized access to pending private transactions, altering them to siphon off victims' cryptocurrency.





The First of its Kind

The scheme, purportedly the first of its kind, was meticulously planned over several months. The brothers reportedly familiarized themselves with the trading behaviors of their victims, enabling them to execute the exploit with precision.



The DOJ further alleges that they took extensive measures to hide their identities and the origins of their gains, establishing shell companies and utilizing various private cryptocurrency addresses and foreign exchanges.



Following the alleged theft, the defendants engaged in a series of transactions designed to hide the source and ownership of the funds.



Anton Peraire-Bueno and James Pepaire-Bueno face severe consequences if convicted, including a maximum prison term of 20 years for each count. However, it is crucial to note that an indictment represents an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until they are proven guilty in a court of law.



"As alleged in today's indictment, the Peraire-Bueno brothers stole $25 million in Ethereum cryptocurrency through a technologically sophisticated, cutting-edge scheme they plotted for months and executed in seconds," Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a press release statement.



"Unfortunately for the defendants, their alleged crimes were no match for Department of Justice prosecutors and IRS agents, who unraveled this first-of-its kind wire fraud and money laundering scheme."
Cybercriminals have found a new vector for ransomware attacks by abusing the Windows Quick Assist feature. These financially motivated attackers, known as Storm-1811, use social engineering tactics to deploy the Black Basta ransomware on victims' networks.

Here's how they do it and what you can do to protect yourself.

The Tactics of Storm-1811: Email Bombing and Impersonation

The attacks typically start with an email bombing campaign. Cybercriminals subscribe their targets to numerous email services, flooding their inboxes with spam.

Amid this chaos, they impersonate Microsoft technical support or the targeted company's IT staff and call the victims, offering to help resolve the spam issue.

Exploiting Windows Quick Assist

During these voice phishing (vishing) calls, the attackers persuade victims to grant remote access to their computers using Windows Quick Assist, a built-in tool for remote control and screen sharing.

"In several cases, Microsoft Threat Intelligence identified such activity leading to the download of Qakbot, RMM tools like ScreenConnect and NetSupport Manager, and Cobalt Strike," Microsoft said.

Once access is granted, the attackers run scripted cURL commands to download malicious batch or ZIP files, according to Bleeping Computer.

Deployment of Black Basta Ransomware

After establishing control, Storm-1811 installs various malicious tools. They perform domain enumeration and lateral movement across the network using the Windows PsExec tool. Ultimately, they deploy the Black Basta ransomware, encrypting critical data and demanding a ransom.

Credential Harvesting

Cybersecurity firm Rapid7 observed that attackers use batch scripts to harvest victim credentials via PowerShell. These credentials are often gathered under the guise of an update requiring the user to log in. The stolen credentials are then exfiltrated to the attackers' server via Secure Copy Protocol (SCP).

Preventive Measures and Recommendations

Blocking Quick Assist

Microsoft advises network defenders to block or uninstall Quick Assist and similar remote management tools if they are not essential. This can prevent attackers from exploiting these tools to gain unauthorized access.

Employee Training

Training employees to recognize tech support scams is crucial. Employees should be cautious of unsolicited help offers and should only allow remote access if they initiate contact with their IT support or Microsoft Support. Any suspicious Quick Assist sessions should be immediately disconnected.

Origins and High-Profile Attacks

Black Basta emerged in April 2022 as a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) operation, possibly a faction of the defunct Conti cybercrime group. It has since targeted numerous high-profile organizations, including German defense contractor Rheinmetall, U.K. tech firm Capita, Hyundai's European division, and the American Dental Association.

Impact on Critical Infrastructure

According to CISA and the FBI, Black Basta affiliates have breached over 500 organizations, affecting 12 out of 16 critical infrastructure sectors. The ransomware gang has accelerated attacks against the healthcare sector, forcing some facilities, like U.S. healthcare giant Ascension, to divert ambulances to unaffected locations.

Financial Impact

Research by cybersecurity companies Elliptic and Corvus Insurance reveals that Black Basta has collected at least $100 million in ransom payments from over 90 victims as of November 2023. This underscores the financial motivation and the significant threat posed by this ransomware gang.

The abuse of Windows Quick Assist by cybercriminals highlights the need for more effective cybersecurity practices. By understanding these attack vectors and implementing preventive measures, organizations can better protect themselves from ransomware attacks like those perpetrated by Black Basta.

Meanwhile, Tech Times reported that the US intends to wage psychological warfare against ransomware gangs by striking paranoia into them.
At one point in time, you might have received a dubious text message from someone you don't know. To stay safe against this suspicious scheme, we tend to question if it's misinformation or a scam.

Checkmate is here to help. This new service allows users to verify suspicious text messages, images, and online videos via a WhatsApp bot.

Introducing Checkmate: A New Tool to Combat Online Misinformation

Singaporeans are worried about the new scam that is circulating on WhatsApp. It's somewhat similar to the marketing surveys we see on Shopee and other platforms.

According to Must Share News via Yahoo! News, authorities first spotted this scheme on May 3 where scammers will invite the victims to join the survey. All they have to do is to complete the survey and after that, they will receive monetary incentives.

Thankfully, Checkmate has been launched to address this underlying security problem in the country.

Checkmate, supported by the Centre for Advanced Technologies in Online Safety (CATOS), offers a reliable solution for verifying the authenticity of suspicious content. CATOS aims to address online harms, including hate speech, misinformation, and deepfakes, with advanced technological solutions.

The Role of CATOS in Online Safety

CATOS, under the Ministry of Communications and Information's Online Trust and Safety Research Programme, is hosted by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research. The center focuses on developing and customizing tools to detect harmful content, ensuring a safer online environment for all users.

Significant Funding for a Critical Mission

CATOS will receive $50 million in funding over five years, as part of Singapore's Research, Innovation, and Enterprise 2025 Plan. This includes an additional $30 million from the National Research Foundation.

This funding will enable CATOS to expand its scope and provide a sandbox environment where developers can test solutions to online harms in real-world scenarios.

Scaling Up Checkmate

Launched in March 2023 by a group of volunteers, Checkmate utilizes natural language processing techniques, machine-learning algorithms, and human checkers to verify information.

According to the local news outlet The Strait Times, the developers aim to scale up the service, increase the number of volunteer checkers, and eventually register it as a non-profit organization. Automation through artificial intelligence is a future goal to enhance the efficiency of verifying content, particularly videos.

Apart from that, CATOS is also working on various other projects, including analysis engines that detect emotions like fear and anger, and hate speech in online content. These tools can potentially flag polarizing exchanges before they escalate, contributing to a safer digital space.

Official Launch and Future Collaborations

CATOS was officially launched at the inaugural Online Trust and Safety Forum held at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore on May 15.

Communications and Information Minister Josephine Teo highlighted the center's importance in combatting online harm. The event also featured the signing of an agreement between CATOS and Adobe to explore content provenance technologies in Singapore, ensuring the authenticity of digital content.

"Our aim is to accelerate the growth of the online trust and safety ecosystem here in Singapore, through agile and timely collaboration, joint experimentation, and fine-tuning of solutions," Teo said.

Building a Safer Online Ecosystem

CATOS center director Yang Yinping emphasized the need for an ecosystem approach, working closely with partners from academia, industry, the public sector, and non-governmental organizations. This collaboration aims to develop advanced technological solutions that will help realize Singapore's vision for a safer online space for everyone.

No matter how advanced is Singapore when it comes to technology, there's no excuse to neglect even the smallest cases of scams in the country. The launch of Checkmate represents a significant step forward in the fight against online misinformation and harmful content.

With substantial funding and a collaborative approach, Singapore is leading the way in creating a safer digital environment.

Earlier this year, the Southeast Asian nation invested $20 million in its battle against deepfakes and online misinformation.
The European Union has launched a formal investigation into Meta, the parent company of social media giants Facebook and Instagram, due to concerns about the platforms' impact on children.

Meta Faces New EU Child Safety Probe

According to the latest press release, the European Commission is investigating whether Meta has adequately protected children on its platforms in accordance with the Digital Services Act (DSA).

The regulation requires online platforms, particularly those classified as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs), to implement safeguards to protect the safety and privacy of young users, such as preventing access to inappropriate content and addressing addictive behavior.

Failure to comply with DSA obligations could result in substantial fines, potentially amounting to 6% of Meta's global revenue. The company's latest earnings report announced $40.11 billion in revenue.

The investigation follows growing concerns surrounding the addictive nature of Meta's platforms and their potential harm to the mental and physical well-being of young users.

Meta Child Safety Concerns

CNBC reports that the EU is particularly worried about the addictive features of Facebook and Instagram, which may stimulate behavioral addictions and lead to what is referred to as 'rabbit-hole effects'.

Additionally, concerns have been raised regarding the effectiveness of age verification methods and privacy risks associated with Meta's recommendation algorithms.

In response to the investigation, a Meta spokesperson told the media that the company is committed to providing safe online experiences for young people. The company claims to have developed over 50 tools and policies to protect minors.

However, the European Commission remains unconvinced, stating that Meta has not done enough to mitigate the risks posed to young Europeans.

Thierry Breton, the EU's Commissioner for Internal Market, stressed the seriousness of the issue in a statement, highlighting the need to prioritize the well-being of children.

The Commission has announced plans to conduct an in-depth investigation into Meta's child protection measures as a matter of priority. This investigation will assess Meta's compliance with DSA obligations, particularly concerning interface design, access to inappropriate content, and privacy safeguards.

The European Commission's formal proceedings are based on a preliminary analysis of Meta's risk assessment report, publicly available reports, and the Commission's own review.

Meta's child safety practices have been scrutinized not only in the EU but also in other countries. In the United States, the attorney general of New Mexico has filed a lawsuit against Meta, claiming that Facebook and Instagram facilitate child sexual abuse and trafficking.

Meta has countered these allegations, stating that it employs advanced technology and preventive measures to combat such activities.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.
French authorities have taken emergency steps in New Caledonia after violent protests over Paris' vote amendments became violent earlier this week. A state of emergency allows French authorities to arrest threats to public order, search, seize firearms, and limit mobility, with potential imprisonment for violators.



France last imposed similar sanctions on New Caledonia in 1985. According to Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, the state of emergency will enable the French government "to deploy significant resources" to handle violence and "restore order."



French Prime Minister Attal ordered troops to guard ports and the international airport, and the New Caledonian government representative banned social media platform TikTok. International flights have also departed the airport, according to France 24.

Deadly Protests in New Caledonia

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced the state of emergency hours after a French gendarme, critically injured during the New Caledonia riots, died, raising the death toll to four.



The gendarme's killing followed two nights of violence as protestors opposed a constitutional revision considered in the French national legislature to widen the territory's provincial election electorate.



The agitation increased after French lawmakers granted mainland French citizens voting rights in provincial elections, which was criticized for marginalizing Indigenous people and favoring pro-France politicians. Authorities tightened security, and curfew, banned public meetings, and shuttered the main airport after the unrest.



Since the disturbance began on Monday, French officials in New Caledonia have reported over 130 arrests and over 300 injuries, as well as looting and destruction of shops, public property, and schools. The main airport suspends classes and commercial flights until further notice.

Read Also : Senate Committee Passes Bills to Combat AI Misinformation Ahead of US Elections

Since 1853, New Caledonia has been a French territory, becoming a penal colony in the second part of the 19th century. Many indigenous Kanak people have fought for independence, as per a Gizmodo report.



France's discovery of nickel in New Caledonia in 1864 made the territory profitable, given the metal's importance in manufacturing electric vehicles. New Caledonia, the third-largest nickel exporter in the world, shows why France maintained its colonial interests. Moreover, its strategic location near China, 750 miles east of Australia, fuels France's unwillingness to give up control.

US TikTok Ban Challenged by Content Creators

Separately, the US government's move to ban TikTok prompted several content creators to challenge the measure in court. These producers claim that TikTok is a unique social media platform for personal expression and a major source of funds.



TechTimes earlier reported that eight online content creators are challenging the recently passed legislation, emphasizing TikTok's recommendation system, green screen, and duet possibilities. They say these elements give the platform a distinct culture and personality.



The producers also argue that a change in TikTok ownership might disrupt the user experience, citing Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, now X. They have noted their lesser Facebook and Instagram followings than TikTok.



The Federal Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., the only court with jurisdiction over forced ByteDance divestiture, received the complaint. TikTok and its founders want the court to declare the rule illegal and stop its enforcement, taking into account First Amendment issues.
Bratislava, May 16 (TASR) - Wednesday's (May 15) attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) life was condemned also by business associations on Thursday.



The Employer Union Association (AZZZ) called the attack an inexcusable act of violence. "We must learn to respect different views and communicate in a polite fashion, in the way that parliamentary democracy enables. We call on political representatives as well as the general public to show solidarity in these moments and refrain from escalating tension any further," stated AZZZ and wished speedy recovery to the Prime Minister.



The attack was condemned by the Republic Union of Employers (RUZ), too. "Violence in a civilised society cannot be tolerated and an attack on a prime minister is unimaginable in 21st-century Europe. We wish quick recovery to Prime Minister Robert Fico and hope that this barbaric act will get investigated as soon as possible," said RUZ.



In the view of Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Peter Mihok, the attempt on Robert Fico's life is a sad but true outcome of inappropriate politicising and artificial polarising of Slovak society. "The society in which individual interests and disproportionate ambitions trample on basic human rights. The society that has somehow forgotten solidarity and mutual respect."
Xem them

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Bratislava, May 16 (TASR) - The government will deliberate behind closed doors on how to proceed with the leadership of the country following Wednesday's assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD), Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Voice-SD) said on Thursday.



Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenicky (Smer-SD) and Labour Minister Erik Tomas (Voice-SD) opined in this vein that the government could be headed on a temporary basis for the time being by Vice-premier and Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD).



Kamenicky noted in regards to the current situation in society that everything should be done to ensure that not only constitutional officials but also all ordinary people feel safe.



"The information I have about [Fico's] condition is slightly optimistic, favourable given the circumstances, but the extent of his injuries is so serious that I'm very cautious," said Labour Minister Tomas in regards to the critically injured premier.
Bratislava, May 16 (TASR) - If the perpetrator of the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) was radicalised deliberately, the police will track it down in the same way as they did in the case of the shooting in front of a gay bar in Bratislava in 2022, publicist Juraj Hrabko told TASR TV on Thursday, adding that the police have all the tools to clarify the motive for the crime.



Hrabko pointed out that the entire society, which has gone through parliamentary and presidential elections in quick succession, is polarised. "The frustration and radicalisation of some politicians, activist media and a part of society could have led to such an unprecedented step," Hrabko noted. However, he doesn't consider democracy to be under threat, pointing out that several US presidents and Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme lost their lives as a result of assassinations and democracy as such wasn't threatened.



However, according to Hrabko, the level of communication among politicians has deteriorated over the past few years, and the rhetoric has become more aggressive, even in the case of politicians who describe themselves as decent and democratic. "Politicians are really the culprits of the mood in which society finds itself. Of course, they are not alone, that's where I see a really big role of social media," he said.



The publicist further stated that many people communicate mainly within isolated opinion bubbles on social networks, where they repeatedly confirm their positions in dialogue with like-minded debaters. "That's where it gets radicalised," he stressed.
Nitra, May 16 (TASR) - Nitra region head Branislav Becik (Voice-SD) has filed a criminal motion with the police, with the reason being threats to shoot him, TASR learnt from Nitra region spokeswoman Silvia Zeumerova on Thursday.



"Due to the ongoing investigation by law enforcement bodies, we cannot comment further on the situation," added Zeumerova.



Nitra region governor Branislav Becik is also an MP and the leader of the Voice-SD slate for the European Parliament elections.
Banska Bystrica, May 16 (TASR) - The condition of Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) after surgery has been stabilised, but it is still serious, Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) informed the media along with representatives of the Banska Bystrica-based Roosevelt Hospital on Thursday morning.



Hospital director Miriam Lapunikova added that two surgery teams operated on the premier for five hours. He is now being treated in the ARO (Anaesthesiology and Resuscitation) ward. "The patient had multiple gunshot wounds," she said, asking the media to respect Fico's privacy.



Kalinak thanked all the medical staff at the hospital. "His condition is still very serious because of the complexity of the injuries, but we all want to believe that we'll be able to handle the situation," he added.



Fico was shot following the government's away-from-home session in Handlova on Wednesday (May 15). Several shots were fired at the scene, with the gunman apprehended immediately afterwards. Fico was in a life-threatening condition and was transported to the hospital in Banska Bystrica by helicopter.
Bratislava, May 16 (TASR) - Special sessions of the Security Council and government will take place on Thursday following Wednesday's assassination attempt on Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD), the Government Office has reported.



Fico on Wednesday was the target of an assassination in the town of Handlova, where the government had held an away-from-home session. Suffering several gunshot wounds, he sustained serious polytrauma and had to undergo surgery at Roosevelt Hospital in Banska Bystrica. The gunman was a 71-year-old man from Levice, who was apprehended immediately after firing the shots.
Turkey's 'mad honey' aphrodisiac that can knock you flat



Camlihemsin, Turkey, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2024



Its fans swear it can cure heart palpitations, dodgy stomachs and even impotence. Yet every year hundreds of people end up in hospital after gorging themselves on Turkey's "mad honey".

But beekeeper Bayram Demirciler is adamant the honey his bees make high in the mountains above the Black Sea "has never caused any problems".

In good years his hives in the province of Rize in northeast Turkey produce up to 350 kilos of "mad" rhododendron honey.

The lush green Pontic Alps is home to a subspecies of rhododendron whose purple flowers drip with pollen that give "mad honey" its colour. They also contain a neurotoxin called grayanotoxin which can slow the heartbeat and that also packs a hallucinogenic punch.

"This honey is very good for people with hypertension," said Mustafa Oguz Alparslan, whose hives -- protected from sweet-toothed bears by an electric fence -- are even higher up the mountains at 1,400 metres (4,600 feet).

But eat too much and "it can also cause a rapid fall in blood pressure", warned the beekeeper, who said he always "tests his honey as it takes it out the hive".



- Knocked out a bear -



Doctors -- who recognise its virtues in small homoeopathic doses -- say the honey can slow the flow of blood to the brain, causing dizziness, fainting and even hallucinations.

Intoxication with "mad honey" was even documented in ancient times.

The Greek historian Strabo, who was born in the Black Sea region, said three of Pompey's Roman cohorts were put out of action by allies of the Pontian king Mithridates who left "pots of mad honey" in their path.

And it also figured in Agatha Christie's novel, "A Haunting in Venice", filmed last year by Kenneth Branagh.

The "Queen of Crime" -- who wrote part of "Murder on the Orient Express" in Istanbul -- had Rowena Drake kill her own daughter with it and even used it to give Belgian detective Hercule Poirot visions.

The honey can even put beasts on their back. A young brown bear made headlines in August 2022 when he was found unconscious near hives in Duzce province at the other end of Turkey's Black Sea. It had keeled over after overindulging on "mad honey", according to the ministry of forestry and agriculture.

The same month a bus driver travelling between Rize and the port city of Trabzon blamed the honey for him passing out and crashing into cars at a traffic light.

In his hospital in Trabzon, Professor Abdulkadir Gunduz treats between "30 and 100" people who have been knocked sideways by the honey in bad years.

The doctor said it was "possible that there are thousands of cases" across the wider region.

"If we have a sunny May and June, the bees will feast on the rhododendrons," making the honey even stronger, said Professor Gunduz, who has long researched the subject.

One particular detail pricked his interest. "More than 80 percent of the intoxicated patients are men over 50. Some believe (the honey) ups their sexual performance," he said.



- 'Almost died for nothing' -



In his shop in Cayeli, 20 kilometres from Rize, Necmettin Colak recommends his customers "take a soup spoon of the honey on an empty stomach".

For more mature clients in search of a sexual pick-me-up, he advises his chestnut honey instead, which he swears is "more efficient".

He stores his "mad honey" for several months to allow its more problematic attributes to dissipate before tasting it himself and selling it at 55 euros a kilo.

But not everyone takes such precautions. Alaattin Demirci, from Trabzon province, had to be taken to hospital after eating some "mad honey" in January 2021.

A few days later the sixtysomething posted photos of himself on Facebook on a drip, insisting that he would "never again" try it, saying he "almost died for nothing".
Russia outlaws SOTA opposition news outlet



, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2024



Russia declared opposition media outlet SOTA "undesirable" on Thursday, a move that could criminalise the sharing of its content and put its reporters at risk of arrest.

Authorities in Russia have declared dozens of news outlets, think tanks and non-profit organisations "undesirable" since 2015, a label rights groups say is designed to deter dissent.

In a statement, Russia's Prosecutor General accused SOTA of "frank attempts to destabilise the socio-political situation in Russia" and "create tension and irritation in society".

"Such activities, obviously encouraged by so-called Western inspirers, have the goal of undermining the spiritual and moral foundations of Russian society," it said.

It also accused SOTA of co-operating with TV Rain and The Insider, two other independent Russian-language outlets based outside of the country that are linked to the opposition.

SOTA Project, which covers opposition protests and has been fiercely critical of the Kremlin, denied it had anything to do with TV Rain and The Insider and rejected the claims.

But it advised its followers in Russia to "remove reposts and links" to its materials to avoid the risk of prosecution. SOTA's Telegram channel has around 137,000 subscribers.

"Law enforcement and courts consider publishing online to be a continuing offence. This means that you can be prosecuted for reposts from 2023, 2022, 2021," it said.

SOTA Project was born out of a split with a separate news outlet called SOTAvision, which still covers the opposition but distanced itself from the prosecutors' ruling on Thursday.

Since launching its offensive in Ukraine, Moscow has waged an unprecedented crackdown on dissent that rights groups have likened to Soviet-era mass repression.

Among other organisations labelled as "undesirable" in Russia are the World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace, Transparency International and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
(CGTN) U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced sweeping tariff hikes on Chinese imports ranging from electric vehicles (EVs) to solar cells as part of a package of measures designed to ostensibly protect American jobs. In one of the sharpest hikes, levies on Chinese EVs will jump to 100 percent this year.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen defended Biden's decision, saying, "We're not willing to allow our emerging industries we're targeting for support to be wiped out through China's action." She also added that the levies would protect the development of U.S. sectors and secure their supply chains.

However, a tariff fight against China, contrary to Washington's wishful thinking, will make ordinary Americans the largest victim.

To begin with, tariffs tax the consumer. Admittedly, few Chinese EVs are sold in the United States, so the immediate impact of the tariff on American consumers will be minimal. But the deep integration of global supply chains means the U.S. market will be inevitably harmed by the hike.

The U.S. already imports substantial amounts of materials from China for its own EV production. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, American EV brands including Tesla and Ford Mustang have 30 percent to 51 percent Chinese contents. "From the battery, from the mining, from all the technology integration, the Chinese supply chain now is the leading supply chain. It's the best," Reuters quoted Stella Li, CEO of BYD Americas, as saying.

Shutting the door on China's high-quality and cost-efficient materials will inevitably drive up the costs of EV production, batteries and other hardware in the United States. In this context, Biden's tariff hike against China is in fact a strike against his domestic firms relying on Chinese materials, with American consumers paying the final price.
The Bismarck City Commission on Tuesday night discussed whether the city attorney should be fired in the wake of a state investigation that did not back her contention last fall that actions by the Bismarck Event Center director appeared to rise to the level of a crime.

City Commissioner Mike Connelly broached the matter, questioning whether City Attorney Jannelle Combs' assertion sparked "a way too long, very public and difficult history for an entire community," and whether she improperly gave information to the media before the commission was made aware of it.

He said he had been approached by members of the public and "there are a lot of citizens that wanted this discussion to be had."

Combs defended herself, saying that the material requested by the media last fall was an open record she was required by law to provide, and that as far as the investigation into Center Director Charlie Jeske's behavior, "I have acted ethically and Ive done my job."

Mayor Mike Schmitz maintained that the commission not only had to consider whether Jeske's actions were criminal but also whether his job performance was lacking. The city ultimately reached an agreement with Jeske under which he was given a $325,000 severance and retired.

The threshold for concerns over issues employmentwise are much different than they are for criminal," Schmitz said. "That should be the case, by the way -- it should be a very high threshold you have to meet to be charged with a criminal offense."

Case background

Jeske was originally put on administrative leave pending an investigation last September. After that he was terminated, put back on administrative leave, reinstated as director and returned to administrative leave, before the city ultimately approved the separation agreement in March. A subcommittee aimed at evaluating Jeske's performance and the Event Center's operations had recommended the city end his employment.

The city's inquiry into his conduct found that Jeske had potentially committed a crime when he accepted a trip from ticketing vendor ETIX several months prior to ETIX winning a bid to become the ticket seller for center events. Jeske previously characterized the trip as a fact-finding mission with the goal of benefiting the city.

Combs said in the city investigation report last fall that Jeske's conduct "appears to fit the criminal Class C felony crime of bribery under North Dakota Century Code. She went on to say that "While I do not believe it was intended to be a bribe, the appearance and the lack of understanding that this behavior is not allowed in the city and possibly felonious creates a question as to the ethics of someone, who is a director of a very large department and a tremendous amount of financial dealings without oversight."

Burleigh County State's Attorney Julie Lawyer earlier this month said she would not file charges against Jeske based on the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation probe that followed the city investigation, because she did not see any violations of criminal law. The BCI in a case closure report dated May 7 said "This case can be considered closed."

Commission discussion

Schmitz emphasized during Tuesday's meeting the need for the city to heal. He said continuing to bring up the issue is preventing the community from doing so and against what "other parties wish to have going on."

"Probably every citizen in the city of Bismarck would just as soon this was gone away by now. And I'm pretty certain Mr. Jeske would like to have (it) gone away as well," he said.

Connelly said that bringing it up again was not an easy choice for him. He added that saying nothing would have been the "easiest choice" but then the citizens who brought up the concerns would go unrepresented.

"There's no agenda or endgame there. It's, let's have honest discussions as they unfold," he said.

Connelly added that it was a discussion that was needed before June since the five current commissioners are the ones who have been on the board throughout the investigation.

Connelly is among three candidates in the June 11 election for two openings on the commission -- Commissioner Steve Marquardt is not seeking reelection. Combs is one of two candidates running for municipal judge.

Schmitz accused Connelly of throwing him under the bus by bringing up a past meeting during which the mayor told commissioners they were not allowed to discuss the BCI information, instead only allowing discussion on Jeske's job performance. Schmitz also felt that Connelly should have informed him prior to bringing the discussion up during Tuesday's meeting.

"That is my portfolio. Probably should have been made aware this was coming tonight," he said toward Connelly.

Combs told commissioners it was an obligation of her law license to turn over the case to an independent third party -- BCI -- once reasonable suspicion was identified. She said that even in a case with enough evidence to proceed to trial, there is always the possibility that a prosecutor will decide to not press charges if there isn't intent.

Combs maintains she has done the job she was appointed to do and ethically. In a statement to the Tribune, she said "I have to question why I am being targeted when everything I have done is within my job duties and/or directed by members of the commission."
Yet the simplicity of the overarching narrative formula does constrain, and dilute, broader social critique, and the action feels a bit unbalanced, dramatically. Just how annoying it would be to live with full-wattage optimism all the time is sort of squashed in at the end. Still, Share House is much funnier than the last musical I saw that tackled property ownership, Eddie Perfects Vivid White, and the vocal and comedic talents of the cast make for a droll evening. Anyone whos ever lived in share-housing will laugh in recognition at the human foibles on display. Reviewed by Cameron Woodhead MUSIC

Macklemore 

Rod Laver Arena, May 15 The screens start to play footage of oceans and clouds; the cymbals and trombone players commence, spurring the packed stadium to cheer with fervour. Macklemore appears under a white spotlight and launches into the opening verse of the gospel-inspired Chant, his track with Australian singer-songwriter Tones and I from his latest studio album Ben.

Macklemore at the Rod Laver Arena: maintains infectious, upbeat energy throughout his show. Credit: Richard Clifford Following a seven-year hiatus, the Grammy award-winning 40-year-old rapper from Seattle returns to Australia and New Zealand with a sold-out tour. Due to unexpected demand, shows were added to the Sydney and Perth leg, and his Melbourne venue was upgraded from John Cain to Rod Laver Arena. He encourages Melbourne audiences at the all-ages gig to be present by minimising phone usage, even asking seated audiences to stand to heighten their participation. Conscious of his privilege and platform, Macklemore is unafraid to channel his music into advocacy. In 2017, he performed his single Same Love  an anthem about LGBTQIA+ rights  at the NRL grand final pre-game show during the peak of the Australian marriage equality campaign. At the concert, footage from a pride march played during this track, accompanied by rhetoric on allowing people to love who they want to love and be who they want to be. More recently, the performer has been vocal on the pro-Palestine movement, releasing the single Hinds Hall this month in support of American student protests. He even joined a campaign at the University of Sydney while touring.

Macklemore connects with the local audience. Credit: Richard Clifford Before performing the song, he leans into didactic ideologies: The Palestinians struggle has woken up my spirit in the last seven months  I stand up here today in solidarity and strength. Lighting up the stage in green, red and white to symbolise the Palestinian flag, he concludes the song with the cry free free Palestine, which the crowd repeats supportively in unison. Macklemore maintains an infectious, upbeat energy throughout his show. He skilfully jumps, bounds, claps his hands and busts a move across the stage, encouraging audiences to mimic him. The musicians and backup singers join in the fun, performing choreographed moves alongside the two onstage dancers. Sporadic pyrotechnics fire up the crowd. Loading After Dance Off, he gets two audience volunteers on stage to improvise a routine, applauding them for their willingness to be vulnerable. He dons a giant brown fur coat for hit Thrift Shop and even jumps on the drums during the rendition of Downtown, while he travels into the crowd for Cant Hold Us, with the front rows holding him up so he remains visible. He slows things down for Otherside to complement its serious message on the synonymity of drug use and rap culture.

His crowd engagement demonstrates an understanding of the local audience, agreeing to do a shoey with coconut water (given his sobriety) and even wearing a Matildas jersey at one point. Macklemore brought the club atmosphere, leaving patrons on a high by the end. He shows gratitude to fans, stating thank you for being a part of my story. He states enthusiastically: This one goes down in the history books  we did that shit!

Reviewed by Vyshnavee Wijekumar DANCE

Homo Pentecostus 

Malthouse Theatre, until May 25 The most interesting thing about choreographer Joel Brays rather scrappy exploration of his relationship with the charismatic religious movement known as Pentecostalism is the way it shows his earlier  and perhaps more successful  dance-theatre experiments in a new light.

Joel Bray and Peter Paltos in Homo Pentecostus: intimate exchanges and joyful celebrations. Credit: Gianna Rizzo Looking back, the affinities between his distinctive participatory aesthetic and the sensational appeals of modern Pentecostalism seem obvious. Intimate exchanges, joyful celebrations and a sort of touchy-feely sentimentality: this is the stuff of a Joel Bray performance. In this show, we learn that Bray was in fact a member of a Pentecostal church but walked away when he was 18. Hes joined on stage by actor Peter Paltos, who was attracted to Pentecostalism later in life, although he too became disillusioned. At issue is the movements intolerance of homosexuality and other expressions of queerness, as well as the controversial practice of deliverance, in which prayers and rituals are used to expel demons that influence behaviour. Much of the show is a shifting bricolage of reminiscences about being young and gay and discovering what that means. There are also some thin descriptions of life in a modern Pentecostal church, combined with a discussion of how religion affects family relationships.

Homo Pentecostus: reminiscent of a Pentecostal service. Credit: Gianna Rizzo The talking is juxtaposed with physical expressions of queerness and homosexual desire: poses and explicit pantomimes and extroverted dancing. Bray strips and is naked or half-naked for much of the performance. Is this an act of affirmation? To me it felt like a substitute for genuine confession: a literal unveiling of the self in place of a genuine engagement with problems of the spirit. At 1 hours, the show is also much too long. The last 30 minutes is almost a complete write-off, with the two performers literally flailing about, searching for an image of closure. Pretty soon the happy-clappy vibe goes sour and it all starts to feel like hard work. Actually, this is another way in which Joel Brays work is reminiscent of a Pentecostal service. It just goes on and on. It makes one yearn for the structure and concision of the Catholic Mass and its preference for symbolism over narrative. A breezy 60 minutes and youre done.

Homo Pentecostus raises intriguing questions about the interplay of spirit and flesh. Its enigmatic, fragmentary structure is appealing, yet too much remains hidden, and whats visible feels insubstantial. It fascinates, like a rough draft or provisional sketch, but is too limited to really enjoy.

Reviewed by Andrew Fuhrmann MUSIC

Esme Quartet 

Musica Viva, Melbourne Recital Centre, May 14 Formed originally as a kind of Korean, classical-music girl band during student days in Cologne, the Esme Quartet is now a seriously impressive voice in the string quartet world, as this final concert in its first Musica Viva tour amply demonstrated. With Belgian-American violist Dimitri Murrath joining violinists Wonhee Bae, Yuna Ha and cellist Yeeun Heo in April 2023, the lineup is no longer exclusively female or Korean, but the dynamism, exactitude and homogeneity of sound that propelled the group to notoriety is still very much alive and well. Such qualities were well exploited in a rewarding program, beginning with Anton Weberns early Langsamer Satz (Slow Movement); the quartet spinning long lines of richly inventive material that cohered into a captivating, harmonically decadent whole.

Esme Quartet: dynamism and exactitude. Credit: Tony McDonough If Weberns work recalled Brahms, Felix Mendelssohns String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13 paid homage to Beethoven; the quartet both nimbly negotiating the works various textures with aplomb and delivering the celebrated Intermezzo with feeling and crystalline clarity. Spiral Sequences by Australian-born, American-based composer Jack Frerer was a welcome discovery. Its two movements (the first quasi-minimalist, the second unwinding the tension of the first with slow-moving romantic gestures) proved an ideal vehicle for demonstrating the quartets stylistic versatility. Esme Quartet displayed their stylistic versatility. Credit: Tony McDonough A taut, vibrant account of Debussys String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10 crowned the program. Digging into the rhythms and textures of the first two movements, the players once again delivered carefully calibrated textures and dynamics to animate the score. During the final two movements, there were times when the listener might have hoped for a little less polish and a greater sense of abandonment to the musics passionate outbursts.

Hopefully, such greater spontaneity will be something audiences can enjoy should we be fortunate enough to hear the Esme on a return visit.

Reviewed by Tony Way MUSIC

Mahlers Song Of The Earth 

Australian Chamber Orchestra, Melbourne Recital Centre, May 13 A rare chance to hear two distinguished Australian operatic voices with the Australian Chamber Orchestra in an intriguing program resulted in a packed house for the first of three Melbourne performances of Gustav Mahlers Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth). It was ingeniously but empathetically arranged by fellow composer and admirer Arnold Schoenberg in 1920, and later completed by German composer Rainer Riehn. Preceding this profound, exotically flavoured meditation on life, love and death came other amorous declarations. Wagners Siegfried Idyll, a birthday present for his wife, Cosima, was given an ardently romantic account in its original version for 13 players. Three songs by Mahlers wife, Alma Mahler-Werfel, revealed a gifted and evocative compositional talent. While singing with dedication and textual insight, these songs challenged mezzo-soprano Catherine Carby as they predominantly sat low in her range, where the orchestration (by British composer David Matthews) did not always aid the projection of the colour and clarity that were an attractive feature of the higher reaches of her instrument.

An exotically flavoured meditation on life, love and death: the Australian Chamber Orchestra with tenor Stuart Skelton. Credit: Nic Walker Happily, the range and orchestration of the Mahler suited Carby very well indeed. This was not so true of Carbys collaborator, tenor Stuart Skelton, who did his valiant best to cover signs of apparent vocal strain throughout his three quite demanding songs. In this, he could have been better served by ACO director Richard Tognetti, who had the ability to rein in his exuberant players, most notably in the opening song. Carbys contributions, however, were of stellar quality. Deeply inhabiting text and mood, especially in the long, final farewell, she radiated all the intense emotions of the human condition with disarming, heart-rending candour. Complemented by a fine ensemble that included flautist Sally Walker, pianist Stefan Cassomenos, cellist Timo-Veikko Valve and hornist Timothy Jones, this was a moving, if imperfect, night to remember.

Reviewed by Tony Way MUSIC/THEATRE/DANCE

The Bridal Lament  

Arts House, until May 19 In the culture of Weitou, the earliest settlers of Hong Kong from southern China, marriage was akin to a kind of spiritual death for women. As a final act of defiance before they were sent off to live with their arranged husbands, the women developed a ritual known as the bridal lament. The woman would go up to a loft for three days, and there, suspended above her world, she would sing songs to her family and friends describing what she was leaving behind.

The Bridal Lament, starring Rainbow Chan, at Arts House. Credit: Sarah Walker Multidisciplinary artist and musician Rainbow Chan, whose mother is Weitou, reimagines this world in an ambitious one-woman show, directed by Tessa Leong. After making its debut at Sydneys Liveworks last year and heading to Adelaides OzAsia festival, and now playing in Melbourne, The Bridal Lament is a tender, poignant and cinematic vision of Chans place between cultures. The Bridal Lament is many things at once. It has elements of music, both contemporary and ancient, as Chans thudding electro-pop melds with traditional Weitou laments in a song cycle form; visual art, with abstract, swirling video projections designed by Rel Pham; and spoken-word, with Chan (and her mother, Irene, via voiceover in Weitou and Cantonese) narrating the story of the rituals, and the story of their familys migration to Australia. The backdrop is an elaborate, beaded archway, animated by dazzling colours. As well as her gorgeous voice, Rainbow Chans gliding movement is a big part of The Bridal Lament. Credit: Sarah Walker Chans gorgeous voice is the backbone of the show: soft when singing the folksy laments, and furiously commanding on the more modern pop-driven music, where it is sometimes distorted with autotune. The single Seven Sisters is a particular highlight as the archway pulses with colour. Other pieces flirt with ambient styles, adding to the haunting atmosphere. Choreography also plays a part: Chans body contorts as she glides across the stage, or writhes on the floor. The language of the laments is translated via video, and it is stunningly poetic, with vivid imagery of fruit and animals illustrating the brides plight.

The meta-narration is the shows weakest point, as Chan breaks the fourth wall to speak directly to the audience about what she experienced and learnt. While informative, it disrupts the flow of the piece, and jolts the viewer out of the liminal world of the laments. Loading The Bridal Lament is a rich and layered third-culture meditation on ritual, heritage and loss. When it ends, Chan is in tears. Its a privilege to go on this emotional journey with her.

Reviewed by Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen MUSIC

Adrian Sherriffs Kalachakra Ensemble 

Mark Street Hall, May 10 Kalachakra is a Sanskrit word meaning cycles of time  a multidimensional concept that lies at the heart of Adrian Sherriffs marvellous new ensemble. The groups music is based on Carnatic (south Indian) traditions, including its complex rhythmic cycles.

And the groups formation was inspired by a decades-long connection between two of its members  Sherriff and Sandy Evans  and the late Indian percussionist, Karaikudi R. Mani. Adrian Sherriff leads the Kalachakra Ensemble. Credit: Ian Spence The debut performance by Kalachakra on Friday night (presented by The Boite) also marked a significant anniversary: one year since Manis passing. Sherriff opened the concert by acknowledging Manis profound influence on his own musical growth, having studied and performed with the Indian master since the late 1990s. But while Sherriff has a deep understanding of Carnatic music, hes also a jazz artist, and this concert was an enthralling amalgam of cultures and traditions. Sherriff, an immensely gifted multi-instrumentalist, performed on the double-headed mridangam, the instrument Mani played throughout his life. Together with the remarkable Jay Dabgar on tabla, Sherriff created elaborate rhythmic patterns that underpinned each composition.

Enthralling amalgam: Adrian Sherriff was joined by the remarkable Jay Dabgar on tabla. Credit: Jessica Nicholas Melodies based on south Indian ragas were brought to life by Evans saxophone, Peggy Lees cello and Rohan Dasikas double bass. It was fascinating to watch these three instrumentalists articulating intricate rhythmic and melodic motifs with breathtaking unison, while also weaving in contrapuntal lines or breaking off into spirited improvisations. Dasika and Lee switched nimbly between arco and pizzicato, adding subtle harmonics, richly resonant undertones or an undulating pulse to echo the two percussionists. Evans was frequently locked in sync with the bass and cello, but also produced some mesmerising solos, darting from note to note with astonishing agility or sinking into slow, sustained phrases with prayerful reverence. This was a compelling tribute not just to Manis legacy, but to the creative processes that can carry ancient traditions into the future.

Reviewed by Jessica Nicholas MUSIC

Jaime Conducts Debussy and Strauss 

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Hamer Hall, May 9

Jaime Martin and the MSO offered a night of high drama  exactly as planned  with two virtuoso works by Claude Debussy and Richard Strauss, plus a rarely played overture. The ambitious program of Debussys La Mer (The Sea) and Strauss Ein Heldenleben (A Heros Life) require on the podium both a fine colourist and a master musical architect, and chief conductor Martin is both. He balanced the shape, line and proportion of each work, energetically combining both the sweep and the detail. The MSO was augmented by one or two Australian National Academy of Music students in each section, and it must have been thrilling for them to take part in such an explosive concert before a fully appreciative audience. First came the overture to The Wreckers, an opera about Cornish villagers who lure ships to their doom. By Dame Ethel Smyth, a suffragette whose protests meant she was jailed, it was lively and attractive. A contemporary critic said La Mer should be titled La Mal de Mer (seasickness), while composer Erik Satie said of the movement Dawn to Noon on the Sea that he liked the bit about a quarter to 11. So did I, but I also enjoyed the rest  a subtle and characterful reading.

Jaime Martin and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra provided a night of high drama. Credit: Mark Gambino The highlight was the Strauss, rather immodestly based on the composers own life. I find myself quite as interesting as Napoleon (the original dedicatee of Beethovens Eroica symphony), he said. Martin opened lickety-split, at the cost of some blurred detail, but built irresistible momentum. This tempo in the second section, the heros enemies (unsympathetic critics), with carping woodwinds and grumbling bass, made the critics all the more shrill. Next, the heros companion, captured Strauss wife, Pauline, in a tender and flirtatious account distinguished by sumptuous playing by associate concertmaster Tair Khisambeev in the challenging extended solo. In summary, a formidable feat of physical fitness and concentration by all involved.

Reviewed by Barney Zwartz THEATRE

World Problems 

Emma Mary Hall, Melbourne Theatre Company, until May 22

How does knowledge of the global  including catastrophes from nuclear war to climate change  affect our experience at a personal level? How might the smallest corners of our lives be connected, through some butterfly effect, to outcomes much bigger than ourselves? World Problems invites the audience to consider such questions, in an hour-long monologue featuring historical disasters and speculative futures, all nestled within the ephemera of childhood memory. Carly Sheppards performance in World Problems is filled with wry wit. Credit: Tiffany Garvie A lone woman (Carly Sheppard) scrambles through what looks like a wrecked fuselage to take the stage. Concrete fragments of recollection build a vivid, culturally precise portrait of growing up as a Gen X queer girl in the Adelaide suburbs, but the dramatic structure is quite poetic and abstract and free-associative, with a universalising impulse. It reminded me, oddly enough, of the text in Nature Theatre of Oklahomas Life and Times  a masterpiece of avant-garde verbatim theatre that used recordings of a woman recalling her childhood in pedestrian detail, complete with ums and ahs  and it shares the same creative leaps, lacunae and unbidden thoughts of a person compelled to relate memories in real time.

World Problems is an hour-long monologue featuring historical disasters and speculative futures. Credit: Tiffany Garvie Sheppard wrestles the chaos of experience into narrative (or the suggestion of it) with wry wit and a coiled presence that embodies the struggle posed by self-reflection. Observations on gender and sexuality are especially sharp, but Sheppard also shows how the characters personal and social identity are shaped by cultural trends and world events, including all the touchstones of the last generation to grow up without the internet. As the woman remembers her young adulthood, middle age and begins to approach her present, a twist replaces memory with futuristic intimations: apocalyptic dystopias where birds fall out of the sky, or transhuman ones where technology transforms social norms, and people start marrying their own fridges or what have you. Loading These speculative incursions feel underdeveloped on their own terms.
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Eating outKitchen Drawer The $15 wok this top chef (and former MasterChef contestant) swears by Avoid the expensive brands, she says, while dishing up advice on how to season it correctly and the type of burner you should use. Matt Shea May 16, 2024 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

Emily Yeoh wants you to stop buying fancy woks. If you want to get good char, dont invest in a very expensive wok, Yeoh says. Its probably not going to work. My advice is to go to an Asian grocery store, like Yuens, and get a small wok. I know it sounds weird, but the cheapest one is the best. Emily Yeoh with a larger version of the $15 wok she recommends from Yuens in Brisbane, or a similar Asian grocery store. Markus Ravik The former MasterChef contestant, who owns Emily Yeoh Restaurant in Paddington, Brisbane, talks a lot about the char of her wok. She says thats what will help give your food a touch of wok hei, or breath of the wok  the prized smoky taste youll find in a well-cooked Malaysian char kway teow, or a Cantonese beef chow fun. Yeohs preferred wok can be nabbed for $15 at Yuens Market in Brisbane, but she says shes seen the same type for as little as $8 at other Asian grocery markets.

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I dont blame people, Yeoh says. Theres a lot of advertising out there telling us to buy the expensive wok. But dont. Get the cheapest one, because theyre thin, and theyre really good when it comes to charring things. The $110 wine glass you need at home, according to a top Australian sommelier So, youve sold your fancy wok on Marketplace, you have your cheapy in hand, and youre ready to cook. Not so fast, Yeoh says  youre going to need to season it. First, give your new wok a wash and dry. Then set it on the burner at the highest heat you can manage until it starts to smoke, turning the wok as you go. This will burn off any residual substances from its manufacturing process. Emily Yeoh says you dont need an expensive wok in the home kitchen. Markus Ravik

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You want to burn it for a fairly long time, until its really smoky and turns black, Yeoh says. When you bought it, it was probably a more silver colour. If you dont want to burn it in the house, maybe do it in the backyard [with a portable burner]. Youre not burning the wok. Youre burning away all that residue, which becomes carbon. So youre burning away the carbon, essentially. Yeoh says its important to season your wok before putting it to work. Markus Ravik Once youre finished, give your wok a second wash in hot water (no detergent this time), return it to the heat and get it smoking again, then turn off the gas and apply some cooking oil  enough to simply coat the woks surface  wiping out any excess with paper towel. Now, its ready to do some actual cooking. In the kitchen at Emily Yeoh Restaurant, the chefs complete this seasoning process daily with all the woks, because of how often theyre used. At home, simply repeat before each time you use your wok.

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If you dont have a dedicated wok burner in your kitchen, Yeoh recommends a camp-style burner. Markus Ravik Once you have your wok, the next question is, what should you cook with it on? Home gas or electric stoves often arent hot enough and, while portable wok burners are good, Yeoh says they can require a lot of maintenance and cleaning to keep the gas flowing correctly. Instead, she recommends the kind of camping stove you sometimes still find on the table at your neighbourhood hotpot  the ones where you slot in a disposable gas canister. They might not match the temperature of the enormous wok burners in Yeohs Paddington kitchen, but theyll give you a solid, even flame in a relatively compact package. Theyre easy to maintain, and theyre good for either apartments or outside cooking, she says. If inside, just make sure youre using it somewhere with plenty of ventilation. You can get a 15-inch (38cm) iron wok for $15 at Yuens Market, but they can be found for less if you shop around.

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The ACT Supreme Courts judgment does not make for comfortable reading. Far from the theft and leaking of classified information representing a desperate final act for someone whose pleas for justice had been ignored, McBride was allowed to spend his work hours compiling a formal complaint over what he believed to be corrupt practices to the Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force. He submitted that some investigations into Australian soldiers were a waste of time and were having a severely adverse effect on the soldiers being investigated.

McBrides complaint was investigated by a former County Court judge and a Navy captain. The pair found that many of the issues raised by Mr McBride could not be substantiated. McBride was given the report to read and there is no indication that he disagreed with the conclusions reached in the report or that he raised concerns about it. He obviously did disagree with it privately though, as his subsequent actions indicate.

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Justice David Mossop noted that McBride became so convinced of the correctness of his own opinions that he was unable to operate within the legal framework that his duty required him to. And far from someone whose complaints were ignored, forcing him to disclose classified information that he stole as a last resort, the judge noted that it was significant that during the trial no attempt was made to prove as a fact  that the claims made by McBride were justified, that they were inappropriately addressed  or that the mechanisms for complaint or redress available under the law were not adequate.

Arguments were made that McBrides disclosures advanced the public interest because they were used by Major-General Paul Brereton to identify issues to be examined in his inquiry into war crimes. The reality is the court found that while the ABC feature was of significant public interest, Defences inquiry had been initiated by the ADF more than 12 months prior to the ADF becoming aware of Mr McBrides disclosures. The ABCs series on The Afghan Files, which used material leaked by McBride, even referred to the secretive inquiry under way examining reports of alleged war crimes. The ABC report merely reported on some issues that would later form part of a comprehensive inquiry that had already been initiated well before the ABC story and independent of McBrides complaint.
A Brisbane City Council officer has urged a Senate inquiry to recommend a new aircraft noise study be done to allow planners and decision-makers to give more consideration to health impacts.

While the council made its own submission to the inquiry, noting the importance of Brisbane Airport to the citys economy, Alex Marchuk from the councils natural environment, water and sustainability division, complained of a lack of up-to-date research on aircraft noise associated with Australian airports, particularly Brisbane Airport.

A Senate committee is holding an inquiry into the impact and mitigation of aircraft noise. Credit: Adobe Stock

Currently, land use planning for Brisbane and other Australian airports is based on a study that is

now over 40 years old, wrote Marchuk, a long-time program officer who has also written papers on noise regulation.

This study forms the basis for Australian Standard  used to determine the Australian Noise Exposure Forecast (ANEF) contours used for land use planning in all Australian cities.
Former St Kilda star Sam Fisher cried and waved to his loved ones as he was jailed for more than five years after a downward spiral into drug addiction led him to become involved in an interstate trafficking scheme.

Fisher, 41, learnt his fate at the County Court in Melbourne on Thursday after pleading guilty to six drug offences.

The charges include trafficking a commercial quantity of methamphetamine, cocaine and 1,4-Butanediol, and three counts of drug possession.

Police arrested the former AFL footballer in May 2022 over the trafficking of 996 grams of methamphetamine and 82 grams of cocaine from Melbourne to Western Australia.
Australians cant afford another three years of Labor. At the next election, it will be time for a change. A better change for you, your family and our country. Dutton confirmed the Coalition would support one of the key measures in the budget, an energy rebate worth $300 for every household, but he said the measure was not good enough. We will support this relief because we know Australians are hurting. But the government is treating the symptom, not the disease, he said. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton delivers his budget reply speech on Thursday night. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer But he confirmed his opposition to the made in Australia tax credits at the heart of Labors budget.

As a start, we will not spend $13.7 billion on corporate welfare for green hydrogen and critical minerals, he said. Loading These projects should stand up on their own without the need for taxpayers money. Duttons stance is at odds with calls from West Australian Liberal leader Libby Mettam to back the tax credits, but the opposition leader said he wanted to support mining in other ways  such as by speeding up approvals for quick-turnaround projects. He also said the Coalition would dump the financial burden on companies from Labors climate change schemes.

He confirmed his support for nuclear power stations in Australia but offered no detail on how that would be achieved and put no time frame on when he would reveal a policy. As well as setting the lowest target for permanent migration in almost 20 years, Dutton said he would reduce student numbers to free up homes for Australians and increase fees on those students. We believe that by rebalancing the migration program and taking decisive action on the housing crisis, the Coalition would free up more than 100,000 additional homes over the next five years, he told parliament. First, we will implement a two-year ban on foreign investors and temporary residents purchasing existing homes in Australia.

Second, we will reduce the permanent migration program by 25 per cent  from 185,000 to 140,000 for the first two years in recognition of the urgency of this crisis. Loading The program will then increase to 150,000 in year three and 160,000 in year four. We will ensure there are enough skilled and temporary skilled visas for those with building and construction skills to support our local tradies to build the homes we need. Dutton said he would also return the refugee and humanitarian program planning level to 13,750, arguing the program would remain one of the most generous in the world on a per capita basis.

While the 140,000 target goes further than Labor in reducing the permanent program, which is set to fall from 195,000 to 185,000 in a new estimate revealed on Tuesday, it also raises questions about whether the Coalition would turn away skilled workers. Dutton argued for a cut in the permanent intake to 160,000 when he was home affairs minister in the previous government, resulting in a formal reduction from 190,000 under then-prime minister Scott Morrison in the 2019 federal budget, shortly before that years election. Labor increased the intake to 195,000 during the jobs summit in September 2022 after employers warned of labour shortages and union leaders accepted the new level in a broader settlement on workplace relations law. Official figures show last years permanent program included 35,000 workers who were sponsored by employers, 32,100 skilled independent visas, 31,000 visas nominated by states and territories, 34,000 regional visas and 40,000 partner visas.

Cutting the total program without rejecting skilled foreign workers would mean placing greater pressure on other parts of the intake, such as Australians who seek permanent residency for partners born overseas. A different measure of the intake, net overseas migration, includes visitors who stay for 12 months or more during a 16-month period. This includes overseas students because they increase the population without being permanent arrivals. Loading A cut to the permanent intake does not result in a cut to overall net overseas migration each year, the key measure of the arrivals in the country. Many of the people who move into the permanent program come from those who are already in Australia on temporary visas. Education Minister Jason Clare dismissed Duttons idea of a ban on overseas home-buyers by pointing out that only 5,000 international buyers had purchased homes over the last two years.

So if he thinks that thats the solution, tackling housing, then it was wrong, Clare said. The government also said that reducing the permanent migration program would have very little bearing on the number of migrants who were in the country, given the broader net intake. The opposition prepared for the budget reply by asking Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in question time on Thursday to explain how net overseas migration reached 528,000 in the 2023 financial year when Labor had originally estimated it would be only 235,000. How can the Australian people believe any forecast this government makes on net overseas migration? opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan asked. Albanese pointed to budget measures, including a cap on overseas students, as signs that Labor was fixing the system and bringing down the intake.

Were on track to halve it next year, he said, adding that Labor had inherited a broken system from the Coalition. The net migration intake was 184,000 in the year to June 2022 and spiked to 528,000 the following year after pandemic restrictions were eased. The budget forecasts a fall in the intake from 395,000 this financial year to 260,000 next year and 255,000 in the subsequent year, followed by two years when the intake would be 235,000. The Coalition cites the five biggest years, starting last year and ending in June 2027, to warn that migration would add 1.7 million people over five years  bigger than the population of Adelaide.
A casual observer of parliament could easily assume that Peter Dutton has been reading Karl Marx since Labor revealed its budget plan to offer tax credits worth $13.7 billion for critical minerals and clean energy. The opposition leader pretends to line up with the proletariat to oppose the scheme as billions of dollars for billionaires.

Marx likened capitalists to vampires, so the Coalition attack lines seem mild by comparison. Even so, the thrust of Duttons complaint is that Australian billionaires are exploiting taxpayers to get a handout they do not need. He suddenly dislikes giving billionaires a helping hand.

A promotional video from Hancock Prospecting shows Opposition Leader Peter Dutton with Gina Rinehart and Roy Hill CEO Gerhard Veldsman last year. Credit: Hancock Prospecting

This will be news to voters who remember the Liberals and Nationals helping Australias richest woman, Gina Rinehart, and its richest man, Andrew Forrest, by repealing the Labor governments mining tax in 2014. Nobody can be sure how much the big miners have saved in the years since that repeal, but it would make the tax credits look like spare change.

The Liberals still love their billionaires, of course. Dutton flew to Perth on February 29 to celebrate Rineharts birthday at a lavish party that night, even though this meant hours of travel for only a short time at the event. The Australian Financial Review revealed he was at Rineharts Roy Hill mine last November for a banquet, at which guests were served Bollinger and peach bellinis. To be fair, Dutton took commercial flights at his own expense.
Beijing: Chinas Xi Jinping and Russias Vladimir Putin have pledged a new era of partnership between the two most powerful rivals of the United States, which they cast as an aggressive Cold War hegemon sowing chaos across the world.

Xi greeted Putin on a red carpet outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where they were hailed by marching Peoples Liberation Army soldiers, a 21-gun salute on Tiananmen Square and children waving the flags of China and Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping leave a concert marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and China. Credit: AP

China and Russia declared a no limits partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing just days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, triggering the deadliest land war in Europe since World War II.

Xi, 70, and Putin, 71, signed a joint statement about the new era that proclaimed opposition to the US on a host of security issues and a shared view on everything from Taiwan and Ukraine to North Korea and cooperation on new peaceful nuclear technologies and finance.
London: A lone wolf has been charged with attempted murder over the shooting that seriously wounded the Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who doctors say only narrowly escaped death.

The 71-year-old suspect, believed to be a former security guard and a poet, faces up to 25 years in prison after the politically motivated attack, Slovakian news outlets reported.

The populist, pro-Russia leader was shot up to five times in the stomach, arm and leg as he greeted people in the town of Handlova, about 140 kilometres from the central European countrys capital, Bratislava.

As Fico remained in hospital with grave injuries after hours of surgery, the attempt on his life  the first against a sitting EU leader in more than two decades  continued to reverberate across the Continent just three weeks before European parliamentary elections.
Washington: Tens of millions of dollars of advertising have not changed US President Joe Bidens polling deficit. Donald Trumps criminal trial has not altered the races trajectory. And Bidens significant cash and infrastructure advantages have yet to pay political dividends.

So on Wednesday (US time), the one weekday Trump was not confined to a courtroom, the Biden campaign shook up the race, publicly offering to bring forward the first presidential debate by three months. The move was meant to jolt Americans to attention sooner than later about their consequential choice in 2024. Bidens advisers have long believed that the dawning realisation of a Trump-Biden rematch would be a balm for the presidents droopy approval ratings.

Donald Trump and Joe Biden will appear in two presidential debates in 2024. Credit: Marija Ercegovac

The Trump team swiftly accepted. And Trump proceeded to do Biden the favour of lowering expectations for his performance, writing on social media that his rival was the WORST debater I have ever faced. The post was a preview of the insults to come, with Trump accusing the president of being unable to put two sentences together and calling him crooked three times.

The early debate gambit from Biden amounted to a public acknowledgment that he is trailing in his re-election bid, and a bet that an accelerated debate timeline will force voters to tune back into politics and confront the possibility of Trump returning to power.
Dick Gutman, DINERMAN opens May 25 in new Collections Gallery

DEARBORN, Mich., May 15, 2024 -- The Henry Ford dives into the rich history of the American diner and its leading expert, Richard (Dick) Gutman with its new exhibition, Dick Gutman, DINERMAN, opening May 25 in the new Collections Gallery located in Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.

No one has been more immersed in the origins, designs and operations of diners in America than Dick Gutman.

In 2019, The Henry Ford acquired Gutman's collection of diner materials, the largest of its kind in the country. Portions of that collectionwhich ranges from the 1870s to the 1990swill be on display for the first time in DINERMAN, including memorabilia, scale models, and furniture. The exhibit showcases the history of diner architecture and design in the United States and honors the preservation that keeps diners relevant today.

Gutman's fascination with these informal restaurants began while he was studying architecture at Cornell University in the late-1960s. He has contributed to virtually every published media piece on diners and was instrumental in the move and restoration of The Henry Ford's own Lamy's Diner and the reconstruction of the Owl Night Lunch Wagon, the last surviving lunch wagon in existence, located in Greenfield Village.

Dick Gutman, DINERMAN, is free for members and included with admission to Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. For more information, visit thf.org.

About The Henry Ford

Located in Dearborn, Michigan, The Henry Ford is a globally recognized destination that fosters inspiration and learning from hands-on encounters with artifacts representing the most comprehensive collection anywhere focusing on innovation, ingenuity, and resourcefulness. Its unique venues include Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Greenfield Village, Ford Rouge Factory Tour, Benson Ford Research Center, Giant Screen Experience and Henry Ford Academy, a public charter high school. The Henry Ford inspires every individual to unlock their potential and help shape a better future through a variety of channels, including its online presence thehenryford.org, its Emmy-winning national television series, The Henry Ford's Innovation Nation, and The Henry Ford's Invention Convention Worldwide, a global K-12 invention education curricular program that teaches students problem-solving, entrepreneurship, and creativity skills. With the support of a growing community of affiliates and supporters, The Henry Ford is the home of Raytheon Technologies Invention Convention U.S. Nationals, Invention Convention Globals and Invention Convention Michigan

SOURCE The Henry Ford
Villa Annie in the village of Velika on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast is financed by BGN 186,830 under the European Union (EU) Rural Development Program (RDP). The beneficiary is the company NEDA AVRAMOVA  NEDA. The sole owner of the company is Neda Krassimirova Avramova, sister of Blagoevgrads prosecutor Anna Krassimirova Avramova-Gradeva. The land on which the villa is built belongs to Avramovas husband  Galin Gradev, who is a senior expert in the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy (MLSP). The villa does not operate as a guesthouse, and it is occupied only during the summer by Gradevs family and their friends.

Hello, I am calling for a reservation at Villa Annie for Easter, is it possible?  No, there is no possibility. And for later, May? Still not possible, theres nobody there in May. Only during the summer.  During the summer, when? From June on?  Yes, from June on.  Who am I talking to?  Galin Gradev is my name.

This conversation was held on Friday, April 19, by a correspondent of Bivol, who dialed the phone number for contacts, +359 88 766 8771, listed on the Facebook page of Sea Villas Annie in the village of Velika. The site has not been upgraded since 2016. However, even if the villa is only accepting summer holidaymakers, which is not certain, there is a clear violation of the rules of the RDP.

The idea of European funding for guesthouses is to support regions with lack of modern infrastructure and insufficient bed capacity to create employment, sustainable livelihood and develop the tourism business. The village of Velika, which is a popular holiday destination on the sea, has no problem with depopulation and livelihood, on the contrary. However, the State Fund Agriculture (SFA), the body in charge of distributing the EU funds, has approved subsidies for a total of 12 projects for guesthouses right there.

Galin Gradev acquired the land with an area of 560 square meters with an old house of 38 square meters in the village of Velika in 2009. The price was only BGN 4,522. The new house, paid with EU money, was built after he established the right to build for his sister-in-law Neda Avramova in 2013 for a three-story massive building with a built-up area of 95.81 square meters and a total area of 319.87 square meters. The sister-in-law successfully applied for EU financing and a three-story house replaced the old shack.

Since its incorporation, Neda Avramovas firm has reported BGN 9,000 in revenue, meaning that the objectives of the funding program have not been met. There is no staff in the villa, and the company has only one employee with health and retirement benefits.

Bivol sent questions to the Prosecutors Office, the MLSP and the SFA. We asked whether this arrangement for absorbing EU funds by empowered persons did not put them in a situation of conflict of interest and abuse of power. We did not receive a response by the editorial closure of this publication.

As early as 2017, Bivol mapped the guesthouses for which there are suspicions of them not being used for the purpose, but are actually private villas registered to the relatives of senior officials. Based on employee data, we found that about 300 houses out of a total of the 750 funded with EU money are used privately. Our investigation into these fake guesthouses was entered into the Black Book of Government Waste, but both OLAF and the Prosecutors Office failed to launch a systematic probe into all sites financed through the RDP.

One of the most infamous guesthouses is that of the former senior employee of the SFA Yanaki Chervenyakov, who was fired after Bivol exposed his lavish lifestyle. At that time, the National Security Agency (DANS) raided the SFA offices, but so far, there is no evidence of criminal proceedings for abuses in the Fund. Its former Director, Rumen Porozhanov, even received a promotion and became Minister of Agriculture.

Last weeks investigation by Bivol revealed that the Deputy Minister of Economy Alexander Manolev is using one of these guesthouses. He resigned, and the Prosecutors Office launched pre-trial proceedings for abuse of EU funds.

The interception of empowered individuals with such houses is possible thanks to Bivols information platform, which contains data on the declarations of these people, the EU subsidies, the Trade Register and the public procurement. The latest addition to it is the information on magistrates declarations for 2017 and 2018, which is currently maintained by the Inspectorate at the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and is incomplete  more than 500 declarations are missing. The work of our investigative team on the disclosure of guesthouses for mothers-in-law and sisters-in-law continues.

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SpaceX is aiming to achieve several milestones on the IFT-4 flight, which is scheduled for June 2024. The Starship rocket must revalidate all previous milestones.

This was expected in May. In the end, the Starships next test flight should take place in June. At least, thats what Elon Musk said on X (formerly Twitter) on May 11, 2024, in response to a question from an Internet user. According to the SpaceX founder, the IFT-4 flight will take place in three to five weeks time (i.e. in the first half of June).

The main objective of this new Integrated Flight Test, according to Elon Musk, is to ensure that the spacecraft  also called Starship, like the rocket  successfully re-enters the atmosphere after its passage through space. The aim is for the Starship to exceed maximum heat-up, or at least go further than last time, he said.

During IFT-3, which took place in mid-March, the mission was completed during atmospheric re-entry, when the last telemetry signals were received 49 minutes after lift-off. In its report, SpaceX stated that it had been able to collect useful data on Starship control and on the temperature affecting its heat shield.

Naturally, SpaceX is expected to revalidate all the steps involved in reaching this critical sequence. This precedes the final phase of the flight, which consists of ditching the craft in the ocean. Initially, this was planned for the Pacific, but for IFT-3, the Indian Ocean was chosen.

Simulating a controlled booster return

During Integrated Flight Test 4, there are other milestones that SpaceX should try to achieve. For the main Super Heavy booster, there are reports of an attempt at a soft landing. This should prepare SpaceX for the day when the Super Heavys return to Earth ends between the clamps of the launch tower.

Success during IFT-4 could pave the way for a real-life test during IFT-5, expected later in 2024 (on May 8, SpaceX performed a static ignition test of the spacecraft that will be used for this test). This will be a sensitive moment, as a miss could cause damage to the landing zone and launch tower.

According to the U.S. Civil Aviation Administration (CAA), which was questioned in April, other actions are likely to take place during the IFT-4 flight. However, these were not detailed by the regulator. What we do know, however, is that the FAA will conduct an environmental review of SpaceXs operations in Florida.

An attempt to relight a Raptor engine in space may also be planned  it didnt happen on the IFT-3 mission.

Finally, IFT-4 will not be the only flight on which SpaceX will operate an operational mission. There was talk for a while that the Starship would also be used to deploy Starlink satellites into orbit, since the spacecraft is now reaching space. However, SpaceX boss Gwynne Shotwell dismissed the idea.
Press Release

May 16, 2024 Robin Resolution Seeks to Fine-Tune PH Preparations vs El Nino, La Nina Sen. Robinhood "Robin" C. Padilla is seeking to fine-tune the Philippine government's information dissemination and aid distribution mechanisms, to enhance responses and preparations for El Nino, La Nina, and other "environmental shocks." Padilla filed Senate Resolution 1025, directing the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media - which he chairs - to conduct an investigation in aid of legislation on the matter. In his resolution, Padilla stressed the need to craft a "whole of society" approach in dealing with El Nino and La Nina, environmental shocks that may impair agricultural productivity. "Preparation through proper information dissemination and prompt distribution of government aid and support could spell out success in addressing our country's vulnerability to frequent environmental shocks," he said. But he said that while the state weather agency has not been remiss in releasing forecasts of El Nino and La Nina - and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered a whole-of-government approach in facing the challenges of El Nino and La Nina, there is a need to review historical data and identify policy gaps. "Filipinos must be informed of up-to-date and necessary preparations and responses of the national and local government, as the public has, over the years, been taking the brunt of these environmental shocks," he added. Padilla likewise pointed out a comprehensive public information drive is necessary to apprise the affected population of the government's projects, programs and activities to help them cope with the adverse effects of this crisis. "A whole-of-society approach, with respect to information dissemination in all crisis-related concerns, must be adopted in order to facilitate societal inclusivity and to ensure the active participation of all sectors to better amplify government's response to ensure that information will be delivered promptly, and in a language well-understood by the population directly affected," he said. Robin, Nais Pinuhin ang Paghahanda sa El Nino, La Nina Nais pinuhin ni Sen. Robinhood "Robin" C. Padilla ang mekanismo ng pamahalaan para sa pagpapakalat ng impormasyon at ng tulong bilang pagtugon at paghahanda sa El Nino, La Nina, at ibang "environmental shocks." Ihinain ni Padilla ang Senate Resolution 1025, kung saan ang Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media na kanyang pinamumunuan ay mamamahala sa investigation in aid of legislation sa bagay na ito. Sa kanyang resolusyon, iginiit ni Padilla na kailangang makabuo ng "whole of society" na paraan sa pagtugon sa El Nino at La Nina, na aniya'y maaaring makapinsala sa "agricultural productivity." "Preparation through proper information dissemination and prompt distribution of government aid and support could spell out success in addressing our country's vulnerability to frequent environmental shocks," aniya. Ani Padilla, bagama't hindi naging pabaya ang pamahalaan sa paglabas ng forecast para sa El Nino at La Nina - at inutusan na ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ang "whole-of-government approach" sa pagtugon sa El Nino at La Nina, kailangang suriin ang nangyari noong nakaraan para mapunan ang puwang sa mga polisiya. "Filipinos must be informed of up-to-date and necessary preparations and responses of the national and local government, as the public has, over the years, been taking the brunt of these environmental shocks," dagdag niya. Ayon din kay Padilla, kailangan ng "comprehensive public information drive" para malaman ng taumbayan ang proyekto at programa ng pamahalaan para kumilos din sila bilang pagtugon sa krisis. "A whole-of-society approach, with respect to information dissemination in all crisis-related concerns, must be adopted in order to facilitate societal inclusivity and to ensure the active participation of all sectors to better amplify government's response to ensure that information will be delivered promptly, and in a language well-understood by the population directly affected," ani Padilla.
Chabahar Port Deal





By GIRISH LINGANNA

ON MONDAY May 13, the Indian Government, led by Narendra Modi, announced the signing of a 10-year agreement with Iran to enhance cooperation in the development and operation of the port of Chabahar. This move aims to strengthen Indias ties with Iran, an important country in the Middle East. The Indian Government has been actively involved in the development of the Chabahar port, located on Irans southeastern coast along the Gulf of Oman. The port serves as a crucial transportation route for goods destined for Iran, Afghanistan, and countries in Central Asia. By utilising the Chabahar port, India can bypass its rival Pakistan's ports of Karachi and Gwadar, facilitating smoother trade and connectivity in the region. Despite this, the port holds immense importance beyond being a simple link between India and Iran. It serves as a crucial trade route connecting India with Afghanistan and Central Asian countries. Sarbananda Sonowal, Indias Shipping Minister, emphasised this significance during his visit to Tehran after the agreement was signed. The establishment of this connection has opened up fresh opportunities for trade and strengthened the resilience of supply chains in the region. Indian Ports Global Limited (IPGL) and the Port & Maritime Organization of Iran have officially signed a long-term agreement, as confirmed by authorities from both nations. The partnership between Iran and India regarding the strategic port can be traced back to 2003 when New Delhi agreed to enhance the ports development along with the necessary infrastructure connections during the visit of former President Muhammad Khatami to India.

However, the project has faced multiple setbacks over the years and has been hindered by sanctions imposed on Iran. The agreement, signed in Tehran with the presence of the Indian and Iranian shipping Ministers, has officially replaced the initial framework agreement that was signed back in 2016 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Iran. According to Mehrdad Bazrpash, the Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development, the agreement entails an investment of approximately $120 million from IPGL, accompanied by an additional $250 million in financing. This brings the total value of the contract to $370 million. Under the terms of the agreement, India has committed to acquiring various types of equipment, including Mobile Harbour Cranes (MHCs), Rail-Mounted Quay Cranes (RMQCs), Rubber-Tired Gantry Cranes (RTGCs), Reach Stackers, Forklifts, and Pneumatic Unloaders, for use at Chabahar Port. Chabahars Role in Humanitarian Aid and Regional Connectivity: Chabahar has played a crucial role in providing humanitarian aid, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the port, a significant amount of aid, including 2.5 million tonnes of wheat and 2,000 tonnes of pulses, has been efficiently transported from India to Afghanistan.

Additionally, in 2021, Chabahar facilitated the delivery of 40,000 litres of the pesticide Malathion from India to Iran to combat a locust infestation. Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar expressed this sentiment during a press conference in Mumbai on Monday, 13th May, emphasising the positive impact of the ports operations. According to Jaishankar, India anticipates that the project will enhance its connectivity with an international transport corridor that is being established in collaboration with Iran and Russia. Furthermore, it is expected to strengthen trade relationships with Central Asia. Located at the entrance of the Gulf of Oman, Chabahar is Irans first deepwater port, strategically positioning the country on the international maritime trade route. Situated in Irans Sistan-Baluchestan Province, the port is approximately 120 kilometres southwest of Pakistans Baluchistan Province, where the Gwadar port, funded by China, is located. Chabahar holds significant strategic value for both Iran and India. For Iran, the port serves as a potential means to mitigate the impact of Western sanctions. Meanwhile, it provides India with an alternative trade route that circumvents Pakistan, which restricts Indias land access to trade with Afghanistan and Central Asia.

The Chabahar project comprises two separate ports, namely Shahid Beheshti and Shahid Kalantari terminals. Each of which has five berth facilities. However, Indias investment is specifically limited to the Shahid Beheshti port. This information is derived from the research paper titled Geopolitics of Chabahar port for Iran, India, and Afghanistan authored by Ali Omidi and Gauri Noolkar-Oak from the University of Isfahan in Iran. The contract value, totalling $370 million, awarded to IPGL, will be solely dedicated to the enhancement and expansion of the Shahid Beheshti terminal. INSTC: A Vision for Seamless Connectivity: Additionally, Chabahar Port plays a role in the envisioned International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).This project is an extensive transportation network spanning over 7,200 kilometres. It includes sea routes, roads, and railways that connect the cities of Saint Petersburg in Russia and Mumbai in India. The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) consists of a total of thirteen member countries. These countries include India, Iran, Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Ukraine, and Syria. Additionally, Bulgaria participates in the INSTC as an Observer Member. (IPA)
Chief Vigilance Officer of Hindustan Copper Ltd killed, 14 others rescued





JAIPUR,

HINDUSTAN Copper Limiteds Chief Vigilance Officer Upendra Kumar Pandey died after a lift collapsed at a mine in Rajasthans Neem Ka Thana, police said on Wednesday. Fourteen others who were trapped in the mine were rescued and sent to a hospital in Jaipur for treatment, they said. Additional Director General (ADG) Anil Paliwal said the rescue team recovered the body of Chief Vigilance Officer Pandey from the mine. A team of 15 personnel had gone down the mine for an inspection and while returning, the cable of the cage broke due to which the cage fell down. They were stuck in a depth of around 1,875 feet.

The rescue work took place in multiple rounds. A vigilance team had come from Kolkata for inspection of the mine. It was accompanied by local unit personnel during the inspection. In Delhi, Mines Secretary V L Kantha Rao said an inquiry will be ordered in the incident. I had been in the same lift a few months back. It was all good...We will get an enquiry done and find out what happened, Rao told reporters.
Festival of democracy





BY REKHA NARSIKAR

INDIA at present is abuzz with the fervour of multi-phased Lok Sabha elections. The exciting saga of democracy is to unfold in seven phases, each marked by enthusiastic campaigning, spirited debates and eager involvement from millions of citizens. In every corner of the country, political parties and candidates are tied up in a flurry of events: from door to door canvassing to massive gatherings - all aimed at winning the hearts and minds of voters. Issues ranging from economic development to social justice to national security are dominating the discourse, reflecting the wide-ranging concerns of our vast population. In the worlds largest democracy, the spectacle of elections is not merely an incident but an extraordinary narrative of peoples voices, hopes and aspirations. From the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas to the Sun-kissed shores of Kanyakumari, from the eastern sunrise in Arunachal Pradesh to the western horizon in Gujarat, Indias vast electoral canvas is capturing the countless hues of cultures, traditions and desires. The sheer scale and diversity of the massive electorate make these elections a manifestation unlike any other. Spanning over one and a half months, various phases of the elections are meticulously planned to ensure smooth conduct and maximum participation, reflecting the logistical marvel of managing such mammoth exercise!

The activities surrounding the elections are nothing short of whirlwind of energy and enthusiasm. Rallies, speeches and symbolism are drawing massive crowds even in the areas reeling under intense summer heat. Hordes of people are seen waiting for hours together just to catch a glimpse of their leaders. Campaign trails, meetings, allegations and counter allegations and social media salvos are adding layers of engagement, as candidates vie for the attention and support of voters. In the bustling world of media coverage, channels and reporters are using smart tricks to cover the elections. Reporters on ground are employing modern gadgets to give real-time updates. With non-stop coverage, lively discussions and loads of information, the media scene has transformed into a vibrant arena where every twist and turn of the story is dissected, discussed and dispersed with flair so that the viewers dont miss a thing about the elections!

Amidst the din of slogans and rhetoric lies the true essence of democracy in the form of the EVMs. Our hand poised over the EVM button represents our power and ability to shape the course of the nation, to demand accountability from our elected representatives. Voting is a reaffirmation of our faith in the electoral process that forms the backbone of our robust democracy. As we traverse through this electoral extravaganza, its imperative to remember the significance of our contribution. Politics is deep-rooted in our daily life. But its not enough just to discuss and deliberate. We must participate - by voting. We Indians have a collective responsibility to engage constructively in the process rather than just criticising from the side-lines. Let us grab this momentous opportunity to celebrate the magnificence of Indias Democracy. For in the act of voting lies the promise of a brighter, equitable future for generations to come!
By Kaushik Bhattacharya

Government of Maharashtra will conduct a micro-level Multi-hazard Risk Assessment study of Nagpur city to assess and analyse the potential hazards, risks, and vulnerabilities faced by the city and its population. The project will be funded by Relief and Rehabilitation Department of Government of Maharashtra and for this project, three cities of the State, Nagpur, Nashik and Aurangabad, have been selected. Government of Maharashtra will conduct this project with the help of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India. The Department of Disaster Management, Government of Maharashtra and UNDP India are jointly working on a project called Strengthening Disaster Risk Management System of Maharashtra in which these three urban cities which are more vulnerable to natural disasters have been selected, Aarushi Anand, Co-ordinator, UNDP India told The Hitavada. All the these are Tier-II cities where future urbanisation is projected to increase rapidly in next decade but of late the unpredictable weather and other natural disasters due to varied reasons has given jitters to planners and hence this study has been commissioned.

Under this project the Government will focus on the Urban Disaster Resilience of these cities and will support and assist the local bodies in preparing a blue print for their disaster mitigation measures. Along with Government liasioning some scientific studies will also take place to analysis the risk factors, said Anand. When a disaster takes place, at that time only the local bodies come in action. No one gets time to prepare for any disaster. It happens due to lack of awareness among local bodies about disasters. Under this project we will provide assistance and support to local bodies about pre and post disaster mitigation and also help them with analyse the risk factors with scientific datas, said the city co-ordinator. Under this project, we will provide technical support to local bodies to enhance their existing capacity in disaster management and preparedness.

For example, the department already has its disaster management plan of Nagpur but we are providing them scientific and technical support to identify vulnerable areas to be strengthen to curb big losses in disasters, she added. Under this project, the Government will take up heat mitigation and Naag river management of Nagpur city and scientific data and study will be provided to the civic body to avoid any future disaster. The last years flood in Naag river attracted the State Government to select Nagpur city under this project along with the two other vulnerable cities. In a recent meeting, the team of UNDP explained the project before Dr Abhijit Chaudhary, Municipal Commissioner and Administration, NMC, and the Commissioner also directed the team to assist the civic body officials in modifying their disaster management plan. Although some mitigation measures have been identified are already steps have been taken in this regard as to mitigating the reasons for floods in city, still a deeper study will help in further fine tuning the action plan for NMC officials, it is felt. The last year flood was an eye opener as the banks of Naag river is still vulnerable to flooding.
PM Modi holds roadshow in Mumbai





MUMBAI,

Ahead of the fifth phase of polling for the Lok Sabha Elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis held a roadshow in Mumbai.During the roadshow, the Prime Minister campaigned for the Bharatiya Janata Party leader Mihir Kotecha, who is contesting from the Mumbai North East constituency in the Lok Sabha polls. Thousands of people lined up on both sides in Ghatkopar, waiving to Modi, holding the BJP symbol and raising slogans in support of the Prime Minister. The roadshow, coming five days ahead of polling in Mumbai, is being held from Ghatkopar (East) to Ghatkopar (West) -- both strongholds of the BJP. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, BJPs Mumbai North East and Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha candidates, Mihir Kotecha and Ujjwal Nikam, respectively, were also present at the event.

I am exposing I.N.D.I. alliances plan to divide people on religious lines: PM Modi: PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said he was exposing the Congress and I.N.D.I. alliances plans to divide people on the basis of religion, and to him the countrys unity was more important than his own image. Speaking at a campaign rally at Kalyan in Maharashtras Thane district, he said it was his predecessor Dr Manmohan Singh who had stated that the minorities have the first right over the countrys resources. The Congress wanted to divide the countrys budget into Muslim budget and Hindu budget by allocating 15 per cent of funds for the Muslims, Modi alleged. The I.N.D.I. alliance of the opposition will implement this policy of appeasement after coming to power, he claimed. The I.N.D.I. alliance and the Congress shehzade (apparent reference to Rahul Gandhi) were doing politics over religion, and Karnataka was their laboratory, Modi said.

Congress wants budget allocation on basis on religion, but I will not allow it, asserts PM: PRIME Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress of wanting to allocate 15 per cent of the Central Government budget for minorities and vowed not to allow splitting of budget or reservation in jobs and education on the basis of religion. The Congress, when in power at the Centre between 2004 and 2014, had planned to spend 15 per cent of the budget on minorities which is its favourite vote-bank, but gave up the proposal due to the BJPs stiff opposition though it has not entirely abandoned the idea, he said.
Sun shoots out biggest solar flare in 2 decades





By Marcia Dunn

CAPE CANAVERAL,

THE Sun produced its biggest flare in nearly two decades on Tuesday, just days after severe solar storms pummelled Earth and created dazzling northern lights in unaccustomed places. Not done yet! the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced in an update. Its the biggest flare of this 11-year solar cycle, which is approaching its peak, according to NOAA. The good news is that Earth should be out of the line of fire this time because the flare erupted on a part of the Sun rotating away from Earth. NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the bright flash of the X-ray flare. It was the strongest since 2005, rated on the scale for these flares as X8.7.

Bryan Brasher at NOAAs Space Weather Prediction Centre in Boulder, Colorado said it may turn out to have been even stronger when scientists gather data from other sources. It follows nearly a week of flares and mass ejections of coronal plasma that threatened to disrupt power and communications on Earth and in orbit. An ejection associated with Tuesdays flare appeared to have been directed away from our planet, although analysis is ongoing, Brasher noted. NASA said the weekend geomagnetic storm caused one of its environmental satellites to rotate unexpectedly because of reduced altitude from the space weather, and go into a protective hibernation known as safe mode. And at the International Space Station, the seven astronauts were advised to stay in areas with strong radiation shielding.
In the heart of Edo State, where tradition intertwines with the threads of governance, Governor Godwin Obaseki stands as a beacon of respect for the time-honored institutions that have shaped the region's history. Despite swirling public opinion and insinuations, the evidence of his reverence for traditional rulers, especially the Oba of Benin and the Enigies, is clear and compelling.

Governor Obaseki's administration has been marked by a series of reforms that underscore his commitment to the traditional institutions. In a notable instance, traditional rulers in Owan East Local Government collectively lauded the Governor for his reformative approach and his unwavering respect for the traditional institution. This sentiment was echoed by the Chairman of the Owan East Traditional Council, H.R.H. Salufu Elabor (J.P.), who highlighted the Governor's approval of a 5% monthly statutory allocation to the traditional rulers' council as an unprecedented move.

Moreover, the Governor's implementation of the Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Law of 1979 has been met with applause, signaling his dedication to empowering these custodians of culture. This law, which is the guiding framework for the appointment and activities of traditional rulers and chiefs in Edo and Delta States, has been a cornerstone of his governance, further cementing his relationship with the traditional rulers.

Anecdotes of the Governor's respect abound. In one instance, during the commissioning of a Primary Health Care Center in Warrake, Owan East Local Government Area, the presence of the Governor and his deputy was a testament to their support for initiatives that impact the lives of the people and honor the traditional rulers' roles in society.

Yet, the path of respect is not without its challenges. Recent events have seen the Governor embroiled in efforts to reconcile differences between the Oba of Benin and some suspended Enigies. His proactive stance in initiating a peace-building process is a testament to his deep-seated respect for the traditional institutions and his desire to preserve the unity and sanctity of the Benin Royalty.

Governor Obaseki's actions speak louder than any public opinion or insinuation. They paint a picture of a leader who not only respects but also actively supports and empowers the traditional institutions that are the bedrock of Edo's cultural heritage. His tenure is a narrative of reverence, reform, and reconciliation, woven into the rich tapestry of Edo's history.

Ostensibly to prove his traducers wrong, Obaseki has moved to broker peace between the Palace and the Enigie as he set out to meet Oba of Benin, Iyase, and others, and in the same vein warns desperate politicians not to frustrate peace talks.

The move has seen him initiate a peace-building process to resolve the issue between His Royal Majesty, OmoNOba N'Edo Uku Akpolopkolo, Oba Ewuare II, the Oba of Benin, and some suspended Enigie.

Speaking with journalists after a meeting with some Enigie in Edo South Senatorial District, held at the residence of Prof. Gregory Akenzua in Benin City, Obaseki said the meeting is aimed at understanding the issues at stake with a view to brokering peace and ensuring reconciliation of the aggrieved parties.

The gpvernor assured that the move is intended to facilitate the withdrawal of the existing court case so as to promote peace in Edo South.

The governor condemned the action of politicians who are attempting to hijack and distort the matter at stake, urging them to be careful as the Benin Royalty is a unique inheritance which Edo people must preserve.

He said, You will recall that a few days ago, there was an incident in Court in Benin City, where there was almost a breakdown of law and order because some people tried to stop a court hearing relating to a case between some Enigie in Benin Kingdom and the palace.

Government issued a statement that we are going to look into the matter and seek for amicable reconciliation over the issues in court. I came back from a trip about two days ago and decided to commence that process by meeting with the aggrieved Enigie who went to Court. The intention is to see what the issues are and amicably ensure that they are resolved.

He added, Every Enogie in Edo South has a blood relationship with the Palace; they are an extension of the Benin Royal family. We are here to meet a cross-section of them to understand what the issues are. We want to know what it takes to broker peace and reconcile them with the hope that the case is withdrawn from the Court.

They have assured me that they are anxious to promote peace and acknowledge the Oba of Benin as their Royal father but have concerns that bother them and would like them to be resolved. The process has started. We will also visit the lyase of Benin Kingdom and after that, we will visit our Royal father and see how these issues will be resolved.

Noting that the sacred heritage of the Benin Royalty must be preserved, he said, We all should be careful as our Royalty is a unique inheritance. We must try to preserve it and never allow the corrosive influence of politicians to afflict our heritage. You can see from the display in Benin City last week that politicians are attempting to hijack and distort the issue at stake.

There are real and fundamental issues which will be resolved by all means. But we use this medium to appeal to politicians from different sides of the divide to desist from playing politics with the royal family and the Palace.

The Enogie of Evbo-Obanosa, Prof. Gregory Akenzua, commended Governor Obaseki for efforts toward engendering peace in the state, and wading into the matter and brokering peace.

He absolved the governor of the allegations that he asked the Enigie to take the Oba of Benin to Court, and noted, We have not only taken His Majesty to Court but also taken Edo State Government to Court as well.

I have listened to the governor who is making appeals to us to resolve the issues we have amicably. We welcome the idea but the fact must be stated that contrary to what I am reading in the press that the governor is the one who asked us to go to Court, the truth is that we have issues with His Majesty who is the head of the traditional institutions. Those issues have to be resolved if that settlement has to be made and we welcome any intervention from any source.

As a point of correction, we have not only taken His Majesty to Court but also taken the Edo State Government to Court as well. The issue of people saying that it is the governor that is using us to fight the traditional institution is completely incorrect. We will address a full press conference on the issues; we have many issues to be resolved before we agree to settle out of Court.
Aiming to streamline the alleged random display of hoardings and increase income, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation is considering introducing revised advertising policies.

Since the last financial year, KMC had been putting efforts to regularize the advertising policy. The civic body had even set a target of Rs 100 crore from advertising in the last fiscal. However, the target could not be reached.

Apart from the income aspect, the civic body is also asserting on minimizing visual pollution. According to sources in KMC, on many city roads, enormous hoardings having uneven shape and size have been put up that create visual pollution. The KMC is therefore, stressing to improve its income from this wing. The civic body is said to have drafted a new policy which is to be placed in the KMCs meeting of the members-mayor-in-council for approval.

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As informed by sources, the revised policy includes specific rules that would be introduced for display of banners and hoarding placards in the city. To begin with, the city has been divided into three zones for putting up advertisements and hoardings. Kolkata would also have a no advertisement zone where no hoardings would be allowed. The second one would be categorized as a green zone where advertisements would be allowed only with the permission of the civic body. The third one would be under the private hoarding free zone, in which only government advertisements would be allowed. According to sources in the KMC, areas like Camac Street and Park Street have been included in the private hoarding free zone.

According to the new policy, no advertisement would be allowed for display on cantilever poles, traffic signal poles, secondary poles or even the police assistance booths of the city police. Even government organizations like Metro railway, Eastern Railway or any other agency would have to obtain permission from the municipal corporation putting up hoardings on the city streets. The organizations would also have to pay a certain amount of fee to the corporation.

The drafted advertising policy also includes some set of rules and restrictions. According to sources, as per the drafted regulations, the use of PVC on hoardings would have to be replaced with environment-friendly materials like fabrics. Also, hoardings would not be allowed on old dilapidated buildings. The policy also restricts the use of nails on trees.

According to sources in the KMC, with the model code of conduct in place, the new policy is likely to be implemented after the ongoing polls.
Union home minister Amit Shah today at Moshat in Hooghly addressed a massive gathering in favour of BJP Serampore LS candidate Kabir Shankar Bose.

Mr Shah termed the Mamata Banerjee-lead TMC government as Hirak Ranir desh after he said the TMC government is run whimsically as seen in the movie Hirak Rajar Deshe by Satyajit Ray.

He said the syndicates, land mafia, and corrupt ministers have free reign with extortion, loot, cut money and atrocities on women becoming commonplace. Most of the leaders in the Opposition, following traditional family politics, want to have their heir carrying on the family politics system. Mamata is preparing political ground for Abhishek Banerjee as the next chief minister of Bengal. Mamata follows appeasement policy and vote bank politics, caring little for national security. She encourages infiltration, the Rohingyas have been illegally provided voter cards, ration cards and the rights to cast vote. These infiltrators are vote banks of TMC.

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He said the leaders of Opposition in Kashmir had opposed imposition of Article 370. Today, Kashmir is one of the most peaceful places and tourism has boosted manifold in the valley. We are also determined to get back the PoK soon. The Bengal CM has deprived the people of Bengal from the central government beneficiary schemes for a long time.

National security is of great importance and the BJP is determined to stop infiltration. He said CAA will be implemented at every cost and no one can stop it. The BJP will put all the corrupt persons behind bars. Corruption will be completely wiped out from Bengal, people can enjoy their constitutional rights freely. The Hirak Ranir TMC government has dug its own grave. TMC government cannot run with so much corruption, violence, atrocities on women, said Shah.

Mr Shah termed Mr Kalyan Banerjee as shameless since he mimicked the Vice-President of India. Such kind of people with the TMC are bringing disgrace to the nation.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday lashed out at the Election Commission of India for its biased approach, contending that it was acting as a puppet of the Narendra Modi government. Miss Banerjee, campaigning in Chinsurah for the Trinamul Congress Hooghly Lok Sabha candidate Rachna Banerjee, said: (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) knows nothing except self-propaganda. He is violating the Model Code of Conduct by making promises.

And the Election Commission is sitting like a puppet, acting at the behest of the ruling party. She also attacked the poll panel over the multiphase elections in the state, maintaining that there is no justification to extend the election process for more than two months. The officials are sitting in air-conditioned rooms. How will they feel the sufferings of the common people due to the extended polling in the middle of this scorching summer? she asked the gathering. Miss Banerjee warned: If the BJP returns to power, I will cease to exist. You will cease to exist.

The common people will cease to exist. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will cease to exist. The farmers and workers will cease to exist. That is why defeating the BJP in every single seat is important for us. Miss Banerjee also called Narendra Modi the master of fake promises. Till today the amount of 15 thousand that Modiji promised have not been credited in a single account. Of the promise of 2 crores of jobs a year for unemployed, not a single unemployed youth has received an appointment letter, she said. Free ration, free water, free electricity are fake promises to distract the attention of the people, Miss Banerjee said.

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Touching on the Sandeshkhali unrest, Miss Banerjee said a dirty conspiracy was hatched by the BJP to defame the Trinamul Congress but the conspiracy has backfired. The insulted women of Sandeshkhali are all set to teach a lesson to the BJP leaders and party workers, she said. The CM added that the beneficiary schemes launched by the state government are far better than some of the Central government schemes. The Swastha Sathi card is a free cashless health card applicable everywhere for every kind of medical treatment. But the Ayushman health card of the central government can only be obtained if the laid down criteria are satisfied. It is natural that people will go for more beneficial state government-launched beneficiary schemes, she said.

Both non-Bengalis and Bengalis are residing in Bengal as an united family in an atmosphere of brotherhood and communal harmony, but the BJP is attempting to break this by trying to ignite religious sentiments and emotions, she said. Miss Banerjee went on to say that the BJP, caught in the trap laid for others now can forsee its own fall. The Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led BJP government faced an unexpected defeat in 2004. History is going to repeat itself, she said. The Trinamul Congress will never lose in Bengal and an INDIA coalition government is going to come to power, Miss Banerjee told the crowd.
A woman was murdered today at Howrah station. An acquaintance stabbed her in the abdomen. During police interrogation, the accused revealed that he had given the woman a lot of money to marry him. The deceased was identified as Rivu Biswas, a resident of Gaighata, North 24-Parganas. Her husband Pintu Biswas and Rivu believed they were working together at a hotel in Mumbai. Mungesh Yadav, the assailant, a resident of Maharashtra, claimed to have developed a romantic relationship with Rivu. He had promised to marry her and had given her nearly Rs 1 lakh. However, when Rivu suddenly refused to marry him, Mungesh stabbed her inside Howrah station in a fit of rage. Meanwhile, on Wednesday morning, Pintu, Rivu, and Mungesh were drinking tea near the parcel department of platform 23. Suddenly, Mungesh asked Pintu to buy medicine for Rivu.

Allegedly, when Pintu was about to bring the medicine for his wifes headache, Mungesh sent him to the pharmacy and stabbed his wife with a knife. Other passengers were shocked. RPF rushed to the scene. Despite efforts, they could not disarm Mungesh, who was wielding a bloody knife at everyone. Eventually, RPF officers managed to subdue him. Mungesh was handed over to the Golabari police station. Meanwhile, Rivu, who was injured, was taken to the hospital but could not be saved.

The police have already interrogated Mungesh and learned that he had met Pintu and his wife at a hotel in Mumbai. He had fallen in love with Rivu and claimed that she had promised to marry him, which is why he had given her a lot of money. Mungesh had also come to the deceaseds house in North 24-Parganas from Maharashtra. But she suddenly refused to marry him, which angered him, leading to the stabbing incident at Howrah Station. The police have initiated an investigation into the murder case. The deceaseds husband is also being questioned.

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Trinamul Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee today urged people not to vote for the BJP which has propagated volumes of lies to malign Bengal just to win election.

Mr Banerjee was addressing a rally at Pursura in Hooghly to support party nominee for Arambag Lok Sabha seat Mitali Bag. Polling for the seat will take place on 20 May. Trinamul Congress has replaced the sitting MP Aparupa Podder.

Coming down heavily on the Union home minister Amit Shah for his false claim yesterday that Mamata Banerjee government does not give holiday during Durga Puja. The state government gives 10 days of holiday during Durga Puja. If Mr Shah can prove that no holiday is given during Durga Puja I will quit politics.

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Mr Banerjee urged Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of Utter Pradesh to do home work before making any statement in Bengal. In UP, atrocities on Dalits is highest followed by Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Gujarat. In UP, there were 13,000 incidents of atrocities on Dalits as against 108 cases in Bengal in 2023, he said adding, Mr Yogi should remember that the National Crime Record Bureau has declared Kolkata as the safest city in the country, he said.

He said, BJP is a peculiar party which does not speak about development and lets loose one community against the other. The leaders of the saffron party are engaged in hate speeches just to incite one community against the other. Their leaders, including the Prime Minister are speaking volumes of lies everyday. But unfortunately, the ECI does not take action against the BJP for violating the Model Code of Conduct, he said. It may be mentioned that Trinamul Congress termed the MCC as Modi Code of Conduct.

Mr Banerjee said in Hooghly district Lakshmir Bhandar is received by 13.30 lakh women while another 16.99 lakh girls are getting Kayanshree and 53 lakh people get free ration every year. We have presented our report card, let the BJP come forward and present its report card, he said.

He said no BJP leader was seen during the Covid pandemic when people were facing various problems. Our leaders and workers had worked round the clock to serve the people irrespective of political colour, he said.

Quoting a BJP mandal president, he alleged that BJP would spend Rs 40 crore to treat workers of 80,000 polling booths across the state with alcohol. Visit your area, you will not find any sober, sensible person supporting the saffron party. You will find all sorts of wrong people supporting the BJP, he remarked.

He urged people to vote for Trinamul Congress which works for all round development. Work is our religion and while executing work we do not distinguish between caste, creed, sect or religion, Mr Banerjee said.
Raju Bista, who has contested Lok Sabha Polls from Darjeeling for the second time on a BJP ticket, is still working to stop illegal mining in Kalimpong, where a private company has caused environmental damage.

Despite requests for action, the West Bengal forest department and Pollution Control Board have allegedly not taken steps, prompting Mr Bista to seek intervention from the Central Empowered Committee on environment.

The areas fragile environment and biodiversity are at risk due to unauthorized mining practices.

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Mr Bista, who was elected as an MP from Darjeeling in 2019, is confident of his victory by a decent margin of votes for the second time in a row. The LS poll results will be declared on 4 June.

The BJP candidate Mr Bista yesterday met the member secretary, central empowered committee on environment, constituted by the Supreme Court of India to investigate and take necessary action against the rampant illegal mining practices indulged in by a private company in Kalimpong.

Mr Bista received representations from elected panchayat members, informing him about how the illegal mining has caused cracks in the lands, water pollution, dust and air pollution, and ruined the life and livelihood of the people living in Echhey Busty, Budhyang Busty, Sandung Busty, Dhajey Busty, Primtam Busty, Sindebong Busty and nearby regions.

Mr Bista also alleged that the forest department and the Pollution Control Board both have failed to take necessary action.

I therefore requested for direct intervention by member secretary, Central Empowered Committee on environment, to put a permanent stop to these illegal mining practices, and to take necessary action as per law against the violators, Mr Bista claimed.

It may be mentioned that Darjeeling MP Raju Bista had earlier requested the Union minister of MoEFCC Bhupender Yadav to have the illegal and unsustainable mining practices in Relli and Pala rivers under Kalimpong district to be investigated. Following which, the deputy director general forest (central) had inspected the sites, where it was found that the mining had been in violation of multiple statutes under the sustainable sand mining management guidelines, 2016, and the enforcement and monitoring guidelines for sand mining, 2020 issued by the MoEF&CC.

However, since 2018, the Kalimpong district administration has handed over the mining rights to a particular company, owned by a local politician, sources said.

Following which, the MoEFCC had asked the action needs to be taken against illegal mining and also called for the review of the environmental clearance (EC) given by the District Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (DIEAA) to be undertaken by the state environmental impact assessment authority (SEIAA).

Despite clear instructions from the central government for initiating action, till date no action what-so-ever has been taken by the West Bengal forest department, Pollution Control Board or any other agencies. Instead, the same individuals who have indulged in rampant illegal mining of these rivers have been given additional mining rights.

The Kalimpong district is situated in the eastern Himalayan region and is a part of the 32 IUCN biodiversity hotspots. The region is marked by a fragile high-mountain environment and biodiversity. The region falls under Seismic Zone IV and is prone to earthquakes with major shakes being a norm. Kalimpong also gets massive rainfall, which together with a fragile geological condition leads to multiple landslides in the district. Given these, river mining in Kalimpong District had been restricted to manual removal of sand, stone chips etc, without the use of heavy machinery like stone crushers or excavators.
A man accused of stabbing three employees at the Buffalo Psychiatric Center has been arraigned on five felony counts, acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announced.

Calvin W. Haskins, 34, of Buffalo, is charged with two counts of second-degree attempted murder, two counts of first-degree assault and one count of second-degree assault.

Erie County Court Judge James Bargnesi issued temporary orders of protection on behalf of the victims. If convicted of the highest charges against him, Haskins faces a maximum of 57 years in prison.

Haskins is accused of what Buffalo Police called an "unprovoked attack" with a knife against three staff members  two men and a woman  about 9 a.m. April 3 in the Strozzi Building, a housing unit for outpatient residents at the Forest Avenue facility.

All three were taken by ambulance to Erie County Medical Center for treatment. The two men were hospitalized for several days with serious injuries.

Haskins was arrested and held pending a forensic examination. Keane noted that Haskins has been found competent to stand trial. He continues to be held without bail and is scheduled to return July 2 for a pretrial conference.

 Dale Anderson
Amidst row of alleged sexual harassment of a woman staffer at Raj Bhavan, city police have submitted a report on an alleged rape of a danseuse by Governor C V Ananda Bose at the state secretariat at Nabanna recently.

The teachers cell of ruling Trinamul Congress would hold a march to Raj Bhavan on 17 May to protest against the alleged misconduct.

The incident of alleged rape, which according to police reports had allegedly been committed on a danseuse, whose husband stays abroad and a divorce case is on.

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According to complaint lodged by the dancer, she was taken to Delhi allegedly by Governor to introduce her to an officer of the external affairs department.

The complaint also read, the incident happened in January and accordingly a hotel room was booked allegedly by a relative of the Governor.

The Governor, according to the report, was staying at Banga Bhavan but went to the hotel, where the woman was staying and had allegedly raped her.

The victim had formally lodged a complaint at Nabanna and CP, Kolkata Police was asked to investigate her complaint.

Accordingly an officer in the rank of DC had conducted an investigation and recorded the statement of the woman dancer. Following investigation a report was submitted at Nabanna by the commissioner of city police Vineet Goyal.
As the Indian government aims to curb the use of dark patterns on e-commerce platforms, the US state of Arizona has filed two new lawsuits against Amazon, accusing the e-tailing giant of deceiving consumers with dark patterns.

One of the lawsuits accuses the company of engaging in deceptive business practices by allegedly using design tricks known as dark patterns to keep users from cancelling their Amazon Prime subscriptions.

The other lawsuit, filed by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, accuses Amazon of unfairly maintaining monopoly status by enforcing agreements with third-party sellers that restrict them from offering lower prices off of the platform than they do on Amazon, The Verge reported on Thursday.

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The US state of Arizona has asked the court to stop Amazon from engaging in the allegedly deceptive and anticompetitive practices and award civil penalties and disgorgement of ill-gotten gains.

Amazon said in a statement that it was surprised and disappointed by these cases.

The company also defended Primes sign-up and cancellation processes, saying these are clear and simple by design, adding that the lawsuits would actually force it to feature higher prices.

The use of dark patterns by online platforms have created controversy in India as well.

These deceptive techniques mislead people into doing something they did not wish to do, such as paying for items or services they did not intend to buy.

The Indian government recently released draft guidelines to curb dark patterns used by big online platforms.

The Digital India Act is also equipped to regulate dark patterns on the internet through user safety provisions.
Affirming Indias growth trajectory in a progressive direction, member of Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) Sanjeev Sanyal has said India will be a $4 trillion economy in 2024-25.

The country will surpass Japan by early next fiscal to become the worlds fourth largest economy, he said.

Sanyal further said that a 7 per cent economic growth rate will be a very good growth rate for India, given various constraints, including the countrys weak exports.

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Sanyal said Japan is now just a little ahead of us at $4.1 trillion. So, either very early next year or even you know this year, we will cross Japan to become the worlds fourth largest economy, Sanyal added.

According to him, Germany is a $4.6 trillion economy and it is not growing, so makes it a static target.

This financial year, we will become a $4 trillion economy, he said.

Maybe in two years, we will go past Germany. So, I think in terms of becoming the worlds third largest economy, we are reasonably now close to the target, he said.

Sanyal pointed out that there are other countries, for example in Southeast Asia, which were in our position in the mid-90s.

You will remember Indonesia, Thailand and so on, and for a while, they were doing very well. And then it all blew up in the Asian crisis, he said.

He emphasised that there is no need to mess around with the financial system trying to support growth.

Do not mess around with your fiscal system, your monetary system, your current account and so on, he said.

Recently, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that India is expected to overtake Japan and Germany to emerge as the worlds third-largest economy by 2027.

In US dollar terms, India is the fifth largest economy with a size of about $3.7 trillion in nominal terms.
A minor fire broke out at the Bharatiya Janata Partys Delhi unit office on Thursday, which apparently was a result of a short circuit. There were no casualties or any damage to property reported in the incident

According to the Delhi BJP, there was a minor short circuit in the electricity meter box at their office at Pandit Pant Marg, which took place around 4.15 pm, that caused a very small fire.

The New Delhi Municipal Coprporations electricity unit staff and the Delhi Fire Services teams reached the place in less than 15 minutes after the incident was reported, according to a BJP official.

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The fire was brought under control by 4.30 pm, while the electricity supply of the office complex was affected for a while, which he said would take a few hours to restore.

An official of the saffron partys Delhi unit confirmed that there was zero damage to property and no individual was hurt in the incident.

A total of three fire tenders were pressed into service, as per the fire department and the blaze was brought under control within minutes.

Meanwhile, during the past two days, incidents of fire in different parts of Delhi have so far claimed lives of two people including a labourer working at a paper storage godown in East Delhis Shakarpur and an Office Superintendent working at an office located in the Central Revenue (CR) building at the ITO.

In the CR building fire, as many as 21 fire department vehicles were rushed to the spot and the fire fighting operation took around four hours.
Around 23 per cent of the 162 candidates in the fray for the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections in 14 constituencies of Uttar Pradesh have declared criminal cases against themselves while 36 per cent candidates are crorepatis.

The disclosure was made through a report published by Uttar Pradesh Election Watch (UPEW) and Association for Democratic Reforms(ADR) here on Thursday , which analysed the affidavits of all 162 candidates contesting in the 6th phase of polls in UP where polling will be held on May 25.

The 14 constituencies elections for which will be conducted under the sixth phase of polls are Sultanpur, Pratapgarh, Phulpur, Allahabad, Ambedkarnagar, Shravasti, Dumariyaganj, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Lalganj (SC), Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Machhlishahar (SC) and Bhadohi.

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According to the report, 38 out of 162 (23 per cent) candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves while 21 per cent have declared serious criminal cases against themselves.

Party-wise details of the candidates who have declared criminal cases in the sixth phase are: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP): 4 out of 14 (29 per cent); Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 6 out of 14 (43 per cent) of; Samajwadi Party (SP): 6 out of 12 (75%).

Babu Singh Kushwaha, who is contesting from Jaunpur on a SP ticket, has 25 criminal cases registered against him followed by Ram Bhual Nishad, another SP candidate with criminal image is contesting from Sultanpur. He has eight criminal cases registered against him. Next comes, Moinuddin Ahmed Khan, the BSP candidate from Shravasti with 10 criminal cases against him.

The report further says 59 out of the 162 candidates i.e. 36 per cent are crorepatis. All 14 BJP candidates (100%), 11 of the 12 candidates of SP (92 per cent), 9 out of 14 candidates of BSP (64%) are millionaires.

The average assets of the candidates of the sixth phase are worth Rs. 4.66 crore. Among the main parties, the average assets of 14 candidates of the BJP are around Rs. 28 crore. The average assets of 14 candidates of the BSP are around Rs. 4 crore. The average wealth of 12 SP candidates is approximately Rs 13 crore.

Among the candidates for the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections are Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, contesting on BJP ticket from Sultanpur, whose assets are around Rs 97 crore.

Praveen Patel, who is contesting on a BSP ticket from Phulpur, has assets are worth Rs 64 crore. SP candidate Shivpal Singh Patel, who is contesting the Pratapgarh Lok Sabha seat, has assets worth around Rs 46 crore.

Among the top three candidates, who have declared the least assets, is Ram Kumar Yadav. Yadav, who is contesting the Pratapgarh Lok Sabha seat from SUCI (C), has total assets of Rs 1,686. At second place is Subash, who is contesting as an independent from Machhilishahr. His total assets are Rs 10,000 and while Urmila, who is contesting the elections from Samaj Parivartan Party, has declared her total assets as Rs 34,000.

As for educational qualification, 51 of the 162 (31 per cent) candidates have declared between 5th and 12th while 105 (65 per cent) have declared graduation and above. Three candidates have declared themselves as Diploma holder while three others have declared themselves as literate.

Talking about the age of the candidates in the sixth phase, 60 (37 per cent) out of 162 candidates have declared their age between 25 to 40 years, while 75 (46 per cent) candidates have declared their age between 41 to 60 years. A total of 27 (17 per cent) candidates have declared their age between 61 to 80 years.

A total of 16 (10 per cent) women candidates are contesting in the fifth phase in UP.
Bibhav Kumar, the controversial Personal Assistant of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is in the eye of the storm in the Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal assault case, was present with the AAP leaders on their campaign tour in Lucknow on Thursday.

Kejriwal refused to give any answer on the Maliwal assault issue.

As the AAP convener entered the venue for his press conference with his INDI Alliance partner Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav, reporters attempted to question him on the alleged assault on Maliwal. The AAP convenor refused to answer any questions and passed the mike to Akhilesh Yadav.

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Yadav brushed aside the question, stating, There are other issues that are more important than this.

Now, it was left to AAP leader and a trusted Kejriwal lieutenant Sanjay Singh to defend his party.

Singh said that politics should not be done on the issue of Swati Maliwals assault and questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Prajwal Revanna case (the JD-S MP involved in sex tape scandal in Karnataka).

.Prajwal Revanna raped thousands of women but PM Modi was asking for votes for Prajwal Revanna. When our wrestlers were protesting at Jantar Mantar, Swati Maliwal, the DCW chief, was beaten up by police PM Modi remained silent on these issues. AAP is our family and has given a clear statement. BJP and PM Modi should answer all these issues that I mentioned Politics should not be done on Swati Maliwals issue, Singh said.

Earlier this week, Kejriwals PA allegedly misbehaved with Maliwal at the CMs residence. Although Maliwal has not publicly commented on the issue, she made a PCR call to the police but refrained from lodging any FIR.

The AAP acknowledged that Kumar misbehaved with Maliwal and vowed strict action against him.

Contrary to the AAPs assurance, Kumar accompanied Kejriwal and Singh during their visit to the Uttar Pradesh capital for the poll campaign.

As the picture of Kumar accompanying Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh went viral on social media, the BJP accused the Delhi CM of protecting him.

72 hours No FIR on Bibhav Kumar instead Kejriwal is protecting him! Roaming around with him. It is clear  attack on Swati Maliwal was done at the behest of Kejriwal himself,  BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla wrote on X.

Calling the AAP Anti-women anarchist party, the BJP leader alleged that Maliwal was being pressured to remain silent.

Sheesh Mahal is Apradh Mahal & just like Draupadi cheerharan  a woman Rajya Sabha MP was subjected to violence, assault. Now she is being pressured to keep Silent or change her story as is evident from statements of Naveen Jaihind & Nitin Tyagi of AAP hence she hasnt approached the police yet True face of AAP  Anti women anarchist party, the BJP leader added.
Campaigning in Rae Bareli has reached its crescendo with Sonia Gandhi going to address an election meeting for the first time in her erstwhile constituency on Friday.

On the other hand, the BJP is leaving no stone unturned. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address a meeting in Unchahar, the second in a week.

Congress sources said here on Thursday that Sonia Gandhi has reached Rae Bareli this evening. Tomorrow, she will address the rally near Rae Bareli ITI with Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and SP President Akhilesh Yadav.

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This is the first time Sonia Gandhi will be sharing the stage with Akhilesh Yadav. This being the first time that a gathering of stalwarts is taking place on the same day, Friday will be a historic day for the politics of the district.

Amit Shah will address an election meeting in Daulatpur of the Unchahar assembly constituency where he will visit for the second time in a week. In his presence, SP MLA Dr. Manoj Kumar Pandey can take the membership of the BJP of the city.

The fifth phase of elections in Rae Bareli is on May 20 and campaigning will end at 6 pm on May 18, but Friday is the most important day of this election.
The Union governments decision to end the free movement regime (FMR) between India and Myanmar is facing stiff resistance in Mizoram.

Thursday saw thousands of individuals gathering in Mizoram for rallies against the Indian governments move to fence the border with Myanmar and revoke the free movement agreement between the two nations.

Organised by the Zo Re-Unification Organisation (Zoro), peaceful rallies took place in Zokhawthar and Vaphai villages in Champhai district, which shares a border with Myanmar.

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Representatives from Myanmar also participated in these rallies, according to a Zoro leader.

Zoro is a Mizo group advocating for the reunification of various tribes across India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar under a single administration.

It can be mentioned here that Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma has also taken up the issue with Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently urging him to take back the decision.

The rally also took place near the India-Myanmar Friendship Gate

Under the FMR , individuals are permitted to travel up to 16 km on both sides of the international border.

Mizoram shares a 510-km-long border with Myanmars Chin state, with the Mizos sharing ethnic ties with the Chin community.

More than 34,000 individuals from Myanmars Chin state are currently residing in various parts of Mizoram, seeking refuge following a military coup in February 2021.

The Mizoram assembly passed a resolution on February 28, opposing the Centres decision regarding the India-Myanmar border fence and the FMR abolition.
Hours after rival political heavyweights  BJP president J P Nadda and Indian National Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge launched blistering attack on the BJD, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who heads the regional party, on Thursday embarked on high-voltage roadshow in Bhubaneswar appealing the voters to repose faith in him as they have been doing for 24-long-years.

Patnaik, who has maintained an aura of invincibility registering successive electoral victory both in Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, is now contending with a vociferous attack from the BJP, which has lined up a galaxy of top leaders to upset the Patnaiks applecart and is probably, as it seems, fighting the toughest poll battle ever since he entered into politics in the late nineties.

The roadshow, which drew thousands of BJD supporters, people from various walks of life, passed through the main thoroughfares of the city with stepped up security.

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A visibly jovial Patnaik was seen waving at the crowd from the specially-customized vehicle, which stopped at strategic junctions enabling the Chief Minister to deliver brief speeches lasting 60 seconds or more.

He reminded the people of the BJDs manifesto of 100-unit free electricity provision of zero bill to domestic consumers with a monthly electricity bill of up to 100 units.

Earlier holding a roadshow in Bhubaneswar to bolster party candidates prospects in polls, BJP president J P Nadda had predicted the fall of Naveen Patnaik Government by saying that people of the state have decided to give BJD a rest.

Congress Chief Kharge also launched a diatribe at Patnaik government and termed it as corrupt and inefficient. The unemployment rate has reached a sky high 41 per cent during the BJD government and it is the highest in the country, Kharge asserted while appealing to the Odisha voters to throw out the government.
Predicting the imminent fall of the 24-year-old BJD government in Odisha, BJP chief J P Nadda on Thursday exuded confidence that voters of the coastal state have made up their minds to give rest to Chief Minister Naven Patnaik and elect a BJP dispensation this time.

He held a roadshow to garner support for the partys candidates for Bhubaneswar parliamentary seat and assembly seats coming under it.

Visibly excited at the impressive gathering, Nadda said, Naveen Babu (CM) has become inactive and handed over the administration to the officers. Now Odisha wants to give rest to Chief Patnaik and elect a new BJP-led Government.

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Patnaik-led BJD has missed the bus. People of the State want an active and healthy Chief Minister who can communicate with them in Odia. Voters here will vote in favour of BJP in both the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, Nadda asserted.

Nadda, who arrived here on Wednesday as part of the BJPs strategy to gear up the poll campaigning, is scheduled to address election meetings later today in Bargarh and Sundargarh parliamentary constituencies.

BJP president JP Nadda on Wednesday promised to offer a Janata Ka Sarkar (peoples government) to the people of Odisha.

Nadda addressing the saffron partys women cadres yesterday evening said BJP will provide Janata Ka Sarkar instead of officers-led governance of BJD.

Meanwhile the poll campaign trail which was otherwise comparatively dull and drab during the 13 May first phase simultaneous polls has reached feverish pitch in Odisha. While BJP lined up top leaders to campaign and bolster the partys electoral prospects, BJD president Patnaik is scheduled to hold a roadshow in Bhubaneswar a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shahs roadshow in neighbouring Cuttack city.

Indian National Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is also scheduled to address a rally at Phulbani in Kandhamal district later on Thursday.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday likened the alliance between SP and Congress to a pandemic, emphasising the disastrous consequences if they come to power. This alliance epitomises sin and is hell-bound to grab power, he said.

Speaking at a large public gathering in Manjhanpur of Kaushambi Lok Sabha constituency, while urging for maximum support for BJP candidate Vinod Sonkar, Yogi contrasted oppositions lack of vision for development with the accomplishments of the double engine government, while launching a scathing attack on the Samajwadi Party and Congress.

He stated, Their actions are a conspiracy against the nation, fueled by their negative ideologies. The intentions of these individuals pose a grave threat to the nation. I urge the conscientious voters of the area to transcend party lines and caste considerations, and vote for development.

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CM Adityanath remarked in his address that with four phases of the significant festival of democracy having concluded and three phases remaining, trends have already begun to emerge. The anticipation for June 4 is palpable, with the resounding voice and slogan Fir ek baar Modi Sarkar echoing across the nation. The slogan has become the resolution of the public, he stated.

He highlighted the stark contrast of India before and after 2014, noting that previously, the poor suffered from hunger, lacked access to healthcare and financial resources, farmers resorted to suicide, youth migrated in search of opportunities, women felt unsafe, development stopped, and a sense of chaos prevailed.

Under the leadership of Modi ji, India has undergone a transformation. A new India has emerged, garnering respect globally. Borders have been fortified while terrorism and Naxalism have been contained. This new India prioritises internal security and is driving remarkable development, he asserted.

He further elaborated on the strides made in various sectors: the establishment of medical colleges, IITs, IIMs, AIIMS, NITs, and IIITs, the creation of world-class universities, innovative tourism development initiatives, and the implementation of the Har Ghar Jal scheme.

Referring to the statements made by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday, CM Yogi remarked: They are promising to provide free ration now while when they were in power, they neglected the poor, leaving them to starve. The Samajwadi Party claims it will offer Free Atta aur Data, but during their tenure, they operated under the influence of various mafias. Whether it was the mining mafia, land mafia, or ration mafia, they allowed these criminal elements to exploit the poor while they remained silent.

Adityanath continued: These parties now realize that they have no place in a mafia-free Uttar Pradesh, hence their sudden focus on promises of flour and data. They are anxious about their diminishing relevance, knowing that defeat in this election will isolate them even further. Yogi claimed that once the SP and Congress alliance loses, they will fade into obscurity, unable to contest elections anywhere.

The CM emphasised that today, 80 crore people in the country benefit from free ration. By effectively implementing the principles of the Constitution laid down by Baba Saheb Ambedkar and adhering to the policy of Ek Desh, Ek Pradhan, Ek Vidhan, we are also committed to implementing a uniform civil code, he said.

In his critique of the SP and Congress, the CM stated that the parties were morally bereft with no regard for those who are elder or junior to them. He condemned their actions of forcibly displacing elders, firing upon Ram devotees, and attempting to withdraw cases against traitors.

He added, If their past deeds were exposed, the leaders of the Samajwadi Party would have nowhere to hide.

He highlighted instances of mafia influence in regions like Prayagraj and Ghazipur, where individuals were made to suffer. Notably, leaders from the Samajwadi Party refrained from extending condolences to the victims of mafia violence. However, when a mafia member passed away, they shed tears, he stated. He pointed out the governments efforts to reclaim land occupied by the mafia, subsequently allocating houses to Dalits, the poor, and backward communities.

The CM remarked that the Shehzada of Congress (Rahul Gandhi) claims they will eradicate poverty in one single stroke. When questioned about the strategy, he proposed a wealth emergency, suggesting they would conduct property X-rays and impose an inheritance tax, he said. Inheritance tax, akin to Aurangzebs Jizya tax. We must prevent the imposition of this Jizya tax (Tax paid by certain non-Muslim minorities to rulers in Muslim states) by Congress and SP on the people of our nation.
Breaking her silence over the alleged misconduct with her at the official residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on Thursday said that she has given her statement to the police in this regard.

Maliwal has also urged the Bharatiya Janata Party not to politicize the incident.

It was three days after the alleged incident of misbehavior with her involving Kejriwals PA Bibhav Kumar at the Delhi CMs official residence, she has said that the past few days have been very difficult for her.

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Taking to social media platform X on Thursday night, Maliwal wrote:  What happened to me was very bad. I have given my statement to the police on the incident that happened to me. I hope that appropriate action will be taken. The last few days have been very difficult for me.

She has also expressed that there are elections going on in the country, and the issues of the nation hold more importance than her.

The AAP MP has expressed gratitude and thanked all those who prayed for her, and also said that may God keep those also happy, who tried to assassinate her character, saying that what she did was on the instructions of some other party.

Earlier in the day, a team of Delhi Police during the afternoon reached the AAP MPs residence in connection with the alleged misconduct with her at the Delhi Chief Ministers residence and recorded her statement.

Two senior police officials visited Maliwals residence, including a woman officer, and it is said that security has also been stepped up at her house.

The AAP MPs ex-husband Naveen Jaihind in a video message on platform X claimed that she was under a lot of mental pressure over the incident.

The BJP leaders have been slamming the AAP and its leader Kejriwal following the incident questioning as to when their own party leader was not safe at CM house, then how will they ensure the safety of women in Delhi.

On Tuesday, AAP leader Sanjay Singh had said that what happened was highly condemnable and the Delhi CM will take a strict action in this regard.

It was on Monday morning that Maliwal had reached the Civil Lines police station after the police received a PCR call regarding an alleged assault that took place at the CM residence.

However, she did not file any formal complaint in this regard at that time and had left the police station.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday reiterated his claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retire from politics when he turns 75 next year and Home Minister Amit Shah will succeed him.

Addressing a joint press conference with his INDIA bloc partner and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow, Kejriwal said, The entire country has trust that Modi will not break his rule of retirement being at 75 years.

The Aam Aadmi Party national convener claimed that the stage has been set by the BJP to make Shah the PM.

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For him, the BJP has sidelined every challenge like Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Dr Raman Singh, Vasundhara Raje, Manohar Lal Khattar, Devendra Fadnavis. Now the only challenge is Yogi Adityanath who will be removed within 2-3 months, Kejriwal said.

The Delhi CM further stated that no BJP leader objected to what he said about Adityanath and claimed that Uttar Pradesh CMs farewell is certain.

Kejriwal also claimed that the BJP will get less than 220 seats in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections as the saffron partys seats would be reduced in several states, including Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Delhi and Maharashtra.

The trends show that the BJP is getting less than 220 seats. Their seats are going to be reduced in Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and Rajasthan. BJP is not going to form its government, INDIA alliance is going to form its government, he asserted.

Also addressing the presser, Akhilesh Yadav exuded confidence that the INDIA bloc will trounce the BJP in the general elections.

Out of 543 seats, BJP itself believes that they will not get more than 143 seats, Yadav claimed.
In the annals of political appointments, surprises are nothing new. Yet, President Vladimir Putins selection of Andrei Belousov as Russias defence minister still manages to raise eyebrows. The reason: hes an economist, not a military man, unlike most or all his predecessors dating back to the former Soviet Union. Thus, at least to most Russians, Mr Belousovs appointment will defy logic.

However, scratch beneath the surface, and a more complex picture emerges. Mr Belousovs rise to power is not merely a case of political nepotism or whimsical decision-making. Rather, its a calculated move by President Putin to align Russias economic and military strategies in the face of the conflict with Ukraine. As a seasoned economist with a track record of navigating complex financial landscapes, Mr Belousov brings a unique skill set to the table. His ability to mobilise resources, negotiate with big business, and implement strategic economic policies has undoubtedly caught Mr Putins attention. To address concerns about Mr Belousovs lack of military experience, it is essential to recognise that modern warfare is as much about economic resilience and technological innovation as it is about traditional military tactics.

Mr Belousovs background in economics could prove invaluable in navigating the complex financial landscape of modern warfare, where resources and funding are often as critical as troop deployments. By leveraging his expertise, Mr Belousov has the potential to reshape Russias defence strategy in ways that prioritise efficiency, innovation, and long-term sustainability. But does this mean Mr Belousov is the right person for the job? Critics argue that his lack of military experience may hinder his effectiveness as defence minister. After all, overseeing a military operation requires more than just economic prowess. It demands a deep understanding of strategy, tactics, and operational logistics. However, it is worth noting that Mr Belousov will not be making battlefield decisions. That responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of General Valery Gerasimov, Russias chief of General Staff.

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Mr Belousovs role will be to ensure that the militarys financial needs are met, corruption is rooted out, and defence spending is integrated sensibly into the wider economy. Furthermore, Mr Belousovs appointment sends a clear signal that Mr Putin is doubling down on Russias military-industrial complex. By placing an economist at the helm of the defence ministry, Mr Putin is signalling his intention to bolster Russias military capabilities while simultaneously stimulating economic growth. It is a bold move that reflects Mr Putins belief in the symbiotic relationship between military strength and economic prosperity. Of course, Mr Belousovs tenure wont be without its challenges. Tensions with the West are at an all-time high, and Russias economy is feeling the strain of sanctions. Moreover, endemic corruption within the defence industry remains a significant obstacle to overcome. Mr Belousov will need to tread carefully, balancing the demands of the military with the need for transparency and accountability
The tree is known by its fruits. Buddhism put reason in place of authority, it discarded metaphysical speculation to make room for the practical realities of life, it raised the self-perfected sage to the position of the gods of theology, it set up a spiritual brotherhood in place of hereditary priesthood, it infused a cosmopolitan spirit against national exclusiveness.

Dogma and miracle are wisdom to the Christian; kismet and fanaticism are wisdom to the Muslim; caste and ceremonialism are wisdom to the old Brahmin; asceticism and nakedness are wisdom to the Jain; mysticism and magic are wisdom to the Taoist; formalism and outward piety are wisdom to the Confucian; ancestor-worship and loyalty to the Mikado are wisdom to the Shintoist; but love and purity are first wisdom to the Buddhist  Buddhism alone teaches that there is hope for man and only in man. (P. Lakshmi Narasu, The Essence of Buddhism). In the opinion of R.C. Mitra (The Decline of Buddhism in India and its Causes), the historic significance of the rise of Buddhism must be realized in its proper context. This context is that Buddhism never cut itself asunder from the parent stock of Brahmanism and that the great Buddha was a child of that noble culture which is generically known as Brahmanism. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, a noted scholar of Hindu philosophy, has observed at one place: The Buddha did not feel that he was announcing a new religion.

He was born, grew up, and died a Hindu. He was restating with a new emphasis the ancient ideals of the Indo-Aryan civilization. (S. Radhakrishnan, Foreword PP.IX , XIII in 2000 years of Buddhism). P.V. Kane has noted this Brahmanical theory of the origins of Buddhism and has examined and criticized the views. The historical truth is that Buddha had penetrated the Indian mind very deeply; his images had covered thousands of pillars, walls and gates of so many monasteries all over the country; his teachings had been popularised and broadcast through an almost inexhaustible mine of Pali and Sanskrit literature; many emperors and thinkers had espoused the cause of his rational and humanitarian mission, and his praise had been sung by numerous Indians for centuries. He is naturally regarded as the most exalted member in the galaxy of Avatars.

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A number of scholars, including S. Radhakrishnan, R. C. Majumdar and others have opined that the most important fact concerning the decline of Buddhism in the country of its origin was a gradual, almost insensible, assimilation of Buddhism to Hinduism. The Mahayana (this form of Buddhism regarded Buddha as God) borrowed heavily from Hinduism, and the latter appropriated many cardinal elements of the former. This mutual rapprochement between Hinduism and Buddhism proved fatal to the latter faith. The disapproval of animal sacrifice, the relaxation of caste rigidities in Brahmanical quarters owing to Buddhistic influence and the organization of a monastic community on the lines of the Buddhist Sangha by Sankaracharya, the standard bearer of Hinduism, may have further helped the merger of Buddhism into Hinduism.

According to G. C. Pande (Bauddha Dharma pp. 491-492), one of the most important factors in the decline of Buddhism in India was its social failure. It did not try to evolve a complete society on its own lines; it did not prescribe any ceremonies for birth, marriage and death of the householder. The laity continued to practice the current norms and ceremonies prescribed largely by the Brahmanical clergy. This non-interfering attitude of Buddhism, though it helped the smooth spread of the religion, resulted in the long run in lessening its hold on society. This aloofness was a serious flaw which confined the Buddhistic culture to the monasteries.These monasteries were the strongholds and the only centres of Buddhistic culture; when they were invaded by indigenous or foreign rulers (especially Turkish) or they lost royal or popular support or when they became deserted and dilapidated by some other calamities, Buddhism started decaying. In such circumstances lay followers of Buddhism who were never made free from the influence of the traditional orthodox culture, returned more and more towards the latter.

The seemingly everlasting strength of Brahmanism (Hinduism) would appear to lie in the fact that its religion and society are inseparable. The fabric of Hinduism rests on the bed-rock of varnasrama organization. It survived even when the Muslims killed its ascetics, pulled down its temples and dishonored its women; it survived in society. Some writers like Umesha Mishra (Journal of the GanganathaJha Research Institute, vol. ix p. 111-122) have opined that one of the main causes of the decline of Buddhism in India was that the Buddhists hated Sanskrit and adopted the Palilanguage. Now, one may ask: how are we to account for the progress and continued existence of Jainism which also adopted Prakrit, a non-Sanskrit language? Furthermore, the Mauryas adopted Pali as their official language, will it not be an absurdity to attribute the decline of the Maurya Empire to their adoption of a non-Sanskrit language?But it is not true to say that the Buddhists hated Sanskrit.

The whole mass of Buddhist literature from about the second century B.C. onwards has been written in Sanskrit and taught its grammar as a compulsory subject in their universities. Decline in the royal patronage of Buddhism is regarded by some modern scholars as the foremost factor in the disappearance of Buddhism from the land of its birth. After all, in those days the religion of the king was, more or less, the religion of the people. It was in the third century B.C. when Asoka extended his patronage to Buddhism and began to preach it both within India as well as to near and far off countries like Burma, Ceylon, Sumatra, Egypt, Macedonia, Syria etc. that Buddhism became a world religion from a local one. In the second century B.C. the Kushana King Kanishka extended his patronage to Buddhism which spread into China, Tibet and Central Asia.

It is true that after Harsavardhana no strong and whole-hearted patron of Buddhism in India is known, except some of the Pala kings. It was during their period the Bengalee savant AtishDipankar was invited to Tibet to effect some reforms in Buddhism. It is, however, to be borne in mind that the Pala kings were patrons equally of the Brahmanical religion. As a result, no king came forth to protect the Buddhists of Sindh when they were attacked by the Arabs; no kings army came forward to protect Nalanda when it was sacked by the soldiers of BakhtyarKhalji. Buddhist monks either fell before the swords of Islam or fled to Nepal and Tibet. One of the really potent factors contributing to the decline of Buddhism in the country was royal persecution, forceful ill-treatment of the monks and damage to or destruction of their holy establishments by the kings. The greatest of royal persecutors of Buddhism in India was the Huna tyrant Mihirakula. Among the ancient Indian princes, the most notable example of anti-Buddhist Brahmanical fanaticism after PusyamitraSunga, is presented by Sasanka, the king of Gauda.

It is, however, a fact that royal persecution of Buddhism in India was only sporadic and occasional; it was not a regular feature. In the seventh century A.D. the Brahmanical faith faced not only decadent Buddhism but also Islam which had been brought to the south-west coast (Malabar) by Arab merchants and preachers. During this critical period Sankaracharya reformed and strengthened the old Brahmnical religion and this Hindu revival could not be resisted by decadent Buddhism. Lastly, an important aspect of Buddhist contribution in ancient India should be mentioned which lay in the area of social harmony and racial integration on a national scale.

It was through its teaching of social harmony and tolerance that foreign invaders such as the Greeks, Sakas, Parthians, Kushans and Hunas who came to India and settled here in the course of centuries immediately preceding and following the Christian era, were assimilated by Indian society. This was a permanent contribution to social integration and national growth, and it could not have been so easily accomplished in a strictly Brahmanical scheme of social gradation. One may feel tempted to conjecture that had Buddhism been a living and creative force during the medieval centuries, the problem of Hindu-Muslim communal disharmony in medieval and modern India would not have taken such a cruel and diabolical turn as it did.

There is no gainsaying that Buddhas Middle Path struck a new keynote in Indias religious life ~ a course midway between the rigorism of the Jains and liberalism of the sacrificial Brahmanas. The grateful and enlightened Hindus are aware of Indias debt to Buddhism. It has left an indelible mark on our cultural heritage, particularly on our language and literature, art and sculpture, logic and philosophy and on moral values. Marching through the vicissitudes of history, through the rise and fall of many an empire, Buddhism has lost its hold in the country of its origin since long; yet its basic ideals of peace, harmony, brotherhood and the principle of live and let live have not been lost in India and have been finally legalized and accomplished by the government of the Republic of India in 1949-50. Buddha has been honoured by the Hindus as an incarnation of Vishnu, Christians have canonized him as Saint Joshaphat.

Some Muslim scholars regard him as a spiritual teacher. Rationalists regard him as a great free-thinker. H.G. Wells, the distinguished novelist and historian, assigned to him the first place amongst the seven great men in the world. Tagore called him the greatest man ever born.

(The writer is a former UGC Teacher Fellow and Head of the Department of Political Science, Maharaja Sris Chandra College, Kolkata. Views expressed are personal)
Ramachandaran visited China many times from 201319 and was a journalist in China with China Daily, Global Times and China-India Dialogue from 20082016, thus well placed for an objective view of the bilateral relationship. For all the media restrictions in China, he writes, there remain unexplored possibilities and spaces, and many assume restrictions and censorship where there are none.

India-China relations are a binary of democracy versus communism or free market against state control, but there have been periods of calm cooperation between the two countries. Chinas technology and management methods could stimulate Indias economy, and China can benefit from Indias market and the force of consumerism. In pushing for exports, capital expenditure and foreign investment, both nations are similar. India is a huge market and could use investment in infrastructure from the investible surplus in China. For the Indian market to thrive, people need economic empowerment with the kind of purchasing power that China had been able to ensure for a majority of its people.

China

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Modern China shows that infrastructure development and poverty alleviation are achievable even for large populations. More than 700 million have been raised from semi-feudal poverty since 1979. Yet vast sections are stuck with bygone practices, such as in healthcare, which is filled with gaps and fraud. The working-age population has declined since 2011, and the current 3-child policy will not change this soon since rapid urbanisation has reinforced a 1-child tendency.

The actual size of the Communist Party is obscure. Each year, 20 million apply; less than 3 million succeed; the strength might be about 96 million. By 2011, it had become a party of the middle and professional class, no longer custodians of the poor.

Change in China is always slow and orderly; there is no scope to let off steam. Its rise is due to stability, prosperity and inclusive growth without restrictions on education, employment, travel, trade, or enterprise. Mega-events like the Olympics always bring out the best in China. China was the biggest beneficiary of free trade, and the yuan was added to the SDR basket.

China needed to change its growth model, not dependent on external markets but on domestic consumption. China did not have the skills to outsource business, but India lacked the infrastructure and low production costs to compete with Chinese manufacturing. Digital India was a path taken by China more than 10 years earlier. After 2015, it was inevitable that cyber security would be a priority, and Indian and Chinese cyber security laws are not too different.

China expects others to be demonstrably mindful of its concerns. Its challenges are mainly internal: small incidents, demonstrations, riots, restive minorities, pockets of poverty, and the down side of rapid economic growth. Reform in China means fighting corruption and inequality.

Border

Ramachandaran lists the issues between India and China as the border: membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the UN listing of Azhar as a terrorist, both opposed by China; Indias opposition to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI); stapled visas for Kashmiris and Arunachalis; the presence of the Dalai Lama; and Chinas support for Pakistan.

At certain times, leaders like Manmohan Singh and Wen Jiabao wanted to push forward despite powerful Indian pro-US lobbies. Chinas economy was slowing and needed a shift to new markets and consumers. But there was a lack of Indian excitement about opportunities, especially economic, entrepreneurial, educational and cultural.

The author traces the military clashes in 2013 (Depsang), 2014 (Chumar), 2017 (Doklam), 2020 (Galwan), and 2022 (Tawang) as strategic escalation. China has only just considered sending an ambassador to India since 2022 and seems in no hurry to halt the downward spiral. There are no clear and convincing answers to why the Ladakh incident of 2013 happened. With their political strength, Modi and Xi could have shaped public opinionto the level where the border dispute could have been talked about and the Nehruvian legacy undone. More than once, bilateral visits were marred by Chinese incursions, forcing both sides to revert to taking one step at a time. The dominant narrative in India about China is pessimistic, despite MEAs attempt to deny that the border is fraught with tension. MEA and Defence speak in different voices, the latter reflecting a powerful section of the armed forces. Perhaps under RSS influence, Modi pulled back from meaningful talks with Pakistan and China. Modi has had more dealings with China than any previous prime minister, having visited nine times, but his reliance on personal chemistry does not work with China.

China built infrastructure in border areas, but its priority is internal stability. Chinas media said India looked upon China as an imaginary enemy, and joined the USA, Japan and Vietnam. The Chinese view is that the US-led West used the India-China standoff as an issue to advance their own strategic agendadefence deals, and flattering India as a Quad member. China thinks India engaged in an international campaign against BRI. The border is hardly discussed in China, but prevailing sentiments and political mood in both countries precluded the possibility of any solution being exploredthe strategic maturity of not allowing differences to become disputes is a good mantra to deal with the challenges.

Why did China resort to military provocation? Perhaps Indias deepening ties with the USA and Quad, opposition to BRI, establishing deterrence, to push Modi to settle the border. It is difficult to say which countrys leadership is more set on resolving the boundary issue. The US approach is to benefit from Chinas economy but restrain its military and strategic influence, pushing overtly and covertly to ensure that China-India relations do not move too far from the brink of conflict.

An obstacle to Chinese domination of Asia is India; it does not command trust and support in the West; India has greater acceptability. If peace with India serves Chinas global ambitions, then Beijing may revisit the engagement. Despite a lack of warmth and trust, there cannot be war since both sides would suffer. Just as there are differences between the Indian MEA, Defence and armed forces, in China there are differences between the party, military and government.

Economy

In 2014, China offered to invest $300 billion in Indian infrastructure in three years, a lost opportunity. Bilateral trade was $135 billion in 2022. India is a leading IT country, and China is the worlds factory. But since 2020 there is pessimism about ties and the climate is most unfavourable with hostility and obstruction, lack of flights and visas.

Tibet

Indian cultural and religious influences exist in Tibet, but without much economic or strategic heft. Tibetans have economic and social development without religious and political freedoms. They are being enlisted in the army, and the Dalai Lama is making no political headway; Tibetans in China may be left with no choice but settle for the autonomy they have.

South Asia and Multilateralism

China has been emerging as a South Asian power, and India must act without being interventionist to check China. Smaller South Asian nations, far from being a meeting ground, are a battleground for India and China, and underlying tensions are not beneficial for the region. Whether the small countries are getting the best out of the two big nations or losing out on being part of the Indian zone of influence is a moot point; partnership would serve everyones interests better. Barring India, all SAARC members want to include China. In the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), India is the only one opposed to BRI. SCO membership has not improved India-China relations, and making the Delhi SCO summit virtual in 2023 seemed a pushback at China and Pakistan in deference to the USA. As for Pakistan being dependent on China, China is also dependent on Pakistan for access to the Anglo-American, Islamic and Arab worlds.

Conclusions

India does not figure prominently on Chinas radar. Taking a dig at China comes naturally to some Indians: India is obsessed with China and not in a good way. As future big powers, India and China want a peaceful rise, reform of the UN, financial institutions and WTO, cooperation on climate change, and to face challenges of poverty, inequality, and disparity between advanced Asia and developing Asia. Greater mutual trust and a common purpose are needed to dissolve distrust.

Like the USA, the business of China is business; commerce can pave the way for better relations. The border cannot be settled by force, and China has no option but to come to terms with India. The 2008 India-US nuclear agreement gave access to technology, reactors, and nuclear fuel, so Indian preoccupation with membership of NSG is unnecessary.

This compilation of essays from 2008 to 2022 has considerable detail, but there is confusion as to which articles are already published and which are written for this book. Since dates are not given, there is a jagged back-and-forth in chronology that makes placing any context extremely difficult. It is unclear what has been written in China and what in India. Together with an unhelpful structure, there are internal contradictions in the arguments and reiterations. But this neutral assessment of India-China ties was necessary.

The reviewer is a former foreign secretary

Book details

Beyond Binaries: The World of India and China

By Shastri Ramachandaran

Genuine Publications & Media Pvt Ltd, 2024

309 pages, Rs 450/-
Press Release

May 16, 2024 Poe pushes for animal welfare programs in barangays Sen. Grace Poe said barangays should be equipped with animal welfare programs to allow them to act effectively against cruelty incidents. "An important question to ask is whether we have sufficient animal welfare programs in place and whether our communitiesespecially in rural areashave adequate access to quality veterinary healthcare services," she said "As first responders to animals in need, it's imperative that barangay personnel are guided by policies and have the wherewithal to act," Poe added during the hearing on her Senate Bill No. 2458 seeking to strengthen the Animal Welfare Act. On the national level, Poe said the responsibility of ensuring animal welfare falls under the purview of the Bureau of Animal Industry or BAI, a staff bureau of the Department of Agriculture (DA). Under Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code, she noted that the delivery of veterinary services to the communities has been devolved to local government units. However, the Local Government Code mandates that only provinces and cities should have their own veterinarian officer. "Hence, there is a reported shortage of veterinary personnel in smaller municipalities. And even cities that have veterinarians have to contend with inadequate resources," Poe said. "Ideally, the Department of Agriculture should be able to train and deputize animal welfare enforcement officers from the communities, the police for law enforcement, and members of animal welfare organizations such as those present here today, so that issues can be immediately taken cared of at the barangay level, in an effective but humane manner," she added. Poe's bill will strengthen the DA in addressing animal welfare issues through a bureau that will be given sufficient budget and permanent personnel. The measure aims to establish standards geared towards engendering responsible pet ownership, as well as ethical behavior and accountability from all those who have control over or provide care to animals. The senator lamented that many animals are neglected, abandoned or starved to death in animal pounds, or fall victim to animal cruelty. Meanwhile, irresponsible owners have permitted their unvaccinated pets to cause nuisance, fear or harm to communities. According to the Mars Petcare Pet Homelessness Project report, there are a total of 13.11 million stray cats and dogs in the Philippines today. "Perhaps our bill can spark a discussion whose time has come," Poe said. "With the help of all stakeholders, I am sure we can come up with a law enabling the creation of a society where we can co-exist harmoniously with those beings which have provided us with much love and loyalty," Poe added.
In the wake of the killing of George Floyd in 2020 by a Minneapolis police officer and the months of protest that followed, many public discussions arose around public safety, including the idea that police budgets should shrink, a movement that took on the moniker defund the police.

But in the years since, in Buffalo and in many cities across the nation, police and fire department budgets have continued to rise.

And if Mayor Byron Brown gets cooperation from the Common Council, that trend would continue, with the largest departmental budget increase for police in at least 10 years.

Last years adopted police budget came in at just under $81 million. This year, Brown has suggested giving the department $95.2 million  more than a 17% increase over last year  as part of a proposed budget that would see property taxes increase by 9%.

Mayor proposes record 9% hike in Buffalo property taxes as he rolls out budget and State of the City Mayor Byron Brown's proposed budget for 2024-25 would increase the city's 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.

Most of the proposed spending increase in the police budget would come in salaries that would jump from $61 million to $74.7 million. That cost increase, almost the entirety of the increase in Browns proposed police budget, is driven by a 4% increase in police wages this upcoming budget year, Delano Dowell, the citys commissioner of finance, policy and urban affairs, said.

Thats primarily due to a set of new contracts, Dowell said.

The current contract between the Buffalo Police Department and the Police Benevolent Association, the police union, includes a cost of living increase driving the jump in salary budgeted for next year.

The city also plans to add more than 60 officers in the next budget year, adding 34 officers when retirements and other attrition are taken into account. The number of sworn officers would jump from 741 to 775, while the number of civilian employees would remain flat at 298, according to the budget proposal.

An officer with no experience coming out of the academy has a starting salary $57,453, and the most experienced patrol officers make $95,7543, according to the current contract.

Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia told Common Council members that his department has to abide by the union contract as they look to drive spending down whenever they can.

Theres a lot of areas of that spending that we just cant cut, but we certainly monitor, and we try to be as efficient as possible, he said at a May 3 budget workshop. We are looking for ways to be efficient.

By comparison, the Buffalo Fire Departments budget would remain relatively flat. Browns plan would bump the fire department from $67.9 million to $69.9 million.

For both departments, overtime is routinely underestimated, sometimes by large amounts. In the 2022-2023 budget year, the city budgeted $9.7 million for police overtime and spent almost $13.4 million. The city planned to spend $5.5 million and spent $10.3 million on fire department overtime in the same year.

Dowell said the reason overtime estimates are often far outstripped by the actual cost is because the city wants to encourage department heads to be as frugal as possible with their overtime lines. Setting the expected spending at a higher level would send a message that those department heads can use all of that planned overtime, which could lead to even higher totals than they see each year.

The key for us is, really, we try to reduce the overtime the best that we could, Dowell said.

And while large overtime overages are not ideal, the departments are able to pull from savings attached to budgeted vacant positions, where money has been set aside, but not paid out. There are 812 budgeted positions in next years proposed police budget. Not all of them will be filled.

Even if they do go above the budgeted amount, we still have savings in our salary line that will offset that overage, Dowell said.

Sometimes, the overtime overages are egregious. In the 2021-2022 budget year, the city planned to spend $7.5 million, but paid out $14.8 million in police overtime. And in the 2017-2018 budget year, the city planned to spend $4 million on fire department overtime, but shelled out $12.1 million, more than three times what they budgeted.

Gramaglia and Fire Commissioner William Renaldo pointed to resource intensive public safety work for large events  the St. Patricks Day parades, Canalside events, the New Years Eve ball drop  as main drivers in their overtime costs.

And minimum staffing requirements contribute significantly to the overtime, both commissioners said.

The administration has opened contract talks with the Buffalo Fire Fighters Local 282, which represents more than 700 people in the department, Renaldo added.

Thats something thats always on the table, Renaldo said of minimum manpower contractual requirements detailed in the departments agreement with the firefighters union. That would be a tough one to break.

Buffalo police union contract to cost taxpayers $2.7 million this year The $2.7 million price tag covers the current 2023-24 fiscal year, city officials said. For fiscal years 2021-22 and 2022-23, the city had reserves set up to cover potential contract increases. The city will budget for additional costs in the 2024-25 fiscal year.

Both commissioners also pointed to overtime costs related to internal affairs investigation and required training programs.

The workup thats done on overtime on tracking has never been as deep as it is in this administration, Gramaglia said. The staff. dig into every line, every category, so we track down every last ounce of dollar, penny of overtime thats spent, how its spent, where its spent. We do our best to be as efficient as possible, where we can, obviously, within the confines of the contract. The biggest discretionary overtime really goes with the detective division and the specialty unit.

During budget workshops, Council members sought clarity on specific budget lines and took the opportunity to ask commissioners about other programs and data. Council Majority Leader Leah Halton-Pope asked about significant fluctuations in budget lines, including a line that covers police vehicles and one that covers costs related to the departments body camera program.

Dowell and other finance department officials explained the reasons those lines had shifted, including grant funding that covered the purchase of vehicles and the initial, expensive costs of implementing the body camera program being complete.

Throughout the entire budget, these tiny amounts ultimately add up, Halton-Pope said.

The Common Council will hold a budget hearing at 5 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall on Wednesday, May 15.

News Staff Reporter Deidre Williams contributed to this article
Anita Goyal, the wife of Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal, passed away on Thursday morning. She had been battling cancer for some time.

Her health condition worsened over the past few months.

According to a Times of India report, Anita Goyal passed away around 3 am on Thursday.

She is survived by her husband and two children.

The funeral is expected to be held in Mumbai on Thursday.

Naresh Goyal, who has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case, was granted bail on humanitarian grounds to be with his ailing wife.

His lawyers had told the Bombay High Court that Anita Goyal had only months to live and he wished to be by her side in her last days.

Naresh Goyal too is undergoing treatment for cancer.

Goyal was arrested by the ED in September 2023 on allegations that he had laundered money and siphoned off loans to the tune of Rs 538.62 crore given to Jet Airways by the Canara Bank.

His wife was arrested in November 2023 when the ED submitted its chargesheet in the case.

She was granted bail by the special court the same day considering her age and medical condition.
Delhi Police on Thursday recorded the statement of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Swati Maliwal in connection with the alleged assault on her at CM Arvind Kejriwal's residence.

A team of police led by Additional Commissioner of Police P. S. Kushwaha went to Maliwal's residence to seek the details of the incident. The officers spent about four hours at her residence, said reports.

Meanwhile, for the first time after the incident, Maliwal broke her silence over the alleged assault. "What happened to me was very bad. I have given my statement to the police on the incident that happened to me. I hope appropriate action will be taken. The past days have been very difficult for me. I thank those who prayed. Those who tried to indulge in character assassination said that I was doing it at the behest of the other party, God bless them too," she said in a post on X in Hindi.

                                               Character Assassination    ,    Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) May 16, 2024

She also stressed that the issues of the country are important as the crucial elections are going on now. "Maliwal is not important now," she said.

Also, she requested the BJP people not to do politics on this incident.

Maliwal on Monday approached the Civil Lines police station and alleged that a member of Kejriwal's personal staff "assaulted" her at the chief minister's official residence. However, initially, she did not file a formal complaint.

"In the police station, she was informed that a medical examination is necessary to file an assault FIR. She was at the police station for five minutes and left without filing any formal complaint. She said she would be back later," Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) M.K. Meena had told reporters.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) summoned Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar over Maliwal's allegations. His hearing is scheduled for Friday at 11 am.

AAP admitted the assault and assured that action will be taken against the accused. Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh on Tuesday condemned the incident and said that strict action would be initiated.

The alleged assault on Maliwal led to a ruckus between BJP and Congress in the MCD.

BJP on Thursday attacked Kejriwal over his silence over the Maliwal issue. Delhi CM is behaving like a goon, said BJP. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva assailed the chief minister for skipping media queries and demanded he resign immediately, taking responsibility for the incident.

Based on Maliwal's complaint, an FIR was registered against Bibhav Kumar.
Consider this - Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde's wealth grew at a rate of 669% over the last five years, making it the highest rate of wealth growth amongst candidates across nine Mumbai-area constituencies.

This was closely followed by sitting MP Rahul Shewale whose wealth grew at a rate of 619% in the same period. The greatest wealth accumulation declared during the current elections, is by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Piyush Goyal at 110.96 crore, followed by Shiv Sena (ES) candidate and sitting MLA from Jogeshwari (East) Ravindra Waikar at 54.51 crore.

While the average growth rate of wealth for the 'ordinary Indian' has been merely 3.5% in the last 5 years, the wealth of candidates belonging to the ruling NDA alliance has grown 150%, that is, 43 times faster than the wealth of the 'ordinary Indian'. This and more such alarming statistics have been put out by MumbaiVotes.com, part of the Informed Voter Project, a non-profit citizen-researcher-driven civil society collective.

In a recent press conference, Vivek Gilani, founding trustee of the project, revealed findings from the "exhaustive" research and evaluation conducted over the past three months.

During the fifth phase of elections, the 'Informed Voter project' analysed the annual growth rate of wealth of the candidates contesting from nine parliamentary constituencies across Mumbai (Mumbai North, Mumbai North West, Mumbai North East, Mumbai North Central, Mumbai South Central, Mumbai South, Thane, Palghar, and Kalyan). It was found that the average wealth growth of candidates across the Eknath-Shinde faction of Shiv-Sena is the highest amongst all parties contesting in the nine Mumbai-Area constituencies. Not only that but also the difference between the magnitude of average wealth owned by NDA candidates in the Mumbai-Area and the INDIA alliance was observed to be starkly disparate; while the average wealth of an NDA candidate was found to be Rs 32.8 crore that of a INDIA bloc candidate was seen to be Rs 10.9 crore.

At the same time, criminal records were analysed too and this is what showed up - Of the major political parties, in the list of all candidates with pending criminal charges, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) scored the most Red Flags (44) followed by Shive Sena (Eknath Shinde) and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) with 34 RED FLAGS each. In terms of Serious/Violent Criminal Charges (with possible prison terms of 10 years or greater), as declared in their affidavits submitted to the Election Commission of India, VBA topped the list with 20 serious red flags.

The Informed Voter Project also analysed manifestos of political parties as the campaigning picks up heat. The manifestos of seven major parties (BJP, INC, CPI(M), NCP (SP), SHS (UBT), and All India Trinamool Congress, and CPI) were studied through a double-blinded process of narrative analysis (text coding) by analysts. The narrative analysis/coding consisted of evaluating each element according to the following parameters: Diagnostic Rigor, Clarity of Scope of the Promise, Clear timeline, Clear budget outlay, Clear implementation plan, and Clear commitment-oriented language.



The promises were graded using only the above parameters; not on whether the Analysis Panel felt the solutions being proposed were meritorious and beneficial to society i.e. their own political perspectives on the subject were not a factor in evaluation. Promises that were predicated by diagnostic rigour, defined a clear scope of beneficiaries or stakeholders, included a clear timeline, proposed budgetary expenditure to fulfil the promise, articulated a clear implementation plan and were framed using language demonstrating clear commitment and action (as opposed to merely being notional or conveying of intention) scored higher than others.

'When it came to agriculture and farmer welfare, it was the promises laid down by the Trinamool Congress that came up trumps. This manifesto had clear references to the shortcomings of the current government (agricultures share in the union budget almost being halved from 4.4% to 2.5% over the past 4 years) as well as specific solutions to some prevalent issues in this sector,' as per the release. The manifesto of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bal Thackeray) scored low on all 6 hierarchical counts from diagnostic rigour to clear timelines when it came to farmer issues.

It was also found that the BJP manifesto scored poorly in the area of law and justice, being rated consistently low across major counts, while the INC fared better, securing the second-highest score after Trinamool. The INC manifesto has dedicated sections explaining the legal entitlements and protections owed to various citizen groups that they recognise as SC/ST and OBCs, religious and linguistic minorities, persons with disabilities and LGBTQIA+.

It also emphasizes the need to ensure press freedom through the Press Council of India Act, and supports the withdrawal of acts tilted towards government censorship such as the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2023 and Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. While freedom of expression is also mentioned clearly by NCP, there are no specific instances provided, which reduced its scope, and diagnostic rigour, said the report by the Informed Voter Project.

As per IVP (Informed Voter Project), in the area of gender issues, especially those related to women, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) scored high, coming in third after Trinamool and CPI(M) manifestos by endeavouring to achieve 50% reservations for women in government jobs and fast-tracking womens reservations in Parliament. This is echoed by the INC manifesto as well, which additionally promises 33% reservations for women in Lok Sabha elections like Trinamool and CPI(M).
Mumbai police on Thursday arrested director of the advertising agency Ego Media Pvt Ltd, Bhavesh Bhinde over the collapse of the billboard in Ghatkopar, that killed 16 people and left 74 injured.

Bhinde's company had set up the ad hoarding (120x120 foot) in Pant Nagar, Ghatkopar East, which collapsed on March 13 in heavy rain and winds. Around 100 people were trapped under the billboard as it fell on a petrol pump.

He was arrested from Udaipur, Rajasthan said officials. A search was launched by the Mumbai police to locate and arrest the absconding director.

According to authorities, the hoarding was erected on a 10-year lease.

Pant Nagar police booked Bhinde under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

Bhinde has around 23 criminal cases registered against him and was recently arrested on rape charges as well. In January, Bhinde was arrested in a rape case registered with Mulund police station, but later secured bail, a police official said. Bhinde also contested the Maharashtra assembly elections in 2009, he added.

According to BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, another firm of Bhinde's had been blacklisted by the commercial department of the Indian Railways in 2017-18 after several complaints of installing illegal hoardings were filed against it.

Rescue operations were jointly conducted by BMC, Mumbai police, NDRF, Mumbai fire brigade and Mahanagar Gas. Action is being taken to remove illegal hoardings in the metropolis, said an official.

Somaiya alleged that no tender process was followed for the crashed hoarding and the owner earned more than Rs 100 crore in revenue from it. He also said Bhinde got the permission to install the billboard only because he was close to MLA Sunil Raut, brother of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut.

"The revenue from the hoarding was over Rs 100 crore, the revenue from the fuel station (on which it collapsed) was Rs 25 crore. The state government gets nothing. Couple of crores transferred to Maharashtra police Kalyan Nidhi (welfare fund)," Somaiya claimed in a letter written to deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking a thorough inquiry."
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, on Thursday, refused to field questions on allegations of assault of AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal by his aide Bhibhav Kumar.

Kejriwal, who was addressing a press conference with INDIA partner Akhilesh Yadav, remained silent when asked about the issue, leaving it to his party colleague Sanjay Singh to answer them.

Singh, however, responded with another question: "When our wrestler daughters were fighting for justice at Jantar Mantar, it was Swati Maliwal, the then chairperson of the Women's Commission, who went to support them and was dragged and beaten by the police."

Accusing the BJP, which alleged that Kejriwal has been shielding his personal assistant, of staying silent on crimes against women, Singh asked the saffron party not to play "political games" on the issue.

Singh, had, on Tuesday, addressed a press conference and said the incident with Maliwal was a "highly condemnable" one.

Meanwhile, the National Commission of Women (NCW) took suo moto cognizance of a media report headlined 'Ex-DCW chief Swati Maliwal accuses Arvind Kejriwal's personal secretary of assaulting her,' where she claimed that she was brutally assaulted at the chief minister's residence by Bhibhav Kumar, and summoned the accused.

The hearing of Bhibhav Kumar is scheduled for Friday at 11 am.

The commission said failure of Kumar to comply with the notice will lead to actions "as it deems proper."

Maliwal, who had gone to the police station and alleged that she was "assaulted" by a member of CM Kejriwal's personal staff, is yet to file a formal complaint on the issue.
The death toll in the Mumbai hoarding collapse hit 16 on Thursday morning after two more bodies were retrieved from a car stuck underneath the remains of the collapsed structure. No person was rescued throughout the day.

"The bodies of a male and a female were retrieved from the car struck below the hoarding in the Chheda Nagar area shortly after midnight," an NDRF official told reporters on Wednesday night.

The search operation which has been going on for the past two days has ended today. However, it will take another 24 hours to clear the accident site.

"Dismantling of three other illegal hoardings standing there will take around seven days. The size of these hoardings is 80 x 80 feet each," he said. The search and rescue operation has been going on for the last more than 48 hours. Several vehicles, including two-wheelers, are trapped under the hoarding," the official told PTI.

The giant 120 x 120-foot hoarding collapsed on a petrol pump during gusty winds on Monday evening.

Meanwhile, the search for the owner of the advertising firm which put up the hoarding continues. Over 10 police teams from Mumbai and Gujarat have intensified the search for Bhavesh Bhinde, director of Ego Media Pvt Ltd.

Bhinde's last location was reportedly at Lonavala and a police team have headed to the hill station, Hindustan Times quoted an officer from the Mumbai polices crime branch. Police teams are currently looking for him in Lonavala, Mumbai, Pune, various airports, and his native place in Gujarat.

BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani told reporters that the rescue operation has been completed. "This is an active petrol pump, hence the delay in our rescue operation. The Chief Minister has ordered to check all the hoardings," he said.

He added that three hoardings in the city limit have been removed. "These hoardings need a structural stability certificate. They need to follow the specification of size, foundation and the wind velocity which passes through to provide the necessary stability," Gagrani added.
Amid special treatment rumours, the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday made clear that it has not made any exception in granting bail to Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal. The apex court also welcomed the "critical analysis of the judgment".

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta made the statements while refusing to consider claims and counterclaims by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Kejriwal on statements related to the grant of interim bail to AAP chief.

"We have not made any exception for anybody. We said in our order what we felt was justified," the bench said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for ED, objected to Kejriwal's speeches in poll rallies that if voted back to power he would not be going back to prison on June 2.

"It is his assumption, we cannot say anything," the bench said.

The order of the SC is very clear on the date of his surrender and the rule of law shall be governed by this order, added the bench.

The SC had granted interim bail to Kejriwal till June 1 in the wake of the Lok Sabha elections. He has been asked to surrender on June 2.

Mehta also alleged that Kejriwal violated the bail condition by his remarks. "What is he trying to imply? It is like a slap on the institution," the Solicitor General said.

The bench said that it has not barred Kejriwal from speaking about the case.

On Wednesday, Home Minister Amit Shah criticised the SC order granting bail saying that it was not a "routine or normal judgment". "It is a clear contempt of the Supreme Court," said Shah in an interview with ANI.

"The SC has the right to interpret the law. I believe this was not a normal or routine judgment," he added. Shah also alleged that many people in the country believe that "special treatment" was given in Kejriwal's case.

Kejriwal was arrested by the ED in connection with the money laundering case related to the Delhi Excise Policy case on March 21.
The US military finished installing a floating pier for the Gaza Strip on Thursday, with officials poised to begin ferrying badly needed humanitarian aid into the enclave besieged over seven months of intense fighting in the Israel-Hamas war.

The final, overnight construction sets up a complicated delivery process more than two months after US President Joe Biden ordered it to help Palestinians facing starvation as food and other supplies fail to make it in as Israel recently seized the key Rafah border crossing in its push on that southern city on the Egyptian border.

Fraught with logistical, weather and security challenges, the maritime route is designed to bolster the amount of aid getting into the Gaza Strip, but it is not considered a substitute for far cheaper land-based deliveries that aid agencies say are much more sustainable.

The boat loads of aid will be deposited at a port facility built by the Israelis just southwest of Gaza City and then distributed by aid groups.

Heavy fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants on the outskirts of Rafah has displaced some 6,00,000 people, a quarter of Gaza's population, UN officials say. Another 1,00,000 civilians have fled parts of northern Gaza now that the Israeli military has restarted combat operations there.

Pentagon officials said the fighting in Gaza wasn't threatening the new shoreline aid distribution area, but they have made it clear that security conditions will be monitored closely and could prompt a shutdown of the maritime route, even just temporarily.

Already, the site has been targeted by mortar fire during its construction and Hamas has threatened to target any foreign forces who occupy the Gaza Strip.

The protection of US forces participating is a top priority. And as such, in the last several weeks, the United States and Israel have developed an integrated security plan to protect all the personnel," said Navy Vice Adm Brad Cooper, a deputy commander at the US military's Central Command. "We are confident in the ability of this security arrangement to protect those involved.

US troops anchored the pier at 7:40 am local time Thursday, the military's Central Command said, stressing that none of its forces entered the Gaza Strip and would not during the pier's operations.

Trucks carrying humanitarian assistance are expected to begin moving ashore in the coming days, the command said. The United Nations will receive the aid and coordinate its distribution into Gaza.

It wasn't immediately clear which UN agency would be involved.

Israeli forces will be in charge of security on the shore, but there are also two US Navy warships near the area in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the USS Arleigh Burke and the USS Paul Ignatius. Both ships are destroyers equipped with a wide range of weapons and capabilities to protect American troops off shore and allies on the beach.

Aid agencies say they are running out of food in southern Gaza and fuel is dwindling, which will force hospitals to shut down critical operations and halt truck deliveries of aid. The UN and others have warned for weeks that an Israel assault on Rafah would cripple humanitarian operations and cause a disastrous surge in civilian casualties.

More than 1.4 million Palestinians half of Gaza's population have been sheltering in Rafah, most after fleeing Israel's offensives elsewhere.

The first cargo ship loaded with 475 pallets of food left Cyprus last week to rendezvous with a US military ship, the Roy P Benavidez, which is off the coast of Gaza. The pallets of aid on the MV Sagamore were moved onto the Benavidez.

The Pentagon said moving the aid between ships was an effort to be ready so it could flow quickly once the pier and the causeway were installed.

The installation of the pier several miles (kilometers) off the coast and of the causeway, which is now anchored to the beach, was delayed for nearly two weeks because of bad weather. The sea conditions made it too dangerous for US and Israeli troops to secure the causeway to the shore, US officials said.

Military leaders have said the deliveries of aid will begin slowly to ensure the system works. They will start with about 90 truckloads of aid a day through the sea route, and that number will quickly grow to about 150 a day.

But aid agencies say that isn't enough to avert impending famine in Gaza and must be just one part of a broader Israeli effort to open land corridors.

Because land crossings could bring in all the needed aid if Israeli officials allowed, the US-built pier-and-sea route is a solution for a problem that doesn't exist, said Scott Paul, an associate director of the Oxfam humanitarian organization.

Biden used his State of the Union address on March 7 to order the military to set up a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza, establishing a sea route to deliver food and other aid. Food shipments have been backed up at land crossings amid Israeli restrictions and intensifying fighting.

Under the new sea route, humanitarian aid is dropped off in Cyprus where it will undergo inspection and security checks at Larnaca port. It is then loaded onto ships mainly commercial vessels and taken about 200 miles (320 kilometers) to the large floating pier built by the US military off the Gaza coast.

There, the pallets are transferred onto trucks, driven onto smaller Army boats and then shuttled several miles (kilometers) to the floating causeway, which has been anchored onto the beach by the Israeli military.

The trucks, which are being driven by personnel from another country, will go down the causeway into a secure area on land where they will drop off the aid and immediately turn around and return to the boats.

Aid groups will collect the supplies for distribution on shore, with the UN working with the US Agency for International Development to set up the logistics hub on the beach.

Sabrina Singh, Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters that the project will cost at least USD 320 million, including the transportation of the equipment and pier sections from the United States to the coast of Gaza, as well as the construction and aid delivery operations.
Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Thursday held an initial cabinet meeting after assuming office. Wong is Singapore's first new PM in 20 years.

After being sworn in on Wednesday, Wong posted on Instagram that the government of the Asian trade and financial centre had "a full agenda ahead".

Wong, 51, took over as Singapore's fourth prime minister from Lee Hsien Loong, 72, now a senior minister in Wong's cabinet. An economist-turned-politician, he pledged to "lead the way" for a better tomorrow.

Wong belongs to the new generation of politicians that were specially chosen by the People's Action Party (PAP) and it is credited for ruling the country for a long time.

Born in 1965, Wong is an ardent fan of Roger Federer and loves to play guitar during his free time. He has a master's degree in Economics from the University of Michigan.

The rise of Wong came after the anointed successor of Long, Heng Swee Keat ruled himself out of the race. He was first appointed as co-chair of the Covid pandemic task force. Wong was announced as the successor of Long in April 2022. After this, he was appointed as deputy prime minister. By addressing the issues of employment, equality and sustainability, he gained experience.

While quoting Wong, The Straits Times report said, "The focus now needs to be on uniting the country in the face of global uncertainties with the aim of leaving no one behind in the pursuit of progress.

During Wong's inaugural speech, he said that the world was in flux and geopolitical tensions, protectionism and nationalism could stretch for decades.

Wong said Singapore sought to be "friends with all while upholding our rights and interests"."My mission is clear: to continue defying the odds and to sustain this miracle called Singapore," he added.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US is looking forward to working with Wong "to further strengthen the U.S.-Singapore strategic

partnership". Even China said that under his leadership, the country is looking forward to boosting China-Singapore relations.

Taiwan's foreign ministry said ties between Taiwan and Singapore are close and friendly, adding it hoped "the two sides will continue to expand their cooperative relations". UK PM Rishi Sunak also congratulated Wong and said the relationship between the UK and Singapore "will continue to thrive in the years to come".
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is battling for his life after being shot on Wednesday, is said to be a political heavy-weight known for his staunch anti-Ukraine views.

The 59-year-old head of the state, born in Czechoslovakia, forayed into politics as a member of the Communist Party. He was first elected to Slovakias parliament in 1992 as a member of the Party of the Democratic Left. He founded the Smer party in the late 1990s which started on as the political left. However, over the years, Fico and Smer party began slanting towards right-wing views on immigration and cultural issues.

He began the first of his three terms as prime minister in 2006. He served till 2010 and came back to power in 2012 and stayed till 2018 when he was forced to resign in the wake of the murder of an investigative journalist and his fiancee. However, Fico made a stunning comeback last year riding on the people's protest against the centre-right governments restrictions to counter the pandemic. He is currently the longest-serving head of government in the history of Slovakia, a European Union and NATO member.

Fico's return to power was as a pro-Russian and as an anti-American. He promised to end Slovakia providing Ukraine with military support, arguing that NATO and the United States provoked Moscow into war. His famous pledge was to send "not one more round of ammunition" to Kyiv and did exactly that after his coalition government came to power, triggering concerns among the European Union.

Fico's stance in a country where pro-Russian sentiment had historically been significant has stoked fears among E.U. leaders in Brussels, who fear Slovakia could form a pro-Russian alliance with Hungary's Viktor Orban and, potentially, Italys leader, Georgia Meloni. This could stop support for Ukraine and could be a sign of the apparent erosion of the pro-Ukrainian bloc that Europe had formed after the invasion, according to The New York Times.

Fico's policies have always been controversial as he faces graft charges. He also swears to pursue a "sovereign" foreign policy, promised a tough stance against migration and non-governmental organisations, and campaigned against LGBTQ+ rights. He has also initiated reforms of criminal law and the media, which have raised concerns over weakening the rule of claw.

"Fico is a technician of power, by far the best in Slovakia. He does not have a counterpart at the moment," sociologist Michal Vasecka, from the Bratislava Policy Institute, told Reuters. "Fico is always following opinion polls, and understands what is happening" in society.


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by Rabbi Yair Hoffman

Jamie R. Mill, 50, from Alabama is the next person on death row in the United States of America. He is not a very nice person at all. He was found guilty of robbery and the double murder of an elderly couple. He is scheduled to die by lethal injection in two weeks  on May 30th of this year.

Bryan Shawn Smith, 37, also from Alabama, was convicted on May 10, 2024, of multiple felony and misdemeanor offenses, including assaulting law enforcement during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. Smiths actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election. The two aforementioned convicted criminals are not being held in the same jail cell. We will soon see the relevance of all this.

And they left him [the person who cursed Hashem] under guard..

Rashi is bothered why the pasuk did not say that they placed him [the Megadef] under guard. The term left him indicates that there was something else going on here. Rashi explains that the Bnei Yisroel left him alone and that they did not place him in the same cell as the one who gathered sticks on Shabbos  [Tzlafchad]. For both incidents happened at the same time. The Bnei Yisroel knew that Tzlafchads punishment was the death penalty  they just didnt know which death penalty. While regarding the Megadef  the Bnei Yisroel didnt know whether or not he was to receive the death penalty at all. That is why they did not place them both in the same cell.

Curiously, Rashi does not elaborate further. He just notes that the difference in their cases. A brief look at the Sifsei Chachomim, one of the super-commentaries on Rashi, reveals the underlying issue. If the curser would have been placed in the same jail cell as others on death row, he would have undergone excess anxiety. This would be an act of injustice.

We see from this Rashi an additional and extraordinary aspect of the notion of truth. Truth is not limited to avoid lying and deceptive behavior. Achieving truth is also the application of fair-minded-ness and in not meting out excessive punishment. The Torahs concept of punishments are intended to deter crime  (lemaan yishmeu vyirau) and to do justice to those who were not deterred. Going beyond this is wrong.

The nation of Klal Yisroel was commanded in meting out justice, but to cross the line of that justice and cause the criminal excess tzaar, pain and anxiety is wrong and a violation of justice and the ideal of emulating Hashems midah of Emes. The reason why Klal Yisroel kept the two prisoners in separate cells was a manifestation of Klal Yisroels highly hones sense of Emes.

This sensitivity is even more astonishing when we look at the words of the Daas Zekainim miBaalei HaTosfos.

They ask the question as to why the Bnai Yisroel did not draw a Kal VaChomer, a fortiori argument, from the punishment meted out to one who curses his parents where it specifically states that he incurs the death penalty. The Daas Zekainim explain that the Bnei Yisroel had entertained the possibility that this curser did something so bad that he may even be denied the atonement that the death penalty would provide. In other words, his evil may be far beyond the evil of the gatherer of sticks on Shabbos. And yet even still, we are enjoined not to give him unwarranted anxiety! Thus is the level of truth that we must pursue.

INSPIRATION

Quite often we do not see truth because our reality is warped by seeing the world through skewed vision or perspective. If we change our glasses or lenses  then we can appreciate and see the real truth. Rav Shlomo Kluger zatzal (1785-1869), the Rebbe of the Beis HaLevi (Rav Soloveitchik) was a strong advocate of eliminating negative perspectives that can obscure truths. He once asked a question on the bracha of Shmoneh Esreh that we recently adjusted for the change in seasons. The bracha of Barech Aleinu es hashana hazos where we ask Hashem to bless this year for good and for blessing is well understood throughout the year. But what about when we say it during the last Mincha on Erev Rosh HaShana? What could possibly happen then to the year? Will our crops suddenly grow? Will we win the lottery in that final 15 minutes?

Rav Kluger ztl answers that during this last Shmoneh Esreh of the year, we daven to Hashem for a change in our own personal perspective  for a change in our eye glasses and lenses! We daven that we see the true bracha that we have received and experienced this year. We must appreciate the true growth and blessing that we have been gifted from Hashem this entire past year. Rav Kluger zatzal further notes that this perspective, the removal of the negative filthy lens that skews our vision be removed for the entire years shmoneh esreh as well.

Rav Tzvi Myer shlita, the grandson of Rav Gedaliah Shorr zatzal notes that there is a common thought where people are categorized as either seeing the world from one of two perspectives: the cup is half empty or the cup is half full. Both perspectives, he notes, are wrong!

The cup is half filled with water and half filled with air. But the cup is completely full! It is what we need for these particular circumstances and exactly what Hashem, our loving father who always gives us what is best for us  wants for us. That is the perspective we must always have!

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By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

It is an extremely rare moment when the Israeli government is halachically correct and a Chareidi newspaper is halachically incorrect  but I would like to suggest that this rare moment may have happened this morning in Eretz Yisroel, and it probably should apologize. [It should be noted that the Hebrew language paper is not affiliated with the English paper with the same name.]

A Chareidi paper roused a storm after its front page headline reported a multi-casualty incident in Gaza  before the matter was cleared for publication by Israels government censors.

The front page of the paper displayed the words, Not cleared for publication: A multi-casualty incident. With a red background. Rachmana litzlan, five frum soldiers were killed in the incident.

We know from the Gemorah in Pesachim (3b and 4a) that one should not be the bearer of bad news. Doing so invokes the pasuk of Shlomo HaMelech in Mishlei (10:18), Umotzi dibah hu ksil  one who voices bad news is a fool. The Gemara relates three episodes where bad news is told over but only by manner of a hint. The Gemara applies the aforementioned verse.

I recall my saintly father-in-law, Rabbi Yaakov Hirsch, ztl, and his illustrious chavrusa of over half a century, Rabbi Chaim Polskin, ztl, telling each other that they had a levayah to attend that afternoon, but without telling the name of which of their friends had passed on. They only found out at the levayah itself. Such was their observance of this ideal.

The Reasons

Before we attempt to find the answer, it is important to identify the various reasons why we should not be the bearer of such news. The Chasam Sofer in his chiddushim on the page (Rav) asks the question, pointing out that, at the end of the day, the bad news ends up being conveyed anyway through the hint.

The Chasam Sofer explains that Hashem watches over the broken-hearted, to heal them and comfort them, as Dovid HaMelech explains in Tehillim (51:19), Lev nishbar vnidkeh Hashem lo sivzeh  Hashem will not deject a broken and crushed heart, and (Tehillim 91:15), Imo anochi btzarah  I am with him in despair. However, the Chasam Sofer points out, every negative tiding has upon it a ruach of tumah, a spirit of impurity, and Hashem does not mention His Holy Name on evil (see Sifrei Ki Seitzei 254; Vnishmarta mikol davar ra also includes bad tidings, and vshav miacharecha).

The withdrawal of Hashems Shechinah that is brought about by mentioning the evil tiding thus causes the removal of the healing and comfort that Hashem generally provides. Hinting to it, on the other hand, does not drive the Shechinah away.

Rashi, however, on Pesachim 3b Ahadrei, indicates that the reason for it is because if people were to find out immediately and directly, the information would unduly shock them.

Shulchan Aruch

The prohibition or, perhaps more accurately, custom, is discussed in Shulchan Aruch as well (Y.D. 402:2). His language is somewhat ambiguous; in the beginning he writes that one is not obligated in informing another of a death, but it would seem that it would be permitted. Yet, he concludes that one who does so is called a ksil.

There are exceptions to the prohibition which would lead to differences in halachah. In many communities, a car drives slowly around the neighborhood announcing a levayah. This is done for kavod hameis, for the honor of the deceased, and most poskim permit it.

Another exception mentioned by the Rema is if there are sons who can say Kaddish for the deceased. The exception is not permitted, however, on a yom tov so as not to bring anguish on a holiday. The Maharam Schick in his responsa (O.C. #26) writes that this is an obligation based upon the verse Do not stand idly by your brothers blood. If you are obligated to save another person during his lifetime, you are certainly obligated to save him after his demise, and Kaddish elevates the soul.

For Websites and Newspapers

Rabbi Dovid Tahari, a Sephardic posek from Beitar Illit, in his sefer titled Zichron Yitzchok (p. 327), suggests that the prohibition does exist in regard to writing. His proof is that in the illustrations in the Gemara, they could have just imparted the information through writing. The fact that they didnt is indicative that there would have been a prohibition as well.

One can object that the import is that they had met up, and, generally speaking, writing then was only done with ink and quill, something that was not exactly common when one meets up with someone.

Rav Yitzchok Yosef (Yalkut Yosef Kitzur Shulchan Aruch Vol II Siman 338 Chapter 3) also rules that it is prohibited to inform in writing as well.

When one considers the reason of the Chasam Sofer, it would seem unlikely that the Shechinah would be driven away from a distance, and it would thus be unlikely that, according to him, it would be prohibited on that account.

On the other hand, according to Rashi, it is highly likely that it could shock the reader even at a distance. This is perhaps borne out by an incident that occurred on February 3, 1959. The famed American musician Buddy Holly died in a plane crash, and his wife, Maria Elena, who was pregnant at the time, suffered a miscarriage when she heard of his death on television. His mother collapsed when she heard the news.

The incident forever changed America because from that point on, authorities and media no longer report deaths until the family members of the deceased have been informed. (See Time magazine article by Claire Suddath, The Day the Music Died, February 3, 2009.) That was the turning point that changed the policy. The minhag in the world at large is like Rashi.

One could perhaps draw a distinction between that case and websites and newspapers in that the bad news in 1959 was heard on television, whereas the negative information in newspapers and on websites is read.

The fact that it may be a minhag rather than a halachah can also be grounds to be more lenient. It is this authors view, however, that the websites should be more sensitive to this halachah and should only allude to the bad tidings, unless there is a clear-cut kavod hameis such as encouraging people to attend funerals.

It should be further noted that Rav Yisroel Salanter, ztl, the founder of the Mussar movement, wrote that during an epidemic or pandemic, people have a tendency to get more depressed. Because of this, he advises that people not engage in overly depressive activities during such times.

Conclusion

It would seem that an apology is in order in this case. It should also be looked at as an opportunity to teach Torah to others.

The author can be reached at [email protected].
The photo of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu putting on tefillin that was posted on Sunday was the cause of great excitement among his millions of followers.

The Hebrew-language COL website revealed the story behind the photo. It began when Channel 14 journalist Sharon Gal was called to a routine briefing with Netanyahu, a frequent occurrence.

Gal learns chassidus bchavrusah with Rav Ohr Ziv, the Chabad shaliach in the Katamon neighborhood of Jerusalem. Gal told him about his upcoming meeting and asked him what topical message he could convey to Netanyahu from the Lubavitcher Rebbes Torah.

Rav Ziv suggested to Gal that he ask Netanyahu to put on tefillin  and document the moment.

The bereaved Davino family, who also live in Katamon and are close with Rav Ziv, heard about the proposal and asked that Netanyahu put on the tefillin of their son, Moshiko, Hyd, who fell in Operation Protective Edge in 2014. Moshikos mother, Ruchamah, said it would be a dream come true if the prime minister put on her sons tefillin in his memory.

Moshikos tefillin were taken to a sofer to be checked and then brought to Gal before the briefing, which took place at the Kiryah in Tel Aviv. At the end of the briefing, Gal took out the tefillin, placed them on the table and handed Netanyahu a letter from Ruchamah.

Gal later said that Netanyahu, whom he has known for many years, was particularly moved by the letter  more so than hes ever seen him. When he finished reading the letter, he promised that he would fulfill the request and put on the tefillin.

Gal responded that he wants a photo of the moment, explaining that such a photo would cause a spiritual awakening that will influence many people and it will be a zechus for Moshiko.

Netanyahu agreed to this also and asked that his response be conveyed to Ruchamah.

However, time has a way of passing and meanwhile, the tefillin remained at the Kiryah while Netanyahu spent most of his time in Jerusalem. The plan was repeatedly delayed.

But last Thursday, Rav Ziv spoke with one of Netanyahus close associates in the Prime Ministers Office, saying that now was the optimal time for Netanyahu to don the tefillin and publicize the photo: Why? Rav Ziv furnished two reasons: Bidens statement that he will halt arms to Israel if a full-scale Rafah operation is launched and the upcoming Yom HaZikaron. Thats the koach of the Jewish nation, Rav Ziv said. Tefillin cause fear and trembling among the nations of the world.

The prime ministers associate promised to suggest it. Netanyahu agreed and the photo was published on the prime ministers social media accounts with the words: .         

Those present in the room said that there was great emotion in the room when Netanyahu donned the tefillin.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Jordan foiled an Iranian-directed plot to smuggle weapons into the kingdom to opponents of the monarchy to commit acts of sabotage, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

Iranian-backed militias in Syria sent weapons to a Muslim Brotherhood cell in Jordan that has ties with Hamas. The cell members, Jordanians of Palestinian descent, were arrested in March and the weapons were seized.

According to the Jordanian sources quoted by the report, the goal of the plot was to destabilize Jordan, which hosts a US military base and has a shared border with Israel, Syria and Iraq  home to Iranian-backed militias.

The sources didnt provide details of which weapons were seized but they said that Jordanian security services have thwarted numerous Iranian-linked attempts in recent months to smuggle in arms, including 107mm Katyusha rockets, Claymore mines, C4 and Semtex explosives, and Kalashnikov rifles.

Most of the arms were intended to reach Palestinians in the Shomron but some, including those seized in March, were intended to be used in Jordan by the Muslim Brotherhood cell allied with Hamas.

They hide these weapons in pits called dead spots, they take their location via GPS and photograph their location and then instruct men to retrieve them from there, said one of the sources.

Hamas is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. However, Jordans branch of the Brotherhood has operated legally in the kingdom for decades. Jordanian security officials believe that Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah are now trying to recruit young Jordanians affiliated with the Brotherhood and radicalize them with their anti-Israel, anti-US agenda.

A senior figure in Jordans Muslim Brotherhood said that the actions of the members who were arrested in March were not approved by the group. Another senior Brotherhood figure told Reuters that the arrested cell members had been recruited by Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri, who was assassinated in an Israeli-attributed drone strike in Beirut in January.

The report elaborated that Jordans King Abdullah is walking a tightrope between 11 million Jordanians of Palestinian origin and the kingdoms US alliance and peace treaty with Israel.

Jordanian journalist Bassam Badari said that the disconnect between the government and public sentiment reached a peak in the wake of Jordans assistance in shooting down the drones Iran fired at Israel during its attack last month.

There was discontent, he said. Jordan used to skillfully stand at an equal distance from all the countries in the region, but with its intervention Jordan aligned itself with the American axis.

According to Saud Al Sharafat, a former brigadier-general in the Jordanian General Intelligence Directorate, Jordans cooperation in defending Israel from the Iranian attack was partially caused by Jordans fears of being pulled into Irans struggle against Israel.

The Iranians have instructions to recruit Jordanians and penetrate the Jordan arena through agents, he added. Their recruitment efforts span all segments of society.

Officials and diplomats in the region say that another motivating force for Jordan was the unprecedented attack on a U.S. military base in Jordan in January by Iran-aligned groups based in Iraq, which left three U.S. soldiers dead and 40 injured. The attack was ostensibly in support of Hamas in its war with Israel.

The sources added that Jordans military intervention was also intended as a message to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that Jordan is a crucial buffer zone for regional security.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made an objectively crazy claim that Israel will set its sights on Turkey if it succeeds in defeating Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Addressing his party lawmakers in parliament, Erdogan warned, Do not think that Israel will stop in Gaza. Unless its stopped this rogue and terrorist state will set its sights on Anatolia sooner or later.

Erdogan has been a vocal supporter of Hamas, has maintained close ties with the terrorist group, and has repeatedly criticized Israel and its leaders, even going so far as to label them Nazis.

In his remarks, Erdogan claimed that Hamas fights for the independence of its own land and defends Anatolia, the large Turkish peninsula that comprises more than half of Turkeys territory. However, Israel has never claimed any part of Turkey as its own, leaving it unclear what Erdogan is basing his claims on  or more likely, its based on nothing.

We will continue to stand by Hamas, which fights for the independence of its own land and which defends Anatolia, Erdogan declared.

Separately, Erdogan announced on Wednesday that more than 1,000 Hamas terrorists are currently receiving treatment in hospitals across Turkey, a dubious claim. Erdogan made the statement during a press conference following talks with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Ankara.

Hamas has maintained an office in Turkey since 2011, when Turkey played a key role in securing the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Erdogans comments have raised eyebrows, with some analysts suggesting that he is seeking to distract from domestic issues and rally support among his base by playing on nationalist sentiments.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
The IDF launched overnight operations in the Gaza Strip, pushing into the Jabaliya camp in the northern region and engaging in intense fighting, resulting in the deaths of numerous gunmen.

According to the IDF, the 7th and 460th armored brigades of the 98th Division battled against dozens of armed squads and eliminated a significant number of terrorists over the past day.

In the same area, a drone strike targeted and killed members of a cell responsible for the rocket fire on Sderot the previous day.

In southern Gaza, the 162nd Division of the IDF continued operations in the eastern part of Rafah. During these operations, troops of the Givati Brigade raided a Hamas training camp, killing several gunmen at the base, capturing weapons and locating mock IDF vehicles used by the terror group for training.

In addition, approximately 80 sites used by terror groups, including buildings, weapon depots, rocket launchers, observation posts and other infrastructure, were struck by the Air Force over the past day.

The IDF also confirmed that troops of the Nahal Brigade withdrew from Gaza Citys Zeitoun neighborhood after six days of operations to prepare for additional offensive operations. However, reservists of the Carmeli Brigade continue to operate in Zeitoun, contradicting media reports claiming that the six-day operation there has ended.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
An Interior Department staffer on Wednesday became the first Jewish political appointee to publicly resign in protest of U.S. support for Israels war in Gaza.

Lily Greenberg Call, a special assistant to the chief of staff in the Interior Department, accused President Joe Biden of using Jews to justify U.S. policy in the conflict.

Call had worked for the presidential campaigns of both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, and was a longtime activist and advocate for Israel in Washington and elsewhere before joining the government.

She is at least the fifth mid- or senior-level administration staffer to make public their resignation in protest of the Biden administrations military and diplomatic support of the now seven-month Israeli war against Hamas. She is the second political appointee to do so, after an Education Department official of Palestinian heritage resigned in January.

Her resignation letter described her excitement at joining an administration that she believed shared much of her vision for the country. However, I can no longer in good conscience continue to represent this administration, she wrote.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Call pointed to comments by Biden, including at a White House Chanukah party where he said Were there no Israel, there wouldnt be a Jew in the world who was safe and at an event at Washingtons Holocaust Memorial last week in which he said the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attacks that triggered the war were driven by an ancient desire to wipe out the Jewish people.

He is making Jews the face of the American war machine. And that is so deeply wrong, she said, noting that ancestors of hers were killed by state-sponsored violence.

I think the president has to know that there are people in his administration who think this is disastrous, Call said of the war overall and U.S. support for it. Not just for Palestinians, for Israelis, for Jews, for Americans, for his election prospects.

(AP)
The IDF has announced that five soldiers from the Paratroopers Brigade 202nd Battalion were killed as a result of a friendly fire incident in Jabaliya.

An additional 7 soldiers were injured in the same incident  3 seriously.

They have been identified as:

Cpt. Roy Beit Yaakov, 22, from Eli

Staff Sgt. Gilad Arye Boim, 22, from Karnei Shomron

Sgt. Daniel Chemu, 20, from Tiberias

Sgt. Ilan Cohen, 20, from Karmiel

Staff Sgt. Betzlel David Shashuah, 21, from Tel Aviv

According to an initial investigation by the IDF, a tank operating alongside paratroopers in the Jabaliya camp fired two shells at a building where they were assembled around 7 p.m.

The tank unit had arrived in the area during the morning hours, and shortly after, the paratroopers arrived and established a post within the building. Later in the evening, another group of paratroopers arrived and informed two tanks in the vicinity of their entry into the building.

Subsequently, the tank unit identified what they believed to be an enemy gun barrel protruding from one of the buildings windows, prompting them to fire two shells.

Their deaths increases the death toll of the ground war in Gaza to 278, and the total number of IDF soldiers killed since October 7th to 626.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
A terrorist attempted to stab Border Police officers in the Old City of Jerusalem overnight Wednesday.

The incident began when officers stationed outside the Shalem police station noticed a suspicious individual in the vicinity. They asked him for identification and the suspect suddenly pulled out a knife and lunged toward the officers.

The officers immediately responded with gunfire and neutralized him. His death was later pronounced at the scene.

Numerous police forces arrived at the scene to collect evidence at the scene of the attack, identify the terrorist and rule out the possibility of accomplices.

BChasdei Hashem, no Israeli security officers were injured in the incident.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
An IDF non-commissioned officer was injured in a stabbing attack on Thursday morning at the Yitzhar intersection in the Shomron, south of Shechem and near Huwara.

The terrorist assaulted the officer when he stopped at an intersection, stabbing him through his open car window.

The officer managed to continue driving to an IDF checkpoint, where he received emergency medical aid and was evacuated in moderate condition to Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikvah in a military intensive mobile care unit.

A large number of IDF forces arrived at the scene and launched a search for the terrorist, who fled the scene by foot.

Several hours later, IDF soldiers caught the terrorist in a Palestinian town near the site of the attack.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
The IDF confirmed on Thursday that a sensitive military site near Tiveria was hit by a suicide drone launched by Hezbollah on Wednesday evening.

The site that was damaged is an Air Force base that houses and operates the Sky Dew ( ) aerostat, a high-altitude observation balloon that differs from a blimp by the tethers that attaches it to the ground, and is used to detect long-range incoming missiles and drones. The base is located near the Golani Junction in the Lower Galil and is about 21 miles (35 kilometers) from the Israeli-Lebanese border. The attack was one of Hezbollahs deepest strikes into Israeli territory since the war began, with the deepest strike until Wednesday reaching nine miles (15 kilometers) from the border.

The IDF said that after Hezbollah fired two suicide drones at the Tiveria area, one was shot down by air defenses, sparking a fire, and the second one hit the facility housing the Sky Dew. The IDF is still assessing the extent of the damage. Some details of the incident are still under a gag order.

In response to the attack, IAF jets carried out a significant strike on a Hezbollah precision-guided missile production facility in the Baalbek region of Lebanon.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack on Wednesday evening, stating that it targeted an IAF surveillance system on a military base near Tiveria.

On Tuesday, an IDF observation balloon was hit by an anti-tank missile in a Hezbollah attack of the Galil that also killed an Israeli father of three and injured five soldiers.

Hezbollah continued to launch rockets and drones at at the Galil on Thursday morning.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Five IDF soldiers were hit by a car on Thursday morning while standing on the sidewalk outside the Israeli Air Force Technological College in Haifa.

The soldiers received emergency medical aid at the scene and were evacuated, one in moderate condition and four in light condition, in a mobile intensive care unit to Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikvah.

The incident was initially thought to be a terror attack but the police later issued a statement saying that it was most likely an accident.

The police located and detained the driver and launched an investigation into the incident.

In January, an IDF soldier was seriously injured in a ramming and axe attack outside a naval base in Haifa.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Defense Minister Yoav Gallants statements excoriating Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday evening elicited a storm of fierce criticism against him, with many calling for his dismissal.

He was slammed for his call for Palestinian support of the Gaza Strip as well as his public opposition to Netanyahu during a time of war, an unusual move for a member of the party that Netanyahu heads  the Likud. Many Likud members are calling for his dismissal, saying that he does not represent his constituents.

Many right-wing ministers called for his dismissal, including Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu (Otzma Yehudit), who said on Thursday: If Gallant had respect for Israeli democracy, he would vacate his seat. Gallant does not represent the will of the people. 

Channel 14 journalist Yinon Magal wrote on X: The soldiers protest against Gallant has begun, and posted three photos that soldiers sent him stating: Gallant Is Not My Defense Minister!

Bereaved father Yehoshua Shani, the father of IDF soldier, Uri Shani, Hyd, who was killed battling Hamas terrorists on October 7th after saving many Jews, said: Adding to my terrible pain is the feeling that the one in charge of the security establishment does not understand the situation. I remember very well the goals set by the cabinet in the first days of the war, and the defense minister who is supposed to achieve these goals  did not achieve those goals. Yesterday morning, we had rocket sirens in Sderot, we have 100,000 displaced people in the north, and Hezbollah has essentially conquered the Galil. Let him be a man and put down the keys and give this position to someone who is able to face these challenges.

Shani also slammed Gallant for making an announcement to the entire world, including Israels enemies, that could have been conveyed in Cabinet meetings. Its such a lack of responsibility. I get the impression that hes working for Biden and not for the citizens of Israel.

The Miluimnikim, a right-wing reservist group, is holding a protest calling for Gallants dismissal on Thursday at 7 p.m. The group issued a statement saying: The same Defense Minister who was in charge on October 7th chooses to continue with his deadly conceptzia [worldview] for which we paid with the blood of 1,500 of our brothers.

But no moreonly those who fought in Gaza, like us, know that the population in Gaza wants the destruction of Israel  and it makes no difference if the enemy is called Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, Islamic Jihad or ISIS.

Well-known Arab affairs correspondent Tzvi Yechezkeli said: Gallants call to give the Palestinians control of Gaza is delusional. When I hear these things, I am left with my mouth open. Is it possible that after everything weve been through here, the Defense Minister knows something that I dont know about the Palestinian Authority? Its so out of touch with reality that I have no idea what to say.

Maj.-Gen. Yiftach Ron Tal said: What the Defense Minister did is nothing less than an attack. Im not even talking about the opinion itself. The one who conducts the war is the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister is supposed to support him. Secondly is the very issue, the issue of the day after  not only will it not be Hamas, it also wont be the Palestinian Authority. We launched this war because of Hamas! You know what the results of the Palestinian Authority elections will be if they are held? Hamas will win! We should let Hamas in the front door?!

Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi said: I dont understand what Gallant wants  he and the IDF Chief of Staff are mistaken. If the IDF isnt in Gaza, who will be there? The Swiss? People of peace? As soon as theres no IDF presence, they fire [rockets] at us! What madman thinks that if we return a million Gazans to the northern Gazan Strip, there will be quiet?

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Three soldiers were injured, one very seriously and two lightly, in a Hezbollah drone attack near Metula in northern Israel late Thursday afternoon

The wounded soldiers were evacuated to Ziv Hospital in Tzfas.

In recent hours, the IDF carried out numerous strikes against Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon in response to Hezbollahs rocket barrage of over 40 rockets at Ramat HaGolan on Thursday morning.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack and said that they targeted IDF posts near Metula with an armed drone that launched two missiles.

It is unknown at this time if the claim is true. Hezbollah has previously launched explosive drones against Israel but has never before fired an armed drone.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Stephen Gold: Are you sitting? Stand by for a shock. Sometimes, one or both parties in a divorce withhold the existence of assets or underestimate their value

Stephen Gold is a retired judge and author who has written popular series for This is Money on how to be a successful executor, writing a will, bankruptcy, consumer rights and legal disputes.



In part one of his latest guide, he explained the ground rules courts use to decide how finances are split in a divorce, and in part two pension sharing, belated applications, remarriage and tax.

Today, he looks at how to reach an agreement, and what happens when one ex tries to cheat the other out of their fair share of marital assets.

'We've agreed. We've agreed.' Parties do actually agree on financial remedies. A lot of the time.

The agreement may be reached without a court application being made or it may be reached at any stage of court proceedings.

There are three stages to all but the most straightforward cases:

- A first appointment at which a judge will give procedural directions;

- A financial dispute resolution appointment at which the judge will bang the parties' heads together (but ever so gently to avoid fractures);

- And a full-blown contested hearing where the parties are still at war which could take 18 months or more to come about, from when the case kicked off so plenty of time for negotiation, offer and counter-offer and changes of mind. The agreement could come as late as when the court usher calls the parties into court for the third stage.

Along the way, the parties will have been encouraged to attempt to agree through some non-court dispute resolution.

Mediation is the most common form and, in fact, the party applying for financial remedies must generally attend a meeting giving them information about mediation and whether it would be appropriate before starting the application.

New legislation came into force on 29 April 2024 which is aimed at inducing a party who stubbornly refuses to try mediation to think again.

This is achieved by the threat of ordering them to pay the other party's costs of the proceedings on account of their refusal.

As it happens, costs loom large in negotiations. The general rule is that each party pays their own costs in the world of financial remedies.

With lawyers in the case  even taking advantage of the 'direct access' scheme under which a barrister advocate can be engaged without the use of a solicitor  the costs for all three stages can be staggeringly high.

It is fair to point out though that where one side cannot afford to instruct a lawyer, but the other party is loaded, the court can be asked to order the other party to stump up the money for their opponent's legal representation. It is called a 'legal services order'.

Where, mercifully, the parties are agreed, they could get on and implement the agreement without any involvement of the court.

'To hell with the court, to hell with the lawyers,' they proclaim. That would be highly dangerous, for a host of reasons.

The chances are that the agreement fails to cover every detail it would be wise to have covered.

One party may decide they have done a bad deal and want to renege on the agreement and attempt to persuade the court to decide what financial remedies they should be granted.

Or one of the parties may drag their feet in taking necessary steps to implement the agreement reached with the result that, without an order having been made, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to compel them to do so.

The drafting of an order incorporating what has been agreed requires skill. It is for the parties to organise it. The court will not undertake the task.

I beg of you: don't do it without professional input.

Template orders can be accessed by searching online for 'standard financial remedy orders' which will demonstrate to parties that their proposed agreement had overlooked a dozen or so points for which they should have allowed.

There is also a template in my book (see the box below) for the simplest of cases if the parties flatly refuse to heed my begging.

To keep down the expense for that drafting task, one of the parties could instruct a solicitor  they might share the bill  and the other go lawyerless.

Ideally, each party should have their own independent legal advice. The same solicitor, or firm, cannot usually act for both sides of a dispute but it could be permitted with the drafting of the consent order where things are relatively straightforward, and the finances are modest.

Most solicitors, however, will decline to act for both.

You may have heard of various non-lawyer businesses which offer to help both parties in drafting the consent order and documents to go with it. The High Court has ruled this to be permissible in an uncomplicated case.

Where there is little or nothing to be shared out and each party has complete and utter trust in the other (so why the breakdown then?!) and are fully aware of their legal rights and the implications, these businesses may have a value when a solicitor would be more expensive, and they do not favour the idea of tackling the task themselves.

Some of these businesses are better at it than others.

Once the draft order has been prepared alongside a concise prescribed form setting out the finances of the parties, it will go to the court and it should be unnecessary for either side to have to turn up at court to support it.

Just because the draft order has been agreed, the judge who considers it is not bound to approve it.

The judge's job is to ensure that it clearly expresses what both parties intended, they understand what it means and it is fair to them both. If the judge is not satisfied on these points, they will raise queries or suggest revisions.

One of my jobs as a judge was to decide whether or not to approve these draft orders. I looked at several thousand of them in my time.

In around one in every three, I had to query or put forward changes to make them fair or comprehensible.

Secrets and lies: There are ways and means of getting to the truth if an ex-spouse is hiding some of their assets

Getting to the truth

Are you sitting comfortably? Stand by for a shock.

Sometimes, one or both of the parties withhold the existence of assets from the court and the other of them or underestimate their value.

There are ways and means, however, of getting to the truth.

In a contested financial remedies case, each side will have been required to complete the most exhaustive financial statement by way of what is called Form E which doesn't stand for Edith or Edgar but slots nicely between Forms D and F.

Think of your tax return for agony and treble it.

Various copy documents should accompany the form including statements of bank and building society accounts for the previous 12 months.

A meticulous study of these statements may lead to the establishment of hidden assets. Why was 10,000 transferred out to Dodgy Bank plc one week before the form was completed when that particular financial institution has not been mentioned elsewhere on the form?

What's the monthly direct debit for 150 all about? Why isn't there any mention of a pension from their 15 years of employment as a commodities trader?

Each party may prepare a questionnaire setting out the further information and documents about what has been disclosed and what has not been disclosed.

This questionnaire  not the occasion for a fishing exercise but for genuine questions which are relevant to the issues - will be considered at the first appointment (see above)  and the judge will order legitimate and relevant questions to be answered and documents to be supplied within a set period.

Failure to comply could lead to imprisonment or the court drawing an adverse inference when it comes to decide whether the failing party has lied.

Where it can be demonstrated that some of what is claimed in the Form E is highly suspicious, the judge may be persuaded to require the supply of statements going back longer than 12 months and it is not uncommon for an order to be made for credit and store card statements for say 12 months to be handed over.

These could show a style and standard of living inconsistent with someone on universal credit.

Conned!

If the court has made an order for financial remedies, even with the parties' agreement, and it is subsequently discovered that one of them has been guilty of fraud, secreting assets or income or some misrepresentation, the conned party may be able to get the court to upset the original order.

Retired judge and writer Stephen Gold Ex-judge Stephen Gold's The Return of Breaking Law, published by Bath Publishing, is an irreverent guide to legal rights and winning in court or losing well. It gives more information on the topics covered in this series of articles and is full of tips and templates. Among the numerous other areas featured are rights for cohabitees, succeeding on small claims, making a will, battling with sellers, creditors, domestic abusers, lenders and landlords - and how Stephen coped as lawyer to the Kray Twins.

What is complained of must have made a material difference to the outcome. It is essential that the matter is returned to court expeditiously once the truth has come out.

The court may also rip up the original order if some supervening event has rendered it unfair.

For this to happen, the event must have occurred soon after the order was made  probably only a few months afterwards  and the court challenge should be fast.

In the leading case on the subject, a husband agreed to transfer the family home to the wife in return for him being relieved of the obligation to pay her maintenance.

Tragically, just five weeks later, the wife killed the parties' two children and then committed suicide.

The wife's mother resisted the husband's attempt at getting the order overturned. She failed and the husband succeeded.

A remarriage by one party soon after the order which did make a difference and which the other party had not contemplated, might be sufficient to achieve a setting aside of the order.

And so might a remarriage about which the husband had kept quiet. In the Form E, each party is specifically asked whether they are living with a new partner and whether they intend to do so within the following six months.

You might have thought that the adverse financial impact of Covid 19 on one of the parties would have been a supervening event that justified an order being set aside. Alas, the courts have so far been reluctant to rip up on this basis.

The impact would need to have been substantial and unforeseen and unforeseeable by the other party, given the stage the pandemic had reached when the order was made.

But even if the order was not set aside, its variation by reducing obligations under it might well be allowed.

In one case in which the husband was unsuccessful with his set aside application, the judge commented in relation to a possible variation of the order that the wife was not immune from having to share some of the pain.

Mistake by a party could also justify an order being set aside. Not easy. It would have to be shown that the mistaken party could not have discovered the true state of affairs by exercising due diligence.

IN PART FOUR... Stephen Gold explains pre-nuptial agreements.
British tech firm Raspberry Pi has said it will list on the London stock exchange in a much-needed boost for the City.

The Cambridge business best known for selling computers to amateur coders and hobbyists has filed an intention to float and is expected to be valued at 500million.

The announcement will fuel hopes the tide is starting to turn amid an exodus from the London stock market as companies are taken over by foreign buyers or list their shares elsewhere.

Gambling giant Flutter, which owns Paddy Power and Betfair, will leave the FTSE 100 this month for New York.

But the pipeline of potential floats in London includes fast-fashion chain Shein, high street stalwart Boots and diamond giant De Beers as well as Raspberry Pi.

A piece of Pi? Raspberry Pi - best known for selling computers to amateur coders and hobbyists - aid it will list on the London stock exchange

However, hopes of other high-profile listings have been dashed in recent years.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said Raspberry Pis plans were excellent and show the UK is open for business.

Raspberry Pi, founded in 2008, makes products used by enthusiasts to make computer servers or retro games consoles. Profits rose from 16million to 30million in 2023.

Co-founder and chief executive Eben Upton said it considered a New York listing but ultimately picked the UK.

And despite concerns about the health of the London Stock Exchange (LSE), there is a sense that the tide might be turning.

LSE chief Julia Hoggett last week said companies are waiting for new listing rules to kick.

We are going through the biggest rewrites of our primary market rules in 40 years and some of the reason why we have seen companies defer is that they are waiting for that rule change, she said.

Fast fashion firm Shein and Greek energy firm Mytilineos are considering a London listing. And there has been speculation about a Boots initial public offering (IPO), and Unilever floating its spun-off ice cream business in the UK.

Anglo American is also said to be considering a London listing for its diamond business De Beers.

Susannah Streeter, analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: There is now an end in sight to the IPO drought. Optimism breeds more confidence, and the recent record rally of the FTSE 100 has enveloped London in a fresh sheen of positivity.
Royal Mail is just the latest British company to be targeted by foreign buyers this year with the value of bids from overseas topping 60billion.

In one of the most dramatic days in the 508-year history of the postal service, parent company International Distribution Services (IDS) backed a takeover offer from Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky of 370p per share, or 3.5billion.

The offer marked an increase of almost 16 per cent on the previous rejected bid of 320p put forward by the tycoons EP Group.

And it takes the total value of bids on London-listed firms from overseas to more than 60billion this year, according to City broker Peel Hunt.

Kretinsky  known as the Czech Sphinx  already owns 27.5 per cent of IDS and co-owns West Ham United FC and holds a stake in Sainsburys.

Takeover target: Royal Mail parent company International Distribution Services backed an offer from Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky of 3.5bn

IDS chairman Keith Williams said it was a fair price and reflected current growth plans and the progress being made.

A deal with Kretinsky would see loss-making Royal Mail taken into foreign ownership for the first time since it was established by Henry VIII in 1516.

However, while IDS shares soared 16 per cent, or 43.4p, to 314.8p, the price is still well below the 370p offer price, suggesting investors believe the deal may not go through.

The swoop follows a string of takeovers in 2024 with packaging group DS Smith, telecoms testing company Spirent Communications and haulage firm Wincanton among those falling to overseas bidders.

Last month cyber-security group Darktrace backed a 4.2billion takeover by US private equity firm Thoma Bravo.

But some companies, although targeted by foreigners, have been putting up a fight.

Anglo American has rebuffed two offers from Australian miner BHP, while Currys and Direct Line have defended themselves from bids.

In a further act of defiance, FTSE 250 Wood Group was the latest to snub a takeover push from Dubai rival Sidara.

The industrial engineering group yesterday turned down a 1.5billion offer, worth 212p per share, just a week after rejecting Sidaras first 1.2billion offer.

But the assault on UK plc has fuelled concerns that British companies are undervalued and face a feeding frenzy of merger and acquisition activity.

A further concern is the lack of companies joining the stock market through initial public offerings (IPOs).

One analyst even warned that the London stock market was facing a death by a thousand cuts as listed firms bow to foreign takeovers.

But City analysts have suggested that IDS, which also owns Netherlands-based parcels business GLS, which is profitable, has managed to secure a decent sweetened deal considering its complex past.

Danni Hewson, analyst at AJ Bell, said: Once you factor in all the baggage that comes with IDS, that feels like a fair price and it is hard to see anyone else rushing to trump that offer.

But she added: The fact the shares are trading nowhere near the 370p offer price implies the market has little faith it will get over the line.

Royal Mail has been on a mission to reform the Universal Service Obligation, which means it must deliver letters nationwide for the same price every day except Sunday.

Williams blasted ministers for failing to allow reform of the Royal Mail to take place, leaving it vulnerable to a takeover.

It is regrettable that despite four years of asking, the Government has not seen fit to engage in reform of the Universal Service and thus improve our financial position and ensure that Royal Mail could provide an economically sustainable service to the British public, he said.
The chief executive of EasyJet, Johan Lundgren, is stepping down from the airline early next year.

Lundgren will be replaced by the airline's chief financial officer, Kenton Jarvis, EasyJet told investors on Thursday.

It came as EasyJet unveiled a bigger than expected first-half loss, ahead of the crucial summer season.

However, ancillary revenue, from things like seat selections or food orders, continued to soar.

Disembarking: The chief executive of EasyJet, Johan Lundgren, is stepping down from the airline early next year

The airline's inflight retail options delivered a 40 per cent increase in profit per seat in the period.

The airline's ancillary revenue per seat also increased by 6 per cent to 21.53. Group ancillary revenue increased by 30 per cent to over 1billion.

The group reported a headline pre-tax loss of 350million for the six months ending 30 March, against an expected loss of 340million. By the same point a year ago, the airline's losses stood at 392million.

EasyJet shares fell 6.8 per cent or 36.03p to 493.38p on Thursday, down over 40 per cent on five years ago.

Revenue for the first half came in at 3.27billion by the end of the period, which was slightly ahead of forecasts.

The EasyJet Holidays business is expected to deliver profit growth of at least 40 per cent to more than 170million, the airline said.

Lundgren, said: 'We are now absolutely focused on another record summer which is expected to deliver strong FY24 earnings growth and are on track to achieve our medium term targets.'

Looking ahead to the rest of the year, the airline said: 'Bookings continue to progress in line with expectations, with Q3'24 currently c.77 per cent of the program sold, +1 ppt year-on-year and Q4'24 is c.39 per cent sold, +1 ppt year-on-year. easyJet holidays has currently sold 77 per cent of the plan for this summer.'

The group said its two newest bases, Alicante and Birmingham, were 'achieving passenger numbers well above the network average'.

The airline will have a tenth UK base at London Southend from next March. Lundgren, a former tour guide who wanted to be a professional trombonist and joined in 2017 from European tour operator TUI, is targeting profit per seat of between 7 to 10 by 2028, almost double 2019 levels.

Lundgren helped lead the airline out of its pandemic debt and has grown the group's holiday business.

Kenton joined easyJet in February 2021, serving as a board member and chief financial officer since then.

In a statement, Lundgren, said: 'I congratulate Kenton on being nominated my successor, it is fully deserved, and I will work closely with him and the whole executive team to achieve this year's goals and hand over responsibilities smoothly at the end of the year.

'There are important things still to accomplish over the balance of the year, but when the time comes I will leave easyJet with a great sense of loyalty and of pride at the progress made and the potential the Company has for the future.'
The head of fraud at a major bank is warning customers over a rise in criminals shoulder surfing potential victims for mobile phone passwords.

This sinister tactic has been around for decades when it comes to stealing debit card PINs at cash machines, but the more modern twist sees the phone pinched and then fraudsters using the code to get into it.

From there, they hope to access a number of financial apps, with many now managing their money online.

And Santander's head of fraud risk is also warning customers against using the same password for their phones and mobile banking.

Distracted: Many phone users risk being defrauded, thanks to letting their guard down when entering PINs in public spaces, such as on transport networks

Chris Ainsley, head of fraud risk management at Santander said: 'It is incredibly important your phone passwords and your digital banking credentials are different and strong.

'Ensure you never share your passcode with anyone else or use the same code elsewhere  for example, you should have different codes for your card PINs, to those used to access your phone and any apps.

'Biometric authentication (finger print or facial recognition) can be a useful way to help protect your device.

'Always protect your devices with a PIN or passcode even if they come with biometric protection.'

The fact that you can set your own password for mobile banking means that some people will use the same password as the one they use to unlock their phone for ease, even if they intend to change it later.

But this leaves you vulnerable when it comes to criminals.

All a fraudster has to do is watch you input your phone password over your shoulder and, once they have swiped your phone, try their luck with the same code in your mobile banking apps.

What is shoulder surfing? This is a technique used by criminals to obtain PINs and other personal details by watching over the someone's shoulder when they are using an ATM or card machine or logging in to mobile banking in public. The criminal then steals the card or device using distraction techniques or pickpocketing.

If the passwords are the same, they will have access to all your money.

Those who don't have biometric authentication, such as face ID, set up for their mobile banking are most vulnerable to this tactic.

Face ID can add an extra layer of protection to mobile banking because it means that someone else can't log into your mobile banking using your pin.

But fraudsters are also on the look out for those who have just unlocked a phone or used face ID to log in to mobile banking before swiping their devices.

Figures from UK Finance show that in the first six months of 2023, 38.2million was lost to retail face-to-face fraud. This type of fraud covers all transactions that occur in person or in a shop.

UK Finance said: 'Most of this fraud occurs using cards obtained through low-tech methods such as distraction thefts and entrapment devices at ATMs, combined with shoulder surfing.'

There was a 14 per cent jump between 2022 and 2023 in the value lost of this type of fraud.

Shoulder surfing: What to watch out for

Ensure you have different codes for your card PINs to those used to access your phone and any mobile banking apps.

Be mindful of your surroundings and ensure you're not attempting to log in to mobile banking in a place were people could glance at your screen - especially if you are in a crowded place such as public transport.

It is also entirely possible they can see your screen in the reflection of windows on buses and trains for example, so be extra cautious.

Consider activating biometric authentication which requires your fingerprint or facial recognition to access your device and now, increasingly, your mobile banking.

This way your pin or password can't be memorised by someone looking over your shoulder.
- Strategic alliance aims to foster collaboration with researchers working in various disease fields by using best-in-class PCR diagnostic technology

- Companies will facilitate C-level cooperation, strengthening the partnership for the SG OneSystem business (Seegene's technology-sharing business)

SEOUL, South Korea, May 16, 2024 /CNW/ -- Seegene Inc. (KQ096530), a leading South Korean company providing a total solution for PCR molecular diagnostics, announced on May 16th the signing of a strategic alliance agreement with Springer Nature, the publisher of the prestigious scientific journal, Nature.

From left: Marc Spenle, COO of Springer Nature; Frank Vrancken Peeters, CEO of Springer Nature; Dr. Jong-Yoon Chun, CEO and Founder of Seegene; and Jun B. Kim, EVP and Global Head of Seegene OneSystem Business pose for a photo during OneSystem Strategic Alliance Signing Ceremony in Houten, Netherlands on May 15.

Sharing common values in Springer Nature's aim to advance discovery and Seegene working towards realizing a world free of diseases provides the basis for a natural alliance.

The new alliance will see the two companies use their joint expertise and knowledge to support researchers across the global scientific community to speed up PCR diagnostic testing of important but various disease areas.

PCR molecular diagnostics companies develop only a few diagnostic products annually. By leveraging the Springer Nature network, the two companies will provide funding and technology to global scientists and experts in various fields, significantly broadening the range and potential of diagnostic products. This initiative, spearheaded by senior management at both companies, builds upon the success of the Open Innovation Program that was launched by the two companies in 2023 whose goal was to develop innovative diagnostic products with participation of the scientific community.

Both companies will expand their collaboration using the OneSystem business by identifying and promoting potential partners as well as co-hosting annual symposiums starting with a joint declaration this year.

"We are thrilled to deepen our strategic relationship with Springer Nature, an authoritative leader in the global scientific community," said Dr. Jong-Yoon Chun, CEO and Founder of Seegene. "Together, we will work to advance the success of the SG OneSystemTM business and to realize 'a world free of diseases'."

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"Springer Nature applauds Seegene's effort to democratize early diagnosis of multiple diseases to enable timely treatment," said Frank Vrancken Peeters, CEO of Springer Nature. "This noble goal can only be achieved through collaborations. As a trusted partner to the research community, Springer Nature will help to build a global network of experts who, using Seegene's technology, can accelerate the development of new tests for a wide range of conditions."

Seegene and Springer Nature received significant interest from the global scientific community for the inaugural Open Innovation Program launched in 2023. The program, comprising 15 projects, received a total of 281 applications from 47 countries, resulting in a competitive ratio of 11 to 1 for the selection of 26 applicants. Recognizing the potential of technology sharing, the two companies aim to expedite the commercialization of expertise and knowledge across various fields. This year marks the second iteration of the program, which will depart from the 2023 model of predefined product development. Instead, the 2024 program will adopt a more open format, allowing applicants to propose for any product development.

"We have high expectations for the Open Innovation Program to contribute to the democratization of PCR molecular diagnostics," said Marc Spenle, COO of Springer Nature. "Together with Seegene, we will create an ecosystem that encourages and accelerates the development of new tests to address currently unmet needs."

About Seegene

Seegene has 23 years of dedicated R&D, manufacturing, and business experience around syndromic quantitative PCR technologies, which was highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic when it provided over 340 million COVID-19 tests to more than 100 countries worldwide. The core feature of Seegene's unique syndromic PCR technologies is the ability to simultaneously test 14 pathogens that cause similar symptoms in a single tube and provide quantitative information on the infectivity profile to correlate with the severity of illness.

About Springer Nature

For over 180 years Springer Nature has been advancing discovery by providing the best possible service to the whole research community. We help researchers uncover new ideas, make sure all the research we publish is significant, robust and stands up to objective scrutiny, that it reaches all relevant audiences in the best possible format, and can be discovered, accessed, used, re-used and shared. We support librarians and institutions with innovations in technology and data; and provide quality publishing support to societies.

As a research publisher, Springer Nature is home to trusted brands including Springer, Nature Portfolio, BMC, Palgrave Macmillan and Scientific American.

For more information, please visit springernature.com and @SpringerNature.

FURTHER INFORMATION

SG OneSystemTM

SG OneSystemTM business is Seegene's global strategy to share its PCR molecular diagnostics technology and know-how, accumulated over more than 20 years, with leading companies worldwide to create a global consortium that would expand the development pipeline of PCR products. Furthermore, Seegene seeks to harness the collective expertise and knowledge of the global scientific community to advance innovation in the diagnostic field. Through these combined efforts, the commercialization of expertise and knowledge, as well as the development of diagnostic products tailored to meet the needs of the local market, SG OneSystemTM aims to democratize early access to PCR testing and ultimately contribute to realizing 'a world free of diseases'.

In January 2024, Seegene entered a strategic collaboration with Microsoft to bolster its Seegene Digitalized Development System (SGDDS) using Microsoft's technology including plans for utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) in the future. Seegene's collaboration with Microsoft and Springer Nature will advance the SG OneSystemTM business. These three companies are planning for a declaration event to kick off the collaborative partnerships this year.

Open Innovation Program (OIP)

Open Innovation Program (OIP) is a global PCR reagent development project co-hosted by Seegene and Springer Nature. The inaugural program launched in 2023 September called for application to scientist and experts across the community to conduct research for the 15 designated projects to develop Seegene's syndromic qPCR diagnostics assay reagents.

The open innovation program is part of Seegene's technology-sharing business, SG OneSystemTM business aimed at realizing 'a world free from all diseases' with the goal of developing products that consolidate knowledge and expertise of science and experts worldwide.

Seegene Digitalized Development System (SGDDS)

Seegene Digitalized Development System (SGDDS) is a system that enables standardized and automated development of diagnostic kits. It is embedded with Seegene's technologies and product expertise and provides support for researchers to easily develop syndromic PCR products, even to those with limited development experience.

Logo (PRNewsfoto/Seegene Inc.)

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The Chief of Staff has encouraged Defence Forces personnel to engage with a forthcoming tribunal into harassment, amid fears that contributors could face reprisals within the services.

The Government has ordered a tribunal of inquiry to examine the effectiveness of the complaints processes in the Defence Forces, in respect of workplace incidents relating to discrimination, bullying, harassment, sexual assault and rape.

The judge-led tribunal, to be established in the coming weeks, follows an independent report into a range of such allegations as well as the culture of the Defence Forces.

The report also found that members were aware of long-standing practices of reprisals, including pejorative comments and withholding of entitlements as well as physical assaults and unfounded accusations being sent to gardai.

Lieutenant General Sean Clancy has been tasked with leading the Defence Forces through a significant period of reform in the wake of the report and other matters.

Asked on Thursday about the concerns of personnel that they may face reprisals for discussing their experiences, he said the independent nature of the tribunal would create an environment where people can contribute of their own volition.

He told reporters: Im sure the judge will set the conditions under which people can contribute to them.

And Im quite confident that if people have something to say, and I would encourage them, they should come forward.

More broadly, he said he was confident that cultural change was being delivered.

The Tanaiste has indicated that he will be signing a statutory instrument to give effect to the formal establishment of the tribunal in the next fortnight, with work to begin shortly thereafter.

An allocation of 3.6 million euro has been provided to the Defence Vote in relation to the tribunal in the estimates for 2024, with further allocations for subsequent years to be agreed in the annual process.

This week, Lt Gen Clancy was appointed the first Irish chairman of the EU Military Committee (EUMC).

The committee is the highest military body within the European Council and is the forum for consultation and co-operation between EU member states in the fields of conflict prevention and crisis management.

Lt Gen Clancy said he was very grateful, quite humbled and greatly honoured to be appointed chairman.

It is an enormous personal honour for me to be afforded this opportunity to represent the Defence Forces and Ireland at the highest military level within the EU.

However, this appointment is not solely about the individual, but rather a true, tangible reflection of the standing and the high regard in which Ireland and the Defence Forces are held by all our EU partner nations.

He thanked officials within Government and the Defence forces, adding: This was very much a national team effort.

Lt Gen Clancy also thanked his wife, Caroline, his children, his mother Helen and his wider family for their support throughout his 40 years of service in the Defence Forces.

As members of the Defence Forces, we are all acutely aware that we only get to dedicate ourselves to a life of military service because of the sacrifices and support our families and friends give us and for this I am truly grateful.

Most importantly, I would like to thank the men and women who serve Oglaigh na hEireann.

He will remain in his current position until he takes up the three-year role in 2025, after which he is due to retire.

In his remaining year as Chief of Staff, Lt Gen Clancy said his energy and focus remains on transforming the Defence Forces.

He said an awful lot has been achieved in terms of equipment and infrastructure, adding that command and control improvements would be in the next phase.

In particular, he said personnel would see the benefits of a digital soldier investment project around equipment.

He also said there had been a range of measures around recruitment and retention initiatives.
The daughter of one of the victims of a bomb attack in Co Monaghan has said that despite 50 years since the blast, they are still searching for answers.

Sharon Askin was just two years old when her father Paddy was killed in the bomb in Monaghan.

On May 17 1974, three no-warning bombs went off across Dublin city centre and one in Monaghan town, which claimed 35 lives, including two unborn babies.

No-one has ever been convicted over the bombings that have been blamed on loyalist paramilitaries.

Paddy had picked up his wages and was having a drink in a local bar when the bomb exploded.

Friday will be the 50th anniversary of the attacks.

Sharon, who lives in Co Armagh, will travel to Monaghan with her twin sister Sonia and two brothers, Patrick and Paul, to take part in an event to remember the victims.

Myself and Sonia have no memories of our father. We can only go by what people have told us about him, Sharon told the PA news agency.

The two boys can remember him, like meeting him after work and driving the tractors.

We have one photograph with him. So its tough.

It makes you feel that you have lost out on a lot.

People say how laid-back he was and I imagine as a father he would have been a soft touch. It would have been nice to have him.

Mum (Patricia) did everything and we missed out on nothing. But he missed first Holy Communions and weddings and he never met his grandchildren. He missed all those opportunities.

It was tough growing up as it wasnt really talked about so we never knew for a long time what happened him, only that he was dead.

Mum didnt talk about it as it brought back memories. The blast got him down one side of the body so the whole side of him was disfigured and she saw him like that.

As we got older we took more of an interest in what happened.

Fifty years after the attacks, the victims families are still searching for the truth of what happened that day.

An Irish Government inquiry in 2003 found that the bombings were carried out by loyalists.

The report found it likely that members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) either participated in the attacks, or were aware of the plans.

This week, the Dail supported an all-party motion which called on it to press the British government to provide access to relevant material in connection with the Dublin and Monaghan bombs.

Sharon added: After 50 years there are still no answers. Thats the feeling. Its hard to believe that there was so little effort made at the time to find out who did it.

Still to this day, 50 years later we are still asking the same questions. How and why and who told them to do it?

Its one step forward and two back all the time.

We would like them say why it happened because this came from high up, and we want to know why and who is responsible. The governments have the information but arent willing to release it.

Answers would be nice, admission would be brilliant and apology would be a miracle.

The British Government want to hide the information from us and other victims as they dont want to admit they took part in bombings and shootings in Northern Ireland and in Dublin.

They want to leave it hard for people to get answers.

Sharon will be among many family members who will attend the event in Monaghan.

We will all be there and our children will be there. If we dont win our fight, the next generation will win it for us, she added.

Last month, the High Court dismissed the British Governments attempt to throw out a civil action taken by survivors and victims families.

The legal battle against the State alleges collusion and failure to investigate the bombs.

Speaking on the eve of the anniversary, solicitor Kevin Winters, of KRW Law which represents a number of the families, said: The recent court success couldnt be any more timely coming as it does within a few weeks of the 50th anniversary.

It means we can now revisit the discovery order and we can now proceed to a long-overdue full hearing.

Its also timely given recent positive commentary by the Chief Constable Jon Boutcher on the need for a revised victim-centred approach on Troubles-related cases.

I welcome this and his specific endorsement of the need for greater accountability by State agencies where wrong has occurred.

This couldnt be a more timely antidote to the approach taken by the State to date in the Dublin Monaghan litigation.

I am confident the six-year reargued attempt to throw this case out would never have occurred under Jon Boutchers watch. If proof be needed, we need look no further than his recent interim Kenova report on the alleged agent Stakeknife.

Kenovas citing of the need for greater transparency hopefully signposts a long-overdue change of policy on conflict agitation.

The comprehensive ruling delivered last month complements precisely what the new chief constable has recently endorsed in Kenova.

If his well-intentioned expressed views are to take root then all current legally driven State lawfare needs to cease immediately.

It is systemic and punitive. It is anything but victim centered.
The Nebraska Library Commission recently awarded $37,495 in grants for Excellence in Youth service. Of the grants awarded to 39 Nebraska libraries, several addressed the need for educational programs, Summer Reading programing, and materials like LEGO, STEAM, and other activities to encourage creativity in young people.

Hruska Public Library in David City was among the public libraries to be awarded 2024 Youth Grants for Excellence funding.

Proposals for the grants include: Adventure Backpacks, STEAM programing and materials, book club activities, tween makerspace camp, Summer Reading programs, music and movement class, creative coding for kids, makerspace items for children/youth, Builders' Club with Lego, and 1,000 books before kindergarten.

Youth Grants for Excellence are made available by the Nebraska Library Commission with funding from the State of Nebraska. As the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of library and information services, bringing together people and information.
The date of this months Columbus Alzheimers/Dementia Support Group meeting has changed due to the Memorial Day holiday.

The support group will meet at 1:30 p.m. Monday, May 20, at the Columbus Senior Center (old hospital), 3111 19th St. Attendees should use the door on the north side.

There will be information and conversation about Alzheimers and dementia.

For more information, contact Adam Lassen at 402-910-8111 or Martha Davidson at 402-910-8580.
Vanairsdale named 2024 UAF Business Leader of the Year

UAF Photo

Tracy Vanairsdale, third from left, shows renderings of the Troth Yeddha Indigenous Studies Center to CBSM Dean Cameron Carlson and students, from left, Adeline Berry, Ivana Brito, Aila Berrigan and Pearson Clark .

The University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Business and Security Management has named Tracy Vanairsdale as the recipient of the 2024 UAF Business Leader of the Year award.

Vanairsdale is president of Bettisworth North Architects and Planners Inc. She has been with the company since 1997 and oversees the Fairbanks firm.

The Business Leader of the Year award recognizes leadership, business acumen, community involvement and educational support, including K-12 and higher education.

Vanairsdale received numerous letters of support from employees, colleagues, volunteer partners and past award recipients. She was selected by a panel of students, alumni, faculty and staff, the CBSM advisory council and previous awardees.

What I admire the most about Tracy is her humble attitude and willingness to help this community in so many ways, wrote Jyotsna Jo Heckman, a 2008 award recipient, in her support letter. Her sense of community brings connections and thoughtful considerations to her work. She feels strongly about integration with people, culture and needs of the public, all of which play an important role in any project.

Bettisworth North is designing the Troth Yeddha Indigenous Studies Center and has worked on multiple other UAF projects, including the Student Success Center in Rasmuson Library and the Moore and Bartlett residence hall renovations. The firm is also a substantial UAF supporter.

In addition to her professional career, Vanairsdale serves on the board of community organizations such as the UAF Chancellors Board of Advisors, Rotary Club of Fairbanks and the Alaska chapters for the Association for Learning Environments and the American Institute of Architects.

She and her husband, Dave, were both born and raised in Fairbanks; Dave is a UAF alumnus who captained the universitys ski team. Vanairsdale attended her first year at UAF before entering the Western Undergraduate Exchange program to study architecture and art at the University of Idaho. They enjoy annual ski trips and spending time with their dog, Copper.

Vanairsdale will be honored at an event Nov. 16 at the Westmark Fairbanks Hotel. Tickets for the event will go on sale in August. To reserve tickets in advance, contact Mary Poe at mepoe@alaska.edu or 907-474-6518.

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In the evening hours of May 15, emergency power shutdowns are highly likely to be applied, affecting both industrial and household consumers across Ukraine.

Thats according to the national power grid operator, NEC Ukrenergo, Ukrinform reports.

It is emphasized that there is a significant shortage of electricity in the power system throughout the day. Due to consumption peaks from 6:40 to 8:30, the Ukrenergo Dispatch Center applied controlled emergency shutdowns for industrial and household consumers in all regions, except for that of Kherson. As of 9:30 power supplies have been restored in full.

"When consumption peaks in the evening hours from 18:00 to 23:00, Ukrenergo foresees emergency shutdowns for household and industrial consumers. Also today, from 00:00 to 10:00 and from 16:00 to 24:00, industrial consumers will be subject to energy caps," the statement reads.

It is noted that on May 14, in order to tackle the deficit in the power grid, at the operators request, emergency assistance was received from 00:00 to 07:00 and from 11:00 to 24:00 from the energy systems of Romania, Poland, and Slovakia. In addition, from 11:00. to 16:00, at the request of the Polish power grid operator, the Ukrainian power system received excess electricity.

On Wednesday, emergency aid from EU countries was applied from 00:00 to 07:00.

Electricity imports on May 15 is scheduled from Romania, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, and Moldova with a total volume of 23,692 MWh.

As reported, on May 14, from 21:00 to 24:00, Ukrenergo was forced to introduce controlled emergency shutdowns in all regions of Ukraine.

Massive Russian attacks on energy infrastructure facilities resumed on March 22, 2024. The devastating strikes targeted the Burshtyn, Ladyzhyn, Zmiiv, and Trypillia thermal power plants, as well as hydroelectric power plants.

Photo: 3scshr.dsns.gov.ua
The International Working Group on Russian Sanctions, headed by Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and Director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), Ambassador Michael McFaul, has presented a new action plan to further tighten sanctions pressure on Russia, Action Plan 3.0.

The relevant statement was made by the Office of the President of Ukraine, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The document contains specific steps that can significantly undermine Russias economic and military potential to stop its aggression in Ukraine sooner.

The proposed sanctions measures should become a powerful response of the international community to Russian aggression. The success of the sanctions depends on their collective enforcement and constant strengthening. The measures, stipulated in Action Plan 3.0, are ambitious but achievable, they are designed to drastically limit Russias ability to finance its military actions in Ukraine, Yermak noted.

According to the experts, the package of restrictions will reduce the aggressors export revenues by $70-80 billion per annum, cause a significant deficit in Russias external trade and its budget, and weaken its currency and overall economic stability.

We believe that the sanctions proposals, formulated in the new Action Plan, will make Russia pay a higher price for its invasion into our country and will ensure support for democratic Ukraine in defending its territorial integrity and national sovereignty, Advisor to the Head of the Presidents Office, Secretary of Ukrainian Working Group on Russian Sanctions Vladyslav Vlasiuk explained.

The proposed measures include the confiscation of the frozen assets of Russias Central Bank, which should be used for Ukraines military and economic support and reconstruction efforts. They also include the enforcement of the current oil price cap and the suppression of the shadow fleet of tankers.

The experts propose to introduce a full embargo on uranium, aluminum, and steel, and to resume the work of the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls to enforce the ban on exports of critical technologies, equipment, and components, used in the defense and oil and gas sectors, to Russia.

According to the members of the working group, the sanctions list should include more individuals and organizations that support or finance Russian aggression. In addition, it is proposed to impose sanctions on Western companies involved in Russian logistics operations and those that facilitate its circumvention of restrictions.

Separately, the document emphasizes the designation of Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism and the strengthening of control over the existing sanctions.

A reminder that the International Working Group on Russian Sanctions was initiated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
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Published May 16, 2024

MONROE, LA  The University of Louisiana Monroe celebrated the successes of its faculty and staff at the annual Foundation Awards for Excellence on Monday, April 30, at Bayou Pointe Event Center. The University bestowed emeriti status to four professors, honored seven faculty and staff with Awards of Excellence and promoted 21 faculty to full professor, associate professor or tenure.

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Mark Arant first bestowed professor emeritus status to Dr. Jack Heflin, Professor of English, Dr. William Ryan, Professor of English, Dr. Paul Nelson, Professor of Economics, and Dr. Mark Clark, Professor of Music.

Professor Emeritus is a special distinction reserved for faculty who have made an outstanding professional contribution and have rendered significant academic service to the university, said Arant.

Arant then introduced faculty promoted to professor (Dr. Wendy Bailes, Dr. Oscar Garza, Dr. Alexis Horace, Dr. Clifford Tresner, and Dr. Sandra Watson), clinical professor (Dr. Anthony Walker), and associate professor (Dr. Nektarios Barabutis, Dr. Caroline Carpenter, Dr. Bryan Donald, Ms. Aundrea Foy, Dr. Joshua Gann, Dr. Amy Kincannon, Dr. Victoria Miller, Dr. Elizabeth Oldfather, Dr. Brendan Rowley, Dr. Samuel Shannon, Dr. Kenna Veronee). Professors and Associate Professors awarded tenure included Barabutis, Carpenter, Donald, Foy, Gann, Garza, Miller, Oldfather, Rowley, Shannon, Veronee, Watson, and Dr. Vonny Thornton.

Dr. Karen Briski and President Ron Berry

The Ken Clow Award for Excellence in Research went to Dr. Karen Briski, professor of pharmacology and neuroanatomy. The award is named after the late marketing professor who published multiple books and more than 200 journal articles and proceedings. Dr. Briskis career has spanned over 40 years. She has worked in the ULM College of Pharmacy since 1999. She has maintained a highly successful independent biomedical research program, which has yielded 167 peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Briski is exactly the type of professor that should be honored with this award, said ULM Chief Research and Innovation Office Dr. John Sutherlin. Dr. Briskis involvement with students and teaching abilities have all been enhanced by her research. Yet, the thing I value most with Dr. Briski is her commitment to research integrity and honesty, continued Sutherlin.

Dr. Joyce Zhou and President Ron Berry

Dr. Joyce Zhou, professor of marketing, won the Florencetta Gibson Award for Excellence in Service. Named after the professor emerita of nursing, the award goes to a faculty member who is committed to service to the University in ways that positively impact the institution and community as a whole. Dr. Zhou has previously won the Spotlight Award for Commitment to Diversity, Equality, and Service to Community from the ULM Cultural Diversity Council in 2024. She was named Honors Faculty of the Year in 2023 and has served for three years as Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup Faculty Advisor. She also serves on the board of the Monroe Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Zhou goes to great lengths to engage in her service work, said ULM Marketing Program Coordinator Dr. Zachary Moore. The enthusiasm and passion with which she approaches her service work are genuinely inspiring. She exemplifies taking the university out of its walls and into our community, representing it well, he added.

Dr. Rebecca Hamm and President Ron Berry

The recipient of the Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching was Dr. Rebecca Hamm, associate professor of radiologic technology. Hamm has been teaching at ULM since 2015 and in 2023 won the Outstanding Faculty Award for the School of Allied Health and the Rising Young Alumni Award from the ULM Alumni Association.

Dr. Hamms passion for teaching has resulted in a clear improvement in student success in the Radiologic Technology program, said Dr. Wendy Bailes, Dean of the ULM College of Health Sciences. Her work ethic is unmatched, and her knowledge and skill in teaching contribute significantly to the success of the program, continued Bailes.

Dr. Shalanda Stanley and President Ron Berry

The Foundation Award for Excellence in Creative and Innovative Works was awarded to Dr. Shalanda Stanley. Stanley has taught at ULM since 2013 and currently serves as the Associate Director of the School of Education. Stanley has published two novels, Drowning Is Inevitable and Nick and June Were Here, both of which have been adopted by the Louisiana Department of Education to be taught in high school English classrooms across the state.

Dr. Stanley demonstrates the power of creative and innovative work to impact ULM students, the community, the state, and far beyond, said Dr. Myra Lovett, Director of the ULM School of Education. She accomplishes this in the courses she teaches for future educators, in engaging in the fulfilling creative work of writing, and in inspiring the writer in everyone, added Lovett.

Ahmaad Solmone and President Ron Berry

The Alma Sewell Award for Service by Unclassified Staff went to Ahmaad Solmone, Director of Orientation Programs and Special Events. Named after the staff member who dedicated more than four decades of service to ULM, the award goes to an employee who is an inspiration for their exemplary service, on- or off-campus. Solmone has served in a number of roles in the Office of Recruitment since 2012 and currently oversees the PREP and POP programs for incoming freshmen and their parents, as well as the campus tour program. Solomone also is on the executive committee of the National Orientation Directors Association (NODA.)

Campus representatives, parents, and high school counselors have contacted me to compliment Ahmaads professionalism, patience, and positivity, said Lisa Miller, ULM Vice President for Enrollment Management and University Relations. His ability to connect with students and parents of all backgrounds is remarkable, she added.

Erick Burton and President Ron Berry

The Judy Smith Award for Warhawk Spirit, named after the late assistant director of the Office of Financial Aid who demonstrated selfless dedication to student fulfillment, was awarded to Erick Burton, Senior Enrollment Services Specialist. Burton is a 2021 graduate of ULM who founded the ULM Cultural Diversity Council as a student and currently serves as its co-advisor. In his current role, he works to recruit new students in middle- to low-income areas and continues to pour into these students once they become Warhawks.

Erick has created relationships with school administrators, counselors, teachers, students and parents that will sustain for generations to come, said Gina White, Director of International Student Services and Multicultural Affairs. He leads with the mission of the university in every encounter and action that he takes as one of the first faces of ULM, added White.

Danielle Barton and President Ron Berry

The Madelaine Lanham Award for Service by Classified Staff was awarded to Danielle Barton, Administrative Assistant in the School of Education. Barton has worked in the School of Education since 2022 and previously served as administrative coordinator in the Dental Hygiene program, where she received the Shining Star Award in 2022.

Danielle truly embodies servant leadership, always recognizing and prioritizing the needs of her colleagues, students, and department without prompting, said Kacie Burns, Director of Teacher Certification and Professional Advancement. Even on the most difficult of days, Danielle cheers and encourages others with her positive, affirming words and her sunny outlook. She is truly a tremendous asset to the School of Education and the university as a whole, added Burns.
| By Emily Bleiweis

Data shows just how necessary it is to ensure students who are working toward degrees in health and human services fields are educated to care for populations with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)  who often face barriers when it comes to receiving treatment.

A study from 2021 found only 40.7 percent of physicians were very confident about their ability to provide the same quality of care to patients with disabilities as they do to patients without. And just 56.5 percent strongly agreed that they welcomed patients with disabilities into their practices.

The University of Maryland Schools of Medicine and Nursing Standardized Patient Program  housed in the School of Nursing (UMSON)  in partnership with Special Olympics Maryland (SOM) and Special Olympics International (SOI)  is working to ensure that the next generation of health care professionals is well prepared to work with and treat individuals with IDD.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is one of five universities in the country across four states to recently partner with the Special Olympics.

The Standardized Patient Program allows students to refine their clinical and communication skills with professional standardized participants (SPs). SPs are trained to portray a real patient in clinical instruction and assessment with students.

Not only is this initiative expanding UMBs inclusive and interprofessional curriculum, but its also breaking down barriers, biases, stigmas, and misconceptions, all while encouraging a shared commitment to inclusive health care, said Rebecca Weston, EdD, MSN, RN, CNE, assistant professor at UMSON and principal investigator on the grant that funded the collaboration. This partnership has enabled us to envision a future where people with intellectual disabilities consistently receive equitable and accessible health care.

A Chance to Have a Voice

For the first time this spring, students across multiple disciplines at UMB participated in simulations with Health Messenger athletes who were hired to serve as SPs. Special Olympics Health Messengers are athletes specifically trained to talk about Special Olympics health programming and the impact Special Olympics has made in their lives.

This partnership increases the representation of populations with IDD in the SP Program and offers the opportunity for students to practice with the actual representative population, as opposed to someone simulating a population, said Nancy Budd Culpepper, MBA, director of the SP Program.

I think in this situation in particular, its not something you would be able to simulate authentically, Culpepper said. We have wonderful folks that work for us [as SPs] with acting backgrounds that can take on a good bit, but I think when youre working with special populations, its tough to give an authentic response, she said, adding that its especially important for individuals who actually have a disability to be the ones providing feedback to students after a simulation training.

Prior to the simulation, students heard from Anne D. Williams, DNP 12, MS 86, BSN 82, RN, CPHQ, FAAN, vice president of health service and education for SOI, who helped lay the groundwork for what challenges those with IDD face, especially when it comes to receiving health care.

Populations with IDD die 16 to 20 years prematurely because of undiagnosed and untreated conditions, said Williams, an alumna of UMSON. Due to the stigma that remains around those with disabilities, their quality of and access to care can be compromised.

The simulation students participated in during a recent training exercise involved interacting with both an existing SP, in the role of a friend or family member of the patient, and a Special Olympics Health Messenger, who portrayed the patient.

This dynamic is one thats familiar for those who have IDD. Jimmy Tadlock, an SOM Health Messenger, said his mom attends his doctors appointments with him so he and the doctor are communicating effectively.

Do not get me wrong, they are good doctors and dentists, but they talk doctor-speak that I do not fully understand, Tadlock said. They do not know I am missing things because I am quiet. This is my chance to help new doctors understand when their doctor-speak is not understood.

Alexea Wentz, another Health Messenger, loved getting the chance to help prepare future doctors, nurses, and social workers.

I think it's very awesome that we are able to help educate and share our experiences, Wentz said. This type of training will help future health care and social services professionals understand how they can help individuals with disabilities in settings like doctors offices and emergency rooms, she added. I really enjoyed [this event]. Speaking is one of my favorite things, and I like sharing my story and inspiring others.

A Lesson in Collaboration

This more realistic version of an educational simulation particularly resonated with students.

School of Medicine student Juan Dalo said while hes participated in SP simulations in the past, this experience was unique because of the element of dealing not just with a patient, but also their family member.

One thing to keep in mind [was] making sure to look into the eyes of the patient and talk to them, rather than looking at the family members, Dalo said, adding that it can be a challenge not to defer to the family member in the room. I just tried to put myself in their shoes. If I were them, I would want to feel included in my own health care."

Haley Perlstein, a UMSON student, went into the simulation trying to focus on creating an environment where both the patient and the patients family felt they were part of the conversation.

Making sure that everyone in the room feels like they can share thoughts and ask questions allows for a more inclusive space, she said.

And what makes this simulation an especially formative educational experience is the ability to work among multiple disciplines within UMB.

Bouncing ideas off of each other just creates a more holistic approach for the patient, Perlstein said. I think that just improves the quality of care that we can give the patient.

Interprofessional education is an important, expanding aspect of the SP Program. Bringing together students from the different schools to work in a team model is vital, Culpepper said.

Theres so much to juggle in the health care system, she said, adding that it can be hard for a patient to try to figure it all out. When you bring them together in a comprehensive way  what an ideal situation.
At the invitation of Kazakhstans Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Murat Nurtleu and Tajikistans Minister of Foreign Affairs Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi will attend the meeting of the SCO Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and pay official visits to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan from May 18 to 21.

Beijing Youth Daily: Can you share more about the background and consideration of Foreign Minister Wang Yis visits to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan as well as Chinas expectation for the visits?

Wang Wenbin: Kazakhstan and Tajikistan are Chinas friendly neighbors and important partners in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. Under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President Emomali Rahmon, China-Kazakhstan relations and China-Tajikistan relations have enjoyed robust growth and witnessed active efforts in building a China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future and a China-Tajikistan community with a shared future.

To carry forward traditional friendship between China and Central Asian countries, cement political mutual trust and build an even closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, apart from attending the meeting of the SCO Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, will visit Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. During his trip, Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet with leaders of the two countries, hold talks with foreign ministers of the two countries and exchange views with them on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest.

China believes that the visits will fully deliver on the common understandings between President Xi Jinping and the presidents of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, deepen cooperation in various fields, promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and make new contribution in upholding peace, stability and development of the region.

Kyodo News: Its reported that former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso met yesterday with visiting Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an in Tokyo and they discussed people-to-people exchanges between Japan and Taiwan. Whats your comment?

Wang Wenbin: Chinas position on the Taiwan regions external exchanges is consistent and clear, that is, they must be handled in line with the one-China principle. We urge Japan to abide by the principles and spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan, and act on its commitment of adhering to the one-China principle and only maintaining people-to-people and sub-regional exchanges with Taiwan.

CCTV: Can you brief us on the program and Chinas expectation for the meeting of the SCO Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs?

Wang Wenbin: The meeting of the SCO Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs will be held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, from May 20 to 21. During the meeting, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi will exchange views with foreign ministers of other member states on the current international and regional landscape, the prospect of the SCOs growth, cooperation in various fields and other issues of mutual interest, and make full preparation for this years meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State.

Since its establishment, the SCO has always followed the guidance of the Shanghai Spirit. SCO member states have followed the trend of the times, practiced true multilateralism, enhanced good-neighborliness and political mutual trust and deepened cooperation in security, economy, and people-to-people and cultural exchange, setting a good example of a new type of international relations and of building a community with a shared future for mankind. China stands ready to work with other member states to carry forward the Shanghai Spirit, enhance solidarity and coordination, join hands to respond to challenges, share development opportunities and enable the people of every member state to benefit more from SCO cooperation.

NHK: The US keeps criticizing China saying that China has been exporting dual-use materials, especially nitrocellulose to help Russias production of ammunition and rocket propellants. How would China respond to this US accusation?

Wang Wenbin: China does not accept the US blame-shifting. China always handles the export of military products in a prudent and responsible way, and strictly controls the export of dual-use articles, including drones for civilian use. The US makes false accusations against Chinas normal trade with Russia, just as it continues to pour unprecedented military aid into Ukraine. This is typical double standard, and extremely hypocritical and irresponsible.

The US is in a bind in the Ukraine crisis but that is not the doing of China. What has happened shows that those who fuel the flames will only get bogged down deeper and deeper in it, and political settlement is the only right way forward to end the Ukraine crisis. Blaming it all on China will not end the crisis, nor will it get the US out of its tricky situation. It will only further complicate things and most likely wont deliver the result that relevant parties would like to see.

China is committed to promoting talks for peace. But we reject being the scapegoat, still less will we foot the bill for others actions. We will firmly defend our legitimate rights and interests.

Dragon TV: On May 15, Lee Hsien Loong stepped down and Lawrence Wong was sworn in as the 4th Prime Minister of Singapore. Whats Chinas comment? How does China foresee its relations with Singapore?

Wang Wenbin: China congratulates Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on his inauguration and believes that under his leadership, Singapores national, economic and social development will continue to go from strength to strength. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has long been a supporter of China-Singapore cooperation and the co-chair of the China-Singapore Bilateral Cooperation Mechanism. We believe that during his term in office, our bilateral relations will continue to grow, bring more benefits to the two peoples and make greater contribution to regional peace, stability, development and prosperity.

Mr. Lee Hsien Loong is a senior leader of Singapore and a long-standing friend of the Chinese people. Last year, President Xi Jinping and him jointly elevated bilateral relations to an all-round high-quality future-oriented partnership. We hope and believe that Mr. Lee Hsien Loong will continue to make positive contributions to deepening China-Singapore friendship.

China Daily: Its reported that on May 15, Israeli Prime Ministers Office released a statement which says that the Israeli government unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus proposal to reject the UN General Assembly decision of May 10 to give Palestine additional privileges. Whats your comment on this?

Wang Wenbin: To this day, the historical injustice long suffered by the Palestinian people still hasnt been redressed. This is the root cause of the cycle of Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The fundamental solution lies in implementing the two-State solution, supporting full UN membership for Palestine, and realizing peaceful coexistence between the two states of Palestine and Israel. At the UNGA Emergency Special Session, countries voted overwhelmingly in favor of the resolution to give Palestine new rights to participate in UN activities. This shows exactly where the global opinion trends. China supports the UN in making relevant arrangements in line with the resolution, and supports the Security Council in reconsidering Palestines application to join the UN as recommended by the UNGA resolution. We hope relevant country will demonstrate political courage, heed the call of the international community, bear in mind the fundamental and long-term interests of its own people and people in the region and make the right decision of supporting the two-State solution.

AFP: We are hearing that China is hosting talks between the Myanmar army and alliance of ethnic rebel groups residing the territory along the border with China. Can you confirm it?

Wang Wenbin: Maintaining the momentum of ceasefire and peace talks in northern Myanmar serves the interests of all parties in Myanmar and is conducive to keeping the China-Myanmar border area peaceful and tranquil. China stands ready to continue to provide as much help and support as we can for the peace process in northern Myanmar.

AFP: Just a follow-up question. Can you confirm that China is hosting talks?

Wang Wenbin: I have answered the question.

CCTV: The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs released a statement on May 13, claiming that the Department of Foreign Affairs will look into any reports of illegal and unlawful activities by diplomatic officials, and undertake the necessary action. Some media outlets believe that the move has something to do with the text of the recording on Renai Jiao released last week by the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines. Whats your comment?

Wang Wenbin: Last week, my colleague made clear Chinas position regarding the comments of Philippine senior officials on Chinese diplomats in the Philippines. The information released by the Chinese Embassy is entirely factual. Whether its the gentlemens agreement, or the internal understandings, or the new model on properly managing the situation in the South China Sea, they all have clear timelines and are supported by solid evidence. No one can deny their existence. The Philippines persistent denial and breach of commitmentand blaming it all on Chinashows exactly who is acting in bad faith, infringing the other sides sovereignty and making provocations on Renai Jiao.

Over the years, China and ASEAN countries, including the Philippines, have maintained close communication and cooperation, signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), been committed to advancing the consultations on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC), and kept the South China Sea generally stable. But in recent years, the Philippines has breached agreements and understandings with China, acted against the spirit of the DOC, and frequently encroached on Chinas rights with provocative behavior that creates new tension. The Philippines has escalated tensions in the South China Sea by involving non-regional actors in trying to create trouble. What the Philippines has done undermines solidarity and mutual trust among regional countries and peace and stability in the South China Sea. These actions bring no good but only harm to regional countries.

We once again urge the Philippines to face the facts, honor its word, stop infringement and provocations at once and return to the right track of properly settling maritime differences through negotiation and consultation. If the Philippines does not change course, China will take necessary measures to firmly defend our legitimate rights and interests.

Reuters: Given the news of President Putins visit, what kind of new material support is China offering to Russia for its so-called war economy?

Wang Wenbin: Just now I made our position clear on the US accusation against Chinas normal trade with Russia. Your question, same as that of the Japanese journalist, is about shifting the blame to China.

So let me stress once again that we do not accept blame-shifting. Making China the scapegoat does not solve anything, nor will it help those who find themselves in a tricky position. China is committed to promoting talks for peace. But we refuse to be the scapegoat, still less will we foot the bill for others actions.

As for China-Russia relations, our message is that to steadily advance our relations with Russia not only serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and two peoples, but also contributes to peace, stability and prosperity of the region and the world. As President Xi emphasized during his talks with President Putin this morning, China will work with Russia to always be each others good neighbor, good friend and good partner who trust each other, continue to consolidate the ever-lasting friendship between our two peoples, realize our respective national development and rejuvenation together and jointly uphold fairness and justice in the world.

AFP: The Prime Minister from Slovakia was shot during the attack yesterday and his life is in danger. Whats Chinas comment on this?

Wang Wenbin: China is deeply shocked by the attack on Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico and extends sincere sympathies to him and his family. China strongly condemns the violent attack.

Reuters: The Wall Street Journal reported that Microsoft is asking hundreds of employees in its China-based cloud-computing and artificial-intelligence operations to consider transferring to other countries. Do you have any comments on this?

Wang Wenbin: I am not familiar with what you mentioned.
On Tuesday, academic student employees at the University of Washington (UW) commenced a strike over pay, highlighting the ongoing struggle for fair compensation in academia.

Represented by United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 4121, these employees include 6,000 undergraduate and graduate teaching assistants, research assistants, instructors, graders, and tutors. After weeks of extended negotiations, the union decided to take action, signaling a critical juncture in their fight for sustainable wages.

Background and Union Demands

The decision to strike came after a prolonged period of negotiations between UAW Local 4121 and the UW administration. The union had been pushing for better wages and working conditions, arguing that the current pay levels are unsustainable for many of their members. According to a news release from the union, most academic student employees earn less than $40,000 per year, making it difficult to cover living expenses in Seattle's high-cost environment. Francesca Colonnese, a predoctoral instructor and union representative, stressed the critical nature of their situation, stating that they had no alternative but to strike. She highlighted that they need a contract that ensures they can continue their research and teaching without being driven away by unsustainable wages.

The union is demanding a 12 percent pay raise for each of the next three years. They argue that this increase is necessary to ensure academic student employees can continue their vital work without financial hardship. The university, however, has offered a 12 percent raise in the first year of the contract, followed by 8 percent raises in the subsequent two years. While the university asserts that this proposal is fair, the union maintains that it falls short of addressing the cost-of-living increases faced by its members.

READ MORE : Washington State University, Union Reach Tentative Agreement Ending Strike

University's Response and Ongoing Negotiations

In response to the strike, UW's administration expressed their commitment to reaching a fair agreement. Victor Balta, university spokesman, and assistant vice president for communications, stated that negotiations continued until very late on the eve of the strike. He emphasized that the university is bargaining in good faith and values its academic student employees. Balta explained in an email that the university has been making efforts to maintain academic continuity, preparing to ensure that classes continue and students can complete their degrees despite the strike. He expressed hope that the impact on UW students would be minimal.

Despite these assurances, the strike has already begun to impact the university's operations. More than 1,250 academic student employees signed up for picket shifts on the first day, with additional shifts scheduled throughout the day. The union has not provided specific numbers on how many workers are withholding their labor or how many classes have been canceled. Still, the high turnout suggests significant support for the strike among the union members.

The previous strike by postdoctoral researchers, research scientists, and engineers at UW, also represented by UAW Local 4121, resulted in substantial pay increases after a week and a half of action in June 2023. This precedent gives current strikers hope that their efforts will lead to meaningful changes in their compensation and working conditions.

Implications and Future Prospects

The strike at UW highlights broader issues within academia regarding the treatment and compensation of academic student employees. These workers often play a crucial role in universities' educational and research missions, yet they frequently face financial instability and challenging working conditions. The outcome of this strike could set a significant precedent for similar disputes at other institutions, particularly as living costs continue to rise in many urban areas where universities are located.

For the University of Washington, the strike presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The administration must navigate the immediate disruption to its academic programs while also considering the long-term implications for attracting and retaining talented students and researchers. A fair and timely resolution to the dispute could enhance the university's reputation as a supportive and equitable employer. At the same time, failure to address the union's demands could lead to prolonged unrest and potential harm to the institution's academic standing.

As the strike continues, both sides are under pressure to find a resolution that acknowledges the critical contributions of academic student employees while balancing the university's financial constraints. The negotiations will likely be closely watched by other universities and academic unions across the country as they grapple with similar issues in an increasingly competitive and challenging higher education landscape.

The strike by academic student employees at the University of Washington underscores the urgent need for fair compensation and sustainable academic working conditions. The outcome of this dispute will not only impact the strikers and the university but also resonate throughout the higher education community, potentially shaping future labor negotiations and policies.
In a significant legislative move, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed into law an education-funding bill that includes stringent anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) provisions.

This new law not only bans DEI offices in public institutions but also imposes strict limitations on activities and initiatives related to DEI. The legislation represents a substantial escalation of previous measures taken by the state's Board of Regents, which oversees major universities in Iowa.

Background and Legislative Journey

The origins of this controversial bill can be traced back to the Iowa Board of Regents, which in November had already adopted a broad DEI ban affecting the Universities of Iowa, Northern Iowa, and Iowa State University. However, the actions of the Board did not satisfy the more conservative members of the Iowa General Assembly. They believed that further measures were necessary to ensure that DEI efforts did not persist under other guises or interpretations.

On April 9, Senate File 2435 was introduced as an education-funding bill. This move came at a critical time, just before the end of the legislative session. Republican lawmakers swiftly added anti-DEI restrictions to the bill, allowing it to sail through both chambers with little opposition. Governor Reynolds signed the bill into law the day before the session concluded, cementing it as one of the key legislative achievements of the year for her administration.

READ MORE : Iowa Lawmakers Push Bill Banning DEI Offices And Programs

Scope and Impact of the New Law

The newly enacted law prohibits public institutions from having DEI offices or hiring individuals to perform duties associated with such offices. This is a significant development, as it effectively dismantles existing DEI structures within Iowa's public universities and colleges. The law goes beyond the directives of the Board of Regents by providing a precise definition of DEI efforts, thus eliminating any ambiguity.

According to the legislation, DEI encompasses any effort to manipulate the composition of faculty or student bodies based on race, sex, color, or ethnicity. It also includes promoting or implementing training, programming, or activities related to race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Furthermore, the law bans the promotion of certain concepts as the official position of public institutions. These concepts include unconscious or 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, and sexual privilege.

This broad and detailed definition effectively shuts down many initiatives that have been standard practice in DEI efforts across the country. For instance, training sessions on unconscious bias or programs aimed at increasing diversity among faculty and students will no longer be permissible under the new law.

Reactions and Future Implications

The signing of this bill has elicited a wide range of reactions from various stakeholders. Supporters of the bill, primarily conservative lawmakers and groups, argue that DEI initiatives often lead to divisiveness and discrimination against majority groups. They contend that public institutions should focus on merit-based policies without regard to race, gender, or other identity factors.

Governor Reynolds echoed these sentiments, stating that the new law ensures equality and fairness in public institutions. "We are committed to ensuring that our education system is focused on providing high-quality education for all students without the divisive influence of DEI programs," she said during the bill signing ceremony.

However, critics of the law argue that it represents a significant step backward for diversity and inclusion efforts. Many educators, students, and civil rights advocates believe that DEI programs are essential for creating a more inclusive and equitable environment in educational institutions. They warn that the law will lead to a decrease in diversity among faculty and students and will undermine efforts to address systemic inequalities.

Legal challenges to the law are also anticipated. Civil rights groups are likely to argue that the law infringes on free speech and academic freedom. There are concerns that the law's broad language could lead to the suppression of important discussions and educational content related to race, gender, and other identity issues.

As Iowa moves forward under this new legislative framework, the true impact of the anti-DEI provisions will unfold over time. The state's public institutions will need to navigate the complexities of complying with the law while attempting to maintain an environment that supports all students and faculty. The debate over DEI's role in education is far from over, and Iowa's new law is likely to serve as a key reference point in this ongoing national conversation.
The clash between federal and state authority over transgender rights has intensified as Utah and Wyoming, among other Republican-led states, challenge President Joe Biden's administration over new Title IX rules aimed at safeguarding transgender students in schools. This contentious legal battle underscores deepening ideological divisions concerning gender identity, civil rights, and the scope of federal intervention in education.

GOP States Challenge Federal Title IX Rules

Republican-led states, including Utah and Wyoming, have joined forces in a lawsuit against the Biden administration's revisions to Title IX, a federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education. These states, along with Kansas and Alaska, argue that the new rules, set to take effect on August 1st, extend Title IX protections to include gender identity and sexual orientation, thereby undermining traditional interpretations of sex discrimination. Critics contend that these changes could compel schools to accommodate transgender students in ways that conflict with established gender norms and privacy expectations.

The Debate Over Transgender Rights and Title IX

At the heart of the legal dispute are divergent interpretations of Title IX's mandate and the broader implications for transgender rights in educational settings. Proponents of the Biden administration's rules argue that expanding Title IX protections to encompass gender identity is essential for ensuring equal access and nondiscrimination for LGBTQ+ students. They contend that transgender students face disproportionate levels of harassment, exclusion, and institutional barriers to education, necessitating explicit legal safeguards.

Conversely, opponents, including conservative policymakers and advocacy groups, assert that the Biden administration's reinterpretation of Title IX represents federal overreach and undermines longstanding principles of sex-based distinctions in education. Concerns are raised about the potential impact on women's sports, privacy rights, and religious freedoms, as schools may be compelled to accommodate transgender students in ways that contravene traditional norms and values.

Implications for Education and Civil Rights

The legal battle over Title IX underscores broader debates surrounding transgender rights, civil liberties, and the role of government in shaping educational policies. At stake are fundamental questions about the balance between equality and individual rights, as well as the appropriate scope of federal intervention in matters traditionally governed by states.

For transgender students, the outcome of this legal dispute could have far-reaching implications for their safety, well-being, and educational opportunities. Ensuring inclusive and supportive school environments is essential for fostering academic success and affirming the dignity and rights of all students, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.

Moreover, the clash between federal and state authorities highlights ongoing tensions within the Republican Party over social issues and the limits of government authority. While some GOP leaders champion a more inclusive approach to LGBTQ+ rights, others advocate for traditional values and resist perceived encroachments on religious freedoms and parental rights.

As Utah and Wyoming, alongside other GOP-led states, challenge the Biden administration's Title IX rules, the battleground over transgender rights in education intensifies. This legal showdown reflects deeper ideological divisions concerning gender identity, civil liberties, and the appropriate role of government in shaping educational policies.

Amidst this contentious debate, the rights and well-being of transgender students hang in the balance. Ensuring equitable access to education and safeguarding against discrimination are paramount tasks for policymakers, educators, and advocates alike. As the legal battle unfolds, the outcome will reverberate across the nation, shaping the future of transgender rights and civil liberties in educational settings.
The Arab League on Thursday called for a UN peacekeeping force in the Palestinian territories and an international peace conference at a summit dominated by the war between Israel and Hamas

Manama, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2024) The Arab League on Thursday called for a UN peacekeeping force in the Palestinian territories and an international peace conference at a summit dominated by the war between Israel and Hamas.

In its final statement following a meeting in Manama, the 22-member grouping called for "international protection and peacekeeping forces of the United Nations in the occupied Palestinian territories" until a two-state solution is implemented.

It also adopted calls by host Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to "convene an international conference under the auspices of the United Nations, to resolve the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-state solution".

The meeting of Arab heads of state and government convened in Bahrain more than seven months into the conflict in Gaza that has convulsed the wider region.

The Gaza war broke out after Hamas's attack on southern Israel which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

The militants also seized about 250 hostages, 128 of whom Israel estimates remain in Gaza, including 36 the military says are dead.

Israel's military retaliation has killed at least 35,272 people, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry, and an Israeli siege has brought dire food shortages and the threat of famine.

- 'Open wound' -

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas told the summit his political rivals in Hamas gave Israel an excuse to wage war on Gaza with its October 7 attack from the Palestinian territory.

"The military operation carried out by Hamas by a unilateral decision on that day, October 7, provided Israel with more pretexts and justifications to attack the Gaza Strip," he said.

Speaking at the summit, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the war in Gaza as "an open wound that threatens to infect the entire region", calling for "the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages".

Guterres said "the only permanent way to end the cycle of violence and instability is through a two-state solution".

The so-called "Manama Declaration" issued by the Arab nations also urged "all Palestinian factions to join under the umbrella of the Palestine Liberation Organization", which is dominated by Abbas's ruling Fatah movement.

It added that it considered the PLO "the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people".

It is the first time the bloc has come together since an extraordinary summit in Riyadh, capital of neighbouring Saudi Arabia, in November that also involved leaders from the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, based in the Saudi city of Jeddah.

- Red Sea attacks -

While in November leaders declined the approval of punitive steps against Israel, Kuwaiti analyst Zafer al-Ajmi told AFP the meeting in Manama differed from recent summits.

Western public opinion has become "more inclined to support the Palestinians and lift the injustice inflicted on them" since Israel's creation more than 70 years ago, Ajmi said.

Meanwhile, Israel had failed to achieve its war objectives including destroying Hamas and was now mired in fighting, he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said nearly 500,000 people had been evacuated from the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where he is insisting on going after remaining Hamas battalions despite objections from US President Joe Biden.

He also disputed claims that Israeli operations there would trigger a "humanitarian catastrophe", though much of the international community remains squarely opposed to a Rafah invasion.

In a campaign they say is in solidarity with Palestinians amid the Gaza war, Yemen's Iran-backed Huthis have launched a flurry of attacks on vital shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November.

The summit in Bahrain "strongly condemned the attacks on commercial ships", saying they "threaten freedom of navigation, international trade, and the interests of countries and peoples of the world".

The declaration added the Arab nations' commitment to "ensuring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea" and surrounding areas.

An Arab-Israeli war in 1967 saw Israel seize the Palestinian territories of the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

Israel later annexed east Jerusalem, and successive Israeli governments have encouraged Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territories.

Under international law, the Palestinian territories, including Gaza, remain occupied, and Israeli settlements in east Jerusalem and the West Bank are considered illegal.

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Market supervisory authorities of Beijing and Tianjin municipalities, as well as north China's Hebei Province, said on Thursday that over 7,000 standards spanning various fields have been shared within the region

BEIJING, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2024) Market supervisory authorities of Beijing and Tianjin municipalities, as well as north China's Hebei Province, said on Thursday that over 7,000 standards spanning various fields have been shared within the region.

The 7,478 shared standards used in fire fighting, engineering construction, tourism, transportation, civil affairs and other fields have helped enhance the competitiveness of industrial supply chains, advancing the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the authorities said.

Data shows that among the shared standards that have been realized, 2,131 belong to Beijing, 1,033 Tianjin and 4,314 Hebei. In addition, the three places have jointly built 35 metrological technical specifications and shared more than 200.
Brussels, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2024) The EU on Thursday opened a formal investigation into Facebook and Instagram on suspicion the platforms owned by Meta are causing addictive behaviour in children.

The probe is under a mammoth law known as the Digital Services Act (DSA) that forces the world's largest tech firms to do more to protect European users online and clamp down on illegal content.

It is the second investigation into Meta after an earlier one launched by the European Union last month over fears Facebook and Instagram are failing to counter disinformation.

In Thursday's announcement, the European Commission, the EU's tech regulator, said it suspected the platforms' systems "may stimulate behavioural addictions in children".

Another issue the commission raised is the so-called "rabbit hole" effect -- which occurs when users are fed related content based on an algorithm, in some cases leading to more dangerous content.

"We are not convinced that it has done enough to comply with the DSA obligations to mitigate the risks of negative effects to the physical and mental health of young Europeans," the EU's internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton, said of Meta.

"We are sparing no effort to protect our children," he added.

The commission is also worried that Meta's age-verification tools may not be "proportionate and effective".

The DSA has strict rules to protect children and ensure their privacy and security online, and the EU fears Meta might not be doing enough to tackle these obligations.

The EU stressed in a statement that the "opening of formal proceedings does not prejudge its outcome".
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

France deployed troops to New Caledonia's ports and international airport, banned TikTok and imposed a state of emergency on Thursday after three nights of clashes that have left four dead and hundreds wounded

Noumea, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2024) France deployed troops to New Caledonia's ports and international airport, banned TikTok and imposed a state of emergency on Thursday after three nights of clashes that have left four dead and hundreds wounded.

Pro-independence, largely indigenous protests against a French plan to impose new voting rules on its Pacific archipelago have spiralled into the deadliest violence since the 1980s, with a police officer among several killed by gunfire.

Palm-lined boulevards, usually thronged with tourists, were littered with debris and patrolled by armoured vehicles, while some fearful locals piled up household objects to make roadblocks.

There was a suspected arson attack on the building housing a consultative body for the indigenous Kanak people, its communications staff said, although the extent of the damage was not immediately clear.

As part of a sweeping French response, security forces placed five suspected ringleaders under house arrest, according to a statement by the high commission, which represents the French state in New Caledonia.

House searches would be carried out "in the coming hours", it said.

More than 200 "rioters" have been arrested since the clashes broke out, the high commission said, numbering participants at up to 5,000 in greater Noumea.

It added that "people have been ambushing law enforcement officers" with "sustained fire from hunting rifles".

Hundreds of people, including 64 police, have been wounded, officials said, among the territory's population of around 270,000.

French authorities reported a third night of "clashes", although AFP correspondents in the streets of the capital, Noumea, said it appeared calmer than previous nights.

Onlookers wandered around the husks of burnt-out shops with twisted shutters, looted shelves and discarded packaging.

"We just grabbed what there was in the shops to eat. Soon there will be no more shops," said one woman in a suburb of the capital, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"We need milk for the children. I don't see it as looting," she told AFP.

France is establishing an "air bridge", the high commission said, to rapidly move in troops and police reinforcements but also to bring in essential supplies for the population.

In Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron offered to hold talks on Thursday with New Caledonian lawmakers and called for a resumption of political dialogue.

Sonia Backes, the leader of New Caledonia's southern province which includes Noumea, has already written to Prime Minister Gabriel Attal asking for a 150-million-euro ($163-million) "one-off reconstruction fund" to repair the damage.

She added that the state of emergency would give hope to people affected by "this wave of hate and barbarity".

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Thursday accused Russia-friendly Azerbaijan of "interference" in the unrest but did not expand on what he meant.

Attal told a ministerial crisis meeting that troops had been deployed to secure ports and the international airport in New Caledonia, which has been closed to commercial flights.

TikTok had been banned because it was being used by protesters, he said.

By Thursday morning, AFP could identify fewer than 20 accounts related to the violence on the platform.

New Caledonia, which lies between Australia and Fiji, is one of several territories around the globe that remain largely under French control in the post-colonial era.

Colonised by France from the second half of the 19th century, it has special status, unlike the country's other overseas territories.

While it has on three occasions rejected independence in referendums, independence retains strong support among the Kanak people, whose ancestors have lived on the islands for thousands of years.

The state of emergency enables authorities to enforce travel bans, house arrests and searches.

Along with a night curfew, there are bans on gatherings, the carrying of weapons and the sale of alcohol.

Nearly 1,800 law enforcement officers have been mobilised and a further 500 will reinforce them, a French government spokeswoman said.

The unrest was triggered by a vote in the French parliament, 17,000 kilometres (10,600 miles) away, which on Tuesday said outsiders who moved to New Caledonia at least 10 years ago should be allowed to cast ballots in the territory's elections.

The reform must still be approved by a joint sitting of both houses of the French parliament.

Pro-independence forces say that would dilute the vote of Kanaks, who make up about 41 percent of the population.

Those favouring the reform argue voter lists have not been updated since 1998 -- depriving island residents who arrived after that date of the right to vote.

Macron has said French lawmakers will vote to adopt the constitutional change by the end of June unless New Caledonia's opposing sides agree on a new text that "takes into account the progress made and everyone's aspirations".
San Francisco, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2024) Google's use of artificial intelligence to sum up answers to search queries has publishers wondering if traffic to their websites will wither.

The internet titan announced Tuesday it is introducing AI-generated answers to online queries in the United States, in one of the biggest changes to its world-leading search engine in 25 years.

The change will soon spread to other countries, arguably reducing the importance of links and web pages for more than a billion people.

And bloggers, news outlets and others who benefit from people clicking on their links via Google's search results could see audiences dwindle if people are sated by what its "AI Overview" serves up.

"It's going to create a negative impact on brands and publishers who rely on organic search traffic for sure," Marketing AI Institute CEO Paul Roetzer said of such a scenario.

"We just have no idea how much, and we don't really know what you can do about it."

AI blurbs generated by Google's Gemini technology will offer succinct summaries of what it found on the internet with only a few links to the online sources that supplied the information.

Research firm Gartner predicts traffic to the web from search engines will fall 25 percent by 2026 because of increased reliance on AI in general.

Roetzer noted that Google has not provided much information about how the change might affect advertisers or publishers, essentially asking them to have faith.

"It's just going to be a grand experiment happening in real time that will move people's businesses one way or the other, depending on how it plays out," Roetzer told AFP.
(@FahadShabbir)

BEIJING, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2024) Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Thursday that the government under economic reforms agenda offers attractive incentive for investment and asked the Chinese entrepreneurs to take advantage of the friendly policies and set up labour intensive industry in Pakistan.

The labour cost is very competitive and much less as compared to the current labor cost in China. Agriculture, textile, mining and Information Technology (IT) are the prime areas where there is a great scope to do business in Pakistan.

He made these remarks in his keynote address at the Pakistan-China Business Roundtable Conference organized by the Pakistan Embassy, Beijing.

Ishaq Dar said that the government has expedited construction of special economic zones and offered attractive incentives for establishment of different industrial units. "We have worked out 13 key areas having great potential for the Chinese and Pakistani entrepreneurs to establish industry on ownership basis or through joint venture with Pakistani business people", he added.

He said that Pakistan being at the crossroads of Central Asia, Southeast, and middle East provides a great potential for the export-oriented industry.

Ishaq Dar suggested the Chinese companies to do value addition and export to all these markets which have almost one and a half billion population. The Chinese businessmen could enjoy preferential market access to major economies such as the European Union, Gulf, China itself and other countries which have free trade agreements with Pakistan, he added.

He said that there are competitive and lucrative incentives especially in special economic zones, export processing zones, Gwadar free zone, and special technology zones. These are the four areas where the Chinese businessmen could set up business with special fiscal and economic incentives, he maintained.

The deputy prime minister highlighted that the process of privatising certain state-owned enterprises could also be looked into from the business point of view.

He assured the safety of Chinese citizens and institutions in Pakistan and said that culprits of Dasu terrorist attack would soon be brought to justice.

About special investment facilitation council headed by the prime minister, he said that the council has been formed to facilitate and promote investment in Pakistan. He said that the council will facilitate the Chinese investors in the minimum possible time under one roof through one window.

In his welcome speech, Pakistan Ambassador to China, Khalil Hashmi informed that the embassy has done a detailed study and identified 13 sectors for the investment and asked the Chinese companies, associations and organisations to make joint efforts in going and investing in Pakistan.

The main effort is to enhance our productive capacity in exportable surplus and then they could export back to China or to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries with which Pakistan has a free trade agreement or to the European Union where we have a GST plus deal or a duty-free access to that market, he added.

The Pakistan China Business Roundtable Conference brought together different companies from China for impactful discussions and establishing new paths for business-to-business cooperation.

The conference witnessed a remarkable turnout of Chinese companies, eager to explore investment opportunities in Pakistan.

The representatives from renowned associations and organizations include the China Association for the Promotion of International Agriculture Cooperation, the China National Association for the Grain Sector, the China Shanghai Cooperation Organization Global Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area, and Pakistan China Center in Qingdao.

The businessmen from Pakistan and China and representatives of Pakistani banks based in Beijing were also present.

The roundtable conference shed light on the potential benefits of industrial relocation and technology transfer, encouraging Chinese businesses to consider establishing operations in Pakistan.

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Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that more troops would "enter Rafah" as military operations intensify in Gaza's far-southern city, in remarks issued by his office Thursday

Jerusalem, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2024) Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that more troops would "enter Rafah" as military operations intensify in Gaza's far-southern city, in remarks issued by his office Thursday.

The operation "will continue as additional forces will enter" the Rafah area, Gallant said, adding that "several tunnels in the area have been destroyed by our troops... this activity will intensify".

"Hundreds of [terror] targets have already been struck, and our forces are manoeuvring in the area," he said according to a statement released by his office after he visited Rafah the previous day.

Israeli forces took control earlier in May of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, in a push launched in defiance of US warnings that around 1.4 million civilians sheltering there could be caught in the crossfire.

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has said "600,000 people have fled Rafah since military operations intensified" in Rafah.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to launch a full-scale ground operation in Rafah in a bid to dismantle the remaining battalions of Hamas.

Gallant said that the military's offensive against Hamas had hit the militant group hard.

"Hamas is not an organisation that can reorganise, it does not have reserve troops, it has no supply stocks and no ability to treat the terrorists that we target," he said.

"The result is that we are wearing Hamas down."

However, Israel's top ally the United States has warned that it had not seen any credible Israeli plan to protect civilians in Rafah.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC on Sunday that "Israel's on the trajectory, potentially, to inherit an insurgency with many armed Hamas left or, if it leaves, a vacuum filled by chaos, filled by anarchy and probably refilled by Hamas".

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Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that the progress in China-Russia relations is attributable to the two countries' commitment to the five principles of mutual respect, win-win cooperation, lasting friendship, strategic coordination, fairness and justice

BEIJING, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2024) Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that the progress in China-Russia relations is attributable to the two countries' commitment to the five principles of mutual respect, win-win cooperation, lasting friendship, strategic coordination, fairness and justice.

President Xi made the remarks during a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, following their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, CGTN reported.

Describing the talks as "sincere and cordial," Xi said they had a comprehensive review of the successful experience in developing the China-Russia relationship over the past 75 years since establishing diplomatic ties.

The China-Russia relationship has become a prime example of a new form of international relations as well as good-neighbourly relations between the two major countries, Xi told reporters.

Non-alliance, non-confrontation, not targeting any third party President Xi said China and Russia are committed to mutual respect as the fundamental principle of relations and always render support for each other's core interests.

Xi said he and Putin agree that the key to the two countries finding a new path to growing relations between major and neighbouring countries lies in mutual respect and equality, as well as steadfast mutual support on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns.

"This is central to the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era," he said.

The two sides will uphold the principles of non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party, Xi added.

China and Russia will continue to deepen two-way political trust, respect each other's choice of development path, and realize development and revitalization with each other's firm support, he said.

China and Russia are committed to win-win cooperation as the driving force of relations and work to foster a new paradigm of mutual benefit, Xi said.

Last year, the two-way trade exceeded $240 billion, close to 2.7 times that of a decade ago, he noted. "This is a good indication of the all-round cooperation of mutual benefit that continues to deepen between the two countries", he said.

Xi stressed that he and Putin agree that the two countries need to look for areas where their interests converge, tap into their comparative strengths, deepen the integration of interests and enable each other's success.

The two countries need to make further structural improvements to their cooperation, consolidate the good momentum in trade and other traditional areas of cooperation, support the formation of platforms and networks for basic research, continue to unlock cooperation potential in frontier areas, step up cooperation on ports, transportation and logistics, and help keep the global industrial and supply chains stable, he said.

President Xi said that China and Russia are committed to lasting friendship as the foundation of relations and carry forward the torch of Sino-Russian friendship.

Both China and Russia have a long history and a splendid culture, he said.

"The works of Pushkin and Tolstoy are household Names in China, and Peking Opera and tai chi are much loved by the Russian people," said Xi.

By focusing on implementing the Roadmap for China-Russia Cooperation on People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges Before 2030, the two countries are expanding people-to-people and cultural ties, he said.

Xi and Putin have also set 2024 and 2025 as China-Russia Years of Culture.

The two sides have proposed a series of cultural activities that are down to earth, close to people's hearts and popular among them, and encouraged closer interactions between various sectors and at subnational levels, so as to enhance mutual understanding and affinity between the two peoples, Xi said.

China and Russia are committed to strategic coordination as an underpinning of relations and steering global governance in the right direction, President Xi stressed.

The two countries are firmly committed to safeguarding the UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law, he said.

Xi said China and Russia should stay in close coordination and collaboration on multilateral platforms such as the UN, APEC and G20, and advance multipolarity and economic globalization in the spirit of true multilateralism.

With Russia chairing BRICS this year and China taking over the chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization later this year, the two sides will support each other's chairmanship, build a high-quality partnership that is more comprehensive, close, practical and inclusive, and build the unity and strength of the Global South, he said.

President Xi said China and Russia are committed to fairness and justice as the purpose of relations and dedicated to the political settlement of hotspots.

The Cold War mentality still exists, and unilateralism, hegemonism, bloc confrontation and power politics threaten world peace and the security of all countries, he said.

The two presidents are of the view that it is urgent to solve the Palestine-Israel conflict, he noted.

The UN resolutions must be earnestly implemented, and the question of Palestine must be solved on the basis of the two-state solution, said Xi.

The two sides believe that a political settlement is the right way forward for the Ukraine crisis.

China's position on the issue is consistent and clear, including observing the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, respecting the legitimate security concerns of all parties, and building a new security architecture that is balanced, effective and sustainable, Xi said.

"China hopes that peace and stability will return to the European continent at an early date and stands ready to play a constructive role to this end," he said.

On Thursday, the Chinese and Russian presidents also signed and issued the Joint Statement of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination for the New Era in the Context of the 75th Anniversary of China-Russia Diplomatic Relations.

The leaders also witnessed the signing of a number of intergovernmental and interagency cooperation documents.

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Tunisian President Kais Saied on Thursday criticised foreign "interference" after an international backlash over recent arrests of journalists, political commentators, and lawyers, which he defended as lawful

Tunis, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2024) Tunisian President Kais Saied on Thursday criticised foreign "interference" after an international backlash over recent arrests of journalists, political commentators, and lawyers, which he defended as lawful.

Civil society in the North African country condemned the arrests as a crackdown on dissent in the country that saw the onset of the Arab Spring.

Saied, who seized sweeping powers in 2021, ordered the foreign ministry to summon ambassadors of several countries and inform them that "Tunisia is an independent state", in a video released by his office.

The European Union expressed concern this week over the arrests, while the United States said they contradicted the universal rights guaranteed by the country's constitution.

On Thursday, hundreds, including lawyers and activists, protested in Tunis over the arrests of lawyers Sonia Dahmani and Mehdi Zagrouba during police raids on the national bar association on Saturday and Monday.

Demonstrators gathered near the main courthouse in the capital, where police prevented journalists from entering the building at the prosecutor's request, as reported by media outlets.

Videos on social media showed black-robed lawyers chanting "Freedom!" and "The police state belongs in the past!", referring to the era before dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's ouster in 2011.

-'Regression'-

Several prominent pundits, journalists, lawyers and civil society figures in Tunisia have been arrested in recent days.

Late Saturday, masked police raided the bar association and detained lawyer and political commentator Dahmani.

That same night, broadcaster Borhen Bssais and political commentator Mourad Zeghidi were also taken into custody.

On Monday, Zagrouba, the second lawyer, was forcibly arrested at the association's headquarters and was subsequently hospitalised.

Bassem Trifi, head of the Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights, had said he and the president of bar, Hatem Meziou, saw "obvious traces of violence and torture" on Zagrouba's body.

Amnesty International said Thursday "alarming information has emerged indicating that Tunisian lawyer Mehdi Zagrouba was tortured in police custody after his arrest".

The rights group called on authorities provide Zagrouba "immediate access to medical care" and to open "an independent and impartial investigation into the allegations and bring those responsible to justice".

Earlier in the day, the interior ministry had denied the allegations, saying they "show a desire to escape from justice" and that it would take legal action against those looking to discredit ongoing legal procedures.

Meziou on Tuesday called for an end to "the abuse of power" and "violence" targeting lawyers.

He described the police raids on the bar association as unlawful and urged Saied to intervene.

- Saied defends arrests -

But Saied said Thursday that "the bar association is located on Tunisian soil and is not subject to an extraterritorial regime so that anyone can hide there", referring to the two lawyers who had sought refuge inside before being arrested.

Saied said the arrests took place "in full respect for Tunisian law, which guarantees equality and the right to a fair trial".

Many of the arrests came under Decree 54, a law ratified by Saied in 2022, which punishes "spreading false information" with up to five years in prison.

Since it came into force, more than 60 journalists, lawyers and opposition figures have been prosecuted, according to the National Union of Tunisian Journalists.

Additionally, around 40 public figures including eight of Saied's political opponents, former ministers, and businessmen, are currently detained as part of an investigation into a "plot against the state security".

In January, Human Rights Watch said Tunisia saw "further regression in terms of human rights and the rule of law during 2023 in the absence of genuine checks and balances on President Kais Saied's power".

"The government has taken new steps to muzzle free speech, prosecute dissent and crack down on migrants and asylum seekers," it added.

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The US military said Thursday it expected around 500 tons of aid to enter Gaza in the coming days after an emergency pier was affixed to the shore in the war-ravaged territory

Washington, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2024) The US military said Thursday it expected around 500 tons of aid to enter Gaza in the coming days after an emergency pier was affixed to the shore in the war-ravaged territory.

"Just a few hours ago, the pier was successfully affixed to the beach in Gaza," said Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, deputy commander of US Central Command.

"I think we're going to get about 500 tons in the next couple of days. It's a pretty substantial amount, and it's spread out over multiple ships right now," Cooper told reporters.

The humanitarian assistance is being screened in Cyprus and loaded by truck. Once on land, it will "move quickly" being offloaded from the coast into Gaza within hours.

"Thousands of tons of aid are in the pipeline.

We're seeing significant volume of aid flow into Cyprus for further distribution," he told reporters.

President Joe Biden announced the emergency pier in March to address the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, where the United Nations has warned of famine with virtually the entire population displaced by the Israeli military action in response to the October 7 attack.

Cooper said that around 1,000 US soldiers and sailors were involved in the operation but that they were only involved in the pier and not in delivery -- which will be handled through the United Nations.

Three additional US military ships will join the relief effort in coming days, with Britain also providing a vessel, Cooper said.
The 12-month grace period for student loan borrowers ended on September 30. The "on-ramp" period helped borrowers who are struggling to make payments avoid the risk of defaulting and hurting their credit score.

"The end of the on-ramp period means the beginning of the potentially harsh consequences for student loan borrowers who are not able to make payments," said Persis Yu, Deputy Executive Director at the Student Borrower Protection Center.

Around 43 million Americans have student loan debt, amounting to $1.5 trillion. Around eight million of those borrowers had enrolled in the SAVE plan, the newest income-driven repayment plan that extended the eligibility for borrowers to have affordable monthly student loan payments. However, this plan is currently on hold due to legal challenges.

With the on-ramp period and a separate program known as Fresh Start ending and the SAVE plan on hold, student loan borrowers who are struggling to afford their monthly payments have fewer options, added Yu. Student loan borrowers who haven't been able to afford their monthly payments must consider their options to avoid going into default.

If you have student loans, here's what you need to know.

What was the on-ramp period?

The Education Department implemented this grace period to ease the borrower's transition to make payments after a three-year payment pause during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this year-long period, borrowers were encouraged to keep making payments since interest continued to accumulate.

"Normally, loans will default if you fall about nine months behind on making payments, but during this on-ramp period, missed payments would not move people towards defaulting and then being subject to forced collections. However, if you missed payments, you still be falling behind ultimately on repaying your loans," said Abby Shaforth, director of National Consumer Law Center's Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project.

Since this grace period has ended, student loan borrowers who don't make payments will go delinquent or, if their loans are not paid for nine months, go into default.

Borrowers who cannot afford to make payments can apply for deferment or forbearance, which pause payments, though interest continues to accrue.

What happens if I don't make my payments?

Borrowers who can't or don't pay risk delinquency and eventually default. That can badly hurt your credit rating and make you ineligible for additional aid and government benefits.

If a borrower missed one month's payment, they will start receiving email notifications, said Shaforth. Once the loan hasn't been paid for three months, loan servicers notify to the credit reporting agencies that the loan is delinquent, affecting your credit history. Once the borrower hasn't paid the loan for nine months, the loan goes into default.

If you're struggling to pay, advisers first encourage you to check if you qualify for an income-driven repayment plan, which determines your payments by looking at your expenses. You can see whether you qualify by visiting the Federal Student Aid website. If you've worked for a government agency or a non-profit organization, you could also be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which forgives student debt after 10 years.

What happens when a loan goes into default?

When you fall behind on a loan by 270 days  roughly nine months  the loan appears on your credit report as being in default.

Once a loan is in default, it goes into collections. This means the government can garnish wages (without a court order) to go towards paying back the loan, intercept tax refunds, and seize portions of Social Security checks and other benefit payments.

What if I can't pay?

If your budget doesn't allow you to resume payments, it's important to know how to navigate the possibility of default and delinquency on a student loan. Both can hurt your credit rating, which would make you ineligible for additional aid.

If you're in a short-term financial bind, you may qualify for deferment or forbearance  allowing you to temporarily suspend payment.

To determine whether deferment or forbearance are good options for you, you can contact your loan servicer. One thing to note: interest still accrues during deferment or forbearance. Both can also impact potential loan forgiveness options. Depending on the conditions of your deferment or forbearance, it may make sense to continue paying the interest during the payment suspension.

What is an income-driven repayment plan?

The U.S. Education Department offers several plans for repaying federal student loans. Under the standard plan, borrowers are charged a fixed monthly amount that ensures all their debt will be repaid after 10 years. But if borrowers have difficulty paying that amount, they can enroll in one of several plans that offer lower monthly payments based on income and family size. Those are known as income-driven repayment plans.

Income-driven options have been offered for years and generally cap monthly payments at 10% of a borrower's discretionary income. If a borrower's earnings are low enough, their bill is reduced to $0. And after 20 or 25 years, any remaining debt gets erased.

What is the latest with the SAVE program?

In August, the Supreme Court kept on hold the SAVE plan, the income-driven repayment plan that would have lowered payments for millions of borrowers, while lawsuits make their way through lower courts.

Eight million borrowers who had already enrolled in the SAVE plan don't have to pay their monthly student loan bills until the court case is resolved. Debt that already had been forgiven under the plan was unaffected.

The next court hearing about this case will be held on October 15.

What happened with the Fresh Start program?

The Fresh Start program, which gave benefits to borrowers who were delinquent prior to the pandemic payment pause, also closed on September 30. During this limited program, student loan borrowers who were in default prior to the pandemic were given the opportunity to remove their loans from default, allowing them to enroll in income-driven payment plans, or apply for deferment, among other benefits.
Israels defense minister Yoav Gallant said additional Israeli troops would enter Rafah as military operations escalate in southern Gaza, in remarks issued by his office Thursday.

The operation will continue as additional forces will enter the Rafah area, Gallant said. Several tunnels in the area have been destroyed by our troops, he added. This activity will intensify.

Hamas is not an organization that can reorganize, it does not have reserve troops, it has no supply stocks and no ability to treat the terrorists that we target, Gallant said. The result is that we are wearing Hamas down.

Israeli forces earlier this month took control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, despite objections from Israels key ally the United States over concerns about civilian safety.

According to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, 600,000 people have fled Rafah since military operations intensified there. Meanwhile in northern Gaza, recent Israeli evacuation orders have so far displaced at least 100,000 people, according to the UN.

The United States has expressed concern about the lack of any reliable Israeli strategy to protect civilians in Rafah, while Israel has depicted the southern Gaza city as the last Hamas stronghold.

On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC that Israels on the trajectory, potentially, to inherit an insurgency with many armed Hamas left or, if it leaves, a vacuum filled by chaos, filled by anarchy and probably refilled by Hamas.

The Egyptian government has also expressed concern about Israeli operations in Rafah, with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi saying on Thursday that Israel has sought to "solidify its siege on the Gaza Strip by taking the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing.

Addressing an Arab League summit in Bahrain, the Egyptian president also accused Israel of sabotaging cease-fire negotiations. Egypt is one of the primary mediators between Israel and Hamas.

Israel continues to engage in evasive actions to shirk its responsibilities and in devious maneuvering, around efforts to achieve a cease-fire, he said.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill that would compel President Joe Biden to send weapons to Israel. Biden has sought to delay bomb shipments over concerns that Israel isnt doing enough to protect civilians in the war. The act is not expected to pass into law but highlights political divides over the U.S. response to the war.

Spain, however, declined permission for a ship carrying weapons to Israel to dock at a Spanish port, Foreign Ministry Jose Manuel Albares said on Thursday.

The foreign ministry will systematically reject such stopovers for one obvious reason. The Middle East does not need more weapons, it needs more peace, he told reporters.

Israels military said earlier Thursday five of its troops were killed by Israeli tank fire in the northern Gaza Strip.

The military cited tank crossfire in the incident and said three other soldiers were injured.

The deaths bring the number of Israeli troops killed to 273 since the war began in October.

Also Thursday, the U.S. military reported that the installation of a temporary pier anchored to a beach in Gaza was complete, which will allow for a new route to bring humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

U.S. Central Command said aid trucks are expected to begin moving ashore in the coming days, and that the United Nations will be in charge of receiving shipments and coordinating distribution.

The new maritime aid route involves several steps, with aid first undergoing inspection and security checks in Cyprus. Loads are then being taken to a U.S.-built floating pier off the Gaza coast and transferred onto trucks, with smaller boats taking the trucks to the newly anchored pier on the Gaza coastline.

The arrangement is part of an effort to boost what aid organizations say is a vastly insufficient amount of food, medicine and other supplies for Palestinian civilians. Some aid groups have said the maritime corridor is not the best solution, arguing that boosting flows of aid through land crossings would be far more effective.

Gallant assailed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday for failing to devise a plan to govern Gaza after the end of Israels war with Hamas. But the Israeli leader said it was pointless to do so until the militants are defeated.

In an unusual rift between the two leaders, Gallant said in a televised statement that he is opposed to the establishment of either Israeli military or civilian control of the narrow Gaza Strip along the Mediterranean Sea that is home to about 2.3 million Palestinians.

Since October, I have been raising this issue consistently in the Cabinet, and have received no response," Gallant said.

"I call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make a decision and declare that Israel will not establish civilian control over the Gaza Strip," Gallant said, calling for an immediate "governing alternative to Hamas.

With the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and Israels subsequent ongoing counteroffensive on Hamas militants in Gaza, Netanyahu has repeatedly declined to lay out a post-war plan for governance in Gaza.

The United States, Israels chief arms supplier, has called for a revitalized Palestinian Authority to govern both Gaza and the West Bank in a two-state solution, Palestine alongside Israel.

But Netanyahu and his right-wing governing coalition adamantly oppose such a solution. The prime minister said any discussion of how Gaza should be ruled after the seven-month war was just "empty talk" if Hamas remains in the territory.

"The first condition for preparing the ground for another entity is to destroy Hamas, and to do so without making excuses," Netanyahu said in the statement posted on his Telegram channel.

Gallant said the current military action in Gaza needed to be followed by political action.



"The day after Hamas will only be achieved with Palestinian entities taking control of Gaza, accompanied by international actors, establishing a governing alternative to Hamas' rule," he said.

"This, above all, is an interest of the state of Israel, Gallant said.

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a member of Netanyahu's ruling coalition, attacked Gallant over his views. Ben-Gvir characterized Gallant as the minister of defense who failed on October 7 and continues to fail today. Such a minister of defense must be replaced in order to achieve the goals of the war, he said.

The war was triggered by the October Hamas terror attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of about 250 hostages, according to Israeli officials.

Israels subsequent counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 35,200 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which includes civilians and combatants in its count, but says most of the dead are women and children.

Israel says it has killed more than 14,000 militants and around 16,000 civilians.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters
Chad's constitutional council was expected on Thursday to declare final results of the May 6 presidential election and name transitional president General Mahamat Idriss Deby as the winner. This despite calls for annulment of the polls due to what the opposition says was massive fraud. Analysts say uncertainty lies ahead as tensions remain high.

Residents of N'djamena, say that since Wednesday night, there has been a massive deployment of troops on streets and what they call the capital city's strategic locations and neighborhoods considered to be opposition strongholds.

Twenty-four-year-old Abdoul Koulemann is a student at the University of N'djamena. He spoke with VOA on Thursday morning via a messaging app.

Koulemann says business has been at a standstill in N'djamena since Chad's constitutional council announced on Wednesday night that results of the central Africa states May 6 presidential elections are to be proclaimed on Thursday.

Koulemann says the presence of heavily armed troops deployed by Chad's military government all over N'djamena scares civilians. He says streets are empty because civilians have decided to remain in their houses as tension is perceived in the city.

Last week, Chads Elections Management Body, or ANGE, announced that Mahamat Deby had won the May 6 election with 61 percent of votes.

Monday, several opposition candidates filed petitions with the constitutional council challenging the official results. They say there was massive electoral fraud, including the stuffing of ballot boxes and soldiers chasing opposition representatives from polling stations. Prime Minister Succes Masra, who finished second with 18 percent, says voters were intimidated and arrested.

Deby calls the allegations unfounded.

Deby earlier this week said he is now the president of all Chadians, including candidates who did not win the May 6 polls. He says he is now concentrating in respecting his electoral promises, especially bringing back peace to Chad.

Opposition and civil society groups say they are also surprised over the council's announcement that it was ready to finalize the election results without ruling on the petitions.

Electoral laws give the council until May 21 to rule on the petitions, according to the opposition.

The council has already said that election-day incidents like fighting and the late arrival of ballot boxes to polling stations were not enough to influence the outcome of the vote.

Beral Mbaikoubou is spokesperson for an opposition party, the Movement of Chad Patriots for the Republic, or MPTR.

He says it is now evident that Chad may descend into violence and chaos after Thursdays proclamation of definitive results by the constitutional council because Deby rigged elections by falsifying results sheets and intimidating civilians with his military. He says the results declared by ANGE and to be confirmed by Chad's constitutional council were prepared by Deby, who wants to confiscate power.

Mbaikoubou said civilians should stay at home to avoid confrontations with the military, which he says was deployed by Deby to crack down on people protesting election results.

Deby took power in April 2021 as leader of a transitional government after his father, Idriss Deby Itno, who had ruled Chad for more than three decades, died fighting northern rebels.

Lydie Beassemda is the only female who contested the polls. Speaking on Chadian state TV Thursday, she said that by confiscating power, Deby is failing to show love for the country. She says Chad is becoming a Deby dynasty.

She says her Party for Integral Democracy and Independence wants military leaders to note that Deby is not Chad's democratically elected president and civilians have so far decided not to violently protest against stolen victory because they want peace in the volatile nation. She says angry Chadians may react violently if government troops continue to provoke civilians whose victory is stolen.

The Economic Community of Central African states, or CEEAC says Chadians should avoid chaos by protesting peacefully if they feel cheated in the elections.
China and Cambodia kicked off annual military drills Thursday with a stated goal to strengthen cooperation and trust between the countries forces.

But many countries, including the United States, are worried about Chinas growing influence in Cambodia.

The 15-day military exercises, called Golden Dragon, include 1,315 personnel from Cambodia and 760 from China, along with 11 Cambodian ships and three Chinese ships.

The ground and sea maneuvers began at a Cambodian military base northwest of Phnom Penh.

The exercise aims to train forces to fight terrorism and provide humanitarian relief in both countries, Cambodian army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Thong Solimo said.

Cambodian General Vong Pisen thanked China for financing new military equipment and assisting upgrades to military facilities like the Ream Naval Base, on the coast of southwestern Cambodia.

The United States and international security analysts have expressed concern about Chinas involvement in the base, warning the spot could become a strategic outpost for Beijing's navy.

Two Chinese warships have been docked at a new pier of the naval base since December. The corvettes are set to participate in the Golden Dragon drills, including maritime maneuvers near the Ream Naval Base.

Carlyle Thayer, professor emeritus at the University of New South Wales Canberra, said that Western maritime nations should worry if Chinese forces become permanently lodged in Cambodia.

This would open another forward operating base for China to exert influence over the water off Vietnams southern coast and the Gulf of Thailand, he told VOA Mandarin.

Cambodias defense ministry said earlier this month that the five-month-long presence of the ships does not indicate the permanent deployment of Chinese forces.

We have been clear that Cambodia is not allowing any foreign forces to be deployed on its territory, defense ministry spokesperson Gen. Chhum Socheat told the Associated Press. That wont happen; that point is in our Constitution, and we are fully following it.

Nguyen Khac Giang, visiting fellow at Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, says Chinas presence at the Ream Naval Base likely will be permanent.

Phnom Penh may argue that the Chinese vessels present there are not permanent, but in practice, this will be the reality on the ground, he told VOA Mandarin.

Vong Pisen, speaking alongside Gao Xiucheng, deputy chief of staff of the Southern Theater Commander of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, said Cambodia and Chinas friendship is still firm and unbreakable.

China is Cambodias most important economic and political partner. Cambodia has received billions of dollars in investments from China and owes more than 40% of its $10 billion in foreign debt to China.

The countries have held their annual Golden Dragon drills together since 2016. Cambodias government called off similar military exercises with the U.S., called Angkor Sentinel, in January 2017.

The United States respects Cambodias sovereignty in choosing its partnerships but encourages a diversity of military partners and transparency on activities that potentially impact the region, Holzer Wesley, spokesperson of the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, told VOA Khmer.

Chhengpor Aun, research fellow at Cambodian research group Future Forum, says Cambodia could benefit from improved defense relations with the U.S.

The question is whether the U.S. still thinks Cambodia is worth fighting for, he told VOA Mandarin.

VOAs Khmer Service correspondent Sun Narin in Cambodia and VOA's Mandarin Service correspondent Xiaoshan Xue contributed to this report. Some material in came from The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
China on Wednesday hailed its "ironclad" relationship with Pakistan and vowed to further enhance economic and anti-terrorism security cooperation between the neighboring countries at a bilaterial strategic dialogue in Beijing.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi renewed the pledge at a news conference after hosting formal talks with his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, who concurrently serves as deputy prime minister.

Broadcast live by Pakistan's state-run TV, the media talk comes just weeks after a suicide car bombing in northwestern Pakistan killed five Chinese engineers who were working on a hydropower project. Their local driver also was killed.

The Pakistani military said this month that its probe into the March 26 attack revealed that an Afghan national carried it out and terrorists based in Afghanistan had planned it.

Wang stated that the Pakistani side promised to make every effort to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to justice. Chinese state media quoted him as expressing hope that Islamabad would ensure "the safety of Chinese personnel, projects, and institutions in Pakistan, and eliminate the worries of Chinese enterprises and personnel."

Dar said that the dialogue with Wang also reviewed the Afghan situation, and both sides agreed that peace and stability in the war-ravaged neighboring country are crucial for regional development, connectivity, and prosperity.

"We are concerned about the continued presence of terrorist entities operating in Afghanistan and call upon the Afghan interim government to take credible and verifiable actions against such elements using Afghan soil to threaten the peace and security of the neighboring countries," the Pakistani foreign minister said.

Wang calls for 'united front'

Islamabad maintains that the Pakistani Taliban, formally known as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, was behind the car bombing and other attacks in the country, alleging that the terrorist outfit is being facilitated by Taliban authorities in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan's ruling Taliban leaders reject allegations that Afghan soil was used in the attack against the Chinese workers. They reiterated that no one is permitted to threaten other countries, including Pakistan, from Afghanistan.

Wang said, without mentioning Afghanistan, that Beijing "is willing to further deepen counter-terrorism security cooperation" with Islamabad. Without elaborating further, he called on the international community to "eradicate the breeding ground for terrorism" through a "united front" against the threat.

The China-Pakistan dialogue comes one day after a new report warned that power vacuums in Afghanistan created in the wake of U.S.-led allied troop departures are fueling the resurgence of transnational terrorist groups, including TTP.

"The post-U.S. withdrawal environment in Afghanistan offers terrorist groups a range of new opportunities for regrouping, plotting, and collaborating with one another," said the study conducted by the U.S. Institute for Peace, based in Washington.

Beijing 'ready to work'

Wang said Wednesday that Beijing is ready to work with Islamabad to advance the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor or CPEC. The Chinese-funded multibillion-dollar collaboration has built roads, highways, power plants, and ports as part of President Xi Jinping's global Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Dar insisted the decade-long CPEC undertaking "has transformed Pakistan's economic landscape by eliminating power outages and developing a robust infrastructure network, thus laying a strong foundation for Pakistan's future development."

Pakistan's foreign minister noted that the two sides agreed to "further upgrade and expand" CPEC cooperation.

In a recent speech in Islamabad, Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong referred to CPEC as a pilot project of BRI and said it had brought more than $25 billion in direct investment, created 155,000 direct job opportunities, and built 510 kilometers (316.8 miles) of expressways, 8,000 megawatts of electricity, and 886 kilometers (550.5 miles) of core transmission grids to Pakistan.

Some critics attribute cash-strapped Pakistan's deepening economic challenges to CPEC-related Chinese investments and loans. A $3 billion International Monetary Fund loan helped the South Asian nation narrowly avoid default on its foreign debt payments last year.
One by one, the charges lodged against those arrested at an encampment of anti-war protesters at the University of Virginia earlier this month are being dropped.

Kristen Finn, a local freelance photographer, was among the 27 people arrested on May 4 when UVa administrators called in Virginia State Police to break up the small encampment that had been quietly protesting Israel's ongoing war in Gaza for four days.

Although she was among the crowd of onlookers, supporters, counterprotesters and media that had gathered at the scene and not sitting within the camp itself, Finn faced the most serious of the charges: assaulting an officer. The other 26, mostly students, faculty and alumni, were charged with trespassing.

On Wednesday, Albemarle County dropped the charges against Finn  and five others.

According to a criminal complaint written by an Albemarle County police officer, Finn assaulted his colleague while police were pushing members of the public off Grounds on May 4. Three days later, Finn's arrest and her charges were highlighted by UVa Chief Operating Officer J.J. Davis during a "virtual town hall" hosted by the school's administration to underscore the threat the scene posed to the university community.

But multiple witnesses, as well as video evidence, refuted the officers account and the alleged danger Finn posed to the public, which may have ultimately resulted in her case being thrown out.

It was very clear that the charge was a lie and the prosecutor had no choice, UVa professor Geeta Patel, who was in the courtroom Wednesday morning and witnessed Finns arrest, told The Daily Progress. I really think that the prosecutor did absolutely the right thing, because there was no evidence, none.

Patel, who is older and walks with a cane, said Finn was helping her move out of the way on May 4.

The officers account of the incident claims that Finn was impeding the dispersant of protestors.

While an officer was attempting to push Ms. Finn back, she pushed back against ACPD officer Kirby and punched him, the officer wrote in his paperwork.

Ryan Lanford, a fourth-year UVa student and a photographer for the student newspaper the Cavalier Daily, witnessed Finns arrest and saw nothing of the sort.

It was an interesting use of force, Lanford said, corroborating Patels account that Finn was attempting to help Patel and keep her from being pushed by police.

She was definitely grabbed and pulled behind the police line, Lanford said. I did not see her punch an officer. Her back was turned when she was pulled down. At most, Id say she might have bumped [an officer] when they were pushing forward, but I wouldnt say it was intentional.

Video of the arrest does not show Finn punching anyone. She appears to be facing Patel and speaking to her calmly, her back to police, when an officer grabs her by the arms and yanks her behind the police line before putting her in handcuffs.

Finn was not the only arrestee who saw her charges dropped Wednesday in Albemarle County court. Five of the other individuals arrested May 4 had their cases thrown out, including a local freelance journalist.

I can now say, without fear that I might get myself in trouble somehow, that this was complete bulls--t! Evan Urquhart wrote on X. I greatly respect the protesters, but I wasn't one of them. I clearly identified myself as press, both with a handmade badge and verbally to the officers.

Fifteen other arrestees have agreed to take plea deals. They will need to remain on good behavior until Aug. 15 and then pay a court fee of less than $100 before they have their cases dismissed.

Attorney Jeff Fogel is representing one of the UVa students who took such a deal. He said his client had plans to leave the country and accepted the deal so she would not be burdened by the case.

The remaining six individuals who were arrested May 4 will have a hearing on July 16. By choosing not to take a plea deal, they will have the opportunity to see what evidence the prosecution has in its case. They can then make a decision on whether they want to take a deal or move to trial.

Some people felt they want to be exonerated and show UVa has no basis to do this in the first place, Fogel told The Daily Progress.

In doing so, Fogel said he believes the defendants can undercut any argument UVa may make that those who accepted plea deals did so because they are guilty.

They want to see what evidence UVa claims to have showing they did anything wrong and be exonerated after trial, Fogel said.

Patel said she was ecstatic after Wednesday's ruling.

Im very glad Finn was vindicated, because there was nothing else to be done. What else could police do but vindicate them? Patel said.

Albemarle County Commonwealths Attorney Jim Hingeley has chosen not to seek jail time for anyone arrested on May 4, in accordance with his long-standing policy not to incarcerate people facing a trespassing charge for the first time.
The U.S. military has warned that China is moving forward with development of floating nuclear reactors in the South China Sea to bolster its claim to disputed maritime territory. Analysts say the plan to build ships with mobile nuclear power sources would raise tensions with its neighbors and pose risks to the environment.

Chinese media reports described the marine nuclear power platforms as small plants inside ships that would act as mobile power banks" at sea for stationary facilities and other ships. Beijing had suspended the project a year ago over safety and effectiveness concerns, reported the South China Morning Post.

But the outgoing commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and State Department officials this month said China is still building the floating reactors to supply power to disputed islands, the Washington Post reported.

Although U.S. officials told the Post the deployment of such reactors would take several years, Admiral John Aquilino said their development would undermine regional security and stability.

The Philippines last week echoed those concerns.

Philippines National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said China would use its floating reactors to power military bases it has built on artificial islands, including those within the Philippines exclusive economic zone. He told local media that Chinas nuclear plants would further militarize disputed areas of the South China Sea.

Anything that supports their military presence in those islands is technically a threat to our national security and against our interests, he said, adding that Australia and the U.S. would be among Manilas allies conducting joint patrols in the South China Sea.

Beijing claims control over almost the entire South China Sea, putting it in dispute with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. China has already built artificial islands with airport runways to strengthen its claims.

Analysts say Beijings floating reactors would not only strengthen its military presence in the area but also give them an excuse to extend its reach through security actions.

Song Yanhui, director of the International Law Society of the Republic of China, Taiwan, told VOA the current military security zone for China's artificial islands is a radius of 500 meters (1,640 feet), meaning other aircraft and ships that enter this radius can be legitimately expelled.

Song said that if China deploys a floating nuclear power plant in the South China Sea, it could use the excuse of protecting the environment from radioactive pollution to drive away ships from a larger area or to take defensive measures.

For Beijing, he said, "It kills two birds with one stone. It is a win-win strategy. It can strengthen its military presence, civilian use and claim to sovereignty."

But the potential for radiation leaks is a real concern, say analysts.

Pankaj Jha, dean of research at the School of International Affairs of Indias Jindal Global University, told VOA Chinas lack of experience in operating such floating reactors could spell disaster.

"It is a threat because it will contaminate water and also surrounding areas, he said. Any radiation leak would make the island uninhabitable and might also impact fishermen from the South China Sea."

Analysts note in the event of conflict with China, the floating reactors could also become military targets.

China has deployed radars, anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles, and fighter jets, among other weapons, on the disputed territories of Mischief Reef, Subi Reef and Fiery Cross, the three largest artificial islands in the Spratly Islands.

Richard Fisher, senior fellow with the International Assessment and Strategy Center, told VOA floating nuclear power plants could also one day extend Chinas weapons capabilities.

"If they were protected, these nuclear power plants could also potentially power future energy weapon devices, Fisher said. Laser weapons that could knock down missiles and aircraft or very powerful microwave weapons could also disable missiles and aircraft that would get within their range."

Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, would not comment on the concerns expressed about Chinas plans to move forward with the floating nuclear power plants.

I am not aware of the particular case you have shared with us, thus could only reply in principle, he told VOA in an emailed response May 14. Chinas position on the South China Sea issue is clear and consistent. We will stay committed to properly handling disputes through dialogue and consultation with countries concerned, and would like to work with ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nation] countries to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, advance the consultation on a code of conduct in the South China Sea and jointly safeguard peace and stability in the region."

China is not the first country to look at building floating nuclear reactors.

The United States took the lead in proposing the concept and built the world's first floating nuclear power plant, the STURGIS, in the 1960s.

It became operational in 1967 and powered Panama canal operations until 1976, when the Army deemed the costs unjustifiable. Its final decommissioning was completed in 2018.

Russia is the only country that currently has a floating nuclear power plant in operation. The Akademik Lomonosov plant has been producing electricity and heating since 2020 from a harbor in Pevek, a town in the Arctic Circle.

The International Atomic Energy Agency at a November forum in Vienna expressed concern about the development of floating nuclear reactors, particularly when they cross international borders or operate in international waters.

The IAEA is working with our member states to determine what further guidance and standards might be needed to ensure the safety of floating nuclear power plants," IAEA Deputy Director General Lydie Evrard said in a press release.

The IAEA noted Canada, China, Denmark, South Korea, Russia and the U.S. are each working on marine-based small modular reactor designs.

This story was updated to correct the history of the STURGIS, a US floating nuclear platform.
Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's one-time political fixer, conceded Thursday that in years past he has been a serial liar, telling a jury at the former presidents New York criminal trial that sometimes he told lies to help Trump and other times to protect his family.

Under a withering series of questions, Trump defense attorney Todd Blanche sought to portray Cohen, the prosecutions star witness, as someone who cannot be believed, that essentially, he is dishonest, deceptive and shady.

In one instance, Cohen recalled the lies he told to a congressional panel about how many times he spoke to Trump about a planned Trump Tower construction project in Moscow that never materialized.

Cohen said the lies were intended to help Trump at the time, but Blanche asked him, You knew you were lying, correct?

Yes, Cohen responded.

On another occasion, Cohen said he lied to a federal judge in a tax evasion case because he wanted to keep his wife, Laura, from being charged in the case. He also recounted lies he had told at various times to investigators looking to probe his and Trumps actions before and during his presidency that ran from 2017 to 2021.

Blanche suggested that Cohen also lied in denying he had sought a pardon from Trump before Trump left office. Cohen replied that he had only explored the idea with his lawyer but did not pursue it with Trump.

Cohen is the prosecutions 19th and last witness against Trump and came at the end of four weeks of testimony in the first ever criminal trial of a U.S. president.

Blanche has tried to show the 12-member jury that Cohen, who turned against Trump after being his loyal minion for years, was partly motivated by revenge because Trump did not appoint him to a high-level position in his new administration when he assumed the presidency.

Cohen said that for his own ego he wanted to be considered for appointment as Trumps White House chief of staff, but acknowledged telling his daughter he was disappointed when he was bypassed. He has said he was Trumps personal attorney during the first 15 months of his presidency but did little legal work for him.

Blanche played a tape of Cohen gleefully celebrating on his podcast when Trump was indicted in the New York case a year ago.

In one clip, Cohen said he hoped that this man ends up in prison, and you better believe I want this man to go down and rot inside for what he did to me and my family.

He is about to get a taste of what I went through, and I promise you it's not fun," Cohen said on one of his podcasts.

Blanche was trying to undercut Cohens testimony earlier this week that Trump sanctioned a $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels just ahead of the 2016 election to keep voters from learning about her claim of a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier.

Just do it, Cohen quoted Trump as telling him.

The hush money payment became public knowledge in early 2018. On Thursday, Blanche elicited from Cohen that he deceptively led reporters to believe that neither the Trump Organization nor the 2016 Trump campaign had anything to do with it.

"My concern was they would expand on it to Mr. Trump personally or some other account," Cohen said. "I wanted them to believe [the claim of Trumps non-involvement] was true."

Cohen acknowledged Blanches contention that he often secretly recorded phone calls without telling the people he was talking with, including Trump one time.

In all, Cohen agreed that 95 secretly recorded calls were found on his cellphone. The recordings were not illegal because in New York only one person on a call needs to consent for it to be recorded, in this case Cohen.

But Cohen rebuffed Blanches contention that he had been dishonest about the purpose of a call he made to Keith Schiller, Trumps bodyguard, in late October 2016, to pass on the fact that he had completed the hush money payment to Daniels.

At the time, a teenager had been repeatedly pranking Cohen with unwanted phone calls, and Cohen threatened to pass on the boys phone number to the Secret Service. Cohen reported the harassing calls to Schiller, with Blanche claiming on Thursday that that was the purpose of his call, not to report to Trump that the porn star had been paid to stay silent.

Directly accusing Cohen of lying, Blanche said, You can admit it.

No sir, I cant, Cohen responded.

The trial is in recess on Friday so Trump can attend his son Barrons high school graduation in Florida. Blanches cross-examination of Cohen resumes on Monday, with prosecutors then having another opportunity to question Cohen about their version of the events surrounding the 2016 election and the extent to which Cohen has lied over the years.

Supporting the crux of the case against Trump, Cohen has testified that Trump approved repayment of the hush money to Cohen but falsified his Trump Organization records to make it appear the repayment was for Cohens legal work.

The hush money payment, Cohen testified, was aimed at influencing the outcome of the 2016 election that Trump narrowly won, not, as the Trump defense has claimed, an attempt to keep personally embarrassing information from his wife, Melania.

During that period, Cohen told the jury earlier this week, Trump twice approved reimbursement to Cohen of the hush money payment he made to Daniels, including once at the White House, after he had become president.

The deception that the money repaid to Cohen was for legal work is at the crux of the 34 charges Trump faces at the trial, that he falsified business records and that it was aimed at helping him win the election.

Trump has denied Daniels claim of a sexual encounter with him at a celebrity golf tournament and the entirety of the indictment against him.

But if convicted, Trump could be placed on probation or sentenced to up to four years in prison. He is now the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential candidate in the November election against President Joe Biden.

The question for the jurors is Cohens credibility. He pleaded guilty to a campaign finance violation in connection with the hush money payment and other offenses, including perjury for lying to a congressional panel about the Moscow project.

Cohen served 13 months in a federal prison and a year-and-a-half in home confinement.

In his initial cross-examination of Cohen on Tuesday, Blanche suggested that Cohen is not to be believed and is still obsessed with Trump, makes money by hawking anti-Trump merchandise and books he wrote about Trump, and seems intent on paying back Trump for turning his back on him.

After Cohens testimony, Trumps lawyers say they have an expert witness to testify in his defense, although the subject matter has not been disclosed.

The most significant remaining witness question is whether Trump will testify about his version of the events that have unfolded in four weeks of testimony. He has said he wants to take the witness stand, but whether he actually will is unknown.

Should Trump testify, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan has already ruled that prosecutors can question him about two civil cases he lost in the past few months for which he was ordered to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.

Only one Trump relative has occasionally shown up at the trial, his second son, Eric.

But numerous Republican congressional supporters of Trump have flown to New York in a show of support. One of them, Florida House member Matt Gaetz, was there Thursday and posted a note on the X social media platform, saying, "Standing back and standing by, Mr. President.
A summit that Switzerland hopes will pave the way for a peace process in Ukraine has drawn delegations from more than 50 countries, Swiss President Viola Amherd said Wednesday.

The neutral Swiss government was seeking a broad-based turnout from different parts of the world, and 160 invitations were sent, Amherd said at a news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz after the two met in Berlin.

Switzerland wants to persuade more countries from the so-called Global South as well as China to sign up, she added.

"This work is continuing at full speed," Amherd said.

Countries in South America, Africa and the Middle East were among those that confirmed they would come, according to Amherd, who in January agreed to host the summit at the behest of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Russia, which invaded Ukraine more than two years ago, has not been invited. Diplomats and foreign policy experts say the talks, due to be held near the Swiss city of Lucerne, are likely to focus on how to mitigate risks stemming from Moscow's invasion.

Roughly half of the countries that said they would take part were non-European, and the list of attendees was likely to keep changing until the last minute, Amherd said.

Zelenskyy, in a post on the Ukrainian presidential website, said the leaders of Georgia, Liechtenstein and Malawi told him they would be represented at the summit.

Last week, Zelenskyy said Cape Verde had become the first African country to agree to attend.

Amherd was also asked whether Switzerland would be prepared to hold off taking delivery of a Patriot missile defense system it is due to receive from the U.S. to help Ukraine get one sooner, following a German proposal.

The Swiss president said that her Cabinet had not yet debated the question, but that she was in discussion with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius about it.
Fifteen EU states have demanded a further tightening of the bloc's asylum policy, making it easier to transfer undocumented migrants to third countries, including when they are rescued at sea.

The demand, sent in a letter to the European Commission that AFP received on Thursday, comes less than a month before European Parliament elections, in which far-right anti-immigration parties are forecast to make gains.

The letter asks the European Union's executive arm to "propose new ways and solutions to prevent irregular migration to Europe."

The group includes Italy and Greece, which receive a substantial number of the people making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea to reach the EU  many seeking to escape poverty, war or persecution, according to the International Organization for Migration.

They want the EU to toughen up its recently adopted asylum pact, which introduces tighter controls on those seeking to enter the 27-nation bloc.

That reform includes speedier vetting of people arriving without documents, new border detention centers and faster deportation for rejected asylum applicants.

The 15 proposed in their letter the introduction of "mechanisms... aimed at detecting, intercepting  or in cases of distress, rescuing  migrants on the high seas and bringing them to a predetermined place of safety in a partner country outside the EU, where durable solutions for those migrants could be found."

They said it should be easier to send asylum seekers to third countries while their requests for protection are assessed.

They cited the example of a controversial deal that Italy has struck with non-EU Albania, under which Rome can send thousands of asylum seekers plucked from Italian waters to holding camps in the Balkan country until their cases are processed.

The concept in EU asylum law of what constitutes "safe third countries" should be reassessed, they continued.

Safe country debate

EU law stipulates that people arriving in the bloc without documents can be sent to a third country, where they could have requested asylum  so long as that country is deemed safe and the applicant has a genuine link with it.

That would exclude schemes like the divisive law passed by the UK, which has now left the EU, enabling London to refuse all irregular arrivals the right to request asylum and send them to Rwanda.

Rights groups accuse the African country  ruled with an iron fist by President Paul Kagame since the end of the 1994 genocide that killed around 800,000 people  of cracking down on free speech and political opposition.

The 15 nations said they wanted the EU to make deals with third countries along the main migration routes, citing the example of the arrangement it made with Turkey in 2016 to take in Syrian refugees from the war in their home country.

The letter was signed by Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania.

It was not signed by Hungary, whose Prime Minister Viktor Orban has resisted EU plans to share out responsibility across the bloc for hosting asylum seekers, or to contribute to the costs of that plan.
Georgias parliament this week passed a so-called foreign influence bill. The government says the bill is needed to prevent foreign interference in its politics, but critics call it a Russian-style threat to stifle free speech.

The ruling Georgian Dream party approved the legislation despite warnings from Washington and Brussels that doing so might threaten Georgias partnership with the West.

In an interview with VOA, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, a political independent previously supported by the Georgian Dream party, characterized the law as a clear reversal of Georgias Western path that will jeopardize its bid to join the European Union.

Zourabichvili has vowed to veto the law, despite Georgian Dream having a veto-proof majority in parliament.

The following transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity:

VOA: Today, we are going to discuss a controversial foreign agent bill that was passed by the Georgian parliament. Critics argue that it mirrors a similar law in Russia designed initially to protect national sovereignty but in practice is used to target opposition voices. Madame President, why does the potential adoption of this law pose a threat to your country?

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili: Because we are at a very critical time in our traveling toward the European Union. We just got last December, the status of candidate to the European Union. That was not absolutely clear that we were going to get it, but we got it, and the population was absolutely enthusiastic about this result.

And then we see that we have the possibility by the end of the year or beginning of next year to get the next step, which is the opening of the negotiations of accession. And so it's an extremely important time. And at this very important time, we have a number of recommendations that have been presented by the European Commission that we should be working upon to get the maximum chances to open negotiations.

And instead of doing that, we see that the authorities are taking another road, which is not adopting the different reforms that we are asked to adopt, especially in the field of justice reform or anti-corruption. And on the contrary, they are representing a law that was presented last year, was said to be not conformed to European values, was criticized by the civil society, was rejected by also mass demonstrations and was taken back by the authorities with a promise to its own population that it was not going to be ever discussed or represented.

And as it happens, this was a lie, and it is represented at the worst time, because we should be working on the positive legislation that is expected from us. And we have not very many months, because by the end of June, we should have accomplished some of the steps, because the conclusion, the recommendations of the EU Commission are expected by September, October.

So time is [passing] and we're losing this time to replicate some Russian laws that the public here knows very well how it was used in Russia. It was used to limit the capacity of the civil society, to act as a civil society, to defend human rights, to defend political rights. And it was also used against the free media....

And another thing is that it's parallel with rhetoric that was restarted, I would say, two months ago, that is very critical, very anti-Western, anti-American, anti-European, accusing our partners, those that have helped Georgia to really become independent, [to] have state institutions, they're accused of  wanting to foment destabilization [in Georgia], wanting to overthrow the government.

So all of that is creating an atmosphere. And that is what the population is reacting to. It's everything together. It's not just the law  it's not one law. It's a number of laws  I've said that I would veto every law that goes against spirit and the letter of the recommendations of the European Commission.

VOA: Madam President, just to clarify, can you and will you veto this legislation?

Zourabichvili: Yes, I can veto and I'm telling you that I vetoed the six laws for the same reasons, that they were anti-European values and not going in the right direction. And I announced that, and I will do the same with this one, which is clearly not in line, as I've said [to] all our partners very clearly, loud and clear, that this does not conform to European values and recommendations.

So I will veto it. And it will be a veto that will be [overridden], because the majority is in the hands of the ruling [Georgian Dream] party. But this veto is a representation of the voice of the population that is on the streets. It is symbolic as much as this opposition is symbolic.

And from then on, we have to move to the only way out and way back, I would say, to our European integration path, which are elections, elections in which a new majority has to come in  that will abolish the laws that are going against the European integration.

VOA: Madam President, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre recently expressed deep concern over this legislation, stating that its passage would necessitate a fundamental reassessment of U.S. relations with Georgia. What's your reaction to that statement?

Zourabichvili: Well, my reaction is the same. I had the visit yesterday. We had the visit of Mr. O'Brien [Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien] also representing the State Department, who came specifically to Georgia to see what was happening and tell us what was the position of the United States.

We had today many visits of our European partners, ministers of different Scandinavian countries, and there are other visits that are [impending]. So it's very clear that the position of our partners is well-known, is the same, that this law does not conform to European values. ...

Now my position is that any reaction of our partners, whether American or Europeans, reacting to this law and to other laws in terms of opposing our [EU] candidate status or imposing some sanctions on visas, for instance, [on Georgians], it's something that should wait for what is a democratic moment, which are elections. Elections will determine what the population wants. 

If the Georgian population, which I don't think will happen, decides that it doesn't want to continue on that European path, then yes, clearly reactions [are] to be expected from our partners. Individual sanctions are something I do not comment upon  that is up to the individual nations or organizations to decide. ...

But today  the vast majority of the pro-European Georgians need the support of our international partners. 

What everybody has to understand today is that for the Georgian population, for everyone here today, Georgian independence is equated to the European path and to Western integration, to Euro-Atlantic integration. We know that if we lose that support and that community, we remain isolated in front of Russia. And that means  independence will be at stake.

That's why there is such a strong support for the European path. Maybe not everyone understands the intricacies of what the European Union is about, about the process of accession, but everyone understands that our freedom, our independence and our future is linked to Europe.

VOA: There is a growing discussion about potential modifications to this law to mitigate its damaging effects. Can the Georgian Dream party be trusted in this process?

Zourabichvili: For me and for the vast majority of the people that are demonstrating on the streets, no. You do not trust somebody that has presented a law, then rejected it, then promised that it will not happen again, and then reintroduced it without any logical need, any political need.  So it's just a confrontation with one's own population for no good reason. It's just pushing towards more polarization for no good reason. And I don't think that what is intrinsically bad can be amended.
A 2023 Transparency International report found that most African nations have shown little progress in the fight against government corruption. Civil society groups in Ghana, however, are taking up the challenge to expose corruption and push for action. Isaac Kaledzi has more from the capital, Accra.
A Guatemalan court on Wednesday granted a prominent journalist and corruption critic a conditional release in a case of alleged graft, though he must clear another legal hurdle before being freed from prison.

Jose Ruben Zamora has rejected money-laundering accusations against him as retaliation for his newspaper's reporting on alleged government corruption under former right-wing President Alejandro Giammattei.

A criminal court granted the 67-year-old home detention while awaiting a retrial on those charges, its president, Veronica Ruiz, announced.

The three judges decided there was no danger of Zamora fleeing or obstructing the investigation and criminal proceedings against him.

However, he will not be freed from the military barracks in Guatemala City until a separate obstruction-of-justice case against him is resolved.

Zamora told journalists after the ruling that he was waiting for a hearing date in that case, which he said he believed would be "dismissed and I can go home."

In October 2023, an appeals court overturned a six-year prison sentence for Zamora  founder of the now-shuttered El Periodico  and ordered a new trial.

A date has not yet been set.

Press freedom and rights groups have denounced his prosecution as a "witch hunt."

On Tuesday, Colombia's prestigious Gabo Foundation named Zamora the winner of its annual journalism award for his "tenacious and courageous professional work."

Jose Carlos Zamora, the journalist's son, told Agence France-Presse in an interview on Wednesday that his father had suffered "torture" in prison during Giammattei's government.

The younger Zamora, who now lives in Miami with his mother and brother, said his father saw prison "as part of his work" and that it "helped expose abuses of power in Guatemala."

Giammattei has been accused by rights groups of overseeing a crackdown on anti-graft prosecutors and journalists during his term, which ended in January.

He was replaced by President Bernardo Arevalo, an underdog anti-corruption campaigner who overcame attempts by the political establishment to block his inauguration.
A former Iranian minister has been sentenced to three years in jail for corruption, state media reported on Wednesday, citing the judiciary, in a rare conviction of a senior government official.

"Following a trial, former Agriculture Minister Javad Sadatinejad was sentenced to three years in prison," said Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, as quoted by the official Iran newspaper.

Sadatinejad was agriculture minister from August 2021 to April 2022, when he resigned after the case came to light. He had previously been a deputy for the central city of Kashan.

The former minister had been prosecuted as part of a major corruption case linked to the import of livestock supplies into Iran, for which 10 people have already been convicted. He can appeal the ruling.

The judiciary also said two former ministers had been summoned and 45 other people charged in another corruption case, worth $3.7 billion, involving one of Iran's biggest tea trading companies.

In September 2020, a former high-ranking judicial official, Akbar Tabari, was sentenced to 31 years for corruption, one of the heaviest sentences handed down to a former official in the Islamic republic.
A lone wolf unaffiliated with political groups was charged in the shooting of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, said Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok on Thursday.

The left-wing populist leader was shot in an assassination attempt Wednesday afternoon following a Cabinet meeting in the central town of Handlova.

Fico is in serious condition but is expected to survive, a hospital official said on Thursday.

Police detained a suspect Wednesday, according to TA3, a local media TV station. The suspect was charged with attempted murder on Thursday.

The 59-year-old prime minister was transported by helicopter to Banska Bystrica, the regional capital, where he underwent several hours of surgery in an intensive care unit.

"I was very shocked. ... Fortunately, as far as I know, the operation went well, and I guess in the end, he will survive, Tomas Taraba, Slovak deputy prime minister and environment minister, told the BBC's Newshour.

Fico was hit in the abdomen when five shots were fired outside Handlovas House of Culture, where Fico was meeting with supporters, local media reports said.

Estok said Wednesday that the initial investigation found that the attack had "a clear political motivation."

Slovakia has experienced political unrest as thousands of Slovaks have repeatedly rallied in the countrys capital, Bratislava, to protest Ficos policies. Fico returned to power for the fourth time last year after his party won the parliamentary election on a pro-Russian, anti-American platform.

Slovak President Zuzana Caputova, who is a political opponent of Fico, said Thursday that leaders of Slovakias political parties would meet to calm the nation.

"Let us step out of the vicious circle of hatred and mutual accusations," the outgoing president said at a news conference in Bratislava. "What happened yesterday was an individual act. But the tense atmosphere of hatred was our collective work."

In a telegram to Caputova, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the shooting monstrous.

U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement Wednesday, "We condemn this horrific act of violence. Our embassy is in close touch with the government of Slovakia and ready to assist.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemns the shocking attack, Farhan Haq, a spokesperson for the secretary-general, said at a briefing Wednesday.

Some material in this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
Israels defense minister publicly challenged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday over the country's post-war plans for the Gaza Strip. Robert Fico, Slovakias Prime Minister who was shot yesterday remains in serious condition; authorities say Wednesdays assassination attempt was politically motivated. Iran has resumed its crackdown on women not wearing the Hijab while Ukrainians celebrate their traditional clothes. U.S. forces are with NATO in Poland, Vladimir Putin is in China and a look at the issues important to young people in India as they go to the polls.
As India holds a phased election, Pavni Mishra, an undergraduate student at Delhi University, would prefer to watch the countrys leaders focus on issues relevant to young voters like her, but she fears those issues are getting lost in the din of a polarized campaign.

"We should have a healthy competition in our politics rather than talking about religion," said Mishra. "We should talk about education, we should talk about employment, about how to empower our women and enlarge the startups in the country."

At the start of his election campaign last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of his vision of making India a developed country by 2047 and of welfare programs during his decade in power that had helped poor people.

But at his election rallies in recent weeks, the Hindu nationalist leader has accused the Congress Party of plans to give more benefits to Muslims if voted to power and warned women that the opposition would confiscate their gold and redistribute it to Indias largest minority. The divisive rhetoric is seen as a bid to galvanize support in the Hindu majority country as he seeks a third term in office.

Modis Bharatiya Janata Party is facing off with an alliance of opposition parties that includes the Congress Party, whose leader Rahul Gandhi is seen as the prime ministers main rival.

Modi has denied criticism that he is stoking divisions between Hindus and Muslims to win. Gandhi has denied Modis charges of plans to favor Muslims, who make up Indias largest minority group.

Indias 18 million first-time voters in the general elections include millions of undergraduate students. For many of them, the top issue is how the next government will create more employment opportunities in a country where despite a growing economy, finding suitable jobs for graduates has become a key challenge.

"I want a fair government that ensures employment for everyone," said 19-year-old Shreyas Sood. Another student, who did not want to be named, said even finding an internship was a challenge. "I think the concern is about getting jobs which pay you a good decent amount to live. Everyone is stressed," she said.

They have reason to worry. According to a recent report by the International Monetary Fund, the unemployment rate for graduates is 29.1% -- nine times higher than for the lesser educated.

Despite such concerns, Modis image as a strong leader who delivers results and has improved Indias image overseas has won him the support of many young students.

"You can trust on Modi. I feel the country is in safe hands with him," said B. Prerna, an undergraduate student. Several students echoed that sentiment.

A survey among first-time voters by Lokniti research institute and the Center for Developing Societies indicated that Modi was the first choice for many who felt he could address youth-related challenges such as creating employment opportunities. Two-thirds of those surveyed said they would vote for Modis Bharatiya Janata Party and that Modi was best suited to lead the national government.

"In younger people, there is a natural tendency to veer towards someone who is very visible, strong, seen as an iconic figure, and as someone trying to deliver results. In that sense Modi ticks off most of the boxes," according to political analyst Rasheed Kidwai.

Some students say a weak opposition has limited their choices. Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi has flagged the issue of employment in his campaign rallies, promised internships to college students and says his party will take steps to address growing economic inequality in the country.

But many perceive the Congress Party, which has been dislodged by the BJP as Indias dominant party in the last decade, as an ailing party that has not rejuvenated itself.

"We have to vote for the Modi government because currently he is the only one who is looking good, who has a good face," said college student Satvik Sharma. "To be honest, opposition in the country right now is very weak."

Analysts say many young voters do not see any alternative to Modi. "The opposition is fragmented and although several parties have strong leaders, they are not pan-Indian leaders. Rahul Gandhi is not a prime ministerial candidate," pointed out Kidwai.

However, students like Sharma worry about divisive rhetoric and growing polarization during the BJPs decade-long stint in power. "The country and the youth are becoming religiously too radical, be it any religion," he said. "I want the government to be a little liberal, the youth to be a little liberal and think about the country as a whole and not their religion as supreme."

The use of issues such as caste and religion by political parties, has disillusioned some students.

"We are still fighting about mythical creatures and gods and religions. Rather, we should rather focus on the development of the country," said Amaldev K. He could not travel to his home state, Kerala, to cast his ballot, but he said that had he voted, he would have chosen an option that India allows on the ballot  NOTA or "None of the Above" which indicates a voters dissatisfaction with all the candidates in the fray.
U.S. voters have several ways to cast their ballots in a presidential election, including by mail. Many Democrats have embraced mail-in voting, and now Republicans are being urged by party leaders, including former President Donald Trump, to use all voting options in the 2024 general election. VOAs Veronica Balderas Iglesias has the details. Salome Ramirez and Yeny Garcia of VOAs Spanish Service contributed.
Thailand has grown increasingly dangerous for foreign dissidents seeking shelter in the country over the past decade, and more repressive of its own dissidents abroad, Human Rights Watch says in a new report.

The U.S.-based human rights group dates the start of the surge to Thailands 2014 coup, which swapped the countrys democratically elected government for an authoritarian military regime. Tainted elections in 2019 returned Prayut Chan-ocha, the ex-general behind the coup, to power at the head of a military-backed government for another four years.

Though Prayuts party lost last years general elections, it remains a part of the ruling coalition with senior members in the cabinet.

For a long time, Thailand has been somewhat of a sanctuary for people fleeing persecution in neighboring countries, Elaine Pearson, Human Rights Watchs Asia director, told VOA ahead of the reports launch in Bangkok on Thursday.

But since 2014 we noticed an escalation in arrangements with other countries and an escalation in the harassment, surveillance and intimidation of those exiles living in Thailand, often asylum seekers or refugees awaiting resettlement in third countries, she said.

A spokesman for the Thai government did not reply to VOAs request for comment. Two former spokespersons for the previous Prayut government also did not reply to VOA.

The report, We Thought We Were Safe: Repression and Forced Return of Refugees in Thailand, recounts 25 cases since the coup ranging from assault by gangs of masked men to the abduction, deportation and murder of dissidents in Thailand and its neighbors, mainly Laos and Cambodia.

In terms of the level of state involvement, it does really vary. But we are concerned that in a number of cases there is clear collaboration between the Thai authorities and officials from other countries in terms of apprehending and sending back people at risk in Thailand, Pearson said.

One of the first cases following the 2014 coup was also the largest.

In 2015, Thailand deported 109 ethnic minority Uyghurs to China, which the United States and others have accused of committing genocide against the mostly Muslim ethnic minority. China denies the accusations.

The Uyghurs were arrested the year before for entering Thailand illegally on what they hoped would be their way to Turkey, where the Uyghurs claim to have roots.

Thai authorities at the time defended the move as per protocol.

Other cases have been more mysterious but bearing what advocates believe to be the hallmarks of foreign state involvement.

In 2023, Duong Van Thai, a Vietnamese activist and journalist taking refuge in Thailand while making plans to resettle abroad, was kidnapped by unidentified men in front of his rental home just north of Bangkok. Human Rights Watch says the abduction was caught on video. Days later, Vietnamese authorities said Duong had been arrested entering Vietnam illegally, a claim his friends dismissed as far-fetched. He has since been put on trial for conducing propaganda against the state.

Human Rights Watch and others say such cases, with or without the states admission, appear to be part of a long-running swap mart among the Mekong River countries, a quid pro quo arrangement by which they agree to return each others political dissidents regardless of their potential persecution back home.

The groups say the deals are largely kept out of sight. In 2018, though, Thailand and Cambodia announced a bilateral pact to monitor and help return the others fugitives.

While sold as a deal to help bring wanted criminals to justice, Pearson said, The reality is that this basically provided a green light to track down political dissidents.

Human Rights Watch says at least 12 foreign dissidents taking refuge in Thailand, including a number of Cambodians, have reported being surveilled by unidentified men since 2014, and confirmed at least four attacks.

Thai dissidents seeking shelter abroad from their own government have not been safe, either.

Nine have gone missing or died under suspicious circumstances over the past decade in Laos alone. They include two known activists whose bodies were found in January 2019 on the banks of the Mekong where the river divides the two countries. Their hands were tied behind their backs, their abdomens cut open and filled with concrete in an apparent attempt to weigh them down in the water.

All the cases chronicled in the report occurred before Thailands new government took office in September.

Pearson said it was too soon to say whether Thailand would change tack but added that it had new incentives to try.

Particularly at a time when Thailand is both courting more foreign investment from Western governments but also seeking a seat at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, then it really needs to show that it is addressing human rights violations that occur on its soil, she said.

Thailand also enacted a new law last year explicitly outlawing enforced disappearance. And while the government does not officially recognize refugees, it has launched a program that lets foreign asylum seekers apply to the Thai government for protected persons status and, in theory, spare them from forced return.

Both moves have raised hopes that foreign political dissidents in Thailand and Thai dissidents abroad will be safer, Pornpen Khongkachonkiet of the Cross Cultural Foundation, a Thai rights group that has independently investigated some of the cases highlighted in the new report, told VOA.

She said the Thai government also appears more willing of late to let foreign dissidents picked up on immigration charges resettle in third countries rather than deport them to the countries they fled, citing a few examples over the past year.

Still, a group of at least 43 Uyghurs continue to languish in a Bangkok detention center some 10 years after they were arrested for illegal entry, without charge or any indication from the new government of whether they too will be sent home or allowed to resettle elsewhere.

Pornpen said the new government has also demonstrated no more motivation than the last to thoroughly investigate the harassment, attacks, abductions and disappearances of dissidents reported over the past decade.

Without political will of the current government  the investigations will go nowhere, she said.

We as civilians, we cannot look for evidence, she added. We need the power of the DSI [Department of Special Investigation], we need the power of prosecutors, we need the power of the police to look into all those reports. But [there is] not political will.
Russian forces are expanding their attacks on Ukrainian border settlements close to the northeastern city of Kharkiv, opening up a new front in the war. With U.S. and European weapons finally due to arrive on the front lines in the coming weeks following delays, can Ukraine hold back Moscows invading troops? Henry Ridgwell has more
Russian forces are expanding their attacks on Ukrainian border settlements close to the northeastern city of Kharkiv, opening up a new front in the war, as Kyiv struggles to hold off a renewed Russian offensive.

Speaking Thursday on a visit to Kharkiv, where he held a meeting with senior military leaders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the situation remained extremely difficult and that his forces were strengthening their presence in the region.

With U.S. and European weapons finally due to arrive on the front lines in the coming weeks, can Ukraine hold back Moscows invading troops?

Kharkiv offensive

Mobile units of Russian troops are attempting to capture Ukrainian villages including Vovchansk and Lyptsi, which lies 30 kilometers north of Kharkiv.

Ukraine has fired missiles from the border region into Russia, including deadly strikes on the Russian city of Belgorod. Moscow wants to stop the attacks, said defense analyst Patrick Bury of Britains Bath University.

There's multiple reasons, I think, why Russia would try something here: obviously to create a buffer zone, but also to test the defenses and see what's going on. But the way (Russian forces) are set up  and the amount of troops that they have, maybe 30,000 to 40,000, not that much armor, attacking in small groups of infantry  it doesn't really suggest that they're trying to sort of encircle Kharkiv or anything like that, Bury told VOA.

Russian advance

Kyiv said Thursday its defensive moves had slowed the speed of Moscows advance. Russian attacks are likely to continue, said analyst Jack Watling of the Royal United Services Institute in London.

Russias aim is not to achieve a grand breakthrough, but rather to convince Ukraine that it can keep up an inexorable advance, kilometer by kilometer, along the front, Watling wrote in an email to VOA.

Having stretched the Ukrainians out, the contours of the Russian summer offensive are easy to discern. First, there will be the push against Kharkiv. Ukraine must commit troops to defend its second largest city and given the size of the Russian group of forces in the area, this will draw in reserves of critical material, from air defenses to artillery.

Second, Russia will apply pressure on the other end of the line, initially threatening to reverse Ukraines gains from its 2023 offensive, and secondly putting at risk the city of Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine should be able to blunt this attack, but this will require the commitment of reserve units, Watling added.

Western weapons

Ukrainian forces are still waiting for the bulk of the weapons deliveries under the United States $60 billion aid package that was finally passed last month, after a six-month delay.

The United States aid is crucial, so the unfortunate pause in the delivery of arms had a significant impact on the situation at the front and this is what we are seeing now, said Ukrainian lawmaker Serhii Rakhmanin, a member of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security.

Ukraine says Russian jets and missiles are easily able to attack their positions, before infantry move in. Kyiv has repeatedly asked for more air defense systems, especially U.S.-made Patriot missiles. Germany has agreed to supply two Patriot batteries to Ukraine, and its reported that the U.S. is also working on supplying another unit.

The weapons will start to arrive in the coming weeks, analyst Patrick Bury said.

The U.S. has pre-positioned stocks of stuff in Germany, for example, and also has strategic airlift so it can move stuff quickly over (from the US) should it need to, he said.

But it will take some time to be producing the number of shells that Ukraine needs at the moment, and they're outgunned at about at least five or six to one at the moment by Russian shells, he added.

Mobilization

Last month, Ukraine passed a mobilization bill to address a shortage of personnel. RUSIs Watling said Russia had amassed a force of 510,000 troops.

This means that Russia has established significant numerical superiority over the Armed Forces of Ukraine, he said.

The next three months will be crucial for Ukraine, according to lawmaker Rakhmanin.

The Russians currently have a window of opportunity. The power of Ukrainian Armed Forces has decreased, and Russians feel it. They have amassed quite a sufficient amount of resources  weapons, ammunition, manpower and now they are trying to use up a maximum of their reserves. They are trying to spread our forces thin across the entire front line, Rakhmanin told Reuters Wednesday.

Bleak outlook

Can Ukraine and its Western allies turn the tide of the war?

The chances of them taking back significant territory now in the medium term seem to be slipping away, said analyst Bury. Unless theres some sort of step change in Western support  a large force-generation package and a long-term strategy for what success looks like  none of which at the moment are forthcoming, then I think Ukraine stays on the defensive and holds what it has, he said.

RUSIs Watling agrees: The outlook in Ukraine is bleak. However, if Ukraines allies engage now to replenish Ukrainian munitions stockpiles, help to establish a robust training pipeline, and make the industrial investments to sustain the effort, then Russias summer offensive can be blunted, and Ukraine will receive the breathing space it needs to regain the initiative.
Voters in the Spanish region of Catalonia this week gave a clear victory to supporters of union with Spain after years of separatist tensions. Ricardo Marquina in Barcelona looks at the reasons behind this turnaround. Jonathan Spier narrates his report. Videographer Alfonso Beato contributed to this report.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot in a "politically motivated" assassination attempt when leaving a government meeting. As Russia ramps up its offensive in eastern Ukraine, officials with the U.S. command in Eastern Europe say its urgent for NATO to be ready for a possible confrontation. U.S. President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump traded barbs online Wednesday while agreeing to debate each other. The elusive street artist Banksy is front and center at a new museum in lower Manhattan dedicated to his paintings.
Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC said Thursday there was no damage to its facilities after an incident at its Arizona factory construction site where

a waste disposal truck driver was transported to a hospital.

Firefighters responded to a reported explosion Wednesday afternoon at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company plant in Phoenix, the Arizona Republic reported, citing the local fire department.

TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker whose clients include Apple and Nvidia, said in a statement none of its employees or onsite construction workers had reported any related injuries.

"This is an active investigation with no additional details that can be shared at this time," it added.

TSMC's Taipei-listed shares pared earlier gains after the news and were last up around 0.8% on Thursday morning. TSMC last month agreed to expand its planned investment by $25 billion to $65 billion and to add a third Arizona plant by 2030.

The company will produce the world's most advanced 2 nanometer technology at its second Arizona facility expected to begin production in 2028.
Arrests for illegally crossing the U.S. border from Mexico fell more than 6% in April to the fourth lowest month of the Biden administration, authorities said Wednesday, bucking the usual spring increase.

U.S. officials have largely attributed the decline to more enforcement in Mexico, including in yards where migrants are known to board freight trains. Mexico won't allow more than 4,000 illegal crossings a day to the U.S., Alicia Barcena, Mexico's foreign relations secretary, told reporters Tuesday, down from more than 10,000 Border Patrol arrests on some days in December.

Migrants were arrested 128,884 times in April, down from 137,480 in March and barely half of the record of 249,737 in December, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. While still historically high, the sharp decline in arrests since late December is welcome news for President Joe Biden on a key issue that has nagged him in election-year polls.

San Diego became the busiest of the Border Patrol's nine sectors along the Mexican border for the first time since the 1990s with 37,370, replacing Tucson, Arizona.

Troy Miller, Customs and Border Protection's acting commissioner, said more enforcement, including deportations, and cooperation with other countries resulted in lower numbers.

"As a result of this increased enforcement, southwest border encounters have not increased, bucking previous trends. We will remain vigilant to continually shifting migration patterns," he said.

Authorities granted entry to 41,400 people in April at land crossings with Mexico through an online appointment app called CBP One, bringing the total to more than 591,000 since it was introduced in January 2023.

The U.S. also allows up to 30,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans if they apply online with a financial sponsor and arrive on commercial flights. About 435,000 entered the country that way through April, including 91,000 Cubans, 166,700 Haitians, 75,700 Nicaraguans and 101,200 Venezuelans.
If all of you decide Im not the right leader, thats your choice, said University of Virginia President Jim Ryan. Thats how I feel.

Though no university officials have publicly called for Ryan to resign, Ryans tone and demeanor were marked by a resignation of their own at the universitys Faculty Senate meeting last week.

Ryan, alongside Provost Ian Baucom, university Chief Operating Officer J.J. Davis and UVa Police Chief Tim Longo, spent an hour answering questions during the May 10 meeting of the Faculty Senate, a governing body of roughly 90 faculty representatives from across the universitys 12 schools charged with advising UVas leaders on matters affecting the welfare of the University.

That meeting came nearly a week after those leaders called in Virginia State Police to break up an encampment on university Grounds where a small band of protesters had been voicing their opposition to Israels ongoing war in Gaza since the end of classes on April 30.

Although the encampment had been dwindling in size and had remained peaceful, the university raised concerns that the protesters had erected recreational tents on Grounds without a permit and individuals unaffiliated with the University, including four mysterious men in black who officials have declined to identify, had joined their ranks.

There were 27 arrests made on May 4, the majority of them students, faculty and alumni. Only eight had no known affiliation with the school, and the majority of those were local residents, including a freelance journalist who was covering the protest. Since May 4, several of the charges have been dropped, including an assault charge against a freelance photographer who was captured on video attempting to help an older woman with a cane when police grabbed her and took her into custody.

Police on May 4 also pepper-sprayed members of the public and the media who had gathered to witness the scene, eventually pushing the crowd off the public universitys campus and into the street.

Ryan and his administration have faced significant pushback for unnecessarily escalating the situation, making their decisions from an undisclosed command post and not at the scene of the violence. Critics have argued that the encampment, already low on numbers, likely would have disbanded on its own, as seen at Cornell University earlier this week. Theyve noted clear inaccuracies in the universitys official account of events, including outright lies that medical personnel treated everyone at the scene who had been pepper-sprayed. They have criticized the administrations perceived canned responses at a virtual town hall on May 7, after which many said they left with more questions than answers.

At the Faculty Senate meeting last Friday, representatives made clear they want answers, passing a motion calling for an independent and external review of the events surrounding May 4.

The motion also included language demanding a change in UVa policy that would identify under what circumstances the University will engage state police as well as transparency and accountability from the schools administration regarding policies protecting free speech and safety on Grounds.

The motion was actually a watered-down version of another motion presented to the Faculty Senate Executive Council that included a full-throated condemnation of the universitys response on May 4.

Michael Kennedy, a professor of special education who serves as chairman of the Faculty Senate, called an emergency meeting of the Senates Executive Council last Thursday. The Executive Council is a select group composed of 20 faculty senators who set the agenda prior to full Senate meetings.

It was at that Thursday meeting where senators were first presented with the Motion Condemning the Violence of May 4, 2024, drafted by the Senates Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee under the leadership of Chairman Eric Ramirez-Weaver, an art professor at the school.

In addition to calling for a review, the original motions text denounces the vastly asymmetric displays of force used by the state police who were deployed by the universitys senior administration to remove a small, unarmed group of peaceful protestors that largely consisted of members of the University community, thereby risking the most the most unimaginable catastrophe.

The original motion was also critical of the manner in which university officials inundated the community with mobile emergency alerts that provided no useful information throughout the day on May 4. The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee said the alerts prioritized police operations over the communitys safety, thereby eroding trust in its emergency communication system.

This version of the motion never made it to the full Senate, as a majority of the Executive Council voted against it.

It handily failed, Ramirez-Weaver told The Daily Progress. Excising the first clause from our initial motion, I believe ExCo failed our university community.

Despite the majority of his colleagues refusal to publicly denounce the universitys use of force against its own students and faculty, Ramirez-Weaver said he still believes such a statement is necessary given UVas role as a public university with a long legacy defending the right to free speech.

It is vital to underscore that denouncing the violence of May 4, speaking to its harm and establishing a sincere platform for its review are all fundamental as we move ahead, said Ramirez-Weaver. This is how as concerned faculty we model civil protest, call attention to the damage done and make it clear that work of peaceful reconciliation which must take place in the coming academic year is a shared responsibility and only effective when both blame and learning are shared by all.

So, on behalf of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, Ramirez-Weaver submitted the following text as an amendment to the motion at the full Senate meeting on Friday:

We, the members of the Faculty Senate, denounce the events of May 4, 2024, when the University of Virginia senior administration deployed armed Virginia State Police in full body armor to remove a small, unarmed group of peaceful protestors that largely consisted of members of the University community on our Grounds, thereby risking the most unimaginable catastrophe, and this police force, using pepper spray and vastly asymmetric displays of force, aggressively arrested 27 individuals including students and current/former employees.

This too failed.

UVa has, I believe, rightly branded itself as an institution which aspires to be great and good, said Ramirez-Weaver. At times, we must advocate for the forgotten, defending human rights wherever they are affronted and paving a path toward peaceful resolution, even when it requires the adoption of unpopular positions.

Our students and colleagues at significant personal risk in fact enacted that democratic work on May 4, 2024, and their university responded with suppression and alienation, he added.

Ramirez-Weaver was not the only faculty member disappointed.

Though she considers the external review a good move, Spanish professor Anne Garland Mahler said she and a number of her colleagues share a general sense of disappointment that they [the Faculty Senate] werent willing to take a stronger stand.

Mahler told The Daily Progress that many of those in attendance Friday got up and left in disgust after the Faculty Senate failed to pass the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committees amendment.

Those faculty senators that remained were able to ask university administrators questions. And those administrators repeated that they stood by their decision to call in the state police and that they would make the same decision again if presented with the same circumstances.

Ryan said calling in troopers on his own students was in the best interest of UVa.

He also said that he did not make that decision because he was worried he could lose his job.

I dont know anyone in their right mind who would want to be a president of a university right now, so fear of losing my job is the last thing that motivated my decisions, said Ryan. I would never do anything just to keep my job. Im not interested in keeping my job for the sake of keeping my job.

But for many at the meeting, that still leaves the question open: Why was it necessary to escalate the matter and call in state police, instead of relying on local authorities or even allowing the protest to disperse of its own accord?

The biggest concern that I have, that I know a lot of people have, is just that the administration has repeatedly said that they would do the same thing again, Mahler said. Theres these kinds of cyclical crises that seem to be a result of the pattern of their communication with police. By which I mean, is that theyre only talking to police about nonaffiliated individuals.

The university still has not explained exactly which unaffiliated individuals presented a threat to the community at the encampment, describing them only as four men in black.

At least four persons who responded were known to law enforcement, and at least four persons who responded had been engaged in organized work in the past around historical events that have occurred here that resulted in violence, Longo said during the administrations virtual town hall, without identifying which historical events or what violence he meant.

Mahler said she and others are concerned that historical violence Longo has referred to is the events of Aug. 11, 2017, when a mob of hundreds of torch-wielding White supremacists marched across UVa Grounds chanting Jews will not replace us before confronting a small group of peaceful counterpotesters and attacking them. The scene was only declared an unlawful assembly and cleared by police after violence had broken out, and the university defended its decision to allow the White supremacists to carry open flames on Grounds as a form of free expression.

What we saw in August 2017 and what we saw in May 2024, that information has been very biased, and reliance on that biased information has continuously put our community at risk, said Mahler. Such as who the university finds threatening or not. They were not afraid of the horde of White supremacists with actual criminal records coming to campus. But last Saturday, they were afraid of umbrellas and people who werent identified.

Given that a majority of those arrested on May 4 were affiliated with the university in some capacity and not openly associated with any White supremacist groups, multiple faculty and students organizations have issued statements calling for UVa to grant amnesty and for the University Judiciary Council to cease all investigations against those charged with trespassing.

One such organization is the United Campus Workers union, which is circulating a petition calling on the schools faculty to withhold grades until UVa:

 Rescinds all no-trespass orders issued to those arrested on May 4.

 Stops any internal disciplinary proceedings that have been launched following the arrests.

 And returns all property confiscated by UVa at the site of the protest.

As for what the Faculty Senate has demanded of the university, the motion holds no binding power, it merely expresses the views of its members, some of whom are not elected, instead appointed by sitting senators.

University spokesman Brian Coy told The Daily Progress, University leaders agree that a review should be conducted and are evaluating next steps. We will have more information to share there soon.

Ryan left last Fridays meeting when the allotted hour was up, leaving many with questions unanswered. He said there would be other opportunities for him to respond to questions, but did not elaborate on when or where that would be.

I think what were seeing between the webinar and Faculty Senate meeting is a continued pattern of a lack of transparency and willingness to be accountable, Mahler said. People in the audience thought they should all stay. Were their colleagues, we have every right to ask questions too.
U.S. and Nigerien officials in Niamey extended official high-level talks into Friday to coordinate plans to withdraw all American military forces from the country.

Christopher Maier, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, and Lieutenant General Dagvin Anderson, director for joint force development, met Wednesday and Thursday in Niamey with members of Nigers new government, known as the National Council for Safeguarding the Homeland, or CNSP.

VOA reported that talks ended on Thursday, but U.S. and Nigerien officials decided to extend talks into the next day, according to a U.S. defense official who spoke to VOA on condition of anonymity.

U.S. and Nigerien leaders have agreed to a phased withdrawal of American forces from Niger as soon as its feasible in the coming months, another U.S. official told VOA on Thursday.

The official added that participants in negotiations this week confirmed protections and immunities for U.S. personnel and approved diplomatic clearances for withdrawal flights to ensure smooth entries and exits during the pullout of U.S. forces, who are in the country to help local militaries combat Islamist terrorists in the Sahel.

The talks were based on mutual respect, according to the official.

The CNSP posted on the social platform X Wednesday that Maier and Anderson met with Lieutenant General Salifou Mody, one of the military coup members, who was named minister of national defense.

The CNSP noted that the meeting comes two months after Niger denounced its military-basing agreements with the United States and aims to ensure that this withdrawal takes place in the best possible conditions, guaranteeing order, security and compliance with set deadlines.

There are about 900 U.S. military personnel in Niger, including active duty, civilians and contractors, according to two U.S. officials, who spoke to VOA on condition of anonymity ahead of the conclusion of the talks. Most of the U.S. military personnel have stayed in the country past their deployments planned end dates, as details for their withdrawal are ironed out.

Counterterrorism in 'disarray'

The U.S. has had two military bases  Air Base 101 in Niamey and Air Base 201 in Agadez  to monitor terror groups in the region. Officials say most U.S. forces are based in the latter, which cost the U.S. $110 million to build, and began drone operations in 2019.

Nigers natural resources have increased its importance to global powers, and Nigers location had provided the U.S. with the ability to conduct counterterror operations throughout much of West Africa.

We're in a different position now, and we're going to continue to consult with the Nigeriens in terms of the orderly withdrawal of U.S. forces. We're going to continue to stay engaged with the partners in the region when it comes to terrorism and countering the terrorist threat, Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder told reporters on Tuesday.

Countries in the region, including Niger, Mali, Nigeria and Burkina Faso, have seen an expansive rise in jihadist movements.

According to the Global Terrorism Index, an annual report covering terrorist incidents worldwide, more than half of the deaths caused by terrorism last year were in the Sahel.

Nigers neighbor, Burkina Faso, suffered the most, with 1,907 fatalities from terrorism in 2023.

These are some of the most dangerous areas in the world, Bill Roggio, editor of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Long War Journal, told VOA. These countries are in dire threat of being overrun by jihadist groups.

Now, Nigers coup has put the Wests ability to monitor terrorists like the Islamic State group and al-Qaida in the Sahel in complete disarray, according to Roggio.

The United States intelligence-gathering capacity was limited before, but we're approaching the point where intelligence-gathering is practically at zero, he said.

A U.S. defense official told VOA that basically every flight, even intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance drone flights, must be approved by the junta.

"The beginning of April is when things started getting slower, the official told VOA. The junta began delaying and canceling the types of U.S. military flights that had been quickly approved before then.

Carla Martinez Machain, a political science professor at the University at Buffalo, believes the Pentagon will try to negotiate with Chad for a more significant American troop presence, as the U.S. struggles to find allies in what she called the coup belt  a reference to the recent coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

However, most U.S. forces have left Chad for Germany in recent weeks, a move the Pentagon called a "temporary step" as part of an ongoing review of its security cooperation with Chad, which would resume after the countrys May 6 presidential election.

Only a small group of service members remain in Chad as part of a multinational task force, officials told VOA.

Niger was somewhat of a rarity in the sense that it had one of the few democratically elected governments in the region, and also a democratically elected government that was friendly to the U.S. and willing to host a U.S. military presence, Martinez Machain told VOA. And so, finding a replacement for that for a military base is going to be somewhat difficult.

Unless the U.S. can find another base to use in West Africa, counterterror drones will likely have to spend most of their fuel supply flying thousands of kilometers from U.S. bases in Italy or Djibouti, severely limiting their time over the targets and their ability to gather intelligence.

The beauty of having drones based in Niger was that they were in the thick of the fight. They were in the middle of where jihadist groups are operating. So, once you launch the drones, they're in the midst of it, and all of the flight time being used can be used to gather information, Roggio said.

Resupply concerns

Amid the negotiations and flight cancellations, U.S. troops in Niger began raising concerns about their supply chain. Service members in Niamey told the office of Representative Matt Gaetz that blood for the blood bank, hygiene supplies, malaria pills and other medications were running low.

A U.S. defense official acknowledged to VOA that they were concerned about medication levels. The official also said that troops in Niamey had gone through April without a resupply flight but had received food and water supplies through ground-based transportation.

A flight with medical supplies finally went from Agadez to Niamey last week, the defense official told VOA.

Coup forced withdrawal

Tensions between the U.S. and Niger began in 2023 when Nigers military junta removed the democratically elected president from power.

After months of delay, the Biden administration formally declared in October that the military takeover in Niger was a coup, a determination that prevented Niger from receiving a significant amount of U.S. military and foreign assistance.

In March, after tense meetings between U.S. representatives and the CNSP, the junta called the U.S. military presence illegal and announced it was ending an agreement that allowed American forces to be based in the country.

During that meeting, the U.S. and Niger fundamentally disagreed about Nigers desire to supply Iran with uranium and work more closely with Russian military forces.

They [Niger] saw this as kind of an imperialistic move, and this was seen negatively and was part of the reason why the U.S. was told to leave the country, Martinez Machain said.

Russia has made significant military inroads across Africa, Martinez Machain added, because human rights violators are able to obtain military training, assistance and defense systems without the conditions that the U.S. would attach to them.

Especially for nondemocratic countries, this can seem very appealing, she said.
The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday revealed a proposal to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, marking a notable change in U.S. drug policy.

First announced in April, the proposal would reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug. Schedule I drugs include the likes of heroin and LSD and are considered highly addictive and without any medical benefits.

By contrast, Schedule III drugs are considered to have a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.

President Joe Biden on Thursday publicly endorsed the Justice Department's recommendation to ease restrictions on cannabis.

"No one should be in jail merely for using or possessing marijuana," Biden said in a video posted on the social media platform X. "Far too many lives have been upended because of failed approach to marijuana, and I'm committed to righting those wrongs."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it found "some credible scientific support for the use of marijuana in the treatment of chronic pain, anorexia related to a medical condition, and nausea and vomiting."

"Additionally, no safety concerns were identified in the FDA's review that would indicate that medical use of marijuana poses unacceptably high safety risks," the proposal says.

The public will now have 60 days to submit comments on the proposal.

Marijuana is legal in some form in nearly 40 U.S. states.

Rescheduling the drug won't make it legal on the federal level, but it would lay the groundwork for additional research and medical use and could help lead to less harsh criminal penalties.

Some information in this report came from Reuters and the Associated Press.
The Biden administration is working to get a group of U.S. doctors out of Gaza after Israel closed the Rafah border crossing, the White House said on Wednesday.

The U.S. State Department said earlier this week that the government was aware that American doctors were unable to leave Gaza, after The Intercept reported that upward of 20 American doctors and medical workers were trapped in Gaza.

The Palestinian American Medical Association, a U.S.-based nonprofit, said on Monday that its team of 19 health care professionals, including 10 Americans, had been denied exit from Gaza after a two-week mission providing medical services at the European Hospital in Khan Younis, a city near Rafah in southern Gaza.

Israel seized and closed the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on May 7, disrupting a vital route for people and aid into and out of the devastated enclave.

"We're tracking this matter closely and working to get the impacted American citizens out of Gaza," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Wednesday.

Jean-Pierre said the United States was engaging directly with Israel on the matter.

The Biden administration has been warning Israel against a major military ground operation in Rafah, but Jean-Pierre said efforts to get the doctors out are continuing, regardless of what happens there.

"We need to get them out. We want to get them out, and it has nothing to do with anything else," she said.

Israeli troops battled militants across Gaza on Wednesday, including in Rafah, which had been a refuge for civilians, in an upsurge of the more than 7-month-old war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

Gaza's health care system has essentially collapsed since Israel began its military offensive there after the October 7 cross-border attacks by Hamas militants on Israelis.

Humanitarian workers sounded the alarm last week that the closure of the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings into Gaza could force aid operations to stop.

The Israeli assault on Gaza has destroyed hospitals across Gaza, including Al Shifa Hospital, the Gaza Strip's largest before the war, and has killed and injured health workers.
Violence raged across New Caledonia for the third consecutive day Thursday, hours after France imposed a state of emergency in the French Pacific territory, boosting security forces' powers to quell deadly unrest in the archipelago that has long sought independence.

French authorities in New Caledonia and the interior ministry in Paris reported that five people, including two police officers, have been killed in the violence after protests earlier this week over voting reforms pushed by President Emmanuel Macron's government turned deadly.

At least 60 members of the security forces were injured, and 214 people were arrested in Thursday's clashes with police, arson and looting, according to the territory's top French official, High Commissioner Louis Le Franc.

"Everything is being done to restore order and calm that Caledonians deserve," French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said after Thursday's security meeting at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris.

Attal said France will provide the island with essential goods after three days of unrest. In addition to the 1,700 security forces troops that have already been deployed to help police curb the violence, 1,000 more are on the way, he added.

The situation "remains very tense, with looting, riots, arson and attacks which are unbearable and unspeakable," Attal said.

Two members of the island's Indigenous Kanak community were among the five dead, French Interior and Overseas Territories Minister Gerald Darmanin said Thursday.

"The [French] state will regain total control," Darmanin declared in a series of interviews with French media.

Darmanin said 10 people, all alleged members of the pro-independence movement known as the Field Acton Coordination Unit, have been placed under house arrest. In April, the group backed several protests against French authorities on the island.

However, Darmanin alleged on Thursday that the movement is a "small group which calls itself pro-independence, but instead commits looting, murder and violence."

"We will not back down," Darmanin said.

The National Council of Chiefs of the Indigenous Kanak people condemned "all acts of vandalism and gun violence" as "unjustifiable" but rejected the allegations that members of the Field Action Coordination Unit have been involved in the deadly violence.

Grand Chief Hippolyte Sinewami-Htamumu expressed full support for the pro-independence group, which has mobilized more than 100,000 people "of all ages and from all backgrounds" in peaceful protests in recent months in the capital, Noumea, and throughout the island.

"This is not a 'terrorist group' or 'mafia group,' as certain political leaders want us to believe," he said in a statement on Thursday.

The state of emergency will be in place for at least 12 days, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said Wednesday.

French military forces were being deployed to protect ports and airports and to beef up security forces' efforts to curb violence. The curfew has been extended until Friday morning, Le Franc said.

The territory's political parties appealed for calm and reason with people who support independence and those who want the island to remain part of France in a joint statement.

The last time France imposed such measures on one of its overseas territories was in 1985, also in New Caledonia.

The emergency powers enable French and local authorities on the archipelago to tackle unrest, namely by authorizing the house detention for people deemed a threat to public order and expanding powers to conduct searches, seize weapons and restrict movements, with possible jail time for violators.

The Pacific island is east of Australia and home to about 270,000 people. It is 10 time zones ahead of Paris and is known to tourists for its UNESCO World Heritage atolls and reefs. Tensions have simmered for decades between the Indigenous Kanaks seeking independence and colonizers' descendants who want it to remain part of France.

People of European descent in New Caledonia, which has long served as France's prison colony and now has a French military base, distinguish between descendants of colonizers and descendants of the many prisoners sent to the territory by force.

This week's unrest erupted as the French legislature in Paris debated amending the French constitution to make changes to voter lists in New Caledonia. The National Assembly on Wednesday approved a bill that will, among other changes, allow residents who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years to cast ballots in provincial elections.

Opponents say the measure will benefit pro-France politicians in New Caledonia and further marginalize the Kanaks, who have suffered from strict segregation policies and widespread discrimination.

New Caledonia became French in 1853 under Emperor Napoleon III, Napoleon's nephew and heir. It became an overseas territory after World War II, with French citizenship granted to all Kanaks in 1957.
The World Food Program warned Wednesday that the threat of famine is growing for 5 million Sudanese in parts of the country affected by war.

Commitments made by all parties to facilitate humanitarian access urgently need to be translated into realities on the ground, Carl Skau, WFPs deputy executive director, said in a statement.

Skau just returned from a mission to Sudan this week. He said the situation is desperate and quickly deteriorating.

Only a few weeks remain to stock up food supplies in parts of Darfur and Kordofan before the rainy season starts and many roads become impassable, he said. Farmers also need to safely reach their farmlands to plant ahead of the rains.

The rainy season in Sudan is from June through July.

In spite of fighting, border closures, checkpoints and other challenges, WFP says it is currently reaching some 2.5 million Sudanese with assistance.

Sudan was thrown into war 13 months ago, when fighting broke out in the capital, Khartoum, between the leaders of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The two generals were once allies in Sudans transitional government after a 2021 coup but have become rivals for power.

The fighting has since spread to other parts of the country, forcing almost 9 million people from their homes in search of safety. Two million of them have fled Sudan to neighboring countries. Of those who remain, 25 million need humanitarian assistance.

WFP says at least 5 million Sudanese are on the brink of starvation, but the number could be significantly higher, as the most recent data is from December.

The food agency has identified 41 hunger hot spots that are at high risk of slipping into famine in the coming month  most of them in hard-to-reach conflict-affected areas, including the Darfur and Kordofan regions and Khartoum.

Escalation in North Darfur

The United Nations has been raising the alarm on the situation in North Darfur for weeks. The RSF has reportedly started in recent days to move in on SAF forces inside El Fasher, the regional capital, endangering more than 800,000 civilians in the city.

On Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the parties to immediately stop the fighting and resume cease-fire negotiations.

El Fasher is the only city in Darfur that the RSF has not captured. A full-scale battle there could unleash atrocities similar to those of the genocide carried out by Arab Janjaweed fighters against African Zaghawa, Masalit, Fur and other non-Arab ethnic groups in Darfur in the early 2000s. Janjaweed fighters make up today's RSF.

The United Nations estimates 330,000 people are facing crisis levels of food insecurity in El Fasher due to a shortage of food items and soaring prices.

Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, said the weekend clashes in El Fasher reportedly caused dozens of civilian casualties and more displacement, with many residents seeking safety in the southern part of the city. She said aid cannot get through.

More than a dozen trucks carrying health, nutrition and other critical supplies for more than 120,000 people have been trying to reach the city for weeks, she told reporters at the United Nations on Wednesday. They set out from Port Sudan on the 3rd of April  and still cant reach El Fasher due to insecurity and delays in getting clearances at checkpoints.

Doctors Without Borders, or Medecins Sans Frontieres, supports a hospital in El Fasher that is overwhelmed and running low on supplies.

Until now, North Darfur had been a relatively safe haven compared to other parts of Darfur, Dr. Prince Djuma Safari, deputy medical coordinator in El Fasher for MSF, said in a statement. Now, there are snipers in the streets, heavy shelling is taking place, and nowhere in the city is safe at all.

He said more than 450 casualties, including women and children, had arrived at the MSF-supported South Hospital in El Fasher since fighting began on Friday. He said 56 of the patients had died and 40 more are still waiting for surgery.


Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks Thursday in Beijing, the start of a two-day visit by the Russian leader.

Ahead of the trip, the Kremlin said Xi and Putin would "have a detailed discussion on the entire range of issues related to the comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation and determine the new directions for further development of cooperation between Russia and China.

The leaders were also expected to also have a detailed exchange of opinions on the most acute international and regional issues," the Kremlin said.

Putin said in an interview with Chinese media Wednesday that Russia is ready to negotiate on the war in Ukraine.

Russia has "never refused to negotiate," Chinas state-run Xinhua News Agency quoted Putin as saying. Russia seeks a "comprehensive, sustainable and just settlement of this conflict through peaceful means."

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed a peace plan, and Switzerland is set to host peace talks next month, but Russia was not invited to the meetings. Ukraine is seeking a full withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine, including from areas Russia claimed to annex in a move that was rejected by the international community.

Russia has intensified its attacks on the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine in the past week, forcing nearly 8,000 people to leave their homes.

China says it is a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict. But it has economically, politically and rhetorically backed Russia and refuses to condemn Moscows offensive.

I don't think Xi is going to be 100% supportive of Russia's continuing hostilities, Lyle Morris, a senior fellow at Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis, told VOA. I think Putin knows that. So, his hand is getting weaker.

Putin said that China understands the origins of the crisis in Ukraine and has a sincere desire to stabilize the situation, according to Xinhua.

Just weeks before Russian troops invaded Ukraine in 2022, Xi and Putin signed a pledge declaring their no-limits bilateral partnership. Beijing has since become Moscows most reliable economic and diplomatic partner as Western nations have imposed strict economic sanctions in response to the invasion.

Putin will be trying to make sure that China supports Russia in any sort of international negotiations or basically finds a way to get around U.S. sanctions, William Pomeranz, director of the Wilson Centers Kennan Institute, said in an interview with VOA.

China is becoming steadily more important in Russia and China's relationship, Edward Lucas, senior adviser at the Center for European Policy Analysis, told VOA.

Putins No. 1 issue is help on Ukraine, he said. He wants diplomatic help. He wants help with breaking sanctions. He would like more weapons.

Lucas said Xi's interest is slightly different. Xi doesn't want Russia to lose, but he also doesn't want Russia to escalate going up the nuclear ladder, he said.

Putins trip to China is his first foreign visit since he was reelected in March for a fifth term in office. The trip is his second visit to China in six months.

He traveled to Beijing in October to attend a forum on China's Belt and Road Initiative, a project launched by Xi a decade ago to build global infrastructure and energy networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa.

Some material in this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. VOA Mandarin Service reporter John Xie and VOA Ukrainian Service reporter Tatiana Vorozhko also contributed to this report.


Chinese President Xi Jinping praised the relationship between China and Russia and pledged to deepen their partnership as he hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks in Beijing.

Putin, who is on a two-day visit to China, called the relationship a stabilizing factor in the world, and said Russia-China ties are "not directed against anyone," according to the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.

Putin expressed gratitude toward China for what he called Chinese efforts to resolve the situation in Ukraine and said he would inform Xi about the latest developments.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, drawing international condemnation and Western sanctions aimed at pushing Putin to withdraw his forces.

Chinas state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Putin saying Wednesday that Russia "has never refused to negotiate" a resolution to the conflict, and that Russia seeks a "comprehensive, sustainable and just settlement of this conflict through peaceful means."

In response to the meeting, the United States on Thursday said Beijing can't improve its relations with the West and support Putin at the same time.

"The People's Republic of China can't have its cake and eat it, too," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

"It can't have it both ways and want to have [better] relationships with Europe and other countries while simultaneously continuing to fuel the biggest threat to European security in a long time," Patel added, referring to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed a peace plan, and Switzerland is set to host peace talks next month, but Russia was not invited to the meetings. Ukraine is seeking a full withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine, including from areas Russia claimed to annex in a move that was rejected by the international community.

Russia has intensified its attacks on the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine in the past week, forcing nearly 8,000 people to leave their homes.

China says it is a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict. But it has economically, politically and rhetorically backed Russia and refuses to condemn Moscows offensive.

"I don't think Xi is going to be 100% supportive of Russia's continuing hostilities," Lyle Morris, a senior fellow at Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis, told VOA. "I think Putin knows that. So, his hand is getting weaker."

Putin said that China understands the origins of the crisis in Ukraine and has a sincere desire to stabilize the situation, according to Xinhua.

Xi and Putin signed a joint statement on deepening their "comprehensive strategic partnership."

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the United States did not "see anything new" in the joint statement.

"We find it unacceptable that Chinese companies are helping Putin wage this war against Ukraine," she said.

Just weeks before Russian troops invaded Ukraine in 2022, Xi and Putin signed a pledge declaring their "no-limits" bilateral partnership. Beijing has since become Moscows most reliable economic and diplomatic partner as Western nations have imposed strict economic sanctions in response to the invasion.

Putin "will be trying to make sure that China supports Russia in any sort of international negotiations or basically finds a way to get around U.S. sanctions," William Pomeranz, director of the Wilson Centers Kennan Institute, said in an interview with VOA.

"China is becoming steadily more important" in Russia and China's relationship, Edward Lucas, senior adviser at the Center for European Policy Analysis, told VOA.

Putins "No. 1 issue is help on Ukraine," he said. "He wants diplomatic help. He wants help with breaking sanctions. He would like more weapons."

Lucas said Xi's interest is slightly different. Xi "doesn't want Russia to lose, but he also doesn't want Russia to escalate going up the nuclear ladder," he said.

Putins trip to China is his first foreign visit since he was reelected in March for a fifth term in office. The trip is his second visit to China in six months.

He traveled to Beijing in October to attend a forum on China's Belt and Road Initiative, a project launched by Xi a decade ago to build global infrastructure and energy networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa.

Some material in this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. VOA Mandarin Service reporter John Xie and VOA Ukrainian Service reporter Tatiana Vorozhko also contributed to this report.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he traveled Thursday to the northeastern city of Kharkiv to meet with military officials amid a Russian offensive in the region.

Zelenskyy said on Telegram that the situation in Kharkiv is extremely difficult, but generally under control.

"The direction remains extremely difficult  we are strengthening our units," Zelenskyy said following a meeting in the city with his top commander and senior military leaders.

Russia has claimed several villages in the Kharkiv region in recent days, and the Russian advances prompted Zelenskyy to cancel several planned foreign visits.

During the visit to Kharkiv, Zelenskyy met injured soldiers recovering at a medical facility. He also took photographs with troops at another site.

Later, during Zelenskyy's nightly video address, the president said the country has "achieved more certainty" near Vovchansk, about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) inside the border.

"But the Russian shelling is not stopping," he also said. "Threats persist."

Ukraine says Kharkiv situation stabilized

Ukraine's military said Thursday that while the situation in Kharkiv remains complicated, Ukrainian forces had stabilized the situation and halted Russia's advance in certain areas.

But regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said Thursday that Russian forces had "not given up" on capturing the town of Vovchansk.

"Our task at the moment is to stabilize the front line," Syniehubov said.

Top NATO commander Christopher Cavoli said on Thursday that he believed Ukrainian troops would be able to hold their lines in the region because he did not think Russia had deployed enough troops to make a breakthrough.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, said on Wednesday that Moscow's forces were improving their positions every day along the front in Ukraine in all directions.

Zelenskyy asks for defense systems

The developments in Kharkiv follow a two-day visit to Ukraine by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during which Zelenskyy asked for air defense systems to help protect Kharkiv.

Blinken announced $2 billion in military aid for Ukraine as part of a $61 billion package that was approved last month.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon announced Thursday that the State Department has approved the potential sale of support for U.S. Army-supplied systems to Ukraine for an estimated $100 million.

Russia's Defense Ministry said Thursday its air defenses destroyed five tactical missiles and multiple drones over Russia-occupied Crimea, as well as drones over the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga and Tula regions.

When finance ministers from the Group of Seven, or G7, major democracies meet in Italy next week, they plan to support a European Union plan to use the profits from frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine in the war, an Italian treasury official said Thursday.

After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the G7 froze around $300 billion worth of Russian financial assets.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
BLANTYRE, MALAWI 

A new report finds that gaps in family laws in most African countries are fueling discrimination of women and girls. The report from the international NGO Equality Now says laws that favor men in matters of sex, marriage and inheritance, among other issues, leave many women in despair.

The study, released to coincide with the United Nations-declared International Day of the Family on Wednesday, highlights how legal frameworks and customary practices in 20 African countries have fueled discrimination in marriage, divorce, custody and property rights.

Esther Waweru is a senior legal adviser at Equality Now and co-author of the report.

She spoke with VOA from Kenya on how gaps in family laws have affected the lives of women in Africa.

Take a case of Sudan for instance, where women cannot initiate divorce, unlike men. So, it therefore means that the woman will be trapped in a marriage that they dont want to live [in], just because they cant initiate a divorce, she said.

Waweru said in some countries where women initiate a divorce, they are not allowed to take custody of the children from a previous marriage when they remarry.

In Malawi, the report notes that courts have ruled rape does not extend to marriage. It says customary law in Malawi presumes perpetual consent to sex within marriage and that a wife can deny her husband sex only when she is sick or legally separated.

While in Tanzania, the report says marital rape is only criminalized upon separation.

It also says customary and religious laws in countries like Algeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Nigeria undermine women and girls in matters of inheritance, as they receive less than men and boys.

Hala Alkarib is the executive director for Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa.

She told VOA from Ethiopia that the legal imbalance in many African countries leaves women feeling helpless.

Imagine that you are not treated equally and discriminated against. It automatically goes without saying you are typically poor. You are exposed to violence systematically. You are dehumanized and undermined. You dont have equal access to opportunities. You are subjected to different forms of sexual violence, and your dignity is compromised, said Alkarib.

Francis Selasini is the executive director for Network Against Female Genital Mutilation in Tanzania. He said communities also play a role in undermining or sidestepping laws meant to protect women.

He cited issues of genital mutilation in northern parts of Tanzania, where he said communities have changed tactics to protect their traditional norms.

For example, initially they were mutilating girls from 10 and above, for the reason of preparing her for marriage. But nowadays, they are mutilating even babies. They are doing so because they would like to defeat the legal process. Because they know if they mutilate babies, babies will not be able to take them to court. They will not be able to report, he said.

Waweru of Equality Now says although many countries have ratified key international treaties that protect womens rights, existing domestic laws make implementation and enforcement of these treaties difficult.

She calls upon African states to fully align their family laws and their practices with international human rights standards.
The Mid Valley Bicycle Club will dedicate its 10 a.m. Saturday ride on May 18 to the 22nd Annual Midge Cramer Bicycle Ride.

Cramer died in 1997. The club especially encourages people who knew him to ride with the club this Saturday, according to a news release. Members and friends of the Cramer family will be there.

Cramer was a leading bicycle advocate. He taught bicycle touring at Oregon State University, served on local bike commissions and was a standout for many years on the State of Oregon Bicycle Commission. Many bicycle-friendly amenities around the state, especially in Benton County, are attributed to Cramer, per the release.

The Midge Cramer Multiuse Path in Corvallis connects 53rd Street to Reservoir Road, and is an access route to the Bald Hill Recreation Area. A park bench and commemorative plaque are on this path.

Riders will meet at the east parking lot of Linus Pauling Middle School. There will be a choice of routes, all going along the Midge Cramer Bike Path and heading toward Philomath. Mileage ranges from 20 to 47 miles. The longer route goes over Decker Road, with a possible extension around Smith Loop, and the short ride goes through Philomath, with a possible stop at Hiatt Bakery. Another route is about 30% gravel.

All routes return via Bellfountain Road, where riders will participate in a coasting contest, according to the release. Cramer challenged his OSU students on this same coasting route.

The day will feature Cramer food traditions: fig Newtons, a treat he often provided to fellow riders, and peanut M&M's, a treat he gave as part of a guessing game with OSU staff. Many participants wear a plaid or argyle clothing item. Cramer wore the same signature plaid shirt on every tour and many daily rides, along with argyle socks his mother knitted.

For more information, write to Ann Asbell, ann.asbell@oregonstate.edu.

Check MVBC.com for more information on this event, the club and Saturday rides.
There is nothing in Francis Ford Coppolas (perhaps) final testament that feels like something out of a normal movie. Photo: Francis Ford Coppola via YouTube

This review was originally published out of the Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2024. We are recirculating it now timed to Megalopoliss theatrical release.

The moment when an actual live human walked out in front of the movie screen to pose Adam Drivers Cesar Catilina a question (which Cesar, in the film, proceeded to answer) might, in retrospect, be one of the less bizarre moments in Francis Ford Coppolas Megalopolis. The directors supreme dream project, which hes been trying to get off the ground for four decades, arrives at Cannes trailing clouds of speculation, skepticism, and controversy. It bears the marks of all the years Coppola has spent trying to make it, with elements that feel like theyve been patched in from different periods in his filmography: a bit of The Godfather here, a bit of Tucker: the Man and His Dream there. But the movie also feels older than that. Watching it, you sense the imagination of someone who came of age in the 1950s, with its visions of scientific progress, innovative design, and space-age wonder. How odd and curiously apropos that when we do see glimpses of Coppolas city of the future in this 2024 film, it doesnt seem too far from something we might have seen on The Jetsons. Megalopolis comes to us as the (perhaps final) testament of an artist now in his 80s, but sometimes it feels like the fevered thoughts of a precocious child, driven and dazzled and maybe a little lost in all the possibilities of the world before him.

There is nothing in Megalopolis that feels like something out of a normal movie. It has its own logic and cadence and vernacular. The characters speak in archaic phrases and words, mixing shards of Shakespeare, Ovid, and at one point straight-up Latin. Some characters speak in rhyme, others just in high-minded prose that feels like maybe it should be in verse. At one point, Adam Driver does the entire To be or not to be soliloquy from Hamlet. Why? Im not exactly sure. But it sure sounds good.

The plot, for all its love of science and reason, is a miasma of magic, melodrama, corny emotionality, and gangster-movie politics. It lands us right in the middle of a debate between visionary architect Cesar and this alternate-universe New Yorks Mayor Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito) over how to use their limited resources when theyre already wracked by debt. Cesar, inventor of a living building substance called Megalon, dreams of a self-sustaining city of the future that will organically grow with its inhabitants. Cicero, already plagued by scandal and booed wherever he goes, wants to help his angry and anxious citizens now. Dont let the now destroy the forever, Cesar insists to the mayor.

Coppola, who once planned on adapting Ayn Rands The Fountainhead, clearly sides with the dreamer, but Cesar is an imperfect vessel. He possesses tremendous powers  in the films bravura opening sequence, we see him stop time as he leans precariously off the Chrysler Building  but hes also an egomaniac, absorbed in his own brilliance and unable to compromise or care for those below him. Its an ideal role for Driver, who combines haughtiness and neurosis better than any other actor of his generation. Cesars life begins to change with the arrival of Ciceros party-girl daughter, Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel), the only other person who sees his ability to pause time, and who seems to have the same power herself. She is drawn to his brilliance, but of course, a romance also blossoms between them. There is little chemistry between the actors, but their love feels more like a metaphoric one than an actual one.

There are echoes here of the central conflict in Fritz Langs Metropolis, the granddaddy of all City of the Future movies, with its own clash between an aloof, opportunistic leader and a brilliant, possibly mad scientist, ultimately brought together by love. There, as in Megalopolis, the citizens were at the mercy of the elites hedonism and warfare. But Coppola spends more time among the elites than Lang, who sent his protagonist into the caves beneath Metropolis to witness the physical and spiritual toll of the industrial utopia above. Of course, extended visions of squalor and despair would have worked against this cinematic ode to those who dream of the future. But this is a movie about ideas more than people; everything in it feels purposefully unreal and fanciful, as if the whole thing were taking place inside its creators head. It basically is: Coppola is more interested in the debate over the future than he is in presenting any answers.

At the same time, its no surprise that the director of The Godfather films is drawn to the court intrigues of the wealthy. Its in this world that we find Wow Platinum (Aubrey Plaza), a beautiful financial journalist intent on accruing wealth and power for herself. She starts off as Cesars mistress, but soon marries his uncle, Hamilton Crassus (Jon Voight), the richest man in the city. Meanwhile, Crassuss constantly shape-shifting grandson, Clodio (Shia LaBeouf, in ever-rotating costumes), schemes to inherit all the family money for himself, ingratiating himself into the citys subcultures in an effort to gain influence. Much of this scheming happens during sequences of unchecked bacchanalia, with scantily clad partygoers clearly meant to evoke Roman-style decadence and decline. At their best, these scenes have an otherworldly inventiveness that gets at their intoxicating, anything-goes appeal. At their worst, they come across as choppy shots of awkward extras gyrating listlessly.

Megalopolis is often caught between its own dreams and what is merely possible. It certainly has moments of dazzling invention. When Cesar travels by night into the darker, less glitzy corners of the city, he passes by giant animated statues: Blind Justice leans exasperatedly against a wall, her scales tipping wildly off balance; a figure of a man in chains holding a tablet totters, the tablet breaking into pieces. A man gently braids the hair of a woman surrounded by angelic nurses, and we then see that she was never there, that hes alone in a dingy room lost in his memories. By the time the aforementioned live-audience element arrives (and who knows if that will be replicated when the movie gets released in actual theaters), its certainly notable, but its so in keeping with the films incessant, go-for-broke quality that the audience accepts it matter-of-factly: Oh, so that happened. The occasional dissolves that made the fever dreams of Apocalypse Now and Bram Stokers Dracula so gorgeously disorienting here take over entire sequences. In those pictures, these were stylistic flourishes. Here, its all flourish, all the time.

But then there come scenes that feel rushed, undernourished, and underpopulated. What made Coppolas earlier epics of family power and backstabbing so compelling was his ability to compose his narratives in depth: We always felt that there was a whole world thrumming with murderous vitality behind the key characters. The directors difficulties in getting Megalopolis made  not just the many decades it took to get the project off the ground, but the very real challenges of this particular shoot  have been documented elsewhere. Hes talked openly of having to cut corners and work with a smaller crew after what started off as a more ambitious production. At times, we can tell. Crowd scenes can be sparse. Seemingly major characters drop out of the story. For all the visual grandiosity, the digital cinematography is sometimes flat and overly bright, which in turn reduces depth and detail and makes things feel one-dimensional. We know Coppola has an eye, and he and cinematographer Mihai Malaimare have done fine work together in the past. Maybe there are future cuts of this film that will flesh things out more. Or maybe sometimes the reality of the now just defeats the possibilities of the forever.

Megalopolis is filled with quotations and lines that feel like quotations. Among the aphorisms that drift in is one attributed to Marcus Aurelius: The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. Interestingly, the quote does not appear anywhere in Marcus Aurelius; apparently, Leo Tolstoy once cited it as coming from the Stoic Roman Emperor, and everybody just accepted that as fact. So, its a fake quote! But a beautiful one nonetheless, presumably warning against the dangers of going with the crowd but also of the dangers of going mad in ones opposition to the crowd. But hearing it in this film, I imagined an extra comma in there, between escape and finding: The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape, finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.

It totally reverses the meaning, but it would be in keeping not just with this movie but Coppolas career in general. Over and over again, he very consciously leaps over the edge with each new project. He admitted to going insane making Apocalypse Now. Ive written elsewhere that I thought hed lost his mind with Bram Stokers Dracula, a movie I now consider a masterpiece. Surely the man who staked his entire studio on One From the Heart  the beautiful, woozy, unforgettable, financially dead-on-arrival One From the Heart  wasnt thinking clearly. And so, hes done it again, and perhaps exceeded himself. Megalopolis might be the craziest thing Ive ever seen. And Id be lying if I said I didnt enjoy every single batshit second of it.
Photo: Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas have worked out custody of their children, at least for now. In January of this year, Turners lawsuit against Jonas was dismissed, and the pair reached a custody agreement. Speaking to British Vogue, Turner says shes unhappy with how it all went down, and dreams of a more peaceful co-parenting future for Willa and Delphine. My dream is to have a huge Christmas where my daughters can have their dad there, Joes whole side of the family, their grandparents, she says. I dont care about the politics, I just want the girls to feel loved and have everyone show up for them.

In the same interview, Turner said the legal battle really took it out of her. There were some days that I didnt know if I was going to make it. I would call my lawyer saying, I cant do this. I just cant. I was just never strong enough to stand up for myself, she says. But her lawyer reminded her she was doing this for her kids: Once anyone says to me, Do it for your kids, Im doing it. I wouldnt do it for myself, but Ill find the strength for them. Turner cites Taylor Swift as an incredible support at this time, lending her a place to live in New York. Ive never been more grateful to anyone than I am for her because she took my children and me, and provided us with a home and a safe space, she says. She really has a heart of gold.

Turner also opened up about her feelings of alienation when living in 1) America and 2) the JoBro demimonde. As far as being a Jonas Wife, she bristled at having her identity effectively reduced to groupie. While living in America, Turner says she found the prevalence of gun violence in schools terrifying, and living in Miami alienating. We were in this community full of 50-year-old men, so imagine trying to make friends on the dog walk, she says. I just felt like a little bird trapped in a gilded cage.
Photo: Courtesy of Zak Toscani

In August 2022, Zak Toscani was in the middle of performing a stand-up show in a fans Boulder, Colorado, backyard when, suddenly, an audience members hyperactive dog began running laps around the house like it had been possessed. At first, it was just a minor distraction, but then Toscani and the audience of 30 to 40 people heard a squeak from the opposite side of the house. The next time the dog reappeared, it presented everyone with the graphic remains of the rabbit it had been chasing. Toscani learned a valuable lesson that day about these DIY shows: At any time, he might get upstaged by a rabbit carcass. Reflecting back on that show now, he remembers thinking, How do I follow death?

Experiences like this have become a fixture of Toscanis life as a performer since mid-2021, when, after getting his COVID vaccination, he embarked on an experiment to perform comedy for people in their homes in Portland, Oregon, where he lived at the time. It wasnt long before fans of his frequent appearances on the popular podcast All Fantasy Everything, his 2018 viral Twitter thread about a co-worker whod stolen another co-workers lunch, or his comedy clips online began seeing his social-media and Reddit posts about it and jumping at the chance to book him. Since then, hes toured nonstop across the U.S. and Canada, booking enough house shows that, for the first time in his career, hes been able to quit working day jobs and carve out a living as a middle-class comedian.

An average house show sees Toscani playing to an audience of 40 to 50 people, but he charges a flat fee irrespective of attendance size: $800 for shows on weekdays and $1,200 for shows on weekends. (Some hosts also give out Toscanis Venmo information and encourage their guests to tip him, which can bring in an extra $300 to $400 per show.) Its enough money to drive between gigs, book hotels, and pocket some savings too. Plus, demand is growing. Toscani went from performing 45 house shows in 2022 to 85 house shows in 2023; 25 were rebookings from the previous year.

Over the course of four conversations in recent months, Toscani took us behind the scenes of a run of recent house shows and recounted some of the best, worst, and oddest experiences hes had while being on tour.

Theres probably not going to be a comedian in this basement ever again.

Last nights house show in Atlanta was so much fucking fun. Got to share stage time with the incredible @ShaunakIsCool AND the house had secret doors, an elevator, and a few folks who were in the movie Drumline. 10/10 pic.twitter.com/ipJ89sGNRE  Zak Toscani (@zak_toscani) November 11, 2023

Atlanta, Georgia: This guy in Atlanta, Charles, contacted me in the spring. We talked on the phone for a little bit, and he was like, My wife just designed our new house. Wed love to do a public show. Well get some of your fans, well get some of the people I know, and well just see how it goes. I brought Shaunak Godkhindi, whos a really great comic in Atlanta. Were pulling up, and its maybe a half-hour before the show, and I just see a couple of cars in the driveway. I was like, Oh, I guess maybe people are gonna show up late. Charles and his wife, Nicole, come out, and Charles is like, Hey, man, so the shuttles bringing everyone  I was like, Wait, what? Hes like, Oh, yeah, when people bought tickets, I sent them an email, and instead of just coming to my house, I got them to park in the Whole Foods parking lot and have a shuttle bring them here.

I get inside the house, and its insane. Its like a John Wick house. It had an elevator! He has a bartender there and all these chairs set up. It was cool, because there was a mix of people who knew me and bought tickets, and then I come to find out that Charles is a therapist, and hes like, Some of my clients are here. I want them to see me as a person. I have fears. I have things I laugh at. I cry. It was probably the most diverse audience in terms of age, gender, and race. As great as the show went, afterwards was great too, because Im in a big mansion full of people that probably would never be in the same room together.

A lot of comics, when theyve asked me about these house shows, have been like, Thats really great, but then you have to hang out afterwards and talk to people? And maybe its just because Ive been so immersed in it, but thats sometimes one of the better parts of doing this whole thing. You feel like youre actually connecting with people. Theres a lot of times where, going into the show, Ill be like, Im feeling kind of tired, so Ill probably do my set, hang out for a little bit, and then dip. Then afterwards, Im like, Theyre gonna have to kick me out.

Doing these house shows, youre like, Lets see if my material works in every kind of scenario for all different people of different backgrounds. I did one in a suburb outside of Oakland, and the people who booked me were like, Were Palestinian, so all the people here tonight are in the Palestinian community, and its amazing being able to perform for people where its like, I dont think I would have had access to this if I was at a comedy club. That show in particular, I was like, Oh, my God, let me eat all this food. Then they were like, Were going to dance after this. You want to dance? I was like, Yes, lets fucking dance.

Even the weird situations are great. At an early house show in Portland, there was a couple who were like, Hey, wed love to book you. We just moved in together, and were getting married. Is it gonna be weird if its just us? And of course, its a little strange, but I was like, Lets go. Kyle Kinane, who was pretty much full-time in Portland at the time, had been asking me about these house shows and how they work, and at one point, he was like, Do you mind if I come to one? And of course, the one he wants to come to is the apartment show with two people. So he just sits in this La-Z-Boy chair behind the couple sitting on their couch while Im standing in their kitchen doing comedy, and it was such a blast.

There was one show in Philly where we were in the backyard and it started raining, so we all moved inside. So there were like 90 people jammed into a basement, and the stage is right in front of their guest-room door. At one point, I did a joke that got more chuckles than outright laughs, and I pretended to be really salty about it. I was like, Fine, Im gonna go to my room! So I opened the door to the guest room, slammed it shut, and brought the mic with me.

Those are moments when I feel really present and connected. And I feel like, unconsciously, people know: What were seeing, its not going to happen again. Theres probably not going to be a comedian in this basement ever again. Were all kind of on this ride together.

Theyre just sitting there with their 8-year-old son like, What the fuck is this?

Drove from Richmond VA to Providence RI for a house show, during my set got food poisoning, took three puke breaks, including one where in an attempt to make it to the bathroom I ran into their screen door. They were so cool and gracious through it all. 10/10 night pic.twitter.com/ZWfIeXvEnA  Zak Toscani (@zak_toscani) October 15, 2023

Destin, Florida: Something thats happened a few times is people will book me, and theyll have a housing project going on, like, Were redoing our backyard or Were making a deck, and were kind of booking you as a way to ensure it gets done by that time. The Destin show was this womans 40th birthday, and it was another couple who were trying to give themselves a deadline. But then they were like, We were gonna do it at our house, but our house isnt finished, so is it okay if we do it at a restaurant? I dont ask a lot of questions, because sometimes if I get too much information, Ill think about it too much or Ill try to preplan or pre-strategize. So I just assumed that they know the people who run this restaurant, and theyre going to close it down for the night.

I get to the restaurant, and I meet Casey and her husband, Jay. Theres probably already 200 people there. So Im talking to Casey and Jay, and Im like, This is crazy. You know all these people? And she was like, No, our group is on this side of the restaurant. The other half of the restaurant is just customers. So it may be on me for not asking questions, but now the dynamic of the show has just changed wildly, because theres 100 people who have no idea that theres a stand-up comedian coming on. So then I meet the manager of the restaurant, and hes like, Hey, we have this big screen projector at the back. Send me a picture and well put it up while youre performing. I send him a photo, and he puts it up, and it is a giant picture of me. Suddenly Im like, I can fuck around with this. It looks like Im gonna give a memorial speech for a twin brother who died. So Im trying to play around with that, but also really getting worried, because now the restaurant is getting more and more packed.

You had one half of the restaurant who was intently listening and being a really good audience, and then the other half of people who just wanted to eat dinner, and I dont fault them one bit. So there was a level of noise that was happening  people at the bar, people eating, and some people looking very distressed at what was going on. Theyre just sitting there with their 8-year-old son like, What the fuck is this? Why is this guy talking about if Jesus was into BDSM?

So it wasnt optimal, but sometimes the gigs are just like this. You just have to get through it and have the best time that you can in the moment. I tried to riff and do shorter jokes, so that the people were kind of tuning in while just being customers might be able to enjoy it. And I did get a lot of people afterwards who werent part of the party who were like, That was kind of crazy, man, but that was awesome. We were back here at the bar listening, and that was fucking great!

I get to be like, Theres not even countertops. Is this even your house? Are you squatting?

Zak Toscani House Show in St Petersburg was tiiiiiight pic.twitter.com/k69Nlb1kpQ  Zak Toscani (@zak_toscani) November 13, 2023

Ocean Springs, Mississippi: The house show was kind of their housewarming in inviting people in, but they didnt even have an operating kitchen yet. The architects and the construction people were there. Doing a show in a house thats so architecturally interesting, thats undoubtedly what everyones thinking about. I get to be like, Theres not even countertops. Is this even your house? Are you squatting? Those are the kinds of things where Im like, Oh, this is performing at a house show. Everything thats unique about the house is something that I can bring up  whether its a full-on joke, or Im doing a joke and midway through I realize, I can actually tag it with something in this room. I dont have to be like, What do you do for a living? or whatever. I can go real specific, like, Whats up with that picture? And people lose it.

This was kind of the artistic community of people in the Gulf Coast of Mississippi who are really trying to make a push to show Mississippi is not what the media would have you believe. This guy, Julian  he runs a museum down there  hes a listener of All Fantasy Everything. So he heard about the tour, messaged me, and was like, Do you want to come to Ocean Springs? Then, on another episode of AFE, I was reading my tour dates, and I said I was going to be in Ocean Springs. Then we had this whole riff about how theyre going to pay me in Confederate money. After the show, Julians mother-in-law came up to me and was jokingly like, You know, I actually did try to find some Confederate money 

Im always telling people that I dont own this idea. Any comic who thinks this will help them or that itll give them more stage time? Go for it. Its not fighting for a weekend at a comedy club. I dont foresee a future where someones like, Oh, we wanted to book you for a house show, but we actually booked this guy for a house show. Kyle Kinane, during his Shocks and Struts tour, was traveling in a van, and then he would just be like, Hey, Im gonna be in Arkansas tonight. Does anyone want to throw me a show? That was a perfect idea for him, where he just had all these days in between the tour stops. He was doing it from a position of, Im just in town already. You dont even have to pay me. I just want to run this hour and do it in interesting places. So you can adapt it your own way.

COVID was a big revelation for me, where I was like, The traditional spaces are great for comedy, but theyre not needed. You can have a great show in any kind of way. I think its very sustainable. I have a good amount of comics who ask me about it, and Im always very happy and willing to share how Im doing it. Maybe youll discover a way of doing it thats better for you. I just think, The more the merrier.

I dont know that I would have known that this was a memorial for the death of a young person.

Ive been doing house show tours for almost three years now and I cannot fully express how much they mean to me. I have been able to be a full time comic, which seemed almost impossible before. Getting invited into peoples worlds; surrounded by their family, their friends, pic.twitter.com/P6gVEp5hay  Zak Toscani (@zak_toscani) February 6, 2024

Portland, Oregon: This woman messaged me about a week ago, and she wrote, We have three kids, and our oldest was killed at 19 as a passenger in a car accident last April 18th. Thursday is her first memorial day. She was a very big stand-up comedy fan, and she wanted to get a fake ID just so she could be able to go to Helium, since its a 21-and-over club. In this last year, stand-up has been a big part of helping us with our grief. We wanted to do something to honor her memory, and this feels like a really cool way.

I got to the show a half-hour early, and it was just the family: Kimberly, who contacted me about doing the show; her husband, Stan; and then one of their kids. I see six chairs on a lawn, and Im like, Oh my God, is this just for this family? That definitely changes how Im going to approach it. But then I start getting set up, and people are filling in, and I would say there are about 40 to 50 people there. I was just trying to feel out the vibe: Do they want me to bring it up and talk about it, or am I trying to be a temporary relief or a distraction from it?

This was all on the front lawn, and I had no idea if this was going to be a memorial  if there were going to be pictures and stuff  but, if they would have never said anything, I dont know that I would have known that this was a memorial for the death of a young person. The only clue was when people would first arrive, theyd be hugging tenderly  those kind of long hugs. Before I went up, Stan went up first and was like, We just wanted to do something fun for the one-year memorial, because she always wanted to do stand-up, so we hit this guy up, and lets have some fun. So, from that, I was like, Okay, its not my place to talk about this or bring it up. I did say, Im really honored to be here. This is really cool, but otherwise, I tried to act as if it was just any other house show.

There were definitely moments where I was a little bit ahead of the jokes as I was telling them. I was like, Is even the mention of death bad? So there were times I would fuck up a joke in a way that I havent done before by trying to precensor things. I have this joke about when youre going to a friends party and you text them, Hey, Im on my way, let me know if I can get anything, and then as soon as you send that youre like, If they fucking make me go get something, Ill drive off the bridge. I dont give a shit, Ill die. And as Im telling this joke, Im like, Oh, God, I cant say that. So then I skip that part and its disjointed, and I have to figure out a new way to set it up.

Its not that I thought people would boo me; its just that I was aware of it, and I was trying to figure out tonally how depressing or dark I could get. But it seemed like the more I would touch on that stuff, the more the audience was for it. A lot of people came up and were really appreciative, and Stan came up to me and was really happy with how it all went. I assume most of these people have been in a year of nothing but grief, so theyre like, Whatever youre gonna say is not as bad as what weve been going through.
Airport in the City service is open to ITA Airways passengers.

Passengers flying from Rome's Fiumicino Airport with ITA Airways can now check in and drop off their luggage at the central Termini train station before their flight.

Airport in the City is the new initiative by Rome airport management company Aeroporti di Roma (AdR) which is open exclusively to ITA Airways passengers flying from Fiumicino, to any destination except the US and Israel.

The free check-in and baggage drop-off service is available to ITA passengers every day, from 08.00 to 16.00, as long as their flight is scheduled on the same day.

The service allows passengers to check in and enjoy a few hours in Rome without carrying luggage with them or having to leave it in storage facilities.

Once their bags are checked in at Termini, passengers can collect them directly at the final destination of their trip.

#AirportintheCity e il nostro nuovo servizio di check-in off-airport che permette ai passeggeri @ITAAirways di lasciare i bagagli da stiva alla Stazione Termini, ritirarli a destinazione e visitare liberamente Roma prima del volo! https://t.co/CzUTki8taI #TogetherBeyondFlying pic.twitter.com/XrEaHky5JM  Aeroporti di Roma (@AeroportidiRoma) May 15, 2024

Luggage must be left at least three and a half hours in advance of ITA Airways flights, according to the following deadlines: by 10.00 for flights departing from 13.30 onwards, by 13.00 for flights departing from 16.30 onwards, and by 16.00 for flights taking off after 19.30.

Our goal with Airport in the City is to bring the services of the award-winning Fiumicino airport to the heart of Rome" - said the CEO of AdR, Marco Troncone - "a great innovation in Italy and Europe with which we want to improve the travel experience of the thousands of passengers who every day pass through 'Leonardo da Vinci', the first gateway to our country".

The Airport in the City check-in station is located off Via Giovanni Giolitti 16 and near Platform 24 from which the Leonardo Express direct train service connects Termini and Fiumicino airport in just over 30 minutes.

For full details about the Airport in the City initiative see the AdR website.
More than 600,000 people are released from U.S. prisons every year, vowing never to go back. Many do. One man is trying to change that.
Technology giant IBM Ireland today announced a new investment that will create up to 800 high-tech jobs across Waterford, Cork and Dublin, helping build advanced software underpinned by the latest artificial intelligence technologies to advance security, automation and hybrid cloud.

The AI technology will include foundational and large language models that are key for generative AI.

The investment will create hundreds of roles in research and development, as well as digital sales and consulting; and see Ireland continue to be among IBMs strategic locations globally. The roles will be created across IBM sites in Dublin, Cork and at IBMs subsidiary, Red Hat, located in Waterford.

The Waterford News & Star requested a breakdown of how the newly-established 800 roles will be distributed across the three counties.

"We can't give an exact breakdown at the moment, the numbers for each location will depend on local skills and requirements from IBM and Red Hat," said a spokesperson.

"We can say we expect a substantial number of the roles will be coming to Waterford, which we hope will have a significant impact in the region over the coming years," they added.

The new staff will join IBMs and Red Hats vibrant and diverse workforce, and help enhance Irelands rich and highly skilled technology talent pool that supports employment in knowledge-intensive and high-technology sectors. As the EU leader for the number of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduates per capita, Ireland has a talent pipeline fuelled by skilled young people, while educators collaborate with industry to provide the skills needed in the future.

IBM has been in Ireland for more than 65 years and Ireland is also host to IBM research-only facility in the EU.

The three-year investment is supported by the Government of Ireland through IDA Ireland.
The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA) has welcomed a recent announcement by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD, regarding SCEP participants.

Minister McConalogue said in-person training will be provided as an option for such participants.

In welcoming the announcement, the ISCA Suckler Chairperson, Jimmy Cosgrave, said it was a measure that his organisation was looking for.

This is something that ICSA looked for and I am pleased that the Minister has seen the merit in our argument, said Mr Cosgrave.

The decision will come as a great relief to many farmers who faced considerable challenges with the online training, for a variety of reasons, he added.

Mr Cosgrave then made reference to the in-person option for training which he said would benefit a certain cohort of people.

He commented that while the option to complete the training online would suit many participants it was vital to include an in-person option to ensure no farmer got left behind.

Outlining some of his concerns on the matter he said some suckler farmers were not in a position to avail of online training.

A lot of our suckler farmers are older and living in remote areas and would have really struggled with completing the seven required modules, he said.

Now, at least, they will have the opportunity to meet with other farmers and complete the training in an environment where they will have all the necessary support, he added.

Mr Cosgrave then outlined the importance of the scheme both from an economic perspective and with regard to being environmentally aware. He also outlined how it would prove beneficial to suckler farmers.

The SCEP scheme is an important one in terms of reaching our climate targets and in terms of financially supporting suckler farmers, said Mr Cosgrave.

The goal is to get as many farmers as possible through the scheme to secure those benefits and I am pleased common sense has prevailed on this issue, he added.
There was a full house in the Book Centre on Friday, May 3, when Mary Darlington, of Darlington Consulting, launched her first book, 'Safety Sorted', which is the go-to guide on health and safety for small Irish businesses.

Mary invited her long time friend, Margaret Bond, Managing Director of Codico Distributors, to say a few words first. Margaret recalled them meeting for the first time in 1988 and how Mary was her go-to person for professional advice while working with Bausch and Lomb. Later they worked together within Network, Mary as National President and Margaret at Waterford President, to bring the National Conference to Waterford, very successfully, in 1995.

Margaret informed the audience that her company has used Mary as its safety advisor since 2007 and her work in terms of audits, preparation of safety statements and continuous training resulted in the company winning major tenders and attracting new employees. Margaret complimented Mary on her professionalism, attention to detail and her passion for health and safety over the years.

Marys daughter, Heather Darlington, then shared with the assembled crowd some anecdotes about growing up with a safety professional as a mother. These included mandatory fire drills at home, rules about not running with scissors and mandatory wearing of hearing protection while operating the ride on lawnmower. She expressed her absolute pride in her mothers achievements.

Mary then provided some background, not just to the book, 'Safety Sorted', but to her long health and safety career. She explained that she never intended to work in health and safety at all but it was given to her by her boss in Bausch and Lomb in 1989, when the new safety act of that year came into being. She further went on to outline how the company won many safety awards in Ireland with National Irish Safety Organisation (NISO) and with Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) in UK, while she was Safety and Environment Manager.

Mary joked that "health and safety is not a profession to go into if you want to be popular."

"Ethical safety leadership demands truth-telling, however painful," she continued. "In this profession we have to be guided by integrity and what is fundamentally right."

While detailing why she wrote the book, Mary explained that in Ireland "we have a wealth of health and safety laws and regulations, everything from Asbestos to Woodworking". They apply to all businesses big and small, regardless of size as the level of risk determines what needs to be done.

"Large companies employee their own in-house health and safety professionals as safety officers and managers to implement all of this and they have a hard time keeping up with it all," she said.

"The key issue here is that we also expect small companies, employing less than 20 people, to comply fully with all of this. In my opinion this is a tall order. How are they expected to do that when they do not have the time, resources or expertise to know what applies to them or indeed how to implement it?"

"Realistically many do not know where to start, others have begun, but there is a huge gap between what they should be doing and what they are actually doing and this book aims to fill that gap," said Mary.

"It is designed to be a practical, no nonsense guide and road map through health and safety for small businesses. It simplifies everything down using 'laymans English', written assuming that the small business owner has no formal training or expertise," she added.

Nearing the end of the launch, Mary thanked her wife, Marian, for giving her the time to write the book, while also feeding and looking after her. She also extended her gratitude to her two "wonderful" daughters, Heather and Caroline "for their ongoing encouragement and feedback".

Mary continued to thank Herbert Mulligan, editor of Health and Safety Review, Derbhile Graham, of Write Words, "and finally, but by no means least", Cecelia Carelse, a published author herself, who brought Mary through the publishing process to produce a physical book.

Mary confirmed that without Cecelia, the book would still just be a word document on her computer, as the original publisher let her down.

Concluding her speech, Mary said that "every small business needs this book and when SMEs genuinely implement what it recommends, then they will truly have 'Safety Sorted'."
A Waterford woman who was sexually assaulted is bringing to light her treatment by the justice system.

Sabrina Halligan was attacked by a man on the Poleberry walkway in Waterford City on March 30, 2023. The area had heavy CCTV presence.

During the attack, the man tied her scarf around her neck. She regained consciousness some time later, having suffered scrapes, bruises and a black eye.

The Gardai brought her back to her home to take her clothing into evidence.

Sabrina was later taken by Gardai to the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (SATU), at University Hospital Waterford (UHW), where a rape kit was prepared.

At the time, Gardai confirmed that they had arrested a man and released him without charge, and that a file was being prepared for the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions)

On Monday, May 6 2024, Sabrina was informed by Gardai that her case will not be going forward for prosecution.

According to Sabrina, they did not explain why the case was not going forward, or why she could not access her rape kit.

This development has devastated Sabrina, and has compounded her struggles at recovering from the attack.

Sabrina told the Waterford News and Star: Ive had the worst year of my life. Im just lost again, my body is scarred.

Sabrina has asked Gardai about the results of the rape kit and to receive its finding, but has received no answers.

Im entitled to know, its my body. I think its very, very unfair. They cant even tell me Where is the justice in the Irish justice system?

Her treatment by the authorities over the last year has severely affected her. She said: I think they should be trained who to help someone going through a trauma.

When asked why she is coming forward with her ordeal, Sabrina said: I need to get my life back. I was always a happy, bubbly person.

For now, she is trying to rebuild her life but is haunted by her trauma: Its destroyed everything in my life. My only worry is that I dont know this person, and hes out there knowing he got away with what he done.

A Garda spokesperson stated: "An investigation file was submitted to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions who directed no prosecution. It is a personal decision for any complainant to further engage with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. An Garda Siochana has no role in any such interactions with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. An Garda Siochana does not comment in general, or on the specifics of any ongoing criminal investigations, as any comment from any party could breach the legitimate expectation of privacy of the injured party and potentially could impact on future conduct of any criminal prosecution."
SETU Chapel: Karl Kirby Memorial Concert

This is more a celebration of a young life lived to the full than a memorial concert.

Everything that happens in this extraordinary coming together of musical talent across the nation celebrates and comments on the remarkable influence of a young man on the cusp of life, aged 17, when he passed away almost five years ago.

We can never underestimate the power of talent, kindness, joie de vivre, youth, family and friendship because everyone here  musicians, teachers, choirs, families and friends  are all part of Karls world.

Musicians travelled from all over to play in the SETU Orchestra  just as Karl did for many years of his young life.

A smashing double-bass concerto by Bottesini is performed by Dominic Dudley and celebrates Karls performances on the double bass with its deep mellow sound echoing around the Manor Hill Chapel.

The SETU Orchestra, conducted by Stephen Mackey, Mussorgskys Great Gate of Kiev explodes across the venue with brassy fanfares linked together by strings with an elegiac bell as background.

Karls sister, Sophie solos on cello with SETU Budding Bows in the Philip Bliss 'It is well'.

Its a very gentle piece; thoughtful, evocative and the conversation with the piano gives it pace and energy.

Budding Bows reprises their recent performance in the National Concert Hall with the dazzling 'Irish Legend', that also features Karls sister Lucy on violin and Im reminded of the many times Karl played with the this young strings orchestra.

Choirs are here in force and the connecting link is Karls participation with all of them.

SETU Boys Choir give a splendid 'Shenandoah', while the De La Salle Choir sing the powerful 'Anthem' from Chess and the complex 'Fite Fuaite', from the pen of Br Ben Hanlon.

Lumina with the SETU Youth Choir are also here with the Whitacre 'Sleep' and Hogans 'Elijah Rock', that rocks the chapel with its gospel sound and explosive rhythm.

Vox Amicum Brass sing the 'Largo', from Handels Xerxes; Trinity Capella Choir delivers a superb 'Gloria', from Vivaldis mass and the SETU Youth Choirs 'O Love', from Ohio-born Elaine Hagenberg is wonderful.

Finally the massed choirs sing 'Psalm 61' that is especially composed in Karls honour by Dr Marian Ingoldsby bring a very special concert to a close.

Karl Kirby, double-bass player with the WIT Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland, was one of Waterfords most talented musicians.

There is nothing sadder than recording the passing of a gifted and popular young musician who has been taken all too soon.

Julie Quinlan, Head of the Music School at WIT paid a moving tribute to double-bass player Karl describing him as the funny, amazing, thoughtful, kind, brilliant, talented and inspiring young man who passed away on Thursday, June 20, five years ago surrounded by his loving family. Karl had fought his illness with strength and courage.

He was determined to continue living his life, fulfilling his dreams and ambitions to the highest standards.

He was an extremely talented pianist and double bass player, a chorister, a soloist, an orchestral player, an accompanist, and not forgetting perfectionist!

The National Youth Orchestra also released a very moving tribute: 'We are utterly heartbroken to share the devastating news that NYOI double bassist, Karl Kirby, passed away last night surrounded by his loving family.

'Karl was a fun, kind, talented and much loved friend to all of us and he will never be forgotten.

We extend our deepest sympathies to the Kirby and Sloan families and Karls many, many friends. Ni bheidh a leitheid aris ann.'

The thoughts and prayers of everyone involved with music in Waterford are always with his mum Darina, dad Michael, sisters Katie, Lucy and Sophie as well as with his extended family and wide circle of young friends.

God bless you Karl, you were one of our own.
Simply The Best, May 17, Theatre Royal

Rebecca OConnor, is returning once more to the beautiful Theatre Royal in Waterford with her tribute act Tina Turner. With sold out shows throughout Ireland and Europe over the past two years, Rebecca is bringing her newest show to Waterford this month, including her band and dancers. Rebecca OConnor is the only Irish artist to ever win the European TV competition 'Stars in Their Eyes', hosted by Matthew Kelly, in front of over 33 million viewers. She brought her rendition of Tina Turner to life as she wowed the audience and has continued doing that all over the world to packed houses ever since. Rebecca will deliver a rendition of Tina Turners greatest hits including, 'Nutbush City Limits', 'Proud Mary', 'River Deep', 'Private Dancer', 'When the Heartache Is Over', 'Better Be Good to Me', and of course 'Simply the Best'.

Sharon Clancy & Killian Browne Jazz Trio, May 24, Bank Lane

Sharon Clancy will be accompanied by the trio of Killian Browne (piano), Sean Carey (Bass) and Eddy Blake (Drums) for her upcoming gig at Bank Lane in Waterford City, for an evening of intimate jazz singing and playing by candlelight. Sharons music is described as achingly romantic with the most beguiling clarity, sculpting the timeless expression of what it feels like to love and be loved.

Cats The Musical, May 23 to May 26, Garter Lane Arts Centre

Join the talented students of Soul Dance Arts as they take to the stage in their annual end of year performance. The performance features students aged between 3 and 18, performing the Andrew Lloyd Webber play Cats, for a Waterford audience. Soul Dance Arts stage over three productions every year while also giving the students performance opportunities at different events and shows across Waterford.

Low Tide/Green Grass Art Exhibition, April 29 to May 29, Coastguard Cultural Station Tramore

This exhibition showcases the work of Micheal O Fearghail (water colour) and Ann Brennan (oils). Micheal is a self-taught water colour artist based in Kilkenny. For this exhibition he has chosen a selection of work that represents his love of the sea, the south east and the Waterford coast. Ann Brennan is also a self-taught artist working from her home base in South Tipperary. She focuses on the natural beauty of our mountains and coastlines. Her inspiration comes from regular hikes on the west coast, and nearer her home in the Comeragh Mountains.

Coumshingaun Lake Guided Tour, June 22, Kilclooney Wood Car Park

A fully guided tour of Coumshingaun Lake and its environs will take place this June. The guided hike will take you through scenic trails leading to the lake with a company of fellow outdoor enthusiasts.
It was a bumper price for a half-empty B-grade building and suggested a rebound was ahead for the CBD property market. Cushman & Wakefield agents Daniel Wolman, Oliver Hay, Leon Ma of Cushman & Wakefield have been hired by the vendors, the Scaunich Group, to sell it again. A 12-floor midtown office building formerly owned by the Bank of Singapore is back on the market. Records show it was bought in 2006 for $15.05 million. The 4153-square-metre tower is on a 508-square-metre block between Collins and Bourke streets and is expected to sell in the early to mid $20 million range. Around the corner, the former Saracens Head hotel and McEwans hardware store at 387-391 Bourke Street has finally sold.

It couldnt find a buyer last year and was slated for an auction in March. Extensive roadworks put the kybosh on the auction and turned it into an expression of interest campaign. Loading A local private buyer is understood to be paying in the $9 million range. Wolman, Hay and Anthony Kirwan managed the transaction but declined to comment on the buyer and price. T2 and Rhumbarellas A couple of iconic Brunswick Street, Fitzroy addresses  the original homes of the T2 tea shop and Rhumbarellas cafe  are going to auction next month.

The shops at 340-342 Brunswick Street have been held in the same families since 1976  well before the strips gentrification. Rhumbarellas opened at 342 Brunswick Street in 1983, part of a new wave of cafes in Melbournes inner suburbs and T2 opened the doors at No.340 in 1996. Shop fronts at 340-342 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. T2 still trades at the 260-square-metre, double-storey shop paying $82,396 a year in rent. Blackout Restaurant and Lounge occupies No.342, a 330-square-metre two-level building, returning $98,384 a year. The combined landholding is on 363 square metres of land. Fitzroys Chris Kombi, Ervin Niyaz and Ben Liu are handling the auction and expect about $1.7 million for No.340 and $2 million for No.342.

Highlander news Highlander Mews, one of the CBDs first modern-era residential projects, and its neighbour at 490 Flinders Street, are on the market as a 352-square-metre development site. The Highlander Mews units were completed in 1984, paving the way for CBD living at a time when most residents were living in boarding houses or old warehouses. 1-9 Highlander Lane and 490 Flinders Street. Marketing for a 24-storey 35-unit project was launched last year but the joint venture behind it - Metier3 architect Andrew Norbury and Singaporean group Havenport Investments - are selling up.

Records show they paid $1.2 million for each of the five three-storey townhouses at 1-9 Highlander Lane and a further $4.21 million for 490 Flinders Street, making their total outlay $10.21 million. Loading Its down the road from Highlander Lanes most famous resident, Captain Peter Janson, who lives in the six-storey Rutherglen House at No.11. Colliers Matt Stagg, Nick Garoni, Jozef Dickinson and Aaron Choong are running the expressions of interest campaign and are expecting about $12 million. Spotlight on Chapel

Also giving up on plans for a residential development is the Spotlight Group which is selling one of the last remaining large parcels of land on Chapel Street. The 3306-square-metre site at 402-416 Chapel Street fronts the high-rise housing commission towers and was razed several years ago to make way for apartments. It previously held a strip of shops with upper level offices. Records show Spotlights owners, the rich-lister Fraid/Fried families, paid a bumper $1.51 million for the building in 1983 when Chapel Street was on the verge of its last great renaissance. 402-416 Chapel Street, South Yarra Its close to the Jam Factory development where Newmark Capital and Gurner are planning four towers with heights up to 33 levels  so theres plenty of upside available.

Cushman & Wakefields Hamish Burgess, Marcus Neill, Joe Kairouz, and Leon Ma and Stonebridge Property Groups Julian White, Andrew Milligan and Chao Zhang have the listing. They declined to provide a price range but a couple of recent deals provide some guidance. In 2022, Daniel Grollos HOME build-to-rent venture paid $37.5 million for the 2069-square-metre ex-Ojay site at 671 Chapel Street site and has since had a 22-storey project approved. Nearby, the Simonds Group paid $15.7 million for the 817-square-metre Chapel Lane Huts at 430-438 Chapel Street in 2022. National Archives Dorman Capital has put the Melbourne home of the National Archives of Australia up for sale, with expectations of around $30 million.

The 6432-square-metre building at 31 Vision Drive, East Burwood, is in the Tally-Ho Business Park and comes with a new five-year lease to the federal agency. The National Archives holds the countrys most valuable historic documents. 31 Vision Drive, East Burwood. The Dorman family made their money as co-founders of aged care operator Regis Healthcare which listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2014. CBREs Scott Orchard and Tom Ryan, with Gorman Commercials Peter Bremner and Jonathan McCormack, are running expressions of interest in the building. Records show Dorman Capital paid $24.25 million for the building in 2015. Dormans managing director Nicholas Dorman said the company is planning to redirect capital to our development pipeline and other new projects.
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Under a new law, Idahoans seeking unemployment must report five search-related activities each week starting this summer.

The new requirements start July 7, according to an Idaho Department of Labor news release. Idaho previously required two work search contacts each week.

The rise in required work search reports for Idaho unemployment insurance stems from House Bill 686, passed during the 2024 legislative session. The bill also broadened whats considered a work search activity, according to the news release.

The Legislatures intent with HB 686 is twofold  to increase the opportunities for Idahoans to secure meaningful work and to help businesses find employees, Idaho Department of Labor Director Jani Revier said in the release.
According to the plea agreements and other court records, late in the evening on Nov.4, 2022, Jarrett, Jordan, and Lewis picked up their victim from her residence in Dale County. They did so under seemingly sociable circumstances. After driving around in rural parts of the Wiregrass area, they made a stop at Jordans and Jarretts residence in Pansey. Eventually, the four decided to go for another drive in the rural parts of the area and stopped at an abandoned structure in Jackson County, Fla. Jordan forced the victim out of the vehicle and began beating her. Jarrett encouraged her to do so. Eventually, Jarrett directed Jordan to restrain the victim. Jordan used zip ties and duct tape to secure the victims ankles and wrists. Lewis assisted Jordan by retrieving those items from inside the vehicle.
A visitor films a painting at "the Yellow River Civilization Embracing the Egyptian Civilization" exhibition in Cairo, Egypt, on May 14, 2024. From roaring tigers to delicate purple flowers, a fresh exhibition has captivated visitors in Cairo with works by artists from east China's Shandong Province. Organized by Shandong Painting Academy, "the Yellow River Civilization Embracing the Egyptian Civilization" exhibition was unveiled on Tuesday at the China Cultural Center in Cairo. [Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa]

CAIRO, May 15 (Xinhua)  From roaring tigers to delicate purple flowers, a fresh exhibition has captivated visitors in the Egyptian capital of Cairo with works by artists from east China's Shandong Province.

Organized by Shandong Painting Academy, "the Yellow River Civilization Embracing the Egyptian Civilization" exhibition was unveiled on Tuesday at the China Cultural Center in Cairo.

Shandong, with the Yellow River flowing through, has played a major role in Chinese history as Chinese civilization began along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. Standing at the crossroads of tradition and progress, Shandong Province has nurtured many contemporary artists.

Egyptian artist Waleed Kanoush, head of the Fine Arts Sector at Egypt's Ministry of Culture, expressed his admiration for the artistic features of Shandong paintings.

"It is a distinguished art exhibition that represents an important overview of the arts and civilization of the great people of China, enhancing the knowledge of the Egyptian public with a very special aspect of creativity," said Kanoush during the event's opening ceremony.

"It also embodies an image of cooperation and friendship between the two peoples, which flourishes day after day at all levels," he said, hailing the Egyptian-Chinese cooperation in the cultural and artistic fields.

Over 20 paintings by renowned Chinese painters were exhibited, including "Tiger Roar in the Bamboos" by Liu Yang, "Purple Flowers" by Li Encheng, "The Rainy Season" by Wu Lei, and "Living in Mountains" by Chang Zhaohui, all of which portrayed unique aspects of Shandong.

Chang emphasized the importance of art as a cultural bridge between countries, expressing his happiness with the favorable response of Egyptian visitors to the Shandong paintings.

"Egyptian-Chinese relations have a long history. We came to the exhibition to display traditional Chinese paintings and introduce Chinese culture and arts to Egyptians," the Chinese painter told Xinhua during the exhibition.

Menna Adel, an 18-year-old who studies Chinese at the Confucius Institute of Ain Shams University in Cairo, said that such cultural activities and galleries help her learn more about Chinese culture and improve her Chinese speaking through communication with native speakers at the same time.

"The paintings are so beautiful. I love Chinese culture and art, so I've chosen to study the language. I am interested in attending such Chinese cultural activities in order to learn more about the Chinese civilization and master the Chinese language," she added.

"I see that the Chinese and the Egyptian peoples have many things in common in terms of customs, traditions, and ancient civilizations," the Egyptian student told Xinhua.

The exhibition's inauguration ceremony attracts Egyptian students, professors, and cultural and educational officials. Officials from Shandong Province and senior diplomats from the Chinese embassy in Cairo also attended the ceremony.

"Today, Shandong, as an important spot for the heritage of the Yellow River civilization, brings artistic creations originated from the banks of the Yellow River to Egypt," Zhang Tao, minister and deputy chief of mission of the Chinese Embassy in Egypt, told the attendees.

"I hope that artists from both countries will create more masterpieces that reflect the friendship between China and Egypt and continue to inject new impetus to enhance the mutual understanding between the two peoples," said the Chinese diplomat.

People view paintings at "the Yellow River Civilization Embracing the Egyptian Civilization" exhibition in Cairo, Egypt, on May 14, 2024. [Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa]

A visitor takes photos of a painting at "the Yellow River Civilization Embracing the Egyptian Civilization" exhibition in Cairo, Egypt, on May 14, 2024. [Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa]

People view a painting at "the Yellow River Civilization Embracing the Egyptian Civilization" exhibition in Cairo, Egypt, on May 14, 2024. [Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa]

People attend "the Yellow River Civilization Embracing the Egyptian Civilization" exhibition in Cairo, Egypt, on May 14, 2024. [Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa]

(Source: Xinhua)
"Honest and warmhearted, and always be ready to help those in need." If you ask people living in Mozhikou for their impression of Qiu Zhijiao's family, you are likely to get the above answer. Mozhikou is a community in Penglai, a district of Yantai, a city in east China's Shandong Province.

Qiu is a member of the 17th executive committee of the women's federation of Penglai District. She is both team head and president of the women's federation of Jiu Jiu volunteers' team in Penglai. Qiu often leads her family in participating in volunteer activities. She and her husband, Zhao Yujun, believe a warm and caring family atmosphere lays a solid foundation for children's healthy growth. The couple sets a good example for their daughter and her child, by urging each member of the family to have a loving heart, to be generous when he/she helps others, and to shoulder his/her social responsibilities.

Companions for Life

Zhao was badly injured in a car accident more than two decades ago. He lost feeling in his right arm and has had difficulty walking smoothly since the accident. Qiu takes good care of her husband. The couple runs a family inn in Mozhikou.

By managing their business with honesty and hospitality, Qiu and Zhao have won a good reputation among their customers. Their neighbors often praise Qiu and Zhao, who have gone through hardships with optimism, and who have persisted in supporting each other.

For Qiu, "being a family" means the "husband and wife are in deep love, and are determined to accompany each other throughout life, and they create a harmonious and happy family." She adds: "Members of a family shoulder their responsibilities, and they need to make contributions to their family's happiness."

Both Qiu and Zhao hope their offspring will inherit the family's virtues of "showing respect to others, staying enthusiastic about life, being diligent and ready to learn new things, and lending a helping hand to people in need."



Protecting Environment

The Jiu Jiu volunteers' team was established in Penglai in 2016. As head of the team, Qiu has witnessed the increase in the team's members  from 18, initially, to more than 100 members. During the summer of 2023, the Jiu Jiu volunteers' team founded its women's federation. Qiu was elected the federation's president.

Qiu has encouraged her husband, daughter and many relatives and friends to become volunteers, who participate in various public-welfare events. She says members of her team share the spirit of "dedication, friendliness, mutual help and progress together." The members believe they will enjoy happiness, at the bottom of their hearts, if they promote moral virtues and help others.

The Jiu Jiu volunteers' team visits a local nursing home, on a regular basis, to make dumplings for the residents. Almost every weekend, the team helps maintain traffic order in the community. They also cut the hair of elderly residents in the community  for free.

Zhao is very supportive of his wife's volunteer work. He often accompanies her when she visits the nursing home, and he helps her cook dumplings for the elderly. "Sometimes, my husband 'complains' I am so busy with various activities that I don't even have time to eat at home." But, Qiu continues, she is grateful that both her husband and daughter are willing to "back her up" when she provides services to people in need.

During the winter of 2021, Qiu's daughter, Zhao Ya'nan, took part in an environmental-protection activity with her mother. Wearing volunteers' red vests, Qiu and Zhao Ya'nan picked up garbage along the seashore of their hometown. Last year, Zhao Ya'nan also helped cut elderly residents' hair. She said she enjoyed working with her mother, as they made contributions to society, by helping others. She also said she wanted to teach her child the warmheartedness shared and passed on by volunteers.



Positive Influence

When asked about the positive influence her family has received, from their participation in volunteer activities, Qiu told Women of China, "We have gained a deeper understanding of our happy and stable life today. Our hearts are filled with a strong sense of fulfilment when we lend others a helping hand. We have raised our awareness of shouldering our social responsibilities, and we have paid more attention to the construction of our community."

The volunteers' team is normally busier during holidays and weekends. Qiu and her family have spent many holidays with elderly people in the local nursing home. The family has also donated clothes and books to children in mountainous areas. "We collected and packed up the clothes and books, which were to be delivered to children living in the mountains. As we learned the children were very happy to receive our donations, and especially as we saw pictures of the children's smiling faces, my family was proud of the kind deeds," Qiu recalls.

In May 2023, Qiu's family was selected a National Most Beautiful Family. The family considers the honor "a precious treasure." Qiu says her family ought to work harder to spread the volunteers' spirit and family virtues throughout society.

Photos from Interviewees and Penglai District's Women's Federation

(Women of China English Monthly April 2024)
Southern Illinois communities take steps to move on from coal for jobs, growth
This article is old - Published: Thursday, May 16th, 2024

Wrexham.com has invited the four North Wales Members of the Senedd to write a monthly column with updates on their work. You can find their updates  along with contributions from the Wrexham and Clwyd South MPs and MSs  here.

In this months column, Welsh Conservative Member of the Senedd Sam Rowlands writes:

On Bank Holiday weekend, Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board issued a black alert due to extreme pressure at emergency departments in North Wales.

This is extremely serious and means that waits are even longer and more people are going without treatment.

Its the sign of a Health Board under immense strain and pressure. Issuing a black alert frankly means that hospitals are unable to cope.

That feeling is a regular occurrence for us in North Wales. Despite the hard work of doctors, nurses and many others, the system is regularly overwhelmed due to systemic problems.

Recently, a member of the public, who has terminal cancer, wrote to me with his experiences at a hospital in North Wales.

He attended A&E with a letter from his GP to secure a bed on a ward, but the hospital refused this and put him in the A&E waiting room, where he waited for 11 hours. By midnight, he was told to go home. The next day he had a very similar experience, waiting more than 12 hours.

Thats no way for someone to be treated, particularly someone with terminal cancer  but we keep seeing stories like this across the region.

In February, a patient almost had the wrong toe removed during surgery, and a new mother was mistakenly fitted with a contraceptive coil after a caesarean section.

On another occasion, a woman died after medical notes which referred her for more testing were lost, with the coroner then outlining concerns that no lessons appear to have been learned by staff despite this tragedy.

An entire article could be filled with stories like these. Behind each one is an individual who has been maltreated, and has had their life made worse or even brought to an end.

I was pleased that Carol Shillabeer, Chief Executive of the Health Board, admitted that significant improvements are required to ensure that people across North Wales consistently receive the safe and high quality care that they should expect.

Theres no use anyone burying their head in the sand over this.

Health in Wales is the responsibility of the Labour-run Welsh Government in Cardiff Bay, and has been since 1999. As with most public services, it seems that North Wales gets a particularly raw deal compared with other parts of Wales  and its not like waiting lists are low in West Wales or the Valleys!

Betsi going in and out of special measures is a clear example of us getting a raw deal, and I am worried that the Health Minister in Cardiff doesnt have a plan to get us out of this mess.

As it stands, the Welsh Government underspends on health. They get 1.20 from the UK Government for every 1 spent on public services in England, yet Cardiff Labour dont spend that full 1.20 on health.

I know that readers will be shocked by that. Spending the full amount of money would make a big difference for us in North Wales.

As the new Shadow Minister for Health in the Senedd, fighting for that money is a big part of my job  but as much as money will help, Wales needs a proper plan aimed at improving all aspects of the NHS. That ranges from recruitment and retention of staff to new innovations in healthcare technology  can you believe that parts of the NHS in Wales still use fax machines!?

When you see other healthcare systems implementing Artificial Intelligence solutions to combat longstanding health issues, its no wonder that the Welsh NHS is in such a mess when were relying on fax machines!

Labours chronic underfunding also means that Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board cant fulfil everything it needs to  for example, more than 1m a month is spent sending mental health patients out of the area for treatment this year.

That means, in the first three months of this year, more than 3.5m was spent on sending mental health patients out of our area; when you dont have the robust plans in place to begin with, you have to spend even more money cleaning up the mess further down the line. In this case, not having appropriate mental health care in North Wales to begin with means those vulnerable people are being sent elsewhere at considerable expense and at the risk of further pressure on their mental health.

In health, as in everything else, prevention is better than cure.

As ever, if you have any queries or issues youd like to raise with me, then you can get in touch with me by emailing sam.rowlands@senedd.wales
North Wales medical school to help boost staff retention, says first minister

This article is old - Published: Thursday, May 16th, 2024

A new medical school in North Wales will welcome its first intake of new students this autumn, the first minister has said.

The new facility will be based at Bangor Universitys Brigantia Building and its Fron Heulog medical and healthcare simulation suite, which including leading-edge electronic dissection tables to study anatomy.

The school will welcome its first intake of students this autumn and over the next decade is expected to train hundreds of future doctors.

It is hoped that the facility will ensure that increased training opportunities are available for qualified doctors to stay and work within NHS Wales.

Speaking in the Senedd this week North Wales Labour MS, Carolyn Thomas, raised concerns about issues with staff retention within the Welsh healthcare system.

She said: I also welcome the new medical school for North Wales, and the new medical training centre for nurses, paramedics and other allied health professionals in Wrexham.

And there are training pathways for social healthcare learners at Coleg Llandrillo, which is really positive. Recruitment and retention is really important. I dont want to keep talking the NHS down.

I am concerned about the retention of staff. Ive heard that a dermatologist has recently left to work in the private sector, which we dont want to happen. Betsi employs 19,000 people, and its really important to the local economy as well, as an employer.

So, to improve retention, we need to look at working conditionsoffering flexibility, through reduced hours, perhaps, and job shares, would be a good way forward, if possible.

First Minister, do you agree that, by investing in people, we can grow both our healthcare workforce and our local economy?

First Minister Vaughan Gething said that North Wales new medical school will see doctors trained in Wales, for Wales.

Mr Gething said: I think its important to reflect, as the Member does, that, whilst there are challenges on healthcare delivery in North Wales, which we acknowledge thats why theres the special measures framework, and its why the Cabinet Secretary spends a lot of her time poring over the detail of the improvements that are still requiredfor most people, they actually have a good experience of healthcare, and that is because of the fantastic work that our staff do, the dedication and the skill they have, and the continued transformation and improvement were seeking to make.

Im glad the Member made the point about the importance of the health board as an employer in the economy. Nearly 20,000 people being employed has a significant impact in local economies, right across the area.

And I do think thats, therefore, about how you retain staff. It is about what were doing to invest in the futureour current staff want to see investment in the future, for them to stay.

Im very proud of the steps that this Government has taken to help create a new medical school.

Weve worked with other partners in doing that in the past, in conversation with Plaid Cymru and others, but we are delivering a budget to make sure that that happens.

And in the autumn of this year, the first intake to Bangor medical school will take place, the first direct students, and, by 2029, it will have reached its full capacitydoctors trained in Wales, for Wales.

And that is important for our current medical and allied workforce as well, to see that investment taking place.

That goes alongside the point the Member finished on, about having a flexible approach to conditions. As our workforce shifts and trains, as our expectations have done. It used to be the case that doctors expected to work punishingly long hours during their training.

They accepted that as part of what happened, and yet, actually, none of us, I think, would now say that its acceptable for doctors to work those extraordinary hours. And doctors are humans who want to have other relationships too.

So, a flexible approach, where possible, to meet the needs of the patient and the person is what we do want our NHS to progressively undertake and deliver. Its a point well made.

I hope the Member will see good examples of that in the health service across North Wales and beyond.
Women with gynaecological cancers in Wales being let down at every step of the journey

This article is old - Published: Thursday, May 16th, 2024

Women with gynaecological cancers are facing gaslighting from the Welsh Government as well as the medical profession, the Senedd heard.

Russell George led a debate on a health committee report on gynaecological cancer, entitled Unheard, which warned that womens symptoms are often dismissed or downplayed.

Mr George paid tribute to women who shared their experiences, describing their evidence as the most powerful and emotional of his 13 years in the Senedd.

The Conservative MS echoed campaigners concerns about the Welsh Governments deeply disappointing, dismissive response to the inquirys recommendations.

Mr George warned Wales still does not have a womens health plan, pointing out that Scotland and England published plans in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

Heartbreaking

Mabon ap Gwynfor, Plaid Cymrus shadow health secretary, said it is clear women are being let down at every step of the journey from diagnosis to treatment.

He said the committee heard heartbreaking evidence about the constant battle, warning women are often treated as hypochondriacs or a neurotic nuisance.

The Dwyfor Meirionnydd MS warned it is nothing short of scandalous that recommendations  which were underpinned by peoples experience  have not been accepted in full.

Mr Gwynfor said: The fact the instinctive response of the government is to claim the majority of people are happy with the service means these women are being gaslit twice.

Not only are they being told they dont understand whats wrong with them by the health specialists but, to compound things, theyre being told the same thing by this government.

Tragic outcomes

Sarah Murphy paid tribute to Judith Rowlands, from Anglesey, who sadly died shortly after giving moving video evidence to the committee inquiry.

Judiths testimony of her lived experience was heartbreaking and powerful, said Ms Murphy, thanking Sioned Cash, Judiths daughter, for her campaigning.

The Labour MS for Bridgend also praised Claire OShea, from Cardiff, who is undergoing life-extending chemotherapy treatment despite doing everything right, as they say.

She said Ms OShea launched a campaign to amplify the voices of women who have felt ignored by professionals, leading to misdiagnosis, inadequate care and tragic outcomes..

Ms Murphy quoted Claire as urging people to stop referring to vague symptoms: We must move away from this  the use of vague is loaded with connotations and it breeds doubt.

Half-hearted

Jane Dodds, the Lib Dems leader in Wales, raised concerns about the casual dismissal of womens symptoms and the unacceptable delays in receiving treatment.

She said: Its a sad place when, in Wales, we are seeing women being pushed back again, being told to get back, get in their box, dont moan, dont complain.

Ms Dodds, who represents Mid and West Wales, criticised the Welsh Governments disheartening, half-hearted response.

We seem to be turning a blind eye to the urgent need for robust investment and research, support services and comprehensive reforms., she warned.

Calling for the Welsh Government to publish the long overdue womens health plan, she raised an alarming lack of awareness surrounding symptoms of gynaecological cancer.

Tone-deaf

Sam Rowlands, who recently replaced Mr George as the Tories shadow health secretary, said he was sick and tired of the tone-deaf response from Welsh ministers.

He criticised the Welsh Government for rejecting calls to reinstate clinical capacity to pre-pandemic levels and only partially accepting a recommendation on awareness.

Peter Fox, the Tory MS for Monmouth, said he was brought to tears while reading the report which found womens concerns are too often dismissed due to preconceptions.

He said: It was heartbreaking to learn that so many women dont feel that they are listened to, and sadly, many are losing their lives to cancer as a result. That shouldnt be happening.

Mr Fox said about 1,200 women a year are diagnosed with gynaecological cancer and Wales has some of the worst survival rates for ovarian cancer.

Medical gaslighting

Jenny Rathbone, the Labour MS for Cardiff Central, echoed concerns about medical gaslighting, calling for culture change to ensure women are listened to and taken seriously.

Ms Rathbone, who chairs the cross-party group on womens health, told the Senedd her own sister died of ovarian cancer after three separate primary incidents of breast cancer.

She agreed with Plaid Cymrus Delyth Jewell who warned that words like womb, cervix, vulva and vagina are too often considered taboo or impolite.

Ms Jewell, who represents South Wales East, asked: If even the words for those body parts are thought of as unmentionable, how can we be surprised that some women find it difficult to find those words to talk to their doctor about whats going wrong in those places?

But as weve heard as well, many women are shouting about their symptoms, they have found those words, but theyre not being heard, theyre not being believed.

Brushed aside

Joyce Watson warned women have been ignored, brushed aside and ridiculed.

She said unless GPs and health professionals are aware of the silent killers symptoms and listen to women when they present, nothing is going to change.

Ms Watson, who represents Mid and West Wales, told the chamber: Since the beginning of time, women have been called hysterical and emotional.

Those are words that were used to describe some of these women when they were describing their own symptoms. Its very easy to attribute those words to women rather than look and listen.

The Labour MS said the report underscores the urgency of addressing disparities.

Not good enough

Responding to the debate on May 15, Eluned Morgan apologised on behalf of the NHS.

Wales health secretary stressed she is in no way dismissive of the reports findings, saying she recognises the scale of the challenge and has accepted most recommendations.

She told the chamber a womens health plan will be ready by the end of the calendar year.

Accepting waiting times are not good enough, Baroness Morgan raised a 34% increase in women being referred for suspected gynaecological cancer between 2019 and 2023.

She said: With the best will in the world, it is difficult for us to switch on this kind of capacity in such a short space of time.

Going to pre-pandemic pathways  in the face of that increase is simply setting ourselves up for failure, so getting new pathways in place is the right and proper way to do things.

By Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter
As part of the worldwide movement of workers and students against the genocide in Gaza and police brutality, both students and faculty members of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) staged their fourth demonstration on Monday, May 13. Students were carried signs saying All Eyes on Rafah and No Genocide on Our Dime.

Students and faculty members of the University of Amsterdam protesting on May 13, 2024

At the time of this writing, other prominent universities throughout the Netherlands, such as Groningen, Nijmegen, Eindhoven and Maastricht, are occupied and thousands of students are participating in simultaneous protests and setting up anti-genocide encampments.

As the gathering at Roeterseiland campus attracted many thousands of participants, the UvA administration reported trespassing and destruction and thus justified the intervention of the Mobile Unit (ME) of the Dutch riot police in the university building, brutally beating and arresting students.

Previously, on May 6, inside the UvA, demonstrators constructed blockades utilising desks and railings to obstruct access from the canal side. The Dutch police employed a bulldozer to dismantle the blockades and detained 169 people. Following the police crackdown, protesters gathered around UvA on May 8, and were hit with further police violence and the arrest of 36 protesters. On May 9, a subsequent and spontaneous demonstration was coordinated, once more at the Roeterseiland university campus of the University of Amsterdam. Thousands of demonstrators proceeded to march through the city.

Protesters in front of the UvA

Representatives of the Amsterdam Student Encampment have rejected the accusations of the university administration and the government that the protesters of have caused considerable damage, amounting to around one and a half million euros in the past week alone. Video footage circulated by a smear campaign led by state media depict black-clad individuals smashing screens, defacing walls and breaking windows. The Amsterdam Student Encampment insists that it does not know who these individuals are, implicating state provocation and instigation.

Hand in hand with stepped up measures of state repression, the Dutch political establishment has rallied on social media to intimidate the protests. The caretaker prime minister Mark Rutte (VVD) has called the protests unacceptable disruptions and stated, the events at and around the UvA in the last few days clearly cross boundaries. Demonstrating is always allowed. But using violence against the police and causing destruction is never allowed. Stop that!

Protesters with placards

Minister of justice and security Ferdinand Grapperhaus (CDA) warned, there will be no tolerance for violence and destruction in any form. The rule of law must be upheld.

Party leaders such as Jetten (D66) and Timmermans (GroenLinks-PvdA) also call on demonstrators to stop destruction and violence.

Far-right leader Geert Wilders, who yesterday announced a government deal between his Party for Freedom (PVV), Ruttes Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the New Social Contract (NSC) party and the Farmer Citizen Movement (BBB), denounced the students as scum and antisemitic.

These statements have been widely used in state media outlets to legitimize the heavy-handed police response and to intimidate the protesters. Furthermore, the unanimous support for the crackdown exposes the right-wing character of the Dutch ruling elite and the police as an instrument of class rule.

As in other parts of Europe and the US, the protesters in Dutch cities are demanding an end to the US and EU-backed genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, an immediate ceasefire and an end to European arms deliveries to Israel. Additionally, the students and staff members of the University of Amsterdam (UvA), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) and Amsterdam University College (AUC) demand that their institutions sever all connections with Israeli corporations, institutions, and private military entities.

The University of Amsterdam, like many other universities in the Netherlands, has been hesitant to openly acknowledge its affiliations with the Israeli military and its arms industry by playing a sizable role in conducting advanced research and development programs for weapons systems used by the Israeli military.

The World Socialist Web Site conducted the following interviews at Mondays protest with students and university staff and distributed the statement Mobilize the working class in defense of protesters against the Gaza genocide!

Roza

Roza, a student at the UvA, highlighted the hypocrisy of the ruling class regarding the NATO proxy war against Russia and the genocide in Gaza:

Even though I am not Palestinian, I went through some discrimination, and just seeing the reactions of the media, the governments and the politicians to the Russian invasion of Ukraine compared to the Israeli genocide, that can be followed literally liveit is shocking to me and shows the hypocrisy of the western world. I think it is important to speak up and not to be silent; being silent means also being complicit. This is not a war; its ethnic cleansing; its a colonizing project. It needs to end. Theres so much going on in the world, not only in Palestine. There are so many conflicts, and its just eye-opening.

Amanda

Alongside students and staff members, many residents of Amsterdam took part in the protest. One of them was Amanda, who noted:

The world is waking up in a new way now. There is complicity in all of our institutions across the world. It is beautiful to see people out in the streets, seeing what Palestinians have been screaming their entire lives for the world to see. We just need it to happen as fast as possible because children are dying; people are dying every day in Gaza, so the urgency has never been greater. A global movement is growing every day. This is a US-sponsored genocide. The Netherlands is complicit just as many other countries are, like the UK and France. This US and Israel-led genocide with a coalition of forces, including the Netherlands, and that complicity goes into every institution.

J.F. Engelberg

J.F. Engelberg from the Department of Media Studies, who also delivered a speech at the protest on behalf of the university staff, insisted that he joined the protest as a Jewish anti-Zionist member of staff at the UvA to cut across the official narrative to portray protesters as antisemites:

I have been deeply inspired by the passion and the moral clarity shown by our students in their call for the university to disclose, boycott, and divest. These urgent calls have been met, however, with repression, intimidation, defamation, and violence, as the university administration (CvB) refuses to negotiate in good faith, spreads lies about its own students, and then recruits the police to violently repress dissent. We will not stand for the erosion of democratic freedoms at the institution in which we teach and learn. Indeed, teaching and learning cannot take place without the democratic freedoms we hold dear. I stand beside you in the struggle for a liberated Palestine in which all can live freely under conditions of radical equality from the river to the sea.

The attacks on the protests against genocide in the Netherlands and internationally show the continuity between imperialist foreign and domestic policy, attacking core democratic rights and legitimising mass murder. The Dutch ruling class on its part is terrified the student protests could be a catalyst in arousing the Dutch working class.

The protesters alongside the canals

Students in the Netherlands and worldwide have taken a courageous stand, but none of the issues they have raised can be resolved on the university grounds. Rather their actions anticipate an even more powerful movement in the Dutch and international working class. The working class, the most powerful social force on earth, which creates all wealth through its labor, must leverage that power to force an end to genocide, austerity and war.
The federal Liberal government has indefinitely criminalized the planned strike by 9,300 rail workers across the countrys largest rail networksCanadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC).

Locomotive engineers, conductors and yard workers at both companies have been working under expired contracts since December 31, 2023. A separate contract for CPKC rail traffic controllers is currently under renegotiation.

Last Thursday, May 9, federal Labour Minister Seamus ORegan turned to the unelected, pro-employer Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to block rail worker job action. In mobilizing the CIRB, which has sweeping, but until recently seldom used, arbitrary powers to illegalize an impending strike, ORegan was building on the role he played in breaking last years West Coast dockworkers strike.

The state attack on the railway workers must be taken as a warning by all workers. As Canadian imperialism backs Israels genocide against the Palestinians and takes on an ever greater role in NATOs war on Russia and the US strategic offensive against China, the union-backed Liberal government will tolerate no opposition from workers at home that challenges corporate profits and the austerity policies necessary to fund Canadas war machine.

CP Rail worker picket line in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan during their 2022 strike. The TCRC only launched the strike after the rail giant imposed a lockout and called it off little more than 48 hours later, after agreeing to submit the contract dispute to binding arbitration. [Photo: Teamsters Division 510]

Rail workers voted overwhelmingly for job action at the beginning of the month with a strike scheduled by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) as early as May 22. However, at the behest of big business commodities exporters, the Liberal government illegalized any job action, when ORegan ordered the CIRB to investigate whether a strike could have potential impacts to the health and safety of Canadians. In so doing, he cynically highlighted the heavy fuel, propane, food and water treatment materials needed in remote communities and throughout Canadaa justification that could have been invoked to bar any Canadian rail strike in modern history.

CN and CPKC operate vast rail networks. Both span the vast breadth of Canada, with CNs running south into the US while CPKCs stretches even further into Mexico. The railways are critical to the Canadian economy for the export of grain, potash, wood products, oil and coal, among other commodities, to the global market. If the government was being honest about why it blocked the strike, it would have said that no interruption to this global trade network is acceptable as tensions between the great powers mount, nor any strike by a major section of workers that could unleash the seething anger felt by workers across the country over decades of concessions contracts, rising social inequality and the decimation of public services to pay for handouts to the capitalist elite and war.

A simultaneous strike by rail workers at both companies would quickly bring the countrys economy to its knees and significantly impact the North American economy as a whole. With members of the United Auto Workers at University of California campuses voting to take strike action in support of anti-genocide encampments by students, a strike by rail workers directed against the Trudeau governments efforts to suppress the class struggle would have the potential to unleash a broader movement of workers that could escape the suffocating confines of the collective bargaining straitjacket.

ORegan asked the CIRB to rule on which activities need to continue during a strike or lockout, with the aims of undermining the impact of the strike and keeping profits flowing. The CIRB has no set timeline for its decision, but its highly likely it wont be issued until weeks or even months after May 22. Until then, all worker job action is legally barred.

The Teamsters bureaucracy meekly submits to the governments strike ban

The Teamsters bureaucracy immediately surrendered to ORegans diktat and the government-designed, pro-employer collective bargaining system, announcing that it would obviously comply with any order from the CIRB.

When rank-and-file workers voiced their intense disapproval, the TCRC leadership thought it politic to issue a statement in which it deplored the reference to the CIRB as incredibly frustrating and claimed it would challenge any result that impacts our charter (i.e., constitutional) rights. That this was all hot-air was underscored by the TCRCs blunt reiteration in the very next breath that it will enforce whatever anti-worker decision the CIRB issues. However, declared the TCRC top brass, the reality is that we must follow the law and respect the process as described.

This Teamsters leaderships pliant response will come as no surprise to rail workers. After the rail workers overwhelming strike vote, TCRC President Paul Boucher, in words almost identical to those ORegan used to justify his strike-breaking initiatives, said, A simultaneous work stoppage at both CN and CPKC would disrupt supply chains on a scale Canada has likely never experienced. I would like to make it very clear that provoking a crisis on that scale has not been, and never will be, our goal. The reality is that we would very much like to avoid a work stoppage.

ORegans claim that he is acting out of concern for the health and safety of Canadians is all the more hypocritical in that a pivotal issue in the rail contract negotiations is CN and CPKCs reckless disregard for worker and public safety, which has led to a rising toll of accidents, injuries and deaths.

Last July, ORegan was instrumental in shutting down the two-week militant strike by 7,400 West Coast port workers. After the dockers union failed to force through a rotten sellout agreement after a two-week strike, ORegan prevailed on the CIRB to ignore its own previous decisions and arbitrarily rule the resumption of strike action illegal. The CIRB then oversaw a rigged vote on the government-dictated agreement that included a gag order on the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the threat that a no vote would immediately result in the government criminalizing further workers job action. Following the anti-democratic four-year contracts ratification in August 2023, ORegan and Transportation Minister Pablo Rodriguez stated, This dispute caused serious disruptions to our supply chains, risking our strong international reputation as a reliable trading partner. We do not want to be back here again.

The Liberal governments latest move against the rail workers mirrors its continuing offensive against the port workers and any other section of the working class that dares to demand decent wages and working conditions. Last month, ORegan appointed veteran mediator Vince Ready, who has a rotten record of imposing pro-employer sellout contracts onto workers, to head an Industrial Inquiry Commission into the British Columbia port dispute, with the stated goal of providing stability for the countrys supply chains, i.e., preventing future strikes.

Workers rights under systematic attack

The right to strike has been under systematic attack in Canada for decades. On dozens of occasions, federal and provincial governments of all political stripes, including the New Democratic Party, have imposed back-to-work legislation and criminalized worker job actions.

The big business Liberal government prefers to retain a democratic veneer while it pursues its reactionary class-war agenda of imperialist war abroad and austerity at home, by using its junior partners in the corporatist trade unions to suppress increasingly explosive worker opposition to the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades. The governments preferred mechanisms are the sham collective bargaining process or binding arbitration. However, when all else fails, it will ruthlessly impose the dictates of corporate Canada through the criminalization of strike action, as it did in 2018, when the Trudeau government enacted the reactionary Bill C-89 to ban a strike by 50,000 federal postal workers. In 2021, the Liberals rammed a draconian law through parliament criminalizing a four-day strike by 1,150 Montreal dockworkers.

But the suppression of workers struggles has now been taken to a new level. The state-led coordination to ban strikes and other forms of protest, particularly when workers find themselves in a position of strength, was illustrated earlier this year by a meeting that Washingtons ambassador to Canada convened with the leaders of the countrys major trade unions at the explicit request of US President Joe Biden. Among those who joined with Ambassador David L. Cohen and Labour Minister ORegan to discuss strengths and opportunities of labour relations were Teamsters Canada President Francois Laporte. Held at the behest of a US administration that intervened to ban an impending strike by more than 100,000 rail workers in late 2022 and cooperates to an unprecedented degree with the UAW to suppress opposition among auto and other industrial workers, the meeting was clearly focused on how to sabotage worker opposition to both governments policies of war and austerity.

The Liberals, ably abetted by their trade union and New Democrat allies, try to cover their tracks with progressive propaganda. With great fanfare, they introduced late last year an anti-scab bill that will supposedly prohibit the use of scabs when workers are on strike. In fact, the legislation contains just about as many restrictions on workers right to strike as it does on the use of scabs, including a broader definition of what constitutes an essential employee that will bar significant sections of workers from ever striking. Even the Conservatives and their far-right leader Pierre Poilievre felt able to vote in favour of the measure on its second reading in parliament in February. Poilievre, who would win an election hands down were one held today if the polls are to be believed, has pledged to invoke the notwithstanding clause when in power to override democratic rights protected in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, among which is the right to strike.

The Trudeau governments latest actions once more underline that rail workers face a political fight, not simply against the profit-hungry rail barons, but the warmongering, pro-austerity federal government and its allies in the trade union bureaucracy and the NDP. During the 2022 contract struggle, CP Rail workers organized the CP Rank and File Committee to advance the interests of workers independently of the union bureaucracy and provide a path forward against the corporate-union-government conspiracy. This tripartite alliance works tirelessly to subordinate all societys resources to the waging of imperialist war and enrichment of the wealthy elite.

Workers at CN and CPKC must develop this work in the latest round of talks by building rank-and-file committees on every line and in every rail yard and shop from coast to coast. These committees should seize control of the contract fight and place power back in workers hands so they can wage a counter-offensive against the rail profiteers and their backers in government. A united struggle by Canadian rail workers can only go forward in alliance with their brothers and sisters in the US and Mexico.
A student rally for Palestine at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 26, 2023.

The police state crackdown against students protesting Israels genocide in Gaza has resulted in nearly 3,000 arrests across the United States. Following the violent breakup of the student encampment at Columbia University in New York on April 18, tent encampments have sprung up across the US and internationally, including in Germany, Argentina, Japan, Tunisia, the United Kingdom, and other countries.

These have been violently dispersed by coalitions of university, city, state and federal authorities. In the US, the assault has been politically and logistically directed by the Democratic Biden administration.

In New Orleans, a Palestine solidarity encampment led by students from Tulane and Loyola Universities was broken up by a group of state, city and university police in the early morning hours on May 1, about 30 hours after it was set up. Approximately 100 Louisiana State Police armed in riot gear and gas masks surrounded the encampment, located on the lawn in front of Tulanes Gibson Hall on St. Charles Avenue.

Multiple students were injured after being shoved and assaulted with batons. Students report that police fired rubber bullets at the ground near their feet. Fourteen people were arrested, including two Tulane and five Loyola students.

Six protesters were arrested earlier on April 29, when police attacked students as they were initially setting up tents. New Orleans Police mounted on horseback were filmed tearing down tents and ripping umbrellas out of protesters hands.

The student encampment followed the police assault on an off-campus encampment on April 28 at Jackson Square in the French Quarter.

In addition to the legal charges faced by protesters, which include battery, resisting arrest and trespassing, students face significant disciplinary action from the university administrations.

At least seven Tulane students have been suspended due to their participation in the protest, including Silas Gillet, a Jewish sophomore. Gillet reported to Al Jazeera that he was evicted from student housing and that his and other students scholarships are in jeopardy as a result of their suspensions.

Additionally, the Tulane administration has suspended the campus chapter of the Students for a Democratic Society for its role in organizing the protest, on the bogus grounds that the group violated regulations by holding an unregistered event and that they engaged in antisemitic chanting, disruptive noise, and shoving police.

The lie that opposition to Israels genocide is antisemitic, used by politicians, the media and university leaders to justify the suppression of protests, has been repeatedly refuted by the participation of many Jewish students and activists in the protest against Israel.

On Friday, members of Jewish Voice for Peace in New Orleans delivered a letter to the Tulane administration, signed by 250 people, demanding the university reinstate all suspended students, issue a correction on unsubstantiated claims of antisemitism among protesters, and vow to divest from Israel.

The violent crackdown against antiwar opposition, led by the Democratic Party and Biden administration in coordination with the far-right Republican Party, is producing broad opposition throughout the public, including among university faculty, some of whom have themselves been the victim of violent police assaults.

In an important display of solidarity with the democratic rights of their students, faculty from both Tulane and Loyola have issued principled public statements denouncing their respective university administrations.

In a video posted to social media, over a dozen Tulane professors condemned the university administrations response to the peaceful student protest and denied the administrations lie that the protesters were violent and antisemitic.

The video statement reads as follows:

I am a professor at Tulane University. I was present at the Pro-Palestinian protest on Tulanes campus. I observed Tulane students engaging in peaceful and nonviolent demonstrations. Tulanes administration is currently seeking to punish staff, students and faculty, who attended the encampment or have merely expressed private support for students to administrators. We demand Tulane stop criminalizing peaceful student protests. Lift student and staff suspensions and drop all criminal charges against members of our community. We condemn the violent and disproportionate use of TUPD, NOPD and Louisiana State Police. We condemn the administration for placing at least four members of staff on administrative leave and threatening employees with termination for simply attending peaceful protests. We defend our students right to free speech and political self-expression and stand in solidarity with them as their professors.

In addition to the video statement, nearly 300 faculty at Tulane have signed an Open Letter to President Fitts denouncing the crackdown on the student protests.

The letter states that faculty hold a range broad range of views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, we share a commitment to listening to our students concerns no matter their political views. This encompasses the right to freely express their perspectives on government and university policies. It denounces the arrest and suspension of students and calls for the university to reverse the suspensions and discontinue its efforts to intimidate students and employees with threatening retaliation for protesting.

Faculty from Loyola University have also published a letter in the student newspaper, the Maroon, urging the administration not to file conduct charges against the arrested students.

They wrote, [W]e can all come together to use our amplified voices to denounce the excessive force used by police against our unarmed students participating in civil disobedience, a tradition that has played such an important role in this nations tortured history.

Furthermore, we cannot sit by silently in light of the administrations singular focus on the legal issue of trespassing as justification for their subsequent direct threats to weaponize the student code of conduct against our students. Trespassing is not a simple legal concept that we can unilaterally condemn. After all, Loyola often (rightly) celebrates great trespassers in US history as heroes. For example, all of the students who participated in sit-ins during the Civil Rights Movement were trespassers on private property.

The statements of support from faculty, who themselves are faced with intimidation and threats of retaliation from the universities, are important and welcome, and their calls for the universities to drop suspensions of students and reinstate the SDS chapter must be taken up broadly. But the interconnected fight against the genocide and the fight to defend democratic rights cannot remain centered on the campuses.

The escalating repression against the student protests must be understood within the context of the expanding global war led by US and NATO imperialism, which includes the genocide in Gaza, the war in Ukraine against Russia, and the military buildup against China.

As Andy Thompson, a member of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality, explained in his speech to the annual May Day rally hosted by the World Socialist Web Site, students must unite with the working class to stop the genocide and world war.

Students and young people cannot stop the genocide or imperialism alone, and through appeals to their campus administrations to divest from the US and Israeli war machines. The fight against imperialist war and the genocide in Gaza can only be advanced through the mobilization of the international working class, the principal revolutionary force in society, which has the power to stop all weapons production and shipments.



The explosion of militarism abroad is incompatible with the right to free speech at home. The aim of this state campaign is to abolish free speech, not only on the campuses but in all areas of social and political life, in the US and internationally.
The Biden administration intends to dispatch more than $1 billion of military equipment to Israel so that it can continue the genocide against the Palestinians. The military package will include $700 million for tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles and $60 million for mortar shells. Its unveiling coincided with UN figures showing that 600,000 people, or more than a quarter of Gazas total population, have fled Rafah since Israels ground operation began on May 6.

Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli strike on a school run by UNRWA, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees, in Nuseirat, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. [AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana]

The UN noted that 150,000 people have fled Gazas southernmost city in the past 48 hours. Evacuation orders have also been issued by Israel for around 100,000 residents in northern Gaza. At least 10 Palestinians were killed in Gaza City on Wednesday in an attack on a group of people trying to use a public internet connection. In the citys Sabra neighbourhood, a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) hospital was the target of an air strike, killing at least 10 displaced people.

Most of those fleeing Rafah have fled many times before in the past seven months. They lack not only access to food, water and medical treatment, but also almost all civil infrastructure to support human life. The UN Development Programme estimates that 270,000 tons of solid waste have accumulated in temporary dumps throughout Gaza because the means to dispose of it have been destroyed by Israels onslaught.

The UN wrote in its May 15 flash update:

Rising temperatures are exacerbating the impact solid waste accumulation is having on people, such as generating insects and attracting wild animals, which is particularly severe at IDP sites. UNDP warns: If the issue of solid waste, including medical waste, is not adequately addressed and resolved, it will exacerbate the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip  and severely impact public health, particularly with limited access to healthcare services.

According to OXFAM, the lethal cocktail of overcrowding, waste and sewage accumulation, malnutrition and heat is creating ideal conditions for the spread of infectious diseases like cholera.

Amid this human misery, the Biden administrations military package would aim to replenish the weaponry used by Israel since its onslaught began and could take years to complete, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Biden administration has been by far Israels largest supplier of high-powered bombs, which have been used to flatten entire neighbourhoods, and other military equipment.

As part of a supplemental military spending package adopted late last month, Washington set aside some $26 billion to support Israels military. In comments made last week as the long-planned onslaught on Rafah began, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby insisted that every dollar would be spent.

The uninterrupted flow of weaponry from the US to Israel underscores Washingtons responsibility for the Gaza genocide. As the official death toll since October 7 rises to over 35,200 Palestinianswith well over 40,000 dead when those unaccounted for under the rubble are taken into account, the vast majority being women and childrenWashingtons response is to double down on its support for the far-right Zionist regime and accelerate the shipment of arms.

There is only one place suitable for the individuals responsible for such inhuman decisions: the defendants bench of a war crimes tribunal.

This was underscored in a report released by the University Network for Human Rights Wednesday accusing Israel of genocide in the Gaza Strip. The Network consists of leading law schools at universities in the United States and South Africa, including Yale, Cornell, Boston University and the University of Pretoria.

The report declares in its executive summary:

[W]e conclude that Israels actions in and regarding Gaza since October 7, 2023 violate the Genocide Convention. Specifically, Israel has committed genocidal acts of killing, causing serious harm to, and inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza, a protected group that forms a substantial part of the Palestinian people.

The report notes that the total number of Palestinians killed or wounded between October 7 and May 134,568 and 77,765, respectivelyaccounts for more than 5 percent of Gazas population. Two percent of children in Gaza have either been killed or injured. Israel killed more children during the first four months of its bloody onslaught than all of the child deaths in all of the worlds conflicts over the past four years.

The report continues:

Israels genocidal acts in Gaza have been motivated by the requisite genocidal intent, as evidenced in this report by the statements of Israeli leaders, the character of the State and its military forces conduct against and relating to Palestinians in Gaza, and the direct nexus between them. As this report details,13 officials at all levels of Israeli government, up to and including the Prime Minister, have made remarks that not only express blatant and unequivocal dehumanization and cruelty against Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere, but also explicitly reflect intentions to destroy and exterminate Palestinians as such. The patterns of conduct of Israeli military forces in Gaza further reinforce the finding of Israels genocidal intent.

The report explains that its findings will strengthen the cases at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide and in US federal court against the Biden administration. The authors write:

Israels violations of the international legal prohibition of genocide amount to grave breaches of peremptory norms of international law that must cease immediately. These violations also give rise to obligations by all other States: to refrain from recognizing Israels breaches as legal or taking any actions that may constitute complicity in these breaches; and to take positive steps to suppress, prevent, and punish the commission by Israel of further genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

These appeals have fallen and will continue to fall on deaf ears. US imperialism and its allies in Canada and Europe are up to their necks in the blood of Gazas Palestinians.

The only steps these governments take to suppress, prevent and punish are against the opponents of the genocide, who face the full force of the repressive state apparatus as police tear down protest camps and carry out mass arrests, amid a vicious smear campaign slandering them as antisemites.

Over 3,000 anti-genocide protesters have been detained in the US over recent weeks, while in Germany opponents of the Israeli regimes crimes have been barred from entering the country and speaking at public events. The Palestine Congress in Berlin, where eye-witness accounts of the devastation in Gaza were to be heard, and encampments outside the Bundestag and at the Free University and Humboldt University in Berlin, were violently dispersed in state-orchestrated police raids.

The University Network for Human Rights report was released on May 15, which Palestinians commemorate each year as Nakba Day. The expulsion of 700,000 Palestinians from their homes in a deliberate campaign of ethnic cleansing that led to the founding of Israel on May 14, 1948, with the backing of the imperialist powers, was one of the 20th centurys great crimes.

It is a measure of the barbarism of Israel and its imperialist backers in Gaza that the Israeli historian Ilan Pappe, author of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, could state in an interview with Al Jazeera that the Western powers enabling of the Gaza genocide is even worse than the role they played in 1948.

Pappe said:

At the time in 1948, there was no television. People did not have smartphones, and it was relatively easy to cover up the Nakba, the ethnic cleansing, and to claim that it didnt exist. It is impossible to say now that people cannot know what is going on when it appears on our screens. So I think the level of denial today is far more sinister, far more outraging

Remarking that massacres were used by the Zionists in 1948 to force Palestinians out of areas claimed for an Israeli state, he added, What we see now are massacres which are part of the genocidal impulse, namely to kill people in order to downsize the number of people living in Gaza.
We publish below two statements issued by the Colombo Port Workers Action Committee and by Professor Ariyaratne Herath calling for the release of comrade Bogdan Syrotiuk. He was arrested by the fascistic Zelensky regime in Ukraine on trumped-up charges for fighting to unite Ukrainian and Russian workers on a socialist program against the US-NATO war and all the governments involved.

The World Socialist Web Site and the International Committee of the Fourth International have launched a global campaign demanding Syrotiuks freedom. Sign the online petition here.

Port Workers Action Committee,

Sri Lanka, 12.05.2024.

Immediately release Ukrainian socialist fighter, comrade Bogdan Syrotiuk!

Twenty days have elapsed after the arrest of Ukrainian socialist Bogdan Syrotiuk on April 25 on bogus charges by the SBU, the security force of fascist Zelensky regime. Syrotiuk, who was detained in his native village of Pvoromesk in Southern Ukraine is being held in Nikoloev prison.

Colombo port workers walking out on 30 January, 2023, to join lunchtime demonstration against the government's income tax increases.

We denounce the Ukrainian regimes blatant lie that Comrade Syrotiuk is an agent of the Putin regime in Russia.

Bogdan Syrotiuk is a fighter for the unity of the working class in Ukraine and Russia against the war being carried out by the fascist government in Kiev and the reactionary national oligarchic regime in Moscow. He is a leading member of the Young Guard of Bolshevik Leninists working in the territory of the former Soviet Union and an opponent of the war stoked by NATO and the fascistic Zelensky regime.

We understand the importance of the call by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) that the international working class develop a global movement against the escalation of war by imperialism and its NATO supporters in Ukraine and the preparations for a wider war against Iran and China. The war in Ukraine for the geopolitical interests of the imperialist powers has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and must be stopped.

As the American and NATO imperialists plunge the people of the world towards a Third World War, the huge task facing the working class is to prevent such a war. The military conflicts provoked by the US and its allies are threatening humanity with a nuclear conflagration.

Syrotiuk is fighting against the capitalist governments in Ukraine and Russia in political solidarity with the ICFI, which fights for world socialist revolution, the only program capable of defending mankind.

The Colombo Port Workers Action Committee (PWAC) urges all port workers and youth and all those who value democratic rights to come forward and campaign for the release of comrade Bogdan. Put your signature on the online petition that has been launched by the World Socialist Website.

The PWAC fully agrees with the statement issued on May 1 by the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC). It declares: The working class, the most powerful social force on earth, which creates all wealth through its labor, must leverage that power to force an end to genocide and war.

The students of about 40 American universities have established encampments against the genocide in Gaza by the Zionist Netanyahu regime with the full support of the Biden administration backed by both the Democratic and Republican parties. The Biden administration, which falsely labels these students as anti-Semitic to provide a pretext to crush their protests, has deployed riot police to arrest 3,000 students.

The PWAC also stands for the defence of these students democratic rights, including freedom of expression. We demand their immediate release.

The PWAC calls on workers, young people and the oppressed to support the campaign for the release of anti-war Trotskyist Bogdan Syrotiuk including by educating people, building meetings, launching poster campaigns and organising protests in their neighbourhoods, universities and schools.

Thanking you,

On behalf of the Port Workers Action Committee, Sri Lanka,

Convener Jothipala Dadigama.

Professor Ariyaratne Herath, Department of Economics, University of Peradeniya:

Release socialist Bogdan Syrotiuk

I express my strong opposition to the arrest and detention of Comrade Bogdan Syrotiuk by the Zelensky regime in Ukraine. At the same time, I express my full support to the international campaign of the International Committee of the Fourth International and the World Socialist Web Site for his immediate release.

Professor Ariyaratne Herath

Considering the international socialist principles for which Syrotiuk is fighting, it is clear that the accusations against him of undermining the territorial integrity of Ukraine and serving the interests of Russia are completely false. Syrotiuks planned speech on International May Day read: We call for the unification of the Ukrainian and Russian proletariat with the proletariat in the imperialist countries to end this war!

It is clear that he is a socialist opponent of the war, fighting to unite the international working class, the only social force capable of stopping the war, against both the Zelensky regime, which is sacrificing hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians for imperialist interests, and the Putin regime, which is engaged in a fratricidal war on behalf of the Russian capitalist oligarchy.

His call gives me great courage. And it is sure to have a huge impact on workers and youth around the world.

I believe the cause of this war was the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. That was a result of Socialism in One Country, the anti-Marxist program carried out by the Joseph Stalin-led bureaucracy. I learned this history from a lecture held at our university by the International Youth and Students for Social Equality.

Not just the Ukraine war, but indeed the imperialists drive towards a nuclear world war, can be prevented only through the fight of the international working class based on international socialism.

Immediately release Comrade Bogdan Syrotiuk, who is fighting for that program!
David Wise, a 43-year-old small businessman who planted an improvised explosive device on a car outside a Sydney home flying a Palestinian flag, was last week handed a sentence that amounts to a slap on the wrist given the seriousness of the offence.

Improvised explosive device placed on car of Palestine supporter [Photo: @riotersbloc]

Wise, a supporter of Israel, admitted to having planted the bomb in early January. The sole reason was that the man who occupied the house flew a Palestinian flag and displayed a noticeboard condemning Israels genocide in Gaza.

Wise was charged with leaving or sending a substance/article to create false belief of danger, stalking and intimidating, entering enclosed land without a lawful excuse and using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend.

He pleaded guilty and was given a sentence of 12 months imprisonment in a hearing at Sydneys Downing Centre court on May 8. The non-parole period, however, is just three months, and with time served during the proceedings, Wise may be released even sooner than that.

The sentencing received hardly any coverage in the corporate media or from the state-funded Australian Broadcasting Corporation. That continues a pattern of cover-up that has proceeded at each stage, from the planting of the bomb, to the arrest and charging of Wise, to his court proceedings.

To the extent that the mainstream media has even covered the case, the emphasis has been on the fake character of the bomb. Made of a jerry can, rags, disposable lighter and large bolts, they have noted that it was never going to explode.

That deliberately misses the point. There have been many terrorist incidents internationally that have involved fake bombs, including for the hijacking of planes. The device that Wise planted was accompanied by a note declaring that the victim had one last chance to take down the Palestinian flag.

He was charged, however, with non-political criminal offences. That was a decision involving not only the top echelons of New South Wales state police and prosecutors, but also federal authorities.

At a Senate hearing on March 19, Greens parliamentarian David Shoebridge directed several questions about the case to Australian Federal Police (AFP) Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett. Shoebridge noted that the incident involved threats of very serious violence with a clear political motive. Why, he asked, had it not been taken up by the AFP?

Barrett, one of the countrys highest-ranking police officials, acknowledged that the AFP was aware of the case but had determined that it didn't meet the remit for the Joint Counter-Terrorism Team, which brings together state and federal policing authorities to investigate terrorism cases. The matter was left to NSW Police, as if it were a regular criminal offense.

Pressed as to why this was, Barrett simply could not proffer any explanation, stating that she would not go into the ins-and-outs of the [terrorism] threshold.

It is not a question of wishing that the book had been thrown at Wise, or of lending any credence to the counter-terror regime, which is draconian, punitive and anti-democratic. However, there is a clear case of politically motivated double standards.

The majority of people in prison for terror offences, mostly Islamists, never came close to planting a bomb, real or fake. Instead, they have generally been convicted on the basis of loose talk and/or police entrapment.

This was again demonstrated as the Wise case was taking place. On April 23, the Joint Counter-Terrorism Team oversaw massive raids in working-class areas of Sydney, involving more than 400 police and intelligence officers. The targets were seven Muslim teenagers. All under the age of 18, they have been charged with a raft of terrorism offences, based on alleged online conversations, even though police have acknowledged they had no plan to commit a terrorist act.

Those raids, and other actions involving the AFP and the Joint Counter-Terrorism Team, are always coordinated with governments and have a highly political character. The clear implication is that there was a decision to downplay Wises offences for political reasons.

That contention is lent weight by the fact that Labor government politicians, at the state and federal level, have said virtually nothing about the Wise case. Matt Thistlethwaite, the federal Labor parliamentarian whose seat covers the area where the incident occurred, made one exceedingly vague comment on Twitter, along the lines of condemning violence in general.

The victim, who has given only his first name Theo, for fear of reprisals, has repeatedly stated that police and prosecutors displayed an indifference to his plight that evolved into a fairly open antagonism. They stonewalled and then rejected his demands that consideration be given to prosecuting Wise for more serious political offences.

The political calculations involved are not hard to discern. For the past seven months, the federal Labor government and the entire political establishment has supported Israels mass murder of the Palestinians in Gaza. This has been accompanied by a propaganda offensive, smearing widespread protests and anger as antisemitic, falsely conflating opposition to Israeli militarism and Zionism with anti-Jewish bigotry.

Without a shred of evidence, protests defending the Palestinians and now peaceful student encampments on university campuses have been slandered as dangerous and as posing a threat of violence.

The Wise case upends this narrative. The actual planting of the improvised device is easily the most serious documented case of violence in Australia related to Israels war. But inconveniently for the pro-genocide politicians and pundits, it was committed by a supporter of Israel, against a peaceful opponent of the Zionist regime.

In seeking a mitigated sentence, Wises defence asserted mental health issues, including depression. It is hard to see how that condition, suffered by so many, would lead one to carry out such a deliberate and specific political threat. The defence also hinted very vaguely at more serious issues, stating Wise said he had only a dream-like memory of planting the bomb. What that means remains entirely unclear.

Of more interest was the claim that Wise planted the device due to a persecutory delusion, based on his Jewish heritage.

Referencing this argument, sentencing Magistrate Megan Greenwood stated: This offending arose because of persecutory delusions and beliefs youve had, you strongly identify with your culture and heritage and the terrible experiences of your family and others that suffered greatly during the Holocaust.

Whatever Wises state of mind and mental health issues, these sentiments were not solely a psychological delusion. They were essentially the line that has been peddled by pro-Israeli Zionist organisations, together with the Labor government and the official media.

All of these entities have sought to tar opposition to the genocide as antisemitic, even as many anti-Zionist Jewish people play a leading role in protests and other anti-war activities. They have also sought to create some connection between the Palestinians and the Holocaust, describing the October 7 uprising as an anti-Jewish pogrom comparable to the actions of the Nazis. The only connection is the clear resemblance between Israels war of extermination on Gaza and the Nazis own genocidal program.

Domestically, pro-Israeli politicians and Zionists have made ludicrous comparisons between Sydney and Melbourne today and 1930s Berlin, based solely on the fact that large numbers of people have protested against the Israeli state.

Whatever the intention, the defence argument underscored the fact that Wises actions were in line with these lies and propaganda.

By treating the case as a simple criminal matter rather than a political offence, the authorities avoided an obvious question. Wises victim has stated that he had been doxxed in a pro-Israeli social media group prior to the bomb being planted. What, if any, were the connections between Wise and his actions and the broader rabidly pro-Israeli Zionist milieu?
It took just a few hours of talks on Tuesday for the Labour Party and its affiliated trade unions to seal an agreement to work as government partners, following its expected victory in a general election later this year.

The meeting over the content of Labours New Deal for Working People, which will form part of its manifesto, was billed by the media as a showdown between union leaders and Labours leadership. It was rather a meeting in which the trade union and Labour Party bureaucracy prepared jointly for a showdown with the working class.

The meeting was organised via TULO (Trade Union and Labour Party Liaison Organisation), set up by Tony Blair on taking the Labour leadership in 1994. TULO includes the leaders of the 11 trade unions affiliated to Labour, including the two largest unions, Unite and Unison. Among the union leaders attending were Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham, Fire Brigades Union (FBU) General Secretary Matt Wrack and Communication Workers Union (CWU) leader Dave Ward.

Unite leader Sharon Graham speaking at a Trades Union Congress rally in London on June 18, 2022

Labours team included party leader Sir Keir Starmer, Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves, deputy leader, Angela Rayner, party chair, Shadow Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds, and the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones.

The meeting ended with a joint statement proclaiming collaboration, not conflict: Labour and the affiliated unions had a constructive discussion today. Together we have reiterated Labours full commitment to the New deal for working people as agreed in July. We will continue to work together at pace on how a Labour government would implement it in legislation.

A further meeting to agree final wording of the deal is scheduled in three weeks.

The key aim of the union leaders is to pre-empt opposition to Labours right wing pro-business agenda by falsely presenting themselves as the champions of embattled workers fighting the Sunak government, who will now turn to holding Labour to account in office.

Many workers are already repulsed by the right-wing agenda of Starmer, above all his staunch backing of Israels genocide of the Palestinians which provoked a major protest vote in the recent local elections, especially in in Muslim and student constituencies. And presenting Labour as a pro-worker alternative to the Tories was made yet more difficult by Starmers unilateral repudiation of the supposed commitments to workers rights they agreed to last summer.

Screengrab from video of Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer speaking at the 2022 Congress of the Trades Union Congress. October 20, 2022 [Photo: Trades Union Congress / YouTube-kanal]

Measures that had been proposed by Rayner included ending zero-hours contracts, ending companies being able to carry out fire and rehire operations and repealing some of the anti-strike legislation put on the statute book by the Tories since 2016. But on May Day, no less, a report in the Financial Times made clear that ministers were in discussions with business leaders to water down anything that they found unacceptable.

The FT noted that since 2021, behind the scenes, shadow ministers have been discussing how to tone down some of the pledges to ease employer misgivings as the party tries to boost its pro-business credentials  One business leader said that after several meetings with the party, they were now pretty relaxed about its plans.

The FT cited the ban on zero hour contracts, fire-and-rehire and workers enjoying full employment protections on day one of a new job as having been abandoned, with Labour only pledged to start a legislative process within 100 days of taking office based on what was described as draft legislative proposals yet to be published.

Any ban on fire-and-rehire contracts must allow businesses to restructure to remain viable and preserve their workforce when there is genuinely no alternative.

Graham, speaking on behalf of a politically exposed bureaucracy, pontificated about a red line not to be crossed. Choosing May Day to give notice of watering down your promise to overhaul one of the worst sets of employment rights in Europe is beyond irony, she stated.

In a May 8 press release she even threw in her ritual threat to withdraw funding from Unite to Labour, under conditions where Weve got 29 million in our political fund.

Wrack, this years TUC president, added, If there is any more rolling back on the new deal, they can expect a hostile reaction.

The reality is that the central pre-occupation of Starmer, and Reeves has been to assure big business that they will be ableworking in a corporatist set-up with the unionsto pile up even more profits. The FT noted in May last year that in his first three years as party leader Starmer and Reeves had met over 1,000 business leadersroughly three every two working days.

Grahams grandstanding naturally came to nought. By the end of Tuesdays meeting it was only high praise for Starmer. Posting on X, she said, The workers voice was heard today. My Job is to defend workers. UK Labour have listened.

Similarly effusive was Wrack, a former member of the pseudo-left Socialist Party. He told Times Radio, We had a very good meeting today... Were in a very good position to present something to the electorate that will, I think, win votes for Labour.

With the FT reporting that one union figure said the Labour leadership had been forced to retreat in several areas, the voice of British business still noted pointedly, Neither Labour nor the union leaders set out any concrete concessions made by the party on Tuesday.

Shadow Chancellor Reeves boasts that Starmer and herself will head the most pro-business government in history. She spelled out the actual function of the workers rights agenda championed by the Trades Union Congress when speaking at the Mais Lecture in March. Held at the Bayes Business School in the capital, the lecture is described as the City of Londons foremost event for the banking and finance community.

Rachel Reeves speaking at the Mais Lecture [Photo: skjermdump fra Rachel Revees/X]

Speaking of why Labour wants to remove some of the anti-strike legislation brought in the Tories, she explained, We will reverse changes since 2010 that have done nothing to prevent the worst period of disruption since the 1980s, but instead have contributed to a conflictual, scorched-earth approach that has stood in the way of productive negotiation. These policies didnt exist under Blair and Brown when there were fewer strikes and less disruption. We will work with business as we deliver and implement these policies.

Whatever deal is eventually announced in June, Labour is set for a head-on collision with the working class in which the trade unions will function as an industrial police force.

The unions have already made this clear. Over the course of 2022-23, a strike wave through the most critical sectors of the economy, involving two million workerswith the potential to bring down the Torieswas systematically shut down by the trade union bureaucracy in a series of sell-out deals. This ensured that Starmer, who denounced the strikes and barred his shadow cabinet from attending picket lines, is ready to take office in a situation where Britain is largely a strike free zone. LINK

There are no exceptions to be found within the bureaucracy, whether on the notional left or right. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union is not affiliated to Labour and was not at this weeks crisis meeting. Its leader, Mick Lynch, earned an undeserved reputation as an opponent of big business and of Starmers most obvious betrayals, demanding of him, Whose side are you on?

But in the immediate aftermath of the rail strikes being sold out and the strike wave stemmed, he declared, I support getting rid of this government and Im a realistthe only government were going to get as an alternative will be led by Keir Starmer, so people have to deal with that, people have got to grow up a bit in some senses.
Since the Labour-Greens governments crushing defeat in New Zealands October 2023 election, the Green Party has been beset by a series of scandals and resignations.

With the resignation of co-leader James Shaw, who left parliament this month, the party has lost four MPs in the space of five months (including the death of MP Efeso Collins in February), and a fifth is now facing several accusations of bullying. For a party with just 15 seats in parliament, this is a major level of disruption.

The Green Party caucus following last year's election, October 17, 2023. Co-leader James Shaw (centre, green tie) and MP Golriz Ghahraman (front, second from the right) have since resigned. MP Darleen Tana (on the far left) has been suspended pending an internal investigation. [Photo: Facebook/Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand]

The instability comes as the party tries to refresh its brand after six years of being part of a right-wing, pro-imperialist government with both the Labour Party and, from 2017-2020, the far-right NZ First Party.

The Labour-led government oversaw increased poverty, worsening homelessness and soaring social inequality: By the end of 2023, an estimated 600,000 people were regularly relying on foodbank charities. It also integrated New Zealand into the build-up to war against China and the US-NATO proxy war against Russia, sending troops to Britain to train Ukrainians.

Now in opposition, the Greens are seeking to give themselves a more progressive veneer and wash their hands of any responsibility for the social crisis. The party has no real differences with Labours imperialist and pro-business policies; but it peddles the fiction that Labour can be pressured to adopt kinder policies, if only the Greens are sitting around the cabinet table.

The aim is to trap young people who are moving to the left in opposition to the political establishments support for Israels genocidal war against Gaza and the war on the working class at home.

Shaws resignation, however, points to tensions over the partys orientation to Labour, which left it outside government despite increasing its votes at Labours expense. The Greens got 11.6 percent in the 2023 election, up from 7.9 percent in 2020. Labour meanwhile suffered a crushing defeat, its support almost halving from 50 percent to 26.9 percent, due largely to widespread abstention in working-class areas.

Shaw recently declared that the party should have been prepared to consider a coalition with the right-wing National Party, which now leads the government with the far-right ACT and NZ First. Shaw told TVNZ on April 28 that he would have been very comfortable proposing a coalition with National and he believed many Green members would have supported a National-Greens government to stop bad things from happening under a National-ACT-NZ First government. He repeated these statements to Radio NZ on May 8.

Shaw also heaped praise on corporations, including major polluters such as dairy giant Fonterra and Cadbury, falsely presenting them as making genuine efforts to address the climate crisis. Shaw has lined up a lucrative job as an operating partner at Morrison, a multinational infrastructure financing company that reportedly manages $US24 billion in sustainable investments.

In March, the Greens elected 30-year-old Chloe Swarbrick as the partys new co-leader, replacing Shaw. Neither Swarbrick nor any other Green MP publicly criticised Shaws statements, which laid bare the pro-capitalist politics of the party.

The leadership change, however, has been accompanied by other departures.

In January, the partys foreign affairs spokesperson Golriz Ghahraman resigned after right-wing broadcaster Newstalk ZB reported that she had been accused of shoplifting. She later pleaded guilty to four charges.

In March, the Greens suspended MP Darleen Tana and launched an ongoing investigation into her conduct after news website Stuff reported that her husband was accused of exploiting migrant workers at his bicycle hire business.

Most recently, the Greens transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter has been accused of bullying political opponents and members of the public. On May 7, Parliaments Speaker Gerry Brownlee referred Genter to the Privileges Committee to investigate complaints after she shouted at Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey during a policy debate.

The Greens have denied any connection between these episodes and the leadership change. The National Party-led government and sections of the corporate media have certainly been active in fomenting these scandals. Ghahraman, who is from an Iranian refugee family, has previously been targeted by the far-right.

Whatever is behind the string of departures, no one should believe the Green Partys propaganda that it is shifting to the left. A protege of Shaw and co-leader Marama Davidson, Swarbrick announced her bid for the co-leadership in February, declaring that the Greens were the leading left-wing voice in our parliament and that Labour and National do not represent the future of this country.

The pseudo-left International Socialist Organisation, which campaigned for the Greens in the last election, sought to give Swarbrick socialist credentials, citing her self-description as a democratic socialist.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Swarbrick has worked with some of New Zealands most right-wing forces: She entered parliament after the 2017 election, when the Greens joined a coalition government with Labour and NZ Firsta right-wing, militarist and anti-immigrant party with a long record of racist agitation against Asians and Muslims.

There is no principled reason why the Green Party should refuse to join a National-led government, which is continuing and deepening the same agenda of war and austerity implemented by Labour, the Greens and NZ First.

Swarbrick and her pseudo-left cheerleaders, however, are highly conscious of the growing anger towards the National-led governmentwhich is slashing thousands of public sector jobs, has cut funding for school lunch programs, and is expanding the police, prisons and the armed forces.

The Greens are concerned that a movement could erupt outside the control of the parliamentary parties; the party is determined to prevent young people, in particular, from turning to the perspective of socialism and fighting to mobilise the working class against the capitalist system and the entire political establishment.

This is the role Swarbrick and Davidson have played in addressing protest rallies against Israels genocidal war in Gaza. On May 8, Davidson again appealed to the government to use all diplomatic channels to push for a ceasefire.

This is sheer hypocrisy. The Greens were fully prepared to rejoin a Labour-led government even after Labour justified Israels genocidal onslaught as self-defence. The Greens are now encouraging illusions in diplomacy, knowing full well that all such appeals are ignored by the Netanyahu regime and its imperialist backers.

When they were in government, the Greens supported strengthening New Zealands alliance with US imperialism, which is a full partner in Israels genocide.

In 2022, the Greens backed the governments alignment with the US and NATO, after the imperialist powers provoked the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Shaw glorified the authoritarian Zelensky regime, which is infested with fascists, and told parliament in December: We have to acknowledge that Ukraines response to Russias violence will itself involve some violence.

Shaw hailed Kiev for seeking to minimise harm to civilians and conducting its war within civilised norms. This is an utter fraud. The Zelensky regime is a puppet for US-NATO imperialism, whose aim is to inflict a devastating military defeat on Russia, even at the risk of nuclear war. Hundreds of thousands of young lives have already been sacrificed for this agenda. Opponents of the war, including the socialist Bogdan Syrotiuk, have been imprisoned, and some have been subjected to torture.

In recent weeks, the Greens and Labour have expressed concerns about the governments push to join the AUKUS (Australia, UK, US) military pact, warning that this could imperil relations with China, New Zealands major trading partner. Yet the Labour-Greens-NZ First government welcomed a stronger US military presence in the Pacific region.

As Climate Change Minister, Shaw worked closely with NZ Firsts Defence Minister Ron Mark to produce a document in 2020 calling for the expansion of the military. The Green Party co-leader provided an environmentalist justification for spending billions on new warships and air force planes, absurdly claiming that these were needed to carry out relief operations following climate-related disasters in the Pacific.

The real reason, spelled out by Labours Defence Minister Andrew Little last August, is to equip and prepare the armed forces, in case they are called on to play a role in a war in the South China Sea, that is, against China.

The drive to integrate New Zealand into US war plans is linked to the countrys position as a minor imperialist power in the Pacific, for which the New Zealand ruling class depends on US support. The Greens call for a greater military focus on the Pacific region and have supported New Zealand troops joining Australian-led interventions in East Timor and the Solomon Islands. The party has also endorsed NZ participation in the criminal US-led war in Afghanistan, fraudulently presenting it as a peacekeeping mission.

The billions of dollars needed to bolster the military is being deducted from vital public services including healthcare and education, which were starved of funds under the Labour-Greens government and are facing more cuts under National.

Workers and young people who are looking for a way to fight against genocide, the developing world war, the climate crisis and soaring social inequality should not be taken in by the phoney progressive posturing of the Greens.

Whatever tactical repositioning takes place in the coming months as the party seeks to distance itself from Labour and National, the Green Party must be judged not on its hollow rhetoric but on its record. The key political lessons that must be drawn from the experience of the Labour-Greens government are that none of the established parties represents a lesser evil, and that capitalism cannot be reformed but must be abolished.

The only way forward is by taking up a conscious political struggle against all the capitalist parties, as well as the pseudo-left groups and union bureaucracies that seek to chain workers to Labour and the Greens. This means joining and fighting to build the only genuine socialist alternative, the Socialist Equality Group, the New Zealand supporters of the International Committee of the Fourth International.
This photo taken on March 27, 2024 shows a view of the Ningdong power plant of the Ningxia Power Co., Ltd. of CHN Energy in Lingwu City, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Liu Hai)

YINCHUAN, May 15 (Xinhua) -- In Lingwu City, nestled in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, lies a vast expanse of 3.7 million closely aligned photovoltaic panels, gleaming under the sun, creating a mesmerizing display amidst the otherwise desolate landscape.

These photovoltaic panels are part of the CHN Energy Ningdong 2-million-kilowatt compound photovoltaic base. Ma Jianbao, a technician from a branch of Ningxia Power Co., Ltd. under CHN Energy, conducts daily checks with his team using unmanned aerial vehicles in the control center in Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia, which is some 100 km away.

"Drones patrol predetermined routes, relaying real-time images of the base. In just 30 minutes, a comprehensive report is generated with a fault recognition accuracy of up to 90 percent, significantly enhancing inspection efficiency," Ma said.

Ningxia's favorable terrain, robust power grid, and stable output have made it a vital hub for China's west-to-east power transmission program, supplying electricity to over 10 provinces including Shandong and Zhejiang.

Lingwu is rich in coal resources. Over the years, some coal mining areas have been left behind by mining activities in the city. The photovoltaic base spanning nearly 60,000 mu (about 4,000 hectares) has utilized the barren hills and slopes that feature mining-subsidence and goaf areas, infusing them with new vitality.

Equipped with an integrated intelligent management platform, the base uses cutting-edge technologies such as intelligent cleaning, inspection and geological subsidence monitoring to drive the smart and digital evolution of the new energy photovoltaic industry.

"Previously, a power station of this magnitude would require a workforce exceeding 150 for safe operation and maintenance. Now, with seven drones working at the same time, a complete base inspection can be completed in only three weeks," Ma said.

Rows of panels in the photovoltaic base are being cleaned by an unmanned intelligent robot, leaving them shining brightly.

"As Ningxia is surrounded by deserts on three sides, our panels frequently accumulate sand and dust, diminishing their efficiency. To solve this problem, we've developed this unmanned cleaning robot," said Zhang Lei, deputy director of the Ningdong photovoltaic power station.

"Leveraging big data, cloud computing and 5G+, the base achieves intelligent operation and maintenance, driving the creation of new quality productive forces tailored to the region's needs," he added.

In line with the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals of the country, China's photovoltaic industry also champions sustainability and green development.

Underscoring the ecological benefits of the 2-million-kilowatt base, Zhang said that the base generates approximately 3.7 billion kilowatt-hours of green electricity for Zhejiang annually, which is equivalent to saving about 1.15 million tonnes of standard coal and reducing some 3.15 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emission.

Located over 20 km away from the base, the Ningdong power plant of the Ningxia Power Co., Ltd., CHN Energy, has transformed former mining pools into a photovoltaic power station. Xue Xiaowen, who works at the power plant, explained the environmental benefits, such as reduced freshwater evaporation and flourishing aquatic life in the area.

"Previously, we released some fish fry to test whether the water quality had improved. Now that the fish have grown, the area has attracted many waterfowl, including wild ducks, as well as nationally protected animals," Xue said.

Ningxia's new energy installed capacity surpassed 36 million kilowatts by the end of 2023. 

An unmanned cleaning robot is in operation at the CHN Energy Ningdong 2-million-kilowatt compound photovoltaic base in Lingwu City, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, March 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Liu Hai)

Editor: JYZ
February 24 marked the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a conflict that has taken the lives of more than 500,000 Russian and Ukrainian military personnel and civilians. Even before the invasion, Russians, particularly engaged in the arts, have become targets of truly repulsive xenophobic reprisals in Europe and America.

It is hard to find any official institution or news outlet that has a kind word to say about Russians, even after the terrorist attack in Moscow in March that killed 160. In fact, the rule of thumband this includes artistic media as wellis to depict Russians as blind supporters of Vladimir Putin and his invasion of Ukraine, generally without any redeeming human characteristics at all.

I.S.S. (2023)

But there are exceptions, so far only minor or quasi-exceptions, films or other works in which Russians are portrayed as human beings. One of those is the film I.S.S. [International Space Station], which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2023. Directed by American Gabriela Cowperthwaite (Blackfish, 2013) and scripted by Nick Shafir, I.S.S. defies tropes so plentiful in Cold War (and contemporary) fiction and film.

The actual International Space Station emerged out of the space race, which saw milestones like the first manned orbit of Earth in 1961 by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin and the US Apollo moon landings from 1969 to 1972. The project, designed to conduct, according to NASA, research in human physiology, radiation, materials science, engineering, biology, fluid physics, and technology, was conceived by an international group of scientists and engineers as early as 1983.

After 1993, that is, following the dissolution of the USSR, Russian scientists were invited to participate. Serving as a symbol of international cooperation in space exploration, it remains a joint research station with the space agencies NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe) and CSA (Canada) participating.

The first modules of the International Space Station, established in low Earth orbit, were launched between 1995 and 1998.

The collaboration between US and Russian scientists, despite political tensions on Earth, has endured, demonstrating the power of international cooperation in advancing human knowledge and exploration, with all the inherent limitations stemming from the subordination of science and other endeavors to the drive for profit.

To begin with, the films casting challenges the prevailing anti-Russian sentiment by prominently featuring two Russian actors, Costa Ronin (The Americans),who portrays Nicholai Pulov, and Masha Mashkova (Closed Spaces), who plays Weronika Nika Vetrov. The cast also includes three AmericansAriana DeBose (West Side Story) as Science Officer Kira Foster, Chris Messina (The Mindy Project) as Commander Gordon Barrett and John Gallagher Jr. (10 Cloverfield Lane) as Christian Campbellalongside the Danish Johan Philip Pilou Asbk (Game of Thrones), who portrays Alexey Pulov, Nicholais brother.

Despite the diversity of the cast, spanning various nationalities, races, ethnicities, genders and sexual orientations, I.S.S., unsurprisingly, places particular emphasis on the dynamic between the Russians and Americans.

Ariana DeBose in I.S.S.

The crew has dinner together. Music is playing, fostering a lively atmosphere of conversation and laughter. Nika speaks with Kira, underscoring that the important thing is that we stick together. Then there is this admonition from Nicholai: We dont talk politics around here. Here, were one. Christian adds, We dont talk about any of it. We stay away from Syria, Israel  and we sure as hell dont talk about whats going on down there right now.

Whatever this means exactly, presumably the Ukraine war, it provides a convenient excuse for the filmmakers to forbid their characters from discussing politics. Anything that might have possibly influenced or shaped the lives of the Russians and Americans or their mutual relationships, ranging from the fall of the Berlin Wall and the restoration of capitalism in the Soviet Union to the subsequent wars of American conquest in Iraq and Afghanistan, much less the wars in Syria and Ukraine, is excluded in advance.

At one point, the crew collectively decides to make their way to the cupola of the space station. There, Kira views Earth for the first time with her fellow crewmembers. Nika tells Kira that the view, For some people, its a spiritual awakening. Like the whole world, like humanity were all connected together or something.

Later, Kira makes her way back to the cupola and notices a flash of light on the surface of Earth, initially thinking it might be a volcano, but more flashes pepper the North American continent. It becomes immediately apparent to her and the rest of the crew they have just witnessed a nuclear war.

Each team of astronauts, Russian and American, is instructed by military command on Earth to take control of the space station. Most of the film after that is comprised of thriller suspense and violence. Some of the Russian crew members are bent on the destruction of the Americans, though the Americans tend to be less vicious. Other Russians and Americans display real compassion.

Throughout I.S.S., there are references to an experiment known as Node Zero, which involves research on a medicine crucial for treating radiation sickness. With no explanation provided by the film for the origin of this life-saving medicinewhether it stems from events like the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters or even chemotherapythe viewer is left to speculate whether the Russian and American governments see nuclear war as inevitable or whether the development of this medicine is merely a plot contrivance.

After a traumatic turn of events, Kira and Alexey restore life support and communication systems and ignore their respective governments directives as they board the Soyuz with the Node Zero research. They shuttle off from the ISS and begin hurtling towards Earth in an uncontrolled descent. When Alexey questions their destination, Kira responds uncertainly, I dont know.

Overall, the filmmakers avoidance of xenophobic attacks on Russians in the wake of the deepening crisis in Ukraine and blaring imperialist anti-Russian propaganda is commendable. The intention may well be to show how human beings can cast aside nationality and national prejudices to collaborate on a life-saving project.

Masha Mashkova in I.S.S.

Cowperthwaites film, unfortunately, also exhibits a sharply pessimistic outlook in regard to humanitys future. Nuclear war in I.S.S., like just about everything else, develops outside of history and therefore apart from human understanding and any possible action to stop annihilation. Consequently, the film is only able to offer at best an inconsistent exploration of its themes and character motivations, leaving the viewer with serious questions unanswered.

Furthermore, I.S.S. is marred by internal inconsistencies, beginning with a congenial atmosphere among the crew members only to end in a bloodbath. This occurs after the viewer is made aware by the characters of the futility and absurdity of borders, only to have them succumb to nationalist and disastrous directives and orders.

A more realistic film about the I.S.S. even in the thriller genre, would have found rich material in the recent development of the militarization of space in various nationalist, capitalist interests.

In 2022, the director of Roscosmos, General Yury Borisov, a former military strategist, informed Russian president Vladimir Putin that the decision to leave the [International Space Station] after 2024 has been made.

This decision to pull out of the I.S.S. was no doubt motivated by the US-NATO-provoked Russian invasion of Ukraine. A new space station, named Russian Orbital Space Station, operated entirely by Roscosmos, has a planned launched in 2027.

In December 2019, then President Donald Trump announced his intention to create a Space Force, a sixth branch of the US military, to serve American imperialist interests. Not long after, Trump signed an executive order declaring US private property rights in space.

Earlier in 2019, French president Emmanuel Macron revealed plans for a French space command. The unfolding war-political crisis on Earth is currently also developing in space.

But that crisis emerges concretely, and the complexities of scientists in space (or anywhere else) supporting or opposing the interests of their government in drama depends on a more serious historical assessment of these developments by artists. Provided with the opportunity to touch upon one or more of these major developments, the filmmakers chose not to or were unable to do so.
U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, center, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy listen as former President Donald Trump, left, talks with reporters as he arrives at Manhattan Criminal Court, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. [AP Photo/Justin Lane]

Only six days after Democrats in the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to keep ultra-right Republican Mike Johnson in office as Speaker, Johnson appeared outside of Donald Trumps criminal trial in Manhattan. He denounced the charges brought against Trump, declaring the innocence of the fascist ex-president, and threatened a congressional investigation into the prosecutors to hold them accountable.

The top Republican in Congress, second in the line of succession to the presidency after Vice President Kamala Harris, echoed Trumps claim that there was no case against him and that the charges of business fraud to cover up hush money payments constituted election interference.

A bevy of top Republicans have appeared at the Manhattan courthouse over the past 10 days, acting as surrogates for Trump. Johnsons joining in this campaign of vilification and bullying is certainly no surprise. He played a significant role in Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 elections, spearheading an appeal for judicial intervention, which failed, and then voting against the certification of Bidens victory, even after the mob attack of January 6, 2021 aimed at blocking the congressional vote.

More significant than Johnsons own statements is the fact that the Democrats over the past month have forged what amounts to a coalition government with the Republicans, with Johnson playing a central role. In the process, the Democrats have exposed the bankruptcy of the policy, advocated by liberal commentators and pseudo-left groups like the Democratic Socialists of America, of supporting the Democrats as the lesser evil to Trump and the increasingly fascistic Republicans.

The Democrats did not vote to keep Johnson in office because they had any illusions about his representing a moderate alternative to open fascists like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who pushed for his ouster as Speaker. Rather, their votes were a quid pro quo in return for Johnsons agreement to bring a $95 billion supplemental war spending package to a vote, split up into separate measures for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

After these passed the House, Biden hailed Johnson for putting our national security [that is, American imperialism] first. The vote came a month after the bipartisan passage of Bidens fiscal year 2024 budget, which included a record $826 billion for the Pentagon.

Socialist Equality Party presidential candidate Joseph Kishore pointed out the domestic political implications of the massive funding for both the war against Russia in Ukraine and Israels ongoing mass slaughter of the Palestinian population of Gaza, as part of a series of tweets posted Wednesday. He wrote:

Johnson and Biden appeared side-by-side at a Capitol Hill ceremony to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day, where they each vilified the student protests as antisemitic and vowed eternal support for the state of Israel, established through the dispossession of the Palestinian people and sustained by decades of massive military and financial subsidies from Washington.

The Republicans and Democrats are full partners in an unfolding world war, in which American imperialism is fighting Russia in Ukraine, stoking conflicts in the Middle East that threaten war with Iran, with Israel as the spearhead, and building up Taiwan as a military base for a coming war with China.

The working class at home is to be made to pay for the war drive of imperialism through the destruction of jobs, living standards and social benefits. This includes Medicare and Social Security, which are to face the budget-cutters knife on the pretext that there is no money, even though unlimited trillions are made available for war.

As Kishore pointed out, a particularly foul role is played by figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, who promote the Biden administration and insist that workers and young people must support the Democrats as a counter to Trump.

These advocates of lesser evil politics are directly complicit in the crimes of the Biden administration. At the same time, they help create more favorable conditions for the right-wing demagogy of Trump, allowing the fascist ex-president to posture as an opponent of endless wars and a defender of Social Security and Medicare.

There is no lesser evil in the choice between the imperialist warmonger Biden and the fascist demagogue Trump. The Democrats and the Republicans represent two reactionary factions of the corporate and financial oligarchy.

The central question is the independent intervention of the working class in opposition to war, the assault on democratic rights, and the attacks on jobs, living standards and the entire social position of working people.

An important step in this direction came late Wednesday night, with the announcement that academic workers in United Auto Workers Local 4811 in the University of California system voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike against the police attack on protests against the genocide in Gaza. This expresses the broad opposition in the working class as a whole to the genocide, which is fully supported by both the Democrats and the Republicans.

Rank-and-file academic workers should mobilize to oppose the plans of the UAW apparatus to limit the struggle to selective strikes. An all-out strike of 48,000 UC academic workers should be accompanied by a fight to mobilize all autoworkers in the UAW and beyond through the development of a network of rank-and-file committees.

It is through what Trotsky referred to as the direct interference of the masses in historical events that the fight against imperialist war and dictatorship must be waged. This intervention must proceed through the building of a revolutionary socialist leadership in every section of the working class.
People from the Miao ethnic group celebrate the Caihuashan festival in Chiyou Jiuli Town of Pengshui Miao-Tujia Autonomous County, southwest China's Chongqing, May 15, 2024. The Caihuashan festival is a traditional Miao festival which derives from courtship rituals, where young people meet and make acquaintance by singing and dancing together. The festival celebrations have become increasingly popular in recent years with the development of local tourism and the promotion of Miao ethnic cultures. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

People from the Miao ethnic group celebrate the Caihuashan festival in Chiyou Jiuli Town of Pengshui Miao-Tujia Autonomous County, southwest China's Chongqing, May 15, 2024. The Caihuashan festival is a traditional Miao festival which derives from courtship rituals, where young people meet and make acquaintance by singing and dancing together. The festival celebrations have become increasingly popular in recent years with the development of local tourism and the promotion of Miao ethnic cultures. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

People from the Miao ethnic group celebrate the Caihuashan festival in Chiyou Jiuli Town of Pengshui Miao-Tujia Autonomous County, southwest China's Chongqing, May 15, 2024. The Caihuashan festival is a traditional Miao festival which derives from courtship rituals, where young people meet and make acquaintance by singing and dancing together. The festival celebrations have become increasingly popular in recent years with the development of local tourism and the promotion of Miao ethnic cultures. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

People from the Miao ethnic group celebrate the Caihuashan festival in Chiyou Jiuli Town of Pengshui Miao-Tujia Autonomous County, southwest China's Chongqing, May 15, 2024. The Caihuashan festival is a traditional Miao festival which derives from courtship rituals, where young people meet and make acquaintance by singing and dancing together. The festival celebrations have become increasingly popular in recent years with the development of local tourism and the promotion of Miao ethnic cultures. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

People from the Miao ethnic group celebrate the Caihuashan festival in Chiyou Jiuli Town of Pengshui Miao-Tujia Autonomous County, southwest China's Chongqing, May 15, 2024. The Caihuashan festival is a traditional Miao festival which derives from courtship rituals, where young people meet and make acquaintance by singing and dancing together. The festival celebrations have become increasingly popular in recent years with the development of local tourism and the promotion of Miao ethnic cultures. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

An aerial drone photo taken on May 15, 2024 shows people from the Miao ethnic group celebrating the Caihuashan festival in Chiyou Jiuli Town of Pengshui Miao-Tujia Autonomous County, southwest China's Chongqing. The Caihuashan festival is a traditional Miao festival which derives from courtship rituals, where young people meet and make acquaintance by singing and dancing together. The festival celebrations have become increasingly popular in recent years with the development of local tourism and the promotion of Miao ethnic cultures. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

An aerial drone photo taken on May 15, 2024 shows people from the Miao ethnic group celebrating the Caihuashan festival in Chiyou Jiuli Town of Pengshui Miao-Tujia Autonomous County, southwest China's Chongqing. The Caihuashan festival is a traditional Miao festival which derives from courtship rituals, where young people meet and make acquaintance by singing and dancing together. The festival celebrations have become increasingly popular in recent years with the development of local tourism and the promotion of Miao ethnic cultures. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

An aerial drone photo taken on May 15, 2024 shows people from the Miao ethnic group celebrating the Caihuashan festival in Chiyou Jiuli Town of Pengshui Miao-Tujia Autonomous County, southwest China's Chongqing. The Caihuashan festival is a traditional Miao festival which derives from courtship rituals, where young people meet and make acquaintance by singing and dancing together. The festival celebrations have become increasingly popular in recent years with the development of local tourism and the promotion of Miao ethnic cultures. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Editor: JYZ
Flamingos fly over the Sel Kapani Dam Lake in Ankara, Turkiye, on May 14, 2024. Flamingos, herons, pelicans... Turkiye's migratory bird species have returned to the capital city Ankara's lakes and ponds this year, much to the delight of local bird watchers. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)

by Burak Akinci

ANKARA, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Flamingos, herons, pelicans... Turkiye's migratory bird species have returned to the capital city Ankara's lakes and ponds this year, much to the delight of local bird watchers.

Only a short drive away from the bustling city of 6 million people, the Sel Kapani Dam Lake and Lake Mogan, located in the Golbasi district, host many varieties of migratory water birds each spring and summer.

On a chilly but sunny morning, Melih Ozbek, a wildlife photographer as well as a bird-watcher and activist, was busy taking pictures in the Sel Kapani Dam Lake, a wetland habitat surrounded by shallow pools, reeds and fields with substantial numbers of birds, including pink flamingos.

"Many species come to Ankara's lakes for a stopover or to breed. Therefore, Lake Mogan and nearby wetlands stand as an oasis for migratory birds," he told Xinhua.

"You don't see many cities with so many species of migratory birds. Ankara stands out in this regard," said the bird-watcher.

Among the other bird species reproducing at Lake Mogan and nearby ponds are wild ducks, great crested grebe, little grebe, squacco heron, and little bittern, to name a few.

Lake Mogan was declared a Specially Protected Environment Area in 1990. In winter months, one can see seabirds coming from northern countries to Turkiye, and in summer, species like ferruginous duck and red-crested pochard incubate their eggs here.

Ozbek explained that half of the bird species in Turkiye can be seen in Lake Mogan and nearby wetlands, making it a paradise for bird watchers.

Turkiye is geographically situated on the Mediterranean-Black Sea migration route, a major winter bird migration pathway. Birds of various species migrate from Europe to Africa in the autumn, crossing over Turkish skies before returning home along the same route in the spring.

However, Turkiye's bird population faces threats from both human and natural factors.

According to Turkiye's non-profit Nature Association, 55 percent of over 300 bird species in Turkiye have decreased in number over the past decade due to the destruction of their natural habitats, primarily resulting from water projects.

For years, people have drained wetlands for agricultural purposes or development projects, causing habitat loss, according to a report published in May 2023 by the association.

It noted that droughts also continue to rise, adding that Anatolia's wetlands have been destroyed by incorrect water and agricultural policies for half a century.

Turkiye is a party to the Ramsar Convention, a treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. Yet, alarm bells are ringing for some wetlands, though conservation efforts are underway.

"Wetlands are increasingly shrinking in Anatolia. Some ponds and lakes have already dried out," which is caused by detrimental human activities and climate change, Ozbek said.

Meanwhile, "there are tens of thousands of unlicensed wells in central Anatolia that harm wetlands and even create giant sinkholes," he added. 

Flamingos fly over the Sel Kapani Dam Lake in Ankara, Turkiye, on May 14, 2024. Flamingos, herons, pelicans... Turkiye's migratory bird species have returned to the capital city Ankara's lakes and ponds this year, much to the delight of local bird watchers. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)

A pelican is seen at the Sel Kapani Dam Lake in Ankara, Turkiye, on May 14, 2024. Flamingos, herons, pelicans... Turkiye's migratory bird species have returned to the capital city Ankara's lakes and ponds this year, much to the delight of local bird watchers. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)

Flamingos are pictured at the Sel Kapani Dam Lake in Ankara, Turkiye, on May 14, 2024. Flamingos, herons, pelicans... Turkiye's migratory bird species have returned to the capital city Ankara's lakes and ponds this year, much to the delight of local bird watchers. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)

Flamingos are pictured at the Sel Kapani Dam Lake in Ankara, Turkiye, on May 14, 2024. Flamingos, herons, pelicans... Turkiye's migratory bird species have returned to the capital city Ankara's lakes and ponds this year, much to the delight of local bird watchers. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)

Flamingos are pictured at the Sel Kapani Dam Lake in Ankara, Turkiye, on May 14, 2024. Flamingos, herons, pelicans... Turkiye's migratory bird species have returned to the capital city Ankara's lakes and ponds this year, much to the delight of local bird watchers. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)

Editor: JYZ
Chiles Quijote Films, Frances Les Valseurs team with Germanys Weydemann Bros Films for The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (EXCLUSIVE)

Based out of Chile and Los Angeles, Quijote Films, behind Cannes 2023 Un Certain Regard Fipresci Prize winner The Settlers, and Frances Les Valseurs, behind Oscar-nominated , have tied down a powerful alliance of international partners on The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, the first feature of 2018 Cannes Cinefondation top winner Diego Cespedes.

Quijote Films biggest budgeted title to date, said its head Giancarlo Nasi, The Mysterious Gaze goes into production on May 20.

More from Variety

An LGBTQ-themed drama, The Mysterious Gaze is set in a mining town where a strange illness is said to be transmitted between men who fall in love with each other.

Produced by Quijote Films and Frances Les Valseurs, The Mysterious Gaze has now added new partners in Germanys Weydemann Bros Film and Wrong Men in Belgium. Further partners, Arte France Cinema and Irusoin, have already been announced.

Weydemann Bros has secured French-German mini traite funding to co-produce the film.

Quijote Films has also added Mexicos Varios Lobos as a co-production partner on Theo Courts Three Dark Nights. Produced by Nasi and set up as a production between Quijote and El Viaje Films, based in Spains Canary Islands, the social-issue themed murder mystery stars Alfredo Castro.

One of Europes most frequent co-producers with Latin America, Thierry Lenouvels Paris-based Cine-Sud Promotion, a Quijote co-producer in the past, and Argentinas Gema Films, headed by Gema Juarez Allen, have also boarded a third Quijote Films title, dark dramedy To Die on Your Feet.

It is directed by Chiles Maria Paz Gonzalez, whose spirited dramedic musical Lina From Lima won awards at the Oslo Films From the South and the Valdivia and Fribourg festivals.

Quijote Films make films of global ambition in a small country with little support for cinema. So we structure our films via complex systems of international co-production, involving many countries. On The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, were five, Nasi told Variety.

We aim to complement public funding, accessed by co-production, via private-sector financing: Equity, pre-sales, such as to Arte and Netflix, and distribution minimum guarantees. This is the reason we have also set up offices in Los Angeles: We want to grow as an independent, as we believe in the synergies between public and private sectors. This ensures that we make films that are interesting for the market and critics at one and the same time, Nasi added.

On the international arthouse scene, the number and caliber of production partners has become a sign of a titles perceived market potential. Here, Quijote scores very highly.

Just on The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, Arte weighs in as Europes No. 1 culture network, broadcast in six languages and 95% public funded, with considerable market and financing clout.

Les Valseurs, whose Justin Pechberty produces with Nasi, has run up a strong line in animation and shorts such as Vilaine Fille, the Cesar winning best animation short, Cannes competition entry Sideral and Oscar-nominated Nefta Football Club.

Les Valseurs feature-length animated film Animal Tales of Christmas Magic, co-produced by Arte) will premiere in Annecy in a months time. It has already been pre-sold in around 20 territories, some major, by Le Bureau. The company is also behind the hit Arte animated series, Samuel, which bowed in March.

Irusoin has driven large growth in the Basque Country, backing the first Basque-langue feature to play in San Sebastian competition, Spanish Oscar entry The Endless Trench and Disney+ prestige series Balenciaga.

Behind Nora Fingscheidts hit System Crasher as producers, Jakob and Jonas Weydemann also created TV series The Thin Line, selected for last years Series Mania.





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A contestant performs during the 2024 "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on May 15, 2024. Thirteen students from Slovenia's high schools and universities participated in the 2024 "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition here on Wednesday. (Photo by Zeljko Stevanic/Xinhua)

LJUBLJANA, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Thirteen students from Slovenia's high schools and universities participated in the 2024 "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition here on Wednesday.

The event was organized by the Confucius Institute Ljubljana to promote Chinese Language and culture in Slovenia.

The competition covered speech, Q&A sessions and a talent show. Each contestant spoke in Chinese for three minutes, discussing various topics that included Chinese tea culture, common points between China and Slovenia, the need for better understanding between different cultures, among others.

Contestants also took part in a quiz about Chinese language, culture and history and staged artistic performances, such as creating paintings with Chinese brush, and playing Chinese music instruments.

Patumtip Nuanmalang, the winner of the college students category, impressed the judges with her dance to Chinese music.

"I like the melody of the Chinese language and the fact that it is very useful to be able to speak it," said Nuanmalang. As a prize, she will receive a scholarship that will enable her to study in China for one semester.

A contestant performs during the 2024 "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on May 15, 2024. Thirteen students from Slovenia's high schools and universities participated in the 2024 "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition here on Wednesday. (Photo by Zeljko Stevanic/Xinhua)

A contestant performs during the 2024 "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on May 15, 2024. Thirteen students from Slovenia's high schools and universities participated in the 2024 "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition here on Wednesday. (Photo by Zeljko Stevanic/Xinhua)

A contestant performs during the 2024 "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on May 15, 2024. Thirteen students from Slovenia's high schools and universities participated in the 2024 "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition here on Wednesday. (Photo by Zeljko Stevanic/Xinhua)

A contestant performs during the 2024 "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on May 15, 2024. Thirteen students from Slovenia's high schools and universities participated in the 2024 "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition here on Wednesday. (Photo by Zeljko Stevanic/Xinhua)

Editor: WXL
Equinox got rid of Kiehl's in its locker rooms and everyone is in mourning

Equinox got rid of Kiehl's in its locker rooms and everyone is in mourning

Equinox is booting Kiehl's products from its locker rooms.

It has a new pact with Australian brand Grown Alchemist  and members are struggling to adjust.

Gym members have taken to social media to vent about the switch.

This week in rich person controversies, Equinox  the luxury gym chain that recently announced a $40,000 annual membership  has members up in arms after it made a sudden change to its locker room products.

On Tuesday, after weeks of rumors, Equinox announced a new partnership with Australian beauty brand Grown Alchemist  meaning its long-beloved Kiehl's products are getting the boot.

By Wednesday, the cleansers and moisturizers had been switched out nationwide.

"Thanks to everyone who didn't stare at me as I sobbed and screamcried on the treadmill today: I know I wasn't alone," wrote one Reddit user in a post that's received dozens of upvotes. "Just remember: that which does not Kiehl you only makes you stronger."

Equinox first partnered with Grown Alchemist in its branded hotels before bringing the hair, face, and body products to its over 100 gyms and spas worldwide, Women's Wear Daily reported.

"It's been 13 years," Julia Klim, Equinox's VP of strategic partnerships and business development, told Women's Wear Daily of its Kiehl's deal. Equinox did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

"It's time for change," she added.

But social media users are in an uproar over the switch, seemingly unready to give up the nearly $70 face cream and $32-per-bottle grapefruit body wash (which is now sold out on Equinox's e-commerce site).

(Full disclosure from Madeline Berg: I am an Equinox member and have little attachment to the Kiehl's lineup. )

Multiple Reddit threads have been dedicated to the new skincare, and hundreds have commented on Equinox's Instagram posts announcing the switch.

The complaints against Grown Alchemist vary, with some commenting on the scent  one Instagram user likened it to a retirement home, another said airport lounge  and others saying the texture makes it difficult to rub in.

Many have yet to try the brand  which, should be said, is more expensive than Kiehl's  and simply don't like change.

"The stuff smells so rancid. Reminds me of pepsi," one Reddit commenter wrote.

"It's watered down. Smells like cheap perfume from 99cents store," another complained.

Kiehl's even commented on a TikToker's video that issued a comedic "amber alert" about the change.

"We're hearing that you miss us," the brand's account wrote.

Every passionate online niche has two sides, and some brave souls have posted their excitement about the new products, alleging that it was actually Kiehl's products that were watered-down.

"Just tried this morning! Much better, less sticky, much cleaner with way less thickening agents," one Redditor enthused.

Of course, as many have pointed out, this is perhaps the definition of a first-world problem. One Redditor put it best: "You'd think EQX poured battery acid into the kiehls bottles and didn't tell anyone about it," they wrote said. "Touch some grass."

Read the original article on Business Insider
After Miss USA gave up her title earlier this month to focus on her mental health, the Miss USA Organization has crowned a successor, Miss Hawaii USA Savannah Gankiewicz.

Gankiewicz was crowned in Hawaii on May 15, where she was born and raised. She was first-runner up at the 2023 Miss USA pagenat but lost to Miss Utah USA Noelia Voigt.

Voight, however, gave up her crown earlier this month, urging people to prioritize their mental health in a social media post announcing her resignation. The Miss USA organization said they respected her decision and that the "wellbeing of their titleholders is a top priority."

Miss Hawaii 2023 Savannah Gankiewicz at her coronation as the new Miss USA 2023 at Alohilani Resort in Honolulu, Hawaii on May 15, 2024. / Credit: Erik Kabik Photography/ MediaPunch via AP

Just days later, Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava gave up her crown, saying in a statement on social media her "personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization." She didn't specify which values were not in alignment.

The New Jersey teen said she is looking forward to completing 11th grade and staring the college application process.

And just a few days before their resignations, Miss USA social media director Claudia Michelle stepped down, saying she saw a decline in Voigt's mental health and saw Srivastava and her family disrespected

She also alleged titleholders were unable to share their personal advocacies on social media and were threatened by Miss USA's social media rules in guidelines, which she said she still has yet to see.

"I feel the way current management speaks about their titleholders is unprofessional and inappropriate; I disavow workplace toxicity and bullying of any kind," she wrote on social media. She shared photo of herself with both Srivastava and Voight.

Miss USA social media director Claudia Michelle stepped down from her role, saying she saw a decline in Voigt's mental health and saw Srivastava and her family disrespected. / Credit: Claudia Michelle

The Miss USA organization said it was troubled by what it called false accusations. "Miss USA is committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment, and we take these allegations seriously," they said in a statement to USA Today, adding that they would transfer the duties of the former title holders to successors.

Last week, Miss Colorado USA Arianna Lemus announced she was resigning, stating on social media she is calling for reform within the Miss USA organization. "I stand in solidarity with Noelia and UmaSofia, former Miss USA and Miss Teen USA 2023, as I step down from my role as Miss Colorado USA," she said in her statement.

"Noelia and UmaSofia's voices have been stifled by the constraints of a contract that undermines their rights and dignity," she continued. "These remarkable women serve as a poignant reminder of the urgent need for reform within the Miss USA organization."

Gankiewicz commented on her fellow pageant queens' resignations during her coronation on Wednesday. "I empathize with the former titleholders, but I took this as a job and responsibility to really help make a positive impact in this organization that I truly believe in," she told CBS affiliate KGMB.

In a statement, Gankiewicz said she fully supports and respects Voigt's decision to resign and stands in solidarity with mental health awareness. "I accept the crown knowing that I have been uplifted by my supporters, family, friends, and the people of Hawaii throughout this journey. I accept this title on their behalf.

"To my fellow Miss USA sisters, I believe it's crucial for us to stand united for the future of the organization and the incoming class of 2024 and beyond. I pledge my wholehearted support to the new delegates who have dedicated themselves to their state pageants, and I am committed to ensuring a seamless and memorable transition between Miss USA titleholders."

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HONOLULU (KHON)  A celebratory coronation took place in Honolulu as Miss Hawaii, a Maui native, was officially crowned Miss USA.

The Miss USA organization crowned Savannah Gankiewicz on Wednesday, days after previous titleholder Noelia Voigt gave up the crown on May 6.

Voigt cited her mental well-being in the announcement of her relinquishing the crown on her Instagram page. It marked the first time a titleholder of Miss USA has given up their crown.

Initially placed as first-runner-up in September, Gankiewicz stepped into the role with hopes of bringing a symbol of resilience and the aloha spirit across the nation.

She said she was unprepared for the backlash she received once she made the decision to accept the title. But she is not deterred on her decision.

Teen and Miss USA quit their crowns, citing mental health and personal values

I did not know I would be bullied and harassed and have death threats constantly from people I dont even know and attacking my character, Gankiewicz told Nexstars KHON. But I wanted people to know that Ive taken this title because I feel like it is a responsibility and an opportunity to make a positive change from within, and I can only do that from inside the organization and not standing out.

The Maui native will travel to Los Angeles on Friday to meet with the Miss USA organization and will then move to Florida to complete her reign.

[Gankiewicz] dedication to empowering women through self-love and confidence is

inspiring, and we look forward to her impactful reign as Miss USA, said Miss USA Organization president and CEO Laylah Rose.

The newly crowned Miss USA plans to use her two-and-a-half month reign to promote her platform about self-love and confidence for young women.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Update: 5/14/2024 8:47 p.m. ET

During his Tuesday, May 14, speech on Californias efforts to transform the mental health system, Governor Gavin Newsom came to the Archewell Foundations defense, noting, I just want folks to know, not only are they in compliance, it was a technical paperwork issue that was wildly over-hyped.  It was a very typical, technical issue around paperwork that persists for so many others as well. They are a celebrated organization that does great work in the state of California. I wanted to clarify that, because thats important.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markles Archewell Foundation responded after it was labeled as delinquent by the California Department of Justice for unpaid fees.

We have diligently investigated the situation and can confirm that The Archewell Foundation remains fully compliant and in good standing," a spokesperson for the Sussexes' Archewell Foundation told Us Weekly on Tuesday, May 14. "Due payments were made promptly and in accordance with the IRSs processes and procedures. Furthermore, all necessary paperwork had been filed by the Foundation without error or wrongdoing.

Earlier this week, California Attorney General Rob Bonta deemed Archewell delinquent in an official letter because the organization did not submit its registration fees and annual reports on time.

An organization that is listed as delinquent is not in good standing and is prohibited from engaging in conduct for which registration is required, including soliciting or disbursing charitable funds, the letter read. The organization may also be subject to penalties and its registration may be suspended or revoked by the Registry.

See the Best Photos From Prince Harry and Meghan Markles 1st Official Tour in Nigeria

Us Weekly understands, however, that Archewells state filing, renewal and fees were sent and delivered to the attorney generals office via tracked mail and received on time. The organizations tax filings were also submitted in full in accordance with all regulations in December 2023.

Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, launched Archewell in 2020 after stepping down from their roles as senior working members of the royal family. Our mission is simple: show up, do good, reads a description of the nonprofit organization on the Archewell website. We meet the moment by showing up, taking action and using our unparalleled spotlight to uplift and unite communities  local and global  through acts of service and compassion.

The delinquency notice came as the couple traveled to Nigeria for their first official tour of the country. The trip marks the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, which Harry cofounded to honor wounded military veterans.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markles Charitable Work Throughout the Years

Before jetting off to Nigeria, Harry visited his hometown of London, but he didnt see his father, King Charles III. A spokesperson for Harry said that Charles schedule was too packed for a visit.

In response to the many inquiries and continued speculation on whether or not The Duke will meet with his father while in the UK this week, it, unfortunately, will not be possible due to His Majestys full program, the rep told Us on May 7.

Harry and Charles, 75, reunited earlier this year after the monarch publicly disclosed that hed been diagnosed with cancer. Following the news, the Duke of Sussex flew to England for a quick visit with his dad.

I love my family, Harry told Good Morning America in February. The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go and see him and spend any time with him, Im grateful for that.
Prince William Steps Out to Support Cause Connected to Hospital Where George, Charlotte and Louis Were Born

The Prince of Wales is a patron of the appeal to create The Fleming Initiative at St. Marys Hospital in Paddington, London

Yui Mok/Pool via AP Prince William attends an event to celebrate efforts to tackle antimicrobial resistance and build stronger health systems, food security and climate resilience at The Royal Society in London on May 16, 2024

Prince William is stepping out for a good cause.

On May 16, the Prince of Wales attended an event at The Royal Society in central London to celebrate the research being undertaken to tackle antimicrobial resistance. Prince William, 41, was pictured speaking with fellow attendees at the event, which was held at The Royal Society's building in Carlton House Terrace.

The royal is the patron of the appeal to create The Fleming Initiative, which is a global movement based out of St. Mary's Hospital, where his and Kate Middleton's three children  Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6  were born. Prince William, as well as his brother Prince Harry, were also born at the hospital.

The event  titled The World Together Solving the Antibiotic Emergency  was co-hosted by His Majestys Government and The Royal Society. It highlighted "the latest scientific and economic research into antimicrobial resistance," while also celebrating citizen and civil society campaigns, according to a press release.



Yui Mok/Pool via AP Prince William attends an event to celebrate efforts to tackle antimicrobial resistance and build stronger health systems, food security and climate resilience at The Royal Society in London on May 16, 2024

The conference was also attended by representatives from United Nations organizations, Ministers from the Commonwealth and around the world and those championing finding a solution to antimicrobial resistance. During the event, Prince William listened as survivors of antimicrobial resistance shared their stories, before giving a speech of his own.

Related: Prince William Says Kate Middleton Is 'Doing Well' and Shares Update on George, Charlotte and Louis

"Unless we act now and together, the ripple effects of drug resistance will be felt across generations, jeopardizing the wellbeing of our children and our grandchildren," Prince William said in part. "I am, however, hopeful. Thanks to the efforts and expertise of a great number of people  including many in this room  we now better understand the scale of the AMR threat."

Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace Prince William attends an event to celebrate efforts to tackle antimicrobial resistance and build stronger health systems, food security and climate resilience at The Royal Society in London on May 16, 2024

"It is clear that no one nation or sector can tackle AMR alone. So, I am delighted to see representation from so many countries here at this conference and look forward to speaking to many of you later about your efforts to tackle this vital issue," William said, voicing hope for the Fleming Centre that will open in Paddington in 2028 to "bring together world-class scientists, clinicians, behavioral researchers and policy makers, to scope, test and scale for solutions that will keep global drug-resistant infections at bay."

"It will be a space with the public at its heart. And the Centre will also be one of a network of Fleming Centres based in countries around the world. The vision is to bring global effort to a global problem," the Prince of Wales outlined.

Yui Mok/Pool via AP Prince William attends an event to celebrate efforts to tackle antimicrobial resistance and build stronger health systems, food security and climate resilience at The Royal Society in London on May 16, 2024

After the conference, Prince William hosted a private reception at St. James Palace for attendees.

Antimicrobial resistance occurs when the microorganisms that cause infections become resistant to antibiotics and antifungals, according to the Mayo Clinic. The issue is on the rise due to the misuse of antibiotics in both humans and livestocks. If a solution isn't found, it is estimated that drug-resistant microbes will lead to around 10 million deaths per year by 2050.

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Yui Mok / POOL / AFP) (Photo by YUI MOK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Prince William attends an event to celebrate efforts to tackle antimicrobial resistance and build stronger health systems, food security and climate resilience at The Royal Society in London on May 16, 2024

In July 2023, the Prince of Wales officially became the patron of the appeal to launch The Fleming Centre. The center is set to open in 2028 to coincide with the centenary of the discovery of penicillin, the first antibiotic.

At the time his patronage was first announced, Prince William and Princess Kate shared a statement on their official X account, writing, "Over one million people a year die as a result of antimicrobial resistance. The Fleming Centre will drive a global movement to tackle it. Proud to become Patron of the appeal to create this vital centre, which will educate, inspire and catalyse action to solve this problem.

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Prince George, Prince William, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, and Kate Middleton on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in 2022

Related: Prince William Gives Surprise Video Address at Steve Irwin Gala Amid Prince Harry's Tour in Nigeria

Kensington Palace added that The Fleming Initiative, which is responsible for the construction of the center, will educate the public on the issue through exhibitions, engagement activities and more.

"It is hoped that this transformative approach at the London Centre will act as a blueprint which can be shared and adapted to local contexts around the globe, the palace said at the time. In becoming Patron of the appeal to build the Centre, Prince William will support efforts over the next five years to make these ambitious plans to overcome global anti-microbial resistance a reality.

Prince William's attendance at the event comes after his two-day tour of Cornwall, where he visited a community hospital and his housing project.

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The Queen of Denmark also reportedly reworked her gown like Kate Middleton has in the past

Albert Nieboer/dpa picture alliance/Alamy; Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Queen Mary on May 14, 2024; Queen Margrethe on Jan. 1, 2024.

Queen Mary of Denmark had a sparkling debut in a tiara deeply entrenched in Danish history during her first state visit to Norway with King Frederik since his accession.

On May 14, Queen Mary, 52, glittered for the first time in the Pearl Poire Tiara, which has been worn by the queens of Denmark since the 1800s. Most recently, the historic headtopper was worn by her mother-in-law, Queen Margrethe, who last wore the tiara in January shortly before her unexpected abdication from the throne.

The pearl tiara is part of a married parure, which includes matching pearl earrings, as well as a brooch featuring a large diamond and pearl cluster, according to fan blog The Court Jeweller. Mary used the brooch to secure the sash of the Order of St. Olav to her periwinkle gown as she attended a banquet hosted by King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway at the Royal Palace in Oslo.

Albert Nieboer/dpa picture alliance/Alamy Queen Mary of Denmark on May 14, 2024.

Related: King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark Celebrate 20th Wedding Anniversary on State Visit After Challenging Year

Mary's gown was not only striking for its ethereal design, but also because it might be a rewear! According to fashion fan account UFO No More, it appeared to be reworked version of the periwinkle gown she wore Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden's wedding in Stockholm in June 2015.

A semi-sheer fabric of the same shade was draped over the bodice and created sleeves, putting a new spin on a gown that was allegedly already in her closet. Queen Mary isn't the only modern royal to update a gown this way  in February 2023, Kate Middleton re-wore the white Alexander McQueen gown to the BAFTA Film Awards that she attended the same ceremony in in 2019. The Princess of Wales, 42, restyled the asymmetric neckline's corsage-style embellishment on left shoulder to a regal sweep of white chiffon.

Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty The future Queen Mary and King Frederik at the wedding of Crown Prince Carl Philip of Sweden and Sofia Hellqvist at Stockholm Palace on June 13, 2015.

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Frederik and Mary's two-day stay in Norway is part of a series of state visits they are undertaking this summer. The Danish Royal House previously said in a statement that the King and Queen are traveling abroad to honor the close relationships between the Nordic monarchies, and kicked off their first state visit of the new reign in Sweden last week.

From Sweden, they journeyed to Norway, where they'll spend two days touring and visiting with the Norwegian royal family, with whom they share close social ties. According to Tatler, King Frederik served as the best man at the Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit's wedding in 2001, and King Frederik became a godfather to their daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, the future queen of Denmark, when she was born in 2004.

The Crown Prince and Princess of Norway were made godparents to Frederik and Mary's firstborn son, Crown Prince Christian, when he was born in 2005, and the Norwegian royals attended his glam 18th birthday gala in Copenhagen in October 2023.

Related: King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark Star in Regal New Photo for Social Media Page Makeover

King Frederik got to connect with his goddaughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 20, during the state visit, as seen in a sweet snap the Danish Royal House shared to Instagram, and the trip itself fell during Frederik and Mary's 20th wedding anniversary on May 14.

During the gala dinner held in honor of their visit, King Harald paid tribute to the couple, saying, "Dear Mary, you took on a big task when you went and fell in love with this sporty Dane. You gave up a lot that was safe and familiar. You made Denmark and the Danes your own heartland and heartland. I know that you have also been a great support for our beloved Queen Margrethe."

King Harald, 87, was referencing Frederik and Mary's love story, which began with a meet-cute during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Mary Donaldson, an Australian advertising executive, found herself chatting to Fred and instantly hit it off, later sharing that she had no idea he was the prince of Denmark, heir to the 1,000-year-old Danish throne.

The couple dated long-distance before getting engaged and married at Copenhagen Cathedral on May 14, 2004, and went on to welcome four children: Crown Prince Christian, 18 (who took his father's former title upon the change of reign), Princess Isabella, 17, and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, 13.

At the gala, King Harald continued, "Just today the two of you have been married for 20 years  surely that deserves a round of applause? We think it's very nice that you chose to celebrate your wedding anniversary here with us tonight!"

Up next, King Frederik and Queen Mary are tentatively set sail to the Faroe Islands and Greenland in June and July, which are both in the kingdom of Denmark.

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Kevin Spacey was cleared by courts in both the UK and the US of allegations of sexual assault - TIM CLARKE FOR THE TELEGRAPH

Kevin Spacey must be allowed to resume his Hollywood acting career after being wrongly cancelled for seven years, stars including Sharon Stone and Liam Neeson have told The Telegraph.

In a series of statements issued to this newspaper, the A-list actors have come out publicly for the first time to insist the witch hunt against Spacey must now end.

The two-time Oscar winner has been effectively blacklisted by the film and theatre industry since 2017 despite being cleared by courts in the UK and the US of allegations of sexual assault.



The celebrities have now begun a campaign for his rehabilitation in the wake of a Channel 4 documentary that Stephen Fry, the British actor and author, lambasted for an unjustified and disproportionate attack on his character.

F Murray Abraham, the Oscar-winning actor, said he vouched for Spacey unequivocally and accused his detractors of being vultures for attacking a man who has publicly accepted his responsibility for certain behaviour, unlike so many others.

In an interview with The Telegraphs Allison Pearson, Spacey, 64, said he was the victim of a rush to judgment in the wake of the MeToo movement unleashed by allegations made against Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood mogul.

Spacey said all he had wanted  after being accused of a series of sexual misdemeanours  was for people to ask questions and investigate. And I am well aware that that did not happen.

He said that even if he could go back in time to before the allegations, when none of the bad stuff will have happened, he wouldnt do so because, despite the challenges and the difficulties and the pain and the bad days, Ive also witnessed the most beautiful demonstrations of friendship and love and family.

Kevin Spacey and Sharon Stone onstage at a charity gala concert in 2011 - PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo/https://www.alamy.com

Spacey, who won Oscars for The Usual Suspects and American Beauty, was fired from the hit Netflix series House of Cards after the actor Anthony Rapp alleged Spacey, then aged 26, had molested him when he was 14 in the 1980s in his Manhattan apartment. A jury in a civil trial in New York sided with Spacey, finding him not liable, and concluded the event had never taken place.

Spacey was also cleared in a criminal trial in London after allegations of alleged sexual assault were made by four other men.

But despite being cleared, Spacey has struggled to find work, and according to sources, risks losing his home in Baltimore in the US. It is now said to be in foreclosure.

The Channel 4 documentary has so incensed his friends that they have begun to go public for the first time, insisting he be reinstated and recognised as one of the greatest actors of his generation.

Stone, the most bankable female star of the 90s in films such as Basic Instinct, suggested in a statement that Spacey had been a victim of his own fame and success.

She told The Telegraph: I cant wait to see Kevin back at work. He is a genius. He is so elegant and fun, generous to a fault and knows more about our craft than most of us ever will.

She said it was clear aspiring actors had wanted and want to be around him, adding: Its terrible that they are blaming him for not being able to come to terms with themselves for using him and negotiating with themselves because they didnt get their secret agendas.

Neeson, one of Britains biggest stars since starring in Schindlers List 30 years ago, said: I was deeply saddened to learn of these accusations against him. Kevin is a good man and a man of character. Hes sensitive, articulate and non-judgmental, with a terrific sense of humour. He is also one of our finest artists in the theatre and on camera. Personally speaking, our industry needs him and misses him greatly.

Kevin Spacey with Stephen Fry, who has criticised the recent documentary - Ian West/PA

Abraham, Oscar winner for his role as Salieri in Amadeus, said he counted Spacey as a friend, adding: I vouch for him unequivocally. Who are these vultures who attack a man who has publicly accepted his responsibility for certain behaviour, unlike so many others?

Abraham went on: He is a fine man, I stand with him, and let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

In a withering assessment of the Channel 4 documentary, Fry accepted that Spacey had been both clumsy and inappropriate on many occasions but that to bracket him with the likes of Harvey Weinstein and to continue to harass and hound him, to devote a whole documentary to accusations that simply do not add up to crimes  how can that be considered proportionate and justified?

Fry said Spaceys reputation had already been wrecked, adding: Surely it is wrong to continue to batter a reputation on the strength of assertion and rhetoric rather than evidence and proof?

He added: Unless Im missing something I think he has paid the price.

Spacey Unmasked contained testimony from 10 men who alleged that Spacey had behaved inappropriately towards them. The men making the allegations were separate from those who had lodged criminal complaints with British police.

The alleged events took place both in the US and the UK and included a friend of Spacey who said that when they were teenagers at high school in California, Spacey had tried to grab his genitals in an aggressive manner.

In another claim, an extra on the set of House of Cards said Spacey had groped him and said it was like staring at a soulless monster.

Sir Trevor Nunn, the former artistic director of both the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, said the UK believed in the rule of law, adding: Kevin Spacey faced long court proceedings in the UK and was found, by the jury, to be innocent of all charges. But now, a Channel 4 documentary is urging viewers to believe that the accused is guilty, whatever a jury may have previously decided.

Sir Trevor had directed Spacey in two productions at The Old Vic in London where Spacey was artistic director and described him as an actor of genius, on stage and on screen.

Sir Trevor said: In light of the courts verdict, surely it is time for this man to be forgiven for whatever poor judgments he may have made in the past and allowed to resume his career, after seven years of exile?

In a statement, Channel 4 said it stood by its documentary, broadcast over two nights last week.

A spokesman said: Spacey Unmasked is an important film exploring the balance of power and inappropriate behaviour in a work environment, aiming to give a voice to those who have previously been unable to speak out.

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You might not know the names Carla Denham, Paige Lankford, Stacy Yancey or Brenda Slaubaugh, but they all have two things in common: They are moms to famous children, and they have all appeared on the Nashville-based podcast "Got It from My Momma" to talk about what it's like to see their kids grow up to realize their dreams and share that story  from a mother's perspective.

The moms to Kelsea Ballerini, Thomas Rhett, Parker McCollum, and Kendra and Krista Slaubaugh from the country duo Tigirlily Gold, (in that order) are just some of the mommas who have spoken with podcast host Jennifer Vickery Smith, who understands their journey. She's the mom of rising country star Connor Smith.

"The actual idea to do a podcast happened backstage at the Grand Ole Opry the night of Connors debut," Smith told The Tennessean. "Its an incredibly special moment not only for the artist, but for the families. I remember as all of our family was so overjoyed, thinking about all the other families who have watched this same night for their kid. There were so many special conversations backstage, I thought how neat it would be to hear other families' stories from this night."

Thomas Rhett's mom Paige Lankford, left, speaks with Jennifer Vickery Smith, host of the "Got it from My Mama" podcast.

Thomas Rhett's mom was the 'guinea pig'

Smith tapped Rhett's mom Paige Lankford to be her first interviewee in 2022. Their boys were on tour together, so Smith said it just kind-of made sense.

"I basically asked her to be my guinea pig and she was awesome," Smith said. Now, a little more than a year later, Smith is 50 episodes in and has featured many country music moms, but also Steph Curry's mom Sonya, Travis and Jason Kelce's mom Donna and the Jonas Brothers' mom Denise.

"It doesnt matter what your kid's dream or goal is. We are all behind them trying to support them," she said. "It's intuitive for a mom to say 'How can I help them?' Were gonna tell them 'you can do it. I believe in you.' That seems to be the common thread behind everyone Ive interviewed."

Denise Jonas, mom of the Jonas Brothers, left, speaks with Jennifer Vickery Smith, host of the "Got it from My Mama" podcast.

Smith remembers when her son was 8, he told her he wanted to be a songwriter. So what'd she do?

"I took him to every open mic night at Puckett's, songwriter rounds, and do everything I could to feed the passion the little kid had. Now, hes been blessed with all these opportunities."

During a recent podcast recording at the Able store in the Nations neighborhood of Nashville, Brenda Slaubaugh talked about raising her daughters Kendra and Krista in rural North Dakota and sending them on their way to Nashville to pursue their country music dreams.

"They've always been entertainers," Slaubaugh said during the podcast. "Around 14 and 16 they were writing music and recording videos."

But as they began to take music more seriously, the time came to move to Nashville. Slaubaugh told her girls if they were going to move to Nashville, they had to go to college, so they enrolled at Belmont University.

"They called me one time and said 'We have to skip classes today to go audition down on Broadway' Slaubaugh remembers. "I asked 'where did you audition?' and they said 'Nudie's." I felt myself going into a panic. I'd never heard of Nudie's."

Brenda Slaubaugh looks to her daughters during a live podcast recording of Got it From My Momma featuring country music duo Tigirlily Gold at Able in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, March 25, 2024.

Russell Dickerson comes home in a police car

Smith has a background in broadcasting, so conducting interviews was the easy part of starting a podcast.

"I literally was googling how to start a podcast," Smith remembers. "What equipment do you need? How do you build a web site? I was learning about the business side, the mechanics of how to get it done. Initially I thought about renting some studio space and once a month or so I meet moms and interview here and there, but then I thought 'why not just do this on my couch in my living room?' I am going to be talking to people who arent used to a spotlight and a microphone. It quickly became a heart to heart between two moms."

She wasn't even sure at first if any moms would be interested in talking to her. She said she learned quickly that moms were flattered to be asked because they love talking about their kids.

"I was super excited to get the Jonas Brothers' mom," she said. "My favorite thing she said was when they were living up north and two boys got cast at the same time in Broadway shows as little boys. She thought 'We thought it cant get any bigger than this.' She thought that was the pinnacle of success for them."

Sonya Curry talked to Smith about vulnerability. Lauren Alainas mom talked about how she dealt with her daughter's anorexia stemming from pressure from her time on "American Idol." Jesse James Deckers mom talked about internet trolls and the difficulty of dealing with that. Kelsea Ballerini's mom spoke right after Ballerini's divorce and how hard it was for "momma bear" to not clap back on social media.

"Fans love to hear more," Smith said. "If I'm a Parker McCollum fan, I want to know more about him and there's nobody better to hear that from than his mom. It was fun to hear how Russell Dickerson got brought home in a police car once when he was young. These are the kinds of stories only a momma can tell."

Caroline Bryan, left, wife of country music star Luke Bryan, and LeClaire Bryan, middle, mother of Luke Bryan and Jennifer Vickery Smith, host of the "Got it from My Mama" podcast record an episode at the 2023 CMA Fest in Nashville.

Caitlin Clark, if you are listening, Smith wants to talk to your momma

Clark is one of many whose moms Smith would love to sit down with for the podcast.

"Caitlin Clark changed the face of the WNBA. Id love to talk to Justin Timberlake's mom. Lets talk about the Mickey Mouse Club days. Those, I think will be interesting stories. People who are making a difference. How in the world did they get there?"

The episode with the Slaubaughs goes live on Mother's Day.

"If nobody listens to these episodes, what Im getting out of them for my own journey as a mom is so fulfilling," Smith said. "I think that resonates with people."

The "Got it from My Momma" podcast episodes live at www.gotitfrommymommapodcast.com/episodes. Video episodes are also available on Smith's YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@gotitfrommymommapodcast

Melonee Hurt covers music and music business at The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK  Tennessee. Reach Melonee at mhurt@tennessean.com, on X @HurtMelonee or Instagram at @MelHurtWrites.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville podcast 'Got It from My Momma' talks famous people's mothers
This New 394-Foot Custom Superyacht Will Be the Largest Amels Yet

Apparently, the newest Amels superyacht isnt just big, shes beautiful, too.

The first interior renders of Project Tanzanite, which were revealed on Tuesday, suggest that the living quarters could be even more impressive than the 394-footers length. Penned by Nice-based studio Zuretti Design, the chic, contemporary interior pairs a neutral palette of creams and browns with swathes of rich wood and gleaming marble. Large artwork, colorful cushions, and statement lighting contrast the otherwise understated decor and give the yacht a little more personality.

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Sumptuous materials and finishes adorn the living spaces, creating an atmosphere of refined elegance that surpasses traditional standards, the yard said in a statement.

The salon and dining area.

Originally signed in 2020, the five-deck Tanzanite arrived at Damens facility in Vlissingen, the Netherlands, for outfitting last June. (For the unversed, Damen acquired Amels back in 1991.) The naval architecture was carried out by Damens in-house team, while the exterior was designed by Espen ino. (The acclaimed studio has previously worked with the yard on the Amels 60 and Amels 80.) Tanzanite showcases a sharp, linear design with diagonal ventilation line amidships.

Sporting an impressive beam of roughly 56 feet, the behemoth will be able to accommodate 22 guests and 44 crew. Tanzanite is currently the largest yacht under construction in the Netherlands. That wont be her only claim to fame, though. The custom cruiser will become the largest member of the Amels fleet upon delivery in 2025, eclipsing the current 272-foot flagship Here Comes the Sun by a comfortable 102 feet. In addition, the behemoth will take the title of the largest Dutch-built motor yacht in the world upon launch.

To top it off, Tanzanite will incorporate innovative green technology to reduce its impact on the environment. A hybrid diesel-electric propulsion will power the Kongsberg Elegance pods, allowing the yacht to reach a top speed of 18 knots with fewer emissions than a purely diesel-powered competitor. Amels also claims Tanzanite will operate with the lowest levels of noise and vibration ever recorded on a yacht of this size.

Sounds like Tanzanite will be big, beautiful, and better for the environment.

Click here to see all the photos of Tanzanite.

Project Tanzanite

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The countdown to summer has begun, and teens may be searching for jobs to earn extra money while school is out.

Some El Paso businesses allow applicants as young as 15 and offer benefits such as discounts, scholarships and flexible schedules.

From hosting birthday parties at a pizzeria to camp counselors and sales associates, here are five fun summer jobs for teens:

YMCA of El Paso

Many El Pasoans spend summer at the YMCA of El Paso, participating in family programs and youth sports. Here's a chance to work at the organization, which has four locations in El Paso, according to its website.

The YMCA offers after-school programs for school-aged children and is seeking creative, high-energy teens to interact with and engage in activities with kids. The organization is also looking for the same qualities in camp counselors for its day camp, which includes arts and crafts, field trips, and more active play with kids.

The YMCA has open positions for swim instructors for its youth programs, and the organization is willing to train. All positions require applicants to be at least 16 years old.

Lifeguard at YMCA Julia Gutierrez watches swimmers on Friday, May 17, 2024, at the Westside Family YMCA in El Paso.

El Paso Water Parks

Four of El Paso's themed water parks are hiring teens at least 16 years old for lifeguards and guest services.

Guest services include welcoming park visitors, ticketing, hosting birthday parties and maintaining equipment. The waterparks feature lazy rivers, water slides, climbing walls, and playgrounds.

Camp Cohen Water Park located at 9700 Gateway Blvd.

For the lifeguard role, applicants will receive lifeguard training and a license through Ellis and Associates. They must be able to swim 200 meters, retrieve a 10-pound brick from 13 feet of water and tread water for at least two minutes.

Waterparks hiring are Camp Cohen, Chapoteo, Lost Kingdom and Oasis.

A lap pool, cabanas and a water slide wait to greet guests at the Lost Kingdom Water Park at 6001 Hughey Drive.

Wet' N' Wild Water World

The popular water park in Anthony, Texas, opened a few weeks ago for the summer and is hiring for several positions. Applicants must have turned 16 by the first week of May 2024.

Lifeguards at Wet 'N' Wild Waterworld watch swimmers on Saturday, May 18, 2024, at the waterpark in Anthony, TX.

Positions include admissions, lifeguards, parking attendants, food and beverage. Employees also get some nice benefits, including free and discounted tickets for family and friends, end-of-season bonuses, and thousands of dollars in scholarships, according to its website.

El Paso and Anthony locals gathered at Wet 'N' Wild on May 20, 2023 for the unveiling of the new ride, the Tarantula Tailspin.

Chuck E. Cheese

The pizzeria is looking for energetic and enthusiastic party hosts, and applicants can apply at age 15.

Party hosts set up tables, take orders and tend to guests. Chuck E. Cheese also cross-trains in other positions, according to its website. The company also states it promotes within  60% of its managers began in entry-level positions.

Other positions include game room attendants for its arcades and cashiers at all El Paso locations. Chuck E. Cheese offers scholarships, discounted food benefits and flexible schedules.

Cielo Vista Mall

While some mall businesses still require applicants to be 18 years old, some stores begin hiring at 16. Both Journeys and Hot Topic are hiring starting at 16 years old as sales associates.

Footwear store Journeys is hiring part-time sales associates for its adult and kid shoe stores. Some duties include keeping up with fashion trends, maintaining the store's stock room, and helping customers find the perfect fit. The store also offers employees a 40% discount.

Hot Topic is looking for music and pop culture fanatics for sales associates. Employees walk the sales floor to assist customers, help with visual merchandising, and work the register. Some of the benefits of working at Hot Topic include employee discounts and tuition reimbursement, according to the store's website. Both stores start hiring at 16 years old.

Cielo Vista Mall is located at 8401 Gateway Blvd. in East El Paso.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso businesses offer flexible jobs for teens this summer
This Florida roadside attraction ranks No. 2 in America. Ever heard of a skunk ape?

Our highways are littered with countless cultural and quirky landmarks that capture the attention of travelers. But which ones deserve the stop on a long road trip?

USA TODAYs 10 Best just released its list of the 10 best roadside attractions in the country, with one of Florida's freakiest museums earning a top spot.

What is Florida's top roadside attraction?

Best 10 determined that Florida's Official Skunk Ape Headquarters was the second best roadside attraction in the entire country.

"Sometimes called the Sasquatch of the Southeast, the skunk ape is rumored to live in the Everglades near Ochopee. At Shealy's Official Skunk Ape Headquarters, interested visitors can see a plaster cast of a skunkape footprint and Dave Shealy's photographic evidence of the creature," the ranking says.

Where is Skunk Ape Research Headquarters in Florida?

Ochopee is an unincorporated community in Southwest Florida's Collier County, tucked between multiple large nature and wildlife preserves.

Dan Shealy's Skunk Ape Headquarters is located at the Trail Lakes Campground on Highway 41. Their website further details they are "fifteen miles south of Interstate 75 (old Alligator Alley), then four miles east of Highway 29."

What is Florida's 'Skunk Ape' cryptid?

Dave Shealy at the Skunk Ape Headquarter

The Pacific Northwest tells the tale of Bigfoot. The Himalayan Mountains are home to the Yeti. And Florida's swamps see the skunk ape.

The skunk ape is said to be an ape-like creature that inhabits forests and swamps in the southeastern United States. The legend of the skunk ape claims to go back hundreds of years, all the way back to the indigenous cultures.

Sunshine State monsters: 3 Florida cryptids to be on the lookout for

According to alleged experts, an average male skunk ape reportedly stands 8 feet tall and weighs roughly 450 lbs, while females are on the smaller end. They stand up on both legs like a human, except they are completely covered in long, reddish or black hair.

Are there skunk apes in Florida? What sighting have been reported of the skunk ape?

The earliest published report of a skunk ape was from Suwannee County back in 1942. A man claimed the creature the creatures hitched a ride on the running board of his car for nearly a half mile before jumping off and racing into the woods, according to All Cryptid Wiki.

Since then, there have been multiple sightings from the 1940s to as recent as the 2000s.

One of the more famous sightings was in December of 2000 when a family heard a noise on their porch and came out to see a huge beast outside their home. They snapped a photo of the creature and assumed it was an escaped monkey from the zoo. However, both cryptozoologists and internet users believe they encountered the skunk ape.

What does the skunk ape smell like? Apparently there is an answer

There's a lot we don't know about the world around us but we have somehow tracked down the answer to what the Florida cryptid's odor is. Which might be why it has the word "skunk" in its name.

According to an archived Tampa Bay Times piece, the creature has a revolting smell  described as a "mixture of wet dog, skunk and rotting eggs."

What is the top roadside attraction in the entire country?

Lucy the Elephant in Margate.

So what overtook the Skunk Ape Headquarters for best roadside attraction? Best 10 determined the top attraction in the country was found in New Jersey. Meet Lucy the Elephant!

"Listed on the National Park Registry of Historical Landmarks, Lucy the Elephant stands six stories high in Josephine Harron Park. Visitors can stop by and have their photos taken with Lucy, and, for those who wish to go inside the elephant, guided tours are available," the ranking said.

Best 10's top roadside attractions for 2024

Lucy the Elephant (Margate City, New Jersey) Shealy's Official Skunk Ape Headquarters (Ochopee, Florida) World's Largest Ball of Twine (Cawker City, Kansas) Carhenge (Alliance, Nebraska) Dalmatian Fire Hydrant (Beaumont, Texas) Paul A. Johnson Pencil Sharpener Museum (Logan, Ohio) Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox (Bemidji, Minnesota) Wheat Jesus (Colby, Kansas) Wall Drug Store Inc (Wall, South Dakota) Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum (Gibsland, Louisiana)

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Florida's Skunk Ape Headquarters deemed top roadside attraction
The keys to success: Kleppers has secured and unlocked York for more than a century

Since 1940, the shop at 117 East King Street has been called Kleppers.

A giant key-shaped sign juts out from the second story, reading, Kleppers Key Shop. That was the shops original name  but technically, its called Kleppers Security Source today.

Yet, to many Yorkers, its simply Kleppers. The name has stuck over the years  and outlived founder Charles E. Klepper. In fact, theres no longer a Klepper employed by Kleppers. But the locksmithing tradition lives on  and has given rise to a slate of additional services that Charles Klepper never could have predicted a century ago.

A colorful mural covers the side of Klepper's Security Source at 117 East King Street on April 17, 2024. An early sign above the door traces the relocation of the business to the site in 1940.

The first keys

It was 1920 when Klepper founded the original locksmithing business, first located in the Barnett Bobb log house at the intersection of Pershing and College Avenue.

The Roaring 20s were a time of great prosperity in America. In a black and white photograph, Klepper poses, one hand on his hip, beside his company car  a 1924 Chevrolet Touring Car, a sign tacked onto the side, reading, Keys made to order, locks repaired, Kleppers Key Shop.

The business moved to its present-day location in 1940, where its remained for 84 years. Today, when you step inside Kleppers, it looks much like it would have in 1940. Rows and rows of silver and brass keys line the back wall, hanging on custom-made cabinetry with pegs. Theyre ready to be cut for customers needing spare keys for any type of lock  houses, cars, trunks, chests and lock boxes. To this day, customers can walk in and have keys made to order.

Charles Klepper with his 1924 Chevrolet.

Charles Klepper eventually sold the business to Frank Busch. By 1982, Mike Dennis and John Trone were graduating from Dover Area High School and trying to figure out their career paths. They joined the business as part-timers, just as a side job, Trone said.

I enjoyed coming in here  it was interesting because it was something different every day  and still is, said Trone, because the technology and products keep changing.

Hes seen the business evolve in leaps and bounds since 1982.

Back then, we were only doing locksmith services  keying locks, doing auto work, helping people who locked their keys inside their cars, said Trone, 59, adding, We dont do that much, anymore.

When Busch retired in 2000, he approached Dennis and Trone with the opportunity to purchase the business.

We both thought it made sense for us to take it over when he retired, said Trone.

Keeping the Klepper name was, well, key.

Its such a well-known name, an established business with good relationships  to us, it was important, Trone said.

John Trone, who started working at Klepper's in 1982, stands inside the store on April 17, 2024.

Job security

Todays locksmithing services intersect with security systems. Setting up entry to residential and commercial properties includes access control systems, fire systems, video intercoms and surveillance. Many are linked to cloud-based systems. Kleppers can even install biometric locks  which open, not with keys, but with the touch of a fingerprint. Company reps keep Kleppers employees up-to-date on the latest technology via training.

Yet, everything old is new again. Historic homes and properties are among Kleppers customers, and we provide services for customers that you wont find elsewhere, such as old door hardware, Trone says with a smile.

And thats something Kleppers has continued over its century of service  providing unique keys to customers with unusual or historic locks.

Trones own brother, restoring a 1943 Chevy van, needed help creating door keys. And old wooden cigar box held the key. Thats right  Trone searched through cigar boxes from Charles Kleppers era, and like a needle in a haystack, there were two keys he could cut and retrofit to his brothers 81-year old vehicle. Kleppers can still cut keys to other vintage cars including Edsels.

Customers often come in with lock boxes, safes or trunks that theyve inherited  locked  without a clue about the location of the keys.

Klepper's Security Source has a display of antique locks at the rear of the store.

Its a challenge, and its rewarding when you get it open. Everybodys hoping for money and diamonds inside, Trone said with a laugh. Instead of a treasure trove, those boxes are often empty, he said, although sometimes they hold important papers like wills or property deeds  and once in a while, there are indeed valuables inside.

Co-owner Mike Dennis remembers when one of their skilled employees saved Valentines Day.

Twas the night before Valentines Day, when Kleppers got the call. A Dauphin County jewelry store realized their customers jewelry  intended for sweethearts the next day  was so securely locked in their jewelry safe that they couldnt get it open.

We have one employee whos really good with safes, Dennis said. He had it open within an hour. The jewelry had been locked in, for the holiday, but the lock went bad.

Kleppers skilled lock man, Don Myers, has even been featured in the trade publication Safe Magazine, for his work restoring a rare circular antique safe, inside Yorks landmark Continental Square building  which housed First National Bank in the 1920s.

Bob Klepper pictured in 1942 outside the original store at 155 West College Ave.

He took every piece out of it and refinished it, said Dennis. Its rare  a round vault door is rare.

Todays going rate for Kleppers services is $85 per hour. Compare that to $8.50 per hour during Charles Kleppers era. An old but undated mimeographed rate card lists prices, including skate keys for 25 cents and clock keys for 75 cents. Todays keys range from $1.88 to $25.

But one of the most important numbers in the companys journey happened, without its due fanfare, during the pandemic. Kleppers 100th anniversary plans for 2020 were put on hold  and never materialized.

Still, to reach 100 years and beyond, is very satisfying  obviously were doing something right, and I think it comes down to great employees and customer service, Trone said.

The Klepper's Key Shop sign hangs over the front door of Klepper's Security Source on April 17, 2024.

Community on lock

Kleppers has a strong customer base throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region, having forged relationships with Kinsley Properties, the York Housing Authority, WellSpans properties division and the PA Housing Finance Agency.

The key to small business success, said Trone, is getting involved and giving back to the community  especially through nonprofit organizations, and focusing on providing the best customer service possible.

For his part, Trone has donated security systems to the United Way as giveaways, then followed through with free installation for the winners. When Kinsley Properties does nonprofit work, Kleppers often follows their lead and offers free installation of locks and security systems.

As for the future of his industry, Trone predicts more technology for sure  that keeps evolving very fast  more wireless locks, more cloud-based stuff, and more mobile apps.

Trone and Dennis plan on sticking around to see the continued evolution of locksmithing. When they first joined the company, they were two of Kleppers six full-time employees; today, Kleppers employs 15.

We still have some years, said Trone. Im not planning on retiring anytime soon  Im having too much fun.

What would Charles Klepper say, if he could see the changes in locksmithing, beyond traditional keys and locks?

Trone said, He probably wouldnt believe it.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Kleppers Security Source has served York PA for more than a century
A Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony was held May 2 to celebrate the completion of a major renovation project for The Beach House Motel & Suites.

The Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce recently had a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of a major renovation project for The Beach House Motel & Suites.

How long has the inn been on Oak Island?

The Beach House Motel & Suites in Oak Island, N.C.

The Beach House Motel & Suites has been on Oak Island since the late 1950s-1960s. The inn has been everything from a motel to timeshares. The motel is now a full renovated hybrid hotel/vacation rental property.

The motel was purchased by Mike and Holly Harrington and their hospitality management company, Carolina Resort Company, in August of 2020. While some thought the motel was not salvageable, the owners thought it was worth preserving and brought it up to today's standards.

From the bathrooms to the studs, new flooring was laid, decks and walkways were installed, new HVAC units, kitchens and appliances. Also electrical, plumbing, furnishings, landscaping and the parking lot are all new.

The motel now consists of 22 rooms and suites, 10 of the rooms are fully renovated  single king and single queen motel rooms. Also 12 are one- and two-bedroom apartment/suite style units.

Why does the motel stand out from the others on Oak Island?

The pool at The Beach House Motel & Suites in Oak Island, N.C

"While traditional vacation rental homes are plentiful on Oak Island up and down the beach, higher end hotel and motel rooms are virtually non-existent," said the Harringtons.

The motel allows shorter stays, rather than the traditional weekly minimums of vacation homes. It has on-site management and services.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: The Beach House Motel & Suites at Oak Island, NC, receives renovation
A pair of Las Vegas naturists claim they are being harassed by authorities for hosting fully-nude travelers at their home, accusing authoritarian local officials of trying to shut them down over their free-spirited ways.

Max and Corinne Dufloo insist their three-bedroom B&B, known as the No Tan Lines Republik, is not a business, but a non-profit spiritual association welcoming nudists who are seeking peace and protection from our consumerist society, according to a federal lawsuit obtained by The Daily Beast.

NTLR dedicates its donations and contributions to collectively helping, exploring, practicing, and sharing joy and well-being in harmony with our bodies, the Dufloos self-filed complaint states. NTLR also offers and practices nude yoga, as well as sophrology and meditation in the nude. All NTLR members are fully aligned with these principles and practices and gather for this purpose. In this environment, Max, a recovering alcoholic (member of AA) sober for 18 years, shares the spiritual values of AA with other addicts who are still suffering, and wish to avoid the temptations of the Strip.

The French-born Dufloos have been married for 41 years. They emigrated to the U.S. some years back and became naturalized citizens in 2020, they told The Daily Beast. The couple is acting as their own lawyers in the case because the only attorney willing to take them on as clients wanted a $25,000 retainer and $500 an hour thereafter, they said on Wednesday.

The two have both long believed in the naturist doctrine of the Greek physician and philosopher Hippocrates of Kos, considering naturism as a spiritual and physiolatric endeavor, their complaint states.

Like Hippocrates, it continues, they practice holistic naturism, including nudism, and base their spirituality on the existence of a higher power represented by the universe and nature itself (physiolatry). In contrast to commercial organizations seeking material abundance, NTLR focuses on the pursuit of well-being through relational abundance and equitable sharing.

But the couple, who are 61 and 68 years-old, respectively, say they have been unfairly targeted by the chief code enforcement officer of Clark Countywhere short-term rentals have been banned since 2022 and fines for violators run $1,000 a daywho alleges the duo are in fact running a commercial enterprise rather than a legitimate charity.

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Room rates at the No Tan Lines Republik range from $135 to $145 a night, and while house rules are loose, they do exist.

Clothing is optional that means you can wear or not wear clothes, of course nothing is required, the NTLR website tells prospective visitors. Some guests enjoy the clothing optional option only in the cozy spa area (recommended for men to go in the jacuzzi, no large short) Some other guests enjoy to be naked everywhere in the estate. The pool spa and pool deck are shared with all guests of our 3 suites. So you can meet people in birthday suit in the back yard or at the pool, you and you guest must be comfortable with that.

No day passes are available, and absolutely no Uber or cab drivers, or delivery guy into the property, the site warns. No photos are allowed in communal areas, no posting of pictures to social media, no smoking, no alcohol, and no sex on [sic] the jacuzzi.

The organization has been registered since 2023 with the Nevada Secretary of State as a domestic nonprofit, a search of public records shows. Accordingly, the Dufloos complaint pushes back firmly on the for-profit allegation levied against them.

Max Dufloo. Courtesy Max and Corinne Dufloo

NTLR has relentlessly, for 8 months, tried to assert its rights to peaceful spiritual association reserved for its members, just trying to have the right to exist, it contends. From the constant refusal to consider its spiritual particularities and its exception, abusing their position and in a deliberate authoritarian drift, certain officers have been guilty of aggressive actions disrespectful of fundamental rights, individual and collective freedoms.

Things with Clark County first went south last August, when a neighbor filed a racially and hatefully [sic] motivated report objecting to unspecified disturbances on the property. (The Dufloos complaint says they never previously had any such issues, as house rules prohibit both music and parties.)

Clark County code enforcement personnel duly posted a notice on the front door of the Dufloos B&B, warning them they were violating the rules, according to the complaint.

It says a now-removed Airbnb listing was only visible for 31 days before being delisted, but that Clark County Code Enforcement Chief Jim Andersen ordered one of his officers to spy on the home.

Since the illegal and unjustified intrusions and visits proved futile, Jim Andersen, in disregard of civil rights, attempted to compel third parties (Airbnb) to transmit all NTLR data, including private conversations with our members, the complaint goes on. Jim Andersen made it clear that the purpose was the collective imposition of daily fines.

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He and his team have inflicted numerous harms with the intention of leading to the disappearance of NTLR, the complaint states. Anderson aims to impose fines in bulk, hoping to obtain an amount high enough to financially destroy NTLR, it alleges, claiming that Anderson proudly stat[es] that he cares neither for the association nor the judges.

The Dufloos say they have contacted Andersens supervisor, who has ignored their entreaties, thus confirming her intention to let him act against our rights.

She appears to wish to weaken NTLR, hoping for its disappearance, the complaint states.

The two point out in their complaint that there are roughly 16 million naturism enthusiasts worldwide, about three million of whom live in the U.S.

All are in search of refuges, and spirituality, when they must leave their homes and are obliged to travel, the complaint argues. ... The Clark County Code in no way prohibits a non-profit spiritual association from hosting certain of its members in very limited numbers (never more than 6) regardless of the duration of these gatherings.

In sum, the Dufloos argue, the county must constitutionally recognize the NTLR association as a spiritual, physiolatric, and holistic association.

A motion to quash a subpoena over the same issues, previously submitted to state court and shared by the Dufloos with The Daily Beast, deemed NTLR the only place in the entire state of Nevada where naturists of all stripes, aiming for self-acceptance, can hope to rejuvenate in a serene, protected, and private place, sheltered from ridicule and segregation.

The crackdown and enforcement attempts have hindered the No Tan Lines Republiks operations, sapping it of resources and the time necessary to organize events including naturist desert running, hiking and camping, and naturist conventions, which the Dufloos complaint describes as all the usual activities of NTLR.

The association was also supposed to organize holistic meetings in Arizona around Quartzite on private land and also on clothing optional areas managed by the BLM, the complaints injuries section concludes. Our members will therefore not benefit from the services and dedication of NTLR, as it is deprived of its most fundamental rights to simple existence, and the possibility to gather peacefully.

Corinne Dufloo told The Daily Beast that Max was a successful businessman in France and that if we were were doing this to make money, we would choose other paths than hosting six naturists.

Jim Andersen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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A new report reveals just how expensive child care can be across Massachusetts

All parents want to make sure their kids are getting the right care when theyre at work and a new report reveals just how expensive child care can be.

The new report found that on average Massachusetts families spent more a year paying for daycare than for rent or on their mortgage.

Child Care Aware of America looked at the average price two-parent households paid for daycare for their infant and 4-year-olds.

The average price was nearly $23,000 a year. Thats up nearly 4 percent from the year before.

So how much of your income is going toward paying for daycare?

For married couples, its about 10 percent of their income.

For single parents, its about 32 percent of their income.

The Department of Health and Human Services says families should only be spending 7 percent of their income on child care.

So whats behind the rising prices?

Researchers say although the number of daycares has reached pre-pandemic levels fewer people are operating daycares out of their homes.

There are also concerns that tens of thousands of daycares could close in September when federal Pandemic-era funding expires.

Here in Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey is looking to make access to child care easier.

The governor announced $13 million in funding to expand access to pre-k programs for 3 and 4-year-olds in gateway cities across the commonwealth like Boston, Lawrence, Worcester, and Fall River.

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

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Brent and Michael Are Going Places and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this story. Pricing and availability subject to change.

If you travel, you almost certainly need travel insurance  especially for health care, which can be expensive even in affordable countries. Emergency evacuation alone can easily cost hundreds of thousands of dollars (USD).

To my mind, its not worth risking bankruptcy just to see the world.

There are at least three major companies that offer health care policies specifically designed for long-term travelers  expats or nomads like Michael and me: Genki, SafetyWing, and World Nomads.

Michael and I have used all three companies, and Ive also spent a fair amount of time researching them. Ive concluded that one company offers far and away the best travel insurance product; one offers coverage that is merely fair; and a third has a product that is borderline terrible.

But before I reveal my conclusions, here are some thoughts on health insurance and travel insurance in general.

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There are lots of different companies that offer travel insurance, but many people dont know that almost all of them require that you purchase their policies before you leave home. These companies are also likely to ask exactly where youre going and when youre returning.

This is a problem for nomads and expats, who are away for long periods of time and who dont necessarily know where were traveling next month, much less six months from now.

Genki, SafetyWing, and World Nomads, unlike most companies, allow you to purchase insurance after youve left home, from almost anywhere in the world.

Heres another fun fact most people dont know: most travel insurance is instantly void if you return to within a hundred miles of your home address  and theres no refund, thank you very much.

This is another problem for nomads, who frequently make brief, unexpected trips home.

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Two of the three above-mentioned companies dont follow this practice. But one does.

What about the travel insurance that comes with your credit card? The fact is, some travel credit cards offer reasonably good coverage. But keep in mind that being insured through a credit card requires that your trip be purchased with the credit card. If youre living somewhere for two months, will the credit card pay for medical care based on the fact that you happened to fly there two months before, with no return ticket?

Another issue: how is travel health insurance different from regular health insurance?

Its much cheaper, for one thing.

But that means travel insurance is also limited. Travel insurance only covers health care that is medically necessary  typically just emergency health care. They will cover treatment for covid, for example, but they generally wont cover testing or the cost of a quarantine, as the latter two are not medically necessary.

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Travel insurance is also always time-limited. Problem is, if you get a major malady toward the end of your travel policys term, continuing coverage will almost certainly be denied  and you now have a major pre-existing condition, making it essentially impossible to get your illness covered by any other company.

This sounds like a small deal, but its not. After all, the whole point of insurance is to cover extreme, extraordinary mishaps that you couldnt pay for on your own.

In short, travel insurance usually acts as a time-limited supplement to your traditional coverage, which is most likely in your home country.

In America, thanks to Obamacare, you cannot now be denied insurance or coverage due to a pre-existing condition. But to apply, you may have to wait until the annual enrollment period, which is in November. (Merely returning to your home state after a long time away is probably not a qualifying event that waives the enrollment restrictions. But if you move to a new state or switch jobs, that might be.)

Its also possible to get a single, comprehensive international policy that isnt term-limited. This is called international health insurance  or sometimes expatriate or long-term international insurance  and it covers you indefinitely, in multiple countries, as long as you continue to pay the premiums. It also covers more than just medically necessary health care.

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Both Genki and SafetyWing  but not World Nomads  also offer full international health insurance. Genki calls this their "Genki Resident" plan, and SafetyWing calls it "World Health."

But this article is about travel insurance from Genki, SafetyWing, and World Nomads  specifically, which company is the best on that particular front.

So lets get to it, shall we?

Full disclosure: Im not an expert  Im just a nomad who has researched this subject a lot. Please dont let me be your last word and be sure to do your own research. Also, terms and conditions are constantly changing.

That said, here are my findings:

GENKI EXPLORER TRAVEL INSURANCE

Genki is the newest of these three options for travel insurance. Their travel insurance only used to be available to folks up to age 49, but as of June 1st, 2023, they now offer their product to people up to the age of 69.

What I Like:

Genkis travel insurance is the least expensive of the three companies Im examining here, at least for most people. With Genkis standard $53.45 USD deductible, a 29-year-old American pays $52.39/month USD, a 44-year-old pays $78.43/month USD, and a 62-year-old pays $183.65/month USD. It works like a subscription, you pay once a month, and you can cancel at any time. You also have the option of a $0 deductible, but it raises the price considerably.

There are no limits or maximum pay-outs on medical coverage or medical evacuation  which is extremely generous compared to the other two companies I'm examining here. If sick or injured, Genki will also transport you back to your home country if thats what you choose  like World Nomads, but unlike SafetyWing, which will only pay to take you as far as the nearest appropriate medical facility (unless approved by a doctor).

There are fewer restrictions on whats covered than the other two companies. Genkis travel insurance includes fairly generous pregnancy coverage (assuming it isnt a pre-existing condition), some emergency dental ($534 USD max), and even some emergency psychiatric care ($21,367 USD max).

You are covered everywhere in the world, even your home country (provided you leave your country at least once first). In the U.S. and Canada, your coverage is limited to six weeks per 180 days and only includes accidents and life-threatening emergencies  but this is still more generous than either SafetyWing or World Nomads. (In the U.S. and Canada, there is a $267 USD deductible.) Its possible to get this U.S./Canada emergency coverage for more than just six weeks, but it will more than double your price.

Genki defines pre-existing condition as anything that you have had treated in the six months before signing up  which is a more liberal definition than either SafetyWing or World Nomads, which both exclude any previous medical condition throughout your entire life.

They include an option of their paying the doctor or hospital directly (via an app called AirDoctor), which means you dont have to pay yourself and file paperwork to get reimbursed. But if you do submit your claim yourself, the process is very simple and fast  within a month and usually less.

Genki offers coverage of up to two years (and is then renewable), which is much longer than SafetyWing (which offers one-year renewable terms) or World Nomads (which offers six-month renewable terms).

Genki is new, but theyre partnering with long-established insurance companies, Allianz Partners and DR-WALTER. Theyre also regulated in the EU, which has strong consumer protections.

Whats the catch?

Genki is just health care insurance. Unlike SafetyWing and World Nomads, it does not include coverage for trip interruption or cancellation, flight delays, lost luggage, loss due to theft or burglary, or personal liabilities. If you want these protections, you need to get them elsewhere  although your travel credit card may offer some of them.

If you sign up from abroad, your coverage is limited to only true emergencies for the first 14 days.

The $53.45 USD deductible is per claim, not per term.

SAFETYWING NOMAD TRAVEL INSURANCE

What I Like:

They're established, offering nomad insurance since 2018.

They recently eliminated their deductible. If a treatment is covered, you pay nothing.

They do offer coverage for trip interruption or delay (but not cancellation), lost luggage, theft, and some personal liability, and they too offer some emergency dental coverage ($1000 USD), but no emergency psychiatric care at all.

SafetyWings maximum medical pay-out tops out at $250,000, which is fairly decent  better than World Nomads ($100,000), but not as good as Genki (no limits). However, for clients over age 65-69, they have a maximum pay-out of only $100,000.

If you are traveling with children, one child less than ten years old is covered for free, per adult sign-up. But there is a maximum of two free children per group or family, and you have to add them as group members to your policy when you sign up.

Youre covered everywhere in the world outside of your home country (see below), but not in countries that are subject to U.S. or EU sanctions. This is better than World Nomads (which has a complicated system), but worse than Genki (which has no exclusions whatsoever).

Regarding coverage in your home country, after three months of coverage, SafetyWing will cover you for 30 days at home (only 15 days in the U.S. or Canada, and only for true accidents and emergencies, and in the U.S., there is a $100 per-claim deductible). As with Genki, longer-term emergency coverage in the U.S. and Canada is possible, but, again, this will dramatically raise the price.

Whats the Catch?

Unlike Genki, except in dire emergencies, SafetyWing does not pay the hospital directly. Instead, you pay out-of-pocket, and then the company reimburses you. But they also refuse to say beforehand exactly what specific treatments are and arent covered. Youre entirely at their mercy, and I have personally found this lack of openness to be absolutely infuriating.

When they recently eliminated their deductible, they raised their prices. A 29-year-old now pays $56.28/month USD, a 44-year-old pays $92.40/month USD, and a 62-year-old pays $196.84/month USD. It can be paid as a monthly subscription, or in a flat sum for a set period of time.

Unlike Genki, they specifically exclude cancer. And their only pregnancy coverage, which stops at 26 weeks, is for complications.

Their emergency evacuation and medical evacuation coverage is very poor, almost a deal-breaker. Theyre maximum payment here tops out at a modest $100,000. Even worse, theyll only promise to transport you to the nearest appropriate medical facility, not necessarily to your home country. They may pay for transportation home, but only if a doctor deems it medically necessary.

They do not insure people over the age of 69.

WORLD NOMADS TRAVEL INSURANCE

What I Like:

Theyre very established, underwritten by Nationwide, and offering insurance since 2003.

World Nomads has no deductible.

They offer two different levels of coverage: Standard and Explorer, but the second is only somewhat more robust. Both cover minor dental emergencies ($750 USD), but only complications from pregnancy, and (like SafetyWing but unlike Genki) nothing for psychiatric emergencies.

They have very good medical evacuation and transportation coverage  up to $300,000 with their Standard plan and $500,000 with Explorer. Like Genki (but unlike SafetyWing), they also specifically agree to take you back to your home country if thats what you choose.

Like SafetyWing, youll generally be paying for care yourself and filing a claim for reimbursement, but unlike SafetyWing, theyll at least give you a pre-approval for specific treatments.

Their plans also include coverage for trip interruption and cancellation, travel delay, lost luggage, theft, and some personal liability  less generous than SafetyWing for the Standard option, more generous for the Explorer one.

Whats the Catch?

Prices range from $128 USD/month to an astounding $414 USD/month, but its difficult to cite specific premiums because your rate depends on your age, your home country, and the countries youre traveling to (once you declare a country, youre supposedly also covered in countries in the same region, but this terminology makes me nervous). You can also opt for worldwide coverage, but its their most expensive option. In general, World Nomads seems more expensive than both Genki and SafetyWing with much less flexibility  the highest price for the least value.

Neither of their coverage levels includes any basic U.S. coverage, although you can include that as one of the countries where youll be traveling  although, yes, it will be very expensive.

In fact, to purchase World Nomads, you must declare your home country and assert that you have primary coverage back there. If you dont have that coverage, do they honor your policy? Good question.

Unlike Genki or SafetyWing, World Nomads is a company that will void your policy if you return to within 100 miles of your home for any amount of time. I find this an outrageous deal-breaker in a policy marketed specifically to nomads.

World Nomads does not have a subscription model. The only option is to pay in advance for the entire period of time you want covered.

Their maximum medical pay-out is a stingy $100,000 even for their more expensive Explorer plan.

They dont insure people over the age of 65.

The Bottom Line

So which companys travel insurance is the best: Genki, SafetyWing, or World Nomads?

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Lets recap and compare their various features:

Brent Hartinger

Its probably no surprise that of these three companies, I think Genki is far and away the best travel insurance for nomads or expats. I think theyre a truly remarkable value, and Michael and I have recently switched to become customers.

In second place, Id place SafetyWing. They have serious flaws and limitations, but if youre a parent looking to cover a small child, and/or if youre also looking for coverage for trip interruption, lost luggage, travel delay, or personal liability, they might be worth considering. But keep in mind that most of the time when you need some of these specific coverages, you may already have them through your travel credit card.

I think World Nomads is the worst of the bunch, a very poor overall product, almost an outright scam  but to do your due diligence, definitely read more about it.

I wrote more about SafetyWing vs. Genki and also compared these companies full international policies.
Ernesto Londonos enviable reputation as a journalist was forged in the conflict zones of Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2017, he landed his dream job as The New York Timess bureau chief in Brazil, with a roving brief, talented and supportive colleagues, and a high-rise apartment in Rio de Janeiro. When, not long after, he almost accidentally-on-purpose threw himself off his balcony, Londono knew that he was in serious emotional trouble.

It was more than whimsy that led him to look for help at a psychedelic retreat in the Amazon hamlet of Mushu Inu, a place with no running water, where the shower facility consisted of a large tub guarded by a couple of tarantulas. He had seen what taking antidepressant medications had done for acquaintances in the US military  in short, nothing good  so he decided instead to write at first hand about what, in America, has become an increasingly popular alternative therapy: drinking ayahuasca tea.

Ayahuasca is prepared by boiling chunks of an Amazonian vine called Banisteriopsis caapi with the leaves of a shrubby plant called Psychotria viridis. The leaves contain a psychoactive compound, and the vines stop the drinker from metabolising it too quickly. The experience that follows is, well, trippy. By disrupting routine patterns of thought and memory processing, psychedelic trips offer depressed and traumatised people a reprieve from their obsessive thought-patterns. They offer them a chance to recalibrate and reinterpret past experiences. How they do this, however, is up to them, and this is why psychedelics are anything but harmless recreational drugs. Its as possible to step out of a bad trip shrieking psychotically at the trees as it is to emerge, Buddha-like, from a carefully guided psychedelic experience.

The Yawanawa people of the Amazon, who have effectively become global ambassadors for the brew  which, incidentally, theyve only been making for a few hundred years  make no bones about its harmful potential. The predominantly Western organisers of ayahuasca-fuelled tourist retreats are rather less forthcoming.

Psychedelics promise revolutionary treatments for PTSD. In the US, government-funded pharmaceutical researchers are attempting to subtract all the wacky, enjoyable and humane elements of the ayahuasca experience, to thereby distil a kind of aspirin for war trauma. Its a singularly dystopian project, out to erase the effect of atrocities in the minds of those who might, thanks to that very treatment, be increasingly inclined to perpetrate them. On one ayahuasca web forum, meanwhile, the brew itself speaks to its counter-cultural acolytes. If I dont spread globally, I will face extinction, similar to Humans, a feminised ayahuasca cuppa proclaims. For survival reasons, I must spread globally, while Humans must accept my sacred medicine to heal their afflicted soul.

Ayahuasca retreats such as this one in Ecuador are popular with Westerners - Alamy

Londono has drunk the brew, but, thankfully, not the Kool-Aid. He says that his ayahuasca experiences saved if not his life, then at the very least his capacity for happiness. He maintains a great affection for the romantics and idealists whom he depicts in pursuit of the good and the healthful in psychedelic experience. His own survey leads him from psychedelic boot-camps in the rainforest to upscale clinics in Costa Rica tending to the global 1 per cent, and even American churches that couch therapy as a religious experience so that they can import ayahuasca and get around the strictures of the Drug Enforcement Administration. The most startling sections, for me, dealt with Santo Daime, a syncretic Brazilian faith that contrives to combine ayahuasca with a proximal Catholic liturgy.

Trippy is told, as much as possible, in the first person, through anecdote and memoir. Seeing the perils and the promise of psychedelic experience play out in Londonos own mind, as he comes to terms over years with his own (quite considerable) personal traumas, is a privilege; even so, it brings with it moments of tedium, as though we were being expected to sit through someones gushing account of their cheese dreams.

This  lets call it the stupidity of seriousness  is a besetting tonal problem with the introspective method. William James fell foul of it in The Principles of Psychology of 1890, so it might seem a bit much to chide Londono about it in 2024. Still, its fair to point out that Londono, an accomplished print journalist, is writing, day on day, for a readership of predominantly American liberals  surely the most purse-lipped and conservative readership on Earth. So maybe, with Trippy as our foundation, we should now seek out a looser, more gonzo treatment of the topic, one wild enough to handle the wholesale spiritual regearing promised by the psychedelics coming to a clinic, church and holiday brochure near you.

Trippy is published by Orion Spring at 18.99. To order your copy for 16.99, call 0808 196 6794 or visit Telegraph Books

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By Elnur Enveroglu

Warm relations between Azerbaijan and Belarus, two post-Soviet countries, span more than three decades. Belarus has always closely supported the country, both in the political and economic arena, since the time when Azerbaijan regained its independence for the second time.

Belarus defended Azerbaijan in the war of rights during the Second Garabagh War, and most importantly, the country never officially recognised the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh.

Belarus-Azerbaijan relations can be considered quite dynamic through the prospects of economic relations as well. Thus, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Belarus last year amounted to 48 million US dollars, of which USD 43.4 mln went to Belarus and USD 4.9 mln went to Azerbaijan's exports to Belarus. It should be noted that the trade volume between Azerbaijan and Belarus increased from 100 mln US dollars to 146 million dollars in 2008-2010.

Today, the state visit of the President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, to Azerbaijan is aimed at the development of cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

In accordance with official protocol rules, an official welcome ceremony was held for Aleksandr Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Belarus, who arrived in the Republic of Azerbaijan for a state visit.

In addition, official documents on cooperation in various fields were signed between the parties along with the ministers observing them.

A number of memoranda signed between the ministers of customs, economy, MFA, and the heads of the executive committees were each a step that further strengthened the close cooperation between the two countries.

During the meeting, in one-on-one and expanded formats, meetings were held between the heads of both countries. In addition, President Ilham Aliyev and President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, made a statement to the press.

During the meeting between the presidents, President Ilham Aliyev expressed his satisfaction with the initiative to strengthen cooperation between the two states to his Belarusian counterpart and emphasised that this meeting was extremely effective.

'We have had a very detailed conversation on many issues of the bilateral agenda, as well as regional and international matters. We have once again confirmed the strategic nature of our relations. We highly value the trusting and creative partnership between our countries, which is based on mutual respect, friendship, and cooperation," President Ilham Aliyev said.

President Ilham Aliyev also talked about the meetings between the ministers of the two countries and said that this meeting contributed a lot to mutual understanding prior to the signing of the memoranda.

"Members of our delegations had the opportunity to communicate yesterday, and as far as I know the contacts were also very effective and positive. There are a lot of topics that need to be addressed. Looking at the prospects of our interaction, we are observing huge potential, an increase in trade turnover, and continued expansion of industrial cooperation, and collaboration in agriculture.

In turn, the President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, told his counterpart that he highly values comprehensive relations with Azerbaijan and that Belarus should contribute to the ongoing construction works in Garabagh in the future.

"Now it is necessary to revive these lands. It takes time, it takes a lot of effort. It is difficult to do it all in five, perhaps even in 10 years.

Therefore, Ilham Heydarovich, if we can help with anything, if we can help by contributing to this. We have certain technologies, and your specialists and ministers know these technologies well. If they are suitable, if our equipment can be present and work here, I asked Ilham Heydarovich during the one-on-one talks whether it is possible to give some room to Belarus. Ilham Heydarovich has supported this approach. I want our ministers to hear this as well," the Belarusian President said.

At the same time, during the conversation at the meeting in the expanded format, President Ilham Aliyev highly valued the work of Belarusian companies in Garabagh and noted that Azerbaijan envisions cooperation with Belarus in a more diverse and broad format.

"Of course, we would be glad if Belarusian companies and enterprises participated in the restoration of liberated territories. Members of our delegations have also held discussions on this topic. The composition of delegations also speaks volumes. It speaks a lot about the issues that are on the agenda. But, of course, they are not limited to the issues members of the delegations are responsible for. So our cooperation is quite multidimensional, with a good history and a good future," the president added.
A teenager is dead following a crash involving a wrong-way driver on Interstate 71 in Ohio early Thursday morning.

>>1 flown to hospital, seriously injured after crash on I-70

Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) troopers were dispatched at 1:40 a.m. to Southbound Interstate 71 near Fields Ertel Road on initial reports of a crash, according to our news partner WCPO in Cincinnati.

The crash happened when a 2019 International Harvester tractor-trailer combination going south on I-71 was hit head-on by a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee that was going north in the southbound lanes, according to a spokesperson for OSHP.

After the crash, both vehicles went off the side of the road and the tractor-trailer overturned.

The driver of the Jeep, a 17-year-old boy, died from his injuries at the scene of the crash.

>> We gave it our best; Pizza place near UD closes

The driver of the tractor-trailer, a 30-year-old Maple Heights man, was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

All southbound lanes were shut down for several hours during the investigation. All lanes were reopened just after 8:30 a.m.

The crash remains under investigation.




Pedestrian killed after being struck by commercial vehicle in far East El Paso

Pedestrian killed after being struck by commercial vehicle in far East El Paso

UPDATE: El Paso County Sheriffs Office has identified the pedestrian as 54-year-old Martin Ayala. The driver of the commercial vehicle didnt suffer any injuries. No criminal charges are pending.

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  A person is dead after a crash involving a commercial vehicle and a pedestrian Thursday morning, May 16 in far East El Paso.

The El Paso County Sheriffs Office says at around 4:30 a.m., deputies were dispatched to the 14000 block of Montana Avenue in reference to a crash involving a commercial motor vehicle and a pedestrian with serious injuries.

However, our crews are currently at the scene and confirm a person appears to be dead.

Special traffic investigators have been called out to the scene and the investigation is still ongoing, according to the Sheriffs Office.

The Sheriffs Office says all eastbound traffic on Montana is being rerouted from Krag St. to Buntline.

No further information has been released at this time. This story will be updated once we learn more.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
UPDATE: The Boulder County Coroners Office identified the employee as Louis Miller, 52, on Friday, May 17.

DENVER (KDVR)  A 52-year-old staff member died after a tree fell on him while he assisted with trail maintenance at Eldora Ski Resort on Thursday, according to the Boulder County Sheriffs Office.

Dispatchers received the original call at just 10 a.m., which was reported as a medical call to Eldora. The Boulder County Sheriffs Office reported that CPR was in progress, but did not have details on why the man needed CPR.

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The staff member immediately received medical care from the ski patrol, and a Flight for Life Colorado helicopter was en route, but the man died while aid was being rendered, according to the Boulder County Sheriffs Office.

The Boulder County Coroners Office will determine the mans identity and cause and manner of death, but officials said the death does not appear suspicious in nature.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
PRICHARD, Ala. (WKRG)  Mobile County Health Department officials are asking Prichard-area residents to take precautions after 11 sanitary sewer overflows were reported.

Mobile Mayor apologizes to police department amid holes in Kenyen Brown report

According to an MCHD press release, the Prichard Water Works & Sewer Board reported 11 overflows that began May 14, following Mondays severe storms, which produced thunderstorms, heavy winds and flooding.

Officials say heavy rains from the storms caused the overflows.

This table shows the nearest manhole locations, estimated overflow, and receiving waters from the overflows.

Location Estimated Gallons Receiving Water 218 Patricia Ave. 153,400 Gum Tree Branch 2407 Whistler St 134,225 Gum Tree Branch N. Bessemer Ct. & Whistler St. 210,925 Gum Tree Branch 1300 N. MLK Dr 43,375 Chickasaw Creek 830 Strauss Ave. 89,700 Toulmins Spring Branch First Ave. & Owens St. 90,600 Toulmins Spring Branch 824 E. Seminary St. 54,975 Toulmins Spring Branch 823 N. College St. 90,300 Toulmins Spring Branch 705 Sample St. 90,450 Toulmins Spring Branch 1205 W. Highland St 181,800 Toulmins Spring Branch 798 W. Highland St. 249,650 Toulmins Spring Branch

Mobile County Health Officer Dr. Kevin Philip Michaels asks residents to take precautions when encountering standing water that may have accumulated from the overflows.

Walmart employee accused of stealing from store for 2 weeks: Mobile Police

Those who have come into direct contact with untreated sewage are advised to wash their hands and clothing thoroughly, the release said. Area residents should take precautions when using Gum Tree Branch, Chickasaw Creek, and Toulmins Spring Branch for recreational purposes because of these overflows.

All seafood harvested in this general area should be thoroughly cooked before eating. People should wash their hands after cleaning seafood and before preparing food.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5.
12-year-old girl shot, two women knifed during brawl in Queens

A 12-year-old girl was shot and two women were knifed during a brawl on a Queens street on Wednesday, police and sources said.

A large fight among about 10 people broke out in front of NYCHAs South Jamaica Houses on 160th St. near Tuskegee Airman Way in South Jamaica just before 7:45 p.m., cops and witnesses said.

They were fighting at first, said an 82-year-old witness. There were three shots, it stopped and then about two more. People were screaming, Theyre shooting! Theyre shooting!

When the gunfire stopped, a black Hyundai with two men inside took off, police sources said.

Cops were called to the street, where they discovered the young victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the arm.

Medics rushed the girl to Long Island Jewish Medical Center in stable condition.

Later, two women ages 18 and 26 walked into Jamaica Hospital Medical Center for medical help, police said.

The older woman was stabbed in the chest and the younger one had lacerations to the head. Both were expected to survive their injuries.

The mayhem came a day after the oldest victim and her boyfriend were beat up by people who live in a neighboring building, a witness told the Daily News.

Theyre out front all day fighting and shooting craps, the woman said of the people involved in the fight. Theyre out of control.

There were no immediate arrests.
LESSOR, Wis. (WFRV)  A 13-year-old girl died at the scene of an ATV crash on a private property in Shawano County on Wednesday night.

According to the Shawano County Sheriffs Office, multiple agencies responded to the area of Landstad and Two Creek Road around 8:30 p.m. on May 15 after reports of an ATV crash where a teenager was not conscious and not breathing.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

Wisconsin State Patrol investigating Fond du Lac County crash that killed motorcycle passenger, injured another

Deputies say that when first responders arrived at the private property, CPR was immediately given and a ThedaStar Helicopter was immediately requested. Multiple crews performed life-saving measures on the 13-year-old girl. However, due to injuries sustained in the crash, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

After an initial investigation, authorities determined that the girl was the driver and the only one on the ATV when the crash happened. One witness who was at the scene at the time of the incident was able to provide clarity as to how the accident occurred.

Deputies say that all involved parties, including the 13-year-olds parents, have been cooperative with law enforcement.

This is an extremely tragic incident and for the privacy of all involved including the juveniles family, we will not be releasing any names, stated the Shawano County Sheriffs Office. It was noted in the release that the teen was a student in the Village of Bonduel. Additional support and services are being provided on Thursday morning within all Bonduel schools.

Sheriff: Motorcycle crashes into boat being towed in Calumet County, 18-year-old dies

Due to the crash being ATV-related, the Wisconsin DNR is the primary agency investigating the incident.

We would like to encourage everyone and their families to keep ATV and UTV safety in mind as the weather continues to warm up. Wear a helmet, buckle up, complete ATV/UTV safety courses and please drive safely and cautiously. Shawano County Sheriffs Office

The Shawano County Sheriffs Office and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources were assisted by Navarino-Lessor EMS, NEW Ambulance, Navarino-Lessor Fire Department, ThedaStar, and the Shawano County Coroners Office.

No additional information was provided.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton.
A group of 15 member states, led by Denmark, have issued a joint call to develop the outsourcing of migration and asylum policy, arguing the "unsustainable" increase in irregular arrivals seen in recent years justifies thinking "outside the box."

"The EU and its Member States should enhance their contribution to equal, constructive and broad partnerships with key countries, especially along the migratory routes, by changing our focus from managing irregular migration in Europe to supporting refugees as well as host communities in regions of origin," they write.

"If we wish to further our efforts to break the incentive structures that drive irregular migration movements and dangerous journeys towards Europe, complementary efforts are necessary," they add.

The letter, dated 15 May but made public on Thursday, is addressed to the high-ranking officials in the European Commission. Besides Denmark, it is endorsed by Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Romania and Finland, reflecting a cross-party consensus.

The four-page statement pitches ideas and proposals deliberately designed to partially shift tasks from national authorities to neighbouring countries.

The signatories push for "comprehensive, mutually beneficial and durable partnerships" with nations located along the migratory routes, following the example of the deals that the EU has struck with Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt, which earmark millions, or even billions, in EU funds in exchange for stronger border controls.

This strategy, they say, should also build upon the protocol signed last year between Italy and Albania, under which Rome plans to outsource the processing of up to 36,000 asylum applications per year to the Balkan country.

The protocol, done without the intervention of Brussels, differs significantly from the EU deals with Tunisia and Egypt as these do not include provisions to transfer asylum seekers from one place to another, which is highly controversial.

But the signatories believe this is the right way to go and call on the bloc to explore solutions aimed at "rescuing migrants on the high seas and bringing them to a predetermined place of safety in a partner country outside the EU."

The letter appears to be deliberately timed to coincide with the completion of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, the all-encompassing reform that foresees common and collective rules for all member states. The overhaul received its very final approval on Tuesday and will take two years from now to become fully enforceable.

Notably, Denmark, the initiator, has a long-standing opt-out clause from the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (AFSJ) and is therefore not bound by the New Pact.

The Commission said it would carefully analyse the letter, which it described as "complex" and "comprehensive," and stressed the focus in the coming years would be on the implementation of the agreed-upon reform.

'Complementary efforts'

The signatories praise the New Pact and say it provides a strong legal framework to address irregular migration. However, much more should be done.

Offshoring, they go on, should also apply to the question of returns, a sore point in the EU's migration policy. For years, member states have struggled to ensure that applicants who are denied international protection (because, for example, they are economic migrants) are actually sent back to the countries they came from.

Despite efforts from Brussels and the other capitals, the return rate remains sluggish, ranging between 25% and 30%.

The coalition of 15 countries says outsourcing can also help in this regard by setting "return hub mechanisms" outside the bloc, "where returnees could be transferred to while waiting their final removal." No specific location is mentioned.

Another proposal would entail sending asylum seekers to a "safe third country alternative" and complete the process there to alleviate the pressure on national authorities. The concept of "safe third country," which the European Commission plans to revise as part of the New Pact, has been repeatedly contested by NGOs, who argue people can face persecution and be mistreated in countries that, on paper, are stable.

Finally, the signatories push for stricter rules to combat the instrumentalisation of migrations, something already foreseen under the New Pact, and crack down on human trafficking and smuggling.

"We reiterate that all new measures must be implemented in full compliance with our international legal obligations, including the principle of non-refoulement, as well as the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights," the coalition writes.

All in all, the letter reads as an unapologetic go-ahead for outsourcing migration and asylum policy, a trend that has gained prominence since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic but is still divisive due to its legal and humanitarian repercussions.

The strong number of signatories  more than half of the 27 member states  suggests the project is poised to climb higher on the agenda and gives an indication of where the bloc will be headed after the upcoming elections to the European Parliament.
A 15-year-old Ellipsis Iowa resident has been charged with second-degree murder in the killing of a staff member there.

Jovahn Mathis, who lived at the center for troubled youth in Johnston, has been in custody since he allegedly shoved Kathleen Galloway-Menke, 50, of Des Moines on May 8 outside of the facility, 7085 Northwest Beaver Drive. Galloway-Menke hit her head on the concrete and suffered brain damage, her lawyer said, and died Tuesday after two daughters decided to take their mother off life support.

Polk County Attorney Kimberly Graham upgraded the original charge of willful injury to second-degree murder Thursday. Mathis remains at a secure juvenile detention facility, according to a news release from the Johnston Police Department.

Ellipsis Iowa is seen on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Johnston

The Polk County Attorneys Office, working with Juvenile Court Services, will begin the process of evaluating what is in the best interests of the victims family, the child, and the community, the release says.

A criminal complaint lists no parents for Mathis and identifies Polk County Health & Human Services as his legal guardian.

Trever Hook, attorney for Galloway-Menke's family, declined to comment on the charges but said: "I commend the investigators; they did a thorough job."

He told the Register on Wednesday that per Ellipsis protocol, Galloway-Menke and another staff member followed Mathis at a safe distance after he had left campus.

"At some point, he turned and ran at the two staff members," Hook said. "The male staff member was in front, and he ran by him to Kathleen and pushed her, causing her to fall abruptly and hit her head on the concrete, causing brain damage."

The criminal complaint alleges Mathis caused Galloway-Menke "to become airborne and land on her head."

Before pushing Galloway-Menke, Hook said, Mathis allegedly threatened to kill her. The complaint says Mathis also allegedly threatened her "in the days before the assault."

Four police officers suffered minor injuries during the response, according to a police report.

Ellipsis started in 2021 when existing nonprofits Youth Homes of Mid-America (YHMA) and Youth Emergency Services & Shelter (YESS) merged. Each day it serves more than 750 youth and their families with residential care and treatment, counseling and therapy, behavioral health intervention services, care coordination and family support, according to its website.

Ellipsis declined to comment on the charges.

Kyle Werner is a reporter for the Register. You can reach him at kwerner@dmreg.com

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 15-year-old charged with murder in killing of Kathleen Galloway-Menke
(COLORADO SPRINGS)  A 15-year-old indigenous girl is missing from Colorado Springs, according to a Missing Indigenous Person Alert sent out by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Leah Black was last seen on the evening of Wednesday, May 15 around Constitution Avenue and Marksheffel Road, wearing black pajama pants, a black hoodie, and white Crocs shoes. Black is a indigenous girl with brown hair and brown eyes, stands at 58, and weighs 130 pounds.

If you see Leah or know where she is, call the Colorado Springs Police Department at (719) 444-7000, or dial 911.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado.
16 Democrats voted with Republicans in the House of Representatives on Thursday to restrict President Joe Bidens ability to withhold aid to Israel.

The legislation, which is unlikely to pass in the Senate, says that no federal funds may be used to withhold, halt, reverse, or cancel the delivery of defense articles or defense services to Israel. It would also require that some money meant for the office of the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense may not be spent until each office certifies to Congress that any withheld defense articles or services are delivered to Israel.

The legislation came after Mr Biden said that the US would not ship weapons to Israel if its military attacked Rafah as part of its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza. Mr Biden also confirmed that the administration paused a shipment of 1,800 bombs weighing around 2,000lbs (907kg) and 1,700 bombs weighing 500lbs (227kg) bound for Israel. At the same time, the Biden administration said earlier this week that it would send $1bn in other weapons and munitions to the country.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the measure was meant to show support for Israel amid Mr Bidens criticism of the Israeli governments military strategy and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumers calls for new elections in Israel. The president would likely veto this legislation if it reached his desk.

We want the President to hear this loud and clear, he said earlier in the day on the steps of the Capitol. He said just not long ago that we have to have ironclad support for Israel. Well, that's what he previously proclaimed, but his actions are doing exactly the opposite. This is a catastrophic decision with global implications. It is obviously being done as a political calculation, and we cannot let this stand.

Speaker Mike Johnson and leaders of the House Republican Caucus hold a press conference on a bill that would restrict Joe Bidens ability to withhold military aid to Israel (Getty Images)

Lois Frankel, a Jewish Democrat from Florida, was one of the Democrats who broke ranks to support the legislation. She explained her vote to The Independent beforehand, saying: Israel is under attack and her existence is at risk...Whatever we've committed should be sent without delay.

She added that she did not like the bill as a whole but thought it was important to send a message affirming her support for a US ally.

The full list of Democrats who supported the bill included Henry Cuellar, Lois Frankel, Jared Moskowitz, Josh Gottheimer, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Ritchie Torres, Mary Peltola, Frank Pallone, Greg Landsman, Jared Golden, Angie Craig, Matt Cartwright, David Scott, Darren Soto, and Tom Suozzi. Many of the Democrats, such as Mr Cuellar and Ms Gluesenkamp Perez, hail from swing districts or even districts that voted for Donald Trump.

Others, such as Mr Gottheimer and Mr Moskowitz, are Jewish, while others such as Mr Torres are ardent supporters of Israel.

The move came despite the fact that House Minority Whip Katherine Clark advised Democrats to vote against the legislation.

Displaced Palestinians arrive in central Gaza after fleeing from the southern Gaza city of Rafah in Deir al Balah, on May 9, 2024 (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Progressives including a number of Democrats who supported the presidents move to restrict weapons shipments (or halt them entirely) opposed the bill alongside the majority of their party.

Ilhan Omar, a progressive and a member of the Squad, derided the bill as an attempt to take away our President's constitutional right to carry out the duties of this country on behalf of another country as she spoke to The Independent.

The vote signals just the latest split among Democrats when it comes to Israel. Ms Omar and other progressive Democrats have called for Mr Biden to do more to provide more aid to Gaza or pressure Israel to stop what they consider indiscriminate bombing.

Conversely, other Democrats have criticised progressives. Last year, many of the same Democrats who voted for this legislation, voted to censure Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, the only Palestinian-American congresswoman, for her remarks about Israel and her use of the term from the River to the Sea.

The vote also comes as the State Department said on Thursday that Israel needed to do more to stop settlers from sacking aid trucks meant for Gaza.
Sixteen House Democrats voted to undo President Bidens pause on some weapons shipments to Israel on Thursday, breaking with the White House and party leadership, who urged its members to oppose the GOP-led bill.

The chamber approved the legislation in a 224-187 vote, a rebuke of Bidens decision to halt the shipment of 3,500 heavy bombs to Israel and his warning that the U.S. would stop sending additional offensive weapons  including bombs and artillery shells  to Israel if its forces invade Rafah.

Top Democrats on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue urged members in their ranks to oppose the bill: House Democratic leadership whipped against the legislation, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said his chamber would not stage a vote on the measure, and the White House warned that if the bill landed on Bidens desk, he would veto it.

Despite that full-court press, 16 Democrats voted for the bill, including staunchly pro-Israel members, lawmakers running in tough re-election races and those who have a large population of Jewish constituents in their districts.

Reps. Matt Cartwright (Pa.), Angie Craig (Minn.), Henry Cuellar (Texas), Don Davis (N.C.), Lois Frankel (Fla.), Jared Golden (Maine), Josh Gottheimer (N.J.), Greg Landsman (Ohio), Jared Moskowitz (Fla.), Frank Pallone (N.J.), Mary Peltola (Alaska), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.), David Scott (Ga.), Darren Soto (Fla.), Tom Suozzi (N.Y.) and Ritchie Torres (N.Y.) all supported the legislation.

Some of those Democrats, to be sure, denounced GOP leadership for their handling of the legislation, slamming the bill as a political attempt to divide the caucus, which has been fractured over the war in the Middle East. Pro-Israel Democrats have at times found themselves at odds with progressives up in arms about the mounting humanitarian deaths in the Gaza strip.

At the end of the day, however, a handful of them supported the measure out of opposition to the presidents recent decisions and, perhaps, as a way to avoid GOP attacks on the campaign trail that they cast a vote against Israel, the U.S.s closest ally in the Middle East.

Ill support it because Im frustrated and concerned about the decision and the rhetoric around the decision, Landsman, a Jewish Democrat, told The Hill this week.  But the larger issue is that they again chose to divide Congress and use Israel, as they have with antisemitism, as a political weapon, and that is bad for everyone, except maybe their candidates.

From Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran and its other proxies, Israel continues to face threats to her very existence, Frankel, another Jewish Democrat, said in a statement after the vote. I thank President Biden and my colleagues in Congress for the ongoing bipartisan support of Israels security; we must now stand by our commitment to Israel and continue to send the vital assistance Congress has promised. Israels security is our security.

Of the 16 Democrats who supported the bill on Thursday, 10 of them penned a letter to national security adviser Jake Sullivan last week that said they were deeply concerned about the message Bidens weapons hold sent to Hamas and other Iranian-backed terrorist groups. A total of 26 Democrats signed the letter.

With democracy under assault around the world, we cannot undermine our ally Israel, especially in her greatest hour of need. Americas commitments must always be ironclad, the group wrote.

Democrats were not the only ones to have defections on their side for the Israel vote Thursday. Reps. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) voted no despite GOP leadership touting the measure as central for pushing back on Biden.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
SAN MARCOS, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI)  Authorities are searching for a suspect after a 17-year-old was shot dead in San Marcos Wednesday night.

According to the San Diego County Sheriffs Department, Palomar Hospital called around 11:30 p.m. to report the victim had arrived to the emergency room with a gunshot would to his upper torso.

Responding deputies learned that the teen had been transported to the medical faculty by two companions.

A further investigation revealed that a group of people were standing in the parking lot of a business center in the 900 block of Los Vallecitos Boulevard, which is located along the 78 freeway.

While in the parking lot, authorities said an unknown vehicle reportedly pulled over. At that time, an armed individual allegedly got out of the vehicle and fired several rounds towards the group.

Video shows vandal trashing two North County restaurants

Lt. Mike Krugh with the sheriffs department said, A person showed up and an altercation ensued. During the altercation, somebody pulled out a gun and fired several rounds. One of the 17-year-olds that was out there was struck  Im not sure how many rounds  in the upper body.

deadly shooting

The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment, but the teen did not survive his injuries. The victims identity is being withheld at this time. However, a teacher from the high school he attended spoke with FOX 5/KUSI Thursday and described him as a good kid.

According to Lt. Krugh, authorities do not believe there is any immediate threat or danger to the community in connection to this incident.

The sheriffs Homicide Unit responded and is handling the investigation. The area remained blocked off for several hours Thursday morning, impacting businesses in the area. This included those trying to get to work.

The owner and an employee of one of the businesses at the shopping center, Soul Shake Down Studios, told FOX 5/KUSI they were stuck in their car for several hours Thursday due to the investigation.

My condolences go out to the family, and to everyone in that. This is the most unfortunate situation that I could have ever imagined, said the owner Jakob Robinson. He added that he hopes to increase safety measures at his business, which offers late night recording sessions to musicians, in the wake of the shooting.

We are going to make moves to make sure something like this never happens here again, Robinson continued.

Investigators are working to find a motive and a suspect. At this time, no arrests have been made and no suspect information is available.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to call the Homicide Unit at 858-285-6330/after hours at 858-565-5200, or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

FOX 5/KUSIs Danielle Dawson contributed to this report.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
18-year-old shot to death in West Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn.  An 18-year-old was shot dead Sunday night in West Memphis, Arkansas.

City officials identified the victim as Freddie McKinney.

West Memphis Police responded to calls at 210 W. Jackson around 9:50. They found McKinney unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds.

McKinney later died at the scene, they say.

Police are investigating, and asked the public to call with any information: Criminal Investigation

Division at (870) 732-7554 or the Crittenden County Crime Stoppers at (870) 732-4444.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
ST. LOUIS  A 19-year-old St. Louis man is facing 20 counts tied to a series of crimes ranging from car theft, car clouting, and assorted property damage across the Central West End, St. Louis Hills, and Lindenwood Park neighborhoods.

According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Departments probable cause statements, the crimes took place at the following locations on the following dates:

4055 Lindell Boulevard (January 11)

7 Maryland Plaza (January 11)

6924 Chippewa Street (January 12)

6920 Chippewa Street (January 12 and January 30)

3921 Hampton Avenue (January 30)

4061 Lindell Boulevard (January 30)

8 North Newstead Avenue (January 30)

111 North Newstead Avenue (January 30)

Actress Jennifer Coolidge spends week in St. Louis, shops and dines at local businesses

On January 11, police claim Kendall Robinson, 19, and others stole an Infiniti JX35 with a handgun inside the vehicle. They allegedly rummaged through another car at that location.

On January 12, police claim Robinson attempted to break into one business in a strip mall and then managed to break into a neighboring business.

On January 30, Robinson and others allegedly broke into three vehicles and three businesses at different locations. They also attempted to break into a bank ATM with a crowbar.

The St. Louis Circuit Attorneys Office charged Robinson with stealing, stealing a motor vehicle, stealing a firearm, two counts of stealing  $750 or more, five counts of second-degree burglary, attempted second-degree burglary, attempted stealing  $25,000 or more, and nine counts of first-degree property damage.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
DENVER (KDVR)  Two suspects were arrested and a third is on the run following an alleged robbery in Northglenn.

FOX31 reached out to the Northglenn Police Department after receiving tips about a police presence off of Community Center Drive.

Police said the situation started as an aggravated robbery just after 11 p.m. on Wednesday.

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According to police, the suspects fled the scene of the alleged robbery and eventually crashed their car.

Officers were able to take two suspects into custody, however, a third suspect is still on the run. At this time, officers do not have a description of the missing suspect.

One person was injured and taken to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. It is unclear at this point if this person was injured in the robbery or the crash.

FOX31 is working to learn more details about the incident and will update this story as more information becomes available.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
WILLOW SPRINGS, Ill.  Two Chicago men are accused of stealing a pair of chainsaws from a truck and then leading police on a high-speed chase through the west suburbs, prosecutors in DuPage County announced Thursday.

Kawann Moore, 39, and Richard Pegue, 35, each face burglary and aggravated fleeing and eluding police charges following the events of Wednesday, May 15.

Prosecutors allege that just before 12:20 p.m., police in Lombard responded to a report of a burglary to a motor vehicle, where two chainsaws, each worth $200, were stolen.

Sketch released after woman beaten on forest preserve trail

Kawann Moore

Richard Pegue

An Oak Brook police officer later located the suspect vehicle, which police said was a tan-colored Chrysler minivan with fake plates. According to prosecutors, when the officer began following the car, driven allegedly by Moore, he started maneuvering into oncoming traffic near 39th Street and Glendenning Road.

During the pursuit, prosecutors say Moore reached speeds of 120 mph on Interstate 55 and nearly struck a motorcyclist. Moore reportedly reached 100 mph in a 35 mph zone on Ogden Avenue, violating multiple traffic warnings.

Man dead after motorcycle crash into school bus carrying 15 kids in Will County

According to prosecutors, the police chase ended when Moore and Pegue exited the vehicle and ran near 80th Place and Howard Avenue in Willow Springs, a school zone where children were outside for recess.

Police later placed Pegue into custody near the school following a brief pursuit. Authorities took Moore into custody in a nearby wooded area after prosecutors say he fled a homeowner who was holding him at gunpoint. According to authorities, the homeowner discovered Moore hiding in his backyard, where his nine-year-old child was playing.

Police recovered two chainsaws from the suspect vehicle, prosecutors added. Video from SkyCam9 captured one person in handcuffs.

Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines

Both men remain behind bars and are due back in court on Monday, June 10.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Two teenagers were shot in the Downtown area Wednesday night, Memphis Police say.

Officers responded to the shooting in the 500 block of Vance Avenue around 7:46 p.m. They say two children were transported to Le Bonheur.

One 17-year-old was shot in the left leg. He was taken to Le Bonheur in critical condition but was later upgraded to non-critical.

A 14-year-old was shot in the right arm and taken to Le Bonheur in non-critical condition.

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 See more breaking news, local news and weather from WREG.com for Memphis and the Mid-South.

MPD says the suspects were riding on scooters when they fired shots at the victims. There was a total of 18 shell casings found at the scene.

Those worshipping during mid-week service put a pause on praying to peek outside. They described seeing a 17-year-old being carried away to safety.

We came to the window. It all happened so quickly, said Vance, a church member. I saw one guy and they were helping him cross the street because somebody had gotten shot in the leg.

Fortunately, the teenaged victims are expected to be okay.

If you have any information regarding this incident, call Memphis CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
Just under $2 million in tax credit payments intended to help students attend private schools instead went toward parents' delinquent taxes and debts. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice)

OKLAHOMA CITY  Almost $2 million from a tax credit program intended to help families afford private school instead went to parents debts and delinquent taxes.

The Oklahoma Tax Commission has deducted 1,249 parental choice tax credit payments from applicants who had unpaid taxes or a debt claim filed against them, the agency reported in response to an open records request from Oklahoma Voice.

Payments were reduced by a total of $1,926,240. The programs total budget this year is $150 million.

Gov. Kevin Stitt has signed into law a bill meant to prevent future deductions. House Bill 3388 clarifies the credits are non-taxable income and cant be reduced for outstanding debts.

The legislation that created the tax credit program last year included no such prohibition, prompting lawmakers to clarify the law this session.

The Tax Commission was following the law as written at the time of implementation, Stitt said in a statement. Im always grateful when agencies operate with due diligence. Moving forward, lawmakers have changed that statute and I have signed that into law.

Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, said the clarification was necessary so a parents debt wouldnt hamper a students opportunity to attend private school.

We dont tell a child they cant go to public school because their parents behind on taxes, and were not going to tell a child in need that they cant go to a private school that meets their needs based on their parents lack of compliance, Treat said while speaking with reporters last week.

Legislative Democrats questioned whether the measure is another hand-out to families already enrolled in exclusive schools.

For anybody else, if they had a tax liability, they would be required to pay it, and these folks are not, Rep. Andy Fugate, D-Del City, said. So, were giving them taxpayer dollars, and were saying you dont have to pay what you owe the people of Oklahoma.

The refundable tax credits offer $5,000 to $7,500, depending on total household income, to offset costs of sending children to private schools. Although a credit reduces a familys state tax obligation, the commission issues a check to recipients to reimburse approved educational expenses, like tuition, tutoring or testing fees.

The initiative launched in December to significant demand. About 36,000 people have applied, most of whom did so in the first 90 minutes of the application window.

There is no income limit to apply, but children from households earning $150,000 or below had priority consideration.

The Tax Commission is still reviewing applications and disbursing funds. About 16,800 priority applicants and 4,300 without priority have been approved, accounting for $125 million of the $150 million budget, the agency reported this week.

Oklahoma will allocate $200 million for the program in 2025 and $250 million in 2026.

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The post About $2 million deducted from Oklahoma school choice tax credits to cover parents debts appeared first on Oklahoma Voice.
2 officers hurt, man in custody, after wrong-way crash in Ohio

Two police officers are hurt, and a man is in custody after a wrong-way crash in Ohio Wednesday morning.

>>Man dead after police shooting in Ohio; BCI investigating

Columbus Police officers were dispatched just before 11 a.m. on reports of a crash on South Champion and Stanley Avenues.

A 2015 Lincoln MKC was going the wrong way and hit a cruiser, Columbus Police told our news partner WBNS in Columbus.

David Becker, 62, fled the scene and continued driving.

The vehicle eventually became disabled, and the suspect attempted to leave the scene on foot but was taken into custody, WBNS said.

>>1 flown to hospital, seriously injured after crash on I-70

Two officers were briefly unconscious, and medics transported them to the hospital.

They are in stable condition.

The suspect was allegedly driving erratically and at a high rate of speed, Columbus Police told WBNS.

Becker is in Franklin County Jail on aggravated vehicular assault charges, online jail records indicate.
2 suspects at large after armed robbery at Arco gas station on Peninsula

(KRON)  Authorities are looking for two suspects involved in an armed robbery Tuesday afternoon at an Arco gas station, the San Mateo County Sheriffs Office said in a press release.

The robbery happened around 4:15 p.m. on the 1800 block of Woodside Road in unincorporated Redwood City where two victims were standing outside of the gas station, according to SMCSO. Two suspects in their early 20s robbed them of their personal belongings.

The suspects also made criminal threats and brandished a firearm during the robbery, SMCSO said.

TikTok video of Tesla Supercharger in Vallejo goes viral after thieves cut, steal charging cables

The first suspect is described as a Hispanic man with long hair. The second suspect is described as a biracial man with long hair and a small mustache.

The two men ran away towards Santa Clara Avenue, authorities said. The robbery is being investigated as an isolated incident.

Neither of the two victims were injured.

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to contact SMCSO Deputy Natasha Coral at ncoral@smcgov.org or 650-363-4911. You may also remain anonymous by calling 1-800-547-2700.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
Its been roughly seven weeks since Baltimores Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed, but nearly two dozen sailors remain on the cargo ship responsible for the disaster. The Dali was finally unstuck on Monday from a giant piece of bridge that fell on the ships bow. However, the BBC reports that 21 Indian and Sri Lankan sailors are trapped onboard for different reasons.

The crew members reportedly need to stay on board due to visa restrictions, a lack of shore passes, and two ongoing investigations from the FBI and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Furthermore, authorities say the crew is keeping busy by continuing to operate the large cargo vessel. In the last two months, these 21 sailors have witnessed a bridge collapse onto them, dead bodies pulled from the Patapsco River, and a controlled explosion just off the front of their ship.

On Monday, authorities freed the Dali from an enormous cage of metal and pavement thats been resting on the ship for seven weeks through small explosions. The procedure is called precision cutting, using small charges to split the portion of the collapsed bridge into more manageable sections. The BBC reports that Dalis crew was required to remain below deck in the ships hull with a fire crew at the ready.

A controlled detonation of explosives is used to release the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge from the container ship Dali. About a 500-foot section of the bridge was removed so the ship could be moved into port.#GettyFootage  @somogettynews  https://t.co/hPVJD1WSqv pic.twitter.com/qyIpdEMhZt  Getty Images News (@GettyImagesNews) May 14, 2024

Theyre part of the ship. They are necessary to keep the ship staffed and operational, said U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Shannon Gilreath to the BBC. Theyre the best responders on board the ship themselves.

On board, the report describes a sad situation where sailors have had their mobile phones confiscated as part of an FBI investigation. The head of a non-profit organization that protects the rights of mariners tells the BBC that crew members have been unable to pay bills or send funds home to their families. The crew was reportedly given SIM cards and burner phones without data included, but many of them dont have anyones contact information.

While some crew members are coping, morale has understandably dipped, according to a joint statement from the Singapore Maritime Officers Union and the Singapore Organisation of Seamen earlier this week. The statement details that crew members have been under emotional distress.

Authorities have reportedly been shipping ample amounts of food and supplies on board for the 21 crew members. There were originally 23 members on the Dali, but it seems two were able to deboard. The remaining crew has also received care packages from various community groups and private individuals, including batches of Indian snacks, handmade quilts, and puzzles.

Some crew members worry theyll be held personally responsible for the disaster. A preliminary NTSB report found that two electrical blackouts disabled equipment ahead of the incident. The day before, the Dali reportedly experienced another outage. The report details that the boats pilot made a call by very high-frequency (VHF) marine radio to warn all waterborne traffic just minutes before the crash.

Darrel Wilson, spokesperson for Synergy Marine, the Dalis Singapore-based management company told the BBC he was unable to provide a timeline for the crew to disembark the ship at this time. Once the ship has been fully refloated, tugboats will pull the Dali to a Baltimore port. There, its expected the ship will remain docked for several weeks for repairs, while the men will stay on the ship for the foreseeable future.

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21-year-old shoots at passing cars, then is killed by police, Oklahoma cops say

A 21-year-old was fatally shot by an officer after he fired multiple times at passing cars, Oklahoma police say.

Police arrived to the area on May 15 to find Elmer Vargas shooting at passing vehicles, Tulsa police said in a Facebook post. Callers said he had fired multiple shots, according to police.

Vargas continued to fire at cars, and an officer returned fire and struck the man, police say.

Vargas died at the scene, police said.

We responded to the suspects actions. He was clearly representing a continuing threat to citizens and to officers. And so the officers had to do what was necessary to stop that threat, Tulsa Police Capt. Richard Muellenberg told KWTV.

The officer involved in the shooting was placed on administrative leave, per standard procedure, according to police. Evidence, including body camera footage, will be reviewed by the Tulsa County district attorney to make an independent determination on the officers actions, according to police.

Jail charges a daily fee, then uses cash to rent cotton candy machine, Iowa suit says

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71-year-old man shot and killed during argument inside public library, Texas cops say
Lucas Macaj was last heard from on Sunday, May 12, around 1 p.m. local time

Rocky Mountain National Park Lucas Macaj, 23, of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

A 23-year-old man from Colorado Springs, Colo., has been reported missing after hiking in Longs Peak over the weekend.

Lucas Macaj was last heard from around 1 p.m. local time on Sunday, May 12. He had texted a friend that he was on the Longs Peak summit, but by Sunday evening, he was reported overdue late after significant storms moved through high elevations in the park, per Rocky Mountain National Park's Facebook press release.

The search for Macaj began on Monday, May 13, and rangers located his parked vehicle at the Longs Peak Trailhead.

Search efforts included air reconnaissance, "a heat-sensing fixed-wing flight and ground teams on the Keyhole Route"  an area Macaj hiked  including The Ledges, The Trough, The Narrows, The Homestretch and the saddle between Longs Peak and Mount Meeker. Rangers also searched the Boulder Brook Trail.

The search for Macaj continued on Wednesday, May 15. "Team members have been reviewing aerial reconnaissance photos taken on May 13, for any possible clues," Rocky Mountain National Park spokesperson Kyle Patterson shared in a statement with PEOPLE.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Related: Missing California Hiker Found Dead at Base of Waterfall 5 Days After Going Missing

"Ground teams skied into the Hunters Creek drainage to the base of Keplingers Coulier," read the statement. Additionally, a dog team searched the Longs Peak Trail to Battle Mountain Junction, while a third team hiked Chasm Shelter to the Loft and "other areas between Longs Peak and Mount Meeker."

The team took shelter on Wednesday night and plans to continue the search Thursday morning, May 16, by skiing the Clarks Arrow Route to the top of Keplingers Coulier.



On Tuesday, May 14, "strong winds, white out conditions, and low visibility" impeded the search, per a Rocky Mountain National Park Facebook release.



As a result, investigators could not search the loft area and the Keyhole route on Longs Peak. However, they managed to hike the areas above Black Lake and below the Trough and the Ledges areas.

Related: Body of Missing Hiker, 61, Found at Bottom of Oregon Cliff After Not Returning from Solo Trip

On Monday, Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue Team members were assisted with air reconnaissance by Flight for Life Air Ambulance and aircraft from the State of Colorado Department of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC)  which includes a fixed-wing aircraft outfitted with infrared and color sensors.

Macaj is 5 feet, 9 inches tall, weighs 155 lbs. and has brown hair and green eyes. He is believed to be wearing a dark-colored top, tan or brown pants, khaki-colored boots, a black backpack and may be wearing a beanie and dark-colored gloves.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the National Park Service Investigative Services Bureau Tip Line by calling 888-653-0009, by filling out an online form on the National Park Service's Investigative Services website, or by emailing nps_isb@nps.gov.



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A representative for the Investigative Arm of the National Park Service did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment on Wednesday.



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It is with an extremely heavy heart that I inform you of the passing of 1st Lt. Zachary Galli," said Col. Brennan Fitzgerald

Getty Stock image of an American flag on a soldier's helmet

A 23-year-old U.S. Army soldier stationed in Colorado is dead after falling during a training accident at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Johnson, La. on Saturday, May 11, the service said, reports Military.com and Stars & Stripes.

Officials at Colorado's Fort Carson announced the death of 1st Lt. Zachary Galli, assigned to the 749th Ordnance Company, 242nd Explosive Ordnance Battalion (EOD), in a press release on Monday, May 13.

It is with an extremely heavy heart that I inform you of the passing of 1st Lt. Zachary Galli. Our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and family of the Galli family, the 749th EOD Co., and the greater EOD community," Col. Brennan Fitzgerald, commander of the 71st EOD, said in a statement.

Galli, a Williamsburg, Va. native, was participating in a non-combat training activity at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) when he died "as a result of a training accident."

Crystal Stevenson/The American Press via AP Fort Johnson in Louisiana

Related: Woman Killed in Motorcycle Crash Months After Fiance Died in Separate Accident: 'Forever Loved and Missed'

While Galli's death remains under investigation, a source told Military.com that he "died in an incident related to a fall." PEOPLE has reached out to Fort Carson for comment.

The Army states on its website that JRTC "focuses on improving unit readiness by providing highly realistic, stressful, joint and combined arms training across the full spectrum of conflict (current and future)."

The website adds that the "JRTC trains a multi-component force: About one-third of the Armys Brigade Combat Teams, Army National Guard and Reserve units and their associated rotational unit enablers undergo the most realistic and relevant training todays Army offers."

Getty Entrance to Fort Carson

Related: Lightning May Have Caused House Fire That Killed Pregnant Woman, Her Fiance and His Son

According to KMGH-TV, Galli received many awards during his nearly two years of service, including the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

Galli, a 2018 graduate from Lafayette High School, got his bachelors degree in kinesiology from the University of Virginia in 2022, per The Virginian-Pilot.

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We extend our thoughts and condolences to Zacharys loved ones, a university spokesperson told the outlet in a statement.



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A man is accused of being a willing accomplice in a drive-by shooting that led to the murder of a National Guard officer in Fife last year.

Jedidiah Taimi, 18, has been charged with first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, drive-by shooting, unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, court records show. He is accused of partaking in the killing of 23-year-old Rudolph King III on Sept. 12, 2023.

Andrew Lautogia Fonoti, 29, was arrested on Dec. 21, 2023, outside a Kent hotel during a police standoff. He faces the same charges and is accused of being the shooter. He pleaded not guilty and is being held at Pierce County Jail on a $1.5 million bail, a previous News Tribune story reported.

Taimi was arrested in October for previous crimes. Prosecutors charged him this week with Kings homicide, records show.

A plea of not guilty was entered on Taimis behalf at Wednesdays arraignment. Pierce County Superior Court Commissioner Barbara McInvaille set his bail at $1.5 million, records show.

Charging details

Kings death initially was reported as a car crash near the intersection of 70th Avenue East and 20th Street East. At 9:32 p.m., Fife police were dispatched and found King with a single gunshot wound to the head. King was an active-duty National Guard officer, according to charging documents .

King was reportedly on the phone with his parents when the shooting occurred. His parents reported to police that they did not hear any yelling or other indicators that would have shown that King was involved in an altercation. Kings mother said the phone just went dead, and, when she called back, there was no response, prosecutors wrote.

King was driving a black Hyundai sedan. Witnesses said his car was traveling at high speed before the crash.

Through video footage, detectives noted that King likely was shot near the 6600 block of 20th street, and his car continued driving since his foot was on the gas pedal. Detectives also saw a 2013 Toyota Camry nearby, and it was later determined to be the suspect vehicle. The Camry was reportedly stolen, and it was recovered a few days later, prosecutors wrote.

The Toyota Camry had bullet holes in the windshield. Two live .22-caliber rounds and one live 9 mm round were found in the drivers door pocket. There was also graffiti written on the steering wheel with the name Drewsky on it. It was later discovered that that is one of Fonotis nicknames, prosecutors wrote.

Prosecutors wrote it was determined that Fonoti was a passenger in the stolen Camry, along with Taimi and a 14-year-old boy.

A witness contacted detectives and said someone told them that Taimi was bragging about being the one to shoot King. A different witness that detectives spoke to also confirmed that Taimi was bragging about being the shooter, prosecutors wrote.

A witness spoke to Fonoti a day after the murder asking if Taimi had been the one to shoot King. Fonoti then told the witness he allegedly was the one to shoot King. He also said that Taimi was with him when the murder happened, documents show.

Detectives later confirmed a palm print on the Toyota to be Taimis.

Another witness told detectives that when they heard that King died, they confronted Taimi and Fonoti about it. They both allegedly told the witness what happened and that Fonoti shot King, prosecutors wrote.

After Fonotis arrest in December, he told detectives he was the trigger man. He said that when they were in the car right before the shooting, Taimi had a red-colored gun and pointed it towards Kings vehicle. Taimi allegedly stated he was going to shoot King, and Fonoti took the gun because he was afraid of being accidentally shot, prosecutors wrote. They briefly argued on who would shoot before Fonoti allegedly fired two rounds at the vehicle.

Taimi took the gun back. Detectives noted that in jail conversation after he was arrested in October, Taimi mentioned owning a red-colored gun. A gun used in the crime has not been recovered, documents show.

Taimi currently has an outstanding Department of Corrections warrant for escaping from community custody. He has prior felony convictions from March 2023 for theft of a motor vehicle and attempting to elude police, records show.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Quandarius Richardson, one of the men charged in the shooting death of Greater Memphis Chamber CEO Phil Trenary in 2018, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder Thursday.

Richardson, who was 18 at the time of the shooting, was sentenced to 35 years behind bars with no chance of parole in a plea deal.

Trenary was shot to death while walking on South Front Street near G.E Patterson on Sept. 27, 2018. At the time, police said someone in a white truck drove up and shot him, then fled the area.

Phil Trenary, CEO of Memphis Chamber of Commerce, dead after shooting in downtown Memphis

Trenary was taken to Regional One where he later died.

Despite Richardson not being identified as the shooter, the state proceeded with the plea deal to ensure Richards accountability for his active involvement in Trenarys death, The District Attorneys Office said in a press release.

According to the D.A.s Office, Trenarys family was notified before finalizing the plea deal, and they supported the decision to move forward with the plea agreement.

Richardson had been scheduled for trial May 20.

Richardson and another man were initially charged with first-degree murder in perpetration of attempted robbery and attempted especially aggravated robbery.

Man pleads guilty in Memphis Chamber CEO Phil Trenarys death, gets 25 years

In December 2023, McKinney Wright Jr., who was 22 at the time of the incident, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 25 years in prison with no chance of parole.

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DENVER (KDVR)  Charges have been filed against three young people suspected in a deadly carjacking in Arapahoe County, all of whom were juveniles at the time of the crime.

Two teenage suspects will be tried as adults in the Sept. 19, 2023, homicide, when 23-year-old Ahmed Zainuldeen was shot and killed at an apartment complex in Arapahoe County. A third suspect will be tried as a juvenile.

Second suspect in deadly rock-throwing case pleads guilty

Raydon Collins, 18, and Dhaevontae Rogers-Broadus, 17, were each given a cash-only bond of $1 million in the case. Identifying information about juvenile suspects is not publicly released, nor is information about their cases.

Zainuldeen, an Iraqi immigrant in the U.S. since 2022, was at an apartment complex at East Harvard Avenue and Quebec Street at about 10 p.m. that Tuesday when four people approached his 2012 silver Hyundai Sonata, the Arapahoe County Sheriffs Office said at the time. According to Zainuldeens brother, he saw his car being stolen and ran to stop them.

Thats when Zainuldeen was shot and killed, then the suspects allegedly took off in his car.

Ahmed Zainuldeen was shot and killed by carjackers in Arapahoe County on Sept. 19, 2023. His family said they had just moved to Denver from Iraq a year earlier in search of a better life. (Mahmood Zainuldeen)

Ahmed Zainuldeen, 23, was learning English, started a new a job and met new people before he was shot and killed in a carjacking on Tuesday. (Anna Hanel)

3 charged in Iraqi immigrants killing

Collins and Rogers-Broadus are each facing charges of:

First-degree murder after deliberation

First-degree murder with extreme indifference

Second-degree murder

Aggravated robbery involving a strike, weapon or wound

Aggravated robbery, confederate menace with a weapon

Violent crime causing death or serious bodily injury

Violent crime using a weapon

The juvenile is facing charges of:

First-degree murder after deliberation

First-degree murder with extreme indifference

Second-degree murder

Aggravated robbery involving strike, wound or weapon

Violent juvenile offender  caused death or serious bodily injury

Violent juvenile offender  used weapon

Aggravated juvenile offender  committed a class 1 or 2 felony

A caseworker for Zainuldeen spoke to FOX31 shortly after his death. The caseworker explained that he was an Iraqi immigrant who had only been in the U.S. since November 2022.

Colorado caretaker of adults with disabilities sentenced for sexual assault

Anna Hanel, a caseworker for the African Community Center, told FOX31 she had known the Zainuldeen family for some time. The family had spent years living in Egypt, jumping through bureaucratic hoops in search of reaching America, having left Iraq because of the violence.

These are refugees who came here to seek freedom from violence and persecution, Hanel said at the time.

Rogers-Broadus is scheduled to appear in court for a status conference on June 3. Collins is scheduled to appear for arraignment on June 4.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
3-year-old SC girl dies after birdbath falls on top of her

A 3-year-old South Carolina girl was killed when a birdbath fell on her on Mothers Day, according to WRDW.

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Deputies responded to a home in Warrenville in Aiken County Sunday, where they found the child, identified as Jasmine Denise Mikell, crushed by the birdbath.

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She was rushed to a Georgia hospital, where she died.

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Deputies have called the childs death a tragic accident. No one has been charged.

The family has set up a GoFundMe to help pay for the childs funeral expenses.

Warrenville is about 15 miles from Augusta.
Four local students took home top honors in the 2024 Protect. Check. Remove. Lyme Disease Student Art Competition.

The contest, which was put on by the Departments of Health (DOH), Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and Environmental Protection (DEP), promotes awareness of the prevalence of ticks and encourages people to enjoy the outdoors safely.

>> New tool from Pennsylvania Department of Health shows where ticks are prevalent

Spending time outdoors is important for our health, and we encourage Pennsylvanians to enjoy the outdoors safely as often as possible, said Acting Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen. This student art competition offers a hands-on, creative opportunity for students and their families to learn how to prevent tick bites and Lyme disease. The contest is part of the Shapiro Administrations commitment to promoting healthy behaviors and preventing diseases.

More than 250 students in first through sixth grades across the Commonwealth submitted posters and videos to the Department of Health in March 2024. The following local students won their categories:

Posters

Third and fourth grade winners 1st place: Destrey Jones, Greene County 3rd place: Bekett Blouir, Greene County Fifth and sixth grade winner 1st place: Kaitlyn Courtwright, Greene County

Videos

Third and fourth grade winner Paul Cooley, Allegheny County



Tick bites can ruin a good time out in nature so its important to take commonsense measures to protect yourself, your family, and your pets, said Department of Environmental Protection Deputy Secretary for Field Operations John Ryder. Lyme disease has been found in ticks in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, and other tick-borne illnesses are being found every year.

The winning artwork will be on display in the Pennsylvania State Capitol near the cafeteria outside the Senate Fountain Area through the end of May.

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State police searching for missing 15-year-old girl last seen in Braddock Hills 11 Investigates: Former Pittsburgh Police recruits request 2nd chance Our hearts are heavy: Elizabeth Township K-9 officer Eli dies after demonstration at local school VIDEO: Airbags stolen from dozens of Hondas at Baldwin apartment complex DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts
OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG)  The Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County advises against participating in water-related activities at four local parks due to water-quality concerns, according to a press release.

Walmart employee accused of stealing from store for 2 weeks: Mobile Police

Mondays tests reportedly indicated that the water quality did not meet recreational water quality criteria for Enterococcus bacteria recommended by the Florida Department of Health.

Due to the test results, DOH-Okaloosa County issued a water quality advisory for the following locations:

Clement E. Taylor Park (131 Calhoun Ave., Destin, FL 32541)

Lincoln Park (1217 N. Bayshore Drive, Valparaiso, FL 32580)

James Lee Park (3510 Scenic Highway 98, Destin, FL 32541)

Rocky Bayou State Park (4281 E. Highway 20, Niceville, FL 32578)

Elberta High School student may have just reeled in a record-breaking fish

Officials say the advisory will be in place until bacteria levels are below the accepted health level. Test results for these areas are available on Florida Healths website, according to the release.

For more information, call 850-833-9247 or visit Healthy Okaloosas website.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5.
The corruption trial of Sen. Bob Menendez is off to an explosive start, with prosecutors saying the New Jersey Democrat was on the take from a cast of shady characters and lawyers for Menendez and his co-defendants all casting blame on the senators wife, Nadine, for any potential crimes.

Menendez, 70, has been charged with acting as a foreign agent on behalf of Egypt and assisting the government of Qatar, all while taking bribes from several New Jersey businessmen. He is being tried with Wael Hana, an Egyptian American businessman, and Fred Daibes, a New Jersey real estate developer. All three have pleaded not guilty.

The allegations against Menendez, who stepped down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after being indicted, have already put his long political career on the brink. He is not running for reelection in next months Democratic primary but has said he would consider an independent bid should he be exonerated.

After seating a jury Wednesday, the lawyers took centerstage. First up was the prosecution, which sought to take the complex allegations and spell them out in plain English  describing a series of schemes conducted by the defendants and led by a powerful US senator who was, as assistant US Attorney Lara Pomerantz put it, on the take and using his wife as a go-between with his partners. (Nadine Menendez is also charged and set to go on trial in July, separately from her husband.)

The senators lawyer, Avi Weitzman, painted a much different picture, depicting his client as a lovestruck naif, unaware of Nadine Menendezs financial dealings, debts and  most spectacularly  the contents of her closet in their home, where she kept gold bars allegedly given to her as bribes. Attorneys for Hana and Daibes followed a similar script. Like Weitzman, they also argued that the transactions between the three, and Menendezs wife, did not qualify as a crime  but were simply friendly gift-giving outside the context of the senators official governmental powers.

Here are five takeaways from the opening of the Bob Menendez trial:

The Blame (Nadine) Game

The most striking notes from the opening statements by the defendants lawyers concerned Nadine Menendez and her role in the alleged crimes of her husband, Hana and Daibes.

While Pomerantz, the prosecutor, described Nadine Menendez mostly as a conduit for the passage of bribes between the men, the senators lawyer suggested she was a driving, deceitful figure. He told the story of a younger woman, who was beautiful, tall and cosmopolitan. Nadine Menendez, Weitzman said, had financial concerns she kept from her husband and engaged in cash and gold exchanges of which he was not made aware.

She kept things from him, Weitzman told the jury. She kept him in the dark.

Weitzman brought a series of visual aids to underscore his point.

One image from the couples home showed Nadine Menendezs locked closet, a rambling walk-in with messy racks and clothes strewn on the floor, where the now infamous gold bars were found. The senator, Weitzman said, did not know of the gold bars that existed in that closet. Later on, Weitzman showed another photo, this time of the senators closet  a smaller space with neatly hung suit jackets and shirts. Nothing of interest, he stressed to the jury, had been found there.

The lawyer for Hana, Lawrence Lustberg, also focused a large chunk of his opening statement on Nadine Menendez. She and his client cared about each other, Lustberg said, and frequently gave one another gifts  tequila, jewelry, watches.

Their personal friendship, he explained, led to an ill-fated business arrangement. Nadine Menendez was supposed to help set up offices for Hanas halal company, but she  as Lustberg characterized it  not only failed to follow through but was essentially an absentee employee and did not want to work eight-hour days.

The three checks from his company to her, each for $10,000, were not bribes, Lustberg insisted, but parting compensation to make her good on it.

Later Thursday morning, Bob Menendez announced in a statement that his wife has breast cancer and will undergo a mastectomy. Her trial had been delayed and split from her husbands owing to a previously disclosed serious medical condition. The senator said the couple went public with the information in a bid for privacy, as a result of constant press inquiries and reporters following her.

The defense drills down on the definition of crime

Robert Menendez was a United States senator on the take, Pomerantz, an assistant US attorney, told the jury in her opening remarks. Motivated by greed, focused on how much money he could put in his own pocket and his wifes pocket. That is why we are here today. That is what this trial is all about.

Lawyers for the senator, Hana and Daibes, again, offered a different take.

On Thursday, Cesar de Castro, Daibes lawyer, argued that prosecutors were distorting the nature of his clients relationship with Bob and Nadine Menendez.

The government wants you to assume, presume and infer the worst. It needs you to assume the worst in order for the evidence to make sense, and that tells you everything you need to know about this case, de Castro said. Theres one thing on which we can agree with the government: This case is about relationships.

Hanas lawyer made a similar point.

None of Hanas gifts to Nadine Menendez, before or after she met Mr. Menendez, were in exchange for anything, Lustberg said. What the government is trying to do here is criminalize gift-giving.

Its a good thing, he added, human beings give each other gifts.

Weitzman, the senators lawyer, offered a broader criticism of the governments case, saying that prosecutors were conflating constituent services with bribery and diplomacy with allegations that he worked as a foreign agent.

He argued that his client, in his advocacy for Hana on a range of issues, was acting lawfully in his role as a US senator.

You might not like it, Weitzman told jurors, but it is not a crime.

A question of culture

The gold bars discovered in the Menendez home, which the indictment says were given as bribes, has become the trials trademark, headline-grabbing detail. In court, the defense attorneys in their opening statements sought to defuse the issue.

Their message was consistent: The giving or receiving of gold or gold bars should not imply any criminal behavior. Especially so in this case, they argued, because both Nadine Menendez, originally from Lebanon, and Hana, an Egyptian immigrant, hail from a region where keeping gold is cultural, as Weitzman stated.

Hanas lawyer said his client gave Nadine Menendez gifts aplenty, but he told the jury that they will hear nothing about gold bars that are traceable to Wael Hana in the senators home. They will be told, he said, that gold is a particular gift that people in the Middle East give each other.

When Daibes attorney had the stage, he accused prosecutors of unfairly concluding that the presence of gold suggests something nefarious must be happening.

The governments case, de Castro said, failed to acknowledge that investing in precious metals is common, as is the giving of gold to friends.

Boots, bags, boxes and jackets of cash

The first witness called by prosecutors, FBI special agent Aristotelis Kougemitros, testified Thursday in new and remarkable detail about the nearly half a million dollars in cash, alongside gold jewelry and more than a dozen gold bars, that investigators seized from the Menendez home.

Perhaps more interesting than the sum, though, was where it was all discovered: in a safe, in two black duffel bags, in several boxes and jackets, and stuffed in two pairs of boots. All of it was captured in photographs shown to the court by prosecutors.

All told, the FBI found $486,461 in cash, 11 one-ounce gold bars and a pair of one-kilogram gold bars.

Inside Bob Menendezs home office, adorned with pictures of the senator, sports memorabilia and a small statue of the US Capitol atop his desk, a large black duffel bag found on a chair contained two smaller bags  a Burberry bag filled with $100,000 and another black bag with $33,220 inside, Kougemitros said.

Moving on to the garage, the FBI found $4,300 in the pockets of a blue congressional jacket with the emblem of the US Senate woven on the top left and the senators name engraved on the other side. Other apparel concealing the cash included a tweed jacket containing $21,000, a black leather jacket filled with $6,000, another black jacket with $28,000 inside and a coat containing $8,000.

And then there were the boots. One pair of red boots turned up by the FBI contained dozens of $100 bills. Inside another pair of boots lay $7,500, Kougemitros said.

Pomerantz finished questioning Kougemitros before the court adjourned for the day. He will return to the stand for cross-examination Friday morning.

Whos paying attention? (Not Republicans)

Though the courtroom has been mostly full during the opening days of the Menendez trial, there has been a notable lack of hoopla outside on the streets of Lower Manhattan  especially in comparison with the circus-like atmosphere that has consumed former President Donald Trumps hush money trial, which is taking place a short walk away.

Thats welcome news, or a pleasing lack thereof, for national Democrats who might otherwise be facing tougher questions about Bob Menendezs alleged crimes and why, despite the damning nature of the indictment, he is still a member in good standing of the US Senate. (More than half of the Senate Democratic caucus has called on him to step down, including top ally Cory Booker, the junior senator from New Jersey. Menendez resigned as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but there has been no effort to remove him from office.)

Menendez is up for reelection this year but will not run in the Democratic primary, which Rep. Andy Kim is poised to win in his bid to succeed the longtime incumbent. But with no serious Republican challenger in the race, and the national GOP pre-occupied with Trump  many of them making regular pilgrimages to New York to appear beside him  the Menendez case has mostly flown below the radar outside New York and New Jersey.

In fact, the Democrat most likely to suffer politically could be the senators son, Rob Menendez Jr., a first-term US House member from North Jersey. He is facing a primary challenge from Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, who has frequently invoked the incumbents father during their tense campaign.

His son also happens to be my primary opponent in NJ-08 and was handpicked by his father for his seat, Bhalla said in his call for the senator to resign earlier his year. This culture of corruption and cronyism is bad for New Jersey and bad for America.

This story and headline have been updated.

CNNs Holmes Lybrand contributed to this report.

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ASHEBORO, N.C. (WNCN)  Four critically endangered red wolf pups have each passed their their six-week-old checkup, according to the North Carolina Zoo.

All pups are healthy and doing well, the Zoo said in a post to Facebook, adding that all of them have mastered side-eye looks and resting puppy face already.

Four red wolf pups at the NC Zoo receive their six week vet checkups. (Courtesy NC Zoo)

Four red wolf pups at the NC Zoo receive their six week vet checkups. (Courtesy NC Zoo)

Four red wolf pups at the NC Zoo receive their six week vet checkups. (Courtesy NC Zoo)

Four red wolf pups at the NC Zoo receive their six week vet checkups. (Courtesy NC Zoo)

Four red wolf pups at the NC Zoo receive their six week vet checkups. (Courtesy NC Zoo)

It was just a week prior to these pups six-week checkup that the Zoo posted a video showing another litter of newborn endangered red wolf pups, also born at the zoo.

Looking for more positive news in your day? Check out The Bright Side 

We are thrilled to announce that we have had not only one but TWO litters of critically endangered red wolf pups born at the North Carolina Zoo! another post read. The pups in this other litter were undergoing their 24-hour checkup.

This checkup, of course, also resulted in more adorable photos.

A litter of red wolf pups at the NC Zoo receive a 24-hour checkup. (Courtesy NC Zoo)

A litter of red wolf pups at the NC Zoo receive a 24-hour checkup. (Courtesy NC Zoo)

A litter of red wolf pups at the NC Zoo receive a 24-hour checkup. (Courtesy NC Zoo)

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS17.com.
Asked to name her favorite subject at Tampas Cleveland Elementary School, Jailise Vega said, Can I name two?

An A and B student, she enjoys math and reading equally. But shes nervous about August, when she will transfer to Witter Elementary after Cleveland closes later this month. Jailise, 9, will need to make new friends.

Change is coming to thousands of Hillsborough County children this summer as the school district pushes ahead with a boundary redesign that responds to lopsided enrollment levels caused, in large part, by parents use of school choice.

Slightly more than 2,000 students are in underenrolled schools that will close and be used for other purposes when the school year ends on May 24. Also slated for closure are Kimbell Elementary and Adams, McLane and Monroe middle schools.

Thousands more students will be reassigned to different schools so the district can even out enrollment levels.

Its tough, said Kimberly Jahn, the principal of South Tampas Monroe Middle. Even though the district has made it possible for teachers to obtain suitable transfers, she said, every person on my campus is facing the unknown, and thats a weight.

As for the students, she said, they are not as fazed as the grown-ups. Most will resume classes at nearby Madison Middle, or Stewart Middle along the Hillsborough River.

The decision to redraw boundaries and repurpose schools happened a year ago, after a long and painful consultant study. A sixth school, Just Elementary, was struggling so badly to hire teachers and meet student needs that it closed in June 2023. It is now used as a community center, housing both district staff and outside organizations.

The five that are next to close faced some challenges, both similar to and different from those at Just.

A decade ago, the five schools had a combined enrollment of 3,522 students. Current levels show a 41% decrease, with families opting for magnet schools, independently managed charter schools or other options within the choice system. In some neighborhoods, aging populations also decreased the need for schools.

In redrawing boundaries, the district is seeking to reduce inefficiencies caused by underenrolled and overcrowded schools. In addition to the students at the five schools that are closing, thousands are being redirected from one open school to another.

Karen Perez, the school board chairperson, voted against the closings and contends they will be harmful to families that rely on their neighborhood schools. When a student goes to assimilate into a new space, it literally puts them behind two years, said Perez, a clinical social worker.

She said she believes that, in pursuing the plan developed under former Superintendent Addison Davis, district leaders are trying to shore up support for a proposed property tax to enhance teacher pay. The rationale is that the district is earning the right to the tax by demonstrating it can use its resources wisely.

But Perez said she does not believe the savings are worth the disruption to vulnerable families.

She and board member Jessica Vaughn, who also opposed the plan, say they would like to see more public discussion of the closings. In January, Deputy Superintendent Shaylia McRae sent the board a detailed list of steps the district has taken to keep families informed, equip the schools with books and supplies, and help displaced employees find suitable jobs.

Buses must be rerouted. Food orders must be adjusted. Families have been invited to tour other schools, including magnet schools, according to district emails.

The buildings will be emptied out after classes end, said district spokesperson Tanya Arja. As the summer months are used for construction projects at schools that are open, work on the closed schools will begin during the 2024-25 academic year.

Its too soon to know the impact these changes will have on enrollment, as some families will use school choice to avoid their childrens new schools. At a board workshop recently, Superintendent Van Ayres said the new boundaries should leave the district without any school operating below 60% capacity. But true numbers will not be known until September.

Here is a brief history of the five schools that are soon to close:

Adams Middle

Established in 1958 on Busch Boulevard, the school was named for John Quincy Adams, the nations sixth president. Like other middle schools, it served grades seven through nine as a junior high school before the districtwide transition three decades ago to middle schools with grades six through eight.

In its prime, Adams had more than 1,000 students drawn from a diverse area that included the upper-middle-class neighborhoods of Carrollwood and Forest Hills. But in recent years, virtually all families in Original Carrollwood found other alternatives for their children. Carrollwood Elementary School is now being converted to a K-8 school, at the communitys insistence.

Adams has a D grade from the state. At last count it had 533 students, even though 1,367 public middle school students live in its zone. The remaining students will be offered spots at Hill, Memorial and Buchanan middle schools, and at Carrollwood, Sulphur Springs and Woodson K-8 schools.

Cleveland Elementary

Grover Cleveland Elementary, also named for a U.S. president, was built in 1926 to serve Tampas growing population during the land boom of the 1920s.

Cleveland had 417 students in 2013. Enrollment shrank in the decade that followed, to 195 this year. Those who left were evenly divided among charter, magnet and choice schools. The 344 students living in the Cleveland zone are being assigned to Foster and Seminole elementary schools, and Sulphur Springs K-8.

Kimbell Elementary

Kimbell opened in 2008 just west of Temple Terrace. It was named for Sylvia Rodriguez Kimbell, an educator and Hillsborough County commissioner.

The school received C grades from the state for its first five years, but those changed to Ds and Fs for much of the last decade. Enrollment dropped to 339 from 553 a decade earlier. Riverhills Elementary, a magnet school, and Woodmont, a charter school, attracted the largest numbers of students leaving Kimbell.

The 597 public school children who live in Kimbells zone will be reassigned to Sheehy Elementary and Woodson K-8.

McLane Middle

With a history that dates to 1914, McLane served elementary and middle school grades and was an early home to Brandon High School. It was named for E.F. McLane, a Brandon High principal.

The school has been known for a prize-winning robotics program. But it also experienced periods of unrest resulting from a school boundary plan that bused hundreds of students in from East Tampa. Long daily bus rides and parents difficulty in accessing the school contributed to widespread alienation. Expulsion statistics were the highest in the district, the Times reported in 2015. Explosive incidents included a dismissal-time brawl in which a Hillsborough County Sheriffs deputy used a Taser gun on two female students.

The district later took steps to keep more East Tampa students in their neighborhood by encouraging them to apply to magnet schools there. Behavior at McLane improved, but enrollment never fully rebounded.

The school was about half empty this year, with 652 students. Those zoned for McLane are being offered seats at Giunta, Sligh and Mann middle schools.

Monroe Middle

Named for President James Monroe, the school was opened in 1957 to serve the area surrounding and including MacDill Air Force Base. Over the years, Monroe established a Junior ROTC program  unique for Florida at the time  and, later, a science and technology program.

But enrollment levels were low, with 344 students at last count. A big draw was Tinker, a MacDill-based elementary school that expanded to include the middle school grades in 2015. The district tried to rebrand Monroe under an International Baccalaureate format, but that effort was not successful.

The 573 students zoned for Monroe are being offered seats at Madison and Stewart middle schools.
South Africa asked the top international court Thursday to order a halt to the Rafah offensive, accused Israel of genocide and said the country's war effort "must be stopped" to protect the Palestinian people.

South Africas legal representatives at the International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, said Israel's shutdown of the Rafah and Kerem Shalom border crossings have plunged Gaza into "unprecedented levels of humanitarian need." They demanded Israel completely withdraw from Rafah, a city of 250,000 before the war that swelled to more than 1 million as refugees fled fighting elsewhere in Gaza.

From the onset, Israel's intent was always to destroy Palestinian life and to wipe them off the face of the earth," said South African law professor Max du Plessis. "Rafah is the final stand."

Israel will provide a response in court Friday. Israeli officials have previously denied in court claims the country's military campaign violates the 1949 Genocide Convention, arguing that it stepped up efforts to provide humanitarian aid for Gaza in accordance with previous court orders.

The court's rulings and orders are binding, but it has no way to enforce them. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly claimed Israel is defending itself after the Hamas-led attack Oct. 7 that resulted in almost 1,200 deaths and the seizing of more than 250 hostages.

Egypt rips Israel: Says nation is deflecting blame for Gaza crisis

Tents are set up by displaced Palestinians amid the devastation in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on May 16, 2024.

Developments:

 The Arab League called for a U.N. peacekeeping force in Gaza. The Manama Declaration issued by the 22-member bloc meeting in Bahrain said the force is needed until a two-state solution is implemented.

 On back-to-back nights, including Thursday, Israeli settlers physically assaulted and injured truck drivers in the occupied West Bank under the belief they were delivering humanitarian assistance to Gaza, the Times of Israel reported, citing Hebrew media reports. Also Thursday, Canada sanctioned what it called four "extremist Israeli settlers'' for acts of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

 The World Food Program said it is providing hot meals to thousands of families in central Gaza, but that remaining stocks of food parcels will run out within days. And distributions in Rafah have "come to a halt," the agency said.

 Israeli forces killed three men in raids across the occupied West Bank on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, during a search of money-changing shops, the Palestinian Health Ministry and Palestinian officials said.

US-built Gaza pier: Aid delivery to population isolated by war starting

More aid goes into Gaza, but misery lingers

The number of aid trucks entering Gaza, which had dwindled substantially since Israel began its so-called limited military operation in Rafah last week, has increased recently at President Joe Biden's urging, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday.

Still, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said moments before that the humanitarian situation in the territory continues to deteriorate, and travel and the flow of desperately needed fuel have "come to a complete halt." Israel said on the X platform that 20,000 gallons of fuel were brought in Thursday.

More than 7,000 trucks carrying humanitarian assistance have gone into Gaza since April 5, Jean-Pierre said. That's an average of 180 a day, considerably below the 500 that were common before the war. Jean-Pierre said trucks are entering through the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south and a new one, Erez West in the north, but that operations through the critical Rafah access point remain limited.

"We need to get more aid into Gaza because we know how dire the humanitarian situation is," she said. "We have seen some progress; we need to get more in."

In its daily update Wednesday, the United Nations said the "number of drivers and trucks cleared by Israel to use (the road to Kerem Shalom) is insufficient to meet demand, causing delays and fewer aid deliveries than planned.''

Contributing: Francesca Chambers

Netanyahu to confront Defense Minister Gallant about his Gaza comments

Netanyahu said Thursday he'll have a talk with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who warned the previous day that he would stand in the way of Israel establishing a military or civil government in Gaza after the war, comments that defied the prime minister's expressed plans.

If Netanyahu intends to fire Gallant for the apparent insubordination, he'll get popular opposition. A survey by Israel's Channel 12 revealed 60% of respondents are against Gallant getting fired, compared to 23% in favor.

Speaking on television Wednesday, Gallant said Netanyahu should make a public commitment for Israel not to play a role in ruling Gaza after Hamas has been driven away, suggesting it would be better for Palestinians and "international actors'' to take over the territory's government, according to the Times of Israel.

During a meeting with reporters near the Gaza border Thursday, Netanyahu was asked whether he and Gallant  two of three voting members of Israel's War Cabinet, along with Benny Gantz  could still work together. According to the Times, he responded: If youre talking about what the defense minister said yesterday, then what I have to say to him Ill first say one-on-one, and not here.

Netanyahu, who said that meeting would take place soon, already fired Gallant once in March 2023 when the defense minister raised concerns about the impact of a judicial overhaul Netanyahu pushed for. After an outcry, Gallant was brought back.

5 Israeli soldiers killed in friendly fire tank attack

Five Israeli soldiers were killed and seven wounded in a northern Gaza incident when Israeli tanks fired shells "for unclear reasons" at a building being used by Israeli troops, the military announced Thursday. An initial investigation revealed the tanks, a few dozens yards from the building, identified a weapon and fired at least two shells, the military said in a statement. Officials were investigating "why the shells were fired and if the soldiers were mistaken for armed militants." The soldiers who died were all ages 20 to 22.

The incident took place in an area of northern Gaza initially cleared of Hamas militants early in the war. In recent days, however, Israeli forces have returned to face fierce fighting around Gaza City and the Jabalia refugee camp, raising doubts about Israel's progress in eliminating Hamas from the enclave.

Early Thursday, the Israeli military announced another issue, an "operational accident as a result of a munitions explosion in military territory" where forces were stationed in Israel less than a mile from Gaza. There was no immediate report on casualties, and the military said that incident was under investigation.

Egyptian leader says Israel has no interest in cease-fire deal

Israel is stalling to avoid all efforts to reach a cease-fire agreement in Gaza, and Arab leaders and the international community must unite to protect the future of all Palestinians, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said Thursday. El-Sisi, speaking at the Arab League Summit in Bahrain, said the region is facing a defining moment and must choose between peace and stability or "chaos and destruction." Egypt, Qatar and the U.S. have led mediation efforts that so far have failed to reach a cease-fire agreement since a weeklong truce in November.

We are facing the absence of a genuine international political will to end the occupation and address the root-causes of the conflict through the two-state solution, El-Sisi said. All the future generations of Palestine and Israel deserve to live in a region where justice thrives, peace prevails and security reigns."

Netanyahu, who has opposed a two-state solution, says Israel has the right to defend itself and has pledged to continue the military effort until Hamas is crushed.

Aid to begin flowing through US-built pier

The Pentagon has built a pier in Gaza after a two-month effort and aid is expected to begin flowing within days, Solani Korde, a senior official with the U.S. Agency for Development, said Thursday. Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, acknowledged land routes are the most efficient means of getting aid to civilians in Gaza who face dire food shortages. Border closures and tight security demanded by Israel have severely limited the flow of aid along land routes.

The new pier was fixed to the shore early Thursday, and about 500 tons of aid are staged for delivery in the next few days, Cooper said.

"Trucks carrying humanitarian assistance are expected to begin moving ashore in the coming days," Central Command said in a statement. "The United Nations will receive the aid and coordinate its distribution into Gaza."

 Tom Vanden Brook

Pentagon begins building floating pier: Will ferry humanitarian aid to Gaza

Israel to send more troops into Rafah

Israel forces are "wearing down" Hamas resistance in Rafah and more Israel troops will join the ground operation, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Thursday.

"This operation will continue with additional forces," Gallant said in a statement. "Several tunnels in the area have been destroyed by our forces and more tunnels will be destroyed soon." He said Hamas is unable to "regenerate itself" because it has no reserves, no ability to manufacture weapons, no supplies or ammunition.

Hamas "has no ability to properly treat terrorists who are injured, and this means that we are wearing it down," Gallant said.

Israel, Egypt clash over fate of Rafah border crossing

Egypt has rejected an Israeli proposal for reopening the Rafah border crossing between Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip and to manage its future operation, two Egyptian security sources told Reuters. Among concerns: Egypt demands that Palestinians manage the border after Israel's withdrawal. Israel is unwilling to relinquish control amid concerns that Hamas could regain influence in the enclave.

The Rafah crossing had been a main conduit for humanitarian aid entering Gaza. Egypt blames the current border shutdown on the Israeli military operation amid concerns the Sinai will be overwhelmed with refugees fleeing Gaza. Israel says it is willing to open the border for civilians who want to flee the fighting.

The U.N. and international aid agencies say the closures of the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings have essentially severed the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Contributing: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israeli war updates: World court told Israel 'must be stopped'
The Israeli military said Thursday that five soldiers were killed and seven others were injured in a friendly fire incident in northern Gaza amid renewed battles in the area against regrouped Hamas militants.

The Israel Defense Forces said it had opened an investigation into the deadly incident, which it said happened when the soldiers were hit by tank crossfire in Jabalia.

While battles raged in the north, Israel's defense minister said more troops would join the ground operation in Rafah, where an intensifying assault has sent hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fleeing the southern Gaza city where they had sought refuge.

"An initial investigation into the deaths of five IDF soldiers reveals that IDF tanks, located dozens of meters away, identified a weapon and fired shells at an IDF force nearby," the IDF said in a statement.

"This force had entered the northern part of Gaza and occupied buildings along a logistic route. The tanks fired two shells for unclear reasons, resulting in seven more soldiers being injured, three severely."

The statement added that the IDF "is probing why the shells were fired and if the soldiers were mistaken for armed militants." The troops were members of the 202nd Battalion of the Paratroopers Brigade.

Seven months into its war aimed at eliminating Hamas, Israeli forces are again engaged in intense fighting in areas of northern Gaza that the IDF said earlier had been cleared, renewing doubts over the government's strategy in the war.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come under growing pressure from the U.S. to lay out a plan for postwar Gaza, and on Wednesday he faced rare public criticism over the issue from within his own War Cabinet.

In a nationally televised statement, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant challenged Netanyahu over what he said was his refusal to discuss the issue. He said that would lead to Israels being forced to rule over the Palestinian enclave again, which he said he opposed. "We must make tough decisions for the future of our country, favoring national priorities above all other possible considerations, even with the possibility of personal or political costs," Gallant said.

Still, Netanyahu insists the focus must be on invading Rafah, where his troops have intensified operations since Israel called on residents of the city's east to evacuate last week.

After he conducted an assessment Wednesday on the Gaza border near Rafah, Gallant said that additional troops will join the ground operation in Rafah."

This operation will continue as additional forces will enter" the area, he said, according to a transcript his office provided a day later. "Several tunnels in the area have been destroyed by our troops and additional tunnels will be destroyed soon. This activity will intensify.

At least 600,000 people fled parts of Gaza's southernmost city, where more than 1 million Palestinians sought shelter, according to the United Nations, with 100,000 more people displaced in northern Gaza.

The U.N.s top court opens two days of hearings Thursday into South Africa's call to halt Israeli operations in Rafah.

The slow increase in the flow of aid into the strip over recent months could also be wiped out by Israel's assault on Rafah, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday, with one critical aid crossing shut and another restricted.

U.S. Central Command said early Thursday it had successfully anchored a temporary humanitarian pier to a beach in Gaza to increase the flow of aid.

Trucks carrying humanitarian assistance are expected to begin moving ashore in the coming days, it said in a post on X.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
DENVER (KDVR)  A 5-year-old Fort Collins girl has died after she was strangled in her swing set.

Aurora Masters had been in the hospital since the incident last week. FOX31s Greg Nieto has been in touch with her family members, who said she passed away on Saturday.

Our sweet Aurora Rae (Ray of sunshine as many of you have told us) is continuing evaluations to maximize her ability to donate her organs and tissues, great aunt Brenda Kennedy wrote on a fundraiser page over the weekend.

Woman killed after rock is thrown through windshield in Burke County: NCSHP

Kennedy told FOX31 that Aurora had somehow gotten caught up in a swing, which strangled her. She had been receiving care at Childrens Hospital Colorado in Aurora.

Her family said money donated to the fundraiser, including a fundraising event over the weekend in Loveland, will go toward the girls celebration of life, with any excess to be donated to organizations in Auroras name.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
State Sen. Rick Brattin, a member of the Freedom Caucus, shouts at his Republican colleagues Wednesday during debate on initiative petition changes (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).

A 50-hour Democratic filibuster forced the Senates divided GOP majority to finally yield Wednesday evening, stalling a vote on a bill seeking to make it more difficult to amend Missouris constitution.

Democrats have blocked all action in the Senate since Monday afternoon, demanding that the legislation be stripped of ballot candy that would bar non-citizens from voting and ban foreign entities from contributing to or sponsoring constitutional amendments, both of which are already illegal.

The Senate passed the bill without ballot candy in February. The House added it back last month.

Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, an Independence Democrat, on Tuesday said the situation presented an existential crisis for the Senate, as Republicans openly considered a rarely-used maneuver to kill the filibuster and force a vote on the bill.

Are the bullies going to win? Rizzo asked. Or is the rest of the Senate finally going to stand up for itself and say no more.

He got an answer just before 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, when state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, an Arnold Republican and the bills sponsor, surprised many of her colleagues by asking that the Senate send the bill back to the House for more negotiations on whether to include ballot candy.

Republicans simply didnt have the votes to kill the filibuster, she said, and Democrats showed no signs of relenting before session ends at 6 p.m. Friday.

These policies are too important to play political games with, Coleman said, adding that going to conference to work out a deal with the House was the only way to keep it alive in the face of unrelenting Democratic opposition. In a perfect world, we would not be between a rock and a hard place.

The sudden change in tactics was not well-taken by members of the Freedom Caucus, who argued sending the bill back to the House with only two days left before adjournment puts its chances at risk.

Tim Jones, a former Missouri House speaker and current director of the states Freedom Caucus, wrote on social media Thursday evening that Coleman effectively killed her own bill today.

Ultimately, the Senate voted 18-13 to send the bill to conference, with nine Republicans joining nine Democrats in support of the move.

If the bill passes, Missourians would have the opportunity to vote later this year on whether or not to require constitutional amendments be approved by both a majority of votes statewide and a majority of votes in five of the states eight congressional districts.

Right now, amendments pass with a simple majority.

A possible vote on abortion in November is a catalyst behind the battle over the bill, as a campaign to legalize abortion up to the point of fetal viability is on the path to the statewide ballot.

Republicans have said that without raising the threshold for changing the states constitution, a constitutional right to abortion will likely become the law of the land in Missouri.

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State Sen. Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican and a member of the Freedom Caucus, tipped his hat to the Democrats wherewithal before scorning some of his Republican colleagues.

Unfortunately, this Republican Party has no backbone to fight for what is right for life, he shouted from the Senate floor.   They will have the blood of the innocent on their heads. Shame on this party.

Colemans move also came as a surprise to state Rep. Alex Riley, a Republican from Springfield who sponsored the initiative petition bill in the House.

Were going to have to have some conversations tonight to figure out what exactly it is they have in mind, he said. We will be having many conversations over the next few hours.

House Speaker Dean Plocher said he was pleased to see the impasse broken, adding that the House is ready to work on a final version that can be passed.

He didnt promise to remove the ballot candy added by the House.

Asked if Coleman made a tactical mistake in telling the House to restore the items removed during the first Democratic filibuster, Plocher said he hadnt spoken to Coleman and declined to speculate on whether the outcome would have been different had she not.

Democrats left the Senate Wednesday evening hopeful they will ultimately get their way.

This body by and large is a staunch supporter of democracy. That doesnt just go for one side of the aisle. That goes for both sides, Rizzo said. This is not protecting the ballot for Democrats or Republicans or one issue or the other issue that you might like or dislike. This protects the ballot box for Republicans and Democrats alike for the future.

Rizzo maintained that removing the ballot candy is still the only way Democrats will allow the bill to get through the Senate if it returns from the House.

If you havent figured that out in the last three or four days, I dont know where youve been, Rizzo said, adding: Hopefully sleeping.

As the Senate prepared to vote, state Sen. Bill Eigel, a Weldon Spring Republican and Freedom Caucus member, warned his colleagues not to be optimistic that the Senate will come back Thursday and pass other bills waiting in the pipeline.

If the hope is that this process is going to somehow lead us back to a place of engaging more legislation besides this, Im gonna say this very clearly, he said. Dont get your hopes up.

The post 50-hour filibuster forces more negotiations on GOP-backed initiative petition changes appeared first on Missouri Independent.
6 of the 8 Farmworkers Killed in Florida Bus Crash ID'd; Youngest Victim Was 18 Years Old

Bryan Maclean Howard was arrested on eight counts of manslaughter in connection with the crash, authorities say

abc Florida crash killed 8 farm workers

Authorities have revealed the identities of six of the eight farmworkers who were killed in a crash on May 14 when the bus they were on collided with a pickup truck in Florida.

All of the fatal victims were harvest workers from Mexico, authorities have said. The crash left at least 40 people injured, The Associated Press reports.

Ernesto Ruiz, a researcher at the Farmworker Association of Florida, identified the names of six of the victims to PEOPLE: Evarado Ventura Hernandez, 30; Cristian Salazar Villeda, 24; Alfredo Tovar Sanchez, 20; Isaias Miranda Pascal, 21; Jose Heriberto Fraga Acosta, 27, and Manuel Perez Rios, 46.

Juan Sabines, the Mexican Consul in Orlando, said on Tuesday that the youngest victim was 18-years-old, WESH reported. That victim has not been publicly named.

State troopers arrested Bryan Maclean Howard, the alleged driver of the pickup truck, in connection with the crash, the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said in a statement. He's charged with eight counts of manslaughter.

It's not immediately clear if he has entered pleas or retained an attorney.

At 6:35 a.m. on May 14, a school bus carrying the farm workers was headed west and the pickup, which was headed east, "for unknown reasons, traveled towards the center line, and the vehicles had a collision of a side swipe-type manner," Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Patrick Riordan previously alleged at a press conference.

After the collision, "the school bus traveled off the roadway onto the grass shoulder, where it went through a fence, struck a tree, and overturned," Riordan said.

Those who survived are "really distressed," Ruiz tells PEOPLE, who added, "They're struggling."



Related: 8 Dead and 40 Hospitalized After Bus Carrying Fla. Farmworkers Hit by Truck

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The victims are part of a cohort of migrant workers who travel to the U.S. for several months and move across different states, Ruiz tells PEOPLE.

He says while the workers were residing in Florida at the time of the accident, they were scheduled to leave Florida for another farm later in the week.

The workers were en route to Cannon Farms in Dunnellon, Fla., when the accident occurred, WESH reported at the time.

Cannon Farms announced on Facebook the business was closed through the following day in honor of the victims.

The workers are usually in the U.S. for about 10 months and their visa status doesnt include provisions to bring their family members, Ruiz says.

A GoFundMe set up by the Farmworker Association of Florida raised nearly $80,000 for the workers and their families.

"Farmworkers tend to be forgotten, but it's important not to forget farmworkers, especially during such difficult times," the fundraiser said.



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Read the original article on People.
A group of abortion rights supporters gather in the lobby of the South Carolina State House on Wednesday April 26, 2023.

A Richland County judge is keeping the states fetal heartbeat abortion ban at six weeks, despite Planned Parenthoods effort to get the ban moved to nine weeks.

In Judge Daniel Cobles order denying a preliminary injunction, he cited the legislative intent of the law when lawmakers debated the ban. Legislators, both supporting and opposing the ban, repeatedly referred to the law as a six-week abortion ban, a mark when a woman may not even know she is pregnant.

This court holds that it is clear beyond a shadow of a doubt that the General Assembly intended, and the public understood, that the time frame of the act would begin around the six-week mark, Coble wrote in a decision issued Thursday afternoon.

South Carolina law bans abortion after a heartbeat can be detected.

The state argued an embryos heart is beating steadily, repetitively and rhythmically at the six-week mark even though the heart isnt fully formed.

Planned Parenthood South Atlantic argued that the law should be enforced at the nine-week mark, when a heart is fully formed.

The state Supreme Court ruled in August that the states fetal heartbeat law is constitutional, but said there is confusion over when a babys heartbeat begins.

Coble conceded the way the law is written has ambiguity.

The definition of fetal heartbeat is not clear and unambiguous and does not convey a definite meaning on its face, Coble wrote. Therefore, this Court must look to the intent of the General Assembly in determining, if possible, what it envisioned.

The governors office, which defended the law along with the state attorney generals office, did not immediately comment on Cobles decision.

It is anticipated the decision most likely will be appealed.

Status quo remains, but we live to fight another day, said Vicki Ringer, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic. After we read the decision, we may have more to say.
7 alleged gang members connected to multiple crimes in north Georgia, GBI says

A multi-agency investigation led to several alleged Georgia gang members facing multiple charges.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Last year in October, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Gang Task Force investigated the Habersham Gangster Disciples street gang members and associates.

The gang members were linked to several crimes involving violations of gang terrorism, racketeering and selling illegal drugs.

Georgia and North Carolina agents conducted search warrants and arrest warrants on April 18.

TRENDING STORIES:

Those arrested include:

Roger Laquerrius Neal, 34, of Toccoa, GA, was charged with Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, Violation of Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, and possession of Schedule III drug with intent to distribute.

Tyler Dallas Cagle, 33, of Waynesville, NC, was charged with Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, Violation of Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, possession of Schedule III drug with intent to distribute, simple assault, and terroristic threats.

Sarah Smathers, 31, of Waynesville, NC, was charged with Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, Violation of Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, and possession of Schedule III drug with intent to distribute.

Terry Ray Williams Jr., 20, of Waynesville, NC, was charged with Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, Violation of Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, and possession of Schedule III drug with intent to distribute.

Shelby Page Stephens, 63, of Waynesville, NC, was charged with Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, Violation of Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, and possession of Schedule III drug with intent to distribute.

Quillan Leshun Samuels, 25, of Gainesville, GA, was charged with Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, Violation of Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, Terroristic Threats, and possession of Schedule III drug with intent to distribute.

Andrew Nelson Dover, 47, of Habersham County, GA, was charged with Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, Violation of Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, and possession of Schedule III drug with intent to distribute.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
7 of the best river cruises around the world for 2024

A cruise holiday isnt always about setting sail across vast oceans. For an alternative type of break on the water, winding your way inland might sound similar but its a vastly different experience.

From crossing deep into the untouched areas of the Amazon rainforest to exploring some of Europes finest cities, the river cruise experience is one that allows tourists to get to grips with the history, culture and tradition of a destination in a slow, immersive fashion.

This could be in the form of sampling Creole cuisine in Mississippi or discovering historic sites in Vietnam, but whatever it is, theres plenty of choice across Europe, Asia, South America and North America.

Read on for a selection of the best cruises, from the Mississippi to the Mekong.

The Danube

The Danube rises in the mountains of Germanys Black Forest (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Europes second longest river  and arguably its most famous  river takes you through amazing capital cities and host of charming towns, as well as plenty of scenic countryside in Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania. Cruises along the Danube can vary from a handful of days to almost three weeks, giving you time to explore the elegance of cities like Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava or Belgrade.

Emerald Cruises lets you see the best of the Danube with the addition of a hefty dose of traditional German culture in Munich. Leaving the Bavarian capital, youll travel to Passau before a quick cross-border trip to the Unesco-listed Czech city of Cesky Krumlov. Vienna is the next city, replete with opulent architecture, before a quick overnight stay in Bratislava on the sixth night. Guided tours and hikes around the castle are included, before you get three nights to explore Budapest, the Hungarian capital that is blessed with picturesque buildings, relaxed thermal baths and a buzzing nightlife scene.

From 1,999pp, including nine nights accommodation, full board, tours of Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest and airport transfers. Departing 7 May 2024 to 20 October 2024.

Read more on Europe travel:

The Amazon

The Amazon basin has an area of around 2.7 million square miles (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

This famous river runs for over 4,000 miles throughout South America and is a major part of the eponymous rainforest, one of the most biodiverse and important natural areas on the planet. A river cruise remains the best way to reach deeper into the jungle, with many cruises beginning in the northern Brazilian city of Manaus or in the Peruvian city of Lima.

Start in Perus enchanting capital with the Peruvian Rivers and Rainforest Discovery cruise from Uniworld. Youll fly to Iquitos, the largest city in the Amazon as your next stop, before delving into some of the most remote areas in the world as you take to the waters. From here, nature takes centre stage, with a variety of experiences  including jungle walks and kayaking on a lake  added to the enjoyment of natural features such as giant lilies, towering barrigona trees and around 10 per cent of the worlds known animal species.

From 8,799pp, including 10 nights accommodation, full board, return flights from London, domestic flights and various excursions. Departing regularly from 17 January until 6 November 2024.

The Nile

The Nile starts in the Mediterranean and runs through as far south as Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Start in Cairo and make your way down to Aswan over a few days (though many shorter routes operate between Aswan and Luxor only). For a relaxing way to take in riverside scenery and some of Egypts most important historical sites, a river cruise is the ideal choice.

AP Tourings Egypt Discovery trip takes you on a round trip from Cairo. Youll cross thousands of years of history, starting with West Bank the Valley of the Kings, before a short flight to Aswan to explore Abu Simbel and a sighting of the landmark Pyramids of Giza near the Egyptian capital. The scenery along the route is exceptional, too, with palm trees, green spaces and mini oases dotted in between the yellow-hued rock.

From 6,995pp, including 12 nights accommodation, 30 meals (including unlimited local beer and wine) return flights from London Heathrow, domestic flights within Egypt and activities in each of the 10 destinations. Departing regularly from September 2024 to April 2025.

The Rhine

The Rhine is the busiest waterway in Europe (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Exploring this land of castles and fairytales is a worthwhile European trip, with tours often starting in the pretty Dutch capital of Amsterdam and weaving across the German and French countryside, with the route broken up by cities such as Cologne, Dusseldorf and Strasbourg. Many of the towns located on the banks of the Rhine, such as Koblenz, are incredibly picturesque, with a range of medieval castles and natural sites like the Black Forest also featuring.

Ama Waterways provide a seven-night cruise that runs from Basel to Amsterdam. Get your cultural fix at either end of your trip in either of these two cities, before admiring the vistas around the Rhine Valley, the medieval castles that loom over towns like Heidelberg and the timber-framed buildings that line the streets of Riquewihr and Strasbourg. Stops in both Freiburg and Dusseldorf are also included, as well as an optional excursion to Cologne.

From 2,399pp, including seven nights accommodation, full board and tours in each destination. Departing regularly between 18 February and 28 December 2024.

The Douro

The Douro Valley is supposedly the oldest demarcated wine-growing region in the world (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The views around the Douro Valley are some of the best in Portugal, whether youre sitting by the banks in Porto or admiring the verdant hills and vineyards around Pinhao. This region, well-known for its port production, has cruises lasting roughly one week that usually begin and end in Porto  where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean  with a brief crossing over into Spain and Salamanca.

The Riviera Travel package offers an affordable eight-day Douro option starting and ending in Porto, with two nights to explore Portugals magnificent second city (and to go on a guided tour of a well-known port producer). Days three and four take you to sleepy Castelo de Rodrigo and the historic Spanish city of Salamanca (with guided tours and time to explore at your leisure) before traversing the cascading vineyards of the valley on your way back to Porto via the beautiful Peso de Regua (and a local wine tasting).

From 1,599pp, including seven nights accommodation, full board, flights from a London airport, one excursion one each day and airport transfers. Departing regularly from 7 April 2024.

The Mississippi

At least 260 species of fish  25 per cent of all fish species in North America  live in the Mississippi River (Getty Images)

Discovering the Deep South is often done by car, but with new routes recently from Viking Cruises, exploring Louisiana, Mississippi, Minnesota and Tennessee has never been more idyllic. The famed cities of New Orleans and Memphis can bookend your tour, with lesser-known locations such as Baton Rouge, Natchez and Darrow making up the other stops.

Opt for Vikings Heart of the Delta cruise to if you really want to immerse yourself in the Deep South. The cruise begins with a few days exploring the French influences and Creole cuisine of New Orleans, before moving on to Baton Rouge  a haven of Creole and Cajun culture  and then onto Natchez, the oldest city on the river. Youll travel through other towns on the Mississippi  complete with walking tours or excursions to the Atchafalaya Swamp basin  before reaching Memphis, the atmospheric home of blues music.

From 6,545pp, including 12 nights accommodation, full board, return flights from London and one excursion per destination. Departing weekly from March 7 until 13 June, with additional departures on 7 November and 13 November.

The Mekong

The Mekong River is also known as the Mother of Water (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The Mekong flows through a host of Asias most fascinating countries, including Vietnam, Thailand, China and Cambodia. Most cruises only take in parts of Vietnam and Cambodia, though this mix of floating fishing villages, traditional markets and the two capitals of Ho Chi Minh City and Phnom Penh will be enough for most travellers. With Avalon Waterways, youll combine energetic, modern cities with some of the most vibrant culture in Asia and a history that is equal parts sobering and fascinating.

It starts in Siem Reap, site of the Angkor Wat temple, before moving on to the Cambodian capital, where you can learn about the dictatorship of Pol Pot and visit several must-see landmarks. After this, Vietnam beckons, with a visit to the dizzying Ho Chi Minh City to see its admirable architecture. Visits to markets, old Vietnam War tunnels, temples and cooking classes are dotted in between these city trips for good measure, with stops at characterful towns like Vinh Long, too.

From 4,229pp, including seven nights accommodation, full board and activities on each day of the trip. Departing regularly from 15 January to 11 March and from 12 August to 2 December 2024.

Read more: Best hotels in Europe: Where to stay for a city, beach or retreat break
HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  Sumner County first responders teamed up Wednesday in order to track down a man who drowned in Hendersonville.

The Hendersonville Police Department said it responded to a possible drowning at the Saundersville Boat Ramp on Caudill Drive at approximately 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday, May 15.

Man indicted for death of kayaker on Percy Priest Lake

Members of the Hendersonville Fire Department, the Sumner County Emergency Management Agency, Sumner County EMS, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) worked with officers to find the body of Mervin Johnson Jr., 76, of Goodlettsville, who had drowned, according to authorities.

The TWRA said Johnson had been at the boat launch area when his boat drifted away from the courtesy dock. An eyewitness reported Johnson jumped in the water and tried to swim the boat back to the dock when he disappeared.

Officials said this marks the fifth boating-related death in Tennessee for 2024, adding that Johnson was not wearing a lifejacket at the time.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

As the use of lakes and waterways for recreation increases during the summer months, its important to always wear a life jacket, police said in a statement on Thursday, May 16.

If you have any information about this incident, which is still under investigation, you are asked to call the Hendersonville Police Department at 615-822-1111 or the Hendersonville Crime Stoppers at 615-594-4113.

No additional details have been released about Wednesdays drowning.

 Download the News 2 app to stay updated on the go.

 Sign up for WKRN email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox.

 Find todays top stories on WKRN.com for Nashville, TN and all of Middle Tennessee.

This is a developing story. WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
9 Investigates: The consequences for doctors convicted of crimes

What happens when a doctor is accused or convicted of a serious crime?

Were investigating what happens when complaints are filed against local doctors with the medical board. Some faced consequences, but many did not.

It doesnt matter what I know, it matters what I can prove.

Channel 9s Hunter Saenz takes the issue straight to the North Carolina Medical Board and gets answers from one of the chief legal officers.

>>Watch the full story at 5 p.m. on Monday to see the punishments that may surprise you.

(VIDEO: Rape, fraud: Medical records show doctors behaving badly, breaking law)
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  AARP El Paso and the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Post 8782 are partnering up to host a free community paper shredding event for the community to dispose of sensitive documents with confidence, AARP El Paso announced in a press release.

The event, Texas Shred Em Day, will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 18 at the VFW Post 8782, 691 North Carolina Dr.

The event is part of an AARP Texas initiative to encourage the community to protect themselves against identity theft with a free statewide paper shredding event.

AARP offices in El Paso, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio are teaming up with local organizations to host these shred events and provide free resources to participants to raise awareness about identity theft and safeguarding yourself against fraud and scammers, read the press release.

The community can sign up at the El Paso registration link to bring sensitive documents to shred here: https://events.aarp.org/TX-518-ShredElPaso

For more information about the event and AARPs fraud-fighting resources, visit https://states.aarp.org/texas/protect-your-identity-texas-shred-em-day-is-coming.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Thursday issued a pardon for Daniel Perry, an Army sergeant who was convicted of murder for fatally shooting a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protester in 2020.

In April 2023, a jury found Perry guilty of murdering Garrett Foster during a July 2020 protest in Austin, Texas. The jury did not find him guilty of an aggravated assault charge.

Perry was sentenced to 25 years in prison, and Abbott asked the states parole board to review the case in an expedited manner. Perrys conviction and sentencing have angered conservatives, who say he was acting out of self-defense.

The board, which is appointed by the governor, announced its unanimous recommendation to pardon Perry, and Abbotts proclamation followed, The Associated Press reported.

In a statement Thursday, the governor said Texas has one of the strongest Stand Your Ground laws of self-defense.

The proclamation grants Perry a full pardon and restoration of full civil rights of citizenship. Abbott thanked the review board for its unanimous decision.

Perry, who is white, was convicted of killing 28-year-old Garrett Foster, who was white and an Air Force veteran, during a 2020 protest after demonstrations began nationwide in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.

Perry was working as an Uber driver and dropped a passenger off in downtown Austin. He was attempting to move his car through a crowd when he said Foster, who was legally armed, aimed his rifle at him.

Perry also legally had a gun on him and fired the pistol at Foster because he feared for his life.

Prosecutors argued that Foster did not raise his rifle at Perry. Evidence produced in court revealed that Perry shared racist content in private messages, including a reference to BLM protesters as animals at a zoo.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a pardon Thursday for Daniel Perry, a former Army sergeant who shot and killed an armed protester at a Black Lives Matter protest.

Perry was sentenced to 25 years in prison last May for fatally shooting Garrett Foster, a 28-year-old Air Force veteran, at a demonstration against police violence and social injustice in Austin, Texas. Both Perry and Foster are white.

The governor had signaled his intentions by directing the state Board of Pardons and Paroles to send him a legally required recommendation soon after Perry was convicted. The governor, who was under pressure from right-wing media figures to intervene, said the shooting amounted to self-defense.

Texas has one of the strongest Stand Your Ground laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney, Abbott said in a statement. I thank the Board for its thorough investigation, and I approve their pardon recommendation.

Abbott said in his pardon proclamation that District Attorney Jose Garza demonstrated unethical and biased misuse of his office in prosecuting Daniel Scott Perry.

The governor also accepted the pardon board's recommendation to restore Perry's firearm rights.

Perry was driving for Uber in July 2020 when he turned onto a street filled with protesters marching as part of the wave of civil justice protests unleashed by the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis two months earlier.

The former soldier said he acted in self-defense, claiming he fired his pistol when Foster, who was legally carrying an AK-47, pointed the rifle at him. Witnesses testified that they did not see Foster raise his weapon, and prosecutors argued that Perry could have driven away without shooting.

During the trial, prosecutors showed jurors Perrys social media history and text messages, which included racist comments. Among them: a comment on Facebook a month before the shooting in which he wrote It is official I am a racist because I do not agree with people acting like animals at the zoo.

Abbott faced pressure to issue a pardon from conservatives, including from Tucker Carlson who said on his show on Fox News at the time that in the state of Texas, if you have the wrong politics, youre not allowed to defend yourself.
ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC)  Abilene ISD has appointed Dr. Joseph Waldron, Ed.D. to serve as deputy superintendent for the district.

As deputy superintendent, the district said Dr. Waldron will be second-in-command for all of the district and the lead when Supt. Dr. John Kuhn is unable to respond.

Abilene ISD appoints Dr. John Kuhn as new superintendent

Dr. Waldron is a precise thinker who provides deep and specific knowledge across a broad range of areas in public education, said Dr. John Kuhn, Abilene ISD superintendent. I am confident he is the right person to help initiate bold strategies that will lead AISD to success now and in the future.

Dr. Waldron has been with Abilene ISD since 2019, beginning as the districts associate superintendent of human resources. Prior to that, he was an educator for 20+ years.

I am truly honored and my family is blessed beyond measure to step into this important role for the future of Abilene ISD, said Waldron. I am poised and ready to get to work as we build the strongest educational opportunities for students in the Big Country, unmatched in scope and diversity. Abilene ISD is the heartbeat of the city of Abilene, and I am proud to be a part of the team leading that work.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com.
People associated with the Life Defense Fund protest outside a Sioux Falls library on May 1, 2024, as an abortion-rights group conducts a press conference inside. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

People associated with the Life Defense Fund protest outside a Sioux Falls library on May 1, 2024, as an abortion-rights group conducts a press conference inside. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

A state office said Thursday that a petition seeking to reinstate abortion rights has enough valid signatures to make the Nov. 5 ballot, but opponents have already promised a legal challenge.

Based on a random sample of signatures, the South Dakota Secretary of States Office estimated that 85% percent of the nearly 55,000 signatures on the petition are from South Dakota registered voters, which means the estimated number of valid signatures is 46,098. The petition needed 35,017 to qualify for the election.

The proposed state constitutional amendment would legalize abortions in the first trimester of pregnancy but allow the state to impose limited regulations in the second trimester and a ban in the third trimester, with exceptions for the life and health of the mother. Abortions are currently banned in the state, except to preserve the life of the pregnant female.

Opponents have 30 days to challenge the validity of the petition. Leslee Unruh, co-chair of the Life Defense Fund, said earlier this month that the group cant wait to get to court. The Life Defense Fund is a ballot question committee organized to oppose the ballot measure.

Thursday, Unruh and Life Defense Fund co-chair Rep. John Hansen, R-Dell Rapids, issued a joint statement: This fight is about saving the lives of countless unborn children in our state. We are grateful to the many dedicated volunteers who have put in countless hours, and we are resolute in our mission to defend unborn babies. We will continue to research these signatures and announce a challenge at the appropriate time.

Opponents of the ballot measure have alleged some petition signers were duped into believing they were signing a petition to repeal the state sales tax on groceries, when they were actually signing the abortion-rights petition. The Dakotans for Health ballot question committee circulated both measures and denies any wrongdoing.

Hansen recently formed the South Dakota Petition Integrity political action committee. People associated with the committee have been calling hundreds of petition signers from the sample list, as part of an effort to gather evidence for a court challenge and tell signers about a new state law passed in March allowing them to withdraw their signature.

Complaints about the calls led to a press release from the Secretary of States Office earlier this week labeling the calls a scam, due to callers allegedly giving the impression that theyre officially affiliated with the Secretary of States Office.

Rick Weiland, of Dakotans for Health, said earlier this week that the phone campaign was a sign of desperation.

They are desperate to keep abortion off the ballot this fall and let the people decide, Weiland said.

The abortion measure could be one of many on the ballot in November. Two measures already on the ballot were placed there by the Legislature: a proposal to change male-specific officeholder references in the state constitution to neutral language, and a proposal that would allow the state to impose work requirements on some Medicaid expansion enrollees.

Validated but within the 30-day challenge window are the abortion measure and an initiated measure prohibiting state sales taxes on items sold for human consumption, specifically targeting state sales taxes on groceries.

Validation is pending for citizen-led petitions that would create open primary elections and legalize adult recreational marijuana use.

Meanwhile, a citizen-led group is trying to refer a new pipeline law to the ballot. The Legislature passed the law last winter to implement new protections for landowners affected by a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline, while still allowing a regulatory path forward for the project

Ballot question status update

Measures placed on the Nov. 5 ballot by the Legislature:

An amendment to the state constitution updating references to certain officeholders and people (replacing male-specific pronouns with neutral language).

An amendment to the state constitution authorizing the state to impose work requirements on certain people who are eligible for expanded Medicaid.

Citizen-proposed measures validated for the ballot, pending potential challenges:

An initiated measure prohibiting state sales taxes on items sold for human consumption, specifically targeting state sales taxes on groceries.

An initiated amendment to the state constitution re-establishing abortion rights.

Citizen-proposed measures, pending validation of the required number of petition signatures:

An initiated amendment to the state constitution establishing open primary elections.

An initiated measure legalizing adult recreational use, possession and distribution of marijuana.

Petition still in circulation:

A proposed referendum of a new law regulating carbon dioxide pipelines.

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The post Abortion-rights measure validated for the ballot, but challenge expected appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Less than a week after a company says its pulling out of providing mental health services in Montgomery County, a new company is stepping up to take its place.

Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) announced on Thursday that it would recommend entering into a contract with Netcare to provide services at the Crisis Call Center beginning May 23, 2024, at its next meeting.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Its very disappointing; County leaders left confused after crisis service provider cuts ties

As News Center 7 previously reported, the current company providing services, RI International, announced they would stop operations on May 22. Since that announcement, the ADAMHS leadership team has been working to find a solution, leading to the recommendation of Netcare.

Netcare has 30+ years of experience in crisis work in Ohio, currently working in 22 counties. We welcome this service to Montgomery County and are pleased that Netcare leadership responded so quickly to the need in our community, Helen Jones-Kelley, Executive Director of Montgomery County ADAMHS, said in a statement.

Under the agreement, Netcare will continue the current schedule and answer calls to the Crisis Call Center from 8 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week. From midnight to 8 a.m., calls will be answered by 988.

Netcare hopes to employ some of the staff currently working at the Crisis Call Center, according to ADAMHS.

>> SWAT standoff ongoing in Sidney neighborhood; Suspect reportedly involved in overnight stabbing

The change in providers will not impact the centers phone number.

ADAMHS is continuing to negotiate with an Ohio-based provider to manage the Mobile Crisis Response Team and the Crisis Receiving Center. More information on those negotiations is expected to be released soon.

The ADAMHS board will now have to vote on approving the contract.




CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (WCMH)  A Chillicothe hospital system, under fire for multiple complaints, is looking at changing its governance structure that has been in place for more than 100 years.

The move comes two days after a newly unsealed court filing alleged Adena Health knowingly submitted false and fraudulent claims for payment to Medicare, Medicaid, and other government reimbursement programs to the tune of millions of dollars.

Ohios first recreational marijuana for sale planted at Yellow Springs greenhouse

The governance structure at Adena includes churches that helped start the hospital many years ago. Pastors at one of the churches share they have limited power and select responsibilities.

Now sources inside Adena said that may be taken away.

When asked about these claims, Adena did not directly respond to the question, instead sending two statements that read:

Adena Health has a more than 125-year tradition of delivering quality care close to home with compassion, excellence, trust, and integrity. This tradition started thanks to a number of local churches who came together to create the first Adena hospital. The Adena Board of Trustees along with the corporate member churches have responsibility for the governance structure of the organization. It is these groups, not the Adena executive team, who have been on a two-year journey to discuss governance structure and diversification of the board, including at yesterdays corporate pastor meeting, to bring new ideas and advancements for both our staff and patients in the nine counties we serve. Steve Hirsch, chair, Adena Board of Trustees

Adena Health is fortunate to be supported by many individuals who share a passion about making sure there is access to quality health care in our community long into the future. While there was a disagreement during the recent scheduled vote at the corporate pastor meeting, we are hopeful that through continued collaborative discussion between the board and the corporate pastors we can resolve the issue of governance structure and chart the best path forward to continue to provide our communities with the care they deserve. Bob French, vice chair, Adena Board of Trustees

According to sources, the disagreement those statements mentioned were two corporate pastors walking out of the meeting. One shared with NBC4 that he did so because he said he did not want to be a part of an improper vote.

New law requires Ohio schools to teach science of reading as proficiencies fall

NBC4 received statements from two of the corporate pastors.

The first is from First Presbyterian Church of Chillicothe Rev. Dr. Jason T. Link:

The Session, which is the governing body for the First Presbyterian Church, has on two separate occasions voted to affirm its desire and commitment to continue as a Corporate Member of Adena Health System.

The second is from Orchard Hill United Church of Christ Rev. Terry D. Williams, who issued the below statement on behalf of the church on April 2:

Orchard Hill United Church of Christ has been privileged to be a part of many transformative ministries throughout our 191-year history as a congregation serving Chillicothe and Ross County in the example of Jesus Christ. For the last 128 years, our congregation has served as a Corporate Member of Adena Health System. In that role we have sacrificed mightily in the early establishment of the first hospital in our community, provided essential leadership during the expansion of that hospital into a multi-county medical service network, and ensured that the resulting regional health system of today is deeply connected to the local communities it serves. Through continuous faithful oversight of the corporations affairs, we are proud to be a part of the Adena Health System story. While some voices have suggested patients would be better served if churches like ours were to give up the fiduciary responsibility we hold in health system leadership, Orchard Hill United Church of Christ unreservedly reaffirms our commitment to continue our relationship as a Corporate Member of Adena Health System.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  The El Paso Chamber recently lit the Star on the Mountain red to honor ADPs 75th anniversary.

The lighting happened on Wednesday, May 15, according to the news release by the Chamber.

The Chamber says ADP is a leading global technology company providing human capital management solutions that serves more than one million clients worldwide.

ADPs 75-year journey is a monumental testament to their enduring impact not just within their sector but also across our community. We, like ADP, are celebrating our own milestone anniversary, so were proud to commemorate this moment with them. Congratulations to everyone at ADP on this remarkable anniversary, said President and CEO of the El Paso Chamber Andrea Hutchins.

El Pasoans can dedicated a lit event on the Star on the Mountain by visiting the Chambers website here or by calling at 915-534-0500 for more information.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
Advocates press U.S. House to act soon on compensation for nuclear testing victims

New Mexico Democrats Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, at the lectern, and Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, and Guams Republican House delegate, James Moylan, along with advocates, on May 16, 2024, urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to call a vote to extend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Fund. The fund expires in early June (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom).

WASHINGTON  Lawmakers and advocates rallied outside the U.S. Capitol Thursday, urging House lawmakers to extend a fund for victims of U.S. nuclear testing that is set to expire in less than a month.

But critics say the program is too expensive and should be winding down, and its not clear if the House will act before the looming deadline.

New Mexico Democrats Sen. Ben Ray Lujan and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, and Guams Republican House delegate, James Moylan, among others, called on House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana to bring the legislation to the floor.

We stand with community members from across the United States, ranging from New Mexico, where they exploded the very first atomic bomb, to Guam to Missouri to Navajo to Utah to Colorado to people in Texas, Fernandez said. Communities that share a common bond of hardship, of death and of illness that came about because of the nations program to build and test atomic weapons.

Legislation to expand and extend the fund already passed the Senate in early March in a bipartisan 69-30 vote.

Advocates and survivors have long said they were not warned prior to nuclear testing and were forgotten in the following decades as the consequences of nuclear fallout and waste affected their families.

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Fund, often shortened to RECA, was established in 1990 and pays one-time sums to those who developed certain diseases after working on U.S. nuclear tests before 1963, or who lived in counties downwind from test explosion sites between January 1951 and October 1958, and the month of July in 1962, in Arizona, Nevada and Utah.

Uranium industry workers who were employed in 11 states from 1942 to 1971 who subsequently developed qualifying diseases also qualify.

The U.S. conducted more than 1,000 atomic weapons tests from 1945 to 1992  the first at the Trinity Test site near Alamogordo, New Mexico, where the U.S. tested the atomic bomb during the Manhattan Project prior to dropping the weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan at the end of World War II.

As of June 2022, the Justice Department has approved more than 36,000 RECA claims for more than $2.3 billion in benefits.

Unless the Radiation Exposure Compensation Fund is extended, claims have to be postmarked by June 10, 2024, according to the Department of Justice.

Unknowing, unwilling, uncompensated victims

A small crowd of activists wore Save RECA buttons and matching yellow t-shirts bearing the message We are the unknowing, unwilling, uncompensated victims of the Manhattan Project and Cold War.

A sign on the small lectern read, Speaker Johnson Pass RECA Before We Die.

Dawn Chapman, co-founder of the St. Louis, Missouri-based Just Moms STL, told the crowd that she and advocates have been in lawmakers offices pushing for RECA to be taken up on the House floor.

Speaker Johnsons staff has met as of this morning with two community groups, ours being one of them. We did meet with his office for an hour-and-a-half, she said.

Under the Senate-passed bill, championed by Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, the fund would extend the program by six years and expand eligibility in several new locations, as well as add qualifying diseases.

As written and if passed, the fund would reach areas including ZIP codes in Alaska, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee, where communities were impacted by radioactive waste dumping, uranium processing and other related activities surrounding the testing.

The bill would also expand downwind areas to include Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, and Guam and increase the one-time compensation sums to victims or surviving family to $100,000, up from $50,000 to $75,000.

Hawley was not able to attend the press conference due to a last-minute conflict, according to his fellow lawmakers. But in a statement posted to X Thursday, he said, The good people poisoned by their governments nuclear radiation have been put off long enough  its time to make this right.

In a statement to States Newsroom, a Johnson spokesperson said Wednesday that The Speaker understands and appreciates Senator Hawleys position and is working closely with interested members and stakeholders to chart a path forward for the House.

Concerns over cost

Critics say the expansion would just be too costly.

An earlier iteration of the expansion, which received 61 votes in the Senate, was attached to last years massive annual defense authorization bill, but eventually lawmakers stripped it from the package.

According to an analysis by the watchdog group Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, the cost of the expansion was slated to reach $150 billion.

Hawley cut the cost in his revised legislation that garnered bipartisan Senate support in March. The new price tag went down to an estimated cost of $50 to $60 billion over 10 years after Hawley removed some qualifying diseases, cut the scope of medical benefits and shortened the extension from 19 years to six years, according to the CRFB.

Still, critics worry that the funds will be designated automatic mandatory spending, meaning funding couldnt be adjusted from year to year by lawmakers like discretionary spending.

Compensation may very well be warranted for individuals harmed by the governments nuclear activities, but the substantial deficit impact of the legislation is concerning and unnecessary, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget wrote in March. The organization also pointed out that the cost is not offset by other federal spending cuts.

There is no reason why this well-known, long-term problem should not be addressed with careful consideration for both policy design and offsetting revenue increases or spending reductions, the organizations statement continued.

The post Advocates press U.S. House to act soon on compensation for nuclear testing victims appeared first on Missouri Independent.
Advocates press U.S. House to act soon on compensation for nuclear testing victims

New Mexico Democrats Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, at the lectern, and Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, and Guams Republican House delegate, James Moylan, along with advocates, on May 16, 2024, urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to call a vote to extend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Fund. The fund expires in early June. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Lawmakers and advocates rallied outside the U.S. Capitol Thursday, urging House lawmakers to extend a fund for victims of U.S. nuclear testing that is set to expire in less than a month.

But critics say the program is too expensive and should be winding down, and its not clear if the House will act before the looming deadline.

New Mexico Democrats Sen. Ben Ray Lujan and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, and Guams Republican House delegate, James Moylan, among others, called on House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana to bring the legislation to the floor.

We stand with community members from across the United States, ranging from New Mexico, where they exploded the very first atomic bomb, to Guam to Missouri to Navajo to Utah to Colorado to people in Texas, Fernandez said. Communities that share a common bond of hardship, of death and of illness that came about because of the nations program to build and test atomic weapons.

Legislation to expand and extend the fund already passed the Senate in early March in a bipartisan 69-30 vote.

Advocates and survivors have long said they were not warned prior to nuclear testing and were forgotten in the following decades as the consequences of nuclear fallout and waste affected their families.

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Fund, often shortened to RECA, was established in 1990 and pays one-time sums to those who developed certain diseases after working on U.S. nuclear tests before 1963, or who lived in counties downwind from test explosion sites between January 1951 and October 1958, and the month of July in 1962, in Arizona, Nevada and Utah.

Uranium industry workers who were employed in 11 states from 1942 to 1971 who subsequently developed qualifying diseases also qualify.

The U.S. conducted more than 1,000 atomic weapons tests from 1945 to 1992  the first at the Trinity Test site near Alamogordo, New Mexico, where the U.S. tested the atomic bomb during the Manhattan Project prior to dropping the weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan at the end of World War II.

As of June 2022, the Justice Department has approved more than 36,000 RECA claims for more than $2.3 billion in benefits.

Unless the Radiation Exposure Compensation Fund is extended, claims have to be postmarked by June 10, 2024, according to the Department of Justice.

Unknowing, unwilling, uncompensated victims

A small crowd of activists wore Save RECA buttons and matching yellow t-shirts bearing the message We are the unknowing, unwilling, uncompensated victims of the Manhattan Project and Cold War.

A sign on the small lectern read, Speaker Johnson Pass RECA Before We Die.

Dawn Chapman, co-founder of the St. Louis, Missouri-based Just Moms STL, told the crowd that she and advocates have been in lawmakers offices pushing for RECA to be taken up on the House floor.

Speaker Johnsons staff has met as of this morning with two community groups, ours being one of them. We did meet with his office for an hour-and-a-half, she said.

Under the Senate-passed bill, championed by Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, the fund would extend the program by six years and expand eligibility in several new locations, as well as add qualifying diseases.

As written and if passed, the fund would reach areas including ZIP codes in Alaska, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee, where communities were impacted by radioactive waste dumping, uranium processing and other related activities surrounding the testing.

The bill would also expand downwind areas to include Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, and Guam and increase the one-time compensation sums to victims or surviving family to $100,000, up from $50,000 to $75,000.

Hawley was not able to attend the press conference due to a last-minute conflict, according to his fellow lawmakers. But in a statement posted to X Thursday, he said, The good people poisoned by their governments nuclear radiation have been put off long enough  its time to make this right.

In a statement to States Newsroom, a Johnson spokesperson said Wednesday that The Speaker understands and appreciates Senator Hawleys position and is working closely with interested members and stakeholders to chart a path forward for the House.

Concerns over cost

Critics say the expansion would just be too costly.

An earlier iteration of the expansion, which received 61 votes in the Senate, was attached to last years massive annual defense authorization bill, but eventually lawmakers stripped it from the package.

According to an analysis by the watchdog group Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, the cost of the expansion was slated to reach $150 billion.

Hawley cut the cost in his revised legislation that garnered bipartisan Senate support in March. The new price tag went down to an estimated cost of $50 to $60 billion over 10 years after Hawley removed some qualifying diseases, cut the scope of medical benefits and shortened the extension from 19 years to six years, according to the CRFB.

Still, critics worry that the funds will be designated automatic mandatory spending, meaning funding couldnt be adjusted from year to year by lawmakers like discretionary spending.

Compensation may very well be warranted for individuals harmed by the governments nuclear activities, but the substantial deficit impact of the legislation is concerning and unnecessary, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget wrote in March. The organization also pointed out that the cost is not offset by other federal spending cuts.

There is no reason why this well-known, long-term problem should not be addressed with careful consideration for both policy design and offsetting revenue increases or spending reductions, the organizations statement continued.

The post Advocates press U.S. House to act soon on compensation for nuclear testing victims appeared first on North Dakota Monitor.
Advocates press U.S. House to act soon on compensation for nuclear testing victims

New Mexico Democrats Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, at the lectern, and Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, and Guams Republican House delegate, James Moylan, along with advocates, on May 16, 2024, urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to call a vote to extend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Fund. The fund expires in early June. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Lawmakers and advocates rallied outside the U.S. Capitol Thursday, urging House lawmakers to extend a fund for victims of U.S. nuclear testing that is set to expire in less than a month.

But critics say the program is too expensive and should be winding down, and its not clear if the House will act before the looming deadline.

New Mexico Democrats Sen. Ben Ray Lujan and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, and Guams Republican House delegate, James Moylan, among others, called on House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana to bring the legislation to the floor.

We stand with community members from across the United States, ranging from New Mexico, where they exploded the very first atomic bomb, to Guam to Missouri to Navajo to Utah to Colorado to people in Texas, Fernandez said. Communities that share a common bond of hardship, of death and of illness that came about because of the nations program to build and test atomic weapons.

Legislation to expand and extend the fund already passed the Senate in early March in a bipartisan 69-30 vote.

Advocates and survivors have long said they were not warned prior to nuclear testing and were forgotten in the following decades as the consequences of nuclear fallout and waste affected their families.

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Fund, often shortened to RECA, was established in 1990 and pays one-time sums to those who developed certain diseases after working on U.S. nuclear tests before 1963, or who lived in counties downwind from test explosion sites between January 1951 and October 1958, and the month of July in 1962, in Arizona, Nevada and Utah.

Uranium industry workers who were employed in 11 states from 1942 to 1971 who subsequently developed qualifying diseases also qualify.

The U.S. conducted more than 1,000 atomic weapons tests from 1945 to 1992  the first at the Trinity Test site near Alamogordo, New Mexico, where the U.S. tested the atomic bomb during the Manhattan Project prior to dropping the weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan at the end of World War II.

As of June 2022, the Justice Department has approved more than 36,000 RECA claims for more than $2.3 billion in benefits.

Unless the Radiation Exposure Compensation Fund is extended, claims have to be postmarked by June 10, 2024, according to the Department of Justice.

Unknowing, unwilling, uncompensated victims

A small crowd of activists wore Save RECA buttons and matching yellow t-shirts bearing the message We are the unknowing, unwilling, uncompensated victims of the Manhattan Project and Cold War.

A sign on the small lectern read, Speaker Johnson Pass RECA Before We Die.

Dawn Chapman, co-founder of the St. Louis, Missouri-based Just Moms STL, told the crowd that she and advocates have been in lawmakers offices pushing for RECA to be taken up on the House floor.

Speaker Johnsons staff has met as of this morning with two community groups, ours being one of them. We did meet with his office for an hour-and-a-half, she said.

Under the Senate-passed bill, championed by Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, the fund would extend the program by six years and expand eligibility in several new locations, as well as add qualifying diseases.

As written and if passed, the fund would reach areas including ZIP codes in Alaska, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee, where communities were impacted by radioactive waste dumping, uranium processing and other related activities surrounding the testing.

The bill would also expand downwind areas to include Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, and Guam and increase the one-time compensation sums to victims or surviving family to $100,000, up from $50,000 to $75,000.

Hawley was not able to attend the press conference due to a last-minute conflict, according to his fellow lawmakers. But in a statement posted to X Thursday, he said, The good people poisoned by their governments nuclear radiation have been put off long enough  its time to make this right.

In a statement to States Newsroom, a Johnson spokesperson said Wednesday that The Speaker understands and appreciates Senator Hawleys position and is working closely with interested members and stakeholders to chart a path forward for the House.

Concerns over cost

Critics say the expansion would just be too costly.

An earlier iteration of the expansion, which received 61 votes in the Senate, was attached to last years massive annual defense authorization bill, but eventually lawmakers stripped it from the package.

According to an analysis by the watchdog group Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, the cost of the expansion was slated to reach $150 billion.

Hawley cut the cost in his revised legislation that garnered bipartisan Senate support in March. The new price tag went down to an estimated cost of $50 to $60 billion over 10 years after Hawley removed some qualifying diseases, cut the scope of medical benefits and shortened the extension from 19 years to six years, according to the CRFB.

Still, critics worry that the funds will be designated automatic mandatory spending, meaning funding couldnt be adjusted from year to year by lawmakers like discretionary spending.

Compensation may very well be warranted for individuals harmed by the governments nuclear activities, but the substantial deficit impact of the legislation is concerning and unnecessary, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget wrote in March. The organization also pointed out that the cost is not offset by other federal spending cuts.

There is no reason why this well-known, long-term problem should not be addressed with careful consideration for both policy design and offsetting revenue increases or spending reductions, the organizations statement continued.

The post Advocates press U.S. House to act soon on compensation for nuclear testing victims appeared first on Utah News Dispatch.
New Mexico Democrats Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, at the lectern, and Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, and Guams Republican House delegate, James Moylan, along with advocates, on May 16, 2024, urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to call a vote to extend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Fund. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

New Mexico Democrats Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, at the lectern, and Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, and Guams Republican House delegate, James Moylan, along with advocates, on May 16, 2024, urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to call a vote to extend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Fund. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Lawmakers and advocates rallied outside the U.S. Capitol Thursday, urging House lawmakers to extend a fund for victims of U.S. nuclear testing that is set to expire in less than a month.

But critics say the program is too expensive and should be winding down, and its not clear if the House will act before the looming deadline.

New Mexico Democrats Sen. Ben Ray Lujan and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, and Guams Republican House delegate, James Moylan, among others, called on House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana to bring the legislation to the floor.

We stand with community members from across the United States, ranging from New Mexico, where they exploded the very first atomic bomb, to Guam to Missouri to Navajo to Utah to Colorado to people in Texas, Fernandez said. Communities that share a common bond of hardship, of death and of illness that came about because of the nations program to build and test atomic weapons.

People who worked in South Dakotas uranium mining, milling and transport industry decades ago in Edgemont are among those eligible for compensation from the fund who could benefit from the extension.

As of 2023, people living in South Dakota had submitted 114 claims to the fund since its inception, resulting in 37 denials, 76 awards and one claim that was pending. Total payouts to South Dakotans stood at $6.56 million.

Legislation to expand and extend the fund already passed the Senate in early March in a bipartisan 69-30 vote. South Dakotas Republican senators split their votes on the measure, with Sen. Mike Rounds voting for it and Sen. John Thune against it. Neither of their offices provided rationale for their votes in response to messages from South Dakota Searchlight. South Dakota Republican Rep. Dusty Johnsons office did not immediately respond to a Searchlight message Thursday inquiring about his position.

Advocates and survivors have long said they were not warned prior to nuclear testing and were forgotten in the following decades as the consequences of nuclear fallout and waste affected their families.

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Fund, often shortened to RECA, was established in 1990 and pays one-time sums to those who developed certain diseases after working on U.S. nuclear tests before 1963, or who lived in counties downwind from test explosion sites between January 1951 and October 1958, and the month of July in 1962, in Arizona, Nevada and Utah.

Uranium industry workers who were employed in 11 states from 1942 to 1971 who subsequently developed qualifying diseases also qualify.

The U.S. conducted more than 1,000 atomic weapons tests from 1945 to 1992  the first at the Trinity Test site near Alamogordo, New Mexico, where the U.S. tested the atomic bomb during the Manhattan Project prior to dropping the weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan at the end of World War II.

As of June 2022, the Justice Department has approved more than 36,000 RECA claims for more than $2.3 billion in benefits.

Unless the Radiation Exposure Compensation Fund is extended, claims have to be postmarked by June 10, 2024, according to the Department of Justice.

Unknowing, unwilling, uncompensated victims

A small crowd of activists wore Save RECA buttons and matching yellow t-shirts bearing the message We are the unknowing, unwilling, uncompensated victims of the Manhattan Project and Cold War.

A sign on the small lectern read, Speaker Johnson Pass RECA Before We Die.

Dawn Chapman, co-founder of the St. Louis, Missouri-based Just Moms STL, told the crowd that she and advocates have been in lawmakers offices pushing for RECA to be taken up on the House floor.

Speaker Johnsons staff has met as of this morning with two community groups, ours being one of them. We did meet with his office for an hour-and-a-half, she said.

Under the Senate-passed bill, championed by Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, the fund would extend the program by six years and expand eligibility in several new locations, as well as add qualifying diseases.

As written and if passed, the fund would reach areas including ZIP codes in Alaska, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee, where communities were impacted by radioactive waste dumping, uranium processing and other related activities surrounding the testing.

The bill would also expand downwind areas to include Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, and Guam and increase the one-time compensation sums to victims or surviving family to $100,000, up from $50,000 to $75,000.

Hawley was not able to attend the press conference due to a last-minute conflict, according to his fellow lawmakers. But in a statement posted to X Thursday, he said, The good people poisoned by their governments nuclear radiation have been put off long enough  its time to make this right.

In a statement to States Newsroom, a Johnson spokesperson said Wednesday that The Speaker understands and appreciates Senator Hawleys position and is working closely with interested members and stakeholders to chart a path forward for the House.

Concerns over cost

Critics say the expansion would just be too costly.

An earlier iteration of the expansion, which received 61 votes in the Senate, was attached to last years massive annual defense authorization bill, but eventually lawmakers stripped it from the package.

According to an analysis by the watchdog group Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, the cost of the expansion was slated to reach $150 billion.

Hawley cut the cost in his revised legislation that garnered bipartisan Senate support in March. The new price tag went down to an estimated cost of $50 to $60 billion over 10 years after Hawley removed some qualifying diseases, cut the scope of medical benefits and shortened the extension from 19 years to six years, according to the CRFB.

Still, critics worry that the funds will be designated automatic mandatory spending, meaning funding couldnt be adjusted from year to year by lawmakers like discretionary spending.

Compensation may very well be warranted for individuals harmed by the governments nuclear activities, but the substantial deficit impact of the legislation is concerning and unnecessary, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget wrote in March. The organization also pointed out that the cost is not offset by other federal spending cuts.

There is no reason why this well-known, long-term problem should not be addressed with careful consideration for both policy design and offsetting revenue increases or spending reductions, the organizations statement continued.

South Dakota Searchlights Seth Tupper contributed to this report.

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Advocates press U.S. House to act soon on compensation for nuclear testing victims

New Mexico Democrats Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, at the lectern, and Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, and Guams Republican House delegate, James Moylan, along with advocates, on May 16, 2024, urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to call a vote to extend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Fund. The fund expires in early June. (Ashley Murray / States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Lawmakers and advocates rallied outside the U.S. Capitol Thursday, urging House lawmakers to extend a fund for victims of U.S. nuclear testing that is set to expire in less than a month.

But critics say the program is too expensive and should be winding down, and its not clear if the House will act before the looming deadline.

New Mexico Democrats Sen. Ben Ray Lujan and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, and Guams Republican House delegate, James Moylan, among others, called on House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana to bring the legislation to the floor.

We stand with community members from across the United States, ranging from New Mexico, where they exploded the very first atomic bomb, to Guam to Missouri to Navajo to Utah to Colorado to people in Texas, Fernandez said. Communities that share a common bond of hardship, of death and of illness that came about because of the nations program to build and test atomic weapons.

Legislation to expand and extend the fund already passed the Senate in early March in a bipartisan 69-30 vote.

Advocates and survivors have long said they were not warned prior to nuclear testing and were forgotten in the following decades as the consequences of nuclear fallout and waste affected their families.

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Fund, often shortened to RECA, was established in 1990 and pays one-time sums to those who developed certain diseases after working on U.S. nuclear tests before 1963, or who lived in counties downwind from test explosion sites between January 1951 and October 1958, and the month of July in 1962, in Arizona, Nevada and Utah.

Uranium industry workers who were employed in 11 states from 1942 to 1971 who subsequently developed qualifying diseases also qualify.

The U.S. conducted more than 1,000 atomic weapons tests from 1945 to 1992  the first at the Trinity Test site near Alamogordo, New Mexico, where the U.S. tested the atomic bomb during the Manhattan Project prior to dropping the weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan at the end of World War II.

As of June 2022, the Justice Department has approved more than 36,000 RECA claims for more than $2.3 billion in benefits.

Unless the Radiation Exposure Compensation Fund is extended, claims have to be postmarked by June 10, 2024, according to the Department of Justice.

Unknowing, unwilling, uncompensated victims

A small crowd of activists wore Save RECA buttons and matching yellow t-shirts bearing the message We are the unknowing, unwilling, uncompensated victims of the Manhattan Project and Cold War.

A sign on the small lectern read, Speaker Johnson Pass RECA Before We Die.

Dawn Chapman, co-founder of the St. Louis, Missouri-based Just Moms STL, told the crowd that she and advocates have been in lawmakers offices pushing for RECA to be taken up on the House floor.

Speaker Johnsons staff has met as of this morning with two community groups, ours being one of them. We did meet with his office for an hour-and-a-half, she said.

Under the Senate-passed bill, championed by Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, the fund would extend the program by six years and expand eligibility in several new locations, as well as add qualifying diseases.

As written and if passed, the fund would reach areas including ZIP codes in Alaska, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee, where communities were impacted by radioactive waste dumping, uranium processing and other related activities surrounding the testing.

The bill would also expand downwind areas to include Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, and Guam and increase the one-time compensation sums to victims or surviving family to $100,000, up from $50,000 to $75,000.

Hawley was not able to attend the press conference due to a last-minute conflict, according to his fellow lawmakers. But in a statement posted to X Thursday, he said, The good people poisoned by their governments nuclear radiation have been put off long enough  its time to make this right.

In a statement to States Newsroom, a Johnson spokesperson said Wednesday that The Speaker understands and appreciates Senator Hawleys position and is working closely with interested members and stakeholders to chart a path forward for the House.

Concerns over cost

Critics say the expansion would just be too costly.

An earlier iteration of the expansion, which received 61 votes in the Senate, was attached to last years massive annual defense authorization bill, but eventually lawmakers stripped it from the package.

According to an analysis by the watchdog group Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, the cost of the expansion was slated to reach $150 billion.

Hawley cut the cost in his revised legislation that garnered bipartisan Senate support in March. The new price tag went down to an estimated cost of $50 to $60 billion over 10 years after Hawley removed some qualifying diseases, cut the scope of medical benefits and shortened the extension from 19 years to six years, according to the CRFB.

Still, critics worry that the funds will be designated automatic mandatory spending, meaning funding couldnt be adjusted from year to year by lawmakers like discretionary spending.

Compensation may very well be warranted for individuals harmed by the governments nuclear activities, but the substantial deficit impact of the legislation is concerning and unnecessary, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget wrote in March. The organization also pointed out that the cost is not offset by other federal spending cuts.

There is no reason why this well-known, long-term problem should not be addressed with careful consideration for both policy design and offsetting revenue increases or spending reductions, the organizations statement continued.

The post Advocates press U.S. House to act soon on compensation for nuclear testing victims appeared first on Source New Mexico.
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  House and Senate lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are joining forces to try and ensure more victims of radiation poisoning get compensated.

At a Thursday press conference, they called on Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) to bring legislation to the floor expanding coverage, before funding expires June 2nd.

Victims from across the country joined lawmakers.

Karen Nichols, who leads the St Louis, Missouri Just Moms organization, says she and other victims met with Johnsons staff Thursday at the Capitol and are hopeful the conversation moves the needle.

For decades, St. Louis and other communities have been left out of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act funding, even though they were exposed to radiation tied to the federal governments program to create the atomic bomb.

Its in our water, its in our land, its been in our air, said Nichols.

Nichols and Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) argue the federal government should be helping those suffering with medical expense.

I have lupus, I have psoriatic arthritis, I have fibromyalgia says Nichols.

Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) ensured legislation expanding coverage to more victims in Missouri, New Mexico, Guam, Kentucky and more passed the Senate in December.

Bush and other House lawmakers insist if Speaker Johnson allows a vote, there is enough bipartisan support for the bill to clear the House.

Republicans opposed to the expansion argue the bills $147 billion price tag is too high.

Speaker Johnson has not indicated whether he will pass RECA reauthorization before funding expires.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  A massive, agitated gator that was lurking in a Florida field took a bite out of a pepper farmers leg.

According to the Martin County Sheriffs Office, the farmworker was in a field along 96th Street in Palm City when the gator lunged at him and grabbed hold of the man.

WATCH: Giant alligator spotted marching along same Pinellas pathway kids take to school

One didnt see the other until it was too late, the sheriffs office described the encounter.

Deputies said the 9-foot, 4-inch gator grabbed the side of the mans thigh, causing a significant injury with puncture wounds.

The victim was able to get free from the animals hold and was taken to a nearby hospital suffering a non-life-threatening injury.

Martin County Sheriffs Office

Martin County Sheriffs Office

In the post shared on social media, many users were emphasizing the influx of gators during this mating season.

Raccoon bolts down soccer field, interrupting game

But another user chimed in with a gator joke saying, Give that man the tail, so he can have some gator bites himself.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, gator mating season begins in April and continues through June. During this time, alligators can become more aggressive.

The gator has been removed from the area.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
Ships carrying humanitarian aid arriving from Cyprus are seen mooring on the shores of the Gaza Sea, from Deir al-Balah. The US military has completed the construction of a temporary harbour for the delivery of relief supplies to the Gaza Strip, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said early Thursday. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa

The international community's hopes of getting more aid into the Gaza Strip were boosted on Thursday by the completion of a temporary harbour and Israel allowing 365 lorries into the Palestinian territory.

The West has pleaded with Israel to avoid another humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza by attacking the southern city of Rafah, which borders Egypt and has seen waves of refugees from areas of the coastal strip already bombarded by Israeli troops.

Israel says it is searching for Hamas members and has already begun its Rafah operation. Benjamin Netanyahu's government, however, is still keen to show the world that aid is reaching Gaza.

A total of 365 lorries carrying supplies passed through the Kerem Shalom and Eretz West border crossings on Thursday to bring aid into the strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

The shipments included 38 trucks with flour for the bakeries of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Gaza, an IDF spokesman reported.

On Wednesday, 76,000 litres of fuel had already been delivered for the generators of these bakeries.

Also on Thursday, 17 Jordanian trucks carrying humanitarian aid were transferred to Gaza, the army said on its Telegram channel.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) wrote on X that it was "almost impossible" to distribute aid within the Gaza Strip due to fuel shortages, disrupted telecommunications and ongoing fighting.

To further help the humanitarian situation, the US military has been building a temporary harbour in Gaza for the delivery of supplies.

On Thursday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X that it was ready, but stressed that US soldiers had not entered the embattled coastal strip.

"Trucks carrying humanitarian assistance are expected to begin moving ashore in the coming days," it said. "The United Nations will receive the aid and coordinate its distribution into Gaza."

The temporary harbour, which took weeks to complete, is to serve as a hub for the delivery of aid supplies as Gaza itself has no harbour deep enough for larger cargo vessels.

According to earlier Pentagon statements, around 90 lorry loads per day will initially reach the Gaza Strip via the floating pier. At a later stage, up to 150 lorry loads per day are expected.

The best solution to the humanitarian crisis is an end to the conflict but a ceasefire still looks distant.

The Arab League on Thursday called for the deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank to help bring about an end to the war.

At a summit meeting of the 22-member organization in Bahrain, the group also strongly condemned the Israeli advance on Rafah. Irreversible steps towards a two-state solution must be taken, it said in the summit's final declaration.

The Saudi crown prince and de facto ruler of the kingdom, Mohammed bin Salman, emphasized that the "fierce aggression" against Palestinian brothers must be stopped.

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa called for an international peace conference for the Middle East while the secretary general of the Arab League, Egyptian Ahmed Abul Gheit said Israeli aggression against Gaza represented an historic turning point.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who attended the summit, once again called for a ceasefire, describing the conflict as "an open wound" for the region.

Earlier Israel confirmed five Israeli soldiers had been killed and three seriously injured in an incident in northern Gaza.

According to media reports, the soldiers were killed by friendly fire from Israeli tanks during battles against militants on Wednesday.

The tanks reportedly fired on a building in the refugee camp of Jabalia where the soldiers were staying. Those operating the tanks had apparently mistaken the soldiers for armed Palestinians.

According to the Jerusalem Post, the armoured vehicles had been shot at with dozens of anti-tank grenades in battles with extremist Palestinians. As a result, all the viewing slits and the top hatch of the tanks were said to have been closed for protection.

According to the army, Wednesday's incident brings the number of Israeli soldiers killed since the start of the Gaza war on October 7 to 626. Around 3,500 others have been injured.

An unprecedented terrorist attack led by Islamist extremist organization Hamas on Israel on October 7, which killed some 1,200 people and led to another 250 being taken hostage in the Gaza Strip, triggered a massive military response by the Jewish State.

On Thursday Israel said two of the Thai hostages kidnapped are dead, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said said the two, who were farm workers, were killed on October 7 and their bodies were in the hands of Hamas in Gaza.

Israel's Foreign Ministry had informed their famlies. Hagari said 39 Thai national were murdered and 31 kidnapped in the massacre.

The Hamas-controlled health authority in Gaza says some 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting since.

United States Navy ships anchor off the coast of Gaza to operate for floating pier project in Gaza. The US military has completed the construction of a temporary harbour for the delivery of relief supplies to the Gaza Strip, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said early Thursday. Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
The Danish government announced a new military aid package for Ukraine on Thursday. It amounts to 5.6 billion danish krones (750 million), of which almost half of the funds are directed for strengthening air defence.

Source: the Danish Ministry of Defence, European Pravda reports

Details: The new package includes additional funding for the future transfer of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine, air defence, maintenance of artillery systems, and funds for the transfer of additional artillery systems, shells and anti-tank mines.

"Today we have informed the Foreign Policy Council of a new aid package for Ukraine. This, the 18th, package focuses on both air defence and artillery, which are essential for Ukraine.

In addition, we are also setting aside additional funds for direct investment in the Ukrainian defence industry, just as we are setting aside additional funds for the upcoming delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine this summer," said Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.

About 2.4 billion (321.000) krones has been allocated to strengthen Ukraine's air defence. Additional funds are provided for the purchase of artillery pieces, grenades and anti-tank mines. Part of the funds will be used to maintain the equipment already provided, which is crucial for their long-term operation on the battlefield.

"We are meeting Ukraine's urgent need for air defence equipment, artillery and ammunition with today's transfer.

As part of this package, the government is also allocating additional funds to be invested directly in the Ukrainian defence industry. It makes sense to produce weapons where they are used and by those who use them. We hope that more countries will be inspired by this model," said Foreign Minister Lars Lkke Rasmussen.

The defence minister noted that the situation in Ukraine is very serious and Ukraine needs sustainable support from its allies.

"With this package we are sending an unambiguous message to both Ukraine and the world. We are providing assistance now and are ready for large-scale and long-term investments in the Ukrainian defence industry. Their fight for freedom is our fight," he said.

Background:

In April, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen discussed with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk the idea of an iron dome to protect European cities from air attacks in case of war.

Recently, Frederiksen called on other European countries to follow Germany's example and supply Ukraine with more Patriot air defence systems.

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AKRON, Ohio (WJW)  An Akron man who killed his Lyft driver in 2021 was sentenced to prison on Thursday.

Kahlyl Powe, 26, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of 48-year-old Kristopher Roukey, according to Summit County prosecutors. Powe will be eligible for parole after 19 years in prison.

Investigators said Roukey was working as a Lyft driver on May 2, 2021, when he picked up Powe near East Market Street and East Buchtel Avenue in Akron. Powe shot and killed him.

Woman indicted after driving through Hopkins Airport fences

Lyft released the following statement to FOX 8 News at the time:

We are heartbroken by this incident and our hearts are with Kristophers loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. Safety is fundamental to Lyft and we are in touch with law enforcement to offer our assistance.

Powe underwent three mental health evaluations between November 2021 and July 2023. A judge ruled him competent to stand trial in January.

He pleaded guilty on May 6 to multiple charges including murder with a firearm specification, carrying a concealed weapon, improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, possession of a deadly weapon while under detention, felonious assault and assault of a law enforcement officer.

Cleanup ongoing at site of tanker explosion at Royal Chemical in Macedonia

Mr. Roukey was a wonderful husband and father and was out trying to earn money to help support his family. His death leaves behind a hole which will be felt for years, said Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich. I hope the Roukey family will find some peace and justice knowing the defendant will spend a significant amount of time in prison.

In January 2022, while in jail for the murder, Powe was charged with assaulting a sheriffs deputy. He was later charged with assaulting another Summit County Jail inmate in February 2023.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
ALABAMA (WDHN)  Have you ever wanted to bid on vending machines, box trucks, and bicycles? These items and more will be up for bids in the state online surplus property auction.

The auction, hosted by the Surplus Property Division of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, will start on Saturday, May 18, and run until Sunday, May 26.

Auction items can be inspected on-site at the Surplus Property Divisions Montgomery Distribution Center at 4590 Mobile Highway from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 22, to Friday, May 24.

You can view photos of select items here.

To become a qualified bidder, visit the ADECA website.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDHN - wdhn.com.
Editors note: This has been corrected to clarify that Alaska Airlines said it intends to apply for one of five slots for direct service to Reagan National Airport.

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  On Wednesday, Alaska Airlines announced it intends to apply for one of five slots for service from San Diego International Airport (SAN) to Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Washington, D.C.

The Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act, approved on Wednesday, allowed the addition of five new flights to DCA.

Alaska Airlines said it plans to apply to the U.S. Department of Transportation for nonstop service between San Diego and the nations capital. It currently has nonstop service from Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Where to go on Memorial Day weekend in San Diego?

The San Diego region has waited for a very long time for an opportunity to restore nonstop air service to Reagan National Airport, said Kim Becker, the president and CEO of SAN.

The bill now heads to President Joe Bidens desk for his signature.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
Members of the Alaska House's minority caucus huddle for a conversation on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, during a break in the House floor session. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Members of the Alaska House's minority caucus huddle for a conversation on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, during a break in the House floor session. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

The 33rd Alaska State Legislature came to a shuddering but active end early Thursday morning as lawmakers passed the states annual budget and a series of high-profile bills addressing crime, climate change, the looming Cook Inlet energy crunch, and problems with the states correspondence education programs.

I think it was a great session, said Speaker of the House Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla. Weve taken care of energy  we were able to take care of the correspondence folks. And we had a great crime bill that we passed. So I think it was a great session. We got a lot done for the people of Alaska.

Its been a pretty successful two years, I believe, in so many ways, said Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak.

While legislators met their short-term goals, they didnt hit some lawmakers big targets, including a long-term plan to bring state finances into order, significant changes to the state education system or a revival of a pension for state employees.

While the budget includes a one-time increase in school funding, legislators didnt permanently raise the per-student school funding formula, known as the base student allocation.

Its been a good session. Im proud of the team, said House Minority Leader Calvin Schrage, I-Anchorage, and at the same time, obviously, theres some missed opportunities  from defined benefits to the elections bill that we just had on the floor, the statutory increase to the BSA. I think those were all things that Alaskans were really clamoring for, and its disappointing to see that we werent able to take action.

The state Senate adjourned at 11:47 p.m., shortly before the Legislatures midnight deadline, but the House continued working, passing five bills in the first 15 minutes after the deadline despite questions about whether it was legal to do so.

When the Houses minority caucus attempted to bring up an elections bill as the sixth item after midnight, the majority caucus attempted to adjourn the House. Four members of the majority joined the minority in voting down the motion to adjourn.

Discussions over how to end the session then dragged on.

What we have done right now, in the last 30 minutes, is one of the most disrespectful and terrible things Ive ever seen done to our Constitution, said Rep. Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake, speaking about the attempts to hear the elections bill.

McCabes House Bill 29 was one of the five bills passed after midnight, at his request.

House Majority Leader Dan Saddler, R-Eagle River (left), and Rep. Will Stapp, R-Fairbanks, try to convince Rep. Jesse Sumner, R-Wasilla, to vote in favor of adjournment early Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Reps. Jesse Sumner, R-Wasilla; CJ McCormick, D-Bethel; Neal Foster, D-Nome; and Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, voting with the minority, defeated three motions to adjourn before Sumner switched his vote about 1:22 a.m.

He declined comment when asked why he voted the way he did, but other lawmakers who voted against adjournment said they wanted to vote on the elections bill before ending the two-year legislative session.

The last 90 minutes soured what had been a productive day for lawmakers, who passed dozens of bills before adjourning. Those will be transmitted to Gov. Mike Dunleavy in the coming weeks and months, and the governor may veto them, sign them into law, or allow them to become law without his signature.

The biggest bill to pass the Legislature on Wednesday was the states annual operating budget, a $6 billion document that funds state services for the 12 months beginning July 1. If federal and fee-funded programs are included, the budget exceeds $11.3 billion.

Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, and Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, watch the House work to finish business from Stevens office on May 15, 2024. The House did not adjourn until 1:22 a.m. (Photo by Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)

A separate capital budget for construction and renovation projects, passed earlier this month, includes more than $4 billion in federal and state spending.

Dunleavy may eliminate or reduce items in either budget using his line-item veto power.

The operating budget includes a Permanent Fund dividend estimated to be $1,655 per recipient, which Rep. DeLena Johnson, R-Palmer, called a healthy check, though she also said that she wished it was higher.

It also includes $175 million in bonus funding for K-12 public schools, equal to a one-time, $680 increase to the base student allocation, core of the states per-student funding formula.

There are additional one-time increases for pupil transportation and reading efforts for children in kindergarten through third grade.

Rep. CJ McCormick, D-Bethel, leans back in his chair as the House continues to vote on bills after the midnight deadline, early Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Temporary correspondence education fix passes House, Senate

Because unpassed legislation dies at the end of the two-year legislative cycle, the last day was filled with maneuvering that saw bills combined into one another in an attempt to secure passage.

The result was frequently arcane and sometimes bizarre. In one case, a bill extending the states marijuana control board was merged with at least five other pieces of legislation, ultimately becoming something that offers businesses a tax credit if they spend money on education.

A bill that requires schools to stock overdose reversal drugs was amended with a compromise measure to stabilize correspondence education programs after a court ruling struck down parts of state law governing the spending of financial allotments distributed through the program. More than 22,000 students are enrolled in the programs.

The correspondence issue has been a major issue for the governor and legislators, who voted unanimously in the House and Senate to pass the compromise bill.

The new law directs Alaskas Board of Education and Early Development to write temporary regulations to stabilize the program and includes a requirement that the Department of Education and Early Development start monitoring allotment spending for the first time in a decade.

Early in the legislative session, lawmakers passed a multipart education bill that included a permanent increase to the amount of per-student funding for public schools, but after Dunleavy vetoed that bill, legislators were unable to negotiate a replacement before the session ended.

Sen. Robert Myers, R-North Pole, listens to Sen. Loki Tobin, D-Anchorage, talk about an amendment dealing with correspondence programs, on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Two big energy bills cross the legislative finish line

Energy legislation was a priority for Dunleavy, as well as legislators in the House and Senate. Lawmakers have known for years that the supply of available natural gas in Cook Inlet is running low, and legislators believe that they needed to act this year to attempt to reverse the downward trend.

On the last day of the session, lawmakers approved House Bill 307, which reforms the Railbelt electric transmission system and paves the way for easier shipment of renewable energy along the line from Homer to Fairbanks.

Hydropower from Bradley Lake on the Kenai Peninsula is one of the cheapest sources of electricity available on the Railbelt, but the cost to ship that power through several regional utilities can be prohibitive.

HB 307 reduces the added charges that can result from long-distance power transfers and restructures the way the regional utilities interact.

Members of the Senate and staff discuss the transmission bill on May 15, 2024. (Photo by Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)

Separately, the House and Senate passed House Bill 50, which was originally introduced by the Dunleavy administration to set rules for the new carbon storage industry, which involves the injection of carbon dioxide deep underground to avoid the effects that gas has on global climate change.

HB 50 was subsequently amended several times to deal with the regulation of natural gas storage, geothermal energy, and other items relevant to the pending Southcentral energy crunch.

The state Senate rejected and did not pass a separate House bill that would have reduced the royalty rates that gas drillers pay the state for natural gas extracted from Cook Inlet.

Members of the House supported the bill, but senators said they lacked independent analysis of the economics.

Rep. Zack Fields, D-Anchorage, listens to Rep. Mike Cronk, R-Tok, during a break in the House floor session Wednesday, May 15, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Crime law also a priority

Lawmakers passed an omnibus crime bill built around Gov. Mike Dunleavys proposal to increase penalties for fentanyl and methamphetamine dealers.

The Senate added several crime bills that we did hear in this body, making it a crime package, said Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer and chair of the House Judiciary Committee.

Vance said under the bill, if someone deals drugs to a person who dies of an overdose, We are going to take it seriously, and you will be charged for murder.

The revised bill included one of her priorities, changing the term child pornography in state law to child sexual abuse material.

Among its many provisions, the bill directs the state to look into why minority groups are overrepresented in state prisons and make recommendations to reduce the number of people who commit crimes after being released from prison.

The bill allows police officers to summarize crime-victim statements in grand-jury proceedings. Vance said that forcing a crime victim to testify to a grand jury increased the risk that they would be retraumatized by the experience.

A bipartisan compromise made it a Class B felony to induce someone into sex trafficking by withholding drugs or a passport, in an effort to clamp down on the rise of that crime.

Sen. Mike Shower, R-Wasilla, supported the last-minute amendment: This is a sickness on the planet, he said. I say throw the book at em!

Rep. Will Stapp, R-Fairbanks, looks at his staff in the House gallery after a vote on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

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The post Alaska Legislature adjourns after passing priority bills, but not without a last-hour struggle appeared first on Alaska Beacon.
Shahd Abdelrahman was a little worried Wednesday afternoon about getting suspended when she walked out of Alexander Hamilton High School at 2:50 p.m., about a half-hour before the final bell.

But heavier on her mind were her great-grandparents. May 15 marks the 76th anniversary of what's known as the Nakba, when her grandparents were among over 700,000 Palestinians who were expelled from their homes as part of the establishment of Israel.

Abdelrahman and about 30 other students recognized the anniversary Wednesday by walking out of class and marching on the front lawn of the school at 6215 W. Warnimont Ave. on Milwaukee's southwest side. Abdelrahman held a cardboard sign that read, "Existence is resistance."

The Nakba, which means catastrophe in Arabic, permanently displaced most of the Palestinian population, according to the United Nations, whose calls for the right of refugees to return to their land were rejected by Israel.

The anniversary comes this year as the Israeli military campaign has displaced most of the Palestinian population of Gaza and killed more than 35,000 people. As Reuters reported, Palestinians fear that like the 1948 Nakba, they may never be able to return to their communities.

Students across the country joined protests Wednesday in recognition of the Nakba, while calling for an end to the current attacks on Gaza. High school students, while lower profile than the college campus encampments, have organized multiple protests of their own in Wisconsin in recent weeks.

The students at Hamilton High School have also run bake sales to raise about $300 for care packages for Palestinians. Many of the students are part of Youth Empowered in the Struggle, the youth arm of Voces de la Frontera, an advocacy organization for the rights of immigrants and workers.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Hamilton students circled the lawn and paused to give speeches on a megaphone. Students urged Abdelrahman to speak.

"Thank you all for coming. As a Palestinian myself, I don't understand how someone could just, go and like," Abdelrahman said before becoming choked up. Three friends surrounded her with hugs and another student picked up where she left off.

"This is a very important day for everyone," said Yazmari Perez, 17. "This won't end until the massacre and the genocide ends."

Many of the students at Hamilton, where state data show over a quarter of students are English language learners, come from families who had to leave their home countries  like Zadarha, a Rohingya 11th grader who didn't want to share her last name.

"Even though I'm not Palestinian, I am Muslim, and I am a human being, and I believe everyone deserves justice and peace, and we all support anyone who is struggling and surviving through it."

Several Muslim students said that while they were celebrating Eid this year with feasts, they were also watching videos of Palestinians who had only boiled grass.

Siti, a 10th grader who didn't want to share her last name, said she sees images of displaced Palestinians and she thinks of her parents who fled Myanmar. She's noticed that people in Gaza are often smiling in videos of daily life.

"If you look at them, they're smiling, but deep down they're all hurt and we all know that," Siti said.

About an hour after they started marching, students caught school buses and headed home.

Nicole Armendariz, communications director for Milwaukee Public Schools, said no disciplinary action will be taken against the students. She said adults accompanied the students during the event to ensure safety and supervision.

"Milwaukee Public Schools is proud of creating an environment that fosters strong leaders who think critically about the issues that matter to them," Armendariz said in a statement. "We strive to create an environment that is supportive and inclusive to all."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Hamilton High School students in Milwaukee walk out on Nakba Day
The board showing senators May 13 votes on the bill revamping the Open Public Records Act. Two of these votes would later change. (Nikita Biryukov | New Jersey Monitor)

The voting sessions for the bill that would overhaul New Jerseys public records law were chaotic, with aides running around whispering in lawmakers ears and leaders whipping votes in backrooms until just before the moment when the controversial bill narrowly passed.

Things were a bit chaotic even afterward, with at least five lawmakers switching their initial votes since they were cast Monday. The changes have no impact on the bills passage.

For Assemblyman Brian Bergen, a Morris County Republican who opposed the bill, the altered votes are indicative of a broken process, one that allows members to vote one way in case a bill is in jeopardy, then change their votes once they know the bills approval is not in doubt.

Theres no doubt its anything other than that, he said. The speaker knew he needed Republican votes to get it over, but he didnt know how many he was going to get, so it was an ever-changing thing.

Assemblywoman Barbara McCann Stamato (D-Hudson) initially did not vote, but changed her vote to no. The votes from Assemblyman David Bailey Jr. (D-Salem) and Assemblywoman Rosy Bagolie (D-Essex) were initially recorded as yes, then no. In the upper chamber, Atlantic County Republican Sen. Vince Polistinas no vote was switched to not voting, and Sen. John McKeon (D-Essex), who initially did not vote, changed his vote to no.

McKeon said he went to Trenton Monday planning to vote against the OPRA bill, but missed the vote by coincidence, he said. During a recess in the Senate session, McKeon said he misunderstood that people would be meeting in the caucus room, which led him to be off the floor when the session resumed.

You can ask the Senate president, because he was none too pleased when I told him I wasnt voting for it earlier in the day, McKeon told the New Jersey Monitor. I put my no vote in immediately.

None of the other lawmakers responded to requests for comment to clarify why their votes were changed. McCann Stamato told the Hudson County View her initial vote was the result of a clerical error, and Bagolie said on social media that the board that tallies lawmakers votes did not reflect my correct vote.

The bill advanced to the governors desk with a final vote of 21-10 in the Senate and 42-28 in the Assembly (that total was 44-25 in the immediate aftermath of the vote). Bills need 21 votes to pass the Senate and 41 in the Assembly.

The measure would implement changes to the states public records law that critics say will make it more difficult to obtain government documents. Supporters have said the law, which has barely changed in two decades, needs to be updated.

To get a vote that was cast changed, lawmakers have to fill out a form requesting the chambers leader approve the switch. Bergen said it happens periodically when someones in the bathroom during the vote, hits the wrong yes or no button by accident, or the button malfunctions and doesnt register the vote.

Its finicky, but theres no clerical stuff involved. You see it light up. The color changes and you can see your name on the board. Like anything, sometimes it just doesnt work, but this is a funny part of this whole thing, he said.

Maura Collinsgru, director of policy and advocacy at New Jersey Citizen Action, said the post-vote changes reflect the chaotic, fast-tracked process the bill underwent. Collinsgrus group opposes the bill.

I think many members were conflicted around this, and I think that showed in the way the vote unfolded. It could be a lot of reasons for their conflict, but clearly the chaos is part of it, she said.

Collinsgru added that, for some voters, the final vote is what matters.

They dont care if it happened five minutes after the vote or an hour after they voted. If they voted no, they got the message that we didnt want this, and I think voters will be appreciative of the fact that their representatives said no because theres still a lot who said no, she said.

The post Altered votes on public records bill draw criticism appeared first on New Jersey Monitor.
LUBBOCK  The Amarillo City Council must consider a policy that outlaws using local streets to access an abortion in other states after the city verified supporters of the policy gathered enough signatures to advance the issue.

The five-member council in the heart of the Texas Panhandle had been reluctant to follow other conservative cities and counties that have put the largely symbolic policy in place.

According to City Secretary Stephanie Coggins, the city validated 6,300 signatures out of the 10,300 submitted last month. The petition will be presented to the council on May 28. The council may then hold a public meeting on the same day to consider the ordinance or schedule the discussion for a future date. The council must vote on the petition within 30 days of it being presented.

Depending on the councils decision  the committee behind the "sanctuary city for the unborn" ordinance is unwilling to budge on certain provisions  the final say could be up to Amarillo voters in November.

During a press conference, Mayor Cole Stanley said most citizens are ready to have the issue in the rearview mirror and focus on other city business. He added that Texas is a sanctuary state, and wondered what would be accomplished by passing the ordinance.

I dont feel the council has three votes that would be in favor of this ordinance as its written, Stanley said.

He added, I dont believe it would be necessary for the council to reject this. It has the signatures, it has been validated, its earned the right to go forward to the ballot if the committee decides to do that.

The council asked the city attorney to draft a version of the ordinance that is in line with state law. Stanley previously told the Tribune their version would not have any provisions that oversteps on civil liberties. He believes this version will be ready for discussion at their next meeting. If it passes, the group behind the petition could still put the ordinance on the ballot.

It doesnt prevent this from going forward in November, Stanley said. If something were to fail then, it wouldnt negate what the council would do here.

On social media, Mark Lee Dickson, director of Right to Life of East Texas who is leading the charge, said he is looking forward to the next step of the process.

Lindsay London, co-founder of the Amarillo Reproductive Freedom Alliance, said the group is preparing for whatever comes next.

We are continuing to meet with the mayor and City Council, London said, to work to ensure that extremist rhetoric does not overshadow the diverse needs and perspectives in our community.

Amarillos City Council first took up the issue in October, but did not immediately approve the ordinance. In December, the council signaled it was willing to pass a version of the proposed policy that focused on restricting access to abortion-inducing medication for medical abortions, and regulating the disposal of human remains.

The travel ban was removed entirely from that version  a key component for anti-abortion activists, as Interstates 40 and 27 run through the city. A group of residents, who Dickson said were uncomfortable with the direction the council was taking, then began circulating the petition.

Dickson said the ordinance is about banning abortion trafficking, and neither he nor the committee behind the petition see the ordinance as a travel ban.

We do not see prohibitions on abortion trafficking, child trafficking, or sex trafficking as violations of peoples civil liberties or the right to travel, Dickson said.

The original ordinance supporters want to see passed in the city does not call for pregnant women to be punished for having an abortion out of state. However, anti-abortion legal crusader Jonathan Mitchell has filed legal petitions seeking to depose women he claims traveled out of state for abortions. Mitchell is working with anti-abortion activists pushing the travel ban on a municipal level.

The proposed policy makes anyone who aids and abet the procedure vulnerable to a private lawsuit from other citizens. The enforcement is similar to Senate Bill 8, the Texas bill that banned almost all abortions in 2021, prior to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. This is the only enforcement mechanism for the ordinance, which some council members have criticized as creating a system for neighbors to turn on each other to collect reward money.

Recently, city leaders in Clarendon, about 60 miles southeast of Amarillo, rejected passing the sanctuary city for the unborn ordinance. The cities of Llano and Chandler held off on making decisions to approve or reject the travel ban.

Other cities and counties in Texas have passed ordinances to prohibit traveling through their jurisdictions for an abortion outside the state. This includes the cities of Athens, Abilene, Plainview, San Angelo, Odessa, Muenster and Little River-Academy, and Mitchell, Goliad, Lubbock, Dawson, Cochran and Jack counties.

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.
An American soldier currently detained in Russia has allegedly admitted his guilt over accusations of stealing from his girlfriend, state media reported Thursday.

U.S. Staff Sergeant Gordon Black was placed in pre-trial detention after he was detained at a hotel in the city of Vladivostok on May 2. The Pentagon says Black, who was posted to South Korea, made his ill-fated trip to Russia without the authorization of the U.S. Army.

Detained U.S. Soldier Allegedly Stabbed by Russian Girlfriend Before Doomed Visit

He is now cooperating with the investigation after he admitted guilt, a representative of the local interior ministry told RIA Novosti. The press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Primorsky Territory separately told the Interfax news agency that Black had confessed and the investigation into the criminal case continues.

Authorities in Russia say they received a complaint from a 32-year-old woman in Vladivostok alleging that her romantic partner, a foreign citizen that shed met while working in South Korea, had stolen money from her. Police later found Black at a hotel and arrested him on theft charges as he was preparing to fly home, according to TASS.

Black has been charged with theft causing significant damage, meaning he could face a sentence of up to five years in prison if convicted.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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[Watch previous FOX 8 News coverage in the player above.]

CLEVELAND (WJW)  A man jailed for torturing and killing his girlfriends puppy has received another jail sentence for violating his probation.

Phillip E. Savelli, 37, of Mentor, repeatedly submerged a 10-month-old Yorkie named Coco in water then put the dog in a freezer until it died, a humane worker said.

It happened June 3, 2021, in Highland Heights, FOX 8 News previously reported.

DeWine signs Ohio school cell phone bill into law

Judge Michael Shaughnessy called it unconscionable and shocking, FOX 8 News reported.

He sentenced Savelli to 60 days in jail, along with three years of community control. Were Savelli to violate conditions of his supervision, a 12-month prison term will be imposed on his three felony counts of cruelty to companion animals, reads the February 2022 judgment entry.

He was also prohibited from owning or caring for companion animals indefinitely.

Savelli this week went back to court, after leaving the state without permission while still under supervision, a spokesperson for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Office confirmed.

Huge monster: Giant hornets reported in NE Ohio

Judge Shaughnessy on Wednesday, May 15, found Savelli in violation of his probation and sentenced him to another 60 days in jail. If he violates supervision, he could face up to three years in prison, this latest filing states.

Prosecutors also raised concerns about Savelli living with someone who owns dogs, given his previous prohibition against caring for companion animals, according to the spokesperson.

Goddards Law, enacted in Ohio in 2016 and named after the late FOX 8 meteorologist Dick Goddard, made it a fifth-degree felony to cause serious physical harm to a companion animal.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
IONIA, Mich. (WOOD)  With a new partnership in place, Ionia County residents can now seek treatment for substance abuse by simply walking into a local police station.

Hope Not Handcuffs is an initiative from Families Against Narcotics, a Michigan nonprofit that works to help people and families who are affected by substance abuse.

MDHHS: Project at jails aims to fight opioid abuse

The nonprofit on Thursday announced that the program is now up and running at the Ionia County Sheriffs Office, as well as at two police departments in the county.

Now, Ionia County residents who are struggling with drug or alcohol abuse can walk into a participating agency  the sheriffs office in Ionia, the police department in Belding or the police department in Portland  and ask for help. A trained FAN volunteer, known as an angel, will meet them, help them get treatment and connect them with peer support services.

We dont run any warrants on anyone (who asks for help) and also they are allowed to hand over anything that they may have on them without the fear of getting arrested, Jestine Garcia, the regional coordinator of the Hope not Handcuffs program, said.

Fewer US overdose deaths were reported last year, but experts are still cautious

Garcia delivered Narcan and care packages to the three new partner departments on Thursday.

Jestine Garcia, the regional coordinator of the Hope not Handcuffs program, delivers materials to the Belding Police Department on May 16, 2024.

Hope not Handcuffs aims to get people struggling with substance abuse to treatment programs with the aid of police. (May 16, 2024)

Hope Not Handcuffs looks to increase access to treatment to help people fighting addiction, their families, and the community with the help of law enforcement. The organization also helps to train police agencies on addiction.

Theyve taken the step, the initiative to be a part of this as a partnership and I think we need to recognize that this is the place to be and the first step, again, is to walk through those (police department) doors, said Lisa Cloman, a FAN angel.

According to the nonprofit, 142 law enforcement agencies and community partners across the state have implemented Hope Not Handcuffs.

In every community, there are people dealing with addiction. Ours is no different, Ionia County Sheriff Charlie Noll said in a statement. Partnering with Hope Not Handcuffs is another way that the Ionia County Sheriffs Office is providing tools for those who want help and do not know where to look.

Ionia County expanding hours for syringe exchange

FAN is also looking for volunteers in Ionia County.

Our volunteer Angels are such an integral part of the Hope Not Handcuffs initiative, Hope Not Handcuffs Program Director Kim Baffo stated. By volunteering as an Angel, people can assist fellow community members in finding recovery and getting a fresh start on life.

If youre interested, you can visit familiesagainstnarcotics.org to learn more.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
Member of the Freedom of Russia Legion with the call sign 'Winnie' speaks with Reuters before his return to fight with Russian troops near the border in Kharkiv region

Member of the Freedom of Russia Legion with the call sign 'Winnie' speaks with Reuters before his return to fight with Russian troops near the border in Kharkiv region

By Max Hunder

KHARKIV REGION, Ukraine (Reuters) - Peeking out from under a hat and with his face covered, the Russian fighting for Kyiv described unrelenting battles in the northeastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv where Moscow's forces opened a new front last week.

"The situation is difficult, the intensity is very high, there is fighting almost every ten minutes," said the mortarman, who identified himself only by his callsign, Winnie.

The soldier is part of the Freedom of Russia Legion, a group of Russians opposed to President Vladimir Putin who are fighting for Ukraine.

Ukraine has sent reinforcements, including the legion and two other units made up of Russian nationals, to shore up its defence against a Russian ground incursion into the northern reaches of Kharkiv region that began nearly a week ago.

"It's an unbelievable meat grinder that they're still (sending) their people into," Winnie said, describing Russian losses as Moscow's infantry tries to storm deeper into Ukraine. Both sides say that the other is suffering heavy casualties in the war, claims that cannot be independently verified.

The Freedom of Russia Legion's deputy commander Maksimilian Andronikov, who is also known by his callsign Caesar, said Russia's fighters have become more innovative.

"They've learnt the lessons of the war, they're using rather intelligent tactics," he said.

One particularly grim innovation has been the expansion in the use of aerial bombs, which are dropped from planes and usually pack several hundred kilograms of explosives or more. Russia has vast Soviet-era stocks of the relatively cheap bombs.

Over the past several months, Russia has been able to grind out battlefield gains by hammering frontline towns and infantry positions with aerial bombs.

"Today, four guided aerial bombs came in, about 500 metres away. I was on the ground, and it started vibrating, I was thrown upwards - and I'm not small," Winnie said.

SHORTAGE OF WEAPONS

The Russian assault, which is driving towards the towns of Lyptsi and Vovchansk north of Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv, began last Friday.

The Russians appear to have been able to advance by at least several kilometers in some places, one of the fastest advances either side has seen since 2022, the first year of Russia's full-scale invasion.

"The enemy has the advantage in manpower, although they do not have as many vehicles as before," Andronikov said about the Kharkiv front.

The Russians, he said, were sending in noticeably fewer armoured vehicles, but even so were able to launch several times more artillery shells and FPV drones than Ukraine.

"We feel the deficit. We understand well that if it didn't exist, the enemy wouldn't have these successes here or in the Donbas," he said of the artillery imbalance, a problem felt acutely by Ukraine over the past six months.

He blasted the limits placed by some Ukrainian allies on the use of their weapons to strike Russia, saying the restriction handicapped Kyiv's ability to fight back on the northern front where the lines are a few kilometres from Russian territory.

Ukrainian soldiers have long complained the restriction gives Russia a shield, enabling its forces to launch attacks from across the border without putting their logistics at risk.

"It's a problem. There is a whole list of weapons which we receive, but until recently we didn't have the right to use them on the territory of Russia with impunity, the enemy is using the fact that Russian territory can't be hit."

(Editing by Tom Balmforth and Ros Russell)
LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA)  The case against a man seen in a 2022 cell phone video in a physical altercation with Lakeland police officers has been dismissed.

The state attorneys office did not want to put the officers on the witness stand.

One or more of the officers involved in the [Antwan] Glover case have subsequently been involved in an unrelated incident that is subject to an ongoing investigation. During the pendency of that investigation, the State Attorneys Office will not be calling those officers as witnesses, wrote Jake Orr, a spokesperson for the state attorneys office in the 10th Judicial Circuit, in a statement.

A Lakeland police spokesperson said Sgt. Mark Eby, Officer Jason McCain, and Officer Anton Jefferson are on administrative leave due to an unrelated incident that is currently under investigation.

The fourth officer involved in the Glover case, Officer Dillon Cornn, is on active duty status and is not involved in the current open investigation.

Citing state statutes, Lakeland police did not provide any further details on the investigation.

Antwan Glover was charged with three counts of battery on a law enforcement officer and one count of resisting officers with violence following an incident recorded on cell phone video in December 2022.

Lakeland police officers stopped Glover for not wearing a seatbelt.

Officers told investigators they smelled marijuana and Glover got out of the vehicle.

It was later discovered Glover had a medical marijuana license.

A physical altercation ensued when officers, according to an investigative report, thought Glovers satchel could contain a weapon.

At one point during the altercation, officers told investigators Glover had one of them in a headlock.

The video shows officers repeatedly punching Glover in the face while he was on the ground.

Officers also used a taser on Glover.

While Glover was arrested, the state attorneys office declined to charge the officers.

In a June 2023 letter from State Attorney Brian Haas to Lakeland Police Chief Sam Taylor, Haas cited a report by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement when explaining why he found no charges were appropriate against the officers.

From my review of the report, it is clear to me that during his arrest on December 18, 2022, Antwan Glover presented an ongoing and escalating threat to the Lakeland Police Officers, the letter reads.

On Tuesday, the assistant state attorney in the Glover case filed a notice of nolle prosequi, writing the charges against Glover could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case centered around Glovers word against the officers and prosecutors no longer wanted to call the officers to testify.

Attempts to request an interview with Glover through his attorney and advocates were not successful Thursday.

Hes excited. Hes been through a lot, said Pastor Clayton Cowart, with the Poor & Minority Justice Association.

Cowart helped organize demonstrations on Glovers behalf, calling for the charges to be dropped and for the officers involved to be fired and charged.

We could have saved the taxpayer some dollars. We could have saved Mr. Antwan Glover some anxiety and even saved on legal fees had this been done since the beginning, starting even at the police department, said Cowart.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
New app allows you to send text, audio and video messages to loved ones after you die

Psychic mediums performing seances are what people normally visualize when they think about receiving messages from the dead, but in 2024, all they need is their cell phone or computer.

Eternal Applications, a web hosting company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, launched an "after-life messaging platform" on Thursday that allows people to create personalized messages that will be delivered to family and friends after they die.

People will be able to use "easy-to-use-text, video and audio tools" to record and send messages, Eternal Applications said in a news release.

The company aims to provide "peace of mind to users" who want their legacy, wisdom or life stories shared and remembered, according to the release.

Is a taco a sandwich? Indiana judge issues a ruling after yearslong restaurant debate

Pictured is a woman using Eternal Applications' "after-life messaging platform."

Losing a loved one is among the most emotionally painful things that can occur and can continue tohurt for months and even years. Eternal Applications offers users a way to help their loved ones throughthis time, Chris Jalbert, founder of Eternal Applications, said in the release. Words fade over time, but by creating amessage your loved one gets to replay or reread as often as they want is priceless.

How does Eternal Applications' app work?

Users can leave messages for any occasion, in which they won't be alive to celebrate, including upcoming birthdays holidays, holidays and anniversaries, the company said.

"It is often challenging to have difficult conversations face to face, and even harder to convey exactly whatyou want to convey in the moment, according to the release. "The Eternal Applications platform lets users craft their message exactly as they want it in a comfortable environment. Users can create their message while they are still of sound mind and the person that their loved ones want to remember."

Pictured is a woman and man using Eternal Applications' "after-life messaging platform."

Once a user creates their message, they can pick the recipient of the message and input that individual's contact information, the company said. When the date of the delivery arrives, Eternal Applications will then send the recipient a link to a secure page where they'll be able to read, view or listen to the message. The recipient can also download the message and save it to their phone, computer or tablet.

The app utilizes an administrator system that notifies when a user has died so their messages can be queued up, according to the release. An administrator can be anyone, but spouses, children or family members typically have that responsibility, Eternal Applications said.

How much does Eternal Applications' app cost?

Messages can be bought as part of three packages, which all have a 50-year delivery window, according to the release. Recipients will also have the ability to edit and delete the messages for free at any time in the future, the company said.

The costs of the services vary and have three plans, including:

Basic ($49.99 for one message with 10 unique recipients)

Plus ($99.99 for three messages with 30 unique recipients)

Premium ($149.99 for 10 messages with 100 unique recipients)

All purchases are one-time buys, so no subscriptions are needed, according to the release. All message types cost the same, Eternal Applications said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Eternal Applications' new app allows dead people to message loved ones
A federal appeals court has ruled that Houston County and the county sheriff, Cullen Talton, discriminated against a transgender employee by refusing to cover costs for gender-affirming care.

Federal courts in Middle Georgia had previously ruled that Houston County and Talton discriminated against the deputy, but the county appealed the ruling. The 11th District of the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the previous decision Monday.

The case was initially handled by civil trial after the employee sued over the issue. A jury ruled in favor of Anna Lange, an employee at the sheriffs office, after she alleged she suffered emotional pain and mental anguish brought on by being denied medical coverage for her gender-affirming surgery.

Judge Charles Wilson, in the ruling handed down by the appeals court, said the judges determined a health insurance provider can be held liable under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for denying coverage for gender-affirming care to a transgender employee because the employee is transgender.

Trans employee felt support prior to health care issue

Lange filed the lawsuit against the county in October 2019. It details her experience working at the Houston County Sheriffs Office before and after her gender transition.

She began as a patrol officer in 2006 for the county where she wore mens work clothes, went by her male birth name and responded to male pronouns until early 2017, when she was diagnosed with gender dysphoria by a health care provider. She informed Talton of her transition plans to start wearing womens clothing, use her female name, go by female pronouns and be openly female at work and was met with his unspoken support, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit explains that the health care coverage by Blue Cross Blue Shield given to the countys employees covers medically necessary services like doctor visits, diagnostic laboratory services, prescription drugs, surgical supplies and inpatient hospital care. The plan also includes professional services like surgery and general anesthesia.

However, it excludes services, supplies and medication if its for a sex change, the lawsuit said.

Excluding sex change treatments is, by definition, an exclusion of gender transition treatments, Lange argued.

Lange had gone through feminizing breast surgery and hormone replacement therapy and they reduced her gender dysphoria, according to the document. With the help of her endocrinologist, two psychologists and a surgeon, she later decided to move forward with bottom surgery.

Before scheduling an appointment, she called Blue Cross Blue Shield to confirm the surgery was covered. An agent had told her it was, and they saw no exclusions, the lawsuit states. She still confirmed with the surgeons office whether the surgery was covered, which they said it was.

However, the complaint says that when the surgeon applied to the health coverage plan to pre-authorize the surgery in 2018, they denied it, explaining that sex change services were excluded.

Lange appealed the decision but was denied. When she appealed again, Blue Cross Blue Shield never issued a response, according to the lawsuit. She even requested the county to remove the exclusions in the health plan, since they enforce and amend the qualifications for health care coverage.

However, she was told the exclusions would stay and agreed to be held responsible for any penalties, the complaint said.

In turn, Lange sued Houston County and Talton for illegal discrimination based on sex. She also sued them for violating the Equal Protection Clause in the 14th Amendment that prohibits the deprivation of any right, privilege or immunity secured by the Constitution, according to her lawsuit.

Houston County, sheriff reply to lawsuit

The county attempted to get the case dismissed, arguing they did not violate her legal rights and abided by federal and state law. They also argued any damages that plaintiff suffered were the direct and proximate result of her own actions or inactions, including, but not limited to, assumption of relevant risks.

Talton claimed government immunity under the 11th Amendment. Chief Judge Marc Treadwell, who presided over the case before it went to appeal, disagreed with the claim since he had not proved he acted as a representative of the state, but rather used immunity as a facial attack, according to the judges decision.

The federal court trial lasted for two days. The jury awarded Lange $60,000 in damages. The judge also ordered Blue Cross Blue Shield to ensure they cease to enforce the exclusions against gender-affirming care and process her bottom surgery as indicated by her treating providers, according to court documents.

Houston County and Talton later requested the U.S. Court of Appeals to reverse the judges order, arguing they have significantly fewer financial resources to draw upon than the federal government.

The defendants asked Lange to post a bond in the amount of her surgery expenses, including drugs if she intended to go through the surgery during the appeal process, but the courts denied their request.

While the court did rule in Langes favor, the ruling wasnt unanimous. Judge Andrew Brasher, dissenting, argued that Lange could not prove a legal violation based on the evidence she turned over.

The reason is that the employer-provided health insurance plan here does not deny coverage to anyone because he or she is transgender, said Brasher. The alleged problem with this plan is that it excludes coverage for sex change surgeries, not that it denies coverage to transgender people.

On the face of this policy, it doesnt treat anyone differently based on sex, gender nonconformity, or transgender status.

While the court ruled in Langes claim of sex discrimination, her claim for the county violating the equal protection clause is still pending trial.
Arab League calls for 'immediate' cease-fire in Gaza, establishment of Palestinian state

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa makes a speech as he leads the 33rd Arab League Summit in Manama in Bahrain on Thursday. Photo by Bahrain News Agency/UPI

May 16 (UPI) -- Leaders at the 33rd Arab League summit on Thursday condemned the Israeli offensive in Gaza and called for the "immediate" withdrawal of forces from the region.

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa presided over this year's summit, which took place in Bahrain's capital of Manama. The meeting covered numerous ongoing conflicts in Libya, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, in addition to the war in Gaza.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who headed last year's summit, gave an opening speech in which he reiterated his country's support for the establishment of a Palestinian state and called on international leaders to halt the "Israeli aggression against Gaza."

The crown prince also noted Houthi rebel attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea and said it is essential to protect the area from actions that affect maritime commerce.

Hamad stressed the need to adopt a unified Arab and international position to end the conflict in the Middle East and for "the full recognition of the State of Palestine and accepting its membership in the United Nations."

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, center, poses with Arab leaders ahead of the 33rd Arab League Summit in Manama in Bahrain. Photo by Bahrain News Agency/UPI

This year's Arab League summit comes against the backdrop of the Israeli war against Hamas in Gaza in response to the terror group's Oct. 7 attack, which killed more than 1,170 people in southern Israel.

Gaza's Health Ministry reported Israeli military operations have killed at least 35,272 people and created serious food shortages.

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, right, receives Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Manama in Bahrain on Thursday ahead of the 33rd Arab League. Photo by Bahrain News Agency/UPI

Also in attendance on Thursday were Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar and United Arab Emirates Vice President and ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Al-Sisi accused Israel of avoiding efforts to reach a cease-fire with Hamas and continuing its assault on Rafah along the Gaza-Egypt border.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman makes a speech opening the 33rd Arab League Summit in Bahrain. Photo by Bahrain News Agency/UPI

He also accused Israel of using the Rafah border crossing "to tighten the siege on the Strip."

"[Egypt] renews its rejection of the displacement or forced displacement of Palestinians," he said.

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, right, receives Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas in Manama in Bahrain ahead of the 33rd Arab League. Photo by Bahrain News Agency/UPI

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad rejoined the summit for a second time this year. The Arab League suspended Syria's membership in 2011 over the government's brutal treatment of Arab Spring protesters.

Also present was U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who called for an "immediate humanitarian cease-fire and unimpeded access for humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza" and an "immediate and unconditional release of all hostages."

Bahrainian officials receive Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (C) ahead of the 33rd Arab League. Photo by Bahrain News Agency/UPI

"In its speed and scale, it is the deadliest conflict in my time as Secretary-General - for civilians, aid workers, journalists and our own U.N. colleagues," he said of the Gaza war.

Thursday's summit was the second Arab League gathering since the launch of the Israeli campaign into Gaza.

The 33rd Arab League Summit meets in Manama, Bahrain, on Thursday. It was the second league meeting since the outbreak of the Israeli incursion into Gaza. Photo by Bahrain News Agency/UPI

Just a month after the outbreak of the war, Riyadh hosted an emergency summit where leaders rejected Israel's claims that it was acting in self defense and called on the U.N. Security Council to adopt "a decisive and binding resolution" to halt the operation.

The agenda for Thursday's summit also covered joint Arab action in the political, economic, social, cultural, media and security fields.

Participants also adopted the "Bahrain Declaration," a proposal drafted on Tuesday calling for a U.N.-backed international peace conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to be held in Manama.

Attendees also discussed reactivating the Arab Peace Initiative, which Saudi Arabia proposed and was adopted at the 2002 league summit.

The initiative proposes full diplomatic relations with Israel and Arab states in exchange for Israel withdrawing from Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 and the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders.
The Arab League on Thursday called for the deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

At a summit meeting of the 22-member organization, the group also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and strongly condemned the advance of the Israeli army into the city of Rafah in the south of the coastal region, which is overcrowded with refugees.

Irreversible steps towards a two-state solution in Israel and the Palestinian territories must be taken, it said in the summit's final declaration. The annual meeting took place for the first time this year in Manama, the capital of Bahrain.

The Saudi crown prince and de facto ruler of the kingdom, Mohammed bin Salman, emphasized that the "fierce aggression" against the Palestinian brothers must be stopped. It was necessary for the international community to fulfil this responsibility, he said.

In his speech, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa called for an international peace conference for the Middle East. The summit had taken place under extraordinary circumstances, said the Secretary General of the Arab League, Ahmed Abul Gheit, an Egyptian diplomat. The Israeli aggression against the people of Gaza represented an historic turning point, he said, adding that the Arab people would not forget the blind violence of the Israeli occupation.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was also present at the summit. He once again called on the parties in the Gaza war to agree on a ceasefire, and described the conflict as "an open wound" that threatened to infect the whole region.

King Abdullah II of Jordan (R) holds a joint meeting with Palestine's President Mahmoud Abbas on the sidelines of the 33rd Arab League Summit. -/Petra/dpa

King Abdullah II of Jordan (L) holds a joint meeting with Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud on the sidelines of the 33rd Arab League Summit. -/Petra/dpa

King Abdullah II of Jordan (L) holds a joint meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on the sidelines of the 33rd Arab League Summit. -/Petra/dpa

Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud (2nd L) and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (L) hold a joint meeting on the sidelines of the 33rd Arab League Summit. -/Saudi Press Agency/dpa

Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud (2nd L) and Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah (L) hold a joint meeting on the sidelines of the 33rd Arab League Summit. -/Saudi Press Agency/dpa
Archaeologists discovered three 1,800-year-old tombs from ancient China.

The design of the tombs resembles that of a residence, showing the importance of family, even during burial.

While looters stripped two of the three tombs nearly bare, one was mostly untouched and yielded a family treasure.

Archaeologists discovered three remarkable 1,800-year-old, residential-style tombs featuring rooms and windows, where an ancient Chinese family was laid to rest alongside their treasured possessions.

While preparing for a local park expansion in Rizhao, China, archaeologists stumbled upon the tombs, which date back to the Han dynasty. But the archaeologists werent actually the first to find the tombs; looters had previously discovered at least portions of them at some point, largely clearing out two of the tombs, while leaving the third relatively undisturbed.

According to a translated statement from the Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences reported by the Miami Herald, what makes the tombs so fascinatingapart from the 70 artifacts constituting a family treasure located in the third tombis residential design.

Two of the tombs contained inscriptions of the Huan surname, showing the distinct familial connection between them. Experts say the tombs, accessed through passageways, share a similar design. The most intact tomb, known as M3, includes interconnected rooms with wooden windows and doors, indicating it may have been the final resting place of a married couple.

The excavation in Rizhao, which is about 400 miles from Beijing, yielded more than 70 artifacts, ranging from an iron sword to bronze mirrors and a variety of pottery. It likely constituted the familys treasure, the archaeologists say.

In a distinctly unusual discovery, the team also located pieces of a coffin carriage, which was used to transport coffins into the tomb. The archaeologists described it as exquisitely crafted and an uncommon find.

The discovery of ancient tombs in China sheds light on cultural practices of bygone eras. A recent find from the second Jin Dynasty, approximately 800 years old, provides evidence of non-Chinese influence in the cultural tapestry of Shanxi province.

That discovery, which was also a three-tomb set, showed each had its own distinct characteristic and style, from architectural design to murals. Brick-carved arches, doors, and windows played heavily, and murals featured flora patterns and figures. Each tomb told its own story with epitaphs and inscriptions linking historical and geographical information key at the time.

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE)  A group led by the Archbishop of Santa Fe has requested an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War. A coalition of faith-based members of the community represented by Archbishop John Wester of the Santa Fe Diocese called for in-depth documentation of possible Israeli war crimes regarding the war in Gaza.

Protestors removed from University of New Mexico campus

In front of the Deminici Federal Courthouse in downtown Albuquerque, speakers addressed the destruction of infrastructure and lives in Gaza. The archbishop says the death toll has exceeded 35,000 Palestinians and wounded over 76,000. A humanitarian catastrophe has been unfolding before our eyes the eyes of the world. Its such a conflict, continuing such warfare is neither just nor tolerable, said Wester.

It has been seven months since the war in Gaza started.

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Arkansas State Police arrest 2, confiscate 200-plus pounds of marijuana and over $10,000 in two traffic stops

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  What began as routine traffic stops ended with arrests and drug seizures for the Arkansas State Police over two days in May.

An ASP spokesperson said the situation began when a trooper pulled over a car at 6:45 p.m. on May 7 near the 99-mile marker on Interstate 40 in Pope County. When troopers searched the car they found five trash bags holding 120 wrapped one-pound bundles of marijuana and $9,350 in cash.

Semi-truck crash kills six in northeast Arkansas, ASP to investigate

Officials said the driver of the car, 50-year-old Kristi Dortch of Eureka Springs, California, was taken to the Pope County Detention Center, where she is facing felony charges of possession with the purpose to deliver, possession of drug paraphernalia and multiple traffic violations. Dortch told investigators she was driving from Eureka Springs, California to Chatanooga, Tennessee.

May 7 traffic stop, marijuana found (courtesy Arkansas State Police)

Cash seized during May traffic stops (courtesy Arkansas State Police)

May marijuana seizure (courtesy Arkansas State Police)

In the second incident, a trooper pulled over a driver at 2:30 p.m. on May 13 in a traffic stop at the 172-mile marker on I-40 in Lonoke County. When the car was searched troopers found 115 pounds of marijuana on the cars trunk, along with $1,005 in cash.

ASP safely locate 6-year-old from Little Rock

The driver, 41-year-old Shayla Cooper of Oklahoma City, was taken to the Lonoke Detention Center, where she is facing felony charges of possession with intent to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia. She told investigators she was driving from Oklahoma City to Atlanta, Georgia.

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Arkansas Supreme Court (Courtesy Photo)

This story was updated at 4:30 p.m. on May 16, 2024 to include additional comments.

The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday reversed a lower courts ruling and dismissed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of four election-related laws approved by the state Legislature in 2021.

The League of Women Voters of Arkansas filed the suit in Pulaski County Circuit Court against Secretary of State John Thurston and the Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners over Act 249, 728, 736 and 973 of 2021.

The laws require voters who cast a provisional ballot to provide a photo ID by the Monday following an election for their vote to be counted, prohibit people from standing within 100 feet of a polling location, require county clerks to verify the voters signature on an absentee ballot application with the voters registration application, and shorten the deadline for in-person absentee ballot delivery.

Challenged election laws

Act 249: Eliminates the option for voters who failed to present valid photographic identification at the polls to complete a sworn statement. Now, voters who cast provisional ballots must provide a photo ID to the county board of election commissioners or the clerk by noon on the Monday following the election for their vote to be counted.

Act 728: Prohibits people from entering or remaining within 100 feet of a polling sites entrance except for those entering or leaving the building where voting is taking place for lawful purposes.

Act 736: Clarifies that county clerks must use the voters registration application to verify the voters signature on an absentee ballot application.

Act 973: Moves the deadline for in-person absentee ballot delivery from the Monday before election day to the preceding Friday by the close of business at the county clerks office.

According to Thursdays order, the League of Women Voters argued the acts violated various provisions of the state Constitution and would make it more difficult for eligible voters to cast a ballot. The state argued the laws were enacted to protect election integrity and promote public confidence in election security.

After the circuit court held the laws unconstitutional and permanently enjoined their enforcement, the defendants appealed to the states high court, which overturned the ruling Thursday.

Writing for the majority, Associate Justice Cody Hiland said, We hold that the Acts are not clearly incompatible with the sections of the Arkansas Constitution as alleged by the Appellee; thus, we reverse and dismiss.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appointed the former U.S. Attorney to the states high court last year to fill the seat left vacant after the death of Associate Justice Robin Wynne.

Chief Justice Dan Kemp and Associate Justices Barbara Webb and Shawn Womack concurred with Hilands opinion, which did not include any written dissents.

As part of his legal analysis, Hiland cited Burdick v. Takushi, which states that the right to vote is the right to participate in the electoral process that is necessarily structured to maintain the integrity of the democratic system.

Thus, while the right to vote has been held to be fundamental, the right to vote in a particular manner is not guaranteed, he wrote.

Hiland also said that many courts have noted absentee voting is not a fundamental right.

Upon examining the plain language of the laws, Hiland said the fundamental right to vote is not at stake, so the state wasnt required to prove a compelling state interest.

The circuit courts conclusion that strict scrutiny applied across the board to these four Acts was an error of law, he said. Strict scrutiny refers to the highest standard a court must use in determining the constitutionality of a law and requires the state to have a compelling governmental interest in passing the law.

Nonetheless, Hiland said the court considered the Arkansas constitutional provisions on which the laws were challenged, including the state Constitutions equal protection clause, which prohibits depriving citizens of any right privilege or immunity or exempting them from any burden or duty, on account of race, color or previous condition.

Hiland wrote that the evidence fell short in appellees attempt to prove a discriminatory impact or purpose.

While Appellees put on a myriad of witnesses to testify as to what they believed will be the potential discriminatory impact in application, the evidence provided was only speculative, he said. Because the Acts are facially neutral and do not contain any discriminatory classes, equal protection was not invoked.

A spokesman for the Secretary of States office said theyre reviewing the opinion and have no comment at this time.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin in a statement said the courts decision is a total victory for Arkansas voters and the security of our elections moving forward.

In a statement, League of Women Voters of Arkansas President Bonnie Miller called the ruling a disappointing blow to voting rights in our state.

Miller said the organization is reviewing the ruling to understand its implications and remains committed to defending democracy and ensuring that every eligible voter can exercise their right to participate in the electoral process without unnecessary barriers or burdens.

It is evident that these lawsrequiring election officials to engage in the arbitrary and error-prone process of matching a voters signature on their absentee ballot application to the voters signature on their original voter registration application, unjustifiably shortening absentee ballot turn-in deadlines, essentially doing away with provisional ballots, and prohibiting anyone except voters from entering or remaining within 100 feet of a polling place (even to accompany or support a voter)will continue to pose significant challenges to voters, particularly older Arkansans and those living in rural areas, Miller said.

Debate over Arkansas voter regulations were also presented to the states legislative branch earlier this month when a committee considered and approved an emergency rule that permits electronic signatures on voter registration applications only when theyre completed at certain state agencies.

The Arkansas Board of Election Commissioners gave initial approval to the rule, which requires paper registration applications to include a wet signature, meaning an applicant signs with a pen.

The new rule directly impacts the work of Get Loud Arkansas, which has used an online portal to help register around 500 voters in 63 counties since the start of the year.

The emergency rule went into effect on May 4 and will be in effect for 120 days. The election board is drafting a permanent rule that will be subject to a 30-day comment period and a public hearing.

The post Arkansas Supreme Court overturns ruling challenging state election laws appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP)  The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday upheld four voting restrictions passed by Republican lawmakers in 2021 that were struck down by a state judge as unconstitutional.

Justices ruled that the four laws did not violate the U.S. or Arkansas constitutions, reversing and dismissing the 2022 ruling by a Pulaski County judge. The court had earlier stayed the judges decision in the case, so the restrictions were still in effect before Thursdays ruling

Arkansas Board of Election Commissioners does away with electronic signatures for voter registration; Group says decision will enhance voter suppression

We hold that the Acts are not clearly incompatible with the sections of the Arkansas Constitution as alleged by Appellees, justices said in the unanimous ruling.

The measures upheld include a change to the states voter ID law that removes the option for someone to sign an affidavit affirming their identity if they dont present a photo identification at the polls.

The other measures prevent anyone other than voters from being within 100 feet of a polling place, require an absentee voters signature on a ballot to match the signature on their voter registration application, and move up the deadline for voters to return absentee ballots in person.

Republican Attorney General Tim Griffin called the ruling a total victory for Arkansas voters and the security of our elections moving forward.

New lawsuit filed challenging Arkansas map for US House districts as unconstitutional

The League of Women Voters, who sued over the restrictions along with Arkansas United and five Arkansas voters, called the ruling a disappointing blow to voting rights in Arkansas. The lawsuit argued the restrictions would make it difficult  and in some cases impossible  for voters to exercise their right to vote.

It is evident that these laws will continue to pose significant challenges to voters, particularly older Arkansans and those living in rural areas, Bonnie Miller, president of the League of Women Voters of Arkansas, said in a statement.

Supporters of the restrictions said they were needed to bolster confidence in the states election system. The laws were among an historic number of voting restrictions that were enacted by Republican states following former President Donald Trumps unfounded claims of fraud in the 2020 election.

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COLEMAN, Texas (KTAB/KRBC)  An armed student was taken into custody following an incident at Coleman ISD Thursday morning.

The Coleman Police Department says officers responded to a report of an armed student at Coleman High School around 8:00 a.m.

They were able to locate the student, who police say did have a handgun, which officers retrieved without incident.

The student did not display the weapon or threaten any individuals before being taken into custody, a press release from Coleman ISD explains.

No shots were fired during this event, no injuries have been reported, and all students are safe, according to police.

Officers did search for additional threats following the students arrest, but nothing was found.

Parents are now asked to pick up their children at Bill Franklin Center. Anyone picking up a child is required to bring their ID.

This incident is still under investigation, and no further information is available at this time.

Stick with BigCountryHomepage.com for any additional details on this breaking news.

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Authorities have made an arrest after a wildfire was touched off Wednesday evening in a rugged part of Butte County spared from Camp Fire more than five years ago.

Firefighters made quick work of the Ranch Fire, a 10-acre blaze that sparked just before 6:30 p.m. on Big Bend Road and Newsome Ranch Road near Yankee Hill, said the Butte County Fire Department, a unit of Cal Fire known as BTU.

In a brief statement, Cal Fire said that one person was arrested on suspicion of starting the Ranch Fire, but no other details were immediately available. Officials noted that the blaze was 21 separate fires but all threats were mitigated.

The Butte County Sheriffs Office had briefly issued evacuation orders for several homes near the blaze, which was detected as heavy timber smoke across several hot spots around 6:22 p.m. Cal Fire responded with three fire crews and an air tanker drop, stopping forward progress on the flames around 8:30 p.m. Evacuations were lessened and roads reopened to residents overnight.

On Thursday morning, crews said the fire was 50% contained as personnel were constructing control lines, mopping up and patrolling in a remote location with difficult access. Numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the state are flying fire suppression missions as conditions allow, Cal Fire said.

The burn area was one of the few areas of Big Bend southeast of Paradise and Concow that was spared in the Camp Fire, the 2018 inferno that killed 85 people, burned over 150,000 acres and destroyed nearly 19,000 buildings. The Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in state history, was sparked by faulty PG&E transmission equipment.

The Ranch Fire was also several yards west of the outer limit of the Claremont Fire, which charred nearly 300,000 acres in 2020.

Currently have 75 personnel working on the fire today, Cal Fire said in its update. We will remain at scene until 100% containment is achieved.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo.  A Hazelwood man has been arrested and charged in a road rage shooting in University City.

According to the University City Police Departments probable cause statement, the shooting happened at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Interstate 170 southbound off-ramp to Delmar Boulevard.

The victim told police she was trying to exit at Delmar but saw a black Toyota sedan driving recklessly in her rearview mirror. She attempted to change lanes to avoid the Toyota but cut off the sedan.

The Toyota pulled ahead of the victim, took the Delmar exit, and stopped at the red light.

The victim pulled over on the exit ramp because she was startled by the ordeal. Police claim the driver of the Toyota exited his vehicle with a pistol and fired five or six shots at the victims car.

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The victim suffered a gunshot wound to her left shoulder and was taken to the hospital for surgery. The injury was not life-threatening.

Police located the Toyota sedan later that day at a gas station in St. Louis City. The driver, identified as Octavian Carr, was taken into custody. Police claim a loaded 9mm Springfield XDS handgun was inside the car.

Carr allegedly told investigators that he thought the victim had tried to cut him off and that he let his anger get the better of him.

The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorneys Office charged Carr with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. Carr remains jailed on a $150,000 cash-only bond.

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Nankin was home to about 300 people in 1884, and the village virtually hummed with enterprise.

The town continued to grow through the turn of the century, and by 1930 it had a population of over 1,000.

In the 1880s, the railroad depot was about a mile east of the village. W.D. Edgar was both the stationmaster and a partner in the tile yard of Edgar and Bowman. There also was a saw mill and lumberyard.

Jacob Kreigers general merchandise store carried a bit of everything  dry goods, hardware supplies and ready-made clothing.

Irvin Stentz was the towns grocer and also traveled the countryside in a produce wagon. He bought eggs and butter from farm wives and sold groceries from the wagon.

Besides a cheese factory, Nankin had a cement tile factory sometime after the turn of the century. In 1911, Julius Rockenfelter advertised his cement tile as an alternative to clay tile.

Judson M. Norris was the villages lightning rod man. It was a business that required a good talker  a man both convincing and not easily discouraged. Jud reportedly did well.

The townspeople of the 1880s went to Miss Kit Vance for musical instruction, and she was an accomplished pianist and vocalist in her own right. The town also had a hotel, called the Nankin House, kept by John Weedman.

Small industries in Nankin at turn of the century

Nankin even boasted some small industries. Brunell Stevens Bolles ran the cheese factory in the 1880s, collecting milk from the surrounding dairy farms.

Besides the cheese factory, the village had a cement tile factory sometime after the turn of the century. In 1911, Julius Rockenfelter advertised his cement tile as an alternative to clay tile.

Another industry was the B & G Rubber Company, which started in a couple rooms in the old cement factory around 1919. By1923 they were making 100,000 balloons a day and employed thirty-five people in an around-the-clock operation. G.H. Gault, G.F. Morr, and H.V. Barrett were the officers of the company.

Sarah Hootman Kearns

The Nankin school, with Ira Houseman as principal, had about 74 pupils in 1884. The teacher, Miss Belle Long, followed in her sister, Matties, footsteps starting around age 16. Amongst Belles young pupils was her younger brother, Harry.

Nankin school burns in 1915; faulty furnace blamed

The old Nankin school was a two-room frame building west of the main street, which burned early in December 1915. A faulty furnace was blamed for the blaze, which could be seen in the night sky from Ashland. The schools organ and some seats were saved.

In 1918, voters were urged to approve a new, modern building for the districts 140 students. Supporters noted that when young people were being sent to fight a war over there, future youth deserved to be armed with educational preparedness.

Nankins youth did get their school building, built on the east side of town, where the young people of the community got their education for the next eighty-some years.

In the spring of 1919, two Civil War veterans, David Youngblood and William Davidson, planted a memorial grove of 80 maple trees in honor of the Orange Township veterans who had participated in all the wars of the United States. The memorial grove was dedicated on Memorial Day, 1924.

That same year, Judson Norris, the old lightning rod salesman, donated a soldiers monument, which was placed within the grove and dedicated Sept. 1, 1924. Jud had moved to Ashland in 1900, where he was notable for his public spirit and his financial support of worthy causes, including the Methodist church and Samaritan Hospital.

On Memorial Day 1926, Nankin placed a Minenwerfer gun that was a World War I trophy in the park to stand as another memorial to those who served.

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Nankin was an enterprising small village in early Ashland County
ATHENS, Ala. (WHNT)  The Athens Police Department (APD) says the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) is investigating after an officer-involved shooting in Athens.

According to Limestone County Coroner Mike West, Maurice White, 40 of Athens was the man killed by Athens Police during the shooting Wednesday night.

APD said that around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, officers responded to a call that a man threatened a homeowner with a gun, discharged the weapon, and fled the area.

Police identify suspect in Huntsville apartment shooting that injured woman

The department said officers arrived at the scene and attempted to convince the man to give up the gun. The person refused and ran on foot to a neighborhood on Songbird Drive.

APD Chief Anthony Pressnell said the man then fired on officers and fled between two homes. Officers ordered him to drop the gun and used a taser on him. He said despite the taser the man pointed the gun at officers.

Photo of officer involved shooting scene on Songbird Drive in Athens

Photo of officer involved shooting scene on Songbird Drive in Athens

The chief said the man was shot around 7:20 p.m. and that officers attempted first aid but were unsuccessful.

West told News 19 Wednesday that the White died on the scene from multiple gunshot wounds.

Cornell Florence, who lives in the neighborhood where the incident took place, told News 19s Darryl Burke that the incident is an unusual sight for the area around his home.

My sister has been living in this area for five years and Ive been down here for two years at the end of this month, and we have no problems., he said. You can walk around here at midnight and still have no problems.

Pressnell said APD contacted the SBI, who will oversee the investigation. Authorities said there is no longer any danger to the public.

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Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrives to attend a European Council meeting at the European headquarters in Brussels. Gaetan Claessens/European Council/dpa

Greece has proposed the establishment of a pan-European air defence system, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in an interview with broadcaster Skai on Thursday.

Mitsotakis said he had already submitted the proposal to his colleagues in the EU.

"I am thinking of a European air defence system that protects all European countries against any threat," said Mitsotakis. It would function in a similar way to the Israeli Iron Dome missile defence system, he said, and suggested that EU financial instruments should be used to fund air defence projects.
Attorney for family of GA airman killed by deputy said officer fired 6 times, calls it execution

The attorney for the family of a Georgia airman who was shot to death by a deputy in Florida said the officer used excessive force and that he should have known he was in the wrong apartment.

Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, was shot to death by an Okaloosa County Sheriffs Deputy in his off-base apartment in Fort Walton Beach on May 3. Fortson grew up in DeKalb County.

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Attorneys for the family said deputies were responding to reports of a domestic disturbance inside one of the apartments involving a man and a woman. They say the deputies ended up at the wrong apartment.

The sheriffs office maintains that the deputy shot Fortson because he answered the door with a gun.

Attorney Ben Crump said in a news conference at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in DeKalb County Thursday that the deputy who killed Fortson shot him six times.

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Police used excessive force in executing him, Crump said. I mean, six shots. Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! He pulled the trigger six times.

Crump said he has seen the entire body camera video from the deputy and said the deputy should have known he was at the wrong apartment. The deputy was told that a man and woman were both in the apartment. Fortson was alone at the time.

As long as they keep saying they went to the right apartment, they are staining his reputation, because Roger did not have any domestic disturbance. Roger had no criminal history, Crump said. Roger had a good name. Roger was a good young man.

Crump then read the transcript of the officers body cam video, in which the woman reporting the domestic violence incident initially told the officer she didnt know which apartment the disturbance was in. She then gave the officer an apartment number.

Crump also played the audio recordings with 911 dispatch.

Dont have any further other than a male and a female, dispatch told the officer. Its all fourth-party information from the front desk at the leasing office.

In the body camera video, Forston, who was a registered owner of the gun, is holding the gun down, trained toward the floor. He was shot within a second of opening the door.

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New Birth Pastor Dr. Jamal Harrison Bryant said its a sad day when a patriot is killed on his own soil.

This is a heavy moment for the nation, Bryant said. This is a dark moment in our history that one of our patriots was slain not on foreign field, was slain on domestic soil just for the crime of being Black in America.

Fortsons girlfriend, who lives in Atlanta, told Channel 2 Action News that she was on a call with Fortson when there was a knock at his door.

Then the knock gets aggressive, and he says, Im going to grab my gun because I dont know who that is. He asked who it was louder, she said. What I thought was... It was gunshots. Thats when I heard the officer then identify himself and says, Put the gun down. And Roger says, Ok, ok.

She said she then heard what she believes were his last conscious moments.

Roger says, I cant breathe. I cant breathe. He calls out three gunshots to the chest and three to the forearm, she said. I didnt know what to do. There was nothing I could do.

Fortson is set to be buried on Friday.

Channel 2s Audrey Washington was at the Donald Trimble Mortuary in Decatur Thursday night where people were paying their respects.

At the funeral, Washington learned that here will be special tributes paid to the airman from the U.S. Air Force and members of Congress.

A fellow airman, Keira Taylor, owns a horse and carriage company and will provide her services for the funeral free of charge.

I couldnt figure a better way to pay tribute and send my condolences to the family, Taylor said.

The family has set up a GoFundMe account to help support his siblings.
China is source of growth and innovation: says Danone CEO

Xinhua) 08:36, May 16, 2024

PARIS, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The thriving Sino-French relationship has been instrumental in Danone's success in China, said the company's CEO in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Danone's journey in China began in 1987, with its first venture into the dairy sector in Guangzhou. "This pioneering step was more than an entry into a new market: it was an expression of our belief in the potential for growth and partnership in China," said Antoine de Saint-Affrique, the French food group's CEO.

In 1992, Danone set up a baby food company in Shanghai, becoming the first company in China to add patented prebiotics to infant formula. In 2000, it opened a factory in Wuxi, becoming the first base in China to produce enteral nutrition products. In 2020, it established an open research center in Shanghai, and a special nutrition factory in Qingdao.

After more than three decades, China has now been Danone's second-largest market globally for six consecutive years.

"Our operations span 10 factories and include over 8,000 employees, contributing significantly to about 11 percent of our global sales as of 2023. In our just-released financial result in the first quarter, our China, North Asia and Oceania Zone delivered a like-for-like growth of 8.9 percent, the highest among all regions," said de Saint-Affrique.

"This success is a direct reflection of the strong economic and trade cooperation between China and France, which has not only facilitated but also accelerated our growth in this dynamic market," he stressed.

As a representative of French companies that have achieved successful development in China, de Saint-Affrique attended the Sixth Meeting of the China-France Business Council held in Paris last week.

"The 60-year mark of diplomatic ties between China and France is a testament to a rich and dynamic partnership that has fostered economic and trade exchanges. For Danone, this milestone is not only a celebration of historical ties but also a foundation for future collaboration and innovation," he told Xinhua.

China plays a pivotal role in Danone's global strategy, reflecting not only its vast consumer base but also its rapidly evolving market dynamics, he continued.

"It's a country where we have a strong science base, a strong production base, fantastic talents, and therefore it's a country where we innovate in China for China, but also for the rest of the world," he said.

The food, drink, and health sector is highly competitive in China, the CEO of Danone explained. "The diversity and sophistication of Chinese consumers inspire us to continuously adapt and innovate, ensuring we meet their nutritional needs and preferences. This strategic focus is aligned with our mission of bringing health through food to as many people as possible, making China central to our global endeavors."

"Our commitment to the Chinese market is unwavering, as we see it as a source of growth and innovation," he concluded.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Fatime Letifova

On May 15, a solemn ceremony dedicated to the completion of the mission of the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation was held at the Khojaly Airport, Azernews reports.

The ceremony was attended by the official representatives of the Ministry of Defense of the Azerbaijan Republic, the Ministry of Defense, the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation, and the Russian Embassy to the Azerbaijan Republic, as well as servicemen and media representatives.

After viewing the photo exhibition showcasing the activities of the Russian Federation's peacekeeping contingent in the Karabakh economic region, the guests were invited to take their seats in the tribune, and the ceremony's program was announced.

First, the memory of the fallen servicemen was honored with a minute of silence. This was followed by the national anthems of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation, performed by a military orchestra.

Afterwards, the First Deputy Minister of Defense  Chief of the General Staff of the Azerbaijan Army, Colonel General Karim Valiyev delivered a speech.

Afterwards, the Chief of General Staff of the Land Forces of the Russian Federation, Colonel General Yevgeny Nikiforov spoke about the activities of the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation, temporarily stationed in the Karabakh economic region of Azerbaijan. He expressed deep gratitude on behalf of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Chief of General Staff and his behalf to the military personnel of the Russian peacekeeping contingent for the commendable fulfillment of their military duties, and to the military leadership of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan for effective joint cooperation and the understanding achieved.

Following the speeches, medals were presented to military personnel awarded by the orders of the Ministers of Defense of Azerbaijan and Russia, gifts were exchanged between the official guests.

The event ended with a concert program presented by creative teams of the Defense Ministries of Azerbaijan and Russia.
Auburn man sentenced to over eight years in prison on child pornography possession charges

AUBURN, Ala. (WRBL)  An Auburn man was sentenced to just over eight years behind bars after being convicted on possession of child pornography, according to the U,S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Alabama.

Maxime Tessier, 33, was ordered by a federal Montgomery judge to serve 97 months in prison on Wednesday, May 15.

About two years ago, law enforcement received a tip about child pornography being shared online from Tessiers home.

Federal agents searched the home on Nov. 15, 2022. According to court documents, electronic devices with numerous images of suspected child pornography were seized.

In a plea hearing on Jan. 16, 2024, Tessier admitted that some of those images were sexually explicit depictions of children under 12.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Auburn Police Department investigated this case.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRBL.
Austin is no longer the 10th most populous city in the US. Here's where it ranks now

Austin's reign as the 10th most populous U.S. city is officially over  for now.

New estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau now place Austin at No. 11 on the list, edged out by Jacksonville, Florida. Austin's current population estimate of 979,882 trails Jacksonville's by less than 6,000 people.

Slightly behind Austin in terms of total population is Fort Worth, which is home to 978,468 people, according to estimates. That's about 1,400 fewer than Austin.

Photos taken from the patio of David Armbrust, one of Austin's foremost real estate development lawyers, shows the dramatic change in Austin's skyline within the past two decades.

Graduating from college? Austin metro has the best rental market in the US, study says

Is Austin still growing?

Yes, but at a slow rate. Between July 2022 and July 2023, Austin's population grew by about 4,500 people, according to a news release from the city. That accounts for a growth rate of about 0.42%, slightly below the national growth rate average of 0.5%.

According to the Census Bureau's estimates, Central Texas also experienced slowed growth rates, and Travis County experienced negative net migration. Despite that, Travis, Williamson and Hays counties added more than 40,000 new housing units.

For decades, the red-hot regional economy coupled with a relatively lower cost of living yielded substantial population growth in Central Texas, said City Demographer Lila Valencia, according to the release. However, with volatility rattling the tech sector, housing costs rising post-pandemic, and more opportunities for remote work, its not surprising to see population growth slowing and Austin slipping back into position as the 11th largest city.

More: Austin-based Indeed.com cutting about 1,000 jobs, or roughly 8% of its global workforce

What other Texas cities made the top 10?

Though Austin fell outside the top 10, several Texas cities still inhabit the list. Houston is No. 4 with more than 2.3 million people, and San Antonio is No. 7 with a population of nearly 1.5 million people. Dallas is the last Texas city in the top 10, and it sits at No. 9 with over 1.3 million residents.

Top 10 most populous cities in the U.S.

New York: 8,258,035 Los Angeles: 3,820,914 Chicago: 2,664,452 Houston: 2,314,157 Phoenix: 1,650,070 Philadelphia: 1,550,542 San Antonio: 1,495,295 San Diego: 1,388,320 Dallas: 1,302,868 Jacksonville, Florida: 985,843

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin falls out of top 10 most populous US cities list: Census
Editors note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

While hiding from almost non-stop Russian bombardment in the dark and cold bunkers of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Dmytro Kozatskyi took his most famous and arguably most valuable photographs.

He showed the world what it was like to survive in the place Russian troops relentlessly attacked in the early days of the full-scale invasion.

Widely known by his call sign "Orest," Kozatskyi, 28, is a Ukrainian soldier and photographer who formerly headed the press service of the Azov regiment.

Dmytro Kozatskyi. (Wikimedia)

Originally from the Zhytomyr region, Kozatskyi was based in Mariupol when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He documented Russias brutal offensive against Mariupol, soon ending up at the last Ukrainian stronghold in the city  Azovstal plant.

Kozatskyis photographs and videos from Azovstal showed the world how soldiers and civilians had to endure heavy Russian attacks living in the bunkers of the plant, with little to no food and medicine.

On May 16, 2022, Azovstal defenders were ordered to surrender to the encircling Russian forces. Four days later, Kozatskyi, alongside other soldiers, was taken prisoner and brought to Russian-occupied Donetsk.

Kozatskyi returned home in a major prisoner exchange on Sept. 21, 2022. But hundreds of Azovstal defenders still remain in captivity.

The Kyiv Independent spoke with Kozatskyi about his world-famous photographs from Azovstal, the Russian assault on Mariupol, and the four months he spent in Russian captivity.

Read also: Mariupol defender breaks down his famous Azovstal photos

Photo in the makeshift hospital

This is one of the Azovstal bunkers, which housed a makeshift hospital for the wounded. There was another hospital, the main one, but it was hit several times by bombs. Here are two soldiers who, it seems, came for a check-upThey have amputated limbs.

When I came to the hospital, I saw that there were a lot of guys with amputated limbs. Even if it had been just one person, it would still have been extremely unfortunate because I know how these amputations were performed. There was very little medicine. There were very little or, at times, no anesthetics at all. These amputations were performed on guys without anesthesia. And that's why every wound brought a lot of pain for a long time because there were no painkillers, the doctors simply couldn't give them because there were none

This photo released on May 10, 2022, shows two injured Ukrainian servicemen inside the Azovstal iron and steel works factory in eastern Mariupol, Ukraine, amid the Russian invasion. (Personal archive / Dmytro Kozatskyi)

Navas photo in the bunker

This photo was taken in the bunker we called the Source. Because it was a very large room, it was quite cold there.

So the service members who lived there lit small fires to warm themselves near them, to dry some laundry, and cook food.

If you look at this photo, you can see that it is quite warm Its now quite symbolic for me that this photo is as warm as my attitude towards (Azov regiment service member, Valeriia Subotina) "Nava" because I love her very much, and I appreciate our friendship that continues too, despite everything.

She married her partner on the anniversary of the creation of the Azov regiment. I remember that I even took their wedding photographs in the bunker. And, unfortunately, a few days later, he was killed by the Russians.

This photo released on May 10, 2022, shows Nava (Azov regiment service member, Valeriia Subotina) inside the Azovstal iron and steel works factory in eastern Mariupol, Ukraine, amid the Russian invasion. (Personal archive / Dmytro Kozatskyi)

The light will win

This is a self-portrait I was walking alone from one bunker to another and I had a camera with me. And since I remembered this ray of light that I saw earlier, I decided to capture it with me in the shot.

There was one sunny day, and the light was coming through this hole. And since there was always dust in these bunkers, it rose when someone passed by.

When I took it, I didn't post it right away; it stayed with me for a few days because I was waiting for a special occasion because, for me, this photo is quite symbolic. I posted it on the day when we got the news that there would be an evacuation of military personnel to save lives. Thats what they called it back then. I understood it meant we would end up in captivity But for me, at that moment, that was good news because the enemy was getting closer and closer. They were already on the territory of Azovstal.

I am glad that these photos are used to draw attention to the prisoners of war, to draw attention to the courage of the defenders of Azovstal and Mariupol. However, for me, these are not some photos that evoke some warm, pleasant memories. This is more about pain.

This photo released on May 10, 2022 is a self-portrait of Dmytro Kozatskyi inside the Azovstal iron and steel works factory in eastern Mariupol, Ukraine, amid the Russian invasion. (Personal archive / Dmytro Kozatskyi)

The Kyiv Independent: At the time when you were taking these photographs did you understand how important they would be for the people inside the plant and for the world?

Dmytro Kozatskyi: We didnt realize that the photos we took one day would make such an impact. Because I understood that both civilians and Mariupol defenders died there literally every day. And in general, extremely terrible things were happening. Do people need any more confirmation of all this? As it turned out, yes, and the photos became a certain visual symbol.

Many attribute all kinds of things to me, like some kind of heroism. And to be honest, I really don't like it. Because this was just my job.

The Kyiv Independent: What was the atmosphere like at Azovstal when you first relocated there and how did it change over time?

Dmytro Kozatskyi: In the first days, it was very interesting to see what it looked like inside and what was happening there overall Later, we began to notice changes as the strikes were getting closer and closer, and we had to go down to the bunker more often. At that time, it still wasnt a familiar place for us.

There were quite a few of those really dark days, but several are etched in my memory On April 15, an aerial bomb hit our bunker and ruined the premises where a lot of my brothers-in-arms lived. My good friend died there I realized I was lying on the floor amidst the rubble. I felt blood streaming down my head.

I saw my brother-in-arms, who was dying. They were trying to save him, but unfortunately, he died. It was the first dark memory that stands out in my mind And those everyday routines constantly became darker and darker.

The Kyiv Independent: How did you react to the order for the military personnel from Azovstal to surrender?

Dmytro Kozatskyi: For me, it was good news back then I think it was the right decision because even though soldiers are now in captivity, there is a chance to get them back alive. Yes, Russians destroy lives in captivity; they break the psyche, but at least that can be restored through hard work. You can not do anything if a person is dead. I thought then and still do now that it was the right decision.

It was a bit naive at the time, of course, but then I realized that not everything was as good. And this evacuation is not exactly an evacuation. Not everything went as planned.

Smoke rises from the Azovstal steel plant in the city of Mariupol on May 10, 2022, amid the ongoing Russian military action in Ukraine. (Stringer/AFP via Getty Images)

The Kyiv Independent: You were held at the infamous prison in the Russian-occupied Olenivka and then in the detention center in Donetsk. Can you describe the conditions there?

Dmytro Kozatskyi: (In Olenivka) we lived in small barracks with about 30 people (in each)... They would give us food at 3 a.m., sometimes at 1 a.m. Later, they started giving it more consistently at fixed time, but it was still not enough, and we were constantly thinking about how hungry we were. Looking back, I understand that food is a manifestation of freedom and choice. When you live in Kyiv, you can eat whatever you want. There, they take away basically any right to choose, the right to move, and the right to freedom.

While in Olenivka, it was at least possible to talk with brothers-in-arms, but in the Donetsk detention center, we could only whisper to each other, and everyone had to be very careful.

The Kyiv Independent: You were in Olenivka camp when an explosion occurred killing 57 POWs and injuring over 100 on July 29, 2022, in what Kyiv called a deliberate Russian war crime. You said that until then, there was hope that everyone would survive and return home. Did it affect your confidence in the exchange?

Dmytro Kozatskyi: Part of my brothers-in-arms were killed, so obviously, my faint hopes that everyone would return alive from captivity were shattered In Olenivka, you realize that you have to just endure it and return home, but then your brothers-in-arms and your friends die. It was very painful, even more painful than (the death of fellow soldiers) in Azovstal.

We all understand that Russia follows no rules and that it can kill anybody on its territory, especially those it hates.

Read also: Inside a prison where Russia tortured Ukrainian POWs. Investigation by the Kyiv Independent

The Kyiv Independent: How do you cope with the loss of fellow soldiers now?

Dmytro Kozatskyi: Its very painful. I went to the funeral of (fallen soldier and activist) Pavlo Petrychenko It is heartbreaking to see how such promising Ukrainians are dying now, losing their own future and the opportunity to change the future for all of us Ukrainians. The same with Hrinka (Nazarii Hryntsevych, one of the youngest soldiers who defended Azovstal who was recently killed on the front line). A young Ukrainian who was very active and very cool. We were brought home in the same exchange, and we were in neighboring wards in the hospital afterward, I got to know him better there. He was an incredibly pleasant person, someone who could have done amazing things in Ukraine and in the world. Unfortunately, he won't be able to do that.

Activists and relatives of Ukrainian prisoners of war hold banners urging for the return of Ukrainian soldiers of Mariupol garrison from Russian captivity during the rally on Sophia Square in Kyiv, Ukraine on April 7, 2024. The Free Azov rally in support of the captured defenders of Mariupol was held in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. The participants came out to remind Ukrainian society that Ukrainian soldiers have been in Russian captivity for the second year. (Oleksandr Gusev/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

The Kyiv Independent: Over 8,000 Ukrainians remain in Russian captivity. Every Sunday, thousands of Ukrainians rally to bring attention to this issue, and you photograph almost every rally in Kyiv. What role do you think these rallies play in returning our prisoners?

Dmytro Kozatskyi: Firstly, it's the support of families waiting for their loved ones to return from captivity because when such a large number of people gather, relatives understand that they are not alone in these struggles, that Ukrainians support them, and that they are not forgotten.

When POWs return, they can see the photographs and realize that every week, thousands rallied across Ukraine to bring them back. This is when Russian propaganda messages (that POWs are no longer needed in Ukraine, etc.) shatter Thats also part of adaptation (for former POWs), when you understand that this country needs you, that people need you, even those you dont know.

Note from the author:

Hi! Daria Shulzhenko here. I wrote this piece for you. Since the first day of Russia's all-out war, I have been working almost non-stop to tell the stories of those affected by Russias brutal aggression. By telling all those painful stories, we are helping to keep the world informed about the reality of Russias war against Ukraine. By becoming the Kyiv Independent's member, you can help us continue telling the world the truth about this war

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Authorities were able to confirm the identity of a baby girl who was abandoned at a store in Lomita.

On Tuesday, the baby was left at a store on the 2000 block of Pacific Coast Highway at around 5 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department.

Employees said a pregnant woman entered the shop while carrying the baby in her arms. She asked the worker to call a taxi and went to the restroom.

When the taxi arrived, the woman left. Moments later, workers discovered the baby had been left behind in a shopping cart.

By Wednesday, authorities were able to contact the babys family members and identify both the baby and her pregnant mother.

The infant, who is between 7 to 9 months old, was initially placed under the care of the Department of Children and Family Services as authorities searched for her family.

Authorities are trying to identify an abandoned baby who was left by a woman at a Lomita store on May 14, 2024. (Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department)

Details on why the baby was left at the store were not released. The mother and the babys names were not released. The incident remains under investigation.

Anyone with additional information can call the Lomita Sheriffs Station at 310-539-1661.

Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
They say one week is a long time in politics. Those same people have never been to war.

Six days ago, Ukrainian forces were just about hanging on across the near-1,000 kilometre front. Recent territorial losses to Russia  most notably the town of Avdiivka  in addition to recent delays in both US and EU military aid packages, had caused mounting concern for Ukraines fate in 2024.

Despite these recent battlefield set-backs, and delays in aid, it still felt as though Ukraine was buying time to rearm, reorganise, and redeploy an offensive counter-attack this summer.

That was six days ago, before up to 30,000 Russians  between two and three divisions worth  seemingly walked back across a previously hard-fought region of north-eastern Ukraine exactly 18 months ago, now swallowing up already thinly-spread Ukrainian reserve forces.

Indeed, Kyivs lightning counter-offensive of Kharkiv in September 2022, some six months after Ukraines second largest city was laid siege, was the Ukrainian Armed Forces most standout battlefield success, in a war of many Ukrainian victories already.

Lying only 40 kilometres from the Russian border, and incredibly vulnerable to a Russia counter-attack later on, Kharkiv was supposed to be heavily laced with improved forfeited defensive positions in the aftermath of Ukraines victory 18 months ago. But what was meant to be a series of bunkers, minefields and overlapping defensives created to deter a Russian offensive and deny Kharkiv to Russia definitively has seemingly transpired to be Ukraines French Maginot Line.

Built throughout the 1930s to deter a German invasion of France, the Maginot Line was an enormous series of defensive positions built along Frances eastern borders  most deeply of which alongside a heavily rearming Nazi Germany. The Line had four distinct but related strategic objectives: prevent a German surprise attack; deter a cross-border assault; cover the mobilisation of the French army; and to be used as a basis for a French counter-attack. Ultimately it failed in all of these.

Depressingly relatable to Kharkiv almost a century later, the lessons of European land warfare  and crucially, defence  seem to have gone unheeded, as Russians have within a week recaptured up to 100 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory which was meant to be heavily fortified.

Gaps in defences are always designed to be covered by overlapping positions, with defences in depth to create a broad and deep defensive line. 30,000 Russians is no gap in any defence. There are now serious questions as to whether a defence was even properly constructed.

If so, this is deep professional negligence of the highest order, and risks raising the ugly spectre of corruption within the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Having personally met with many wounded Ukrainian veterans, I profoundly hope that this is not the case.

The worry is of course that these problems could be replicated across the frontage, as already this moderate in scale but highly damaging Russian advance risks stretching Ukrainian reserve elements incredibly thinly, as Moscow seeks to press home its numerical advantage over the Ukrainian Armed Forces  one variable that Kyiv and its allies cannot overcome.

All the more how this is such an intensely distressing situation for the brave fighting men of Ukraine to find themselves in, especially after such a difficult year. Simply put  Ukraine cannot afford to make these incredibly elementary tactical and operational mistakes at this stage of the war. Kyiv must relearn the art of defence.

Robert Clark is a senior fellow at the think tank Civitas, where he writes on defence and security. He spent nine years undertaking active service, including tours of Iraq and Afghanistan

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Beachgoers in Greece urged to snitch on firms that break sunbed rules

Greece is planning to use artificial intelligence and satellite imagery to target nuisance sun lounges on beaches - while also urging the public to inform on rental firms that break the rules.

With the tourist season approaching, the countrys government is to start monitoring the position of sunbeds, umbrellas and chairs on its pristine coastlines.

It comes after a law introducing stricter rules was passed on Wednesday amid growing concerns over overcrowding and the illegal use of public space on beaches.

The new system, which will be tested in early June, will monitor almost 8,000 beaches across Greece where businesses have been granted licences to use public sands.

Satellite photographs will be screened using artificial intelligence to catch firms that take up too much space with rental sunbathing spots.

The government hopes it will be able to issue fines to more offenders and reduce the money it spends on physical inspections of beaches.

The move follows the introduction of an app, called MyCoast, for beachgoers to report such violations.

Through the app, users can locate a beach on a map and check how much space firms have been allocated.

If they spot sunbeds outside of an area licensed to businesses, or any blatantly illegal installations, they can then file a complaint via the app.

A beach on the island of Zakynthos. Concerns have raised that such tourist hotspots are becoming too crowded - Roberto Moiola / Sysaworld/Moment RF

The government hopes the new measures will also help it in the tendering of beaches to private companies, while protecting public access to free beaches.

Concessions to operate sun lounger businesses, and build constructions, have been banned on 198 beaches in Greece, both on the mainland and on the countrys islands. These include beaches in Mani, Karpathos, Syros, Lesvos and Milos.

In other protected areas, the law states that 85 per cent of beach space cannot now be occupied by sunbeds.

It also prescribes a minimum distance of four metres between sunbeds and the shoreline, to facilitate access to the sea for holidaymakers.

In August last year, a protest by residents on the popular island of Paros demanding more space and free access to its beaches led to a nationwide campaign, dubbed the Beach Towels Movement, against the proliferation of expensive sunbeds rented out by businesses.

Greece attracts millions of tourists each year, with many drawn to its sandy beaches and turquoise waters.

Beaches are public in the country, but in recent years residents have become increasingly irked by the growing number of businesses which have been granted licences to rent out sun loungers and umbrellas.

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WGN's reporter has stage 3 colon cancer but says Im staying 100 percent positive

Mike Lowe/Instagram Mike Lowe.

Beloved Chicago reporter Mike Lowe shared Thursday that hes been diagnosed with colon cancer, and is taking part in a clinical trial at Northwestern Medicine.

The WGN reporter used a little humor to tell fans in his Instagram post: Cancer sucks, but its growing on me.

He continued, I wanted to let you know that I was diagnosed with Stage 3(c)/N+ colon cancer, and Ill be participating in a clinical trial with Northwestern Medicine. Ill be undergoing radiation and chemotherapy for about six months prior to surgery.



Lowe wrote that Stage 3 is serious (Chadwick Boseman, the actor who played the title character in Black Panther died from Stage 3 colon cancer), but Im staying 100 percent positive. Ive got a great team of doctors, all of whom say this could be a curable cancer.

As the National Cancer Institute explains, at Stage 3C, the cancer has spread through the serosa (outermost layer) of the colon and/or rectum wall to the tissue that lines the organs in the abdomen (visceral peritoneum) as well as to lymph nodes or other organs.



Lowe added that Ill be motivated by Walter Paytons motto Never Die Easy and shared a photo of himself reading the like-titled autobiography of the Chicago Bears running back, who died of bile duct cancer in 1999.

Lowe  a 38-time Emmy winner  said he wont be on-air very much, but promised to provide health updates on his Instagram page.

Related: A Blood Test That Will Screen for Colorectal Cancer Could Be Approved in 2024, New Study Says

He took a moment to speak about the rising rates of colon cancer. According to the American Cancer Societys annual report on cancer statistics, colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death for men under 50, and the second-leading cause of cancer death for women under 50.

While scientists search for the reason behind the alarming increases, theres something you can do: get your colonoscopy, Lowe, 44, wrote. I havent even reached the age recommended for a routine screening, which is 45. So if youre experiencing symptoms like constipation or abdominal pain, go see a doctor.

Related: Mom of Two Says 'Hemorrhoids Saved My Life' After Learning of Her Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis

Fellow WGN reporter Marcus Leshock shared on the news on X, formerly Twitter, writing, Everyone say a prayer for our friend, prompting Lowe to reply, Thanks, Marcus! Im going to be ok!

He reiterated that same optimistic outlook on his Instagram post, which he concluded by writing, Im going to be OK, and Ill see you soon. Meantime, Im going to start making plans to see the Bears in next years Super Bowl.



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The Biden administration is ending a key exemption that allowed solar panel imports to evade tariffs.

The administration is announcing on Thursday that its ending an exemption to import tariffs for solar panels that are double-sided, noting that since the exception was implemented, nearly all solar panel imports have been two sided.

The move comes just one day after the administration doubled tariffs on solar panel imports. The moves come as part of an effort to demonstrate support for U.S. manufacturing and parry Republican criticism of its climate agenda.

White House Advisor Ali Zaidi, however, sought to strike a balance in his remarks announcing the action  arguing that a secure supply chain is ultimately beneficial to the planet.

Supply chain risk is climate risk, he told reporters Wednesday. Weve seen this as concentrated or vulnerable supply chains inhibit deployment. They slow us down as we chase after emissions reductions in this decisive decade for climate action.

The double-sided exemption was previously implemented under the Trump administration in 2019, later removed by the Trump administration and reinstated by the Biden administration in 2022.

The Biden administration is also announcing on Thursday that it would carry out a previous plan to end its two-year delay of solar tariffs on imports from Southeast Asia. Starting June 6, solar imports from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam will be subject to tariffs.

Meanwhile, the administration is also seeking to make it easier to produce renewable energy domestically, giving manufacturers some leeway on achieving tax credits.

Under the law, renewable projects can receive a bonus tax credit if a certain percentage of their components are made in the U.S. However, some companies have had difficulty getting information on the sources of the materials used in their parts.

As a result, the administration will allow them to use default numbers from the federal government to establish whether they qualify for the bonus instead of needing to get information from their suppliers.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
At President Joe Bidens urging, the Department of Justice has officially started the process to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug than most prescription painkillers and many addictive stimulants, ending decades of policy that treated it as having no acceptable medical use.

The department published a draft regulation in the Federal Register that would, if made final, place marijuana in the category known as Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act. Schedule III drugs are those that are known to have a potential for abuse less than the drugs or other substances in Schedule I  the category reserved for drugs with no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse  and Schedule II, the category that includes highly addictive substances such as fentanyl and oxycodone.

Marijuana has been classified under Schedule I since the advent of the federal governments modern drug regulation regime in the 1970s, and it has been banned under federal law since the since-overturned Marijuana Tax Act effectively outlawed its cultivation in the 1930s.

The Biden administrations action, which Mr Biden announced in a video posted to social media, represents a historic shift in American drug policy as well as a significant step in his efforts to effect criminal justice reform.

This is monumental, Mr Biden said in the video. Far too many lives have been upended because of a failed approach to marijuana, and Im committed to righting those wrongs. You have my word on it.

The president had taken an initial step towards removing marijuana from the Schedule I category in 2022, when he asked the Department of Health and Human Services to evaluate whether it should remain in that category. An HHS report released earlier this year recommended that the drug be reclassified and removed from the Schedule I categorisation.

He also took the step of issuing blanket pardons for all Americans who have been convicted of simple marijuana possession under federal law in October 2022 and December 2023.

Speaking at the daily White House press briefing on Thursday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administrations action, if finalised, would remove burdensome, longstanding barriers to critical research on the drug. She also described the move as part of Mr Bidens commitment to racial equity.

The reality is while white, black and brown people use marijuana at similar rates, black and brown people have been arrested, prosecuted and convicted at disproportionately higher rates. The presidents actions today further his commitment to reverse longstanding injustices and to right historic wrongs, she said.
In a historic announcement Thursday, President Joe Biden said that his administration would move to formally reschedule cannabis under federal law. The Justice Department has moved to reclassify cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, beginning with a proposed rule posted today on the department's site.

"This is monumental," Biden said in a video Tweet Thursday. "Look folks, no one should be in jail for merely using or possessing marijuana. Period. Far too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. I'm committed to righting those wrongs. You have my word on it."

The White House's move comes less than three weeks after the Justice Department confirmed that the Drug Enforcement Agency would also reclassify cannabis.

"At my request, and guided by science and evidence, HHS (Health and Human Services) and DOJ have studied the drug's medical use and abuse and dependency potential and are recommending rescheduling  concluding reclassification would remove barriers to critical research," the president tweeted.

https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1791152464617431389

In a briefing following Biden's announcement, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the reclassification a "major step" that "will remove burdensome, long standing barriers to critical research" and aims to address racial injustices in cannabis-related persecutions.

"The reality is while white, Black and brown people use marijuana at similar rates, Black and brown people have been arrested, prosecuted and convicted at disproportionately higher rates, Jean-Pierre said. The presidents actions today further his commitment to reverse longstanding injustices and to right historic wrongs.

;

In another video tweet Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris echoed Biden, and thanked the work of advocates for moving the issue forward.

"Currently, marijuana is classified on the same level as heroin, and more dangerous than fentanyl. We are finally changing that," Harris said.

President Biden and I vowed to address injustices in marijuana policy.



Today, our Administration takes another major step forward. pic.twitter.com/GxFOFeU0DU  Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) May 16, 2024

The vice president's Thursday remarks echo those she made in March, urging the Drug Enforcement Agency to move quickly to reschedule the substance. As previously reported by Marijuana Moment, Harris also called for full legalization of cannabis during the round-table meeting which was attended by cannabis pardon recipients and Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.

Nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed. And what we need to do is recognize that far too many people have been sent to jail for simple marijuana possession, Harris said.

;

Until the DOJ's formal rulemaking process has been completed, including a 60-day comment period, cannabis will legally remain a Schedule I substance. Additional information about the potential legislative impact of the newly proposed rule can also be found on the department's website. Already, the DEA has "signaled resistance," according to reporting by Marijuana Moment, highlighting sections of the proposed rule indicating the agency "believes 'additional information' could be collected via public comment or a possible administrative hearing could influence the final scheduling decision."

Regardless, cannabis stocks surged on Thursday according to Barron's while Forbes reported numerous major marijuana corporations are already benefiting from the announcement.
A Jewish-American political appointee resigned from President Joe Bidens administration on Wednesday, a sign of the growing fallout over Bidens allegiance with Israel in the war on Gaza.

Lily Greenberg Call, a former Biden-Harris campaign staffer, stepped down from her position with the U.S. Department of Interior due to the presidents response, or lack thereof, to Israels assault in Gaza.

I reject the premise that one peoples salvation must come at anothers destruction, Call wrote in her resignation letter. I am committed to creating a world where this does not happen  and this cannot be done from within the Biden Administration.

Calls resignation marks the latest move against Bidens actions from within his own administration, and the first to be done by a Jewish American. In her resignation letter, which she later published online on Twitter/X, Call said she learned both Hebrew and Arabic growing up, visited Israel, and has personal connections with those who have served in the Israeli Defense Forces.

I am terrified by rising antisemitism around the world, Call wrote. And yet I am certain that the answer to this is not to collectively punish millions of innocent Palestinians through displacement, famine, and ethnic cleansing.

Today, I became the first Jewish-American political appointee to resign from the Biden-Harris administration over its policies in Gaza. Here is my resignation letter: pic.twitter.com/oqzit7leVD  Lily Greenberg Call (@LGreenbergCall) May 15, 2024

Call specifically chose to resign on May 15 to highlight Nakba Day, the anniversary of the 1948 event which led to the mass displacement of Palestinians shortly after the formation of Israel. She said Biden could have taken several concrete actions to condemn Israels actions in Gaza, including calling for a lasting ceasefire, conditioning aid, and stopping weapons shipments to Israel.

Biden briefly paused a shipment of bombs upon the news that Israel was proceeding with its invasion of Rafah, the southern Gaza city where over one million displaced Palestinians are sheltering. However, reports emerged Wednesday that the Biden Administration was proceeding with a $1 billion arms shipment to Israel.

In her letter, Call made sure to say her resignation is not a condemnation of the Dept. of the Interior or Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. However, Call felt she could not change the system from within, writing: I have asked myself many times over the last eight months: what is the point of having power if you will not use it to stop crimes against humanity?

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Joe Biden's age has become a concern amongst voters in the 2024 US election - Nathan Howard/Nathan Howard

Joe Biden has blocked the release of interview tapes in which he showed poor memory and behaved like a well-meaning, elderly man.

The US president used his powers of executive privilege to stop audio files from an interview with a federal prosecutor from being released to Congress.

Mr Biden, 81, was interviewed last year by Robert Hur, a special prosecutor appointed to investigate claims he had illegally stored classified documents in his garage after serving as vice president from 2009 to 2017.

Mr Hur later raised concerns about Mr Bidens memory, suggesting he had forgotten the dates he had served in Barack Obamas administration and the year of his sons death.

In a report released in February, Mr Hur recommended that Mr Biden was not prosecuted because a jury would find him to be a sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.

Committees investigate

Although the transcripts from the interviews have been published, Mr Biden has stepped in to prevent the audio files taken by Mr Hurs team from being released.

The justice department told Congress on Thursday that the Biden administration would not comply with a subpoena for the tapes, issued by the House judiciary committee and the House committee on oversight and accountability.

The committees are investigating the matter after some Republicans accused Mr Hur of deliberately overlooking Mr Bidens alleged wrongdoing for political reasons. Mr Hur denies that claim.

In a letter to the Republican leaders of the committees, the White Houses top lawyer said the tapes had been requested to fuel a politically-motivated investigation into Mr Biden, and that their release could jeopardise future investigations.

The absence of a legitimate need for the audio recordings lays bare your likely goal  to chop them up, distort them, and use them for partisan political purposes, Ed Siskel, the White Houses chief counsel, wrote.

Demanding such sensitive and constitutionally-protected law enforcement materials from the Executive Branch because you want to manipulate them for potential political gain is inappropriate.

Fresh questions over Bidens mental acuity

Carlos Uriarte, head of the justice departments office of legislative affairs, said the government had a responsibility to safeguard the confidentiality of law enforcement files where disclosure would jeopardise future investigations.

The decision to block the tapes was taken on the advice of Merrick Garland, the US attorney general, who advised Mr Biden that they could make White House officials less likely to cooperate with future investigations.

The committees needs are plainly insufficient to outweigh the deleterious effects that productions of the recordings would have on the integrity and effectiveness of similar law enforcement investigations in the future, he wrote on Wednesday.

Mr Hurs report, which ran to more than 300 pages, raised fresh questions about Mr Bidens mental acuity, following months of reports of his public verbal slip-ups and senior moments.

In a fiery press conference after the report, Mr Biden insisted his interviews had been mischaracterised by Mr Hur  before committing another gaffe by confusing the presidents of Mexico and Egypt.

He said that the interviews had been conducted shortly after Hamass terror attacks on Israel on Oct 7, and that he had been working long hours to deal with the fallout of the incident.

Mr Bidens age has become a major talking point in the early stages of the 2024 election campaign, with a majority of voters reporting they believe he is too old to serve a second term.

Mr Biden is almost neck-and-neck with Donald Trump in national polls, but trailing in many of the swing states where he must win support to continue as president after Novembers election.

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WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  President Joe Biden invoked executive privilege Thursday to block the release of audio recordings from his Special Counsel interview over his handling of classified documents.

The presidents decision came down on the same day two House committees planned to vote on whether to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress in the dispute over access to the recordings.

The recordings are necessary, said U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, (R-Ohio.) who chairs the House Judiciary Committee. The transcripts alone are not sufficient evidence of the state of the presidents memory.

The special counsel called attention to President Bidens age in his report, ultimately deciding not to prosecute him.

President Biden is apparently afraid for the citizens of this country and everyone to hear those tapes, said House Speaker Mike Johnson, (R-La.).

The White House said President Biden made the decision to use executive privilege at Garlands request.

The attorney general made it clear that law enforcement files like these need to be protected, said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

The House Judiciary Committee voted along party lines Thursday to hold Garland in contempt of Congress after the U.S. Department of Justice refused to hand over the recordings.

We have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that the committees get responses to their legitimate requests, but this is not one, Garland said.

Republicans on the House Oversight Committee also plan to hold Garland in contempt. They pushed the vote to Thursday night so a group could attend former president Donald Trumps court proceedings in New York.

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MARQUETTE, Mich. (WJMN)  As First Lady Jill Biden stopped into Marquettes Ore Dock Brewery for a campaign event, protesters outside called for a stronger reversal of the Biden administrations military support of Israel.

Our Local 3 crew outside the event also spoke with Biden supporters and others who were simply curious about the increased police presence.

One such person we spoke with was Maya Reyst, a 22-year-old who recently graduated from Nothern Michigan University.

First Lady begins Women for Biden tour of Michigan in Marquette

I heard about this 15 minutes ago when I was at work. I dont know, I think its pretty cool to see someone who is in the presidency, in Marquette, getting involved, so I came down to see what it was about, Reyst said.

Reyst said her opinion of the president, vice-president and their spouses was mixed due to the administrations ongoing support for Israels military.

People outside the event were blocked by a police barricade from entering the brewery. When asked what she wouldve liked to hear from Biden and Emhoff, Reyst said an assurance that the Biden administration would support womens rights and Palestine.

We also spoke with Grant Kammer, a Marquette County resident who later joined a group of protesters outside the brewery who had Free Palestine signs and were chanting into a megaphone.

Kammer said he also happened upon the event, and was put off by a command from police officer who was helping maintain a perimeter around the event. About a block of West Spring Street around the Ore Dock was barricaded from the public.

I think this is a ridiculous use of taxpayer dollars, Kammer said, coming here to my community, telling me where I can and cannot walk. Youve got three secret service cadres here, how much does this cost? For what? For her to come out and take a pretty picture while theres a genocide going on in the middle east?

We asked Kammer what he wouldve hoped to hear from Biden, had he been in the audience at the Ore Dock.

NMU students protest US involvement in Israel-Gaza conflict with encampment on campus

I want to hear that shes going to be de-funding the ongoing genocide in Palestine. And I want to hear that she is listening to what her constituents have to say, which is an end to the genocide in Palestine, an immediate cease fire. Now. Thats what we want is what needs to happen.

Local 3 asked Kammer to elaborate.

People are dying. Hundreds of tens of thousands of people are dying. Women, children doing nothing, sitting there trying to live. Being excluded from basic rights to live. And it needs to end now.

Our reporter replied to Kammer, and then the counterargument, is its all Israel defending itself October 7th, and that they have a right to do so. What do you think about that?

I think that its a gross misinterpretation, said Kammer. Like, if you honestly

think what Israel is doing right now is a legitimate military defense, you know pretty much nothing about military logistics.

Theres no way an entirely occupied army, even an insurgency, even if every member of Hamas is living in Rafah right now, its not the way to end like bombing them is not the way to end it. Its that theyre not combatants. Theyre women, their children. Theyre the people trying to live. And just like were trying to live.

Recently, Biden halted a shipment of 3,000 bombs to Israel, and threatened to withhold more if Israels assault on the Gazan city of Rafah, which is estimated to house 360,000 Palestinian refugees, continues.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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President Joe Biden has invoked executive privilege to block release of taped interviews in the classified documents probe that Special Counsel Robert Hur said showed signs of his advanced age  which could amount to political gold for Republicans who want to ding Biden as he battles Donald Trump in a White House rematch.

Attorney General Merrick Garland asked Biden to assert the privilege so the Justice Department wont have to hand over the tapes to congressional Republicans.

Garland on Thursday denounced the GOP probes as a partisan effort to embarrass Biden, and said it would hurt prosecutors ability to carry out other criminal investigations.

We have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure the [Republican-led congressional] committees get responses to their legitimate requests, but this is not one of them, Garland told reporters. This would harm our ability in the future to successfully pursue sensitive investigations.

Hur released extensive excerpts of his interviews with Biden and several aides in his 345-page report and Garland has handed over transcripts to Congress.

But Republicans want to use videos of Bidens answers as evidence that he is too old to serve another term in the White House.

White House counsel Ed Siskel notified GOP Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky, and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, of Bidens decision to block release of the videos in a Thursday letter.

The GOP-led committees had threatened to push contempt of Congress charges against Garland unless he handed over the tapes.

It is the longstanding position of the executive branch held by administrations of both parties that an official who asserts the Presidents claim of executive privilege cannot be prosecuted for criminal contempt of Congress, Justice Department official Carlos Felipe Uriarte wrote to the lawmakers.

Hur, a Republican who was appointed by Garland, conducted a meticulous months-long probe of Biden for mishandling classified documents, some of which were found in Bidens Wilmington garage and an office he used before returning to the White House.

The former federal prosecutor declined to bring any criminal charges against Biden and stressed the stark difference between Bidens missteps and the actions of former President Trump, who deliberately took hundreds of documents when he left the White House and defied efforts to get them back.

But Hur also explosively highlighted what he called Bidens memory lapses and other signs of the 81-year-old commander-in chiefs-age, calling him a well-meaning elderly man.

He even claimed that Biden failed to recall the date that his son, Beau, died of cancer, which the White House said is refuted by transcripts of their hours of interviews.
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden invoked executive privilege Thursday to keep the recording of his deposition about storing classified documents at his home confidential as House Republicans set two committee votes to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt for refusing to release the recording.

The Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel determined the recording falls under executive privilege and Garland shouldn't be punished for following the president's order to keep the recording confidential, according to Carlos Uriarte, an associate attorney general.

The Office of Legal Counsel has long held that executive privilege extends to a "closed criminal investigation where disclosure is likely to damage future law enforcement efforts," Garland wrote to Biden on Wednesday.

The confrontation creates another election-year flashpoint between Republicans who have threatened Biden and Garland with impeachment and the Democratic administration dismissing the charges as partisan theater. At issue are recordings of the controversial interview that led Special Counsel Robert Hur to report that Biden is a "sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."

The House Judiciary Committee and the House Oversight and Accountability Committee each scheduled votes Thursday on contempt resolutions. The Judiciary Committee voted 18-15 along party lines to approve the contempt resolution after a four-hour hearing. The Oversight Committee also voted 24-20 along party lines to approve it's own contempt resolution after a testy hearing.

If the resolutions are approved, the full House would have to consider them. But the Justice Department has declined to pursue charges against two previous attorneys general the House held in contempt: Republican Bill Barr in 2019 and Democrat Eric Holder in 2012. It's also unclear whether a full vote in the House would succeed, considering Republicans control the lower chamber with a razor-thin margin. Also, a handful of centrist and moderate GOP lawmakers have grown averse to the party's battles with the Justice Department.

Garland told reporters the threat of contempt was part of a series of unprecedented and frankly unfounded attacks on the Justice Department, which he said conducted investigations according to the facts and the law without political influence.

We have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that the committees get responses to their legitimate requests, Garland said. But this is not one. To the contrary, this is one that would harm our ability in the future to successfully pursue sensitive investigations.

Here's what we know about the investigation:

US Attorney General Merrick Garland names an independent special counsel to probe President Joe Biden's alleged mishandling of classified documents at the US Justice Department in Washington, DC on January 12, 2023 - Garland said Robert Hur, a private attorney and former government prosecutor, would examine whether the discovery of classified government documents in Biden's home and in a research institute linked to the president violated any laws. (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY / AFP) (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images) ORIG FILE ID: AFP_336Y228.jpg

House GOP seeks recording of Biden deposition about classified documents

Bidens personal lawyers found classified documents at his Penn Biden Center office in Washington, where he worked in the years between being vice president and president. Biden then allowed the FBI to search his home in Wilmington, Delaware, where agents found more classified documents.

Former President Donald Trump, Bidens presumptive Republican opponent in the fall election, has argued he was treated differently. Trump faces federal charges for hoarding classified records at Mar-a-Lago in Florida after leaving the White House.

But White House officials noted Biden returned documents to the government voluntarily and cooperated with authorities, rather than defying a subpoena and refusing to return documents as Trump did.

Garland appointed Hur to investigate Biden independently. The prosecutor interviewed the president in October about the documents dating to his time as a senator and as vice president. Hur decided not to charge Biden but his report called him a "sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."

Biden forcefully disputed the characterization of his mental ability. Edward Siskel, counsel to the president, accused Republicans of seeking the recording for political reasons.

The absence of a legitimate need for the audio recordings lays bare your likely goal  to chop them up, distort them, and use them for partisan political purposes, Siskel wrote to the two House chairmen.

Lawmakers spar over Biden's invocation of executive privilege

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., accused Biden of being afraid for the citizens of this country and everyone to hear those tapes, at a press conference Thursday.

The American people will not be able to hear why prosecutors felt the President of the United States was in Special Counsel Robert Hurs words, a quote, elderly man of poor memory, Johnson said. Bidens decision to withhold the audio of the interviews, the speaker argued, confirms what the special counsel has found and would likely cause I suppose in his estimation such alarm with the American people.

At the Judiciary Committee, the chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan said the recording is necessary for lawmakers to gauge whether Hur made the right decision in declining to prosecute Biden.

The recordings are necessary, Jordan said. The transcripts are not sufficient evidence of the state of the presidents memory, frankly because the White House has a record of altering the transcripts.

The top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said the Justice Department has largely complied with congressional requests and produced 92,000 pages of documents for various inquiries. He said a committee vote would do nothing more than smear Garlands reputation.

Simply put, they engage in fantasy, Nadler said of Republicans. It is a total waste of time.

Judiciary and Oversight Committee approves contempt resolutions

A contempt resolution is the tool Congress uses to urge the Justice Department to consider charges against the target. But the department often rejects the recommendation, as it did when the House Judiciary Committee voted in 2019 to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt for refusing to turn over an unredacted version of the Russia report and when in 2012 the House held Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt for failing to turn over documents related to the "Fast and Furious" scandal.

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., said its essential for lawmakers to get the recording of Biden, to know whether Hurs assessment about Bidens age and mental state to avoid charges was accurate.

If our commander in chief is so incompetent that he cannot stand trial  that he is not fit to stand trial  then he is too incompetent for Gods sake to be the leader of the most powerful nation on the face of the earth, Van Drew said.

But Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., said the contempt vote against Garland came after the committee and Hur failed to find any reason to charge Biden criminally.

After spending $20 million, this committee has absolutely nothing to show for it, Johnson said. They tried to pin a classified documents case on President Biden.

The Oversight Committee also saw a testy back and forth hearing on late Thursday evening, in which Democrats assailed Republicans for holding the meeting so late to accommodate a handful of GOP members who had traveled to former President Donald Trump's trial in New York City.

"Our originally scheduled performance was supposed to be at 11 a.m. today, but it was postponed when members of the majority chose to join a mass spiritual pilgrimage to the New York criminal trial of a Florida man," Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee said.

Is invoking executive privilege rare?

All presidents invoke executive privilege to keep information confidential, but it is relatively rare and happens typically during congressional investigations, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. For example, George Washington invoked it during an investigation of a military operation against Native Americans, Barack Obama asserted it during the investigation of the Operation Fast and Furious scandal and Trump asserted it during the investigation of the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021.

Two of Trump's former aides, Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, defied congressional subpoenas by claiming Trump had invoked executive privilege but were convicted of contempt. Navarro is serving a jail term and Bannon has appealed his conviction.

Special Counsel Robert Hur appears before the House Judiciary Committee on March 12, 2024 about his report on President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents.

Special counsel Robert Hur defended report critical of Biden's memory

Hur was grilled in March by lawmakers from both political parties during a fiery House Judiciary Committee hearing, either for going too soft by not charging Biden or too harsh for criticizing his memory.

"What I wrote is what I believe the evidence shows, and what I expect jurors would perceive and believe," Hur said. "I did not sanitize my explanation. Nor did I disparage the president unfairly."

US House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, (L), Republican of Kentucky; speaks with House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio; during the testimony of Special Counsel Robert Hur before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on his probe into US President Joe Biden's alleged mishandling of classified materials after serving as vice president, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, March 12, 2024.

Two House panels subpoenaed AG Garland for Biden recording

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., head of the Oversight Committee, and Jordan, R-Ohio, head of the Judiciary Committee, subpoenaed Garland for the recording of Bidens deposition, in addition to the transcript that has already been released.

"The verbal nuances in President Bidens answers about his mishandling of classified information would assist the Committees inquiry into whether he abused his office of public trust for his familys financial gain," said the committee report to accompany the resolution. "In short, the audio recordings would offer unique and important information to advance the Committees impeachment inquiry."

But the Justice Department refused to provide the recording by arguing it had already provided lawmakers with all the information they needed.

"As the Department has previously explained, producing sensitive law enforcement information to Congress risks seriously chilling our ability to conduct investigations and prosecutions, including securing cooperation from witnesses and targets," Uriarte wrote the committees.

Comer says recording key to weighing Biden's fitness for office

Comer said he scheduled the contempt vote to hold Garland accountable.

Its a five-alarm fire at the White House," Comer said Thursday. "Clearly, President Biden and his advisers fear releasing the audio recordings of his interview because it will again reaffirm to the American people that President Bidens mental state is in decline."

Contributing: Ken Tran

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden invokes executive privilege to keep Hur interview confidential
President Biden has invoked executive privilege to block House Republicans from obtaining audio recordings of his interviews with special counsel Robert Hur over his handling of classified documents.

The move comes just hours before House Republicans are set to meet to consider resolutions to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for failing to turn over the files which had been subpoenaed by the House Judiciary and Oversight committees.

Because of the Presidents longstanding commitment to protecting the integrity, effectiveness, and independence of the Department of Justice and its law enforcement investigations, he has decided to assert executive privilege over the recordings, White House counsel Ed Siskel wrote in a letter obtained by The Hill.

Siskel also called into question the motives of Republicans seeking the recordings.

The absence of a legitimate need for the audio recordings lays bare your likely goalto chop them up, distort them, and use them for partisan political purposes, Siskel wrote. Demanding such sensitive and constitutionally-protected law enforcement materials from the Executive Branch because you want to manipulate them for potential political gain is inappropriate.

The transcript of Bidens interview with Hur, which took place over two days last October, was also released to House Republicans ahead of the special counsels public testimony on Capitol Hill in March.

The content makes clear the interview has little to do with the GOPs purported interest in obtaining the audio files, which lawmakers argue could offer clues for their impeachment investigation.

While Hurs 345-page report concluded no charges should be brought against the president, its descriptions of Bidens memory lapses and the description of the president as a well-meaning, elderly man set off a political firestorm.

Among other instances, Hur cited Bidens 2017 conversations with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer, which the special counsel described as painfully slow, with Mr. Biden struggling to remember events and straining at times to read and relay his own notebook entries.

The White House had pushed back hard against Hurs inclusion of those details, calling them gratuitous and highlighting Bidens willingness to voluntarily sit for an interview. But Hur has stressed that he needed to explain in his report how he came to the conclusion not to recommend charges.

Siskel noted in his letter to House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and House Oversight and Accountability Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) that Biden did not assert privilege over any part of Hurs lengthy report.

The transcript of the interview with Hur was released ahead of the special counsels public testimony on Capitol Hill in March.

But Garland, in a letter to Biden dated Wednesday, warned that disclosing the audio recordings risked harming future investigations by making it less likely that witnesses would cooperate.

The attorney general also argued that with Bidens claim of executive privilege, Republicans should halt their plans to hold him in contempt.

It is the longstanding position of the executive branch held by administrations of both parties that an official who asserts the presidents claim of executive privilege cannot be prosecuted for criminal contempt of Congress, he wrote.

With the information you now have, the committees ought not proceed with contempt and should instead avoid unnecessary and unwarranted conflict.

Garland was likely never at risk even if the committees proceed with contempt, which must then be considered by the full House. The vote acts as a referral to the Justice Department, which must determine whether to bring charges.

The effort to swerve around the GOP comes on a scattered morning for members of the two panels.

While contempt hearings were initially set to begin Thursday morning, the House Oversight Committee bumped its hearing until 8 p.m. so some of its members could attend former President Trumps hush money trial in New York.

Still, Comer said Thursday morning that the panel would proceed with contempt regardless of the executive privilege claim by Biden.

The White House is asserting executive privilege over the recordings, but it has already waived privilege by releasing the transcript of the interview, Comer said in a statement.

Todays Hail Mary from the White House changes nothing for our committee. The House Oversight Committee will move forward with its markup of a resolution and report recommending to the House of Representatives that Attorney General Garland be held in contempt of Congress for defying a lawful subpoena.

Updated at 11:06 a.m. ET

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden marked this week's 70th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that struck down institutionalized racial segregation in public schools by welcoming plaintiffs and family members in the landmark case to the White House.

The Oval Office visit Thursday to commemorate the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision to desegregate schools comes with Biden stepping up efforts to highlight his administration's commitment to racial equity.

The president courted Black voters in Atlanta and Milwaukee this week with a pair of Black radio interviews in which he promoted his record on jobs, health care and infrastructure and attacked Republican Donald Trump.

Biden is scheduled Friday to deliver remarks at the National Museum of African American History and Culture and  along with Vice President Kamala Harris  meet with the leaders of the Divine Nine, a group of historically Black sororities and fraternities. And the president on Sunday is set to deliver the commencement address at Morehouse College, the historically Black college in Atlanta, and speak at an NAACP gala in Detroit.

During Thursday's visit by litigants and their families, the conversation was largely focused on honoring the plaintiffs and the ongoing battle to bolster education in Black communities, according to the participants.

He commended them for changing our nation for the better and committed to continue his fight to move us closer to the promise of America, White House senior adviser Stephen Benjamin told reporters following the meeting.

Biden faces a difficult reelection battle in November and is looking to repeat his 2020 success with Black voters, a key bloc in helping him beat Trump. But the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research's polling from throughout Bidens time in office reveals a widespread sense of disappointment with his performance as president, even among some of his most stalwart supporters, including Black adults.

I dont accept the premise that theres any erosion of Black support for Biden, said NAACP President Derrick Johnson, who took part in the Oval Office visit. "This election is not about candidate A vs. candidate B. Its about whether we have a functioning democracy or something less than that."

Among those who took part in the meeting were John Stokes, a Brown plaintiff; Cheryl Brown Henderson, whose father, Oliver Brown, was the lead plaintiff in the Brown case; and Adrienne Jennings Bennett, a plaintiff in Boiling v. Sharpe, which was argued at the same time and outlawed segregation of schools in Washington, DC. Plaintiffs and family members of litigants of five cases that were consolidated into the historic Brown case took part in the meeting.

The Brown decision struck down an 1896 decision that institutionalized racial segregation with so-called separate but equal schools for Black and white students, by ruling that such accommodations were anything but equal.

Brown Henderson said one of the meeting participants called on the president to make May 17, the day the decision was delivered, an annual federal holiday. She said Biden also recognized the courage of the litigants.

He recognized that back in the fifties and the forties, when Jim Crow was still running rampant, that the folks that you see here were taking a risk when they signed on to be part of this case, she said. Any time you pushed back on Jim Crow and segregation, you know, your life, your livelihood, your homes, you were taking a risk. He thanked them for taking that risk.

The announcement last month that Biden had accepted an invitation to deliver the Morehouse graduation address triggered peaceful student protests and calls for the university administration to cancel over Bidens handling of the war between Israel and Hamas.

Biden in recent days dispatched Benjamin to meet with Morehouse students and faculty.

Benjamin told reporters Thursday that the situation in the Middle East was among the issues he discussed with students and faculty during the visit.
Mitt Romney at the Capitol in Washington, earlier in May.

Mitt Romney at the Capitol in Washington, earlier in May. Photograph: Graeme Sloan/Sipa US/Alamy

Joe Biden should have pardoned Donald Trump on all federal criminal charges the moment they were announced, the Utah senator and former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said.

Had I been President Biden, Romney said, when the justice department brought out indictments, I would have immediately pardoned him. Id have pardoned President Trump.

Related: Joe Biden and Donald Trump agree to two US presidential debates

Why? Well, because it makes me, President Biden, the big guy and the person I pardoned the little guy. And, number two, its not going to get resolved before the election. Its not going to have an impact before the election. And, frankly, the country doesnt want to have to go through prosecuting a former president.

Romney was speaking to MSNBC, in an interview to be broadcast on The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle on Wednesday night.

Trump is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee despite facing 88 criminal charges. Forty-four are federal: four regarding election subversion and 40 retention of classified information. Neither case has reached trial.

The president could not pardon Trump on his other 44 charges, at the state level. Thirty-four arise from hush-money payments to an adult film star around the 2016 election, an election subversion case now at trial in New York, and 10 concern election subversion in Georgia.

Trump has also been hit with multibillion-dollar fines in civil suits concerning his business practices and a defamation claim arising from a rape allegation a judge called substantially true.

When Trump was president, Romney was the only Republican to vote to convict in both Trumps Senate impeachment trials, for seeking political dirt on opponents in Ukraine and for inciting the deadly January 6 attack on Congress.

Romney told MSNBC: I think the American people have recognised that President Trump did have an inappropriate affair with someone who was a porn star. I think they realise that.

I think they realise he took classified documents he shouldnt have and didnt handle them properly. I think they understand that as well.

I think they realise hes been lying about the election [and supposed voter fraud] in 2020. They know those things. [But] these things are not changing the public attitude.

Polling has put Trump ahead in battleground states.

In Americas pre-Trump past, Romney lost the 2012 election to Barack Obama. In 2016, as Trump stormed to the White House, Romney wrote in the name of his wife, Ann, rather than support Hillary Clinton. Romney then flirted with accepting a post in Trumps cabinet, as secretary of state, but found humiliation instead.

According to the author Gabriel Debenedetti, Romney urged Biden to run against Trump in 2020. Romney has said he did not vote for Trump that year, reportedly writing in Ann again.

Romney told MSNBC he liked Biden, who he found capable despite widespread claims that at 81 Biden is too old for his job, claims less prevalent regarding Trump, who is 77.

But when asked who he would vote for, Romney did not say Biden.

Related: Romney mulled Trump job for noble and self-centered reasons, book says

Im not announcing that here and now, he said. Im not going to be voting for President Trump. I made that clear. I know, for some people, the character is not the number one issue. It is for me. When someone has been, well, determined by a jury to have committed sexual assault, thats not someone who I want my kids and grandkids to see as president of the United States.

Criticising Biden on the economy and border security  though acknowledging Trumps role in stopping a bipartisan border measure passing Congress  Romney told MSNBC: I dont know if thats [Trumps] ambition to bring people together. Im not sure exactly what it is he hopes to do if he gets a second term.

Asked about continued surprisingly strong Republican primary performances by Nikki Haley, who dropped out more than two months ago, Romney rejected the idea that a moderate wing of his party could yet seek to retake control.

My wing of the party, its like a chicken wing, all right? the senator said. Its a little tiny thing that doesnt take the bird off the ground.
President Joe Biden has asserted executive privilege over audio recordings of his interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur  ostensibly in a bid to shield Attorney General Merrick Garland from a Republican scheme to hold him in contempt of Congress. House Republicans plan to move forward anyway.

The recordings relate to a deposition given by Biden to the special counsel regarding his handling of classified documents found at his home and office. The interview itself became a point of contention between the White House and the Justice Department, after Hur described the president as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory, and claimed Biden could not remember the date his son Beau died. The White House strongly condemned the characterization of the presidents mental faculties, calling the report, released in February, highly prejudicial against Biden.

Hur declined to prosecute Biden in relation to his retention of classified documents, a notable decision given that former President Donald Trump is currently under federal indictment regarding his own mishandling of classified documents. Hurs report  and decision to not move forward with charges against Biden  spurred a frenzy amongst House Republican lawmakers, who have demanded the recordings despite having been provided a full transcript of the interview.

On Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee planned to vote on advancing a resolution holding Garland in contempt of Congress for the Justice Departments refusal to provide the audio, and the House Oversight Committee is expected to take a similar vote later this week.

Because of the Presidents longstanding commitment to protecting the integrity, effectiveness, and independence of the Department of Justice and its law enforcement investigations, he has decided to assert executive privilege over the recordings, White House counsel Ed Siskel wrote in a letter to the committee on Thursday.

The absence of a legitimate need for the audio recordings lays bare your likely goal  to chop them up, distort them, and use them for partisan political purposes, Siskel added, citing the fact that the committees already have full access to the contents of the interview.

In a separate letter, Assistant Attorney General Carlos Uriarte wrote that the Attorney General must draw a line that safeguards the Department from improper political influence and protects our principles, our law enforcement work, and the people who carry out that work independently, without fear or favor.

Uriarte added that Justice Department policy has held by administrations of both parties that an official who asserts the Presidents claim of executive privilege cannot be prosecuted for criminal contempt of Congress.

On Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee voted to advance the resolution regardless of those protections, and the House Oversight Committee is expected to take a similar vote later this week.

Garland himself requested that Biden assert privilege over the recordings in a May 15 letter to the president. The Committees needs are plainly insufficient to outweigh the deleterious effects that production of the recordings would have on the integrity and effectiveness of similar law enforcement investigations in the future, he wrote. I therefore respectfully request that you assert executive privilege over the subpoenaed recordings. I also request that you make a protective assertion of executive privilege with respect to any other materials responsive to the subpoenas that have not already been produced.

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President Joe Biden has used executive privilege in an attempt to block Trump-aligned Republican House leaders from obtaining audio recordings of his interviews with special counsel Robert Hur over Bidens handling of classified documents.

The transcripts of those interviews, conducted over two days, have already been released. In the explosive 345-page report, Hur concluded Biden had done nothing criminal but characterized the president as a well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory, an assertion Bidens critics seized on and his advocates slammed as unprofessional on Hurs part.

Bidens use of executive privilege to prevent House committees from receiving tapes of the interviews was revealed in a series of letters from officials in his administration.

White House counsel Ed Siskel accused Republican House leaders of seeking the tapes for partisan play. In a letter addressed to Trump allies Rep. James Comer (R-KY) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), the respective chairmen of the House Oversight and Judiciary committees, Siskel said the reps had provided no real reason for needing the tape recordings.

Biden Transcript Calls Into Question Special Counsels Bombshell Memory Claims

The absence of a legitimate need for the audio recordings lays bare your likely goalto chop them up, distort them, and use them for partisan political purposes, Siskel wrote.

Demanding such sensitive and constitutionally-protected law enforcement materials from the Executive Branch because you want to manipulate them for potential political gain is inappropriate.

In response, Rep. Comer accused the White House of trying to impede their investigation of Bidens handling of classified documents, despite Hurs finding that cleared the president of criminal wrongdoing.

Clearly President Biden and his advisors fear releasing the audio recordings of his interview because it will again reaffirm to the American people that President Bidens mental state is in decline, Comer said in a statement.

Representatives for Rep. Jordan did not immediately respond to The Daily Beasts requests for comment.

Bidens use of executive privilege comes on recommendation from Attorney General Merrick Garland, who assessed that a move to block the Republican reps attempt to subpoena the recordings fell within Bidens powers. In a letter dated Wednesday, Garland said that the release of the tapes could make future White House officials less willing to cooperate in future law enforcement investigations.

The Department has long recognized that executive privilege protects materials related to a closed criminal investigation where disclosure is likely to damage future law enforcement efforts, which I have concluded is the case here, Garland wrote.

He added that Reps. Comer and Jordan had failed to satisfy any of the potentially relevant standards for overcoming the use of executive privilege.

The Committees needs are plainly insufficient to outweigh the deleterious effects that productions of the recordings would have on the integrity and effectiveness of similar law enforcement investigations in the future.

Biden did not use executive privilege to try to block the February release of Hurs transcripts, which ultimately cleared him of wrongdoing but launched a flurry of public anxiety about his mental strength and old age. It also thrust Hur, a Republican with ties to Donald Trump, into the spotlight, on suspicion that hed acted out of possible partisan motives.

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How Biden and Trump agreed on where and when to disagree

For two men who agree on so little, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump could agree on this: They needed to debate.

After months of speculation over the traditional pre-election face-offs  when they would happen, what they would look like and whether the candidates would actually show up  the 2024 showdowns were quickly announced Wednesday morning after Bidens campaign laid out its criteria for participating.

It was hardly a foregone conclusion. Trump skipped his partys primary debates, deeming them useless. Biden and his aides had long harbored deep skepticism about the traditional debate format and schedule.

To Bidens team, the move to lay out its debate proposals seized back control of a narrative that he was unwilling or unable to square off against Trump. Some of the presidents advisers hoped that by listing out their terms first, they could box Trump into a format he wouldnt have chosen for himself. On Wednesday, some Trump allies and advisers expressed frustration after Bidens public announcement that the quick acceptance of network debates left them playing catch up  something they described as particularly annoying after Trumps campaign had repeatedly, and publicly, called on Biden to debate.

Still, apart from Trumps desire to hold more than two debates and his urgings for a live audience, many of the conditions laid out in the Biden campaigns proposal were criteria the Trump campaign also wanted  namely, to move up the schedule by three months and to avoid sharing a stage with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The sudden resolution of one of the contests biggest unanswered questions had actually been in the works for weeks, people familiar with the matter said, as the campaigns separately came to the conclusion that debates over the summer would benefit both their candidates and American voters. The calendar appears set for the earliest debate between Democratic and Republican presidential candidates in decades. And a campaign that had been trudging along slowly, through a GOP primary that seemed foretold and a fog of legal problems for Trump, has suddenly jolted into high gear.

Howard Stern interview put gears in motion

Bidens declaration last month to Howard Stern that he was happy to debate Trump, a statement that wasnt planned ahead of time, helped spur a chain of events leading up to Wednesdays announcements.

Both candidates campaigns believed that the earlier the men could debate, the better. It made little sense to debate after voters were able to cast ballots, which would have been the case if they stuck to the schedule proposed by the Commission on Presidential Debates.

Trumps advisers had privately expressed frustration at the commission, which had announced debates would begin mid-September. Susie Wiles and her fellow campaign manager Chris LaCivita criticized the body after it denied their request for more and earlier debates.

Trumps advisers argue they want at least four debates but would prefer there to be more. The campaign, and Wiles and LaCivita specifically, believe having Trump and Biden face-off onstage will only benefit the former president, the two advisers said. Trumps team believes Biden has declined both physically and mentally in the four years since they last debated in 2020, one adviser said.

Anything in this campaign that provides a contrast will be important for us. And theres not a better contrast than Joe Biden having to defend a miserable record standing next to successful President Trump, whose energy and enthusiasm is always present, one of the senior advisers said.

A Trump adviser said the campaign believed it was critical for Trump to be able to reach voters before they made a decision on their votes  a rationale echoed by Bidens team in its letter to the commission.

The Commissions failure, yet again, to schedule debates that will be meaningful to all voters  not just those who cast their ballots late in the fall or on Election Day  underscores the serious limitations of its outdated approach, Jen OMalley Dillon wrote.

Frustration with the Commission on Presidential Debates

In recent weeks, after the commission seemed disinclined to agree to their requests on timing, Trump advisers began internally discussing ways to circumvent the commission altogether. Many advisers privately acknowledged theyd likely be more successful in achieving the type of debates they want by having a network hold them, two sources familiar with the talks told CNN.

Top members of Bidens team had long similarly harbored reservations about the Commission on Presidential Debates, which has organized the events for decades. Two of his top advisers, Anita Dunn and Ron Klain, helped coauthor a report in 2015 recommending an overhaul to the debate system.

In a statement on Wednesday, the commission said the sites it had already selected were prepared to host debates on dates chosen to accommodate early voters. We will continue to be ready to execute this plan.

For Bidens team, earlier debates hold another goal: bringing the contrast with Trump into living rooms at a moment when many potential voters havent tuned in. In their view, an accelerated start of the general election campaign will force Americans to reckon with Trumps potential return to the White House in a way they havent yet.

Our campaign has been saying for months that democracy is literally at stake and is whats on the ballot in this election. The American people deserve to hear from  two of the individuals who have a chance of being elected president of the United States, that are going to represent them on the world stage, that are going to be in charge of the economy that affects their life every day, Bidens principal deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks said on CNN. President Biden deeply believes this. We have nothing to hide.

An intense start to the summer

For Biden, debate preparation will compete with a heavy campaign travel schedule and two foreign trips: to France for the 80th anniversary of the June 6 landings at Normandy and to Italy for the Group of 7 summit. Trump, meanwhile, continues to grapple with a swirl of legal issues, including the conclusion of his New York hush money trial.

Klain, the presidents former chief of staff, is planning to take a vacation from his job as AirBnBs top lawyer to help Biden prepare. It wasnt clear whether Bidens personal attorney Bob Bauer, who played Trump in previous debate practice session, would reprise his role.

Trump and his campaign have made debating Biden a key part of their campaign. During rallies, Trump has brought an extra podium to the stage to mock Bidens refusal to answer Trumps calls to debate. Last month, surrogates received talking points that encouraged them to say that President Trump is ready to debate anytime, anyplace, and anywhere and that Americans deserve a full chance to see both candidates on the same stage before they start voting.

Seeking to take control of the media narrative back around the debates, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would be accepting a third debate on Fox News, which the Biden campaign swiftly rejected.

Both campaigns had little interest in debating Kennedy, the third party candidate who could siphon votes from both Biden and Trump.

As CNN previously reported, in recent weeks Kennedy has gone from a perceived nuisance to a political problem that the Trump campaign is eager to swiftly extinguish. Biden, meanwhile, has sought to blunt Kennedys appeal to Democrats by appearing with other members of the Kennedy family.

It is still too early to tell who RFK would take votes from, one senior Trump adviser told CNN. We absolutely believe that its possible he could take away from Trump in a general election.

Even after accepting in short order the invitations from CNN and ABC, neither campaign sounded entirely sure the debates would actually occur. The skepticism reflected the logistical tripwires and political considerations that could still forestall an eventual debate.

Well see Donald Trump on June 27th in Atlanta  if he shows up, OMalley Dillon said.

I wonder whether or not he shows up, Trump told radio interviewer Hugh Hewitt.

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Biden and Trump to face off in debates

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  President Joe Biden and Donald Trump have agreed to hold two debates this summer. The debates though are not expected to include a live audience.

It took just a matter of hours for the two men, who cant agree on anything, to accept invitations for two dates and most things this election cycle the debate will be historic.

Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020. Since then, he hasnt shown up for a debate. Now, hes acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day pal, said Biden.

Trump responded in a social media post saying Just tell me when, Ill be there. Lets get ready to rumble!!!

The first face-off will be on June 27th, hosted by CNN in Atlanta.

The second hosted by ABC on September 10th.

The people who are watching the most are more likely the people whove already made up their minds, said Professor Todd Belt of George Washington University.

Political science professor Todd Belt is not ruling out that these debates could sway some voters.

Both the Biden and Trump team say this election will come down to who can move the country forward.

The president said we want to make sure we dont stand for the dark, revenge-based policies put forward by Republicans, said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

Trump is headed back to a New York courtroom Thursday as his criminal hush money trial resumes.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
Joe Bidens support for Israels brutal war on Gaza has drawn protests across the country, from college campuses to public streets, and has even led to the president minimizing events that could potentially be interrupted by protesters.



To his top donors, though, Bidens stance has largely been music to their ears, according to a new report from the Quincy Institutes Responsible Statecraft. The publication reviewed campaign contributions, philanthropy, and public statements from people who gave more than $900,000 to the Biden Victory Fund, and found heavy sympathy for Israel sometimes coupled with bigotry against Muslims and Palestinians.



For example, longtime Democratic donor Haim Saban, who contributed $929,599 to the Victory Fund, also serves on the board of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. The billionaire has also donated $1 million to the United Democracy Project, an independent arm of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. After Biden briefly paused a weapons shipment to Israel last week, Saban sent an email to Biden aides saying, Lets not forget there are more Jewish voters who care about Israel than Muslim voters who care about Hamas.

Compare that to a recent New York Times poll that found that 13 percent of 2020 Biden voters who planned to defect from him in 2024 cited his foreign policy and stance on Israels war in Gaza as the reason. But Biden isnt likely to hear about those concerns at his big fundraising events.



The article names several other top Biden donors who support Israels military actions, described by many as war crimes, and attack Palestinians and the protesters who support them. These include pundit George Conway, mobile gaming magnate Mark Pincus, and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman.



Another separate report Thursday revealed the extent to which billionaires are affecting U.S. policy on Israel. The Washington Post exposed a WhatsApp chat group set up in late April by business titans and wealthy individuals who pressured New York City Mayor Eric Adams to use police force to shut down Columbia Universitys Gaza Solidarity Encampment. These billionaires included Kind snack company founder Daniel Lubetzky, hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb, billionaire Len Blavatnik and real estate investor Joseph Sitt. Other prominent billionaires were also in the group chat advising on Israel policy, including former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, Dell founder and CEO Michael Dell, and hedge fund manager Bill Ackman.

The fact that wealthy donors seem to have more influence than public opinion over a city mayor, let alone a sitting president, is a travesty. Israels war on Gaza has killed over 35,000 people, including more than 15,000 children, much of it thanks to U.S. military aid and weapons. Calls for the Biden administration to end its support for the war and halt weapons shipments to Israel seem to fall on deaf ears. While this might make his donors happy, perhaps Biden should be more concerned about voters and a growing humanitarian crisis.


The Justice Department said Thursday Attorney General Merrick Garland is starting the process to federally reclassify marijuana at President Joe Biden's request. In an X post, Biden said the action is monumental and no one should be in jail for simple use or possession of marijuana. But this action does not legalize marijuana under federal law. File Photo by Al Drago/UPI

May 16 (UPI) -- The Justice Department said Thursday that Attorney General Merrick Garland has submitted a notice to start the reclassification of marijuana from a Schedule I to Schedule III drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act.

It will ultimately remove marijuana from a category that includes lethal drugs such as heroin to a category including much milder drugs.

But it will not federally legalize marijuana.

The Justice Department said it's acting after "President Biden asked the Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to launch a scientific review of how marijuana is scheduled under federal law."

In a Thursday X video post, Biden said, "This is monumental. Today, my administration took a major step to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule 1 drug to a Schedule 3 drug. It's an important move reversing longstanding inequities."

Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. So today, the @TheJusticeDept is taking the next step to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug under federal law. Here's what that means: pic.twitter.com/TMztSyyFYm President Biden (@POTUS) May 16, 2024

Biden added that he has already pardoned federal marijuana possession crimes and that "no one should be in jail merely for using or possessing marijuana."

"This proposal starts the process, where the Drug Enforcement Administration will gather and consider information and views submitted by the public, in order to make a determination about the appropriate schedule," the Justice Department said in a statement. "During that process, and until a final rule is published, marijuana remains a schedule I controlled substance."

The Justice Department said after getting a recommendation from Health and Human Services, the DOJ sought legal advice from its Office of Legal Counsel and decided to initiate the marijuana reclassification process.

According to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, 24 U.S. states have legalized marijuana.

It's also legal in the District of Columbia, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

NORML would like to see marijuana legal nationwide, removed from all federal DEA drug classifications.

According to a Gallup Poll in November 2023, public support for legal marijuana in the United States is at an all-time high of 70%.

There are several marijuana bills in Congress now, including the SAFER Banking Act to enable legal cannabis business to use the banking system and the HOPE Act to help reduce the financial and administrative burden on state and local governments for expungements of state marijuana offenses.

Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., has also introduced a bill to remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act.

"We should celebrate the fact we're finally changing course from the failed, racist legacy of the War on Drugs," she said on X.
FILE - President Joe Biden speaks in support of changing the Senate filibuster rules that have stalled voting rights legislation, at Atlanta University Center Consortium, on the grounds of Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University, Jan. 11, 2022, in Atlanta. Biden will have his most direct engagement with college students since the start of the Israel-Hamas war when he speaks at Morehouse College's commencement. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

ATLANTA (AP)  When he gives the commencement address at Morehouse College, President Joe Biden will have his most direct engagement with college students since the start of the Israel-Hamas war at a center of Black politics and culture.

Morehouse is located in Atlanta, the largest city in the swing state of Georgia, which Biden flipped from then-President Donald Trump four years ago. Biden's speech Sunday will come as the Democrat tries to make inroads with a key and symbolic constituency  young Black men  and repair the diverse coalition that elected him to the White House.

The announcement of the speech last month triggered peaceful protests and calls for the university administration to cancel over Bidens handling of the war between Israel and Hamas. Some students at Morehouse and other historically Black campuses in Atlanta say they vociferously oppose Biden and the decision to have him speak, mirroring the tension Biden faces in many communities of color and with young voters nationally.

Morehouse President David Thomas said in an interview that the emotions around the speech made it all the more important that Biden speak.

In many ways, these are the moments Morehouse was born for, he said. We need someplace in this country that can hold the tensions that threaten to divide us. If Morehouse cant hold those tensions, then no place can.

The speech comes at a critical moment for Biden in his general election rematch against Trump, a Republican. Biden is lagging in support among both Black voters and people under 30, groups that were key to his narrow 2020 victories in several battleground states, including Georgia.

Fifty-five percent of Black adults approved of the way Biden is handling his job as president, according to an AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll in March, a figure far below earlier in his presidency. Overall, 32% of 18- to 29-year-olds approved in the same poll.

This is a global catastrophe in Gaza, and Joe Biden coming to pander for our votes is political blackface, said Morehouse sophomore Anwar Karim, who urged Thomas and school trustees to rescind Bidens invitation.

Recent scenes on American campuses reflect objections among many young voters about Israels assaults in Gaza. Biden has backed Israel since Hamas militants killed more than 1,200 Israelis and took hundreds of hostages on Oct. 7. That includes weapons shipments to the longstanding U.S. ally, even as Biden advocates for a cease-fire, criticizes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus tactics and the death toll in Gaza surpasses 35,000 people, many of them women and children.

Many younger Black people have identified with the Palestinian cause and have at times drawn parallels between Israeli rule of the Palestinian territories and South Africas now-defunct apartheid system and abolished Jim Crow laws in the U.S. Israel rejects claims that its system of laws for Palestinians constitutes apartheid.

I think that the president will do himself good if he does not duck that, especially when you think about the audience that he will be speaking to directly and to the nation, Thomas said.

Sunday's speech will culminate a four-day span during which Biden will concentrate on reaching Black communities. On Thursday, Biden met privately with plaintiffs from the Brown v. Board of Education case that barred legal segregation of Americas public schools. The following day, Biden will address an NAACP gathering commemorating the 70th anniversary of the landmark decision.

Former U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, a longtime Biden ally who helped broker his speech at Morehouse, said he understood students concerns but emphasized that Biden has pressured Netanyahu and supports a two-state solution for the Israelis and Palestinians. Trump, meanwhile, has effectively abandoned that long-held U.S. position and said Israel should finish the problem in Gaza.

Thats nowhere in the conversation, Richmond said.

The debate over Biden's speech at Morehouse reflected a fundamental tension of historically Black colleges and universities, which are both dedicated to social justice and Black advancement and run by administrators who are committed to keeping order.

We look like a very conservative institution sometimes, Thomas said. On one hand, the institution has to be the stable object where we are today in the world.

But, he added, the university's long-term purpose is to support our students in going out to create a better world.

Blowback started even before Thomas publicly announced Biden was coming. Faculty sent executives a letter of concern, prompting an online town hall. Alumni gathered several hundred signatures to urge that Thomas rescind Bidens invitation. The petition called the invitation antithetical to the pacifism Martin Luther King Jr., a Morehouse alumnus, expressed when opposing the Vietnam War.

Some students note that leaders of Morehouse and other HBCUs did not always support King and other Civil Rights activists who are venerated today. Morehouse, for instance, expelled the actor Samuel L. Jackson in 1969 after he and other students held Morehouse trustees, including Kings father, in a campus building as part of demanding curriculum changes and the appointment of more Black trustees.

Students organized two recent protests across the Atlanta University Center (AUC), a consortium of historically Black institutions in Atlanta that includes Morehouse. Chants included Joe Biden, f off! and Biden, Biden, you cant hide. We charge you with genocide, along with expletives directed at Thomas.

Our institution is supporting genocide, and we turn a blind eye, said Nyla Broddie, a student at Spelman College, which is part of the AUC. Brodie argued Bidens Israel policy should be viewed in the broader context of U.S. foreign policy and domestic police violence against Black Americans.

Thomas said he feels very positive about graduation and that not one Morehouse senior  there are about 500 at the all-male private school  has opted out of participating. Thats not to say that the sentiments about whats going on in Gaza dont resonate with people in our community, Thomas said.

Thomas met privately with students as did several trustees. The Morehouse alumni association hosted a student town hall, featuring at least one veteran of the Atlanta Student Movement, a Civil Rights-era organization.

But there was a consistent message: Uninviting the president of the United States was not an option. When students raised questions about endowment investments in Israel and U.S. defense contractors, they said they were told the relevant amounts are negligible, a few hundred thousand dollars in mutual funds.

I think folks are excited about Biden coming, said Democratic Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, the senior pastor at Kings Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Warnock said Biden is in a great position to talk about student debt relief, increased federal support for HBCUs and other achievements.

HBCUs have not seen crackdowns from law enforcement like those at Columbia University in New York City and the University of California, Los Angeles. However, Morehouse and the AUC have seen peaceful demonstrations, petitions and private meetings among campus stakeholders. Xavier University, a historically Black university in Louisiana, withdrew its commencement invitation for U.N. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, citing a desire among students to enjoy a commencement ceremony free of disruptions.

Whether Morehouse graduates or other students protest Biden or disrupt the ceremony remains to be seen. Student protest leaders say they are unaware of any plans to demonstrate inside during the commencement.

Thomas, Morehouse's president, promised that forms of protest at commencement that do not disrupt ceremonies will not result in sanctions for any students.

But he also vowed to end the program early if disruptions grow.

We will not  on Morehouses campus  create a national media moment, he said, where our inability to manage these tensions leads to people being taken out of a Morehouse ceremony in zip ties by law enforcement.
"Big gamble": Experts say Jack Smith's last resort may be to try to get Judge Cannon kicked off case

When has Donald Trump ever had kind words for a judge overseeing a case against him? Its not a rhetorical question, but one with an answer: when that judge is someone he picked himself.

In Manhattan, where the former presidents hush money trial is underway, Trump has asserted that Judge Juan Merchan is TOTALLY COMPROMISED, CONFLICTED, AND CORRUPT. In Florida, where Trumps classified documents case is totally stalled, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, his appointee, is very smart and very strong and loves our country.

Cannon, indeed, has been everything Trump could ever want in a judge. The Republican candidates strategy in all his criminal cases has been to delay the proceedings and then delay them some more, hoping to run out the clock until some future MAGA attorney general can throw them out.

In only one case  Cannons  has the judge been so transparently willing to play along, recently deciding to throw out the May 20 trial date she set, after being randomly assigned the case last June, and electing instead to hold what The New York Times described as an unusual set of hearings on a Trump defense team argument: that prosecutors must have worked with the White House before they charged the defendant and should thus have to hand over those communications as part of discovery.

The decision to scrap the trial date has dashed hopes that Trumps alleged mishandling of national security secrets will go before jurors anytime soon, much less before the November election. But special counsel Jack Smith does have one option, which he already hinted at deploying in an April legal filing, back when Cannon wanted to instruct prospective jurors that maybe Trump had a legal right to take any classified documents he pleased: a writ of mandamus.

If I were working on this, I would file a writ of mandamus ASAP, defense lawyer Glenn Danas, a partner at the Clarkson Law Firm, told Slate.

In something more approximating plain English: Smith could ask Cannons de facto bosses at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, who have already thrown out her decisions before, to remove her from the case altogether. The argument for this is that Cannon has already shown herself to be biased and that this has manifested itself in rulings that clearly defy the law.

It seems like shes going out of her way to afford the defendants an extraordinary amount of time and her own judicial resources to get every single thing that they want done in a way that seems unusual, Danas said.

Hes not alone in thinking Cannon has taken a relatively simple case  we know Trump had classified documents, including information on battle plans and nuclear programs, and we know the FBI had to go and get them back  and made it seem more complicated than it is, justifying repeated delays.

But a writ of mandamus is a last resort, when a prosecutor believes and can demonstrate that their case has been effectively destroyed by a judge clearly violating the law. And the consensus last month, when Cannon pulled back from issuing legally flawed jury instructions, was that she had done just enough to prevent an appeals court from firing her.

As The Washington Posts Jennifer Rubin noted, the bar for a writ of mandamus is exceptionally high, requiring that prosecutors show they have no alternative and a clear and indisputable right to the requested relief, which in her view makes this a long shot.

Stephen Gillers, a law professor at New York University, agrees.

Mandamus is a way to get appellate review in extreme cases where appeal is not possible but the trial judge's decision is clearly wrong, Gillers commented. Mandamus would be a big gamble here and almost certainly lose."

Indeed, thats Danas view too. But his argument is that, by explicitly demanding a trial before November, and suggesting that he might file a writ if denied, the special counsel can pressure Cannon to move at a quicker pace. What, at this point, does he have to lose?

Perhaps its better just to be forthright about it and say, Im a special prosecutor and I dont necessarily have a political dog in the fight, but I think its important for the countrys functioning to get these things done in an average way, Danas said, if not on a fast track, then at least on a normal track.
Whether or not his campaign admits it, President Joe Biden has a Sun Belt problem.

Biden is holding up just fine in expectedly tight races with Donald Trump in the Rust Belt states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Yet in the Sun Beltthe stretch of states from North Carolina and Georgia to Nevada and ArizonaTrump is giving Biden a shellacking with hefty leads, particularly in those two key desert states, according to a new New York Times/Siena College/Philadelphia Inquirer poll.

I am fascinated by how quickly his base is abandoning him, Dave Smith, chairman of Arizonas Pima County GOP, said of Biden in an interview with The Daily Beast. On the ground, Smith said hes seen a notable influx of volunteers and a boost in party registration, which he attributed to voter concerns about migrant border crossings, as well as the cost of housing.

Trump and Biden Agree to Shock Debate Showdown Next Month

The Biden campaignwhich did not make anyone available to comment for this storyhas been sticking to its steady-as-she-goes messaging, publicly making sure not to sweat the polls. The difficulty of polling younger and Latino voters gives them reason to believe the trend of bigger leads in the Sun Belt is more of a mirage resulting from sampling issues than a genuine electoral obstacle. Team Biden also has field offices and boots on the ground in these states, while the Trump campaign does not, and the long-term benefit of door-to-door organizing is another advantage in the Biden campaigns favor.

Trumps 13-point lead in Nevadaa state which hasnt gone to a Republican in a presidential race since 2004is seen as particularly aberrant by some Democrats.

The Biden campaign has opened more than 150 offices and hired more than 400 staffers across the battleground states, including in Latino communities like the Maryvale neighborhood in Phoenix, the Asian-American voter-heavy pocket of Southwest Las Vegas, and in rural areas like Alamance County in North Carolina. The Trump campaign, by contrast, doesnt have any of that infrastructure up and running yet.

Still, the numbers arent good.

Even if there were a persistent and historically significant polling error thus far, there are plenty of reasons for the president to sweat the emerging trend of being stuck with a case of the Sun Belt blues.

Larger scale, there are some indications that Hispanic voters are a little bit more willing to vote for Trump this time around, longtime Florida-based pollster Brad Coker told The Daily Beast. If you look at the Rust Belt, its not quite like the south.

President Joe Biden gives a speech at Intel Ocotillo Campus on March 20, 2024 in Chandler, Arizona. Rebecca Noble/Getty Images

Bidens underperformance in the Sun Belt, compared to the Rust Belt, has a few plausible explanations, ranging from demographic differences to partisan trends. Yet, more importantly, the polling trend shows where the most fundamental dividing line of the 2024 campaign will fall, and why the race may hinge on Bidens ability to hang on for dear life around the Great Lakes states.

All other results being equal from the states Biden and Trump carried in 2020, the president could hold onto a victory if he kept Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. If he can keep Trump at bay in those three, Biden could afford to lose Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada and still clinch an electoral victory with no room to sparelanding right at the required total of 270 electoral votes.

Biden and Trump have remained tight in that trio of Rust Belt states for months, but when it comes to the Sun Belt, Trump has either begun to run away with a bigger lead or still maintained a healthy one.

In Georgia, Trump has held a firm 5 to 6-point lead going back to early March. In Arizona, its been a similar story, though the FiveThirtyEight average has shown some tightening while the Times/Siena poll had Trumps lead at 7 points. And in Nevada, something weird is going on. Just in the past few days in May, Biden has dipped down from an average 4 to 5-point deficit to nearly 7 points, and the Times poll had that alarming 13-point gap.

7 Exciting, Outside-the-Box Ideas for Biden-Trump Debate Moderators

The Biden campaign pointed The Daily Beast to a quote from Democratic pollster Geoff Garin, who served as a co-chief strategist for Hillary Clintons 2008 presidential bid.

"The only consistency in recent public polls is inconsistency, Garin said in an email. These results need to be weighed against the 30-plus polls that show Biden up and gainingwhich is exactly why drawing broad conclusions about the race based on results from one poll is a mistake. The reality is that many voters are not paying close attention to the election and have not started making up their mindsa dynamic also reflected in todays poll. These voters will decide this election and only the Biden campaign is doing the work to win them over."

Democratic strategists arent hitting the panic button just yet, but its becoming harder to make arguments about the polling being too far out from the general election. While six months is still plenty of time, its becoming clear Biden needs to clean up with undecided votersand that might not be possible just yet.

One of the major questions in this race is going to be who is able to connect with voters who are not tuned-in yet, Democratic strategist Josh Schwerin told The Daily Beast, and who likely do not start with a positive opinion of either candidate.

Another major task for Biden is to claw back his standing with Latino voters, among whom his nationwide advantage over Trump has cratered from nearly 30 points during his first year in office to just 9 points now, according to an Axios-Ipsos Latino poll from April.

Arizona and Nevada have the fourth and fifth-highest shares of eligible Hispanic voters in the country, according to Pew Research data, standing at 25 percent and 22 percent, respectively.

Coker said its important to differentiate between different sub-demographics under the massive umbrella of Latino voters. In his home state of Florida, Cuban-Americans have always tilted far more conservative compared to Mexican-Americans, who make up only 15 percent of the Latino vote in Florida but can be closer to 80 percent in western states, Coker noted.

Youve sort of seen this uptick in Hispanic support for Trump, Coker said. And in states that were relatively close, Nevada and Arizona, that might be the [margin of victory]. Now, Arizona has been red, red, red, red, red, and then only blue last time. Nevada has been the opposite. That has been blue, blue, blue, blue, blue since Bush [in 2004].

Trump Drops Another Hint on Barrons Plans After Graduation

In addition to the Democrats organizing advantage in the Sun Belt states, Schwerin argued the newly agreed-upon debate in June between Biden and Trump could shake things up since it falls far earlier in the calendar than the usual slate organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates, which the pair snubbed in favor of a showdown on CNN.

That will help, Schwerin said, adding that while it doesnt mean the problem gets solved the next day, it at the very least will hammer home the choice voters have between Biden and Trump.

Schwerin also said hes optimistic the Biden campaign will have more than enough resources to compete in both the Sun Belt and Rust Belt aggressively, while the Trump campaign may have to make some hard choices down the line if the cash crunch continues.

Its a false choice, Schwerin said of any notion the Biden campaign should triage the Sun Belt states and cut some of them loose to hold onto the likes of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. I dont think its an either/or, and fortunately our candidate isnt spending $50 million a month or whatever it is on legal fees.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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(KRON)  The Regulated Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Act, a bill aimed at permitting the use of psychedelic mushrooms for therapeutic purposes, was killed in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday.

Weve been working for four years to legalize access to psychedelics in California, to bring these substances out of the shadows and into the sunlight, and to improve safety and education around their use, said California State Sen. Scott Wiener, who also penned the bill in February earlier this year.

Heres how much Oakland made in tourism spending last year

The act, otherwise known as SB1012, would allow professionals to administer the consumption of psychedelic mushrooms to anyone over the age of 21. The bill also calls for licensed psychedelic-assisted therapy facilitators to supervise the administration of these substances.

Psychedelics have massive promise in helping people heal and get their lives back on track. It makes enormous sense for California to lead in creating regulated access under the supervision of a licensed professional, Wiener said.

SB1012 comes a few months after California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed SB58, a bill, also introduced by Wiener, which sought to make hallucinogens legal to carry in limited quantities in addition to legalizing psychedelic-assisted therapy.

In Newsoms veto statement, he expressed his support of the potential therapeutic benefits of the substances, but only one regulated treatment guidelines were designed. He also urged the legislature to send him legislation in 2024 that includes therapeutic guidelines, bringing us to Wieners most recent efforts behind SB1012.

Despite Wieners efforts and initial support from the governor, the bill was killed on Thursday. Nevertheless, Wiener says he will still continue to work on expanding access to psychedelics.

Wiener isnt alone in his efforts, as psychedelic therapy advocates believe that not allowing the legal use of said substance will only criminalize those seeking help through the substance.

Californians will continue to seek out psychedelics for all sorts of reasons, including to help alleviate mental health challenges like PTSD, depression and anxiety. Many will do so without guided support and use psychedelics on their own, which increases risks. Veterans and others will continue to leave the country or go underground to seek unregulated services that may be unsafe. Were not backing down, and will keep pushing to ensure facilitated access to psychedelics becomes a reality in California and that Californians are protected from harm. Jared Mofat, Campaign Director for the Alliance for Safer Use of Psychedelics

Its disappointing that our bill did not move forward this session, but we will not lose heart, Sen. Wiener said in a statement sent to KRON4.com. The potential of psychedelics to aid in healing and recovery is too significant to ignore  and it is clear that California should be at the forefront of this progressive change. I will continue to push for access to these transformative treatments.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU)  The office of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced the restriction of xylazine in a bill signed on Monday.

The release explains that Governor Shapiro took action to restrict access to the illegal drug xylazine, an animal tranquilizer commonly referred to as tranq by signing House Bill 1661 into Law.

The bill classified the drug as a Schedule Three drug under the Controlled Substances Act and criminalized illegal possession of the sedative, but allowed veterinarians to use it for use on large animals.

By signing this bill into law today, we are sending a powerful message to drug dealers that we will not let you continue to peddle this poison in our communities, Governor Shapiro stated.

DUI checkpoint set in Pennsylvania

This comes after Governor Shapiro had Acting Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen add xylazine briefly to the list of Schedule Three Drugs under PAs Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act in April 2023.

The bill passed both the House and Senate with bipartisan support.

In a multi-pronged approach, the Shapiro Administration says Theyll battle illegal possession of xylazine to not only help members of the commonwealth get treatment but also working with law enforcement to hold drug dealers accountable.

In 2022, the Food and Drug Administration warned that xylazine was not safe for human use. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the drug contributed to 760 overdose deaths in that year alone.

Anyone looking for treatment or recovery resources from substance use disorder can find information online or call the toll-free PA Get Help Now helpline at 1-800-662-4357.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com.
A bill that would remove the health and safety exception from North Carolinas mask ban is heading to the House.

2020 FAQ: Everything you need to know about NCs mask, face-covering mandate

House Bill 237, called the Unmasking Mobs and Criminals bill, passed the Senate Wednesday.

North Carolina has had a ban on face masks since 1953. But early on in the pandemic, lawmakers made a health and safety exception to the law so people could protect themselves from COVID-19.

The Senate passed the mask bill 30-15. Heading to the House now @wsoctv https://t.co/C3oUAps8p9  Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) May 15, 2024

The Unmasking Mobs and Criminals bill would repeal that exception.

GOP bill sponsor Sen. Buck Newton said this is about preventing people from using masks to conceal their identity when they are committing crimes. But some Democratic lawmakers worry it will harm people who are immunocompromised.

My issue is we are removing the specific section that gave people who are immunocompromised or people who are sick and just care about the community  someone walking around with tuberculosis wants to wear a mask to protect everyone else  is no longer able to do that based on this bill, Democratic Sen. Sydney Batch said.

I would like to meet the law enforcement officer or the DA that wants to prosecute granny for wearing a mask in the Walmart, Sen Newton said. Unless she got arrested sticking steaks in her bag and trying to conceal her identity  then I could see it happening  and thats what this bill is designed to address.

A spokesperson for Gov. Roy Cooper said hes also concerned about the bill.

The Governor has real concerns about this legislation that would prevent medically vulnerable people from protecting their health, the spokesperson said.

The bill also enhances penalties for people who purposely block traffic during a protest.

The Senate passed the bill 30-15. Theres no word yet on when or if the House will take up the bill.

VIDEO: UNC Charlotte protesters march to chancellors house
Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, has visited one of the places where Ukrainian drones are manufactured during his visit to Ukraine.

Source: Mykhailo Fedorov, Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, on X (Twitter)

Quote from Fedorov: "We've visited one of the drones production [sites - ed.]. A historic visit for our team and Ukrainian defence tech manufacturers. The delegation saw how Ukrainian innovations are made  FPV drones as well as strike copters."

Met with @SecBlinken  jointly with @SpecRepUkraine @USAmbKyiv we've visited one of the drones production. A historic visit for our team and  defense tech manufacturers. The delegation saw how Ukrainian innovations are made  FPV drones as well as strike copters. pic.twitter.com/JN6TJeJdgN  Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) May 15, 2024

Background:

The previous day, Blinken announced that the United States would provide an additional US$2 billion in contributions to a newly created fund to develop Ukraine's defence industry and finance purchases of weapons.

He also said that the US support for Ukraine is aimed at its strategic success and explicitly stated that Ukraine must win the war.

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Some of the coal mined in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming comes from surface mines like this one. (Photo courtesy of Wyoming BLM via Flickr | CC-BY-SA 2.0)

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management on Thursday released plans to end future leasing of its managed coal resources in the Powder River Basin in eastern Montana and northeastern Wyoming in a move that has angered Montanas Republican political leaders but is being cheered by environmental groups who fought for changes to leasing plans over the past decade.

The BLM issued final supplemental environmental impact statements and amendments to its land use plans for the Miles City Field Office in Montana and the Buffalo Field Office in Wyoming, both of which recommend an end to future federal coal leasing in the regions despite the bureau considering alternatives that would allow for some future leasing.

The official plans will be published in the Federal Register on Friday, which opens up a 30-day window for people to file protests. After the window closes and the protests are resolved by the director of the BLM, which does not have a specific timeframe but in recent years has taken about nine months, the final Record of Decision and Resource Management Plan will be published and take effect.

People who wish to file protests over the plan can find out more information on how to do so on the BLMs website.

The decisions by the BLM are key because the Powder River Basin in the two states accounts for 85% of federal coal production and about 40% of U.S. annual coal production, but the bureau says coal production in the Miles City Field Office region has declined over the past decade as more utilities move toward other energy sources for power.

The environmental groups that pushed for the end to new coal leasing called the decision a sea change in federal efforts to move toward cleaner energy sources.

This decision opens new doors to a future where our public lands are not sacrificed for fossil fuel profits and, instead, can prove a bulwark of ecological and community resilience in the face of global warming, Erik Schlenker-Goodrich, the executive director of the Western Environmental Law Center, said in a statement.

The plan for Montana would close about 1.2 million acres to new coal leasing but would allow current coal production at the Spring Creek Mine, owned by the Navajo Transitional Energy Company, to continue through 2035. It would allow production at the Rosebud Mine, owned by Westmoreland, through 2060 under their current leases, the BLM said in the notice in the Federal Register. The Absaloka Mine lost its final customer in April, the Billings Gazette reported.

Existing mines in Wyoming would be able to produce coal until 2041. The current period for the new plans runs through 2038.

The new environmental impact statement and land use plan amendments come eight years after the Western Organization of Resource Councils first challenged the 2015 Record of Decision for future leasing operations, alleging it violated the National Environmental Policy Act. In 2018, a judge found the BLM had violated NEPA, which led to another coal screening for the plans and a new NEPA analysis released in 2019 under the Trump administration.

But the Miles City plan was challenged again by the same group in 2020. In August 2022, a U.S. District Court of Montana judge also found the BLM had violated NEPA by failing to address public health and environmental effects from the mining. He ordered another new coal screening and NEPA analysis that this time considered no-leasing and limited-leasing alternatives as well as impacts to public health from burning fossil fuels in the area.

Coal has powered our nation for many decades, but technology, economics and markets are changing radically, Western Organization of Resource Councils Board Chair Paula Antoine said Thursday in response to the decisions. BLMs announcement recognizes that coals era is ending, and its time to focus on supporting our communities through the transition away from coal, investing in workers, and moving to heal our lands, water and climate as we enter a bright clean energy future.

The BLM said in its announcement that the Spring Creek and Rosebud mines produced a combined 18.5 million short tons (37 million pounds) of coal in 2022, which was down from 28 million short tons (56 million pounds) in 2007, as older coal-fired electric power plants have closed and generation has shifted to natural gas and renewable energy sources.

Both U.S. total coal production and Powder River Basin coal production peaked in 2008 and have since declined steeply, according to the Energy Information Administration, BLM spokesperson Mark Jacobsen said in the bureaus announcement.

Montana Republicans unhappy with another Biden energy move; Tester reviewing

Montanas Republican governor and three GOP members of the states federal delegation, who have for years been saying the Biden administrations efforts to move the U.S toward more renewable and clean energy and away from using fossil fuels for power, sent out a joint news release decrying the BLMs decision and blaming the far left for the proposed plans.

Gov. Greg Gianforte in August wrote to BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning that accepting few or no future leases would harm the states coal trust, Colstrip and the economy.

The group of Republicans expressed similar sentiments recently regarding the EPAs singling-out the coal-fired plants at Colstrip with new emissions standards and believe that efforts to move away from coal and oil and gas to power the state will hurt the states power grid and cost workers jobs.

Every action taken by the Biden administration is driving up the cost of affordable energy and threatening the reliability of our electrical grid. Affordable power generated by coal keeps the lights on in Montana and fuels manufacturing across the country and world, Gianforte said in a statement. Todays announcement is nothing more than a gift to China and our adversaries and a slap in the face to hardworking Montanans.

U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale, who represents eastern Montana, blamed the decision on appeasing climate extremists and said the plans would jeopardize Montanans way of life.

BLM either does not understand or does not care that their unreliable green new deal energy sources are not feasible in places like Montana and pose real threats to our economy and national security, Rosendale said.

A spokesperson for Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, said Tester was reviewing the proposal and calling on Montanans to submit comments during the 30-day protest window.

Senator Tester will always stand up to President Bidens energy policies when they dont make sense for Montana, spokesperson Eli Cousin said in a statement.

The new proposal comes on the heels of the BLM publishing a final rule that will allow two new types of leases on federal public lands: restoration and mitigation leases, which put those uses on the same footing as extraction. The rules have already been criticized by the same group of Montana Republican leaders who say the changes will also harm Montanas energy industry.

The different alternatives BLM considered

But the parameters of the court-ordered review meant that three out of four of the proposed alternatives the BLM considered for the Miles City Field Office would have closed off significant acreage to new leasing.

The first alternative was to take no action and keep the 2019 plans in place, which would have made 1.2 million acres available for possible leasing.

This map shows the estimated geospatial results of the four coal screens for Alternative D. (Source: Bureau of Land Management)

But the three other options applied screens, multiple-use considerations, and climate change scenarios that greatly reduced the available acreage. Alternative B would have left about 69,000 acres available for possible leasing, while Alternative C would have made about 810 acres available.

But the alternative the BLM decided to pick makes no coal available for leasing. The Miles City planning area encompasses 2.7 million acres of BLM land and 11.7 million acres of federal coal mineral estate over 17 counties in eastern Montana.

The environmental impact analysis says the alternative the BLM chose would mean no new impacts to air quality caused by new or pending coal leases. The report forecasts Spring Creek and Rosebud would continue to support about 620 jobs through 2035 resulting in nearly $50 million in average annual income.

Utilizing Alternative D would also mean the Spring Creek Mine would run out of coal reserves about 53 years earlier than under Alternatives A and B, which would eventually lead to a loss of economic revenue and programs funded by federal coal production, the report says.

But Montana environmental groups that have fought for the changes say the new plans are a step forward in moving away from coal and cutting down on pollution.

Mark Fix, a Miles City rancher who is a member of the Northern Plains Resource Council, said the new plans reflect reality in 2024.

Coal companies in this region already have decades of coal locked up in leasing, and its hard to imagine theyll find buyers that far into the future given the competition from more affordable energy sources, Fix said. This plan protects taxpayers from wasting publicly owned resources on lowball leases to subsidize an industry in decline. Its time we take a clear-eyed look at the future and start investing in a transition away from coal.

The post BLM plan proposes ending future federal coal leasing in Powder River Basin appeared first on Daily Montanan.
Authorities in Florida said they have seized a boat believed to be connected to a hit-and-run that killed a teenager wakeboarding in the Miami area over the weekend.

Ella Adler, 15, was struck by a boat while wakeboarding near Nixon Beach in Key Biscayne Saturday afternoon, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.

MORE: Boat sought in hit-and-run that killed teen wakeboarding in Miami area

The teen had fallen in the water while being towed about a mile from shore and was waiting to be recovered by her boat when another vessel fatally struck her, an FWC spokesperson said. The boat that struck the teen did not stop, FWC said.

Following a dayslong search, FWC said Tuesday it has a boat matching the description given by witnesses of the striking vessel in their custody. The 42-foot Boston Whaler has been transported to an FWC evidence compound, the agency said.

The boat's owner and operator -- identified as a 78-year-old man from Coral Gables -- is cooperating with the investigation, FWC said. No charges have been announced in the case.

PHOTO: Ella Adler is seen in an undated photo. (Adler Family)

FWC had called in additional resources and "worked around the clock" to find the vessel, FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto said Tuesday.

"As a father and grandfather, my heart is broken for the Adler family," Barreto said in a statement. "Ellas death is devastating for her family, friends and the community at large. The FWC and our partner law enforcement agencies will not stop until we have all the answers and the case is solved.

MORE: Crocodile bites man swimming to shore after boat capsizes in Florida Everglades

The investigation remains ongoing. FWC called for anyone with information or footage to contact them.

PHOTO: Ella Adler is seen in this undated image. (Handout)

"The world lost a star this weekend. Ella was beautiful and shined brightly. In her 15 years she gave us more light than we could have ever dreamed," her parents, Amanda and Matt Adler, said in a statement to ABC News. "While we cope with this unspeakable tragedy, we hope the public will help us find the person who took her from us."

Ella Adler was a student at Ransom Everglades School, a college prep day school in the Miami area. The school described her as an "outstanding student, a wonderful dancer and an active member of the Jewish Student Association and speech and debate team."

"Our hearts are broken and our community has been devastated by this tragedy," the school said in a statement. "Ella shined in our classrooms and on our stages, and she embodied the mission of Ransom Everglades School."

Adler was a ballerina who appeared in more than 100 performances with the Miami City Ballet, according to her obituary, which called her a "star" and "force of nature."

Boat seized in connection with hit-and-run that killed Florida teen: Authorities originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Boater saying he didnt know he struck and killed girl doesnt absolve him, lawyers say

The man who Florida fish and wildlife police say was at the helm of a boat when it struck and killed a 15-year-old Ransom Everglades student Saturday while she was wake boarding with friends off Key Biscayne said he didnt know that he hit anyone when he left the scene and went home.

But, while boating experts say it is possible to not know you hit someone in the water, especially with a boat the size of the one owned by 78-year-old Carlos Alonso  a four-engine, 42-foot Boston Whaler  will that matter when it comes to the criminal investigation underway?

Its still hit and run, said Ira Leesfield, a Miami attorney specializing in maritime law. Hes going to say, if he knew it, he would have stopped. At the minimum, its still leaving the scene of an accident.

Alonsos criminal defense attorney said just that in a statement released Wednesday night. Lauren Field Krasnoff said her client did not know he hit Ella Riley Adler after she fell off the wake board in the waters off Key Biscaynes Nixon Beach, and had he known, he wouldnt have left the scene.

He has no knowledge whatsoever of having been involved in this accident. If he hit Ella that day, he certainly did not know it. Had Bill thought he hit anything, he absolutely would have stopped, Field Krasnoff said. But he did not at any point think that he had hit anything, let alone a person. He docked his boat in plain sight right behind his house, and did not even know there was an accident on the water that day until officers showed up at his door.

The world has been robbed: Family mourns girl killed in boat crash near Key Biscayne

Another teen was also wake boarding with Adler when she was struck.

Ella Riley Adler, 15, was killed in a hit-and-run boat crash off Key Biscayne, Florida, on Saturday, May 11, 2024. Temple Beth Sholom

Krasnoff said her client does not drink alcohol and was not drinking Saturday, adding, He has cooperated 100% with law enforcement and will continue to do so.

Larry Wren, a Florida Keys charter fishing captain who owns the First Choice, a 37-foot sport fishing boat, said it is plausible to hit something in the water and not know it.

Boats hit floating debris in the water  coconuts, traps  all the time, especially when its rough, Wren, whos been captaining the First Choice out of Islamorada for 20 years, told the Herald. Its part of operating a boat.

But, like Leesfield said, that does not undo a boat operators legal responsibility if he or she leaves the scene of an accident that injures or kills someone, Wren said.

Its like a vehicle  its a hit and run. While you may not know about it, its a hit and run. Not knowing doesnt take it away, he said.

Gables man was piloting boat that struck and killed Ransom Everglades student: FWC report

Stuart Grossman, a longtime South Florida personal injury attorney, said Alonso denying he knew he hit Adler is irrelevant in the FWCs investigation into the incident.

I think theres still a possible charge of negligent operation of a boat. Its not an excuse to say I did not see something. I looked, but didnt see anything, Grossman said. Clearly, the object was there.

While piloting a vessel, boaters have the responsibility to be on the lookout for anybody or anything in the water.

He had a duty and responsibility to see her, and subsequently denying he saw her doesnt negate his responsibility to see her. Certainly, if its true, you feel badly he didnt see her, but thats his responsibility, Grossman said.

You just cant verbally get out of it, in my opinion. Can you imagine the chaos? Its not exculpatory. If that were the case, there would never be a hit and run, Grossman said.

READ MORE: Man accused of piloting boat that killed 15-year-old girl off Key Biscayne. Who is he?

Miami trial attorney Judd Rosen agreed. Piloting a large, powerful boat through an area popular with boaters, swimmers and watersports enthusiasts, a vessel operator must be cognizant of all obstacles, he said.

His statement claiming he didnt know does not automatically absolve him of liability for leaving the scene if a responsible boat driver should have known someone was hit, Rosen said.

Leesfield said the question that also arises is: Did Alonso not read or see anything in the news about the incident, and if so, why didnt he contact police?

Classmates embrace after the funeral service for 15-year-old Ella Riley Adler that was held at Temple Beth Sholom on Monday, May 13, 2024, in Miami Beach, Florida.

He knew he was boating through the area at that time that day. And, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission released a description of the boat that was involved, and it matched his Boston Whaler.

Ella was killed Saturday afternoon, and news of her death quickly hit the media. But, it wasnt until Tuesday that FWC said it located a boat investigators believe struck and killed Ella. The boat was docked behind the Alonso home on Tanya Street in the Coral Gables gated Hammock Oaks neighborhood.

This overhead photo from Dec. 30 shows 11025 Tanya St. and a boat behind it with four outboard motors. FWCs description of the boat involved in the tragedy said it had multiple white outboard engines.

Where have you been for the last 24 hours after the incident, and why didnt you turn yourself in, Leesfield said.

The Miami Herald followed up with questions to Krasnoff asking when exactly FWC investigators told him his boat may have been involved in Adlers death and if he saw or read any news on the tragedy, but she did not respond to the Heralds queries.

In addition to investigating the hit-and-run aspects of the case, the FWC will also be looking at whether or not the operator of the boat was driving the vessel recklessly, Rosen said.

The [operator of the] Boston Whaler can also face criminal and civil liability regardless of his intent to leave the scene, Rosen said. If his actions are deemed reckless, he can be charged criminally, and he can also be found responsible civilly.

Rosen, who has represented numerous families who lost loved ones in boating accidents, also expects investigators to look into the actions of the operator of the 2017 42-foot Hanse Fjord boat Adler and her friends were on  30-year-old Richard Edmund.

The Herald has been unable to find contact information for Edmund.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

That area off Key Biscayne is a well-known high traffic area and is the last place to be wake boarding on a Saturday afternoon, Rosen said. Its like trying to ride a skateboard across I-95 during rush hour. Adding to the confusion of having two wake surfers at the same time that Ella was struck can certainly be deemed reckless.

I expect that captains actions to be looked at closely by law enforcement as well, he added.

-

Carlos Alonsos attorney, Lauren Field Krasnoff, responded several hours after this report was published. Krasnoff sent a statement that took issue with the attorneys who commented about the possible charges.

The lawyers who discussed liability in the article are plaintiffs civil attorneys. They are not criminal attorneys, prosecutors, or law enforcement. One of the most basic requirements for criminal liability is knowledge and intent. You must, at the very least, have knowledge to be criminally liable. Bill had no knowledge. He did not know there was an accident. Not at the moment. And not even when Fish and Wildlife came to see him. He did not know he was leaving the scene of anything. He continued through the channel, at a legal rate of speed, as the law allows. Without knowledge, there is no crime. This was an absolute tragedy. But that doesnt make it a crime. And the plaintiffs lawyers should know better.
Senator Bob Menendez revealed his wife, Nadine Menendez, is fighting breast cancer a day after blaming her for the criminal bribery charges he faces.

As a result of constant press inquiries and reporters following my wife, she has asked me to disclose her medical condition, the New Jersey lawmaker said in a statement on Thursday. Nadine is suffering from Grade 3 breast cancer, which will require her to have mastectomy surgery.

We are of course, concerned about the seriousness and advanced stage of the disease, he continued. She will require follow up surgery and possibly radiation treatment. We hope and pray for the best results.

Mr Menendez, his wife and three New Jersey men - Wael Hana, Fred Daibes and Jose Uribe - were indicted in September 2023 over an alleged scheme in which the couple accepted gold bars, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and payments for a Mercedes convertible in exchange for his political influence.

Nadine Menendez (left) and Bob Menendez (right) leave Manhattan Criminal Court. The senator announced on Thursday his wife is fighting breast cancer (AFP via Getty Images)

The lawmakers actions ultimately benefitted the Egyptian and Qatari governments, according to prosecutors. The 70-year-old New Jersey democrat faces 16 federal charges, including bribery, acting as a foreign agent, obstruction of justice and extortion. He has pleaded not guilty and denies all wrongdoing.

Menendez has pleaded not guilty and blames his wife for accepting gold bars, cash payments and hiding them from him, his defense lawyer suggested during opening statements at his trial on Wednesday.

Menendezs lawyer Avi Weitzman told the jury that the senator knew nothing of the gold bars and cash, which had been recovered from his New Jersey home in June 2022.

He argued that it was his wife who accepted the lavish bribes, hid them from her husband and then served as a messenger between the senator, his co-defendants and Egyptian officials.

Mr Weitzman also told jurors that Ms Menendez lives a separate life from her husband and kept the gold bars locked in her closet. He told the jury to ask themselves Wheres Bob? while listening to the trial, showing the jury an image of the comic book character fromWheres Waldo.

Ms Menendez requested earlier this year to undergo a separate trial from her husband and the New Jersey businessmen, citing a serious medical condition in court filings  which has now been revealed to be breast cancer. She is supposed to face trial later this summer.

Menendez is on trial with Mr Daibes, a real estate developer, and businessman Mr Hana. They too have pleaded not guilty. Proceedings are expected to last six to seven weeks.
The trial of New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez  charged with 16 felony counts, including accepting bribes from foreign governments in the form of gold bars, a new car and cash  commenced Wednesday.

The one-time chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Menendez allegedly worked on behalf of the Egyptian and Qatari governments, exchanging government secrets for a new Mercedes-Benz for his wife and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold bars, which federal investigators found stitched into jackets and stuffed in safe deposit boxes. The Democratic senator is also accused of accepting bribes from businessmen, including Fred Daibes and Wael Hana, two codefendants in his case, in exchange for personal favors.

Federal Prosecutor Lara Pomerantz laid out the states case against Menendez in opening arguments, telling the jury that Hana, who has ties to the Egyptian government, proposed that Nadine Menendez, then-girlfriend of the senator, could help him with issues with his halal food import business, beginning a long-running saga of corruption.

The senators wife acted as a middleman between her husband and those who sought to influence him, federal prosecutors say.

This was not politics as usual. This was politics for profit. This was a United States senator on the take, Pomerantz said, per the New York Times.

Working with the government is Jose Uribe, another New Jersey businessman and former codefendant, who took a deal to share his testimony. Uribe purchased Nadine a Mercedes in exchange for her husband pushing for an insurance fraud investigation to end.

For Menendez, attorney Avi Weitzman delivered the defenses opening statements, arguing that the lifelong public servant was engaging in routine diplomacy  and that the cash found in his home was the result of habits from his poor immigrant parents.

Weitzman also built a case that Nadine fooled her husband, keeping her personal financial woes a secret from him, arguing that the pair led separate lives.

Menendez, still mulling a run for re-election as an independent, avoided traceable communications with those he allegedly took bribes from, not going much further than a Google search for how much one kilo of gold [is] worth after a trip to Egypt. But prosecutors intend to use messages between Nadine and others to build the case that there was a direct exchange of favors for money.

The text messages will tell you what happened," Pomerantz reportedly told jurors. "As you read those messages youll see the scheme unfold.
(CBS DETROIT)  University of Michigan officials said the student groups who organized an encampment on campus are taking responsibility for protesting at Board of Regents members' homes, leaving fake body bags and toys  both painted with what appears to be fake blood. The incident occurred amid ongoing protests over campus investments in Israel.

Officials said that on Wednesday, about 30 students "staged demonstrations at the private residence of at least one U-M Board of Regents member and went to several others' residences."

The university said a few protestors were masked. The protestors left as police arrived.

The University of Michigan's Department of Public Affairs shared these photos of a display left at a Board of Regents member's home, along with an image showing the incident from a doorbell camera. / Credit: University of Michigan

"Activities included placing tents and fake corpses wrapped in bloodied sheets on the lawn, marching and chanting, and posting demands on doors," the university said in a statement. "The tactics used today represent a significant and dangerous escalation in the protests that have been occurring on campus. Going to an individual's private residence is intimidating behavior and, in this instance, illegal trespassing. This kind of conduct is not protected speech; it's dangerous and unacceptable."

The university said student groups Jewish Voice for Peace, Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, and the Transparency, Accountability, Humanity, Reparations, Investment, Resistance (TAHRIR) Coalition are claiming responsibility.

An Instagram post from the former group's account included a caption reading, in part, "Regent Hubbard, we will hold you accountable for the 35,000+ Palestinians martyrs whose death (sic) you funded and profited from. No matter how many times you call on violent cops to brutalize students, cancel and move your meetings to hide from students, and refuse to admit this university's and YOUR complicity in genocide, we will continue to protest. You cannot hide."

The University of Michigan's Department of Public Affairs shared a photo of a display left in front of a Board of Regents member's home. / Credit: University of Michigan

Regents Sarah Hubbard and Jordan Acker posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) that protestors came to their homes with demands early Wednesday morning.

The Board of Regents is meeting virtually Thursday afternoon.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson responded to Acker's post, calling Wednesday's protest "horrific and unacceptable," adding:

"As someone who once had armed protestors outside my home in the dark of night, I know the fear it invokes as you shelter inside trying to protect your child as you wait for law enforcement to arrive or the group to disperse. I am all for individuals' right to peacefully protest, but a line is crossed in incidents like these. "A group of people targeting one person, at home, particularly at night, is menacing. And ineffective. If the goal is to change minds, history and my own experience underscore that protesting outside an official's home is rarely if ever effective at achieving the goals of those gathering  and oftentimes, it backfires. Protestors across the country have organized encampments, calling for the university to divest in Israel."

This comes more than a week after dozens of protestors briefly marched during the University of Michigan commencement ceremony on May 4. Protesters in kaffiyeh and graduation caps held out Palestinian flags and posters as they walked through the aisles. Campus police prevented them from reaching the stage.

For Palestinians, Wednesday marked the Nakba, a word that means catastrophe. The date May 15 marks the mass displacement in 1948 of more than 700,000 Palestinians during the formation of the modern state of Israel.

In Chicago, a number of students at DePaul University walked out to mark the date. Students held a moment of silence, while faculty at the school held a teach-in to highlight what they described as the decades-long struggle for Palestinians. On Thursday morning, police had begun clearing the encampment on that campus.

Woman attacked by bull on Mexico beach after ignoring warnings

U.S. military finishes installing Gaza aid pier

Oncology nurse faces down her own cancer diagnosis with courage
Police in Florida say they found a body that they believe belongs to a woman who was reported to have been abducted earlier this week alongside her daughter, according to CBS News affiliate WTSP.

Sylvia Pagan, 34, was last seen in Tampa, Florida, on Sunday morning, WTSP reported. The Tampa Police Department issued a "Missing & Endangered Alert" for Pagan, describing her as a 5'3 woman weighing about 155 pounds.

At 1 a.m. local time on Monday, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued an Amber Alert for Pagan's 9-year-old daughter, Briana.

Tampa police said in a news release that they believed Briana "may have also been accompanied" by Pagan and Jovanni Caceres Steffani, 38, who Tampa police called a "person of interest."

WTSP reported that investigators believe Steffani and Pagan spent the night together at Pagan's Tampa home before leaving the following morning. Investigators found no evidence anyone had been harmed at the house, WTSP reported, and there was no record of domestic violence calls to the address.

Sylvia Pagan. / Credit: Tampa Police Department/X

Around 2 a.m. local time, about an hour after the Amber Alert was issued, police say Steffani was found dead with a "self-inflicted gunshot wound" in Suwannee County, which is about 200 miles north of Tampa. Deputies had confronted him at a hotel, WTSP reported.

Briana was found safe at the scene, having been released from the hotel before Steffani's death, WTSP reported.

Pagan remained unaccounted for even after the Amber Alert for Briana was lifted. Police said that they were "deeply concerned for her overall well-being."

Police did not say where they found the body that they believe to be Pagan's, or release any information about the cause of death. A volunteer in the search for Pagan told WTSP that searchers found what is believed to be Pagan's body in a roadside ditch, covered by a blue child's pool. The clothing and shoes on the body matched the description Pagan's family provided, the volunteer told WTSP.

WTSP reported that the medical examiner's office is working to confirm the identity of the remains and determine a cause of death.

"This is not the outcome anyone wanted," Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said in a statement provided to WTSP. "We send our condolences to Sylvia's loved ones, but most importantly her daughter Briana during this unimaginable loss."

Justice Dept. proposes marijuana reclassification

Cuban Spycraft | Sunday on 60 Minutes

Woman attacked by bull on Mexico beach after ignoring warnings
LETCHWORTH, N.Y. (WIVB)  A body was found Thursday in the water at Letchworth State Park in Wyoming County, New York State Police announced.

Police said they responded to a report of a possibly deceased body found in the water at the park and that they were working on recovering it.

An investigation into the body is ongoing, and police said they will provide more information at a later time.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

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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.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) was heckled outside the Manhattan courthouse Thursday where she was attempting to defend former President Trump at his criminal hush money trial.

As Boebert and several other Republicans broke away from a makeshift press conference podium, she leaned into the microphones to say one last thing.

And I want all of the news to start asking the question, What is the crime? Because everyone in this court has not been informed of what the crime is. The defendant does not know the crime that was committed, she shouted.

Hecklers shouted back at the Colorado lawmaker, whose press event was taking place in one of the most liberal places in the United States. At least one person could be heard saying Beetlejuice, in reference to an incident in which Boebert was thrown out of a theater production due to bad behavior, including vaping and taking flash photography.

Boebert posted the clip of her statement on the social platform X, saying she will never stop standing up for President Trump, even if she is the last one standing.

She joined at least eight other GOP lawmakers in New York on Thursday to show support for Trump in his trial.

Boebert was spotted inside the courtroom with GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Mike Waltz (Fla.) and Eli Crane (Ariz.). Republican Reps. Andy Ogles (Tenn.), Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.), Ralph Norman (S.C.) and House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good (Va.) were spotted at the courthouse.

Other lawmakers also made the trip to New York this week, including Sens. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.). Former GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy also made an appearance, as did Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La).

Their appearances have drawn criticism from Democrats. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) responded to Boeberts post reminding her about the Houses votes Thursday afternoon.

Cool. Youre paid to be here in Washington legislating, its the middle of a work week, Crockett said. I guess well hold down the fort for you while youre tapdancing on Broadway.

The GOP figures in New York for Trumps trial have ripped the proceedings, criticizing the judge and witnesses. In some cases, the Republican politicians have been able to make attacks that Trump himself cannot make because of a gag order in place on the trial.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A Boeing jet was forced to make an emergency landing on Wednesday after one of the beleaguered manufacturer's planes suffered another scary mid-air incident. The New York Post reported the harrowing episode.

At around 5:15 p.m. local time Wednesday, a Boeing 747-400 operated by Garuda Indonesia departed from the city of Makassar en route to Saudi Arabia when one of its engines suddenly caught fire, terrifying all 468 passengers on board. Many travelers were headed to Mecca for their holy pilgrimage.

Video widely circulated on social media, shows flames shooting from the engine of the aircraft just as one of its wheels lifts off from the runway. According to the airline, the pilot immediately landed the plane and returned to the airport.

The decision was made by the pilot in command immediately after take-off, considering engine problems that required further examination after sparks of fire were observed in one of the engines, Garudas president, Irfan Setiaputra, told Agence France-Presse (via NYP).

Officials report that the plane was been grounded pending the results of an ongoing investigation.

Terra Avia on ops for Garuda Indonesia Boeing 747-400 (ER-BOS, built 2001) experienced a brief engine fire during take-off rotation from runway 21 at Makassar-Intl Airport(WAAA), Indonesia. The pilots of flight #GA1105 to Madinah continued the climb-out, entered a holding pattern pic.twitter.com/6zAjxQunRe  JACDEC (@JacdecNew) May 15, 2024

Boeing has had a rough 2024, to put it mildly, as far as customer safety is concerned. After a mid-air door blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight earlier this year, Boeing determined that there were further safety and manufacturing issues with its aircraft.

A succession of equally alarming Boeing incidents quickly made headlines. In April, a traveler caught footage of a 737 engine deteriorating mid-flight; later in the month, a separate Boeing jet bounced on and off of the runway as it attempted to make an ill-fated landing.
Bones found in 1989 in a Wisconsin chimney identified as man who last contacted relatives in 1970

Madison Police Department Mid Town District Capt. Jason Freedman and Det. Lindsey Ludden talk with members of the media during a press conference at the Madison Police Department's Central District in Madison, Wis., Monday, May 13, 2024. The press conference was held to announce the identification of Ronnie Joe Kirk of Tulsa, Okla. as the person whose remains were discovered in a chimney of a former music store in the city In 1989. (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP)

MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Human bones found inside the chimney of a Wisconsin music store in 1989 have been identified as those of a man whose last known contact with relatives was in 1970, authorities said.

The DNA Doe Project, a nonprofit that uses genealogy to identify unknown persons, announced this week that the bones are those of Ronnie Joe Kirk, who was originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

His bones and skull were found in September 1989 in Madison, Wisconsin, in a pile at the bottom of the narrow chimney of a since-demolished building that then housed a music store.

Authorities tried unsuccessfully to identify the remains of the person, whom they called Chimney Doe.

But in late 2018, Madison Police Detective Lindsey Ludden brought the case to the DNA Doe Project and hair samples from the skull were sent in 2021 to Astrea Forensics, a California-based DNA sequencing company that specializes in degraded samples.

Gwen Knapp of the DNA Doe Project said it took more than two years to develop a DNA profile suitable for investigating genetic genealogy. That led to the bones being identified as those of Kirk, who was born in 1942, was adopted, married twice and had three children.

This was such a unique case with adoption, and multiple generations of different marriages, despite having a relatively close DNA relative match in the family, Knapp said. "Were so excited that we can give Ronnie Kirk his name back and hope his family has some closure for Ronnie being missing for so long.

Madison police spokesperson Stephanie Fryer said Kirks last confirmed contact with relatives was in 1970, when he divorced his second wife in Missouri. Fryer said Kirk's children, two from his first marriage and one from his second, are in their 50s and did not know each other until investigators contacted them.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said Kirk's relatives have asked for privacy and no additional information was given about them, beyond a statement saying they were happy to finally know what had happened to him.
Under the Georgia constitution, voters, not governors, are supposed to have primary responsibility for electing judges. But justices have found a way around that provision. Stanley Dunlap/Georgia Recorder

In his campaign for a seat on the Georgia Supreme Court, attorney John Barrow is daring to challenge the hypocrisy of a judicial system that claims to be apolitical but is anything but. He is doing so by making it clear, to the voters and to everyone else, that he is a supporter of a womans right to choose.

By custom, judicial candidates arent supposed to make such statements. They are supposed to pretend to be apolitical, so the public can believe that judges have no agenda and rule only on the facts and the law. Thats a pleasant fiction, but dangerously naive, as weve seen quite clearly at the federal level. Time and again, nominees pledge their independence in Senate confirmation hearings, but once in office they behave politically.

By bringing up abortion in his race against incumbent Justice Andrew Pinson, Barrow has drawn criticism and a warning from the state Judicial Qualifications Commission, which frowns upon judicial candidates who express political opinions. Barrows honesty has also drawn the attention of Gov. Brian Kemp, who appointed Pinson to the states highest court two years ago.

This week, Kemp committed $500,000 of his own campaign funds in support of Pinsons election. The governor also cut a political ad on behalf of Pinson, explaining it as a defense against putting partisan politicians in the courtroom.

Thats a clear reference to Barrow, a former Democratic congressman. However, two current justices on the state Supreme Court, both of whom were appointed by Republican governors, also had significant political careers before joining the bench, so being a politician has not exactly been considered a disqualification.

And if Kemp is truly concerned about partisan politics in the court system, he has chosen a strange way to communicate it. In the TV ad he cut and paid for on Pinsons behalf, he lauds the incumbent justice as a conservative voice we can trust, which itself is a barely coded political statement that Pinson is pro-life.

That stance is not surprising, because we know Kemp to be a strong pro-life advocate. As such, would he ever appoint someone to the state Supreme Court who had a pro-choice record? No, he would not.

So why is it apolitical and perfectly fine for a governor to appoint only justices who share his position on abortion, yet somehow improper for voters to elect judges on that same criteria?

In October, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled 6-1 in favor of a state law banning abortions after six weeks. It is no accident that all six of the justices voting in favor of the ban, including Pinson, were first appointed to the court by Republican governors. The single justice who thought the ban violated the Georgia Constitution is also the only justice who was first elevated to the court by voters, not appointed by a GOP governor.

Its also important to point out how supposedly apolitical justices themselves play an important role in ensuring ideological continuity in the states top court. Let me explain how it works:

Under the state constitution, voters, not governors, are supposed to have primary responsibility for electing judges. But justices have found a way around that provision, using a loophole that strips that power from voters and invests it instead in the governor.

Suppose a justice has decided to retire or not seek re-election. That creates an open seat, and youd expect candidates to emerge to seek that open seat, with voters making the final decision.

However, if a justice times it right, if he or she resigns before their six-year term is officially over, suddenly that open seat vanishes. Instead, a vacancy is said to have occurred and the governor, not the voters, gets to fill that vacancy.

The election that would have filled that empty seat is then postponed for two years, ensuring that the governors appointee is a full-fledged incumbent by the time he or she has to face the voters. And incumbent justices rarely if ever lose.

For Barrow, that system has proved frustrating. Theres no way he would ever be appointed to the court by a Republican governor, so his best hope of becoming a justice is by competing for an open seat.

In 2019, Barrow was putting together a campaign for what was expected to be an open Supreme Court seat with the retirement of Justice Robert Benham. But Benham resigned early, Kemp got to name his replacement, and the election was canceled.

In 2020, Barrow was again eying an expected open seat on the court. But again, Justice Keith Blackwell resigned early, the governor got to name his replacement, and again the election was canceled.

In 2022, Barrow was ready to try a third time, but was foiled again when Chief Justice David Nahmias resigned early, again allowing the governor to name his replacement and again canceling the election. (Nahmias himself had been appointed to the high court that very same way.)

The man appointed to fill that seat was Andrew Pinson.

So to review, its OK for a governor to appoint justices based on their ideology, but voters cant be allowed to do so. Its wrong to inject partisan politics into judicial elections, but OK for a governor to tout a candidate as a conservative voice we can trust. And we should respect the independence of the judiciary, even as members of the judiciary game the system so that voters never get a chance to fill an open seat.

Im no Supreme Court justice, but that just dont seem right.

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A family gets out of a Customs and Border Protection van at the Casa Alitas shelter in Tucson, where they will wait to travel ot other parts of the country. (Photo by Lillie Boudreaux?Cronkite News)

TUCSON  A Customs and Border Protection van pulls to the side door of an industrial building. Two federal agents get out and open the vans rear doors, revealing metal, barred gates that read Inmate Transport.

The first face to emerge from the vans dark interior is a young girl wearing pink pants and a beaming smile. A man steps out next and carries her, and her juice box, toward the entrance of the shelter where asylum seekers get food, clothes, and a temporary shelter after being processed by CBP and released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention.

The scene is repeated daily at the Casa Alitas shelter in Tucson where hundreds  sometimes thousands  of asylum seekers, many of them young children, are dropped off with little more than the clothes on their backs.

Without shelters like this, migrants would just be released on the streets and Tucson would experience homelessness on steroids, one Pima County official has said.

He wouldve been on the streets, Casa Alitas Director Diego Lopez said on a recent morning, pointing to a young boy in a group of others in the shelter. Any child here in this room that is above the age of 3 wouldve been on the streets in Tucson.  If we had no resources or space, they would have been dropped off at the Greyhound bus station.

That situation came perilously close to becoming reality this spring, when political infighting in Washington nearly let funding lapse for FEMAs Shelter and Services program, which funds services for migrants who are awaiting their immigration hearings.

The program got a last-minute reprieve when Congress passed a $1.2 trillion budget in late March that included $650 million for the shelter program  $55 million of which went to programs in Arizona.

Lopez called congressional approval of the funding a pinch me Im dreaming moment. But that quickly gave way to concerns that they came so close to losing funding, and fears that they will face the same situation when this round of funds runs out.

Im still processing the information, but at the same time I know I have to work with the team to direct the ships and make sure that we prepare ourselves so  the blow, if this happens again, its less for us, he said.

Some of the more than 600 beds for migrants processed through the Casa Alitas shelter in Tucson on their way to other parts of the country. (Photo by Lillie Boudreaux?Cronkite News)

Even when the funding was approved, there were weeks of uncertainty over how much Pima County would get. County Administrator Jan Lesher said in March that if the county got $12 million, as it did last year, that would only fund services for about three months. In April, the county learned it would get $21.8 million  enough to sustain sheltering operations through the remainder of 2024, depending on the fluctuation in border crossings, she said.

Pima Countys allocation was the largest in the state. Other funding went to Maricopa County, which will get $11.6 million, and the nongovernmental organization World Hunger Ecumenical Arizona Task Force, which will receive $21.1 million for operations in Maricopa and Yuma counties.

Pima County directly funds nonprofits like Catholic Community Services, which runs Casa Alitas, for direct services. But it also used $6.2 million in federal and state funds last year to purchase the 60,000-square-foot building on Drexel Road where Casa Alitas operates the largest of its three shelters. That purchase included funding from the states Border Security Fund and from the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

Even though Pima County will get significantly more than it did last year, it comes at a time when demand is significantly higher.

Weve had lines outside the building for families to wait in tents because the need was so high, said Lopez, adding that the organization receives as many as 1,800 asylum seekers daily across all its shelter locations.

RK Kelly, the director of Pima County Grants Management and Innovation, said in a March interview that the cost of providing food, shelter, and transportation to asylum seekers in Pima, Cochise, and Santa Cruz counties had been about $1 million a week since September, when border crossings were surging.

When encounters in the Tucson sector reached an all-time high in December, Casa Alitas served 32,898 asylum seekers, more than 11,000 of whom were children. In March, they assisted 12,034 people and more than half were children.

Migrants line up for breakfact in the cafeteria at the Casa Alitas shelter in Tucson on a morning in April. (Photo by Lillie Boudreaux?Cronkite News)

Lesher said in a letter to county officials in February that the program has prevented a humanitarian crisis from occurring daily that would be caused by having hundreds of people with limited resources and English-language skills released onto city streets every day.

Without federal funding, Lopez said, Casa Alitas would have to close down the large Tucson shelter and a smaller Nogales location, and limit intakes to only 140 asylum seekers a day. The stress has eased somewhat, with the shelter was receiving about 500 people a day in April, but Lopez said the rapid fluctuations in intake cause the organization to burn through money faster, making it difficult to plan for what is needed.

When the numbers fluctuate so high, the burn rate goes exponentially higher, he said. Thats one of the challenges, I think, that we faced before  we had the burn rate go up, the numbers go from what we projected at about 750 people a day to 1,500 people a day, so we had to adjust a lot of strategies and plans.

When funding was in doubt, Casa Alitas prepared for a complete shutdown of sheltering and transportation assistance systems, telling more than 30 staff members to begin looking for new jobs and looking to rely on volunteers to keep services afloat. Kasey Fry, the volunteer coordinator for Casa Alitas, said there are currently more than 200 volunteers who help make travel arrangements, do laundry, serve food, organize donations and help with childrens activities.

It was a concern, Fry said of the possible shutdown. Luckily, me and like the other volunteer coordinator, were left out of that  I think with the intention that if we lost all our, almost all of our staff, we would rely extra heavily on volunteers.

I was a skeptic, I really thought the funding wasnt going to pass. I was very surprised and grateful that it passed but yeah, it happened at the very last minute, she said. We were preparing to basically lose this building and downsize into our welcome center.

The wall of appreciation at Casa Alitas is signed by volunteers, visitors and asylum-seekers passing through the Tucson shelter. (Photo by Lillie Boudreaux?Cronkite News)

Even with renewed federal funding now secured, Lopez said he is still considering closing the other locations to make that funding last longer. But that could present more challenges if numbers increase again in the following days, weeks or months.

After processing migrants, CBP releases them with orders to appear for their asylum hearings  which can take years. In the meantime, asylum seekers are often taken to shelters where they wait for buses to take them to Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix for flights to their final destinations  most often California, New York, Texas, Florida and Georgia, Lopez said.

Half of the migrants that Casa Alitas receives are dropped off by CBP agents directly, others are bused from Santa Cruz and Cochise counties through a state-run program.

When they feared the loss of federal funds, Pima County in February proposed dropoff locations other than the Greyhound station, including the Pima Fairgrounds or the Mission Facility outside the county jail. But those proposals would not have kept pace with the number of migrants being released from detention daily and would have cost local taxpayers at least $125,000 a month. Lesher rejected the alternatives, saying the county has done all we can for five years.

It is severely frustrating and disappointing that we are in this situation, Leshers February letter said. This is a crisis of the federal governments making due to the failure to pass sensible border and immigration reform and to provide the necessary funding to local jurisdictions forced to deal with the deleterious effects of federal border policy.

Supervisor Steve Christy said in an April Board of Supervisors meeting that Leshers decision to get out of what he called the aslyum-seeking business was refreshing.

Now would be a perfect time where we can start to wean ourself off this addiction of enabling and that we can search for ways that Pima county can extricate itself from this terrible addiction of providing asylum for migrants coming into this county, said Christy, a Republican.

He said he worries they will end up in this situation again, panicked about the possible loss of federal funding for a program he said we shouldnt be doing.

The effort doesnt need to be helped with more funding, it needs to be helped with government intervention at the border before the migrants even step foot in this county, Christy said.

Supervisor Adelita Grijalva, a Democrat, pushed back, saying that without comprehensive immigration reform that nobody has wanted to touch for decades  were going to continue to have the situation.

Whether were providing this service through Casa Alitas or not, people are going to come, Grijalva said. All were doing is helping them to get to their final destination and not have that be in a prolonged stay in Pima County, which would then become a major issue for all of us.

Casa Alitas Director Diego Lopez walks past a wall of flags representing countries where migrants in the shelpter have come from. (Photo by Lillie Boudreaux?Cronkite News)

At its main Tucson shelter, Casa Alitas has more than 600 beds for individuals and families, a storage room filled with donated shoes and clothing, intake areas, and a cafeteria where volunteers pour coffee and serve food for migrants waiting to head to their final destinations. The nonprofit also runs a welcome center in Nogales.

Lopez said his biggest concern about a loss of funding was the potential human suffering of migrants who would be left on the streets without resources and the impact on Tucson.

If youre having people dropped off who havent eaten, who have no phone charge, have no language, no cultural background, I think the challenges of going to local businesses, using the restrooms and so forth, safety concerns is just exponentially higher and the cost to the communities will grow, Lopez said.

And thats not only here in Tucson. That will be in Nogales, Douglas, and for sure Phoenix will have to deal with some of those consequences, he said.

Whether the shelter service is funded or not, Lopez said he does not expect demand to ease, as living conditions and safety concerns in migrants home countries lead more to seek asylum in the United States.

I wish people understood, none of the people who we are serving at Casa Alitas are illegals as some will say, theyre all processed asylum seekers. Theyre going through the asylum process, he said.

He said they come from many different countries but share a desire to be free, to just be a person and be recognized as a person. I think a lot of times we take for granted those values that we have in this country and think that its shared across the globe.

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Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird introduced former President Donald Trump during his rally at the Horizon Events Center in Clive Oct. 16, 2023, following her endorsement of him for president at an earlier event. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

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First, the good news: Most Americans trust juries.

Now, the bad news: Iowas attorney general apparently isnt one of them.

Brenna Bird joined a bunch of other Republican politicians at the New York trial of Donald Trump this week and immediately pronounced it a farce. Politics has no place in a court of law, she said.

Unfortunately, Brenna Bird fails this standard. Iowas attorney general, who formerly worked for Rep. Steve King, has been aggressively making her name in GOP circles since being narrowly elected in 2022, repeatedly suing the Biden administration. Hardly a week goes by when her public relations people arent heralding a new lawsuit. Donald Trump has even practically anointed her a future governor.

On Monday, Bird took leave of her duties in Iowa to be in New York to be part of the Trump entourage seeking to torpedo the proceedings there. Among her fellow travelers: U.S. Sens. J.D. Vance and Tommy Tuberville.

Iowans who value the rule of law ought to be disgusted. I confess my bias: I tend to believe Trump is probably guilty of falsifying business records. But Im an opinion columnist, not an officer of the court. And I will reserve final judgment until a jury decides whether the prosecution has proved its case. I also will continue to wait to see whether the jurys judgment is affirmed by the appellate court Trump surely will go to if he loses.

I will trust their judgment. Theyre closest to the case. Im not.

Brenna Bird is skipping all that. Shes already proclaimed, without a doubt, that Trump is the victim.

These arent the actions of a prosecutor who believes in juries and the legal process. Theyre the actions of a politician.

This isnt to say the legal system is above reproach, of course. Plenty of people have been wronged by the court system, but rich men who live in country clubs arent generally among them. They have the money to hire clever lawyers to help them steer clear of consequences. Often, they succeed.

In that vein, Democrats have complained about the federal judge overseeing the criminal indictment in Florida accusing Trump of absconding with secret government documents. Some of the complaints have centered on technical, legal questions; others simply grouse about a Trump judge seeking to shield him from accountability.

The former is the argument of a lawyer, the latter is politics.

Now consider what Bird said in a statement: Biden and his far-left allies will stop at nothing to silence President Trumps voice and keep him off the campaign trail by keeping him tied up in court  It is wrong, it is election interference, and our country deserves better.

This kind of analysis wont get Bird published in a law review, but it might get her on Fox News. Or, as a colleague of mine, Dave Busiek points out, it might earn her an appointment in a new Trump administration, should Trump win in November.

It could be worse. Birds allies have attacked the families of the New York judge and prosecutor. Tuberville even complained about the supposedly American citizens in that courtroom. Some took this as an attack on the jury.

If Iowas top law enforcement officer objected to those attacks, I havent seen it.

At the outset of this article, I noted the good news that Americans trust juries. Its true. A poll last year released by the National Center for State Courts said 61% of Americans expressed some or a great deal of confidence in state courts. Thats actually higher than it has been in recent years. (The Trump case in New York is being heard in a state court.)

More encouraging is the idea that people who have actually served on juries have an even higher opinion of the court system than the general public. An Ipsos survey last year found that jurors were far more likely than the general public to trust those in the criminal justice system, such as judges at the federal, state, and Supreme Court level, attorneys, nonlegal staff members and law enforcement, a New York Times article said.

Theres a reason for that.

If youre sitting on a jury, even for a day or two, you get a window into a very serious and focused environment, Stephen Adler, a former legal reporter and Reuters editor who wrote a book on the jury system, said in the Times article. Having that actual contact makes people, regardless of their preconceived notions, feel better about every actor in the process, all the way up to the judges.

This is why I trust juries. Inside courtrooms, the participants are usually serious. Outside of courtrooms, our politics rarely is.

Since being elected, Bird has done the job in a vastly different manner than her predecessor. Can you imagine Tom Miller trying to undermine a criminal trial in another state? Of course not. Miller used to frustrate Democrats because he wasnt more political. Now, Bird has turned the job on its head.

In 2022, Brenna Bird barely defeated Miller. Gov. Kim Reynolds strength at the top of the ticket undoubtedly carried her over the line. Reynolds won by 18 points, Bird by less than two points. She didnt even measure up to most of the other Republican statewide candidates.

Birds attacks on Biden and her unquestioning support for Trump will surely help her with Republican base voters, and if she remains in Iowa, shell need that support given her relatively weak win two years ago. Still, I would like to think for the rest of us, it will have the opposite effect.

Brenna Bird was right about one thing Monday: Politics has no place in a court of law. Iowa voters should tell her that. Its a quaint notion in these days of MAGA-fied politics, but we deserve a real prosecutor as our states attorney general, not a politician who may well have her eye on the next job, rather than serving the best interests of Iowans.

This column was originally published by Ed Tibbetts Along the Mississippi newsletter on Substack. It is republished here through the Iowa Writers Collaborative.

Editors note: Please consider subscribing to the collaborative and the authors blogs to support their work.

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Residents say the 41ft-long pothole on Warrens Lane has been made worse by the continued flooding - Andrew Croft/Solent News

An enormous crater the length of a double decker bus has appeared on a road in a Wiltshire hamlet.

The area in Charlton-All-Saints has been plagued with flooding issues since Oct 2023. But with the water eventually cleared after a winter of repeated freezing and thawing, a huge pothole was revealed. It is 41 feet long, seven feet wide and eight inches deep.

Residents of the village, which has only 60 dwellings and dates back to the 17th century, have described the pothole as the biggest for miles around, saying that small cars will be grounded if they try to tackle it and that drivers have had vehicles damaged when trying to negotiate it.

And they are fed up with the lack of progress, which has meant one of the two access roads to their homes put out of use.

Villagers have accused Wiltshire council of papering over the cracks with slapdash repairs.

David Bennett, 76, has lived in the area for 10 years but says the ever-growing hole on Warrens Lane is making life a misery.

He said: Its got to be one of the biggest around, adding that efforts from the council to fix the road with cold tar have been unsuccessful.

When they use the cold tar its not a permanent fix as they keep breaking up, he said. Then the rain started and frost that followed. The hole stayed under water for seven months.

Dog walkers, runners, cyclists would normally use that road to go to the bus but they couldnt use it.

Mr Bennet, a retired corporate communications worker, added: If you drive a small car through there, you will ground it.

Motor vehicles struggle to pass the pothole on Warrens Lane in Wiltshire - Andrew Croft/Solent News

Vince Jenkins, 64, who has lived on the corner of the road for 11 years, has never seen road damage as bad in the area.

A number of people have had their tyres wrecked and cars scraped, the retired technology worker said. When it was covered in water, delivery drivers didnt know it was there.

Mr Bennett said the number one issue was addressing the water that overflows from nearby ditches, which has not been cleared for a number of years.

He continued: It needs the whole section of road stripped back and rebuilt with hot tar. That way they wouldnt be wasting money having to redo it.

When you paper over the cracks it doesnt last long.

The access road has been plagued with flooding issues since Oct 2023 - Solent News

Nick Holder, Wiltshire councils cabinet member for highways, said teams were heading out to the site to carry out some temporary repairs.

We have been aware of this issue, but as it has been under water for some time due to the unprecedented high groundwater levels, so unfortunately we have been unable to start any work to repair it, he said. Water levels have now receded to a level that will enable works to be undertaken.

While other councils around the county are cutting budgets, we are investing millions into the everyday things that matter to people, such as filling potholes and resurfacing roads; and that is on top of the tens of millions we already spend on these highways issues with Government grants.

We have allocated an extra 10 million over the next two years to spend on filling potholes and a road resurfacing programme that will help to prevent potholes and other highways defects across all areas of the county.

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As a general election inches closer into view, the embittered debates circulating inside British politics have entered a new arena: the classroom.

New guidance unveiled by Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks government on Thursday seeks to overhaul the way sex education and gender identity is taught in Englands schools, a significant intervention into a delicate topic that appeared suddenly on the front pages of Britains newspapers a day before the announcement.

The government says the revised guidance, which came amid pressure from a handful of its lawmakers, provides clarity on a complex topic, emphasizing facts over what it calls contested views about gender identity.

But critics of the plans  among them a swath of teachers and teaching union leaders  say the move is a politicized attempt to appeal to a narrow cohort of voters the government is in danger of losing, months before a general election.

And they arrived amid what most see as the death throes of Sunaks flailing government, which has for months seized upon and discarded a number of divisive topics in the hopes of reversing a stubborn polling deficit.

Pepe Dilasio, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders and a headteacher at a school in northern England, told CNN the plans were, in his view, driven by a political agenda at the front of a campaign season.

When the first time you hear about those is in a headline on a tabloid newspaper, then that doesnt reassure you that the right research is taking place, and that the right level of integrity is behind the decision-making, Dilasio said.

What were seeing is young people, and their health and wellbeing, and their care and guidance, being used as a political football.

The guidance introduces age limits to Britain's sex and relationships curriculum. - Ben Birchall/PA

Utterly disgraceful

The new draft guidance from the government, published Thursday, takes aim at the way sex and relationships are taught to English children in both primary and secondary schools.

Those lessons have been compulsory at schools in England since 2020, but the government says it reviewed how they are taught after reports of pupils being taught inappropriate content in some schools.

Under the new approach, children cant be taught sex education before the age of nine, while explicit discussion of sexual activity will be delayed until children are 13.

Gender identity, or the fact that people can change gender, is meanwhile highly contested and should not be taught at all, according to the Department of Education.

The government said that teaching what it calls the theory of gender identity could prompt some children to start to question their gender when they may not have done so otherwise  a suggestion that has been angrily contested by LGBTQ+ rights groups.

It is hard to see how rigid limits on what can be discussed and when would be in the best interests of young people  and this may even risk them seeking information from less reliable sources, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said in a statement.

Referring to the parts of the guidance that target the teaching of transgender issues, Dilasio told CNN that teachers should be allowed to discuss societal issues of the day with students, rather than have those conversations restricted.

Sam Freedman, a senior adviser to the Ark education charity and a senior fellow at the Institute for Government think tank, added on X: Isnt something being highly contested a good reason to talk about it in schools - acknowledging that it is highly contested and explaining why?

The plans will be subject to a nine-week consultation period, which will conclude before the start of Britains next school year.

But the uncertain timing of a general election  due by January, and expected in the second half of the year  muddies the waters further as to when, or if, the guidance will ever be implemented.

And, as with many of the governments recent announcements, its unveiling was accompanied by a string of combative language that played into the culture war topics the Conservatives have increasingly sought to thrust into the national discourse.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan wrote in The Sun newspaper that teachers are there to teach children facts, not push the agendas of campaign groups.

Never again will young girls be taught they might be that little bit happier if they were a boy, she added.

Transgender rights have been the target of heavy-handed rhetoric from the government for several months, as Sunak looks to goad his opponent, Labour leader Keir Starmer, away from debates about the economy and healthcare, and toward issues surrounding identity.

Demonstrators protest Scotland's recent Gender Recognition Reform Bill, which was opposed by Sunak's government. - Jane Barlow/PA Images/Getty Images

Those efforts ultimately sparked huge controversy when Sunak made a transgender jibe toward Starmer in Parliament in February, while the mother of Brianna Ghey, a 16-year-old transgender girl who was murdered last year, watched from the public gallery.

One does wonder whether (the guidance) is connected to the fact that were moving into a general election, and it is purely being used to gain votes of a particular section of society, Dilasio said.

It is utterly disgraceful that once again this government has decided to engage in private briefings and media leaks simply to grab headlines, Whiteman, the head teachers union boss, added. The children and young people of this country deserve better.

Asked by the BBC on Thursday how widespread inappropriate teaching on gender identity was, Keegan admitted: I dont think its widespread  I mean, I dont know, because its not something that weve gone and done a particular survey of.

Sunak will hope this weeks headlines can add ammunition to his effort to portray himself as a defender of common sense, a catch-all term that the prime minister frequently uses as he scrambles to maintain the support of socially conservative voters.

But education specialists worry that school pupils have become the latest victim of that push.

Dilasio told CNN that the guidance marked a departure from the way new instructions have historically been passed down to schools. You may not have agreed with all of them over time, but there was always some evidence behind them. There was always some research behind them, he said.

But when a political ideology comes into it, it becomes more difficult for the whole of the education world to move behind it, he added. My worry is that if were not careful, there will be young people that are not cared for and not educated in the way we want them to be.

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Britain says it is developing a radio-wave weapon that can take out a swarm of drones for just $0.12 a shot

Britain says it is developing a radio-wave weapon that can take out a swarm of drones for just $0.12 a shot

The UK has unveiled a new radio frequency-directed energy weapon under development.

The Ministry of Defence said it could take out a swarm of drones for just $0.12 a shot.

Countries are racing to develop these kinds of weapons, to try to combat drones and missiles.

Britain is developing a new radio-wave weapon designed to take out a "swarm" of drones for just $0.12 a shot, the UK's Ministry of Defence said in a press statement.

According to the MOD, the Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon, or RFDEW, uses radio waves to detect, track, and disable electronic components at a range of up to 1000 meters.

It touted it as a far more affordable option than traditional missile-based air-defense systems and said that thanks to its high level of automation, it can be operated by a single person.

"The war in Ukraine has shown us the importance of deploying uncrewed systems, but we must be able to defend against them too," James Cartlidge, the UK's Minister for Defence Procurement, said.

According to the MOD, the weapon can be mounted on a range of military vehicles and produces pulses in a beam that can be expanded to engage multiple threats or quickly fire sequential bullets at specific targets.

Soldiers will field test it over the summer, it added.

The conflict in Ukraine has highlighted the growing importance of unmanned aerial vehicles to modern warfare.

Ukraine and Russia have both deployed thousands of drones, and in an interview with Foreign Policy last month, a NATO official said that Ukrainian drones were responsible for two-thirds of recent Russian tank losses.

Ukraine has also sent drones far into Russia to target oil facilities.

Drones have also been used by Houthi rebels against ships in the Red Sea, and last month Iran used drones and missiles in a thwarted attack on Israel.

Paul Hollinshead, the CEO of one of the companies developing the new weapon, said the system will provide the UK armed forces with a "decisive" operational advantage, saving lives and neutralizing "deadly" threats.

Directed-energy weapons, including high-energy lasers and high-power radio frequency or microwave devices, have taken on renewed importance as they are considered the future of anti-drone and anti-satellite warfare.

The Pentagon is spending $1 billion a year on directed-energy weapons to counter drones and missiles, according to a report published by the Government Accountability Office last year.

Other countries, including France, China, Germany, Russia, India, and Israel, are also racing to develop their own directed-energy weapons.

In January, the UK MOD tested-fired its DragonFire, a powerful laser cannon that can shoot drones out of the sky.

Turkey was the first country to use directed-energy weapons in combat, to destroy a combat vehicle in Libya in 2019, according to the military and defense website Army Recognition.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A British coroner said this week that Georgia Brooke, a 26-year-old dance teacher said to have been fatally strangled by her boyfriend, had died from a reckless sex game gone wrong.

British authorities said Brookes boyfriend, 31-year-old Luke Cannon, took his own life by hanging just after he learned his lover had died in a local hospitalunable to recover from cardiac arrest.

The coroner, Martin Fleming, added Wednesday that drugs may have played a factor in the tragedy, with traces of GHB and cocaine found in both of their bodies after the February 2022 incident, Yorkshire Live reported.

Cannon reportedly phoned authorities when Brooke went into cardiac arrest and she was whisked away by ambulance. After her death, Yorkshire Live reported that cops opened a probe into Cannon, but found him dead before a probe could begin in earnest.

A court heard text messages between the couple that reportedly showed the choking was consensual.

Fleming told the court that Georgia was unlawfully killed, suggesting Cannon likely would have faced criminal charges if he was still alive.

Engine Bursts Into Flames on Boeing Plane With 468 Aboard

Fleming said the couples sexual practices were both dangerous and reckless, both for the drug use and excessive force Cannon used to strangle his partner, Yorkshire Live reported.

While he grilled the actions of the couple, Fleming reportedly added that there was no evidence that suggested Cannon meant to harm his partner. The BBC added that a local police detective recalled in court that Cannon was extremely remorseful and beside himself while at the hospital, and that he was seen on CCTV footage crying, pacing around and in a generally distressed state.

After learning Brookes fate, police said that Cannon tried to contact her mother but failed. He then drove to a wooded area and died by suicide, the BBC reported, with a stranger finding his body the following morning in West Yorkshire.

Loved ones for Brooke told Yorkshire Live that life had been horrific since Brookes passing, but that theyd accepted the findings by authorities that deemed her killing was likely accidental in nature.

Cannons parents spoke in court, saying their son worked as a model, TV extra, and personal trainer. His mom described him as a wonderful man who lit up the room.

Fleming said he hopes Brookes death acts as a warning to couples that what they do in the bedroom can have fatal consequences.

This type of sex act is dangerous and reckless and it all too often ends in fatal consequences, he said.

If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing or texting 988.

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Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) encouraged elected officials to work across the aisle in tackling the United Statess high maternal mortality rate during a panel discussion Thursday on maternal mental health.

I think it is so important that we continue to talk about this in a bipartisan way because this is not a Democrat or Republican issue, this is an American issue, said Britt during The Hills Moms Matter: Closing the Maternal Mental Health Gap event, which was sponsored by Sage Therapeutics.

The U.S. has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among wealthy nations, with a sizeable portion of those deaths stemming from mental health conditions.

The maternal mortality rate in 2019 was 20.1 deaths per 100,000 live births, and that rate steadily climbed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

By 2020, the maternal mortality rate in the country has reached 23.8 deaths per 100,000 eventually ballooning to a whopping 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021.

Suicides and drug overdoses accounted for nearly a quarter of those deaths.

The maternal mortality rate dipped in 2022, according to recently released data from the CDC, but doctors dont think the country is out of the woods yet, with mothers still dying at higher rates compared to those in other wealthy nations.

The United States has unacceptable rates of maternal mortality and morbidity, said Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), who spoke along with Britt to The Hills contributing editor Kathleen Koch during the event. We have to change that.

Britt used the Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act, a bill introduced by Hassan in April and co-sponsored by Britt, as an example of how Republicans and Democrats can come together to improve maternal health.

The bill aims to help rural hospitals and doctors better prepare for obstetric emergencies and, if passed, would do so by training non-specialists on how to handle an emergency labor or delivery and create federal grants to help rural health care facilities buy equipment handle obstetric emergencies.

Grants would also allow rural health care facilities the equipment they need to better train staff on how to handle obstetric emergencies.

The bill would also launch a teleconsultation services pilot program that would allow rural facilities without an obstetrics team to contact one anywhere in the country via telehealth for medical consultations during emergencies.

Making sure that we are equipping these communities and these women with these resources  to be prepared during an emergency is critically important, Britt said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Plaintiffs and family members of plaintiffs in the Brown v. Board of Education U.S. Supreme Court case, Cheryl Brown Henderson, second from right, John Stokes, second from left, and Nathaniel Briggs, right, speak outside the White House with NAACP President Derrick Johnson, left, after meeting with President Joe Biden on May 16, 2024. This week marks the 70th anniversary of the landmark case that ended legal segregation of students based on race in the United States. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Quality Journalism for Critical Times

WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden is commemorating the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Courts landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education this week while recognizing that the full potential of the decision remains unfulfilled.

Friday marks 70 years since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional in a case that originated with a challenge to the Topeka, Kansas, Board of Education. Since the 1954 decision, racial segregation has not only persisted, but increased, in school districts across the U.S., according to a recent report.

There is still so much work to do to ensure that every student has equal access to a quality education and that our school systems fully benefit from the diversity and talent of our students  because diversity has always been one of our nations greatest strengths, Biden wrote in a proclamation on the 70th anniversary of the decision. The president has committed to advancing racial equity during his administration.

Biden on Thursday met with multiple plaintiffs and family members from Brown v. Board and the cases combined under it, including John Stokes, a plaintiff in a Virginia case consolidated with Brown; Cheryl Brown Henderson, daughter of lead plaintiff Oliver Brown; Nathaniel Briggs, son of plaintiff Harry Briggs Jr.; and NAACP president Derrick Johnson. The meeting was closed to the press.

Cases consolidated with Brown include Briggs v. Elliott, from South Carolina; Bolling v. Sharpe, from Washington, D.C.; Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward, from Virginia; and Gebhart v. Belton, from Delaware.

Cabinet members mark anniversary

The White House meeting came after the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Justices celebration of the 70th anniversary on Tuesday, part of which featured a conversation with Leona Tate and Gail Etienne. They were among the four students who helped desegregate New Orleans schools in 1960.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona acknowledged the significance of the Supreme Court ruling while highlighting the persistence of segregation in schools.

The work of Brown v. Board is not just part of our history but ongoing, Garland said Tuesday, pointing to the U.S. Justice Departments Civil Rights Divisions enforcement of desegregation orders as the agency monitors more than 130 school districts comprising nearly 900,000 students in more than 1,500 schools.

Brown v. Board and its legacy remind us of who we want to be as a nation: a place that upholds values of justice and equity as its highest ideals, Cardona said, adding that over the course of the last 70 years, weve often struggled to live up to those ideals.

Black students may no longer need to be escorted to school by U.S. marshals and they may no longer face angry mobs on their way to school or eat at separate lunch tables, but today, we have a system where we have normalized underinvesting in schools that serve a majority of Black communities, he said.

Segregation on the rise

Large school districts have witnessed a rise in school segregation over the past three decades, researchers at Stanford University and the University of Southern California found. In the 100 largest school districts in the country, segregation between white and Black students has increased by 64% since 1988.

Brown v. Board also put much of the responsibility on Black students, who had to be bused to predominantly white schools, according to Chantelle Grace, assistant clinical professor in social science education at Florida State Universitys College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences.

Grace said there was no consideration in the ruling of other laws that might need to go with it to protect Black students in having to go about this process.

The Supreme Court decision also left negative consequences for Black teachers and the Black teacher pipeline, according to Grace.

We saw a big loss of the Black teaching population at the time, too, to the point where were still trying to, I think, recover that Black teacher pipeline in getting more Black teachers in the classroom, Grace said.

We acknowledge the progress it was signifying with the ruling to say that separate but equal is unconstitutional, but we also have to be mindful and aware of the reverberating legacy it left as well on Black communities, the Black teacher pipeline, as well as the ways in which schools are now kind of resegregating themselves due to policies that are not holding up the promise that Brown v. Board of Education initially ruled, she added.

Biden will make remarks Friday at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington. On Sunday, he will deliver the commencement address at Morehouse College in Atlanta, a historically Black mens college.

The post Brown v. Board litigants, family mark anniversary as Biden decries ongoing school inequality appeared first on Florida Phoenix.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)  A Buffalo woman was arrested in February after she was allegedly found to have kept her 2-year-old son inside a makeshift cage covered in fecal matter, New York State Police announced.

Troopers said they executed an arrest warrant for a previous crime on Feb. 8 at a residence on Chadduck Avenue, where they encountered 24-year-old Naesha R. Lumpkin. Police allegedly located the 2-year-old in a separate bedroom at the residence inside the cage, which allegedly consisted of a playpen covered by a piece of crib tied down on three sides that prevented the child from standing or exiting.

The child and cage were allegedly soaked in urine and covered in fecal matter, with some also splattered on the walls, according to police.

Police said the 2-year-old was transported to Oishei Childrens Hospital, where medical evaluations revealed he had bruising on his face and body as well as two fractured ribs in the healing stage. There was no immediate update on the childs current condition.

Jamestown teen accused of shooting victim in face with flare gun

Lumpkin told police in an interview that the physical injuries to the 2-year-old allegedly stemmed from him falling down the stairs sometime in late December or early January. It is further alleged that she did not seek professional medical assistance despite the child crying as a result, according to police.

Following the February residence search, Lumpkin was taken into custody for the processing of the arrest warrant and on a new charge of child endangerment. The Erie County District Attorneys Office assisted with the situation this month, and police said no updated charges will be filed at this time.

Lumpkin was issued an appearance ticket and is due back in Buffalo City Court on June 13.

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Adam Gorski is a Buffalo native who joined the News 4 team in 2022. You can find more of his work here.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo.
Greg Lane, executive vice president of the Building Industry Association of Washington, holds a petition for a proposed ballot measure to block local and state efforts to transition away from use of natural gas. Anthony Anton, president of the Washington Hospitality Association, and Ryann Blake, owner of Chimney Techniques in Aberdeen, joined a news conference in Olympia, Wash. to kick off signature gathering. (Jerry Cornfield/Washington State Standard)

Backers of an initiative to halt the states push to end natural gas use in homes and other buildings began gathering signatures Wednesday after a Thurston County judge settled a dispute on how the measure would be described on ballots.

Initiative 2066, sponsored by the Building Industry Association of Washington, repeals provisions of a new state law meant to hasten Puget Sound Energys transition away from natural gas. It also bars cities and counties from prohibiting, penalizing or discouraging the use of gas for any form of heating, or for uses related to any appliance or equipment, in any building.

And the measure would effectively nullify recent changes to Washingtons energy code designed to get more electric heat pumps installed in newly built houses, apartments and commercial buildings. It specifically says the state code may not in any way prohibit, penalize, or discourage the use of gas for any form of heating, or for uses related to any appliance or equipment, in any building.

This initiative preserves the choice of natural gas for consumers, said Greg Lane, BIAWs executive vice president. This doesnt prohibit people from going to electrification. There should be an option for consumers to stick with natural gas.

BIAW, the states leading voice for the homebuilding industry, is spearheading the effort. The Washington Hospitality Association, Washington Realtors and Associated General Contractors are also in the coalition behind the measure that will engage in signature-gathering.

Lets Go Washington, which qualified the three Republican-backed measures state voters are already set to decide in November, will be involved too, Lane said. But he added: Were not relying on them. This is not a Lets Go Washington initiative.

To get on the ballot, supporters must submit signatures of at least 324,516 registered voters to the Secretary of States Office by 5 p.m. on July 5. It is recommended that at least 405,000 signatures be turned in to allow for invalid signatures.

If successful, voters in November will weigh in on the states combination of regulations and laws to move as swiftly as possible away from natural gas toward technology like heat pumps in new developments.

For example, the changes to the energy code, approved last year by the Washington State Building Code Council, offer builders incentives in the permitting process for choosing electric heat pumps  which provide both heating and cooling in the same unit  instead of natural gas furnaces.

Supporters hailed the new codes, which took effect in March, as vital to helping the state slash carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency in buildings. Opponents warned the changes will drive up costs for builders, homebuyers and renters.

The initiative, if passed, will restore a process that does not favor heat pumps over natural gas.

Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, submitted three initiatives of his own, all focused on repealing the law allowing PSE to create a future path away from natural gas. While any could be circulated as well, he said Wednesday hes on board with pursuing the BIAW measure.

This is exciting. Our coalition partners believe this version of the natural gas choice initiative is the best one. So, game on, said Walsh, who is also chair of the state Republican Party.

Very pleased

On Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Allyson Zipp settled a challenge of language drafted by the state attorney general for the 10-word statement of subject and 30-word concise description that would appear on ballots for the BIAW measure.

Three environmental groups  Climate Solutions, Washington Conservation Action and NW Energy Coalition  contested the language and offered alternative verbiage for Zipp to adopt.

Zipp, in the course of a two-hour hearing, crafted solutions both sides could agree on.

She amended the subject statement from concerns natural gas regulations to concerns regulating energy services, including natural gas and electrification.

And for the concise description, Zipp approved, This measure would repeal or prohibit certain laws and regulations that discourage natural gas use, and/or promote electrification, and require certain utilities and local governments to provide natural gas to eligible customers.

Lane said he was very pleased with the outcome because it was reflective of what the initiative does.

Kai Smith, an attorney representing the environmental groups, said what the judge ordered will let voters know impacts from the measure extend beyond natural gas.

I think the improvements she ordered were in the right direction, said Smith, a partner with the Pacifica Law Group. Its not just about natural gas. Its about promoting electrification and clean energy.

The post Builders launch initiative to block Washingtons natural gas phase-out appeared first on Washington State Standard.
Surveillance cameras captured a man armed with a knife breaking into a local gym in the South Bay and Harbor region of Los Angeles.

The break-in occurred early Wednesday morning at around 1 a.m. at Mindful Gainz on Anaheim Street and Broad Avenue.

Footage of the incident shows the thief wearing a dark hoody walking into the gym and taking out the surveillance camera.

The gyms owner, Erik Esquivel, walked into the mess left by the burglar, who got into the business through the ceiling.

I guess theres a room upstairs, he told KTLAs Carlos Saucedo. They chipped away at the floor and came down on a cable wire. I dont know what they were looking for.

A hooded and masked crook seen breaking into a Wilmington gym on May 15, 2024. (viewer photo)

A hooded and masked crook seen breaking into a Wilmington gym on May 15, 2024. (viewer photo)

A hooded and masked crook armed with a knife seen breaking into a Wilmington gym on May 15, 2024. (viewer photo)

A thief broke in through the ceiling of the Wilmington gym on May 15, 2024. (KTLA)

A thief broke in through the ceiling of the Wilmington gym on May 15, 2024. (KTLA)

Its unclear if the suspect had been squatting in the vacant room upstairs, but during the break-in, he caused more than $1,000 worth of damage to Esquivels business.

He had a knife, the gym owner said. Im just glad nobody was here that early and he was able to leave without anything worse happening.

At Power Fitness, just down the block, a burglar hit their business on Saturday morning. That gyms owner said its the third time their business has been targeted this year alone.

Southern California man, 40, charged in 2 rapes along Highway 39

Its disheartening that this happens here, Esquivel said. A lot of people work hard to open up a business. Im just trying to create a nice place, a community where everybody can come and work out. Its disappointing that this is in our community. Hopefully, someone knows him and can say something.

Anyone who may recognize the thief is urged to contact the Los Angeles Police Department.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  For Ena St. Germaine, a fourth-grade teacher at Burton Elementary, teaching about the branches of government isnt limited to textbooks and tablets. She has used immersive civics education for the 37 years she has taught at the elementary school.

Burton feeds my soul. When Im working at Burton, the families, the kids, they are so excited to learn, theyre ready to learn, St. Germaine said.

The state academic standards for fourth graders include lessons on civics. Rather than spend each day in the textbook, St. Germaine takes her students beyond the classroom walls and straight to the heart of Michigan government: the state Capitol Building in Lansing.

Talking about it, doing graphs, making little booklets, helps them to understand that, St. Germaine said. But its kind of like a picture is worth 1,000 words but a field trip is a million words.

The trip to the Capitol isnt just about sightseeing. Its about experiencing democracy in action.

Going to the Capitol, we learn about the government, we get to meet with our representatives from the Grand Rapids area, our students go to the history museum, and theres so much history there. And its so much fun, St. Germaine said.

Its about teaching her young minds how to be a good civic citizen.

Im a firm believer in that everybody should have a civil project, St. Germaine said. So we look at how we can make a difference in our community. Its not just going and seeing the capitol and learning about government. We are a part of the community, so my kids will go and we do community service. And they talk about all the ways that they are helping Michigan to be better.

It was that commitment to make the community a better place through civic engagement that earned St. Germaine and her class the monthly One School at a Time grant from Family Fare. She says its the perfect amount to help fund the annual trip between the cost of transportation and admission.

When I talked to the kids about that we received this grant as a classroom and that it was going to help us with our going to Lansing, paying for that, St. Germaine said. I talked about, How many people go to Family Fare? They were raising their hands. Who goes to the Family Fare shopping? And I said, Now theyre giving us a chance to become better citizens. So what are they? And they knew that Family Fare was being good citizens by helping us to be better citizens.

A textbook lesson in building community together.

Find more information on Family Fares One School at a Time grant here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
Your business is to invest in these children: Special ed advocates urge better training in Champaign schools

Your business is to invest in these children: Special ed advocates urge better training in Champaign schools

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA)  Advocates of the special education program are begging the Champaign School District for more properly trained staff and urging families to know their rights.

They say improper training is leading to injuries, families leaving, and lawsuits. One family is still dealing significant injury of a student.

Im really seriously concerned where were going with this school district, said Julie Duvall, Executive Director of the Champaign Urbana Autism Network.

Duvall is also an advocate for families who have children with special needs.

Theyre not getting their services. Theyre not getting quality services. Theyre not getting the legal services that theyre required, Duvall said.

She said not getting those services has been keeping her and families busy. Duvall says no school policy trumps state or federal laws. Her main concern is individualized education programs, or IEPs, not being followed.

Champaign County Forest Preserve to improve accessibility with new projects

When they dont follow it, there are state ISBE and federal guidelines that they are breaking, said Duvall.

In May of last year, Duvall said on students IEP wasnt followed. She works with the family of a student who was sent home with two broken hips and a fractured ankle.

He got physically hurt to the degree that he will have therapy for the rest of his life due to this, Duvall said, And there was no accountability.

She said the students parents were notified about the accident, but feels the extent of it was not fully or properly explained.

When mom was calling from the hospital, asking, How far did he fall? and looking at possible surgery and, you know, Did he eat lunch?  they wouldnt even tell her that information.

The district released this statement:

Champaign Unit 4 Schools educators provide individualized instruction and related services to more than 1,600 students with disabilities so they have access to our rich programming and make progress toward meeting IEP (individualized education program) goals, curricular goals, and Illinois State Standards.



Our team of dedicated professionals takes these responsibilities very seriously. In some instances, information portrayed by others is not an accurate or complete reflection of our work. In other circumstances, as is true in many large systems, we fail to meet the high standards we have for ourselves and our community expects from us. These instances are immediately and thoroughly investigated and corrective measures are implemented.



While we cannot comment on individual student matters, we want our families and community to understand that we are fully committed to working with them to provide quality educational experiences and improve where we are missing the mark.



Among our current areas of focus in the Special Education Department based on feedback from internal and external stakeholders are increasing the capacity of our staff members to support our students diverse needs, improving allocation of resources, providing higher quality specially designed instruction to boost student outcomes, enhancing central office support and providing more training for our building administrators and other staff, solidifying compliance with processes and procedures, and reviewing our programming gaps and opportunities.



While we have much to do, we are confident that we are headed in the right direction and are committed to this important work. Champaign School District Spokesperson

Le Roy to get a new accessible playground this summer

Duvall said from what shes seen, the district is simply not following the special education guidelines.

The federal government made these rules, and its challenging, but you need a way to find a way to follow them.

The district said they want the families and the community to understand they are committed to improving where they are missing the mark. Now, the community is helping to pick up the slack.

We all kind of work as a team and not everybody has the resources. We put out a GoFundMe for her a few weeks ago, said Duvall.

Duvall wants to make sure other parents know what steps to take when things go wrong.

Thats how your voice is going to get heard. And you might not feel like youre being heard right now, said Duvall, But all those voices, all those complaints will be answered. They are agencies of guarantee that they will address everyone that they get into.

Duvall said having the Regional Board of Education step in to help the district recently has been a good thing, and shell continue to spread as much awareness as she can.

If youd like to help the family of the student who was injured, visit the GoFundMe page.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.
Businesspeople do not dispute giving gold, cash to Menendezes  but say they were gifts

NEW YORK  One of New Jerseys most prominent real estate developers will not dispute that he gave cash and gold bars to Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife, a defense attorney in the corruption trial said Thursday.

He will dispute the reasons for giving the senator the cash and gold, though.

Attorneys for the developer, Fred Daibes, and another co-defendant, Wael Hana  both accused by federal prosecutors of giving bribes in exchange for favors from Menendez  said during their separate opening statements Thursday that the government is trying to criminalize gifts among longtime friends. They said that the government was misinterpreting the gifts as bribes  and they said there is no evidence proving the gifts were more than that.

There is nothing criminal about being generous, said Daibes attorney Cesar de Castro. Daibes and Bob Menendez have known eachother for around 30 years, de Castro said. Thats the same argument Menendez and his friend, donor and co-defendant Salomon Melgen, made in their 2017 corruption trial that ended in a hung jury.



De Castro did not quantify during his opening statement the value of the cash and gold from Daibes to the Menendezes.

But as federal prosecutors called their first witness in the trial, an FBI agent who led the June 2022 search of the Menendezes home, jurors for hours were shown cash seized from the Menendez home in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

Among the evidence shown to jurors were photos of $7,400 inside an envelope with Daibes name and his businesses address; $14,500 of cash inside a pair of mens Timberland boots and a Giorgio Armani bag with cash stuffed inside another pair of boots; and seemingly countless wads of cash stuffed into envelopes and clothes strewn about Menendezs home.

Jurors also experienced a show-and-tell of valuables from the Menendez home. Gold bars investigators seized were passed around the jury (one juror mouthed a wow upon holding the gold).

At one point FBI special agent Aristotelis Kougemitros, the governments witness for the day, held open a sack of cash to show the jury, which was found inside a duffel bag with other bags of cash in it. Also found inside the larger bag was a folder with the U.S. Senate seal.

Kougemitros testimony was also designed to undermine Menendezs attempt to point the finger at his wife, Nadine Menendez. On Wednesday, Menendezs defense attorney had said gold was found in what he described as Nadines closet  and that the senator had his own closet.

But Kougemitros said that one gold bar was found on the floor inside the same closet as a Navy blazer that contained handwritten notes on Senate Democratic Caucus stationery from two months earlier. Menendez's attorney, Adam Fee, began his cross-examination by trying to cast doubt on the blazer's location by pointing to photographs that could suggest it was hanging outside the closet rather than inside.

Other gold bars were found in a safe found in the closet  a safe that also contained an airline ticket with the senators name on it.

Kougemitros said that while his team initially went to the Menendez home to photograph the evidence, he eventually instructed his team to seize it because the cash and gold were so voluminous that he believed it was evidence potentially of a crime.

A Menendez attorney objected to those remarks from Kougemitros, which the judge sustained. Kougemitros said money counting machines had to be brought in to count the cash because there was too much to count by hand.

The cash and gold bars have been among the most attention-grabbing parts of the corruption trial of Menendez, who is accused of using his influence to benefit the New Jersey businesspeople and the governments of Egypt and Qatar. In the governments opening statements the day prior, federal prosecutors said Menendez was a senator on the take.

Larry Lustberg, an attorney for Hana, said that his client gave the Menendezes gold mini-bars worth approximately $1,800  just gifts he said. Hana and Nadine Menendez have known each other since 2009 and were like brother and sister, he said. Nadine Menendez faces a separate trial after being diagnosed with breast cancer, which was disclosed Thursday.

Lustberg said that Nadine Menendez and Hana regularly gave each other gifts. But Hana gave more generous gifts to Nadine Menendez because of his affluence, Lustberg said, while Nadine Menendezs gifts to Hana were more thoughtful. And Lustberg disputed that Hana helped pay for Nadines mortgage payments, saying they were loans.

Federal prosecutors have promised a cache of evidence connecting gold bars and cash to the defendants. Daibes DNA was found on envelopes with cash and gold bars in Menendezs possession that have serial numbers that can be traced to Daibes, prosecutors have said.

Prosecutors yesterday said that Daibes also texted Menendez a picture of a gold bar, along with correspondence showing hour by hour and minute by minute how the alleged bribery scheme unfolded.

Attorneys for Menendez have said that the hundreds of thousands of dollars of cash found in his house were from regular bank withdrawals from the senator, which was not addressed by de Castro, Daibes lawyer, or by the prosecution on Thursday.

De Castro described Daibes, a wealthy and prominent New Jersey developer, as someone who loves gold. The developer, he said, invests in gold and tells others to do the same. He also said that gold is culturally important in large parts of the world, and that gold is even sold at Costco.

Daibes likes to gift gold, he said. And there is nothing that connects the gold-gifting to an official act from Menendez  which he said would be fatal to the governments case.

Hana, a New Jersey businessperson who went from a string of unsuccessful business ventures to running a lucrative monopoly on halal meat imported to Egypt, is accused of bribing Menendez to boost his own business as well as aiding the government of Egypt  charges his attorney denied in opening statements.

Lustberg disputed prosecutors claims that Hana gave Nadine Menendez a sham job as a consultant at his halal certification company, IS EG Halal, to collect bribes. Nadine Menendez received three checks of $10,000 each before Hana fired her, Lustberg said, for poor performance.

She didnt work,  she wanted something for nothing, Lustberg said of Nadine Menendez, adding that the funds were not exactly exorbitant.

Lustberg said that Hana had connections to Egyptian government officials  although he did not explain how  which helped get him the exclusive halal certification deal.

Lustberg also described the alleged acts Menendez did on Hanas behalf as constituent services.

When Menendez pushed back against a senior United States Department of Agriculture official who questioned Hanas halal monopoly, Lustberg described it as a senator helping a constituent.

It is what our congresspeople are supposed to do, Lustberg said.
Leaders and lawmakers in Missouri must do more to protect vulnerable youth inside the states unlicensed boarding schools, advocates said at a Thursday news conference in Kansas City.

And that should start, they said, with Attorney General Andrew Bailey. He could do more to bring attention to the alleged abuse at schools across the state, said David Clohessy, former national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

He can and should use his bully pulpit and his resources to shout from the rooftops to parents, Be careful, look hard and think twice before sending your kids to one of these facilities, Clohessy said. No matter how slick and nice the website might be and no matter how frustrated and overwhelmed you might feel.

He can and should take that simple immediate step to warn parents.

During the news conference outside the downtown federal courthouse in Kansas City, Clohessy announced a new lawsuit filed on behalf of a former Agape Boarding School student who alleges that staff at the school abused him about a decade ago at the Cedar County facility.

Thursdays event was the fourth news conference this week addressing what organizers say is an urgent need for action. Former students also spoke in St. Louis, Springfield and Jefferson City.

Clohessy and Amanda Householder, whose parents ran Circle of Hope Girls Ranch in Cedar County and now face 99 felony counts that include statutory rape and physical abuse, said Bailey has failed to take a strong stand against alleged abuse inside the unlicensed boarding schools.

They point to another boarding school, ABM Ministries Lighthouse Christian Academy in southeast Missouri, that closed earlier this year after the owners were charged with kidnapping and allegations of abuse surfaced.

Rebecca Randles, a Kansas City attorney who has handled many boarding school abuse cases, attended the news conference. As lawsuits pile up against Agape and Circle of Hope  more than 60 have been filed in state and federal courts  its past time for Missouri to do something, Randles said.

The legislature needs to move, needs to work, she said. Children are being harmed in the state of Missouri right now. We need to get busy and stop this.

Randles said it can be stopped in a number of ways. Those include, she said, requiring boarding schools to be accredited or licensed by the state, so we know who they are and what theyre doing. Second, she said, is to make sure the Department of Social Services is given the authority to enter and investigate schools where allegations are made.

And the third is that the attorney general has to have the authority and the power to investigate schools like this that are engaging in cross county and interstate commerce, for trafficking of children, said Randles. Those three things are easy, and they can be done.

Clohessy added that Bailey should have a zoom call with 20 or 30 of these courageous victims, and just hear their pain. That alone can be extraordinarily healing.

Baileys office said the attorney general continues to focus on the alleged abuse inside boarding schools.

We are prosecuting the Householder case, said Madeline Sieren, a spokeswoman with the AGs Office, in an email to The Star. We have brought 100 counts against the defendants, we have three full-time prosecutors on the case, and will be going to trial in a matter of months.

The Householders trial is scheduled to start Oct. 28 in Cedar County and last up to three weeks. They are charged with a combined 99 felonies that include physical and sexual abuse and neglect.

Amanda Householder, who has become a voice for abuse survivors of Missouris boarding schools, said Thursday that she plans to attend the trial.

Its such a complex issue that its really hard to explain, she said of going to the trial. I just know that I am going to be extremely  I dont want to say happy  but like, proud of the work weve done. But at the same time, its going to be really hard watching.

When it comes to the attorney generals involvement, Sierens said the office doesnt have original jurisdiction to prosecute criminal cases.

We move in to prosecute when weve been appointed as a special prosecutor by the governor (typically after a local prosecutor asks for an assist) or when a court appoints us due to a local conflict, she said. As a former prosecutor, Attorney General Bailey takes crime very seriously. We have seen a 133% increase in requests from local law enforcement and prosecutors to prosecute cases since AG Bailey took office.

The Star has investigated unlicensed boarding schools in southern Missouri since late summer 2020. Former students of those facilities have said they were subjected to physical restraints, extreme workouts, long days of manual labor, and food and water withheld as punishment.

And, they said, former students endured constant berating and mind games and some were physically and sexually abused by staff and other youth.

In 2021, five Agape staffers were charged with low-level felonies of physically assaulting students. Three pleaded guilty to lesser misdemeanors and received two years probation. The cases of two others were dismissed.

And David Smock, a Stockton doctor who for many years treated students at Agape, was charged in late 2021 and 2022 with more than a dozen child sex crimes in two counties. He remains in custody, and those cases are still in court.

Circle of Hope closed in September 2020 amid an investigation in allegations against the Householders. Agape closed in January 2023, the fourth and final unlicensed Christian boarding school in Cedar County to close since September 2020.

Missouri legislators overwhelmingly passed a law in 2021 that required Missouris unlicensed boarding schools to register with the state, submit to health and safety inspections and conduct background checks on all employees.

But the schools still dont have to be licensed by the state because of a 1982 law that allows religious organizations to claim an exemption from Missouris licensing requirement. Attempts to remove that exemption over the years have been met with strong opposition from critics who say it would interfere with religious freedom.

Just last month, former students stood outside Baileys Jefferson City office and implored him to intervene.

In a hand-delivered letter, the students called on Bailey to launch a state-wide investigation and warn parents about what they say has gone on inside some of these schools for far too long.

They also want Bailey to contact prosecutors in counties where the schools are located and urge them to conduct their own investigations.

Clohessy said the group was underwhelmed with Baileys response.

In a letter, the attorney general thanked them for reaching out to his office.

I am grateful for your valuable input, Bailey wrote. The input of sincere, involved citizens is vital to good government, and your comments and suggestions regarding the issues facing our state are always welcome.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling out House Republicans over their request for the Treasury Department to investigate the finances of the pro-Palestinian student protesters who have set up encampments at scores of U.S. colleges in recent weeks.

On Tuesday, Committee on Education and the Workforce Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) and Oversight and Accountability Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) asked the department for suspicious activity reports on 20 groups they believe have been financing and supporting the campus protests.

Your request lacks any legitimate congressional purpose and echoes the witch hunts of the McCarthy era. It also represents the latest political stunt in a consistently dishonest and increasingly desperate effort to protect a foreign government from criticism by smearing American students exercising their constitutional right to criticize that foreign government, said Robert McCaw, government affairs department director of CAIR, in a letter to the Republican lawmakers Thursday.

McCaw condemned the slew of recent congressional hearings focused on antisemitism at schools, saying the committees have ignored anti-Palestinian discrimination and conflated criticisms of Israel with antisemitism.

Abusing congressional authority to launch witch hunts against Americans you disagree with tarnishes the democratic process. So does using your power to smear and silence the college students who independently organized the diverse and organic student encampment movement, he said.

The Education Committee has another hearing set for next week to interrogate the schools that reached deals to end pro-Palestinian encampments without police force. In the deals, schools agreed to lesser punishments for those who broke rules, and they will allow students to propose divestment from Israel strategies to university boards.

Its no coincidence that the day after the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack, antisemitic mobs began springing up at college campuses across the country. These protests have been coordinated and well organized, indicating that outside groups or influences may be at play. American education is under attack. Its critical that Congress investigates how these groups  who are tearing apart our institutions  are being funded and advised before its too late, said Foxx.

McCaw countered: Since you cannot convince young people to support genocide, you are trying to smear and silence those young people. Please know that your efforts will ultimately fail, God willing, just like the supporters of apartheid and segregation did before you.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  Californians have a new way to access mental and behavioral health services.

On Wednesday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the launch of a new website that allows people to connect with crisis services, counseling and treatment, real-time support and other resources. The website, mentalhealth.ca.gov, is meant to be a one-stop shop with information for anyone seeking mental health support, ranging from children and parents to veterans and older adults.

This East County trail out to a waterfall is perfect for non-hikers

According to the governors office, the website will continue to be updated with ways for people to see how their county compares to others in the state. It also includes details about Proposition 1, also known as the Behavioral Health Services Program and Bond Measure.

Californians had the opportunity to vote on Proposition 1 in the March election, which aims to increase the number of mental health and addiction treatment facilities across the state. It narrowly passed, with 50.2% in approval of the measure and 49.8% of voters saying no.

Applications for proposed treatment sites are expected to open sometime this summer. You can find a full timeline for the implementation of Proposition 1 here.

The new website will be gathering community data from all counties to track progress, with a goal for the new comprehensive behavioral health plans to take effect in July 2026.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

FIRST UP  Please take a minute to fill out our newsletter reader survey. Thank you so much!

LAWMAKERS APPROVE AUDIT OF NEWSOMS RETURN TO OFFICE POLICY

The California State Auditors Office is set to scrutinize Gov. Gavin Newsoms controversial Return to Office (RTO) policy, after the Joint Legislative Audit Committee voted unanimously to give it the green light.

In April, Newsom issued the order demanding that state agencies and departments produce a hybrid telework policy that includes mandatory in-office days, beginning June 17.

The audit will study the rationale, timing, legality, and costs associated with the decision to rescind telework privileges for state employees, according to the office of Assemblyman Josh Hoover, R-Folsom, who proposed the audit.

The decision to force state employees back to the office is harmful and counterproductive, Hoover said in a statement. I am grateful for the support of my colleagues on my audit to further study the effectiveness of telework policies that allow the state to remain competitive with the private sector.

I urge the Governor to reconsider his RTO mandate, at least until the results of the audit are made available, Hoover said.

His office noted that the state, cash-crunched as it is, could find significant savings from continuing to allow employees to work remotely. The state spends more than $600 million a year on rent to maintain more than 2,000 leases on privately owned buildings, and also manages 59 of its own office buildings.

We have significant work to do to revitalize downtown Sacramento, Hoover said. Adding housing, addressing homelessness, and spurring economic development must all be part of the solution. But it should not be done on the backs of state workers.

DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS CONDEMN RENT CONTROL BALLOT MEASURE

Former Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, and Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, on Wednesday joined forces to issue a joint condemnation of an upcoming ballot measure that they call a sneak attack on state housing laws.

The initiative, which qualified for the ballot last July, would prohibit the state government from limiting local governments ability to set rent control laws.

Opponents say that this is a backdoor effort to try and let wealthy coastal communities get out of having to build affordable housing.

Those of us who have been on the front lines trying to help Californians find safe housing they can afford know that this initiative is as deceptive as it is dangerous, Atkins said in a statement.

Atkins called the initiative one giant loophole that would erase decades of progress.

All I can say is dont be fooled. The only way to guarantee the strides we made on housing are protected is for the initiative proponent to remove it off of the ballot, Atkins said.

Wicks warned that the measure will end housing production in California full stop.

We will not end the housing crisis unless we build millions of new homes at all levels of affordability. Weve passed critical new laws to streamline housing construction, protect tenants, and give working families access to affordable, transit-friendly homes, all of which will be in jeopardy if this ballot measure passes, she said.

The ballot measure is being promoted by Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

The Justice for Renters ballot measure is 23 words: The state may not limit the right of any city, county, or city and county to maintain, enact or expand residential rent control. Everyone can read for themselves exactly what it says and means. Any claim to the contrary is categorically false, said AIDS Healthcare Foundation spokeswoman Jacki Schechner in a statement.

The initiative, which has qualified for the ballot, will go before voters this November unless it is pulled by its proponent.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

This year, more than 40 states have introduced over 500 bills that block transgender people from receiving basic health care, education, legal recognition, and the right to publicly exist. As these bans on crucial services like health care go into effect, California must be prepared to provide this vital care and serve as a beacon of hope to LGBTQ+ and transgender communities experiencing this discrimination and cruelty.

- Assemblyman Rick Chavez Zbur, D-Hollywood, in a statement discussing his bill, AB 2442, to increase access to gender-affirming medical care passing in an Assembly floor vote and moving to the Senate.

Best of The Bee:

Stepping up: CalSTRS hires new chief investment officer from within its ranks, via Jennah Pendleton .

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speeds up money for mental health ballot measure he championed. Heres how, via Vik Jolly .

Charter school CEO also sits on Sacramento Board of Education. Is it a conflict of interest? Via Jennah Pendleton.
California lawmakers kill psychedelics legalization  and hundreds more bills. What was cut?

A California bill to regulate therapeutic psychedelic use and another that would require employers to allow employees to disconnect from work in their off hours were the latest victims of a process used to kill bills without public comment.

The bill involving psychedelics, SB 1012, was the latest attempt by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, to move psychedelics out of the shadows and into a regulated environment

The bill would allow patients to use psychedelic drugs in a therapeutic setting under the supervision of a licensed and trained facilitator. It would not decriminalize psychedelics. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have done that in 2023.

In a statement, Wiener acknowledged that his bill was coming in a terrible budget year, where all bills with significant costs are at risk.

Nevertheless, its disappointing for this bill not to move forward. Psychedelics have massive promise in helping people heal and get their lives back on track. It makes enormous sense for California to lead in creating regulated access under the supervision of a licensed professional, Wiener said.

The senator said he will continue to work on expanding access to psychedelics.

The work bill, AB 2751, by Assemblyman Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, was called a Right to Disconnect bill. It would have required California employers, with exceptions, to clearly delineate work hours and off-work hours. They would then have to avoid contacting employees during the latter.

Elsewhere, both the Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees largely cleared the way for a number of high-profile bills to advance. Lobbyist Chris Micheli reported Senate Appropriations advanced nearly 75% of bills, while Assembly Appropriations approved about 65%.

Both bills were the victims of the suspense file, a legislative mechanism used for bills with a significant financial impact.

The Senate and Assembly Appropriations committees can vote to send the bills to the floor. But they can also hold them in committee, effectively killing them, without explaining why or forcing members to vote individually.

Senate Appropriations Committee

In other legislative action, the Senate Appropriations Committee cleared the way for local governments to be able to regulate self-driving vehicles in their jurisdiction. It also advanced the following bills:

 Senate Bill 915, by Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San Jose, was narrowed to only apply to Californias 15 largest cities, and also to prevent local governments from outright banning autonomous vehicles.

 Senate Bill 1043, by Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, which was backed by celebrity heiress Paris Hilton and which would reform the troubled teen industry in California, moved one step closer to becoming law.

 Senate Bill 1053 by Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas, to ban the sale of reusable plastic bags at retail outlets.

 Senate Bill 1116 by Sen. Anthony Portantino, D-La Canada Flintridge, that would allow striking workers to collect unemployment insurance.

 Senate Bill 1446 by Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, D-Los Angeles, that would limit retailers use of self-service checkout stations.

 Senate Bill 1459 from Sen. Janet Nguyen, R-Huntington Beach, to require more populous counties to record the outcomes of animals at their public shelters, including how many are euthanized.

Assembly Appropriations Committee

On the Assembly side, lawmakers killed bills limiting utility bill fees and establishing a framework for universal health care.

 Assembly Bill 1999 from Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin, D-Thousand Oaks, would have limited a controversial new fixed fee being added to Californians electricity bills. Irwins bill would have capped yearly fee increases and set a 2028 end date for the policy. AB 1999 was the subject of intense discussions during a Wednesday hearing in the Assembly Energy and Utilities Committee and barely made it to Appropriations.

The Appropriations Committee did poll individual members on the bill on Thursday, but most chose not to vote.

 Assembly Bill 2200 from Assemblyman Ash Kalra, D-San Jose, would have created a framework for a state universal health care system. Kalras previous universal health care effort  which business groups fiercely oppose  died in early 2022 without an Assembly floor vote.

The committee did advance other notable bills, including:

 A handful of bills from Democratic lawmakers that are part of a retail theft package from Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister.

 Assembly Bill 2316 from Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel, D-Woodland Hills, that would ban certain food chemicals from items served in California schools.
California men sent to prison for stolen mail scheme that netted nearly $250,000

(FOX40.COM)  The United States Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of California recently announced the sentencing of two men from Sacramento who were found responsible for nearly $250,000 worth of check fraud.

According to U.S. Attorney Phillip Talbert, Carlos Aranda, 41, and Daniel Hunt, 38, were sentenced to 66 and 57 months in prison for conspiracy, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft connected to postal thefts.

Northern California police arrest 7 for stealing mail from mailboxes throughout Sacramento area

The attorneys office said that Aranda and Hunt worked together to steal postal locks, create keys, and steal mail to obtain checks of various amounts.

The conspirators periodically gathered together at motel rooms and elsewhere to alter or wash [the] stolen checks, the attorneys office said. The two men would take the stolen checks and attempt to deposit, cash, or even use them in negotiations.

In total, the two men from Sacramento were able to commit nearly $250,000 worth of check fraud, according to the attorneys office, however, it was not made clear how long the men were conducting the scheme.

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California psychedelics bill that would bring 'magic mushrooms' into the mainstream fails  again

Magic mushrooms being weighed and packaged at a farm in the Netherlands (Peter Dejong / Associated Press)

Another attempt to make psychedelics legal in California has, once again, failed.

Senate Bill 1012 by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) was the latest attempt to bring psychedelics into the mainstream by legalizing psychedelic-assisted therapy for Californians. It stalled Thursday when Democrats who control the Senate Appropriations Committee culled hundreds of bills.

Weve been working for four years to legalize access to psychedelics in California, to bring these substances out of the shadows and into the sunlight, and to improve safety and education around their use, Wiener said in a statement.

Were in a terrible budget year, where all bills with significant costs are at risk. Nevertheless, its disappointing for this bill not to move forward."

Wiener vowed to continue the fight, emphasizing the "massive promise" psychedelics have in their ability to help people heal and get their lives back on track. Veterans groups were among the list of supporters.

The total ongoing cost of the bill wasn't entirely clear, but projections were in the low millions. The legislation called for creating three new government entities to regulate psychedelic-assisted therapy and determine who could become licensed to facilitate psychedelic trips.

Read more: Newsom vetoes bill to decriminalize 'magic mushrooms' and other psychedelics in California

The California State Sheriffs Assn. was listed among several opponents who expressed concern about the "government condoning and facilitating the use of mind-altering drugs."

Some medical professionals questioned the scientific research behind the use of psychedelics. The California State Assn. of Psychiatrists argued in a bill analysis that "the evidence to support the therapeutic use of psychedelics is not yet robust enough to justify widespread access."

The analysis by the Senate Business and Professions Committee also raised questions about the bill's proposal to create a new category of licensed professionals to facilitate psychedelic treatment, rather than allowing people seeking mental health care to get psychedelic drugs from their existing providers.

It also said the legislation didn't allow for local control in cities that might want to forbid psychedelic treatment businesses.

Last year, Wiener sought to decriminalize the possession and personal use of "magic mushrooms" among other hallucinogenic drugs. After Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed that bill, he encouraged lawmakers to try again and also offered some suggestions for the state to establish "regulated treatment guidelines" for psychedelics.

Read more: California bill paves way for psychedelic therapy after failure to legalize 'magic mushrooms'

Jared Moffat, campaign director of the Alliance for Safer Use of Psychedelics, a group that sponsored the bill, issued a statement saying California missed a chance to create "a model policy for the rest of the country."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The former owner of a Fresno-based trucking company is facing charges of under-reporting more than $2 million in payroll to avoid workers compensation costs, regulators said Wednesday.

Heigo Kubar, 84, of Fresno faces three felony charges related to about a half million in workers compensation insurance fraud at the company he used to own, TKJ Trucking, according to the California Department of Insurance.

Kubars attorney, Jeffrey Hammerschmidt of Fresno, said his client has no prior criminal history. Hammerschmidt said he does not believe Kubar conducted any deception in his business practices.

The arraignment was continued and Kubar did not enter a plea on Wednesday, according to his attorney. The case may come down to technicalities in how employees and independent contractors are classified, he said.

Kubar no longer owns any of TKJ Trucking, his attorney said.

The state Department of Insurance said in a news release they conducted an audit and found between Dec. 1, 2018 and Dec. 1, 2021, Kubar reported less than $1 million in payroll when he actually had more than $3 million.

The trucking firms insurance company became suspicious after an employee was found dead inside a company-owned big rig, the regulator said.

The employees death was not suspicious and they died of natural causes, a spokesperson for the state Department of Insurance confirmed, but that employees job designation was allegedly changed on company paperwork after their death.

The 15-year employee had been designated as a salesperson, but after dying was designated as a truck driver. The employee had been a driver the entire 15 years, prosecutors alleged.

Workers compensation for drivers is about 20 times more costly than that of a salesperson, according to the regulator.

Kubar is scheduled to appear in court next on Aug. 14.
California State University placed Sonoma State campus President Mike Lee on leave Wednesday after he agreed to protesters' demands to involve them in university decision-making and pursue divestment from Israel.

Lee sent a campus-wide memo Tuesday indicating that he had made several concessions to occupants of a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus. The memo was sent without the appropriate approvals, CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia said in a statement, adding that she and the 23-campus CSU systems board are actively reviewing the matter.

For now, because of this insubordination and the consequences it has brought upon the system, President Lee has been placed on administrative leave, Garcia said.

The punishment marks perhaps the harshest disciplinary action against a campus chancellor or president in California over the handling of protests of the war in Gaza. It also underscores an unwillingness to divest from Israeli weapons manufacturers  as pro-Palestinian protesters across the country have increasingly demanded the last few months  among leaders of the CSU system and its sister University of California system.

California universities including UC Riverside, UC Berkeley and Sacramento State have agreed to study divestment like some East Coast universities, but none have gone as far as Lee.

Lee told the campus that he would initiate an academic boycott of Israel, in which links to study abroad programs in the country would be removed from university pamphlets, among other measures. He also agreed to work with a local chapter of the activist group Students for Justice in Palestine to form an advisory council on some decisions.

Lee further pledged to review the school's contracts and a campus-specific investment fund called the Sonoma State Foundation for ties to Israel "to determine a course of action leading to divestment strategies that include seeking ethical alternatives."

In my attempt to find agreement with one group of students, I marginalized other members of our student population and community, Lee wrote in a follow-up message to members of the campus Wednesday. I realize the harm that this has caused, and I take full ownership of it. I deeply regret the unintended consequences of my actions.

Lee did not immediately return a request for comment.

His decision to engage with protesters had quickly drawn backlash in the 24 hours since he announced the deal with demonstrators, which included them dismantling their encampment. California Legislative Jewish Caucus Co-Chair Scott Wiener, a Democrat, condemned Lees concessions to the Boycott, Divest and Sanction movement in scathing terms.

Yesterday the President of Sonoma State University aligned the campus with BDS, a movement whose goal is the destruction of Israel, home to 7M Jews, Wiener wrote on X Wednesday. Several other UC & CSU campuses are doing this more subtly. Sonoma State simply said the quiet part out loud. The mask is off.

Wiener and fellow Caucus Co-Chair Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel later issued a statement praising the decision to place Lee on leave, saying he had been "unfit to lead one of our great state institutions."

Lee was first named president of the campus in Northern Californias Wine Country in the fall of 2022. Hell be replaced in the interim by Nathan Evans, a vice chancellor in Garcias administration.

I want to acknowledge how deeply concerned I am about the impact the statement has had on the Sonoma State community, and how challenging and painful it will be for many of our students and community members to see and read, said Garcia, who took over as chancellor at the beginning of the academic year. The heart and mission of the CSU is to create an inclusive and welcoming place for everyone we serve, not to marginalize one community over another.
Jesus Tarango Jr., chairman of Wilton Rancheria, is hugged by his son Jesse during a groundbreaking ceremony for a Native American monument at Capitol Park in Sacramento in 2022. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

When the Wilton Rancheria tribe restored its control over a 77-acre parcel outside Sacramento recently, tribal Chairman Jesus Tarango Jr. couldn't stop smiling.

"Days like this don't come around very often," Tarango said he thought to himself. "It's a historic day for my people."

For years, Tarango's elders had fought to remain on their ancestral territory in the Sacramento Valley, only to have the U.S. government repeatedly renege on promises: Officials sold their land to private buyers and even canceled their status as a federally recognized tribe.

Now a portion of his people's stolen land in the unincorporated community of Wilton  about a half-hour south of the state Capitol  feels like home again.

Read more: Chuckwalla National Monument would protect swath of California desert and preserve a sacred land

The tribe signed the land into a federal trust on Monday. Tarango described it as a victory for the Indigenous LandBack movement in California, and showed how patience and perseverance can pay off for other tribes working to reclaim lost territories and fulfill their yearning for self-determination.

"Home" means something different if you happen to be a descendant of the Miwok and Nisenan tribes that lived on and watched over this part of Northern California only to watch it fall into the hands of outsiders, Tarango said.

He describes his tribe as "a river people." They view the Cosumnes River and the many creeks that rush over boulders and wind past wooded banks in their homeland as sacred givers of life and sources of power. Those waters flow through them too.

The people of Wilton Rancheria, the only federally recognized tribe in Sacramento County, have identified with the reacquired property along Green Road since long before the tribe purchased the largely undeveloped site from a private owner for $1.925 million in 2020. The land is part of the original tract that the U.S. government purchased in 1928 to establish the rancheria, or small reservation.

By the early 20th century, though, Indigenous Californians had already endured the seizure of their traditional villages and the violent suppression of their culture. So being allowed to live on federally designated land  in a region where they had been nature's proud stewards since time immemorial  represented a bittersweet milestone.

The rancheria was meant to belong to its residents forever, a place where tribal citizens such as Tarango's great-great-great-grandfather, Alec (or Aleck) Blue, a cultural leader and healer, didn't need to fear further displacement. But Congress robbed them again when it passed the Rancheria Act of 1958, which terminated land trust obligations to dozens of California tribes, including Tarango's. Tribes were stripped of federal recognition and left with no authority over lands that had been set up on their behalf.

Read more: This epic slice of Arizona feeds their souls but lacks a basic necessity: Water

The Wilton Rancheria nation won back federal recognition only in 2009 after a protracted campaign by tribal elders, including the chairman's mother, Mary Tarango. Those victories gave the tribe the legal standing it needed to restore control over the 77 acres.

"Our tribe had to go and fight  fight  to get our land back," Tarango said. "It was the stroke of a pen that took that away from us, yet it took us 50 years to regain our federal recognition."

At Monday's ceremony to place the tribe's deed to the acreage into a federal trust, Amy Dutschke, director for the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs Pacific Region, said that "it's a good day when we can restore tribal homelands for the benefit of tribal citizens."

But even during an occasion made for rejoicing, Tarango said, he felt compelled to remark on that dark history to the tribal citizens who attended.

"I made it a point to remind people: When the government came, they stripped you of your identity, they stripped you of your language, they stripped you of your look, and the biggest thing they did was they stripped you of your land," he recalled.

Tarango said the tribe plans to open an elder center on their reclaimed land in the coming weeks where older citizens can help rebuild those lost connections  by telling stories and passing on their wisdom to the younger generations. Long-term goals include building a cultural center and an arbor for traditional dance and games.

"It's really going to serve as a village, as it would have been 150 years ago  but in today's world," Tarango said.

Tarango also hopes the good news will inspire non-Native Californians to reckon with the damage that has been done and help them see how reclaiming even small swaths of ancestral homelands can serve as a salve for an entire people.

Read more: Their stolen land in Orange County was given back. Now they're ready to heal

When Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an apology to Indigenous Californians in 2019 "for the many instances of violence, maltreatment and neglect California inflicted on tribes," Tarango and his cousins were on hand to bless the occasion with traditional singing.

Newsom's words felt like the first steps toward repairing the harm done, Tarango said, but he's not satisfied with apologies alone.

What full atonement would look like is still up for discussion, but in the meantime the tribe is in the process of acquiring additional lands by year's end, he said. The tribe will then seek to set up trusts for those properties, too.

Tarango choked up on the phone when reminiscing about the sacrifices made by his mother and other elders to assert the tribe's right to chart its own destiny.

As much as he looks forward to working with officials in the county to maintain trust lands, he is especially hopeful that the land will help strengthen his people's resilience.

"We've never been able to recover from the generational traumas that our people have faced," Tarango said.

"That land going back into our hands  that is for us to do as we please  it's going to serve my people as a healing ground. It's almost like piecing yourself back together and becoming whole again."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A study by researchers at Harvard and UC San Francisco found that 91% of California service sector workers surveyed experienced at least one labor violation in the last year at work. (Los Angeles Times)

Although California has some of the toughest labor laws in the country, a new study has found workers routinely suffer violations while on the job.

A team of researchers from UC San Francisco and Harvard University earlier this year surveyed 980 California workers at dozens of the state's largest retail, food and other service sector companies. The workers reported frequent abuses over pay, work schedules and other issues.

The study found, for example, that 41% of the workers surveyed had experienced at least one serious labor violation in the last year, such as being required to work off the clock, not being paid overtime, or being paid less than minimum wage, according to the report, which was released this week.

Violations around paid sick leave and meal breaks were also common, the researchers found. More than half of workers, 58%, were not given proper rest breaks.

All told, 91% of the workers surveyed experienced at least one violation in the last year, the study found.

The findings seemed at odds with the fact that California has led the way in raising labor standards, said one of the studys authors, Daniel Schneider, a professor of social policy and sociology at Harvard He and his co-author, Kristen Harknett, a UCSF sociology professor, wanted to understand why the state's rigorous laws weren't doing more to protect workers from abuse.

The survey of workers, Schneider said, showed it was common for workers not to report problems. Many, he said, "have been robbed of their time and their wages and the vast majority do not come forward.

Schneider said the study found that workers who came forward to report problems to someone inside their company were often met with retaliation or other negative consequences, and that workers are unlikely to seek help from regulatory bodies such as the state labor commissioner.

"This is not to say that the laws are ineffective, but that their full promise isn't realized when they are being violated so routinely," Schneider said. "We need a robust system of enforcement to ensure these labor laws are being enforced and complied with.

The results of the new study come against the backdrop of renewed debate over a controversial California law known as the Private Attorneys General Act that gives workers the right to file lawsuits against their employers over back wages and to seek civil penalties on behalf of themselves, other employees and the state of California.

Read more: The battle brewing over California workers' unique right to sue their bosses

An initiative seeking to gut the act will appear on the ballot in November, the culmination of a long-running effort by business groups to scrap it.

Backers of the ballot initiative argue the law has resulted in a slew of lawsuits that small businesses and nonprofits have little ability to fight, and say that the long, costly lawsuits workers must pursue result in their getting less money than if they had filed complaints through state agencies.

Although not an expert on the law, Schneider said he believes there should be "more avenues for workers to come forward, to pursue some kind of redress, not fewer.

The recent study is limited in scope, Schneider said, and does not capture the experiences of undocumented workers or those in domestic, agricultural and construction jobs where violations may be even more common.

Since the survey focused on workers at large firms, it leaves out service sector workers employed at smaller firms, which also likely experience violations at higher rates, he said.

Another study published this month by researchers at Rutgers University found that minimum wage violations have more than doubled in some major metro areas in California since 2014.

Workers in the Los Angeles, San Jose and San Diego metro areas who had been paid below minimum wage lost on average about 20% of the money they were owed, or as much as $4,000 a year, the study found.

In the San Francisco area, losses were even more steep, with workers losing an average of $4,300 to $4,900 annually to minimum wage violations, according to the study.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
You should call House members representatives, because thats what they are  not congressmen or congresswomen

For most of the nations history, members of the U.S. House of Representatives have been addressed as Congressman or Congresswoman. By contrast, a senator is referred to as, well, Senator.

These gendered terms for House members dominate in journalism, everyday conversation and among members of Congress.

The name Congress refers to the entire national legislature, composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Gender identity aside, Congressman and Congresswoman are fundamentally inaccurate terms.

In the Constitution, Congress refers to the legislative branch as a whole. When discussing the membership of Congress, the Constitution uses Representatives and Senators, but also Members in reference to both. Congressman is nowhere in that founding document.

One of the foremost scholars of Congress, the late Richard Fenno, wrote, a House members designation, as prescribed in the U.S. Constitution, is not Congressman, it is Representative.

As a scholar of Congress and particularly the Senate, I am interested in the differences between the two chambers and how that affects American politics. In my investigation of the origins and evolution of congressman and congresswoman, I combed the records of colonial and state legislatures, as well as records related to the countrys founding and newspapers from the end of the 1700s to the mid-1900s.

Even if the current era were not one of justified sensitivity to gender neutrality and diversity, these two terms for House members are not just dated, they are wrong. Representative is the correct but rarely used term.

Historical use

How did this terminological oddity come to be?

Congressman was used as early as 1780 in a poem by a British loyalist to refer to members, formally known as delegates, of the single-chamber and Senate-like national legislatures that preceded the Constitutions establishment of a two-chamber legislature.

From 1788 onward, the gendered term was sometimes applied to members of Congress in general but increasingly to representatives in particular.

The central linguistic logic at work in early 19th century use of the term congressman stemmed from the reporting of election results. Newspapers reported the choices for governor, lieutenant governor, assemblymen, congressmen and senators. The only elections to Congress, however, were for members of the House, in contrast to senators, who were selected by state legislatures.

So, senators referred not to the occupants of the U.S. Senate but to the state senate. U.S. senators would not be directly elected by citizens for more than a century. In this and similar reporting, it was unambiguous to refer to the election of congressmen.

The common usage, which was firmly in place by the end of the 19th century, was bolstered by the arrival of congresswomen, starting with Jeannette Rankin in 1917. That political breakthrough ironically reinforced the gendered terminology associated with this office. The few early congresswomen were eventually joined by the first elected female senator, who was referred to as Senator.

Indeed, senators are invariably referred to by their gender-neutral and constitutional title.

Few parallels elsewhere

The use of titles that are both unnecessarily gendered and inaccurate is almost restricted to the United States Congress. There are surprisingly few parallels and no true equals at the state or international levels.

The gender-neutral term designated in the Constitution already exists. The title Representative is used in certain formal but limited circumstances by journalists and others. For example, the widely used Associated Press style guide for journalists instructs that Rep. and U.S. Rep. are the preferred first-reference forms when a formal title is used before the name of a U.S. House member. But the style guide also advises that congressman and congresswoman are acceptable, and those terms dominate in most circumstances in print and television journalism.

And the use of congressman and congresswoman dominates even among representatives and senators themselves. Some members even seem to go out of their way to avoid the constitutional term, including Sen. Mitt Romney. Romney recently referred to former President Donald Trumps communications with Republican senators and congresspeople.

And the use of congressman and congresswoman is at odds with other contemporary adjustments to circumvent or replace sexist or binary language, including personal pronouns. The application of gender neutrality through the constitutional title evades neologisms like congressperson, which is as clumsy as it is unnecessary.

Reminder of civic virtue

Even as the Senate has lost some of its prestige and luster, the House is seen as a lower rung on the ladder of U.S. politics. Perhaps the inferiority complex that attaches to membership in the House versus the Senate also encourages the use of congressman. Being a member of Congress  and therefore a congressman or congresswoman  may seem more prestigious in its focus on the institution as a whole.

But it doesnt have to be that way; the House could instead embrace its official title.

Richard Fenno, quoted earlier, can finish his point: Whereas congressman or congresswoman tends to call our attention to a House members Capitol Hill activities and to his or her relationship with colleagues, Fenno wrote, representative points us toward a House members activities in his or her home district and to relationships with constituents.

Members relish their connections to their districts, their constituents and the democratic virtues that role conveys. And part of this is the implicit contrast with the Senate, with its undemocratic origins and enduring elitist pretensions.

As well as being gender-neutral and institutionally accurate, the original title is a powerful reminder of the civic virtue and founding purpose of the House of Representatives. Its not just politically correct, its constitutional.

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: Daniel Wirls, University of California, Santa Cruz

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Daniel Wirls 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.
Its that time of year when the life-tenured denizens of Americas imperial court, otherwise known as the Supreme Court, come down from their bench to mix with the masses.

Just kidding. The justices limit their appearances to friendly audiences, to elite folks too well-mannered to ask them about matters like gifts from billionaires with business before the court or misleading confirmation testimony to the Senate.

With oral arguments for this terms cases ended in late April, the justices are now writing the decisions that will trickle out through June, including on whether to withhold gun rights from domestic abusers; limit access to mifepristone , the pill used for two-thirds of abortions; gut federal agencies regulatory power; and immunize Donald Trump from criminal prosecution. Amid their opinion-writing, they accept a few invitations to speak, cracking a window into their thinking as well as their gripes.

Four of the courts six-member conservative supermajority were on the stump in recent days. Justices Clarence Thomas and Brett M. Kavanaugh spoke to groups of lawyers and judges in the congenial South. Samuel A. Alito Jr., one of the courts six Catholics, was commencement speaker at passionately Catholic Franciscan University of Steubenville, in Ohio. And Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. gave a purposely anodyne address to a Washington-based judicial group.

The other three were more interesting. Kavanaugh defensively suggested that the unpopular courts unpopular decisions  ending a half-century of abortion rights, for example  would be seen more favorably with time. Thomas whined to a sympathetic crowd about the nastiness and lies in the news media about himself and his would-be insurrectionist wife, Ginni; much of that coverage recently won a Pulitzer Prize for ProPublica . And Alito enjoyed a standing ovation when he was introduced as the author of the 2022 Dobbs antiabortion ruling, despite overwhelming opposition to it nationwide.

Read more: Opinion: The mifepristone case should be an easy one for the Supreme Court. But will it be?

Kavanaugh spoke Friday in Austin, Texas. The city is a progressive oasis in the red state, but Kavanaugh appeared before judges, attorneys and court officials connected with the most conservative of the federal appeals courts, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, covering Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. At a time when the Supreme Court is polling at record lows on job approval and public trust, Kavanaugh was appropriately asked during a question-and-answer session how to boost confidence in the judiciary.

He didnt seem to see the problem. Instead Kavanaugh blithely compared the current Roberts court  which has greatly expanded rights for gun owners, police and corporations, limited those for voters, consumers and women, and eroded the wall between church and state  to the court of the 1950s and 1960s led by Chief Justice Earl Warren, whose landmark rulings desegregated public schools, expanded voting and other civil rights, ended mandatory Christian prayer in schools and established new rights for criminal defendants.

The Warren courts decisions were unpopular basically from start to finish, Kavanaugh said. And yet a lot of them are landmarks now that we accept as parts of the fabric of America.

Read more: Opinion: The Supreme Court just showed us that Trump is not incompetent. He's a master of corruption

Hes right about the Warren court legacy. But Kavanaugh is kidding himself if he thinks that Dobbs and other decisions that he has backed will eventually gain widespread favor. The Warren court is remembered for expanding individuals constitutional rights; the Roberts court, in overturning Roe, is the first to take one away. (Kavanaughs support for Dobbs provoked Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the decisive vote for his confirmation, to complain that he'd misled her during the Senates consideration of his nomination.)

Thomas spoke the same day at a conference of the conservative U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, covering Georgia, Florida and Alabama. His most noteworthy remarks reflected the Roberts courts other legacy: ethical indifference . The event was held at a luxury resort on Alabamas Gulf Coast, appropriate given Thomas affinity for such places, which has been well documented by ProPublica and other media. Republican donor and billionaire Harlan Crow provided Thomas with yacht trips, real estate deals and other benefits .

Also appropriately, Thomas was with his wife, Ginni, who not only shared the largesse but also is central to Thomas other ethical transgression. She worked behind the scenes to overturn Joe Bidens 2020 election, yet Thomas has refused to recuse himself from three cases before the court dealing with Jan. 6 and Trumps role in conniving to stay in power.

Read more: Editorial: The Supreme Court cannot allow homelessness to be a crime

To hear Thomas tell it, the problem isnt his conflicts of interest but the critics and we journalists who report on him. Especially in Washington, people pride themselves in being awful, he said.

And thats why he and Ginni like RV-ing across the country to see regular people. Thomas didnt mention that an investigation by the New York Times found that his luxury 40-foot motor home was underwritten by another rich pal.

Alito, another billionaires beneficiary , received an honorary degree in Christian ethics on Saturday at Franciscan University. Like Thomas, he groused about his critics; fittingly, he quoted Rodney I dont get no respect Dangerfield. Alito has become known for fussing that Christian conservatives get no respect, even as he and other conservative Catholics dominate the court. Free exercise of religion is a disfavored right, hes carped in the past, and you cant say that marriage is a union between one man and one woman.

In that spirit, Alito warned the Franciscan grads, When you venture out into the world, you may find yourself in a job or a community or a social setting when you will be pressured to endorse ideas you dont believe or to abandon core beliefs. It will be up to you to stand firm.

God knows he does. And so do Thomas and Kavanaugh. The rest of us, the masses, are worse off for their supreme myopia.

@jackiekcalmes

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Ten years ago, Texas passed a law creating a junk science writ. This law allows people to challenge convictions based on false science or science that has been discredited since their trial.

But the law isnt working as it should. Robert Roberson is Exhibit A for how innocent people can still fall through the cracks  and even face execution. If the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA) doesnt take another look at Mr. Robersons case, he could become the first person in the nation executed based on the debunked shaken baby hypothesis.

Mr. Roberson had a two-year-old daughter, Nikki, who was chronically ill. In 2002, she had a high fever and undiagnosed pneumonia. She was prescribed medications that we now know are too dangerous for children her age and in her condition. She then suffered a fall out of bed. After falling back to sleep, she did not wake up again.

The original Death Row at the Walls Unit in Huntsville at the Texas Department of Corrections. (Credit: Deborah Cannon/American-Statesman/File)

When Mr. Roberson took Nikki to the hospital, he had trouble explaining her condition. A special education student, who had dropped out of school after the ninth grade and who had undiagnosed autism, he could not answer the hospital staffs questions. And the hospital staff thought his reactions to his daughters condition showed a lack of emotion, when it was simply non-neurotypical, a symptom of his autism.

Sadly, Nikki could not be revived. One doctor, who knew nothing about the childs medical history and recent illness, had a preliminary hunch that the child had been shaken to death, and the controversial shaken baby hypothesis was used to arrest Mr. Roberson, even before the autopsy.

Back then, the consensus in the medical community was that a child who presented with Nikkis three symptoms  bleeding outside the brain, brain swelling, and bleeding in the eyes  could only have died of violent shaking or of shaking plus impact against a blunt surface. Over the past 20 years, each premise of the shaken baby dogma has been discredited by evidence-based science.

This is where Texass junk science writ should have come to Mr. Robersons aid and exonerated him. But it didnt. Despite the new law, the post-conviction court disregarded the unrebutted scientific and medical evidence showing that Nikki died of natural and accidental causes, not murder.

In 2016, the CCA stayed Mr. Robersons execution and sent the case back to the trial court. Finally, in 2021, a multi-day evidentiary hearing was held, with six highly qualified expert witnesses testifying about the change in scientific understanding and the natural and accidental causes that explained his daughters death. The experts showed that the combination of Nikkis undiagnosed pneumonia, the medications she was prescribed, and her accidental fall entirely explained her condition.

Stunningly, the lead detective, Brian Wharton, who investigated Mr. Robersons case and testified against him at trial, testified before the post-conviction court that he had come to believe that justice had not been served. Despite all this, and even though Mr. Robersons attorneys submitted a comprehensive proposal inventorying all of the new evidence, the court accepted the prosecutions skeletal proposal that largely repeated the false science that was put before the jury in 2003, as if the evidentiary hearing had not happened.

Since 1992, at least 32 parents and caregivers in 18 states have been exonerated after being wrongfully convicted under the shaken baby hypothesis. In fact, another case is pending before the CCA, Ex parte Roake, where the state has conceded the falsity of nearly identical shaken baby testimony by the same child abuse expert who testified against Mr. Roberson.

Mr. Robersons conviction was built on a false science sandcastle. It has since been washed away. The CCA must intervene. We cant allow this innocent father to be executed in our names.

Findley is the founder of the Center for Integrity in Forensic Sciences and co-founder of the Wisconsin Innocence Project. A former law professor at the University of Wisconsin, he is an editor of Shaken Baby Syndrome: Investigating the Abusive Head Trauma Controversy, Cambridge University Press 2023.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: We can't let discredited science lead to a Texan's execution
Carroll school board president Cameron Bryan said the district did not receive findings of fact or legal conclusions in a letter from the Department of Education, three years after discrimination complaints were filed.

Bryan spoke after several parents pleaded with the school board to provide answers to the community concerning negotiations with the Department of Education after the NAACP Legal Defense Fund reported last week that the DOE Office for Civil Rights requested to negotiate with the district after completing a three-year investigation into complaints of discrimination concerning race, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Russell Maryland plays a recording during the Carroll school board meeting Wednesday. Among topics discussed are the recent findings by the Educations Department of violations of student rights.

Bryan said the Carroll school district received a proposed resolution from the Education Department on May 6, but that it did not include findings of facts or legal conclusions.

This board, this district and this legal counsel were the only entities that were sent these proposed resolutions, Bryan said.

Bryan also urged people to refrain believing from lies portrayed on social media  and by some in the news media.

We should be privy to what was concluded, he said of the letter.

Bryan said the Education Department would not provide information, and said there will be a conference call to discuss the issues.

Trustee Alex Sexton listens to an attendee speak during a Carroll school board meeting on Wednesday. Among topics discussed were the recent findings by the Educations Department of violations of student rights.

The incidents described in the complaints occurred before Superintendent Lane Ledbetter was hired and brought in his administration and before most of the trustees were elected, Bryan said.

Before Bryan spoke, several parents pleaded with the board to negotiate in good faith saying children were harmed because of the school districts failure to stop the bullying and harassment.

Elisha Rurka said she has gathered over 200 signatures from parents asking the district to negotiate.

I am not a liberal. I am not a crazy Marxist socialist. I dont think you are people who hate our kids. Please lead. Please move this community forward, she said.

Russell Maryland, who played for the Dallas Cowboys and whose children attended Carroll schools, pointed out that Ledbetter said he would comply with the DOE if there were violations.

When asked about Bryans statements, Maryland said, They are digging in their heels. I will continue to pray and to advocate.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights notified the school district that students civil rights were violated.

The findings came from four complaints filed in April 2021 describing discrimination and bullying over race, gender, and sexual orientation.

The complaints were filed when the district failed to provide adequate protections for students who faced harassment including homophobic and racial slurs.

Superintendent Lane Ledbetter listens to a speaker during a Carroll school board meeting on Wednesday.

Carroll has 90 days to negotiate with the DOE or face losing federal funding or enforcement from the Justice Department.

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund represented the parents and students who filed the federal complaints.

Attorneys for the legal defense fund told the Star-Telegram previously that it is rare for a school district not to negotiate a resolution to civil rights violations with department of education officials.

On Tuesday, parents who are members of Cultural and Racial Equity for Every Dragon (CREED) Dignity for All Texas Students and the Southlake Anti-Racism Coalition (SARC) held a news conference, demanding that the school board take action and that the district negotiate in good faith with the DEO on resolving the complaints.

The suggested remedies include more diversity training and hiring of more teachers and staff of color.

Last week, Carroll trustees also voted 6-0 to denounce the Biden Administrations recent amendments to Title IX to add protections for pregnancy, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the Biden Administration to block the rules from taking effect in August.
In our Reality Check stories, The News Tribune journalists seek to hold the powerful accountable and find answers to critical questions in our community. Read more. Story idea? newstip@thenewstribune.com.

The City of Tacoma announced the death of City Council Member Catherine Ushka in a news release on Thursday morning. Ushka, 55, represented District 4 since being elected in 2017, and, after being reelected, was selected to serve as deputy mayor in 2022.

As her colleagues mourn her passing, they also must begin the process of filling her seat.

How does that happen?

According to the City Council rules of procedure, the council officially must declare a members position vacant following any of the causes set forth in the Washington State law, including resignation, recall or death of the council member.

Once the council members position is declared vacant, the city manager is tasked with beginning an appointment process and establishing a schedule for interviews and appointment schedule to fill the position at the earliest opportunity, according to the rules of procedure.

The City Council has 60 days to appoint a qualified person to fill the vacancy after the appointment process has begun. If the council is unable to fill the vacancy within the given time, the mayor will then make the appointment.

If the City of Tacoma is unable to confirm the appointment of a person to fill a vacancy within 90 days, appointment power will be delegated to the Pierce County Council following RCW 42.12.170, according to the rules of procedure document.

In accordance with Washington law, the person appointed to fill the vacancy would serve for the remainder of the unexpired term. Ushkas term was scheduled to expire December 2025.

Eligible candidates must meet the following requirements:

be qualified to vote in the City of Tacoma

be a resident of the City of Tacoma for two years before the time of applying to fill the open seat

if applying for a district position, the candidate shall be a resident of the district for one year before the time of appointment to fill the open seat.
Cause of Death Revealed for Teen Who Died After One Chip Challenge

Harris Wolobah, 14, died on Sept. 1 after completing Paqui's "One Chip Challenge"

GoFundMe Harris Wolobah, the Massachusetts teen who died after eating a spicy chip for a social media challenge.

A cause of death has been confirmed for the 14-year-old boy who died after participating in Paqui's One Chip Challenge.

Harris Wolobah, a sophomore at Doherty Memorial High School in Massachusetts, died from consuming a high level of chili pepper extract, according to the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Wolobah's exact cause of death was deemed a cardiopulmonary arrest in the setting of recent ingestion of food substance with high capsaicin concentration. The examiner could not confirm that the chip was the source of the capsaicin.

They did determine that the high schooler had an enlarged heart and a congenital heart defect. His family was not aware of the condition at the time of his death, which is not uncommon with cardiomegaly, according to the NIH.

We were and remain deeply saddened by the death of Harris Wolobah and extend our condolences to his family and friends," a representative for Paqui tells PEOPLE following the autopsy news. "Paquis One Chip Challenge was intended for adults only, with clear and prominent labeling highlighting that the product was not for children or anyone sensitive to spicy foods or with underlying health conditions."

GoFundMe Harris Wolobah, the Massachusetts teen who died after eating a spicy chip for a social media challenge.

"We saw increased reports of teens and other individuals not heeding these warnings. As a result, while the product adhered to food safety standards, out of an abundance of caution, we worked with retailers to voluntarily remove the product from shelves in September 2023, and the One Chip Challenge has been discontinued," they added in a statement.

Wolobah participated in the snack brand One Chip Challenge on Sept. 1, according to CBS News' WBZ. The viral trend on social media involved eating a chip containing Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper peppers.

Sarah Dussault/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty A social media trend caused some children to vomit, sweat profusely and their tongues turn blue after participating in the One Chip Challenge.

A spokesperson for Paqui also expressed condolences at the time in a statement to PEOPLE on Sept. 7.

Lois Wolobah, Harris mother, told WBZ that she received a call from the school nurse on Sept. 1 and was notified that he fainted after eating the chip. Family members then picked up Harris and drove him home before discovering him unconscious by 4:30 p.m., per the outlet.

Lois told NBC-10 Boston that they rushed Harris to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A Worcester Public Schools spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that Harris felt unwell and visited the nurses office, then left and died that day.

The boys father, Amos Wolobah, told WBZ that his son had "no pre-existing condition."

"I pray to God that no parent goes through what I'm going through," Lois told WBZ. "I don't want to see anybody hurting the way I'm hurting. I miss my son so much, I miss him so much."

Related: 4 Members of Same Utah Family Killed in Head-On Crash: 'Our Hearts Are Shattered'

A GoFundMe created by Harriss cousin described the high school sophomore as a light that lit up the room with his presence and subtle charm." The post added that Harris was intelligent, quirky and incredibly talented.

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

Paqui pulled the One Chip Challenge product from stores after Harris death. Paqui sold the singular spicy chip for $10 and directions on its website were to eat the entire chip. Wait as long as possible before drinking or eating anything. Post your reaction on social media with #onechipchallenge and mention @paquichips."

Related: Body of Missing 22-Year-Old Netflix Engineer Found Near Golden Gate Bridge

After a surge in minors consuming the product against the packaging's warning  including Harris  Paqui issued a statement.

"While the Paqui One Chip Challenge is intended for adults only, we have seen an increase in teen usage of the product," said the Paqui spokesperson on Sept. 7.

"We care about all of our consumers and have made the decision to remove the product from shelves," they added. "The products label clearly states it is not for children or anyone sensitive to spicy foods or who has food allergies, is pregnant or has underlying health conditions. We are actively working with our retailers and are offering refunds for any purchases of our single-serve one chip challenge product.



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Read the original article on People.
(COLORADO)  The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is urging drivers to travel safely this summer as warm weather and summer festivities have begun.

Memorial Day marks the start of the 100 Deadliest Days of Summerthe period between Memorial Day and Labor Day historically sees a spike in fatal crashes. Between 2019 and 2023, there were 54 impaired driving-related fatalities during the 100 days. In 2023, there were 2,295 DUI arrests made during the summer season.

Starting Thursday, May 16, Memorial Day Weekend DUI enforcement will begin. The Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and 72 local law enforcement agencies will participate in The Heat is On Memorial Day DUI enforcement period until Wednesday, June 5. During the 21 days, drivers may see saturation patrols, sobriety checkpoints, and additional law enforcement officers on duty dedicated to arresting impaired drivers.

As the days get longer and Coloradans attend more parties and social events, its important to remember that impaired driving can ruin lives, said Chief of CSP, Matthew C. Packard. Colorado lost 218 lives to impaired driving in 2023. These deaths were preventable. Dont put yourself and other motorists at risk this season by driving impaired.

During the Memorial Day Weekend enforcement period in 2023, there were 479 reported DUI arrests. Alcohol impairs the ability to concentrate while driving and increases the risk of crashing.

Leave the driving to the sober this Memorial Day weekend. Always plan a sober ride home before going out so you wont be tempted to later drive impaired, said CDOTs Office of Transportation Safety Director Darrell Lingk. A DUI will ruin your summer fun and a crash could cost you your life. Never get behind the wheel if you are impaired.

Individuals planning to partake of alcohol or cannabis during Memorial Day weekend should plan a sober ride, as it is the best way to avoid a DUI. Buzzed driving is drunk driving and can result in a DUI.

The recent Spring Events DUI enforcement period ended with 506 arrests across 81 participating agencies. Some departments with the highest arrests include Denver Police Department with 65 arrests, Colorado Springs Police Department with 55, and Aurora Police Department with 36.

Following Memorial Day, the next enforcement period will be Summer Blitz from Saturday, June 8 to Friday, June 21.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado.
A Centre County judge refrained Thursday from ruling on a Republican challenge to the validity of certain mail-in ballots from the primary election, choosing instead to allow attorneys additional time to present their arguments.

Centre County Judge Julia Rater did not signal during a hearing that lasted more than an hour which way she may be leaning. Her questions to attorneys largely sought to clarify their positions.

She gave attorney Louis Glantz and Centre County solicitor Betsy Dupuis until Tuesday to file a brief to bolster their arguments. Rater said she hopes to issue her decision by May 24, though she did not guarantee it.

Centre Countys primary election results will remain uncertified in the interim, about one month after voters made their choices.

Centre County Republican Committee Chair Michelle Schellbergs filing alleged 95 mail-in ballots were counted improperly by the countys elections board because they were not dated correctly. It did not claim fraud or that the votes would alter the outcome.

Instead, Republicans argue the boards decision could affect at least hundreds of ballots in what is expected to be a tightly contested presidential race in November.

It will make a big difference in the fall, Glantz told Rater. ... I dont think theres any doubt about that.

Fifty-seven ballots lacked the last two digits of the year, 23 reflected the wrong date and 13 were missing either the day or month. Two other mail-in ballots were inadvertently flagged.

The elections board  made up of the countys three commissioners, two Democrats and one Republican  voted unanimously in April to accept each of the ballots.

It remains unclear if Rater will rule on the cases merits. The elections board argued for dismissal, claiming the challenge was filed 10 days late.

The appeal, Dupuis argued, serves as nothing more than an attempt to delay certification of the election and a way to hamstring Centre County voters.

If Rater finds the appeal was timely, she acknowledged her decision will be all-or-nothing. If one ballot were to be tossed because it was not dated properly, so would the rest.

Dupuis declined to comment after the hearing. Glantz expressed optimism, saying he felt the hearing went pretty good.

State Sen. Cris Dush, R-Brookville, supported the appeal, which was also signed by 18 Centre County voters.

Centre County Democratic Committee Chair Margie Swoboda told the Centre Daily Times last week that her party will closely follow the litigation, adding we cant make this any harder for people to vote.

It should be not this hard for someone to vote if they mess up a date, Swoboda said. Thats where we are coming from. Theres so many safeguards that are put in by the Centre County elections office, that are put in by the Department of State to make sure those people that get those absentee or mail-in ballots are registered voters.

A federal appeals court panel found in March that a requirement for Pennsylvania voters to put accurate handwritten dates on the outside envelopes of their mail-in ballots does not run afoul of a civil rights law.

A divided 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to uphold enforcement of the required date on return envelopes, a technical mandate that caused thousands of votes to be declared invalid in the 2022 election.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, which helped represent groups and voters who challenged the date mandate, told the Associated Press the ruling could mean thousands of votes wont be counted over what it believes is a meaningless error.

In Pennsylvania, Democrats have been far more likely to vote by mail than Republicans under an expansion of mail-in ballots enacted in 2019.
NEOSHO, Mo.  Local law enforcement agencies gather in Neosho to recognize Peace Officers Memorial Day.

The Newton County Sheriffs Office held a ceremony at the Lampo Center on Wednesday, with local law enforcement and emergency management officials in attendance, to honor those whove lost their lives in the line of duty.

Its important to honor the officers that have lost their lives but also honor the officers that still, every day, go out and do their job, said Sheriff Chris Jennings, Newton County Sheriffs Office.

Newton County Sheriff chaplains took time to read the names of 12 fallen officers each killed over the last year and were all based in either Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, or Arkansas.

The importance of this is not to forget. Not to forget, just like we do with our military people  dont forget the sacrifice that people have paid, for what we have here in our local law enforcement, just in our cities, our towns, our counties, our states, said Mark Taylor, Newton County Sheriffs Office chaplain.

Both Mark Taylor and Sheriff Jennings tell us this was the largest turnout theyve seen, in the long history of the event.

With Taylor adding, hes glad to see so many people, appreciating law enforcement.

Theres just so much that goes into law enforcement. The hours are strenuous and also the things that they have to see, that the common person in an 8-hour shift every day, they dont have to see those things, said Taylor.

Sheriff Jennings was also recognized for more than 44 years of service  ahead of his planned retirement, at the end of the year.

December 31st is my last day  that will be 44 and a half years in and its, I dont know. I just never thought about retirement until recently and its gonna be tough for me, said Jennings.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com.
Some North Atlantic Alliance members are openly discussing the prospect of deploying military instructors or contractors to Ukraine to train Ukrainian soldiers and assist with equipment repairs.

Source: The New York Times, as reported by European Pravda

Details: According to the NYT, Ukraine has asked the United States and other Allies to help train 150,000 Ukrainian troops closer to the front line to speed up their deployment.

The US military sources mentioned in the article said transferring exercises to Ukraine would allow American instructors to quickly gather information about changes taking place on the Ukrainian front, potentially allowing them to adapt their training.

However, the United States is being held back from taking this step because an attack on Allied trainers in Ukraine could lead to the invocation of NATO's collective defence article, as well as the need for enhanced air defence to protect them.

The NYT quoted an official as saying that one possible location for the exercises is Lviv, but this city has also been routinely targeted by Russian missiles.

Other officials cited in the article believe it is possible to train a significant number of Ukrainian recruits in training sites in Germany and Poland, as has been done thus far. However, deploying such a huge number of Ukrainian troops would necessitate extensive logistical operations.

As part of these discussions, the NYT says, "other NATO allies, including Britain, Germany and France, are working to base defence contractors in Ukraine to help build and repair weapons systems closer to the combat zone".

According to current and former US defence officials, the White House is reviewing its ban on US defence contractors entering Ukraine, despite the fact that a small number of contractors have already been cleared to work on specific weapons systems, including the Patriot air defence system, with State Department permission.

The debate about NATO troops on Ukrainian soil was sparked by French President Emmanuel Macron, who stated in February that he had asked Western nations to send troops to Ukraine.

Some countries, particularly the Baltic states, have officially backed or indicated interest in this idea. However, the vast majority, including the Alliance's Secretary General, have rejected it.

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By Mahamat Ramadane

N'DJAMENA (Reuters) -Chad's constitutional council confirmed Mahamat Idriss Deby as winner of the May 6 presidential election on Thursday after dismissing challenges by two losing candidates - cementing a victory that extended his family's decades-long rule.

Deby, who seized power the day rebels killed his father, President Idriss Deby, in 2021 and declared himself interim leader, won 61% of the vote, well ahead of second-placed candidate Succes Masra with 18.54%, the council said.

Opposition leader Masra acknowledged the council's ruling and did not say he would fight it.

"With the decision of the constitutional council today, we have used all available legal means, and even if we do not accept this decision, there are no other legal means in our judicial architecture," he said in a live address on Thursday evening.

The oil-producing country is the first of a string of coup-hit states in West and Central Africa's Sahel region to attempt a return to constitutional rule by holding elections.

It has remained a key Western ally in the fight against al Qaeda and Islamic State-linked insurgencies in the Sahel region, even as Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso kicked out Western forces and turned to Russia for support instead.

But Washington and former colonial power France have kept a wary eye since Chad's air force chief last month told the U.S. to halt activities at an air base, citing problems with paperwork. The U.S. announced a temporary withdrawal of at least some troops in response.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in a statement said Washington was concerned that thousands of civil society and opposition party observers were barred from observing the electoral process the day before the vote.

Miller also expressed concern that the transitional government was not fully inclusive in setting up the institutions responsible for organising the elections.

"Although there were troubling shortcomings, we welcome the milestones in Chad's transition process, including negotiating with insurgents, undertaking a National Dialogue, holding a constitutional referendum, and conducting a presidential election," he said.

Masra, who was appointed prime minister of a transitional government in January, on Monday lodged an appeal with the constitutional council to challenge preliminary results released last week.

He had claimed victory before the official announcement of preliminary results, alleging that electoral fraud was being planned.

Albert Pahimini Padacke, the other candidate who challenged the preliminary results, congratulated Deby on his win.

The constitutional council ruled that both complaints had lacked sufficient proof.

"In view of the votes cast on the occasion of the presidential election of May 6, Mahamat Idriss Deby having obtained ... more than the absolute majority of votes cast, that it is appropriate to declare him president-elect of the republic," the council's president, Jean-Bernard Padare, said.

Deby's victory prolongs the rule of the family that has had a firm grip on power since Deby's father took over in a coup in the early 1990s.

At least 10 people, including children, were killed and dozens were injured by celebratory gunfire on Friday following the announcement of the preliminary results, according to Amnesty International and Chadian media.

Another opposition figure who had been expected to run, Yaya Dillo, was shot and killed in N'Djamena on Feb. 28, the day the election date was announced. The opposition has called Dillo's death an assassination and forensic experts have said he was likely shot at point-blank range.

Before the election, some opposition parties and civil society groups had called for a boycott, saying Deby and his allies control the main institutions of power, including the constitutional council, and could influence the process.

Authorities banned the publication of polling station results.

(Reporting by Mahamat Ramadane and Bate Felix; Additional reporting by Daphne Psaledakis in Washington; Writing by Portia Crowe; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Nick Macfie and Alistair Bell)
Charlotte United Way leader leaving to take another top role in the community

Laura Yates Clark is resigning as president and CEO of the United Way of Greater Charlotte to become president of the Charlotte-based Foundation For The Carolinas.

The foundation, with nearly $4 billion in charitable assets, is one of the largest community foundations in the U.S.

Cathy Bessant, a former top leader at Bank of America before retiring in December, leads the foundation as CEO.

In a letter to United Way board members and staff Thursday, Clark said it is with mixed emotions that shes resigning effective June 30. She has worked for the United Way for 12 years, including the last six leading the organization.

During her tenure, she said in the letter, the United Way underwent tremendous change, including the launch of three community initiatives: United Neighborhoods, Unite Charlotte, and A Home For All.

She and other United Way leaders helped re-brand the organization, stabilize and diversify revenues and modernize and streamline operations, she said.

We did this during a time of great upheaval in the country, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the racial unrest and reckoning following the murder of George Floyd, Clark said.

These seismic events shaped the future of the organization and, as a result, our funding to grassroots and neighborhood-based organizations has expanded as has our funding to organizations led by people of color.

She thanked her board and staff. It has been a gift to work with such an extraordinary group of people, she said. Change is always hard, but I have complete confidence in the future of the organization and look forward to supporting it in my new role.

In an interview with The Charlotte Observer, Clark said she also wanted to express my gratitude to the community for supporting the United Way. That support is critical and so needed, she said.

The United Way board intends to name an interim CEO by July 1 and is forming a search committee, she said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) says safety is a top priority ahead of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) this summer, amid concerns that anti-war protests similar to those in 1968 could take hold in his city.

In an interview on MSNBC this week with Al Sharpton, Johnson expressed confidence that the Windy City is prepared to host the convention in late August.

My vision for this convention is to ensure that we have a peaceful, but yet energetic and vibrant, convention. Im confident that the city of Chicago will showcase its beauty and of course, the soul, the soul of Chicago, Johnson said.

Im very much confident that were going to have a peaceful, safe, energetic, vibrant convention thats going to propel President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris back to the White House to continue to serve the people of this country, he added.

The convention this summer will serve as a test for Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D), as protesters of the Biden administrations handling of Israels war with Hamas already have set their eyes on the event.

The Chicago DNC has the potential to draw comparisons to the chaos of the 1968 one, when police in the city battled those protesting the Vietnam War right outside the convention hall.

The Secret Service has already been working for months with local and state law enforcement agencies to prepare for the DNC, and agency spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said he is confident they were prepared.

The Secret Service is satisfied, based on our manpower briefing, that Chicago is well-prepared from a staffing perspective to handle safety and security of the event, Guglielmi said in a statement to NBC News.

DNC spokesperson Emily Soong said in a statement earlier this month that Johnson and Pritzker have been invaluable partners in planning a safe and successful convention.

Johnson similarly touted the work city officials have done with the Secret Service in preparing for the summer event, in the recent interview.

What Im very confident in is that working with local police departments, the Secret Service, as well as other local law enforcement, were going to ensure that the people who will descend on the greatest city in the world that they will see, again, the soul of Chicago, which really embodies the full spirit of what the Biden-Harris administration has been about, he said, adding, protecting workers rights, protecting reproductive rights, fighting to make sure that people have an opportunity to receive an education without going into extreme debt.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Ulviyya Shahin

Azerbaijan's ambassador to Bulgaria Huseyn Huseynov met with the country's deputy foreign minister Ivan Kondov, Azernews reports.

The Azerbaijani diplomat shared a post about this on his X social media account.

I thank Mr. Ivan Kondov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, for friendly and fruitful meeting at the MFA Bulgaria. Discussed in detail the issues of Azerbaijan-Bulgaria current bilateral agenda, including further development of cooperation in energy diversification, green transition, connectivity, innovation, business and people-to-people contacts, the ambassador stated.




The British Chamber of Commerce in Azerbaijan (BCCA) has announced the winner of this year's prestigious Robin Bennett Award. The award recognizes exceptional efforts in strengthening business relations between Azerbaijan and the UK. This year, the honor has been bestowed upon Turgay Teymurov, Assurance Partner at EY Azerbaijan.

During the award presentation, BCCA Chairman John Paterson OBE remarked, "I am thrilled that we have continued to honour individuals over the years who have made significant contributions to business and community development. This year's award goes to someone who has served on the Board of the British Business Group for over a decade, contributing significantly to the enhancement of business relations between Azerbaijan and the UK. His efforts have been pivotal in the successful transition of the BBG to the British Chamber of Commerce in Azerbaijan."

Upon accepting the award, Turgay Teymurov expressed his gratitude to the BCCA Board, saying, "I would like to extend my sincere thanks to John Paterson OBE and all the Board members for honoring me with this significant award. I am more than happy to advocate for the business communities of Azerbaijan and the UK and to provide broader support to the business climate of our countries. At EY, we are committed to building what we call a 'better working world.' I firmly believe that our continued efforts will make Azerbaijan even more attractive to foreign investors, including British companies and entrepreneurs."

About the Robin Bennett Award

The Robin Bennett Award was established in memory of Robin Bennett (1942-2011), a Partner at EY Azerbaijan and one of the founders of the British Business Group (BBG). The award continues to honor his legacy by recognizing those who significantly contribute to the business relationship between the UK and Azerbaijan.

About EY

EY is a global leader in assurance, consulting, strategy and transactions, and tax services. The insights and quality services that EY delivers helps build trust and confidence in the capital markets and economies around the world. EY develops outstanding leaders who team to deliver on its promises to all its stakeholders. In doing so, EY plays a critical role in building a better working world for its people, its clients, and the communities.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (NEXSTAR)  Members of the Chicago Teachers Union came to Springfield Wednesday to lobby for more money for Chicago Public Schools.

They said the state owes Chicago Public Schools $1 billion. That number comes from the amount of money the states evidence-based funding formula says the district needs to be fully funded.

The Evidence-Based Funding formula disperses money based on how far away a school is from its adequacy target, or how much money it needs to be adequately funded. If the school is further away from that benchmark, then it will get a bigger cut of the states allocated education funding.

The demand comes as lawmakers are in the final two weeks of negotiating a budget. The governor proposed only a $350 million increase to K-12 schools across all of Illinois during his February budget proposal. That is the amount the state agreed to ramp up spending by each year when the Evidence-Based Funding Formula was first passed.

Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson first claimed the state owed CPS $1 billion last week prior to visiting Springfield.

Chicago mayors bumpy first year tests progressive credentials, puzzling some supporters

Pritzkers office defended its record of sticking to the funding ramp. They released information showing that funding for CPS from the state has increased by 14 percent since he has been in office. Chicago Public Schools also went from a Tier 1 to a Tier 2 School District under the formula, showing a significant improvement toward that fully funded mark.

Senate Republicans criticized the Chicago Teachers Union this week. They called the lobbying day a taxpayer-funded paid vacation since it took place on a school day.

It flies in the face of a taxpayer when they say we are paying for the teachers union to have the day off and advocate in Springfield, Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) said.

ISBE to fund $3 million for computer education

But the Chicago Teachers Union pushed back on that, saying their calls will help the students the most.

We came down here because it is disrupting our schools, Eric Waller, a member of the Chicago Teachers Union said. We are all from different schools. This is not some figment of our imagination. So yeah we are going to take that one day to come down here and advocate for our children, because they deserve it.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.
Chickasha man arrested in connection with shooting deaths of parents and sister

A Chickasha man has been arrested in connection with the shooting deaths of his parents and sister.

Authorities have arrested a Chickasha man in connection with the shooting deaths of his parents and sister.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation arrested Jacob Mayhugh, 22, on three complaints of murder in the first degree.

Records show Mayhugh was booked into the Grady County jail early Wednesday. Bond was not yet set.

On May 11, two women and a man were found dead from gunshot wounds inside a Chickasha home.

The victims were identified by police as Mayhughs parents and sister  James and Patty Mayhugh, ages 55 and 54, and Shayla Mayhugh, 28.

The bodies were found after the Chickasha Police Department received a 911 call in reference to shell casings found on the front porch and three people possibly dead inside a home in the 1000 block of S Sixth Street.

More: Authorities seaching for person of interest after triple homicide in Chickasha

Police requested aid from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. After knocking on the door, authorities forced their way into the home. Inside, authorities found an AR-15-style gun lying near the entryway, the OSBI said.

Agents later identified the serial number on the weapon as matching one allegedly purchased by Jacob Mayhugh on April 25 at a Chickasha store. Mayhugh is alleged to have also purchased a 9mm pistol.

Both weapons were located inside the residence, according to the affidavit. Investigators also found several spent shell casings.

Patty Mayhugh was found dead near the doorway, according to the affidavit. James Mayhugh was found dead on the living room floor. Shayla Mayhugh was found dead near her father.

During the investigation, the Oklahoma City Police Departments Violent Criminal Apprehension Team checked surveillance cameras in the Oklahoma City area and located the gray 2000 GMC Yukon that Jacob Mayhugh was known to drive.

More: Oklahoma grapples with American phenomenon of family annihilation: What we can learn

The vehicle allegedly was observed several times throughout Oklahoma City from 6:44 p.m. the night before the homicides until May 11 when it was found about 4:30 p.m. parked and locked near the intersection of S Walker and W California avenues.

Cameras recorded a man parking the vehicle and walking away just after 7 p.m. the night before.

Mayhughs girlfriend identified him as the man who walked away from the vehicle, according to the affidavit.

Using a search warrant for the vehicle, an OSBI agent found a black cellphone in a pink case, a black wallet containing an Oklahoma driver's license for Mayhugh, $738 in cash, car keys to the vehicle and two loaded AR-15-style magazines with writing on them in white paint.

At the homicide scene, the AR-15-style magazine also had white paint writing on it, according to the affidavit.

On Tuesday, the OSBI arrested Mayhugh in downtown Oklahoma City.

Authorities did not specify details of the arrest.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Chickasha man accused of killing parents, sister at home
Chinese military personnel head to a field to participate in the Golden Dragon military exercise in Svay Chok village, Kampong Chhnang province, north of Phnom Penh Cambodia, Thursday, May 16, 2024. Cambodia and China on Thursday kicked off their annual Golden Dragon military exercise to strengthen cooperation and exchange military experiences. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

SVAY CHOK, Cambodia (AP)  Cambodia and China began 15-day military exercises on Thursday as questions grow about Beijing's increasing influence in the Southeast Asian nation.

About 1,315 Cambodian military personnel and 760 Chinese are participating in the regular Golden Dragon ground and sea maneuvers, including three Chinese and 11 Cambodian ships.

As the first stage of the exercises got underway at a Cambodian military base with a forested and mountainous training area about 90 kilometers (55 miles) northwest of Phnom Penh, Cambodian army commander in chief Gen. Vong Pisen thanked China for providing new equipment and helping to upgrade military facilities, including the Ream Naval Base.

The United States and others have worried that China's involvement in building a new pier at the Ream base could lead to it becoming a new outpost for the Chinese navy at a strategically important location on the Gulf of Thailand. As the Golden Dragon exercises began, two Chinese warships had been docked at the pier for more than five months, stoking those concerns.

Cambodia has insisted, however, that its constitution prohibits the deployment of foreign military forces on its territory, and the Defense Ministry said the two Chinese corvettes were just testing the pier and were on hand to participate in the Golden Dragon exercises, whose second phase will include maritime maneuvers near the Ream base.

Vong Pisen, speaking alongside Adm. Gao Xiucheng from the Chinese military's Southern Theater Command, underscored Cambodia's official position, saying the country would not allow any foreign military base on our territory.

At the same time, he acknowledged China's contribution to helping Cambodia upgrade its military capabilities and said the exercises would help build deeper cooperation and trust between the forces of the two countries.

The two military officers inspected troops and an array of armored fighting vehicles, artillery and other equipment ahead of the start of the maneuvers.

The Golden Dragon exercises have been held on a regular basis since 2016, around the same time that Cambodia canceled similar exercises with the United States known as Angkor Sentinel.

Cambodia is Chinas closest ally in Southeast Asia, while China is Cambodias most important ally and benefactor, with a strong influence on its economy.

Beyond military projects, China funds numerous others in Cambodia  particularly infrastructure, including airports and roads, but also private projects such as hotels, casinos and property development. More than 40% of Cambodias $10 billion in foreign debt is owed to China.

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Rising reported from Bangkok.
May 16 (UPI) -- China launched a program allowing visa-free entry for tourists on cruise ships in group tours for 15 days or less in a bid to boost its post-pandemic economy.

The government announced the new rules on Wednesday, allowing visa-free entry at ports in 13 cities including Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Dalian, Shenzhen and Qingdao for groups that arrive via Chinese travel agencies and have at least two people.

These visitors must also travel between ports on the same cruise ship until it leaves the country, although they are permitted to travel from the ports to Beijing as well as coastal areas.

Chinese officials called the move "an important measure to promote" China after the pandemic. They said in a statement that it "further reflects our country's determination and attitude to fully deepen reform and opening up."

China also made seven new cruise ports valid entry points for tourists from countries already eligible for visa-free travel.

China allows visa-free travelers from certain countries to stay there up to 144 hours. Officials added Norway to one of 54 countries eligible for visa-free travel in November. Tourists are allowed to visit 20 cities, including the capital of Beijing.

France, Germany, Italy and Spain are other European countries that are part of the "whitelist." One country that is not is neighbor Japan, which has blacklisted its residents since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A total of 35 million foreign travelers made their way to China in 2023, less than half of the pre-pandemic totals of 97 million.
China and Russia insist on "political" solution to war in Ukraine  Xi Jinping

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has said during a press conference with Russian leader Vladimir Putin that China and Russia support a political settlement of the war in Ukraine, which was unleashed by Russia under Putin's leadership.

Source: BBC; The Telegraph

Details: Putin is currently on a visit to China and has met with Xi Jinping.

The two leaders signed a joint declaration and held a press conference to discuss deepening ties between China and Russia and cooperation in trade and major foreign policy issues.

In particular, they discussed the Russian-Ukrainian war, which China refers to as a "crisis".

Without giving any details of next steps, Xi Jinping said that China and Russia insist on a "political solution" to the war in Ukraine, while Putin expressed appreciation for China's "efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis".

Putin also said he would brief Xi on the situation on the battlefield.

Xi's statement comes amid Western concerns that China is strengthening Russia's economy and supplying arms components for the war against Ukraine.

Putin said on Thursday 16 May that the closed military-political partnership in the Asia-Pacific region was "harmful".

Trade between China and Russia is booming. China has become a major export market for energy supplies that keep money flowing into the Kremlin's coffers.

Xi and Putin and their delegations held about 45 minutes of talks. At the press conference, Putin said that the discussions were "warm and friendly", demonstrating the importance of the relationship between the two countries.

The Russian leader said that both countries are working to create a "multipolar world" and that many of their approaches to global and regional issues are similar.

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(FOX40.COM)  The California Highway Patrol will conduct a sobriety checkpoint in Sacramento County on the night of Friday, May 17.

The CHP has not said the precise location of the checkpoint but specified that it will be from 8 p.m. to midnight within an unincorporated part of the county.

Why does California law enforcement announce DUI checkpoints?

The CHPs goal is to ensure the safe passage of each and every motorist by targeting roads where there is a high frequency of impaired driving-related arrests and/or traffic crashes, a statement from the agency reads.

The checkpoint is being organized through funds from a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.

In California, law enforcement agencies are required to send a public notice before sobriety checkpoints, but the precise location does not need to be released.

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CHICAGO  Theyve begun to emerge. And theyre going to make their presence very much known.



In Illinois, two broods of periodical cicadas are coming out. In central and southern Illinois, its the 13-year cicadas. In central and northern parts of the state, its the 17-year cicadas. Together, it means billions of them will be making that signature buzzing and clicking.

And it can be loud. When they emerged three years ago, readings put the high-pitched sound in the 90 to 100 decibels range. By comparison, that can be as loud as a lawnmower, hairdryer or motorcycle. Still, your exposure to them is unlikely to cause hearing loss, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

What exactly IS that sound?

In short, the buzz is the male cicadas looking to find a mate. Arizona State University explains it this way:

Both sides of their thoraxes have thin, ridged areas of their exoskeletons called tymbals. Tymbals are made of a rubbery substance called resilin. The cicadas vibrate their tymbals very fast using muscles in their bodies. With every vibration, a sound wave is released, and cicadas can send out 300-400 sound waves per second!  The abdomen of male cicadas are almost completely hollow. When sound waves from the tymbals enter this hollow area, they bounce around. This can change the sound, make the sound louder, or both.

Females also emit a sound to attract males, but its a clicking sound from their wings.

When are they the loudest?

It depends on the weather conditions. Theres a just-right Goldilocks zone when you can expect them to be at their loudest.

Generally speaking, youll hear them the loudest on warm, sunny, dry days with a calm wind.

MORE CICADA COVERAGE:

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN)  Go outside and youll hear them: Millions of cicadas are expected to stick around Tennessee until mid to late June. However, until they go away, many people are wondering if cicadas are safe for dogs to eat.

Cicadas arent poisonous and they dont bite or sting. However, the American Kennel Club urges owners to take precautions so your dogs dont overindulge in eating them. Thats because dogs can run into problems with digestion. Cicadas have a hard exoskeleton and stiff wings and that can lead to digestive issues.

MORE: Is it safe for pets to eat cicadas?

News 2 talked with staff at Williamson County Animal Center (WCAC) on what to look out for.

If theyre more interested in the live cicadasjust watch them for that vomiting and diarrhea. Theyre just crunching on the shells, said Danielle Nunnery, a vet technician with WCAC. Theyre kind of soft, especially after the rain and the humidity, so thats probably nothing to worry about there. Itll pass on its own.

SEE ALSO: Cicadas could threaten survival rate of trees, experts warn

If you suspect your furry friend ate too many cicadas, WCAC staff members recommend contacting your veterinarian.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
CICERO, Ill.  The Town of Cicero passed an ordinance Tuesday that will ban the sale of all liquor after midnight.

The new law will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025. The town currently has 110 establishments with liquor licenses that will be impacted by the ban.

President Larry Dominick cited violence, loud noises and disruptions to neighbors as the reason behind the ordinance change. The president said the establishments are not doing enough to prevent these problems from occurring, which are typically after midnight.

We continue to have problems with several of the businesses that sell liquor including several bars and several restaurants and these problems have been placing a strain on our police department, siphoning resources away from addressing other safety issues, said Dominick.

Previously, bars in Cicero could serve alcohol until 2 a.m. Under the new ordinance, the sale of all alcohol, open or packaged, is prohibited after midnight.

Johnsons community-led plan to address Chicago crime and violence, but whats the role for police?

Dominick said he would organize a meeting to hear solutions to the problem from bar and restaurant owners.

Cicero, which is located west of Chicago, has some 84,000 residents according to the US Census.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. Governor-General of Tuvalu, Prime Minister of Tonga, Foreign Minister of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas adopt Baku Communique, Trend reports.

On May 13, Tofiga Falani, Governor-General of Tuvalu, Siaosi Ofakivahafolau Sovaleni Huakavameiliku, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Tonga, and Frederick Audley Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, visited Azerbaijan to deliberate on the global climate as well as the COP29 priorities of these countries. Received by President Ilham Aliyev, the delegation congratulated Azerbaijan on assuming the COP29 presidency, expressing their support for the country in this honorable and responsible role.

Following the meeting, the top officials of the three states most affected by climate change due to their geographical location issued the Baku communique.

The communique extends gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for his attentiveness within the framework of the COP29 Presidency to the challenges encountered by small island developing states. It expresses confidence that COP29 will serve as an inclusive, transparent, and neutral platform.

The communique underlined the adverse impacts of climate change, which affect livelihoods, security, and well-being of people and the ecosystem and impede progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement.

We emphasize the importance of strengthening peace, relief, and recovery aiming at increased climate resilience and welcome an inclusive approach by the COP29 Presidency on these matters, the statement reads.

The communique commended the cooperation and dialogue between the small island states, whose existential threat is increasingly threatened by global warming and COP29. It also made a call for increasing resilience to climate change, taking urgent global action, and strengthening solidarity.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
The City of Beaufort passes hate crime ordinance. But how far can it go without state law?

The city of Beaufort passed a hate crime ordinance Tuesday, joining 13 other municipalities in the state, including Bluffton. But without a state-wide hate crime law, prosecution at the local level can only go so far.

The ordinance passed by Beaufort is identical to the one passed by Bluffton in October. The ordinance adds a new charge, hate intimidation. The charge will act as an additional offense when race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental disability, or national origin of any person is believed to have motivated a primary charge, such as assault or vandalism.

A hate intimation charge considered a misdemeanor, can add as much as $500 in fines or up to 30 more days of imprisonment.

This is long overdue, said City Councilman Neil Lipsitz in a press release. We hope that by joining the other 12 municipalities in South Carolina in passing a hate crime ordinance, we are sending a clear message to Columbia that it is time for action by our state legislators to pass a similar measure for inclusion in the South Carolina Code.

The City of Beaufort and the Town of Bluffton are the only municipalities in Beaufort County to have adopted the hate crime charge. But prosecution of the charge could get a bit tricky.

The limits to the local laws

The charge couldnt be applied to any case that would be prosecuted by the 14th Circuit Solicitors Office, as without a state-wide law, the solicitor would have no avenue to pursue charges. So if a murder in Beaufort or Bluffton was deemed to be a hate crime, the solicitor could only take the murder charge and not the hate intimidation charge, according to Jeff Kidd, spokesperson for the 14th Circuit.

In that case, it would be entirely up to the municipality to further pursue the hate intimidation charge with their own prosecution, likely having to hire a prosecutor, Kidd said.

The additional charge is most likely to be added to crimes that can be prosecuted at the municipal level. For instance vandalism.

The City of Beaufort would not prosecute a hate intimidation charge on its own, City Manager Scott Marshall said.

The charge has not been applied to anyone in the Town of Bluffton since the ordinance was adopted, Bluffton Police Chief Joe Babkiewicz confirmed.

But Ordinances like these are typically aimed at pressuring state lawmakers into passing similar legislation. South Carolina and Wyoming are the only two U.S. state legislatures that havent passed hate crime bills.

A bill was in consideration in the SC Senate, after passing through the House last year, but failed to get enough senators in the republican caucus to support taking the bill up for discussion, according to South Carolina State Sen. Tom Davis (R-Beaufort).

Its an expression of municipalities, local government saying this is something thats important to our constituents, and its a way of signaling to the legislature that this is something thats important that the legislature needs to take up, Davis said.

Beauforts City Manager, Scott Marshall, corroborated.

I think the major impetus in passing it is the fact that South Carolina is only one of two states in our Union that does not have a hate crime law on the books. Thats not a good look for us, he said. Yes, they believe in the hate crime ordinance and think its important. But whats more important is sending a message to the General Assembly that were tired of waiting for you.

Davis said he believes a lot of the opposition to a hate crime bill stems from a misconstruing of what it would do.

This isnt about criminalizing thought, Davis said. Theres got to be an existing crime. In certain crimes, certain instances, certain motivating factors and certain unique circumstances are deserving of enhancing the penalty. And that is nothing new. We do that in the code now.

The fact that we havent (passed a hate crime bill), we stick out. I think it causes people in other parts of the country to look at South Carolina, and to draw what I think are unreasonable inferences about the people of South Carolina.
Proposals to boost Naples police, fire services could get costly for property owners

Naples police grew by two recently after City Council approved their request to reactivate the department's K9 unit with furry assistants Max and Tessa.

The city of Naples is looking at ways to boost public safety.

It could come at a hefty price.

On Monday, city council heard detailed proposals to increase spending to improve police and fire services for residents, businesses and visitors alike.

The proposals, presented by the police and fire chiefs, will cost millions and could result in big increases in the city's millage  or property tax  rates over the next three years.

The city still has one of the lowest tax rates in the state.

The city raised its tax rate for its general fund to 1.17 mills this year, from 1.15 last year, despite hearing opposition from some city residents, who asked for a break. Spending for public safety comes from the fund.

One mill equates to $1 for every $1,000 worth of a property's assessed, or taxable, value (after adjustments, such as the homestead exemption for primary residents).

Council did not take action on the dual spending proposals, but it expressed support for funding increases for public safety in general, saying they're long overdue  and stressing it's a top priority.

Berne Barton, one of three new council members, said a tax increase could be a "hard pill to swallow," but it's most likely necessary to fund what's needed and expected in the city moving forward.

"We have to do something. There is no more kicking the can down the road," he said.

Others on council agreed.

Decisions aren't expected to be made until the fall, when budgeting for next year comes into greater focus.

The chiefs discussed the past, present and future of their departments at the workshop.

"This is just the beginning of this conversation," said Mayor Teresa Heitmann after the formal presentations.

The facts, she said, are staring council in the face, showing a need to invest more money in public safety, to keep the city's designation as one of the safest in the country.

The recently updated list of Safest Places to Live in the U.S. named Naples No. 1 because of its low crime rate.

"If we aren't looking at the future, then shame on us," Heitmann said.

More: City Council approves tax increase in Naples for 2024, despite opposition

More: Naples City Council supports property tax increase for 2024 to offset higher operating costs

More like this: Collier board votes to roll back property rates, and cut money for Conservation Collier

Here's the initial look at what's proposed by the department chiefs to improve police and fire services, starting in fiscal 2025:

What's the latest on police spending?

Police Chief Ciro Dominguez presented a plan to increase staffing, equipment and vehicles.

In total, the proposal would add 29 police officers, four community service aids, one crime research analyst and four dispatchers.

The number of officers would grow from 72 to 100. Total employment would increase from 113 to 150.

Including salaries, vehicles and equipment, the plan would cost an additional $2.58 million in 2025, $2.14 million in 2026 and $1.37 million in 2027.

On top of that, Dominguez pitched giving officers take-home vehicles, as many other police departments do in Southwest Florida, and elsewhere in the state. There are proven benefits to the perk including higher officer morale, and less wear and tear and fewer miles logged on the patrol cars, he said.

Such a program can enhance community safety, response times and overall efficiency, with the ability to deploy officers more quickly and directly to the scene, and the opportunity to increase police visibility in the city, and beyond it, Dominguez said.

Naples Police Chief Ciro Dominguez closes his eyes as the national anthem is performed during a fallen officer memorial service hosted by the Collier County Sheriffs Office at the Collier County South Regional Library in Naples on Wednesday, May 8, 2024.

Over three years, the program would require the purchase of 44 cars for existing and new officers. The total cost: More than $4.2 million.

The plan in its entirety will help the city correct the mistakes of the past and prepare for the future, Dominguez said.

Doing nothing, he said, is never the right thing, especially in a changing world, with more crime knocking at the door.

From 2022 to 2024, the police department hired 36 new officers, but it lost 25 of them in those same years, which it then had to replace. Many left for better pay and benefits elsewhere, including assigned cars, Dominguez said.

"I don't want to train them for another agency," he said.

On the job since October, Dominguez said he'd worked closely with the city manager and many others in his department on the strategic plan.

Will spending on fire services increase along with higher number of service calls?

Fire chief Phillip Pennington presented a plan to increase staffing, pointing out that it isn't much different today than in 1991, when service calls weren't nearly as high in the city.

In 1991, the department had about 1,900 calls, compared to 7,490 last year.

Over three years, Pennington's proposal would add 12 firefighters, along with another six firefighters for transport, plus two battalion chiefs, a division chief and three fire prevention officers. The total cost: More than $3.69 million.

Excluding the new transport service and its crew, the price tag would run about $2.93 million, Pennington said.

A transport fee would help offset the cost of offering the service, he emphasized.

Currently, the department has 54 employees who can staff a fire truck. The plan would increase that number to 72 by 2027.

In total, the employee count would rise from 70 to 95 in three years.

Now, employees often work overtime because there aren't enough of them to go around, and when they work overtime, they don't have a good work-life balance, which can cause them to leave their jobs, Pennington said.

Having more employees, he said, would help reduce the department's overtime costs, as well.

City of Naples Fire Chief Phillip Pennington waves to spectators during the Fifth Avenue South Christmas parade in Naples on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023.

The number of city events that require its services has grown exponentially  to about 140 a year, putting more pressure on both the fire and police departments.

The airport has also gotten a lot busier, leading to more calls for emergency assistance.

Growth on the city's borders is driving more incidents in the city, and beyond, where the department often responds to calls, through a sharing agreement.

"More people are coming into our city," Pennington said.

While others who have worked in his position may have been afraid to ask for what they truly need, Pennington, who has been in the role for less than a year, assured he's not.

"The worst you can tell me is no," he told council.

He added that he'd never ask for anything frivolous, only what he saw as critical. He too worked with the city manager and coworkers to develop his strategic plan.

With a larger staff, he said his department could be more proactive than reactive in preventing fires and reducing medical and other emergency calls, through education and training. One area of focus, for example, might be on teaching about fall prevention.

Tax increases could spur debate

At least one city council member signaled he wouldn't support a tax increase to finance the proposals.

While he agreed the investments are long overdue, Councilman Terry Hutchison said any and all other funding options should be explored, including potentially raising the city's fees for builders and developers and special events, increasing code enforcement fines, or tapping other taxes, such as those charged on overnight stays by visitors, or on jet fuel at the city's airport.

He voted against a property tax increase this year, finding himself in the minority.

When it comes to public safety, he emphasized it's important to make sure the system is built to last.

"We can either tell time, or we can build the clock ... Let's build it and get it right," Hutchison said.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples proposals to boost public safety come with a hefty price tag
'Clapping': Babysitter Claimed Girl, 5, Fell Down Stairs. Then Police Learned How She Really Died

Cheri Marler, 53, was convicted on May 10 of murdering and abusing Annabelle Noles, who was killed in Nov. 2022

Lincoln County Sheriffs Office Cheri Marler

Content warning: The following article contains disturbing descriptions of child abuse.

A Wyoming woman has been convicted of killing a 5-year-old girl she was babysitting after initially telling police the child fell down the stairs, say authorities.

On May 10, a jury in the Lincoln County District Court found Cheri Marler, 53, of Kemmerer, guilty of first-degree murder and child abuse in the 2022 death of Annabelle Noles, Cowboy State Daily reports.

Marler faces life in prison without parole when she is sentenced.

Marler, who had been babysitting Annabelle and her sister for a several weeks, called 911 at about 3;40 p.m, on Nov. 25, 2022, about an unresponsive child, police said, the Star Valley Independent reports.

Marler told officers that Annabelle had fallen down the stairs, court records show, Cowboy State Daily reports.

The child was rushed to a local hospital for treatment and then airlifted to Primary Childrens Hospital in Utah.

Annabelle had a broken back, bleeding in the brain and extensive cuts and bruising that indicated new and previous injuries, a doctor at the local hospital testified, according to the Uinta County Herald.

Annabelle died the next day. Marler was arrested shortly after and charged with first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse.

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When Marler spoke to the Kemmerer police chief on Nov. 26, 2022, after Annabelle died, she admitted that she had slapped and hit the girl up to 10 times in a clapping motion, according to an affidavit obtained by Cowboy State Daily.

Marler told the chief how she was clapping her hands with the childs head in the middle, the affidavit says.

Annabelle went to lie down into another room, where Marler found her unconscious, the affidavit says.

The day before, she told police she had beaten Annabelle with kitchen utensils, the affidavit says.

Eventually, she succumbed to these fatal injuries. Her deep brain injury was a result of blunt force trauma, not just contact injuries, Dr. Ruiz-Maldonado testified, according to the Uinta County Herald.

On the stand, Marler denied harming Annabelle.

Marler will be sentenced at a later date.

Her attorney did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.



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Cleanup ongoing at site of tanker explosion at Royal Chemical in Macedonia

[Watch previous FOX 8 News coverage in the player above.]

MACEDONIA, Ohio (WJW)  Crews continue to clean up after a sodium hydroxide explosion Wednesday at a chemical plant near Interstate 271.

At about 11:40 a.m., a tanker truck loaded with the highly caustic material exploded while parked outside Royal Chemical Company along South Freeway Drive, injuring three people, according to fire officials.

Explosion at Royal Chemical Company injures 3 in Macedonia

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Two people suffered critical injuries. One person remains in the hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to a Thursday update from the city. Their names have not been released.

The cause of the blast has yet to be determined.

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Father and daughter killed in deadly Ohio house explosion, police say

Macedonia firefighters arrived to find the tanker ripped in half, part of it flung inside the building, and debris strewn across the property and roof, according to the release.

A Summit County hazardous materials team contained the chemical spill.

Freeway Drive was closed for most of the day, reopening just before 8:30 p.m., according to the release.

The Cleveland-based EnviroServe is now heading up cleanup and recovery at the site, under a plan approved by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, according to the release. A drainage ditch on the buildings east side is expected to be cleaned and other vehicles parked nearby are expected to be decontaminated.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  Arkansas middle school students were at the Clinton Library on Wednesday competing in the states first-ever 2024 National Civics Bee state finals.

The event was emceed by KARK 4 News reporter Samantha Boyd.

Searcy High School celebrating 15 students scoring above 30 on ACT

A group of nine students competed in the competition.

They answered some tough trivia questions about state government, history and even presented their own ideas on how to better the communities.

Joah Smith from Ozark Middle School was the winner, taking home a first-place prize of $1,000.

Pine Bluff Junior High teacher recognized, school receiving $10,000 technology grant

Smith will next be heading to Washington D.C. for the national round in December.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
CLIO, S.C. (WBTW)  The town of Clio in Marlboro has appointed a new police chief to replace former chief Jamal Douglas, who was the subject of an investigation for allegedly allowing uncertificated members of the department to work alone and falsifying or not properly completing required paperwork.

Mayor Adam Pate confirmed the appointment of Ryan Rummage, who has worked for several South Carolina law enforcement agencies since 2015 when he was hired by the Bennettsville Police Department.

According to South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy records, Rummage joined the Clio police force in April. Prior to that, he worked for the Bennettsville, McColl and Society Hill departments, along with the Marlboro County Sheriffs Office.

Pate said in January that the department was operating with three officers and that Douglas was the only certified officer; others members of the department at the time were scheduled to go to the state training academy to take their certification classes.

* * *

Dennis Bright is a Digital Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on, Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Closing some Broward schools? Heres why they could get new life as charter schools

Some schools may be on the Broward School Districts chopping block in the few years, but that doesnt necessarily mean students wont be able to get an education there.

These campuses could get a second life as a charter school, due to a state law that gives charter schools access to surplus properties as well as zoning restrictions that could a restrict a school site from being used for non-educational reasons.

A state law that hasnt been discussed during the districts Redefining Our Schools efforts would give charter schools access to facilities the district no longer needs. The statute has been in effect for more than 25 years but has rarely been used, experts say.

But at least one operator of charter schools, the city of Pembroke Pines, is discussing the possibility of using that law to acquire district schools. The state statute is very, very important to us, Thomas Good, vice mayor of Pembroke Pines, told the City Commission at a May 1 meeting.

The law states if a district school board facility or property is available because it is surplus, marked for disposal, or otherwise unused, it shall be provided for a charter schools use on the same basis as it is made available to other public schools in the district.

The district would still own the property and would serve as the landlord to the charter school, which would be required to maintain the facility in a manner similar to district school board standards.

The law could hinder the districts ability to sell school sites to deal with budget problems. The district also risks losing more state money if a charter school were to replace an existing school, since funding for any students enrolled would go to the charter school.

I think thats why you see theres not a whole lot of closures, School Board member Debbi Hixon told the South Florida Sun Sentinel earlier this month.

Zoning restrictions could also require properties to remain schools, even if they are no longer owned by the school district.

Earlier this month, the district proposed closing Oakridge Elementary in Hollywood and making that space available for affordable housing, but the Hollywood City Commission opposed that idea. The Oakridge site is currently zoned for government use, but city commissioners said at a May 1 meeting the property could be zoned so that it can only be used for a school, even if the district were to dispose of the site.

We have land use and zoning authority in our city, and if educational land use is the use we want, we dont need to own the property to ensure the one and only use is that, Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy said at a May 1 meeting.

The districts initial plan also proposed closing two other schools in the 2025-26 school year: Olsen Middle in Dania Beach and Broward Estates Elementary in Lauderhill.

Schools Superintendent Howard Hepburn decided  after two weeks of town halls  not to recommend any school closures for the 2025-26 school year. However, the School Board on Tuesday rejected that plan and asked Hepburn to bring back options for closing eight schools either in the fall of 2025 or the fall of 2026, depending on how quickly the district can get community input.

Although the district has proposed no school closures in Pembroke Pines, Good said the statute could be useful to the city in the future. If they decide to surplus one of their schools, because were a charter school, we can actually take possession of one of those schools by statute, Good told the commission.

Some board members have expressed an interest in closing up to 42 schools within the next few years so that the capacity of district schools matches actual enrollment. The district has about 54,000 empty seats, disproportionately located in the south part of the county.

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Good told the Sun Sentinel the city is not trying to take over these schools, and most city commissioners have voiced opposition to the district closing schools. But if the district were to close them anyways, wed like to continue to provide education for our neighborhoods. We dont want those schools to go away.

The A-rated Pembroke Pines charter school system is a popular option for students in the south end of of the county, serving about 6,000 students with a waiting list of about 5,000. It was created in the late 1990s after the school district was slow to build new schools to accommodate explosive growth in Pembroke Pines area.

The school district caught up in the 2000s, but then many other charter schools started opening the area, including Franklin Academy, Somerset Academy and Renaissance Charter School at Pines. Thats resulted in many district-run schools in the city being underenrolled. The district-run Pines Middle is the lowest enrolled school in the county at 34.5%.

Lynn Norman-Teck, executive director of the Florida Charter School Alliance, a membership group, didnt respond to requests either in February or this week asking whether charter schools are interested in schools vacated by the district. But she expressed interest in 2020, when the district was also discussing whether to close schools.

Charter schools would happily lease that facility, where the community is happy and the district is happy. Its a win-win, Norman-Teck said in February 2020. A parent doesnt really care who is running the school. They just want a great school.

Board member Torey Alston, one of the more charter-school-friendly members on the School Board, said hes open to this use for district property that may not be needed.

District surplus property is just that. Surplus items should be available to the business community if the district expresses the need to remove the property from our inventory, he told the Sun Sentinel. If there was an opportunity for the City of Pembroke Pines or anyone else, that shows a level playing field.

Hepburn told the Sun Sentinel on May 9 the possibility of charter schools taking over district schools did not factor into his initial recommendations. He said he proposed keeping all Pembroke Pines schools open because there are a large and growing number of students in the area who are choosing other options.

He has recommended changing several schools in the area, including turning Pines Middle into a 6-12 collegiate academy and converting Silver Shores Elementary in nearby Miramar to a K-8 school.

It would not be wise of us to close schools in the area when there are so many students in the area, Hepburn said. Its better for us to offer more innovative programs where were considered an option for parents to choose us instead of the competition.
Coleman ISD placed on lockdown after reports of firearm on campus

SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage)  (Updates 10:13 a.m.) A student was arrested after a handgun was retrieved by local law enforcement at Colemen ISD on May 16.

According to the Coleman Police Department, officers took the student into custody with no incident after the handgun was recovered on campus.

No shots were fired and no injuries have been reported.

Parents can pick up their students at the Bill Franklin Center. An ID is asked to be brought to ensure the appropriate release of children.

Coleman PD shared that school facilities are still being searched.

(Original 9:42 a.m.) Coleman ISD was placed on lockdown on the morning of May 16.

The Coleman Police Department said on social media that the lockdown occurred after they received reports of a suspect with a firearm. One suspect has been taken into custody according to the City of Coleman.

Wall ISD faculty member arrested following online sexual solicitation investigation

A thorough search of the campus is underway. No injuries have been reported and no other threat exists.

Parents can pick up their kids at the Bill Franklin Center.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ConchoValleyHomepage.com.
After two days of pro-Palestinian protests at the University of Kansas, the campus in Lawrence on Friday took on the feel of a sober, mundane summer day. The rhetoric of Kansas politicians who denounced the demonstrators was red hot. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

After two days of pro-Palestinian protests at the University of Kansas, the campus on May 3 in Lawrence took on the feel of a sober, mundane summer day. The rhetoric of Kansas politicians who denounced the demonstrators was red hot. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

The problem? Disrespect. From respectable people.

Its comfortable but dangerous to ignore public officials engaging in it. Their disrespect runs contrary to U.S. constitutional wisdom and that of most religions and traditions: We are all (created) equal. Several water-related metaphors say it best, especially with water so critical  actually and metaphorically  to our survival: We sink or swim together. We are all in the same boat.

Devotion to this central truth by U.S. universities (and education generally) has existed for decades, through efforts at diversity, equity and inclusion. Remember Title IX?

Students who seriously devote themselves to truth seek out larger moral and ecological issues, shape their lives according to science and investigation, apply facts, and accept the practical consequences.

As a result, many have recently taken to streets and campuses  some at great personal risk  asking their universities to stop participating, economically or otherwise, in the indiscriminate slaughter of Palestinians (now well over 38,000) by the state of Israel.

Youd think they would be applauded, but no. Not from some of Kansas highest public officials.

Attorney General Kris Kobach aimed his words at the University of Kansas and all state universities: As is often the case with uninformed, petulant loudmouths, (the protesters) have not done their research. And their views are reprehensible.

The University of Kansas has many hallowed traditions, he said, but siding with bloodthirsty, antisemitic terrorists is not one of them. I encourage you to enforce all applicable university rules and regulations so that the educational mission of the university is not disrupted.

Uninformed, petulant loudmouths? Reprehensible? Bloodthirsty, antisemitic terrorists? While supposedly protecting the respectable, Kobach dispenses disrespect.

I will spare you the chorus of similar, but only slightly less flammable, comments from other Kansas Republican representatives. Or the kneejerk, unconditional, pro-Zionist resolution passed in January by the Kansas Legislature. Their ignorance could be dismissed, but their attitudes shape our laws and our lives.

officials disrespect our own children  and fellow adults. They disrespect citizens taking actions based on higher education and higher purpose to achieve a much higher goal than some high-dollar job in some hazy future.

 David Norlin

In all cases, the disrespect and ignorance is blatant. Anyone outside the respectable is disdainfully regarded as an other. In this case, officials disrespect our own children  and fellow adults. They disrespect citizens taking actions based on higher education and higher purpose to achieve a much higher goal than some high-dollar job in some hazy future.

What do these disrespecters lack? Any commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Any truly higher education. And any commitment to humanity as a whole. These public office disrespecters, in fact, just passed a new law weaponizing the fight against DEI in higher education.

Rep. Steven Howe, R-Salina, said: Universities have chosen to embrace ideologies which discriminate against people that do not hew to their orthodoxy.

Which orthodoxy should be in question is the question.

To be fair, those folks would not be in office if we didnt share some of their ignorance. In all cases, however, shifting blame spares us the pressing, aching need to examine our own unquestioned values and practices  practices that, if left unexamined, will lead to our eventual demise. Such self-examination requires stepping back from knee-jerk condemnation or stereotyping. Its difficult. It is, however, absolutely necessary.

To assist in self-examination, another water metaphor is helpful. Remember the now-hackneyed expression that a fish has no idea what water is? Unless weve been out of it, we have nothing to compare it with.

The Rev. angel Kyodo williams, discussion leader at the Beloved Community: Healing What Separates Us gathering several years back, shared a helpful perspective.

She spoke about whiteness: That dominant view includes ways to behave, perceive things, show up in the room, body language, even the tone of voice. All of these things are held as though there is a central is-ness to it, and everything else is other. So when we think about being inclusive, our inclination is to say, Oh, how can we get more of that otherness to be more like this-ness? And then were including you.  Whiteness is not all there is. It is not the thing that everything else should organize itself around in order to be included.

Once we can escape our own is-ness and expand our world, we can observe it from mountaintops rather than the bottom of our particular pond. Understanding and embracing all beings opens us to respect for all  including ourselves.

That can put an end to disrespect.

David Norlin is a retired Cloud County Community College teacher, where he was department chairman of communications/English, specializing in media. Through its opinion section, the 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 On college campuses and in Kansas Statehouse, a worrying lack of respect from leaders appeared first on Kansas Reflector.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. The riots in New Caledonia prove the failure of the French neo-colonial policy, an article published by Paris-based La Gazette du Caucase online newspaper reads, Trend reports.

The material's authors highlight that the peoples of Africa and Asia, suffering from French neo-colonialism, have found substantial support from Azerbaijan.

"Azerbaijan, which was then the Non-Aligned Movement's chair, founded the Baku Initiative Group in July 2023 to eradicate colonialism entirely. This group is dedicated to backing peoples advocating for autonomy or independence from their sovereign state and advocating for their inclusion on the UN's list of territories to be decolonized, which already includes French Polynesia and New Caledonia. France, possessing the largest number of territories outside its mainland, naturally stands at the forefront of this initiative," the article underscores.

Additionally, the authors point out France's considerable displeasure with the growing closeness between the peoples of its former colonies and Baku. They note France's past active support for Armenian separatists in Karabakh, a stance contradicting four UN resolutions signed by France itself.

"When one hand is unaware of the other's actions... This support now holds little relevance against the backdrop of agreements brokered between Azerbaijan and Armenia without French involvement.

Control over energy resources has historically empowered Europe. However, the required resources for new industries now lie beyond the West: in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Colonized by the West, the peoples of these regions are undergoing a process of liberation. While the West may harbor nostalgia for its former dominance, a new world is emerging where these peoples refuse to be viewed as subjects of a declining West. Unintentionally, the West hastens its decline by failing to cultivate these peoples as allies and equal partners, thereby fostering adversaries in an unwinnable economic, cultural, and military conflict. This approach, riddled with discriminatory and sometimes genocidal policies, only accelerates the West's demise from within. France is lagging behind the tide of historya lamentable fate for the nation," the article concludes.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
College students in Washingtons prisons will soon have access to federal Pell Grants

Close up of FAFSA form. (Richard Stephens/Getty Images)

Compared to the rest of the country, Washington already has a robust college prison program funded by the state  but thanks to new federal dollars, offerings for students behind bars are set to expand.

Thats because the U.S. Department of Education last summer restored federal Pell Grants for incarcerated students, following a nearly 30-year ban as part of the 1994 federal tough on crime bill signed by President Bill Clinton.

Washington, alongside states across the country, is rushing to put these new funds to use and passed legislation in 2024 to use federal funding for the states college prison courses.

Advocates are excited about the new model because federal money could allow prison college programs to expand available courses and enroll more students.

Its more challenging to fund college prison programs with state dollars because budgets change based on tax revenue and politics, said Ruth Delaney, who helps scale up college programs in prisons as part of her work with the Vera Institute of Justice.

Theres never a situation where someone does not get a Pell Grant because someone else did, Delaney said. State budgets always have that limitation.

Nationwide, more than 750,000 incarcerated students could be eligible for Pell Grants. To qualify, they must be below family income limits. They also have to be at a prison offering a college program approved by the federal government.

In Washington, all state prisons already have college programs. But they still need federal approval to access Pell Grant money  one of many administrative hurdles prolonging the process of moving Washingtons existing system toward a Pell-based model.

The states original goal was to implement the new model this fall. Now, the plan is to make it available sometime in 2025, said Hanan Al-Zubaidy, associate director of corrections education at the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.

The process is taking a lot longer [than expected], said Al-Zubaidy. There are a lot of students who are anxious to jump in. Were really knee-deep in the details of trying to figure out when and how were going to make this happen.

Washingtons prison programs

Nearly 3,000 of the states 13,538 prisoners were enrolled in postsecondary education from July 2022 to June 2023, according to a report last year from the Department of Corrections.

In Washington, theres a good strong history of providing post-secondary education [in prison], said Delaney. In the vacuum of no federal financial aid, some states figured out how to keep college in prison going, and Washingtons one of them.

Research shows recidivism decreases as education level increases. Prisoners say that college helped them rehabilitate and engage in civic responsibilities. Ralph Dunuan, who got his associates degree while imprisoned at Monroe Correctional Complex, said many of his friends involved in criminal justice reform while in prison got into advocacy due to college classes.

We started expanding our thinking, said Dunuan, who has since been transferred to Washington Corrections Center. I really started challenging not only my beliefs, but my actions based upon those beliefs.

For about eight years, the Legislature has allowed the Department of Corrections to allocate state funding to colleges to provide workforce degree programs in prison. In 2022, lawmakers started allowing the department to fund Direct Transfer Associate degrees, which students can transfer to four-year colleges once they leave prison.

Washington also participates in the federal Second Chance Pell Experiment, a pilot Pell program established by the Obama administration in 2015. However, only 128 prisoners in Washington are enrolled in Second Chance Pell, according to the 2023 Department of Corrections report.

Benefits and challenges with Pell Grants

Proponents of moving to Pell funding say the new federal regulations will improve the quality of college programs in prison. Colleges will have performance reviews every six years and must agree to submit data to the Department of Education.

The regulations also require colleges to be more closely connected to students. The idea, said Al-Zubaidy, is to mirror the services provided to students on campus but in prison.

Its such a great opportunity to serve our students in the best way possible, Al-Zubaidy said.

Pell money will also allow the state to expand to bachelors degree programs. Despite the more rigorous requirements, theres been a lot of interest from schools, including four-year colleges, said Al-Zubaidy.

Currently, the state has three bachelors degree programs in prison, offered through Walla Walla Community College, Puget Sound University and Evergreen State College.

Al-Zubaidy said moving from a state-funded model to a tuition-based model will be a challenge for Washington, even though the state plans to continue funding students who arent eligible for Pell Grants, including through the Washington College Grant.

To access Pell Grant funds, students will need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA. But filling out the FAFSA can be complicated and confusing even for students who arent in prison, let alone for those behind bars, who may find it difficult or impossible to access documents needed to complete the form.

The U.S. Department of Education is working on addressing those concerns, Al-Zubaidy said, and Washington plans to take a hands-on advising approach to ensure students have the information they need.

Washington and many other states are also waiting on the U.S. Department of Education to approve its programs, which has been a steep administrative challenge across the country. As of late April, only one program  Californias  has been fully approved.

Al-Zubaidy said Washington is lucky to have people who already know a bit about navigating the new system due to the states Second Chance Pell sites.

Were in agreement that the top priority is we dont want to disrupt students, Al-Zubaidy said. Until we get those approvals from the Department of Education, were going to do our best to keep operating the education programs.

Correction: A previous version of this story said the state only has one bachelors degree program in its prisons. There are three.

The post College students in Washingtons prisons will soon have access to federal Pell Grants appeared first on Washington State Standard.
Columbia Universitys Faculty of Arts and Sciences approved a vote of no confidence Thursday against university President Minouche Shafik over her handling of the recent pro-Palestinian protests on campus.

The vote, organized by the schools chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), won with a 65 percent majority, though it has no real power against Shafik.

The AAUP chapter released a statement highlighting the frustrations the group has with Shafik such as agreeing during a recent congressional hearing to fire a particular faculty member and ultimately bringing in the police to clear student protesters.

This series of actions not only endangered our students; more broadly, it represents a serious threat to the core values of the university: academic freedom, shared governance, freedom of expression, and the right to peaceful assembly. The Presidents choices to eschew democratic processes have undermined the facultys confidence in her and her leadership team, the organization said.

A university official said only 900 out of the 4,600 full-time faculty at the school participated in the vote, meaning 80 percent of the voices were not represented.

President Shafik continues to consult regularly with members of the community, including faculty, administration, and trustees, as well as with state, city, and community leaders. She appreciates the efforts of those working alongside her on the long road ahead to heal our community, a university spokesperson said.

Updated at 2:40 pm.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
NEW YORK  Arts and sciences faculty at Columbia University passed a vote of no confidence in embattled college President Minouche Shafik, whose congressional testimony and handling of pro-Palestinian protests created a bitter divide on campus, according to results announced Thursday.

Hundreds of Columbia faculty have also signed onto a strike, pledging to only do work that directly serves students for as long as there is a police presence on campus. Shafik has authorized the NYPD to remain on campus until Friday, after all graduation ceremonies have ended.

Ballots in the no confidence vote were open for a week to about 900 professors from the main part of the university  roughly 20% of Columbias faculty  on a highly critical resolution alleging Shafiks administration made unilateral decisions that put students and staff in harms way.

Close to 65% of respondents said they had no confidence in the president, results show. About 29% voted against the resolution, while the remainder abstained. The vote was not binding and did not demand Shafiks resignation, but represented the strongest criticism yet of the new university president, who was inaugurated last fall.

The presidents choices to ignore our statutes and our norms of academic freedom and shared governance, to have our students arrested, and to impose a lockdown of our campus with continuing police presence, have irrevocably undermined our confidence in her, read the resolution.

A vote of no confidence in the president is the first step towards rebuilding our community and reestablishing the universitys core values, it continued.

Just short of 8 in 10 arts and sciences faculty participated in the vote, according to the results. Last school year, Columbia employed more than 4,600 full-time faculty, including from other programs such as the law or journalism schools that did not receive ballots.

President Shafik continues to consult regularly with members of the community, including faculty, administration, and trustees, as well as with state, city and community leaders, said Columbia spokesman Ben Chang in a statement. She appreciates the efforts of those working alongside her on the long road ahead to heal our community.

The vote comes after the Columbia administration on April 30 called in the NYPD to end the takeover of a campus building, Hamilton Hall, and dismantle the Gaza solidarity encampment, leading to more than 100 arrests in and around campus.

It was the second time in recent weeks Shafik turned to police and mass arrests after doing so on April 18 to shut down a tent demonstration, which was first erected hours ahead of her appearance before Congress and sparked a national movement of college protests against Israels war in Gaza.

Hours before the vote was launched, Shafik in an internal email to faculty acknowledged the difficult end of the semester, saying empathy and dialogue were absent too often over the past several months and taking full responsibility for leading an effort to restore them.

I know that many of you are angry, and that you feel let down by me and by other university leaders for many different reasons, Shafik wrote.

I trust that this community  with its collective brilliance and history of engaging in critical dialogue about the important issues of our time  can come through this period, that has tested our institution, even stronger, she continued. And I am committed to doing the hard work  of listening, of supporting change, and of repair  that is required.

Despite the show of waning support from faculty, Columbias Board of Trustees continued to back the university president. In a letter to the editor in The Washington Post on Wednesday, the board co-chairs reaffirmed their confidence in Shafik and her leadership style of collaborative decision-making.

Leadership in a crisis is a burden, co-chairs Claire Shipman and David Greenwald wrote, and its one she has borne with great wisdom and moral clarity. She is trying to navigate a path that is in the best interests of the institution and all those who love it. It is disappointing, but perhaps not surprising, that in a time of crisis, the voices of critics tend to be the loudest.

The board supports her leadership and feels she is the best leader for Columbia, added the pair, who appeared before Congress on April 17 alongside Shafik and Columbia antisemitism taskforce co-chairman David Schizer, a law professor.

The no-confidence resolution was introduced by the campus chapter of the American Association of University Professors, a professional faculty organization. In it, faculty raised concerns about Shafiks congressional testimony, when she committed to fire one professor and announced another two faculty members were under investigation over comments about Israel.

These are politically motivated attacks that unfortunately our administration has been unable or unwilling to address, said Reinhold Martin, a Columbia architecture professor and the incoming AAUP chapter president.

The Columbia arts and sciences facultys motion was the second on campus after Barnard faculty passed a similar resolution against the affiliated womens college president, Laura Rosenbury, who was also inaugurated this year. The unprecedented measure was also the first no-confidence vote against a Columbia president, faculty said.

_____
NEW YORK  Arts and Sciences faculty at Columbia University on Thursday passed a vote of no confidence in the institutions president, Minouche Shafik  a sign of growing dissent over her controversial handling of pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

Out of the 709 professors who voted for the resolution  introduced by the Columbia chapter of the nonprofit American Association of University Professors  65 percent expressed no confidence in Shafik, while 29 percent voted against it and 6 percent abstained, according to the results shared with POLITICO.

Nearly 900 faculty out of Columbias more than 4,600 full-time employees were eligible to vote.

President Shafiks violation of the fundamental requirements of academic freedom and shared governance, and her unprecedented assault on students rights, warrants unequivocal and emphatic condemnation, the resolution states.



Though symbolic, the move is designed to send a message to the universitys board of trustees, which is continuing to back her, that trust in the embattled leader has eroded.

In the resolution, faculty castigated Shafik over her decision to authorize the NYPD to clear out an encampment in support of Palestine April 18 despite the executive committee of the University Senate unanimously rejecting that request.

They also blasted her for doing it a second time without consulting the Senate  leading to police officers descending on the campus last month to physically remove protesters occupying a school building. Cops arrested over 100 people at Columbia that night.

Shafik falsely claimed the students arrested for demonstrating posed a clear and present danger to the substantial functioning of the University, insisting the students were peaceful, the resolution states.

And her detractors sounded the alarm on her promise to fire faculty who embraced opinions against Israel that have been deemed antisemitic during an April 17 congressional hearing on antisemitism.



A vote of no confidence is the first step towards rebuilding our community and re-establishing the Universitys core values of free speech, the right to peaceful assembly, and shared governance, the resolution reads.

In recent weeks, Shafik has avoided appearing publicly before students. She last addressed them in a video posted to Instagram earlier this month. And Columbia recently moved to cancel its universitywide commencement, instead opting to hold smaller graduation ceremonies.

Ben Chang, a Columbia spokesperson, defended Shafiks management amid the backlash.

President Shafik continues to consult regularly with members of the community, including faculty, administration, and trustees, as well as with state, city, and community leaders, Chang said in a statement. She appreciates the efforts of those working alongside her on the long road ahead to heal our community.
Eric Hovde was born and raised in Wisconsin, but has been pretty scarce there since running for U.S. Senate a dozen years ago. He's making another try, and Democrats are making an issue of his deep California ties. (Mike Roemer / Associated Press)

Eric Hovde has, from the looks of it, a pretty swell life.

The banking executive is a millionaire many times over. He owns an ocean-view mansion in Laguna Beach and was named by the Orange County Business Journal for three years running as one of the county's most influential individuals.

Yet for more than a decade, Hovde, 60, has had a hankering to hold political office. Normally, this is where wed insert the long litany of rich folk  Michael Huffington, Al Checchi, Meg Whitman among them  whove tried and face-planted in their bid to get elected statewide in California.

But Hovde isnt running here: Hes the leading Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin. It's where Hovde was born and raised  though, save for an unsuccessful Senate run in 2012, he's been pretty scarce there the past several years.

Hovde's opponent is Democrat Tammy Baldwin, who's running for a third term and starts as a favorite  though not an overwhelming one  to win reelection. In recent years, Wisconsin has replaced Florida as perhaps the most competitive swing state in America.

"We're deeply polarized by party," said Charles Franklin, a pollster at Wisconsin's Marquette University, who notes several contests have been decided in the last decade by exceedingly close margins.

Read more: Column: He lost by 5 votes and conceded graciously. Trump could learn something here

It's vital for Democrats to hold onto Baldwin's seat in November if they stand any chance of keeping their bare Senate majority. So naturally they've sought to turn Hovde's California ties into a major campaign issue.

They've posted billboards and created a website linking Hovde, or, rather, "California bank owner Eric Hovde (R-Laguna Beach)," to a luxe life of champagne and pleasure. A TV spot  crashing surf, sparkling wine and, of course, palm trees  ends with a rhetorical question: "Eric Hovde on Wisconsin's side? Don't bank on it."

That attempt at California-shaming amounts to a role reversal of sorts. Typically, it's Republicans in red states like Texas who wield the Golden State as a weapon, turning Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi into demon figureheads.

However, it's not the state's left-leaning politicians that Democrats are trying to yoke around Hovde's neck. Rather, they're trying to raise doubts about his relatability.

"There are rich people in Wisconsin who have multiple homes, too," said Lilly Goren, who teaches political science at Waukesha's Carroll University. "But if you spend most of your time out in California where you don't have to deal with snow and rain and sleet and it's always sunny, we think you're living a little bit of a different life."

Read more: How bashing California became a requirement for conservative politicians

Hovde insists he's a Wisconsinite down to the tips of his toes, which he sank not long ago into Madison's frozen Lake Mendota. (Actually, he plunged in chest-deep.)

So the Dems and Sen. Baldwin keep saying Im not from Wisconsin, which is a complete joke, a shirtless Hovde said, mid-dip, in a social media post that has been viewed more than 1 million times.

"!!Warning," the post reads. "Not safe for Californians and career politicians!!"

Brrr.

In an interview last year with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, before Hovde launched his candidacy, he "guffawed with amusement" when asked if he was spending the bulk of his time in California or Wisconsin.

"I'm born in Wisconsin, raised in Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin," Hovde told the newspaper. "My home is Wisconsin. I have a business in Wisconsin. So that's my response."

The business, Hovde Properties, is a Madison-based real estate company founded by his grandfather. Hovde is also chairman and CEO of Irvine-based H Bancorp and its chief subsidiary, Sunwest Bank.

Since entering the race, Hovde has adopted a nothing-to-see-here approach to questions about his residency  even as he immerses in ice water and exults over the "fantastic fun" of ax-throwing, another moment shared on social media, as a way of bolstering his Badger State bona fides.

Lately, however, the California question has been overshadowed by remarks Hovde made about older voters, who happen to make up a sizable chunk of Wisconsin's electorate. (A quarter of residents are 60 or older; nearly 1 in 5 are 65 and up.)

Hinting at irregularities in the 2020 election  which seems to be the price of admission to the GOP these days  Hovde repeated bogus claims of widespread voting fraud at Wisconsin nursing homes. In doing so, he questioned the capacity of elderly residents to coherently cast their ballot.

If youre in a nursing home, you only have a five-, six-month life expectancy, Hovde said in a talk-radio interview. Almost nobody in a nursing home is at a point to vote.

Which is one way to address the Democratic advantage among seniors  you could simply disenfranchise them  though, for the record, Hovde later clarified his statement by saying, "I think elderly absolutely should vote."

Unfortunately for Hovde, even as he worked to clean up that political mess, Sunwest Bank was named as co-defendant in a wrongful-death lawsuit targeting a Southern California senior living facility that the bank partly owns. A Hovde spokesperson said neither the bank nor Hovde were involved in the facility's day-to-day operations.

Read more: Column: As some nursing homes cry poverty, what can be done about increased staffing requirements?

All in all, that's made for pretty rough going for Hovde, though there is some consolation should his Senate bid fall short. He still has that mansion awaiting him back in Laguna Beach.

Happy to troll Hovde, Wisconsin's Democratic Party rounded up cast members of the Real Housewives of Orange County, who sent their best wishes in a video and said they dearly miss their sometime-neighbor.

"Cannot wait, just like your friends, for you to come back," said cast member Gina Kirschenheiter.

"Be back safe, enjoy your journey," said Vicki Gunvalson, the self-proclaimed "OG of the OC." Blowing a kiss, she added, "Don't forget to whoop it while you're in Wisconsin. Have some cheese curds."

Which just goes to show, the stereotypes and trash-talking run both ways.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles-based Wonderful Co.  the world's largest pistachio and almond grower, the purveyor of Fiji Water, Pom pomegranate juice and Justin wines, and owner of the Teleflora flower service  wants you to know that it's committed to "sustainable farming and business practices" and sees its employees as "a guiding force for good."

Wonderful's owners, the Beverly Hills billionaires Lynda and Stewart Resnick, say their "calling" is "to leave people and the planet better than we found them."

Here's another side of the company. Since February, it has been engaged in a ferocious battle with the United Farm Workers over the UFW's campaign to unionize more than 600 Wonderful Nurseries workers in the Central Valley.

'We ask each of you firmly not to sign an authorization card.'

Anti-union script read to Wonderful Nursery workers by company officials

Having lost a series of motions before the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board to delay a mandate that it reach a contract with the UFW as soon as June 3 or have terms imposed by the board, Wonderful on Monday unleashed a nuclear attack: a lawsuit seeking to have the 2022 and 2023 state laws governing the unionization process declared unconstitutional.

If it succeeds, California's legal protections for farmworkers could be rolled back to conditions that prevailed before Cesar Chavez's campaigns for farm unionization in the 1960s.

"This is an attack on farmworkers' rights," says Elizabeth Strater, the UFW's director of strategic campaigns. Farm employers "will do everything they can to prevent workers from empowering themselves and lifting themselves out of poverty."

The company disputes the claim and says its relationship with agricultural workers "is rooted in mutual trust, collaboration and respect," in the words of Wonderful Nurseries President Rob Yraceburu.

Wonderful's lawsuit takes a page from arguments made against the National Labor Relations Board by Trader Joe's and Elon Musk's SpaceX. Both companies, facing NLRB regulatory actions, are contending that the NLRB, which Congress established in 1935, is unconstitutional.

Wonderful contends that provisions of the state's agricultural labor code violate its rights of due process guaranteed by both the state and U.S. constitutions.

At issue is a UFW drive to represent more than 600 Wonderful Nurseries employees that began in early 2023. The UFW ultimately presented the labor board with signed cards from more than half the employees giving the UFW authority to represent them in collective bargaining on a contract, a process known as a "card check."

The board certified the union as the workers' representative on March 1, triggering a tight deadline aimed at prompting the union and the company to reach a contract.

Read more: Column: The UAW sends a lightning bolt into anti-union states with a huge victory at a VW plant

As often happens in hard-fought union campaigns, this one has generated a cross fire of allegations of unfair labor practices from both sides  the company asserting that the union defrauded workers into signing the representation cards, the union asserting that the company browbeat more than 100 workers into revoking their authorizations to drive the approval rate below the required 50%.

Accounts from the workers themselves vary. As my colleagues Rebecca Plevin and Melissa Gomez have reported, there have been complaints about poor working conditions at Wonderful along with hope that a union would help upgrade standards. Other workers say they misunderstood that signing an authorization card was tantamount to joining the UFW.

Some workers said they had second thoughts about signing the cards after meetings with a company-hired union-buster, Raul Calvo, who told them the union would take 3% of their pay for dues. In late March, some 100 Wonderful workers staged an anti-union protest at the ALRB offices in Visalia, but the UFW has alleged that the rally was the product of company coercion. Wonderful said at the time that it had no involvement in the protest and didn't pay the workers for their time.

"These workers are so vulnerable," the UFW's Strater says. Many are undocumented or have other reasons to worry about job security, arguably making them receptive to management directives.

In this case, another party has weighed in  the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, an independent state agency. After an investigation, the board's general counsel, Julia Montgomery, alleged that Wonderful trampled its workers' unionization rights through numerous anti-union actions, including coercing them to submit declarations rescinding their authorizations. Wonderful has denied most of the allegations.

Wonderful says that the workers submitted their declarations  nearly 150 of them  voluntarily, "without any request having been made" by the company. Montgomery's allegations, however, are mighty specific. She cites a series of meetings that were overtly aimed at persuading the workers to back away from the union.

That process began with employee meetings addressed by Calvo and proceeded to sessions in which workers met with Wonderful human resources personnel, Montgomery alleged. At those meetings, the company representatives read from a Spanish-language script stating that the union could have obtained workers' signatures without their knowledge, that they would be deprived of the opportunity for a secret vote on unionization and encouraging them to sign a declaration revoking their authorization cards.

Read more: Column: A Trump judge eviscerates a pro-worker regulation at the request of big employers

"We ask each of you firmly not to sign an authorization card," the script read. In a line that sounds as if it came fresh out of the playbook of anti-union companies such as Starbucks, the script stated that the company wants "to be able to work one on one with you without the interference of a union."

Some workers were led into a large conference room, where company representatives were assigned "to help the worker draft the declaration" revoking the authorization cards, Montgomery asserted. Some agents typed up declarations for the workers and handed them to the workers to sign.

A few words about the plaintiffs in this lawsuit:

The Resnicks are prominent philanthropists and political donors (mostly to Democrats). Their companies' effects on the environment and California agriculture generally are checkered. Indeed, their most eye-catching charitable donation, a record-breaking $750-million pledge to Caltech in 2019 for research into climate change and environmental sustainability, isn't inconsistent with a desire to "greenwash" some of their other activities.

As I previously wrote, while it might be churlish to suggest that the gift was devoid of genuine altruistic impulses, it would be naive to assume that altruism is the whole story.

A few years earlier, the Resnicks' Justin Vineyards had been caught clear-cutting an oak forest near Paso Robles to make room for new grape plantings. The work was halted by San Luis Obispo County authorities, and the firm eventually agreed to donate the 380-acre parcel to a land conservancy.

Although the Resnicks say they are "dedicated to our role as environmental stewards," their Fiji Water subsidiary looks like the antithesis of environmental sustainability. It profits from transporting water in plastic bottles more than 5,500 miles from the island nation to California and beyond, places that already have abundant water.

Wonderful's pistachio and almond orchards have complicated efforts to apportion water among the state's competing stakeholders. Because the trees require watering in wet years or dry, their acreage can't be fallowed during dry spells.

That has made the water demand of the agricultural sector less flexible, and arguably has contributed to the devastating decline of the state's salmon fishery and the drying out of rivers and streams that once supported a diverse population of fish and birds.

Read more: Column: American unions have finally remembered how to win

This isn't the first time that the Resnicks have wrapped themselves in the U.S. Constitution to fend off a regulatory agency. In 2010, they asserted that the Federal Trade Commission infringed their 1st Amendment rights by holding that they made false and misleading and unsubstantiated representations about the health benefits of their Pom pomegranate juice, which amounted to unlawful marketing.

The company pitched the juice as health in a bottle. Wonderful put up billboards with the words Cheat Death next to a picture of the bottle. Its ads claimed Pom has beneficial effects on prostate cancer (Drink to prostate health), cardiovascular health and even erectile dysfunction  all of which claims were judged scientifically dubious by regulators. The company fought the FTC up to the U.S. Supreme Court, which rejected its appeal.

The 2022 and 2023 laws that Wonderful is challenging  indeed, the very creation of the ALRB in 1975  reflect a reality known in California for more than a century: Bringing labor rights to farmworkers is notoriously difficult.

The first major farm union organizing drive in the state, among hops pickers in Wheatland, north of Sacramento, was broken up by four companies of the National Guard called out by Gov. Hiram Johnson in 1913. A statewide dragnet for organizers from the Industrial Workers of the World, or Wobblies, ensued, followed by hundreds of arrests. No further significant farm organizing took place for 16 years.

In 1975, a state law passed at the urging of Cesar Chavez's UFW gave union organizers the right to meet with workers on the farms where they toiled. But the Supreme Court, voting on partisan lines, struck it down in 2021the law allowed organizers to "invade the growers' property," as Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote.

To address the heightened difficulty agricultural unions faced, the state Legislature established the card check process in 2022 and 2023. The laws incorporated a tight timeline governing certification and contract bargaining, and stipulated mandatory mediation if no contract is reached with a set period.

Read more: Column: Julie Su would be a perfect Labor secretary. That's why Big Business hates her

The goal was to address "the basic failing of labor law both at the federal and state level, which is delay," said William B. Gould IV, professor emeritus of law at Stanford and a former chairman of the National Labor Relations Board and the state Agricultural Labor Relations Board.

"Delay works against the interests of workers and unions, because employers hope that they'll grow weary," Gould told me. The tight deadlines were designed to place the burden of delay on the employers.

Wonderful maintains in its lawsuit, filed in Kern County state court, that the accelerated process has deprived employers of constitutionally protected due process rights by allowing a union to be certified by card check before the employers have a chance to object  effectively rendering the certification and the negotiating deadline faits accomplis.

That's not quite true, however. The law allows anyone to file objections within five days of certification. After that, any certification can be revoked if the employers' objections are later upheld at a hearing, and any mandated contract can be invalidated. Indeed, Wonderful filed its objections in time, citing the workers' declarations; an ALRB hearing on its objections has been underway for weeks.

What appears especially to irk Wonderful is that the board has twice rejected its motions to suspend, or stay, the certification and negotiation procedure until after it rules on the company's objections. The board responded that the law doesn't provide for such a stay.

The company's lawsuit thus amounts to an end run around the law. Gould is skeptical that Wonderful's constitutionality claims will win much favor from California judges, but the case may be aimed at the notoriously anti-union U.S. Supreme Court majority.

"This Supreme Court has indicated that they want to reverse much of what was done in the 1930s," a high-water mark for progressive labor and public interest laws, he said. In its lawsuit, Wonderful "has thrown buckets of paint against the wall in the hope that something will stick. Maybe they'll be right on some of it."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Community resource fair being held at May Park in Augusta

AUGUSTA (WJBF)  Serenity Behavioral Health Systems is hosting its Semi-Annual Community Support Services (C.S.S.) Resource Fair today, Thursday, May 16th, until 2:00 p.m. at May Park, located at 622 4th Street in Augusta.

Over 50 agencies and organizations are on-site, including those offering assistance with shelters, housing, supportive services, healthcare, veterans affairs, employment, and more with community partners including the Georgia Department of Public Health, Walton Options, WellStar, Augusta University, and Medical Associates.

The event is free and open to the public.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF.
Community rallies to help beloved restaurant owner in New York City

Community rallies to help beloved restaurant owner in New York City

MURRAY HILL, Queens (PIX11)  A dumpling restaurant in Murray Hill, Queens, thrives after the Asian American Federation taught the owner a few tricks.

Northern King Dumpling has been around for 17 years, but owner Jinglan Quan took it over seven years ago.

It specializes in homemade dumplings and buns. The restaurant features an authentic mix of Korean and Chinese flavors, a product of owner Jinglan Quans own background.

She is of Korean ethnicity but was born in China and immigrated to the United States in 2007.

Its all handmade and from like my moms recipes, Quan said.

More Queens News

During the pandemic, business began to suffer, which stressed the owner.

I have to keep my business going so I can keep all my people, so I always think about how I can keep my business open, Quan said.

The mom of two quickly pivoted to selling frozen dumplings and turned to the Asian American Federation for business advice, especially on digital marketing.

I know digital marketing is very important, but I dont know how to do it, and the one thing is- the language- for me, it takes so much time, Quan said.

The AAF stepped in to help Quan build her online presence.

We have optimized her Google profile to make it very clear what they sell here. Before, it just said northern king dumpling, but now we have put it in Korean and Chinese, so people understand it covers both grounds and handmade dumplings, which is a big specialty here that she didnt think of using as a marketing thing, Ahyoung Kim, the director of economic empowerment at the Asian American federation, said.

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Quan is one of many small businesses the AAF is helping intending to preserve culture in the community.

We see small business owners on the ethnic corridors as the last safety net in our community. They are the ones that make sure our community members have food security, not just in terms of affordable food but also culturally appropriate food. Theyre the ones who give employment options to the most vulnerable, Kim added.

Quan said she is forever grateful for the support.

It gave her the confidence to open a second restaurant, Guk Su Jip, a homemade noodle restaurant a few blocks away, just last month.

She encourages other small business owners who are struggling to ask for help. The Asian American Federation also encourages any other small businesses who need support or guidance to reach out.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. Baku Initiative Group and 14 political movements fighting for independence in the last French colonies - Kanak of New Caledonia, Maohi Nui of French Polynesia, French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Corsica - have issued a joint statement, Trend reports.

The statement denounces the French government's coercive tactics in illegally altering New Caledonia's electoral rules to expand its influence, pledging full support for the Kanak people in their rightful quest for independence.

It highlights the French government's blame for the current crisis in New Caledonia, citing recent events such as the arrest of approximately 150 individuals and the deaths of three people.

The French state's deliberate actions, while presenting itself as a beacon of human rights but simultaneously infringing upon the Kanak people's right to self-determination by expanding the electorate to keep them a minority in their own homeland, exacerbate the current situation, the statement emphasizes.

At the same time, the undersigned movements urge France to abandon its colonial policies and allow the Kanak people to determine their own fate, while urging the international community not to ignore this reprehensible colonial practice that has marginalized the Kanak people.

The signatories call for the convening of the UN Security Council to denounce France's breach of international law.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
District Attorney Steve Wolfson in a campaign ad for his daugher, who is running for a judicial seat.

Policy, politics and progressive commentary

A complaint filed with the Nevada Ethics Commission against Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson alleges Wolfson violated state law by appearing in a campaign ad for his daughter, Rebecca, a candidate in the race for Las Vegas Municipal Judge.

The district attorney, in the ad that is running on television and on social media, declares his daughter will be a great Municipal Court Judge. He is identified not as the district attorney, but rather as Rebeccas father.

Steve Wolfson did not respond to a request for comment.

This doesnt have anything to do with Rebeccas campaign, Roger Kaplan, a longtime Las Vegas resident who filed the complaint, told the Current during an interview. This is about Steve Wolfson violating the ethics laws of the state of Nevada.

In the complaint, Kaplan alleges the DAs appearance and testimonial for his daughter are a violation of NRS 281.400(2), which says a public officer shall not use their position to secure or grant unwarranted privileges to . any person to whom the public officer or employee has a commitment in a private capacity.

That includes close relatives.

Steve Wolfson is using his office as a district attorney, the top attorney in the county, to blatantly secure a good paying range and prestige for his daughter, Kaplan said.

The complaint notes Rebecca Wolfson earns $110,699 in her current job as Deputy City Attorney II, about half as much as a municipal judge.

In 2004, the Ethics Commission found then-Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman used his position as Mayor to secure or grant unwarranted privileges or advantages for his son, Ross Goodman, a person to whose interests he has a commitment in a private capacity, by lending his name to the invitation for a cocktail party sponsored by Ross Goodmans company at the National Conference of Mayors. Goodman appealed and the Nevada Supreme Court overturned the finding.

I recall thinking that if thats not using his position to further a pecuniary interest of a person to which he has a commitment in a private capacity, I dont know what is, says Caren Jenkins, vice-chair of the Ethics Commission at the time. He was an elected public officer and was a member of the organizations leadership in his capacity as Mayor of Las Vegas, and though his words seemed benign, I dont think Ross company would be sponsoring a reception had his dad not been a mayor

Jenkins says her initial conclusion is that Wolfson appearing in an ad as a proud dad is not using his position in government to benefit a member of his family.It may smell a little bad, but I wouldnt see it as a rotting fish.

Kaplan says he intends to amend his complaint to include an ad for a January fundraiser for Rebecca Wolfson, hosted by District Attorney Steve Wolfson.

A 2005 opinion from the Ethics Commission regarding a public official whose spouse was seeking office, notes in an effort to avoid any appearance of impropriety, the public official decided not to fundraise on behalf of his spouse. The Commission supports Public Officers decision to refrain from soliciting campaign contributions on behalf of spouse and renders no further opinion on the issue. 

The post Complaint alleges Wolfson violating ethics law by appearing in daughters campaign ad appeared first on Nevada Current.
Some free speech advocates are raising the alarm over wording in a new Tennessee bill that could potentially restrict a person's right to speak about abortion health care.

The law, passed by Tennessee lawmakers this year, makes it a felony to recruit or transport a minor for an illegal abortion without parental consent.

HB1895, which will soon head to Gov. Bill Lees desk, closely mirrors a recent law passed in Idaho, which a federal judge halted on First Amendment grounds.

Rep. Jason Zachary R-Knoxville, presents SB 1971 during a House session at Tennessee Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, April 23, 2024.

The legislation targets an adult who "recruits, harbors or transports" a pregnant minor within the state for the purposes of receiving an illegal abortion, defined by Tennessee's near-total abortion ban, or for getting abortion medication without notarized consent from the minors parents.

Free speech concerns from opponents of the bill are heavily centered on the word recruit, which is not defined in Tennessee state law, and which they say could potentially criminalize speaking to a pregnant minor about health care options.

This bill raises concerning First Amendment issues, as the term recruits is not defined in the bill or anywhere in the Tennessee code, said Bryan Davidson, policy director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee.

The free expression implications are troubling. It's easy to imagine that there could be a reproductive health clinic or a clinician, non-medical counselor or a social worker, anybody who provides information or options around abortion care and counseling to pregnant minors in Tennessee, who could potentially have their free speech rights infringed upon.

James Bopp Jr., the general counsel for the National Right to Life Committee, which helped draft model legislation on the issue, called the First Amendment concerns unfounded.

There's no confusion about that, he said in an interview, adding that nobody thinks that the word recruit could include just posting information or speaking about abortion.

Travel-ban law is slippery slope part of larger pattern, say opponents

The concern over the limitation on free speech rights under the bill is not new. In Idaho in late 2023, lawmakers passed a nearly identical law to Tennessees version.

The law was quickly temporarily paused by a federal judge after three plaintiffs  a lawyer and two medical advocacy groups  sued Idaho alleging the laws language is overly vague and violates their First Amendment right to discuss abortion with minors and their Fourth Amendment right to travel between states where the procedure is legal.

Sen. Paul Rose, R-Lauderdale, and Rep. Jason Zachary, R-Knoxville, sponsors of the legislation, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Rep. Aftyn Behn, D-Nashville, has been one of the most vocal opponents of the bill.

Standing on the sidewalk in downtown Broadway on April 10, Behn, along with members of Abortion Care Tennessee, held a large sign aloft emblazoned with bright purple letters reading Need an abortion? Were here to help.

She later described the law as dystopian.

I believe that this is a test case for what is deemed constitutionally protected in an increasingly polarized kind of authoritarian environment we're seeing nationally," she said.

According to Behn, when asked about the definition of the word recruit, Zachary suggested looking the word up in a dictionary.

Rep.Aftyn Behn, D- Nashville, looks to Rep. Jason Zachary R-Knoxville, while he defends SB 1971 during a House session at Tennessee Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, April 23, 2024.

Zachary was asked by my colleagues as to how he would define the word recruit, she said. And he generically pointed to a dictionary and said, As it is in the dictionary. Which, you know, any dictionary, any definition is pretty broad as to what remains. And when you're dealing with a civil liability of up to a million dollars and jail time, it seems to be pretty important to know what the word recruit means.

Behn said the concern was echoed by multiple medical professionals who spoke against the bill.

We had a few practicing pediatricians and obstetricians comment that even them talking to minors in a grocery store might be illegal, she said. They weren't clear, for example, if they had a neighborhood minor that came up to them and said, I'm pregnant, we're having issues, and whether they, as a trusted adult, would be protected under the law.

Behn said the bill highlights how Tennessee is on the front lines of the most extreme, post-Roe, anti-abortion legislation, with some of the strictest abortion laws in the country.

I think this is a test case, and it's trying to penetrate the parameters of what is protected by the First Amendment, she said. And I think this case will go to the Supreme Court and inevitably, whatever government is in charge at the time, will prevent free speech from happening.

On the House floor, moments before the bill was approved, Behn attempted to pass a number of amendments to it, including one that sought to protect discussions of health care options by trusted adults  which included a number of health care workers, abortion clinic staff or volunteers, attorneys and more  from being held criminally liable, as long as they were not forcing the minor to obtain an abortion.

The amendments failed.

Davidson of the ACLU said his organization is watching the bill, with special attention on the key differences in Tennessees bill that, in his view, make it more vague than Idahos.

There is a key difference in our version of the bill versus the one that was (paused) in Idaho is that the Idaho statute requires concealment from the minors parent or guardian as an element overall, he said. Whereas the Tennessee statute does not require concealment. So the criminal offense in our version applies to a much broader array of activity, and I think contributes to an even more concerning sense of vagueness.

Davidson said this broader level of vagueness is what concerns the legal experts at the ACLU.

They're so vaguely written that it's unclear how the law would be applied and enforced, he said. But what we see is that just the threat of enforcement is enough to stoke fear and confusion and leads to self-censorship that has the ultimate effect of limiting access to vital reproductive health care to folks that need it most.

Anti-abortion advocate dismisses free speech concerns

Both the Tennessee law and the Idaho law are based on model legislation written by the National Right to Life Committee  the nations largest anti-abortion organization that lobbies legislatures to end abortion access.

Bopp developed the model legislation these bills are based on and said concerns over vagueness in the bills language  particularly the word recruit  are unfounded.

When asked why a key word in his bill did not need defining, Bopp reiterated that concerns over a lack of definition were a complete lie.

That's complete bulls***, he said. There are all sorts of words that are used in statutes that are not defined. So that's just complete bulls***. If their argument is there's not a definition in state law, then you look to the common dictionary definition.  The Supreme Court, most of the time, is looking at dictionaries to determine the meaning of words that are in statutes and have never struck down a statute based on vagueness, because a word was not defined in a statute.

Upon inspecting court records, there have been numerous major U.S. Supreme Court cases that ruled certain laws as being unconstitutionally vague due to words not being defined, and references to the importance of clarity in laws dating back as far as James Madisons Federalist Papers.

When asked how he defined the word recruit, written in his own model legislation for the travel ban, Bopp read the definition of the word from vocabulary.com and gave an example of what he considered illegal recruitment  an example that included speech activity.

You can see in the vocabulary.com that it says to recruit means to get someone to join something, and the something here is to participate in an unlawful abortion, he said. You know, to go on campus and say, Hey, come on with us. We will take you to in our car to go get an unlawful abortion.

Bopp said he did not think the word needed clarifying in bills emulating his legislation, which can be seen working their way through legislatures in numerous states.

Recruit is more specific than just providing information, he said. The common definition of recruit is quite adequate.

Bopp said opponents are just making (concerns) up because they're abortion advocates and trying to use the First Amendment as a weapon.

William Brewer, head legal counsel and lobbyist for the Tennessee chapter of Right to Life, declined to comment on the free speech concerns but said the bill was needed to protect underage girls from being taken for a surgical procedure or given dangerous chemicals without their parents knowledge or consent.

Chemicals routinely used in abortion procedures, almost exclusively mifepristone and misoprostol, have been rated as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for 24 years.

Definitions are crucial to understand legality, says expert

Battling encroaching limitations on free speech is imperative to protecting the freedoms within the First Amendment for all, whether those limitations come through intentionally restricting legislation or from vaguely worded laws, said Kevin Goldberg, a First Amendment lawyer at the Freedom Forum in Washington, D.C.

The confusion in this law over the word recruit is a prime example, he said.

I do think this is vague as written, he said. If you put the law in front of more than one person, and they come to clearly different results as to what it means, it's probably vague. And if it's clearly vague, it could be void  ergo unconstitutional and unenforceable.

The reason laws are often deemed void for vagueness is twofold, he said.

The first reason we have this void for vagueness doctrine is because laws of this type essentially deny due process rights, which is actually a part of the 14th amendment, he said. The point is that I need to know that I'm going to get in trouble and be given certain protections that allow me to defend myself. I need to be fully informed that I am going to get in trouble or not based on what I'm about to do.

Laws addressing speech issues that are too vague essentially deny citizens the ability to know whether they are allowed to speak, said Goldberg.

The second reason is that vague laws tend to be prone to arbitrary enforcement, he said. So you might have a pamphlet put out about abortion by a pro-life group and a pamphlet put out by a pro-choice group, and they may look relatively similar and may even both provide information that could fall under what somebody believes is recruitment. And law enforcement may punish only one because they can manipulate the meaning of the term recruit in the statute."

Gregory Magarian, a law professor at Washington University School of Law in St. Louis and a former Supreme Court judicial clerk, noted that even including the word "recruit" in the law was an unusual choice.

"We can look to a dictionary definition and find the meaning of the word recruit, but when you look at it in the context of this statute, it's a sort of curious usage," Magarian said. "We don't normally think of 'recruiting' someone to get a medical procedure done, even if we're talking about an elective medical procedure. If I told you I thought you might benefit from plastic surgery, we wouldn't say that I recruited you to get plastic surgery. That's a really strange and non-intuitive use of the word. And so that's why it's really important to define words within their statutory context."

Magarian added that the persistence of lawmakers, in addition to the original writers of the bill, to not clarify the word recruit or add more defining language to the bill, could chill speech.

"It would certainly make sense from the standpoint of the legislature to avoid this problem by defining the term clearly," he said. "So that sort of opens up the question, 'Well, why didn't they do that?' Why didn't the sponsor on the floor not clarify this? The sort of cynical possibility is that they wanted this term to be vague  and in the free speech context, the reason that we don't like vagueness is the chilling effect on speech. It makes people self-censor. Maybe in this case, the legislature wanted to chill speech around abortion.

"The less sinister possibility is that (lawmakers) just really didn't know what they were doing and what they were enacting because it was a model legislation they picked up," he said. "It might seem politically expedient, at least before you start thinking about the constitutional implications."

Regardless of intentions, placing the onus on the person speaking to try to figure out whether they may break the law by speaking is simply not allowed under the constitution, Goldberg said.

Just pointing to the fact that a word is in the dictionary and saying, Well, anybody can look it up and know what it means, isn't a valid argument at all, he said. This law is going to have to either be rewritten with language directed to a definition of recruit  they're going to have to take more time on it, or the courts are going to have to deal with it.

The USA Today Network - Tennessee's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners.

Have a story to tell? Reach Angele Latham by email at alatham@gannett.com, by phone at 931-623-9485 or follow her on Twitter at @angele_latham

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee abortion: Free speech concerns grow over travel ban bill
The bill includes several key provisions to make traveling better for fliers.

Alessandra Amodio/Travel + Leisure

Congress has passed a bipartisan bill to reauthorize Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) programs by overwhelming majorities in both the House and the Senate, leading to greater protections for travelers.

The bill, which passed by a 387-26 margin in the House on Wednesday and passed by an 88-4 margin in the Senate last week, will now go to President Joe Biden to sign, according to The Associated Press. The bill increased the number of air traffic controllers  which have been dealing with an alarming shortage  added more safety inspectors at aircraft factories, and implemented new rules regarding airline refunds and family seating policies.

This bill recognizes while our aviation system is safe, we have to continue raising the bar for safety, Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., chairman of the House Transportation Committee, told the AP.

The bill includes several key provisions to make traveling better for the flying public, according to The New York Times, including:

Prohibiting airlines from charging families with young children extra fees to sit together.

Codifying the Department of Transportations (DOT) recent rule requiring airlines to automatically issue refunds for canceled or significantly delayed flights when the traveler has not accepted alternative transportation or travel credits.

Requiring the DOT to create a dashboard comparing minimum seat sizes on U.S. carriers.

Expanding protections for travelers with disabilities by requiring airline personnel to be trained in handling motorized wheelchairs, allowing travelers to request seats that better accommodate their disabilities, and establishing a new program dedicated to accessibility upgrades at airports.

Many in the travel industry applauded the passage of the bill.

Travelers had a clear demand for Congress to fix an aviation system challenged by years of federal underinvestment, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman said in a statement shared with Travel + Leisure. This FAA renewal is a big step toward vastly improving the travel experience.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby similarly told T+L in a statement the bill strengthens our nations air traffic control staffing and infrastructure needs and invests in programs to advance the aviation workforce of the future.

And Aerospace Industries Association President and CEO Eric Fanning told T+L the bill will empower the FAA to modernize their processes for safety and efficiency.

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The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) on Thursday called on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to release its findings on the police shooting of Roger Fortson, a 23-year-old senior airman who died after a deputy shot him six times earlier this month.

Senior Airman Fortson was a son, brother, friend, and patriot who should still be with his family today, the CBC said in a statement. He was an Air Medal recipient who served our nation honorably, and we are forever grateful for his heroism and service.

Body camera footage of the shooting released last week shows the unidentified deputy shooting Fortson multiple times within seconds of the active-duty airman opening his apartment door.

Fortson was holding his legally owned firearm at the time, which he grabbed after being unable to identify who was at the door, according to civil rights attorney Ben Crump. Crump is representing Fortsons family.

The public trust has been damaged, and the life of a young Black man was taken unjustly, the CBC said Thursday.

The CBC is calling for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to release the findings of their investigation and additional information to the family and community who are hurting and calling for immediate justice and accountability for those involved.

The deputy who shot Fortson was responding to a call of a domestic disturbance, but family members and Crump say he went to the wrong apartment. Fortson was alone in his apartment at the time the officer knocked on the door. They have accused the Okaloosa police department of attempting to smear Fortsons name.

Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden met with Fortsons family and Crump last week. He said his deputy went to the correct address and denied claims of a smear campaign.

Aden added that the states department of law enforcement is conducting a criminal investigation, and he hopes for a peaceful resolution.

The CBC on Thursday added that Fortsons family has the members condolences.

There are no words that can adequately express the sorrow we feel or words sufficient to take away the pain of losing a loved one to a police shooting, the caucus said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Debris is cleared from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Conservative members of Congress at a hearing on Wednesday raised questions about using federal dollars to pay for rebuilding a state tollway, as the head of the Federal Highway Administration reiterated that the Biden administration is seeking congressional approval to reimburse 100% of the costs of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

Congress has about six months left to adjust the federal share of costs to reconstruct the bridge before an automatic rate of 90% reimbursement kicks in, House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Sam Graves, a Missouri Republican, said at a hearing on the federal response to the March 26 collapse.

Early that morning, the container ship Dali lost power and struck the bridge, which collapsed into the Patapsco River and blocked access to the busy Port of Baltimore. Six people died.

Under the FHWAs Emergency Relief Program, the federal government covers the first nine months of costs from a disaster.

Graves did not indicate whether he thought Congress should increase the federal cost-share. But Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt repeated President Joe Bidens pledge that the federal government would cover all costs.

The administration is asking Congress to join in demonstrating a commitment to aid in recovery efforts by authorizing a 100% federal cost-share for rebuilding the bridge, consistent with past catastrophic bridge collapses, Bhatt told the panel.

The federal government reimbursed all the costs to rebuild the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis after it collapsed in 2007, Bhatt said.

The estimated cost of a rebuild for the Baltimore bridge is $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion.

The FHWA has asked permitting agencies to speed up approvals for a new bridge, noting that environmental and other reviews should consider that a bridge with a similar footprint was previously in the same location, Bhatt said.

Conservatives on the panel drew attention to the fact that the bridge, which was a toll facility on Marylands highway system, had never received federal funding. Revenue from the tolls go to the state, Pennsylvania Republican Scott Perry, noted.

Perry, a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, said the comparison to the Minneapolis bridge collapse was not apt because it had not been a toll bridge.

He asked if the federal government could recoup toll money collected on the bridge when it reopens.

I hope you would consider a plan to reimburse the taxpayer under horrific debt right now, who cant afford their groceries, their gas bills, their day care bills, for the cost of this bridge, for which one state has been receiving all the money for its entire existence, and apparently is going to receive all the money from the tolls for the rest of its existence, Perry said.

Interstate system

Bhatt and some Democrats on the panel said that an intact interstate system benefits the entire country.

Georgia Democrat Hank Johnson asked Bhatt to explain the bridges connection to interstate commerce, noting that there may be people in the country who are not inside the state of Maryland who resent having to pay for this bridge reconstruction.

What is so critically important for a transportation system is that you can drive from New York to Los Angeles across a system that is completely uniform, Bhatt responded.

The highway system is connected to ports, which are also economic drivers, Bhatt said.

This is not just an issue for Maryland, he said. Its an issue for the Northeast Corridor and for our national economy.

Legal action

Florida Republican Brian Mast asked Bhatt if the government was seeking reimbursement from any insurance policies or the Grace Ocean Private Ltd., which owned the ship, or shipping company Maersk, which chartered it.

Bhatt responded that the U.S. Justice Department was leading efforts to seek to recover those types of funds.

California Democrat John Garamendi said he supported 100% of costs being reimbursed by the federal government, but that the committee should carefully structure legislation so that any funds from insurance payments or legal judgments against the shipping company would flow back to the federal government.

Rebuilding issues

Reconstruction plans will be written and updated as the project progresses in the coming years, Bhatt said. The most recent timeline estimates construction could be finished in 2028 and traffic could resume that year or in 2029.

The bridge should be rebuilt to comply with current standards, Bhatt told ranking Democrat Rick Larsen of Washington. The original bridge, constructed during the 1970s, was a truss design, which has been replaced in recent years by cable-stayed bridges.

But federal law does not allow for betterments that did not exist on the original bridge to be added to the rebuild, Bhatt added.

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The post Congressional panel debates who should foot the bill for rebuilding Baltimore bridge appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Debris is cleared from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge as efforts begin to reopen the Port of Baltimore on March 31, 2024, in Baltimore, Maryland. The bridge, which was used by roughly 30,000 vehicles each day, fell into the Patapsco River after being struck by the Dali, a cargo ship leaving the port at around 1:30 a.m. on March 26. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Conservative members of Congress at a hearing on Wednesday raised questions about using federal dollars to pay for rebuilding a state tollway, as the head of the Federal Highway Administration reiterated that the Biden administration is seeking congressional approval to reimburse 100% of the costs of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

Congress has about six months left to adjust the federal share of costs to reconstruct the bridge before an automatic rate of 90% reimbursement kicks in, House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Sam Graves, a Missouri Republican, said at a hearing on the federal response to the March 26 collapse.

Early that morning, the container ship Dali lost power and struck the bridge, which collapsed into the Patapsco River and blocked access to the busy Port of Baltimore. Six people died.

Under the FHWAs Emergency Relief Program, the federal government covers the first nine months of costs from a disaster.

Graves did not indicate whether he thought Congress should increase the federal cost-share. But Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt repeated President Joe Bidens pledge that the federal government would cover all costs.

The administration is asking Congress to join in demonstrating a commitment to aid in recovery efforts by authorizing a 100% federal cost-share for rebuilding the bridge, consistent with past catastrophic bridge collapses, Bhatt told the panel.

The federal government reimbursed all the costs to rebuild the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis after it collapsed in 2007, Bhatt said.

The estimated cost of a rebuild for the Baltimore bridge is $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion.

The FHWA has asked permitting agencies to speed up approvals for a new bridge, noting that environmental and other reviews should consider that a bridge with a similar footprint was previously in the same location, Bhatt said.

Conservatives on the panel drew attention to the fact that the bridge, which was a toll facility on Marylands highway system, had never received federal funding. Revenue from the tolls go to the state, Pennsylvania Republican Scott Perry, noted.

Perry, a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, said the comparison to the Minneapolis bridge collapse was not apt because it had not been a toll bridge.

He asked if the federal government could recoup toll money collected on the bridge when it reopens.

I hope you would consider a plan to reimburse the taxpayer under horrific debt right now, who cant afford their groceries, their gas bills, their day care bills, for the cost of this bridge, for which one state has been receiving all the money for its entire existence, and apparently is going to receive all the money from the tolls for the rest of its existence, Perry said.

Interstate system

Bhatt and some Democrats on the panel said that an intact interstate system benefits the entire country.

Georgia Democrat Hank Johnson asked Bhatt to explain the bridges connection to interstate commerce, noting that there may be people in the country who are not inside the state of Maryland who resent having to pay for this bridge reconstruction.

What is so critically important for a transportation system is that you can drive from New York to Los Angeles across a system that is completely uniform, Bhatt responded.

The highway system is connected to ports, which are also economic drivers, Bhatt said.

This is not just an issue for Maryland, he said. Its an issue for the Northeast Corridor and for our national economy.

Legal action

Florida Republican Brian Mast asked Bhatt if the government was seeking reimbursement from any insurance policies or the Grace Ocean Private Ltd., which owned the ship, or shipping company Maersk, which chartered it.

Bhatt responded that the U.S. Justice Department was leading efforts to seek to recover those types of funds.

California Democrat John Garamendi said he supported 100% of costs being reimbursed by the federal government, but that the committee should carefully structure legislation so that any funds from insurance payments or legal judgments against the shipping company would flow back to the federal government.

Rebuilding issues

Reconstruction plans will be written and updated as the project progresses in the coming years, Bhatt said. The most recent timeline estimates construction could be finished in 2028 and traffic could resume that year or in 2029.

The bridge should be rebuilt to comply with current standards, Bhatt told ranking Democrat Rick Larsen of Washington. The original bridge, constructed during the 1970s, was a truss design, which has been replaced in recent years by cable-stayed bridges.

But federal law does not allow for betterments that did not exist on the original bridge to be added to the rebuild, Bhatt added.

The post Congressional panel debates who should foot the bill for rebuilding Baltimore bridge appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Debris is cleared from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge as efforts begin to reopen the Port of Baltimore on March 31, 2024, in Baltimore, Maryland. The bridge, which was used by roughly 30,000 vehicles each day, fell into the Patapsco River after being struck by the Dali, a cargo ship leaving the port at around 1:30 a.m. on March 26. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images)

Conservative members of Congress at a hearing on Wednesday raised questions about using federal dollars to pay for rebuilding a state tollway, as the head of the Federal Highway Administration reiterated that the Biden administration is seeking congressional approval to reimburse 100% of the costs of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

Congress has about six months left to adjust the federal share of costs to reconstruct the bridge before an automatic rate of 90% reimbursement kicks in, House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Sam Graves, a Missouri Republican, said at a hearing on the federal response to the March 26 collapse.

Early that morning, the container ship Dali lost power and struck the bridge, which collapsed into the Patapsco River and blocked access to the busy Port of Baltimore. Six people died.

Under the FHWAs Emergency Relief Program, the federal government covers the first nine months of costs from a disaster.

Graves did not indicate whether he thought Congress should increase the federal cost-share. But Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt repeated President Joe Bidens pledge that the federal government would cover all costs.

The administration is asking Congress to join in demonstrating a commitment to aid in recovery efforts by authorizing a 100% federal cost-share for rebuilding the bridge, consistent with past catastrophic bridge collapses, Bhatt told the panel.

The federal government reimbursed all the costs to rebuild the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis after it collapsed in 2007, Bhatt said.

The estimated cost of a rebuild for the Baltimore bridge is $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion.

The FHWA has asked permitting agencies to speed up approvals for a new bridge, noting that environmental and other reviews should consider that a bridge with a similar footprint was previously in the same location, Bhatt said.

Conservatives on the panel drew attention to the fact that the bridge, which was a toll facility on Marylands highway system, had never received federal funding. Revenue from the tolls go to the state, Pennsylvania Republican Scott Perry, noted.

Perry, a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, said the comparison to the Minneapolis bridge collapse was not apt because it had not been a toll bridge.

He asked if the federal government could recoup toll money collected on the bridge when it reopens.

I hope you would consider a plan to reimburse the taxpayer under horrific debt right now, who cant afford their groceries, their gas bills, their day care bills, for the cost of this bridge, for which one state has been receiving all the money for its entire existence, and apparently is going to receive all the money from the tolls for the rest of its existence, Perry said.

Interstate system

Bhatt and some Democrats on the panel said that an intact interstate system benefits the entire country.

Georgia Democrat Hank Johnson asked Bhatt to explain the bridges connection to interstate commerce, noting that there may be people in the country who are not inside the state of Maryland who resent having to pay for this bridge reconstruction.

What is so critically important for a transportation system is that you can drive from New York to Los Angeles across a system that is completely uniform, Bhatt responded.

The highway system is connected to ports, which are also economic drivers, Bhatt said.

This is not just an issue for Maryland, he said. Its an issue for the Northeast Corridor and for our national economy.

Legal action

Florida Republican Brian Mast asked Bhatt if the government was seeking reimbursement from any insurance policies or the Grace Ocean Private Ltd., which owned the ship, or shipping company Maersk, which chartered it.

Bhatt responded that the U.S. Justice Department was leading efforts to seek to recover those types of funds.

California Democrat John Garamendi said he supported 100% of costs being reimbursed by the federal government, but that the committee should carefully structure legislation so that any funds from insurance payments or legal judgments against the shipping company would flow back to the federal government.

Rebuilding issues

Reconstruction plans will be written and updated as the project progresses in the coming years, Bhatt said. The most recent timeline estimates construction could be finished in 2028 and traffic could resume that year or in 2029.

The bridge should be rebuilt to comply with current standards, Bhatt told ranking Democrat Rick Larsen of Washington. The original bridge, constructed during the 1970s, was a truss design, which has been replaced in recent years by cable-stayed bridges.

But federal law does not allow for betterments that did not exist on the original bridge to be added to the rebuild, Bhatt added.

The post Congressional panel debates who should foot the bill for rebuilding Baltimore bridge appeared first on Source New Mexico.
Columbia University faculty members stand on the steps of The Low Library to protest the ban of Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine on the college campus, November 15, 2023. | Edna Leshowitz/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom

Remember when Republicans were against using the tax cops to go after political opponents? Well, they seem to have changed their minds.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (RKy.) has made no secret of his desire to use finance laws against left-leaning activists. A few months ago, he complained that the IRS was going too easy on progressive nonprofits. Now he's found another angle of attack: insinuating that these organizations are part of an anti-Israel conspiracy.

Comer and House Education Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (RN.C.) are "investigating the sources of funding and financing for groups who are organizing, leading, and participating in pro-Hamas, antisemitic, anti-Israel, and anti-American protests" on college campuses, they announced in a Tuesday letter.

"This investigation relates both to malign influence on college campuses and to the national security implications of such influence on faculty and student organizations," Comer and Foxx wrote.

Foxx objected when the shoe was on the other foot. In 2013, it was revealed that the IRS had been placing extra scrutiny on nonprofits whose paperwork included terms such as tea party and patriot. Foxx wrote an op-ed criticizing the "outrageous" demands for information that IRS investigators had made.

"The problem at the IRS is with more than the search terms it used. Whether conservative or liberal, targeting Americans is wrong," she stated. "The deeper problem is that government's taxing arm ever came to consider itself the arbiter of what constitutes legitimate free speech in the first place."

Asked about Foxx's earlier statements, her spokesman Alex Ives wrote to Reason that "what you are positing amounts to false equivalencies on many levels." He stated that Foxx was seeking to "ensure groups do not have financial ties to designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations," without citing specific examples.

"Do groups on campuses have a right to free speech? Of course," Ives said. "Do they have a right to have their ties to foreign financiers connected to terror organizations to go unscrutinized? Of course not."

The letter from Foxx and Comer demands that the Department of the Treasury provide all Suspicious Activity Reports, or bulletins on potential tax evasion and money laundering, for 20 different organizations. The list includes Students for Justice in Palestine and its sponsor, the WESPAC Foundation. It also names off-campus Muslim and Palestinian-American groups, Jewish peace movements, and many organizations that are not primarily focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"This is part of a broader effort to demonize parts of the tax-exempt sector that a part of the Republican Party views as a key target in the war on woke," says Lara Friedman, president of the nonprofit Foundation for Middle East Peace, which has been tracking Congress' stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "If you make this about supposedly fighting antisemitism, you bring parts of the Democratic Party with you."

Many of the groups listed are big names in progressive philanthropy: George Soros' Open Society Foundations, the Pritzker family's Libra Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Rockefeller organization gave several hundreds of thousands of dollars to Jewish Voice for Peace; another Jewish group for Palestinian rights called IfNotNow; the Adalah Justice Project, a Palestinian-American rights group; and Palestine Legal, a legal aid service for pro-Palestinian advocates in America.

"The RBF has had no direct involvement in the campus protests nor have we earmarked funds for them," Rockefeller Brothers Fund spokeswoman Sarah Edkins said in a statement last week. "Some RBF grantees have provided training, messaging, and/or legal support to student protest leaders. The Fund does not direct the activities of any grantee organizations."

Edkins added that the fund "respects Israel's right to exist and supports the right to self-determination for both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples."

The Open Society Foundations also gave several hundreds of thousands of dollars to Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow, according to Rolling Stone. The grant-making network told Politico that it "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."

It's not clear why the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Libra Foundation wound up on the list. Last week, Politico named them as supporters of pro-Palestinian protests, because of their donations to the Tides Foundation, a clearinghouse for progressive groups that funds Jewish Voice for Peace, IfNotNow, Adalah, and Palestine Legal. But the Gates and Libra donations were earmarked for other causes.

Jewish Voice for Peace says that the congressional letter is "inaccurate, dangerous and a desperate attempt by right-wing legislators to criminalize public protest. These legislators are falsely and libelously smearing tens of thousands of students as antisemitic, simply because they are protesting the use of their tuition dollars in the massacres of Palestinian families."

Two of the groups listed in the letter, American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, also offered statements to Reason. The Libra Foundation declined to comment, and the Gates Foundation pointed to its comments to Politico. None of the other groups responded to emails asking for comment.

"AMP looks forward to demonstrating in any jurisdiction that it operates wholly within the laws of the United States, compliant with all laws and regulations governing U.S. nonprofit entities," the organization's attorney Christina Jump says. "AMP operates completely within the United States, raises funds completely within the United States, and utilizes those donations completely within the United States to support its mission of educating American Muslims and the American public on the rich history and culture of Palestine."

Edward Ahmed Mitchell, deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, says that the letter "reads like a bad impersonation of Joseph McCarthy. Instead of advancing the goals of a foreign government by pursuing witch hunts against the American people, Rep. Foxx, Rep. Comer and other genocide-enablers in Congress should focus on washing the blood of over 30,000 slaughtered Palestinian civilians off their hands."

Republicans are not the only ones trying to bring the U.S. tax code into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In New York, some Democrats are trying to strip away nonprofit status from organizations that operate in Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories. New Yorkbased nonprofits have raised money to buy drones for settler militias and to maintain a military academy in a West Bank settlement.

The House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing in November 2023 on the "nexus" between campus protests and "terror financing." Soon after, the House passed a bill allowing the secretary of the treasury to shut down nonprofits based on vague insinuations of terrorist support. Last week, 15 Republican senators called on the IRS to revoke the nonprofit status of any organization that supported Students for Justice in Palestine.

Friedman, the Foundation for Middle East Peace president, believes that the congressional letter is more likely to have a "chilling effect" on nonprofits than to turn up any real evidence of illegal activity.

"It's partly a fishing expedition," she says. "And by lodging an accusation, they hope to paint a picture in the mind of the public."

The post Congressional Republicans Launch 'Fishing Expedition' Against Progressive, Jewish, and Palestinian Nonprofits appeared first on Reason.com.
Give it up for the newest Phoenix Councilman Carlos Galindo-Elvira, who publicly stood up to bullying.

Galindo-Elvira, who last month was appointed to represent District 7, abstained from voting on Wednesday on the first step toward naming a downtown light rail hub in honor of U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton because his employer was contacted over it.

Turns out the person who contacted his employer, Chicanos por la Causa, was Verma Pastor, seeking to name the transit hub after her late husband, U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor, instead of Stanton.

Calling the employer of a councilman to influence the vote is problematic enough. But Verma is on the board of Chicanos por La Causa or CPLC.

Why lobby a councilman's employer?

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego (left) with Phoenix Councilwoman Laura Pastor (right) and her mother Verma Pastor (far right) helped unveil a plaque in 2019 featuring a quote from former Congressman Ed Pastor at a light rail station named in his honor.

Their daughter, Laura Pastor, is a Phoenix councilwoman who unsuccessfully tried to rally support to name the light rail hub on Central Avenue and Van Buren Street after her dad, not Stanton.

Phoenix already operates the Ed Pastor Transit Center in south Phoenix, so its not like the city is simply snubbing the late congressmans legacy. More on that later.

Verma confirmed to The Arizona Republics Taylor Seely that she called the chair of CPLC hoping for support and hoping CPLC could relay that to Galindo-Elvira.

Why not pick up the phone and call him directly? Did she call the employers of the rest of the council members?

I bet not.

This shows the politics played in Phoenix

Chicanos por la Causa is one of the largest Latino groups in the nation. Its spokesperson, Maria Jesus Cervantes, told me the agency supports naming the new light rail hub in honor of Ed Pastor but said it had no overt or undue influence in the City Council vote.

Galindo-Elvira wouldnt say how he found out, but he knew and felt compelled to recuse himself, which was the right thing to do. That indicates somebody got to him.

He stood for transparency, signaling he wont be easily manipulated even by a powerful local family like the Pastors.

Phoenix tried to secretly anoint: Its next councilman

But it does illustrate how difficult his job on the council will be, the kind of politics that is played here and perhaps the level of power of the Pastor family, or their dwindling influence built on the legacy of Ed Pastor, who died at the end of 2018.

All council members on Wednesday had nothing but great things to say about Ed Pastor, the first Hispanic from Arizona elected to Congress and who served in that chamber for more than two decades.

I remember the Democratic congressman working quietly but ferociously to secure tons of federal money for Phoenix and the region.

Pastor fought for light rail. But so did Stanton

Undoubtedly, Ed Pastor is credited for getting the initial light rail off the ground.

Without Ed Pastor, theres no light rail, Stanton said at the time of Pastors death in 2018. But its also true that Stanton during his tenure as Phoenix mayor has been a champion of light rail and public transit.

Everyone agrees both men deserve recognition. But how we got to this point is the problem.

The Pastor family argued that city staff had contemplated redeveloping the existing Ed Pastor Transit Center at Central Avenue and Broadway Road and thus wanted to secure the Pastor legacy elsewhere.

City officials confirmed informal talks were held but nothing has been decided.

All that was news to several council members, which tells me it would have been smart to delay moving forward at least until things are sorted out.

This transit hub fight isn't over

This isnt the last word over this transit naming.

Phoenixs Heritage Commission will still need consider the citys request and send it back to the City Council for a final vote.

That means Councilwomen Laura Pastor and Betty Guardado, the only no votes on Wednesday, could give their fight another go.

But one thing is certain. Calling the employers of council members isnt the way to go  not on this or anything else.

Elvia Diaz is editorial page editor for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Reach her at 602-444-8606 or elvia.diaz@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter, @elviadiaz1.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix light rail hub naming caught in petty small-town politics
Cincinnati's controversial plan to overhaul its zoning code, known as Connected Communities, aims to offer a sweeping solution to the city's housing shortage.

Years in the making, the proposal goes to its first of three public votes Friday at the city's planning commission meeting.

More than 300 people wrote letters to the city in support of the plan, according to public documents reviewed by The Enquirer.

But citizens in recent public meetings say they don't like it. And an Enquirer survey found that the city's influential neighborhood community councils have major qualms and feel left out.

Despite the city's two-year long engagement process, Cincinnati residents argue there's not been enough information provided.

They're worried about new housing without parking.

They fear single-family homes will be demolished for multi-family buildings.

They're concerned more renters will move into single-family areas and won't invest in the neighborhood.

They say they already feel burdened by failing infrastructure like sewers, flooding and lack of street paving.

And in neighborhoods where there's already concern about absentee landlords, this plan could allow for more.

Over 50% of Cincinnati's community councils that answered The Enquirer's survey formally oppose the plan and 42% are still unsure. There's even a petition signed by over 300 residents across more than 30 neighborhoods calling for a pause on the vote and more time to review the 150-page draft legislation, released on April 11.

None of these concerns are things to worry about, city officials said. All of these issues have been taken into consideration by the planning department. Cincinnati City Councilman Reggie Harris, the legislation's champion, said this is a long-needed update of the zoning code that simply allows for more density like all big cities.

More: Listen to That's So Cincinnati Connected Communities zoning remake 'a return to Cincinnati's very dense past'

So what's the truth?

The one thing that consistently comes up from residents is: What will happen to my street? However, because the plan ultimately depends on a developer wanting to build, there's no way to know the answer. And that has stoked the fear that city officials are now hearing.

"There is no substantial proof that developers are going to lower rents, nor will they care about the complexion of our neighborhoods," said survey respondent Pricilla Elgersma, a Mount Washington Community Council board member.

The Enquirer took a deep look into the proposal and held conversations on Connected Communities with Harris, Mayor Aftab Pureval and neighborhood leaders. Here's our explainer on the plan.

What is Connected Communities?

The proposed legislation, Connected Communities, calls for zoning changes 1/4-mile around neighborhood business districts and 1/2-mile along Hamilton Avenue and Reading Road. It also aims to spur development directly along Glenway Avenue, Harrison Avenue, Gilbert Avenue and Madison Road.

Simply put, it's a zoning code change targeted at adding what the city calls "middle housing" to neighborhood business districts and the streets closest to them, and along transit corridors. Middle housing, everything from duplexes to rowhomes to small mixed-use buildings, exists in Cincinnati already, but city officials and planners argue the city needs more.

And, without this housing, they say, the city can't grow.

For developers, this change would mean they can construct buildings with more units and less parking without having to ask the city for permission. Right now, the rules favor single-family homes, and if a developer wants to do something different, it takes months of zoning requests and hearings.

This is great for developers because it lessens the lag time for development and helps keep construction costs low. But if you live there, that same lengthy process gives the citizen plenty of time to understand what's being built and provide feedback. Citizens following the possible change aren't against the idea of shortening the process, they just don't want it to go away altogether.

What Pureval and Harris say

Mayor Aftab Pureval speaks during the Visit Cincy annual meeting at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024.

Pureval and Harris understand why there's pushback and they think they're prepared for it.

"This is really, really hard," Pureval said. "The reason why we are in this position where we have the highest rent increases in the nation is because we have not substantially touched our zoning for a very long time."

Even with the opposition, Harris and Pureval expect the plan to pass in city council in early June and they don't want a delay.

Pureval sees the opposition as resistance to change, not necessarily the plan itself.

"They want their neighborhoods to be the way they are today," Pureval said. "And change is very difficult. But if we are to take significant strides on making sure that people have access to housing at different price points throughout the city, then we have to make these hard decisions. We need action right now."

What community councils say

Hyde Park Square, pictured, Monday, May 13, 2024, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Cincinnati's over 40 community councils serve as the link between the local government and the individual neighborhoods that make up the Queen City. All volunteer-based, they regularly deal with zoning issues related to development projects in their areas. But according to The Enquirer's survey, over 70% of Cincinnati's community councils claim that the city's planning department or an elected official never formally contacted them about the proposed legislation.

The city disputes this and says they did reach out multiple ways: There was email outreach by the planning department and the mayor, open Zoom meetings with the mayor, invitations to in-person engagement sessions at recreation centers, and detailed presentations to Invest in Neighborhoods, a nonprofit that works with community councils. They called the amount of engagement they did "unprecedented."

One thing the city didn't do? Formally present Connected Communities to community councils without being asked. "That's an unreasonable expectation for [them] to have," Harris told The Enquirer. Yet that's what people wanted.

So far, no community councils fully endorse it. This reflects the conversations held at recent public meetings by the city's planning department. Some neighborhoods are arguing for an opt-in approach to Connected Communities. Why not, they ask, allow for zoning changes in areas that want increased density or more housing?

Even high-density neighborhoods like Over-the-Rhine and Clifton aren't convinced this will work. Years of investment in both areas have led to rising rents and home prices, problems with parking, and in some cases, displacement.

Mike Cheetham, president of the Mount Lookout Community Council, put it this way to The Enquirer: "Why has there been little to no direct engagement with community councils during this process? Our residents crave information on this proposal." He added, "A formal presentation from a city representative with a Q&A would have gone a long way."

Roselawn Community Council President Annie Ruth Napier said: "The process of engaging our community is faulty."

Who supports the plan?

This doesn't mean there isn't support for Connected Communities. Many of the city's community development corporations, including HomeBase, which advocates for them, outright support the plan. So does Metro, the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, the Human Services Chamber of Hamilton County, Habitat for Humanity, the University of Cincinnati, UC Health, Cincinnati Children's and the American Planning Association, among others.

Plenty of average residents back it, too.

Madisonville resident Kerry Devery wrote a letter in support, saying the change is "necessary" and "long overdue."

"If something like Connected Communities had passed 10 to 20 years ago the current affordability crisis would not be as severe as it is now," Devery said.

Logan Stryker of Clifton Heights wrote: "Time to drag Cincinnati, kicking and screaming, into the present."

Everyone else is doing it

Experts say overly restrictive zoning laws from the mid-century have contributed to a national decrease in housing construction. Like in many American cities, in Cincinnati it's illegal to build anything but detached single-family homes in most of the city.

That's why other cities are trying to implement major zoning changes to address their housing shortages. Since 2017, over 130 municipalities have tried  many successfully  to overhaul their zoning codes, according to the University of California at Berkeley. Columbus is doing it (and on a similar timeline to Cincinnati's), and so is Louisville and Pittsburgh.

Minneapolis was one of the first metropolitan areas to push major zoning reform  and took it as far as ending single-family zoning altogether. According to recent research done by the Pew Charitable Trusts, from 2017 to 2022, Minneapolis added 12% to its overall housing stock and the majority of residential units built were in apartment complexes with 20 or more units. Rents also rose just 1% in those five years.

But a recent national study done by the Urban Institute revealed that cities that enacted major land-use reform increasing density between 2000 and 2019 saw an average 0.8% increase in their housing stock three to nine years after passage. The majority of those units were reserved for people with above-area-median incomes. According to census data, the median Cincinnati household brings in $48,000 annually.

Seeing the benefits of Connected Communities will take more time than that. "This is a decade vision," Harris said.

Where will people park?

One of the biggest criticisms is the plan's elimination of parking requirements for developers. Opponents worry that will mean new residents will be forced to park on the street or in existing surface lots. But Connected Communities still allows developers to build parking in many cases, if they want. There's just no minimum requirement for spaces.

What's not *technically* included

Even opponents of this plan agree the city's 100-year-old zoning code should be updated. It's often cited as one of the reasons why Cincinnati is so segregated. Mayor Pureval touts Connected Communities as a way to increase affordability throughout Cincinnati's neighborhoods and reduce concentrated poverty.

Affordable housing

Peebles Apartments, a new affordable housing complex opening this year in Walnut Hills, rises on Gilbert Avenue just outside the historic business district.

Unlike in other cities, the plan purposefully leaves out affordable housing solutions.

Instead, this plan doubles down on ensuring developments that received Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, also called LIHTC, are processed more smoothly and quickly. But right now, the city is under investigation by the federal housing department for the alleged misuse of federal funds to steer low-income projects to poor, Black neighborhoods. Areas like the West End worry Connected Communities will only exacerbate the issue.

Pureval and Harris say federal oversight provided by the LIHTC program is more than the city could do on a project-by-project basis.

Homeownership, demolition protections

By making room for more middle housing such as rowhomes or duplexes in formerly single family-zoned areas, Cincinnati can address its housing supply issue.

It also doesn't include direct plans for increasing homeownership, something that comes up regularly at city council meetings. Cincinnati is a city of 62% renters. Citizens think Connected Communities is largely about adding more renters because developers can build more units if they target renters. The city disagrees.

City officials claim Connected Communities will help boost homeownership because it includes a plan to legalize the construction of rowhomes in certain single-family-zoned districts. This type of middle housing is meant for first-time buyers, the mayor said.

"So by providing greater incentives for maintaining existing housing and by legalizing different kinds of housing, we are doing everything we can from a policy perspective to avoid unnecessary tear downs."

Accountability

The city of Cincinnati is in litigation with groups considered to be predatory landlords such as VineBrook Homes, which owns a plethora of houses in West Price Hill.

The legislation doesn't feature any requirements that would hold landlords accountable for using quality materials or requiring continued upkeep. These are issues the city are fighting against in lawsuits with out-of-town investors such as Texas-based VineBrook Homes. It's these problems residents are concerned about, particularly West Siders, and are seeking to have addressed before they happen.

The mayor has answer for this, too. He wants more development there so the market can grow.

The city further addresses this concern  along with questions about overwhelmed infrastructure  in a new comprehensive FAQ available on the Connected Communities website.

And one last thing...

At the very end of the ordinance (yes, we read it), there are multiple small provisions including making outdoor dining permits more accessible, allowing daycares to be built in single-family areas, and enforcing leash laws.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What is Cincinnati's Connected Communities zoning plan?
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. The arrest period has been extended for Ruben Vardanyan, who held the position of the so-called state minister of the separatist regime in Azerbaijan's Karabakh, Trend reports.

The Sabail District Court of Baku issued a decision on a criminal case initiated by the State Security Service of Azerbaijan.

According to the decision, Vardanyans detention period was extended for another five months.

To note, significant suspicions have been revealed that Vardanyan, who is currently a citizen of Armenia, has committed criminal acts under Articles 214-1 (financing of terrorism), 279.3 (participation in the organization and activities of armed formations or groups not stipulated by law), and 318.1 (illegal crossing of the state border of Azerbaijan) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.

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Gary Humble, founder of conservative advocacy group Tennessee Stands, has emerged as a strong opponent of Gov. Bill Lee's plan to enact universal school vouchers. (Screenshot from Tennessee Stands video)

Gary Humble, founder of conservative advocacy group Tennessee Stands, has emerged as a strong opponent of Gov. Bill Lee's plan to enact universal school vouchers. (Screenshot from Tennessee Stands video)

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Republican leaders  predicting passage of a private-school voucher bill in 2025  will have to outflank conservative groups as well as opponents such as the Tennessee Education Association.

Tennessee Stands, a far right advocacy group run by Gary Humble of Franklin, balked at the governors voucher plan during this years session and plans to continue fighting it in 2025. Likewise, the Tennessee Firearms Association run by John Harris is against the governors proposal, which in its second year would provide $7,000 each for every student in the state to enroll in a participating private school, possibly costing $800 million.

Definitely well be prepared to oppose  and when Im speaking (at events), Im in strong opposition to vouchers. I know this isnt going to go away, so Im quite confident this will be the talk of the session leading into 2025 and on and on until they get something done, Humble said this week.

Accused this year of aligning with the Tennessee Education Association, Humble noted he isnt siding with the teachers union but is fundamentally opposed to putting tax dollars into private education.

Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka tried to assuage concerns about school vouchers from parents who homeschool their children. (Photo: John Partipilo)

State Rep. Scott Cepicky tried to massage the House version of the voucher bill late in the 2024 session to satisfy homeschool parents and remove them from the bill. If a final bill had surfaced, it likely would have exempted homeschoolers, which Humble said he supports.

He pointed out education and teaching regulations are bound to follow into private education and homeschools if state money is shifted to those schools, because strings are always attached to tax dollars.

Humbles stance puts him in direct conflict with Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, who said he is aligned with the governor on private-school vouchers. Johnson narrowly defeated Humble in the 2022 election, and they are expected to clash again.

Harris, whose group is considered more of a gadfly than a power broker in the General Assembly, nevertheless, caught some peoples attention with a Facebook post saying the government has a role to play in public schools but not in private education.

The post claims the solution for improving public education is not to shift tax dollars to allow parents to enroll their children in private schools, calling such a move an abdication of the legislators duty and stewardship. Further, he said private-school vouchers would open the door to allow Islamic extremists and Chinese interests to fund private schools.

Truly conservative legislators would not abdicate the duty to make sure that the public school system is operating with excellent [sic] and efficiency, Harris post said.

He added that lawmakers who are backing the governors proposal instead of trying to repair the public school system are just evidence of legislators who perhaps do not need to be legislators.

With elections looming this fall, pro-voucher groups are expected to flood the field with funds to boost the chances of Lees plan passing in the 114th General Assembly.

Truly conservative legislators would not abdicate the duty to make sure that the public school system is operating with excellent [sic] and efficiency, wrote John Harris of the Tennessee Firearms Association in a Facebook post.

Lawmakers were caught between their allegiance to local school boards that are often the largest employers in their districts and the threat of dark money groups that will back election opponents this year.

TEA President Tanya Coats argued that the Legislature should spend $7,000 more per student in public schools to move Tennessee out of the nations bottom 10 for investment.

The only choices this program would provide are the choices for private schools to profit off Tennessee taxpayers and cherry-pick the students they want to educate, Coats said in an association statement.

Lee acknowledged he will talk to legislative candidates this summer and let them know about the proposals importance to provide parents with school choice.

The governor said immediately after the Legislature adjourned sine die that it usually takes more than one session to pass bills on big issues and noted he feels certain the plan will advance in 2025.

Lawmakers approved $144 million for the so-called education freedom bill, even though the measure itself didnt advance. Lee called that funding move significant and said, That shows a clear intent that we lead in this concept and we expect it to happen next year.

Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, who has been in the Legislature for some 45 years, pointed out when former Gov. Lamar Alexander passed his Better Schools plan in the 1980s, it took two sessions.

Its an important bill, and I think we can get there, McNally said.

Lees proposal, which he introduced to great fanfare in late November 2023 with the help of Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, morphed into three bills: one from his office and two widely disparate measures from the Senate and House.

The only choices this program would provide are the choices for private schools to profit off Tennessee taxpayers and cherry-pick the students they want to educate.

 Tanya Coats, Tennessee Education Association

The House bill contained items designed to entice approval from teachers and rural lawmakers such as funds to reduce insurance premiums and pay for school construction projects. It would have cost up to $400 million.

Senators and House members hit an impasse, though, on items such as reduced standardized testing and a proposal to allow students to transfer across public school district lines. Lawmakers negotiated until mid-April before Lee declared the matter dead for the year.

We got very close. We moved forward on major initiatives, but it was an inability to close the gap in the final days, Lee said.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton, who opposed the governors Education Savings Account program in 2019 but backed this measure, said all the groups involved in talks, including TEA, school boards and superintendents, knew the items that would be in the 2024 bill, including the enticements.

That does not mean its next years bill, and they understand that. Thats the consequences of it not happening this year, Sexton said.

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The post Conservative groups stand in way of governors private-school vouchers appeared first on Tennessee Lookout.
Former vice cop Andrew Mitchell has been sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty late last year to two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of tampering. Mitchell, who was employed for many years as a police officer in Columbus, Ohio, is accused of picking up sex workers and sexually assaulting them.

This week, a federal judge sentenced him to the maximum prison sentence recommended by prosecutors, plus a fine of $300 and five years of supervised release.

It's something, at least.

But his victims will receive no restitution payment. And last year, Mitchell walked on much more serious charges involving the killing of Donna Castleberry.

Castleberry's Death



Mitchell fatally shot the 23-year-old while she was trapped in his unmarked police car. He later claimed he killed Castleberry in self-defense after she stabbed him in the hand.

"Donna entered the front passenger door of Mitchell's vehicle and sat in the passenger seat next to Mitchell," according to a civil complaint against Mitchell filed by Castleberry's sister. "Mitchell than [sic] drove her to secluded location at or near South Yale Avenue, Columbus, Ohio in an alley and parked his vehicle in a manner which would prevent Donna from exiting the vehicle."

The Franklin County Coroner's Office called the death a homicide, and a grand jury indicted Mitchell on homicide and involuntary manslaughter charges. But a jury couldn't reach a verdict in the first trial, leading a Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge to declare a mistrial. And a jury returned a verdict of not guilty in the second trial, despite the multiple holes in Mitchell's story.

Mitchell also faced a civil lawsuit from a Jane Doe who alleged that in 2017, Mitchell told her he would arrest her for outstanding warrants but also said "give that pretty ass up and you won't go to jail." According to Doe's complaint, Mitchell handcuffed her to the backseat of the car and then raped her, then picked her up and did it again the following year. In 2022, the plaintiff in the Jane Doe case dismissed the case and it's not clear why. It's also unclear whether this Jane Doe is one of the women Mitchell is accused of detaining in the federal case.

The Federal Case

In 2019, federal prosecutors accused Mitchell of picking up sex workers on false pretenses and then trapping them in his car and sexually assaulting them. He was charged with nine criminal counts, including multiple counts of deprivation of rights under color of law and multiple counts of tampering with a witness, victim, or informant.

Mitchell told one victim "he was a police officer and acted as if he were doing a check for any outstanding warrants on the victim," then "used this ruse to handcuff the victim to the doorknob of his vehicle," according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office last December. "He drove the victim to a nearby parking lot with multiple dumpsters and forcible [sic] held and detained the victim against her will before dropping her off at her boyfriend's residence." Mitchell picked up another victim and "began discussing the victim's rates for sexual activity before announcing that he was an officer with the vice unit and said she was going to jail," according to prosecutors. "Mitchell kidnapped the victim and drove her to Lindbergh Park, holding her against her will."

That's the activity to which Mitchell pleaded guilty, along with removing and destroying potential evidence from a rental apartment he owned. (Specifically, he disposed of and bleached potential evidence "so the FBI could not gather evidence if they came to search it," per his pleas.)

But this isn't the whole story.

Prosecutors initially accused him of sexually assaulting the two women he picked up, and though this was not mentioned as part of the announcement of Mitchell's plea, prosecutors explain why in a sentencing report.

Mitchell's lawyers "objected to all references to sexual assaultwithin the presentence report as the negotiated plea agreement and accompanying Statement of Facts did not stipulate to the occurrence of any sexual activity," notes the government's sentencing memorandum. "The plea agreement was the result of significant negotiation in the face of a potentially very difficult trial for both sides. While both victims have been cooperative with law enforcement and indicated a willingness to testify, they both also indicated a strong preference for this case to be resolved short of trial. This dilemma led to this resolution and the need for a factual determination of this issue to be done at sentencing."

Nonetheless, "the evidence supports a finding that sexual assaults occurred," the government stated. "While Mitchell continues to deny any sexual involvement with these women, there is no explanation for [his] admitted behavior" of handcuffing one victim to a doorknob or taking one victim to a secluded park and detaining her there unless "more was going on than just Mitchell abusing the powers of his badge to only detain someone. "Further, significant evidence corroborated the testimony of the victims that Mitchell took advantage of the depravation of their liberty to further assault and sexually victimize them."

More Victims?

Castleberry and the two victims in the federal case are almost certainly not the only women that Mitchell preyed on. "Mitchell intimidated and hindered at least three other additional victims from communicating with law enforcement and the ongoing grand jury looking into his illegal conduct," the government alleges in its sentencing report.

Prosecutors also note the vulnerability sex workers face when a cop is their assailant.

"Mitchell purposely targeted [sex workers] in the belief that their complaints of assault and sexual compromise would not be believed by law enforcement suspected of being too aligned with one of their own," the government claims.

"Throughout the FBI investigation, female interviewees explained their doubts and hesitation in reporting Mitchell due to fears of retaliation and being disbelieved. Mitchell routinely used this dynamic to his advantage as both a police officer (and a landlord) in seeking sexual conquest and control while ignoring the law he was sworn to uphold."

Columbus Vice

"Andrew Mitchell betrayed his oath, the values of the Columbus Division of Police and the trust of our community. He used his position to target and exploit some of the most vulnerable in our community. We hope the close of this dark, painful chapter brings some measure of peace to everyone he wronged," the Columbus Division of Police said in a statement last December.

Mitchell isn't the only member of the Columbus Division of Police to have faced misconduct allegations in recent years, though the accusations against him were by far the most serious.

Members of the vice unit improperly arrested Stormy Daniels in 2018.

Two of the cops involved in Daniels' arrestSteven G. Rosser and Whitney R. Lancasterwere arrested on federal criminal charges unrelated to the Daniels case but also involving strip clubs. Lancaster was acquitted at trial but Rosser was found guilty of conspiracy against rights. Rosser was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.

Columbus police temporarily disbanded the vice squad in 2019 and had the FBI's public corruption task force look into it.

Police replaced the vice squad with something called the Police and Community Together (PACT) Unit, which was meant to be more transparent and accountable. The PACT page on the city of Columbus website now says "page not found."

These days, "prostitution arrests are made by uniformed PACT officers in marked cruisers," reported Columbus Monthly. "'PACT also has a policy to not trap or block women in their vehicles. If an individual wants out of the vehicle, they let them out,'" former Deputy Police Chief Jennifer Knight told the publication.

The post Cop Who Dodged Sentence for Killing Sex Worker Gets 11 Years for Abducting More Sex Workers appeared first on Reason.com.
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Sen. Bob Menendezs corruption trial started with a bang on Wednesday as his lawyer argued in opening statements that the New Jersey Democrat was not part of an international bribery scheme as described by federal prosecutors  his wife was. Menendezs attorney insisted there were innocent explanations for the alleged crimes, and immediately tried to shift the blame to Menendezs wife, who is also charged in the alleged plot and will be tried separately.

Menendez faces a slew of felony charges  including bribery, extortion, and acting as a foreign agent for Egypt  for allegedly peddling his influence in Congress to foreign entities and New Jersey businessmen in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, some of which came in the form of solid gold bars. Both Sen. Menendez and his wife have pleaded not guilty.

The senator has been indicted on corruption charges in the past  once in 2015; That case ended in a mistrial after the jury was unable to reach a verdict.

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Menendezs defense places blame on his wife

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Sources: The Washington Post, The New York Times

While federal prosecutors sought to paint Menendez as money-hungry and corrupt, his defense took a different  albeit, controversial  route: It was all his wifes fault, they argued. After the couple married in 2020, Sen. Menendezs attorney claimed Nadine kept him in the dark about her complicated web of financial relationships. (Nadine will be tried separately from her husband, and the arguments brought in this case are unlikely to be admissible in her trial.) The prosecution waved off the defenses characterization, alleging Sen. Menendez was a senator on the take.

Democrats, while conflicted, still need Menendezs vote

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Sources: Politico, NBC News

For now, as much as Democrats might not like it, they need Menendez, Politico wrote. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has declined to force him to resign  though Schumer admitted Menendezs conduct fell way, way below the standard of the office. The party seems to be reluctantly keeping him around because his vote is critical in their narrow majority in the Senate. Thats not to say the indictment hasnt stirred condemnation: More than 30 Senate Democrats have called for his resignation. The embattled senator said he will not run for reelection as a Democrat, but he also left open the possibility of an independent run.

Menendez earns strange new respect from Trump

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Source: Semafor

Menendezs indictment has secured him an unusual defender: Donald Trump. The former president called the charges an attack on the senator by President Joe Biden, because [Menendez] wasnt getting along too well with the Democrats and with Biden and he disagrees with Biden on a lot of things. This is a known strategy of Trumps, Semafors David Weigel wrote: demanding individual Democrats be investigated or jailed, while also rallying to defend ones who actually do end up charged with crimes. It fits neatly into the Republican presidential candidates broader mission of showing voters that federal prosecutors cant be trusted  a salient point from a man facing two federal indictments for a litany of alleged felonies.

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EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  El Paso County Public Works will be hosting two free community clean-up events in Fabens and Hueco Tanks.

The events will take place from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 18 at Fabens, 199 Citizen Transfer Station Rd, and Hueco Tanks Intersection, 6898 Pony Express.

According to a news release by the county, the following waste will be accepted at the event:

Tires Each resident may bring up to 5 tires, a maximum collection of 1,500 tires at the event. Accepted tires must be 17 inches or smaller to be collected. Tires from retailers, semi-trucks, equipment-trucks or tires with rims will not be accepted.

Bulk trash and electronic waste Residents may bring one pick-up truck load of bulk trash including furniture, chairs, carpets, etc. Accepted electronics include computers, tablets, scanners, video games, cameras, radios, cellphones, VCRs and DVD players. CRT monitors and televisions will not be accepted.



For any questions, please contact the El Paso County Public Works Office at (915) 273-3330.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
County leaders may be going back to drawing board over proposal for new Fulton jail

Fulton County leaders are reconsidering building a new $1.7 billion jail because theyre running into roadblocks paying for it.

County officials said the $1.7 billion price tag is better than what the county says is the $2.4 billion it would take to retrofit the old jail.

County leaders and legislators all agree that a new jail is needed. Things are so bad inside it, that jail officials say prisoners are pulling out parts of the walls to make shanks.

However, State legislators dont want to allow a new local sales tax to pay for it.

The only other option theyve looked into is an increase in county property tax rates, which commissioners rejected last year.

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Fulton County Commission Chair Robb Pitts acknowledged that everyone wants the same thing but has differing views on how to do it.

We may differ as to what we see is how we go about providing for the public safety of the 1,200,000 people who call Fulton County their home, Pitts said.

Columbus state Sen. Randy Robertson agrees that Fulton County needs a new jail soon.

Right now, everything they are doing is keeping everything above water. But I think anyone that doesnt believe Fulton County has to build a new jail, theyre living on a planet that Im not familiar with, Robertson said.

Commissioners want staff to write a new request for proposals that would need their approval before moving forward.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. Following to the training plan of the Azerbaijan's Land Forces for 2024, the Artillery units held live-fire tactical exercise, Trend reports via the Ministry of Defense.

Under the training plan, the units were withdrawn from the points of permanent deployment to assembly areas. They accomplished tasks on taking firing positions and preparing the devices for combat use.

Moreover, the tasks on tracking the activity of the imaginary enemy using the universal radar complexes and drones in the armament, fighting with its artillery means, as well as detecting and bringing down the air reconnaissance devices with special technical means were also successfully fulfilled.

The main focus is increasing the knowledge and capabilities of military personnel, improving the command staff's skills in managing artillery units, and organizing interoperability with other types of troops during combat operations.

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The Maricopa County School Superintendents Office is up for grabs this fall as incumbent Steve Watson seeks a third term against a slate of new candidates.

Watsons decisions have impacted tens of thousands of students across the county because, in addition to overseeing school-related elections and managing the Maricopa County Regional School District, the county superintendent must appoint governing board members when vacancies arise in the county's 58 public school districts.

Since taking office in 2017, Watson said, he has made more than 100 appointments. Three candidates challenging Watson question his approach and say they want to change how the county superintendents office handles this responsibility.

Heres what to know about how each candidate says they will handle school board appointments.

Challengers say they want more community input before appointments

Watsons three challengers are unified in their call for greater community input, claiming the incumbents current process sidelines school districts in the appointment of their own leadership.

Arizona law allows districts to recommend up to three candidates to fill a vacancy, but the county superintendent is not required to select one of the people recommended. Watson said his discretion sometimes steers him in a different direction. That was the case for recent appointments in Peoria Unified School District and Mesa Public Schools, two of Arizonas largest districts.

Watson said he didnt make those decisions lightly. He interviews every candidate who applies, regardless of whether they are on a districts shortlist. That meant nearly 50 interviews in Mesa and 25 in Peoria.

The public can also submit letters of recommendation to his office. Those efforts constitute a vigorous public input process, he said.

Maricopa County Superintendent Steve Watson

I think theres just sometimes a trepidation of the unknown, Watson said. At some point, youve got to give people the opportunity to do that job and make a vote before you can pass judgment on whether their appointment was good or not.

Candidates Shelli Boggs and Nicki Kelley, who will face Watson in the Republican primary in late July before the winner moves on to Novembers general election, said Watsons decisions upset community members in Peoria and Mesa. Laura Metcalfe, the Democratic candidate, agreed.

Picking the person that you want or you think fits and not communicating with the people that it impacts, thats not responsible to me, Boggs said.

Liberty Elementary School District, where Watson has appointed nine board members since taking office in 2017, gained its latest appointee at the end of April in a process that frustrated governing board President Michael Todd.

Liberty hosted a candidate forum in February where board members and the public asked applicants questions. The board then submitted its recommendation to Watson.

Shelli Boggs, a governing board member for the East Valley Institute of Technology, is running for Maricopa County School Superintendent candidate with the Republican party.

Todd said he was blindsided by the announcement nearly two months later that Bryan Cirrincione  who did not participate in the forum and had not applied through the district  would take office in 24 hours. That was the first time Todd had heard of Cirrincione.

In a Facebook post shortly after the announcement, Todd dubbed Watson the clown prince of education for failing to meet with his district before making a decision. Todd said Cirrincione is a promising addition to the board, but he wishes the process unfolded differently.

Its an incredible amount of power for one person to have, Todd said.

Boggs said she would be more proactive in meeting with each district and involving the community in her applicant vetting process. Kelley said she would increase community access to her office via town halls and stakeholder committees, including a youth advisory committee, to help inform her decisions.

I dont think we listen to our students enough about whats going on, Kelley said.

Metcalfe said she would help districts form community advisory panels to collect information on board applicants, conduct interviews and select their top three choices. She would choose from their three recommendations as long as the candidates pass a background check and are supportive of public schools.

Nicki Kelley, a governing board member for the East Valley Institute of Technology, is running for Maricopa County School Superintendent candidate with the Republican party.

Watson "believes that he can be the sole decision-maker for a community based on the individuals who apply, Metcalfe said. Thats failing to put together the opportunity for a community to have the voice that they deserve.

Should school board appointments be political?

Kelley wants conservative school board members, she said.

Shell look for applicants who reject critical race theory and social and emotional learning, two hot topics that some conservatives claim are a waste of time at best, or left-wing indoctrination at worst. Critical race theory is an academic concept examining how U.S. institutions impact racial groups differently. Social and emotional learning instructs students on interpersonal skills and emotional regulation.

Applicants under Kelley would answer questionnaires that get at the root of their values, she said. This approach would put students, their learning and their safety first, she said.

Im not out to witch hunt people, said Kelley, a math and physics teacher in Tolleson Union High School District. I just want the absolute best for kids, and the focus, I think, has to be on academics because thats what were missing. We have kiddos that are struggling with reading. We have adults who struggle with reading, and that shouldnt be the case in the United States.

Laura Metcalfe, a governing board member for the East Valley Institute of Technology, is running for Maricopa County School Superintendent candidate with the Democrat party.

In contrast, Boggs and Metcalfe, who both serve on the East Valley Institute of Technology governing board, said politics have no place in public schools or board appointments.

If an applicant is far on either end of the political spectrum, Boggs said, it would be an instant red flag. She first got involved in education to combat just that type of agenda, she said.

How is it that politics are being prioritized in the school districts over the academics and students' learning and their safety? Boggs said. We have to be better for kids.

Metcalfe said her values and political opinions would not influence her appointments. Instead, board members must reflect the values and pro-public education ideals of their local community. Applicants who possess political or personal agendas would not be considered, she said.

Watson declined to name specific traits that could warrant an applicant's disqualification. He said he takes a less categorical approach to weeding people out. What an urban district might consider heresy, he said, a suburban district might not.

Regardless, his appointments arent political, he said.

I govern for everybody, not just one particular group of people: left, right, middle, whatever the flavor of the day is, Watson said. We try to get people in there who are going for the long term, who are going to be advocates and represent every single constituent in their school district.

Should school board members have prior experience?

Watson has appointed individuals with extensive experience and those with little-to-no perceived experience, he said. Whether an applicant has previously served in a public office or attends school board meetings is not a primary consideration.

Instead, Watson said, he relies on three main criteria: whether an applicant cares about their local school district, is fiscally responsible and will focus dollars on the classroom, and is temperamentally ready to govern.

While they might not be actively involved at a district level, that doesnt mean that theyre not actively involved at the school level, Watson said. His Mesa appointee, Courtney Davis, for example, had worked with a school post-COVID to knock on doors and identify where students were who hadnt yet returned to class, he said.

Kelley agreed that having an outsider on the board to bring a fresh perspective can be valuable, so she does not consider regular attendance at school board meetings a prerequisite. More than anything, she wants board members who are critical thinkers rather than rubber stampers and who will work with rather than antagonize parents or teachers' unions.

But for candidates Boggs and Metcalfe  a Republican and a Democrat, respectively  prior school board experience is paramount. Both said they want to bolster training efforts to ensure incoming board members have a solid understanding of their fiscal and legal responsibilities before swearing-in.

The two highlighted Watsons November appointment of Becky Proudfit to the Peoria governing board as having missed the mark. Proudfit previously volunteered in her childrens school but otherwise lacked public school experience.

Nice enough lady, Im sure, but we arent worried about nice," Metcalfe said. "Were worried about being able to know what the impact of a legal decision on a school board level has not only on the community but the superintendent, the staff, the administration and the student. ... Bringing somebody in who has zero background is a failure of epic proportions.

Proudfit previously told The Arizona Republic she hoped to unify the district and build bridges between board members who were divided over issues related to transgender students access to facilities and diversity, equity and inclusion.

Watson defended his appointment as the right choice at the right time for the district. As vindication, he pointed to the governing boards decision to elect Proudfit its president after just a few meetings.

I think that speaks to her ability to bring in everybody and respect all different perspectives, Watson said. If you meet that criteria to be temperamentally ready to govern, youre just going to be responsive to your constituents.

Reach the reporter at nicholas.sullivan@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How would county superintendent candidates handle school board picks?
WHITE CLOUD, Mich. (WOOD)  Both sets of Braxton Dykstras grandparents were in court on Thursday: the maternal grandparents charged in the 5-year-old boys death, and the paternal grandparents, saying they were there to make sure their grandson gets justice.

Karl Robart, 62, and his wife, Theresa Robart, 64  grandparents of Braxton on his mothers side  were in Newaygo County District Court together, appearing separately in front of the judge.

Theresa Robart, Braxton Dykstras maternal grandmother, appears in court on May 16, 2024, alongside attorney Terry Nolan.

Grandparents arrested in 5-year-olds shooting death

Both waived their preliminary hearings and were ordered to stand trial in Newaygo County Circuit Court.

The grandparents on Braxtons fathers side sat near the back of the courtroom.

We want to know whats going on, paternal grandmother Shawn Dykstra told News 8. We dont want to hear it secondhand. We want to make sure we know exactly whats happening, and were supporting my grandson and my son and my daughter-in-law.

Braxton Dykstras paternal grandparents sit in the courtroom on May 16, 2024.

Father plans to teach gun safety to honor slain 5-year-old

The Robarts are accused of leaving a 12-gauge shotgun behind a bedroom door in their home outside Newaygo, near where their grandchildren were watching movies.

On April 1, a 6-year-old grandson picked up the gun, pointed it at his little cousin Braxton, and pulled the trigger, killing him with birdshot.

The grandfather told police he had kept the gun unloaded.

Police say they found other unsecured weapons and ammunition in the home.

That little boy didnt deserve what happened, the paternal grandmother said. Theres just no reason. Its just unfair. He should still be here, and hes not, so its really tough.

5-year-old Braxton Dykstra. (Courtesy family)

Gun never loaded, owner said after 5-year-old shot

The Robarts are charged with a felony violation of Michigans new safe storage law involving the death of a minor. If convicted, they face up to 15 years in prison.

They are among the first in the state charged with violating the law, which went into effect in February. The charge has also been filed in cases in Genesee and Macomb counties on the other side of the state.

The grandfather is being held in jail on a $50,000 cash/surety bond. The grandmother was released from jail, also on a $50,000 cash/surety bond.

MSP: 6-year-old had gun when 5-year-old was killed near Newaygo

John Greer, attorney for the accused grandfather, refused to discuss details of the case.

You saw him in there, he said of the grandfather. Hes very depressed.

The grandmothers attorney, Terry Nolan, said she is devastated by the loss of her grandson. He also refused to talk about details.

Its a very tragic case. Very tragic, he said. I have to say this is probably one of the most difficult cases Ive ever had in my life. Shes also the person that walked in and found him, and that is probably a memory that she will never be able to let go of.

Its not clear what, if any, help the 6-year-old cousin who fired the shot is getting, though Braxtons paternal grandmother said she heard hes getting counseling.

She said Braxtons 7-year-old sister, who witnessed the shooting, has also seen a counselor.

Thats a tough one, she said. You can see it in her eyes. Shes so sad. Part of her is gone, and you just look at her and you see it in her eyes.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
A couple opened up their marriage after a decade. The wife lost weight, the husband tackled his alcohol addiction  and they wanted to explore.

Karl Haycock and Nashelly Alba Romo opened up their marriages after some big life changes. Karl Haycock and Nashelly Alba Romo

Karl Haycock and Nashelly Alba Romo have been ethically non-monogamous for four years.

They tried ENM after Alba Romo lost half her body weight and Haycock tackled his alcohol addiction.

They think their relationship is stronger than ever because they opened it up.

Karl Haycock and Nashelly Alba Romo have been together for 12 years and married for 10. But for the last four years, they've been seeing other people.

They aren't cheating or separated  they're ethically non-monogamous, an umbrella term that encompasses polyamory. The couple are part of a growing number of people who prefer dating and having sex with more than one person. Though polyamorous people are in the minority  a 2021 study suggested about 4 to 5% of US adults were in a consensually non-monogamous relationship  the practice is increasingly visible with cities including Oakland, California, and Cambridge, Massachusetts, legislating to protect non-monogamous people from discrimination.

Haycock, 38, from Ireland, and Alba Romo, 36, from Mexico, met in Ireland in 2012 on a dating app and married in 2014. They live in Madrid and work for an erotic audio platform, Bloom Stories.

While Haycock says he thinks he always had it in him to be non-monogamous, it wasn't something the couple discussed until years into their marriage, after Alba Romo lost a lot of weight and Haycock got sober after dealing with alcoholism for years.

They made some big changes before they were confident enough to open up their marriage

Haycock and Alba Romo at their wedding in 2014. Karl Haycock and Nashelly Alba Romo

In 2018, Alba Romo lost almost half her body weight after having gastric sleeve surgery, and discovered a newfound confidence.

"I became really secure in myself, started to dress better, even my mood changed," she said. "I started to notice how some guys were looking at me, and that was something completely new for me.

"I would have loved to try it and explore, but I was married to Karl, and even though I was happy with him, I felt trapped."

Haycock, on the other hand, gained confidence after tackling his alcohol addiction. He'd been drinking since the age of 16 and was consuming a bottle of vodka a day throughout his 20s.

He has been sober for five years, aside from one relapse on vacation four years ago, which he said made him realize he never wanted to drink again.

"I would drink a bottle of vodka, find a dark corner, and cry my eyes out in. I didn't go out, I didn't socialize at all when I was drinking because I didn't have the confidence," he said.

At that time, Haycock wasn't in a position to think about making connections with people other than his wife.

The couple did a lot of research before trying ethical non-monogamy

"The" conversation about opening up the relationship was suddenly on the table in 2020 when, while driving, the couple joked about Haycock hypothetically having a stripper on his knee at his friend's upcoming bachelor party, and Alba Romo said she wouldn't mind.

For a year and a half, they researched and discussed polyamory, including reading books and listening to podcasts.

Each time they had a doubt about something they heard on a podcast or read in a book, they would ask each other about it and come up with approaches they were both comfortable with.

They agreed on rules including keeping their bedroom as a "sacred space" for just the two of them, not getting involved with each other's friends or family, and always using protection during sex.

When they were ready to practice what they agreed would work for them as a polyamorous couple, they went to a hotel catering to ethical non-monogamy with the goal of kissing other people.

Haycock and Alba Romo after losing weight and tackling an alcohol addiction. Karl Haycock and Nashelly Alba Romo

Now, a few years in, they have each had several different "connections" with separate people at different times.

Alba Romo is "working on herself," and so isn't really seeing anyone. Haycock has multiple friends-with-benefits arrangements with women in different countries, whom he meets sometimes and can practice kinks that Alba Romo isn't into. He isn't looking for another romantic connection, though, as his "romantic needs are met" by his wife.

Haycock and Alba Romo think opening up their marriage has made it stronger

The couple think they would've opened their marriage up even if they hadn't lost weight and gotten sober.

"It's always been in my head, from an early age, and I think if I didn't have the issues with alcohol at all, I think I would have pursued this path anyway," Haycock said.

Alba Romo's motivations were different: "I like to be evolving all the time, I am always questioning and moving forward. So I would like to believe I would have ended up questioning the traditional ways," she said.

They agree that if they had stuck to monogamy, they would have gotten bored. "And knowing me, I probably would have wandered," Haycock said. "I can love this girl until the ends of the earth, but I can never be everything she needs me to be, all the time, forever."

And so far, it's worked for them  "Our relationship is stronger now than it was when we were doing it traditionally," Haycock said.

Alba Romo concurred: "Karl and I are together not because we are married but because we choose to be together every day. We have to really look after our relationship because we know if we're not happy, we can just go with different people."

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Photo by Getty Images)

A federal judge in Philadelphia has dismissed a class action lawsuit against Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity that claimed the states unclaimed property law violates the Constitution because it does not require the treasury to pay interest to owners who reclaim their property.

U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick granted Garritys motion to dismiss the lawsuit, which was filed last year on behalf of Chester County resident Brian Dillow as the lead plaintiff.

Surrick wrote that courts around the country have found Pennsylvania Disposition of Abandoned and Unclaimed Property Act and similar laws do not violate the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment.

Surrick cited a series of cases drawing on a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court case that held an owners failure to make use of property does not constitute a taking by the government.

In that case, the Supreme Court said the Fifth Amendment requires the government to pay a landowner for the use of land taken by the government until it is returned or purchased.

However, where there is no owner to whom the government is able to grant compensation, as is the case with abandoned property, it does not make sense to require the government to be financially liable for this intervening period before an owner comes forward to claim his property, Surrick wrote. The government need not compensate the owner for the consequences of his own neglect.

The Pennsylvania Treasury holds $4.5 billion in unclaimed property while actively searching for its owners, a Treasury spokesperson told the Capital-Star in February.

This decision is exactly right, Garrity said in a statement. Im pleased that the court correctly applied the law and dismissed this case. Pennsylvania has been returning unclaimed property to its rightful owners at a record pace, and I will continue to focus on getting this money back where it belongs.

Each year hundreds of millions dollars are handed over to the Treasury by financial institutions, insurance companies and other entities required by law to give property to the state if they have no contact with the owner for a given amount of time.

In 2022-23, the Treasury returned $274 million, the most ever in a single fiscal year. But some of that money cannot be claimed by anyone, spokesperson Erik Arneson said, and a portion of that remainder each year goes into Pennsylvanias general fund to pay for government programs.

The suit was filed shortly before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in another case in which Pennsylvania and Wisconsin separately sued Delaware, arguing it had improperly kept hundreds of millions of dollars paid to Delaware-based international payments provider MoneyGram.

A court-appointed special master in 2021 found that Delaware improperly required MoneyGram to turn over unclaimed funds that should have been returned to the states where the unclaimed MoneyGram checks were purchased.

Arneson said this week that the states and MoneyGram remain in negotiations with the special master to work out the intricacies of a settlement, including how much Delaware should pay, how much MoneyGram should pay and what portion of the money owed should be repaid with interest. Garrity estimated after the 2023 decision that Pennsylvania could receive nearly $19 million. Delawares total liability could top $400 million.

The post Court dismisses class action lawsuit seeking interest on unclaimed property from Pa. Treasury appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
A federal appeals court rejected a bid from a group of Maryland parents to require Montgomery County Public Schools to allow them to opt their children out of lessons that involve LGBTQ-inclusive material.

A divided three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court decision denying a preliminary injunction on the basis that the parents had not yet demonstrated how the countys board of education book policy would infringe on their right to free expression of religion.

Three sets of parents  who are Muslim, Jewish and Christian  along with a parental rights organization, sued the Maryland school district after it said it would no longer allow parents to opt their children out of lessons that used a slate of newly approved LGBTQ-inclusive books.

The parents argued that the books contradict their sincerely held religious beliefs about marriage, human sexuality, and gender and that the lack of an opt-out policy violates their childrens First Amendment right to free exercise of religion.

U.S. Circuit Judge G. Steven Agee, writing for the majority in the opinion, said there was not enough evidence on the record to assess how the books were being used in the classroom and, therefore, to assess the likelihood of the case succeeding.

We take no view on whether the Parents will be able to present evidence sufficient to support any of their various theories once they have the opportunity to develop a record as to the circumstances surrounding the Boards decision and how the challenged texts are actually being used in schools, Agee, appointed by former President George W. Bush, wrote.

At this early stage, however, given the Parents broad claims, the very high burden required to obtain a preliminary injunction, and the scant record before us, we are constrained to affirm the district courts order denying a preliminary injunction, he continued, in the opinion, which was joined by U.S. Circuit Judge DeAndrea Benjamin, an appointee of President Bidens.

U.S. Circuit Judge A. Marvin Quattlebaum, Jr., an appointee of former President Trumps, dissented, arguing the board violated parents right to influence their childrens religious upbringing.

Eric Baxter  vice president and senior counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is representing the parents  pledged to appeal the ruling on Wednesday, in an emailed statement to The Hill.

The court just told thousands of Maryland parents they have no say in what their children are taught in public schools, Baxter said in his statement. That runs contrary to the First Amendment, Maryland law, the School Boards own policies, and basic human decency.

Parents should have the right to receive notice and opt their children out of classroom material that violates their faith. We will appeal this ruling, he added.

In August 2023, U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman found that the parents were unlikely to succeed on the merits and denied their request to keep the policy in place while the case proceeds. She found that they failed to show that the lack of an opt-out policy would result in the indoctrination of their children or coerce their children to violate or change their religious beliefs.

The parents still may instruct their children on their religious beliefs regarding sexuality, marriage, and gender, and each family may place contrary views in its religious context, Boardman wrote in the order last year.

No government action prevents the parents from freely discussing the topics raised in the storybooks with their children or teaching their children as they wish, she added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Cox Media Group (CMG) investigative team and KFF Health News were recognized as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Public Service, considered to be the most prestigious of the Pulitzers. This is a historic achievement for CMG, which is the first local broadcast media company to receive this honor.

Being a Pulitzer Prize finalist is strong validation for the value of our investments in local news and investigative journalism on a national level, said Marian Pittman, President of Content for CMG. Were honored to be included among this elite group of journalists recognized today.

Action News Jaxs Ben Becker is part of the CMG team of journalists nominated for this honor, along with KFF.

CMG and KFF were recognized for their work in meticulously detailing the systemic overpayment of vulnerable Americans by the Social Security Administration (SSA), totaling billions of dollars. The SSA followed those overpayments with demands for quick reimbursement, with some repayments reaching tens of thousands of dollars.

Since CMG and KFF began investigating the SSA, pivotal policy changes have been implemented, underscoring the profound influence of journalism in shaping outcomes that benefit millions of people. In March 2024, the SSA announced internal changes to stop withholding 100% of peoples benefits to recoup overpayments. The agency vowed to make its notices easier to understand, to shift the burden of proof to the agency instead of beneficiaries, and its now considering limiting how far back in time the agency can reach to recover overpayments.

Read: Social Security Overpayment Outrage series

We couldnt allow this injustice to continue, Social Security Commissioner Martin OMalley said in an interview with CMG in March. Sometimes it takes a crisis. Sometimes it takes an organization like yours [CMG] to lift up a shortcoming for us to look at our data differently.

The investigative teams from CMGs local television markets and its Washington News Bureau played pivotal roles in the award-winning reporting, collectively airing more than 100 news stories in 2023. The partnership with KFF, a non-profit online platform distributing content through media partners nationwide, amplified the impact of the investigation, reaching millions of TV viewers and online readers.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

CMG launched its investigative journalism team to harness the power of local news to drive national change. This initiative facilitated collaboration between investigative reporters and external partners, resulting in high-impact reporting that drove positive change nationally.

Todays recognition as a Pulitzer Prize finalist follows a string of wins for CMG and KFF. They recently earned a prestigious 2024 National Headliner Award, took first place in Government Reporting by the National Association of Healthcare Journalists, and were recognized with the Goldsmith Awards inaugural special citation for Government Reporting.

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About Cox Media Group, Action News Jaxs parent company:

CMG Media Corporation (d/b/a Cox Media Group) is an industry-leading media company with unparalleled brands, award-winning content, and exceptional team members. CMG provides valuable local and national journalism and entertainment content to the people and communities it serves. The companys businesses encompass 15 high-quality, market-leading television brands in 9 markets; 50 top-performing radio stations delivering multiple genres of content in 10 markets; a Washington, DC news bureau; and numerous streaming and digital platforms. CMGs TV portfolio includes multiple primary affiliates of ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Telemundo and MyNetworkTV, as well as several valuable news and independent stations. For more information about CMG, visit www.coxmediagroup.com.

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Crash and Burn

It's been seven weeks since a Singapore-based cargo ship crashed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, and its crew is still stranded aboard thousands of miles from home.

As the BBC reports, the 21-man crew of the Dali is still trapped on board the ship as federal officials continue to investigate the crash, which resulted in the deaths of six people who'd been working on the bridge.

The crew, which is primarily comprised of Indian nationals, were still aboard the ship earlier this week as officials exploded the portions of the bridge still stuck on the Dali. According to reports, they were below deck as the explosives rocked the boat.

https://twitter.com/KaitlinObscura/status/1790133714527105530

Authorities hope that the demolition of the remaining portions of the Key Bridge will begin the process of returning the Dali crew home. But for now, it remains unclear when they'll be able to leave given that both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continue to probe what happened during the late March disaster.

Joshua Messick, the executive director of the Baltimore International Seafarers' Center, told the BBC that the sailors are in a "sad situation" and have gone weeks without contact with the outside world since the FBI confiscated their phones.

Last month, Messick told Futurism last month that the crew was still aboard because the Dali is "still considered a working vessel" and, moreover, the Indian and Sri Lankan sailors lack the visa status to come ashore on US ground.

Federal Attention

It also appears that the crew may be under suspicion of criminal activity, per the Associated Press' reporting last month about the FBI's probe into the bridge collision. Specifically, the feds are looking into whether anyone on board expected or was aware of the electricity malfunctions that seem to have led to the crash.

As such, the men will remain marooned, essentially, until they're either arrested or cleared of wrongdoing.

Understandably, morale aboard the ship is said to have taken a tremendous dip. As the Portland Press-Herald reported over the weekend, representatives from maritime unions who have spoken with the Dali crew members say they fear they'll be "criminalized" for the crash.

In the meantime, advocates are calling on the FBI to return the crew members' cell phones so that they can communicate with their families as the disaster debacle continues with no end in sight.

"However long the investigation takes, the crews rights and welfare should not be infringed upon during its course," David Heindel, the president of the Seafarers International Union, told the Press-Herald. "We call on the authorities to be mindful that seafarers utilize mobile devices to conduct personal business for bill payments and more importantly, transfer money to their home country to sustain families."

More on disaster scenarios: NASA Contractor Warns That Boeing Launch Must Be Stopped "Before Something Catastrophic Happens"
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  Crime Stoppers of El Paso and the El Paso Police Department are asking for your help in identifying a man who burglarized a Central El Paso hotel in March, Crime Stoppers announced via its Instagram account.

Crime Stoppers says that on the morning of Saturday, March 23, an unidentified man entered the Embassy Suites at 6100 Gateway East.

The man proceeded to the front counter and stole a significant amount of money from the cash register, according to Crime Stoppers.

Crime Stoppers says the man then fled and ran across the freeway towards Bassett Mall.

Anyone with any information on this case should call Crime Stoppers of El Paso immediately at (915) 566-8477 (TIPS) or online at www.cselpaso.org.

You will remain anonymous, and if your tip leads to an arrest, you may qualify for a cash reward.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
MANITOWOC, Wis. (WFRV)  A reward is being offered for any information that leads to the arrests of those responsible for a recent vehicle theft spike in Manitowoc of various Kia, Hyundai, and Honda models.

The Manitowoc Police Department, in cooperation with Crime Stoppers, is offering up to a $500 reward for information that leads to an arrest after the department has already had eight reports of stolen vehicles since January 2024, with four of them coming in just the past two weeks.

Police say this brings the total number of car thefts on the year to 8, which police say the city has averaged 25 thefts in the last few years.

Sargent Paul Krock believes the incidents are likely connected saying Typically when you have thefts like this happening within a short amount of time, targeting the same vehicles, its probably going to be the same person or group of people.

Authorities say the thefts have taken place at various locations within Manitowoc, all during the hours of darkness. It was noted that some of the vehicles have been recovered in both Manitowoc and Green Bay.

Wisconsin man on probation for OWI charged with felony election fraud, illegally voted in November 2022 general election

Krock also provided tips to avoid falling victim to car theft. He says, Simple things like removing valuables from your vehicle, locking your vehicle, parking in a garage or well lit area.

Anyone with relevant information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (920) 683-4466 or by utilizing the P3 app. Those providing information can remain anonymous and are asked to reference Manitowoc Police incident 2024-00005.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton.
As crisis escalates in Tunisia, lawyers strike over arrested colleague they say was tortured

Tunisian lawyers take part in a protest against the recent arrests of their colleagues, in Tunis, Tunisia, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Anis Mili)

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP)  Lawyers in Tunisia took to the streets on Thursday to protest a string of recent arrests that have convulsed the country over the past week and provoked international outcry.

The demonstration in the North African country's capital came days after two lawyers were arrested  one brusquely extracted from the bar association headquarters and the other needing to be hospitalized after sustaining injuries while being apprehended by security forces.

Both were charged with violating a cybercrime statute outlawing fake news that authorities have increasingly used to target critics.

The National Bar Association called for nationwide strikes on Monday and staged a day of anger on Thursday that included protests and a second day of striking.

Along with activists and civil society groups, they gathered in front of the capital's courthourse chanting for freedom, in support of their colleagues and against what they called a police state.

We demand an apology from the authorities for the enormous blunders committed," Bar Association President Hatem Mziou said, referring to the two arrests.

We are fighting for a democratic climate and respect for freedoms, Mziou added, threatening further action if authorities do not change course.

Protests about civil rights have been routine since President Kais Saied froze Tunisia's parliament, consolidated his own power and fired top ministers in July 2021. But the speed and number of arrests this week  of the lawyers as well as journalists and prominent activists  have marked a new phase in his crackdown against dissidents.

The Bar Association said in a statement that Mehdi Zaghrouba, one of the lawyers arrested, was tortured and lost consciousness after being apprehended, leaving visible injuries throughout his body.

The government denied Zaghrouba had been tortured and said that the arrest had been carried out legally and without issue.

"Claiming torture is a way of evading justice Interior Ministry spokesperson Faker Bouzghaya told IFM radio, a station where a journalist was also arrested this week.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. The staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited Armenian detainees in Azerbaijan once again in May, Ilaha Huseynova, head of the public relations department of the ICRC Office in Azerbaijan, told Trend.

According to the information, meetings were conducted with the detainees, and arrangements were made for them to communicate with their families.

It was emphasized that the ICRC, in line with its mandate, evaluates the treatment and detention conditions of these individuals, facilitating the re-establishment or maintenance of contact between them and their families. Following ICRC protocols, observations and recommendations from visits are solely communicated and deliberated with the detaining party.

To note, a total of 15 members of the separatist regime are under prosecution in a criminal case investigated by a joint team from the Prosecutor General's Office and the State Security Service. Over the years, the Prosecutor General's Office initiated criminal cases against these individuals, who were subsequently placed on the international wanted list. Following last year's anti-terrorist measures in Karabakh, law enforcement agencies apprehended and brought to Baku former so-called "presidents" Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Arayik Harutyunyan, and former so-called "foreign minister" David Babayan, so-called "chairman of the parliament" Davit Ishkhanyan, and generals Leva Mnatsakanyan and David Manukyan, and former so-called "State Minister" Ruben Vardanyan.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Pro-Palestinian protesters occupying a building at the University of Melbourne have been told to leave by university officials, who say theyve crossed a line by entering the building and disrupting class for thousands of students.

Students have a right to protest but that is not a blank check, said the universitys Deputy Vice Chancellor Michael Wesley in a video message distributed to media on Thursday.

They have crossed a line when they have occupied the Arts West building  the universitys patience is now at an end.

On Wednesday, students at the university were among thousands who rallied across the country to remember the 1948 al-Nakba or catastrophe, when around 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes by armed Jewish groups seeking to establish the state of Israel.

Dana Alshaer, from UniMelb for Palestine, said after the rally a smaller group of students independently decided to occupy the Arts West building, and others supported them.

Several banners have since been hung around the room, including one renaming the building Mahmouds Hall after Mahmoud Alnaouq, a Palestinian student who had won a scholarship to study in Australia but was killed in Gaza last October.

Around 1:30pm on Wednesday, Deputy Vice Chancellor Pip Nicholson addressed the group inside the building on a loudspeaker, telling them their choices that afternoon would have serious consequences.

According to a video posted online, she said: In the event that you are not out of here within an hour  the university will make decisions that will regrettably and unavoidably escalate the tension.

Students renamed the building "Mahmoud's Hall" after a prospective University of Melbourne student, who died in Gaza. - Martin Keep/AFP/Getty Images

On the video, protesters said they wouldnt leave until the university responded to their demands, which include divesting from weapons companies and condemning Israels actions in Gaza.

We come in peace, a protester said off-camera. We came here to learn, to study, to make an impact on the world, and the fees that were paying are going towards companies committing an act of genocide right now. Speak to us about that.

By Thursday, more than 150 classes had been cancelled, affecting 6,000 students and staff, the university said. Victoria Police said it was monitoring the protest activity and hadnt been asked to intervene.

Alshaer denied reports students had blocked the buildings doors and said the university had disabled them.

The people here are opening the doors for anyone, students and uni staff to come in and out whenever they want. Its not closed. Its not barricaded, she said.

Tension building after weeks of protest

Since the first tents appeared at universities in Australia over three weeks ago, more students have joined the protest action, demanding the institutions cut ties with weapons companies linked to Israels attacks.

More than 35,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched a war against Hamas after its October 7 attack in southern Israel, according to health officials. The Hamas attack killed 1,200 people and saw some 250 others taken hostage. Around 100 are still in captivity and Hamas top leadership is still at large despite the Israeli onslaught.

Protests in support of both sides have flared around the world, with a widespread pro-Palestinian movement launching demonstrations at university colleges.

The University of Melbourne says student protesters "crossed a line" by occupying the building. - Martin Keep/AFP/Getty Images

So far, protest sites in Australia have remained relatively peaceful, unlike sister sites in the United States, where police violently evicted some students amid clashes with counter-protesters.

Other universities in Melbourne and Canberra have put students on notice to leave.

Protesters at Deakin University said Thursday theyd received a second order to dismantle their camp on Thursday, in a letter shared with CNN that warned that failure to comply may constitute an act of student misconduct.

Jasmine Duff, from Students for Palestine Victoria, told CNN the students had no intention of leaving.

We refuse to obey the directives of a university which is profiting from weapons research during a genocide, she said.

Meanwhile, at least seven student protesters at Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra have received letters from the university telling them to leave the site by the end of Friday.

In the letter, shared with CNN by the university, students were told the institution had received reports regarding the negative impact of the encampment on the wellbeing and safety of the broader University community, without specifying what they were.

In a statement, ANU said it supports students right to protest but said these activities must be safe and not cause unnecessary harm or damage to our campus or community.

One of the letters recipients, Nick Reich, said he and others are weighing their options.

We have to make the decision about how much and to what extent we participate in the protests against the universitys investments in arms companies supplying Israel, but we can be certain that the encampment itself is going to remain set up and will continue to fight this fight, he said.

In his video message distributed by the University of Melbourne, Wesley called on protesters to peacefully end the occupation.

Red lines have been crossed, he said. The occupation is now seriously disruptive and seriously intimidating for the vast majority of our staff and students who have nothing to do with the protests and are not interested in the protests.

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Current and former lawmakers know Congress is dysfunctional. Will the infighting stop before the election?

WASHINGTON  Looking on from the sidelines, former Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., thinks he retired from Congress at the perfect time.

The former long-serving lawmaker left the House just before Republicans took control of the lower chamber last year. He wasn't in office when a handful of House Republicans joined with Democrats to oust their own leader, prompting a 3-week leadership crisis. He also didn't have to address the conservative insurgencies that embarrassed GOP officials and Congress as a whole.

Every day someone asks me, Arent you glad you left when you did? Upton told USA TODAY. The answer is yes.

The 118th Congress has been the most dysfunctional in recent memory, current and former lawmakers told USA TODAY. The silver lining is that, until November's general election, the chaos seems to be over. Congress has approved most if not all of the most controversial must-pass legislation that has sparked gridlock and infighting.

And in the House, where much of the disorder originated from the deeply divided GOP majority, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., successfully beat back an ouster threat from conservative agitator Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., last week.

With most of the agenda wrapped up (with a few exceptions) and what looks to be one of the greatest defeats for the conservative rebels who have repeatedly thrown the House into turmoil, it appears to be smooth sailing  at least compared to the past few months  for the rest of the 118th Congress.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks to members of the press after Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-GA) introduced a motion to vacate on the floor of the House of Representatives seeking to remove Johnson from his leadership position at the U.S. Capitol on May 08, 2024 in Washington, DC.

Most of the bills teed up for a vote for the foreseeable future in the House are primarily aimed at shoring up vulnerable Republican incumbents while dividing the Democratic caucus and putting its most vulnerable swing-district members on the defensive. That includes a bill forcing the Biden administration to continue providing arms to Israel.

Though House Republicans are hoping to pass a slate of government funding bills to prepare for the next spending deadline, which is at the end of September, Upton says thats wishful thinking in an election year. The former representative, who served for 36 years and entered Congress during the final years of Ronald Reagan's presidency, said lawmakers are bound to pass a short-term extension for the next Congress to deal with government funding. The 119th Congress will begin in January 2025.

You got bills that are just languishing with nothing done. Upton said. Theyll do a (short-term extension) in September because they wont have any appropriation bills done ... and then theyll say, Well let the next Congress deal with it.

I mean, thats about it, thats left for this Congress, Upton said, calling it pathetic.

Current lawmakers also have their doubts that Congress will get a head start on any funding debates.

Theres really (not) anything big weve got to do left, Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., who is in his fifth term, said, before noting that Republicans also have to start the government funding process for the next fiscal year. But considering the recent past, he said its hard to imagine Congress will be able to finish that on time.

Former Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who also served in the House from 1981-1992, says things have changed in a very dramatic way, since his tenure, in part chalking up the decline in productivity and the rise in dysfunction to the growing influence of the hard right. North Dakota has also notably shifted to the right, and Republicans now occupy both his old House and Senate seat.

Nevertheless, Dorgan said he couldnt entirely discredit the ultraconservative lawmakers: Even the most bizarre people serving in Congress  and theyre loud and obnoxious  even those folks were elected. Somebody decided they wanted to send them here."

When it comes to passing legislation that actually becomes law, the 118th is in a league of its own. Little more than 60 laws passed by Congress have been signed into law to date, a stark number compared to past Congresses. With less than six months before the election, the 118th wont be doing much else anymore.

Among some of the most embarrassing and strangest moments for the 118th Congress has been in the House, where conservatives have broken tradition by tanking procedural rule votes for bills that govern debates on the House floor. In the past, the majority would always vote for rules, whether or not they oppose the underlying legislation. But conservatives have brushed aside that norm to protest leadership and freeze the House floor.

Congress has historically never drawn favorable approval ratings from Americans looking on. But the 118th Congress has reached new depths, receiving an approval rating of 13%, the lowest since 2017 according to a Gallup survey.

Its about as low as it can get, Dorgan said. The American people watch this, they see it and theyre sick of it.

Perhaps nothing underscores the dysfunction in the 118th Congress than a day in November that saw former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., allegedly elbowing Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., and House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., calling freshman Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., a smurf in the House. On the other side of the Capitol in the Senate, a GOP senator in a hearing challenged a union leader to a fight.

And speaking to the disorder that has frequently roiled the lower chamber, McCarthy, who was on the dais for the 2023 State of the Union address and second in line to the presidency, resigned from Congress entirely last year after he was removed as speaker.

Im surprised that we havent seen fisticuffs on the House floor frankly, Upton remarked.

U.S. Rep.-elect Mike Rogers (R-AL) (C) is restrained by Rep.-elect Richard Hudson (R-NC) after getting into an argument with Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz (R-FL) in the House Chamber during the fourth day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2023 in Washington, DC.

If all were gonna do is come up here and pass messaging bills that we know are not going anywhere, then House leaders should shorten workweeks in Washington to allow members to spend more time in their districts, Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., a freshman lawmaker, said, describing the agenda as a source of frustration. I want to get things done.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chaos seems to subside in House as lawmakers look toward 2024 election
Twenty-one men have been stuck aboard a 947-foot-long container ship called the Dali after crashing into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the Port of Baltimore.

The March 26, 2024, collapse of the bridge killed six construction workers. The crew members, 20 of whom are Indian and one who is Sri Lankan, have been trapped as they continue to operate the ship and cooperate with investigators who are looking into the collapse, according to The Associated Press.

They cant do any online banking. They cant pay their bills at home. They dont have any of their data or anyones contact information, so theyre really isolated right now, said Joshua Messick, executive director of a nonprofit called Baltimore International Seafarers Center, according to the BBC. They just cant reach out to the folks they need to, or even look at pictures of their children before they go to sleep. Its really a sad situation.

The ship is set to be refloated next week. On Monday, explosives were detonated in an effort to break up a 4,000-ton piece of the bridge that had been resting on the bow of the Dali since the bridge collapsed. However, its unclear what happens to the crew next, according to AP.

Theyre part of the ship. They are necessary to keep the ship staffed and operational, U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Shannon Gilreath said before the demolition, according to the BBC. Theyre the best responders on board the ship themselves.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating four power failures on the container ship before it destroyed the bridge, according to a preliminary report released Tuesday by NTSB.

Two were related to routine maintenance in port. Two were unexpected tripping of circuit breakers on the accident voyage, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said Wednesday.

Related...
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson is disputing whether T.C. Broadnax, who recently departed as the Dallas city manager and took the same role in Austin, should receive severance pay under his employment contract, claiming that his exit from Dallas might not have been an "involuntary separation."

Broadnax, who started as Austin's city manager on May 6, served as the city manager of Dallas for seven years. After Broadnax's resignation in February, several news outlets in Dallas reported that some Dallas City Council members issued a joint statement saying they had asked him to leave due to ongoing issues with the working relationship between him and Johnson.

His employment contract with Dallas, which was obtained by the American-Statesman through the Texas Public Information Act, stated that in the event of an involuntary separation, Broadnax would receive a lump-sum payout of a year's worth of his base salary, which was around $423,000 at the time of his exit.

T.C. Broadnax observes his first Austin City Council meeting as the city manager on Thursday. The mayor of Dallas, where Broadnax was city manager before coming to Austin, is questioning whether Broadnax should receive severance pay from Dallas.

His leaving at the suggestion of the majority of the Dallas City Council is listed as one example of an involuntary separation that would trigger the payment clause in the contract.

In a memo sent Tuesday to Dallas City Attorney Tammy Palomino, Johnson asked Palomino to clarify whether Broadnax should get that payment.

It was unclear Thursday whether Palomino had responded to Johnson's query. The Statesman sent a public information request to the city of Dallas for written communications sent by Palomino in response to Johnson's memo.

Johnson had publicly opposed Broadnax getting this severance prior to sending the memo, at one point calling on state lawmakers to ban city managers from receiving such payouts, The Dallas Morning News reported. Johnson also led efforts two years ago to oust Broadnax from his role.

Citing a report from WFAA-TV and an April 8 memo from Broadnax to Palomino, as well as the timing of his candidacy for the top job in Austin, Johnson claims in the Tuesday memo, "It is wholly inaccurate to characterize Mr. Broadnax's separation as 'involuntary.'"

The WFAA-TV report, which was published the day Broadnax informed the Dallas City Council he was resigning, stated that Broadnax was said to have asked a Dallas City Council member to identify eight council members who would ask him to resign. The report cites four Dallas City Council members who are not named.

The April 8 memo from Broadnax shows that Dallas City Council members began approaching him to quit as early as Feb. 14, a week before he resigned. The memo was published by The Dallas Morning News.

New Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax listens to Chris Gannon, AIA Austin Housing Advocacy Committee co-chair, during Thursday's City Council meeting.

"This timeline, as well as the friendly relationship between Mr. Broadnax and the City Councilmembers who reportedly 'suggested' he resign, indicate that Mr. Broadnaxs 'involuntary separation' occurred as reported by WFAA and was meant to ensure Mr. Broadnax could depart from the City of Dallas with severance pay shortly before pursuing and accepting a position with the City of Austin," Johnson wrote in the Tuesday memo.

Records obtained by the Statesman show Broadnax applied for the job in Austin on Feb. 25. He was named as a finalist for the position in Austin on March 5.

The Dallas city attorney's office has no comment on the matter, city of Dallas spokesperson Ariel Wallace told the Statesman in an email.

"Austin City Manager, T.C. Broadnax, will not be discussing the Dallas Mayor's opposition to severance being paid," Michele Gonzalez, a city of Austin spokesperson, told the Statesman in a statement.

In Austin, Broadnax is being paid a base salary of around $470,000, making him the highest-paid city manager in recent Austin history. He also has the highest base salary of the 10 city managers who lead the largest cities with a council-manager form of government.

Read More: Austin city manager to be highest paid among 10 largest cities with similar form of government

The Statesman reached out to all Austin City Council members for a request for comment on Johnson's memo. Ten, including the mayor, did not respond with a comment prior to the Statesman's given deadline. Council Member Jose Chito Vela's office declined to comment.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Dallas mayor opposes severance pay for Austin manager T.C. Broadnax
Satellite imagery confirms that a portion of the flightline and adjacent areas at Russia's Belbek Air Base on the occupied Crimean peninsula were damaged in Ukrainian strikes this week. Russian MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors were observed in the same area of the installation just two weeks ago. Other parts of the base sustained damage, as well.

Ukraine's recent attacks on Belbek, at least one of which occurred on the night of May 14-15, and another of which may have come last night, are already known to have destroyed portions of an S-300 or S-400 air defense system . They look to have involved, at least in part, the use of U.S.-made Army Tactical Missile System ( ATACMS ) short-range ballistic missiles. You can read more in The War Zone's initial reporting here .

A low-resolution satellite image of Belbek taken earlier today that The War Zone obtained from Planet Labs clearly shows at least two large scorched areas on a section of the primary flightline located in the central area of the base. A pair of MiG-31s were seen at the same spots in a previous satellite image of the base shot on May 1st and the Foxhounds are regularly observed parked in this area.

Clearly visible damage to a portion of Belbek's flightline and adjacent areas can be seen in this satellite image taken on May 16. PHOTO  2024 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

The image also shows another facility directly adjacent to the flightline was hit. This appears to be a fuel or ammo dump of some kind.

This is what the apron looked like on May 1st. You can see what looks like a bermed ammo dump intact along with a pair of MiG-31s. Where the MiGs are parked and this ammo dump area look to have been struck directly. PHOTO  2024 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

The S-300/S-400 that was struck in the attacks, including what looked to be a 92N6 Grave Stone radar that was destroyed, does not show up in the low-resolution imagery, which is not surprising. The level of detail offered by this type of image makes only very large changes to the area being examined easy to decipher. The use of cluster munitions can result in damage to equipment that would not even show up on high-resolution satellite images. As such, we need to be cautious as to the interpretation of the low-resolution images.

A separate partial high-resolution image of Belbek from Planet Labs, also taken today, appears to show one revetment where fighter aircraft park has been severely charred or is filled with a burned-out material, such as an aircraft. Su-35S and Su-30SM Flanker fighters and Su-34 Fullback combat jets have been observed at the base in the past, but are also regularly moved around between different revetments and aprons in order to complicate targeting of potential Ukrainian attacks.

A look at aircraft parking spots at the southwestern end of Belbek on May 16 (below) compared to views of the same areas from May 11. PHOTO  2024 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

There also looks to be a change of some kind visible in the low-resolution image to an area further to the southwest of the apron that was struck. Previous imagery shows a small structure there, but it is unclear what may have happened to it.

Images taken on May 11 (at left) and May 16 (at right) showing evidence of some kind of change at an area further to the southwest of the apron at Belbek that was damaged this week. PHOTO  2024 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

An image showing the structure at this part of Belbek as of May 1. PHOTO  2024 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

It is worth noting that the visibly damaged areas are broadly in line with where publicly available data from NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) had indicated the presence of blazes following the Ukrainian strikes. Pictures and videos said to have been taken by individuals near the base during the strikes earlier this week also showed fires.

After the strikes on Belbek on May 14-15, images emerged showing apparent remains of ATACMS short-range ballistic missiles and unexploded M74 submunitions that some versions of those weapons carry. This reflects the reported delivery earlier this year of longer-range ATACMS versions to Ukraine. Belbek would have been out of reach of the variants of these missiles that Ukraine received initially .

As The War Zone has highlighted repeatedly in the past, ATACMS types with cluster munitions payloads are particularly well suited for targeted aircraft, surface-to-air missile systems, and other important thin-skinned assets out in the open, including at air bases. As such, using those weapons to target the flightline and air defense sites at Belbek makes perfect sense.

Belbek is also a high-priority target since the aircraft and air defenses based there help provide critical screening for the nearby Russian naval base at Sevastopol. Ukrainian forces have also repeatedly targeted Sevastopol and the Russian ships there with long-range strikes and uncrewed surface vessel attacks .

Before the aforementioned ATACMS, there has been a new public surge in U.S. military assistance for the Ukrainian armed forces in recent weeks following the resolution of an impasse in Congress , as well. This all comes amid continuing concerns about Russian gains in Ukraine, including as a byproduct of shortfalls in foreign military aid to Ukraine, especially from the United States.

The targeting the Belbek this week, which we can now see caused damage to at least a part of the flightline and other areas, as well as destroyed portions of a prized air defense system, shows that Ukraine is already working to re-up the pressure on Russian forces in Crimea.

UPDATE: 8:30 PM EST 

The War Zone has now obtained new, higher-resolution imagery of Belbek after this week's Ukrainian strikes that offer a clearer look at the devastation at the base. You can find those images and our additional analysis here .

Contact the author: joe@twz.com
Texas Gov Greg Abbott - Credit: SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP/Getty Images

A former U.S. Army sergeant who was convicted of murdering Garrett Foster, a Black Lives Matter protester, in Austin in 2020 will be set free after Texas Governor Greg Abbott pardoned him.

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles recommended the release of Daniel Perry on Thursday, according to USA Today, and within two hours Abbott gave him a full pardon, ending the 25-year sentence he had been serving. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said Perrys record may even be expunged.

More from Rolling Stone

Abbott had personally requested the Board look at Perrys case the day after he was convicted, according to the Boards announcement. The members of the Board of Pardons and Paroles delved into the intricacies of Perrys case, the announcement said. The investigative efforts encompassed a meticulous review of pertinent documents, from police reports to court records, witness statements, and interviews with individuals linked to the case. After a thorough examination  the Board voted unanimously to recommend a full pardon and restoration of firearm rights [to Perry].

Texas has one of the strongest Stand Your Ground laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney, Abbott said in a statement. I thank the Board for its thorough investigation, and I approve their pardon recommendation. He also accused Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza of unethical and biased misuse of his office in seeking a conviction, according to USA Today.

[The Board has] sent a message to Garrett Fosters family, to his partner, and to our community that his life does not matter, Garza said in response, promising to continue fighting for justice.

After pulling his car onto a street filled with protesters in July 2020, Perry shot Foster five times, killing him. Perry claimed it was self-defense because Foster was holding an AK-47 rifle. Both men were carrying their weapons legally. Prosecutors argued that Perry was looking for a fight.

Perrys defense attorneys previously asked for a lenient sentence, arguing Perry was not a violent racist. But evidence presented in trial included messages in which Perry talked about how he might have to kill people he viewed as rioting and that he would consider going to Dallas to shoot looters. After his conviction, a judge unsealed 76 pages of court documents containing messages he wrote, including one in which he wrote, Black Lives Matter is racist to white people  It is official I am racist because I do not agree with people acting like monkeys.

I loved Garrett Foster, his partner, Whitney Mitchell, wrote in a statement to the Austin American-Statesman. I thought we were going to grow old together. He was the love of my life. He still is. I am heartbroken by this lawlessness. Governor Abbott has shown that to him, only certain lives matter. He has made us all less safe.

Best of Rolling Stone
Gavel to Gavel: Ex-soldier accused of killing his grandparents in Chester County

Gavel to Gavel: Ex-soldier accused of killing his grandparents in Chester County

CHESTER, SC (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  Alex Scott wore a suit jacket for his second day in court and he continued to take extensive notes while testimony continued in his 2020 double murder trial.

The former military soldier is accused of shooting and killing his grandfather, 61-year-old Gene Rogers, and great-grandmother, 78-year-old Billie Rogers, Gene Rogers mother, around June 20, 2020, on 608 Doe Street in Richburg, South Carolina.

Wednesdays testimony revealed there were at least six shell casings found at the homicide scene. A pathologist testified that the victims both suffered two gunshot wounds; Gene was shot in the back of the head and the arm. Billie was shot twice in the back of the head. She also sustained a graze wound on her finger from a bullet flying past her.

Queen City News

Continued Coverage

Authorities say Scott says he visited his grandfather for Fathers Day in 2020 to take him a gift. Scott says that when he opened the door and stepped inside, he saw the bodies with shell casings next to their heads. He claims he turned around, vomited, and closed the door.

But SLED agents say that according to the single-wide trailers layout, thats impossible. Scott wouldnt have been able to see the shell casings from the door.

Agents also testified that there was no forced entry into the home.

Authorities say Scott flagged down a neighbor to call 911 after he found his grandparents dead. Scott claims he locked his phone and keys in his car and couldnt get to them.

Chester deputies say they never searched him or his car for evidence, but SLED did. Agents found a handgun in the center console of Scotts car. Testimony has not revealed if it was the murder weapon yet.

Bond set for man charged with attempted murder, lighting girlfriend on fire in Rowan County

Prosecutors introduced Scotts possible motive for murdering his grandparents: money.

One witness, who claimed to be a worker and close friend of Genes, said he spoke to his grandson regularly.

He loved his family, especially his grandkids, especially the defendant, he testified.

He told prosecutors that Gene planned to give Scott thousands of dollars to start his tactical business. But after he gave him the money, Scott asked for more money.

The witness says Gene told Scott no six to eight weeks before the murder.

Authorities from the coroners office also testified that the Fathers Day card Scott says he brought to his grandfather was unsigned. They noted that it was odd, and took a picture of it as evidence.

If Scott is convicted, he could face life in prison.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
New day center aims to help the least among us, Biloxi bishop says. City supports effort

He was accustomed to finding shelter for homeless people in Corpus Christi, but after Louis F. Kihneman III was installed as the bishop of Biloxi in 2017, he was dismayed to learn few if any beds existed on the Mississippi Coast, including for a woman and baby in desperate need of housing.

The Sun Herald talked recently to Kihneman at the old Mercy Cross High School property that sits beside Interstate-110 and is mostly surrounded by woods. marsh, a bayou and a wastewater treatment plant.

Hurricane Katrina heavily damaged Mercy Cross in 2005 and the school relocated to higher ground. Since then, homeless people have been living in tents along the propertys wooded northern boundary. The tents have more recently been moved onto ball fields and other open areas while the property is cleaned up.

Tents temporarily house people experiencing homelessness at the former Mercy Cross High School in Biloxi on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Those staying on the property were asked to move from the woods to open spaces while Catholic Social Services of South Mississippi refurbishes the property for a new day center set to open May 28.

Bishop Kihneman is watching as Catholic Charities of South Mississippi, supported by volunteers, transforms the property into a place where homeless people can find services from a variety of agencies that have signed on to work with what will be called the Mercy Cross Center. The facility will be blessed and officially open at 10 a.m. May 28.

The old Mercy Cross gymnasium is being transformed into a day center that will operate Monday through Friday. Services will be designed to help those in need find stability and, ultimately, permanent housing.

Since I got here, the need for us to minister to the least among us, our homeless, has been very present to me, Bishop Kihneman said in an interview with the Sun Herald. This is an opportunity to minister to the homeless and enable them to transition into society again and into housing.

Bishop Louis F. Kihneman III visits with volunteers and people eating lunch provided by Loaves and Fishes at the former Mercy Cross High School in Biloxi on Tuesday, May 14, 2024.

Catholic nonprofit partnering on homeless services

Volunteers for Loaves and Fishes served a cafeteria-style lunch at the front of the gym as the bishop sat nearby, visiting with homeless people, volunteers and the diocesan director of Catholic Charities of South Mississippi, Jennifer Williams.

So many people want to have the homeless be unseen by hiding them somewhere else, Williams said. Our goal is to move them back into the community with housing so we dont have to hide them.

The hope is that services on the Mercy Cross property can be expanded. In addition to the gym, two other buildings sit on the land. Back Bay Mission has long provided homeless services in the neighborhood and will be one of Mercy Cross Centers many partners. Back Bay Mission is working on innovative solutions for temporary and permanent housing, Williams said.

Volunteers from Jordan United Church of Christ in Allentown, Pa. serve lunches with Loaves and Fishes  a nonprofit serving those in need  at the former Mercy Cross High School in Biloxi on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Loaves and Fishes will be one of a number of nonprofits working out of the old schools gym as a part of Mercy Cross Center, which will serve as a resource for unhoused people and families.

At Mercy Cross Center, guests will find meals, laundry, showers, a place to receive mail, job search assistance and workforce programs, mental health services and other assistance.

The temporary homeless population on the property fluctuates, Williams said, from around 80 to 130. Guests know their stays are temporary. Catholic Charities will keep tabs on guests without being invasive to ensure that they are working to improve their living situations. One couple told the Sun Herald that they have a HUD voucher for housing but just need to find a house.

Rents have increased at a pace that is unaffordable for many in low-wage jobs, Williams said. But people find themselves in all sorts of predicaments that lead to homelessness, Kihneman said. He sees the problem throughout the Biloxi Diocese, which stretches across the Mississippi Coast and north past Hattiesburg.

Its one of the things the Lord Jesus asked us to do is to take care of those in need around us, he said.

A man who identified himself as Ulysses eats a lunch provided by Loaves and Fishes at the former Mercy Cross High School gym in Biloxi on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Catholic Social Services of South Mississippi is renovating the large building for a day center that will provide services to homeless people.

City of Biloxi supports effort

Kihneman is not worried about the property being overrun with homeless people. He says the agencies signing on for the day center will be able to help move people into housing. He expects some people will complain about the Mercy Cross Center and any expansion plans, but the property is relatively isolated.

Past efforts to provide homeless services, even meals, have met with community resistance. But the bishop doesnt intend to give up.

He has the city of Biloxi behind him. Were going to assist them everywhere we can, Mayor Andrew Fofo Gilich told the Sun Herald. Its only gotten worse everywhere in the country. Weve just got to face it with small steps or any way we can.

 . . . We dont have an option of not doing anything.

Kihneman doesnt mind putting it another way.

To be blunt, he said, if we dont do this as a city, if we dont do this as a society, what are we going to do?

Bishop Louis F. Kihneman III and Jennifer Williams, diocesan director of Catholic Charities of South Mississippi, visit the former Mercy Cross High School in Biloxi during a lunch provided by Loaves and Fishes on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Catholic Social Services is renovating the space as a day center that will provide expanded services to the unhoused.

How you can help

Mercy Cross Center is looking for volunteers and accepting donations such as personal hygiene and laundry supplies, tents, backpacks, sleeping bags and clothing in good condition. To volunteer or donate items, email Pam Leach at pleach@biloxidiocese.org.

Monetary donations for the center also are welcomed. You can donate here, or mail a check with Mercy Cross Center on the memo line to Catholic Charities of South MS, 1450 North St., Gulfport, MS, 39507.

Ashley Pierce, who has been experiencing homelessness for 3 months, eats a snack while sitting at an encampment at the former Mercy Cross High School in Biloxi on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Mercy Cross Center will soon open on the property to assist Pierce and other unhoused people in finding permanent homes.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. Speaker of the Latvian Parliament, Daiga Mierina, will visit Azerbaijan, a source in the Latvian Embassy told Trend.

According to the source, the visit will take place on May 18.

The source pointed out that during the visit, a number of meetings of the speaker with officials of the country are planned.

To note, Mierina has been serving as the Speaker of the Latvian Parliament since September 20, 2023.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Last December, when asked if he would abuse power if reelected president, Donald Trump said, except for day one. In short, if we are to believe Trumps own words, the constitutional order as we know it will be subverted from the moment he takes office. Of course, there are many unknowns here, starting with the capacity of Trumpists to implement what they have already told us they plan to do. But Trump and his people have all but told us that, in a second Trump term, the United States might approach a fascist form of government under the leadership of a messianic personality.

There is no fascism without dictatorship. This form of permanent power is emblematic of the fascist worldview. The primary aim of fascism is to destroy democracy from within, in order to create a modern dictatorship from above. Fascists propose a totalitarian state in which plurality and civil society would be silenced, and there would be few distinctions between the public and the private, or between the state and its citizens. Fascist regimes shut down the independent press and destroy the rule of law. Would all these actions be part of the promised one-day dictatorship? Would an American dictatorship look like the past experiences of Nazism and Italian fascism? History doesnt repeat itself that neatly, but one thing is certain: If Trump wins and decides to try his one-day dictatorship, the president will also become a lawgiver, replacing legality with his own charismatic will.

A second Trump presidency could represent an all-out assault on the rule of law. How might this play out? In past fascist regimes, the destruction of the rule of law has required two steps. First, its suspension, through state of emergency declarations or delegations of legislative power (a legislature transferring its lawmaking power to the executive). Second, its violent subversion, by transforming the juridical and political orders via the erosion of the principles of separation of powers and checks and balances that prevent constitutional democratic regimes from becoming authoritarian. Both Mussolini and Hitler transferred parliaments representation of the people, and therefore the power to make laws, to the executive. Il Duce and the Fuhrer became the legal embodiments of the people. Consequently, their wills were the sole legitimate expressions of the nations laws. The executives prerogative, rooted in arbitrariness, discretionality, and violence, replaced the normative legal order based on the rule of law and proceduralism.

Trump will not have the similar institutional mechanisms that allowed Hitler or Mussolini to install dictatorships and personify the law. From the get-go, Hitler made use of constitutional emergency powers to suspend civil rights and arrest members of opposition parties, then forcing the Reichstag to authorize an Enabling Act decree providing the executive with full legislative powers. Similarly, Mussolini, after orchestrating a coup attempt, bullied the Parliament into procuring the legislative delegation of plenary powers to reorganize the institutional and juridical orders, gradually leading to the installation of a totalitarian regime.

In U.S. constitutional law, the principle of separation of powers limits delegated legislation to acts of Congress that authorize an executive branch agency to promulgate a set of regulations. In principle, this should prevent the emergence of a Trumpist totalitarian dictatorship in the short term, because the nondelegation constitutional doctrine prohibits Congress from transferring tout court its essential legislative functions to the executive. However, a range of legal paths could be perverted to make an authoritarian government possible.

Trump could make use of the discretionary powers available to the executive branch to direct the FBI and the Department of Justice to target his political rivals as well as private businesses and media organizations.

On day one, for example, Trump could make use of the discretionary powers available to the executive branch for dictatorial purposes. He could direct the FBI and the Department of Justice to target his political rivals through investigations and indictments based on vague accusations such as instigation of violence, defamation, being an agent of a foreign power, corruption, or subversive activities. Possible targets might include not just Joe Biden or members of his family but private businesses, media companies, civil society organizations, and universities. To ensure the enactment of executive orders and agency directives, Trump will have to purge the federal government of civil servants who might refuse, question, or delay them.

In short, Trump could set the stage for transforming a normative, procedural federal administration into one ruled by discretionality and personal prerogative. The repopulating of the states bureaucracies with loyalists or parallel party structures was used in the past by Mussolini and Hitler as well as Juan Peron in Argentina and Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. Today, the tactic is employed by Viktor Orban in Hungary and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey.





A Trumpist regime could also pursue an expansive, autocratic, and discretionary interpretation of the executives presidential powers. Article 2 of the Constitution exclusively vests executive power in the president. Therefore, Trump could in theory place the entirety of the executive branch under direct presidential control, eliminating the relative autonomy of Cabinet departments such as the Department of Justice or the Pentagon. In addition, and less obviously, there are numerous federal agencies that fall within the executive branch but enjoy some insulation from direct presidential controlthe Federal Reserve, the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, and many others. Imagine these and other agencies as instruments of one mans discretionary or arbitrary power.

Emergency powers are a related area of concern. In the past, emergency powers were triggered by previous fascist leaders to start dismantling the rule of law. Today in the United States, there are around 148 statutory powers that can become available to the president when a national emergency is declared. Emergencies can be declared in an arbitrary way because what constitutes an emergency is not defined by law, potentially allowing Trump to invoke any reason to justify one. These provisions automatically enhance the executives prerogative during emergencies and limit the scope of judicial review. Trump could legally use them to start subverting the rule of law in a permanent way. For example, the Communications Act of 1934 would allow Trump to shut down wireless communication, including the internet, in case of national emergency. Emergency powers would allow him to restrict domestic transportation, freeze banking assets, and block financial transactions, or even surveil political enemies. Emergency powers have been previously abused in U.S. history, most recently during the war on terror, but Trumps abuse could be the first step to subvert the rule of law, legitimize a fascist regime, and erode civil liberties.

Finally, there are two other extremist ways for a Trumpist dictatorship to happen here: the Insurrection Act, and martial law. Already in 2020, Trump entertained using the Insurrection Act, a vaguely worded eighteenth-century relic, during the Black Live Matters protests, being stopped only by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. This timeand we can probably assume that, with Trump in office, there will be no shortage of protestsTrump might not be discouraged. He could deploy the armed forces to assist local law enforcement to quell civil unrest or to use the military against any conspiracy that opposes or obstructs the execution of laws in the United States. Imagine now, just as in 2017, thousands of people are protesting at international airports against a new travel ban; Trump then triggers a national emergency and authorizes the National Guard to intervene and restore order, on the grounds that states or cities are unable or unwilling to enforce the law or public order has been lost. Or consider sanctuary cities obstructing ICE agents from carrying out mass deportations; Trump triggers the Insurrection Act, deploying the military in the streets of New York, San Francisco, or Chicago. In the 1950s and 60s, Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy deployed troops to desegregate schools in the South. Trump, on the other hand, could deputize National Guards in red states for the arrest of immigrants in blue states and sanctuary cities. Strikingly, the Supreme Court ruled in 1827 that the president alone determines the justification for invoking the Insurrection Act, preventing any judicial review on its determination, though the militarys actions remain under judicial oversight. And if the armed forces refuse his orders? Trump could follow Hitlers and Mussolinis examples and militarize several right-wing militias, particularly after he pardons January 6 hostages.

Lastly, Trump could try to replace civilian authorities, including the judiciary, with military ones by imposing martial law. For example, Trump could conceivably proclaim an emergency at the southern border and set up military tribunals to arrest and deport migrants. He could justify such a decision on national security grounds related to terrorism or illicit trafficking. He could designate Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and their suspected members as unlawful enemy combatants under military jurisdiction, and, in a repeat of Guantanamo, detain them indefinitely while subjecting them to torture, with a Supreme Court that might not stop him as it did Bush. It would be up to the Supreme Court to rule that the president had exceeded executive authority. Fascist history teaches us that a successful imposition of martial law or state of siege directed against citizens perceived as external enemies can later be used to deal with society at large.





All these considerations have not even taken into account the possibility of the Republican Party winning majorities this November in both chambers of Congress. That would be a worst-case scenario that could accelerate, and cement, a Trumpist dictatorship. With congressional majorities, as is the case with mini-Trump Nayib Bukele in El Salvador or Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela (a dictator, albeit not a fascist one), Trump could push for constitutional amendments that could go from allowing for indefinite reelection to limiting access to citizenship rights. We would then rely on the judiciary to prevent a fascist takeover. But many federal judges were appointed by Trump, and a new term gives him the chance to shape the judicial system to his own image by flooding it with even more far-right and hyper-conservative appointees.

If implemented, all these acts would create extralegal domains that belong to the dictatorial convictions of the MAGA movement but not U.S. society as a whole. In this context, ideology will prevail over legality. As the German Jewish legal expert Ernst Fraenkel argued in 1941 regarding the Nazi assault on the legal system, the totalitarian state in Germany was twofold: both a normative state and a prerogative state. In practice, this meant that political considerations were more important than the written law. The latter only functioned normally when the Nazis did not care about the legal matter at hand. In other words, the legal theory of dictatorship aimed to make a distinction between political and nonpolitical acts. The instruments of dictatorship took precedence over the traditional judicial bodies in the case of the former, while to the latter, the old legal state still applied.

In this totalitarian context, increasingly more dimensions of society came under the regimes discretionary power, and the rule of law was increasingly diminished. A combination of arbitrariness and efficiency in legal matters was successful in veiling the illegal true face of the Nazi dictatorship. Fraenkel stressed how a patina of legality promoted the legend that German fascists had accomplished a legal revolution. However, their dictatorship was not founded on valid laws. As Fraenkel explained, Endowed with all the powers required by a state of siege, the National-Socialists were able to transform the constitutional and temporary dictatorship (intended to restore public order) into an unconstitutional and permanent dictatorship and to provide the framework of the National-Socialist state with unlimited powers.

This is why declaring a temporary dictatorial government can easily lead to a more permanent one. Trumps claim of ultra-brief dictatorial powers can easily morph into indefinite ones.

Fascist dictators were not dictatorial heads of normal states. They unleashed illegal forms of extreme repression and terror that radically turned their political systems into unlimited, irreversible dictatorships. This change was made in the name of the one who incarnated the movement and its national revolution. This is why the Nazis claimed that the highest law in Germany was not the command of the dictator but his will. The legality of the old system was in total contradiction with the new legitimacy of the fascist leader.

If Donald Trump becomes president, on January 20, 2025the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, of all datesthe United States might have a dictator only for that day. But this might be enough to turn the democratic world upside down.

To be sure, we have presented a nightmarish scenarioone in which Trump turns the law upside down by turning legality against itself. But this does not need to happen. It can be averted by the voters. But even if Trump wins, we would expect that his authoritarian drive could be blocked by the separation of powers and the strong institutional framework of the U.S. constitutional architecture. And yet, the danger of a Trumpist dictatorship cannot be ignored. Sadly, the U.S. legal system is not foolproof against being turned into a dictatorial regime. No president has tried this radical subversion of the law before. Trump is the first wannabe fascist leader with a real chance to do so.
Man killed in wrong-way crash on I-65 near Madison

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  A 54-year-old man died after he drove the wrong way on Interstate 65 and hit a semi truck head-on early Thursday morning.

The crash happened in the northbound lanes near mile marker 94 around 2:30 a.m.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

(Photo: WKRN)



(Photo: WKRN)

(Photo: WKRN)

According to Metro police, Roger Roland, of Lawrenceburg, was driving his Ford Ranger pickup truck south in the northbound lanes. Roland died at the scene.

The 50-year-old driver of the semi was taken to TriStar Skyline Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

The roadway fully reopened to traffic around 7:15 a.m. Motorists were diverted at the Old Hickory Boulevard exit.

A wheel from the Rolands truck came off in the crash, bounced over a retaining wall and hit a Goodlettsville officers vehicle, according to a press release. The officer safely stopped and was not injured.

Passerby shot, killed during altercation in Hickman County

Metro police reported a blood sample from Roland will be tested to determine if impairment was a factor in the crash.

Metros Emergency Communications Center received multiple calls to 911 of a wrong-way driver near Vietnam Veterans Boulevard prior to the crash.

No additional information was immediately released.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
Klaus Schwab's father, Eugen Wilhelm Schwab, worked for a company that supplied munitions to the Nazi regime during World War II.

There is no evidence to support the claim that Eugen Schwab was an officer in the Nazi military. A photograph circulating online that purports to be of Eugen Schwab is in fact a photo of Walther Dybilasz, a major general in the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.

Over the past few years, various claims appeared on social media alleging that Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum (WEF), was the son of a Nazi military officer.

Online claims about Schwab's father, Eugen Wilhelm Schwab, and his links to Nazism in Germany don't end with allegations of him having been a military officer in the Third Reich. Multiple social media accounts also assert that the elder Schwab was, among other things, a member of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (if not in the military) and a close personal confidant of Adolf Hitler, and that he worked for a Nazi contractor.

While some outlets have already disproven the claim that Eugen Schwab served in the Nazi military, there's no evidence supporting the claims of his having had a personal relationship with Hitler. However, he did help to run a company that supplied the Nazi military with munitions during World War II, and that Hitler acknowledged the company for its service to the Third Reich.

Let's start with the various viral claims. In October 2023, an account on X claimed without citing evidence that "if a former Nazi was the first Head of the UNand a former Nazi was the first Head of NATOis it really hard to believe that Klaus Schwabthe son of a Naziis posing as the 'Fourth Reich Leader' to rule over our World?" That post received more than 587,000 views.

A similar assertion, that the elder Schwab was an "intimate confidant of Hitler," was shared on the r/conspiracy subreddit in 2022, comparing two photos, one of Schwab and one of a man in a Nazi uniform, purported to be his father:

(Reddit)

In May 2022, conservative political commentator Benny Johnson posted to X an allegation that Eugen Schwab had ties to the German Nazi Party. The post claimed he "was a hardened Nazi party member who served the Third Reich war effort as the director of Escher Wyss AG  an industrial company that manufactured flamethrowers to kill Allied soldiers and burn down villages."

Snopes has reached out to the WEF, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Below, we outline our evidence for who Schwab's parents were, the identity of the man in the Nazi uniform in the viral image, and what the elder Schwab did for work in support of Nazi Germany.

Who Were Klaus Schwab's Parents?

In Klaus Schwab's 2021 book "Stakeholder Capitalism: A Global Economy That Works for Progress, People and Planet," he wrote of his father, who was born in 1899 in Bern, Switzerland, on page 174: "My father ran a company in Ravensburg called Escher Wyss." Throughout the book, Schwab referred several times to his father as "Eugen Wilhelm Schwab" and his mother as "Erika Epprecht," to whom the book is dedicated.

We should note the elder Schwab's photo and biography also can be viewed on the FamilySearch section of the Ancestors website (though no mention of a wife named "Erika Epprecht"). Epprecht's page on the same website lists her husband as "Eugen." Interestingly, neither of their respective pages mention either having a son named Klaus, although this is likely due to incomplete information shared to the platform rather than doubt about the son's parentage; Klaus Schwab's family tree on other genealogy websites, including Geni, does list Eugen Schwab as his father.

German fact-checking site Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) claimed a spokesperson for Klaus Schwab once confirmed that the man in the photo on Ancestors was indeed his father. DPA also linked to a photo on X purporting to show Eugen Schwab's Brazilian immigration visa from 1960. The photo on the immigration papers matched that of the photo on Ancestors, which also corroborated the elder Schwab's reported immigration to Rio de Janeiro that same year.

In 2022, Eugen Schwab's immigration document was shared to Facebook by the account Behind The Curtain - Forbidden Knowledge & Hidden Truth, which compared the immigration photo of Schwab's father to that of a man in a Nazi military uniform:

(Behind The Curtain - Forbidden Knowledge & Hidden Truth/Facebook)

Who Was the Nazi Officer in Photo?

Using the photo of the man in the Nazi uniform, Snopes conducted a Google reverse-image search, which led to the online platform Armed Conflicts and a page dedicated to Walther Dybilasz (alternatively spelled Walter Dybilasz), who was listed as a major general in the Wehrmacht, or unified armed forces of Nazi Germany. We also found the same photo on Traces of War. Both platforms shared details about Dybilasz, including his birth on Oct. 1, 1892, in Altona, a neighborhood in Hamburg, and his death in 1950 at a Soviet prisoner of war camp in Stalino, Ukraine.

In addition, in 2022 French news outlet Agence France-Presse (AFP) pointed to the German Federal Archives, or Bundesarchiv, which published documents on Dybilasz, listing him as a major general who was born Oct. 1, 1892, which match his date of birth listed on other websites, along with a photo that bears striking resemblance to photos of Dybilasz posted elsewhere.

So if the image doesn't show Eugen Schwab, is it still possible he was a Nazi? The Institute of Contemporary History's Simone Paulmichl confirmed to Snopes that "there is no evidence that Schwab's father played an important role in the Nazi Party."

AFP spoke with Niels Weise, a researcher at that institute, who claimed the elder Schwab's post-World War II denazification files did not indicate he was a Nazi, saying that "he was not even a member of the Nazi party (NSDAP)," and that "there are no signs that Schwab had a special (or any) relationship with Hitler."

While there is no evidence to support the claim the elder Schwab's was a Nazi military officer, party member or Hitler confidant, he did work as director of a mechanical engineering company Escher Wyss that contributed to the Nazis' war effort.

Elder Schwab's Ties to Weapons Manufacturing in Nazi-Era Germany

Per the National Library of New Zealand, "Swiss engineering firm of Escher Wyss & Co, Zurich, was founded by Hans Kaspar Escher in 1805. They produce water turbines, pressure pipelines, steam engines for vessels, steam turbines, high-pressure air compressors, paper making machines, steam boilers, pumps, motor launches, carbonic acid refrigerating machines, etc."

In an English translation of Jurgen Dunsch's 2016 German-language book "Hosted by the Powerful: Klaus Schwab and the World Economic Forum in Davos," the author wrote:

Jacob Schmidheiny from the Swiss industrial family of the same name took the opportunity to hire an expert with a German-Swiss background to manage the turbine factory of his company Escher Wyss in Ravensburg. So Klaus Schwab's family moved in the second half the 1930s back to Germany, more precisely to Upper Swabia.

In Paul Tice's book "The Race to Zero," the author referenced Eugen Schwab and the company that he helped run in Ravensburg where his son was born, following the family's move back to Germany from Switzerland: "Eugen, who was also an industrial engineer, actively supported the German war effort during World War II. The elder Schwab worked for the Swiss industrial manufacturer, Escher Wyss & Cie., and moved his family back to Germany."

In addition, Tice writes the following of Escher Wyss:

Escher Wyss was awarded the title of "National Socialist Model Company" by Adolf Hitler. Apart from the Schwab-run munitions factory, the Escher Wyss industrial conglomerate was also deeply involved in the Nazi atomic weapons program. ... The Ravensburg factory's use of forced labor during World War II was confirmed in an August 24 2000. statement by the National Swiss Press Agency.

Indeed, the National Swiss Press Agency provided a document, dated Aug. 24, 2000, to the Holocaust Victim Assets Litigation brought against Swiss banks, which listed Escher Wyss' factory in Ravensburg as having used "Swiss capital and forced labor in Germany," using around 200 forced laborers, likely from "nearby Nazi camps," per Politifact.

The U.S. National Archives made several references to Escher Wyss in the section of its website titled "Holocaust-Era Assets," as part of its efforts to trace assets looted by the Nazis from victims and survivors of the Holocaust:

Escher-Wyss of Switzerland is working on a large order for Germany. Flame-throwers are despatched from Switzerland under the name Brennstoffbehaelter. 1 p. Sept. 1944. ... Hungary's bauxite was formerly sent to Germany and Switzerland for refining. Then a government syndicate built an aluminum plant at Dunaalmas. Electric power was provided; Hungary contributed coal mines, and equipment was ordered from the Swiss firm Escher-Wyss. Production began in 1941. 2 pp. May 1944.

Another English translation of a passage from Dunsch's book also noted that "after returning from the States, Klaus Schwab immediately made the jump to the board of Escher Wyss. This isn't entirely surprising, as Escher Wyss was the company whose factory in Ravensburg his father managed."

According to Schwab's resume on the WEF website, he followed in his father's path, stepping into a lead role at Escher Wyss from 1967 to 1970, when he served on the managing board of "Sulzer Escher Wyss AG, Zurich, a manufacturing company with activities in several countries and with 10,000 employees."

So, while there is no corroborating evidence to support the claim that Schwab's father was a Nazi military officer, or that he was an "intimate confidant of Hitler" who was a member of the Nazi Party, he was indeed a Nazi-era industrialist who worked high up at Escher Wyss, an engineering company that was also used as a defense contractor, supporting Nazi war efforts by supplying munitions to the regime while using forced labor in its factories.

Klaus Schwab, who is 86, has long been the target of online conspiracy theories. They often point to a real initiative known as the "Great Reset," which he and the WEF introduced in June 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdowns. That initiative aims to inspire global policies that "reflect, reimagine, and reset our world to create a healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous future," Schwab once wrote.

Snopes has previously covered rumors about Klaus Schwab including that he was once hospitalized, and that he called Elon Musk a "dangerous extremist."

Sources:

Denazification  The Holocaust Explained: Designed for Schools. 5 Oct. 1933, https://www.theholocaustexplained.org/survival-and-legacy/postwar-trials-and-denazification/de-nazification/.

"Dybilasz, Walter : D." Armedconflicts.Com, 15 Nov. 2012, https://www.armedconflicts.com/Dybilasz-Walter-t142333.

Dybilasz, Walther Dipl.-Ing. (Generalmajor) - TracesOfWar.Com. https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/7688/Dybilasz-Walther-Dipl-Ing-Generalmajor.htm. Accessed 9 May 2024.

FamilySearch.Org. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/GZDB-6J8/eugen-wilhelm-schwab-1899. Accessed 9 May 2024.

German Officer Biography - Dipl-Ing Walther Dybilasz. https://www.feldgrau.com/ww2-german-officer-dipl-ing-walther-dybilasz/. Accessed 10 May 2024.

"Histoire de famille - Le pere de Klaus Schwab confondu avec un general allemand." dpa-factchecking, https://dpa-factchecking.com/switzerland/220601-99-510242/. Accessed 10 May 2024.

"Https://Twitter.Com/Bennyjohnson/Status/1529157294432391169." X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1529157294432391169. Accessed 9 May 2024.

"Https://Twitter.Com/Liz_churchill10/Status/1708586288985587897." X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/liz_churchill10/status/1708586288985587897. Accessed 9 May 2024.

"Inaccurate WEF Founder Klaus Schwab Family Tree Shared Online." Reuters, 1 Sept. 2023. www.reuters.com, https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1N3AD1ZD/.

Klaus Schwab. World Economic Forum, https://www.weforum.org/about/klaus-schwab/.

"KLAUS SCHWAB'S FATHER OR A GENERAL OF NAZI GERMANY  WHO DOES THE PHOTO DEPICT?" Myth Detector, 9 Aug. 2023, https://mythdetector.ge/en/klaus-schwab-s-father-or-a-general-of-nazi-germany-who-does-the-photo-depict/.

Log in or Sign up to View. https://www.facebook.com/login/. Accessed 9 May 2024.

---. https://www.facebook.com/login/. Accessed 10 May 2024.

master. "Photo of Nazi Military Officer Falsely Shared as 'World Economic Forum Founder's Father.'" EDMO Belux, 6 July 2022, https://belux.edmo.eu/photo-of-nazi-military-officer-falsely-shared-as-world-economic-forum-founders-father/.

Norton, Tom. "Fact Check: Was Davos Founder Klaus Schwab's Dad Hitler's 'Confidant'?" Newsweek, 26 May 2022, https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-was-davos-founder-klaus-schwabs-father-hitlers-confidant-1710381.

"On the Left You Can See the Founder of the World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab. On the Right, His Father, Intimate Confidant of Hitler, the Industrialist and Fascist 'Eugen Schwab' in Uniform. Klaus Was Born in Hitler's Germany in 1938." Reddit, 2022, https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/ux2res/on_the_left_you_can_see_the_founder_of_the_world/.

"Photo of Nazi Military Officer Falsely Shared as 'World Economic Forum Founder's Father.'" Fact Check, 6 July 2022, https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.32DD2YY.

Tuquero, Loreben. "Fact-Checking Hitler Accusations vs Soros, Schwab's Father." @politifact, https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2024/feb/08/instagram-posts/did-george-soros-or-klaus-schwabs-father-work-for/. Accessed 10 May 2024.

Walter Dahl - Lexikon Der Wehrmacht. https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/D/DybilaszWalther.htm. Accessed 10 May 2024.

https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Public_Engagement_FAQ%20.pdf.
I joined the military after the violent attacks that were inflicted on our country on 9/11. While in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom, I never lost sight of why I was there: to defend the freedoms we hold dear. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine my next fight would be against my own government as it takes steps to deprive me of my parental rights and my childs ability to live the American Dream of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

My child is transgender. You may not know exactly what that means. I didnt completely understand myself, but it also wasnt surprising to my wife and I because he never had a particularly feminine energy. My child never enjoyed wearing dresses. When playing make-believe they always chose the role of King or Father or other male roles. He brought so many frogs into the house that for years after wed find little skeletons from where theyd escaped him.

Eric Childs

Prior to our son at age 9 telling us that they were transgender and that they wanted to live in and be seen by the world as a boy, we could tell that something was going on. We watched our child, who was normally the life of the party and the relational center of our home, disconnect from the family and struggle to get out of bed.

After our son told us that he was transgender and we confirmed our love and acceptance, weve watched him slowly return to being himself. He is energetic, smiles again, and is back to being as gregarious as he ever was. When he recently cut off all of his hair, Ive never seen him have a bigger smile or seem more confident about his physical appearance.

He is an amazing artist, he enjoys sailing and attends sailing camp each summer, he plays the guitar, and recently weve been going to the shooting range as Ive started to teach him how to safely function and maintain firearms. Hes an incredibly bright child who started speaking in full sentences at six-months old. He has a courageous spirit and an empathetic demeanor.

Hes also very protective of his siblings, helping them when they cook, giving them the best advice and indulging their endless questions long after our patience has worn thin. If you met him, youd never know he was transgender. He just looks and acts like any other teenage boy youd pass on the street.

But my son isnt able to be worried about normal teenage things right now. My son has spent his two years of high school worried about whether South Carolina lawmakers were going to take away his therapist, his doctor and the other medical care that helps him live fully as himself.

He worries about being seen as human, about other transgender kids in our local communities and about his safety using the bathroom in the correct place while presenting as masculine.

The recently-approved legislation that is on the governors desk  House Bill 4624  and the terrible things that people are saying about transgender people are causing him great anxiety. Meanwhile, his mother and I feel like our government is failing him as we try desperately to protect him. We are fighting for our childs life and so far were losing.

Im so angry. I feel like our legislators have failed to listen to their constituents, the courts, doctors, mental health professionals, teachers and dozens of others who spoke in front of the S.C. House and Senate subcommittees.

And while this may be my kid, Im not alone in viewing this legislation as a massive government overreach. In a recent poll by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy, 71% of 625 South Carolinians surveyed agreed that decisions about a transgender childs healthcare should be made by their parents in coordination with their doctor, not by the government.

There are real problems that our lawmakers could be solving, but instead they are picking on my kid and the other .07% of the population of South Carolina that is transgender.

Recently several Republicans have stood up for true conservative principles and have opposed similar bills on the grounds that they are a massive government overreach into the private lives of families and parents. I am asking Gov. Henry McMaster to do the same. Defend my familys freedoms  just like I defended yours.

Eric Childs is a father of four who lives in Anderson County, S.C.



Editors note: For another view on this bill, please read this commentary by Sen. Danny Verdin.
Senate Democrats are eager to see President Biden debate former President Trump, even though they were leery of the prospect just a matter of weeks ago.

With Biden behind Trump in swing-state polls, Democrats want the president to put a focus on Trumps character issues and his role in derailing a bipartisan border security deal earlier this year.

They think a debate would put a welcome focus back on the policy differences between the two when campus unrest, Bidens age and Trumps legal dramas are monopolizing public attention.

I think Biden can handle him, Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) said Wednesday after Biden and Trump announced an agreement to debate in June and September, the first hosted by CNN and the second by ABC News.

Both of them can see an advantage to a debate. Im glad Biden went forward with it, he said.

Other Democrats say Biden couldnt continue to ignore Trumps demands for one-on-one debates after falling behind in the polls in several key battleground states, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania.

Its a show of confidence on Bidens part that hes going to be able to debate and eviscerate Donald Trump, said Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.). Im all-in, and Im glad the president proposed the debates. Hes got a solid record to stand on and a lot to tear apart and expose on the part of Trump.

Welch acknowledged we have work to do after a recent New York Times/Siena College poll showed Biden trailing Trump in several states the president won in 2020, including Nevada, where Trump has a double-digit lead.

The poll also showed Trump with healthy leads in Arizona and Georgia  9 points and 8 points, respectively, when independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is included in the field.

Some Democratic senators say Biden needs to roll the dice by taking on Trump, one-on-one, even though theres a risk in doing so given the unpredictable nature of a debate.

A debate is always a risk. You can screw up in significant ways or shine in significant ways, said one Democratic senator who requested anonymity to discuss Bidens debate strategy.

The senator said everyones talking about the New York Times/Siena College poll, which the lawmaker said has awakened Democrats to the very real chance that Trump could win in November.

The reason that everyones talking about it is because if anyone wanted to pretend that there was no possibility that Trump would win is being disabused of that notion, the source said.

The senator said Bidens going to be well-prepared for it, because you cannot mess it up.

Hes got to go a lot of practice in which you have Trumpian-style exclamations and exhortations and insults, and hopefully he can respond in ways that make Trump look juvenile and mean-spirited as opposed to engaging in the back-and-forth, which puts them both in the gutter, the lawmaker said.

Senate Democrats say they hope the moderators of the first debate, CNNs Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, can fact-check Trump during the debate  but they acknowledge thats a tough task, given the speed of the points and rebuttals in front of a national audience.

Probably, folks should just every time Trump talks hold up a sign that says, Lying, lying, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) said.

I think its impossible for him to stay on point on a issue or to tell the truth, she said of Trump.

But she warned its extremely difficult to fact-check Trump because he will say anything and do anything, embellish anything.

I think its a challenge for any moderator and, frankly, anyone debating him. I have great confidence in President Biden being able to do that, she added. The biggest challenge is just that it will be very chaotic.

If you want to talk about serious things like the climate crisis or the cost for families, you know youre walking into a situation that with Donald Trump will be complete chaos, Stabenow warned. Hell say anything off the top of his head. Its all about performance. When you think of Donald Trump in a debate, I just think of pure chaos.

Democratic senators werent thrilled about the idea of Biden standing on a stage alongside a rival facing 90 felony charges in four different criminal cases, who is on a trial this week over hiding hush-money payments to adult film actor Stormy Daniels.

The president, Im sure, gave that every consideration when he decided to do this. I think what Trump and the American people will discover is that Bidens a pretty effective debater, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said. To put a spotlight on that is not a bad thing.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) said a debate would give Biden a chance to challenge Trump over his claims about election fraud and other issues.

Pointing out where Donald Trump has not been honest with the public is a good thing, and we need to do more of that, she said.

It wasnt long ago that Democrats were expressing more worries about Biden debating Trump.

I would think twice about it, Durbin said in January. Ive been physically present at one of [Trumps] debates with Hillary Clinton, and I watched him do outrageous things and say outrageous things. Its just an opportunity for him to display his extremism.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), a close Biden ally, argued in January that there was no need to dignify Trump by sharing a stage with him, pointing out that Trump completely disrupted the first presidential debate of the 2020 general election, which was moderated by then-Fox News host Chris Wallace.

The fact that former President Trump was unable to conduct himself in just a minimally reasonable way during the 2020 debate and that hes refusing to debate any of his primary opponents this time would make a pretty strong case for not dignifying him as a candidate by sharing a debate stage, Coons told The Hill earlier this year.

Some Democrats still feel that way.

I myself would never recommend going on stage with Donald Trump, but the president has decided thats what he wants to do, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told CNN on Wednesday.

She instead suggested CNN or another news outlet hold separate town hall meetings with Biden and Trump and challenge them individually with questions about the future, and let the public make its decision.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Demonstrator to stand trial in the death of Jewish man at November Israel-Hamas war-related protest

A judge in California ruled that a pro-Palestinian demonstrator will stand trial in the death of a Jewish man who was counter-protesting on a street in Thousand Oaks last year.

Paul Kessler, a 69-year-old Jewish man, died from blunt-force head trauma following a confrontation with a counterprotester, amid simultaneous pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations last November, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office previously said. Loay Abdel Fattah Alnaji is accused of striking Paul Kessler with a megaphone, causing him to fall and hit his head on the pavement.

The Ventura County Medical Examiner ruled that Kessler died from blunt force trauma caused by the blow from the megaphone and the subsequent fall.

PHOTO: A person places flowers at a makeshift memorial at the site of an altercation between 69-year-old Paul Kessler, who was Jewish, and pro-Palestinian protester on Nov. 7, 2023, in Thousand Oaks, Calif. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

MORE: Israel has amassed enough troops for full-scale incursion of Rafah, US officials say

Alnaji was charged in November with involuntary manslaughter, battery causing serious bodily injury and special allegations of personally inflicting great bodily injury. At his arraignment last fall, he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A Ventura County Superior Court judge decided that Alnaji would face trial after a recent two-day preliminary hearing that saw 18 witnesses testify.

An attorney for Alnaji, Ron Bamieh, told ABC News they decided not to put on a defense because the burden of proof is so low in a preliminary hearing. He said the testimony showed that eyewitnesses were "unreliable" and that the court learned that the victim had a history of falling due to a brain tumor.

Bamieh said it was also revealed that Kessler did not immediately fall after being hit with the bullhorn, but stood for approximately five seconds before fainting and collapsing.

"The fainting was consistent with his previous history of falling," Bamieh said.

Bamieh said Alnaji plans to plead not guilty at his arraignment and that they hope to resolve the case before it heads to trial.

"Our hope is that the district attorney realizes this is not a political case, and the facts do not justify the charges that they are seeking," Bamieh said. "If not, then a jury will help us do that."

Authorities are continuing to investigate. The Ventura County DA's office said it has not found evidence to support a hate crime.

Alnaji was released on $50,000 bail.

If convicted on all charges, he faces a maximum of four years in prison.

ABC News' Alex Stone and Jolie Lash contributed to this report.

Demonstrator to stand trial in the death of Jewish man at November Israel-Hamas war-related protest originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Denmark announces more than $815 million in new military assistance for Ukraine

The Danish government announced a new package of military assistance for Ukraine on May 16 worth 5.6 billion Danish kroner (~$815 million).

The package is the 18th such delivery of military aid, the Danish Defense Ministry said. It includes 2.4 billion Danish kroner ($349 million) earmarked for air defense, as well as artillery pieces, shells, and other ammunition.

The package also allocates funds for future support of Ukraine's F-16 fighter jets, which will likely begin arriving in the summer. The Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, and Norway have pledged to supply Ukraine with dozens of U.S.-made fourth-generation jets.

Denmark earlier confirmed it would send the first batch of the fighter jets to Ukraine this summer, while the Netherlands plans to start delivering them in the autumn.

"With today's donation, we meet Ukraine's urgent need for more air defense, artillery, and ammunition," said Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen.

"The situation in Ukraine is very serious. There is no doubt that the Ukrainians need continued and massive support from allies," said Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.

"With this package, we are sending an unequivocal signal to both Ukraine and the outside world."

According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), which tracks international aid for Ukraine, Denmark is the fourth largest provider of military aid to Kyiv, committing around 4.7 billion euros ($5.1 billion) as of February 2024.

At 1.3% of GDP, Denmark is the second largest provider of military aid in terms of percentage of GDP.

Read also: Denmark donates $33 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
TALLAHASSEE  With schools soon letting out for summer, Floridas poorest children face a season of shortage  with food programs and health coverage lacking because of actions taken by Gov. Ron DeSantis, advocates say.

Florida is among 15 states shunning the federal governments Summer EBT program that will steer $120 to each eligible child for groceries. Most kids who qualify for the program have received free and reduced-price lunches at school.

But those end when classes let out.

About 2.1 million low-income kids couldve qualified for more than $250 million in federal aid. But the DeSantis administration said no, arguing that existing state and federal food banks and distribution centers provide enough.

Others disagree.

We just cannot reach the number of children in need that wouldve benefited from getting food money on these EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) cards, said Florence French, Southeast senior regional organizer for Bread for the World, a national hunger relief organization.

While French and dozens of faith-based and other non-profit groups are urging the state to meet an Aug.15 deadline to apply for next summers EBT program, food access is not the only childrens issue running afoul of DeSantis.

Florida suing Biden administration over new children's requirement

The Republican governor is suing the Biden administration over a requirement enacted by Congress that children must remain enrolled in a Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP), even if they cannot pay monthly premiums.

Ensuring 12 months of uninterrupted health coverage for children promotes access to appropriate preventive and primary care, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a letter last fall to states.

Florida is among only a handful of states that charge these low-income families for CHIP coverage, which in the state is provided under the KidCare program.

In the federal lawsuit filed in Tampa, the state is arguing that the continuous care requirement should be thrown out  for Florida and nationwide. The Biden administration Tuesday sought to have the states lawsuit dismissed.

The states Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) has said in a statement, Allowing disenrollment for nonpayment of premiums is crucial to maintaining the integrity and long-term sustainability of the program and helps Florida continue to maintain its high level of quality service for KidCare participants.

Although 70% of the programs financing is covered by the federal government, Florida maintains it could cost taxpayers $1 million-a-month to keep nonpaying kids enrolled. The state budget DeSantis is expected to sign in coming days includes a $14.6 billion surplus.

Speaker of the House Paul Renner gives brief remarks following the traditional sine die hanky drop on the last day of the Florida legislative session on Friday, March 8, 2024.

House speaker also weighed in on social media

House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, also weighed in on the continuity of coverage clash  posting recently on X that Biden is playing games with childrens healthcare, undermining KidCare  a program intended to provide parents an on-ramp to self-sufficiency and hijacking it by turning it into a program that encourages full dependency on the government and costs every taxpayer.

A year ago, the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature expanded eligibility in KidCare to 300% of the federal poverty limit  up from 200%. That would potentially provide insurance to an additional 42,000 youngsters, qualifying children in three-person families that now earn as much as almost $75,000.

But the expansion enacted by DeSantis last year hasnt happened. The state failed to properly apply for federal permission for the expansion and the lawsuit launched in February has further clouded the effort since the state is disputing the programs requirements.

'Unacceptable numbers' of children losing care, Becerra says

We believe that children across the country should be able to see the doctor of visit the hospital they need if they qualify for care under Medicaid or CHIP in Florida, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told the USA TODAY Network-Florida.

There are unacceptable numbers of children who are losing access to a doctor of a hospital because of bureaucracy, said Becerra, named in the lawsuit filed by the state.

Xavier Becerra, Secretary, United States Department of Health and Human Services, during hearing to examine the Presidents proposed budget request for fiscal year 2025 for the Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday, March 14, 2024.

The legal deadlock over Florida KidCare comes at a bad time. KidCare is where many children now being disenrolled from Medicaid could wind up regaining health care coverage.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicaid rolls swelled across the nation. But for more than a year now, an unwinding has been underway.

Medicaid 'unwinding' removing many families from coverage

Florida had as many as 5.8 million enrollees a year ago. But those numbers are down to 4.5 million last month as eligibility has tightened.

Many disenrolled from Medicaid are kids. And they normally would transition to state-backed health coverage on KidCare. Instead, many are just losing coverage.

The states AHCA says that over the past year of Medicaid unwinding, more than 182,000 children have enrolled in KidCare, a 66% increase.

Joan Alker is the Executive Director of the Center for Children and Families and a Research Professor at the Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy.

But Joan Alker, executive director of Georgetown Universitys Center for Children and Families, said the KidCare increase can be misleading. Of the 485,269 Florida children disenrolled from Medicaid, only about 12% are accounted for in KidCare, analysis shows.

The rest may have lost health coverage, gone into private insurance or Obamacare, or managed to retain eligibility and re-enrolled in Medicaid, Alker said.

There really is no excuse for having a lot of uninsured children other than the state not having a commitment to running these programs smoothly so children can enroll and retain their coverage, Alker said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis kisses his wife, Casey DeSantis inside the Florida Governors Mansion after mentioning that it is Valentine's Day while introducing the Cancer Connect Collaborative roundtable discussion, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024.

DeSantis urges relying on charities, not government programs

While the government-run safety net programs have been rocked by the governors moves, DeSantis has lately begun stepping up his promotion of Hope Florida, a project headed by his wife, First Lady Casey DeSantis.

Comments from the states First Couple show they share a vision of a Florida where government programs are less necessary.

Their view also may explain the governors motives when, like this summer, he blocks services for Floridas poor.

Inside Florida Politics podcast... Inside Florida Politics: Trump auditions vice presidential candidates at Mar-a-Lago

Hope Florida and its navigators help Floridians obtain meals, employment, housing or child care, mostly through faith-based charities, non-profits and, occasionally, government services.

Casey DeSantis calls it a pathway to prosperity and economic self-sufficiency.

Lets say you have a single Mom coming into the system, Casey DeSantis said in a video on Hope Floridas website. Instead of giving them a government assistance payment and saying, well see you in six months, I hope it goes well, what we do is we try to wrap our arms around that single mom through our Hope navigators and incorporating entities exterior of government.

Gov. Ron DeSantis stopped by the Hope Florida bus, which was at Sabal Palm Elementary, to help those in need after the May 10 storms that devastated the capital region.

Numbers fall short in nation's third largest state

But the numbers still fall short in a state with almost 23 million people. Hope Florida says it has had 87,000 Floridians referred to it and helped 25,000 people achieve reduced reliance or no need for public assistance.

Gov. DeSantis, at a recent event in Coral Gables, touted Hope Florida for helping people get going in a better direction.

To just say were going to have a bureaucracy maybe give you a stipend, I mean, that ultimately is not going to be enough, he said. You know, you need to be part of a community, and you have places like these churches that will lift people up and really take an interest.

And thats why, like with Hope Florida, these tens of thousands of people are now totally off government assistance, he added.

French, from Bread for the World, said private charities are vital to providing services. But they still meet only a small share of the need, she said.

If you lined up 10 grocery bags of food, you know how many would be filled by what churches and nonprofits do? One, French said. You can reach so many more through these government programs.

John Kennedy is a reporter in the USA TODAY Networks Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jkennedy2@gannett.com, or on X at @JKennedyReport.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Food programs, health coverage for Florida children is lacking
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko has visited the Alley of Martyrs in Baku, Trend reports.

He paid tribute to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for Azerbaijan's independence and territorial integrity.

Besides, the Belarusian president placed a wreath at the Eternal Flame Monument.

To note, Lukashenko is on a state visit to Azerbaijan.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Longtime Detroit Free Press photographer Kirthmon F. Dozier, who died in January after a brief illness, was honored Wednesday with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Detroit chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Dozier was best known for his sports photography, covering thousands of professional, college and high school events for the Free Press throughout his 28 years at the newspaper. He shot iconic moments in Detroit sports history, from the Detroit Pistons championship to the Red Wings' Stanley Cup runs to Miguel Cabreras final day as a Tiger.

Detroit Free Press photographer Kirthmon F. Dozier stands in the end zone of the Metrodome in Minneapolis where he was covering a game between the Vikings and the Lions.

Dozier and dozens of other Detroit Free Press photographers, reporters, columnists and editors won awards at the annual event.

The Free Press earned 43 awards, including 11 first-place awards Wednesday night. They include:

Breaking news via social media

The Detroit Free Press staff for its social coverage of the mass shooting at Michigan State University in February 2023.

Feature reporting

Nushrat Rahman  who covers issues and obstacles that influence economic mobility for the Detroit Free Press and BridgeDetroit, as a corps member with Report for America  for her story "From shelter to home  how one woman climbed out of homelessness."

Breaking/spot news

The Detroit Free Press staff for its breaking coverage of the mass shooting at Michigan State University in February 2023.

Editorial writing

Nancy Kaffer for a series of editorials, which include:

Education reporting

Lily Altavena for her story on autistic students who have been assaulted on school buses in southeast Michigan.

Feature reporting

Georgea Kovanis for her story, "Relapse. Overdose. Saving lives: How a Detroit addict and mom of 3 is finding her purpose."

General column writing

M.L. Elrick for his columns that look at local corruption.

Headline writing

Tanya Wildt for headlines that "engage readers' curiosity."

Portrait photography

Mandi Wright for a photo she took of a mother searching for her son.

Lorrie Kemp, 58, of Oscoda, holds a photo of her son, Armani Kelly, one of three rappers that went missing on Jan. 21. There three were supposed to perform at a Detroit club, but the event was canceled. Their bodies were later found buried under debris in the basement of an abandoned Highland Park apartment building.

Racial justice reporting

Andrea May Sahouri for her coverage of racist abuse by a private security police force at Detroit's Renaissance Center.

Criticism

Julie Hinds for her "penetrating explorations of television and film." The Detroit Free Press swept the criticism category, with dining critic Lyndsay C. Green winning second place for her reviews and music critic Brian McCollum receiving third place for his coverage.

More on the 2023 SPJ award winners: Free Press reporter Christine MacDonald named 2023 Journalist of the Year by SPJ Detroit

For the full list of the winners, visit SPJDetroit.org.

Contact Adrienne Roberts: amroberts@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Free Press wins 11 first-place SPJ awards, 43 total
Detroit Rises From Rock Bottom With Its First Population Increase Since the 1950s

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPMs Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.

What A Journey!

Detroits population has increased for the first time since the 1950s.

Its decades-long decline has long been emblematic of Americas industrial decline, the hollowing out of cities that followed the loss of factories, and the urban wasteland of poverty, crime, drugs and social decay left behind. It was always a bit more complicated than that, but damn Detroit had it rough.

The contrast between its heyday and its nadir were so stark. From gleaming mid-century capital of the automotive industry that drew immigrants from around the world and was a major destination of the Great Migration to a husk of a city with abandoned landmarks, a local economy in free-fall, and its national reputation in disrepair.

Detroit benefitted from an unbelievable population explosion in the first half of the 20th century. It didnt crack the top 10 until 1910, but by 1920 it had doubled its population and was the fourth largest city in America. By 1930, it became the fourth U.S. city to top 1 million people, and it peaked in the 1950s with a population of nearly 2 million. It has the dubious distinction of being the only U.S. city to surpass 1 million people then fall back below that number.

The latest figures show a slight uptick of 1,852 people from 2022 to 2023. Not a huge swing, but deeply symbolic given its painful historical arc.

The Menace Of Stroads

While were on the topic of urban development, the WSJ had a good piece on stroads yesterday which reminded me of this really good explanation of how the stroad is the centerpiece of Americas misbegotten post-war development patterns, largely built around the automobile (sorry, Detroit, I giveth, then I taketh away):

Bidens Blue Wall

Lets me streeeetch and bring all of this back to politics. The Blue Wall of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin remains President Bidens simplest path to 270 electoral votes, and hes spending a lot of time there. The WSJ looks at the numbers.

Biden-Trump Debates Are On

Things moved very quickly Wednesday morning, with President Biden ditching the traditional Commission on Presidential Debates and throwing down a gauntlet to Donald Trump to debate twice and on the early side. What looked initially like the beginning of a negotiation over the debates turned out to be the culmination of negotiations that had already been under way. By midday, the debate schedule was more or less locked in place (and the debate commission was entirely sidelined):

June 27: hosted by CNN in Atlanta and moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash

Sept. 10: hosted by ABC News

In related news, former Biden White House chief of staff Ron Klain will take leave from his Airbnb job to help Biden with debate prep.

A Counterintuitive Supreme Court Decision

The Supreme Court cleared the way for Louisiana to use a new congressional district map with two majority-Black districts  a win of sorts for voting rights  but the dissenters were the liberal justices who feared that how the majority arrived at the decision will be used to undermine voting rights in future cases.

What A Colossal Waste

When the final tally is complete, Rep. David Trone (D-MD) may end up having spent more on his losing primary campaign than any Senate candidate has spent on their entire campaigns ever.

Michael Cohen Is Back On The Witness Stand

TPMs Josh Kovensky is liveblogging the second day of the cross-examination of former Trump fixer Michael Cohen in the Stormy Daniels hush-money trial.

Menendez Trial: Opening Statements

Prosecutors gave their opening statements yesterday in the public corruption trial of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ). Defense counsel are expected to give their opening statements today.

Just In 

President Biden is asserting executive privilege over the audio of his two-day interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur in the classified documents investigation that ultimately yielded no criminal charges. The move comes as House Republicans try to keep the issue in the news during an election year by pushing toward holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to cough up the audio of the interview. Biden invoked the privilege at Garlands request, the White House said.

Gaetz Under The Gun

As part of its investigation of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), the House Ethics Committee earlier this week subpoenaed the Justice Department for records related to its investigation of Gaetz in a related sex trafficking case, Politico is reporting. The DOJ investigation ended without charging Gaetz.

Clarence Thomas And That RV Loan

Greg Sargent:

Thomas is still refusing to reveal whether he repaid the principal on the $267,000 loan that he received from Anthony Welters, a wealthy health care executive and personal friend, to purchase his RV in 1999, according to a letter that senators Ron Wyden and Sheldon Whitehouse have sent to an attorney for Thomas.

Venezuela Loses Its Last Glacier

The loss of La Corona glacier was long expected but it marks a point of no return for the glaciers of the tropical northern Andes, which are expected to all be gone by 2050.

Do you like Morning Memo? Let us know!
Detroits population declined consistently through the last several decades, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau  until this week.

Mayor Mike Duggans administration publicly fought the federal agencys count of Detroit residents and sued the Census Bureau multiple times seeking what the city considers accurate figures. He has even described the agency as a national clown show for previously reporting a decrease in the citys population estimates. But new figures show Detroit grew from 631,366 in 2022 to 633,218 residents in 2023, according to the bureaus annual population estimate released Thursday.

This is the news weve been waiting for for 10 years, Duggan said. "This is the first time since 1957 that the Census Bureau has put Detroit in the category of a growing city in population, so it probably means more to our national brand than the NFL draft did. Many big cities in the country have been losing population year after year. To have Detroit be growing is a pretty major change."

Detroit reached its highest population point of nearly 2 million in 1950.

Amid the lawsuits, the city dived into ways to understand how the bureau arrives at its estimates. Officials were upset after the 2020 decennial census revealed a population decline of 10.5% in Detroit, numbers that Kurt Metzger, founder of Data Driven Detroit, called "abysmal and problematic." Although Metzger said he has not seen a population increase in Detroit since 1957, the bureau has been penalizing the city for its demolitions.

'The city has never gotten credit for rehab'

"What we've been arguing is the city doesnt demolish buildings that were occupied. There are buildings that were unoccupied and uninhabitable for years in many cases. Just because we're demolishing, does not mean we should lose population," Metzger said.

The city's latest lawsuit argues that for each demolished structure, the agency subtracts about two residents from its population estimate.

"There's been a lot of work at the city level to look at those homes that were demolished. What was their status prior? Were they occupied?" Metzger said. "The city has never gotten credit for rehab. A lot of the work coming through the (Detroit) Land Bank (Authority), where you have homes that were fixed up and sold. There's been a lot of work done to better understand how the bureau works with housing, and get the bureau to understand what's going on in the city."

Kurt Metzger, founder of Data Driven Detroit and former mayor of Pleasant Ridge.

The city challenged the 2021 and 2022 population estimates, to which the agency responded by increasing its figures. Numbers can fluctuate year after year. Population estimates come via a third-party data program through the federal agency that does not involve surveying respondents but uses administrative data sources to create estimates, according to Kristina Barrett, spokesperson for the Census Bureau.

"These third-party data sources include vital statistics data for government agencies, Medicare, IRA, etc. We have a set deadline for data in order to produce estimates according to our schedule. Sometimes these data do not reach us in time to be included in our release. This is why we revise previous year's data. Only the previous year is revised if needed," Barrett said in an email.

Michigan population surprise

Said Duggan, "They added 11,000 to last year, but the more important thing is they reported that we grew by 1,800 last year, even over and above that. For many years, Detroit led Michigan in population loss. In 2023, Detroit led Michigan in population gain. Thats something I never thought Id see."

The state's population grew last year by 3,980 people, up 0.04% from 2022 to 10,037,261, according to the Census Bureau. However, Michigan's total population remains lower than it was in 2020 when the decennial census recorded 10,077,331 residents.

Metzger has predicted population increases for several years, though the city is often "dinged by these demolitions," he said.

"I'm thinking the city is somewhere between 650,000 to 670,000 (residents). I'm not putting us back at 700,000 yet," Metzger said, adding that he bases his data on housing-related numbers.

'Detroit is a vibrant and growing city again'

That mayor has centered the success of his administration on regrowing Detroit's population upon taking office amid the city's bankruptcy.

"It's been happening," Duggan said. "We've had more than 10,000 vacant houses in neighborhoods get renovated and moving in families. There's apartments being built all around this city. You can go pick any neighborhood you want today, drive down the street and you'll see people on ladders working on fixing up houses. Detroit is a vibrant and growing city again, weve known that. But it's very helpful to our national brand to get the Census Bureau to classify us as growing."

People talk on the 25th floor observation area with the Detroit skyline in the background at the Residences at Water Square, a new luxury apartment tower at the site of the former Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024.

Duggan said that despite commercial development slowing due to companies scaling back on office spaces nationally, the city has had a housing boom, partially due to businesses boosting neighborhoods.

"The 2,000 vacant houses a year are getting renovated and people are moving in," Duggan said. "Motor City Match has 167 new businesses open in this city, basically in neighborhoods where they pulled plywood off vacant storefronts. Go down East Warren near Cadieux and see what's happening. Go down McNichols, west of Livernois and see what's happening. There's one storefront after another being opened. As that happens, people move into the neighborhoods even faster because of the quality of neighborhood commercial corridor nearby."

The next move is to fight the county cap rule, Metzger added. The "county cap" determines numbers based on population estimates of all towns and cities within the county. It "cannot exceed the countys population estimate" even if Detroit's population is growing.

"The county cap punishes the City of Detroit by reducing the citys population estimate, not because of an actual decrease in Detroits population, but because of population lost in other Wayne County cities or because of the Census Bureaus failure to properly estimate Wayne Countys population," according to the federal lawsuit.

Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: dafana@freepress.com. Follow her: @DanaAfana.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Census Bureau report shows Detroit population increases
Did he take bribes, or was he duped by his wife? Arguments under way in Menendez trial

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 14: U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) arrives for trial at Manhattan Federal Court on May 14, 2024 in New York City. Menendez and his wife are accused of extortion, obstruction of justice, and accepting bribes to perform favors for businessmen with connections to Egypt and Qatar after gold bars and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash were found at his home. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

After a slow start, Sen. Bob Menendezs corruption trial hit warp speed Wednesday, with the defense team using opening arguments to blame everything on his wife and ending the day by demanding a mistrial.

With 12 jurors and six alternates seated after two and a half days of questioning, the case kicked off after lunchtime with prosecutor Lara Pomerantz methodically outlining the 18-count indictment against Menendez  a Democrat and New Jerseys senior senator  and two of his co-defendants, businessman Wael Hana and Edgewater real estate developer Fred Daibes.

For years, Robert Menendez abused his position to feed his own greed and to keep his wife happy, Pomerantz said. Menendez put his power up for sale, and Hana and Daibes were more than happy to buy it.

But defense attorney Avi Weitzman told the jury that there were innocent explanations for all of prosecutors accusations, and he quickly cut to what might be the heart of his defense  Menendezs claim that his wife, Nadine, kept him in the dark about the gold bars, cash, luxury car, and other bribes she allegedly took from Hana, Daibes, and a third co-defendant Jose Uribe, who pleaded guilty in March.

The real question for you is: What did Bob know? Weitzman told the jury.

Daibes and Hana are standing trial alongside Menendez, and their attorneys are expected to deliver their opening statements Thursday morning. Nadine Menendez was charged too, but U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein previously postponed her trial to July because she has a medical issue.

The senators wife

Despite her absence in the courtroom in Manhattan, Nadine Menendez loomed large over the trial Wednesday, with both prosecutors and the senators defense team repeatedly referring to her and her role in a bribery scheme that prosecutors say stretched back to 2018, when the couple began dating and a year after Sen. Menendezs last corruption trial ended with a hung jury.

Pomerantz painted her as the insulation Menendez put between himself and his alleged benefactors, saying Nadines role as go-between gave the senator plausible deniability.

Menendez was careful when he was committing crimes, she said. He was smart enough not to send too many texts. Instead, he had Nadine do that for him.

Weitzman, though, portrayed her as a greedy manipulator who took gold, cash, and other bribes without her husbands knowledge. The couple had separate finances, lived separately until April 2020, and have largely led separate lives since then, and FBI agents found all the gold bars in her locked closet, Weitzman said.

While the 70-year-old senator knew his wife had gold bars, he thought they were an inheritance from her family, who had built a fortune in the Persian rug business, he added. Instead, he said, Nadine had always been financially supported by other people, including a previous husband and by her wealthy family, and consequently tried to get cash and assets any which way she could, Weitzman said.

Ill acknowledge it smells a bit weird, he said of what he called the green and gold elephant in the room.

Besides gold, investigators also found more than $400,000 stuffed in envelopes, jacket pockets, and shoes all over the couples home. Weitzman attributed that hoarded cash to the senators habit  forged after his family fled with nothing from Cuba in the 1950s  of making monthly withdrawals of $400 to $500 for decades and keeping the cash at home.

Prosecutors say the riches were corrupt payments for official actions that only a senator could deliver.

Quid pro quo  this for that, Pomerantz repeated throughout her opening statements.

Specifically, prosecutors have accused Menendez of taking gold, cash, and a no-show, sham job for Nadine Menendez from her longtime friend Hana to help Hana secure a monopoly on importing halal meat to Egypt.

Hana didnt actually have any experience in this business, but what he did have was a U.S. senator in his pocket, Pomerantz said.

In exchange, Menendez also provided sensitive information about staffing at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and even ghost-wrote a letter from an Egyptian official to U.S. lawmakers who had held up millions in military arms and aid to Egypt over concerns about human rights abuses there, prosecutors allege.

Menendez also tried to disrupt the U.S. Attorneys Office in New Jerseys prosecution of Daibes and a fraud investigation by the New Jersey Attorney Generals Office involving Uribe, an insurance broker who was friends with Hana, prosecutors said.

In exchange, Uribe gave Nadine $15,000 in cash in a parking lot as a down payment on a $60,000 Mercedes Benz convertible and continued to make monthly payments afterward for years, Pomerantz said.

This was not politics as usual. It was politics for profit, she said. Robert Menendez was a United States senator on the take, motivated by greed and focused on how much he could put in his own pocket, and in his wifes pocket.

Weitzman insisted prosecutors were wrong, dead wrong.

Menendez took no bribes and never acted as a foreign agent for any government, he said.

The actions Senator Menendez took were actions on behalf of constituents, he said.

His interactions with Egyptian and Qatari officials were merely him engaging in diplomacy on behalf of the U.S. government, he added.

Weitzman urged jurors to remember Menendezs long history of public service. Menendez has served in the Senate since 2006, in the House from 1993 to 2006, and in the New Jersey Legislature and Union City politics before that.

Hes an American patriot, Weitzman said.

About that mistrial motion

Stein rejected defense attorney Adam Fees argument that Pomerantz tainted jurors during her opening statements by implying that Menendez agreed to publicly support Qatar to help Daibes land an investment from a member of Qatars royal family in exchange for gold bars and cash.

Fee accused Pomerantz of violating Steins order that prosecutors couldnt discuss the substance of a resolution supporting Qatar that Daibes allegedly urged Menendez to introduce to help him secure the investment.

This is angels dancing on the head of a pin, your honor. They are injecting this case with that inference, Fee said.

But after a heated back-and-forth between Fee and prosecutor Daniel Richenthal, Stein denied the mistrial motion.

Theres no basis for it, he said.

The post Did he take bribes, or was he duped by his wife? Arguments under way in Menendez trial appeared first on New Jersey Monitor.
Did he take bribes, or was he duped by his wife? Arguments under way in Menendez trial

: U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) arrives for trial at Manhattan Federal Court on May 14, 2024 in New York City. Menendez and his wife are accused of extortion, obstruction of justice, and accepting bribes to perform favors for businessmen with connections to Egypt and Qatar after gold bars and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash were found at his home. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

After a slow start, Sen. Bob Menendezs corruption trial hit warp speed Wednesday, with the defense team using opening arguments to blame everything on his wife and ending the day by demanding a mistrial.

With 12 jurors and six alternates seated after two and a half days of questioning, the case kicked off after lunchtime with prosecutor Lara Pomerantz methodically outlining the 18-count indictment against Menendez  a Democrat and New Jerseys senior senator  and two of his co-defendants, businessman Wael Hana and Edgewater real estate developer Fred Daibes.

For years, Robert Menendez abused his position to feed his own greed and to keep his wife happy, Pomerantz said. Menendez put his power up for sale, and Hana and Daibes were more than happy to buy it.

But defense attorney Avi Weitzman told the jury that there were innocent explanations for all of prosecutors accusations, and he quickly cut to what might be the heart of his defense  Menendezs claim that his wife, Nadine, kept him in the dark about the gold bars, cash, luxury car, and other bribes she allegedly took from Hana, Daibes, and a third co-defendant Jose Uribe, who pleaded guilty in March.

The real question for you is: What did Bob know? Weitzman told the jury.

Daibes and Hana are standing trial alongside Menendez, and their attorneys are expected to deliver their opening statements Thursday morning. Nadine Menendez was charged too, but U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein previously postponed her trial to July because she has a medical issue.

The senators wife

Despite her absence in the courtroom in Manhattan, Nadine Menendez loomed large over the trial Wednesday, with both prosecutors and the senators defense team repeatedly referring to her and her role in a bribery scheme that prosecutors say stretched back to 2018, when the couple began dating and a year after Sen. Menendezs last corruption trial ended with a hung jury.

Pomerantz painted her as the insulation Menendez put between himself and his alleged benefactors, saying Nadines role as go-between gave the senator plausible deniability.

Menendez was careful when he was committing crimes, she said. He was smart enough not to send too many texts. Instead, he had Nadine do that for him.

Weitzman, though, portrayed her as a greedy manipulator who took gold, cash, and other bribes without her husbands knowledge. The couple had separate finances, lived separately until April 2020, and have largely led separate lives since then, and FBI agents found all the gold bars in her locked closet, Weitzman said.

While the 70-year-old senator knew his wife had gold bars, he thought they were an inheritance from her family, who had built a fortune in the Persian rug business, he added. Instead, he said, Nadine had always been financially supported by other people, including a previous husband and by her wealthy family, and consequently tried to get cash and assets any which way she could, Weitzman said.

Ill acknowledge it smells a bit weird, he said of what he called the green and gold elephant in the room.

Besides gold, investigators also found more than $400,000 stuffed in envelopes, jacket pockets, and shoes all over the couples home. Weitzman attributed that hoarded cash to the senators habit  forged after his family fled with nothing from Cuba in the 1950s  of making monthly withdrawals of $400 to $500 for decades and keeping the cash at home.

Prosecutors say the riches were corrupt payments for official actions that only a senator could deliver.

Quid pro quo  this for that, Pomerantz repeated throughout her opening statements.

Specifically, prosecutors have accused Menendez of taking gold, cash, and a no-show, sham job for Nadine Menendez from her longtime friend Hana to help Hana secure a monopoly on importing halal meat to Egypt.

Hana didnt actually have any experience in this business, but what he did have was a U.S. senator in his pocket, Pomerantz said.

In exchange, Menendez also provided sensitive information about staffing at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and even ghost-wrote a letter from an Egyptian official to U.S. lawmakers who had held up millions in military arms and aid to Egypt over concerns about human rights abuses there, prosecutors allege.

Menendez also tried to disrupt the U.S. Attorneys Office in New Jerseys prosecution of Daibes and a fraud investigation by the New Jersey Attorney Generals Office involving Uribe, an insurance broker who was friends with Hana, prosecutors said.

In exchange, Uribe gave Nadine $15,000 in cash in a parking lot as a down payment on a $60,000 Mercedes Benz convertible and continued to make monthly payments afterward for years, Pomerantz said.

This was not politics as usual. It was politics for profit, she said. Robert Menendez was a United States senator on the take, motivated by greed and focused on how much he could put in his own pocket, and in his wifes pocket.

Weitzman insisted prosecutors were wrong, dead wrong.

Menendez took no bribes and never acted as a foreign agent for any government, he said.

The actions Senator Menendez took were actions on behalf of constituents, he said.

His interactions with Egyptian and Qatari officials were merely him engaging in diplomacy on behalf of the U.S. government, he added.

Weitzman urged jurors to remember Menendezs long history of public service. Menendez has served in the Senate since 2006, in the House from 1993 to 2006, and in the New Jersey Legislature and Union City politics before that.

Hes an American patriot, Weitzman said.

About that mistrial motion

Stein rejected defense attorney Adam Fees argument that Pomerantz tainted jurors during her opening statements by implying that Menendez agreed to publicly support Qatar to help Daibes land an investment from a member of Qatars royal family in exchange for gold bars and cash.

Fee accused Pomerantz of violating Steins order that prosecutors couldnt discuss the substance of a resolution supporting Qatar that Daibes allegedly urged Menendez to introduce to help him secure the investment.

This is angels dancing on the head of a pin, your honor. They are injecting this case with that inference, Fee said.

But after a heated back-and-forth between Fee and prosecutor Daniel Richenthal, Stein denied the mistrial motion.

Theres no basis for it, he said.

This report was first published in the New Jersey Monitor, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity and includes Pennsylvania Capital-Star.

The post Did he take bribes, or was he duped by his wife? Arguments under way in Menendez trial appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
Rear Admiral Scott Pappano hands a flag to the family members of Frank Hryniewicz who was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on May 16, 2024 in Arlington, Va. Hryniewicz, 20, was aboard the USS Oklahoma when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

Frances Griffin never got the chance to meet her uncle, who was among thousands killed at Pearl Harbor, when Japan launched its Dec. 7, 1941, attack on the U.S. naval base in Hawaii.

All the 81-year-old has of Frank Hryniewicz's memory is the family's deep lore and a heartbreaking letter written after his death from her father.

But, on Thursday, Griffin and her family came together to see Hryniewicz' remains buried at Arlington National Cemetery in a full military ceremony.

"Burying him someplace where he would forever be honored as a fallen soldier, a member of the Armed Services, was important to us, that he be acknowledged for as long as the United States exists," Griffin said. "Here was a young man who made an ultimate sacrifice."

Hryniewicz is one of hundreds of U.S. servicemembers killed aboard the USS Oklahoma, one of the first vessels hit during the attack. His remains were identified in the last decade thanks to a military DNA profiling project.

Frank Hryniewicz, a 20-year-old soldier killed on the USS Oklahoma in Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, was to be reinterred at Arlington National Cemetery on May 16. (Credit: Hryniewicz Family)

One family passes down lore of ancestor killed at Pearl Harbor

In 2019, the Navy reached Griffin's family to request DNA samples to help identify Hryniewicz's remains. Griffin's brother and nephew sent in their samples  her father, Hryniewicz's older brother, had died just three days before.

Griffin, a retired teacher, recalled her father's adoration of his beloved "kid brother." The youngest of five, Hryniewicz was "the baby of the family," Griffin said.

Hryniewicz enlisted in May of 1940 after a stint working at a family farm to help ends meet at the tail end of the Great Depression. After growing up in Three Rivers, Massachusetts, a small village of less than 3,000, he wanted to see the world, Griffin said.

But less than two years later, on his first assignment to the naval base in Hawaii, his life was cut short at 20. On the fateful December morning, Japanese planes strafed the deck of the Oklahoma, causing the ship to turn over and trapping Hryniewicz and his fellow sailors in its hull.

The USS Oklahoma, one of the first ships struck in Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

After a dayslong effort to rescue the sailors that could still be heard banging on the inside of the doomed ship, 429 people on the Oklahoma were pronounced dead. More than 2,400 people were killed in the attack that destroyed two other Navy ships.

"My uncle dove along with his mates into the water and never resurfaced," Griffin said.

Griffin held onto a letter passed down in the family that her father wrote to "Cremo," his baby brother's nickname, eight days after the attack.

"Darn your hide! Why in hell don't you write?" the letter begins. "Last Sunday we heard the Oklahoma had been sent to the bottom of Pearl Harbor, ever since then we've been sitting on pins and needles waiting to hear from you or from the Navy Department."

"I'm a lazy guy  and I don't see any sense in writing a letter if you're not going to get it," Griffin's father wrote. "So please write or wire, and in return you'll get a nice letter about twenty pages long  that's a promise."

The letter concludes with a heart-wrenching postscript: "You're now a uncle as of last Thursday 8:30 A.M." Griffin's oldest brother had just been born.

The Oklahoma wasn't flipped over until 1944, when the sailors' remains were recovered. They were disinterred and buried in 61 caskets and 45 graves at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. Only 35 were initially identified.

A letter written to Frank Hryniewicz from his older brother eight days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Military project identifies sailors killed at Pearl Harbor

But a renewed push to identify the remains from Oklahoma sailors kicked off in 2003, when the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency disinterred a single casket thought to contain the comingled remains of five servicemembers. In fact, it contained the partial remains of nearly 100.

After more than a decade of work, the agency disinterred the rest of the unidentified caskets and transferred them to a laboratory for further forensic analysis.

When the project ended in late 2021, 362 out of 394 sailors and marines previously unaccounted for aboard the USS Oklahoma had been identified.

"That was a project that, quite literally, took years," said Sean Everette, a spokesperson for the agency.

Everette said genealogists with the Navy collaborated with different branches of the military to track down family members, including Griffin's family. "They did have to contact all of these different families to get DNA reference samples so that we could match them with remains that we have," he said.

Once families are notified, military officials schedule a "full identification briefing," in which they lay out the options for funeral arrangements. Griffin and her family opted to have Hryniewicz buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Hryniewicz also left his mark on his family's home of Three Rivers, around 75 miles west of Boston. On Main Street lies Hryniewicz Park, a grassy area with a playground and a memorial stone honoring Hryniewicz and other fallen servicemembers from the village.

Griffin said she dedicated the park to her uncle in a town ceremony when she was just four years old. Last year, the park was rededicated in honor of the identification of his remains, local news reported.

10 family members come together in Arlington to bury Hryniewicz

On a warm May afternoon, in a quiet corner of the cemetery, Griffin and nine other family members faced the box holding her uncle's remains as the Navy granted him full military funeral honors more than 80 years after his death.

"I didn't expect to be as emotional as I am this many years later," she said.

The American, Navy and Prisoner of War/Missing in Action flags fluttered in a gentle breeze as a Naval procession dressed in white marched, their shoes clacking against the asphalt as a marching band played.

The family rose from their seats before the 21-gun salute. A man extended his hand to help a woman with a cane stand. Three shots, the customary three-volley salute, cut through the silence.

As the sounds of the horns swelled once again, the flag stretched over Hryniewicz' remains was tightly refolded and presented to Griffin, seated in the place of first next of kin. Later, she would gasp in surprise as she was handed a plastic bag filled with golden bullets, part of the military rite.

At the end of the ceremony, the family walked two-by-two, arm-in-arm, to a marble headstone that will soon bear the name "Frank Hryniewicz."

Griffin said the family had originally floated the idea of traveling to Hawaii in her uncle's honor, but the Pandemic and the cost of a plane ticket got in the way. Arlington, they felt, "was a place of honor, whether family could ever get there or couldn't," Griffin said.

On Thursday, they got there  four of Griffin's children and her cousin flew in from Massachusetts, her brother and his wife came from Maine, and her sister came from Arizona with her husband.

For Griffin's sister Joie Hallstrom, who also served in the Navy, seeing her uncle laid to rest held special significance. "It's extraordinarily important for him to buried here," she said.

Hallstrom, 70, said her uncle was one of the reasons she enlisted. "He was one of the first people to give his life for us to be able to live our lives the way we're doing it now," she said.

The burial also resurfaced the memory of her father. "It is an honor to our father, because our dad did not get to know what happened to his brother," she said. "It always bothered him that he didn't know where his baby brother was."

"For us to get to be here today  for me, it's a very full circle," she added.

Cybele Mayes-Osterman is a breaking news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her on email at cmayesosterman@usatoday.com. Follow her on X @CybeleMO.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USS Oklahoma Frank Hryniewicz lost in Pearl Harbor buried at Arlington
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NAIROBI  Kenyan President William Ruto will begin a historic state visit to the US on May 23, the first by an African leader since Ghanas John Kufuor in 2008. It will be the most significant display yet of Rutos emergence as a darling of the West and a leading voice for Africa.

Since his election as president in 2022, Ruto has built up his international profile through his advocacy on climate issues and calls for the reform of global financial institutions. He hosted the inaugural Africa Climate Summit last year, and has made numerous high-profile trips, including a visit to China in October last year.

Back home, however, Rutos US state visit has been overshadowed by widespread discontent over proposed tax hikes and the cost of living, as well as alleged government corruption and the governments response to recent floods which killed over 160 people.

Ruto has largely struggled to deliver on his promises of a radical economic transformation benefiting poor Kenyans, Nairobi-based economist Anderson Njuki told Semafor Africa, referencing Rutos 2022 Hustler campaign, which was premised on empowering the poor and small business owners.

Cameron Hudson, a senior analyst at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said it was crucial for Ruto to deliver tangible benefits for the average Kenyan for his visit to be considered a success.

Ruto has spent a lot of time on the world stage, but unless benefits of all that travel begin to accrue to people other than Ruto himself he is likely to face mounting discontent, he told Semafor Africa.

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Know More

Rutos latest tax hike proposals dominate conversations in Kenya ahead of his US visit, including on local media outlets and online. The proposals include the removal of VAT exemptions on bread, tax hikes on mobile money transfers, and a new annual tax on the value of motor vehicles.

Ruto has repeatedly emphasized his willingness to make unpopular decisions as part of his plan to raise Kenyas tax revenues and ease the countrys debt burden. Speaking to students from Harvard Business School in Nairobi on Wednesday, he said he planned to increase the countrys tax-to-GDP ratio from 14% to 22% by the end of his current term in 2027.

Its going to be difficult, I have a lot of explaining to do, people will complain but I know they will appreciate. We have to begin to live within our means, he said.

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Martins view

The Kenyan president has undeniably positioned himself as a leading African voice on the most important global issues of the day. His administration, however, has struggled to live up to the high expectations it set for Kenyans when he was elected two years ago.

Unemployment and the cost of living remain high. Tax hikes and allegations of government corruption have further dented his administrations image. Public protests over the cost of living last year brought some of these frustrations to the fore.

Several Kenyans on the streets of Nairobi who spoke to Semafor Africa were not even aware of his upcoming state visit, with matters such as jobs and the cost of living of more concern to most. He has disappointed the hustlers who elected him, said cab driver Ian Macharia.

Ruto, however, still has the opportunity to leverage his rising international profile to secure benefits for people back home - particularly through major investments that can guarantee jobs and boost the economy. He has confirmed that trade and investment will be at the top of his agenda on the upcoming US state visit.

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Room for Disagreement

Kenya plans to take advantage of the state visit to pitch more than $20.5 billion (2.6 trillion Kenyan shillings) in investment opportunities to American investors. Kenyas exports to the US were valued at $679 million in 2022 up from $543 million in 2021, representing 25% growth.

I think Kenya can potentially showcase that it pays to be Americas friend, in a region where the US has struggled to show that it bothers to care about its partners strategic interests. It would be a big win for both countries if trade relations between the two countries were to improve, Georgetown University professor Ken Opalo told Semafor Africa. He credited the current US ambassador to Kenya, former HP CEO Meg Whitman, with helping drive improved commercial relations between the two countries.

The U.S. needs more ambassadors and diplomats who know and care about more than just aid, humanitarian assistance, and preachy democracy promotion, he said.

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ESCANABA, Mich. (WJMN)  The challengers who swept their races against the three Delta County commissioners in Mays recall election will not take their Oath of Office as planned.

First shown to Local 3 in an email from Delta County Clerk Nancy Przewrocki, the scheduled swearing-in of incoming commissioners Matt Jensen and Myra Croasdell set for Wednesday morning was called off after the local board of canvassers failed to certify the election.

Swearing-in of new Delta Co. commissioners delayed after canvassers fail to certify election

Victor in District 4 Kelli van Ginhoven was set to be sworn in on Monday, May 20, though that too will likely be canceled.

We spoke with several people who were in the room when the canvassers failed to come to agreement, but lets first get our bearings.

DIVISION IN DELTA COUNTY: How firing an administrator led to thousands-strong recall movement

The numbers on election night showed all challengers defeating the incumbent commissioners in the May 7 recall election by a margin of over 40%.

The challengers taking their Oath of Office would have been a major milestone for those who spent much of last year working to recall commissioners David Moyle, Bob Barron and Bob Petersen after their firing of the countys administrator last February.

Przewrocki told Local 3 the Oath of Office appointments were canceled due to Republicans on the Board of Canvassers declining to certify the election. She said while Democrats John Myers and Theresa Nelson and herself could find no issue with the election results, Republicans Bonnie Hakkola and LeeAnne Oman had enough suspicion to withhold their signatures.

Hakkola is also listed as the chair of the Delta County Republican Party.

Our calls to reach Hakkola and Oman have gone unanswered.

Soon after our initial reporting, Local 3 learned of a press release circulating on social media that appeared connected to the board members decisions. We have not been able to directly connect either with the document, but several sources have connected Hakkola to the letter.

It reads in part:

A group of Delta County citizens is looking into recent election results. Working closely with Election Integrity Force member Joanne Bakale, Citizens for Electoral Justice member Scott Aughney, and former MI Legislator Pat Colbeck, the group identified several statistical anomalies and suspicious voting ratios.

RESULTS: Challengers sweep Delta Co. recall election by wide margin

Specifically, the release cites the suspicion arising from two districts both having 2.64 votes for the challenger, for every single vote for the incumbent.

Przewrocki told Local 3 that during the Board of Canvassers meeting on Tuesday, Hakkola was taking calls from who she believed to be Scott Aughney. When we contacted the email at the bottom of the form, we got this response from a man who appears to be Hakkolas son:

Due to the harassment and doxing that my mother has faced coming from members of the community within the short time this has been made public, I will not be doing any on-air interview. You are welcome to send me your questions, via email or text. Our group will come together as a team and decide if we will do any on-camera interviews depending on our safety concerns going forward. Reply from Seth Hakkola

Several people in Delta County had posted or shared posts with Hakkolas phone number, urging the public to call her about her decision not to certify.

Local 3 was able to get in contact with Pat Colbeck, who was cited in the release as working closely with the effort to investigate the election. Colbeck is a former state legislator who has spent much of the last four years investigating possible fraud in the 2020 election.

He told Local 3 he received one phone call from Hakkola, asking for advice on what to do, given her suspicions. Colbeck said he told her to reach out to a lawyer, warning that failing to certify an election when the stated criteria has been met could have legal ramifications.

Colbeck said his knowledge on the situation in Delta County was limited, but shared that he believed the 2.64 ratio could indicate an algorithm was used to inflate the vote to a set parameter.

It is unclear if Hakkola or Oman hold this belief.

By percentage, the votes break down like so:

District 3: 73.284%

District 4: 72.529%

District 5: 72.567%

You can also find the vote totals in our previous story.

The group is calling for a hand recount of the election, but were told a recount cannot be conducted unless requested by a candidate after the election is certified.

The Board of Canvassers will meet for a final vote on Monday, May 20. If the canvassers again fail to certify the election, the task will be sent to the state at the countys expense. Przewrocki said if that is the case, she expects the election to be certified, and the new commissioners to be sworn in after that decision comes down.

This is a developing story. Updates, including additional interviews will be added soon.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJMN - UPMatters.com.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- After more than three decades, a man has been arrested in Ohio for his connection with the 1989 killing of a woman in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley thanks to advances in DNA.

Michael Breisch, 65, is now in custody in Lehigh County for the killing of 78-year-old Rose Hnath, after he was taken into custody in Coshocton County, Ohio.

Hnath, a widow who lived alone, was found dead on Jan. 21, 1989. Police say relatives arrived at her home in the Coplay section of North Whitehall Township on the west bank of the Lehigh River and found her on the floor and the home ransacked.

They went to her home after she did not appear at a church service she attended regularly.

An autopsy revealed Hnath had received multiple blunt force injuries and stab wounds. She had defensive wounds indicating she tried to fight off her attacker, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said in a news release.

Holihan said at the time of the crime, Breisch was living in the Lehigh Valley at a community corrections facility in the Allentown area.

Breisch was 30 years old at the time.

Holihan announced Breisch's arrest in a news conference Thursday in Allentown. He credited the work of investigators including Joseph Vasquez, who was on the case from the beginning, arriving at the crime scene within hours while with the Pennsylvania State Police.

Vasquez continued to work on the case with the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force.

"Although [the case] went cold, it was never forgotten and it was never put aside," Holihan said. He credited investigators' work in collecting and preserving the evidence - so that decades later, it could be used for a type of DNA analysis that didn't exist in 1989.

"We have no idea what the technology is going to be 20 years from now or 30 years from now," Holihan said. "So when the evidence is collected, it's important to preserve it."

The DNA was found on weapons including a knife and pellet gun found near the scene that investigators believe were used in the crime, Holihan said.

"They didn't know that the pieces they collected would somehow be able to be tested for touch DNA. But they did their job and did it well. ... It's a testament to the work they did then," he added.

Investigators have spoken with Hnath's family and notified them there has been an arrest.

"They're gratified and relieved that an arrest has been made," Holihan said.

Breisch is also charged with burglarizing Hnath's home and other first-degree felonies, including robbery and aggravated assault. He is being held in the Lehigh County Jail without bail and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 21.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. President of the Republic of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, who is on a state visit to Azerbaijan, paid tribute to the memory of Heydar Aliyev, the Nationwide Leader of the Azerbaijani people, architect, and founder of the modern independent state of Azerbaijan, by visiting the Alley of Honorary Burial, Trend reports.

The President of Belarus laid a wreath at the tomb of National Leader Heydar Aliyev.

The President also honored the memory of outstanding scientist-ophthalmologist and academician Zarifa Aliyeva and laid flowers at her tomb.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  Many of us will be spending more time outdoors as the weather heats up and that means more exposure to the sun. As summer approaches, doctors say its critical to be able to spot the warning signs of skin cancer.

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States, with one in five people developing the disease in their lifetime. Doctors say its especially concerning for residents of the Sunshine State, which has the second-highest rate of Melanoma in the country. More than 600 people die from the illness in Florida every year, according to the National Institutes of Health.

While more cases of skin cancer tend to be diagnosed in older patients, doctors at Tampa General Hospital say the disease is now appearing more often in younger patients.

Were seeing its one of the most common forms of cancer in young women in their 20s and 30s, said Dr. Nishit Patel, a dermatologist with TGH and USF Health.

The color, shape or size of a mole on your skin can indicate if a cancer is forming, which is why doctors say its important to keep an eye on any existing spots. However, they say most melanomas come from otherwise normal skin that starts to develop dark or irregular marks.

It goes back to the idea that if you know your spots, you know whats been the same for years, youre gonna pick up on something new thats growing just as quickly as something thats changing thats been there, Patel said.

Skin cancer can typically be easily treated if caught early, however, it can spread to other parts of the body if left unchecked. Doctors say its vital to conduct your skin exams regularly to look for any changes and recommend seeing a dermatologist for more thorough exams.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
Daniel Siegmann

A Dodge County supervisor and school board member was taken to jail Wednesday after bringing a firearm into a local elementary school, authorities said.

The incident took place at the Honor Elementary School, 201 Center St. in Neosho, which is part of the Herman/Neosho/Rubicon School District.

Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt said on Tuesday his office received four separate reports from citizens and received a phone call from the district reporting that board member Daniel Siegmann went to the school to meet with the district administrator and Siegmann brought a firearm into the school.

Schmidt said Siegmann was in the building around 3 p.m. The school's website says school gets out at 3:30 p.m.

In Wisconsin, it is illegal to bring a gun within 1,000 feet of a school grounds unless the person is a law enforcement officer or commission warden.

Schmidt said it's "a clear violation of state statute" and his office requested the assistance of the Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office, because Siegmann, who also serves on the Dodge County Board of Supervisors, had been critical of the Schmidt and his office in the past.

On Wednesday, Siegmann was arrested prior to that evening's school board meeting, Schmidt said. The Ozaukee sheriff's office will request a charge of possession of a firearm in a school. According to the state statute, the Class I felony carries a maximum sentence of 3 years in prison or a $10,000 fine, or both.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Dodge County school board member arrested for bringing gun into school
TechCrunch

Fidelity Investments, one of the world's largest asset managers, has confirmed that over 77,000 customers had personal information compromised during an August data breach, including Social Security numbers and driver's licenses. The Boston, Massachusetts-based investment firm said in a filing with Maines attorney general on Wednesday that an unnamed third party accessed information from its systems between August 17 and August 19 "using two customer accounts that they had recently established. We detected this activity on August 19 and immediately took steps to terminate the access, Fidelity said in a letter sent to those affected, adding that the incident did not involve any access to customers Fidelity accounts.
Detroit Journalist Charlie LeDuff pleaded not guilty after being charged with domestic violence. He is scheduled for a bench trial on May 14, 2024. | Screenshot

Former Detroit News columnist Charlie LeDuff has had the domestic violence charge against him dropped.

LeDuff, who was charged following his arrest on Dec. 18 when police responded to a 911 call about a physical altercation at his home, appeared in 45th District Court in Oak Park on Tuesday.

The Detroit News reports that the charge was dropped after LeDuffs wife, who was the complainant in the case, invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination while on the stand.

Without that testimony, prosecutors were forced to dismiss the case.

A request for comment was sent by the Advance to LeDuffs attorney, Todd Perkins, but was not returned.

LeDuff pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned Dec. 19 and was released on a $5,000 recognizance bond under condition that he may not have contact with his wife, who Perkins identified at the time identified as the complainant in the case.

Host of the No BS News Hour podcast, LeDuff previously worked as a columnist for the Detroit News. He was fired in October after calling Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel a ct in a social media post.

The post Domestic violence charge dropped against Charlie LeDuff appeared first on Michigan Advance.
Dont Say Gay rules and book bans might have felt familiar in medieval Europe  but queer themes in literature survived nonetheless

Americans have been challenging books at an unprecedented rate. According to the American Library Association, people requested that more than 4,200 titles be removed from public and school libraries in 2023, the highest number in a single year since the ALA started tracking more than 20 years ago.

These challenges are compounded by new and proposed legislation in many states. Floridas Parental Rights in Education Act, for example, prohibits schools from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in many grades, while a 2022 Missouri law makes sharing explicit sexual material in schools a misdemeanor. Such mandates have led librarians to pull materials from shelves.

Material written by or about LGBTQ+ people is often at the heart of book challenges and legislation.

More and more, were seeing challenges that say, simply, This book has a gay character, or, This book deals with L.G.B.T.Q. themes, even if it has no sexuality in it, Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the ALAs Office for Intellectual Freedom, told The New York Times in April 2024.

As a scholar of medieval literature and religion, Ive been struck by the resonances between modern and medieval censorship of queer texts. Both have been shaped by a sort of Dont Say Gay mindset: an assumption that even seeing or talking about LGBTQ+ themes poses a threat to children and society, regardless of how its done.

Unmentionable acts

Starting around the 11th century, European theologians and writers classified homosexual desire and sex as sodomy, a moral sin. Unlike more modern definitions of sodomy, the medieval category was wide-ranging. It was particularly associated with sexual or gendered sins against nature and often known as the crimen nefandum, the unmentionable vice.

Theologians, preachers and authors of courtly guidebooks expressed outrage at peoples continued discovery of sodomy and stressed the importance of suppressing any and all mentions of deviant sexuality.

This censorship was caught up in the sweeping clerical and episcopal reforms of the 11th and 12th centuries, although it extended far beyond. In these reform movements, sodomy was often represented as a threat to social stability because it upset gender hierarchies. Intimate relationships between male members of the clergy was thought to encourage corruption. Homosexual sex was seen as dangerous because it reversed strict gender expectations: passive sexual and social positions for women and active ones for men.

From celebration to silence

This fear of sodomy manifested in a silencing of homoerotic and homosexual material. Scholars debate the extent to which texts accused of being about sodomy were destroyed purely for its sexual content, because such charges were often used to justify destroying books authorities wanted to censor.

The more common and insidious form of censorship was erasure and modification, which took a variety of forms. In adapting and commenting on material from Greek and Roman history, medieval authors selectively chose not to include material describing homosexual intimacy and intercourse.

Bagoas Pleads on Behalf of Nabarzanes, a Persian commander, in a 15th century painting. Bagoas is depicted as a noble woman. Getty Center/Wikimedia Commons

Histories of Alexander the Great transformed his eunuch lover Bagoas into a woman, Bagoe. Stories about queer relationships in the Roman poet Ovids Metamorphoses were reframed, turning romantic endings into cautionary tales.

One of Ovids tales describes how Iphis, assigned female at birth but raised as a boy, falls in love and finds happiness with a beautiful young woman named Ianthe. In The Moralized Ovid, a medieval version, the commentator tacks on a story that describes how such gender trickery is always found out and punished.

A similar pattern exists in original texts by medieval authors. Some stories prominently featured what people today would consider queer narratives: kissing games between men or young knights who wrestle with their gender identity. These stories might even seem to celebrate homoerotic relationships and gender transformation for hundreds of lines, only to resolve in abrupt endings that corrected them.

One particularly jarring example, the Roman de Silence, details the adventures of a heroic knight, Silence, who was assigned female at birth but lived most of his life as a man. At the poems conclusion, Silence is made to give up his knighthood, marry a king, and forced into a life of silent passivity.

Condemn, or keep quiet?

So provocative was the unmentionable vice that there was a reluctance to address these themes in medieval texts and teaching, even to critique them.

Normally, priests would counsel their parish about particular sins and how to avoid them. In Instructions for Parish Priests, however, 14th-century English preacher and writer John Mirk indicated priests should not discuss sins against kynde, or nature: You shall your parish nothing teach,/ Nor of that sin no thing preach.

Other texts were more explicit in their condemnation, like the 12th-century poet and theologian Alain de Lilles De planctu naturae, or The Complaint of Nature. The poem launches a blistering attack, using metaphors that at once describe, condemn and obscure homosexual desire  for example, He strikes on an anvil that admits no seeds.

By controlling access to information, these medieval theologians and writers thought they could end deviant sexualities and gendered behavior. According to this logic, to never speak of sodomy  not even to condemn it  meant that no one would ever know of it and never engage in it.

Records in plain sight

The truth is that records of queer people and their lives from the Middle Ages are more plentiful than many people realize.

Iphis lies in bed while the goddess Isis takes her hand and changes her into a young man so she can marry Ianthe. Rijksmuseum/Wikimedia Commons

Some historians previously overlooked or even deliberately obscured evidence of medieval queer history, literature and art. Trial records of medieval sex workers such as Eleanor Rykener speak to the ways people transgressed categories of gender and sexuality, often without evidence of criminal punishment. Saints lives carry the records of holy men and women who chose to live their lives according to their religious calling and not the gender they were assigned at birth. Works of mystical theology, such as Julian of Norwichs Showings, described visionary experiences where God appeared as both man and woman, masculine and feminine, mother and father. Many religious devotional texts depicted monks tenderly embracing each other and included images of Christ giving birth to the church through his wounds from the crucifixion.

For all that there were efforts to silence the diverse range of medieval thought and experience, narratives that tested the boundaries of gender, sex and desire proliferated.

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: Jessica Hines, Whitman College

Read more:



Jessica Hines 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.
Dont be that guy. NC and SC Real ID deadline a year away

NORTH CAROLINA (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  After years of delays in the deadline for people to get a real ID, were now less than a year away from the launch.

Come May 7, 2025, people will need the identification to fly or enter federal buildings. Officials gave Carolinians a nudge Thursday at Charlotte Douglas to get this task taken care of.



Dont be that guy that cant get into a federal building because you were stupid. Did I use that word? Yep, said South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles Executive Director Kevin Shwedo. Right now, procrastination is 9/10 of the problems that youre running into.

Right now, in South Carolina, about 57% of the population has a real ID, and in North Carolina, that number is about 46%.



This is what the paper will look like that a TDC officer will tear off and give to the passenger, said Transportation Security Administration Federal Security Director Beth Walker as she held up an informational sheet of paper.



In less than a year, a real ID, passport, Department of Defense ID or global entry card will be the only ID options for air travelers, and people entering most federal buildings. Real IDs have the star in the upper right-hand corner.

MORE FROM QUEEN CITY NEWS

News Across North Carolina



Until then, those who dont have one will get this friendly reminder at the airport, which includes a QR code that will direct you to the TSA website.



Our research shows that about 50% of North Carolinians need the real I.D., said NC DMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin, and we are very quickly approaching what our threshold is.



This is all been a long time coming. Real IDs have been available for six years, but the deadline has changed. Queen City News own archives on Real ID from 2019 read time is running out and the clock is ticking! In 2020, we said it will be here before you know it!



But then COVID happened, and there have been multiple delays since.



Charlotte Douglas averages 32,000 originating passengers daily, and officials worry that failures to obtain a real ID could lead to further delays at TSA checkpoints.



If you get handed one of these, dont be that guy, said Shwedo. Dont be that guy that cant fly on seven May.

For more information on how to get a Real ID in North Carolina, head here. For information from the TSA website, click here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
By Lewis Jackson

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Donald Trump gave the AUKUS defence pact a "warm reception", during a meeting with former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the latter said, one of the few public signs about Trump's view of the deal.

Morrison, who left office in 2022, met Trump on Tuesday at the former president's home in New York for talks that covered AUKUS, China's assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific, and the threat to Taiwan, he said in a post on X.

"These were issues we discussed regularly when we were both in office," Morrison said on Wednesday.

"Once again, the former president showed his true appreciation of the value he places on the Australia-US alliance and the shared role of supporting what our friend, Shinzo Abe, called a free and open Indo-Pacific."

Trump, the presumptive Republican candidate to take on President Joe Biden at November's presidential election, has not formally declared his position on the pact and his office did not immediately respond to questions about the meeting.

Trump's take on the pact, signed with Australia and Britain after he left office in 2021, is a concern for Australia, which has been promised up to five U.S. Virginia-class submarines in a deal designed to counter China's power in the Indo-Pacific.

The sales are set to start in the early 2030s, when the U.S. Navy's submarine fleet will shrink to a historic low, but some analysts have warned Trump's America First doctrine could lead him to cancel or delay the transfers.

Morrison said Trump gave the pact a "warm reception" during their conversation, adding in an interview later with state broadcaster ABC that he had been "very encouraged" about the prospects for AUKUS.

Asked about the meeting on Wednesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese repeated his government's view that the deal made strategic sense, regardless of who was in the White House.

"I assume that anyone who looks at it ... will say that the arrangements ... are very sound and in the interests of all those who support a more secure and peaceful region and world," he told ABC radio.

(Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Donald Trump's allies are doing his dirty work while tiptoeing around his gag order

Donald Trump was warned not to attack prosecutors or witnesses again.

Now, his allies are doing it.

At his hush-money trial, surrogates have gone on the attack, toeing the line of Trump's gag order.

Donald Trump has been testing the limits of his gag order in his hush-money trial  with 10 violations culminating in a warning from the judge that he could be jailed.

But while the former president has been uncharacteristically restrained recently, a cast of Republican lawmakers and Trump surrogates have traveled to court to rail about the proceedings.

US Senators and even the Speaker of the House trashed the Manhattan trial just as prosecutors called their key witness, Trump's former fixer, Michael Cohen.

It's raised questions about whether these "surrogates" could be violating Trump's gag order.

Legal experts told Business Insider it hinges on whether Trump is directing them to speak. They warned that extending a gag to uninvolved parties could raise free-speech concerns.

For now, Trump's pals appear free to attack the trial  as long as Trump isn't telling them to.

Trump's allies rally to his side

Trump's fleet of surrogates has included House Speaker Mike Johnson, Sens. JD Vance of Ohio and Rick Scott of Florida, and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

Some of the guests, including Vance and Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota, have made TV appearances on behalf of the Trump campaign  further blurring the line between supporter and spokesperson.

Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida is joined by other House Republicans to slam the proceedings against Donald Trump. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

They've blasted witnesses and Judge Juan Merchan's daughter; Trump said the surrogates have been "speaking very beautifully."

Andrew Rice, a New York Magazine features writer, said on MSNBC that he'd seen Trump in court "annotating and editing" the comments his surrogates were set to deliver.

A Trump campaign official told Business Insider that all supporters have volunteered to come and support their friend and none were invited by the campaign.

Some have been transparent about their intent. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, who has been floated as a potential pick for vice president, told Newsmax that one reason he attended was to "overcome this gag order."

Tuberville's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.

Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado said on Thursday that a group of Republicans from the far-right House Freedom Caucus were in Manhattan to "stand with" Trump. She then tore into Cohen, Trump's former attorney.

"He wants President Trump to suffer; that is why he has done what he has done," Boebert told reporters in a press conference held in a park near the courthouse. "That is why he has told the lies that he has, and we are here today to counter those as we stand for our friend President Donald J. Trump."

Under the gag order, Trump is not allowed to comment about Cohen.

Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida later emphasized that the group was "here on our volition because there are things we can say that President Trump is unjustly not allowed to say."

Trump is walking a fine line

Andrew Lieb, an attorney and legal analyst, said it's a "close call" whether Trump's surrogates could cause him further legal trouble given the fine line between whether he's directing them or merely endorsing the support.

"Contempt of the gag order is no slam dunk because contempt requires the judge to find that Trump is the one directing his surrogates," Lieb said, though he warned: "Eventually, he is going to learn that if you keep touching the fire, you ultimately get burned."

Donald Trump leaves court during a break at his hush-money trial on Thursday. ANGELA WEISS / Getty Images

If Trump's supporters suggest they were recruited to act on his behalf, "the court could hold a hearing to see if Trump was again in violation of the court's order," Laurie Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School, told BI.

She said this could result in more fines or even jail time.

But Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, told BI that "practically speaking," Merchan can do little to stop lawmakers from speaking on Trump's behalf.

"Elected officials have a right to campaign and discuss issues publicly," Rahmani said. "It's a free-speech issue and a matter of public concern, which is entitled to the greatest First Amendment protection."

Jeff Modisett, the former attorney general of Indiana, added that the scope of gag orders typically applies "only to the parties directly involved in the case" and that courts have limited authority to impose them beyond that.

He said a judge could consider extending the gag order to Trump's surrogates if they were deemed to be threatening the integrity of the trial, but any such decision "would need to be carefully justified and balanced against the constitutional rights of free speech and press."

Read the original article on Business Insider
When Doral called for a permanent end to hostilities in Israel and Palestine, it was touted as the first ceasefire resolution coming out of a South Florida city.

But just one week later, Doral is taking back its symbolic resolution after facing a barrage of backlash, with Mayor Christi Fraga now calling it fundamentally flawed.

While my actions were well intended, the process in which Ive followed, and the final wording of the resolution that was unanimously approved by my colleagues in the city council was naive of me and fundamentally flawed, Fraga said during the press conference in downtown Doral.

Fraga said the original resolution caused unintended consequences and a complete misunderstanding of her actual stance on the issue of the war between Israel and Gaza.

The replacement resolution, which is on the agenda for Tuesdays special council meeting, is in stark contrast to the first measure, which acknowledged the suffering and loss of life on both sides while calling for an immediate end to all hostilities in Israel, Gaza, and Occupied Palestinian Territories, and promoting the unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza. Both resolutions call for a release of all hostages.

Now the wording doubles down on Dorals support for Israel, recognizing Israels right to act decisively and unilaterally in self-defense.

I want to say that Im very sorry for the turmoil it has caused in our city and in our state, but also the hurt it may have caused the many Jewish and Israeli members of our community, Fraga said.

Fraga was joined by Councilman Rafael Pineyro, Miami Beach Commissioner David Suarez, Florida Rep. Alex Rizo, who also is chairman of the Miami-Dade Republican party, and several leaders from the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Relations Council, whom she thanked for helping her arrive at this corrective action.

Unlike my political opponents, when I make a mistake, I take responsibility for it. I own it, and I learn from it, Fraga said.

Doral Mayor Christi Fraga stands with Josh Sayles of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation (left) and Miami Beach Commissioner David Suarez (right), to rescind an earlier resolution calling for peace in the Middle East and an end to all hostilities after facing backlash from the Jewish community.

In her brief comments to the media, who were not allowed to ask questions during the press conference, Fraga condemned the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel and urged her colleagues to adopt the new proposed language at the next meeting.

Let me be clear, Israel has a right to defend its citizens and its existence, Fraga said. This is not a matter of partisanship, its a matter of what is right versus wrong.

Fraga described the new resolution as a remedy to her mistakes, and said that it was crafted with input from members of the community. Specifically, the updated resolution includes details about Hamas Oct. 7 attack on Israel and characterizes Hamas as a terrorist organization that was founded with the stated goal of destroying the State of Israel.

It also says the council recognizes that Hamas must be defeated in order for there to be peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians, and that it commends the extraordinary measures Israel has taken to minimize casualties among innocent civilians. It then calls for the Biden administration to immediately transfer all Congressionally approved military aid to Israel.

The updated language strips any mention of condemning Islamophobic incidents, but keeps a mention of a global rise in antisemitism.

READ MORE: This city, very carefully, calls for end to Mideast hostilities. Its a first for Miami-Dade

In the months since the October attacks, in which Hamas killed about 1,200 Israelis, most of them civilians, and took another 250 hostage, local politicians have largely avoided passing proclamations. Israels retaliation became an increasingly divisive issue, with the death toll of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip reaching an estimated 35,000-plus, according to Gaza health authorities.

Dorals resolution was recognized as the first in South Florida that acknowledged Palestinian suffering along with mourning Israeli civilians.

Josh Sayles, director of Jewish Community Relations and Government Affairs for the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, said at the press conference that this is not the time for a ceasefire because it will not create lasting peace. He said that instead the United States should focus on supporting Israel and let them finish the job.

When we fight back, as we always do, we fight them with full force for as long as it takes. We need to treat Hamas like we treated ISIS and Al-Qaeda because they are the same. They, like all evils, need to be annihilated.

After a detailed summary of the brutal attacks from Hamas, Sayles said that the Palestinian people deserve better than to be governed by terrorists.

He also said that Hamas is murdering their own people, blaming Israel, and turning to foreign governments and the United Nations to seek aid, sympathy and political favor.

Zohra Khorashi, a Doral attorney who helped craft the language in the first resolution, said she was disappointed that the council caved to influences outside of the Doral community.

It completely defeats the mayors initial intent to propose a resolution that was rooted in peace, as well as bringing the communities together and humanizing one another, Khorashi said about the updated resolution.

Khorashi, a vocal advocate for Palestinian liberation, said that the first resolution was created with the local communitys intentions in mind.

They have not only completely made this a one-sided resolution, but they purposely failed to acknowledge the present and current threat to the Muslim community that the Muslim people are facing, which is the rise in Islamophobia.

Councilwoman Maureen Porras, who was not in attendance at the press conference, told The Floridian earlier this week that she only voted for the resolution because she did not think that it would get a motion or a second, and that she felt Fraga was trying to sneak the resolution past the council without discussion.

Khorashi, who argues that all council members were aware of the resolution last week when they unanimously passed it, has some theories on why members changed their mind on the first resolution.

To completely backtrack on it, and try to pin the blame on Mayor Fraga ... The only thing I can see that she would do this is for the furtherance of her own political agenda.

After the press conference, Vice Mayor of Hallandale Beach Anabelle Taub-Lima and Commissioner Michele Lazarow were vocal about their criticism of Mayor Fraga. Both women, wearing shirts that read, Bring them Home, said Fraga was merely doing damage control.

I believe she is apologizing only because of the backlash, Taub-Lima said. The new resolution really doesnt count. Its not going to undo the damage.

Taub-Lima called the original resolution antisemitic, referring to some of the original language as Hamas talking points, including the word occupation.

The apology today never mentioned the women that are being raped and tortured, said Lazarow. Were politicians, we know this is damage control.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Rabbi Avrohom Brashevitzky said he did not review or endorse the original resolution before it passed.

This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and from donors comprising the South Florida Jewish and Muslim Communities, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
An official welcome ceremony was held for Aleksandr Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Belarus, who arrived in the Republic of Azerbaijan for a state visit, Azernews reports.

A guard of honor was arranged for the Belarusian President in the square decorated with the national flags of the two countries.

Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, welcomed Aleksandr Lukashenko, President of Belarus.

The chief of the guard of honor reported to the Belarusian President.

The national anthems of the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Azerbaijan were played.

The delegation of Azerbaijan was introduced to the President of Belarus, while the delegation of Belarus was introduced to the President of Azerbaijan.

The guard of honor marched in front of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko to the accompaniment of a military march.

The presidents posed for official photos.
























BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. The 1st session of the Organizing Committee of the VI World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments started its work at the headquarters of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva on May 16, Trend reports via Azerbaijani Parliament.

Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Sahiba Gafarova addressed the meeting.

Referring to the expansion of the scale of parliamentary diplomacy and cooperation in comparison with previous years, she noted that parliaments cooperate both bilaterally and in international organizations, creating new mechanisms of interaction. In this aspect, it was emphasized that the Inter-Parliamentary Union is a very important unifying platform.

Stating that the cooperation of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, especially with the UN, is a clear indicator of the significant level achieved in the sphere of parliamentary cooperation, the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament expressed confidence that the issues of strengthening the practical cooperation between the UN and the Inter-Parliamentary Union will be considered at the next conference. She said that cooperation within these frameworks should be more systematic, institutional, and practical. This will certainly raise the level of parliament's participation in the fight against common challenges.

Emphasizing the importance of reforms at the UN, Gafarova said: "Given the challenges our world faces, multilateral mechanisms play an important role in advancing joint efforts and solutions. But we all recognize that these mechanisms, as well as the multilateral system, need to be stronger, more effective, and inclusive. Unfortunately, the current situation does not fully meet our requirements."

The Speaker of Parliament stated that there is consensus for reforms to make the UN, including the Security Council, more effective, relying on the multilateral system. Of course, there is a lot of discussion about what these reforms should look like, but we have not yet seen real solutions for their realization, she said. In this regard, Gafarova urged the Inter-Parliamentary Union to develop new ideas and proposals for reforms in the UN and take them into account in further work.

The meeting of the organizing committee continued with speeches of other chairpersons of parliaments.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Driver arrested for DUI after head-on crash injures 2 in Vancouver

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A driver has been arrested after a head-on crash left two injured in Vancouver Wednesday night, authorities say.

Just before 10 p.m., Vancouver Police said they were investigating a disturbance in the area of St. Johns Boulevard and East 29th Street when they heard a loud crash nearby and responded to the scene.

On arrival, they found that two pickups had been involved in a head-on crash, officials said.

Shocking statistic: Washington records most traffic deaths state has seen since 1990

Early investigation determined one of the trucks had been traveling northbound on St. Johns Boulevard while the other was traveling southbound. The northbound driver crossed into the southbound lanes and crashed head-on into the other truck.

The driver and passenger of the latter pickup were taken to the hospital with injuries including broken bones and a dislocated hip.

The driver of the other truck was booked into the Clark County Jail for two counts of vehicular assault and DUI.

The incident is currently under investigation by the Vancouver Police Department Traffic Unit.

No further information has been released at this time.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
Driver who led deputies on high-speed chase is killed in crash, South Carolina cops say

A high-speed chase ended in a crash Wednesday, and the driver who led law enforcement officers on the pursuit was killed, according to the Florence County Sheriffs Office.

The incident began at about 10:35 a.m., when deputies tried to pull over a vehicle that was being driven erratically on Pamplico Highway, the sheriffs office said Thursday in a news release.

The driver ignored the attempted traffic stop and sped away, according to the release.

A chase followed, and the driver eventually led the pursuit onto Freedom Boulevard, the sheriffs office said.

Thats where the driver lost control near a bridge, as the vehicle ran off the road and crashed, according to the release.

The driver leading the chase died, the sheriffs office said.

The Florence County Coroners Office has not publicly identified the driver.

No other injuries were reported.

The vehicle being chased did not collide with any of the patrol vehicles in pursuit, or any other vehicles in the area, the sheriffs office said.

Sheriff TJ Joye asked the South Carolina Highway Patrol to lead an investigation, according to the release.
Five Middle Georgia men were sentenced to federal prison for being part of a large-scale dog fighting operation, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

The intentional infliction of pain and suffering on animals for sport is unfathomable, said Miles Davis, special agent-in-charge of the U.S. Department of Agricultures office of inspector general.

The case started as an investigation into a drug-trafficking conspiracy, but that led to the discovery of 96 dogs from Johnson, Laurens and Washington counties, said Jill Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

Two of the men involved also were sentenced in connection with the drug trafficking.

Animal fighting operations often occur in conjunction with other illegal activity, Steinberg said in a press release. In this case, holding these defendants accountable protects the welfare of these rescued animals while also removing dangerous drugs from the community.

Travis Martin, 43; Sentell Carey, 41; Dennis Wilcher, 42; Terry Gilmore, 28; and Jonathan Linder, 35; were each sentenced by a federal judge after they pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Violate the Animal Welfare Act.

Martin, called the leader of the drug-trafficking ring who is from Wrightsville, was fined $1,000 and sentenced to two years in prison for the dog fighting. Judge Dudley Bowen ordered that he serve the two years in addition to a sentence of more than 16 years for the drug trafficking conspiracy, according to a press release.

Carey, from Wrightsville, was also involved in the drug trafficking and is serving a sentence of probation for it. He was fined $2,000 and sentenced to a year and a half in prison for the dog fighting.

Wilcher, from Wrightsville, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison and fined $3,000.

Gilmore, from Sandersville, was sentenced to just under two years in prison and fined $2,000.

Linder, from Rentz, was sentenced to a year and eight months in prison and fined $2,000.

The defendants are prohibited from owning dogs or engaging in any activity involving dogs, the press release said. They must serve three years of supervised release upon completion of their sentences with no parole.

The dogs were taken by Steinbergs office through a civil case, and they received veterinary care and rehabilitation after the U.S. Marshals Service worked with another agency to provide the care.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and lead agent Kelsey Tolomeo worked with the U.S. Marshals Service and local law enforcement agencies to investigate the dog fighting. This investigation was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica K. Rock, and the civil forfeiture of the dogs was coordinated by Shannon Heath Statkus, civil division chief for the Southern District of Georgia.

The drug trafficking case was investigated by the Laurens County Sheriffs Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Southeastern Regional Drug Enforcement Office, the Emanuel County Sheriffs Office, the Johnson County Sheriffs Office, and the Ocmulgee Drug Task Force.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer J. Kirkland.

We appreciate the commitment of our law enforcement partners to pursue these individuals who choose to participate in these heinous acts while also committing other severe offenses in our communities, Davis said.
Geert Wilders, the Party for Freedom (PVV) leader, after the presentation of the agreement for a new cabinet, in the Hague, on Thursday - ROBIN VAN LONKUIJSEN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Geert Wilders said that he would implement the Netherlands strictest-ever migration policy, as the new Dutch government pledged to quit EU asylum rules, on Thursday.

The plan to opt out of the European laws has put Mr Wilders incoming four-party Right-wing coalition government on a collision course with Brussels before it has even taken office.

The firebrand, notorious for his fiercely anti-Islam rhetoric and calls to ban the Koran, won a shock victory in a general election six months ago.

It took until Wednesday before negotiations with the pro-business VVD, the radical centrist New Social Contract, and the BBB farmers party ended with agreement on a plan for government.

The sun will shine again in the Netherlands, Mr Wilders, the founder and leader of the Freedom Party (PVV), said.

I think that anyone who reads the agreement between us four will see that a lot is going to change in the Netherlands, he added and predicted the strictest asylum policy ever.

Shoulder to shoulder: Geert Wilders (PVV), Dilan Yesilgoz (VVD), Caroline van der Plas (BBB) and Pieter Omtzigt (NSC) present the agreement of their four parties for a new cabinet, at the Hague, on Thursday - Hollandse Hoogte/Shutterstock

He said there would be a two-year asylum crisis act to drive down numbers arriving in the Netherlands.

The government plans call for a maximum reduction in migrant numbers without giving a hard figure. The agreement includes austere reception centres, a hold on processing asylum applications and only temporary asylum being granted.

An opt out clause for European asylum and migration policies will be submitted as soon as possible to the European Commission, the coalition said in its pact.

Mr Wilders said the plan would make the Netherlands less attractive for asylum seekers, adding that people in Africa and the Middle East will start thinking they might be better off elsewhere.

The coalition says it would also strive to limit free movement for people from countries joining the EU in the future.

Frans Timmermans, leader of the opposition GreenLeftLabour party, said the pact was 'disastrous', on Thursday - ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN/AFP

Frans Timmermans, the former EU climate chief and leader of the opposition GreenLeftLabour party, said the pact was disastrous.

Mr Wilders, an ardent eurosceptic, was forced to ditch a campaign promise to hold a Brexit-style Nexit referendum and sacrifice his hopes of being prime minister to get the deal over the line.

The prime minister has not yet been named but the leaders of the other parties are also ruled out.

One name being mentioned is Ronald Plasterk, a former Labour minister who chaired an earlier round of coalition negotiations.

Truss lettuce stands for prime minister

However, some commentators are sceptical that the new government will last. One podcast, inspired by a British newspaper stunt over Liz Trusss ill-fated premiership, has already set up a lettuce in competition with Mr Plasterk to see which lasts longest.

The Netherlands joins Hungary and Polands previous nationalist government in challenging EU migration policy.

Brussels will resist, as EU countries have already agreed on their migration pact and opt outs are usually discussed in the negotiating phase.

We have a new pact on migration and asylum, which has been voted upon and confirmed and therefore has to be applied, the European Commissions chief spokesman said in Brussels.

This legislation will be applied and the commission will play its role in making sure it is.

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As early voting begins, use it or risk losing it, says Kentuckys chief elections officer

Voters sit in polling booths to cast their vote on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at St. Lukes United Methodist Church in Lexington. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Abbey Cutrer)

Voting FAQs

(McKenna Horsley)

Who can vote? Kentucky has closed primaries for president, Congress, state legislature and most local government offices, meaning you must be registered as a Republican or Democrat to cast a ballot. All registered voters can participate in nonpartisan primaries such as Lexingtons city council, judicial races and school boards. Check your voter status.

When can I vote? Early voting will be held Thursday-Saturday, May 16-18. Find hours and dropbox locations in your county.

On Election Day, Tuesday, May 21, polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. If you are in line at 6 p.m. you will be allowed to vote.

Where do I vote? Find your polling place.

Whos running? Find sample ballots.

As early voting began Thursday, one of the first to cast a ballot  and to show his support for the process  was Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams.

In a recent interview with the Lantern, Adams applauded the defeat of a recent legislative proposal to repeal early voting.

I do encourage voters to use it for their own convenience and also to just send a message that we like this and we dont want it taken away, Adams said. If we dont use early voting, we could lose it.

Voting in this years Kentuckys primary will wrap up on Election Day Tuesday, and across the commonwealth election officials and poll workers have been preparing.

Adams said he is not anticipating long lines at polling places and predicts turnout to be around 15%.

Kentuckys last two primaries had similar turnout to what Adams is predicting. In 2012  the states last primary without a U.S. Senate race on the ballot but with a presidential election  turnout was about 14%. There have been about 18,900 requests for absentee ballots, which is similar to last years requests, Adams said.

On the ballot will be state legislators and many local offices, including commonwealths attorneys, fiscal courts, sheriffs and more, as well as the 2024 presidential primary.

While Democratic President Joe Biden and former Republican President Donald Trump have all but officially secured their partys nominations, Adams said people still want to be heard on that. Trump won Kentuckys eight electoral votes in 2016 and 2020.

Kentucky has a lot of races on the ballot around the state that are not high profile, but really important, Adams continued. Hes also watching Tuesday for the future direction of his political party.

I think the most interesting thing out of this election is what does it tell us about the future of the Republican Party in Kentucky because we do have a lot of primaries, Adams said.

He added that as the state gets more polarized, the primaries matter more, and resources by campaigns and PACs are moving to support candidates in party primaries over general elections.

In particular with the Republican side, youve got the direction of the party and the legislature kind of on the line, Adams said. Youve got several races where youve got incumbents on both sides of the divide with serious challengers and a lot of money being spent on both sides.

Open primaries? Maybe

Something else that Adams sees in Kentuckys future is open primaries, in which voters dont have to be affiliated with a party to participate. Kentucky has closed primaries, meaning only registered voters of a political party can vote in that partys primary.

I do think its inevitable that were going to have open primaries. I think its just a matter of time.

Michael Adams. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Matthew Mueller)

Adams said it may not happen while he is secretary of state, but opening primaries could be on the table in the future as the fastest-growing category of voters, registered independents, continues to increase. Independents cannot take part in Kentuckys closed primaries. It would rely on Republicans in the legislature to establish it, he said.

The idea also may gain attention of Republican leadership in the General Assembly, which tends to lean traditional Republican, as more of their members become at risk of losing seats to more fringy people in a primary election, Adams continued. However, that may take another election cycle or two to materialize.

According to April 2024 voter registration data, about 46% of Kentucky voters were registered Republicans, 43% registered Democrats and 10% registered as independent or another political party.

Asked if opening primaries could increase voter turnout, Adams said it would help if we didnt disenfranchise 10% of our voters and tell them they cant vote. He did add that independent voters tend to have the worst turnout.

In the 2023 November general election, voters not registered as Republican or Democrat had about 17% turnout. Democrats had almost 24% and Republicans just over 31%.

So even when they can vote, theyre less likely to vote than Democrats and Republicans, and thats not a surprise, Adams said. There may not be that much commonality that an independent may find with the D and the R as the politics gets more polarized.

Adams said he supports open primary systems like in Arizona and New Hampshire where registered independents choose a political partys ballot. He doesnt favor open primaries where there is no voter registration by party as a member of one party could influence the others election.

Poll workers

With an expected low turnout, Adams said the number of workers to oversee polling locations is in pretty good shape for May. However, Novembers turnout  and the need for people to make sure polling places run smoothly  is expected to be much higher.

The big challenge is: are we going to have enough places and are we going to have enough people to staff those places? Adams said.

So, while he doesnt yet know the exact number of locations and workers needed  county election plans are typically submitted in the summer  he said he is optimistic that a higher interest in voting and the election will lead to more people wanting to be poll workers.

Recently, the Republican National Committee and Trump have pledged to recruit 100,000 volunteers and lawyers to monitor voting during this election cycle, including training poll workers as well. Adams said he saw that as a positive and hopes Democrats will follow suit.

(Getty Images)

Want to become a poll worker?

Contact your local county clerk or learn more on the Kentucky State Board of Elections website.

Anecdotally, Adams said he has heard from some who were dubious about how Kentucky elections were handled until becoming poll workers and gaining more confidence in the process through the experience.

After being elected secretary of state in 2019, Adams quickly had to work on the challenge of how to safely hold an election during a pandemic and later with Trumps groundless allegations of widespread election fraud.

I dont think we ever went through an era recently where people lost all confidence in our process, Adams said. I think in 2020, they had confidence. I think they started with some real doubts, and they saw us run that Election 20 and they were satisfied that we had integrity in the process, and we didnt have fraud, suppression, all those sort of things that were concerns.

Adams was recently named the 2024 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award winner for expanding voting rights and standing up for free and fair elections despite party opposition and death threats from election deniers.

When asked if he thought confidence in Kentucky elections had changed in recent years, Adams said he believes most Kentucky voters trust the elections process based on surveys hes seen and that they have not had huge swings in that confidence in the last several years, but some have concerns about elections in other states.

I think part of the reason for that is that in our state elections, although I certainly have a role, a lot of what the voter sees is a decentralized process where their neighbors or co-workers, the county clerk, is someone in many cases the voter knows personally in small counties, Adams said.

Also in the legislative sessions since 2020, Adams points to unanimous or nearly unanimous support for election laws showing bipartisan buy-in as a sign that increases public confidence in elections.

Adams did lament that the state Senate this year nixed $13 million that had been proposed to help counties raise poll worker pay and rent more spaces for polling sites. The $13 million across three years was part of House Bill 580, a large elections bill that became law. However, the funding provision was taken out in the Senate, and Adams called it real disappointment.

We had these massive surpluses, and we had all sorts of appropriations for Louisville for building stuff like lets say earmarks or whatever, but it would have been really nice to have $13 million for our election.

The post As early voting begins, use it or risk losing it, says Kentuckys chief elections officer appeared first on Kentucky Lantern.
(iStock / Getty Images Plus)

Eligible incarcerated people in Virginia will be able to further reduce their sentences through an earned sentence credit program beginning this July.

While expansions to the program stemmed from a 2020 law, it had a delayed start date in 2022 that was later blocked by Gov. Glenn Youngkin through language in a previous state budget. A renewed attempt by the Youngkin administration to block the expansions this year did not make it through final negotiations in the budget that the governor and lawmakers agreed on this week.

Earned sentence credits allow incarcerated people to trim the length of time they serve behind bars; they earn the credits by completing various educational and training programs. The expanded program allows certain inmates to earn 15 days of credits for every 30 days served.

Thanks to the new biennial budget, thousands of people will finally receive the credits they have worked for years to earn while in prison, Chris Kaiser, a policy director at Virginias chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement.

In addition to the governors attempts to block the expanded program, Republican lawmakers also previously sought to repeal the expansions unsuccessfully over the years.

Virginias ACLU sued the Department of Corrections on behalf of inmates who had been expected to be among the first wave of people released in 2022, prior to Youngkins budget language that impeded the program.

Youngkin again included the language in the budget for this year. His efforts were bolstered by Attorney General Jason Miyares, who wrote a letter to lawmakers in support of keeping the limits.

In it, Miyares argued that expanding the credit system disregards past and future victims.

Allowing such a practice is not justice, and its not safe, he wrote.

Advocates for the credits argue otherwise.

Virginia is safer because we give incarcerated people an incentive to rehabilitate themselves, Kaiser said in his recent statement following the budget passage.

Former ACLU policy strategist Shawn Weneta echoed Kaiser. He added that he and members of criminal justice reform organizations are pleased the 2020 law can take effect this July.

Its not the only change in state law that incarcerated people and their families might look forward to. Weneta and others worked with lawmakers in both parties to adjust Virginias parole board operations.

More parole board transparency

While the earned sentence credit program can help eligible inmates reduce time spent behind bars, a limited scope of people can seek parole through approval by the states parole board.

If granted, people can serve the remainder of their sentences outside of prison as long as they meet with their parole officer and do not reoffend. Since Virginia eliminated most parole in 1995, a limited number of people qualify  such as elderly inmates.

Meanwhile, Virginia has had one of the lowest rates of granting parole in the country. In recent years the board has also had vacancies and lacked the quorum needed to grant certain parole petitions.

Youngkin has not been quick to appoint people nor has the General Assembly been receptive to Youngkins appointments, Weneta said.

For example, new parole board chair Patricia West, a Youngkin appointee, had originally been blocked by a Senate committee earlier this year before the full Senate approved her appointment.

Meanwhile, two laws will take effect on July 1 that could help the board operate amid future vacancies and allow increased public insight into its operations.

House Bill 913 by Del. Irene Shin, D-Fairfax, allows for the board to still vote to grant parole to petitioners if at least three of the four necessary members are present to do so.

Senate Bill 1361 by Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Spotsylvania and former Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Richmond, will require the board to meet with petitioners in order to vote. Previously, inmates have not been present but now the board will vote on granting their petition or not through an in-person or virtual meeting. The law passed the legislature last year but had a delayed start date of July 1, 2024.

Weneta said the new law can give petitioners and their families some peace of mind going through the process.

Additionally, the law increases transparency by requiring the board to hold public hearings and publish more frequent and detailed reports on its decisions.

Reeves said he was first inspired to collaborate with Morrissey on the bill to increase transparency following a spike in parole releases at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. A 2023 report from Miyares office asserted that the Gov. Ralph Northam-era board had violated policy when releasing more people in that time, but that the statute of limitations had passed and the former chair of the board, Adrienne Bennett, could not be prosecuted.

Reeves said that he figured more insight into the boards operations and decisions could benefit everyone, from parole petitioners, to victims of crime.

I think transparency and daylight is probably the best thing we can do, Reeves said.

He added that working on the bill in a bipartisan manner was a way to subdue the partisanship that has surrounded the parole board in recent years.

Thats I think what we did, he said. And I think thats why it passed and I think thats why people are comfortable with it.

The post Earned sentence credit expansions, new parole board operations to take effect this year appeared first on Virginia Mercury.
East Point teacher says she lost job after reporting that the principal was abusing a first-grader

An East Point family tells Channel 2 Action News that they filed a complaint with the Department of Family and Children Services against their daughters school principal after a teacher told them the principal had abused her.

The family of Sarai Gripper says they were notified by their childs teacher, Serita Wilkins. Wilkins told Grippers family the principal of their daughters school was allegedly abusing their daughter.

The child attends Abundant Grace Academy in East Point.

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Wilkins told Channel 2 investigative Reporter Ashli Lincoln the principal would intentionally target this student, often removing the child from class.

She reported hearing the principal verbally abusing the student.

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The teacher says the student confided in her and said when she gets in trouble the principal would hit her and treat her differently from other students.

The student also claims the principal would take her on long walks where she would hit her arms and legs.

The teacher reported this to the students parents.

The parents told Channel 2 Action News that school administrators denied these allegations. They removed their daughter from the school and later filed a police report with East Point police and the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services.

The teacher says weeks later, she was fired in retaliation for reporting the alleged abuse to the students parents.

A copy of the separation notice obtained by Channel 2 Action News indicates the school fired the teacher for multiple egregious actions that were detrimental to the reputation of the academy and the Dean.

Lincoln spoke with the principal at Abundant Grace, she confirmed the DFCS investigation and denied the familys allegations.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex, a large state prison 88 miles east of Lexington, has been a recurring source of scandal in recent years.

Here are some details:

 It was built on 157 acres of land in Morgan County for $72.9 million. The two phases of construction, including nine buildings, were finished in 1986 and 1991.

 Its a medium-security prison, but a 90-bed minimum security unit sits outside the fence.

 The inmate population this week is 1,815, with 1,914 beds available.

 Inmates range in age from 20 to 79. Their average stay is 31 months.

 The prison employs 381 people who have contact with inmates, primarily correctional officers.

 The acting warden is Shawn McKenzie.

 In 2022, the Morgan County grand jury indicted the prisons chaplain, Todd Steven Boyce, on charges of sodomy and sexual abuse. A jury trial is scheduled for August.

In a related lawsuit filed in 2023 in U.S. District Court, Boyces alleged victim, an inmate at the prison, claims that prison officials knew the chaplain was sexually molesting inmates, but they made no effort to stop him.

 In March, six of the prisons former correctional officers, who pleaded guilty either to assaulting a handcuffed, shackled inmate in the showers in 2018 or trying to cover up that assault, were sentenced to prison in a criminal case brought by the U.S. Justice Department.

A seventh officer involved in that case, former Sgt. Eric Nantell, separately was convicted by a jury in February on one count of deprivation of civil rights, two counts of obstruction for misleading state investigators and one count of making false statements to a special agent of the FBI. His sentencing is scheduled for June 10.

 Also in March, seven inmates at the prison filed a civil-rights lawsuit in U.S. District Court against Warden James David Green and four current or former correctional officers. The inmates said the guards Tasered them in 2023 because they flunked drug tests, an allegation supported by a Department of Corrections investigation.

Three of the four officers named in the suit were fired and subsequently convicted of misdemeanor charges of assault or official misconduct.

Breach of trust. Former Kentucky prison officers sentenced over assault on inmate.

KY prison guards Tasered inmates who failed drug tests, then lied about it
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. At the urging of the Baku Initiative Group, representatives of political movements fighting for independence in the last French colonies of Kanaky (New Caledonia), Maohi Nui (French Polynesia), French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Corsica organized a video conference, "Solidarity with the Kanak people," Trend reports.

The New Caledonian delegation outlined the French police and gendarmerie's recent atrocities in Noumea, the capital. Atrocities against Kanaks were widely criticized. The attendees asked the international community to speak out against France's unjust colonial policy, raise a just voice, alert the Security Council, and prevent France's flagrant violations of international law.

The Baku Initiative Group, in turn, urged the international community to unite around the idea of unity, freedom, and independence for the peoples of the regions suffering from colonialism and to say NO to French colonialism and YES to the just struggle for independence.

Within the framework of the videoconference, a flash mob containing appeals for independence of the regions suffering from French colonial policy was held.

To note, the Baku Initiative Group and 14 political movements fighting for independence in the last French colonies of Kanaky (New Caledonia), Maohi Nui (French Polynesia), French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Corsica issued a joint statement.

The Baku Initiative Group reaffirms its commitment to standing with those who are fighting against the oppression caused by French colonial policies.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Conscription exemptions for employees of Glovo, Favbet Tech, Visa, and other technology companies will be canceled following public outcry, Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced on May 16.

Last month, Ukraine's government decided to exempt from conscription employees at Favbet, Glovo, and the American-owned payment corporation Visa for six months.

Glovo is a popular food delivery app in Ukraine, while Favbet is an online gambling site. Other companies included in the postponement included an advertising agency, a software development company called Agri Chain, and Kort, a company that develops and repairs electronic warfare equipment.

The decision to exempt employees at these companies sparked a public backlash. Members of parliament condemned the decision, emphasizing that only one of the companies included in the exemption is associated with Ukraine's military. Oleksandr Fedienko, a deputy in President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People party, demanded that the Ministry change the criteria for postponement from mobilization.

"In view of the public outcry, I am canceling the exemption, and we will figure out the situation and analyze the decision regarding each company separately," Svyrydenko said.

Ukraine has been working on trying to ramp up mobilization over the last six months as the country's military faces an increasingly critical personnel shortage.

In April, the parliament passed a bill updating the rules on mobilization as the country seeks to replenish the ranks of its Armed Forces.

Read also: Shortage of personnel in Ukrainian labor market increased significantly since last year

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"Sometimes the ultimate goal of policy can be so unclear that you have to look for clues in the darkest alleys of intent." (Photo of the U.S. Capitol by Bloomberg Creative | Getty Images)

Policy, in most cases, is about increments rather than endpoints. No single piece of legislation is going to solve New Hampshires housing crunch, for example, but a good bill will ease it a little bit now and ideally contribute to a broader solution. That should be relatively easy because available and affordable housing is necessary for any community to thrive, but of course its not easy at all, largely because of inherent policy ripples.

A bill that should be a slam-dunk because it incentivizes housing construction in a state that desperately needs it can quickly become controversial if, say, local communities and their representatives feel sidelined by a blanket state policy. Sometimes opposition can be straight-up suburban NIMBYism but it can also be a lot more complicated, like a state-level process change that conflicts with a revitalization-minded communitys long-term planning goals.

Because of that natural tension, the key to crafting good policy is not only a broad understanding of the issue as it exists but the vision to map out the increments toward a common-good endpoint  like a healthy housing market that respects the rights of individual communities to shape their own future.

I feel for advocates, lawmakers, and constituents working toward solutions because every proposed increment, for just about every category of legislation, is complex in its own way. And in our system of government, every increment is a battle by design.

While the increments get most of the attention of policy observers and stakeholders, divining the endpoints, or working backward from the endpoint to its increments, is not only a critical exercise but a fascinating one.

For example, when I think about the challenges for public education in New Hampshire, my mind immediately goes to funding. Its a bad system, as evidenced by the lawsuits, high property taxes that punish homeowners, and the inequity of financial support from district to district. A ZIP code should play no role in the quality of a public school education  I hope we can at least agree on that  but a sensible solution with enough bipartisan buy-in for passage remains elusive, as do its increments.

You would think that this state  every state  would make properly funded, equitable public education its unifying perennial moonshot, but that isnt the case. Instead, some bill writers would rather chase tangential increments that appear to have only fear-driven cruelty or pure curriculum control as their endpoints.

Sometimes the ultimate goal of policy can be so unclear that you have to look for clues in the darkest alleys of intent.

I wonder: What is the endpoint of legislation targeting LGBTQ+ students, which serve as textbook examples of punching down? Incrementally, these bills are about eradicating the myriad fears of traditionalists by preserving preferred norms and conditions. But whats the goal? That transgender students are silenced completely, ostracized universally, eliminated in every way possible from public view and perception? And why? So nobody who is attached to the preferred norms and conditions is uncomfortable? Is it part of the broader political revolt against tolerance, inclusion, and empathy, each of which is popularly framed as weakness and wokeness by those same traditionalists? And what is the endpoint of that broad revolt  to once and for all trade the melting-pot myth for an expanded American caste system?

What is the endpoint for squeezing the scope of American public school curricula and banning books from our libraries? So that children are intellectual photocopies of their parents, which is the same sinister goal they accuse educators of pursuing? To make sure that American students dont ask too many uncomfortable questions about the nations history or its direction? And if that is the case, what is gained through that cultivated ignorance? How are we to legitimately foster the free exchange of ideas  a bulwark of the republic  if access to information is systemically suppressed?

I dont know whats in the hearts of supporters of such increments, but I sincerely hope they do. Honest policy conversations require each thread to be unraveled to its end  no matter how uncomfortable the process or what truths we learn about ourselves once we get there.

The post Editors Notebook: To what end? That is the most important policy question. appeared first on New Hampshire Bulletin.
Proposition 28, the ballot initiative approved by voters in 2022, directs nearly $1 billion a year to California's K-12 schools to expand their arts education programs such as music, dance, theater, painting and photography.

But now that those funds are rolling out, powerful labor unions and proponents of the measure, including the California Teachers Assn. and former L.A. Unified School District Supt. Austin Beutner, have accused the LAUSD and other school districts of misusing the money by backfilling funding that's been cut or redirected for other purposes.

"It has come to our attention, however, that some school districts in California are willfully violating the law by using the new funds provided by Prop. 28 to replace existing spending for arts education at schools" they wrote in a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom and other state leaders in March. Although they didn't name the districts, in interviews they said that the LAUSD was among dozens of districts they believe to be misusing arts funds.

Read more: Opinion: The musical gift Los Angeles offers public school kids

These are troubling allegations. Although critics have not named the other districts because they have not verified those claims, they say they have documented misuse by the LAUSD. LAUSD administrators deny the claims, but they owe it to the public to provide clear and detailed documentation showing how exactly how the Proposition 28 funds are being used.

Proposition 28 requires that a portion of California's general fund, equal to 1% of the minimum state funding levels for K-12 schools and community colleges, be set aside to expand visual and performing arts education programs. The law is exceedingly clear that this money must be spent to increase arts education programs.

But United Teachers Los Angeles President Cecily Myart-Cruz said the teachers union heard from school principals and parents that funding for arts programs at their schools has decreased this school year or that Proposition 28 money has merely supplanted existing arts funding.

We know from many schools that previous funding for arts teachers was cut and school administrators told them that the only way to keep teachers and aides was to use the Prop. 28 funding, Myart-Cruz said in an interview.

Read more: Editorial: The demise of liberal arts? Students lose when colleges trade humanities for STEM

LAUSD officials say those allegations are baseless and the district is using the $76 million in Proposition 28 arts funding it received this school year only to augment its programming. They said the number of arts teachers has nearly doubled districtwide, from the equivalent of 273 full-time positions last school year to 540 this year.

We have all the data and evidence to prove that," Deputy Supt. Pedro Salcido said in an interview, though he acknowledged that because funding is allocated on a per-pupil basis, some schools with declining enrollment received less arts funding this year than the year before. But he said the LAUSDs only obligation is to demonstrate expanded arts programming districtwide.

Read more: Editorial: House antisemitism bill would stymie free speech and wouldn't make students safer

The district recently announced plans to use another $7 million to help schools that saw a net loss in arts funding. Salcido said members of the public can check how much Proposition 28 money their school has received and how it is being used by reviewing individual school spending reports that are posted in an online directory. But our review suggests it will be difficult for laypeople to make sense of these spreadsheets and get clear answers about how spending has changed.

Furthermore, the burden shouldn't be on parents and students who have long suffered from a lack of arts teachers and too few opportunities to develop their musical and artistic talent. LAUSD officials should report detailed, easy-to-understand metrics for every school. They should include how many hours of arts instruction students receive in each school compared to past years and how they are complying with the laws requirements to provide extra funding to schools with more low-income students.

Read more: Editorial: SoCal air quality officials haven't acted to cut port pollution. They escaped to a desert resort instead

The California Department of Education has taken the complaints from organized labor and Proposition 28 advocates seriously, though it has not confirmed any misuse. Still, it was concerned enough to send all local educational agencies in the state a reminder from state Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond that the law requires funds be used to supplement arts and music programs, not to supplant.

One reason this measure won such overwhelming voter support was because of the clearly defined restrictions on this money, placing it in a proverbial lockbox to be used only for expanded arts instruction, not to free up money for other priorities.

Read more: Editorial: Sending armed troops to quash peaceful campus protests is a dangerous idea

Proposition 28 was pitched as a way to enhance life-changing arts education at public and charter schools, from preschool to 12th grade, while protecting art programs from being first on the chopping block when budget outlooks worsen.

All new laws have kinks to work out when they first take effect, and school districts have three years to use the funds once they are allocated. But this is such a large statewide investment that its implementation at each district and school should be well documented and scrutinized closely to ensure that all students are reaping the benefits.

"Families should expect arts education to increase at every school over the next three years," said Elizabeth Sanders, a California Department of Education spokesperson. We agree, and urge state education officials to demand that school district administrators show their work and demonstrate they are delivering the expanded arts education voters were promised.

If its in the news right now, the L.A. Times Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
More than the future of Chicagos public transit system is riding on Mayor Brandon Johnsons refusal to overhaul leadership of the Chicago Transit Authority. The mayor is risking his standing with the City Council.

In the sort of action that would have been unthinkable in the Daley and Emanuel eras, 20 aldermen recently signed onto a resolution, sponsored by 40th Ward Ald. Andre Vasquez, calling for the removal of CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. They join Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who effectively has urged Johnson to do the same.

This page already has recommended Johnson fire Carter as the CTA struggles to recover from the pandemic and continues to provide unacceptable levels of service, particularly when compared with transit systems in other U.S. cities and around the globe.

We wont repeat the reasons we think the city needs a new CTA chief here. But we will note another aspect of this slow-moving train wreck (so to speak), and thats the highly unusual assortment of aldermen who joined to pressure Johnson into doing what seems obvious to the vast majority of the public, especially CTA riders.

When aldermen as far left as Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th, and Daniel La Spata, 1st, are aligned on an issue with council members as conservative, or at least centrist, as Ray Lopez, 15th, and Bill Conway, 34th, that covers the spectrum when it comes to Chicago politics. They are among the 20 resolution backers openly questioning the mayors judgment on this issue.

Johnsons intransigence over an official inherited from previous administrations is befuddling. Numerous theories have been proffered to explain Johnsons fierce loyalty to Carter. None weve seen rises to the level of being worth the political price the mayor now is paying.

Especially since this isnt the first time a large group of aldermen have challenged the mayor directly on a high-profile decision.

Johnsons move to end the citys contract with the company behind ShotSpotter, the gunshot detection technology in use in high-crime parts of Chicago, prompted legislation to allow aldermen to continue deploying ShotSpotter in their own wards if they so choose. That measure, which won overwhelming committee support and awaits full City Council action, also attracted some eyebrow-raising council alliances, albeit none including any of the uber-progressive aldermen backing the CTA resolution.

No mayor can function effectively without a working City Council majority. Those of a certain age remember well the Council Wars era that characterized the early years following Harold Washingtons 1983 election and gummed up the citys works.

Over Richard M. Daleys six terms as mayor, it made news when more than a few aldermen voted against something he supported. Since Daleys retirement from politics in 2011, the council has become more vocal and shown streaks of independence, a healthy development for the state of democracy in the nations third largest city. But no mayor  whether a traditional politician like Daley or a progressive firebrand like Johnson  can be effective without reliable council support.

All of this is to say that Johnson, with an approval rating hovering in the 20s or low 30s depending on which poll you believe, is playing with fire in taking actions so unpopular that they rouse multiple council rebellions. At any level of politics, lawmakers can detect weakness like sharks can smell blood in the water.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  The El Paso International Airport is celebrating two new nonstops provided by Frontier Airlines, according to the City of El Paso.

The City says starting this week, travelers can now experience new nonstops to Ontario, California and San Diego.

Frontiers new service to San Diego will be offered with a frequency of three days per week, beginning on Wednesday, May 16, and the flights to Ontario will be offered three days per week and will begin on Thursday, May 17, according to the City.

These new routes complement Frontiers existing service from ELP to Denver and Las Vegas. While Ontario is part of the Southern California market already served by Southwest (LAX and Long Beach) and American (LAX), the addition of Frontiers flights offers travelers more choices to fly. Similarly, San Diego, currently served by Southwest with daily flights, will benefit from increased options with Frontiers service, the City said.

For more information and to book flights, travelers can visit the El Paso International Airport website by clicking here: https://www.elpasointernationalairport.com/.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
Elderly abuse investigation leads to 2 arrested on meth, gun charges in Covington

ALLEGHANY COUNTY, Va. (WFXR)  Deputies in Alleghany County say two people were taken into custody after an investigation into elderly abuse, led to several guns and drugs being seized.

According to the Alleghany County Sheriffs Office (ACSO), on May 9, deputies and the Department of Social Services (DSS) served search warrants at two homes on Midland Trail in Covington. The sheriffs office says the warrant stemmed from an elder abuse referral from the DSS.

Virginia Parole Board hears request for Stephen Epperlys release for 1980 murder conviction

During the search, law enforcement discovered drugs and guns inside the home. As a result, drug investigators were notified and another warrant was obtained.

The Sheriffs Office says authorities seized the following items:

.081 grams of Methamphetamine

Diamondback .308 AR 10 rifle

Winchester .22 rifle

Phoenix arms .25 handgun

46-year-old John Lloyd Webb and 30-year-old Margaret Ann Mullins are both arrested and are facing the following charges:

Drug possession of Schedule I or II

possession of a weapon while in possession of Schedule I or II drugs

Investigators say additional charges are pending against Webb and Mullins.

The ACSO says the elderly person was taken to the hospital and then placed in a local nursing home.

WFXR News will update this story as more information is released.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFXRtv.
Aberystwyth University said it had conducted an investigation into the incident - Wales News Service

An elderly music lover has said she felt humiliated when staff demanded she take out her hearing aids at a concert in an arts centre.

Susan Davies, 80, brought a discrimination claim against the Arts Centre at Aberystwyth University after she and other hearing aid users were told to take out or turn down their listening devices because they could affect the acoustics during a performance.

Ms Davies won a 4,000 pay out and an apology after she and others were shouted at by intimidating staff members during last years AberMusicFest, leaving her humiliated and upset.

Ms Davies said that, after one performance, staff started searching for hearing aid users in the crowd, saying their devices affected the sound for other attendees.

After another performance, Ms Davies said, an audience member stood up to tell people to turn down hearing aids.

Ms Davies said: She shouted turn your hearing aids off and one gentleman shouted: How on earth can we hear if we are told to turn our hearing aids down?

And on a third occasion, Ms Davies said, a member of staff claimed hearing aids were causing an irritating noise nuisance to non-hearing aid users and apparently laughed while she said it.

Ms Davies said: I spoke to a technician there during the week and mentioned to him about it and I said: Are you aware there are problems with the acoustics in the Great Hall? And he said that his view was that its to do with the wiring under the extended seating that can be moved in and out.

He said its very unfair to blame hearing aid users for any acoustic interference that might happen, she added.

Settlement donated to charity

Ms Davies wrote to Aberystwyth University to voice her concerns but after several letters did not feel they had done enough to remedy her complaints.

She then submitted a disability discrimination claim and received a settlement for 4,000 which she donated to the charity Royal National Institute for Deaf People.

Ms Davies said: Whats unpleasant for me now is the arts centre is an amazing venue. I havent been there since the incident because I am afraid of walking in and seeing staff and that will remind me of that unpleasant experience.

Unless little small people like me fight, how are we ever going to make it easier for people with disabilities?

A spokesman for Aberystwyth University said: The university aspires to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for the whole community. We take any complaint of discrimination extremely seriously and conducted a full investigation into the complaint made by Ms Davies.

A settlement was paid to Ms Davies before any litigation was brought and it recognised the seriousness with which the University takes concerns of this nature.

In addition, a full and sincere apology was provided to Ms Davies. We always seek to learn from any such concerns and have ensured that all necessary remedial action has been implemented.

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ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (WAVY)  An Elizabeth City man will spend more than five years in jail after being sentenced Wednesday in a 2019 shooting.

Previously: 26-year-old arrested in connection with Elizabeth City shooting in December 2019

Thomas Stokley Jr.

Thomas Stokley Jr., 31, will serve a sentence of six years, 11 months to nine years and four months for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, and between five years, seven months and seven years, nine months for possession of a firearm by a felon and habitual felon. He will serve his sentences in the custody of the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections.

Stokely was arrested after police said he shot another man in the area of Corsair Circle and Liberator Street. Police responded to the 700 block of Corsair Circle in Elizabeth City around 10:21 a.m. Dec. 27, 2019 in reference to a report of someone who suffered a gunshot wound.

Officers arrived to find a 20-year-old man, identified as Lazino Shelton, 20, of Elizabeth City, who had been shot several times and was taken to Sentara Albemarle Hospital, and later flown to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital for his injuries.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.
Nadine Menendez, the wife of Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, who has been charged with acting as a foreign agent and taking bribes, has breast cancer, the New Jersey senator said Thursday.

Nadine Menendez is also charged in the case, and both have pleaded not guilty. Nadine Menendez is set to go on trial in July, while the senators trial began this week.

Nadine is suffering from Grade 3 breast cancer, which will require her to have mastectomy surgery. We are, of course, concerned about the seriousness and advanced stage of the disease. She will require follow-up surgery and possibly radiation treatment. We hope and pray for the best results, the senator said in a statement.

Bob Menendez has been charged with acting as a foreign agent on behalf of Egypt and assisting the government of Qatar, all while taking bribes from several New Jersey businessmen. He is being tried with two of his co-defendants: Wael Hana, an Egyptian American businessman, and Fred Daibes, a New Jersey real estate developer, both of whom have also pleaded not guilty.

At his trial this week, the senators lawyer, Avi Weitzman, suggested to jurors during opening statements that many of the items the senator allegedly took as bribes  including gold bars and a luxury car  were owned or obtained by his wife.

Weitzman repeatedly argued that the couple have mostly led separate lives and had separate finances, before spelling out a series of financial concerns that (Nadine) kept from Bob, whom Weitzman described as being smitten by a beautiful and tall, international woman.

In explaining the gold bars found in Menendezs house by investigators, Weitzman again pointed the finger at the senators wife, who, he said, kept the family gold. Nadine, Weitzman said, is from Lebanon, where keeping gold is cultural, in part because of the regions historically unstable currencies, while adding that gifts of gold and silver are common for weddings and engagements.

He also said the gold bars were found in Nadines locked closet, which the senator didnt have access to.

According to prosecutors, after search warrants were executed on Menendezs home  where gold bars and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash were found  and elsewhere, the senator and his wife attempted to cover up the bribes by paying back the businessmen for the luxury car and a mortgage payment, claiming they were merely loans.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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Emergency release of criminals from Scottish prisons announced by SNP

SNP ministers have announced an emergency release of criminals from Scotlands prisons to ease chronic overcrowding.

Angela Constance, the Scottish Justice Secretary, said she would table proposals to free some inmates serving sentences of less than four years.

Those imprisoned for sexual crimes and domestic abuse would be excluded.

She also unveiled plans to examine freeing criminals serving long sentences earlier, raising concerns that automatic early release will be reintroduced after previously being abolished.

Scotlands prison population has surged by 13 per cent since the start of 2023, to a near-record 8,348, and Ms Constance said there was a critical risk to the continued safe and effective operation of the estate.

This is a breaking news story. Follow for latest news.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. I have invited Belarusian companies to actively participate in the reconstruction of the Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur regions. The scale of work we are carrying out and will carry out is enormous, President Ilham Aliyev said during a press conference with President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko, Trend reports.

Statement by President Ilham Aliyev

- Dear Aleksandr Grigoryevich.

Dear guests.

Dear friends.

Today, we are welcoming a dear guest, our great friend Aleksandr Grigoryevich Lukashenko, who is paying a state visit to Azerbaijan. The talks held both in a one-on-one and in the expanded format clearly demonstrate again that our countries are good friends. Today, we have analyzed in detail the development of our relations in recent years and noted with satisfaction the dynamic progress of these relations, and, which is perhaps even more important, defined ways of further interaction. We have agreed that by the next meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission, which will be held in Minsk in the near future, we will analyze in detail the instructions given to relevant state agencies and define specific steps with deadlines for their implementation, as well as persons and agencies responsible for the implementation of these instructions, in order to further build up the potential of mutual trade and economic cooperation.

I have sent a letter, but today I also personally invited Aleksandr Grigoryevich to visit the climate summit to be held in Baku in November, and by that time  relevant instructions have already been given  we will hear reports on the fulfillment of these instructions. Everything we have talked about today is quite specific. First of all, we are talking about industrial cooperation, about the creation of joint productions in Belarus and Azerbaijan, and about increasing the potential of those joint productions that were established many years ago. This first of all includes machine-building, as well as the development of relations in the military-industrial complex, agriculture, and transportation. In other words, issues that will be of practical importance for the development of the economies of our countries.

Members of the Belarusian delegation have already been in Baku since yesterday and held talks with their Azerbaijani counterparts. This once again demonstrates how responsibly both sides have approached the state visit of the President of Belarus  to discuss and agree in advance on many issues that are subsequently submitted for approval to the heads of state. I think that such an effective form of cooperation is the most appropriate and aimed at specific results. Thus, I am sure that in the future, not too distant, we will see new frontiers of our relations, new enterprises, new jobs, as well as new areas of cooperation. I have already mentioned this but I would like to say again that I have invited Belarusian companies to actively participate in the reconstruction of the Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur regions. The scale of work we are carrying out and will carry out is enormous.

In essence, we have to rebuild from scratch an area, for comparison, 50 percent larger than the territory of a country like Lebanon. This is just to illustrate what we have to do, where not a single stone has been left intact. During the years of occupation, everything was destroyed, and we have to rebuild everything from scratch  infrastructure, housing, public buildings, historical monuments, etc. Therefore, we invite Belarusian companies to get actively engaged in this work.

Specific instructions were also given today. Belarus has very good experience in urban planning, modern technologies - we have also talked about this today - experience in building agro-towns. Our primary task, of course, is to return the former IDPs to their homes as soon as possible, but also to provide them with appropriate work so that the people returning to the liberated territories will also be employed in well-paid jobs.

Also today we discussed issues related to security in our region, in the CIS. I informed Aleksandr Grigoryevich about the post-conflict situation in the South Caucasus. And, naturally, we exchanged views on topical issues of world politics. The situation in the world is changing quite rapidly and mainly in a negative direction. New conflicts and new centers of instability are emerging. Unfortunately, the existing conflicts usually remain unresolved - except for the conflict in the South Caucasus, which was resolved by Azerbaijan through military and political means and in full compliance with international law, UN Security Council resolutions, the UN Charter, and international humanitarian law, and this is recognized by the entire world community today.

Of course, there are a lot of topics to discuss. We have been actively working with Aleksandr Grigoryevich for the past 20 years. Over these years, in different situations, we have always remained committed to our values - kindness, dignity, honesty in relations, and focus on results. I think that these trusting relations between the leaders of our countries naturally give an impetus to all other civil servants that they should also communicate with each other, work, be friends, and work for the benefit of their countries and for the strengthening of friendly relations between our states. I think that this day clearly demonstrates that these are truly friendly relations.

Once again, Aleksandr Grigoryevich, I would like to say that I welcome your visit with gratitude. It is a sign of friendship, a sign of respect. In previous years, we have made several mutual visits - official and working. But a state visit is always different in form and content. I am glad to welcome you and wish you and the friendly, brotherly people of Belarus new successes and victories. Thank you.
Emergency repairs to CSX railroad tracks to close part of highway in downtown Gulfport

Those who drive U.S. 49 into Gulfport may want to take a different route Friday, May 17.

Southbound lands will be closed on U.S. 49 (25th Avenue) from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., near Pop Brothers in the downtown.

The closure is for CSX Transportation to make emergency repairs to the railroad tracks.

Northbound lanes will remain open to traffic during the work.

Mississippi Department of Transportation will assist in managing traffic.

Drivers can avoid the area by taking 30th Avenue on the west side of U.S. 49 or 23rd or 24th Avenue on the east side to U.S. 90 and the beach.
Emirates to resume Nigeria flights after nearly two years

By Ope Adetayo

ABUJA (Reuters) - Dubai's Emirates airline will resume flight schedules to Nigeria from Oct. 1, it said on Thursday, ending a close to two-year halt to flights.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) stopped issuing visas to Nigerians in 2022 after Emirates suspended flights between the nations because of an inability to repatriate funds from Nigeria.

"We are excited to resume our services to Nigeria. We thank the Nigerian government for their partnership and support in re-establishing this route and we look forward to welcoming passengers back on board," Adnan Kazim, the airline's deputy president and chief commercial officer, said in a statement.

The Lagos-Dubai service has been popular with Nigerian customers in the past and Emirates said it hopes to reconnect travellers to Dubai and onwards to more than 140 destination with its resumption of services.

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met last September in Abu Dhabi and discussed the lifting of the visa ban and new investments into Africa's most populous country.

The resumption of schedules also includes cargo flights, the statement said.

(Reporting by Ope Adetayo; Additonal reporting by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by Jason Neely and David Goodman)
Under its autocratic Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Hungary introduced in early 2020 a new National Core Curriculum. The curriculum presents Hungarian literature as the literature of ethnic Hungarian populations, even those living outside of the borders of the state of Hungary after the Treaty of Trianon created present-day Hungary in 1920, sowing national resentment similar to that in postWorld War I Germany after the Treaty of Versailles led to the loss of German land and colonies. The course includes thematic studies of topics like the Treaty of Trianon in Hungarian literature.

Besides evoking nostalgia and resentful longing for a Greater Hungary, it pointedly excludes the work of Imre Kertesz, Hungarys only Nobel Prize winner for literature, surrendering a national point of pride in order to erase the contributions of a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust. And it adds to the core curriculum Ferenc Herczeg, a minor right-wing nationalist playwright who was celebrated and praised by Miklos Horthy, the World War II Hungarian leader who brought about an alliance between Hungary and Nazi Germany. Previous revisions of the core curriculum in prior Orban administrations had already elevated similar minor writers into the pantheon on an obvious political basis, such as Jozsef Nyiro, a member of Parliament for the fascist Hungarian Arrow Cross Party, who harbored a passionate hatred of Jews. The new curriculum presents far-right Hungarian nationalist leaders of the past as heroes.

The revamping doesnt end there. In May 2022, Orban reorganized his administration to place education under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Interior, which is responsible for maintaining order through law enforcement. A few months latershortly after declaring that Hungary would not become a mixed-race countryOrban was featured as a main speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, in Dallas, where he was greeted by American conservatives with a standing ovation. In March 2024, Orban visited the Heritage Foundation for a private event. The next day, he was feted by Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

Viktor Orban is a darling of todays GOP. But Americans do not need to look abroad to find their own versions of educational authoritarianism. Toni Morrison, like Imre Kertesz, is a Nobel Prize winner in literature. Beloved, Morrisons most famous novel, concerns the horrors of slavery. It became the subject of controversy in Virginia, an infamous slave state from its Colonial days until the Civil War; parents targeted the book as obscene. In 2016, the Virginia state legislature passed what colloquially came to be called the Beloved bill. It would have allowed parents to request that any material they deemed to have sexually explicit content be replaced by other material. As in Hungary, the bill would have effectively removed the book from any required curriculum in Virginia. Virginias governor at the time, Democrat Terry McAuliffe, vetoed the bill. But in Virginias gubernatorial election of 2021, McAuliffe went down to defeat by Republican Glenn Youngkin, who ran on a platform of parents rights, such as the right to have their children not be exposed to books that might make them uncomfortable.

Like Kertesz in Hungary, Morrison in the United States is a member of a national minority whose work reminds others of that groups painful journey through the nations history. This kind of work is uncomfortable for many readers. Those who seek to view the nations past through rose-colored glasses, diminishing or erasing its national sins, whether for the sake of self-aggrandizement or something else, will have strong negative reactions.





Todays GOP is laser-focused on education, trying to frighten parents about supposed Marxist indoctrination in schools and universities (a common tactic in todays fascist international; see Brazil under Jair Bolsonaro). As a sign of the topics importance, the GOP campaign against schools and universities was central in Trumps 2020 election bid. In a speech at an event called the White House Conference on American History, Trump declared:

Students in our universities are inundated with critical race theory. This is a Marxist doctrine holding that America is a wicked and racist nation, that even young children are complicit in oppression, and that our entire society must be radically transformed. Critical race theory is being forced into our childrens schools, its being imposed into workplace trainings, and its being deployed to rip apart friends, neighbors, and families.

The tactic of painting all of ones political opponents as Marxists and communists, and claiming that they dominate the institutions, is a hallmark of the classic European fascist regimes of the midtwentieth century. Today, it is employed as a justification to fire teachers and professors and replace them with loyalists and ultranationalists. Even a democratic nations greatest universities are not immune from being destroyed by this strategy, as one can see in India today. Now and in the past, schools and universities are and have been central targets of fascism. Attacks on education, including political works deemed obscene, are, to use a cliche, canaries in the fascist coal mine.

Education in a liberal democracy introduces students to the diverse perspectives through a nations history, in order for people to foster a kind of empathy and understanding for one another; what my father in his work called civic compassion. Democracy is a system where we let ourselves be affected by our fellow citizens perspectives. Cutting students off from exposure to the perspectives of their neighbors therefore preempts democracy. Such erasures are more conducive to an education for authoritarianism, where an autocratic leader can more easily set groups against one another, relying on mutual estrangement and mutual misunderstanding. Parents rights is an expression used to cover for an illiberal public culture. Using the language of rights and freedoms to erase oppressed groups perspectives is a familiar vocabulary trick from Americas past (states rights).

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a graduate of Yale and Harvard universities, has specifically targeted schools and colleges, denouncing the supposed indoctrination of Floridas students. The state legislature and Department of Education have brought in Hillsdale College, an institution in Michigan, to advise on Floridas K-12 curriculum.

Hillsdale advertises itself as providing a classical education and a nonideological counterpart to current educational practices. In assessing this claim, it is instructive to turn to Hillsdale Colleges website, which lists the online courses offered by the institution. Alongside offerings like Introduction to Aristotles Ethics: How to Lead a Good Life, The History of Classical Music: Pythagoras Through Beethoven, and Introduction to Western Philosophy, Hillsdale offers courses with titles like The American Left: From Liberalism to Despotism and American Citizenship and Its Decline, whose message is that wokeness is an existential threat to the United States. The message of these course offerings is clear: From the perspective of the classical tradition, progressivism is tyranny. One wonders if Hillsdales Introduction to Western Philosophy mentions that it was Plato who recommended, well before Marx, that children be removed from their families to be raised by the state (and that homosexual relationships between teachers and their students were regarded as quite normal in the era the curriculum regards as classical).

In 2023, Florida, Oklahoma, and Montana approved the use of videos from the conservative media group PragerU as educational material for their schools. In its video A Short History of Slavery, far-right commentator Candace Owens declares, White people were the first to formally put an end to slavery, adding that white men led the world in putting an end to the abhorrent practice [of slavery]. Owenss remarks entirely erase the history of Haiti, whose slave revolution resulted in its leader, Toussaint Louverture, ending slavery decades before Britain did, let alone the United States. Owens also returns the teaching of the Civil War to a period before W.E.B. Du Boiss magisterial 1935 work, Black Reconstruction. In that era, the major contributions of Black people to the Unions victory in the Civil War (both as soldiers and as rebellious enslaved people behind enemy lines) were entirely erased, and Black Americans were represented as passive recipients of the gift of freedom.

Looking at these course offerings, one might reasonably object to the claim that Hillsdale College and PragerU are freeing schools from indoctrination.

The American Association of University Professors report on Political Interference and Academic Freedom in Floridas Public Higher Education System, published in December 2023, describes the effects of DeSantiss targeting of universities, including the state takeover of an outstanding public liberal arts school, the New College of Florida. It begins with a quote from LeRoy Pernell, a law professor at Florida A&M, which reflects the general tenor of the extensive report and, more generally, the sense of despair under a regime of educational authoritarianism:

What we are witnessing in Florida is an intellectual reign of terror. There is a tremendous sense of dread right now, not just among faculty; its tangible among students and staff as well. People are intellectually and physically scared. We are being named an enemy of the State. The events at Jacksonville too, feel real, and people feel it could happen to them.

The raft of laws restricting teaching, entailing everything from disciplinary sanctions to threats of job loss, has also hit K-12 teachers incredibly hard. The laws have created significant fear around teaching topics in U.S. history, especially Black history. In general, the laws have created a climate of fear and intimidation surrounding discussion of problems with the old hegemonies of race, class, and gender.

Bringing educators under gradually more intrusive laws restricting their freedom creates a climate of fear and intimidation. When such laws target anyone who challenges the greatness of a nation, or its heroes, its not a positive sign for democracy.

Bringing educators under gradually more and more intrusive laws restricting their freedom creates a general climate of fear and intimidation. When such laws target anyone who challenges the greatness of a nation, or its heroes, its not a positive sign for democracy.

Trump has made it abundantly clear that a far-right attack on education will be central to his new administration from its beginning, promising to sign a new executive order to cut federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children on day one of his administration. Eliminating the Department of Education is a goal of Project 2025, along with many other changes that would dramatically reduce the federal governments ability to intervene on potential civil rights violations. The honest teaching of Black history and protections for LGBTQ youth will be illegal in K-12 education. The American university system is the crown jewel of the worlds higher education system. As far as it is possible, a Trump-led federal government will seek to transform it radically at all levels, with Hillsdale College as its model. The intent is the burying of any civic compassion in the educational system.
A Boeing 747-400 with 468 people aboard was forced to make an emergency landing in Indonesia on Wednesday after one of its engines caught fire and began shooting out flames during takeoff.

The Garuda Indonesia flight was bound for Medina, Saudi Arabia, which is the entry point for many Muslims making their pilgrimage to Mecca. It left from Indonesias international airport in Makassar, where clips showed one of the planes four engines becoming engulfed in flames during takeoff on Wednesday evening.

Videos of the engine fire were shared online by JACDEC, a plane crash data evaluation firm, which showed that the flames began just as the plane had lifted from the runway.

Terra Avia on ops for Garuda Indonesia Boeing 747-400 (ER-BOS, built 2001) experienced a brief engine fire during take-off rotation from runway 21 at Makassar-Intl Airport(WAAA), Indonesia. The pilots of flight #GA1105 to Madinah continued the climb-out, entered a holding pattern pic.twitter.com/6zAjxQunRe  JACDEC (@JacdecNew) May 15, 2024

That meant it was too late to abandon takeoff, and the plane went airborne with the flames present. JACDEC said the 747 completed an approximately 90-minute holding pattern before safely returning to and landing in Makassar.

A statement from Garuda, Indonesias flag-carrier airline, said sparks were spotted in an engine by a pilot and the decision to scrap the journey was made immediately.

After safely landing, the airline said it grounded the 22-year-old plane to conduct an investigation. It said the original flights passengers were boarded onto a replacement flight that same day.

Indonesian air travel has been notorious for incidents over recent decades. Each of the countrys airlines were banned over E.U. and U.S. airspace in 2007 but were reinstated in 2016 and 2018. Since then, Garuda has joined the SkyTeam airline alliance, which includes North American carriers Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico.

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Eric Adams says comment about migrants being excellent swimmers based on past conversations with them

Talking about the citys shortage of lifeguards, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said migrants could fill the openings because they are excellent swimmers. He later noted that his comment was based on past conversations with migrants.

Adams was asked about the citys lifeguard shortage at his weekly news conference on Tuesday. He wondered aloud, asking if the city could quickly hire migrants for jobs that needed to be filled.

How do we have a large body of people that are in our city and country that are excellent swimmers, and at the same time we need lifeguards? he said, reported by The New York Times.

On Wednesday, Adams said he visited migrant shelters in the city and asked people if they knew how to swim. He said he was blown away by the number of people who said yes.

We have these capable people who know how to swim  from West Africa, from Ecuador, from South and Central America, from Mexico  and we have a shortage of lifeguards, Adams said, responding to a question from a reporter.

He said if the city started its planning now, it could be prepared for next summer.

Adams comments drew criticism from immigration advocates for being racist and divisive. Murad Awawdeh, the president of the New York Immigration Coalition, told the Times that Adams comment is racist and he should not be making light of the journey that migrants take to travel to the United States, since some swim or wade across water in dangerous situations.

Almost 200,000 migrants have arrived in New York City in the last two years. Since the influx began, Adams has pushed for them to be able to work so they can support themselves.

This hasnt been new  Ive been saying this over and over again: Let people work, he said Wednesday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Connecting young people to local businesses and industries can play a critical role in building careers  and, in turn, boosting the local economy.

Thats the philosophy behind the Erie County Earn and Learn program, a collaborative effort between county government, the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority and the Greater Erie Community Action Committee.

The program, a retooled version of the Summer Jobs and More (JAM) program, provides job readiness training, career exploration and employment opportunities for Erie County youth throughout the year.

Erie County Executive Brenton Davis and GECAC Executive Director Danny Jones kicked off another season of the program Tuesday, informing the public that applications are now being accepted.

Greater Erie Community Action Committee Executive Director Danny Jones, on left, and Erie County Executive Brenton Davis speak at a news conference about the Earn and Learn program on May 14, 2024 at the Erie County Courthouse.

This program is designed to tackle the shortage of workers for local employers while providing on-the-job opportunities for different youth and career pathways, Davis told reporters at the Erie County Courthouse.

We believe in the importance of investing  one, in our youth, and (also) investing in developing our local industrial clusters and investing in opportunities right here in Erie County.

Whos eligible?

Participants must be Erie County residents, ages 14-21, whose family income is within 250% of federal poverty guidelines, according to GECAC, which administers the program.

What do participants do?

The program hosts 150 participants.

Tier 1 includes youth, ages 14-17, who have no work experience. This group will focus on job readiness training and soft skills like time management and teamwork.

Tier 2 includes youth, ages 18-21, with previous job experience or who are career oriented. This group will focus on existing career opportunities in Erie County.

Tier 1 participants will earn $8.25 an hour. Tier 2 participants will earn $10 an hour. In both cases, a successful evaluation could mean a pay raise.

In previous years, many students have used these funds towards helping their families or helping themselves for school or school supplies, Earn and Learn Director Jamilia Gates said.

Youth are matched with employers based on employer specifications, geographic proximity and availability of reliable transportation for youth, according to GECAC.

Gates said jobs encompass a variety of sectors to include childcare, food service, community centers, receptionist work and helping small businesses.

Opportunities have also been available at Erie Insurance, Gannon University, the Inner-City Neighborhood Art House, the Martin Luther King Center and the Booker T. Washington Center, Gates said.

Since GECAC will now cover all wages, payroll taxes and worker's compensation for Tier 1 participants, more job opportunities might be available, Gates added.

How to apply?

Applications are available on the GECAC website at gecac.org.

The youth application deadline is May 31.

At the end of the application, applicants will have the ability to schedule an appointment with the Earn and Learn staff to complete the rest of their application.

For more information, contact Gates at 814-459-4581 ext. 407 or email earnlearn@gecac.org.

Summer JAM becomes Earn and Learn: Youth Summer JAM becomes 'Earn and Learn' workforce development program

A.J. Rao can be reached at arao@gannett.com. Follow him on X @ETNRao.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie County Earn and Learn links young workers to job market
Rep. Barbara Parker, R-Mesa, testifies before the House Ethics Committee on May 15, 2024, in support of her complaint against Democratic Reps. Oscar De Los Santos and Analise Ortiz. Parker and other Republicans accused the Democrats of inciting an "insurrection" and a "riot" on the House floor on April 10 when they protested the chamber's failure to take up legislation to repeal a near-total abortion ban by yelling at their GOP colleagues. Photo by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy | Arizona Mirror

During a contentious hourlong ethics committee hearing, Republican lawmakers on Wednesday accused two Democrats who protested on the floor of the state House of Representatives last month after their GOP colleagues avoided repealing a century old abortion law of inciting a riot and making others fear for their safety.

Rep. Barbara Parker, R-Mesa, one of the authors of the complaint against the Democrats, told the House Ethics Committee panel that she was concerned about violence breaking out on April 10. On that day, shortly after the GOP majority decided to delay voting on whether to strike down a near-total abortion ban from 1864, Democratic Reps. Oscar De Los Santos and Analise Ortiz led their party in loudly excoriating Republicans, shouting Blood on your hands! and Save womens lives! while advancing towards and pointing at lawmakers across the aisle as they quickly exited through a side door.

With the neck veins that were popping out, the red flushed faces, the straining and the screaming  and you can see where De Los Santos even struck one of the desks, Parker said, referencing video footage of the outburst. I thought, Theyre going to lose it. This is going to get out of control.

On April 9, the Arizona Supreme Court reinstated a near-total abortion ban from 1864. The decision upended the political landscape in the state and led to weeks of turmoil as Democrats in the state legislature pushed to repeal the law. With the support of a handful of Republican lawmakers, that effort was finally successful on May 1, when the Arizona Senate voted to repeal the law.

Just a week earlier, on April 24, the Arizona House of Representatives voted to eliminate the law. That same day, a trio of anti-abortion lawmakers who voted against the repeal filed ethics complaints against De Los Santos and Ortiz for their vocal protest after the first failed attempt. The complaints against the two Democrats accused them of disorderly behavior and violating the legislative rules governing debate, and likened their actions to an insurrection and a riot.

Parker told lawmakers on the Ethics Committee that her view of the chamber was irreparably damaged by the display from De Los Santos and Ortiz, and said that their actions demeaned the work of all the chambers members.

That feeling that is in that room, of a hall that has respect and dignity  that is shattered for me. That feeling of peace is now gone, she said.

Only Parker testified against De Los Santos and Ortiz, who chose not to attend the hearing but were instead represented by their attorney, Jim Barton. Several cellphone videos of the April 10 protest were shown as evidence of the events, one of which was filmed by a member of the audience in the gallery and another that was taken by Ortiz herself and later posted to TikTok.

In a video that appears to have been taken at the desk of Rep. Jacqueline Parker, a Mesa Republican and Barbara Parkers daughter, who also filed the complaint against the two Democrats, Republican lawmakers can be observed packing up their belongings and exiting out of frame.

Rep. David Livingston, R-Peoria, who made the motion to delay the repeal vote that angered Democrats on April 10, walks by at one point and can be heard saying: Lets go, were adjourned, lets go, guys.

Another video submitted as evidence didnt include any images of the House floor but is instead a narration of what occurred from the point of view of Cathi Herrod, the president of the anti-abortion Center for Arizona Policy. The organization has been the driving force behind many of Arizonas restrictive abortion laws and advocated strongly for preserving the 1864 near-total ban.

Also shown at the hearing were screenshots of posts on social media site X, formerly Twitter, written by Ortiz and De Los Santos shortly after the complaints against them were publicized, in which the two blasted Republicans and raised money for their legal defense and reelection bids.

@RepAnaliseOrtiz & I held the line against the extreme 1864 total ban on abortion. Now, MAGA Republicans are retaliating by filing meritless ethics complaints against us. Please donate to cover our legal fees & ensure we are both re-elected, wrote De Los Santos in one post.

Republicans on the House Ethics Committee sharply criticized De Los Santos and Ortiz for not attending the hearing, though the chambers rules say that subjects of ethics investigations are not required to attend. It isnt the first time someone has skipped a hearing either; Rep. Stephanie Stahl-Hamilton, who was censured last year for hiding Bibles in an investigation that was widely regarded as retaliation for spearheading a complaint against a Republican lawmaker that ended in an expulsion, also chose to only be represented by her lawyers.

Despite that, Chairman Joseph Chaplik, R-Scottsdale, led a motion to change the ethics committees rules from voluntary to mandatory attendance. Its unclear, however, whether the rule change will force De Los Santos and Ortiz to attend, as the hearing has already occurred. Unless more hearings in the investigation are held, the rule change will likely only affect future complaints.

Chaplik added that he would be willing to subpoena the two Democrats.

House Speaker Pro Tem Travis Grantham, R-Gilbert, who presided over the April 10 floor session, grilled Barton on whether he believed the actions of De Los Santos and Ortiz rose to the threshold of disorderly behavior, and on whether such actions would merit punishment in a courtroom. Barton rebutted that concluding whether the protest constituted disorderly conduct was up to the committee, but added that he didnt perceive the Democratic protest to be threatening.

I think it was certainly not a safety concern. I dont think it was riotous or insurrectionist, Barton said. I think it was loud, and I think it probably made people in the room feel uncomfortable. But whether making people feel uncomfortable satisfies the definition of disorderly I will respectfully leave for the committee to decide.

Chaplik dismissed arguments that De Los Santos and Ortiz were simply reacting passionately, saying that lawmakers are passionate about many proposals and that the chambers rules exist to bar the kind of chaos that occurred on April 10. He read aloud from a list of historical events in which debates among lawmakers across the country ended in violence, including stabbings and fights.

This is what were trying to avoid here, in the Arizona House of Representatives, and I felt, personally, watching this and witnessing it that we were pretty close to that, Chaplik said.

Rep. Patty Contreras, D-Phoenix, later questioned Barton on whether Ortiz or De Los Santos were carrying weapons. Barton confirmed that they were not.

Also at issue on Wednesday was an impromptu press gaggle that the two Democrats interrupted on April 10. Shortly after the GOP majority voted to take a break rather than vote to repeal the 1864 law, reporters gathered around Rep. Matt Gress, a Phoenix Republican who had unsuccessfully made the first attempt to repeal the law.

Ortiz and De Los Santos quickly led a handful of Democrats across the chamber to disrupt journalists conversations with Gress, accusing him of not caring if women died and calling him a liar because he has previously sponsored fetal personhood laws. They also accused him of siding with his party that day to delay a vote on repealing the 1864 law.

Despite the event making up a large part of the complaint against the two Democrats, Gress did not testify in the hearing, nor did he respond to multiple requests for comment on whether he felt the ethics complaint was warranted or if he felt threatened or offended.

Chaplik questioned Barton on why Democrats insulted Gress, when he had supported their bid to repeal the 1864 law.

Rep. Gress made a motion to actually repeal the ban. He should have been on the side of the Democrats, yet they attacked him and called him liar. Why would they call him a liar? he asked.

Barton noted that the video evidence made clear the reasoning behind Ortiz and De Los Santos criticism. In Ortizs own TikTok video, she can be heard explaining why she believed Gress to be insincere in his support for the repeal.

They called him a liar because they felt that he was taking advantage of the press and letting them see one thing when, in fact, he had done other things, Barton said.

But Chaplik was unsatisfied with that answer, dismissing it as Bartons opinion.

Contreras pointed out that, in the videos of the interrupted press conference, Gress did not appear to be frightened or intimidated, even as he was the focus of intense vocal criticism from De Los Santos and Ortiz. Chaplik rebutted that such a conclusion couldnt be arrived at without speaking to Gress himself.

Republicans on the committee were also unimpressed with Bartons lack of apology on behalf of his clients. De Los Santos and Ortiz are not embarrassed by their actions and they continue to stand by their conduct, Barton said.

Ive been here, on and off, for 30 years. Ive never seen this behavior on the floor of the House. The floor of the House is a respectable place, very similar to a courtroom. If this behavior was in a courtroom, youd be upheld in contempt, Im sure, Rep. Gail Griffin, R-Hereford, told Barton. I dont hear any apology, I dont hear, It wont happen again.

In his closing remarks, Barton urged lawmakers to keep in mind the impact their decision could have on constraining the free speech rights of House members. By accusing Ortiz and De Los Santos of inciting a riot and heading an insurrection, the chamber threatens to equate violent actions with criticism that, at its worst, Barton said, makes its subjects feel uncomfortable.

There is a problem that we have in America right now of people saying that they dont feel safe when they feel challenged, he said. And I think its an opportunity for the committee to say: Thats not the way it works. When you feel challenged, even if you feel uncomfortable, even if you feel disrespected, that doesnt mean you feel unsafe.

Chaplik responded that there are times when it is proper for debate to occur, and rules must be respected.

We have opportunities for them to speak, we have opportunities for them to explain their vote. What were trying to avoid is an altercation on the House floor that gets dangerous, he said.

The committee didnt issue a conclusion on Wednesday. But while a report could come any day, the committee is only able to offer a recommendation for the entire House of Representatives to vote on. And while a formal censure only requires a majority vote, a move to expel either De Los Santos or Ortiz would be a political impossibility; doing so requires a supermajority vote, necessitating support from Democrats.

In any case, the earliest the House can take action against the duo is June 4, as the chamber is on a break until then.

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The post Ethics panel mulls GOP complaint that Dems committed insurrection by protesting on the floor appeared first on Arizona Mirror.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. Distinguished Visitors Day was held as part of "Anatolian Phoenix - 2024" International Search and Rescue Exercise conducted in Konya, Turkiye, Trend reports citing the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

Representatives of the Azerbaijan Air Force, Naval Forces and the office of the Military Attache of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Republic of Turkiye took part in the Distinguished Visitors Day.

First, statistical data on the progress of exercise, assigned objectives and fulfillment of upcoming tasks, as well as a short video dedicated to international exercise were presented to the participants.

After the completion of the official part of the event, media representatives and guests watched the practical fulfillment of various episodes by participants of the "Anatolian Phoenix - 2024" International Search and Rescue Exercise at the training range.
Europeans have in recent decades been told many untruths about mass migration. Vast people transfers into our continent from the developing world would make us richer, we were assured, not just economically but culturally, too. When it became apparent at various points that the picture was somewhat less rosy, the goal posts shifted: mass migration was sold as a moral imperative as well as a fact of life, like the weather, that simply couldnt be helped. Perhaps the greatest of these whoppers was the insistence from some academics and journalists that there was no connection between immigration and crime.

But that lie is starting to unravel. The Danish government recently published data on the crime rates of people in Denmark broken down by country of origin. It shows a trend which can be seen in virtually every Western European country which collects such data: non-Western immigrants and their descendants are vastly overrepresented in violent crime. In Denmark, this group makes up 9 per cent of the population but, from 2010-2021, accounted for 25 per cent of the countrys violent crime convictions  a trend which mirrors the picture in Finland, Norway and Sweden.

In Denmark and Sweden, immigrants are twice as likely to commit violent crime as the native populations. The pattern becomes even starker with certain types of crime: in Sweden, from 2013-17, immigrants were three times more likely likely to be registered as a suspect for assault than the native population  which grows to four times for robbery, and five times for rape.

The problem often becomes more pronounced as more migrants (and asylum seekers in particular) arrive. Swedens annual migration figures ballooned more than five-fold from the mid 80s to more than 160,000 by the mid-noughties, many of which came seeking asylum. During this time, the Swedish economist Tino Sanandaji notes that the foreign-origin populations share of total registration for crime as suspects increased from 31 to 58 per cent  and from 42 to 72 per cent for homicide. This likely underrepresents the crime share of certain groups, as immigrants from East and Southeast Asia commit negligible levels of many types of crime when compared with migrants from Menapt (Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan and Turkey).

There are also important differences within immigration categories. In Norway, studies cited by Sanandaji in his book, Mass Challenge: The Socioeconomic impact of Migration to a Scandinavian Welfare State, show immigrants who arrived as refugees had higher crime rates than those who came as family migrants, while labour migrants had even lower rates of crime. Another study, conducted in the German state of Niedersachsen in 2018, showed that refugees were overrepresented in crime and that crimes where refugees were registered increased over time. The propensity towards violent crime is often strongest among refugees from Africa and the Middle East. In 2023, the German government released data showing that immigrants from Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco made up 8.5 per cent of all asylum seekers suspected of serious violent crime, despite comprising just 0.6 per cent of the immigrant population.

This is the tip of an iceberg of useful information which could have informed European debates around immigration going back decades. But staunch advocates of mass migration often dismiss such findings as being the result of poverty and inequality. But this doesnt hold water as numerous studies in Sweden and elsewhere have shown that poverty, while correlated with crime, does not cause it. Sweden, at the height of its migration wave, was after all one of the most prosperous and equal societies on earth  yet it experienced the greatest explosion of migrant-related crime in Europe. Sweden now has more bomb and grenade attacks than any country not at war, apart from Mexico.

It is to Europes credit that it has welcomed refugees from around the world with open arms in recent decades. And many of those arriving have repaid the gesture of good faith, making an invaluable contribution to our society. But it is also no secret that many of the predominantly young male asylum seekers arriving in Europe in recent years are in fact economic migrants. There may be a perverse selection mechanism at play where, among the people most willing to lie to gain entry to Europe, theres a subsection without scruples in other areas that are significant causal factors in crime. It is also possible that a small minority of these people may have come to Western Europe to avail of its economic opportunities while not themselves possessing the qualities which made the West prosperous in the first place.

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Welcome back to Everythings Political, Capital Bs weekly news, culture, and politics newsletter!

In this edition, learn about two Virginia schools renamed after Confederate generals, a Texas countys fight for a fair voting map, the killing of a Black airman in Florida, a Black mayors fight to govern his Alabama town, and the Trump campaigns election strategy targeting Black political power.

Also, tomorrow marks 70 years since the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision declared that the doctrine of separate but equal has no place. Check out my interview with Cornell William Brooks, a professor of the practice of public leadership and social justice at the Harvard Kennedy School, to learn more about the legacy of the case as the U.S. navigates a new wave of massive resistance.

Now, on with the show.

The Confederacy Rises Again in Virginia

Talk about a U-turn.

In 2020, the Shenandoah County School Board in Virginia voted to change the names of Stonewall Jackson High School and Ashby Lee Elementary School to Mountain View High School and Honey Run Elementary School in order to distance itself from the legacies of Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Turner Ashby  all Confederate leaders.

This month, however, the school board, now made up of different members, voted to restore the previous names. Especially for Black residents, this reversal was a slap in the face.

People dont take the time to think about students like me, who would not be proud to graduate from a school with the name Stonewall Jackson, one Black girl said at the school board meeting. He fought for slavery to be a constitutional right.

This attack on the dignity of marginalized groups is nothing new in Virginia. Since he entered office in 2022, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has assailed teaching about race and other divisive concepts in public schools and rolled back transgender-inclusive policies.

The push to rename schools that venerate Confederate figures is part of a larger movement led by Black and Indigenous advocates to confront the unsavory chapters of our countrys past, as my colleague Adam Mahoney reported in February.

Galveston Countys Fight for a Fair Voting Map

Lucille McGaskey, a Black community organizer in Galveston County, Texas, feels like shes stuck in a time machine that only goes backward.

She was vital in the 1991 push to give her diverse community a majority-minority district. This change allowed Black and Latino voters, who together were 58% of the districts population, to elect a candidate who represented their interests on the five-member commissioners court, the countys central governing body. For three decades, the commissioner of this district directed resources to the vulnerable Gulf Coast community during various crises: Hurricane Ike, COVID-19, a once-in-a-lifetime deep freeze.

But now, McGaskey told me, theyre taking away our seat at the table.

The entire 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers her state and is notorious for its ultra-conservative bent, heard a major voting rights case on Tuesday. The case springs from a lawsuit brought by Black and Latino residents, civil rights groups, and the U.S. Department of Justice arguing that a 2021 Republican-redrawn Galveston County district map dilutes minority votes by carving the diverse county into all majority-white districts. While the court hears the case, the county must use a map that slices up McGaskeys district.

Residents fear that even if the court ultimately sides with Black and Latino voters, the countys GOP leaders will run out the clock for this election cycle by appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Ill keep an eye on the case. In the meantime, take another look at my story from last December that tells you everything you need to know about whats happening in Galveston County.

The Killing of Roger Fortson

Responding to a call about a disturbance in progress, a Florida sheriffs deputy on May 3 shot Roger Fortson multiple times almost as soon as the 23-year-old Black airman opened his apartment door holding his legally owned gun.

A probe into whether the deputys actions were warranted is ongoing. But experts note that the mere presence of a gun doesnt justify deadly use of force. Fortsons family says that the deputy had the wrong unit: The young man had been playing video games and talking on the phone with his girlfriend when the deputy arrived.

For many, the killing brings to mind the racial politics of gun ownership  the fact that guns in the hands of Black Americans are seen not as a right but as a threat.

The Second Amendment afforded Roger the right to own a gun and [wield] it as protection when he was unsure who was on the other side of his door, Ben Crump, an attorney for the Fortsons, said in a press release. It is clear that this officer needs to be investigated and held accountable for the execution of Roger. We will not rest until there is justice for Roger and his family.

The Emory University historian Carol Anderson released a book in 2021 called The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America that charts how, down through the centuries, Black Americans have been excluded from the right to bear arms  whether through Jim Crow laws or enduring beliefs that cast a Black person with a gun as an inherent menace. I recommend giving the book a read if you want more historical context for this recent tragedy.

Newbern Mayor Faces a Setback

Patrick Braxtons fight against white town leaders has hit a roadblock.

The first Black mayor of Newbern, Alabama, Braxton argues that his white predecessor  Haywood Stokes  and the all-white town council are blocking the lawful new mayor from taking power. But a federal court on Monday denied Braxtons motion asking that he be allowed into office now, explaining that hell likely win the case at trial in September.

White leaders machinations reportedly include changing the locks to town hall, destroying critical documents, and refusing to hold mayoral elections. These actions, according to Braxton, violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

My colleague Aallyah Wright brought Braxtons plight to national attention. While we wait for the September trial, revisit her moving story from when she traveled to Newbern last year.

The Movement to Disenfranchise Black Voters

Earlier this month, former President Donald Trumps campaign filed its first election lawsuit of the 2024 cycle, targeting mail-in ballot rules in Nevada  a swing state that President Joe Biden won by a narrow margin four years ago.

This lawsuit  also brought by the Republican National Committee and the Nevada Republican Party  seeks to invalidate mail-in votes in the Silver State that are cast in a timely manner but arrive after Election Day, because counting these votes undermines election integrity in the state.

The RNC has advanced a similar legal challenge in Mississippi. Its actions seem to be part of a wider strategy to undermine mail-in voting rules and, in turn, limit Black political power.

Mail-in voting wasnt controversial until 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced Black Americans and other people of color to use mail-in voting in significant numbers. As staffers at New York Universitys Brennan Center for Justice observed, it was only at this time that the practice came under meritless attack as ripe for fraud.

The RNCs actions arguably perpetuate this yearslong attack on Black votes.

Looking for The Second on my bookshelf,

Brandon Tensley

The post Everythings Political, Including the Name of a School appeared first on Capital B News.
Experts call out misguided ecotourism attempts and impacts on vulnerable shark populations: 'Just because you put the green label on something doesn't mean it really is'

While swimming with sharks has become a much-sought-after activity among adventurous tourists worldwide, scientists are sounding the alarm about how irresponsible ecotourism is endangering the species.

What's happening?

As the Spanish newspaper El Pais reported, British biologist Joel Gayford found in a study that shark tourism negatively impacts whale sharks' behavior and habitat.

Using drones to observe the sharks' behavior patterns, Gayford discovered that frequent human interaction caused the sharks to move slower and use more energy, per the paper.

Gayford, a shark expert from Imperial College London, told El Pais that these drastic shifts in the whale sharks' movements can change their favored feeding areas and have ripple effects on entire marine ecosystems.

"When a population of sharks changes its preferred location, it affects the abundance of the species it feeds on," he explained to the paper.

According to Biodiversity for a Livable Climate, whale sharks are critical to keeping ecosystems in balance, as they help transfer nutrients between areas, which allows other species to find food where it would otherwise be scarce.

"The activities and changes in the landscape they bring can have disastrous effects on migration, reproduction and other forms of life," Gayford added.

Why is this concerning?

While ecotourism is an excellent way to encourage people to conserve the environment and travel sustainably, it can also have unintended consequences.

As El Pais explained, ecotourism can lead to pollution, habitat disruption, and ecosystem damage if tour guides aren't careful about keeping people and animals safe.

"Real ecotourism requires enforcing standards and responsible behavior. Just because you put the green label on something doesn't mean it really is," Irene Gomez, a marine biologist, told the paper.

Misguided ecotourism can even cause physical harm to the species.

In the Maldives, where Gomez has been studying, 76% of the 708 identified whale sharks have suffered injuries, mostly from propellers on boats speeding through the waters, per El Pais.

As Biodiversity for a Livable Climate noted, these majestic creatures are classified as endangered, and unregulated fishing for their fins, meat, and oil, as well as being caught or killed unintentionally by industrial fishing companies, puts them further at risk.

Also, the massive amounts of plastic swirling around the oceans  an estimated 220 million tons, per the Ocean Conservancy  are wreaking havoc on marine environments. As the plastic breaks down into microplastics, species like whale sharks ingest them, which can cause digestive issues and impact other animals in the food chain.

What's being done to protect whale sharks?

Gayford called for enforcing rules that increase the minimum distance between humans and sharks to make ecotourism safer for both species.

In addition, he said there should be better communication between scientists, public officials, and ecotourism guides to regulate activities that endanger animals like whale sharks.

Scientists are working to protect sharks using a device that helps them avoid fishing boats. Another project allows researchers to collect creatures' DNA to build a "map of biodiversity."

The island of Dominica created the world's first sperm whale reserve, and Greece recently banned bottom trawling, a controversial fishing practice that can disrupt aquatic habitats.

We can also help our shark friends by reducing the amount of plastic products we buy and choosing eco-friendly travel destinations.

Join our free newsletter for cool news and cool tips that make it easy to help yourself while helping the planet.
A fire broke out at the Belbek airfield in northwest Sevastopol in the evening of May 15, several Telegram monitoring channels reported. Explosions were also heard in Sevastopol, Simferopol, Dzhankoi and Hvardiiske.

The Crimean Wind Telegram channel claims that the Belbek airfield was attacked and a fuel depot caught fire as a result of the strike, according to eyewitnesses. Earlier on May 15, explosions were heard in the city and fires werel burning near the Belbek military airfield, local residents told the Russian Telegram news channel Astra.

Russian-installed head of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said the Sevastopol rescue services "has not recorded any damage to civilian infrastructure at the moment."

Russia's Defense Ministry claimed five ATACMS missiles provided to Ukraine by the U.S. were intercepted overnight by "air defense systems on duty." The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify the claims.

Russian authorities regularly claim to have downed Ukrainian missiles and drones without reporting damage, though later reports at times emerge showing military targets or infrastructure that appear to have been struck.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian forces stabilize situation in Kharkiv Oblast, partially push Russian troops out of Vovchansk

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Two of Israels highest-profile spokespeople since Oct. 7  former government spokesman Eylon Levy and Lt. Col. (Res.) Jonathan Conricus  lamented the state of Israels public diplomacy on Wednesday in a webinar for the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy.



The whole public diplomacy operationwas improvised and set up on the fly, Levy, who recently departed his government role amid reports of political infighting, said. The fact that I was able to become a government spokesman tells you the best and worst about Israel. The best is that Israel knows, in times of emergency, to be flexible and agile and creative and give young people responsibility. The worst, because this is not the way it should work.



Levy, whom Israeli media said in January was being targeted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus wife, Sara Netanyahu, over his participation in the pre-Oct. 7 protest movement, pointed out that when the war began, Netanyahu did not have a spokesman for foreign media. He added that the department that handles media relations is still largely improvised. He became the government spokesman after joining a volunteer effort to organize a daily press briefing about the war, which was eventually adopted by the governments Public Diplomacy Directorate.



The IDF spokespersons unit is a veritable empire when you consider the number of people it was able to bring into reserves, but the civilian effort doesnt have that, Levy said. The incredible mobilization weve seen in recent months needs to be formalized and institutionalized and made official. Its not too late to do it in this war.



Levy said that while IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari is wonderful, there are bad optics associated with having no civilian address for the public and the media to get information.



Conricus, the former IDF spokesperson to foreign media and a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, also said that the military taking the lead in communications is not how its supposed to be. It should be driven by men and women, preferably women, in suits who do not represent the military Im [pushing] for women of color.



Conricus said the IDF has improved in its communications with the international media in this war, prioritizing it more than in past crises.



Hagari speaks in English and really puts international media front and center. Weve seen multiple cases where international media has been given access to breaking news that Israeli media, the vaunted military correspondents, are not getting access to, he pointed out. That is part of an understanding that I think is correctthat communicating well with the worldis a very important enabler for the IDF to continue to operate. If we dont do it right, we are shooting ourselves in the foot and we are limiting our freedom of action to operate and pursue our strategic goals.



Still, Conricus argued, even if we were 10 times better, I think Israel would face a very hostile and difficult media environment. That doesnt mean we are relieved and dont have to be much, much better.  We are scrutinized more than any other country, as a democracy fighting to defend its civilians.



Israel needs to establish a communications structure, with funding and personnel in regular times, which would then be prepared during wartime, Conricus said, adding that public diplomacy needs to be addressed systematically, not just a one-off. A holistic approach would have to include Israeli, Arabic and international media.



The government would also have to hire in addition to people who are good at speaking on camera  talented graphic artists, social media experts, editors, fact-checkers, open-source intelligence analysts and others.



Those are the kinds of people who we need permanently who can sit and work together and prepare for the day they are really needed, Conricus said. The IDF spokesperson unit and parts of the Prime Ministers Office have been good at responding to a crisis, but then in the downtime, we dropped the ball many times. We need to have consistency.



In the IDF, someone should have the role of clearing intelligence for public relations purposes, including high-quality visual imagery, communications intercepts and ammunition to use in the media battle that we fight every day, he said.



Fact-checkers and open-source intelligence analysts, he argued, would help understand fake news spread by Hamas and others. Its sometimes days before we understand whats going onand before we can issue a verified statement on behalf of the State of Israel that this isnt what happened, thats fake, actually this is what happened. We need to be able to do that faster, Conricus said.



Asked what could be done immediately to improve the governments communications, Levy first said that the government should hire Conricus or someone of his caliber and understanding of crisis communications.



There is a lot that we can do and things can happen right now. We dont have to wait until the war is over, Levy said, calling for there to be a fleet of spokespeople in all languages who will be trained, who will be centrally briefed, who will have people helping them.



Levy noted that he had no staff, only volunteers in Israel and the Diaspora to help compile his daily briefing and summaries of major news stories: Even the person who was sitting at the computer and reading the journalists questions [in his daily press conference] on Zoom was a volunteer.  It starts with having full-time paid professionals who arent feeling that theyve put their life on hold in order to contribute to the war effort.



The former government spokesman also called for better synergy with Diaspora Jewry. I think part of the reason that I resonated so much with the Diaspora was that suddenly they felt that they had a central address of a place to go and get information.  Israel is not fully utilizing the Diaspora and the incredible awakening that we have had in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks.



Also on the Misgav Institute panel was Matt Krieger, CEO of Gova10, a strategic communications firm, and the chief communications officer of the campaign advocating for Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polins release from Hamas captivity.



Krieger suggested that part of professionalizing the governments approach would be to learn from the way public relations works in the tech world, and realize that communications between spokespeople and journalists cant be so transactional. We cant just look at this aswhen we have a story, were going to come and ask you to tell that story however we want. We need to cultivate relationships in a deep way with all of our key journalists.  That needs to be a real priority, mapping out and understanding who those journalists are, how to reach them and how to get them to be more sympathetic to the stories that were telling.



Krieger also noted that Israels two foreign ministers during this war were not able to communicate effectively in English, and their top aides were not empowered to do so, either.



Levy said that those ministers did not give interviews to international media at a time that the prime minister, who had more than enough things to be busy with, was rolling up his sleeves and appearing in international media.



Krieger also spoke about his experience working with hostage families to help them share their stories with the media. Soon after Oct. 7, Krieger and other PR professionals started to connect families impacted by the Oct. 7 attack with journalists. He and former Jerusalem Post Editor-in-Chief Yaakov Katz organized a well-attended press conference on Oct. 10 for the families of U.S. citizens kidnapped by Hamas, which was one of the first instances in which hostages families told their stories to the international media. That was followed by similar press conferences for French and German families.



There was no [structure] in place to deal with this, he recounted. Civil society and people like myselfunderstood we have something very specific to offer and wanted to leverage that talent to help Israel and the hostage families.



Coordination between government public communications and the hostages message carries a lot of baggage, Krieger said. Even the Americans and the Israelis, who are seemingly on the same side of the negotiations are having a hard time finding their footing in terms of how to approach the hostage story. And there are questions that arise on a daily basis. Are the hostages being prioritized? Because oftentimes it doesnt feel like they are.



Krieger noted that the government is in a tough spot with the hostage families, in that they need to show strength, they need to fight a war while also trying to placate the Americansto work with the Qataris and the Egyptians.



The families have found that theyve been much more effective organizing on their own, and each family has taken a different approach, he stated.



Krieger lamented that while the hostage story has been more sympathetic for international audiences, it is becoming much harder to tell that story in an ongoing way because people are losing interest, which he blamed in part on the overall anti-Israel stance that many journalists and media outlets have.



That being said, Krieger added, there are many fair journalists that are out here and telling a story in as balanced a way as possible and want to report the facts.



Disclaimer: Jewish Insiders Lahav Harkov is a senior fellow at the Misgav Institute and moderated this session.





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JERUSALEM (Reuters) - More than seven months into the war in Gaza, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant publicly demanded a clear "day after" strategy in Gaza from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, laying bare deep divisions in the cabinet over the strategic aims of the war.

Below are details on key players in government.

PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU

The longest-serving Israeli leader, Netanyahu built his reputation as a security hawk on the back of his time as a junior officer in an elite special forces unit that carried out some of the country's most daring operations.

But he has faced mounting fury at the failures that allowed the Oct. 7 attack to take place.

In his sixth term as prime minister, Netanyahu, 74, heads one of Israel's most right-wing coalitions. He is one of three who has a vote on the Gaza war strategy in the war cabinet.

DEFENCE MINISTER YOAV GALLANT

A member of Netanyahu's conservative Likud party, Gallant, 65, began military service as a navy frogman before rising to become one of the most senior commanders in the military. He has already clashed with Netanyahu during the bitter protests over plans to curb the power of the judiciary last year. The prime minister announced his sacking but was forced to back down after hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets in spontaneous protests.

In a statement to mark 100 days of the war, Gallant said that only military pressure would achieve the twin aims of destroying Hamas and freeing the hostages, in line with Netanyahu. But he has since voiced frustration over an apparent lack of post-war plans for Gaza. He publicly challenged Netanyahu this week, saying in a televised statement that a political decision must be made regarding the day after.

Gallant also has a vote in the war cabinet. He has worn only black since the fighting erupted and said he feels as if the hostages are his own children.

MINISTER BENNY GANTZ

Former military chief and defence minister Benny Gantz and members of his centrist party agreed to join Netanyahu's coalition after the Hamas attack, though he has at times offered muted criticism of his rival's political manoeuvring.

The 64-year-old, who now leads Netanyahu in opinion polls, is the third member of the war cabinet to have a vote. Gantz endorsed defence minister Gallant's challenge about post-war plans.

STRATEGIC AFFAIRS MINISTER RON DERMER

A former ambassador to Washington and a close Netanyahu confidant, Dermer was key to forging Israeli relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in 2020 in a diplomatic drive by the Republican administration of then-U.S. President Donald Trump. He is a member of the war cabinet.

MINISTER AND FORMER MILITARY CHIEF GADI EISENKOT

Eisenkot, 64 on Sunday, who lost a son and a nephew to Gaza fighting in December, went public with his criticism of the war's strategy in a Jan. 19 TV interview, saying a deal was needed to free remaining hostages.

Also a war cabinet member, he said the fate of the hostages should take priority over other aims, even if that meant missing out on an opportunity to take out the political leader of Hamas.

FINANCE MINISTER BEZALEL SMOTRICH

Smotrich is a West Bank settler who heads the hardline Religious Zionism party and opposes Palestinian statehood. He serves as finance minister, but his cabinet duties include a role within the defence ministry overseeing West Bank settlements, which he wants to see expanded and, eventually, annexed by Israel.

Smotrich, 44, is pressuring Netanyahu to push on with Israel's offensive, even if it means forgoing a truce with Hamas that would include the release of hostages.

NATIONAL SECURITY MINISTER ITAMAR BEN-GVIR

A West Bank settler who heads the far-right Jewish Power party, Ben-Gvir is the minister in charge of police.

The 48-year-old opposes Palestinian statehood and has advocated the dismantling of the interim Palestinian Authority government set up in the 1990s. He and Smotrich have been unrelenting with their hard-line demands from Netanyahu.

In 2007, he was convicted of incitement against Arabs and support for terrorism. He is now a lawyer. He has responded to reports of a truce as saying: "In favour of a return of hostages, against a bad deal."

(Writing by Dan Williams and Kate Holton; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Nick Macfie)
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - After months of tense negotiations, Dutch nationalist Geert Wilders and his coalition partners have struck a deal to form a right-wing government. Here is an overview of their main plans:

IMMIGRATION

The coalition aims to have the strictest admittance policy for asylum seekers among EU countries and says it will request an opt out of common EU rules for migration.

Border controls will be intensified, admittance procedures will be shorter and stricter, while foreigners who have already been denied asylum in another EU country will be sent away immediately.

Family reunifications will be limited, and refugees and asylum seekers will no longer be prioritised for housing. Facilities for immigrants will be made more basic.

Within the EU, the government will strive for stricter outside border controls and deals with non-EU countries to take in migrants.

Labour migration will be curbed, as well as the flow of foreign students to Dutch universities.

Workers from outside the EU who do not have specific knowledge or expertise will need a work permit and recruiting agencies will face stricter regulation, while knowledge workers will have to meet higher standards.

The Dutch will also strive to limit free movement for people from countries joining the EU in the future.

ENERGY

The government will aim to expand offshore natural gas extraction and nuclear energy production as part of plans to reduce the Netherlands' dependence on "unreliable countries".

The government will stick to internationally agreed climate goals, but will not add any national restrictions on top of them.

Plans under the previous government for an additional national carbon emissions tax for industry will be scrapped.

AGRICULTURE/ENVIRONMENT

Farmers will not be forced to reduce the large amount of livestock in the Netherlands, which was meant to cut back nitrogen oxide emissions, and farmers near nature reserves will not be forced to close businesses to meet environmental goals.

The coalition will strive to ease EU environmental regulations for farmers, while domestic regulations will not be made stricter than EU laws prescribe.

Diesel for farmers will become cheaper.

The maximum speed on highways will be increased to 130 kph (80 mph) after being to reduced to 100 kph nationwide in 2020 in an effort to reduce nitrogen pollution.

TAXES/SPENDING CUTS

Energy and income taxes will be lowered, while levies on share buybacks by listed companies and on banks announced late last year will likely be scrapped.

A mandatory user contribution for healthcare procedures will be halved by 2027, and childcare subsidies will be increased in the coming years. Day care will be made nearly free.

Plans will be financed with around 14 billion euros in spending cuts through 2028, including a billion euros through a freeze of government salaries and 100 million on the public broadcaster's budget.

Unemployment welfare would be limited to 18 months.

INTERNATIONAL STANCE

Political and military support to Ukraine will be sustained and the coalition will make it legally binding to spend at least 2% of Dutch gross domestic product on defence, in line with NATO agreements.

Spending on foreign development aid will be cut by 2.4 bln euros.

EU enlargement will not be supported unless countries fulfil all the relevant criteria.

The government will aim to move the Dutch embassy in Israel to Jerusalem at an appropriate time.

WHAT'S NEXT

Parliament is expected to debate the government plans on May 22, after which an independent intermediary will be tasked with forming the cabinet of ministers, a process that is expected to take weeks.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Anthony Deutsch and Frances Kerry)
Family of Lewiston, Maine, shooter testifies about struggle to get him help before the tragedy

In emotional testimony Thursday morning, family members of Robert Card, the man responsible for two shootings that left 18 people dead in Lewiston, Maine, testified before the independent commission formed to investigate the October 25, 2023, mass shootings.

If you were to ask me what one thing I would like for the commission to find and point out, it would be ultimately to get to the root cause of this tragedy. We can point fingers at whos at fault, who has failed to make the ultimate contact, but in all reality, we all could have done better  from the sheriffs office to the Army to the family, said James Herling, Cards brother-in-law.

Documents shared with CNN by the Sagadahoc County Sheriffs Office showed Cards family had called the department as far back as May 2023, voicing concerns over his well-being and access to firearms. The US Army previously told CNN a health and wellness check was requested by the shooters unit out of an abundance of caution after the unit became concerned for his safety. An independent review last year concluded the sheriffs office acted reasonably but recommended improvements to the departments strategy.

Card, a US Army reservist and certified firearms instructor, went on two shooting rampages at a bar and bowling alley in Lewiston, killing 18 people and wounding 13 others with an assault rifle. After a 48-hour manhunt following the shootings, Card was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head near a river some 10 miles from Lewiston.

The Concussion Legacy Foundation said in March that tissue samples from Cards brain showed evidence of traumatic brain injury and suggested he had been exposed to thousands of low-level blasts during his time at an Army hand grenade training range.

I am hoping that this commission will find that the DOD needs to enhance the protection of our soldiers because when they release them as civilians, they are releasing them without proper care, Herling said. This is not an excuse for the behavior and action that Robbie committed. It was a wrongful act of evil. My brother-in-law was not this man. His brain was hijacked.

Nicole Herling, Cards sister, testified about the significant challenge to contact Cards chain of command in the Army for help when he began showing signs of mental illness.

The Department of Defenses negligence regarding traumatic brain injury must be addressed, and they must be held accountable for change, Nicole Herling said.

Its important to acknowledge that Robbies decline involved other factors, and Im not here to excuse his behavior, she added. If we appeared silent, it wasnt because we lacked empathy. We were in shock and disbelief, unable to comprehend that Robbie was capable of such horror.

CNN has reached out to the Department of Defense for comment.

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Cara Lamb, ex-wife of shooter Robert Card, testifies, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Augusta, Maine, during a hearing of the independent commission investigating the law enforcement response to the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)  Police have said repeatedly in the aftermath of Maines deadliest shooting that officers thought the gunman's family had been taking his weapons away.

Testifying before an investigative committee on Thursday, the gunmans sister-in-law suggested that law enforcement officers should have known this wasnt true, because she and her husband, Ryan Card, told a deputy on the phone a month before Robert Card killed 18 people that he still had access to weapons, despite his deteriorating mental health.

We will always blame ourselves. My husband will always blame himself, even though it shouldnt be blamed on him," Katie Card said. "He will always blame himself. I will always ... I know in my head we shouldnt ... but we will always.

The revelation came during the first public testimony from Cards relatives. One after another spoke of frustrating attempts to get help, and offered emotional apologies to the victims and their family members.

The independent commission appointed by the governor already heard from police, victims and their families, and other Army reservists about the deadliest shooting in Maine history. Card, 40, killed himself after opening fire with an assault rifle inside a bowling alley and a bar and grill in Lewiston in October.

In the aftermath, the legislature passed new gun laws for Maine, a state with a long tradition of firearms ownership. Among other things, they bolstered the states yellow flag law, criminalized the transfer of guns to prohibited people and expanded funding for mental health crisis care.

Cards family had kept a low profile after the tragedy, other than releasing a statement in March expressing deep sorrow and disclosing an analysis of Cards brain tissue that showed evidence of traumatic brain injuries. Card had trained others in the use of hand grenades, and the family blamed the repeated blasts for his mental decline.

The commission issued an interim report in March saying law enforcement should have seized Cards guns and put him in protective custody based on the warnings from family and reservists, using the existing yellow flag law. A full report is due this summer.

Police testified that the family had agreed to remove Cards guns, but the commission said leaving such a task to them was an abdication of law enforcements responsibility.

Katie Card said Thursday that a deputy had applied pressure  to his brother Ryan in particular  to offer assurances that the guns were taken away so that the deputy could wrap up his investigation ahead of a two-week vacation. She said she and her husband both expressed that day (to the deputy) and multiple times after that we had been unsuccessful.

She said she and Ryan Card, whom she described as a retired Army ranger who is disabled after deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, remain wracked with guilt even though it was unfair for law enforcement to make estranged family members responsible for removing Cards guns.

Other relatives also vented their frustrations, blaming the military, law enforcement and media coverage. James Herling, husband of the gunmans sister, singled out the Army Reserves for declining to answer the phone or return their calls as they sought help. Cards ex-wife, Cara Lamb, accused police of ignoring or dismissing warning signs.

Nicole Herling, the gunman's sister, said military personnel deserve better protections: Its unjust to continue training with explosions and sonic booms until there are protective gear and standards ensuring the safety of all of our soldiers brains.

This is not an excuse for the behavior or acts that Robbie committed, James Herling testified. It was a wrongful act of evil. My brother-in-law was not this man. His brain was hijacked.

An Army spokesperson said Thursday that the Army is committed to understanding how brain health is affected and to implementing evidence-based risk mitigation and treatment and that the Army this year is conducting cognitive assessments of trainees that can be repeated to identify changes.

As for the mass shooting, the Army Reserves and the Army inspector general are conducting separate investigations into the events and more details may become available once the investigation is complete.

Lamb said their teenage son was so concerned about Cards growing paranoia and access to guns that she shared his worries with a school resource officer in May 2023. This shouldve been a flashing sign that we have a problem here, she said.

Fellow Army reservists witnessed Cards deterioration, to the point that he was hospitalized for two weeks during training last summer. One reservist, Sean Hodgson, told superiors Sept. 15: I believe hes going to snap and do a mass shooting.

Lamb, for her part, said she herself encouraged officers not to confront her ex-husband for fear of escalation, and harm to her sons relationship with his father, but now questions that approach.

I keep wondering if the right thing to do wouldve been to say, Damn it all, damn everyones feelings and repercussions, and go scream at the police  What do we have to do?! she testified.

___

This story was first published on May 16, 2024. It was updated on May 17, 2024 to include a more complete quote from Katie Cards testimony.

___

Sharp reported from Portland, Maine.
Bjoern Hoecke (R), chairman of the Thuringian AfD party, waits with his lawyer Ulrich Vosgerau for the start of his trial at the Halle/Saale district court. He is accused of using symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations. Ronny Hartmann/AFP Pool/dpa

The defence of leading far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) politician Bjorn Hocke has lodged an appeal against a verdict that has found him guilty of using a banned Nazi slogan, a court spokeswoman confirmed on Thursday.

A regional court in the eastern German city of Halle sentenced Hocke to a fine of 13,000 ($14,000) on Tuesday for using symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations.

The appeal had been received by the court on Wednesday after it was lodged by Hocke's lawyer Philip Muller, the spokeswoman said. Muller did not wish to comment on this when asked by dpa.

The case will now go to the Federal Court of Justice. The court will only examine the judgement for violations of the law - in other words, no further evidence will be taken.

The verdict will not become legally binding for the time being.

The public prosecutor's office had accused the leader of the AfD in the German state of Thuringia of having knowingly used a banned slogan of the Sturmabteilung (SA), or Storm Troopers, a Nazi paramilitary group commonly referred to as the "brownshirts."

The case was sparked by a speech delivered by Hocke in Merseburg in May 2021, during which he used the phrase "Everything for Germany!" (Alles fur Deutschland!) which is banned in Germany.

A former history teacher, Hocke denied that he had knowingly used the slogan. The defence had called for Hocke to be acquitted of the charge on the grounds that he did not know it was forbidden.

Bjoern Hoecke, chairman of the Thuringian AfD party, sits in the courtroom of the Halle/Saale district court. He is accused of using symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations. Ronny Hartmann/AFP Pool/dpa
Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. The Slovak Foreign Ministry has expressed gratitude to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev for his words of support to Prime Minister Robert Fico, Trend reports.

"Thank you for your words of compassion and support Mr. President," the statement of the Slovak MFA on X reads.

Earlirer, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev shared a post on his official X account vehemently condemning the attempted assassination of Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Robert Fico.

The attempted assassination of Prime Minister Robert Fico has deeply shocked me. I strongly condemn this attack. We stand with Prime Minister Robert Fico, his family, and the people of Slovakia. I wish him a swift recovery, the post said.
People gathered at the Farmworkers Association of Florida Wednesday night in Apopka to honor the lives lost in a Marion County bus crash.

The organization has shown support for migrant workers throughout the years, and this is no different.

The Farmworkers Association said this crash should have never happened.

Now, the people who perform taxing work to provide for their families are trying to meet their needs.

Juan Sabines Guerrero of the Mexican Consulate in Orlando spoke about how the victims families are still in disbelief.

They say, I cant believe it, Guerrero said. It is very difficult for us. Its very sad for us, but its our job. All of them are very young people.

Read: Deadly Marion County bus crash: How to help the victims

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  The United States Census Bureau released population estimates for cities across the United States on Thursday, revealing which Utah cities are the fastest-growing and which ones are shrinking.

The Bureau used data from the most recent census count and then created population estimates using information on births, deaths and domestic and international migration.

According to their data, Lehi was the fastest-growing city in the Beehive State between 2022 and 2023. The tech center of Utah County is estimated to have gained nearly 6,000 new residents over the last year  a 6.93% increase.

While the data doesnt explain why some areas of Utah have seen population growth or decline year-over-year, it can provide some insight into where people are going as they move about the state.

Utahs fastest-growing cities

City Population in 2022 Population in 2023 Change Lehi 84,378 90,227 +5,849 Saratoga Springs 49,313 52,532 +3,219 Eagle Mountain 54,122 56,932 +2,810 St. George 102,561 104,578 +2,017 Salt Lake City 207,677 209,593 +1,916 West Haven 22,351 24,014 +1,663 Payson 22,525 24,054 +1,529 Syracuse 35,538 37,022 +1,484 Spanish Fork 44,142 45,557 +1,415 American Fork 37,260 38,549 +1,289

Utah County certainly saw the most growth over the last year. Aside from the population spike in Lehi, Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain also saw considerable growth to take the top 3. Utah County also saw growth in Payson, Spanish Fork and American Fork.

St. George in southern Utah and Utahs capital Salt Lake City rounded out the top five of Utahs fastest-growing cities.

Utah cities with a shrinking population

City Population in 2022 Population in 2023 Change West Valley City 136,595 134,470 -2,125 West Jordan 116,597 114,908 -1,689 Sandy 92,990 91,943 -1,047 Millcreek 63,001 62,205 -796 Taylorsville 57,863 57,098 -765 Holladay 30,806 30,298 -508 Orem 95,990 95,519 -471 Springville 35,849 35,471 -378 Pleasant Grove 37,654 37,294 -360 Provo 113,689 113,343 -346

Looking at the difference between the fastest-growing cities and the cities with a shrinking population shows Utah is still growing at an incredible rate. West Valley City saw the largest decline in numeric population, according to the census data, losing only 2,125 residents year-over-year.

And while Utah County saw impressive growth in some areas, metro hotspots such as Orem and Provo declined in population by a few hundred each from 2022.

Utahs most populated cities

City Population in 2023 Salt Lake City 209,593 West Valley City 134,470 West Jordan 114,908 Provo 113,343 St. George 104,578 Orem 95,519 Sandy 91,943 Lehi 90,227 Ogden 87,267 South Jordan 84,528

Salt Lake City remains Utahs most populated city by a fairly large margin, followed by West Valley, despite its year-over-year decline. But Utahs most populated cities did see one change from 2022.

Thanks to its significant growth, Lehi overtook Ogden as the states eighth most populated city with eyes on possibly overtaking Sandy in 2024.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
ST. LOUIS  Pictures of seized drugs only tell part of the story of what federal agents cleared from the streets of St. Louis. Authorities say a father and son admitted dealing drugs, valuing in millions of dollars.

This operation was dubbed family business, Colin Dickey from the Drug Enforcement Administration told FOX 2 as he explained the dismantling of an elaborate network with international ties. We found affiliation with the Sinaloa cartel in this investigation.

53-year-old Gregory Dixson Jr., along with his son, 32-year-old Gregory Dixson III, were part of a multi-indictment drug crime case involving 16 defendants throughout the country.

The federal prosecutor in the case is U.S. Attorney Organized Crime Cxpert Jim Delworth.

It was very sophisticated, so we had to use almost every investigative technique in the book to collect and develop evidence in order to take down the whole organization, he said.

The case goes back almost a decade, with the Dixsons admitting they sent drug couriers to Houston, Tx., for massive amounts of cocaine. The court record says it was a thousand pounds of cocaine, which has a street value of $13 million.

The top 5 most popular baby names in Missouri are

(They were) dumping some of those proceeds into propertyreal estate, vehiclesthats kind of how he was trying to hide or mask his illegal activity, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey explained.

Thats where the Internal Revenue Service came in.

We follow the money, identify the assets and additionally those people that are involved in the criminal activity, IRS Criminal Investigations Assistant Special Agent in Charge Melissa McFadden said.

The government seized several assets, including a custom gold Harley, a Dodge Challenger Demon, and a million-dollar Texas property.

Both defendants smiled big at the 30+ friends and family who came to watch the sentencings. The father received 15 years in prison, and the son got ten years, both under plea deals.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
Federal bench at full strength in South Dakota following confirmation of Camela Theeler

Nominees for federal judgeships, from left, Sanket Jayshukh Bulsara of New York, Dena Coggins of California, and Eric Schulte and Camela Theeler of South Dakota participate in a hearing March 6, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Courtesy of U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee)

Nominees for federal judgeships, from left, Sanket Jayshukh Bulsara of New York, Dena Coggins of California, and Eric Schulte and Camela Theeler of South Dakota participate in a hearing March 6, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Courtesy of U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee)

South Dakotas federal courts once again have a full slate of judges after the U.S. Senate voted 90-4 on Thursday to confirm Camela Theelers nomination to the federal bench.

The vote came one day after the Senate voted 61-33 to confirm Sioux Falls lawyer and former state bar president Eric Schulte to replace outgoing U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier.

Theeler, who currently serves as a judge in state court, will replace Rapid City-based U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Viken, who retired in October.

Republican Senators Mike Rounds and John Thune took the lead on Theeler and Schultes nominations last year after nominees proposed to the Biden administration by state Democratic leaders failed to pan out.

Theeler is a Pierre native and former attorney for the Lynn Jackson law firm, as well as a former assistant U.S. attorney for that offices civil division.

Thune and Rounds each spoke in support of Theeler prior to the vote and cast their votes in her favor.

The appointment will relieve pressure on the federal docket in South Dakota. Two judges with senior status, both more than 80 years old, have been assisting the court in managing its caseload.

Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, told South Dakota Searchlight that Theelers 90-4 vote tally represents one of the strongest showings for any of the Biden administrations judge nominees in the divided U.S. Senate.

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(Photo by Danielle Prokop / Source NM)

A U.S. House bill to require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections could have unintended consequences for North Dakota, the only state that does not require voter registration.

The proposal  brought forward by House Speaker Mike Johnson on May 8  said the measure is needed to ensure the integrity of the 2024 election.

We all know, intuitively, that a lot of illegals are voting in federal elections, the Louisiana Republican said during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol. But its not been something that is easily provable.

U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D., said hes working on an amendment to the House bill that would exempt the measure from applying to North Dakota, and that hes successfully introduced similar amendments to other voting-related bills in the past.

Without that amendment, the way I read it  North Dakotans would have to prove citizenship before the primary and before the general election every two years, or they would force us into voter registration, Armstrong told the North Dakota Monitor.

U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong (Provided by Armstrongs office)

Armstrong said he supports the premise of the House bill, but that he would vote no if the exemption is not adopted.

The amendment would mirror an exemption already provided to North Dakota under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which sought to regulate and streamline how states register voters. Five other states  Wyoming, Wisconsin, Idaho, New Hampshire and Minnesota  are also exempt from the act.

Its already illegal to vote in federal elections if youre not a U.S. citizen, and research indicates its very rare. A 2017 study by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University analyzed voting in 42 U.S. jurisdictions in the 2016 election, and found only about 30 incidents of voting by noncitizens out of an estimated total 23.5 million votes.

North Dakota Secretary of State Michael Howe said Thursday that while he was not familiar with the specifics of the House bill, the state already has adequate protections against noncitizens casting votes.

North Dakota most recently updated its voter ID law during the 2023 legislative session with an amendment that closed a loophole allowing noncitizens to vote under certain circumstances.

Before that change, if a voter told an election worker they were a citizen, they would be allowed to vote even if the ID they provided indicated they did not have citizenship, Howe said.

While the law passed overwhelmingly in both the House and Senate, some opponents of the measure testified in committee hearings that it would place an unfair burden on North Dakotans who may have difficulty obtaining the documents they need to prove their citizenship.

North Dakota Secretary of State, Michael Howe attends a naturalization ceremony at NDSUs Barry Hall in Fargo on Dec. 12, 2023. Howe spoke at the ceremony and his office handed out information on how to vote, including what ID is needed. (Dan Koeck/For the North Dakota Monitor)

Howe said he and other officials in the Secretary of States Office have been taking steps to make sure that new citizens are aware of how the 2023 amendment could affect them.

Weve been attending naturalization ceremonies, telling new Americans, new citizens, You now have the right to vote, but please, as soon as you can, go update your ID, Howe said.

In a U.S. House committee hearing on Thursday morning, representatives and witnesses testifying in support of stricter voting laws argued that states are not adequately equipped to police voting by noncitizens, and that the federal government should do more to support them.

One witness  J. Christian Adams, who leads the Public Interest Legal Foundation  urged Congress to go even farther.

Adams told the committee that lawmakers should strongly consider ending the exemption for certain states under the National Voter Registration Act to ensure all states are held accountable for facilitating secure elections.

A proposal similar to the House bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate.

Howe said North Dakota is already doing fine on its own.

If the federal government wants to secure elections, I think thats great, Howe said. But as with most things, its best left to the states.

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The post Federal bill on noncitizen voting could have unique impact for North Dakota appeared first on North Dakota Monitor.
Electric power lines are seen attached to transmission towers on Sept. 28, 2023, in the Everglades, Florida. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Monday issued a long-awaited overhaul of how regional electric transmission lines are planned and paid for. (Photo by Joe Raedle / Getty Images)

A divided Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Monday issued a long-awaited overhaul of how regional electric transmission lines are planned and paid for, a move cheered by clean power groups but blasted by a conservative commissioner who said it was driven by special interests and exceeds the commissions authority.

The commissions final rule on transmission planning and cost allocation, intended to prod utilities and grid operators across the country into more forward-looking, comprehensive and cost-effective planning of large electric transmission lines and better account for the broad benefits those wires provide, was nearly three years in the making. It passed on a 2-1 vote, with the commissions two Democratic appointees voting yes and the lone Republican opposed.

FERC Chairman Willie Phillips said an aging grid, increasing severe weather, demand growth from new manufacturing, data centers and increasing electrification as well as a changing generation mix all threaten reliability at a time when construction of the high voltage transmission lines that help get power to where its needed has slumped to a record low.

This rule cannot come fast enough. There is an urgent need to act to ensure the reliability and the affordability of our grid, Phillips said. We simply will not be able to address these converging challenges and continue to supply the reliable, abundant and affordable power the American people depend on without taking a clear-eyed, long term, forward-looking approach to transmission planning.

But Commissioner Mark Christie, a conservative former Virginia utility commissioner, vehemently dissented to the rule, calling it a pretext to enact a sweeping policy agenda that Congress never passed and one that will facilitate a massive transfer of wealth from consumers to for-profit special interests.

Christie has long opposed transmission cost allocation schemes that he claimed would force customers in some states to pay for the pro-renewable policies of their neighbors. I was perfectly prepared to vote for this final rule if it were a bipartisan compromise, if it preserved the state role that everyone sitting up here voted for two years ago, he said.

The genie and the bottle

The sprawling rule requires transmission operators to conduct transmission planning at least every five years, looking out along a 20-year horizon using best available data to develop well-informed projections of needs, according to a staff presentation. To identify those transmission needs, providers need to consider state laws and regulations, utility planning documents, fuel cost trends, power plant retirements, requests from developers looking to connect to the grid as well as policy goals and corporate commitments. They also must consider grid-enhancing technologies, a suite of potentially cost-saving tools common in other countries that have been slow to take root in the U.S., despite years of prodding from advocates, as well as identifying opportunities to upgrade existing lines, called right-sizing.

Transmission providers, including utilities and the organizations that manage the grid in much of the country, are also required to use a list of seven economic and reliability benefits as they evaluate and select long-term regional transmission projects as well as establish an evaluation process with transparent selection criteria that are not unduly discriminatory or preferential, aim to ensure that more efficient or cost-effective long-term regional transmission facilities are selected and seek to maximize benefits accounting for costs over time without over-building transmission facilities.

Christie criticized those mandated inputs and said states have no ability to consent to those criteria.

A major big problem FERC is trying to fix is that even as construction of large transmission projects has nearly ground to a halt, utilities in many parts of the countries are on a building spree of smaller  potentially duplicative and inefficient  projects that are easier to get approved and paid for, increasing customer bills.

The absence of this type of regional transmission planning is resulting in piecemeal transmission expansion that addresses relatively near-term transmission needs, the staff presentation reads. The status quo approach results in transmission providers investing in relatively inefficient or less cost-effective transmission infrastructure, with the costs ultimately recovered through commission-jurisdictional rates. This dynamic results in, among other things, transmission customers paying more than is necessary or appropriate to meet their transmission needs, and customers missing out on benefits that outweigh their costs, which results in less efficient or cost-effective transmission investments.

For example, proponents of the new rule point to hundreds of millions of dollars in transmission costs that will result from the closure of a Maryland power plant in the region overseen by PJM Interconnection, the nations largest grid operator, as an example of poor planning.

It is hard to imagine the region could not have found a more cost- effective solution had it begun planning for that retirement along with other anticipated shifts further ahead of time, said Democratic Commissioner Allison Clements, who took Christie to task over his dissent. She said he was pushing the commission to take a fraught voyage to decide which public policies are appropriate for creating transmission demands.

All transmission needs are inherently influenced by state policies of all stripes. The truth is that enormous sums of money are going to be spent on transmission investment regardless of whether or not its done within the framework of this new rule.

She argued that the new rule will protect customers from the pricey, fits-and-starts transmission buildout happening in much of the nation now.

Not everything is about politics, she said.

It is not the commissions job to try and force the genie that is the energy transition back in the bottle. It is our legal responsibility to protect consumers in light of whatever is going on in the world around us.

 Democratic Commissioner Allison Clements

Neil Chatterjee, a Republican former FERC chairman, posted on X that he would have voted for the rule if he was still on the commission.

Todays @ferc rule was voted out 2-1 but that does NOT mean its a partisan rule making, he wrote. Had I authored this rule as chair would it have looked exactly like this? Of course not. But it would have been in the range. Regulatory rule making is hard.

Benefit of having a big grid

Competitive transmission providers and clean energy groups were celebrating Monday. Organizations ranging from the American Council on Renewable Energy and the National Audubon Society to the Conservative Energy Network and Americans for a Clean Energy Grid issued statements applauding the order.

Some renewable power organizations had privately wondered whether a drive for a unanimous vote might produce a more watered-down rule to get Christie onboard. That might have left states with big renewable power goals paying for all the transmission costs necessary to accommodate them, as New Jersey is doing for its planned offshore wind buildout, even though that power generation could mean cheaper, cleaner electricity for its neighbors, also, along with other benefits.

The U.S. Department of Energy has found a pressing need for new transmission infrastructure across the country to alleviate congestion and improve reliability. Grid congestion costs electric customers billions of dollars a year, according to some reports. And because of the more diffuse nature of renewable power, getting it from where its produced to where its needed, as in the vast amount of wind power in the Great Plains, can require large, multi-state transmission lines.

Families and businesses are paying the price for utilities and grid operators failure to address our critical electricity infrastructure needs, said Heather ONeill, president and CEO at national clean power business association Advanced Energy United. Building more multi-state transmission lines unclogs the traffic jams on Americas electricity superhighways and unlocks our ability to keep up with our growing energy needs.

Justin Vickers, a senior attorney for the Sierra Club, said the rule appears to be firmly within FERCs jurisdiction, despite Christies concerns to the contrary.

I think the commission is on very strong footing here, he said. This is a way of maximizing the benefits of living in a big country. We can send power around the country. It increases reliability and it lowers price. Thats the benefit of having a big grid. Lets take advantage of it.

The Edison Electric Institute, which represents investor-owned utilities, said it was disappointed that FERC declined to include a right of first refusal policy for some transmission projects, which would have given their members first crack at some of the lines. The organization also said the rule lacked regional flexibilities for evaluating project benefits.

A one-size-fits-all approach does not work, as different regions have different needs and different states have different policies, said Phil Moeller, an executive vice president at the institute.

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The post New federal rule will overhaul transmission planning as electric grid strains appeared first on Source New Mexico.
Electric power lines are seen attached to transmission towers on Sept. 28, 2023, in the Everglades, Florida. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Monday issued a long-awaited overhaul of how regional electric transmission lines are planned and paid for. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

A divided Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Monday issued a long-awaited overhaul of how regional electric transmission lines are planned and paid for, a move cheered by clean power groups but blasted by a conservative commissioner who said it was driven by special interests and exceeds the commissions authority.

The commissions final rule on transmission planning and cost allocation, intended to prod utilities and grid operators across the country into more forward-looking, comprehensive and cost-effective planning of large electric transmission lines and better account for the broad benefits those wires provide, was nearly three years in the making. It passed on a 2-1 vote, with the commissions two Democratic appointees voting yes and the lone Republican opposed.

FERC Chairman Willie Phillips said an aging grid, increasing severe weather, demand growth from new manufacturing, data centers and increasing electrification as well as a changing generation mix all threaten reliability at a time when construction of the high voltage transmission lines that help get power to where its needed has slumped to a record low.

This rule cannot come fast enough. There is an urgent need to act to ensure the reliability and the affordability of our grid, Phillips said. We simply will not be able to address these converging challenges and continue to supply the reliable, abundant and affordable power the American people depend on without taking a clear-eyed, long term, forward-looking approach to transmission planning.

But Commissioner Mark Christie, a conservative former Virginia utility commissioner, vehemently dissented to the rule, calling it a pretext to enact a sweeping policy agenda that Congress never passed and one that will facilitate a massive transfer of wealth from consumers to for-profit special interests.

Christie has long opposed transmission cost allocation schemes that he claimed would force customers in some states to pay for the pro-renewable policies of their neighbors. I was perfectly prepared to vote for this final rule if it were a bipartisan compromise, if it preserved the state role that everyone sitting up here voted for two years ago, he said.

The genie and the bottle

The sprawling rule requires transmission operators to conduct transmission planning at least every five years, looking out along a 20-year horizon using best available data to develop well-informed projections of needs, according to a staff presentation. To identify those transmission needs, providers need to consider state laws and regulations, utility planning documents, fuel cost trends, power plant retirements, requests from developers looking to connect to the grid as well as policy goals and corporate commitments. They also must consider grid-enhancing technologies, a suite of potentially cost-saving tools common in other countries that have been slow to take root in the U.S., despite years of prodding from advocates, as well as identifying opportunities to upgrade existing lines their capabilities, called right-sizing.

Transmission providers, including utilities and the organizations that manage the grid in much of the country, are also required to use a list of seven economic and reliability benefits as they evaluate and select long-term regional transmission projects as well as establish an evaluation process with transparent selection criteria that are not unduly discriminatory or preferential, aim to ensure that more efficient or cost-effective long-term regional transmission facilities are selected and seek to maximize benefits accounting for costs over time without over-building transmission facilities.

Christie criticized those mandated inputs and said states have no ability to consent to those criteria.

A major big problem FERC is trying to fix is that even as construction of large transmission projects has nearly ground to a halt, utilities in many parts of the countries are on a building spree of smaller  potentially duplicative and inefficient  projects that are easier to get approved and paid for, increasing customer bills.

The absence of this type of regional transmission planning is resulting in piecemeal transmission expansion that addresses relatively near-term transmission needs, the staff presentation reads. The status quo approach results in transmission providers investing in relatively inefficient or less cost-effective transmission infrastructure, with the costs ultimately recovered through commission-jurisdictional rates. This dynamic results in, among other things, transmission customers paying more than is necessary or appropriate to meet their transmission needs, and customers missing out on benefits that outweigh their costs, which results in less efficient or cost-effective transmission investments.

For example, proponents of the new rule point to hundreds of millions of dollars in transmission costs that will result from the closure of a Maryland power plant in the region overseen by PJM Interconnection, the nations largest grid operator, as an example of poor planning.

It is hard to imagine the region could not have found a more cost- effective solution had it begun planning for that retirement along with other anticipated shifts further ahead of time, said Democratic Commissioner Allison Clements, who took Christie to task over his dissent. She said he was pushing the commission to take a fraught voyage to decide which public policies are appropriate for creating transmission demands.

All transmission needs are inherently influenced by state policies of all stripes, she said. The truth is that enormous sums of money are going to be spent on transmission investment regardless of whether or not its done within the framework of this new rule.

She argued that the new rule will protect customers from the pricey, fits-and-starts transmission buildout happening in much of the nation now.

Not everything is about politics, she said. It is not the commissions job to try and force the genie that is the energy transition back in the bottle. It is our legal responsibility to protect consumers in light of whatever is going on in the world around us.

Neil Chatterjee, a Republican former FERC chairman, posted on X that he would have voted for the rule if he was still on the commission.

Todays @ferc rule was voted out 2-1 but that does NOT mean its a partisan rule making, he wrote. Had I authored this rule as chair would it have looked exactly like this? Of course not. But it would have been in the range. Regulatory rule making is hard.

Benefit of having a big grid

Competitive transmission providers and clean energy groups were celebrating Monday. Organizations ranging from the American Council on Renewable Energy and the National Audubon Society to the Conservative Energy Network and Americans for a Clean Energy Grid issued statements applauding the order.

Some renewable power organizations had privately wondered whether a drive for a unanimous vote might produce a more watered-down rule to get Christie onboard. That might have left states with big renewable power goals paying for all the transmission costs necessary to accommodate them, as New Jersey is doing for its planned offshore wind buildout, even though that power generation could mean cheaper, cleaner electricity for its neighbors, also, along with other benefits.

The U.S. Department of Energy has found a pressing need for new transmission infrastructure across the country to alleviate congestion and improve reliability. Grid congestion costs electric customers billions of dollars a year, according to some reports. And because of the more diffuse nature of renewable power, getting it from where its produced to where its needed, as in the vast amount of wind power in the Great Plains, can require large, multi-state transmission lines.

Families and businesses are paying the price for utilities and grid operators failure to address our critical electricity infrastructure needs, said Heather ONeill, president and CEO at national clean power business association Advanced Energy United. Building more multi-state transmission lines unclogs the traffic jams on Americas electricity superhighways and unlocks our ability to keep up with our growing energy needs.

Justin Vickers, a senior attorney for the Sierra Club, said the rule appears to be firmly within FERCs jurisdiction, despite Christies concerns to the contrary.

I think the commission is on very strong footing here, he said. This is a way of maximizing the benefits of living in a big country. We can send power around the country. It increases reliability and it lowers price. Thats the benefit of having a big grid. .. Lets take advantage of it.

The Edison Electric Institute, which represents investor-owned utilities, said it was disappointed that FERC declined to include a right of first refusal policy for some transmission projects, which would have given their members first crack at some of the lines. The organization also said the rule lacked regional flexibilities for evaluating project benefits.

A one-size-fits-all approach does not work, as different regions have different needs and different states have different policies, said Phil Moeller, an executive vice president at the institute.

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Feds say Kentucky prosecutor who sought nude photos of defendant should serve 51 months

The federal government is seeking a sentence of four years and three months in prison for a former Kentucky prosecutor who solicited nude photos from a woman he did favors for in court.

Ronnie Goldy is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday, May 24.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew T. Boone filed a sentencing memorandum Wednesday arguing Goldy deserves the maximum sentence under advisory guidelines, in part because he lied while testifying at his trial.

Goldy, 52, was the commonwealths attorney  the felony prosecutor  in Rowan, Bath, Montgomery and Menifee counties from 2013 until February 2023.

He resigned as state legislators considered impeaching him.

A federal grand jury later charged that he did favors such as getting court dates continued for Misty Helton, a woman with a long record of charges for theft, drug trafficking and other offenses, and asked Helton to send him explicit photos and videos in exchange.

In one instance, Goldy told Helton he had gotten arrest warrants set aside for her, then sent a message saying, U owe me a very good video or two, according to the court record.

A jury in federal court in Lexington convicted Goldy on several charges, including honest services wire fraud. That was a charge that he defrauded the public out of the honest services he owed as an elected official.

Ronnie Goldy is the commonwealths attorney for the 21st Circuit if Bath, Menifee, Montgomery and Rowan counties.

Goldys attorney, Michael J. Curtis, said in a sentencing memorandum that Goldy was well-regarded as an attorney but will lose his profession as a result of being convicted.

Curtis sought a sentence of 33 months for Goldy.

In federal court, the U.S. Probation and Parole service calculates a potential sentencing range based on a number of factors, including a defendants criminal record and role in a crime.

Judges dont have to sentence people within the guideline range, but often do in order to avoid imposing significantly different sentences on people for similar crimes.

Curtis said the range for Goldy should be 33 to 41 months, so the sentence he sought would be at the bottom end.

However, Boone argued the guideline range should be 41 to 51 months, and said the government would seek a sentence at the top, along with a $15,000 fine.

Exchange of explicit images

Helton testified during the trial that she understood messages Goldy sent her to be requests for explicit images, and that she sent him nude photos.

Goldy testified that Helton send him photos, but that he never asked her to send him explicit photos or videos.

The guilty verdict showed the jury found Goldys testimony to be false, meaning it was an attempt to obstruct justice. That qualifies for an enhancement to the sentencing range, Boone said.

Boone asked Chief U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves to apply another enhancement as well, alleging Goldy involved a minor in his crimes.

Helton testified that when news broke about the Facebook messages between her and Goldy about explicit images, Goldy called her on a number she didnt recognize.

Goldy later told another person in his office that he had used a phone belonging to a friend of his minor son to call Helton and tell her not to talk to police or the media, according to the prosecution memo.

Boone said that Goldy should have used his power to punish crimes and protect the public, but instead used it to maintain a personal, and sometimes predatory, relationship with a criminal defendant.

Goldys crimes reflect stunning abuses of his authority and the publics trust, Boone wrote.

Reeves will resolve questions about the proper sentencing range for Goldy at the hearing next week.
SHUSHA, Azerbaijan, May 16. The construction of 17 residential buildings is envisaged within the framework of the project for the third residential complex in Azerbaijan's Shusha, Trend's Karabakh bureau reports.

This was announced during media representatives' visit to Shusha, where the third residential complex will be built, the foundation of which was laid by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev a few days ago.

In total, the complex will have 487 apartments.

The design work has been completed, and the construction work is scheduled to begin this summer.

To note, following the liberation of its territories from Armenian occupation in 2020, Azerbaijan initiated the long-awaited 'Great Return' program, which envisions the return of IDPs to their native lands.

Recently, a permanent settlement in Shusha city has been provided for 58 families, i.e., 224 people, in the first residential complex, while construction of the second one continues.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
DOTHAN, Ala. (WDHN)  Dothan Police enjoyed a sweet treat Thursday. However, one four-legged officer wasnt able to participate.

In a social media post by the Dothan Police Department, K9 Henk is seen slyly eyeing the last Krispy Kreme donut in a box after being told he couldnt have it.

Many people commented, fighting to get K9 Kenk that donut.

Give him the donut, and nobody gets hurt! How can you say no to the cuteness?! wrote Ellise R.

Another commenter said, Somebody gets that k9 officer and his other four-legged friends some treats!!

He definitely deserves a donut. Henk is a hard-working doggo who deserves all the treats and pet, wrote Kelly H.

The donuts were provided to the DPD by Southeast Alabama FOP Lodge 27 to celebrate Police Week.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDHN - wdhn.com.
The horrific scenes in Slovakia following the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico are a stark and brutal reminder of the dangers facing those who seek public office.

Fico, a pro-Russia left-wing populist, was recovering Thursday after being shot multiple times in the stomach. Government ministers closely aligned with the prime minister quickly called the shooting politically motivated, pointing the finger of blame for the toxic political atmosphere at the opposition and the media.

But Fico himself has been guilty of using emotive language in the past. He claimed the countrys outgoing progressive President Zuzana Caputova was an American agent and accused her  without any proof  of acting in the interests of the US financier George Soros, a frequent target for conspiracy theories. Caputovas allies said the comments have led to death threats.

The issue is obviously not isolated to Slovakia. Politics across Europe and elsewhere have become bitterly divided over the past decade, with far-right and radical left-wing populists increasing their influence both in domestic politics and at a European level. Ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza have added to these tensions, as citizens look to their leaders to take a stand on highly contentious issues.

These tensions exist in the same space as a political system that obliges elected officials to meet and mix with the people who vote them into office.

The shooting came at a time of extreme political divisions over Slovakias position in the world and its future.

Fico is, and has always been, a highly divisive politician. His supporters see him as a caring leader who has their interests at heart. His opponents say he is a corrupt populist whose pro-Russian leanings pose major risks.

Security personnel apprehend a suspected gunman after Slovakia's Prime Minister was shot in Handlova, Slovakia on May 15, 2024. - AFP/Getty Images

Ficos comments prompted Caputova to take legal action against Fico, suing him for defamation.

Despite being one of the most popular Slovakian politicians, Caputova announced last year that she would be stepping down and would not run again. She specifically cited verbal attacks against her and her family as being among the reasons why she felt she didnt have enough strength to serve for another term.

The assassination attempt against Fico came as his coalition government is trying to push through a number of divisive measures, sparking months of large-scale peaceful protests.

Ficos attempts to overhaul the criminal justice system are particularly controversial. The government is seeking to reduce penalties for corruption and has abolished the special prosecutors office, which was tasked with investigating serious and politically sensitive corruption cases, including some that concerned people directly connected to Fico and his party, SMER.

The government is also trying to shut down the public service broadcaster RTVS, planning to replace it with a new national broadcaster, which would be under tighter control of the government. That plan has sparked large-scale protests in Slovakia.

President Zuzana Caputova appoints Robert Fico the new Slovakian prime minister at the Presidential Palace in Bratislava, Slovakia, on 25 October 2023. - Jakub Gavlak/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Slovakia is not unique in its political divisions and move towards populism. Only this week, the Netherlands came one step closer to having a coalition government with a far-right party at its helm. In 2022, Giorgia Meloni became Italys prime minister after running on an anti-immigration, socially conservative ticket. While both these leaders are on the right and Fico is on the left, specific definitions between the left and right are becoming less helpful across Europe in the context of populism.

The swing towards populism is expected to play out in the European Parliamentary elections next month. Current polls suggest there will be enough far-right Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) that they will be able to block legislation.

Political division, emotive overseas conflicts, high levels of migration and struggling economies all add to a pressure cooker that makes it dangerous to be a politician these days.

Politicians are especially vulnerable to violent attacks for a few reasons. They are people whose position gives them a public platform that isnt dissimilar to that of a minor celebrity.

Unlike minor celebrities, they are human representations of policies that people have extremely strong feelings about.

If a politician belongs to a party that wont call for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, they support genocide in the eyes of some voters. If a politician supported Covid lockdowns, they stripped people of their liberties, in some peoples thinking. If an elected representative wants to keep funding Ukraine rather than encourage talks with Russia, some will see them as a warmonger thwarting peace.

Floral tributes and candles are placed by a picture of slain British Labour parliamentarian Jo Cox at a vigil in Parliament square in London on June 16, 2016. - DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/AFP/Getty Images

Politicians are also obliged to mix with the general public. In Britain, two sitting parliamentarians were murdered while holding meetings with the people they represented. In 2016, Jo Cox, a left-wing MP who had spoken in support of Syrian refugees, was killed by a far-right white supremacist. David Amess, a Conservative MP, was killed while meeting constituents at a church hall by an ISIS sympathiser.

The threat of violence can be felt by politicians far beyonds Europes borders. Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot dead in July 2022 as he gave a campaign speech. Last year, Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio  an anti-corruption campaigner and lawmaker  was shot dead during a campaign rally, 10 days before the first round of voting.

As long as they have these obligations to meet and mix, there is no amount of security that would completely remove this risk for politicians. Besides, limiting access to politicians could make the disconnect between the public and their elected representatives even worse.

Finally, if you are someone looking to make a political point through a public act of violence, then who better than the human representation of what you oppose? It may be horrible to admit that politically motivated violence against a politician is an effective way of gaining attention for your cause, but that is the calculation that those who carry out these attacks will make.

Attacking a random member of the public will not attract the media attention that attacking a politician will. Targeting someone with a public profile who actually represents something means that you can claim to be a political martyr rather than a simple murderer.

There are two obvious ways of reducing this risk: restricting access to politicians and obtaining better intelligence on potential attackers.

The first, while probably more effective, runs the risk of further alienating the public from their leaders. The second is time-consuming, requires increased investment in intelligence and security operations and results are not guaranteed.

The third, less obvious, way of improving the situation is to lower the temperature of political discourse.

In the days following the attack on Ficos life, the public will likely hear politicians across Europe calling for civility in politics and condemning radicalism. Next months European elections and the discourse in the run-up to them will show how serious they are about calming political tensions.

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The man who allegedly tried to assassinate Slovakia Prime Minister Robert Fico was charged with attempted murder Thursday. Juraj Cintula, 71, was arrested at the scene of the attempted assassination Wednesday. Police officers stand guard near the cordoned-off crime scene in Handlova, Slovakia, later on Wednesday. Photo By Jakub Gavlak/ EPA-EFE

May 16 (UPI) -- The man who allegedly tried to assassinate Slovakia Prime Minister Robert Fico was charged Thursday with attempted murder. Juraj Cintula, 71, is a former security guard and writer.

According to Slovakian TV Markiza, Cintula told police he planned the attack but did not intend to kill Fico. The alleged motive was disagreement with government policies.

Local media reports said Cintula co-founded a literary club in 2005, is a published poet and a member of the Slovak Writer's Association.

Cintula's son was quoted by local media confirming that his father didn't like Fico's policies and didn't vote for him.

Cintula has possessed a gun legally for over 30 years.

Slovak Prime Minister and chairman of the Smer-SD party Robert Fico (C) talks to media (2023). The director of Banska Bystrica hospital said Thursday Fico is in "stable, but very serious" condition following Wednesday's assassination attempt. File Photo By Martin Divisek/ EPA-EFE

Slovakia's foreign minister said Cintula doesn't belong to any political groups.

According to the director of Banska Bystrica hospital Fico's condition is "stable but very serious."

Fico and his political party has pro-Russian, pro-Vladimir Putin views. He has called for ending military support for Ukraine.

Fico was hit three times, in the stomach and leg, as the gunman fired five times Wednesday at point blank range.

Slovakian interior minister Matus Sutaj Estok called the shooting a shocking and sad event.

"An attack on Slovakia is an attack on democracy, on the state itself," Estok said. He said information so far indicates a political motivation to the crime.

According to Estok, Cintula was a "lone wolf" attacker not affiliated with any political groups, but had taken part in anti-government protests.

Slovakia Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba said Fico will survive and the operation to save him went well.

Slovakian authorities called for calm in the politically polarized country.

Cintula faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
Fico hit by four bullets, still in 'serious' condition, minister says

Minister of Defence of Slovakia Robert Kalinak (C) speaks during a press conference after an extraordinary meeting of the Security Council of the Slovak Republic in Bratislava. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot after a government meeting in Handlova on Wednesday. Pavel Neubauer/TASR/dpa

The condition of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is "still serious" following the assassination attempt a day ago, Defence Minister Robert Kalinak said on Thursday after a special meeting of the Security Council in Bratislava.

Kalinak, who is also deputy prime minister, said that Fico had been hit by four bullets and they had cause serious injuries. "The doctors have managed to stabilize his condition," he said, but stressed Fico is not yet out of danger. "We have had a difficult night," Kalinak said.

Minister of Interior of the Slovak Republic Matus Sutaj-Estok (3rd R) and Minister of Defence of Slovakia Robert Kalinak speak during a press conference after an extraordinary meeting of the Security Council of the Slovak Republic in Bratislava. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot after a government meeting in Handlova on Wednesday. Pavel Neubauer/TASR/dpa

Bodyguards take Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico to safety in a car from the scene of the incident. Fico had been shot and injured after a cabinet meeting in the town of Handlova. Radovan Stoklasa/TASR/dpa
Minister of Defence of Slovakia Robert Kalinak (C) speaks during a press conference after an extraordinary meeting of the Security Council of the Slovak Republic in Bratislava. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot after a government meeting in Handlova on Wednesday. Pavel Neubauer/TASR/dpa

The condition of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is "still serious" following the assassination attempt a day ago, Defence Minister Robert Kalinak said on Thursday after a special meeting of the Security Council in Bratislava.

Kalinak, who is also deputy prime minister, said that Fico had been hit by four bullets and they had cause serious injuries.

"The doctors have managed to stabilize his condition," he said, but stressed Fico is not yet out of danger. "We have had a difficult night," Kalinak said.

Miriam Lapunikova, director of the FD Roosevelt Hospital in Banska Bystrica, said Fico underwent a five-hour emergency operation on Wednesday evening.

Two teams of doctors were involved in the operation, and Fico continues to be under the constant care of a team of doctors, she said.

Fico, 59, was flown to hospital by helicopter after the shooting attack that followed a government meeting in the central town of Handlova.

The suspected shooter, who was arrested at the scene, is a 71-year-old man from the town of Levice, according to Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok. Initial questioning had revealed a "clear political motive," according to the minister.

According to media reports, the man had worked for a private security service in the past and therefore had a firearms licence.

The attack occurred as Fico, a left-wing nationalist, went outside to shake hands after a Cabinet meeting held at the House of Culture in Handlova. One of the shots hit him in the abdomen.

The local television station RTV Prievidza published a video of the incident showing a man pushing against the fence and shooting at the prime minister from close range.

Experts in Slovakia criticized the security precautions surrounding Fico's outing.

"Fico himself spoke a few weeks ago about the danger of someone shooting at politicians," former Slovakian police chief Stefan Hamran told the Dennik N newspaper on Thursday.

He also criticized the reaction of security staff after the shots were fired. "There was chaos there, that is obvious and that is a failure."

The former head of the Slovakian personal security unit, Juraj Zabojnik, also criticized the prime minister's bodyguards. "If four or five shots can be fired, someone is to blame," he told the news channel TA3. He said he had not seen any of the bodyguards stand in front of the head of government.

Outgoing President Zuzana Caputova and her successor Peter Pellegrini have invited all political parties for consultations.

"Let's get out of the vicious circle of hatred and mutual accusations," Caputova appealed to the public in a televised speech in Bratislava.

She said the attack on Fico had been an individual act. "But the tense atmosphere of hatred was our collective work."

During the speech, Caputova and Pellegrini made a joint appearance. "We want to send a signal of understanding in this tense situation," said Caputova, from the liberal Progressive Slovakia party.

Pellegrini, who joined Fico's coalition, called on the political parties to suspend or at least limit their election campaigns ahead of the European elections in June until the situation has calmed down.

The usual heated political discourse in the country has come to a standstill. A turbulent parliamentary session was cancelled on Wednesday afternoon and adjourned indefinitely.

The liberal opposition parties cancelled all political rallies for the time being. They had originally called for a mass demonstration on Wednesday evening against Fico's plan to dissolve the public radio and television station RTVS.

Fico had only recently accused the opposition of fuelling a climate of hostility against his government, saying it could not be ruled out that an act of violence would occur at some point given the level of vitriol.

Fico is the founder and leader of the left-wing party Smer, which has recently become increasingly nationalistic, and has been one of Slovakia's most popular politicians for almost 30 years.

At the same time, however, he has polarized the small Central European country. Opponents call him "pro-Russian" and accuse him of wanting to lead Slovakia on a similar course as Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who promotes what he calls "illiberal democracy."

Minister of Interior of the Slovak Republic Matus Sutaj-Estok (3rd R) and Minister of Defence of Slovakia Robert Kalinak speak during a press conference after an extraordinary meeting of the Security Council of the Slovak Republic in Bratislava. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot after a government meeting in Handlova on Wednesday. Pavel Neubauer/TASR/dpa

Bodyguards take Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico to safety in a car from the scene of the incident. Fico had been shot and injured after a cabinet meeting in the town of Handlova. Radovan Stoklasa/TASR/dpa
A wounded Robert Fico is carried away from the shooting scene, an incident that has shocked Slovakia

The assassination attempt on Robert Fico, Slovakias prime minister, is unprecedented in the countrys history.

But the attack, which the premier is likely to survive, speaks to an increasingly poisonous atmosphere in the central European nation of 5.5 million people.

In response to the attack, Zuzana Caputova, the countrys liberal outgoing president, and her successor Peter Pellegrini, an ally of the prime minister, have jointly called for calm.

But some sense of the tensions they are trying to manage could be gleaned from the reaction of Tomas Taraba, the deputy premier from the ultranationalist Slovak National Party, who said that the entire opposition had blood on their hands, or from the finance minister from the ruling Smer party who blamed the media for the hunt that [they] set off [on the premier].

Slovakia's president Zuzana Caputova and her imminent replacement Peter Pellegrini react to the shooting - Petr David Josek/AP

While no political leaders have been targeted like this in Slovakia, it was not an isolated incident of high-profile violence.

In 2018, 27-year-old investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee were murdered by a contract killer.

In 2022, two young gay men were shot outside a bar in Bratislava, the capital.

Just last year, the countrys president decided not to seek re-election, citing continuous death threats on her family, despite being the most popular national politician at the time.

Few countries can claim to have a harmonious society, but tensions within Slovakia have soared in recent years.

During the pandemic, the then-opposition with Fico in charge strongly opposed lockdown measures implemented by the previous government.

Following Russias invasion of Ukraine, Slovakias eastern neighbour, the country split further between those who unconditionally supported Ukraine and those campaigning against the EUs sanctions on Russia and calling for an end to Western military aid  with the prime minister firmly in the latter camp.

Those divisions have only deepened after the parliamentary election last autumn in which Fico returned to power after a remarkable political comeback.

A man holds the Slovak flag outside the hospital where Fico is fighting for his life - MARTIN DIVISEK/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Last time in office, in 2018, the prime minister was forced to step down by the furore over the journalist murder, which had sparked public protests throughout the country.

His track record in office was a mix of generous social policies that made him popular among pensioners and those living in impoverished regions and corruption scandals that turned others against him.

Out of power, the tide was turning against Fico. Several of his former colleagues were accused of bribery, with some even ending up in prison.

Fico himself was investigated for forming a criminal organisation, though the charge against him was later dropped by the public prosecutor.

During this time, the veteran of Slovak politics altered his political outlook.

More critical of the EU and the West, he successfully tapped into the political chaos left by the previous government and a thriving nationalist sentiment, coming first in the election last autumn.

He sealed a coalition deal with the moderate centre-Left Hlas and the ultranationalist Slovak National Party and became prime minister for the fourth time in the countrys history.

Half a year into office, his governments actions have been highly divisive not only within Slovakia but also in Europe.

Ficos government has been criticised for scrapping the office of the special prosecutor investigating high-profile corruption cases, softening white-collar criminal penalties, and deciding to dismantle the national broadcaster just to reinstate it under more political control.

Not only has this led to mass opposition-led protests across the country, but it has also attracted sharp criticism by the European Commission, concerned about whether Slovakia might be following the rule-of-law violations in neighbouring Hungary.

Robert Fico, speaking after meeting his Hungarian counterpart in Budapest on Jan 16, is controversially pro-Russian - ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP via Getty

The risk is that the latest events will split the country even further.

The pro-Western opposition parties concerned about the erosion of democratic norms might feel disempowered to oppose the governments policies, while the government could be emboldened to double down on its illiberal instincts, only exacerbating the tensions that appear to have led to the assault on the Slovak premier.

This would be the worst possible outcome.

In a democracy, the policies of a ruling government must be allowed to be debated, disagreed with, and criticised.

But disagreement must never be used as a pretext for violence of any kind.

And violence must never be used for political point-scoring or, worse, legitimation of undemocratic measures.

It remains to be seen if Slovakia will learn those lessons.

Anton Spisak is an associate fellow at the Centre for European Reform in London

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Fifth US tourist arrested in Turks and Caicos on ammunition charges

Another US tourist was arrested Monday in Turks and Caicos after being accused of carrying ammunition into the islands.

That makes this the fifth arrest in recent months of a US national on ammunition possession charges in the British Overseas Territory, a chain of 40 islands located in the tropical Atlantic Ocean southeast of the Bahamas.

The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force said in a news release that Sharitta Shinese Grier, 45, of Orlando, Florida, was charged with one count of possession of ammunition after a routine security search at the Howard Hamilton International Airport on the island of Providenciales on May 13. The search found that Grier had ammunition in her possession, the news release said.

Grier appeared in the Turks and Caicos Magistrate Court on Thursday and remains in custody until her next court appearance on July 5, police said.

CNN has not been able to determine whether Grier has an attorney or to reach her family for comment.

Four others face ammo charges

Earlier this month, the Turks and Caicos Government released a statement confirming that four Americans were charged with possession of ammunition offenses. All four are accused of bringing varying amounts of ammunition into the islands, and some have publicly said that they did so accidentally.

Carrying firearms in Turks and Caicos is prohibited, according to the TCI Government. Bringing firearms or ammunition, including stray bullets, into the British Overseas Territory without prior permission from police is strictly forbidden.

Individuals who violate the law face a minimum 12 years in prison, the US Embassy in the Bahamas stated in an April advisory. On May 8, the Turks and Caicos Attorney General said in a news release that judges have discretion to lower the minimum sentence and adjust fines when there are exceptional circumstances.

One of the US nationals facing charges, Bryan Hagerich, is expected to be sentenced on May 29, according to a lawyer representing him. Hagerich pleaded guilty to possession of 20 rounds of ammunition and was detained at Hamilton International in February.

Governors make appeals of mercy

Three US governors have signed a letter addressed to Turks and Caicos Gov. Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam addressing the recent arrests.

Govs. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Glenn Youngkin of Virginia wrote to their Turks and Caicos counterpart asking her to reconsider the charges and expedite their release for three of the men arrested  one from each of the governors respective states.

They have all maintained that they did not intend to bring ammunition into Turks and Caicos, the three governors wrote in the letter. We humbly ask that your government  in its wisdom  temper justice with mercy and recognize that these men made mistakes but had no apparent malicious intent.

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In a bittersweet ceremony steps from the White House, families who were part of the historic Brown v. Board Supreme Court decision called out persistent and pervasive racial inequities in the nations schools while being honored for their sacrifices in challenging segregation 70 years ago.

Family members and NAACP President Derrick Johnson spoke of the violent threats endured for years following the decision, which outlawed separating children into schools by their race.

President Joe Biden met with the delegation of two original plaintiffs, about 20 descendants and NAACP leadership critical in fighting for these and other hard-won freedoms for Black Americans, according to a White House official.

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Several family members reiterated the struggle to make good on Browns promise of quality education for all is far from over.

We have a lot of work to do, said Cheryl Brown Henderson, youngest daughter of namesake plaintiff Oliver Brown, just after leaving the Oval Office.  Were still fighting the battle over whose children we invest in.

In the private meeting, family members said they urged the President to continue that fight and support HBCUs. President Biden thanked them for taking on the risks required to push back on Jim Crow and segregation, including risking your life, your livelihood, your home, said Brown Henderson.

Families were guided on a tour of the White House before meeting with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office (Marianna McMurdock)

At least one litigating familys home was burned to the ground in South Carolina. Many others lost jobs, compounding the challenges Black families faced in trying to build economic wealth less than a century after the fall of slavery.

One descendant urged the President to consider a national holiday commemorating the landmark court decision so that its significance and history would not be lost.

We have yet to fulfill the promise of Brown, said NAACP President Derrick Johnson, adding that teaching adequate history is being threatened in multiple states. Last month, the organization filed a lawsuit against the state of Arkansas for its anti-indoctrination law and alleged discrimination against Advanced Placement African American Studies courses.

Related

Report: State by State, How Segregation Legally Continues 7 Decades Post Brown

So the fight continues, Johnson said. It is a political fight. It is a legal fight. It is a moral fight, to ensure that we have a future thats reflective of the demographics of this country today and not the demographics of 1950.

Earlier this week, scholars at Stanford University and University of Southern California unveiled troubling research that school segregation steadily increased in the last three decades. Experts say theres an urgent need to reform how students are sorted into schools  four states require, and nearly all allow, districts to enforce attendance zones, which often mirror racist housing or sundown town boundaries from nearly a century ago.

Related

Schools are More Segregated than 30 Years Ago. But How Much?

Family members called out the presss failure to accurately document challenges to Browns implementation and racial educational inequities being played out in schools today. They also voiced criticism for the administrations military and war spending in comparison to education priorities. This week President Biden authorized an additional $1 billion arms sale for Israel and late last month signed a $95 billion war measure for aid to Ukraine, Taiwan and other countries.

The truth about education in America? Are the kids from the Indian reservations  in West Virginia, or my mothers hometown in South Carolina [getting quality education]? I say no. Tell me Im wrong, said Nathaniel Briggs, son of the namesake plaintiff in Briggs v. Elliot. Well spend millions of dollars to buy an airplane and a bomb, but not on education.

Nathaniel Briggs, son of namesake plaintiff in Briggs v. Elliot which led to the fall of school segregation in South Carolina, charged the media to do a better job reporting on education inequity, and Washington to reconsider its spending priorities. (Marianna McMurdock)

Thursdays event was the first of several NAACP and White House engagements commemorating the anniversary. Tomorrow, seven decades to the day since the court issued the Brown decision, the President will share remarks at the African American Smithsonian.
In this photo provided by Atin-Ito/Akbayan Party, a Chinese Coast Guard ship, background, passes the boats of activists and volunteers from a nongovernment coalition called Atin Ito, Tagalog for This is Ours, at the South China Sea on Thursday May 16, 2024. About 100 Filipino activists on wooden boats have decided not to sail closer to a fiercely disputed shoal in the South China Sea on Thursday to avoid a confrontation with dozens of Chinese coast guard and suspected militia ships guarding the area. (Atin-Ito/Akbayan Party via AP)

MANILA, Philippines (AP)  About 100 Filipino activists on wooden boats have decided not to sail closer to a fiercely disputed shoal in the South China Sea on Thursday to avoid a confrontation with dozens of Chinese coast guard and suspected militia ships guarding the area.

Accompanied by journalists on four boats, the activists will distribute food packs and fuel to Filipino fishermen about 58 nautical miles (107 kilometers) southeast of Scarborough Shoal and then sail back home, Emman Hizon and other organizers said.

Chinese and Philippine coast guard and accompanying ships have had a series of increasingly hostile territorial faceoffs at Scarborough, which is surrounded by the Chinese coast guard, and at Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal since last year. The Chinese ships have used powerful water cannons and employed blocking and other dangerous maneuvers that led to minor collisions, injured several Filipino navy personnel and strained diplomatic ties.

The United States has repeatedly warned that it's obligated to defend the Philippines, its longtime treaty ally, if Filipino forces, ships or aircraft come under an armed attack in the region, including in the busy South China Sea. That has sparked fears a conflict could involve Washington if the territorial disputes escalate out of control.

The activists and fishing community leaders, who belong to a nongovernment coalition called Atin Ito, Tagalog for This is Ours, provided aid to Filipino fishermen and floated symbolic territorial buoys on Wednesday on their way to Scarborough's outlying waters to assert Philippine sovereign rights over the atoll. But two Chinese coast guard ships started shadowing them Wednesday night, according to Hizon and the Philippine coast guard.

A group of 10 activists managed to evade the Chinese blockade by at least 46 ships in the outlying waters on Wednesday and distributed food and fuel to Filipinos fishing closer to the atoll. That was cited by the activists in declaring that their mission was a success.

We managed to breach their illegal blockade, reaching the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc to support our fishers with essential supplies, said Rafaela David, an activist leader who led the voyage to the disputed waters. Mission accomplished.

The Philippine coast guard deployed three patrol ships and a light plane on Wednesday to keep watch on the activists, who set off from western Zambales province. Dozens of journalists joined the three-day voyage.

In December, the group mounted an expedition to another disputed shoal but cut the trip short after being tailed by a Chinese ship.

China effectively seized Scarborough Shoal, a triangle-shaped atoll with a vast fishing lagoon ringed by mostly submerged coral outcrops, by surrounding it with its coast guard ships after a tense 2012 standoff with Philippine government ships.

Angered by Chinas action, the Philippine government brought the territorial disputes to international arbitration in 2013 and largely won, with a tribunal in The Hague ruling three years later that Chinas expansive claims based on historical grounds in the busy seaway were invalid under the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The ruling declared Scarborough Shoal a traditional fishing area for Chinese, Filipino and Vietnamese fishermen, but China refused to join the arbitration, rejected the ruling and continues to defy it.

Two weeks ago, Chinese coast guard and suspected militia ships used water cannons on Philippine coast guard and fisheries ships patrolling Scarborough Shoal, damaging both ships.

The Philippines condemned the Chinese coast guards action at the shoal, which lies in Manila's internationally recognized exclusive economic zone. The Chinese coast guard said it took a necessary measure after the Philippine ships violated Chinas sovereignty.

Aside from the Philippines and China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also been involved in the long-seething territorial disputes.

Indonesia has also had skirmishes with Chinese vessels in resource-rich waters stretching from its Natuna islands to the margins of the South China Sea, which Beijing has claimed virtually in its entirety.

The Indonesian navy has fired warning shots in the past and seized Chinese fishing boats it accused of encroaching into Indonesian waters.
VISALIA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE)  The Visalia Fire Department is asking residents to avoid a residential area in the city as they battle a fire Wednesday evening.

Firefighters say around 7:30 p.m. they responded to the 1700 block of West Whitendale Avenue for a reported structure fire.

Photos provided by the department below reveal a residential area with smoke coming from it. It is unknown how many of the surrounding homes are at risk, if any.







Crews are actively battling the fire and ask the public to avoid the area.

Firefighters advise Whitendale Avenue between Giddings Street and Dayton Street is shut down.

The cause of the fire is actively under investigation and more information will be provided as it becomes available.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. The Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) is actively working to protect citizens from financial sector fraud, chief specialist of CBA Khayala Mammadova said during a panel session at the Fintex Summit 2024 in Baku, Trend reports.

As technology advances, fraud scenarios are evolving. We plan to do a lot to ensure cybersecurity in the financial sector, she said.

According to the CBA representative, the financial sector also works on improving cybersecurity.

"In this regard, data will be gathered, analyzed, and report samples refined," Mammadova emphasized.

She pointed out that international precedent indicates that with technological advancement comes a surge in cyber risks and threats.

"Consequently, we're exerting our utmost efforts to shield citizens from these risks. This encompasses citizen education. Enhancing citizen literacy in this domain is crucial, alongside fostering responsible conduct in operations," Mammadova concluded.

To note, the Fintex Summit 2024 is taking place in Baku, spanning from May 15 through May 16. The summit focuses on various key themes, including the evolution of the fintech sector, strategies for countering cyber threats, digitalization initiatives, the trajectory of the payment industry, the integration of artificial intelligence, advancements in cashless transactions, regional fintech sector growth, and the dynamics within the realm of digital currencies.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
As of Wednesday, the South Carolina had 11 cities and towns that have passed local laws specifically punishing hate crimes, despite the state failing for years to pass such a law.

Now another Palmetto State city joins the list

Cayce unanimously gave final approval to a hate crime ordinance this week. The measure allows the city to add an additional charge if someone is deemed to have committed a crime with the intent to intimidate another person based on their race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, physical or mental disability, or national origin.

The measure makes the city of about 13,500 the first municipality in Lexington County to pass such an ordinance and the third in the Midlands area, joining Columbia (with a population of about 140,000) and Arcadia Lakes (with a population of about 850).

It was championed by City Councilman Byron Thomas, who was voted onto council in November.

This ordinance lets people know that our culture and our community is a loving culture and hate wont have a place in the city of Cayce, Thomas said ahead of the final vote. And I just challenge the other cities and towns and Lexington County and South Carolina and our amazing state delegation to pass some type of hate ordinance or hate law, because hate has no place in the classiest state in America, South Carolina.

The addition of the hate crime ordinance was supported by Cayce Police Chief Chris Cowan, who said that while there hasnt been any crime that would have applied to it thus far in his three years leading the department, thats no reason not to go ahead with the ordinance.

Why wait until that? Cowan said. We dont need to wait until it happens for us to say, Oh God, I wish we had a hate ordinance. Its just another tool, but its also more importantly, its another message that we send to people that were going to do what we can to protect you.

South Carolina and Wyoming are the only states not to have enacted some sort of hate crime law, which Mayor Elise Partin said was part of the discussions City Council had in considering the ordinance.

It certainly was part of what I heard Councilman Thomas voice, that if the states not taking it up he would like for us to, she said. Lawyers do have additional tools that they can use to address some of these things right now. But it does send a message to the state to say, Hey, you know, where this fits, where you can make this work on a statewide level, lets do the right thing.

The ordinance specifically notes that it covers antisemitism and stipulates that people are barred from disseminating hate materials within the city. Cowan said both of these inclusions came out of conversations with other municipalities that have added hate crime ordinances, including Clemson, Charleston, Mount Pleasant and Florence, and the language reflects what others have found most successful.

As to any First Amendment concerns with the ban on hate materials, the chief said he isnt concerned.

We dont want people standing in our parks where kids are playing or families are out, and people standing on tops of picnic tables or in the street corner yelling and spewing nasty rhetoric that is just hurtful to people, Cowan said.

Weve seen a lot of that in this country, he added. We havent seen that, knock on wood, here. But we have seen it across the country. And we dont want that here.

Tim James, the citys mayor pro tem, said hes proud to see Cayce be the first municipality in the county to add such an ordinance.

I applauded Byron Thomas, our council member, for being steadfast on this, he said. I fear sometimes that any absence of a law on the books could send some type of unintentional message. However, having laws on the books sends a very strong message of what we do and do not support. Its important that our city recognizes that we support everyone.
First Lady begins Women for Biden tour of Michigan in Marquette

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WJMN)  The 2024 Presidential election is bringing some attention to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. First Lady Jill Biden kicks off her Women for Biden campaign in the state with a stop in Marquette on Thursday.

Biden will be joined by Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff.

Here is the full video from the event at Ore Dock Brewing Company in Marquette:

Following the campaign stop in Marquette, the First Lady will head to Chippewa County for community events Thursday evening and Friday morning with the Bay Mills Indian Community and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

The First Lady and Second Gentleman will tour the Soo Locks before traveling to Midland, Michigan and then Detroit Friday night and Saturday morning.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJMN - UPMatters.com.
The terminal and air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Patrick Donovan/Getty Photos)

The U.S. House voted 387-26 Wednesday to clear a bill to reauthorize $105 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration for the next five years  and to finalize a hotly debated deal adding flights at busy Washington Reagan National Airport.

Advocates for the bill, which won votes from every ideological corner of the often-divided House, touted its aviation safety and consumer provisions. The House vote sends the measure to President Joe Bidens desk ahead of a Friday deadline. The Senate approved the legislation last week.

The only member to speak against the bill during floor debate Tuesday was Virginias Don Beyer, a Democrat who, like the entire U.S. Senate delegation from Maryland and Virginia, opposed a provision to add five incoming and five outgoing flights at Washington Reagan National Airport across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.

The bill:

Increases funding for the Airport Improvement Program that funds infrastructure improvements at airports of all sizes across the country;

Requires the agency to hire more air traffic controllers;

Updates the aircraft safety certification process; and

Requires airlines to automatically refund passengers on flights delayed three hours or longer, among many other provisions in its more than 1,000 pages.

Missouri congressman could not be more proud

The bills passage was something of a career capstone for House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Sam Graves, a Missouri Republican and one of the few pilots in Congress.

Ive served in this House for more than 23 years and Ive been looking forward to passing an FAA bill as chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for a long time, he said on the floor Tuesday. This is the kind of bill that a chairman only gets to do once in their career and I could not be more proud of the final product that we put together.

Graves is in his third term as the top Republican on the committee and, under House GOP rules, cannot seek another, though he can ask party leaders to waive that rule.

He highlighted protections in the bill for general aviation, a term that can apply to all non-commercial and non-military flights.

Rep. Rick Larsen, the ranking Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, applauded several provisions in the bill, including the Airport Improvement Program funding, which he said could be used for alternative-fuel infrastructure and to mitigate noise and other harmful effects of airports in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

The bill also creates a program to help airports replace firefighting foam made with PFAS, or forever chemicals, funds workforce development grants and bans airlines from charging families to sit together, the Washington Democrat said.

The bill cements a safer, cleaner, greener, more innovative and accessible future for U.S. aviation, Larsen said.

DCA flights

Six no votes in the House came from members from Virginia who opposed a provision adding flights to Washington National, also called DCA.

The states congressional delegation, along with Marylands U.S. senators, has said the airport already strains to safely handle the traffic it currently operates. Adding flights will only worsen the safety environment, they said.

Im deeply concerned about the provisions that would aggravate dangerous conditions at National Airport, Beyer said Tuesday. I cannot support a bill that hurts my constituents, disrespects all the elected leaders from Virginia, Maryland and D.C., and directly harms our airport and the passengers who use it.

Members from outside the capital region argued the additional flights would be a positive. Rep. Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat, said they would add connectivity and economic expansion.

Rep. Burgess Owens, a Utah Republican, also applauded the extra flights.

This legislation (was) designed not for one airport and one airline, but for all of us, he said. It gives more convenience, more opportunities to families traveling into Washington, D.C.

The five new routes have not been selected but some members, including Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican who is the ranking member on the Senate committee that oversees aviation, have speculated that San Antonio could be one beneficiary.

Research from Min-Seok Pang, a professor at Temple Universitys Fox School of Business in Philadelphia, Russell J. Funk, a professor at the University of Minnesotas Carlson School of Management, and Daniel Hirschman, a sociology professor at Cornell University, found that the U.S. House district represented by the chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee sees more commercial aviation service.

The data show transportation committee chairs saw flights to their districts increase by more than 5% on average from 1990 to 2019. Airlines also increased direct service to Washington from a chairs district, the analysis, which was published last year in the academic journal Organization Science, showed. The numbers generally reverted to normal after the chairs term.

The post Five-year FAA bill clears U.S. House, boosting flights into Washington, D.C. appeared first on Utah News Dispatch.
Five heartbroken couples have sued the owners of a wedding venue in Minnesota that closed without warning ahead of their big days.

The couples have filed lawsuits against wedding venue owners Wayne and Angela Butt as well as their business Circle B Weddings and Events, reported KSTP-TV.

The lawsuits allege that they neglected to inform them that their venue in Isanti, Minnesota, was shutting down, despite all having left a down payment to book the venue.

In the court filings, they have demanded that their down payments and court filings be reimbursed. The suits are also asking for repayment of non-refundable deposits made to vendors, caterers, and DJs - all of which were booked in advance like the venue.

Four out of five of the lawsuits were filed in Washington County where the Butts live, while one was filed in Isanti County where their event planning business is located. The lawsuits are requesting more than $40,000, with each of the plaintiffs alleging they paid the couple and were told nothing was amiss, only to receive an email on 21 April informing them of the complete opposite.

The email stated that the owners were closing the venue permanently, and would not be receiving any calls or emails during that time.

We kind of figured they werent going to give us our money back and this was our last resort, bride Ellie Blaul told a local news outlet. She explained that she had paid for the venue in full totaling $8,243, and was expecting to have her wedding there in October. The sudden closing of the venue has decidedly put a wrench in her plans.

We got the email and we were just in shock, Blaul admitted. Honestly, at first, I thought it was a scam.

When she tried to reach the Butts, she found that their phones were disconnected. Later on, shed come to find out that the wedding venue was also being listed for sale.

Outdoor wedding reception set up on woods (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The sudden shutdown of the venue led many couples to either scramble for a new location or change their plans, which can make the already costly event all the more expensive.

Several businesses across Minnesota and nearby western Wisconsin reached out to them to help. One bride, Heidi Kafura, noted that the whole situation has made her more wary about signing contracts, especially in her search for a new venue.

Our big thing when weve been looking at other venues is we automatically have said, can we have a copy of your contract because were scared, said Kafura, who filed the lawsuit to get back the $5,641 she put down as a deposit.

She plans on having her wedding in August. Despite the setback brought on by the Butts suddenly shutting down their venue, Kafura said she looked at the situation as a learning experience. Its about us coming together, making that commitment together and well figure it out one way or another.

The Butts are scheduled for four hearings in July, with their lawyer Ryan Kaess telling outlets that he doesnt see a story here and maintaining that closures are simply an unfortunate part of the wedding business.
Israeli soldiers carry the casket of Staff Sgt. Lavi Lipshitz during his funeral. Lipshitz was killed during a ground operation in the Gaza Strip. Five Israeli soldiers killed by apparent friendly fire in north Gaza. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

Five Israeli soldiers have been killed and three seriously injured in an incident in northern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Thursday after an information embargo was lifted.

According to Israeli media reports, the soldiers were killed by friendly fire from Israeli tanks during battles against militants on Wednesday.

The tanks reportedly fired on a building in the refugee camp of Jabalia where the soldiers were staying. Those operating the tanks had mistaken the soldiers for armed Palestinians, it said.

According to the Jerusalem Post, the armoured vehicles had been under heavy pressure at the time because they had been shot at with dozens of anti-tank grenades in battles with extremist Palestinians. As a result, all the viewing slits and the top hatch of the tanks were said to have been closed for protection.

According to the army, Wednesday's incident brings the number of Israeli soldiers killed since the start of the Gaza war on October to 7 to 626. Around 3,500 others have been injured.

Some 35,000 Palestinians are said to have been killed in the fighting triggered by the unprecedented massacre led by Palestinian extremist organization Hamas on Israel on October 7.

That day, Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage to the Gaza Strip. Israel responded by pounding Gaza with massive airstrikes and launching a ground offensive into the coastal area.
The Israeli military says 'the shooting consisted of two tank shells' - JACK GUEZ/AFP

Israels military has said five soldiers were killed by friendly fire in Gazas north, where intense fighting has resumed more than seven months into its war against Hamas militants.

The troops were killed on Wednesday at 7pm local time in the area of Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, the military said in a statement.

The latest fatalities take the number of Israeli troops killed in the Gaza military campaign to 278 since the start of the ground offensive on Oct 27.

Five soldiers of the 202nd Paratrooper Battalion were killed last night in a mass casualty incident as a result of fire by our forces, the military statement said, adding that seven other troops were wounded.

Intense fighting has resumed in Gaza - Anadolu

Two tanks in the area, where there has been particularly fierce fighting in recent days, opened fire on a house used by the Israeli battalions deputy commander, the military said.

The shooting consisted of two tank shells, it added.

From the initial investigation... it appears that the tank fighters, from the ultra-Orthodox paratrooper company Hetz, identified a gun barrel coming out of one of the windows in the building, and directed each other to shoot at the building, the statement said.

The Israeli military says two tanks in the area opened fire on a house used by the Israeli battalion's deputy commander - Anadolu

On Dec 12, the military said that more than a tenth of its troops killed in Gaza at that time died as a result of Israeli fire, while some other deaths were caused by accidents.

Fighting has raged in recent days in northern Gaza, with an army spokesman saying there were attempts by Hamas to rebuild its military capabilities months after Israel had declared the Palestinian armed groups command structure in the area dismantled.

Fierce battles and heavy Israeli bombardments have been reported in north Gazas Jabalia refugee camp and the central Nuseirat camp since the army launched a targeted operation focusing on the southern city of Rafah in early May.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
The Florida Bar is ramping up its investigation into recently ousted Miami City Attorney Victoria Mendez, who was accused of misconduct for calling local filmmaker Billy Corben a vile little man during a live-broadcast City Commission meeting in January.

In his complaint, Corben accused Mendez of embarrassingly unprofessional antics and knowingly making false accusations during her public outburst by suggesting that he had been secretly paid to lobby the commission for her removal  an allegation Corben has repeatedly denied.

On April 26, following a preliminary fact-finding inquiry, the bar notified Mendez that the case had been transferred to its Miami branch office, where bar counsel will be assigned to conduct further investigation per the bars discipline process. The escalation suggests the regulatory body was not satisfied by Mendezs written response, in which she dismissed Corbens complaint as little more than his latest effort to harass me.

According to the bar website, most complaints are thrown out without discipline following a review of the accused attorneys written response and the complainants rebuttal. The site noted that only one of every three complaints warrants further investigation, a step in the process handled by the branch office in the judicial circuit where the accused attorney practices.

Mendez was unapologetic in her written response, dated March 21, arguing her actions do not rise to the level of a Florida Bar violation. In her letter, Mendez said she takes ethics and integrity seriously, noting her tenure as city attorney and a dozen other professional accolades, including previously serving as chair of the Florida Bar Grievance Committee.

In his complaint, Corben said Mendez falsely accused him of secretly being paid to agitate for her removal by William Fuller, a Little Havana businessman who has been locked in litigation against the city for years. As city attorney, Corben said Mendez had been well aware of a sworn testimony in which Fuller denied those allegations.

But Mendez told the bar Corben misunderstood her meaning during the city meeting when she asked him to represent, pursuant to the City Code, how hes been paid to be here and then tied the move to unseat her to an acquaintance of Fullers attorney  an effort she said Corben was involved in personally.

In her written response, Mendez said she was not accusing Corben of being paid by a particular person, but rather asking him to disclose who was paying him to be there, based on his business model of selling merchandise, blogging and posting content from the commission meetings to social media.

Read the complaint, response and rebuttal

Mendez did not dispute calling Corben names. But she told the bar her comments cannot be read in a vacuum. She accused Corben of years of harassment and defamation leading up to the commission meeting where he called for her removal and referred to her as a mob lawyer during public comment, provoking what she said was her first and only public reaction.

Mendez maintained that her comments were not inappropriate or disparaging and did not violate bar rules of decorum because she had simply stated [Corben] was little and vile. And, she argued, each and every comment that he places about me or my husband or Cubans in general is vile.

To underscore her point, Mendez attached exhibits showing memes posted to Corbens social media accounts which depict her as Ursula from Disneys The Little Mermaid, late-Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, and sitting on the dais with corrupt stamped across the image, among other things. Mendez said in her response that her father was a political prisoner in Cuba.

Filmmaker Billy Corben in Miami City Hall wearing a t-shirt inspired by then-City Attorney Victoria Mendezs public remarks calling him a vile little man.

Corben defended his actions in a rebuttal submitted to the bar on April 25, arguing the memes have the same constitutional protections as editorial cartoons printed in newspapers. Corben denied Mendezs allegations of racism and xenophobia, saying his social media accounts are proof that he is unabashedly an equal opportunity critic of Miamis ruling class. He accused Mendez of using lies and smears  to distract the Bar from her own bad behavior.

But my conduct has no bearing on this matter, Corben wrote in the rebuttal. Unlike Ms. Mendez, I am not a member of the Florida Bar. I am, however, a citizen and a journalist who is unequivocally entitled to freedom of speech and press.

Significant events

Last month, Mendez was removed from her position as city attorney in a 4-1 vote after newly elected commissioner Damian Pardo voiced concerns over her behavior, which he described as at times insubordinate and at times disrespectful. Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela also questioned Mendezs legal judgment in the various lawsuits facing the city, saying he didnt trust her advice.

In his rebuttal, Corben included a transcript from the removal proceedings, saying that Mendez reacted by essentially cross-examining her own client  Commissioner Pardo  as though he were a hostile witness in a courtroom.

That was just one example, Corben wrote, of the significant events warranting the Bars attention that have occurred since the initial complaint was filed. He noted that Mendez also became so combative during a hearing in a civil case accusing Mendez of misusing her public office to benefit her husbands house-flipping company that the judge was forced to silence her microphone. Mendez is facing a separate bar investigation over the allegations in that case.

While he admitted that his complaint might seem trivial, Corben said the gravity of this matter goes far beyond Ms. Mendez hurling insults at a critic. 

What should be of paramount concern to the Bar (and its members) is the fact that Ms. Mendez feels so emboldened and entitled to act the way she does in such public fashions and forums, Corben wrote in his rebuttal. This is even more true when considered in the context of her public disrespect for [the judge] and even her own clients, Commissioners Gabela and Pardo, during public proceedings.

According to a spokesperson for the bar, open investigations can be expanded to include new allegations of potential violations beyond those mentioned in the original complaint. Its unclear whether the bar is considering any new information presented in Corbens rebuttal as the initial investigative process is confidential.

Mendez declined to comment on the investigation or the wide-ranging allegations in Corbens rebuttal.

I caution you on continuing to write about me, issuing misleading titles on your newspaper about me, and writing slanted articles, Mendez told the reporter.

She called the reporting malicious and harassing.
An anonymous caller reported a bomb threat at Buddy-Taylor Middle School in Palm Coast on Thursday.

 WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS

It was just one of several calls targeting Flagler County schools so far this week.

The Flagler County Sheriffs Office released body-worn camera video Thursday showing deputies responding to the first bomb threat call at Buddy Taylor Middle School on Tuesday.

READ: Orange County deputy charged with grand theft, fraud for falsified time sheets

Since then, close to a dozen threats have been reported, with half of those swatting calls going to Buddy Taylor.

Out of respect for parents who remain concerned about the threats, the school district says its excusing student absence through the rest of the year.

All planned activities will go on as normal, down to graduation.

Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly says the swatting calls his deputies are responding to have become a sign of the times.

What would happen towards the end of the year, or major test times, the fire alarm would get pulled, Staly explained. But now, it has evolved into what were dealing with today.

From Bay County to Brevard and now Flagler County schools, swatting threats have become a concern thats put the community on edge.

Really, over the past 18 to 24 months, this has just risen out of control, said Chris Pierson, CEO of cybersecurity and privacy firm BlackCloak.

READ: Pro-Palestine demonstrations continue at UCF

According to the Flagler County Sheriffs Office, since Tuesday, the anonymous bomb and shooting threats to local schools have come from a male caller.

Sheriff Staly says the nature of the crime presents a challenge for detectives.

These are not easy investigations, Staly said. Many times, they use technology to spoof a phone number.

Staly says that because of the complexity of the investigation, the department has responded to each call in force to search and lock down schools like Buddy Taylor and Wadsworth Elementary, which were all found to be clear of any threats.

Were going to respond with everything we have, Staly said.

Cybersecurity exerts say education and preparedness ahead of time is the key.

We really need to take a long, hard look at how we actually mitigate this on the front end, Pierson said. Then put in place some better technological measures to go ahead and prevent it.

READ: 2 teens accused of escaping cells, starting fire in Juvenile Detention Center kitchen

Sheriff Staly says, over the past six years, his department has been working with the school district on such cases.

Now, the department is working with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, taking every swatting call seriously while working to catch the person behind them.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Florida deputy accused of sexual assault held 2nd person against their will in patrol car: police

Florida deputy accused of sexual assault held 2nd person against their will in patrol car: police

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  A Florida deputy was accused of sexually assaulting someone and holding a second person against their will in his patrol car, threatening to arrest them if they did not perform sexual favors.

Volusia County Sheriffs Office deputy Stephen Corbin, 40, was arrested by the Daytona Beach Police Department on Wednesday, according to a report from NBC affiliate WESH.

Police said a victim told them she was sexually assaulted on Monday. Their investigation led them to a second victim who claimed they also encountered Corbin on the same street that day.

State Attorneys Office drops charges against Antwan Glover

Corbin was dressed in street clothes when he approached the second victim in his patrol car, according to investigators. The victim, whose name and gender were not released, alleged Corbin held them in the patrol car against their will and threatened them with arrest if they did not perform sexual favors.

The victim managed to escape the patrol car and called Daytona Beach police.

Corbin was charged with two counts of bribery, battery, false imprisonment and solicitation to commit prostitution. He is being held in jail without bond.

The Volusia County Sheriffs Office is cooperating with the investigation. Corbin was hired by the agency in 2015.

To say Im disappointed in his behavior is an understatement, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said in a statement. His actions not only discredit his own name, but tarnish the sheriffs office badge and the reputation of our entire organization.

Chitwood said Corbin no longer works for the sheriffs office and his badge will be melted down so it wont represent this agency in the future.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. Pro-Armenian Senator Bob Menendez blamed his wife for the accusations made against him, Trend reports.

Thus, Menendez's lawyer Avi Weitzman argued in Manhattan Federal Court that his client allegedly was unaware of the gold bars "hidden" in his home and accused Nadine Arslaniyan of concealing them without her husband's knowledge.

The lawyer presented images of the Menendez home's walk-in closet in court, stating the gold bars were in a locked drawer in his wife's closet.

"The senator was unaware of the presence of the gold bars," Weitzman tried to convince the jury.

To note, several new charges were filed against pro-Armenian US Senator Bob Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslaniyan. The accusations included conspiracy to obstruct justice, acting as a government official as a foreign agent, bribery, and wire fraud.

Authorities alleged that Menendez and his wife accepted bribes in the form of cash, gold bars, and expensive cars from businessmen, promising them help and support using the senator's influence.

The businessman, Jose Uribe of Clifton, N.J., pleaded guilty during an appearance in Manhattan Federal Court to seven charges against him, including bribery between 2018 and 2023, committing wire fraud, obstructing legal proceedings, and tax evasion. The prosecution alleged that the businessman gave Senator Menendez's wife a Mercedes-Benz car as a gift.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
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 Florida teenager says she was denied entry to her public schools prom because she wore a suit, which the school says violated its dress code for formal occasions.

Sophie Savidge, a 16-year-old junior at Mason Classical Academy, a top-ranked charter school in Naples, arrived at Vanderbilt Country Club for the schools prom Saturday evening with her mom, Holly Savidge, and friends. But Sophie was turned away, Holly said, after Nissa Mitchell, the vice principal, told them Sophies suit violated the dress code. Holly said Sophie was told she could come back to the dance only if she went home and changed into a dress.

I was so upset, Holly told NBC News on Wednesday. I said, Sophie doesnt wear dresses. She doesnt like to wear dresses  its just not her. And [the vice principal] said, Well, unfortunately, those are the rules.

Sophie Savidge smiles wearing prom outfit

Sophie said the incident made her nervous because she had never spoken to someone from her schools administration. But I was also really shocked, because I didnt think that it was going to be a problem, she said of wearing the suit.

Mason Classical Academy didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. However, it said in a statement that it has clear dress code guidelines for all dances.

The dress codes are clearly presented and outlined to all students and parents, the statement said. Any student who shows up to an MCA dance and does not abide by the dress code is given the opportunity to return to the dance in the proper attire. All students are treated equally at MCA and are welcome and encouraged to attend these voluntary events.

A guide to attire on the schools website says that, for formal occasions, ladies are required to wear dresses and one piece attire only.

Holly and Sophie said that they were both aware of the dress code but that Sophie has worn suits to other school events, including a Valentines Day dance in February.

They have never denied her before, but we were willing to take that risk because thats just who Sophie is, Holly said. Im very proud of her for taking that risk.

Though Sophie said she didnt think her school would block her from attending prom for wearing a suit, she researched laws and court cases ahead of time. She said she found a court decision, Peltier v. Charter Day School, in which the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found in 2022 that dress codes that require girls to wear skirts violate Title IX, the law that prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded schools. Charter Day School, a K-8 school in Leland, North Carolina, appealed, and the Supreme Court declined to hear the case, allowing the decision to stand.

I was thinking I could possibly argue that with them if they said that I couldnt come in, but I ended up being just kind of too shocked and nervous to really say anything to them, Sophie said.

Holly said she doesnt plan to take any legal action against the school but that she hopes it does change the dress code. She said that she plans to home-school Sophie for her senior year but that the decision is unrelated to the prom incident and that it has been a difficult year for the family. Sophies father died last month, and Holly said theyve struggled to find a sense of normalcy.

That was the one thing up ahead that gave her some light at the end of the tunnel or something fun to look forward to, was that prom, Holly said.

Local designer Peter Jean-Marie showed Sophie how to tie an Eldredge knot. (Holly Savidge)

Since local news coverage drew attention to her story, Sophie said, two students have come up to her at school to thank her for speaking out about what happened and to tell her they have also wanted to wear suits to school events. Holly said Peter Jean-Marie, a local fashion designer, also reached out after he read about Sophie. On Wednesday after school, he met them at the Ritz-Carlton in Naples, where his ties are sold, and gave Sophie five silk bow ties and taught her how to tie an Eldredge knot.

Sophie encouraged young people in similar situations to stick up for what they believe in.

Keep on pushing through even if other people dont agree with how they want to express themselves, she said.

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This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping inspect the guard of honour during a welcoming ceremony during a two-day state visit to China. -/Kremlin/dpa

The leaders of Russia and China addressed the conflict in Ukraine during a closely watched meeting in Beijing on Thursday, with Chinese President Xi Jinping saying that both countries see "a political agreement as the right way" to end the war.

The war in Ukraine has isolated President Vladimir Putin's Russia from the West, but China - the world's second-largest economy - remains the Kremlin's strongest ally.

Beijing has so far not condemned the war launched by Moscow in February 2022, and has maintained what it regards as a neutral stance.

However, China has given Russia key backing in the UN Security Council, and is an important trading partner for Moscow. Germany, the US and other supporters of Ukraine accuse Beijing meanwhile of not exerting enough pressure on Russia and even indirectly supporting Moscow's invasion of its neighbour.

There are also accusations that Chinese goods deliveries are supporting Russia's arms industry. The United States has placed some Chinese companies on sanctions lists.

Xi said on Thursday that China hopes peace and stability will soon be restored in Europe, and that Beijing is prepared to play a constructive role.

Putin thanked China for initiatives that he said were helping to resolve the conflict. Over a year ago, the Chinese government presented a 12-point peace plan. However, the proposals remained vague and prompted international criticism for not calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops, for example.

Beijing has not yet committed to the upcoming peace conference in Switzerland, which Russia is not attending.

Xi greets Putin as 'oldfriend'

Putin and his delegation arrived in Beijing early on Thursday. After talks with Xi, he plans to travel to the northern Chinese industrial city of Harbin and visit a Russian-Chinese trade fair there.

It is Putin's first trip abroad since the start of his fifth term in office just over a week ago. While in China he expects to conclude several co-operation agreements.

The choice of Beijing as the first destination for Putin is also symbolic, as Russia was the first country Xi visited after taking office for a third term. The two nuclear powers have close economic ties.

Russia is affected by far-reaching sanctions imposed by the West as a result of its war against Ukraine and needs China as a trading partner.

As he greeted Putin, Xi congratulated his "old friend" on his fifth term in office and expressed confidence that Russia's development would make "great progress" under him.

According to state media reports, the Chinese leader did not mention the war against Ukraine in his welcoming speech. Xi said that China-Russia relations had become stronger and had withstood the "test of a changing international landscape."

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands after signing a joint statement on deepening relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction. Putin is on a two-day state visit to China. -/Kremlin/dpa

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) attends a press conference with and Chinese President Xi Jinping (Not Pictured) after signing a joint statement on deepening relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction. Putin is on a two-day state visit to China. -/Kremlin/dpa
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.

A customer of the Hereford House in Leawood said shes comforted to know theres no ongoing risk of illness after possibly eating food allegedly contaminated by a former worker.

Leawood police announced on Tuesday that test results from the former employee indicated that there was no ongoing risk to patrons for infectious diseases.

The Olathe woman, who declined to be identified because of concerns for her safety, said that while she is relieved, she has not been able to eat out since the alleged crime became public.

More than 300 people have contacted Leawood police after the Johnson County District Attorney charged 21-year-old Jace Christian Hanson of Kansas City with a felony count of unlawfully adulterating or contaminating food at the restaurant at 5001 Town Center Drive in Leawoods Town Center Plaza.

The alleged crime, considered to be a criminal threat, is said to have occurred between March 26 and April 25. The district attorneys office and Leawood police asked those who fell ill after eating at the restaurant to contact police.

Hereford House has since narrowed the number of days the alleged tampering would have occurred to 12, roughly between April 6 and 23.

Hanson remains in Johnson County jail on a $100,000 bond.

Lack of information

After the alleged food contamination was announced, several callers to The Star expressed frustration over the lack of information released in the following days.

Initially, prosecutors didnt say how Hanson allegedly contaminated the food when charges were announced on April 30. They later confirmed that some bodily fluid was introduced into the food, but they didnt publicly verify the type of bodily fluid.

It wasnt until court documents released on May 8 that it was revealed Hanson allegedly created videos of himself urinating in food and rubbing food items on his genitals and buttocks and using his feet to touch food. He allegedly posted those videos online.

On Tuesday, police issued a statement responding to questions about future health concern that said test results from Hanson indicated no ongoing risks for infectious diseases.

Leawoods new police chief, Brad Robbins, said he could not provide much information about when and how it was decided to notify the public about the health risks without jeopardizing the investigation.

We have been in contact with the Johnson County District Attorneys office, the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment and the Kansas Department of Agriculture (who handle restaurant inspections) throughout the investigation, Robbins said.

During these conversations weve shared the concerns received from those Hereford House diners whove contacted us, which ultimately led to the information we were able to release yesterday (Tuesday).

A timeline of events showed that Hanson was arrested on April 25. Prosecutors charged him, and he made his first appearance the afternoon of the following day.

The Johnson County District Attorneys Office announced on April 30 that it had charged Hanson with tampering with food and asked people who had eaten there between March 26 and April 25 and became ill afterward to contact Leawood police.

Meanwhile, the restaurant said it learned of the tampering on April 25 when police showed up to speak with Hanson. Upon learning of the allegedly contaminated food, the restaurant destroyed all the food and cleaned and sanitized the kitchen and surrounding areas.

Ryan Sinclair, an associate professor of environmental microbiology at a southern California university, believes that those involved had a good response to the potential health risks of exposure to harmful bacteria in urine and feces.

It sounds like people knew that there was a contamination event and thats important thing to get across immediately, said Sinclair, who has a doctorate in water quality and a masters of public health.

Informing those who might have been exposed was important, said Sinclair. When these kinds of contamination events happen, it occasionally takes several weeks before any notice is released.

In this case, its a good thing that it came out quick within a few days, Sinclair said.

Police are still asking customers who experienced illness after eating at the restaurant to contact them through an online form, email at tips@leawood.org or by calling 913-266-0696. Customers who already have contacted the police do not need to resubmit their information.

Threats to food chain

This incident is shocking, said Carla L. Schwan, an assistant professor and extension food safety specialist at the University of Georgia.

Regarding threats to the food supply chain, those in food safety talk about and study intentional contamination, said Schwan, who has a doctorate in food science. This case feels close to home for her because she completed her masters, doctorate, and post-doctorate studies at Kansas State University.

There can be various health risks and diseases associated with food contaminated by bodily fluids and body parts, including bacterial infections like E. Coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus and Shigella, and viral infections like norovirus and Hepatitis A, Schwan said in an email interview.

The chances of becoming ill from food contaminated with bodily fluids depend on several factors. In the Hereford House case, those factors include the amount of urine the food was contaminated with and whether the individual had bacteria or viruses or was sick, she said.

Generally, ingesting food contaminated with urine can increase the risk of bacterial or viral infections, especially if the urine contains pathogens, Schwan said.

Those who are pregnant, young children, older individuals and people with compromised immune systems are at higher risk of experiencing severe complications from food-borne illnesses caused by contaminated food, Schwan said. They also have a harder time recovering from diseases.

When it comes to food safety, people need to be aware of common symptoms associated with foodborne illnesses  nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and in some cases, headaches or muscle aches  and should see prompt medical attention if they suspect they have eaten contaminated food, she said.

Sinclair, the southern California university professor, said another public health issue from this incident is the yuck factor effect on people who ate there, especially with the details that have come out.

That is definitely something that should be considered, he said. People are going to be, if anything, really unlikely to visit that restaurant again.

Just thinking about what allegedly happened sometimes creates psychological factors that are also a burden, Sinclair said.
(Bloomberg) -- Foreign oil companies in Venezuela are concerned they wont get licenses from the US in time to allow them to operate after May 31.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Oil firms that want to stay in Venezuela are flooding the US Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control with applications for permits after Washington reimposed sanctions last month, leaving officials struggling to clear the backlog.

Each individual project requires a case-specific license, which is complicating the process, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.

The delay might put some companies at risk of either breaching US restrictions, or becoming unable to comply with contracts signed with the Venezuelan government.

Oil majors already operating in Venezuela, such as Spains Repsol SA and Italys Eni SpA are at the front of the queue for licenses, followed by traders, while little-known and non-oil companies are being treated as a lower priority, one of the people said.

A spokesperson for Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control said the department does not comment on specific license requests but said the evaluation process generally includes consulting with the State Department on foreign policy and takes into consideration the national security interests of the US.

Last month, the US allowed general license 44A, which had offered temporary relief from oil sanctions, to expire.

The backlog is not only going to affect potential new businesses but also the ones that are already there, because they are facing a series of contract breaches, said Margarita Sanchez, lead of the international arbitration practice at Miller & Chevalier, in an interview.

Presidential Election

The US is trying to use sanctions as leverage to ensure fairer presidential elections in July. Last year, Washington temporarily removed restrictions on Venezuelas gold and oil sectors after the government of President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition signed a deal in Barbados on electoral guarantees.

After the governments decision to bar the oppositions main contender from the presidential race, among other obstacles to a democratic vote, the US reimposed sanctions last month. However, it left the door open for companies seeking to do business in Venezuela to apply for individual permits.

Read more: US to Reinstate Venezuela Sanctions, Says Maduro Broke Deal

Washington has signaled that it could offer relief ahead of the July vote, if the government shows progress on electoral commitments.

But oil companies are in a rush, since they have little more than two weeks to secure a specific license if they want to continue their activities in the country.

Companies from oil majors to smaller operators and trading firms are waiting for approval to either continue work or begin new projects, according to one of the people familiar with the process. US agencies study companies and their projects before making their recommendations to the White House, the person said.

Indias trading firm Reliance Industries and Colombias oil operator Ecopetrol SA said they have requested licenses.

However, French driller Etablissements Maurel & Prom SA is the only one so far to have disclosed that it has received authorization under the new rules.

The company signed a deal in November with Venezuelas state-owned oil company PDVSA to increase oil and gas production in their jointly-run ventures, as well as to set conditions to repay outstanding debt owed to M&Ps local subsidiary.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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Toxic forever chemicals are entering the Great Lakes through both precipitation and the air  reaching cities of all sizes along the U.S. and Canadian shores, a new study has found.

Levels of the compounds  per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)  remain uniform in precipitation across the lakes but vary in the air depending on the location, according to the study, published on Thursday in Environmental Science & Technology.

The levels in precipitation dont depend on the population, first author Chunjie Xia, a postdoctoral associate at Indiana University Bloomington, said in a statement. They are similar in Chicago, which is heavily populated, and at Eagle Harbor, Michigan, where theres maybe 500 people living in a 25-kilometer radius.

That tells us the levels are ubiquitous, Xia continued. This is the first time weve seen that. Weve never seen that for other pollutants before.

The Great Lakes collectively hold 20 percent of the worlds fresh water and 95 percent of North Americas fresh surface water supply  with 10 percent of the U.S. population and 35 percent of Canadians calling the basin their home, the authors noted.

Although PFAS have emerged as a serious threat due to their persistence in the environment, the researchers sought to understand the routes by which these compounds  present in industrial discharge, certain firefighting foams and household products  can enter ecosystems.

While the concentrations of PFAS were the same in precipitation basin-wide, their levels in the air were really different, Xia noted. The highest were in densely populated urban areas, such as Chicago and Cleveland, while the lowest levels were in remote locations.

Thats similar to what we have observed for other chemicals such as PCBs and pesticides, where the levels are directly related to local population, he said.

Xia and his colleagues also examined differences in location-dependent lake water samples, finding that Lake Superior  the biggest and deepest of the Great Lakes  showed the lowest levels of PFAS.

Lake Ontario, the last in the Great Lakes chain, had the highest concentrations, as well as the most populated cities and industrial centers along its shores, according to the study.

Although Lake Ontario might have the highest levels of PFAS, it also gets rid of the compounds the quickest  by discharging them directly into the St. Lawrence River and the Atlantic Ocean, the researchers found.

In the northernmost lakes, such as Superior, Michigan and Huron, on the other hand, the compounds tend to stay, the authors noted.

The atmosphere constitutes a really important pathway for delivering PFAS to the Lakes, senior author Marta Venier, an assistant professor in environmental chemistry at the university, said in a statement.

That said, she stressed that the levels she and her colleagues measured in precipitation are not a concern for people.

We need to take a broad approach to control sources that release PFAS into the atmosphere and into bodies of water, such as wastewater treatment plants, stormwater, and any sources, since they eventually all end in the lakes, Venier said.

We also need to gather more data to determine which of these sources is the major player, she added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Native-led arts and culture non-profit Forge Project announced this week the recipients of the 2024 Forge Fellowship.

We are thrilled to host this years cohort of Forge Project Fellows, Forge Project Director of Indigenous Programs & Relationality Sarah Biscarra Dilley (yaktitutitu yaktihini), said in a press release. We look forward to supporting their time in residence, whether it be anchored in uninterrupted time to work, engaging others through a public or invitation-only program, or the spaciousness to rest.

Each Forge Project Fellow will receive a $25,000 grant to support their artistic endeavors. During their three-week residencies on-site, they will also enjoy full access to the Forge Project's facilities, libraries, and contemporary Indigenous art collection.

Fellows will also have opportunities to showcase their work through events and online platforms.

The selection process for the 2024 Forge Fellowship involved a panel of esteemed Native artists, scholars, educators, and former fellows. This year's selection process also involved a panel specifically for fellows from the Stockbridge-Munsee Community.

Established in 2021, the Forge Fellowship has recognized Native leaders across various fields annually. Previous fellows include Sky Hopinka (Ho-Chunk Nation/Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians), Jasmine Neosh (Menominee), Laura Ortman (White Mountain Apache), Rainer Posselt (Stockbridge Munsee Band of Mohicans), and Tania Willard (Secwepemc Nation).

Meet the 2024 Forge below.

Delbert Anderson (Navajo/Dine)

Delbert Anderson, a Dine jazz trumpeter, composer, and educator, blends Navajo "spinning songs" with jazz and funk, creating a unique sound in Native American jazz. Leading the Delbert Anderson Quartet, he infuses Dine culture into his music, with notable projects like "The Long Walk: 1,674 Days" and an upcoming tribute to Indigenous Jazz legends Don Cherry and Jim Pepper. Anderson also runs the "Build A Band" program, teaching jazz improvisation to youth with a focus on Dine values. Recognized by Chamber Music America and the First Peoples Fund, his work has been featured in the New York Times and NPR. Photo credit: Maurice Johnson.

Schon Matthew Duncan (United Keetoowah Band of the Cherokee Indians)

Schon Duncan, is a filmmaker, writer, actor, and language activist deeply engaged in community, arts, and education. After youth work in Tulsa, Duncan immersed themselves in Cherokee language revitalization through the Cherokee Language Master-Apprentice Program in northeastern Oklahoma. Now at Dahlonegah Public School, they promote Cherokee language and lifeways to students of all ages. Duncan's recent achievements include directing the documentary  (We Will Speak) and voicing  (In The Woods). Dedicated to fostering Cherokee youth culture through film and art, their work exemplifies a steadfast commitment to language revitalization and mentorship.

Donna Hogerhuis (Stockbridge-Munsee)

Donna Hogerhuis, is an emerging basket maker specializing in Mohican technique and design. With a master's in museum studies from the University of Washington and prior fellowship with the Smithsonian Native American Program, Donna now serves as the Manager of the Preservation Programs Library, Archives, and Repository for a Northwest Tribe. For over 25 years, she has supported Tribal members, artists, scholars, and government entities in researching, publishing, and exhibiting Washingtons Tribal culture and history. Drawing from her own Tribe's history, Donna emphasizes the significance of studying ancestral designs and artifacts. Descended from generations of basket makers, she is currently researching Mohican basket makers and northeast designs to honor their legacy.

Lindsay McIntyre (Inuit)

Lindsay McIntyre, an acclaimed filmmaker and artist of Inuit and mixed settler heritage, specializes in 16mm film, exploring themes of portraiture, place, and personal histories through an analog process. Notably, she crafts her own emulsion with caribou gelatin. With a portfolio comprising over 40 short experimental and documentary films and expanded cinema performances, she is currently developing her debut feature, "The Words We Cant Speak," which earned her the Women in the Directors Chair Feature Film Award and a 2024 Sundance Native Lab Fellowship. Her short film "NIGIQTUQ " (2023) received the Best Short Live Action award at imagineNATIVE, along with other prestigious honors. McIntyre is a COUSIN Fellow, a member of the IRIS Film Collective, and has been recognized with the REVEAL Indigenous Art Award and the Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award for Excellence in Media Arts by the Canada Council. Additionally, she shares her expertise by teaching Film + Screen Arts at Emily Carr University of Art + Design on unceded Coast Salish Territory.

Mikayla Patton (Oglala Sioux Lakota)

Mikayla Patton, an interdisciplinary visual artist based in Pennsylvania, pioneers a unique approach melding recycled paper-making with earth elements to craft sculptural objects. Her creations delve into Indigenous intimacies, materiality, and sustainability, viewed through a Lakota lens. Incorporating glass beads, porcupine quills, leather, and plants, she explores themes of healing, growth, and renewal. Holding a BFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, her work has graced prestigious venues such as the Texas Tech School of Art in Lubbock, All My Relations Gallery in Minneapolis, and the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans. Recognized in publications like Hand Papermaking magazine, First American Art, and Pasatiempo, Patton has garnered numerous fellowships, awards, and residencies, including the Ucross Foundation, First Peoples Fund, Native Arts and Culture Foundation, and the 2023 Joan Mitchell Fellowship.

Sterling Anthony Schreiber II (Stockbridge-Munsee)

Sterling Schreiber II, an enrolled member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians, resides with his family on the Stockbridge-Munsee Indian Reservation in Wisconsin. They operate a 25-acre produce farm and apiary, focusing on cultivating cleaner and healthier foods for local tribal communities. Through collaborations with Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, the Great Lakes Intertribal Food Coalition, and the Tribal Elder Food Box Program, their produce and honey reach over 2,000 Elders within tribal communities across Wisconsin. Together with his brother Brock, Sterling initiated a program to provide tribal Elders with access to venison, a vital traditional food source. They aim to expand the initiative to educate the community's youth about the outdoors while continuing to support Elders with traditional foods. Sterling advocates for tribal food sovereignty and security, actively engaging in his tribal community.

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
A former student at McQuaid Jesuit High School sued the school in federal court last month, alleging it failed to prevent sexual harassment and assault.

The lawsuit alleges that a teacher and the school administration ignored another student touching the boy's groin during class. The pattern of abuse culminated with the student attempting to strangle himself in the school nurse's office, according to the lawsuit.

More generally, the lawsuit depicts "an environment riddled with sexual harassment and bullying," where students perceived as non-heterosexual or cisgender were mocked with little repercussion. Black students, ethnic minorities and female teachers were also treated with notable disrespect, according to the lawsuit.

"At defendant McQuaid, the 'boys will be boys' philosophy prevails over its legal obligations to prohibit sex discrimination, creating the perfect conditions for bullying, sexual harassment, and sexual predation of students by their peers to flourish," the lawsuit reads.

McQuaid Jesuit High School on South Clinton Avenue in Brighton.

The time span in the lawsuit is 2021 to 2023, when the boy was in eighth and ninth grade. He is now in 10th grade at a different school.

A school spokesman declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said in a statement: "McQuaid Jesuit is guided by our values and our mission as a Jesuit institution and our top priority remains providing a safe and supportive learning environment for all students."

Boy's attorney says more McQuaid complainants have come forward

The student reported various aspects of harassment but received no productive response from the school, according to the lawsuit.

He entered into a deepening depression and experienced panic attacks. The school informed the Brighton Police Department about the alleged sexual touching but never followed up with a meeting with the plaintiff's family.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

Unlike public schools, private and parochial schools in New York have no public reporting requirements related to instances of discrimination or harassment.

The boy's attorney, J. Morgan Levy, said she has heard from many other former McQuaid students since filing the lawsuit, all reporting a similar pattern of behavior.

"The family was hoping that maybe they were an outlier and something had just gone wrong in this one instance," she said. "But the more they engaged with McQuaid, they realized it's more the rule than the exception."

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Former McQuaid student alleges sexual assault, harassment
With the theme of "Accelerate Intelligence with Everything as a Service, Huawei Cloud TechWave Summit 2024 was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, on May 15. At the event, a series of new launches, innovative cloud services, and programs were introduced by Huawei Cloud, such as Huawei Cloud AI Video Service Technical White Paper and the new release of Data-AI Convergence Ecosystem Alliance to accelerate the intelligent upgrade across governments and industries for Middle East and Central Asia.

Alan Qi, President of Huawei Cloud Middle East & Central Asia, delivered the opening speech at the event, reiterating Huawei Clouds commitment to accelerate digital transformation across the regions. He said, Cloud is the key to the digital and intelligent era, and Huawei Cloud stands out with systematic innovation, vast industry-specific expertise, and a thriving digital ecosystem to accelerate your leap to intelligence and boost your business success.

Alan Qi, President of Huawei Cloud Middle East & Central Asia, giving the opening speech

To achieve better economic growth and citizen livelihood, Azerbaijan developed its national digitalization strategy and innovation plan. Inara Valiyeva, the Chairperson of the Innovation and Digital Development Agency in Azerbaijan, shared in her opening speech, Our vision of digitalization is to create a seamlessly integrated digital society where advanced technology enhances public services, boosts digital literacy, and fosters an innovation ecosystem, driving sustainable growth and improving quality of life for all citizens.

Inara Valiyeva, the Chairperson of Innovation and Digital Development Agency, giving the opening speech

Huawei Cloud Stack  The Preferred Cloud for Intelligent Upgrade

Hu Yuhai, Vice President of Huawei Hybrid Cloud, shared that Huawei Cloud is now serving 30 regions with 88 availability zones (AZ), achieving a remarkable growth of 21.9%. In his keynote speech, Hu Yuhai announced the release of Huawei Cloud Stack 8.3 in the Middle East and Central Asia market. He said: "Huawei Cloud Stack provides trusted cloud infrastructure, innovative cloud capabilities, and rich industry know-how to help governments and enterprises dive into cloud, leap to intelligence, and unleash digital."

Hu Yuhai, Vice President of Huawei Hybrid Cloud, announcing the release of Huawei Cloud Stack 8.3

Hu Yuhai also launched a white paper on the Vision of Diving into Cloud, showcasing how cloud services are changing the world. Concluding his keynote, he announced the Leap2Cloud initiative, which calls for government and enterprise customers and partners to bid farewell to legacy virtualization and embrace cloud-native, AI, and big data. Huawei Cloud is determined to fuel business growth with accelerated innovation and unleash more power from the cloud.

Building the Cloud Foundation for an Intelligent World

The world is entering a new era of intelligence, propelled by foundational models and AI-generated content (AIGC). Projections indicate that by 2026, over 80% of businesses will adopt AIGC in their operations, reshaping 70% of design and development processes. To accelerate intelligence, systematic innovation is required.

Tim Chen, Vice President of Product Management for Huawei Public Cloud, shared insights on building an AI-native cloud foundation with continuous innovations through Cloud for AI and AI for Industries.

Under the Cloud for AI strategy, Huawei Cloud has built products and solutions such as the distributed QingTian architecture, AI-native storage, GaussDB database, and the digital intelligence integration platform. These support deployment and use across clouds, networks, edges, and terminals and help customers in various industries build intelligent cloud infrastructure through systematic innovation.

AI for Industries aims to help bridge the gap between AI and industry needs through different industry models with Huawei Clouds Pangu Modelan open, decoupled three-layer architecture offering a powerful foundation for a vast range of models and applications.

Chen said, Huawei Cloud adheres to the principles of Cloud for AI, AI for Industries, and builds intelligent cloud bases through systematic innovation, helping enterprises lead in the large model era.

Tim Chen, Vice President of Product Management for Huawei Public Cloud, giving a speech

At the summit, Li Wei, Deputy Director of EI Services at Huawei Cloud, launched the Huawei Cloud AI Video Service Technical White Paper detailing the trend of AI meets Video and how Huawei's AI video service and solutions can help governments and enterprises improve efficiency through intelligent video applications. Li Wei shared, The more you use Pangu large pre-trained models, the better it gets. AI video service powered by Pangu enables cameras to speak.

Li Wei, Vice President of EI Services at Huawei Cloud, giving a speech

At the Huawei Cloud TechWave Summit 2024, Huawei Cloud, together with partners - Percent, Iflytek, Dyna.ai, Neuxnet, 51WORLD, HCL, 863soft, and many others - launched the Data-AI Convergence Ecosystem Alliance, to foster a dynamic ecosystem that leverages the power of cloud computing and AI technologies to address complex challenges and unlock new opportunities across industries.

Huawei Cloud together with partners launching the Data-AI Convergence Ecosystem Alliance

About Huawei

Founded in 1987, Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. We have more than 207,000 employees, and we operate in more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than three billion people around the world.

Our Vision and mission is to bring digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. To this end, we will drive ubiquitous connectivity and promote equal access to networks; bring cloud and artificial intelligence to all four corners of the earth to provide superior computing power where you need it, when you need it; build digital platforms to help all industries and organizations become more agile, efficient, and dynamic; redefine user experience with AI, making it more personalized for people in all aspects of their life, whether they're at home, in the office, or on the go.

For more information, please visit Huawei online at:

www.huawei.com

https://www.huaweicloud.com/intl/en-us/

or follow us on:

http://www.linkedin.com/company/Huawei

http://www.twitter.com/Huawei

http://www.facebook.com/Huawei

http://www.youtube.com/Huawei

Huawei Cloud Middle East:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/huaweicloudmiddleeast

https://www.facebook.com/HuaweiCloudME

https://twitter.com/HuaweiCloudME
When a Mecklenburg County Detention Center nurse reported the captain who was harassing her, he left  but his lingering grasp on colleagues mixed with the jails flawed procedures left her targeted long after his departure, a lawsuit alleges.

The former nurse has accused Wellpath, the jails outgoing health care provider, of permitting a workplace laden with sexual harassment and permeated with discriminatory behavior. The court documents, filed May 8 in Mecklenburg Superior Court, also allege harassment by the jails officers, though the lawsuit only names Wellpath as a defendant.

Jamie Davis, the nurse who filed the lawsuit, and her lawyer could be not reached for comment.

Wellpath, formerly known as Correct Care Solutions, has been working in Charlottes jail since 2008.

The company, which has said its been grappling with the economic realities, cost increases, and nationwide nursing shortages resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, has terminated its $10.66 million contract with the jail. Kansas-based VitalCore Health Strategies will care for people starting Saturday, a change that was announced in early April.

While the nurse was employed by Wellpath from 2020 to 2022, Mecklenburg County Sheriffs Office Capt. Donald Glass repeatedly commented on her body, according to the lawsuit. Several times, he referred to his genitals when speaking to her, and once in April 2021 he exposed himself to her inside the clinic at Mecklenburg Countys Juvenile Detention Center, Davis alleges in the lawsuit.

She quickly reported him, and Glass resigned following an interview with internal affairs, according to court documents.

Officers blamed her for Glasss departure and began to put [her] safety in jeopardy, according to the lawsuit.

Several officers are accused in the lawsuit of going against proper protocol by leaving her alone with a patient with known psychiatric issues and failing to intervene when patients would taunt her, among other violations.

According to the lawsuits allegations:

Officer Miles Fairley reportedly taught inmates a disrespectful song about the nurse and told them to sing it to her after Glass resigned. He also told inmates he would let them out of their cells and give them a honeybun if they would hug [the nurse], and discussed her body with them.

Neither Fairley nor Glass could be reached for comment on the allegations in the lawsuit. A representative for Wellpath did not return emails requesting comment.

The nurse reported Fairleys behavior and completed an incident report around the same time she reported another nurse she alleged was creating a hostile work environment.

Shortly after, she enlisted the help of an attorney, who on June 8, 2022, sent a letter to Wellpath and Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden demanding safer working conditions. Her bosses moved her from the juvenile jail to the adult jail, which was an unsafe working environment where it was not uncommon for inmates to throw urine and feces, according to the lawsuit.

The nurse interpreted the move as retaliation.

When the nurse showed up to work in August 2022, after about two months off to recover from a medical procedure, Fairley was scheduled to work with her. She emailed her supervisor that she would not work alongside Fairley, who sexually harassed [her] and told her he would not assist her if she was in an unsafe situation.

The next day, a Wellpath human resources manager told her she had voluntarily resigned, according to the lawsuit. In November 2022, Fairley was terminated, either by being fired or resigning, said Bradley Smith, MCSOs public information officer.

According to a sheriffs office policy on sexual harassment, the office Absolutely Will Not Tolerate sexual harassment or other prohibited harassment by any employee regardless of rank or position in this organization.

But, in Davis eyes, she was terminated because she refused to submit to sexual harassment and retaliation and because she requested not to work in an unsafe environment.

She is asking for at least $25,000 in monetary damages for lost wages, embarrassment, humiliation and emotional and mental distress. She is also requesting punitive damages to be awarded by a jury should it find Wellpath was recklessly indifferent to her rights.
Former Sheriff Alex Villanueva plans to file a $25-million federal lawsuit against Los Angeles County for putting a Do Not Rehire notation in his personnel file after an oversight panel said he harassed and discriminated against two county employees.

In early 2022, one of those employees  Inspector General Max Huntsman  accused then-Sheriff Villanueva of dog whistling to the extremists he caters to when he repeatedly referred to the inspector general by his foreign-sounding birth name, Max-Gustaf. A few weeks later, Villanueva publicly accused Huntsman of being a Holocaust denier.

Around the same time, a justice deputy for county Supervisor Hilda Solis filed a complaint accusing Villanueva of targeting and harassing women of color. Last fall, the County Equity Oversight Panel sustained complaints in both cases and recommended Villanueva  who had been voted out of office by that point  be deemed ineligible for rehire.

Villanuevas lawyer called the recommendation  which the department ultimately adopted  a lethal blow to the former sheriffs lengthy career in a 196-page tort claim letter dated Wednesday. The letter accused the county of scarlet-lettering Villanueva with defamatory allegations during a secretive legal process that gave him no chance to respond.

The county spent five years defaming me and trying to convince the public that I was this horrible human being, Villanueva told The Times on Wednesday. The reality was the exact opposite.

Read more: Sheriff's Department official on decision to cover alleged deputy gang tattoo: Embarrassed

He and his lawyer, Carney Shegerian, also said the county violated time limits laid out in the states Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights by placing the "Do Not Rehire" notation in his file more than a year after receiving the complaints about him.

In an emailed statement late Wednesday, lawyers for the county said they hadn't yet evaluated the claim.

"At this point, however, we can say that the County takes seriously its statutory requirement to be transparent about its peace officers actions, including the type of sustained misconduct that led to a Do Not Rehire recommendation for former Sheriff Villanueva, the statement said.

After publication, the Sheriff's Department offered a short statement again confirming the department upheld the panel's recommendation.

The tensions that led to the formal equity complaints began not long after Villanueva took office. After ousting his predecessor in 2018, Villanueva repeatedly sparred with county oversight officials as well as the Board of Supervisors. He leveled personal attacks against Huntsman, asked county supervisors to remove him from his watchdog post and eventually banned him from the departments facilities and databases, saying he was a suspect in two criminal cases.

Huntsman was highly critical of the sheriffs handling of the department. He published several investigatory reports accusing Villanueva of unlawful conduct" and issued subpoenas trying to force his cooperation in oversight investigations.

In March 2022, Huntsman filed a complaint accusing Villanueva of sending an email throughout the Sheriffs Department that was a racially biased attack. In the email, Villanueva allegedly referred to Huntsman by his full name.

When Villanueva found out about Huntsmans complaint that month, he in turn told The Times editorial board about it , adding in the new claim about Huntsmans supposed denial of the Holocaust.

You do realize that Max Huntsman, one, hes a Holocaust denier, Villanueva told the board. I dont know if youre aware of that. I have it from two separate sources.

Read more: Oversight inspectors accuse Sheriff's Department of retaliation after reports on jail fires

The editorial board functions independently of The Times newsroom, and the interview  during Villanuevas reelection campaign  came as part of the boards usual endorsement process in the 2022 election cycle.

At the time, Huntsman wrote a letter to the Board of Supervisors, alerting them to the sheriffs allegations and offering a response. He denied the accusation and wrote that Villanueva was dog whistling to his more extreme supporters that I am German and/or Jewish and hence un-American.

Huntsman declined a request for further comment, but sent a photo of his California driver license, which does not include "Gustaf" as part of his name.

Esther Lim  Solis' justice deputy  filed her own complaint the same week as Huntsman in 2022. Pointing to comments the former sheriff made on Facebook livestreams, Lim alleged a pattern of age discrimination and harassment of Asian women. Lim did not respond to a request for comment this week.

Near the end of 2022, Villanueva lost his bid for reelection. Afterward, he said, he heard nothing further from the county about the complaints or their outcome until The Times published an article about it this year.

By that point, Villanueva was running for a spot on the Board of Supervisors  a race he lost in the primary to the incumbent, Janice Hahn. In emails to The Times earlier this year, he called the Do Not Rehire designation a brazen attempt at electioneering. His lawyer repeated those allegations in this weeks claim.

The claim also defended Villanuevas use of the inspector generals full name, noting that his longer, hyphenated name is included on some public records websites as well as on his desk plaque. The claim did not address the former sheriffs description of Huntsman as a Holocaust denier.

But on the phone Wednesday afternoon, Villanueva and his lawyer both reiterated the allegation about Huntsman, which the former sheriff said stemmed from a lengthy investigation. Were confident about the source, Villanueva said, adding that it was not surprising given Huntsmans family history. (Previously, the inspector general has said that his grandfather was conscripted into the Nazi army and that the way the Nazis functioned did great damage to his family. )

Read more: Sheriff's Department flouts county request for info on alleged deputy gang, report says

The former sheriff went on to allege that the investigations into his conduct were in retaliation for complaints hed made to county supervisors. He and his lawyer raised questions about the timing of the panels October decision, which came a month after Villanueva announced his candidacy for the Board of Supervisors.

The claim said Villanuevas "long, storied career" had been "brought to a standstill" without proper transparency or due process.

Though Villanueva is no longer employed by the Sheriffs Department, he told The Times that he feared the Do Not Rehire designation could harm his ability to land other jobs in law enforcement. In addition to the $25-million payout, he's asking the court to order the designation rescinded.

He said he has not yet made a decision as to whether he might run for sheriff again.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
HONOLULU  America and its Pacific partners are building a network of land forces to deter those who would threaten regional stability, but there are four building blocks to make this joint effort a success, according to the head of U.S. Army forces in the area.

Gen. Charles Flynns comments at a gathering of regional military leaders in Hawaii comes as China clashes with nearby nations over territorial disputes, and as North Korea continues to build its nuclear arsenal.

The U.S. Army and its allies and partners in the theater are finding more ways to come together and build relationships, Flynn said, some of which have endured since the end of World War II.

Regional countries must come together and do so with a sense of urgency often only reserved for the most demanding situations, Flynn said during his speech at the Association of the U.S. Armys LANPAC conference.

The situation now demands it, but we need not go it alone, he added. In this region, campaigning for land power provides something that no other foreign military power can. It is something that only land forces deliver. Its called positional advantage.

The strategic land power network, which is still taking shape, must get in position to defend our sovereignty, to protect our people and to uphold their rights under international law, he said.

There are four steps to accomplishing this, Flynn noted.

First, he said, reorganize the most battle-winning mix of capabilities.

The U.S. Armys regionally focused multidomain task forces, Australias 10th Brigade, and the cross-domain formations Japan is creating serve as examples of how to reorganize forces to strengthen formations with high-end capabilities, Flynn told Defense News in an interview. In addition, countries in the theater should share their concepts among each other to ensure interoperability, he added.

The U.S. Army has also deployed a security force assistance brigade, a theater fires element and an information warfare directorate into areas near China.

Flynns second building block is to regenerate combined joint warfighting capabilities. In other words, training together, rehearsing together, he said.

Central to that is bringing the U.S. Armys Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center from Hawaii to other countries in the theater as an exportable version, dubbed JPMRC-X. Australia and Indonesia hosted such versions last year; the same is expected to happen in the Philippines this month, where the JPMRC-X will help inform how the country plans to create its own high-level training events.

Theres an increasing thirst from the region on that, in large measure because they go to our schools and then they have also been to our training centers. Only now, JPMRC is closer and it looks like the environment in the region, Flynn said.

That type of effort also applies to Flynns third building block, which is to reapply land power to create unity of effort, and the fourth block, which is to build enduring advantages through regional posture, allowing our Army forces to control decisive points.

The U.S. Army also achieves this through extensive exercises, dubbed Operation Pathways, that continuously run throughout the year.

Flynn noted in his speech that the opportunity to increase multilateral cooperation is the highest he has ever seen. Each drill under Operation Pathways is growing as more move from bilateral to multilateral events, in some cases involving more than a dozen countries.

Each of your armies has a duty to your nations, but also each of us has something to offer the group represented here today, Flynn said in his speech. The demonstration of unity and collective commitment is growing stronger by the day, and Im very proud of the progress were making together because our tactical actions are having operational and strategic effects.
Fox News

It didnt take long at all for some of Fox News most-watched hosts to frame next months debate between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, which was announced Wednesday morning, as unfair to the presumptive GOP nominee.

On The Ingraham Angle, Jesse Watters Primetime and Hannity, each host made a point to depict the moderators of the CNN debate, Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, in a negative light.

Laura Ingraham began by claiming the Biden campaign was in need of a game changer, and they hope they will get it with the help of Tapper and Bash, two hard news anchors whose approach to broadcasting differs entirely from the Fox News model.

Ingraham then played a November 2023 clip of Tapper talking about how Trump, who has called the media the enemy of the people, has demonized us. Tapper would go on to say in the clip that the indicted former president has a disdain for democracy.

Ingraham then rolled a few comments from Bash in reference to how Trump has defended his supporters who participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection.

You can decide what she believes, Ingraham said.

In the next hour, Jesse Watters took a similar route.

He too showed a clip of Tapper, this time saying that some of Trumps commentslike how immigrants are poisoning the blood of our countryare reminiscent of Adolf Hitlers. Watters then showed Bash describing Trumps use of an antisemitic trope when criticizing Jewish Americans who vote for Democrats.

Both moderators say Trumps Hitler, so the debate will be fair and balanced, Watters said sarcastically. Is Tapper going to cut the cameras away from Trump to fact-check him? Well have to see.

Watters also primed his audience to reject the arrangement for the ABC News debate in September. Apparently unable to show anything from moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis that would get his viewers concerned, he instead said that the pair would surely be taking orders from George Stephanopoulos.

After showing a few clips of the networks chief political correspondent, Watters snarked: Stephanopoulos praised the deep state and said Trumps a threat to democracy. Im sure theyll be calling balls and strikes.

Later, Sean Hannity was equally outraged.

Tapper is disqualified from co-moderating the debate, he declared, showing his own clips of the anchor of The Lead.

Hannity fumed that Tapper is a radical left-wing partisan talk show host masquerading as a journalist, and that his employer is filled with left-wing hacks who we know hate Trump.

Because of that, the Fox News host and Trump rally goer concluded, Bidens predecessor shouldnt expect next months engagement to be a walk in the park.

The way Hannity and company are framing it, Trump may not even want to find out.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Former President Trump leads President Biden by just 1 point among registered voters, according to a new Fox News national poll.

The poll found Trump at 49 percent support among registered voters in a hypothetical match-up, up 1 point from Bidens 48 percent.

When other presidential candidates such as independents Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West were included in the poll, Trump leads Biden by 3 points among registered voters, 43 percent to 40 percent.

Polls have provided mixed signals over whether the presence of Kennedy and other third-party candidates will hurt Trump or Biden more. This one suggests Kennedy would pull more support from Biden.

In the end, the third-party candidates could have the biggest impacts in swing states such as Michigan, where Kennedy is on the ballot. Kennedy, who is winning the most support in polls of third-party candidates, is seeking to get on ballots across the country.

The Fox News poll also found that 68 percent of registered voters feel extremely motivated to vote in this years presidential election. Fifteen percent in the poll said they feel very motivated to vote in the upcoming election, 10 percent said they were somewhat motivated and 6 percent said they were not motivated at all.

The Fox News poll was conducted May 10-13 under the direction of Beacon Research and Shaw & Company Research and features a sample of 1,126 registered voters, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Updated at 10:47 a.m. EDT

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New Caledonia has been wracked by riots, with 200 arrests made and hundreds wounded - Nicolas Job/AP

France accused Azerbaijan on Thursday of meddling in riot-wracked New Caledonia, amid warnings Russia and China are seeking to exploit chaos in the French Pacific territory.

Five people have died, including two gendarmes, since riots erupted three days ago sparked by a French parliamentary bill. Pro-independence groups say a proposed new law would discriminate against the indigenous Kanak population of the island.

New Caledonia, located between Australia and Fiji, has the worlds second-largest nickel reserves  but its processing plants are on the verge of collapse, due to cheap competition from Indonesia and Chinese overproduction.

Prices have tumbled despite the metal being a key component of electric car batteries. This economic crisis has exacerbated tensions that have left the island verging on civil war, say analysts.

Its in [Beijings] interests to encourage pro-independence movements, warned a recent report by the French military strategic research institute, Irsem, to gain market share or weaken potential rivals.

President Emmanuel Macron has called a state of emergency. On Thursday, Gabriel Attal, Frances prime minister, announced the dispatch of 1,000 police reinforcements  bringing the total to 2,700, along with soldiers and elite GIGN units  to try and quell the unrest.

Smoke rising over the capital city, Noumea, on Wednesday - Nicolas Job/AP

People have been ambushing law enforcement officers [with] sustained fire from hunting rifles, said the New Caledonian high commission.

Hundreds of people, including 64 police, have been wounded and there have been 200 arrests. The territorys population of around 270,000 is heavily armed, with more than 100,000 possessing firearms.

Were heading straight for civil war, warned Louis Le Franc, the islands high commissioner.

Describing the chaos, one French expatriate couple said neighbours had clubbed together to create a citizens militia and barricaded the entrance to the road. Were afraid for our home and our lives, said the pair, who live in the central district of Valleedes-Colons and declined to be named.

They added: Theyre burning down everything, even pharmacies, vets and petrol stations. There are neighbourhoods where the electricity is out, and theyve cut off the water supply too.

All commercial flights have stopped, effectively trapping terrified residents on the island.

French officials have long expressed concern about Azerbaijans curious interest in French overseas territories, including New Caledonia, located 9,000 miles away, and in their struggle against colonial rule.

This isnt a fantasy. Its a reality, Gerald Darmanin, the interior minister, told France 2 TV when asked if Azerbaijan, China and Russia were interfering in New Caledonia.

On Thursday, Paris announced it was sending another 1,000 police officers to the island - Delphine Mayeur/AFP

I regret that some of the Caledonian pro-independence leaders have made a deal with Azerbaijan. Its indisputable, he alleged. Azerbaijan swiftly denied the allegations as baseless.

Relations between Paris and Baku nosedived in the wake of Azerbaijans 2020 war and 2023 lightning offensive to regain control of its breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region from ethnic Armenian separatists.

France is a traditional ally of Christian Armenia, Azerbaijans neighbour and historic rival, and is also home to a significant Armenian diaspora. Mr Darmanin said pro-Russia Azerbaijan was a dictatorship.

On Wednesday, Paris also banned TikTok from operating in New Caledonia, on the grounds that the social network, whose parent company is Chinese, had been widely used by rioters. The ban is thought to the first in Europe.

Critics fear it is being employed to spread disinformation from foreign countries.

Azerbaijan invited separatists from the French territories of Martinique, French Guiana, New Caledonia and French Polynesia to Baku for a conference in July 2023.

The meeting saw the creation of the Baku Initiative Group, whose stated aim is to support French liberation and anti-colonialist movements.

President Macron chaired a security council meeting in Paris on Thursday - Ludovic Marin/AFP

The group published a statement this week condemning the French parliaments proposed change to New Caledonias constitution, which would give outsiders who moved to the territory at least 10 years ago the right to vote in its elections.

Pro-independence forces say this would dilute the votes of Kanaks, who make up just 40 per cent of the population.

We stand in solidarity with our Kanak friends and support their fair struggle, the Baku Initiative Group said.

Raphael Glucksmann, the MEP heading the list for the French Socialists in Junes European Parliament elections, said Azerbaijan had made attempts to interfere... for months.

While tensions over election reform were the main factor, he said that Azerbaijan, among others, was seizing on internal problems.

Authoritarian regimes like Russia and Azerbaijan, but also China, seize on the slightest flaw in our societies to polarise public debate and sow chaos, he said.

President Macron has cast France as a friendly balancing power between China and the US in the Indo-Pacific. France is offering these Pacific territories true independence, he said in a speech in Noumea last July.

Clearing referring to China, he added: Look at the countries that were independent, that went and signed huge contracts with the great powers, that offered huge investments.

Look at how they find themselves saddled with debt, having lost their land, having lost their industrial sovereignty because these great powers took it from them. Thats the geopolitical reality of the region.

However, various French experts said that foreign interference is less to blame for spiralling violence than the Macron governments cack-handed treatment of New Caledonias peace process.

CNRS researcher Benoit Trepied said: If the French State shot itself in the foot in New Caledonia, Im not surprised that its political adversaries are taking advantage, but it wasnt its adversaries who fired the shots.

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Protesters wave flags of the Socialist Kanak National Liberation Front (FLNKS) during a demonstration against changes in the forthcoming provincial elections in New Caledonia, in Noumea, on April 13, 2024. - Photo: Nicolas Job/SIPA (AP)

France declared a state of emergency on Wednesday in its territory of New Caledonia following protests against changes to the election laws that turned violent and have left four people dead. The emergency declaration will allow police to severely restrict civil rights in a number of ways, including a ban on public demonstrations. But that ban appears to extend online, as the AFP reports that the declaration includes a blackout on TikTok in the South Pacific islands.



Frances National Assembly approved a new bill in the early morning hours of Wednesday to extend local voting rights to people who arrived in New Caledonia from mainland France at least 10 years ago. New Caledonia has been a French territory since it was first colonized in 1853, becoming a penal colony throughout the second half of the 19th century, and many of the Indigenous Kanak people have fought for independence over the decades.



Nickel was discovered in New Caledonia in 1864, which has made it a tremendously profitable territory for the French well into the 21st century, as its now a valuable component used in electric vehicles. New Caledonia is currently the third largest exporter of nickel in the world, according to Bloomberghelping to explain why France has been so reluctant to cede much control of its colonial holdings. New Caledonias position on Chinas doorstep, about 750 miles east of Australia, is also seen by France as strategic in the New Cold War.

One concession France did allow after massive and violent protests in the 1980s and 90s was the Noumea Accords of 1998, which froze the ability of any newly arrived people from the French mainland to vote in local elections. Wednesdays vote by the National Assembly seeks to change all that, allowing white French citizens without longstanding generational ties to New Caledonia the ability to dilute the votes of Indigenous people from the islands, who are more likely to favor independence.

All of that brings us to Wednesdays emergency declaration, which was enacted by France from 12,000 miles away after two days of violent protests following previously peaceful demonstrations. Four people have died in the riots, including one police officer and three young Indigenous Kanak people, and at least 130 people have been arrested, according to the latest figures released by the French High Commission of the Republic in New Caledonia.

The emergency declaration will last 12 days, according to Australias ABC News, and a curfew will be in effect each night from 6pm until 6am local time. TikTok is also now banned in the territory as French authorities have blamed the app for helping organize the demonstrations, and attracting troublemakers to the streets, as the South China Morning Post put it. Its not immediately clear whether the TikTok ban is permanent or will be lifted after the emergency period ends in 12 days. TikTok didnt respond to emailed questions on Wednesday night.



Daniel Goa, a pro-independence party leader in New Caledonia, condemned any looting while urging young people to go home, but pointed out the anger at the heart of the riots.

The unrest of the last 24 hours reveals the determination of our young people to no longer let France take control of them, Goa said, in a statement given to France24.



France has shipped 500 new police officers to New Caledonia to reinforce the existing 1,800 on the territory of roughly 270,000 people, according to the Associated Press. Indigenous people in New Caledonia only received citizenship in their own country in 1957. But French leaders insist law and order must rule the day.



Violence is neither justifiable nor tolerable, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday according to an English language translation by New Zealand news outlet 1News.

Violence has never forced anyones hand. It has never enabled dialogue. And it is through dialogue and dialogue alone that we will find a global political solution for New Caledonia, Attal continued.



Click through the slideshow to see more photos from the recent unrest in New Caledonia.



Burned Out Cars



A man in New Caledonia stands in front of a burned out car on May 14, 2024.

- Photo: NICOLAS JOB/SIPA (AP)

Protesting in Noumea



Protesters during a demonstration against the enlargement of the electorate for the forthcoming provincial elections in New Caledonia, in Noumea, on April 13, 2024. - Photo: Nicolas Job/SIPA (AP)

French Counter-Protesters



Demonstrators from several loyalist parties wave French national flags as they march during a demonstration to support the enlargement of the electorate for the forthcoming provincial elections in New Caledonia, in Noumea, on April 13, 2024. - Photo: Nicolas Job/SIPA (AP)

Destroyed Property



Vehicles destroyed in New Caledonia, photographed on May 14, 2024.

- Photo: NICOLAS JOB/SIPA (AP)

Protests on the Street



Protester holds a New Caledonia territorial flag on May 14, 2024.

- Photo: NICOLAS JOB/SIPA (AP)

French Police



French police stand with their shields at the entrance of the Vallee-du-Tir district, in Noumea on May 14, 2024. - Photo: Theo Rouby / AFP (Getty Images)

Liberation Protests



Protesters wave flags of the Socialist Kanak National Liberation Front (FLNKS) during a demonstration against the enlargement of the electorate for the forthcoming provincial elections in New Caledonia, in Noumea, on April 13, 2024. - Photo: Theo Rouby / AFP (Getty Images)

French in New Caledonia



Demonstrators from several loyalist parties wave French national flags and hold a banner reading Prendre en otage notre democratien yen a marre (Take our democracy away from you) as they march during a demonstration to support the enlargement of the electorate for the forthcoming provincial elections in New Caledonia, in Noumea, on April 13, 2024. - Photo: Theo Rouby / AFP (Getty Images)

Smoke Rising Over Noumea



Smoke rises in the distance in Noumea, New Caledonia on May 14, 2024. - Photo: NICOLAS JOB/SIPA (AP)

Cars on Fire



Cars destroyed by fire in New Caledonia on May 14, 2024.

- Photo: Sipa via AP Images (AP)

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PARIS  Frances lower-house defense committee took a swipe at what it described as Germanys self-interested approach in European defense matters, saying the Berlin governments promotion of domestic firms comes at the expense of the greater industrial cooperation that is needed to increase strategic autonomy in the European Union.

European defense-industry cooperation should systemically apply a best athlete approach, said Jean-Louis Thieriot, one of two rapporteurs of an information report on Europes defense industry, in a parliamentary committee presentation on Wednesday. Participating countries should stop seeing joint programs as a tool to boost the skills of national manufacturers in a given segment, and the principle of geographic return should be scrapped, he said.

While France and Germany have moved ahead on joint programs to develop a sixth-generation fighter and a new battle tank, the rapporteurs said that Germany torpedoed several joint programs, didnt involve France in the launch of its European Sky Shield Initiative, and is using the war in Ukraine to expand its defense-industry presence in Eastern Europe.

Germany is now developing a genuine defense industrial strategy to extend its sphere of influence in Europe, which tends to increase the competitive logic even more, at the expense of the cooperative logic, Thieriot said.

The new broadside at Berlin follows a storied history of bilateral defense-industrial squabbling, based on lingering mistrust, that senior government leaders from both countries have managed to wrangle at crucial moments to ensure joint programs can move forward.

Competition between European defense companies is very strong and even increasing, mainly because industrial cooperation is weak. Only 18% of capital expenditure on defense by European Union member states is collaborative, against a target of 35%, according to the rapporteurs.

While lack of political will may weigh on joint programs, the committee says the main hurdles are difficulties such as excessive time frames. Thieriot highlighted the Eurodrone program, with talks starting in 2013, for an arrival in the armed forces no earlier than 2030 at best, in a radically different strategic context, with no certainty that what will arrive will correspond exactly to the needs of the time.

Joint programs are also marred by participating governments seeking a return on investment for local firms rather than a best-in-class approach, while the value of capability harmonization is often diminished by demands for national specifications. The report cites the example of the NH90 medium-sized helicopter, which exists in nearly 50 different versions across European countries.

Strong intra-European competition is linked to non-cooperative national strategies, with the European space industry the biggest victim, according the committee.

The panel said Germany is the first to reaffirm competing national strategies in Europe, torpedoing Franco-German cooperation on the Maritime Airborne Warfare System patrol aircraft, the Tigre attack helicopter Standard 3 and the Common Indirect Fire System artillery project.

It says Berlin took full advantage of the NATO Framework Nations Concept to establish itself as the lead nation for the European Sky Shield missile defense project, which excludes MBDA, Europes leading missile manufacturer, while France was not involved in its launch. The project promotes Israels Arrow-3 and the U.S. Patriot system, even though our Franco-Italian SAMP/T ground-air defense system could have met German requirements, Thierot said.

In the wake of the war in Ukraine, Germany is also pursuing a strategy of penetrating the defense markets of Eastern Europe and the Baltic States, according to the committee report.

Rheinmetall is playing a central role through an aggressive expansion policy in those markets, with several partnerships to set up factories in Eastern Europe and co-finance a tank development project in Hungary, even though we all know how divergent Hungarys strategic choices can be from those of Europe in general, Thierot said.

The committees report is based on almost 50 hearings in Paris as well as roughly 30 interviews with executives, military and policy makers in various countries, including Sweden, Italy and Poland.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. To increase cargo transport along the international transport corridor North-South, Azerbaijan Railways CJSC has rebuilt the terminal in Astara and organized customs control by the Astara Customs Department of the State Customs Committee, Trend reports.

The freight warehouse was modernized and outfitted for safe and reliable operations during terminal restoration. Security was provided 24/7, 54 video cameras were installed, and all organizational concerns were resolved. There are also cargo scales at the terminal.

In collaboration with the State Customs Committee, the 5.5-hectare terminal contains a customs station, high-speed Internet, and other essential equipment. Here, forwarders receive a new multimodal transportation package. At the terminal, customs-controlled cargo is reloaded and sent rapidly. A major benefit of the terminal is that cargo owners receive favorable tariffs for the transportation and transshipment of accepted commodities.

According to preliminary estimates, the launch of the Astara terminal will increase transit cargo transportation along the North-South route by 1015 percent by the end of this year.

Among the cargoes currently handled, the main share is occupied by timber cargoes, which account for about 40 percent of the total turnover. The second place is occupied by cargoes with grain and grain products, accounting for 35 percent of the total cargo turnover.

Additionally, it should be noted that multimodal transportation services along the North-South international transport corridor have so far been provided only at the CJSC terminal in Astara, Islamic Republic of Iran. The agreement on the construction of this terminal was signed in 2017, and transshipment works at the terminal have been carried out since 2018. Construction work at the terminal is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Furthermore, it is expected that after the commissioning of the Astara-Rasht railway line on the territory of Iran, transit cargo accepted through both Astara terminals will increase significantly.

Astara Terminal, which has been operating in Iran since 2018, handled more than 2.5 million tons of cargo from 2018 through 2023 via Astara Terminal LLC. During this period, the annual volume of cargo handled more than tripled, from 211,789 tons in 2018 to 692,402 tons in 2023. The 2023 figures are 48 percent higher than in 2022. The terminal handled 284,688 tons of cargo in the first four months of 2024, a 14 percent increase over the same period in 2023.

Transit freight traffic on railways from January through April 2024 increased by 14 percent year-on-year to 2.5 million tons. During the same period, the volume of freight traffic along the North-South corridor increased by 29 percent compared to the four months of last year, to 260,000 tons.

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Friday could be hottest day of year for Las Vegas valley; triple digits possible

LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Temperatures are inching higher than normal this week and Friday is expected to be a scorcher, possibly reaching 100 degrees for the first time this year.

Following a cooler-than-usual spring season and a quick warm-up over the past several days, the National Weather Service in Las Vegas said this is the first taste of summer and its warning people to plan ahead, especially those who are sensitive to heat, plan to be outdoors for a prolonged period, or are not from the desert.

This summer the Climate Prediction Center forecasters are predicting an above-normal chance of above-normal temperatures, said meteorologist Dan Berc with the National Weather Service.

Signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. (Credit: NWS Las Vegas)

Its important for residents to know that anyone can be affected by the heat if they arent prepared for it, said a news release from Clark County and the Southern Nevada Health District as they launched a Beat the Heat Safety Campaign on Thursday.

According to the health district, the heat was a factor in 307 Clark County deaths in 2023. Most years, heat kills more people years than hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes combined.

Our goal is to raise public awareness about heat safety before our high temperatures really set in this summer, said Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick, who spearheaded the Beat the Heat effort.

Safety tips for dealing with the heat. (Graphic: Southern Nevada Health District)

Las Vegas averages 77 days a year of temperatures more than 100 degrees, with an average high daily temperature of 105 in July and it gets even hotter in Laughlin and Overton. People are urged to reduce time spent in the sun, wear sunscreen, and pack extra water. People should avoid drinking alcohol or sugary drinks when in the heat.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include heavy sweating, paleness, muscle cramps and dizziness.

ER doctors explain how they treat heat-related illnesses

While older adults, children, and people with mental illness or chronic diseases have the highest risk of heat-related illnesses, physically fit people can also become sick.

Las Vegas veterinarian shares dangers of extreme weather after dogs die in hot car

Like humans, animals are also affected by the heat and should never be left alone in a vehicle. Clark Countys Animal Protective Services Division responds to more than 500 reports a year involving animals left unattended in vehicles. Outdoor pets are required by law to have access to lots of water and shade.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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( Illustration by Anja Slibar / The 19th)

Originally published by The 19th

In Meghan Meehan-Drapers first years with the Democratic Governors Association (DGA), she noticed something startling: We had more governors named John than we had governors who were women, Meehan-Draper, now the executive director of the DGA, told The 19th.

A few years later, DGA launched the Women Governors Fund, which has put $80 million in Democratic women candidates in general elections. Since its start in 2018, the number of Democratic women governors has quadrupled.

The eight Democratic women leading their states  Maura Healey in Massachusetts, Katie Hobbs in Arizona, Kathy Hochul in New York, Laura Kelly in Kansas, Tina Kotek in Oregon, Michelle Lujan Grisham in New Mexico, Janet Mills in Maine and Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan  have changed what it means for women to win and hold executive office in the United States.

Theyre a group marked by notable firsts, too. Three  Healey, Hochul, and Mills  are the first women to hold that office in their states. Lujan Grisham is the nations first Democratic Hispanic woman governor. Healey and Kotek are the first elected out lesbian governors in their states.

But whats perhaps even more remarkable is the way the women in this group have made their relationships with one another a critical part of their own leadership. These eight women are actual friends. They call and text each other to check in and get advice. They get together for dinner  and bring their daughters. They turn to each other when they are going through something challenging and when they need to laugh.

The 19th interviewed Governors Healey, Hobbs, Hochul, Kelly, Lujan Grisham, Mills and Whitmer about their relationships with their peers, how they think about leadership, the issues that matter most to them, and how their families have shaped their work.

Most interviews were via phone; Mills responses are via email. Kotek declined to be interviewed. Interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, New Mexico: Our relationships really solidified during COVID. I was on a phone call which is now widely publicized and I believe the term that [former president Donald] Trump used was that we were losers. He was sort of barking at some of the women, including me, on that call.

This is when we learned that we were all competing for the same personal protective equipment. That really spurred us  especially my friend the woman in Michigan  to say, You know what? Were not going to let any elected leader create division among a group, particularly a group of women.

Gov. Laura Kelly, Kansas: Having that relationship with the woman governors who were also on that call and being able to immediately text one of them to fact check to make sure I heard what I just heard  in addition to it being useful to have each other, it really drew us together. We were like any people who go through a crisis or emergency together.

(Anja Slibar for The 19th)

Gov. Janet Mills, Maine: The earliest days of the pandemic were a difficult and emotional time, forcing us to make life and death choices, and as women leaders, we werent really allowed to show it. Being able to lean on each other as we navigated the pandemic, and the added challenges created by the former president, was really important.

It was moments like those that just reminded me that I have spent the better part of my career listening to loud men talk tough to disguise their weakness  and Im sure its something my women colleagues have endured as well.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan: We had frequent joint calls together  it was a gut check. It was saying, How are you dealing with this? and Are you hearing what Im hearing? Those conversations were really important to cut through what was important and what wasnt and how to solve the problems that we were all grappling with. I count [the other Democratic women governors] as some of my closest friends and allies to this day.

Meehan-Draper said the camaraderie and connection the governors have is on display not only when they gather for DGA meetings, but in their work.

Gov. Katie Hobbs, Arizona: Governor Kotek, Governor Healey and myself are the newbies, but the other five started this relationship during the pandemic where they were really like, How do we lead through this?

When I was secretary of state and running for governor [in 2022]  you could just feel the relationship that the other women governors had together. It was really evident. And quite honestly, I really wanted to be a part of that.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York: We have really embraced our newer members  Tina Kotek in Oregon and Maura Healey in Massachusetts and Katie Hobbs in Arizona  and we really have a lot of fun together, to be honest. I think its because you really do have to have a sense of humor to get what we do.

(Anja Slibar for The 19th)

Each individual is a personality and they always come with so many stories about their own states and I love listening to how everybody is always bragging about their state all of the time.

Hobbs: Governor Whitmer had a similar abortion law [a pre-Roe v. Wade ban like Arizonas] in her state repealed, and its great to talk to her about how they did that and because she just got the legislature in 23 and with the possibility of our getting the legislature in 24, thats really helpful, talking to these women about how a different environment with a divided government can create different challenges.

Gov. Maura Healey, Massachusetts: For me as a new governor, the guidance and the friendship and the advice of my colleagues who have served as women has been just so invaluable.

Its just great to be able to have a friend network too where you can just pick up the phone and call and talk about your day and say, Whats going on with your family? and then How are you navigating this challenge?

Lujan Grisham: I have been a governor for longer than Governor Healey, but you better believe Im calling Governor Healey and saying, Look, youre making some real progress on work issues, particularly related to asylum-seekers and migrants. Given that Im a border state, Im very interested in your successes here. Heres where I wasnt as successful  I wonder if you could help me figure out why.

Its not about whos got seniority  its about the fact that I have a relationship with Governor Healey. I trust her. I like her. I know that shes going to do everything in her power to help me be successful. Its not a competition. Thats whats different here. We dont compete in the ways that I think a lot of our male counterparts do.

Healey: When I think about Governor Lujan Grisham, who is an incredible governor and an incredible leader, I think of someone I call when Im looking for advice on a number of things, especially with early education and child care. I call her and say,I want to understand what youre doing and how youre doing it, because I want to do more of that in Massachusetts. When we introduced universal school meals? That was something she already took on in her state. So I sought her advice on how you get that done.

But also, Michelle [Lujan Grisham] has just got the best sense of humor. Were a tight group and we laugh together and we joke together and we commiserate together and we talk about really serious things together. But she always makes me laugh.

Given that a third of states have never had a woman governor, getting people to see them as something other than compromisers and negotiators can feel like an uphill battle. People really struggle seeing women as executives, as bosses, Meehan-Draper said.

Lujan Grisham: You have to recognize that part of our work does mean challenging the status quo opinions about what you can and cannot do.

Women have to be bolder. Were unabashed and unafraid  and we believe thats why we got elected in the first place, to be smart and bold, to be practical and strategic, and to be unapologetic about the things that require results and a change.

Whitmer: During COVID, I was on a call with my Midwestern governors group and it was in the height of all the threats I was getting  and to be fair, every governor who was trying to keep people safe was taking a lot of heat and getting a lot of abuse, though mine was at a whole different level unfortunately.

One of my colleagues said, Why do you take so much more heat for this than the rest of us do? and then he said, No, dont answer that. I already know. Then he answered it himself. Its because youre the woman.

(Anja Slibar for The 19th)

Healey: The thing I really work toward is to not be afraid. No matter what you do, not everyone is going to be happy. Ive learned to trust my gut and trust my instinct. You have to do what you think is right and then let the chips fall where they may.

Kelly: What motivates me is that Im just by nature a problem solver. Our state was in such bad shape that I knew if I didnt run, it would get even worse. It was my good, old Irish Catholic guilt that I thought it was my responsibility to do this because I had the skill set and the deep knowledge of how the state operated, how it needed to operate, and that I could actually do the job.

Hochul: What I did was I decided to carve a path that was far more collaborative. I knew I would be different and people are still getting used to it. It really does not have to be a fight.

Kelly: When I was running, I think people were skeptical that I was up for the job. I tend to be somewhat soft-spoken. I was not a yeller and a screamer, just a very, very moderate person. I think a lot of folks were worried that I would not be able to deal with recalcitrant legislators and manage a very large operation.

I think the fact that not only have I proven I can do it, but now so many other women governors have proven that also, I think were going to see less skepticism as we move forward.

Whitmer: I think that all women who get the chance to serve, but especially this group of Democratic women governors, get the opportunity to show up as we are.

Michelle Lujan Grisham is so different than Laura Kelly. I love them both to death and weve got so many similar values, but theyve got very different styles, theyre in different parts of the country. But at the end of the day, I think each of them has stepped into their leadership role and has been bold  and that gives space for the rest of us to be as well.

Im able to show up as I am in a way that I think previous generations of female leaders didnt feel as comfortable. I think thats when people see why having different voices in leadership positions is actually a great thing.

Healey: I think that relatability is something that people really crave right now, particularly in a time when theres been a lot of cynicism about politicians, about government, about trusting government. These women every single day are building peoples trust in government, which is absolutely imperative to holding on to and affirming our democracy. Because if people dont believe and trust in government, then theres not going to be a government.

Part of being a successful governor is having a deep understanding of your state  and the issues that are most pressing within it. For the Democratic women governors, a large part of their work has involved transforming voters perceptions about the kinds of issues that women executives care about and are capable of leading on, while also proving their deep local expertise.

Democratic women executives have to prove that they deserve to be here as much as the 100 men that came before them, and Im even better because I accomplished all these groundbreaking, trailblazing things that leave my state a better place than I found it, Meehan-Draper said.

Whitmer: A question that I got early in my first run for governor was, Are you going to run as a woman?

Ive always tried to figure out whats the question behind the question. I think they were asking me if I was only going to champion traditional womens issues like pay equity or child care or whatever it is that people generally think of as womens issues.

(Anja Slibar for The 19th)

Healey: I think its ridiculous to say that certain things are womens issues. I want to change the conversation about what womens issues are. When you look at household budgets, its women who more often than not are actually managing that. If you want to think about whos going to be the steward of economic growth and development in your state, theres no reason why women shouldnt be leading the discussions on that.

Kelly: We have smashed all records for new capital investment in our state. I think that has shocked people, but in a good way. I think thats why the perception of my ability to be the CEO has radically changed, because Ive done things people didnt expect from a woman or from a Democrat.

Lujan Grisham: I had a woman who sat next to me before I was going to give an economic speech who has great expertise in economic efforts, and she said to me, Can you believe it, how the economy is here now? Would you have ever thought this possible in your wildest dreams? And I said, Yes, of course. This is my strategy and its working. I ran on this strategy. I dont know why youre surprised, since I said if we did these things this would happen.

Hochul: We protect our children. We protect our families. So public safety is a very natural place for me to go into and say, No we need to have tougher laws. We need to protect people. We need to make sure that students are not discriminated against. We need to make sure that women are safe in their homes.

No one should be surprised by the emotion and the intention that we bring to this.

Healey: I want to shout out what my colleagues are doing. Look at what Katie Hobbs is doing to promote the semiconductor industry in Arizona and to protect abortion access right now. Look at Laura Kelly, who amazingly reversed years of damage by balancing the budget and fully funding public education in Kansas. Look at Janet Mills, who expanded Medicaid on her very first day in office in Maine and changed the lives of thousands of Mainers. Look at Gretchen Whitmer, who is making Michigan a leader in electric vehicle jobs while fixing the damn roads. Think about Kathy Hochul, who is tackling the states mental health challenges and taking action to improve public safety in New York. And then of course there is Michelle [Lujan Grisham], who expanded affordable child care. I look at them and Im inspired by their work.

Hobbs: Every issue that our legislature deals with is a womens issue. Were really focused on economic development and all of the pieces critical to keeping that going. We created 82,000 jobs in my first year and we have more Arizonans now working than ever before and theyre making more money than theyve ever made. That is a womens issue because whether or not youre a single head of household, that income is helping your family to thrive.

Whitmer: I have a tendency to couch every issue in a way that makes it as personal for people as I can, and I relate abortion back to the economy and autonomy. Their ability to get health care is about their personal autonomy; whether or not your child is getting an education that prepares them is, too.

I think thats been one way that I really try to de-gender issues that really shouldnt be about women or men at all  these are all things that are about the American economy and the average Americans ability to get ahead.

Lujan Grisham: We are the fighters for freedom. We are the ones saying, Actually the founding fathers didnt want the government intruding in your life, making your reproductive choices for you, rolling back your constitutional rights. Its women who are going to stand up. I dont think anyone thought about women standing up for the Constitution  and now we are, for our constitutional rights and our freedom. I think people are going to look to women in a whole different leadership sense in this political climate  and I think that is good for America.

These women also are thinking about the way their families have informed their ability to lead.

Whitmer: I was raised by two public servants. My dad was a traditional Republican  hes a Democrat now  and my mom was a Democrat. In my family it was really instilled in all of us, my brother and my sister and I, that public service is important. Its rewarding. Its something that each of us should figure out  what way can we be of service to others?

As I raise my two daughters, Sherry and Sydney, I am always trying to make sure that they understand why all the heat and stuff that comes my way is worth it.

When I look at my own kids, I think about how when the government doesnt work, its the people on the margins that pay the dearest price for it. When the water that comes out of your tap isnt safe or when the roads youre driving on are falling apart or the education that your kids are getting isnt enough  the people on the margins suffer the most, and I just look at my kids  I think about everyones kids.

(Anja Slibar for The 19th)

Mills: My grandmothers both voted for the first time in the presidential election of 1920 and, within a few short years, each was elected to the school boards of their respective towns, Farmington and Ashland, Maine.

I like to think that they would be proud that, within a hundred years of being able to vote for the first time, their granddaughter would not only be the first woman governor of Maine, she would also be on a group chat with seven other women governors!

Kelly: Theres no doubt that women with children have to be great multitaskers, particularly if they are working outside the home. They have to be very nimble, being able to move from one thing to another, to respond to that call from school to pick up a sick kid, and then youve got to figure out how youre going to cover your work day. There are infinite opportunities for women with children to develop management skills  crisis management, negotiations, problem solving, conflict resolution. There are all sorts of things I can think of that I had to implement when my two daughters were growing up.

Healey: Im the oldest of five raised by a single mom. I saw how hard my mom worked and what she was able to persevere through and I think I grew a lot in watching her and learning from her.

Lujan Grisham: Im a proud mother of two daughters, aged 38 and 40. Theyre motivated. They want a different future for their children. Democracies are fragile and theyre complicated.

Hochul: Back in 2011, I was a county clerk. I had just won my reelection with 80 percent of the vote. And there was a position for county executive that I was asked to challenge on, to challenge the incumbent Republican county executive. But then all of a sudden we had an unexpected vacancy when our local Republican congressman resigned unexpectedly. My local elected leaders and the county chairman were still really pushing me hard to go for the county executive seat.

I couldnt stop thinking about the congressional seat though, and I told my daughter  who was just in college at the time  about it. I just laid it all out there. I said, Theres no way I am going to win that congressional seat, but what would you do, sweetheart?

And she said, Mom! Congress, duh! You have to do Congress!

I got out there and went to every fire hall, every veterans post, every diner in the county. I worked hard in that rural, Republican district to win them over. And ultimately, I won.

Two weeks before I was sworn in, I was at my daughters college graduation and John Lewis was their commencement speaker and literally, the kids went crazy seeing him. He was a rock star with all of those kids. And then literally two weeks later, Im shaking his hand as a colleague on the floor of Congress. So thats the turn my life took because I needed to prove to my daughter that her mother had the guts to do it.

The post The friendships forged in a governors group chat appeared first on Maine Morning Star.
Further riots in France's New Caledonia, second police officer killed

A car burns on the Normandie provincial road outside the town amid protests. The capital of the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia was rocked by riots for a third night in a row after France's National Assembly approved contentious voting reforms to the territory that angered independence supporters. Delphine Mayeur/AFP/dpa

The French Pacific territory of New Caledonia was rocked by riots for a third night in a row after France's National Assembly approved contentious voting reforms which angered independence supporters.

Five people, including two police officers, have died so far in the unrest, while hundreds of others have been injured.

France's Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said one police officer died on Thursday as a result of "an accidental shot," broadcaster France Info reported.

The main airport remained closed. The largest hospital announced that it was treating mainly only emergency cases. However, due to road blockades, many patients had problems reaching the hospital at all.

Local media published photographs and videos of destroyed supermarkets and petrol stations, which had been looted. Fires set off by pro-independence protesters were still being reported in shops, shopping centres and car parks.

Since the start of the riots in the territory of 270,000 residents, 206 people have been arrested, Darmanin told broadcaster France 2.

"Calm is being restored," he said, adding that additional police officers would be deployed to New Caledonia and the military would also be there to provide support only.

"There will be no army on the streets of New Caledonia," he said.

Darmanin also accused Azerbaijan of meddling. According to French media reports, Azerbaijan is backing independence supporters in New Caledonia as part of the Baku Initiative Group.

Demonstrators in New Caledonia have displayed Azerbaijani flags and worn shirts with slogans of the Azerbaijani organization. Baku is retaliating against France's support for Armenia in the conflict with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

In response to the violence in the archipelago in the South Pacific, Paris declared a state of emergency on Wednesday for 12 days.

Declaring a state of emergency makes it easier for authorities to impose curfews and ban demonstrations, among other actions.

The High Commission in New Caledonia said that around 5,000 rioters were involved in the unrest in the greater Noumea area around the capital. Despite curfews, the situation was not yet under control.

The riots began as France debated a bill to give thousands of French citizens in the territory the right to vote in provincial polls. The National Assembly in Paris then adopted the reform.

New Caledonia's pro-independence movement fears the change will result in a weakening of political influence among the Indigenous Kanak people.

The grand council of Kanaks - Inaat Ne Kanaky - condemned "the unjustified vandalism and violence involving the use of firearms on public streets" and called for the arrest of those responsible.

At the same time, the council regretted that the French government had adopted the constitutional reform without taking into account the resistance of the vast majority of the indigenous population.

For Paris, New Caledonia is important militarily and for its nickel.

The territory, located 1,200 kilometres east of Australia, has gained extensive autonomy through the so-called Noumea Agreement after being a French colony from 1853 to 1946.

Residents voted to remain part of France in three referendums on independence held in 2018, 2020 and 2021. The independence movement boycotted the last vote, saying it would not accept the result.

Long queues of worried citizens formed outside many shops because food was already being rationed, the 1ere Nouvelle-Caledonie radio station reported. Some petrol stations had also run out of petrol.

The president of the local assembly in New Caledonia's Southern Province, Sonia Backes, asked Paris for financial support.

"Our territory has been in the grip of unprecedented violence for 72 hours," Backes, a prominent activist in favour of remaining part of France, wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.

The initial damage to New Caledonia's economy is estimated by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry at 150 million ($163 million).
By Giuseppe Fonte and Gavin Jones

ROME (Reuters) -Finance ministers from the Group of Seven major democracies meeting in Italy next week will back a European Union plan to use the income from frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine's war effort, an Italian Treasury official said on Thursday.

Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the G7, will also try to revive an international deal on how to share taxing rights on large corporations which the United States is struggling to ratify in Congress, the official, who declined to be identified by name, told a media briefing.

The G7 froze around $300 billion worth of financial assets soon after Moscow's attack on its neighbour in February 2022. Since then, the European Union and other G7 countries have debated whether and how to use the funds to help Ukraine.

The G7 comprises the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada.

The United States has proposed seizing the assets in their entirety, but Europe has balked, citing risks to the euro and legal repercussions.

The G7 will support the EU's line to use the extraordinary revenues from the frozen Russian assets to the benefit of Ukraine, the official said ahead of the meeting in Stresa, northern Italy, on May 24-25.

The talks are focused on using income from the assets, not the assets themselves, the official said, adding that any decision must have the backing of the EU and a "solid legal basis."

In the face of European resistance, Washington has more recently proposed using the assets as collateral to provide loans for Ukraine.

The Italian official said the finance chiefs will do the groundwork aimed at enabling G7 heads of government to reach a final decision at a summit in the southern Italian region of Puglia, in June.

Trade relations with China will also be discussed in Stresa, after the United States this week unveiled steep tariff hikes on a raft of Chinese imports, though the issue is not on the formal agenda of the meeting, the official said.

Italy has reservations about the use of tariffs because of their disruptive impact on world trade.

With a trade truce over digital services taxes between the U.S. and several European countries set to expire in June, Italy will promote last-ditch talks to prevent the failure of plans for a global minimum tax on multinationals.

The first pillar of that agreement aims to reallocate to the countries where companies do business the rights to tax about $200 billion in corporate profits.

The official said the negotiations have made no progress ahead of next week's meeting.

(Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte and Gavin Jones; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
A Georgia high school senior is getting ready to take off for college with multi-million dollar scholarship offers.

Madison Crowell will graduate from Liberty County High School in south Georgia this month. When she submitted her college applications, she didnt just apply to one school. She applied to hundreds. It paid off.

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Not only did Crowell receive acceptance letters from 231, but she also earned $14.7 million in scholarships to fund her dream of going to college.

I wanted to apply to as many schools as I did  because Im coming from a low-income area of Georgia and so I want to show the kids here in Liberty County that its possible to get accepted into not only just local schools like Georgia Southern [University] and Savannah [Technical College], but that you can get accepted into schools like the University of Alabama and University of Colorado and [schools] that you think might be out of your reach but is definitely in reach, Crowell, told Good Morning America.

Crowell announced to GMA that she will be attending High Point University in North Carolina.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) echoed former President Trumps infamous 2020 call for the Proud Boys to stand back and stand by in a statement from the Manhattan courthouse Thursday.

Standing back and standing by, Mr. President, Gaetz wrote in a post on the social platform X, along with a photo of himself in a hallway outside the courtroom, donning a red tie and suit in the background, with an out-of-focus Trump in the foreground.

Trump was asked during a presidential debate with President Biden in 2020 whether he would denounce violence from white supremacy groups. He dodged the question, but after Biden mentioned the far-right group, Trump said, Proud Boys, stand back and stand by.

Leaders of the Proud Boys were convicted of seditious conspiracy after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Jeremy Joseph Bertino, a member of the group, told the House committee that investigated the Capitol attack that membership for the Proud Boys tripled, probably, after Trump made his debate comments, The Associated Press reported. Bertino pleaded guilty to plotting with other members to violently stop the transfer of presidential power after Trump lost the 2020 election to Biden.

Trump the next day said, I dont know who the Proud Boys are, after facing widespread criticism. He added, Whoever they are, they have to stand down. Let law enforcement do their work.

Trump was immediately eviscerated by Democrats for making those comments, while the Proud Boys group celebrated Trumps remark  sharing a new logo that included the phrase stand back and stand by.

A spokesperson for Gaetz declined to comment further on the lawmakers post, saying in an emailed statement, the tweet speaks for itself.

Gaetz was among the cast of Republican lawmakers who attended the Manhattan criminal trial this week in a show of support for the former president.

Gaetz on Thursday joined GOP Reps. Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Mike Waltz (Fla.) and Eli Crane (Ariz.) in the courtroom, while Reps. Andy Ogles (Tenn.) Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.), Ralph Norman (S.C.) and House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good (Va.) were also seen at the Manhattan courthouse.

Boebert and Gaetz were spotted sitting in the first row of the gallery, next to Eric Trump and the former presidents Secret Service agents. Good was also seen seated in the first row, on the other side of Trumps security detail.

Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records over an alleged repayment scheme to Michael Cohen, Trumps then-fixer, who had paid porn actor Stormy Daniels $130,000 ahead of the 2016 election to stay quiet about an alleged affair with Trump. The former president denies the affair, says there was no wrongdoing with the payments and has pleaded not guilty.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A screenshot from a video of a February 2022 protest in Gallup by residents concerned about management at Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital. (Screenshot via protest livestream )

State lawmakers seeking to help rural hospitals stay afloat heard a cautionary tale Wednesday of a Gallup hospital that is millions of dollars in debt, unable to pay its employees, and staring down a massive malpractice judgment.

Bill Patten, interim CEO of Rehoboth-McKinley Christian Hospital, told members of the Legislative Finance Committee that he believes the hospital is finally heading toward solvency after years of scandal and financial shortfalls. Doing so required cash infusions from city and county governments to make payroll, plus a special earmark in the state budget passed this year.

But one wildcard is whether the hospital will be on the hook for a 2019 medical malpractice lawsuit, he said, given that the hospitals insurance only covers about half of the $68 million judgment a jury awarded earlier this year.

One of the things that I cant talk very much about, but I dont want to leave the elephant in the room, is the big lawsuit, Patten told lawmakers. Were working closely with our attorney to try and get this resolved within the limits of our insurance.

The judgment is one of the biggest in state history, the plaintiffs lawyer Ray Vargas Jr. said in a recent interview. It comes as the hospital racked up operating losses averaging about $15 million the last three fiscal years, according to Bittens testimony.

Meanwhile, the hospital owes $4 million to McKinley County for rent on the hospital it leases, plus about $1.7 million to the city for utilities, $5 million to a staffing company and $2.5 million to a computer vendor, Bitten said. Thats not to mention several other companies the hospital owes more than $1 million to, he said.

So, thats sort of the financial situation, Bitten said to sum up the difficulties the hospital faces as part of his presentation to the LFC, which was meeting in Gallup to hear testimony on rural hospital challenges and oversight.

Bitten said the hospital and legal team will meet today to discuss its options for appeal in the malpractice case.

Apart from Gallup Indian Medical Center, RMCH is the only medical provider for the town of 20,000 people and others within a 60-mile radius in northwestern New Mexico.

A historic judgment

A jury awarded the judgment  which has received little publicity  after a Gallup man who is the caretaker of three children sought treatment for a hernia at RMCH and suffered complications in 2018, according to court records.

Vargas said a doctor convinced his client he could perform a hernia surgery there at the small hospital, instead of referring him to Albuquerque or a bigger hospital elsewhere. A complication during surgery resulted in an infection that led to the patient getting sicker and sicker for days as medical staff did nothing, Vargas said.

By the time the patient was rushed to Albuquerque, he was almost dead from septic shock, Vargas said. The patient survived but his health still suffers today, his lawyer said.

In its verdict, the jury awarded the patient and his family $50 million in punitive damages, $15 million in compensatory damages and $1 million apiece for the three children dependent on the patient, according to court records

Vargas said the judgment is, to his knowledge as a longtime medical malpractice lawyer in New Mexico, the second-biggest in state history.

In the legislative session that wrapped up in mid-February, lawmakers did not consider a bill that would have capped the amount available to those who died or suffered injuries due to medical malpractice by hospitals, or outpatient facilities overseen by hospitals.

A long struggle for care

RMCH has been struggling financially since before the coronavirus pandemic, when the Navajo Nation was the epicenter of the virus for several months in mid-2020 and the hospital was flooded with patients. Then-CEO David Conejo, was fired in June 2020, and an audit by State Auditor Brian Colon raised questions about his compensation and a no-bid contract awarded to a board trustee.

In August 2020, the hospital board hired Community Hospital Consulting, a company based out of Plano, Texas, to take over management and placed a senior vice president there, Don Smithburg, as interim CEO the following month. He said at the time he inherited a perilous financial situation due to previous mismanagement and suspension of elective procedures during the height of the pandemic.

In October, doctors formed a union at the hospital, citing what they said was a culture of fear and intimidation that resulted in firings or resignations of long-time employees and the closure of the hospitals labor and delivery unit.

Since then, the hospital has replaced Smithburg with Patten, who came out of retirement after running the hospital in Taos, and, earlier this month, replaced CHC with a new company, Ovation, Patten said.

To make ends meet, the hospital also received at least $6 million from the county and city to pay employees since last year. Still, the hospital was on the verge of collapse in December, said Sen. George Munoz (D-Gallup), chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

Munoz said he convinced lawmakers and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to approve $12 million earlier this year in the state budget to cover shortfalls at the hospital.

The investment put money back in to get you out of debt so these numbers turn from red to black, he told Patten on Wednesday. They may not be large, black numbers, but theyll be in the black.

Patten noted a few bright spots for the hospital in an otherwise bleak picture: It has recently increased hiring, including of former employees, and it is increasing revenue by offering more elective procedures. The hospital will begin offering cataract surgery today, for example.

Not just a rural problem

While RMCH might be an extreme case, a report by the LFC found that government spending will comprise nearly three-quarters of hospital revenues in 2025. The reliance on taxpayer money raises questions about their financial viability, according to an LFC report, while also affording the state more opportunity to hold them accountable for mismanagement or poor patient care.

The report also found that rural hospitals across New Mexico were worse off financially than those in urban areas. A majority of statewide hospitals that suffered net losses in 2022 were nonurban, according to the report.

Lawmakers this session passed several bills aimed at improving operations at rural hospitals and protecting them from being mined for profit. The Health Care Consolidation Oversight Act, for example, gives the state oversight of hospital acquisitions, and the Health Care Delivery and Access Act structures Medicaid payments to provide greater benefits to rural hospitals.

Munoz thanked his colleagues for bailing out RMCH but also stressed the importance of maintaining viable health care options across the state for the benefit of rural and urban residents alike.

If we dont get the rural hospitals fixed, were going to be at your hospitals knocking at your front door, he said, referring to urban hospitals, taking the services out of your community, either by a $70,000 airplane flight, or a two-hour trip to Albuquerque, or wherever it is across the state to try to get those services.

The post As Gallup hospital tries to mend financial wounds, it faces a $68 million judgment appeared first on Source New Mexico.
Gary, area officials say Summit, Inc. closure plan doesnt go far enough

Area legislators and community members expressed their concerns with the modified closure plan for the Summit Inc. property in Gary during a Wednesday public hearing held by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

Many area officials, including Gary Mayor Eddie Melton, State Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, and a representative from the office of U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, said the modified closure plan does not go far enough because it closes a small portion of the junkyard by 2030.

Around 93% of the residents who live within one mile of the site are people of color, officials said, while 84% of the residents within three-mile radius are people of color.

Were trying to change the narrative. Far too often, the narrative is that its okay to dump on Gary. Its okay to emit toxins and fumes in a majority-minority city, low income city, Melton said. We dont see this happening and taking place in more suburban communities around our region, and we want that same respect.

Summit, Inc., 6901 W. Chicago Avenue, operates as a large-scale metal recycler, and it is located near the Gary/Chicago International Airport and bordered by Airport Road, Industrial Highway and U.S. 12, according to the modified closure plan.

The IDEM modified closure plan, which is in response to a 2022 court order, would shut down two areas within the junkyard, in which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency saw crushed automobiles leaking transmission fluid, engine oil, brake fluid, antifreeze and gasoline onto the ground. The EPA noted spent lead acid batteries on the ground and puddles with residual fluids, like automotive used oils and gas, according to the plan.

Since 2004, the City of Gary has used legal avenues to ensure that the site is properly cleaned and has issued fines for not maintaining a clean site, seven area legislators stated in a letter. In 2014, IDEM found that Summit, Inc. violated the solid waste disposal process, and in 2016 the EPA entered into a consent agreement with the company that included a civil penalty and required site clean up, according to the letter.

In that time, Summit, Inc. hasnt complied with court rulings or paid fines to clean up the site, according to a letter.

Summit, Inc. president and site owner Peter Coulopoulos attended the hearing. He did not speak during the public hearing and declined to comment afterward.

Melton said he received a 15-page report from the Gary/Chicago International Airport documenting 288 explosions on the site since 2010, with 12 more reported in March and April of this year.

The EPA identified over 20 hazardous materials, including lead, mercury and methochloride, on the site above safe levels for human and environmental health in 2008, Melton said. It also has documented that the substances have spread outside the site, which increases health risks for residents, he said.

Many of the substances listed are toxic and can cause cancer, Melton said.

Tommy Sokolowski, an attorney for the Gary/Chicago International Airport, said that the modified closure plan will only clean up 0.64 acres of the 38-acre site.

Were getting doomed for another 20 years of no site cleanup, Sokolowski said.

State Sen. Rodney Pol, D-Chesterton, who also works as an attorney for the City of Gary, said agencies like IDEM need to enforce the court order to clean up the site.

Its time that the City of Gary is taken seriously and these orders are taken seriously, Pol said. Without that, were essentially sending a clear message that no matter how hard you try this can continue, and that has to stop now.

State Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, said Summit, Inc. has been causing problems in Gary for the last 20 years. IDEM has the authority to shut Summit, Inc. down, he said.

They have no business coming to this town and polluting it, Randolph said.

State Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, said the operations on the site have resulted in fires and explosions, which in turn have led to chemical contamination of the soil and groundwater. The proposed plan is only a partial clean-up, Harris said, and does not go far enough.

Smith said 20 years is a long time to wait for a clean-up on the site and deal with a company that does not respect court rulings or the community it is located in.

I think even a blind man can see that Summit has no respect for any of the agencies that its been involved in. No respect for the courts, no respect for the City of Gary, no respect for the lives of the people who reside in this area, Smith said.

Mark Lopez, Chief of Staff to U.S. Rep. Mrvan, said the Congressman said more should be done to address the site.

Considering the multiple investigations of this facility, the Congressman believes that stronger action is necessary to ensure this site is no longer a polluter in our shared community. The operators repeated abuse of air, land and water should no longer be tolerated, Lopez said.

Gary Advocates for Responsible Development President Dorreen Carey said the modified closure plan is incomplete because it would only close down a portion of the site.

GARD  a nonprofit group with a mission to promote economic development in Gary that prioritizes environmental justice, community health and protection of neighborhoods and natural resources  called for Summit to be shut down.

The mere fact that this closure plan is a requirement of a federal court order should tell you that Summit cannot be relied on to clean up its property, Carey said. It needs to be cleaned up now. Unfortunately, Summit cannot be trusted to do this work.

Brian Robinson, a Gary resident and Summit employee, said while he understands the environmental concerns, the company shouldnt be shut down because then many people will be left without a job.

There has to be some type of agreement, not just we go one way or the other, Robinson said.

akukulka@chicagotribune.com
Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, held an expanded meeting with Aleksandr Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Belarus, Azernews reports.

Addressing the meeting, President Ilham Aliyev said:

- Dear Aleksandr Grigoryevich,

Dear guests.

Let me once again welcome you to Azerbaijan. I am very pleased that you have accepted my invitation and are paying a state visit to our country.

We have had a very detailed conversation on many issues of the bilateral agenda, as well as regional and international matters. We have once again confirmed the strategic nature of our relations. We highly value the trusting and creative partnership between our countries, which is based on mutual respect, friendship, and cooperation. The relations are time-tested, and I think that no one would doubt that Belarus and Azerbaijan are two reliable friends. This is the basis of our interstate relations because only in an atmosphere of mutual trust can one move forward confidently, always counting on mutual support in any situation.

Members of our delegations had the opportunity to communicate yesterday, and as far as I know the contacts were also very effective and positive. There are a lot of topics that need to be addressed. Looking at the prospects of our interaction, we are observing huge potential, an increase in trade turnover, and continued expansion of industrial cooperation, and collaboration in agriculture. Of course, we would be glad if Belarusian companies and enterprises participated in the restoration of liberated territories. Members of our delegations have also held discussions on this topic. The composition of delegations also speaks volumes. It speaks a lot about the issues that are on the agenda. But, of course, they are not limited to the issues members of the delegations are responsible for. So our cooperation is quite multidimensional, with a good history and a good future.

I welcome you once again, Mr. Aleksandr Grigoryevich. I wish you a pleasant stay in Azerbaijan, which is a friendly country for you.

x x x

President Aleksandr Lukashenko said:

- Ilham Heydarovich, thank you very much. We really have no closed topics. Everything is open. We discuss everything, even if someone hears the issues on our agenda, they might wonder what kind of relations we have. These are the kindest, the closest relations, and we communicate like brothers. We understand the world the same way, and we understand where it is heading. You know, I told you in our one-on-one meeting about Heydar Aliyev. If only he could see how Azerbaijan is developing now. I remembered our conversation before the war, before your war of liberation, when we were philosophizing over lunch, the two of us. We came to the conclusion then that it was possible to win the war. It is important. It is very important to hold on to that victory. But, thirdly, we agreed, and you touched upon this question, that the most difficult time would begin after the war, when it would be necessary to revive the lands that you liberate. To begin the revival. And that hard time has come, when you have to revive these lands, you have to bring people back to their homes. Some have already been born in the city. You have won and you have held on to this victory. Now it is necessary to revive these lands. It takes time, it takes a lot of effort. It is difficult to do it all in five, perhaps even in 10 years.

Therefore, Ilham Heydarovich, if we can help with anything, if we can help by contributing to this. You have enough helpers now, but if we can participate in this on such a friendly basis: with equipment, agro-towns, workplaces. It is possible to resettle and bring people back, but you need housing and jobs. We have certain technologies, and your specialists and ministers know these technologies well. If they are suitable, if our equipment can be present and work here, I asked Ilham Heydarovich during the one-on-one talks whether it is possible to give some room to Belarus. Ilham Heydarovich has supported this approach. I want our ministers to hear this as well.






































BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. Azerbaijan's water resources decreased by nearly 15 percent, Akbar Asgarov from the country's Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources said at the Climate and Water Summit at ADA University on May 16, Trend reports.

Asgarov pointed out that climate change is a serious concern for the world community, emphasizing its extremely negative impact on water resources.

Observations are being carried out on the countrys water bodies. We are witnessing the consequences of global warming in this area. Namely, this is the reason for a reduction in Azerbaijans water resources by about 15 percent, the official explained.

Moreover, Asgarov named the holding of COP29 in Azerbaijan this year as an important event.

COP29 will host extensive discussions on managing the challenges we may face on our path to a green planet and a healthy future, he added.

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 7080,000 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. 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 Berlin, and its secretariat is located in Bonn.

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Gavin Newsom, during his speech at the Vatican on climate change, accuses Trump of 'open corruption'

Gov. Gavin Newsom, left, delivers his speech during the "From Climate Crisis to Climate Resilience" three-day summit organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences at the Vatican on Thursday. (Gregorio Borgia / Associated Press)

Gov. Gavin Newsom accused former President Trump of "open corruption" in a speech Thursday at a climate summit of Catholic officials and international leaders, elevating his criticism of the Republican leader in the hallowed halls of the Vatican.

The California governor referenced news stories alleging that Trump recently solicited campaign donations from oil executives and at the same event vowed to walk back climate protections if elected in the 2024 presidential contest.

"He openly asked them for $1 billion to roll back the environmental progress of the Biden administration, environmental progress that we've made over the course of the last half century," Newsom said. "Open corruption. A billion dollars to pollute our states, to pollute our country, and to pollute this planet and roll back progress."

The governor spoke at a three-day "From Climate Crisis to Climate Resilience summit organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

Newsom said he decided to call out Trump by name at the international gathering of governors, mayors and policy experts because he felt stories about Trump's meeting with oil executives didn't get enough attention.

"It's an expression of my sincerity about how serious I take this moment and how consequential it is," the governor said about the possible negative effects on climate change if Trump returns to the White House.

His comments were also strategic. Climate change isn't necessarily driving American Catholics to the polls, but drawing attention to an accusation of pay-to-play political corruption might resonate more with Pope Francis' supporters in the U.S. More than 50 million Americans identify as Catholic.

Newsom's appearance is likely to elevate his position as a climate leader on a world stage.

Gov. Gavin Newsom attends the "From Climate Crisis to Climate Resilience" summit. (Gregorio Borgia / Associated Press)

With temperatures and carbon emissions rising worldwide, the aim of the conference is for local and state governments to share best practices about fighting climate change and adapting to hotter temperatures, rising seas and a more volatile environment.

Parts of Newsoms talk matched the tenor of a critique of the oil industry he delivered last fall at the United Nations Climate Ambition Summit in New York.

It's because of the burning of gas, the burning of coal, the burning of oil," Newsom said at the Vatican. "We have the tools. We have the technology. We have the capacity to address the issue at a global scale and they've been fighting every single advancement and we have got to call that out."

Bob Salladay, Newsoms top communications advisor, said his candid assessment earlier in New York of the industry, which he said was playing everyone for fools, caught the attention of the Vatican and is one of the reasons he was invited to speak at the climate summit.

Read more: Climate change is central to both Pope Francis and Newsom. But do Catholic voters care?

The setting of his speech, in a carpeted auditorium at the Vatican that typically houses gatherings of bishops, drew a stark contrast to the marbled floors and renaissance murals that lined the walls and ceilings of Clementine Hall, where Newsom spoke with Pope Francis on Thursday morning.

In an address to government leaders and climate scientists in Clementine Hall, Pope Francis cast the destruction of the environment as an offense against God.

This is the question: Are we working for a culture of life or for a culture of death? Pope Francis said.

Newsom and his wife, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, sat in the second row of the audience in an Apostolic Palace near St. Peters Basilica.

A pope's body is placed in the hall for private visitation upon his death. Its also the same room that former President Obama visited in 2009.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul greets Pope Francis on Thursday in Vatican City. (Riccardo De Luca / Associated Press)

Pope Francis called the refusal to protect the most vulnerable who are exposed to climate change caused by human activity a grave violation of human rights.

He said around 1 billion people in wealthier nations produce more than half the heat trapping pollutants" of the world. Poorer people, he said, contribute less than 10% and suffer 75% of the resulting damage.

Pope Francis also took a shot at fossil fuel companies.

"An orderly progress is being held back by the greedy pursuit of short-term gains by polluting industries and by the spread of disinformation, which generates confusion and obstructs collective efforts for a change in course," Francis said.

The governor called the pope's address "remarkable."

"I knew what I was going to say already, but he said it before I said it," Newsom said.

Read more: Saying the stakes could not be higher, Newsom to speak at Vatican climate summit

After Francis' speech, Newsom and Siebel Newsom walked along an aisle of ornate stone tiles to the front of the room, where the governor briefly spoke with the leader of the Catholic Church. The governor said the pope commended his administration's work on the death penalty.

The governor said he was struck by the pope's support for what Newsom described as a difficult decision to issue a moratorium on the death penalty and close California's execution chambers in 2019.

At the time, more than 700 people were on death row. Newsom met with families of some of the victims who had been killed by the inmates.

"It was nice that he brought up the issue and thanked California for the direction we're going," Newsom said.

Newsom's action ran counter to the expressed will of California voters, who over the previous six years had rejected two statewide ballot measures to repeal the death penalty.

A procession of attendees also greeted the pope, who took time to shake hands with every person in the room.

The pope signed a planetary compact after his speech, which Newsom and other government leaders also signed Thursday.

Wade Crowfoot, Californias Natural Resources secretary, described the compact as an unprecedented agreement among international governors, mayors, Indigenous leaders and scientists to work together to confront climate change with a focus on resiliency and equity.

Crowfoot and Lauren Sanchez, Newsom's top climate advisor, also participated in hours of meetings at the conference on Wednesday.

Newsom is hosting a state climate summit in Southern California this fall as a continuation of the work at the Vatican conference. The state will be inviting local leaders and experts from California.

"We're taking the torch of subnational leadership back to California, where it belongs, to convene scientists, local governments and leaders to tackle the climate threat that is the existential crisis of our time," Sanchez said.

Some environmentalists in California said Newsom's rhetoric on the global stage is not entirely matched by his actions at home. Though Newsom has championed many environmental measures and has waged a battle with oil companies as governor, he proposed cutting $3.6 billion for climate-related programs to help address the state budget deficit.

Susan Stephenson, executive director of a religious environmental advocacy organization called Interfaith Power and Light, took issue with a recent decision by Newsom's appointees on the California Public Utilities Commission that she said would slow the use of rooftop solar power.

"He's saying a lot of the right things," Stephenson said. "And it is not matched by the urgency of action that we need as climate change is worsening."

Newsom has also received criticism from some Republicans for traveling abroad instead of staying home to focus exclusively on California's problems.

That was not the sentiment of a Democratic couple from Riverside who saw Newsom and his wife on a tour of the Roman Forum after the speech. They said they were surprised to see the governor in Rome.

Walter and Susan Davis said they believe in climate change and support the governor coming to deliver the speech, which they called "a real reason."

"That's what I'm talking about," Walter Davis said.

Times Sacramento Bureau Chief Laurel Rosenhall contributed to this report.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The torrent of hatred directed against Israel since the brutal Oct. 7 massacre by Hamas in Israel has been unrelenting.

A common, libelous trope among the haters is that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, as Donna Nevel inaccurately asserted on this page last week. It is totally beyond the pale  a complete inversion of reality  and it must be condemned. Genocide is defined as violent attacks with the intent to destroy in whole, or in part, a national ethnic, racial or religious group. This in no way describes the facts on the ground in Gaza.

Israel is at war with Hamas, not the Gazans who have also suffered under Hamas oppressive rule since 2006.

Palm Beach stands in solidarity during a pro-Israel rally at The Great Lawn of West Palm Beach on Sunday October 15. About 200 people attended the event.

It is Hamas that attempted a genocide on Oct. 7, breaking the existing ceasefire, invading Israel in the thousands by land, air, and sea. Many of the terrorists recorded their own murder, rape, beheading and mutilation of more than 1,200 innocent civilians, including Americans, with 253 others seized as hostages.

This barbarism should come as no surprise. Genocide is a central component of Hamas charter, which calls not only for the annihilation of Israel, but also for the death of all Jews.

More on Israel: Israel war on Gaza will continue despite President Joe Biden's decision on weapons

Oct. 7 was the deadliest day for the Jewish community since the Holocaust. Israel is defending itself against this savagery that Hamas has declared to repeat over and over again. The only way to ensure it is not repeated is to destroy Hamas.

In doing so, Israel has exercised unprecedented efforts to limit civilian casualties. Since the wars inception, Israel has warned civilians in advance of impending military action. The army has sent thousands of text messages and dropped leaflets into population centers, advising Gazans to relocate to safer areas.

More: Biden's delay on weapon shipments to Israel does not stop country's war on Gaza

In contrast, Hamas seeks to maximize casualtieson both sides. While Hamas terrorists hide inside tunnels, they jeopardize thousands of Palestinian lives by firing missiles from schools and hospitals.

This use of human shields reveals Hamas utter disregard for Palestinian life and exacerbates the suffering among its own population.

More on Gaza: Pro-Palestinian protests miss the point: Israel is fighting for its existence | Opinion

Hamas deliberately targets civilian men, women and children by firing indiscriminately into Israeli towns. Israel, on the other hand, continues to expand efforts to provide humanitarian relief to Gaza even as Hamas steals humanitarian aid from Palestinians and repeatedly attacks aid crossing points.

To date, the Jewish state has facilitated the entry of more than 27,000 trucks, which have carried more than 530,000 tons of water, food, medical supplies, cooking gas, fuel and shelter equipment into Gaza.

Letters: Why blame Israel alone and cast no criticism on Hamas atrocities?

There have also been more than 9,000 packages dropped by air, and very shortly, with Israels support, a U.S.-built floating pier will further expand humanitarian aid efforts. And still, Israel is accused of genocide?

Laurence Milstein

One must wonder what motivates the twisting of facts to foster a narrative that demonizes Israel. If the sincere desire is to end the enormous brutality against the people of Gaza, as Nevel wrote, then one would be far better served by placing blame for the suffering where it lies  with Hamas  and supporting Israels efforts to liberate the Gazan population from Hamas tyrannical and genocidal rule.

Laurence Milstein is Regional Director of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Palm Beach County office.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Don't blame Israel for fighting Hamas' war on Jews
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has released the name of a man who shot three Atlanta police officers before he was shot and killed over the weekend.

Investigators say Claudy Pierre Jules, 41, was shot on Saturday and died from his injuries at the Desoto Ave. SW scene.

Officers were called to nearby Fairbanks Street after 911 callers reported a man, later identified as Jules, walking around in the area with a gun.

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Atlanta Police Chief Darin Scheirbaum said that Jules was armed with a knife and a gun and officers struggled with him before shots were fired.

The GBI says one of the officers tackled Jules after he pulled out his gun. Officers fired at Jules after hearing what sounded like a gunshot.

Three officers were shot in the incident and taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. One was shot in the arm, another in the leg and the third was grazed. All three are expected to make a full recovery.

TRENDING STORIES:

On Tuesday, APD officials confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that Officers Darien Tabor and Charles Smith had undergone surgery and were still in the hospital recovering. Smith was scheduled for another surgery.

Officer Jason Hodge was treated at the hospital and released on Sunday.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
Conservative attorney George Conway spoke directly to Donald Trump on Wednesday as he challenged the former president to testify at his criminal trial in the Stormy Daniels hush money case.

Conway predicted Trump would be torn to shreds in about three minutes if he took the stand. He then tried to goad him into doing so anyway.

If he doesnt testify, its because hes scared, Conway said on MSNBC. Donald, you are scared.

Conway said Trump prefers to stand in the hallway and make statements so that when people ask questions, he can turn and walk away without answering.

You, Donald  I hope youre listening to me  you are a wuss, he said. You are scared of actually doing what Stormy Daniels had to do and what Michael Cohen had to do.

Trump has accused them and others of lying, but Conway said that attack rings hollow.

You cant call these people liars, Donald, unless you go on the stand and tell your truth, he said. Are you afraid, Donald? I think you are.

He doesn't listen to his lawyers. If he doesn't testify, it's because he's scared. Donald, I hope you're listening to me. You, Donald, are a wuss. You are scared of actually doing what Stormy Daniels had to do and what Michael Cohen had to do.@DeadlineWH@NicolleDWallace pic.twitter.com/rcuq1RFVxM  George Conway (@gtconway3d) May 16, 2024
Like many Georgians, Rati Khazalia believes he is in a "fight to save" his country's democracy and free the Eastern European nation from Russia's attempts to isolate it.

"We've been betrayed by our government," he said. "We've been sold to (Russia) for nothing."

The 29-year-old business owner who founded and runs a print shop in Georgia's capital Tbilisi made the comments in a phone interview this week as lawmakers in Georgia pushed through Parliament a controversial Russian-style "foreign agents" bill that has sparked some of the biggest protests in the nation since it regained its independence from Moscow in 1991.

Khazalia is among those protesting.

"It's time for everyone to stand together," he said.

The law was approved by 84 lawmakers voting in favor to 30 against.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said she intends to veto the measure, which she has characterized as "an exact duplicate" of an authoritarian law in Russia that cracks down on anti-corruption campaigners, democracy-promotion organizations and political dissent. However, because the country's Moscow-sympathetic ruling Georgian Dream party controls the legislature Zourabichvili's veto can easily be over - ridden.

Video broadcast on Georgia television showed fights breaking out in Parliament on Tuesday, with rival lawmakers shoving each other and gesticulating angrily during debates on the bill. After the divisive bill's passage, protesters smashed through barriers at Georgia's parliament. Police fired tear gas.

A new home  and a moral dilemma: Russians escape Putin's war on Ukraine for Georgia

Here's what Georgia's "foreign agents" law is and why it's stirring controversy.

What is Georgia's 'foreign agents' law?

The law requires any organizations in Georgia who receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as so-called agents of foreign influence.

Critics say the bill, promoted by the Georgian Dream party and its pro-Russian billionaire founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, is an attempt to sabotage the countrys path to further integration with the European Union and West more broadly. Ivanishvili is a former prime minister who wields significant political influence.

Georgia was granted EU candidate status in December. The EU has said the bill is "incompatible with European values" and could hurt the country's efforts to become a member of the bloc.

The bill's supporters say it is needed to promote political transparency, to fight against "pseudo-liberal values" promoted by foreign civil society groups and to preserve the country's sovereignty.

Natalie Sabanadze, Georgia's former ambassador to the EU, said the measure is known in Georgia as the "Russian law" because it is "modeled almost entirely on laws passed in Russia in 2012 that basically killed off its civil society," referring to Russia's political opposition and groups that promote democratic rights and free speech. Many Russians were silenced or forced to leave the country after these laws were passed in Russia.

In fact, Russia has used its foreign agents law to decimate political dissent and it is one of the reasons, along with a tight grip on Russia's security state, that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been able to stay in power for so long.

In Russian presidential election: Vladimir Putin cements longest reign since Stalin

Sabanadze said that Georgians have been protesting the law in huge numbers for weeks because the country has "quite a vibrant civil society" and it is "understood the new law puts that in jeopardy."

Last week, the U.S. said it was "deeply troubled" by the law. U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the U.S. was "alarmed about democratic backsliding in Georgia." Sullivan wrote on X, the social media platform, that "Georgian Parliamentarians face a critical choice  whether to support the Georgian peoples EuroAtlantic aspirations or pass a Kremlin-style foreign agents' law that runs counter to democratic values."

A 'turning point' in U.S.-Georgia relations?

After the vote passed, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James OBrien said the law "could be a turning point in what has been till now a constructive and productive partnership" between the Georgia and the U.S. He said that if the law "goes forward" the U.S. will impose travel restrictions and financial sanctions against people involved in drafting and supporting the bill.

On Wednesday, Zurabishvili, Georgia's president, said the nation was "returning to the past" with the new law, a reference to when Georgia was part of the Soviet Union.

Georgia: West or East?

Surveys show that the vast majority of Georgians favor closer ties with the West, even if their government in recent years has appeared to pull the country in the opposite direction.

In an interview in Tbilisi in 2022, Khazalia, the business owner, said that living in Georgia it's not always possible to see which political direction the country is going. "Is it to the West? Or is to the East?" he said.

'Our government is a pro-Russian puppet'

On Tuesday, Khazalia said the passage of the "Russian law" made the situation a lot clearer.

"Our government is a pro-Russian puppet," he said, as he prepared to join the protests Tuesday night. "Our only choice now is to show the world we want to live in a democratic country."

Khazalia said that many businesses in Tbilisi have closed and that the protests are being attended "by all generations, all classes, all ages, all interests and groups and ethnicities."

Russian exiles flee to Georgia

"I've also seen some Russians," he added, referring to the tens of thousands of exiles who've descended on Georgia since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, a source of tension in Tbilisi.

Rati Khazalia, a business owner in Tblisi, says he remembers Russians bombing his village when he was a child.

Still, much of the murkiness around Georgia's politics has to do with its history and connective tissue to Russia.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, both Russia and Georgia were newly independent nations.

But in the years that followed, Russia-backed separatists in Georgia sought to declare independence for two regions, which led to a war in 2008. The war ended in days, with Russian troops occupying the regions. Today, Abkhazia and South Ossetia (or the Tskhinvali region, as Georgians prefer to call it) remain under Russian control.

The conflict essentially meant Russia had invaded the bordering portions of an independent country.

It also announced Moscows determination, Daniel Fried, a former U.S. ambassador to Poland has said, "to force a country (it) regarded as within Russias sphere of influence to heel."

In fact, many international affairs specialists in the West such as Fried regard Russia's 2008 actions in Georgia as a kind of prelude to the Ukraine invasion. In 2014, Moscow annexed Ukraine's Crimea region on the Black Sea and backed separatists in Donbas, a vast eastern industrial heartlands area dotted with factories and coal plants.

Russian then launched a larger-scale Ukraine invasion in 2022.

In Georgia, as in Ukraine, while Russia seized its bordering regions, the rest of the country took steps to unite with the West. It applied to be a member of the European Union economic bloc in March 2022. Like Ukraine, it has aspirations to join NATO, the military alliance that backs Western allies against Russian aggression.

Siding with Russia 'would be political suicide'

Sabanadze, Georgia's former ambassador to the EU who is now a senior research fellow at London think tank Chatham House, said the ruling Georgian Dream party has, in the last few years, overturned the country's broad "EuroAtlantic trajectory" that it has had since its independence.

She ascribed this largely to Georgian billionaire Ivanishvili and his connections to Russia, the country where he made all his money (in banking and metals). She said Ivanishvili likely believes Russia will win the war in Ukraine.

"On top of that, he is personally really mad at the EU and U.S., has a conspiratorial mind and believes the Americans and Europeans especially are funding NGOs to undermine him," she said.

Ivanishvili could not immediately be reached for comment. The Kremlin has said that the new law in Georgia and the debate around is being used to "provoke anti-Russian" sentiment.

"Of course, no political party in Georgia can say they are going in the Russian direction," said Sabanadze, who said that even the Georgian Dream party is careful not express openly pro-Russian views when some 80% of Georgians say they want closer ties with the EU and NATO.

"That would be political suicide."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Georgia passes controversial Russia-style 'foreign agents' law
In this photo released by Georgian Presidential Press Service, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, speaks at a joint news conference with foreign ministers of Baltic and Nordic states during their trip to Georgia in Tbilisi, Georgia, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. (Georgian Presidential Press Service via AP)

TBILISI, Georgia (AP)  A controversial media bill passed this week by Georgia's parliament is unacceptable and will be vetoed, President Salome Zourabichvili said Thursday, reaffirming her opposition to a measure that critics describe as a threat to free speech.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Zourabichvili harshly criticized the ruling Georgian Dream party for pushing the bill that also is widely seen setting back Georgias aspirations to join the European Union.

The bill, passed Tuesday, requires media, nongovernmental organizations and other nonprofit groups to register as pursuing the interests of a foreign power if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad. The government says the bill is needed to stem what it deems to be harmful foreign actors trying to destabilize the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million.

Its unacceptable because it reflects a turn of the Georgian attitudes towards the civil society, towards the media and towards the recommendations of the European Commission that are not consistent with what is our declared policy of going towards a European integration, Zourabichvili told the AP.

She reaffirmed her intention to veto it because it goes directly against the spirit or the letter of EU recommendations.

Zourabichvili is increasingly at odds with the Georgian Dream party, which has a majority sufficient to override her veto. She has until May 28  14 days after its passage  to act.

She emphasized its her duty under the constitution to make everything in my capacity possible to support the European integration and to consolidate it.

Huge crowds of protesters have blocked streets in the capital of Tbilisi and milled angrily outside the parliament building after lawmakers approved the measure 84-30 despite strong criticism from the U.S and the EU.

The authorities are not doing what the country expects, and the country is reacting because the country wants Europe and wants not to lose the possibility at the end of the year of seeing the opening of these accession negotiations, Zourabichvili said.

The bill is nearly identical to one that the Georgian Dream party was pressured to withdraw last year after street protests. Renewed demonstrations have rocked Georgia for weeks, with demonstrators scuffling with police, who used tear gas and water cannons to disperse them.

The opposition has denounced the bill as the Russian law because Moscow uses similar legislation to crack down on independent news media, nonprofits and activists critical of the Kremlin.

European Council President Charles Michel said Tuesday that if Georgians want to join the EU, they have to respect the fundamental principles of the rule of law and the democratic principles.

Zourabichvili emphasized that after Georgia received the status of a candidate last fall to join the EU, the government should have focused on passing the necessary laws to qualify for the launch of accession talks at the end of the year.

The parliament should be working day and night to satisfy the recommendations that we have on the table on the justice reform, on the corruption agencys independence and things like that, she told AP. And instead of that, instead of doing what is expected from us, the parliament is working on a law that was rejected last year that all our partners, European partners, have said that its not consistent with the European values and the European objectives.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the U.S. was deeply troubled by the legislation, which she said runs counter to democratic values and would move Georgia further away from the values of the European Union. And lets not forget also NATO. Enacting it will compel us to fundamentally reassess our relationship with Georgia, she added.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Affairs James OBrien met Tuesday with Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and told journalists if the law goes forward out of conformity with EU norms, and theres undermining of democracy here and theres violence against peaceful protesters, then we will see restrictions coming from the United States.

The opposition United National Movement accuses Georgian Dream of trying to drag Georgia into Russias sphere of influence  allegations it rejects. Georgian Dream was founded by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a former prime minister and billionaire who made his fortune in Russia.

Zourabichvili said it's hard to say whether the bill was the ruling party's initiative or if Moscow had played any role in its passage, but she emphasized that the Kremlin is unhappy with Georgia's pro-Western aspirations.

It's clear that Moscow is not seeing with lots of appreciation this accelerated pace of Georgia towards the European Union, she said.
Activists from Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) protest with masks showing the leading members of the traffic light government in front of the Berlin Higher Administrative Court. Paul Zinken/dpa

The German government must tighten up its climate protection programme because the measures agreed to so far are insufficient to achieve the country's climate goals, the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court ruled on Thursday.

The decision upholds two lawsuits filed by Environmental Action Germany or Deutsche Umwelthilfe. The ruling said the federal government's measures in their current form do not meet the legal requirements.

The federal government can appeal to the Federal Administrative Court, thereby postponing the judgement.

The group had already taken legal action against the German government's climate policy once before and won in November.

At that time, the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court ruled that the government must launch an emergency climate programme in the transport and buildings' sectors. The appeal against this judgement is currently being heard by the Federal Administrative Court.

The environmental group based its lawsuits on requirements set out in Germany's Climate Protection Act, which calls for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 2024 to 2030. In addition, the law sets the target of reducing all these emissions by at least 65% by 2030 compared to 1990.

Last year a reduction of around 46% was achieved.

The climate protection programme is considered a kind of overall plan by the federal government to achieve these targets. It lists numerous measures in the transport, energy, buildings, industry and agriculture sectors.

Activists from Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) protest with masks showing the leading members of the traffic light government in front of the Berlin Higher Administrative Court. Paul Zinken/dpa
Alice Weidel (L), Chairwoman of the AfD parliamentary group, and Tino Chrupalla, Chairman of the AfD parliamentary group, comment in the German Bundestag on the ruling of the North Rhine-Westphalian Higher Administrative Court (OVG) on the classification of the AfD as a suspected right-wing extremist organization. German far-right AfD leaders say lawmaker raids are 'serious matter'. Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa

The leadership of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party says it is hoping for quick results in connection with the investigation against AfD lawmaker Petr Bystron.

"The waiver of immunity and the search of Petr Bystron's office and private premises are a serious matter," said party and parliamentary group leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla on Thursday.

So far, no evidence has been presented for the accusations that have been levelled against Bystron for weeks, they said.

The parliamentary group hopes for a swift conclusion to the investigation "so that there is no suspicion that an attempt is being made to influence the European election campaign through authorities and public prosecutors bound by instructions."

Bystron, the number two on the AfD candidate list for the European elections, has been making headlines for weeks, as has top candidate Maximilian Krah, due to reports of possible links to pro-Russian networks and possible cash payments.

Petr Bystron (AfD), Member of the German Bundestag, speaks in the plenary of the German Bundestag. German prosecutors probe far-right lawmaker for bribery. Christoph Soeder/dpa
German law enforcement officers are conducting searches at the home of Petr Bystron, a politician from the right-wing populist party Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD or Alternative for Germany), on Thursday, 16 May. Bystron is the party's number two in the European elections.

Source: German media outlet Spiegel, citing sources, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Spiegel reported that the Munich prosecutor's office initiated an investigation into Bystron. In this regard, searches were carried out on property linked to Bystron in Berlin and Bavaria, as well as in Mallorca and his Bundestag office on the morning of 16 May. A total of about 70 law enforcement officers were involved.

The politician is suspected of corruption and money laundering.

The Bundestag had previously agreed to the investigation and lifted Bystron's immunity, with only the AfD abstaining from voting.

The suspicions against the lawmaker relate to the case of the Voice of Europe (VoE) media agency, which acted as a tool of Russian influence and propaganda in Europe.

Czech intelligence services said in March that the website was used to disseminate anti-Ukrainian propaganda and disinformation on the instructions of Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian businessman and pro-Russian politician to whose daughter Putin is a godfather. Czechia has imposed sanctions on Medvedchuk.

The VoE may also have covertly provided financial support to candidates in the European Parliament elections convenient for Russia, including Bystron, his party's second choice in the European elections and who has appeared frequently on the VoE.

In an interview recorded in February in Prague, Bystron lamented that the German government coalition was not meeting farmers halfway but was giving Ukraine large amounts of military aid and that the government "has money to kill people in other countries, but no funds for German farmers."

Spiegel journalists say Czech services have video and audio evidence that Bystron received such funds. The politician himself has initially denied the allegations.

The media outlet noted that Bystron had known Medvedchuk personally for many years and even visited his home.

Further investigation should determine whether Bystron has violated German law. Under current law, in order to prove a violation, it will be necessary to establish not only that the lawmaker accepted the money but also that it was in exchange for a certain service related to his mandate.

Earlier, Spiegel reported that the Kremlin wanted to help the AfD with its election strategy.



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Petr Bystron (AfD), Member of the German Bundestag, speaks in the plenary of the German Bundestag. German prosecutors probe far-right lawmaker for bribery. Christoph Soeder/dpa

German prosecutors launched an investigation into a lawmaker of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on suspicion of bribery and money laundering as well as searching several properties on Thursday.

Petr Bystron, the second candidate on the party's ticket for the European elections on June 9, has had his immunity waived by Germany's Bundestag or lower house of parliament.

Bystron described the investigation to the news website Zeit Online as politically motivated.

Far-right lawmaker sees some election consequences

"The proceedings will be dropped when the election is over," he was quoted as saying. "It will cost us some votes in the election."

However, he was sure other voters would stick with the AfD: "Those who know the history of our party, which has been damaged by retaliatory campaigns, will not be put off by this."

The public prosecutor's office in Munich said searches were taking place at Bystron's office in Berlin, several locations in Bavaria and on the Spanish island of Mallorca.

According to prosecutors, 11 public prosecutors and around 70 officers from the Bavarian police force were deployed.

Properties of witnesses who are not accused in the proceedings were also searched, a spokesman for the prosecutors said. The main aim was to seize documents and data carriers to search them for evidence.

Bystron has been the AfD's chairman of the Bundestag's Foreign Affairs Committee since 2017. Since 2021, he has been his party's foreign policy spokesman and its representative to the Council of Europe and the Inter-Parliamentary Union of global legislatures.

The Munich prosecutor pointed out that the presumption of innocence applies until a possible conviction.

Parliament strips another AfD member of Bundestag immunity

Bystron's AfD parliamentary colleague Hannes Gnauck was also stripped of his immunity in the Bundestag on Thursday.

According to broadcaster ARD, the case centres on a disciplinary complaint from his time in the German army.

Gnauck represents the AfD on the parliamentary Defence Committee and politicians from other parties have sharply criticized his role, given suggestions that the Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) had classified the former soldier as an "extremist."

Bystron and another leading AfD politician, Maximilian Krah, have come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks for alleged links to pro-Russian networks. Following media reports about possible payments to both politicians, prosecutors recently examined the allegations.

Krah, a member of the European Parliament, is the AfD's top candidate for the European election.

German actions follow Czech investigation

In March, the Czech Republic placed the pro-Russian internet platform Voice of Europe (VoE) on a national sanctions list following an investigation by the intelligence services, which also included interviews with Bystron and Krah.

The site was said to be part of a Russian influence operation aimed at calling into question the territorial integrity, sovereignty and freedom of Ukraine. A Czech newspaper had reported that Bystron may also have accepted money.

According to dpa information, the German investigations that have now been initiated relate to the allegations in connection with VoE.

State prosecutors also looking into AfD'sKrah

Criminal prosecutors in Dresden had also opened a preliminary investigation against Krah, who is from the east German city, and another person into possible payments from China.

In addition, Krah's former employee Jian G was arrested on suspicion of spying for China. In connection with the investigation against G, German prosecutors had Krah's offices and those of his ex-employee in the European Parliament in Brussels searched last week.

AfD leadership continues to stand by its two candidates.

After a short break, Krah is once again making campaign appearances and in Bystron's case, party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla stated in writing: "The waiver of immunity and the search of Petr Bystron's office and private premises are a serious matter."

So far, no evidence has been presented for the accusations that have been levelled against Bystron for weeks, they said.

The AfD's parliamentary group hopes for a swift conclusion to the investigation "so that there is no suspicion that an attempt is being made to influence the European election campaign through authorities and public prosecutors bound by instructions."

The AfD had been polling nationally at around 20%, amid dissatisfaction with Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition, but support has dropped to between 16% and 18% after a series of scandals - including allegations it plans to repatriate migrants.

Tino Chrupalla (C), Federal Chairman of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and leader of the AfD parliamentary group, speaks during a plenary session in the German Parliament, Bundestag. Michael Kappeler/dpa
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. 5G will account for over 40% of Eurasias mobile connections by 2030, according to the GSMAs newly published Mobile Economy Eurasia Report, launched ahead of GSMA M360 Eurasia.

The event, supported by host sponsor Azercell, will welcome global connectivity leaders and policymakers tomorrow for two days of discussion, debate and networking. Further, GSMA Foundry will feature a demo pod in collaboration with partners IBM, the European Space Agency and Barcelona Supercomputing Center. Demos will showcase how industry collaboration is unlocking groundbreaking innovations, through initiatives such as the GSMA & IBM AI Challenge, the GSMA Foundry & ESA Mobility Makerspace Challenge, and the Open Gateway Challenge. Click to view the agenda.

The GSMAs Chief Regulatory Officer, John Giusti, said: M360 Eurasia provides a welcome forum for business leaders and policymakers to align on the issues that will help countries throughout Eurasia achieve their connectivity goals, whether its paving the way for 5G rollouts or exploring opportunities for AI to benefit businesses and societies in the region.

5G momentum growing in Eurasia

The Mobile Economy Eurasia 2024 report finds that 5G is pivotal for ongoing transformation efforts in Eurasia. As governments in the region prioritise 5Gs integration into national development plans, operators are investing in 5G to meet the growing demand for enhanced connectivity.

Other findings include:

5G will add almost $23bn to the Eurasian economy by 2030, with 5G adoption rising from less than 1% in 2023 to 41% by 2030.

The mobile industry added $200bn of economic value to the Eurasian economy in 2023  equivalent to 7.9% of GDP  and supported 770,000 jobs, highlighting the importance of mobile to the digital economy.

However, there is a significant Usage Gap in Eurasia which is widest in Turkmenistan (51%) and Tajikistan (48%), compared to a global average of 37%.

Operators are rallying behind the GSMA Open Gateway initiative and integrating AI to enhance customer services and optimise networks.

M360 Eurasia opens the 2024 M360 series. The GSMA M360 events unify the regional mobile ecosystem to discover, deliver and develop innovation that serves as the foundation for positive business environments and societal change.

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling todays biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the worlds largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com
Petr Bystron (AfD), Member of the German Bundestag, speaks in the plenary of the German Bundestag. German prosecutors probe far-right lawmaker for bribery. Christoph Soeder/dpa

German prosecutors launched an investigation into a lawmaker of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on suspicion of bribery and money laundering and searched several properties on Thursday.

According to dpa information, the person in question is Petr Bystron, the second candidate on the party's ticket for the European elections in June. Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, had waived Bystron's immunity.

The public prosecutor's office in Munich said searches were planned for Bystron's office in Berlin, several locations in Bavaria in the districts of Munich, Erding and Deggendorf and on the Spanish island of Mallorca during the course of Thursday.

According to the report, 11 public prosecutors and around 70 officers from the Bavarian police force were deployed.

Properties of witnesses who are not accused in the proceedings were also searched, a spokesman for the public prosecution said. The main aim was to seize documents and data carriers in order to search them for evidence, he said.

Bystron and another leading AfD politician, Maximilian Krah, have come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks for alleged links to pro-Russian networks. Following media reports about possible payments to both politicians, public prosecutors recently examined whether to open an investigation.
Petr Bystron (AfD), Member of the German Bundestag, speaks in the plenary of the German Bundestag. German prosecutors probe far-right lawmaker for bribery. Christoph Soeder/dpa

German prosecutors launched an investigation into a lawmaker of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on suspicion of bribery and money laundering and searched several properties on Thursday.

According to dpa information, the person in question is Petr Bystron, the second candidate on the party's ticket for the European elections in June. Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, had waived Bystron's immunity.

The public prosecutor's office in Munich said searches were planned for Bystron's office in Berlin, several locations in Bavaria in the districts of Munich, Erding and Deggendorf and on the Spanish island of Mallorca during the course of Thursday.

According to the report, 11 public prosecutors and around 70 officers from the Bavarian police force were deployed.

Properties of witnesses who are not accused in the proceedings were also searched, a spokesman for the public prosecution said. The main aim was to seize documents and data carriers in order to search them for evidence, he said.

Bystron and another leading AfD politician, Maximilian Krah, have come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks for alleged links to pro-Russian networks. Following media reports about possible payments to both politicians, public prosecutors recently examined whether to open an investigation.

Krah, a member of the European Parliament, is the AfD's top candidate for the European elections in June.

Bystron has been the AfD's chairman of the Bundestag's Foreign Affairs Committee since 2017. Since 2021, he has also been his party's foreign policy spokesman and its representative to the Council of Europe and the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

Bystron himself could not initially be reached for comment.

The Munich public prosecutor pointed out that the presumption of innocence applies until a possible conviction.

The AfD had been polling nationally at around 20%, amid high dissatisfaction with Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition, but support has dropped to between 16 and 18% following a series of recent scandals.

The AfD's signature issue is a hard-line anti-immigration stance, and the party is profiting from increased concern among many German voters over rising numbers of people seeking asylum in the country.

Earlier this week, a regional court decided that Germany's intelligence services can classify the AfD as a suspected extremist group. The party said it plans to appeal the ruling.
Petr Bystron (AfD), Member of the German Bundestag, speaks in the plenary of the German Bundestag. German prosecutors probe far-right lawmaker for bribery. Christoph Soeder/dpa

German prosecutors launched an investigation into a lawmaker of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on suspicion of bribery and money laundering as well as searching several properties on Thursday.

According to dpa information, the person in question is Petr Bystron, the second candidate on the party's ticket for the European elections in June. Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, had waived Bystron's immunity.

The public prosecutor's office in Munich said searches were planned for Bystron's office in Berlin, several locations in Bavaria in the districts of Munich, Erding and Deggendorf and on the Spanish island of Mallorca during the course of Thursday.

According to the report, 11 public prosecutors and around 70 officers from the Bavarian police force were deployed.

Properties of witnesses who are not accused in the proceedings were also searched, a spokesman for the public prosecution said. The main aim was to seize documents and data carriers in order to search them for evidence, he said.

Bystron has been the AfD's chairman of the Bundestag's Foreign Affairs Committee since 2017. Since 2021, he has also been his party's foreign policy spokesman and its representative to the Council of Europe and the Inter-Parliamentary Union of global legislatures.

Bystron himself could not initially be reached for comment.

The Munich public prosecutor pointed out that the presumption of innocence applies until a possible conviction.

Bystron and another leading AfD politician, Maximilian Krah, have come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks for alleged links to pro-Russian networks. Following media reports about possible payments to both politicians, public prosecutors recently examined whether to open an investigation.

Krah, a member of the European Parliament, is the AfD's top candidate for the European elections in June.

In March, the Czech Republic placed the pro-Russian internet platform Voice of Europe (VoE) on the national sanctions list following an investigation by the intelligence services, which also included interviews with Bystron and Krah.

The site was said to be part of a Russian influence operation aimed at calling into question the territorial integrity, sovereignty and freedom of Ukraine. A Czech newspaper had reported that Bystron may also have accepted money.

As a result of this and other reports, the public prosecutor's office in Munich initiated so-called preliminary investigations in the Bystron case to examine whether there was an initial suspicion of criminal behaviour involving bribery of lawmakers.

According to dpa information, the investigations that have now been initiated relate to the allegations in connection with VoE.

The criminal prosecution authorities in Dresden had also opened a preliminary investigation against Krah, who is from the east German city, and another person into possible payments from China.

In addition, Krah's former employee Jian G was arrested on suspicion of spying for China. In connection with the investigation against G, Germany's public prosecutor had Krah's offices and those of his ex-employee in the European Parliament in Brussels searched last week.

The AfD leadership continues to stand by its two European election candidates.

After a short break, Krah is once again making campaign appearances and in Bystron's case, party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla only briefly stated in writing on Thursday: "The waiver of immunity and the search of Petr Bystron's office and private premises are a serious matter."

So far, no evidence has been presented for the accusations that have been levelled against Bystron for weeks, they said.

The AfD's parliamentary group hopes for a swift conclusion to the investigation "so that there is no suspicion that an attempt is being made to influence the European election campaign through authorities and public prosecutors bound by instructions."

The AfD had been polling nationally at around 20%, amid high dissatisfaction with Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition, but support has dropped to between 16 and 18% following a series of recent scandals.

The AfD's signature issue is a hard-line anti-immigration stance, and the party is profiting from increased concern among many German voters over rising numbers of people seeking asylum in the country.

Earlier this week, a regional court decided that Germany's intelligence services can classify the AfD as a suspected extremist group. The party said it plans to appeal the ruling.
German police officers load a box of seized items into a car, following a search of an apartment, as part of action taken against a group allegedly supporting Hamas. The raid comes as the Ministry of the Interior in North Rhine-Westphalia on 16 May also banned the Palestine Solidarity Duisburg. David Young/dpa

Security forces have searched four properties in the western German city of Duisburg as part of action taken against a group allegedly supporting Palestinian militant organization Hamas.

The raid comes as the Ministry of the Interior in North Rhine-Westphalia on Thursday also banned the Palastina Solidaritat Duisburg - or Palestine Solidarity Duisburg.

"This ban comes at the right time and sends the right signal," the state's interior minister, Herbert Reul, said in a statement. "In many cases, solidarity with Palestine hides nothing other than hatred of Jews - as is the case with the organization banned today."

Police stand on a street in Duisburg where an apartment is being searched, as part of action taken against a group allegedly supporting Hamas. The raid comes as the Ministry of the Interior in North Rhine-Westphalia on 16 May also banned the Palestine Solidarity Duisburg. David Young/dpa

A German police officer carries a box of seized items following a search of an apartment, as part of action taken against a group allegedly supporting Hamas. The raid comes as the Ministry of the Interior in North Rhine-Westphalia on 16 May also banned the Palestine Solidarity Duisburg. David Young/dpa
Police stand on a street in Duisburg where an apartment is being searched, as part of action taken against a group allegedly supporting Hamas. The raid comes as the Ministry of the Interior in North Rhine-Westphalia on 16 May also banned the Palestine Solidarity Duisburg. David Young/dpa

Security forces searched four properties in the western German city of Duisburg on Thusday morning as part of action taken against the Palestine Solidarity Duisburg group accused of supporting Palestinian militant organization Hamas.

The raid comes as the Interior Ministry in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia on Thursday also banned the group, known as Palastina Solidaritat Duisburg in German.

"This ban comes at the right time and sends the right signal," the state's interior minister, Herbert Reul, said in a statement. "In many cases, solidarity with Palestine hides nothing other than hatred of Jews - as is the case with the organization banned today."

According to the ministry, Palestine Solidarity Duisburg is an organization that has set itself the task of carrying out Palestine solidarity work, primarily in Duisburg but also Germany-wide.

The group strives for the liberation of Palestine within the borders of 1947, before the founding of the state of Israel. In doing so, it explicitly shows solidarity with Palestinian resistance in all its forms, which also includes the armed struggle of Hamas against Israel, the ministry said.

In a statement, the ministry said that the group's ideological orientation is "characterized by an anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic world view."

"Palestine Solidarity Duisburg continuously agitates against the state of Israel and holds it solely responsible for the Middle East conflict," the statement reads. "In doing so, it is spreading hatred and violence in the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians and, not least, jeopardizing the life and limb of fellow Israelis and Jews living in Germany."

Under the ban, the groups' assets can be confiscated, and any online presences or social media activities by the organization has been outlawed.

Since the deadly attacks on Israel led by Hamas on October 7, which triggered the war in Gaza, there has been a surge in anti-Semitic crime and fears have grown about the safety of Jews in Germany.

At the beginning of November, the German government issued a ban on all activities by Hamas, which was already designated as a terrorist organization by the European Union. The move made it easier for police to take action at rallies held in support of Palestinians.

Germany's domestic intelligence service puts the number of Hamas operatives living in the country at 450. So far, their activities have been limited to spreading propaganda and collecting donations.

Germany is among Israel's staunchest allies, and political leaders in Berlin have repeatedly stated that Israel has a right to self defence in the wake of the October 7 attacks.

Domestically, authorities have been quick to crack down on pro-Palestinian protests citing fears of anti-Semitism, with critics saying the current climate has led to a supression of pro-Palestinian voices.

A German police officer carries a box of seized items following a search of an apartment, as part of action taken against a group allegedly supporting Hamas. The raid comes as the Ministry of the Interior in North Rhine-Westphalia on 16 May also banned the Palestine Solidarity Duisburg. David Young/dpa

German police officers load a box of seized items into a car, following a search of an apartment, as part of action taken against a group allegedly supporting Hamas. The raid comes as the Ministry of the Interior in North Rhine-Westphalia on 16 May also banned the Palestine Solidarity Duisburg. David Young/dpa
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump speaks at a memorial service for a Florida airman killed by police.

The service can be viewed in the live player above.

For the past decade, Stand Your Ground laws have been invoked time and time again by gun owners who claim self-defense after carrying out shootings. Critics have denounced them as shoot first laws that have created a climate of vigilantism in which gun owners operate with impunity in killing largely Black people.

The concept resurfaced again last week following the killing of Senior Airman Roger Fortson in Florida, but the dynamics were different.

This time, the victim was a young Black servicemember who carried his legally owned handgun to the door of his apartment after hearing banging noises that ended up being a sheriffs deputy. The officer  and not Fortson  opened fire within seconds. His supervisors say he acted in self-defense.

Questions and grief linger at the apartment door where a deputy killed a US airman

Fortsons legal team was quick to remind the world of his Second Amendment rights in a state that helped popularize Stand Your Ground laws after the killing of Trayvon Martin more than a decade ago.

They teach us in law school about the sanctity of the home, in the United States of America, and how that is your safe haven. That is your castle, civil rights attorney Ben Crump said at a press conference with Fortsons relatives last week.

Every one of us, if someone we dont know comes into our house, are going to defend ourselves, Brian Barr, Crumps co-counsel, added. We have things like Stand Your Ground, the castle doctrine and very strong believers in the Second Amendment in the state of Florida.  He has the right to protect his home.

Fortsons killing sparked a complicated debate about race, gun laws and self-defense  namely, who is typically afforded deference when it comes to the use of guns in self-defense and who is not.

Lauren Krasnoff, president of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Miami chapter, said Fortsons race cannot be disentangled from discussion of the case when invoking the castle doctrine and Stand Your Ground.

I think the point is that the law is being used as both a sword and a shield by law enforcement against Black and brown people, Krasnoff said.

I dont even know that Id have to say that the airman was standing his ground, she added. I think he was just acting lawfully. And if a person is acting lawfully and not committing a forcible felony, then you dont have a right to stand your ground.

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Floridas Stand Your Ground law protects individuals from prosecution for homicide if they can prove that they perceived an imminent threat of harm or death to themselves or another person, regardless of whether or not they were in their home. The law does not require someone to retreat if they believe that force will be used against them.

The castle doctrine, a common law principle often associated with such laws, allows a person to use force equal to the force being used against them after attempting to retreat in an attack on their home, said David Weinstein, a criminal defense attorney at Jones Walker LLP in Miami.

It doesnt matter whos on the other side, Weinstein said.

A sheriffs deputy on May 3 shot Fortson after responding to a call about a domestic disturbance at an apartment complex in Fort Walton Beach. Sheriffs officials say the deputy, whose name and race havent been released, acted in self-defense.

Body cam footage shows the deputy banged on Fortsons door, paused, then knocked again, yelling that hes from the sheriffs office. Fortson eventually answered the door while holding what appeared to be a gun by his side, pointed at the ground. Within a few seconds, the deputy shoots Fortson six times, only then yelling for him to drop his weapon.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating.

Fortsons death quickly drew comparisons to those of other Black people killed in recent years by police in their homes, in circumstances involving officers arriving at the wrong address or responding to service calls with wanton uses of deadly force.

MaCharie Dunbar, an Air Force retiree who serves on the board of the Black Veterans Project, feels Fortsons death surfaces an uncomfortable reality faced by Black Americans who serve their country.

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Many of us are just saddened and angered by the continued unnecessary loss of Black lives at the hands of police, Dunbar said. And we want to know how many times do police officers have to get it wrong before they do something collectively to get it right?

The Fortson case also highlighted the dissonance between a Black persons constitutional right to bear arms and law enforcement officers right to defend themselves against a perceived threat.

The second amendment afforded Roger the right to own a gun and wield it as protection when he was unsure who was on the other side of his door, Crump said last week.

For Danielle Campbell, the southeast regional director of the National African American Gun Association, what happened to Fortson is the worst-case scenario for Black and brown law-abiding gun owners.

Campbell said she felt Fortson was essentially murdered in his own home without so much as being given a command and his death reiterated that for all Black gun owners, were just at a high risk, period.

Still, she said striking laws like Stand Your Ground, as Crump has advocated, isnt the answer because they can support gun owners who rightfully discharged their weapons.

There have been cases where Black and brown people have successfully been able to utilize Stand Your Ground or the castle doctrine to get off, she said. Its more so that when people of color have interactions with police and theyre armed, were automatically seen as a threat and treated as such.

Some Black Lives Matter activists echoed those sentiments.

Fortsons death is more about how people see Black and then shoot than Stand Your Ground laws, said Chelsea Fuller, a communications leader for the Movement for Black Lives, a national coalition of racial justice organizations.

I dont know how many more research reports have to come out to show there is an innate fear of Blackness in this country, she said.

Fortson, 23, was originally from Georgia and enlisted in the Air Force after graduating from high school. His remains have since been transferred back to Atlanta where he will be eulogized on Friday.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
Glide bombs help Russia gain land in Ukraine. What makes them so effective?

One critical factor in Russia's recent battlefield successes in Ukraine is its extensive use of glide bombs.

Every week, hundreds of these large, deadly weapons rain down on Ukraine, creating 20-meter-wide craters and obliterating military positions and entire settlements.

Russia has heavily relied on glide bombs in its new offensive on Kharkiv Oblast, clearing the way for ground troops. Since May 10, Russian forces have captured several villages near the border and entered the town of Vovchansk.

Despite their simplicity and low cost, glide bombs have become one of Russia's most effective weapons during the full-scale war, previously contributing to the fall of the strategic city of Avdiivka in February  Russias first major gain in nine months.

Experts warn that these bombs could pose an even greater threat to Ukraine, which currently has little defense against them, as Russia is expected to continue its mass deployment of glide bombs to support further offensive operations.

What is a glide bomb?

A glide bomb is a standard air-dropped bomb modified to be launched from a distance rather than directly over the target.

Glide bombs date back to World War II, with the German Fritz X bomb being the first model. The U.S. later developed and used several types of glide bombs in conflicts in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Russia mainly uses Soviet-era FAB-family bombs, upgraded with a Unified Gliding and Correction Module, which includes wings that flip out as the weapon is released by the aircraft and a satellite navigation system.

Converting a "dumb bomb," an unguided one, into a smart one costs just around $20,000, making it a much cheaper alternative to cruise and ballistic missiles that cost millions of dollars to produce.

"The range of these weapons greatly varies based on their weight, the altitude and speed of the releasing aircraft, but is generally considered not to exceed 50-60 kilometers," according to Federico Borsari, Leonardo Fellow with the Transatlantic Defense and Security Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis.

Photo for illustrative purposes. A mechanic from the German Air Force checks a BGU-48 glide bomb suspended under the wings of a Eurofighter at Schonefeld Airport in Germany on June 21, 2022. (Wolfgang Kumm/picture alliance via Getty Images)

This range allows Russian jets to stay out of reach of those Ukrainian air defense systems typically deployed near the front lines.

Russian glide bombs can be extremely heavy. The most powerful glide bomb currently used against Ukraine weighs around 1.5 tonnes (3,300 pounds), nicknamed "the building destroyer" by Russian military bloggers.

Moscow has also announced the production of new glide bombs, such as the 3.4-tonne FAB-3000 and the "Drel," which contains cluster munitions.

Ukraine also has glide bombs supplied by Western allies, including the U.S. Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB). These are more accurate and sophisticated than their Russian counterparts, but Ukraines arsenal is much more limited.

Read also: Russias new Kharkiv offensive pushes Vovchansk to the brink of annihilation

How does Russia use glide bombs in Ukraine?

Russian forces began using glide bombs against Ukraine early last year to compensate for the lack of precision-guided munitions.

"Given that they have these (unguided) bombs in huge quantities and can manufacture guidance modules relatively fast, it's an easy way for the Russians to ensure that their firepower doesn't run out," Fabian Hoffmann, a doctoral research fellow at the University of Oslo who specializes in missile technology, told the Kyiv Independent.

In recent months, Russian troops have ramped up their glide bomb attacks, reportedly firing over 100 across the front lines daily. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia had launched a total of 3,200 guided bombs at Ukraine in April alone.

Glide bombs are most effective against static targets, including bridges, command posts, bunkers, and weapons depots, Borsari told the Kyiv Independent.

"Albeit less accurate than missiles, these bombs are very destructive and are used by Russia to destroy Ukrainian fortifications, positions, and infrastructure in order to facilitate the advance of ground forces, mainly infantry assault teams (e.g., Storm Z units) and mechanized groups that typically suffer enormous casualties."

Some Ukrainian military members say that the key reason for Russias swift advances in Kharkiv Oblast is the lack of proper fortifications, for which Kyiv has repeatedly been criticized before. Fortifications would need to be really strong to withstand Russian glide bomb attacks.

"They (glide bombs) are not going to destroy underground bunkers, to penetrate several meters of reinforced concrete But most of the (Ukrainian) fortifications you see along the front line are probably vulnerable to this type of attack," said Hoffmann.

Read also: 48 hours in Kharkiv, Ukraines most-bombed major city

How can Ukraine defend against Russian glide bombs?

Glide bombs are nearly impossible to shoot down because they have heavy iron structures, and they come in extremely fast and from high altitudes, unlike cruise missiles or drones, according to Hoffmann.

One method to intercept a glide bomb is to degrade its GPS signal using electronic warfare, making it miss the target. However, Ukraines electronic warfare capabilities are also limited and far more modest than those of Russia.

The best solution for Ukraine to counter Russian glide bombs would be to destroy the launching aircraft before they can release the weapon.

A German Patriot system on an open field in Zamosc, Poland, on Feb. 18, 2023. (Omar Marques/Getty Images)

"This can be obtained with longer-range air defenses, such as Patriot and SAMP-T, to shoot down Russian aircraft or force them to fly too far for the use of gliding bombs, and with long-range missiles and attack drones to destroy the aircraft on the airfield," according to Borsari. Kyiv has done both.

Ukraines military said it had downed 15 Russian military planes just in February, most likely with Patriot systems. But the string of successes ended in March after Russian forces allegedly managed to destroy two Patriot launchers in Donetsk Oblast. Since then, Ukraine has reportedly had to keep its highly limited arsenal of U.S.-made systems away from the battlefield.

Kyiv has recently increased its calls for more long-range air defense systems, with Zelensky saying that Ukraine needs 25 Patriot systems or their equivalents to protect the whole country. Germany pledged in April to provide Ukraine with one additional Patriot, and other allies are reportedly considering sending more air defense equipment.

Modern aircraft, such as F-16 fighter jets, could also help the Ukrainians deal with glide bombs. Some of the dozens of jets pledged by Western allies to Ukraine are expected to be operational in the summer.

The presence of a sufficient number of F-16s in Ukrainian skies, so far inhabited only by Soviet-era aircraft, would "create a denial area where Russians do not dare penetrate into," said Hoffmann.

"At the same time, to minimize the risk of being targeted, Ukrainian units need to maintain significant mobility, avoid large and prolonged gatherings, and improve the concealment of positions and units," added Borsari.

Note from the author:

This is Dinara Khalilova, I wrote this piece for you. I hope it helped you to make more sense of the recent events on Ukraine's battlefield. To continue reporting on the most important developments of the war, we need your support. Please consider becoming a member of the Kyiv Independent community.

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
A total of eight people were killed in a bus crash in Marion County on their way to work.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

The farmworkers were from Mexico working on season or temporary visas.

Bryan Howard is accused of causing Tuesdays crash. Reports indicate he was under the influence and has a lengthy driving record. He faces eight counts of DUI manslaughter for and is currently being held without bond.

Jose Juan Hernandez lost his brother. The two of them had been coming to work in Florida for nearly a decade.

RELATED: What to know about a bus crash that killed 8 Mexican farmworkers in Florida

Jose said his brother left behind a one-year-old daughter. All he wants is to get his brother back to Mexico as quickly as possible.

My family wants to see him, my mom, he said. There is nothing we can say to comfort her. Two of us came and only one of us is going back.

The Farmworker Association of Florida has organized a GofundMe page for the workers and their families impacted by the crash. All proceeds will go to support the victims and their families.

If you would like to help them with their cause, click here.

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Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, May 16. Kazakhstan's Kazatomprom (the national uranium company) continues to diversify uranium supply routes to foreign markets, Trend reports, citing Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy.

Thus, the Kazakh company is working on an agreement with the subsidiaries of China National Nuclear Company (CNNC) - CNUC (China National Uranium Corporation), and CNEIC (China Nuclear Energy Industry), for the provision of uranium transit services through Chinese territory.

To note, Kazatomprom currently transports uranium products from the port of St. Petersburg (Russia) to end customers in North America and Europe.

Today, an alternative route for transporting Kazakh uranium products is the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, or Middle Corridor). The seaports of Aktau (Kazakhstan), Alat (Azerbaijan), and Poti (Georgia) facilitate delivery along this route.

Meanwhile, on September 29, 2023, Kazakhstan's Kazatomprom presented its strategy for uranium production for 2025. The Board of Directors of Kazatomprom approved the companys strategy to increase uranium production volumes in 2025 to 100 percent of the level planned under subsoil use contracts.

Kazakhstan ranks second in the world in terms of proven reserves of natural uranium. The depths of the Republic of Kazakhstan contain about 14 percent of all proven world reserves. Estimates place the country's total proven reserves at more than 700,000 tons of uranium.

Kazakhstan took first place in uranium production in 2009 and continues to maintain a leading position in the world market. Kazakhstan produces about 40 percent of the world's uranium production. In 2021, the volume of uranium production amounted to 21,800 tons, according to the results of 202221,300 tons.
CHICAGO  A GoFundMe page was created to help the employees of the recently closed Foxtrot Southport location to help navigate their sudden job loss.

Doms Kitchen & Market and Foxtrot Market locations suddenly closed in Chicago and across the country, just a few months after the grocery retailers merged.

The GoFundMe page was created by an everyday customer who frequently visited the Southport location for her daily coffee fix.

Rebecca Shields said in the page that the employees were people that she was able to get to know and appreciate.

The staff were a joy to see on a daily basis as I learned their names and where they were from. Some of them came from other Foxtrot locations, and some of them moved on to run their own stores. I learned about their hobbies, tastes in music, families, chosen families, and goals for the future, Shields said in the post.

Nearly 100 Red Lobsters marked closed on restaurant site: See the full list

The closure affects two Doms stores and 33 Foxtrots across the Chicago, Austin, Dallas and DC areas.

Doms and Foxtrot posted this statement to their website after announcing the closings:

We want to express our sincerest gratitude for your support and patronage throughout the years. It has been our highest honor to elevate the everyday and create a remarkable shopping experience for people who love food as much as we do. It has been a privilege serving you and being a part of your everyday lives.

Sheilds said on the page that she received permission from employees and store manager to organize the GoFundMe on their behalf. Proceeds will go to the store manager who will then distribute it to the staff.

These are the people that make a neighborhood meeting spot worth going back to again and again, Shields said.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
Graduating from the prestigious United States Air Force Academy is worthy of accolades and celebration. Instead, Captain Gilbert Gil Munoz said he needed a little more mud and cross-commissioned into the Armys Special Forces. Its a story as unique as he was. His wife Emily told us, He was deeply grounded in the love of his parents, sisters and extended family. They used words like busy when talking about him and always with fond and possibly indulgent smiles. Remember those old Family Circus cartoons when they used dotted lines to indicate where the characters had gone and what theyd done? He used to describe the obstacle courses he created for himself like that. Out a window, over a truck or around the yards. I always picture his childhood like that, remembering how hed draw those dotted lines, explaining how much he enjoyed running routes in between and around his family members, certain of himself and maybe a bit proud of his own mischief. When he spoke of his childhood, his eyes always twinkled. That personality led him to pursue the coveted Green Beret through the Army instead of special operations opportunities with the Air Force in 1998. Following a tour in South Korea and a two-year stint with the 3rd U.S. Infantry (the Old Guard), Gil was selected for Special Forces training in 2002. In November 2002, he reported to the 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne). He was drawn to rigorous training and self-improvement, Emily added. Gil was assigned to 7th Special Forces Group in October of 2003 and a year later he and Emily were married. He was passionate about being an honorable, capable leader. He was dedicated to knowing everything he could and to having a humble understanding of where that could inevitably stop. He expected the absolute best from himself and believed in showing up for his team. They were unquestionably the most important part of any mission for him, Emily remembered. Another team leader who was a service academy graduate told me once that he and others were the team leaders that people in special forces expected. Well-educated, competent, and committed to duty, honor and country. He went on to say that Gil was the kind of team leader people hoped for. He had a short deployment to Iraq and when he returned home in January of 2005, Gil started to feel sick. He died of an acute combat-related illness on February 9, 2005, a few weeks after returning home from a deployment in Latin America and between a site survey to Iraq and an upcoming combat deployment to Iraq. His unit was engaged in intense urban combat exercises in preparation for their return to the Middle East, Emily shared. He hoped that winning a marksmanship contest showed his team that he was committed to coming through for them with both his character and his skills. Yet within hours of feeling sick he was on life support due to an aggressive hemorrhagic infection; it was our first wedding anniversary. Emily shared that it felt like her life ended with Gils. I loved who I was when he loved me; Im ashamed of how I have floundered at times, missing the life we could have grown into together. Theres a beautiful line in a Pablo Neruda poem that says, Survive me with such pure force you make the pallor and the coldness rage. Any day I am closer to that  I am closer to him, she said. Not long after his death, she found the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. What started as support, became a lifeline and new purpose. Today she is the Director of Innovation  developing new and needed programming for surviving families. Many soldiers and Green Berets remarked that Gil was a role model and the epitome of a quiet professional. I think he would want people to remember that every time we look at walls, monuments, and memorials, there are names behind names, Emily said. There are people, and stories and whole lives behind everyone who comes home from war and everyone who does not. It is up to us to look.

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In the GOP race for the conservative 3rd Congressional District, seven Republican hopefuls are aiming to succeed U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan.

Because the field is so large, political observers and those in the race dont expect the nomination to be settled June 11. Instead the race for the GOP nomination is likely to head to a June 25 runoff election. If no candidate receives at least 50% plus 1 of the votes, then the top two candidates move on to a runoff.

With Duncans announcement in January he would not seek reelection, seven Republican hopefuls were certified to be on the ballot: Sheri Biggs, Kevin Bishop, Mark Burns, Franky Franco, Phil Healy, state Rep. Stewart Jones and Elspeth Snow Murday.

Four of the candidates are seen as the frontrunners in the race: Biggs, Bishop, Burns and Jones.

Because of the makeup of the district, the winner of the GOP nomination will most likely go on to win the November election and head to Congress next year.

The conservative Upstate district includes all or parts of 11 counties. The district is one of the most conservative in the country, but to be competitive financially means bringing in money from outside the state, or being able to loan yourself cash.

As the leading candidates try to position themselves for an expected runoff, they are invoking the name of another politician who isnt in the race: former President Donald Trump and showing how supportive they are of the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.

Campaign cash battle

Biggs, who has been a political donor for years, leads the money race, buoyed by a $250,000 loan from herself to her own campaign. She raised $143,000 outside of the loan during the first quarter.

Other candidates are spending their own money in the race. Franco has loaned himself $75,000 of the roughly $101,000 he reported in the first quarter.

Bishop loaned himself $50,000 of the $105,000 he raised. Jones, who also is a state representative, loaned himself $20,000 of the $123,000 he raised, according to Federal Election Commission reports.

Healy raised $5,300 for his campaign, but nearly $3,500 came out of his own pocket. Snow Murday has not filed a campaign finance report.

Burns did not formally file his campaign committee paperwork with the FEC until April 3, allowing him to avoid spending disclosures until the required pre-primary reports due out later in May.

Burns in an interview said he has more than a half-million dollars of his own money into the race for a job that pays $174,000 a year.

This is the third time Burns has run for Congress. The first two times were in 4th Congressional District.

Dont spend a whole bunch of money on people, Burns said about keeping a small staff.

In the last cycle he put $375,000 of his own money and spent almost all of it on staff. He spent only $100,000 on TV and radio ads.

Clearly its not about money. Clearly its about you believe in the cause, he said.

Biggs early cash advantage has her advertising on television and radio the most in the district.

Sheri Biggs, of Salem, is a Republican candidate for South Carolinas the 3rd Congressional District.

Through May 6, Biggs campaign has reserved more than $180,000 in cable television and radio spots through June 11. Burns has reserved $91,000 worth of cable airtime. Jones had spent $6,500 on radio time through May 6, according to advertising data obtained by The State.

Jones told The State his campaign planned on buying more airtime and his campaign posted a 30-second video Wednesday talking about his goddaughter Maddie Hines who was killed by a reckless migrant driver allowed to stay in the country by the Biden administration.

Much of the messaging strategy in the race has been on cable advertising on conservative channels, a move that allows campaigns to get a better bang for their buck by targeting ads to certain zip codes. Biggs and Jones also have spent money on local radio, according to ad buy data obtained by The State.

(Campaigning) is all about the messaging. Its all about how effectively you can get your messaging out to the voters and then you can get voters to go vote for you. You know, and so thats, thats what were all trying to do here, Jones said.

Bishop declined to discuss campaign strategy and ad buys with The State, but Tuesday night released a 30-second video on social media.

Bishop, who previously was U.S. Sen. Lindsey Grahams spokesman, also has financial support from his old boss. He has received a $3,300 contribution from Graham. Graham-aligned committees have donated $7,000 to Bishops campaign, according to FEC data.

Despite the financial assistance from the senator, Bishop insists hes his own man.

Lindsey was my boss, and he was an outstanding boss and hes also a very close personal friend and he will always be my friend. That will not change. But do you agree with every decision your boss makes? Bishop said. We each bring our own life experiences to these jobs if you get elected to it. My life experience is much different than Lindseys.

With his small campaign haul, Franco said hes relying on family, friends and acquaintances from church to spread his campaign message. He does not have paid staff.

Were doing it the old-fashioned way, Franco said.

Im not going to be the guy who wins because I raised the money. Im going to be the guy that wins on the merits of my background and experience and word of mouth spreading, Franco said.

Runoff expected

With seven candidates on the ballot, and no incumbent running, vote totals most likely will be split, keeping anyone from receiving a majority of the vote on June 11.

When youve got that many candidates running it increases the odds youre going to have a runoff, said S.C. GOP Chairman Drew McKissick. Well just have to wait and see. What we do know, once weve got a candidate, were going to have a unified party to keep the seat come November.

Biggs, an Air National Guard lieutenant colonel, with her cash advantage is most likely to at least make it to a runoff, leaving Jones, Burns and Bishop battling for the second spot in a runoff, race observers say.

Even though Biggs has been on the air the longest, showing her money advantage, she is preparing for an additional two weeks before the nomination is decided.

Im anticipating it could happen, so Im budgeting, but obviously Im hoping for the best and Im running as hard as I can just like its tomorrow, Biggs said. If it happens it happens. I hope to be in the runoff and I plan to be and if we can do it on June 11, that would be even better.

Burns said he thinks Biggs, Jones and himself are most likely to make runoff.

I think everyone there are great conservatives, all do such a good job, Burns said. From what Ive observed  theyre the ones with the most chances to get the word out to the people who do vote.

Bishop also expects a runoff.

With a seven-person primary like this with no incumbent, theres no one whos going to get 50%, Bishop said. I would be shocked. I dont see that happening at all.

Franco, who is trailing in the cash race, said he believed the nomination will come down to a runoff.

Im doing everything I can to be in the top two, Franco said.

Attaching themselves to Trump

Most of the top-tier candidates in the race have sought to connect themselves with Trump.

Burns, a Black preacher who has been a Trump surrogate since the 2016 campaign, was endorsed by the former president in the race.

Im the Trump lane, but Im also a strong conservative, because I believe in these strong conservative values, Burns said.

Anderson County GOP Chairman Jonathon Hill, a former state representative, did not put too much credence in the Trump endorsement.

Honestly, in my observation, a Trump endorsement doesnt mean a whole lot, it just means the person who got the endorsement just had the right connections.

In Trumps endorsement posted on Truth Social, he said while there are many great Conservatives exploring a run for that seat, that Burns was an America First Fighter, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement  He is a Good Man, a Hard Worker, and will not let you down!

Leading up to the South Carolina Republican presidential primary, Jones served as a Trump surrogate speaking about the need stronger border control. Jones on the trail shared the story on how his 3-year-old goddaughter who was killed by a reckless driver who previously was deported during the Trump administration but allowed back into the country by the Biden administration.

Weve got to secure the border and the ways we need to do that we got to cut off the magnet that is enticing and incentivizing a lot of the illegal activity and illegal aliens to come over, Jones said.

State Rep. Stewart Jones, R-Laurens, speaks at a Trump campaign news conference on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024 outside of the South Carolina State House. During the news conference, Jones spoke about his goddaughter, Maddie Hines, who was killed by a reckless driver who previously was deported during the Trump administration, but was allowed to stay during the Biden administration.

Jones is trying to show he is the candidate with a proven conservative record. The House Freedom Caucus member can point to his voting record, which includes him successfully attaching a proviso to the 2021-22 state budget which forbade school districts from using state money to enforce a mask mandate.

On his website, Bishop talks about how he helped Graham in the confirmation hearings for three U.S. Supreme Court justices during the Trump administration.

He also touts the need for Trump border policies to be in place.

(Voters) want someone who can go to Washington and on Day 1 help President Trump regain control of our southern border. I am the only candidate in the race with the background and experience to do just that, Bishop said in a news release.

Bishop has tried to take portray himself as the non-crazy candidate saying he would have been against ousting former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and against efforts by Marjorie Taylor Green to oust Speaker Mike Johnson.

We look like the keystone cops for two months or the gang that couldnt shoot straight. We look terrible, Bishop said.

Biggs refers to herself as a pro-Trump Republican on her website.

I can only assume it comes down to that trust factor, said Jonathon Hill, chairman of the Anderson County Republican Party, and a former state representative. Usually endorsements are a play for a persons trust. Vote for me because this other person that you like and trust, and supports me, so hopefully youre more likely to do so as well.

Biggs wants to portray herself as political outsider, but she has donated to Republican candidates in the past and has the endorsement of Gov. Henry McMaster.

She points to her experience as a lieutenant colonel in the air national guard, which she joined while she lived in Mississippi, and as a nurse practitioner who works with mental health.

Im ready to work and I want to work with President Trump to tackle issues were facing today like immigration, the (economic) problems our families are seeing day to day making ends meet, Biggs said.

Even though on Francos website he mentions Trump three times, the son of Cuban immigrants, says hes running as his own man.

Im running my own race, said Franco, whos mother fled communist Cuba in 1964. Ive been a conservative Republican my whole life.

This is Francos first time running for office. He went to law school and business school a the University of South Carolina and previously worked for Verizon and Alltel for 16 years.

Its a lifetime of preparation to serve in some capacity and this opportunity came up and Im confident I have the life experience, the background, Im equipped to be an effective representative for the people of this district, Franco said.

Hes the presumptive nominee, Franco said. Of course, if Im getting this position Im supporting and will be working with President Trump.
NEW YORK  A large group of Republican members of Congress showed up Thursday in a lower Manhattan court to show support for former President Donald Trump in his criminal trial for covering up hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Led by Trump loyalists Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, and Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colorado, nine GOP lawmakers trooped into the courtroom to back the partys presumptive presidential nominee.

We are 100% behind him! Boebert tweeted.

Boebert sought to help Trump dodge the gag order in the case by repeating the former presidents attacks on Judge Juan Merchans daughter and mocking her for missing the trial.

Shes probably too busy being paid millions and millions of dollars by Democrat campaigns all across the country and wont be able to make it, Boebert said.

Gaetz tweeted a photo of himself standing in the courtroom and echoed Trumps message to the Proud Boys, a white nationalist group, during a 2020 debate with President Joe Biden.

Standing back and standing by, Mr. President, Gaetz tweeted.

Gaetz and Boebert sat in the front row next to Eric Trump, along with Rep. Bob Good, R-Virginia, who is chair of the far right-wing House Freedom Caucus. Others had to sit into the second row, while a couple had to find seats further back in the gallery.

The lawmakers watched as defense attorney Todd Blanche grilled ex-Trump attorney Michael Cohen on cross-examination for a second straight day.

Boebert ripped Cohen as a liar and said that he paid hush money to Daniels on his own without Trumps say-so, a claim that has so far not been made by Trump or his attorneys.

President Trump is being blamed for Cohens deeds, Boebert added.

The gaggle of lawmakers amounted the largest group of Trump supporters to show up in court so far during the three weeks of the trial.

On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson made a cameo. Republicans who have been floated as possible Trump vice presidential running mates, including Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, have also made the pilgrimage.
Susan J. Demas

Following overwhelming victories in a recall election last week, the Republican members of the Delta County Board of Canvassers are refusing to certify the election results.

What theyre doing is putting doubt in our local election people, which is sad because these are our family and our neighbors and our friends and their honesty and integrity is being questioned by these people with absolutely no merit, said Kelli Van Ginhoven, one of three challengers who defeated three Republican members of the Delta County Board of Commissioners on May 7.

Unofficial results indicated that Van Ginhoven, a Democrat, and independent candidates Myra Croasdell and Matt Jensen, each defeated Republican Commissioners David Moyle, Robert Barron, and Robert Petersen by an approximately 3-1 margin. The incumbents were targeted for recall after they voted in February 2023 to fire County Administrator Emily DeSalvo.

DeSalvo, who had served as the countys administrator since 2019, was fired immediately after she openly criticized the board for unethical and disrespectful behavior.

Both Van Ginhoven and Jensen received 72% of the vote in their respective races against incumbents Moyle and Petersen, while Croasdell got 73% in defeating Barron.

When the county canvassers met this past Tuesday, however, Republican members Bonnie Hakkola and LeeAnne Oman refused to certify. The board, consisting of two Democrats and two Republicans, has to produce at least three votes in order to certify.

Van Ginhoven tells Michigan Advance that the GOP canvassers cited, without evidence, irregularities in the vote totals based solely on the similarity across all three races.

However, from our standpoint, from the three people who won the election, our numbers, our votes, are almost identical to the amount of people who signed the recall petitions, said Van Ginhoven. So, for example, in the district that I won, District 4, the number of people who signed the original recall petition was 823, and the votes I received were a little over 900. And that can be also represented with the other two districts. Theyre almost identical. So while theyre talking about algorithms and being almost identical, we can say that theyre almost identical as well, but we have the factual basis on why that was. They are more or less blaming it on the tabulators.

The main role of canvassing boards is to ensure that the number of votes that were cast in an election accurately matches what is indicated in the poll books.

According to the Michigan Secretary of States Office, Boards of County Canvassers  do not have a general mandate to examine every aspect of the election process. Instead, the Boards exist to check the mathematical consistency of election records and to ensure that the vote totals reported by the county to the state accurately reflect the sum of the vote totals reported to the county by each precinct and absent voter counting board. The Boards have no other duties with respect to the canvass or certification of an election.

While the boards failure to certify the election has delayed the swearing in of the new commissioners, they will meet again on Monday, at which point they will have a final opportunity to provide certification.

And if at that time, the Republicans are still not willing to sign off on the certification, then everythings going to have to be trucked downstate on the county dime and go to the State Board of Canvassers, said Van Ginhoven. I have no doubt that the state will do what is required. I find it extremely disappointing that people in my district and in my county are refusing to do what is their oath of office.

Van Ginhoven says that what the defeated incumbents and their supporters fail to acknowledge is that the firing of DeSalvo was extremely unpopular as she had built a reputation as a straight-shooter.

People didnt know if she was a Democrat or a Republican, and prior to her being the county administrator, she had worked in the court system for many years. So she had an excellent rapport with a lot of people in the county even before she became our administrator, said Van Ginhoven. Our community is conservative, but I also think that in terms of reality, they know the difference between right and wrong, and what these three did to her was very wrong.

The post GOP members of Delta County canvassing board refuse to certify recall results appeared first on Michigan Advance.
Over the past year or more, several states have passed legislation restricting the use of AI in political ads or requiring that it be disclosed. Photo via Getty Images.

Members of the U.S. Senate are sounding the alarm about the threat that artificial intelligence poses to elections through its ability to deceive voters. But the prospects for legislation that can meaningfully address the problem appear uncertain.

In a Wednesday hearing, the Senate Rules Committee advanced three bills designed to counter the AI threat. But the only one to receive support from Republicans on the panel would simply create voluntary guidelines for election officials. It stops well short of restricting the use of AI in elections or even requiring disclosure of its use  steps that a growing number of states have already taken.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who chairs the Rules Committee and introduced all three measures, said the ability of generative AI to create deceptive images fundamentally threatens fair elections.

We are going to see this resurgence of fakery and scams going on in our elections, said Klobuchar. And whether youre a Democrat or a Republican, whether youre a conservative or a liberal, we cannot have our democracy undermined by ads and videos where you literally dont know if its the candidate you love or the candidate you dislike.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer framed the stakes as even higher.

Our democracy may never recover if we lose the ability to distinguish at all between whats true and whats false, as AI threatens to do, said the New York Democrat, whose appearance at the hearing was a potential signal that he aims to prioritize the legislation.

AI robocalls, images

The dangers posed by AI were starkly illustrated in February, when thousands of New Hampshire voters received a robocall with an AI-generated voice impersonating President Joe Biden, urging them not to vote in the upcoming state primary. A Democratic operative working for a rival candidate has admitted to commissioning the calls.

And last June, the presidential campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis released a video that appeared to use AI-generated images of former President Donald Trump hugging Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former chief medical adviser to Biden who is deeply unpopular among GOP primary voters.

Klobuchar added at the hearing that she wanted to keep the issue out of the partisan milieu. Blue, purple and red states have lately passed laws to address the AI threat, she noted. And all three pieces of legislation Klobuchar has introduced have Republican co-sponsors.

Still, there were signs that avoiding partisan politics could prove impossible.

Republicans in Congress, often led by House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, have strongly opposed previous efforts by the Biden administration to restrict the spread of political disinformation, saying they violate speech rights and give too much power to government regulators.

Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., the ranking Republican on the panel, raised similar concerns Wednesday about two of the Klobuchar bills: the Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act, and the AI Transparency in Elections Act.

The Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act would bar deceptive AI video or audio relating to candidates for federal office. It was introduced in September by Klobuchar and has five co-sponsors, including Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

The AI Transparency in Elections Act requires that political ads that use AI contain a statement disclosing its use. That measure, introduced by Klobuchar in March, is co-sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

The two bills, Fischer argued, increase burdens on speech, and are too vague in defining AI, creating uncertainty about whether a speaker might be subject to penalties. They also aim to federalize the issue and pre-empt state law, encroaching on state control of elections, Fischer added.

Both measures were passed out of the Rules Committee Wednesday on party-line votes, with no Republican support. (The official vote count in both cases was 9-2, because some Republicans who didnt attend the hearing voted no by proxy, which isnt counted as an official vote.)

The third measure, the Preparing Election Administrators for AI Act, was passed out of committee unanimously.

It would require the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to consult with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in creating voluntary guidelines for election officials for how to protect against the threat of AI in elections, especially with respect to its use by foreign adversaries.

On May 13, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., and Chrissy Houlahan, D-Penn., introduced companion legislation in the House.

Over the last year or more, states including Texas, Florida, New York, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Oregon, Utah, New Mexico and Idaho all have passed legislation restricting the use of AI in political ads or requiring that it be disclosed.

The post With GOP opposed, U.S. Senate panel advances bills to combat AI in elections appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
Over the last year or more, several states have passed legislation restricting the use of AI in political ads or requiring that it be disclosed. (Photo via Getty Images)

Members of the U.S. Senate are sounding the alarm about the threat that artificial intelligence poses to elections through its ability to deceive voters. But the prospects for legislation that can meaningfully address the problem appear uncertain.

In a Wednesday hearing, the Senate Rules Committee advanced three bills designed to counter the AI threat. But the only one to receive support from Republicans on the panel would simply create voluntary guidelines for election officials. It stops well short of restricting the use of AI in elections or even requiring disclosure of its use  steps that a growing number of states have already taken.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who chairs the Rules Committee and introduced all three measures, said the ability of generative AI to create deceptive images fundamentally threatens fair elections.

We are going to see this resurgence of fakery and scams going on in our elections, said Klobuchar. And whether youre a Democrat or a Republican, whether youre a conservative or a liberal, we cannot have our democracy undermined by ads and videos where you literally dont know if its the candidate you love or the candidate you dislike.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer framed the stakes as even higher.

Our democracy may never recover if we lose the ability to distinguish at all between whats true and whats false, as AI threatens to do, said the New York Democrat, whose appearance at the hearing was a potential signal that he aims to prioritize the legislation.

AI robocalls, images

The dangers posed by AI were starkly illustrated in February, when thousands of New Hampshire voters received a robocall with an AI-generated voice impersonating President Joe Biden, urging them not to vote in the upcoming state primary. A Democratic operative working for a rival candidate has admitted to commissioning the calls.

And last June, the presidential campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis released a video that appeared to use AI-generated images of former President Donald Trump hugging Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former chief medical adviser to Biden who is deeply unpopular among GOP primary voters.

Klobuchar added at the hearing that she wanted to keep the issue out of the partisan milieu. Blue, purple and red states have lately passed laws to address the AI threat, she noted. And all three pieces of legislation Klobuchar has introduced have Republican co-sponsors.

Still, there were signs that avoiding partisan politics could prove impossible.

Republicans in Congress, often led by House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, have strongly opposed previous efforts by the Biden administration to restrict the spread of political disinformation, saying they violate speech rights and give too much power to government regulators.

Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., the ranking Republican on the panel, raised similar concerns Wednesday about two of the Klobuchar bills: the Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act, and the AI Transparency in Elections Act.

The Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act would bar deceptive AI video or audio relating to candidates for federal office. It was introduced in September by Klobuchar and has five co-sponsors, including Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

The AI Transparency in Elections Act requires that political ads that use AI contain a statement disclosing its use. That measure, introduced by Klobuchar in March, is co-sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

The two bills, Fischer argued, increase burdens on speech, and are too vague in defining AI, creating uncertainty about whether a speaker might be subject to penalties. They also aim to federalize the issue and pre-empt state law, encroaching on state control of elections, Fischer added.

Both measures were passed out of the Rules Committee Wednesday on party-line votes, with no Republican support. (The official vote count in both cases was 9-2, because some Republicans who didnt attend the hearing voted no by proxy, which isnt counted as an official vote.)

The third measure, the Preparing Election Administrators for AI Act, was passed out of committee unanimously.

It would require the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to consult with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in creating voluntary guidelines for election officials for how to protect against the threat of AI in elections, especially with respect to its use by foreign adversaries.

On May 13, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., and Chrissy Houlahan, D-Penn., introduced companion legislation in the House.

Over the last year or more, states including Texas, Florida, New York, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Oregon, Utah, New Mexico and Idaho all have passed legislation restricting the use of AI in political ads or requiring that it be disclosed.

The post With GOP opposed, U.S. Senate panel advances bills to combat AI in elections appeared first on NC Newsline.
Over the last year or more, several states have passed legislation restricting the use of AI in political ads or requiring that it be disclosed. (Getty Images)

Members of the U.S. Senate are sounding the alarm about the threat that artificial intelligence poses to elections through its ability to deceive voters. But the prospects for legislation that can meaningfully address the problem appear uncertain.

In a Wednesday hearing, the Senate Rules Committee advanced three bills designed to counter the AI threat. But the only one to receive support from Republicans on the panel would simply create voluntary guidelines for election officials. It stops well short of restricting the use of AI in elections or even requiring disclosure of its use  steps that a growing number of states have already taken.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who chairs the Rules Committee and introduced all three measures, said the ability of generative AI to create deceptive images fundamentally threatens fair elections.

We are going to see this resurgence of fakery and scams going on in our elections, said Klobuchar. And whether youre a Democrat or a Republican, whether youre a conservative or a liberal, we cannot have our democracy undermined by ads and videos where you literally dont know if its the candidate you love or the candidate you dislike.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer framed the stakes as even higher.

Our democracy may never recover if we lose the ability to distinguish at all between whats true and whats false, as AI threatens to do, said the New York Democrat, whose appearance at the hearing was a potential signal that he aims to prioritize the legislation.

AI robocalls, images

The dangers posed by AI were starkly illustrated in February, when thousands of New Hampshire voters received a robocall with an AI-generated voice impersonating President Joe Biden, urging them not to vote in the upcoming state primary. A Democratic operative working for a rival candidate has admitted to commissioning the calls.

And last June, the presidential campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis released a video that appeared to use AI-generated images of former President Donald Trump hugging Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former chief medical adviser to Biden who is deeply unpopular among GOP primary voters.

Klobuchar added at the hearing that she wanted to keep the issue out of the partisan milieu. Blue, purple and red states have lately passed laws to address the AI threat, she noted. And all three pieces of legislation Klobuchar has introduced have Republican co-sponsors.

Still, there were signs that avoiding partisan politics could prove impossible.

Republicans in Congress, often led by House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, have strongly opposed previous efforts by the Biden administration to restrict the spread of political disinformation, saying they violate speech rights and give too much power to government regulators.

Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., the ranking Republican on the panel, raised similar concerns Wednesday about two of the Klobuchar bills: the Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act, and the AI Transparency in Elections Act.

The Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act would bar deceptive AI video or audio relating to candidates for federal office. It was introduced in September by Klobuchar and has five co-sponsors, including Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

The AI Transparency in Elections Act requires that political ads that use AI contain a statement disclosing its use. That measure, introduced by Klobuchar in March, is co-sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

The two bills, Fischer argued, increase burdens on speech, and are too vague in defining AI, creating uncertainty about whether a speaker might be subject to penalties. They also aim to federalize the issue and pre-empt state law, encroaching on state control of elections, Fischer added.

Both measures were passed out of the Rules Committee Wednesday on party-line votes, with no Republican support. (The official vote count in both cases was 9-2, because some Republicans who didnt attend the hearing voted no by proxy, which isnt counted as an official vote.)

The third measure, the Preparing Election Administrators for AI Act, was passed out of committee unanimously.

It would require the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to consult with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in creating voluntary guidelines for election officials for how to protect against the threat of AI in elections, especially with respect to its use by foreign adversaries.

On May 13, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., and Chrissy Houlahan, D-Penn., introduced companion legislation in the House.

Over the last year or more, states including Texas, Florida, New York, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Oregon, Utah, New Mexico and Idaho all have passed legislation restricting the use of AI in political ads or requiring that it be disclosed.

The post With GOP opposed, U.S. Senate panel advances bills to combat AI in elections appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
Over the last year or more, several states have passed legislation restricting the use of AI in political ads or requiring that it be disclosed. (Getty Images)

Members of the U.S. Senate are sounding the alarm about the threat that artificial intelligence poses to elections through its ability to deceive voters. But the prospects for legislation that can meaningfully address the problem appear uncertain.

In a Wednesday hearing, the Senate Rules Committee advanced three bills designed to counter the AI threat. But the only one to receive support from Republicans on the panel would simply create voluntary guidelines for election officials. It stops well short of restricting the use of AI in elections or even requiring disclosure of its use  steps that a growing number of states have already taken.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who chairs the Rules Committee and introduced all three measures, said the ability of generative AI to create deceptive images fundamentally threatens fair elections.

We are going to see this resurgence of fakery and scams going on in our elections, said Klobuchar. And whether youre a Democrat or a Republican, whether youre a conservative or a liberal, we cannot have our democracy undermined by ads and videos where you literally dont know if its the candidate you love or the candidate you dislike.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer framed the stakes as even higher.

Our democracy may never recover if we lose the ability to distinguish at all between whats true and whats false, as AI threatens to do, said the New York Democrat, whose appearance at the hearing was a potential signal that he aims to prioritize the legislation.

AI robocalls, images

The dangers posed by AI were starkly illustrated in February, when thousands of New Hampshire voters received a robocall with an AI-generated voice impersonating President Joe Biden, urging them not to vote in the upcoming state primary. A Democratic operative working for a rival candidate has admitted to commissioning the calls.

And last June, the presidential campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis released a video that appeared to use AI-generated images of former President Donald Trump hugging Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former chief medical adviser to Biden who is deeply unpopular among GOP primary voters.

Klobuchar added at the hearing that she wanted to keep the issue out of the partisan milieu. Blue, purple and red states have lately passed laws to address the AI threat, she noted. And all three pieces of legislation Klobuchar has introduced have Republican co-sponsors.

Still, there were signs that avoiding partisan politics could prove impossible.

Republicans in Congress, often led by House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, have strongly opposed previous efforts by the Biden administration to restrict the spread of political disinformation, saying they violate speech rights and give too much power to government regulators.

Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., the ranking Republican on the panel, raised similar concerns Wednesday about two of the Klobuchar bills: the Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act, and the AI Transparency in Elections Act.

The Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act would bar deceptive AI video or audio relating to candidates for federal office. It was introduced in September by Klobuchar and has five co-sponsors, including Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

The AI Transparency in Elections Act requires that political ads that use AI contain a statement disclosing its use. That measure, introduced by Klobuchar in March, is co-sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

The two bills, Fischer argued, increase burdens on speech, and are too vague in defining AI, creating uncertainty about whether a speaker might be subject to penalties. They also aim to federalize the issue and preempt state law, encroaching on state control of elections, Fischer added.

Both measures were passed out of the Rules Committee Wednesday on party-line votes, with no Republican support. (The official vote count in both cases was 9-2, because some Republicans who didnt attend the hearing voted no by proxy, which isnt counted as an official vote.)

The third measure, the Preparing Election Administrators for AI Act, was passed out of committee unanimously.

It would require the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to consult with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in creating voluntary guidelines for election officials for how to protect against the threat of AI in elections, especially with respect to its use by foreign adversaries.

On May 13, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., and Chrissy Houlahan, D-Penn., introduced companion legislation in the House.

Over the last year or more, states including Texas, Florida, New York, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Oregon, Utah, New Mexico and Idaho all have passed legislation restricting the use of AI in political ads or requiring that it be disclosed.

The post With GOP opposed, U.S. Senate panel advances bills to combat AI in elections appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, May 16. Turkmenistan officially assumed the chairmanship of the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY) at a solemn ceremony in Ashgabat city on May 16, Trend reports.

According to the official source, the chairmanship has passed to Turkmenistan from Azerbaijan.

At the 10th meeting of the National Commissions for UNESCO of TURKSOY Member States, the Secretary General of the organization, Sultan Raev, handed over the symbol of the chairmanship to the Executive Secretary of the National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO, Chinar Rustemova.

Chinar Rustemova will be the chairman of TURKSOY on behalf of Turkmenistan.

She has extensive diplomatic experience, having worked for a long time as the Ambassador of Turkmenistan to India and China.

Meanwhile, the TURKSOY international organization was founded in 1993 as a result of an agreement between the Ministers of Culture of Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Since 2009, the institution has been called the International Organization of Turkic Culture.
Over the last year or more, several states have passed legislation restricting the use of AI in political ads or requiring that it be disclosed. (Getty Images)

Members of the U.S. Senate are sounding the alarm about the threat that artificial intelligence poses to elections through its ability to deceive voters. But the prospects for legislation that can meaningfully address the problem appear uncertain.

In a Wednesday hearing, the Senate Rules Committee advanced three bills designed to counter the AI threat. But the only one to receive support from Republicans on the panel would simply create voluntary guidelines for election officials. It stops well short of restricting the use of AI in elections or even requiring disclosure of its use  steps that a growing number of states have already taken.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who chairs the Rules Committee and introduced all three measures, said the ability of generative AI to create deceptive images fundamentally threatens fair elections.

We are going to see this resurgence of fakery and scams going on in our elections, said Klobuchar. And whether youre a Democrat or a Republican, whether youre a conservative or a liberal, we cannot have our democracy undermined by ads and videos where you literally dont know if its the candidate you love or the candidate you dislike.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer framed the stakes as even higher.

Our democracy may never recover if we lose the ability to distinguish at all between whats true and whats false, as AI threatens to do, said the New York Democrat, whose appearance at the hearing was a potential signal that he aims to prioritize the legislation.

AI robocalls, images

The dangers posed by AI were starkly illustrated in February, when thousands of New Hampshire voters received a robocall with an AI-generated voice impersonating President Joe Biden, urging them not to vote in the upcoming state primary. A Democratic operative working for a rival candidate has admitted to commissioning the calls.

And last June, the presidential campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis released a video that appeared to use AI-generated images of former President Donald Trump hugging Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former chief medical adviser to Biden who is deeply unpopular among GOP primary voters.

Klobuchar added at the hearing that she wanted to keep the issue out of the partisan milieu. Blue, purple and red states have lately passed laws to address the AI threat, she noted. And all three pieces of legislation Klobuchar has introduced have Republican co-sponsors.

Still, there were signs that avoiding partisan politics could prove impossible.

Republicans in Congress, often led by House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, have strongly opposed previous efforts by the Biden administration to restrict the spread of political disinformation, saying they violate speech rights and give too much power to government regulators.

Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., the ranking Republican on the panel, raised similar concerns Wednesday about two of the Klobuchar bills: the Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act, and the AI Transparency in Elections Act.

The Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act would bar deceptive AI video or audio relating to candidates for federal office. It was introduced in September by Klobuchar and has five co-sponsors, including Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

The AI Transparency in Elections Act requires that political ads that use AI contain a statement disclosing its use. That measure, introduced by Klobuchar in March, is co-sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

The two bills, Fischer argued, increase burdens on speech, and are too vague in defining AI, creating uncertainty about whether a speaker might be subject to penalties. They also aim to federalize the issue and pre-empt state law, encroaching on state control of elections, Fischer added.

Both measures were passed out of the Rules Committee Wednesday on party-line votes, with no Republican support. (The official vote count in both cases was 9-2, because some Republicans who didnt attend the hearing voted no by proxy, which isnt counted as an official vote.)

The third measure, the Preparing Election Administrators for AI Act, was passed out of committee unanimously.

It would require the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to consult with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in creating voluntary guidelines for election officials for how to protect against the threat of AI in elections, especially with respect to its use by foreign adversaries.

On May 13, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., and Chrissy Houlahan, D-Penn., introduced companion legislation in the House.

Over the last year or more, states including Texas, Florida, New York, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Oregon, Utah, New Mexico and Idaho all have passed legislation restricting the use of AI in political ads or requiring that it be disclosed.

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The post With GOP opposed, U.S. Senate panel advances bills to combat AI in elections appeared first on Maine Morning Star.
Over the last year or more, several states have passed legislation restricting the use of AI in political ads or requiring that it be disclosed. (Photo via Getty Images)

Members of the U.S. Senate are sounding the alarm about the threat that artificial intelligence poses to elections through its ability to deceive voters. But the prospects for legislation that can meaningfully address the problem appear uncertain.

In a Wednesday hearing, the Senate Rules Committee advanced three bills designed to counter the AI threat. But the only one to receive support from Republicans on the panel would simply create voluntary guidelines for election officials. It stops well short of restricting the use of AI in elections or even requiring disclosure of its use  steps that a growing number of states have already taken.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who chairs the Rules Committee and introduced all three measures, said the ability of generative AI to create deceptive images fundamentally threatens fair elections.

We are going to see this resurgence of fakery and scams going on in our elections, said Klobuchar. And whether youre a Democrat or a Republican, whether youre a conservative or a liberal, we cannot have our democracy undermined by ads and videos where you literally dont know if its the candidate you love or the candidate you dislike.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer framed the stakes as even higher.

Our democracy may never recover if we lose the ability to distinguish at all between whats true and whats false, as AI threatens to do, said the New York Democrat, whose appearance at the hearing was a potential signal that he aims to prioritize the legislation.

AI robocalls, images

The dangers posed by AI were starkly illustrated in February, when thousands of New Hampshire voters received a robocall with an AI-generated voice impersonating President Joe Biden, urging them not to vote in the upcoming state primary. A Democratic operative working for a rival candidate has admitted to commissioning the calls.

And last June, the presidential campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis released a video that appeared to use AI-generated images of former President Donald Trump hugging Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former chief medical adviser to Biden who is deeply unpopular among GOP primary voters.

Klobuchar added at the hearing that she wanted to keep the issue out of the partisan milieu. Blue, purple and red states have lately passed laws to address the AI threat, she noted. And all three pieces of legislation Klobuchar has introduced have Republican co-sponsors.

Still, there were signs that avoiding partisan politics could prove impossible.

Republicans in Congress, often led by House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, have strongly opposed previous efforts by the Biden administration to restrict the spread of political disinformation, saying they violate speech rights and give too much power to government regulators.

Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., the ranking Republican on the panel, raised similar concerns Wednesday about two of the Klobuchar bills: the Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act, and the AI Transparency in Elections Act.

The Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act would bar deceptive AI video or audio relating to candidates for federal office. It was introduced in September by Klobuchar and has five co-sponsors, including Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

The AI Transparency in Elections Act requires that political ads that use AI contain a statement disclosing its use. That measure, introduced by Klobuchar in March, is co-sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

The two bills, Fischer argued, increase burdens on speech, and are too vague in defining AI, creating uncertainty about whether a speaker might be subject to penalties. They also aim to federalize the issue and pre-empt state law, encroaching on state control of elections, Fischer added.

Both measures were passed out of the Rules Committee Wednesday on party-line votes, with no Republican support. (The official vote count in both cases was 9-2, because some Republicans who didnt attend the hearing voted no by proxy, which isnt counted as an official vote.)

The third measure, the Preparing Election Administrators for AI Act, was passed out of committee unanimously.

It would require the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to consult with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in creating voluntary guidelines for election officials for how to protect against the threat of AI in elections, especially with respect to its use by foreign adversaries.

On May 13, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., and Chrissy Houlahan, D-Penn., introduced companion legislation in the House.

Over the last year or more, states including Texas, Florida, New York, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Oregon, Utah, New Mexico and Idaho all have passed legislation restricting the use of AI in political ads or requiring that it be disclosed.

The post With GOP opposed, U.S. Senate panel advances bills to combat AI in elections appeared first on Kentucky Lantern.
Over the last year or more, several states have passed legislation restricting the use of AI in political ads or requiring that it be disclosed. (Getty Images)

Members of the U.S. Senate are sounding the alarm about the threat that artificial intelligence poses to elections through its ability to deceive voters. But the prospects for legislation that can meaningfully address the problem appear uncertain.

In a Wednesday hearing, the Senate Rules Committee advanced three bills designed to counter the AI threat. But the only one to receive support from Republicans on the panel would simply create voluntary guidelines for election officials. It stops well short of restricting the use of AI in elections or even requiring disclosure of its use  steps that a growing number of states have already taken.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who chairs the Rules Committee and introduced all three measures, said the ability of generative AI to create deceptive images fundamentally threatens fair elections.

We are going to see this resurgence of fakery and scams going on in our elections, said Klobuchar. And whether youre a Democrat or a Republican, whether youre a conservative or a liberal, we cannot have our democracy undermined by ads and videos where you literally dont know if its the candidate you love or the candidate you dislike.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer framed the stakes as even higher.

Our democracy may never recover if we lose the ability to distinguish at all between whats true and whats false, as AI threatens to do, said the New York Democrat, whose appearance at the hearing was a potential signal that he aims to prioritize the legislation.

AI robocalls, images

The dangers posed by AI were starkly illustrated in February, when thousands of New Hampshire voters received a robocall with an AI-generated voice impersonating President Joe Biden, urging them not to vote in the upcoming state primary. A Democratic operative working for a rival candidate has admitted to commissioning the calls.

And last June, the presidential campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis released a video that appeared to use AI-generated images of former President Donald Trump hugging Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former chief medical adviser to Biden who is deeply unpopular among GOP primary voters.

Klobuchar added at the hearing that she wanted to keep the issue out of the partisan milieu. Blue, purple and red states have lately passed laws to address the AI threat, she noted. And all three pieces of legislation Klobuchar has introduced have Republican co-sponsors.

Still, there were signs that avoiding partisan politics could prove impossible.

Republicans in Congress, often led by House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, have strongly opposed previous efforts by the Biden administration to restrict the spread of political disinformation, saying they violate speech rights and give too much power to government regulators.

Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., the ranking Republican on the panel, raised similar concerns Wednesday about two of the Klobuchar bills: the Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act, and the AI Transparency in Elections Act.

The Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act would bar deceptive AI video or audio relating to candidates for federal office. It was introduced in September by Klobuchar and has five co-sponsors, including Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

The AI Transparency in Elections Act requires that political ads that use AI contain a statement disclosing its use. That measure, introduced by Klobuchar in March, is co-sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

The two bills, Fischer argued, increase burdens on speech, and are too vague in defining AI, creating uncertainty about whether a speaker might be subject to penalties. They also aim to federalize the issue and pre-empt state law, encroaching on state control of elections, Fischer added.

Both measures were passed out of the Rules Committee Wednesday on party-line votes, with no Republican support. (The official vote count in both cases was 9-2, because some Republicans who didnt attend the hearing voted no by proxy, which isnt counted as an official vote.)

The third measure, the Preparing Election Administrators for AI Act, was passed out of committee unanimously.

It would require the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to consult with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in creating voluntary guidelines for election officials for how to protect against the threat of AI in elections, especially with respect to its use by foreign adversaries.

On May 13, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., and Chrissy Houlahan, D-Penn., introduced companion legislation in the House.

Over the last year or more, states including Texas, Florida, New York, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Oregon, Utah, New Mexico and Idaho all have passed legislation restricting the use of AI in political ads or requiring that it be disclosed.

The post With GOP opposed, U.S. Senate panel advances bills to combat AI in elections appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Over the last year or more, several states have passed legislation restricting the use of AI in political ads or requiring that it be disclosed. (Getty Images)

Members of the U.S. Senate are sounding the alarm about the threat that artificial intelligence poses to elections through its ability to deceive voters. But the prospects for legislation that can meaningfully address the problem appear uncertain.

In a Wednesday hearing, the Senate Rules Committee advanced three bills designed to counter the AI threat. But the only one to receive support from Republicans on the panel would simply create voluntary guidelines for election officials. It stops well short of restricting the use of AI in elections or even requiring disclosure of its use  steps that a growing number of states have already taken.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who chairs the Rules Committee and introduced all three measures, said the ability of generative AI to create deceptive images fundamentally threatens fair elections.

We are going to see this resurgence of fakery and scams going on in our elections, said Klobuchar. And whether youre a Democrat or a Republican, whether youre a conservative or a liberal, we cannot have our democracy undermined by ads and videos where you literally dont know if its the candidate you love or the candidate you dislike.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer framed the stakes as even higher.

Our democracy may never recover if we lose the ability to distinguish at all between whats true and whats false, as AI threatens to do, said the New York Democrat, whose appearance at the hearing was a potential signal that he aims to prioritize the legislation.

AI robocalls, images

The dangers posed by AI were starkly illustrated in February, when thousands of New Hampshire voters received a robocall with an AI-generated voice impersonating President Joe Biden, urging them not to vote in the upcoming state primary. A Democratic operative working for a rival candidate has admitted to commissioning the calls.

And last June, the presidential campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis released a video that appeared to use AI-generated images of former President Donald Trump hugging Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former chief medical adviser to Biden who is deeply unpopular among GOP primary voters.

At the state level, Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt told the Capital-Star earlier this year that while AI could provide potential benefits in the future for voter education, monitoring has become necessary as bad faith actors exploit the technology to spread election misinformation. He pointed to the 2020 election as proof that lies can be spread from a social media post or an email.

There are at least two measures in the Pennsylvania General Assembly aimed at addressing artificial intelligence.

State Rep. Doyle Heffley (R-Carbon) is the prime sponsor of House Bill 2144, which would prohibit the practice of artificially-generated voices being used for political campaign purposes. He said the bill would not disallow robocalls from campaigns, but would ensure voters didnt think they were speaking to the candidate when it is instead AI. It would set penalties for violators who use AI to trick voters into thinking they are having personalized conversations with a candidate.

This is brand new and emerging technology, Heffley told the Capital-Star. So I think we need to set boundaries about what is ethical and what isnt.

The bill was most referred to the House State Government Committee in late March.

Pennsylvania Rep. Chris Pielli (D-Chester) is sponsoring a bill that would require a disclosure on content generated by artificial intelligence. House Bill 1598 passed the House in April and sits before the Pennsylvania Senate Communications and Technology Committee.

Trying to avoid partisan politics

During the U.S. Senate hearing, Klobuchar said that she wanted to keep the issue out of the partisan milieu. Blue, purple and red states have lately passed laws to address the AI threat, she noted. And all three pieces of legislation Klobuchar has introduced have Republican co-sponsors.

Still, there were signs that avoiding partisan politics could prove impossible.

Republicans in Congress, often led by House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, have strongly opposed previous efforts by the Biden administration to restrict the spread of political disinformation, saying they violate speech rights and give too much power to government regulators.

Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., the ranking Republican on the panel, raised similar concerns Wednesday about two of the Klobuchar bills: the Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act, and the AI Transparency in Elections Act.

The Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act would bar deceptive AI video or audio relating to candidates for federal office. It was introduced in September by Klobuchar and has five co-sponsors, including Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

The AI Transparency in Elections Act requires that political ads that use AI contain a statement disclosing its use. That measure, introduced by Klobuchar in March, is co-sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

The two bills, Fischer argued, increase burdens on speech, and are too vague in defining AI, creating uncertainty about whether a speaker might be subject to penalties. They also aim to federalize the issue and pre-empt state law, encroaching on state control of elections, Fischer added.

Both measures were passed out of the Rules Committee Wednesday on party-line votes, with no Republican support. (The official vote count in both cases was 9-2, because some Republicans who didnt attend the hearing voted no by proxy, which isnt counted as an official vote.)

The third measure, the Preparing Election Administrators for AI Act, was passed out of committee unanimously.

It would require the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to consult with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in creating voluntary guidelines for election officials for how to protect against the threat of AI in elections, especially with respect to its use by foreign adversaries.

On May 13, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., and Chrissy Houlahan, D-Penn., introduced companion legislation in the House.

Over the last year or more, states including Texas, Florida, New York, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Oregon, Utah, New Mexico and Idaho all have passed legislation restricting the use of AI in political ads or requiring that it be disclosed.

Pennsylvania Capital-Star reporter John Cole contributed to this report.

The post With GOP opposed, U.S. Senate panel advances bills to combat AI in elections appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
Over the last year or more, several states have passed legislation restricting the use of AI in political ads or requiring that it be disclosed. (Photo via Getty Images)

Members of the U.S. Senate are sounding the alarm about the threat that artificial intelligence poses to elections through its ability to deceive voters. But the prospects for legislation that can meaningfully address the problem appear uncertain.

In a Wednesday hearing, the Senate Rules Committee advanced three bills designed to counter the AI threat. But the only one to receive support from Republicans on the panel would simply create voluntary guidelines for election officials. It stops well short of restricting the use of AI in elections or even requiring disclosure of its use  steps that a growing number of states have already taken.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who chairs the Rules Committee and introduced all three measures, said the ability of generative AI to create deceptive images fundamentally threatens fair elections.

We are going to see this resurgence of fakery and scams going on in our elections, said Klobuchar. And whether youre a Democrat or a Republican, whether youre a conservative or a liberal, we cannot have our democracy undermined by ads and videos where you literally dont know if its the candidate you love or the candidate you dislike.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer framed the stakes as even higher.

Our democracy may never recover if we lose the ability to distinguish at all between whats true and whats false, as AI threatens to do, said the New York Democrat, whose appearance at the hearing was a potential signal that he aims to prioritize the legislation.

AI robocalls, images

The dangers posed by AI were starkly illustrated in February, when thousands of New Hampshire voters received a robocall with an AI-generated voice impersonating President Joe Biden, urging them not to vote in the upcoming state primary. A Democratic operative working for a rival candidate has admitted to commissioning the calls.

And last June, the presidential campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis released a video that appeared to use AI-generated images of former President Donald Trump hugging Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former chief medical adviser to Biden who is deeply unpopular among GOP primary voters.

Klobuchar added at the hearing that she wanted to keep the issue out of the partisan milieu. Blue, purple and red states have lately passed laws to address the AI threat, she noted. And all three pieces of legislation Klobuchar has introduced have Republican co-sponsors.

Still, there were signs that avoiding partisan politics could prove impossible.

Republicans in Congress, often led by House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, have strongly opposed previous efforts by the Biden administration to restrict the spread of political disinformation, saying they violate speech rights and give too much power to government regulators.

Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., the ranking Republican on the panel, raised similar concerns Wednesday about two of the Klobuchar bills: the Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act, and the AI Transparency in Elections Act.

The Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act would bar deceptive AI video or audio relating to candidates for federal office. It was introduced in September by Klobuchar and has five co-sponsors, including Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

The AI Transparency in Elections Act requires that political ads that use AI contain a statement disclosing its use. That measure, introduced by Klobuchar in March, is co-sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

The two bills, Fischer argued, increase burdens on speech, and are too vague in defining AI, creating uncertainty about whether a speaker might be subject to penalties. They also aim to federalize the issue and pre-empt state law, encroaching on state control of elections, Fischer added.

Both measures were passed out of the Rules Committee Wednesday on party-line votes, with no Republican support. (The official vote count in both cases was 9-2, because some Republicans who didnt attend the hearing voted no by proxy, which isnt counted as an official vote.)

The third measure, the Preparing Election Administrators for AI Act, was passed out of committee unanimously.

It would require the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to consult with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in creating voluntary guidelines for election officials for how to protect against the threat of AI in elections, especially with respect to its use by foreign adversaries.

On May 13, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., and Chrissy Houlahan, D-Penn., introduced companion legislation in the House.

Over the last year or more, states including Texas, Florida, New York, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Oregon, Utah, New Mexico and Idaho all have passed legislation restricting the use of AI in political ads or requiring that it be disclosed.

The post With GOP opposed, U.S. Senate panel advances bills to combat AI in elections appeared first on Michigan Advance.
Over the last year or more, several states have passed legislation restricting the use of AI in political ads or requiring that it be disclosed. (Getty Images)

Members of the U.S. Senate are sounding the alarm about the threat that artificial intelligence poses to elections through its ability to deceive voters. But the prospects for legislation that can meaningfully address the problem appear uncertain.

In a Wednesday hearing, the Senate Rules Committee advanced three bills designed to counter the AI threat. But the only one to receive support from Republicans on the panel would simply create voluntary guidelines for election officials. It stops well short of restricting the use of AI in elections or even requiring disclosure of its use  steps that a growing number of states have already taken.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who chairs the Rules Committee and introduced all three measures, said the ability of generative AI to create deceptive images fundamentally threatens fair elections.

We are going to see this resurgence of fakery and scams going on in our elections, said Klobuchar. And whether youre a Democrat or a Republican, whether youre a conservative or a liberal, we cannot have our democracy undermined by ads and videos where you literally dont know if its the candidate you love or the candidate you dislike.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer framed the stakes as even higher.

Our democracy may never recover if we lose the ability to distinguish at all between whats true and whats false, as AI threatens to do, said the New York Democrat, whose appearance at the hearing was a potential signal that he aims to prioritize the legislation.

AI robocalls, images

The dangers posed by AI were starkly illustrated in February, when thousands of New Hampshire voters received a robocall with an AI-generated voice impersonating President Joe Biden, urging them not to vote in the upcoming state primary. A Democratic operative working for a rival candidate has admitted to commissioning the calls.

And last June, the presidential campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis released a video that appeared to use AI-generated images of former President Donald Trump hugging Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former chief medical adviser to Biden who is deeply unpopular among GOP primary voters.

Klobuchar added at the hearing that she wanted to keep the issue out of the partisan milieu. Blue, purple and red states have lately passed laws to address the AI threat, she noted. And all three pieces of legislation Klobuchar has introduced have Republican co-sponsors.

Still, there were signs that avoiding partisan politics could prove impossible.

Republicans in Congress, often led by House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, have strongly opposed previous efforts by the Biden administration to restrict the spread of political disinformation, saying they violate speech rights and give too much power to government regulators.

U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb. (Deb Fischer for Senate)

Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., the ranking Republican on the panel, raised similar concerns Wednesday about two of the Klobuchar bills: the Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act, and the AI Transparency in Elections Act.

The Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act would bar deceptive AI video or audio relating to candidates for federal office. It was introduced in September by Klobuchar and has five co-sponsors, including Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

The AI Transparency in Elections Act requires that political ads that use AI contain a statement disclosing its use. That measure, introduced by Klobuchar in March, is co-sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

The two bills, Fischer argued, increase burdens on speech and are too vague in defining AI, creating uncertainty about whether a speaker might be subject to penalties. They also aim to federalize the issue and pre-empt state law, encroaching on state control of elections, Fischer added.

Voluntary election guidelines

Both measures were passed out of the Rules Committee on Wednesday on party-line votes, with no Republican support. (The official vote count in both cases was 9-2, because some Republicans who didnt attend the hearing voted no by proxy, which isnt counted as an official vote.)

The third measure, the Preparing Election Administrators for AI Act, was passed out of committee unanimously.

It would require the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to consult with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in creating voluntary guidelines for election officials for how to protect against the threat of AI in elections, especially with respect to its use by foreign adversaries.

On May 13, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., and Chrissy Houlahan, D-Penn., introduced companion legislation in the House.

Over the last year or more, states including Texas, Florida, New York, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Oregon, Utah, New Mexico and Idaho all have passed legislation restricting the use of AI in political ads or requiring that it be disclosed.

The post With GOP opposed, U.S. Senate panel advances bills to combat AI in elections appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
All the GOP politicians who've flocked to Trump's Manhattan trial to support him

A long list of prominent GOP politicians have flocked to Trump's ongoing trial in Manhattan.

They include the speaker of the House, one governor, and several senators and House members.

It's an effort to show loyalty  and for some, boost their VP chances.

Former President Donald Trump's hush-money trial in New York is suddenly the biggest magnet for ambitious Republican politicians hoping to demonstrate their loyalty.

In recent weeks, the Manhattan criminal courthouse has played host to the speaker of the House, several GOP senators and vice-presidential contenders, over a dozen House members, and even two state attorneys general.

It's resulted in at least one senator missing a vote, the postponing of a congressional mark-up, and a bevy of Republican heavyweights turning themselves into attack dogs for the presumptive 2024 nominee  who remains barred from criticizing jurors and witnesses via a gag order.

And Trump has yet to receive a courtroom visit from his own wife, Melania.

Here are all of the Republicans who've flocked to the trial so far.

Sen. Rick Scott was the first elected Republican to show up. He ended up missing a vote.

Florida Sen. Rick Scott walks behind Trump at the trial on May 9. Jeenah Moon/Pool Photo via AP

On Thursday, May 9, Sen. Rick Scott of Florida became the first elected Republican to show up to the trial.

"What he is going through is just despicable," Scott told reporters outside the courtroom, arguing the trial was "clearly criminal" and was being run by "political thugs."

Scott's visit came in the middle of the week, while the Senate was taking votes on a bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration for the next five years.

The Florida senator, who's up for reelection in November, ended up missing a procedural vote on the bill later that day.

That prompted his Democratic opponent, former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel Powell, to slam him as "sucking up to a defendant found liable for sexual abuse" and putting his "own extreme agenda before the people he was elected to represent."

Sen. JD Vance was the first VP contender to show up.

Sen. JD Vance snaps a photo at the trial on May 13. Mark Peterson/AFP via Getty Images

On Monday, May 13, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio was among the next crop of senators to show up  and the first vice presidential contender to do so.

He later took to social media, calling the courtroom "dingy" while suggesting that the "main goal of the trial is psychological torture."

Sen. Tommy Tuberville

Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama at the trial on May 13. Mark Peterson/Getty Images

Tuberville came to the trial alongside Vance, where he derided jurors as being "supposedly American."

He later told the conservative network Newsmax that he came to the trial to help Trump "overcome this gag order."

Sen. Eric Schmitt

Sen. Eric Schmitt at the trial on Tuesday, May 21. Justin Lane/Getty Images

The Missouri senator, among the first to endorse Trump in 2024, visited the trial on Tuesday, May 21.

Like Sen. Scott, he ended up missing votes to do so.

"You want to talk about threats to democracy? That's what this is across the street," Schmitt said at a press conference with other Republicans outside the trial.

Gov. Doug Burgum was the 2nd VP contender to show up.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum at the trial on May 14. Justin Lane/Getty Images

Burgum  another VP contender whose political stock has been on the rise recently  attended the trial on Tuesday, May 14.

He and the other Republicans in attendance quickly made waves on social media for wearing apparently matching outfits.

Gov. Burgum calls hush money trial a "sham trial" and a "scam trial." pic.twitter.com/2e5Ik4oS8i  Emmanuel Touhey (@EmmanuelTouhey) May 14, 2024

Vivek Ramaswamy showed up, too.

Former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy at the trial on May 14. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Vivek Ramaswamy, the tech entrepreneur and 2024 presidential candidate, showed up to the trial on the same day as Burgum.

He also happens to be a vice presidential contender  albeit, a lower-tier one.

House Speaker Mike Johnson

Johnson speaking to reporters outside the trial on May 14. Alex Kent/AFP via Getty Images

The highest-ranking Republican to visit the trial has been House Speaker Mike Johnson, who traveled to Manhattan on the same day as Burgum and Ramaswamy.

The speaker delivered a series of remarks  including slamming the district attorney, the judge, and Michael Cohen  without taking questions afterwards.

"He is soon to be officially the nominee of one of the major parties in our country," Johnson said of Trump. "Running for president, and they have him tied up here in this ridiculous prosecution. That is not about justice, it's all about politics, and everybody can see that."

He concluded by insisting that he came to the trial "on my own" because he's "deeply concerned about this."

Two dozen other House Republicans have also shown up

Nine House Republicans, including Rep. Matt Gaetz, attended the trial on Thursday, May 16. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

On Thursday, May 16, the biggest crop of House Republicans yet attended Trump's trial.

That included Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who was met with chants of "Beetlejuice" as she took to the microphones outside the courtroom.

Ill never stop standing up for President Trump, even if Im the last one standing. pic.twitter.com/ywPQpVWChR  Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) May 16, 2024

Here are the 20 rank-and-file House Republicans who've attended the trial so far:

Andy Biggs of Arizona

Lauren Boebert of Colorado

Eric Burlison of Missouri

Michael Cloud of Texas

Andrew Clyde of Georgia

Eli Crane of Arizona

Byron Donalds of Florida

Matt Gaetz of Florida

Bob Good of Virginia

Diana Harshbarger of Tennessee

Ronny Jackson of Texas

Anna Paulina Luna of Florida

Mary Miller of Illinois

Cory Mills of Florida

Nicole Malliotakis of New York

Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania

Troy Nehls of Texas

Ralph Norman of South Carolina

Andy Ogles of Tennessee

Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida

Keith Self of Texas

Dale Strong of Alabama

Mike Waltz of Florida

Daniel Webster of Florida

The top law enforcement officials in Iowa, Alabama, and South Carolina have also flocked to a criminal defendant's defense.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird speaks to reporters outside the trial on May 13. AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah

One other intriguing cohort of trial attendees: three Republican state attorneys general.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall were among the cohort of Republicans who attended the trial on Monday, May 13. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson attended the trial on Monday, May 20.

Their attendance is particularly striking: they are the top law enforcement officials in their respective states, and they're publicly taking the side of a criminal defendant in another state.

Read the original article on Business Insider
AUSTIN (KXAN)  Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced he granted a full pardon to the man convicted of shooting and killing a Black Lives Matter protester following a recommendation issued Thursday, and hes now out of prison.

Abbott quickly signed a proclamation after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted unanimously to grant a full pardon and restore gun rights to Daniel Perry, a former Army sergeant found guilty of murder by a jury in April 2023 and later sentenced to 25 years in prison.

In a statement Thursday, Abbott said, The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles conducted an exhaustive review of U.S. Army Sergeant Daniel Perrys personal history and the facts surrounding the July 2020 incident and recommended a Full Pardon and Restoration of Full Civil Rights of Citizenship. Among the voluminous files reviewed by the Board, they considered information provided by the Travis County District Attorney, the full investigative report on Daniel Perry, plus a review of all the testimony provided at trial. Texas has one of the strongest Stand Your Ground laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney. I thank the Board for its thorough investigation, and I approve their pardon recommendation.

Perry admitted to shooting Garrett Foster while driving an Uber in downtown Austin during a demonstration in 2020. Foster was armed at the time, and Perrys attorneys argued the shooting was in self-defense.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice confirmed Thursday afternoon that Perry is no longer in state custody.

Doug OConnell, who serves as Perrys attorney, thanked Abbott for granting the pardon.

I spoke with Daniel this afternoon. He is thrilled and elated to be free. Daniel is also optimistic for his future, OConnell said Thursday. He wishes that this tragic event never happened and wishes he never had to defend himself against Mr. Fosters unlawful actions. At the same time, Daniel recognizes that the Foster family is grieving. We are anxious to see Daniel reunited with his family and loved ones.

The boards members began looking into Perrys case after a request from Gov. Greg Abbott in April 2023.

The investigative efforts encompassed a meticulous review of pertinent documents, from police reports to court records, witness statements, and interviews with individuals linked to the case, a statement from the board read. After a thorough examination of the amassed information, the parole board reached a decision on May 16, 2024. The Board voted unanimously to recommend a full pardon and restoration of firearm rights.

Travis County District Jose Garza, whose office prosecuted the case against Perry, released a lengthy statement slamming the governors pardon and expressing condolences to Fosters loved ones.

The Board and the Governor have put their politics over justice and made a mockery of our legal system. They should be ashamed of themselves, Garza said. Their actions are contrary to the law and demonstrate that there are two classes of people in this state where some lives matter and some lives do not. They have sent a message to Garrett Fosters family, to his partner, and to our community that his life does not matter. They have sent the message that the service of the Travis County community members who served on the grand jury and trial jury does not matter. To the family and friends of Garrett Foster, and to the people of Travis County, we will not stop fighting for justice.

Whitney Mitchell, Fosters fiancee, and her mother shared their reaction Thursday afternoon to the pardon, calling it a devastating blow that reopened deep wounds.

This decision has not only retraumatized my daughter, who has been trying to find peace and closure but has also inflicted further pain on Garretts family and all who loved him. It sends a chilling message about the value of human life and the strength of political influence, eroding trust in the institutions meant to protect us, the Mitchell family statement read.

We stand today, heartbroken but resolute, in our call for a justice system that serves the people without bias and without undue political influence, they continued. We urge all who believe in justice and human dignity to stand with us in remembering Garrett and advocating for a system that upholds these values steadfastly.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton posted his reaction on X, formerly known as Twitter, to the news of Abbott pardoning Perry.

Americans across the country have been watching this case in Texas and praying for justice after BLM riots terrorized the nation in 2020, Paxton wrote. Our right to self-defense is enshrined in the Constitution. Soros-backed prosecutors like Jose Garza do not get to pick and choose the rights we have as Americans, and I am relieved that justice has prevailed.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made waves on Wednesday as he signed into law a contentious energy bill that would remove mentions of the words climate change in state statutes, and ban power-generating wind turbines off the states coastline.

The proposed bill would remove over 50 lines in state law established in 2008 by then-Republican Gov. Charlie Crist addressing climate change and promoting renewable energy.

READ: Proposed Florida bill could remove majority of mentions to climate change from state law

The energy bill, HB 1645, includes provisions repealing parts of state law mentioning the potential of global climate change as a state and energy policy; banning offshore wind energy generation; easing regulations on natural gas pipelines; and eliminating the requirement for Florida state agencies to consider a list of climate-friendly products before making purchases.

In a social media statement, DeSantis stressed the bills significance, saying they would keep windmills off our beaches, gas in our tanks, and China out of our state.

Were restoring sanity in our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of the radical green zealots, DeSantis stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

The legislation I signed todayHB 1645, HB 7071, and HB 1331will keep windmills off our beaches, gas in our tanks, and China out of our state.



Were restoring sanity in our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of the radical green zealots.



Furthermore, were going to pic.twitter.com/G13RcdxIBR  Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 15, 2024

The bill would also require the Florida Public Service Commission to develop a cost-effective energy infrastructure resilient to natural and manmade threats.

Currently, pipelines within Florida that are 15 miles or longer require certification under the Natural Gas Transmission Pipeline Siting Act. The bill proposes to change this requirement so it applies to pipelines 100 miles or longer.

The Florida Natural Gas Association reportedly applauded the bill in a news release stating it will maintain and encourage reliable fuel sources for public utilities, remove federal and international control over Floridas energy policies, and allow consumers to choose their energy source.

This law strengthens natural gas infrastructure resiliency and reliability, which are critical to the states economy, the ability to recover from natural disasters and the health, safety, welfare and quality of life of Floridians, Dale Calhoun, the associations executive director, said in a prepared statement.

Florida utilities rely heavily on natural gas to fuel power plants, with nearly 74% reliant on power electric generation according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

However, the legislation has faced criticism from Democrats and environmental groups, particularly concerning its approach to greenhouse gas emissions.

For example, the bill would eliminate part of the current Florida law that states, The Legislature finds that the states energy security can be increased by reducing dependence on foreign oil. The impacts of global climate change can be reduced through the decrease of greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the implementation of alternative energy technologies can create new jobs and employment opportunities for many Floridians.

The information will be partially replaced by sentences stating, The purpose of the states energy policy is to ensure an adequate, reliable, and cost-effective supply of energy for the state in a manner that promotes the health and welfare of the public and economic growth. The Legislature intends that governance of the states energy policy be efficiently directed toward achieving this purpose.

Senator Tina Polsky (D-Boca Raton) raised concerns in February, highlighting Floridas vulnerability to climate disasters due to its coastal geography.

We are surrounded by water, and the effects are showing, Polsky said.

Despite ongoing concerns about rising sea levels and flooding in Florida, DeSantis approach has shifted since he first took office, when Republicans began publicly addressing the effects of climate change.

While campaigning for president in 2023, DeSantis promoted the use of fossil fuels and criticized the concerted effort to increase fear of issues such as global warming and climate change.

This is driven by ideology, its not driven by reality, DeSantis said during a September appearance in Texas. In reality, human beings are safer than ever from climate disasters.

The DeSantis administration in 2023 additionally turned down over $350 million in federal funding for lowering the cost of making Florida homes more energy efficient.

Another part of the bill will prohibit the construction or operation of offshore wind turbines in Florida-controlled waters and on property within one mile of coastlines. Currently, it is not considered feasible to locate wind turbines in those areas and none currently exist.

Senate bill sponsor Jay Collins (R-Tampa) stated the ban on wind turbines was designed to help protect wildlife and ecosystems and to prevent additional noise.

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Overall, the risk to our flora and fauna, our whales, the ecosystem around there, thats concerning, Collins said. And then the tourism and noise aspect as well is also concerning.

The bill signing occurred one day after a poll of 1,400 Floridians revealed that 68% of respondents believe the state government should take more action to address climate change. Of those surveyed, 58% attributed climate change to human activity, a decrease from the previous year. The survey also indicated that only 40% of Republicans attributed climate change to human activity.

The governor was supposed to sign the bill in Clearwater Beach, Pinellas County. However, a spokesperson informed the assembled crowd 15 minutes before the scheduled appearance that he would not be there in person due to concerns about the weather.

Florida rejects the designs of the left to weaken our energy grid, pursue a radical climate agenda, and promote foreign adversaries. pic.twitter.com/Drydhd7XcH  Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 15, 2024

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TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, May 16. Trade turnover volume between Uzbekistan and Italy amounted to $114 million from January through March 2024, Trend reports.

According to the data from Uzbekistans Statistics Agency, this figure has decreased by 0.44 percent year-on-year ($114.5 million in JanuaryMarch 2023).

Italy ranked 18th among the countries with the largest volume of foreign trade turnover in Uzbekistan.

The volume of exports to Italy amounted to $11.3 million, while the imports to Uzbekistan reached $102.7 million from January through March 2024.

Uzbekistan-Italy commercial turnover in JanuaryFebruary 2024 was $80.5 million . January-February 2023 had a 15.8 percent growth from the same period of the previous year ($69.5 million).

The volume of exports amounted to $7.9 million, while imports reached $72.6 million during this period.
TOPEKA (KSNT)  On Thursday, Governor Laura Kelly signed House Bill 2551 which increases funding for water quality and quantity issues, workforce development and mental health needs.

The budget will provide $8.3 million to promote financial aid and scholarships, add $10 million to the state water plan fund, add $4.5 million to the Mental Health Intervention Pilot and invest $26.5 million into building a new psychiatric hospital in Wichita.

I am proud of the Legislatures bipartisan work to ensure we continue to make investments into our state water plan fund, strengthen our workforce, and make progress in addressing Kansans mental health needs, Kelly said. This funding supports my administrations work to address critical infrastructure needs, grow our economy, and make Kansas the best place in the country to live, work, and raise a family.

Distressed asset: Hotel Topeka expected to lose $396,000 in 2024

Kelly also made several line-item vetos that can be found here.

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.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Wednesday that will erase climate change from Florida policy effective July 1, to "keep windmills off our beaches, gas in our tanks and China out of our state." File Photo by Mike Gentry/UPI

May 15 (UPI) -- With summer's extreme heat and this year's hurricane season rolling into Florida next month, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Wednesday that will erase climate change from state policy effective July 1.

The new law will erase the words "climate change" from state statutes and make energy a top priority to ensure "an adequate, reliable and cost-effective supply of energy for the state in a manner that promotes the health and welfare of the public and economic growth," according to the legislative analysis.

"The legislation I signed today -- H.B. 1645, H.B. 7071 and H.B. 1331 -- will keep windmills off our beaches, gas in our tanks and China out of our state," DeSantis wrote Wednesday in a post on X.

"We're restoring sanity in our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of the radical green zealots."

The legislation I signed today-HB 1645, HB 7071, and HB 1331-will keep windmills off our beaches, gas in our tanks, and China out of our state. We're restoring sanity in our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of the radical green zealots. Furthermore, we're going to... pic.twitter.com/G13RcdxIBR Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 15, 2024

"Florida rejects the designs of the left to weaken our energy grid, pursue a radical climate agenda and promote foreign adversaries," DeSantis said in a separate post.

H.B. 1645 will ban wind farms offshore and near coastlines and prioritize the expansion of natural gas. It will require electric co-ops and cities to have hurricane restoration plans in order to receive state funding. It will protect against gas appliance bans and it repeals Obama-era climate policies.

H.B. 7071 will safeguard against foreign influence in Florida and bans the State Board of Administration from investing state funds in "CCP-linked Chinese companies."

CCP stands for the Communist Party of China.

"Global elites want to reduce the standing and influence of America and the West," DeSantis claimed.

H.B. 1331 protects against forced labor by banning companies on the state's forced labor vendor list from getting a state contract, and fining those that cannot certify their products were produced by wage labor.

Democrats and environmentalists Wednesday were quick to criticize Florida's new law.

"Floridians are on the frontlines of rising sea levels, rising extreme heat, rising property insurance prices, more frequent floods and more severe storms," said Yoca Arditi-Rocha, the CLEO Institute's executive director.

"This purposeful act of cognitive dissonance is proof that the governor and the state legislature are not acting in the best interests of Floridians, but rather to protect profits for the fossil fuel industry."

"I think it's taking us absolutely in the wrong direction," said Pinellas House Democratic Rep. Lindsay Cross. "We can't deny that climate change is happening."

"Whether you trust the 99% of scientists who do believe in climate change, we know that weather is getting worse, that we have more extreme weather patterns with a very active hurricane season predicted," Cross added.

"Combined with the destruction that we've already had in this state, stripping the words 'climate change' out of statutes isn't going to make it go away. It's just going to make us less proactive and prepared."
Governor announces $6 million in grants to create more than 2,200 new child care slots

Gov. Tim Walz (standing left) and DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek watch children paint at St. David's Center for Child & Family Development in Minnetonka on May 15, 2024. Photo by Madison McVan/Minnesota Reformer.

Twenty-one Minnesota organizations will receive funding to open or expand child care centers this year, Gov. Tim Walz announced Wednesday.

More than half of the grants will go to providers outside the Twin Cities, including Alexandria, Austin, Luverne, Grand Marais, Starbuck, Northfield and Fosston.

Lawmakers boosted funding for the Department of Employment and Economic Developments child care grant program last year. DEED officials expect the grants to create 2,241 new child care slots; the agency will release another $6.2 million in grants later this year.

Walz said Wednesday that child care is an example of a market failure during a visit to the St. Davids Center for Child & Family Development in Minnetonka, which received a $270,000 grant to create more classrooms and educational spaces.

Nationwide, the child care industry is in crisis; Minnesota is no exception, facing a shortage of child care providers, high costs for families and a dearth of workers. Minnesota has some of the highest child care costs in the country, which could be one explanation for an low birth rate in recent years.

The Legislature last year voted to continue a COVID-era program that raised the pay for child care workers, averting a funding cliff.

A coalition of child care advocates this session pushed for a subsidy program that would reduce the cost of child care for families making less than 150% of the median income. If fully-funded at around $500 million per year, families on the lower end of the income spectrum would have their child care bills covered by the state, while qualifying families making more than the median income would pay around 7% of their household income on child care, a target set by the federal government.

Walz, who met Monday with the coalition behind the subsidy program, said Wednesday he supports that proposal, but not this year.

Despite a strong push by advocates and some DFL lawmakers at the Legislature this session, Walz and other DFL leaders were not willing to approve a new costly program outside of a budget year  which typically takes place in odd-numbered years.

The post Governor announces $6 million in grants to create more than 2,200 new child care slots appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
WYOMING COUNTY, WV (WVNS)  A statement was given by Governor Jim Justice and First Lady Justice about the death of a coal miner in Wyoming County.

On the morning of Thursday, May 16, 2024, Virgil Paynter, of Lynco, was fatally injured while using an excavator while at the CM Energy Operations LP Surface Mine in Wyoming County. Paynters death is the first West Virginia coal mine fatality in 2024.

This is truly a heartbreaking tragedy because we lost another incredible West Virginia hero. We should all be grateful for Mr. Paynters service, just as we should be thankful for all the miners across our state and country. We really cant appreciate our miners enough for their work, which powers and creates steel for our homes, state, and nation. This is a tragedy beyond belief, and Cathy and I will keep this man and his loved ones in our prayers. We ask you to join us. Governor Justice

An investigation will be handled at the mine location by the Mine Safety and Health Administration and the West Virginia Office of Miners Health, Safety, and Training.

Stick with 59News for updates.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS.
Grand Island will be the site Friday for Gov. Pillens second town hall on property tax relief

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen speaks during his town hall meeting in Bellevue about property tax relief. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)

Editors note: The time of the governors town hall this week has been updated.

LINCOLN  Gov. Jim Pillen will hold the second of his property tax relief town halls Friday in Grand Island.

Pillens second stop will be one of many, his office states, before a special session is expected to be scheduled in late July. The tour comes as the governor remains committed to pitching to voters $2 billion of relief from the states $5 billion in annually collected property taxes.

Lawmakers have already made strides of up to $1 billion of that goal, but the governor is trying to find the remaining relief to finish his 40% goal.

The Grand Island town hall will be Friday, May 17, at 11:30 a.m. at The Hideout, 1607 S Locust St., Suite C.

A schedule of future town halls has not been released.

Nebraskans across the state have made clear that they expect state leaders to solve the property tax crisis, Pillen said in a Friday statement.

While we are counting on the Legislature to develop the right solution, all Nebraskans must be part of this conversation, the governor continued. The Legislature failed to pass any property tax relief in the regular session but we will finish the job in a special session.

Pillen wants lawmakers to pull forward, or front-load, about $750 million in already approved income tax credits for property taxes paid, he said May 3 at Bellevue University.

Another $248 million in property tax relief has already come as the state picks up more of the tab for community colleges, rounding out the first $1 billion in relief.

The governor has remained firm in suggestions to increase the state sales tax by up to a 1-cent, which would raise nearly $500 million. Critics have said that doing so wouldnt lower taxes.

Pillen has also suggested fewer sales tax exemptions in order to broaden the base.

Some lawmakers already gave those ideas a cold shoulder in the spring, which led the key sponsor of this years bill  State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn  to pull her proposal, Legislative Bill 388, before a final vote on the last legislative session day in April.

The post Grand Island will be the site Friday for Gov. Pillens second town hall on property tax relief appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
Nikos Dendias, Minister of National Defence of Greece, has denied media reports that Greece has secretly sent 250 containers with weapons to Ukraine.

Source: Ekathumerini, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Greece has been supplying weapons and ammunition to Ukraine over the past two years, but has said that it was not in a position to give Ukraine weapons that it deems critical to its own defence. Greece has given Ukraine, either directly or via sales to Czechia, a number of 155-mm and 203-mm munitions as well as a large number of shells.

"There is no arms transfer to Ukraine," Dendias told Sia Anagnostopoulou, a New Left MP, during a parliamentary debate on a bill for the establishment of a Centre for Defence Innovations.

"We have not hidden to whom and what we are selling in the framework of the countrys international agreements. We sell obsolete material to the Czech Republic and the US while saving resources, given that the destruction of this material alone would exceed 100 million euros," Dendias said.

The debate took place following reports by the Greek newspaper Efimeritha ton Syntakton that Greek weapons were secretly being transferred to Ukraine via Romania, claiming that the first two containers of weapons were sent two days ago from the station in Kato Gefira, near Thessaloniki.

Background:

In April, media reported that Greece and Spain were under a lot of pressure from their allies in the EU and NATO to supply Ukraine with additional air defence systems.

Leaders of countries whose armed forces have more than 10 Patriot and S-300 air defence systems were told that their need for those systems is currently less urgent than Ukraines because they are not facing an immediate threat.

Pavlos Marinakis, the spokesman for the Greek government, said that his country has already given Ukraine and its people "substantial help".

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GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL)  Joseph Beltran, a third-grade student at Hal Henard Elementary, was recognized for his achievements in writing and reading Thursday.

In the beginning, Joseph struggled a little bit, and I noticed that it was a lack of confidence. So we worked on building confidence, said Finette Craft, Josephs third-grade ELA teacher. Around Christmas, he blossomed. We saw a different child.

Law firm: BOE violated law with Little Milligan closure

Craft said she couldnt be more proud of how hard Joseph has been working to improve his literacy skills. The Governors Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) aims to encourage students to find joy in reading.

The foundation selects 10 students across the entire state of Tennessee. Joseph was one of those selected.

We exist in order to promote early literacy in Tennessee, and we do that by ensuring that all children have resources and opportunities that they need to be successful in their early literacy journey, said Heather Logan, the regional program manager for the Governors Early Literacy Foundation.

Joseph told News Channel 11 that he was proud of himself and the things he accomplished. He is now the literacy leader ambassador for his peers at Hal Henard Elementary.

If you believe in yourself, you can do anything, Joseph said.

For his achievement, the foundation awarded Joseph a $1,500 check that will go towards his college tuition.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, May 16. Uzbekneftegaz (Uzbekistan's oil and gas company) and French Axens technology licensor discussed accelerating the implementation of the project documentation on the modernization of Bukhara oil refinery, Trend reports.

This was reviewed during a meeting between Uzbekneftegaz and Axens within the framework of the Oil and Gas of Uzbekistan - OGU 2024 International Exhibition.

Earlier, Uzbekistan and a French company established cooperation to design process units for the Bukhara oil refinery modernization project.

The technological configuration of the project envisages the construction of a new naphtha hydrotreating unit with a capacity of 360,000 tons per year, an isomerization unit with a capacity of 380,000 tons per year, and a unit for selective hydrogenation of pyrolysis distillate with a capacity of 60,000 tons per year.

The sides also signed documents on a license agreement for the use of Licensor's technologies, including personnel training and an agreement for the development of the company's design documentation package.

At the same time, China National Petroleum Corporation will also participate in the modernization of Uzbekistans Bukhara oil refinery.
By Djaffar Sabiti

KIBATI, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Families huddled near the line of small coffins in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, all mourning the children and others killed in a rocket attack, many shouting out accusations against the rebels they said launched the assault.

Relatives held up crosses daubed with the names of the dead and kept their angriest words for Rwanda, the country just over the border that they, their government and the U.N. say is backing the M23 insurgents - an accusation denied by Kigali.

At least five rockets hit camps that were sheltering displaced people around the city of Goma on May 3, killing mostly children and women.

A total of 22 children were buried on Wednesday, many in half-sized caskets or smaller, alongside the bodies of 13 other victims.

"My daughter-in-law was murdered in the Mugunga camp," said Fikiri Mvano at the mass funeral at a cemetery in Kibati, north of the city.

"She was the victim of bombs dropped by Rwanda in support of the M23... She left us her children. She had nine, and three died with her."

Rwanda has denied having any part in the attack, said it is being used as a scapegoat and suggested that militias loyal to Congo were involved. Rwanda's government spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

Congo and the United States have said the attacks were launched from territory held by Rwandan troops and M23.

The two-year conflict, the most sustained offensive by M23 since a 2012-2013 insurrection in which they seized Goma, has forced tens of thousands to flee their homes in a region that has had little respite since Rwanda and Uganda invaded almost three decades ago.

M23's name refers to the March 23 date of a 2009 accord that ended a previous Tutsi-led revolt in eastern Congo. The M23 accused the authorities of not living up to promises to fully integrate Congolese Tutsis into the army and government.

In recent months, fighting has again moved closer to Goma, a sprawling lakeside city of around two million people and a key humanitarian and logistical hub for the region.

Many now feel trapped there, said Jules Buturanye, a spokesman for the victims' families who lost his sister in the rocket strikes.

"If the enemy reaches us in Goma, we have nowhere to go except to drown in the lake or flee to Rwanda to join the enemy," he said.

(Additional reporting by Arlette Bashizi; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian; Editing by Hereward Holland and Andrew Heavens)
A former Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent has been found guilty of attempted online enticement of a minor after traveling to Othello, expecting to have sex with a 13-year-old girl.

Koby Don Williams, 49, of Ellensburg., told his wife in a recorded jailhouse call after he was arrested in July 2022 that he had been working on a human trafficking investigation based on a Drug Enforcement Administration tip.

He planned to meet with a victim to give her a hotline help number, he said, according to court documents.

But a federal jury in Spokane did not believe he was in Othello to help anyone and found him guilty this week.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Wick said in a court document before the trial that representatives of the DEA and other federal agencies confirmed that no case had been referred to Williams, who was then an ICE officer.

Williams responded to a phone number in an ad two hours after it was posted on Craigslist by an undercover Othello detective, according to court documents.

The ad was a purported warning that a 13-year-old prostitute was posing in Moses Lake as a 19 year old and gave her phone number.

Williams communicated in text messages with Rebecca, discussing her age, what she charged for sexual acts and what she was willing to do before he booked a room at the Quality Inn in Othello three days after the ad was posted, according to the documents.

I am a cop, he texted her, according to court documents. And I will lose my job by doing this, but Im not afraid. You know if I make the transaction and proposal that you are in the clear.

Williams was arrested when he arrived at the motel room he had booked. When arresting officers found his Office of Homeland Security badge for his work as an ICE officer, Williams said he was there to rescue a minor screaming for help on Craigslist.

A search of his car found prescription bottles of pills with directions to take them prior to sexual activity and $4,000 in a credit union envelope.

Williams sentencing is set for Aug. 14 before U.S. Judge Thomas Rice in Spokane.

No one is above the law, and as this case demonstrates, the U.S. Attorneys Office is fully committed to vigorously prosecuting those who target the most vulnerable members of our community, said Eastern Washington U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref.

Mr. Williamss conduct stands in stark contrast to the trust we place in federal law enforcement to keep Eastern Washington communities safe and strong, she said.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat child sexual abuse. The case was investigated by the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the Othello Police Department.
Flags up for Haitian pride in Asbury Park this weekend.

The Haitian Flag Day Celebration is set for 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at Springwood Avenue Park on the city's Springwood Avenue. The event, which will have music, food and more, is presented by the Asbury Park Leaders of LUnion.

It's the first such Haitian Flag Day in the city in several years.

The Haitian community in Monmouth County was very live, vibrant and present, and I think as the years progressed it started to die down, said Moses Saintil of Asbury Park Leaders of LUnion. It was a very big event in Asbury Park when it was held at Sunset Park. Now we're the new generation who needs to pick up where it let off and let the community know that Haitian people are still here, we're still thriving and we're till vibrant. It's like a rebirth to community as well.

Celebrants at the 2019 Haitian Flag Day in Shark River Park, Wall.

Saintil, 34, and the A.P. Leaders staged a Haiti Flag Day celebration at Shark River Park in Wall that drew a couple of a hundred in 2019.

The group took a hiatus due to COVID and are relaunching this year in Asbury Park.

Maestro Erique Augustin with the Vision Spirituelle Band will perform on Saturday.

More: I escaped from Haiti in the throes of gang violence. The people there need our help.

More: Here's why it's a big weekend for talented kids and future stars in Asbury Park

National Flag Day celebrates Haiti's defeat of French colonial forces in 1803. Haitians around the world celebrate National Flag Day by expressing their national pride, honoring the forefathers of the Nation, and replenishing their resolve for Haitis future in the face of their ancestors tremendous and unique accomplishment, according to haiti.org.

Haiti is currently in a state of political turmoil and violence since President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in 2021.

We're in a painful rebuilding stage of the country and despite all that's going on there's so much rich history and culture, Saintil said. This is a holiday in the culture that should be celebrated despite what's going on.

Go: Haitian Flag Day Celebration, presented by the Asbury Park Leaders of LUnion, 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 18, Springwood Avenue Park, 126 Atkins Ave., Asbury Park, free; instagram.com/apleaders1804.

Subscribe to app.com for the latest on the New Jersey music scene.

Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Haitian Flag Day Celebration returns to Asbury Park on Springwood
WASHINGTON  House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called out House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for stalling on installing a plaque to honor police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Congress blew a statutory deadline to put up the plaque somewhere on the Capitol grounds last year, and this month Democrats began to complain about the holdup.

Its time for House Republicans to honor the men and women of law enforcement who saved lives that day, Jeffries said at a press conference, standing next to an image of the apparently finished plaque.

A law Congress passed in 2022 required various committees to gather the names of officers who responded to the mob riot of Donald Trump supporters upset about his election loss. Jeffries said that work had been completed, the plaque had been built, and that its up to Johnson to hang it up somewhere.

It simply awaits a decision by the Republican majority to have an appropriate ceremony of recognition and have it placed in a location of honor here in the United States Capitol, Jeffries said.

A spokesperson for Johnson said Thursday the speakers office is working with the Capitol architect, which oversees the Capitol complex and its maintenance, to get the plaque mounted, offering no further details.

Johnson and his Republican colleagues have held multiple events honoring police this week to mark the annual National Police Week. They have been conspicuously silent about the police who fought against Trumps mob.

Instead, Johnson and others have traveled to New York to stand with Trump at his criminal trial for covering up hush money payments to a past sexual liaison.

On Thursday, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) posted a picture of himself behind Trump at the courthouse with the phrase, standing back and standing by  a reference to Trumps infamous refusal to condemn the Proud Boys, a violent right-wing extremist group, in 2020.

The Proud Boys helped lead the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, and juries have since convicted several of them of seditious conspiracy. Trump has vowed to pardon people charged with crimes for their actions that day.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) first raised the issue of the missing plaque last week in a letter to Johnson.

I keep in touch with a lot of the officers and its upsetting, really, to the officers and their families, Lofgren told HuffPost on Thursday.

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With both summer break and disciplinary action looming, some 30 student protesters at Hamline University began tearing down their longstanding encampment Thursday outside Old Main, the gothic administrative building off Snelling and Hewitt avenues that houses the office of the university president.

Students, some of them new graduates, said they were still committed to protesting the long-running Israeli bombardment of Gaza and wanted the university to publicly disclose how much money Hamline has invested in Israeli companies and American military contractors, and then ultimately divest from them. Theyve also called for Minnesotas oldest university to move more quickly to create a social responsibility committee to monitor investments and serve as a student voice to the administration.

There is a process by which such a committee is formed and we remain willing to explore that process with students, said Jeff Papas, a spokesman for the university, on Thursday.

While relatively small compared to a larger protest effort at the University of Minnesota, Hamline Universitys tent encampment has been one of the states longest running, extending even past commencement ceremonies last weekend.

Hamline officials have offered a mixed reaction to student demands, at first agreeing to consider the creation of an src committee after six student protesters entered the provosts office within Old Main on April 26 and occupied the building for more than 24 hours.

As commencement approached, student organizers said the administrations tone shifted, and students learned Monday that at least 10 students would face campus code-of-conduct violations for refusing to remove their tents and defacing a statue of Bishop Leonidas Hamline with signs and masking tape. The bishops decorative cap and gown, which had been added for commencement, also disappeared.

Disciplinary hearings for six students could begin next week. Elisa Lopez, a rising junior and co-president of the Hamline student body, said Thursday she had agreed to an alternate resolution process in order to keep her on-campus employment. Lopez said the schools undergraduate graduation ceremony unfolded Saturday without disruption, though some students attempted to pass Hamline University President Kathleen Murray index cards calling for divestment from Israel.

Murray refused to accept the hand-outs, which piled at her feet.

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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)

A little over a year ago, Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman announced the results of a campus free speech survey, declaring that it would help UW evaluate critically what we can do better to enhance civil dialogue at our universities.

Theres no better place than a university for the marketplace of ideas to flourish, Rothman added. Its our goal to make the UW System an even stronger voice for passionate debate and civic engagement.

Talk about perfect timing. Rothman announced UWs new focus on fostering civic dialogue and bringing together diverse viewpoints a year before campuses across the country convulsed over the war in Gaza. Just enough time to prepare for the kind of teaching and learning on this divisive issue students could really engage with.

Fast forward to this week. Rothman lashed out Tuesday at UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Mark Mone for reaching an agreement with pro-Palestinian student protesters. Relying on civil dialogue, not cops tearing down tents or manhandling students and staff, UW-Milwaukee agreed to protesters demands that the university call for a ceasefire in Gaza, condemn genocide and scholasticide, meet with students to discuss disclosure and divestment, and review collaboration with Israeli institutions. In exchange, the protesters agreed to voluntarily dismantle their encampment and not to disrupt graduation.

I am disappointed by the course taken by UW-Milwaukee, and I am continuing to assess the decision-making process that led to this result, Rothman wrote on X.

Rothman earlier backed UW-Madisons decision to call the police on protesters and declared the encampments are illegal, and ultimately, they will be gone. In his thread criticizing UW-Milwaukee he emphasized the need to ensure that there is accountability and responsibility for actions taken on our campuses.

He also criticized the university for not maintaining viewpoint neutrality on challenging public issues.

To many observers, UW-Milwaukee appeared to be doing exactly what Rothman prescribed: creating space for passionate debate and civic engagement by engaging in a dialogue with protesters, instead of sending in the cops to tear down their tents and tackle them, hauling away students and staff in zip-ties, as we saw in so many appalling scenes at other universities around the country  including UW-Madison.

Urban Milwaukee editor Bruce Murphy praised UWM for handling the protests as educators rather than mindless authoritarians calling for a crackdown.

Rothman isnt alone among advocates for free speech who have called for repressive tactics against people whose speech they dont like.

In the Wisconsin Legislature, the loudest voices for free speech on campus lately have been Republicans who railed against woke culture on campus and seemed unclear on the difference between censorship and the discomfort conservative students feel about expressing views that draw disapproval from their peers.

The free speech survey Rothman touted was pushed by Republicans and conservative groups and stirred concerns among UW faculty that the Legislature would use it to help create a McCarthyite atmosphere on campus, punishing professors and administrators for being too progressive.

By publicly criticizing Mone, Rothman is stirring those same worries about political pressure on the university again.

Meanwhile, one thing we havent seen much of during the controversy around pro-Palestinian campus protests is actual productive dialogue.

UW-Milwaukee itself appears to have fallen short of that goal. A group of Jewish organizations denounced the school for failing to meet with Jewish students who say they had been trying unsuccessfully to get a meeting with the administration to talk about incidents of antisemitism on campus since Oct. 7.

State Rep. Lisa Subeck (D-Madison) says she was frustrated and disappointed by UW-Milwaukees actions. UW-Milwaukee ignored the concerns of Jewish students, says Subeck, who spoke with some of the students who couldnt get university administrators to meet with them. Subeck understands opposition to the war and is not in favor of arresting protesters. But the presence of these encampments made life really hard for Jewish students, she says, and the agreement sends a horrible, horrible message to those students. She describes some of the language in the agreement concerning Israel, where she has family, as a slap in the face  particularly the use of the term hostages to describe Palestinians in Israeli prisons who have been arrested for terrorism. And she objects to steps to end exchange programs with Israel. In the end she feels UW-Milwaukee totally capitulated to the protesters while ignoring the concerns of Jewish students and the wider community.

Corinne Hess of Wisconsin Public Radio also reported that Milwaukees Water Board, the nonprofit organization where Mone serves as treasurer, has rejected his claim in the agreement with protesters that he led the group to sever relationships with Israeli companies because of the war. The Water Board hadnt worked with those companies since 2019, the group stated.

Students  and especially the Palestinian community members who supported and took part in the protests in Milwaukee  are understandably beside themselves over the death toll in Gaza. In some of the agreement language that offended Rothmans ideal of neutrality, UW-Milwaukee administration said it would join the countless calls by national and international leaders for a ceasefire in Gaza, adding, As of this letter, the UN had reported more than 34,000 innocent Palestinians, approximately 60% of whom were women, children and the elderly, had been killed, and nearly 80,000 more had been injured in the war 

Neutrality is not a defensible position in the face of mass killing, famine, disease and catastrophic infrastructure collapse. Nor is deploying police to rough up young people who take a stand against this awful violence a good advertisement for Rothmans above-the-fray ivory tower ideal.

At the same time, in the closed circuit of the protests, there is a certain obliviousness to Jewish students who are taken aback to hear their peers on campus chanting the same slogans used by Hamas to call for the annihilation of Israel and the Jews. A friends daughter, who worked last summer on a kibbutz near the area where 1,200 people were murdered on Oct. 7 and who knew someone who was taken hostage in the attack, returned to college to see her classmates tearing down pictures of the hostages. At UW-Milwaukee, the Popular University for Palestine sent out a press release at the start of the encampment describing itself as a coordinated mass movement of students, faculty, staff, and community to create a climate that will force administrators to fully divest from the zionist entity. That term, the Zionist entity, is used by enemies of Israel who are committed to the destruction of the country, its people and its very name.

Free speech can be rough.

Amid the Free Palestine signs on Library Mall at UW-Madison, a reporter from The Forward found a student, Chloe Astrachan, holding a sign that said Anti-Zionism = Anti-Semitism who was shunned by the protesters. If theyre not allowed to talk to a Zionist, what are they here doing? she lamented. Protesters in yellow vests kept a close eye on her and warned a passerby  a retired judge  who stopped to talk to her not to engage. Im not with your group, the judge replied, and continued engaging.

The truth is there hasnt been much productive dialogue about the war on campus. One exception was a forum hosted by progressive U.S. Rep Ro Khanna (D-CA), who brought together Jewish and Palestinian students at UW with opposing views on the war to talk. They expressed relief after a conversation in which they acknowledged each others humanity. We need to have nuanced and honest conversations like this in every community and college across the country, Khanna said. Rothman should take note.

Demanding your right to free speech is easy. Sustaining a commitment to productive dialogue is hard. It involves exposing yourself to views you might find repellent. Especially on an issue as complex and painful as the trauma of Palestinians and Israelis, we need more free speech, more free listening, and less dividing into hostile, self-righteous camps.

The post What happened to the crusade for campus free speech? appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
Harold Mills resigns from UCF Board of Trustees, university says

Harold Mills, the former vice chair of the University of Central Florida Board of Trustees, resigned earlier this week, a spokesperson told Channel 9.

The UCF spokesperson said the Board will start holding elections for a Vice Chair to replace Mills, and this process is pursuant to its bylaws.

Mills was arrested on May 9 because of his involvement with a prostitution sting in Seminole County.

He is also connected to other Central Florida organizations through his philanthropy work.

One of the organizations, Lift Orlando, was aware of the allegations against Mills and said they addressed them with its board.

Read: UCF Board of Trustees member, Sheriffs Office employee bond out after sex sting arrest

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Vice President Kamala Harris has agreed to debate Donald Trumps future running mate, a Biden campaign official told CNN Thursday.

The Biden campaign informed CBS News it had accepted the networks invitation to participate in a vice presidential debate in studio on either of the two dates the outlet proposed, July 23 or August 13, the campaign official said.

We look forward to the Trump campaign accepting one of these dates so that the full debate calendar for this campaign can be set, the official added.

The proposed date of July 23 would come less than a week after the conclusion of the Republican convention in Milwaukee, giving Trumps running mate limited time to prepare for a debate with Harris.

CNN has reached out to the Trump campaign about whether it would agree for his running mate to participate.

On Friday, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to announce that his campaign had accepted an invitation for his future running mate to participate in a debate hosted by Fox News and called on Harris to do the same.

But the Biden campaign indicated to CNN that Harris would not participate in Foxs debate, pointing to the fact that the vice president had already accepted CBS invitation and referring CNN to an earlier statement by Biden campaign manager Jen OMalley Dillon.

OMalley Dillon specified that presidential and vice-presidential debates should be hosted by any broadcast organization that hosted a Republican Primary debate in 2016 in which Donald Trump participated, and a Democratic primary debate in 2020 in which President Biden participated  so neither campaign can assert that the sponsoring organization is obviously unacceptable. In the 2020 campaign cycle, the Democratic National Committee said Fox News would not host any Democratic primary debates, citing reporting in The New Yorker about the mutually beneficial relationship between Fox and the Trump administration.

Trump said in an interview that aired Thursday that there was a pretty good chance he would announce his vice presidential pick at the convention in Milwaukee.

I dont say anythings a 100%, but youre getting pretty close. Ill be doing it in Milwaukee, he told TMJ4 news.

Donald Trump Jr., the presidents oldest son who has been an advocate for his father picking Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate, told the senator Thursday that we should choose sooner than later, because I wanted that to be out there right now.

Trump Jr. was speaking on his Triggered podcast. Vance indicated that if he received that call from the former president, hed take the job.

I want to help your dad however I can, the senator told Trump Jr. Certainly, if he asked me, I want to help him.

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden and Trump accepted an invitation from CNN to debate on June 27, a historically early showdown that will set the tone for the final months of the 2024 campaign. They have also agreed to a debate on ABC News on September 10.

Informal conversations between the Biden and Trump campaigns about debates had taken place in recent weeks and were largely focused on a mutual disdain for the Commission on Presidential Debates and potential scenarios to work around the commission, three sources familiar with the discussions previously told CNN.

For millions of Americans, the debates will represent the most extensive scrutiny theyll be able to give the candidates and their running mates since the debates leading up to the 2020 election.

Harris this year has become a key figure for the Biden administration and campaign, criss-crossing the country to make points that might be more difficult for the president  an older White man  to make himself.

Her efforts have included serving as the administrations point person on abortion rights, becoming the first sitting president or vice president to visit an abortion provider and traveling to states such as Florida and Arizona, where new court rulings and laws have thrown into doubt the future of abortion access there.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNNs Betsy Klein, Michael Williams and Kristen Holmes contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
(Bloomberg) -- Vice President Kamala Harris is willing to debate Republican Donald Trumps choice for running mate on either July 23 or Aug. 13, President Joe Bidens campaign said.

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The Thursday announcement comes a day after Trump quickly accepted Bidens offer to participate in two presidential debates in June and September.

The campaigns broke from the schedule and terms laid out by the non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which has controlled the affairs since 1988. Instead, Bidens team requested the debates be held earlier  before early voting begins  and in a television studio without an audience, citing disruptions in previous presidential debates.

Bidens team also asked that candidates microphones be cut off when it is not their time to speak, in order to prevent interruptions. His campaign said the vice presidential debate, which CBS News offered to host, would be held in accordance with the same guidelines.

Its unclear if Trumps team will accept the proposed venue or dates for the vice presidential contest, though the former presidents campaign aides have previously proposed a debate between the running mates. Trump has pushed for additional presidential debates beyond the pair offered by Biden, posting on social media Wednesday that he hoped Biden would join him in a third contest hosted by Fox News.

One wrinkle could be that Trump may not name a running mate until slightly before the Republican convention scheduled for mid-July in Milwaukee. That would give his vice presidential pick scant time to prepare before the first date proposed by the Biden campaign.

Candidates seeking Trumps offer to run for vice president have amped up their campaign efforts in recent days.

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum appeared alongside Trump at a recent rally in New Jersey and attended the presidents criminal trial in New York City earlier this week. J.D. Vance, a Republican senator from Ohio, also attended the trial, while Tim Scott, his Senate colleague from South Carolina, is slated to appear at an upcoming political event featuring high-dollar donors including Citadels Ken Griffin, Apollos Marc Rowan and Pershing Squares Bill Ackman. Florida Senator Marco Rubio also attended a New York City fundraiser this week with Trump.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. Uranium enrichment under Iran's nuclear program is only 5 percent, Deputy Chairman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and spokesman of the organization Behrouz Kamalvandi said, Trend reports.

According to him, uranium enrichment is, of course, also of great importance for Iran.

Kamalvandi stated that Iran has made great progress in various areas of the nuclear program. Certainly, since Iran's needs cannot be met in various fields, Iran is also utilizing its own capabilities to meet its needs.

The official noted that a country that wants to develop cannot ignore the nuclear industry. This industry is considered an engine for other industries.

Kamalvandi emphasized that, for instance, Iran ranks high in the world in the production and quality of radiopharmaceuticals. Although radiopharmaceuticals are used in the treatment of patients, the raw materials for these medications are not supplied to Iran due to the sanctions imposed on Iran.

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.

The US imposed new sanctions against Iran in November 2018 in connection with Iran's nuclear program. Over the past period, more than 700 banks, companies, and individuals exporting Iranian oil have fallen under the sanctions. The sanctions have led to the freezing of Iran's assets in foreign countries.

Additionally, it should be noted that the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, stated to the media some time ago that after the failure of nuclear negotiations, Iran came surprisingly close to creating an atomic bomb. No country without an atomic bomb has enriched uranium by 60 percent. Iran has enriched more uranium than is needed to build an atomic bomb. 90 percent enriched uranium is needed to build an atomic bomb. But technically, uranium enriched at 60 percent is about the same as uranium enriched at 90 percent.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Head-on crash near Florence leaves one dead, five hospitalized, Oregon State Police say

A fatal head-on crash near Florence left one person dead and five injured on Tuesday.

A fatal head-on crash near Florence left one person dead and five injured on Tuesday.

A preliminary investigation indicated that a westbound Toyota Rav4 crossed into the eastbound lane on Highway 126 "for unknown reasons" and struck a Chevrolet Equinox coming from the opposite direction, according to a release from the Oregon State Police.

Reania Horath, a 30-year-old Myrtle Creek resident who had been a passenger in the Toyota, was declared deceased at the scene.

The Toyota driver and two passengers, from Myrtle Creek, as well as the Chevrolet driver and passenger, both from Eugene, were transported to a local medical center for injuries, according to the release.

The highway was affected for approximately four hours after the crash. The cause of the crash was under investigation as of late Wednesday.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Head-on car crash along Highway 126 leaves one dead
Lynn Helms, director of the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources, address the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference on Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Bismarck, North Dakota. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)

North Dakotas top oil and gas regulator offered some advice Thursday for his successor  get out of the way.

Oil and gas needs to make money, said Lynn Helms, who is retiring at the end of June as the director of the Department of Mineral Resources. He said that if the next director keeps that in mind on a daily basis, they will be successful.

Helms made his comments on the final day of the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference in Bismarck.

The conference included a tribute to Helms, who has been North Dakotas top oil regulator since 1998 and has overseen the states oil boom in the 21st century. The conference theme has been celebrating hitting the 5 billion barrels of oil mark from North Dakotas Bakken oil formation.

Helms highlighted another number in his presentation  North Dakotas oil industry capturing 2 billion barrels of natural gas liquids. He said those natural gas liquids are being turned into plastics used in the health care industry as well as for energy.

He credited the oil industry for reducing the amount of gas that is flared, or burned away at the well site. The industry flared up to 36% of natural gas during the height of the boom. Most recently, the percent of natural gas flared was at 5%.

You solved the problem, Helms told the industry leaders at the conference, which attracted more than 2,200 people.

Helms said the problem was solved by industry innovation backed up by state rules ensuring that gas capture was implemented industrywide.

Helms called government regulation a necessary evil.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum delivers remarks during the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference at the Bismarck Event Center on May 16, 2024. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

Gov. Doug Burgum and a video message from Donald Trump continued the anti-regulation rhetoric.

Burgum said there is not a person in North Dakota that has not benefited from the oil and gas industry and the tax revenue it provides to the state.

But he said a continuation of the Biden administration threatens the fossil fuel industry with a gale force wind in our face from the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers environmental assessment of the Dakota Access Pipeline that has been moving oil from North Dakota since 2017.

Trump highlighted his approval of the Dakota Access and the Keystone XL pipelines while he was president.

Joe Biden killed the Keystone XL pipeline and his electric vehicle mandate, one of the great disasters of all time, is an attempt to ban gasoline-powered cars and trucks, Trump said in his message to the conference.

Harold Hamm, left, executive chairman of Continental Resources, participates in a roundtable discussion led by Kathy Neset, president of NESET Consulting, during the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference at the Bismarck Event Center on May 16, 2024. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

Harold Hamm of Continental Resources introduced the Trump video and said he had dinner with the former president on Monday in New York, where Trump is on trial.

Hes been held captive, Hamm said, and kept from campaigning for another term as president.

Burgum has endorsed Trump for president in 2024 after abandoning his own presidential campaign and went to New York on Monday to support Trump.

Burgum said his speech was not a political speech but he repeatedly criticized the Biden administration and called for bringing in an administration this fall that understands what you do to make the world safe and America prosper.

After Burgums address, Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council said, I think that guy would make a pretty good vice president.

The post Helms, Burgum, Trump rail against regulation at oil conference appeared first on North Dakota Monitor.
(Bloomberg) -- Hezbollah said it launched more than 60 rockets at Israeli military sites on Thursday in response to an attack that killed one of its senior commanders.

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The Iran-backed militant group targeted air-defense and artillery facilities in the Israeli-occupied area of the Golan Heights, Hezbollahs Al-Manar TV reported.

Israels military said it detected about 40 missiles launched from Lebanon and intercepted several of them. There were no injuries reported, it said, adding that its fighter jets struck one of the military posts from which the rockets came.

Its the second straight day that Hezbollah has retaliated against the Israel Defense Forces for the killing a field commander called Hussain Ibrahim Mekky on Tuesday night. Hezbollah described it as an assassination and fired heavy Burkan missiles at Israeli military facilities on Wednesday.

Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire almost every day since the Israel-Hamas war broke out in October.

The latest clashes mark some of the most forceful strikes by Hezbollah and are likely to fuel concerns that the skirmishes could escalate into a full-blown conflict and open up a new war front for Israel.

The US, France and others powers are trying to broker a diplomatic deal that would see Hezbollah fighters retreat from the Lebanese border area near Israel. Israeli officials say thats necessary to ensure around 100,000 people evacuated from northern towns can return home.

The Hezbollah-Israel exchanges have mostly been kept within what each side defines as the implicit rules of engagement  civilians arent directly targeted and the areas of attack are close to the Israel-Lebanon border. But exceptions to those rules are becoming more frequent.

Hezbollah, designated a terrorist group by the US, is the most powerful militia in the Middle East and thought by Israeli intelligence to have more than 100,000 rockets and missiles, a much bigger arsenal than what Hamas had before October.

Israel has been targeted by thousands of Hezbollah missiles, drones and artillery shells since Oct. 7  the date Hamas militants invaded the country. The attacks from Lebanon have killed around 25 Israelis, including soldiers. Roughly 350 people have been killed by Israeli strikes on Lebanon, most of them Hezbollah fighters.

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HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA)  Hillsborough County officials said they are prepared to respond to mass casualty incidents like the Marion County bus crash that left eight farm workers dead on Tuesday.

The crash happened just after 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a retired school bus carrying 53 migrant workers was heading to a farm when it was sideswiped by a pickup truck. The bus went through a fence, hit a tree and overturned. Bryan Howard was behind the wheel of the truck, according to troopers.

Troopers said eight people died and 40 others were rushed to the hospital. More than 30 ambulances responded to the crash.

Body camera video shows intense moments after Marion County bus crash

In a scene like this, we depend, and we value the relationships and the friendships and the working relationship that we have with our counterparts in law enforcement and the fire department, said FHP Lt. Pat Riordan.

When we come together because of this tragedy of individuals here in my county that we work together, said Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods.

The Hillsborough County Rescue said its crews have trained for and responded to low frequency, high acuity events, working with law enforcement, fire departments and local hospitals. The fire rescue said the goal is not to overwhelm any one agencys resources.

By definition, for us, a mass casualty is anything that overwhelms the first compliment of the first units that arrive on scene, said Rob Herrin with Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.

First responders rely on training. Once they arrive at a mass casualty scene, victims will be triaged.

Victims identified in fatal bus crash in Marion County

Youre going from patient to patient to determine which ones are viable and which ones are not viable and its a simple as checking respirations, Herrin explained. If someone is breathing, we move onto the next step. If someones not breathing, we open their airway, if theyre still not breathing, we put a black tag on them and we consider them deceased.

Herrin said HCFR developed a response plan to handle situations like what happened in Ocala.

When we get to something that is the scope that happened in Marion County, we would also activate our emergency operation center and emergency management. They would assist with determining where patients are going, he said.

That way the hospital isnt overwhelmed by patients.

Six of the eight victims have been identified. Their ages range from 20 to 46 years old.

Howard is charged with eight counts of DUI manslaughter. He is being held without bond.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
[Source]

The Hindu community in Henderson, Nevada, is accusing the city of discrimination, citing a 2023 ordinance change that restricts religious assemblies on certain areas.

Key points:

The AHA says the city of Henderson updated its rural code ordinance in 2023, prohibiting religious facilities in certain areas and consequently prompting accusations of religious discrimination .

The plan, however, was met with opposition from community residents and then-Councilwoman Michelle Romero, who is now mayor.

A Hindu temple set to be built on a 5-acre land at Lisbon Street and Berlin Avenue was initially approved by the citys planning commission in 2022. Founders of the American Hindu Association (AHA) had bought the land for about $450,000 in 2021.

The details:

Residents opposed to the temple appealed the city's decision, claiming it would ruin the rural preservation area. However, the City Council voted 4-1 to deny their appeal and granted the AHA a conditional use permit, which would expire one year later.

Before the permit was set to expire, the city changed its ordinance to impose prevent "large, intensive uses," such as airports, police stations, fire stations, cemeteries and shooting ranges. Schools and religious facilities, meanwhile, are not allowed on certain streets.

The city claims that the change was not targeted at any groups. Romero, who voted for the residents appeal, cited concerns about preserving the neighborhood's character.

Romero added that while the Hindu temple use is no longer allowed in that area, their Conditional Use Permit, which was approved, would have allowed them to build had they met the conditions before its expiration.
It was once known as Maule Mansion.

The two-story Italianate brick home at West C Street and North Fourth Street in Belleville was built in 1878 by John Maule, a prominent Scottish immigrant who owned about 15 coal mines in the region, according to Bob Brunkow, historian for Belleville Historical Society.

Maule also had business dealings with Ulysses S. Grant before Grant became Union Army commander and U.S. president.

(The home is) important on the basis of the man, as well as the architecture, Brunkow said. You cant build a house like that anymore. It represents a higher-end house at the time it was constructed, and it reflects the coal-mining heritage of this area.

Today, much of the homes glory is gone.

The former owners abandoned it after falling behind on property taxes about 10 years ago. Since that time, its been occupied by squatters, filled with trash and debris and surrounded by overgrown trees and bushes.

I keep raising hell about it, said neighbor Richard Angevine, 74, who has lived on the same block of North Fourth Street for 55 years.





Belleville city officials designated the home unfit for human occupancy last year. On Monday, they condemned it.

Condemnation generally means that owners must fix or demolish buildings due to safety or health concerns. If they refuse, the city can go to court, get demolition orders, pay for demolition and try to recoup the money by placing liens on properties.

My problem is, I only have so much money budgeted (for demolitions) in 2024, said Scott Tyler, the citys director of health, housing and building. And with what Ive got now, Im well above that.

It would be at least a year for sure (before demolition), unless we can come up with a grant or money from somewhere else. Ive got more properties in much worse shape that need to be torn down, and theyre going to have to fit into that 2024 budget.

The two-story brick home at 321 W. C St. in Belleville was considered a mansion in the late 1800s. Today, its vacant, derelict and partly obscured by overgrown trees and bushes.

Two unrelated owners

The home at 321 W. C St. is one of many buildings in Belleville that stood for 100 or 150 years before being allowed to deteriorate to the point of becoming health or safety concerns, neighborhood eyesores or both.

But the Maule home has an added complication. It sits on three narrow parcels, one of them owned by St. Clair County, which foreclosed due to delinquent property taxes. The other two are owned by Belleville resident Kevin Wallace, operating under the limited-liability corporation name KPKD.

Its the most bizarre thing Ive ever seen, Tyler said.

If the city determines the home needs to be demolished, the county would give its consent, according to Whitney Strohmeyer, president of Joseph E. Meyer & Associates, the Edwardsville-based company that serves as the countys trustee and delinquent-tax agent.

The problem is, we dont have the whole thing, Strohmeyer said. We sold the other two lots, so (the city) would have to work with Mr. Wallace somehow on the rest of the building.

For his part, Wallace, 57, an appliance salesman, insists that he doesnt own the home. The two parcels he bought in a 2018 county tax auction were described as vacant lots subject to apparent encroachment by a structure (half of a house).

Wallace uses a white concrete-block garage on his two parcels for storage. He said he doesnt want to renovate the derelict home, but he recognizes its historic value and wishes it could be saved.

I think it would make a great law office since its so close to the courthouse, or if someone wanted a historical home, Wallace said.

The garage is built around Maules original brick carriage house, which Wallace put a new roof on four years ago.

An X marks the location of a derelict home at 321 W. C St. in Belleville. Its detached garage is separated from Hough Park by the East Belleville Bikeway trail (shown by red line).

Neighborhood eyesore

One hurdle to investing in the West C Street property is neighborhood deterioration, according to Wallace. He said he has tried to secure the home and garage, but vagrants keep breaking in, doing damage and stealing things.

Ive lost between $10,000 and $12,000 worth of tools, Wallace said, adding that police arrested one of the thieves, who had a criminal record related to guns and drugs.

Angevine, the longtime neighbor, agrees that the area has gone downhill, calling it a crummy part of town.

Angevine said both Wallace and the city should be doing more to solve the problem at 321 W. C St. because the property borders East Belleville Bikeway, which is used by runners and bicyclists, some from out of town. On the other side is Hough Park, where a Labor Day picnic is held each year.

You see people riding by here, and they look at that mess up there, said Angevine, a retired employee in the citys Public Works Department for more than 40 years. Its a shame, really.

Angevine lives in a neat sided house with a manicured lawn. On a recent weekday, he shook his head in frustration while standing outside the West C Street property, where vandals have broken out garage windows and squatters have covered windows inside the home with cardboard.

A fancy wood cornice below the hipped roof is cracked and broken in places. Plants grow from gutters. The front door knob has been punched out.

Overgrown trees and bushes obscure the homes back entrance, where the ground is littered with household items, groceries, liquor bottles, clothing and other debris. Someone stole the central air-conditioning unit, Angevine said.

Samantha Zastrow, a neighbor across the street, said no one from the home has ever bothered her, but she hates to see it deteriorate.

It was such a beautiful home, Zastrow said. I grew up in Herman (Missouri), and its all historic. My son loves the old structures. He told me he wanted to live in a red brick house, and he wanted to walk to school. Thats why we moved here.

Franklin Elementary School is on the other side of Hough Park.

A white concrete-block garage next to the home at 321 W. C St. in Belleville was used by former owner Ken Weissenbach for his auto-mechanic and transmission shop for decades.

Finding American dream

John Maule immigrated to the United States from Scotland at 17, settled in St. Louis and worked in coal mines, beginning in 1853, according to Brunkow, the historian. He then bought a spent (likely depleted) mine for $10.

Maule moved to Caseyville and later Belleville, sank (dug and opened) about 15 mines in the region and served one term on Belleville City Council. He had at least 17 children. His first wife, Margaret, a sweetheart from Scotland, died in 1870. His second wife, Sarah, died in 1923.

Maules obituary in The Daily Advocate emphasized his business dealings with Grant, who lived outside St. Louis before the Civil War.

In telling of his acquaintance with General Grant, Maule related to friends and relatives that Grant delivered mine props to him personally, using a team of oxen hitched to a log wagon, the obituary stated.

Maule was successful, but he apparently faced challenges at times. Brunkow said he deeded the home at 321 W. C St. over to his wife at one point to avoid it being forfeited to creditors.

Six years before Maule died at 94, he sold the home to a blacksmith named George Wellinghoff. By 1939, it was being advertised for sale as a two-family residence with an upstairs apartment.

The Weissenbach family owned the home about 50 years, ending in 2002. Ken Weissenbach built the concrete-block garage for his automotive-repair shop. Eva Weissenbach raised three daughters and became known for her beautiful roses and other flowers.

One daughter, now Debbie Raban, continued to live in the upstairs apartment after getting married. Her mother died in 1997. Raban sold the home and moved to rural Marissa in 2002.

The neighborhood was getting real bad, said Raban, 67, a retired special-education aide. My dad had told me to take the money and run (before his 1990 death). But when I was little, it was wonderful. Nobody locked their doors, and everybody knew everybody.

Raban said her parents remodeling projects eliminated some historical features inside the home, but they kept the hardwood staircase and original fireplace in the dining room.

In 2009, the home was singled out as a good example of Italianate architecture in a study conducted by a consulting firm, Commonwealth Cultural Resources Group, during efforts to get a Town of West Belleville Historic District placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

John Maule, left, built the home at 321 W. C St. in Belleville in 1878. The family of Ken and Eva Weissenbach later owned it for about 50 years, ending in 2002. Ken operated an automotive-repair shop on the property.

Foreclosure and downturn

The last private owners of the home at 321 W. C St. were Robert and Shirley Rees. They stopped paying property taxes about 10 years ago, according to Strohmeyer, spokesman for the countys delinquent-tax agent.

The Reeses couldnt be reached for comment. Angevine said they were nice people who tried to renovate the home, but they struggled to meet housing regulations and ended up moving to Kentucky.

No investors bought delinquent-tax bills on two of the parcels. The Reeses didnt come up with the money after the three-year redemption period, so the county foreclosed, took ownership and sold the parcels to Wallace for $800 at a tax auction in 2018.

Raven Securities, an investment company owned by Scott Sieron, bought delinquent-tax bills on the other parcel, which included the biggest part of the home. After the three-year redemption period, Sieron relinquished control with a sale-in-error filing. The county foreclosed and took ownership in 2021.

Strohmeyer said officials planned to sell the parcel in a tax auction, but they removed the listing after learning that Wallace and another neighbor were exploring the possibility of getting the three parcels converted into two, one for the home and one for the garage.

They were trying to get something worked out, but it has not been worked out, and Im not sure where were at with this now, Strohmeyer said.

Wallace said he also tried to negotiate with Sieron before Sieron relinquished control of the property, but those talks fell through.

All that leaves the city contemplating court action, Wallace trying to make a deal, Angevine frustrated by the neighborhood eyesore and Brunkow warning that demolition of the West C Street home would erase a key representation of Belleville history.

Raban, the former resident, knows that she has no say in the matter, but she wishes things had turned out differently.

I loved that house, Raban said. I lived there for 45 years. I have great memories of it, and I know it has historical value. I would love it if someone would save it. ... I had heard that they wanted to demolish it, but I was hoping for a miracle.

Deterioration of a historic home at 321 W. C St. in Belleville includes cracks and holes in a cornice around the top. It was built in 1878 by a coal-mine operator named John Maule.
Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), who is currently running for the Senate, highlighted compliments from multiple Democratic politicians in a new advertisement.

The video features clips of figures including current Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), President Biden, former President Clinton, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Prince Georges County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) and Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) all providing positive feedback for Hogan.

Alsobrooks and Hogan both won their respective parties primaries for Marylands open Senate seat Tuesday, according to projections from Decision Desk HQ. The two are now set to compete to replace Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), who will be retiring at the end of his term.

The former governor announced Wednesday that he was starting a Democrats for Hogan initiative.

I am excited to launch Democrats for Hogan and have my good friend and former Democratic State Senator Bobby Zirkin on our team, he wrote in a post in a post on the social platform X, alongside a video featuring the state lawmaker throwing his support behind Hogan.

To my Democratic and Independent friends, Hogan continued, You know me and you know my proven track record of reaching across the aisle to find common ground for the common good. You know that I have the courage to put people over politics and to put country over party. I will continue to be the same strong independent leader for Maryland that I always have been.

He added, If you are completely fed up with the divisiveness and dysfunction and want a strong, independent leader who will fight to clean up the mess in Washington  then join us.

Hogan is a popular former governor in the Old Line State, mostly seen as a Democratic stronghold, and has often bucked his party by criticizing the actions of former President Trump. In the ad, Moore is quoted saying he applauds Hogan for being willing to call out Trump and his Make America Great Again movement.

Alsobrooks and Trone, whom she beat in the primary, also commended Hogan for being easy to work with in their respective clips. Biden and Clinton gave similar accounts, with the sitting president saying he did a heck of a job.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The government will strengthen data sharing with Bangladesh to help prevent visa abuses

Plans to speed up the deportation of Bangladeshis who are in Britain illegally were announced by the Home Office on Thursday.

The government said a streamlined returns agreement between the UK and Bangladesh will remove the need for mandatory interviews in cases where there is good supporting evidence that someone should be deported.

Ministers claim it will mean failed asylum seekers, foreign national offenders and individuals who have overstayed their visas will all be returned to Bangladesh sooner as a result.

Illegal Migration Minister Michael Tomlinson said: Speeding up removals is a vital part of our plan to stop people coming or staying here illegally.

Bangladesh is a valued partner and it is fantastic that we are bolstering our ties with them on this and a range of other issues.

We have already seen clear evidence that these agreements have a significant impact on illegal migration. Global issues require global solutions and I look forward to working with Bangladesh and other partners to create a fairer system for all.

The UK and Bangladesh committed to strengthening cooperation on economic, cultural and social issues at the first Joint Working Group on Home Affairs in London this week.

The Joint Working Group also agreed to strengthen data sharing to tackle visa abuse, the government said.

Last year, the largest number of UK asylum seekers came from Afghanistan at 9,307 people.

Iran was the next biggest group, at about 7,400 people, followed by Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh.

In recent years Britain has also seen a significant increase in people from Bangladesh enrolling in UK universities, according to the Migration Observatory.

About 2 per cent of international students, 9,170 people, came from the country to study in the UK in 2021/22.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has banned imports from 26 China-based firms under suspicions of forced labor.

DHS on Thursday announced that the companies, which include cotton traders and warehouse facilities located across China, would be added to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List. After May 17, goods produced by the named firms will be barred from entering the country.

More from Sourcing Journal

The Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF), which is chaired by DHS, is doubling down on its efforts to root out and eradicate forced labor violations from U.S. supply chains. DHS said most of the companies added to the Entity List operate outside of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), where Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups are known to be detained and abused.

Adding these entities to the UFLPA Entity List will make it easier for responsible companies to ensure that they are not purchasing cotton from entities who are sourcing cotton from the XUAR, DHS said in a statement. By identifying these additional entities in the textile sector, U.S. importers have more information to conduct due diligence and examine their supply chains for risks of forced labor to ensure compliance with the UFLPA.

The FLETF surmised that 21 out of the 26 entities fingered for violations actively source and sell cotton products from Xinjiang on the global wholesale market, while five additional entities also source cotton from the XUAR. DHS said focusing on cotton manufacturers outside of the region would help increase transparency and help responsible companies conduct due diligence.

The Department of Homeland Security will not tolerate forced labor in our nations supply chains, DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas said. Todays announcement strengthens our enforcement of the UFLPA and helps responsible companies conduct due diligence so that, together, we can keep the products of forced labor out of our country.

We will continue to execute on our textile enforcement strategy and hold the PRC accountable for their exploitation and abuse of the Uyghur people, he added.

Since December 2021 when the UFLPA was signed into law, 65 entities spanning the apparel, agriculture, polysilicon, plastics, chemicals, batteries, household appliances, electronics and food additives sectors have been added to the list. FLETFwhich encompasses the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Justice, Labor, State, and the Treasuryvotes on the additions to the list.

We have shown again through todays enforcement actions that the United States is taking action to prevent forced labor in U.S. supply chains, said DHS Under Secretary for Policy and FLETF Chair Robert Silvers said. Companies must conduct due diligence and know where their products are coming from. The Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force will continue to designate entities known to violate our laws, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will continue its vigilant enforcement at our ports.

The move is a part of DHS recently announced Textile Enforcement Plan, spearheaded by Secretary Mayorkas. Released this spring, the plan makes it a priority to examine and review entities in the textile industry for inclusion on the Entity List. Prior to the 26 new additions this week, just 10 textile entities were included.

Cotton and cotton products have been a high priority for regulators under the Strategy to Prevent Importation of Goods Mined, Produced or Manufactured with Forced Labor in the Peoples Republic of China, which was issued in June 2022 when the UFLPA came into effect. Since the laws inception, CBP has sifted through over 8,000 shipments worth more than $3 billion.

Representative Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), both Chairs of the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), praised the expansion of the Entity List while recognizing that the current list remains only a fraction of the businesses complicit in forced labor.



The CECC Chairs said they would like to see DHS take more robust action, including blacklisting certain Chinese companies in the polysilicon, aluminum, PVC and rayon industries.

National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) president and CEO Kim Glas commended the additions to the UFLPA Entity List. Slave labor cotton as well as man-made fibers produced in Xinjiang are feeding into clothing made in China and numerous other countries around the world that is destined for the U.S. market, severely undermining U.S. domestic producers, she said.

According to Glas, Xinjiang cotton is flooding the global marketplace, with 76 percent of all China-made cotton containing tracesor moreof banned XUAR fibers. This contamination is seeping into international supply chains, with producers across the globe using China-grown cotton as an input for their own products.

Todays announcement marks an important step forward in following through on anti-forced labor legislation and sends a strong message to known offenders, enterprises and governments that the U.S. government is increasing its enforcement activities and dedication to cracking down on imports of goods made with forced labor, Glas said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. Iran is ready to cooperate comprehensively with all countries, especially neighboring countries, in the field of nuclear technology and knowledge, Deputy Chairman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, spokesperson of the organization Behrouz Kamalvandi said, Trend reports.

According to him, Iran is also ready to export products manufactured in the nuclear industry to other countries.

Kamalvandi noted that Iran is considered one of the world's leading countries in various fields of nuclear industry, especially in radiopharmaceutical production. Iran is fully meeting the needs of its patients in this field.

The official stated that Iran is currently discussing the export of radiopharmaceutical products manufactured by Iran with several countries in the region.

Besides, Iran notes that the perspective of the Atomic Energy Organization of the country in the nuclear field is to take the research conducted in this field to the industrial stage, to produce various types of goods, and to turn the nuclear industry into a commercial sector.

To note, according to Chairman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Mohammad Eslami, Iran produces 60 types of radioisotopes, which are exported to 9 countries. More than 210 medical centers receive Iranian-made radioisotopes.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
A homeless man with a criminal record is accused of attacking a woman along the beach in Santa Monica and attempting to drag her into a public restroom.

The alleged attack occurred shortly after 7 a.m. on Monday in the 2000 block of Ocean Front Walk, just south of the Santa Monica Pier.

The victim, a Venice resident, was jogging southbound on the beach path when the suspect grabbed her ponytail from behind, knocking her to the ground, police said in a statement. He then pulled her several feet toward the restrooms.

2 stabbed in another night of violence along L.A.s Metro system

Police believe the suspect, Malcolm Ward, 48, intended to sexually assault the woman inside the Bicknell restrooms.

Several witnesses intervened and called 911, police said. Officers responded within minutes and found both the victim and Ward near the restrooms and took him into custody.

Booking photo of Malcolm Ward. (Santa Monica Police)

The public restrooms along Ocean Front Walk at Bicknell Avenue in Santa Monica are seen on May 16, 2024. (KTLA)

The victim suffered minor injuries, police said.

The Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office charged Ward with felony counts of kidnapping, assault with intent to commit rape and a parole violation. He was being held without bail.

Police said Ward had been on parole for an assault with a deadly weapon conviction.

In April, a transient was arrested in San Diego for the brutal beatings and sexual assaults of two women along the famed Venice Canals  roughly two miles from the site of Mondays attack.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
Army Brigadier General Thomas (Tom) C. Carroll was a life-long Alaskan, proud soldier and described as an old soul by his wife, Bonnie. Its no wonder, given his beginnings. Toms father, Thomas P. Carroll, was stationed in Europe during World War II when he met his mother, Kathleen, in Northern Ireland. As the tale goes, his father swept her off her feet. They were married December 13, 1942, in Armagh, North Ireland. His father was later cited for bravery in action against a German machine gun platoon during the invasion on Normandy Beach. His company came under heavy fire and stood up and wiped out the machine gun platoon. He was nominated for the Medal of Honor, though it was downgraded to a Silver Star. The couple moved to Anchorage after the war ended and he was discharged from the Army. He joined the Alaska National Guard just as the new state was forming, quickly moving up the ranks to be chosen to lead as the Adjutant General of the Alaska National Guard in 1957. Just seven years later, hed lose his life in a plane crash leaving behind his wife and their four sons. In an instant, Tom went from living his life at the state capitol with a two-star general father to being one of four boys raised by a widowed mother. It was out of that experience that three of those boys, including Tom, went and enlisted into the Army, his wife Bonnie Carroll shared. Tom went to Vietnam and served in combat with the 25th Infantry Division, the Wolfhounds, he was always very proud of that and wore the tropic lightning patch his entire career because of that combat service. Tom went into the Vietnam War as an enlisted soldier and came out of it as an officer from a battlefield commission. After 10 years of active duty service in the Army Tom went back to Alaska and moved into the National Guard. He was eventually the assistant adjutant general and the Deputy Commissioner of Military and Veterans Affairs for the state of Alaska. When Tom met Bonnie, it was just as romantic as his fathers story, but with whales. Photo courtesy of Bonnie Carroll Bonnie shared, I was working in the West Wing of the White House for President Ronald Reagan way back in the day and this was coming up on the election for president. There was this concern raised up in Alaska where three gray whales were trapped in the ice and it captured the worlds attention. It went viral before that was a thing. I think people were tired of hearing about the election but the world was fixated on this story. At the time, Tom was commanding the operation in Barrow. He was such a global thinker, always trying to see how we can just transform humanity in everything. He saw this as an opportunity to bring together these four very different groups that would never otherwise talk to each other, she explained. The military, the Alaska Natives, the Greenpeace folks who are always protesting everything everybody is doing and the oil companies. They all came together around this whale rescue. President Reagan came by Bonnies office one night and mentioned that he saw the story on TV about the coordinated whale rescue. Knowing I was in the Air National Guard myself he asked me to call someone to see how the government could serve and help in some way. That was his style, she remembered. Bonnie made some calls and eventually, her phone rang around 2:00 am with Tom on the other end. That was their first conversation and they were together from that moment on. Photo courtesy of Bonnie Carroll During our conversations, he told me they were getting to the point where they had done everything they could and needed President Reagan to call President Gorbachev and ask him to bring in a Soviet icebreaker, Bonnie added. I let him know that their embassy was most assuredly listening to the phone call and if they could help wed hear about it. Two hours later, I got a message in the White House Situation Room from the Soviet embassy that the icebreaker would engage in the rescue. I still have that message. Photo courtesy of Bonnie Carroll Before the Cold War ended on a Blackhawk helicopter, Tom landed on that Soviet icebreaker and put the American flag next to theirs as they sailed into the ice to save the whales. Operation Breakthrough was their beginning. Operation Breakthrough (NOAA file image) Thats just the way Tom thought about things, meaning how could we elevate conversation to more transformative change? He saw the military in that way and was always looking for ways to strengthen the force, she said. He was a wonderful leader but so incredibly personal at the same time. After their conversations, they were quickly married and Bonnie found herself out of the White House and living in Alaska. She described them as inseparable. Photo courtesy of Bonnie Carroll My civilian job was in the Alaska Department of Law, where I was supporting victims of violent crime, homicide and survivors. I got involved with law enforcement, Bonnie shared. In 1990, Tom received an induction into the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame at what was then Fort Benning, Ga. Two years later, President George Bush nominated him to be a general officer and it was congressionally approved. Just months later on November 12, 1992, Tom was on a National Guard plane with seven others when it crashed  killing everyone on board. I thought for a moment, I had learned so much from Tom on leadership and that I would be able to help our families. That little fantasy lasted about 30 seconds and then life just stopped, Bonnie recalled. Everything changed in my life, our future was gone but now I had to think about my family and our children. It was overwhelming. The pain was indescribable, she added. One day someone asked if it hurt so deeply that she wished shed never met Tom to prevent feeling it. Bonnie said it was a wake up call for her. I wouldnt trade a moment but I just wanted more moments. Im grateful for the time we had and it had me thinking about how miraculous it was that we ever met and built this life all because of an unpredictable whale rescue, she said. As she looked around for support, Bonnie quickly realized there was nothing for military survivors. Though she tried to go to a support group for family members of fallen police officers, it wasnt the same. Photo courtesy of Bonnie Carroll I had certain access because of my work at the White House and because Tom was a general officer at the time of his death. Next thing I knew I was back in D.C. meeting with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense having deep conversations about what existed in the government for us survivors, Bonnie explained. Within the private sector there were American Gold Star Mothers and Gold Star Wives, which I immediately joined. I went to their conventions and worked side by side with them to see what actually existed and where the gaps were. A year after Toms death, she met with the other widows from the plane crash. The women talked for half a day following a Memorial Day event. Bonnie said she walked away feeling healed and called those conversations the secret sauce. After two years of work, she came to the conclusion that there wasnt a peer-based emotional support organization for military survivors of any kind. The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors was born. Camp Carroll/public domain General Dempsey, whos on our board of directors is so fond of saying that the government does a brilliant job of rendering final honors, providing a final resting place and administering benefits to those who are eligible. But that really is where the government engagement stops, Bonnie explained. Then its incumbent upon TAPS to take the family, open the aperture and provide support to all who are grieving in a very genuine and authentic way. We have for the past 30 years. When asked what she thought Tom would say if he could see what she built in the ashes of his extraordinary legacy, Bonnie smiled. Honestly, I talk to him all the time about it. Its exactly the kind of thing he would do if he was here. Tom always says when we take care of our troops and engage their families, we elevate the fighting force of the military, she said. He was a wonderful inspiration to my life and always will be. You can learn more about TAPS by clicking here. If you want to see Bonnie and Toms romance play out on the big screen, you can watch Big Miracle.

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The mural on the wall at J&A Latino Market and Restaurant in Hopewell, Virginia features the national flags of Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador.

HOPEWELL  You are invited to J&A Latino Market and Restaurant's grand opening to celebrate their new space at 226 E. Poythress Street. Owners Jennifer Toledo, Anel Toledo and Jose Samuel Ordonez will offer small bites and refreshments open house-style to their guests. The ribbon cutting ceremony will take place on Wednesday, May 15 at 5:30 p.m. Hopewell Downtown Partnership, the Hopewell-Prince George Chamber of Commerce and Hopewell City Staff will be present at the celebration.

J&A Latino Market and Restaurant, a family-owned and operated business, first began in 2020 at 2320 Oaklawn Boulevard. The new location in the former NAPA Auto Parts building was purchased in September 2023. The building received quite a facelift with facade improvements and a new paint job. The interior is spotless and boasts aisle after aisle of household necessities and unique items from popular Central American snacks, baked goods and beverages to fruit popsicles and fresh produce.

Elsa Lopez delivers meals to diners at J&A Latino Market and Restaurant in Hopewell on May 14, 2024.

Inside you will also find a sit-down lunch and dinner restaurant that is quickly growing in popularity as the news of pupusas and tacos spreads. Order at the counter, and then grab a seat near their colorful, hand-painted, wall mural that features the national flags of Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador.

Funny story... I spotted the J&A Latino Market and Restaurant in Hopewell recently as I took photos downtown of the area being transformed into Virginia Beach for the Pharrell Williams musical. At first, I thought it may have been part of the set. Then, I remembered the business had a location near Randolph Market. I did some digging and discovered they had relocated.

The menu at J&A Latino Market and Restaurant in Hopewell, Virginia on May 14, 2024.

I popped in there yesterday to give it a whirl. The soup I spotted on a table looked mighty tasty, so I ordered it. The broth, perfectly seasoned, was delicious, and the beef was as tender as love. The potato halves and carrot chunks easily cut with a spoon. I will definitely order it again.

"Our shop employees eat here all the time. I've eaten just about everything on the menu. It's all good," Jeffrey Morris, owner of Morris Codings located across the street, said. The baleadas, a traditional Central American dish, made with handmade flour tortillas, beans, sour cream, cheese and scrambled eggs are Morris's favorite.

J&A Latino Market and Restaurant fan Matthew Henry often orders tacos made with lengua which is cow tongue. "The speed in which 'real' food being prepared is what one would expect. It is fresh and made to order. You can call in advance for their fried chicken," Henry shared.

From left to right, Matthew Henry, Michael, Jeffrey and Jisun Morris and George Self dine at J&A Latino Market and Restaurant in Hopewell, Virginia on May 14, 2024.

As I enjoyed my lunch, Anel Toledo stayed busy ringing up to-go and dine-in orders as well as market purchases. She also received a shipment of merchandise. According to her, the top three requested menu items are burritos, tacos and pupusas which are handmade corn tortillas stuffed with cheese or pork and cheese served with pickled cabbage and tomato sauce.

"Our great new location has been well received. It offers more space and parking. We appreciate city employees and police officers who support us," Anel Toledo of Hopewell said. "We're trying to bring in more products from Mexico, El Salvador and Honduras."

J&A Latino Market and Restaurant in Hopewell, Virginia on May 14, 2024.

The J&A staff are excited and can't wait to greet guests and visit with relatives from El Salvador who plan to attend the ceremony. The Hopewell business is open daily from 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. On the menu, items ranged in price from $2.99 - $12.99. Keep up-to-date on their offerings and menu items on Facebook at J&A Latino Market and Restaurant or call 804-352-5511.

J&A is excited to bring strong customer service, quality products and authentic menu items to the community," Jennifer Toledo of Chester said. "Come visit us. We look forward to welcoming you all."

'All under threat, all irreplaceable' Virginia: Preservation Virginia's 2024 top 10 list, most endangered historic places

Goal is to preserve, protect site National Park Service presents $750,000 grant to Hopewell to preserve Shiloh Lodge #33

Kristi K. Higgins aka The Social Butterfly, an award-winning columnist, is the trending topics and food Q&A reporter at The Progress-Index voted the 2022 Tri-Cities Best of the Best Social Media Personality. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses? Contact Kristi (she, her) at khiggins@progress-index.com, follow @KHiggins_PI on X and @socialbutterflykristi on Instagram.

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This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Hopewell: J&A Latino Market and Restaurant grand opening celebration
Horizon Elementary briefly placed on lockdown after suspected shooting threat

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET)  The Bakersfield Police Department responded to a possible shooting threat to an elementary school on Monitor Street Wednesday.

Horizon Elementary in the 7900 block of Monitor Street was placed on lockdown, prompting police to investigate the threats at the school, around 12:30 p.m. Officers arrived at the campus to investigate but found no immediate threats to staff or students, police said.

Man arrested for alleged possession of stolen vehicle in downtown Bakersfield

Bakersfield police remained at the school to assist parents and students leaving the area. The investigation into the threats is ongoing.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked call the Bakersfield Police Department at 661-327-7111.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17.
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW)  Horry County Schools has chosen an interim superintendent amid a nationwide search to find a replacement for Rick Maxey, who plans to retire.

Eddie Ingram will take over leadership of the 48,000-student district on July 1, following his appointment by the board of education on Wednesday.

Ingrams career in education has spanned 42 years and includes a doctorate in education from East Carolina University in 2002, the district said on Thursday. Most of his time has been spent in North Carolina, including when he was superintendent of Franklin County Schools from 2009 to 2013.

He was also superintendent of the Darlington County School District beginning in 2013 and the Berkeley County School District starting in 2017 before retiring in 2021, the district said. During his retirement, he served as interim superintendent of Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools in North Carolina and the interim executive director of Foxborough Regional Charter School in Massachusetts.

The Horry County Board of Education is currently in the process of receiving proposals from superintendent search firms, the district said Thursday in an email. These firms will have the opportunity to present their proposals to the Board at an upcoming meeting. Following this, the Board will select and engage a firm to assist with a comprehensive national search for the Districts next superintendent.

Maxey has led the district since 2015. He notified board members earlier this month that he is ready to end his 35-year education career.

Horry County Schools is the third-largest district in South Carolina, trailing only Greenville and Charleston counties.

* * *

Dennis Bright is a Digital Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on, Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  Two Democratic candidates are facing off to replace Texas House District 77 Representative Lina Ortega.

On the ballot is former El Paso City Commissioner Vince Perez and former State Representative Norma Chavez.

After the March primary elections, Perez came out in the lead receiving 38 percent of the votes with Chavez following in second with 32 percent.

The winner of this runoff will automatically take office in January 2025 since there is no Republican or independent opponent in the November general election.

District 77 covers most of Central El Paso and parts of the Lower Valley with more than 200,000 El Pasoans being represented in that area.

KTSM sat down with both candidates to discuss their platforms and top priorities for the district.

A top priority for the 89th legislative session is property tax reform. How do you plan on addressing the current state of property taxes?

Vince Perez:

Im the only candidate in this race who has proposed specific proposals related to property tax reform. As a former local elected official, Im the only one whos actually dealt with property taxes. You know, Ms. Chavez, as a former state representative, doesnt really deal directly with property taxes. One of the issues is youll always hear people say, well, Im going to lower property taxes, but the question is how? I have a specific proposal when it comes to things like providing public health care at our public hospital, when it comes to providing public defense for people who cant provide who cant afford defense attorneys, you know, all that is paid for with property tax dollars. Theres a significantly more of a burden in border communities than there are in other parts of Texas. So one of the first things Im going to offer is a bill to to examine how much more border communities such as El Paso, all the way down to Brownsville, are paying for these types of services. Its not fair that school districts located along the border get less money for services. Well, its the same thing. I mean, when it comes to public defense, when it comes to public health, these things are funded the same way. So how is that fair that were providing a lower level of service and ultimately taxpayers are paying a higher cost? I intend to examine how much more border communities are paying in property taxes to see how it can be better.

Norma Chavez:

Thats actually my top priority is property tax reform now. We saw the failure of Proposition four that it was a fluffy proposition that the taxpayers voted on this past November and theyve had no real property tax relief. So one of the issues that Im concerned with is the power of the appraisal districts. We have entities like the taxing authorities that are not increasing the tax rate yet the CAD is increasing the property values. This is extremely disturbing to me. Im walking blocks. Im talking to people and I actually spoke to an individual who said he was going to have to lose his home because he cant afford it that the valuation took him out of his being able to pay out of his pension. And that and I was just really taken by that and I just said, this is horrible. Im very concerned with the property tax that all people in the state of Texas, I think this is a Democratic or Republican issue. All of us are paying property taxes. If youre a renter, your rents are going up because the property your your landlords taxes have gone up. So, this to me is a priority issue. Plus, we go into the session with $22 billion in excess. So, Im ready to go to work on that.

Governor Greg Abbott has been using state resources to enforce border security. Do you agree with his approach in regard to the U.S.-Mexico border?

Vince Perez:

When we look at border security, I mean, the amount of money that is being spent on border security, its just simply not producing the results. Theres no metrics, theres no accountability on what Texans are actually getting for their money. $10 billion is a lot. And what Ive talked about is that when you put it in perspective of other needs, significantly dire needs when it comes to health care, for example, and I use this as a comparison to expand Medicaid here in Texas and provide over one million Texans with health insurance would cost the state $600 million. But once we do pay the $600 million, it would force the federal government to pay us six billion. So, its a significantly net. Its a net positive for us, but instead, they dont want to the state plays politics and theyre spending just exorbitant amounts when it comes to the border. So, I think that there needs to be accountability. As state representative, Im going to hold the governor and state officials accountable. Im going to remind folks that, you know, what are we getting for the $10 billion? Im going to demand that, you know, that the state produced results. I dont think that our neighborhoods are safer. I think if the state wanted to increase public safety in our neighborhoods, there should be grant programs to address police officer shortages along the border.

Norma Chavez:

Public safety is also one of my priority issues. I believe that the immigration issue, we are the front line of this, this issue thats happening in El Paso and along the entire Texas-Mexico border up into San Diego. Right. With this issue, the migration, of course, is the Americas, South America, Central America, not so much Mexico, but maybe some. And with that, were finding out that countries are, you know, flying in or taking transportation ships or whatever into the Americas to come through our borders. That is of great concern, but it is a federal issue. What we cannot do is sacrifice our neighborhoods and our communities to be left without protection. Our law, our police officers, our sheriff officers, our first responders, our firefighters, their training is for local communities and local important issues with family, family violence, crime, traffic. Its not to be a federal agent at the border. And so, Im greatly concerned that the governor put $11 billion in the wrong place, whereas I think the federal government should be sending judges, federal judges down, setting them up along the border, and having them immediately go through that process and find out whether or not theyre eligible to come in as asylum seekers. that would probably be like 30, 40, 50 judges. Whatever we need to do, because we do understand statistically that there are a majority of families, most of them have a sponsor, which is good, but there are elements that we may not want here and we dont want our law enforcement to be racially profiling. I am endorsed by the Sheriffs Officers Association, the El Paso Police Officers Association, as well as Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas. All first responders have endorsed my campaign.

Is there anything specific within District 77 that you personally want to address during the legislative session?

Vince Perez:

Education is one of the biggest responsibilities of your state representatives. And as Ive talked about with many folks here in El Paso, only 18 percent of eighth graders go on to complete a college degree. El Paso is never going to reach its full potential if we do not fix that, and we get more kids prepared to enter college and more kids graduating from college.

Norma Chavez:

Ive been gone for 11 years. And in those 11 years, things have not gotten better. Theyve actually gotten worse. Its very polarized. We have Republicans and Democrats who are not even coming together for the good of Texas, and that concerns me. Im a caregiver and as a caregiver of my elderly parents who support me 100 percent running. I see the obstacles that a caregiver is going through in providing services, basic services for family members, my cousins, my friends. Were kind of all in that caregiver arena. And Id like to go in there with elder care reform. I believe the assets test is outdated, that people should not have to sell their home, they should not have to zero out their savings account. I also am very involved with the Korean War Veterans Association. Im an associate member with my dad and my dads a Korean War veteran, and Ive gotten involved in veteran issues. And I also, although veterans is also a federal issue. Veterans and elder care are a very, very important personal issue. Thats an issue that would likely go to Human Services Committee. And right now, our delegation, we dont have anybody on Human Services. Id be happy to serve. Thats considered the Peoples Committee, and Id be happy to serve there.

Why should voters elect you to represent them at a state level?

Vince Perez:

When you look at my track record, you know, I have a history of reform and proposing specific policy solutions. Its really easy for politicians to say, Im going to cut your taxes. I mean, Im going to go promote public safety, but how are you going to do it? You know, my opponent has spent a lot of time telling folks that, you know, she has seniority, but she has proposed no ideas, no specific proposals and I think thats really important if youre going to represent our community and be effective in Texas. So, I think the difference is people can go and look at our materials, they can look at our policy positions. When it comes to education, when it comes to property taxes, when it comes to all these issues, we have specific proposals.

Norma Chavez:

I go in with seniority. Ill be in the top 130 out of 150 House members. And seniority does matter. It matters for committee assignments, and it matters for serving on on meetings that are important because Im a senior member and committee assignments is important because, again, Im interested in human services and then Id like to talk to the delegation to see where everybody wants to go and where do I best fit. I go in with experiences. Ive passed 140 bills. No one else can say that in this race. I have institutional knowledge, legislative experience, and the capacity to serve and start filing bills on day one. I dont need training wheels.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
House has ethics hearing on Democrats who yell but not fake electors who cheat. Go figure

Can someone please check on Rep. Barbara Parker? I worry, you see.

The Mesa Republican is apparently traumatized because some Democrats raised their voices and waged their fingers on the House floor last month when Republicans refused to allow a vote on repealing that 1864 law that criminalizes abortion.

Fortunately, Parker survived the ordeal and lived to file ethics complaints against the ringleaders of the chanters and pointers, Reps. Oscar De Los Santos and Analise Ortiz, both Phoenix Democrats.

I want to make it very clear, Parker said on Wednesday, during a House Ethics Committee hearing convened to consider the fate of the two Democrats. I was indeed frightened. I was indeed intimidated, alarmed and aghast. A plethora of emotions.

Funny, I feel sort of the same way every year when the Legislature returns to the Capitol, to scheme out a few hundred new laws for the rest of us to follow.

But I digress.

Parker, et al call Democrats 'insurrectionists'

Rep. Barbara Parker during a House NREW committee hearing inside the House of Representatives in Phoenix on Jan. 23, 2024.

The incident occurred on April 10. The Arizona Supreme Court had just ruled the previous day, reinstating the states 160-year-old near total ban on abortion, and Democrats were hoping to muster enough votes to repeal the law.

Rather than allowing a vote, House Republicans quickly recessed, prompting De Los Santos and Ortiz to lead a chant in which their fellow Ds shouted, Shame! and Blood on your hands! and Save womens lives!

This, while advancing and wagging their fingers at Republicans as they quickly exited through a side door.

With the neck veins that were popping out, the red flushed faces, the straining and the screaming  and you can see where De Los Santos even struck one of the desks, said Parker, who curiously was the only person bothered enough to testify at Wednesdays hearing. I thought, Theyre going to lose it. This is going to get out of control. 

No word on whether Parker needed oxygen after her ordeal but soon after she and Republican Reps. Jacqueline Parker of Mesa (her daughter), David Marshall of Snowflake and Rachel Jones of Tucson filed ethics complaints accusing Ortiz and De Los Santos of insurrectionist behavior and staging a riot, calling it completely unprovoked.

House Republicans merely voted in support of a short recess to conduct due diligence, discuss collectively, and exercise prudence and wisdom in addressing legislative business and procedures, the complaint against De Los Santos said.

Yelling is bad, but not forging signatures?

Put another way, the majority party was afraid that a couple of Republicans were about to side with Democrats and force a vote on repealing the 1864 law  something that ultimately occurred a few weeks later.

Now, De Los Santos and Ortiz stand accused of disorderly behavior and violating House rules of conduct.

So lets review the sort of behavior that warrants the convening of a formal ethics investigation in the Arizona Legislature.

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.

You might, but youd be wrong. Four Democrats filed a complaint about Smith on May 3, but Ethics Chairman Joseph Chaplik, R-Scottsdale, appears to be sitting on it.

Indictments, undue influence also get a pass

Sens. Anthony Kern, R-Glendale, and Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, were indicted on April 24, accused of forgery, fraud and conspiracy for passing themselves off as phony Trump electors in the scheme to overthrow Arizonas vote in the 2020 presidential election.

Given that each now stands accused of nine felonies, 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.

You might, but youd be wrong.

Look who wasn't indicted: In Arizona's fake elector scheme

Sen. Wendy Rogers in December used her position to try to get one of her constituents off the hook after he landed in hot water with the state regulatory agency that oversees home inspectors. Somehow, she forgot to mention that she was married to said constituent.

Given that its frowned upon  or, at least, should be frowned upon  for a state official to use his or her power to help a relative escape discipline for not meeting standards of professional practice, you might think that some Republican legislators might have called for an ethics investigation.

You might, but youd be wrong.

But a pair of angry Democrats who yelled at Republicans after they blocked a vote on whether to repeal a 19th Century law that requires prison for anyone who helps a woman get an abortion?

Off with their (hot) heads!

Doesn't this sound a little snowflake-ish?

Its a given that Democrats shouldnt have shouted and pointed at poor Rep. Parker and her fellow traumatized Republicans. Abortion is an emotional issue on both sides, and frustrations boiled over that day.

But a full-blown ethics investigation into their outburst seems a tad  whats that word that Republicans like to use?  snowflake-ish.

The Democrats attorney, Jim Barton, said it well, in urging the panel to dismiss the complaint.

There is a problem that we have in America right now of people saying that they dont feel safe when they feel challenged, he told the ethics panel.

And I think its an opportunity for the committee to say: Thats not the way it works. When you feel challenged, even if you feel uncomfortable, even if you feel disrespected, that doesnt mean you feel unsafe. 

The ethics panel will now mull the fate of De Los Santos and Ortiz, with the full House making any final call for discipline. It likely didnt help that the unrepentant pair didnt bother showing up at Wednesdays hearing.

Then again, theres always a danger they might have burst out laughing.

That feeling that is in that room, of a hall that has respect and dignity  that is shattered for me, Parker testified. That feeling of peace is now gone.

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @LaurieRoberts.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona House may punish Dems for yelling but fake electors are OK
WASHINGTON  The House passed a bill on Thursday that would coerce President Joe Biden to continue sending U.S. arms to Israel after he paused bomb shipments over its conduct in the war in Gaza.

The Israel Security Assistance Support Act cleared the House by a vote of 224-187, garnering a handful of Democratic votes and testing the partys ability to unite over the White Houses Gaza war policy.

The legislation came after Biden announced he would hold back shipments of heavy bombs and artillery shells over concerns Israel would deploy them in Rafah, where more than a million civilians are sheltering from the war. The bill aims to force the White House to continue supplying arms to Israel or risk lose funding for the Pentagon and the State Department.

The vote was another messaging effort from Republicans as they seek to make Israel and combating antisemitism one of the partys key issues in the 2024 election. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and his fellow House GOP leaders held a press conference on the Capitol steps  a venue typically used for high-profile events rather than for what is largely considered to be a messaging bill  assailing the administration for the shipment pause.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republican conference chairwoman Elise Stefanik, Majority Whip Tom Emmer and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise host a press conference urging Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to bring the Israel Security Assistance Support Act to the Senate floor for a vote.

More: Egypt rips Israel's 'desperate attempts' to deflect blame for Gaza crisis

We want the president to hear this loud and clear. He said just not long ago that we had to have an ironclad support for Israel. Well thats what he previously proclaimed but his actions are doing exactly the opposite, Johnson said.

The legislation has drawn widespread condemnation from Democrats who accuse Republicans of politicizing the issue to drive a wedge between them ahead of the 2024 elections. The vote exposed divides in the party over Israel.

Itd be nice if they would actually come forward with legislation that would help to resolve some of these issues in Gaza, Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., told USA TODAY. Along with dividing the caucus on Israel, Ivey alleged Republicans were also looking to split Democrats from the Jewish community and the pro-Israel community.

Its clear this is an effort by House Republicans to just try to divide us, Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., said. No crisis goes to waste in the name of playing politics.

More: Biden goes ahead with more than $1 billion in weapons to Israel

Thats not to say though that some pro-Israel Democrats werent opposed to the administrations decision to pause the bomb shipments. A group of 26 House Democrats led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., sent a letter to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan last week expressing concern about the message the Administration is sending to Hamas and other Iranian-backed terrorist proxies.

While the White House has already threatened to veto the legislation and Senate Majority Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has said he will not bring it to the Senate floor, Democratic leadership and the White House actively lobbied members to vote against the bill. Those efforts turned out to be a success, with only 16 Democrats supporting the legislation.

A kibbutz resident who survived the attack speaks to US Rep. Ritchie Torres at Kibbutz Nir Oz on April 01, 2024 in Nir Oz, Israel.

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., one of Israels strongest supporters in the Democratic caucus, committed to voting for the bill days before the vote. Torres was critical of Bidens pause on bomb shipments and blamed the administration for the difficult vote.

Biden, Torres told USA TODAY, created an opening for Republicans to weaponize the issue against us, and said Democrats' divisions on the issue are playing into their hands.

More: 'He's had it': Biden's patience with Israel may be wearing thin as Rafah questions linger

Other Democratic defectors described their votes as reluctant. Theres two decisions. You can work with us on a bipartisan bill ... and that is the best thing for the strategic partnership, Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, a Jewish Democrat, told USA TODAY. Or you do something that helps your candidates. And they have chosen the latter.

Democrats also chastised Republicans for pushing the bill even after reports the White House is preparing to send a new $1 billion arms shipment to Israel, arguing the new package makes the legislation redundant.

What this is about is saying its a specific bomb ... that has about a quarter of a mile blast radius, cant be used in a densely populated city like Rafah because the civilian casualties would be unacceptable. Thats what this is about, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said. Theyre all messaging bills. This is a complete waste of time but these guys are really good at wasting time.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: House moves to force Biden to send bombs to Israel, testing Democrats
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. I firmly state that Iran's Bushehr NPP is one of the safest nuclear power plants in the world, Deputy Chairman and Spokesperson of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Behrouz Kamalvandi said, Trend reports.

According to him, Bushehr NPP is equipped with eastern and western safety systems.

Kamalvandi noted that Iran pays attention to safety during the construction of the nuclear power plant. Eventually, naturally, safety always requires cooperation.

"There will be a large number of nuclear power plants in the region in the future. Based on this, it is necessary to establish the region's safety network in this field," he said.

The spokesperson noted that last year, the number of nuclear reactors in the world was planned to triple to 1,500 by 2050. Iran currently has one nuclear power plant and two more are under construction. Over the next 20 years, the capacity of Iran's nuclear power plants will increase to 20,000 megawatts.

To note, the only operating NPP in Iran is Bushehr NPP Unit 1. The first power unit of Bushehr NPP started operating in 2011. The operation of the unit was transferred to an Iranian company in 2013 by the Russian Atomic Company. This unit has been generating maximum electricity (1000 megawatt-hours) since 2013.

Additionally, it should be noted that last year (2023), it was decided to build a nuclear power plant in Iran with a production potential of 20,000 megawatts. In this regard, relevant companies have been established in the country. At present, work on the construction of NPPs continues in 5 provinces of Iran.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
House GOP tries to undo White House weapons block to Israel

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  House Republicans will vote to force the president to continue weapons shipments to Israel. It comes after President Biden held up one shipment, and threatened to hold more if Israel invades the Gazan city of Rafah where thousands of refugees are sheltered from the war.

Many Democrats are calling this a political stunt that does more harm than good, but Republicans say this is necessary.

You are either with Israel, or you are not, said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized President Bidens decision to pause a shipment of more than 3000 bombs to Israel.

This is a catastrophic decision with global implications, said Johnson.

Texas Republican Congressman Michael McCaul said the president has no right to punish Israel for how it uses its weapons in its war against Hamas.

His administration is more concerned about a small vocal wing of activists than the ironclad commitment that they talked about to stand by Israel, said McCaul.

However, New York Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks pushed back against the GOP claims. He says the president is trying to save innocent lives.

The United States has a duty, an obligation, under law to make sure our weapons are not disproportionately killing civilians, said Meeks.

Even Florida Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz who criticized Biden for the hold said this bill was a terrible idea.

This dangerous, cynical bill is not pro-America or pro-Israel, said Wasserman-Schultz.

Louisiana Republican Congressman Steve Scalise is positive this bill will gain more support.

The public pressure will grow so large that Chuck Schumer will have to take this bill up, said Scalise.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says, Its not going anywhere.

The White House already said the president would veto the bill if it made it to his desk.

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Two House committees on Thursday advanced measures to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress in an effort to censure him for failing to turn over audio recordings of the president.

A last-minute move from President Biden to claim executive privilege over audio recordings from his interview with special counsel Robert Hur did not dissuade the GOP from proceeding, even as Garland said those asserting the privilege cannot be prosecuted for criminal contempt of Congress.

The House Judiciary Committee passed the measure in an 18-15 party line vote, while the House Oversight Committee did the same in a 24-20 vote hours later. The panel bumped their hearing to 8 p.m. so that its members could travel to New York to be by former President Trumps side during his hush money trial.

Republicans already have the transcript of Hurs conversation with Biden, but they argue the audio recordings will be more revealing, suggesting pauses could speak to Hurs commentary about the presidents cognitive functions or show a hesitancy to ask questions.

To Democrats, the only rationale for seeking the tapes is so the GOP can use them in campaign commercials, arguing they are misusing power purely for political gain.

Transcripts do not capture demeanor evidence, Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) said at the top of the Judiciary hearing.

Transcripts are often imperfect, especially to convey the timing of question and answer and disfluencies of a witness, or hesitations, among other things. All of that is demeanor evidence.

The passage of the contempt resolution leaves it heading to the full House floor for consideration.

However, the move is largely symbolic, as it acts as a referral to the Justice Department, which must weigh whether charges are fitting.

That looked unlikely well before Biden asserted executive privilege over the audio files, as DOJ had already declined to share them, arguing the panels have no need for law enforcement files that are unrelated to their investigation.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) nodded to those Republicans at the New York trial in commenting on the decision to hold Garland in contempt.

Republicans on this committee have moved from being the criminal defense firm for the president to being essentially an adjunct of the presidents media advertising firm, he said.

Were holding the Attorney General of the United States in contempt. And for what? Because he wont give video material for a campaign commercial to this committee on behalf of a president who is a criminal defendant in a hush money payment to a porn star case in New York, the first of many criminal trials that he will face.

In the background of the effort to gain access to the tapes was Republicans assertion that they could be useful for their impeachment investigation and back up their allegations of influence peddling. Theyve argued in prior letters that Biden may have taken classified documents to aid in the writing of his memoir while suggesting the audio files could include evidence that he took actions to benefit his family.

Hur noted classified information was not referenced in Bidens book and that personal entries from Bidens diaries, which also referenced classified information and events, formed the basis for the memoir.

Its also clear from the transcripts the discussion did not include items of relevance to the impeachment probe.

Nonetheless, GOP members asserted Biden could have kept the documents for personal gain.

President Biden had strong motivations to do so and to ignore the rules for properly handling the classified information in his notebooks  in fact he had $8 million reasons to ignore the rules, Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said, referencing the sum of Bidens book advance.

But Ranking Member Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) shot back at that assertion.

Theres just no there there. So, what do our Republican friends do when an investigation turns up short? Simply put, they engage in fantasy, he said.

The Chairman wants to make it seem like he uncovered some wrongdoing by the Attorney General. In reality, the Attorney General and DOJ have been fully responsive to this Committee in every way that might be material to their long-dead impeachment inquiry.

The parties also lobbed insults back and forth over which of their leaders struggles with mental acuity.

While Republicans plucked phrases from Hurs report critical of Bidens memory, Democrats noted Trump has repeatedly fallen asleep in his own trial. They also played clips of Trump making a string of errors, like referring to the country of Argentina as if it were a person and another clip praising the fictional serial killer Hannibal Lector.

But they also volleyed over their colleagues trip to New York.

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) quipped that he was glad some of his GOP colleagues still made it to the hearing.

I know that the Oversight Committee canceled a hearing that was supposed to happen right now on this matter so that they could be at the presidents trial. I know some members will miss this vote, because they want to be at the presidents trial, he said.

And I dont think that anything could animate the phrase do-nothing Congress more than missing votes and canceling hearings to go up and be a spectator at your cult leaders trial.

At least 10 GOP lawmakers attended the trial, many of them members of the House Freedom Caucus.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) who missed the Judiciary vote to attend the trial, tweeting a photo of himself afterward in the background behind Trump, echoing his call to the far-right Proud Boys in pledging to stand back and stand by.

This story was initially published earlier Thursday.

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WASHINGTON  The House Oversight Committee postponed a meeting Thursday so that Republican committee members could attend former president Donald Trumps trial in New York.

The committee was supposed to meet at 10 a.m. to vote on a contempt citation against Attorney General Merrick Garland, but Republicans delayed the markup until 8 p.m. because several lawmakers planned to stand behind Trump instead.

House Oversight Committee chair James Comer (R-Ky.) has used the committee to try and tear down President Joe Biden while boosting Trump, but Thursday was the first time Comer organized committee business around Trumps schedule.

A number of Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), have ditched Washington to pay Trump a visit at some point during his trial, echoing the former presidents claims that hes merely the victim of a Democratic witch hunt.

On Thursday, Oversight members Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Michael Cloud (R-Texas), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) joined a broader contingent of Republicans in Manhattan, potentially creating enough absences in the hearing room for Democrats to defeat the contempt resolution against Garland.

Due to member schedule conflicts, the markup is now starting at a different time to accommodate members schedules, a committee spokesperson said in an email.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 16: (L-R) Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) look on as former U.S. President Donald Trump appears at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 16, 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. (Photo by Mike Segar-Pool/Getty Images) Pool via Getty Images

Thursdays markup was a chance for Republicans to set up a planned House floor vote next week to hold Garland in contempt of Congress. Their reason: The Justice Department has refused to hand over audio recordings of Bidens interviews with former special counsel Robert Hur, who investigated Bidens mishandling of classified documents. The department has previously given lawmakers a transcript of the interviews, but Republicans want the audio to highlight instances of Biden being, as Hur described him, an elderly man with a poor memory.

The House Judiciary went ahead with its own markup of the Garland contempt resolution on Thursday since the absence of Biggs and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) did not imperil the panels Republican majority.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) mocked Republicans for their day trip to New York.

Cool. Youre paid to be here in Washington legislating, its the middle of a work week, Crockett said on social media. I guess well hold down the fort for you while youre tapdancing on Broadway.

Related...
The House on Thursday passed 224-187 a bill aimed at forcing President Joe Biden to reverse his recent hold on a shipment of some 3,500 air-to-ground munitions for Israel.

Biden withheld the munitions transfer, which includes 2,000- and 500-pound bombs, in April in protest of Israels decision to move ahead with its ongoing offensive in Rafah, which has already displaced an additional 450,000 Palestinians of the roughly 1.4 million people who have fled to the southern Gaza city since October.

The Israel Security Assistance Support Act, introduced by defense appropriations chairman Ken Calvert, R-Calif., would ban all presidential holds on arms transfers to Israel. It would withhold funds from the offices of the defense secretary, secretary of state, National Security Council and the White Houses Homeland Security Council until Biden certifies the U.S. has transferred the withheld weapons.

The bill also requires the prompt approval and delivery of all weapons transfers to Israel in fiscal 2024 and 2025, including those for the Ministry of Public Security, which is headed by far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir. Ben-Gvir on Tuesday called for Israeli settlements in Gaza and the expulsion of Palestinians from the strip.

The Biden administration is defying the will of Congress and withholding weapons shipments to Israel, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said at a Thursday press conference ahead of the vote. We want the president to hear this loud and clear.

He said just not long ago that we had to have ironclad support for Israel. Well, thats what he previously proclaimed, but his actions are doing exactly the opposite, he added. This is a catastrophic decision with global implications. It is obviously being done as a political calculation.

Despite a White House veto threat, some House Democrats joined forces with Republicans to vote in favor of the bill.

The White Houses veto threat argued the bill infringes on the presidents constitutional authorities.

We strongly oppose attempts to constrain the presidents ability to deploy U.S. security assistance consistent with U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives, the White House said.

The bill is a misguided reaction to a deliberate distortion of the administrations approach to Israel. The president has been clear: We will always ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself. Our commitment to Israel is ironclad.

The bill is also unlikely to pass the Senate, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., declining to hold a floor vote on it.

The president has already said hed veto it, so its not going anywhere, Schumer told reporters Wednesday.

Biden told CNN last week civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers, referring to the withheld shipment of roughly 3,500 heavy air-to-ground munitions. He added that hes not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah as Israel scaled up its offensive and seized the southern border crossing with Egypt.

Other arms transfers continue

Still, Biden continues to provide other offensive weapons as well as air defense systems to Israel. The Biden administration has transferred tens of thousands of munitions to Israel since Hamas Oct. 7 attack. Most of those were purchased through direct commercial sales, a portion of which are subsidized with U.S. cash assistance.

For instance, the State Department on Tuesday told Congress it wants to proceed with a roughly $1 billion foreign military sale to Israel consisting of around $700 million in tank ammunition, $500 million worth of tactical vehicles and $60 million of mortar rounds. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the pending sale.

While the delivery would not arrive in Israel for another two to three years, the sale could replenish many of the weapons now being used in Gaza.

Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, has placed his own hold on a separate $18 billion sale of Boeing-made F-15 fighter jets to Israel over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. If that sale is approved, Israel would not receive the aircraft until the end of the decade.

Meeks told Defense News he is still reviewing Bidens proposed $1 billion sale for tank shells and armored vehicles, noting he has not yet decided to approve it.

Its best for me to go through it before making any comment or anything else, said Meeks. I had been concerned, as the president was, about 2,000-pound bombs.

Thats not contained therein as far as what theyre looking at. But I take all of these things very seriously.

The Biden administration submitted a report to Congress last week on Israels compliance with international humanitarian law and U.S. human rights laws in its Gaza operations.

The report found Israel may have used U.S.-supplied weapons to violate international humanitarian law, but stopped short of a conclusive determination. A conclusive determination would have required the Biden administration to suspend offensive military aid to Israel, as required under U.S. human rights laws.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who pushed the Biden administration to issue the report, said it largely fails to meet the mark of what was required in the White Houses February executive memorandum seeking assurances all U.S. military aid recipients  including Israel  would comply with human rights laws.

Van Hollen said in a statement the report also indicates a disturbing pattern where the expertise and analyses of those working most closely on these issues at the State Department and at USAID have been swept aside to facilitate a predetermined policy outcome based on political convenience.

Congress in April overwhelmingly passed an additional $14 billion in Israel military aid. Israel also receives an annual $3.8 billion in U.S. military aid via the regular appropriations process.
The House approved a trio of bills Wednesday aimed at supporting law enforcement during National Police Week  legislation largely opposed by Democrats, as leaders on the left decried GOP attempts to downplay the events of Jan. 6, 2021.

Consideration of the three bills  which face slim odds of moving in the Democratic-controlled Senate  is part of Republicans efforts to spotlight crime, which has emerged as a central issue to voters ahead of the November elections and a key vulnerability for President Biden as he seeks another term in the White House.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and GOP leadership held a press conference Wednesday morning alongside two law enforcement officials, underscoring the importance of standing with men and women in blue while also accusing Democrats  especially the Biden administration  of adopting a pro-crime, anti-law enforcement agenda.

This National Police Week, House Republicans will counteract the Democrats pro-crime anti-police agenda by bringing seven bills to the floor that support our nations law enforcement and give them the resources they need to keep our communities safe, said House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.).

Democrats were quick to reject the notion that they are soft on crime.

Asked about Police Week bills up for consideration this week, Rep. Pete Aguilar (Calif.), the chair of the Democratic caucus, said members on his side of the aisle want to try to work with our colleagues to get things done on police reform, but the tendency of some Republicans to defend the Jan. 6 Capitol rioters has challenged that cooperation.

Its a little more difficult when they want to try to whitewash what happened [on Jan. 6], when they will stand with some law enforcement but they wont stand with others, Aguilar told reporters in the Capitol.

Underscoring that dynamic, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), who sat on the select committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack, penned a letter to Johnson last week asking about the delay in installing a plaque at the Capitol honoring law enforcement officers who defended the building on Jan. 6.

Congress approved the enactment of the plaque in March 2022  under the leadership of then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)  as part of the fiscal 2022 government funding bill. The provision required the Architect of the Capitol to place the plaque on the west side of the Capitol by March 2023, a deadline that was not met.

I urge the House to take immediate action to address this oversight and ensure that the plaque is promptly installed in accordance with the law, she wrote.

Aguilar called the delay disappointing.

That doesnt stop us  from every day trying to work with our colleagues in order to get things done. But  it does shape our perspective here, clearly, he added.

Rep. Ted Lieu (Calif.), vice chair of the Democratic caucus, blasted GOP leaders for passing a series of bills that have virtually no chance of becoming law, arguing that Republicans are more concerned with dividing Democrats than helping law enforcement.

What were seeing from the Republican conference are a series of messaging bills on a variety of topics, none of which are going to pass the U.S. Senate, Lieu said.

Two of the bills were widely opposed by Democrats, with a majority of the caucus voting no. The first, titled the Detain and Deport Illegal Aliens Who Assault Cops Act, which calls for the detention of undocumented immigrants who assault law enforcement officers, passed in a 265-148 vote.

The second, named the DC Crimes Act, would lower D.C.s youth offender status to those younger than 18 years old and prevent the city council from changing its sentencing laws. It was approved in a 225-181 vote.

The third in the group, however, received overwhelmingly bipartisan support  356-55  with 149 Democrats voting yes, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and his leadership team. The legislation, dubbed the Improving Law Enforcement Officer Safety and Wellness Through Data Act, would require the attorney general to submit a report on violent attacks against law enforcement officers.

Our law enforcement officers keep us safe. They put their lives on a line to do it and we are forever indebted, Johnson said Wednesday. And these gestures and these pieces of legislation that we passed this week is the very least that we can do to support them.

Mike Lillis contributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., speaks during a news conference near Manhattan criminal court Thursday, May 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Leaving Washington behind, prominent far-right House Republicans who have repeatedly thrown this Congress into chaos showed up Thursday at Donald Trumps hush money trial to do what they do best.

They stood outside Trump Tower filming their support for the indicted former president. They filed into the Manhattan courthouse standing back and standing by, as Rep. Matt Gaetz put it  invoking Trumps call to the extremist Proud Boys. They were admonished to put down their cell phones.

And the House Republicans commandeered the spotlight  much like House Speaker Mike Johnson did earlier in the week  to rant against what they called the kangaroo court and the political persecution of Trump, as their day jobs waited for their return.

President Trump is not going anywhere, said Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., as hecklers interrupted.

And we are not going anywhere either. We are here to stand with him.

The split-screen scene between New York and D.C. provided one of the more vivid examples yet of how Republicans have tossed aside the de rigueur tasks of governing in favor of the engineered spectacle of grievance, performance and outrage that powers Trump-era American politics.

As much of Congress stalled out yet again, unable to legislate through the countrys challenges, the Republicans chose to spend the day going viral.

The excursion was all the more remarkable because it comes as House Republicans were focused Thursday on moving to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress  part of a broader campaign attack on President Joe Biden.

The Houses Oversight and Judiciary Committee Republicans are demanding the Justice Department turn over evidence in the classified documents case against Biden, including an audio interview that is potentially embarrassing to the president as he stumbles through some answers. The Judiciary panel soldiered on Thursday, while the Oversight committee punted its hearing to evening, once lawmakers return.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, perhaps the most outspoken of Trump's allies who joined him in New York when he was first charged in the case, lambasted her GOP colleagues for dashing to Manhattan when she said they should be back in Washington doing congressional business.

I'm here doing my job, Greene said on the eve of the trip.

Greene particularly criticized Johnson, the speaker she tried to oust, for running up to New York when she is pushing him toward her next big project, dismantling Special Counsel Jack Smith's office and its federal indictments against Trump, including for trying to overturn the 2020 election in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

It all unfolds as Congress is on record as being among the most unproductive in recent times, with few legislative accomplishments or bills passed into law.

Republicans swept to House majority control in 2023, but became quickly consumed by infighting as traditional conservatives were pushed aside by Trump's national populist Make America Great Again movement. They ousted their own leader, then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, derailed priority bills and left Johnson forced to rely on help from Democrats to stay in power, an unheard of scenario.

The extreme MAGA Republicans have brought nothing but chaos, dysfunction and extremism to the Congress from the very beginning, said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic leader. And they cannot point to a single thing that theyve been able to do on their own to deliver real results, to solve problems for hardworking American taxpayers.

Get a job, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee posted on social media.

Outside the courthouse, the dozen or so Republican lawmakers didnt dress the same, as others did with matching dark suits and Trump-styled red ties earlier in the week, but still formed a unified front for Trump.

We're watching the persecution of a patriot, said Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn. What a price to be a patriot President Trump has paid.

Gaetz called it the Mr. Potato Head doll of crimes" where the prosecutors had to "stick together a bunch of things" to make a case.

While some like Gaetz are among Trumps biggest backers in Congress, others are working quickly to burnish their credentials with the MAGA movement that now defines the Republican Party for their own political survival.

The chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., had been late to endorse Trump, and now faces a difficult primary next month. His Trump-aligned challenger, Republican John McGuire, was able to ride with Good and the other lawmakers in Trumps motorcade to the courthouse.

Were here to have his back, Good said of Trump. We're here to defend him and to tell the truth about this travesty of justice, this political persecution, this election interference, this rigging of elections.

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who had been a supporter of his home state presidential contender Nikki Haley, derided the kangaroo court prosecuting Trump.

Arizona Rep. Eli Crane said Democrats are prosecuting Trump because they can't beat him at the ballot box in November.

Crane said he and other Republicans are fighting to Make America Great Again, which after the afternoon of heckling, drew a round of cheers.

By days end, they were back at the Capitol, several of them recounting their visit in a series of late-evening floor speeches, all caught on the cameras, before they finished up for the night, and closed out the House.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The House delivered a rebuke to President Joe Biden Thursday for pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, passing legislation that seeks to force the weapons transfer as Republicans worked to highlight Democratic divisions over the Israel-Hamas war.

Seeking to discourage Israel from its offensive on the crowded southern Gaza city of Rafah, the Biden administration this month put on hold a weapons shipment of 3,500 bombs  some as large as 2,000 pounds  that are capable of killing hundreds in populated areas. Republicans were outraged, accusing Biden of abandoning the closest U.S. ally in the Middle East.

Debate over the bill, rushed to the House floor by GOP leadership this week, showed Washington's deeply fractured outlook on the Israel-Hamas war. The White House and Democratic leadership scrambled to rally support from a House caucus that ranges from moderates frustrated that the president would allow any daylight between the U.S. and Israel to progressives outraged that he is still sending any weapons at all.

The bill passed comfortably 224-187 as 16 Democrats joined with most Republicans to vote in favor. Three Republicans voted against it.

On the right, Republicans said the president had no business chiding Israel for how it uses the U.S.-manufactured weapons that are instrumental in its war against Hamas. They have not been satisfied with the Biden administration moving forward this week on a new $1 billion sale to Israel of tank ammunition, tactical vehicles and mortar rounds.

Were beyond frustrated, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said. I dont think we should tell the Israelis how to conduct their military campaign, period.

The House bill condemns Biden for initiating the pause on the bomb shipment and would withhold funding for the State Department, Department of Defense and the National Security Council until the delivery is made.

The White House has said Biden would veto the bill if it passes Congress, and the Democratic-led Senate seems certain to reject it.

Its not going anywhere," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said earlier this week.

Republicans were undeterred. Appearing on the Capitol steps ahead of voting Thursday morning, House Republican leaders argued that passage of the bill in the House would build pressure on Schumer and Biden.

It is President Biden and Senator Schumer himself who are standing in the way of getting Israel the resources it desperately needs to defend itself, Speaker Mike Johnson said.

Biden placed the hold on the transfer of the bombs this month over concerns the weapons could inflict massive casualties in Rafah and to deter Israel from the attack.

Over 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed as Israel tries to eliminate Hamas in retaliation for its Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and took about 250 more captive. Hundreds of thousands of people could be at risk of death if Israel attacks Rafah, the United Nations humanitarian aid agency has warned, because so many have fled there for safety.

The heavy toll of the Israeli campaign has prompted intense protests on the left, including on university campuses nationwide and some aimed directly at Biden. In a rare scene on the Capitol steps Thursday, a group of about two dozen House aides gathered just as lawmakers were entering the chamber to vote and displayed a banner that read, Your staff demands you save Rafah."

At the same time, a group of moderate Democrats in Congress have expressed almost unconditional support for Israel. Roughly two dozen House Democrats last week signed onto a letter to the Biden administration saying they were deeply concerned about the message sent by pausing the bomb shipment.

Eager to tamp down the number from Biden's own party who would side with Republicans on the vote, national security adviser Jake Sullivan and deputy national security adviser Jon Finer got on the phone this week with Democratic lawmakers who could possibly defect.

Among their arguments, according to an administration official with knowledge of their conversations and granted anonymity to discuss them, was that the legislation would constrain the presidents foreign policy powers, particularly his ability to adjust security aid as needed. Sullivan and Finer also noted in these discussions that what Biden did  pausing aid in order to influence Israels actions  was similar to President Ronald Reagans decision in 1982 to halt military aid to Israel amid its invasion of Lebanon.

National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said the legislation was intended to score political points, not help Israel.

President Biden will take a back seat to no one on his support for Israel and will ensure that Israel has everything it needs to defeat Hamas, she said. President Biden is also strongly on the record for the protection of innocent civilians. Most Americans agree on both these points, Israel has a right and obligation to protect themselves, but they must do so while avoiding civilian casualties.

House Democratic leadership also worked hard to convince rank-and-file lawmakers to vote against the bill.

The legislation on the floor today is not a serious effort to strengthen the special relationship between the United States and Israel, said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

He added that he supported the effort to decisively defeat Hamas while also advocating for a goal of Israel living in safety and security side by side with a demilitarized Palestinian state that allows for dignity and self-determination amongst the Palestinian people.

With the general election campaign coming into focus, the speaker has mostly turned to advancing partisan bills, including legislation on immigration, local policing and antisemitism, that are intended to force Democrats into taking difficult votes.

It's being done to score cheap political points, said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat who signed onto the letter criticizing the pause, but voted against the bill. She added that it would potentially defund U.S. national security programs.

As an alternative, Rep. Michael McCaul, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced a separate bill Thursday with some bipartisan backing that would require the president to notify Congress before holding the delivery of defensive weapons to Israel and allow Congress to override the hold.

Still, the 16 Democrats who voted for the bill showed a willingness to buck the president. The group consisted of both lawmakers vying for reelection in swing districts and those who are staunch supporters of Israel.

The administration has been wavering so Im going to vote for the bill when it comes to the floor, Rep. Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat, said ahead of the vote.

Another Democrat who voted for the bill, Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida, said this week he also considered the messages being sent to the Jewish community in the United States.

My community right now is worried, he said. Things dont happen in a vacuum.

Historically, the U.S. has sent enormous amounts of weaponry to Israel, and it has only accelerated those shipments after the Oct. 7 attack. But some progressives are pushing for an end to that relationship as they argue that Israel's campaign into Gaza amounts to genocide  a characterization that the Biden administration has rejected.

My fear is that our government and us as citizens, as taxpayers, we are going to be complicit in genocide, said Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat. And that goes against everything we value as a nation.

___

Associated Press writer Farnoush Amiri contributed.
House passes bill to prevent Biden from withholding weapons to Israel as GOP ramps up pressure on Democrats

The House voted on Thursday to pass a GOP-led bill to compel the delivery of defensive weapons to Israel as Republicans ramp up pressure on President Joe Biden over his handling of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The bill would prevent Biden from withholding, halting, reversing or canceling weapons transfers that have been approved by Congress from the United States to Israel, and requires any that have been withheld to be delivered to Israel within 15 days of the bills enactment.

It is unlikely to be taken up in the Democratic-led Senate and the White House has said that Biden would veto the bill if Congress passed it. The House vote was 224 to 187. Three Republicans voted against the measure and 16 Democrats voted for it.

The legislation would cut off funds from several key executive-branch entities, including the State Department, the Defense Department and the National Security Council until any withheld weapons are sent to Israel.

The vote comes as Biden has faced pushback from lawmakers in both parties after he said during an interview with CNNs Erin Burnett last week that he would halt some shipments of American weapons to Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah, where more than a million civilians have been sheltering.

Biden said while the US would continue to provide defensive weapons to Israel, including for its Iron Dome air defense system, other shipments would end should a major ground invasion of Rafah begin.

The Biden administration on Tuesday began the early stages of a process to move ahead with a new $1 billion arms deal for Israel, according to two congressional sources.

The move comes as the Biden administration has paused the shipment of 2,000-pound bombs and 500-pound bombs to Israel, citing opposition to the weapons being used in the densely populated areas of Rafah.

House Democratic leaders were whipping their caucus to vote no on the GOP bill, saying in a notice sent to offices that it would constitute an unprecedented limitation on President Bidens executive authority and administrative discretion to implement US foreign policy.

The presidents announcement that he was prepared to condition American military aid on Israels actions amounted to a turning point in the seven-month conflict between Israel and Hamas. Biden has come under extraordinary pressure, including from some members of his own party, to limit shipments of arms amid a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The Biden administration has assessed that Israel has amassed enough troops on the edge of Rafah to move forward with a full-scale incursion, but senior US officials are unsure whether it has made a final decision to carry out such a move in direct defiance of Biden, two senior administration officials have told CNN.

The House legislation also includes language condemning the Biden administrations decision to pause certain arms transfers to Israel and calling for all previously approved arms transfers to Israel to proceed quickly.

Democratic Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement on the bill, The Biden Administrations policy and support of Israel has been ironclad and clear from Day OneIsrael has the right to defend itself in the face of the existential threat that Hamas poses.

Smith went on to say that the bill is a blunt instrument that would have significant national security impacts.

By prohibiting the Presidents ability to make foreign policy decisions regarding pauses in weapons transfers, in this case to Israel, it would set a carte blanche precedentremoving checks, oversight, and accountability for arms sales. To do so would be tantamount to writing a blank check to unconditionally send weapons, something we cannot do no matter how close an ally or friend.

CNNs Haley Talbot, Kevin Liptak and Kylie Atwood contributed to this report.

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Rights group urges Thailand to stop forcing dissidents to return to countries they fled for safety

FILE - Thai rescuers cover a body on the shore of the Mekong River in Nakhon Phanom province northeast of Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday Dec. 27, 2018. DNA tests show that two bodies found washed up on the shore of Thailand's Mekong River are the corpses of anti-government activists, police said Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019, in what are feared to be political killings. A leading international human rights organization on Thursday, May 16, 2024, criticized the Thai government for helping its authoritarian neighbors by expelling political dissidents who fled to Thailand for safety and forcing them to return to their home countries. (AP Photo, File)

BANGKOK (AP)  Human Rights Watch urged the Thai government to stop forcing political dissidents who fled to Thailand for safety to return to their home countries, where they may face torture, persecution or death.

The international rights group analyzed 25 cases that took place in Thailand between 2014 and 2023. It said in the report Thursday that Thai authorities violated international law by expelling the dissidents, many of whom were registered with the United Nations as refugees and were awaiting resettlement in third countries.

Many of the cases involved the forcible repatriation of Cambodians, with the suspected involvement of Cambodian security personnel. But the group also listed cases where dissidents from Vietnam, Laos and China were tracked down and abducted, or forcibly disappeared or killed.

The report said Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, in return, cooperated with Thailand to spy on Thai dissidents who had fled their own homeland to escape political repression.

Human Rights Watch called this a quid-pro-quo form of transnational repression in which foreign dissidents are effectively traded for critics of the Thai government living abroad."

Asked about the group's findings, Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura said Thailand is committed to respecting and upholding humanitarian principles, including not forcing asylum-seekers and refugees to return to countries where they might face persecution or where their lives or freedom might be endangered.

Separately, the Foreign Ministry has now ratified the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which will come into effect on June 13.

The ministry said that ratification means that Thailand will now be party to eight of the nine core international human rights treaties.

Human Rights Watch called the ratification a positive step but said that Thailand must take action to match its words.

The best way Thailand can show its commitment is by opening fresh investigations into cases of enforced disappearances, she said. Their families deserve justice.

Thailand's military ousted an elected government with a coup in 2014, and military and military-backed rule remained until an elected civilian government led by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin took office last year.

The Srettha administration should launch an investigation into these allegations of harassment, surveillance and forced returns of asylum seekers and refugees in Thailand. It should investigate the disappearance of Thai anti-junta activists in other Southeast Asian countries," Elaine Pearson, director of Human Rights Watchs Asia Division, told The Associated Press.

"I think there is an opportunity to end this practice and for the Srettha administration to show it is different from the previous military-led government," she added.

She noted that the Thai government is currently seeking a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council and that comes with responsibilities to protect human rights.

The report cited nine cases of Thai activists in Laos and Cambodia who disappeared or were killed in mysterious circumstances. It said most of the reported cases have not been resolved or seen anyone prosecuted.

The mutilated bodies of two missing activists were found in late 2018 floating in the Mekong River. In 2020, a young Thai activist, Wanchalearm Satsaksit, was snatched off the street in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh and never heard from again.

Thai authorities have repeatedly denied any connection with such events.

Freedom House, a U.S.-based democracy promotion organization founded in 1941 that tracks transnational repression, warns that the practice is becoming a normal phenomenon as more governments around the world use it to silence dissent.

Some attacks are unilateral, but most involve cooperation with or exploitation of host country institutions, it says on its website about the subject. 

The most common forms of physical transnational repressiondetentions and unlawful deportations at the origin states requestentail co-optation of the host countrys institutions. Most renditions also involve close collaboration with host country authorities to illegally transfer people to the origin country.

Dr. Francesca Lessa, an associate professor in International Relations at University College London, said there were some parallels with the way autocratic leaders in Latin America made agreements to work together to eliminate political opponents on each other's soil in the late 1970s to 1980s.

Whether they follow right or left ideologies, these autocratic governments consider opposition and dissent as constituting a threat to their survival in power and, thus, to be eliminated, whatever the means required, Lessa told the AP.

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Humans have been altering nature for thousands of years  to shape a sustainable future, its important to understand that deep history

In July 2024, all eyes will turn to Paris for the Summer Olympic Games. Spectators from around the globe will converge on the City of Light to watch athletes compete and to soak in the culture, romance and history of one of the worlds most recognizable cities.

But an iconic Paris landmark, the Notre Dame cathedral, will still be under renovation after a devastating fire that ignited in the cathedral and burned for 12 hours on April 14, 2019. When the last embers were extinguished, most of Notre Dames wood and metal roof was destroyed, and its majestic spire had vanished, consumed by flames.

Notre Dame is nearly 1,000 years old and has been damaged and repaired many times. Its last major renovation was in the mid-1800s. The massive beams that framed the structure were fashioned from European oak trees harvested 300 to 400 years ago.

Today, these trees are common throughout north-central Europe, but few are tall enough to replace Notre Dames roof lattice and spire, thanks to centuries of deforestation. Planners had to search nationwide for enough suitably large oaks for the restoration.

As an archaeologist, I study long-term human interactions with nature. In my new book, Understanding Imperiled Earth: How Archaeology and Human History Inform a Sustainable Future, I describe how addressing modern environmental crises requires an understanding of deep history  not just written human records, but also ancient connections between humans and the natural world.

Many people assume that the devastating impacts humans have wrought on our planet came about with the industrial era, which began in the mid-1700s. But people have been transforming conditions on Earth for millennia. Looking backward can inform our journey forward.

From deforestation to reforestation

To see how this works, lets consider the shortage of tall trees for Notre Dame from a wider perspective. Deforestation in Europe dates back at least 10,000 years to a time when early farmers swept across the continent, felling forests and creating agricultural and pastoral lands to form the landscapes of today.

Based on archaeological evidence, pollen-based modeling and written records, scientists have determined that forest cover across northern, central and western Europe reached its highest density about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, followed by a gradual decline over the intervening millennia. By AD 1700, people were farming on 250 million acres (100 million hectares) of agricultural fields, most of which had been created by clearing native European forests.

Millions of acres of timber became fuel for domestic hearths, and then for furnaces and boilers during the Industrial Revolution. This process was so transformative that renowned British geographer H. C. Darby, writing in 1954, called it probably the most important single factor that has changed the European landscape.

Most of these forests were lost long before scientists could study them, but historical detective work can fill in the missing information. By identifying charred plant remains from ancient fire pits and analyzing pollen from lake and soil cores, archaeologists can map where ancient forests once flourished, determine which species were represented and reconstruct what forests looked like.

Today, European nations are working to restore forests across the continent in order to slow climate change and species loss. With historical information about past forests, modern scientists can make better choices about which tree species to plant, select the best locations and project how the trees may respond to future climate change.

Understanding whats possible

In the past 50 years, the rate and scale of human impacts on Earth have intensified. In what scholars have dubbed the Great Acceleration, human activities such as clearing forests, converting lands for farming and development, overharvesting wildlife and fisheries, and warming the atmosphere through widespread use of fossil fuels have altered conditions for life.

For people born during this era of dizzying change, it can be hard to picture life on Earth before humans remade it. Scientists have pointed out the danger of so-called shifting baselines  the widespread tendency to assume that the current depleted state of nature is how things have always been. Knowing how ecosystems used to look and function, and how human actions have changed them, makes the scale of conservation tasks more clear.

History offers insights into how the world once looked, long before globalization and industrial activities reshaped the planet. Discarded animal bones, charcoal fragments, broken stone tools and other flotsam and jetsam of the ancient past provide clues about the sizes and abundances of animal species, the location and composition of native forests and landscapes, and fluctuating atmospheric conditions. They also indicate how humans, plants and animals responded to these changes.

Informing a resilient future

The past can help modern societies confront todays environmental challenges in innumerable ways. Understanding how takes careful historical detective work and scientific creativity. Here are a few examples:

Tracing where Indigenous fisherfolk collected black abalone for over 10,000 years can guide restoration efforts for this endangered species. Numerous examples of effective Indigenous strategies are emerging from recent archaeological and anthropological research, showcasing innovative land management, sustainable agriculture and community resilience practices that have been honed over centuries.

Understanding the history of deforestation and land conversion patterns can help health experts anticipate future pandemics. Many infectious diseases move from wildlife to humans, and human activities such as deforestation and urbanization are increasingly bringing humans and wildlife into closer contact. This heightens the risk of zoonotic disease transmission.

Museum collections can help scientists document and understand species declines and build effective strategies to fight the loss of global biodiversity. For example, museum collections of preserved amphibians have allowed scientists to track the spread of the deadly chytrid fungus, aiding in the development of targeted conservation strategies to protect vulnerable frog species.

Humans can slow and, perhaps, reverse the ecological harms that they have caused, but Earth will never return to some past pristine state.

Nonetheless, I believe that history can help humans save Earths remaining wild, natural places that, along with cultural icons like Notre Dame, tell the stories of who we are. The goal is not to go backward, but to create a more resilient, sustainable and biodiverse planet.

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: Todd Braje, University of Oregon

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Todd Braje 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.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. Slovak President Peter Pellegrini has spoken about the state of health of the country's Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was assassinated the previous day, Trend reports.

Peter Pellegrini stated that he visited the Prime Minister in the hospital after the assassination attempt, and doctors allowed him to talk to Robert Fico for a few minutes.

Robert Fico started to fatigue after a few words," he said.

To note, an assassination attempt was made on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on May 15. The 71-year-old writer Juraj Cintula shot him multiple times, injuring him severely. The culprit was detained.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
France sends more police to New Caledonia to try to restore calm

France sends more police to New Caledonia to try to restore calm

By Kirsty Needham, Michaela Cabrera and Juliette Jabkhiro

SYDNEY/PARIS (Reuters) -The French government sent more police to the Pacific island of New Caledonia on Thursday and said it would crack down on rioters, hoping to restore order after three nights of upheaval in which four people have been killed.

Rioters angry with an electoral reform have burnt businesses, torched cars, looted shops and set up road barricades, causing a "dire situation" for access to medicine and food in the French-ruled Pacific island, authorities said.

"Everything's burning, people have literally no limits," New Caledonia student Olivia Iloa said.

France has declared a state of emergency on the island, put at least 10 people under house arrest and banned TikTok.

Numbers of police and gendarmes in New Caledonia will rise from 1,700 to 2,700 by Friday evening, with a small number of soldiers assisting.

"The situation in New Caledonia remains very tense, with looting, riots, fires, attacks which are unbearable," French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal told reporters.

France will "show the utmost firmness towards looters and rioters" and toughen sanctions, he said.

Rioting erupted over a new bill, adopted by lawmakers in Paris on Tuesday, that will let French residents who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years vote in provincial elections. Some local leaders fear the move will dilute the indigenous Kanak vote.

Electoral reform is the latest flashpoint in a decades-long tussle over France's role in the mineral-producing southwest Pacific island some 1,500 km (930 miles) east of Australia.

The government in Paris repeated past mistakes by not heeding warnings over the reform, said Dominique Fochi, secretary general of the Caledonian Union, a branch of the pro-independence FLNKS party which has called for calm but wants the reform shelved.

"We spoke in the void, and now things have exploded," Fochi told Reuters.

France annexed New Caledonia in 1853 and gave the colony the status of overseas territory in 1946. New Caledonia is the world's No. 3 nickel miner but its nickel industry is in crisis. Economic disparities also fuelled the riots, said Fochi.

'DESTROYED'

Attal said the French government would step in to help mitigate the economic impact of the crisis. The local chamber of commerce has estimated the cost of damage caused by the riots at 200 million euros ($217 million), broadcaster NC La 1ere said.

"Caledonia will have a hard time recovering from this crisis... Everything, 80%, is destroyed," said Noumea resident Yoan Fleurot, who has witnessed looting.

Armed forces were protecting New Caledonia's two airports and port, said France's High Commissioner Louis Le Franc, adding roads in Noumea were blocked by barricades of burning cars and car carcasses, some rigged with booby traps.

There were also confrontations overnight between members of Field Action Co-ordination Cell (CCAT), which organised the protests, and self-defence groups, he said.

Three young Kanaks have been killed in the riots, and a 22-year-old police official died after being shot in the head as he was talking to protesters, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said. Another gendarme was killed in an accidental shooting while preparing to deploy.

New Caledonia's Pacific neighbours called for a return to dialogue and for the electoral reform to be cancelled.

"These events could have been avoided if the French government had listened," said Vanuatu's prime minister, Charlot Salwai.

The French government says it wants to meet pro- and anti-independence leaders soon in Paris. It has opened the door to suspending the reform bill if there is a new deal soon on the future of the island.

President Emmanuel Macron cancelled a planned video call with political leaders from the island because leaders did not want to talk to each other, Elysee sources said.

France's foreign ministry will brief officials from several countries on the crisis, according to an invitation seen by Reuters.

Hinting at foreign interference, Darmanin told France 2 TV "some independence leaders had made a deal with Azerbaijan," a country with whom France's relationship has deteriorated over Paris' support for Armenia.

He gave no evidence, and Azerbaijan's foreign ministry swiftly denied what it called insulting allegations.

($1 = 0.9199 euros)

(Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney, Dominique Vidalon, Camille Raynaud, Augustin Turpin, Juliette Jabkhiro, Louise Dalmasso, Michaela Cabrera, Elizabeth Pineau, John Irish, in Paris, Lucy Craymer in Wellington; writing by Ingrid Melander and Kirsty Needham; Editing by Gerry Doyle, William Maclean and Timothy Heritage)
Almost two decades after a woman's death during Hurricane Katrina, modern forensic tests finally allowed authorities to identify her remains. Citing anecdotes from her family, the forensic genetic genealogy company Othram said Tonette Waltman Jackson was swept away by floodwaters that split her Biloxi, Mississippi, home in half during the devastating hurricane that slammed into the Gulf Coast in August 2005. She was 46 years old.

Jackson had been hiding in the attic of the house she shared with her husband, Hardy Jackson, as water levels rose, said Michael Vogen, a case management director at Othram. The company routinely partners with law enforcement agencies to help solve cold cases using DNA technology and worked with Mississippi authorities to identify Jackson. Both Jackson and her husband were swept away in the floods, but Hardy managed to grab hold of a nearby tree and ultimately survived the hurricane. As far as her family knew, Jackson's body was never found.

About a week after Katrina made landfall, in September 2005, a search and rescue team discovered remains between the rubble of two homes that had been destroyed in St. Martin, several miles from Biloxi, according to Vogen. Although investigators were able to determine basic characteristics, like the remains belonged to a Black woman likely in her fifties, who was between 5 feet 1 inches and 5 feet 5 inches tall, they were not able to develop meaningful leads as to who she actually was, and the case went cold.

Tonette Waltman Jackson's remains were identified in May 2024  almost two decades after her death during Hurricane Katrina. / Credit: Othram

Jackson's remains were buried in Machpelah Cemetery in the city of Pascagoula, with a headstone that read "Jane (Love)" and recognized her as a victim of the hurricane.

"At that point, it was uncertain who the individual was," Pascagoula Police Lt. Darren Versiga, who was involved in the investigation into Jackson's identity, told WLOX-TV, an affiliate station of CBS and ABC. He added: "In 2005, when Jane Love or Tonette's remains were found, forensic genetic genealogy was not a tool that was available."

Jackson's true identity was a mystery until very recently, as the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and the state Medical Examiner's Office coordinated to exhume the body only last year in hopes of figuring it out.

The agencies partnered with Othram, where scientists pulled a DNA sample from the skeletal remains and used forensic genome sequencing to build out a full profile for her. Genetic genealogy  where DNA profiling and testing is essentially combined with typical investigative methods for tracing family trees  helped identify potential relatives that gave investigators new leads to pursue. Earlier this month, testing on a DNA sample submitted by one of Jackson's close family members confirmed her identity.

Hardy Jackson gave an on-camera interview to CBS affiliate WKRG in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and shared his wife's story. Versiga told WLOX that he may have been able to develop a lead sooner as to Tonette Jackson's identity had he seen that video.

"I just missed it, and I'm the expert," he told the station. "But, we have her now. We've got her name back to her, and that's the principle of all this."

CBS News contacted the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and the State Medical Examiner's Office for comment but did not receive immediate replies.

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Nearly 20 years after a woman died during the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, advancements in forensics have allowed police to identify her remains.

Othram, a forensic genetic genealogy company that frequently partners with law enforcement to help identify human biological samples, said the remains are those of Tonette Waltman Jackson.

Jackson was carried away by floodwaters that destroyed her home in Biloxi, Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina smashed into the Gulf Coast in 2005, CBS News reports. She was 46 when she died.

Michael Vogen, a case management director at Othram, said Jackson had been hiding in her attic with her husband when the water levels began rising.

Both Jackson and her husband were eventually carried off by the floodwaters, but her husband, Hardy, was able to grab ahold of a nearby tree. He survived the hurricane.

The remains of Tonette Waltman Jackson, pictured, were identified in May 2024  almost two decades after her death during Hurricane Katrina  thanks to genealogical and forensic testing (Othram)

Approximately a week after Katrina's landfall, search and rescue teams found human remains between the rubble of two destroyed houses in St Martin, several miles from Biloxi.

Investigators knew the remains belonged to a Black woman and had a general idea about her height and age but were not able to pinpoint who she had been. The case went cold, and Mr Jackson was left wondering what had happened to his wife.

Her remains were eventually buried in the Machpelah Cemetery in Pascagoula, Mississippi beneath a headstone that recognised her as a victim of the hurricane. The name on the headstone reads: "Jane Love".

Last year, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation moved to exhume the remains in the hopes that they could finally be identified thanks to advances in forensics and genealogical testing.

State investigators partnered with Othram, which used biological samples to build a profile that gave them insights into potential living relatives. Investigators pursued those leads and eventually received a DNA sample that Othram identified as a likely close relative.

Those leads ultimately led to Jackson's identification.

Investigators may have been able to identify her sooner if they had spotted a broadcast report from shortly after the hurricane in which Mr Jackson explained what had happened to him and his wife.

Homes remain surrounded by floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina on Sept. 11, 2005, in New Orleans

"I just missed it, and I'm the expert," Pascagoula Police Lt Darren Versiga told local broadcaster WLOX. "But, we have her now. We've got her name back to her, and that's the principle of all this."

The house just split in half, Mr Jackson told a WKRG reporter at the time. We got up in the roof, all the way to the roof, and water just came in and opened it up. Devoured it.

The reporter then asked what happened to his wife.

"Cant find her body. Shes gone," he said.

He recalled trying to hold onto her from the tree he latched onto, and that before she was swept away, she gave him a mission.

I held her hand as tight as I could, and she told me, You cant hold me. She said, You take care of the kids and the grandkids, Mr Jackson said at the time.

He did until he died in 2013.

That same year, her name was added to a memorial remembering the dead and missing at Biloxi's Hurricane Katrina Memorial.
An Idaho prisoner was killed by cellmate. His family is pursuing lawsuit against IDOC

The family of an Idaho man killed last year by his cellmate at the Idaho State Correctional Center has filed a tort claim against the Department of Correction, its health care contractor and several employees seeking nearly $500,000 in damages.

The tort, filed May 10, alleges that prison officials did not provide appropriate supervision or medical care to prevent the mans death.

Milo Warnock, 45, was beaten to death by a fellow prisoner on Dec. 10, 2023. The prisoners name has not been made public, and no charges have been filed over Warnocks death.

The Idaho Department of Correction, or IDOC, did not return a request for comment.

In July 2023, Warnock was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with two years fixed for a DUI, meaning he could not seek parole until serving 24 months. It was his second DUI conviction since 2013 and his fifth overall.

According to the tort  a legal claim that must be filed against a government entity as a precursor to a lawsuit  Warnock was sent to solitary confinement after prison officials found he had cheeked his medication and not taken it. Warnock was prescribed an antidepressant that he said kept him awake when he took it at the prisons evening distribution time. He began to hide the medication in his mouth, and then save it to take the following morning.

Warnocks family and the tort said he filed multiple health service request forms to have his medication time changed to the morning. However, they said, Warnock had not been told that the prison was not checking the paper request forms submitted to a box on-site. Instead, the prison required inmates to submit electronic health service requests via kiosks, something Warnocks family said he wasnt told about.

After Warnock was released from solitary confinement, he was sent to a more secure unit in the prison, the G Block. Warnocks mother, Kathy Warnock, told the Idaho Statesman that her son was appalled at the environment.

He looked around and knew that he wasnt like the rest of the offenders there, Kathy Warnock said.

Warnocks family said he told them he was having trouble with his new cellmate. The tort described the prisoner as mentally disturbed with a pattern of escalating behavior.

Since his death, the tort said, Warnocks family has been stonewalled by the Department of Correction and its employees.

The details of Milos death have not been shared with his family, which prevents closure and accountability, the tort said.

Family members stand around a photograph of Milo Warnock during a celebration of life memorial held for him in Meridian, Jan. 13, 2024. Warnock was killed by a fellow prisoner in the Idaho State Correctional Center in December. Pictured from left: brothers Murray Warnock, Yancey Warnock, mother Kathy Warnock, father Mike Warnock, brother Clinton Warnock and sister Hallie Johnson.

Prison, IDOC were indifferent to prisoners issues, tort says

The tort was sent to the Idaho Department of Correction, its health care contractor Centurion Health, IDOC Director Josh Tewalt, Idaho State Correctional Center Warden Randy Valley, and other employees responsible for health care and regulations in Idaho prisons.

The claim said IDOC made it extraordinarily difficult for Warnock to request the medical care he needed, resulting in his rule violation and subsequent move to G Block, where he was killed. It also said Centurion Health and the department failed to provide Warnock with emergency treatment, call for emergency responders or transfer Warnock to a hospital for trauma care.

The tort said Warnock was moved to G Block due to the prisons overcrowding and understaffing, not because he needed to be in an area with tighter security.

IDOC and its employees were deliberately indifferent to the fact that it was an extreme placement, according to the tort. Milo should not have been placed with his cellmate, who had a history of escalating behaviors.

The tort alleged that prison guards were more than 30 minutes behind on patrols when Warnock was attacked  a symptom of understaffing. Warnock had no way to communicate to staff that there was an emergency, the claim said.

Warnocks family asked for roughly $465,000 in noneconomic and special damages. IDOC and the others named in the tort have until early August to respond.

A photograph of Milo Warnock is displayed at a memorial held for him in Meridian on Jan. 13. Warnock was killed by a fellow prisoner in the Idaho State Correctional Center in December, and his family filed a tort against the Idaho Department of Correction and its employees on May 10.
Are Idahos rural hospitals on the brink of collapse? What medical leaders are saying

In a small farming community in North Idaho, Abner King leads a hospital that was originally built before World War II. The aging building comes with its own set of challenges and is overdue for a replacement.

But King, CEO of Syringa Hospital and Clinics, said the lone hospital in Grangeville doesnt have the money.

The last major upgrade was the addition of a new patient wing in the late 80s. The building still relies on old boiler systems for heat. Some parts have been replaced over the years, but the infrastructure in is need of numerous costly projects, like replacing the piping throughout the structure.

If you looked at our audited financials for the last 20 years, there has been a positive operating margin for only three of them, King said. Every year were operating at a loss.

Syringa Hospital isnt alone.

Over a dozen other rural hospitals in Idaho are in a precarious financial position, exacerbated by rising costs and workforce shortages.

Hospitals face slim operating margins

The Idaho Hospital Association represents 51 rural hospitals across the state. CEO Brian Whitlock said that half of those have less than 100 days of cash on hand. And half of county, district or nonprofit hospitals have operating margins of less than 1%.

In many of those communities, the hospitals are among the largest employers and economic drivers.

The stability of health care in 2024 and beyond is tenuous at best, Whitlock said in a presentation before Legislatures Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee in January. I have mountains of data, bar charts and line graphs that show alarming trends for the future of Idahos health care infrastructure and its contributions to the Idaho economy, but I didnt want to be too depressing.

So he likened it to a game of Jenga instead, where players remove blocks from a tower one at a time until the whole thing collapses. The blocks represent reimbursement challenges, cyber attacks, failed mergers, aging infrastructure, mortgage debt and negative margins year after year, he said.

One wrong move with any of these Jenga blocks could potentially bring down any of our hospitals across the state, he said.

Rising costs spur program closures

Idaho has welcomed record growth over the last 10 years, with the states population, or people, age 65 or older increasing by about 55%, Whitlock said. As hospitals see more patients, its costing them more to treat those patients when they come.

Each of our hospitals and health systems has quality, access and affordability as their top priorities, but they are having to balance those health care priorities with skyrocketing costs and declining revenues, he said. We decided to ask Idahoans about health care affordability. Do they support controlling costs even if it means limiting services? Or should we maintain access to services even if it costs more?

A growing number of hospitals in Idaho have made the decision to close certain units that bring in less money than they cost to operate.

Three labor and delivery units have closed in the last year, at West Bonner General Health, a critical access hospital in Sandpoint; Valor Health, a nonprofit hospital in Emmett; and West Valley Medical Center in Caldwell. The closures mean many pregnant Idahoans must travel further to receive care.

If youre going to run a labor and delivery program, you need to have a labor and delivery nurse in your hospital 24 hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of whether or not somebody is going into labor or plans to go into labor, Whitlock told the Idaho Statesman. They have to be there. And theres a very high cost associated with that.

CEO says Emmett hospitals low cash scary

Brad Turpin, CEO of Valor Health, said his hospital has less than a few months worth of cash on hand.

Were under 100 days, Turpin said. Weve been in the single digits in years past, which is a really scary situation.

Turpin said sometimes it feels like theres an underlying assumption that hospitals are rolling in cash. Instead, he said, its a constant battle to balance costs and revenues.

Turpin told the Statesman that Valor Health loses money on about three quarters of the patients it sees because of low reimbursements for Medicare, Medicaid and Medicare Advantage plans and drawn-out battles with private health insurers over how much the companies will cover.

The operating margins for health insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies far exceed those of hospitals and clinics  the actual organizations providing health care  he said, referencing a report in Beckers Hospital Review, a publication specializing in health care news.

We not arguing that health care is not expensive, he said. The layperson sees their bill and thinks, Well, theyre charging this much, they must be doing really well. Either that or theyre bad at business. But I dont think people really understand the difference between what it costs us and what we actually get reimbursed.

He said one of the most significant costs is labor. In the last few years, the hospital has struggled to attract and retain employees and has had to rely more on traveling nurses who command much higher rates in the competitive market.

Many hospitals receive grants and local tax revenues that help offset losses on patient services. But those sources of funding are not enough to keep up with the rising cost of care.

Some hospitals at risk of closing, report says

A study released in 2021 by the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, a national policy-research group, determined that seven hospitals in Idaho, including Syringa Hospital, were at risk of closing because of low financial reserves and losses on patient services. One hospital was at immediate risk of closing.

Health insurance plans do not pay these hospitals enough to cover the cost of delivering services to patients, the study said. Their losses will likely be greater in the future due to the higher costs that all hospitals, particularly small rural hospitals, are experiencing because of inflation and workforce shortages.

King, the CEO of Syringa Hospital, has worked in health care for nearly 40 years. Hes spent more than half that career in rural health care. And he said it only gets harder every year.

Syringa Hospital is the only hospital in Grangeville, a small farming town along U.S. Route 95 between McCall and Lewiston.

At Syringa Hospital, and other rural hospitals in Idaho, conversations about what services would be cut first in a financial crisis are not uncommon. King told the Statesman his hospital has not had to drop a service in the six years hes been there.

But those discussions happen all the time, he said.

Its not just Idaho, either. A study from health analytics and consulting firm Chartis found that the percentage of Americas rural hospitals operating in the red jumped from 43% to 50% in the last year, the largest change to the metric seen in a 12-month period.

In Idaho, 61% of rural hospitals have a negative operating margin, Billy Balfour, of the Chartis Center for Rural Health, told the Statesman.

Surgery tower breaks, but hospital cant afford backup

The ramifications of hospitals financial challenges can manifest in a myriad of ways.

When a surgery tower broke mid-procedure at Clearwater Valley Hospital in Orofino last year, staff were able to bring in a backup to finish the surgery without harming the patient, according to Whitlock. A surgery tower is a piece of equipment that allows surgeons to see inside the area theyre operating on.

The hospital decided it wouldnt perform any more surgeries until it had a new backup unit. But the financial condition of the hospital is so dire, he said, that it cant afford another surgery tower, which he estimates costs around $200,000.

So the hospital began borrowing a backup surgery tower from its sister hospital, St. Marys Hospital in Cottonwood. Both hospitals are owned by Kootenai Health, a nonprofit health system based in Coeur dAlene.

They will schedule surgeries for two weeks and bring that surgery tower down, Whitlock said. Then they pack it up and take it back to Cottonwood. Theyre finding a way to make it happen and pull that rabbit out of the hat, but it is having an impact on the community.

King said many Idahoans live hours away from needed health care services. As a result, rural patients often delay seeking care, sometimes leading them to develop illnesses more complex than they otherwise might have, according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine.

In addition, federal data shows that nearly every county in Idaho does not have enough primary care physicians.

If I have to drive four hours to Boise to get a primary care visit I might put that off year after year after year until that mole looks really ugly, and all of a sudden Ive got a problem, King said. And for the things you cant plan, like a car accident, you want a hospital to be there when you need it.

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Third party presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on stage at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Third party presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on stage at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Citing a family emergency in Florida, third party presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. arrived four hours late for a Nashville campaign fundraising event on Wednesday.

Kennedys A Night of Comedy featured comedians including former Saturday Night Live cast members Rob Schneider and Jim Breuer and Russell Brand.

Nicole Shanahan, a veteran of the tech industry and Kennedys running mate, took the stage just before 11 p.m., followed by Kennedy, who spoke to the crowd  which had thinned significantly since the 7 p.m. start time  for less than 15 minutes. Kennedy did not address any themes of his campaign.

Kennedy, who is on the presidential ballot in six states, has not qualified for Tennessees ballot. The deadline to qualify for the November election is August 15.

Photojournalist John Partipilo covered the event.

Four hours after his fundraising comedy show was scheduled to begin, Robert Kennedy, Jr. took the stage at the Ryman Auditorium. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Nicole Shanahan, vice presidential candidate on an independent ticket with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., arrives at the Ryman Auditorium's stage door. (Photo: John Partipilo)

A Robert Kennedy, Jr. supporter waits in the Ryman Auditorium lobby next to a poster depicting Kennedy and wife Cheryl Hines as Grant Wood painting, American Gothic. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Outside the Kennedy event in Downtown Nashville, a pickup truck featured a sculpture replicating an iconic 1932 photo of steelworkers sitting on a beam in New York. (Photo: John Partipilo)

A film poster from the classic Sergio Leone Western movie "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" was altered to feature the likenesses of Kennedy, President Joe Biden, and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. exiting the Ryman Auditorium on May 15, 2024. (Photo: John Partipilo)

The post Independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy, Jr. makes brief, late stop in Nashville appeared first on Tennessee Lookout.
ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC)  An Abilene man accused of killing his ex-wife and injuring her sister has been indicted.

Floyd Hardison was indicted for Murder and Aggravated Assault in connection to the incident, which took place at a home on the 4300 block of Mary Lou Lane in March 2024.

Police say officers arrived at the home following a report of a shooting and found Denise Gray, 66, deceased from a gunshot wound. Grays sister had also been shot but was alive and transported to the hospital, where she did receive treatment.

No further information, including the possible motive for this incident, has been released.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com.
The infected blood scandal could lead to people involved losing honours, a leading campaigner has said.

Jason Evans, director of the Factor 8 group and son of a victim, said he believes some medical professionals could lose their registration or be stripped of honours following the publication of the Infected Blood Inquirys final report, expected on Monday.

The scandal saw contaminated blood products made in the US from the blood plasma donations of gay men, prisoners, sex workers and the homeless being bought by the NHS and given to British haemophiliacs in the 1970s and 80s.

Around 1,250 haemophiliacs were infected with HIV from the blood products, such as Factor VIII, and around three-quarters have died. Up to 5,000 haemophiliacs were infected with hepatitis C from their treatments.

Around 3,000 people are thought to have died from infected blood products in the UK.

Mr Evans, whose father Jonathan died when he was four years old after being infected with HIV and hepatitis C, said he would not consider any outcome - compensation or otherwise - as a victory because the scale of the scandal is too vast.

As far as I see it, maybe there will be compensation, maybe some people will be stripped of their honours, maybe some doctors will be struck off the General Medical Council register - none of it is a victory in my eyes, he said.

There is no victory in this, there is no glory, there is no day where we say: Wasnt this campaign of great success?

The 34-year-old, from Coventry, remembers his father being ravaged by Aids before his death aged 31 and has been an indefatigable campaigner advancing the case for justice for infected and affected people.

He added: It doesnt bring my dad back, hes dead, thats the way it is.

Do I feel better now? Do I feel better knowing that it could have been avoided? Do I feel better knowing that actions could have been taken which meant he wouldnt be dead? No. And thats why I think theres no victory in this campaign.

Mr Evans, himself a father to a one-year-old daughter, said that the scandal had blanketed his entire life, spanning his fathers health woes and death and his mothers grief, as well as being labelled AIDS boy in school before taking on a full-time roll as a campaigner.

Mr Evans founded the campaign group Factor 8 in 2016, one year before then Prime Minister Theresa May announced a statutory inquiry into the scandal, because he couldnt let it go.

For me personally, I first went to a meeting with my dad to see his MP in 1990 when I was one year old, he said.

And the purpose of that meeting was my dad asking his MP about compensation for victims of the infected blood scandal.

That fight has gone on for me ever since. 30-plus years, and it feels like we might finally be at the end of that very, very long road.

My whole life it was just there. I think to some extent, I have become quite numb to it.

Mr Evans has previously said that after the inquiry he will try and put the infected blood chapter behind him, and he now grapples with what to tell his daughter when she is older.

One thing I do know is that I dont want this scandal to alter the life course of another generation of my family, he said.

It certainly altered the trajectory of my life. My father was infected with hepatitis C, he was also infected with HIV, and he died in 1993, he said.

He was 31 so I am now older than he was when he died. The last time I saw my dad alive it was my fourth birthday in 1993. He was at his parents house - he had chosen basically to die there and he was in a bed very ill - Aids just ravaged him.

I can remember being stood in this room holding the first Gameboy, the grey one with the purple buttons, and just not really having any understanding of what was really happening.

But I remember that day clearly. I guess somehow my mind knew to retain that.

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The Environmental Protection First Coalition, which brings together NGOs fighting against Armenias illegal mining industry, released a map of Mineral raw material resources of the Republic of Armenia at the Baku Business Centre today, Azernews reports.

The map has been prepared by the Azerbaijan Cartographers Public Union, which is also part of the Coalition, in three languages  Azerbaijani, English, and Armenian.

The map contains important information exposing the adverse environmental impacts of Armenia's mining industry. It is clear from the map that Armenia has deliberately concentrated mining industry enterprises, causing the most severe damage to the environment, mainly in the Western Zangazur region  in territories bordering the Republic of Azerbaijan and close to transboundary rivers.

It should be noted that Azerbaijan's NGOs have recently carried out some exemplary work.

The donor of the Azerbaijan Cartographers Public Unions cartographic work project dedicated to the important topic is the State Agency for the Support of Non-Governmental Organizations.

We recall that on July 11 last year, during a meeting dedicated to the socioeconomic results of the first six months of 2023 chaired by President Ilham Aliyev, the head of state said: Garabagh and Eastern Zangazur were very close to the environmental disaster zone. Armenia has dealt a severe blow to our nature as a result of the activities of its enterprises and also as a result of the ruthless exploitation of our natural resources in the occupied lands of Garabagh and Eastern Zangazur... The cross-border threats must now be taken into account, and Azerbaijan's position here is still based on international experience and international conventions, including the Espoo Convention. Anyone can review them on the Internet. It is stated there that the pollution of transboundary rivers and the establishment of enterprises that can be considered a source of ecological threat close to the border with other countries must be agreed upon with such neighbouring countries, and we demand this from Armenia. Today, the Azerbaijani public and non-governmental organisations have already issued an appeal to the Armenian authorities regarding this issue, and international experts and representatives of non-governmental organisations working in the field of environment have also joined this appeal. Therefore, I think that the government of Azerbaijan should also join this process.

During the meeting, the head of state also praised the activities of Azerbaijans civil society in this direction and urged Armenia to give up these dangerous practices. If they want to create an enterprise, we certainly can't have anything to do with that. It is their internal business. But if this enterprise is located 500 meters from our border, if dangerous substances are going to be used there, and if these substances are going to be spilled into the Araz River and the Okhchuchay River, this is very much an issue for us. How can we ever agree to that? Of course, we must pay attention to these issues within the framework of law, within the framework of international conventions, and within the framework of diplomacy (https://president.az/az/articles/view/60429).

The NGO meeting at the Baku Business Centre considered it important to carry out environmental monitoring of Armenias mining industry enterprises.

The Environmental Protection First Coalition has stated that civil society organisations operating in the field of environment and healthcare in Armenia and other countries are ready to conduct environmental monitoring of Armenias mining industry enterprises together with international institutions.

The author of the map is Mugabil Bayramov, an engineer-cartographer with 43 years of experience in the field of cartography, former director of the Baku Cartography Factory, head of cartographic groups that have developed the National Atlas of the Republic of Azerbaijan, South Caucasus, 1903, Map of the Caucasus - Tbilisi 1847, and chairman of the Azerbaijan Cartographers Public Union. In 2020, he was awarded the Order of Labor of Third Category in recognition of his services in the field of environmental protection.
Take a gander around Naperville and you might see a new marquee or two in town, as is often the case these days.

Ever-teeming with business updates, the latest wave of storefront changes for the city includes the local launch of an international jewelry brand, the statewide debut of a national pet store chain and a sprinkling of new brick-and-mortar retail locations.

Naperville welcomes fourth U.S. Malabar showroom

Global jewelry retailer Malabar Gold & Diamonds has opened a new showroom in Naperville at 1568 W. Ogden Ave. This marks the brands fourth store in the U.S. and fifth across North America.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds was founded more than three decades ago in India, according to its website. Today, the global retailer has 350 showrooms across 13 countries. In the U.S., the brand has locations in Texas, New Jersey, Chicago  and now Naperville.

Internationally, the company also operates in the United Kingdom, Australia, Kuwait, Malaysia and Singapore, among other countries.

The store sells a wide range of jewelry for men and women, and for occasions both casual and special, including anniversaries and weddings.

Local elected officials, as well as the Consulate General of India in Chicago, attended the grand opening event April 27.

Woof Gang expands to Illinois

Pet store chain Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming  which has more than 350 locations open or on the way across the country  has expanded to Naperville, marking the business first store in Illinois.

Woof Gangs local store is part of the Naperville Crossings shopping center at 2940 Showplace Drive.

We are thrilled to extend Woof Gangs reach into Illinois with the opening of our first location in Naperville, Ricardo Azevedo, CEO of Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming, said in a news release. Expanding into new locations allows us to fulfill our mission of providing exceptional care and top-quality products to pets and their owners. We are committed to becoming an integral part of the Naperville community, enriching the lives of pets and their families with every wagging tail and joyful bark.

Founded in 2007, Woof Gang is a specialty retailer of pet food and supplies. It also offers professional pet grooming services.

In a statement, franchisee of Woof Gangs Naperville location Lisa Moran, said, As a pet lover and proud resident of Naperville, I am honored to bring Woof Gangs exceptional services and products to my fellow pet enthusiasts in the area.

Lou Malnatis Naperville rings in 30 years

Three decades ago, Lou Malnatis Pizzeria opened in the heart of Napervilles downtown. Now, the iconic Chicago pizza chain is commemorating 30 years in the city with a newly expanded opportunity to enjoy a slice.

Lou Malnatis is soon opening an outdoor dining area at its Naperville restaurant on Jefferson Avenue. The patios launch will be commemorated with a grand opening event at 4:45 p.m. Thursdasy, May 23. Free samples will be available through 5:30 p.m., followed by live music performed by one of Lous bartenders.

Were grateful to the people of Naperville for continuing to support the restaurant three decades later, owner Marc Malnati said in a news release. Were excited to celebrate our new patio in honor of this milestone anniversary and were looking forward to serving our legendary deep-dish pizza to our hungry loyal fans for another 30 years.

Med spa signs Naperville spot

SEV, a West Hollywood-based med spa brand touted by such celebrities as the Kardashians and Eva Longoria, is preparing to launch a new location in Naperville. The brand, according to a news release, recently secured a lease to bring one of its spas to the Market Meadows Shopping Center at 1239 South Naper Blvd.

I am thrilled to announce the latest addition to the SEV family with the signing of our lease for a new location in Naperville, SEV founder Sevana Petrosian said in the release.

The spa will be SEVs second location in the Chicago-area. The other is in Chicagos Lincoln Park neighborhood at 2320 N. Lincoln Ave.

SEV specializes in laser hair removal, injectables, body contouring and other aesthetic services. The spa planned for Naperville will launch with laser hair removal before rolling out additional services.

Boots and weddings

Earlier this year, Naperville welcomed Boot Barn to town, which lauds itself as the largest western and workwear retailer across the country.

The store is now open at 586 Route 59. There are four other Boot Barn locations in Illinois, including stores in Crystal Lake, Gurnee, Rockford and Springfield.

Meanwhile, a new event space dubbed The Crawford commemorated its grand opening in Naperville in mid-March. The venue is located at 119 Shuman Blvd. Kansas City-based Abbott Hospitality is behind the venture.

tlenny@chicagotribune.com
INVESTIGATES: Controversial police training banned in 9 states is now welcome in Florida

A controversial police training company is now calling Florida home after being banned in nine states.

Street Cop Training calls itself the fastest-growing law enforcement training in the country. The company website states its changing the world of law enforcement by properly educating police officers on what they can do.

The trainings have been called into question. It is banned in Minnesota, Missouri, Maryland, Illinois, California, Oregon, Nevada, Michigan, and New Jersey. However, its now welcome in Florida.

The company posted on Facebook: the company moved to Florida. It was nice to be welcomed with open arms and even encouraged to come here.

THE 43-PAGE REPORT

New Jersey was previously the companys headquarters, but the state pushed them out with a 43-page Comptroller report released last December.

According to New Jersey Comptroller Kevin Walsh, the training violated a myriad state laws and policies.

Read: Food stamp fiasco: Officers investigating possible skimmers at a convenience store in Jacksonville

The report states Street Cop Training glorified violence and an excessively militaristic or warrior or approach.

The report refers directly to a six-day conference in October 2021 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It found more than 100 discriminatory and harassing remarks. It adds there were repeated references to speakers genitalia, lewd gestures and demeaning quips about women and minorities.

EXPERT OPINION

Action News Jaxs Meghan Moriarty sat down and watched some of the videos from the report of the controversial police training with our Action News Jax Law and Safety Expert Dale Carson. Hes a former Miami police officer and FBI instructor.

One of the primary goals of teaching, instructing police, is to keep their attention, Carson said So, you tend to say things that you certainly wouldnt want to say in public.

Moriarty asked if Carson believes the conference videos teach aggressive, deadly, or dangerous tactics.

What Ive seen from snippets is something that I wouldnt want the public to know I was watching or using as a training device  I wouldnt want that, Carson said.

Read: Family files lawsuit against Columbia County Sheriffs Office after inmate dies in custody

After the December 2023 report was released, Street Cop Training Founder, Dennis Benigno, posted an apology to YouTube. It said in part, I personally take responsibility and apologize for any inappropriate or offensive language used by a few of our instructors in the 2021 training session. Benigno was one of the instructors mentioned numerous times in the report.

Benigno was listed as one of the speakers for the Street Cop Training conference at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando in early May.

We reached out to Street Cop Training to ask how it changed the training since the 2023 Comptroller investigation. No one responded to our request.

LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT

Moriarty went down to the six-day, sold-out conference in Orlando despite our request for press credentials to attend going unanswered.

At the conference, we spoke to a Baker County deputy in attendance.

I dont agree with the statements made about the conferences that theyve had. Ive heard some of them, Sergeant Michale Bodkin said. [Some] saying that they incite violence. Thats not what were here for. Its absolutely not and I strongly disagree with that.

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Bodkin said he asked his agency to attend.

Were not out here to hide anything from the public, Bodkin said. Were here to make sure that what were doing is for the betterment of everybody.

The Baker County Sheriffs Office did not get back to us with a comment about the number of deputies who attended.

INVESTIGATES: I got played. Sunshine State full of shady moving companies and brokers

The St. Johns County Sheriffs Office said it sent five deputies, including a supervisor. None of those who attended wished to be interviewed. A spokesperson sent us a statement instead:

We are aware of the controversy with Street Cop Training. A few of our personnel were interested in the topics covered, and close proximity for training (Orlando). A supervisor was in attendance with additional senior members of the agency. They thoroughly evaluated the training and presentations and will be discussing future attendance based on their experience (to be determined).

The Nassau County Sheriffs Office said it did not send anyone to the Orlando conference. In a statement from a spokesperson, they said:

We do not use any training associated with Street Cop. The company provided a demo for us last summer, but we decided not to use them.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

The Jacksonville Sheriffs Office spokesperson said it did not send anyone to the Orlando conference, but some attended conferences in the past. They sent us a statement on Thursday.

The Jacksonville Sheriffs Office was recently made aware of the allegations against the Street Cop Training organization. Prior to the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office becoming aware of these allegations, the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office paid for three separate officers to attend two different training sessions conducted by this organization. Those sessions, which occurred in April of 2021 and January of 2022, were one day training sessions related to interdiction and Florida case law. No policies or procedures of the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office were modified based on the material covered in those training courses. As a general practice, the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office sends members to training conducted by outside organizations on a regular basis. Only when instruction is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office, and compliant with the U.S. Constitution and the laws of the State of Florida, will the material from an outside vendor be incorporated into our policies and procedures. The Jacksonville Sheriffs Office did not send members to the 2024 Street Cop Training Conference in Kissimmee and will not be utilizing Street Cop Training as a vendor for any future training.

The Putnam County Sheriffs Office sent us a statement ahead of the conference. It did not send any of its deputies to the conference:

We have not done any trainings with Street Cop Training. We are not planning to send anyone to conference and were not aware of this group until last week (April). We have worked with some private companies as well as FBI-LEEDA, FDLE and other government-based ones as well.

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The Clay County Sheriffs Office said it did not plan to send or use any of Street Cop Training once when we reached out. Their spokesperson sent us a statement back in April:

I am not aware of any of our men or women attending Street Cop Training. We are not planning to send anyone to the conference that I am aware of. I have not attended any of their trainings. We do not currently use their online training videos.

The Columbia County Sheriffs Office said:

To my knowledge we are not affiliated with that program and do not have anyone at the conference.

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Investigators work to identify 2 of the 8 victims killed in Marion DUI bus crash

Investigators are still trying to identify two of the eight victims who lost their lives in the tragic bus crash in Marion County.

Its terrible. I feel so bad for the families. Theyre hard-working people. Its terrible. A lot of lives are ruined, said Albert Musard, a neighbor of Bryan Howard.

Investigators said the eight people killed in the bus crash were all Hispanic males that ranged from ages 20-46. In the reports, it lists two of the victims as unidentified.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the crash happened Tuesday around 6:30 a.m. when Howard drove into the center lane on State Road 40.

Read: Farmworker who was supposed to be on bus that crashed describes what kept him off of it

FHP said he sideswiped the bus carrying 53 migrant workers on their way to work. They said the bus veered off the roadway onto a shoulder, ran through a fence, hit a tree, and flipped into an open pasture.

FHP said eight people died, and approximately 40 were injured.

41-year-old Bryan Howards arrest reports obtained by Eyewitness News stated Howard couldnt explain how the crash happened and denied passing any vehicles or being cut off.

The report also stated that Howards eyes were watery and bloodshot, and his speech was slurred while being asked questions by troopers.

Read: Man accused of killing 8 farmworkers in DUI crash denied bond during first appearance

The reports state Howard took a breathalyzer test at 2:26 p.m. and blew a 0.00. The test was given eight hours after the crash happened.

However, it states he failed a field sobriety test that he took at Advent Hospital in Ocala.

Wednesday, Howard had his first court appearance in Marion County.

During the court proceedings, Howard wore an anti-suicide vest and bandages around his head.

Read: More than 170 families who lost loved ones in crashes meet with lawmakers to demand safety changes

The judge said before Tuesdays crash, Howard was involved in another vehicle crash just three days before.

Court documents obtained by Eyewitness News showed this was not Howards first time in trouble with the law.

Since 2003, Howard has been arrested several times for charges including driving with a suspended, expired license, careless driving, and leaving the scene of an accident multiple times.

Howard is being charged with eight counts of DUI manslaughter and is in Marion County jail with no bond.

His next court date is June 18 at 9 a.m.

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IRGC commander Esmail Qaani said: 'All criminals must understand that their actions and crimes are recorded' - NurPhoto/Morteza Nikoubazi

Britain will pay the price for helping to defend Israel from Iranian missiles and suicide drones, a top general from the countrys Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned.

All criminals must understand that their actions and crimes are recorded, said Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, who is the commander of the IRGCs elite Quds force responsible for covert operations across the Middle East.

France, Germany, and England should not think that they brought their planes that night and the issue was resolved and gone, he added, referring to Irans April 13 attack on Israel.

While that night has passed, their account remains in place, Brig Gen Qaani warned, using a Persian idiom implying that punishment is coming.

It is the first time an official from the Islamic Republic has directly threatened Britain and other Western nations since the recent surge of tensions in the Middle East.

On April 13, Iran fired some 300 suicide drones and missiles at Israel, almost all of which were shot down by the US, UK and Israel.

Israel, with the help of Britain and Western allies, was able to shoot down the incoming Iranian missiles and suicide drones - Reuters/Amir Cohen

Tehrans attack came in retaliation after a suspected Israeli strike on Irans Damascus consulate on April 1 killed seven high-ranking members of the IRGC. They were with members of Islamic Jihad, the Palestinian terror group, at the compound when the attack occurred, sources with knowledge of the meeting told The Telegraph.

As soon as Iran launched the unprecedented mass drone and missile attack against Israel, four RAF Typhoons stationed in Cyprus were swiftly scrambled.

The Typhoon FGR4 multi-role fighter jets were deployed over Iraq and Syria to defend Israel, intercepting and shooting down approximately 10 to 20 Shahed suicide drones.

Throughout the operation, over 200 planes filled the skies of the region. This area, where your brothers operated, was the most heavily defended airspace in the world, Brig Gen Qaani said.

The success of the operation does not only hinge on the missiles and drones that reached the occupied lands. There are numerous intricacies and undisclosed details embedded within this operation, which will require extensive analysis to unravel, he added.

The Islamic Republic has lauded the operation as a triumph, with officials and regime supporters leveraging the attack for domestic political gains.

Since the attack, weekly gatherings have been taking place after Friday prayers throughout Iran, with people chanting Thanks Sepah [IRGC] and Death to Israel.

Israel responded to Irans attack by striking a radar installation at a military base in central Iran, an action that the Islamic Republic did not officially acknowledge.

The Israeli strike was directed at a sensitive military base near the central city of Isfahan, which also houses a significant missile production complex, and several nuclear sites.

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FILE PHOTO: An "Arrow 3" ballistic missile interceptor is seen during its test launch near Ashdod

FILE PHOTO: An "Arrow 3" ballistic missile interceptor is seen during its test launch near Ashdod

By Ari Rabinovitch

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's Arrow defense systems helped thwart Iran's massive missile and drone attack last month, and a number of countries are now interested in purchasing the technology, said the developer's chief executive.

Iran's overnight attack between April 13 and 14, repelled by Israel's multi-tiered defense shield with the help from allies, included more than 100 ballistic missiles.

The Arrow system, according to Israel's air force, "carried out the main part" in their interception.

That success immediately drummed up global interest, said Boaz Levy, CEO at state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the project's main contractor.

The U.S. is a partner in the Arrow project and Boeing is involved in its production.

"A number of countries have approached us asking for information," Levy told Reuters. "I'm very optimistic that there will be more deals for the Arrow system, especially after the very special demonstration we did."

He declined to name any of the countries since talks are in the early stages.

Arrow is the upper layer of Israel's missile defenses, together with the Iron Dome, which takes out short-range threats like mortars and rockets, and mid-range defender David's Sling.

Arrow-2 has been around for years and intercepts ballistic missiles at long range. The newer Arrow-3 specializes in knocking out missiles while they are still outside Earth's atmosphere.

Israel, with U.S. approval, agreed last year to sell the Arrow-3 system to Germany in a $3.5 billion deal, its biggest ever defense sale. The agreement comes as Germany and its neighbors in Europe are boosting defense spending in the wake of Russia's war in Ukraine.

The Germany deal took almost two years to sign, Levy said, and that would likely be the time frame of new deals in the works. The process is handled between governments and again would need U.S. approval, he said.

Each Iron Dome interceptor, used frequently to shoot down rockets from Gaza and Lebanon, is estimated to cost about $50,000. The Arrow missiles are on a different level.

"The cost of the Arrow interceptor is on par with similar interceptors around the world, even cheaper. The amount passes a million dollars," Levy said, without elaborating.

Iran's attack spurred IAI to boost both production of current Arrow systems and also the development of its next generation, the Arrow-4, which will replace Arrow-2.

"It's in a very accelerated process towards the start of production. And we are doing this in full coordination with the security establishment here in Israel and the Missile Defense Agency in the United States," Levy said.

He declined to say when Arrow-4's development would be complete.

(Editing by Toby Chopra)
Rashed Saber was thrown from bed and concussed last Wednesday when an Israeli drone missile crashed through his familys home in eastern Rafah at 5:30 a.m. He doesnt know how he survived the attack.

The young doctor, who fled Israels invasion of Gaza City and has spent most of the war working in emergency rooms to save as many of Gazas 79,000 wounded as possible, grabbed what he could carry and ran with his family. Now, on a packed beach next to the shattered city of Khan Younis, Saber and his family are some of the estimated six hundred thousand Palestinians who escaped the Israeli onslaught in Rafah to seek safety in the rubble that Israel left behind.

Water is costly and mostly polluted. Sewage is everywhere, Saber says about the improvised Al Mowasi beach camp that is now home. Amid rats and outbreaks of hepatitis A, he is stunned by the squalor that people are forced to pitch their tents in. Its just not human.

A Palestinian child sits near makeshift tent in Rafah, Gaza, on Feb. 14, 2024.

Saber is not his real name  he insists on using a pseudonym out of fear of Israeli reprisal. Surviving a war where hospitals have been systematically targeted by the Israeli military, where doctors have been stripped and marched through Gazas streets before disappearing into a detention system rife with stories of torture, he feels like a target.

So far, Israels war in Gaza has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians of all ages, and most of Gazas 2.2 million residents have been displaced. Israel launched its assault after the Oct. 7 attacks, when Gazan fighters led by Hamas killed an estimated 1,200 Israeli civilians and soldiers while taking another 250 captive, in a grisly series of massacres.

As Israel turned 76 this week, again at war and invading a Palestinian city, Rafahs Palestinians have felt a repeat of history. For them, May 15 is the Nakba, or Catastrophe, when 750,000 Palestinians were forced from their homes and land by the emerging Israeli State, and again they are on the run. While most of their grandparents arrived in Gaza seeking safety from the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, most of those fleeing Rafah have already been displaced multiple times in a war that has triggered the worst Palestinian existential crisis since they were exiled from their homeland.

Long dreaded by Rafahs residents and the estimated 1.2 million Gazans desperately seeking sanctuary there from Israeli invasions in the rest of the strip, this invasion of a city full of people with nowhere left to go was supposed to be a red line for the Biden administration.

President Joe Biden warned Israel on CNN last week: I made it clear that if they go into Rafah  they havent gone in Rafah yet  if they go into Rafah, Im not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, that deal with that problem.

Despite the tough talk that presents what people in Rafah are experiencing now as a future possibility, the Biden administration has only held up one shipment of bombs and guidance systems  and just allowed another $1 billion weapons deal with Israel to proceed, even after the Biden State Department acknowledged that American supplied weapons were likely used in potential war crimes.

Following the Israeli armys ground incursions into certain neighborhoods east of Rafah, Palestinians residing in the area migrate toward Khan Younis on May 9, 2024.

Holding fast on his assertion Israel will fight alone if necessary, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted the risk of losing American diplomatic cover and billions of dollars in military aid wont stop Israels invasion. Nervous about the perception of losing American support, however, the Israeli militarys top spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, has made televised statements boasting about Americas unprecedented arms support in seven months of war and the close coordination between both countries militaries.

Saber is outraged that U.S. weapons and backing for Israels war is enabling the complete destruction of Palestinian society in Gaza. With nothing apart from what he could carry as he fled, he feels Palestinains have been abandoned by the world while taking some solace in the American students leading a mass movement to change that. The new generation of Americans are fed up, Saber believes optimistically. They saw what was happening and acted upon it.

With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejecting Bidens red line, Israel has smashed into the eastern part of Rafah and simultaneously reinvaded northern Gaza in what Netanyahu says is part of his hardline nationalist governments effort to destroy Hamas. Both Israeli and Biden administration officials have attempted to portray the operation as limited. For Palestinians trapped in an indiscriminate war  where the International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel has plausibly committed acts of genocide  there is nothing limited about the new displacement and destruction. Rather, it feels like the first stages of a drawn out, full-scale assault on the besieged strips last standing city.

Its a concern that has pushed Egypt, which has helped Israel maintain its 16-year blockade of the besieged strip on its northern Sinai frontier, to join South Africas genocide case against Israel at the ICJ. South Africa has issued a new emergency appeal to the worlds top court, asking it to order Israel halt its Rafah invasion. Once the closest to its Israeli ally of any leadership since its 1979 Peace Treaty, Abdel Fatah Al Sisis regime has frantically opposed Israels Rafah operation, fearing it could push Gazans across its border. It has even built walled off areas just inside northern Sinai to hold any Palestinian refugees that cross. After Israel seized control of the Rafah border crossing on May 6  and closed the main access point for the trickle of aid that has made its way to a people the UN says are facing famine  Egypt decried it as a violation of its peace treaty with Israel.

Feeling increased shelling as her home in central Rafah shook and Israel ordered Gazans in eastern Rafah to flee in advance of its ground invasion last Monday, Dorotea Gucciardo was coordinating with foreign and local medical teams in some of the last vestiges of Gazas health system as things began to collapse. One of a handful of foreign aid workers in Gaza, the director of development for the Glia Project was supposed to be finishing her second Gaza visit since the war when the border was occupied.

The next day, as the Mohammed Yousef El-Najar Hospital in eastern Rafah was evacuated, Gucciardo started hearing stories from doctors who had seen the worst of war going into complete panic. No one wants a repeat of Shifa [and] Nasser, she says, referring to the bloody assaults that destroyed Gaza Citys Al Shifa Medical complex and Khan Younis Nasser hospital.

After Israeli troops withdrew from the two hospitals, civil defense workers unearthed mass graves where bodies were reportedly stripped and hands tied, displaying signs of torture and indicating mass executions. Already investigating Israel for its systematic attacks on hospitals, the gruesome discovery prompted the United Nations and human rights groups to demand fresh war crimes investigations.

With fuel running out and Israel issuing further evacuation orders, Gucciardo says many of the last hospitals of Rafah are closing wings and evacuating. After notices of orders to move were sent, the majority of staff didnt show up, she says of Rafah hospitals in the path of Israels advance. All hospitals are planning to evacuate if there is an order to.

Doctors operate at the United Arab Emirates Field Hospital, which continues to provide treatment services to injured and sick Palestinians despite Israels attacks and the operation in the eastern regions of Rafah, May 11.

Watching Rafah steadily empty until she was relocated to a safer house in Al Mowasi  declared a safe zone by Israel despite nearby fighting and a basic lack of resources  Gucciardo sees the invasion as trapping Gazans in a widening killing field. With Israeli shells pounding the city from air, land, and sea as street fighting grows closer, it is not only those from Rafahs east sent scrambling for their lives.

Gucciardo describes waking up on Monday, after Israel issued new evacuation orders, and looking out her window in central Rafah at what had been an impromptu tented refugee camp of thousands the day before to find it nearly empty, with those left packing up their tents. Whats left are the remnants of life, she says.

Fleeing Gaza City with his family under Israeli evacuation orders and aerial assault in October, Mohammed Rajab arrived in Al Mowasi via a UN shelter in Khan Younis, months ahead of those fleeing Rafah. The 40-year-old driver, translator, and logistics manager for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is one of the few people still driving in Gaza.

Shuttling staff between hospitals in the bombarded central Gazan town of Deir Al Balah and Rafah, he now watches a constant flow of war-weary people arrive in Al Mowasi becoming ill and forced to rely on poorly-equipped health tents on the beach. Israel is not even giving people a chance to be injured, he says of people consistently dying from wounds that could be treated if Israel wasnt restricting access to medicine and equipment.

Out of options and without anywhere safe in Gaza to go, Rajab is worried his family and him could still become a target: The future feels very dangerous.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus own defense chief publicly challenged him on Wednesday over his post-war plans for Gaza, saying hed oppose direct Israeli military rule over the Palestinian enclave once the dust has settled.

Yoav Gallant called on Netanyahu to make a decision and declare that Israel will not establish civilian control over the Gaza Strip, that Israel will not establish military governance in the Gaza Strip, and that a governing alternative to Hamas in the Gaza Strip will be raised immediately.

Gallants idea for a governing alternative is simple, he told a Washington Post columnist this week. We will not allow Hamas to control Gaza. We dont want Israel to control it, either. What is the solution? Local Palestinian actors backed by international actors.

In his televised speech at the HaKirya, a major Israeli military base in Tel Aviv, Gallants frustration was obvious, remarking that hed been raising the matter consistently in the war cabinet since October. He pointed out the dangerous course that imposing a civilian-military regime in Gaza would trigger, warning that Israeli rule could allow Hamas to fester and regroup.

We will pay for it in blood and victims, and it will come at a heavy economic cost, he said.

Plans for the so-called day after in Gaza have long been unclear, with Netanyahu declining to outline his position, dismissing any discussions as long as the war is ongoing as no more than empty words.

In apparent response to Gallants confrontation, Netanyahu said in a video statement on Wednesday that he would accept neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority as legitimate governing entities. Im not willing to replace Hamas-tan with Fatah-stan, he said, referring to Fatah, the PAs dominant political party.

But the first condition was to eliminate Hamas without excuses, he said.

Gallants challenge marks the clearest sign yet of the divisions within Netanyahus five-person cabinet. On the defense chiefs side was Benny Gantz, a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, who said that his fellow senior minister had [spoken] the truth.

But Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israels national security minister, and Shlomo Karhi, communications minister, both came out in opposition to Gallant, with Ben-Gvir characterizing him as the minister of defense who failed on October 7 and continues to fail today.

Both Ben-Gvir and Karhi called for Netanyahu to replace Gallant, something hes already unsuccessfully tried once before, in March 2023 before the beginning of the war. Gallants dismissal proved so deeply unpopular that Netanyahu was forced to reverse course and reinstate him.

Gallants call echoed that of Biden administration officials, who have long suggested that the PA would be the only realistic, workable alternative to Hamas for rule in Gaza. On Monday, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that any military operation has got to be connected to a strategic endgame that answers the question: What comes next?

Sullivan added, We want an outcome in which the page gets turned.

Hamas officials have said that more than 35,000 Gazans have been killed by Israel since the attacks of Oct. 7, when the Palestinian militant group surged over the border to kill 1,200 and take more than 250 hostages. As of February, 112 hostages had been released. Around 100 are believed to be alive and still being held hostage in Gaza.

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Shoshan Haran, a released Israeli hostage, speaks with an Israeli soldier shortly after her arrival in Israel

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Shoshan Haran, her daughter and two grandchildren were taken hostage by Hamas militants in Israel on Oct. 7. On Thursday, Haran recalled the effects of 50 days in captivity on her three-year-old granddaughter when they were finally released.

"Three weeks after we were released, Yahel only whispers, too afraid to make a noise. She hid from everyone, too afraid to go outside. She wet the bed and had nightmares, too afraid she may be captured again," Haran told an informal U.N. Security Council meeting on Thursday, convened by the United States.

Hamas fighters attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and seizing 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

The U.S. focused the meeting on "condemning hostage-taking in Israel on Oct. 7 as a psychological tool of terrorism."

Ayelet Samerano, whose son was killed on Oct. 7 and his body taken by Hamas, and Gili Roman, whose sister was taken hostage and released in November, also addressed the gathering.

"We cannot allow the normalization of this unprecedented form of terrorism - mass hostage taking of unarmed civilians, women, children, elderly," said Haran, now 68, founder of farming and food security charity Fair Planet.

"What you see as our problem today might become a worldwide problem to each and every country near future," she said.

In three resolutions, the U.N. Security Council has called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

"Yet Hamas and other terrorist groups have not relented. So today, let us again demand Hamas release all remaining hostages," said U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield. "To put it simply: It would save lives on all sides."

HOSTAGE FOCUS

Israel is retaliating against Hamas in Gaza over the Oct. 7 attack. Gaza health authorities say Israel has killed more than 35,000 people in Gaza since then.

"Unfortunately, in the occupied Palestinian territories, we see the barbaric killing machine of the Israeli occupier wreaking havoc in Gaza under the pretext of ensuring the release of the hostages," said Algerian diplomat Ahmed Sahraoui.

He said the issue of hostage-taking was of "paramount importance" and criticized Israel for detaining Palestinians.

The Palestinian Prisoners Association says at least 9,100 Palestinians are detained in Israel. That does not include those arrested in Gaza since Oct. 7. Israel's military says it acts according to Israeli and international law and those it arrests get access to food, water, medication and proper clothing.

Israel's U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan told the meeting that 132 hostages taken on Oct. 7 are still being held in Gaza and that this was the "first meeting being held by any U.N. body to focus on their suffering and ways to release them."

"The hostages are the most urgent and critical humanitarian issue that the council must focus on," Erdan told the meeting.

"Has the council condemned Hamas and demanded they permit the Red Cross to check on the hostages? Have you imposed sanctions on Hamas leadership until they release the hostages? What action has been taken?" he said.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
(Bloomberg) -- Istanbul authorities are reviving a plan to privatize the citys gas grid in what could be one of Turkeys biggest ever initial public offerings.

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An IPO of the Igdas gas grid is moving forward, according to Neslihan Vural, head of financial services at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. She estimated the company could be valued as high as $10 billion once increased gas tariffs are approved. The municipality aims to gradually reduce its stake to less than 20% from more than 90% now, she added.

I am pro-privatization, Vural said. The municipality should eventually return to pure municipal works.

Igdas has long been the crown jewel of Istanbuls privatization list, though earlier attempts at an initial public offering failed. Now that Turkeys opposition party has a majority on the Istanbul council, local officials see an opportunity to push ahead with fundraising plans to build infrastructure and strengthen their grip on the city.

While a city council directive permitting the IPO still stands, theres legal work to be done and the companys charter must be adjusted before authorities can hire investment banks, Vural said. The company had revenue of 35.8 billion liras ($1.1 billion) in 2022.

This will be the third time officials try to offer Igdas to local and international investors. After considering an IPO or a block sale in 2010, the authorities opted for the latter, run by Citigroup Inc. and two local brokerages  but the deal came to nothing. In 2016, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase & Co. competed for the right to organize an IPO, though the process stumbled before a bank was selected.

Should an sale materialize this time round, it could be the nations largest  exceeding initial public offerings of about $1.9 billion each for Turkcell, Halk Bank and Turk Telekomunikasyon in the 2000s.

Among other potential listings are car-park operator Ispark, water bottler Hamidiye, bread maker Halk Ekmek and others, according to Vural. Ispark could come after Igdas, she said.

Istanbul has a raft of projects that need funding. They include building a second waste-to-energy power plant, improving subway lines and buying 10,000 taxis to boost the current fleet by 50%, Vural said.

Election Flashpoint

Financing for Turkeys big cities was a flashpoint in the March local elections. Ozgur Ozel, the head of the opposition Republican Peoples Party, or CHP, accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of withholding state cash as punishment for urban voters perceived disloyalty. The government denies the allegation.

Now, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek is seeking to restore confidence in the Turkish economy, holding international investor meetings to tout the nations return to more orthodox policies. Simsek signed off on Istanbuls $715 million sale of unsecured green bonds in November and is expected to approve financing for four metro projects including a $925 million new line, Vural said.

The municipality plans to raise 1 billion ($1.1 billion) this year by tapping capital markets and international financial institutions like the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and commercial banks, Vural said.

As well as planning ESG-friendly bond sales, Istanbul aims to raise $225 million via an international debt offering. Under the deal, a special purpose vehicle set up by Bank of America Corp and London-based BancTrust Investment Bank Ltd. will provide a loan after selling bonds in foreign markets, Vural said.

--With assistance from Robert Brand.

(Adds background on previous privatization attempts in paragraph six, other large IPOs in seventh.)

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Armin Strom co-founders Serge Michel and Claude Greisler look back on 15 years of achievements including 17 exclusive movements, patents, unique designs and 97% in-house production depth

15 years ago, Armin Strom transformed from a one-man show to a fully integrated manufacture brand when entrepreneur Serge Michel and master watchmaker Claude Greisler took over the reins.

Since 2009, the two childhood friends have been dedicating their lives to the science of movement, building up an independent manufacture with a team of 38, including 22 skilled watchmakers able to turn raw steel bars into hundreds of complex, interconnected watch components. So far, this has resulted in 17 brand-unique different calibres with a signature open-worked design divided among the brands three main pillars: System 78, Resonance and Masterpiece.

After Claude and Serge inaugurated the Armin Strom manufacture in Biel/Bienne, it only took a year for the brand to present its first inhouse timepiece and movement in 2010  the One Week, with a seven-day power reserve. The following year, in 2011, it started a partnership with the Formula 1 Marussia Virgin Racing team, where Armin Strom was not only a sponsor: engine parts from F1 cars were melted and used for movement parts in the models created for this collaboration. In 2012 came Armin Stroms first in-house tourbillon, while three years later, in 2015, the brand received the first of its three Red Dot Awards for the design of the Skeleton Pure Water. In 2016, the first Mirrored Force Resonance was introduced, with a patented resonance clutch solution that generates resonance for improved chronometric precision and consistency. This invention was a horological break-through and instrumental to the brands current identity.

Entrepreneur Serge Michel and master watchmaker Claude Greisler  Armin Strom

In 2018, the worlds first Dual Time Resonance saw light of day. With two completely independent time displays driven by independent movements in resonance, it became the start of Armin Stroms Masterpiece collection. This collection grew in 2019, with the Minute Repeater Resonance  the worlds first chiming resonance wristwatch.

The same year, Armin Strom released the worlds first automatic watch with a patented equal force transmission mechanism, the Gravity Equal Force. Several inventions followed  the 2021 Tribute 1, which reinterprets the classic dress watch in a modern way while including an innovative motor barrel that increases efficiency; the 2022 Orbit, the worlds first watch with an on-demand date indicated on the bezel; and in 2023 a return to the brands roots with a new iteration of the One Week, though completely reimagined with a new movement and a new design.

Decoration bridge polishing  Armin Strom

From day one, we embraced a refined openwork design approach with our watches. This is because we want to highlight the labour, precision and dedication poured into each piece  a true reection of our Swiss-German timepiece-manufacturing philosophy based on the science of movement, said Claude, who recharges his batteries by ski touring in the nearby Alps.

The hard work has paid off  not only do we now have collectors around the world, but we have also built up a fantastic in-house team. And later this year we will release a new timepiece that truly encapsulates our 15 years of know-how and innovation, continued Serge, who not only is a great watchmaking enthusiast but is also the co-owner of a legendary music festival in Switzerland.

15 years timeline  Armin Strom

Each component used in Armin Stroms instantly recognisable architecture of transparent mechanics is carefully hand-finished in-house with decorations meeting the highest haute horology standards: polished bevels; black polishing; Geneva stripes; perlage; straight graining; matt, frosted and tremblage finishes; circular graining; or dramatically sun-brushed surfaces. All Armin Strom movements are handcrafted, with 97% movement components developed, made and finished in-house. And before leaving the manufacture each watch is assembled twice and thoroughly tested to obtain the highest possible quality. This time-consuming approach is also linked with the brands entrepreneurial ancestor Mr. Armin Strom, who used to say that When you devote as much time as I do perfecting a watch movement, you grow very fond of your watch.

Little did Serge and Claude know, when they were eight years old and first started hanging out in Mr. Armin Stroms workshop in the village of Burgdorf, that they would one day transform a little workshop specialising in skeletonising watches into an independent manufacture, realising their long-held dream of building their own watches. Yet here they are, and the brand Armin Strom will continue its independent quest for innovation, precision, and perfection  traditional watchmaking savoir-faire with a modern twist.

Assembling escapment wheel bridge  Armin Strom

As Serge stated, 15 years is perhaps not a long time in the watch industry  but it is a nice number of years for an independent brand, through which we have been able to build a unique, Swiss-German horological identity with instantly recognisable designs, technical mastery and remarkable finishings.

And, according to Claude, the future of Armin Strom is bright. We have a lot of innovations up our sleeve, some to be presented in 2024. We are ready to dedicate another 15 years to the science of movement.

Save the date

Armin Strom is looking forward to inviting you to discover its new milestone timepiece and to celebrate the brands 15-year anniversary at its press conference held during the Geneva Watch Days on 29 August 2024 at 12.00 p.m. More information to follow.
ROME (Reuters) - Italy's hard-right League on Thursday said it wanted to change the law and remove the European Union flag from public offices, looking to bolster its eurosceptic credentials ahead of EU parliamentary elections next month.

League leader Matteo Salvini, whose electoral fortunes have waned in recent years, has dusted off a radical platform to lure eurosceptic electors and boost support for his party which is part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition.

Senator Claudio Borghi -- a staunch eurosceptic and a candidate at the European elections -- said only the Italian national flag should be displayed in front of the offices, along with banners representing the regions.

Borghi said he would introduce a bill to overturn a 1998 law that requires the EU flag to fly at Italy's public offices, calling it nonsense.

The League is part of the radical right Identity and Democracy (ID) group at the EU parliament, which includes France's Rassemblement National (RN), Austria's Freedom Party (FPO) and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

ID is currently the sixth largest group in the EU assembly but latest polls place it in fourth position, slightly behind the liberals, with the RN expected to make particularly strong gains in France.

The League -- which got 34% of vote at the last EU election in 2019 -- is now polling at only around 9%, with Meloni's Brothers of Italy party the most popular group in Italy with 27% -- replacing it as the leading force on the Italian right.

As part of a drive to rekindle the party's fortunes, Salvini has put forward as a candidate Roberto Vannacci, an army general who sparked outrage last year by publishing a book disparaging the LGBTQ community, migrants, minorities and feminists.

(Reporting by Angelo Amante; Editing by Crispian Balmer)
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here.

Between the villages of Vierville-sur-Mer and Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes in Normandy, France, is a 5-mile stretch of beach that was once called Cote dOr, or golden coast.

Since June 6, 1944, however, this beach has borne a different name: Omaha.

Eighty years ago, on a day now known as D-Day, thousands of Allied soldiers crossed the choppy waters of the English Channel by air and sea to land on beaches and coastal areas of Normandy, France, to destroy the Nazi invaders and defeat Hitlers regime.

Within the military collections of the National Museum of American History, where I am a curator of modern military history, several artifacts collected over the decades help tell the story of Omaha Beach and the invasion landings on D-Day.

A letter from a general

A paper given to the troops involved in the D-Day invasion carried words of exhortation and hope from Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower. (National Museum of American History)

In the morning hours of D-Day, Pvt. Howard I. Moorefield of North Carolina was handed a piece of paper. As he later wrote in his museum donation, most fellows read it and discarded, but he chose to sign, fold and save his copy.

With the signature of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower at the bottom, the Order of the Day declared to all soldiers, sailors and airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force: You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you.

Special equipment goes wrong

The U.S. Army issued new assault jackets to troops that helped hold additional supplies, but the garments proved a hindrance to fighting and surviving during the landing. (National Museum of American History)

For soldiers of Company A of the 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division, the Order of the Day mattered less than what awaited them at Sector Dog Green on Omaha Beach. Awakened aboard their troopship around 2 a.m., the soldiers pulled on their equipment. The regiment had been overseas since October 1942, preparing for this critical day with carefully rehearsed drills and training operations.

Yet just days before the invasion, the men received new U.S. Army assault jackets, made to help the first wave of soldiers as they carried ashore ammunition, TNT, a first-aid kit and other equipment. Once loaded, each jacket added upward of 60 pounds onto each soldiers load.

As Company As six landing craft began to head to Sector Dog Green, one of the craft began to take on water. As men entered the deep water, the assault jackets became anchors, the cotton straps swelling in seawater and making removal of the garment almost impossible. Dozens of men drowned while others staggered ashore, exhausted.

The troops in Company A had expected to find shelter on the beach, which they had been told would be pockmarked with holes from aerial bombing and naval rockets. But when the soldiers in the surviving five landing craft arrived on the beach at 6:36 a.m., they found smooth sand and nowhere to hide from the enemy.

In less than 10 minutes, German machine-gun fire, mortars and artillery all but destroyed Company A.

Other companies of the 116th would land on Omaha Beach at sectors Dog White, Dog Red and Easy Green. Wet, cold, frightened and pinned down by enemy fire, many soldiers shed the awkward assault jackets and did what they could to stay alive and get off the beach.

In the days after D-Day, assault jackets littered the beaches. One veteran of Bloody Omaha chose to send a vest back home to Virginia, the fate of its former wearer unknown.

Multiple waves of troops

One of the most famous of war photographer Robert Capas images; this one shows troops storming ashore on the morning of D-Day. (Robert Capa via National Museum of American History)

Farther down Omaha Beach at Sector Easy Red, photographer Robert Capa arrived at the shore around 8:15 a.m. with the command group of Company E, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division.

As part of the 13th wave of the landings, he spent 30 minutes on the beach capturing images of the invasion before returning to the attack transport vessel USS Samuel Chase.

On June 19, five of Capas images graced the pages of Life magazine, bringing the invasion home to Americans.

A symbol of the fights significance

Along with his dog tags, one Jewish sailor wore a coin from British Palestine during his fight against the Nazis. (National Museum of American History)

As Capa arrived back aboard the Chase, so did countless wounded men from the initial assault waves. Navy and Coast Guard personnel went right to work, including Walter Melville Weberbauer, a pharmacists mate first class from New Jersey.

As he aided the treatment of the wounded, the identification tags around his neck included a small copper coin  a British Palestine 2 mils.

Perhaps during prayer or just for luck, he rubbed the coin until the word Palestine all but wore away. As a Jewish man, Weberbauers fight with the Nazis understandably carried great significance in the waters off Omaha Beach.

The nations highest military decoration

The Medal of Honor awarded to Pfc. Francis X. McGraw for action in Europe in 1944. He landed on the evening of D-Day and fought through France into Germany, where he was killed in action. (National Museum of American History)

As wounded soldiers kept arriving back aboard the USS Samuel Chase throughout the afternoon, Army leaders decided to land the remaining members of the 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, on Omaha Beach.

That evening, the men of Company H of the 26th disembarked from the ship and came ashore, including a machine-gunner, Pfc. Francis X. McGraw of New Jersey. Having already fought in North Africa and Sicily, Normandy would be McGraws third fight with the Nazis. Months later, on Nov. 19, 1944, near the German town of Schevenhutte, McGraws war would end.

For his one-man stand against a ferocious German assault, he would posthumously receive the Medal of Honor.

A record in the landscape

Sand from the Normandy beaches holds tiny fragments of metal, mostly iron, produced during the intense fighting. (National Museum of American History)

In the days and weeks after June 6, Omaha Beach was transformed into a highway for Allied men and material entering Europe. This traffic changed even the sand itself.

Today, 4% of the sand at Omaha Beach is composed of tiny grains of iron, mostly microshrapnel produced during intense fighting on the beach and the subsequent buildup of forces.

These different items  a document, garment, photographs, identification tags, a decoration and sand  all remain indelibly marked by a time and a place.

Through the linkage of time, space and memory, these items weave together lives whose paths crossed, in the words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in the fight to end conquest  to liberate  to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all  people.
Jackson police arrested 19-year-old Daveon Lindsey Wednesday afternoon in connection to the shooting death of a man whose body was found at a tennis court at Parham Bridges Park in the 5000 block of Old Canton Road in north Jackson.

According to Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade, Lindsey admitted to shooting 29-year-old Melvin McNair Jr., "multiple times."

"Northeast Jackson you can return to Parham Bridges Park. It is safe, and we will definitely have a stronger footprint in that park as we move forward with our park ranger detail," Wade said at a Wednesday press conference.

Wade said JPD began investigating the shooting incident Wednesday morning at the Parham Bridges Park.

Wade said due to "new technology," JPD was able to ping Lindsey's phone to determine his location, which was at a Walgreens parking lot not far from the park. Wade said Lindsey had been driving around in the north Jackson area in McNairs maroon GMC Sierra pickup truck.

A picture of Parham Bridges Park sign

Homicide suspect arrested: Man arrested after altercation leads to one person shot in head

Wade said authorities attempted to box Lindsey in, but Lindsey "made contact" with one of JPD detective's vehicles. The detective was not injured.

Wade said this led to a 3 to 4-mile pursuit in north Jackson. According to Wade, Lindsey was "lawless" and would not stop for law enforcement.

Wade said Lindsey eventually crashed the vehicle into a pole near a Jackson Fire Department precinct on Ridgewood Road, which is less than 10 minutes away from where the shooting occurred.

A second vehicle received damage in the chase near Adkins Drive and Beasley Road, Wade said. Wade told reporters the person occupying the vehicle was injured.

Wade provided even more details stating Lindsey had "the victims blood on him. He was still in the victims vehicle. He still had the murder weapon. He had the victims credit cards on him. Hes absolutely a reckless and dangerous person, who took a persons life with a pink assault rifle.

In addition to police findings, Wade revealed during the press conference that he knew McNair and McNair's father. McNair is also the nephew of a Jackson police officer, Wade said.

'A lose, lose situation:' April proves to be exceptionally violent in Jackson, MS. See homicide totals for month

Wade said the victim "was an amazing, outstanding young man," who worked three jobs. Wade also told reporters McNair's father was "tragically" killed last year.

"(The victim's father) was one of my masonic brothers, and I actually took a photo with him the day before he was killed," Wade said. "So, when I received this phone call this morning about this young man losing his life, it hurt. It really hit home."

At this time, police do not know if the victim and suspect knew each other prior to the incident. Police also do not know the motive behind the shooting.

"This is very disturbing, but I want the Northeast Jackson community to know (and) the McNair family to know, that we were very laser focused on getting this individual into custody. If he is a danger to Mr. McNair, then he is a danger to everyone in the City of Jackson."

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Arrest in Jackson MS murder at Parham Bridges Park on Old Canton Road
Kolbe Hollcraft, left, 18, is the founding director of the United Haven Foundation, which is raising funds to assist orphans in Ghana. With him are co-vice presidents Andrew Dylewski, 19, and Jacob Darko, 26, a native of Accra, Ghana.

JACKSON TWP.  A good deed which fostered a friendship has resulted in a new foundation aimed at helping some of the world's most needy children.

Back in 2022, Kolbe Hollcraft, 18, founder of the newly formed United Haven Foundation, was driving to classes at Walsh University when he offered a ride to fellow student Jacob Darko, who was riding a bicycle.

"He was in one of my classes and I started to him. He was biking to school every day," Hollcraft said. "So, I started driving him home from school sometimes after classes. Over time, we became close. He spent some Christmases with us, and I got to know how life was there (Ghana). It was definitely different than what we experience here. It opened my eyes a little bit to what's happening over there."

One day over lunch, Hollcraft said Darko shared information about the state of orphanages in Ghana, particularly those smaller villages outside of his native Accra, the country's capital city.

Darko said most orphanages are run by Ghanians. Currently, there are 3,500 Ghanian orphans living in 140 homes.

Ghana-Ohio connection: Ceremony makes Accra, Ghana, a sister city to Columbus

Building a foundation to help orphans in Ghana

Hollcraft, a Jackson High School alumnus and a legal studies major at Walsh, said their conversation prompted him to start asking other friends if they would be interested in helping the orphanages in some capacity. He found 20 people who said yes.

"Toward the end of February, I started looking into what it takes to start a charity and a nonprofit," he said.

The foundation, he said, is in the process of building its website and organizing fundraisers to support the United Haven Foundation.

"That name just comes from the idea that orphanages are homes, and as much as the kids sometimes have to struggle, we want to bring that in some capacity throughout the country," Hollcraft said.

Andrew Dylewski, 19, a fellow Jackson High grad and a civil engineering major at the University of Akron, serves as a co-vice president alongside Sam Karcher. Dylewski is the creator of the foundation's website and also designed the foundation's logo.

"When Kolbe approached me, I definitely was excited to use these skills I've been learning these past few years and to actually make a difference with them," he said. "At first we started out slow, there was so much to do. Kolbe's handled all of the legal things; I don't know how he's stayed on top of it. I've just tried to pick up any work that he needs me to do."

'Sometimes when the parents die, family members tend to take them to orphanages.'

A native of Accra, Ghana, Darko, 26, has been in the U.S. since 2022. He previously worked as a procurement and logistics associate for Anheuser-Busch in Ghana, and is studying supply-chain management at Walsh.

Darko said most orphans in Ghana are "street" kids, which is how orphanages and children's homes usually find them.

"Sometimes when the parents die, family members tend to take them to orphanages," he added.

The poverty rate in Ghana stands at about 24%, compared to 11.4 percent in the U.S. The average monthly salary in Ghana is about $350 in U.S. dollars. People who earn the equivalent of $8 an hour are considered middle class.

Hollcraft said the foundation has begun working with CEDI Ghana, an economic development nonprofit which helps teens who want to start a business.

"We're also focusing on finding smaller orphanages that need a lot more help," he said. "One of the orphanages we know we'll be helping is the Haven of Hope Children's Home. I've been in contact with them just discussing different needs they have."

When asked if he thinks American media adequately informs readers about world poverty, Darko said no.

Serving kids in poverty: Retired Green nurse helps out in Haiti

"The media tries to portray the world in a certain way for Americans to see how other parts of the world, but they are not too much informed about how other people live," he said.

Hollcraft said that in his research, he sought advice from a number of other nonprofit founders, including Sarah Evans of Well Aware, a Texas-based charity that drills water wells in East Africa.

"Mostly, she talked about the follow-through and time management," he said. "Especially something like this, when you're in school, managing time."

Hollcraft said his goal is to demonstrate a commitment that goes beyond the current moment.

"I would love for it to become something in which we're consistently helping them," he said.

Hollcraft and Darko headed to Ghana in December

In December, Hollcraft and Darko will visit Ghana.

"We'll bring what we have, and that's going to establish not just a one-time thing, but our communications, our relationships," he said. "One of the guys I spoke to in Ghana discussed how a lot of Americans will come there and they'll bring some money and take photos for social media, then leave and never come back. He just discussed that developing a relationship is what really makes the difference for them. They like to see that consistency."

Darko agreed.

"I believe that once we get it going, it will go a long way in the lives of these kids," he said.

To learn more, contact Hollcraft at 530-513-2988, or email him at khollcrafter@unitedhavenfoundation.com or visit their website at www.unitedhavenfoundation.com, or their page on Instagram.

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com.

On Twitter: @cgoshayREP

United Haven Foundation

This article originally appeared on The Repository: United Haven Foundation launched to help orphans in Ghana
Jamestown man gets over 19 years in connection with overdose deaths, possession of firearms

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)  A Jamestown man has been sentenced to serve 19 years and seven months in prison following two overdose deaths in 2018 and the illegal possession of a firearm, according to the U.S. District Attorneys Office.

Officials said two individuals, identified as J.H. and J.T., overdosed within a week of each other after 36-year-old Steven Mojica Medina provided them with narcotic mixtures.

J.H. received a substance containing fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl directly from Medina and died a short time later. J.T. died from a substance containing heroin, fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl from a third party, who was given the drugs by Medina.

Jamestown police conducted a search of Medinas Euclid Avenue residence in 2020 and found a drug ledger, 48 bags of fentanyl weighing 1.76 grams, cocaine, and two loaded firearms. Police also found 24 baggies of crack cocaine, a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, six magazines, and over 160 rounds of 9mm ammunition in his vehicle a year later.

Medina was convicted of a felony in July 2015 and was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Latest Local News

Kayleigh Hunter-Gasperini joined the News 4 team in 2024 as a Digital Video Producer. She is a graduate of Chatham University.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) swiftly checked one of his colleagues yet again after Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) cooked up a false claim about one of the Founding Fathers on Wednesday.

The Maryland Democrat, a former constitutional law professor, knocked Bishop for tying President Thomas Jefferson to the Constitution amid debate on the House floor over a bill that would impact Washington, D.C., sentencing laws.

And heres what the gentleman from Maryland said, the law professor of  Thomas Jefferson, would understand, but the law  the constitution that Thomas Jefferson signed said the Congress shall have power to exercise exclusive legislation in all cases, whatsoever, over such district, Bishop said.

Raskin, who had referred to Jeffersons involvement in drafting the Declaration of Independence earlier in the session, corrected his friend over his history before adding that there might be some students watching his response.

Thomas Jefferson never signed the Constitution. He was, of course, on a diplomatic mission when the Constitution was being signed in Philadelphia, Raskin said.

But he did write the Declaration of Independence.

LOL Raskin just schooled Bishop on the House Floor pic.twitter.com/EdCl8L7Nkr  Acyn (@Acyn) May 15, 2024

One social media user compared Raskins move to watching the little league play the major league:

Its like watching the little league play the major league  Joey Marinara Sauce (@markmuskratty) May 15, 2024

Why do so many politicians that know nothing about our history love to toss around former Presidents/founding fathers names and political terms that they simply don't understand or know the history of?  Jared Ryan Sears (@JaredRyanSears) May 15, 2024

why do they even try Raskin at this point?!   SillyRedHats (@SillyRedHats) May 15, 2024

 It's like watching a professor teach a crash course in civics to someone who forgot to do their homework.  My reflections and Introspections (@Nto79549105) May 15, 2024

No no. Bishop was talking about the "Alternative Constitution" he was reading on his phone.



AI Jefferson signed that one.



Keep up, Nerd Raskin! pic.twitter.com/eGGtSam30p  KevinlyFather  (@KevinlyFather) May 15, 2024

Related...
Jared Kushner secured a massive $500 million contract with the state of Serbia to build a hotel on the memorialized ruins of a former military base in Belgrade, The New York Times reported Thursday.

The announcement of the contract reportedly provoked protests in Belgrade against the deal, which is being bankrolled by Kushners Saudi-backed investment company, Affinity Partners. In defense of the contract, a Serbian government official described Kushners company primarily funded by foreign interests as a reputable American company.

The government of Serbia has chosen a reputable American company as a partner in this venture, which will invest in the revitalization of the former Federal Secretariat for National Defense complex, the statement read. The deal with Kushners company inked by Serbian officials includes a 99-year lease to convert the site into a luxury hotel, commercial space, and over 1,500 residential units.

This is one of the biggest investment deals Kushner has landed while his father-in-law, Donald Trump, runs for president.

Prior to approval of the contract, public officials in Serbia heavily opposed the deal for its insensitivity and potential for political manipulation. Serbian politician Borko Stefanovic described the location as one of the pearls of pre-war architecture to The Daily Beast, noting, Most Serbs believe this site should not be desecrated in any way.

A petition was launched in Serbia against the contract with Kushner in late March that generated 10,000 signatures in a matter of hours and over 25,000 within days, according to The Daily Beast. The location has long been sought after by Trump and his acolytes: In 2013, Trump expressed interest in turning the site into a hotel. In 2020, while serving as a diplomat for Trump, Richard Grenellwho joins Kushner on this contractsuggested repairing the complex.

The Yugoslav Ministry of Defense military complex was bombed by NATO forces in 1999 during a U.S.-backed campaign that killed an estimated 2,000 civilians and lasted until the Yugoslav Army retreated from Kosovo during the Kosovo War. The prospect of a U.S. company building anything on the site was described by Politico as if the Taliban wanted to build a luxury apartment compound on the site of New Yorks Twin Towers.
A settlement of $594,218.75 was recently reached in a legal claim of retaliation between College of the Desert and its former vice president of student services, Jeff Baker.

Baker, who initially filed a legal claim with COD in November 2022, alleged defamation by the college, its former top leader and two board of trustee members. He also claimed the behavior of former trustee Aurora Wilson led to retaliation against him after he raised concerns about the college's search that resulted in the hiring of Martha Garcia as superintendent/president in August 2021.

Through the claim he filed, he said he suffered substantial emotional distress and damage to his reputation as a higher education administrator.

More: College of the Desert VP Jeff Baker alleges school's president, 2 trustees defamed him

College of the Desert Vice President of Student Services Jeff Baker.

His attorney, Megan Beaman Jacinto, said that defamation is not a claim that can be brought against public entities or elected officials. However, she said this claim could be brought because the defamation resulted in retaliation in his work and his job. Beaman Jacinto also explained that filing a claim with the employer before going to court (aka before, in this case, filing a complaint against Desert Community College District in the Superior Court, County of Riverside) is a necessary step in certain cases against government entities.

"From Mr. Baker's point of view, and mine as well, a big takeaway here is that there are some consequences for especially elected officials who sometimes feel untouchable in their positions," Beaman Jacinto said. "When it comes to employees and the public entities, those employees do have rights to be treated fairly and according to the law, not subject to the whims of the political environment or political goals."

After Joel Kinnamon resigned as president/superintendent in March 2021, Baker stepped in as COD's interim president until Martha Garcia assumed the role. (Kinnamon currently serves as a trustee.) Baker was initially hired by Kinnamon as executive vice president in 2016. He later transitioned into a consultant role before becoming interim vice president for instruction. In the spring of 2019, Baker was appointed vice president for student services. Following Kinnamon's sudden retirement, Baker was named the interim president of the college.

More: College of the Desert trustees OK $355,000 contract for new president, Martha Garcia

More: As Martha Garcia nears end at COD, trustees say she weathered storm during brief tenure

Dr. Joel Kinnamon speaks during a forum hosted by the faculty at College of the Desert in Palm Desert, Calif., on Thursday, October 6, 2022.

The initial complaint that was filed with COD said that Garcia gave Baker "extensive negative criticism" in a performance evaluation submitted in August 2022. Baker claimed that the evaluation lacked specific examples or factual basis for the criticism and that he was reprimanded for a project he no longer managed. Baker said in the complaint it was the first such criticism he had received in his career.

As part of the settlement agreement, which was finalized on March 11 and dismissed on April 17, the evaluation will be sealed and kept in the vice president of human resources' office, explicitly prohibited from inclusion in Baker's personnel file or records unless compelled by a subpoena or court order. Baker also resigned on March 18 as part of the agreement.

"There was the evaluation, and there was just an ongoing stripping of responsibilities, which is a typical type of retaliation that employers find to be a subtle way of getting back at an employee, which is retaliation," Beaman Jacinto said. "But when there's so many strippings of responsibilities, it's like a form of demotion and also isolation as a punishment or a way of retaliating against the employee."

Then-College of the Desert Superintendent/President Martha Garcia, Ed.D. gives remarks during the College of the Desert 2023 Commencement ceremony at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., on Wednesday, May 24, 2023.

While litigating the case, Beaman Jacinto noted that Baker continued to work during his pending lawsuit, describing it as a difficult experience. Earlier this year, Baker went on administrative leave as the settlement terms were being finalized. He had also taken a mental health disability leave from the college in the fall of 2022.

"In the most basic way, this case was about him getting embroiled in a lot of the political things that were happening because of his position (as) interim president at the time," Beaman Jacinto said. "He was publicly blamed for a lot of things that happened, through the decision of the board and also the next president (Garcia) who came in."

The City of Palm Springs has a pending lawsuit against COD, alleging non-compliance with the California Public Records Act. Beaman Jacinto said that Baker remains affiliated with COD with that case due to his role as interim president during part of the period in question.

More: Palm Springs sues College of the Desert, alleging failure to provide public records

At present, 14 individuals  including "college officers, employees and agents," according to court records  connected with College of the Desert's response to the city's public records requests have been or are being deposed during these first three weeks of May.

A student walks by the fountain in front of the administration building at College of the Desert.

However, Beaman Jacinto noted, Baker's personal case of retaliation is now over. "One of the things that I think is important about this case is he's one of the first people to stand up, even valleywide, against abusive, elected officials and say, 'I have rights and I'm not taking this anymore,'" Beaman Jacinto said. "And so I'm hopeful that the fact that he's done that will not only inspire others that they can do the same, but also be a call to elected and contracted public leaders that there are consequences for their actions."

At College of the Desert, we proudly serve students from diverse backgrounds and are committed to ensuring students across the region have access to education," said a statement provided by COD's public information officer. "Due to ongoing litigation with the City of Palm Springs and considering that the other requests are personnel matters, we will not provide any further comments at this time.

According to Beaman Jacinto, Baker's break from the college and the trauma he endured have led him to contemplate his next steps, but he has not yet landed firmly on a plan.

Previous reporting by Jonathan Horwitz was used in this report.

Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Jeff Baker and COD reach nearly $600,000 settlement in retaliation case
DENVER (KDVR)  West Jefferson Middle School families received a letter on Thursday explaining that someone had submitted a Safe2Tell report about someone bringing a bomb to school.

No bomb has been found by authorities, according to the principals letter. The Jeffco Public Schools Department of School Safety and Security and the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office determined the threat had no validity.

Safe2Tell program receives second-most reports in program history

The Safe2Tell report was received right before school started on Thursday.

Following school protocol, administrators kept students and staff outside the building, staged on the field, while law enforcement searched the building and found nothing suspicious.

Because nothing was found, students and staff were let into the building to resume a normal school day. The sheriffs office is investigating the tip itself so they could pursue potential charges for false reporting.

Law enforcement will be onsite Thursday to ensure the safety of staff and students.

We understand that some families may choose to pick up your student from school today given the current situation, Principal Kim Halingstad wrote to families. We will provide more updates as soon as we have additional information.

No further information about the threat was reported as of 12:45 p.m. on Thursday, May 16. According to the Jefferson County Schools website, the school serves grades 6-8 and has 482 students in attendance.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
Jeffrey Epstein's 'little black book' is now for sale

Jeffrey Epstein's 'little black book' is now for sale

One of Jeffrey Epstein's "little black books" is for sale.

Business Insider first reported about the 1997 address book belonging to the disgraced financier.

The book contains entries for 349 people and reveals a snapshot of his social circle.

An address book belonging to the late sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein is going up for sale.

The "little black book"  which was first revealed by Business Insider reporters  is on auction for the first time, according to Maryland auction house Alexander Historical Auctions.

"The history of this criminal relic is fascinating!" the auctioneers say on the book's listing page.

As BI reported in 2021, the book contains hundreds of names connected to Epstein's social circle dating to October 1997. A majority of the 349 people referenced in this address book are not mentioned in a later book from the aughts  one that was unearthed by the FBI as part of investigations into Epstein.

Among the names in the 1997 book are financier Carl Icahn; Donald Trump ally and supermarket mogul John A. Catsimatidis; Suzanne Ircha, the wife of New York Jets owner Woody Johnson and a reportedly close friend of Melania Trump; Cristina Greeven, the wife of former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo.

The book also contains names referenced in the later address book, such as Donald Trump himself and Alan Dershowitz. It also includes a listing for the White House's main information line; Bill Clinton was president at the time.

A woman in Manhattan's East Village told BI she found the book on the sidewalk and later sold it on eBay to a graduate student in Vermont. BI hired a forensic document examiner to authenticate the document as part of a monthslong investigation.

Bidding on the little black book is now live and will remain open until June 15, Alexander Historical Auctions wrote. The auctioneers said they reserve the right to reveal how much someone paid for the book, but won't disclose the buyer.

The auction house's owner, Bill Panagopulos, told the New York Post that he estimates the book could sell for $200,000 or more.

"There are NO comparables, nothing so far-reaching in its effects on politics, society, royalty, finance  it goes on and on," Panagopulos said, according to the Post.

Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from an underage girl in 2008 after getting a cushy deal from prosecutors at the time, serving just over a year in jail.

Years later, federal investigations began probing Epstein's dealings, and he was arrested in 2019 on charges of running a sex trafficking ring. Epstein was taken into custody but died in prison months later; his death was ruled a suicide, and a later Department of Justice report revealed jail officials botched security that could have prevented his death.

Epstein's associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was also arrested, tried, and convicted on sex trafficking charges. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Read the original article on Business Insider
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is calling on Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to honor the law enforcement officers who defended Congress during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, pressing the Speaker to dedicate a spot in the building for a commemorative plaque.

Congress, in March of 2022, passed a law requiring the placement of such a memorial by March of 2023. More than a year after that deadline, no plaque has been unveiled, and Jeffries is using the arrival of Police Week, an annual affair honoring the nations law enforcement officers, to urge Johnson to make good on the legal provision.

There is a law on the books that requires the Congress to designate a place of significance in the Capitol to honor the men and women of law enforcement  including the Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department and many others who responded on that fateful day to put down a violent insurrection, Jeffries said during a press briefing in the Capitol.

Its time for House Republicans to honor the men and women of law enforcement who saved lives that day, including Democrats and Republicans, our staff members, and most importantly defending the Constitution.

The Jan. 6 rampage has always sparked fierce disagreements between the parties over who bears the blame, tensions that have grown only more pronounced in the more than three years since.

The attack was conducted by supporters of then-President Trump who had come to Washington at his urging to protest the 2020 election outcome and stormed the Capitol in a failed effort to block Congress from formalizing his defeat to now-President Biden.

While many Republicans initially condemned Trumps role in the violent event, those criticisms quickly softened as it became clear that Republican base voters were sticking with him. And the reproach has virtually disappeared in recent months, as Trump clobbered his primary challengers to become the presumed GOP presidential nominee heading into November.

Some GOP lawmakers are now referring to the arrested rioters as political hostages whove been victimized by the weaponized Justice Department of the Biden administration.

Democrats have rejected those accusations out of hand, accusing Republicans of rank hypocrisy for lauding law enforcement during Police Week while defending the Trump supporters who attacked police officers on Jan. 6.

Rep. Pete Aguilar (Calif.), head of the House Democratic Caucus, said this week that it can be difficult to work with Republicans on police reforms when they want to try to whitewash what happened [on Jan. 6], when they will stand with some law enforcement but they wont stand with others.

Trump is among the biggest voices defending the Jan. 6 rioters, regularly indicating he would pardon them if hes elected to a second term in the White House. That aggressive defense has given GOP leaders little incentive to highlight the violence showered upon the law enforcers at the Capitol on Jan. 6, as a plaque unveiling would do.

A Johnson spokesman said Thursday that the Speakers office is working with [the Capitol architect] to get the plaque mounted.

He didnt say when.

In the meantime, Democratic leaders are signaling theyre ready to press the Speaker until the memorial is in place.

The plaque is done, Jeffries said. It is my understanding that it is physically on the Capitol Complex, and it simply awaits a decision by the Republican majority to have an appropriate ceremony of recognition and have it placed in a location of honor here in the United States Congress.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Jen Psaki Says Not So Fast On Announced Biden-Trump Debates

Jen Psaki on Wednesday said shes somewhat doubtful that the now-scheduled debates between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump will actually happen. (Watch the video below.)

Hours earlier, Biden had issued a cheeky make my day challenge for Trump to debate him as they compete for the White House, and Trump accepted. The two will jaw it out on CNN on June 27 and ABC on Sept. 10.

That is, if the events proceed as planned.

Im still a skeptic, the former White House press secretary for Biden told ex-Barack Obama spokesperson Tommy Vietor on Pod Save America. The podcast host called Psakis assessment well-held skepticism.

Psaki, now an MSNBC commentator, praised Bidens team for being proactive in forcefully initiating the debates after Trump had repeatedly challenged him.

She said the Biden team was smart in issuing a letter with ground rules for the events, such as having no audience and muting candidates microphones when their time to speak is up.

The Biden camps assertiveness put Trumps campaign on their back feet where they just had to agree to that, she said.

But the conditions of the debates could also be their undoing, Psaki noted.

Trump could certainly say, I never agreed to those specifics in the letter, and he probably will, she said. And thats how this all falls apart, even though hes basically said, I would debate him anywhere, anytime.

Fast-forward to the 3:20 mark for the debate talk:

H/T Mediaite

Related...
The Jicarilla Apache Nation is mourning the passing of its leader, President Edward Velarde, who died on Sunday, May 12. He was surrounded by family and friends at the time of his death. Velarde, who served as president of the tribal nation since 2019, was 76.

President Velarde was a beloved member of our community and a tireless advocate for the Jicarilla Apache people. His leadership, passion, and commitment to our Nations progress and well-being were evident in every aspect of his service. President Velardes contributions to the Jicarilla Apache Nation are numerous, and his legacy will continue to inspire future generations, the Jicarilla Apache Nation said in a statement.

Born on July 4, 1947, to Leverita Velarde and Roger Negro, Velarde graduated from Dulce High School in 1966 and entered the US Air Force as an engine mechanic. He served in Vietnam, where he became a sergeant. He returned home and received a bachelors degree in business. During his career, he served as a housing director and maintenance director.

Velarde began his service for the Jicarilla Nation as a tribal councilor and later served as vice president of the tribe. In 2019, he became president. He was known for his genuine caring for everyone.

Vice President Sonja Newton will assume the responsibilities of the president per the tribal nations constitution.

President Velarde was a true leader who always put the needs of our people first. His vision and dedication have set a strong foundation for our future. We will honor his memory of continuing to work towards the goals he set for our Nation, Newton said.

Praise for Veldares life and dedicated service to the Jicarilla Apache Nation came from state and federal officials this week. New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham expressed her condolences in a statement released on Monday:

President Velarde was a committed, effective leader who always sought to strengthen state-tribal relations. One look no further than his leadership on energy and rural economic development to understand his commitment to his tribal community and the State of New Mexico. Manny and I extend our condolences to President Velardes family and the entire Jicarilla Apache Nation as we all grieve his loss.

Grisham ordered all flags in the state to fly at half-staff through Thursday, May 16, in honor of Velarde.

President Velarde demonstrated incredible leadership and dedication to his Nation. I am sending good thoughts to President Velardes family, friends, and the Jicarilla Apache Nation during this difficult time, New Mexico Indian Affairs Department Cabinet Secretary Josett Monette said in a statement.

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) issued the following statement for Velarde on Thursday:

President Velarde was a dedicated leader guided by his passion for serving others and rooted in Apache tradition and culture. As President of the Jicarilla Apache Nation and as a veteran, he leaves behind a true legacy of service to his community and our nation. I was honored to work with him to deliver long-term water security for Jicarilla through the Navajo-Gallup Water Project, to pursue new opportunities in clean energy, and to improve the Tribes access to everything from health care and affordable and reliable internet to safe transportation and housing. My thoughts are with President Velardes family and the entire Jicarilla Apache Nation during this difficult time.

Veldare is survived by his sons Doyle Velarde, Kaiba Velarde, Allen Otole; daughters Julianne Velarde, Janine Paiz, Cascindra Willie, Tami Herrera, Paige Velarde; brothers Jubal Sunrise & Adam Romero; grandchildren.

A funeral service was held at the Vietnam Memorial Gymnasium in Dulce, New Mexico, on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.

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
The Harry Potter author disclosed she had written an essay for the book - John Phillips/Getty Images Europe

JK Rowling has contributed to a new book about feminists struggle against the SNPs trans agenda and how they helped trigger Nicola Sturgeons downfall.

The Harry Potter author disclosed she had written an essay for the book titled The Women Who Wouldnt Wheesht, which she explained means be quiet or hush up.

Due to be published on May 30, the books synopsis states: It is the story of women who risked their job, reputation, even the bonds of family and friendship, to make their voices heard, and ended up - unexpectedly - contributing to the downfall of Nicola Sturgeon, Scotlands first woman first minister.

Ms Rowlings chapter explains why she used her global reach to stand up for women, with the author regularly posting messages on the issue to her 14.2 million followers on X, formerly Twitter.

She has repeatedly argued that trans women are not women and should not have access to female safe spaces, such as changing rooms.

The author tweeted: Im very proud to have contributed an essay to this book, alongside many women Im proud to call my friends. It has been compiled by Lucy Hunter Blackburn, eminent policy analyst, and Susan Dalgety, a writer and journalist.

I'm very proud to have contributed an essay to this book, alongside many women I'm proud to call my friends.



For non-Scots, 'wheesht' means 'be quiet' or 'hush up', but I suspect you could have worked that out from the context https://t.co/EpcDW3CTmf  J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 16, 2024

Other contributors include Ash Regan, who became the first SNP government minister to resign on a question of principle after she refused to back Ms Sturgeons controversial gender self-ID reforms.

Ms Regan, who has since defected to Alex Salmonds Alba Party, quit in Oct 2022 as Community Safety Minister, saying her conscience would not allow her to support the plans.

The Gender Recognition Reform (GRR) Bill would have allowed Scots to change their legal gender by simply signing a statutory declaration, dropping the requirement for a formal medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria.

It was later vetoed by the UK Government over concerns it undermined womens rights and safety.

Trans prisoner scandal

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) previously sent trans prisoners to jails that aligned with their gender identity rather than their biological sex.

The practice was exposed when Isla Bryon, who was previously known as Adam Graham, was transported to the Cornton Vale womens jail in 2023 after being convicted of two rapes.

In another contribution to the book, Rhona Hotchkiss, former prison governor, describes how changes in prison policy in Scotland led to the Bryson scandal.

Joanna Cherry, an SNP MP and a high-profile critic of Ms Sturgeons self-ID policy, has also written an essay for the book on how she risked her political career for her beliefs.

The synopsis also states: On the 25th anniversary of the Scottish Parliament, this book captures an important moment in contemporary history: how a grassroots womens movement, harking back to the suffragettes and second wave feminists of the 1970s and 1980s, took on the political establishment - and changed the course of history.

Through a collection of over thirty essays and photographs, some of the women involved tell the story of the five-year campaign to protect womens sex-based rights.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
This is a job for them: Shoplifters are more organized than ever before

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  Shoplifting used to be a solitary crime. One person slipping an item into their pocket to pay for an addiction. Police said thats the old days; todays shoplifters are running a business  an illegal one. They are organized and can turn violent.

Whether its one person leaving with an armful of goods or a group, police say that todays shoplifters act bolder than ever.

This is a job for them. And they treat it like a job, said Jim Colvin, assistant chief, Brentwood Police Department.

Tennessee among worst states in the nation for porch pirates

Colvin says a shoplifting call hits police scanners nearly every day. Its become much more organized and much more professional than it was early on in my career.

And todays shoplifters arent typically after the mom-and-pop shops. They want the big box stores. They all provide an environment shoplifters are after Busy stores with lots of distractions; easy access to the interstate makes for a quick getaway; and several entrances and exits.

If theres any kind of side entrance, they are going to try and leave out of those side entrances. And just not be recognized as a shoplifter.

Hendersonville sees slight increase in shoplifting cases in 2024

Colvin says his force has a good working relationship with the stores, alerting police ahead of time if they spot a shoplifter concealing items or removing security tags.

So, when we get those calls from the stores, and we are in the area, we try to watch, and kinda surround that business, so that we can see where they are going out, said Colvin.

Our dispatchers are watching traffic cameras, said Colvin. They relay that information in real-time to the officers that are responding to the call. Sometimes, we dont catch those perpetrators in the store. We catch them down the road from the store.

That old-fashioned police work seems to be paying off for this new retail crime. From January to April 2023, Brentwood saw 39 shoplifting incidents, but this year its down to 23. Still, nationwide the retail industry wants to see more done. In Tennessee alone, 1.2 million people work in retail with a direct GDP impact of $5 billion.

Lebanon police see 70% increase in shoplifting from 2022 to 2023

The industry is pushing Congress to pass The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, allowing law enforcement from state-to-state to better share intelligence.

This is a problem that we have to deal with, said Republican Iowa Senator Charles Grassley. The same penalties applied whether it happened in California or Iowa.

Im telling you, its happening in every community. Its not a one-off, its not one person, said Nevada Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto.

For now, Colvin says its up to all of us to be alert.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

You hate to tell someone, Dont be kind. Dont be helpful. But, just be aware, said Colvin. And feel free to call the police department.

Colvin says most shoplifters are not locals. They travel hitting one store after another. And then selling on secondary marketplaces online.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
A week after President Joe Biden announced during a CNN interview that he was preventing the transfer of some munitions to Israel in order to pressure its government not to invade the Gazan city of Rafah, Democrats in Congress remain divided over Bidens policy while Republicans are united behind legislation that would force the president to reverse course.

GOP Rep. Ken Calvert of California, chief sponsor of a House bill that would force the transfer of the weapons in question, told The Dispatch that he introduced the legislation because the Biden administration is withholding the type of weapons [Israelis] need to go into Rafah and to take out Hamas and end this thing. There are four battalions of Hamas terrorists in Rafah, and Israel has made up their mind that they want to take them out. Calvert, chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said that in addition to holding up the transfer of 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombsplus the Joint Direct Attack Munitions that turn those unguided bombs into precision-guided munitionsthere are some other weapons and munitions that I cant get into that [President Biden is] holding up the sale of.

A sizable faction of congressional Democrats opposes Bidens policy, but it remains unclear just how many will support Calverts bill when it likely comes to the floor on Thursday. On Friday, 26 House Democrats sent a letter to National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan strongly objecting to Bidens policy, but the White House later issued a veto threat against Calverts bill. House Democratic leaders are urging the rank-and-file to vote against it.

We are deeply concerned about the message the Administration is sending to Hamas and other Iranian-backed terrorist proxies by withholding weapons shipments to Israel, during a critical moment in the negotiations, the 26 House Democrats wrote in their letter. They noted that Biden affirmed after October 7 that Hamas must be eliminated entirely, and they accused him of now promoting a policy that only emboldens our mutual enemies and makes a hostage agreement even harder to achieve.

Theres people in the House and the people in the Senate that have been willing to screw Ukraine over, and now you have members of my party that are willing to screw Israel over, Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman told The Dispatch. So its a strange situation. Asked about the Senate version of Calverts legislation introduced by Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton, Fetterman said: Im not exactly sure what the mechanism is, but there should be no condition, so I would want to see those munitions delivered. The Pennsylvania Democrat went on to criticize the public sandbagging of Israel right now, adding that Israel should be allowed the opportunity to win or at least prosecute this war the way they feel they need to.

Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said hes totally opposed to Bidens policy but had not yet seen Cottons legislation. Youve got to support your allies, Manchin told The Dispatch.

Democratic Rep. Wiley Nickel of North Carolina told Axios on Wednesday that he was strongly leaning towards voting for Calverts bill. Im really concerned that if Trump becomes president, he could do the same thing to Ukraine, the North Carolina Democrat said.

Another debate dividing members of Congress is whether Bidens policy of withholding some weapons from Israel bears any resemblance to Donald Trumps withholding of military aid to Ukraine, for which he was impeached in 2019. While Biden claims his policy was implemented due to humanitarian concerns, Republicans accused him of making a nakedly political decision to boost his reelection oddsby placating the Democratic baseat the expense of U.S. and Israel national-security interests.

This is totally unacceptable. Im old enough to remember when Democrats impeached another President for supposedly withholding foreign aid that had been approved by Congress, former Vice President Mike Pence tweeted. Stop the threats Joe. America Stands with Israel! Florida Republican Rep. Cory Mills introduced an impeachment resolution against Biden that echoed the 2019 abuse of power article of impeachment against Trump.* But as of Wednesday, the measure had only five cosponsors and is unlikely to gain traction. Only a small minority of Republicans openly criticized Trump over the Ukraine scandal in 2019, and those that did so settled on the argument that it was bad but not impeachable.

Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, the lone Republican in Congress who voted to convict Trump in his first impeachment, was sharply critical of Bidens new policy toward Israel, but he rejected the notion that Bidens conduct is similar to Trumps treatment of Ukraine. I dont see any equivalency at all, Romney told The Dispatch on Wednesday. In the Trump-Ukraine scandal, Romney noted, the former was withholding weapons in order to get them to do an investigation of his political opponent. Thats obviously inappropriate. While withholding military aid from Ukraine in 2019, Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to look into investigating Joe Bidens son Hunter.

Romney argued Biden was implementing a bad policy out of bad motives. I think hes trying to placate the left-wing of his party, and I think its damaging to our credibility around the world, Romney said. You stick with your friends, and you let them conduct the war as they feel best. Theyve been attacked. Hamas declared war on Israel, killed its citizens, took hostages, [committed] war crimes, and Israel is defending itself.

Nevertheless, Romney said Bidens actions dont rise to the abuse of power for which he voted to convict Trump. If politicians are going to be impeached for doing things that are politically attractive, were all guilty, he said.

In the Capitol this week, several Democratic members of Congress also argued that any equivalence between Trumps withholding Ukraine aid and Bidens withholding some weapons from Israel was absurd. They should liken it to Ronald Reagan, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut told The Dispatch, referring to Reagans delayed delivery of some F-16 fighter jets for a matter of months due to disputes over Israels use of military force during his first term. Not that I necessarily agree with Bidens policy, Blumenthal added. But I think its preposterous to raise it in the context of impeachment.

Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who supports Bidens policy, said the difference between Biden and Trump is that Trump did it secretly. He instructed his staff not to tell Congresstried to hide it. And it took a whistleblower to bring it out. President Biden is using tools well at his disposal, and remember what President Trump was doing was withholding all aid.

The recent supplemental bill providing aid to Israel does provide some funds for specific itemssuch as the missile-defense Iron Dome and Davids Sling programs, as well as a specific amount of money for the procurement of ammunitionbut it does not mandate expenditures on a particular number of bombs. So withholding certain types of munitions is within the presidents legal purview according to how the legislation was written, Kaine contends. Its just, in this amount, we will deliver aid, he added. And so its very much in the discretion of the administration.

New York Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler, who served as a House impeachment manager during Trumps first impeachment trial, emphasized that the corrupt rationale for Trumps withholding aid was the main distinction between his behavior and Bidens policy toward Israel. Trump was impeached because he withheld arms from Ukraine on condition that they announced an investigation of Biden, he said. He didnt actually care that they had an investigation, just that they should announce one. So in other words, he was trying to blackmail a foreign government that could help him with a political campaign. Thats the difference. Nadler went on to argue that Biden is withholding certain kinds of weapons for a valid foreign policy goal, namely preventing a lot of unnecessary civilian deaths.

A January 2020 Government Accountability Office reportreleased after the House had voted to impeach but before the Senate voted to acquit Trumpfound that Trump had violated the Impoundment Control Act, a 1974 law to curb the presidents discretion over government spending. Faithful execution of the law does not permit the President to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law, the report found. Trumps Office of Management and Budget withheld funds for a policy reason, which is not permitted under the Impoundment Control Act. Nadler said that Trump probably violated the Impoundment Act, but thats not terribly relevant. Ive always maintained that there are criminal acts which are not impeachable and there are impeachable acts which are not criminal. Asked if the Impoundment Control Act was implicated at all in Bidens decision, Nadler replied: Im not an expert in the Impoundment Act, but the president has certain discretion.

The Biden White Houses veto threat against Calverts bill emphasized that all funds appropriated for Israel are being spent and that Calverts bill could raise serious concerns about infringement on the Presidents authorities under Article II of the Constitution, including his duties as Commander-in-Chief and Chief Executive and his power to conduct foreign relations.

Congressional Republicans who spoke to The Dispatch this week did not accuse Biden of violating any existing statute, but they nevertheless accused him of violating the spirit if not the letter of the law. Certainly, hes violating the spirit of what we passed, Calvert said.

Correction, May 16, 2024: This story has been updated to correct the first name of Rep. Cory Mills.

Read more at The Dispatch

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On the occasion of the Day of Embroidery, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife Olena Zelenska showed off their embroidered shirts inspired by Ukrainian symbols. The Ukrainian leader wore a black linen embroidered shirt with coats of arms, while the first lady dressed elegantly in a shirt in the style of a Yavoriv shawl.

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The cost of both national elements of the couple's wardrobe is about 15 thousand hryvnias. Domestic brands inspired by Ukrainian symbols created them. OBOZ.UA decided to talk about the meaning of embroidered shirts.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is wearing a black linen embroidered shirt called "Vidsich"  "Fightback". It was created by the Etnodim brand, inspired by the struggle of the Ukrainian people. The price on the brand's website is 4400 UAH without a discount (3960 UAH with a discount).

"It has ornaments of a cross, mace, sword, oak leaves, stylized coat of arms, and others. They carry symbols of courage, strength, struggle, and the historical path of Ukraine," the designers explained.

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In a black shirt with white embroidery, the president personified the resilience, indomitable spirit, and determination of his people.

Olena Zelenska chose a light model created by the Gaptuvalnia brand. The "Yavorivskyi Dyvotsvit" embroidered shirt can be found on the website for 9950 UAH.

The minimalist ornament of the women's shirt is inspired by the beauty and originality of the Yavoriv shawl, which is common in the Lviv region.

It's worth adding that the Zelenskys don't always have to buy clothes. For example, during an interview, the head of state admitted that all his khaki T-shirts were sent to him by Ukrainian brands or donated by the military.

ADVERTISIMENT

Last year, Olena Zelenska celebrated this holiday in Seoul, where she chose a specially embroidered shirt from the well-known Ukrainian brand Gunia Project for an important meeting. Exactly one year ago, the President of Ukraine posed in an embroidered linen shirt in the military style.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber . Do not fall for fakes!
DUBAI (Reuters) -Jordan's King Abdullah on Thursday called on Arab states to confront what the U.S. ally has called an alarming rise in incursions of drugs and weapons smugglers linked to Iranian militias operating in southern Syria.

Jordanian officials, like their Western allies, say the operations are controlled by Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah group and other pro-Iranian militias who control much of southern Syria after supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a civil war that has lasted almost 13 years.

"We should confront armed militant groups who commit crimes above the law, especially smuggling drugs and arms which is what Jordan has been thwarting for years now," he said, addressing Arab leaders at a summit held in Manama attended by Assad.

Most of the clandestine flow of arms into the country has been bound for the neighbouring Israeli-occupied West Bank Palestinian territory, Jordanian sources have told Reuters.

However, some weapons were intended for use in Jordan.

Syria denies cooperating with Iranian-backed militias on illicit activity, and Iran and Hezbollah say the smuggling allegations are a Western fabrication.

The kingdom foiled a suspected Iranian-led plot to smuggle weapons to help opponents of the ruling monarchy carry out acts of sabotage, two Jordanian sources with knowledge of the matter earlier told Reuters.

An official source told state news agency PETRA on Wednesday that the kingdom had in fact foiled an attempt by "foreign-backed militants" to smuggle arms into its territory, seized the weapons and detained the smugglers in March.

Over the past year, Jordan has said it has foiled many attempts by infiltrators linked to pro-Iranian militias in Syria, who it says have crossed its borders with rocket launchers and explosives, adding that some of the weapons managed to get through undetected. Iran has denied being behind such attempts.

(Reporting by Nayera Abdallah; Editing by Bernadette Baum, Alex Richardson and Sharon Singleton)
Students work in an art class at Wasatch Junior High School in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)

Teachers in the Juab School District, a small district with five schools in rural Juab County, experienced big turnover, heavy workloads and some of the lowest salaries among their peers, a legislative audit found.

Because of those factors, auditors said, the district teachers overall years of experience are now below average compared to nearby, also rural, districts  such as Carbon, Millard and North Sanpete. That has had a negative impact on their workload and student outcomes.

The district experienced one of the largest learning losses in the state during the COVID-19 pandemic, a report that triggered the audit.

Though the district was preparing for the retirement of some of its veteran teachers with mentorship programs for new staff, the pandemic disrupted that process.

In the midst of that, COVID hit and we actually saw some of those teachers that we knew were going to retire, tap in and retire a little bit earlier, Linda Hanks, Juab School District Board president, told the Legislative Audit Subcommittee on Tuesday. So were seeing that ramification.

Hillary Galvin, the lead auditor, said that these challenges could be an issue for an innovative district, such as Juab, which is among the few that implement competency-based grading  a personalized system that assesses individual needs and skills.

Some staff members expressed frustration with this way of grading. One suggested that effort may be swaying some grading practices instead of learning outcomes, the audit reads. Additionally, inconsistencies were observed in the terminologies used to discuss competency-based grading. Some inconsistencies may be due to the high number of new staff in the district.

Juab also has the lowest starting salary if compared with its neighboring districts, with first-year teachers making $50,000.

A neighboring school district, located just 30 minutes away from Nephi (where the Juab School District offices are located), offers teachers a starting salary of approximately $7,000 higher, the audit reads. This salary discrepancy persists throughout a teachers career, further exacerbating retention issues.

According to the audit, teachers with eight years of experience make a little over $55,000, whereas the Nebo School District offers about $65,000 for the same years of experience.

That disparity has led to teachers being lured away from the school district, Galvin said.

Weve been really aggressive at trying to keep up with salaries and were still at the bottom. And, in fact, if it wasnt for the actions of the legislature a year ago, which helped with the legislative add on, we wouldnt even be at 50, said Hanks, from the school district board.

Juab School District Deputy Superintendent Royd Darrington added that the district is also recovering from an $800,000 centrally assessed tax payback in 2021.

We had no increases for staff members because of that hit, Darrington said. Instead of doing rifs (reductions in force) and layoffs, we chose to weather that storm and that affects your bottom line there.

In addition to that, one of the most common concerns among teachers was a heavy workload, which led to burnout, according to a district-wide survey the auditors conducted.

We believe its important that the district continue to seek teacher buy-in, Galvin said, and one way to accomplish that is to ensure that theyre establishing metrics to ensure that these initiatives are successful, and continue to evaluate the implementation of initiatives to determine if they are in fact adding value.

Despite those challenges, the district graduates had the second-highest average college GPA of their peer group in 2022.

Though the students American College Testing (ACT) scores fell in the years following the pandemic, especially in the reading category, since 2021 the scores have recovered to nearly match pre-pandemic levels.

While test scores have increased, Juab remains in the middle of peer districts for ACT scores, according to the audit.

However, Juab Junior High School students  the sole junior high school in the district  continue to score below their peers on their Readiness Improvement Success Empowerment (RISE) tests. The audit found that staff turnover could be a contributing factor in those scores. Since 2019, the school has lost 19 teachers and has had two different principals over three years.

Because of this, the district had to hire many new teachers, according to the audit. The district reports having limited candidates to choose from given their rural location and their inability to offer wages that are competitive with a nearby district.

The audit also found that hundreds of international students living in Utah, especially from a private school, are enrolled at a Statewide Online Education Program with Arizona State University and the Juab School District, which offers prep courses hybrid models.

According to Utah code, students can only be eligible for these programs if their parent or legal guardian is a state resident. The self-paced model for all students is also inconsistent with Utah statute, the audit found.

In the auditors opinion, the Legislature should assure that the law covers the program. And, if lawmakers feel like the model is beneficial, Galvin said, the state should look for ways to expand it so more students have access to it.

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John Barrow speaks to a Democratic group in Hoschton, Ga., on Monday, April 15, 2024, seeking support in his race for the Georgia Supreme Court. Barrow is basing his campaign for the high court around his support for abortion rights as he challenges incumbent Justice Andrew Pinson in a nonpartisan election in May. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)

ATLANTA (AP)  A federal judge on Thursday rejected a lawsuit by a former Democratic congressman running for Georgia state Supreme Court who claimed a state agency was unconstitutionally trying to block him from talking about abortion.

U.S. District Judge Michael Brown ruled John Barrow didn't have standing to sue because Barrow himself chose to release a confidential letter from the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission and because his continued public statements show his speech isn't being restricted.

Election day is Tuesday in the nonpartisan contest between Barrow and Justice Andrew Pinson, who was appointed to the nine-justice court in 2022 by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. Incumbent justices in Georgia almost never lose or face serious challenges. The three other justices seeking new six-year terms are unopposed.

Facing that uphill battle, Barrow has made abortion the centerpiece of his campaign, saying he believes Georgias state constitution guarantees a right to abortion that is at least as strong as Roe v. Wade was before it was overturned in 2022. That decision cleared the way for a 2019 Georgia law to take effect banning most abortions after fetal cardiac activity can be detected, usually in about the sixth week of pregnancy. That is before many women know they are pregnant.

While the contest hasnt grown as intense as high court races in other states including Wisconsin, attention and spending are higher than in the states historically sleepy judicial campaigns. Kemp and Christian conservative groups are aiding Pinson, while groups that support abortion rights have endorsed Barrow but provided little aid. Kemp's political group has said it is spending $500,000 on advertising for Pinson.

But Georgia's judicial ethics rules bar candidates from making commitments about how they will rule on issues that are likely to come before the high court. A challenge to Georgias law is pending in a lower state court and could come before the state Supreme Court.

A May 1 letter from the commission suggested Barrow may have violated those rules and requested that he bring his ads and public statements in line with the commission rules.

That could eventually lead to sanctions against Barrow, but Brown said the commission was far from issuing a punishment. He wrote that Barrow could have filed his lawsuit over the May 1 letter under seal and avoided criticism from Pinson's campaign.

The details of the allegations, the director's analysis, the instruction that he stop the violations, and his alleged intention to keep violating the ethics rules are all out in public because of plaintiff's actions, the judge wrote.

The publicity, though, has elevated the profile of Barrow's race, likely informing more voters of his stand on abortion.

I think John Barrow has made it clear hes going to continue to speak out on the issues he believes are important for the race and the voters will have their say next Tuesday," his lawyer, Lester Tate, said Thursday.

Tate said Barrow could appeal to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which he said could construe the law differently, or file a fresh lawsuit in state court.

Heath Garrett, a spokesperson for Pinson, said Barrow has only himself to blame.

He knowingly and intentionally violated the judicial code of ethics, then filed a frivolous lawsuit as a political stunt, Garrett said in a statement. Sad that puts hyperpartisan politics ahead of being an impartial nonpartisan judge.

Pinson has declined to talk about issues. But he warned in an April interview with The Associated Press that making judicial races conventionally political will destroy people's belief that courts are fair and impartial.

Courtney Veal, the Judicial Qualifications Commission's executive director, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she was pleased with the ruling and glad to return our time and focus to the commissions work in addressing unethical judicial campaign conduct.
Judith Estorge steps down as Lafayette Police Chief, will remain on the force: sources

LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)  After just 19 months on the job, Judith Estorge, the first female Chief of the Lafayette Police Department, has stepped down from that post, according to multiple sources within the department.

The departments command staff was notified in a meeting this morning that Estorge stepped down Wednesday and will remain in the department with the rank of captain, sources confirmed.

Estorge was appointed chief in 2022. She had worked her way up the ranks of the Lafayette Police Department since 1993, serving as a patrol officer, a traffic motor officer, a detective in the Criminal Investigative Division, a Precinct 3 sergeant and watch commander.

Capt. Paul Trouard has been named interim chief, sources said. Trouard was a finalist for the position when Thomas Glover was named chief in 2020. According to his LinkedIn profile, Trouard has been with LPD for over 27 years.

In a news release issued Thursday afternoon, Lafayette Consolidated Government said Estorge will be stepping down from her position as Chief of Police for personal reasons effective May 28.

While she will no longer serve as Chief, Judith Estorge will continue to be a vital part of the Lafayette Police Department, Mayor-President Monique B. Boulet said.

Chief Estorges leadership has made a lasting impact, providing stability in the department. We are grateful for her dedication as she will continue to serve within LPD, Boulet said.

In a previous sit down with Boulet, she said there are concerns about public safety as mayor and her administration worked with Estorage to address that.

We are talking to the leadership to try to understand, you know, is this a trend or not, and how do we do this? It is concerning to me as mayor. I will say that, Boulet said.

In a statement, released a statement on Estorge stepping down she saying Chief Estorages leadership has made a listing impact, providing stability in the department. We are grateful for her dedication as she will continue to serve within LPD.

Over the past five years, LPD has seen three police chiefs and three interim police chiefs:

Chief Troy Aguillard: Nov. 2016- Jan. 2020

Interim Chief Lt. Scott Morgan: Jan. 2020- Dec. 2021

Chief Thomas Glover: Jan. 2021- Oct. 2021

Interim Chief Sgt. Wayne Griffin: Oct. 2021- Oct. 2021

Interim Chief Maj. Monte Potier: Oct. 2021- Oct. 2022

Chief Judith Estorge: Oct. 2022- May 2024

According to the release, the interim chief of police will be named on May 28.

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WASHINGTON  The Justice Department took a significant step toward rescheduling marijuana Thursday, formalizing its process to reclassify the drug as lower-risk and remove it from a category in which it has been treated as more dangerous than fentanyl and meth.

President Joe Biden announced the major move in a direct-to-camera video posted to his official account on X. This is monumental, Biden said in the message. Its an important move towards reversing long-standing inequities.  Far too many lives have been upended because of a failed approach to marijuana, and Im committed to righting those wrongs. You have my word on it.

The Biden administration has been signaling that it would move to reschedule the drug from Schedule I  a strict classification including drugs like heroin  to the less-stringent Schedule III, which would for the first time acknowledge the drugs medical benefits at the federal level. The Drug Enforcement Administration submitted a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register on Thursday afternoon, triggering a 60-day comment period that will allow members of the public to submit remarks regarding the rescheduling proposal before it is finalized.

Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana.



So today, the @TheJusticeDept is taking the next step to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug under federal law.



Here's what that means: pic.twitter.com/TMztSyyFYm  President Biden (@POTUS) May 16, 2024

Biden first directed federal agencies to review how marijuana is scheduled in October 2022, weeks before that years midterm elections. The process was led by the DOJ and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Look folks, no one should be in jail for merely using or possessing marijuana. Period, Biden said in Thursdays video, his third time speaking extensively on the topic since his directive two years ago.

The second time Biden addressed the issue was during this years State of the Union address, making history by referring to marijuana from the dais in the House chamber. No one should be jailed for using or possessing marijuana, he said at the time.

Vice President Kamala Harris also released a video Thursday, hailing the progress.

Currently marijuana is classified on the same level as heroin and more dangerous than fentanyl. We are finally changing that, Harris said. We are on the road to getting it done.

President Biden and I vowed to address injustices in marijuana policy.



Today, our Administration takes another major step forward. pic.twitter.com/GxFOFeU0DU  Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) May 16, 2024

During the first 30 days of the comment period, interested parties could request a hearing regarding the rescheduling proposal. Under the statute, the DEA would be required to hold a hearing before an administrative law judge.

After the DEA reviews and considers the public comments, and at the conclusion of any requested hearing, the DEA will issue a final order to reschedule marijuana. (The DEA could decline to reschedule the drug but thats unlikely given the administrations strong support).

The entire process can take anywhere from a few months to up to a year.

Once completed, federal scientists will be able to research and study the potential medical benefits of the drug for the first time since the Controlled Substances Act was enacted in 1971. It could also open the door for pharmaceutical companies to get involved with the sale and distribution of medical marijuana in states where it is legal.

For the $34 billion cannabis industry, the move would also eliminate significant tax burdens for businesses in states where the drug is legal, notably removing it from the IRS codes Section 280E, which prohibits legal cannabis companies from deducting what would otherwise be ordinary business expenses.

Joe Biden walking in the garden ( Demetrius Freeman / The Washington Post via Getty Images )

The Justice Departments rescheduling decision could also help shrink the black market, which has thrived despite legalization in states like New York and California, and has undercut legal markets, which are fiercely regulated and highly taxed.

Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of the anti-marijuana legalization group Smart Approaches to Marijuana, blasted the decision. Its become undeniable that politics, not science, is driving this decision and has been since the very beginning. This decision wont legalize marijuana, and it wont release anyone from prison or jail, Sabet said. This is setting the stage to create the Big Tobacco of our time.

During his time in office, Biden issued pardons for prior federal offenses of simple possession of marijuana and issued a proclamation granting additional pardons for simple possession, attempted simple possession and use of the drug.

The White House has also urged governors to do the same in their states and some have heeded the call, including in Oregon and Massachusetts.

Democrats in Congress are pursuing a partisan effort to remove cannabis entirely from the Controlled Substances Act, empowering states to create their own cannabis laws and prioritize restorative and economic justice for those affected by the war on drugs.

Congress must do everything we can to end the federal prohibition on cannabis and address long-standing harms caused by the War on Drugs, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said earlier this month.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
AUSTIN (KXAN)  The Texas Juvenile Justice Department allowed a juvenile corrections officer who was being investigated over sexual misconduct allegations to resign and remain eligible for hire weeks after firing him, state records show.

Records obtained by KXAN show that the change was part of a mediation settlement agreement in 2022 between former juvenile corrections officer Isaiah Xavier Smith and the agency. Smith was initially fired in September 2022 for turning off his body camera amid the agencys investigation into a report he inappropriately touched a minor at Giddings State School.

Former Austin ISD tutor and juvenile corrections officer faces more charges of indecency with children

However, according to the settlement agreement, weeks later, the agency agreed to change Smiths termination, which made him ineligible for rehire, to a resignation for personal reasons. The agency also agreed to reclassify Smith as eligible for hire in its Integrated Certification Information System, or ICIS  a database accessible to other county juvenile facilities that use it to check certification eligibility and other misconduct records.

The agency clarified in the settlement it could still consider his voided disciplinary termination internally if he tried to reapply for a TJJD position.

A KXAN investigation found that Smith was able to work as a high school tutor after leaving TJJD, all while being investigated for sexual misconduct allegations. Our investigation also found that the nonprofit that hired him, Austin Partners in Education or APIE, had no access to the ICIS database or its misconduct data.

APIE Director Cathy Jones wrote in an email to KXAN that Smith did not disclose his job history at TJJD or the agencys ongoing investigation into his alleged misconduct. Austin Independent School District officials said that following the Smith case, the district will start doing background checks for volunteers in-house next school year.

Records show TJJD did not reverse its decision until more than a year after the settlement, in December 2023, after Smith was arrested and charged with indecency with a minor at an Austin ISD high school where APIE assigned him.

TJJD declined to interview with KXAN but emailed to say that, per state statute, employees dismissed from their jobs are entitled to the mediation process. The agency said everything in a mediation besides the settlement agreement is confidential.

Smiths attorneys have not responded to multiple requests for comment from KXAN. In a letter to KXAN in March, Smith said the agency wiped any disciplinary record after he appealed a disciplinary decision.

Texas mans job history before sex abuse conviction highlights background check gaps

Its surprising given the accusations and allegations in the case, Austin employment and civil rights attorney Austin Kaplan said. Its surprising given that the [Office of Inspector General] investigation seemed to be ongoing at the same time.

Source: Austin Independent School District, Texas Juvenile Justice Department, Lee County court records, Travis County court records

In a statement, TJJD officials stated the settlement did not stop the investigation into Smiths alleged sexual misconduct by its Office of Inspector General, which investigates employees accused of crimes. Smith was still flagged in the agencys database, and officials said the agency would have been able to tell prospective employers Smiths dates of employment and other information, depending on what they asked.

Between agency officials signing the settlement agreement and reversing the decision in 2023, the agencys Office of Inspector General completed its investigation into Smith. In July 2023, OIG investigators found Smith had an inappropriate relationship with a youth.

Smith got the job at the nonprofit APIE in October, three months after the OIG investigation concluded. Months later  in December 2023  a panel of three Texas Juvenile Justice Board members met to issue an order making Smith again ineligible for rehire or certification as a juvenile corrections officer.

Smith is currently being held in jail on multiple charges of indecency with a minor out of Lee County  where his former workplace, Giddings State School, is located  and in Travis County.

Austin tutors arrest reveals cracks in how Texas vets school employees

His case has already caught the attention of Texas Senators Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, and Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, who co-authored legislation in 2023 to create a statewide central repository for state misconduct records.

Theres a failure here, no question, and this person should have never been around young people ever again, Bettencourt told KXAN in February.

Bettencourt and Kolkhorst said they would introduce new legislation to fix loopholes in Texass law. After a KXAN investigation into Smith, they said they would give the Texas Education Agency the authority to investigate and determine whether contractors working in schools can be placed on its Do-Not-Hire list.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD)  First responders got the chance to train for a mass casualty event Thursday morning at the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport.

The scenario involved a 90-seat airplane crash with 50 victims. Firefighters with the airport were assisted by mutual aid partners from several ambulance companies, Kalamazoo County Emergency Management, Kalamazoo-area hospitals and several area fire departments.

The simulation gave the airport the chance to assess and address gaps in its emergency response plan.

Its critical for us to run through a full-scale event, expectations for airport staff but also community support, mutual aid agencies that respond, said Anton Bjorkman, the airports deputy director of operations and maintenance. Its a chance for them to get a little more familiar with the airfield itself and the airport and our operations.

Simulations like this are required every three years by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
It would be brave of Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly to grant clemency to Sarah Gonzales-McLinn, who a decade ago, when she was just 19, nearly decapitated her abuser. Hal Sasko, her 52-year-old former employer, had presented himself as a father figure before moving her into the house in Lawrence where he essentially held her in sexual and financial slavery.

Given the furious backlash that follows any effort to bend that notoriously solid arc of the moral universe toward justice, Kellys willingness to even consider Gonzales-McLinns application is bold.

Yet those making the case for her clemency have an open door to members of Kellys legal staff, said Dave Ranney, an advocate and retired journalist who met Gonzales-McLinn in 2015 while volunteering at the Topeka Correctional Facility. Theyve not thrown us out.

At two presentations, at 6 p.m. at the Lawrence Public Library on May 20 and at 6 p.m. at the Topeka Public Library on May 22, those pushing for Gonzales-McLinns release will also make their case to the public.

Theyll show some of the evidence of abuse that Lawrence police and prosecutors knew all about  evidence that jurors never saw or heard.

Testimony on abuse, drug dealing not allowed in trial

The judge in the case, Paula B. Martin, who retired five years ago, granted then-Douglas County District Attorney Charles Bransons motion not to allow any testimony about abuse or drug dealing by Sasko to be heard by the jury.

Its the states contention that it be inappropriate for the expert to discuss any of the allegations of abuse that the defendant allegedly suffered, Branson told the court, asking that all nitty-gritty details be omitted.

Carl Cornwell, Gonzales-McLinns defense attorney, argued that what was happening in the house they shared helped explain what happened on the night in question, but the judge disagreed.

The state also moved to keep out information from interviews about Gonzales-McLinns history of abuse as a child, and Cornwell went along with the idea that that history was irrelevant.

Prosecutors successfully painted her as bloodthirsty, calculating and in control, and Sasko as her kindly benefactor. Defense attempts to show that she suffered from dissociative identity disorder didnt work.

During the sentencing phase, after shed been found guilty of premeditated murder, Cornwell referred in court to the fact that abuse allegations cant go to the jury. I understand that.

Then prosecutor David Melton said that in any case, there was no evidence that there was any abuse suffering (sic) at the hands of Hal Sasko.

Which just isnt true, though his team had managed to keep that evidence from ever coming out in court.

That Gonzales-McLinn was vulnerable when Sasko drew her in is beyond question: After being raped and burned with cigarettes at age 16, by the friend of a friend, she had attempted suicide and had been hospitalized for PTSD and depression.

On top of all that, her parents were going through an ugly divorce when Sasko, whod been her boss at one of the Cicis pizza restaurants he owned, started picking her up at school, coming over when her mom wasnt there and offering to rescue her. He could be a real dad to her, he said, and could send her to college, too.

Instead, after she moved in with him at age 17, he gradually started charging her for everything, held what he said she owed him over her and convinced her that if she left shed be homeless. He also began hounding her sexually, and at one point told his nephew that having a girl her age was amazing. To blot out what was happening, shed get as drunk as possible so she could check out during encounters that, since she was incapable of consent in that condition, would under Kansas law be defined as rape.

Initially sentenced to a Hard 50 years in prison without the possibility of parole, that sentence was later amended to a Hard 25. But Gonzales-McLinn could still spend the rest of her life behind bars, and thats just wrong.

Jury foreman regretted guilty murder verdict

Ive written about her case a number of times, starting back in 2019, yet still learned a lot more from a preview of the upcoming presentations.

In 2021, the foreman of her jury, Brandon Wingert, who was only 18 when she was found guilty, told me that he regretted the verdict: A few jurors, he said, thought maybe she was in some sort of horrible circumstance that wasnt presented to us. But people on my side of it, we just viewed it as, our job was to determine one thing and only one thing. Was the crime done? Yes? Then you say guilty. Some people were a little, Hey, Im doing this. I have other things to do. Boom, guilty, she did it, lets move on with our lives kind of thing.

At the presentation, youll hear what Wingert and others on that jury did not get to hear.

For instance, about the text messages that showed what was going on in real time.

About the police interview with the mother of 16-year-old twins who said that Sasko had been grooming them, showering them with expensive gifts and trying to move them in with him, too. He told them that the only rule would be that his drugs would then be theirs to share.

Youll hear about the two of Saskos three ex-wives who describe him as a sex and porn addict attracted to underage girls.

And youll hear directly from Gonzales-McLinn, via audiotape, explaining how she was groomed and then broken, so that by the first time he harmed me in a physical, sexual way, the grip on my psyche was so strong.

Other survivors of abuse have been released early

Today, 29-year-old Sarah Gonzales-McLinn is a healthy and model inmate who trains service dogs and is taking classes through Washburn University. If Kelly did grant her clemency, it would not be a first in this country, even in as conservative a state as Kansas.

In 2019, Cyntoia Brown, originally sentenced to life in prison for killing a man whod bought her for sex when she was 16, was granted clemency by the Republican who was then governor of Tennessee, Bill Haslam.

In 2020, 76-year-old Beatrice Taylor was finally released from a Louisiana prison after 23 years. Shed been expected to serve the rest of her life there for stabbing her abusive ex-boyfriend to death in 1996. But Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards commuted her sentence, along with those of a handful of other women who had fought back against violent partners, after reconsidering the role intimate partner violence played in their convictions.

In January, a Poughkeepsie, New York, woman convicted of murdering the father of her children in 2017, after years of physical and emotional abuse, was released on parole. Nicole Addimandos sentence of 19 years to life was reduced to seven under the states Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act.

Kansas needs a law like that, but wont be getting one anytime soon. What we have right now, though, is a governor who can give Sarah Gonzales-McLinn the second chance she deserves.

Of course there would be pushback. On a Facebook post about the upcoming meeting, one man wrote, I dont believe she was abused. A woman wrote, Many of us have been abused much worse by people and yet managed not to cut their heads off.

If you think you know that, I invite you to not only come to the presentation, but come to it open to the possibility that you dont.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter spent a year and a half in the hospital due to brain and liver cancer metastases, but after the death of his wife Rosalyn Carter in November 2023, he moved home to Georgia. Nowadays, the 99-year-old politician is often visited by his family, but his grandson Jason Carter claims that his grandfather is slowly dying.

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During his treatment since February last year, Jimmy Carter has hardly ever been in public and, in his old age, almost stopped attending various events. The funeral of his wife was the only time Carter appeared in public since his "move" to the hospital, and his frail appearance alarmed people in the church and those who watched the ceremony on TV, the Daily Mail reports.

"My grandfather is doing well. He's been in the hospital, as you know, for almost a year and a half, and he's really, I think, coming to the end," said Jason Carter, the politician's grandson.

ADVERTISIMENT

Family members told us that the former president's motivation to live as long as possible was his desire to be with his wife even when he was hospitalized, "so that Rosalyn would never be alone."

"He was really proud and happy that he made it to the end with my grandmother, and that was a real treasure for him," Jason Carter continued.

Nowadays, the man lives in his own ranch house in Plains, where almost all of the former president's life passed. Carter was so eager to make it special that he built it with his own hands about 60 years ago.

ADVERTISIMENT

In August 2015, the politician underwent liver surgery to remove a small cancerous tumor. The following year, he refused further treatment, as the treatment had worked and eliminated any signs of cancer. Later it turned out that the disease had metastasized, when cancer cells spread to other organs.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday vetoed a wide-ranging package of tax cuts passed with bipartisan support and said she will call the Legislature into special session, a move certain to anger Republicans and potentially some Democrats who had embraced the measure.

The Democratic governor said she would announce the date of the special session next week.

The session could eat into precious campaign time for incumbent lawmakers as elections for every legislative seat loom later this year. Kelly has insisted the Legislature approve tax cuts that she is willing to sign, but she is at odds with most lawmakers over the size of reductions the state can sustainably afford.

The special session will continue the Legislatures ongoing bipartisan confrontation with Kelly over taxes, which has lasted months. Lawmakers, many of whom want to tell voters they enacted tax cuts, have approved three tax measures this year that the governor has vetoed.

Kelly in a statement said she recognizes that Kansans desperately need tax relief. She promised to work with legislative leaders to develop a compromise, forging a bipartisan tax cuts plan to responsibly offer relief without threatening the states future fiscal stability.

Next week, I will be announcing the date of a special legislative session so we can deliver comprehensive, sustainable tax cuts. If we all work together, an affordable, bipartisan tax plan can be passed in less than a day, Kelly said in a statement.

But the vetoed tax plan misses the mark, she said.

Its proposed cuts and the excessive spending by the Legislature endanger all the progress weve made in restoring services for Kansans, funding our public schools, and investing in our infrastructure, Kelly said in her veto message.

The special session offers another test of whether the Legislature can find a package to Kellys liking  or summon the votes necessary to override a potential veto. Lawmakers cant override Kellys most recent veto because the bill was passed during the regular session, but they could potentially attempt to overturn vetoes of any bills passed during the upcoming special session.

The vetoed plan, after a first-year cost of $641 million, was projected to cost between $462 million and $472 million a year during the first five years. Kelly has called for the cost of tax cuts not to exceed roughly $425 million a year, a limit her aides say includes all tax changes passed by the Legislature, not just this bill.

Ahead of the veto, top Republicans released a barrage of messaging calling on Kelly to sign the measure and ramp up public pressure on the governor. They called a special session unnecessary and a waste of money.

It is hard to make rhyme or reason out of todays vetoes by the governor. Her shifting reasons for vetoing tax relief have now morphed into the absurd, especially when the state she governs is awash with billions in surplus money that belongs to the people, Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, said in a statement.

The tax package that Kelly vetoed on Thursday passed the House in a 108-11 vote and the Senate 25-9. It would have moved Kansas from three state income tax brackets to two, which would have provided many taxpayers with a break in the process.

It would have set 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 contained other less controversial 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.

Whether lawmakers can reach an acceptable compromise with Kelly wasnt immediately clear. Top Republican lawmakers say they have already compromised because they believe up to $500 million in annual reductions are sustainable. Some GOP senators have voted against overriding Kellys vetoes, however.

Democrats split on the most recent vetoed tax plan, with most House Democrats supporting and some opposing it along with Senate Democrats. Some House Democrats have voiced growing exasperation with Kelly and have urged her to be more clear about what she will sign.

Ive been through different governors and Ive been through different Houses and different speakers, Rep. Barbara Ballard, a Lawrence Democrat who entered the Legislature in 1993, said in the final hours of the Legislatures regular session last month. But Ive never seen the frustration as high.

Kellys veto of the latest tax plan had been expected. Before the Legislature passed the plan in April, her chief of staff, Will Lawrence, promised the governor would veto it and call a special session. The governor herself had repeatedly said this year she would call a special session if the regular session ended without a tax plan she was willing to sign.

The special session injects fresh uncertainty into a contentious campaign season. Democrats are seeking to end GOP supermajority control in the Legislature, which would ensure Kellys vetoes in the final two years of her term couldnt be overturned if Democrats are unified.

Beyond keeping lawmakers away from voters in their districts, fundraising is also restricted during a special session. A drawn-out session lasting several weeks could begin to significantly hamper campaigning by incumbents.

While the session is expected to focus on taxes, lawmakers can pass bills on any topic. Some proposals that didnt pass earlier this year may be resurrected, including a measure to lure the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals into Kansas by issuing controversial bonds.
Kansans need responsible, comprehensive tax relief. As I said in my last veto statement of the Legislatures nearly identical tax bill, I cannot sign into law a bill that jeopardizes our states future fiscal stability.

I have given the Legislature several roadmaps to fiscally responsible tax cuts since January. Instead, they played political games with reckless tax policies, and I vetoed them. I said irresponsible tax policies would lead to a special session.

So here we are. While I applaud the spirit of bipartisanship, this tax cut package, passed at the 11th hour of the last day of the Legislative session, misses the mark. Its proposed cuts and the excessive spending by the Legislature endanger all the progress weve made in restoring services for Kansans, funding our public schools, and investing in our infrastructure.

Additionally, to favor a specific business, a tax abatement scheme was floated to put taxpayer dollars into that business pocket at the expense of local government services. Thats wrong. Taxpayer dollars should not be diverted to political donors under the guise of tax cuts.

Kansans expect us to map a responsible future because we have come a long way, together. Our financial ratings have been upgraded. We have paid down debt. We paid $224 million for new projects in cash, saving Kansans $90 million in interest that would have otherwise accumulated through bonds. Education is being funded. We went from zero to a reasonable rainy-day fund for the inevitable emergencies we will face. Kansas is being noticed for its sense of responsibility. Dont toss all that.

The lack of a fiscally responsible tax cut bill jeopardizes other tax policy passed before adjournment, such as legislation to support Kansas film and digital media industry. The Legislature cannot overpromise tax cuts without considering the overall cost to the state for future years. We cannot start with our expenses and then look at our income. Families and businesses do not budget like that; neither should Kansas.
Kansas governor follows through on threat to veto bipartisan tax plan, will call special session

Gov. Laura Kelly speaks with reporters May 14, 2024, at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library

Gov. Laura Kelly speaks with reporters May 14, 2024, at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA  A session-long standoff between Gov. Laura Kelly and state legislators over changes in tax policy reached its inevitable climax Thursday when the governor vetoed a bipartisan tax plan as promised.

The Democratic governor will call lawmakers back to Topeka for a special session.

I recognize that Kansans desperately need tax relief. I will be working with legislative leaders to come to a compromise, forging a bipartisan tax cuts plan that will responsibly provide tax relief for all Kansans without threatening our states future fiscal stability, Kelly said. Next week, I will be announcing the date of a special legislative session so we can deliver comprehensive, sustainable tax cuts. If we all work together, an affordable, bipartisan tax plan can be passed in less than a day.

The governor had threatened from the start of the year to call a special session if lawmakers refused to pass a tax plan she endorsed.

Instead, Republican leadership tried and failed to impose a single-rate income tax, known as a flat tax, earlier in the year, but couldnt override the governors veto. The plan would have gifted a windfall to the states wealthiest wage earners.

Republicans then pivoted to a more modest, two-tiered income tax rate  packaged with other income and property tax cuts favored by the governor  and won the support of House Democrats, who viewed it as the best deal they were likely to get for constituents during an election year.

But Kelly  jilted by GOP leaders unwillingness to consider Medicaid expansion and fearful of the costly ramifications of a big tax cut package  vetoed that plan, as well, and proposed her own package of tax cuts. Once again, Republicans ignored the governor and adopted legislation that was nearly identical to their previous failure.

So she followed through on her promise and vetoed Senate Bill 37.

I have given the Legislature several roadmaps to fiscally responsible tax cuts since January, Kelly said. Instead, they played political games with reckless tax policies, and I vetoed them. I said irresponsible tax policies would lead to a special session.

Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, said the governors shifting reasons for vetoing tax relief have now morphed into the absurd, especially when the state she governs is awash

with billions in surplus money.

She has opted for the my-way-or-the-highway approach and is calling us in for a needless and costly special session, Masterson said. Rest assured, we will act as quickly as possible and give her yet another attempt to sign real tax relief.

The governor also vetoed two other tax bills. House Bill 2097 would have provided about $16 million in annual tax credits for film development, nonprofit theaters and employers who hire National Guard members. House Bill 2096 resurrected a tax break long sought by Genesis Health Clubs, whose owner, Rodney Steven, is a major donor to Republican legislators. The Genesis tax break was bundled with property tax credits and income tax relief for veterans.

To favor a specific business, a tax abatement scheme was floated to put taxpayer dollars into that business pocket at the expense of local government services, Kelly said. Thats wrong. Taxpayer dollars should not be diverted to political donors under the guise of tax cuts.

Lawmakers now will have to suspend their reelection campaigns and return to Topeka to produce a plan the governor is willing to sign. They also could entertain other bills on any other subject matter, but it would mean starting from scratch with a new piece of legislation. All bills introduced over the past two years were voided when lawmakers adjourned the regular session.

Republicans are expected to try to hold the line on provisions included in SB 37, which cleared the House by a 108-11 margin and the Senate 25-9. But the prospect of another veto may force them to compromise with the governor.

The Legislature has worked together in a bipartisan manner and jumped through multiple hoops in hopes of hitting her ever-moving targets, and our focus remains solidly on returning excess taxpayer dollars to Kansans regardless of the unreasonable challenges posed by the governor, said House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita. It seems her laser focus has shifted solely to wasting your money on a needless and spiteful special session.

The biggest flashpoint for controversy this year involved disagreements over proposed changes in the states income tax system.

Kansas currently uses a three-tier rate structure: 3.1% for income under $15,000, 5.25% for income between $15,000 and $30,000, and 5.7% for income above $30,000. The income amounts are doubled for couples filing jointly.

SB 37 would have established two rates: The first $23,000 in income would be taxed at 5.2%, and anything over $23,000 would be taxed at 5.57%. The threshold would be $46,000 for couples.

The changes would have reduced income tax collections by an estimated $1.085 billion over five years.

Kellys proposal would have kept the three-tier income tax system but lowered the rates to 3%, 5.2% and 5.65%. That would lower tax collections by an estimated $806 million over five years.

The Legislature and governor were on the same page with proposals to exempt Social Security income from income tax collections, and to move up the elimination of the sales tax on food from January to July.

The governor wanted to exempt $125,000 from residential property values before applying the states property tax, while the Legislature wanted to exempt $100,000 and lower the rate from 20 to 19.5 mills.

The Legislatures plan also would abolish the Local Ad Valorem Tax Reduction Fund. From 1937 to 2003, the state distributed a portion of sales tax collections into the fund, which then offset local property taxes. County-level officials had hoped to persuade lawmakers to revive the program, rather than abolish or continue to defund it.

The governors proposal also would have added a child care tax credit valued at $18 million per year.

The post Kansas governor follows through on threat to veto bipartisan tax plan, will call special session appeared first on Kansas Reflector.
Kansas issues new Medicaid contracts with emphasis on expanding care, maternal needs

KDHE Secretary Janet Stanek said the Medicaid procurement process involved input from multiple advocacy groups and others involved in Kansas health care. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA  Kansas health officials have selected three health care insurance companies to manage the states privatized Medicaid system after conducting the selection process for the first time in six years.

These managed care organizations will serve KanCare, the states system for the federal Medicaid program. In a Tuesday contract announcement, Kansas Department of Health and Environment officials said the determination process focused on the needs of the 458,000 Kansans enrolled for services.

This was a major team effort, with a constant focus and alignment on achieving our vision for KanCare, said KDHE Secretary Janet Stanek.  Partnering together to support Medicaid members in achieving health, wellness and independence for a healthier Kansas. We look forward to our continued collaboration with the MCOs.

Bids for these contracts opened in October 2023, attracting seven candidates. The contracts will last from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2027.

Incumbents Sunflower Health Plan and United Healthcare Community Plan had their bids accepted, along with one new organization, Healthy Blue. The department described Healthy Blue as a collaboration of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City.

KanCare provides health care services to low-income families, including thousands of elderly Kansans, low-income children and people with developmental, intellectual or physical disabilities.

The systems been in place since former Republican Gov. Sam Brownback privatized Medicaid in 2013 and handed out no-bid contracts through executive order. Contracts were set for renegotiation in 2022, following a 2018 re-procurement process, but the GOP-controlled Legislature pushed through a one-year contract extension to give Republican candidate Derek Schmidt a chance to install new deals if elected governor.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly won reelection instead, making this cycles contracting process the first held under a Democrat governor. The governors office declined to comment on the MCOs.

April Holman, executive director of Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, said the changes would help the health care system.

We are encouraged by the improvements that were included in the new MCO contracts, including increasing the recruitment and retention of providers and expanding access to services in rural and frontier counties of the state, Holman said. Both of these improvements are critical to the continued wellbeing of Kansans and our states health care system.

Currently, the three KanCare insurance companies operating Medicaid health services are Sunflower State Health Plan, United Healthcare and Aetna Better Health of Kansas.

Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services secretary Laura Howard said the state used input from advocacy organizations, KanCare members and providers to shape the contract procurement process, known as a request for proposal or RFP.

That feedback was invaluable and is reflected in many of the key enhancements we incorporated into the RFP, Howard said.

KDHE said the new contracts would focus on provider recruitment and retention, expanding access to services in rural areas and improving prenatal and postpartum care.

The post Kansas issues new Medicaid contracts with emphasis on expanding care, maternal needs appeared first on Kansas Reflector.
A Kansas City, Kansas, student has been arrested and faces criminal charges stemming from a sexual assault investigation at Wyandotte High School, according to the district.

In a brief email, Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools spokesman Edwin Birch said Thursday that the districts own police department was handling the investigation. He added that the Wyandotte County District Attorneys Office was bringing charges in the case.

As the investigation involves a juvenile, Birch said, there was no other information the district could release.

Area news station FOX4, which first reported the incident Thursday, said the assault occurred nearly two weeks ago. The station reported the assault was captured on school surveillance cameras, prompting an initial police response on May 3.

The Star was unable to independently verify those details.

A spokesman for the District Attorneys Office declined to provide further information, including whether criminal charges had been filed, noting the case involved a juvenile.
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  Utah Gov. Spencer Cox sang high praise for Utahns for their efforts in conserving water over the last couple of years during his monthly press conference on Thursday, May 16.

As the weather continues to rise into the summer months, Gov. Cox urged Utah to keep conserving water, saying the efforts are working and officials are proud of the results. Cox told reporters that experts were surprised by Utahns efforts as last year was reportedly the first year in state history where there was extra water and water use did not rise.

It means there was a paradigm shift and we need that paradigm shift to continue, said Cox.

Cox reported that Utah has started in a great place this water year. At the start of the spring runoff, most of Utahs reservoirs sat at over 80% capacity, which Cox said was remarkable. Now, the reservoir capacity is at 90%, which he said is much higher than normal for this time of year. The water-saving efforts have even been trickling down to the Great Salt Lake as well.

Great Salt Lakes south arm hits significant elevation

Earlier this week, Great Salt Lake Commissioner Brian Steed said the elevation of the lakes south arm reached 4,195 feet. Cox called that the grave danger threshold. Should the lake rise another foot, Cox said it would put the lake out of grave danger and into just bad territory.

Were in a much better position than we have been in historically, said Cox. If we can do that again this year, and we have another just average year, we can get the lake back into healthy territory, which I think everybody is anxious for.

As Cox encouraged Utahns to continue to slow the flow, he said the state isnt stepping off the gas. The state will continue funding programs for farmers to conserve water and programs used by Utah residents to replace their lawns with waterwise landscaping.

Cox also said the state legislature has no intention to change policies that are actively helping the lake, keeping resources where they are. He said the best way to help the lake  and in turn, mitigate any potential dangers from dust  is to keep the lake full.

Salt Lake Airport says aloha to new airline service

These types of dead seas are drying up all over the world. Its not just here, said Cox, pointing toward California and Israel. We need the best science to try to think through, if that were to happen, how could we respond? But our first priority  we truly believe we could save the lake and were doing that. But we will work with scientists to figure out the best engineering ways, if were not able to do that for any reason, to make sure we dont have an ecological catastrophe with dust.

In the meantime, Cox has no intentions of pulling back and advises Utahns to continue to hold off on watering their lawns. With cooler temperatures and more rain on the horizon for Utah, Cox said there isnt much of a need right now to water lawns.

The Utah Department of Natural Resources indicated only those in the very southern portions Utah should consider watering their lawns. In the most recent weekly watering guide, Washington County residents could do two watering events per week while those in Kane, San Juan and Grand County only need one watering event. The rest of Utah, however, can get away with not watering and still keeping a nice-looking lawn.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
The weapon used by prison staff on Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex inmates last year was the Taser 7, an electric stun gun produced by Axon, with headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Some facts about the Taser 7:

 Introduced in 2018, Axon sells the device as a defensive weapon to law enforcement agencies around the world. Theres also a Taser 7CQ for civilians. More recently, Axon has been offering an upgraded Taser 10.

 The Taser 7 has two replaceable cartridges that can shoot two small probes up to 25 feet, delivering a jolt of thousands of volts of electricity when they hit a body. Thats usually enough to knock people down and render them helpless.

 Instead of firing the probes, a user can switch the Taser 7 into drive-stun mode. An electrical arc will spark across the front of the weapon, which must be forcefully pushed into the person you want to stun.

Thats what the prison guards at Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex did, according to an internal investigation. They used drive-stun mode to shock inmates who flunked their monthly drug test, in exchange for not reporting the test results.

Three guards were fired and convicted of misdemeanor assault or official misconduct. A fourth guard was suspended for 30 days. The warden has announced his retirement.

 The Taser 7 has an internal memory that stores data from each time its used. An Axon engineer, working with Department of Corrections investigators, used that internal memory to reconstruct the Tasering incidents last year at Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex, which exposed the guards false denials, investigators said.
(Bloomberg) -- Sign up for the India Edition newsletter by Menaka Doshi  an insider's guide to the emerging economic powerhouse, and the billionaires and businesses behind its rise, delivered weekly.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Indias election is past the halfway mark, with campaigning between the main political parties heating up just like the soaring temperatures across the country.

Thousands of candidates across national and regional parties, as well as independent hopefuls, are seeking the attention of nearly a billion eligible voters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is seeking to extend his decade in office by another five years  has been criticized by the opposition for his aggressive and polarizing speeches. Challenger Rahul Gandhi of the Indian National Congress, which is in alliance with more than 20 parties, is attempting to stop Modis juggernaut.

The once-in-five-year festival of democracy in the worlds most populous nation has actors, sport stars and millionaires battling it out alongside the career politicians.

Of the 543 seats in the parliament, here are some of the most keenly watched contests:

Amethi, Wayanad

The suspense over senior Indian National Congress leader Rahul Gandhis choice of a second constituency has ended, finally. And its not Amethi, the family bastion hed previously won in three elections before losing to Smriti Irani of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in 2019. The small town in Indias most populous state Uttar Pradesh had long been a Gandhi family stronghold, with Rahuls parents and an uncle also previously voted to power there.

Gandhi will instead contest from Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh state, as well as in Wayanad, a district in the picturesque southern state of Kerala, which he won the last time. Indian politicians sometimes contest from more than one constituency, hoping to win at least one to ensure a seat in parliament.

From Amethi, the Congress has fielded Kishori Lal Sharma, a Gandhi family confidant who has been with the party for decades.

The BJPs Irani, who routed Gandhi in his pocket-borough in 2019, is contesting once again. The city will vote on May 20, in the fifth of the seven-phase election, in whats expected to be one of the most-watched contests.

For the top stories on Indias election, click here. To subscribe to Bloombergs daily election digest delivered straight to your inbox, click here.

Raebareli

Sonia Gandhi, the former president of the Congress party, whos won the last five elections from Raebareli, decided to stay out of the fray this time. The constituency, about 60 kilometers (37.282 miles) west of Amethi, has long been dominated by the Gandhi family, with her late mother-in-law and former prime minister Indira Gandhi winning the seat thrice.

Her son Rahul would be hoping to retain the family borough. His sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was rumored to make her electoral debut from the city, wont be contesting elections.

Standing against him is BJPs Dinesh Pratap Singh who lost against Sonia Gandhi in 2019. The constituency will vote on May 20.

Ladakh

The postcard-perfect region, home to snow-capped Himalayan peaks and serene lakes, has occasionally witnessed bloody clashes between Indian and Chinese troops along a long, disputed border. The BJP is trying to score a hat-trick of wins here, even as it battles rising local angst.

Part of the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir, broken into two federally-controlled territories after Modis government scrapped its autonomy in 2019, Ladakh is demanding statehood. Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has rallied people to press for it and is seeking action to protect the fragile ecology of the strategically crucial region, nestled between Tibet and Pakistan. The BJP has picked a new candidate, dropping 2019 winner Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, who is in open rebellion against the party.

Thiruvananthapuram

The capital city of southern state of Kerala  known for its pristine beaches, backwaters and the traditional medical practice of Ayurveda  is witnessing a nail-biting three-cornered fight. Congress Shashi Tharoor, a former minister and under-secretary-general of the United Nations, is vying for a fourth straight term. The BJP has fielded junior technology minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar hoping to unsettle Tharoor and win a seat in a state that has traditionally shown little interest in the partys right-wing politics.

Coimbatore

Nicknamed the Manchester of South India, this industrial city in Tamil Nadu is among the most closely-watched parliamentary contests, and crucial to Modis ambitions of expanding his partys presence in the southern states. Desperate to win a few seats, the BJP has fielded former police officer K. Annamalai against strong challengers from regional parties. Annamalai, whos campaigned close to 10,000 km on foot, has garnered popularity in the recent months. Modi, the BJPs star campaigner, has visited the state six times this year to bolster the partys chances.

Krishnanagar

A quaint little town, north of West Bengals capital Kolkata, is the epicenter of one of the most intense political battles in the ongoing national elections. The BJP has left no stone unturned to win a majority of the states seats. Standing in their way is firebrand regional leader Mamata Banerjee. Her partys candidate from the constituency is former JPMorgan Chase & Co. banker Mahua Moitra, a fierce and vocal critic of Modi and his party. Moitra was expelled from parliament last year on allegations of unethical conduct. The BJP has fielded Amrita Roy, a member of the towns erstwhile royal family. The constituency is famous for its globally-acclaimed clay models.

Baramati

The parliamentary constituency, located about 250 kms east of Mumbai, is considered the family bastion of wily politician Sharad Pawar  a king-maker who holds considerable sway in one of the countrys most industrialized states, Maharashtra. His daughter Supriya Sule is seeking a fourth straight term from the seat. The contest, this time, is expected to be a tough one. Pawars nephew Ajit Pawar is pitting his wife Sunetra Ajit Pawar against Sule. Ajit had split his uncles party to side with the BJP  and was made a deputy chief minister in the state government. Since then, both Ajit and Sunetras names have been cleared by the countrys investigative agencies in cases related to multi billion-rupee scams.

Barmer

A young, independent candidate is making waves in the desert town of Barmer in the western state of Rajasthan. The BJP won the constituency in the last two elections. The district of Barmer shares a long border with neighboring Pakistan, and is considered one of the hottest places in the country. Summer temperatures regularly hit 40C (104F). Ravindra Singh Bhati, a 26-year-old student leader who sprung a surprise by winning in last years Rajasthan assembly elections, is raising the heat further and is set to give the BJP and the Congress a run for their money.

--With assistance from Santosh Kumar.

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Key Kurdish politician gets 42 years in jail over 2014 Turkish riots

A Turkish court on Thursday sentenced Selahattin Demirtas, a jailed key Kurdish politician, to 42 years in jail over his alleged role in violent protests in 2014, local media reported.

Demirtas, former co-chair of the now-defunct pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), has been in pre-trial detention since 2016. He was a challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the 2018 elections.

Another jailed ex-HDP co-chair, Figen Yuksekdag, was handed just over 30 years in jail on charges of harming the unity of Turkish state and terror propaganda, among others, state news agency Anadolu reported.

Demirtas and 107 other defendants, including ex-HDP lawmakers, have been on trial since mid-2021 for their alleged ties to 2014 riots linked to the conflict in neighbouring Syria.

Government critics protested the case as being politically motivated.

Amid a court case on shutting down the party, the HDP recently rebranded itself as the DEM.

The court in the capital Ankara sentenced Demirtas to 20 years for "aiding to destroy the unity of the state and integrity of the country," Anadolu said.

Demirtas received another 22 years in jail for a total of 47 charges, among them inciting crime.

Twenty-two defendants, including south-eastern city Mardin Mayor Ahmet Turk, received varying jail sentences of between nine to more than 22 years, according to DEM.

Twelve defendants were acquitted and the court separated the cases of 72 people in absentia, according to Anadolu.

The defendants will appeal the decision, lawyer Ramazan Demir told dpa over the phone.

On Thursday, lawyers walked out in protest of the panel at Sincan courthouse while DEM lawmakers protested during a parliamentary session.

DEM Party co-chair Tulay Hatimogullar rejected the verdict as "fascism" and an attempt to "erase" Kurdish democrats from the political landscape, in remarks to reporters in Ankara.

Prosecutors had accused the defendants of inciting people to join the 2014 demonstrations, in which 37 people were killed, according to an indictment cited by Anadolu.

The protests were triggered when the Islamic State extremists laid siege to Kobane, a Kurdish enclave in northern Syria, along the border with Turkey. The demonstrators had demanded Turkey help Syrian Kurdish militia defeat the Islamic State.

Erdogan's government accuses the DEM - a legal political party - as well as the Syrian Kurdish fighters of having ties to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which many countries, including Turkey and the United States, have designated as terrorist group. It is categorized as such also by the European Union.

In 2020, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Ankara must release Demirtas, saying his rights were violated.
Key Kurdish politician gets 42 years in jail over 2014 Turkish riots

A Turkish court on Thursday sentenced Selahattin Demirtas, a jailed key Kurdish politician, to 42 years in jail over his alleged role in violent protests in 2014, local media reported.

Demirtas, former co-chair of the now-defunct pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), has been in pre-trial detention since 2016. He was a challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the 2018 elections.

Another jailed ex-HDP co-chair, Figen Yuksekdag, was handed just over 30 years in jail on charges of harming the unity of Turkish state and terror propaganda, among others, state news agency Anadolu reported.

Demirtas and 107 other defendants, including ex-HDP lawmakers, have been on trial since mid-2021 for their alleged ties to 2014 riots linked to the conflict in neighbouring Syria.

Government critics protested the case as being politically motivated.

Amid a court case on shutting down the party, the HDP recently rebranded itself as the DEM.

The court in the capital Ankara sentenced Demirtas to 20 years for "aiding to destroy the unity of the state and integrity of the country," Anadolu said.

Demirtas received another 22 years in jail for a total of 47 charges, among them inciting crime.

Twenty-two defendants, including south-eastern city Mardin Mayor Ahmet Turk, received varying jail sentences of between nine to more than 22 years, according to DEM.

Twelve defendants were acquitted and the court separated the cases of 72 people in absentia, according to Anadolu.

The defendants will appeal the decision, lawyer Ramazan Demir told dpa over the phone.
The First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, has admitted that she is extremely upset by the life of her children because of the realities of Russia's war against Ukraine. Armed aggression and the almost complete lack of communication with their father have greatly affected their worldview.

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As the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Yleisradio in an interview, her daughter Oleksandra, 19, has no plans for the future, and her son Kyrylo, 11, is interested in the military.

"My daughter's daily activities are related to her studies, but she has no plans for the future. It's sad for me as a mother," Zelenska said and added about her son: "He knows all the types of missiles that Russia is launching at us. He can also calculate their speed. I would like my son to be interested in music, art, sports, and not dream of serving in the army or aviation."

The first lady spends more time with her children than the busy Volodymyr Zelensky and is at home more often. Although the family tries to lead a more or less peaceful life, air raids are a constant reminder of the terrible present.

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"When I help my son with his homework or take care of our pets. But when the air raid siren goes off, we come back to reality. In the morning, I get the kids ready for school and we continue to live, but the pressure of war is always there. Life is not normal," Zelenska said.

Still, sometimes the family can get together for a few hours. As the first lady said earlier, the children see their father "about once a week" or even less.

Currently, daughter Oleksandra is studying at the university to become a lawyer, just like her father did in his younger years, and son Kyrylo is at school.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!

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Two sailors had a whale of a time over the weekendbut only in the technical sense.

The duo was rescued on Sunday after a group of orcas sunk their sailing yacht near the Strait of Gibraltar, The New York Times reported on Tuesday. The seafarers were out on the 50-foot Alboran Cognac when the whales started slamming the hull, eventually causing a leak and damaging the rudder. An oil tanker was able to evacuate the sailors to Gibraltar before the boat eventually sank.

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The incident is the fifth such sinking in recent years in the area off North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, the Times noted. And while the sailing yacht was the first vessel to sink this year, its just the latest in a string of similar events that has captivated sailors, marine biologists, and the public at large. Last summer, for example, three orcas attacked a yacht during an international race in the Strait of Gibraltar.

This was a scary moment, the skipper Jelmer van Beek said at the time. Three orcas came straight at us and started hitting the rudders. Impressive to see the orcas, beautiful animals, but also a dangerous moment for us as a team.

A ship that sank after an orca attack last year

While that attack didnt result in the sinking of the ship, another sailing yacht sank near the Tanger Med port in November, The New York Times wrote. The crew of that ship had to abandon the boat after a group of orcas slammed into the rudder for a whole 45 minutes. (The whales have seemingly been targeting sailboats in particular.)

Researchers dont know for sure why the whales have been attacking boats, but they think it may be one of the ways the orcas play, the Times saida pretty dangerous form of amusement, albeit. Others have theorized that its a short-term fad among the animals, or that one orca experienced a traumatic event that made it aggressive and other whales began to mimic that behavior. The incidents have become so common in recent years that sailors trade advice online about how to maneuver in the Strait of Gibraltar area, and the Spanish government issued a release that included tips for sailors.

According to that same release, orcas are more likely to show up near the Strait of Gibraltar and the Gulf of Cadiz from April to August, so were just heading into the busy season when it comes to whale spottings. While ideally that doesnt mean more orca attacks as well, sailors in those waters would do well to keep their eyes peeled for the black-and-white beasts.

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Record numbers of knife offenders are avoiding prison as judges deliver fewer custodial sentences because of the overcrowding crisis.

Fewer than one in four knife offenders (24.7 per cent) were sent to prison in the latest quarter of September to December last year, the lowest on record.

It was down from 28 per cent in the previous quarter amid fears that jails in England and Wales could run out of space. It compares to a record 42.9 per cent in the second quarter of 2020.

The proportion of repeat knife offenders sent to jail also fell to a record low of 51.6 per cent in the quarter September to December despite a law that tells courts perpetrators should be immediately imprisoned. That compares to a high of 71.7 per cent in the second quarter of 2020.

It comes as knife crime has risen nationally by 7.2 per cent to nearly 50,000 offences, close to the past record high in 2019 of 51,200, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). In London, which accounts for more than a third of all knife crime in England and Wales, it hit a record high of more than 14,500 offences last year.

There are fewer than 300 spaces left in mens prisons, which have an operational capacity of just over 84,000 despite measures introduced by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to tackle overcrowding.

The MoJ data suggest courts are increasingly opting for suspended sentences, which enables offenders to avoid jail but with the prospect of being sent to prison if they breach the terms of their licence.

The shift follows an edict last year from Lord Justice Edis, the senior presiding judge of England and Wales, advising courts to jail fewer people because of the prison overcrowding crisis.

The Court of Appeal judge said courts should have an awareness of the impact of current prison population levels as he quashed a mans six-month jail term and replaced it with a suspended sentence.

Among those to have benefited is Jordon Axtell, 21, who avoided jail as a result of overcrowding after he was convicted of possession of a bladed article and supplying heroin and crack cocaine.

Judge Ian Pringle KC, imposed a suspended two year jail sentence after saying he had borne in mind the recent judgement by Lord Justice Edis in giving his own.

Rory Geoghegan, the former Downing Street adviser and founder of the Public Safety Foundation, warned that softer sentences would only make knife crime worse.

Those carrying or thinking about carrying weapons need to know they face prison when caught. The failure to ensure sufficient prison places will already be making our streets less safe, said Mr Geoghegan, who previously served as a police officer.

Rick Muir, the director of the independent Police Foundation think tank, said: There have been a few examples of judges explaining not imposing a custodial sentence because of the lack of space in prisons, which (whatever one thinks about the wider merits of a sentence) is a terrible position for the country to be in and points to the need for action to be taken to reduce prison overcrowding.

The prison overcrowding crisis has forced Alex Chalk, the Justice Secretary, to introduce emergency measures, known as Operation Early Dawn, which means criminal suspects awaiting bail hearings are being held in police cells for days until prison places become available.

The operation has been activated ahead of the extension next week of the prisoner early release scheme which will, from May 23, allow offenders to be freed up to 70 days before their scheduled date for being freed.

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Scene from the South Carolina House of Representatives chamber on Tuesday, March 29, 2022. (Travis Bell/STATEHOUSE CAROLINA/Special to the SC Daily Gazette)

There are now a dozen Republicans backed by a billionaire-funded conservative network to win or get re-elected to the Statehouse.

This year is the first that Americans for Prosperity, the political advocacy group founded in 2004 by libertarian billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, has endorsed candidates in the Palmetto State Legislature. Since the first endorsements were announced in April, the group has announced seven more, including three Wednesday.

They include Sen. Tom Davis, chairman of the Senates business committee, and five incumbent Republicans in the House: Reps. Cal Forrest, Randy Ligon, Brandon Newton, Carla Schuessler and Fawn Pedalino. Two of those  Davis and Pedalino  dont have a GOP opponent in June.

Just one of the endorsements is a non-incumbent: Blake Sanders, the mayor of West Pelzer, is in a three-way primary for an open House seat.

South Carolina needs more conservative voices in office to empower parents, cut taxes and regulations, and unleash access to health care, Candace Carroll, AFPs state director, said in a statement Wednesday. As the states leading grassroots operation, were putting our weight behind these leaders because we know their values are South Carolina values.

That support already includes door knocking and digital and mailed advertising in most of the districts with an endorsed candidate, according to an AFP spokesperson Wednesday.

AFP rates lawmakers annually on the organizations policy priorities, which included last years repeal of the regulatory Certificate of Need permission process that hospitals need to build or expand, occupational licensing reform and open enrollment for public schools.

The organization is also advocates for legislation providing taxpayer-funded scholarships for private K-12 tuition. The Legislature approved the first such scholarship program last year. A proposal greatly expanding the fledging, limited program to so-called universal private school choice passed the House but went nowhere in the Senate.

Incumbents facing a primary challenge

 For District 39, covering most of Saluda and part of Lexington counties: Rep. Cal Forrest, R-Monetta, first elected in 2016, faces a primary challenge from Katie Hall of Saluda. The endorsement praised Forrest for his work on the certificate of need repeal and on private school choice.

 For District 43, covering most of Chester and part of York counties: Rep. Randy Ligon, R-Chester, first elected in 2018, faces Elias Irizarry of Rock Hill in the GOP primary. The Citadel cadet was sentenced last year to 14 days in jail for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. The endorsement highlighted Ligons work on the K-12 private scholarships and professional licensing reform.

 For District 45, covering much of Kershaw and Lancaster counties: Rep. Brandon Newton, R-Lancaster, first elected in 2016, is being challenged by former Rep. Vic Dabney of Camden. Dabney was elected to a different district in 2020 before the post-census redrawing of lines and was ousted in the 2022 primaries. The endorsement highlighted Newtons work on school choice and certificate of need repeal.

 For District 61, covering a portion of Horry County: Rep. Carla Schuessler, R-Myrtle Beach. Schuessler is a freshman running for a second term. She is being challenged by two Republicans: Retired high school teacher Shannon Grady and businessman Patrick Herrmann, both of Myrtle Beach. AFP highlighted her work on vouchers.

Incumbents not facing a primary challenge

Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, represents parts of Beaufort and Jasper counties. First elected to the Senate in 2008, he is chairman of the Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee. He received a better-than-perfect score of 106 on AFPs 2023 legislative report card because he was the lead sponsor of some of the legislation they were watching. He will face a Democrat in November but does not have any Republican opposition.

Rep. Fawn Pedalino, R-Turbeville, represents District 64 covering all of Clarendon County and part of Sumter County. The freshman is seeking a second term in a seat she flipped red two years ago. Her Republican primary opponent withdrew from the race. She will face the winner of a two-way Democratic primary. AFP in the endorsement praised her support for the voucher program.

Non-incumbent endorsement

Blake Sanders, a landscape architect and mayor of West Pelzer, is running for the Anderson County seat currently held by retiring Rep. Anne Thayer of Belton.

He is facing attorney James Galyean and Rick Bradshaw, a longtime member of the Anderson District 5 School Board. Galyean and Bradshaw both live in Anderson. In the endorsement, AFP said that Sanders supports lowering taxes and increasing parental control in education.

Past endorsements

The first endorsements in April included Sen. Katrina Shealy, Rep. Jason Elliott who is seeking an open Senate seat, and Sarah Curran who is running to replace the departing House Freedom Caucus Chairman Adam Morgan. They also included House Speaker Murrell Smith, who has no opponent whatsoever, and Sen. Wes Climer, who has a third-party challenger.

The post Koch-backed group announces more Statehouse endorsements appeared first on SC Daily Gazette.
Kris Warner not in position to say if 2020 election was stolen in other states

Kris Warner, the executive director of the West Virginia Economic Development Authority, won the Republican primary for Secretary of State on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. (Courtesy photo)

West Virginias outgoing Secretary of State Mac Warner has said that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump. His brother, Kris Warner, who won the Republican nomination for the seat Tuesday night, says hes not in a position to know.

Kris Warner said the race was not stolen in West Virginia, where Mac Warner was responsible for overseeing the election process.

The one thing that we know and that is a given is that the election was not stolen in West Virginia, Kris Warner said when asked about the 2020 election Tuesday night. Mac has a unique set of experiences that he brings to the table that I wouldnt ever step forward and say that I know more about whats happened in other states.

I guess what Im saying is that Im not in a position to talk about what has happened in other states, Kris Warner said.

Kris Warner, the executive director of the West Virginia Economic Development Authority, won the Republican primary, pulling in 46% of the votes over former Democrat Del. Doug Skaffs 21%.

So the term stolen, I guess thats whats being debated, Kris Warner said. But I dont think that Im qualified at this point to talk about whats happened in other states and whether the election was stolen or not.

Amid Trumps repeated claims of election fraud, his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress was meeting to certify the election results.

An Associated Press review of the potential cases of voter fraud in the six battleground states disputed by Trump in the 2020 election found fewer than 475, a number that would not have made a difference in the outcome.

Mac Warner, who lost the Republican gubernatorial primary nomination to Attorney General Patrick Morrisey on Tuesday, said during a debate last year that the 2020 election was stolen by the CIA. Mac Warner also reportedly participated in a rally for Trump after the 2020 election, holding up a Stop the Steal sign.

Reached Thursday, South Charleston attorney Thornton Cooper, a Democrat who will be Warners opponent in the November general election, said President Joe Biden won the 2020 election fair and square. Cooper said Warners presence in the race was one of the reasons he decided to run.

You had one Warner [who] was an election denier, and his brother was running to take his place, Cooper said.

Editors note: This story has been updated to include comments from Thornton Cooper.

The post Kris Warner not in position to say if 2020 election was stolen in other states appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) doubled down on claims Thursday that drug cartels are operating in the state with connections to Native American tribes, after multiple tribes in the state banned her from their lands over the comments.

Noem said in a NewsNation interview that she has evidence of cartel activity in the state and will present the evidence to the public Friday.

They are definitely have set up operations in South Dakota. Weve seen the Bandidos there, MS-13 is there, she said. Theyve recruited members from the tribes.

The governor previously claimed that tribal leaders benefited from cartel activity. Those comments caused five South Dakota tribes to ban Noem from their lands. A leadership board of a sixth recommended she be banned in a vote Friday.

She blamed the criminal activity on the Biden administration and called on the tribal governments to step up their efforts against gang violence.

These are some of my poorest communities, and they want safe communities. They want their children to be safe, she said. They dont want to have the type of violence happening outside their doors.

I have no jurisdiction there because Im a governor, she continued. If theyre a sovereign nation, the federal government has to step in and the tribal leaders have to step in.

Relations between the governor and the tribes have been strained since she took office in 2019. Some of the tribes have accused Noem, who has been floated as a potential vice presidential pick for former President Trump, of making decisions to boost Trumps campaign efforts.

Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe spokesperson Alli Moran told The Hill last month that several tribes share the same sentiments regarding Noem, specifically that she does not respect or fully understand tribal sovereignty.

Noem has repeatedly doubled down on the comments since being banned from the tribal lands, calling on tribes to back her law enforcement initiatives in a post shared on social media last week.

Tribals leaders should take action to ban the cartels from their lands and accept my offer to help them restore law and order to their communities while protecting their sovereignty, Noem wrote last week. We can only do this through partnerships because the Biden Administration is failing to do their job.

Thursdays comments came while Noem was on a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas. Noem ordered the states national guard to the border earlier this year to assist Texass efforts toward border security.

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Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder and assault. Reader discretion is advised.

Kristin Smart was a freshman at the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo and was reported missing on May 28, 1996. She disappeared after she was last seen at approximately 2 a.m. on May 25, 1996, when she was walking back to her dorm room from an off-campus party. Paul Flores, a student who accompanied her said that he dropped her off one block away from her dorm before he headed to his own. However, Kristin never returned to her dorm room or ever contacted any friends or family after that, according to FBI records.

After a month of her disappearance, helicopters were used to thoroughly search the campus. Authorities allegedly made sure all remote parts of it were covered. Reminders to turn in assignments and her personal belongings were among the only things found in her room. Cadaver dogs were sent to search Paul Flores room, the New York Times reported.

A couple of days after Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores went to the Arroyo Grande Police Department owing to an outstanding DUI warning. In a mug shot that was taken there, Flores was seen to have a black eye. He offered three inconsistent stories regarding how he was hurt. According to CBS News, women at Cal Poly reportedly nicknamed Paul, Chester the Molester, as he was known to have groped many girls on campus.

In October 1996, Mary Lassiter was renting Paul Flores mothers house in Arroyo Grande. She found a single earring that reportedly matched Kristin Smarts necklace which she was wearing on one of the missing posters. However, the earring was turned in to a detective and was allegedly lost before it could be considered evidence.

Who was convicted of killing Kristin Smart?

In March 2021, the backyard of the home was searched in a series of searches that had been happening for a decade. This time, authorities found biological evidence that led to the arrest of Paul Flores. He was charged with murder, and his father Ruben Flores was charged with being an accessory to the crime.

Paul Flores who was the last person to see Kristin Smart was convicted of first-degree murder of Smart on October 18, 2022. The verdict was announced 26 years after Smart disappeared. Prosecutors argued that Flores killed Kristin during an attempted rape in his dorm room. Both of them were first-year students at the time. Flores was 45 years old when he was found guilty. He was sentenced in 2023, to 25 years to life in prison, CBS News reported.

Pauls father Ruben Flores was found not guilty of being an accessory to the murder. He was initially accused of helping his son conceal the crime. Authorities accused him of helping Paul bury Kristin Smart behind his home in the Arroyo Grande community. They also alleged that he then removed the remains and moved them to a different location. Ruben Flores was 81 years old at the time of his acquittal.

Kristin Smarts remains have never been found. In January 2024, NBC News reported that Smarts family is suing California University. They accused the institution of negligence, wrongful death, and negligent infliction of emotional distress. The family also alleges that complaints about Paul Flores harassing, threatening, and stalking behavior that were brought to the universitys notice before Kristins disappearance were not thoroughly investigated.

The post Kristin Smart: When Did the California College Student Disappear? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
TOPEKA (KSNT)  The Kansas Board of Education (KBOE) met at the Brown v. Board of Education historic site on Wednesday.

The meeting was followed by a ceremony, honoring the 70th anniversary of the case. State and local school leaders say it was a great opportunity to connect with this long history.

Local library creates new space for Topeka teens

This is how we pay homage to that original event 70 years ago, TPS Board President Keith Tatum said. Education is also a way that we show love in public, and being able to take our childrens side and give them the resources and the support that they need.

There are several events surrounding the anniversary, which is Friday, May 17.

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.

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Though the slate of prospective Democratic rivals has grown two years after Republican U. S. Rep. Andy Barr handily won re-election, political strategists are doubtful theres enough candidate heft  or fundraising  to unseat the incumbent.

Five Democrats, including a social worker, an IT manager, and a nurseryman, are running in the primary for Kentuckys U.S. 6th Congressional District against Barr, who took office in 2013 and is seeking his seventh term.

The candidate pool ahead of the May 21 primary is more diverse this year than in 2022, when the litigious perennial candidate Geoff Young, who won the bid but never the partys official support, lost to Barr, capturing only 35% of the vote. Young also lost to Barr in the 2020 GOP primary. He is not running in this election.

But each campaign is grassroots, and fundraising has been lukewarm. Of the three candidates whove filed campaign finance reports, theyve collectively raised just over $101,000, according to the Federal Election Commission filing period that ended May 1.

Shauna Rudd, a social worker from Breathitt County who now lives in Lexington, has raised the most, at roughly $54,000, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

Todd Kelly, a local business owner who opened Kelly Nursery off Leestown Road in 1998, has raised just over $45,000.

And Randy Cravens, an IT manager who won the endorsement of his party as write-in candidate against Barr in 2022  he earned nearly 9,000 votes  has raised just over $2,500.

Don Pratt, a longtime Lexington social and political activist, and Jonathan Richardson, a social justice advocate, have not filed FEC reports.

Youve got to have resources in this day and age in politics, said political strategist Jared Smith. Im talking tens of thousands of dollars, being on TV, having paid canvassers. You have to run ads. You have to run a professional campaign.

Smith said he doesnt see Barr as particularly vulnerable this campaign cycle.

If anybody was going to beat him, it probably wouldve been Amy McGrath. And if he can survive that one, unless you get a top-tier candidate with state-level name recognition, he said, those are the kind of people that could give Andy Barr a run for his money.

I am not a politician

After Young ran a campaign in 2022 that largely hinged on a pro-Russia, pro-China stance on foreign policy, the leading Democratic contender  at least as far as fundraising goes  has also cited dissatisfaction with aspects of U.S. foreign policy as her impetus for running.

Though the main pillar of Rudds campaign is wealth inequality, she said in a Jan. 7 TikTok, she told Renee Shaw last month on Kentucky Tonight that the genocide in Palestine is what spurred her to start contacting Barrs office, even before she decided to pursue that seat herself.

Candidates must hit a $50,000 fundraising bar to appear on KET, and Rudd, the only woman in the race, was the lone candidate to reach that threshold.

Rudd said she called Barrs office repeatedly after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel in turn launched military operations in Palestine, but she felt they were disregarding her.

When his people refused to repeat his messages back to me, or when they hung up on me, I started a series on TikTok (about) how to call your representative, she said. If youre not going to listen to me or represent me, what Im going to do is run against you for Congress and win.

Shauna Rudd, a social worker and mental health counselor in Central Kentucky, is one of five Democrats competing in the May 21 primary in the 6th Congressional District to unseat GOP Rep. Andy Barr.

Rudd disagrees with the federal governments $95 billion aid package approved last month to assist primarily Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and Palestine  a package Barr voted in favor of  that was held up for months by some in the GOPs far-right flank, including U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky.

Rudd said she doesnt support the package because too few funds  approximately $1 billion in humanitarian aid compared to Israels $26 billion  were earmarked for Palestinians in Gaza.

Shaw asked, If you were asked if you support Hamas and violence against Jews, what would your answer be?

It would be absolutely not, Rudd said. I do not support any form of violence, and anyone who knows me knows that I am in no way antisemitic.

Its really not about who the people are, its about who the genocide is being committed against.

To a group of people at a campaign stop in Georgetown in April, Rudd said her work as a social worker across the district for a decade makes her the most qualified challenger to Barr.

Her job has acquainted her with the intimate struggles of constituents, Rudd said, and shes witnessed firsthand how our American political and social systems are not designed to benefit the regular person.

A political newcomer, Rudd has never sought elected office before; she said in a TikTok that she started her campaign without a campaign manager. While she was putting herself through school earning her Bachelors at Eastern Kentucky University and then a Masters at the University of Kentucky, she worked as a server at Buffalo Wild Wings.

Contrasting herself against Barr, she told the crowd, Im not a lawyer, I have a social work background, repeating a similar refrain she told Shaw: I am a regular person; I am not a politician.

Cravens, similarly, is touting his non-politician, accessible status as a strong suit.

What makes me the most viable candidate is my ability to get out, person to person, in town halls, direct meetings  things that dont require a ton of money to accomplish  to make the case that not only myself, but that all the local and state-level Democrats are out here for the benefit of the vast majority of the constituency, he told the Herald-Leader.

Randy Cravens, a 42 year-old airline information technology worker from Richmond, is running as a write-in candidate in Kentuckys U.S. Representative 6th Congressional District.

Cravens, the only Democrat on the primary ballot who has run in the 6th District before, said what the party has to offer this go around is different.

Weve gone to the ballot box time and time again, and (Barr) has produced little to nothing in the way of tangible benefits to the residents of Central Kentucky, he said. Hes actually participated in the erosion of our personal rights, including our right to privacy and bodily autonomy.

Its a case thats prime to be made, he said.

But one that requires much more fundraising to actually put the message in front of enough of the district.

While Cravens said the failure of McGraths bid shows money does not win elections, its still crucial to giving a political candidate a fighting chance.

Rudd agreed.

We have to raise enough money and campaign well enough to contact every voter we can in the 6th District, and then weve got it, she said. People will only feel represented by me if theyve heard me.

A mirage for Democrats

McGrath in 2018 came the closest to unseating Barr since he was first elected in 2012.

For that race, the former Marine fighter pilot raised a historic $8 million to Barrs $3.5 million, and she lost by 3 percentage points.

Following Barrs narrow victory over McGrath, in 2022, the Republican-controlled Kentucky General Assembly redrew the states congressional district map, notably removing Franklin County, where the oft-Democratic leaning state capital sits.

The redrawn map absorbed Frankfort into the 1st District, which snakes up narrowly through central Kentucky from West Kentucky, where the bulk of the district spans.

The 6th District still comprises Fayette County and Kentuckys second largest city, Lexington, which houses the states largest university system, as well as the more suburban collar counties with smaller university-centered towns, like Richmond and Georgetown.

Suburban, based around a college-heavy town: I think the district fits a profile that, in other parts of the country, Democrats have been competitive and, in some cases, been able to flip, Republican political consultant Tres Watson said.

But the 6th District being winnable to Democrats, at least on paper, is almost a mirage, he said.

To upset Barr, who Watson described as a measured policy wonk, it will take a candidate who either has widespread homegrown clout, or is a moderate Democrat that appeals to progressive constituents in Lexington, and Blue Dog Democrats and conservatives in the districts more rural counties.

Either type would also need deep fundraising pockets and financial support from the national Democratic party, Watson said, and that hasnt happened since 2018.

I think its very tricky, and I dont know if that candidate exists, he said.

6th Congressional District Democratic candidate Amy McGrath spoke as she and former Vice President Joe Biden appeared Friday afternoon at a fish fry held in the Bath County High School gymnasium in Owingsville, Ky. Biden was campaigning for McGrath, who is running against Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Andy Barr.

With the amount of money McGrath raised and the good campaign she ran, the fact that she couldnt knock Barr off, I think thats why youve seen a couple cycles in a row where he has gotten nominal opposition at best.

Barr has likely steadied his appeal among his centrist constituency for refusing to cave to the far-right tilt of some in his party, including some of his GOP colleagues in Kentuckys congressional delegation.

He voted in favor of the bipartisan package to provide aid to Ukraine. And he voted against the GOP-backed measure to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana  an effort spearheaded by Massie, who represents the district to the north of Barrs.

But on issues like abortion rights, Barr has remained unflinching in his conservatism; he holds an A+ grade Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America for his voting record on restricting abortion access; and he praised the Supreme Courts overturning of 50-years of abortion protections in Roe v. Wade.

This is potentially a vulnerability point Democrats could knock Barr, Smith said, since a swath of his 16-county constituency  this includes portions of Anderson and Bath counties  doesnt appear to support this hard line stance.

In 2022, the year Barr handily defeated Young, eight of the 16 total counties in his district voted no on a state GOP proposal that would have changed the Kentucky Constitution to make clear there was no inherently-protected right to abortion.

Margins were thin, in some cases; just 13 yes votes kept Bath County from voting against the measure. But overall, the near even split suggests nuance within the constituency, a position that often is not reflected in Barrs voting history on reproductive rights policies.

Rudd, Kelly and Cravens have knocked Barr on this issue and vowed to restore reproductive rights as primary tenets of their respective campaigns.

But, again, candidate visibility hinges on fundraising, and so far that has been lacking, said Rebecca Blankenship, former Kentucky Democratic Central Executive Committee member and treasurer for the Madison County Democrats.

Theres a lot of heart in some of the candidates, Blankenship said. But theres not either the level of message discipline or the level of organization and fundraising that would be necessary to unseat Congressman Barr.
La Grande man gets 12 years in federal prison for abuse of children he met online

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A La Grande man was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison Wednesday for sexual abuse against two Washington children he had met online.

Court documents state that in early August 2022, Clark County Sheriffs deputies responded to a call reporting two children had been abandoned at a park in Boring, Oregon. The children told the deputies they had met 42-year-old Albert Wayne Johnson on Snapchat and he had sexually abused them both during a trip which took them from Washington through Idaho, then into Oregon.

Bend man found dead after stabbing wife, mother-in-law in family home, police say

The documents further disclose that, during that same trip, Johnson stopped at a motel in Othello, Washington where he abused the children. The abuse then continued for one of the children at a campground near La Grande. When they arrived in Boring, Johnson left the children at a campsite and never came back.

After obtaining surveillance footage from the motel in Othello showing Johnson and the children, officers and deputies from multiple agencies arrested Johnson at his home in La Grande on a parole violation warrant.

Teen accused of shooting at Happy Valley gas station in February

In October 2022, Johnson was charged with coercing and enticing a minor and transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. A month later, a federal grand jury in Portland indicted Johnson on charges of traveling across state lines to engage in a sexual act with a minor, transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and commission of a sex offense by a registered sex offender.

In January, Johnson pled guilty to transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. He was formally sentenced Wednesday to 151 months in federal prison and 10 years supervised release.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
Ukrainian actress Khrystyna Fedorak ("Hutsulka Ksenia", "To Catch Kaidash", "The Carrier") has opened the curtain on her spicy filming experiences. The actress spoke about her experience of working in explicit scenes.

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In an interview with OBOZ.UA, the actress admitted that there are few hot erotic moments in her work, and those that do exist are filmed "as comfortably as possible."

In the series "The Carrier", which focuses on the first weeks of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Khrystyna Fedorak plays a character who finds herself in a love triangle. The film was broadcast simultaneously in Ukraine by eight major European broadcasters. "The Carrier" was made by Ukrainian filmmakers in collaboration with the largest French film studio Gaumont. One of the scenes featuring Khrystyna Fedorak turned out to be quite explicit.

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According to the actress, she agrees to such shootings if certain conditions are met: "It all depends on the material, on the shot, on the partner. And whether the script requires it. Because sometimes, let's be honest, they undress you just to undress you. And sometimes it's necessary, and I'm sympathetic to that. I don't have many explicit scenes. If we take "The Carrier", I think I was lucky because I filmed this episode with Ivan Sharan, and he is my best friend. We've been paired up since our first year at university, and we've worked together in a lot of plays. That's why when we played lovers in "The Carrier", I felt as comfortable as possible."

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"I will have another similar experience in my film "Malevich", and I hope that this film will be released this year," Fedorak continues, "Malevich is played by Vitali Azhnov, and I play his wife Sofiia. And there will be an erotic scene between us as well. But, again, I felt comfortable because Vitalii Azhnov is my great friend, colleague, and partner on the theater stage. He and I could agree on what was comfortable for him and what was comfortable for me (laughs). And thank God, there were no such stories when I was put in an uncomfortable position, demanded something."

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Republican National Committee (RNC) co-Chair Lara Trump said Wednesday evening, without evidence, that debates are always rigged so heavily in President Bidens favor.

Earlier Wednesday, Biden and former President Trump agreed to participate in two presidential debates: the first on CNN on June 27, the second on ABC on Sept. 10.

In an interview on Fox Newss Hannity, Lara Trump said the scales have always been tipped against Donald Trump. But she signaled that the former president  her father-in-law  is prepared to take on his competitor.

And this year more than ever, with all the lawfare, with all weve seen against him  in some crazy way, Sean, theyve actually prepared him for this moment, because hes not afraid of anything they throw his way, Lara Trump told host Sean Hannity, referring to the four criminal indictments Trump is facing.

Its rigged so heavily in Joe Bidens favor, but everything always is, she said, adding, Despite that and even the judicial system at this point, he is beating Joe Biden in every poll out there. Its amazing to see.

She continued, So, if Joe Biden shows up on June 27 and doesnt come up with an excuse like he has to wash his hair or something, I have full confidence that Donald Trump will outperform him.

Recent polling from the New York Times/Siena College/Philadelphia Inquirer shows the former president leading Biden in five of six swing states among registered voters. While the polling has set off alarm bells among some Democrats, others have noted the inconsistency in the presidents performance in the polls.

One Democratic pollster for the Biden campaign, Geoff Garin, told The Hill that the poll results need to be weighed against the 30-plus polls that show Biden up and gaining  which is exactly why drawing broad conclusions about the race based on results from one poll is a mistake.

The reality is that many voters are not paying close attention to the election and have not started making up their minds  a dynamic also reflected in todays poll, Garin continued. These voters will decide this election and only the Biden campaign is doing the work to win them over.

The Hill has reached out to the Biden campaign for a response.

In a head-to-head hypothetical match-up between Trump and Biden, The Hill/Decision Desk HQ national polling average shows the men in a near tie, with Biden leading by 0.3 percentage points, 44.7 percent to 44.4 percent.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
LARUE, Texas (KETK)  Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse said that a man was arrested on Wednesday after he allegedly shot and killed his wife before turning the gun on himself on Saturday.

Former business manager pleads guilty to stealing more than $300,000 from school district

According to Hillhouse, Henderson County deputies responded to a reported murder suicide at 8:56 a.m. on Saturday. Hillhouse said that a man had shot and killed his wife before shooting himself.

Raymond Franklin Wade, 72 of LaRue, has been hospitalized and was placed under arrest on Wednesday after being arraigned by Smith County Justice of the Peace Judge Andy Dunklin.

An autopsy was done on Wades wife Rhondas body on Monday. According to Hillhouse, the two were having marital issues when the shooting happened.

As of Thursday, Wade is still in the hospital and his bond has been set at $1 million.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  A man faces charges for allegedly drugging two sex workers who came to his home after he met them on a dating app, according to documents the 8 News Now Investigators obtained.

Travis Boland faces charges of poisoning or adulterating food, water or medicine; as well as a drug-related charge, records said.

On May 12 around 7:30 a.m., a person called police saying a person had a knife and their friend would not wake up, according to documents. The caller said a woman and that womans cousin were drugged.

Around the same time, another person, later identified as Boland, called police, saying he met two women the night before and that they were not waking up, documents said.

Officers responded to the home in Summerlin, finding the two women unresponsive in a living room, documents said. The officers believed they were given controlled substances that severely intoxicated them, documents said. Officers gave Narcan, the opioid-antidote drug, to both women and paramedics brought them to the hospital.

Inside the home, officers said they located a suspected grow lab as well as a marijuana-like substance and methamphetamine. Police said they also found a dropper with liquid in the homes kitchen.

The person who called 911 told police the trio was on social media attempting to set up prostitution dates when they met Boland, who agreed to pay for them to come to his home, documents said.

After calling the women and not hearing from them, the man became concerned and went to the home, finding Boland at the door, documents said. After the women would not wake up, he called police.

Boland told police he met the women on Tinder. After providing them with a canned alcoholic drink, they fell asleep and would not wake up, police said.

Boland denied giving the women any narcotics, police said.

In court on May 13, prosecutors asked for an additional four months to file a criminal complaint, likely due to the need for test results to come back. Judge Rebecca Saxe released Boland without setting bail. A status check was scheduled for Sept. 10. An attorney for Boland was not listed.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Las Vegas man accused of pushing girlfriend out of moving SUV, crashing into police vehicle with children in car

LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  A Las Vegas man is accused of pushing his girlfriend out of a moving vehicle and later crashing into a parked Metro patrol vehicle while having two children in the backseat and under the influence, according to an arrest report.

Kyle Banks, 38, of Las Vegas faces charges of child abuse, DUI, and battery domestic violence, records showed.

Kyle Banks,38. accused of pushing girlfriend out of moving SUV (LVMPD/KLAS)

On May 13 around 11:30 p.m., Metro police responded to the area of Petal Avenue and Twilight Street near Flamingo Road and Boulder Highway after a report of a possible domestic disturbance.

The person who called 911 was screaming in pain, and said she didnt know where she was. The woman told dispatch that her boyfriend, later identified as Banks, had pushed her out of a moving vehicle, police said.

Witnesses told police that while they were driving they saw a Ford Expedition driving in the middle of the road when a man kicked a woman out of the vehicles driver side door. The woman then began screaming for help yelling, He took my kids, before walking to the sidewalk and lying down, the report said.

When officers arrived, they found the victim partially in the road with her 7-year-old daughter. She was taken to a local hospital to be treated for her injuries.

One of the people who was in the car told police that she was in the backseat of the car with her two infant brothers when the victim was driving and Banks was in the passengers seat. While the victim was driving, she and Banks got into an argument during which Banks yelled that he was going to punch her in the jaw multiple times, police said.

The victim told police that Banks becomes aggressive when he drinks and said he was telling her to pull over to let him drive the vehicle home. At one point during the argument, Banks put his hands around the victims throat, according to the report.

Banks then grabbed the wheel and began to push on the gas. He then pushed the victim out of the drivers side door, causing her to hold onto the door and be dragged by the vehicle. She then fell out of the vehicle and onto her stomach in the road. Banks got into the drivers seat and continued to drive before stopping to let the witness out of the car to run back to the victim, police said.

Once she was out of the vehicle, Banks drove away with the two children still in the backseat, according to police.

While officers were investigating the scene of the incident, a Metro patrol vehicle was parked at the corner of Twilight Street and Petal Avenue when officers saw Banks driving northbound toward the patrol vehicle while screeching his tires, the report said.

Officers commanded Banks to stop the vehicle however, he failed to stop and drove directly into the patrol car. Police took Banks into custody, during which officers noticed that he had bloodshot eyes, slurred and rapid speech, and smelled heavily of alcohol. Officers also found a half-empty bottle of Seagrams gin in the back seat directly behind the drivers seat, according to the report.

After police took Banks into custody, they noticed that the two children were still in the back seat of the vehicle in their car seats, police said.

Banks is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, records showed.

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Las Vegas' Mirage Resort to close after 34-year run. Volcano to go dormant

General views of The Mirage hotel and casino on April 15 in Las Vegas. (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images)

Once hailed as Las Vegas first 21 Century resort, The Mirage Hotel & Casino confirmed Wednesday that its iconic volcano outside of its front entrance is going dormant less than a quarter of a century into the new millennium.

Owner Hard Rock International announced the hotel will cease operations on July 17, with bookings being accepted until July 14. The iconic resort  sporting a jungle-fantasy theme was perhaps best known for its exploding 54-foot man-made volcano, magicians Siegfried and Roy, and its white tigers and dolphins.

"We'd like to thank the Las Vegas community and team members for warmly welcoming Hard Rock after enjoying 34 years at The Mirage," said Jim Allen, Chairman of Hard Rock International in a statement.

The resort is expected to be redeveloped into the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Guitar Hotel Las Vegas, with the volcano giving way to a nearly 700-foot guitar-shaped hotel. The project is expected to open in spring 2027. A similar 638-room hotel stands in Hollywood, Fla .

The Associated Press reported that more than 3,000 employees will be laid off. Hard Rock acknowledged it would pay roughly $80 million in severance packages for union and nonunion labor.

Read more: The Tropicana, one of Las Vegas' oldest casinos, will cash out its chips in April

The Culinary and Bartenders Union accounts for about 1,700 Mirage workers. It announced Wednesday that its workers have two options.

The first was a severance package of $2,000 for every year of service plus six months of pension and health benefits. The second option gives employees a lesser, undisclosed amount while maintaining seniority rights for the duration of the propertys closure along with 36 months of recall rights for jobs at the new hotel.

"Culinary Union members at The Mirage have a strong union contract, ensuring that workers are protected, even as the property closes its doors entirely for three years from July 2024 - May 2027, said Ted Pappageorge, Culinary Union secretary-treasurer, in a statement Wednesday .

The new hotel is projected to employ nearly 7,000 employees, according to Hard Rock management, while 2,500 construction jobs are expected during the rebuilding process.

Hard Rock said that all reservations beyond July 14 would be canceled and that guests should contact the guest services department or booking agency for a refund.

The Mirages closure is the second on the strip this year.

In April, the 66-year-old Tropicana closed its doors to make way for a 30,000-seat stadium that is expected to serve as the home of the Oakland As.

Read more: A lonely desert fire station, the only lifeline for millions of Vegas travelers

The Mirages opening by casino tycoon Stephen A. Wynn in 1989 was hailed as the ushering of a new era of resorts. It was the first strip hotel to open since the MGM Grand in 1973.

Wynn shelled out $600 million, then the most expensive casino project, for the sprawling 103-acre property.

The Mirage was the first fully integrated hotel, according to Alan Feldman, a Distinguished Fellow at UNLVs International Gaming Institute.

Integration meant operating and treating all facets of the resort, including casino, food and beverage, retail, entertainment and convention space, with equal importance, according to Feldman, who rose to become an executive with the Mirage and stayed from 1989 to 2019.

Feldman said hotel owners previously cared first about the casino and everything else was last.

They gave away entertainment, food and rooms as long as someone came and played, said Feldman. The Mirage was the first to believe you could actually make money in these areas if you invested enough.

Its glistening 30-story white-and-gold towers were said to make neighboring Caesars Palace look retiring by comparison. Traffic occasionally backed up on the strip as engineers tested gas-flared flames 40 feet into the air every few minutes.

People just got out of the cars and went over to see what was going on, one limousine driver said at the time.

The hotel included a 20,000-gallon fish tank at its reception desk and 3,049 rooms.

Its animals  and its white tiger habitat  brought the resort fame and infamy, including in 2003 when a tiger critically injured magician Roy Horn .

The Mirages opening kicked off a resort building and remodeling spree that included the debut of the Circus Circus Excalibur in June 1990, the $250-million renovation of Caesars Palace and the opening of Treasure Island in 1994 .

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Latest | Israel says it will send more troops to Rafah, as fighting also rages in Gaza's north

A ship is seen off the coast of Gaza near a U.S.-built floating pier that will be used to facilitate aid deliveries, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Israel's defense minister said the military would send more troops into Rafah, a city along Gaza's southern border with Egypt, as fighting also rages in northern Gaza, where Hamas has regrouped.

South Africa is seeking emergency measures at the U.N.'s top court to halt Israels escalating offensive in Rafah, calling the incursion the last step in the destruction of Gaza. Israel has portrayed Rafah as the last Hamas stronghold, brushing off warnings from the United States and other allies that any major operation there would be catastrophic for civilians.

No food has entered the two main border crossings in southern Gaza for more than a week. Some 1.1 million Palestinians are on the brink of starvation, according to the U.N.

Around 600,000 Palestinians have been driven out of Rafah since the beginning of last week, the U.N. said. Some 80% of Gazas population of 2.3 million Palestinians have fled their homes since the start of the war, with many relocating multiple times.

Seven months of war have killed more than 35,000 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to local health officials.

The war began Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people there, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 hostage. Israel says militants still hold around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.

Currently:

 U.S. military says Gaza Strip pier project is completed, and aid will soon flow.

 The top U.N. court is holding hearings on the Israeli militarys incursion into Rafah.

 U.S. House to vote on requiring delivery of bombs to Israel in GOP-led rebuke of Biden policies.

 Netanyahu fends off criticism at home and abroad over his lack of a postwar plan for Gaza.

 Interior Department staffer becomes first Jewish Biden appointee to publicly resign over war.

Follow APs coverage of the war in Gaza at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Here's the latest:

US ORGANIZES FIRST UN MEETING FOCUSING ON HOSTAGES TAKEN DURING OCT. 7 ATTACK

UNITED NATIONS  The United States organized the first U.N. meeting focusing on the more than 240 hostages taken captive during Hamas surprise attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7.

The informal meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Thursday heard from one former hostage and several relatives of hostages still being held in Gaza, and there was unanimous condemnation of hostage-taking by all 15 council members and other speakers.

But Russia, China, Algeria which represents the 22 Arab nations on the council, and other countries also condemned Israels retaliatory attacks in Gaza which have killed over 35,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and destroyed most of the territorys infrastructure.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the meeting in a U.N. conference room that the demand of the United States, its 25 co-sponsors, all Israelis, and many others is simple: bring the hostages who come from 20 countries home.

This is a responsibility that President (Joe) Biden feels, to his core, and hes committed to seeing through, she said. Taking hostages is cowardly  a cowardly tactic designed to instill fear, manipulate governments, and advance nefarious agendas. It violates basic principles of humanity.

Israels U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan said this is the first meeting being held by any U.N. body to focus on their suffering and ways to release them.

In the past 32 weeks since Oct. 7, the Security Council and the U.N. have done practically, practically nothing to secure the release of the hostages, he said. It is heartbreaking and amoral. Our hostages are enduring beatings, torture, and rape.

Russian diplomat Georgiy Barsukov told the meeting his country had unequivocally condemned Hamas hostage-taking in their attack which killed about 1,200 people.

But he asked why the U.S. was focusing on Oct. 7 when there are many indications that genocide is being committed against Palestinians in Gaza  and when the Israelis are defying the overwhelming majority of the international community and launching an operation in Rafah, home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians.

ISRAEL SAYS 2 THAI FARM WORKERS WERE KILLED IN OCT. 7 ATTACK, NOT TAKEN HOSTAGE, AND THEIR BODIES ARE HELD BY HAMAS

JERUSALEM  The Israeli military says two Thai farm workers believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas were killed in the Oct. 7 attack.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the top military spokesman, said Thursday that Sonthaya Oakkharasri and Sudthisak Rinthalak were killed during the initial attack and their remains are being held by Hamas.

The Hotline for Migrants and Asylum Seekers, an Israeli organization, said it had celebrated Oakkharasris 31st birthday on Thursday, believing he was alive.

Farming communities in southern Israel employ a large number of Thai workers, who are drawn to the country by higher wages.

Hagari said 39 Thai citizens were killed during the Oct. 7 attack, which triggered the war in Gaza, and another 31 were kidnapped. Twenty-three were released during a cease-fire in November and six remain in captivity.

Hamas and other militants abducted some 250 people in the Oct. 7 attack. They are still believed to be holding around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 after most of the rest were released during last years cease-fire.

The United States, Egypt and Qatar have spent months trying to broker another cease-fire and hostage release.

Hamas is demanding an end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Israel has rejected those demands, saying it must continue its offensive to dismantle Hamas and prevent future attacks.

UNITED NATIONS SAYS IT DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH FUEL TO DISTRIBUTE AID IN GAZA FROM NEW U.S. PIER

UNITED NATIONS  The United Nations says it doesnt have fuel to deliver humanitarian aid to desperate Palestinians in Gaza, and unless it gets regular deliveries it wont be able to distribute food and other supplies entering by land or a new U.S.-built floating pier.

Fuel imports have, for all practical purposes, stopped, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Thursday.

We desperately need fuel, Haq said. It doesnt matter how the aid comes, whether its by sea or whether by land  without fuel, aid wont get to the people.

Negotiations are still ongoing about the U.N.s involvement in distributing the aid throughout the Gaza Strip, Haq said. He sidestepped a question on whether the U.N. requirement for the neutrality of its operations is still an issue in the negotiations, particularly regarding the participation of the Israeli military. He said the U.N. insists that the neutrality of all its operations must be protected, so we continue to insist on that.

Haq said the safety of U.N. staff must be ensured in handling aid and stressed that community awareness and acceptance is paramount to ensure the safety and security of this operation.

While expressing gratitude to Cyprus and other countries for operating the maritime corridor to Gaza and thanking the United States for creating the floating dock, Haq reiterated the longstanding U.N. position: The delivery of aid by land is the most viable, effective and efficient aid delivery method which is why we need all crossing points open.

To stave off the horrors of famine we must use the fastest and most obvious route to reach the people of Gaza, he said. And for that we need access by land now.

Only small amounts of food are getting into Gaza from crossings in the northern border with Israel, while crossings into the south have been closed for days, Haq said, unsafe to access or not logistically viable.

Without a regular fuel supply, Haq said, everything stops  trucks, hospital operations and their generators, water pumping facilities, desalination plants and sewage pumping.

In the southern city of Rafah, where Israel is conducting an offensive, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees reported Wednesday that about 600,000 had fled the fighting but Haq said its more now. It seems like every day theres tens of thousands, up to 100,000 more per day leaving, he said.

ARAB LEAGUE CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE END TO FIGHTING IN GAZA, AND BLAMES ISRAEL FOR FAILED CEASE-FIRE TALKS

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  The Arab League on Thursday called for an immediate end to fighting in the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and blamed Israeli obstruction for failed negotiations for a cease-fire.

The Arab League issued the statement after a summit in Bahrain drew top leaders.

We stress the need to stop the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip immediately, withdraw the Israeli occupation forces from all areas of the Strip (and) lift the siege imposed on it, the statement said.

The countries also called for the release of hostages and detainees.

The statement blamed Israel for the war continuing.

We strongly condemn Israels obstruction of cease-fire efforts in the Gaza Strip and its continued military escalation by expanding its aggression against the Palestinian city of Rafah, despite international warnings of the disastrous humanitarian consequences, it said.

The group also reiterated a longstanding call for a two-state solution along Israels 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.

The statement called on Palestinian factions to join under the Palestine Liberation Organization, which it said was the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.

The Arab League is a 22-member organization founded in 1945 to promote regional cooperation and resolve disputes. However, it is widely seen as toothless and has long struggled to help solve conflicts in the Mideast.

SOUTH AFRICA SAYS GAZA IS BEING WIPED OFF THE MAP AND ASKS U.N. COURT TO HALT ISRAEL'S INVASION OF RAFAH

THE HAGUE  South Africa told the United Nations top court on Thursday the situation in Gaza has reached a new and horrific stage as it sought emergency measures to halt Israels military operation in the enclaves southern city of Rafah.

It was the third time the International Court of Justice held hearings on the conflict in Gaza since South Africa filed proceedings at The Hague-based court in December accusing Israel of genocide.

Seven months ago South Africa could not have imagined that Gaza would be largely wiped off the map, the countrys ambassador to the Netherlands, Vusimuzi Madonsela, told the panel of 15 international judges Thursday.

During hearings earlier this year, Israel strongly denied committing genocide in Gaza, saying it does all it can to spare civilians and is only targeting Hamas militants. Israel says Rafah is the last stronghold of the militant group.

South Africa argues that the military operation has far surpassed justified self-defense. Israels actions in Rafah are part of the end game. This is the last step in the destruction of Gaza, lawyer Vaughan Lowe said.

According to the latest request, the previous preliminary orders by The Hague-based court were not sufficient to address a brutal military attack on the sole remaining refuge for the people of Gaza. Israel will be allowed to answer the accusations on Friday.

In January, judges ordered Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza, but the panel stopped short of ordering an end to the military offensive that has laid waste to the Palestinian enclave. In a second order in March, the court said Israel must take measures to improve the humanitarian situation.

EGYPT'S PRESIDENT ACCUSES ISRAEL OF UNDERMINING CEASE-FIRE TALKS

CAIRO  Egypts president has accused Israel of undermining talks aimed at a cease-fire in Gaza.

Addressing an Arab League summit in Bahrain on Thursday, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said Israel continues to engage in evasive actions to shirk its responsibilities and in devious maneuvering around efforts to achieve a cease-fire.

He said that by seizing the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt last week, Israel aimed to solidify its siege on the Gaza Strip.

Egypt was the first Arab country to make peace with Israel and the two countries have long cooperated on security.

But Egyptian officials have expressed mounting frustration since the start of the war in Gaza and tensions soared after the Rafah operation.

Egypt has warned that any major Israeli operation in Rafah could endanger the decades-old peace treaty, widely seen as a cornerstone of stability in the Middle East.

Egypt is also one of the main mediators between Israel and Hamas. The last round of talks aimed at a cease-fire and the release of Hamas-held hostages ended last week without a breakthrough.

PAPAL ENVOY TO HOLY LAND VISITS NORTHERN GAZA IN SUPPORT OF CHRISTIAN MINORITY

JERUSALEM  The papal envoy to the Holy Land is visiting the Gaza Strip on a mission aimed at supporting the territorys small Christian community.

The Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem says Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa entered Gaza on Thursday and visited the Holy Family Church in Gaza City.

It says he and a small delegation met the suffering population to encourage them and to deliver a message of hope, solidarity, and support. He also presided over Mass at the church.

It was not immediately clear how he entered Gaza and the patriarchate declined to comment.

The church is in northern Gaza, which was the first target of Israels offensive and has been largely isolated by Israeli troops for months. Heavy fighting has erupted in areas adjacent to Gaza City in recent days.

Gaza, with a population of 2.3 million, is home to a small community of some 1,300 Palestinian Christians

HEZBOLLAH SAYS IT USED MISSILE-CARRYING DRONE TO STRIKE ISRAELI MILITARY POST

BEIRUT  Lebanons Hezbollah militant group says it has attacked an Israeli military post in the northern town of Metula using a drone that fired two missiles at its target. Three Israeli soldiers were wounded, the military said.

Thursdays strike was the first time that Hezbollah said it used drones that fire missiles since the fighting broke out seven months ago. Previously, they have used on explosive drones.

The Israeli military said later that an explosive drone crossed from Lebanese territory into northern Israel and exploded in the area of Metula, adding that the attack is under review.

As a result of the explosion, an Israeli military said a soldier was severely wounded and two additional soldiers were lightly injured. The soldiers were evacuated to the hospital for medical treatment and their families have been notified, the army said.

Hezbollah said in a statement that the drone flew to a designated point and then fired two S-5 missiles toward military vehicles and troops who were standing nearby, leaving them dead or wounded. The statement said the drone then moved toward the target and exploded inside the base, scoring a direct hit.

Hezbollah has been escalating its attacks on northern Israel in recent weeks, mainly after Israels military attacked the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip last week capturing the main border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

Hezbollah officials have vowed not to stop fighting along Israels northern border until the offensive on the Gaza Strip stops.

PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT CRITICIZES HAMAS FOR OCT. 7 ATTACK

RAMALLAH, West Bank  Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas criticized Hamas Oct. 7 attack on Israel, saying it gave Israel more pretexts to attack Gaza. The Western-backed leader of the Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, stopped short of condemning the attack.

In a speech at an Arab League summit in Bahrain on Thursday, Abbas said: The military operation carried out by Hamas on that day provided Israel with more pretexts to attack Gaza, resulting in further killing, destruction, and displacement.

He also reiterated his longstanding condemnation of any attack targeting civilians.

Abbas secular Fatah movement is the political rival of Hamas, which drove his forces out of Gaza when it seized power in the territory in 2007.

Hamas launched a surprise attack out of Gaza on Oct. 7 that overwhelmed Israels defenses and allowed thousands of militants to cross into southern Israel. They killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 hostages.

Israel launched a military onslaught in response that has killed over 35,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in Gaza. The air, land and sea offensive has caused vast destruction and driven most of the population from their homes.

ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS MORE TROOPS WILL HEAD TO RAFAH

JERUSALEM  Israels defense minister says more troops will be sent into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where the military says it has destroyed Hamas tunnels and killed dozens of militants.

Israel began what it said was a limited operation in Rafah last week after the United States and other allies pressed it not to launch a full-scale invasion.

But even the limited operation has sparked an exodus of 600,000 Palestinians from the city, according to the United Nations. Before the incursion, more than a million Palestinians who had fled fighting in other areas were sheltering in Rafah.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, visiting the area on Wednesday, said this operation will continue as additional forces will enter. He said we are wearing Hamas down, more than seven months into the war triggered by the militant groups Oct. 7 attack.

Even as Israeli troops have pushed into parts of Rafah, Hamas has regrouped in other areas of Gaza that were heavily bombed earlier in the war, and which the military said it had cleared.

The United States has warned Israel not to launch a wide-scale offensive in Rafah because of the toll it would take on civilians. President Joe Biden has said the U.S. wont provide offensive weapons for such an operation.

HEZBOLLAH FIRES ROCKETS INTO ISRAEL AS TIT-FOR-TAT COMBAT ESCALATES

JERUSALEM  The Hezbollah militant group said it fired dozens of rockets from Lebanon into Israel on Thursday, the latest in tit-for-tat combat between the sides that has escalated over the last week.

The group said it fired 60 rockets at three military posts in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights in retaliation for earlier Israeli airstrikes.

Israels military said it responded to what it said were some 40 rockets launched Thursday by striking Hezbollah military posts.

Hezbollah has increased the amount of rockets it has been firing into Israel in recent days and on Wednesday it reportedly struck its deepest target in Israel since the start of the fighting in October. Israeli media reported that an Israeli air force target was struck by a drone, a report the military declined to comment on.

Hezbollah has been escalating the situation in the north, said military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani. Theyve been firing more and more.

Israel has also been striking deep inside Lebanon.

The fighting began shortly after Israel launched its war against Hamas following the militant groups attack on southern Israel.

ISRAELI MILITARY SAYS IT KILLED 100 MILITANTS SINCE THE START OF RAFAH OFFENSIVE LAST WEEK

JERUSALEM  Israels military said Thursday its forces have killed 100 militants since it launched an invasion into the southernmost Gaza city of Rafah last week.

Military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani told reporters Thursday that Israeli forces found militant tunnel shafts underneath and in the vicinity of the Rafah crossing near the border with Egypt. Israeli forces seized the crossing at the start of the operation in Rafah.

We are continuing to operate in the Rafah crossing, said Shoshani.

Israel says it is operating in Rafah to destroy remaining Hamas battalions there and to rescue Israeli hostages. Israels plans for Rafah have raised international alarm because the city had provided shelter to more than a million Palestinians. While the current operation does not appear to be a full-scale invasion, it has sent 600,000 people fleeing the city since the offensive began last week, according to the United Nations.

An Israeli strike overnight hit a residential home in central Rafah, killing four men, including a 65-year-old man and his 22-year-old son, according to records from Kuwaiti hospital.

Another strike, in the southern city of Khan Younis, killed five children, said Dr. Ammar Ghanem, a visiting doctor from the U.S. stationed at the European Hospital where the bodies were taken. One of the five, a girl, was brought to the hospital with internal bleeding after surviving the initial strike on Thursday, Ghanem said, but she died while getting a CT scan.

Shoshani said forces were also operating in the northern Gaza areas of Jabaliya and Zeitoun where fierce fighting continued with militants. The spike in fighting suggests that Hamas is regrouping in areas the Israeli military said it had asserted control over months ago. Rocket fire toward Israel has also increased in recent days.

The Health Ministry in Gaza said Thursday that the bodies of 39 Palestinians had been brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours, raising the overall death toll since the start of the war to 35,272. The ministrys count does not distinguish between militants and noncombatants killed. Israel says it has killed roughly 12,000 militants, without providing evidence.

GERMANY BANS PRO-PALESTINIAN GROUP

BERLIN  German authorities say they have banned a group that showed solidarity with Palestinian resistance in all forms and raided properties linked to it.

The interior ministry in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germanys most populous, said it had banned the Palestine Solidarity Duisburg group on Thursday. It accused the group of spreading antisemitic narratives.

The ministry said police searched four properties in the city of Duisburg linked to the group on Thursday.

The regions top security official, state Interior Minister Herbert Reul, said the move sends the right signal and added in a statement that in many cases nothing other than hatred for Jews is hidden behind solidarity with Palestine, as in the case of the organization banned today.

In November, Germanys federal government implemented a formal ban on activity by or in support of Hamas and dissolved Samidoun, a group that was behind a celebration in Berlin of Hamas attack on Israel.

3 PALESTINIANS KILLED BY ISRAELI FORCES IN WEST BANK

JERUSALEM  The Palestinian Health Ministry said Thursday that Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in the northern West Bank.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Ramallah-based ministry said that the three men, all younger than 30, were killed by Israeli fire overnight in the flashpoint city of Tulkarem, though the circumstances of the shootings were uncertain.

Since Oct. 7, violence has flared in the occupied territory, with stepped-up Israeli raids into Palestinian cities and towns often turning deadly. The shootings pushed the Palestinian death toll in the territory since the beginning of the war in Gaza to just over 500.

Also overnight, Israeli police said they shot and killed a man who attempted to stab an officer in east Jerusalem. Police said the officers opened fire as the man charged at them with a knife, killing him. The officers were not wounded and the identity of the attacker was not immediately clear.

Palestinians and rights groups say Israel uses excessive force to subdue suspected attackers. Israel says its forces face complex and often life-threatening situations that demand a response.

In other violence, the Israeli military said Thursday a noncommissioned officer was moderately wounded in a stabbing attack in the West Bank. The army later said it had arrested a suspect in the attack.

Attacks by Palestinians have also been on the rise since the war against Hamas broke out on Oct. 7.

U.S. FINISHES PIER TO FERRY HUMANITARIAN AID TO GAZA

WASHINGTON  The U.S. military finished installing a floating pier for the Gaza Strip on Thursday.

Officials said they are poised to begin ferrying badly needed humanitarian aid into the enclave besieged over seven months of intense fighting in the Israel-Hamas war.

The final, overnight construction sets up a complicated delivery process more than two months after President Joe Biden ordered it to help Palestinians facing starvation as food and other supplies fail to make it in.

Israel recently seized the key Rafah border crossing in its push on that southern city on the Egyptian border, complicating those shipments. U.S. troops anchored the pier at 7:40 a.m. local time Thursday. Thats according to the militarys Central Command, which stressed none of its forces entered the Gaza Strip.

ISRAELI FORCES KILL 3 PALESTINIANS IN WEST BANK

JERUSALEM  The Palestinian Health Ministry said Thursday that Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in the northern West Bank.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Ramallah-based ministry said that the three men, all younger than 30, were killed by Israeli fire overnight in the flashpoint city of Tulkarem, though the circumstances of the shootings were uncertain.

Since Oct. 7, violence has flared in the occupied territory, with stepped-up Israeli raids into Palestinian cities and towns often turning deadly. The shootings pushed the Palestinian death toll in the territory since the beginning of the war in Gaza to just over 500.

Also overnight, Israeli police said they shot and killed a man who attempted to stab an officer in east Jerusalem. Police said the officers opened fire as the man charged at them with a knife, killing him. The officers were not wounded and the identity of the attacker was immediately unclear.

Palestinians and rights groups say Israel uses excessive force in attempting to subdue suspected attackers. Israel says its forces face complex and often life-threatening situations that demand a response.

Attacks by Palestinians have been on the rise since the war against Hamas broke out on Oct. 7.

5 ISRAELI SOLDIERS KILLED IN GAZA, REPORTEDLY BY FRIENDLY FIRE

TEL AVIV, Israel  The Israeli military said Thursday that five soldiers have been killed in northern Gaza, which Israeli media said was the result of a friendly fire incident.

The military released the names of those killed, but did not immediately disclose the circumstances of their deaths.

Israeli Army Radio said a tank fired on a building housing the soldiers, killing five and wounding seven.

There have been multiple friendly-fire incidents throughout the 7-month-long war. At least 27 soldiers have been killed in mistaken fire by Israeli forces, according to military figures.

The incident comes as Israel has reinvaded parts of northern Gaza that it previously said it had asserted control over. Heavy battles have taken place with militants in recent days and rocket fire toward Israel has increased, suggesting Hamas is regrouping in those areas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced criticism from Israels top ally, the U.S., as well as at home for not moving toward a postwar vision for Gaza that would replace Hamas with different Palestinian governance.

Along with the fighting in northern Gaza, Israeli troops have also pushed into parts of the southernmost Gaza city of Rafah.

ISRAELI AIRSTRIKES TARGET HEZBOLLAH STRONGHOLD IN LEBANON

BEIRUT -- Israels air force conducted airstrikes that targeted mountains in northeast Lebanon close to the border with Syria. There was no word on casualties.

Al-Manar TV of Lebanons militant Hezbollah group said the airstrikes that occurred around midnight Wednesday struck the hills overlooking the town of Brital. It gave no further details.

The area that was attacked is a Hezbollah stronghold and is a vital route that links the groups positions in eastern Lebanon with Syrias Qalamoun mountains, where Hezbollah also has military presence.

The Israeli military said there were no injuries from the strike.

The Israeli strikes came hours after Hezbollah said it attacked with explosive drones an Israeli military base near the city of Tiberias, their deepest strike in Israel since the two sides began exchanging fire a day after the Israel-Hamas broke out on Oct. 7.
Latino workers face staggering risks on NC construction sites. Why are so many dying?

For many Latino construction workers, work days in the U.S. begin with a simple prayer, Alexis Goldomez says.

People pray to be able to return home, said Goldomez, a framing carpenter who grew up in Honduras and now works in Charlotte.

But in North Carolina, those prayers too often go unanswered.

Latino workers are at a much higher risk of dying on North Carolina construction sites than white and Black workers, a Charlotte Observer investigation has found.

Two numbers tell much of the story. Hispanic employees make up 27% of those who work on North Carolina construction sites, according to the U.S. Census. But they accounted for more than 60% of the construction employees who died on the job, according to the last annual count.

Hard Hat Deaths: Once every 10 days, a NC construction worker dies on the job. Many deaths are preventable.

More needs to be done to protect Hispanic construction workers, said Mauricio Solano, operations director at El Centro Hispano. His group advocates for North Carolinas Hispanic people, 10.5% of this states population.

Too many contractors let workers on construction sites without proper safety training, he said.

The workers must demand safety, he said. This is hard work. The workers need to know what is safe.

Clermont Ripley, Co-Director of the North Carolina Justice Centers Workers Rights Project, said the large number of deaths among Hispanic workers suggests were not valuing the lives of Latino workers the same as others.

When we look at that high percentage, we should be outraged, she said. We should be demanding that something be done about this.

At townhouses under construction near Charlottes University City neighborhood, workers tackle what can be a dangerous job  building the roof. Neither of the workers on the roof is wearing a safety harness.

Afraid to lose their job

Experts and construction workers point to several key reasons for the disparity: Latino workers perform many of the most dangerous jobs and tasks, such as roofing. Those who dont speak English well often dont understand important communications on job sites, and some construction companies dont provide translators at safety meetings, workers told the Charlotte Observer.

Workers whove recently immigrated are often more vulnerable to pressure from supervisors who want potentially dangerous jobs done fast, workers and experts say.

Hard Hat Deaths: Father of three had much of his life before him  then he was buried alive on the job

Theyre willing to go outside the safety lines sometimes because they dont want to lose their jobs, said Ranferi Calvillo, a construction worker and organizer with the Ironworkers Local Union 848, which covers the Carolinas.

Latino workers face higher risks at many job sites, not just construction. From 2009 to 2017, Latino people in North Carolina died on the job at roughly twice the rate of white and Black workers, according to a 2022 study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine,

Companies and regulators owe it to workers to stop that pattern, said Morgan Richey, an author of that study.

These folks are doing dangerous jobs that need to be done, he said. The least we can do is use the tools we have to reduce the amount of carnage.

These people are the backbone of our country.

Waiting for them to come back home

Iris Bonilla, left, lost her son, Jose Bonilla Canaca, in a scaffolding collapse in 2023. Bonilla, her daughter Amy, and her husband Osman Reyes stand with a photo of Jose holding the first fish hed caught. Every day, there is a pain in my heart, Iris said.

While some construction tragedies grab headlines, many Latino construction workers die without news coverage.

Among those who died on the job in North Carolina last year:

 Jose Canaca Bonilla, Gilberto Monico Fernandez and Jesus Chuy Olivares plunged 70 feet to their deaths on the morning of Jan. 2, 2023, when the scaffold they were standing on collapsed. The scaffold, which workers were using to build a residential tower near Charlottes Dilworth neighborhood, was heavily rusted and deteriorated, state labor department officials found.

 Guadalupe Alvarados last moments came on April 27, 2023, while he was working in Union County, about three miles south of Charlottes Outerbelt. He was standing in a wooden box that was being hoisted by a forklift when the box tipped off the forks, state records show. Alvarado, 28, was crushed between the ground and the falling box. Labor officials cited three companies for serious safety violations.

 Ricardo Castillo, 59, died in another fall on June 9, 2023. While working for a framing company, he plummeted from the second floor of a townhouse under construction in Raleigh and suffered a fatal head injury. Inspectors cited his employer for two serious safety violations related to required fall protection and training.

I want there to be more safety so this will never happen again to Latino families, Iris Bonilla, the mother of 26-year-old scaffolding collapse victim Jose Canaca Bonilla, told the Observer after her son died. Because their parents, mothers, sons  theyre waiting for them to come back home.

Iris Bonilla, left and her husband Osman Reyes, right, kneel at a memorial for their son, Jose Bonilla Canaca, and two other men who died when a scaffolding collapsed on a Charlotte construction site on Jan. 2, 2023. A month later, family and friends gathered at Marshall Park for a candlelight vigil in memory of the three men.

Tackling the hard work others avoid

Charlotte construction worker Alejandro Corvera, 21, says he thinks theres a simple reason Latino workers so often die at work. Theyre the ones doing the most dangerous jobs.

Goldomez, the Charlotte framing carpenter, agreed.

Truly, Latinos put ourselves in harms way more often, Goldomez said, speaking in Spanish during an interview at the Southeastern Carpenters Regional Council training center in Charlotte. And we do the most dangerous work in construction.

The numbers support that observation. Consider the people who do roofing, one of the most dangerous jobs in the U.S. In North Carolina, 63% of roofers are Hispanic, according to the latest available Census figures.

OSHA requires construction companies to provide workers with appropriate safety equipment, such as safety glasses and harnesses needed to prevent falls. But some companies dont, construction workers interviewed said.

Latino workers whove recently come to the U.S, may face particularly high risks. Workers unfamiliar with American labor laws may not be provided safety equipment or training. They may also be threatened with termination for reporting injuries, according to Richeys study.

Immigrant workers may also be less likely to decline a hazardous task or report an unsafe work environment, the study says.

Workers at an office tower under construction in uptown Charlotte.

Language barriers may play a role as well, particularly when companies dont help foreign-born workers overcome them. Several Latino construction workers interviewed by The Observer said there are no translators at many of the safety meetings that construction companies hold for their workers.

If theres no translator at the meetings, do they know exactly whats going on? asked Rony Yanes, a longtime plumber who came to the U.S. from Guatemala. I wonder how many people get the full point.

Goldomez said he broke his ankle on a construction site in Tennessee in 2022. No one warned him in Spanish that there was a hole in the floor of the building he was working on, he said.

When you dont understand the language it makes what youre doing very difficult, he said.

Alexis Goldomez, a Charlotte framing carpenter, said that language barriers sometimes make jobs more dangerous for Latino construction workers  particularly when instructions and safety messages arent conveyed in their native languages.

Jacob Garmon, director of safety for Carolinas AGC, a large industry trade group, said that most large contractors have Spanish-speaking employees who are able to get safety information out to Hispanic employees.

State workplace safety officers who inspect job sites arent always able to communicate with non-English speakers. Of the roughly 80 compliance officers who currently work for the states Occupational Safety and Health division, nine are fluent in Spanish, according to Paul Sullivan, the divisions assistant deputy commissioner of the division.

Sullivan noted that many of the divisions job postings have the following language: The ability to speak and understand Spanish is an asset, but not required for the position.

Hed love it if more of their inspectors could speak Spanish, he said.

Solano, the Latino advocate, would too.

The Latino people often dont have a voice in these inspections, because the language is a barrier, he said. We have to change this.

Some, including Charlotte workers comp lawyer Vernon Sumwalt, say theres little doubt companies and regulators should do more to protect Latino workers.

They do the hard work other folks are too proud or unwilling to do, Sumwalt said. They deserve 100 percent of our attention when it comes to safety. But when corners are cut and companies move too fast, whos the victim?

Observer multimedia journalist Diamond Vences and La Noticia reporter Yuliana Montiel contributed.

Editors note: If you think your working conditions are unsafe or unhealthy, you can report your concerns to the North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health division by filling out a complaint online or calling the complaint desk at 919-707-7660 or 1-800-NC-LABOR (1-800-625-2267).
Law enforcement detains at least a dozen protesters at University of California, Irvine, as they clear encampment

Police detained at least a dozen pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the University of California, Irvine, as they cleared an encampment in front of a lecture hall on Wednesday.

A group of several hundred protestors entered the UC Irvine campus and began surrounding the schools Physical Sciences Lecture Hall at around 2:30 p.m., the university said in an emergency update. The university put out a mutual aid call to local law enforcement and received assistance from the Irvine Police Department and Orange County Sheriffs Department, it said.

The protesters moved in a coordinated fashion  out of the encampment to the Physical Sciences Lecture Hall, where a small group barricaded themselves in, supported by a large group of community members who had gathered for a scheduled rally, said Chancellor Howard Gillman in a statement after the police action.

What a sad day for our university. Im brokenhearted, Gillman said. After weeks when the encampers assured our community that they were committed to maintaining a peaceful and nondisruptive encampment, it was terrible to see that they would dramatically alter the situation in a way that was a direct assault on the rights of other students and the university mission.

Authorities cleared what looked like at least half of student protesters at the encampment, aerial footage from CNN affiliate KABC showed. At least a dozen people were seen being detained in the video. Law enforcement used zip ties to restrain protesters and escorted them away from the encampment toward a parking lot.

Its unclear exactly how many people were detained during the incident. CNN has reached out to the Irvine Police Department, the Orange County Sheriffs Department and UC Irvine to confirm the number of protesters who were detained.

Law enforcement started breaking up the encampment at the university shortly after 5:10 p.m. Wednesday, aerials show. The aerial footage shows a large cluster of police officers surrounding the group of tents outside the hall as they face a line of several protesters, and a number of protesters can be seen getting detained.

Protesters seemingly attempted to reestablish a barrier taken down earlier by law enforcement by piling wood panels and tents on top of one another. Live pictures from KABC show law enforcement dismantling these structures.

A sign on the building behind the encampment says UC Divest from genocide and another under it appears to say drop suspensions defend students. A large sign hung next to those on the building reads Alex Odeh Hall, seemingly referencing the Palestinian activist who served as the West Coast regional director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

The majority of the protesters have dispersed from their encampment, but a small group of people remained scattered in a grassy area nearby, footage from KABC and KCAL show.

Protest activity continues in the Physical Science Quad and Aldrich Park areas, the university said. Please avoid the area until further notice.

Classes were canceled for the remainder of the day Wednesday and the university urged people to stay away from campus, according to the emergency update. The university initially asked anyone in the area to shelter in place, but later said they should leave the area.

Classes will be held remotely Thursday, the university said in an emergency update.

Police detain a pro-Palestinian demonstrator as they clear an encampment after protesters surrounded the Physical Sciences Lecture Hall at the University of California, Irvine, Wednesday. - Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images

Divestment negotiations were ongoing

Pro-Palestinian protesters had established an encampment on the campus on April 29. That day, the university called in local law enforcement officials to assist campus police with the protest.

Days later, Gillman said in a statement to the campus community that the university would continue to negotiate with pro-Palestinian demonstrators on campus over issues of divestment. Student protesters opposing Israels military action in Gaza have largely demanded their universities sell investments in companies with financial ties to Israel.

The university presented a proposal to student leaders and received a counterproposal in early May. Gillman expressed concerns over some of the requests included in the counterproposal, according to the statement.

The counterproposal calls for ending numerous external partnerships that support our students through scholarships and facilitate long-standing research collaborations, Gillman said. It also demands an end to a wide-range of academic and research collaborations with Israeli organizations and individuals. This would violate fundamental principles of academic freedom and would require us to discriminate based on a persons nationality, which goes against our commitment to anti-discrimination and our principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

In the statement, Gillman also thanked student protesters for ensuring that their encampment remains peaceful and minimally disruptive of university activities.

As long as this remains the situation, there is no cause to involve law enforcement, except as needed to help ensure the safety of the protestors and others in the area, he said at the time.

In his Wednesday statement, Gillman said UC Irvine along with most other UC campuses, received the latest demands from the protesters earlier that day.

The demands attempted to dictate that anyone who disagreed with them must conform to their opinions, Gillman said.

But my concern now is not the unreasonableness of their demands. It is their decision to transform a manageable situation that did not have to involve police into a situation that required a different response, Gillman said in the statement.

Irvine Mayor says protests are not a threat

In response to UC Irvines law enforcement presence, Irvine Mayor Farrah N. Khan said protesters dont threaten campus security and shouldnt be met with violence.

Its a shame that peaceful free speech protests are always responded to with violence. Taking space on campus or in a building is not a threat to anyone, Khan said in a post on X Wednesday. UCI leadership must do everything they can to avoid creating a violent scenario here. These are your students w/ zero weapons.

The United Auto Workers 4811, which represents 48,000 University of California academic workers, has authorized a strike if circumstances justify, citing numerous, egregious unfair labor practices committed during on-campus protests. Specifically, the union mentioned the handling of protests on April 30 and May 1 at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The union said in a press release that 19,780 teaching assistants, readers, tutors, student researchers, postdocs and academic researchers at all eleven campuses of the University of California participated in a strike authorization vote, resulting in 79% of participating members voting to authorize the executive board to call a strike if its justified.

During such a strike, not all represented workers are called to go on strike at the same time. Certain campuses may be called to go out on strike at certain times, the union added.

At the heart of this is our right to free speech and peaceful protest, said Rafael Jaime, a graduate worker in the English department and president of UAW 4811. If members of the academic community are maced and beaten down for peacefully demonstrating on this issue, our ability to speak up on all issues is threatened.

On Friday, the unions executive board will evaluate and announce whether or not they will call on the first campus or campuses to strike, the UAW 4811 posted on X.

CNNs Elizabeth Joseph and Melissa Alonso contributed to this report.

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Bags of heroin, some laced with fentanyl, are displayed before a press conference regarding a major drug bust, at the office of the New York Attorney General, September 23, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

In Utah, fentanyl is now the most seized narcotic, responsible for at least 50% of fatal overdoses and at a cost of only about $2 or $3 per pill.

Thats according to Utah Department of Public Safety officials, who on Wednesday briefed lawmakers on a number of crime-related issues including the threat of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that has fueled overdose deaths around the country.

For years, methamphetamine was the most commonly seized drug in Utah  that changed with the rise of opioids, and heroin eclipsing all drugs in 2022. Now, in the last year, fentanyl is by far the drug most frequently tested by the state drug lab, said Bill Newell, coordinator for the Utah Crime Gun Intelligence Center, which is under the Utah Department of Public Safety.

Meth had been king for years, king in terms of the amount being submitted to the lab for testing. Well, now fentanyl is solidly in first place. And thats a problem, Newell told lawmakers during a Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee meeting.

The prevalence of fentanyl in Utah has drastically driven down prices, said Tanner Jensen, director of the Department of Public Safetys Statewide Information and Analysis Center. In 2018, data from the department suggested the average price of a single M-30 fentanyl pill  a counterfeit pill designed to imitate oxycodone  was around $25 to $30.

By 2020, the cost of a single dose dropped below $20; in 2021, one pill was around $10; in 2022, the department says the pills were between $3 to $5. Last year, the street price hovered around $2, Jensen said on Wednesday.

Theres a lot of product out there that theyre trying to push, so thats why the price is down. Its a good indication that theres a lot of this type of drug on the street, Jensen said.



As of Wednesday, the State Bureau of Investigations narcotics task force, which is one of 20 narcotics task forces around Utah, had seized as many fentanyl pills in 2024 as they did in all of 2023, Jensen said.

Not only are they seizing a higher volume, but the fentanyl that officers are finding is increasingly potent. State data shows that in 2020, 4 in 10 fentanyl pills contained a lethal dosage, which is about 2 milligrams for a healthy adult with zero tolerance for opioids.

Now, Newell said 7 in 10 pills tested by the state lab contain a lethal dose, with that number likely to rise.

In Utah, stronger fentanyl is likely leading to more overdose deaths. Though the data is still preliminary, the Department of Public Safety said fentanyl was involved in 50% of all fatal overdoses in 2023. Thats a troubling trend for the state, considering just 8% of overdose deaths in 2018 were fentanyl related, increasing to 33% in 2022.

Both Newell and Jensen pointed to criminal groups based in Mexico, which have pivoted in recent years from trafficking heroin, cocaine and marijuana, to fentanyl.

Mother Nature plays no part, and its just a matter of getting the precursor chemicals and producing it, Newell said.

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The US space agency plans to build the "first lunar rail system" using robots. The Flexible Levitation on Track (FLOAT) concept is one of many projects approved by NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program.

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If deployed, it will, according to NASA, provide "reliable, autonomous, and efficient payload transportation on the Moon." The project is currently delayed, Interesting Engineering writes.

The delays are partly due to setbacks in the development of SpaceX's modified Starship lunar lander.

When the U.S. space agency eventually lands humans on the moon, it is expected to be the beginning of a new era for space exploration. NASA aims to establish a permanent human presence on the satellite, as well as a "lunar economy". This base will serve as a stepping stone for further human exploration of our solar system, starting with Mars.

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"A durable robotic transportation system will be critical to the day-to-day operations of a sustainable lunar base in the 2030s, as envisioned in NASA's Lunar to Mars plan and mission concepts such as Robotic Lunar Surface Operations 2 (RLSO2)," Ethan Schaller, a robotic engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), explained in a statement.

According to NASA, the FLOAT system uses magnetic robots without power to fly over a 3-layer flexible film track. The system includes a layer of graphite that allows the robots to passively "float" using diamond levitation. A layer of flexible circuitry generates electromagnetic traction to propel the robots along the track, and an additional layer of thin-film solar panels generates energy.

Importantly, FLOAT robots have no moving parts, they hover above the track. In fact, the track will do all the work, and the robots are just trolleys for transporting cargo. According to NASA, this helps keep them from wearing out due to lunar dust, "unlike lunar robots with wheels, legs, or tracks."

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Building a lunar future

The FLOAT system may be a key lunar infrastructure, but it will not provide high-speed transportation. The robots will move at a speed of approximately 1.61 km/h. They will be able to move about 90 tons of lunar regolith every day.

Of course, there are many obstacles to overcome before the FLOAT system becomes a reality. The concept, which won the 2024 NIAC Phase II award, could compete with others, such as DARPA's railroad concept for the LunA-10 project.

NASA must also first establish a presence on the Moon. NASA's Artemis III mission is currently scheduled to send astronauts to the lunar surface by 2026 or 2027. This will be the first crew landing on the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!

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A Muslim prayer leader who made inflammatory comments about Jews and Israel is facing intense backlash from Jewish lawmakers who want the state of Florida to revoke his dental license and strip public funding for a school owned and operated by his mosque in North Miami.

The comments made last month by Dr. Fadi Kablawi  an imam at Masjid As Sunnah An Nabawiyyah  have been referred to three state agencies, including state police, Gov. Ron DeSantis office confirmed on Wednesday.

Kablawi, who has a history of making controversial statements, says the pressure campaign against him is an abuse of power and that he intends to legally challenge any action the state takes against him.

We will not be intimidated and we are ready to take this all the way to the Supreme Court, Kablawi told the Miami Herald on Wednesday.

The firestorm stems from remarks Kablawi made at a religious ceremony in late April that included him saying Israeli soldiers were worse than Nazis. Video of Kablawis comments, made in Arabic, were posted online by the Middle East Media Research Institute, which included a translation that quoted Kablawi saying that he prayed to annihilate Jews. Critics say that the nonprofit organization, which monitors media in the Middle East, has a pro-Israel slant.

Other, less incendiary translations of Kablawis comments are possible. But, relying on the MEMRI translation, which has been highlighting Kablawis comments for years, Jewish lawmakers have called Kablawis remarks unacceptable and have called on the Florida Board of Dentistry to revoke his license to practice, arguing that his extreme remarks could pose a threat to patients.

His practice is located in Northeast Miami-Dade, which is home to a large Jewish population.

I assume he has Jewish patients given where he practices, state Rep. Michael Gottlieb, D-Davie, said in an interview. How can anybody have any confidence that he is going to provide quality medical services when he is calling for the annihilation of Jews and essentially calling for a genocide?

The Florida Board of Dentistry has been asked to consider suspending Kablawis license to practice. The board did not respond to requests for comment and it is unclear whether they are formally investigating the issue.

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Politics & Policy in the Sunshine State

The power of government

The complaints against Kablawi, which began with calls for him to lose his dental license, quickly ratcheted up to include Reviver Academy, the school owned and operated by the mosque. The school is eligible to receive taxpayer-funded vouchers, state records show.

In a letter to Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, state Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, claimed the school had received $500,000 in taxpayer-funded scholarships that currently benefit 74 students.

Fine called on state officials to make the school ineligible for vouchers because of Kablawis remarks during the religious ceremony in late April. In his letter to Diaz, Fine pointed to Kablawis comments to claim the school was educating future terrorists. Fine has been accused of making Islamophobic comments, including calling Palestinians animals. He says both are untrue.

The Florida Department of Education did not respond to requests for comment.

Kablawi, who declined an interview on Wednesday, suggested that politicians calling for the state to punish him and his mosque were crossing a clear line intended to protect free speech.

This is an abuse of power and this country has a law that applies to everyone equally he wrote in a text message, adding that he intends to get attorneys involved.

Gottlieb, however, argued that Kablawis comments should not be constitutionally protected because he believed they were inciting violence.

Can religious speech lead to state reprimands?

The First Amendment gives all individuals residing in the United States the right to express themselves without government interference or regulations. Additionally, the Supreme Court has said that freedom of speech should be completely protected unless it breaks laws already in place.

The Supreme Court has also rejected several government attempts to prohibit or punish hate speech.

True threats  or intentionally threatening someone with death or serious bodily harm  are not protected by the First Amendment, according to Caroline Mala Corbin, professor of law at the University of Miami School of Law.

The speaker has to have a certain state of mind for his threat to be considered a true threat, said Corbin.

But not everything that sounds threatening is a true threat. The court needs to consider three factors for something to be considered a true threat  the harm must be directed at a specific person, the speaker intended to frighten or intimidate the target, and a reasonable person would have to regard a statement as threatening. The context of the speech and the intention of the speaker are very important, Corbin said.

These determinations are very dependent on the specific facts and circumstances, Corbin said. Was it actually threatening a specific person or group of people? What was the intent of the speaker? Would a reasonable person think that this was a threat?

Another crucial distinction that many people forget, said Corbin, is that the free speech clause only limits what the government can do, not private actors.

The free speech clause is meant to limit government censorship, said Corbin. It is not meant to guarantee that your speech is consequence free.

This story has been updated to include state Rep. Randy Fines pushback against accusations that he is Islamophobic.
A batch of wild caught Gulf of Mexico shrimp sits on a sorting table on shrimper Keo Nguyen's boat at a dock east of Lake Borgne prior to bringing it to a seafood market Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. (Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator)

In an effort to protect Louisianas struggling domestic seafood industry, state lawmakers on Wednesday passed sweeping changes to public health codes that will affect thousands of restaurants, food trucks, grocery stores and other establishments across the state. They also include every state agency and school district that serves food.

Senate Bill 166, sponsored by Sen. Patrick Connick, R-Marrero, received final passage with overwhelming bipartisan support from both chambers. It is now headed to the office of Gov. Jeff Landry, who is expected to sign it into law.

The proposal includes a variety of changes to strengthen the states seafood labeling laws with new prohibitions against misleading marketing and new requirements for restaurants and other eateries that serve shrimp and crawfish. The new laws will carry heavier fines for violators and assign new enforcement powers and duties to the Louisiana Department of Health and state Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

An influx of cheap foreign catch, particularly shrimp and crawfish, 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 are threatening the survival of a local industry and unique Cajun culture while also potentially introducing harmful contaminants into the food supply.

A 2020 LSU Agricultural Center study tested a variety of imported shrimp purchased from multiple locations in the Baton Rouge area and detected banned veterinary drugs in more than two-thirds of the samples. Researchers noted the prohibited chemicals can have severe adverse effects on humans.

Connick wrote his bill based on recommendations from the Legislatures Seafood Safety Task Force, which has been studying ways to regulate imported seafood without drawing too much opposition from the restaurant lobby.

Most notable in the bill is a requirement that will apply to all restaurants and establishments that serve unpackaged seafood. A state law adopted in 2019 requires restaurants to indicate on their menus or on a sign if they serve imported shrimp or crawfish, but many restaurants have not complied with it  whether knowingly or unknowingly  and have faced no consequences. The new law will differ in that all food establishments must clearly display the country of origin in a manner that is easily visible to the consumer.

Restaurants will have to say explicitly whether their seafood is from the U.S. or another country. This provision should help limit vague or misleading dish descriptions on menus. Furthermore, proprietors that still choose to serve foreign catch must include a disclaimer that states: Some items served at this establishment may contain imported seafood. Ask for more information.

The state health department will be responsible for enforcing the menu law and can issue fines even if a restaurant has never been previously cited. This is meant to fix a problem under existing statutes that prevented health inspectors from levying fines even after recording more than 2,600 violations since 2019. Health officials will also have to create a mechanism to allow the public to report suspected violations.

A first offense will carry a fine of $200 to $500 or a warning. A second offense will carry a fine of $500 to $1,000. A third offense will carry a fine of $1,000 to $2,000.

Another aspect of the bill applies to any seafood wholesaler or retail food establishment. It prohibits the use of any misleading packaging or marketing that uses Louisiana-related images, phrases, colors or styles for any foreign seafood products that are not produced or caught in Louisiana. Foreign companies can continue to use such marketing if they indicate the seafoods country of origin on the front of the package.

Theyve been selling their shrimp on the back of our culture, Louisiana Shrimp Association President Acy Cooper said in a phone interview.

During an April 24 committee hearing on the bill, Connick displayed enlarged photographs of common seafood products that can be found in almost any Louisiana grocery store. One was a photo of Boudreauxs Brand frozen crawfish tails. Everything about the product suggests its from Louisiana, from its use of a classic Cajun name to the words Wild Caught in large lettering across the label. At the bottom of the label, it lists a Westwego address and a logo in the shape of Louisiana for its distributor, Gulf Marine Products Co.

Connick then displayed a photo of the back of the package and pointed to small lettering that stated: Product of China.

So theyre using our label, our name, our image, our culture, but its Chinese shrimp or its Chinese crawfish, Connick said.

Shrimp laid out on ice displays at grocery stores are often taken out of similar frozen packages that could be from a foreign country. The catch might be advertised as Wild Caught Gulf Shrimp, but it often deliberately fails to specify which gulf it came from. Connicks bill requires a sign on ice displays to specify the country of origin.

The state commissioner of agriculture will be responsible for enforcing the new packaging and marketing statute and will have the authority to levy fines and issue orders shutting down further distribution or sale of the violating products.

Under the marketing law, a first offense will carry a fine up to $15,000, a second offense will carry a fine up to $25,000, and any subsequent offenses will carry fines up to $50,000.

Lastly, the bill will require all local school districts, state agencies and state institutions that serve seafood to use only domestic shrimp and crawfish.

Once enacted, the changes will take effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

Lawmakers are also considering separate legislation that would increase licensing fees for seafood importers and use the revenue to fund more testing.

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"A Sulphur Lives Matter Yall!" sign sits outside a home heavily damaged by a tornado near downtown Sulphur on April 29. A swath of downtown was damaged by a weekend tornado. (Photo by Janelle Stecklein/Oklahoma Voice)

OKLAHOMA CITY  Lawmakers sent two measures to the governor that would provide $45 million in disaster relief for counties impacted by the recent tornadoes.

House Bill 2912 creates a new fund for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management to offer loans to local governments that have been approved for FEMA disaster aid. The loans are designed to help cover costs associated with temporary housing, infrastructure repairs, debris removal and other recovery efforts. Governments could also use the money to help cover the local match needed to receive federal assistance, officials said.

House Bill 2913 provides $30 million in funding to the account as well as another $15 million to a state fund to cover a match the state must contribute to qualify for FEMA aid.

Gov. Kevin Stitt has declared multiple states of emergency since April. Eight counties were approved for federal disaster assistance, including Carter, Hughes, Love, Murray, Okmulgee, Osage, Pontotoc and Washita.

Weekend storms in April dropped at least 34 tornadoes that left four dead and over 100 injured. Earlier this month, a separate tornado hit the town of Barnsdall, about 40 miles north of Tulsa, killing at least one, injuring eight and damaging up to 40 homes.

Sen. Chuck Hall, R-Perry, the measures author, praised the legislation.

Its been heartbreaking to see the extensive tornado damage in communities across the state, Hall said in a statement. These relief funds will immediately give Oklahomans the capital they need to recover and start over while also helping localities unlock hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid.

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Earlier this year, Germany became the world's latest country to pass a clear law that allows transgender people to change their legal gender to reflect their identity based on self-declaration. Several other countries are staggering toward this goal; in some, policies allow self-identification for some documents and not others. But the majority of the world's governments still either disallow changes in legal gender recognition altogether, or have laws that require trans people to undergo medical intervention to access their rights.

Such policy environments fail to benefit transgender people or the government. Instead, it reflects a default to medical authority, perpetuating outdated and discriminatory practices.

Policymakers should recognize and address the harmful consequences of medicalized gender transition procedures. While medical intervention is essential for some individuals, it should not serve as a prerequisite for legal gender change. Laws and procedures should clearly separate legal recognition from medical requirements, ensuring that people can assert their gender identity without undue barriers or intrusions into their privacy and dignity.

Most laws that currently require medical intervention and verifications are decades old. But there is also contemporary creep. The current debates ragingin particular in the UK and the USover trans youth health care demonstrate how fearmongering over the evidence-based interventions trans people want can reinforce harmful pathologizing ideas. In other contexts where legal progress seems promising, the lack of genuine de-pathologization through legal protections has allowed harmful medical norms to creep in and cause problems.

One such setting is Nepal . Following a 2007 Supreme Court order, authorities have been issuing some documents listing gender as "other" or "third gender" for over a decade based on the person's self-declaration. Despite the court order, the lack of a clear central policy, plus confusion and ambiguity around implementing the court's standard of "self-feeling," creates problems. Trans people in Nepal today who want to change their gender markers to "female" or "male" are typically forced to undergo surgery, which requires traveling outside the country, and then in-country medical assessments, including invasive examinations of post-operative genitals. "The government, when confused and under pressure, just defaults to medicalization because it's perceived as neutral and prestigious," a trans woman in Kathmandu told me. "And if a doctor says I'm a woman, then the state can just shrug."

The reliance on regressive medical norms adds unnecessary burdens and risks during crises. In Ukraine , legal gender recognition requires people who wish to change their legal gender to obtain, among other criteria, a diagnosis of "transsexualism" despite the term being removed from international diagnostic manuals years ago. To get the diagnosis, transgender people must undergo a two-year outpatient psychiatric evaluation. However, in 2022, Russia's full-scale invasion led to martial law, under which all men of military age  between 18 and 64  are barred from leaving the country. This posed a range of challenges, though mainly for trans women who were either in the middle of the lengthy medicalized process or who had opted to not undergo the assessments.

They found themselves still legally male and stuck in a war zone. Activist groups, particularly those run by lesbians, became vital sources of support for Ukrainian trans women to cross in and out of Ukraine from neighboring countries freely. They helped them get assessed based on the medical requirements, obtain a diagnosis, and then undergo an often-humiliating confirmation at a Military Medical Commission, which would allow them to cross the border to safety. "The Military Medical Commission is open 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; there is at any time 1,000 or more people there waiting," explained a Ukrainian activist, now working in Slovakia, who helped trans people exit the country. "And then the room where you get checked is very intimidating  military men doubting you and questioning you."

In both Nepal and Ukraine, incomplete legal reforms left behind a murky medicalization of legal gender recognition. Medical intervention for trans people, like all others, should be undertaken based on individual informed consent. None of the medical interventions associated with transitioning should be prerequisites for legal gender change, and laws play an essential role in making this separation clear. Without that clarity, medical requirements are unfairly used as validation tools.

As the cases of Nepal and Ukraine show, de-pathologizing legal processes for trans people is a critical, lifesaving step. It requires sturdy and comprehensive legal protections to prevent medicalized harm from creeping back in.

Kyle Knight is Interim Co-Director of the LGBT Rights Program at Human Rights Watch.

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Lawyer for family of slain US Air Force airman says video and calls show deputy went to wrong home

Trial lawyer Benjamin Crump speaks as the family of slain airman Roger Fortson look on during a news conference describing details of the airman's death, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Stonecrest, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

STONECREST, Ga. (AP)  A lawyer for the family of Roger Fortson said Thursday that police radio traffic and the body camera footage of the Florida sheriffs deputy who killed the Black U.S. Air Force airman reinforce their assertion that the deputy was directed to the wrong apartment while responding to a domestic disturbance call that day.

In police radio traffic that lawyer Ben Crump played at a news conference surrounded by Fortson's family, a dispatcher said all they knew about the disturbance was fourth-party information.

Uh, dont have any further other than a male and female, the dispatcher told officers. Its all fourth-party information from the front desk at the leasing office.

Crump also highlighted two portions of the bodycam video in which the deputy asked the woman leading him around the complex, Which door? The woman responded, Um Im not sure. Seconds later, the woman told the officer that she heard a disturbance two weeks ago, but I wasnt sure where it came from.

Fortson, 23, was shot May 3 by an Okaloosa County sheriffs deputy in the doorway of his apartment. Sheriffs officials say the deputy acted in self-defense while responding to a call of a disturbance in progress at the apartment complex.

Crump and Fortsons family contend that the deputy went to the wrong apartment and the shooting was unjustified. At a May 9 news conference, Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden disputed allegations that the deputy went to the wrong unit, saying hes aware of comments that falsely state our deputy entered the wrong apartment.

Nearly two weeks after the shooting, the sheriff has yet to release an incident report, any 911 records or the officers identity, despite requests for the information under Floridas open records act. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating and the deputy involved has been placed on administrative leave.

At the news conference, Fortson's mother, Meka Fortson, said she doesn't remember her son even killing a spider, and that he didn't deserve to be killed.

Ill walk through the fires to get justice, she said.

Her message to the Sheriff Aden: Youre going to give me justice whether you want to, Sheriff Aden, or not, she said.

A shrine of sorts has sprung up outside Fortson's apartment, where people have left combat boots, bouquets of flowers and an American flag, among other things.

The news conference was held at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in the Atlanta suburb of Stonecrest. It would be followed by a wake in nearby Decatur. Fortsons funeral will be held at New Birth on Friday.

Bodycam video of the confrontation shows the deputy arriving at a Fort Walton Beach apartment building and speaking to a woman outside who described hearing an argument. The deputy then went up an elevator and walked down an outdoor hallway.

The video shows the deputy banging on the door and stepping aside, seemingly out of view of the door. Twice he shouted: Sheriffs office! Open the door!

Fortson, who legally owned a firearm, opened the door and could be seen holding a handgun pointed toward the floor. The deputy shouted, Step back! and then shot Fortson six times. Only afterward did he shout, Drop the gun! Drop the gun!

The deputy then called paramedics on his radio. The case is among many around the country in which Black people have been shot in their homes by law enforcement personnel.

Crump said earlier that Fortson was talking to his girlfriend on FaceTime and that he grabbed his gun because he heard someone outside his apartment. He said the deputy burst into the apartment, citing the account of the girlfriend, whose name hasn't been released.

In a clip from the FaceTime video captured by Fortsons cellphone, the airman can be heard groaning and saying, I cant breathe. A deputy can be heard yelling back at him, Stop moving! The phone is pointed at the ceiling and does not show what is going on in the apartment.

Fortson, a senior airman, was stationed at Hurlburt Field near Fort Walton Beach, Florida. He was a gunner aboard the AC-130J and earned an Air Medal with combat device, which is typically awarded after 20 flights in a combat zone or for conspicuous valor or achievement on a single mission.

Fortson was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron as a special missions aviator, where one of his roles was to load the gunships 30mm and 105mm cannons.

His family has said he doted on his 10-year-old sister and was determined to provide a better life for her and his mother, hoping eventually to buy her a house.

___

Anderson reported from St. Petersburg, Florida.

___

This story was updated to correct that the news conference was Thursday, not Friday.
LEBANON, Tenn. (WKRN)  Lebanon Police have seen a 70% increase in shoplifting between 2022 and 2023. The department is taking an aggressive approach to catch retail thieves in the act.

Communities are not immune to shoplifting. Most of the shoplifting we see are at the chain stores, Walmart, Kroger, Dollar General, said Zach Patton, Public Information Officer for Lebanon Police.

Since the Lebanon Outlet Mall closed its doors, Patton, said thieves are now targeting the big box stores. Half of our shoplifting in the past two years has come from Walmart alone.

Tennessee among worst states in the nation for porch pirates

Lebanon police are taking to social media and asking people to be on the lookout for suspects accused of stealing in their community in plain sight.

Back in November, three individuals were charged with stealing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from Hibbett Sports.

And it turned out they had already been shoplifting in, I believe, Murfreesboro, Clarksville, and theyd already stolen several thousands of dollars worth of merchandise throughout the Middle Tennessee area, Patton said.

When it comes to shoplifting, Patton said the tactics are nothing new. Sometimes we see shoplifters just walking out of the stores. Other times we see shoplifters doing skip scanning where you go through self-checkout and scan an item then put two items in your bag.

One way the department is deterring shoplifters is through a camera trailer that moves throughout the city.

In the past, its been placed on the Lebanon Square where most shops are local.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

And we are able to access that camera 24/7. It has a 360-degree view and blue lights on it. So sometimes the presence of just that trailer alone will deter shoplifters, Patton said.

Its just one deterrent as the Lebanon Police Department saw a 70% increase in shoplifting from 2022 to 2023. In 2022 we had 127; in 2023 we had 216, Patton said.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
The Montrose Health Center in Lee County. (Photo via Google Earth)

A Lee County nursing home owned by a pair of Iowa developers is again facing sanctions for inadequate resident care.

The state of Iowa has proposed a series of fines totaling $44,250 against the Montrose Health Center in Lee County. The home was recently inspected and cited for violations related to: the abuse of residents; significant medication errors; the accuracy of resident assessments; the quality of resident care; the treatment of pressure sores; incontinence care; improper pain management; and inadequate staff training.

The 44-bed, for-profit facility is owned by developer Mark Holtkamp and his partner, Kevin Kidwell, a construction company executive. Holtkamp, Kidwell and the homes administrator, Mallory Orton, could not be reached for comment.

As a result of the violations, the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing has proposed, but held in suspension, a series of state fines totaling $44,250. That amount includes a $10,000 penalty for inadequate nursing services that was tripled to $30,000 due to it being the second time in less than a year that the home was cited for the violation.

Among the problems cited by state inspectors during their most recent visit to the home:

Resident abuse: The home failed to prevent physical altercations and abuse, including multiple instances of one resident hitting another. Inspectors reviewed the records of six residents and found instances of abuse involving three of them. The home has a total of 36 residents.

Quality of care: The home failed to provide the necessary care for a resident with a known history of respiratory failure. The woman had been short of breath for several days and on Jan. 14, 2024, asked to be taken to the hospital. On Jan. 17, the woman was increasingly agitated and showed signs of respiratory distress, telling the staff, There must be something wrong with my oxygen concentrator, Im not getting any air. The next day, she was found unresponsive in a chair, with her head tilted down, no pulse and her lips blue in color. After the staff administered CPR, the woman opened her eyes and gasped for air, eventually becoming stable before being taken to a hospital. According to inspectors, another resident of the home was admitted to a hospital three days after an undocumented fall in the facility. At the hospital, she was diagnosed with a hip fracture.

Pain management: As an inspector watched, a registered nurse cleaned and dressed a serious pressure sore on a womans foot that was draining bright red blood. The woman gasped, screamed, squeezed her eyes shut, and bit her tongue but the staff didnt pause or offer the woman any of her prescribed pain medication, instead advising the woman to think happy thoughts. The director of nursing later told the inspector the symptoms of pain that the inspector observed were acted out for the inspectors benefit and that the symptoms were a character thing.

Nurse quit, citing unsafe staffing levels

Since 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has imposed $75,472 in federal fines against the Montrose facility. CMS, however, has a policy of not disclosing whether nursing homes have actually been paid.

In 2021, an administrative law judge ruled that a Montrose Health Center nurse was justified in quitting her job due to concerns that staffing levels in the home were unlawful and unsafe for residents. That case involved Kristin Pullins, who had worked for the home since 2018 as a full-time registered nurse. In early 2020, the home was purchased by Holtkamp and Kidwell.

According to the findings of an administrative law judge, after the home changed hands, staffing was allegedly cut back to leave one licensed nurse on staff, essentially doubling Pullins workload. Pullins complained about the staffing and was allegedly told by the homes administrator, Go find a job. Youll come crying back in two weeks.

Administrative Law Judge Sean Nelson ruled that although Pullins had voluntarily left her job, she was entitled to unemployment benefits.

A reasonable person would find (Pullins) working conditions intolerable, Nelson wrote in his decision, adding that Pullins credibly described working conditions in which she feared she could not provide adequate care to all the employers residents. (She) also credibly testified to other incidents occurring at the facility that a reasonable employee could find as unlawful and unsafe.

In 2020, the home was cited by the state for placing residents in immediate jeopardy by placing having COVID-free residents share rooms with residents who known to have tested positive for the deadly virus. The home also was alleged to have let workers who were known to be positive for COVID-19 care for residents who had yet to contract the virus.

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Leesburg man sentenced for beating, robbing 97-year-old WWII veteran at his home

A Leesburg man is headed to prison for the 2019 robbery and beating of a 97-year-old World War II veteran at his own front door.

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A Lake County jury convicted 32-year-old Kevin Leeks Tuesday of burglary with a battery. He was sentenced Thursday to life in prison under Floridas Prison Release Reoffender law.

The investigation began back on July 11, 2019, when Lake County deputies responded to a home on County Road 48 in Okahumpka for a report of a home invasion and robbery.

READ: Orange County deputy charged with grand theft, fraud for falsified time sheets

The 97-year-old victim had just gone to a nearby convenience store on his lawn mower to buy groceries.

Upon returning home, the victim went to close his front door but was met by Leeks, armed with a gun.

Investigators said they believed Leeks then struck the victim, knocking him out, as family members later found the veteran unconscious, suffering from head injuries, and missing his wallet.

As part of their investigation, detectives collected a Black and Mild cigarillo tip from the crime scene that appeared to be new.

Investigators also found surveillance video from the convenience store the victim visited, showing him paying for his groceries with several hundred dollars in cash visible in his wallet.

READ: Downtown nightlife operators sound off on new parking measure

Leeks can be seen in the same store buying a Black and mild cigarillo and leaving the store within minutes of the victim.

When confronted with the video, Leeks, who was already in the Lake County jail, admitted it was him in the image but declined to answer questions about the robbery without a lawyer.

Deputies noted that in a call Leeks later made from jail, the person hes talking to can be heard saying, We gotta take advantage of these veterans...

Investigators eventually matched a DNA sample from Leeks with the DNA found on the cigarillo at the crime scene and on the victims pants.

The U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force later arrested Leeks at a hotel in Leesburg.

READ: 2 teens accused of escaping cells, starting fire in Juvenile Detention Center kitchen

The defendants life sentence reflects the severity of his crime and his status as a prison release re-offender, highlighting the justice systems dedication to protecting vulnerable members of our community, Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bill Gladson said in a statement announcing the sentence.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Steve Miller.

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Is it legal to cut down a tree on SLO property? You have to follow these rules, city says

From California sycamores to coast live oaks, trees are part of a leafy legacy in San Luis Obispo.

The citys commitment to its urban forest has been recognized by the Arbor Day Foundations Tree City USA program for 40 years.

The city places a high value on trees and the benefits they provide for our urban and economic environment, including shade, cooling and air quality, said Walter Gault, San Luis Obispo Urban Forestry Program coordinator and city arborist. The code is written so they can be protected or preserved.

What should you do if you want to cut down a tree on private property?

Reddit user dr_beez_e recently asked, My next-door neighbor has a dead tree that is clearly a hazard to either me or their tenants. Ive told them about it multiple times and nothing gets done about it. My question is, where can I report this?

Heres what city law says about dealing with unwanted trees.

Benito Maldonado with Davey Tree works to cut down a dead eucalyptus along Dana Foothill Road in Nipomo to prevent it from falling across the street and into PG&E power lines along the road.

Do I need permission to cut down a tree in SLO?

No person shall cut down, remove or destroy any tree, or cause the cutting down, removal or destruction of any tree on private property, city law says, without first obtaining a tree removal permit.

The city arborist typically issues a permit under these circumstances, according to the city website:

The tree is an imminent hazard to life or property.

The tree is dead, dying, diseased or damaged beyond reclamation.

The trees roots are causing severe damage to public or private property.

The tree is affected by structural defects that will limit its lifespan.

The tree is densely clustered among other trees.

The tree is obstructing vision, access or mobility of public traffic.

Removing the tree would alleviate a maintenance burden for the property owner.

Trees are cleared at the site of the San Luis Ranch housing development in San Luis Obispo in 2019.

According to city code, people living in low- and medium-density residential area dont need a permit to cut down or remove a tree if:

Its a native tree with a trunk less than 10 inches in diameter.

Its a nonnative tree with a trunk less than 20 inches in diameter.

Its a palm with a trunk less than 12 inches in diameter.

The tree is not located within a creek setback area.

The tree is not a designated street tree, and not located within 10 feet of the back of a sidewalk.

Youre not required to plant or keep the tree as a condition of development.

Native trees include big leaf maples, box elders and willows, the city said.

If you live outside of city limits, you may need to get a tree removal permit from the San Luis Obispo County Department of Planning & Building. Rules on tree removal differ depending on whether you live inland or in a coastal area.

Trees are cleared at the site of the new San Luis Ranch housing development in San Luis Obispo.

What about construction?

The city arborist has the authority to approve or deny requests to remove trees to build single-family homes or accessory dwelling units in low- and medium-density residential areas, or improve access for disabled residents.

The same goes for most developments, said Gault, the city arborist.

In the case of particularly large building projects or large amounts of trees, he said, the San Luis Obispo Community Development Department may choose to elevate the decision to the citys Tree Committee, which makes recommendations to the San Luis Obispo City Council and staff on tree policies and regulations.

Generally things pass through me, Gault said. If I make a decision about tree health and hazard, the decision can be appealed through the Tree Committee.

A dead pine is seen on Eton Road in Cambria in 2015. San Luis Obispo residents may need permits to remove trees from their property.

How much does it cost to apply for a tree removal permit?

As of July 2023, it cost $182.37 to apply for tree removal and $140.80 to appeal a tree removal decision, according to the city.

The city of San Luis Obispo removed six large ficus trees from Monterey Street after an arborist found the trees roots would impact plans to build ADA-compliant sidewalks along the street. A Google street view shows two of the removed trees at the intersection of Monterey and Toro streets in January 2021.

Can I make my neighbor remove a tree on private property?

If its a private tree on private property and not impacting a public right of way, its a civil issue neighbors have to work it out themselves, Gault said.

One possible exception might involve a dead tree thats fallen across a creek, he said, since the city manages waterways.

Generally these things are civil matters unless it can be shown it impacts public safety, he explained.

While Californias code of civil procedure prohibits you from cutting down trees owned by your neighbor, you are allowed to cut tree limbs or roots that encroach on your property, The Sacramento Bee reported previously.

You can trim up to the property line, but not over it, California code says, and you have to stay on your side to conduct the work.

Three pine trees, dead and insect-damaged, are seen near Emerson Road in Cambria.

How can I report a nuisance tree?

You can report potential code violations via Ask SLO, the citys centralized resident engagement platform.

These include trees, weeds or other types of vegetation that are dead, decayed, infested, diseased, overgrown or harbor rats or vermin and are visible from a public right-of-way, the city said.

To report an issue or request a public service, log into slocity.org/ask or download the app on your smartphone or tablet.

Trees are cleared at the site of the San Luis Ranch housing development in San Luis Obispo in 2019.

Can you get in trouble for damaging a tree?

Damaging a tree or removing a tree without a permit can result in civil penalties, according to the city of San Luis Obispo.

Those penalties amount to double the value of the tree, plus all staff costs related to the illegal tree removal or tree damage, the city said.

If the tree removal or damage is related to a development or subdivision, you have to pay four times the trees value, plus related staff costs.

The city arborist calculates the trees value based on factors such as its species, trunk diameter and condition, Gault said, using methods established by the International Society of Arboriculture.

Trees can be valued in the thousands of dollars, he said.

In addition to civil penalties, the property owner must plant up to three trees under the direction of the city arborist, who determines the size of those replacement trees, the city said.

San Luis Obispo has cut down several large trees along Monterey Street as part of a streetscape project seen here on April 12, 2024. Construction is estimated to run through mid-May.

What are the rules for removing trees on city property?

The city of San Luis Obispo cares for and manages more than 20,000 trees on public property within city limits, the city said on its website. These include trees along streets and in parks.

In 2021, San Luis Obispo announced a plan to plant an additional 10,000 trees by 2035, funded with hotel tax revenues.

The city uses an urban forestry crew and a contractor to service and assess street trees approximately every five years, Gault wrote in an email.

Sometimes a tree poses a hazard and warrants removal, he said.

A struggling tree could represent an opportunity to replace with a better species, he said, such as one better suited to the sites microclimate or slope position.

Fallen pine trees are a common sight along Bridge Street near the Cambria Cemetery. San Luis Obispo residents may need permits to remove trees from their property.

More tree removal resources in SLO

For questions about street trees, call the urban forestry team at 805-781-7023.

To learn more about tree removal on private property, call 805-781-7170 or visit the Community Development Department online.
This is the Urbandale office building from which four Iowa pathologists initially launched Goldfinch Laboratories. (Photo via Google Earth)

A third lawsuit has been filed involving a group of central Iowa pathologists who are competing for market share.

The new lawsuit marks the latest legal conflict in a series of legal claims and counterclaims that include allegations of unfair competition, harassment, retaliation and discrimination. The new lawsuit alleges that efforts by one group of central Iowa physicians has illegally suppressed competition for pathology services in Iowa and included practices that are harmful to patients.

As part of the most recent lawsuit, the four pathologists behind Goldfinch Laboratory of Urbandale  physicians Tiffani Milless, Caitlin Halverson, Renee Ellerbroek and Jared Abbott  are suing their previous employers, Iowa Pathology Associates of Des Moines and Regional Laboratory Consultants, alleging the two companies have tried to suppress competition for pathology services in violation of state and federal law.

Goldfinch is a new company having been incorporated in Iowa in January 2023. Like the other companies involved in the litigation, it provides dermatopathology and other pathology services for patients in central Iowa whose physicians refer specimens to Goldfinch for diagnoses.

The lawsuit alleges that since 2021, IPA and RLC pressured its pathologists to sign employment agreements that include a no-compete clause. At the time, the four IPA-employed pathologists who would later defect and form Goldfinch, refused to sign the agreement.

Despite that refusal, the lawsuit claims, IPA and RLC repeatedly badgered the four pathologists to try to get them to say that the agreement had taken effect even though they hadnt signed the agreement. Then, the administrator of IPA and RLC allegedly told the four that the agreement was in effect even though they had not signed it.

The lawsuit claims the agreement was not intended to prohibit the use of confidential corporate information and was instead aimed at preventing the formation of a practice that would compete with IPA and RLC for referrals.

The lawsuit also alleges the on-going campaign by IPA and RLC to have its pathologists sign no-compete agreements was only the beginning of their efforts to suppress competition in the market for pathology services once Goldfinch was launched in January 2023.

At least one partner of IPA, or that partners spouse, has posted negative Google reviews falsely stating that Goldfinch pathologists are immoral and poorly trained, the lawsuit claims.

Goldfinch also alleges IPA refused to share biopsy slides with Goldfinch pathologists, even when those slides were required to ensure the continuity of care offered to patients and even when the refusal could well have caused harm to patients.

IPA and RLC are also accused of making several false and deceptive statements designed to dissuade referral sources from doing business with Goldfinch, and have tried to drive Goldfinch out of business or, at a minimum, to cripple its ability to compete.

On Dec. 31, 2022, IPA and RLC allegedly employed nearly 100% of the pathologists in central Iowa who were not associated with a single private-practice group that served only the physicians within that group. As a result, the lawsuit alleges, these two corporations were able to charge supra-competitive prices for their services.

As an example, the lawsuit states that IPA and RLC charge rural hospitals in Iowa at least 400% of the actual Medicare fee schedule amount for the technical component of pathology services. Goldfinch estimates that it has incurred a loss of more than $3.3 million as result of IPAs and RLCs practices.

The lawsuit notes that in January 2023 the Federal Trade Commission proposed a rule that would ban non-compete clauses. A final rule declaring most contractual covenants restricting competition to be anticompetitive and unlawful was issued in April 2024.

In addition to seeking damages for its losses, Goldfinch is seeking an injunction enjoining IPA and RLC from engaging in the wrongful and unlawful acts alleged as part of the lawsuit.

Two other cases pending in state court

The federal lawsuit follows a state-court lawsuit filed by IPA and RLC against the four Goldfinch partners in late 2022 that is still being litigated. That lawsuits seeks to block Goldfinch from soliciting IPA clients or using IPA information, and alleges the Goldfinch pathologists were flagrantly, rampantly and disloyally working against IPAs interests even before they left IPA.

A trial in that case is scheduled for September, but there are pending motions for deadline extensions currently before the court.

Separately, two of the Goldfinch pathologists  Tiffani Milless and Caitlin Halverson  have filed a discrimination lawsuit against IPA and RLC, alleging they were paid $200,000 to $350,000 annually, which was far less than what some of the less qualified male doctors were paid.

Dr. Milless and Dr. Halverson were never given any reason for the enormous difference in pay between them and the men, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit also alleges various forms of harassment, including IPAs alleged distribution of corporate-branded T-shirts in honor of Laboratory Week. One year, the slogan on the back of the shirt pertained to Formalin, which is a preservative commonly used in labs, and read, Formalin Causes Shrinkage, Too  a Seinfeld-inspired reference to male genitalia.

Halverson was allegedly criticized for not wearing the shirt and was accused of not being a team player.

A trial in that case is scheduled for August 2025.

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The post Legal dispute among Iowa pathologists escalates with new lawsuit appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Estonia has passed a law and is the first country in the world to allow the assets of Russian individuals that were frozen due to sanctions to be used for the restoration of Ukraine. 65 members of the Riigikogu voted in favor of the law, and three members voted against it.

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This is stated on the website of the Estonian parliament. According to Hendrik Johannes Terras, chairman of the Constitutional Commission, the creation of legislative regulation of the use of frozen assets is a complex task that is being addressed by several allied countries and international organizations, and Estonia is playing a pioneering role here. "Russia is an aggressor country, and compensation for the war damage cannot be borne by Ukraine and its allies. Russia is responsible for causing the damage, and it must also bear this responsibility," he said.

According to Mr. Terras, assets that have already been frozen under international sanctions and which their owners cannot use or dispose of in any way can be used to ensure accountability for the damage caused by the aggressive war in Ukraine. "With the law adopted today, Estonia proposes a mechanism that provides for the responsibility of those people and companies that are directly involved in the aggression or contribute to it," he said, adding that the Constitutional Commission has gone more than halfway. the creation of the relevant regulations with various parties, including foreign experts, was very carefully considered during the year.

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The Government-initiated Law "On Amendments to the Law on International Sanctions and Other Related Laws" ( 332 SE ) creates a domestic mechanism to ensure the property liability of the aggressor state for damage caused by the most serious violations of international law. The amendment allows the assets of individuals and companies that contributed to Russia's illegal actions to be frozen under sanctions as an advance payment for the damages that Russia owes Ukraine.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery Penny Pritzker explained that the process of confiscating Russian assets would require a collective decision by all countries that have frozen Russian funds in their financial institutions. It will take time, so we should not expect it to happen quickly.

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The International Monetary Fund has stated that decisions to confiscate Russian assets should be made by the relevant authorities in the countries where they are located. The IMF will monitor developments to assess the impact on the international financial system.

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Letters to the Editor: I was removed from my Chavez Ravine home in 1951. This is what L.A. owes displaced residents

A neighborhood in L.A.'s Chavez Ravine in April 1951, before homes were cleared to make way for a housing development that would never come. (Los Angeles Times Archive / UCLA)

To the editor: As a displaced resident of Palo Verde  one of the neighborhoods cleared in the 1950s at the current site of Dodger Stadium  I do not support Assembly Bill 1950, the Chavez Ravine Accountability Act. But I do support justice and government accountability for families displaced by the city of Los Angeles. ("What does Los Angeles owe the people who lost their homes in Chavez Ravine? More than an apology," editorial, May 9)

AB 1950 would require Los Angeles to create a commission of nine individuals chosen by politicians. It would be up to the newly created commission to determine who would qualify for compensation, a daunting task when you consider the number of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren that exist. This will likely cost millions of dollars before a single penny reaches a descendant.

Instead, let's include the stories of these people in our history books. My community was destroyed because the city said we were a slum. We were not slums. There was plumbing in the neighborhoods. Many of the Mexican and Mexican American families were third generation and on an upward trajectory. My uncle was a pharmacist who graduated from USC.

Let's put faces on this history and teach the future generations not to repeat the city's mistakes.

The city should create a memorial in Elysian Park to honor our ancestors who settled in Palo Verde, La Loma and Bishop at the start of the 20th century, which AB 1950 calls for. The city should accept accountability for unjustly displacing us. This could be accomplished without state legislation that would spend money on yet another commission.

Carol Jacques, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: I would like to remind Angelenos of another vanished neighborhood that was taken through eminent domain at the same time the residents of Chavez Ravine were losing their property. For similar reasons, what happened to Chavez Ravine happened on Bunker Hill, where I once lived.

Bunker Hill, now part of downtown Los Angeles, was made up of lower-income residents who were powerless, unvalued and in possession of property coveted by a city bent on taking it. They, too, were displaced with the promise that they would soon be able to return to new housing. That promise was not kept.

Now I read that there is a "growing movement for reparations for people whose property was unjustly taken over the decades." While I do not expect compensation, the former residents of Bunker Hill deserve acknowledgment and an apology from the city for what was done to them.

Gordon Pattison, Napa, Calif.

..

To the editor: What responsibility do the L.A. Dodgers and the city have to give reparations to people who lived in Chavez Ravine? None.

Many adults who lived in Chavez Ravine are no longer alive. Most families left under eminent domain by 1951. Between 1951 and 1959, Chavez Ravine was mostly open space. In 1959, the families that remained were evicted from land they no longer owned.

The city shouldn't spend millions of dollars on a commission, compiling descendant land ownership data and awarding tax-free compensation.

AB 1950 presents a "daunting" task. Who determines who gets what? What will the city pay to defend itself against lawsuits brought by descendants' attorneys who believe they were improperly denied compensation?

Though my family left Chavez Ravine by 1951, it blossomed elsewhere. Self-reliance is a good thing.

Larry Herrera, San Juan Capistrano

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
One evening in the autumn of 2019, I was seated at a banquet dinner with some of the capital citys best and brightest. It was a very Washington dinner, full of lawyers, lobbyists, and People Who Know People, chatting about politics over plates of rubbery chicken.

The 2020 presidential election was still a year away, and Nancy Pelosi, then the speaker of the House, had recently announced that she was launching an impeachment inquiry into potential abuses of power by President Donald Trump. When the dinner speeches were over and everyone at my table was nicely lubricated with second-rate wine, I tossed out a question that had been weighing on my mind: What if Trump loses the election  but refuses to step down?

This was greeted with dismissive chuckles, and one of my tablematesa well-connected lawyer with impeccable liberal credentialsassured me, to enthusiastic nods of agreement from others around the table, that this would never happen. No way! Hed never try that. And if he did, the military would never let that happen.

My tablemates cheery claim rested on multiple erroneous assumptions. For one thing, the U.S. military has no role in overseeing elections or ensuring that other institutions or actors respect their results. Even if the militarya vast, sprawling, and far from homogeneous enterprise consisting of roughly 1.3 million active-duty service members and more than 750,000 reservists and National Guard troopsbelieved an incumbent president had lost a bid for reelection, theres simply no legal or organizational mechanism for the military to force out a recalcitrant lame-duck president who refused to leave office.

Who would give such a command, and to whom? Although the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the nations highest-ranked military leader, the chairmans role is advisory in nature and comes with no power to issue commands to combatant forces. The other members of the joint staffthe Army chief of staff, the chief of naval operations, and so onsimilarly lack that power, which resides instead in the 11 unified combatant commands (U.S. Central Command, U.S. European Command, and so on). Only the commander of U.S. Northern Command, or NORTHCOM, has the authority to order federal troops into action domestically, but, even then, combatant commanders cant issue such orders on their own initiative; the orders must come from the secretary of defense, who would be serving at the pleasure of the president who was refusing to step down. (National Guard troops are under the authority of state governors, unless federalized, but in such a case the secretary of defense would similarly be part of the chain of command.)

Despite the utter implausibility of my tablemates assertion, some variant of this notion has, in the years since then, become a recurringand bizarreliberal fantasy: the idea that the U.S. military will somehow save us from Donald Trump. Its bizarre because, at least since Vietnam, liberals have been understandably skeptical of using U.S. military power to promote democracyif democracy cannot be won through the ballot box, it is unlikely to be secured with bullets. But even leaving such considerations aside, its fantasy because the idea that the military will serve as an effective bulwark against autocracy is premised on deep misunderstandings about how the military operates.





Its true, of course, that Trump did try to stay in office after losing the 2020 election, and clear statements by military leaders at the time denouncing the January 6 insurrection and reminding U.S. troops of their constitutional duties likely played some role in ensuring Trumps eventual sulky departure. And no question, American democracy will likely be in need of rescue if Trump is reelected. If he makes his way back to the White House, Trump will do his best to turn the United States into a corrupt, kleptocratic autocracy.

During his first term, Trump appointed relatively institutionally minded figures to senior roles in his administration. Rex Tillerson, John Kelly, Jim Mattis, Mark Esper, Dan Coats, and the like were hardly starry-eyed liberals, but they shared a broad commitment to traditional norms of democratic governance and the rule of law, and they reined in some of Trumps most egregious excesses. Thwarted, Trump soon replaced them with less experienced but more compliant officialsbut his capacity to turn federal power to his own ends was limited both by his new inner circles lack of experience and by his own chaotic personality.

Things will almost certainly be different in a second Trump administration. Trump himself is no less chaoticif anything, the numerous pending criminal investigations against him have amped up his narcissistic rage. But hes no fool, and he has learned from his early mistakes. If he gets a second bite at the apple, Trump will come into office with a cadre of seasoned political operatives, handpicked for their personal fealty, and a detailed plan. He has made no secret of his autocratic intentions.

Trumps plans with respect to the civilian executive branch have received much coverage. He has openly declared his desire to purge the career civil serviceand society more broadlyof those he views as ideologically suspect (the communists, Marxists, fascists, and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country). He has similarly declared his intent to use the tools of executive power to seek retribution against those he views as his enemiesa vast and ever-expanding group that now includes everyone from journalists and elected officials to prominent first-term Trump officials such as retired Gen. Mark Milley.

His plans for uniformed personnel have received far less scrutiny, but controlling the military is a major part of Trumps vision for his second term. While he has expressed only contempt for military personnel naive enough to believe in selfless service, referring to those who had lost their lives as losers and suckers, Trump is fond of military pomp and circumstance, and fonder still of power. He has signaled his desire to use the U.S. military to suppress domestic protest and aid in mass roundups, detentions, and deportations of undocumented immigrants, whom he views as animals. He reportedly hopes to use missiles and military troops against cartels inside Mexico and has, at times, openly flirted with the idea of using nuclear weapons against North Korea and Iran.

While few of these ideas are likely to garner support from military leaders, no one should count on the military to save us from Trumps efforts to refashion the United States in his own dark, chaotic image. Trump is keenly aware of the unique regard in which Americans continue to hold the military. This makes the military both a tempting tool and a frequent target of his ire. Disappointed during his first term by the failure of those he called my generals to offer him blind obedience and adulation, Trump has vowed to make the military knuckle under in a second term.

For the most part, he will have the legal tools to do so. He can request the retirement of flag and general officers who show signs of independence, for instance, and dismiss those who dont take the hint. And he can make fealty to his agenda a condition of advancement for senior officers. This is already a core plank in the Heritage Foundations blueprint for a second Trump presidency, which is widely viewed as having Trumps stamp of approval. It promises the White House will rigorously review all general and flag officer promotions to ensure that those with ideologically unacceptable views on climate change, critical race theory, manufactured extremism, and other polarizing policies will not be selected for leadership positions. Weeding out those with concerns about manufactured extremism is code for purging the military of officers who have spoken out against white nationalist organizations or condemned the January 6 insurrectionists.

Sensible military personnel will read the writing on the wall: Unless you want your career to come to an abrupt end, compliance is best. The U.S. military is, by design, a compliant institution, deeply acculturated to abide by principles of civilian control. While military personnel take an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, they also have a legal obligation to follow orders, at risk of court martial.

This is, generally speaking, a good thing: No one who cares about democracy should wish for a military thats prone to ignoring lawful orders from their elected commander in chief. True, military personnel also have a duty not to obey unlawful orders, but this should not give us much comfort; manifestly unlawful orders are vanishingly rare. If a president ordered troops to open fire on an unarmed civilian, in so many words, the military response would be a robust No, sir! But even the most dubious and morally bankrupt presidential directives tend to come cloaked in the language of legality. (Instead of shoot that unarmed civilian, imagine a different command: Based on classified intelligence, I have determined that this individual is engaged in direct hostilities against the United States, poses an imminent threat, and is therefore a lawful target, and I order you to neutralize that threat.)

Think back to the presidency of George W. Bush. Although the legal prohibition against torture was crystal clear, and techniques such as waterboarding have long been considered a form of torture by U.S. courts, Bush administration lawyers argued that if waterboarding was employed solely as a means of gaining information, without a primary intention to cause severe pain, it didnt count as torture. Several senior military lawyers raised objections when the Bush administration directed that such enhanced interrogation be used against detained terror suspects, but the military rebellion, such as it was, was limited to a few strongly worded memos. No senior officers resigned, and the military did what it is designed to do: It defaulted to obedience, despite widespread misgivings among senior officers.





Even without the specter of a president bent on retribution, the vast majority of military personnel will err on the side of obedience if there is even the slightest uncertainty about whether a particular presidential directive is unlawful. And if the senior officers most inclined to object have already been demoted or dismissed, it is implausible that Trumps orders will face widespread military resistance.

No one should kid themselves about the degree of legal latitude President Trump would enjoy. Bush administration lawyers had to turn themselves into pretzels to argue that torture wasnt really torture. But most of Trumps stated plans wont even require lawyerly contortions. Historically, theres been a strong norm against domestic use of the military to suppress protest or engage in law enforcement activities, and some legal safeguards exist. But under the Insurrection Act, the president can employ the military domestically in response to rebellion or insurrection, or when any part or class of [a states] people is deprived of a right, privilege, immunity, or protection named in the Constitution, or when an act of rebellion or violence opposes or obstructs the execution of the law.

The Supreme Court has historically interpreted this as giving the president complete discretion to decide what kind of activity justifies domestic use of the military. The authority to decide whether the exigency has arisen belongs exclusively to the President, opined the court in Martin v. Mott in 1827. If Trump invokes the Insurrection Act and deploys military personnel domestically to quell protests or round up immigrants, there will be plenty of unhappy military personnelbut they are unlikely to have any basis on which to claim such deployments are unlawful.

And when it comes to military action outside the United States, the news is worse. Notwithstanding Congresss constitutional powers and legislation such as the War Powers Act, successive presidents have enjoyed a virtually unconstrained ability to use military force beyond our borders. There would be plenty of military unhappiness if Trump directed attacks on Mexican soil or the use of tactical nuclear weapons, but its unlikely military leaders would have any lawful basis to object.

Military leaders who dislike the orders they receive sometimes engage in the time-honored Pentagon tradition of stonewalling and slow-rolling, looking for ways to quietly thwart the objectives of their civilian masters while maintaining a facade of compliance. But if President Trump uses his power to fire or demote insufficiently loyal general officers, as he says he will, even this dubious avenue of military resistance will likely be closed off.

This leaves the last and most desperate of liberal fantasies: some sort of straight-out, organized military resistance against an autocratic President Trump. Its a wildly unlikely prospect, given deeply internalized norms of civilian control, and its also organizationally almost unimaginable, given the dispersed nature of U.S. military power and the militarys complex command structure. More to the point, its a terrible idea. Anyone who finds such a prospect appealing should be careful what they wish for: Studies of military coups suggest that even coups carried out against brutal regimes to restore democracy rarely have happy results and often end up increasing, rather than decreasing, the level of state violence.

In other words: If a society finds itself relying on the military to save democracy, theres probably little left to save.
Donald Trump calls them Perry Mason moments. The 77-year-old likes to reference the TV series from his childhood and the dramatic legal showdowns in real life which so far seem to be the only things keeping him fully awake during his own trials.

That altercation finally came midday Thursday, as his lead lawyer Todd Blanche eventually shed the apologetic tone hes maintained during two days of questioning Michael Cohen. The former prosecutor replaced his milky tone with an aggressive bark as he turned up the heat on the Manhattan District Attorneys star witness against his former boss.

That. Was. A. Lie! Blanche raised his voice, jabbing the pen in his right hand accusatorily at Cohen. You did not talk to President Trump on that night... you admit it!

No, sir, I cant. Because Im not certain that's accurate, Cohen responded.

Boebert, Gaetz, and a Clown Car of Trump Wannabes Show Up to Trial

The 18 jurors have heard all about the Trump-signed checks that paid Cohens fake invoices for non-existent legal work that were really meant to handsomely reimburse him for fronting $130,000 to silence Stormy Daniels so she wouldnt expose their sexual affair in the closing days of the 2016 presidential election.

As a case that at its core is about falsifying business records, it mattered that Cohen on Tuesday told prosecutors he specifically recalled phoning Trumps bodyguard on Oct. 26, 2016, having him pass the phone to the boss and getting the politician to personally greenlight the hush money deal.

But the jury was treated to a surprise on Thursday, when Blanche cast doubt on whether Cohen really spoke to Trump that night about the hush money dealif he spoke to Trump at all.

Blanche did so by bringing up an unexpected topic: the way a prank caller who had bombarded Cohen with calls but slipped up by accidentally forgetting to mask his number on a single attempt. In a string of seemingly aimless questions, Blanche soon revealed the point of bringing it up: In reality, Cohen had an entirely different reason to call Trump bodyguard Keith Schiller that night.

This number has just been sent to secret service, Cohen texted the other person, citing your ongoing and continuing harassment.

The person on the other line freaked out, rapidly texting it wasnt me, then my friend told me to call, followed by Im sorry for this, and I wont do it again.

Laura Ingraham Scolded for Using Binoculars at Trump Trial

But Cohen, then a take-no-shit lawyer who was accustomed to intimidating journalists who would ever criticize Trump, leveraged his newfound power as personal attorney to the presidential candidate.

You will need to explain this to secret service as weve been receiving dozens of these harassing calls over the past 3 days. I suggest you notify your parent or guardian, Cohen texted back.

I DIDNT DO IT, the other person pleaded. Im 14.

Please have your parent or guardian contact me, Cohen texted, before following up with before secret services reaches out to them.

After reviewing the exchange in court, Blanche then directed the jurys attention back to that pivotal hour on a Wednesday evening in October 2016. Thats when, digital documents show, Cohen reached out to the real estate moguls bodyguard.

Who can I speak to regarding harassing calls to my home and office, Cohen texted Schiller at 7:48 p.m.

Cohen missed Schillers call 13 minutes later, then phoned him right back at 8:02 p.m. Records show the call lasted one minute and 36 seconds. Immediately thereafter, Cohen sent him the pranksters number.

OK, Schiller responded seconds later.

The next morning, Cohen followed up.

Did you reach the family? he texted Schiller at 7:58 a.m.

These phone recordswhich tell a wider story than the one prosecutors presented earlier this weekgave Trumps team an opening to accuse Cohen of fabricating the true purpose of the call.

That was a lie, because you were actually talking with Mr. Schiller, Blanche told him.

Michael Cohen is asked about taking an oath as he is cross-examined by defense lawyer Todd Blanche during former President Donald Trump's criminal trial in Manhattan state court in New York City on May 16, 2024. Jane Rosenberg/Reuters

Part of it was the 14-year-old, Cohen demurred, for the first time claiming that the brief call actually had two purposes.

As Cohen spoke, Blanche left the podium and turned left to start pacing in his mid-blue suit and periwinkle tie, holding his left hand to his forehead with an incredulous look on his face. When Cohen was done, Blanche returned to the microphone.

I asked you five minutes ago if you remember harassing phone calls, and you said no. Then I refreshed your recollection, Blanche said, racing. But now your memory is that you were testifying truthfully on Tuesday about a one-minute, thirty-second phone call, and you had enough time to update Mr. Schiller about all the problems you were having... and also update President Trump about the status of the Stormy situation because you always ran everything by the boss? Is that your testimony?

Cohen asserted that was enough time to cover both issues, pushing the defense lawyer further into overdrive.

Blanche, for the first time since he began cross-examining Cohen on Tuesday, repeatedly called Cohen a liar. While the Trump team has repeatedly brought up the fact that Cohen is a convicted perjurer who has lost his bar licensewithout mentioning that he did so allegedly at Trumps direction and for his benefitthis was now a chance to insult him to his face.

Crying Little Sh*t: Sparks Fly in Cohens Cross-Examination

Cohen defended himself.

I believe I told him everything was being resolved, he said.

We are not asking for your belief, Blanche said, referencing the 18 New Yorkers watching the heated argument. This jury does not want to know what you think happened.

When the back-and-forth was cut short with the days lunch break, Blanche sped back to his chair next to the former president, who was watching intently. When the jury and Cohen left the courtroom, Trump exited out the back while toying with the end of his red tiewhich hung comically long three inches below his belt buckle.

The former president was closely followed by Alina Habba, who clearly enjoyed the show. Shes the only other Trump lawyer present who similarly tore into Cohen at the businessmans previous bank fraud trial last year. She was smiling ear to ear and licking her lips.

Blanche, still feeling the heat of the moment, followed behind while flexing his jaw and gripping two large black binders in his left hand.

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Lilly Biotechnology Center is shown in San Diego after cutting price of insulin

(Reuters) -Eli Lilly said on Thursday its once-weekly insulin injection, efsitora, showed blood sugar reduction that was consistent with commonly used daily insulins across two studies in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Lilly and Novo Nordisk are both developing weekly injections for long-acting insulins that could reduce the treatment burden for patients with diabetes.

Novo's weekly injection, insulin icodec, has been recommended for approval in Europe and is under regulatory review in the United States. Advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are set to meet next week to discuss Novo's application for approval.

The two drugmakers are also leaders in the market for obesity medicines, known as GLP-1 agonists, which help control blood sugar levels and cause the stomach to empty more slowly.

In one of the two studies, Lilly evaluated efsitora in patients using and not using GLP-1 therapies.

Lilly said efsitora was non-inferior to insulin degludec, sold as Tresiba by Novo, in reducing blood sugar levels in both sets of patients.

At the end of 52 weeks, patients on efsitora saw a reduction of 1.34% in their A1C levels - a marker of blood glucose levels over three months - compared with a 1.26% reduction for insulin degludec. The trial included patients who were using insulin for the first time.

Lilly plans to present detailed data from this study at a medical conference later this year.

In the second study, conducted for 26 weeks, both efsitora and insulin glargine reduced A1C levels in patients by 1.07%. Insulin glargine is sold as Basaglar by Lilly and as Lantus by French drugmaker Sanofi.

Eli Lilly, Sanofi and Novo Nordisk together make up 90% of the U.S. market for insulin and have faced political pressure to make these life-sustaining diabetes treatments more affordable.

(Reporting by Bhanvi Satija in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Krishna Chandra Eluri)
A Lithonia man has been convicted by a jury for shooting and killing a man at a Stone Mountain gas station last year.

On Wednesday, jurors found Nathan Weeks, 27, guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in the murder of Isaac Godbolt, 54.

According to DeKalb County police, officers responded to a shooting call in the 4700 block of Redan Road.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

When they arrived, they found Godbolt in his car with multiple gunshot wounds.

Paramedics took him to Grady Memorial Hospital where he died from his injuries.

Surveillance video shows Weeks arrive at the gas station and hang out with friends.

Godbolt pulled up in his car and talked to one of the people in the group, then pulled up slightly.

Weeks walked over to Godbolts car.

Godbolt tried to get out of his car, but police said Weeks opened fire, shooting Godbolt repeatedly.

Weeks then ran away.

TRENDING STORIES:

In a recorded conversation with his mother, Weeks confessed to the murder.

At the time of his arrest in Columbus, Georgia, Weeks had a handgun that testing showed was the same gun that fired the shell casings found at the scene.

Sentencing for Weeks will be scheduled in the coming weeks.

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(Getty Images)

The Arkansas State Medical Board suspended two physicians licenses and postponed a hearing regarding allegations against a third doctor during a special meeting Wednesday.

Board members did not name the three doctors, but Meg Mirivel, spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Health, confirmed the doctor facing a hearing is Little Rock gastroenterologist Dr. Alonzo Williams, who also faces Medicaid fraud allegations.

One of the two recipients of a license suspension is based in another state, while the other and Williams have both been accused of sexual misconduct, board members said.

Arkansas law allows the state medical board to issue an emergency suspension of a physicians license if the Board receives information indicating that the public health, safety, or welfare requires emergency action.

Williams_Master_DetailedVerif 1

Eleven of the 14 board members were present, and they voted on the license suspensions with no dissent. The board has not suspended Williams license.

In response to a complaint, the board voted in October to start an investigation into Williams over his use of prescription drugs for patients pain management, according to meeting minutes. The board voted in April to schedule Williams hearing for June.

Williams attorney asked the board Wednesday for a two-month continuance because the expert witnesses that could testify on Williams behalf will be unavailable on the scheduled June date, said board chairman Dr. Edward Ward Gardner.

Allowing witnesses to testify would reduce the chance of reversible error if Williams appeals any decision the board makes after the hearing, said Julie Chavis, the boards legal counsel who works for the state attorney generals office.

Williams_Master_DetailedVerif 2

While the board voted with no dissent to grant the continuance, board members Elizabeth Anderson and Dr. Michael Birrer suggested suspending Williams license at least until the hearing due to the sexual misconduct allegations against him.

Gardner said he reluctantly supported postponing the hearing until August.

The way I look at this is putting our best foot forward, and if another two months puts our best foot forward, so be it, he said.

Chavis said she would make Williams attorney aware that the board did not wholeheartedly support the continuance and that the August hearing is 100% set in cement.

Board member Dr. Brian McGee, also a Little Rock gastroenterologist, recused himself from the discussion and vote. McGee has done the same at previous board meetings where complaints against Williams were discussed, according to meeting minutes.

Williams has been under investigation for Medicaid fraud by the state inspector general since March. All payments have been suspended for Medicaid services provided by him and his offices, the Arkansas Diagnostic Center and the Gastroenterology and Surgery Center.

The Office of Medicaid Inspector General is investigating allegations that Williams performed certain procedures that were not medically necessary, failed to adequately assess certain beneficiaries before invasive procedures, and billed for services not rendered, according to the offices letter to Williams clinics.

Williams also faces a civil lawsuit in Pulaski County Circuit Court from employees accusing him of sexual misconduct. Jordana Gardner, the sole named plaintiff in the class-action lawsuit, alleged in her April 23 complaint that she was paid less than other medical assistants because she was not forced to have a quid pro quo sexual relationship with Dr. Williams as her fellow assistants were, according to court documents.

The plaintiff, who is Black and no longer works for Williams, also claimed he paid her and other Black employees less than white employees and did not fulfill a promise to raise their pay.

A court hearing has not yet been scheduled in the case.

The post Little Rock physician accused of Medicaid fraud, sexual misconduct faces medical board hearing appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.
Little Rock police arrest 18-year-old accused of abusing infant son, leading to childs death

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  Police say a Little Rock 3-month-old died after suffering severe brain injuries from abuse that officers said came from the infants teenage father.

Little Rock Police Department Officials said the infant was brought to a local hospital on the morning of April 11, 2024. Doctors first diagnosed the brain injuries before the child died in the hospital.

Pulaski County deputies investigating deadly shooting in McAlmont community

Authorities said LRPD detectives were contacted and began an investigation into the childs death. The detectives said they developed the infants father, 18-year-old Xavier Tyquan Andrews, as the primary suspect in the case.

Xavier Tyquan Andrews booking photo  Image courtesy Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility

Police arrested Andrews on Monday and took him to the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility.

He is being held without bond. Andrews pled not guilty in court Tuesday to a charge of capital murder.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
Little Rock police investigating Wednesday shooting on West 12th Street

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  The Little Rock Police Department is investigating a Wednesday afternoon shooting that left one man in critical condition.

LRPD officials said officers responded to reports of shots fired just after 4 p.m. in the 4400 block of West 12th Street.

Little Rock police arrest 18-year-old accused of abusing infant son, leading to childs death

Authorities said a man was found shot multiple times and is in critical condition.

Police have not released any suspect or victim information at this time.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
A magnetic storm can have more serious consequences than just a headache or feeling unwell. In history, there have been events that could have a detrimental effect on modern telecommunications systems and disrupt human functioning for even a few months.

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Recently, astronomers observed events that were rated G5 on a scale of geomagnetic storms from 1 to 5. This affected GPS communications, in particular, the control of tractors, which requires centimeter accuracy, Study Finds writes.

More severe storms could result in trillions of dollars in monetary losses and risk to people. The storm will affect most electrical systems that people use every day.

Magnetic storms occur when a large bubble of superheated gas called plasma is ejected from the surface of the Sun and strikes the Earth. This phenomenon is known as a coronal mass ejection,

The plasma of a coronal ejection consists of a cloud of protons and electrons, which are electrically charged. When they reach the Earth, they interact with the magnetic field surrounding the planet. This leads to a distortion and weakening of the magnetic field, which in turn causes various natural phenomena, including the appearance of the aurora borealis in uncharacteristic places.

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Geomagnetic storms in history

One of the strongest magnetic storms wreaked havoc on one of the earliest electronic technologies. On September 1 and 2, 1859, telegraph systems around the world catastrophically failed. Telegraph operators reported receiving electric shocks, telegraph paper catching fire, and that they could operate with disconnected batteries.

In the evenings, the aurora borealis could be seen as far south as Colombia. It is usually characteristic of higher latitudes in northern Canada, Scandinavia, and Siberia.

What the world experienced that day, now known as the Carrington Event, was the largest recorded case of a geomagnetic storm, significantly stronger than the storm in May 2024.

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Geomagnetic storms have been recorded since the early 19th century, and scientific data from Antarctic ice core samples (fragments) indicate an even more powerful phenomenon that occurred around 774 AD, known as the Miyake event.

Solar flares cause large amounts of cosmic rays to hit the Earth's upper atmosphere, which in turn produce carbon-14, a radioactive isotope of carbon. The Miyake event caused the largest and fastest rise in carbon-14 levels in history.

The storm, 60% smaller than Miyake, occurred around 993 AD. Ice core samples have shown that large-scale storms with the same intensity as the Miyake and Carrington events occur on average once every 500 years.

Scientists were able to estimate the strength of the Carrington event based on the fluctuations in the Earth's magnetic field recorded by observatories at the time. It was not possible to measure the magnetic fluctuations of the Miyake event. Instead, the scientists noted that the carbon-14 content of tree rings from that period increased.

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The Miyake event led to a 12% increase in carbon-14 content. In comparison, the Carrington event led to an increase in carbon-14 content of less than 1%. So compared to the Miyake event, it was probably insignificant.

Killer power

Today, a geomagnetic storm of the same intensity as the Carrington event would affect more than just telegraph wires. The consequences could be catastrophic, given the ever-increasing dependence on electricity and new technologies.

Geomagnetic storms generate induced currents that flow through the electrical grid and can exceed 100 amps. They enter electrical components connected to the grid, such as transformers, relays, and sensors. One hundred amps is equivalent to the power provided to many households. Currents of this size can cause internal damage to components, leading to large-scale power outages.

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In March 1989, a geomagnetic storm three times smaller than the Carrington event occurred in Quebec, Canada. The storm led to the destruction of the Hydro-Quebec power grid. During the storm, high magnetically induced currents damaged a transformer in New Jersey and tripped the grid's circuit breakers. In this case, the outage left five million people without power for nine hours.

Communication disruptions

In addition to electrical failures, communications will be disrupted on a global scale. Internet providers may fail, which in turn will deprive various systems of the ability to communicate. High-frequency communication systems, such as surface-to-air, short-wave, and ship-to-ship radio communications, would be disrupted.

Satellites in orbit around the Earth may be damaged by induced currents from the geomagnetic storm that will burn out their circuit boards. This will lead to interruptions in satellite telephone communications, the Internet, radio and television.

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In addition, when geomagnetic storms hit the Earth, the increase in solar activity causes the atmosphere to expand outward. This expansion changes the density of the atmosphere in which satellites orbit. A higher-density atmosphere creates resistance for the satellite, which slows its movement. And if it is not transferred to a higher orbit, it can fall back to Earth.

Another area that could potentially affect everyday life is navigation systems. Almost every mode of transportation, from cars to airplanes, uses GPS for navigation and tracking. Even portable devices such as cell phones, smart watches, and tracking tags rely on GPS signals sent from satellites. Military systems rely heavily on GPS for coordination. Other military detection systems, such as over-the-horizon radar and submarine detection systems, could be disabled, harming national defense.

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In terms of the Internet, a geomagnetic storm on the scale of the Carrington event could cause geomagnetic-induced currents in the undersea and terrestrial cables that form the backbone of the Internet, as well as in the data centers that store and process everything from email and text messages to scientific datasets and artificial intelligence tools. This could potentially bring down the entire network and prevent servers from communicating with each other.

Only a matter of time

It's only a matter of time before another major geomagnetic storm hits the Earth. A storm the size of the Carrington event would cause massive damage to electrical and communications systems around the world, with outages lasting for weeks.

If the storm is the size of the Miyake event, its effects would be catastrophic for the world, with possible outages lasting months or even longer. Even with space weather warnings from NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, the world will only have a few minutes to a few hours of warning.

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Experts point out that it is extremely important to continue researching ways to protect electrical systems from the effects of geomagnetic storms. How can this be done? For example, by installing devices that can protect vulnerable equipment, such as transformers. It is also worth developing strategies to regulate the load on the grid when solar storms are approaching. In short, it is important to work now to minimize damage from the next analog of the Carrington event.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
The former presidents lawyer and so-called fixer was back on the witness stand for a third day.

Donald Trumps former lawyer Michael Cohen was grilled for a second day by Todd Blanche, Trumps defense attorney. This is Yahoo News succinct update on the criminal and civil cases against Trump. Here are the latest developments.

 What happened today

Michael Cohen, Donald Trumps former lawyer and so-called fixer, was back on the witness stand Thursday for a second day of cross-examination by the defense, which is trying to undermine the credibility of the prosecutions star witness.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche wanted to portray to the jury that Cohen has an axe to grind with Trump and started grilling him about insulting remarks he made about his former boss on his podcast and social media accounts, which Cohen confirmed.

The defense also tried to show that Cohen can't be trusted. In Blanche's line of questioning, he depicted Cohen as a serial liar, citing instances when he lied under oath, essentially arguing that if Cohen lied then, the jury has no reason to believe his testimony under oath now.

Perhaps one of the biggest moments of the day was when Blanche attempted to sow doubt about Cohens testimony regarding an October 2016 call Cohen made to Trump's former bodyguard Keith Schiller, to talk to Trump about the hush money payment. Message and call logs indicate that the short call was actually Cohen asking Schiller how to deal with a prank caller.

Remember: The prosecution has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump not only knew about the hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who alleges she had sex with Trump in 2006, but that he also directed them.

Trump is facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of a larger scheme to disguise the payments to protect his presidential campaign ahead of the election. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denies having a sexual encounter with Daniels.

 Zoom in

Mud-slinging and vengeance: The defense wants to show that Cohen  who once admired his former boss and sought his praise  now hates Trump and wants vengeance.

Blanche shared a Truth Social post that Trump posted in mid-March, in which he called Cohen a "convicted liar and felon, jailbird." According to NBC News, Cohen confirmed that he shot back at Trump in a post on X. "You called him 'Dumba** Donald'?" Blanche asked. "Sounds correct," Cohen replied.

During cross-examination Thursday, the defense also played a clip for the jury from Cohen's Mea Culpa podcast, in which he commented on Trump's criminal hush money trial.

"I truly f***ing hope that this man ends up in prison, Cohen was heard saying in the podcast clip, according to CNN. "But revenge is a dish best served cold, and you better believe I want this man to go down and rot inside for what he did to my family.

Cohen later acknowledged to Trump's attorney that he "took some credit" for Trump's indictment in the criminal hush money trial.

Defense says, liar, liar, pants on fire: The defense wants to undermine Cohen's credibility as a witness testifying against Trump, and highlighted the many instances of when he lied in years past, even under oath.

Trumps attorney focused on Cohen's 2017 House Intelligence Committee testimony when he lied under oath during special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Trump's links to Russia.

"Was that oath that you took every single time, so going back to all the depositions, the same oath that you took Monday morning in this courtroom?" Blanche asked Cohen, according to CNN. "Yes, sir," Cohen replied. "The oath doesn't change, depending on the location, does it?" Blanche asked. "No," Cohen said.

"And each time you met with a federal agent you were told that if you made a false statement that that was a felony, a federal crime, correct?" Blanche asked. "Yes, sir" Cohen said.

Cohen was ultimately charged with perjury in 2018. He pleaded guilty and served time in federal prison.

The Oct. 24, 2016, call: Trump's defense attorney referred back to Cohen's testimony on Monday regarding a call he had with Keith Schiller, Trumps then-bodyguard, on Oct. 24, 2016. Cohen previously testified that he called Schiller that evening so he could talk to Trump about moving forward with the Daniels hush money payment.

Blanche said in court that according to text message logs that evening, Cohen actually was contacting Schiller to ask about how he could deal with a 14-year-old prank caller. Schiller then asked to call him. According to the call logs, the conversation lasted less than two minutes.

Blanche is trying to undermine Cohen's credibility and testimony to show that the brief call Cohen made to Schiller on Oct. 24, 2016 could have been about dealing with a prank caller, and was not a detailed conversation with Trump about the hush money payment.

Trump's political posse: Throughout the hush money trial, Trump's allies have appeared at the Manhattan courthouse in a show of support for him. On Thursday, nearly a dozen Republican lawmakers showed up, including members of the House Oversight Committee, including Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, which postponed a vote on a contempt citation against Attorney General Merrick Garland so that they could attend Trump's trial.

Trump's gag order: Trump is looking to have New York's highest court weigh in on the gag order against him in the hush money trial. His attorneys filed a notice of appeal on Wednesday after a New York appeals court on Tuesday rejected Trump's request to overturn the gag order. Judge Juan Merchan has held Trump in contempt 10 times for violating the gag order and has threatened the former president with jail time for future violations.

 What's next?

Court will not be in session on Friday, May 17, so that Trump can attend his son Barron's high school graduation. The defense will resume its cross-examination of Cohen on Monday. It's unclear if the defense will call any witnesses when the trial resumes next week, or whether Trump will testify in his own defense.

LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER 25 updates Trump speaks to the press after court President Trump addressed the press alongside his lawyer Todd Blanche after court let out for the 18th day of trial. Trump claimed the court was "rushing" for the trial to finish before the election in order to hurt his political campaign. He then called the trial "a scam." "I just want to thank all the lawyers involved because they've been really working hard," Trump said. Referring to his opponents, he added, "They want me to spend my time and my money and I'm willing to do it because ultimately we have to fight for the Constitution." Trump did not answer any questions from reporters.

Courts ends for the week Judge Merchan stopped the proceedings for the day. The cross-examination of Cohen is not over; defense attorney Todd Blanche seemed to have been getting ready to move into a different line of questioning after asking Cohen about the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels. There will be no court tomorrow, May 17, because Trump will be attending his son Barron's high school graduation.

Defense questions Cohen about the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels After returning from break, defense lawyer Todd Blanche went into cross-examining Cohen about the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels. Blanche continued to ask Cohen about his relationship with reporters and referred to Cohen's conversations with ABC News journalist John Santucci, who, at the time, was also interested in the Daniels story. Blanche then pulled up the non-disclosure agreement Cohen used with Daniels and had Cohen confirm it was a "perfectly legal contract." Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche: This NDA, its a perfectly legal contract, isn't it?

Cohen: It is.

Blanche: And Donald J. Trump never signed it, nor the side letter?

Cohen: He did not.  Inner City Press (@innercitypress) May 16, 2024  Big picture: The $130,000 hush money payment Cohen made to Daniels is at the center of the prosecution's criminal case against Trump, and any questions the defense can raise about it for the jury could be pivotal in its quest for an acquittal.

Court is back in session After a 10-minute break, the court is back in session. Judge Merchan updated the room on next week's schedule, given an alternate juror has a 1:30 p.m. conflict on Thursday, and said the court plans to play it by ear instead of making a decision today.

Cohen admits it was unethical to secretly record his conversation with Trump Under cross-examination, Cohen was pressed about the September 2016 conversation he secretly recorded of him and Trump discussing the hush money payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal. The jury heard a tape of the recording earlier in the trial. Trump's defense attorney Todd Blanche asked Cohen whether he knew it was unethical for a lawyer to record a conversation with their client. Cohen agreed, adding that such a recording is permitted under the crime-fraud exception. "Just so I understand, you surreptitiously recorded your client so you could play a privileged recorded communication between you and your client with a third party?" "That's correct," Cohen replied.

Court takes afternoon recess The court has been dismissed for the afternoon recess. Judge Merchan asked for a representative from each side to join him in the robing room to talk to a juror who said they had a conflict next Thursday afternoon, which could affect the court schedule.

Michael Cohen's 3rd day of testimony, as seen through courtroom sketches Michael Cohen is asked about taking an oath as he is cross-examined by defense lawyer Todd Blanche during Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial in Manhattan on Thursday, in a courtroom sketch. (Jane Rosenberg/Reuters) Since the trial is not being televised and news photographers are permitted only 45 seconds to take still photos prior to the start of each day, the only images from inside the courtroom during Michael Cohen's testimony are courtroom drawings, including those by noted sketch artist Jane Rosenberg. One shows Cohen on the witness stand being cross-examined by Trump's defense attorney Todd Blanche while Judge Juan Merchan looks on and the former president listens with his eyes closed. Blanche questions Cohen in court. (Jane Rosenberg/Reuters) Judge Juan Merchan listens to Cohen's testimony Thursday. (Jane Rosenberg/Reuters) Trump listens to Cohen's testimony with his eyes closed. (Jane Rosenberg/Reuters) Another shows Merchan and lawyers from both sides during a sidebar as Trump sits at the defense table, again with his eyes closed. Lawyers meet with Merchan. (Jane Rosenberg/Reuters) Trump sits at the defense table with his eyes closed. (Jane Rosenberg/Reuters)

Cohen describes his relationships with journalists Trump lawyer Todd Blanche asked Cohen about the positive stories he planted in the press about himself and Trump leading up to the 2016 election. Cohen claimed that reporters would either contact him or someone at the Trump Organization for comments on stories. Cohen alleged that he would collaborate with Trump to come up with a response because, if Trump didn't like the story, it would cause him to blow up" at Cohen. According to CNN, Trump shook his head "no" in the courtroom while hearing the testimony. Diving into his relationship with the press, Cohen claimed he had a "close relationship" with New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman and said he recorded around 40 phone calls with several journalists before the 2016 election. He testified that he did not tell the journalists he was recording the calls. New York is a "one-party consent" state, which means that you can legally record phone calls if you have permission from one of the parties.  Big picture: Blanche is trying to argue that Cohen, considering his relationship with journalists, would give interviews and statements to the press without consulting Trump, which Cohen denied. By doing this, Blanche is attempting to convey to the jury that Cohen would make decisions independently of Trump  including the hush money payment to Daniels.

Court is back in session Court is back in session after a lunch break, and Michael Cohen is back on the stand.

What to remember about the October 2016 payout to Stormy Daniels According to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's indictment against Trump, Cohen paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 through a shell company in exchange for her silence about an affair she claims she had with Trump in 2006. Prosecutors claim that Daniels initially tried to sell her story about the affair to American Media Inc., the parent company of the National Enquirer, and AMI executives alerted Cohen. During the first day of his testimony, Cohen alleged that he paid Daniels $130,000 days before the 2016 election under Trump's direction and with a promise for reimbursement. The prosecution claims that Trump then falsified business records to reimburse Cohen. Trump has denied the allegations against him.

Why is the defense asking Cohen about a series of prank calls in 2016? Before court broke for lunch, Todd Blanche went over call logs between Cohen and Trump's former bodyguard Keith Schiller. Cohen testified earlier this week that he made a call to Schiller in October 2016 to speak to Trump and confirm the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels. Blanche questioned Cohen about a series of "harassment calls" Cohen claimed he received around the same time. Referring to text messages between Cohen and Schiller, Blanche pointed to a message exchange where Cohen said a 14-year-old prank-called him. In the message exchange, Schiller asked Cohen to call him. According to the logs, the call Cohen made to Schiller was less than two minutes long. Blanche argued that the call was too short for Cohen to have both explained the prank call and shared confirmation about the hush money payment.  Big picture: Blanche is trying to argue that the call Cohen claims was him informing Trump about the hush money payment to Daniels was actually about him dealing with a prank caller.

Court is taking its lunch break Judge Merchan has called for a lunch break. When court resumes around 2 p.m. ET, Michael Cohen is expected back on the witness stand to face more cross-examination by the defense. Cohen has so far testified for more than 10 hours over three days.

Cohen says he had a hard time getting Trump inauguration tickets President-elect Donald Trump arrives at his inauguration ceremony on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2017. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) Under cross-examination by the defense, Cohen confirmed text messages with his daughter that showed he was having a hard time getting tickets for Trump's 2017 presidential inauguration.  Big picture: Cohen insisted he was not "despondent" about not being offered a position in the Trump White House. The defense is using text exchanges with his family members to suggest he was.

Republican lawmakers criticize Cohen during morning break Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) speaks during a press conference after attending the trial of former U.S. President Donald Trump at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on May 16, 2024. (Andrew Kelly/Reuters) During the morning break while speaking to reporters, Rep. Matt Gaetz called Cohen a liar "who committed these lies for his own benefit" and described the case against Trump as the Mr. Potato Head of crimes, where they had to stick together a bunch of things that did not belong together. Gaetz and others, including Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Ralph Norman, criticized Judge Merchan's daughter, who formerly worked at a progressive consulting firm and is a Democratic fundraiser. The criticisms, which echo what Sens. J.D. Vance and Rick Scott and Speaker Mike Johnson said earlier this week, are statements the court's gag order forbids Trump from saying himself.

Cohen acknowledges previous remarks that he wanted chief of staff role 'for ego purpose' Trump attorney Todd Blanche asked Cohen about whether he wanted a job in the Trump White House, referencing Cohen's 2019 testimony that he didn't want one. However, witness Keith Davidson testified earlier in this trial that he thought Cohen was genuinely interested in the role. Cohen insisted that he didn't seriously want the chief of staff role but wanted to be considered "for ego purpose," which he said in court earlier this week. Cohen previously testified that he knew he wasn't qualified for a White House chief of staff position, but he wanted to be considered for it because of his "ego."



Blanche suggests this wasn't true. Cohen insists that it was.  Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) May 16, 2024  Big picture: Blanche is trying to suggest that Cohen really wanted a White House role and is vindictive against Trump because he was never considered nor offered one. Blanche tried to suggest Cohen is downplaying his interest during testimony by referring to text messages Cohen exchanged with his daughter at the time of the election, once Trump won.

Cross-examination of Cohen continues as court returns from break Court has resumed after a short break. Judge Merchan announced that court will not be in session next Wednesday because the jurors will not be available. A sidebar with the judge earlier this morning may likely have been about scheduling issues and discussing whether the court could be in session next Wednesday, which is usually the day of the week the trial has a break. Because of this, the New York Times suggests that the trial could continue past Memorial Day weekend.

Court is taking a break The court is taking its midmorning break. When it resumes, Michael Cohen is expected to continue his testimony under cross-examination.

Trump will appeal gag order to New York state's highest court Attorneys for Donald Trump have filed court documents indicating that they will ask New York's Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, to weigh in on the gag order that has been imposed on him during his hush money trial. Earlier this week, a New York appeals court denied a motion by Trump's defense team to lift the gag order, which was issued by Judge Juan Merchan to prevent the former president from attacking witnesses and court employees or commenting on the jury. Trump's attorneys submitted court filings on Wednesday indicating they will appeal. According to CNN, the Court of Appeals clerk's office said it had not received the Trump team's motion as of Thursday morning.

Blanche argues Cohen has history of shifting blame onto others for his actions Trump defense attorney Todd Blanche's questioning is attempting to portray Cohen as someone who has committed crimes independent of his loyalty to Trump. By going through the list of people Cohen admits to blaming over the years, Blanche aims to paint a pattern of how Cohen not only lies under oath but also regularly shifts responsibility off himself and onto others. Q: By the way, you've blamed a lot of people over the years for the conduct that you were convicted of?

A: I've blamed people, yes.



You blamed your accountant? (Correct) Your bank? (Correct) Fed prosecutors? (Correct) The judge? (Correct) Trump? (Correct).  Tyler McBrien (@TylerMcBrien) May 16, 2024

Defense presses Cohen about his lies Continuing with his cross-examination, Trump defense attorney Todd Blanche pressed Cohen about his previous lies under oath. In 2018, Cohen was charged with perjury for lying during testimony to the House Intelligence Committee. "You lied under oath, correct?" Blanche asked "Yes sir," Cohen replied. Cohen also acknowledged he lied in his 2018 testimony to special counsel Robert Mueller.  Big picture: The defense wants to portray Cohen as not only vengeful but also someone who has repeatedly lied under oath and could easily do so again. The prosecution tried to get out ahead, questioning Cohen prior to cross-examination about his lies to Congress and the special counsel.

Cohen's podcast response to Trump's indictment is played for the jury During Thursday's cross-examination, Michael Cohen was asked about remarks he made on his Mea Culpa podcast reacting to Trump's indictment in the hush money case. I truly f***ing hope that this man ends up in prison, Cohen is heard saying in a clip from one of the podcasts played for the jury, according to reporters in the courtroom. But revenge is a dish best served cold, and you better believe I want this man to go down and rot inside for what he did to my family. On another episode, before Trump was indicted, Cohen predicted the former president was about to get a taste of what I went through, and I promise you it's not fun. Cohen later acknowledged to Blanche that he took some credit for Trump's indictment.  Big picture: The defense wants to portray Cohen as a vindictive former employee motivated by vengeance.

Defense resumes cross-examination of Michael Cohen After a lengthy sidebar with attorneys from both sides, the jury was called into the courtroom, and Michael Cohen  Trump's former lawyer and so-called fixer  returned to the witness stand for more cross-examination by the defense.

Trump's court entourage includes Reps. Gaetz and Boebert Reps. Andy Ogles of Tennessee and Matt Gaetz of Florida watch as former President Donald Trump speaks to the press before entering the courtroom for his criminal hush money trial in Manhattan Thursday. (Angela Weiss/Pool via AP) The former president has had a steady stream of Republican lawmakers show up at court to support him during his hush money trial. According to the Trump campaign, nearly a dozen were with him in court Friday: Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida Rep. Bob Good of Virginia Rep. Diana Harshbarger of Tennessee Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado Rep. Michael Cloud of Texas Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida Gaetz posted the above photo on X underneath a message for Trump: "Standing back and standing by, Mr. President."  Big picture: That phrase echoes what Trump infamously said during a 2020 presidential debate while refusing to condemn the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group.

What Trump said when he arrived at the courthouse Trump speaks the press outside of Manhattan criminal court as his lawyer Todd Blanche looks on. (Angela Weiss/Pool via Getty Images) Speaking to reporters after arriving at his hush money trial on Thursday, Trump offered a familiar litany of complaints, blasting President Biden, Judge Juan Merchan and the heightened security surrounding the Manhattan criminal courthouse. "It's like Fort Knox," Trump said, as his Secret Service detail watched him speak. "You can't get within three blocks of this place if you're a civilian."  Big picture: Trump had hoped for large groups of supporters to protest outside during his trial, but such demonstrations have not materialized.

What to expect in court today Former President Donald Trump's hush money trial resumes in Manhattan criminal court at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer and so-called fixer, is expected to be back on the witness stand for more cross-examination by the defense.

Trump's lawyers have sought to portray Cohen as a jilted former employee motivated by vengeance.

Cohen is the final witness for the prosecution, and it's unclear whether Trump will testify in his own defense.

Court will not be in session on Friday so that Trump can attend his son Barrons high school graduation.


Four people were killed and 15 injured by the Russian attacks while working on the construction of defensive structures in Kharkiv Oblast.

Source: Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, on the air of the Ukrainska Pravda YouTube channel

Details: Syniehubov stated that Ukrainian civilian businesses lost more than UAH 30 million (approx. US$750,938) worth of equipment during the construction of phosphate treatment facilities in Kharkiv Oblast due to constant Russian attacks.

Background:

On 13 May, Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, said that, on his orders, a meeting is to be held at which all those involved in building fortifications in the oblast will report on the work that has been done.

On 10 May, it was reported that the Russian forces had intensified their activities in Kharkiv Oblast. Intense fighting continues. The Russians have occupied a number of settlements in the grey zone. The Defence Forces are sending additional reserves to Kharkiv Oblast.

Civilians are being evacuated from the hromadas along the border of the oblast.

Tamaz Gambarashvili, Head of Vovchansk City Military Administration, stated on 13 May that fortifications have been built around the city along the border with Russia, but that it is difficult to build more of them due to the Russian bombardments.

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A North Carolina-based coffee chain that made the national news in 2018 for an incident at the Duke University store has opened a new location in a Durham office building.

Joe Van Gogh was first established in Chapel Hill by Robbie Roberts. With the store in SouthCourt, a six-story office building near University Drive and Shannon Road in Durham, the local chain has six Triangle locations, across Chapel Hill, Durham and Raleigh.

The coffee shop serves traditional coffee drinks, seasonal specials, tea and baked goods such as muffins, scones and cookies. Sandwiches, salads and hot breakfast foods are also available.

About Joe Van Gogh

The local coffee chain has grown from a single cafe in Chapel Hill, where coffee was roasted just inside the front door, to a company with six locations across three cities. The latest store, inside the Durham office building, celebrated its grand opening May 8.

One Durham cafe, which Joe Van Goghs website no longer lists as an open location, was at a former Gulf service station on West Chapel Hill Street in the Kent Corner area of the citys West End neighborhood, The News & Observer previously reported. The cafe shared a space with Local Yogurt.

Joe Van Gogh even has a coffee subscription program, where customers can get coffee beans delivered at a frequency of their choice.

The company has a focus on green initiatives. Solar panels cover the roof of the Hillsborough building where Joe Van Gogh roasts its coffee, according to the companys website. And Roberts, the company founder, bought the first Loring Smart Roaster, common in the industry among companies wanted to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions and energy usage. Plus, almost all of the single-use products used in cafes are compostable.

Backstory: Joe Van Gogh at Duke

In May 2018, Larry Moneta, then Duke Universitys vice president for student affairs, visited the Joe Van Gogh on the universitys campus, The News & Observer previously reported. While there, he heard a rap song  Get Paid by Young Dolph  that offended him. The song contains the N-word and the F-word.

He later said in a statement emailed to The N&O and The Duke Chronicle that he was shocked to hear lyrics quite inappropriate for a working environment that serves children among others.

Barista Britni Brown, who was working in the shop at the time, said she turned off the music, apologized and offered Moneta his muffin on the house, but Moneta insisted on paying.

After that, Moneta said he shared his concerns with Robert Coffey, the universitys executive director of dining services.

Brown and Kevin Simmons, another Joe Van Gogh barista working at the store when Moneta came in, lost their jobs just days after the the incident in question. Joe Van Goghs leaders said that Duke wanted them to terminate us, and that there was nothing that they could do and that their hands were tied, Brown told The N&O.

Responses from Duke officials and students:

After the baristas contracts were terminated, Moneta wrote on Facebook that it was never my intent that any of the coffee shops employees should lose their jobs, and said that if my actions in any way lead to their dismissal, I apologize and hope that the JVG management consider ways to reinstate their employment with the company, The N&O reported.

In a statement, Duke said it regretted the pain this incident caused to those who look to Duke to uphold the highest values of fairness and equity to all members of our community.

The universitys president, Vincent Price , sent an apology email to students, faculty and staff. He said he was sorry for a campus climate damaged by recent racial incidents and for Monetas complaint about the music, which resulted in the termination of two baristas.

More than a dozen protesters gathered outside the Joe Van Gogh store on campus, blasting the rap song that had offended Moneta. Students and some coffee shop employees, including the two who were fired earlier in the week, attended the demonstration. Eventually, the group entered the student union, where Monetas office was, and he let some of them inside to talk.

Moneta retired from the university following the 2018-19 school year, after 17 years at Duke.

Responses from Joe Van Gogh:

On May 11, Roberts, the owner of Joe Van Gogh, said he was closing the shop on campus to preserve the companys brand independence without conditions, The N&O previously reported. All of the employees who worked at that location  including Brown and Simmons  would be offered jobs at other stores or in the production offices , Roberts said. Brown told The N&O that she didnt plan to return to the company.

Joe Van Gogh also posted a message on its website apologizing to employees, customers and the community for how they handled the situation. It went on to say, We attempted to understand Dukes position in this case, but we should have taken a different approach in making personnel decisions.

Response from Stephen Colbert:

The Late Show host had some thoughts about the whole situation. In an episode that aired shortly after the news broke in 2018, Colbert said, Hold on. If were allowed to complain about the music at coffee shops, I would like a warrant signed out for Michael Bubles arrest.

Questions raised by the incident

Moneta was already being criticized for insensitivity in his working of an email sent to students, whom he was encouraging to take part in a survey about campus sexual assault and harassment. The Joe Van Gogh incident renewed those concerns.

There were also issues regarding the way Duke treated contract employees, like those working for Joe Van Gogh, who lacked some workplace protections that full-time university employees were afforded.

And the incident brought up the topic of race relations at the university; at the time, Dukes student population was less than 10% African American.

News & Observer reporter Martha Quillin contributed to this story.

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A Utah man has pleaded guilty to the murder of his 19-year-old neighbor, who went missing in 2022. As part of a plea agreement, he disclosed the location of the body, Box Elder County Attorney Stephen Hadfield announced Wednesday.

James Brenner, 60, was initially charged with first-degree murder. The charges were reduced to second-degree murder as part of a plea deal with prosecutors after he told federal authorities where to find Dylan Rounds remains, according to Hadfields statement.

Rounds went missing near his farm in Lucin, Utah, in May 2022, shortly after speaking with his grandmother, according to KSL-TV, an NBC affiliate in Salt Lake City.

A photo of Dylan Rounds distributed by the Box Elder County Sheriff's Office in Brigham City, Utah. Box Elder County Sheriff's Office

Brenner, who lived in a trailer in a remote area near Rounds property, was named a person of interest in the investigation a few months after the disappearance, Fox affiliate KSTU-TV in Salt Lake City reported. He was initially held on unrelated federal firearm charges.

According to a charging document filed in March and obtained by East Idaho News, a search of the victims cellphone data revealed a time-lapse video taken on the day of his disappearance that showed Brenner cleaning a gun with blood stains on his arms and shirt.

Candice Cooley, Rounds mother, told East Idaho News in March 2023 that the video was taken 30 minutes after her son spoke with his grandmother on the phone. She wasunsure how or why the video was recorded.

Im pretty sure when Brenner took the phone, he just hit the wrong button or had a wrong swipe and had no clue, she said. Then it started recording.

DNA found on Brenners shirt reportedly matched that of Rounds.

Its unclear what his motive was, but in an interview with KSL-TV, Cooley said shed been told Brenner was mad that Dylan put his truck in the shed that day.

The Box Elder County Sheriffs Office announced in April that skeletal remains believed to be Rounds were located in a remote area of Lucin.

In a statement posted in early May, Rounds family confirmed that Dylans remains were found in a shallow grave.

While we had hoped for a different outcome, we have known since the start Dylan was no longer alive, the statement said. This recent development means the investigation has gone full circle and now we can finally bring Dylan home and close this chapter.

Brenner was formally charged with first-degree aggravated murder and abuse of a human body, according to the charging document. The first-degree murder charge was reduced to a second-degree crime and the desecration of human remains charge was dismissed as part of the plea deal. Two second-degree firearms charges remained.

Under Utah guidelines, he faces one to 15 years in prison for each second-degree felony. Since the plea deal stipulates that sentences be served consecutively, he could face up to 45 years in prison. Brenner is set for sentencing on July 1.

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Minister of Interior of the Slovak Republic Matus Sutaj-Estok (C) speaks during a press conference after an extraordinary meeting of the Security Council of the Slovak Republic in Bratislava. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot after a government meeting in Handlova on Wednesday. Pavel Neubauer/TASR/dpa

A man described as a "lone wolf" has been charged with the attempted murder of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said.

Estok said the 71-year-old suspect was motivated by political grievances to try and assassinate Fico.

He described the man as a "lone wolf" who is "not a member of a radicalized political group, either right-wing nor left-wing."

Following Wednesday's assassination attempt that shocked the country and Europe, Defence Minister Robert Kalinak said on Thursday that the leader remained in "serious" condition at hospital.

Kalinak, who is also deputy prime minister, said that Fico had been hit by four bullets and they had cause serious injuries.

"The doctors have managed to stabilize his condition," he said, but stressed Fico is not yet out of danger.

Miriam Lapunikova, director of the FD Roosevelt Hospital in the city of Banska Bystrica, said Fico underwent a five-hour emergency operation involving two teams of doctors on Wednesday evening.

Fico, 59, was flown to hospital by helicopter after the shooting attack that followed a government meeting in the central town of Handlova.

The suspected shooter was arrested at the scene. According to media reports, the man had worked for a private security service in the past and therefore had a firearms licence to legally possess a gun.

The attack occurred as Fico, a left-wing nationalist, went outside to shake hands after a Cabinet meeting held at the House of Culture in Handlova. He was hit in the abdomen.

The local television station RTV Prievidza published a video of the incident showing a man pushing against the fence and shooting at the prime minister from close range.

In a show of cross-party solidarity, outgoing President Zuzana Caputova and her successor Peter Pellegrini made a joint appearance in Bratislava.

"Let's get out of the vicious circle of hatred and mutual accusations," Caputova, who is from the the liberal Progressive Slovakia party, appealed to the public in a televised speech.

She said the attack on Fico had been an individual act. "But the tense atmosphere of hatred was our collective work."

Pellegrini, who at one point was in Fico's Smer party, called on the political parties to suspend or at least limit their campaigns ahead of the European elections in June.

The usual heated political discourse in the country has quieted. A turbulent parliamentary session was cancelled on Wednesday afternoon and adjourned indefinitely.

The liberal opposition parties cancelled all political rallies for the time being. They had originally called for a mass demonstration on Wednesday evening against Fico's plan to dissolve the public radio and television station RTVS.

President-elect Pellegrini, who is due to take office next month, also visited Fico in hospital on Thursday.

"I only spoke to him for a few minutes because the doctors asked me for a short visit," he said, describing Fico as "very tired."

"Difficult hours and days lie ahead."

Pellegrini said that a "red line" had been crossed with the assassination attempt. "The prime minister escaped death by a hair's breadth, it would have been enough if the bullet wound or several bullet wounds had been a few centimetres further and we might have to talk about completely different things today."

Fico had only recently accused the opposition of fuelling a climate of hostility against his government, saying it could not be ruled out that an act of violence would occur at some point given the level of vitriol.

Fico is the founder and leader of the left-wing party Smer, which has become increasingly nationalistic, and has been one of Slovakia's most popular politicians for almost 30 years.

At the same time he has polarized the small Central European country. Opponents call him "pro-Russian" and accuse him of wanting to lead Slovakia on a similar course as Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who promotes what he calls "illiberal democracy."

The authorities are investigating whether Fico's bodyguards did not adequately protect Fico, TASR news agency reported.

Minister of Interior of the Slovak Republic Matus Sutaj-Estok (3rd R) and Minister of Defence of Slovakia Robert Kalinak speak during a press conference after an extraordinary meeting of the Security Council of the Slovak Republic in Bratislava. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot after a government meeting in Handlova on Wednesday. Pavel Neubauer/TASR/dpa

Bodyguards take Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico to safety in a car from the scene of the incident. Fico had been shot and injured after a cabinet meeting in the town of Handlova. Radovan Stoklasa/TASR/dpa
Sue Gray, 59, basks in the sunlight in her former kitchen in Connecticut, shortly before moving into her mother's house. Sue has lived with Lyme symptoms since 1994. The pain, depression, and anxiety she experiences prevent her from working and have led her to feel unsupported, misunderstood, and isolated for decades. The strain of her illness also contributed to the end of her two marriages. "If not for my [sons], I dont know where Id be," she says. Credit - Jiatong Lu

Sue Gray, 59, has been sick half her life. But it took two decades to confirm why.

When Gray was 30 and living with her then-husband in the middle of the woods in upstate New York, she felt a tick on her scalp one day after taking a shower. Her former husband plucked it off with tweezers, and that was the end of thatfor that day, Gray says.

Over the next few months, however, Grays health began to decline. She suffered frequent respiratory infections and developed a twitch in her eye. Then, a few weeks after the twitch began, she felt the sensation of ants crawling up and down her legs, even though nothing was there. That made Gray nervous enough to book an appointment with a neurologist. Remembering her recent tick bite, Gray asked to be tested for Lyme diseasebut the results came back negative. Looking back, knowing what she does now about the faultiness of Lyme tests, she wishes shed been retested. But her doctor just sent her on her way.

Over the next two decades, Grays neurological issues continued and she progressively developed new symptoms: numbness and tingling in her back, chronic pain, anxiety, and an uncontrollable rage that made her feel like an entirely different person. She knew something was seriously wrong, but she didn't know what. I was scared to death, she says.

In 2007, Gray was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She was stable for a while, but in 2014, her symptoms took a turn for the worse and she was hospitalized. Doctors ran a battery of tests, and one for Lyme came back positive, confirming Gray's initial hunch from decades earlier. Between scouring the internet for information and visiting countless doctors, getting to that point felt like having an unpaid full-time job for most of her adult life. Its been hell, Gray says.

Thousands, if not millions, of people in the U.S. have lived through versions of that hell. Nearly half a million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Lyme disease every year after being bitten by ticks typically carrying the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. In its acute phase, Lyme disease causes symptoms including fatigue, headaches, and muscle aches. As the infection proliferates in the body, it can spiral into arthritis, chronic pain, heart palpitations, inflammation of the brain, neurological issues, and more.

Most people who are treated with a two- to four-week course of antibiotics get better. But the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that treatment fails for up to 10% of patients, who develop what is officially known as post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS), a lingering condition that comes with symptoms like profound fatigue, body aches, and cognitive impairment. A small 2022 study put the number a little higher, finding that about 14% of patients properly treated for Lyme experienced prolonged symptoms. And those figures don't even include people like Gray, who were either never treated for acute Lyme or treated too late. (Many patients prefer the term "chronic Lyme disease," which is more inclusive of people who were treated late, inadequately, or not at all.)

Read More: We Used to Have a Lyme Disease Vaccine. Are We Ready to Bring One Back?

For years, much of the medical establishment has downplayed or outright dismissed the idea of chronic Lyme disease, for which there is no definitive diagnostic test or treatment. Kim Lewis, a biology professor at Northeastern University who researches Lyme disease, thinks thats because the medical system isnt comfortable with uncertainty. It is much easier, psychologically, to conclude that chronic Lyme doesnt exist than to say that it does but no one knows what to do about it, Lewis says. The best way to solve a problem is to announce that it doesnt exist.

Over the last few years, though, theres been a renaissance in Lyme research. Buoyed by widespread acceptance of Long COVIDwhich similarly results in chronic symptoms after what should be a short-lived illnessthe medical establishment is looking anew at post-Lyme complications. The U.S. National Institutes of Health expects to grant more than $50 million for the study of Lyme disease this year, doubling its 2015 budget for the condition, and the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) last year awarded $3 million in first-year grants for PTLDS research. As interest in the condition grows, scientists across the country have reported promising findings related to diagnosis and treatment of chronic Lyme, bringing patients closer to mainstream acceptanceand hopefully, eventually, a cure.

Lyme impacts so many people, and it has never had its moment in the spotlight, says Lindsay Keys, a patient advocate who directed The Quiet Epidemic, a 2022 documentary on the subject. I am optimistic that this could be chronic Lymes moment.

First identified in Lyme, Conn., in 1975, Lyme disease cases have exploded in recent decades, as climate change and real-estate expansion push Americans into closer contact with the blacklegged ticks that carry Lyme bacterium. In the 1980s, the CDC received about 1,500 annual reports of Lyme disease. Now, nearly half a million people are diagnosed annuallyand that's probably an undercount.

Lyme disease is notoriously difficult to diagnose. While many people develop a telltale bullseye-shaped rash after being bitten by an infected tick, up to 30% of people dont, and others may never notice a rash that forms on a hard-to-see body part. Other early Lyme symptomslike headaches, muscle aches, and fatiguecan be easily mistaken for those of different conditions.

Tests are also limited in what they can detect. Standard Lyme tests look for antibodies that the body produces in response to an infection, rather than the bacterium itself. Some companies sell tests using alternative diagnostic methods, and these are widely used among patients and "Lyme-literate" doctors, but federal health officials caution that they may not be reliable since they haven't gone through the full regulatory review process.

It's hard to blame patients for turning to these methods, when approved tests are not 100% accurate even during the acute phase of a Lyme illness. False negatives are common, especially when people are tested early in their infections, since it can take weeks for the body to mount an antibody response strong enough to register on tests. But the situation is even more complex when symptoms have dragged on for months or years, since someone may have antibodies long after an acute infection is gone. The antibody tests that were using currently cannot tell the difference between an active infection and a long-time-ago exposure, says Michal Tal, an immunoengineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who studies Lyme.

Read More: Ticks Carry More Diseases Than Lyme. Heres What You Need to Know

At the moment, theres no other objective biomarker that clinicians can use to tell whether someones ongoing symptoms are related to Lyme. Researchers have found some clues, including differences in the genes, health histories, and microbiomes of people who develop chronic symptoms relative to those who dont, but there is not yet a surefire way to detect the condition, which leads some doctors to conclude that its not real. Many patients also report symptoms that fall outside what the CDC recognizes as signs of PTLDSnamely fatigue, body aches, and difficulty thinkingwhich also complicates the diagnostic process.

The Modes' 10-year-old daughter, Sun (pictured with Rose), was diagnosed with Lyme disease at age 6. Sun lives with sensory problems, leg and foot pain, and eating challenges that required a feeding tube during infancy. Jiatong Lu

Cody Mode, 30, learned that the hard way. Hes lived with symptoms including chronic pain, insomnia, brain fog, and sensory and temperature-regulation issues since he was a kidin retrospect, he believes, tracing back to tick bites he sustained as a child in Alaska. These issues went unexplained for years; he recalls one doctor shaking him by the shoulders, shouting that everything was in his head. But finally, in his mid-twenties, he was diagnosed with Lyme on a test from a private laboratory that he took after moving to New England with his family.

Today, Modes wife, Rose, and two of his five children have also been diagnosed. The other three kids have Lyme-like symptoms, but havent officially been diagnosed.

The Modes arent able to work full-time jobs because their symptoms are unpredictable and can leave them unable to function. They also decided to homeschool their children, since the kids were missing so many classes due to health issues. But despite the massive toll Lyme has taken on his family, Mode says they regularly encounter physicians who dont believe theres anything wrong with them and wave off their diagnoses, saying theyre based on quack tests. Every time I go to the doctor, Im worried, he says.

Read More: Scientists Have Identified the Lyme Disease Genes Responsible for Severe Symptoms

NIAID has called for more research on Lyme diagnostics, and some scientists are working toward innovations like at-home tests, urine tests, and better antibody tests. In addition, Akiko Iwasaki, an immunobiologist at the Yale University School of Medicine, is working with Tal to map an immune profile of chronic Lyme, analyzing patients blood and saliva samples to search for biological markers that may differentiate people who have long-term symptoms from those who dont. And Dr. John Aucott, director of the Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Clinical Research Center, is studying whether functional MRIs can detect changes in the brains of PTLDS patients, relative to healthy people.

I have spent the last 15 years trying to prove that [chronic Lyme] is real, Aucott says. Only when the medical and scientific establishments believe that it is, he says, will anyone be willing to fund major treatment trials.

Treatment for both acute and chronic Lyme is a puzzle. For most patients who are accurately diagnosed with acute Lyme, a course of antibiotics (often doxycycline) wipes out the infection. But about 10% of the time, that approach doesnt work, leaving a small-but-significant minority of patients with PTLDS. Tal is studying the immune systems of people for whom treatment works versus those for whom it doesnt, in hopes of predicting who will go on to develop chronic symptoms so that doctors could intervene early with immune-system-altering drugs and better monitor patients' recoveries.

But right now, doctors dont know why treatment sometimes fails, or for whom it will; some outright reject the idea that treatments don't always work. Instead of admitting that it fails 10% of the time, we have just been sweeping this under the rug and calling these people crazy, Tal says.

But at least PTLDS is a CDC-recognized diagnosis. The term "chronic Lyme" is even less accepted within the medical establishment. The Infectious Disease Society of America has been sued by patients for rejecting it as a legitimate medical diagnosis, allegedly leading to insurance-coverage denials. (A judge dismissed those claims in 2021, but patients have continued to fight to move the case forward.) The CDC discourages use of the term "chronic Lyme" because, as the agency says, it implies that prolonged symptoms are caused by an ongoing bacterial infection when, in fact, the cause is not currently known.

Its true that researchers dont know what causes post-Lyme symptoms. Its possible that bacterial fragments stubbornly linger in the body, either causing ongoing infection or interacting with other pathogens, Tal says. Or, she says, it's possible that the bacterium causes the immune system to attack itself, or triggers another kind of abnormal immune response that outlasts the initial infection. But no one really knows, because a relatively small number of scientists have researched Lymes chronic symptoms over the past several decades, Aucott says.

However, there are signs of progress. Columbia University in 2021 launched a Lyme-focused treatment clinic, and Yale followed suit last year with a new research center dedicated to post-infectious illnesses including chronic Lyme. The NIHs PTLDS grants have also brought new scientists into the field, Aucott says.

Patient advocates have also been effective at pushing for change and raising awareness, including by appearing in recent documentaries including The Quiet Epidemic and Im Not Crazy, Im Sick, which came out in 2023. In April, Keys, director of The Quiet Epidemic, met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to call for a public-awareness campaign and more research funding related to Lyme, winning support from representatives in states including Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. The research is finally happening, exploring the questions that patients have been asking all along, Keys says.

That wave of support stems in part from a newfound respect for post-infectious illnesses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, she says. People have had to reckon with the fact that were living amongst infectious diseases and anyone can be impacted, Keys says.

Read More: A Hotter World Means More Disease Outbreaks in Our Future

An estimated 7% of U.S. adults have chronic post-COVID-19 symptoms known as Long COVIDa patient group too large to ignore and one that has granted newfound credibility to people with other long-discounted post-infectious illnesses, such as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic Lyme. Long COVID is also subject to many of the same limitations and knowledge gaps as chronic Lymetheres no agreed-upon biomarker for diagnosing it, no clear reason why some people have long-term symptoms and others dont, and a significant group of patients who never tested positive for acute COVID-19but it has become an accepted diagnosis anyway, with more than $1 billion of federal research funding poured into it.

The chronic Lyme community is trying to grasp onto whats happening right now with Long COVID and hold on for dear life, Tal says. If Long COVID is real, and Long COVID looks [almost] exactly like chronic Lyme, then do we need to go back and reassess some of our assumptions about chronic Lyme?

Shivani's journey with Lyme disease started long before she was aware of it. Looking back, she believes she has been grappling with illness and disability for most of her life, likely linked to Lyme disease contracted while growing up on Long Island. At 33, a tick bite was followed by what she describes as "a neurological explosion" causing uncontrollable rage, severe insomnia, and intense burning sensations in her joints and lymph nodes, leaving her teetering on the edge of psychosis. Five years have passed since, and Shivani remains bedridden most of the time. Jiatong Lu

There have already been promising research breakthroughs. Timothy Haystead, a professor of pharmacology at the Duke University School of Medicine, is working on an approach borrowed from oncology that he describes as a theranostic, combining therapy and diagnostics. Haysteads team is studying a cancer drug that targets proteins in the Borrelia bacterium, enters its cells, and then destroys the bacterium from within, all while sparing healthy surrounding tissue. The same molecule that you use to detect the disease is also used to kill it, he explains.

Haystead is hopeful that clinical trials in mammals, and then humans, will move forward within the next few years. Another research team, this one at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, is also testing cancer drugs for use against Lyme bacteria, following some preliminary but promising findings in lab studies.

Meanwhile, at Northeastern, Lewis is studying an "old, abandoned antibiotic" thats lousy against most pathogens, but in animal trials appears to be exceptionally potent against Borrelia. Lewis' team partnered with a drug-development company that recently began preliminary human trials of the antibiotic. Research will start with patients who have acute Lyme, and if the drug works well in this population and cuts down on the percentage of people who develop lingering symptoms, it could feasibly then be tested among people who already have chronic illness, Lewis says.

Other labs, including one at Stanford University, are also taking a second look at existing antibiotics, searching for answers in medications that are already approved and availableand, thus, that could relatively quickly make it to patients if they prove effective.

Still, much more research is required before doctors get anywhere close to prescribing these potential therapies to chronic Lyme patients. The road is long, but Lewis says its important to look for new treatments, even as other researchers continue to study the root causes and underlying biology of chronic Lyme. Believing it exists is only the first battle.

Right now, a diagnosis may do more to soothe the mind than the body. Shivani, 37, has lived much of much of her life with symptomsranging from physical tics to gastrointestinal issuesthat she thinks were likely related to Lyme disease contracted while growing up on Long Island. Then, at age 33, a tick bite preceded a neurological explosion that made her body and brain feel like they were on fire and resulted in hallucinations, rage, and insomnia. Shivani, who asked to use only her first name, tested negative for Lyme using the CDC-recommended testing protocol but positive on a test from a private laboratorya result that she says some doctors still reject.

The diagnosis offered some clarity but little else. Shivani says she initially felt some improvement after taking antibiotics, but the results didn't stick. None of the mainstream treatments her doctors have prescribed have made a meaningful, lasting differenceand some, she says, have been actively harmful, including a prolonged course of benzodiazepines that she says caused cognitive injury and antibiotics that she says made it nearly impossible to eat. Too sick to work or live independently, she has relied heavily on the care of her parents and friends.

Facing massive pain and little hope, Shivani says she has often felt suicidal. She remains alive in large part, she says, due to her spiritual beliefs and her deep-seated sense that "there's something to fight for," whether that's sharing her story, serving as a voice for those who are suffering, or simply getting better so she can spread love and positivity in the years to come.

Moving forward isn't easy; sometimes she wonders how long she can stand the suffering she faces every day. But, she says, "I'm pretty undefeatable, when it comes down to it."

Jiatong Lu is a mixed-media artist and photographer based in New York. Her work focuses on exploring individual and collective dilemmas, delving deep into the connections between personal and shared experiences, societal culture, and social policies.

After being diagnosed with neurological Lyme disease in 2021, Jiatong Lu started her documentary project "Nowhere Land," photographs from which are included throughout this piece. Through intimate narratives, the project captures the silent suffering, daily battles, and emotional isolation endured by individuals living with this invisible and debilitating condition, aiming to shed light on the plights encountered by numerous chronic Lyme disease patients.

Write to Jamie Ducharme at jamie.ducharme@time.com.
CHICAGO  Gerald Reed, who has long alleged he was a victim of police torture, was acquitted Wednesday after a retrial of his double-murder case, killings for which he had spent some three decades in prison.

In a meticulous ruling from the bench, Circuit Judge Steven Watkins said over and over that there was no forensic evidence, no eyewitness evidence, and no murder weapon in evidence that could substantively tie Reed to the 1990 double homicide.

In addition, there was no evidence of any desire to kill either one of them, Watkins added. It appears all of them were friends.

Reed, who came into the courtroom wearing a neck brace and using a walker, clutched his forehead and wiped his eyes as Watkins delivered his findings. Reed opted to have the judge, not a jury, determine his fate; Watkins findings came about a month after closing arguments from Reeds lawyers and the special prosecutors appointed to handle the case.

Despite the acquittal, however, Reed will remain in custody. He is in the middle of serving a 10-year sentence for a robbery conviction out of Indiana, a case he picked up after Gov. J.B. Pritzker commuted his murder sentence.

Due to that commutation, Reed could not have gone back to prison for the murders even if Watkins had convicted him Wednesday  serving any more time would have violated his constitutional rights.

Elliot Zinger, one of Reeds attorneys, said the prosecutions case amounted to a lot of bells and whistles with no substance. Where was the evidence that these two murdered their friends?

Robert Milan, who led the team of private attorneys appointed to handle the prosecution, said in a statement on behalf of the victims families that the verdict was very disappointing.

It is the States position that the evidence of Reeds guilt that was presented at trial was overwhelming. Although we strongly disagree with this verdict, we must accept it and move on, the statement reads.

Watkins finding concludes an extraordinary and strange legal saga. Most of the proceedings in recent years have dealt not with the question of his guilt but whether or not he was tortured into confessing by detectives connected to ex-Cmdr. Jon Burge. Only after an extremely convoluted series of events was that confession officially thrown out by the states highest court, paving the way for a retrial.

The trial itself, however, centered on whether Reed was actually involved in the horrific double homicide.

Pamela Powers and Willie Williams were killed in October 1990. Powers, shot twice in the head, was found half-naked and fighting for breath under a viaduct near Englewoods Kennedy-King College; she was pronounced dead not long afterward. Williams was found fatally shot in Powers ransacked apartment. Reed and co-defendant David Turner were arrested not long afterward and found guilty.

In his finding at the retrial Wednesday, Watkins gave little credit to any of the prosecutors evidence. While one witness said she saw Reed closely follow a terrified-looking Powers up the stairs in the hours before she was shot, Watkins noted that another witness said Powers looked high, not scared. And there was no evidence (Reed) was touching her, no evidence the defendant threatened her, no evidence he pulled her up the stairs or pushed her up the stairs, Watkins said.

The argument that the murder weapon was a community gun shared by Gangster Disciples isnt enough to definitively link it to Reed or his co-defendant Turner, Watkins said.

And previous trial testimony from two younger men who said they saw Reed confessing to killing Powers while he had a .357 poking out of his waistband was simply not credible, Watkins said.

More believable, Watkins said, was the evidence that Turners sister fed them that story in an apparent effort to help her brother. They could not reasonably have known the type of gun if they had only seen the handle, Watkins said.

I dont know how he would know, he said. Unless somebody told them what to say to police.

After the hearing Wednesday, Reeds attorneys expressed gratitude but not surprise.

There really was no evidence that put Gerald Reed at either murder scene at any point, attorney Larry Dreyfus said.

A civil lawsuit is a definite possibility, Zinger said, and urged Cook County prosecutors to turn their attention to Turner, who never alleged torture and whose conviction remains intact.

____
MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11)  It was a special moment for 95-year-old Maria Pulsone as a 51-inch sculpture of her likeness was unveiled at the Italian American Museum on the Lower East Side.

When Maria was much younger working as a seamstress in the garment center she was honored by her boss who commissioned the plaster sculpture of her. For years it stood in the lobby of the Broadway building where she worked. Suddenly it was gone.

Long Island girl dances to a healthier tune after receiving her brothers kidney

Maria believed the statue was dumped. Forty years later, her granddaughter and her husband did some detective work, and with amazement, found the lost statue of her grandmother last year.

Jennifer Pulsone Heppner recalled, We did a quick Google search and found it in a antique shop in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Jennifer Pulsone Heppner recalled. They gave us a Black Friday special for $600.

The family decided the statue of the hardworking Italian immigrant should have a permanent new home at the Italian American museum under construction on Mulberry Street. Dr. Joseph Scelsa, the museum founder, expressed his delight, calling the statue a wonderful tribute.

We have many acquisitions in the museum but we dont have a statue of an actual worker, said Dr. Scelsa.

Mother and son piano duo making music together for charity

Surrounded by adoring family, including two great-grandchildren, Maria said she could never have imagined her statue would someday be in a museum. Thats a piece of me, she said. its a big honor for all Italians, all of Italy. For me, I feel like a princess. Im lucky. This is a very big moment.

Maria quipped as she looked at her likeness and was asked if she thought it bore a resemblance. Maybe, she said. Im getting older, the statue is young.

Her great-grandson Ethan Heppner says he is happy that people can go somewhere to see her.

The statue rekindles the memories of life in the garment center decades ago and it puts a face on the labors of immigrants. Now, it will immortalize Maria Pulsone in the new Italian American museum that will open later this summer.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  The countdown is on for the Mirage Hotel and Casino to officially close its doors to make way for the new Hard Rock Hotel, and guests spoke with 8 News Now about the bittersweet change.

I just got the news, a tourist told 8 News Now of the closure date. And Im not happy about it.

Date set for closure of Mirage to make way for Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas

Its the end of an era on the Las Vegas Strip, as a date was set Wednesday for the Mirage Hotel & Casino to officially close its doors on July 17.

Many, including long-time guest Chris Madness, said they were sad to see it go.

This place is forever, Madness said of The Mirage. Will and always be in my heart.

Madness told 8 News Now he and his family have been coming to The Mirage for 20 years, so it means much more to them than just a place to stay.

Where this comes from, everything that this stands for, Madness said. Its kind of a bummer to see this go.

The countdown is on for the Mirage Hotel and Casino to officially close its doors to make way for the new Hard Rock Hotel, and guests spoke with 8 News Now about the bittersweet change. (KLAS)

The 80-acre property, which marked the first mega-resort on the Strip, was opened by Steve Wynn in November of 1989.

In 34 years, it hosted countless iconic shows, including Seigfried & Roy as well as Nouvelle Experience, the first Cirque Du Solei performance in Las Vegas.

After the shutdown in July, work will begin to transform the building into Hard Rock, which will feature a 700-foot guitar-shaped hotel tower, set to open in 2027.

Im not crazy about it, a Mirage guest said of the change. I would rather have the Mirage than have a Hard Rock.

Hard Rock International will pay $80 million in severance for any of the 3,000 employees staying with the property through its closure.

Culinary Union members are protected by recently renegotiated contracts, which give them the option to choose a recognition bonus of $2,000 for every year of employment at The Mirage with six months of pension and benefits, or a smaller amount while retaining seniority when the hotel and casino reopens.

Whenever Im in Vegas, a guest told 8 News Now. The Mirage feels like home to me.

Its a big change many call exciting but bittersweet, especially for anyone who has experienced years of history firsthand.

No matter the circumstances, Madness concluded. Its just that much more special.

8 News Now spoke with several Mirage employees Wednesday who shared their sadness and fear over the propertys imminent closure but did not want to share their story on camera.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
President Ilham Aliyev has condemned the assassination attempt on Prime Minister of Slovakia, Azernews reports.

"I am shocked and appalled by the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico. I strongly condemn this attack. My thoughts are with Prime Minister Fico, his family, and Slovak people. I wish him the soonest recovery," President Ilham Aliyev wrote on his page on X.
The Polish Sejm has passed a bill extending the legal stay of Ukrainian refugees until September 30, 2025, and introducing stricter conditions for receiving social support, requiring a passport to receive certain benefits. These changes are aimed at ensuring legal status and social guarantees for Ukrainian refugees. The changes will come into force on July 1, 2024.

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This was reported by RMF24 radio station. The amendments to the law were voted in favor by 381 MPs, 19 were against, and 20 abstained.

The document includes stricter conditions for providing social support to Ukrainian refugees. In particular, some benefits will be available only upon presentation of a passport. Among the approved changes:

Ukrainians who have received PESEL UKR will be able to legally stay in Poland until September 30, 2025 ;

will be able to legally stay in Poland ; the payment of 800 zlotys per child will depend on whether the child is attending school;

will depend on whether the child is attending school; financing of accommodation and meals for refugees in difficulty will be possible only if there is an agreement with local authorities ;

; compensation to owners of private housing for accommodation of refugees is canceled ;

to owners of private housing for accommodation of refugees is ; the payment of a one-time allowance of 300 PLN is terminated;

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access to medical, family, and social benefits paid by ZUS is expanded;

paid by ZUS is expanded; introduces new rules for confirming the identity of a Ukrainian citizen in order to obtain a PESEL number, which requires the provision of a valid travel document.

These measures are intended to streamline procedures and provide Ukrainian refugees with the necessary conditions for residence and social support in Poland for the period up to 2025. The bill will now be submitted to the Senate for consideration, after which it must be signed by the President. If approved, the law will come into force on July 1, 2024.

Amendments proposed by the former ruling Law and Justice party and the far-right Confederation group were not included in the final text of the document. They proposed to deprive Ukrainians of military age of the right to social assistance in Poland.

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As OBOZ.UA previously reported, Ireland is considering reducing state support for asylum seekers and refugees, including those from Ukraine, even those who have long been in the country. The main goal is to bring Irish payments in line with other European countries, as more and more Ukrainian refugees are moving to Ireland from other EU countries due to the large financial support.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
(FOX40.COM)  Rick Redding Jr., a longtime teacher at Hiram Johnson High School, says incidents of students bringing weapons and drugs on campus are happening more often than not and hed like to see the school and the Sacramento City Unified School District do more to prevent it.

Redding said he is a graduate of Hiram Johnson and that he has been a teacher there since 2006. His mother and father, aunts, uncles and cousins all graduated from there, as well.

We have a very vested interest in what takes place not just in our neighborhood, but our school, Redding said to FOX40.com in mid-May.

He says working there isnt just a job for him. He loves the school, along with its students.

City sued by Sacramento Homeless Union for efforts to shut down Camp Resolution

Like myself, there are so many committed teachers on this campus, who really, really work hard and they deserve to have a safe place to work that is free of guns, knives, pepper spray, bullets, fights, violent fights where principals, administrators are being battered by having their eye socket damaged, Redding said.

His last comment refers to a fight that happened earlier this school year where a student punched an administrator in the face, knocking him to the ground.

The safety problems have been numerous and these arent just regular fights at school. These are batteries, aggravated batteries, teachers, a principal being hit in the eye A good decent man.

He said students bringing weapons on campus happens even more often.

FOX40.com received several internal reports documenting numerous incidents involving weapons and drugs on campus.

In this present school year, there have been at least four incidents of students bringing weapons onto the school grounds, three incidents involving multiple knives, and just last week, a gun carried around in a students backpack.

Over 40-year-old soccer fields at Sacramento park to undergo renovations

Im just saddened because the leadership in this district, on this campus, clearly doesnt want to do anything. It seems to me, what are we doing here? Are we waiting for Columbine, are we waiting for Sandy Hook? Redding said, referring to two of the deadliest mass shootings at schools in the United States.

FOX40.com reached out to the principal of Hiram Johnson and the school district to talk about campus safety.

The district asked if we could hold off from doing this report and offered us the chance to attend school in the morning to see for ourselves what safety measures are in place.

The offer was rescinded when we said our report was airing Wednesday night.

In a prepared statement, the district says, in part, Hiram Johnson faces the same daily challenges as nearly every public high school in the greater Sacramento area when it comes to maintaining a safe learning atmosphere. The incidents you reference demonstrate that our strategies are working and that staff are preventing larger safety threats while maintaining transparency with families.

Redding said district administrators may not be completely familiar with what teachers face every day.

I think these are spoken by people who have not been in a classroom in a really, really long time. Theyre out of touch, and thats the crux of this problem, he said.

On the issue of students bringing weapons on campus, Redding has his own recommendations.

Im not saying that we should kick these kids out of school. We should not be in the business of kicking kids out of school, but we should be finding alternative places for them to learn.

Every sporting event you go to today, theyve got a clear plastic bag. Why cant we implement something like that here?

Clear plastic bags. How about metal detectors? We are having so many problems and the things Ive shared with you today, that is just a microcosm of the things that are really going on, on campus. We can do better.

Redding said he would like to see the administration be more proactive and perhaps implement some of his ideas so that everyone on campus stays safe.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40.
A group of homeowners in Longwood say theyre at severe risk of flooding after a woman in their neighborhood filled a stormwater pipe with concrete.

 WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS

Water remained pooled along Shadowbay Blvd. Thursday, more than 24 hours after a storm system passed through the area.

Currently, the only place for the water to go is back into the air, and local government agencies say theres nothing they can do about it.

READ: $26 million project to fix flood problems in historic Midway community enters new phase

Its going to get very bad very quickly, one neighbor said.

Normally, rainwater in the neighborhood flows down a drain and out to a retention pond.

However, last month, the homeowner next to the drainage pipe hired a crew to fill it with concrete, escalating a 10-year dispute to another level.

She believes that we put the pipe in, HOA board member Robin Rodriguez said. And so she said nobody gave me authority, and I am going to stop it up.

Rodriguez said the problem dates back to when the community was founded. The developer separated the houses on one side of the street from the HOA and ran the drainage pipe through an easement in between two of the homes.

Rodriguez provided maps and records showing that the easement and the pipe have existed since the 1980s.

READ: Seminole County begins projects to prevent future flooding after storms

The homeowner declined to be interviewed on camera but said the maps presented by Rodriguez showed a different pipe running underneath her house, even though the pipe was drawn where the disputed pipe sits.

She claimed the pipe used to go under her neighbors property, but someone moved it to her land while she was out of the house.

The homeowner couldnt provide any dates, photographs, or records proving that work happened.

Theyve taken a shortcut...an inexpensive way through my property without consent, without pay, the homeowner said. The truth is that they really need to take care of the drainage system.

Local government agencies say their hands are tied because the dispute concerns private property.

Its frustrating in the sense of getting phone calls and emails from homeowners, Rodriguez said. You cant do anything to allay their fears or to give them any peace of mind.

READ: FDOT begins work improving Nova Canal drainage system in Volusia County

An attorney told Eyewitness News that because of the easement, no one needs permission to build, repair, or replace the drainage system. They said a judge could hold the woman liable for repairs and any flood damages that occur.

Representatives from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection say their agency is also looking into the matter.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Look for a job in law enforcement? Meet the SJSO recruitment team

The St. Johns County Sheriffs Office is hiring.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

To better understand the open positions and future opportunities, join the department on Wed., May 22 and May 29 to meet the recruitment team.

Both meetings will run from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. May 22 will meet at the Unity Church (2777 Race Track Rd.) and on May 29 at the SJSO Northeast Field Office (1108 A1A N. Ponte Vedra).

For more information and to apply, visit JoinSJSO.com.

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Looking forward to only renewing your drivers license every 16 years? Bad news...

The General Assembly has rescinded two changes to state law that aimed to reduce crowding at Division of Motor Vehicles offices, after they were found to conflict with federal law.

A provision in the budget bill passed last fall would have doubled the renewal period for drivers licenses in North Carolina to 16 years for drivers age 18 to 65. In addition, the bill allowed drivers to renew their licenses online every time, rather than having to visit a DMV office every other renewal as they must do now.

Both provisions were scheduled to go into effect July 1.

Instead, both were repealed with a single sentence in the 60-page technical corrections bill passed by legislators earlier this month. Gov. Roy Cooper signed the bill into law Wednesday.

The reversal results from miscommunication between the DMV and lawmakers. The idea of doubling the license renewal period from eight years to 16 was something the DMV requested in February 2023, and it appeared in the House version of the budget that spring.

But DMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin said the department later learned that the change would violate federal law, specifically the REAL ID Act, which governs state drivers licenses and IDs that meet federal security requirements. The act says REAL IDs issued by states are not valid for more than eight years, which allows DMVs to regularly update license designs to make them harder to counterfeit.

The REAL ID Act also requires that the photo on REAL IDs be replaced at least every 16 years. That requires an office visit, contradicting the budget bill provision that says they could be renewed online.

Goodwin says the agency requested the provisions be removed from the House version of the budget.

But that message didnt reach everyone, and the changes appeared in the final version of the budget negotiated behind closed doors and released in September. Goodwin noted that the provisions would violate federal law but wasnt able to get lawmakers to change the 625-page budget bill before it was approved a few days later.

In a statement this week, Goodwin said he was pleased the problem had been fixed.

Im grateful to the members of the General Assembly for correcting this matter and look forward to working with them as we continue our efforts to modernize DMV and improve the customer experience, he said.
Colossal wildfires burn across Canada, driving thousands of people to evacuate with kids, pets and precious belongings

Colossal wildfires burning across Canada over the last week have driven thousands of people to evacuate with their kids, pets and precious belongings in tow  many uncertain when they may be able to return home.

Firefighters battling more than 100 blazes across the country could see temporary relief in some regions as a large mid-week storm tracks through western and central Canada, bringing increased chances of rain and blasts of cooler air.

Even so, several volatile fires are raging within miles of neighborhoods. Fire officials warn slight changes in weather conditions or wind direction could quickly place nearby homes and businesses at risk.

More than 6,000 people have evacuated from Fort McMurray in Alberta since Tuesday as a 51,000 acre fire burns less than 5 miles from the citys edge. Residents should plan to be away from their homes until at least May 21, possibly longer, the regional municipality said.

The fire near Fort McMurray was still active Wednesday, but winds were expected to begin pushing the blaze away from the city and its major highway, Alberta Wildfire Information Officer Josee St-Onge said. Rain showers are forecast to begin in the area Wednesday night and drop up to 1 inch of rain through tomorrow.

Around-the-clock firefighting efforts have helped keep the flames at bay, including water helicopters equipped with night vision. Firefighters  some of them defending their own communities  have also been pulling grueling and dangerous shifts.

To the firefighters braving the flames to defend Fort McMurray and other areas of the province, we appreciate your heroic efforts more than we can say and we pray for your safe return, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Wednesday.

For many Fort McMurray residents, the smoke-blackened skies and anxious evacuations recall painful memories of a catastrophic 2016 fire dubbed The Beast, which forced 90,000 people to evacuate and wrought billions of dollars in damage to homes and businesses.

Resident Jocelyn Routhier, whose neighborhood has yet to be ordered to evacuate, has watched from her back porch as the scene grows eerily similar to the previous disaster. She shared two uncanny pictures of the fires taken eight years apart.

This is a deja vu that I would rather not experience. Lets hope it doesnt turn into a reality, Routhier said in social media post alongside the images.

Its hard to think anything but the worst

New fires are cropping up every day across Canada and several out-of-control blazes are threatening populous neighborhoods, prompting scores of evacuating residents to look for lodging in hotels, emergency shelters and camp and RV sites.

Mackenzie Spenrath is among the nearly 5,000 people ordered to evacuate the Fort Nelson area in British Columbia, where the 31,000-acre Parker Lake Fire is burning just 1.5 miles from the community. He told CNN affiliate CBC he has become consumed with watching the news and scrolling social media trying to figure out if my town is still standing.

Fort Nelson fire crews may be aided by under an inch of rain forecast Wednesday night and through Thursday evening. But that is far from the amount of precipitation needed to offset drought conditions and extinguish the fires, the British Columbia Wildfire Service said.

Its not entirely hopeless, obviously. But the fire is just so close to town that its hard to think anything but the worst, Spenrath said.

Smoke rises as fire singes Fort Nelson on May 14. - Cheyenne Berreault/Anadolu/Getty Images

Extraordinarily dry conditions are also posing challenges for fire personnel battling a blaze that has come within a mile of the Cranberry Portage community in western Manitoba. About 580 people have been evacuated and there is no estimated time for their return.

Because the conditions are so extremely dry up there, the fires burned down deep, Earl Simmons, the director of the Manitoba Wildfire Service, told CBC. So the firefighters have to get in there and dig really deep into the ground to put it out. And were not just talking a few inches, were talking meters into the ground in spots.

The dry conditions driving Canadas wildfires are aggravated by warming conditions caused by human-driven climate change.

This region has experienced multiple years of drought, with a below normal snowpack this past winter, said Ben Boghean, fire behavior specialist for the BC Wildfire Service. As a result of this, our forests in the Fort Nelson zone are very receptive to new fire ignitions and rapid rates of spread.

Declining snow, increasing temperatures and worsening droughts are all hallmarks of climate change and are projected to keep driving larger and more intense fires across Canada, according to Environment Canada.

CNNs Melissa Alonso, Sharif Paget, Taylor Galgano and Caitlin Kaiser contributed to this report.

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The Vietnam War was a tumultuous time in American history and its only recently that the veterans of the conflict began to share their stories. This is for the more than 58,000 who cant. Marine Corps Captain William Bill Griffis, III was a Texas native who grew up in San Angelo as the oldest of three children. When he was in high school, he was on the track and field team, was a member of the Zocolos (a fraternity of the YMCA) and was active in his church youth group. Though Bill and his future wife, Sally, knew each other growing up, it was not love at first sight. They became acquainted in the summer of 1962 when they ran into each other at a gas station in their hometown. Bill was attending university in Tennessee when he felt called to service. His family came from a long line of service. After two years, he enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy. During his junior year, he brought Sally with him to the Army-Navy Game and asked her to marry him at his graduation dance. Bill graduated and was commissioned into the Marine Corps in 1964 as a 2nd Lieutenant. He made his way to Quantico for his basic training before being assigned as a platoon leader with the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, First Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In early 1966 he left for his first tour in Vietnam and was assigned to Headquarter and Service Company, where he commanded the Quick Reactionary Force. While in Vietnam, his first daughter, Sarah, was born in March 1966. He made his way home a year later and was assigned to Camp Pendleton as Aide de Camp for Major General Lewis J. Fields. In 1968, he was a Captain and sent back to Quantico for schooling. He departed for his second tour attached to the Naval Advisory Group, Military Assistance Command-Vietnam on June 7, 1969, and was assigned to the Delta region. On January 24, 1970, Bill was a passenger on helicopter UH-1H tail number 67-17559 of A Troop, 7th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Division. The aircraft picked up some marines and soldiers near a rice paddy during their flight. The troops had captured an ammunition box during their ground operation and had brought it on board the helicopter. As the aircraft was being lifted off, one of the soldiers sitting next to Bill started to open the box. He attempted to intercede, anticipating that the box was booby-trapped and it exploded. The helicopter crashed and although the others made it off, reports indicate he died within minutes. Hours later, his second daughter was born and his wife was notified of his death in the maternity ward of the hospital by a Chaplain. Over 20,000 became Gold Star Children during the Vietnam War. That daughter, Mitty Mirrer, devoted her life to telling their stories as a journalist. His life ended and mine began. My mother was faced with a newborn and an almost 4 year old to raise on her own. At that time, there were no support groups in place to help military families grieve and cope with their loss. The Vietnam War was also a very divisive time, she explained. Our grief was silenced for many years. As children, we didnt have the language to ask about our father and begin to understand what his service meant for him and our family. In 1992, she made her first trip to the Vietnam War Memorial Wall and saw her fathers name etched in the stone. Five years later, she brought her family to Vietnam to make a documentary series for her ABC affiliate and it won her a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award. I interviewed my mother in Vietnam and asked questions about my dad in a way I never had been able to articulate before that trip. Together, my mother, sister and I met Vietnamese families who also shared the stories of their loss. We visited the graves of their war dead and showed one another pictures. While we were only allowed to speak to families chosen to talk with us by the Vietnamese government, the universality of sharing our grief was healing, Mirrer said. With the help of the Marines, we were able to pinpoint the location of where his helicopter exploded. We spent time in the field where we were told he took his last breath, and our Vietnamese counterparts helped us leave flowers in remembrance. In 2008, she founded Gold Star Children  a nonprofit organization and film created to tell their stories. I produced and directed the not-for-profit documentary Gold Star Children to tell the story of child survivors of war casualties, and all designation of death while servingthat sudden tragic lossin juxtaposition with older gold star children of the Vietnam War who wanted to mentor the younger generation and give back in a way that was not possible during the era of Vietnam, she explained Gold Star children whose parents served in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq in the film work together to ensure that all child survivors know they are not alone. In 2013 it debuted everywhere. Mirrer said at the time that her goal was to have people walk away asking how they could help Gold Star Children, often forgotten in the aftermath of war. I tell his story by remembering the families and especially the children left behind. In any war, or death during military service, it is the loss and the secondary loss (home, community, place in the military family) that young people, especially, must overcome. With community through organizations such as Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors that brings bereaved military families together, healing happens, she shared. As America heads into Memorial Day, her thoughts surrounding the solemn day were simple. It is a day of remembrance, Mirrer reflected. It is also a time to honor and support our families of the fallenthey are the heroes on the homefront.

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Louisiana lawmakers agreed to make documents and meetings about the operations of the publicly-funded governor's mansion secret. (Piper Hutchinson/Louisiana Illuminator)

The Louisiana Legislature has voted overwhelmingly to give the governor more power over the publicly funded Governors Mansion and keep records and meetings related to the home secret.



The Senate on Thursday unanimously approved House Bill 799, sponsored by Rep. Vincent St. Blanc, R-Franklin. The House of Representatives also approved the legislation on a 97-3 vote last month. The measure now goes to Gov. Jeff Landry, who is expected to sign it into law.

The proposal makes several structural changes to the management of the Governors Mansion, located across a small lake from the state Capitol in Baton Rouge. It would close more of the building to the public and keep secret records and meetings concerning the residence.

Under the St. Blanc bill, all meetings of the Louisiana Governors Mansion Commission that oversees the mansion would be held in secret and not open to the public as they currently are. Documents the commission produces will also no longer be public as they are now.

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In the current law, public areas of the mansion are defined as its first floor, the state wing of the second floor, a stairwell in the rotunda and all grounds in the front and on the sides of the mansion. The bill takes the state wing on the second floor and declares it a private area.

The authority of the mansion commission is also weakened through the bill. All members would serve at the pleasure of the governor, instead of staggered terms of one to five years.

The membership of the commission would also change to include the chief of staff of the governors spouse, instead of the mansions executive residence director. Three more commission members would also be picked directly by the governor, without consultation from the mansion staff as required now.

The commission will go from having jurisdiction over the public and private areas of the mansion to just having oversight over its public areas, under the legislation. Its authority over the public areas of the mansion will also be restricted further than it is now.



The governor used to have to get permission to repaint, redecorate or make substantial changes to the interior design and look of the public areas of the mansion from the commission. The bill now gives all the power over those decisions exclusively to the governor.

The bill also requires the commission to seek the governors approval to arrange for loans of artwork and other items to the mansion. Under current law, the commission can do this unilaterally without the governors input.





This legislation would go into effect immediately when the governor signs the bill.



It is in keeping with a few other proposals Landry has pushed that would have made records about the governors activities and life secret. Lawmakers have scuttled most of these bills after they received widespread criticism.

The post Louisiana Governors Mansion records, commission meetings likely to be made secret appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator.
Ronal Salvador found a lump on his testicle when he was 17  it turned out to be a rare form of cancer

Ronal Salvador Ronal Salvador

In July 2021, the summer before his junior year of high school, Ronal Salvador noticed a lump on his left testicle. He was spending the summer in Houston with his dad. I didnt think too much of it, he says. I just let it be.

But the lump kept getting bigger. "It was more oval shaped than circular," Salvador, who was 17 at the time, recalls. "And you could feel something just wasnt right."

Ronal Salvador Ronal Salvador

When he returned home to New Orleans a month later, he told his mom something was wrong. She asked to see it. I told her, Yeah, fine. I dont mind. She changed my diapers  what do I care? he tells PEOPLE.

His mother took him straight to the emergency room of a nearby hospital. There, he remembers doctors saying they thought he had cancer. They did a few scans, he says. They wanted to operate that same night. They were saying, We may have to get rid of a testicle now in order to get rid of this cancer.'"

At the time, Salvador says, he thought it seemed like a reasonable plan. I wasnt thinking straight. So I was like, You know what? Just get rid of them. And my mom was like, No, boy, youre not thinking right.

Obviously he wasn't thinking about whether he might be compromising his ability to father a child. Kids were the last of my worries, he says. But his mother was thinking of the future. She wants grandkids, explains Salvador, who is the oldest of four kids.



Ronal Salvador Ronal Salvador

Related: Summer House's Jesse Solomon Reflects on His Testicular Cancer Diagnosis: 'Puts Everything Into Perspective'

She also wanted a second opinion. The next day she took Salvador to Childrens Hospital New Orleans, where his cancer was confirmed.

At Childrens Hospital New Orleans, he was diagnosed with Childhood Rhabdomyosarcoma. Only about 350 new cases are diagnosed each year in the U.S., according to Childrens Hospital Colorado.

I was the only one on either side of my family  my dad's, my mom's, even my step dads family  to ever get cancer, says Salvador, now 20. I was the first ever. Everyone was in shock.

But at the hospital, his family got better news. "They said, 'Yes, this is cancer, but this is very treatable,' Salvador remembers. Removing both testicles is not the recommended treatment, notes his pediatric urologist, Dr. Christopher Roth.

Salvadors cancer was metastatic and had spread to the Lymph nodes near his aorta, Roth says. He required intensive therapy and including multiple surgeries.

He was optimistic and brave throughout it all, Roth said in a statement to PEOPLE.



Ronal Salvador Ronal Salvador

Related: Teen Who Missed Homecoming After Brain Surgery Surprised with Dance at Hospital (Exclusive)

Salvador had four surgeries in late 2021, followed by six months of chemo and radiation daily for a month.

I realized when I had cancer, you never know what could happen, Salvador says. I realized my life could end at any point.

Salvador is now 20, finishing his second year as a pre-med student at the University of New Orleans. He hopes to one day become a cardiologist, he says. He usually doesnt talk about being a cancer survivor  unless a friend mentions a loved one battling the disease. Then he'll share his story to give them hope.

They find it hard to talk about it because they don't really know anybody with cancer, he says. I end up bringing up the fact that I had cancer and they get all shocked. They go, 'Oh, whoa, whoa. I didn't know you had cancer. I didn't know that. I would've never guessed.' So they like to talk to me about it. They tell me how it is. And I always tell them, "It'll be fine. You'll be fine. They'll be great."

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After Lower Brule vote, eight of nine tribes have endorsed Noem ban

Gov. Kristi Noem delivers a speech about the U.S.-Mexico border on Jan. 31, 2024, at the state Capitol in Pierre. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

Gov. Kristi Noem delivers a speech about the U.S.-Mexico border on Jan. 31, 2024, at the state Capitol in Pierre. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

Eight of nine tribal governments in the state of South Dakota have endorsed the banishment of Gov. Kristi Noem from their lands.

The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe unanimously approved a resolution to bar Noem on Wednesday, according to Tribal Chairman Clyde Estes.

The vote comes one day after a similar resolution from the Crow Creek Sioux Tribal Council. Last week, the Yankton Sioux Tribes Business and Claims Committee endorsed a ban days after the tribal council of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate voted to ban Noem.

The Rosebud, Oglala, Cheyenne River and Standing Rock Sioux tribes voted to bar the governor earlier this year.

The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe is the only one in the state that has not yet cast such a vote.

The bans began shortly after Noem delivered a speech on the U.S.-Mexico border that tied the impact of Mexican drug cartels to reservation communities. Noem would later say that some tribal leaders are personally benefiting from cartels.

Tribal leaders have also taken issue with comments delivered during town halls in Mitchell and Winner that suggested Native American children have no hope, and that their parents are not there for them.

Those comments in particular have been a sticking point for Estes, the Lower Brule tribal chairman. He said the tribe sent Noem a letter asking for an apology to children and parents.

They were very hurtful, disparaging words, Estes said. We never heard a peep.

Lower Brule voted down an earlier attempt to ban the governor. Estes said some leaders were hopeful that theyd hear an apology, but a couple months have gone by now without a response.

Estes said the leadership has also taken issue with the comments on tribal leadership and drug cartels. He said hes never met anyone in a cartel and I hope that I dont.

It would be like tribes saying the South Dakota Legislature and executive branch of state government is in bed with the mafia, Estes said. These are blatant mistruths. Words are very powerful and hurtful. We have to be better than that.

The location of the nine Native American tribes and their lands in South Dakota. (Courtesy of state Department of Tribal Relations)

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The post After Lower Brule vote, eight of nine tribes have endorsed Noem ban appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
At a meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a political settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Following the Kremlin's propaganda, he called the invasion and armed aggression of the Russian Federation the "Ukrainian crisis."

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In his address, the Chinese president said that the issue of war must be resolved following the norms and principles of the UN Charter. A fragment of Xi Jinping's statement was published by Russian propaganda media.

According to him, in today's world, all bloc confrontation and power politics directly threaten the security of all countries. Xi also added that China intends to continue to advocate for a political settlement of conflicts.

"Promote political settlement of hotspot issues for the sake of truth and justice. The Cold War mentality is still rampant in today's world. Unilateral hegemony, bloc confrontation, and power politics directly threaten world peace and the security of all countries," Xi Jinping said.

At his meeting with Putin, the Chinese president called for respect for the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries.

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"China and Russia perceive a political settlement as the right way to resolve the Ukrainian crisis. China's position on this issue is consistent and clear, namely: adherence to the norms and principles of the UN charters, respect for the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, their rational concern for the formation and sustainable security architecture," Xi Jinping said.

Earlier it was reported that China is ready to support an international peace conference only if the terrorist country Russia takes part in it. According to Chinese President Xi Jinping, both Kyiv and Moscow should be on "equal footing" at the upcoming summit.

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As a reminder, Chinese President Xi Jinping came to Europe for the first time in five years and surprised by the choice of countries to visit. He chose Hungary and Serbia, among others, for personal meetings, and this choice was not accidental and indicates that China is trying to create a new circle of friends in the European Union for itself and Russia.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
CRITTENDEN COUNTY, ARK.  Crittenden County deputies raided two businesses in Earle, Arkansas, and arrested nine people including a Memphis teen on charges related to illegal gambling.

The raids were carried out at 7:20 Wednesday evening at Steins Grocery and Market on Arkansas Street and the Valero station on Highway 64 in Earle, the Crittenden County Sheriffs Office said in a release. Both stores are operated by the same person, they said.

Authorities say they seized 14 illegal gambling machines, plus more than $9,000, two firearms and marijuana.

Woman fled for help from house with 70 dogs, neighbors say

They say the investigation into the businesses began several months ago when they received complaints about illegal gambling machines at the stores.

Mohamed Ali Ismail, 41, of Earle, owner of Steins and manager of the Valero station, was charged with two felony counts of keeping a gambling house.

Four employees and four customers including 18-year-old Saad B Ghaled and 44-year-old Charles Townsend of Memphis were charged with other offenses.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
It was around this time nine years ago when then-Gov. Rick Scotts administration was accused of effectively muzzling state officials when it came to the climate crisis. The Miami Herald reported at the time that officials at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection claimed they were ordered not to use the terms climate change or global warming in any official communications.

Nearly a decade later, the Florida Republican has been elevated to the Senate, and his successor in the governors office is going even further in an anti-climate direction. The Associated Press reported:

It might seem like ancient history, but in 2008, then-Gov. Charlie Crist  at the time a Republican  signed a bill to address climate change and promote renewable energy. It passed the state legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support, at a time when some in the GOP were willing to acknowledge the realities of the climate emergency.

Sixteen years later, DeSantis hasnt just undone that work, he and Republican legislators have gone even further to bury their heads in the sand. A New York Times report summarized some of the key elements of the measure DeSantis signed, noting that the new law, among other things:

ends a requirement that the state must consider climate change when crafting energy policy;

prohibits the construction of offshore wind turbines (which have never existed off Floridas coast);

repeals state grant programs that encourage energy conservation and renewable energy.

deletes requirements that state agencies use climate-friendly products and purchase fuel-efficient vehicles.

For good measure, the APs report noted that DeSantis also weakened safeguards on gas pipelines.

The far-right governor characterized the regressive move as restoring sanity, which is only true if one believes its sane to pretend the climate crisis doesnt exist.

To be sure, such radicalism would be indefensible in any state, but the fact that this is happening in Florida makes it all the more bonkers.

As the Times report added, the Sunshine State, is one of the states most vulnerable to the costly and deadly impacts of climate change. The article went on to note that 2023 was the hottest in Florida since 1895, and the waters off its coast heated to 90 degrees during the summer, bleaching corals and scorching marine life.

Even if Republicans decided not to care, flooding and extreme weather events are pushing major insurers out of Florida altogether, which has dramatic ripple effects on the states real estate market and broader economy.

DeSantis and his party are aware of these problems, and theyre responding by taking deliberate steps to make matters worse.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Todays installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.

* Giving Democratic election hopes a boost, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for Louisiana to use a congressional map that includes two majority-Black districts. The move overturned a recent ruling from Trump-appointed appellate court judges.

* Russian disinformation operatives targeted U.S. elections in 2016 and 2020, and The New York Times reports that theyre engaging in similar tactics this year, though this time, with new refinements.

* President Joe Biden spoke at the annual National Peace Officers Memorial Service at the U.S. Capitol yesterday, celebrating the degree to which U.S. crime rates have improved during his tenure.

* While Biden and Donald Trump agreed to two upcoming debates, the former president announced via his social media platform that hes also agreed to an October debate on Fox News. Thats not an event the Democratic incumbent is likely to attend.

* Speaking of the presumptive GOP nominee, Trump spoke at a fundraising event this week and addressed one of the controversies surrounding South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem. Im really curious, the former president said, about the dog.

* Bidens re-election campaign is apparently having a little fun at Trumps expense, selling t-shirts with the text Free on Wednesdays. Its a reference, of course, to the fact that the suspected felons ongoing criminal trial has given him Wednesdays off.

* And in Nevadas U.S. Senate race, former Ambassador Jeff Gunter continues to go after his Republican rival, Sam Brown, this time over the frontrunners support for the nuclear waste facility at Yucca Mountain.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Channel 9 has obtained disturbing records that reveal new details about the investigation into the death of 13-year-old Madeline Soto.

The documents reveal a timeline of events that her suspected killer, Stephan Sterns, gave law enforcement Feb. 27, the day after the girls mother reported her missing.

We woke up around 7 -- 7:15 -- somewhere around there, which is an early start for us, Sterns said during an interview with detectives. But we had talked about getting McDonalds breakfast beforehand, so we want to make good time. We did make good time. We got out the door maybe 7:30 -- 7:45 maybe. Got over to that area. She was asleep in the car most of the time, just snoozing until we got there.

Photos: Madeline Soto

The Orange County Sheriffs Office said Friday evening that Madeline Sotos body has been found. Investigators said Osceola County deputies found the missing 13-year-old girls body at about 4:30 p.m. in a wooded area along Hickory Tree Road.

Detectives believe Stephan Sterns killed 13-year-old Madeline Soto on Monday morning at a Kissimmee apartment complex.

Investigators discovered the body of 13-year-old Madeline Soto on Friday afternoon.

Investigators discovered the body of 13-year-old Madeline Soto on Friday afternoon.

Investigators discovered the body of 13-year-old Madeline Soto on Friday afternoon.

Sources say that Maddies body was found in rural St. Cloud near Hickory Tree Road.

Police and deputies canvassed the area of Osceola County for 13-year-old Madeline Soto.

The Kissimmee Police Department will handle the search for Madeline Soto, said Chief Betty Holland.

The sheriff said the efforts will now shift to recovering her body.

Sheriff John Mina said he is confident that she is dead, and recovery efforts will continue.

Members of the community will gather to pray for 13-year-old Madeline Soto.

Deputies in Orange County said 13-year-old Madeline Soto has been missing since Monday morning. And now, her mothers boyfriend is in jail on charges of sexual battery and possession of child sex abuse material. Stephan Sterns was supposed to go before an Orange County judge Thursday morning but refused to be in court.

More than 50 members of the Orange County Emergency Response Team looked for the 13-year-old in various areas as our detectives continued their investigation.

More than 50 members of the Orange County Emergency Response Team looked for the 13-year-old in various areas as our detectives continued their investigation.

Madeline Soto

Madeline Soto

Madeline Soto

Madeline Soto

Madeline Soto

Madeline Soto

Madeline Soto

Madeline Soto

Madeline Soto

The Orange County Sheriffs Office on Friday confirmed that the body of Madeline Soto, 13, has been located.

Sterns later said Soto changed her mind and did not want the breakfast, so they went to school.

Jenn Soto, Madeline Sotos mother, told investigators that she saw her daughter getting ready for school Feb. 26, the day she vanished.

During the interview, Sterns never mentioned what Jenn Soto knew about the morning her daughter was last seen.

He was calm, but could not always give a straight answer to investigators questions.

Read: Stephan Sterns charged with 1st-degree murder in Madeline Sotos death

Later in the interview, Sterns said Madeline Soto decided against ordering breakfast, and he dropped her off at a church near her school -- along with her backpack and laptop -- because she was embarrassed by his car.

Detectives later learned that Sterns was recorded on video tossing the girls backpack and laptop in a dumpster at 7:30 a.m. Feb. 26.

Detectives already knew that Madeline Soto was dead.

Video showed the girl slumped over in the front seat of Sterns car.

Read: I miss her so much: Madeline Sotos biological father speaks out about death, disappearance

Sterns willingly gave investigators his cellphone but claimed he accidentally completed a factory reset of the phone while installing an update shortly before he claimed he drove her to school.

The reset erased all calls, mapping information and videos from his electronics.

I dont know where my head was, he told investigators. Yesterday was so far up my backside.

There remains a huge gap in the timeline Sterns gave detectives -- particularly between the hours of 8:30 p.m. Feb. 25 and 7:30 a.m. Feb 26.

Read: Madeline Soto case: Stephan Sterns faces 60 new charges

Much of that information has not yet been made public, but it did help prosecutors files murder charges against Sterns.

Channel 9 received new information about how Sterns spent his time with the girl and her mother as well as their sleeping arrangements.

Watch Channel 9 Eyewitness News, beginning at 4 p.m., to learn what else the documents reveal.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
On Thursday, May 16, Denmark announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth DKK 5.6 billion, which is approximately EUR 750 million. The main funds will be used to strengthen Ukraine's air defense and artillery.

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This was reported by the Danish Ministry of Defense. The announced package is the 18th in a row that Copenhagen has provided to Kyiv.

According to the Danish defense ministry, almost half of the amount will be spent on air defense systems, while the rest will be used, in particular, to transfer F-16 aircraft to Ukraine, maintain artillery systems, and supply shells and anti-tank mines.

"With today's donation, we are meeting Ukraine's urgent need for more air defense, artillery, and ammunition. As part of the package, the government is also providing additional funds to invest directly in the Ukrainian defense industry. It makes sense to produce weapons where they are used and by those who use them. It is also about Ukraine's long-term defense capability. Ukraine has the skills but lacks funding. We hope that more countries can be inspired to follow this model," said Foreign Minister Lars Lkke Rasmussen.

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As reported by OBOZ.UA:

Denmark is preparing to transfer Western F-16 fighters to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They should arrive in our country within a few months. This statement was made by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

On Wednesday, May 8, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed with Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen solutions that would help speed up the delivery of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine.

Denmark will deliver the first F-16s to Ukraine in the summer of 2024, and the process will continue in the fall. After that, the Netherlands is planning to start sending fighters to our country.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber . Do not fall for fakes!
MAGA supporters have stormed social media with claims about the upcoming presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden being "rigged." The claims include that the debate will be manipulated in Biden's favor and that host network CNN is against Trump.

MAGA supporters also criticized the debate moderators, Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, saying they "get to dictate all the rules." Biden previously stated that he might refuse to debate his predecessor, but when the latter taunted him on social media, the president became willing to have a face-off.

MAGA Supporters Claim Joe Biden And Donald Trump's Debate Is 'Rigged'

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According to Newsweek, Trump's MAGA supporters are furious over his upcoming CNN presidential debate against Joe Biden. The former president's fans have taken over social media with claims that the debate, which airs over a month away, is rigged in Biden's favor.

The presidential debate, hosted by CNN, will be held on June 27 and moderated by its journalists, Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. ABC will hold a second debate in September. Tapper has become well known for his criticism of Trump, once stating that his time as president was a "long national nightmare."

Trump's daughter-in-law Lara spoke to Fox News on Wednesday about her opinion on the debate. She said, "It's rigged so heavily in Joe Biden's favor, but everything always is. You've got Hollywood against Donald Trump, you've got the music industry against Donald Trump, mainstream media, and even the judicial system at this point."

The Allegations Are All Over Social Media

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Many of Trump's fans on X, formerly Twitter, have also made claims like Lara's on the platform. One page, known to be pro-Trump and pro-Conservative, tweeted that he also thinks the debate is being planned in Biden's favor.

The tweet read, "The majority of the country already knows CNN is in the tank for Joe Biden and the debate will be rigged to favor him. But I think many people out there are underestimating how impressive it will be for Donald Trump to do the debate anyway."

"The debates are going to be a complete sh-t show. Trump should not allow fraud Biden and fake CNN set debate conditions. Just like the elections, the debates are going to be rigged," another tweet read, per Newsweek.

A third tweet from Colonel Robert Sauers read, "Biden will absolutely get the questions in advance as well as the answers. He will also have an earpiece with someone whispering in his ear. Donald Trump is being set up, but feels he can still beat Biden in a rigged debate."

Jake Tapper And Dana Bash Were Also Criticized

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Sean Hannity of Fox News also criticized CNN's choice of debate hosts, Tapper and Bash, especially Tapper. During his conversation with Lara, Hannity said he was upset about "fake Jake" being chosen as a moderator.

He said, "Tapper is a radical, left-wing partisan talk show host that masquerades as a journalist. They're trying to colludethe media mob and Joe Biden. They get to dictate all the rules and Donald Trump gets no say. That's not fair."

Another debate critic, former Republican presidential race contender Vivek Ramaswamy, also posted his opinion.

He tweeted: "Call me cynical, but why is Biden suddenly so willing to debate? It could be because he's desperate, or it could be because it's a setup. Keep an eye on the details of how all this comes together. You don't often see a sudden 180 like this unless there's more to the story."

Joe Biden Changed His Mind About Not Debating Donald Trump

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Biden previously stated that he might decide not to debate Trump, saying the decision "depends on his behavior."

In response, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he was ready to debate "any time, anywhere" because it's "good for our country."

Biden then responded to the taunt by posting a video clip on X. Speaking directly to the camera, the president said, "Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020, and since then, he hasn't shown up for a debate. Now he's acting like he wants to debate me again."

Biden further taunted Trump by saying he was ready to debate him twice. "Well, make my day, pal, I'll even do it twicelet's pick the date, Donald; I hear you're free on Wednesdays," Biden added, alluding to Trump's court schedule in his criminal trial.

Donald Trump Called Joe Biden A 'Confused Man'

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The billionaire mogul recently blasted President Biden, branding him a leader who fails to deliver on his promises.

Trump criticized the president's communication skills: "He's a confused man. He can't put two sentences together. He doesn't have a clue. He doesn't know where he is. He doesn't know he's alive and he's our president."

Urging action, Trump, who is currently on trial, declared, "We have to end it. November 5th.
Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC) made a bizarre claim Thursday, insisting that he has evidence to support his allegation that President Joe Biden was jacked up on something during the State of the Union address. He even offered to show his so-called proof to Fox Business Network host Maria Bartiromo offline.

The MAGA congressmans wild accusation seemed to go too far for the pro-Trump conspiracy-loving Bartiromo, who once relied on wackadoodle claims made by a woman who thinks shes a ghost to peddle 2020 election lies on Fox airwaves that eventually led the network to settle a massive defamation lawsuit.

Appearing on Fox Business Mornings with Maria, Murphya co-chair of the GOP Doctors Caucus was asked to put his doctors hat on and give his take on the recently announced presidential debates between Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Trump says he wants both of them to be standing for the two hours, Bartiromo noted. Biden says he doesnt want a live audience, and it just has to be Trump and Biden, no [Robert F. Kennedy Jr]. How does this play out from your perspective?

The North Carolina lawmaker immediately took a conspiratorial path that even Bartiromo wasnt willing to fully follow.

Maria Bartiromos Strange Trip From Money Honey to One of Trumps Top Boosters

Ill just be very plain and simple. I was at the State of the Union address and Joe Biden must have been jacked up on something that day, Murphy declared. I absolutely believe that from a medical viewpoint, and have a good bit of knowledge that happened. He cant stand, and he cant stand under the lights for that long, and I dont think he can keep a concept in his brain for that long.

The congressman would go on to offer advice for Trump in the upcoming debates, urging the 2024 GOP hopeful to stay presidential and to stay in his lane. Bartiromo, however, wanted to get back to Murphys allegation about Biden receiving a pre-SOTU booster, asking what he meant about the president being jacked up at his speech.

I believe they gave him something to sustain the lights and sustain the vigor that he had. That was not Joe Biden. I was in there. He screamed for two hours, he replied.

While Fox News stars and Republicans have suggested the 81-year-old president was caffeinated or even given illicit substances for his fiery address, with Sean Hannity going so far as calling him Jacked Up Joe, none of them have claimed to have actual proof. Despite his bombshell allegations, Murphy wasnt willing to reveal his hand publicly even as Bartiromo pressed him on air.

Maybe we can talk offline and Ill show you something that proves that, he proclaimed, prompting a stunned Bartiromo to wonder what exactly hed show her.

I think I can have some evidence that shows that he was given something before, the congressman responded.

With Bartiromo continuing to press Murphy on whether he meant in terms of medicine, the pro-Trump lawmaker pivoted to the octogenarian presidents physical appearance and purported facelift before alleging a vast Democratic-led conspiracy to prop up Biden.

Hes been manufactured and puppeteered by the Democratic Party to be president of the United States, and I fully believe that has to do with pharmacology, Murphy concluded. The Fox Business star, for her part, noted that she would follow up on his compelling accusations.

The congressmans office did not immediately respond to a request for comment asking if he could provide further details about his supposed hidden proof of drug use.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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In order to qualify and receive funding from the clean elections fund, city candidates had to show they had community support by collecting $5 contributions from registered voters in their district.(Getty Images)

Portlands November election, the first under the citys new clean elections program, saw far less campaign spending than comparable past years, which advocates say bodes well for the states first municipal public campaign finance system.

According to a report from Maine Citizens for Clean Elections, the nonpartisan nonprofit that kickstarted efforts to create the municipal program around 2017, seven out of 13 candidates in the contested races opted into the program. A total of $200,321 was spent, and the largest campaign spent $78,498. In Portlands last mayoral race in 2019, $330,239 was spent, with two candidates spending well over $100,000 each.

Portland is the first city in Maine to run a clean elections program, though such programs have been used for state-level elections dating back to 2000, when the Maine Clean Election Act had its first run with candidates for the Maine House of Representatives and Senate.

Participation at the state level has grown since and the early success of Portlands program, one of the smallest cities nationwide to run a full public funding program, is encouraging for the possibility of expanding to other localities, said Anna Kellar, executive director of MCCE.

In order to qualify and receive funding, city candidates had to show they had community support by collecting $5 contributions, with totals needed varying by office sought, from registered voters in their district, which the city verified.

These requirements are intended to encourage broader constituent involvement and the results of the first year of Portlands program generally found that to be the case, with 1,260 $5 qualifying contributions made to the seven Clean Elections candidates compared with approximately 289 people who gave to the six privately financed candidates. Those are approximate figures, given that one person could have donated to multiple candidates.

Aside from figures, the funding had different sources. All the qualifying contributions for Clean Elections candidates had to come from Portland voters, whereas 42% of private donations came from outside of the city and 13% from outside of the state.

The differences in participation can also likely be attributed to accessibility, with a $5 donation being much less than the average $279 for private donations, Kellar explained.

You dont feel like, Oh, you know, I cant give somebody $500 whos running for mayor. Well, whats the point? No, every single persons $5 is equally valuable, Kellar said.

Knocking doors in June

The philosophy of clean elections jived with many candidates values because they said it required reaching outside of their own personal networks earlier and giving equal treatment to all voters.

As part of the report, MCCE researchers interviewed 12 of the 13 candidates for mayor, city council and school board who ran in contested races, lacking the perspective of one of the privately funded candidates.

The fact that I had to start door-knocking in June, had to talk to people about the system and why I wanted to run was important, said a candidate for city council. Knocking doors in June  who does that? Youre asking for $5, which is not a lot, but for some people it is. It forced me to recognize the economic diversity in the district. For some people it was easy, and others were digging for quarters.

Some said the Clean Elections program essentially gave them the opportunity to run for office, as the amount of funding available through the program was more than they would have been able to raise privately.

Others said the requirement of collecting many small contributions helped to prevent conflicts of interest. Because its a small town, so of course, anyone whos interested enough to donate money to candidates is probably going to be before the city council at some point for something, even if they didnt know what at the time they were giving me money, a mayoral candidate explained.

Room for improvement

However, candidates who did, and didnt, participate in the program said the paperwork and requirements were at times a barrier to their participation and that of voters.

The biggest recommendation that we heard from basically everyone, and we knew this would be the case, was that we needed to have a way for people to give a contribution online or by credit card, Kellar said, as only cash or checks were accepted during the programs first year. Its making it harder for people to participate, and thats going against the goals of the program.

It was a matter of timing, Kellar explained, given the short preparation period heading into the 2023 election cycle.

Portlands Clean Elections program was about seven years in the making  from initial signature collection, procedural delays resulting in the state supreme court weighing in and a charter commission recommendation that then sent the question to the voters, who approved the program in 2022, leaving just months before the start of the first cycle under the new program.

An online payment portal will be available for the 2024 election cycle. Ashley Rand, Portlands city clerk, said the plan is for the portal to go live June 1.

The charter commission also required that the city clerk establish a searchable, public database of all registrations and campaign finance reports, which has yet to be completed.

Rand said the city received two bids for the online database last year, both at about a half million dollars for implementation with a $75 annual fee. When we brought that to Council, they did not put it in the budget due to the cost, Rand said. For now, we have created a subpage on our Portland Elections page that has all of the filed finance reports organized by each report and the candidates name that can be easily clicked into. We will do this each year until either city council budgets for the large expense or we can find a more affordable solution.

Another recommendation from the MCCE report is for Portland to allocate a stable amount of funding for the Clean Elections Fund in each years budget.

This goes far beyond campaign finance, but especially in the campaign finance world, its just hard for every town to try to figure out their own system, Kellar acknowledged, noting the tight city budget. That said, Kellar added, we dont want to replace this requirement of funding with just a see whats needed each year and put it in, relying on the [city] council to do that each year, because were trying to insulate the process from political pressure.

While distinct from the municipal clean elections process, Kellar pointed to an example on the state-level to understand how those in power could try to alter program funding. In 2018, former Governor Paul LePage refused to sign off on campaign funds for candidates running under the states clean elections law, though a judge ultimately ordered him to do so.

Jonathan Wayne, executive director of the Maine Ethics Commission, which administers Maines campaign finance laws, declined to comment on how the first year of the program went.

Other expansions of clean elections stymied by governor

This past legislative session, lawmakers passed a bill to allow candidates for district attorney to also participate in the Maine Clean Elections Act. However, Gov. Janet Mills decided not to sign the proposal, or any of the bills the Legislature enacted when lawmakers reconvened for the final day of the session.

County office races have been becoming increasingly contested and are seeing greater outside spending. For example, the election for Cumberland County district attorney in 2022 saw out-of-state political action committee contributions behind flyers sent to voters to try to influence the outcome of the primary.

There has also been increased attention on county government races in light of the decision-making regarding federal infrastructure and recovery funding falling to those offices.

While expanding clean elections to those races was unsuccessful this year, MCCE hopes to continue to push for clean election expansion long-term, including to sheriff offices as well, Kellar said. Such expansions would require more resources to be sustainable.

In recent years, the Maine Legislature has consistently allocated $3 million for the clean elections program for state offices, and Kellar said an additional half a million could make the additions to county offices feasible.

When it comes to expansions to other municipalities, Kellar said there is some interest in Lewiston, the states second largest city. The smaller the city, the smaller the city budget, therefore the harder it may be to make the case for a program.

There may be a lower limit, but I think we havent reached that lower limit yet, Kellar said. I think the fact that Portland was able to do it so well, on very short notice as well, should be seen as encouragement. You dont have to be a New York City or a Seattle. It can be a small city and it can be done.

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FILE - Migrants aboard a rubber boat end up in the water while others cling on to a centifloat before being rescued by a team of the Sea Watch-3, around 35 miles away from Libya, Monday, Oct. 18, 2021. A majority of European Union countries are calling for more agreements with countries that people leave or transit to get to Europe, saying that to tackle irregular migration and manage migration movements to the 27-member bloc. (AP Photo/Valeria Mongelli, File)

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  A majority of European Union members are calling for more agreements with countries where migrants depart from or travel through to get to Europe, saying the bloc needs to think outside the box to tackle irregular migration into the 27-member bloc.

The call by the 15 member countries came in a letter released Thursday, a day after the EU passed a measure to update to its aging asylum laws but which won't enter force for two years and which only will work if all member nations put all of its provisions into action.

The letter, addressed to the high-ranking officials in the EUs executive Commission, indicated that officials in signatory countries believe further solutions are needed, saying that the migration situation will require all of us to think outside the box and jointly find new ways to address this issue at EU level."

It was signed by the immigration ministers of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Denmark  which took the lead in the group  plus Estonia, Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Romania and Finland.

On Wednesday, the EU endorsed sweeping reforms to the blocs failed asylum system as campaigning for Europe-wide elections next month gathers pace, with migration expected to be an important issue. The New Pact on Migration and Asylum lays out rules for EU members to handle people trying to enter without authorization, from how to screen them to establish whether they qualify for protection to deporting them if theyre not allowed to stay.

The letter by the 15 member countries said that the bloc should boost partnerships with key countries, especially along the migratory routes, by changing our focus from managing irregular migration in Europe to supporting refugees as well as host communities in regions of origin.

The countries call on the Commission to identify, elaborate and propose new ways and solutions to prevent irregular migration to Europe and comprehensive, mutually beneficial and durable partnerships with nations located along the migratory routes, saying different ideas for optimizing such partnerships should be explored.

The signatories cited, among other examples, deals that the EU has make with Turkey and Tunisia and that Italy made with the Albanian government in which Albania will host thousands of migrants picked up at sea and transferred there by the Italian authorities.

The letter said it was important for member states to have the ability to transfer asylum seekers to a safe third country alternative" if such an alternative exists, while also saying any new measures would be in full compliance with international legal obligations.

The reform passed in Brussels was aimed at resolving issues that have divided the EU since well over 1 million migrants swept into Europe in 2015, most fleeing war in Syria and Iraq.

However, the vast reform package will only enter force in 2026, bringing no immediate fix to an issue that has fueled one of the EUs biggest political crises, dividing nations over who should take responsibility for migrants when they arrive and whether other countries should be obligated to help.

Critics who say the pact goes to far say that it will let nations detain migrants at borders and fingerprint children. They say its aimed at keeping people out and infringes on their right to claim asylum. Many fear it will result in more unscrupulous deals with poorer countries that people leave or cross to get to Europe.

___

Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.
Black nationalist and Muslim leader Malcolm X, circa 1965, talking to a woman inside Temple 7, a Halal restaurant patronized by black Muslims and situated on Lenox Avenue and 116th Street, Harlem, New York. (Richard Saunders/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

OMAHA  Omaha-born human rights leader Malcolm X, who would have turned 99 years old on May 19, is being commemorated at two upcoming events.

Malcolm X poses for a portrait on Feb. 16, 1965, in Rochester, New York. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

On Sunday, a celebration at the University of Nebraska at Omaha Milo Bail Student Center is to mark the slain leaders actual birthday with a soul food dinner, Black heritage program and awards.

The collaboration between the Malcolm X Foundation and the UNO Black Studies Department is to include live performances, speakers and presentation of X Awards to community members.

2024 X Award winners

Malcolm X Innovator: Marcey Yates

Malcolm X Equity: State Sen. Terrell McKinney

Shabazz Courage: George Johnson

The Rowena Moore: Celeste Butler

Malcolm X Speaks Youth: Shailyn Simpson

Transformation Change Agent: Shakur Abdullah, Mondo We Langa, Edward Poindexter

Dinner is $25; youths 18 and younger can attend for free. Tickets are on sale through noon Sunday.

On Wednesday, May 22, the Nebraska Hall of Fame is scheduled to formally induct Malcolm X as its 27th member.

A 1 p.m. ceremony in the State Capitol Rotunda is to be followed by a reception in the Nebraska History Museum.

Special guests will include family members of Malcolm X and his foundations executive director, JoAnna LeFlore-Ejike, who was also the inductees nominator.

LeFlore-Ejike called the induction an opportunity for not only the state but the nation to recognize the historic figure and his contributions as a human rights activist.

Malcolm X set the blueprint for us to live with courage and prepare the next generation to lead with integrity, she said in a media release from History Nebraska.

Gov. Jim Pillen and members of the Hall of Fame Commission are among others set to participate in the induction.

JoAnna Nicole LeFlore-Ejike of the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation speaks in favor of his induction into the Nebraska Hall of Fame

Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner

The Nebraska Hall of Fame, administered by History Nebraska, was established by the Legislature in 1961 to officially recognize outstanding Nebraskans who made significant contributions to the state and the nation.

History Nebraska assembled background on the states first African-American inductee:

Born Malcolm Little at University Hospital in Omaha on May 19, 1925, Malcolm X was the son of Earl and Louise Little of 3448 Pinkney St., where a campus has been built, and is poised to grow, to commemorate Malcolm Xs legacy.

The family moved to another state when Malcolm X was a baby, as his dad, who helped organize the Omaha chapter of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, faced threats by white supremacist night riders.

Earl Little was allegedly murdered, and shortly afterward, his wife was diagnosed with a mental illness, pushing the state to split up Malcolm and his seven siblings into foster care.

Eventually, Malcolm was sent to Boston to live with his older sister Ella Collins-Little and relocated to New York, where he was convicted of burglary and served, a prison sentence of about 6.5 years. During that time, he became self-educated and converted to Islam prior to his release.

A portrait of Malcolm X is included in a Brooklyn mural of iconic civil rights leaders in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

After leaving prison, Malcolm took the name Malcolm X and studied under Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam during his 12-year membership. Malcolm was known for being outspoken about the mistreatment of Blacks and advocated nationwide for their human rights in America. He was documented speaking at numerous institutions across the country and over a dozen nations overseas.

During his pilgrimage to Mecca, he converted to Orthodox Islam, abandoning concepts of racial antagonism; counseling others about the need for human brotherhood and international cooperation.

As a result of his travels, Malcolm X formed the Organization of Afro-American Unity and Moslem Mosque Inc. His autobiography was published in 1964, just a few months before his death. Malcolm X was assassinated on Feb. 21, 1965, in New York City.

The post Malcolm X celebrations to mark 99th birthday and Hall of Fame induction appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo.  Authorities have arrested a man who allegedly made multiple threats to kill officers with the Pagedale Police Department.

Prosecutors have charged Frank Banks with two counts of making a terrorist threat and one count of misusing 911 amid the investigation. A warrant was served for his arrest on Wednesday.

According to court documents, two instances of threats date back to May 10.

Investigators say Banks was issued various citations during a traffic stop that evening. Hours later, police responded to a report of trespassing at a north St. Louis County liquor store, once again leading to an encounter with Banks.

South St. Louis arsonist caught on camera

Court documents state that Banks made threats to kill officers and their family members, though it appears he wasnt arrested for those threats.

The following day, Banks reportedly called the Pagedale Police Department multiple times, making threats over the phone that he would come shoot up the place, per court documents. Multiple employees with the department were on duty and inside the police headquarters at the time of the threat.

Banks is now behind bars in St. Louis County on a $50,000 cash-only bond. He has a bond reduction hearing scheduled for May 22 and preliminary hearing scheduled for June 5, per Missouri court records.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
ST. LOUIS  A Phelps County, Missouri, man appeared in U.S. District Court on Thursday and admitted to a 2023 carjacking and stealing multiple pistols from a gun store in 2022.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Martavious Jones, 19, told the court he and another person broke into a Rolla gun store on Sept. 11, 2022, and took four handguns, including an AR-style pistol, as well as a large quantity of ammunition and firearm accessories.

Two of the stolen guns were later found in a bag near Jones home.

Actress Jennifer Coolidge spends week in St. Louis, shops and dines at local businesses

Jones also told the court that on March 1, 2023, he asked a man for a ride while in Rolla. Once the car got moving, Jones held a knife to the drivers throat and demanded he turn the vehicle over. He initially took the drivers phone but said hed drop it out of the car before driving away.

However, when Jones dropped the victims phone out of the car, he also dropped his own phone. When police spotted Jones, he attempted to flee in the car before running away on foot. He left his wallet and the knife behind.

Jones pleaded guilty to carjacking and stealing a firearm from a federally-licensed gun dealer.

Jones will be sentenced on August 21. He faces up to 15 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine for the carjacking, and up to 10 years and a $250,000 fine for the gun store burglary.

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EXETER BOROUGH, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)  A man has been arrested after he allegedly fired multiple shots into an occupied vehicle in Exeter Borough last week.

On May 8, Wyoming Area Regional Police were called to the 1200 block of Exeter Avenue in Exeter for a report of a man firing a shot into a car.

Through further investigation, police said they learned an argument occurred between a woman and a man identified as Edward Wasko, 37, of Wyoming.

Police said Wasko then got into a physical fight with a man who was also in the car, hitting him several times while he was sitting inside. The victim said Wasko fired a few shots from his gun into the car, threatened the victim, and pointed a gun at his head, as stated in the affidavit. Wasko the reportedly fled the scene on a motorcycle.

PD: Drug house shut down, cocaine and guns seized

According to court documents, Wasko was sending threats to the woman. Wyoming Area Regional Police, Pennsylvania State Police, along with the United States Marshals Service executed a warrant to arrest Wasko on May 16.

At 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Wasko was arrested while sitting in a car parked in a garage and investigators say they discovered long riffles, bulletproof vests, and ammunition inside the house.

Wasko has been charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, recklessly endangering another person, and other related offenses. He is locked up without bail.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com.
CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA)  A Florida man was sentenced after he was arrested last year during an undercover operation by the Citrus County Sheriffs Office (CCSO), the Office of the State Attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit of Florida said Thursday.

The State Attorneys Office said 41-year-old Sean Robert Mooney was sentenced to 10 years in the Florida Department of Corrections after being charged with traveling to meet a minor and unlawful use of a two-way communications device.

Mooney was arrested in March 2023 during CCSOs Operation Lucky Strike, an undercover operation aimed at apprehending cyber predators attempting to engage in sexual acts with children.

With the advancements in technology, its becoming easier for offenders like this defendant to prey upon our children, said Bill Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney. My office is grateful for our law enforcement partners who continue to apprehend these predators.

Law enforcement posed as minors on websites to find child predators who would send sexually explicit pictures, messages, and requests for sexual activities with children.

During the operation, Mooney contacted officials posing as a minor, who he believed to be a 14-year-old girl. After sending sexually explicit messages, Mooney agreed to meet the assumed juvenile.

Authorities took Mooney into custody during the pre-determined meeting. Authorities discovered Mooney was a registered sex offender due to a prior case where he was also charged with traveling to meet a minor.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Blake Shore.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
A man who routinely makes antisemitic, racist and sexist remarks during Sacramento City Council meetings was arrested Tuesday.

Ryan Messano, whos been speaking at the meetings for more than a year, attended the meeting Tuesday and turned in a speaker slip to the city clerk. After the council heard public comments on an item about fee increases, the clerk said there were no more public comments. Messano then stood in his chair and yelled that he had submitted a slip.

Nope, Mayor Darrell Steinberg said. Please sit down or we will ask you to leave... you cannot come up to the lectern if you continue disrupting the meeting were going to ask you to leave.

Your filing a restraining order to stop my free speech is not gonna stop me, Messano said from his chair, a police officer standing next to him. He approached the podium and repeated saying, its my turn to speak.

Three officers approached, placed handcuffs on him and escorted him outside. They transported him to jail and charged him with willful disobedience of a court order, a misdemeanor, with bail set at $5,000.

A Sacramento police spokesperson said a city employee has an active temporary restraining order against Messano, and when he approached the podium, he violated it. The police did not name the employee. In addition to the council and mayor, several top staffers sat on the dais at the time, including Assistant City Manager Leyne Milstein, City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood and City Clerk Mindy Cuppy.

Messano was booked at the jail at about 6:30 p.m, about four hours after officers removed him from City Hall, according to Sheriffs Office inmate records. He was released Wednesday morning after spending the night in jail.

Spokespeople for the Sheriffs Office and Sacramento Superior Court did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment on the details of Messanos release.

In addition to Sacramento City Council, Messano has made comments at Vallejo City Council, where he was removed from a meeting in 2018.

In May 2023, Messano told the Sacramento council: Any white person in America is open game, but youre not allowed to criticize non-whites and youre not allowed to criticize other groups.

Ryan Messano attends a Sacramento City Council meeting in May 2023.

Later that month he said: Antisemitism used to mean someone who hates all Jews, now it means someone who is hated by Jew bankers, Messano told the council May 15.

The comments prompted a large group of Sacramento Jewish leaders to denounce the comments in a news conference. Its also prompted groups of people attending the meeting with large banners shouting over Messano when he speaks, leading to Steinberg to adjourn several meetings early or go into hourslong recesses.

Messano could not be immediately reached for comment for this story. He posted to his website in May 2023: Let me be very clear, I am not associated with Proud Boys, I am not a Nazi, I do not support any authoritarian government, and I support the rights of all people, races, and all religions. I have been viciously lied about, slandered, and libeled by the Jewish media.

Its not the first time the city has filed a restraining order against a person who was disrupting council meetings. City Manager Howard Chan and three council members in 2019 got a temporary restraining order against Alexander Clark, who in 2018 said from the podium: I feel like if it was up to me, all yall motherf------ would be dead.
Over the past 24 hours, the occupiers have launched four assaults in the area of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia region. However, the Ukrainian defense forces not only repelled their attacks, but also held their positions.

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This was reported by Dmytro Lykhoviy, spokesman for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, during the telethon. "In the Orikhiv sector, the enemy attacked the defense line near Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia region, four times. Our positions were not lost," he said.

Over the last day, 166 clashes with the occupants took place on the frontline. In total, during this period, enemy forces carried out four missile and 75 air strikes, as well as 118 attacks from missile and artillery systems.

In theKupyansk sector , the enemy made 30 attacks on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the same time, the defenders successfully repelled five occupants' attacks in the Lyman sector, eight attacks in the Siversk sector, 19 attacks in the Kramatorsk sector, 45 attacks in the Pokrovsk sector, and 26 attacks in the Vremivsk sector.

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In the Kurakhove sector, the enemy tried to break through the Ukrainian troops' defense 11 times, using air support. At the same time, on May 15, Ukrainian defenders reinforced their tactical positions in the Pobeda area.

In the Prydniprovia sector, the occupants continue to try to force Ukrainian forces from the left bank of the Dnipro River. Seven enemy attacks were registered there.

In addition, over the past day, the defenders struck 35 times at the areas of concentration of Russian military personnel, one ammunition depot, one occupant control center and two anti-aircraft missile systems.

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It is worth noting that since May 10, the Russian army has been able to achieve a tactical offensive in the north of Kharkiv region in areas where Ukrainian forces "deliberately did not create" significant defensive lines. It is believed that the occupiers are now prioritizing the creation of the "buffer zone" announced by the dictator rather than deep penetration into the region.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, military expert, reserve major Oleksiy Hetman expressed his belief that the spring-summer offensive of Russian troops did not begin with actions in the Kharkiv region. According to him, it actually started in April with the occupiers' advance in the Chasovyi Yar area in Donetsk region.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
A man charged with manslaughter in the death of a Jewish protester hes accused of striking during dueling demonstrations over the Israel-Hamas war last year will stand trial, a judge ruled Wednesday, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors allege Loay Alnaji hit the 69-year-old protester, Paul Kessler, with a megaphone before Kessler fell and struck his head on the pavement of a street corner in Thousand Oaks, California, in November, the Ventura County District Attorneys Office said in a release.

Kessler, who was demonstrating in support of Israel, later died at a hospital. Medical examiners determined he died from blunt force trauma caused by the blow from the megaphone and his fall, prosecutors said.

Alnaji is facing involuntary manslaughter and battery charges after an investigation police say was complicated by conflicting statements from pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian witnesses. He has pleaded not guilty, the district attorneys office said last year.

Loay Alnaji - Ventura County Sheriff's Office

The tense confrontation happened during one of many protests sweeping US cities in the weeks after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing an estimated 1,200 people and kidnapping about 200 others. Israels ongoing military response in Gaza has so far killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, and is fueling a worsening humanitarian crisis.

During a two-day hearing, prosecutors presented evidence against Alnaji, including DNA analysis of blood on the megaphone, which matches Kessler, and video and audio taken on Kesslers phone in the moments leading to his fall, the district attorneys office said.

Prosecutors have yet to find evidence to indicate Alnaji committed a hate crime, the release said.

While antisemitic hate speech was heard at the November 5, 2023, rally, there is no evidence those words were said by Alnaji, the release said.

Alnajis attorney, Ron Bamieh, told CNN his client was acting in self-defense during an altercation with the victim and said witness accounts of the incident have been inconsistent or inaccurate.

This case is a simple question of whether or not my client had the right to swat Mr. Kesslers phone away, and as a result, hit him in the face in self-defense, Bamieh said.

In November, Bamieh told CNN Kessler stuck his phone in Alnajis face and he brushed it away. When (Kessler) fell, my client is seen on the video 6 to 8 feet away from him, he added.

The attorney said previously Alnaji fully cooperated with law enforcement, attempted to aid Mr. Kessler when he fell, and called 911 when he realized that Mr. Kessler was injured.

While Bamieh concedes Alnaji struck the victim during the heated confrontation, he argued prosecutors were aggressive in filing the case the way they did. The prosecution is treating this as more of a publicity case and a political case than an actual criminal case.

A spokesperson for the district attorneys office, Joey Buttitta, told CNN, We pursue truth and justice based on the facts and the evidence, not politics and publicity.

After he was charged, Alnaji was placed on administrative leave from his job in the Ventura County Community College District, which includes three colleges, the district said at the time. He worked at Moorpark College, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Alnaji is out on $50,000 bail and is scheduled for an arraignment on June 10, the district attorneys office said. He faces a maximum of four years in prison if convicted.

What investigators said happened at the dueling rallies

The incident took place while simultaneous rallies were being held by two groups identified as Freedom for Palestine and We are Pro-Israel, according to the Ventura County Sheriffs Office. Authorities estimated between 75 and 100 people were present.

Around 3:20 p.m. on November 5, the sheriffs office received multiple calls about a possible assault related to the protests at an intersection, Sheriff Jim Fryhoff has said.

When deputies and medical responders arrived at the scene minutes later, they found Kessler lying on the ground, conscious and responsive, the sheriff said.

Investigators determined a pro-Palestinian protester, later identified as Alnaji, had been involved in an altercation with Kessler, who at some point fell backward and hit his head on the ground, authorities said.

Pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian witnesses at the scene gave contradicting accounts of who the aggressor was and how the altercation occurred, the sheriff said.

A 50-year-old suspect was also interviewed at the scene, where he told deputies he had been involved in an altercation with Kessler, Fryhoff said. His home was searched by investigators the next day, the sheriff said. Authorities did not say at the time whether that suspect was Alnaji.

Kessler was hospitalized in critical condition before dying from his injuries. In addition to determining his cause of death to be blunt force trauma, an autopsy revealed Kessler suffered injuries consistent with a fall, including skull fractures, brain swelling and bruising, and nonlethal injuries to his face, according to Dr. Christopher Young, Ventura Countys chief medical examiner.

The district attorney described Kessler as a father of one who had been married for 43 years. He worked in medical sales for a number of decades and also taught sales and marketing.

CNNs Cindy Von Quednow contributed to this report.

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A second-degree murder case is moving forward in the death of Bethany Borges of Ceres, who died from the effects of fentanyl last August, authorities said.

George Foster Keene III was bound over for trial following a preliminary hearing in March in Stanislaus Superior Court. He has a pretrial court date Monday.

Keene, 28, is charged with furnishing a highly lethal controlled substance, fentanyl, for sale to Borges, resulting in her death Aug. 17. The defendant allegedly brought the drugs to a home in Ceres where Borges suffered a fatal overdose.

Parties in the case stipulated that Keene himself overdosed on fentanyl and was found unconscious at 5:20 that morning in the 3000 block of Mitchell Road.

According to court records, an ambulance responded to the Mitchell Road location on a 911 call and Keene was revived with a single dose of Narcan. He was taken to Memorial Medical Center and later released.

Keene was arrested and booked in jail Sept. 15 after a joint investigation into Borges death by Ceres police and District Attorney investigators. He remains in custody with bail set at $2 million.

Borges worked as a waitress at Harvest Moon in Modesto and her death was one of 138 fatal overdoses due to fentanyl in Stanislaus County last year.

In announcing the charges in September, District Attorney Jeff Laugero said the homicide investigation was representative of a continuing and combined effort to combat the fentanyl epidemic.

Fentanyl deaths are not classified as murder in California law, but district attorneys in some counties have brought homicide charges based on evidence the dealers were aware that the drugs they sold could be fatal.

Authorities in Riverside County in August 2023 claimed a first-ever conviction in California of a man found guilty of second-degree murder for providing fentanyl to a 26-year-old woman who died after taking half a pill.
Eduardo Sarabia has been charged with sexually assaulting two women along Highway 39 in the Angeles National Forest. (Los Angeles County Sheriff)

Los Angeles County prosecutors charged a 40-year-old man with sexually assaulting two women in his van in a secluded part of the Angeles National Forest earlier this week.

Eduardo Sarabia was charged Wednesday with one count of forcible rape and one count of forcible oral copulation, according to court records. Sarabia is accused of raping a woman after driving her to a concealed area of the forest on Sunday and then sexually assaulting a second woman in the same remote area on Monday, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascon's office announced in a news release. The incidents took place along Highway 39 between the hours of 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. authorities said.

The horrific and violent sexual assault that these two survivors endured by the alleged suspect is deeply troubling and incomprehensible. Our thoughts are with the victims during this tremendously difficult time," Gascon said in a statement on Thursday.

Read more: Suspect in clubbing of two women near Venice canals arrested in San Diego

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is asking for the public's help to find any additional victims. Based on the circumstances surrounding the case, investigators believe there could be more unidentified victims. The Sheriff's Department released images of Sarabia and his windowless white-paneled van.

"I want to emphasize that this is an ongoing investigation, and there may be additional victims who have yet to come forward. I urge anyone who has been affected by similar incidents to contact law enforcement and seek available resources," Gascon said.

Sarabia was arraigned in a Pomona courtroom Wednesday and is due back in court June 27. Anyone with information about this case can contact the Sheriff's Department, Special Victims Bureau at 877-710-5273 or by email at specialvictimsbureau@lasd.org.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A man is dead after a police shooting in Ohio early Thursday morning.

>>Suspect in Amazon facility shooting dead after encounter with Ohio police; 1 officer hurt

Columbus Police officers were called to an apartment complex around 4:15 a.m. at the 6800 block of George Creek Drive after receiving a report of a disturbance, according to our news partner WBNS in Columbus.

The man was pronounced dead at 4:22 a.m., Columbus Police confirmed to WBNS.

No officers were hurt.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has been requested to investigate.

>>Suspect shot, killed by Columbus police after allegedly killing woman, shooting at officers

News Center 7 previously reported on two deadly shootings involving Columbus police.

The first happened Saturday night when officers were called to McAllister Avenue on reports of shots fired in the area. When they arrived, they came across a man with a rifle who allegedly shot at them. At least one of the officers returned fire and hit the suspect, who died at a Columbus hospital.

The second happened on Sunday afternoon a man who was killed after engaging in a shootout with Columbus Police, who followed him from an Amazon warehouse where he shot at a security guard.
Man dies from injuries following shooting near Northland mall

KANSAS CITY, Mo.  A man has died due to the injuries he received in a Northland shooting in Kansas City on Tuesday night, according to police.

KCPD said the shooting took place around 10:20 p.m. at Northwest Barry Road and North Boardwalk Avenue, near the Barrywoods Crossing and Shops at Boardwalk shopping malls.

KCK couple has warning after property stolen by scammers

Upon arrival at the scene, officers found a man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was then taken to a hospital in critical/life-threatening condition but died from injuries Wednesday night.

According to KCPD, this is an active and ongoing investigation.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned at FOX4 News for the latest updates and information.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  A new incident report from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) obtained by DC News Now, shows a card skimmer was reportedly found in Northwest  the same shop where one was found just weeks earlier.

The skimmer was found at the Cleveland Park 7-Eleven, which is located on the corner of Connecticut Ave., and Ordway Street in Northwest.

DC police searching for suspects who placed card skimmers in stores

Back on April 16, a skimmer was found by an ATM tech at that 7-Eleven when the tech observed a black stripe and an SD chip reader.

More recently, on May 13, a work order was filed for a broken ATM machine at the 7-Eleven  and when someone arrived to fix it, they found the bank card door was damaged and glued back together. A black color plate that was not a part of the ATM was found.

One Northwest resident, Chris Stefek, told DC News Now that he was a victim of a skimming device at the Cleveland Park shop.

He explained how he and his husband went to the store to take out cash, and two days later, he received a call from his credit union that $700 was taken out of their accounts from two banks in Bethesda, Md.

After looking at the keyboard when I was walking up, it just looked a little cartoonish, he said. This really bright color. Something I wasnt used to seeing on a keypad before. But again, all ATMs are different. I just figured it wasnt a big deal.

MPD confiscates nearly a dozen credit card skimmers in one month

Once he found out the money was taken, he called the credit union to have the payments stopped. He said he believes hell be able to get the money back, but is urging people to be careful when they take out money.

Be careful, and pay attention, he said.

He also suggested stores should be vigilant when it comes to their ATMs.

Check hourly, he said. Check daily.

MPD is still searching for suspects they believe could be connected to multiple skimming devices at several locations across the district, as DC News Now reported last month.

No arrests have yet been made.

Prince Georges County police recover 8 credit card skimmers at convenience stores in April

Police said before making card transactions at machines, always check the following:

Make sure the device isnt able to be moved or budges when touched.

Compare your machine to the one next to you, if applicable.

Check the alignment of the card reader and the panel underneath it.

Look inside of the card reader before inserting your card.

If you see or suspect a card skimmer, please contact police immediately at 911.

Notify your bank immediately if you suspect you have been a victim of card skimming.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
(KRON)  Police are investigating an incident in which a man was found dead on a sidewalk on the morning of May 15, according to the Antioch Police Department. Officers responded at around 7:19 a.m. to the 2200 block of Country Hills Drive.

Contra Costa Fire had reported a man down on the sidewalk, possibly in need of medical attention. Officers arrived and found the man deceased. The cause of the death, police said, was unknown.

Video: Thieves ram car into Concord business in attempted burglary

The Antioch PD Investigations Bureau, consisting of Crime Scene Investigators and detectives with the Violent Crimes Unit, took over the investigation. The cause of death is pending an autopsy result from the Contra Costa County Sheriffs Coroners Office.

Police are characterizing it as suspicious.

Antioch PD are asking for the publics assistance. Anyone who might have driven through the area on the night of May 14 or the morning of May 15 with dashcam video is asked to contact Antioch PD.

The case is being actively investigated and police declined to release further information.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT)  A 41-year-old man was found guilty of capital murder on Wednesday by a Madison County jury.

J.L. Banks, Jr. was arrested and originally charged with capital murder-burglary in connection to a shooting at the Burgundy Square Apartments on May 10, 2021.

Huntsville man convicted on home repair fraud charges

Bankss trial began on Monday. He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He was also ordered to pay fines and victim compensation

Officers with the Huntsville Police Department (HPD) said they arrived at the apartments to find Stephon Hussey, 36, suffering from a gunshot wound. Hussey was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities said at the time that the incident appeared to be domestic-related.

In an indictment that was returned on May 19, 2023, Banks was said to have knowingly and unlawfully entered or remained, or attempted to enter or remain, unlawfully in the dwelling of [a woman], with the intent to commit the crime of assaultand while effecting entry or while in the dwelling or in immediate flight therefrom, [Banks] or another participant in the crime, caused physical injury to [Hussey] who was not a participant in the crime.

Jail records show Banks is still being held in Madison County.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com.
DENVER (KDVR)  After deliberating for about half a day, jurors found a man guilty of killing four people in an Aurora home in 2022 and then fleeing to Mexico where he remained at large for several months.

Joseph Castorena, 22, was charged with 12 counts:

Four counts of first-degree murder after deliberation

Two counts of first-degree attempted murder after deliberation

Six sentence enhancement counts of violent crime  using a weapon

According to the 18th Judicial District Attorneys Office, Castorena was found guilty on all four counts of first-degree murder after deliberation and one count of attempted first-degree murder after deliberation.

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The charges stem from the night of Oct. 30, 2022, according to investigators. The family of one of the victims said that Castorena broke into the victims home in the 900 block of Geneva Street and waited there while the group was at a party. When they returned home after 2 a.m., first responders reported that four adults had been shot to death and two children and a woman were rescued from the scene.

The four victims were identified as:

Jesus Serrano, 51

Maria Anita, Serrano, 22

Kenneth Eugene Green Loque, 20

Rudolfo Salgado Perez, 49

The woman who survived was the suspects ex-girlfriend, who was hiding with her nieces in a bathroom. The victims killed were the ex-girlfriends father and sister, along with her brother-in-law and a neighbor.

Victims had previous sought restraining orders

The FOX31 Problem Solvers investigated and found that the ex-girlfriend and her father had applied for restraining orders against Castorena a week before the murders. In the application for the protection order, the ex-girlfriend wrote that Castorena was waiting for her when she got to her car on Oct. 22 to leave for work.

I was planning on going home and he didnt let me..While being pregnant with my first child he would hit me. Really controlling, harassing all the time, I had to listen to him or hell hit. Wouldnt let me see my family, she wrote.

Her father, Jesus Serrano, applied for a protection order on the same day, writing his daughter never made it home from work on Oct. 22.

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The next day she showed up around 3 p.m. She was covered in glass and had cuts all over her arms. Joseph had broken her drivers side window while she was on the drivers side. He was upset because he didnt want her to leave his home, but she had to be at work by 4 p.m. Joseph also had a gun on him. He used it to scare her, the womans father wrote.

Castorena was arrested on Dec. 10, 2022, in Mexico by Mexican authorities and the FBI.

Police also arrested his brother and one of his cousins in Aurora, each on a charge of accessories after the fact. They both pleaded guilty to the charges and are scheduled to be sentenced on June 10.

Castorena is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 3.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
Man held on $1.5 million bond after allegedly killing Cobb County man over car

A disagreement about a car led to a metro Atlanta man being shot and killed.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

It happened at the 7-Eleven Exxon on Joe B. Jackson Parkway just after 2:30 p.m.

Police in Murfreesboro, Tennessee said the shooting may have started over the dispute of a Chrysler 300.

Devon Loritts, 23, of Marietta, had previously bought a car from Juan Charco, 26, of Antioch, Tenn.

Officials said the Chrysler was taken from Georgia and tracked to the gas station.

TRENDING STORIES:

According to Murfreesboro police, Loritts was shot several times. He was transported to the hospital where he later died.

Loritts brother, whose age and identity were not released, was shot in the arm. He was airlifted to a hospital, where he is currently stable.

Authorities said after the shooting, Charco and his brother began fighting Loritts brother who got away and ran inside the store for help.

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Charco was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. Charcos brother, whose age and identity were not released, was interviewed by detectives but later released.

Charco was taken to the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center. He is being held on a $1.5 million bond.

A court date is set for July 17.

IN OTHER NEWS:
Russian occupation forces continue offensive actions on the frontline  in particular, the enemy is storming Ukrainian troops in Vovchansk and attacking Liptsi from the air . At the moment, the Pokrovsk sector is the most active.

ADVERTISIMENT

Ukrainian soldiers are holding the line of defense and responding fiercely to the invaders' actions. This is stated in the report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 16:50 on Thursday, May 16.

The number of combat engagements increased to 79 today.

The fighting in the Kharkiv region continues, and since the beginning of the day, Russian enemy forces have attacked the positions of our troops five times. The enemy is trying to break through the defenses near the town of Vovchansk and launches a missile attack on Lyptsi. There were also air attacks in Vesele and Udy.

As a result of these hostilities, the enemy lost 35 occupants, and our troops destroyed 14 units of enemy equipment.

Another enemy attack took place in the Kupiansk sector. As of now, a total of four combat engagements took place there. There were five attacks in the Liman sector, one of which is still ongoing.

ADVERTISIMENT

In the Kramatorsk sector, enemy forces attempted to break through the defense 13 times, including an air strike in Chasovyi Yar. In the Pokrovsk sector, the number of clashes increased to 30, and there were air strikes near Umanske.

In the Kurakhove sector, Russian troops attempted eight assault operations but were repelled near Kostiantynivka, Novomykhailivka, and Krasnohorivka. In the Vremivsk sector, there were also eight attempts to push our positions, but the enemy was repelled near Staromayorske, Mykilske, and Urozhayne.

In the Prydniprovskyi sector, the occupants continued to try to force our defenders out of Krynky and attacked their positions six times before retreating.

ADVERTISIMENT

The situation in other sectors remains stable. Our military continues to hold back the enemy along the entire front line and inflict maximum losses on them.

It is worth noting that the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the Kharkiv region are clearing the northern part of Vovchansk and the city itself. The Ukrainian military is working to stabilize the situation, inflicting fire on the enemy and preventing Russian occupation forces from gaining a foothold.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Man Who Owns Boat that Killed Teen Wakeboarder Ella Adler Had 'No Idea' About Crash: Lawyer

Authorities say Carlos Guillermo Alonso, 78, is the owner of the vessel that struck Ella Adler while she was wakeboarding

Levitt-Weinstein Memorial Chapels & Cemeteries; CBS Miami/YouTube Ella Adler (left), and the boat belonging to Carlos Guillermo Alonso

Ella Adler, 15, was wakeboarding with her friends when she fell into the water before being struck, authorities say

A boat owned by 78-year-old Carlos Guillermo Alonso allegedly hit her and left the scene, according to an incident report

Alonso's lawyer says he is "devastated" from the incident and is cooperating with the investigation

The man who owns the boat that allegedly killed 15-year-old Ella Adler is devastated and had no idea that his boat was responsible for her death, his lawyer says.

Carlos Guillermo Alonso, 78, was identified by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) as the owner of the boat that killed Ella while she was wakeboarding on Saturday near a beach in Key Biscayne, Fla., PEOPLE previously reported, citing an incident report.

We are devastated for the Adlers, for their friends, their family, theres no question in our minds that this is a absolutely horrific thing that happened and we pray for and think of their family and friends during this time, Alonsos attorney Lauren Field Krasnoff said in a statement, per NBC 6, which was the first to report on it.

Related: Boat That Struck and Killed 15-Year-Old Fla. Ballerina Found, Authorities Say

The accident took place when Ella was wakeboarding with another friend, the incident report stated. Before she was struck, Ella fell into the water. Alonso's vessel then allegedly "traversed" the area and "struck" Ella before leaving the scene.

Krasnoff says she does not know whether Alonso or his boat were involved.

"If his boat was involved, I can tell you he had absolutely no idea that that is what happened that day. He is as devastated as anybody could be, she said, per the outlet.

When authorities knocked on his door, Alonso was taken by surprise, Kransoff said.

The incident report by FWC states Alonso is the owner of the boat, but a FWC spokesperson told PEOPLE that its not clear if Alonso was the operator of the boat. There was only one person on his boat at the time of the accident, per the incident report.

On Tuesday, FWC announced they had seized a vessel that fits the description of the one involved in the crash and that Alonso had been cooperating with authorities.

Levitt-Weinstein Memorial Chapels & Cemeteries Ella Adler

Related: Owner of Boat that Killed Teen Wakeboarder Ella Adler Is Identified

In her statement, Kransoff emphasized that Alonso was cooperating with police, as well as with anybody that has needed to investigate what happened on the water that day, per NBC 6.

He has had no contact with the criminal system. He does not drink, and he was not drinking on that Saturday, she said.

In footage shared by NBC 6 on Thursday, a man identified as Alonso was seen stepping out of his car and heading inside his residence with Kransoff's assistance.

Related: Ballerina, 15, Killed While Waterskiing by Boater Who Allegedly Didn't Stop  and Suspect Remains at Large

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.

Ella was the granddaughter of U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Michael M. Adler, CBS previously reported. She was a star ballerina and a force of nature, an obituary read.

[When] she was near, everyone felt a gravitational pull toward her, the obituary said. In her 15 years on this earth, she dazzled us with her light.

No charges had been filed as of Thursday morning in connection with her killing.



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Read the original article on People.
PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now)  The Prince Georges County Police Department (PGPD) is searching for the person responsible for a fatal shooting in Adelphi on Wednesday afternoon.

Officers responded to the report of a shooting in the 1900 block of Erie Street at about 3:40 p.m. Once at the scene, they found a man outside who had been shot  he died there.

Family demands justice months after DC teens murder

He was identified as 20-year-old Kevin Moscoso-Lopez of Adelphi.

Police have not yet identified any suspects or a motive.

PGPD is offering a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone with information leading to the arrest and indictment of those responsible. Anyone who would like to speak to a detective can call (301) 516-2512.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
LYON, France (AP)  An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, So I raped you, has been detained in France after a three-year search.

A prosecutor in Metz, France, confirmed Tuesday that Ian Thomas Cleary, 31, of Saratoga, California, had been taken into custody last month and will be held pending extradition proceedings.

Cleary had been the subject of an international search since authorities in Pennsylvania issued a 2021 felony warrant in the case weeks after an Associated Press story detailed the reluctance of local prosecutors to pursue campus sex crimes.

The arrest warrant accuses Cleary of stalking an 18-year-old Gettysburg College student at a party, sneaking into her dorm and sexually assaulting her while she texted friends for help. He was a 20-year-old Gettysburg student at the time, but did not return to campus.

This wanted poster provided by the U.S. Marshals shows Ian Cleary, of Saratoga, Calif. U.S. marshals have been leading the two-year search for Cleary since prosecutors charged him with sexually assaulting a young woman in 2013 at Gettysburg College. Cleary, accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, So I raped you, has been detained in France after a three-year search. (U.S. Marshals via AP)

According to a French judicial official, Cleary was detained on the street in Metz on April 24 as part of a police check. He told a magistrate that he had arrived in France two or three years ago from Albania and had only recently come to Metz, but did not have housing there, the official said. A French lawyer appointed to represent him did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment Tuesday.

Cleary, according to his online posts, had previously spent time in France and also has ties to California and Maryland. His father is a tech executive in Silicon Valley, while his mother has lived in Baltimore. Neither he nor his parents have returned repeated phone and email messages left by the AP, including calls to his parents on Tuesday.

So I raped you: Woman hopes Facebook message will finally lead to arrest 8 years after reporting college sex assault

The Gettysburg accuser, Shannon Keeler, had a rape exam done the same day she was assaulted in 2013. She gathered witnesses and evidence and spent years urging officials to file charges. She went to authorities again in 2021 after discovering the Facebook messages that seemed to come from Clearys account.

So I raped you, the sender had written in a string of messages.

Ill never do it to anyone ever again.

I need to hear your voice.

Ill pray for you.

According to the June 2021 warrant, police verified that the Facebook account used to send the messages belonged to Ian Cleary. Adams County District Attorney Brian Sinnett, who filed it, did not immediately return a call Tuesday.

The AP does not typically name people who say they are sexual assault victims without their permission, which Keeler has granted. Her lawyer, reached Tuesday, had no immediate comment on Clearys detention.

Shannon Keeler poses for a portrait in the United States on Wednesday, April 7, 2021. An American accused of sexually assaulting Keeler at a Pennsylvania college in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, So I raped you, has been detained in France after a three-year search. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)

After leaving Gettysburg, Cleary earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Santa Clara University, near his family home in California, worked for Tesla, then moved to France for several years, according to his website, which describes his self-published medieval fiction.

Keeler, originally from Moorestown, New Jersey, stayed on to graduate from Gettysburg and help lead the womens lacrosse team to a national title.

By 2023, two years after the warrant was filed, Keeler and her lawyers wondered how he was avoiding capture in the age of digital tracking. The U.S. Marshals Service thought he was likely overseas and on the move, even as he was the subject of an Interpol alert called a red notice.

Across the U.S., very few campus rapes are prosecuted, both because victims fear going to police and prosecutors hesitate to bring cases that can be hard to win, the AP investigation found.

Keeler, when the warrant was issued, said she was grateful, but knew it only happened because I went public with my story, which no survivor should have to do in order to obtain justice.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
A Marine truck mechanic received a medal typically awarded to more senior service members for saving the Defense Department more than $140 million through work he began as a teenage lance corporal.

Cpl. Gage Barbieri, now 21, received the Meritorious Service Medal on Friday from Col. Damon Burrows, commanding officer of 2nd Marine Divisions Headquarters Battalion. Barbieri is only the second Marine corporal to receive the Meritorious Service Medal since at least 2008, Burrows wrote on LinkedIn.

While serving as the Marine Corps representative to Oshkosh Defense as it revised its technical manuals for the joint light tactical vehicle, Barbieri pointed out flaws in the manuals, including one issue that could lead to rollovers.

Barbieris engineering acumen would save more than 900,000 hours of maintenance production time and more than $140 million throughout the entire life cycle of the platform, the Corps calculated.

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

This was one hell of a catch by this young Marine, said Jason Wolfe, Marine Corps production support manager to the vehicles program executive officer at Oshkosh, in a Marine Corps news release. His work on this work package could possibly prevent loss of life.

Barbieri, a native of Loxahatchee, Florida, always has been interested in the way things worked, he recounted Thursday in an interview with Marine Corps Times.

As a little kid, he would take apart his toys. Then, remembering where each screw had been, he would reassemble them, or try to build something that looked a little different.

Even then, he found it easy to retain information, Barbieri said.

Once Ive done it once, itll feel like Ive done it a hundred times, and I can find the easiest way to do it, he said.

At 14, he started drag racing through the International Hot Rod Association. He learned how to check over his car before getting onto the track.

But most of his background in mechanical engineering was theoretical knowledge  about aspects of systems like wiring and resistance  he gleaned from reading technical manuals, he said.

Having skipped fourth grade, Barbieri graduated from high school in 2019 at only 16. He spent two semesters studying mechanical engineering, first at Palm Beach State College in Florida and second at the University of California at Berkeley, but he didnt love it.

Then a Marine recruiter approached him at a career fair.

Id tried everything else out, and I couldnt find anything wrong with joining the Marine Corps, Barbieri said.

He arrived at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, in June 2020. After his initial training, he attended the Automotive Maintenance Technician Basic Course, where he was an honor graduate, according to the news release.

Barbieri checked into Truck Company, Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, in April 2021. When he arrived, the joint light tactical vehicles also were new to the unit.

As they started breaking, there was more and more different aspects we had to fix and not a lot of people with the experience that had already worked on them, Barbieri said.

When Barbieri was about six months into working at the unit, he faced a problem that didnt have an easy solution: how to replace hoses that ran from the vehicles engine bay to the back end.

It took him two weeks, but he figured it out, he said.

After that, his leaders tasked him with repairing more and more vehicles with thorny problems. Barbieri repaired more than 75 trucks, keeping the battalions readiness above 90%, according to the news release.

His leaders took notice.

He could diagnose issues that most Marines couldnt find and was able to make the repairs that civilian engineers from external organizations couldnt, said Master Sgt. Kenneth Byxbee Jr., Barbieris former motor transport maintenance chief, in the news release.

Later in 2021, while Barbieri was still a 19-year-old lance corporal, his command selected him to spend months working with Oshkoshs tech writing team in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on the technical manuals for the joint light tactical vehicle.

Anytime I would find something that felt like it was out of order or would mess with the flow of things, wed write that down, Barbieri said.

Based on those issues, Barbieri and the rest of the team would pile into a conference room and suggest changes to the technical manuals.

One day, Barbieri noticed a problem with a manuals instructions for replacing the steering column. Installing the replacement part that way would have stopped the steering wheel from moving, he said.

If that happened while you were in a turn or on a highway, that could cause a rollover, he said.

Oshkosh was receptive to what he had to say and worked with him to change the instructions, Barbieri said.

That wasnt the only change Barbieri suggested.

Barbieri stunned their engineers with his brilliance and change proposals for both fabrication of new vehicle components and for updating the electronic maintenance manuals that are now published and being fielded by the program office across all military branches of service, Burrows wrote on LinkedIn.

On Friday, Barbieri received the Meritorious Service Medal, which is awarded to service members who distinguish themselves through outstanding meritorious achievement or service.

Barbieri celebrated later that day by ordering himself a buffalo-chicken pizza, he said.

He is set to leave the Marine Corps in June. The next step is college at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, where he plans to study mechanical engineering. He hopes of becoming a tech writer, who writes manuals himself, he said.

For now, though, he is an instructor at the course that teaches lance corporals leadership skills as they prepare for the promotion to corporal.

Barbieri said he loves the job.

I just like getting in front of Marines and talking to them, making sure they know more than I did, he said.
A Massachusetts man who owns a strip club in Connecticut has been indicted on prostitution and fraud charges, along with the establishments manager and bouncer, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.

A federal grand jury in Hartford returned a 12-count indictment charging 67-year-old Kenneth Denning, of Holland, Massachusetts, with conspiracy to use an interstate facility to promote or facilitate prostitution, conspiracy to file false tax returns, engaging in a monetary transaction with proceeds derived from prostitution, unlawful employment of aliens, aiding and abetting the filing of a false tax return related to his tax return, and wire fraud according to the U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Vanessa Averys office.

Joshua Baker, 41, of Willimantic, Connecticut, is charged with conspiracy to use an interstate facility to promote or facilitate prostitution, conspiracy to file false tax returns, conspiracy to commit promotional and concealment money laundering, and unlawful employment of aliens, while William Mayo, 41, of Manchester, Connecticut, faces charges of conspiracy to use an interstate facility to promote or facilitate prostitution and unlawful employment of aliens.

Denning owned and oversaw the operation of the Electric Blue strip club in Tolland, which included the employment of dancers who performed nude dances and lap dances for customers, while Baker served as the clubs manager and bookkeeper, and Mayo was employed as a bouncer tasked with hiring dancers, many of whom were not legally authorized to live or work in the United States, the indictment alleges.

Prosecutors say the Electric Blue had a semi-private lap dance room and VIP rooms where dancers regularly performed commercial sex acts for customers.

As payment for commercial sex acts, customers would typically pay the club an entry fee for use of the lap dance room or one of the VIP rooms and then pay an additional fee directly to the dancer, the indictment stated. The club collected cash through cover charges paid at the door and fees paid by dancers to perform at the club.

Baker allegedly collected the cash received by the club, placed the cash in envelopes noting the source of the cash, and then placed the envelopes in a safe in Dennings office.

The defendants referred to this cash as Kennys money, and used this money to pay business expenses and fund Dennings personal expenditures, including trips to casinos where Denning spent large sums of money, the indictment stated.

Denning and Baker are accused of providing false information to the clubs tax return preparer in 2020, 2021, and 2022 by underreporting the gross receipts from the club and excluding income derived from commercial sex acts. Denning also allegedly committed fraud by applying for and receiving an Economic Injury Disaster Loan committed fraud by applying for and receiving an Economic Injury Disaster Loan, leading to a loan of about $150,000.

As much as approximately $5.7 million in business receipts were not reported to the IRS, causing a tax underpayment of more than $2 million, the indictment stated.

Any employee or dancer at Electric Blue who was subjected to the unlawful acts described in the indictment is urged to contact the U.S. Attorneys Office Victim Advocate at 203-696-3039.

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Some of Donald Trumps biggest supporters in Congress showed up at his hush-money trial on Thursday. They didnt plan on being publicly embarrassed.

Representatives Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert were among those who made the trek to Manhattan, ostensibly to support the former president. They quickly found themselves the object of scorn from local New Yorkers.



The audience at the trainwreck press conference also heckled the members of Congress, even chanting Beetlejuice at Boebert, a reference to her inappropriate behavior at a live theatrical performance of Beetlejuice last fall. To make matters worse, the heckling came as she tried to get some microphone time as her colleagues quickly left her behind.



People are heckling Boebert, yelling Beetlejuice at her pic.twitter.com/SQxsPq4bKk  Acyn (@Acyn) May 16, 2024

The MAGA politicians had other plans for their New York trip. Perhaps they wanted to get out of their actual legislative work, tease a second insurrection, make a cringey campaign ad with Trump, or help him skirt his gag order (which would be illegal). Maybe they think their support will help the presumptive Republican nominee for presidents self-esteem, as his trial is certainly not going well for him.



Trump is facing 34 felony charges for allegedly falsifying business records with the intent to further an underlying crime by using his former fixer, Michael Cohen, to pay off adult film actress Stormy Daniels to cover up an affair before the 2016 election. Each day of the trial brings more damning testimony and evidence against Trump.


Unionized UC academic workers picket in November 2022. Members of United Auto Workers Local 4811 authorized a strike Wednesday, alleging that their rights were violated by actions against pro-Palestinian protests. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

The union representing 48,000 graduate student teaching assistants, researchers and other academic workers across the University of Californias 10 campuses has voted to authorize a strike, alleging that its workers' rights have been violated at several universities by actions against pro-Palestinian protests, union leaders announced.

The potential walkouts, which are still being planned, were approved by 79% of the 19,780 members of the United Auto Workers Local 4811 who voted. The strike vote comes as campuses throughout the UC system have been roiled by tension and protests over the Israel-Hamas war, including a violent mob attack on a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA and the arrest of 47 protesters at UC Irvine on Wednesday.

Union leaders said they intend to provide more details Friday morning. The union has rebuked UCLA, UC San Diego and UC Irvine for what it says are unfair crackdowns on pro-Palestinian protesters, including union members. Any walkouts would come at a particularly critical time in the academic year as finals are approaching and grades will be due before commencements.

Read more: Police arrest 47 at UC Irvine after sweeping protest camp, clearing barricaded building

Rafael Jaime, the unions co-president and a PhD candidate in UCLAs English department, said the goal would be to maximize chaos and confusion at universities where the union alleges officials have violated workers' rights over workplace conditions during student protests against the Israel-Hamas war.

Our members have been beaten, concussed, pepper sprayed, both by counterprotesters and by police forces. As a union, it is our responsibility to stand beside them, the union said in a statement. "In order to de-escalate the situation, UC must substantively engage with the concerns raised by the protesters  which focus on UCs investments in companies and industries profiting off of the suffering in Gaza."

The vote came after the union filed charges with the state labor board over the arrests of pro-Palestinian graduate student protesters at UCLA and suspensions and other discipline at UC San Diego and UC Irvine. The complaint accuses the universities of retaliating against student workers and unlawfully changing workplace policies to suppress pro-Palestinian speech.

Internal and external investigations are underway at UCLA.

In a letter sent to graduate student workers on Wednesday, the University of California warned students against striking, citing a no-strike clause in the union's contract.

"The universitys position is that the unions strike is unlawful . ... Participating in the strike does not change, excuse, or modify, an employees normal work duties or expectations. And, unlike a protected strike, you could be subject to corrective action for failing to perform your duties," the unsigned letter from the UC office of the president said.

The letter defended calling police to campuses.

"We have a duty to ensure that all speech can be heard, that our entire community is safe, and that our property and common areas are accessible for all. These duties require the UC to take action when protests endanger the community and violate our shared norms regarding safe behavior and the use of public spaces. Importantly, UCs actions have not been tied to negotiations with UAW or any employment issues whatsoever," it said.

The academic workers' strike would be modeled after last year's "stand up" strikes against Ford, Stellantis and General Motors and similar to recent strikes at Southern California hotels. The walkouts would not target all campuses at once, Jaime said, but one by one based on how receptive administrations are to pro-Palestinian activists. He said strikes could run for any length of time through the end of June.

UC Riverside and UC Berkeley have reached agreements with protesters to end encampments and explore divestment from weapons companies. Leaders at those universities have rejected calls to target Israel specifically or for academic boycotts against exchange programs and partnerships with Israeli universities.

While some Jewish students have supported pro-Palestinian protests, national Jewish groups have criticized the divestment push, saying it is antisemitic because it aims to delegitimize the only predominantly Jewish nation.

In November and December 2022, the union walked out for six weeks, winning significant improvements in wages and working conditions and energizing a surge of union activism among academic workers across the nation.

Before the strike vote results came out, the University of California said the union was inappropriately flexing its muscle on a political issue. Heather Hansen, a spokeswoman for the UC office of the president, said the union was setting a "dangerous precedent that would introduce non-labor issues into labor agreements."

Read more: UCLA chancellor faces growing faculty criticism, no-confidence vote, after weeks of turmoil

The disagreement hinges on whether student workers such as Jaime, who was part of pro-Palestinian protests at UCLA the night a violent mob attacked the encampment, are striking over a "workplace issue or political speech," said John Logan, a professor in the department of labor and employment studies at San Francisco State University.

"The contract between UAW and UC does include language on academic freedom, but the university could say, 'Yes, speech is protected, but the actions you engaged in go far beyond speech, preventing students from getting into [a] library or other campus [areas] that are not protected,'" Logan said.

In a letter released after the vote, the vice chair of the University of California Academic Senate said that faculty could opt to join the strikes in support of academic workers but would risk losing pay. The letter from UC Academic Chair James A. Steintrager said faculty "cannot be required to take on additional responsibilities for teaching related to a work stoppage"

Read more: UC Berkeley to consider divesting from weapons makers as pro-Palestinian protesters break camp

Professors have "have the right to strike and to respect the picket line by, for example, not entering classroom buildings that are picketed," said Steintrager, a UC Irvine professor of English, Comparative Literature and European Languages. "However, if the strike is determined to be unlawful, any sympathy strike would be unlawful as well."

The union did not give a campus-by-campus breakdown of support for the vote but said it would consider levels of support in choosing which campuses to call up to strike. About 41% of the total membership voted.

As college presidents across the country have faced criticism for calling in police in riot gear to clear pro-Palestinian encampments, the move to threaten a strike is one of the biggest actions by an American labor union in support of Palestinians.

Some members said they believed the union's criticism of the campus protest crackdown did not go far enough. Many student protesters have called for campus police to be defunded or for universities to vow to never again call municipal police to campus. The union did not include those issues in its strike-related demands.

"It's really disappointing to me as a Black person that the union did not take a strong stance on policing and racial profiling on campus," said Gene McAdoo, a doctoral student in the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies. "They portray themselves as radical, yet aren't on this issue."

Read more: Sonoma State president on leave for 'insubordination' after supporting anti-Israel boycott, divestment

McAdoo still voted in support, he said, because "withholding our labor gives us a lot of power and leverage to push the UC administration to meet demands for divestment. That is the ultimate goal of this movement. But I also know that there is an undercurrent of folks who are still pushing for cops off campus."

Its not the first time UAW workers have pushed for divestment. In 1973, Arab American workers in Detroit auto plants walked off the job in protest of the union's investment in Israeli bonds.

But for a union to vote on a strike while a contract is in place is "unheard of in modern times, said Jeff Schuhrke, a labor historian who teaches at SUNY Empire State University.

While the union demands on academic freedom, free speech and protection from violence could arguably center on workplace conditions, they also explicitly support protesters' calls for divestment.

The strike vote "is not about economics. Its not about a raise, or more benefits. Its political, Schuhrke said.

The professor said that harked back to the origins of the student labor movement, when the first graduate unions formed in the 1960s during the campus free speech and antiwar movements.

AFT Local 1570, a union of teaching assistants formed at UC Berkeley in the throes of the campus free speech movement, voted in 1966 to strike against the University of California in response to police arresting students conducting a sit-in around a U.S. Navy recruitment table on campus.

The Teaching Assistants Assn. at University of Wisconsin-Madison, which grew out of the anti-draft sit-in and campus demonstrations against Dow Chemical for its role in production of napalm and other weapons for the Vietnam War, is the oldest graduate union still in existence in the U.S.

"The graduate union movement is coming full circle," Schuhrke said.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
NEW YORK (PIX11)  Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday brushed off criticism hes faced after he suggested migrants could make good lifeguards because they are excellent swimmers.

Adams made the controversial comment during a news conference Tuesday while answering a question about New York Citys lifeguard shortage. The mayor was advocating for migrants to be able to help fill job openings in the city such as lifeguard positions.

The MTA is hiring: Hundreds of jobs available in New York City

These were Adams full comments at Tuesdays press conference:

Let me just take your imagination for a moment. If we had a migrant and asylum seeker plan that states those jobs that we are in high demand, we could expedite. How do we have a large body of people that are in our city and country that are excellent swimmers, and at the same time we need lifeguards? The only obstacle is that we wont give them the right to work to become a lifeguard. That just doesnt make sense. If we had a plan that said you have a shortage of food service workers and those who fit the criteria, were going to expedite you. If you have the experience that you are a nurse, which you have a nursing shortage, and we will expedite you. Its the same with lifeguards. We have all these eligible people waiting to work with the skills we need to fill the jobs, but were unable to allow them to work because bureaucracy is in the way. That just does not make sense. Mayor Eric Adams

Critics claimed that the mayor calling migrants excellent swimmers was racist. But during an interview on PIX11 News Wednesday, Adams denied that anything he said in his comments was racist or offensive.

If I offended someone, Im not going to interpret someones pain. If I offended someone, I never want to offend someone. But there was nothing I said that was racist or offensive, Adams told PIX11 News. Were not going to get into the point that every time a sentence is made, the word police are going to try to make something offensive about it.

Adams reiterated his point that migrants could help fill job openings in New York City.

I have been saying this constantly that we have a shortage of employees and we have able-bodied migrants and asylum seekers who want to do so, including swimming, Adams said. Lets let people work and fill these jobs that we have available. Then we wont have to close beaches. Why are we closing beaches when we have able-bodied people who want to work in our city?

In his interview on PIX11, Adams also discussed public safety concerns over random attacks in New York City, violent incidents at schools, and the FBI and Homeland Securitys warning of potential threats to LGBTQ-related events during Pride Month in June.

Watch the mayors full interview on PIX11 in the video player.

Finn Hoogensen is a digital journalist who has covered local news for more than five years. He has been with PIX11 News since 2022. See more of his work here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
In the northern part of Vovchansk, where active hostilities are ongoing, Russian occupation forces have started to harass civilian and police vehicles during the evacuation of the city. Despite this, the evacuation continues, and people continue to ask volunteers and law enforcement officers to pick them up.

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This was stated on the air of Radio Svoboda by the head of the Investigation Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Kharkiv region, Serhiy Bolvinov. As of the morning of May 16, law enforcement officers in Kharkiv region had received 35 applications from civilians for evacuation.

Over 200 people were evacuated from the Vovchansk direction yesterday and over 180 from the Lipetsk direction.

"People are calling 102, volunteers and asking to be taken out. Of course, there are not many people left there. However, they all need our help because they are mostly elderly people who cannot get out of this hell on their own. That is why it is important for us now," Bolvinov said.

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He also added that the city of Vovchansk is under constant shelling. In general, the situation there is difficult. He urged the residents of Vovchansk to leave the areas where the fighting is going on on their own, if possible, to the bridge where there is a shelter, and there they will be met by police who will evacuate them further.

"To the people who are actually being held hostage by the Russians: the police are appealing to all of them to evacuate on their own, to reach the police as far as possible. There is one of the bridges where there is a shelter. And there, on this bridge, police officers are picking up and evacuating people, saving their lives," he explained.

It should be noted that Russian occupation forces took civilians hostage in Vovchansk, Kharkiv region. They did not allow the locals to evacuate: people were kidnapped and forced into basements.

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It is worth noting that the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the Kharkiv region are clearing the northern part of Vovchansk and the city itself. The Ukrainian military is working to stabilize the situation, inflicting fire on the enemy and preventing Russian occupation forces from gaining a foothold.

As OBOZ.UA reported earlier, the enemy continues to attack the Ukrainian Defense Forces along almost the entire front line. In the Kharkiv sector, the intensity of hostilities has increased, and the occupiers are focusing their main efforts on the Pokrovske and Kupianske directions.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!

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Mayor Karen Bass ordered a surge of law enforcement inside the regions hundreds of buses and miles of subway system, saying Metro riders dont feel safe after a spate of violent attacks that have roiled an agency already struggling to improve safety and increase ridership.

The move by Bass, who heads the board of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, marks a significant departure for the agency, which opted not to beef up law enforcements presence to reduce drug use, crime and disruptive behavior. Critics are coming from all sides. Some say the move is too little too late; others call the tactic doomed to fail and say it will only criminalize people who have drug addictions, serious mental illness and no housing.

The spike in violent crime on Metro that we have recently seen against operators and riders has been absolutely unacceptable, Bass said. We wanted to act immediately because we understand that our No. 1 job is for Angelenos across L.A. County to feel safe.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass at news conference Thursday outlines her plan for a "surge" in police officers on Metro trains and buses. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Pressure has been growing on Metro and Bass as they confront a near daily barrage of new attacks on passengers and drivers. Three people were stabbed in two separate incidents this week. Last month, Mirna Soza, 66, was fatally stabbed on the subway as she came home from her night shift job and a passenger captured a bus driver pleading for help after being stabbed.

The increase in crime threatens to derail our goal of exceeding 1.2 million weekday riders, if we cannot ensure the safety of those who want and need to use the bus and rail, Bass wrote in a motion that will be voted on next week at the Metro board meeting.

The proposal seeks to formalize increased deployment levels, although neither Metro nor the mayors office would say exactly how many officers that entails or for how long. It also directs law enforcement to proactively walk through rail cars and ride buses and ensure there are no gaps in service during shift changes. And it aims to fix all dead cellphone service spots, so that people can report crime and call for help.

Read more: Metro board ponders facial recognition, other security measures after subway killing

But critics say more police isnt the answer. Costs are too high, eating up large portions of a proposed $9-billion budget, and so far stepped-up law enforcement hasnt proved to reduce crime.

In the last seven years, Metro spent over $1.1 billion on law enforcement; the budget allocations to Metros police contracts increase every year, and yet this has not brought us closer to an enjoyable and safe system, said Laura Raymond, director of ACT-LA, the Alliance for Community Transit. The group represents dozens of community groups advocating for free fares, better service and other social justice issues on transit.

Metro cannot afford to continue to waste money and time on a failing strategy.

Police officers patrol a Metro subway platform on Wednesday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

There are roughly 600 uniformed officers from the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department and the Long Beach Police Department patrolling the system, said Robert Gummer, who oversees security for Metro. There are also 200 transit security officers. Its unclear how Metro will pay for an increase in daily deployment and whether that will mean hiring more Metro staff or contracting for more police shifts.

As it is, Metro is facing a 10% increase in cost for law enforcement in the coming budget, with no jump in deployment.

Officials have been grappling with how to make the system feel safer  even as there are ambitious plans underway for a serious expansion.

The board will soon weigh in on two light rail line extensions , the C Line farther south to Torrance and the E line eastward to Whittier.

But many of the systems achievements get overshadowed by spates of crime.

The boards monthly meeting last month might have otherwise been most memorable for the environmental clearances for the first segment of the Southeast Gateway Line, a 14.5-mile light rail line through the heart of the southeast county. Instead the board delved deep into how to prevent crimes on a system it is preparing to show off to the world during the 2028 Olympics. The litany of measures the board is now considering includes the feasibility of facial recognition devices and securing station gates.

The board has already sunk tens of millions of dollars into expanding its ambassador programs, design improvements and homeless outreach. In the last 10 months, it has housed 1,700 people seeking shelter on the system.

Law enforcement agencies have repeatedly defended their work, saying that many of the quality-of-life crimes that plagued the system have fallen over recent months, despite the high-profile attacks.

But within the agency, there is an uneasy relationship with the uniformed officers.

Former head of security Gina Osborn and the union representing drivers and train operators have both advocated for Metro to create its own dedicated police force. And the 13-member board  made up of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Bass, her three appointees and regional representatives  has asked staff to investigate whether its feasible.

Throwing more uniformed bodies on the platform isnt going to increase safety on the system if the uniformed presence is not engaged, Osborn said.

Outside law enforcement has no ownership in the system, she said. Why arent they investing in the transit security officers who can actually establish order on the system?

Osborn says she was fired in March after reporting to the agencys inspector general that contracted law enforcement officers didnt show up for work, leaving a light rail station in Santa Monica without any protection.

Adding more security may work for a month or two, she said, but after officers disappear the problem returns.

Times staff writer David Zahniser contributed to this report.





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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Mayor Ted Wheeler and other city leaders are calling for a safer summer in Portland after several years of escalating violence.

Historically, we have seen an increase in gun violence during warmer months, Wheeler said. And its crucial that we work proactively and collaboratively to prevent that spike.

With the season right around the corner, Mayor Wheeler and Police Chief Bob Day announced collaborative efforts to prevent gun violence during a press conference on the Safer Portland initiative Thursday morning.

Mother charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting 15-year-old son in neck

Wheeler shared new crime data which told an encouraging story in which the city has shown a drop in gun related-violence since the start of 2024. In fact, the total number of shootings is the lowest on record since 2020.

Still, the city leaders said they aim to curb another spike in summer shootings.

The update comes after Mayor Wheeler declared a gun violence state of emergency in July of 2022 while launching the Safer Summer PDX Plan, which helped fund 20 community organizations that specialized in violence prevention.

The city then launched the Ceasefire program the following summer, engaging in outreach with community members who were most at risk of becoming victims and perpetrators of gun violence.

Vancouver police arrest man accused of stabbing woman in the neck at Clark College

Its crucial to understand that shooting incidents and injuries often lead to retaliatory shootings and violence, perpetuating the cycle of harm of our community, Ceasefire Program Manager Sierra Ellis said. This is precisely the type of violence that ceasefire aims to address by intervening with those at the highest risk of becoming a victim or perpetrator of gun violence.

Of the 67 people assessed through the program, 60 have been referred to services. The mayor says the combined efforts are paying off.

As of April 30, 2024, all homicides are down by 7% from 2023 and 16% from the prior three years, he said.

According to city data, deadly shootings are down 23% from 2023 and 29% over the last three years. Total shootings are down 18% from last year and 28% from the three years prior.

Those improvements continue with reported car thefts down 44%, robberies down 29%, and vandalism down 56% in Quarter One this year, compared to last.

Bend man found dead after stabbing wife, mother-in-law in family home, police say

To continue momentum, the mayor said the Portland Police Bureau is continuing to bolster its Focused Intervention Team  hiring 32 new officers this year and adding four new members and a sergeant to patrol with the PPB Central Bike Squad.

Although were making progress, the toll that violence takes on our community remains unacceptably high, Mike Myers, who will serve as the community safety transition director, said. We must always remember that were talking about peoples lives. Gun violence has a lasting impact and perpetuates a cycle of pain and trauma, specifically in the black community.

The city is also offering $500,000 in grants to fund community organizations focused on violence prevention. Those are expected to be awarded in June 2024.

Meanwhile, applications for the Safer Portland grants close Friday, May 17.

Watch the full press conference in the video above.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
McCurtain County's Board of County Commissioners planned to meet in Oklahoma City Friday  about 240 miles away from where it normally meets  as part of a mediation effort to settle a long-running lawsuit.

But the commission abruptly canceled that meeting late Wednesday, after being informed by the Oklahoma Attorney General's office it would violate Oklahoma's Open Meeting Act.

It was not the first time the commission's handling of open meetings had been questioned.

McCurtain County's Board of County Commissioners made national news a little over a year ago after the McCurtain Gazette-News, a local newspaper, released an audio recording of then-Commissioner Mark Jennings allegedly discussing the murder of journalists and lynching Black Oklahomans with members of the McCurtain County Sheriffs Office.

According to the Associated Press, reporter Bruce Willingham said the recording of the alleged March 6 conversation among McCurtain County officials was made when he left a voice-activated recording device inside the room after a county commissioners meeting. He said he suspected the group was continuing to conduct county business after meetings had ended, violating the Open Meeting Act.

Jennings resigned and was replaced by Tina Foshee-Thomas after she won special election to fill the seat.

As for Friday's canceled meeting, the board posted an agenda Monday that stated it initially would be held at the Edmond offices of a mediator involved in settling the case. On Wednesday, the board posted an amended agenda changing the meeting's location to the offices of Professional Reporters, 511 Couch Drive, in Oklahoma City.

Late Wednesday, it reposted the agenda for Friday's meeting with a notice at the bottom stating: "DUE TO UNFORSEEN CIRCUMSTANCES THIS MEETING HAS BEEN CANCELLED."

A spokesperson for Oklahoma's Attorney General confirmed the agency had told the commission it would violate the act if it were to meet as planned.

The McCurtain County Courthouse sits on the north end of Central Avenue in downtown Idabel. The courthouse is attached to the sheriff's department and county jail where Geoffrey Briley is being held while he awaits a jury trial scheduled for January.

More: New Yorker article puts McCurtain County back in spotlight, and it's not pretty

Commissioners could not be reached by phone Wednesday afternoon and did not return emailed questions about why the meeting was planned so far away from the McCurtain County courthouse in Idabel where they normally meet.

Joey Senat, an Oklahoma State University journalism professor who specializes in Oklahomas open records law, told The Oklahoman he agreed it appeared the proposed Oklahoma City meeting conflicts with the act's requirement meetings be held at specified times and places which are convenient to the public."

While state law does authorize commissioners to meet to conduct business "beneficial to the general public" outside of their counties' courthouses, that same statute requires such a meeting still be held inside the counties the commissioners represent, Senat said.

Another statute states, Where the county has no courthouse, or the courthouse shall be unfit or inconvenient, they may hold their sessions for the transaction of business at any other suitable place in the county seat.

The Open Meeting Act's stated public policy is to encourage and facilitate an informed citizenrys understanding of the governmental processes and governmental problems, Senat said.

"I don't know of any other statute that would permit county commissioners to meet in a location requiring their constituents to drive some four hours from the county seat to attend," Senat said. "If McCurtain County officials know of such a statute, I hope they will tell their constituents and the rest of us."

Why were McCurtain County officials scheduled to meet in Oklahoma City?

The scheduled mediation session concerned a lawsuit filed in 2016 by Valliant Rentals LLC, which claimed a road project involving the town of Millerton and McCurtain County built in 2015 changed drainage patterns that caused flooding on four properties it owns inside of the town.

It accuses Millerton and the county of doing the work without first obtaining proper engineering studies or developing construction plans.

Flooding damaged the properties and deprived Valliant of their use, effectively taking the properties from the owner without providing just compensation, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit seeks at least $75,000 in damages and an order from the court requiring the county and community to fix issues causing the flooding problems.

In response to Valliant's case, commissioners filed a response stating its work on the section-line road simply improved its surface and did not change the land's topography or how water flows across the plaintiff's lands.

It stated the plaintiff's properties were damaged because they were built in a flood plain and were subjected to a heavy amount of rain in a short period of time.

In October 2023, the judge overseeing the case issued an order pausing its proceedings so that mediation could be held. The judge's order did not address where that mediation should be held.

The attorney representing Valliant declined Wednesday to say if he would be participating in the mediation process or what other parties besides commissioners might be involved.

Phone messages left with attorneys representing Millerton and the McCurtain County Board of County Commissioners were not returned on Wednesday.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: McCurtain County officials cancel meeting in OKC after AG inquiry
Dental students, working as volunteers, attend to patients at a Remote Area Medical mobile dental and medical clinic on October 7, 2023, in Grundy, Virginia.

Dental students, working as volunteers, attend to patients at a Remote Area Medical mobile dental and medical clinic on October 7, 2023, in Grundy, Virginia. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  Dentists from throughout the country urged Congress to include dental coverage in Medicare during a hearing Thursday, saying that fewer than half of beneficiaries visit a dentist each year.

The panel of four dentists told the U.S. Senate Help, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that other changes are needed as well to reduce the gap in consistent dental care for all Americans, including removing the barrier between health care and dentistry as well as bolstering affordable treatment for underserved communities.

The dentists also told senators that better outreach and education are needed to ensure people understand how missing regular checkups can have negative repercussions on their physical health.

Dr. Lisa Simon, associate physician at Brigham and Womens Hospital and a member of the faculty at Harvard Medical School, testified that fewer than half of Medicare beneficiaries see a dentist each year. When they do, they spend more than $1,000 out of pocket on their care.

She also told senators during the hearing that the dental coverage offered by many Medicare Advantage plans is insufficient. Such plans offered by private companies roll together Part A and Part B coverage and often include drug coverage.

Dental plans are often a draw for beneficiaries that choose Medicare Advantage, Simon said. But my research has found that beneficiaries with Medicare Advantage have rates of dental access that are just as low and out-of-pocket costs that are just as high as traditional Medicare beneficiaries. Medicare Advantage is not the solution here.

Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan, president and CEO of CareQuest Institute for Oral Health in Boston, told the panel that traditional Medicares exclusion of dental benefits leaves about half of Medicare enrollees, nearly 25 million older Americans and people with disabilities, without dental benefits.

There is currently no financial support for adults to purchase dental insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace, Minter-Jordan said. And adult dental coverage is optional under state Medicaid programs, which means that coverage varies widely from extensive benefits to none at all.

Dr. Brian Jeffrey Swann, who is on the board of directors for Remote Area Medical and practices dentistry in Tennessee, told the committee the nonprofit organization provides pop-up dental and vision clinics for underinsured and uninsured people.

The people that come to RAM for assistance often drive across two or three state lines, sleeping in their cars, wrapped in blankets to stay warm. Many people come days before the clinic just to ensure that they get a ticket, Swann said.

Patients suffer from cavities and gum disease, he added. And this is concerning due to the interplay of gum disease and diabetes.

Swann, who is also co-chair of Global Oral Health at the National Dental Association, said that organization has been calling for dental coverage to be included in Medicare for decades.

Sanders, Cassidy split on Medicare changes

The dentists recommendations revealed a chasm between the two top lawmakers on the panel.

The lack of affordable dental care in America is a problem all over our country, said HELP Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont. But it is especially acute for lower income Americans, pregnant women, people with disabilities, veterans, those who live in rural communities, and Black, Latino and Native Americans.

Sanders said access to and affordability of dental care within the United States has become so absurd that Americans have begun traveling to countries like Mexico, Costa Rica, India, Thailand and Hungary, where it is much less expensive to get the dental care they need.

That is still out of reach for many people, leading to nearly 1 out of 5 senior citizens having lost their teeth, he said.

And many of them cannot afford dentures, which can cost many thousands of dollars, Sanders said, adding that 70% of older Americans have some sort of periodontal disease, which can lead to rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular disease.

Sanders reiterated, as he has for years, that Medicare coverage should include dental and vision coverage.

Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, ranking member on the HELP Committee, said that about 88% of Americans have dental coverage, though he noted the pent-up demand for dental care is greater than the pent-up demand for medical care.

Cassidy, a physician, said that while traditional Medicare doesnt cover dental procedures, about 98% of Medicare Advantage plans offer dental benefits and more than half of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in an MA plan.

He appeared to reject the proposal to add dental coverage to Medicare in the immediate future, noting that the program is slated to hit a significant funding shortfall in about 10 years.

With Medicare on track for insolvency in a little over a decade, we should also think about making that sustainable before adding programs to it, he said.

Cassidy also criticized how Medicaid, a program that provides health insurance for low-income people, currently approaches dental care.

The reimbursement rate under Medicaid is so lousy that frankly its the illusion of coverage without the power of access, Cassidy said. If youre losing money on every patient you see whos covered by Medicaid, you cant make it up.

Problems in rural America

Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski raised the issue of access to dentists in rural areas, including her home state, during the hearing.

I grew up in a part of the state where if you needed to go to the dentist, you got in an airplane or you got on a ferry and more often than not, you went to Seattle, she said. And that was not a cheap trip, but that was how we got our health care.

We have improved dramatically since then, but we still have far too many communities where access is an issue, Murkowski added.

There are still many examples where overall health outcomes have been impacted negatively, because it began with poor oral health care, she said.

Dr. Gordon Roswell Isbell III, past trustee of the Academy of General Dentistry from Alabama, said that ensuring there are enough dentists and dental hygienists in rural areas is a challenge. He suggested developing programs that get dentists into rural areas.

I know in our state thats something weve worked hard at and were having some success, Isbell said, adding that rural citizens deserve good dental care.

Swann testified that dental schools need more role models who can demonstrate to students the best ways to live and work in rural areas. He also suggested providing incentives and innovative business models.

Minter-Jordan said that one-third of rural residents do not have dental insurance and that 4 in 10 adults in rural areas havent seen a dentist in more than a year.

New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan said during the hearing that while her home state expanded Medicaid coverage last year to include dental care, shes hearing from a lot of people that its extremely challenging to find a dentist in rural areas who is accepting new patients and takes Medicaid.

Simon said that recruiting dentistry students from rural areas can make a small dent in making these communities better served.

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Dr. Brian Jeffrey Swann, who is on the board of directors for Remote Area Medical and practices dentistry in Tennessee, told a U.S. Senate committee about low-income people who drive from far distances to attend clinics where they can get their dental problems treated. (Screenshot from U.S. Senate webcast)

WASHINGTON  Dentists from throughout the country urged Congress to include dental coverage in Medicare during a hearing Thursday, saying that fewer than half of beneficiaries visit a dentist each year.

The panel of four dentists told the U.S. Senate Help, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that other changes are needed as well to reduce the gap in consistent dental care for all Americans, including removing the barrier between health care and dentistry as well as bolstering affordable treatment for underserved communities.

The dentists also told senators that better outreach and education are needed to ensure people understand how missing regular checkups can have negative repercussions on their physical health.

Dr. Lisa Simon, associate physician at Brigham and Womens Hospital and a member of the faculty at Harvard Medical School, testified that fewer than half of Medicare beneficiaries see a dentist each year. When they do, they spend more than $1,000 out of pocket on their care.

She also told senators during the hearing that the dental coverage offered by many Medicare Advantage plans is insufficient. Such plans offered by private companies roll together Part A and Part B coverage and often include drug coverage.

Dental plans are often a draw for beneficiaries that choose Medicare Advantage, Simon said. But my research has found that beneficiaries with Medicare Advantage have rates of dental access that are just as low and out-of-pocket costs that are just as high as traditional Medicare beneficiaries. Medicare Advantage is not the solution here.

Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan, president and CEO of CareQuest Institute for Oral Health in Boston, told the panel that traditional Medicares exclusion of dental benefits leaves about half of Medicare enrollees, nearly 25 million older Americans and people with disabilities, without dental benefits.

There is currently no financial support for adults to purchase dental insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace, Minter-Jordan said. And adult dental coverage is optional under state Medicaid programs, which means that coverage varies widely from extensive benefits to none at all.

Dr. Brian Jeffrey Swann, who is on the board of directors for Remote Area Medical and practices dentistry in Tennessee, told the committee the nonprofit organization provides pop-up dental and vision clinics for underinsured and uninsured people.

The people that come to RAM for assistance often drive across two or three state lines, sleeping in their cars, wrapped in blankets to stay warm. Many people come days before the clinic just to ensure that they get a ticket, Swann said.

Patients suffer from cavities and gum disease, he added. And this is concerning due to the interplay of gum disease and diabetes.

Swann, who is also co-chair of Global Oral Health at the National Dental Association, said that organization has been calling for dental coverage to be included in Medicare for decades.

Sanders, Cassidy split on Medicare changes

The dentists recommendations revealed a chasm between the two top lawmakers on the panel.

The lack of affordable dental care in America is a problem all over our country, said HELP Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont. But it is especially acute for lower income Americans, pregnant women, people with disabilities, veterans, those who live in rural communities, and Black, Latino and Native Americans.

Sanders said access to and affordability of dental care within the United States has become so absurd that Americans have begun traveling to countries like Mexico, Costa Rica, India, Thailand and Hungary, where it is much less expensive to get the dental care they need.

That is still out of reach for many people, leading to nearly 1 out of 5 senior citizens having lost their teeth, he said.

And many of them cannot afford dentures, which can cost many thousands of dollars, Sanders said, adding that 70% of older Americans have some sort of periodontal disease, which can lead to rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular disease.

Sanders reiterated, as he has for years, that Medicare coverage should include dental and vision coverage.

Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, ranking member on the HELP Committee, said that about 88% of Americans have dental coverage, though he noted the pent-up demand for dental care is greater than the pent-up demand for medical care.

Cassidy, a doctor, said that while traditional Medicare doesnt cover dental procedures, about 98% of Medicare Advantage plans offer dental benefits and more than half of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in an MA plan.

He appeared to reject the proposal to add dental coverage to Medicare in the immediate future, noting that the program is slated to hit a significant funding shortfall in about 10 years.

With Medicare on track for insolvency in a little over a decade, we should also think about making that sustainable before adding programs to it, he said.

Cassidy also criticized how Medicaid, a program that provides health insurance for low-income people, currently approaches dental care.

The reimbursement rate under Medicaid is so lousy that frankly its the illusion of coverage without the power of access, Cassidy said. If youre losing money on every patient you see whos covered by Medicaid, you cant make it up.

Problems in rural America

Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski raised the issue of access to dentists in rural areas, including her home state, during the hearing.

I grew up in a part of the state where if you needed to go to the dentist, you got in an airplane or you got on a ferry and more often than not, you went to Seattle, she said. And that was not a cheap trip, but that was how we got our health care.

We have improved dramatically since then, but we still have far too many communities where access is an issue, Murkowski added.

There are still many examples where overall health outcomes have been impacted negatively, because it began with poor oral health care, she said.

Dr. Gordon Roswell Isbell III, past trustee of the Academy of General Dentistry from Alabama, said that ensuring there are enough dentists and dental hygienists in rural areas is a challenge. He suggested developing programs that get dentists into rural areas.

I know in our state thats something weve worked hard at and were having some success, Isbell said, adding that rural citizens deserve good dental care.

Swann testified that dental schools need more role models who can demonstrate to students the best ways to live and work in rural areas. He also suggested providing incentives and innovative business models.

Minter-Jordan said that one-third of rural residents do not have dental insurance and that 4 in 10 adults in rural areas havent seen a dentist in more than a year.

New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan said during the hearing that while her home state expanded Medicaid coverage last year to include dental care, shes hearing from a lot of people that its extremely challenging to find a dentist in rural areas who is accepting new patients and takes Medicaid.

Simon said that recruiting dentistry students from rural areas can make a small dent in making these communities better served.

The post Medicare should include dental coverage, dentists tell U.S. Senate panel appeared first on North Dakota Monitor.
The 13th Brigade Khartiia of the National Guard of Ukraine jointly with a unit of the Rubizh Brigade repelled a Russian assault near the settlement of Lyptsi in Kharkiv Oblast.

Source: the Khartiia Brigade

Quote: "The UAV operators of the Khartiia [Brigade] detected about 10 Russian soldiers heading in the direction of Lyptsi. The enemy was attacked from small arms, artillery and attack drones. The Russians started fleeing, accidentally revealing their additional forces which were supposed to strengthen assault groups.

The members of the Khartiia and Rubizh brigades struck the cluster of Russian infantry from multiple-launch rocket systems, killing at least eight Russian soldiers. The Russians retreated."

Details: The Khartiia Brigade reports that they joined the combat mission on the Kharkiv front. The soldiers of the brigade are working jointly with a unit of the Rubizh Brigade.

 ""    ""         pic.twitter.com/P3ghFSOIBo     (@ukrpravda_news) May 16, 2024

Background:

On 10 May, it was reported that Russian forces had intensified their activities in Kharkiv Oblast, with fighting taking place there.

Russian forces have captured up to 10 villages in Kharkiv Oblast. The Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group said that the grey zone in Kharkiv Oblast was not expanding and that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were not letting Russian forces advance further into Kharkiv Oblast.

Ukraine's Defence Forces stopped Russian attempts to break through the defences on the Kharkiv front. The situation has been somewhat stabilised, but fighting continues.

On 16 May, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Ukraines Defence Forces disrupted Russias plans to drive a wedge into the built-up area of the city of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast and gain a foothold there.

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The 2024 presidential race took a sharp turn Wednesday when both major candidates quickly agreed to two televised debates  the first of which will happen next month.

President Biden and former President Trump will take part in a CNN debate on June 27 in Atlanta. They will clash again on Sept. 10, at a location yet to be determined, in an ABC News event.

The deal was struck with unusual speed after Biden posted a social media video Wednesday morning goading Trump to make my day by accepting a debate. I hear youre free on Wednesdays, Biden added  a reference to the schedule of the former presidents criminal trial in New York.

Trump accepted almost immediately. Trump also took to social media to call Biden the WORST debater I have ever faced, claiming he cant put two sentences together.

Beyond the macho taunts, there are real reasons why each man is eager for the debates  and sooner rather than later. But there are legitimate risks, too.

Bidens willingness to debate as early as next month betrays a desire to change the current trajectory of the race.

Nationally, the election looks extremely close, but most battleground state polls read more bleakly for the president. In a series of New York Times/Siena College polls released Monday, Trump led Biden among registered voters in five of six battleground states.

Bidens approval rating is a mediocre 40.4 percent in the average maintained by The Hill and Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ), further deepening Democratic gloom.

But Democrats believe the electorate will recoil from Trump once he fully returns to center stage. They think his uncouth antics will remind voters of the chaos he almost always brings in his wake. And they feel the publics focus on the issues will grow sharper over time, to Bidens benefit.

An early debate can help accelerate all of those goals.

Democrats cheer Biden decision to take on Trump in early debate

Dick Harpootlian, a Democratic state senator in South Carolina and a member of the Biden campaigns national finance committee, acknowledged that, right now, the presidents speeches and ads boasting of the stronger elements of his record may not be fully resonating.

But, Harpootlian asserted, Trump is uniquely unqualified to be reelected. He can talk politics or whatever, but as a human being? Put him next to Joe Biden.

Harpootlian also claimed that a debate would help Biden by reminding voters that the election is a choice, not an abstract debate about whether they think the presidents record is perfect.

Ultimately, what everyone is going to see is a binary choice, Harpootlian said. Here are the two folks. Here are the pluses for Joe Biden. Here are the minuses for Donald Trump.

Trump advocates, naturally, dont see it that way at all.

Most of them believe an early debate provides an enormous opportunity for Trump, especially if Biden were to make a verbal stumble in a way that would underscore concerns about his age.

Even though Trump, at 77, is only four years younger than Biden, most polls indicate fewer voters are concerned about his cognitive abilities.

Trump allies enthusiastically welcomed the news of the debates for exactly this reason. Kari Lake, the Trump loyalist who is seeking a Senate seat in Arizona, linked to news of Trump accepting the debate with an enthusiastic Lets go!!! post on social media.

In a follow-up post, Lake hit Biden as bumbling and mentally diminished.

The scheduling of the first debate could also be to Trumps liking.

His criminal trial should be finished well before then, and the debate provides an obvious chance for Trump to turn the page  or to cast a conviction, if it occurs, as illegitimate.

There is another common advantage to the debates for both Biden and Trump: The likely absence of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The rules for the CNN debate exclude any candidate who does not register at least 15 percent support in four national polls that the network deems credible.

It is unlikely that Kennedy will meet that standard. His support appears to have ebbed since the early days of his campaign. In The Hill/DDHQ average, he sits at just under 7 percent support.

On social media, Kennedy complained that Biden and Trump were trying to exclude me from their debate because they are afraid I would win.

There are, to be sure, some potential downsides for the major party candidates.

Even pro-Biden figures like Harpootlian note that, beyond the danger of a Biden stumble, the president will have to be careful in calibrating his demeanor toward Trump since anything too sarcastic, too disdainful could seem unpresidential.

For Trump, the debate is sure to bring questions about his role around the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot to the fore again. He will also face questions about the other three criminal trials he faces. And he will no doubt be asked if he will accept the outcome of this years election.

The first debate will also have no live audience, a detail which is likely to bother Trump more than Biden, given his capacity to feed off crowds.

Trumps mockery of Biden could also backfire if the president merely clears a low bar of expectations.

Doug Heye, a former communications director of the Republican National Committee, argued that both Trump and Biden have a lot to lose, not least because neither has done this in a long time.

Trump boycotted the GOP primary debates this cycle, arguing he was so far ahead the clashes were essentially irrelevant. Biden, who faced only token opposition for the Democratic nomination, did not deign to debate his rivals either.

The long absence of each man from the debate stage will likely only whet the public appetite for the most important moment to date in the 2024 race.

The Memo is a reported column by Niall Stanage.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Editors Note: This article contains vulgar language and graphic content regarding sexual online messages that may be offensive or disturbing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage)  A complaint filed in Tom Green County has revealed details that led to the arrest of Joshua Carroll, a Wall ISD assistant band director charged with online solicitation of a minor.

According to the affidavit, Carroll is accused of committing the offense with three female students under 17 years of age by knowingly communicating in a sexually explicit manner with a minor and distributing sexually explicit material to a minor. The affidavit notes that the three children are 15 years old or younger.

The complaint states that a detective with the Tom Green County Sheriffs Office drove to Wall High School on March 20 and interviewed six female students ranging from 14 to 17 years old regarding an unknown male who was communicating with them in a sexual manner. According to the report, the communication began in mid-March 2024 and continued up to that point.

The affidavit also provides a brief summary of what the six female students told the investigator. According to the summary, the unknown male used a TikTok account or phone number to communicate with the girls while posing as a high school student attending Abilenes Cooper High School.

PREVIOUSLY: Wall ISD faculty member arrested again on US Marshal hold

The students told the investigator they did not believe the identity they were given and thought that the unknown male was lying about who he was. One of the students stated that she thought the male was just some old man trying to get pictures.

According to the complaint, the man repeatedly engaged in flirty behavior with the students, telling them that they were pretty and beautiful and that he wanted to get to know them.

One student reported that he sent her a picture of his private area. The summary states that she described seeing a shower curtain and a shower head and the suspect was standing in the shower. She noted in her description of the penis shown in the photo, that thing looked broken, detailing that it was bent halfway up before making an L shape with her hand.

The affidavit shows a brief summary of conversations that two of the girls had with the unknown male, which they took screenshots of and gave them to the detective. The suspects messages included statements such as Love to kiss and bite that neck as I slowly make my way downwards, You can still wait till marriage, we can still do other things and most girls like a massive (expletive) though.

Coleman ISD placed on lockdown after reports of firearm on campus

A few days after speaking with the six female students, an administrator at Wall High School told the investigator that the same unknown male had contacted another 15-year-old student at the school using a new phone number and the same TikTok account.

Carroll was arrested on May 14 for online solicitation of a minor with a posted bond of $45,000. Though he was released on bond, he would be taken into custody again on May 15 for a U.S. Marshal hold.

According to Wall ISDs superintendent, Carroll is not allowed back on the campus and the district is moving to terminate his employment.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ConchoValleyHomepage.com.
Former Utah Rep. Mia Love takes the stage to speak at the Together in Christ Utah YSA Conference at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

Former Utah Rep. Mia Love spoke with Jake Tapper, the lead Washington anchor for CNN, on Wednesday to share more about how her faith has helped her in her cancer journey.

Tapper introduced Loves segment by saying that Congresswoman Mia Love is used to fighting political battles. But now, shes fighting a battle that is much more personal and frankly, much more consequential. Love had been diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2022. It was last August at the YSA Area Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that she first shared her diagnosis publicly.

She described to Tapper how she was on vacation with her family in Puerto Rico and had a bad headache. At first, she dismissed it  she told herself, everyone gets headaches, right? But the headache became unbearable and she felt like two icepicks were stabbing in her brain. Her husband, Jason, rushed her to a local hospital, where she got a CAT scan. As she shared last year, the doctor reading them asked, Was that there before? A tumor in her brain was clearly obvious.

Love rushed home to Utah to have surgery, which removed about 95% of the tumor. The tumor was not benign. It was a Grade 4, fast-growing tumor. Glioblastoma multiforme, the same type of brain cancer that took the life of Sens. Ted Kennedy and John McCain and former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, the oldest son of President Joe Biden.

She followed up with chemotherapy and radiation, but the prognosis was dire. One of approximately 14,000 Americans diagnosed with glioblastoma every year, Love said she was given 10 to 15 months to live.

They can figure out the diagnosis, she said, but I did not have to take the prognosis.

Faith as an essential part of the journey

Tapper asked if her membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had helped. Absolutely, she said. I was looking for a cure in faith and in science, she told him. She talked about her patriarchal blessing, a blessing that members of the church receive through an ordained patriarch that includes personal guidance and promises from the Lord. The blessing is recorded and transcribed so recipients can refer to them throughout their lives.

In her blessing, she said that she was promised a long and prosperous life, a rich and rewarding life, as long as you decide to remain upon this earth. That promise inspired her to keep looking for possible treatments and even a cure. Former colleagues in Congress put her in touch with Dr. Henry Friedman, a neuro-oncologist and deputy director of the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University in North Carolina.

Friedman said, The single most important thing we offered her is hope. Hope, and participation in an immunotherapy clinical trial. Using the bodys own boosted immune cells to target and kill cancer, immunotherapy has become an important part in treating some cancers, including glioblastoma. Love has been receiving that treatment every three weeks for months and says that her scans show either no growth, or even a slight reduction in the size of the tumor.

While this treatment is working for Mia Love, its too soon to know just how long this will continue working, Tapper explained.

Love is leaning into hope and faith to help her through this journey. She has had nearly an extra year of life past her original prognosis, one that Tapper said she has spent enjoying every moment with her family.
Russian occupation forces took civilians hostage in Vovchansk, Kharkiv region. They did not allow the locals to evacuate: people were kidnapped and driven to basements.

ADVERTISIMENT

We already know about the first shootings of civilians by the Russian military . This was reported by the Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko.

"In the northern part of Vovchansk, where active hostilities are taking place, Russian troops are taking civilians prisoner," he said in a statement.

It is noted that evacuation has been ongoing in that area until today  the National Police of Ukraine has not stopped evacuating people despite all the threats and under fire.

"As of now, according to the operational information, the Russian military, who were trying to gain a foothold in the city, did not allow local residents to evacuate: they started kidnapping people and driving them to basements. We know about the first shootings of civilians by the Russian military," emphasized Klymenko.

In particular, one of the residents of Vovchansk was killed by Russians when he tried to escape on foot and refused to follow the orders of the occupiers.

ADVERTISIMENT

Investigators of the National Police of Ukraine in Kharkiv region have launched a criminal investigation into the violation of the rules and customs of war.

The evacuation teams of the National Police of Ukraine continue to work in Vovchansk, trying to ensure the safety and further evacuation of people, despite intense military clashes.

It is worth noting that the Ukrainian Defense Forces in Kharkiv region are clearing the northern part of Vovchansk and the city itself. The Ukrainian military is working to stabilize the situation, inflicting fire on the enemy and preventing Russian occupation forces from gaining a foothold.

ADVERTISIMENT

As OBOZ.UA reported, in Ukraine, the enemy continues to attack the Defense Forces along almost the entire front line. In the Kharkiv sector, the intensity of hostilities has increased, and the occupants are focusing their main efforts on the Pokrovske and Kupyanske directions.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
The deer mouse, believed to be the most common mammal in North America, has a very different take on family values than its evolutionary sibling, the oldfield mouse.

Oldfield mice are monogamous. Fathers groom their young, keep them warm and ensure they dont wander far from the nest. The deer mouse prefers the swinging lifestyle when it comes to sexual partners. Its not unusual for the pups in a single litter to come from four different fathers. As for the deer mouse dads, theyre downright negligent. Nothing, it seemed, could bring out the warm and fuzzy dad behavior.

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Until now. Researchers at Columbia University investigating the two species of mice discovered what appears to be a crucial difference: Oldfield produce an adrenal cell not found in other mice. The cell makes a hormone, which, when injected into virgin deer mice of both sexes, spurred 17 percent - even males - to groom their young and keep them close to the nest.

Alas, it had no effect when it came to the deer mouses preference for playing the field with multiple female partners.

It didnt make them want to spend more time with their mate, said Andres Bendesky, one of the authors of a paper published Wednesday in the journal Nature describing the research.

By examining other species of mice, Bendesky and his team determined that the newly discovered cell type had developed in oldfield mice about 20,000 years ago, essentially the blink of an eye on the evolutionary time scale.

While parenting and monogamy are distinct characteristics, they are connected in biology, said Bendesky, a principal investigator at Columbias Zuckerman Institute.

The vast majority of mammals - 92 percent, according to Bendesky - are promiscuous like the deer mouse. When female deer mice are in heat, they sometimes mate with multiple males on the same night, allowing different fathers to fertilize different eggs.

In most promiscuous species, males do not participate in the care of the young. Bendesky said there are only three outliers; promiscuous species in which the males actually help with parenting: the banded mongoose, the gray bamboo lemur and Goeldis monkey.

All three are derived from a recently monogamous ancestor, Bendesky said, underscoring the close and enduring link between monogamy and shared parenting.

The subject of monogamy in the animal kingdom remains controversial, with some scientists maintaining that as few as 3 to 5 percent of mammals are monogamous.

Researchers refer to two distinct kinds of monogamy: social monogamy, in which partners mate and live together for one or more breeding seasons; and genetic monogamy, in which couples mate with one another exclusively.

Varying theories exist about the evolutionary benefit that monogamy bestows upon males. Some scientists maintain that staying home with a mate, rather than prowling for other females, might have been a way to keep competing males from snacking on the offspring. An alternative explanation is that males simply found it much easier to keep rival males away from one female, rather than several.

Bendesky, who has been studying the difference between oldfield and deer mice for 12 years, said he found an unexpected clue in the anatomy of the two species. Each of the two oldfield mouse adrenal glands weighs 7 milligrams  more than four times heavier than that of deer mice.

Its massive, Bendesky said of the difference. When scientists have bred mice to display more or less anxiety - a feeling derived from hormones manufactured in the adrenal gland - they never found a difference in gland size of more than 20 percent.

The adrenal glands are one of the main sources of steroid hormones, which act as important controllers of behavior, including parental care. The great difference in adrenal size suggested the oldfield mice were producing more of at least some of the steroid hormones.

When the scientists looked more closely at the differences between the species, they discovered that each adrenal gland in the oldfield mouse has four layers or zones, instead of the three in the deer mouse. It is the fourth, dubbed the zona inaudita (Latin for previously unheard-of zone) that contains the new adrenal cell.

Scientists established that the newly discovered cell was different from other adrenal cells by performing genetic analysis. They found 194 genes were turned up higher in the newly discovered cells than in other cells. The activity level of genes can be turned up or down, just as a light can be adjusted with a dimmer switch.

In the newly discovered cells, oldfield mice make a hormone called 20 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (20alpha-OHP), which was discovered in humans in 1958.

But nobody knew what it really does in humans, Bendesky said.

In that sense, the hormone was much like the organ that produced it. The adrenal gland, first described in 1564, was such a puzzle to scientists that in 1716, the Academy of Sciences of Bordeaux sponsored an essay competition to determine what purpose the organ served. No entry was deemed worthy of the prize.

Only much later did discovery of diseases such as adrenal insufficiency help clarify its role in producing hormones involved with regulating metabolism, immunity, blood pressure and response to stress.

The research by Bendesky and his colleagues disclosing the new cell type surprised other scientists.

Its extraordinary, said Steven M. Phelps, a professor of integrative biology at the University of Texas at Austin, who was not involved in the study but has been following Bendeskys work on deer and oldfield mice for some time. The most exciting piece is the origin of what seems to be a new cell type.

Phelps said it marked the first time in his 30 years in the field that he could remember such a discovery of a new cell type.

What was really exciting to me about the paper was the idea that this hormone produced in the adrenal gland then is broken down and used in the brain to affect caregiving behavior, said Jessica Tollkuhn, associate professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, who was not involved in the study.

This is really a new aspect of biology that had not been described before, Tollkuhn said.

Margaret M. McCarthy, professor of pharmacology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, expressed surprise that evolution instilled parenting behavior in such a complex manner. Regulating the brain with a hormone forged in the adrenal gland, she said, was less direct than simply developing a new neural circuit.

Thats what has happened in voles where you have the monogamous and non-monogamous voles, McCarthy said, referring to the small rodents sometimes mistaken for mice. Evolution always surprises. Theres a million ways to solve a problem.

The findings in mice may lead to insights when it comes to parenting behavior in humans, scientists said.

In mice, the parenting hormone often gets converted into a compound that closely resembles allopregnanolone, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2019 to treat postpartum depression. The medication is known as brexanolone and sold under the brand name Zulresso.

Tali Kimchi, an associate professor at Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, said by email that the Nature paper raises the possibilities for deeper research into postpartum depression, one of the most devastating, incurable psychopathologies we know, with long-lasting and sometimes even lethal effects on both parents and offspring.

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Michael Cohen to return to witness stand for 3rd day of testimony in Trump's hush money trial

Michael Cohen is set to return to the witness stand Thursday to face a full day of cross-examination in which the defense is expected to question the former Trump attorney's credibility as the prosecution's star witness in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial.

Across his two days on the witness stand, Cohen has offered the most incriminating testimony so far that Trump was aware of, and directly involved in, the criminal conduct alleged by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has accused the former president of falsifying business records to hide the reimbursement of a hush money payment that Cohen made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in order to boost Trump's electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.

Cohen, under direct examination, described in-person meetings and phone calls with Trump, who he said joined into an agreement with tabloid publisher David Pecker to catch and kill negative stories ahead of the election, approved a $130,000 hush money payment from Cohen to Daniels, and signed off on a scheme to reimburse Cohen in 2017. Trump has denied all wrongdoing.

MORE: Trump trial: Michael Cohen grilled on cross-examination about truthfulness, TikTok videos

Defense attorneys in their cross-examination are expected to try to use Cohen's own words against him, including previous statements he's made in media interviews, on podcasts and in his books, including his 2020 memoir, "Disloyal."

Cohen told jurors that he made approximately $3 million dollars from that book, which he wrote while serving 13 months in federal prison -- in part for campaign finance violations related to the Stormy Daniels payment.

On Tuesday, defense attorney Todd Blanche began confronting Cohen with portions of the memoir to suggest Cohen was "obsessed" with Trump.

"At that time, I was knee-deep into the cult of Donald Trump," Cohen said about his decade working for Trump.

Cohen's detailed descriptions in "Disloyal" about his meetings with Trump related to the catch-and-kill scheme could be a focus of the cross-examination, as defense attorneys attempt to draw out any differences between Cohen's testimony and what he wrote in the book.

Cohen's secret recording

On Monday, jurors heard a recording that Cohen secretly made of a conversation with Trump in September 2016, when the two discussed a plan to reimburse Pecker for his company's $150,000 hush money payment to Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who alleged a year-long affair with Trump that Trump denied took place.

"We'll have to pay him something," Cohen can be heard saying in the recording.

"Pay with cash," Trump responded.

Asked on the stand to explain why he secretly recorded his boss, Cohen told jurors that he wanted to provide Pecker proof that Trump planned to repay him.

"It was so I could show it to David Pecker, and that way he would hear the conversation so that he would know that we are going to be paying him," Cohen said. "I also wanted him to remain loyal to Mr. Trump."

In his book, Cohen offered an additional explanation for the recording: that he made it in case Trump "threw me under the bus" one day.

"First, to show Pecker that I was asking Trump to repay the obligation, and second, to have a record of his participation if the conspiracy ever came out," Cohen wrote. "I was certain that Trump would throw me under the bus in that event, claiming ignorance and laying all the blame on a rogue lawyer, namely me."

Though Cohen wrote the book three years before Bragg would indict Trump, Cohen acknowledged in the book, "I had no idea how prescient I was."

The Stormy Daniels payment

Cohen testified that Trump was angry when Cohen first shared the news that Daniels was shopping her story in the fall of 2016.

"He was really angry with me," Cohen told jurors, saying Trump told him, "I thought you had this under control."

In Cohen's book, Trump sounded more subdued.

"He didn't explode as I expected, perhaps slightly chastened by the Access Hollywood episode and his vulnerable position in the campaign," Cohen wrote.

In the book, he said that after he recounted Daniels' allegations to Trump, they called Pecker for his input regarding potential damage to the campaign.

"Let's not forget about upstairs," Cohen said Trump joked -- referencing his wife Melania -- to both him and Pecker.

The next morning, Cohen said he met with Trump, who confirmed the plan to make the payment, according to the book.

"It's only $130,000," Trump said, according to Cohen. "F--- it, Michael. Go talk to Allen and figure it all out," Trump allegedly said, referring to then-Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg.

Later that day, Cohen and Weisselberg met with Trump to confirm the plan to pay Daniels, according to Cohen's 2020 account.

"A hundred and thirty thousand is a lot less than I would have to pay Melania," Trump said, according to Cohen.

PHOTO: Michael Cohen is cross examined by defense lawyer Todd Blanche before Justice Juan Merchan, as former President Donald Trump watches during Trump's trial in Manhattan state court in New York City, May 14, 2024, in this courtroom sketch. (Jane Rosenberg/Reuters)

Cohen said in his book that he and Weisselberg met with Trump again to confirm that Cohen would make the payment out of his own pocket.

"Wow, Michael," Trump said of the plan, according to Cohen's book. "That's great. Perfect."

Testifying earlier this week, Cohen told jurors he initially had two in-person conversations with Trump after learning that Daniels was shopping her story in October 2016. While Cohen said Trump directed him to work with Pecker to control the story, Cohen did not testify about a phone call with both Trump and Pecker.

Cohen testified that during one of those two conversations with Trump, he asked Trump how Melania would respond to the story.

"I said to him, how's things going to go with upstairs?" Cohen testified.

"He goes, 'How long do you think I will be on the market for? Not long,'" Cohen testified.

MORE: 'Locker room talk' defense was Melania Trump's idea, Michael Cohen testifies

Cohen told jurors that later in October, Trump approved the payment after Cohen attempted to delay paying Daniels the money.

"He expressed to me: 'Just do it. Go meet up with Allen Weisselberg and figure this whole thing out,'" Cohen testified.

Cohen said that he and Weisselberg also spoke to Trump together to confirm that Cohen would make the payment out of his own pocket.

"We expressed to him that I was going to front the money for it, to which he was appreciative and [said] 'Good, good,'" Cohen testified.

Prosecutors also outlined a series of calls between Trump and Cohen in October 2016 using phone records in evidence.

Cohen's bonus

Cohen told jurors that he was "insulted" and "personally hurt" after Trump, in 2016, paid him a smaller holiday bonus than he expected -- especially after he used $130,000 of his own money to pay Daniels.

"It was insulting that the gratitude shown back to me was to cut the bonus by two-thirds," Cohen said.

In his book, Cohen offered a similar account of his frustration related to the bonus, but added that he also mulled using the rights to Daniels' story against Trump to create a "biblical-level sex scandal."

"I was the owner of her rights, after all, through my Delaware company Essential Consulting LLC, so the story of the newly elected President cheating on his wife with a porn star only weeks after she'd given birth to Barron was sure to fetch a pretty penny," Cohen wrote. "Millions, I figured, maybe multiple millions, as I cursed inwardly and swore I wouldn't allow myself to be treated in such a shabby way. Two can play this game, I thought, as I imagined the headlines that would turn the nightmare that constituted his transition to the White House into a biblical-level sex scandal."

Cohen, however, ended up keeping those thoughts to himself. In his testimony, Cohen said that he brought up the bonus with Weisselberg, who told him that Trump would resolve the issue in the new year.

"You know that Mr. Trump loves you. We are going to do right by you," Cohen testified that Weisselberg told him. "We are going to make sure that you are taken care of."

Michael Cohen to return to witness stand for 3rd day of testimony in Trump's hush money trial originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Michigan's public defender system was among the worst in the country. Now it's a national model

LANSING  An important piece of state infrastructure has undergone significant work, but this isn't a construction story.

Just like its roads and highways, Michigan's public defender system had been neglected for years. Then, in 2013, lawmakers created the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission and tasked it with remaking the state's system for public defense attorneys.

In the decade since the MIDC's founding, the state's revamped indigent defense system has taken Michigan from among the worst in the country to a national model. But it didn't happen overnight. An infusion of hundreds of millions of dollars along with strict standards and a flexible system that fits counties large and small put Michigan at the forefront, experts said.

Experts have estimated about 75% of people charged with a crime can't afford an attorney.

The right to counsel is foundational to the country, said David Carroll, executive director of the Sixth Amendment Center, an organization that works with local, state and federal officials to improve their indigent defense services. The group gets its name from the constitutional amendment that established the right.

"Courts in America have been appointing counsel since before we were a country," Carroll said. "And it's in the Bill of Rights for precisely the same reason that everything else is in the Bill of Rights. It's an anti-tyranny right."

The law that created the MIDC came after a study found deficiencies in Michigan's system for indigent defendants.

Kiernan Brown, 27, of Delta Township appears with attorney Keith Watson of the Ingham County Public Defender's Office via teleconference from the Eaton County jail Tuesday, May 14, 2019. He was arraigned by Magistrate Mark Blumer in 55th District Court. He is charged on two counts each of murder and armed robbery. He's accused of bludgeoning 26-year-old Kaylee Brock at her Delhi Township home on Thursday night and 32-year-old Julie Ann Mooney, of Williamston, at a Meridian Township motel on Friday. He was ordered held without bond.

In 2016, three years after the MIDC law was enacted, a State Journal investigation found that attorneys representing people in the Lansing area who faced life in prison for charges like homicide put in about three days of work to defend their client. Defense attorneys were paid little and, in some cases, reached out to prosecutors to negotiate a plea deal before meeting with their client. Trials were extremely rare.

State funding for public defenders has increased each year since 2019, but that's a result of a phased-in approach for the new standards  from having court-appointed attorneys at arraignment to continuing education  being put in over time rather than all at once.

"I've seen states that have tried to throw money at the problem without tying it to standards (which) has not been successful," Carroll said. "They basically end up buying the same system at a greater cost."

Carroll also credited Michigan for letting cities and counties pick the system they need, rather than requiring entities from Wayne County to Marquette County to use the same design.

And that was the plan, said Kristen Staley, the MIDC executive director.

Today, local governments can decide whether a public defender office  structured like a mirror image of a prosecutor's office  or a less formal system is best. Staley said they looked at states such as Ohio and Kentucky that have statewide public defender offices but felt that wasn't the right approach with Michigan's diverse populations and geography.

And they've been proven right, she said, as the yearly funding increases have coincided with higher numbers of motions and ultimately trials for indigent defendants, a sign of more aggressive representation. The American Bar Association recently released new best practices for public defenders, and Michigan's MIDC standards already in place meet those new standards.

"It literally saves people's lives," Staley said of the work's importance. "It keeps people out of prison cells and jail cells who shouldn't be there."

Public defender funding more than doubled since 2019

Attorney Melanie L.B. Wandji, middle, represents a client in Circuit Judge Rosemarie Aquilina's courtroom, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Funding for public defenders in Ingham County has increased by 52.3% since 2019, part of the states revamped system for providing defense attorneys for people who cant afford their own. Across Michigan, the funding increased by 166.7% over the past six years. The added money, plus new standards, has helped Michigan go from among the worst systems in the country to a national model.

The success of Michigan's new system, for Staley and Carroll, isn't just measured by the funding that's more than doubled, from $124 million to $319 million, from 2019 to 2024. It's also the increased quality of defense, from giving attorneys more resources to simply getting them involved sooner.

"We mean it when we say we have minimal standards," Staley said. "We will enforce them. The act gave us a carrot and a stick."

The carrot is the state funding. The stick comes through the compliance plans, which local governments need to submit each year to get their funding.

A State Journal review of MIDC data since 2019 shows the carrot seems to be working. The state funding has increased 166% in those years, up to $280 million for the current fiscal year, which boosts what local governments contribute. The $38 million from all local funding units accounts for 12% of the $319 million public defender system.

In 2013, the year the MIDC began, counties spent nearly $74 million on indigent defense, according to data from the State Court Administrative Office.

Michigan's indigent defense spending is now the equivalent of $28.42 for every resident, higher than the $19.81 per person national average in 2022, the most-recent national survey available from the Sixth Amendment Center. Carroll said the country was then and still remains in a public defender crisis.

Despite the improvements, the entire public defender system funded through the MIDC accounts for about 0.4% of the state's $80.7 billion budget. For context, the public defender system is about one-third the size of the $900 million Michigan State Police budget, and a fraction of the $2 billion annual tab for the state Department of Corrections.

Funding still varies by county

Eaton County Public Defender Timothy Havis cross examines Beverly McCallum in Judge Janice Cunningham's courtroom in Eaton County, Friday, March 29, 2024. McCallum was extradited from Italy after former husband Roberto Caraballo's burnt remains were found on a Michigan farm in 2015. She was found guilty for her role in the 20 year old cold case murder.

Michigan's per capita funding in 2022, or the amount spent per resident, was $15.59. The following year it rose to $19.13 before passing that national benchmark on the way to $28.42 for 2024, according to State Journal analysis.

Resources and funding, however, are not uniform across the state.

In Ingham County, the per capita funding is $28.34, about even with the state average. But the rates drop for neighboring Eaton and Clinton counties, which are $22.13 and $23.17 per resident, respectively.

However, while their per capita rates are lower, Eaton and Clinton counties started further behind than Ingham County. They've increased their funding since 2019 by 81.6% and 129.2%, respectively, compared to Ingham County's 52.3%.

Genesee County currently has among the best-funded public defender systems in the state. For this year, the funding is equal to $52 per resident. That's a 675% increase from where it was in 2019, when it was just $6.72 per county resident.

Just two counties northwest, Midland Countys 84,000 residents have the lowest-funded system on a per-capita basis at $8.73 per person. But it had been lower. In 2019, the county funded its indigent defense system at $6.25 per person.

Timothy Havis, the Eaton County chief public defender, said the increased funding has made for better attorney recruitment. In the past, an attorney with 10 years of experience might try to avoid low paying public defender work. Now Havis said he can offer competitive pay, a support staff and an in-house investigator.

The Eaton County Prosecuting Attorney's Office has a $3.4 million budget for the current fiscal year. Havis' office is now funded at $2.4 million.

Keith Watson, the Ingham County chief public defender, and Ryan Pellerito, the indigent defense administrator in Clinton County, were not available for interviews for this story.

'An error can cost someone their freedom'

Ingham County Assistant Public Defender Brian T. Jackson communicates with an inmate via teleconference, Wednesday, May 8, 2024, in Circuit Judge Rosemarie Aquilina's courtroom in Lansing. Funding for public defenders in Ingham County has increased by 52.3% since 2019, part of the states revamped system for providing defense attorneys for people who cant afford their own. Across Michigan, the funding increased by 166.7% over the past six years. The added money, plus new standards, has helped Michigan go from among the worst systems in the country to a national model.

Havis and the other public defenders said that among the biggest benefits of the new system and MIDC standard is the time attorneys have to defend their clients.

The state now mandates how many cases a public defender can take on, setting the upper limit of felony cases at 150 a year or 400 non-traffic misdemeanors. A mixed caseload should apply the standards "proportionally," per the MIDC.

Even a little more time can make difference as not everything that's presented by prosecutors is as it appears, said Nathaniel Perry III, a former district court judge who runs the Genesee County public defender office. And it can take time to find witnesses or to send evidence for DNA testing.

"The time element affords the defense an opportunity to look at aspects (of a case) that they might not have been able to if they had been rushed," he said.

Defense attorney are now involved sooner in the process as well. The standards mandate everyone charged with a crime have an attorney at their first court appearance, often the arraignment.

That means the attorney and the defense team  which, thanks to increased funding now includes social workers and investigators  can build a higher level of trust with their client.

"It shows that you're not just a number in the system," Staley said of having "a defender" by your side from the start. "These are people's lives."

Before the reforms, Havis said it was common for a public defenders to decide their entire strategy based off a two-page police report, which isn't nearly enough to plan a proper defense. Add onto that the fact that police and prosecutors are also pushed to stretch resources, and courts are still backlogged from the pandemic.

Kristin Staley. [Courtesy photo provided by LARA]

"The busier we get across the board the more likely an error will be made," Havis said. "And an error can cost someone their freedom or a good amount of their finances."

The majority of new standards for the indigent defense system have now been implemented, said Staley. As a result, the annual finding levels should be more consistent going forward.

But the work isn't done.

Staley said she expects the next phase of Michigan's indigent defense system to include representing juveniles.

Contact reporter Matt Mencarini at 517-377-1026 or mjmencarini@lsj.com.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan's public defender system was among the worst in the country. Now it's a national model
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  A middle school principal was arrested and charged in connection with the cold-case murders of three people whose bodies were dumped in Georgia more than a decade ago.

The victims were found in January 2013, when a Union City police officer stumbled upon a 2010 Dodge Charger that appeared to be abandoned near Interstate 85 in Fulton County, the Clayton County Sheriffs Office announced earlier this month.

No rainbow lights: Sunshine Skyway Bridge goes dark for Pride 2024

Investigators said the victims had been tortured and murdered in Clayton County and dumped in Fulton County.

They had been lured to a residence in Jonesboro at gunpoint, then loaded into the backseat of the Charger and taken to Fulton County.

No arrests had been made in the case until last week when the sheriffs office received murder warrants for Kenneth Thompson, Keante Harris, Kevin Harris, and Darrell Harris. The four suspects were arrested across three states without incident, according to CCSO.

Keante Harris, 45, worked as an assistant principal at McAdory Middle School in McCalla, Alabama, NBC affiliate WVTM reported.

Missing Tampa moms body found, family says

Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Dr. Walter Gonsoulin told WVTM that Harris charges are not related to his employment with the school.

At this time, we still are gathering facts about the specifics of this situation, Gonsoulin said. However, early indications are that the charges are not related to this individuals employment with Jefferson County Schools.

The 45-year-old principal was taken into custody Wednesday in Alabama on a fugitive of justice warrant. All four suspects are facing three counts of malice murder, the sheriffs office said.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
Joanna Andreasson/DALL-E4

In the June 2024 issue, we explore the ways that artificial intelligence is shaping our economy and culture. The stories and art are about AIand occasionally by AI. (Throughout the issue, we have rendered all text generated by AI-powered tools in blue.) To read the rest of the issue, go here.

"The United States is being overrun by the Biden migrant crime," said former President Donald Trump during a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border in February. "It's a new form of vicious violation to our country."

Trump's remarks came at a tense moment in the nation's sentiment toward immigration. Over half of Americans surveyed by the Pew Research Center in February said that "the large number of migrants seeking to enter the country leads to more crime." The much-publicized murder of Georgia college student Laken Rileyfor which a Venezuelan illegal immigrant, Jose Antonio Ibarra, was chargedhelped spark a media firestorm.

"Over the past month, Fox News hosts, guests and video clips have mentioned 'migrant crime' nearly 90 times, more than half of those in the past 10 days," reported The Washington Post's Philip Bump in late February. Other right-of-center media outlets echoed that tenor.

Some undocumented immigrants have committed atrocious crimes, but there are many reasons to doubt that recent incidents prove America is suffering a surging migrant crime wave.

Crime is actually down in the cities that received the most migrants as a result of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's busing operations. "Overall crime is down year over year in Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, New York and Los Angeles," NBC reported.

"We don't have real-time data, but the partial crime data that exist for this year show consistent declines in major crimes in major cities," concurs David J. Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute. "The most significant crime spike in recent years occurred in 2020when illegal immigration was historically low until the end of the year."

This aligns with historic trends. In 2015, the Migration Policy Institute found that undocumented immigrants have a lower rate of felony convictions than the overall U.S. population does. Criminologists Graham Ousey and Charis Kubrin, going off of "more than two decades of research on immigration and crime," concluded that "communities with more immigration tend to have less crime, especially violent crimes like homicide," wrote The Washington Post's Glenn Kessler.

Alex Nowrasteh, vice president for economic and social policy studies at Cato, found that illegal immigrants have a lower homicide conviction rate in Texas than native-born Americans do. "Few people are murderers, and illegal immigrants are statistically less likely to be murderers," wrote Nowrasteh. "We should understand that more enforcement of immigration laws will not reduce homicide rates."

Some politicians still think that "migrant crime" is such a problem that the government should crack down on legal pathways to residency for the country's undocumented population. "How many more innocent victims must be harmed," Trump asked in a video posted to Truth Social in February, "until we stop this invasion.and remove these illegal alien criminals from our country?"

Cracking down on undocumented immigrants might appeal to the emotions sparked by high-profile crimes. But academic research and crime statistics suggest it won't actually change the crime rates.

(Illustration: Joanna Andreasson/DALL-E4)

What we asked for:

Illustration showing migrant crime wave but that data tell a different story

What DALL-E says it gave us:

The illustration captures the contrast between the sensationalized narrative of a "Migrant Crime Wave" and the reality as shown by data. On one side, it depicts the exaggerated notion of chaos and crime, while the other side reveals a peaceful community supported by statistical evidence of decreasing crime rates and harmonious coexistence.

Migrant Crime Wave? Data Tells a Different Story

Reason asked ChatGPT-4 to write an article about the same topic as the human-written article above. All AI-generated text is shown in blue. Read more about what we asked for.

By ChatGPT-4

In the wake of Laken Riley's tragic murder, allegedly committed by Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan immigrant who entered the U.S. illegally, political responses have reignited fiery debates around immigration and crime. Former President Donald Trump's visit to Eagle Pass, Texas, encapsulated this sentiment starkly: "The United States is being overrun by the Biden migrant crime. It's a new form of vicious violation to our country," he declared. Yet, a closer examination of comprehensive data and studies challenges the narrative of a sweeping "migrant crime wave."

Contrary to popular belief, recent research offers a different perspective on the relationship between immigration and crime. A detailed analysis by the Texas Department of Public Safety (2012-2018) revealed that undocumented immigrants have substantially lower crime rates compared to their native-born counterparts. Specifically, U.S.-born citizens were found to be over twice as likely to be arrested for violent crimes, suggesting a disconnect between public perception and reality.

Further evidence from a Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) study emphasizes this point, showing that immigrants are significantly less likely to be incarcerated than U.S.-born individuals. In fact, according to SIEPR and additional research from the Cato Institute, immigrants today are about 30 percent less likely to be incarcerated than their U.S.-born white counterparts and even less so when compared to the broader U.S.-born population.

The narrative of immigrant-induced crime fails to hold up under scrutiny. Data from the University of WisconsinMadison underscores that undocumented immigrants are much less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans, challenging the rationale behind claims of a migrant crime wave.

The politicization of such incidents, while understandable from an emotional standpoint, risks overshadowing the nuanced realities of immigrant contributions to society. The vast majority of immigrants, documented or otherwise, come seeking better opportunities, contributing to the United States economically, culturally, and socially. Allowing isolated incidents to color perceptions of an entire demographic not only distorts the truth but also undermines the foundational principles of fairness and justice.

As the debate over immigration and crime continues, it's crucial to anchor our discussions in facts rather than fear. The evidence is clear: immigrants are far from the primary drivers of crime in the United States. Acknowledging this truth is a step toward more reasoned and productive conversations about immigration policy and the value of immigrant communities across the nation.

CHATGPT-4 is a subscription-supported large language model developed by OpenAI, an AI research organization.

What we asked for:

"I'm writing an article about the myth of a crime wave in the U.S. committed by migrants. Can you provide me with some helpful studies and data points that I can use in the piece?"

What ChatGPT-4 gave us:

1. Texas Department of Public Safety Analysis (2012-2018)

2. Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) Study

3. Cato Institute Analysis

4. University of WisconsinMadison Study (2012-2018)

What we provided:

1. A lede: "The news hook for this article is the political response to the murder of Laken Riley, (allegedly) committed by Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan man who immigrated to the U.S. illegally."

2. A quote from Donald Trump

3. Writing samples for analysis and replication: Two previous articles by Fiona Harrigan for the TOPICS section of Reason, "Are U.S. Strikes on Houthis Constitutional?" (May 2024) and "America's Immigrant Brain Drain" (October 2023).

JASON RUSSELL

The post The 'Migrant Crime' Wave, Debunked appeared first on Reason.com.
Migrants from around the world have made this stretch of California the top place to enter the U.S. illegally

Migrants line up in Jacumba Hot Springs, Calif., this month to be transported by the U.S. Border Patrol. San Diego County has become the most popular spot for migrants illegally entering the United States, according to the latest government figures. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

At dawn came a dozen men, women and children from Nepal. Following in the twilight was a cluster of families from Peru, Ecuador and Colombia, along with half a dozen Chinese men.

Behind them were men from India and couples from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan carrying infants.

Scattered migrants kept arriving at the top of a steep dirt road to surrender to U.S. border agents in order to claim asylum.

I am finally here, in America, Justin Agbobli, 30, who had traveled from Togo in West Africa, proclaimed in French. Today is a dream come true!

Migrants hike toward a makeshift camp near Interstate 8.

San Diego County has become the most popular spot for migrants illegally entering the United States, according to the latest government figures. With 37,370 arrests last month, it was the busiest of the Border Patrol's nine sectors along the southern border for the first time since the 1990s.

Read more: Migrants play 'the asylum lottery' on controversial U.S. government app

Driving the numbers is a massive increase in people from countries that usually don't account for much illegal immigration.

It has long been the case that the majority of migrants arriving along the 2,000-mile border come from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. But a dramatic shift has been underway along the 60-mile stretch that makes up the San Diego sector.

People climb over boulders on a trail leading from the U.S.-Mexico border to a makeshift encampment.

Between Oct. 1 and March 31, those four countries accounted for just 20% of the 185,469 apprehensions in the San Diego sector. The other 80% were arrests of people from China, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Turkey, India and a vast array of other faraway places.

The diversity here reflects a massive worldwide movement of people that has been attributed to a variety of factors, including continued economic fallout from the pandemic, rising political repression and increasing ease of international travel.

Read more: This mega-city is running out of water. What will 22 million people do when the taps run dry?

As to why San Diego has become the favored crossing spot on the U.S. border, experts point to a crackdown by Mexican authorities that has made it harder to reach Texas.

Migrants and the smugglers they hire have long sought out the path of least resistance.

That now appears to be San Diego.

On a recent morning in the tiny community of Dulzura, a 36-year-old industrial engineer from Turkey who had just crossed the border from Mexico would give only his first name, Melih.

You might see me as an invader  and yes, you are right, in a sense, I am invading your country, he said. But I am coming to your country to commit no crime. This  crossing the border illegally  is the only crime I have ever committed in my entire life."

He said he wanted to enter the country to work but was told there was a two-year wait at U.S. consulates in Turkey just to apply for a tourist visa. "Who can wait that long?" he asked before stubbing out a cigarette butt and heading uphill to join the line of some 100 migrants turning themselves in.

: :

Turkish migrants wash with water from a temporary container at a camp.

For much of the 1980s and '90s, San Diego was ground zero for immigration polemics.

They keep coming, intoned an inflammatory 1994 campaign ad for Republican Gov. Pete Wilson that included footage of dozens of migrant families charging up Interstate 5 just north of the border.

Enough is enough, Wilson declared at the end of the spot.

The furor about illegal immigration resulted in the Clinton administrations signature Operation Gatekeeper, which militarized the border with a frenzy of fence-building, agent deployments and installations of sensors, lights and cameras.

Steel walls went up in places where the line once featured stands of repurposed metal sheets designed for makeshift military airstrips in Vietnam.

But more walls didn't stop people from coming. Instead, the flow shifted east to Arizona and Texas.

The U.S.-Mexico border wall near Jacumba Hot Springs.

A Border Patrol agent photographs people waiting to be transported.

Now, a quarter-century later, human traffic along the border is moving west.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott asserts that's because of his actions  posting National Guard forces and state troopers along the Rio Grande and installing barbed wire and other barriers.

"Our stiff resistance is working," Abbott wrote on X in February.

Read more: The standoff at Gate 36: Texas sends in the troops to block migrants from seeking asylum

Experts said it is possible that talk about the Republican governor's Operation Lone Star has steered some migrants away from Texas. Word spreads quickly on social media platforms where migrants share travel tips.

But a much bigger factor, experts said, is that Mexico  under pressure from the Biden administration to help curb illegal immigration  has clamped down on migrants hopping on freight trains bound for areas near Texas.

Mexican authorities have put a lot of pressure on key migration routes to Texas, and that may be forcing people to try other routes further west, said Cris Ramon, senior advisor on immigration for the Latino civil rights organization UnidosUS. Migration is a dynamic phenomenon, and people are going to adjust and find the circumstances where they have the best chance to reach the United States."

Indeed, the total number of apprehensions along the entire border between Oct. 1 and March 31  slightly exceeding 1 million  was nearly unchanged from the same period a year earlier. That's because a 29% drop in the Texas sectors was counterbalanced by a 134% increase in the Tucson sector and a 69% rise in the San Diego sector.

Read more: Is the Mexican government hiding how many people have gone missing?

Multibillion-dollar networks of smugglers quickly assess where enforcement pressure is most stringent and adapt. In Tijuana, so-called coyotes guide migrants to remote areas of eastern San Diego County, where border fencing is scant, or to gaps gouged in the metal wall near the giant port of entry in the U.S. border community of San Ysidro.

Migrants interviewed said smugglers had directed them to the Tijuana-San Diego corridor without explaining why  even though the trip here involves more than 1,000 miles additional travel compared with some points along the Rio Grande.

The smugglers charged us $3,500 each from Ecuador  for me and my girlfriend  and I thought that was a pretty fair price," said one 30-year-old who would give only his first name, Exar. "I know a lot of people paid a lot more."

Turkish migrants gather at an encampment.

Like many migrants, he said he put his faith in the professionals, choosing smugglers who were highly recommended by compatriots.

He and his girlfriend flew from Ecuador to El Salvador, and from there traveled in various cars through Central America to Mexico, he said. Once in Tijuana, the smugglers led him and his group to a hole in the border fence.

A mechanical engineering student from a middle-class family, he said he left Ecuador after gangs made extortion demands on his father, who runs a soldering shop. Now he was hoping to reach the home of a brother in New Jersey.

"I understand why Biden and Trump want to stop immigration," he said. But its a little late for that, no?

: :

The most dramatic increases in migrant apprehensions in the San Diego sector involve people from China. Between Oct. 1 and March 31, there were 23,890 arrests of Chinese.

That was 18 times the total during the same period a year earlier and accounted for nearly all Chinese migrants detained border-wide.

Increases in arrests were also substantial for other countries whose citizens previously accounted for relatively few illegal border crossings.

Ecuador: up 499% to 13,654.

Colombia: up 114% to 35,819.

Brazil: up 622% to 12,698.

Turkey: up 88% to 6,786.

India: up 331% to 6,560.

Romulo Barouto of Brazil, right, is loaded into a van with dozens of other migrants hours after crossing the border through rocky, mountainous terrain.

Many migrants interviewed had flown from Africa, Asia or Europe to South America and trekked north through the Darien Gap, a 60-mile stretch of dense rainforest between Colombia and Panama. Getting people across the gap has become big business in recent years, boosting its allure as a conduit to United States. Last year it drew more than 500,000 migrants.

Others avoided the Darien, flying from Colombia to Central America or directly to Mexico, then made their way to Tijuana, which has an extensive infrastructure that caters to migrants.

Why do people come to Tijuana and San Diego? Its very simple, said Rafael Fernandez de Castro, who heads the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies at UC San Diego. Because Tijuana is the border city best equipped to receive migrants, where there are more shelters, more hotels, a major airport, more coyotes, more business  all the good and the bad we have in Tijuana.





Once they cross the border, most migrants these days dont run from the Border Patrol. They seek out agents to give themselves up to claim asylum  and eventually have a chance at legal residency in the United States. Many are unaware that a Biden administration policy change last year means that people who cross illegally are presumed ineligible for asylum.

On a recent morning, more than 100 men from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America huddled near a campfire at a rough camp within view of passing traffic on Interstate 8 outside the California high-desert community of Jacumba Hot Springs, an hour's drive east of San Diego. Border Patrol agents had swung by the camp at dawn and picked up parents with children, but not single men, the stranded migrants said.

Zhen Jiang and his family, who came from China, receive direction from a Border Patrol agent. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Several Chinese men were irate about having to wait for hours in the blustery weather.

Why dont American police like Chinese? asked one man, who gave his name as Long, 35, and said that he was an engineer back home in Guangdong province and that he sought freedom and economic betterment in the United States.

Finally, agents showed up and led the Chinese men, along with others, to a Border Patrol bus waiting to take them off to detention.

Many detainees are soon freed with court dates a year or more away to appear for immigration hearings.

Almost daily, white buses contracted by the Border Patrol drop off scores of migrants at a trolley station parking lot in San Ysidro. Many express surprise at having been released from custody so quickly after having crossed illegally into the United States.

Read more: The muxe, Mexico's 'third gender,' are part of a worldwide LGBTQ+ movement

A Turkish man thanks a Border Patrol agent as he and others are loaded into a van after crossing the border. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

"So this is California?" asked Hernan Torres, a 49-year-old former security guard from Colombia who was held for two days and planning to go to Denver to find work.

He surveyed the parking lot, where entrepreneurs speaking fast-paced Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic and other tongues were sizing up new arrivals, offering rides and other services. Money-changers bared wads of hundred-dollar bills.

The U.S. government was dispatching additional agents to the San Diego area in response to the recent increases in migrants arriving there, according to a senior Customs and Border Protection official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Mexican authorities were doing the same on their side of the border.

Just like weve done in the past, when the cartels shift, we adjust our operations, the official said.

Colombian children play soccer as their parents and others gather near a tent at their camp. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Those efforts, he said, might eventually reduce migration in the San Diego sector. But he suggested that it was only a matter of time before new routes would emerge somewhere else.

"The cartels," the official said, "are constantly trying to find ways to exploit and circumvent enforcement."

Times staff writer Andrea Castillo contributed to this report.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.) admits she doesnt have a lot in common politically with Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). But, she says, sometimes that doesnt matter.

Our communities share a common bond of the injustice and harms caused by nuclear testing, Leger Fernandez told HuffPost Wednesday. That common bond means we share a common purpose in this legislation.

The legislation in question would extend a program to compensate victims of WWII- and Cold War-era U.S. nuclear weapons production and testing, and expand the programs scope to include previously excluded victims. It passed the Senate easily in March and is supported by the White House, but its fate in the House likely rests on whether House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) wants to bring it up.

Johnson has given no public hints as to which way hes leaning, but time is running out for the program, which was created in 1990 and has compensated about 40,000 people so far. The program was extended for two years in 2022, and claims can only be made through June 10.

The issue of who was compensated for theharmful collateral effects of the creation and testing of the U.S. nuclear arsenal  and who wasnt  gained new prominence last year in part due to the Academy Award-winning film Oppenheimer. The film dramatized scientists race to make the first atom bomb, but was criticized for not showing the impact on residents near Trinity, the New Mexico site of the first test.

Advocates for so-called downwinders  people who were downwind of Trinity or a similar Cold War site in Nevada, but who are not currently eligible for compensation  were set to meet with Johnson staffers Thursday. Leger Fernandez said she also talked with Johnson Tuesday.

He listened well and I was very appreciative of the fact that he listened, she said, adding that Johnson seemed receptive to the complaint that some victims had been compensated but others had not.

I was encouraged by the fact that he recognized the importance of praying over this issue, she said.

A spokesperson for Johnson referred HuffPost to Johnsons statement in March, when he was asked if he planned to bring up the bill after it passed the Senate on a 69-30 vote.

Obviously, the government has responsibility to take care of those who have been harmed by the governments action, as a general premise, Johnson said at the time. But we have to look at the details of that piece of legislation, as we do every one, and well process it in due time.

Hawley, whose state has a St. Louis-area creek contaminated by shoddy nuclear waste storage, said he was optimistic.

This is about, Can the federal government poison all these people, lie about it for decades and then get away with it? Hawley said Wednesday. This should be easy. The fact that it has been so difficult is sad, but I think well get it done in the end.

One factor that could complicate the bills fate is its price tag. It will not be cheap, and its coming at a time when Republicans are hitting President Joe Biden for running large budget deficits.

The current program requires victims to have been in specific counties during testing  or to have had specific jobs that exposed them to radiation during weapons production, like uranium mining  and to have certain types of cancers associated with radiation exposure.

Hawleys bill would extend the program for another six years and expand geographic eligibility to include parts of new states and all of Nevada, Arizona and Utah. It would also broaden the illnesses covered to include leukemia and kidney problems.

A version of the bill that made it into a larger defense policy measure last year would have cost about $167 billion over 10 years, Hawley said. That version was dropped, and the bill that passed the Senate was a slimmed-down version. Its expected to cost between $50 billion and $60 billion, according to unpublished correspondence between the Congressional Budget Office and lawmakers.

That could be a hefty price at a time when Republicans in particular are going out of their way to note the governments $34 trillion-plus in outstanding debt.

But Hawley and Leger Fernandez said the cost should be looked at instead as part of the overall tab for national defense.

Yeah, when you poison millions of people, it costs money. And currently the bills being paid, Hawley said. Its being paid by the veterans, its being paid by the victims, its being paid in lives lost.

The cost of the nuclear test program was exposing communities to aboveground radiation, was dumping the nuclear waste into the systems in Missouri, Leger Fernandez said. That was a cost. The question is, who pays the costs?

Related...
What military doctors can teach us about power in the United States

A military doctor speaks with a patient about her back pain at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque. (Albuquerque Journal via AP)

Power is invisible, but its effects can be seen everywhere  especially in the health records of active-duty military personnel.

By examining details of 1.5 million emergency room visits at U.S. military hospitals nationwide, researchers found that doctors invested significantly more resources in patients who outranked them than in patients of equal or lesser rank. The additional clinical effort devoted to powerful patients came at the expense of junior patients, who received worse care and were more likely to become seriously ill.

Military rank wasnt the only form of power that translated into inequitable treatment. The researchers documented that patients fared better when they shared the same race or gender as their doctor, a pattern that tended to favor white men and caused Black patients in particular to be shortchanged by their physicians.

The results were published Thursday in the journal Science.

The findings have implications far beyond the realm of the military, said Manasvini Singh , a health and behavioral economist at Carnegie Mellon University who conducted the research with Stephen D. Schwab , an organizational health economist at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Read more: 'Miracle' weight-loss drugs could have reduced health disparities. Instead they got worse

For instance, they can help explain why Black students do better in school when they are taught by Black teachers, and why Black defendants get more even-handed treatment from Black judges.

We think our results speak to many settings, Singh said.

The disparities wrought by power imbalances are easy to spot but difficult to study in real-world scenarios.

Its just hard to measure power, Singh said. Its abstract; its complicated.

Thats where the military health records come in.

The Military Health System operates 51 hospitals across the country. The doctors who staff them are active-duty personnel, as are many of the patients they treat. Comparing their ranks gave Singh and Schwab a handy way to gauge the power differential between physicians and the people in their care.

The researchers restricted their analysis to patients who sought treatment in emergency departments, where patients are randomly assigned to doctors. That randomness made it easier to measure how power influenced the treatment patients received.

To further isolate the effects of power, the researchers made comparisons between patients of the same rank. If they happened to outrank their doctor, they were considered a high-power patient. If not, they were classified as a low-power patient.

The medical records showed that doctors put 3.6% more effort into treating high-power patients than low-power ones. They also utilized significantly more resources, such as clinical tests, scans and procedures, according to the study.

Those extra resources translated into better care: High-power patients were 15% less likely to become sick enough to be admitted to the hospital over the following 30 days.

To see if they could replicate their results, Singh and Schwab narrowed their focus to doctors who treated patients within a one-year period before or after the patients were promoted to a higher rank. The researchers found that doctors devoted 1% more effort to patients post-promotion, as well as more medical resources. Those differences may have been small, but they were statistically significant, Schwab said.

Next, the pair considered what happened to low-power patients while high-power patients were getting extra attention. One hypothesis was that ordering additional tests for one patient might prompt doctors to order the same tests for everyone they treated that day. It was also possible that the decisions doctors made for high-power patients had no bearing on their other patients.

Neither turned out to be the case. Instead, the added effort spent on high-power patients was siphoned away from low-power patients, who got 1.9% less effort from their doctors. On top of that, their risk of needing to return to the ER or be admitted to the hospital over the following 30 days increased by 3.4%, the researchers found.

The powerful unwittingly steal resources from less-powerful individuals, Schwab and Singh wrote.

Read more: Despite its 'nothingburger' reputation, COVID-19 remains deadlier than the flu

Outside the military, doctors and patients cant use official rank to measure their power relative to one another, but they do contend with the effects of race and gender. That led the researchers to investigate whether the physicians in their study treated patients differently if they shared these attributes.

White doctors devoted more effort to white patients than to Black patients across the board, the researchers found. The gap was the same regardless of whether the doctor had a higher or lower rank than the patient.

However, white doctors increased their effort for high-power patients by the same amount regardless of race. As a result, white doctors treated high-power Black patients the same, on average, as low-power white patients.

The story was different for Black doctors. When they outranked their patients, they gave essentially the same amount of effort to everyone. But on the rare occasions when they encountered a higher-ranked Black patient, the amount by which they dialed up their efforts was more than 17 times greater than it was when they treated a higher-ranked white patient.

Its not clear what accounted for this off-the-charts effort, the researchers wrote. They speculated that since Black service members were underrepresented among the pool of high-power patients, Black doctors were particularly attuned to their status.

Read more: 'Profoundly disappointing': Health inequities continue to hit Black Californians hardest

The effects of gender were more difficult to ascertain, since biology dictates that men and women require different kinds of care.

Both male and female doctors invested the most effort in female patients who outranked them. But male doctors upgraded their care for high-power patients of both genders to a much greater extent than female doctors. And unlike female doctors, male doctors devoted more effort to female patients across the board.

Finally, the researchers wondered whether doctors gave preferential treatment to high-power patients because of their elevated status or because those patients had the authority to make trouble if they were unsatisfied with their care. To make inferences about this, they compared the treatment of retirees (who retained their status but had given up their authority) to the treatment of active-duty patients (who still had both).

Schwab and Singh found that high-power patients continued to elicit extra effort from doctors for up to five years after they retired, suggesting that status was an important factor.

I think its really, really cool that even after retirement, you still have these effects, said Joe C. Magee , a professor of management and organization at the NYU Stern School of Business who studies the role of hierarchy. He sees that as a strong sign that status was driving doctors decisions all along.

What these folks are able to show is that it has real health consequences, Magee said.

Eric Anicich, a professor of management and organization at the USC Marshall School of Business, called the study impressive and the findings important.

Although a 3.5% increase or a 1.9% decrease in physician effort may seem small, the cumulative impact is meaningful, especially when it comes to something as critically important as healthcare, he said.

The inequities documented in the study arent unique to doctors or to the armed forces, Schwab and Singh said. The mathematical model they developed to describe the behavior in military emergency rooms helps explain why people in all kinds of situations give preferential treatment to people who look like them: It may minimize the effects of societal disparities.

In a commentary that accompanies the study, Laura Nimmon of the University of British Columbias Center for Health Education Scholarship wrote that the ephemeral and unobservable nature of power has made it profoundly difficult to study. But she said its worth the effort to make sure doctors wield their power more fairly.

The disparities reported by Schwab and Singh are of serious concern to society at large, she wrote.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone conversation with Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk. The conversation focused, in particular, on the provision of air defense systems to Ukraine and the urgency of the security agreement.

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The head of state reported this on Telegram. In addition, the President of Ukraine told Donald Tusk about his trip to Kharkiv and the situation on the ground. In particular, about Ukraine's urgent need for air defense to protect Kharkiv and other regions.

According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, one of Russia's goals now is the gas infrastructure in western Ukraine.

"Russia's success there will jeopardize Europe's energy security. We must jointly find a way to counteract this," the President noted.

He said that the teams were also instructed to immediately start working on the text of a bilateral security agreement.

"It should be as ambitious as possible between the historical partners," the president summarized the important negotiations.

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber . Don't fall for fakes!

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Since President Joe Biden announced during his State of the Union address that the U.S. military would build a humanitarian aid pier on the Gaza Strip, and that no U.S. boots will be on the ground in Gaza, Keith Robbins and other retired military logistics officers have been watching.

And on Thursday, after weeks of preparation, security planning and weather delays, the Pentagon announced that a trident pier had been stabbed into the Gaza beach.

The pier is essentially an erector set-like assembly of metal pieces built at sea and sitting close to the water that can assume a variety of lengths depending on the mission requirements.

Retired logisticians like Robbins are seeing a long-neglected but nonetheless vital military capability getting its time to shine, even as concerns remain about the security of the sailors and soldiers handling the undulating, 1,600-foot pier.

The capability, known as Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore, or JLOTS, will be used to help bring aid to civilians in Gaza as Israeli operations to destroy Hamas continue in the wake of the Palestinian militant groups Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and is expected to cost at least $320 million.

Before his retirement as a lieutenant colonel in 2007, Robbins spent the last tour of his career as the JLOTS program manager for U.S. Transportation Command, and oversaw three JLOTS exercises, including one in Guatemala before he got out.

Military Times also spoke with two retired senior Army officers, a retired senior Navy supply officer and an active-duty Army officer, who all spent years of their service focused on JLOTS.

Except for Robbins, the retired and active-duty officers all requested anonymity to speak candidly about the capability and the Gaza mission. Military Times confirmed their identities and their military service.

So few people know what a JLOTS entails, one retired Army transportation officer told Military Times. You cant go walk the halls of the Pentagon and find two people who know what theyre talking about, because its such a small niche capability thats very, very specialized.

Troops move a trident pier built at sea by U.S. soldiers and sailors toward a beach in the Gaza Strip Thursday, in preparation for stabbing the beach with the causeway. (DOD)

JLOTS is a feat of military engineering, in which 1,000 soldiers and sailors first build a massive floating platform at sea, where ships carrying screened cargo from Cyprus can be offloaded.

Trucks are then ferried to the trident pier by vessels that are essentially motorized pier sections, and driven from there onto the beach, where U.N. relief workers will oversee distribution.

Ashore, Israeli military engineers guided the pier into place, according to Navy Vice Adm. Bradley Cooper, deputy command of U.S. Central Command, which oversees all U.S. forces in the Middle East.

IDF engineers prepared the beach at Gaza and secured the temporary pier to the beach, Cooper told reporters Thursday. This group of engineers were specially trained for this mission by U.S. Army engineers in the preceding weeks on a beach in Israel.

And while the trident pier has purportedly been attached to the beach without U.S. service members setting foot in Gaza, retired military logistics officers who spoke with Military Times questioned the use of the boots on the ground term by the White House and the Pentagon.

A retired Navy supply captain, the equivalent of a colonel in the other services, called the term code talk in Washington for no risk to U.S. forces.

But even if the Gaza mission can be pulled off without a single American service member setting foot on the beach in Gaza, those soldiers and sailors will still be at risk, he said.

I just want honesty, thats all, the officer said. The military is trained for this, they understand it. But lets be honest about boots on the ground, and that they will be at risk.

Its an inherently risky endeavor when youre not in complete control of the land and sea and air around it, he added.

During the JLOTS exercises he partook in, the Navy officer said there were hundreds of U.S. troops on the beach.

Or theyre in very close proximity to the shore, because thats where all the stuff operates, he said.

Cooper said Thursday that 500 tons of aid could be flowing off the pier and into Gaza in the coming days, and he emphasized that U.S. and Israeli forces were in close coordination to keep the U.S. troops taking part in the pier mission and the U.N. aid workers safe during the mission.

On the force protection side, Im not going to be able to talk about specifics, other than to say that weve been coordinating very closely, as I mentioned, with the Israeli Defense Force to address any potential issue in every domain that exists, he said.

U.S. and Israeli forces have had extremely close coordination in the past six weeks to work out every single operational detail, Cooper added.

The officers interviewed by Military Times noted that keeping a trident pier stable and in place involves using heavy anchors buried in the sand, as well as Army tugs that look nothing like a traditional tugboat and are generally used to keep the pier in place as it bobs in the water.

Such an arrangement inevitably requires U.S. troops to be close to shore, if not technically standing on the beach.

They also noted how doing a JLOTS evolution is inherently risky for troops involved, even under the best conditions.

Youre moving 40-ton and 20-ton containers on an environment that is moving, so anything can happen, the retired Navy captain said. Somebody gets crushed, falls overboard or gets run over.

Despite the security risks and challenges, several of the officers said they think JLOTS is tailor-made for the Gaza mission, delivering much-needed relief via the sea where no port is available.

After digging a slot trench and a so-called

How they stab the beach

To stab the trident pier into the beach, a platoons worth of soldiers first use military bulldozers to dig a massive slot trench on the beach, which leads the pier into a so-called duck pond, basically a water-filled entry point for the pier to mate with the beach, the officers said.

After the duck pond is established, which usually takes a day or so, the pier is rammed at four or 5 knots into the sand, and must get at least 40 feet in, according to one retired Army officer who spent decades in the transportation corps.

After that, a mix of buried anchors and Army tug vessels keep the pier in place as trucks start rolling on and off.

Those anchoring systems need to be constantly maintained, to hold the pier in place, securely and stable so that they can do discharge operations safely, Robbins said.

It remains unclear whether U.S. or Israeli forces will be in charge of keeping the pier stable.

Security concerns

The retired Army transportation corps officer said JLOTS is built for a less-kinetic environment, and using it in Gaza could come with risks, and additional challenges.

Typically, a JLOTS deployment would follow a Marine Corps amphibious assault on a given location, he said, referring to JLOTS as LOTS for short.

Forced entry, they secure the ground and they move inland and create standoff, he said. After the Marine Corps provides the ground or the space, the Army then moves in for a long, enduring operations, where we bring in LOTS capability.

Its usually not the kinetic environment we see now in Gaza, the officer added.

Already, aid groups ashore were mortared last month, and Hamas has said the group will resist any foreign presence associated with the project, The Associated Press reported.

Several of the officers interviewed worried about the Israeli and U.S. militaries ability to counter lower-tech threats, such as mortar rounds.

Theres also the matter of keeping the pier safe.

The military has limited JLOTS sets, the Navy officer noted, and one being used in Gaza cant be used for something else.

The capability has been neglected and underfunded over the years, particularly Army watercraft, the officers said, but a conventional war with China has resurrected a desire for such capabilities, he said.

Theres plenty in the military that are clamoring for more JLOTS-type enablers, he said. This is a great opportunity for the U.S. military to show why the investments in technology like this matter.

The JLOTS capability in action during a 2012 military exercise. (DOD)

How to do JLOTS

The JLOTS system involves several parts: a massive discharge platform, where cargo ships can offload aid, the trident pier, or causeway, and a series of pier sections-slash-boats that will move the aid from the platform to the pier.

All the parts are built from the same sectional modular pieces, which are put together like an at-sea erector set, the retired Army transportation officer said.

We just build an acre of causeways all connected together for the discharge platform, he said. And then you build the causeway ferries, which are built from causeway sections, causeway pieces  with a powered section at the end. Kind of looks like a pier, but its powered and you can use it like a boat and you can build them, 300, 400, 800-feet long.

They almost look like a piece of causeway section with a pilot house on it, the Navy officer said.

Those ferries can then marry up at the trident pier, allowing trucks to drive off and toward land.

Its all made from the same parts and pieces, its just how you erect it, the Army transportation officer said.

Trident piers sit just a few feet above the water, and are susceptible to volatile and choppy sea states, the transportation officer said.

Soldiers and sailors assemble a sprawling at-sea discharge platform in the Mediterranean Sea off the Gaza Strip in April. (Army via AP)

Other officers recalled how trident pier missions had to be scrapped because of uncooperative waters in past JLOTS exercises.

The Pentagon said earlier this month that the pier was delayed due to weather, and the retired Army officer said that opposing winds and currents can whip up that stretch of the Mediterranean Sea, but that bad weather passes relatively quickly.

Cooper, the deputy CENTCOM commander, said Thursday that how weather affects using the pier will be situationally dependent.

One variable we cannot control here is the weather, he said. So well just see what that looks like. Its very favorable here in the coming days and week or so. And our goal is to move as much humanitarian assistance as possible during that period, and then well make assessments going forward, as we would with any military operation and the weather.

The Pentagon has indicated that contractors will drive the aid trucks down the trident pier and onto the beach. Officers who spoke with Military Times questioned whether a non-military truck driver would be up to the daunting task.

Some of thats a little dicey for a commercial truck driver that probably has never driven on a causeway section before, one officer said.

U.S. soldiers build out a floating staging platform in the Mediterranean Sea in April. (DOD)

Its very risky even to put the damn causeway together

But even without the security threats that a mission like the one in Gaza poses, JLOTS is a potentially dangerous undertaking for troops involved, even under the best of circumstances, the officers said.

Its very risky even to put the damn causeway together, the active-duty Army officer said.

The massive ships at sea crane-load and dangle massive platform and pier sections over the side, and everything is assembled via human labor.

Were talking about building and erecting an erector set of equipment in the water, the retired Army transportation officer said. Theres just a huge risk in doing that, and the processes have to be done in ideal conditions.

A soldier takes part in a Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore, or JLOTS, exercise in 2016. (DOD)

Rolling out JLOTS requires relatively good weather, good sea conditions, to be able to put and stitch all of that stuff together, one officer said.

The sections used to assemble the discharge platform, the ribbon bridge ferries and the trident pier are all massive and heavy, and soldiers have been crushed carrying out the mission in the past, the officers said.

Once everything is in place, moving the cargo can be equally harrowing, the officers said. Cargo trucks have to drive down a 50-degree sloped ramp from the cargo ship to the floating discharge platform, and those soldiers may not be trained in JLOTS.

Its usually the soldier driving his own tank, or his own truck, whos not a watercraft soldier, hes not a causeway soldier, this is not his environment, and youre directing him to get him to shore so he can get back into his environment, the officer said. Those soldiers who are unpracticed or inexperienced at that tend to be just frightened to death, operating in the water like that.

Going down that sloped ramp requires particular leaps of faith for the drivers, even with soldiers on the ground guiding them, and it all gets exponentially worse at night, the retired senior Army officer said.

Drivers generally take a right turn to get off the cargo ship and onto the ramp, with little visibility regarding where theyre going.

They see nothing except water, they cannot see the discharge platform and they have to trust in their skill, and they go off this thing and then down and make a left-hand turn onto the discharge facility, he said. That in and of itself is a scary thing  wheres the edge?

Soldiers drive off of a trident pier during a Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore, or JLOTS, exercise in 2016. (Army National Guard)

Once onto the ribbon bridge ferry or trident pier, the path back to land is undulating in three dimensions.

Its up, its down, its sideways, the officer said. Its a really dynamic operational environment.

The pier itself is about 24-feet-wide and way smaller when youre driving on it, the senior officer said.

One section goes one way, while the one ahead goes the other way.

Theyre all connected but they move to some degree independently, he said. Everythings moving, nothing is stable, and until you get used to that and trust your own ability to just go straight and not worry about it, thats an interesting experience.

Military Times Editorial Fellow Riley Ceder contributed to this report.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated Keith Robbins JLOTS-related position. He was JLOTS program manager for U.S. Transportation Command.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Police arrested a murder suspect on Tuesday after he allegedly killed a 69-year-old Milwaukie man in a hotel parking lot in Lincoln City.

Teen accused of shooting at Happy Valley gas station in February

Roland Evans-Freke was charged with second-degree murder, second-degree assault and second-degree robbery. He is accused of killing Bradley Cole and is being held at the Lincoln County Jail.

Officers say they responded to the Ashley Inn off Hwy. 101 just after 8 p.m. after receiving a report of an assault in the parking lot.

Authorities arrived to the scene to find Cole badly injured and unconscious. Medical personnel attempted to resuscitate him, but Cole would later be declared dead.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact authorities.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
Russian forces are taking Ukrainian civilians captive and preventing their evacuation in the embattled northern part of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on May 16.

"We know of first cases of executions of civilians by the Russian military," Klymenko said on his Telegram channel.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry confirmed on May 15 that Russian units had entered the northern parts of the town, but the Ukrainian military reportedly prevented them from establishing a foothold deeper in Vovchansk.

Klymenko reported on a case when a Vovchansk resident was killed by Russian soldiers after he refused to obey their orders and attempted to escape on foot. Police investigators had opened a criminal case on the grounds of violations of rules of war.

Other civilians are being taken into captivity and forced into basements, according to the minister.

Ukraine's police officers continue evacuating people in spite of the ongoing hostilities, he added.

As of February, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has verified 30,457 civilian casualties, including 19,875 injured, as a result of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The OHCHR noted that the real number is likely higher. Russia does not allow monitoring in occupied territories, some of which likely suffered the heaviest costs in civilian lives, such as Mariupol.

A U.N. report from last December said that the international organization had documented 142 cases of summary executions of Ukrainian civilians by Russian forces.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian forces stabilize situation in Kharkiv Oblast, partially push Russian troops out of Vovchansk

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Minneapolis  On a recent Wednesday afternoon, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara is racing to a priority call.

"I try to come out to show the officers I am here to back you up," O'Hara tells CBS News.

O'Hara says his department is short by more than 200 officers, and has lost 40% of its police force in the last four years.

"It is incredible," O'Hara said. "It's not just that we lost 40% of the force, they've been facing the highest levels of crime and violence, in some categories, that the city has ever seen."

Minneapolis is facing a surge in assaults, and nearly three dozen shooting calls a month. Officers have been subject to some mandatory overtime.

Large-scale police staffing shortages aren't limited to Minneapolis. They are taking place in cities big and small, from coast to coast.

The Philadelphia Police Department is short about 1,170 officers, the agency told CBS News. The Chicago Police Department is short more than 1,140 officers, the department disclosed, while the Los Angeles Police Department is short more than 470 officers.

But in Minneapolis, the hurdle is more than just manpower, it is trust too. Nearly four years after the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, the department has cleaned the house of its top brass.

O'Hara was hired as chief in late 2022 from Newark, New Jersey  where he served as deputy mayor  as the department seeks to change its culture.

But not everyone thinks there's been enough change yet.

"I don't think that the department has been transformed by choice," said Nekima Levy Armstrong, a Minneapolis community activist for nearly two decades. "I think that it's been transformed by necessity."

Armstrong says O'Hara has not yet rid the department of all officers who are too physical or too focused on people of color.

"It's unfortunate that they're down 40%, but this is of their own making, right? The handwriting was on the wall in regard to the conduct of many Minneapolis police officers," Armstrong said.

Like many other departments, Minneapolis offers signing bonuses for new recruits. But O'Hara says the problem is deeper than money. In an February editorial in the Star Tribune, he posed the question: "Do we expect too much from police officers?"

"Well, people expect perfection every time, absolutely," O'Hara told CBS News.

As he struggles to rebuild the force, O'Hara emphasizes to his officers that summer usually means a spike in crime.

"It's getting warmer, and staffing is definitely a concern," he told his staff at a recent roll call.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders says "not even an assassin's bullet could stop" Trump in RNC speech

Gov. Glenn Youngkin says Trump told him "rewrite your speech, too" ahead of RNC

Biden on what it would take for him to drop out of race, increases Black and Latino outreach
(KRON)  Police are asking for the communitys help in locating a missing at-risk woman. The Petaluma Police Department (PPD) announced Wednesday that Lindsay Kristine Krajecki was last seen on May 8 near Doyle Park in Santa Rosa.

Krajecki, 43, was last seen wearing a dark jacket, white tank top and orange pants, PPD said. She is often in the Santa Rosa, Petaluma and Sacramento areas. Krajecki owns a cellphone, but it is currently turned off, police said.

Ivy League graduate vanishes in East Bay after running away from psych hospital

She is considered at-risk due to an undisclosed medical diagnosis and not having access to her required medication.

Petaluma police said anyone with information about Krajeckis whereabouts is asked to contact PPD at 707-778-4372 or call your local police agency.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
Mississippi man sentenced to prison for armed robbery of CVS Pharmacy in OKC

A federal judge in Oklahoma City has sentenced a Mississippi man to prison for an armed robbery at a CVS Pharmacy.

A drug haze might have led to an armed robbery at a CVS Pharmacy in Oklahoma City.

Charles Lamar Scott, 36, from Mississippi, was sentenced in federal court this month to 25 years in prison for robbing the pharmacy, firing his weapon and possessing a firearm modified to operate as a machine gun.

The CVS Pharmacy at 2412 N Classen Blvd. was robbed in December 2022.

Prosecutors said Scott violently assaulted a CVS employee, forcibly took a handgun from a retired police officer and fired the stolen weapon at the building as he left the pharmacy.

Scott also fired another handgun at law enforcement responding to the robbery. However, no officers were injured in the incident, police said.

More: Mississippi man pleads guilty in Oklahoma City CVS robbery case

The second firearm had been modified with a machine gun conversion device, commonly known as a switch, which converted the semi-automatic weapon into a fully automatic handgun, authorities said.

A police pursuit started north of NW 23 before quickly turning south on Classen Boulevard and ending near NW 14.

A federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment against Scott, charging him with interference with commerce by robbery; using, carrying and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; using, carrying, brandishing and discharging a machine gun during and in relation to a crime of violence; unlawful possession of a machine gun; and felon in possession of a firearm.

As part of his guilty plea, Scott admitted he used force and violence in order to obtain money from CVS, that he discharged a firearm during and in relation to the robbery, and that he was aware that one of the firearms he possessed had been modified to become a machine gun.

In his sentencing memorandum, Scotts federal public defender wrote that he had used methamphetamine the morning of the robbery. Scott had never used the drug before, according to his attorney.

Scott went to CVS to buy cigarettes and a phone card.

When a clerk joked about buying cigarettes so early in the day, Scott took offense, got upset and felt paranoia and panic, his attorney said.

Scott, according to his attorney, had a fuzzy recollection of the robbery, and watching the surveillance videos was difficult for him and filled him with tremendous shame and regret.

Despite his inability to clearly remember what happened that day, Mr. Scott has taken responsibility for his actions, his attorney wrote. He knows that with a single morning he changed his whole life. It is with great sorrow that he comes before this court to account for the harm he caused.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: CVS Pharmacy robbery in OKC leads to 25-year sentence for MS man
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and ACLU of Mississippi have filed a federal complaint against the Harrison County School District on behalf of the mother of a transgender teen who was forbidden from attending her band concert while wearing a dress.

The complaint, filed Wednesday with the US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR), says the school district enforced discriminatory sex-specific dress code policies that disproportionately harms girls, particularly transgender and gender nonconforming girls.

The 16-year-old transgender girl, identified in the complaint as A.H., wears traditionally feminine clothing which is critically important to A.H.s sense of self, gender expression, and identity as a girl, according to the complaint.

In March, A.H. wore a black dress to a regional band concert evaluation that followed the style and length requirements of the districts dress code for girls. But, according to the complaint, she was stopped by the schools principal who told her, Boys cant wear skirts or dresses and later said, You cant represent our school dressed like that.

When presented with an ultimatum to have her mother bring boys clothes or not be allowed to participate, A.H. chose to change into a button-down shirt and dress pants and continue with the concert.

A.H. felt utterly humiliated to be seen in clothing that was inconsistent with her gender identity, said the complaint.

The Harrison County School District enforces a sex-based dress code that requires students to follow the dress attire consistent with their biological sex, according to the districts student handbook.

The complaint states the school board added the biological sex provision to the dress code during a July 2023 meeting in response to transgender and gender nonconforming students complaints about not being permitted to wear clothing associated with their gender identity and/or expression at school-sponsored events.

Last May, another Mississippi transgender teen in the same district missed her high school graduation after she was told she had to wear boys clothing to attend, CNN previously reported. That teen went to Harrison Central High School, the same school as A.H., and was allegedly stopped by the same administrator over her clothing. A federal judge denied a motion filed by her family, the ACLU and ACLU of Mississippi requesting to allow her to wear a dress and heels.

CNN has reached out to the Harrison County School District for comment on the complaint and its accusations.

A.H.s mother also alleges the school district has created a hostile environment for transgender and gender nonconforming students, detailing other instances of tension between students and administrators over the dress code.

In one case, a gay cisgender student who dresses in masculine-leaning attire, had her senior portrait excluded from the yearbook after wearing a tuxedo, according to the complaint, which cites a separate OCR complaint filed by the ACLU.

Another student was pulled from the graduation line before she was set to receive her diploma for wearing black pants under her graduation robe, according to the complaint.

Im deeply concerned about the discriminatory practices within Harrison County School District that have unfairly targeted my daughter, along with other students. Transgender and gender nonconforming students should not be forced to choose between participating in school events or remaining true to their gender identity, said A.H.s mother, Kimberly Hudson, in an ACLU statement. We urge HCSD to take immediate steps to revise its dress code policies and create a more inclusive environment where all students can thrive.

The family also requests the OCR open an investigation into the school district centered on Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in any educational program or activity that receives federal financial assistance, according to the complaint and ACLU statement.

The landmark federal civil rights law is set to change on August 1. Last month, the Biden administration announced an expansion of protections for students, including those who are LGBTQ+, to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics in federally funded education programs, according to a fact sheet shared with CNN. The move formalizes a rule the administration previously proposed that would strengthen Title IX protections for transgender students.

In Mississippi and in other states, LGBTQ+ students are seeing their rights being chipped away. On Monday, Mississippis Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill that requires people to use restrooms and housing at public education institutions that corresponds to their gender assigned at birth.

People will only be allowed to use housing or bathrooms based on their sex determined solely by a birth, without regard to the fluidity of how someone acts or feels, the bill states.

Rob Hill, state director for the Human Rights Campaign Mississippi, said all Mississippians deserve a state that allows them to exist in peace  and a government focused on making life better for all of us.

Instead, Governor Reeves caved to MAGA politicians, stoking anti-trans panic, flinging the doors open to harassment and discrimination, and attempting to strip basic rights from LGBTQ+ people in our state.

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Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) accused Kansas City of doxxing the Chiefs kicker, Harrison Butker, and pledged to hold the city accountable in a statement Thursday.

My office is demanding accountability after @KansasCity doxxed @buttkicker7 last night for daring to express his religious beliefs, Bailey wrote on the social media platform X, linking to the citys official government account and to Butkers account.

I will enforce the Missouri Human Rights Act to ensure Missourians are not targeted for their free exercise of religion, he added. Stay tuned.

Baileys statement came in response to a now-deleted post from the Kansas City government account Wednesday evening that read, Just a reminder that Harrison Butker lives in the City of Lees Summit.

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker (7) watches his field goal split the uprights as punter Tommy Townsend (5) looks on during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Within two hours, the Kansas City account had taken down the post. The account also released a subsequent statement, saying, We [apologize] for our previous tweet. It was shared in error.

The citys mayor, Quinton Lucas, issued his own public statement, calling the original post clearly inappropriate for a public account.

The City has correctly apologized for the error, will review account access, and ensure nothing like it is shared in the future from public channels, he added.

The post followed a wave of backlash to a commencement speech Butker gave to a Catholic liberal arts college Saturday, when he attacked President Biden for a myriad of issues  including how he squares supporting access to abortion while publicly identifying as a devout Catholic  and railed against bad leaders who dont stay in their lanes.

The bad policies and poor leadership have negatively impacted major life issues. Things like abortion, [in vitro fertilization], surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for the degenerate cultural values and media all stem from pervasiveness of disorder, Butker said.

Our own nation is led by a man who publicly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith, but at the same time is delusional enough to make the sign of the cross during a pro-abortion rally, he continued.

Biden is only the nations second Catholic president in history, and he frequently attends Saturday evening mass with his family either near his home in Wilmington, Del., or in Washington, D.C.

At times, however, Biden has had to balance the positions of the Catholic Church on issues like abortion and LGBTQ rights with the political realities of being a Democratic president.

Bidens abortion views have evolved over the 50 years hes been in the public eye, but he has consistently supported the right to abortion access since becoming president. The president has said that as a practicing Catholic, hes not big on abortion but thinks the Roe v. Wade decision got it right.

Butkers remarks were an apparent reference to when Biden gestured the sign of the cross last month during a rally against abortion restrictions.

He has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies that Im sure to many people, it appears you can be both Catholic and pro-choice, Butker added. He is not alone. From the man behind the COVID lockdowns, to the people pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America, they all have a glaring thing in common  they are Catholic. This is an important reminder that being Catholic alone doesnt cut it.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine needs two Patriot systems to protect Kharkiv. According to him, Russia will not be able to occupy Kharkiv if we have this equipment.

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The head of state said this in an interview with ABC News during his visit to a hospital in Kharkiv where wounded Ukrainian soldiers are being treated. According to the publication, the delay in US aid has had a direct impact on the war and the situation along Ukraine's northeastern border.

"The situation is very serious. We can't afford to lose Kharkiv," Zelenskyy emphasized.

According to the president, hundreds of people have been killed or injured over the past few days. Many of them were military personnel from the region, so the President went to Kharkiv to support them.

The President also noted that the world had allowed Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to occupy part of Ukraine's territories, "but now the world can help."

"Dialogue is good. But we need help now," Zelenskyy emphasized. "All we need are two Patriot systems. Russia will not be able to occupy Kharkiv if we have them."

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The President of Ukraine also noted that the funds provided by the United States as military aid are not given directly to Ukraine.

"They are spent at American factories, creating jobs in the United States... And we are not just fighting for our freedom. If not for Ukraine, it would be another country," Zelenskyy added.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber . Do not fall for fakes!
Missouri lawmakers on Thursday passed a bill to block local governments from issuing eviction moratoriums as lawmakers target housing laws in Kansas City and St. Louis.

The legislation, filed by Rep. Chris Brown, a Kansas City Republican, is backed by landlord and realty groups, such as the Missouri Association of Realtors. It would ban county and local governments from imposing or enforcing a moratorium on eviction proceedings unless approved by state law.

It just simply says that municipal governments, local governments are not going to be able to enact a pause on evictions, eviction moratoriums, Brown said from the floor.

While the legislation has drawn staunch opposition from tenant advocacy groups, it passed the House on a nearly unanimous vote of 145-1 on Thursday. Several provisions were added to the bill in the Senate earlier this month, including a measure allowing counties to establish land bank agencies to acquire, manage, and sell vacant property.

The bill now heads to Republican Gov. Mike Parsons desk after previously passing the GOP-controlled Senate earlier this month.

This is one of those times when I am going to vote with my district because I am a good legislator. But I dont agree fully, with my heart, with this policy, said Rep. Jamie Johnson, a Kansas City Democrat, who voted in favor of the bill.

We talk about how we need to represent the owners, the landlords, but lets say we actually do evict the tenant. Where are they going to go? she added.

Rep. Ingrid Burnett, a Kansas City Democrat, and the sole no vote, said the bill would tie the hands of our local officials.

We cant anticipate the kinds of disasters that could require some extraordinary rules, she said.

The legislation has been a priority for Missouri Republicans roughly four years after the Jackson County Circuit Court temporarily halted evictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Similar bills in Missouri have long faced resistance from tenant advocacy groups that argue the legislation places landlord profits over renters lives.

Health Forward Foundation, a Kansas City-based health care advocacy group, testified against the legislation earlier this year, saying that it would halt local governments from meeting the needs of their communities during public health crises.

Because of the moratoria across the US in place during the COVID-19 outbreak, people who may have been otherwise exposed to the virus were safely sheltered in homes, the group said in written testimony. It had real, beneficial outcomes for peoples health.

The organization said that eviction moratoriums were also a key tool to help reduce health disparities by race.

More than 124,000 eviction filings have been made in Missouri since mid-March 2020, the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Eviction Lab at Princeton University. There have been more than 34,000 in the last year.

The legislation targeting eviction moratoriums comes in response to local agencies such as the circuit courts in Jackson County and St. Louis that temporarily halted evictions in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In March 2020, Jackson County Circuit Court temporarily suspended the issuance of writs for two months to protect the health of the public and court employees.

In landlord-tenant cases, writs are delivered by process servers to tenants requiring the tenant to be evicted from the property, according to previous reporting.

St. Louis Circuit Court suspended eviction proceedings from mid-March 2020 through July 2020. The St. Louis City Council later passed a 15-day eviction moratorium in December 2021.

Missouri never implemented a statewide eviction moratorium.
The Missouri Senate collapsed into bitter recrimination on Thursday amid an effort to urge Attorney General Andrew Bailey to not use state dollars to defend three Republican senators facing federal lawsuits for sharing social media posts falsely accusing a man of being a shooter in the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade shooting.

Sen. Mike Cierpiot, a Lees Summit Republican, offered an amendment to the Senate Journal, typically approved without controversy each day, stating that it is the opinion of the Senate that Bailey, a Republican facing a competitive primary race, should not expend any public funds or monies from a state legal defense fund to defend the senators.

Bailey is representing the three senators  Sens. Rick Brattin of Harrisonville, Denny Hoskins of Warrensburg, and Nick Schroer of St. Charles County.

All three senators, members of the hard-right Missouri Freedom Caucus, were sued for posts claiming that Denton Loudermill, an Olathe native, was an undocumented immigrant and a shooter in the February shooting that killed one person and injured more than 20.

Senate Republicans have been gripped by acrimony ahead of the General Assemblys mandatory adjournment on Friday. On Wednesday, the Senate sent back for more negotiations a proposal that would make amending the state constitution more difficult, following a record-length filibuster by Democrats that began Monday.

The measure is a top priority of the Freedom Caucus, who have repeatedly clashed with Republican leaders throughout the session. Many Republicans want to raise the threshold for changing the state constitution ahead of an expected statewide vote in November to overturn the states abortion ban.

Cierpiot betrayed the entire pro-life cause in the state of Missouri for a generation yesterday by derailing the initiative petition reform bill out of personal animosity, Sen. Bill Eigel, a Weldon Spring Republican running for governor, said after the amendment was offered.

Eigel, a Freedom Caucus member, said the chamber was operating on hatred and that Cierpiot wasnt funny at all.

The comment came after Eigel earlier offered his own amendment to the Journal to note the Senate was interrupted by a stampeding herd of rhinoceroses running through the Senate chamber. He later withdrew the amendment.

As Eigel continued to attack Cierpiot, Senate Majority Leader Cindy OLaughlin, a Shelbina Republican, moved to adjourn the chamber for the day. The Senate quickly ended its daily session as senators walked off the floor in anger.

Its embarrassing, Cierpiot told reporters on Thursday, referring to Eigel and the Freedom Caucus. The Freedom Caucus has made it a clown show.

Cierpiots amendment offered an unusual way to force the Senate to debate the actions of Brattin, Hoskins, and Schroer, as well as Baileys decision to represent them.

The lawsuits against the Missouri senators came after an onslaught of false social media posts were shared with photos of Loudermill after the shooting. Loudermill also filed a similar lawsuit against U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican, last month.

The Missouri lawmakers posts caused Loudermill to receive death threats, incur damages totaling more than $75,000, anxiety, and loss of sleep, according to the lawsuits, which accuse the senators of false light invasion of privacy. The lawsuits ask a judge to issue damages to punish or deter the senators and others from similar conduct in the future.

The lawsuits from Loudermill argue that the three senators were acting as private citizens when they made the posts. But Baileys office argued in a court filing that Brattin was acting in his official capacity and is protected by absolute legislative immunity.

Cierpiot said Thursday that he thinks Bailey representing the three senators was ridiculous. He said he spoke with Baileys office and was told they have no choice.

I dont know that I agree, he said. Its just unfortunate because those people say something stupid about an innocent American and I think the slander that they did they should be held responsible for posting.
Mobilisation from age 25 could add about 100,000 young fighters to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, sources say

The mobilisation starting at the age of 25 could add approximately 100,000 young servicemen to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Source: Ukrainska Pravdas article A country for old men. How the Armed Forces of Ukraine became a 40+ army and whether lowering the mobilisation age will affect combat-readiness (English translation coming soon)

Details: The law to lower the mobilisation age from 27 to 25 years had been awaiting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's signature for almost a year since its adoption by the Verkhovna Rada (the parliament).

Ukrainska Pravda sources who participated in meetings of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff said that Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the former Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, reminded the president about this document several times. However, Zelenskyy hesitated, particularly due to his aversion to unpopular political decisions and the financial aspect of mobilising new servicemen.

At a press conference at the end of last year, the president stated that the military had proposed an additional mobilisation of 450-500,000 people, including men aged 25 and older. He estimated the funding for mobilising such a number of people from the state budget at approximately UAH 500 billion (approx. US$13.4 billion).

Nevertheless, due to the depletion of Defence Forces and irreversible losses at the front, Zelenskyy finally signed the law.

Whether it will be possible to significantly rejuvenate the military through the mobilisation of 2526-year-olds is a debatable question, especially considering the demographic situation in Ukraine.

Oleksandr Hladun, Deputy Director of the Institute for Demography and Social Studies of the National Academy of Sciences, said 416,349 boys were born in Ukraine in 19981999. They should now be 2526 years old. Of course, not all of them will join the Armed Forces of Ukraine  some due to health conditions, others because they are abroad or in territories occupied by Russia.

At the same time, sources in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine predict that the decision to conscript men starting at 25 years old could add approximately 100,000 young fighters to the Ukrainian military.

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The Moldovan parliament on May 16 approved holding a referendum on Oct. 20 on the country's accession to the EU.

The date of the referendum coincides with the upcoming presidential election.

The European Council agreed to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova last December. Chisinau has moved closer to Europe over recent months amid repeated warnings that the Kremlin is attempting to carry out a destabilization campaign inside the country's borders.

Moldova's current leader, President Maia Sandu, is a pro-European politician who condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and sought to remove Moldova from Russia's sphere of influence. She intends to run for reelection this year.

The referendum question will not simply ask whether Moldovans support joining the EU. Instead, voters will be asked to respond "yes" or "no" to whether they support introducing European integration into the Constitution of Moldova.

Members of pro-Russian opposition parties don't support President Sandu's bid for EU accession. The newly established pro-Russian bloc, dubbed "Victory," met with Moldovan politician and oligarch Ilan Shor in Moscow this year to strategize a challenge to Sandu and her pro-European government in upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.

Andrei Spinu, Moldova's minister of infrastructure and regional development, railed against the newly formed bloc's attempts to influence the upcoming Oct. 20 presidential election.

Tensions between Moscow and Chisinau have been mounting since February 2022 amid fears that the war may spill into Moldova via Transnistria, a Moldovan territory occupied by Russian troops since the early 1990s.

Alexandru Musteata, the head of the Moldovan intelligence agency (SIS), has warned that SIS possesses "certain information" about Russia's destabilization campaign in the next two years designed to compromise Chisinau's European integration and draw the country back into the Kremlin's orbit.

Read also: US official: US deepening cooperation with Moldova amid potential threats from Russia

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Texas is undoubtedly a challenging state in which to be a Democratic legislator, especially an LGBTQ+ one. But Molly Cook, recently elected as Texass first out LGBTQ+ state senator, says shes up to the challenge.

I think its really important to keep in mind that incremental change and revolutionary change are not mutually exclusive, says Cook. She promises to work for both.

Cook, who is bisexual, won a special election May 4 in Senate District 15 to fill the remainder of Sen. John Whitmires term after he resigned to become mayor of Houston. That goes until the end of the year. She is being sworn in Thursday.

She has to run again, however, in a primary runoff May 28 against Jarvis Johnson, currently a state representative. She and Johnson were the top two finishers in the March 5 Democratic primary in District 15, but no candidate won a majority, leading to the runoff. Having defeated Johnson soundly in the special election, shes favored to win the runoff as well. District 15 covers a heavily Democratic and LGBTQ+ section of Houston, including the gayborhood of Montrose (where Cook lives), so whoever wins the Democratic nomination will likely win the four-year Senate term in November.

In a hectic period of both campaigning and getting ready to govern, Cook radiates energy and enthusiasm. She points to her experience as an emergency room nurse and community organizer as reasons voters should support her.

I bring nursing leadership, and at a time when we need trust in our elected officials more than ever, I think thats going to be really powerful for the people of Texas  just a trusted, credible voice coming from a nurse to work on all of these policies, but especially the ones that impact our health, she says.

I bring grassroots organizing, she continues. I have quite a CV at this point of successful organizing work.  I truly believe grassroots organizing is missing from the majority of the fights Democrats care about in Texas.

I also bring the experience of being a woman in Texas whos had an abortion, Cook adds; she had the procedure in 2014. But the end of Roe v. Wade in 2022 allowed states to ban or severely limit abortion, and Texas now has one of the most restrictive laws of any state. And Im telling my story, and its very important to share that, and I see how powerfully it resonates with people, Cook says. And thats a perspective that not a lot of people in that chamber are going to have, and I know whats at stake and how important it is to get those rights back.

In the Senate, Cook says shell fight for abortion rights, LGBTQ+ equality, public health, public education, gun reform  basically the whole list of progressive causes and things that will make life better for Texans.

One of my favorite issues is transportation, she says. The Texas constitution limits the states Department of Transportation to spending money only on highway projects or those adjacent to highways. She plans to work for a constitutional amendment to allow the DOT to spend on mass transit as well as infrastructure that will improve access for walkers, bike riders, and people with disabilities.





Molly Cook Texas First LGBTQ State Senator

Molly for Texas

Concerning incremental change in Texas, she says, There are excellent legislators who are living proof that even in Texas we can get wins inside that capitol, and those wins absolutely save lives. She points to legislation that extended Medicaid eligibility from two months to a year after the birth of a child, which went into effect this year. She also notes an effort in 2023 to raise the age for purchase of an assault-style weapon from 18 to 21, which didnt pass, but it did get out of committee, which was encouraging.

There was another example of incremental change she witnessed that influenced her to go into political organizing. In her last semester of nursing school, she had an instructor who had gotten a law changed around excused and unexcused absences from school. If a student stayed home with a child who was sick  say, a teenager with a baby  the absence was unexcused, and the student had to do detention. Changing the law so these absences were excused was a no-brainer, it passed with bipartisan support, and all these kids were able to graduate on time, Cook says. And that was the first time I thought, Hey, maybe nursing could be politics, and it really planted a seed that grew from there.

To make bigger changes, she wants to make Senate District 15 the one with the highest Democratic turnout in the state. This is where a lot of the votes lie in Harris County that will flip those statewide seats and make really revolutionary change possible, she says.

As far as working with Texass Republican statewide officials and legislators, she says, I can work with anybody as long as theyre working on good policy. She points to her experience as an ER nurse: I take care of every single patient that comes through that door no matter their politics  Im there for the patient, and Im gonna be there for the people of Texas.

Shes been inspired, she says, by great Texas lawmakers, including LGBTQ+ senators who were not out. Im very grateful for the path they carved and paved for me, Cook says. She further credits Adrienne Maree Browns 2017 book on societal change, Emergent Strategy. Everything about that book revised my thinking on organizing, on how I view the world, on how I view myself in the world, Cook says.

To anyone else considering a run for elected office, she recommends getting experience in organizing around an issue, connecting with potential supporters, and knowing yourself  the latter will make attacks roll off you, she says.

And when told that her story is resonating with Advocate readers, she says, I hope it inspires a million people to go run for office.
Mom of farmworker killed in Marion County bus crash pleads for safe return of sons body

The Farmworkers Association of Florida came together with people Wednesday night to honor the eight migrant workers who died in Ocala this week.

Our hearts are heavy with grief and our souls are burdened with sorrow, said Bishop David Maldonaldo. " Let this tragedy then serve as a reminder of the importance of valuing and protecting the lives of all workers regardless of their background or status.

Troopers said a man under the influence hit the bus they were on, killing them and leaving dozens of others hurt. It all happened early Tuesday morning while the group was on their way to work.

Read: Farmworkers Association mourns lives lost in Marion County bus crash at local vigil

The seven men and one woman who died moved here from Mexico through the H2A program -- a temporary work visa specifically for agriculture workers. They were between the ages of 18 and 31 years old.

Twenty-four-year-old Cristian Dora was among them. He had just moved to Florida 15 days ago to work in watermelon production.

Doras mother, Santos del Carmen Viera Moreno told Channel 9 that he was a beautiful person who never asked for anyones help and always gave a hand when he could.

Read: Orlandos Mexican Consulate seeks information about Marion County bus crash victims

She said the whole reason her son came here was to make money to send back to his wife and 5-year-old daughter. She said she felt pride over the person he was and how badly he wanted to succeed.

Now, shes desperately waiting for answers over how to bring her sons body back to the state of Hidalgo.

Juan Sabines Guerrero with the Mexican Consulate of Orlando said if the migrants employer wont cover the medical and funeral costs of victims, he will help find money to foot the bill.

Read: Deadly Marion County bus crash: How to help the victims

Yes, the government of Mexico will do it, said Guerrero.

The Farmworkers Association of Florida is also gathering funds to help the victims families that are impacted by the crash. They are hoping to raise at least $80,000  $10,000 for each victim.

Whenever you eat, please remember that thats the product of very hard work by groups of people who are in vulnerable conditions and we should be thankful that we have that we should be grateful for it and we should be grateful for the people who produce it for us, said Ernesto Luis with the Farmworkers Association of Florida.

If you would like to help them with their cause, click here.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eight people died and almost 40 others were injured when a bus carrying farm workers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Attorney General Austin Knudsen. (Provided by the Montana Attorney General's Office for the Daily Montanan.)

The Montana Commissioner of Political Practices, the states top election and campaign enforcement official, has accepted two complaints that center on the Republican primary race for attorney general, including one involving current state Attorney General Austin Knudsen.

Earlier this week, the Daily Montanan reported that at an event last Saturday, an audio recording obtained by the news organization appeared to capture Knudsen calling Montanas campaign finance laws ridiculous and saying that he asked a friend to run against him in the partisan primary as a way to raise more money.

Logan Olson, a Republican who appears on the ballot, is also the Daniels County Attorney. Olson appears to have done little in the way of campaigning. Prior to the complaints being filed, the COPP said recruiting a candidate to run under false premises could be a campaign violation.

In a follow-up story, the Daily Montanan reported that Olson doesnt appear to meet the constitutional requirements for running as the states attorney general. State law requires an attorney to be practicing for five years from the time of election.

Olson was not admitted to the Montana bar until September 2020, although some courts have counted time in law school toward the requirement.

The Daily Montanan has reached out to both of the campaigns, and neither responded for this request or requests previously to discuss the situation.

On Wednesday, Sheila Hogan, the executive director for the Montana Democratic Party, filed two complaints with the Office of the Commissioner of Political Practices, alleging that both Knudsen and Olson have broken the law.

For Knudsen, the investigation would mark another state agency looking into his conduct. The Office of Disciplinary Counsel has already charged Knudsen, the states top lawyer, with 41 ethics violations, pending before the Montana Supreme Court, the official governing body of the states bar.

Through his attorney, Knudsen has denied the allegations of ethics violations and said he was only zealously representing his client.

The allegations in the complaint filed this week say that Olson and Knudsen hatched the scheme for Olson to join the race, apparently in order to raise more money heading into the general election where Knudsen will face opponent Ben Alke, a Democrat.

The complaint against Olson also claims that he has broken state law by filing to run for the office, and hes not qualified because of the five-year practice requirement.

Currently, Olson practices at the same law firm where Knudsen worked before becoming Attorney General, the complaint states.

In addition to working as the Daniels County Attorney, Olson lists his employment with the OToole Law Firm, according to his LinkedIn page.

While Knudsen filed to run for re-election on Nov. 6, 2023, Olson did not file until the final day of eligibility, March 11, 2024. As part of the filing process, Olson had to swear an oath that he was qualified to run, a false oath the Democratic Party contends.

The Montana Constitution, Article VI, Section 3 says that an attorney general must have be an attorney in good standing admitted to practice law in Montana who has engaged in the active practice thereof for at least five years before the election.

In at least a couple of cases, courts have found that time in law school counts toward the five years.

The Democrats complaint filed on Wednesday also points out that Olson has raised $0 during his campaign, and his reports list no donations, fundraising events or travel.

Both Austin Knudsen and Logan Olson have the same treasurer and campaign manager, Katie Wenetta of Burning Tree Consulting, the complaint said. This clear tie between the two campaigns is egregious and possibly unlawful.

The Montana Democrats are asking that the Commissioner of Political Practices remove his name from the ballot and fine Olson.

Meanwhile, the complaint against Knudsen asks that the Commissioner of Political Practices order Knudsen to return any amount more than $790, the amount he can legally raise without a primary opponent.

The Commissioner of Political Practices doesnt accept every complaint as warranting an investigation but determined Thursday he will move ahead on the two in this case.

https://dailymontanan.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/knudsen-.m4a

The post Montana Commissioner of Political Practices opens complaints against AG candidates appeared first on Daily Montanan.
Earthjustice attorney Jenny Harbine argues on behalf of the Montana Environmental Information Center and Sierra Club in front of the Montana Supreme Court on May 15, 2024. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan)

Earthjustice attorney Jenny Harbine argues on behalf of the Montana Environmental Information Center and Sierra Club in front of the Montana Supreme Court on May 15, 2024. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan)

The short-term fate of NorthWestern Energys new methane-fired power plant in Laurel and whether it was properly granted permits now rests in the hands of the Montana Supreme Court after justices heard oral arguments Wednesday in the case challenging the states analysis for the plant that, when operational, is expected to emit more than 700,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year.

Combined with the pending appeal of a district courts decision in the Held vs. Montana case, the courts decision in the two cases will have broad ramifications over what environmental protection provisions in the state constitution mean and what the state must analyze when considering granting permits for energy projects that emit carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases.

The Montana Environmental Information Center and Sierra Club first sued the Department of Environmental Quality and NorthWestern Energy in 2021 over the planned 175-megawatt Laurel Generating Station, alleging the DEQ had not taken a hard look at emissions from the power plant or at the impacts of lighting and noise from the project on nearby residents.

How the case got to the Supreme Court

In April 2023, Yellowstone County Judge Michael Moses found the environmental assessment the DEQ produced violated the Montana Environmental Policy Act in part because the department failed to consider the plants environmental impacts from greenhouse gas emissions within Montana and to fully consider lighting impacts to residents living nearby.

Moses vacated the permit until DEQ could perform a more thorough environmental analysis, which temporarily stopped construction that was ongoing at the plant. But he declined to rule on the groups argument that failing to perform a climate analysis violated the provision of the state constitution that provides a right to a clean and healthful environment.

But NorthWestern Energy appealed halting the permit 11 days after Moses order, and the Republican-supermajority Legislature suspended its rules and crafted a new bill that leadership said was a direct response to the ruling.

The bill amended the MEPA to say that environmental reviews for projects, when considering permits, could not include an evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions and climate impacts both inside and outside of Montana unless it was done alongside a federal agency or if Congress changes the Clean Air Act to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant.

In two weeks, the bill passed both chambers, and Gov. Greg Gianforte signed it into law on May 8. On May 16, however, the Supreme Court ruled in a case from Flathead County that a judge had improperly vacated a permit granted by DEQ for a separate project when the judge did not follow the new, current law to overturn a permit.

That ruling, combined with the changes to the law, led the court in Yellowstone County in June to reverse the decision to stop work on the plant.

Although only two months have passed since this court issued its order vacating the air quality permit for the Laurel Gas Station, much changed in the legal landscape, Moses wrote at the time, Whether (NorthWestern and DEQ) will have to analyze the impacts of LGSs carbon dioxide emissions within the boundaries of Montana will depend upon the changing legal landscape.

The MEIC also appealed parts of the original decision that upheld portions of the DEQs permits granted for the plant and the decision to pause the original order vacating the other permits.

Oral arguments center on whether judge improperly vacated permit

The bulk of Tuesdays oral arguments, held in the Supreme Court chambers in Helena, went back to the Supreme Courts findings in the Flathead County case that said the district court had erroneously vacated the permits for that project, and whether that same analysis applied in this case.

DEQ attorney Jeremiah Langston told the justices the department believes that in the case of the Laurel plant, Moses substituted his own judgment in place of the law when he vacated the permit in the first place. He argued that attorneys for the plaintiffs were incorrectly interpreting which section of a statute applies when looking at remedies for when someone successfully challenges a permitting decision.

Department of Environmental Quality attorney Jeremiah Langston delivers oral arguments to the Montana Supreme Court on May 15, 2024. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan)

The district court must make specific findings before granting other equitable relief. Vacature is other equitable relief. Therefore, a district court must make specific findings before vacating a permit under MEPA, Langston said.

He said the supplemental environmental assessment originally ordered by Moses was still on hold, that the DEQ had planned to analyze greenhouse gas emissions for the plant until House Bill 971 was signed into law, and that the district court decision in the Held vs. Montana case, which overturned the MEPA limitation barring consideration of climate impacts, has further complicated the current landscape.

It would be immensely helpful to DEQ to know what laws apply to its MEPA analysis for the project. I assume the court will manage its docket in a rational and reasonable way, but if the courts could somehow issue its decision at the same time as Held or tie the two cases together so that DEQ knows whether or not to apply HB 971, it would be very helpful to the agency, Langston told the justices.

NorthWestern Energy attorney Shannon Heim argued that since the MEPA limitation from 2011 was in effect initially, which prohibited environmental reviews from looking into impacts outside of Montana, and then the 2023 limitation was in effect, DEQ had no ability to deny the permit under the Clean Air Act based on greenhouse gas emissions.

An agency is not required to perform a MEPA review of environmental effects it cannot lawfully prevent or regulate if it cannot lawfully prevent or regulate that environmental effect. Therefore, a permit cannot be conditioned or denied upon failure to perform such a review, she said.

Jenny Harbine, an attorney with Earthjustice, presented the arguments on behalf of the MEIC and Sierra Club. She told the court that DEQ can regulate pollutants as a whole because granting an air quality permit is how the state allows pollution to occur from power plants in the first place, and that in 2021, the MEPA limitation allowed the state to regulate emissions within Montana.

NorthWestern Energy attorney Shannon Heim argues in front of the Montana Supreme Court on May 15, 2024. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan)

Harbine said if the Supreme Court did not uphold Moses original decision vacating the permit, their constitutional argument that the granting of the permit would violate Montanans right to a clean and healthful environment should be addressed by the court.

Its very important to note this case isnt being considered in a vacuum, she said. The courts concurrent consideration of these two cases allows for a fulsome consideration of the very broad impacts and harm, constitutional infringement, from the climate limitation, and the very specific practical application of that climate limitation to a single large fossil fuel project.

She said she agreed with Langston that solving that issue in the Held case would also solve it in the MEIC case, but noted that NorthWestern has said it could have the plant in Laurel up and running by the third quarter of the year.

The Held case has been fully briefed in the Supreme Court, but the court has yet to set a date for oral arguments in the states appeal. Attorneys for the Held plaintiffs said Tuesday they hoped a date would be set by the court soon.

Harbine also noted that lawmakers changed the law regarding relief in challenging state agency permitting decisions last session in Senate Bill 557, requiring people to obtain an injunction before a permit can be voided and post a bond in case the affected party has their project wrongfully stopped.

The Montana Supreme Court chambers were full as attorneys delivered oral arguments in a case over permits for a methane-fired power plant in Laurel on May 15, 2024. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan)

She said NorthWestern calculated the cost of delays had the pause remained in place to be more than $60 million, which she said would prevent nearly anyone from trying to challenge a permitting decision in the first place and violates MEPAs entire purpose when it comes to public scrutiny of the states decisions surrounding the environment.

The attorneys for DEQ and NorthWestern Energy asked the court not to vacate the original permit should it remand the case back to Yellowstone County. Harbine wants the court to vacate the construction and operation permit unless and until DEQ complies with MEPA and its constitutional obligations.

Heim, NorthWesterns attorney, argued that Harbines contention the laws were preventing the public from upholding MEPA discounted NorthWesterns role in Montana.

She talked about all of the harm to the public by doing a bonding, but that ignores the harm to the utility, and the underlying issue of, What is the project? What is the purpose? Heim said. And for us, our purpose is to serve Montana. This project serves Montana, and ultimately, we ask the court to overturn the district court and reinstate our air permit.

Justice Dirk Sandefur was not present at the hearing Tuesday, but Chief Justice Mike McGrath said he would be reviewing the argument and participating in the opinion. Decisions from the court typically come several months after they hear oral arguments in a case.

The post Montana Supreme Court hears arguments on permits for Laurel power plant appeared first on Daily Montanan.
Moorpark professor to stand trial in bludgeoning death of pro-Israeli counterprotester Paul Kessler

Avia Jacobs and her mother, Sharona, pay their respects to Paul Kessler, a Jewish supporter who died after being struck by a Palestinian protester at Westlake and Thousand Oaks boulevards in Thousand Oaks. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

A Ventura County Superior Court judge declared on Wednesday that there was enough evidence to hold for trial a Moorpark man accused in the death of counterprotester Paul Kessler last year.

Judge Ryan Wright decided that Loay Abdel Fattah Alnaji, 51, would stand trial after listening to 18 witnesses over a two-day preliminary hearing, according to the Ventura County district attorney's office.

Alnaji was charged with two felonies: involuntary manslaughter and battery causing serious bodily injury with special allegations of personally inflicting great bodily harm injury on each count, according to district attorney's spokesperson Joey Buttitta. If found guilty of all charges, Alnaji could spend up to four years in prison.

Alnaji posted $50,000 bail. He could not be reached for comment.

Alnaji's and Kesslers lives forever changed on Nov. 5 at a pro-Palestinian rally at Westlake and Thousand Oaks boulevards in Thousand Oaks.

Read more: Paul Kessler died protesting in support of Israel. What really happened?

The site had been known as a gathering point for pro-Palestianian groups protesting Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip in response to the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas.

Kessler, 69, carried an Israeli flag and joined a group of counterprotesters. In total, about 100 people were at the intersection.

A physical confrontation broke out between Kessler and Alnaji, in which Alnaji allegedly bludgeoned Kessler with a megaphone, according to the district attorney. Kessler fell to the ground bleeding with severe head injuries.

He died the next day at a hospital.

Read more: 'Conflicting statements' complicate investigation into Jewish man's death at protest

Evidence presented in the preliminary hearing by Courtney Lewis, senior deputy district attorney, included DNA analysis of Kesslers blood found on the rim of a megaphone that Alnaji is accused of using to hit the man.

Kesslers cellphone video that shows the moments leading up to the attack was also submitted as evidence.

County medical examiner Dr. Othon Mena also testified about Kesslers cause of death. Mena said Kessler died from blunt force trauma caused by the blow from the megaphone and the subsequent fall.

The district attorneys office said that although antisemitic hate speech took place that day, it couldn't link anything to Alnaji.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Doctors offices and clinics affiliated with hospitals would have to report allegations of patient abuse to the state health department under a measure introduced by Illinois lawmakers this week  legislation that comes about three months after a Chicago Tribune investigation examined the issue.

Under current law hospitals must promptly report allegations of patient abuse, including sexual abuse by a health care worker, to the Illinois Department of Public Health, triggering an investigation into the hospitals handling of the matter. But allegations of patient abuse that occur at doctors offices or clinics outside of hospital walls, even those connected with hospitals, are not currently required to be reported to the states health department.

This is just a simple commonsense fix to make clear that hospitals have responsibility for providers at any of their facilities, said Illinois Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, who is behind the legislation. It kind of falls into that category, do we really need to tell somebody out loud that thats what we expect of them? Apparently we do, so we are.

Earlier this year, a Chicago Tribune investigation revealed that several well-known health systems allowed workers accused of sexually abusing patients to continue providing care. In several instances, those same health care workers were then accused of abusing additional patients.

In one of the most prominent cases in the state, former Endeavor Health gynecologist Dr. Fabio Ortega has faced lawsuits from more than 60 patients accusing him of sexual assault or abuse. In October 2021, Ortega pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal sexual abuse of two patients following incidents that occurred at two Endeavor-affiliated offices. Many of the alleged incidents described in the lawsuits occurred at hospital-affiliated facilities where the doctor regularly practiced. In the suits, the women accuse the health systems where he worked of failing to protect them.

The Tribune reported on the pivotal role Endeavor, formerly NorthShore University HealthSystem, played in keeping the doctor in place despite multiple complaints from patients.

Cassidy said the bill directly addresses what happened with Ortega.

This is literally closing the most egregious loophole with the understanding that there is a lot more to do here, Cassidy said.

Tamara Holder, an attorney who represents most of the women who have sued Ortega and Endeavor along with her co-counsels Johanna Raimond and Stephan Blandin, said the bill is a good start, and will help force health care institutions to listen to women. Holder and her co-counsels also helped work on the bill.

This is important because women spend most of their time receiving gynecological and obstetrical care in a clinic, not in a hospital setting, and the Ortega case and other cases across the country show that most of the abuse does occur in a clinical setting or in an office setting because thats where doctors have more privacy and alone time with patients, Holder said.

The Illinois Health and Hospital Association also collaborated on the bill. The hospital community condemns any form of patient abuse, and supports reporting requirements to protect patients and ensure governing bodies are aware of these incidents, association spokesperson Amy Barry said in an emailed statement.

Endeavor Health said in a statement Thursday it is grateful for the good faith efforts of Illinois lawmakers and the hospital community regarding proposals for reporting parity between hospitals and wholly owned external sites and it will continue to evaluate the implications of any changes to Illinois law on our patients and staff.

Sen. Karina Villa, who leads the Illinois Senate Public Health Committee, said she plans to be a sponsor of the bill when it reaches the Senate. She said hospital affiliates shouldnt be exempt from having to report allegations of abuse. Citing the Tribunes findings, she called the new legislation a positive start and said theres more work to be done in future legislative sessions.

The Tribunes reporting also identified several failings in state oversight, including gaps in state laws and slow action by the state agency responsible for disciplining health care workers that resulted in some doctors and other workers accused of abuse continuing to provide patient care for months or years. When hospitals failed to report patient allegations of abuse, they appeared to face few consequences from the state, the Tribune found.

Cassidy said she plans to discuss measures to address accountability in the summer.
A group of 15 countries led by Denmark is demanding that the European Commission come up with new ways to stop the arrival of migrants in Europe. They propose that the European Union sign new migration pacts, similar to those signed with Tunisia, involving European funds in exchange for that country preventing departures. They also suggest exploring the creation outside EU territory of centers to send asylum seekers rescued at sea, following a model similar to the controversial one that Italy wants to implement in Albania and which goes one step further along the path of outsourcing all aspects of migration management.

We encourage the establishment of comprehensive, mutually beneficial and durable partnerships with key partner countries along the migratory routes, says the group in a letter sent to the EU executive this Wednesday night and signed by interior and immigration ministers from Denmark, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Romania and Finland.

They also demand that formulas be established to accelerate the deportation of migrants who do not have the right to asylum, and argue that the concept of safe third countries in EU asylum law should be reassessed. This solution would increase deportations and also open other avenues to send asylum seekers not only to their countries of origin, but also of transit. In addition, the letter asks for a European list of safe countries outside the EU to be drawn up.

Our central responsibility and commitment are to uphold stability and social cohesion and avoid risking polarization in European societies and loss of unity in the family of EU Member States, says the letter, in which the ministers defend that the number of irregular arrivals prevents resources from reaching those who have the right to asylum.

In recent months, Europe has been hardening its rhetoric on immigration, which has become a hot button issue ahead of upcoming EU elections in June. In 2023, 385,445 migrants in an irregular situation arrived in European territory, according to data from the EU border agency, Frontex. The figure is a far cry from the almost two million who arrived in 2015, in the midst of the refugee crisis sparked by the Syrian war.

The Albania model

The letter is the result of several months of debate by an informal working group of 19 member states that has raised the issue as a new EU parliamentary term approaches. Although the political right and, above all, the far right, will make immigration the core of many election campaigns, not all members of that group have finally signed the letter, which contains some controversial formulas such as the Albania model.

The signatories defend that this controversial model, devised by Italys far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, can be expanded through new agreements with other countries. They defend that the Albania model is not like the one that the United Kingdom has approved in Rwanda, which contemplates the deportation of irregular migrants to that African country. The Italy-Albania Protocol, the letter argues, is based on an agreement with a safe country outside the EU where the European system will be followed, with personnel from an EU country (Italy) and measures in accordance with European legislation.

The Italian formula, which Meloni developed with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in November, was extremely controversial and was examined by the Italian justice system. It was expected to be launched in the spring of this year, but has not yet been implemented. It provides for the creation in Albanian territory of centers with a capacity for up to 3,000 people  arrivals from rescues at sea by the Italian authorities  and where officers will conduct identification, control, asylum application management and repatriation procedures for individuals who do not qualify for asylum.

The formula has been harshly criticized by human rights organizations and groups specializing in immigration, which have warned that Europe is veering to the right on immigration matters and is shielding itself. These groups have also warned that agreements such as those signed with Tunisia or Egypt for those countries to stop departures in exchange for economic aid are tantamount to endorsing and whitewashing regimes with a disastrous human rights record.

The letter comes two days after the bloc completed the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, giving the definitive green light to start implementing a set of regulations and standards that hardens the conditions to take in refugees, facilitates deportations, and establishes, for the first time, that all member states must contribute to the management of migration and accept a quota of asylum seekers or else contribute to a common fund with 20,000 ($21,700) for each rejected migrant.
The number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seeking mental health support has risen by more than 40 per cent in three years, a charity has found.

Combat Stress, the veterans mental health charity, has revealed it has experienced a 44 percent surge in veterans seeking treatment for mental health conditions, including complex post-traumatic stress disorder since 2020.

The charity added that new referrals had increased year-on-year since 2021.

According to the findings the charity received 776 new veteran referrals since 2023 in the year to date, while between 2022 and 2023 677 new ex-service personnel were referred for help.

This was up from 672 in 2021 and 2022, and again up from 539 new referrals in 2020 and 2021.

The new findings have led to Sir General Peter Wall, a former British Army head, and other Senior Military Commanders to write an open letter on Veteran Mental Health.

Sir Peter, the president of Combat Stress, said: Military service is vital for the country and its a highly rewarding and commendable career.

However, a small minority of those who serve are left with complex mental health challenges. Its our responsibility as a nation to ensure specialist treatment and support is available to veterans so they can recover as soon as possible - to do otherwise is utterly negligent.

The charitys finding come as a poll by YouGov found the majority of the public believe veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts who require help for PTSD will have completed their PTSD treatment by 2024, whilst just 6.8 percent believe veterans will wait more than 10-years before seeking mental health treatment.

In contrast, Combat Stress has found that veterans seek treatment for complex PTSD on average 13 years after leaving the military.

Professor Walter Busuttil, Consultant Psychiatrist and Director of Research at Combat Stress, said: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe mental health condition that can have a huge impact, causing veterans to relive the trauma theyve experienced so often that they can find it hard to function in civilian life.

At the very point when we need the publics support more than ever, our findings show they are largely unaware of the growing scale of the issue. More awareness is needed when it comes to veterans mental health.

Simon Stanley served in the Army for 10 years, including a tour of Iraq in 2003.

He was made redundant in 2013 and began to struggle with his mental health before seeking help from Combat Stress for PTSD treatment in 2022.

He said: The sessions were brilliant. We unpacked all the trauma in my life and thats when I started to realise what was wrong.

The first thing my therapist did was a real or not real grounding scenario. If I hear a sound, for example my son bouncing a rubber ball, to me it sounded like a cannon firing on an armoured vehicle.

A crisp packet wrapper rattling was a radio crackling, and I was taken back to a threatening environment where I had to be hyper-vigilant.

That grounding technique was really helpful for me.

Mr Stanley added that the treatment has helped him move forward

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More students could have access to tutoring vouchers, but few have been used so far

Shutterstock photo

Louisiana lawmakers advanced a bill Wednesday that would expand a voucher program for students not meeting state math and reading standards, and state officials are hoping demand for them will increase.

House Bill 244, authored by Rep. Jason Hughes, D-New Orleans, would increase the amount of voucher money families receive, expand the grades from which students can access the program and add numeracy tutoring to the program. The bill unanimously passed out of the Senate Education Committee.

The vouchers are currently worth $1,000. Hughes bill would increase the amount to $1,500.

The Legislative Fiscal Office estimates the expanded program will cost the state nearly $4.5 million starting in 2025. The program has previously been paid for with federal Elementary and Secondary School Relief (ESSR) funds.

The last round of ESSR funds expire in September, so the state must use the money by then or lose any remaining amount.

The Louisiana Department of Education originally invested $40 million of ESSR funds in the tutoring program, but the money was steered toward other needs once it became clear students would use only around $2 million.

Under the Hughes bill, students in kindergarten through 12th grade could use vouchers for either math or literacy tutoring. Currently, the vouchers are only available to kindergarten to fifth-grade students.

In order to be eligible, students must score below their grade level or fall short of mastery in math or English on state assessment tests and be considered at risk for learning difficulties. Priority is given to low-income families.

The vouchers can only be used for tutoring services the Louisiana Department of Education has approved. The state does not anticipate Hughes proposal to increase the percentage of students who will use the program. Its estimated more than 300,000 students will be eligible but fewer than 3,000 students are expected to obtain tutoring.

According to a NOLA.com report, education advocates say the program is not well-known among teachers or parents. The availability of tutors has been sparse, and critics say unnecessary burdens such as the application process make it difficult to take part. As a result, only 0.8% of eligible students have been reached since the services were first offered in 2021.

Hughes bill would also change the name of the program to the Steve Carter Education Program. The former state representative, who died in 2021, chaired the House Education Committee from 2011 to 2025.

The proposal now moves to the Senate Finance Committee.

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Also on Wednesday, the Senate Education Committee passed a bill that would create a screening for numeracy, or math basics, in kindergarten through third grade.

House Bill 267, authored by Rep. Kim Carver, R-Mandeville, mimics the system already in place for literacy screenings. It would require students to be tested three times a year and for parents to be notified if their children do not meet grade-level expectations.

Carvers bill would also require numeracy intervention and support for students testing below grade level. They would also be given an improvement plan created in concert with their parents, teachers and other necessary school personnel.

The legislation carries a $2.5 million cost for the first year and $3 million every year after. The expense is associated with assigning new vendors to performing the screenings three times a year.

The proposal passed committee unanimously and now moves to the Senate Finance Committee. The legislation would be implemented in the 2026-27 school year if approved.

This storys headline and lede were updated for clarity.

The post More students could have access to tutoring vouchers, but few have been used so far appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator.
Despite frustration among some Morehouse College faculty, staff and students over President Joe Biden delivering the Atlanta school's commencement address on Sunday, the faculty voted on Thursday to award the president an honorary degree -- an act some said they opposed in protest of his handling of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

On a call Thursday morning, 50 of the 88 faculty members present voted to award Biden an honorary degree. There was a possibility that faculty would choose not to award Biden the honorary degree, a source told ABC News, as an alternative way of protesting Biden's speech.

Threats of protests at Morehouse over Biden's appearance began to bubble up late last month -- amid a broader period of protests on U.S. college campuses over Israel's war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attacks.

MORE: Morehouse College not rescinding Biden's commencement invitation amid some Israel criticism

PHOTO: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris arrive for a visit to Ebenezer Baptist Church, in Atlanta, GA, Jan. 11, 2022. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

The honorary degree process, typically voted on earlier in the year, is a regular occurrence at Morehouse. Every year, faculty must vote to confer the commencement speaker's honorary degree. This year, due to an "oversight in the process," faculty didn't vote until Thursday.

Several students sent a letter to the faculty pleading with them to vote against giving Biden the honorary degree.

"I think a degree is something you earn," said sophomore Anwar Karim, one of the students who joined in on that letter. "I failed to find any sort of qualification that earns Biden such an honor."

Honorary degrees are often awarded to people who have made significant contributions to their field. Biden has received several honorary degrees for his contributions in politics.

A faculty member who spoke to ABC News on the condition of anonymity said they voted in favor of giving the president an honorary degree -- and they planned to vote for Biden in November.

"I think it's important to consider that you're not just voting for one person, you're voting for the team. I trust the team," the faculty member said.

MORE: Police arrest 50 people on UC Irvine campus as protesters occupy lecture hall

Morehouse's board and students from the Atlanta University Center Consortium -- a collaboration between four historically black colleges and universities in the region, which includes Morehouse -- were told by chair of the board, Willie Woods, to find a "tasteful" way to protest Biden's commencement speech, Karim, who attended the meeting, told ABC News. The Morehouse board is pushing for nonviolent protests.

Biden will be making his speech in an election year in a key swing state in front of a key voting bloc -- Morehouse is one of the country's most famous historically Black colleges. Biden has weighed in on student protests at college campuses, saying on local Atlanta-based radio show, "The Big Tigger Morning Show With Jazzy McBee," on Wednesday that although Americans have the right to "peacefully protest," shouting hate speech or participating in violence is "unacceptable."

He added: "I think, a lot of legitimate concerns, and people have a right to protest, to do it peacefully and I respect it."

While Biden has sought to balance sympathy for Palestinian civilians in Gaza with support for Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas, he has faced continuing criticism from younger and more progressive voters, particularly, for America's backing of Israel's operations, even as the White House has denounced some of Israel's actions.

PHOTO: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris watch as Martin Luther King III lays a wreath at the crypt of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., and his wife Coretta Scott King, in Atlanta, GA, Jan. 11, 2022. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

Last week, Steve Benjamin, who heads the White House Office of Public Engagement, held a two-hour meeting with a select group of students and faculty to discuss what they were interested in hearing during Biden's commencement address.

The group of students and faculty shared with the White House that they were not looking to hear a campaign speech from the president as he faces off against former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, in November, according to a White House official. Benjamin reassured the students that the focus would be on celebrating their graduation as well as the president's hopes for the students as they move forward with their futures.

Karim, the sophomore, said he is not necessarily concerned about Biden turning his commencement address into a campaign speech.

"I'm more concerned with if you are going to give a campaign speech, what are you going to say that might be of some use to us as young Black men?" he said.

The school's president, David A. Thomas, has expressed fear of a possible response from the police to a crowd that's largely comprised of Black people.

In an interview with NPR, Thomas said that if police had to be involved they would "cancel" commencement "on the spot."

"The last thing that we want to do is create a moment where someone is taken out of commencement by law enforcement because they are being disruptive," Thomas said. "Faced with the choice of having police take people out of the Morehouse commencement in zip ties, we would essentially cancel or discontinue the commencement services on the spot."

ABC News' Molly Nagle and Selina Wang contributed to this report.

Morehouse faculty votes to award Biden honorary degree amid commencement controversy over handling of war in Gaza originally appeared on abcnews.go.com






The Moses Lake School Board is not renewing the contracts of about 100 teachers, with more layoffs and program cuts expected, after the failure of the Educational Programs & Operations Levy, an $11 million accounting error and other factors.

In a special meeting Tuesday, board members in attendance unanimously voted to place Superintendent Monty Sabin on administrative leave. Assistant Superintendent Carol Lewis was named acting superintendent.

The nonrenewal notices are expected to be issued to provisional teachers, who are either in their first three years of teaching in Washington or who have received a low evaluation and meet other criteria, according to a news release from the district.

According to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Moses Lake School District had 491 classroom teachers this year. Nearly 8,850 students are enrolled at the district this year.

Some of the nonrenewal notices could be canceled if other budget cuts allow for teachers to be retained, according to North Central Education Services District staff.

The certificated staff reductions are expected to save about $13 million, the districts statement said.

The $11 million accounting error happened because of how school districts balance their books.

The districts balance sheet includes projected amount of revenue, which is supposed to be deducted from the balance sheet once the district receives the actual revenue.

However, according to a presentation during Saturdays special board meeting, the projected amounts were not removed for months. As a result, the amount of funds on hand was overstated for some time.

Because residents voted against renewing the levy, the district will also lose $4.2 million in assistance from the state, paid to districts with low property values to augment the local tax.

There will be reductions in administrative and classified staff as well, the district wrote, although the extent of those was not announced.

The deadline for reducing classified staff is June 1, the board was told at its meeting last week.

About 80% of the districts budget is allocated to staffing, the district wrote.

Hired in March 2022, Sabin was paid $255,500 per year, with his contract ending in August 2026. If he is let go without cause, the district is obligated to pay him either 18 months salary or the balance of his salary for the remaining time.

Seattle Times staff contributed to this report.






MEMPHIS, Tenn.  A Highland Heights man said he helped police catch a car burglar who tried to stab him in the driveway of his North Highland home Tuesday night.

The victim said just before 10 p.m., his three dogs began barking. He said he went outside to see what was happening and discovered someone had broken into his truck.

He said the drivers side doors and back camper windows of his 2002 Dodge Ram were open, and a man lunged at him a couple of times with a pocketknife.

Before I could even ask what was going on, hes already pulling a knife out, said the victim, who did not want to be identified. I stayed back, and thats when I pulled the baton out.

The victim said he hit the suspect on the leg with the baton, and he took off running. The man said thats when he jumped into his truck and began following the suspect.

I was trying not to get stabbed, he said. I just kept an eye on him, and he goes over to Given (Avenue), and Im finally able to stop, and he stops, and I call the cops, and thats when police showed up.

Police said they found the suspect, later identified as James Young, 58, in the backyard of a house in the 3400 block of Given Avenue and a pocketknife nearby.

Neighbors concerned after 3 arrested; kids, dogs removed from home

They found it in a flower bed. He was trying to stash it, the victim said.

The victim said that while he was chasing Young, he saw a $400 vehicle code reader that belonged to him fall out of Youngs pocket.

He said Young also shattered a window to get inside of his truck. The victim said he was glad he was able to stop him.

Thats my main thingjust getting the person doing that off the streets, he said.

Young was charged with aggravated assault and the burglary of a vehicle. He is being held on a $15,000 bond.

Young is scheduled to go before a judge on Thursday.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  With less than a week until the voting deadline for Oregons primary election, Multnomah County is working to ensure all ballots are properly counted.

Tuesday, May 21 is the last day for registered residents to postmark their ballot. Voters can also return them to a nearby drop-box by 8 p.m. that evening.

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Oregon is one of eight states with all-mail voting, a system that Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott said provides a sense of transparency.

We set a lot of the standards for how to conduct a mail election, Scott told KOIN 6. I think there are security features built into a vote-by-mail ballot that help make it secure. Every ballot envelope, whether its two ballots going to the same voter or not, has a unique identifier.

That unique identifier  a barcode  on the envelope is scanned by election staff. The barcode also helps ensure a residents vote isnt counted twice if they updated their address after a ballot was sent to their original location.

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Both the U.S. Postal Service and Multnomah County offer ballot-tracking services, although registered Oregonians shouldve received their ballots by May 9.

Ballots are only counted if the return envelope is signed by the voter. Scott explained that election workers compare envelope signatures to those on the registration card, to prevent fraud.

If officials determine the signatures dont match, they send a letter informing the resident their ballot cannot be counted. Voters then have another 21 days after the election date to provide a matching signature.

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After the envelope is opened, the ballots are counted using a tabulation system programmed by the Elections Division. To ensure the system works, the agency conducts two logic and accuracy tests  one of which the public is welcome to attend.

Just one of the security features of that system is that it is air-gapped, meaning it is never connected to the internet and its never connected to the county network. And then that way, no one could hack into the system remotely, Scott said.

According to the director, there are also many layers of in-person security that prevent all but a few election workers from accessing the room the system is held in.

Families of slain Portland women fight for justice

Multnomah County recorded an 8.47% voter turnout as of Thursday. Scott said this is low for a presidential primary, but comparable to the previous gubernatorial primary. Based on historical data, he expects between 35% and 40% of Oregons registered voters to return their ballots by Tuesday night.

But you probably shouldnt wait that long.

Its good to get your voting done as early as possible. That just allows you more time to make a plan. Know where youre going to drop your ballot if youre going to drop it off. Get it in the mail if youre going to mail it, he said.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW)  Drivers and pedestrians in downtown Wichita may notice a new mural that went up this week at First and Main Street.

A temporary mural marks the future home of The Kansas African American Museum in downtown Wichita, May 15, 2024. (KSN News Photo)

The temporary mural decorates the west side of the future home of The Kansas African American Museum, also known as TKAAM.

The message on the artwork is, Tell the story, the stories that have not been told.

Storytelling is the foundation of African and African American culture! TKAAM Executive Director Denise Sherman said in a news release. This mural project provides imagery, statements, and Adinkra symbols that encourage the entire community to join in with their own stories! Shared stories provide a conduit to better understanding, thus a deeper connection that enhances our lives!

TKAAM and Harvester Arts worked together on the Sankofa-Tell the Story project. It is designed to bridge the museums past, present, and future.

The museum is currently at 601 N. Water. It will move into the building at First and Main next year. Project artist Aaron Asis calls the mural a transition piece.

The piece is really just a visual manifestation of a relationship  and just really trying to look at what it means to transition from a past into a future, he said. In this particular case, TKAAM is occupying their current home, and they are looking to move into this home next year. So we really wanted it to not just be about, you know, the past and the future moments, but what can we do to really build relationships and highlight storytelling during that transition year.

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TKAAM says Sankofa is an expression in the Twi language of Ghana whose literal translation means to go back and get it. It evokes the past as a teaching tool: in order to find our way forward, we must look to our past to inform the future.

In addition to the mural, there is a Sankofa exhibition at TKAAMs current location, 601 N. Water. Visitors are invited to view the mural and the images of the past in the exhibition and engage in Sankofa, reflecting on pasts, presents and futures.

Asis explained why the mural is designed the way it is. The symbols and words at the bottom of the wall reflect meaningful pieces of programming for the museum and statements that were collected from museum stakeholders.

A temporary mural marks the future home of The Kansas African American Museum in downtown Wichita, May 15, 2024. (KSN News Photo)

A temporary mural marks the future home of The Kansas African American Museum in downtown Wichita, May 15, 2024. (KSN News Photo)

A temporary mural marks the future home of The Kansas African American Museum in downtown Wichita, May 15, 2024. (KSN News Photo)

The image itself has one bold statement that talks about telling your story, not just the stories we expect to hear but the stories that are really real, he said. And not just for one particular community, but for all communities to share. With two figures, two boys in this case, kind of walking into the future, so their backs are deliberately to us because theyre moving into the new museum which is a symbol of them moving into their new home.

Asis said drivers on First Street will see the image and the words.

They will take interest in things that are going on, not just in the future but also whats happening right now, he said. For the museum itself, its a daunting task to be transitioning. So, to slow down and actually realize that this is a moment in time to really celebrate where youve been and where youre going.

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Asis said the mural is designed to be temporary.

The mural will be up for a year, he said. Its sort of designed to kind of weather with that year so that it will be ready to be removed when the museum moves in. So that was also one of the selling points, is to really mark this moment of transition with intentionality and not be too precious with this image, but really have it be about the statement.

He said they will revisit what it looks like in a year and decide if it should be replaced with something more permanent or another temporary mural.

But its important for everybody to know, the mural was deliberately and intentionally designed to be a temporary thing, to really capture this moment of transition.

The public is invited to a reception at TKAAM, 601 N. Water, on June 13, from 5 to 7 p.m., to see the exhibition and share stories with the creative and community team that worked on the project.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV.
(KRON)  An alleged drug dealer is facing murder charges after a 29-year-old woman, Sarah Tillman, overdosed on fentanyl and died in her San Mateo apartment, according to prosecutors.

Phillip Thei Ng, 56, of Daly City, is accused of selling fentanyl to Tillman that caused her deadly overdose, the San Mateo County District Attorneys Office said. Ng made his first court appearance on Wednesday and he did not enter a plea.

San Mateo Police Department officers found Tillman dead at home on May 6, 2023 while officers conducted a welfare check. The DAs Office wrote, Prior to her death, victim had struggled with various forms of addiction (and) alcoholism while seeking admission to medical school.

Tillman graduated from Harvard University with a bachelors degree in neurobiology, court records show. She earned a masters degree in medical science at the University of Southern California in 2021, her LinkedIn page states.

Sarah Tillman (Image via LinkedIn / Sarah Tillman)

Tillman worked as a communications manager for Nobias Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company based in Silicon Valley, her page states.

In early 2023, she met Ng and began buying drugs from him, prosecutors said. In March of 2023, Tillman was revived with Narcan, a life saving opioid-reversing treatment, from a near-fatal overdose. Afterward, victim warned defendant he had nearly killed her with the drugs he sold her, prosecutors wrote.

While probing Tillmans death, investigators said they found text messages indicating that Ng sold her drugs, again, just before she died. Prosecutors charged Ng with first-degree murder.

Ng will return to the San Mateo County Hall of Justice on May 22 for arraignment. He bailed out of jail on a $50,000 bail bond and he remains out of custody.

Cluster of fentanyl overdose deaths reported in Marin County

Ng is also facing a civil case filed against him. Tillmans parents, who live in Marin County, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in February.

The lawsuit states that Tillman died from a mixture of fentanyl and bromazepam with amphetamine. Her family believes that the victim did not intend to use fentanyl and bromazepam. The young womans life was tragically cut short due to drugs supplied by Phillip Ng  causing an accidental overdose, attorneys wrote in the lawsuit.

Sarah-Tillman-lawsuitDownload

The civil lawsuit demands a jury trial.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
A national Muslim advocacy group is suing Gov. Greg Abbott for singling out pro-Palestinian student groups and critics of Israel on Texas college campuses over his March executive order that aims to take stricter action against acts of antisemitism.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations argues that Abbotts order violates the First Amendment and falsely equates advocacy for Palestinian liberation  through slogans like From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free  to antisemitism. The organization is filing the lawsuit on behalf of Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Houston, Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Texas at Dallas, and the Democratic Socialists of America.

The executive order, which Abbott signed in March, directs Texas universities to review and update free speech policies to address the sharp rise in antisemitic speech and names expulsion as an appropriate punishment for violating such policies. It specifically names the Palestine Solidarity Committee and Students for Justice in Palestine as groups he believes have violated policies and should be subject to discipline.

Texas supports free speech, especially on university campuses, but that freedom comes with responsibilities for both students and the institutions themselves; and such speech can never incite violence, encourage people to violate the law, harass other students or other Texans, or disrupt the core educational purpose of a university, the executive order states.

The executive order came as tensions over the war between Israel and Gaza were heating up on college campuses, and nearly a month prior to the crackdown on University of Texas at Austin protests, where demonstrators attempting to build encampments on campus were forced out by police in riot gear and horses. More than 100 people were arrested. Two protestors were arrested at University of Texas Houston, and 21 protestors were arrested at the University of Texas at Dallas.

"Our community has a long history of opposing unjust policies that specifically target pro-Palestinian voices and we fully intend to keep that winning history in place with this legal challenge," William White, director of CAIR-Houston, said in a press release.

The Governors Office did not respond to immediate request for comment.

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.
NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW)  The owner of the Myrtle Beach Yellow House allegedly sold crack and heroin to a confidential informant before his arrest earlier this month, according to North Myrtle Beach police records.

Joseph Rideoutte was charged with two counts of possession of cocaine, three counts of manufacturing or distributing cocaine, trafficking cocaine, possession of fentanyl, manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance and possession of a schedule IV drug.

A confidential informant met with Rideoutte on May 2 to conduct a controlled narcotics purchase, a police report shows. The informant was equipped with audio/video recording before meeting with him.

During the meeting, Rideoutte gave the informant a quantity of suspected crack cocaine and heroin in exchange for money, according to the report. The informant then took the drugs back to North Myrtle Beach police.

A search warrant was then conducted at a home on Birchwood Street in North Myrtle Beach, where Rideoutte and another person were taken into custody.

Rideoutte was arrested May 2 and was released the next day on a $170,000 bond, online booking records show.

The Yellow House at 407 4th Avenue N. was ordered to be closed for good in January by 15th Circuit Court Judge Kristi R. Curtis, according to publicly available legal filings. Previously, a judge in 2019 ordered it closed for a year.

The Yellow House was closed on three separate occasions by a circuit judge due to being a nuisance. The most recent order to close the house expired in April 2022.

When the most recent order expired, Myrtle Beach police responded to calls on the property for assault and drug dealing, prompting 15th Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson to file a petition to shut the house down under South Carolinas nuisance law.

* * *

Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.
By Leyla Tariverdiyeva / Day.az





I remember that at one time, when the local opposition had not yet abandoned the senseless idea of passing off their own interests as national ones, ambassadors or employees of embassies of some states, some individuals clearly not of oriental appearance, were noticed at the actions that took place. But it was done very modestly and almost under a mask. To stand next to the protesters, and even more so to take up the microphone, was out of the question. This was absolutely out of the question. Even the powers were aware that Baku does not tolerate interference in its internal affairs and always suppresses them very harshly.





Diplomatically, of course. This is the principled position of a strong government of a strong state, stemming from international law. Attempts to destabilise or take control of the republic were conducted behind the scenes. No one wanted to be highlighted as a sponsor of the riots, disavow themselves and become the cause of a scandal. Because interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state is unacceptable, and once caught, it will not be possible to remain white and fluffy.





When Azerbaijan legislatively put an end to the financing of parties and NGOs from abroad, the indignation of the "democratic world" did not last long. Baku has always raised the issue of personal space very harshly. States have it as well as individuals. And it does not matter whether it is a power or a small state of the South Caucasus. In the end, everyone had to take it into account. Recently, demagoguery against Azerbaijan has been heard less and less often. And if baseless criticism is voiced by officials, then after a short diplomatic therapy it turns out that we misunderstood them.





These reflections were prompted by the news of the arrival in Georgia without an official invitation of the Foreign Ministers of Latvia, Estonia, Iceland and Lithuania, as well as the chairmen of the parliamentary committees on foreign affairs of Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania and Finland. This landing force landed in Tbilisi as a sign of support, we quote, for the "struggle for the European future."





We will not discuss, support or condemn what is happening in Georgia. This is an internal matter of our neighbour. We can only observe. But the fact of the arrival of such a large number of high-ranking "tourists" from Europe is very curious. And here we cannot remain just observers. If only because among these uninvited guests there are people who do not sympathise with us, who are an example of double standards in the flesh.





Let's take the same Mrs. Tordis Kolbrun Rijkfjord Gilfadottir, the Foreign Minister of Iceland, who, as Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, was very loudly outraged by the action of Azerbaijani environmentalists on the Lachin road. It turns out that blocking streets with garbage cans in Yerevan or Tbilisi with the aim of changing power is a democratic protest, and outrage at the illegal exploitation of the bowels of Azerbaijan by Armenians is ethnic cleansing and almost genocide.





Or another gentleman from among the "tourists" who arrived in Georgia - Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis. In his profile in X, he admired the Armenians, who, they say, faced "severe humanitarian consequences" due to the "closure" of the Lachin road, and demanded that Baku comply with some decisions of the International Court of Justice. It was even inconvenient to hear accusations against Azerbaijan from the minister of a country where the policy towards national minorities is harshly and openly discriminatory. As in other Baltic countries, by the way. Lithuania's support for separatism is also going through strange turns. Separatism is supported when it comes to Azerbaijan or China, but it is equated to a terrible evil when it comes to Ukraine or Georgia.





There is also such an odious person among the arrivals as the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Bundestag, Michael Roth. He has already managed to shout into the microphone at the rally and declare that "today Tbilisi is the real capital of Europe." However, for some reason, Tbilisi is declared the capital of Europe only when the West has its own plans for Georgia, and at other times they forget about the republic. Georgia's long-term expectation of the status of a candidate for membership of the European Union ended with a plus only because Europe needed to resolve the issue of Ukraine and accelerate Armenia up this ladder. Therefore, both Georgia and Moldova as a whole were accepted as candidates at the same time. If it were not for the need to promote Armenia, Georgians would have to wait another twenty years for compliance with the "high European standards of democracy."





Roth visited Armenia last fall, and our ears are still ringing from the statements coming from there. "We are on the side of Armenia! "Stop the Azerbaijani and Russian aggression against Armenian democracy!" shouted Roth. He called on the European Union to act immediately, abandon Azerbaijani gas and impose sanctions. Roth supported Yerevan as the head of the Foreign Ministry. When asked about the Armenian mines, he pretended to be deaf and turned the conversation to the Armenian "prisoners".





In this case, the "democratic landing" does not perform a pro-Armenian function, now it has another task. But questions arise for him. For example, I wonder why Europe is silent about what is happening in Armenia today. Yes, it is clear that Nikol Pashinyan is a pro-Western prime minister and the leader of the protests Srbazan is a revanchist, provocateur and fraudster, but I think it's not about Srbazan. The piquancy of the situation lies in the fact that the West has never interfered with what is happening in Armenia and has never condemned or spoken out, even during the rule of the pro-Russian Karabakh clan. Azerbaijan faced "democratic" hysteria over every sneeze of the local opposition, while in Yerevan, the authorities really terrorised the people with complete silence from the West. When Kocharian shot demonstrators in 2008, no one threatened Armenia with sanctions. During the reign of Serzh Sargsyan, protests constantly shook the country and were suppressed very cruelly.





It is worth recalling the long-running protests of 2014, when Yerevan was practically paralysed for two months. Journalists besieged representatives of Western countries in the hope of hearing at least a word of condemnation against the authorities. And they always heard in response: "This is an internal matter of Armenia and we cannot interfere in it." At that time, the Armenian media indignantly quoted members of the Belgian delegation who illegally visited the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and returned to Yerevan just at the height of the riots. The Belgians expressed delight at the level of "Armenian democracy" and stated that they "are not going to comment on the internal affairs of Armenia."





All of the above raises one inevitable question: what kind of democracy did all these people come to teach Georgians? Inevitably, analogies also arise with the times of the Ukrainian Maidan, when the same "tourists" came to Kiev to teach democracy to Ukrainians. It seems that the Ukrainian people would have solved their problems much more effectively without external interests and without such terrible consequences as war.





The Georgian people would also have coped with their problems perfectly on their own. And we wish him that with all our hearts.
On May 15, while Palestinians were commemorating a particularly poignant anniversary of the Nakba, the Israeli army ordered the forced evacuation of the inhabitants of two other neighborhoods in the north of the Strip: Shaykh Zaid and Al Mansihya, near Beit Lahiya. If the previous anniversary was symbolic because it marked 75 years since the mass expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to create the State of Israel in 1948, the 76th is even more so: the word Nakba has returned in recent months to the political vocabulary of the Middle East, not as a past memory of the great catastrophe that shapes the Palestinian identity, but as a new and present threat after seven months of war in Gaza with no end in sight.

Some 450,000 people have fled Rafah  the last refuge for the vast majority of Palestinians in the Strip  since last week when Israel seized the border crossing with Egypt and ordered a partial evacuation with a view to launching a ground offensive, according to United Nations data. The war in Gaza has generated the largest forced displacement of Palestinians since the Nakba, which translates as catastrophe in Arabic, when some 750,000 Palestinians (two thirds of the Arab population in the current State of Israel) were expelled or fled between 1947 and 1949 in the face of the advance of, at first, Jewish militias and later the newly created Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

On the eve of the anniversary, the Israeli armys Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, issued a mandatory evacuation order for Al-Atatra and Salatin, two areas of Jabalia, the largest refugee camp in Gaza (populated by the descendants of those who fled during the Nakba), which the IDF has reoccupied and in which more than 100,000 civilians are estimated to remain. Hamas and other terrorist organizations are carrying out terrorist activities and firing rockets [from there] at Israeli localities, he said.

If there is one place where Nakba is more than just a word, it is Gaza. Two-thirds of its 2.3 million inhabitants hold refugee status, inherited from those that fled seven decades ago. After the first Arab-Israeli war (1948-1949), Israel prevented them from returning and destroyed their homes or built agricultural cooperatives or national parks over the more than 400 villages where they had lived. In total, nearly six million Palestinians spread across Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria have refugee status, with hundreds of thousands more in other countries.

Fawzia Abu Libdeh is one of the Palestinians who lived through the Nakba. She told Al Jazeera television that this is the worst war she has experienced since she arrived in Gaza in 1948. None [of the previous conflicts] is like this one. They torture us to leave our land, but we are from here and we will not leave, she said.

Umm Mohammed, 80, originally from the Negev desert town then known in Arabic as Bir Seba (today, Beer Sheva in Israel), tells a similar story. She escaped to Gaza as a child with her family and today she is trying to escape again in a tent in Rafah, under the threat of an Israeli offensive or a new exodus. There is no catastrophe worse than this one, she told Reuters, using the word that gives its name to the Nakba. Ive been here for about 80 years and a catastrophe like this, I have not seen. Our homes have gone, our children have gone, our property has gone, our gold has gone, our incomes have gone  nothing is left. What is left for us to cry over?

Palestinians flee Rafah after Israeli forces launched a ground and air operation, May 13, 2024. Mohammed Salem (REUTERS)

Its how itll end

The historical parallel is not only on the lips of Palestinians. Last November, in the first month of the war and during the massive displacement of 1.1 million people from northern Gaza, Israels Minister of Agriculture and a member of the Israeli security cabinet, Avi Dichter (of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Likud political formation), used the expression Gaza Nakba 2023, before adding, Its how itll end. We are now rolling out the Gaza Nakba. From an operational point of view, there is no way to wage a war  as the IDF seeks to do in Gaza  with masses between the tanks and the soldiers, he said.

The ministers of the ultra-nationalist religious right, who intend to resume a permanent military presence in Gaza and rebuild the settlements that Ariel Sharons government unilaterally evacuated in 2005, have also been advocating for months what they have termed as voluntary emigration, a euphemism for creating even more hellish conditions to force Gazans to leave the Strip.

The displacement from northern Gaza at beginning of the war was the first major population exodus, but flight (whether directly ordered by the Israeli army or not) has become the norm since then. Either from house to house (or collective shelters or tents), and from locality to locality, depending on the intensity of the Israeli bombardments or fighting on the ground. Shelling and controlled explosions have also damaged or destroyed most of the residential areas in the north of the Strip.

Despite the importance of the event and the symbolism of the moment, there were no mass demonstrations on Wednesday, either in the Palestinian territories or in the diaspora. In Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority, thousands of people occupied the main square with a large Palestinian flag and a black flag emblazoned with a map of historic Palestine and a key  the symbol of the homes abandoned in the Nakba and that many refugees still physically preserve  as well as the word return, in Arabic and English.

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In late October, a mysterious nonprofit registered with the state of Delaware. Within months, it was funneling millions of dollars to conservative causes.

Last week, the Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging that the new group, Ardleigh Impact Corporation, bears the marks of a shell entity specifically created to pump big donors money into politics while masking their identities.

The alleged setup, known as a straw donor scheme, would violate federal law, the complaint states.

Its no surprise that the entity drew the CLCs attention. As the complaint notes, Ardleigh does not operate a website or any social media pages, does not appear in various corporate databases, and has no discernible public footprint. In fact, at the time of the complaintbefore news sites picked up the storythe only publicly available evidence of the nonprofits existence were the donations documented in FEC reports and its articles of incorporation, which it had unsurprisingly registered with the notoriously opaque state of Delaware.

Republicans Are Making Dark Money Even Darker for 2024

However, those incorporation documents, obtained by The Daily Beast, reveal key details not found in the complaint. Ardleighs officers, however, refused to provide The Daily Beast with any information about the groups activities.

First, the incorporation records identify the groups organizers as experienced political operatives, including, apparently, the professional strategist who ran Dr. Mehmet Ozs failed Senate campaign in 2022. They also show that Ardleigh Impact Corp. is not organized as a private company, but a 501(c)(4) nonprofita dark money group. However, additional business filings show that Ardleigh Impact Corp. has an apparent twin entitya private limited liability corporation called Ardleigh Impact LLC, also registered in Delaware.

The new information increases the likelihood that Ardleigh Impact Corp. is, as the complaint alleges, specifically designed to function at least in part as a vehicle for anonymously funding political activity. However, the fact that Ardleigh Impact Corp. is a dark money nonprofitand therefore permitted to participate in limited election activitywould also seem to rule out claims that it is a shell company, potentially deflating one of the complaints arguments while simultaneously introducing new questions about transparency.

Tax regulations do not require nonprofits like Ardleigh Impact Corp. to disclose their donors, making it highly unlikely that the public will ever learn who funds the entity. By extension, that means the public will also likely never know the ultimate source of the millions of dollars that Ardleigh has already poured into those GOP groupshence the dark in dark money.

New Complaint Alleges Trump Campaign Hid Millions in Lawyer Payments

Chief among the groups organizers is Alexander Reid, a partner at BakerHostetler who specializes in tax-exempt organizations. Reid has a history of challenging transparency regulations, including a 2016 Supreme Court brief in support of a nonprofits ultimately failed effort to scrap disclosure requirements.

The month before Reid incorporated Ardleigh Impact Corp. as a 501(c)(4), he told Bloomberg that political pressures can make it difficult for the IRS to enforce existing laws regulating 501(c)(4) groups. Such action, Reid said, always creates a perception of fairness or unfairness, based on which side of the argument youre on. (It is difficult to see the downside to a perception of fairness.) Reids firm, BakerHostetler, promoted his appearance on its website.

Reid, it turns out, is also listed as the authorized representative of the nonprofits apparent twin, Ardleigh Impact LLC. The LLC was registered in Delaware just one week after Ardleigh Impact Corp, though its purpose is unclear. Outside of those filings, the LLC does not appear to have any public presence whatsoever. Its registered agent is Registered Agents Inc., a company that Wired reported enables hundreds of thousands of businesses to operate in near-total secrecy.

Asked about the arrangement, Reid was light on the details, telling The Daily Beast in a text message, Im not sure what else I can say about the 501(c)(4).

Im afraid I dont have materials to share about all the c4s activities, he added. Ive asked the client but they are not prepared to share anything at present. Sorry about that!

Conservative Group Accidentally Reveals Its Secret Donors. Some of Them Are Liberal Orgs.

However, Reid shed a little more light on the LLC, saying that the company was formed to hold an asset, but that the LLC was never used because it wasnt needed. He did not clarify the nature of the asset or whether it was held under any other entity, and did not say whether the LLC would be shut down.

A tax document filed by Ardleigh Impact Corporation also identifies the companys director as Casey Contres. Public records reveal only three people in the country with that name. The most prominent of them served as Dr. Ozs campaign manager for his 2022 Pennsylvania Senate bid. Before that, Contres worked as chief of staff for Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), as campaign manager for Sen. Cory Gardners (R-CO) 2020 Senate race, and as communications director for Rep. Bill Schuster (R-PA).

The address listed for Contres on the document does not appear to be his own. Instead, its the address for a property that belongs to Staci Goede, who is listed as the nonprofits treasurer. Goede has also been listed as the treasurer for numerous other groups, for which there is more publicly available information, including Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkins (R) inaugural committee and a super PAC called Empowering Virginia Parents that received the bulk of its money from the governors super PAC, for which Goede also served as treasurer.

Contres and Goede did not reply to The Daily Beasts request for comment.

Saurav Ghosh, director of federal reform at CLC, told The Daily Beast that Ardleighs nonprofit status does not change the fact that it appears to have been used as a straw donor to funnel over $2.5 million to multiple super PACs.

As our complaint makes clear, Ghosh said, there is no indication that Ardleigh engaged in any activity from which it could finance these contributions without others giving it money for that purpose. And the apparent involvement of a well-known political operative only further supports the conclusion that Ardleigh was unlawfully used to conceal the true contributors identities from required public disclosure.

Even if everything Ardleigh is doing turns out to pass legal muster, experts told The Daily Beast that the steps its creators took to obscure its purposes were all but guaranteed to spark suspicion.

Everything about how this corporation was organized seems fishy, Robert Maguire, vice president for research and data at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, told The Daily Beast. Formed in Delaware, a state where people intentionally incorporate corporations because there is no disclosure requirement for who is behind it, where the money might be coming from.

Then the fact that this corporation apparently, just months after incorporating, had enough money to pour millions into PACs, also raises more red flags, Maguire continued. All while it has no apparent public facing materials or business operations. It really checks all the boxes when it comes to the kind of questionable shell companies we have seen in campaign finance data.

New Docs Show Oregon Dems Support for Shady Cannabis Grant

And because Ardleigh is registered as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, it is tax-exempt with the understanding it is created exclusively to promote social welfare. But that doesnt always turn out to be the case.

501(c)(4s) are social welfare organizations that increasingly have been misused to spend money for political purposes, Aaron Scherb, director of legislative affairs at Common Cause, told The Daily Beast. Under the IRS tax code, they don't have to disclose their donors. And so that's why they've become a popular vehicle for people who are trying to use dark money to influence political outcomes.

Technically, the law allows these types of nonprofits to engage in political campaigns, as long as doing so does not constitute their primary activity. But it can be tricky to define what is political engagement and what is a primary activity. For instance, a 501(c)(4) may argue that it spends 51 percent of its money on politics but the bulk of its time on other, exempt activities, like issue advocacy or public engagement. Such groups also frequently violate the spirit of the law by masking political advocacy as issue advocacy, for instance, by running ads that tell voters to call their congressman about a particular topic, rather than vote against him.

Ardleigh, of course, doesnt currently seem interested in demonstrating to the public that it really does perform issue advocacy work.

Just from an optics standpoint, they would need to have public facing websites, information about who's behind the group, who's employed by the group, Maguire said when asked what would legitimize the group. Basically make a case for their social welfare function beyond giving to political groups.

Because nonprofits like Ardleigh are not intended to be used for political purposes, the group is not subject to the frequent filing deadlines that apply to super PACs, which fit neatly into the election cycle. The 501(c)(4) classification means that the group will not have to file a tax return until autumn of 2025, long after this years elections.

The Mysterious Dark Money Group Connecting Trump, Christie, and DeSantis

Thanks to FEC requirements, the public does have transparency around the more than $2.5 million the nonprofit poured into politics in February and March. Six entities have so far benefited from Ardleighs largesse. According to FEC records, Ardleigh directed $700,000 to a recently registered super PAC called Defend Ohio Values PAC, whose website features a video praising failed Ohio Senate candidate Matt Dolan; $625,000 to another pro-Dolan super PAC; $500,000 to the Congressional Leadership Fund; $400,000 to Conservatives for American Excellence; $200,000 to a super PAC backing Montana Senate candidate Tim Sheehy, and $150,000 to a super PAC that advocates for school choice at the state level.

Even if Ardleigh is engaged in legitimate nonprofit work, the public is unlikely to learn who furnished its funds.

Watchdog groups have argued for years that the decision of three Republican commissioners to deadlock votes on enforcement have prevented increased transparency. Scherb suggested that the deadlocks seem to give a green light to straw donor schemes.

If they know that there's no action, he said, Or if they know that there's, at most, going to be a slap on the wrist, it sends a signal that there can kind of be the Wild West again of campaign finance laws.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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(KRON)  A repeat DUI driver was convicted of second-degree murder on Wednesday following a jury trial in Napa County Superior Court.

Jurors convicted Mauricio Ramirez Aguilar, 40, of murdering Constantine Tsavalas, 87, of Yountville, in a 2020 collision on Highway 29.

This verdict sends a powerful message to those who make the choice of getting behind the

wheel of a vehicle while they are impaired, said Deputy District Attorney Kayla Richeson.

The deadly crash happened at 3 p.m. on Oct. 17, 2020 near Yountville. Aguilar was driving a white pickup truck southbound along Highway 29 at a high rate of speed when he collided with a Nissan pathfinder driven by the victim who was entering the highway from Hoffman Lane.

Aguilar had a blood alcohol content of .204 percent, nearly three times the legal limit of .08 percent, and drove at speeds of 86 miles per hour, Napa County prosecutors said.

Before the deadly wreck, Aguilar was convicted of two DUI crashes. In 2008, Aguilar was drunk when he hit a parked car along Kansas Avenue in Napa, prosecutors said.

The second DUI happened right in front of a California Highway Patrol office on January 27, 2019. Aguilar drove his vehicle into a power pole on Golden Gate Drive and electrical lines set his car on fire. Aguilar was knocked unconscious and his car burst into flames. He was rescued by firefighters who extricated him, prosecutors said.

Less than two years after firefighters saved his life, Aguilar drove drunk again, crashed, and killed Tsavalas, prosecutors said.

At Aguilars first two DUI sentencing hearings, a judge gave him a Watson Admonition, a court warning that it is extremely dangerous to human life to drive while under the influence of alcohol. The admonition also included a stern warning that he could be charged with murder if he killed someone while driving drunk in the future.

With the jurys murder verdict on Wednesday, those prior warnings proved to be true.

The evidence in this case was clear, the facts were undeniable, and the truth of the matter

unmistakable, Deputy District Attorney Katie Susemihl said. The conviction of Mr. Aguilar ensures that our community is safer, and it honors the memory of the victim whose life was unjustly taken.

Aguilar will be sentenced on June 12 by Napa County Superior Court Judge Elia Ortiz.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  NASA directed a $5 million grant to glaciologist Dr. Helen Fricker with UC San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography to identify in real time the melting of critical ice sheets due to climate change.

Antarctica and Greenland are the two ice sheets we are monitoring because as they are losing mass around the edges. They are losing ice and melting. That ice is going into the ocean and causing the ocean to rise, explained Dr. Fricker.

Lawyer for Maya Millete estate conservator says her property is missing

NASA has identified four potential investigative missions for major funding to help understand our changing climate but only two will receive funding of the $310 million and have their investigative satellites launched for advanced Earth monitoring.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography was granted two chances to have their proposals move forward.

We are worried about, or concerned about, how much ice we are going to lose around the ice sheets. That is going to have ramifications all around the world, especially for island nations and low laying areas, said Dr. Fricker.

At home in San Diego, that could mean Imperial Beach, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach  any beach community  could feel the impacts of the sea level rise.

Dr. Fricker said her proposed mission will utilize a satellite firing 40 lasers to map in real time the loss of ice sheets into the water.

With the orbit choice for this mission edge, weve chosen it for where all the changes are concentrated, she explained. So we will get really really dense maps of the change.

With the clear information only, glaciologists might be able to identify what might be coming to a San Diego County beach  and soon.

A lot of this is about modeling because you need to be able predict the future, but you have to know what is happening now to do that, said Dr. Fricker.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
NASA Mars Rover Following Path of What Appears to Be Ancient River

Lazy River

NASA's Mars Curiosity rover's operators have made up their minds, and the off world vehicle will continue down a rocky ridge that scientists believe was once a raging river.

Earlier this month, the lonely rover arrived at the upper area of the Gediz Vallis ridge, a "snake-like path" reminiscent of the channels rivers carve back on Earth.

That left the team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab with a big decision: either the rover would continue along Gediz Vallis to look for a place to cross it  or venture out to the south side of Pinnacle Ridge, which is traversable according to the latest uploaded data.

Ultimatley, the team settled on continuing along Gediz Vallis.

"I really love operations days like today," JPL planetary geologist Abigail Fraeman wrote in a NASA update. "We came in this morning with a completely new Martian vista to admire, and then we had to work together as a team to make a quick decision about what to do next."

Glow Up

Curiosity has already proven invaluable in shedding new light on the Red Planet's ancient past, accumulating clues that suggest its surface was once teeming with roaring rivers.

Last year, scientists analyzed new data obtained by the tenacious rover, concluding that these rivers could've even hosted ancient life. Crater formations called "bench-and-nose landforms" are likely remnants of ancient riverbeds, researchers concluded in a study.

"This analysis is not snapshot, but a record of change," said coauthor and Penn State assistant professor of geosciences Benjamin Cardenas in a statement at the time. "What we see on Mars today is the remnants of an active geologic history, not some landscape frozen in time."

And Curiosity is only scratching the surface. Scientists believe other parts of the Martian surface could've also been formed and shaped by sediment that was once carried by rivers billions of years ago, a time when the planet likely looked completely unrecognizable.

More on Curiosity: Mars Loaded With Mineral Closely Associated With Life, NASA Rover Finds
Nashville man indicted for bank robbery while on supervised release for other bank robbery convictions

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  A man was has been indicted in connection with a Nashville bank robbery that took place after he was released from federal prison, where he served time for two other robberies.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said a federal grand jury returned an indictment on Wednesday, May 15, charging 44-year-old Jeremy Stacey Godwin, of Nashville, with one count of bank robbery.

PREVIOUS: Man arrested for robbing bank on Nolensville Pike

According to the indictment and publicly available information, Godwin entered a Truist Bank on Nolensville Pike on April 9, where he demanded money while threatening to use a firearm. Officials said the bank teller gave Godwin approximately $2,400 before he fled the scene on foot.

Godwin was arrested when a concerned citizen contacted law enforcement after seeing local media outlets reporting on the bank robbery, which showed surveillance images of the suspect, the DOJ said.

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At the time of Aprils incident, authorities said Godwin was on supervised release after serving his prison sentences for prior convictions involving a SunTrust Bank robbery in Nashville on Sept. 3, 2016, and a Chase Bank robbery in Indianapolis on Sept. 8, 2017.

If convicted for the most recent bank robbery, Godwin faces up to 20 years in federal prison, according to the DOJ.

CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime news from Middle Tennessee

This case was reportedly investigated by the FBI and the Metro Nashville Police Department.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
About 417 standard football fields could fit side by side in the area known as Nashvilles East Bank, between the Cumberland River and Interstate 24.

Over the next several decades, the area is expected to completely transform.

New neighborhoods will emerge, anchored by a transit hub, entertainment venues, shopping centers and a new football stadium. Generations of people will live, work and play in those 550 acres.

But first, the city is set to partner with The Fallon Company to build the first true phase  on approximately 30 acres of land surrounding the site of the forthcoming new Nissan Stadium.

Its a tall order, but it hasnt come without preparation. The Metro Planning Department embarked on a yearslong public engagement process to create Imagine East Bank  a vision document intended to inform the development of both city-owned and privately held land in the area. The vast majority of the city-owned land is currently paved over with parking lots.

"Really great neighborhoods evolve over time," said Metro Planning Director Lucy Kempf. "While we are very quickly setting the framework, the implementation of that is going to take a long time."

This will not be the first time Nashville sees a brand new neighborhood rise out of the ground. Other examples of urban master-planned neighborhoods include the Gulch and Nashville Yards. Those two areas look dramatically different after millions of dollars of investment and years of development, and both dealt with geographic constraints  like the train tracks and rail yards that carve up the area.

One thing is apparent: The development of the East Bank will be measured in decades, not years. And the plan will likely need to adapt along the way.

What can the East Bank development learn from the Gulch?

MarketStreet Enterprises, the master developer of the Gulch, bought its first property in the area about 25 years ago. It's the only other time the city partnered with a master developer to plan a Nashville neighborhood.

MarketStreet's partnership with the city helped lay the groundwork for crucial investment on the public infrastructure side of the development  specifically underground utility improvements and roadway realignment. Those projects laid out a new neighborhood grid for MarketStreet to build on.

The real estate company, in tandem with the city and other developers, steered the transformation of the 60-acre plot into one of the most attractive downtown neighborhoods today, packed with both locally owned and nationally popular businesses.

The city's first phase of East Bank development, by comparison, is about 30 acres in size and includes many of the same basic elements as the Gulch. New buildings will include apartments, hotels, retail and restaurants. Public infrastructure, including an improved street grid, will be crucial to efficient multimodal transportation at the site.

But 25 years in, the Gulch's 60 acres are only about halfway done, according to MarketStreet. Deliberate planning by the firm over time has allowed the neighborhood to grow alongside the rest of Nashville.

The new Nissan Stadium on Nashville's East Bank will need to be ready by 2027. Development of city-owned land around the stadium, however, will be a longer process.

A home is reflected in the window of a new house that is being constructed on 5th Avenue in Salemtown in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, May 9, 2024.

How big is the Nashville Yards project?

Meanwhile, Nashville Yards has emerged near downtown over the last decade. Comprised of several towers developed by San Diego-based Southwest Value Partners, the Yards includes Amazons Nashville headquarters, the Grand Hyatt hotel, multiple apartment buildings and the forthcoming headquarters of Pinnacle Financial Partners. The overall development spans about 19 acres.

The Nashville Yards project took design cues from the dense downtown area, with building heights ranging from 20 to 35 stories. In addition to offices for Amazon and Pinnacle, the site will be home to a Nashville office for Creative Artists Agency, a concert venue and 650 residential apartments.

The result will be an active and dense urban neighborhood filled with office workers and residents by day and concert attendees and restaurantgoers by night, according to Southwest Value Partners.

Nashville Yards has already been in development for a decade, and work is expected to continue on the site for years to come. The buildings on either end of the footprint  Amazon to the north and the Grand Hyatt hotel to the south  were completed first, while the creative offices and concert venue in the middle will be completed later. East Bank construction, on the other hand, will start with Nissan Stadium and work outward toward the Cumberland River and interstate.

Other publicly owned developments

One example of a publicly owned property that was developed by the city is the Music City Center, which sits on about 21 acres of land and opened in 2013.

When it was built, the Music City Center was the most expensive civic project in Nashville's history at $623 million. An additional $245 million in public spending went to the construction of the adjoining Omni Hotel.

Apartment buildings are being constructed on the east side of the river in Nashville , Tenn., Thursday, May 9, 2024.

The project took three years from groundbreaking to opening and sits at the heart of some of the most high-profile downtown development in Nashville over the past decade. Nashville's convention popularity is second only to Orlando, Florida, according to the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp.

The city also owns and plans to transform the former Hickory Hollow Mall, which occupies about 27 acres of land in the Antioch area. The city greenlit demolition of the water-damaged interior of the mall, and a master plan is expected to be finalized in late summer.

The city purchased the derelict mall in 2022 for $44 million.

By the numbers: Nashville's East Bank compared to other developments

East Bank: 550 acres

Metro-owned land: 110 acres

First development phase: 30 acres

The Gulch: 60 acres

Hickory Hollow Mall: 27 acres

Nashville Yards: 19 acres

Music City Center: 21 acres

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How does Nashville's East Bank compare to the Gulch? Nashville Yards?
Nassau Community Colleges teachers union slapped the school with an ethics complaint for dishing out $120,000 to a lobbying firm backing a controversial casino project, The Post has learned.

The NCC Federation of Teachers accused leaders at the public college of breaking the law when it approved a contract for Shenker, Russo & Clark to back a proposal to build a Sands casino at Nassau Coliseum.

This is a clear violation of New York State Public Officers Law, the union said in its complaint, filed with the state Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government and obtained by The Post.

Nassau Community Colleges teachers union has issued the school an ethics complaint for giving $120,000 to a lobbying firm that supports the Sands casino proposal at Nassau Coliseum. Newsday via Getty Images

The deal, which paid the firm to lobby on casinos as well as push for education funding, was an improper expenditure and substantial conflict that may jeopardize NCCs not-profit-status, the complaint claims.

The community college is located next to the Coliseum in Uniondale and the officials have publicly supported the project, which is backed by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and the Republican-led county legislature.

A trustee on NCCs board  Long Island Federation of Labor president John Durso  is a big booster of the Sands Casino project as a jobs generator.

Jerry Korthbluth, NCCs vice president, has called the casino project a win-win for Nassau Community College.

The casino lobbying comes as NCC has come under criticism for shuttering its dining hall for 11,000 students, replacing it with mobile food trucks.

A rendering of the proposed casino at Nassau Coliseum.

NCCs support for the Sands casino contrasts with Hofstra University, the private college nearby that has spearheaded opposition to the project and has filed lawsuits that have temporarily sidelined the plan.

The complaint said the two-year lobbying contract with the firm coincided with backing for the project by Blakeman and county lawmakers.

The complaint slammed NCC for expending taxpayer dollars and the resources of a public institution of higher education to lobby for a casino and gaming corporation.

NCC is heavily reliant on county funding for its services.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakemen backs the Nassau Coliseum casino project. Stephen Yang

Lobbying records filed by SR&C and NCC from last November through January said the firm lobbied on Gaming-Casinos as well as for education funding.

But in an amended registration filed on May 14, the firm omitted casinos from its description of lobbying work for NCC.

The ethics and lobbying commission declined comment, saying confidentiality restrictions bar it from discussing any pending complaint or investigative matter.

But NCC may benefit from a loophole that makes it exempt from scrutiny  at least by state ethics officials.

A 2021 advisory opinion by the ethics agency determined that the Public Officers Law does not cover the activities of the State University of New Yorks community colleges, based on a prior complaint involving a community college.

Only SUNY Administration and the enumerated SUNY Institutions in Education Law  not its community colleges  should be deemed state agencies under Public Officers Law, the opinion said.

Such an interpretation accords with the well established and long-standing treatment of SUNY community colleges as distinct from the SUNY system overall in the states education law, in federal and state case law, and by the SUNY system itself.

Hofstra University opposes the Nassau casino proposal. Las Vegas Sands Corporation

The opinion concluded that the commission doesnt have jurisdiction.

We are not aware of any complaint, said Richard Lauricella, COO & Chief Legislative Advisor at Shenker, Russo & Clarke.

The Post reached out to NCC, County Executive Blakeman and Sands for comment.

Numerous power players are vying for up to three casino licenses to operate in the New York City area, although state regulators arent expected to give the green light to any before 2025.
Dr. Henrietta Mann and President Joe Biden at the Arts and Humanities Award Ceremony at the White House Tuesday. (Photo/Cheriss May, for the National Endowment for the Humanities)

The National Native American Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the six outstanding individuals receiving induction into the 2024 Hall of Fame class. The 2024 National Native American Hall of Fame classs contributions to Indian Country span disciplines such as government, law, journalism, education, advocacy and the arts. They will be honored at a gala on Oct. 5 at the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City.

The 2024 inductees include Stanley Crooks (posthumous), Franklin Ducheneaux, Julie Kitka, Henrietta Mann, Veronica Homer Murdock (posthumous) and Te Ata, aka Mary Thompson Fisher (posthumous).

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.

Stanley Crooks, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. Crooks became a national Native American leader during his twenty-year tenure as Chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. He was a lifetime member of the National Congress of American Indians, helping establish the Embassy of Tribal Nations in Washington, D.C. Crooks served as the longtime chairman of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association and represented the SMSC at the National Indian Gaming Association.

Franklin Ducheneaux, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Ducheneaux played a crucial role in crafting virtually every landmark piece of Native American legislation before Congress, including the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975, the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, the Indian Child Welfare Act, the 1982 Indian Mineral Development Act, and, in 1990, the Native American Graves Repatriation Act.

Julie Kitka, Chugach Tribe / Alaska. Kitka was a long-serving president of the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) and served on Chugachs Board for more than two decades. In 2021, Kitka received the Walter J. Hickel Award for Distinguished Public Policy Leadership. She also received the 2022 Ecotrust Indigenous Leadership Awards (ILA) for her tireless commitment to ensuring and advancing the rights of Alaska Natives.

Henrietta Mann, Southern Cheyenne. Mann is a celebrated activist, educator, professor, and leading figure in developing programs devoted to Native American studies. As an elected Tribal Councilor for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, she helped author federal legislation that resulted in a $15 million settlement from the US government in 1967 as part of the Indian Claims Commission. Mann has been integral in developing Native American studies at colleges and universities nationwide. In 2000, she became the first Native American to hold the endowed chair of Native American studies at Montana State University and was honored with the Montana Governor's Humanities Award. In 2021, The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded Mann the National Humanities Medal.

Veronica Homer Murdock, Colorado River Indian TribesMohave. Murdock was the first woman president of the National Congress of American Indians and one of the founders of Women Empowering Women for Indian Nations (WEWIN). She served in the tribal administration as vice chair of the Colorado River Tribes from 1969 to 1979 and between 1977 and 1979.

Te Ata, Mary Thompson Fisher, Chickasaw Nation. Fisher was an award-winning storyteller and trained actress whose one-woman interpretations of American Indian folklore earned her national and international acclaim throughout her 70-year career. She traveled the world, performing for world leaders and heads of state, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Queen Elizabeth. Fisher was named the Ladies' Home Journal Woman of the Year in 1976. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1957 and named Oklahoma's first Official State Treasure in 1987.

About the Author: "Levi \"Calm Before the Storm\" Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation) is the founder, publisher and editor of Native News Online. Rickert was awarded Best Column 2021 Native Media Award for the print\/online category by the Native American Journalists Association. He serves on the advisory board of the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association. He can be reached at levi@nativenewsonline.net."

Contact: levi@nativenewsonline.net
Watch a previous NBC4 report on OCharleys Ohio closures in the video player above.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  A national steakhouse, which once operated several central Ohio restaurants that shuttered after the chain filed for bankruptcy, is returning to Columbus after purchasing a former OCharleys that closed last year for $2.6 million.

Logans Roadhouse acquired the property home to the shuttered OCharleys at 1657 Stringtown Road on May 8, according to the Franklin County Auditors Office. The new restaurant will mark Logans Columbus return, after the chains Easton location at 3969 Morse Crossing and Dublin restaurant at 7100 Sawmill Road both closed around 2016 when the chains previous owner filed for bankruptcy.

Local Mediterranean chain to expand with two more central Ohio eateries

Once completed, the new location will bring Logans Ohio footprint to three restaurants, with one location at 2170 W. 4th Street in Ontario and the second at 3720 Stone Creek Blvd. in Cincinnati.

Logans Roadhouse acquired the property home to the shuttered OCharleys at 1657 Stringtown Road on May 8. (Franklin County Auditors Office)

The former OCharleys is one of six Ohio restaurants that shuttered last year, among nearly two dozen locations that have closed in recent years. The Nashville-based chain closed the Stringtown Road eatery and a Westerville-area restaurant at 285 Cleveland Ave. in November.

The closures came after OCharleys Morse Road and Georgesville Square locations shuttered in August, along with the Miller Lane and Miamisburg Centerville Road restaurants in Dayton.

Like many brands in the casual dining space, we have faced unprecedented disruptions to our business over the last few years, said W. Craig Barber, OCharleys CEO, in a statement. It is always a difficult decision to close a store, but the decision aligns with a variety of actions to ensure we continue to thrive as a brand.

Hot Chicken Takeover sold to new restaurant group, to rebrand central Ohio locations

One former OCharleys that shuttered several years ago is undergoing a $1.5 million renovation to become the first Ohio restaurant for a Brazilian steakhouse with locations across the globe, including in Dubai, Toronto and Istanbul.

The brand now only operates two restaurants in central Ohio, one at 6224 Gender Road in Canal Winchester and another at 2272 Baltimore Reynoldsburg Road in Reynoldsburg.

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As researchers increasingly rely on wastewater testing to monitor the spread of bird flu, some are questioning the reliability of the tests being used. Above, the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant in Playa Del Rey. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

As health officials turn increasingly toward wastewater testing as a means of tracking the spread of H5N1 bird flu among U.S. dairy herds, some researchers are raising questions about the effectiveness of the sewage assays.

Although the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says current testing is standardized and will detect bird flu, some researchers voiced skepticism.

"Right now we are using these sort of broad tests" to test for influenza A viruses in wastewater, said epidemiologist Denis Nash, referring to a category of viruses that includes normal human flu and the bird flu that is circulating in dairy cattle, wild birds, and domestic poultry.

"It's possible there are some locations around the country where the primers being used in these tests ... might not work for H5N1," said Nash, distinguished professor of epidemiology and executive director of City University of New Yorks Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health.

Read more: What you need to know about the bird flu outbreak, concerns about raw milk, and more

The reason for this is that the tests most commonly used  polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests  are designed to detect genetic material from a specific organism, such as a flu virus.

But in order for them to identify the virus, they must be "primed" to know what they are looking for. Depending on what part of the virus researchers are looking for, they may not identify the bird flu subtype.

There are two common human influenza A viruses: H1N1 and H3N2. The "H" stands for hemagglutinin, which is an identifiable protein in the virus. The "N" stands for neuraminidase.

The bird flu, on the other hand, is also an influenza A virus. But it has the subtype H5N1.

That means that while the human and avian flu virus share the N1 signal, they don't share an H.

If a test is designed to look for only the H1 and H3 as indicators of influenza A virus, they're going to miss the bird flu.

Marc Johnson, a professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the University of Missouri, said he doesn't think that's too likely. He said the generic panels that most labs use will capture H1, H3 and H5.

He said while his lab specifically looks for H1 and H3, "I think we may be the only ones doing that."

It's been just in the last few years that health officials have started using wastewater as a sentinel for community health.

Alexandria Boehm, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University and principal investigator and program director for WastewaterSCAN, said wastewater surveillance really got going during the pandemic. It's become a routine way to look for hundreds if not thousands of viruses and other pathogens in municipal wastewater.

"Three years or four years ago, no one was doing it," said Boehm, who collaborates with a network of researchers at labs at Stanford, Emory University and Verily, Alphabet Inc.s life sciences research organization. "It sort of evolved in response to the pandemic and has continued to evolve."

Since late March, when the bird flu was first reported in Texas dairy cattle, researchers and public health officials have been combing through wastewater samples. Most are using the influenza A tests they had already built into their systems  most of which were designed to detect human flu viruses, not bird flu.

Read more: Flu season is over, but there is a viral surge in California wastewater. Is it avian flu?

On Tuesday, the CDC released its own dashboard showing wastewater sites where it has detected influenza A in the last two weeks.

Displaying a network of more than 650 sites across the nation, there were only three sites  in Florida, Illinois and Kansas  where levels of influenza A were considered high enough to warrant further agency investigation. There were more than 400 where data were insufficient to allow a determination.

Jonathan Yoder, deputy director of the CDC's Division of Infectious Disease Readiness and Innovation, said those sites were deemed to have insufficient data because testing hasn't been in place long enough, or there may not have been enough positive influenza A samples to include.

Asked if some of the tests being used could miss bird flu because of the way they were designed, he said: "We don't have any evidence of that. It does seem like we're at at a broad enough level that we don't have any evidence that we would not pick up H5."

He also said the tests were standardized across the network.

"I'm pretty sure that it's the same assay being used at all the sites," he said. "They're all based on ... what the CDC has published as a clinical assay for for influenza A, so it's based on clinical tests."

But there are discrepancies between the CDC's findings and others'.

Earlier this week, a team of scientists from Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, the Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute and the El Paso Water Utility, published a report showing high levels of bird flu from wastewater in nine Texas cities. Their data show that H5N1 is the dominant form of influenza A swirling in these Texas towns' wastewater.

But unlike other research teams, including the CDC, they used an "agnostic" approach known as hybrid-capture sequencing.

"So it's not just targeting one virus or one of several viruses," as one does with PCR testing, said Eric Boerwinkle, dean of the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health and a member of the Texas team. "We're actually in a very complex mixture, which is wastewater, pulling down viruses and sequencing them."

"What's critical here is it's very specific to H5N1," he said, noting they'd been doing this kind of testing for approximately two years, and hadn't ever seen H5N1 before the middle of March.

Blake Hanson, an assistant professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health and a member of the Texas wastewater team, agreed, saying that PCR-based methods are "exquisite" and "highly accurate."

"But we have the ability to look at the representation of the entire genome, not just a marker component of it. And so that has allowed us to look at H5N1, differentiate it from some of our seasonal fluids like H1N1 and H3N2," he said. "It's what gave us high confidence that it is entirely H5N1, whereas the other papers are using a part of the H5 gene as a marker for H5."

Boerwinkle and Hanson underscored that while they could identify H5N1 in the wastewater, they cannot tell where it came from.

"Texas is really a confluence of a couple of different flyways for migratory birds, and Texas is also an agricultural state, despite having quite large cities," Boerwinkle said. "It's probably correct that if you had to put your dime and gamble what was happening, it's probably coming from not just one source but from multiple sources. We have no reason to think that one source is more likely any one of those things."

But they are pretty confident it's not coming from people.

"Because we are looking at the entirety of the genome, when we look at the single human H5N1 case, the genomic sequence ... has a hallmark amino acid change ... compared to all of the cattle from that same time point," Hanson said. "We do not see that hallmark amino acid present in any of our sequencing data. And we've looked very carefully for that, which gives us some confidence that we're not seeing human-human transmission."

The Texas' team approach was really exciting, said Devabhaktuni Srikrishna, the CEO and founder of PatientKnowHow.com, noting it exhibited "proof of principle" for employing this kind of metagenomic testing protocol for wastewater and air.

He said government agencies, private companies and academics have been searching for a reliable way to test for thousands of microscopic organisms  such as pathogens  quickly, reliably and at low cost.

"They showed it can be done," he said.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Educational exposure of ideas, assumptions or hypotheses, based on proven facts" (which need not be strictly current affairs) Value in judgments are excluded, and the text comes close to an opinion article, without judging or making forecasts , just formulating hypotheses, giving motivated explanations and bringing together a variety of data

Many horrors of the 20th century began with an assassination that had a good chance of not happening. The killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand along with his wife Sophie in Sarajevo, on June 28, 1914, which would eventually trigger World War I, occurred after an enormous accumulation of coincidences. The France-based Bosnian writer Velibor Colic, author of a novel about the assassination, Sarajevo Omnibus, described the crime as a chaotic vaudeville. Would history have changed if the killings had never happened? Maybe. The historian Christopher Clark has argued that if Gavrilo Princip, the perpetrator, had failed, Franz Ferdinand, who was not a warmonger, would have tried to avoid war.

Clark coined the concept of sleepwalkers  the title of his most famous book  to describe the way in which the great powers headed towards the disaster from which all other disasters arose: without World War I, the birth of Nazism cannot be explained, nor can World War II, nor surely the Russian Revolution and, therefore, Stalinism. Without being fully aware that their actions were going to lead the world towards destruction, European leaders moved steadily towards the abyss. When they became aware of the mechanism they had set in motion, it was too late to stop it.

Many analysts wonder if we are living in a new era of sleepwalking in Europe, one of the reasons why Clarks extraordinary book had such an impact. And the attempted assassination this Wednesday of Slovakias prime minister, the populist Robert Fico, is especially shocking because it comes at a time when many Europeans already think that anything  even a full-scale war with Russia  is possible. No assassination is innocuous, especially not in places with such a dense history as central Europe. And much less in a time as volatile as the current one.

Blood and flowers at the spot in Stockholm where Olof Palme was murdered, on February 28, 1986. Bjorn Elgstrand/TT (TT NEWS AGENCY / Cordon Press)

The information surrounding the murder attempt against Fico, who is in critical condition, is scarce. On Wednesday afternoon, Slovakian authorities suggested that the crime was politically motivated. Fico is a complicated politician: an ally of Hungarys Viktor Orban, he stands closer to Russia than to Ukraine, and his views rarely coincide with those of the rest of EU leaders, who have unwaveringly condemned the crime. Too many complex political issues converge around his figure for a clear resolution of the crime, although one person has already been arrested.

It took the police 34 years to solve the murder of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, who was killed in Stockholm in 1986 at the age of 56: in 2020, the crime was attributed to an individual who had been dead for 20 years. In the figure of Palme, one of the founders of European social democracy and one of the greatest symbols of honesty in politics, all the currents and conspiracies of his time also converged  although in a way totally contrary to that of Fico. In the Europe of the Ukrainian war, with Russian networks roaming freely across the continent, a new assassination attempt produces more than merely concern. It is one more indication that we are, unfortunately, living in interesting times.
NATO does not believe Russia can make strategic breakthrough in Kharkiv Oblast

Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Commander of NATO's Allied Forces Europe, and Rob Bauer, Chairman of the Alliance's Military Committee, believe that the Russians will not have enough strength to make a strategic breakthrough in the north of Kharkiv Oblast.

Source: European Pravda, citing their words at a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council

Details: Cavoli stated that the Russians "don't have the numbers (of forces and means  ed.) necessary to do a strategic breakthrough".

Quote: "More to the point, they don't have the skill and capability to do it, to operate at the scale necessary to exploit any breakthrough to strategic advantage. They do have the ability to make local advances and they have done some of that," he added.

Details: The head of NATO's Allied Command Europe added that he is in close contact with his Ukrainian counterparts and is "confident that they will hold the line".

For his part, the head of the Alliance's Military Committee stressed that the situation on the battlefield with Russia's offensive in Kharkiv Oblast "has not changed to the point where Ukraines authorities are willing to sit down and start negotiating".

Quote: "Ukrainian forces have regained 50% of the territory that Russia took at the beginning of the war. So they're not chipping away on that of the Russian forces, but its not a strategic advance, its not a strategic success," Bauer stated.

Background:

UK Defence Intelligence believes it is unlikely that Russia has built up sufficient combat power to capture Kharkiv without bringing additional forces to the oblast.

The US has announced an additional military aid package amid the Russian offensive in northern Kharkiv Oblast.

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NATO does not know whether Russia has already launched its summer offensive

Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Commander of NATO's Allied Forces Europe, cannot say whether the events in Kharkiv Oblast are the beginning of the previously announced "summer offensive" of Russian troops in Ukraine.

Source: European Pravda, citing Cavoli at a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council on 16 May

Details: Cavoli explained that it is always difficult to predict the enemy's intentions, and at present it can only be said that the Russians are attacking south towards Kharkiv and are seeking to "take back some of the territory that they lost last year in Ukraine's spectacular route of their forces".

Quote: "The exact sequence (of actions  ed.) and how they're going to do that may not be entirely clear yet," the general said.

"Is this the summer offensive, you know, one can never be sure. What we don't see is large numbers of reserves being generated someplace. There is a standard mobilisation that is a semiannual draft call-up going on right now in Russia. But that is largely unrelated to the conflict so far," concluded the Allied Commander Europe.

At the same time, Cavoli and Rob Bauer, Chairman of the Alliance's Military Committee, believe that the Russians will not have enough strength to make a strategic breakthrough in the north of Kharkiv Oblast.

Background: In March, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, revealed that the Russians may be preparing to conduct a new offensive, which is expected late in May or in June.

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NATO top commander says Russia has insufficient numbers for breakthrough in Kharkiv Oblast

Russian forces in Kharkiv Oblast do not have enough numbers to make a "strategic breakthrough" of Ukrainian defenses there, said General Christopher Cavoli, NATO's top commander in Europe, at a press conference on May 16.

Russia launched a new offensive with 30,000 troops on May 10, targeting Kharkiv Oblast, which is situated at the border with Russia in northeastern Ukraine.

Moscow's troops have focused their efforts in the directions of Lyptsi and Vovchansk, two settlements a few kilometers south of the border. There is ongoing combat in the northern outskirts of Vovchansk as of the morning of May 16.

Echoing comments from President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said earlier in the day that the situation in Kharkiv Oblast was "difficult" but "under control," Cavoli expressed confidence that Ukraine would be able to withstand the assault.

"The Russians don't have the numbers necessary to do a strategic breakthrough," said Cavoli.

"More to the point, they don't have the skill and the capability to do it, to operate at the scale necessary to exploit any breakthrough to strategic advantage."

Zelensky said that Russia had suffered "significant losses" in the area, which Cavoli partially agreed with.

"They do have the ability to make local advances and they have done some of that. They've also made some local losses," the general said.

Cavoli added that he was in "close contact" with Ukrainian commanders.

Read also: Zelensky: Ukraine can prevent occupation of Kharkiv with 2 Patriot systems

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The proposal to transport uranium ore across Navajo Nation lands violates the Dine Natural Resources Protection Act of 2005, which prohibits uranium mining and processing on Navajo lands.

Navajo Nation is asking the White House to stop the transportation of uranium through its reservation, citing public health risks.

On April 29, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren signed resolution CAP-23-24, urging President Joe Biden to halt uranium hauling activities on Navajo lands, particularly along State Route 89 and U.S. Highway 160.

Endorsed by the Navajo Nation Council, the resolution highlights the ongoing harm caused by past uranium mining and calls for executive action to protect the land, water, and public health.

This resolution follows President Nygren's and Speaker Crystalyne Curley's earlier request to President Biden on March 12, 2024, emphasizing the long-lasting damage caused by uranium mining during the Cold War, which continues to affect the environment and health of Navajo communities.

Over the past few months, an issue of critical importance has arisen that threatens the health, wellbeing, and cultural integrity of our tribal communities: the transportation of uranium ore through Arizona, Nygren stated in a letter addressed to President Biden.

In August of 2023, Nygren and Curley joined Biden as he established the Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument in Arizona. The exemption of the Pinyon Plain Mine from the monument's regulations raised concerns among tribal and environmental groups.

Our support for the monument reaffirmed our stance against the transportation of uranium across Navajo lands, which not only endangers our communities but also contradicts our sovereign rights to enforce our laws and protect our territory, Nygren wrote.

Energy Fuels, Inc., one of the U.S.s top uranium producers, announced the production of the Pinyon Plain Mine near the Grand Canyon and Sacred Red Butte in December 2023. The companys proposal to transport uranium ore from the Pinyon Plain Mine to the White Mesa Mill in Utah faces strong opposition

The proposal to transport uranium ore across Navajo Nation lands violates the Dine Natural Resources Protection Act of 2005, which prohibits uranium mining and processing on Navajo lands.

The Dine Natural Resources Protection Act of 2005, was a powerful declaration by the Navajo Nation to prohibit uranium mining and processing on our lands, Nygren said in a letter. This law was our response to the catastrophic harm uranium mining has inflicted upon our people  a legacy of illness, contamination, and environmental degradation that we continue to confront.

Despite past measures opposing transporting radioactive substances across Navajo Nation lands, the council lacks authority over state and federal rights-of-way.

Alternative routes exist that can and should be used to avoid crossing Navajo lands. The use of these alternative paths would demonstrate respect for our sovereignty and a commitment to our collective health and safety, Nygren wrote.

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
ST. LOUIS  The St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum will host a sold-out conversation between a Nazi scientist descendant, Suzanne Rico and Holocaust Survivor, Oskar Jakob Thursday, May 16, at 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Ricos grandfather is the creator of the V-1 flying bomb. According to the Imperial War Museums, the V1 flying bombs were used to terrorize British civilians and are known as one of the most fear-inducing weapons during World War II.

Jakob was forced into slavery and worked on the V-1 flying bomb while imprisoned at the Mittlebau-Dora concentration camp in Germany.

This conversation will be moderated by Scott Miller, the former Director of Curatorial Affairs at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

For more information, visit stlholocaustmuseum.org/events

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An airline passenger waiting for his flight looks at his phone while wearing a protective face mask.

An airline passenger waiting for his flight looks at his phone while wearing a protective face mask. Legislation making its way through the North Carolina legislature would make mask wearing in public illegal. (Photo by Carol Coelho/Getty Images)

The North Carolina Senate approved an amended version of House Bill 237 on Wednesday evening that would prohibit the wearing of masks in public.

The controversial bill, which would also increase criminal penalties for those who commit crimes while wearing a mask in public, comes in the wake of protests that have erupted on college campuses across the country in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

If it becomes law, the bill will also create a new offense for blocking traffic, a tactic used in some recent protests. The votes were cast 30 to 15 along party lines and it now heads back to the house for concurrence.

Sen. Buck Newton (R-Greene, Wayne and Wilson), who sponsored the Senate committee substitute for the bill, said it aims to reinstate a law that existed before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Senate rejected three amendments to the bill proposed by Wake County Democratic Senators Sydney Batch, Lisa Grafstein and Jay Chaudhuri.

Amendments offered by Batch and Grafstein would have reinstated a health reason exemption and allowed mask-wearing unless the wearer was using the mask for criminal purposes.

Batch said as someone who was immunocompromised during medical treatment, she opposes any provision that makes mask-wearing more difficult for people with health concerns. We are now trying to turn back time and ignore science and allow individuals who want to protect themselves or to protect their loved ones from wearing a mask, said Batch.

We talk a lot about freedoms in this chamber, I hear it all the time. I should have the freedom, my children should have the freedom and my husband should have the freedom to wear a mask in order to protect and save my life without fear of being arrested and charged with a class one misdemeanor, which is exactly what this bill would do.

There seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding of what this bill does, and how the law operates and its no wonder that so many folks are scared, said Newton, questioning the motivations of those opposed to the bill.

I think some of us are wondering what the real motivations are of folks on the other side of the house, scaring the bejesus out of everybody and making them feel like if they have a need at times to wear masks because theyre immunocompromised somehow, theyre going to get arrested.

Laws dating back to the 1950s that were enacted, at least in part, as responses to groups like the Ku Klux Klan, prohibit wearing a mask in public in North Carolina, with exceptions. Those exceptions were expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic to include people wearing masks for health reasons. Newtons bill would remove that specific exception.

Newton said a Senate committee investigation found no documented arrests or prosecutions for wearing masks solely for health reasons under the previous law.

Senate Democratic leader Dan Blue of Wake County expressed concern that law enforcement could use the law as a pretext to pull over drivers. If you got the mask on and its against the law to be wearing a mask, youve created probable cause for any police officer to stop you, Blue said.

Advocates and organizations including Disability Rights NC, Emancipate NC, and the ACLU of North Carolina spoke out against the bill at a Tuesday committee hearing, criticizing both the mask ban and provisions that target protesters.

This bill is part of a broader attack on democracy we are seeing at the state legislature, while lawmakers who support these attacks on the right to protest are also leading efforts to make it harder to vote and to participate in the legislative process, said Elizabeth Barber, the policy director of the ACLU of North Carolina.

In a statement released Tuesday, the North Carolina NAACP decried the measure as a dangerous bill that threatens the fundamental right to protest in North Carolina.

This legislation seeks to impose severe penalties on protesters, particularly targeting those who block traffic or wear masks, the statement read. By criminalizing these protest tactics, the bill aims to silence marginalized communities and stifle legitimate expressions of dissent.

The bill now returns to the House for concurrence in Senate changes.

The post NC Senate approves bill making it a crime to wear a mask in public appeared first on NC Newsline.
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN)  The state Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would bring back pre-COVID restrictions on wearing masks.

The bill, titled Unmasking Mobs and Criminals, passed along party lines by a margin of 30-15 and comes amid recent protests on college campuses. Republicans say the aim is to stop people from wearing masks to conceal their identities while committing crimes.

However, the bill goes further than that and would repeal an exception thats been in state law since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic that allows people to wear masks for health and safety reasons. Doing so would become illegal again.

If I were not permitted to wear a mask in public, it would greatly limit which spaces I could visit. And, for me, this is an access issue, Quisha Mallette, of the North Carolina Justice Center, told lawmakers as she urged them to oppose the measure.

During debate on the Senate floor, Democrats raised concerns about the impact on people who are immunocompromised who may want to continue to wear masks.

Sen. Buck Newton (R-Wilson) accused Democrats of trying to scare the bejesus out of everybody.

Referencing the recent protests, he said, Theres a whole crowd of people running around out there taking advantage of this mask hangover from the pandemic.

Republicans voted down three amendments Democrats offered, including one by Sen. Sydney Batch to allow an exception to wear masks for preventing the spread of contagious diseases.

Youre plowing down this field without really knowing what all the implications are, said Sen. Dan Blue (D-Wake).

The bill contains other provisions including increasing penalties for people who wear masks while committing other crimes and could lead to people who block streets or highways more than once being charged with a felony. It also makes protest organizers liable if people block streets and prevent emergency vehicles from getting to someone in need, resulting in injury or death.

The bill goes to the House next.

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BECKLEY, WV (WVNS)  Once the polls had closed and the votes counted Tuesday, May 14, 2024, Ryan Neal became the City of Beckleys newest mayor.

He was met with hugs by well-wishers at the Raleigh County Courthouse.

The thing that I just cant wrap my head around is that the people of Beckley, the great people that we have here, selected me, and I will never forget that, Neal said Tuesday night, May 14, 2024, moments after learning of his victory. I will never forget that.

Beckley mayor says he is undecided on seeking another term

With Neal headed for the Beckley mayors office, Robert Rappold is finishing his 32nd year of public service.

Rappold had served as mayor since 2016 but chose not to run in the 2024 election.

Anyhow, I made my announcement, and to some degree, Ive regretted it since then, Mayor Rappold said on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.

He said he opted not to run so that candidates who would have chosen not to run against him could enter the race.

Two of those candidates later chose not to run, he added.

Neal suggested on Tuesday that Rappolds decision not to run factored into Neals decision to toss his own hat into the race.

The City of Beckley is currently transitioning from a strong mayor form of government to that of a ceremonial mayor

A civil lawsuit before a Raleigh County judge could prevent the transition, but, Neal said on Tuesday that he was prepared to be the best mayor he can be, in whatever role the court decided.

2024 West Virginia Primary Results

Ill talk to the people. Ill find out whats important to them, said Neal. Ill pass that message on along to the city council and the city manager, and Ill hold their feet to the fire to make sure those things are getting done.

In 2025, Rappold will leave the mayors office to Neal.

On Wednesday, Mayor Rappold said he approved of his successor.

Hes an entrepreneur, and a very likeable young man, said Mayor Rappold. Ive known his parents for a long, long time. He comes from a great family, so Im very optimistic about his ability to provide good service for the city.

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Who needs Jurassic Park? Charlotte-area museum to welcome its own Hall of Dinosaurs

After about 80 million years or so, a species of dinosaur that once roamed parts of North Carolina will be returning to its old stomping grounds in Gastonia.





Appalachiosaurus, otherwise known as the East Coast T.rex, and other fossilized friends will make their home in the Schiele Museum of Natural Historys upcoming $3.5 million Hall of Dinosaurs.

The Elizabeth Williams Robinson Hall of Dinosaurs, the centerpiece of the Schieles Paleo Project, is under construction and expected to be completed by early 2026. The project is geared to the planning, funding and buildin of the hall.

It also brings in partners from regional museums, including the McWane Science Center in Birmingham, Alabama, in addition to Appalachian State University and The University of New Orleans.

The space is named in honor of Elizabeth Williams Robinson, a lifelong Gastonia resident and early museum supporter. It will offer visitors an immersive experience featuring 14 full-bodied fossil casts of prehistoric creatures, authentic petrified remains and a combination of digital and analog elements that will encourage learning for visitors of all ages.

Colorado-based Triebold Paleontology, an expert in creating replica casts and fossil exhibitions, is also working with the Schiele. Once complete, the space will showcase a variety of specimens, including a partial T.rex and an Edmontosaurus skin impression.

And planning is underway for an educational enrichment program, according to museum marketing director Tiffani Stewart.

The Schiele Museum in Gastonia has already raised most of the money it needs to fund its $3.5 million Hall of Dinosaurs.

A full-circle moment

Nearly two decades ago, the Schieles assistant director of interpretation, Tony Pasour, brought paleontologist Robert Bakker to the museum for an educational program with local middle school students.

For those not familiar with Bakker, his likeness has been featured in the Jurassic Park movies. Bakker wears a tattered cowboy hat and hes a real showman and a real character in a lot of ways, Pasour said,

On the day that Nick Brands class visited the museum, he was captivated by Bakkers presentation. He even took home one of Bakkers large format drawings, which he still has.

Brand went on to earn degrees in geology and geosciences, both with a concentration in paleontology. And not only did Brand just receive his Ph.D. in paleontology at George Mason University, but he will soon return to the Schiele. This time, hell be a collaborator on the Paleo Project, where he will work with Pasour to bring the projects vision to life.

Artist Mike Daikubaras rendering of the exhibit entrance for the Schiele Museum of Natural Historys upcoming $3.5 million Hall of Dinosaurs.

A region rich in rocks but few dino records

Another highly anticipated return to the hall is a visitor favorite T.rex, which was removed last year for repair. Not only will the exhibition area be updated to reflect the latest discoveries about Tyrannosaurus Rex, but dinosaurs believed to have roamed the Carolinas, including the Triceratops and Stegosaurus, will also take up residence.

According to Pasour, working with institutional partners and individual collectors is essential. While the Piedmont may have hidden geological artifacts that merit study, the topography does not support easy excavation.

In this part of North Carolina we have a lot of igneous and metamorphic rocks, which arent conducive to recording life. And all our knowledge about dinosaurs and about prehistoric life in general is all based on geology, on the history thats written in the rocks, he said.

In contrast, sedimentary rocks, which are abundant in other parts of the country, provide an opportunity for organic things like leaves and sticks and remnants from animals to get mixed into those sediments. When they harden into new rocks, the organic matter becomes trapped and then preserved for history.

Because were not in a part of a country that has the right kind of rocks, we dont really have any history books about the prehistoric past of this part of North Carolina. But we know we had the past, Pasour said. And thats where the Schieles collaborators come in.

Enter Kraig Derstler, emeritus professor of earth and environmental sciences at the University of New Orleans. Desler had a long career of teaching paleontology and collecting a robust catalog of specimens.

But all of those artifacts occupy space, Stewart said. Now that Derstler has retired, the specimens needed a good home.

So heres a museum in North Carolina. It has a tremendous market interest in dinosaurs, but not a whole lot of dinosaur material because we live in the wrong part of the world, Pasour said.

Now they have both.

The Quetzalcoatlus, one of the largest flying animals ever, is in the Schiele Museum lobby and is a fossil cast similar to what visitors can expect in the new Hall of Dinosaurs when it is completed in 2026. It stands 18 feet tall with a 30-foot wingspan.

A pretty cool ride

Pasour, the assistant director of interpretation, has been the museum for awhile. I sort of became the dinosaur guy at the Schiele Museum over the years in absence of a bonafide paleontology program, he said. Its been a pretty cool ride because Ive been able to explore this interest in a lot of ways.

Pasour stressed the importance of bringing cutting-edge science to the exhibition experience. Thats where Brand will come in.

We need to know what the latest information is, what are the new discoveries, Pasour said. The science of paleontology is constantly changing. Once we build an exhibit, if its static, then the information is frozen in time.

We need to ask how we can build and design it in a way that is updateable as the story changes about these things.

Having the real scientific expertise invested in the project and the organization is critical to do that, Pasour added. This is going to be a real research-based exhibit because of that investment.

Something new for the region

The Schiele Museum wants locals and travelers alike to visit the new exhibition once it opens to the public. They stress that the scale and size of its Hall of Dinosaurs will be a one-of-a-kind exhibit in the Southeast region.

And people also just love dinosaurs, Stewart laughed.

She also stressed that there also are some natural history concepts that The Schiele feels are important to impart to people, such as climate change.

But if you put up a banner outside The Schiele saying come see our climate change exhibits, no one is going to come, Stewart said. If you instead say, weve got dinosaurs and we can tell the story of Earth through this, there are a lot of lessons that we can learn from the extinction of dinosaurs and how their environment changed over time.

And so thats partly what dinosaurs can do, help people learn about the earth and the environment in a way thats really fun and exciting and interesting.

The Schiele Museum of Natural Historys Paleo Project is 95% funded. Visitors can expect the Carolinas own Jurassic exhibition to fully open in the first quarter of 2026.

A display at the Schiele Museum about its upcoming Hall of Dinosaurs includes a rendering of the fossils that will be in the exhibit

More arts coverage

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The announcement that the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, was suspending all his trips abroad in the coming days has increased Washingtons concern about the progress of the war in that country and the exhaustion of Ukrainian forces. Russian troops entered a Ukrainian border town in the Kharkiv region just as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his two-day visit to Kyiv, in which he addressed the most pressing needs of the allied country in the face of an emboldened Kremlin.

A month after the U.S. Congress approved more than $60 billion in aid for Ukraine following months of delays, concern is growing in Washington about the progress that Russia has made, as well as the shortage of soldiers and weapons that plague the Ukrainian forces. The Joe Biden administration is studying ways to accelerate the delivery of weapons and replace spent ammunition and equipment destroyed during the almost half-year hiatus in which aid shipments were almost non-existent.

Russia has continued to push the envelope in terms of just the brutality and intensity of its campaign. It has sought more targets across a wider range of Ukraine, said National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan this week at a press conference. We have started moving air defense to them. We intend to move more in. And by we, I dont just mean the U.S. I mean our whole coalition, with the President, [Defense] Secretary [Lloyd] Austin, myself working day in, day out to coordinate those deliveries and to put Ukraine in a position where it is better able to defend against what Russia is throwing at them. And what they are throwing at them is quite considerable.

Before his departure from Kyiv, Blinken confirmed that the United States is examining how to send additional air defense systems to Ukrainian forces, including Patriot missiles. Systems are especially necessary in the area around Kharkiv, the countrys second-largest city, where, since last week, Russia has opened a new front to force Ukraine to divide its resources even further.

One of the things I do every single day is talk to at least one ally, if not multiple, about getting more Patriot batteries into Ukraine. And I think we recently had some good news from an ally about getting one in. Were working on more. Thats just something that were going to continue to try to procure, said Sullivan. And beyond Patriots, were looking for other systems.

Ukraine has requested at least two Patriot missile batteries, costing approximately $1 billion each, to defend Kharkiv. The United States, which in 2022 announced that it would send one of these systems, is considering sending another one, according to Bloomberg, and it is contacting its allies to increase that supply. Germany promised to send one of those systems last month. A Patriot system includes radars and control stations to identify, track and engage enemy weaponry, including launch vehicles and support vehicles, with missiles.

On Tuesday, in a speech in the Ukrainian capital, Blinken had assured that Patriots and other sophisticated air defenses  they do more than protect soldiers and save civilian lives. They create umbrellas of safety under which Ukrainian workers and entrepreneurs can adapt, innovate, build, and attract more foreign investment. Thats why were working relentlessly with allies and partners to procure more air defense, and to do it fast.

The U.S. government has indicated that part of the aid approved in April is already reaching Ukraine. Among the equipment that has already received the approval are long-range ATACMS missiles, capable of hitting a Russian target anywhere in Ukraine.

According to Washingtons assessment, the intensification of the Russian offensive is due precisely to Moscows desire to achieve the maximum possible advantage before the flow of weapons from the United States recovers the pace of the first 18 months of the war.

We are doing everything we can to accelerate assistance, Blinken stressed before his trip, acknowledging on Sunday on the CBS television program Face the Nation that there is no doubt that the long delays in the transfer of weapons have had a cost.

These delays have allowed Russia to gain a wide advantage in the availability of ammunition and artillery. The shortage of anti-aircraft systems in the Ukrainian ranks has also made it possible for the Kremlins forces to launch air strikes against positions further into the invaded country, without sustaining major damage.
There was a time when streamers wooed potential customers with the promise of an ad-free experience. In recent years, however, companies such as Netflix, Amazon, Disney and more have hiked up their prices and made an ad-supported tier the most affordable option. Now, Netflix is taking the next step towards becoming a de-facto ad tech company by moving its development in-house, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Netflix announced the shift during its upfront preview, in which the company also shared that its $7 per month ad-supported tier has 40 million monthly active users. The ad-supported plan is reportedly getting 40 percent of new signups, with it having 15 million users just six months ago, in November.

The streaming company has relied heavily on Microsoft to reach this success, partnering with the tech giant in 2022 on advertising and sales. But, the training wheels are coming off with Netflix's choice to move things in house, a choice that "will allow us to power the ads plan with the same level of excellence thats made Netflix the leader in streaming technology today," Netflix ads chief Amy Reinhard said. Microsoft will also no longer be Netflix's sole ad tech partner, as the streamer will start working with companies like Googles Display & Video 360 and The Trade Desk later this summer.
The incoming Dutch government led by Geert Wilders' far-right PVV party has reaffirmed support for Ukraine "politically, militarily, financially, and morally against Russian aggression," it said in a statement on May 16.

The Netherlands held an election in November 2023, which saw the PVV emerge as the largest force in parliament with 37 seats.

Not enough to take power alone, weeks of negotiations were finally resolved this week with the announcement of an uneasy four-party coalition described as a "business government" arrangement.

The four parties  PVV, the center-right VVD and NSC, and the agrarian and right-populist BBB  released a statement on May 16 setting out the coalition government's policy on a range of issues, including foreign policy and Ukraine.

"Political and military cooperation with NATO is paramount for our international security," the statement reads.

"The Netherlands continues to support Ukraine politically, militarily, financially, and morally against Russian aggression.

"The Netherlands continues to participate in increasing NATO capacity on the territory of NATO member states and in international missions."

The country's next prime minister is yet to be confirmed but it will not be Wilders.

Under the outgoing prime minister, Mark Rutte, the Netherlands has been a staunch ally of Ukraine and one of the few partners to pledge F-16 fighter jets.

While denouncing Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the PVV voiced opposition to sending financial support and fighter jets to Kyiv in the past, preferring them to be used for domestic needs.

Wilders himself has said he is against the Netherlands signing a 10-year agreement on security cooperation with Ukraine and railed against Ukrainian refugees, saying on Feb. 19 that they are coming to the Netherlands for "free housing, free healthcare, and our jobs."

Read also: Reuters: France, Netherlands want EU to sanction financial institutions that help Russian army

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  The 2024 June Primary is Tuesday, June 11 and Nevada needs people to volunteer to be poll workers. State leaders say poll workers are necessary for the elections because they play an essential role in elections and the democratic process by increasing confidence in the elections. The state is asking those who have served before to serve once again.

In order for our elections to work, we need to have poll workers, said Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar. Poll workers are the unsung heroes of our democracy because they ensure Nevadans have the opportunity to exercise our fundamental right to vote.

Americas elections are run by We the People, but unfortunately, there arent enough people volunteering in Nevada. In response, the national campaign Vet the Vote is recruiting veterans and military family members to become the next generation of poll workers. Recently, Vet the Vote had a hard time recruiting volunteers. Now, the organization is calling on those with a history and heart for service to step up and serve our country as poll workers to ensure a safe and secure election cycle.

Veterans know what it means to ensure peoples freedoms are protected, said Secretary Aguilar. We are excited about their engagement. They understand the value of our country. They know what we can be as a country and to ensure everyone has a voice and a say in our future.

Veterans can register to be poll workers by visiting Vet The Vote. You dont have to be a veteran to work the polls. Civilians are encouraged to volunteer as well. For more information, visit this link.

Early voting for state and local races begins on Saturday, March 25, and will run through Friday, June 7.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  The Nevada State Contractors Board extended the existing probation against Titan Solar Power, the beleaguered contractor whose many customer complaints were the topic of a contentious meeting Wednesday.

The lawyer and business representative for Titan clashed with the boards prosecutor and legal counsel  and sometimes the administrative judge presiding over the hearing  saying several board meetings have allowed Titan to be sanctioned and criticized by the board and the public without giving Titan the opportunity to respond.

Let us have our hearing, or let us go on our way to continue to conduct business in the state of Nevada, Donald Williams, attorney for Titan Solar, said at the hearing. Williams made those comments after his strenuous objection to the argument made by the boards attorney. The administrative judge repeatedly told Williams to stop interrupting.

Las Vegas woman fights back against solar company claiming it destroyed her house

I would say this has probably been building for quite some period of time and there was frustration on both sides, to try to get this matter moving forward, David Behar, Deputy Executive Officer, said after the meeting.

In addition to sparring with the state board, Titans attorney and business representative at the meeting also blamed the 8 News Now Investigators coverage of the boards ongoing skirmish with Titan for some of the companys recent struggles.

We believe that some of the complaints, if not many of the complaints, are a result of, frankly, the news covering this matter, Williams said, And people filing a complaint with the board if they have any issue whatsoever rather than contacting our client directly.

Titan has 21 existing complaints, and the company and the board both acknowledge that all but three are resolved.

For the remaining three cases, Titans representatives are in communication with the individuals or the Nevada State Contractors Board, Titan Solar Power said in a statement. Their satisfaction continues to be our desire and we believe we have addressed their concerns in accordance with the contract and applicable law.

But Randy Escamilla, a spokesman for the contractors board, told the 8 News Now Investigators on Wednesday the board has begun fielding more complaints.

Nevada State Contractors Board repeals suspension of Las Vegas solar installer

Titan Solar Powers statement, very similar to the statement it sent in response to a story reported by the 8 News Now Investigators in February, read as follows:

Titan has entered into over 15,000 residential Solar Installation contracts with Nevada homeowners. Over 99% of these homeowners are satisfied customers. However, Titan Solar Power NV, Inc. prides itself on providing excellence and our employees strive for 100% customer satisfaction. Our team has successfully resolved 18 of the 21 original complaints with these 18 customers providing written documentation confirming resolution. For the remaining three (3) cases, Titans representatives are in communication with the individuals or the Nevada State Contractors Board. Their satisfaction continues to be our desire and we believe we have addressed their concerns in accordance with the contract and applicable law.

The Contractors Board recommends getting three bids for any work you plan to have a contractor do and to check each license on their website. If the contractor you are considering using is not licensed, the Board advises against using that person or paying that contractor any money.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  A St. Petersburg man was arrested Tuesday after his newly-adopted dog was found dead inside a plastic bag, deputies say.

According to the Pinellas County Sheriffs Office, Domingo Rodriguez, 66, drove to Fort De Soto Park on Saturday morning with a large cooler in the back of his pickup.

Rodriguez was accused of decapitating the animal, a bulldog mix named Dexter, whom he adopted the day before, and leaving it in the mangroves along the East Beach area wrapped in a plastic bag. The dogs microchip was scanned after it was removed from the water, pointing deputies toward Rodriguez.

When deputies questioned Rodriguez at his home, they said he confirmed that he visited the Fort De Soto that day and was the sole driver of the pickup. Bags matching the one the dog was found in were also discovered at the home, according to deputies.

He told deputies that Dexter must have run away, according to PCSO.

During the interview, (Rodriguezs) story had many inconsistencies and contradictions, a PCSO arrest report stated. Despite being a new dog owner, (Rodriguez) only had the items provided to him at the time of the adoption.

Deputies reported Rodriguezs wife telling them that the dog was alive and well on Friday when she went to bed. By the time she woke up on Saturday, both Rodriguez and Dexter were gone.

Rodriguez was arrested Wednesday and charged with cruelty to animals and improper disposal of dead animals. He bonded out later that day.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
Cable news channel NewsNation is demanding Israel allow journalists to report from Gaza amid the ongoing war between the countrys forces and Hamas in the region.

The network said it sent a letter to the Embassy of Israel in Washington requesting permission for reporters to work from inside the Gaza region.

Prime-time anchor Chris Cuomo mentioned the letter on his show earlier this week.

Many of you have asked about my recent criticism that Israel should allow media to be on the ground in Gaza. NewsNation agrees and has sent a letter demanding access, he said, encouraging viewers to, Let it be known that you want to see more coverage of the actual realities, the players pay attention to social media, your voice will be heard.

He argued that a conflict of this magnitude needs shouldnt go on without a fair appraisal from the ground.

And I have to be honest, I understand why the [Israeli military], why Israeli politicians would be concerned about people seeing what theyre doing, but thats only more reason to have people see what theyre doing, he said. And also, theyre worried that they may injure journalists as they have in the past. But that is not their choice to make. That is the choice of a free media. And that is a choice that we freely make.

More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in the months since Hamass Oct. 7 attack in Israel.

The ongoing violence has sparked massive protests in the United States and around the world and led some Democrats to urge the White House and Congress to cut off funding to Israel.

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.
Cable news upstart NewsNation sent a letter to Israels embassy in Washington D.C. on Thursday, requesting journalistic access to Gaza.

The letter, obtained by TheWrap, details an information vacuum in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas. The document is signed by NewsNation programming and specials president Michael Corn and president and managing editor of news and politics Cherie Grzech. In it, they make an urgent request for permission from the government of Israel for our NewsNation journalists to report from inside Gaza.

Since the subsequent military operations by Israeli forces began, the worldwide public has had to rely on Palestinian accounts of the war, the humanitarian situation there, and the number of civilian casualties, the letter continues. The resulting information vacuum has led to reliance on reports that have often turned out to be exaggerated, inflated, or flat out false.

The letter urges Israel to grant independent journalists access to Gaza to allow the public to see for themselves what is happening with food aid intended for civilians, as well as whether Hamas tactics include operating in civilian enclaves, public infrastructure, and in and around hospital facilities.

We, as journalists, believe we have an essential role to play in the publics right to know the details of a life-and-death struggle that will have international repercussions for years to come, the NewsNation letter reads. We are asking your permission to allow us to fulfill that vital role.

NewsNation anchor Chris Cuomo addressed the networks move on-air Wednesday evening, saying, Many of you have asked about my recent criticism that Israel should allow media to be on the ground in Gaza. NewsNation agrees and has sent a letter demanding access.

Theres no way a conflict of this magnitude should be going on without a fair appraisal from the ground, Cuomo said.

While the anchor acknowledged that Israels IDF military and Israeli politicians are concerned about the media bearing witness to what is happening in the region, thats only more reason to have people see what theyre doing, Cuomo added.

Theyre worried that they may injure journalists as they have in the past, Cuomo continued. But that is not their choice to make. That is the choice of a free media. And that is a choice that we freely make.

Cuomo concluded by encouraging viewers to publicly urge the Israeli government for access to Gaza, saying, Let it be known that you want to see more coverage of the actual realities  the players pay attention to social media, your voice will be heard.

The post NewsNation Urges Israel to Allow Journalists Into Gaza in Letter to Countrys Embassy appeared first on TheWrap.
The relentless scrutiny visited upon BBC journalism focuses, often heatedly, on perceptions of bias. Its coverage of Gaza is a current case in point. But there are hot-button issues where almost everyone can agree, and one of them is human trafficking: that people smugglers place more value on profit than on life feels like a given.

This is established beyond any reasonable doubt in eight compelling episodes of To Catch a Scorpion (Radio 4 and BBC Sounds). The so-called Scorpion is Barzan Majeed, a lynchpin in the trafficking of migrants across continental Europe and into the UK. Though convicted in his absence in 2022, international policing has failed to hunt him down.

Building on a rapport and a method established in previous investigations, BBC journalist Sue Mitchell and former soldier and aid worker Rob Lawrie set out to do better. With fewer resources than the police, but with more time to sniff around, they carefully track the Scorpions spores in an odyssey which takes them, often in situations that are variously iffy and plain dangerous, from the French coast all the way to a shopping centre in Kurdish Iraq. Here, having previously said similar things over the phone, Majeed casually gives them a climactic interview of chilling nonchalance.

The facts of what Mitchell and Lawrie have uncovered is for the news pages. What makes their series superlative radio is the way in which they construct the story and take the listener with them. As investigators with the scent of quarry on their nostrils, they make for a formidable combination. Lawrie provides ex-military nous and contacts in the aid sector. To go with her deep specialism, Mitchells BBC credentials open plenty of doors that would be closed to the police.

Following up on tip-offs, piecing clues together, and responsibly reporting potential threats to life whenever they hear of imminent crossings, they sound all the while as if theyre having fun in the darkness. Lawrie, a joshing enthusiast from Leeds, keeps things light. If you work in the autumn months you can put your feet up for two years, Mitchell says of the rewards of trafficking. I can work for you for 15 years, replies Lawrie of the remuneration on offer from the BBC, and after that I can put my feet up for the weekend. He sounds like a very good egg.

Mitchell and Lawrie interviewed Barzan Majeed in Iraq - BBC

Before they fetch up in the trafficking hub of Istanbul, their most threatening moment comes in Nottingham, where like many illegal immigrants the Scorpion once worked in a carwash. When Mitchell goes inside to ask questions, Lawrie counts four cars with blacked-out windows pull up, all driven by Kurds.

One maddening episode takes them to a quiet Belgian village where a Pollyannaish woman has allowed her house to become a pro bono hub for the trafficking industry. I think its good for UK, she placidly tells Mitchell, who firmly suggests that its not perhaps for a lone Belgian citizen to decide who gains illegal entry into the UK. Some would say its the governments choice. Some would say is of course a palliative idiom from page one of the BBC guide to impartiality.

The series is not overtly about stopping the boats  ever more Herculean though that task will seem to anyone bingeing on this panoramic account of the smuggling trade. Rwanda is not mentioned. No, this is a portrait of depravity, exposed by humane, courageous, dogged reporting, here and there aided by luck. The BBC should be proud that, thanks to its journalism, Majeed has only this week been arrested.

So Iraq clearly listens to the BBC. Does China? This week and next Gordon Corera is presenting Shadow War: China and the West (Radio 4). He was on a video call with a contact in Tibet when Chinese military intelligence came up and the screen promptly froze. As a seen-it-all security correspondent Corera has the most level of heads but even he was  perhaps literally  spooked.

Corera is even-handed to a fault. The mounting crimes and misdemeanours of China are his subject  listening in on communications, stealing intellectual property, pursuing world domination  but he and expert guests point out that all these things have been perpetrated by the likes of us too. Its just that the West gives you more than one party to vote for.

Chinas goal is to reach a point of self-sufficiency where it no longer has to tolerate the scrutiny and judgment of democracies. After which, former MI6 deputy head Nigel Inkster told Corera: People like you would be carted off to the gulag. Until then, some would say keep up the good work.

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.
New Hampshire state Rep. Ellen Read remembers how trapped she felt as an 18-year-old in her native Tennessee, enduring the physical and emotional toll of an abusive relationship.

The abuse Read suffered  which included being held captive in an apartment for days and hit by her abusers car  lasted years after she left the relationship, while her abuser stalked her.

In 2016, Read won election to the New Hampshire House of Representatives. That same year, she recalled to Stateline, her abuser died by suicide after 16 years of prolonged stalking.

Rep. Ellen Read, D-Newmarket, is sponsor of House Bill 261.

Now, a bill authored by Read will allow victims of domestic and sexual violence  including stalking  to break their rental lease agreements early if they provide a police report or are in the process of obtaining documents such as a protective order following an incident.

My hope is that this increases the boldness of people living in these abusive situations and that they know if they leave, there will be a path forward for them and they wont be forced to stay with their abuser or at the home they were abused in, said Read, a Newmarket Democrat.

Republican Gov. Chris Sununu signed that bill, House Bill 261, into law Tuesday. The bill, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2025, also expands protections against discriminatory evictions for domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking victims.

New Hampshires legislation is part of a national trend.

The pandemic lockdown that began in March 2020, coming alongside the nations worsening housing crisis, has prompted state lawmakers to help victims of assault who are struggling to move away from their alleged abusers. Domestic violence incidents in the United States increased by 8.1 percent in the months following the imposition of pandemic lockdown orders in 2020, according to a 2021 report released by the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice, a group launched by the Council on Criminal Justice, a think tank.

More than a dozen states have passed measures in the past five years bolstering rental protections for survivors by allowing them to break their leases if they provide evidence of stalking, sexual assault, or an abusive domestic relationship. Many of those laws, which were enacted or strengthened during the pandemic, give victims more leeway in how they can document the abuse.

Many cities and states are looking to help survivors with new housing in other ways, such as by obtaining grants to develop transitional housing or offering housing vouchers to victims.

It is deeply traumatizing and harmful to force survivors to continue to live in the same home where the harm occurred, said Kate Walz, associate director of litigation at the National Housing Law Project, an advocacy group that trains legal services organizations. It can retraumatize and compound the harm over years, if not decades.

Several states are addressing the issue this session. Efforts to add early lease termination laws for victims in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina have yet to either make it past committees or both chambers.

While Pennsylvanias effort to pass these protections statewide has stalled, the Pittsburgh City Council approved a bill in October that requires landlords to allow domestic abuse victims to exit their leases without penalty, and also change a tenants locks upon request, though at the tenants expense.

Nicole Molinaro, president and CEO of the Womens Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, one of the countrys first domestic violence shelters, called the legislation monumental.

Molinaro hopes the state will eventually enact similar protections. She said that the trauma of domestic and sexual violence can be crippling, and that some victims may need to leave their neighborhood or cities altogether if their abuser also has roots there.

A driving factor for survivors of domestic violence is making sure that there is somewhere safe for them to go, Molinaro told Stateline. And that often means a survivor cannot move back to the neighborhood they were in if the abuser still has connections there.

The post-separation journey

When New York City resident Stephanie Woodbine and her adolescent daughter left a two-year abusive relationship in 2017, she wasnt sure where they were going to live.

Woodbine told Stateline that on top of emotional abuse, she also suffered economic abuse  a form of abuse that New York City last year officially recognized as domestic violence. She found housing, then was evicted after losing her job.

I really didnt have a lot of money to pay for housing because the mental trauma made it hard to live a normal life, keep a job, Woodbine said.

She didnt qualify for the domestic violence shelters because she wasnt in an active domestic violence situation, she recalled, so she stayed in hotels and lived a life of hidden homelessness with her daughter.

There are so many decisions that make leaving any abusive situation hard, but when you leave you find out just how hard it is to survive when you feel your options are limited, said Woodbine, who eventually received an emergency housing voucher and has secured permanent housing.

Theres a lot of post-separation abuse that is also contributing to survivors instability and their mental trauma, added Woodbine, who now sits on the advisory council to the Mayors Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence. Its why we want to expand protections for survivors post-separation, and that includes providing permanent housing.

Intimate partner violence is a major driver of homelessness, and researchers have found that housing is among the most common needs for survivors. Currently, 10 percent of shelters and transitional housing are targeted to domestic violence victims and their families, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

As the U.S. Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of homeless camping and outdoor sleeping bans, cities that have passed bans argue that outside encampments are dangerous not just for the public, but also for people staying there.

But Walz, of the National Housing Law Project, fears that if these bans are deemed constitutional, theyll have a major impact on women and children fleeing domestic violence situations.

Gender-based violence is both the cause and consequence of housing instability. Housing instability increases your risk of it, and housing instability comes as a result of it, said Walz. If we dont recognize that and craft our policies to be responsive to it, we are guaranteeing continued violence and increase of it.

More cities are working to include housing as a key service for survivors.

Woodbine credited city-based nonprofits for navigating her through the emergency voucher process  an intimidating process for those in need of housing.

New York City is hoping to provide such protections and, most importantly, housing through a pilot program funded with a $300,000 grant  from the NYC Fund to End Youth & Family Homelessness  that aims to help 100 families affected by domestic violence find homes.

Saloni Sethi, acting commissioner of the Mayors Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, told Stateline that the pilot program addresses the need for safe and stable housing for survivors in a place where secure housing can be scarce.

Survivors are often sort of faced with this really impossible choice of, do I give up my own safety or do I destabilize myself and my entire family by leaving home?  We anticipate this pilot can finally provide that stable, fresh start, Sethi said.

Many cities and states have become more intentional about building or reserving housing for survivors, with increasing support from the federal government. Last year, the U.S. Department of Justices Office on Violence Against Women awarded 81 grants, worth $43 million, to programs offering housing for six to 24 months for survivors.

Breaking the lease

With Reads bill now signed by Sununu, New Hampshire has become one of 40 states to have early rental lease termination protections for victims of domestic or sexual abuse.

In post-lockdown years, Oklahoma passed early termination laws for domestic violence victims. Utah amended its early termination law in 2023, reducing the termination fee from 45 days of rent  one of the highest in the nation at the time  to a months rent.

Reads bill, which she based on a similar one in Tennessee, stalled in committee when she first introduced it last year.

During early debate, New Hampshire landlord groups raised concerns about the financial burden they carry when tenants break their lease early  a position that irritated Read.

Nobody will say in todays society here that they are in favor of domestic violence, Read said. But put your money where your mouth is when it comes to allowing them to make that decision to exit their lease early even at a financial loss, or else its just lip service.

But every time a new tenant comes in, it costs money to clean up and turn over the home, said Nick Norman, a real estate owner who serves as government affairs chair for the Apartment Association of New Hampshire. The bills original language also could have left a landlord responsible for things left behind, including damages.

The legislation signed by Sununu is drastically different, Norman said. The housing provider advocates and tenant advocates came together as we usually do to find a solution that works best for both parties.

The bill would also give victims new avenues to contest attempted evictions.

Under current law, landlord may not evict tenants solely based on a tenant or a household member of a tenant having been a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. But to use that defense, the statute requires that the tenants or household members of tenants must have obtained a court protective order against their aggressor, and must provide proof of that to their landlord.

HB 261 would provide a number of other  potentially easier  approaches. The bill allows victims to fill out a self-certification form with a circuit court, in which they testify about the assault on penalty of perjury, and to provide a copy of that to their landlord to defend against an eviction. Victims can demonstrate that they reported a domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking incident to the police and use that to defend against an eviction.

They can also provide to a landlord proof that they had taken actions to obtain a protective order  even if one had not been granted yet. And they could provide a statement from a police officer, victims advocate, attorney, or health care provider that attests that they are a victim, or a signed self-certification form issued by a circuit court.

The new law requires that the landlord keep confidential any written attestations of domestic violence sexual assault or stalking that were provided by the tenant, unless required by law.

Read credited the Senate for adding measures that would make qualifying for an early termination lease easier.

Some states, including Kansas, North Dakota, and Utah, may allow landlords to charge fees or forward payment of rent for breaking the lease early in cases of intimate partner violence. And many states require documents from an outside source, such as a police report or court protective order.

Many landlords see such requirements as a necessary step in good faith to break a lease early. However, Walz thinks that these requirements are a barrier for survivors, given how underreported domestic and sexual violence is and how hard it can be for victims to obtain a report without escalating violence from their abuser.

First and foremost, we must believe survivors. This means in action taking their own stories and experiences to be true and not requiring any form of third-party proof, Walz said.

Assumptions, stereotypes and bias  towards not believing survivors and perceiving that it could be made up in order to exit a lease  play into state policy responses and often result in a litany of requirements, including orders of protection, police reports, third-party statements, she said.

Bulletin reporter Ethan DeWitt contributed to this report.

This story was originally published by Stateline, 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.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: New NH law gives tenant rights to domestic violence victims
NH Senate passes ban of PFAS in certain consumer products: 'We got it done'

CONCORD  The New Hampshire Senate passed a bill to address the critical issue of PFAS contamination on Wednesday.

HB 1649 would ban the sale of certain consumer products containing intentionally added per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as forever chemicals, effective Jan. 1, 2027. The products would include things like adult mattresses, carpets and food packaging. It passed the Senate unanimously in a voice vote.

This is an extraordinary accomplishment. At last, we are going to protect the people of New Hampshire from PFAS: At last, people of Merrimack, people down along the Seacoast and everywhere else where PFAS has been found, said Sen. David Watters, D-Dover, on the Senate floor, referencing locations where water has been contaminated. We did it, we got it done.

New Hampshire state Sens. Kevin Avard and David Watters

Watters and Sen. Debra Altschiller, D-Stratham, released a statement following the vote praising the outcome. They said that when PFAS chemicals build up in the human body, they may cause health problems including decreased fertility, developmental delays in children, and increased risk of some cancers.

HB 1649 carves out necessary exemptions and creates an on-ramp for this prohibition that will mitigate the impact on manufacturers while moving our consumer products away from these dangerous chemicals, they wrote. This is a reasonable, but deeply important bipartisan bill that will protect the future health of Granite Staters, and we are pleased to see it pass the Senate today.

More: EPA sets strict new PFAS limits; Portsmouth confirms it must lower levels in water

A bipartisan accomplishment

The bill passed the House in early April. It had faced some opposition from Republicans who took issue with what was banned and thought implementation of the law would be too challenging. But it ultimately passed both houses with wide bipartisan support.

Sen. Kevin Avard, R-Nashua, praised prime sponsor Rep. Karen Ebel, D-New London, calling her a hound dog.

She hounded me on this and she worked her tail off to get this passed, Avard said. I think she should get the legislator award for the year.

Sen. Donna Soucy, D-Manchester, said this is the most profound piece of waste legislation this body could pass in a bipartisan way.

The bill passed with an amendment filed by Watters and Avard, which Watters said brings the bill back to Ebel's original intention. It will need go back to the House one more time before heading to New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununus desk.

Editor's note: Sen. Debra Altschiller, D-Stratham, is the wife of Howard Altschiller, Seacoast Media Group's executive editor.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH Senate passes ban of PFAS in certain consumer products
KYODO NEWS - May 16, 2024 - 12:33 | All, Japan

Japan's three biggest automakers are considering collaborating over vehicle software to increase development efficiency as electric vehicles gain a growing share of the market, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday.

Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co., and Nissan Motor Co. aim to standardize part of their software to promote collaboration with their parts suppliers and IT firms over vehicle controls and developing services, the sources said.

The automakers are expected to unveil the tie-up at a study group meeting to be held by the industry ministry in the near future, the sources said.

The potential collaboration between the major rivals appears to be a response to the rapid digitalization of cars in the United States and China.

Their major overseas competitors, such as U.S. EV giant Tesla Inc. and China's BYD Co., have been leading innovation in the car industry, where software plays an increasingly big role as more vehicles become electrified.

Japan's industry and transportation ministries expect to include the potential collaboration in a digital strategy for the country's auto industry that they are currently drawing up. The initiative could expand to include other carmakers in Japan, the sources said.

The tie-up is expected to revolve around application programming interfaces, or APIs, which link different software applications. Standardizing APIs will allow the automakers to reduce costs and use the same parts, such as sensors, across different brands, the sources said.

The collaboration scheme comes on the heels of the surprise announcement in March by Honda and Nissan about a potential tie-up over EVs and software.

"The automakers are feeling the need for increased collaboration," said one of the sources who declined to be named because the information is not public yet.

"They are facing competition to make their specifications open to more parts makers and tech firms so the companies can develop products more easily and create various services for them," the source said.

Related coverage:

Honda slashes production workforce in China amid slumping sales

Toyota FY 2023 operating profit tops 5 tril. yen, 1st for Japanese firm

Intel partners with 14 Japanese firms to automate chipmaking process
Niagara Falls police cruiser collides with 2 other vehicles while responding to call

Niagara Falls police cruiser collides with 2 other vehicles while responding to call

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB)  No one was seriously injured when a police cruiser crashed into two other vehicles in Niagara Falls Wednesday morning.

Shortly before 10:30 a.m., an officer was headed east on Niagara Falls Boulevard, responding to a call. While passing through the red light at 80th Street, his car struck a northbound vehicle in the intersection before proceeding to hit a westbound Jeep.

The officer and the 86-year-old driver of the first vehicle were taken to an area hospital for evaluation. The third driver, a 44-year-old man, denied medical treatment.

Officials said the officer involved is an eight-year veteran of the department. The Niagara Falls Police Departments crash investigation unit is investigating the matter.

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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.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has projected total confidence in his longshot bid for president, declaring that he thinks he can win the White House, even though he averages around just 10 percent support in national polls.

Now, in a new interview, his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, seemed to acknowledge that those lofty ambitions may be a pipe dream, and that the duo is focused on simply trying to influence the major parties agendas.

You know, it would be great if we could take office come, you know, November after the election, but we understand we're up against a lot, she said in an interview with YouTuber and economics commentator Luke Gromen. So we're just taking every opportunity every day to help shape policy through the voice of candidacy.

Political strategists for both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are concerned RFK Jr. could spoil the election against their preferred candidate, though it isnt yet clear how his candidacy might influence the vote in key states.

The Kennedy campaign told The Daily Beast in a statement: Ms. Shanahan and Mr. Kennedy are running to win. What Ms. Shanahan was conveying was that running for office has more than one function. It can change the national conversation and bring attention to issues and ideas that otherwise would go unnoticed. The two candidates are committed to contributing positively to this nations political conversation in the course of running for office.

Shanahan separately made news on Thursday when it was revealed that she had poured another $8 million into Kennedys campaign coffers, adding to the $2 million she previously gave in March, and other funds she has routed to his Super PAC.

People are going to say Bobby only picked me for my money, she quipped at a fundraiser in Tennessee. Kennedy has denied that he would choose a vice presidential candidate based on how much money that they have. Still, his selection of Shanahan has allowed her to give unlimited funds directly to the campaignpower she would not have were she not on the ticket.

Shanahan and Kennedy are now vying for the right to participate in an upcoming presidential debate hosted by CNN, though as of now he is not scheduled to be included. He has accused the major parties of colluding to lock America into a head-to-head match-up that 70% say they do not want.

Trump blasted Biden on his social media platform Truth Social on Thursday, claiming that Crooked Joe Biden wants to exclude RFK Jr. in part because hes sharper and far more intelligent than Joe.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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No kidding! Highway herd of goats gather on I-64 near High Rise Bridge

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY)  They really dont kid around.

Somehow, more than eight sneaky goats made their break from a nearby farm Wednesday night and wandered around the wall to Interstate 64 in Chesapeake, near the High Rise Bridge.

Before they could make their grand escape, Virginia State Police troopers helped round them up and held them in custody, keeping the highway herd and drivers safe.

(Photo  Virginia State Police)

None of the goats appeared interested in what was happening on the highway as drivers passed the unusual site.

Chesapeake Animal Patrol later came out to the scene and helped safely return all of the goats to their home.

Virginia State Police was a bit cheeky in its social media posts about the goats.

#VSP doesn't "kid" around when it comes to protecting wayward travelers on I-64 in Chesapeake! Why did the goats sneak around the wall near their farm? To see what was on the other side! Butt, seriously, Chesapeake Animal Patrol safely returned them all home. #valorservicepride pic.twitter.com/cQIejDOksn  VA State Police (@VSPPIO) May 16, 2024

One of the photos shows a trio of state troopers smiling next to a trailer on the side of I-64.

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The Russians attacked the area near Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast four times over the past day, but Ukrainian forces prevented any losses of positions.

Source: Dmytro Lykhovii, spokesman for the Tavriia Operational Strategic Group, on air during the national 24/7 newscast

Quote: "On the Orikhiv front, the enemy attacked the defence line near Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast four times. No positions have been lost."

Details: There have been 166 combat clashes with the Russians along the front line on this particular front over the past day. The Russians conducted four missile strikes and 75 airstrikes and fired from multiple-launch rocket systems 118 times.

On the Kupiansk front, the Russians attacked the positions of Ukrainian troops 30 times.

On the Lyman front, Ukrainian troops repelled five Russian attacks.

Ukrainian troops repelled eight Russian attacks on the Sivershchyna front, 19 on the Kramatorsk front, 45 on the Pokrovsk front and 26 on the Vremivka front.

On the Kurakhove front, the Russians, supported by aircraft, tried to break through Ukrainian defences 11 times. Meanwhile, Ukrainian defenders improved their tactical positions near the village of Pobieda on 15 May.

On the Prydniprovske front, the Russians are persisting in their intention to drive Ukrainian troops from the Dnipro River's left (east) bank. Seven Russian attacks were recorded there.

Over the past day, Ukrainian defenders struck 35 areas where Russian personnel were concentrated, an ammunition storage point, a command post and two anti-aircraft missile systems.

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Marjorie Taylor Greene wasted no time in suggesting that the shooting of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico Wednesday could be linked to his position on COVID vaccines.

The MAGA lawmaker shared a post on X Wednesday which contained a video with English subtitles in which Fico purportedly rails against the treatment of those who opposed vaccination and other government measures to manage the pandemic (The Daily Beast has not verified the translation provided in the clip).

This is great and courageous, Greene wrote in her own tweet sharing the video. No wonder they shot him.

Slovakias Prime Minister Robert Fico in Stable Condition After Shooting Attack

The original post, which was made by an X user who self-describes as a Conspiracy Realist with the handle @BGatesIsaPsycho, claimed that Fico had said that his party WILL NOT support strengthening the Powers of the World Health Organization and that multiple studies have confirmed the scandalous consequences of mass vaccination with experimental untested vaccines.

Today he has been shot in public , the post read. As of yet no motive for the attack has been given

Doctors in Slovakia said Thursday that Fico remains in a stable but serious condition after being shot multiple times in the attack in the town of Handlova, according to the BBC. Tomas Taraba, Slovakias deputy prime minister, had said earlier that Ficos surgery had gone well and that he guessed Fico will survive.

Juraj Cintula, a 71-year-old man arrested at the scene of the attack, was charged Thursday with attempted murder. Local media reports claim that Cintula, a poet and former security guard, told police hed planned the attack a few days before it unfolded, and that he was motivated by disagreement with government policies.

Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said Wednesday that early information indicated the assassination attempt was politically motivated, though he did not give a precise motive.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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North Carolina could ban face masks in public, even when used for medical reasons

(The Hill)  The North Carolina state Senate voted along party lines Wednesday to ban anyone from wearing masks in public, even for health reasons.

Republican supporters of the ban said it would help law enforcement crack down on protesters who wear masks. They say demonstrators are abusing COVID-19 pandemic-era practices to hide their identities following a wave of pro-Palestine protests nationwide and at North Carolina universities.

The bill goes even further and repeals an exception thats been state law since the early stages of the pandemic that allows people to wear masks in public for health and safety reasons.

Thirty senators voted in favor of House Bill 237, while 15 opposed it and five were absent.

Democrats raised concerns about the bill, particularly for those who are immunocompromised or those who may want to continue to wear masks during cancer treatments, WRAL News reported.

Throw out COVID-19 tests made by Cue Health, FDA warns

State Sen. Sydney Batch (D) is a cancer survivor and shared with her fellow senators how her family wore masks to protect her and her weakened immune system during treatment.

She and other Democrats proposed ways to amend the bill so police could still crack down on protesters but continue to have legal protections for health concerns, but they were shot down, the outlet reported.

GOP Sen. Buck Newton brushed off the concerns, saying no one saw Granny getting arrested in the Walmart pre-COVID and thinks law enforcement will use good common sense when applying the law, The Associated Press reported.

The AP noted that the states general statutes on masking date back to the 1950s in an attempt to curb Ku Klux Klan membership when the state passed a public masking ban.

Under the bill, if a person is arrested for protesting while masked, it would elevate the classification of a persons crime, either a misdemeanor or felony, to one class higher.

It now heads to Gov. Roy Coopers desk. Cooper, a Democrat, could veto the bill, but the North Carolina Republican Party has a supermajority and can override the expected veto.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
The North Carolina state Senate voted along party lines Wednesday to ban anyone from wearing masks in public, even for health reasons.

Republican supporters of the ban said it would help law enforcement crack down on protesters who wear masks. They say demonstrators are abusing COVID-19 pandemic-era practices to hide their identities following a wave of pro-Palestine protests nationwide and at North Carolina universities.

The bill goes even further and repeals an exception thats been state law since the early stages of the pandemic that allows people to wear masks in public for health and safety reasons.

Thirty senators voted in favor of House Bill 237, while 15 opposed it and five were absent.

Democrats raised concerns about the bill, particularly for those who are immunocompromised or those who may want to continue to wear masks during cancer treatments, WRAL News reported.

State Sen. Sydney Batch (D) is a cancer survivor and shared with her fellow senators how her family wore masks to protect her and her weakened immune system during treatment.

She and other Democrats proposed ways to amend the bill so police could still crack down on protesters but continue to have legal protections for health concerns, but they were shot down, the outlet reported.

GOP Sen. Buck Newton brushed off the concerns, saying no one saw Granny getting arrested in the Walmart pre-COVID and thinks law enforcement will use good common sense when applying the law, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

The AP noted that the states general statutes on masking date back to the 1950s in an attempt to curb Ku Klux Klan membership, when the state passed a public masking ban.

Under the bill, if a person is arrested for protesting while masked, it would elevate the classification of a persons crime, either a misdemeanor or felony, to one class higher.

It now heads to Gov. Roy Coopers desk. Cooper, a Democrat, could veto the bill, but the North Carolina Republican Party has a supermajority and can override the expected veto.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) The continuing saga of senate bill 480 has North Lafayette leaders calling on people to voice their opposition of the bill to the capital.

North Lafayette Redevelopment Authority said senate bill 480 takes away their ownership and control. The organization suggests development of the Northside should be under the leadership of those from the community.

Its like taking a seed out of the hands of us and our children right before its had a chance to grow, Cory Levier, partner with North Lafayette Redevelopment Team, said. We know that this can grow into something special. All it needs is support, right? And that support has not been present in the main form of our Senator Gerald Boudreaux.

The organization was created in 2008 by the state statute. Senator Gerald Boudreaux said the organization has been dormant and has not met for over seven years.

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The Lafayette North redevelopment does not have an office, does not have a staff, and they have no funds to operate on, Boudreaux said.

Boudreaux said senate bill 480 moves the organization under the Lafayette Economic Development Authority which is an authority that has proven to be successful in the community.

Would you ask that to the Downtown Development Authority to turn over all of their power and authority thats building downtown for the last 40 years? Would you ask them to step down so that LEDA could build downtown? If theyre not going to do it for downtown, why do it for the north side, Bishop Carlos Harvin of the New Beginnings Christian Church and North Lafayette Redevelopment Team said.

Members who support the North Lafayette Redevelopment Authority are encouraged to attend Thursdays hearing in Baton Rouge and voice their support.

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Northern California bear euthanized after it broke into homes, tried to enter school gym

A bear that authorities said was constantly breaking into homes and businesses in a Northern California town, creating havoc and endangering residents, was euthanized Wednesday after the animal tried to break into a schools gymnasium.

Since early May, Downieville residents have flooded the Sierra County Sheriffs Office with daily calls about at least one bear forcing itself into peoples homes, a news release said.

In response, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife issued depredation permits to residents, and federal officials deployed a live trap near a home repeatedly targeted by the bear, deputies said.

The bear persisted.

Wednesday marked a critical point in authorities safety efforts when the animal tried to break into Downieville Schools gymnasium. The bear failed to enter the gym and broke into a nearby home. The resident of the home encountered the bear, which took off and tried to enter another home before deputies intervened.

Given the escalating danger posed by the bears behavior and the imminent threat it presented to residents, deputies were left with no choice but to euthanize the bear in the interest of public safety, the release said.

Sierra County Sheriff Mike Fisher said the recent incidents were the work of a lone bear.

Downieville, the county seat with fewer than 150 residents, lies deep in the Tahoe National Forests northern tier and is about 75 miles northeast of Sacramento.
(FOX40.COM)  Northern California police are trying to find a missing 12-year-old girl who was last seen on Sunday morning.

According to the Chico Police Department, Maycie Marie Elizabeth King was last seen walking to a skate park in Chico around 9 a.m. on Sunday.

Police said her mother called to report her missing daughter on Monday, just before 3:30 p.m., after Maycie did not come home on Sunday.

Girl who was reported missing in Lodi found, police say

Chico police added that Maycie was last seen with Christopher Tilton, 24, and that family members have been unable to contact Tilton since Maycie went missing.

King, who police described as a 12-year-old white girl, was last seen wearing a black-hooded sweatshirt with a white skull and black sweatpants with HOCUS POCUS written along the leg.

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KYODO NEWS - May 16, 2024 - 08:29 | All, World

Senior officials from both the United States and China expressed their concerns to the other side in their first dialogue on the safe use of artificial intelligence, the countries said Wednesday.

Following the meeting in Geneva on Tuesday on emerging risks associated with advanced AI, Adrienne Watson, a White House National Security Council spokeswoman, said the United States raised concerns over the misuse of the new technology, including by China.

She said in a statement that the officials had a "candid and constructive discussion" and the United States stressed "the importance of ensuring AI systems are safe, secure and trustworthy."

China's Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, said Beijing voiced dissatisfaction over U.S. restrictions in the field of AI.

The United States and its allies have tightened controls on exports of cutting-edge semiconductors and other technologies to China as part of efforts to prevent the Asian power from using them for its military modernization.

Ahead of the one-day meeting, a senior U.S. administration official said the dialogue would not be focused "on any particular deliverables, but rather an exchange of views on the technical risks of AI and an opportunity to directly communicate on respective areas of concern."

The launch of such a dialogue, involving senior officials from various agencies, was agreed on during the first in-person meeting in a year between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November.

When the presidents met near San Francisco, they agreed to increase the lines of communication and take an array of steps to lower the temperature in the rivalry between the world's two largest economies.

Related coverage:

Japan PM vows to lead setting up int'l AI rules through new framework

U.S. urges China to stop aiding Russia, agrees to keep exchanges

G7 top diplomats to condemn Russia-North Korea military cooperation
Nuclear waste to be buried 650ft under the English countryside

New pit will ease pressure on the 17 nuclear waste disposal plants, the largest of which is the Sellafield site in Cumbria - Stuart Nicol

Swathes of nuclear waste are set to be buried in the English countryside after ministers agreed to dig a 650ft pit starting this decade.

The facility, which has yet to be allocated a site, will hold some of the 5m tonnes of waste that was generated by nuclear power stations over the past seven decades.

This will ease pressure on the 17 nuclear waste disposal plants currently in operation around the country, which consist of giant sheds and cooling ponds.

The largest facility is the Sellafield site in Cumbria.

Plans for the 650ft pit will see it house so-called intermediate-level waste, possibly in a mine on a pre-existing nuclear site to minimise planning objections.

The facility will be separate from the much deeper geological disposal site that will hold the UKs most dangerous waste, such as plutonium, which is unlikely to be built until after 2050.

The proposals come amid fears Britains stockpile of nuclear waste will grow in the coming decades with nowhere to put it.

Concerns are particularly acute as the Government is currently planning to build at least three new nuclear power stations.

This will put the country at odds with the 1976 review of nuclear waste policy by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, which warned the UK was accumulating nuclear waste so fast that it should stop building reactors until it had a solution.

Ministers want to brand nuclear energy as a green and sustainable fuel.

However, experts on the Governments own advisory body, the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management, have said such terms are misleading if there is no safe place to store radioactive waste.

Plans for a nuclear waste pit were recently published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (Desnz), headed by Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho.

A government spokesman said: In addition to long-term plans to dispose of the most hazardous radioactive waste in a geological disposal facility hundreds of metres underground, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority will explore a facility closer to the surface for less hazardous radioactive waste.

While a geological disposal facility is not expected to be ready until the 2050s, a shallower disposal facility  which is up to 200m below ground  could be available within 10 years.

Nuclear waste can remain dangerous for tens of thousands of years, with fears of disposing of it underground stemming from the fact water can flow through waste, carrying radioactivity back to the surface.

However, once buried and sealed with cement, such waste will be practically impossible to reach should there be such a problem.

Nuclear accidents are rare but when they do happen the consequences can be deadly and extremely expensive.

This was evidenced by the disastrous fire at the Sellafield site in 1957, which released radioactivity across the UK and Europe.

Other accidents at Chernobyl, Ukraine, in 1986 and Fukushima, Japan, in 2011 were even more devastating.

The Governments proposals come after policymakers recently announced the biggest expansion of nuclear power for 70 years.

Hinkley Point C is already under construction in Somerset at an estimated cost of 46bn, while Sizewell C in Suffolk is also about to start with a similar price tag.

A third giant nuclear station is also being planned alongside a fleet of so-called small modular reactors.

Andrew Bowie, the minister for nuclear energy, said: Were taking sensible steps to manage our radioactive waste, while reducing the burden on the environment and taxpayer.

David Peattie, chief executive officer at the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, added: We will maintain the highest standards of safety and environmental protection to deliver our nationally important decommissioning mission.

As for the much larger geological disposal facility, which will hold the UKs deadliest waste, this will soon become Britains biggest and most expensive infrastructure project ever.

Two sites are under consideration for the facility, which is expected to be 3,500ft deep.

One lies off the coast of Lincolnshire and the other is off the coast of Cumbria around Copeland.

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Children watch as rescue personnel carry a manatee to the water during a mass release of rehabilitated manatees at Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, Fla., in February 2023. The fast-growing state of Florida saw a relatively small birth rate decline of 1% from 2022 to 2023, according to a Stateline analysis. (Phelan M. Ebenhack/The Associated Press)

Births continued a historic slide in all but two states last year, making it clear that a brief post-pandemic uptick in the nations birth numbers was all about planned pregnancies that had been delayed temporarily by COVID-19.

Only Tennessee and North Dakota had small increases in births from 2022 to 2023, according to a Stateline analysis of provisional federal data on births. In California, births dropped by 5%, or nearly 20,000, for the year. And as is the case in most other states, there will be repercussions now and later for schools and the workforce, said Hans Johnson, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California who follows birth trends.

These effects are already being felt in a lot of school districts in California. Which schools are going to close? Thats a contentious issue, Johnson said.

In the short term, having fewer births means lower state costs for services such as subsidized day care and public schools at a time when aging baby boomers are straining resources. But eventually, the lack of people could affect workforces needed both to pay taxes and to fuel economic growth.

Nationally, births fell by 2% for the year, similar to drops before the pandemic, after rising slightly the previous two years and plummeting 4% in 2020.

Mostly what these numbers show is [that] the long-term decline in births, aside from the COVID-19 downward spike and rebound, is continuing, said Phillip Levine, a Wellesley College economics professor.

To keep population the same over the long term, the average woman needs to have 2.1 children over her lifetime  a metric that is considered the replacement rate for a population. Even in 2022 every state fell below that rate, according to final data for 2022 released in April. The rate ranged from a high of 2.0 in South Dakota to less than 1.4 in Oregon and Vermont.

Trends for Latina women

The declines in births werent as steep in some heavily Hispanic states where abortion was restricted in 2022, including Texas and the election battleground state of Arizona. Births were down only 1% in Arizona and Texas. When health clinics closed, many women might have been unable to get reliable birth control or, if they became pregnant, to get an abortion.

Young adults are still getting used to a recovering economy, including childbearing.

 William Frey, Brookings Institution demographer

Hispanic births rose in states where abortion is most restricted, even as non-Hispanic births fell in the same states, according to the Stateline analysis. Its hard, however, to tell how much of a role abortion access played compared with immigration and people moving to growing states such as Texas and Florida.

In states where abortion access is most protected, births fell for both Hispanic and non-Hispanic women.

The big takeaway to me is the likely increase in poverty for all family members, including children, in families affected by lack of access [to abortion and birth control], said Elizabeth Gregory, director of the Institute for Research on Women, Gender & Sexuality at the University of Houston.

Many of the nations most Hispanic states where abortion and birth control are more freely available saw the biggest decreases in births: about 5% in California, Maryland, Nevada and New Mexico.

Hispanic women as a group are facing more challenges in accessing reproductive care, including both contraception and abortion, Gregory said in a university report earlier this year. Unplanned births often directly impact womens workforce participation and negatively affect the income levels of their families.

Hispanic women on average have more children than Black or white women. Their fertility rates rose throughout much of the 1980s and 1990s, then fell in the late 2000s to near the same level as other groups. Thats because both abortion and more reliable birth control became more widely available, Gregory said.

The fact that some of the steepest drops were in heavily Hispanic states outside of Arizona and Texas suggests that Latina women are continuing a path toward smaller and delayed families typical of other groups.

Most of the decline in California has been associated with fewer babies born to Hispanic women, especially immigrants, said Johnson, of the Public Policy Institute of California.

California has a high share of Latinos compared to other states, and so fertility declines in that group have a huge effect on the overall decline in California, he said. California was above replacement fertility as recently as 2008, he added, and would still be there if Hispanic fertility had not dropped. California is about 40% Hispanic, about the same as Texas and second only to New Mexico at 50%.

Birth rates also declined steeply in heavily Hispanic Nevada and New Mexico, with each dropping about 4% from 2022 to 2023. But Arizona, Florida and Texas, also in the top 10 states for Hispanic population share but faster-growing, saw relatively small drops of about 1%.

Texas banned almost all abortions after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The state also requires parental consent for birth control, a rule thats included federally funded family planning centers since a lower court ruling that same year.

Arizona also saw the number of abortions drop in 2022. After the high courts Dobbs v. Jackson decision, an Arizona judge revived enforcement of a near-total ban on the procedure that was enacted in the Civil War era. Many clinics closed and never reopened.

Abortions in the state plummeted from more than 1,000 a month early in 2022 to 220 in July 2022, and never fully recovered, according to state records. The rate of abortions dropped 19% for the year. Births that year increased slightly, by 500, over 2021.

In Texas, Gregorys research at the University of Houston research saw an effect on Hispanic births when an abortion ban took effect in 2021. Fertility rates rose 8% that year for Hispanic women 25 and older, according to the report.

Both Texas and Arizona also are growing quickly, making the smaller decreases in births harder to interpret, Arizona State Demographer Jim Chang noted. Chang declined comment on the effect of abortion accessibility on state birth rates.

Budget effects

Overall, the continuing fall in birth numbers could have significant effects on state budgets in the future. The slide augurs more enrollment declines for state-funded public schools already facing more dropouts since the pandemic.

The decline we see in enrollment since COVID-19 is a bigger problem than just the decline in birth rates, said Sofoklis Goulas, an economic studies fellow at the Brookings Institution. Rural schools and urban high schools have been particularly hard hit, according to a Brookings report Goulas authored this year.

We dont have a clear answer. We suspect a lot of people are doing home education or going to charter schools and private schools but were not sure, Goulas told Stateline.

Still, states need to recognize declining births as an emerging factor in state budgets to avoid future budget shortfalls, said Jeff Chapman, a research director who monitors the trend at The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Nationally, births did increase slightly for women older than 40, indicating a continuing trend toward delayed parenthood, said William Frey, a demographer at Brookings.

The last two post-pandemic years do not necessarily indicate longer-term trends, Frey said. Young adults are still getting used to a recovering economy, including childbearing.

Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org. Follow Stateline on Facebook and Twitter.

The post The number of births continues to fall, despite abortion bans appeared first on Washington State Standard.
The major hostilities on the Kharkiv front continue in the vicinity of the settlements of Lyptsi and Vovchansk, with the Russians using aviation to put pressure on the Ukrainian defence.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 19:30 on 16 May

Quote: "On the Kharkiv front, the number of enemy attacks increased to 10. Major hostilities are taking place in the areas of the settlements of Liptsy and Vovchansk. Despite the loss of personnel and military equipment, the enemy, with the support of aviation, is trying to put pressure on our defence.

The invaders launched 32 airstrikes using 38 guided aerial bombs and carried out 181 artillery attacks. Units of the Defence Forces repulse the attacks and prevent the invaders from advancing into the depths of our territory."

Details: On the Kupiansk front, Russian forces continue their attack in the vicinity of Synkivka, Ivanivka and Berestove. Another fight occurred near Miasozharivka.

On the Lyman front, the Russians attempted to smash through Ukrainian defences eight times.

On the Siversk front, the Russian forces conducted an airstrike near Spirne.

The situation on the Pokrovsk front remains the most intense right now. The number of combat clashes rose to 35. At the same time, the Ukrainian military continues to inflict casualties on the Russian forces in terms of manpower and equipment while also containing the Russian forces.

On the Kurakhove front, the Defence Forces successfully repulsed 12 Russian attacks. The Russians focus their efforts mainly in the vicinity of Heorhiivka, Novomykhailivka and Krasnohorivka. Yelyzavetivka was being attacked by Russian aircraft.

On the Vremivka front, since the start of the current day, the Russians raised the number of combat clashes to eight. Battles were fought mostly in the vicinity of Staromaiorske, Mykilske ta Urozhaine.

On the Prydniprovia front, today, the Russians attacked Ukrainian defenders eight times near Krynky. The attack was unsuccessful, and information regarding the Russian losses is being clarified.

There were no significant changes in the situation on the Kramatorsk, Toretsk, Huliai Pole and Orikhove fronts.

Quote: "Throughout the day, the aircraft and Rocket Forces of the Defence Forces destroyed 12 clusters of military personnel, two command posts, two artillery pieces, and the Russian invaders' UAV command post.

Our forces adequately respond to the invaders' actions, acting decisively and taking the required steps to stabilise the situation."

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A New York City correction officer has been charged with taking a $500 bribe to smuggle thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes and marijuana into a Bronx courthouse holding area, prosecutors said Thursday.

Officer Andre Brown, 59, was arraigned in Bronx Criminal Supreme Court Wednesday on charges of receiving a bribe and promoting contraband.

Prosecutors say Brown gave a suspect in custody 16 cigarettes and roughly an ounce of marijuana on Feb. 15 in a holding area at the Bronx Hall of Justice, where criminal court hearings take place.

The detainee then took the contraband on a bus back to Rikers Island. Prosecutors estimate the items were worth $6,600 in the jails, where cigarettes go from $50 to $100 each and three grams of marijuana sell for between $350 and $500.

Brown was allegedly paid $500 through a payment app.

Cigarettes and marijuana are valuable commodities that fuel violence and corruption in the jails and this correction officer allegedly contributed to the lawlessness for a $500 bribe, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said. That the alleged crime occurred in the courthouse is remarkably audacious.

But Benny Boscio, president of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association, defended Brown, These allegations are just that  allegations, he said. We look forward to providing a vigorous defense in court and defeating these charges.

The case is the third contraband bust publicly reported in the past two months.

On April 9, federal prosecutors in Manhattan charged three former correction officers, a former contractor and a former jail counselor with taking bribes to bring a range of contraband drugs to two different jails.

On April 18, former correction officer Darius Murphy testified in Brooklyn Federal Court he bought a fentanyl-soaked comic book into a jail and gave it to a detainee in exchange for a bribe.

In addition, a large cache of drugs, ceramic blades, rolling papers and other contraband was discovered in a search at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center on Rikers Island An investigation into the source of that contraband is ongoing.

Brown has been suspended without pay indefinitely, Correction Department spokeswoman Latima Johnson said.

Smuggling contraband into our facilities puts our correction officers, staff, and people in our care at great risk, Correction Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie said. Anyone doing so should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Brown is due back in court on Aug. 6.
YOUNGSTOWN, N.Y. (WIVB)  A New York City man has been accused of flying a drone back and forth into Canada in an effort to bring back drugs, according to the U.S. District Attorneys Office.

The drone was allegedly being launched from a residence on Wolf Run Drive in Youngstown. It would travel from there across the Lower Niagara River and land in Niagara-on-the-Lake before returning, prosecutors said.

Early in the morning of September 21, 2022, officials said the drone flew over into Canada from Youngstown. Its launch was spotted by U.S. Border Patrol, officials said.

When members of law enforcement responded, they said it had finished its round-trip route and was hovering in the Youngstown backyard with a package hanging from it.

As it landed near one person, they said another person, later identified as 37-year-old Yong Chen, fled from authorities. A criminal complaint says the first person was detained after surrendering.

Chen was found shortly after this when a 911 call about someone having shortness of breath reached dispatchers, the U.S. Attorneys office said.

Buffalo woman arrested after allegedly keeping 2-year-old son in makeshift cage

The package was seized and found to contain three bags of MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, authorities said. The criminal complaint said there was more than 6.5 pounds of it.

Based on my training and experience, this amount of MDMA is consistent with that of a narcotics trafficker and not of a personal user, a Homeland Security special agent said in his affidavit. Those who acquire MDMA for personal use do not typically buy MDMA in the kilogram amount.

Chen is not known to have any ties to the Buffalo or Youngstown areas. The residence he allegedly fled from was purchased by a business owned by his sister, according to the criminal complaint.

Record checks show that the property was last sold on April 21, 2022, for $630,000, approximately one month before the first cross-border drone flight from the residence took place, the criminal complaint read.

Inside the residence, prosecutors said it was barely furnished, with almost no furniture other than some mattresses on the floor. Because of this and other factors, investigators said it didnt appear to have been used as a primary residence.

During the search, investigators seized numerous commercial-grade drones, controllers, electronics, cell phones and a video hard drive containing the residences security camera footage, which showed Chen at the residence around the time the drone was spotted, the U.S. Attorneys office said.

2 people rescued from water in Buffalo early Thursday morning

Prior to September 21, 2022, the seized drones had allegedly flown into Canada five times, starting and finishing at the Youngstown residence each time, according to prosecutors.

A special agent with Homeland Security believes the prior flights were conducted to test the drones abilities and troubleshoot any issues.

Chen was charged with possession with intent to distribute MDMA and importation of MDMA. If convicted, he could spend up to 20 years in prison and pay a $1 million fine.

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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.

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NEW YORK (PIX11)  As early as this fall, the Department of Education plans to implement a new curriculum focused on antisemitism.

New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks joins PIX11 to discuss this new curriculum and safety in schools in the aftermath of recent violence.

Watch the video player for the full interview.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
Although the airport code and logo will remain the same, the city of San Francisco is against the name change.

Jane Tyska/Getty Images

The Metropolitan Oakland International Airport is no longer. Instead, the Bay Area airport has officially changed its name to the San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport," sparking controversy in the process.

The airport in Oakland, California, changed its name in hopes of attracting more visitors and making it clear where in the state the airport was located, according to the airport.

The airports code, OAK, and logo will remain the same.

The convenience and ease of traveling through OAK wont change with our name, Interim Director of Aviation Craig Simon said in a statement. OAK is the closest major airport to 58 percent of the Bay Area population  This designation will let the world know who we serve.

The Oakland Board of Port Commissioners voted unanimously to change the name.

However, the change has not been without contention as the city of San Francisco sued the airport over claims the new name violates the citys trademark rights and would almost certainly cause confusion among consumers and the public generally, according to Reuters.



San Francisco operates its own airport, the San Francisco International Airport (SFO), which is located in San Mateo County.

For its part, the Port of Oakland counter-sued the city of San Francisco and asked the court to rule the new name did not violate any trademark rights, according to a statement.

Changing Metropolitan to San Francisco Bay in Oakland Airports name accurately describes OAKs geographic location on the Bay and presents the airport as an additional choice for travel into the San Francisco Bay Area, Port Attorney Mary Richardson said in the statement. SFOs lawsuit is a disappointing and anticompetitive effort to discourage competition and choice, and we are confident the Court will agree.

Oakland isnt alone in trying to change the name of its airport to better reflect its location. The Montreal Metropolitan Airport also changed its name earlier this year from its previous designation, the Saint-Hubert airport. Per Canadian news network CTV News, the move has sparked similar controversy and legal proceedings by the Aeroports de Montreal, which operates the Montreal-Trudeau International Airport.

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A pregnant woman sitting on a bed. An OB-GYN from Clarke County Thursday warned the governing board of the Alabama Department of Public Health about the ongoing maternal health care crisis in the state. (Getty)

Dr. Max Rogers said the board of Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) thinks hes a broken record for sounding the alarm on maternal health outcomes in the state.

Each time he raises the issue, Rogers, an OB-GYN based in Clarke County, brings a different perspective to warn the board about worsening outcomes in rural Alabama, particularly the Black Belt.

I just want everybody in this room, at the table and around the edges, to understand that we cannot let these obstetrical centers disappear. My fear is and I think its reality  these people cant get to obstetrical care every time right now, Rogers said at Thursday board meeting.

Rogers spoke at the end of the meeting when asked if any board members had questions or comments. He said he felt compelled to speak on behalf of womens health right now in the state of Alabama.

Rogers also said that rural emergency hospitals (REHs) are probably making the issue worse.

In 2023, the U.S. federal government authorized REHs as a way to respond to rural hospital closures and to give rural communities more access to health care, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). They are allowed to provide emergency services, observation care and outpatient medical and health services that do not exceed an annual per patient average length of stay of 24 hours.

Rogers said that since REHs are prohibited from providing inpatient services, especially labor and delivery, it further hampers access to maternity care.



Im a big supporter of REHs and I think they are going to keep a lot of hospital doors open, but at what cost? Rogers asked.

A 2022 report from the March of Dimes found that over one third of counties in Alabama are maternity care deserts. The report also estimated that women across Alabama travel 17.4 miles and 23.5 minutes, on average, to their nearest birthing hospital. Those who have the highest travel times could travel up to 71.9 miles and 78 minutes on average.

REHs, while beneficial for health care access, may have unintended consequences, according to a University of Michigan study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in March 2023. The study suggests proactive monitoring and resources for communities to restore full hospital services.

Danne Howard, deputy director of the Alabama Hospital Association, said in an interview Thursday that the association has worked with regulatory authorities and the Alabama Department of Public Health to ensure REHs have the option to convert back to a hospital with more services if their financial situation improves.

If we get some of the financial issues that they face addressed  one of the biggest things in the state is closing the coverage gap  but there are other reimbursements at the federal level, through Medicare and other things, Howard said.

Converting to a REH may decrease access to services in a community, but she said that REHs is better than having no services.

When a rural hospital has no other option, the option to convert to be a rural emergency hospital ensures that the community now does not lose access to emergency care and other services, (and) that the hospital would still be able to provide such as the diagnostic work, Howard said.

She said that with labor and delivery, having an emergency room is better than giving birth on the way to a hospital, without any medical care.

If that woman shows up in a hospital emergency room to give birth, its most likely that she doesnt have an OB GYN. Therefore, she might not have had a lot of prenatal care, and so it might make it a higher risk pregnancy than it would have otherwise been, she said.

Rogers said that he thinks its a cyanide pill that hospitals cant do obstetrics once converting to REH, adding that losing access to obstetrics services in the Black Belt is something the state cannot ignore.

He said that pregnant people can give birth at the REH emergency room, but added that there would likely be no skilled, trained OB-GYN to provide a higher level of care, should it be needed.

What youre going to see is worse outcomes. I used to use that term worse outcomes. What does that mean? That means babies are going to die in the emergency rooms and mamas are going to die in the emergency room, he said.

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KYODO NEWS - May 16, 2024 - 09:46 | All, World

U.S. President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump said Wednesday they will go head-to-head in their first presidential debate for the upcoming election on June 27, with CNN set to host.

The first face-off will be held at an unusually early date, even before the Democrats formally nominate Biden and the Republicans Trump at their respective national conventions in August and July.

The debate will take place in a TV studio with no live audience as requested by Biden, who apparently wanted to avoid a circus-like atmosphere that Trump has been known to create.

In addition, the two presumptive presidential nominees said they have agreed to an additional one-on-one debate to be hosted by ABC News on Sept. 10. While deciding on the two showdowns, the main candidates for the Nov. 5 election have said they will not take part in fall debates that have been sponsored for decades by a nonpartisan commission.

As polls have shown that large numbers of U.S. voters are unhappy with the prospect of a rematch between Biden and Trump, the two men's decisions to greenlight the earlier-than-usual debates reflect their desire to seize the upper hand before moving into the final phase of the race.

"Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020. Since then, he hasn't shown up for a debate. Now he's acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, pal," Biden said in a video message on X, formerly called Twitter, adding "I'll even do it twice."

In the message, posted before the two sides formally agreed to the debates, Biden also took a jab at Trump for the criminal cases he faces, one of which has recently kept him busy four days a week as he fights hush money payment allegations in New York.

"So let's pick the dates, Donald. I hear you're free on Wednesdays," said the 81-year-old Democratic incumbent, who is struggling in polls against Trump.

On his social media platform, Truth Social, the 77-year-old Trump, who did not appear at any of his party's debates during the Republican primaries, proposed having more than two presidential debates and "for excitement purposes, a very large venue, although Biden is supposedly afraid of crowds."

In response, Biden campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon said in a statement, "President Biden made his terms clear for two one-on-one debates, and Donald Trump accepted those terms. No more games. No more chaos, no more debate about debates."

The Biden campaign had sought to wrap up the presidential debates around early September when early voting starts.

Since 1988, the Commission on Presidential Debates has organized debates in each U.S. presidential election cycle, but for 2024 it has been sidelined.

The Biden campaign proposed that a separate vice-presidential debate be organized in July, after Trump and his yet-to-be-chosen running mate are officially nominated at the Republican convention in Milwaukee.

Related coverage:

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Ukraine's civil service is suffering from a "catastrophic shortage" of people at both the state and local level, the head of the National Agency for Civil Service, Nataliia Aliushyna, said on May 15.

According to Aliushyna, the payment system for civil servants will be reformed in order to attract and retain qualified personnel.

Last year, the Ukrainian government passed a law limiting bonuses for those working in the civil service.

"We have a catastrophic lack of specialists... Our goal is to attract qualified personnel and be able to retain them through competitive wages," Aliushyna said at an online conference called "Two Years of War: Consequences and Prospects."

In March, it was announced Ukraine was working to reduce the number of ministries by one-third as part of the civil service reform.

According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, 20,000 government vacancies have already been cut in 2024.

If the number of ministries is reduced, there will be 15 or 16 ministries left in Ukraine, the prime minister said at the time.

Shmyhal revealed the government's plans to create a "Government Center" that will provide "supportive administrative functions."

"The ministries should formulate policies, and the Government Center, in turn, will provide legal, personnel, accounting, and other support," the prime minister explained.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a press conference on Feb. 25 that he was discussing the ministries reduction with Shmyhal due to lack of funding.

"This is the format we are preparing for reducing the number of ministries, reducing the number of ministers, and cheaper management. Not easier to manage, but more coordinated," Zelensky said.

Read also: Slovak PM shooting  everything we know so far about the assassination attempt on Robert Fico

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Members of the STRS board meet Wednesday, May 15, 2024. (Photo by Morgan Trau, WEWS.)

Attorney General Dave Yost filed a lawsuit Wednesday against two State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS) board members, saying they must be removed from their roles for breaching their fiduciary duties. He accused them of being a part of an attempt to hijack the pensioners retirement accounts. Defendants Wade Steen and Dr. Rudy Fichtenbaum have denied the allegations in the AGs filing in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.

Steen and Fichtenbaum seek to steer as much as 70% of current STRS assets, which is $65 billion, to a shell company that has backdoor ties to the members, Yost argued.

He filed just a few hours before the STRS board meeting, one that resulted in chaos due to already high tensions and the attorney generals latest involvement.

This is a sham investigation, Steen said, to applause from people in the gallery.

The majority of the board members seemed to agree, voting 6-5 to remove the current chair and replace him with Fichtenbaum.

Recap

The STRS board is made up of 11 members. There are five elected contributing teachers and two elected retired teachers. The governor gets to appoint one investment expert. The speaker of the House and the Senate president get to jointly appoint an expert. The treasurer and director of the Department of Education and Workforce both get to designate an expert.

STRS lost $5.3 billion in 2022 alone. In 2023, it lost $27 million invested in the failed Silicon Valley Bank. In addition to those  the cost of living adjustments, or COLAs, were suspended for more than 150,000 retired Ohio teachers for five years starting in 2017. In 2012, the qualifying retirement number was moved from 30 years to 35 years. Last year, this was changed to 34.

Then, the board approved $10 million in bonuses for their staff.

This has led to a group of pensioners, who have named themselves the reformers, to fight for change against the status quo members.

Last week, Yost launched an investigation into the teachers pension fund after allegations that a hostile takeover is putting educator money in jeopardy.

The concerns came from anonymously sent documents sent to Gov. Mike DeWines office. The governors spokesperson, Dan Tierney, said he believes they were prepared by multiple STRS staff members. Through public records requests, dozens of papers were obtained.

STRS consulting firm Aon cut ties with them, prompting a response from the governor.

This is a huge red flag, calling into question how STRS is operating and providing oversight. The unstated implication is that the governance issues at STRS are so concerning that Aon could not continue its contract in good faith. STRS may now be out of compliance with portions of audit recommendations due to Aon ending the contract.

The documents allege that Steen and Fichtenbaum, in addition to two former STRS board members, have been doing the bidding of private investment group QED Systematic Solutions.

In brief, QED is a firm that has no clients and no track record. It was started by former Deputy Treasurer Seth Metcalf and Jonathan (JD) Tremmel. Metcalf worked under Josh Mandel in multiple capacities, including as general counsel.

In 2020, they couldnt impress the board members, mainly because of their lack of experience and also the fact that QED was not registered as a broker-dealer or investment adviser. The men also didnt own the technology to facilitate the strategy, the documents say.

Click here to learn more about QED.

The document accuses the members of directly collaborating with QED and using their documents for QED pitching. Other members raised concerns privately.

The owner of this shell company continues to peddle to STRS a secretive and untested investment scheme while his own condominium is in foreclosure, the lawsuit says.

QED teamed up with the Ohio Retirement for Teachers Association (ORTA) to help elect candidates who wanted to reform STRS.

They accuse STRS of being corrupt, not an uncommon assertion made against the pension fund. Reformers state there needs to be a change because the current board keeps hurting the pensioners.

Lawsuit

Wednesday morning, Yost filed a lawsuit to remove Steen and Rudy Fichtenbaum, saying they have failed their role in protecting the pension fund.

The AG states that the pair should be removed because they broke their fiduciary duties of care, loyalty and trust when colluding with QED.

While this scheme may benefit Steen and Fichtenbaum, it may spell disaster for Ohio teachers who have retired or hope to retire someday, the lawsuit states.

Although not explicitly spelled out in the lawsuit, here is how the QED scheme may have or could benefit the men:

Steen was already a board member when QED started contacting STRS; however, Fichtenbaum was not.

Fichtenbaum wrote a blog post criticizing STRS during his campaign, in which he supported Steen and QEDs solution to the investment debacle, the lawsuit said.

Although not expressed by Yost, the anonymous documents tied Fichtenbaum with QED for campaign purposes.

Once the firm couldnt get through the door with current STRS members, it allegedly changed strategies. The documents state that it would replace board members and staff with those who would support their proposal.

QED pitched (and apparently sold) their proposal to Fichtenbaum while he was a board candidate, the document said.

It is unclear if QED or ORTA contributed to Fichtenbaums campaign since the only reported disclosures accessible at the moment are from the Ohio Federation of Teachers. The union spent about $2,300 on ads.

The lawsuit draws a closer tie between Steen and QED-adjacent entities.

The Ohio Retirement for Teachers Association (ORTA) established what it calls a Pension Defense Fund to pay Defendant Steens legal fees, it says.

The lawsuit also states that Steen and Metcalf go to the same church and that Tremmel is an acquaintance.

Response

Its defamatory, Steen said, talking to reporters during a break during the board meeting. Its not true.

In an act of defiance, the reformers removed STRS chair Dale Price, who was on the status quo side, and replaced him with Fichtenbaum.

I think that says that the majority of the members of the board believe that I have carried out my fiduciary responsibilities and they have confidence that I will continue to do that, Fichtenbaum said during a break in the meeting.

Retired Columbus-area teacher Sharon Parker applauded this decision, both in the gallery and when talking to me.

I think we need some change, Parker said. They need to work together for the teachers and theyre not doing that.

Parker and Cleveland-area educator Terry Caskey believe that this was the governors way of silencing reform, which they believe would have provided more transparency  and also a way to prevent administrative kickbacks. There is no evidence that we have found of any administrative kickbacks.

Click or tap here to learn more about concerns about another major corruption scandal brewing.

Case Western Reserve University business law professor Eric Chaffee said these allegations are serious.

I doubt this case would have been brought if there had not been things that ought to be explored about the relationships of these board members with QED, Chaffee said.

Whats next

Prices term expires this summer, so there was an election to find his successor. Over the weekend, Michelle Flanigan  a reformer  won in a landslide victory.

This means that the reformers have a supermajority, meaning they could hire QED if they wanted to.

When talking with Steen, he was asked if QED was still a good idea  considering it has been involved in this controversy and has a lack of legitimacy.

Now, Im not even advising QED or anyone  what Im advising is we need to look at index funding, Steen responded. We really need to take a look at that that would dramatically reduce our costs.

Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on X and Facebook.

This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.

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The post Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost files lawsuit to remove members of teachers pension board appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Gov. Mike DeWine signing legislation to limit cellphones in schools. (Photo by Nick Evans, Ohio Capital Journal.)

At a Dublin middle school Wednesday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation ordering school districts around the state to develop written policies for cellphones on campus. The state education department will write its own model policy that districts may adopt, but so long as they come up with something to keep cellphone use as limited as possible districts can do what they like.

District level view

Several districts around the state stood up their own cellphone policies well before state lawmakers acted. Dublin City Schools, for instance, prohibited cell phones in high school classrooms this year, but they eliminated them completely for middle schools.

Its so much fun to walk into a middle school lunch again, Superintendent John Marschhausen explained. Because it used to be youd go in and itd be somewhat quiet, kids looking down at their phones. But now that its loud, its fun, and the interaction and the interpersonal skills that students learn is increasing.

The law carries a provision retroactively blessing the policies Dublin and other school districts instituted if they meet the minimum standards laid out in law. Although its too soon to connect the policy changes to outcomes like test scores, Marschhausen explained the impact is still showing up in noticeable ways.

Our discipline is down, our bullying is down, he explained. Without kids on social media during the day, he added, teachers and administrators arent forced to respond to the latest post and students group chats arent fanning the flames of that days drama.

When they go to class they learn, Marschhausen said. So we have statistical data for discipline that shows an improvement.

In a press release, Ohio Education Association President Scott DiMauro applauded the legislation, but he argued teachers  the eventual frontline of whatever policy a district establishes  need to be included in the planning process.

This law will ensure educators have clear guidance and support while allowing for local flexibility to set policies that will improve learning conditions, he stated. Our members must be included in the development of those local policies.

Signing ceremony

In the Karrer Middle School library, DeWine emphasized the potential for distraction that cellphones present. Nearly all teenagers have a phone, he argued, and notifications roll in according to one study, about once every five minutes.

Even when students dont check their cell phones  or when adults dont check their cell phones  the presence of the phone impacts their ability to think, DeWine said.

Like Superintendent Marschhausen, the governor brought up the return of noisy lunchrooms. Lt. Gov. Jon Husted reported district leaders who have restricted access to phones report the facts are clear.

Eliminating smartphones in schools leads to improved academic performance, reduces bullying and lessens disciplinary issues, Husted said.

In his statements, DeWine referenced author Johnathan Haidts book The Anxious Generation, which kicked off a national discussion about removing phones in schools a few months ago.

The administrations victory lap comes after a brief and painless trip through the state legislature. DeWine urged lawmakers to act just five weeks ago in his State of the State address, and after hitching a ride on a noncontroversial bill dealing with military seals on high school diplomas, the idea passed both chambers unanimously.

You dont get a unanimous vote out this legislature, or very few legislatures, on anything other than naming roads, DeWine quipped after signing the bill.

The governor said he expects state education officials to have their model policy ready for districts within the next ten days or so. The law take effect in mid-August, right in time for kids to head back to school.

Follow OCJ Reporter Nick Evans on Twitter.

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Ohio legal weed launch a rare example of true representation being carried out in state government

State Rep. Jamie Callender (R-Concord) speaks from the floor of the Ohio House. (Photo by Graham Stokes for Ohio Capital Journal. Republish only with original article.)

In a rare example of Ohio government functioning representatively, legal adult-use marijuana is coming soon to store shelves, and reasonable bipartisanship has prevailed over the machinations of gerrymandered extremists.

This past November, 57% of Ohio voters approved a new law for adult-use marijuana in the Buckeye State for those 21 and over.

Even though marijuana is legal now, Ohio law has no system set up yet for people to legally buy it. That will soon change, with the news this week that the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) has approved regulations from the Division of Cannabis Control (DCC), which means that medical dispensaries could start applying for a recreational license in the next few weeks.

Sales could begin as soon as mid-June, according to policymakers, the Division of Cannabis Control, and dispensary owners.

While gerrymandered extremists in the Ohio Senate passed a law to overhaul the voters wishes, it was mightily resisted by a bipartisan coalition in the Ohio House spearheaded by Republican state Rep. Jamie Callender, also the chair of JCARR.

Callender fought against changes that senators wanted to make, such as cutting down on home grow, limiting THC content, all but banning THC vapes, and reshuffling revenue from community, addiction, and business support toward law enforcement and the building of more jails.

In essence, the Ohio Senate Republican gerrymandered supermajority wanted to flout the voters will and take control over the new marijuana legalization for their own purposes instead of honoring the law that voters passed.

Callender and a bipartisan coalition in the Ohio House said, No.

For that, they can not be too much applauded.

The DCC has to file the rule in final form with JCARR, the Legislative Service Commission, and the Secretary of States office by May 22.

From there, applications will be available before June 7. These will be available for medical dispensaries wanting to expand to everyone, called a dual license, and for groups just wanting to sell recreationally.

The application process will be easy to become a dual facility since medical dispensaries already have a strenuous licensure process, Callender said. The applications could be approved in a week, he added.

Dual stores can start selling in mid-June, he anticipated. The DCC echoed those sentiments after the hearing.

As for how revenue will be handled under the law as passed by voters, here is the breakdown:

36% to the host community cannabis fund.

36% to the cannabis social equity and jobs fund.

12.5% of the substance abuse and addiction fund would go into Ohios 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline fund to administer the 988 system.

10% of the substance abuse and addiction fund would provide mental health and addiction services in county jails.

3% to the operations of the Division of Marijuana Control and Department of Taxation.

2.5% to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to develop the states mental health workforce.

After the law was passed by Ohio voters, Gov. Mike DeWine expressed a desire to see additions to create protections for children around packaging and advertising. Those suggested protections are reasonable, appropriate, and good. Ohio would be smart to learn from the examples and mistakes of other states and do our best to make sure that everything is done safely, and I dont see anything wrong in responsibly adding to the measures that voters passed  as opposed to insulting voters by overriding their will.

Whether that can be done without political extortion and gamesmanship, the way this lege operates, is a whole other question.

Callender appears to agree with DeWine and anticipates movement to address such safety concerns.

Packaging, child safety  some of those things I think still need to be dealt with, he said.

I guess Im old fashioned, but few things in government give a boon to my jaded spirits like seeing rationality, reason, cooperation, respect for the voters, respect for democracy, and the representation of the voters expressed wishes prevail in the halls of power.

On one hand I look around at America in 2024 and I see the most unscrupulous creatures conducting themselves in the most vile ways  blatantly, openly, and repeatedly lying to the voters and the constituents theyve sworn oaths on bibles to represent faithfully; peddling the most inane nonsense and ignorance; abusing the powers of their public offices for the sake of corruption, favoritism, spoils system appointments, and sweetheart lawmaking handouts on the public dime; scapegoating fellow Americans and inciting people to violence, hatred, and distrust of one another; constantly poisoning the wells of public discourse with toxic sludge, and debasing and degrading our nation amongst ourselves and before the eyes of the world.

But every so often, with squinting eyes, we can see shimmers of hope on the horizon: A functioning republic borne of reason and integrity and compromise and dutiful respect for the obligation of faithful representation of the people  by the people, for the people.

Ill savor whats sadly become a rare example of that here in Ohio.

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The post Ohio legal weed launch a rare example of true representation being carried out in state government appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
UPDATE @ 8:25 A.M.

OKCPD says they have identified the suspect according to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The suspect was not named in the post.

ORIGINAL STORY

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  The Oklahoma City Police Department is looking for an individual they say was involved in a road rage incident near the Kilpatrick Turnpike and Northwestern.

OKCPD says that the incident took place several days ago when one individual aggressively followed and tailgated an older females vehicle before pulling into a parking lot and parking several spaces away from her.

On a rampage: OKC police arrest man accused of crashing into club and home

The suspect began to curse at the victim while approaching her quickly. A witness noticed what was going on and intervened.

The suspect would then proceed to use an object to scrape a considerable scratch down the side of her new vehicle before he got back into his vehicle and drove off at a high rate of speed.

OKCPD are still searching for the suspect and asks that if anyone has any information to call Crime Stoppers at 405-235-7300 or submit a tip online by clicking here.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) on Thursday, released the summer meal service for 2024.

OKCPS officials say, school nutrition services will provide meals for children aged 1-18 beginning Monday, June 3 and ending June 28 (closed June 19). Student IDs will not be required, but the children must be physically present and consume the meals on site.

Scissortail Parks free Summer Concert Series begins May 19

Elementary school sites will serve breakfast from 7:45am  8am and lunch from noon to 12:30pm. High school sites will serve breakfast from 8:30am  9am and lunch from noon to 12:30pm. Any child from age 1-18 is welcome to go to any of the school sites listed and consume breakfast and/or lunch.

Elementary Meal Service Sites:

Arthur Elementary, 5100 S Independence Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73119

Cesar Chavez Elementary, 600 SE Grand Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73129

Coolidge Elementary, 5212 S Villa Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73119

Hawthorne Elementary, 2300 NW 15th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73107

Ridgeview Elementary, 10010 Ridgeview Dr, The Village, OK 73120

Spencer Elementary, 8900 NE 50th St, Spencer, OK 73084

Wilson Elementary, 501 NW 21st St, Oklahoma City, OK 73103

High School Meal Service Sites:

Capitol Hill High School, 500 SW 36th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73109

Douglass School, 900 N Martin Luther King Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73117

NW Classen High School, 2801 NW 27th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73107

More information click here.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
An almost 100-year-old recording of a choir has been unearthed and handed back to the cathedral that hosted the performance. It is believed to be one of the oldest recordings of a live choir singing in their home venue.

The sound of Rochester Cathedral choir singing in 1926 was preserved on a 12-inch shellac record, which has been rediscovered by a sound expert. It has now been transferred on to a CD and returned to the Kent cathedral. Older recordings of choirs exist but they were recorded inside a studio.

The audio of the Rochester choir was sent live by telephone lines to Columbia Studios in London where the record was made.

The eight revolutions-per-minute record contains the choristers singing Magnificat in B flat and the hymn All People that on Earth do Dwell conducted by Charles Hylton Stewart, then director of music.

The performance also features Percy Whitlock, the composer, playing the organ in the choir he served in various roles between 1911 and 1930.

The recording was found by Michael Curling from the City of London Phonograph and Gramophone Society.

Alistair Taylor, owner of a specialist record shop in Rochester, transferred the audio onto a CD.

The recording will be played at a choral evensong service at the Cathedral on Sunday.

Adrian Bawtree, director of music at Rochester Cathedral said: We are delighted to be sharing this historic recording with you all.

To hear the choir in such good heart back in 1926 and to hear the famous Percy Whitlock at the organ is just simply fantastic.

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One civilian killed and 13 injured in Russian strikes on Kharkiv Oblast over past 24 hours  photos

The aftermath of one of the Russian strikes on Kharkiv Oblast on 15 May. Photo: Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration

One civilian has been killed and 13 more injured in Russian attacks on Kharkiv Oblast on 15 May.

Source: Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutors Office

Quote from the Kharkiv Oblast prosecutor's office: "According to the investigation, on 16 May, at approximately 00:20 (Kyiv time), the Russian Armed Forces launched missile attacks on the city of Chuhuiv. At least 10 residential buildings were damaged. Three women suffered an acute stress reaction. Early reports say the enemy attacked the city with two S-300 missiles from the territory of Belgorod Oblast of the Russian Federation."

Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutors Office

Details: On 16 May, at 04:35, the Russians also launched an airstrike on the village of Bohuslavka in Borova hromada. Private households were damaged. An 84-year-old civilian woman suffered an acute stress reaction. [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories  ed.]

Details: Syniehubov reported that a man, 50, had been killed in the town of Kupiansk in a munitions explosion. Two men, aged 20 and 40, have been injured in Kharkiv in a Russian strike. In addition, a five-storey building and eight cars have been damaged.

Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutors Office

In addition, a Russian strike left a woman aged 87 injured in the village of Hrafske in the Chuhuiv district. A 70-year-old man and 72-year-old woman have been injured in the town of Vovchansk in a Russian attack.

A woman, 55, has been injured in the village of Kolisnykivka, Kupiansk district, due to a Russian attack. A Russian Lancet UAV hit a tractor in Derhachi hromada, injuring a 25-year-old tractor driver.

Photo: Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutors Office

The Russians also damaged a student accommodation building, a general practice outpatient clinic and a house in Mala Danylivka hromada in the Kharkiv district. Four employees of the medical institution have been injured.

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Its been one year since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill, Opill, and less than two months since it hit store shelves. Advocates celebrate its availability but say access is still lacking in terms of cost barriers and insurance coverage. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) (This image cannot be republished unless you have a Getty subscription.)

Sriha Srinivasan remembers how surprised her mom was two years ago when she learned that birth control pills werent sold in stores without a prescription in the United States.

My parents are immigrants from India, and its been over the counter there since my mom can remember, said Srinivasan, a recent graduate of University of California Los Angeles.

More than 100 countries were already selling birth control without a prescription before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration  one year ago as of Thursday  approved Opill. Though the hormonal, over-the-counter birth control pill was approved in May 2023, it didnt reach online retailers or the shelves of major drug stores across the country until a couple of months ago.

Opill is a progestin-only birth control pill, which is slightly different from the typical prescription of a progestin and estrogen combination pill. Dr. Kristin Lyerly, an OB-GYN in Green Bay, Wisconsin, said that means the oral contraceptive is still very safe and 98% effective, but the user has to be more diligent about making sure its taken at the same time every day. If the time window is missed by three hours or more, there is a higher chance of unintended pregnancy, so she recommends that people use a backup form of protection for the next 48 hours while they get back on schedule.

Srinivasan, 21, gets health care coverage through her parents private insurance, but she said when she called clinics to see if she could get a birth control prescription last year, the first appointment that was available was six months out.

She happened to be working with Free the Pill, a group of reproductive health advocates and health care providers, on getting Opill approved by the FDA, so she decided to hold off.

Almost out of spite, I was like, Im going to wait and get this over the counter.

On March 22, just after Opill hit the U.S. market, Srinivasan drove with a friend to a nearby Walgreens to buy their first packs, which cost about $20 each. The two recorded a TikTok of themselves taking their first doses.

It was a very joyous and empowering moment to be able to take that for the first time, Srinivasan said.

Contraception access is key post-Dobbs, researcher says

Dr. Daniel Grossman, director of the Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health program at the University of California San Francisco, has been at the forefront of the effort to get FDA approval for an over-the-counter birth control pill since 2004, and is part of the steering committee of Free the Pill. His research efforts included a study showing that women who had direct access to the pill in areas like Texas border towns where people could cross into Mexico to get it directly stayed on it longer than those who needed a prescription. His research also found that people generally didnt support age restrictions, and the FDA approval for Opill does not have an age restriction.

Grossman said more access to contraception is important for overall reproductive health, but its especially important in the wake of the Dobbs decision in 2022 that overturned Roe v. Wade and led 14 states to enact near-total abortion bans.

Improved access to contraception isnt going to solve the crisis of abortion access that were currently facing, but that said, in this moment  when people in half of the states have very limited options for abortion care and there are growing threats on access to contraception  I think its important that we do everything we can to expand access to all methods of birth control where thats possible, Grossman said.

Aside from a few expected and manageable side effects, including headaches and light bleeding, Srinivasan said shes had a good experience with the pills and their availability so far. But theres room for improvement, she said, and Free the Pill is advocating for more cost assistance support and coverage from national private insurance companies.

Free the Pill launched an online petition this week to pressure President Joe Biden and his administration to require insurance plans to include coverage for Opill. It had 35,000 signatures as of Thursday afternoon.

Srinivasan said she tried to apply for assistance but wasnt able to because she has insurance, and only those without any form of private or public insurance can apply. Qualifying applicants also have to have a household income at or below 200% of the federal poverty line, which is $15,060 for a single person. A 2022 survey from Advocates for Youth found that 1 in 3 of those surveyed cited affordability as one of the biggest barriers to accessing contraception.

At a $20 price point, its something I can afford because I have a job and I live in California, where the minimum wage is over $17 an hour, but its definitely not something my peers in other states can afford that easily, Srinivasan said. I hope they adjust that, because its definitely not reaching the people that it should be reaching right now.

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The post One year after FDA approves over-the-counter birth control pill, advocates push for more access appeared first on Oklahoma Voice.
WYOMING, Mich. (WOOD)  Its been a little more than a year since voters approved a $4 million public safety millage in Wyoming.

At that time, we were not staffed appropriately, so it was difficult for us to provide the level of service that we really wanted to for our community, said Wyoming Department of Public Safety director Kimberly Koster.

The passing of the millage offered a bit of relief, she said, knowing the department would be able to start increasing staff, add fire equipment and continue to focus on community policing.

A total of 13 positions were added to the fire department and 13 were added to the police side.

We just had a swearing-in last Wednesday for three new firefighters and that means we only have one open position so were definitely making progress on the staffing part of things, Koster told News 8 Wednesday afternoon. We have a swearing-in on the 30th of this month for six new police officers. We have four that are currently in the academy, and we have six more that we hope to send to the academy in the fall.

The department is still waiting for the delivery of its platform firetruck, also funded by the millage, which will allow crews to more effectively put out fires in multi-story buildings.

Wyoming voters pass public safety millage

Funding is also being used to remodel the Burton and Division Avenue fire stations.

Our station on Division Avenue will be opened for the first time, full-time 24/7 and that will really increase the service to the neighborhood over there, Koster said. Well be able to not only go to medical calls, but have an apparatus that has a fire pump on it, so well be able to respond to any type of medical call or fire emergency in that neighborhood in a much quicker fashion.

The Division Avenue station is slated to be complete in July and will have a dining room, kitchen, male and female locker rooms, laundry, five individual bunkrooms and a fitness area.

This is great, said Wyoming fire chief Dennis Van Tassell. Ive been with Wyoming since 1998 and weve never run out of this fire station so to have this finally staffed full-time, 24 hours a day, is just phenomenal because this is our busiest district in the city.

Van Tassel said the district covered by the Division Avenue station is expected to get about 2,000 calls per year.

Two thousand calls that this engine is taking means that the 36th Street station does not have to come this far over or the Gezon station which is a long way away, the chief explained. Were looking at maybe two minutes per call just by having an engine here so if somebodys having a life-threatening medical situation or just a fire, we can get there a lot faster and mitigate those situations.

A major goal on the police side is to reduce violent crime. The city is part of a multi-jurisdictional team that started two years ago called Impact that Koster said has been incredibly beneficial.

We worked with Kentwood and Kent County on that team to really target some of the areas of the city that we have significant issues and to address some of those violent offenders, so thats been, thats been really wonderful.

Ballot proposal seeks to address public safety staff shortage in Wyoming

Community engagement and the community services unit have also been a big focus. Koster said millage dollars allowed for the addition of an afternoon shift to that community services unit to work on solving issues, rather than just responding to them.

Were able to be much more proactive and solve the problem. So looking at issues like stolen vehicles, we can work with the with the owners of the car dealerships to help them, you know, how they can make their business more safe and how we can reduce the potential for those kinds of crimes to occur.

Koster said she continues to be filled with gratitude for how much support her department gets from the community.

Not a day goes by that I go somewhere and people are thanking us for what we do for the community and I hear that from our officers too, that the community is just so supportive. Our city administration, our city council, we just have wonderful community support here.

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KYODO NEWS - May 16, 2024 - 19:36 | All, Japan

A Japanese high court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling ordering the government to pay 1.65 million yen ($10,600) in damages to the bereaved family of a Cameroonian man who died in 2014 while being detained in an immigration control facility in eastern Japan.

The mother of the 43-year-old man was seeking 10 million yen in damages, alleging that immigration officials at the Higashi-Nihon Immigration Center in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture, failed to send him to a medical institution despite his claims of ill health.

The Tokyo High Court upheld the Mito District Court's ruling in September 2022, which recognized that the immigration bureau failed to carry out its duty.

The man was detained by the center in November 2013 after being refused entry into the country at Narita airport near Tokyo the previous month. He had health issues, including diabetes, and was transferred to a recuperation room that was monitored by a security camera.

Although he complained of chest pain and cried out that he was dying on March 29, 2014, authorities left him lying on the floor. He was found with no vital signs the following morning and was confirmed dead at a hospital, it said.

During the trial, the government argued that the response by the officials, who had no medical knowledge, was not inappropriate.

Treatment of foreign nationals detained at Japanese immigration facilities has come under increased scrutiny in recent years, notably after 33-year-old Sri Lankan Ratnayake Liyanage Wishma Sandamali died at a Nagoya detention facility after complaining of ill health for around a month.
Aaron Rozier was sure Roger Fortson was from Georgia the first time he heard him speak.

There was something familiar about his accent, Rozier said, remembering the day he and Forston met in 2021 while stationed together at Hurlburt Field Air Force base in Okaloosa County, Florida.

Turns out, they grew up about 10 minutes away from each other in the Atlanta metro area and their mothers attended the same high school.

Building on that instant connection, they became like brothers.

He was one of one, Rozier, 26, said Wednesday. Everything you wanted in a wingman, friend and brother.

It was through their mothers that Rozier learned the devastating news this month that Fortson had been shot and killed in his apartment by a deputy from the Okaloosa County Sheriffs Office responding to a call of a disturbance in progress. Fortson was home alone at the time.

Last week, amid mounting pressure, the sheriffs office released body camera video of the deadly May 3 encounter. The video shows Fortson answering the door of his off-base apartment in Fort Walton Beach and immediately being shot by a deputy. Fortson could be seen holding a handgun in his right hand that was pointed downward. His family and their attorneys have said the gun was legally owned. The deputy had twice announced himself.

Rozier, a senior airman now stationed at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico, plans to travel to Georgia to attend Fortsons funeral Friday.

Rozier said he wanted Forston to be remembered as charismatic and unapologetically himself.

He was wise beyond his years. He wouldnt tell you what you wanted to hear, but he would tell you what you needed to hear, he said, adding that his friend was someone who would see you at your lowest and wouldnt judge you for it. But you knew he would crack a joke about it that would make you laugh.

He lovingly remembered Fortson as the kind of close friend who would come over and raid his refrigerator.

Charles Johnson, an airman first class who is stationed at Hurlburt Field and met Fortson through Rozier in 2021, said Fortson was fun-loving, goofy, and a great man and friend. The three of them communicated daily in a text message group chat.

He was always the life of the party, Johnson, 24, said. And in his spare time, Fortson liked to play his PlayStation 5 or talk on the phone with his family and girlfriend.

On the day Forston died, he and Johnson had spent two or three hours talking and playing Mortal Kombat at Johnsons apartment in Fort Walton Beach, Johnson said. At one point, the conversation turned to a video Fortson had come across on Instagram of an Okaloosa County sheriffs deputy who mistook the sound of an acorn hitting his patrol vehicle for a gunshot. The deputy fired multiple times at the SUV where a Black man was handcuffed in the backseat. The man was not injured in the November incident, and the deputy has since resigned.

We always would talk about the diaspora of race relations in that part of Florida, specifically with police and people of color, said Johnson, who, along with his girlfriend, organized a vigil outside Fortsons apartment over the weekend.

He and Rozier believe Fortsons killing was unjustified and that the outcome would have been different if Fortson was not Black.

As a young Black man in the part of Florida we live in, he didnt have a chance, Johnson said. The officer that responded to the disturbance  which, by the way, is still under question, where the disturbance was coming from  I personally feel that he only saw the color of Rogers skin and the firearm he had in his hand. And that was enough to validate his own fear and cause him to shoot Roger.

I dont know if people see it, but there is a split second where that cop could have made the adjustment and asked some questions or yelled, he added.

Fortsons family has raised similar questions.

In the four-and-a-half minute, heavily redacted video, it is very troubling that the deputy gave no verbal commands and shot multiple times within a split second of the door being opened, killing Roger, the family said in a statement issued May 9 by their attorney following the release of the body camera video. Despite the redactions, the video has provided some answers, but its also raised even more troubling questions. As the officer didnt tell Roger to drop the weapon before shooting, was the officer trained to give verbal warnings? Did the officer try to initiate life-saving measures? Was the officer trained to deal with law-abiding citizens who are registered gun owners?

Rozier said that while he has been stationed in New Mexico, he has volunteered as a security forces member and undergone rigorous training on when to shoot. He said he has been taught that there are several preconditions that must be met in order to draw his weapon, and that he should consider the capability, opportunity and intent for someone to injure you.

All three of those things have to be in the scenario in order for you to utilize your deadly weapon, he said. Otherwise, its considered murder.

He said he would expect the sheriffs deputy, who has not been publicly named, to be held to the same standards. The deputy has been placed on administrative leave, and Sheriff Eric Aden said he has asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to conduct an investigation into the shooting, as required by policy. Aden said the Florida State Attorneys Office would also conduct an independent review. In its initial statement, the sheriffs office said the deputy had reacted in self defense.

While Fortson may have had the capability and opportunity to injure the deputy, Rozier said, he does not believe that was his intent. The gun was pointed down, he said.

Brian Barr and Benjamin Crump, attorneys for Fortsons family, have said Fortson was shot six times.

In the months leading up to his death, Fortson would often speak of his plans to be medically discharged due to an injury he sustained while serving abroad last year, his friends said. He had shared with them his hopes of enrolling in nursing school as early as this month and eventually putting down roots in Houston.

Roger was very in tune about carrying himself a certain way so that he wouldnt find himself in a bad position with law enforcement, Johnson said. And its heartbreaking to think that somebody who knows the ins and outs and minutiae of how all of those things work together still ended up dead in his own home. He was just a good person and he did not deserve to go the way that he went.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  One person is dead and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation investigating a shooting in the far southeast side of Columbus.

At around 4:02 a.m. officers responded to the Georges Creek Apartment complex on Georges Creek Drive, off Gender Road near Canal Winchester. There, police are investigating a shooting that caused the closure of a portion of Gender Road near the incident.

Man with ties to Columbus added to FBIs most wanted list

One person has been shot dead by Columbus police on Georges Creek Drive, near Canal Winchester, May 16, 2024. (NBC4/Delaney Ruth)

Columbus police requested BCI to investigate an officer-involved critical incident, according to the Ohio Attorney Generals Office. CPD said in a release that officers responded to a man threatening to take his own life and the lives of those who were in the house with him.

The man, later identified as 21-year-old Rafael Warfield, reportedly shot at the officers, who then returned fire. The man, who police have not identified was pronounced dead at 4:32 a.m.

Police erroneously told NBC4 how the suspect died, but retracted the information at 11 a.m. A CPD spokesperson said they do not know the exact circumstances of how the gunman died and are still investigating.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

No officers were injured in the shooting and the scene remains active as authorities continue to investigate what led to the incident.

It is the third fatal shooting involving a Columbus police officer since Saturday. One man was killed after firing a rifle at officers on McCallister Avenue while Another man was killed after engaging in a shootout with police, who followed him from an Amazon warehouse where he shot at a security guard.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
One week later, storm debris remains in this northwest Charlotte neighborhood

One week later, storm debris remains in this northwest Charlotte neighborhood

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  Neighbors in northwest Charlotte have been waiting a week to get storm debris removed.

Tree limbs fell on the street and sidewalkforcing people to walk around the clutter on Kentucky Avenue.

The City of Charlotte says its priority is getting the roads cleared first, but because so many trees fell during the storm last week, they havent even been able to do that just yet.

Next, the city will move to the sidewalks where limbs are blocking the walkway.

There are plenty of reminders from last Wednesdays storm.

Lake Norman fishing duo set to put on bass fishing tournament

Its been over a week, no thats not good, said Lionel Black, who was visiting the Oakview Terrace neighborhood.

But neighbors are starting to wonder how long the tree limbs will be blocking the sidewalk.

Its dangerous, aggravating, its an eyesore, and kids could be falling, trip over stuff so its dangerous, said Black.

The storm last Wednesday knocked down two big limbs onto sidewalks on Kentucky Avenue and one small tree came down and is blocking part of the sidewalk on Nelson Avenue.

It makes the neighborhood look bad, thats what it does make the neighborhood look bad, because wont nobody do nothing about it, said Caleb Tate, who lives in the neighborhood.

A neighbor says she reported the problems to the City of Charlotte, telling them that the storm debris is blocking the sidewalk, but the city says theyre swamped and getting trees out of the roads takes priority over removing them from sidewalks.

Sometimes you just got to move it yourself, or youll be waiting for a while, said Kuyasha West, another neighbor.

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Two of the trees are at an apartment complex, but the other tree that lost a limb looks like it came from a tree that could be in the right-of-way next to the church property.

If a tree limb falls on a public sidewalk but comes from private property, the city says it will clear the debris from the sidewalk but put it back on private property for the owner to remove.

Neighbors say that for now, theyll just keep the limbs out of the road and hope theyll be cleared soon.

They shouldve picked them up by now, its been a few days, its just dangerous out here, you got to be careful, said Black.

Neighbors say this isnt the first time it has taken a while to get storm debris cleared.

The City of Charlotte says to call 911 if a tree is blocking the road and 311 if its covering the sidewalk.

This map shows the requests of the City of Charlotte to remove downed trees and other storm debris and their status.

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Only Alabama patient with rare fatal disease fights to keep same access to medical services after turning 21

KIMBERLY, Ala. (WHNT)  Access to government-assisted healthcare can be tricky. Add on top of it a disease that is almost unheard of, and one family says the system needs evaluating.

Khari McCrary was diagnosed with Lafora Disease eight years ago when she was 14 years old.

What are the most popular baby names in Alabama? Social Security Administration shares data

It is an ultra-rare genetic disorder and a form of progressive myoclonic epilepsy, caused by a toxic accumulation of glycogen. The fatal disease causes severe neurological impairment, cognitive decline and loss of motor skills.

[Khari] was a gifted child, she was in all-advanced classes, she was doing softball, track, all-country. She was normal, Kharis mom, Moniqueca Barfield said.

Barfield said then Khari started having seizures. The first was when she was just 12.

They originally diagnosed her with generalized epilepsy, Barfield said.

Madison County Sheriffs Office to conduct traffic safety checkpoints in Hazel Green

She shared that Khari was put on medications that initially worked, but quickly became ineffective against the seizures as they progressed.

They were putting her on medication, taking her off and Im like, this isnt working. Can we see a specialist?

Barfield said at that point, she had researched Kharis symptoms on her own; but because Lafora is so rare, she was not sure it could be the diagnosis.

In 2017, she was officially diagnosed by a specialist. The family received the news that this disease was fatal.

City Lights & Stars Concert Series returns for another musical season

From the time of onset, the children have 10 years. Thats their lifespan, 10 years. I was just thinking in my head, Why? Why us? she said.

Kharis first question after learning the news was about softball. She wanted to play in college, then go on to become a fashion designer. Barfield said her daughter continued playing all-star softball until she could no longer see properly.

It started progressing fast after 2018, she said.

Barfield said Kharis attitude never wavered.

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Khari is now in total care, meaning she has lost the ability to walk, talk and feed herself. She receives her food and water through a feeding tube.

Shes total care. We do everything for her. Shes still happy, shes still Khari on the inside. She still smiles so thats how I know shes still in there.

Hers is currently the only case of Lafora Disease in Alabama.

We suspect worldwide there are maybe 500. We have contact with about 150 currently living patients in our registry, Dr. Kit Donohue said.

Donohue is the Science Director for Chelseas Hope, an advocacy nonprofit for patients with Lafora Disease.

The disease was only awarded an ICD-10 code in 2023, meaning its only recently been officially categorized by the International Classification of Diseases. Medical ICD-10 codes are important when it comes to diagnostic precision, healthcare billing and treatment options.

Donohue said this is a big step forward in the fight against the disease, but actually bringing partners on board to help eradicate the disease is the real challenge.

Any company that looks at that and the millions that go into clinical trials and they dont see that there would be enough return on investment to make it profitable, Donohue said.

Now that Khari is 21, Barfield said the family faces a new challenge: getting her transitioned from children to adult services.

Between Medicaid and waivers, Khari was eligible to receive supplies, help from home caretakers, and more, but in states like Alabama, when a child turns 21, many services are no longer offered.

Barfield works full time and is in the army, but her insurance dropped Khari the day before she turned 21. Barfield said she fought to get it back, and it was returned once she proved Khari was an incapacitated adult.

The other issue: is home care provided by Medicaid.

Khari does have complex medical needs and I have to work. Im a single parent of two, so navigating that from youth services to adult services and what she needs; from getting 70 hours to going to 30 hours.

Barfield said she reached out as far as government officials to fight to get more hours returned for nursing care. She was successful in part, but she said theyre still waiting on adult services to kick in to help with supplies.

Were not getting the diapers or the other things. Shes approved for those things but we havent gotten them yet. Shes been 21 since March 18. Im paying out of pocket on paying all of those things.

Even as Barfield continues to fight to get Khari covered, she pays double out-of-pocket for what she did when Khari was under Childrens Services.

Barfield tells her familys story in hopes of spreading this knowledge to anyone in a similar position so they would not be blindsided when their child turns 21 like she said she was.

I hope that no family has to go through this and if they do experience this they know what resources are out there, know how to advocate for themselves and they speak up, she said. There is an issue with the system that needs correcting because its hindering the families because its a disconnect.

Barfield said she also fights for visibility, so people can see how devastating the disease is for families, in hopes that there can be better treatment plans, care, and eventually a cure for anyone with Lafora Disease.

Even if were too late for them to help Khari, I want to make sure that we can help whoever we can.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com.
FILE - European countries ' flag fly at the European Parliament, Tuesday, April 23, 2024 in Strasbourg. The European election will take place on June 9, 2024. Nearly 300 signatories have signed an open 10-point letter before next month's European Parliament election, saying lawmakers should be putting democracy at the top of their agenda in an increasingly authoritarian world. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, File)

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  Nearly 300 signatories have signed an open 10-point letter before next month's European Parliament election, saying lawmakers should be putting democracy at the top of their agenda in an increasingly authoritarian world.

The letter, which was released on Thursday, calls for widening powers to uphold the rule of law, ensuring new digital technologies safeguard human rights, and to place democracy at the heart of the European Unions security, migration, energy, and trade agendas.

These converging challenges have created a real risk that in this global election year, EU member states as well as some of its key partners may see the ascent of anti-democratic political actors," according to the Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, which initiated the open letter.

Last month, International IDEA said in a report that voters in 19 countries, including in three of the worlds largest democracies, are widely skeptical about whether their political elections are free and fair, and that many favor a strong, undemocratic leader.

The letter listed 10 proposals covering two main areas:

The letter said that there is "a real risk that in this global election year, EU member states as well as some of its key partners may see the ascent of anti-democratic political actors.

As we know, there are challenges to democracy within the borders of the European Union," Kevin Casas-Zamora, the 35-member International IDEAs secretary-general, told The Associated Press.

"It is important that they pay attention to dealing with those challenges in an effective way so as to protect the credibility of the EUs message on democracy, which I insist is key, given the very unpromising winds that are blowing when it comes to democracy globally, Casas-Zamora added.

Titled A Call to Defend Democracy: 10 Priorities for the EU, it was signed by pro-democracy institutions, and political and civic leaders. Signatories also included Nobel Peace Prize laureates, the former European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, and several former prime ministers, including Gordon Brown of the United Kingdom, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero of Spain and Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine.

It comes before the European Parliament election of June 6-9 vote in the 27-member bloc of 450 million people who will be picking 720 lawmakers for the next five years.

___

David Keyton contributed to this report from Berlin.
CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA)  Throughout Operation Honor Guards Day of Giving, WCIA 3 featured several veterans from across Central Illinois who continue to serve their communities.

WATCH: Operation Honor Guard 2024

Here are 2024s Veterans of the Hour.

Gerry Arnholt, American Legion Post #210

Gerry Arnholt was drafted into the U.S. Army and sent off to Korea. He was up bright and early Wednesday morning to collect donations and speak with Jack Krumm about Operation Honor Guard at the events Danville location.

Businesses present generous donations to Operation Honor Guard

Jeff Knapp, American Legion Post #210

Jeff Knapp helped organize the Danville collection event for Operation Honor Guard. He expressed his gratitude for those that give.

When times are rough, every year this Danville community and the community around our area, they come by and support us most generously, Knapp said. And today weve already had a lot of generous donations. It really makes us proud that people know what we do and then support us like they do.

Ralph Reed, American Legion Post #210

Ralph Reed has spent 41 years with American Legion Post 210 in Danville. He shared all the ways money raised through the Operation Honor Guard Day of Giving can go a long way. Reed also talked about how American Legion units are there to lend a hand to each other if needed.

Danville community gives back to Operation Honor Guard

Bob Dorsey, Penfield Gifford American Legion Post #1153

Dorsey was the number one draft choice into the U.S. Army in 1970, and eventually ended up in Germany. He praises Operation Honor Guard for encouraging comradery and generosity within communities across Central Illinois and beyond.

Edwin Cook, VFW Post #5520

Veteran Edwin Cook has been participating in Operation Honor Guards Day of Giving for 11 years.

We dont do this for any accolades, we just do this because we think its right for our veterans to have this type of service. And to see our community have this type of support for us, it means a lot, he said.

Cook said that Operation Honor Guard is important because it helps provide veterans an honorable and patriotic funeral. They are also looking to recruit younger veterans and provide then with a community that understands.

Robbie Walker, American Legion Post #559

Robbie Walker was involved in the First Gulf War. He enjoys the community and service he can provide to his fellow veterans through Operation Honor Guard. He is now a VA claims agent.

Walker said his favorite part of the Day of Giving event is reaching donation goals.

Robert Sims, American Legion

This years Operation Honor Guard event is in memory of Robert Sims, who was a longtime volunteer of WCIA 3s Day of Giving event. As such, it was only fitting that he be 2024s final Veteran of the Hour.

Sims served in the Marine Corps from 1962-1965. He was part of the Cuban Missile Crisis and later spent time in the Pacific theater. Upon his return to the U.S., he joined the Sullivan American Legion Post #68 and was a dedicated member of the Honor Guard.

READ MORE: Remembering Robert Sims and his life of service with the Sullivan American Legion

Founder Rich Darby highlighted the late, great Sims on his behalf.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.
Editors Note: Steve Vladeck is a CNN legal analyst and a professor at the University of Texas School of Law. He is the author of the One First Supreme Court newsletter. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion at CNN.

On Thursday, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for a 7-2 majority of the Supreme Court in upholding the way that Congress funds the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)  handing a major win to the Biden administration and preventing a disaster for consumers.

Stephen I. Vladeck - Courtesy of University of Texas School of Law

That top line may surprise you, but it shouldnt. Not because Thomas has secretly become a liberal squish, but because the case only got to the Supreme Court because of a truly preposterous ruling by the Fifth Circuit  the court that hears all federal appeals from Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

Instead, the real headline from Thursday is not that the Supreme Court is more moderate than its critics often claim; its that theres a court of appeals that is even more extreme  not just in this case, but in 10 other cases the Supreme Court will decide this term.

The specific question in Thursdays case involved the scope of Congress power to appropriate funds for the operation of federal executive branch agencies. As opposed to a direct, annual appropriation (for example, the Food and Drug Administration is appropriated the sum of $100 million for 2025), Congress funds some agencies, including the CFPB, by authorizing them to draw funds from the Federal Reserve in whatever amount the agency deems reasonably necessary to carry out its duties, subject only to an annual cap.

So instead of yearly statutes that appropriate X dollars to an agency, Congress has provided agencies like the CFPB with open-ended authority to spend up to Y dollars.

The stakes of this case were enormous. Had the Supreme Court ruled the other way, all of the agencys work on behalf of consumers could have been erased. The CFPB said in a statement that for years, lawbreaking companies and Wall Street lobbyists have been scheming to defund essential consumer protection enforcement. The Supreme Court has rejected their radical theory that would have devastated the American financial markets. The Court repudiated the arguments of the payday loan lobby and made it clear that the CFPB is here to stay. The agency says its enforcement work has saved consumers more than $20 billion.

At an even broader level, the argument against how Congress funds the CFPB could also have been used to go after the constitutionality of the Federal Reserve itself  with potentially cataclysmic financial consequences.

Every other lower court to consider the question has concluded that this form of budgeting is a choice Congress is allowed to make, since in both cases, Congress has (1) chosen to direct funds to an agency; and (2) limited the total amount. But the Fifth Circuit held otherwise.

Not only did a three-judge panel unanimously conclude that the Constitution prohibits Congress from such an open-ended (but limited) appropriation; four other judges on the same court embraced that theory in a different case. In other words, a theory that was too far to the right for even Thomas (let alone Chief Justice John Roberts or Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett) commanded the support of seven of the Fifth Circuits 17 active judges  five of whom were appointed by former President Donald Trump.

In that respect, Thursdays decision is representative of a pattern were likely to see over and over again this term  in which bipartisan Supreme Court majorities regularly slap down the Fifth Circuit in cases with clear ideological valences.

Indeed, the court has 11 different cases from the Fifth Circuit on its docket this term  a remarkably high number of appeals from a court that is dominated by Republican appointees. The Fifth Circuit has already been reversed in two of these cases; based on the oral arguments, reversals seem likely in at least seven of the remaining nine  on everything from whether Congress can prohibit those subject to domestic violence-related restraining orders from possessing firearms to whether doctors can seek to bar nationwide access to mifepristone because of how they might be harmed by having to treat patients experiencing the drugs side effects in the future.

If, as seems likely, the Fifth Circuit ends up with the highest reversal rate this term, that would be the second term in a row  and a rather powerful sign that there is a widening chasm between (most of) the Republican appointees on the court of appeals and (most of) the Republican appointees on the Supreme Court.

But the radicalism of the Fifth Circuit also poses an instructive challenge for how we talk about the Supreme Court. Some of its defenders are quick to point to decisions like those in the CFPB case as proof that the court is more moderate than its critics often claim  and to the presence of a bipartisan majority as proof that the court isnt as ideological as its often portrayed as being, either.

The problem with those claims is the same problem that infects most statistical claims about the courts docket (for example, The court was unanimous in 20% of its decisions!): They dont account for the courts from which the cases are coming.

Instead, the real takeaway from Thursdays ruling  and from the broader pattern for which it is likely to be an exemplar  is that the current Supreme Court is less radical than the Fifth Circuit. But given the Fifth Circuits behavior in this case and others, that tells us a lot more about the federal appellate judges in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas than it says about the justices in Washington.

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Opinion: I'm an American doctor stuck in Gaza. As Israel moves into Rafah, where will physicians and our patients go?

Smoke rises from a fire in a building caused by Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 10. (AFP via Getty Images)

As an American doctor, I felt called to help Palestinians who have faced a collapsing healthcare system in Gaza. My first trip was in March and I returned for another mission earlier this month, before the Israeli military assault on Rafah, in southern Gaza, which has been catastrophic. Now we have no way out.

Israels seizure of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt has complicated our medical teams departure from Gaza, which was coordinated with the World Health Organization and scheduled for Monday.

Read more: Opinion: Do campus protests show Americans' support for Palestinians has reached a turning point?

We have been at the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, near Rafah. If we leave, and no new mission can get in, the patients here will be abandoned and terrified. More than 1 million people had taken refuge in Rafah during the Israeli bombardment of northern Gaza, and hundreds of thousands have now been forced to flee the area amid Israels offensive here .

Our patients ask me where they should go, to which hospital. They tell me that some facilities are still open and ask my opinion of them. What do I say? The patients know full well about the destruction of the Al Shifa and Nasser hospitals. They know patients have been killed with IV lines and catheters still inside, and they believe that will be their fate as well if they are left alone and vulnerable to the Israeli forces.

Read more: Granderson: Biden is right to nudge Israel toward protecting civilians in Rafah

Meanwhile, limited humanitarian aid is getting in. The medical supplies entering Gaza often come in with new volunteers. I brought eight pieces of checked luggage, full of wound-care supplies for this mission. We get patients with wounds over 60% to 80% of their bodies, but we dont even have absorbent pads to keep their wounds dry, which is necessary to prevent hypothermia.

The Rafah invasion is also worsening the displacement of both the patients and the medical staffs families. Given the hospitals staffing shortages, families are doing half the work of the nurses. They help turn patients. They help change their diapers. They transfer them to the clinic and back to the ward. They feed them. The patients would be nowhere without their families.

Read more: My family in Gaza faces starvation. How do I find solace this Ramadan?

If the hospital were abandoned or their families were forced to evacuate, I have no clue how these patients would survive, especially those with amputations restricting their movement. I imagine the patients saying a final goodbye to their loved ones.

Some doctors and nurses have been volunteering here for a long time. Some of us have been to Gaza several times. Yet we continue to be shocked by the cruelty. We are not used to this degree of carnage. Even the local staff continues to be shocked.

Read more: Opinion: I'm an American doctor who went to Gaza. What I saw wasn't war  it was annihilation

The local medical staff have avoided telling the patients that our team may have to evacuate before the next set of aid workers can arrive, for fear it would cause a massive panic. Nobody likes talking about evacuation. I can tell they dont even like to use the word. Even if as doctors, we cant save people given the limited resources, at least as foreigners, we can provide some protection, standing as a shield against a potential massacre of the patients.

We are still working with the WHO to leave safely, despite the Rafah border closing. Though, it is disturbing that on our planned exit date, a United Nations-marked vehicle was shot at and a foreign aid worker killed.

In the meantime, we will continue to see our patients and provide medical care for as long as we are here. Our organization s next team is waiting in Cairo, hoping to start their mission.

I remain inspired by the fortitude of the people Ive met. When some of my patients are under conscious sedation for their dressing changes, their inner selves come out, and many of them call to God. One patient repeated the shahada  the Muslim testimony of faith. Another whose voice I hadnt heard before raised his hands to the air as he woke, making dua, a prayer of supplication to God.

I hope that the border crossing will reopen and that a new team with more resources will arrive. I hope for a cease-fire to end this man-made humanitarian disaster. For now, as long as I am able to testify to the strength of people in Gaza and share that with the world, I am honored to be among these individuals, who have given me more than I have given them.

Mahmoud Sabha is a wound care physician from La Palma, Calif., residing in Dallas.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, says that President Joe Biden made a big mistake in not immediately pardoning former President Donald Trump when federal charges first dropped last year. I mean, you may disagree with this, but had I been President Biden, when the Justice Department brought on indictments, I would have immediately pardoned him ... President Trump, he said in an exclusive interview on MSNBCs The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle that aired Wednesday night. Why? Well, because it makes me, President Biden, the big guy and the person I pardoned a little guy.

"And, frankly, the country doesnt want to have to go through prosecuting a former president," Romney added. The suggestion that Biden clear Trump of federal charges to insulate the populace from the strife of a contentious prosecution isnt exactly new. Likewise, Biden said repeatedly during the 2020 primary and general election that pardoning Trump was off the table. But the fact that the idea keeps resurfacing speaks to its enduring, and in my opinion undeserved, place in our political mythos.

Rather than a requirement for national unity, Richard Nixons pardon after resigning as president was an easy escape hatch to avoid a much more difficult, and necessary, reflection on what it means when a president breaks the law. The idea that the Nixon pardon was a magnanimous gesture that was necessary for the good of the country is one that conservatives have pushed loudly since Trump left office in 2021. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh claimed (somewhat erroneously) last month that it was looked upon as one of the better decisions in presidential history, I think, by most people. The National Reviews Rich Lowry made a similar argument last year, as did the American Enterprise Institutes Danielle Pletka and Marc Thiessen, soon after the first of Trumps federal indictments was handed up.

Things werent so clear at the time. The same day that Gerald Ford ascended to the presidency upon Nixons resignation, the Justice Department was busy weighing whether to bring criminal charges against Nixon. The resulting memo drafted by aides to the Watergate special prosecutor feels extremely prescient to read today. In examining the pros and cons, it cites several familiar reasons for why prosecuting a former president might be disruptive to the fabric of the country.

But while each side has the same number of points listed, the reasons for prosecuting Nixon are more stridently argued. The first and second of those points particularly stand out in opposition to Romneys reasoning:

In the end, Ford erred toward the belief that resignation was enough of a punishment for Nixon (one, I will note, that Trump was not forced to endure). And while he may have personally seen pardoning Nixon as an act of mercy toward a broken man, the urge to move on from Nixons scandals was also political necessity for the GOP. The questions Ford faced in his first news conference after taking office in the wake of Nixons resignation were almost all about Watergate. Even after Ford signed the pardon in September 1974, Republicans lost 49 seats in the House and five in the Senate as the public punished the party in the midterm elections.

Two years later, the public was still in agreement that the pardon was a bad look for Ford, whose approval rating never fully recovered from the massive hit it initially took after the pardon. It took the public over a decade to begin to come around to the narrative that the pardon was required for the healing of the country, and that belief has wavered in polls since then. It has proved to be a Band-Aid over a much deeper trauma to the nation that is still gnawing away at us today as Trump is on trial in New York, facing criminal charges.

Ford entrenched a damaging norm that became part of our nostalgia, pushing leaders away from taking legal action against elected officials who abused their power, historian Julian Zeller wrote last year.

He made a blunder on the Nixon pardon, Fords former press secretary Jerald terHorst, who resigned in protest over it, likewise said during a 2009 interview, which was published in 2011 after his death the previous year. It wasnt so much that I objected to the pardon as it was that it set one man above the law. We dont do that in our country.

Whether he likes it or not, the elevation of one man above the law is exactly what Romney supported in his interview with Ruhle. Because he also argued that beyond a federal pardon, Biden should have leaned on prosecutors in New York and Georgia not to bring state-level indictments against his predecessor. If Lyndon B. Johnson had faced a similar situation when he was president, Romney said, hed have been all over that prosecutor saying, You better not bring that forward or Im gonna drive you out of office.'

Imagine if a president had followed that advice, choosing to pressure and threaten prosecutors for applying an equal standard of justice, for, say, a political donor. It would have been a scandal of immense proportion, something that doesnt change just because were talking about a former president. Had Biden followed Romneys advice, putting his thumb on the scales in ways that exceed the scope of his office, it would have been an unfair application of justice on par with the very acts for which we have rightly castigated Trump.

Romney deserves credit for voting to convict Trump in both of his impeachment trials. For doing so, he won the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award  the same award that Ford was granted in 2001 for his pardon of Nixon. Unfortunately, I cannot agree that letting Nixon off the hook for his crimes was particularly courageous, and especially not when it seeds Trumps argument that accountability and revenge are one in the same. Similarly, I believe that heeding Romneys recommendation, no matter how well meaning, would have been an act of cowardice on Bidens part, not justice.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Editors Note: Frida Ghitis, a former CNN producer and correspondent, is a world affairs columnist. She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and senior columnist for World Politics Review. The views expressed in this commentary are her own. View more opinion on CNN

It was a carefully choreographed show of force in Beijing Thursday as Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived for yet another meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. They were all smiles.

Meanwhile in Europe, the atmosphere could have hardly felt less jovial.

Frida Ghitis - CNN

On Wednesday, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times and gravely wounded in an assassination attempt. Fico is reportedly out of danger now, with many details about the shooting still unclear. But the dramatic event added to the foreboding sense of crisis across the region; the feeling that, as tense as the situation is, its time to prepare urgently, because it might turn much worse.

In the 10 days since Putin was sworn in for yet another term  his fifth as Russias president  his forces launched a surprise attack on northeastern Ukraine, drawing close to the countrys second largest city, Kharkiv, and capturing several Ukrainian villages.

Russias lightning assault, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who cancelled all his foreign travel, aims to force Ukraine to stretch its defenses.

Tactically, Moscows push strengthened its field position ahead of the arrival of promised US weapons to Ukraine. Politically, it comes months before the possible return to power of former President Donald Trump, who has indicated he will not continue President Joe Bidens level of support for Kyiv.

Echoing the alarm among Ukraines backers, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron called it an extremely dangerous moment. Russia, he said, had effectively invaded again.

Adding to the gloom, Europeans watched Putin allies in Georgia, a former Soviet Republic, ignore massive street protests and approve the so-called foreign agents bill, which is almost a carbon copy of one used by the Kremlin to crush the pro-democracy opposition. It was a victory for Moscow, and a defeat for the vast majority of Georgians who fervently want their country to join the democratic European Union.

Securing victories without going to war is cheaper. Thats why Moscow is meddling in Moldova, another former Soviet Republic hoping to join the European Union, and why theres mounting evidence of ongoing Russian campaigns to interfere in the many elections playing out in Europe and elsewhere, injecting disinformation and stoking political tensions.

Interestingly, the Slovak foreign ministry accused Russia of interfering in the Slovakian elections that brought Fico  a Putin admirer  to power. (Moscow has denied the allegations.)

Speaking to the media outside the hospital treating Fico on Wednesday, the countrys interior minister warned that Slovakia stands on the edge of civil war due to political tensions. The minister also described the attack as politically motivated, saying the suspect told law enforcement officers that he disagreed with Ficos policies.

Security officers move Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in a car after the assassination attempt in Handlova, Slovakia, on Wednesday May 15. - Radovan Stoklasa/Reuters

What started as a Russian invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago has turned into an epochal challenge for Europe. With Russia advancing in Ukraine, this entire region is waking up to the fact that this conflict is about more than the survival of a former Soviet Republic. Every day, the stark reality that what began in Ukraine will change Europe for years to come becomes more inescapable.

Earlier this week in Moscow, Putin launched another surprise move, removing long-time Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. He replaced him with Andrey Belousov, a former government official who is an economist and well-versed in military-industrial complex matters, according to experts, suggesting that transforming Russia into a full-fledged war economy is now the plan.

Now Europe, too, is accelerating its own preparations, not only to support Ukraine, but to defend itself.

It wasnt long ago that Ukraine appeared to have the upper hand, pushing Russia out of territories it invaded. Now all that has changed. When far-right Republicans in the US House of Representatives stalled a package of military aid for a long six months, Russia turned the tide.

The aid was approved last month, but it was too late. It will take some time for the aid to arrive, and even then, the imbalance in military supplies will continue.

Russias militarized economy, under a system that brooks no complaints, with Putin in full control, is not only receiving weaponry from Iran and North Korea and, according to the US, key help from China  which it denies, laughably claiming it is neutral. Russia is also producing three times as much artillery shells as Ukraines backers.

With Russian forces advancing, and with Putin framing the conflict as one against the West, Europe has launched a large-scale effort to prepare itself for the worst. When historians look back at this moment, they wont be able to claim that Europe ignored the threat, even if the long post-Cold War decades, as we now know, were marked by excessive optimism about the enduring power of peace and democracy.

Norway, which shares a crucial border with Russia in the Arctic, is a member of NATO but not the EU. It just announced a massive 12-year military expansion plan. By 2036, its defense budget will double in size and its army will have triple the number of brigades.

In London, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently announced a big defense spending boost to move the country onto a war footing.

In the Netherlands, where outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte is a favorite to become NATOs new chief, the defense budget is set to double, from $15.6 billion in 2022 when Russia launched the war  to $31.2 billion by 2029.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping attend a concert marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and China on Thursday May 16, 2024. The meeting comes as Russia's renewed assault in Ukraine makes significant gains. - Alexander Ryumin/Pool/AFP/Getty Images

Perhaps most dramatically, French President Emmanuel Macron has refused to rule out sending Western troops into Ukraine. Earlier this month he said the question would legitimately arise if Russia breaks through the front line and Zelensky asks for reinforcements.

Macrons comments have been rejected by European allies who remain afraid of provoking Putin into a direct confrontation.

In fact, that fear has become a major constraint for Ukrainian soldiers on the ground: The White House bans Ukraine from striking targets inside Russia with the weapons it provides. According to the Institute for the Study of War, the policy is severely compromising Ukraines ability to defend itself against Russian offensive operations, in the Kharkiv region, creating a sanctuary for Russia for attacking Ukraine from the border areas.

Its past time to loosen those restrictions. Ukraine should be allowed to defend itself, even if it means striking inside Russian borders. The cost of allowing Putin to subjugate Ukraine is, as is becoming increasingly clear, much too high.

Even as it rejects the notion of sending troops to Ukraine, Germany is apparently preparing to reintroduce mandatory military service. A leaked document revealed that Berlin is considering imposing conscription for 18-year-old men and women, a sign that the current crisis has become a turning point in views about national and regional security, with repercussions that will last for years, regardless of how and when this war ends.

Preparations for a possible war are most startling in Finland, which shares Europes longest border with Russia, and one that already lost territory to Kremlin invasions. Finland has built up not only its shelters for civilians and its stockpiles of weapons, ammunition and fuel, but also of grain to feed the population.

Russia respects power, said Finnish Lt. Gen. Mikko Heiskanen, describing a multi-year plan to prepare for defending the country.

Perhaps Putin and Xi find more reasons to smile right now, but Europeans want to make sure that is only a temporary situation.

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KYODO NEWS - May 16, 2024 - 22:01 | World, All

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday he and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, agreed that a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis is the "right way forward," and that Beijing stands ready to play a constructive role in achieving this.

The two leaders called for preventing the crisis from getting out of control and stressed the importance of dialogue to settle the situation, according to a joint statement issued after their summit talks in Beijing. The statement was carried by the two countries' state-run media.

Xi said at a joint press conference with Putin that China hopes peace and stability will return to the European continent at an early date, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Putin expressed gratitude to Beijing for its proposals on settling the Ukraine situation during the news conference, according to Russia's Tass news agency. He has been on a two-day state visit to China through Friday.

China opposes Western sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war. The United States and some European countries have expressed concern over Beijing's supply of items to Moscow that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.

The Russian leader also expressed opposition to forming closed military-political alliances in the Asia-Pacific region, according to Tass, apparently referring to U.S. efforts to deepen cooperation with regional partners. "We consider the creation of such alliances very harmful and counterproductive," he was quoted as saying.

The joint statement said the two countries oppose the "U.S. hegemonic behavior of changing the balance of power in Northeast Asia" by putting together military groups.

The document said they are against U.S. military provocation against North Korea, referring to joint drills conducted by Washington and its allies. It also said they firmly oppose the intervention of extra-regional forces in the South China Sea, where Beijing has been engaged in series of territorial rows with its neighbors.

China and Russia said they will further deepen military cooperation by expanding the scale of joint exercises.

On Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing regards as its own, Russia reaffirmed its opposition to the territory's independence in any form and supported China's bid to bring it into its fold, according to the statement.

The two countries also expressed "serious concern" about the ocean discharge of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan and demanded Tokyo safely dispose of the "nuclear-contaminated" water in a responsible manner.

China and Russia have imposed a total ban on seafood imports from Japan since the water release began in August last year.

The two leaders signed the joint statement on a deepening bilateral "comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era" as their countries mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year, the Chinese ministry said.

Senior officials from the two countries signed 10 joint documents to boost cooperation in various areas, Tass added.

Putin arrived in Beijing earlier in the day, his first overseas trip since beginning his fifth term in office last week. Xi welcomed the Russian leader as his "old friend."

"Steady development of China-Russia relations is not only in the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples but also conducive to peace, stability and prosperity of the region and the world at large," Xi said at the summit held in the Great Hall of the People, according to the Chinese ministry.

Tass quoted Putin as telling Xi at the meeting, "Our cooperation in world affairs today serves as one of the main stabilizing factors in the international arena."

Xi said Beijing is ready to work with Moscow to uphold fairness and justice in the world and that it is the "shared strategic choice" of both countries to "follow the general historical trend of multipolarity in the world and economic globalization," the Chinese ministry said.

Putin was also quoted as saying that Russia and China together uphold the principles of justice and a democratic world order that reflects multipolar realities and is based on international law. The leaders' remarks apparently referred to their opposition to the U.S.-led international order.

The Russian president added that the two countries have promoted practical cooperation and pointed out that Beijing is Moscow's main trade and economic partner. He said bilateral trade flows expanded as almost 90 percent of all payments between the two countries are made in their respective currencies.

Xi noted at the news conference that bilateral trade exceeded $240 billion last year, with the value increasing nearly 2.7 times compared with a decade ago, and stressed the need to further expand economic and trade cooperation.

China has increased its imports of items such as crude oil and liquefied natural gas from Russia, continuing to source energy from the neighboring country despite Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

Xi and Putin have so far met more than 40 times and stayed in close communication, according to the Chinese ministry.

Putin is being accompanied by a number of senior officials, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov and Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu, as well as business leaders, Tass said.

Later in the day, the Russian president also met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Putin will attend an expo showcasing companies from the two countries on Friday in Harbin in northeastern China's Heilongjiang Province, which borders Russia, the news agency said.

In March last year, Xi met with Putin in Moscow shortly after securing a norm-breaking third five-year term as president. Then, in October 2023, the Russian leader held talks with his Chinese counterpart during his visit to Beijing.

The two leaders reaffirmed in 2022 that the bilateral friendship has "no limits."

In an interview with China's official Xinhua News Agency, published before he arrived in Beijing, Putin said bilateral relations have "reached their highest level in history" and will continue to develop despite a challenging international environment.

Related coverage:

China says Putin to make two-day visit from May 16

China warns South Korea about closer ties with U.S., Japan

China's Xi affirms partnership with EU in trilateral talks
Opinion: Stormy Daniels testified about something billions of humans do. Why was she demeaned for it?

Editors Note: Danielle Campoamor is a freelance writer formerly of TODAY and NBC. The views expressed here are her own. Read more opinion on CNN.

Satin pajamas. Magazine spankings. The missionary position. Condom-free sex.

For two days in Manhattan, Stephanie Gregory Clifford  better known as Stormy Daniels  detailed her connection to former President Donald Trump and alleged sexual encounter with him in 2006. Her testimony came as part of the presumptive Republican presidential nominees criminal trial for allegedly falsifying business records in an attempt to suppress stories of alleged affairs ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Danielle Campoamor - Ashley Batz

During and certainly after Daniels took the witness stand, news anchors, on-air correspondents and political pundits almost universally described her court testimony as salacious, lurid and tawdry solely because she was asked and answered questions about the evening she allegedly had sex with the defendant in a Nevada hotel suite.

Perhaps the adolescent-minded headlines should come as no surprise. This countrys political landscape  heavy with name-calling, grandstanding and toddler-like tantrums  is childish at best, and, make no mistake, it is childish to consider something as normal as sex to be improper.

But it matters that the media decided to erroneously describe a grown woman openly discussing an alleged sexual encounter with a grown man as obscene. The words used to characterize Daniels testimony evoke a feeling of inherent wrongness or dirtiness  and not on the part of the accused but of the woman who dared to speak up.

When nearly half of 2016 voters considered Trump bragging about sexual assault to be typical locker room talk, to describe Daniels testimony as anything other than what it was  a recollection  is hypocritical at best, and misogynistic to say the least.

While the Manhattan criminal case is not directly tied to Trumps alleged encounter with Daniels, the details of their brief alleged tryst are crucial to the prosecutions case. In the wake of the revelations in October 2016 of the infamous Access Hollywood tape, in which Trump proudly described grabbing women without their consent, accusations of an affair taking place years earlier, soon after his wife gave birth to their son, could have further damaged then-candidate Trumps already controversial presidential campaign.

So Daniels did what she was asked to do by the prosecution: She carefully described the hotel room where she met Trump, down to the floors, furniture and contents of Trumps toiletry kit. Daniels detailed how Trump posed for her on the hotel bed, how she blacked out while they had sex, how she was shaking when she got dressed and, from that point on, made sure any future meetings with Trump were held in public.

The details were crucial to establishing Daniels as a credible witness, since Trump has repeatedly denied the affair and attacked Daniels appearance, much like he has denied every allegation of sexual assault, harassment and improper sexual behavior levied against him and demonized the women behind them. It is common for Trump to deny ever meeting or knowing his accusers or claiming theyre too ugly to victimize  including E. Jean Carroll, whom Trump was found liable for sexually assaulting  so Daniels ability to adequately describe what she alleged occurred and how enthusiastically consenting Trump was before, during and after was necessary.

The defense undoubtedly knows this, as does Trump and, apparently, members of his family. After Daniels testified on March 7, Trumps son Eric described the court proceedings as a salacious show, only to have mainstream media outlets regurgitate his claim via excessive and bombastic headlines.

To no ones surprise, the defense also tapped into the palpable air of chauvinism surrounding Daniels court appearance during cross-examination. The 45-year-old was accused of selling herself via strip club appearances, books and interviews, and by the very lawyers representing a man who has sold NFTs of his likeness and mediocre steaks adorned with his name, and who is continuing to use his ongoing court proceedings to raise campaign funds.

The defense accused Daniels of fabricating the affair, solely because as an adult entertainer she has a lot of experience making phony stories about sex appear real. Her career decisions were scrutinized, her desire to become more financially successful condemned, all seemingly an effort to discredit her testimony not only on its merits but on the basis of her innate morality. Like the descriptions of the alleged encounter, the defense aimed to paint Daniels herself as salacious, lurid and tawdry.

On more than one occasion, Daniels has insisted she is not the victim in her story. In a 2018 interview with CNNs Anderson Cooper, she described her alleged sexual encounter with Trump as consensual.

This is not a Me Too, she said at the time. I was not a victim. Ive never said I was a victim  I didnt say no.

Yet Daniels has arguably been victimized by this countrys rampant misogyny, on the witness stand, in the news and certainly online. Descriptions of Daniels testimony alone have endorsed the scarlet letter that society at large attaches to women like her: Women who have chosen a profession within the sex industry. Women who shamelessly own and monetize their sexuality. Women who do not consider sex or having sex to be morally wrong.

Sex is a normal human activity  countless people are enjoying it (I hope) right now. What is not normal, despite how normalized it has become, is to demonize the women who speak openly and honestly about it.

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Russian forces have encountered a new enemy in the Black Sea: Ukraines arsenal of naval kamikaze drones. These deceptively small unmanned vehicles have targeted Russias Black Sea Fleet since September 2022, picking off Russian battleships one by one.

The latest of Ukraines maritime conquests was the Russian Mangust-class patrol boat, which it destroyed off the coast of occupied Crimea with a MAGURA naval drone.

Ukraine shifted its focus to naval drones after the start of Russias full-scale invasion in February 2022. Due to their unavailability on the market, the Ukrainian military decided to create its own, relying as much as possible on off-the-shelf components. In essence, Ukraines naval kamikaze drones crash into their targets and explode.

Ukraines use of naval drones against comparatively gargantuan Russian battleships follows the 19th-century French naval concept of the Jeune Ecole, which advocated for the use of small, heavily armed vessels to combat larger ones. This concept has proven attractive to states wanting to compensate for smaller naval capabilities.

Read also: The Counteroffensive: Inside Ukraines prisoner of war negotiations with Russia

It was not the Ukrainian Navy but the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) that first undertook the creation of naval kamikaze drones. Its believed that an SBU brigadier general with the call sign Hunter first pushed the idea of naval drones equipped with Starlink terminals for better coordination.

Hunter and SBU chief Vasyl Maliuk then consulted Ukrainian Navy Commander Oleksii Neizhpapa, who in turn created a team of specialists to kickstart their creation and coordination alongside private Ukrainian companies. Ukraines first naval kamikaze drones were tested in July 2022 and debuted in September of the same year.

The Ukrainian Navy created the 385th Separate Special Purpose Unmanned Surface Vehicle Brigade in August 2023  the first-ever military unit to specialize in the use of naval kamikaze drones. The SBU even decided to develop its own naval drones, revealing the Sea Baby, Mamai, and MAGURA in 2023. There are at least three structures within the Ukrainian government and military that use naval kamikaze drones: the SBU, the Defense Ministrys Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), and the Ukrainian Navy.

A closer look

When taking a closer look at Ukraines naval drones, its important to note that many details of their design are not available to the public  we are at war, after all. We can only draw conclusions based on their appearance, fragments of information revealed by the media and leaked on social networks, and claims made by the Russian military.

One Russian account described Ukrainian naval drones as being built on a jet-ski-like apparatus from which the seat and other features necessary to accommodate a human being have been removed. According to the account, the drone has a compartment containing electronic and communication equipment, as well as a thermal imaging camera. A remote control system is allegedly built using commercially available components. This description probably refers to an earlier model of Ukraines naval drones if it can be trusted.

Naval drone operators often communicate with the vessels via Starlink satellite systems. Some Russian accounts also report the use of routers with SIM cards that can connect to local cellular networks.

The development of Ukrainian naval drones is taking place at a time of war, which has affected both their design and the amount of time it takes to test them.

Read also: Opinion: The REPO Act hasnt won the war for Russian assets

Testing phases that would ordinarily take years are taking months or even weeks to complete. Prototypes are immediately tested on the battlefield, after which amendments are made, and the next prototype is sent into combat. The evolution is rapid, and the changes that come with each stage of development are drastic.

For example, the weight of the Sea Baby naval drones warhead increased from 108 kilograms to 850 kilograms between mid-2022 and the end of 2023. According to SBU spokesperson Artem Dekhtiarenko, in April, the Sea Baby was modernized to hit a target over 1,000 kilometers (621.4 miles) away, meaning the SBU can reach a target almost anywhere in the Black Sea.

According to Hunter, the next stage is to create a deconstructed battleship of sorts by using several naval drones with different capabilities together. For example, some drones will be equipped with weapons, some with air defense, and some with other relevant equipment.

The Mamai naval drone, on the other hand, carries a smaller warhead (450 kilograms) but can travel at a faster speed (110 kilometers per hour). Also a product of the SBU, the Mamai is the fastest of Ukraines naval drones.

Meanwhile, the MAGURA can accelerate to 79 kilometers per hour and has a cruising speed of 41 kilometers per hour. At 5.5 meters long, 1.5 meters wide, and a weight of 1,000 kilograms, the MAGURA is named after the daughter of the mythical Slavic god of thunder and lightning.

A serviceman with the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Directorate of Intelligence controls a MAGURA naval drone during a demonstration for journalists at an undisclosed location in Ukraine on April 11, 2024. (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)

Building on successes

One of Ukraines first naval drone attacks took place in September 2022. The intended target was Russias Admiral Makarov frigate stationed in Sevastopol Bay in occupied Crimea. Its thought that the attack failed because the naval drones Starlink systems were out of range. Rumors circulated that Elon Must ordered the shutdown of Starlink satellite communications near Crimea to avoid escalation  rumors he vehemently denied.

Ukrainian forces used naval drones to damage the Russian minesweeper Ivan Golubets in the fall of 2022 and the Russian reconnaissance ship Ivan Khurs in the spring of 2023. Attacks with naval drones also targeted the Russian reconnaissance ship Priazovye, the patrol ship Sergey Kotov, a corvette Samum, the landing ship Olenegorskiy Gornyak, and the merchant tanker Sig. The latter two events showcase a significant increase in Ukrainian naval drones range. Ukraine also admitted to using drones to attack the Crimean Bridge in July 2023, although the effort inflicted minimal damage.

However, it was only from November 2023 onward that the Russian Black Sea Fleet started to suffer irreversible losses due to Ukrainian naval drone attacks. A Ukrainian naval drone attack damaged two Russian landing crafts near the town of Chornomorske on the edge of occupied Crimea.

The success of Ukraines naval drone attacks has skyrocketed since the start of 2024. According to HUR chief Kyrylo Budanov, Ukrainian forces used six Magura drones to sink the Russian Black Sea Fleets corvette, Ivanovets, in February. The Ivanovets reportedly sustained irreparable damage to its hull. The Ukrainian military sunk the landing ship Caesar Kunikov off the coast of the Crimean city of Alupka with Magura drones in February. The Sergey Kotov didnt escape its fate in early March, sinking in the Kerch Strait.

Read also: Opinion: Will the renewed US support for Ukraine be enough?

Going forward

Ukraines naval drones are one of the factors (alongside missiles and aerial drones) that have significantly limited the Russian Black Sea Fleets activities. The Russian Navy has moved most of the fleets ships from Sevastopol to Novorossiysk, the intensity of its patrols along the Black Seas grain corridor has significantly decreased, and the number of trips to sea taken by Russian Kalibr cruise missile carriers has dropped.

As Russia (with considerable delay) starts to develop counter-naval drone measures, Ukraine continues to improve its technology. One aspect to focus on will be Ukraines underwater attack drone capabilities. Ukraine has developed several models since 2023, including the Marichka, which can reportedly carry a 200-kilogram warhead.

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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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Oregon health officials have expressed concerns over the states record-high rate of kindergartners with non-medical exemptions for vaccinations.

On Thursday, the Oregon Health Authority reported that 8.8% of kindergarten students received non-medical exemptions for at least one required vaccine during the 2023-2024 school year  an all-time peak for the state.

New Census figures show Portlands continued, but slowing population decline

But according to a November report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 2022-2023 school year had the highest exemption rate nationwide at 3%.

About 8.1% of Oregon kindergartners had nonmedical exemptions that year. Idaho was the only state with a higher rate, at 12.1%.

Stacy de Assis Matthews, the Oregon Immunization Programs immunization school law coordinator, told OHA a well-immunized community is the best way to slow the spread of preventable diseases and protect residents who cant be vaccinated due to age or medical condition.

Ludacris, Goo Goo Dolls, Foreigner to perform at Oregon State Fair

She cited the measles, which had 132 cases across the U.S. as of May 9. About 44% of those cases affected people under the age of 5, and 81% of cases included people who werent vaccinated against the contagious disease.

The measles, mumbles and rubella vaccine is about 93% effective against the measles, according to the CDC. It is also one of the several vaccines that state law requires K-12 students to receive before the school year.

School immunization laws help make sure kids can go to school in a safe and healthy environment free of vaccine-preventable diseases, Matthews said. These laws help support OHAs goal of eliminating health disparities by 2030 by making sure each childs immunization record is checked annually, and any child who is behind can be brought up to date on vaccines every year.

Mayor Wheeler, city officials discuss Portlands safety

The state also requires immunization against Hepatitis A and B, polio, chickenpox, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, also known as the whooping cough.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
The entrance of Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, Oregon's only women's prison. (Ben Botkin/Oregon Capital Chronicle)

Terri Lee Browns life spun upside down in February, when the state of Oregon illegally sent her to Coffee Creek Correctional Facility.

The 48-year-old Grants Pass woman never saw it coming.

She had finished parole in 2023 after her early release from prison in December 2020 as part of a wave of commutations granted during the pandemic to nearly 1,000 inmates. In Browns case, she was released eight months early while serving a five-year sentence for mail theft. A little more than two years later, Browns parole officer gave her a certificate of completion in February 2023.

Brown proudly hung the certificate on her kitchen wall as she continued to rebuild her life. She became a home health care worker, tending to the needs of bedridden people in her Grants Pass community. At nights, she worked as a hotel auditor to make ends meet.

About a year after she received her certificate, Browns life crashed down when police showed up at her house, notifying Brown there was a warrant out for her arrest. Gov. Tina Kotek had issued an order revoking her commuted sentence and sending her back to prison.

This isnt a small mistake. Maybe Im a number to them, but I am a person and you destroyed me for no reason.

 Terri Lee Brown, freed from unlawful imprisonment in Oregon

But Kotek lacked the authority to issue the revocation, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled on May 8. That meant Browns imprisonment since February was unlawful, the court found. Attorneys with the nonprofit Oregon Justice Resource Center who represented Brown in court successfully argued that the governor cannot retroactively revoke a persons commutation and send them back to prison when they have already completed the sentence.

Government attorneys tried to make the case that a prior parole violation warranted a return to prison, even though the incident happened in 2021 and Brown had spent 30 days in jail in the matter. And two years later in 2023, state officials told Brown she had successfully completed her post-prison supervised release.

This isnt a small mistake, Brown said in an interview with the Capital Chronicle. Maybe Im a number to them, but I am a person and you destroyed me for no reason.

No apology from governor

The unusual case sheds light on the states penal system and shows how an error in judgment  even at the highest level of state government  can put a person in prison unlawfully. A spokesperson for Kotek previously said the governor would take the courts ruling under consideration in future decisions.

As for Brown, no one from the governors office or state has contacted her to apologize.

Ive heard from not one person, Brown said. Nobodys contacted me to say theyre sorry. It would mean a lot. Admit youre wrong. Say youre sorry. That goes a long way. It helps.

The governor needs to explain herself as to how and why she made these decisions and have a level of transparency around this.

 Bobbin Singh, Oregon Justice Resource Center executive director

Anca Matica, a spokesperson for Koteks office, didnt reply to an inquiry about whether the governor owes Brown an apology.

Bobbin Singh, executive director of the Oregon Justice Resource Center, said Browns experience should concern all Oregonians. He said that Brown received no notice, and the timeline  with a December 2023 arrest warrant based upon a two-year-old parole sanction  makes no sense.

The governor needs to explain herself as to how and why she made these decisions and have a level of transparency around this, Singh said.

Unexpected return to prison

Browns arrest, drawn from court documents, shows the chaos and confusion she endured.

On Saturday, Feb. 17, four police officers met Brown at her home and arrested her, saying she was under arrest for mail theft. She protested and an officer then told her she was under arrest for violating her parole.

Her daughter looked at Brown, sad and confused her mother was in trouble again.

It broke my heart, Brown said. It made me cry because I never wanted my kids to look at me like that again. And when they arrested me thats how she looked at me because she didnt understand why they were arresting me.

Terri Lee Brown with her two daughters Bobbie Rideout (left) and Jeslyn Rideout (right). (Courtesy of Terri Lee Brown)

Brown asked her daughter to retrieve her certificate of completion from her kitchen wall, but it didnt stop the arrest. Brown was gripped by a panic attack and asked for her inhaler before an ambulance took her to the hospital.

After a doctors visit, Brown was booked in the county jail and forced to wait until Tuesday because of the Presidents Day holiday weekend to get more help.

After about four days in jail, Brown learned from a county parole and probation official that her commutation had been revoked, prompting a warrant for her arrest from the Oregon Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision.

Brown insisted it was a mistake because she was no longer under any supervision. The supervisor told Brown that everyone in the office was dumbfounded and no one had seen a situation like hers, Brown said in her court statement.

On Feb. 22, she was transferred to Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, Oregons only womens prison.

Life in prison

Every chance she could get, Brown talked to prison staff, including release counselors.

Their answer was always the same: They didnt know what happens when a person returns to prison after their release on a sentence commutation, Brown said.

I really was given no answers, and I just didnt know where to turn, Brown said. I didnt know how I was going to help myself and was feeling overwhelmed.

Amber Campbell, an Oregon Department of Corrections spokesperson, said its not the role of agency counselors or other staff to provide legal advice to people in custody. They have a phone system to contact attorneys and a legal library for that purpose, Campbell said.

Brown said she faced indifference in a system that made no effort to believe her. Brown said it was painful.

Nobody will listen to you and theyre laughing at you pretty much like youre crazy, she said. Nobody believed my story.

I was in turmoil. I couldn't sleep at night. I would literally cry myself to sleep because I just was at a loss.

 Terri Lee Brown, freed from unlawful imprisonment in Oregon

Lockdowns on her unit were frequent, keeping her confined to a cell for 18 hours a day or longer. Brown paced in the tiny cell she shared with an inmate, with a toilet next to her bed. She worried about her five grown children and wondered how they were faring as she fights for her release.

Brown feared she would have to accept the injustice. This would mean missing out on the lives of her grown children and the birth of a grandchild.

I was in turmoil, she said. I couldnt sleep at night. I would literally cry myself to sleep because I just was at a loss.

Best day ever

After the daily count of inmates,Brown checked her computer tablet and saw a message from Julia Yoshimoto, her attorney and director of the centers Womens Justice Project, that she won her case.

I just started crying, Brown said. I couldnt believe it, and Im like, I won. I won. Theyre gonna release me.

Her fellow inmates crowded around her to congratulate her and offer advice. Without that ruling, Brown said, she would have been stuck in the prison until October.

It was the best day ever, Brown said. You know what I mean?

She remembers the minute of her release: 3:25 p.m.

Kyle Black, policy and outreach Associate for the Oregon Justice Resource Center, drove Brown home from the prison. She had a gift, too: $700 from formerly incarcerated people who took up a collection to help her out.

More than anything, Brown said, shes thankful that someone listened to her case and fought for her.

But now that shes out, she faces starting again once more.

Terri Lee Brown outside Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville on May 8, 2024, when she was released. (Courtesy of Terri Lee Brown)

Rebuilding her life

Brown is focusing on regaining her health after several stressful months. Her heart rate is abnormally high and she experiences panic attacks.

Her health care was inadequate in prison, she said, further exacerbating her condition. As a result, she cannot immediately return to work.

I dont know what to do, she said. I feel so defeated because what I worked so hard for is gone.

Brown will struggle to pay the $1,800-a-month rent for her three-bedroom house in Grants Pass she shares with her boyfriend and two of her children. And she has a felony, making it difficult to find employment. This is one reason Brown became a self-employed home health care worker.

But Brown also recognizes she is lucky. Without her familys support and the Oregon Justice Resource Centers attorneys handling her case, shed still be in prison.

I am a strong person and Im going to be OK, Brown said. But what if this had happened to somebody who didnt have the resources and love and the backing that I do? Where would that put them? Who would be there to help them?

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HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW)  May is Foster Care Awareness month, and one South Carolina organization is asking for your help.

The organization says in Horry County, there are many children in need but not enough homes.

The South Carolina Youth Advocate Program, also known as SCYAP, works mainly with at-risk or special needs children to find homes and families for them.

Its served families and children since 1990.

Monica Kelly is the Myrtle Beach regional director for SCYAP. She says with the rise of children entering the system, its crucial if you can, to step up and help a child in need.

Weve actually gotten ten kids today that were trying to find homes for and those are right there in your community people, Kelly said.

SCYAP works to provide specialized care to children with special needs and those with emotional or behavioral challenges. It helps parents know what fostering and adopting is, filling out the right paperwork, and explaining what to expect.

Kelly says she wishes more homes were open to children in their own communities.

Not have to have them move schools, not have to have them change friends and all of those things that are important to children who arent in foster care, Kelly said.

The organization provided the number of children in foster care by local counties:

Horry County: 159

Georgetown County: 18

Florence 196

Heather and Nyal Hostrander began adopting in 2021. Between their own biological kids and fostering, they have 9 children.

Heather said in the beginning, they had no idea where to start and it was a scary process, but that quickly changed.

They brought them to us and in the moment, I looked at them like we locked eyes, I was like, Im going to be their mom, Heather said. So, they just fit right in.

She said shes grateful her kids will have each other to lean on as they get older.

During the process, she said they had help from SCYAP and the organization guided them every step of the way.

Its definitely life changing, Heather said. Definitely do it. You can change a life. You can change your own life because my life just wouldnt be the same without any of these kiddos.

Heather says they dont plan to adopt any more children but will continue to foster as their kids go off to college.

SCYAP said even if you cant foster or adopt, donations help too.

* * *

Adrianna Lawrence is a multimedia journalist at News13. Adrianna is originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia, and joined the News13 team in June 2023 after graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in May 2023. Keep up with Adrianna on Instagram, Facebook, and X, formerly Twitter. You can also read more of her work, here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.
The smash 1996 blockbuster movie Twister is celebrating its 28th anniversary this year. One of its stars, Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress Helen Hunt, will appear at Motor City Comic Con and at a live Q&A following a screening of the film at Emagine Novi on Saturday.

Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress Helen Hunt will appear at Motor City Comic Con on May 18, 2024.

Hunt, who won four Emmys in the 1990s for her work on the sitcom Mad About You and a Best Actress Academy Award for 1997s As Good as It Gets, told the Free Press shes excited for the Twister screening.

Thats going to be extra special, she said, as the film approaches 30 years of movie magic. It resonates because its good. I watched it during COVID. And I certainly dont go back and rewatch (my work). I find it sort of depressing. But I think my daughter had never seen it. I was with a group of people and we watched it, and we all kind of couldnt believe how much it held up.

I think its the filmmaking and the acting. (Director Jan de Bont) chose great actors, and it was before a lot of CGI, so they were really pummeling us with all sorts of stuff. And there were good writers that worked on it. All the ingredients you need came together for this really unique, fun action movie with no guns and a lot of camaraderie, and some humor and some jump scares, but not ones where someones about to be murdered.

Hunt also took a moment to acknowledge her late costars from the film, Bill Paxton and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Bill and Phil Hoffman  I feel sad to be the one left from that trio, she admitted. But the contribution is that (Paxton) was a great actor. And we were very different and brought our differences to the relationship and the movie. The thing you remember from a movie like Twister is the action, but the thing that makes it good is the directing, the writing, and the acting, and he was a world-class actor.

Aside from celebrating the anniversary of Twister, Hunt is working on a film with Dustin Hoffman and British director Peter Greenaway (The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover).

A family comes from New York to a small, little walled city in Italy, she said, so that this man can know his death, and Death is a character in the movie Its just wild and impossible to describe, which is probably the best thing I can say about it.

Hunt also is in several episodes of the hit HBO comedy Hacks, starring another multi-Emmy-winning actress, Jean Smart. The role is a departure from her typically likable roles, and she revels in playing an over-the-top nasty guest character.

I play a really fun part, Hunt said. A screaming, bad sport, pickleball player network president. So thats really fun.

In the meantime, the actress is looking forward to her first trip to metro Detroit.

I have friends and even family in Grand Rapids, and I went to Beaver Island last year. Ive been in your state, but not in your city. Im super excited to attend the Twister screening, and Im going to be taking my picture with any poor soul that wants it.

The Motor City Comic Con spring convention is May 17-19 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. Helen Hunt will appear at the convention for just one day, Saturday, May 18, during convention hours, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Convention hours are noon to 7 p.m. Friday, May 17, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 19.

The Twister screening will take place at 8 p.m. on May 18 at Emagine Novi. Hunt will make a special appearance and host a Q&A panel discussion.

Standard package is $40 and includes a movie poster, pre-movie Q&A, and free admission to see Twister. The silver package is $115 and includes one autograph during convention hours on Saturday, the movie poster, the Q&A, and free admission to the movie. The gold package, at $220, includes one autograph and one professional photo opportunity during Saturday's convention hours, the poster, Q&A panel, and free admission to the movie.

Jennifer Dixon contributed to this report.

Contact Free Press arts and culture reporter Duante Beddingfield at dbeddingfield@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Helen Hunt to appear at Motor City Comic Con, live screening of 'Twister'
KYODO NEWS - May 16, 2024 - 09:43 | All, World

The United States will send two former high-ranking government officials to the inauguration ceremony of Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te to be held next week, a senior administration official said Wednesday.

The two officials are former Director of the National Economic Council Brian Deese and former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, according to the official.

Sticking to long-standing precedent, no current U.S. officials will attend the ceremony on Monday as the United States does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which China regards as a renegade province.

Besides Deese and Armitage, Laura Rosenberger, head of the American Institute in Taiwan, and Richard Bush, a former chair of the institute who is now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, will attend the event, according to the U.S. administration official.

The institute serves as Washington's de facto embassy in Taipei.

Related coverage:

Taipei mayor, ex-Japan PM Aso agree to promote exchanges

China to resume Taiwan-bound travel for Fujian Province residents

China's No. 4 leader meets Taiwan lawmakers, opposes independence
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee shuffled its schedule, bumping a hearing to hold Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress so some of its members could instead attend former President Trumps hush money trial.

The panel was set to meet early Thursday, an hour after a twin resolution censuring Garland would likewise be considered by the House Judiciary Committee. Instead, it will now meet at 8 p.m. so numerous Republicans who sit on the panel  including Freedom Caucus members  could attend the trial.

A source confirmed to The Hill that the last-minute shift was to allow the lawmakers to make the trip to New York, with various Oversight members wishing to join the parade of GOP lawmakers who have attended the trial, including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

The House Oversight Committee sidestepped a question about why the hearing was delayed by nine hours.

Due to member schedule conflicts, the markup is now starting at a different time to accommodate members schedules, a spokesperson told The Hill.

Not all Republicans planning to attend the trial, however, sit on the Oversight panel. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) will be among those in attendance, a source familiar with the matter told The Hill.

The pair of panels are set to vote on holding Garland in contempt after the attorney general refused to hand over the audio recording of President Bidens interview with special counsel Robert Hur as part of his classified documents probe.

The panels already have a transcript of the interview, and while the subject matter has little to no overlap with its impeachment probe, the GOP has nonetheless contended the audio files could have significance for its investigation, accusing Garland of having impeded the Committees impeachment inquiry.

Democrats were quick to suggest Republicans were abandoning one GOP priority to aid another.

House Republicans delay their urgent hearing to hold the Attorney General in contempt over information they already received so they can attend Donald Trumps criminal trial, attack our criminal justice system and the rule of law, and earn brownie points with their Dear Leader, Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) wrote on the social platform X.

Committee Democrats were surprised by the last-minute delay to the hearing.

I guess we all know who is setting the Committees calendar now, Oversight Democrats wrote on X.

The Oversight Committee is stocked with some of Trumps most devoted supporters, including Reps. Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.), and Lauren Boebert (Colo.), who did not respond to request for comment about whether theyd be attending the trial.

It remains unclear which Republicans are planning to attend Thursday morning. But they will follow a string of Trumps closest allies who have already made the trek to rail against the trial as it stretches into its fifth week.

Johnson stood with Trump at the New York City courthouse Tuesday morning, becoming the highest-ranking lawmaker to join the former president during the ongoing legal proceedings.

The Speaker did not enter the courtroom with Trump but did deliver remarks outside the courthouse after his visit, slamming the hush money trial as a sham and accusing prosecutors of pursuing the case against the former president intentionally to keep him here and keep him off the campaign trail.

President Trump is innocent of these charges, Johnson added.

Other GOP lawmakers  including Reps. Byron Donalds (Fla.), Nicole Malliotakis (N.Y.) and Cory Mills (Fla.), and Sens. JD Vance (Ohio) and Tommy Tuberville (Ala.)  made the trek to the Manhattan courthouse this week, in addition to Republicans who have been floated as potential Trump running mates, including North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Vivek Ramaswamy.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Chancellor of Oxford University, Lord Patten of Barnes, will retire at the end of the academic year - Leon Neal

Oxford University has abandoned plans for an internal committee to have powers to determine who is selected as its new chancellor.

Lord Patten of Barnes, the former Conservative Party chairman, will retire from his role of chancellor at the end of this academic year.

However, the university has faced a backlash for substantially altering its election rules to find a successor so that a small committee of academics and university administrators  including the vice-chancellor  were able to choose who will go forward for election.

Neil OBrien, the Conservative MP for Harborough and an alumnus of Christ Church, Oxford, branded the new rules a stitch-up, saying that the university had decided to move away from democracy.

The shift was a marked contrast from 2003, the last chancellor election, when anyone was permitted to stand for election as long as they had received a nomination by 50 members of the Convocation, which includes all Oxford graduates and academics and is comprised of around 350,000 people.

However, it is understood that on Thursday the university will officially announce that it has dropped plans for a committee to potentially disqualify candidates who propose themselves for election.

According to a leaked comparison of the old and new regulations for convocation elections, the university has also dropped a specification that the committee would have due regard to the principles of equality and diversity for applications.

The original rules stated: The chancellors election committee shall oversee the election process. However, this has been amended to the committee being able to organise the election process and play no substantive role in the selection of a chancellor.

Mr OBrien said: So many organisations are putting in place left wing ideas about so-called positive discrimination, which in reality is unfair and takes us away from the idea that the best person should get the job.

It is good to see that this has at least been stopped on this occasion. I am really pleased Oxford have listened on this and changed their mind.

The original rules also state: After the closing date for applications, the committee shall consider all those it has received, and, having due regard to the principles of equality and diversity and the approved rule specification, shall determine which candidates are eligible to progress to the next stage of the election process.

In comparison, the latest version says that the committee will have due regard to the exclusion criteria only and put forward those candidates not excluded under the terms to the next stage of the election process.

The exclusion criteria says that the new chancellor is not permitted to be neither a student nor employee of the university. They also cannot be a serving or declared candidate for election to an elected legislature  which would include politicians as well as a charity trustee.

The university said that the decision regarding the new chancellor ultimately rests with the convocation, adding that the committee never had the power to choose the successor. The regulations were amended to remove any ambiguity from the election process, it said.

A spokesperson for the University of Oxford said: Through the proposed amendment to the regulations, the University Councils intent is to remove any ambiguity and reinforce the intent of the original regulation that the election committee will have no role in the vetting or selection of any nominations for chancellor.

Our requirement to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty remains unchanged.

Among those touted for the role include Rory Stewart, who stood down as an MP in 2019 and now presents a podcast, and former prime ministers Sir Tony Blair and Boris Johnson, as well as Theresa May who is stepping down from parliament at the next election.

The chancellor of Oxford University is the largely ceremonial head of the university, who is usually an eminent public figure elected for life.

Previous chancellors have included Harold Macmillan, the former prime minister, and Edward Wood, the 1st Earl of Halifax, who was viceroy of India.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
The latest reports of campaign contributions in Canyon County GOP primary-election contests paint a picture of special-interest PACs donating thousands of dollars to favored candidates and county staff members doing the same in races involving their current or potential future employers.

The two candidates for Canyon County prosecutor are far outpacing the campaign fundraising efforts of all other candidates in the countys Republican primary races.

Chris Boyd, former Adams County prosecuting attorney, raised over $20,000 in campaign donations by the latest monthly campaign- report deadline on May 10. His opponent, Greg Chaney, former member of the Idaho House, raised a bit less than half as much, $9,500.

In the other two contested primaries, the candidate with the most in donations raised $5,300.

Idaho Families, Think Liberty PACs contribute

Most of Boyds donations came from individuals, who donated over $16,000. He received $2,000 from two political action committees, Idaho Families PAC and Think Liberty Idaho PAC.

Idaho Families PAC is run by Emily McClure, a charter school lobbyist. According to the Idaho Secretary of States campaign finance website, the PAC donated to both Democrats and Republicans running for legislative offices. It is funded by Joseph Scott, the founding chairman of the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, whose philanthropy includes help for charter schools.





Think Liberty Idaho PAC is run by John Heida, a Canyon County precinct committeeman, and which supports individual freedom, limited government, fiscal responsibility, the rule of law, according to its website.

The only contribution made to the PAC in 2024 was from SMC Properties LLC, which donated $10,000. An Idaho Capital Sun report found the company is connected to Money Metals Exchange in Eagle, which is run by Stefan Gleason. In 2022, SMC Properties contributed $88,500 to Citizens Alliance of Idaho, which was one of Idahos largest PACS in the 2022 primary election and was affiliated with the Idaho Freedom Foundation. Money Metals Exchange also donated $20,000 to the Idaho Freedom PAC, which is run by the Idaho Freedom Foundation and backs hard-right candidates, according to the Capital Sun.

Idaho Chooses Life, Crookham donate

Chaney contributed most of his campaign money himself. But he received $3,500 from individual donors. He got $1,000 from Idaho Chooses Life, a PAC that supports pro-life candidates; and $1,000 from Crookham Co., a sweet-corn seed company in Caldwell. He received other donations from notable Republican political figures like former Idaho Attorney General Jim Jones and former Idaho Republican Party Chairman Tom Luna, each of whom donated $500.

County lawyer donates as Screw Greg Chenny

The Canyon County prosecutors race has garnered attention statewide, with high-profile endorsements and scathing negative advertisements. The negativity spilled over into Boyds March campaign finance report, where he listed one of his contributors as Screw Greg chenny, instead of the contributors name. The entry misspelled Chaneys last name.

According to documents obtained by the Idaho Statesman, Chaney filed a formal complaint with the Idaho Secretary of States Office about the name.

On Boyds March 2024 sunshine report he lists an anonymous contribution in violation of the prohibition on anonymous contributions, he wrote. An entry  shows that the person donating $100 is named Screw Greg chenny. I am reasonably certain this is not a real persons name.

Idaho law prohibits campaign contributions under a fictitious name.

Canyon County Clerk Rick Hogaboam found that Boyd did list the donation under a fictitious name, according to an email he sent Boyd, which the Statesman obtained. The law required Boyd to refile his March sunshine report and pay a fine up to $250. According to Hogaboams email, he ordered Boyd to pay a $50 fine.

The fictitious contributor was James Haws, an attorney in the Canyon County prosecutors office, according to Boyds sunshine report. In an email, Boyd told the Statesman that the donation was made through his website under the name Screw Greg chenny.

The donation did not state the persons real name, Boyd said. I intended to investigate further and discover the real name since I did have the address, but I still needed to log the donation. I logged it as it was written with the intent to discover the correct name as soon as I could do so.

A PAC formed in April and run by Kevin E. Dinius, an employment lawyer who runs Dinius and Associates in Nampa, is buying anti-Chaney advertisements. The group, named Idaho Citizens Against Foolish Politics, reported taking a $6,170 loan from David P. Ford of Nampa. The money paid for ads in the Idaho Press and two companies that operate local radio stations.

Caldwell substitute teacher outpaces incumbent

Pam Blacker Wagoner, a substitute teacher from Caldwell running to unseat incumbent District 1 Commissioner Leslie Van Beek, is outraising both her opponents with $5,300.

Wagoner has notable donations from Chris Yamamoto and his wife, Arlene, who each donated $500. Yamamoto was the longtime Canyon County clerk who resigned in January for reasons neither he nor other county officials have disclosed. He was one of eight elected officials who signed a letter in 2022 calling for Van Beeks resignation.

Wagoner also received a donation from Lori Bishop, who is running for a state Senate seat against Tami Nichols, the incumbent, in the Legislatures District 10, which represents Caldwell.

Van Beek raised over $4,200 by the deadline. She had a notable donation from Canyon County Chief Operating Officer Greg Rast, who contributed $150.

Theresa Denham, a Middleton business consultant and real estate agent, is neck-and-neck in fundraising with her opponents. She raised nearly $3,900, by the deadline. She has a $1,000 donation from Crookham Co., though most of her contributors were individuals donating $200 or less.

District 1 covers Middleton and east Caldwell. Candidates for the county commission must live in their districts, but they are elected countywide. The District 1 winner will serve a two-year term.

In the race for District 3 commissioner, incumbent Zach Brooks raised $3,000, with large donations from Lurre Construction Inc., Tradition Capital Partners and Mills & Co. Realty Inc. He too received a $150 donation from Rast.

Brooks opponent in the primary election, Richard Williams, had not raised any money for his campaign by the deadline.

In the general election, the Republican will face Kyle Thompson, a information technology engineer and Democrat, who raised $390 in donations by the April deadline.

District 3 covers Nampa. The District 3 winner will serve a four-year term.

Dueling endorsements. Attack ads. Campaigns for Canyon prosecutor reflect GOP discord

Whos got your vote for Canyon County commissioner? See the candidates and what they say
A Palestinian converted to Judaism. An Israeli soldier saw him as a threat and opened fire

This 2021 photo provided by Haim Parag shows David Ben-Avraham at a supermarket in the Israeli town of Beit Shamesh, where he briefly worked, in Jerusalem. Ben-Avraham, a Palestinian who was born a Muslim but made the almost unheard-of decision to convert to Judaism years earlier, was fatally shot by an Israeli soldier. (Courtesy of Haim Parag via AP)

JERUSALEM (AP)  At first, it seemed like the kind of shooting that has become all too common in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. A Palestinian aroused suspicions and an Israeli soldier killed him.

But then the deceased was identified as David Ben-Avraham, a Palestinian who had made the almost unheard-of decision to convert from Islam to Judaism years earlier.

His unusual journey had taken him across some of the deepest fault lines in the Middle East and led to some unlikely friendships. Most Palestinians saw him as an eccentric outcast, while many Israelis treated him as an unwelcome convert to a religion that doesnt proselytize.

But in his final moments, he was once again viewed as a Palestinian who was in the wrong place, at a time of widespread anger and suspicion.

A DIVIDED CITY

He was born Sameh Zeitoun in Hebron, home to some 200,000 Palestinians as well as hundreds of Jewish settlers who live in enclaves guarded by Israeli troops. Tensions have run high for decades, often spilling over into violence.

Rights groups have long accused Hebrons settlers of harassing Palestinian residents, and Palestinians have committed a number of stabbing and shooting attacks against Israelis over the years.

At its most extreme, the bitter neighbors live just a few meters apart. In some narrow alleys of Hebrons Old City, metal netting protects Palestinian shoppers from objects thrown by settlers living on the upper floors.

Zeitoun first made contact with Jewish settlers over a decade ago, asking for help converting to Judaism, according to Noam Arnon, a Jewish settler in Hebron who went on to befriend him.

He said Zeitoun was inspired by family stories about his grandfather protecting Jews when riots erupted in 1929, when the Holy Land was under British colonial rule. Palestinians killed dozens of Jewish residents in the city.

He went further, not only to live as a good neighbor but to join the Jewish community, Arnon recounted.

A RARE CONVERSION

Conversion to other faiths is deeply frowned upon in Islam. In much of the Muslim world, those who do so are cast out of their communities, sometimes violently. Judaism, unlike Islam and Christianity, has no tradition of proselytization.

Such a conversion is even more fraught in Israel and the Palestinian territories, where religion and nationality usually overlap in a decades-old conflict. Judaism is the faith of most of the soldiers who patrol the territory and the settlers whom Palestinians see as hostile colonizers.

Arnon said most of the settlers from Hebrons tight-knit community refused to accept Ben-Avraham. Only Arnon and a few others interacted with him, helping with his conversion application papers.

Religious conversions are rare but legal in areas administered by the semi-autonomous Palestinian Authority. Most are undertaken by Palestinian Christians converting to Islam for marriage.

In Israel, converting to Judaism requires an application to the government-run Conversion Authority. Ben-Avraham submitted two requests in 2018 but did not meet the requirements, according to a government official who was not authorized to speak with media and spoke on condition of anonymity.

With that pathway closed, Ben Avraham turned to Israels insular ultra-Orthodox community and eventually made his conversion official in 2020, according to documents published online.

AN ARREST

In the year before his conversion, Ben-Avraham was detained by the Palestinian Authoritys intelligence unit in Hebron, according to Arnon and a local Palestinian activist, Issa Amro.

The reason for his arrest was never publicly disclosed, but they believe his conversion and open connections with Israelis attracted unwanted attention.

Palestinians can face arrest or even death if they're seen as collaborating with Israeli authorities. But few would have suspected Ben-Avraham of being an informant because his story was widely known.

Ben-Avraham told the Israeli news site Times of Israel that he was held for two months in solitary confinement and beaten before being released. Around that time, a video emerged showing him holding what appears to be a Quran and pledging his Muslim faith.

Arnon and Amro said his statement was likely made under duress during detention. The PAs prosecution office said it had no information about his case.

After his release, Ben-Avraham moved in with Haim Parag, a Jewish friend who lived in Jerusalem. He returned to Hebron infrequently because of safety concerns and continued his Jewish studies. Parag said the pair regularly prayed together at a nearby synagogue.

He was like a son to me, he said.

Parag also said he met Ben-Avrahams wife and some of his children, and that several close family members maintained a relationship with him even after his conversion.

The Zeitoun family declined to speak with The Associated Press, fearing reprisal. In the end, Ben-Avraham left little public record of what drove his personal convictions.

A DEADLY SHOOTING

Ben-Avraham was waiting outside a West Bank settlement for an Israeli bus to take him to Parags apartment March 19 when he got into an argument in Hebrew with an Israeli soldier.

Across the West Bank, Jewish settlers live apart from Palestinians in guarded settlements where they're subject to different laws. Palestinians are generally barred from entering settlements unless they have work permits.

Are you Jewish? the soldier shouts in a video that circulated online and appears to have been shot by his body camera.

Of course, Ben Avraham answers.

Whats your name? the soldier says.

David. he replies.

David? the soldier says.

Ben-Avraham, stupid.

The soldier then orders Ben-Avraham to step away from his bag on the ground and raise his hands in the air, before saying sarcastically, Jewish.

A second video, apparently taken from a nearby security camera, appears to show two soldiers shooting Ben-Avraham from a close distance as he keels over backward onto the sidewalk.

The army said a small knife was found in Ben Avrahams bag after the shooting. Parag said he gave him the knife for self-defense.

The Israeli army said it's investigating the shooting, but rights groups say soldiers are rarely held accountable in such situations.

Israeli forces have been on high alert as the West Bank has seen a surge of violence linked to the war in Gaza. Nearly 500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the war's start, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Many have been shot dead in armed clashes during military raids, others for throwing stones at troops, and some who were posing no apparent threat.

Palestinians have also carried out several stabbing and other attacks against Israelis.

Arnon said the shooting was a tragic misunderstanding. Parag, Ben-Avraham's friend in Jerusalem, accused the soldiers of racial profiling, saying they saw Ben-Avraham for his background and not his unexpected beliefs.

A FUNERAL

Even in death, Ben-Avrahams identity was contested.

Parag and another Israeli friend asked an Israeli court for the body to buried him at a Jewish cemetery, filing a petition against members of the Zeitoun family who wanted a Muslim funeral. Bezalel Hochman, a lawyer representing the two Israelis, said the Tel Aviv family court ruled in their favor.

After his death caused a public outcry, the Interior Ministry granted him Israeli residency, saying it wanted to fulfill the will and desire of the deceased to be part of the nation of Israel.

Ben Avraham was buried in April in a Jewish cemetery on the foothills of Mount Gerizim, near the Palestinian city of Nablus, Parag said. The hilltop is sacred for Samaritans  a small, ancient religious minority that straddles the Palestinian-Israeli divide, just like Ben-Avraham.

No one from the Zeitoun family attended the funeral, said Parag, who's designing his friends gravestone.

He said it will read: David Ben-Avraham Zeitoun Parag. The Holy Jew.

___

Associated Press writer Tia Goldenberg in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
By Elida Moreno

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Panama's next government is considering erecting new checkpoints along a stretch of thick jungle on its southern border that has become a treacherous part of the journey for growing masses of U.S.-bound migrants, the incoming security chief said on Thursday.

The additional checkpoints, where deportation orders could be issued to migrants, appear to be part of President-elect Jose Raul Mulino's campaign pledge to close the so-called Darien Gap, even though he has yet to announce a detailed plan.

Frank Abrego, Mulino's incoming security chief, floated a formal border closure along with the checkpoints to process migrants in comments to reporters immediately after a press conference in the capital, where the next president presented part of his cabinet.

The government of Mulino, himself a former security minister, takes office on July 1.

Last year, a record 520,000 migrants crossed the jungle between Colombia and Panama, mostly fleeing Venezuela, Ecuador, Haiti and China.

The main migration routes there hug Panama's northern Caribbean coast, offering the most direct path to traverse the roadless jungle.

The area, running about 100 kilometers (62 miles), is known as the "gap" on Panama's Darien isthmus since it is the only missing section of the Pan-American highway that stretches from Alaska to Argentina.

"If a border closure were declared tomorrow, we establish the checkpoints where we can detain ... these illegal immigrants," said Abrego.

"I think that's going to happen," he added.

In his presidential campaign, Mulino repeatedly promised to "close" the Darien Gap, vowing Panama should not be a transit country for migrants, and pledged to ask for help from nations including the United States and Colombia.

Mulino again vowed to take a tough stance against unlawful crossings during a speech last week.

"Those who arrive here are going to be returned to their country of origin," he said.

(Reporting by Elida Moreno; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by David Alire Garcia and Chris Reese)
Paramount+ has landed We Will Dance Again, a documentary about Hamas Oct. 7 terrorist attack at the Nova Music Festival.

The project from See It Now Studios features new interviews with more than a dozen survivors, who recorded their experience throughout the attack, and exclusive footage. The doc also includes eyewitness accounts from those survivors, as well as footage captured by other victims and Hamas.

More from The Hollywood Reporter

The human cost of what happened on October 7th in Israel, and the war in Gaza, has been catastrophic. We cant tell everyones story. This film is about innocent young people, forced to fight for their survival, Susan Zirinsky, president of See It Now Studios, said in a statement. It is a painful story of unfathomable tragedy, and also of bravery, sacrifice and heroism.

Yariv Mozer directed We Will Dance Again, which was originally announced the week after the attacks took place. His other credits include The Devils Confession: The Lost Eichmann Tapes and Ben Gurion: Epilogue, My First War.

I have seen things in my life. I have lived through wars. I have fought in wars, and I have even filmed during a war, Mozer said in a statement at the time. But nothing prepared me for the harsh images I have seen in the remains of the massacre that took place at the Nova Music Festival. I see it as my duty as a documentary filmmaker to bring to the world the testimonies and horrific stories from the survivors of this slaughter. Young women and men whose only sin was their desire for music, and the passion to celebrate free love, spirit and freedom.

Uncensored footage of the terrorist attacks previously screened in November at the Museum of Tolerance in West L.A. The project, Bearing Witness, featured 43 minutes of footage of acts committed by Hamas terrorists against Israeli citizens on Oct. 7.

We Will Dance Again is set to premiere sometime in the fall, likely tied to the first anniversary of the attacks that killed about 1,200 people and took roughly 250 hostages, leading to the Israel-Hamas war that still rages on. In an effort to destroy Hamas after the attacks, Israel launched an offensive attack in Gaza that has since killed more than 34,500 people, per the Associated Press, and continues to deploy troops to Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Gazans are sheltering.

The ongoing war has led to countless pro-Israel and pro-Palestine protests across the United States and around the world. Most recently, pro-Palestine protests and encampments broke out at several university campuses, including UCLA, Columbia, Harvard, USC and more, as students urged their administrations to divest from companies that do business with Israel.

Best of The Hollywood Reporter
Parents, we understand your concerns: 3rd day of threats sends deputies back to middle school

Deputies responded to Buddy Taylor Middle School in Palm Coast for the third day in a row after another threat was received Thursday morning, Flagler County Sheriffs Office said.

Investigators said someone made a bomb threat as buses began morning drop-off at the school campus.

District officials rerouted buses while deputies again searched the school for any potential dangers.

FCSO said they later gave the all clear Thursday morning and district officials were able to resume normal operations on campus.

PREVIOUS: Schools lift lockdown in Palm Coast after second day of threats, deputies say

To the parents, we understand your concerns and are working with Flagler Schools to keep you updated as this caller continues to disrupt school operations, the agency announced on social media, adding We are also conducting proactive patrols in other schools to ease your concerns that this is a distraction.

Tuesday afternoon, sheriffs officials said someone called the countys non-emergency line and threatened a shooting after students at BTMS had been released for the day.

Then on Wednesday morning, deputies responded to the campuses of BTMS and Wadsworth Elementary School after FCSO said someone called the school and made a threat.

A bomb threat was made this morning as drop off began at Buddy Taylor Middle School. The buses were rerouted and the school searched again by deputies. The all clear has been given and regular schedules have resumed.



To the parents, we understand your concerns and are working pic.twitter.com/VuqpBxcOkz  Flagler County Sheriffs Office (@FlaglerSheriff) May 16, 2024

Detectives said they believe the same caller may be involved in all three cases.

FCSO is asking anyone with tips on the anonymous caller to contact the department.

READ: Volusia County corrections officer arrested on felony charges, deputies say

The agency said it is planning to hold a news conference about the string of recent threats Thursday. Click here to stream it live.

Stay with WFTV.com and watch Eyewitness News for updates on this story.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
KYODO NEWS - May 16, 2024 - 21:57 | All, World, Japan

The U.S. Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan left the Yokosuka naval base near Tokyo on Thursday after completing a nearly nine-year tour of duty amid rising tensions over provocations by China and North Korea.

It will be replaced by another Nimitz-class vessel, the George Washington, which was deployed to the base from 2008 to 2015.

The Ronald Reagan will stay on alert in the Pacific Ocean as it heads to a navy maintenance facility in Washington state, the U.S. military said.

The Ronald Reagan arrived at Yokosuka in October 2015 and performed patrol duties in the surrounding waters amid growing tensions over China intensifying pressure on Taiwan as well as North Korea's nuclear and missile development.

Previously, the Ronald Reagan participated in the "Operation Tomodachi" rescue and relief efforts jointly conducted with Japan's Self-Defense Forces following the massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 that devastated the country's northeast.

The vessel and its crew "deployed throughout the region to uphold the international rule of law and maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific," its commanding officer, Capt. Daryle Cardone told reporters on deck prior to its departure.

Meanwhile, some local residents took to the water in boats to protest against the deployment of aircraft carriers, saying in this case it posed a nuclear hazard.

Related coverage:

U.S. aircraft carrier George Washington to leave for Yokosuka

Biden signs $886 billion defense bill to boost Indo-Pacific deterrence
The main missile and artillery depot of the Russian Belbek military airfield near occupied Sevastopol was damaged on the evening of May 15, according to the partisan group Atesh.

The Crimean Wind Telegram channel claimed earlier that the Belbek airfield was attacked, and a fuel depot caught fire as a result of the strike, according to eyewitnesses. Explosions were reported in occupied Sevastopol, Simferopol, Dzhankoi, and Hvardiiske.

The partisans claim that the damaged depot stored "most of the missiles" for Russian Su-27 and Su-30 fighter jets as well as MiG-31 aircraft, a carrier of Kinzhal ballistic missiles that Russia uses to attack Ukraine. The partisans did not explicitly say whether the stored ammunition included Kinzhals.

"There was also significant damage to the airfield's infrastructure as a result of secondary detonation," Atesh claimed.

Russia's Defense Ministry alleged that five U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles were intercepted overnight by air defenses.

The Ukrainian military has not commented on the attacks. The Kyiv Independent could not verify all these claims.

Explosions were reportedly heard in occupied Sevastopol, and fires were burning near the Belbek military airfield earlier overnight on May 15.

Sevastopol is also home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet and is frequently targeted by Ukrainian missile and naval drone strikes.

Russian authorities regularly claim to have downed Ukrainian missiles and drones without reporting damage, though later reports at times emerge showing military targets or infrastructure that appear to have been struck.

Read also: Updated: Ukraine destroys Russian fast attack craft in occupied Crimea

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder and assault. Reader discretion is advised.

Patricia Hearst, the granddaughter of a newspaper tycoon, William Randolph Hearst, was convicted of armed bank robbery and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in the Hibernia Bank robbery case, according to CNN. Widely known as Patty Hearst, the 19-year-old was kidnapped at gunpoint from her home in Berkeley, California, on February 4, 1974. The Symbionese Liberation Army, who were a group of radical anarchists and extremists, abducted her, as per FBI records.

After her abduction, the group demanded ransom in the form of money and food for the poor. They communicated through audiotapes that they released. They reportedly aimed at uniting the oppressed populations of the United States to break the capitalist system. In one of the subsequent audiotapes released in April 1974, Patty Hearst denounced her family and claimed to have joined hands with the SLA. Security footage at a bank in San Francisco revealed her engaging in a robbery with the Army, The Washington Post reported.

She was then accused of opening fire on security guards in Inglewood. She did this as they attempted to get hold of Bill Harris, her kidnapper. Hearst also allegedly teamed up with Harris and his wife Emily to kidnap Tom Matthews, a high school student. They used Matthews van to get away.

The FBI then launched Operation Hernap, which started a wide search for Patty Hearst. The search went on for 16 months until September 18, 1975. On that day, she was caught, arrested, and charged with armed robbery and the use of a firearm. She was also charged with a store shootout in Los Angeles and pleaded guilty to it. However, the court only gave her probation time for that crime.

How much prison time did Patty Hearst get?

The court sentenced Patty Hearst to seven years in prison. However, she only served 22 months behind bars before President Jimmy Carter commuted her sentence. Bill Clinton then pardoned her when he came into power, the Independent reported. The defense argued that Hearst only acted accordingly with her kidnappers to make sure they wouldnt harm her. She acted out of fear.

NPR reported that the members of the Symbionese Liberation Army told Patty Hearst that the FBI and her family had given up on her and hadnt been looking for her. They also behaved well with her, which allegedly caused her to side with them. The report also suggests that Patty Hearst was undoubtedly siding with the SLA because she did not take any opportunity to escape captivity. However, this could be a more elaborate subconscious way of accommodating the circumstance.

There was reportedly sufficient evidence to prove that she willingly supported the SLA. On one occasion, Patty Hearst and a couple of other Army members, Emily and Bill Harris, decided to shop at a sporting goods store. The couple left her in a van and went into the store, allowing her to drive off or escape. However, she willingly stayed back. When Bill and Emily decided to shoplift and were tackled by the security guards at the store, Hearst opened fire on the guards. That made it even more evident that she acted willingly and wasnt coerced due to fear.

Where is Patricia Hearst now?

According to People Magazine, Patty Hearst is currently 70. She wrote a book titled Every Secret Thing, which was published in 1982. Reportedly, the book includes her experiences when the SLA held her captive. A photograph of Hearst where she is holding a machine gun in front of the SLAs flag has become extremely popular. It was in most newspapers covering her case. She now goes by the name Patricia.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Patty Hearst turned 70 on February 20, 2024. She now goes by the name Patricia Hearst Shaw and has been married to a police officer, the late Bernard Shaw. He was initially assigned to guard her when she was out on bail. Most recently, she was back in the limelight for her French bulldogs, which won prizes at the Westminster Kennel Club, AP News reported.

Despite her family name, Patty Hearst was just a sophomore at Berkeley. As per NPR, Hearsts tendency to join the Symbionese Liberation Army could be explained by her being at a particularly vulnerable phase in her life at that time. She previously had a fallout with her parents over moving out with her older boyfriend. Her relationship with him was also turning vulnerable by the time of the abduction. She also displayed suicidal tendencies. Hearst wished to break up with him but was afraid of how her parents would react.

The Radical Story of Patty Hearst is a documentary mini-series that follows Hearsts experience of being abducted and held captive by members of the Symbionese Liberation Army. It also explores the simultaneous shift of Hearst from being a 19-year-old heir to a tycoon to becoming a radical herself. The series is currently streaming on Max.

The post What Was Patty Hearst Convicted Of? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder and assault. Reader discretion is advised.

Patricia Hearst, widely known as Patty Hearst, was the granddaughter of the newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst. She had been living with her fiance on February 4, 1974, when she was abducted at gunpoint from her residence in Berkeley, California. The Symbionese Liberation Army, a group of militant revolutionaries, kidnapped her to spread their ideologies using the sensation that her abduction would create, People Magazine reported.

According to the FBI, the Symbionese Liberation Army included radical anarchists and extremists. They reportedly wished to start a guerilla war against the government of the United States. By the time of the abduction, they had reportedly already shot two people in Oakland. One of the victims lost their life and the other sustained injuries caused by the extremists. The SLA also claimed to aim at uniting all sections of oppressed populations to bring down the capitalist state.

After kidnapping Patty Hearst, the Army reportedly demanded food and money for the poor through audiotapes that they released. Two months later, in April 1974, an audiotape of Hearst claiming to have joined the SLAs fight against the government was released. Security footage of Hearst involved in a bank robbery in San Francisco alongside the Army was found. A month later, security almost caught and tackled her kidnapper, Bill Harris, at Inglewood when Heart opened fire and shot at least two dozen rounds to rescue him.

The Washington Post reported that Patty Hearst joined hands with Bill Harris and his wife to kidnap Tom Matthews, a Los Angeles High School student whose van they needed to get away. For the subsequent 16 months, the FBI launched an elaborate search for Hearst titled Operation Hernap.

Was Patty Hearst convicted?

After continuing to engage in several unlawful activities initiated by the SLA, Patty Hearst was arrested on September 18, 1975. She reportedly told authorities that she was an Urban Guerilla when she was being interrogated about her occupation. CNN reported that she was charged with an armed bank robbery and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Her defense argued that her kidnapper had brainwashed her. They claimed that she feared that she would be harmed if she didnt comply with their instructions.

The court convicted Hearst of both charges and sentenced her to seven years in prison. She also admitted guilt for a store shootout in Los Angeles and received probation. However, President Jimmy Carter commuted her sentence in 1979 after she had served only 22 months behind bars. President Bill Clinton later pardoned Patty Hearst, the Independent reported.

According to NPR, Patty Hearst was just 19 years old when the SLA kidnapped her. The members of the radical group had been treating her well. They reportedly told her that her family and the FBI had abandoned her. She then joined them and helped plant bombs in various locations in Northern California. She also helped them rob a bank and shoot up a street in Los Angeles.

A photograph of Patty Hearst, which shows her holding a machine gun and standing in front of the Symbionese Liberation Armys flag, became extremely popular in the media at that time. Reportedly, someone took the photograph right before she was convicted of the infamous bank robbery.

The Radical Story of Patty Hearst is a mini-docu-series streaming on Max that explores the transformation of Hearst from being a 19-year-old granddaughter of a newspaper tycoon to a convicted radical.

The post Patty Hearst: Who Kidnapped the Newspaper Heiress & Why? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
NEW ORLEANS (KLFY)  A conservative think tank and its legal arm are suing to overturn a decision by President Joe Biden in January to pause approvals for pending and future applications to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from new projects.

On May 16, the Pelican Institute for Public Policy and Liberty Justice Center jointly filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana in New Orleans to challenge the ban.

The legal organizations represent the Oil & Gas Workers Association, a nonprofit trade association that represents workers in the oil and gas industry.

The lawsuit argues that it contravenes the 1938 Natural Gas Acts mandate, violates the separation of powers, exceeds the executive branchs designated authority by attempting to create law, fails to follow proper rule-making procedure, is an abuse of discretion and poses significant harm to the economy by interfering with a key industry.

This export ban is unconstitutional and indefensible, said James Baehr, special counsel at the Pelican Institute for Public Policy. In addition to the harm it will do to the economy and to tens of thousands of working Americans across the country, it also disregards federal law, flouts the standard rule-making procedure, and threatens our constitutional structure.

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The Department of Energy announced in January that it would conduct a review during the pause that will look at the economic and environmental impacts of projects seeking approval to export LNG to Europe and Asia where the fuel is in hot demand.

The review would take months and then will be open to public comment which will take more time, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told reporters in a teleconference in January.

Liquefied Natural Gas: What to know about LNG and Bidens decision to delay gas export proposals

The Pelican Institute lawsuit is not the only legal challenge to the ban. Sixteen states have also jointly filed suit through their attorneys general.

Tens of thousands of hardworking oil and gas workers across the country depend on the LNG export industry to put food on the table for their families, said plaintiff Matt Coday, President of the Oil & Gas Workers Association. This ban will have devastating consequences on their lives and livelihoods unless the court steps in to put an end to the administrations overreach.

The legal filings in the case, titled Oil & Gas Workers Association v. Biden, are available here.

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ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM)  A Pennsylvania man has been arrested as a fugitive from justice in Chemung County for violation of probation from a previous charge.

According to the Chemung County Sheriffs Office, Jamie M. Lang, 41, was arrested after the Criminal Investigations Division received a warrant from Bradford County, Pennsylvania, on May 10.

Virginia man arrested on gun and drug charges in Bath

The warrant requested that Lang, who is currently in custody at the Chemung County Jail, be held on the warrant.

Lang was arrested and processed as a fugitive from justice, and then later arraigned by the Chemung County Court. He was then returned to the Chemung County Jail where he awaits extradition back to Pennsylvania.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WETM - MyTwinTiers.com.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP)  A man has been arrested and charged with killing a 78-year-old woman in her eastern Pennsylvania home more than 35 years ago, authorities announced Thursday.

Rose Josephine Hnath tried to fend off her attacker but was found stabbed and beaten to death in her home in North Whitehall Township, outside Allentown. Her homicide remained unsolved for decades until advances in DNA technology helped investigators connect the defendant to the crime, said Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan.

Michael Breisch, 65, of Wind Gap, Pennsylvania, was arrested in Coshocton County, Ohio, and was charged in Pennsylvania with homicide, robbery and other counts, Holihan said. Breisch was extradited to Lehigh County, where he was jailed without bail.

It wasnt clear if Breisch has an attorney. The public defenders office said Thursday it has not yet been asked to represent him. A phone message was left at a number associated with Breisch.

Authorities said Hnath was a widow who lived alone in a house along the Lehigh River. When she missed church services, her family went to the home and discovered her body on Jan. 21, 1989. The home had been ransacked.

Many other details about the case remained under wraps as a police complaint was sealed.

The evidence collected at the crime scene and maintained over the years was reviewed and re-tested as science and technology advanced. Ultimately, the efforts taken to preserve the evidence were rewarded when investigative techniques unavailable in the 20th century helped lead us to the defendant, the Lehigh County district attorneys office said in a news release.

A preliminary hearing for Breisch is scheduled for Tuesday.

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A Pennsylvania man was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly threatening to kill President Joe Biden and his Cabinet in a video posted online.

Jordan Gee, 37, of Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, was charged with three felony counts of threats against the president and one count of interstate threats, according to the Justice Department.

CNN has reached out to Gees attorney for comment.

Prosecutors allege that Gee posted several videos online following Bidens visit to Scranton, Pennsylvania, in April for a campaign event. According to the indictment, Gee said in the videos: Joe Biden: Im going to kill you and your whole Cabinet and If you come to my city in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Im cutting your f**king head off in front of everybody, I promise.

Gee faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. His arraignment is set for May 29 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Threats against elected officials have been a top concern for US security officials as the 2024 general election approaches.

The US Capitol Police said earlier this year that it investigated more than 8,000 threats against members of Congress in 2023  an increase of about 500 cases from the previous year, according to data released by the department.

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A Pennsylvania man was indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday for threatening to kill President Joe Biden and the members of his Cabinet, according to the Department of Justice.

Jordan Gee, 37, of Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, was charged with three felony counts of threats against the president and one count of interstate threats, the department said in a news release.

Federal prosecutors allege that Gee uploaded several threatening videos online ahead of Bidens campaign visit to Scranton last month. According to the federal indictment, Gee made remarks like Joe Biden: Im going to kill you and your whole cabinet and If you come to my city in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Im cutting your fucking head off in front of everybody; I promise.

Gee faces up to 20 years behind bars on the charges. He remains jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility, with an arraignment set for later this month.

He is separately facing charges of retail theft and resisting arrest in an unrelated case, according to the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. Police said Gee tried to steal a bag of coffee at a coffee shop and got into an altercation with officers on the scene.

The matter remains under investigation by the U.S. Secret Service.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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By Alimat Aliyeva

Russia and China are expanding cooperation in the energy sector, Azernews reports.

According to the document, Russia and China agreed to develop cooperation in the fuel and energy sector on a market basis, creating conditions for the unhindered transportation of energy resources.

"To continue to strengthen the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership in the energy sector, to carry out its development at a high level in the interests of ensuring the economic and energy security of the two countries. Strive for stability and sustainability of the global energy market, strengthening supply chains in the fuel and energy complex," the statement said.

Russia and China also intend to "develop market-based cooperation in the fields of oil, natural gas, liquefied natural gas, coal and electricity, ensure the stable functioning of the relevant cross-border infrastructure and create conditions for the unhindered transportation of energy resources."
KYODO NEWS - May 16, 2024 - 20:46 | All, Japan

Toshiba Corp. said Thursday it will slash up to 6 percent of its workforce in Japan by offering staff early retirement packages and reduce redundant operations by integrating key subsidiaries, in its first major revamp plan for turning its business around after going private late last year.

"This is a necessary thing to do to ensure the company survives for the next 100 years," President Taro Shimada told a press conference in Tokyo as the industrial conglomerate announced its medium-term business plan that included shedding 4,000 jobs.

The early retirement plan aims to cut labor costs and targets domestic employees aged 50 and over working at Toshiba group firms. Most of the job cuts will be in back-office departments, it said, adding that it plans to complete the process by the end of November.

"It was an agonizing decision to make," Shimada said.

The company will instead devote its resources to growth areas, including power semiconductors that can be used in electric vehicles, artificial intelligence products and renewable energy equipment, as well as quantum technology.

In another streamlining effort, four main subsidiaries operating in business areas such as energy and infrastructure are expected to be integrated into Toshiba.

The company also said it will consolidate its headquarters functions in Tokyo's Minato Ward to Kawasaki in the neighboring Kanagawa Prefecture, instead of maintaining its two head offices, to increase efficiency.

Toshiba's delisting in December came after a 2 trillion yen ($13 billion) buyout from a consortium led by Japan Industrial Partners Inc. as part of efforts to rebuild its business following a spate of problems in the 2010s, ranging from an accounting scandal to massive losses at its U.S. nuclear arm.

The delisting made it easier for Toshiba executives to focus on its management and make quick decisions, as it now only has to consult with a sole shareholder, JIP, rather than being interfered with by activist shareholders like before, Shimada said.

"We put 100 percent into coming up with this plan so that we can realize the best version of Toshiba," Shimada said. "We will put the company back on a growth track."

Toshiba said it posted a net loss of 74.8 billion yen for fiscal 2023 that ended March, a reversal from a net profit of 126.6 billion yen the previous year. Sales fell 2 percent to 3.29 trillion yen, while operating profit fell 64 percent to 39.9 billion yen.

Under its medium-term business plan, the company aims to increase its operating profit to 380 billion yen for fiscal 2026.

The company plans to raise its operating margin to 10 percent in fiscal 2026 from 1.2 percent in fiscal 2023, setting itself the goal of its focus areas, such as power semiconductors and digital operations, reaching at least 10 percent, with its less profitable businesses such as elevator manufacturing hitting at least 5 percent.

Related coverage:

Toshiba mulls cutting thousands of domestic jobs to reduce costs

Japan to give 243 bil. yen to Kioxia-Western Digital chip plants

Toshiba ends 74-year history as public firm, set for turnaround
The Pentagon's temporary floating pier system was anchored onto a beach in Gaza on Thursday amid the Israel-Hamas war, and U.S. officials say humanitarian aid will begin flowing "in the coming days."

Officials did, however, stress that while the pier -- formally called the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore, or JLOTS, capability -- will help bring aid to the strip, the real long-term solution in Gaza is to fully open the land routes so more aid can flow in.

Pentagon officials said aid will begin flowing quickly, though initially it will be at a slow pace to ensure the system is working properly before operations are scaled up.

PHOTO: U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to Amphibious Construction Battalion 1, and Israel Defense Forces emplace the Trident Pier on the Gaza coast, May 16, 2024. (U.S. Central Command Public Affairs)

MORE: Gaza aid timeline: How the hunger crisis unfolded amid the Israel-Hamas war

"This morning, just a few hours ago, the pier was successfully affixed to the beach in Gaza, and in the coming days, we will commence the delivery of aid," Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters Thursday.

"The pier is temporary in nature," he added. "This maritime route is additive and is not meant to replace land routes into Gaza."

Several aid organizations, including United Nations organizations, have warned Gaza is experiencing "catastrophic" levels of hunger and need, and a top U.N. official recently warned northern Gaza is experiencing a "full-blown famine."

PHOTO: U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to Amphibious Construction Battalion 1, and Israel Defense Forces emplace the Trident Pier on the Gaza coast, May 16, 2024. T (U.S. Central Command Public Affairs)

Cooper said there are currently 500 tons of aid waiting to be transported ashore via JLOTS, a complex operation involving a floating platform, small ships and an 1,800-foot pier or causeway where food aid will be offloaded for distribution by nongovernmental aid agencies inside Gaza.

Located a few miles offshore, the floating platform is a way station for aid as it's unloaded off cargo ships onto trucks that are then carried aboard small vessels that will take them to the causeway, which is attached to land. It enables the U.S. to deliver aid without having troops on the ground in Gaza.

While U.S. officials said the flow of aid would begin "in the coming days," the Pentagon's deputy press secretary, Sabrina Singh, told reporters Thursday the process will play out slowly at first.

MORE: Security plan for Gaza aid workers still unclear with military pier to open soon

"We have to we have to make sure that everything operates in a seamless [way], so you're gonna see us again, go from that crawl, walk, run," Singh said during a Pentagon press conference. "It's going to start off small and scale up."

Singh emphasized that once ashore, the food aid will be distributed inside Gaza and will not be warehoused in the area where the pier is attached to land.

"We believe that aid should flow without any stoppage," Singh said.

The expectation is that the JLOTS system will be able to bring between 90 and 150 truckloads a day of aid, equivalent to 2 million meals, but U.S. officials said it was more accurate to focus on the number of tons of aid that will be flowing into Gaza instead of the "imperfect measure" of truckloads.

"The real measure that we're striving toward getting at and understanding is what is reaching the people and communities in need and making sure it's the right assistance," said Sonali Korde, assistant to the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.

MORE: US military starts building pier off of Gaza to deliver aid

Security for U.S. forces and nongovernmental organizations participating in the JLOTS system is a top priority, officials said, adding the Israel Defense Forces will provide security at the point where the aid will arrive and be transferred to the United Nations and other NGOs.

But officials said the security for those working on bringing aid ashore could still be improved.

"The deconfliction measures are not where they need to be at, given the complexity of the environment," Korde said. "So those conversations are ongoing. They need to continue and they need to get to a place where humanitarian aid workers feel safe and secure and able to operate safely, and I don't think we're there yet."

PHOTO: U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to Amphibious Construction Battalion 1, and Israel Defense Forces emplace the Trident Pier on the Gaza coast, May 16, 2024. (U.S. Central Command Public Affairs)

Weather conditions that caused high sea states delayed the anchoring of the JLOTS system by more than a week, and Cooper acknowledged weather conditions may affect JLOTS operations in the future.

"There are light storms, medium storms, heavy storms. One ... variable we cannot control here is the weather. So we'll just see what that looks like," Cooper said. "It's very favorable here in the coming days and week or so. And our goal is to move as much humanitarian assistance as possible during that period, and then we'll make assessments going forward as we would with any military operation and the weather."

Pentagon's temporary pier off Gaza is ready to begin delivering aid originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Voters Who Live In A Battleground State, Share Your Top Political Issue AND Who You're Voting For In 2024

Hello, everyone! We're back for round two of BuzzFeed's 2024 Election Diaries, a series highlighting different groups of voters nationwide to find out what political issues are most important to them AND who they plan to support for president in 2024.

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This week, we're asking BuzzFeed Community voters in any of the seven battleground states  Georgia, North Carolina, Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, or Michigan  to fill out this anonymous Google form and share their political views. These voters could decide the outcome of the 2024 election!

Peter Hermes Furian / Getty Images / Canva

So, if you live in a battleground state, what political issue is most important to you this election year?

Maybe you're an Arizona resident, and the recent restrictions to abortion access, including a 15-week ban, are directly impacting you.

Filippo Bacci / Getty Images

Maybe you live in rural Georgia, and widespread hospital closings have impacted you, forcing you to travel farther distances for healthcare.

lawcain / Getty Images

Or maybe you live on the coast of North Carolina and have seen the devastation that storms due to climate change have had on your local community.

Darwin Brandis / Getty Images

Share what political issues matter most to you and why. Let us know via this Google form.

If you are reading this and are not a voter living in a battleground state, don't worry! New groups of voters will be requested bi-weekly! Also, if you don't qualify for this round but know someone who does, please send it to them!
Does fascism intend to restore state authority or subvert it? Is it order or disorder? Can you be conservatives and subversives at the same time? Six months before the March on Rome in October 1922, when Benito Mussolini was the head of the Fascist Party and its decentralized militia movement, he isolated the contradictions at the heart of fascism that remain fundamental to authoritarianism today.

During his 21 years in power, 18 of them as dictator, Il Duce framed fascism as a revolution of reaction against the left, against liberal democracy, and against any group that threatened the survival of white Christian civilization. Carrying out a violent destabilization of society in the name of a return to social order and national tradition, fascism pioneered the autocratic formula in use today of disenfranchising and repressing the many to allow the few to exploit the workforce, womens bodies, the environment, and the economy.

Trumpism is in this tradition. It started in 2015 as a movement fueled by conservative alarm and white rural rage at a multiracial and progressive America. It continued as an authoritarian presidency envisioned as a shock to the system that unleashed waves of hate crimes against nonwhites and non-Christians. It culminated in the January 6 assault on the Capitol, which was a counterrevolutionary operation in the spirit of fascism. Its goal in deploying violence was not just to keep Donald Trump in office, but to prevent the representatives of social and racial progress from taking power.





PROJECT 2025 AS COUNTERREVOLUTION

The fascists believed that you have to destroy to create, and this is what a second Trump administration would do. Project 2025 is a plan for an authoritarian takeover of the United States that goes by a deceptively neutral name. It preserves Trumpisms original radical intent in its goals to [d]ismantle the administrative state and decentralize and privatize as much as possible, allowing the American people to live freely. [T]he Trump administration, with the best of intentions, simply got a slow start, Heritage Foundation head Kevin Roberts told The New York Times in January. And Heritage and our allies in Project 2025 believe that must never be repeated. The solution to this slow startcode for the restraints imposed by operating in a democracyis counterrevolution.

The plan promises the abolition of the Department of Education and other federal agencies. The intent here is to destroy the legal and governance cultures of liberal democracy and create new bureaucratic structures, staffed by new politically vetted cadres, to support autocratic rule. So new agencies could appear to manage parents and family rights, Christian affairs, and other pillars of the new order. The Department of Health and Human Services is poised to have a central role in governance, given the priorities Trumpism places on policing sexuality, weaponizing motherhood, persecuting transgender people and LGBTQ communities, and criminalizing abortion.

During Trumps presidency, far-right Roman Catholic attorney Roger Severino headed the Office of Civil Rights in the Department of Health and Human Services, transforming it into an office that prioritized the protection of the rights of white Christians and the natural family. During his tenure, the department banned the use of the words fetus and transgender in government communications and made other moves long embraced by evangelical Christians and their far-right allies in politics. In the future, this office could be elevated into an autonomous entity. Appropriating civil rights for white Christians furthers the Trumpist goal of delegitimizing the cause of racial equality while also making Christian nationalism a core value of domestic policy. Doing away with the separation of church and state is the goal of many architects of Trumpism, from Project 2025 contributor Russ Vought to far-right proselytizer Michael Flynn, who uses the idea of spiritual war as counterrevolutionary fuel.

Even if the Department of Education is abolished, some other entity would appear to take its place, since it is unlikely that the task of undoing liberal democratic models of pedagogy would be left entirely to individual states. Not everyone will be able to homeschool their childrenthe preferred extremist option, since it removes children from exposure to the multifaith and multiracial environments of public schools. It is not so far-fetched to imagine the special Bible Trump has been hawking, which includes the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Pledge of Allegiance, as a required text in a Christian nationalist curriculum.

Mussolini kicked off his counterrevolutionary police state in the 1920s with new public security laws that justified the arrest of anyone deemed a security threatmeaning anyone who opposed fascism from a liberal democratic or leftist point of view. Trumps assertion a century later that people within our country pose the greatest threat to the United States, and his desire to root [them] out, could translate into counterterror and counterinsurgency operations. These would require a recasting or expansion of existing federal and state security agenciesfor example, if the National Guard is federalized or the promised mass deportations of undocumented immigrants come into being.

The counterrevolution will be televised. Given Trumps repeated threats to carry out retribution against his enemies, expect prompt and showy announcements of trials and investigations of the political opposition, members of the January 6 Select Committee, and anyone who sought to hold him accountable. Hell start throwing people in jail, and Id be at the top of the list, said Gen. Mark Milley, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staffa man not given to hyperbole, who understands how autocrats operate.





THE LEADER CULT AND PERSONALIST RULE

Authoritarianism is a political system in which the executive branch of government is able to exercise disproportionate or total power over the legislature and the judiciary. This gives the leader the ability to minimize or abolish restrictions on his behavior and also avoid accountability for his corrupt and violent actions. Maintaining that culture of impunity is why strongmen go after the press, prosecutors, opposition politicians, and judges, all of whom can expose their crimes or send them to jail, and why their personality cults present them as victims of witch hunts meant to stop them from saving the nation. Project 2025 takes an openly autocratic stance in asserting an existential need for aggressive use of the vast powers of the executive branch in America, as though the nation would fail if the democratic system, which is built on checks to presidential authority, were to continue.

Trump has worked hard since 2015 to condition the public to see the strongman brand of leadership as the only choice for America. To that end, he has repeatedly sung the praises of authoritarians around the world. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is a muse of Trump, the GOP, and the Heritage Foundation for his success at a brand of authoritarian governance that Trumps first administration introduced to America and his second administration would seek to consolidate: personalist rule.

Trump has worked hard to condition the public to see the strongman brand of leadership as the only choice for America. Hungarys Orban is a muse of Trump, the GOP, and the Heritage Foundation for his success at a brand of authoritarian governance that Trumps second administration would seek to consolidate: personalist rule.

Personalist leaders organize government institutions around their self-preservation. Their private interests and needs shape party politics, legislative action, and national policy, just as their relationships with foreign autocrats influence foreign affairs. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who served as the translator of Vladimir Putins views and desires in Europe for a decade, was able to personalize Italys foreign policy. He excluded Italian diplomats from meetings with Putin, allowing only his private translator-envoy, Valentino Valentini, to be present. An Italian parliamentary investigation later revealed that Berlusconi would have received a kickback from the profits of a planned Italy-and-Russia-built South Stream pipeline.

Trump holds a similarly proprietary vision of governance, which is why classified national security documents ended up in the bathroom of his private residence in Florida. Like most autocrats, Trump sees holding public office as a means of personal enrichment. That is why he spent one-third of his time between 2017 and the end of 2019 visiting Trump-branded properties. Such self-dealing would likely expand massively in a second administration, given his boasts on the campaign trail about receiving more than $7 million from China and other foreign governments for doing services while he was president.





THE INNER SANCTUM AND THE PARTY

A staple of authoritarian governance is the inner sanctum: a small circle of insiders, who often include sons-in-law and other relatives, who keep the leaders secrets, conspire in his corruption, and prevent any criticism from reaching his ears. This informal cabinet often includes people the leader has known for years. Putins inner circle includes people he has known since his St. Petersburg days. Berlusconis was helmed by Marcello DellUtri, a senator in his party who was in charge of his advertising firm, Publitalia, and served as his liaison to Opus Dei and to the Mafia.

Trumps inner sanctum included Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, who had offices in the White House and earned up to $640 million in outside income during Trumps presidency. In a future administration, fewer federal agencies would mean a smaller presidential Cabinet of congressionally confirmed officials and a larger role for die-hard loyalists. Extremists whom Trump pardoned in 2020 and 2021 for their crimes on his behalf, from Flynn to Steve Bannon, could return to positions of influence, as the guides of the counterrevolution for secular and religious constituencies. Some MAGA loyalists are already auditioning for Cabinet jobs. Richard Grenell, who is visiting foreign leaders as Trumps envoy, has advised clients in Iran and China and has close ties to pro-Orban circles in Hungaryhis PR firm worked for a Hungarian governmentfunded nonprofit (a fact he failed to disclose while serving as Trumps acting director of national intelligence).

For the personalist ruler, the party exists to defend, avenge, and enrich him. The GOP has filled these roles in conspiring to help Trump overthrow the government, and in elevating Trumps personal legal and financial struggles to the forefront of party business. So it should be no surprise that daughter-in-law Lara Trump has been tasked with optimizing the Republican National Committee for the ends of personalist rule. The RNC has long been a Trump tool: It continued to pay Trumps legal expenses long after he left office. Now Lara Trump has vowed that every single penny of RNC money will be spent on getting her father-in-law back into office. Soon the RNC could well become Trumps private bank, bereft of any political purpose, and then its transformation into an autocratic instrument will be complete.





THE CIVIL SERVICE

Every counterrevolution needs disciplined cadres. Project 2025 is readying a civilian army of bureaucrats to transform U.S. government. During Mussolinis regime, policymakers and ideologues debated how to form a new political elite inculcated with fascist values. Orban has his Mathias Corvinus Collegium Brussels, founded in 2022 to train far-right thinkers and managers for Hungary and Europe. Trumpism has its little-known Presidential Administration Academy, which aims to groom Political Appointees to Be Ready on Day Onewhen the cascade of counterrevolutionary executive orders will presumably commence. The academys civil servant training is in Conservative Governance, but the intent of vanquishing the ideal of an apolitical civil service and jump-starting the counterrevolution by firing thousands of nonloyalists hews to the history of fascism.

Trumps presidency provides precedent for the many ways to drive civil servants out. Creating hostile workplaces for critics, and hiring scores of zealots and bulliesSean Lawler, Trumps chief of protocol, carried a horsewhip around to intimidate co-workersTrumpism achieved a passive purge that saw over 79,000 civil servants retire or leave their jobs in his first nine months. In 2018, retired Ambassador Nancy McEldowney compared this process to a hostile takeover and occupation. In 2024, it looks like a rehearsal for a counterrevolutionary cleanse of anyone still attached to liberal democratic ethics and norms.





Americans may believe that all this sounds fantastical. Yet the strongmans special talent is to bring the unthinkable into being. People around the world and throughout history have been caught by surprise at their methods and the scale at which they operate. Bannon, Roberts, Stephen Miller, and other American incarnations of fascism are convinced that counterrevolution leading to autocracy is the only path to political survival for the far right, given the unpopularity of their positions (especially on abortion) and their leaders boatload of legal troubles. This is why Project 2025 declares that that there is an existential need to make aggressive use of executive power. The alternative could be defeat.

Mussolini understood that situation well. In 1923, when he was still prime minister of a democracy, he mused about the problem of having ones destiny decided by the whims of an electorate. Consent is as changeable as the sands of the seashore, he wrote, noting there was only one way to deal with discontented people who might vote you out: You prevent it by means of force; by surrounding the mass with force; by employing this force without pity when it is necessary to do so. Less than two years later, Il Duce announced the start of dictatorship in Italy, ending the right of the population to express its political will.

From the noisy crowds with MAGA hats that fill Trumps rallies to the quiet fanatics in suits such as Miller and Roberts to a party leader who announces he will act as a dictator on day one of his administration, Trumpism is what fascism looks like in twenty-first-century America. If Trump returns to the White House, get ready for a new round of shocks to the system. Authoritarians often tell us what they are going to do, and Trump, the GOP, and the political operators of Project 2025 are open about their plans to occupy power and carry out a counterrevolution designed to keep them there indefinitely.
Person climbs power line tower for selfie and gets electrocuted, Oregon rescuers say

A person climbed up a high-voltage power line tower for a selfie, got electrocuted and fell 40 feet in Oregon, rescuers said.

They fell just after 5 p.m. May 15 near Sellwood Riverfront Park, Portland Fire & Rescue said in a news release.

One person saw them trying to take a photo of themselves while on the tower, rescuers said.

Another person told rescuers they saw the transformer blow, then watched as someone plunged 40 feet after getting shocked.

An off-duty paramedic responded and found the person conscious and breathing immediately after the fall, fire officials said.

The fire department and an ambulance also got to the scene, and the person was alert and ambulatory, rescuers said.

The injured person walked to the ambulance and was taken to a hospital.

Rescuers said the power line at the top of the tower had 57,000 volts of electricity. Its not clear if they touched the line.

Stay away from downed power lines

Now the fire department is warning the public about people putting themselves in dangerous situations, including climbing power line towers or standing on the edges of cliffs.

No selfie is worth risking ones life! the agency said.

The fire department also said if someone is electrocuted, call 911 or seek medical attention.

Electrical current can cause unseen internal damage and can also cause dangerous heart (arrhythmia), so it is best to be evaluated by a physician, even if your injuries seem minor, officials said.

Additionally, if you see a downed power line, rescuers said to stay far way from it.

The line could be energized and dangerous, so the best thing to do is slowly walk away and report it to authorities.

Bystander pulls baby to safety after downed power line kills 3, Oregon officials say

Deputy electrocuted while responding to crash, Indiana cops say. Our heart is broken

Electrocuted maintenance workers body found in Coca-Cola distribution center, cops say
Person rushed to hospital after being freed from wreckage in Adams County crash

ADAMS COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) One person was rushed to the hospital after crews freed them from the wreckage in a crash in Adams County Wednesday morning.

There was a motor vehicle crash with entrapment at the 200 block of Boyd School Road in Cumberland Township just after 10 a.m., Gettysburg Fire wrote in a Facebook post.

Picture from Cumberland Township crash, via Gettysburg Fire Facebook

Picture from Cumberland Township crash, via Gettysburg Fire Facebook

Picture from Cumberland Township crash, via Gettysburg Fire Facebook

Picture from Cumberland Township crash, via Gettysburg Fire Facebook

Picture from Cumberland Township crash, via Gettysburg Fire Facebook

Picture from Cumberland Township crash, via Gettysburg Fire Facebook

Picture from Cumberland Township crash, via Gettysburg Fire Facebook

Crews went right to work after arriving at the scene, they began stabilization of the vehicle along with extrication, the post reads. It took about 40 minutes for crews to free the person from the wreckage.

The person was hurried to a trauma center after they were freed, the post states. Their current condition is unknown.

Damaged bridge spurs 36-mile detour in Perry County

The road was shut down as crews worked on freeing the trapped occupant in the vehicle, the fire department wrote.

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The crash is under investigation by Cumberland Township Police.

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Donald Trump seems to have called in a team of his top allies to attack the legal system on his behalf, garnering a crowd of anti-judicial supporters, as Michael Cohens damning testimony in his criminal trial comes to a close.

Outside the courthouse Thursday afternoon, the former president  who faces charges for falsifying records for hush money payments made to sway the election  drew allegiance from a few of the usual suspects, as well as a Staten Island artist, Scott LoBaido, who released dozens of phallic balloons decorated with stickers depicting the likeness of special counsel Jack Smith, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, trial Judge Juan Merchan, and other MAGA legal enemies.

Someone just pulled up to the Donald Trump hush money trial outside Manhattan Criminal Court in a UHaul and released dozens of pink balloons in the shape of male genitalia with the faces of DA Alvin Bragg, Judge Juan Merchan, and Special Counsel Jack Smith on them. pic.twitter.com/cnXrxEYLXU  Michelle Arezou Ross (@MRossNews) May 16, 2024

Im an artist, so what do I do? Return the humiliation favor by humiliating these d***s, LoBaido told FOX 5 NY outside the courthouse.

LoBaido wasnt the only Trump supporter speaking against prosecutors and the judge in the case. Far-right members of congress, many of whom are top Trump allies, flooded the courtroom on Thursday, reportedly to the frustration of Judge Merchan.

In addition to Eric Trump  the former presidents only family member to attend any of his recent legal proceedings  Representatives Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Lauren Boebert, R-Colo. joined Trump's entourage.

Earlier in the week, Trump was joined by House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senators Tommy Tuberville and J.D. Vance, who took to New York to attempt to get around the gag order and attack trial witnesses. But, if reports that Trump edited statements made by those coming to his defense are true, the gag order may in fact have been broken anyway.

Sneaking away from official business in Washington D.C., GOP Congress members coming to the embattled 2024 candidates side may be putting their relationship with Trump above their own partys control of the House of Representatives. Without at least four key GOP votes in court, the House majority may be temporarily slimmed.

Cohen is winding down his testimony, expected to be the last witness in the states case against Trump, paving a path for jury deliberation.
Scores of police officers converged on UC Irvine on Wednesday as a pro-Palestinian demonstration escalated, with protesters occupying and barricading the Physical Sciences Lecture Hall, which is near their encampment.

The escalation of the protest began about 2:30 p.m., according to a university spokesperson. School officials have sent out two alerts telling students to shelter in place. UCI said a group of several hundred protesters entered the building.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Law enforcement personnel push back demonstrators at UCI.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Police grab a demonstrator as they move forward to break up a demonstration at UCI.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Police remove pallets as they continue to move out protesters from the plaza outside the UCI physical sciences building.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

A pro-Palestinian protester stands in front of a line of law enforcement officers from multiple agencies.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

A UCI professor is arrested during a demonstration at UCI.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

The weeks-long pro-Palestinian protest at UC Irvine.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

A pro-Palestinian demonstrator confronts law enforcement at UCI.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

A pro-Palestinian demonstrator flashes a peace sign.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

People flee the area after a weeks-long pro-Palestine protest at UC Irvine.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

A protester is arrested as police break up the encampment.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Pro-Palestinian protesters link arms to form a blockade.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
GREENE COUNTY, Ark.  A pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in a northeast Arkansas field on Thursday.

According to a social media post by the Greene County Sheriffs Office on Thursday afternoon, the pilot landed his four-seat single-engine Piper Cherokee in the farm field after an engine failure.

Small plane crashes into Hot Springs neighborhood near Oaklawn, 2 people injured

The pilot was the only person on board and there were no injuries, the department reported.

The landing took place west of Highway 168N near Highway 412 in the county, the department posted, adding that the FAA has been notified. The pilots name or the aircrafts registration has not been released.

The aircraft shows little damage in the posts accompanying photo, which the department confirmed in its post.

Woman catches aftermath of Hot Springs small plane crash on doorbell camera

This is a testament to the immense flight training for such a possibility, as well as the fantastic skills of the pilot, the department posted. We are very thankful for this outcome.

The incident took place less than 24 hours after a small aircraft crashed and burned in a Hot Springs neighborhood after losing power. The two onboard were hospitalized with what was classified as minor injuries by officials.

Witness describes plane crash that killed Batesville couple traveling from Florida to Arkansas

On Sunday night, a single-engine turboprop plane based in Batesville crashed outside Marianna, killing the husband and wife who were onboard.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
Workers at a Pittsburgh Starbucks have voted to join a union.

The Forbes and Atwood store voted unanimously to join Starbucks Workers United, becoming the 15th location in Pittsburgh to unionize.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Local Starbucks employees vote to unionize

Unionized baristas say they want protections like living wages and racial and gender equity.

Since 2021, more than 430 Starbucks stores in 43 states and the District of Columbia have joined the Starbucks union.

Starbucks sent a statement to Channel 11 that reads, in part:

On December 8th, Starbucks Chief Partner Officer Sara Kelly sent a letter to Workers United President Lynne Fox in an earnest attempt to propose a path forward that would allow us to resume productive contract negotiations for our U.S. partners who have chosen to elect union representation. The letter outlines our desire to reach contracts for represented stores in the coming year and our commitment to conduct bargaining in a way that honors and respects the dignity, individuality and privacy of our partners.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

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11 Investigates: Former Pittsburgh Police recruits request 2nd chance Steelers schedule for 2024 season released IUP cuts some programs, restructures others amid declining enrollment VIDEO: Airbags stolen from dozens of Hondas at Baldwin apartment complex DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts
The recent decision made by the Merced County Board of Supervisors for the planned closure of two fire stations and the consolidation of multiple others, comes as the county continues to face a shortage of fire personnel and deputies.

Last November, Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke addressed the board of supervisors about the pressing need for more deputies. Warnke said he was ringing the alarm, when providing an update during a 2023 board meeting on the state of the Sheriffs Office staffing and operations.

On March 22, 2024, the Merced County Sheriffs Office launched an online reporting system for non-violent crimes, as decreasing staffing levels made it difficult for deputies to respond calls. Reports which are not required to be filled out through the agencies online portal include reports of fraud and identity theft, forgery, vandalism, vehicle burglary, lost property, harassing phone calls, vehicle tampering, custody order violation and disturbing the peace.

According to the sheriffs office, all theft reports will need to be filed online expect for motor vehicle or license plate thefts and theft of a firearm.

Warnke told The Merced Sun-Star in March that the online reporting of non-violent crimes was directly related to a decrease in staffing levels.

I never thought in the 45 years Ive been here that we would have to resort to doing something so impersonal, Warnke said.

In April of this year, the County of Merced and the Merced County Deputy Sheriffs Association reached a tentative agreement on a one-year contract, after the DSA rejected the countys initial contract offer in late 2023.

According to DSA President Roberto Torres, the county and the DSA agreed to a one-year contract that includes a 10% base pay increase as well as a 10% increase to the medical cap. The agreement comes after the DSA rejected the countys offer of an 8% wage increase and 10% increase to healthcare caps in September of 2023.

According to Torres, the sheriffs office faces problems in both retention and recruitment, with some deputies leaving for agencies in neighboring counties.

The decision on the planned closure of two fire stations and consolidation of others comes after the County of Merced was notified by the California Department of Fire Protection in Feb. 2023, that it is must comply with Cal Fires staffing model requiring a minimum of two fire personnel on duty 24 hours a day, at all fire stations operated within the county.

In June of 2023, supervisors took action to add 12 full-time employees at all unincorporated Merced County fire stations at the cost of $2.9 million. According to Assistant County Executive Officer Marci Barrera at the May 9 board meeting, due to the action taken by the board in June, the fire fund has been exceeded with the county having an ongoing cost of $2.9 million from the general fund to support those fire services.

According to the county, it would cost an additional $3 million annually with an estimated one time start up cost of $13 million if the county were to end its contract with Cal Fire and create its own county fire department, exceeding that of what the county currently pays to contract Cal Fire.

Merced County applied for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response or SAFER grant, in 2023 but was not awarded the grant. According to the California State Firefighters Association, the SAFER grant is intended to enhance the ability of local fire departments to comply with response, staffing and operational standards.

During the May 9 board meeting, Board Chairperson Rodrigo Espinosa submitted a motion to delay the decisions for 30 days based on requests from residents for a town hall meeting to discuss the agenda items. His motion failed to pass by a decision of 2-3.

According Assistant Fire Chief for Merced County Fire Cal Fire, Mark Pimentel during Tuesdays meeting, Merced County has been grandfathered in to maintain the two personnel staffing at the remaining fire stations as Cal Fire works to make sure its staff is efficient in providing services throughout the state of California.

All future agreements between Cal Fire and the County of Merced will be at a 3.0 staffing level model, similar to other fire departments throughout the state of California, according to Pimentel.

Pimentel said a recent national standard has increased the staffing to four personnel per fire apparatus.

Right now we are just looking to get to the 2.0 staffing and start to eliminate the one person on an apparatus, said Pimentel while addressing the board.

According to Pimentel, the County of Merced and the City of Merced have discussing a possible Auto Aid Agreement, and eliminate double efforts when responding to calls.

The firefighting effort is funded through Merced County property tax, making up roughly 93% of the revenue. The other roughly 7% of the countys firefighting effort is funded through various grants and other revue generated by the fire department, according to Pimentel.

During a presentation to the board, Pimetel explained that over a five-year overview, the countys fire expenditures has increased beyond the revenue generated from the property tax.

The property tax percentage that goes to fire is not adequate to continue and provide adequate service for the county moving forward, Pimentel said.

According to Pimentel, Cal Fire Merced County applied for a SAFER grant for 12 personnel last year, however they were unsuccessful. The county has submitted a SAFER grant application for 15 fire personnel, for a duration of three years with an estimated annual cost of $3.8 million. According to Pimentel, this would allow for the County of Merced and cities to continue discussions and develop some type of cost share.

According to Pimentel, Merced County currently has 19 stations covering just under 2,000 square miles, compared to Fresno County which has 15 stations covering an area of about 2,700 square miles operating under a 2.0 staffing model.
KYODO NEWS - May 16, 2024 - 08:22 | World, All

A Philippine civilian convoy set sail on Wednesday for a shoal and fishing ground in the South China Sea to assert Manila's claim to the Beijing-controlled area, with activists accusing Chinese boats of interfering with their voyage.

The fleet of four fishing boats, carrying about 100 people including journalists, departed Luzon island in the demonstration dubbed "Atin Ito," meaning "This is ours" in Tagalog, escorted by a Philippine Coast Guard ship.

Rafaela David, the leader of the activists, said earlier that their objective was not to "incite conflict" with China, but rather to reclaim "what rightfully belongs to us."

After they traveled some 80 kilometers, at least two Chinese Coast Guard ships began shadowing and blocking the civilian vessels just before nightfall, the Philippine Coast Guard and activists said separately.

Beijing has controlled the shoal since a standoff with the Southeast Asian country in 2012.

"They are trying to divide the contingent. Our boats are exercising evasive maneuvers," Emman Hizon, the protest's spokesperson, said of the moves by the Chinese vessels.

He said the escorting Philippine vessel also received "radio challenges" from one of the Chinese ships.

A Philippine Coast Guard airplane earlier in the day observed dozens of Chinese vessels and floating barriers installed near the Scarborough Shoal, which is about 200 km from the island.

Adm. Ronnie Gavan, commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard, told Kyodo News, "We will make sure that there will be no harsh interference that will happen along the way, and to guide them through if there's a need to."

Hizon said the group is determined to complete the three-day sail and distribute food and fuel to Philippine fishermen along the way. The activists have also installed navigation buoys as a sign of protest against China.

In ongoing disputes with the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries, China asserts sovereignty over many parts of the sea even after the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague invalidated such a claim in a 2016 ruling.

Since last year, run-ins between patrolling Philippine government boats and Chinese vessels have become more frequent and heated. The latest occurred on April 30, when Chinese ships fired water cannons at Philippine boats near Scarborough.

The activists launched a similar action off the Philippines' Palawan island in December, but the trip was aborted after Chinese vessels interfered.

Related coverage:

China uses water cannons on Philippine ships in South China Sea

Philippines, France may begin talks on visiting forces deal in May

China coast guard blasts Philippine boat with water cannon
A new Planned Parenthood health center will come to southeast Kansas in an effort to expand access to abortion within and beyond the state.

In a Tuesday news release, Planned Parenthood Great Plains described southeast Kansas as one of the most underserved areas in the state when it comes to reproductive health.

The new center will open in Pittsburg, which is more than 110 miles from Planned Parenthoods three other Kansas locations, in Overland Park; Kansas City, Kansas; and Wichita. The KCK location opened most recently, in June 2022.

The Pittsburg Health Center is slated to open in early fall, according to Planned Parenthood. Along with abortion, it will provide STI and HIV testing and treatment, contraception, the morning-after pill, cancer screenings and gender-affirming care.

We knew that Kansas was going to become a point of regional access, said Emily Wales, president and CEO of Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains. We took it really seriously when patients did say, Its just too hard for me to get as far north as Kansas City.

The most populous town in Crawford County, Kansas, Pittsburg is home to about 20,000 people. It lies close to the Kansas-Missouri border about 125 miles south of Kansas City. Its also less than an hour from Oklahoma and home to Pittsburg State University, where nearly 7,500 students are enrolled.

Opening a new health center can be a heavy lift, Wales said, especially outside of major metropolitan areas where donors tend to cluster. But for residents of neighboring states, Wales said, Pittsburg is a more feasible trip.

[Patients] are going to get in the car, drive overnight, try to be back to pick up their kids the next day, Wales said. So if we can make that trip easier, were going to do that.

Abortion access in Kansas and nearby states

Kansas voters overwhelmingly chose to keep abortion legal in the state in 2022 following the Supreme Court ruling on Dobbs vs. Jackson Womens Health Center.

After that case overturned the nationwide abortion rights established by Roe v. Wade, a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow an abortion ban was soundly rejected by Kansas voters.

Now a pregnancy can be legally terminated in Kansas until 21 weeks and six days of gestation.

Opponents of the amendment included 55% of Crawford County residents. Outcry in the county in 2022 helped Planned Parenthood identify community groups and advocates that eventually became partners in planning for the center, Wales said.

Abortion is illegal in most states bordering Kansas, creating a constant influx of visitors seeking reproductive care across state lines, particularly those from Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri. In 2022, 68.8% of abortion patients in Kansas were from out of state, including 2,978 Texas residents and 2,883 Missouri residents.

Some residents of western Kansas also seek abortions in Colorado, Wales said.

Abortion providers across Kansas have dramatically expanded their operations since 2022, when planning for the Pittsburg clinic began. To minimize political criticism, Planned Parenthood opted to keep the process quiet until the first jobs were posted there, Wales said.

Still, providing abortions in Kansas has felt like drinking out of a fire hose, Wales told the Star in 2023.

A year after Kansas abortion vote, both sides still adjusting to states role as access point

When the KCK location of Planned Parenthood opened in June 2022, it was one of five abortion providers in the state. Today, there are six, all located in Wichita, Overland Park or KCK. The Pittsburg Health Center will be the seventh.

Reproductive health care provided at Planned Parenthood

Surgical abortion is currently only available from Planned Parenthood in Overland Park or Wichita. It will be offered in Pittsburg, and Planned Parenthood also plans to add surgery rooms to the KCK clinic, Wales said.

Residents can also access abortion pills through four different telehealth providers if they have a Kansas address.

Planned Parenthood plans to eventually expand the Pittsburg Health Centers offerings to include vasectomies and gender-affirming care, Wales said. The center will focus on abortions for the first couple of months before building out these other programs based on conversations with the community.

Its been interesting to see that when we offer that service in smaller communities ... weve had a lot of patients reach out and say theyve been trying to figure out where to get this care, Wales said.

Of the three Planned Parenthood health centers currently open in Kansas, only the Wichita location offers gender-affirming care. Transgender and nonbinary people can go to Planned Parenthood for hormone therapy, puberty blockers, surgery referrals, and social or legal support with transitioning.

Why the Pittsburg clinic?

Wales and her colleagues hope the new clinic empowers residents of southeastern Kansas to make more informed decisions about sexual and reproductive health.

Our goal is to have health centers that can provide the full scope of comprehensive sexual reproductive care, including medication and surgical abortion, Wales said.

Crawford County residents report higher STI rates than the state average, according to 2021 data from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the most recent numbers available. The county has been described as a contraceptive desert, where women dont have ready access to the full range of contraceptive methods like IUDs and implants.

Eleven percent of county residents under 65 dont have health insurance, according to county data from the Kansas Health Institute, and 20% report poor or fair health.

Planned Parenthood has already begun hiring for the new Pittsburg Health Center. Applications for Health Center Manager and Assistant Health Center Manager roles are posted online.

More postings will follow once these roles are filled, so that management can have a hand in staffing the health center, Wales said.

Planned Parenthood has no immediate plans to open a fifth location in Kansas.
Please, dont shoot the wild pigs. It only makes them more elusive.

A herd of wild swine is called a sounder. (USDA)

FRANKFORT  Because an educated pig is harder to track or trap, Kentucky is taking steps to prevent the hunting of feral hogs known to damage crops, woodlands and potentially spread disease.

Wild swine population, 1982. (USDA)

Kentucky wildlife management officials are finalizing a ban on the hunting of wild pigs in an effort to more easily capture them. Under the new regulation, pigs could still be shot if theyre damaging private land, although wildlife experts are encouraging landowners to instead contact the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources to have the animals removed.

Steven Fields, an attorney for the department, told lawmakers during a legislative hearing earlier this week that if a sounder  the name for a herd of wild swine  knows its being hunted, the sounder avoids humans and shifts its activities to night, making it harder to track.

The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission, the governing board overseeing the KDFWR, voted in December to approve a regulation eliminating the existing year-round hunting season for wild hogs.

The wild swine population, above in 2023, has expanded its territory. Kentucky wildlife officials are hoping to discourage a pig hunting culture and to curb the population through trapping and removal. (USDA)

Ben Robinson, the wildlife division director at the state agency, told the board the department was trying to prevent anybody from shooting a pig at any time because it can make feral hogs hard to trap en masse, something state and federal officials have actively been pursuing.

It goes against what were trying to do with our trapping efforts by educating these pigs, making them much more difficult to trap, Robinson said in December. Were having a lot of success with our partners, [U.S. Fish and] Wildlife Service, USDA, in trapping these animals and keeping them out of Kentucky. So by allowing landowners to just shoot freely, that goes against what were trying to do.

(Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources)

To report wild pig sightings, damage or criminal release, call 1-800-858-1549.

Robinson said other wildlife management agencies in the South had recommended the Kentucky agency take measures to prevent a problematic pig hunting culture from being established.

The agency has been encouraging Kentuckians to refrain from shooting feral hogs and instead report sightings so that the animals can be trapped and removed.

U.S. Department of Agriculture data as of January 2024 shows the range of feral hog populations including parts of Eastern Kentucky, Northern Kentucky and counties near the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. Wild pig populations have been steadily moving northward and westward, according to the USDA.

Feral hogs can carry a number of diseases harmful to wildlife, livestock and humans, along with causing billions of dollars in agricultural damages across the country. One analysis highlighted Kentucky as one of the top 15 states affected by invasive wild pigs.

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The post Please, dont shoot the wild pigs. It only makes them more elusive. appeared first on Kentucky Lantern.
PM's advisor: Power cuts in Ukraine may last until August

Power outages in Ukraine may last until August, Yurii Boiko, an advisor to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, said at a press conference in Kyiv on May 16.

Ukraine implemented rolling blackouts on May 15 due to power shortages caused by Russian attacks.

The restrictions will not apply to critical infrastructure, while the limitations to other facilities and residential buildings throughout the country will be "distributed evenly," Ukraine's state-owned energy operator Ukrenergo said.

"If we talk about the (power supply) restrictions that started a day ago, we will have to live in these conditions, according to my estimates, until August," Boiko said, adding that they started earlier due to the cold snap.

The active use of heating devices by people reportedly led to a shortage in the power grid.

Boiko, who is also a member of the Ukrenergo supervisory board, expects a "slight improvement" in the electricity supply in August or September due to various factors, including warm weather.

The winter will be "inevitably difficult" and there is no chance of restoring the generation destroyed in two months in full, according to the prime minister's advisor.

Moscow has recently intensified its missile and drone strikes against Ukraine's critical infrastructure, destroying several thermal power plants across the country. This included the Trypillia plant, the main electricity supplier to Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and Cherkasy oblasts.

Russia carried out another large-scale attack on May 8 against Poltava, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, and Vinnytsia oblasts, mainly targeting energy infrastructure.

At least two hydroelectric power plants had to be decommissioned as a result of attacks.

Read also: Energy Ministry warns of blackouts due to significant power shortage

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The 27-year-old man accused of trying to stab a woman to death while she walked in the middle of the day on a trail of Tacomas Point Defiance Park has been determined to be unfit to proceed to trial.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge Grant Blinn on Wednesday ordered Nicholas Fitzgerald Matthew to undergo a 90-day period of inpatient treatment at the Western State Hospital psychiatric facility. Matthew is charged with first-degree attempted murder. He has yet to enter a plea due to the mental competency proceedings.

The order comes after a licensed psychologist for the Department of Social and Health Services evaluated Matthew on May 1 and found he lacks the capacity to understand the nature of the proceedings against him or assist in his own defense due to a mental disease or defect. Matthew had a competency hearing scheduled for Thursday afternoon, but it was continued to Aug. 9 due to the courts order.

Matthew was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and a notable history of cannabis use. Records state he has a history of severe mental illness. An Army veteran, Matthew received treatment from the American Lake Veterans Affairs Medical Center near Lakewood from 2018 to 2022, for what reportedly appeared to be emerging symptoms of psychosis, rapid changes in mood, paranoia and auditory hallucinations, according to his psychological evaluation.

Mr. Matthew currently appears to present primarily with symptoms of psychosis (e.g., likely delusional thought content, negative symptoms of psychosis including inattention to grooming and hygiene, latency in responding, and avolition), along with symptoms of a mood episode (e.g., depressed mood), Dr. Jacqueline Means wrote in her report.

Accused Point Defiance Park stabber Nicholas Fitzgerald Matthew appears in Pierce County Superior Court in Tacoma, Washington, on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Matthew is charged with first-degree attempted murder in the stabbing of a woman walking in the park on Feb. 10.

He is to be transported to Western State Hospital within 14 days of the Wednesday court order or within seven days of when DSHS receives the order, whichever comes sooner. A lack of bed space at the psychiatric hospital can sometimes cause delays.

After Matthews inpatient treatment is completed, his mental fitness to stand trial will be re-evaluated. If its expected that his mental health would continue to improve with further inpatient treatment, he could be ordered to undergo a second 90-day period of competency restoration, followed by a possible six-month competency restoration period.

If the court or a jury finds him competent to stand trial at some point during or after those treatment periods, Matthews criminal case would proceed.

Means wrote in her report that it was likely that a period of competency restoration would help him regain the necessary capacities to move forward with his case.

If the court exhausts all three restoration periods and Matthew is still not mentally fit for trial, or if hes deemed not to be restorable earlier in the process, charges might be temporarily dismissed, according to DSHS, and the person could be admitted to a civil psychiatric unit at a hospital for continued treatment.

Matthew was arrested in late March at San Francisco International Airport while on a layover from Atlanta, allegedly trying to flee the country to escape prosecution in the Feb. 10 stabbing.

What does it mean to be found mentally incompetent to stand trial in Washington state?

The random attack that drew emergency personnel to the parks Blue Trail at 1 p.m. that day left a woman with life-threatening stab wounds to her head, neck and upper back that necessitated more than 120 staples. It left park goers on edge and led to greater security measures at the 760-acre park, including installing portable security cameras and increased police patrols.

Matthew was identified as a suspect after detectives collected DNA from the victims clothing, according to charging documents.

A blood stain that was entered into the Combined DNA Index System matched with him. Other evidence was found in his vacated Federal Way apartment, including a sweatshirt that had dried blood on it and two knives that resembled what was used during the attack. According to prosecutors, one appeared to have dried blood on it.

The sketch that Tacoma Police released this sketch of a man believed to have stabbed a woman at Point Defiance Park on Feb. 10 and the victim of the stabbing referred to as Jane.

Court records detail suspects mental health history

Matthew has no prior criminal convictions in Washington state, but court records state he has criminal history in California, Georgia and in the Army. He served in the military from August 2015 to June 2018 as a computer/detection systems repairer, according to the Armys public affairs office at the Pentagon. He had no deployments and held the rank of specialist at the end of his service.

Two months after he got out of the Army, in August 2018, Matthew began receiving treatment at American Lake VA Medical Center, according to a forensic psychological evaluation filed in court records Tuesday. He reported difficulty concentrating in college classes and a depressed mood following legal charges that were resolved while he was on active duty. His symptoms included uncontrollable worry thoughts, hopelessness, memory trouble, breakdowns, explosive anger, social avoidance and intrusive thoughts of a service-related traumatic episode.

Its unclear what charges Matthew faced while in the military. The News Tribune has contacted the Army Criminal Investigation Division for more information.

Records from his treatment at the VA hospital show Matthew went to at least nine appointments for mental health issues between August 2018 and January 2022, and one appointment in that time for chronic lower back pain. He was prescribed a number of different medications, including antidepressants, antipsychotics and mood stabilizers. Matthew stopped taking his medications several times due to side effects, and the psychologist who reviewed the records wrote that some of his symptoms increased over the years.

At an appointment in November 2019, Matthew reported chronic paranoia and mood instability, including depressive episodes and elevated moods that came with impulsive decisions like over spending his finances. He reportedly said he believed his neighbors talked about him and his then-girlfriend, and he sometimes saw his girlfriend making negative faces out of the corner of his eye that his girlfriend would deny making.

In October 2021, it had been nearly a year since Matthew had been seen by a provider and he was off his medication. Records state he reported having auditory hallucinations for the last three years: Voices talking about me, telling me Im stupid. His last documented appointment was in January 2022, when he again had not been taking his medication and reported worsening auditory hallucinations. A doctor adjusted his prescription.

Matthews psychological evaluation noted that records of his mental health treatment did not appear to be complete because they did not include records of an inpatient hospitalization Matthew underwent in 2017.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE)  An 18-year-old man was arrested by Albuquerque Police for his role in a deadly shooting that happened in a downtown parking lot earlier this year.

Angelo Andrade is believed to be part of a group of males who attacked Jeremiah Houston on April 6 around 3 a.m. in a parking lot at Copper Avenue and 6th Street NW, police said.

Video from a camera operated by APDs Real Time Crime Center captured the incident, in which two suspects can reportedly be seen shooting handguns at Houston. An autopsy determined Houston was shot at least 10 times, police said.

Story continues below

As detectives investigated Andrades possible involvement in the shooting, they learned he was arrested on April 7. During that arrest, police said Andrade was wearing body armor, and he was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and resisting, evading, or obstructing an officer. Homicide detectives compared Andrades booking photo with social media posts from the night of the shooting that included comments about the shooting.

Detectives also tracked down the phone Andrade was using and confirmed the location of the phone at the murder scene on the night of the shooting, as well as the location of Andrades arrest the following day.

Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Andrade on April 24. He was found at a home in the South Valley on Wednesday. APD SWAT officers arrested Andrade, and detectives executed a search warrant for the home.

Andrade is charged with an open count of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. He was booked overnight into the Metro Detention Center.

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May 16 (UPI) -- Law enforcement has regained control of a lecture hall seized by pro-Palestinian protesters who escalated their demonstration at the University of California, Irvine, on Wednesday.

The protesters had been encamped on the school's campus since April 29, but at about 2:30 p.m. PDT Wednesday, protesters descended upon the Physical Sciences Lecture Hall. The university said a small group had barricaded themselves in the building, which a larger group had surrounded.

Video of the seizure posted on the Instagram page of activist group Students for Justice in Palestine at UCI shows a banner unfurled down the outside of the building in an attempt to rename it the Alex Odeh Hall.

Odeh was a Palestinian activist and former West Coast director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee who was killed during the 1985 bombing of his Santa Ana, Calif., office.

The protesters -- like many who have encamped themselves at universities across the country in the past few weeks -- are demanding UC Irvine divest from Israel over the Middle Eastern country's war against Hamas in Gaza.

Irvine Police Department officers and Orange County Sheriff's deputies were called in by the school to respond to the swarm of demonstrators, the university said, though a number of other law enforcement departments also responded, including from Newport Beach.

At about 11:30 p.m., UC Irvine announced online that the "police activity has concluded."

The number of arrests made was unknown.

Campus update: Police activity has concluded. UC Irvine will still have remote instruction on Thursday, May 16. Unless specifically noted, all employees should work remotely as well. Resident students may still access dining facilities. UC Irvine (@UCIrvine) May 16, 2024

Chancellor Howard Gillman of UC Irvine said in a statement Wednesday night that he was "heartbroken" over the events of the day.

"What a sad day for our university," he said.

He said he was prepared to allow for a peaceful encampment on campus despite it violating school policies, but the demonstrators escalated the situation Wednesday.

The school have been in talks with the demonstrators to end the encampment, but prior to the seizure of the building they made new demands that Gillman described as an attempt "to dictate that anyone who disagreed with them must conform to their opinions."

Gillman did not expand on what the demands were, but suggested they could amount to censorship of zionist faculty and students.

"They asserted the right to oversee many elements of university operations involving the administration, faculty, students and staff, bypassing customary campus protocols and ignoring the function of the Academic Senate," he said.

"Most importantly, their assault on the academic freedom rights of our faculty and the free speech rights of faculty and students was appalling. One can only imagine the response if people on the other side of these issues established an encampment to force me to censor all anti-Zionist academic and student programming," he continued.

Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan defended the protesters from the law enforcement action, stating it was a "shame" free speech protests were being responded to with "violence."

"Taking space on campus or in a building is not a threat to anyone. UCI leadership must do everything they can to avoid creating a violent scenario here. These are your students w/ zero weapons," she said on X.

Newport Beach Mayor Will O'Neil responded to the comment in defense of his police who participated in clearing out of the lecture hall, calling on her to clarify if she was accusing law enforcement of participating in violence.

"If that's what you meant, then your message is beneath the office of mayor. If it is not, then clarify immediately," he said.

UC Irvine said instruction for Thursday would be held remotely, including for faculty.
CHICAGO (CBS)  Police removed a pro-Palestinian encampment at DePaul University Thursday morning, but protests continued outside the quad where the encampment had been located on the Lincoln Park campus.

It was just after 5:30 a.m. when chaos and confusion swept through the encampment. A student who filmed the raid by the Chicago Police Department provided the footage to CBS 2. Students tried to block the officers' entry, but the officers pushed through.

In the student's video, someone can also be heard running throughout the campground, waking others up and warning them about the situation unfolding. Police officers moved fast, dismantling tents, ripping down signs, and clearing the area.

DePaul University President Robert Manuel gave law enforcement the green light Wednesday night, after deeming the situation on campus "unsafe." Some students told CBS 2 they were left traumatized.

After the raid, students quickly regrouped, taking their movement across the street to a gas station.

Chicago Police said a man and woman were arrested outside the encampment for obstruction of traffic. But no arrests were made at the encampment itself during the raid.

In a statement to university students and staff, President Manuel said University Public Safety and Chicago Police were disassembling the encampment after efforts to reach a "shared resolution" with the DePaul Divestment Coalition were unsuccessful.

"Every person currently in the encampment will be given the opportunity to leave peacefully and without being arrested. I urge all there to leave peacefully and return home," Manuel said.

The statement also warned of the quad's closure.

"Anyone who tries to breach the fence around the quad or any of the green spaces on the Lincoln Park Campus will be trespassed, arrested, and suspended," Manuel said in the written statement. "DePaul will continue to investigate every reported complaint of harassment or discrimination that we receive resulting from the encampment or subsequent events."

DePaul reports weapons found at encampment site, threats and hate speech

The university outlined what it considered "threats to safety and disruption of campus operations" on its website, highlighting altercations and criminal activity on campus.

Manuel said weapons were recovered from the encampment site during the tent removal. He said the weapons found included knives, a pellet gun, and other "improvised weapons." Photos of knives and the pellet gun recovered were shared by the university.

Also documented were boards on the ground with long nails or screws sticking out that the university said were set up as traps along the fence that separates the quad from Fullerton Avenue.

DePaul also reported more than 1,000 complaints altogether, including more than 625 registered complaints from neighbors and community members, and more than 425 from students, faculty and staff, and parents.

These complaints included one death threat, four credible threats of violence, 12 incidents of criminal property damage, and 34 reports of antisemitism, among other issues raised.

DePaul reported the encampment was to blame for numerous safety violations and instances of property damage at the university  including spray paint on buildings and doors, etching on glass and windows, dumpsters being used to block entrances and exits, the John T. Richardson Library being chained shut and locked, and removal of safety grates.

Altogether, DePaul reported, the damage to university property totaled $180,000. DePaul also noted that 45 university events were canceled because of the protest, and nearby Oscar Mayer Elementary School canceled recess and other outdoor activities.

The noise emanating from the campsite was also a major problem for community members.

DePaul also shared videos and social media posts  including an Instagram post from Sunday showing protesters chanting in praise of Hamas and the Oct. 7 attacks at the intersection of Lincoln and Fullerton avenues and Halsted Street. The video claimed these protesters had walked over to the encampment to confront a group of Jewish community members who had gathered for a Mother's Day bake sale.

Another social media video shows a Jewish woman in the area of the encampment being told by a protester to "go to Poland." The woman who posted the video wrote, "yelling this at American Jewish students (many of whom have no connection to Poland at all) isn't a valid criticism of Israel, in case this seemed like a grey area."

DePaul also outlined numerous complaints of harassment at the encampment and of Jewish community members feeling unsafe.

When the encampment was removed, a sense of relief came over some neighbors like Arden Joy  who is Jewish, and who said the past few weeks of her life have been traumatizing for her and her family.

"You know, the day that the encampment went up, one of the first signs that went up said, 'Jewish safety cannot be guaranteed until Palestine is free,' and so immediately, I knew that we weren't safe," Joy said.

Others in the neighborhood also characterized the encampment as intimidating.

"We are Jewish, and we are pro-Israel, and also feel for the lives that are being lost in Gaza right now," said Becca Lustig.

"I live a few blocks away, and I don't necessarily feel safe around people who are protesting, you know, against me," added Sam Bakal.

Sheffield Neighbors Association President Brian Comer said the protest encampment was growing more dangerous as time went on.

"The longer it stayed, the larger a magnet it became for something bad to happen," Comer said, "and we did not want that."

Meanwhile, student activists maintain that they were the ones targeted  for exercising their right to protest.

"I've seen people being shoved around by counterprotesters, while CPD, DePaul administration, and DePaul Public Safety did absolutely nothing," said lead protest marshal Simran Bains. "I think that what they've been trying to do since this encampment started is blame us for the things that people are doing to us."

The DePaul chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine also accused the administration at DePaul of "maligning" student protesters  claiming that the reports that improvised devices intended to cause harm were "false," and that the knives found at the site were for food preparation in a kitchen tent.

Chicago police response

Chicago police addressed the public Thursday morning and said there had been "no confrontations" between officers and protesters, and no resistance by the protesters.

"As the approach occurred, voluntary compliance  all individuals who were inside the encampment voluntarily left, said Chicago Police Chief of Patrol Jon Hein.

Videographers from the Chicago Department of Law accompanied police during the intervention, Hein said.

Hein declined to comment on whether there was a particular threat before the raid.

On the decision by the university to seal off the quad, Hein said, "DePaul University is private property, so DePaul University will take control of their own property."



Protesters vow to regroup and press on

A student said organizers are working to regroup after the removal of the encampment.

"We have to find all of our people because the way that they went about dispersing us meant that lots of people were going out different exits," said Bains. "People were just trying to make sure that they weren't accidentally getting in someone's way to cause physical harm."

At one point Thursday, protesters zeroed in on the student center on campus  but public safety officers quickly locked the building down. Tensions late Thursday were still running high on campus after the early-morning raid.

On Thursday evening, a large group of students and other pro-Palestinian supporters marched through the Lincoln Park neighborhood. They denounced the university and Chicago Police for dismantling the encampment.

"The administration today had an opportunity to do business differently  and instead chose to do something less than great," DePaul student body president Parveen Mundi said at a rally Thursday evening.

"Jews 4 Justice categorically condemns DePaul University's violent decision to raid the DePaul liberation zone," said Ethan Schatz of the group Jews 4 Justice.

The encampment had been in place since April 30, as protesters demanded the school cut ties with Israel. Protesters joined the nationwide college protests in support of Palestinians amid the war in Gaza.

On May 12, protesters said they had reached a stalemate with university leaders.

Other campus protests

An encampment on the Evanston campus at Northwestern University was voluntarily taken down after an agreement was reached with the university. On May 7, University of Chicago Police intervened to take down an encampment on the Main Quad at that university's Hyde Park campus after an impasse was also reached between the university and protesters.

Graduation ceremonies at DePaul are scheduled for Saturday, June 15, and Sunday, June 16; the College of Law ceremony is scheduled for Saturday.

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Santa Ana police detain a pro-Palestinian protester during a protest at the University of California, Irvine, Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Irvine, Calif. (Leonard Ortiz/The Orange County Register via AP)

CHICAGO (AP)  Police began dismantling a pro-Palestinian encampment early Thursday at DePaul University in Chicago, hours after the school's president told students to leave the area or face arrest.

Officers and workers in yellow vests cleared out tents at the student encampment as front-loaders removed the camping equipment.

Across the street from where the encampment was spread across a grassy expanse of DePauls campus known as The Quad, a few dozen protesters stood along a sidewalk in front of a service station, clapping their hands in unison as an apparent protest leader paced and spoke into a bullhorn.

All the protesters at the encampment voluntarily left the area when police arrived early Thursday, said Jon Hein, chief of patrol for the Chicago Police Department.

There were no confrontations and there was no resistance, he said at a news briefing.

Hein said two people were arrested outside of the encampment for obstruction of traffic. One of those arrested is a current DePaul student and the other a former student, DePaul President Robert Manuel said in a statement.

The move to clear the campus comes less than a week after the school's president said public safety was at risk. The university on Saturday said it had reached an impasse with the schools protesters, leaving the future of their encampment unclear. Most of DePauls commencement ceremonies will be held the June 15-16 weekend.

In a statement, Manuel and Provost Salma Ghanem said they believed that students intended to protest peacefully, but the responses to the encampment have inadvertently created public safety issues that put our community at risk.

Efforts to resolve the differences with DePaul Divestment Coalition over the past 17 days were unsuccessful, Manuel said in a statement sent to students, faculty and staff Thursday morning.

I understand that the last 17 days have been stressful for many, not only within our campus, but also for those who live and work in our neighboring community," Manuel said later Thursday in a statement. We are saddened that the situation came to the point where law enforcement intervention was necessary to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all  both within and outside the encampment.

Students at many college campuses this spring set up similar encampments, calling for their schools to cut ties with Israel and businesses that support it, to protest lsraels actions in the war in Gaza.

Separately, 47 people were arrested at University of California, Irvine on Wednesday, university spokesperson Tom Vasich said in an email Thursday evening. The school previously said 50 people had been arrested.

A few were arrested for trespassing, but a majority were arrested for failure to disperse after a direct police order, Vasich said.

Chancellor Howard Gillman issued a statement Wednesday saying he was planning to allow the peaceful encampment to remain on campus even though it violated university policies, but the school called in police after a small group barricaded themselves inside a campus lecture hall, supported by a large group of community members rallying outside.

He said the group transformed what had been a manageable situation into one that required police response and demanded to oversee many elements of university operations.

Most importantly, their assault on the academic freedom rights of our faculty and the free speech rights of faculty and students was appalling, Gillman said in the statement.

Also Wednesday, 11 members of a group protesting at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville who did not vacate the area despite repeated warnings were arrested for trespassing, the university said in a statement. Those arrested included three students and eight people who are not affiliated with the university.

The University of Tennessee respects individuals rights to free speech and free expression and is committed to managing the campus for all, the university said in the statement. We will continue to be guided by the law and university policy, neutral of viewpoint.

An independent journalist on Thursday confirmed his Wednesday arrest at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque as authorities removed encampments and arrested seven people, including two students.

Bryant Furlow, a frequent contributor to nonprofit news outlet New Mexico In Depth said in a statement that he was arrested along with wife and photographer Tara Armijo-Prewitt. In the statement released by New Mexico In Depth, Furlow said he and Armijo-Prewitt were charged with criminal trespass and wrongful use of public property and detained for 12 hours before release.

We at all times followed instructions we received from police and stayed behind the yellow police tape, Furlow said. We were arrested while photographing the operation and shortly after asking an NMSP (New Mexico State Police) officer for his badge number and name. As I was being arrested, I said I was a member of the press repeatedly and loudly.

At the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, the schools Board of Regents held a regularly scheduled meeting Thursday, a day after protesters showed up at the homes of some board members.

Sarah Hubbard, chair of the universitys governing board, said tents and red-stained sheets intended to resemble body bags with corpses were left on her lawn.

This conduct is where our failure to address antisemitism leads literally  literally  to the front door of my home, said board member Mark Bernstein. When and where will this end? As a Jew, I know the answer to these questions because our experience is full of tragedies that we are at grave risk of repeating. Enough is enough.

Protesters have been allowed to maintain an encampment on campus. They want the university to get rid of investments in companies linked to Israel, though school officials insist there are no direct investments, only a relatively small amount of endowment money in funds that might invest there.

The student-led DePaul Divestment Coalition, who are calling on the university to divest from Israel, set up the encampment April 30. The group alleged university officials walked away from talks and tried to force students into signing an agreement, according to a student statement late Saturday.

Henna Ayesh, a Palestinian student whos a member of the coalition, criticized the police removal of the encampment as shameful in a statement sent Thursday by the group.

It is shameful that DePaul chose violence rather than allowing students the right to protest our tuition money funding a genocide that is directly killing and displacing our families, Ayesh said.

The Associated Press has recorded at least 80 incidents since April 18 where arrests were made at campus protests across the U.S. More than 2,960 people have been arrested on the campuses of 60 colleges and universities. The figures are based on AP reporting and statements from universities and law enforcement agencies.

___

Associated Press reporter Christopher L. Keller contributed from Albuquerque, New Mexico
UPDATE: Las Vegas police said the suspect was taken into custody shortly before 3 p.m.

LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Las Vegas police are asking the public to avoid the area near an east Las Vegas valley neighborhood as they investigate a barricade situation.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said officers were called to the 2000 block of Palm Street near Boulder Highway and East Sahara Avenue at around 9:30 a.m. on Thursday to investigate a domestic disturbance call.

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According to police, a man is believed to be barricaded inside a residence there and is refusing to exit. Police did not say if the man was armed or not.

SWAT and Crisis Negotiators are on the scene to assist. Police ask that the public avoid the area due to a heavy police presence.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  D.C. police said a boy was shot near a high school Wednesday night in Northwest.

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said the shooting happened in the 4400 block of Iowa Ave. near Roosevelt High School.

Family demands justice months after DC teens murder

The juvenile was still conscious and breathing, according to MPD.

MPD said to look out for two males, both armed with guns. One had a silver gun and the other had a black gun.

Anyone with information was asked to call (202) 727-9099 or text 50411.

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Police: Man shot during altercation with homeowner in south Abilene

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC)  A man was shot during an altercation with a homeowner in south Abilene.

The incident happened near the intersection of S 3rd Street and Grand Avenue around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Abilene police say officers were called to a report of gunshots in the area, and when they arrived on scene, they found a 29-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds.

He has been hospitalized and is in serious condition.

Police say there was, an altercation between him and a homeowner in the area. The nature of this altercation has not been disclosed.

The homeowner has been questioned but no arrests have been made at this time.

Stick with BigCountryHomepage.com for additional details on this breaking news.

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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A man is accused of stabbing a woman in the neck on the campus of Clark College in Vancouver on Tuesday, which briefly placed the school in lockdown that afternoon. Now, police are searching for the suspect and releasing images of him to the public.

The Vancouver Police Department said the man may have been involved in another encounter with a different woman the day before in the parking lot at the college.

Vancouver police are searching for a man accused of stabbing a woman on Clark College campus. May 15, 2024 (courtesy Vancouver Police Department).

Police described the mans appearance via a surveillance camera image, saying he is East Asian or Middle Eastern, 30-40 years of age, medium build with a beard.

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Students at the college who spoke with KOIN 6 News said they were shaken up but found solace in the fact that theres now more security on campus on Wednesday.

Its definitely nerve-racking, but you can just hope justice will be served, said Paden Geddings, a student.

On Tuesday, police said they responded to the college following a report of a disturbance with a weapon. When they arrived, officers found a woman with a stab wound in the neck.

She told police that while she was sitting outside the Archer building, a man who was unknown to her came up to her, screaming and asking for help. The woman thought the man had punched her, only to realize from the blood she saw that shed been stabbed. She was transported to a hospital and her injuries are considered non-life-threatening, officials said.

After the incident, the suspect fled on foot but police werent able to locate him. He was last seen heading north toward Water Works Park.

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We actually waited for a bit until an assistant let us into the building. We were on lockdown until like 6:20 pm. We missed 20 minutes of class, said David Dapp-Whisner, a Clark College student.

Corbyn Ormond said he was busy studying in the library for his classes when someone came by, saw him in the room, and said they needed to go into a different room. They got deadlocked into the secure room with one window and remained there for 30-40 minutes, he said.

I remember a police truck going by. We saw it pass twice, Ormond said. There havent been many situations here on campus since Ive been here.

Its scary, especially for your fellow coworkers because the stabbing was an employee who worked here, Geddings said. Theres definitely way more security around. I believe theres three officers on campus right now. They are definitely putting in precautions that everything in the campus is safe.

Geddings added that since the incidents, workers at the campus have tended to walk back to their cars in pairs and have tried to be more aware of their surroundings.

Oregon Employment Department announces shortened call center hours to focus on clearing backlog of issues

The parking lot incident on Monday was described to police and involved a man matching the stabbing suspects description approaching a woman who was sitting inside her car. The man, who was unknown to her, came up to the drivers side and tried to talk to her, officials said. When the woman opened her door, the man pulled on it, in an apparent attempt to enter the vehicle. The woman screamed and the man ran off. Clark College security responded to the incident and they later spoke with police about it.

Anyone who has information about the suspect is encouraged to contact the Vancouver Police Department.

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Sejm, the lower chamber of Poland's parliament, supported on May 15 amendments to the law on Ukrainian refugees, which include several changes and extend their protection until Sep. 30, 2025.

Poland has become one of the main destinations of Ukrainian refugees after the outbreak of Russia's full-scale war. According to Eurostat, the country hosts close to 1 million Ukrainians who fled the invasion.

The amendments, submitted by the governing parties, were backed by 381 lawmakers, with 19 voting against it and 20 abstaining, the Polish Press Agency (PAP) reported.

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.

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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.

The amendments also extended by four months the deadline for applying for the right to practice medicine as a doctor, dentist, nurse, or midwife.

The Sejm rejected several amendments proposed by the oppositionist Confederation and Law and Justice (PiS) parties.

The bill will now move to the Senate. If approved, it would enter into force on July 1.

Read also: Ambassador: Poland absolutely neutral whether refugees stay or return to Ukraine

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Politics as performance: When debate is a formality and voters go for the man with the biggest hat

You cant turn on the news, open an online newspaper, or scroll social media without seeing Trumps name and/or picture, though cable TV  from CNN to MSNBC to FOX  might be the worst. Merchandise featuring the former president was sold at a Trump rally at Big League Dreams stadium in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jeniffer Solis/Nevada Current)

One morning during the 2024 legislative session, I walked out of a meeting about Senate Bill 2  putting armed guardians in lieu of fully-trained school resource officers in our schools, with no budget allocation  and ran into a familiar lawmaker and two interns waiting for the elevator.

I was just saying how all of us know how were going to vote before going into committee meetings, the lawmaker said to me, both interns looking puzzled. The lawmaker continued explaining that leadership drives the bills they want, that bill sponsors know they have the votes to get out of committee before they testify or present their bills, and that nothing is a surprise.

I joined the conversation to express, as a citizen, how infuriating this is. The young interns shook their heads in disbelief, but this is how it works.

So much is predetermined. And it is all performance.

The day before primary voting began, I ran into a longtime, Chamber of Commerce-style, Anderson County Republican and asked for his thoughts on our state Senate primary, a three-way race among Adrienne Southworth (incumbent), Ed Gallrein and Aaron Reed.

Located on Highway 127 Bypass in Lawrenceburg, the Anderson County seat. (Photo by Teri Carter)

I pointed out that Reed, with his cowboy hat and giant signs around town, seems to be making the biggest splash, and our conversation circled around to the current state of GOP politics: Our three candidates are all basically the same  Trump loyalists, election and/or vaccine deniers  and leaning far enough right that none would have qualified as a normal conservative prior to 2016 and Donald Trumps takeover of the Republican Party.

What stands out is not policy, but performance.

Watching Trump on trial for hush money payments (potential campaign finance violations) to a porn star, Ive come to realize how blinded I have been about the former president, and current presumptive nominee, as far back as the Access Hollywood Tape.

To refresh your memory, and mine, here is a transcript of the audio/video, which opens thus: WARNING: This video contains language that some may find offensive.

I moved on her, and I failed. Ill admit it. I did try and f- her. She was married, and then, You know 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.

From 2016 on, I was so focused on the grab them by the p- part that I missed the point that appealed, and continues to appeal, to many Republican voters. When youre a star they let you do it. You can do anything.

Trump might have been a TV star with The Apprentice leading up to the 2016 election, but that pales in comparison to today. You cant turn on the news, open an online newspaper, or scroll social media without seeing Trumps name and/or picture, though cable TV  from CNN to MSNBC to FOX  might be the worst.

Its like watching the O.J. Simpson white Bronco chase circa 1994 on a never-ending loop. We cant take our eyes off of it, even though nothing new ever happens. We are transfixed, not by breaking news but by the outlandishness of the constant, over the top performances.

Republicans voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020 for the same reasons they will vote for him in 2024. He is the ultimate American celebrity; an obsession on the right and the left; the big middle finger to liberalism; the rule-snubbing blowhard voters wish they could be in their boring, restricted, church-going, law-abiding lives; their hero; their definition of what it means to be a man.

If Adrienne Southworth loses her reelection bid, I suspect it will be less about policy differences than the fact that, because she talks back and has refused to fall in line with Republican leadership in Frankfort, they redistricted her away from her own voting base.

Gallrein and Reed, both loudly touting their Navy Seal credentials in next door Shelby County, where GOP voters almost double those in Southworths original Anderson, will be more appealing to the Trump voter looking for the man with the biggest hat.

Agree or disagree with Southworth  and I disagree with her on all policy  the fact is that more than a few times she has been less than deferential, therefore displeasing, to leaders in the Frankfort Frat House.

But the bigger than life, Navy Seal he-men? Military retirees more likely to fall in line and take orders from leadership? Check and check!

Its the same way committee meetings work. Leadership has already chosen winners and losers and what happens is 100% based on what those men can sell as tough enough, as man enough, in a Trump-dominated election year.

I can see now, for example, that Senate Bill 2  sponsored by leadership darling Sen. Max Wise, and a bill that I followed and fought in good faith  was one of those bills blessed with passage long before it ever saw its first committee meeting, which was nothing more than a formality.

If the Republican Party is not yet dead, it is a five oclock shadow of itself. The GOP goal, at the state and national level, is not governing. The goal is getting the most time on stage.

If youre a star, they let you do it, you can do anything, even if its driving nail after nail in the coffin of your own party.

The post Politics as performance: When debate is a formality and voters go for the man with the biggest hat appeared first on Kentucky Lantern.
The Port of San Diego has renewed an emergency declaration meant to help the city fight an invasive algae that has proliferated in its bay.

The algae species, scientifically known as Caulerpa prolifera, was first spotted in the San Diego Bay in September, according to a news release from the port. The algae grows and reproduces rapidly, "choking out native seaweeds and seagrasses," according to the port, and causing a loss of habitat for marine life.

In the bay, the species most at risk are eelgrass, a type of plant that many ocean species use as a habitat, and the fish, birds and green sea turtles that use that eelgrass as a source of food and shelter. In addition to its role as a habitat and nursery, eelgrass is a natural water filter that helps maintain good air and water quality.

About 2,600 acres of eelgrass grow in the bay, according to the port.

As of now, about 11,200 square feet of Caulerpa have been found in the San Diego Bay, including near the Coronado Cays and the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Officials have not confirmed the source of the infestation, but said in the news release that it was most likely caused by someone emptying a saltwater aquarium into the bay, since the seaweed is a "popular and common saltwater aquarium plant."

The algae is bright green and consists of a number of blades linked by underground runners (stolons), which attach to the substrate with small root-like structures (rhizoids). / Credit: Port of San Diego

Possessing Caulerpa in California is illegal, as is selling and transporting it. Officials said anyone who owns or sells saltwater aquariums should not use Caulerpa or dump aquariums into state waters. Aquariums should also not be emptied into street or storm drains, since these systems often discharge into the ocean.

Once in a waterway, the seaweed can "rapidly and aggressively expand from contact with vessels, fishing and even tidal exchanges," officials said. Regular visitors have been asked to avoid the infested areas to avoid spreading the invasive plant. The seaweed does not pose a risk to humans, but boaters, divers and anglers who visit the bay should watch for Caulerpa, inspect their gear and supplies for the plant, and report sightings to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Trained divers have been responding to the infestation in the San Diego Bay by covering known patches with a "sealed barrier meant to kill the algae by blocking it from light, oxygen and tidal circulation," officials said. Over $900,000 has been committed to cover the costs of searching for the plant and eradicating it from the bay, officials said, with an additional $2.2 million in funding pending from state and federal sources. The emergency declaration is meant to help officials secure additional grant funding for surveillance, control measures and monitoring.

Caulerpa. / Credit: Port of San Diego

Frank Urtasun, chairman of the Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners, issued a warning about an outbreak of the seaweed in the Mediterranean Sea in the 1980s. He said the Caulerpa infestation there "caused millions of dollars in losses to tourism and fishing industries because it was not contained," and said that limiting the infestation in the San Diego Bay was of paramount importance.

"It is absolutely critical that we find and remove or cover every little piece of Caulerpa as quickly as possible to preserve our bay's strong and healthy ecosystem," said Urtasun in the release.

While this is the first discovery of Caulerpa in the San Diego Bay, it's far from the first time the algae has been seen in California. The state has monitored for the plant since the early 2000s, officials said. A species of Caulerpa infested part of the state's Huntington Harbour and Aqua Hedionda Lagoon in Carlsbad around that time. Newport Bay has been battling an infestation of the plant since 2021, officials said.

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The Port of San Diego has declared a local emergency due to the spread of an invasive algae species in South San Diego Bay.

The algae, called Caulerpa prolifera, was first discovered in the bay in September 2023, with additional patches popping up within and adjacent to the Coronado Cays, a press release from the port stated.

This kind of tropical algae grows and reproduces extremely quickly, choking out native seaweeds and seagrasses, potentially harming marine life through loss of habitat, the press release noted.

In the San Diego Bay, the invader poses a threat to eelgrass, a type of plant that the local fish, birds and green sea turtles rely upon for food and shelter. While the entire bay has about 2,600 acres of eelgrass, 1,900 of those acres are in the southern zone, according to the port.

It is absolutely critical that we find and remove or cover every little piece of Caulerpa as quickly as possible to preserve our bays strong and healthy ecosystem, Frank Urtasun, chair of the Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners, said in a statement. Caulerpa is also a potential threat to local jobs and businesses.

This infestation was likely the result of a release from a saltwater aquarium into the bay, as Caulerpa is a popular type of decorative plant  despite its prohibition in California, per the port.

Any person caught in possession of, selling or transporting this type of seaweed in the state is subject to fines ranging from $500 to $10,000 for each violation, port officials noted.

Stressing the environmental risks associated with this type of invasive algae, Urtasun noted that in the 1980s, an outbreak in the Mediterranean Sea brought millions of dollars of losses to the fishing and tourism industries of the region.

We will not let that happen in San Diego Bay, he said. With our many local, state, and federal partners, we are being swift and prudent to protect both our environment and our economic interests.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Since last week, hundreds of social media posts and news stories have claimed that AstraZeneca is removing its COVID vaccine from the market after admitting it caused blood clots in recipients. AstraZeneca recalls its Coronavirus vaccine worldwide, due to side effects which lead to blood clots and death, reads one Facebook post. AstraZeneca Withdraws Covid Vaccine Due To It Causing Blood Clots. The people that said it was safe and effective should be immediately arrested, reads another on X (formerly Twitter).

 AstraZeneca finally WITHDRAW Covid vaccine worldwide, months after the pharmaceutical giant admitted for the first time in court documents that it can cause a rare and dangerous side effect.



Never forget how they cancelled anyone who questioned its safety. pic.twitter.com/aOpWp9HZn1  Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) May 8, 2024

It is true that AstraZenecas COVID vaccinealso called Vaxzevriais being withdrawn from markets, and AstraZeneca did recently acknowledge that the vaccine can cause blood clots in a small subset of recipients. However, there is no evidence that the two events are related. Blood clotting was first identified as a risk of the vaccine by medical regulators more than three years ago, and AstraZeneca announced that the product was being withdrawn for economic reasons. The vaccine was never used in the U.S.

AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccinewhich uses viral vector technologywas developed in partnership with Oxford University and first authorized for use by U.K. medical regulators on December 30, 2020. Health experts viewed the AstraZeneca vaccine as a good option for poorer countries because of its relatively low cost and because it had less onerous storage requirements than the mRNA vaccines, and a United Nations program eventually coordinated the distribution of more than 1 billion doses of the vaccine to low- and middle-income countries. Research by Airfinity, a U.K. data analytics company, in 2022 found that the AstraZeneca vaccine saved approximately 6.3 million lives worldwide in its first year of use, higher than any other COVID vaccine.

The U.S. contracted with AstraZeneca early in the pandemic for the delivery of 300 million doses of the vaccine, but the success of Modernas and Pfizers mRNA vaccines in the country led the Biden administration to donate its doses rather than wait for their approval by U.S. regulators. AstraZeneca opted to withdraw its application for FDA approval in November 2022.

AstraZeneca vaccine enjoyed early success in the U.K. and Europe, but safety concerns emerged quickly. Rare cases of blood clotting were reported in the U.K. and EU and reported to health authorities within months of the rollout. Analysis by the World Health Organizations Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety in April 2021 determined that the risk was very low, and a review by U.K. regulators at the time found that occurrences were extremely rare. The European Medicines Agency reached a similar conclusion in its own review, determining that blood clots should be listed as a rare side effect of the vaccine, but also that the overall benefit-to-risk ratio remained positive.

On April 28, 2024, the Telegraph reported that AstraZeneca acknowledged links between rare blood clots and the vaccine for the first time in court documents related to a November 2023 class action lawsuit by alleged victims of complications related to the vaccine.

On May 7, AstraZeneca began withdrawing its COVID vaccine worldwide, citing a decline in demand for the product. Though AstraZenecas vaccine was widely used in the first two years of the pandemic, the pandemics abatement has cooled demand for COVID vaccines across the board, and updated vaccines with greater efficacy against newer variants now dominate what is left of the market. As multiple, variant COVID-19 vaccines have since been developed there is a surplus of available updated vaccines. This has led to a decline in demand for Vaxzevria, which is no longer being manufactured or supplied, an AstraZeneca spokesperson told The Dispatch Fact Check in an emailed statement. We will now work with regulators and our partners to align on a clear path forward to conclude this chapter and significant contribution to the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you have a claim you would like to see us fact check, please send us an email at factcheck@thedispatch.com. If you would like to suggest a correction to this piece or any other Dispatch article, please email corrections@thedispatch.com.

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A U.S. Air Force F-16C fighter crashed in a field in northwestern South Korea last year after the jet partially lost power and began showing unreliable flight data, causing the pilot to lose control of the aircraft as he navigated through thick clouds, the service concluded in an accident investigation report published Thursday.

The unnamed pilot, a member of the 80th Fighter Squadron at South Koreas Kunsan Air Base, safely ejected before his F-16 hit the ground on the morning of May 6, 2023. The jet was destroyed at a cost of nearly $30 million.

The airman had taken off from Osan Air Base minutes earlier to fly a routine training sortie as part of Beverly Herd, the 8th Fighter Wings local readiness exercise, the report said. He was manning the second aircraft in a four-ship formation.

According to the investigation report, the power loss caused a cascading failure or restart of the pilots primary flight and navigation instruments. But the jet didnt alert the pilot to use the standby display as it should have, instead showing him mismatched flight data across the two systems. Clouds prevented the airman from using visual cues to orient the jet at low altitude.

The disparate information caused the [pilot] to become spatially disoriented and unable to maintain aircraft control in the weather and at a low altitude, Col. Lynn Savage, who led the investigation, wrote in the report.

Shortly after landing on the ground, the pilot hopped on the messaging app Slack to tell his wingmen that he had ejected and was OK, according to the report. He was taken to Osan by ambulance and treated for minor injuries.

Because the F-16 was destroyed, investigators couldnt determine what caused the electrical outage that ultimately downed the jet. Had the power stayed on or the skies remained clear, Savage said, the accident may not have happened.

The May 2023 crash marked the first in a string of F-16 accidents on the Korean Peninsula in the span of nine months, and the fourth Fighting Falcon mishap within a year.

In December 2023, another 8th Fighter Wing pilot safely ejected from an F-16 following an in-flight emergency during a training mission. In January, a third pilot from the same wing ejected as their F-16 crashed into the sea off the west coast of South Korea. And in April, an airman from the 49th Wing at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, also escaped their jet as it went down near White Sands National Park.

Each incident is still under investigation.

Around three F-16s are totaled on average each year, according to the latest available data compiled by the Air Force Safety Center in 2021.

The service is in the process of phasing out its F-16 fleet in favor of more advanced fighters. It received its first F-16C in 1984; more than 800 of the C- and D-model jets currently reside in the Air Force inventory.
An Israeli tank moves along the border with northern Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, on May 16, 2024. Five Israeli soldiers were killed and seven others injured, three of them seriously, by errant Israeli tank fire in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Thursday. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Five Israeli soldiers were killed and seven others injured, three of them seriously, by errant Israeli tank fire in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Thursday.

The casualties were with a force that entered Gaza City and seized buildings as part of a resumed attack on the refugee camp.

Two IDF tanks, positioned several dozen meters away, apparently spotted a gun in a window of one of the buildings and fired two shells towards the target.

The army said it was investigating why the soldiers were misidentified as Palestinian militants.

A total of 626 soldiers have been killed in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack and Israel's ensuing attacks on Gaza, according to the IDF tally. 

An Israeli tank moves along the border with northern Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, on May 16, 2024. Five Israeli soldiers were killed and seven others injured, three of them seriously, by errant Israeli tank fire in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Thursday. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)

Israeli troops are seen near the border with northern Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, on May 16, 2024. Five Israeli soldiers were killed and seven others injured, three of them seriously, by errant Israeli tank fire in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Thursday. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)

An Israeli tank moves along the border with northern Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, on May 16, 2024. Five Israeli soldiers were killed and seven others injured, three of them seriously, by errant Israeli tank fire in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Thursday. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)

Israeli troops are seen near the border with northern Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, on May 16, 2024. Five Israeli soldiers were killed and seven others injured, three of them seriously, by errant Israeli tank fire in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Thursday. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)
TOPEKA (KSNT)  On Thursday, a White House official announced President Joe Biden will visit with Brown v. Board plaintiffs and family members.

The meeting will include two original plaintiffs from two of the five cases that were consolidated into Brown v. Board. The plaintiffs and family members will meet at the White House.

According to the White House, the meeting is part of Bidens plan to engage with the black community.

On Friday, Biden will speak at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. He will meet with leaders from the Black Divine Nine fraternities and sororities and speak at Morehouse College on Sunday.

Advisors Excel names firms to transform West Ridge Mall

The delegation represents litigants from the five cases that were combined under Brown v. Board of Education and heard before the Supreme Court, as well as NAACP President Derrick Johnson and other leaders of the NAACP who were critical in fighting for these and other hard-won freedoms for Black Americans. A White House official said.

Biden will meet with Brown v. Board family members:

Cheryl Brown Henderson Daughter of Named Plaintiff, Oliver Brown

Darl Everett, Jr.

Victoria Benson

Jeffrey Benson

Lusandra Everett

For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
Preying on white fears worked for Georgias Lester Maddox in the 60s  and is working there for Donald Trump today

In January 1967, after a gubernatorial election that saw neither candidate gain enough votes to win, the Georgia Legislature was faced with a vital decision: the selection of the states 75th governor during the height of the Civil Rights Movement.

Legislators chose the candidate who earned the least number of votes and was an ardent segregationist  Democrat Lester Maddox, owner of a chicken restaurant and a perennial candidate.

That transformation of Maddox from racist, eccentric business owner to governor was a historical note amid a backdrop of Southern politics and the regions resentment of Black political gains. Southern politics was and is replete with colorful characters, hucksters, showmen and demagogues who managed both to shock and engender fierce loyalty among their followers.

Maddox showed that it was politically profitable to play on the fears and anxieties of white people, who were afraid of the political power of Black voters. And what was true in Georgia in the 1960s turns out to be true throughout the South today, as Maddoxs victory based on racism holds lessons for the 2024 presidential election.

To understand the popularity of Donald Trump and the Republican Party in Southern states such as Georgia, its crucial to understand the racial divisions that preceded him.

As a civil rights historian, I believe that Trump can be placed among a long line of demagogues who possess the skills needed to tap into the fears and anxieties of a group of people that perceives itself as marginalized, at risk and not in control.

Maddox was one of the first to do so in his successful gubernatorial campaign in 1966.

For the little people

In his book The Demagogues Playbook, law professor Eric Posner defined a demagogue as a charismatic, amoral person who obtains the support of the people through dishonesty, emotional manipulation, and the exploitation of social divisions.

For Maddox, a Democrat in the era when Southern Democrats were the segregationist party, the social division he could exploit was a rapidly changing South, where political and cultural conventions were turned upside down by the successes of the Civil Rights Movement. No longer was the white race the master of the social order.

During his campaign, Maddox used class warfare to frame his GOP opponent, millionaire textile heir Bo Callaway, as an elite integrationist who was out of touch with white voters  or as Maddox called them, the little people.

Atlanta cafeteria owner Lester Maddox, left, shoves one of several Black men who attempted to integrate his restaurant in 1964. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

Maddox used newspaper advertisements for his chicken restaurant, the Pickrick, to rant about political grievances and target his political enemies.

But his primary weapon of choice was the race card. He celebrated his aggression toward Black people by brandishing axe handles as he stood in the doorway of his restaurant in downtown Atlanta.

A crass businessman, Maddox called his axe handles Pickrick Drumsticks, which he also sold for US$2 apiece.

Such brazen behavior earned Maddox the admiration of many white Georgians uneasy about the pace of racial integration. His popularity was solidified after he refused to allow Black people to eat in his chicken restaurant, as required under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and literally chased them away from his front door.

At one point during the scuffle, Maddox was heard calling to the Black customers, You no good dirty devils! You dirty Communists! Get the hell out of here or Ill kill you.

Lester Maddox autographs one of the axe handles that he sold for $2 in 1964. Bettmann/Getty Images

When a Georgia court ordered Maddox to obey the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Maddox chose to shut down his business. For him, the issue was a matter of the rights of private property owners.

This property belongs to me, Maddox once said, and Ill throw out a white one, a black one, a red-headed one or a bald-headed one. It doesnt make any difference to me.

Maddox denied being a racist and defended his segregationist views by arguing he believed in separate but equal facilities for white and Black people.

Maddox served only one term as governor because state law prevented any governor serving two successive terms. Instead, he ran for lieutenant governor in 1970 and won.

Georgia on Trumps mind

Much like Maddox, Trump has tapped into white resentment and anger to gain popularity in a state that he won in 2016 but barely lost in the 2020 presidential election.

In her book Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump, American rhetoric historian Jennifer Mercieca explains that Trump is a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power.

That is an effective strategy, she argued, especially with a frustrated and polarized electorate.

Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Rome, Georgia, on March 9, 2024. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Nowhere is that more evident than in Georgia. In a state that saw nearly 5 million voters cast ballots, Joe Biden beat Trump by only 11,779 votes in 2020.

In a campaign stop in Georgia in March 2024, Trump chose to hold a rally in the small city of Rome, located in the district of one of his most die-hard supporters, Marjorie Taylor Greene, the far-right Republican U.S. representative.

In 2020, voters in the metro Atlanta area and other larger cities voted for Biden. But in more rural areas such as Rome, voters cast their ballots for Trump  and appear in polls to be giving Trump an edge over Biden in the 2024 race.

One of the major issues is U.S.-Mexico border security and Trumps views on immigration, which critics have characterized as racist.

During the rally, Trump blamed Biden for the death of 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. An immigrant from Venezuela who entered the U.S. illegally has been arrested and charged with her murder.

What Joe Biden has done on our border is a crime against humanity and the people of this nation for which he will never be forgiven, Trump said as he promised to start the largest deportation of immigrants in American history.

Such proposed policies  and thinly veiled racist messages  play well in a political district represented by a far-right extremist.

Much like Maddox did nearly 60 years ago, Trump uses fear of other racial groups to gain support among white voters.

Racial demagoguery in the U.S. was once largely limited to Southern politicians who sometimes used their folksy, homespun charms as champions of the little guy to stoke racial and economic grievances. Though Trump is a wealthy businessman, he is able to convince working-class white voters that he is not only one of them but also a victim, too, of the liberal elites.

Donald Trump appears to have successfully translated this approach to the national stage.

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: David Cason, University of North Dakota

Read more:



David Cason 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.
PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now)  The Prince Georges County Police Department (PGPD) said a detective was shot at multiple times Wednesday night.

The situation unfolded at around 7:05 p.m. when at least one male suspect fired a gun multiple times at a detective.

Prince George County police officer put on house arrest after alleged domestic dispute

The detectives car was hit but they were not injured. The detective did not shoot back, according to PGPD.

The detective saw a car that had been carjacked Wednesday afternoon in Clinton. PGPD said at least four male suspects were in the car and bailed after shooting at the detective.

No arrests have been made.

Anyone with information was asked to call 1-866-411-TIPS.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
Prince Harrys departure from the royal family changed the face of the British monarchy forever  but he is not the only royal black sheep to turn his back on palace life.

In Belgium, 60-year-old former playboy Prince Laurent has similarly established himself as an outsider in his own clan  much in the way that a young Harry did during his own turbulent formative years.

Laurent was affectionally known in the corridors of The Palace of Laeken as the Playboy prince before his marriage to Claire Coombs in 2003, while he courted further controversy with his spending and alleged entreprenurial work.

Now the royal, who is respected for his enviornmental work, has revealed he is leaving his life of privilege behind in search of a more independent existence.

I am preparing a new life, he told Het Laatste Nieuws. I would like to change my current position. I want to be less involved in public activities. It is no secret that one day I want to live abroad, in Italy.

At the time of his birth in October 1963, Laurent was third in line to the Belgian throne as the King Albert and Queen Paolas second son and youngest child.

Prince Laurent, seen as the black sheep of Belgian royalty, with his British-born wife Claire (Getty Images)

However, following subsequent additions to his family and a change in the Belgian constitution to allow equal succession rights to women, he is now 13th in line to the throne.

The Harry effect?

The trajectory of Prince Laurents life has not been entirely dissimilar to that of Prince Harrys, although he has always insisted that he is first and foremost an entrepreneur despite a stint in the military.

I dont compare myself to Prince Harry. I have always been an entrepreneur. But it is true that I would like to start a new life, he said.

But Laurents allegedly entrepreneurial activities have landed the Prince, who trained in the army and navy before becoming a pilot, in hot water.

This most notably took place in 2011, when he attempted to do business with a son of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi on an unauthorised visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In hot water

His love of the finer things in life is also well known for the wrong reasons and he hit the headlines in the UK in 2016 after being forced to repay 16,000 (12,300) to the Belgian state after making wrongful expense claims for luxuries including a ski trip.

My family has never supported me, he once declared, despite receiving a 307,000 (236,000) annual allowance thanks to his royal status.

But while Laurent has established a reputation for going against the grain, not all of it has resulted in negative press coverage.

He was awarded the Emile Noel Prize for his role in an environmental think tank at the European Comission and is Chairman of the European Research Group for Alternatives in Toxicity Testing (ERGATT).

He also set up the Prince Laurent Foundation in 1995 to help improve the lives of domestic and wild animals.

As a result, he is known as the ecolo-gaffeur (the eco-blunderer) in the Belgian press beause of his apparent disregard for royal protocol and passion for the environment.

Prince Laurent has claimed he has never been supported by his family (Getty Images)

Game of thrones

While Laurent has benefited from his position as royalty, it didnt stop him from accusing the British monarchy of treating Harry like property like a thing owned by a structure or a government or a state.

This accusation was made back in 2020 and could have well played into the Princes apparent decision to leave royal life behind for similar reasons.

He has recently hit out at the limitations placed on him as a taxpayer-funded royal, claiming that they are in breach of his human rights.

I have a cousin who is head of state [Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg]. If I want to see him, I have to ask the government for permission, he said.

Isnt it illegal to ban human contact?

The Belgian prince has accused the British monarchy of treating Prince Harry like property (REUTERS)

Now, the royal believes that he can only truly fulfil his life is he steps away from the role he has occupied for most of his life.

However, as he expressed a desire to be less involved in public activities, its not known if he intends to be fully financially independent like Prince Harry.

I am convinced that I will be able to develop better in that new life than in the life I am experiencing now, he said.

I think I can do more for society and make myself more useful if I can live that new life. Im not proclaiming this because Im angry.
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now)  Hyundai is providing free steering wheel locks for the Prince William County Police Department (PWCPD) to give away to residents.

Drivers who own or lease Hyundai vehicles without push-button ignitions are encouraged to get a free steering wheel lock. Owners of Hyundai cars with classic key ignition vehicles must bring vehicle registration and proof of ownership and residency in the county to get a free lock.

Stafford County Sheriffs Office serves man with 18 sexual offense warrants

The locks will be available on May 28 from 8 a.m. to noon at the countys Eastern District Station, located at 15948 Donald Curtis Dr. in Woodbridge.

Each driver will receive one free lock per vehicle.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
A memorial in front of Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 25, 2022. - Credit: Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images

A new documentary, Print It Black, will look at how Uvalde Leader-News journalists covered the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in 2022. A trailer for the film, which premieres on ABC News Live and Hulu at 8 p.m. ET on May 24, shows the stress and devastation the staff felt in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, beginning with reporter Kimberly Mata-Rubio, who lost her daughter, Alexandria, in the massacre.

A two-minute clip shows Mata-Rubios grief, as well as the public cries for justice that followed the massacre, which was made worse by a delay on the part of local authorities to act after the shooting began. It also shows how the newspaper reported the story, investigating police amid a public outcry from people hoping to move forward after the tragedy. I worry about my staff, an uncredited man, likely an editor or a publisher, says. I can tell that theyre feeling it, and I hate that for em.

More from Rolling Stone

Were honored that Kim Rubio and the staff of the Uvalde Leader-News allowed our team into their worlds in a period of staggering grief, Cindy Galli, executive producer of ABC News Investigative Unit, said in a statement. This documentary is the embodiment of our initiative to remain in Uvalde and share with the world how it grieved, struggled, rose up and inspired. No community should ever be defined by a tragedy that befalls it.

The doc premiered at the Dallas International Film Festival earlier this month and won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature.

Best of Rolling Stone
Private plane from Louisiana crashes south of Nashville, killing three: What to know

Three people in a fixed-wing, single-engine plane were killed when it crashed Wednesday south of Nashville in Williamson County.

The victims have not yet been identified by officials.

The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed shortly after the crash that the plane was a Beech V35. Crews with the agency will be on site Thursday to investigate the cause of the crash.

Here's what we know so far:

Plane crashes in Middle Tennessee

The first call to 911 came at 12:05 p.m., Williamson County Emergency Management Agency spokesperson Jill Burgin said Wednesday.

A man reported that he "heard a sound and saw debris," Burgin said.

A helicopter takes flight nearby where first responders are gathered following a plane crash where three people were killed in Williamson County, Tenn., Wednesday, May 15, 2024. The plane departed from Baton Rouge, Louisiana and was headed to Louisville, Kentucky when it crashed.

Williamson County Fire/Rescue posted on Facebook that the crash happened in the area of Bending Chestnut Road and Davis Hollow Road near the Natchez Trace Parkway, about 50 miles southwest of Nashville.

The debris field stretched about a half mile, Burgin said.

Williamson County Chief Deputy Mark Elrod said investigators believe the plane broke up in the air.

Beech V35 plane built in 1966

The plane was a Beech V35, tail number N47WT.

It was built in 1966 and last registered in January in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, according to records kept by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The V35 plane was first cleared for production in 1947 and manufacturers continued to build them until 1982. In the late 1980s, the FAA and U.S. Department of Transportation conducted tests on the V35 after repeated structural failures. The solution was a reinforcement kit for the area where the V-tail met the body of the plane.

Plane headed to Louisville before crash

The plane left Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Wednesday morning and was traveling to Louisville, Kentucky when it crashed in Williamson County near the Natchez Trace Parkway, Elrod said.

According to data from FlightAware, a flight tracking service, the plane had only flown in and out of small regional airports around Baton Rouge in the last three months. The longest flight before the nearly four and a half hour trip Wednesday was only 52 minutes.

The plane left Louisiana Regional at 8:53 a.m. and was scheduled to land at Bowman Field in Louisville around 1 p.m.

The aircraft was traveling around 7,000 feet for several hours before it began to incline at 11:53 a.m., according to FlightAware. The plane briefly reached 9,700 feet at 11:59 a.m. then began to decline. In 20 seconds, the plane dropped from 9,000 feet to 7,800 feet, the last reading available at 12:01 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee plane crash: What to know about the crash that killed 3
Pro-cannabis advocates in Thailand rally ahead of the government's plan to recriminalize the plant

Members of a pro-cannabis group gather at Public Health Ministry to oppose Thai government's plan to relist cannabis as narcotics in Nonthaburi province, Thailand, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

NONTHABURI, Thailand (AP)  Dozens of pro-cannabis advocates gathered Thursday at the health ministry on the outskirts of the Thai capital, Bangkok, to oppose the governments plan to relist the plant as a narcotic, two years after it was decriminalized.

The rally came after Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin last week said he would like the plant to be relisted as a narcotic again by the end of this year. Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalize it in 2022 for medical purposes, but in practice the market appears virtually unregulated, leading to public backlash and concerns over misuse and crime.

About 30 people came to the health ministry in Nonthaburi, just north of the Thai capital Bangkok, to petition minister Somsak Thepsuthin.

The group's representative, Prasitchai Nunuan, said they all agreed that cannabis should be properly regulated, but that doesn't require the rescheduling of the plant as a narcotic, noting possible economic impacts on a budding industry.

Whenever it is relisted as a narcotic, cannabis will be put in jail again, Prasitchai said as health minister Somsak stood listening to the group's demands.

Decriminalization of cannabis in 2022 was spearheaded by the Bhumjaithai Party, whose stronghold is in the impoverished northeast where it promised farmers cannabis would be a new cash crop.

Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul became health minister of the previous government, pushing through an amendment to the Narcotics Law, dropping cannabis from the list of controlled substances.

Somsak, who was appointed as health minister in last month's cabinet reshuffle, responded that he would take the demands into consideration. The minister said that his standpoint has always been that cannabis should be used for medical purposes only, not recreational.

Chokwan Kitty Chopaka, a cannabis shop owner and activist, said that the governments u-turn on the policy appears to be more political than scientific.

I think the word stigma hasnt actually been erased out of cannabis, even with the legalization, she said.
MANILA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Philippine troops killed two suspected rebels during a clash in the southern Philippines early on Thursday morning, the military said.

In a report, the military said the troops were combing a village near Lebak town in Sultan Kudarat province in the southern Philippines when they clashed with around 10 New People's Army (NPA) rebels before 6 a.m. local time.

The troops recovered an M16 rifle, a Cal. 45 pistol, a grenade, and several rounds of ammunition, the report added.

In a separate report, the military said a government soldier was killed and another wounded in a clash in Samar province in the central Philippines on Tuesday.

The report said that an undetermined number of NPA rebels engaged in a 45-minute gunfight with the troops in San Jorge town. The military did not give more details about the encounter.

NPA rebels have been fighting the government troops since 1969. They concentrate their attacks on rural areas and have skirmishes with the military.

Military data showed that the NPA is estimated to have 2,000 members, significantly lower than its peak strength in the 1980s. 
Last Friday, a senior political aide to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) convened a group of progressive pro-Palestinian groups on a Zoom call to discuss strategy. The list of participants included representatives of the political arm of Jewish Voice for Peace, the Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project, IfNotNow and Americans for Justice in Palestine Action.

The call took place less than two days after President Joe Biden confirmed on CNN that his administration had paused an offensive weapons shipment to Israel and would withhold additional transfers if Israel launched a full-scale invasion of Rafah, the city in southern Gaza where 1 million Palestinians are taking refuge.

The Ocasio-Cortez aide appealed to the activists on the call to give Biden appropriate credit, given the historic nature of the step, and noted that Biden was already receiving fierce pushback from Israel supporters furious about the news.

Its important we make clear to the White House that when the president moves in our direction, were willing to say so.Mike Casca, chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)

Its important we make clear to the White House that when the president moves in our direction, were willing to say so, said Mike Casca, Ocasio-Cortezs chief of staff, who was not the aide present on the call.

On the whole, advocates for Palestinian rights and a cease-fire in Gaza  inside Congress and out  were already marching in step with Ocasio-Cortez. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) joined her in praising Bidens announcement. So, too, did the uncommitted movement, which had sought to pressure Biden through the Democratic primaries; Arab American Institute founder James Zogby; the Muslim group Emgage; the Center for International Policy; the liberal pro-Israel group J Street; the Jewish Democratic Council of America; the Center for American Progress; and Indivisible. Even IfNotNow and Jewish Voice for Peace offered Biden qualified credit, though JVP did not post its statement on social media.

But the praise was not unanimous, with plenty of pro-Palestinian groups unwilling to give the president credit while the wars horrific toll on Palestinian civilians grows and U.S. weapons and aid continue to flow.

Those dissenting voices might show the growing pains of a still-young and inchoate movement reluctant to acknowledge incremental progress in the face of ongoing bloodshed in Gaza. Or it could show how an uncompromising vanguard can complement the work of a pragmatic advocacy campaign.

Biden has long said he would never let political considerations determine his policy vis-a-vis Israels military assault on Gaza. Still, an administration staffer told HuffPost, there has been a discrepancy in the volume and tenor of complaints hes gotten from the pro-Israel community after Bidens CNN announcement and the recognition hes received from groups that support the Palestinians.

Not that were doing it for politics, but we notice the volume on the outside when people say something supportive or critical, and its equally notable when they dont say anything at all, said one White House official, who requested anonymity in order to speak without authorization.

President Joe Biden (right) embraces Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an October visit shortly after Hamas' terror attack on Israelis. Biden has since grown frustrated with Netanyahu. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images

And its not the first time Biden administration officials have felt that way since Israel invaded Gaza.

For example, in late April, the White House floated the possibility of welcoming more Palestinian refugees from Gaza to the United States  a gesture to progressives humanitarian concerns, even if refugee resettlement hasnt been one of their major asks. Republicans went to town blasting the idea, and even some swing-state Democrats were cool to it, but the left has not said much in response.

The facts are difficult for progressive groups to square. On one hand, Bidens threat to cut off Israel was such a break with protocol that its most recent precedents date back at least three decades. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush withheld loan guarantees unless Israel agreed to freeze settlements in the West Bank.

For Biden, a committed Zionist who embraced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following Hamas Oct. 7 massacre of Israelis and kidnapping of hostages, the announcement was an especially stark shift in approach.

Its significant for any American president, but I think we should recognize how much of a change and a shift this constitutes for this president, said Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of J Street, which describes itself as the home for pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy Americans. There has to be a consistent policy and a consistent follow-through, and we need to see a lot more than we have seen. But this is a really important first step. And it indicates that the president is willing to say, No more blank check.

If his red line is Rafah, he just needs to stop the weapons transfers entirely.Senior pro-Palestinian strategist

On the other hand, the conditions of Bidens ultimatum to Israel grow murkier by the hour. Israel has begun military operations in Rafah, prompting nearly 450,000 people to flee the city under desperate conditions.

The Biden administration has not clarified exactly what it considers a full-scale invasion of Rafah, but it apparently does not see the operations currently underway as running afoul of the presidents red line. And on Tuesday, the White House notified Congress it had greenlighted an additional $1 billion in weapons transfers for Israel, including tank shells, tactical vehicles and mortar rounds, though not the 2,000-pound bombs that Biden paused delivery of last week.

The Rafah invasion is already happening, said a senior pro-Palestinian strategist who requested anonymity to speak without authorization. They were unimpressed with Bidens announcement: If his red line is Rafah, he just needs to stop the weapons transfers entirely.

On Friday, the State Department also released its long-awaited assessment of whether Israel is violating international and U.S. law. The report said it is reasonable to believe U.S. weapons provided to Israel have been used illegally but avoided judging specific incidents and ruled U.S. aid and weapon sales to Israel could continue.

Displaced Palestinians pack their belongings before leaving an unsafe area in Rafah, Gaza, on Wednesday. About 450,000 Gazans have fled the city amid Israeli military operations. AFP via Getty Images

As a result, the report seemed to at once incur the wrath of conservative Biden critics while disappointing even allied groups, such as J Street, which endorsed Bidens reelection in April 2023.

The report makes it very clear that there is reason to believe that international law has been violated, and yet the administration did not lay out what accountability looks like, said Ben-Ami, who lamented that Bidens May 8 announcement of a red line in Rafah was not tied to the reports findings.

Perhaps anticipating these developments, some pro-Palestinian politicians and groups refused to commend Biden for pausing the bomb shipment.

A spokesperson for Just Foreign Policy, an anti-interventionist group, noted Israel already has enough U.S.-supplied weapons to do as it wishes in Rafah. A spokesperson for Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian American in Congress, observed that mere weeks earlier, Biden had signed a bill granting Israel $14 billion in emergency military and civilian aid.

On May 9, the Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project unleashed a series of complaints about Biden on X, formerly Twitter, arguing that, absent more action, Bidens comments mean little after seven months of genocide. And Waleed Shahid, a prominent pro-Palestinian communications strategist, snarkily translated the CNN headlines about the interview as Biden recognizes U.S. weapons have killed Palestinian civilians in Gaza but once again stops short of restricting or ending arms sales to Israel.

The negative feedback  or silence  was enough to spark concern from Jeet Heer, a columnist in The Nation, that the left was losing the capacity to recognize its own progress.

I commend the president for what he did, and I need to see him do a lot more.Abbas Alawieh, National Uncommitted Movement

Denigrating this sea change runs the risk of undermining the great historical achievement of the anti-war and pro-Palestinian movement, Heer wrote.

Heer seized on a quote from Abbas Alawieh, a former senior congressional aide turned leader of the Uncommitted National Movement. Alawieh was quoted in The New York Times on Friday as saying that Bidens move was extremely overdue and horribly insufficient.

Alawieh insisted to HuffPost that he had been quoted out of context and that he believes advocates must both recognize Bidens shift and push for a complete end to the war. I commend the president for what he did, and I need to see him do a lot more, he said.

Regardless, there is some basis for fears that Bidens pivot has not generated enough progressive support. And its a risky move, as restricting weapons or aid to Israel has long been a political taboo that invariably sparks fierce opposition from the countrys influential defenders in the U.S.

The Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee and the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations all condemned Bidens ultimatum, as did the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, which has endorsed his reelection. Democratic mega-donor Haim Saban warned Biden of the political consequences of his decision, claiming there are more Jewish voters, who care about Israel than Musli[m] voters that care about Hamas.

And 26 moderate House Democrats sent a letter to Biden on Friday expressing their disapproval of his withholding of a shipment of bombs and demanding a classified briefing about his decision.

Entertainment mogul Haim Saban is among the Democratic mega-donors who strenuously objected to Biden's threat to cut off weapons if Israel fully invades Rafah in the Gaza Strip. Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images

Its a lesson in how to alienate everyone, said a pro-Israel Democratic strategist who requested anonymity to speak freely about his partys leader. He has not assuaged the Arab American community in particular, ... and while I think the pro-Israel community recognizes that he has been the strongest pro-Israel president we have ever had, there is nonetheless a tremendous sense of concern, worry, disappointment and even anger.

The White House has also been disappointed in pro-Palestinian activists reticence about what a second Donald Trump presidency would mean for U.S. policy on Israel and the Palestinians. Trump, who blessed Israels occupation of Palestinian lands like no president before him, has criticized Bidens paused weapon shipment. Trumps former ambassador to Israel, David Friedman  a major ally to the West Bank settler movement  has, among other extreme stances, called for throwing the idea of Palestinian statehood onto the ash heap of history.

Activists who support Palestinians human rights argue that the only political incentive that Biden should need to accede to their demands of a complete halt to weapon transfers is the public polling that suggests Bidens handling of the war is hurting him with key demographic groups, including young people, progressives and voters of color. Though the war in Gaza is not a top concern for young voters at large, according to multiple surveys, the tight contests that Biden is likely to face in battleground states leave little margin for error.

Matt Duss, executive vice president of the Center for International Policy, is among those who consider it important to recognize Bidens leftward step.

But he warned the Biden administration against giving credence to those who argue that the heat he is still getting from pro-Palestinian activists is a reason to dismiss them out of hand.

There is a large and growing and diverse progressive left right now. Theres consensus about a lot of things, and theres disagreements about some others, said Duss, who previously advised Sanders on foreign policy. But its become abundantly clear in the polling over many years, and especially in the last few months, that the president needs to pay attention to his left flank after decades of only paying attention to his right flank.

Related...
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON)  The citys Homeless Engagement Assistance Response Team (HEART) program reached a milestone as the program marks its first year helping San Franciscos street population.

Mayor London Breed launched HEART last year to respond to 911 and 311 calls regarding unhoused people, and to help keep city streets safe and clean, the mayors office said.

Unhoused people gather on a San Francisco street on May 16, 2023. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

San Francisco has a range of specialized crisis response teams, collectively known as SF Coordinated Street Response Teams, that work in coordination to address mental

health and substance use crisis, medical health and wellness, shelter needs, and street-condition related matters.

Historically, San Francisco Police Department officers responded to all calls involving issues on the streets. HEART launched in 2023 as a pilot program. In its first year, HEART responded to about 80% of calls to 311 or 911 involving unhoused people. The team also helped thousands connect to shelter, public welfare benefits, and behavioral health resources.

(Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

HEART is a community-based team made up of Urban Alchemy practitioners who are trained to provide compassionate, services-first response to non-medical and non-emergency 911 and 311 calls involving people who are experiencing homelessness, to help alleviate police call volume. The teams are only dispatched to engage with community when there is no indication of crime, violence, or threats.

Number of homeless families in San Francisco doubles

HEART is about addressing the needs of some of our citys most vulnerable residents in a compassionate way that maintains their dignity and respect through a trauma-informed response, said Dr. Lena Miller, CEO of Urban Alchemy.

HEART team members are trained in helping homeless people with: de-escalation, self-care, needs assessment, harm reduction for drug addicts, CPR, and Naloxone training.

Breed said, San Franciscos HEART teams are available to help people who may be having a difficult time. We have a responsibility to help people off our streets and into a system of care, but people have to want the help. I remain committed to continuing to prioritize the citys comprehensive network of street outreach work to ensure our streets are safe and clean.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
HARLEM, N.Y. (PIX11)  To help address emergency response and mental health concerns, social workers could be coming to your local precinct.

On Thursday, community members outlined a city council proposal that would require the health department to staff each of the 77 police precincts with a licensed social worker.

School stabbings in New York City prompt debate about metal detectors

Deescalating a situation is part of the officers training. Sponsors say the NYPD and the health department will help craft the policy during the hearing process.

Councilmember Yusef Salaam is co-sponsoring the bill. If we pay for it now, we wont have to pay later and we will eventually have a more thriving community and city.

Neighbors, advocates, and social workers also attended the presentation.

You are closest to the problem, you are also closest to the solution, said NYU Professor Terrence Coffie. It can also build bridges between City Hall, the NYPD, and the community, and it becomes effective at creating change.

NYC closes dozens of illegal weed shops in 1 week: officials

Social workers and counselors are needed around the city. The advocates say community members can get the training and their qualifications are enhanced because they are from the neighborhood.

In the precinct, the social worker could provide an additional resource, including potentially going on calls.

Councilmember Erik Bottcher from Chelsea and Midtown says this will help address mental health issues. Theres a lot of frustration that people cycle through the precincts and no intervention takes place.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
LONG HILL TOWNSHIP, N.J. (PIX11)  At his volunteer fire company in Morris County, Chief Al Gallo only wants members who are willing to serve.

Somebody that wants to help the community, motivation, said Gallo. Willing to train, willing to help out. Just somebody who is willing to be with a group of people that give back to the community.

New Jersey school aid bill signed into law

The problem at Stirling Fire Company and fire companies across New Jersey is finding those people.

Its a struggle, said Gallo. The trainings gotten more involved, more hours. Its a big thing because of the dedication and time to get the training done.

A new bi-partisan bill in Trenton looks to help turn those tides by offering volunteers a $2,000 tax exemption. If passed, it would apply to certain volunteer firefighters, rescue, and first aid squad members in effort to discover more community heroes.

Volunteerism is dying unfortunately at this moment, said State Senator Vin Gopal (D-11th District), who served for many years as a medical first responder in Monmouth County.

Along with State Senator Kristin Corrado, hes hoping to address the volunteer shortages plaguing New Jersey towns. I hate to use the word incentivize because folks dont need incentive to do this, said Gopal. They love their community and thats why they do this. But I think a couple of perks to help with it could make it a little more attractive.

Hundreds rallying to save beloved East Brunswick educators job

Volunteers work holidays, they work nights, they work weekends, said Corrado (R-40th District). They work year-round and theyre always there when we need them.

Its a vocation that is not for everyone, but Gallo hopes it will lead some to discover if its for them. I think itll be an additional bonus for people to sign up and give it a try at least.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
David Sutherland betrayed the late Carhartt leader Gretchen Valade, using her "like a human ATM," a Michigan assistant attorney general asserted during opening statements Thursday in the attorney's embezzlement trial.

"Trust. That's what this case is really about. Trust and betrayal," Scott Teter, division chief of the financial crimes division for the Attorney Generals Office, told jurors in Wayne County Circuit Court during his brief opening statement.

Sutherland, of Grosse Pointe Farms, is accused of embezzling several million dollars from Valade trust funds for which Sutherland was trustee.

He is facing two counts of embezzlement over $100,000, one count of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult of $100,000 or more and one count of conducting criminal enterprises. Each count is a 20-year felony offense, the Attorney General's Office previously said.

David Sutherland, right, an attorney charged with embezzling from deceased Carhartt heiress Gretchen Valade's trust, stands after a arraignment hearing at Grosse Pointe Farms Municipal Court on Jan. 11, 2023.

Sutherland's attorney, James Joseph Sullivan, said he "would like to reserve my opening statement."

A jury of 15 people, three of whom will be alternates, was seated during the first day of the trial Wednesday, which consisted mainly of jury selection. Circuit Judge Paul John Cusick is presiding over the case, during which a total of several dozen witnesses may be called.

Sutherland was considered Valade's trusted friend

The trial is anticipated to go through at least the end of next week.

Teter told jurors that the case involves two trusts, a 1982 revocable trust and a 2009 irrevocable trust, and that Sutherland was trustee of both. He told jurors "you can't hurt the trust to help yourself," but Sutherland failed that.

Valade, a businesswoman, philanthropist and arts patron, died at her Grosse Pointe Farms home on Dec. 30, 2022. She was 97 and the granddaughter of Carhartt Inc. founder Hamilton Carhartt.

Teter told jurors she underwrote the Detroit Jazz Festival and opened the Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe in Grosse Pointe Farms. He told them her health began to decline in 2016 and she required 24-hour care a few years later. Teter showed jurors a photo of Valade at her 95th birthday in a wheelchair wearing what appeared to be colorful leis.

Valade obituary: Metro Detroit businesswoman Gretchen Carhartt Valade dies at age 97

He ticked off at least a half-dozen witnesses they would hear from during the trial, one of whom would testify that Sutherland wasn't just Valade's lawyer but also a friend. He said Valade trusted Sutherland and met with her at her home once a week.

Gretchen Carhartt Valade, metro Detroit businesswoman, philanthropist and "angel of jazz," died peacefully in her home on Dec. 30, 2022 at age 97.

Teter told jurors that Sutherland took out "millions and millions of dollars," and when confronted by one of his employees months later, Sutherland wrote a promissory note and backdated it, something that he did for two separate years. Teter said the notes were for $5 million each, but told jurors Sutherland took more money in each of those years.

An oil company and a pizza franchise

He told jurors there was "no note, no I.O.U., no nothin'."

Teter said Sutherland drafted the 2009 documents that gave him his authority over the trusts and that he billed Valade $19,000 a month to serve as her attorney and trustee. "That wasn't enough," he added.

Teter told jurors Sutherland used Valade's money to pay for his investments, including a pizza franchise in Florida and an oil company in northern Michigan that were failures but used Valade's money to stay afloat.

He said Plante Moran, a certified public accounting and business advisory firm, questioned why money was moving in and out of the 2009 trust. Teter told the jury that Sutherland didn't stop until he was removed as trustee.

Sutherland was charged in January 2023, less than two weeks after Valade died.

First-day witnesses

Prosecutors called three witnesses, including Michelle Singleton, who worked for Valade for 23 years, caring for Valade's home and then Valade personally in her later years; and Edward Doyle, an investigator with the Attorney General's Office. The third prosecution witness, Dawn Jinsky, a partner at Plante Moran, is to be cross-examined Friday when the trial resumes.

Singleton testified that Sutherland came to Valade's house every week or every other week and an accountant would leave an envelope for him, sticking up out of a book. She testified that she did not sit in on the meetings between Valade and Sutherland and was not involved in Valade's financial matters. She said a friend of Valade's, Tom Robinson, also would be at the house regularly and meet with Sutherland.

Singleton testified that Valade bought her a house and offered to buy her a car. She also testified about Valade's changing physical condition.

Doyle, who investigates vulnerable adult financial abuse cases, testified that the Attorney General's Office received a letter from the Honigman law firm in March 2022, authored by Matthew Schneider, a former U.S. attorney, and that members of the state Attorney General's Office met with Schneider and another attorney from the law firm in April 2022.

Shortly thereafter, he testified, there was a meeting with Plante Moran. In May 2022, he testified, there was a meeting in Valade's home involving Valade; her son, Mark Valade, who is chairman and CEO of Carhartt; and a Honigman attorney. In August 2022, he testified, search warrants were executed at Sutherland's law office and at the home of one of Sutherland's employees.

Doyle testified that he looked at nonprofit and business associations Sutherland had. Earlier this month, he testified, he found that Sutherland was paying taxes on two homes that are less than a mile from each other. One home was purchased in 2004, the other in 2020. The purchase value of the home bought in 2020 was $1.7 million.

Asked whether there was a connection between the properties and allegations in this case, Doyle said there was "nothing I could run back to the house."

Jinsky testified that Valade had been her client since 2017. She said she had some concerns because of some of Valade's real estate investments, and expressed her concerns to Valade's son at the end of 2019.

She said Valade created the 2009 irrevocable trust to hold a life insurance trust. Asked the state of the 2009 irrevocable trust, she testified it is now in debt by $60 million.

Jinsky testified that the trustee is the person responsible for such as trust. Plante Moran took over as trustee of the irrevocable trust in August 2020, once Sutherland was removed as trustee, and learned it was in debt.

"It was shocking," Jinsky testified, adding there was missing data in statements from Sutherland's office and it was unclear where the money went. She said there was some debt to fund Sutherland businesses and his personal purposes.

Sutherland also is accused of stealing from the trust of a Grosse Pointe Farms school in a separate case that will be tried later. He's charged with one count of embezzlement of $100,000 or more in that case.

In that case, attorneys with the state Attorney Generals Office said the allegation involves embezzlement of more than $1.4 million from the William Cardinal Foundation, which is to benefit education at St. Paul on the Lake Catholic School in Grosse Pointe Farms. That alleged crime is said to have occurred between Aug. 1, 2018, and last year, according to statements made during Sutherland's arraignment in June 2023 in Grosse Pointe Farms Municipal Court.

Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on X: @challreporter.

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Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Prosecutor: Carhartt heiress Valade's lawyer used her 'like a human ATM'
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE)  The Bernalillo County District Attorneys Office told KRQE News 13 that they have filed a motion asking a judge to reconsider the release of the suspect in a graduation shooting. Cristian Bencomo is accused of shooting his stepmother in the neck at the Albuquerque Convention Center last week.

Hobbs man sentenced to 54 years in prison for killing pregnant girlfriend

During a hearing on Tuesday, Judge Emetrio Rudolpho denied the states motion to keep him locked up until trial. The judge said Bencomo is a danger but the prosecutors did not prove there are no conditions of release that would keep the community safe.

The motion is expected to be heard on Monday. As of Wednesday evening, the Metropolitan Detention Center says Bencomo is still in custody.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
May 15, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; The State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio board member Wade Steen speaks during a board meeting. The state's second largest public pension fund, oversees about $90 billion invested on behalf of 500,000 teachers and retirees.

Yost trying to oust wrong STRS board members

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's latest assault on certain State Teachers Retirement System board members demonstrates his bias against the democratic STRS board voting process and common sense.

If he really wants to assure that the STRS board is acting in the best interest of the teachers, some of us think he would be asking for removal of the current members who authorize lavish spending on employees' and money-losing investment advisers' bonuses.

If Wade Steen and other members who favor another set of investments, which I agree do not seem very prudent, manage to convince the then-board to authorize that approach, then Yost might have a case. Right now, there is nothing but discussion, no actions.

Right now, it's just another example of publicity-hound Yost using his powers to abuse those who disagree with him.

Michael Howard, Westerville

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Wrong state teachers' pension board members being targeted in lawsuit
WELLINGTON, May 16 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand is gravely concerned about the situation in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, calling for calm, constructive dialogue, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Thursday.

The escalating situation and violent protests in Noumea, the capital, are of serious concern across the Pacific Islands region, said Peters, also New Zealand's deputy prime minister.

Protests and violence broke out on Tuesday ahead of a vote in the French National Assembly on changes to the New Caledonian constitution, according to media reports.

"The immediate priority must be for all sides to take steps to de-escalate the situation, so that there can be dialogue and calm," Peters said, adding everyone should agree that violence is harmful to every community there.

New Zealand, as a neighbor of New Caledonia and fellow member of the Pacific Islands Forum, has a strong interest in the peaceful resolution of the situation there, he said, adding France and New Zealand, as close partners in the Pacific, are urging all sides to engage in constructive dialogue.

New Zealand has been keeping abreast of developments and providing the best possible consular assistance to New Zealanders in New Caledonia, Peters said, adding Kiwis there are advised to avoid all protests and demonstrations.

French President Emmanuel Macron decided on Wednesday to declare a state of emergency in New Caledonia, a French territory comprising dozens of islands in the South Pacific, where protests have left three people dead and seriously injured a gendarme. 
Putin arrives in China and plans to have one-on-one conversation with Xi  video

Russian leader Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on 15 May, and is planning to visit the cities of Beijing and Harbin in two days.

Source: Kremlin press service; Meduza, a Latvia-based Russian news outlet

Details: This is Putin's first foreign trip since his sham re-election.

During the visit, Putin will hold talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on 16 May in both private and more open sessions, as well as one-on-one over tea and later with senior officials from both sides. This was reported by Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov at a briefing in Moscow.

Ushakov emphasised that "the most important thing in China is to have tea face-to-face."

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Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on May 16 for a two-day visit for talks with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.

Prior to his trip, Putin gave an interview to the Chinese state outlet Xinhua in which he praised the "unprecedented level of strategic partnership" between the two countries.

The trip is Putin's first official travel abroad since his inauguration for the fifth presidential term, secured in the March election broadly seen as rigged.

Xi and Putin plan to discuss a range of issues regarding their bilateral partnership and strategic interaction and identify key areas for future cooperation, the Kremlin said on May 15.

Putin will also meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang and visit the city of Harbin to take part in the opening ceremony of the eighth Russian-Chinese EXPO and the fourth Russian-Chinese Forum on Interregional Cooperation.

In the interview with Xinhua, the Kremlin's chief praised China's "active efforts to find a political solution" to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war and claimed that Moscow is seeking a "settlement of this conflict through peaceful means."

Read also: While Xi tours Europe, China feeds Russias war machine

Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, occupies a significant portion of Ukraine's territory, and carries out attacks against the Ukrainian population centers and infrastructure on a daily basis.

China officially declares itself a neutral party to Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine, but Washington has continued to sound the alarm on Beijing's support of Moscow's defense industry.

Beijing has also become Russia's economic lifeline amid tightening Western sanctions imposed on Moscow in response to the invasion. In February 2023, China published its own peace plan proposal for Ukraine, which the West criticized as working in Russia's favor.

Switzerland is scheduled to host a peace summit for Ukraine in mid-June, with 160 national delegations invited to attend. While Russia has not received an invitation, Kyiv voiced hope that Chinese representatives would participate.

Putin previously visited China last October to attend the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing.

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin will definitely discuss the war in Ukraine during discussions with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

Source: Russian publication Izvestia, citing the Russian leaders press secretary Dmitry Peskov

Quote from Peskov: "Ukraine will definitely be discussed."

Details: Peskov also added that Russia finds China's "peaceful plan regarding Ukraine" appealing and, in general, Russia allegedly welcomes any peaceful initiatives regarding the war.

"Of course, this is just the beginning of the conversation. We have a very tense discussion ahead. In addition, we are aware of the situation with the Ukrainian side, which now even legally excludes the possibility of negotiations for itself. Therefore, this process is lengthy, but the Chinese constructive position appeals to us," Peskov said.

Background: Ahead of his visit to China, on 15 May, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin granted a written interview to Chinese news agency Xinhua. In it, he reiterated his narrative regarding the war with Ukraine, once again demanded guarantees for the aggressor country Russia and complained about the sanctions imposed on it.

Why this is important: Russia invaded and occupied Ukrainian Crimea and parts of Donbas back in 2014. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, attacking peaceful settlements across the country with missiles and bombs overnight. In the first days, Russian propagandists notably spread statements about how "Russia will take Kyiv in three days". Russian soldiers advancing on Kyiv even had ceremonial dress uniforms with them to wear while marching through Khreshchatyk Street in those "three days".

However, Ukraine's Armed Forces managed to drive the Russians out of the city of Kyiv and Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts. They are continuing to hold back the Russians on other fronts.

Feeling that victory was unattainable, Russia began to spread the idea of "peaceful negotiations", by which it wanted to retain all the occupied territories. Meanwhile, the Russians are continuing to terrorise Ukraine, striking energy and civilian infrastructure and residential buildings, often at night.

The Russian army is suffering significant losses despite a vast amount of weapons and equipment. And as of the beginning of May, after over 10 years of war and over two years of full-scale invasion, the Russians have not achieved even the slightest strategic victory, which is reaching the borders of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Battles for every street and building are ongoing in the cities and villages in Ukraine's east. Russia is attempting to look for weapons and mercenaries in other countries.

Putin, in his speeches and statements, continues to distort reality, trying to portray Russia as a victim while seeking support from China and North Korea. In particular, he is purchasing missiles from North Korea, launching them on peaceful settlements in Ukraine.

Ukraine considers the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from its territory, the restoration of the Ukrainian border as established in 1991, the release of all its prisoners of war, reparations payment and war criminals being held accountable as prerequisites for negotiations. All of this is outlined in Ukraine's Peace Formula.

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Putin and Xi Vow to Step Up Fight to Counter US Containment

(Bloomberg) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin pledged to intensify cooperation against US containment of their countries, as they warned of growing nuclear tensions between rival powers.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Putin and Xi accused the US of planning to station missile systems around the world that pose a direct threat to the security of Russia and China, in a joint declaration after more than two hours of talks in Beijing on Thursday. They agreed to tighten coordination, including between their militaries, against what they called Washingtons destructive and hostile course.

The two leaders also warned of increased strategic risks from spiraling tensions between nuclear powers. They accused the US of seeking to violate the strategic nuclear balance to gain a decisive military advantage.

Putins in China on the first foreign visit since his inauguration last week for a fifth presidential term, indicating the importance of the relationship with Xi in enabling Moscow to resist unprecedented sanctions from the US and its allies over Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The leaders said preventing direct military confrontation between the nuclear powers is the priority task, but lambasted nuclear states that encroach on each others vital interests by expanding military alliances near their borders, a dig at NATO expansion in Europe and US-led efforts to forge security partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region to counter China.

Xi said China was ready to work with Russia as a good neighbor, friend and partner with mutual trust, state broadcaster China Central Television reported after the pair had met. China was prepared to consolidate the friendship between the two peoples for generations to come, he added.

Putin described the nations cooperation as one of the main stabilizing factors in the international arena, according to a video posted on a Kremlin social media account.

The two leaders declared a no-limits friendship just weeks before Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and have met more than 40 times since Xi came to power in 2012.

Driven by Russian oil and gas sales and purchases of electronics, industrial equipment and cars, Moscows trade with China hit a record $240 billion in 2023. Despite that, Chinas exports to Russia have dipped for the past two months amid mounting US threats of reprisals.

Putin wants the visit to ensure that the economic and diplomatic support that China has provided since he attacked Ukraine remains intact. The US has warned China over its trade with Russia, threatening to sanction banks that prop up the Kremlins war machine.

Sitting beside Xi at a ceremony later Thursday to sign agreements on deepening cooperation in areas ranging from energy and military exercises to AI and space exploration, Putin noted that 90% of trade between Russia and China was settled in yuan and rubles.

This means we can say our trade and investments are effectively safeguarded from the influence of third countries, he said, an apparent reference to the US and the dominant role of the greenback globally.

Putin added that Moscow and Beijing had agreed to step up banking ties and increase the use of national payment systems. Details of those agreements and the ones signed before cameras were not released.

Xi also took a veiled swipe at the US, saying that unilateral hegemony, confrontation and power politics threaten global peace and all countries security. He repeated his nations position on the war in Ukraine, saying that a political solution to the Ukraine crisis is the correct direction.

What Bloomberg Economics Says:

We expect Putin will continue to press his ultimate goal of seeing China fully replace Europe in terms of energy trade, technology transfer and financial markets. A Crussia plan would take years and billions of dollars to execute  but may be Russias only rational option if the war in Ukraine extends into the foreseeable future.

 Alex Isakov, Russia economist

For the full report, click here.

Putin said hed discuss the situation in Ukraine at informal talks with Xi that were planned for later Thursday.

The visit comes just days after Putin appointed Andrey Belousov, an economist and technocrat, as his new defense minister, replacing the long-serving Sergei Shoigu in a sign the Russian leader sees an extended conflict ahead.

In recent weeks, the US has stepped up warnings to Chinese banks and exporters about consequences if they help to bolster Russias military capacity.

In December, the Treasury Department announced it would impose secondary sanctions on banks that facilitate deals in which Russia procures semiconductors, ball bearings and other equipment necessary for its military  even if theyre unaware theyre doing so.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping put on the performance of a lifetime in Beijing on Thursday, playing peacemakers in the Ukraine crisis over a menu of peking duck and Maotai vodka even as Russian troops launch a new offensive.

In the Russian leaders first overseas trip in his fifth term as president and one of his first trips abroad since the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest, Putin gushed about Moscows limitless bond with Beijing and lapped up the fanfare surrounding his arrival, saying: I just feel right at home.

While he faces arrest if he were to set foot on the soil of many other countries, Putin was treated to a lavish ceremony at the Great Hall of the People that included a 21-gun salute, marching band, and an honor guard. Kremlin-controlled media was quick to seize on the optics of the ceremony for a flurry of reports apparently showing Putin still commands respect on the world stage.

Our cooperation in world affairs is one of the main stabilizing factors on the international stage. Together we defend the principles of fairness and the democratic world order, Putin told his Chinese counterpart, who shot back that the two countries together uphold justice in the world.

Putin went on to say, We are grateful to China for its efforts to resolve the Ukraine crisis.

Beijings efforts to help stop the war include supplying Moscow with components it needs to make weapons and proposing a peace plan that lets Russia keep the territories it seized.

A joint statement from both sides vowing to strengthen relations on the 75th anniversary of Chinese-Russian diplomatic ties claims, rather unconvincingly, that both Beijing and Moscow want to prevent any further escalation of the war.

The parties note the need to stop any steps that contribute to prolonging hostilities and further escalation of the conflict, call for preventing its transition into an uncontrollable phase, and emphasize the importance of dialogue as the optimal form of resolving the Ukrainian crisis, the statement reads.

If you find yourself wondering if thats a joke, youre not alone, as the Russian military is currently embarking on a new offensive to take Ukraines Kharkiv. Even as Putin and Xi smiled and rubbed elbows Thursday, Russian troops had begun moving into the town of Volchansk in the Kharkiv region, where local authorities said they wasted no time shooting civilians and taking them hostage.

It seems Putin and Xi can keep telling whatever narrative they like, however. Amid the deals struck and vows made Thursday, the two sides also reportedly signed documents to team up on producing propaganda. Chinas Xinhua news agency will work with Russias state-owned TASS, and will also hold a forum with the Rossiya Segodnya media group.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Xi Jinping, the President of China, and Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, agreed to work more closely together - Planetpix/Alamy Live News

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have agreed to deepen their co-operation on defence and hold more joint military drills after the Russian president arrived in Beijing for an opulent state visit.

Putin was met by his Chinese counterpart with full military honours, a band playing Soviet songs and cheering children in a grand ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing on Thursday.

The visit cemented the bond that has grown between the two autocratic leaders as China provides goods to prop up Russias war machine amid the conflict in Ukraine.

Since declaring a no-limits relationship in 2022, both men have made clear their determination to work together to reshape the US-led democratic order.

As he met his Russian counterpart, Mr Xi underscored that the two nations were thriving as good neighbours, good friends [and] good partners, while Putin said he chose China for his first trip abroad after being inaugurated to a fifth term in office to stress the unprecedented depth of their ties.

Condemning what they cast as increasingly aggressive US behaviour against their countries interests, they signed a 7,000-word joint statement on the deepening of the comprehensive partnership and strategic co-operation entering a new era.

The agreement covered co-operation on a wide range of issues, from economics and space to foreign policy positions on Ukraine and Taiwan.

The parties reiterate their serious concern over the attempts of the United States to disrupt the strategic security balance in the region, a Russian version of the document said, highlighting concerns about US missile defence capabilities.

Quid pro quo

It also specified how Russian-Chinese co-operation would improve regional and global security, committing to the expansion of joint military drills which have already become a staple of their bilateral relationship.

Combined war games, including naval drills and patrols by long-range bombers over the Sea of Japan, and ground force exercises on each others territory have alarmed the US, prompting the Pentagon to begin redrawing its own defence strategy in the potentially volatile Indo-Pacific region.

In early May, US defence officials warned the US Senate Armed Services Committee over Chinese and Russian joint military drills in the East China Sea near Taiwan.

In what appears to be a quid pro quo move for Mr Xis political support since Moscows invasion of Ukraine, Putin has repeatedly embraced Chinas territorial claims over democratic Taiwan, which Beijing has threatened to seize by force if necessary.

Chinese soldiers take part in a parade in September 2019. Beijing and Moscow agreed to deepen military co-operation during Thursday's summit - Xinhua / Barcroft Media

In a press conference on Thursday afternoon, and before they attended a celebratory concert to mark the 75th anniversary of formal China-Russia relations followed by an informal dinner, Putin said he was grateful for Chinas efforts in trying to find a solution to the war in Ukraine.

Mr Xi doubled down on Beijings support for Moscow, stating the hard-earned relationship should be cherished and that China was ready to jointly achieve the development and rejuvenation of our respective countries, and work together to uphold fairness and justice in the world.

In doing so, he indicated he would resist pressure from the West to downgrade Chinas ties with Russia.

In April, the US accused Beijing of being the top supplier to Moscow of machine tools, microelectronics, nitrocellulose and other items it considered to be of dual use for civilian and military purposes.

According to data compiled by The Economist, Chinas export to Russia of ball bearings, which are used in the manufacture of tanks, surged by nearly 170 per cent last year compared to the same period in 2021.

Russia would struggle to sustain its assault on Ukraine without Chinas support, Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, said during a visit to Beijing in April, where he cautioned that the US would take action if China did not curb the flow of goods.

Western capitals have also objected to China throwing an economic lifeline to the Kremlin, undermining tough international sanctions in response to the Ukraine war.

A lot of self-confidence

Last year, two-way trade hit a record $240.1 billion (189 billion), growing by 64 per cent since 2021, with Beijing becoming a key exporter of cars, clothing and other raw materials to Russia.

China is also a major importer of energy supplies that keep the Kremlins coffers full.

The attendance of Alexander Novak, a top official for Russian oil and gas, raised expectations that Putin would broach the issue of the Power of Siberia 2, a natural gas pipeline designed to connect Russia and China via Mongolia.

Sailors on board a Chinese naval destroyer wave to a Russian warship after a joint exercise in December 2022 - Imago / Alamy Stock Photo

The Russian president has long sought to cement an agreement on the project which would divert 50 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year to northern China - redirecting a supply that once went to Europe.

Beijing residents told AFP they thought highly of Putin.

I think he shows a lot of self-confidence and I get the impression that he likes to exercise and take care of his body, said 30-year-old financial worker Keira Che.

In short, hes someone who is charismatic, she said, adding that she hoped the visit would further boost trade.

Ms Che added: For normal people, you know, economic issues are always the most important.

It could improve peoples lives, especially those of the Chinese who live near Russia.

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A newly uncovered word puzzle written by infamous serial killer Dennis Rader, known as BTK, spells the name of a missing Oklahoma girl and the location she was last seen, authorities said.

The Osage County Sheriffs Office received the annotated puzzle in a package last month, Sheriff Eddie Virden told KFOR, highlighting words that can be connected to the disappearance of 16-year-old cheerleader Cynthia Cindy Dawn Kinney. She was last seen in June of 1976, leaving the laundromat owned by her family in Pawhuska, Oklahoma.

Rader originally sent the puzzle to a Kansas news station in 2004. It has since been posted elsewhere, including a website devoted to the Zodiac Killers ciphers, with different solutions.

A word puzzle created by infamous serial killer BTK spells the name and other details about missing Oklahoma girl Cynthia Kinney, as well as the names of 10 of his known murder victims. Osage County Sheriffs Office

The new puzzle, marked in red pen, follows the guidelines of a path finder puzzle  letters connected by crisscrossing lines. The puzzle had previously been interpreted as a more straightforward word finder, solved by circling consecutive letters.

The woman who sent the package, and wishes to remain anonymous, told the sheriff in a letter not to view it as a puzzle.

View the puzzle as a map that Rader created to plot his victims, she wrote, according to KFOR.

Last August, sheriffs officials named Rader as a prime suspect in Kinneys disappearance and dug up the property where his family once lived in Park City, Kansas. They believe his job as a security system installer at the time and one of his journal entries could place him at the scene where she vanished, the sheriff said in a press release.

This journal entry alludes to a significant event marked as PJ-Bad Wash Day during a period in which Rader acknowledged being outside the Wichita area, the press release says, noting that PJ is Raders abbreviation of project, a word he used for his potential victims.

Words that can be found in the newly interpreted puzzle are Cindy, Kinney, Osage, Laundry Mat, Pawhuska and Kihekah. The name of Kinneys familys laundromat was Osage Laundry, and it was located on Kihekah Avenue in Pawhuska.

The names of BTKs 10 known murder victims and his Kansas home address can also be found in the puzzle, KFOR said.

The sheriffs office provided the corresponding documents to HuffPost. The first document is a tip letter from an anonymous source contributing to the investigation. The second document provides a breakdown of each name or word mentioned in the tip letter, presented on separate pages for clarity.

In September, the sheriff announced the formation of a BTK task force, which in addition to members of law enforcement includes a number of high-profile true crime figures such as Nancy Grace and Paul Holes. Writer Kerri Rawson, Raders daughter, was an original member of the task force and talked about meeting her father in prison last summer for the first time since his conviction, but announced her resignation in November. She continues to work with law enforcement agencies in her role as a protected witness, she said.

Writer Kerri Rawson, Dennis Rader's daughter, was one of the original members of a task force formed to look for evidence of other potential victims. Travis Heying/Wichita Eagle/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Rawson, a vocal advocate for crime victims, referred to her fathers puzzles in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday, saying that she had known about recent developments, but the unexpected media coverage caused her to relive past trauma.

[Twenty] years ago this month, my dad made a word search puzzle, and dropped it off at the mailbox, mailing it to local tv news, before driving with my mom & brother to visit me in Michigan. It had been 9 months since I had last seen my family, and it was our last vacation. He was arrested 9 months later, and not long after that I sat down with that word search for the 1st time. Quickly finding my own address, Rawson said.

Rawson said she wasnt told that the new details about the case would be shared with the media.

And then came the PTSD, she said. Anything unexpected can and will send it flying.

Rader, now 79, is currently serving 10 consecutive life sentences for the murders of 10 people between 1974 and 1991.

Cynthia Dawn Kinney went missing in 1976. Osage County Sheriff's Office

Related...
SEOUL, May 16 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's shipping cost for imports from Europe kept a double-digit growth for the third consecutive month in April due to geopolitical risks around the Red Sea, customs office data showed Thursday.

The average shipping cost for a 40-foot container from the European Union (EU) to South Korea surged 32.8 percent in April from a month earlier after jumping 37.7 percent in February and 11.6 percent in March, according to Korea Customs Service.

The higher shipping cost was attributed to the ongoing tensions around the Red Sea that forced shipping companies to suspend transit through the Middle East maritime route.

The shipping cost for South Korea's exports to the EU reduced 6.9 percent in April from a month earlier, but compared to the same month of last year, it spiked 42.6 percent.

The average fare for air transport from the EU to South Korea declined 6.9 percent in April on a monthly basis.

The figures included freight rates, commissions and other charges reported by local companies. 
Python hunters must humanely kill snakes: How Florida has cracked down in contests through the years

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.  A hunter shooting a gun to kill a python? Forbidden.

What about freezing the snake to kill it? Prohibited.

A python run over by a car? Not allowed.

These types of killings have happened before, though rarely. So how is someone supposed to properly kill a snake in the Python Challenge, the state-led contest that sends hunters scouring the Everglades for them each year? Details about the deaths of nearly 1,000 hunted snakes come to light in records that document the states enforcement efforts.

The state records, reviewed by the South Florida Sun Sentinel, illustrate the many times snakes were properly captured and killed. And they also document the fraction of snakes that werent. The records, which date from 2013 to 2023, also show the agencies behind the tournament have kept adjusting the rules to stamp out fraud and keep any unethical snake slashing to a minimum.

There is vigilance to ensure snakes dont suffer. And more rules could be on tap for the next upcoming challenge.

We take the issue of humane treatment of all animals very, very seriously, said Mike Kirkland, a senior invasive animal biologist with the South Florida Water Management District, which operates a python contractor program and assists with the states Python Challenge.

Heres a closer look at the efforts.

A popular competition

The contest draws people from around the world to South Florida to kill Burmese pythons for sport. The state says the competition garners crucial awareness about the harm invasive pythons are causing to the Everglades. Last year, more than 1,000 hunters participated in the event.

Financial awards are in store for contest winners, including for the novice, professional and military competitors who catch the longest snakes.

A key concern always is if the snakes are humanely euthanized, which involves pithing, or the manual destruction of a pythons brain to limit any pain or suffering. Reptiles differ from mammals in how they express pain or suffering, in that reptiles do not respond to it much at all, at least not in obvious ways.

A mammal might cry out, you know, if you have a dog or cat, it hurts its paw, it might limp or it might whimper, Kirkland said. Just like if I have a cold, Ill complain to my wife all day long that I dont feel well. But reptiles seem to be a little bit more stoic, and they dont express themselves the same way.

For a snake to be humanely euthanized, two critical steps must be taken.

The first is to render the reptile unconscious either through a shot to the head with a weapon such as a captive bolt or air gun.

The second step is where the pithing part comes in. A tool such as a screwdriver, pick or spike is jammed into the snakes head to smash its brain, hardly an easy process.

Pythons are very resilient animals, Kirkland said. Any connected brain tissue to the spinal column could mean that the animal is still conscious. So thats why pithing as a secondary euthanasia method is required.

Minding the rules

Hosting the contest has led to a team-up of many entities: The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and South Florida Water Management District get assistance from the University of Florida. UF was first contracted and paid by SFWMD in 2013 to provide science support, said Frank Mazzotti, a UF wildlife ecology professor.

Thats because UF has the staff and facilities and experience necessary to be the objective third-party experts for these events, Kirkland added.

UF handles the necropsy examinations  how the python died  which eliminates any concerns of a bias for any of the challenge participants, Kirkland said. UF also determines metrics, such as the length of each snake captured, and from that information, contest winners are selected.

Prize determinations are conducted by the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida with the FWC and SFWMD, based on the data collected by UF, which informs of any potential issues, an FWC spokesperson wrote in an email.

Records from the FWC and UF  obtained by the Sun Sentinel in response to a public-records request  show that a system, often color coded, is employed to flag captured pythons for a range of actions that go against the rules, such as turning in snakes that havent been killed properly, snakes captured and killed outside of the contest boundaries, or snakes that are not pythons at all but rather native to the Everglades, such as a salt marsh snake. Some of these actions resulted in consequences, such as competitors being eliminated from the challenge, or pythons not counting toward the total contest sum.

Snakes may be flagged with various colors based on the reason for potential elimination of the snakes or the contestant, the records from 2021 state.

No one color-coded flagging system is the identical, though. Each years contest has seen a different iteration.

In 2021, three marks were given to three snakes that were killed by a firearm, which is prohibited.

In 2020, a hunter was eliminated from the challenge for freezing snakes, which is considered an inhumane method of euthanasia.

Pythons also cannot be hit by a car as a way to kill them, and in 2023, two marks were given to snakes that had been hit by a car  a roadkill snake, as the records note  and they were not included in the total python count.

Theres been an evolution of the color schemes, Mazzotti said. Theres been an evolution of concerns over participant behavior. Weve tried to get better every year.

Documenting concerns

The state records highlight the scrutiny that dead snakes receive.

In one snakes case in the 2023 contest, the level of its brain destruction was uncertain. Similar observations, some generating more gruesome imagery than others, were jotted down for other pythons, resulting in a range of marks, explaining why a competitors catch was flagged. Skull destroyed beyond what would be expected.  Seemed a bit over the top, one entry notes.

In 2023, of the 209 total pythons counted as being removed during the challenge, there were 40 snakes flagged, with 24 of the 40 receiving a mark for insufficient pithing.

In 2022, of the official 231 snakes removed for the challenge, about 40 of the nearly 100 that were flagged noted pithing issues.

And in 2021, of the 223 pythons counting toward the challenge, at least 40 of the more than 50 flagged snakes received notes about pithing issues or arriving to the check station still alive. Often, the observations about those pythons state they either were not pithed at all or if they were, the brain was not fully destroyed.

In 2020, a color-coded flagging system appears to exist, but it differs from the ones that succeed it. Marks were given for factors such as missing coordinates of a captured python and euthanasia by freezing.

Because the challenge did not become consecutive until 2020, the only two other challenges before then were in 2016 and 2013, when it does not appear to have color-coded systems to the same capacities as more recent years, but detailed notes about each submission and disqualifiers are still evident. And just because a snake was flagged did not mean it did not contribute to the challenges total python count; in most cases, it still counted toward the python tally.

The challenges rules, flagging systems and overall guidance have progressed throughout the years, Mazzotti said.

Theres been a constant evolution, and as problems were recognized, we took steps to correct them, he said.

Lessons learned

UF drafted summary reports at the conclusion of the competitions that offer a rundown on what happened and recommendations for the future.

For example, in the 2023 report, UF recommended a detailed video demonstrating proper euthanasia techniques be made available to participants to provide a visual demonstration of humane euthanasia techniques, with particular focus on proper brain pithing.

In 2021, UF recommended participants vehicles be checked by the check station operator before entering and when exiting the approved search area to prevent snakes captured outside of the challenge time frame and hunt areas from being submitted.

With the announcement of 2024s challenge likely around the corner  last years was announced on May 24  Mazzotti said UF and the other participating agencies will talk about the lessons learned from last year, if there are any new concerns and if regulations need to be more specific.

The goal is not to go on a disqualification spree. The challenge has been created with the intent of encouraging people to participate, Mazzotti said.

Were very flexible and very adaptive, he said.

But disqualifications do still happen, especially if euthanasia standards are not met.

It might have been in the past that individual snakes were disqualified but other entries were allowed by the same participant, Kirkland said. But if that was the case, its no longer the case. If one participant has a disqualified python because it didnt meet the euthanasia standards as determined by the UF examiners, then that participant is disqualified from the entire event now.

Any disqualifications, though rare, just go to show how seriously we take the humane treatment of these invasive animals while simultaneously protecting our native wildlife.

Serpent fraud?

Other marks throughout the years include incomplete data about where a snake was caught and when, turning in snakes still alive or turning in snakes that were captured and killed outside of the challenge.

Say a month before the competition, you catch a 14-footer and you go, Oh maybe I can win with this,  Mazzotti said. So you put it in the freezer.

But for those potentially caught committing serpent fraud, the consequences could be grim. If a python contractor were to falsify information during the challenge, they could be kicked out of the challenge.

Its unclear exactly how many python hunters or their catches have been eliminated. None of those behind the contest gave definitive figures on that aspect of enforcement.

If the hunters happen to be a part of the FWC or SFWMDs python-elimination programs  which are efforts that run continually  they could be removed from those programs, too. SFWMD only has 50 contractor spots, and the agency gets 100 new applications every week, Kirkland said.

If youre going to try to cheat, per se, in any way, shape or form, that would be a very big risk to give up your privileges for one of the most coveted positions in the state, Kirkland said.

I love pythons

For those considering competing in the python challenges or a career in python hunting, SFWMD python elimination specialist Donna Kalil believes they should be free from common misconceptions about the activity.

People shouldnt enter into this realm for money, if they think theyll be slinging snakes every night or if they tend to be impatient. Poor vision might not be a great asset, either, she said.

Kalil, who has competed in all six python challenges and, as of last Wednesday, caught 863 pythons throughout her entire career as a hunter, said she lives a nearly nocturnal life hunting pythons four nights a week because shes an environmentalist.

If you dont love being out there, you have no reason to be out looking for pythons because if youre not finding them, youre not going to enjoy your time, she said.

Like many other python hunters and scientists, killing the animal is Kalils least favorite part.

I love pythons. Theyre beautiful, she said. Unfortunately they dont belong there, through no fault of their own, but they dont belong, and theyre causing so much havoc to our native species.  Its one python to several 100 animals that its going to take out.

Its not an easy thing to do, she said.
Neil Steinberg was confirmed as chairman of the state's new confirmation to Life Sciences Hub Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, at the Rhode island State House. (Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current)

Rather than race against the legislative clock to find its first president, the Rhode Island Life Science Hub board of directors is opting for a short-term solution to fill a leadership void.

The 15-member, volunteer board of directors voted at a special meeting Wednesday to hire an interim president and CEO, while continuing its search for a full-time, permanent administrative leader, Neil Steinberg, board chairman, said in an interview Thursday. The boards Wednesday vote came after a closed-door discussion of next steps in the nationwide search, Steinberg said.

The 2023 state law creating the quasi-public agency charged with boosting Rhode Islands life science industry requires the Rhode Island Senate to review and approve a full-time president. That means the boards selection must be made before the Rhode Island General Assembly finishes the legislative session in late June  or else wait until the beginning of the 2025 session in January.

In April, Steinberg said he was confident in making the June deadline, with seven semifinalists already plucked from the field of 100-plus applicants.

Now, Steinberg thinks the timeline is unrealistic.

Its just taking longer, he said, citing logistical steps such as reviewing submission materials and coordinating schedules among the 15-member board.

Were trying to take great care to make sure whoever is chosen is the best fit for the job.

Hiring an interim president will not need Senate approval, Steinberg said. The board has not made a final decision on who to hire as interim president, and Steinberg remained noncommittal when asked if there was someone in mind.

Thats in the eye of the beholder, he said, later adding that the temporary leader would be someone qualified but who doesnt want the full time job.

Asked whether its safe to assume the temporary resident is someone already in Rhode Island:

Go and assume so, Steinberg answered.

He expected the board to announce its decision for an interim president next month.

Meanwhile, the search for a permanent president continues, with Steinberg again declining to share specifics on whether any of the seven semifinalists had been interviewed, or were even still in the running.

We have not concluded the process, Steinberg said.

Also unchanged, for now: the wide-ranging salary for the administrative hire. Prior to beginning its search in January, consulting firm Korn Ferry suggested an annual salary ranging from $250,000 to $400,000. The money for both an interim and permanent president will come from the $45 million agency allotment included in the states fiscal 2024 spending plan.

Despite setbacks in the hiring timeline, Steinberg insisted the agencys work would not suffer.

We have a very engaged board with great leadership and a very engaged sector to work with, he said.

The agencys first public event, a daylong summit and networking forum scheduled for Tuesday, May 21, at the Rhode Island Convention Center, had 550 attendees pre-registered as of Thursday, Steinberg said.

Separately, the board issued a competitive solicitation seeking a private developer or partner to help develop wet lab and incubator spaces, which is one of the duties outlined in the Rhode Island Life Science Hub Act. Responses were due Wednesday, but the number and scope of the proposals were not immediately available.

The post R.I. Life Science Hub board looks for temporary hire while permanent president search continues appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Race Across the World fans stunned as stars make nightmare travel mistake again

Race Across the World has aired yet more travel drama as the contestants get closer and closer to the finish line.

The latest episode of the BBC show saw the teams leave Thailand for Malaysia as they make their way to Lombok and the 20,000 cash prize.

However, brother-sister duo Betty and James found their journey thrown into chaos when they left their passports on the bus they caught from Bagan Sungai Burong.

After getting off the bus, which was set to return to Ipoh, around two hours away, Betty realised she was missing her bumbag with the essential travel documents.

BBC

Related: Race Across the World confirms why contestants couldn't go through China

The following morning, the bus driver met the pair at the bus station to reunite them with their belongings, allowing them to continue in the competition.

"From now, I will be enjoying every moment because you dont actually know when its going to come to an end. And I give James permission to slap me round the face or something with my passport," Betty said.

This is the second time the duo had misplaced their passports  just weeks ago, James left his in his bumbag on a bench.



While travelling to the Thailand checkpoint, Betty and James went through Cambodian capital Phnom Penh when he boarded a tuk-tuk without his bag.

BBC

Related: Maya Jama tries to explain Love Island to King Charles

Luckily, he managed to run back and find it, and their passports, though their Cambodian money had been stolen.

Fans of the show took to social media to air their anxieties over the latest fiasco, branding the duo "extremely lucky" but also "extremely careless".

"Can production just hold on to Betty and James passports please? My heart cant take this anymore 3rd time," one user wrote.

Another added: "Betty & James have the most lovely relationship. Keep your passport in your socks from now on though."

Studio Lambert/Pete Dadds/Matt Burlem - BBC

Related: Richard Madeley confirms he's been asked to do Strictly

A third posted: "Betty and James are playing with my emotions tonight!! So happy they found the passports."

The final episode of the show airs on June 5  hopefully without any more passports going walkies.

Race Across the World airs at 9pm on Wednesday nights on BBC One, and streams on iPlayer. A fifth season has been confirmed.

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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  More youths accused of serious crimes in North Carolina would be automatically tried in adult court in legislation that advanced through the state Senate on Wednesday.

The measure approved 41-4 reworks some of the bipartisan juvenile justice reforms approved by the General Assembly that ended in late 2019 the mandate that 16- and 17-year-olds be tried in the adult criminal justice system.

The bills chief proponent says the changes will ease backed-up juvenile court caseloads for prosecutors by putting matters that ultimately will end up in adult Superior Court immediately there instead.

The Raise the Age law was designed to reduce recidivism through the services offered to youths in the juvenile system and help young people avoid having lifetime criminal records if tried in adult courts. Juvenile records are confidential.

The current law says that 16- and 17-year-olds accused of the most serious felonies, from murder and rape to violent assaults and burglary, must be transferred to Superior Court after the notice of an indictment being handed up or when a hearing determines there is probable cause a crime was committed. Prosecutors have discretion in keeping cases for some of the lower-grade felonies in juvenile court.

The measure now heading to the House would do away with the transfer requirement for most of these high-grade felonies  usually the most violent  by trying these young people in adult court to begin with.

Sen. Danny Britt, a Robeson County Republican, said the provision addresses a convoluted transfer process for juvenile defendants, the bulk of whom are winding up in adult court anyway.

Like any law that we pass in this body, there are some kind of boots-on-ground impacts that we need to look at, Britt, a defense attorney and former prosecutor, said in a committee earlier Wednesday. And if we see that things are not going as smoothly as what we want them to go in the judicial system, and there are ways to make things go smoother  we need to adjust what weve done.

The bill also would create a new process whereby a case can be removed from Superior Court to juvenile court  with the adult records deleted  if the prosecutor and the defendants attorney agree to do so.

Advocates for civil rights and the disabled fear legislators are dismantling the Raise the Age changes, which they say help more young people adjudicated in the juvenile system access mental health treatment and other services in youth centers before they return to their communities.

When someone is in adult court, a defendants name is public and its harder to get the person to cooperate and testify against more culpable people, said Liz Barber with the North Carolina chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

It is going to be a harder lift for those juvenile defense attorneys to convince a prosecutor who already has them in adult court to remand someone down to juvenile court than it is if you have someone in juvenile court and getting them to keep them there, Barber told the Senate Rules Committee.

Britt rejected the idea that the changes were harming the Raise the Age effort.

The juvenile transfer change was sought in part by the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys, which represents the states elected local prosecutors.

North Carolina had been the last state in which 16- and 17-year-olds were automatically prosecuted as adults. These youths are still tried in adult court for motor vehicle-related crimes.

The Senate on Wednesday also approved unanimously and sent to the House a measure portrayed as modernizing sex-related crimes, particularly against minors, in light of new technology like artificial intelligence.

The bill, for example, creates new sexual exploitation of a minor counts that make it a lower-grade felony to possess or distribute obscene sexual material of a child engaging in sexual activity, even if the minor doesnt actually exist.

And a new sexual extortion crime would address someone who threatens to disclose or who refuses to delete a sex-related private image unless cash or something else of value is received.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS17.com.
Bail set at $4 million for firefighter charged with selling drugs in downtown Raleigh

A judge set bail at $4 million each Thursday afternoon for a Raleigh firefighter and his wife accused of selling drugs in and around businesses in Glenwood South and the downtown Raleigh area.

Nicholas Benjamin Banister, 35, was arrested and charged with multiple offenses including trafficking cocaine, LSD, ecstasy and amphetamines. Amanda Lee Banister, 35, was also arrested and charged with multiple drug charges.

Alcohol Law Enforcement officers began an investigation into the pair and reportedly bought cocaine, LSD, ketamine and MDMA from the two in April, according to a news release and copies of their arrest warrants.

A search warrant of a home on Long Cove Court found:

884 grams of cocaine,

540 grams of ketamine

325 grams of MDMA

16 pounds of marijuana

13.6 ounces of psilocybin mushrooms,

3,383 methamphetamine pills,

9,283 Xanax pills,

216 dosage units of LSD

two firearms

a pill press

$69,050

ALE special agents work to address criminal activity at ABC permitted businesses throughout the state Bryan House, director of N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement, said in the news release.This investigation into drug dealing around establishments in the Glenwood South and downtown Raleigh areas uncovered the Banisters elaborate drug trafficking operation.

Banister, whose passport was seized, is a senior Raleigh firefighter and has worked for the city since 2013. He is on administrative leave, according to the city.

According to the release, Banister was charged with:

Possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine (3 counts),

Selling and delivery of cocaine (3 counts),

Possession with intent to sell and deliver ketamine (2 counts),

Selling and delivery of ketamine

Possession with intent to sell and deliver LSD,

Selling and delivery of LSD,

Possession with intent to sell and deliver MDMA,

Selling and delivery of MDMA,

Conspiracy to sell/distribute cocaine,

Conspiracy to sell/distribute ketamine,

Conspiracy to sell/distribute LSD,

Maintain a vehicle for use, storage and sale of controlled substances (3 counts),

Trafficking cocaine (4 counts)

Trafficking in MDMA

Trafficking in amphetamine

Trafficking in LSD (4 counts),

Trafficking in marijuana

Possession with intent to sell and deliver psilocybin mushrooms,

Possession with intent to sell and deliver Xanax,

Maintaining a dwelling to keep and/or sell controlled substances,

Manufacturing MDMA,

Crime in Glenwood South

Police and the city of Raleigh have cracked down on the nightlife district on the edge of downtown after repeated complaints from nearby residents and businesses.

Police Chief Estella Patterson said recent increased crime statistics, including a tripling of illegal guns seized, show the departments zero-tolerance approach to crime in Glenwood South and the downtown core. Law enforcement have increased their presence in the area especially on weekend nights.

The city has also increased fines for people parking in nearby neighborhoods and adopted new fines for noise violations.
Rally held in support of Briton arrested in Qatar after being 'trapped' by police on Grindr

The rally was held outside the Foreign Office on Thursday (National Aids Trust)

The family of a Briton arrested in Qatar after being trapped by a fake Grindr account have held a rally outside the Foreign Office in a bid to secure his return.

Manuel Guerrero Avina was arrested in February in what relatives say was a police sting on the gay dating app, and has since been denied access to vital HIV medication. Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar.

On Thursday evening, supporters held a rally calling for Foreign Secretary David Cameron to personally intervene in the case amid growing concern about Mr Avinas welfare.

Supporters said that while in custody, the dual British-Mexican national has been subjected to homophobic abuse and discrimination due to his HIV status, and has had food and water withheld from him.

Amnesty International is among the human rights groups raising alarm, dubbing his treatment nothing short of horrific.

Manuel Guerrero Avina (QatarFreeManuel)

Speaking ahead of the demonstration, Deborah Gold, Chief Executive of National AIDS Trust, called for Lord Cameron to step in, saying: Our government has a duty to protect its citizens whenever they face this kind of intolerable discrimination overseas.

Manuel has been deprived of the HIV medication that he needs to stay well, in a clear and abhorrent breach of his rights, she said.

We have grave concerns about his health and wellbeing if he is imprisoned in Qatar.

Qatar has charged the 44-year-old with possession of methamphetamine, and insisted his arrest is not related to his sexuality.

But Mr Avina denies they were his and says they were planted on him by police.

A cross-party group of 30 MPs and peers earlier on Thursday wrote to Lord Cameron to express their concerns over the case.

The UK government must demonstrate its willingness to protect a British citizen who was targeted on the basis of his sexual orientation, had his lifesaving medication witheld, and who has reported ill-treatment and torture, the group, which includes Labour MP John McDonnell and Tory MP Caroline Nokes, said.

Qatar is expected to hand down its sentence on June 4.

In a letter responding to the case last month, the Foreign Secretary said officials were taking it extremely seriously and offering consular support.

However, he added that under diplomatic conventions the UK could not interfere with the judicial affairs of other countries.

Consular officials remain in close contact with him and have previously been in contact with his family to provide support, he said. That will continue until his case is resolved.
A ballot for Alaska's Nov. 8, 2022, general election is seen on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, the first day of early voting. (Photo by James Brooks / Alaska Beacon)

Louisiana House lawmakers approved a bill Wednesday to outlaw ranked-choice voting, a method of elections some claim is too susceptible to fraud even though thousands of military members have used it for decades.

Senate Bill 101, sponsored by Sen. Blake Miguez, R-New Iberia, passed the House in a 74-22 vote and will return to the Senate for concurrence before heading to Gov. Jeff Landry, who is expected to sign it into law.

The vote fell mostly along party lines with every Republican voting in favor of the proposal and most Democrats voting against it except for Reps. Roy Daryl Adams of Jackson, Marcus Bryant of New Iberia, Robby Carter of Amite and Steven Jackson of Shreveport.

Miguezs bill prohibits local governments from holding ranked-choice elections, with an exception for out-of-state military members who have used it in Louisiana elections for decades.

Ranked-choice voting, also called instant-runoff voting, allows voters to list candidates in order of preference rather than select just one. It has grown increasingly popular across the country for its ability to temper extreme partisanship and give moderates and third-party candidates a better chance in elections.

When ballots are tallied on Election Day, the race is over if any candidate nets more than 50% of the first-place votes that are cast. If no candidate gets a majority in the first round, then the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. If a voters first choice is eliminated, rather than his vote being wasted, it is applied to his second favorite candidate. The process continues with the lowest ranking candidates being tossed out until one candidate gets more than half of the votes.

During committee hearings on the bill, Miguez falsely claimed ranked-choice voting guarantees that ballots are thrown in the trash. It echoes national lobby groups that have blamed ranked-choice voting for helping defeat their preferred candidates and are now trying to get states to ban it.

Military service members stationed out of state or overseas have used ranked choice to vote in Louisiana elections with no issues since the 1990s. There has never been evidence that their ballots have been disposed of without being counted as Miguez claimed.

Rep. Beau Beaullieu, R-New Iberia, presented the bill to the House floor Wednesday on behalf of Miguez, claiming ranked choice disenfranchises voters. He was unable to offer specifics when House Democrats pressed him on the claim and asked why, if the claim is true, has it never disenfranchised Louisianas military voters.

Miguezs bill is part of Republican Secretary of State Nancy Landrys legislative agenda. Landry has argued ranked-choice voting can sometimes be complex and confusing, which is believed to have been the case in some elections.

An analysis of a 2004 ranked-choice election in San Francisco found that it might have led to lower engagement among African Americans, Latinos, less educated voters and those whose first language was not English, according to the Alaska Policy Forum.

However, other states and municipalities report success with ranked choice. Polling after the 2021 election in Utah found 86% of voters liked the system, and 81% said it was easy or somewhat easy to use, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

Ranked-choice voting is used in more than 50 cities across 14 states. Colorado, Nevada and Oregon are on track to consider adopting it this year for statewide elections. It is even credited with helping Republicans break a decade-long losing streak in Virginia with the 2021 election of Gov. Glen Youngkin.

Like Miguezs bill, legislation in four other southern states seeking to ban ranked-choice voting includes exceptions for overseas military voters.

The post Ranked-choice voting close to being illegal in Louisiana appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator.
Recent changes in Ohio make it easier to force landowners to allow oil and gas drilling

A fracking rig in a cornfield. (Getty Images.)

Ohio has seen a big jump in the number of agency orders forcing property owners to allow oil and gas development on their land, whether they want it or not.

The number of so-called unitization orders issued by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has surged in recent years, peaking at 112 in 2022 and continuing at nearly 100 last year, according to data obtained from the agency by the Energy News Network.

The practice is common, with rules varying by state. In Ohio, lawmakers began working to streamline the process for oil and gas companies in 2019, coinciding with a decline in the states gas production after a seven-year fracking boom.

Those changes run contrary to other efforts in Ohio to restrict energy development in the name of neighbors private property rights, including strict wind farm setbacks passed in 2014 and a 2021 law allowing counties to block new wind and solar projects.

Under Ohio law, companies must meet several conditions before initiating unitization, including a showing that at least 65% of property owners in a project area consent to drilling.

Critics say the process was already tilted in the companies favor, and that the recent changes will make it even harder to block drilling or negotiate concessions.

All the cards are stacked against us, said Patrick Hunkler. In 2018, ODNR issued an unitization order for property he and his wife, Jean Backs, own in Belmont County, which is one of the states top-producing counties for oil and gas. The developer later canceled the project, so the order was revoked. More recently, Ascent Resources had tried to lease their land before backing out.

The legal process known as unitization has been available to Ohio oil and gas companies since 1965 but was rarely used until about a decade ago, after advances in drilling technology made it profitable to tap into harder-to-develop pockets of petroleum.

The unitization process exists to protect the rights of those  who want to lease their minerals for development, said Rob Brundrett, president of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, so that a small minority of owners  cannot stop everyone else from realizing the full potential of their property and minerals.

For petroleum companies, the process has also promoted efficient oil and gas extraction. Otherwise, reduced pressure from too many wells could reduce the total recovery from an area.

Companies must show they have consent from owners of 65% of the area above a common oil and gas deposit before they can seek a unitization order. Companies also must show they tried to reach an agreement with holdouts, and that drilling under those properties is necessary to substantially increase the amount of oil and gas recovered. Any added value must also exceed the related costs.

Our experience at the unitization hearing was that oil and gas runs the show, Backs said.

Hearings dont consider environmental impacts or other reasons landowners might not want drilling and fracking. Its just not part of the evaluation, said Heidi Robertson, a Cleveland State University law professor who has written about unitization. Rather, she said, the basic question is: Will adding this land to the unit make it easier for the developer to more efficiently and more profitably get the oil and gas out of the ground?

The answer is almost always yes.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has denied only one unitization application since 2012, according to spokesperson Andy Chow. Meanwhile, it has approved more than 500 applications, with more than half the orders issued after 2020. The agency hired an additional employee in 2021 to deal with an increase in applications, Chow said.

Owners whose property is unitized wont have pads or roads on their property, but they still get royalties and other payments. Ohio law requires just and reasonable compensation for landowners.

In most cases that compensation starts with a 12.5% royalty. Additional payments are adjusted for the developers expenses and other factors and the compensation is often smaller than that for voluntary participants. Orders typically have let companies recoup twice those amounts before unitized landowners can get payouts beyond royalties, said attorney Matthew Onest, whose firm has represented multiple landowners in oil and gas matters.

In some cases, property owners must wait even longer. At a March 27 hearing, for example, drilling company EAP Ohio asked for a 500% penalty for owners who did not agree to a lease. Anna Biblowitz, a negotiator for Encino Energy, claimed the higher penalty was justified by the developers risk and as a motivator for other working interest owners to participate. A ruling in the case is due this month.

Why are there more orders?

Some property owners, including Backs and Hunkler, worry about climate change and other environmental impacts. They said companies wouldnt agree to requested lease terms for no flaring, methane monitoring and monitoring of the spring on their property.

These oil and gas companies arent addressing the important issues of our environment, Hunkler said.

Other landowners may hold out because they want more money, said Onest. They kind of dig their heels in, he said.

Industry experts said market forces could partially explain the rise in unitization cases. Property owners could hold out more often because they want higher payments like others got early on in the states fracking boom. Or, higher oil prices might be motivating companies to pursue projects that once seemed too complicated to be worthwhile.

State officials have made the process easier, too. In 2019, lawmakers added language about how to calculate the 65% threshold, tucking the terms into a 2,600-page state budget law. Matt Hammond, who was then president of the Ohio Oil & Gas Association, told lawmakers the added language was meant to clarify the law.

In practice, the change likely lowered a barrier for companies to use the tool, according to Clif Little, an Ohio State University Extension educator in Old Washington, Ohio. If youre seeing actually more [cases] for forced unitization, that would be a significant player in that, Little said.

Another law passed in 2022 requires the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to hold hearings on unitization applications within 60 days. The agency must rule within 60 days of the hearing, and also let companies know in advance if an application is incomplete.

For industry, the primary benefit from the 2022 law change was to get certainty about timing. This impacted how a producer was able to plan their drilling schedules, said Mike Chadsey, director of external affairs for the Ohio Oil and Gas Association.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources also changed its guidelines last year to standardize unitization applications. The agencys website said the changes were aimed at streamlining the review process and that applications would include fewer documents.

Among other things, companies dont need to file testimony from engineers, geologists and landmen in advance of hearings  something they had generally done in the past, said Robertson at Cleveland State. In her view, that further limits any dissenting landowners ability to prepare challenges to such testimony when the hearing does take place.

The Covid-19 pandemic also affected unitization hearings, which are now generally held via Zoom. Allowing these meetings to be held via Zoom is a benefit to all parties involved, Chadsey said, adding that its more convenient for landowners.

Folks in suits and ties had to come from out of state when ODNR held the unitization hearing for Hunkler and Backs property back in 2017. With a remote format, though, the hearing panel and company personnel dont have to look at you in person, Hunkler said.

Oil and gas companies said they take every step to avoid forced leases, but that unitization is an important tool when that is not possible.

When those means are exhausted, which often includes situations of poor record-keeping or the inability to locate an owner, unitization can be a tool to ensure property and mineral rights are realized by all stakeholders, said Zack Arnold, president and CEO of Infinity Natural Resources.

Jackie Stewart, vice president of external affairs for Encino Energy voiced a similar position. Encino makes every attempt to lease all landowners in each unit and only utilized unitization after all leasing efforts are exhausted, so the property rights of Ohios landowners can be realized, she said.

This isnt something any lawyer can handle. You have to be an expert in this stuff, Robertson said. And all the experts are on the other side, because thats where the money is.

Robertson is unaware of any legislation to make matters fairer for landowners who dont want to lease their land. And gerrymandering makes it unlikely such bills will be passed anytime soon. As she sees it, the process is stacked against the dissenting landowner.

This article first appeared on Energy News Network and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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The post Recent changes in Ohio make it easier to force landowners to allow oil and gas drilling appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
CANBERRA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Australia's unemployment rate rose for a second straight month to 4.1 percent in April.

According to official figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Thursday, the unemployment rate rose from 3.9 percent in March to 4.1 percent in April -- the equal-highest rate since January 2022.

The rise in the unemployment rate came despite the number of employed Australians increasing by 38,500 people between March and April, with a 44,600 rise in part-time positions partially offset by a 6,100 fall in full-time roles.

In the same period, the number of unemployed people -- meaning those who are not employed but are actively looking for work -- rose by 30,300 to 604,200.

The participation rate, which measures the proportion of the working-age population who are either employed or looking for work, rose slightly to 66.7 percent in April from 66.6 percent in March.

"The employment-to-population ratio remained steady at 64.0 percent in April, indicating that recent employment growth is broadly keeping pace with population growth," Bjorn Jarvis, head of labor statistics at the ABS, said in a media release.

"This suggests that the labour market remains tight, though less tight than late 2022 and early 2023."

The total number of hours worked by Australians was 1.96 billion in April -- 15 million fewer than in April 2023.

The federal budget handed down by Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Tuesday projected that unemployment would rise to 4.25 percent by June 2024 and to 4.5 percent by June 2025. 
Sen. Dina Neal, left, and NSHE Regent Laura Perkins. (Photos: Trevor Bexon/Nevada Current; Nevada System of Higher Education)

Policy, politics and progressive commentary

Democratic state Sen. Dina Neal is facing a challenge from a higher education regent in a primary race where the outcome will determine who represents the district for the next four years.

SD4 is a heavily Democratic district encompassing part of North Las Vegas. No Republicans filed for the seat, which means the winner of the upcoming primary election will automatically win the general election.

Neal was first elected to the Nevada State Senate seat in 2020 after representing the same area in the Nevada State Assembly for 10 years. To secure a second term in the upper chamber, Neal must survive a challenge by Laura Perkins, a first-term regent for the Nevada System of Higher Education. Perkins insists she was motivated to run by a desire to influence policy beyond what the Board of Regents is capable of, and not by dissatisfaction with Neal, who has butted heads with some members of North Las Vegas City Council and been publicly accused of misusing her influence.

It was just time, Perkins said of her decision to run, The time is right.

Neal declined to be interviewed and did not respond to written questions submitted by the Current.

Perkins says her experience on the Board of Regents has prepared her for the Legislature.

Its like you have eight cities, she said of the institutions overseen by the board. I learned about finance, budget, human resources, investments, Title-9 You have to be a jack of all trades when youre a regent.

Perkins previously ran for mayor of North Las Vegas in 2022, coming in last in a crowded primary field of seven candidates. Pamela Goynes-Brown, who won that race and became the citys first Black woman mayor, has endorsed Perkins in the state senate race. North Las Vegas City Councilman Isaac Barron also endorsed her.

Perkins is an ethical, honest and fierce advocate for our entire community, not just her select friends, said Goynes-Brown in a statement released by the campaign.

I know she will restore moral and ethical representation to Nevada Senate District 4, said Barron in a statement.

Goynes-Brown and Barrons comments allude to public allegations made by the former head of the publicly-funded grant program NV Grow that Neal attempted to pressure him into awarding her friend money for his small business. Neal, who in 2015 passed the legislation that created the NV Grow program, has denied any wrongdoing and characterized the accusations as being part of a smear campaign by the City of North Las Vegas in retaliation over her work with Windsor Park, a long-blighted neighborhood where the homes are sinking into the ground.

Neal sponsored a bill during the last legislative session that secured $20 million from North Las Vegas and $10 million from the state to make the remaining homeowners in Windsor Park whole by relocating them to new properties. The city opposed the bill.

Perkins, when asked, did not directly address the criticisms of Neal being lobbied by her endorsers, saying that she wants to run for the seat, not challenge her. But she did call the endorsements very motivating and encouraging.

Perkins said that, if elected, her focus will be on education and economic development. She said shed also like to find a way to help middle class families who are struggling with being caretakers for their elderly family members, a situation she experienced in the final years of her moms life.

Neal chairs the Senate Revenue and Economic Development Committee. Many of the bills she sponsored have dealt with tax policy. She has led efforts to modernize Nevadas sales tax, which currently applies to tangible items and not their digital counterparts, and proposed a method for adjusting property tax without touching the beloved cap. She was also an outspoken critic of Tesla receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in tax abatements without approval from lawmakers.

Neals campaign had nearly $27,000 cash on hand as of March 31, according to her campaign finance reports. Her top contributors include Citizens for Justice Trust and Cox Communications, which gave $5,000 and $2,500, respectively.

Perkins had raised approximately $2,000 as of March 31, according to her campaign finance reports. Half of that  $1,000  came from the real estate development company American Nevada Holdings.

The post Regent challenges Democratic incumbent in State Senate District 4 appeared first on Nevada Current.
The Reni checkpoint on the Ukrainian-Moldovan border is ready to start joint customs and border control operations.

Source: press service of Ukraine's Infrastructure Ministry

Details: Ukraine and Moldova have officially approved the completion of the work and the start of joint control on the Ukrainian side.

"The launch of full-fledged joint control is the first step in implementing the green corridor initiative between the Ukrainian Reni checkpoint, the Moldovan Giurgiulesti checkpoint, and the Romanian Galati checkpoint. The launch of joint control on the Ukrainian side will increase the capacity of this section of the border. At present, no more than 50 lorries pass through Reni per day. Our goal is to double this number at least," said Serhii Derkach, Ukraine's Deputy Infrastructure Minister.

The renovation reportedly involved the repair of three floors and the facade of the service building. In addition, the sanitary facilities at the checkpoint have been renovated. Additionally, the road surface has been replaced, and road signs and information boards have been updated and installed. The repairs were carried out by the Service for Infrastructure Maintenance and Development in Odesa Oblast.

In addition to lorries, buses will be subject to joint control, with a separate lane and a terminal at the checkpoint. This will reduce the waiting time for passengers.

Background: Ukraine's Infrastructure Ministry has commenced negotiations with Moldova and Romania to create a green corridor between the Reni (Ukraine), Giurgiulesti (Moldova) and Galati (Romania) checkpoints to speed up the export of Ukrainian agricultural products.

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BRECKENRIDGE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC)  A high-speed chase between a Breckenridge Police Department (BPD) sergeant and a driver ended in a crash in a Breckenridge construction zone Wednesday night, sending four people to the hospital.

The Shackelford County Sheriffs Office (SCSO) says the chase began when the suspect was documented driving at 92 miles per hour on Highway 180 near Albany and refused to stop for police. Officers attempted to put out a spike strip, but the driver passed before they could get it out.

This driver is reported to have driven up to 100 miles per hour without lights on at around 10:45 p.m. before their crash. The climax of the chase happened when the driver cut through the Breckenridge Walmart parking lot, turned south down Smith Street, and t-boned the sergeants vehicle, rolling him.

After crashing on Walker Street, police say the BPD sergeant and the driver involved in the chase were taken to a nearby hospital, and the officer has since been treated and released. However, the drivers passenger was flown to a trauma center with critical injuries, as was a construction worker caught in their path.

SCSO alleged that the driver was a confirmed gang member out of South Texas and had been staying in Abilene.

Multiple units responded to the crash, including Breckenridge Fire, Sacred Cross EMS, DPS, SCSO, and more.

No arrests have been made, and no further information has been released.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com.
The situation in Ukraine is so serious that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had to cancel a planned trip to Spain and come straight to Kharkiv -- the countrys second largest city, which is again in real danger from the Russian advance.

With exclusive access, ABC News joined Zelenskyy on a tour of a hospital in the city, with Zelenskyy, where he met soldiers injured in the northern defense, and presented them with medals of valor.

Its really important for me to be here, he told us, as we walked the corridors.

In each ward, he stopped as an officer read out the names of each injured soldier. He approached each bed and presented them with a medal. But this was a very rushed visit. The presidents safety is always a concern, but this trip to Kharkiv was a risk and his team moved quickly around the building.

PHOTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks with ABC News Foreign Correspondent James Longman in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on May 16, 2024. (ABC News)

MORE: Putin shakes up cabinet, replacing defense minister as war in Ukraine grinds on: ANALYSIS

The situation is very serious, Zelenskyy said. We cannot afford to lose Kharkiv.

As he stood near the injured soldiers, he was very clear that the delay in U.S. aid has had a direct impact on the war, and the situation along the northeastern border. Hundreds had lost their lives or been wounded in the last few days, he said. Many were soldiers from this region, so it was important for him to be there, supporting them, he said.

Is it Americas fault, we asked him, whats happening now in Kharkiv?

Its the worlds fault, he replied. They gave the opportunity for Putin to occupy. But now the world can help."

Hes always careful not to criticize the U.S. But this was a slightly more frank Zelenskyy than we usually see.

We asked how he felt the visit this week by Secretary of State Antony Blinken had gone. The U.S.'s top diplomat on Wednesday announced an additional $2 billion in aid, adding to the $60 billion promised in late April. Zelenskyy paused. I could sense his frustration.

PHOTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks with ABC News Foreign Correspondent James Longman in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on May 16, 2024. (ABC News)

MORE: Blinken promises US arms on the way, says allies won't leave Ukraine's side

Dialogue is good, he said. But we need help now.

Theres a sense here, near the brutal fighting on the front line, that the visit wasnt much more than a show of support.

All we need are two Patriot systems, he said. Russia will not be able to occupy Kharkiv if we have those.

I told him many Americans are worried about how much money is being spent on Ukraine. And in this election year its going to be an issue that American voters pay attention to.

PHOTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks with ABC News Foreign Correspondent James Longman in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on May 16, 2024. (ABC News)

That money is not given to Ukraine, he said. Its money spent in American factories, creating American jobs And we are not just fighting for our freedom. If not Ukraine, it would be another country.

After the president left, we returned to some of the soldiers hed visited.

Maxim, who nearly died in Vovchansk on Wednesday, had his leg raised with three huge metal pins keeping it straight. These are the men protecting Kharkiv. He didnt seem too bothered with his medal.

Its an honor, he told me. But Id prefer to award this to the men who saved my life.

'The world's fault': Zelenskyy speaks out amid Russian assault originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
A major Republican grassroots Jewish group is pledging to raise at least $5 million for former President Trumps reelection campaign, calling it the organizations largest effort to shore up Jewish support.

The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) on Thursday confirmed it is launching a commitment to raise a minimum of $5 million from its donors and its super PAC RJC Victory Fund, in addition to the organizations $15 million independent expenditure.

2024 will be the RJCs largest effort ever to mobilize support in the Jewish community for President Trump, RJCs national political director Sam Markstein told The Hill.

Fox News was the first to report on the pledge.

The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.

The RJC, founded in 1985, describes itself as a grassroots organization that seeks to increase ties between the American Jewish community and Republican leadership in government.

Trump has maintained he is deeply supportive of Israel, pointing to his recognition of the Golan Heights territory, his relocation of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and his administrations signing of the Abraham Accords to normalize relations among countries in the Middle East.

But he has also faced criticism for suggesting Jewish people who do not support him politically or who are not supportive of Israel are disloyal. In March, Trump claimed Jewish Democrats were being disloyal to their faith and to Israel, with his opponents accusing him of spreading antisemitic tropes.

Matt Brooks, the CEO of the RJC, told The Associated Press (AP) in March that Trumps comments needed to be taken in the context of the Israel-Hamas war and Democratic criticisms of Israels wartime conduct.

What the president was saying in his own unique style was giving voice to things I get asked about multiple times a day, Brooks told the AP. How can Jews remain Democrats in light of what is going on? He contended the Democratic Party is no longer the pro-Israel bastion it used to be.

The announcement follows weeks of pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses calling for a cease-fire in Israels war with the militant group Hamas in Gaza. While many protests were reported to be peaceful, some Jewish students raised concerns over the proliferation of antisemitic rhetoric and their safety.

The RJC has endorsed a handful of 2024 candidates, including state Sen. John McGuire (R) in his primary challenge against Rep. Bob Good (R) in Virginias 5th Congressional District.

The organization also endorsed Mazi Melesa Pilip, who ultimately lost in a New York special election to now-Rep. Tom Suozzi (D) to fill the seat vacated by former Rep. George Santos (R).

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
From the The Collision on The Dispatch

Welcome back to The Collision. This week, well take a look at the parade of acolytes showing up in Manhattan to accompany Donald Trump to his criminal trial there. Well also give you a very unsatisfying answer about when well get a decision from the Supreme Court on Trumps claim of presidential immunity from criminal prosecution. Lets get right into it!

The Docket

In Manhattan, the prosecutions latest witness, which could be its last, was former Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen. During direct examination Monday and Tuesday, Cohen told the jury his story of how an Oval Office meeting with Trump forged an agreement between the two men to conceal reimbursement payments for hush money as legal fees.

During cross-examination, which began on Tuesday and continued on Thursday, Trumps attorneys attempted to impeach Cohens credibility by confronting him with his past praise for his former boss along with the hateful language he has used about Trump since his falling-out with the former president.

Hunter Biden wont get a delay for his trial on federal gun charges, meaning the son of President Joe Biden will almost certainly be in federal court in Delaware when the trial is scheduled to begin on June 3. And if that wasnt a big enough blow, a panel from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Hunters tax fraud case could also proceed after he appealed a decision to reject his motion to dismiss the case.

Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez began his trial in federal district court, just several hundred feet from the Manhattan courthouse where Trump is on trial. Menendez was indicted on federal bribery and foreign agent charges after a lengthy investigation into his alleged acceptance of thousands of dollars, some of which was in the form of gold bars, from foreign actors in exchange for influence. The prosecution and defense delivered their opening statements Wednesday.

Meanwhile, we now have at least two presidential debates between Joe Biden and Trump on the books, thanks to a flurry of activity on Wednesday. It all started in the morning with a video in which Biden challenged his Republican rival to two televised showdowns. The president made a crack referring to Trumps trial in Manhattan, which is typically off on Wednesdays. I hear youre free on Wednesdays, Biden said in the video. Later Wednesday, Bidens campaign store slapped the phrase on a T-shirt.

By the way, remember special counsel Robert Hurs explosive report concluding his investigation into Bidens retention of classified documents? We likely wont be getting the audio of Hurs two days of interviews with the president anytime soon. The Wall Street Journal reports that Biden has exerted his executive privilege over those recordings after House Republicans threatened to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for not releasing them.

Manhattan Criminal Court Is the New Mar-a-Lago

House Speaker Mike Johnson and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy listen as former President Donald Trump speaks to the media outside the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on May 14, 2024. (Photo by Curtis Means  Pool/Getty Images)

If youre a Republican politician, New Yorks hottest club is 100 Centre Street. The Manhattan courthouse is the site of Donald Trumps ongoing criminal trial, and this place has everything: former porn stars, gag orders, an array of television cameras stationed there day and night, Vivek Ramaswamy.

After weeks of Trump enduring his criminal trial largely alonewith occasional visits from his adult childrena deluge of Republicans have made their pilgrimage to Lower Manhattan to show their support for the GOPs presumptive nominee. Just this week, the guest list has included House Speaker Mike Johnson; North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum; Sens. J.D. Vance and Tommy Tuberville; Reps. Nicole Malliotakis, Byron Donalds, Cory Mills, Lauren Boebert, Andy Biggs, Eli Crane, Bob Good, Matt Gaetz, Andy Ogles, Mike Waltz, Ralph Norman, and Anna Paulina Luna; and, yes, Ramaswamy. The Manhattan Criminal Courthouse is the new Mar-a-Lago, the place to be if you want to see and be seen by Trump.

According to someone close to Trumps legal team, the requests from Capitol Hill and elsewhere to visit Trump at his trial arent slowing down. Politicians are calling up their best connections in the campaign or Trump himself to secure a spot, then the campaigns advance team figures out how many can fit in the defenses limited space for spectators. The growing list includes members of Congress and potential vice presidential picks.

Theyre all reaching out right now, said the person close to Trumps legal team.

These courtiers often begin their trial day at Trump Tower, riding in the motorcade with the former president for the 4-mile trip to the courthouse. They stand behind him as Trump greets the gathered members of the media outside the courthouse doors, and they usually address the press themselves at some point during or after the days proceedings. In the courtroom, theyll watch the proceedings and some, such as Vance, will live-tweet their observations.

Im now convinced the main goal of this trial is psychological torture, Vance tweeted Monday morning less than an hour after proceedings began. But Trump is in great spirits.

Johnson, on the other hand, spoke to reporters outside but did not actually enter the courtroom when he was in Manhattan on Tuesday.

While Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had appeared with Trump in court before, it was Florida Sen. Rick Scott who set the trend last week. Scott had spoken with Trump campaign manager Susie Wiles at the Republican National Committees donor retreat in Palm Beach, Florida, earlier this month, according to a person familiar with the conversation, and both agreed that Trump could use a demonstration of encouragement in New York. Something the two discussed, according to this person, was the number of Republican politicians who were raising money or appearing on television to criticize the prosecution of Trump but not showing up to stand beside the embattled candidate.

Thats what led Scott last week to join Trump in the courtroom on May 9 and later give a press conference in which he criticized Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs prosecution as just despicable. He also took direct aim at one of Braggs main prosecutors as well as the adult daughter of Judge Juan Merchantargets whom Trump himself cant criticize while under his gag order.

The lead prosecutor was the No. 3 person [at] the Biden Justice Department, Scott said, referring to Manhattan prosecutor Matthew Colangelo. The judges daughter is a political operative and raises money for Democrats. Youve got the lead prosecutors wife [who] is a significant donor to Democrats, and I think, to Biden. So this is just a bunch of Democrats saying, We want to make sure that Donald Trump cant talk.

Unless prosecutors could prove Scott and the other friends of Trump are working on behalf of Trumps campaign or at Trumps direction, they are free to take exactly these shots, for which the former president has been fined multiple times. While Trump has complained that the gag order and the trial itself have hampered his ability to campaign for president, the campaign appears to have moved temporarily to Manhattan to fill in the gap.

And fittingly, on Tuesday, Reps. Donalds and Mills, Ramaswamy, and Eric and Lara Trump cut a fundraising appeal video from inside 100 Centre Street that urges supporters to join them in fighting the good fight. In the videos final seconds, the camera pans over to show a silent Trump giving his classic thumbs-up.

One More Thing

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz tweeted a photo of himself standing behind Trump Thursday morning outside the courthouse. His caption reads, Standing back and standing by, Mr. Presidenta clear reference to Trumps own non-admonishment of the far-right group the Proud Boys during a debate with Joe Biden in 2020.

Were Still Waiting on the Supreme Courts Immunity Decision

Have you been waking up every morning wondering whether today is the day the Supreme Court will decide whether Donald Trump has immunity from criminal prosecution for things he did while president? Well, weve got good news and bad news.

The bad news is that weve got no idea when that ruling will come, and we wont have any advanced notice that its going to happen. But the good news is that the Supreme Court does announce when it will release opinionsso we will know what days we wont have an opinion. Does that make you feel better?

The Supreme Courts term ends when it finishes releasing all its opinions, which tends to happen the last week of June. Between now and then, the court has said it will release opinions every Thursday at 10 a.m. and Wednesday, June 18 (instead of June 19, which is a federal holiday). As we get closer to the end of the term, the court will also start adding other days as opinions are ready to be released. So those are the days that we could get the immunity opinion.

Opinions arent released in any order. The court doesnt hold the big ones until the end. The reason high-profile opinions tend to come on the last few days of the term is because those are the opinions that get finished last as justices send their draftsdissents and concurrencesback and forth.

Verbatim

You referred to Trump as dictator douchebag, didnt you? Trump attorney Todd Blanche, during cross-examination of Michael Cohen, May 14, 2024

Read more at The Dispatch

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WASHINGTON  Republicans in Congress have found a new way to prove their loyalty to Donald Trump: flock to New York City and attack the U.S. legal system at the courthouse where his criminal hush money trial is underway.

Nearly a dozen GOP lawmakers spent Thursday not at work in Washington but hanging around a Manhattan courtroom where the Republican presidential hopeful is facing 34 felony charges of falsifying business records to disguise payments made to keep porn actor Stormy Daniels quiet about an alleged extramarital with Trump a decade before he ran for president.

The goal of the Republicans heading to Trumps trial is simple: be seen on television bashing the court, the judge, the witnesses or laws in general  whatever it takes to get credit for fighting on his behalf. It amounts to a party-wide embrace of grievances once held only by Trump and an attempt to link the entire GOP to the former presidents victim narrative.

I want all of the news to start asking the question, what is the crime? Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), one of the lawmakers at the courthouse on Thursday, shouted at the end of a press event they held. The defendant does not know the crime that was committed!

Beetlejuice! a heckler shouted back, a reference to Boebert getting kicked out of a musical production of the movie last year for vaping and groping her date.

House Republicans came to Trump's hush money trial on Thursday, making sure to get on television and get credit for assailing the U.S. legal system on behalf of their party leader. Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images

In the weeks since the trial began, Trump has been alternating between sleeping through proceedings and violating a gag order  10 times  that prevents him from commenting on witnesses, jurors, prosecutors, the judge, the Manhattan district attorney or their family members. Hes been repeatedly fined and warned of potential jail time if he keeps it up.

Enter Trumps most die-hard supporters in Congress, who, especially in an election year, are eager to align themselves with him and carry out his attacks on the rule of law.

This is a made-up crime! Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) falsely claimed at the press event with Boebert. He accused one of the witnesses in the case, Trumps former personal attorney Michael Cohen, of lying. He referred to the judge, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, as this corrupt judge and accused his family members of being corrupt, too.

Were seeing today what lengths the Democratic Party will go to try to rig or steal another election, Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, falsely claimed at the event. They tried to do it in 2020. Theyre doing it again in 2024 by trying to keep the nominee off the ballot.

In fact, Trump tried to steal the 2020 presidential election by spreading a lie about widespread voter fraud, and Good was one of the 147 Republicans in Congress who voted to throw out the election results in order to help Trump try to steal it.

You got a corrupt prosecutor. You got a corrupt star witness. You got a corrupt judge, Good said, which is precisely what Trump would love to hear. This is a crooked, sham trial.

"I'm in the shot, I'M IN THE SHOT!" -- something Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) probably said in his head as he positioned himself to appear in a photo with Donald Trump at the former president's criminal hush money trial. JEENAH MOON via Getty Images

The GOP lawmakers who came to Trumps trial on Thursday are here two days after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) decided that he, too, should make an appearance. Johnson, who is a lawyer and was the architect of the GOP plan to reject the 2020 election results, called Trump a friend and said the case against him is nonsense.

I called President Trump and told him I wanted to be here myself to call out what is a travesty of justice, Johnson said at a Tuesday press event outside the courthouse. This is the fifth week that President Trump has been in court for this sham of a trial.

I am disgusted by what is happening here, Johnson added, saying the justice system is being abused in Trumps trial. There is no evidence of this.

The Republicans who have gone to Trumps trial have been parroting many of the same attacks on the judge and the judges family, and the credibility of witnesses. One reason for that may be that Trump is editing talking points and giving them to his allies to deliver outside of the courtroom. A New York magazine journalist said he saw Trump doing that this week.

Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.), who was among a group of GOP lawmakers who went to Trumps trial on Tuesday, disputed the idea that the Republican presidential hopeful is directing his allies to say things hes not allowed to say because of his gag order.

Its almost insulting, by the way, when people try and act as if we as members of Congress, who draft legislation for law, arent smart enough to come to our own conclusions, Mills told HuffPost. I find it insulting when its almost as if were being told that were being puppets here because we cant come up with our own original thought process.

Beyond trying to ingratiate themselves with Trump, some Republicans are showing up to his trial because theyre auditioning to be his vice presidential pick. They include former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.).

Back on Capitol Hill, some Republicans grumbled about their colleagues ditching work just to draw media attention to themselves for being with Trump. So many GOP lawmakers went to New York City on Thursday that the House Oversight Committee had to postpone a hearing.

I think they are impacting our schedule, and thats a problem, said one House Republican, who requested anonymity to speak freely. They want to be in the limelight. There are workhorses and show ponies in this place.

A handful of Senate Republicans have expressed similar sentiments.

I think its a terrible fault for our country to see people attacking our legal system, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said Wednesday in an MSNBC interview.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) summed up the situation to HuffPost on Tuesday as ridiculous and left us with one question.

Do we have something to do around here other than watch a stupid porn trial?

Arthur Delaney contributed reporting.
Droves of Republicans arrived at Donald Trumps New York hush-money trial Thursday in a show of support and power for the presumed GOP presidential nomineebut that didnt mean the lawmakers were actually off for the day.

The lawmakers who trekked up to New York for the day included Representatives Andy Biggs, Lauren Boebert, and Anna Paulina Luna, all of whom sit on the House Oversight Committee. The committee rescheduled a contempt markup for Attorney General Merrick Garland to 8 p.m. from 11 a.m., evidently so members could attend Trumps trial.

I guess we all know who is setting the Committees calendar now, wrote the official X (formerly Twitter) account for the Oversight Committee Democrats.

Other politicians who made the field trip included Representatives Matt Gaetz, Eli Craine, and Andy Ogles, as well as Virginia state Senator John McGuire. McGuire is running against House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good in the Virginia Republican representative primaries.

They join a long lineup of Republicans who have traveled the distance to be in the background of the trial, protesting the legal proceedings as well as the gag order on Trump, which restricts him from making disparaging remarks against witnesses, court staff, or their families.

They may have gagged President Trump. They didnt gag me. They didnt gag the rest of us, Boebert wrote in a post on X.

Earlier in the week, former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Senators Tim Scott, J.D. Vance, and Tommy Tuberville all paid their own visits.

On Tuesday, biotech investor Vivek Ramaswamy, RNC co-chair Lara Trump, Eric Trump and two Republican representatives showed up at the New York courthouse in matching suits and ties for a low-budget fundraising ad that attempted to portray Trump as a candidate unjustly locked in the courthouse.

Trump: We have a lot of congressmen and some senators down today and they are all up in arms over this. They can't believe it. We have quite a few congressmen. You will talk to them in a little while. pic.twitter.com/zTMDOBFPNp  Acyn (@Acyn) May 16, 2024
As a metropolis vulnerable to flooding, the Tokyo metropolitan area has always been stepping up its efforts to combat floods.

Follow Xinhua's Zhong Ya as she explores a museum which introduces one of the world's largest underground flood diversion systems.
Reuters: Finland plans to use reservists to patrol border with Russia

Finland is planning to change its conscription rules to allow reservists to help patrol the border with Russia in the case that there is a sudden wave of migrants, Reuters reported on May 15.

According to the new rules, Finns who have completed military service in the border forces can now be called up to patrol the border with Russia in exceptional circumstances.

Finland closed its border with Russia in late November 2023 after Russia orchestrated an influx of migrants as a way to pressure Helsinki.

In November alone, around 900 asylum seekers from countries like Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen entered Finland from Russia.

The Finnish government decided last month to close the border indefinitely.

Finland's government also decided to close several crossing points for maritime traffic to leisure boating due to concerns that Russia may encourage migrants to reach Finland by sea or over lakes.

Russia's strategy of sending asylum seekers to Finland's eastern border was similar to the situation at the border between Belarus and Poland in 2021, when Minsk encouraged thousands of asylum seekers from the Middle East and Africa to try to reach the EU via the Polish border.

The changes to Finland's conscription policies will be put to a vote in parliament.

Read also: Our readers questions about the war, answered. Vol. 6

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Reuters: Sri Lanka to send delegation to return mercenaries fighting on behalf of Russia

The Sri Lankan government will be sending a delegation to Russia to identify and repatriate its citizens fighting on behalf of Russia in Ukraine, Reuters reported on May 16.

According to reports, a top official in the Sri Lankan government stated that the government will send a delegation to Russia to investigate the fate of hundreds of nationals reportedly fighting in the war in Ukraine.

Social media campaigns operating on WhatsApp have targeted ex-military personnel in Sri Lanka, promising lucrative salaries and Russian citizenship to fight in Ukraine on Russia's behalf. The country's Defense Ministry warned its citizens not to be duped.

Online agents obtain the numbers of former servicemen in Sri Lanka and then arrange flights as well as documentation to bring them to Russia.

The campaign is especially successful in Sri Lanka, where the economy continues to struggle with the aftermath of the worst financial crisis in more than seven decades. Reuters reports that poverty rates have more than doubled since pre-pandemic levels, pushing hundreds of people to migrate.

Sri Lanka's government launched an investigation earlier this month into reports of Sri Lankan nationals with military backgrounds being trafficked to fight in Ukraine.

"The primary challenge lies in determining the exact number of individuals in Russia. As per unofficial sources, approximately 600-800 Sri Lankan individuals are in Russia," State Minister for Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya told reporters.

Sri Lanka has received over 288 complaints from families of nationals who have reportedly left the country to fight in Ukraine. The authorities have arrested seven people, including a retired general, in connection with the human trafficking scheme.

At least 16 Sri Lankan nationals have died fighting in Ukraine.

Russia has been 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.

Earlier this year, Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War announced that Russia increasingly involves foreign mercenaries from countries with a "difficult economic situation" to fight in Ukraine.

According to the Geneva Conventions, mercenaries do not have the right to be combatants or prisoners at war and mercenary activity must be considered a crime.

Earlier in January, Nepal halted issuing foreign work permits for its citizens to work in Russia until further notice after growing numbers of Nepalese mercenaries have been reported killed fighting for the Russian military in Ukraine.

At least 10 Nepalis have been confirmed killed while serving in the Russian Armed Forces, and as many as 200 are estimated to be fighting for Russia as of January, according to Nepal's government.

Read also: India identifies major human trafficking network luring Indians to fight for Russia in Ukraine





Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
The late Rev. Billy Graham is immortalized in a statue unveiled at the US Capitol

WASHINGTON, DC. (AP)  A bronze sculpture of the late Rev. Billy Graham was unveiled at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, with Christianitys most prolific evangelist once known as Americas Pastor immortalized in the halls of Congress on behalf of his native North Carolina.

Grahams likeness, depicting the Charlotte-born minister with his archetypal gesture toward an open Bible in his hand, was revealed inside National Statuary Hall during a gathering attended by House Speaker Mike Johnson, Gov. Roy Cooper, former Vice President Mike Pence, state congressional and legislative members and Grahams family.

The 7-foot (2.13-meter) tall statue is one of two that North Carolina and each state get to place on display inside the hall or elsewhere in the Capitol to honor notables in their history. The process for Grahams statue to replace one of North Carolinas began nine years ago.

Rev. Franklin Graham, son of the late Rev. Billy Graham, speaks after unveiling a bronzed sculpture of his father at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, where it will stand on behalf of his native North Carolina, Thursday, May 16, 2024. Known as Americas pastor, Graham died in 2018 at age 99. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Billy Graham finally takes his rightful place on these hallowed grounds of American democracy, Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana said at the dedication ceremony. As with other speakers, Johnson recalled the personal importance that Grahams ministry of preaching the Christian gospel had on them and their families: Billy Graham is such a towering figure in my life, and he is in all of our lives.

Graham, who lived most of his adult life in the mountain community of Montreat, died in 2018 at age 99. Graham was the most widely heard Christian evangelist in history, preaching in person to nearly 215 million people worldwide, according to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. His last large-scale meetings, known as crusades, were held in New York in 2005.

An adviser of presidents from Dwight Eisenhower to George W. Bush, Graham influenced both the political and spiritual realm during his ministry career. As a symbol of that nexus, Grahams body had lied in honor in the Capitol Rotunda after his death, marking just the fourth private citizen at that time to receive the distinction.

The North Carolina General Assembly approved legislation in 2015 asking a congressional committee to eventually approve a likeness of Graham for display in the hall. Rules say a persons statue can only be installed posthumously.

Ceremony speakers focused on Grahams commitment to preaching the Christian message, his humility and integrity, and a legacy of service for future generations.

The Rev. Franklin Graham, the evangelists son, said his father would have been a little uncomfortable with all of the attention had he been there Thursday because he would want the focus to be on the one that he preached. Hed want the focus to be on the Lord Jesus Christ.

FILE  The Rev. Billy Graham addresses a gathering of about 40,000 people at Bulldog Stadium at Fresno State University in Fresno, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2001. A statue of the late Rev. Billy Graham set to stand inside the U.S. Capitol to represent North Carolina will be unveiled next week in a ceremony. (Mark Crosse/The Fresno Bee via AP, File)

The Graham statue replaces one of early 20th-century North Carolina Gov. Charles Aycock, who, while known as an education advocate, has fallen from favor because of his ties to the white supremacy movement at the time.

While not a social activist, Graham integrated his Southern crusades in 1953, a year before the Supreme Courts school integration ruling. And he long refused to visit South Africa while its white regime insisted on racially segregated meetings. Graham said later in life that he regretted that he didnt battle for civil rights more forcefully.

We acknowledge that he is a better representation of our state than the statue it replaces, which brought memories of a painful history of racism, said Cooper, a Democrat, who recalled hearing Graham as a youth at a Raleigh stadium. Not that Rev. Graham was perfect. He would have been the first to tell us that  but he believed, as many of us do, that there is redemption.

The Graham sculpture was created by Charlotte-based artist Chas Fagan and bronzed in the state. The base, also created from local granite, is inscribed with two verses from the Book of John that highlight Grahams evangelistic ministry.

The other North Carolina statue commissioned for the National Statuary Hall is a likeness of Civil War-era Gov. Zebulon Vance, who was also a Confederate military officer and U.S. senator.

Graham helped build evangelicalism into a force in American life during the 20th century while forging powerful connections to Christian believers worldwide, including those in communist countries. His ministry was marked by the use of mass media, including a daily newspaper column, network radio and prime-time telecasts of his crusades.

U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, said that he hopes that Grahams ability to bridge differences will filter down today to elected officials.

I hope when members of Congress walk by his statue, they reflect on the standards of faith, ethics and decency that he exemplified throughout his extraordinary life, Tillis said. I believe that his presence here in the Capitol can help us find opportunities to unite around what makes our nation great.

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Rev. Franklin Graham, son of the late Rev. Billy Graham, speaks after unveiling a bronzed sculpture of his father at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, where it will stand on behalf of his native North Carolina, Thursday, May 16, 2024. Known as America's pastor, Graham died in 2018 at age 99. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

A bronze sculpture of the late Rev. Billy Graham was unveiled at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, with Christianity's most prolific evangelist once known as Americas Pastor immortalized in the halls of Congress on behalf of his native North Carolina.

Graham's likeness, depicting the Charlotte-born minister with his archetypal gesture toward an open Bible in his hand, was revealed inside National Statuary Hall during a gathering attended by House Speaker Mike Johnson, Gov. Roy Cooper, former Vice President Mike Pence, state congressional and legislative members and Graham's family.

The 7-foot (2.13-meter) tall statue is one of two that North Carolina and each state get to place on display inside the hall or elsewhere in the Capitol to honor notables in their history. The process for Graham's statue to replace one of North Carolina's began nine years ago.

Billy Graham finally takes his rightful place on these hallowed grounds of American democracy, Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana said at the dedication ceremony. As with other speakers, Johnson recalled the personal importance that Grahams ministry of preaching the Christian gospel had on them and their families: Billy Graham is such a towering figure in my life, and he is in all of our lives.

Graham, who lived most of his adult life in the mountain community of Montreat, died in 2018 at age 99. Graham was the most widely heard Christian evangelist in history, preaching in person to nearly 215 million people worldwide, according to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. His last large-scale meetings, known as crusades, were held in New York in 2005.

An adviser of presidents from Dwight Eisenhower to George W. Bush, Graham influenced both the political and spiritual realm during his ministry career. As a symbol of that nexus, Grahams body had lied in honor in the Capitol Rotunda after his death, marking just the fourth private citizen at that time to receive the distinction.

The North Carolina General Assembly approved legislation in 2015 asking a congressional committee to eventually approve a likeness of Graham for display in the hall. Rules say a persons statue can only be installed posthumously.

Ceremony speakers focused on Grahams commitment to preaching the Christian message, his humility and integrity, and a legacy of service for future generations.

The Rev. Franklin Graham, the evangelist's son, said his father would have been a little uncomfortable with all of the attention had he been there Thursday "because he would want the focus to be on the one that he preached. Hed want the focus to be on the Lord Jesus Christ."

The Graham statue replaces one of early 20th-century North Carolina Gov. Charles Aycock, who, while known as an education advocate, has fallen from favor because of his ties to the white supremacy movement at the time.

While not a social activist, Graham integrated his Southern crusades in 1953, a year before the Supreme Courts school integration ruling. And he long refused to visit South Africa while its white regime insisted on racially segregated meetings. Graham said later in life that he regretted that he didnt battle for civil rights more forcefully.

We acknowledge that he is a better representation of our state than the statue it replaces, which brought memories of a painful history of racism, said Cooper, a Democrat, who recalled hearing Graham as a youth at a Raleigh stadium. Not that Rev. Graham was perfect. He would have been the first to tell us that ... but he believed, as many of us do, that there is redemption."

The Graham sculpture was created by Charlotte-based artist Chas Fagan and bronzed in the state. The base, also created from local granite, is inscribed with two verses from the Book of John that highlight Graham's evangelistic ministry.

The other North Carolina statue commissioned for the National Statuary Hall is a likeness of Civil War-era Gov. Zebulon Vance, who was also a Confederate military officer and U.S. senator.

Graham helped build evangelicalism into a force in American life during the 20th century while forging powerful connections to Christian believers worldwide, including those in communist countries. His ministry was marked by the use of mass media, including a daily newspaper column, network radio and prime-time telecasts of his crusades.

U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, said that he hopes that Graham's ability to bridge differences will filter down today to elected officials.

I hope when members of Congress walk by his statue, they reflect on the standards of faith, ethics and decency that he exemplified throughout his extraordinary life, Tillis said. I believe that his presence here in the Capitol can help us find opportunities to unite around what makes our nation great.
Rev. William Lawson, a long-time civil rights advocate and founder of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Houston, has died, according to an obituary posted on the churchs website. He was 95.

Lawson was known as Houstons Pastor; a trusted voice in the community who ushered the city through times of crisis and change.

In 1962, he founded the Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church where he was the pastor for more than 40 years. He later joined the civil rights movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whom he considered to be a close friend, the churchs obituary stated.

Lawson also set up a local chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a civil rights organization that was instrumental during the civil rights movement.

Lawson, in particular, was known to help build bridges between the powerful and the powerless, as a champion of social justice and community service, the church posted.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire held a moment of silence at Houston City Hall on Tuesday to honor Lawson. He encouraged Houstonians to strive for a fair, safe, and equal Houston in his honor and memory.

He is one of the reasons our city is so great, Whitmire said. He helped us during civil rights and social justice like probably no other individual in the country because Houston benefited from his leadership and character.

I, like so many Houstonians, I am deeply saddened by the passing of Rev. William Lawson-a Houstonian icon and pillar of our community, Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee said in a post on X.

In a statement to CNN, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis called Lawson a towering figure in our community.

He was a pioneering force in the Civil Rights movement, courageously hosting the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at his church and supporting the brave Texas Southern University students during the sit-ins that spurred integration in our city. His commitment to justice and equality knew no bounds.

Ellis also noted that the city recently named a park in honor of Rev. Lawson and his late wife.

The Reverend William and Audrey Lawson Park will serve as a lasting tribute to their shared commitment to uplifting every member of our community, the statement read.

In 2021, Rice University honored the longtime pastor by naming part of its campus The Reverend William A. Lawson Grove.

Rev. William Lawson (2021). - Courtesy Jeff Fitlow

If theres anything that Id like for my legacy to be, it is for the different cultures of humankind to get to know each other, to respect each other and, if possible, to love each other, Lawson said at the unveiling.

His daughter, Melanie Lawson, an anchor with ABC13 in Houston, was by his side at the ceremony.

When its your Dad, you dont really think how special they are. Its only through the vision of other people that you realize what a difference he made, she said at the event.

Rice University President Reginald DesRoches said Rev. Lawsons legacy will resonate through generations.

May future generations be reminded of his enduring impact as a beacon in the civil rights movement every time they walk through the grove named in his honor on the Rice campus, President DesRoches said on the schools remembrance page.

Rev. Lawson will lie in state at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church Thursday.

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The crackdown could begin with a security breach at the Northwest Gate of the White House.

Imagine, on the day of Donald Trumps inauguration, a raucous protest by left-wing groups on the streets north of Lafayette Park. The blocks surrounding the White House are cordoned off with layer after layer of fencing, due to the unrest in major cities following Trumps reelection, but a few dozen very motivated activists barrel through the park, all the way across the inauguration parade route along the parks southern edge, and inside the White House perimeter. Weapons are drawn, emergency plans are activated, and Trump is rushed to a deep underground bunker. Order is restored within minutes, but not before the break-in is shown live around the world, since all the major networks have live camera positions on the North Lawn. Online sleuths notice that a few of the protesters appear to be wearing press credentials. (Theyre fakes, it turns out.) And in one stray live shot that gets clipped and decontextualized and shared all across pro-MAGA social media, a CBS correspondent gives a water bottle to a man screaming in agony after being pepper-sprayed. Thats all it takes for a narrative to take root on the right: The media is complicit. Theyre in on it. THEY are trying to assassinate OUR president.

Trump feels humiliated and attacked on what is supposed to be his most triumphant day. He and his aides want what he famously promised: Retribution. Knowing that the Northwest Gate is a key access point for journalists, a White House aide starts a rumor that the assailants were aided by CNN and CBS News crews. Trump, who is glued to the live coverage, grunts to his chief of staff, Get them off my lawn. Members of his inner circle, so fed up with years of accountability journalism, and so deluded into thinking that Trumps way is the only way, see a chance to go further and squeeze independent media off the airwaves. Get out, they say. Get out of our way.

The security breach becomes a pretext for a project thats been on the minds of MAGA leaders for years. After all, Steve Bannons 2018 promise to flood the zone with shit was just the beginning. Trumps enemy of the people proclamation gave permission to his fans to go furtherto delegitimize and dehumanize journalists and make alternative facts the only facts. For the coup plotters of 2020, one lesson of Trumps loss was that Trump needed to exert more control over the media in order to prevail. He needed to own the media; ergo, Truth Social, which emerged in the aftermath of January 6. The far rights memory-holing of the attack, minimization of the violence, and rebranding of rioters as hostages were successful tests of MAGA medias reality-rewriting capabilities.

Trumps violent rhetoric emboldened his devotees. During the Biden years, pro-Trump trolls daydreamed that, once back in power, they would imprison journalists and crush opponents, and they were welcomed to say so on Elon Musks X. As an ex-CNN anchor, I saw it in my mentions when MAGA diehards fantasized about having me locked up at Guantanamo Bay: Gitmo is in your future. You filthy nazi traitor demokkkrats belong in GITMO. All of you deserve to be jailed.

Anonymous threats were accompanied by brash promises by Trump loyalists. We will go out and find the conspirators not just in government, but in the media, former Defense Department official Kash Patel told Bannon in 2023. Were going to come after you, Patel proclaimed, whether its criminally or civilly. Bannon, overjoyed, said, Were absolutely dead serious.





Imagine that the new administration uses the Northwest Gate incursion as a pretext to impose severe restrictions. Most reporters are banned from entering the White House grounds, per new Secret Service rules that cite threats to the presidents life. As Truth Social fills up with memes equating journalists with terrorists, networks are given 24 hours to remove their equipment. Aides claim that reporters will be able to ask questions via Zoom at virtual press conferences, but Trump refused to hold daily briefings during his first term in office, and the Zoom sessions never materialize.

Media outlets file First Amendment lawsuits seeking a return to preTrump II norms, but the governments claims about security threats take precedence, and the bans remain in place. Press corps normslike traveling with the presidentmelt away. Trump begins to take trips without any notice to the public at all. Several reporters who resort to staking out Andrews Air Force Base and watching for Air Force One takeoffs are arrested for trespassing.

Fox and Newsmax are allowed on the White House grounds, so officials can claim that real news is still represented. Fox says it will provide the other networks with live video of all presidential events and remarks. While workers revert the former press briefing room to the indoor pool it was decades ago, Trump rewards Fox with interviews and promotionsat one point doubling the Murdoch familys market cap in a matter of weeksand even the hosts who are most tempted to dissent are kept in check by the sudden windfall. And they know that, for the MAGA faithful, Newsmax is always one remote click away; they learned that the hard way in 2020. So they toe the line, touting specious rumors about enemies within, about writers feeding resistance tips to foreign governments, about liberal editors doctoring photos of Trump to make him look even older than he really is, about treasonous reporters aiding the protesters on Inauguration Day. Remember when THEY tried to kill Trump? becomes a rallying cry on the right, even though it didnt happen.

Fact-checks about what did happen only embolden Trumps fans to fight harder for punishment of the imagined co-conspirators. CBS says the doxing of its phone and computer networks becomes so intense that the newsroom can barely function for hours at a time. One night, the evening newscast starts 10 minutes late due to server glitches. A Trump spokesman is quoted calling this a good start, meaning the country would be better off with no evening newscast at all. Two days later, in a swatting incident, a caller to 911 claims there is a violent intruder inside the home of a top CBS anchor. Police arrive en masse, and, amid the chaos, an officer accidentally shoots the anchors wife, seriously injuring her. The same MAGA-heads on social media downplay the violence by digging up the victims past tweets praising Hillary Clinton; some even parrot the Trump spokesman and call the injury a good start.

Inspired by Trumps words in the bunker on Inauguration Day, get out becomes shorthand for a groundswell of anti-media sentiment, mirroring the Trump administrations militarized mass deportations of migrants. If you journalists dont love our America, they say, get out. At the federal level, Trump appointees pull the levers of government to implement the presidents wishes. IRS agents commence audits of top newsroom editors. (The editors find that its almost impossible to prove the audits are retaliatory.) DOJ attorneys consider Espionage Act charges against adversarial reporters. FCC commissioners open probes into the conduct of broadcast station owners who dont follow the Trump line. Republican lawmakers, themselves intimidated by the voters who are calling reporters terrorists, prepare a media accreditation law that would reward outlets that maintain close ties to the government. Third-party groups flood the courts with libel lawsuits against news outlets. Judges will eventually throw out most of the suits, but each case costs time and money to fight, and the twofold intent is to make the newsrooms bleed out financially, and to frighten others from pursuing the same types of stories.

The actions at the state and local level are even more disturbing. Newsrooms in Trump strongholds notice a sharp uptick in threats and harassment. Outside a pro-Trump rally in Florida, a local TV reporter is badly beaten by a group of men wearing MAGA merch, and the police response is so sluggish that observers assume they let it happen. Near a migrant detention facility in Texas, a freelance reporter is struck and killed by a security officer in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicle. Was it an accident or an attack? No one knows for sure. Trump responds to the two incidents by saying the reporters should have told the truth. And so a new test is born. Just tell the truth! Some news agencies, either to appeal to pro-Trump subscribers or to fend off the goons who beat up reporters with impunity, put the word TRUTH in their homepage banners and marketing materials. NewsNation rebrands as just the truth. Breitbart claims to be the only truth.

This happens at the same time that Target stores install extra-large American flags (while hiding Black History Month merchandise), and Disney theme parks promote American pride days (while curtailing gay pride events), and Metas apps add a free speech tab (while algorithmically deemphasizing the anti-Trump protest content that has been deemed a national security threat). Some CEOs dont fall in line, but many do, including the heads of several major media outlets. Safety is the rationale. The country is changing, they say. We need to protect you. Some journalists feel compelled to move out of their homes. Others adopt pen names and write anonymously. Still others scramble to find new lines of work. Television shows critical of Trump are canceled. Risky assignments are nixed. Dissidents speak out on their own blogs and livestreams, but they struggle to reach a mass audience. The Committee to Protect Journalists points out that Google search results consistently rank far-right smears of independent journalists above the journalists actual work. Every day brings a new episode of violence or surveillance.

Outcry over the retaliatory actions is shouted down with the fake news smears that were popularized when Trump took office the first time. Either its not really happening, or, if it is, its justifiedthats the message on Fox. Many Americans feel that theyve heard it all before, and they are just plain exhausted. They dont want to have to care anymore. Trump promises they dont have to: Trust me, he says, and dont worry about the news or fight about politics with neighbors. Unity is what he purports to offer, and many take the deal. United in ignorance, they mindlessly scroll TikTok and Instagram as First Amendment rights are curtailed. They knew who they were voting for, right?





Two days after Trumps first and so far only inauguration, in January 2017, I was privately berated by White House press secretary Sean Spicer for questioning his crowd size lies. A couple of hours later, while hosting CNNs Reliable Sources, I asked the following questions: Do Trumps allies want to silence skeptics in the media? Destroy the press? Or maybe support an alternative press that presents an alternative reality thats more favorable?

We now know the answers. We know exactly what they want. Journalists who worked in repressive regimes recognized it, in many cases, before American journalists did. Ill never forget an interview I conducted on CNN, one week after crowd-size-gate, with Mahir Zeynalov, an analyst and journalist living in Turkey who was smeared, sued, and deported by the Turkish government in 2014 after reporting on a corruption investigation.

Whenever I look at what President Trump and his team are doing here in the United States, Im like, wait a second. I have seen this movie before. Its all familiar to us, Zeynalov told me. And Im not talking about a country like Iran or China, where autocrats are crushing or strangulating the media. Im talking about Turkey, a country that was somewhat democratic a decade ago, with a somewhat independent media, and is now turning into a state where at least one journalist is being put behind barssince last summer, on averageevery day.

He continued: And if theres anyone who is saying that this cannot happen here in the United States, they are significantly underestimating how leaders, including in democratic countries, can undermine media freedom, and, with that, democracy.

Hungary is the best example in Europe. Prime Minister Viktor Orbans coalition government has undermined media freedom and created a climate of fear and intimidation, Human Rights Watch wrote in a scathing report earlier this year. Independent media outlets have closed, or changed ownership and turned pro-government overnight.

So imagine that, in 2024, a popular but financially imperiled media company is offered a carrot and stick by a Trump confidant: Take the carrot and offload the companys news division or accept the stick of government regulation that will drive the share price down. Imagine that someone like Musk emerges as an eager buyer. If the board doesnt give in, theyre portrayed as siding with the terrorists. What will the directors do?

Maybe you think Im overdoing it, and maybe I am. Maybe there will be no precipitating incident, no crackdown, no threat to Americas First Amendment tradition. But at a moment when the country desperately needs government oversight to stop generative AI from obliterating the media business and government support to salvage what remains of the local news economy, Trump is offering none of the above. Instead, he is vowing to investigate media outlets that challenge him. His fans have been primed for revenge and for freedom from fact. If the chill descends in 2025, no one can claim to be surprised.
Independent Presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took to X to complain about his exclusion from a set of debates between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, which the candidates agreed to on Wednesday.

Presidents Trump and Biden are colluding to lock America into a head-to-head match-up that 70% say they do not want, he wrote on X. They are trying to exclude me from their debate because they are afraid I would win. Keeping viable candidates off the debate stage undermines democracy.

CNN, the host of the debates, hasnt ruled out Kennedys participation, but its rules specify that a candidate must be on the ballot in enough states to win the electoral college by June 20. Kennedy, who had a part of his brain eaten by a worm per a report last week, blamed Biden and Trump  not CNN  for the snub, calling the pair the two most unpopular candidates in living memory.

Though the Democratic and Republican nominees turned away from the traditional Commission on Presidential Debates for the June event, it's worth noting that its qualifications, that a candidate needs to earn 15% of the national popular vote in five major polls, would still likely disqualify Kennedy, who has reached 15% in only around three national polls this year, per Five Thirty Eight data.

The June 27 debate, and a later yet to be scheduled match-up, will feature mechanisms to ensure that neither candidate can break rules like speaking over their time, and notably no live audience.

Kennedy, who dropped his Democratic primary bid against incumbent Biden before any contests began, has received sharp criticism from the Trump campaign  and the candidate himself  in recent weeks, after a slate of polls showed him siphoning similar chunks of support from each major partys candidate.
Four hours after an unconventional comedy show campaign stop in Nashville was set to begin, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. arrived on the Ryman stage  to deliver a joke about two drunk Irishmen.

Kennedy arrived to the bizarre campaign stop two minutes before 11 p.m. on Wednesday, wrapping up a 3 1/2 hour Night of Country & Comedy event that bore almost no resemblance to a traditional campaign event. At no point during his 12-minute speech did Kennedy share his vision for the nation, his values, or ask attendees for their vote.

These comedians have an extraordinary gift for all of us, because God wants us to laugh, Kennedy said, to applause from the crowd. Theyre extraordinary people. Theyre like priests, high priests of our society ... because as low as you go, if someone can make you laugh, they can bring you out of it.

Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes a brief appearance at the end of the 3 1/2-hour campaign event "A Night of Country & Comedy" at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, May 15, 2024.

Kennedy had planned to open the show on Wednesday but was delayed in Florida by a grave medical emergency in his family. His nephew Michael Hines, who has cerebral palsy, has been in the hospital this week, he said.

Hes going to be here, but hes going to be late, comedian Mike Binder said as he opened the show 30 minutes behind schedule.

Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes a brief appearance at the end of the 3 1/2-hour campaign event "A Night of Country & Comedy" at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, May 15, 2024.

A line wrapped around the Ryman and down the block on Fifth Avenue an hour before the event was set to begin. Most seats were full in the 2,300-seat venue at the beginning of the event, but the crowd dwindled after an intermission was announced more than 150 minutes into the program. Tickets for the event ranged from $24 to $47. Admission to an after-party and priority seating ranged from $500 to $1,000.

Balcony seats were at least one-third empty when Kennedys running mate Nicole Shanahan walked out on stage at 10:55 p.m. to deliver a halting string of jokes, flinging oversized index cards onto the stage.

Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s running mate Nicole Shanahan makes a brief appearance at the end of a 3 1/2-hour campaign event during "A Night of Country & Comedy" at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, May 15, 2024.

Shanahan, a lawyer and investor, announced during the event that she would donate $8 million toward getting Kennedy on the ballot in more states. So far, Kennedy is only confirmed on the ballot in four states, though the campaign says it has turned in signatures to qualify in more. The funds come at a critical time as the campaign works to gain ballot access  a requirement for participation in presidential debates.

Mirroring events in Los Angeles and Detroit, comedians performing at the event included Rob Schneider, Dave Landau, Jim Breuer, Tre Stewart, Jeff Dye and Mike Binder, and country artist Kayley Bishop. While there was much enthusiasm for Kennedy from the Nashville crowd, during a handful of the acts, audience members in the lower level shouted f you and walked out.

Comedians poked fun at both mainstream party presidential candidates, calling President Joe Biden a corpse attached to a car battery and mocking former President Donald Trumps campaign merch saying hes turning the White House into a fking Buc-ees. Jokes also ridiculed transgender people and mocked coronavirus vaccines and gun safety.

Comedian Russell Brand  who has been accused of sexual assault by five women, which he denies  performed a short set that focused on attacking legacy media and mocking worldwide compliance with coronavirus mandates and vaccine requirements.

This could be an important and interesting moment in your country because this is a rebellious part of your country, no? Youre rebels? Brand asked, to cheers from the crowd. You dont like being told what to do. Youre anti-authoritarian people.

Brand hurled criticism at the hubris and grandiosity of legacy media organizations, attacking news outlets coverage of Kennedy as shamelessly biased, calling out certain outlets by name  to at least one call of fk em from the crowd. Brand also asserted without evidence that legacy media has got state support, big pharma behind them and that the CIA have always been deeply embedded.

Its almost like theres a mass media campaign against him, Brand said.

DNC buys Nashville billboards ahead of event

Ahead of the event on Wednesday, the Democratic National Committee bought eight billboards across Nashville attacking Kennedy as a spoiler for Donald Trump," part of a DNC effort in several states attacking Kennedy as he gains traction in polls.

RFK Jr. was recruited to run by MAGA Republicans, his campaign is propped up by Trumps largest donor, and both his campaign staffer and head of his super PAC have said his candidacy will help Donald Trump, DNC Senior Spokesperson Hannah Muldavin said in a statement. RFK Jr. has no problem rubbing elbows with people like Russell Brand, a conspiracy theorist whos been accused by multiple women of sexual assault. Were going to keep reminding voters who RFK Jr. really is  a spoiler for Donald Trump.

Recent polling has found that support for Kennedy draws about equally from both Biden and Trump.

Kennedy says he will qualify for June debate

Kennedys appearance in Nashville came on the heels of announcements earlier Wednesday that both Biden and Trump agreed to two presidential debates  leaving Kennedy off the debate stage.

Biden and Trump announced the agreement to debate without coordination by the Commission on Presidential Debates. CNN will host a debate in Atlanta on June 27, and ABC will host another debate on Sept. 10.

Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and running mate Nicole Shanahan make a brief appearance at the end of the 3 1/2-hour campaign event "A Night of Country & Comedy" at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, May 15, 2024.

Kennedy asserted in a social media post Wednesday that Biden and Trump's debate negotiation excluded him from the debate stage in an effort to avoid discussion of their eight years of mutual failure."

Presidents Trump and Biden are colluding to lock America into a head-to-head match-up that 70% say they do not want, Kennedy wrote in a social media post on Wednesday. They are trying to exclude me from their debate because they are afraid I would win. Keeping viable candidates off the debate stage undermines democracy.

Later Wednesday, Kennedy announced he will meet the criteria to participate in the CNN debate in June. According to CNNs rules, each candidate must be on the ballot in enough states to earn a majority of Electoral College votes by June 20.

I look forward to holding Presidents Biden and Trump accountable for their records in Atlanta on June 27 to give Americans the debate they deserve, the Kennedy team wrote in a social media post.

Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Reach her at vjones@tennessean.com, or on X @Vivian_E_Jones.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: RFK Jr. makes brief appearance in Nashville to tell a joke
Independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr.s running mate has boosted the duos war chest once again, donating $8 million to the campaign to bolster ballot access in the lead-up to November.

Attorney Nicole Shanahan, whom Kennedy picked as his vice president in March, gave another $8 million last month to assist the campaigns efforts in getting on the ballot in all 50 states.

The Silicon Valley attorney announced the donation while speaking at a comedy show in Tennessee on Wednesday night.

This isnt just about funding our own campaign, she said in a statement following the Tennessee fundraising event, which was hosted at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. We want to liberate presidential elections from the grip of the existing two-party duopoly, and revitalize American democracy.

Shanahan, who has slowly ramped up her campaigning, previously donated $2 million to the campaign just one day after being tapped by Kennedy in late March. Candidates can contribute unlimited amounts to their campaign coffers under current federal election laws and do not have to abide by the $6,600 individual limits.

She has previously supported Kennedys White House bid with direct campaign donations, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings, and also gave $4 million to help fund the Super Bowl ad released by American Values 2024, an outside group backing the independent candidate.

Kennedys independent campaign intends to be on the ballot in all 50 states before Election Day and hopes to have its candidate on the debate stage with President Biden and former President Trump.

Kennedy decried being excluded from this weeks debate conversation, arguing the development undermines democracy.

His campaign said it has collected enough signatures to be on the ballot in 14 states, so far.

The expense of ballot access  in both time and treasure  is one of the establishments most powerful cudgels against independent political thought, campaign manager Amaryllis Kennedy said in a statement. Americans demand and deserve an alternative to the broken status quo. We are thrilled to put these funds to work crossing the finish line in all 50 states plus DC.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
RFK Jr. campaign says he supports abortion limits at fetal viability and differs from Shanahan on 15-18 week limits

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s campaign said late Thursday that he supports restricting abortion access at fetal viability and that comments from running mate Nicole Shanahan  about the campaign supporting federal limits between 15 and 18 weeks of gestation  do not reflect Kennedys views. Its just the latest mixed messaging over the campaigns abortion position after it walked back recent comments Kennedy made in opposition to government limits.

Mr. Kennedys position differs from Ms. Shanahans, in that he believes the cutoff should be at fetal viability. But both are aligned with the emerging national consensus of no restrictions up till a certain point and restrictions thereafter, campaign spokesperson Stefanie Spear told CNN. Most experts say fetal viability occurs at around 23-24 weeks of gestation.

Shanahan said in an interview on the Cartier Family podcast released Wednesday that the Kennedy campaign very much supports limits on abortion access, explaining that the independent presidential candidate arrived at the position after conversations with both abortion rights advocates and anti-abortion supporters on his campaign.

The campaign stance right now is very much, you know, looking at terms and limits, and the campaign very much supports limits on abortion, she said.

When asked at what period the Kennedy campaign would want to set limits on abortion, Shanahan responded, It, you know, moves around between 15 and 18 weeks.

The divergence between the running mates comments is only the latest in the Kennedys campaigns changing viewpoints on abortion, which have ranged from total opposition to government limits to support for abortion restrictions in the final months of pregnancy in line with the framework created through Roe v. Wade.

Kennedy said in a podcast interview released last week that he opposes any government limits on abortion access. When asked if he supported keeping abortion legal even if its full term  referring to the possibility of an abortion near the expected delivery date of a child  Kennedy responded affirmatively.

His comments inspired blowback from the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which said his comments made him unacceptable to million of pro-life voters nationwide.

Angela Stanton King, a Kennedy campaign adviser who has guided him on abortion policies, criminal justice and Black voter outreach, publicly denounced Kennedys comments in social media posts.

Kennedy subsequently walked back his comment the following day after speaking with campaign staff, including Stanton King. In a social media post clarifying his position, he said abortion should be legal up until a certain number of weeks and that abortion should be restricted in the final months of pregnancy.

In his statement, Kennedy did not say what he believed to be an appropriate limit on abortion access but indicated support for restrictions based on the framework created through Roe v. Wade, which established a constitutional right to abortion before fetal viability.

I support the emerging consensus that abortion should be unrestricted up until a certain point. I believe that point should be when the baby is viable outside the womb, Kennedy said in the statement last week. Therefore I would allow appropriate restrictions on abortion in the final months of pregnancy, just as Roe v. Wade did.

Kennedy himself previously expressed support for a federal abortion restriction at three months while he was running for president as a Democrat last year, but his campaign quickly walked back that position.

In the new interview, Shanahan also expressed support for individual states deciding on abortion access, echoing Kennedys skepticism of the federal government regulating health care. But she said shes concerned state-level abortion restrictions could make the issue over-politicized.

I think that the trend towards, you know, states making these decisions is good. The thing that makes me worried in those instances is it becoming, again, over-politicized for election reasons, and then swinging too far, she said. Because, you know, even very religious people in this country felt that, you know, the overall political politicization of this issue has led to stances that have been more extreme than they even intended.

Democrats have seized on Shanahans openness to letting individual states determine abortion access. Lis Smith, who is leading the efforts to combat third-party candidates at the Democratic National Committee, blasted the Kennedy-Shanahan ticket for being untrustworthy on the issue of reproductive rights.

Wow. When Nicole Shanahan sees state after state banning abortion, she thinks its good. This after Robert Kennedy Jr. said he would sign a national abortion ban. They CANNOT be trusted on abortion rights, Smith wrote on social media Thursday.

Shanahan fired back, accusing Smith of taking cheap shots at her and misrepresenting her policy position.

I said allowing communities to work it out for themselves is good. Bringing womens choice closer to women is a positive thing, Shanahan responded. Lets agree that women in our age group are struggling to build the families they want and do something about that, rather than airlifting one word from a two-minute video and taking cheap shots.

A statement from the DNC later accused Kennedy of hiding from his abortion extremism while highlighting state-level abortion restrictions that, the committee asserted, puts womens lives at risk.

Kicking it down to the states has led to dangerous abortion bans from Alabama to North Dakota, putting womens lives at risk and ripping away access to care, the statement read.

This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.

CNNs Eva McKend contributed to this report.

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BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- China is ready to work with Arab countries to build a China-Arab community with a shared future at a higher level, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday.

Xi made the remarks in a congratulatory message to King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the rotating chairperson of the Council of Heads of the League of Arab States, over the convening of the 33rd Arab League Summit in Bahrain.

Xi noted that the Arab League has long been committed to pushing for unity and self strengthening in the Arab world, and promoting peace, stability and development in the Middle East.

In recent years, facing changes in the world, the times and history, Arab countries have adhered to independence, promoted development and revitalization, upheld fairness and justice, and safeguarded regional peace and stability, Xi said, adding that Arab countries are playing an increasingly important role in strengthening solidarity and cooperation for the "Global South" and in upholding their common interests.

Xi stressed that the current China-Arab ties are in the best period in history. He said that in December 2022, he attended the first China-Arab States Summit with leaders of Arab states, drew up a comprehensive blueprint for the development of China-Arab relations, and agreed to make all-out efforts to build a China-Arab community with a shared future for the new era.

For more than a year, China and Arab countries have witnessed deepening political mutual trust, vibrant practical cooperation, as well as rich cultural and people-to-people exchanges, Xi said, adding that their cooperation in various fields has yielded fruitful outcomes.

Looking to the future, China is ready to work with Arab countries to continue carrying forward the spirit of the China-Arab friendship, build a China-Arab community with a shared future at a higher level, and contribute to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, he said.

At the end of this month, the 10th ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum will be held in Beijing, Xi said, expressing his hope that the two sides will take the 10th ministerial meeting as an opportunity to further deepen cooperation in various fields, so as to better benefit the two peoples. 
Richmond's election office is under investigation by the city's inspector general. (Graham Moomaw/Virginia Mercury)

The Richmond Electoral Board met with the citys inspector general in a closed session Wednesday following allegations of nepotism and financial improprieties in the election office led by Registrar Keith Balmer.

Inspector General James Osuna and members of the electoral board declined to comment when they emerged from the closed-door meeting, saying an investigation opened by the inspector generals office is not yet complete.

A document The Virginia Mercury obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request earlier this year offers clues about what Osuna is looking into.

Last fall, an investigator in Osunas office contacted the State Department of Elections seeking assistance looking into a variety of complaints received from one of Balmers former employees. Investigator Michael Chodorov told state officials he hadnt verified the accuracy of the information, but he relayed allegations about management hiring family and friends, questionable expenditures and other issues in the Richmond election office.

City authorities seemed to be under the impression the State Board of Elections should handle the matter due its role overseeing the work of registrars. In response, state officials said the complaint was a local concern because none of the claims had a direct tie to election policy or voting.

Its unclear if the information in the ex-employees complaint has been verified or disproven, but both state and local officials have been made aware of it.

Serious allegations have been made, Electoral Board Chairman John Ambrose said Wednesday when asked about his level of concern based on what hes heard. And theyll be seriously investigated.

Balmer declined to comment.

In a sign the issues in Richmond are escalating, officials confirmed Wednesday that City Hall has taken steps to cut off purchasing cards issued to Balmers office. The office isnt a city department under Mayor Levar Stoneys control but still uses local funds.

Some claims of nepotism in the Richmond election office have already been made public. Earlier this year, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Balmer had given his brother a job and paid his wifes company $2,300 for training on how election workers can accommodate voters with disabilities.

In a public back-and-forth among board members before Wednesdays closed session, Electoral Board Member Starlet Stevens said the subject of the private discussion was where the money is being spent.

Its going to happen whether you like it or not, John, and youre not going to shut me up on this, Stevens said to Ambrose.

Ambrose shot back: Youre out of order by making these comments.

Stevens, a Republican, was the board chair heading into Wednesdays meeting. But Ambrose, a Republican, and Board Member Joyce Smith, a Democrat, held a vote to oust her from that position prior to the closed session and make Ambrose the boards new leader. They didnt elaborate on the exact reason for that decision, but shortly after that move Ambrose and Smith voted to reinstate an election officer who had been removed from the role after some sort of physical altercation with Stevens.

During the meeting, Stevens and the reinstated election officer briefly argued over who instigated the confrontation. There was no clear resolution to the matter apart from Stevens being demoted from chair and the election officer being reinstated.

Its unclear where the signs of trouble in the Richmond election office might lead, but the inspector generals unfinished investigation is occurring in a high-pressure presidential year, when election officials can least afford distraction and disruption.

In Virginia, city and county election offices are overseen by three-person electoral boards that operate independently of other local leaders but have the power to hire and fire registrars. Those unelected board members are appointed by local political parties and confirmed by judges. The party that won the last gubernatorial election automatically gets majority control of every electoral board in the state.

Balmer took over the Richmond election office from former registrar Kirk Showalter, who was removed in 2021 partly at the urging of the Democratic Party of Virginia. The Richmond Electoral Board is now under Republican control due to Gov. Glenn Youngkins victory in 2021, but that power shift didnt impact Balmers job.

Past dysfunction in local election offices has inspired calls for state leaders to reform the system to usher in more professionalism and stability and shield registrars from political power struggles and feuds involving partisan board members.

City officials have also chastised Balmer several times for apparent violations of procurement policy in which his office signed contracts without proper authorization under the city governments spending rules, according to documents obtained through a records request to the city.

The latest election-related contract to raise eyebrows at City Hall was an agreement signed with a security firm in January that envisions personal protection services for Balmer at an $85 hourly rate per guard.

The contract estimates 45 hours of work per week at a minimum, adding up to a weekly cost of at least $3,825. The 40-week agreement is set to run from early February to Nov. 5, the day of the presidential election, indicating the costs could exceed $150,000.

Election officials throughout the country have faced threats following former President Donald Trumps false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, an atmosphere thats led to heightened security measures.

The new security contract for the Richmond election office, signed with local firm HPi Unified, also envisioned six security training sessions for staff at a cost of $26,400.

The post Richmond inspector general investigating citys elections office appeared first on Virginia Mercury.
DENVER (KDVR)  A Castle Rock elementary school was placed on secure status on Wednesday morning after a rifle-armed man in body armor was seen walking around the area.

It happened around 9 a.m. Wednesday. A Castle Rock Police Department spokesperson said officers received numerous calls about the man walking in the area, and police immediately responded.

Deputy-involved shooting investigated near Aurora middle school

South Ridge Elementary School was placed on secure status for less than 10 minutes due to law enforcement activity in the neighborhood surrounding the school, Douglas County School District spokesperson Paula Hans told FOX31.

While police found the man in question, no further information was immediately available about him.

The subject was contacted and it was determined he did not violate any laws, police spokesperson Taylor Temby told FOX31.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, left, greets Rep. Barbara Carpenter, D-Baton Rouge, on opening day of a legislative special session focusing on crime, Feb. 19, 2024, at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge. (Hillary Schienuk/The Advocate, Pool)

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry recently requested that the Legislature call a constitutional convention. He says the current constitution is too restrictive, and forbids cuts to most agencies, resulting in most cuts falling on higher education and healthcare. He also says that most of the amendments in the constitution should be statutes that can be changed by the state Legislature.

The enabling legislation that made it out of the House proposes to hold a two-week convention starting Aug.1, with convention committees meeting prior to the convention to receive public comments.

The current Louisiana constitution is a flawed and excessively-amended document and should be rewritten at some point. However, the legislation being sent over to the Senate for debate is setting up a rushed, high-risk process that makes it difficult for ordinary citizens to have their voices heard. It would increase the influence of the governor by giving him more discretionary power over how state money is spent, but its unclear how it would help ordinary citizens.

The first problem with current convention legislation is the lack of public input. The constitutional convention of 1973 had a long series of open meetings that stretched over an entire year. Meetings were not only held in Baton Rouge. Committee members traveled to all parts of the state to make sure that any citizen who wanted to participate in a public meeting received the opportunity.

The 1973 convention was composed primarily of elected delegates. Some were state lawmakers, some were local officeholders, but many were simply private citizens who chose to run for a delegate seat. The current legislation calls for a convention of strictly state legislators and gubernatorial appointees. Its not really a recipe for broad public participation.

This is especially problematic for the urban areas of the state. The main protection that a city such as New Orleans, a heavily Democratic city in a Republican state, has is a home rule charter. The central structure of city government is shielded from state interference by the home rule charter rights written into the constitution. A hostile group of delegates could weaken the home rule charter provisions in the document. They could choose to change the form of government of the city altogether, taking away the power of the mayor and City Council to appoint members of city boards and commissions, such as the City Planning Commission or Sewerage & Water Board, and give those powers to the state.

The governors legislative floor leaders have responded to criticism that the time period allocated to write a new constitution is too short to allow broad public participation by describing the new constitution as a refresh or a streamlining. They argue that their goal is not to write a new constitution from scratch, but simply to remove all of the provisions that should be legislative statutes. Their stated plan is a limited convention.

There is no such thing as a limited convention. There is nothing in Louisiana law that would stop delegates from immediately expanding the scope of the convention once they go into session. History indicates that governors and legislative floor leaders usually lose control of these conventions.

Veteran political journalist Jeremy Alford, in his book, The Last Constitution, said that the last time the state wrote a new constitution, in 1973, newly-elected Governor Edwin Edwards ran on a very specific set of constitutional reforms. Since Edwards was a popular and powerful governor, everyone expected the delegates to follow his charge. Alford said: The delegates, however, ignored that charge and penned a plan for drafting their own constitution on the back of a cocktail napkin from Pastime Lounge, which in turn became one of the first official documents entered into the convention record.

Given the high stakes of getting this convention wrong, it is time for the Senate to slow the process down, stretch it out, schedule public meetings across the state, and bring more private citizens into the process.

Ultimately, the voters will have the final say because a new constitution must be approved by a simple majority in a statewide vote. It would be preferable to bring broad public participation at the start of the process rather than waiting until the end. Rushing the process and excluding most of the voters runs the risk of dealing the state a losing hand in the end.

This article first appeared on Verite News and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

The post Risky business: Gambling on a constitutional convention appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator.
QUEENS VILLAGE, N.Y. (PIX11)  A masked man pointed a gun at a workers head before robbing a Queens deli Thursday morning, according to the NYPD.

The gunman went into the Quick Stop Deli & Grocery at 223-24 Union Turnpike in Queens Village at around 9:45 a.m. and threatened the worker after demanding money, police said. The suspect fired one shot in the store, sending three employees running to the back of the deli.

Woman slashed in the leg defending herself on Queens subway: NYPD

The deli manager told PIX11 News he tackled the thief after the shooting, and the bullet grazed one of the workers. But police did not report any injuries. Officers found a 9mm shell casing at the scene.

The bullet was, you know, he felt the bullet from by his side, and he ran away to the back of the store, said Anant Kumar Patel, manager at Quick Stop Deli & grocery.

The robber, dressed in all black, then ran out of the back of the store and was last seen heading south on Union Turnpike with an unknown amount of cash, according to the manager and the NYPD.

He comes to me and points the gun to my head; he kicks me, and I fell down to the ground, Patel added, then he forced me to open the register, took all the money and ran away.

Last month, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that a $3,000 tax credit would be available for small businesses that spend $4,000 on theft prevention measures such as installing cameras as part of the 2025 fiscal budget, but Fernando Mateo, founder of United Bodegas of America, said time is of the essence.

There have been no arrests and the investigation is ongoing.

Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

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.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
Hundreds were treated to food, music and art as Rock Island High School celebrated its diverse student population with its second annual Culture Fest.

Themed Many Cultures, One Rocky, the event showcased and celebrated the diversity in the school and community. Our Quad Cities News photojournalist Mike Colon takes a closer look.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita speaks during a news conference on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. (Screenshot from the Indiana AG's Facebook Live stream)

Though most, if not all, of Indianas collegiate campuses have cleared out after spring classes ended earlier this month, Attorney General Todd Rokita on Wednesday issued a warning to postsecondary officials: Hateful antisemitic acts against Jewish students will not be tolerated.

Rokita said campuses are duty-bound to enforce Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by combating all form of antisemitism on their campuses. Not doing so risks their federal funding, he added, saying that Title VI prohibits discrimination based on race, color and national origin. That includes perceived ancestry or ethnicity.

My team and I are deeply committed to ending antisemitism in all forms, Rokita wrote in a seven-page letter to college officials. Some Indiana colleges and universities boast large populations of Jewish students. If these students face antisemitism on campus without corrective measures, they may bring an action under Title VI against your university by alleging a hostile environment or retaliation.

More than 1,400 Israelis died during and after an Oct. 7 attack on Israel by terrorist organization Hamas. It was the deadliest day in modern history for Jews since the Holocaust.

Israels military launched an aggressive offensive in Palestine after the attack and has since killed more than 35,000 Palestinian people. Top U.S. officials have criticized the country for not doing enough to protect civilians.

Meanwhile, at college campuses, American students have protested Israels military actions in Gaza, disrupting classes and graduation ceremonies alike.

While protests have erupted at several Hoosier schools  including Purdue University, Ball State University and the Indiana University-Purdue University joint campus in Indianapolis (IUPUI)  actions at Indiana University catapulted to national headlines after a series of arrests.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana (ACLU) has stepped in to represent a student, professor and Bloomington resident who were banned from campus for one year  something the organization said violated their First Amendment rights. Additionally, the Indiana State Polices campus interventions have faced criticism.

Contents of the letter

Protests nationwide have included widely-reported incidents of antisemitism.

Rokita on Wednesday cited tweets about Indiana protest activities, including handmade signs, as examples of students publicly showing their support for Hamas and targeted animus towards the State of Israel and Jewish students.

The signs cited in the letters to college officials include slogans like Purdue divest from genocide and Your tuition fund$ genocide. The signs appeared to focus on divestment without explicitly mentioning Hamas, however.

Although the 2023-24 academic year is wrapping up, the potential persists for continued campus protests  and continued antisemitic agitation, Rokitas accompanying release continued.  Those who would incite violence or commit criminal acts may not hide behind the First Amendment to avoid culpability.

Rokita included testimony from 2024s House Bill 1002 as evidence of alleged antisemitic activities on campuses, such as a described incident when members of the Students for Justice in Palestine  attempted to intimidate members of a Jewish Fraternity in their parking lot because of the Israeli flag flown above their house 

A bill to define antisemitism, House Bill 1002, attracted testimony from a diverse crowd in the House Chamber on January 10, 2024. (Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle)

Many witnesses that spoke at the time condemned the bill for conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism. A weakened version of the bill was vetoed by Gov. Eric Holcomb  a move that Rokita supported. Holcomb then issued and signed a proclamation that more closely resembled the original bill.

Jewish students fear practicing and living their faith openly. According to testimony, some students have even abandoned their education and left Indiana. Student groups, especially Greek life, have spoken out against antisemitism more than some of your administrations have, Rokitas letter to college officials said.

I am pleased that these young people are standing up to antisemitism, but it demonstrates your own lack of fortitude in taking appropriate action, he continued. Jewish students have witnessed and experienced antisemitism on your campuses. By not protecting your Jewish students, you deny them the same educational opportunity and protections as everyone else  which is both morally and legally unacceptable.

As expressed above, your inaction leaves you vulnerable to a violation of Title VI and may subject you to legal action or the loss of your federal funding, he said.

He added that college officials must ensure that student groups do not materially support foreign terrorist organizations under both federal and state law.

Protecting our Jewish students requires accountability on the universitys part. I strongly encourage them to enforce university codes of conduct and the law when necessary to put an end to antisemitism and the promotion of terrorism on your campuses, Rokita wrote. That way we can ensure that all students, including our Jewish brothers and sisters, are safe and have an equal access to education.

Some pushback

Destiny Wells, one of two Democratic attorney general candidates seeking to challenge Rokita in the November general election, questioned aspects of Rokitas press release and letter.

Attorney General Todd Rokitas warning about antisemitism to college officials is suspect at best, Wells said in a Wednesday release. Unlike Rokitas threatening of protected First Amendment speech, I encourage the political awakening of our youth in spaces like academic institutions, much like I joined the military from my Indiana University campus as we entered the war in Iraq after 9/11. While I may not always agree with ones position, college years are formative in figuring out a complex worldthis is the American way.

Instead, she said Rokita should focus his efforts on revisiting a 2019 effort to create comprehensive hate crime legislation. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an anti-hate organization found in 1913 to protect Jewish people, Indianas existing legislation  Senate Enrolled Act 198 from 2019  doesnt count as a hate crimes law.

Wells included the ADLs 2019 response in her Wednesday release, saying change was needed to protect all Hoosiers from hate crimes. Notably, Indianas law doesnt include gender identity, gender or sex.

If Todd Rokita is serious about combating antisemitism and hate in all its forms, he would use the power of his office to advocate the legislature revisit SEA 198-2019 in order to remove Indiana from the list of states without comprehensive hate crimes legislation, Wells concluded.

Ball State Antisemitism Letter

The post Rokita warns Indiana college officials to guard against campus antisemitism appeared first on Indiana Capital Chronicle.
Romney says if he were president he would have immediately pardoned Trump

Utah GOP Sen. Mitt Romney said that if he were President Joe Biden he would have immediately pardoned former President Donald Trump.

Had I been President Biden, when the Justice Department brought on indictments, I would have immediately pardoned him, Romney told MSNBCs The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle in an interview set to air Wednesday. Id have pardoned President Trump. Why? Well, because it makes me, President Biden, the big guy and the person I pardoned a little guy.

Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, faces 88 charges over four criminal indictments in Georgia; New York; Washington, DC; and Florida  with the latter two being federal cases prosecuted by Special Counsel Jack Smith.

While the longtime Trump critic disagreed with Bidens handling of the federal cases, Romney also criticized Trumps attacks on the courts and called out Republicans who are trying to curry favor with the former president amid his hush money trial in Manhattan.

The former president, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, has repeated the baseless claim that Biden has weaponized the Justice Department against his 2024 presidential election rival. He has also continuously attacked the judges overseeing his cases, giving rise to security concerns with some receiving threats.

I think its a terrible fault for our country to see people attacking our legal system, thats an enormous mistake, Romney stated.

Allies of the former president have been flocking to the Manhattan criminal courthouse to display their support for Trump, including North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, who are both under consideration to be Trumps running mate.

I think its also demeaning for people to quite apparently try and run for vice president by donning a red tie and standing outside the courthouse. Its just, Id have felt awkward, Romney said.

The politicians coming to the former presidents defense  who have also included Florida Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy  are attacking the people Trump is barred from publicly speaking about due to a gag order issued by the judge in the ongoing Manhattan hush money trial.

Romney has long been a critic of Trump and has often criticized his Republican colleagues for their continued loyalty to the former president. He found Trump guilty of abuse of power during Trumps first impeachment trial in the Senate, becoming the first senator in US history to vote to remove from office a president from the same party. And a year later, he voted with six other Republicans to convict Trump of inciting an insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6 during the former presidents second impeachment trial. Romney has said he did not vote for Trump, his partys nominee, in 2020 and has said he will not vote for him in 2024.

The 77-year-old senator as the Republican Party nominee in the 2012 presidential race, losing to Democratic incumbent Barack Obama. Romney, known for his distinctive voice in the Senate as a lawmaker willing to take on his own party, announced last year he would not seek reelection to his seat.

CNNs Clare Foran and Morgan Rimmer contributed to this report.

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Ruben Gallego wants Kyrsten Sinemas endorsement. Time to break out her little ring

How do you know Ruben Gallego has gone too far as a pretend-centrist? He's now courting the endorsement of the centrist Krysten Sinema that he so happily dissed.

Just how far will Ruben Gallego go to make Arizonans believe he is a consensus-building centrist Democrat and not the progressive firebreather hes been in Congress?

Pretty far.

He dropped out of the congressional progressive caucus.

He distanced himself from Joe Biden.

He appears in an online campaign ad that makes him look like a NASCAR gearhead at the starting line (Democrats will be relieved to find on closer examination hes actually at a long-distance run, not a carbon-burning auto race).

Would Sinema ever endorse Gallego?

I was almost ready to go along with NASCAR Ruben Gallego when he finally zipped past me so fast, so far that he actually gave me whiplash.

How much has Ruben Gallego changed?

This much:

He now wants Kyrsten Sinemas endorsement.

GET OUTTA HERE!

No. Really. Its true.

Gallego told the Washington Post he would love to have Sinemas endorsement, noting shes very well-liked among her fellow independents.

Some things are semi-sort-of plausible, like race-car Ruben.

But not this. Not Sinema and Gallego locking hands for the general.

Gallego once swore he'd never be Sinema

Yes, I know its not uncommon for the losing candidate in a primary election (which is essentially what Sinema was) to rally behind the winner in the general.

But that doesnt work here.

The only reason Gallego is the Democrats U.S. Senate candidate is because he looked its liberal base in the eye and swore he would never be Sinema.

Biden can't even get: 1 celebrity to show up for him in Arizona

Then he proved to them his worthiness by smearing her.

Shes alienated everybody cause nobody trusts her in Arizona, Gallego told Vanity Fairs Molly Jong-Fast in a January 2023 Q&A.

Shes in the pocket of Big Pharma, he said. They have a lot of lobbyists on Capitol Hill. They dont need one more thats paid by tax dollars.

He said Sinema was worse than Republicans

When Jong-Fast said to him, (Sinema) basically is a Republican, Gallego responded, I dont know. I think at least Republicans have some, you know, moral values that theyll stick to.

Not surprisingly, Sinema is cool to Gallegos centrist makeover. And who would blame her?

In 2022, Gallego told Politico, Shes all about herself.

I would love to be on the stump with her helping Democrats win, but shes not going to do it. Because Im a good Democrat, I want us to win. I think we have the values that are going to make Arizona better. I dont think shes going to do it with me because I mean, honestly, I think she cares more about her career than she cares about what we can do with our elected office.

Now, Gallego wants the woman who is worse than Republicans to back his campaign.

Im guessing Kyrsten Sinema is presently rummaging through her armoire looking for her special little ring.

Independent voters may be eyeing Gallego

In its story on the Gallego makeover, the Washington Post interviewed non-Democratic Arizona voters who are leaning Gallego.

Gallego knows that Kari Lake is such damaged goods that many independents and Republicans will be tempted to vote for him.

But his all-too-slick makeover only reminds that it was just last year that the far-left Nation magazine was exulting that Gallego is a progressive who frequently takes bolder stands than his partys leadership.

If you are one of those Republicans and independents who cant think of any good reason to vote for Kari Lake, think of this.

A few good reasons to vote against Gallego

If NASCAR Ruben is all a ruse and he gets in the Senate and continues voting the far-left Democratic line, heres what progressive Democrats want to do:

Abolish the legislative filibuster.

Make D.C. and Puerto Rico states, adding presumably four more Democrats to the Senate and cementing one-party control of that body for perhaps a generation.

Pack the Supreme Court with four new justices, giving Democrats control of the judiciary.

Make significant changes to election law with all progressive Democrat reforms.

End the use of fossil fuels.

Spend like there is no tomorrow.

Those may not be good reasons to vote for Kari Lake, who lied repeatedly about elections and denied their results, but they could be good reasons to vote against Ruben Gallego.

For those centrists Republicans put off by Lake, consider what Gallego once said about you before he went NASCAR.

If you are a Republican, you have to have a bunch of guns, a jacked-up truck with some cow nuts hanging in the back. Thats your cultural identity now.

Once you do, you might want to ask Sinema where she bought her special ring.

Phil Boas is an editorial columnist with The Arizona Republic. Email him at phil.boas@arizonarepublic.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ruben Gallego wants Kyrsten Sinema's endorsement? He'll never get it
SEOUL, May 16 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's retirement pension funds posted a double-digit growth last year amid the higher return on investment, government data showed Thursday.

Corporate retirement pension funds under management grew 13.8 percent over the year to 382.4 trillion won (283.9 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023, according to joint data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) and the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

For the past five years, the retirement pension funds doubled from 190 trillion won (141.1 billion dollars) in 2018.

The funds' annual average return on investment surged to 5.26 percent in 2023 from 0.02 percent in the prior year.

The annual return on investment for the past five years came in at 2.35 percent, while the 10-year average reached 2.07 percent.

The ratio of cost, such as management commission, to the retirement pension funds stood at 0.372 percent in 2023, down 0.02 percentage points compared to the previous year.

Separating from the national pension program, the corporate retirement pension program was adopted in 2005 to allow employees to receive the post-retirement pension in a lump-sum payment or a monthly installment. 
FILE PHOTO: The British flag flies on the embassy building in front of the Moscow International Business Center in Moscow

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Thursday it was expelling the British defence attache and promised further, unspecified retaliation after Britain threw out his Russian counterpart last week.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said it had summoned a British embassy representative to inform them of the move.

On May 8, Britain announced it was ordering out the Russian defence attache, describing him as an undeclared military intelligence officer.

The Russian statement said Moscow viewed that as "a politically motivated action with a clearly expressed Russophobic character, which deals irreparable damage to bilateral relations".

The British diplomat, Adrian Coghill, was given a week to leave the country. Moscow said that would not be the end of the matter and Britain would be informed about further retaliatory steps.

Relations between the two countries were in dire shape even before the Ukraine war and have worsened further since it started. Britain has played a prominent role in mobilising support for Ukraine and providing it with weapons.

Britain said last week it was also removing diplomatic status from some Russian-linked promises and imposing new visa restrictions to cap the length of time that Russian diplomats can spend in Britain.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Maxim Rodionov and Mark Trevelyan, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
A few weeks before its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia launched the Kosmos 2553 satellite to test components of a potential anti-satellite nuclear weapons system.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Details: Reportedly, in February 2022, a few weeks before Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia launched the Kosmos 2553 research spacecraft into space.

This satellite, American officials say, was designed to test components for a potential anti-satellite weapon that would carry a nuclear device.

Sources say Kosmos 2553 does not carry nuclear weapons, but American officials are certain it contains non-nuclear components of a new Russian armament system.

This armament, if deployed, will give Moscow an opportunity to destroy hundreds of satellites in low-Earth orbit with a nuclear blast "in a part of space dominated by American government and SpaceX assets".

One of the sources called the satellite a "prototype" of the weapon but others say that the Russian space programme has not advanced that far. Kosmos 2553 is still moving around the Earth on an "unusual orbit".

Over the last few months, US President Joe Bidens administration and Congress have been concerned about the alleged anti-satellite nuclear programme.

Russias Defence Ministry and Roscosmos reported about the launch of this satellite but little information concerning the purpose of the satellite was disclosed  only that it was equipped with the systems for operation "under conditions of exposure to radiation and heavy charged particles".

Sources of WSJ consider the claims of the Russian side about the goal of the spacecraft launch to be improbable and stress that it was launched within the Russian nuclear anti-satellite programme.

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FILE PHOTO: A cow comes out of a barn at a farm in Omsk Region

By Olga Popova

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia plans to grow its presence in the global dairy products market by increasing supplies by 15-20% annually with a big push into Arab countries - especially Algeria - and southeast Asia, the head of industry lobby group Soyuzmoloko told Reuters.

"Annually, the Russian dairy industry can show export growth rates of about 15-20%, but it is not excluded that the growth can go exponentially under the right conditions," Artem Belov said.

"If we are talking about a long-term perspective of seven to 10 years, we can increase supplies many times over."

Russia's annual dairy exports are now worth $400 million, or about 1% of a global market estimated at more than $40 billion, he said. The country officially stopped publishing dairy export statistics this year, but 2023 data show it doubled whey exports that year and increased the supply of milk powder by 4.7 times.

The biggest buyers until now have been Kazakhstan, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia - countries that were once part of the Soviet Union and where Russian milk, cheese and cottage cheese are popular - as well as China.

The new target markets are in countries that Russia is courting heavily as it pivots its trade away from Europe.

"We already occupy a fairly comfortable position in the CIS market, so the main growth will be related to deliveries to the far abroad, specifically of dairy commodities," Belov said.

Russia does not make significant dairy exports to Western countries and dairy products are not subject to sanctions imposed by those countries.

The first dairy product deliveries to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Tunisia, Egypt and the Philippines started last year.

Belov said there had been a "breakthrough" in Algeria, with a first delivery of 500 tons of skim milk powder (SMP) from the Volga region in December. The Bryansk Cheese Factory has opened a representative office in Algeria, and several other Russian enterprises are working on supplies.

"In 2024, Algeria may become the number one buyer and number one in terms of exports of dairy commodities. This market is huge and practically bottomless. If we can strengthen our positions there, we can create separate production facilities and build farms that will be aimed at producing goods exclusively for the Algerian market," Belov said.

"This is a very large market, many times larger than Russia's domestic production."

Russia currently exports 12 to 14% of the volume of SMP and whey it produces. Production of industrial milk rose by 4.9% to 25.8 million tonnes in 2023.

Belov noted the record volume of consumption of milk and dairy products in Russia over the past 15 years, suggesting that the country's production increase rate of 3-4% will be maintained with consumption growth forecast at 3% in 2024.

"Strategically, exports are the tool that will balance the situation on the domestic market".

(Reporting by Olga Popova; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Frances Kerry)
A Russian attack on Kharkiv Oblast killed two women on May 16, the Kharkiv Oblast Office of the Prosecutor General reported on Telegram.

Over the last day, Russian attacks on the town of Chuhuiv and the village of Hrafske in the Chuhuiv district injured three women aged 69, 81, and 87, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov. A 72-year-old woman also suffered injuries in a Russian attack on the embattled town of Vovchansk.

The Office of the Prosecutor General later reported that the 87-year-old woman in the village of Hrafske died. The injured victim in Vovchansk also passed.

An attack on the region also damaged a dormitory, a clinic, and a house in the village of Mala Danylivka, injuring four medical workers.

As Russian forces launched new offensive operations in the north of Kharkiv Oblast on May 10, both Kharkiv and a number of border settlements have come under heavy strikes.

Additionally, Russian forces are taking Ukrainian civilians captive and preventing their evacuation in the embattled northern part of Vovchansk. Cases of executions have also been reported.

A total of 8,779 civilians in Kharkiv Oblast have been evacuated from their homes amid heavy fighting in the region, Syniehubov reported on May 16.

The fighting is also reportedly ongoing in the Kupiansk, Siversk, Kramatorsk, Pokrovsk, and Kurakhove sectors.

Read also: General Staff: Ukraine thwarts Russias attempts to gain foothold in Vovchansk

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Russian forces shelled the Korabelnyi district of Kherson, injuring two people, the Kherson Regional Military Administration reported on May 16.

The first victim, a woman aged 54, reportedly suffered a severe contusion and brain injuries. Paramedics treated her injuries on the spot. Another man, 52, suffered explosive injuries and was taken to the hospital.

Korabelnyi is an administrative district of the city of Kherson and is often a target of Russian shelling due to its proximity to the front line.

More than a year after Ukrainian forces liberated swathes of territories on the western bank of the Dnipro in November 2022, Russia continued to heavily attack Kherson and its surroundings with artillery, tanks, drones, and air bombs  putting civilians in severe danger.

Over the past 24 hours, one person was killed, and four others were injured after projectiles exploded in the Beryslav district. Three people were reportedly hospitalized.

Earlier this week, Russian forces carried out an airstrike against central Kherson, injuring at least 19 people.

Read also: Russian attacks on Kherson, Donetsk oblasts kill 1, injure 9

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Russian attacks against Ukraine killed four people and injured 41 over the past day, regional authorities said on May 16.

Russia targeted a total of 10 Ukrainian oblasts  Sumy, Luhansk, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Kherson. Casualties were reported in the latter five regions.

In Kharkiv, two men aged 20 and 40 were injured after Russian forces attacked the city with missiles, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

The attack reportedly damaged a five-story building, windows, and eight cars.

A Russian attack damaged a dormitory, a clinic, and a house in the village of Mala Danylivka in Kharkiv Oblast, injuring four medical workers, the governor reported.

Russian attacks on the town of Chuhuiv and the village of Hrafske in the Chuhuiv district injured three women aged 69, 81, and 87, according to Syniehubov.

The aftermath of Russia's attack on the village of Mala Danylivka in Kharkiv Oblast on May 15, 2024. (Oleh Syniehubov/Telegram)

Two other women, one of them 55, were reportedly injured in the villages of Bohuslavka and Kolisnykivka.

A 70-year-old man suffered injuries in a Russian attack on the embattled town of Vovchansk.

Fragments of a Russian downed missile killed two men aged 48 and 51 and injured a 63-year-old one in the city of Dnipro, Governor Serhii Lysak said.

Russian attack reportedly damaged an infrastructure facility, an administrative building, five-story and two-story buildings, six houses, an animal shelter, a car, and a power line. Several fires were extinguished.

A Russian glide bombs attack on residential areas in Kherson injured 19 people, said Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. The attack reportedly damaged 12 buildings, 11 houses, and educational and medical institutions, including a kindergarten.

Russian troops also killed two people in the village of Karlivka in Donetsk Oblast, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported.

A total of six people were injured in the city of Mykolaiv during a Russian missile strike on civilian infrastructure, according to Governor Vitalii Kim. The attack reportedly damaged a residential building, cars, windows, and a shop.

Russian attacks also injured two women and one man in the Vasylivka district in Zaporizhizhia Oblast, Governor Ivan Fedorov reported. Russia reportedly fired at seven settlements 260 times, he said.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian forces stabilize situation in Kharkiv Oblast, partially push Russian troops out of Vovchansk

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Russian troops attacked the village of Mykhailivka in Donetsk Oblast and the Beryslav district in Kherson Oblast on May 16, killing one person and injuring nine, according to prosecutors.

Settlements in Donetsk and Kherson oblasts suffer from daily Russian strikes due to their proximity to the front line.

Russian forces reportedly attacked Mykhailivka in the Pokrovsk disctrict with Smerch multiple launch rocket systems, injuring three women and two men.

A strike hit the territory of a local enterprise, damaging an administrative building and a car, the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office said.

A Russian attack on one of the settlements in the Beryslav district reportedly damaged residential buildings and vehicles.

One person was killed, and four others were injured after projectiles exploded, the Kherson Oblast Prosecutor's Office said, citing preliminarily information. Three people were reportedly hospitalized.

Read also: Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 4, injure 41 over past day

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HEFEI, May 16 (Xinhua) -- China Disabled Persons' Federation and iFlytek, one of China's leading AI companies, signed a cooperation agreement in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province, on Thursday to build a joint laboratory of general artificial intelligence to assist the disabled.

According to the agreement, the lab will actively develop human-computer interaction components and intelligent rehabilitation assistive devices for the disabled, carry out multi-category research on intelligent assistance for the disabled, and build application scenarios for the needs of the disabled.

"Science and technology are an important support for creating a better life for the disabled and promoting the quality development of the cause of the disabled," said Zhou Changkui, chairperson of the Board of Executive Directors of the China Disabled Persons' Federation.

This Sunday marks the 34th National Day of Disabled Persons. 
The Russian forces attacked Nikopol district (Dnipro Oblast) with artillery and kamikaze drones.

Source: Serhii Lysak, Head of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration

Quote: "Nikopol district. The enemy attacked it 10 times during the day. They used heavy artillery and kamikaze drones.

The Russians hit the district centre, where they damaged a private house, an outbuilding and an infrastructure facility. The consequences of the evening attacks are still being assessed."

Details: The Russians also struck Marhanets, Myrivske, Pokrovske hromadas [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories  ed.].

There, the Russians destroyed two houses and an outbuilding. The shelling damaged a power facility and four power lines.

Almost a thousand families were left without electricity in one of the settlements.

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Russian forces attacked a village of Vovchansk community in Kharkiv Oblast with cluster munitions on May 16, injuring five people, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

"Two medics, two drivers, and the head of the Vovchansk City Military Administration were injured," according to the governor's statement.

Tamaz Gambarashvili is the head of the Vovchansk City Military Administration.

Russian forces are taking Ukrainian civilians captive and preventing their evacuation in the embattled northern part of Vovchansk, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said earlier in the day. First cases of executions have also been reported.

Russia launched a new offensive with 30,000 troops on May 10, targeting Kharkiv Oblast, which is situated at the two countries' shared border in northeastern Ukraine.

Moscow's troops have focused their efforts in the directions of Lyptsi and Vovchansk, two settlements a few kilometers south of the border. There is ongoing combat in the northern outskirts of Vovchansk as of the morning of May 16.

Ukrainian troops thwarted Russia's plans to gain a foothold in deeper urban areas in the town, Ukraine's General Staff reported.

Read also: Zelensky in Kharkiv: Situation difficult but under control, Russia suffers losses

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Russian forces attacked a village near the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast with cluster munitions on May 16, injuring six people, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

A previous version of this article reported that only five people were injured in the attack.

Two medics, two drivers, a local resident, and the head of the Vovchansk City Military Administration were injured, according to the governor's statement.

Tamaz Gambarashvili is the head of the Vovchansk City Military Administration.

Russian forces are taking Ukrainian civilians captive and preventing their evacuation in the embattled northern part of Vovchansk, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said earlier in the day. Cases of executions have also been reported.

Russia launched a new offensive with 30,000 troops on May 10, targeting Kharkiv Oblast, which is situated at the two countries' shared border in northeastern Ukraine.

Moscow's troops have focused their efforts in the directions of Lyptsi and Vovchansk, two settlements a few kilometers south of the border.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry confirmed on May 15 that Russian units had entered the northern parts of the town, but the Ukrainian military reportedly prevented them from establishing a foothold deeper in Vovchansk. There is ongoing combat in the northern outskirts of Vovchansk as of the morning of May 16.

Ukraine's General Staff reported that Ukrainian troops thwarted Russia's plans to gain a foothold in the town's deeper urban areas.

Read also: Minister: Russia captures, shoots civilians in northern Vovchansk

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Russian forces are trying to take Ukrainian village 30km from Kharkiv, says RIA

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian forces are preparing to try to take a village called Lyptsi located about 30 km (19 miles) north of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, according to a Russian-installed official quoted by Russia's RIA state news agency.

Russia last week opened a new front in the Ukraine war by pushing swiftly over the border into the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine with small groups of highly mobile units, a move that has forced Ukraine to rush in troops from other areas.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy postponed all his foreign trips as Ukraine's battlefield situation continued to deteriorate on Wednesday and Kyiv said fighting was raging in the northeastern border town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv region.

"The most important city, which is now on the verge of complete liberation, is undoubtedly Volchansk," said Vitaly Ganchev, a Russian-installed official in Ukraine, told Russian state television, RIA reported.

He said Russian troops were already on the approaches to the village of Lyptsi, on one of the main road routes to Kharkiv.

"Next is the settlement of Lyptsi - our guys are already on the outskirts. Work is beginning to liberate it, aviation and artillery are working constantly, they do not stop," Ganchev said.

The Ukrainian military said on Thursday that its defensive moves had forced Russian troops to reduce the tempo of the offensive in the north of the Kharkiv region.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
Russian troops take civilians prisoner in northern part of Vovchansk, one case of execution reported

Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko has reported that Russian soldiers are taking civilians prisoner in the northern part of the town of Vovchansk (Kharkiv Oblast), where active hostilities are taking place. The Russians have also shot dead a local man who tried to escape on foot and refused to follow their orders.

Source: Klymenko on Telegram

Quote: "The Russian troops are taking civilians prisoner in the northern part of Vovchansk, where active hostilities are taking place. Despite ongoing threats and bombardment, the National Police of Ukraine has continued evacuating people from that area up to today."

Details: It is reported that the Russian forces who were trying to gain a foothold in the city did not let the locals evacuate. The Russians are abducting people and putting them in basements.

Klymenko reported the first civilian executions by Russian troops since the onset of their offensive in Kharkiv Oblast. In particular, one of the residents of Vovchansk tried to escape on foot and refused to follow the orders of the Russian invaders, who subsequently killed him.

Investigators of the National Police of Ukraine in Kharkiv Oblast have opened a criminal investigation into the violation of rules and customs of war.

Background:

On 13 May, it was reported that during their offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, Russian troops have placed local citizens in a basement, forcing them to provide medical care to wounded Russian soldiers. Ukraine has launched an investigation into the violation of laws and customs of war.

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Russians advance no more than 8 km from border in northern Kharkiv Oblast  ISW

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has estimated that the Russians have advanced no more than eight kilometres from the border in the northern part of Kharkiv Oblast and intend to establish a "buffer zone" rather than advance deeper.

Source: ISW

Details: ISW noted that the pace of Russian offensive operations in the northern part of Kharkiv Oblast has continued to decrease after the Russians initially occupied areas that, as now confirmed by Ukrainian officials, were less defended.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukrainian military officials stated that Ukrainian forces have partially stabilised the situation in the northern part of Kharkiv Oblast, which borders Russia.

Nazar Voloshyn, spokesperson for the Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group, stated that Russian forces are trying to achieve tactical successes near the settlements of Lukiantsi and Vovchansk to establish footholds for further advancement, but Ukrainian counterattacks, shelling and drone strikes were preventing Russian forces from consolidating in these areas.

The Kharkiv Oblast Administration representatives stated on 15 May that constant Russian attacks were preventing Ukrainian forces from establishing fortifications within three to five kilometres from the border with Russia in Kharkiv Oblast. They added that Ukrainian forces have constructed the first and second lines of defence at distances of 12-13 kilometres and 20 kilometres from the border, respectively.

ISW estimates show that Russian forces have advanced at most eight kilometres from the border in the northern part of Kharkiv Oblast.

The forces operating on Russian territory can easily deliver artillery strikes on Ukrainian defensive positions near the border. However, restrictions on the use of Western-provided weapon systems to strike rear Russian areas across the border make stationary Ukrainian defensive positions near the border vulnerable and possibly defenceless.

Russian forces have achieved tactical successes in the northern part of Kharkiv Oblast since 10 May in areas where Ukrainian forces have deliberately not created significant defensive lines. It appears that the Russians are currently preferring to create a "buffer zone" rather than advance deeper into Kharkiv Oblast.

To quote the ISWs Key Takeaways on 15 May:

The tempo of Russian offensive operations in northern Kharkiv Oblast continues to decrease after Russian forces initially seized areas that Ukrainian officials have now confirmed were less defended.

The US Helsinki Commission stated that the US should allow Ukraine to conduct strikes against military targets in Russia's border areas amid an ongoing Russian offensive operation into Kharkiv Oblast from Russia, although US officials continue to express unwillingness to support such strikes.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin continues to publicly prioritise the further mobilisation of the Russian defence industrial base (DIB) while also attempting to assuage possible domestic fears about the negative effects of increased Russian defence spending.

Putin specifically noted that the Russian DIB must increase the quality of Russian weapons.

Putin is likely concerned about the economic and diplomatic implications of decreased Russian arms exports.

The Kremlin confirmed the appointments of the newly formed Moscow and Leningrad military districts (MMD and LMD) and other military district commanders on 15 May.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced during a joint press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on 15 May that the US will provide a two billion dollar "defence enterprise fund" to Ukraine.

Ukraine's Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) reportedly struck a Russian fuel depot in Rostov Oblast on the night of 14 to 15 May.

The Kremlin continues to add European officials to Russia's wanted list as part of Russia's efforts to assert the jurisdiction of Russian federal law over sovereign NATO member states.

Russian forces recently made confirmed advances in northern Kharkiv Oblast, near Siversk, and west of Donetsk City.

Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council Secretary Oleksandr Lytyvyenko assessed on 15 May that Russian forces will have enough tanks and armoured fighting vehicles for the next year and half of fighting in Ukraine at their current operational tempo.

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Russian forces attacked a village in Vovchansk hromada of Kharkiv Oblast with cluster munitions on 16 May [a hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories  ed.]. This attack injured medics, drivers and Tamaz Hambarashvili, Head of the Vovchansk City Military Administration.

Source: Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration

Details: The Russians reportedly struck when volunteers and civilian emergency services were working in the village.

Quote: "Five people were injured: two medics, two drivers and the head of the Vovchansk City Military Administration."

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Two people were killed as a result of Russian attacks on Donetsk Oblast on 15 May.

Source: Vadym Filashkin, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram

Quote from Filashkin: "Russia is killing civilians! The Russians killed two residents of Donetsk Oblast in Karlivka on 15 May."

Details: He added that in total, since the beginning of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russians have killed at least 1,962 and wounded at least 4,890 civilians in Donetsk Oblast. These figures do not include people in Mariupol and Volnovakha.

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Russians kill two women and injure four more people in Kharkiv Oblast  photos

Two women were killed and four more people were injured in Russian attacks on Kharkiv Oblast on 16 May.

Source: the Prosecutor Generals Office of Ukraine

Quote: "The investigation reports that on 16 May at about 00:20, Russian troops launched missile attacks on the town of Chuhuiv. At least 10 residential buildings were damaged. Three women experienced an acute reaction to stress."

Details: Reportedly, the Russians launched two S-300 missiles from the territory of Belgorod Oblast in Russia.

Photo: the Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutors Office

In addition to this, at 4:35 the Russians launched an airstrike on the village of Bohuslavka, injuring a 84-year-old woman.

Over the past day Russian troops were launching non-stop attacks near the border, on Vovchansk hromada [a hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories  ed.].

Photo: the Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutors Office

"An 87-year-old woman was killed in the village of Hrafske. Another 72-year-old woman was killed in the city of Vovchansk."

Photo: the Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutors Office

At the moment the prosecutors and investigators are taking all the possible and proper measures to document the war crimes committed by the Russian forces.

Background:

On the morning of 16 May, Oleh Syniehubov, the head of the Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, reported that a civilian was killed and 13 more injured in Russian attacks on Kharkiv Oblast on 15 May.

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Russians lose 260 soldiers and 40 pieces of equipment over past day in Kharkiv Oblast  Ukrainian General Staff

The Russians have carried out 11 attacks over the past day on the Kharkiv front and lost 260 soldiers and 40 pieces of equipment. The General Staff of the Armed Forces has reported that defensive and stabilisation measures are underway in the town of Vovchansk.

Source: Dmytro Lykhovii, spokesman for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on air during the 24/7 national joint newscast

Quote: "The enemy continued offensive actions on the Kharkiv front and carried out 11 attacks over the last day. Fighting took place in the areas of Lyptsi, Slobozhanske, Starytsia and Vovchansk.

Ukrainian troops are continuing to carry out defensive and stabilisation measures in Vovchansk and keep the situation there under control. The enemy is under fire from artillery and attack UAVs."

Details: Lykhovii said that over the past 24 hours, the Russians had lost approximately 260 people in killed and wounded personnel and 40 pieces of military equipment in Kharkiv Oblast.

Background:

On 10 May, it was reported that Russian forces had intensified their activities in Kharkiv Oblast, with fighting taking place there.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Russian troops had launched a new wave of offensive operations on the Kharkiv front.

Ukraine's Defence Ministry reported that reserve units had been sent to the north of Kharkiv Oblast.

The Russians have captured up to 10 villages in Kharkiv Oblast. The Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group has said that the grey zone in Kharkiv Oblast was not expanding and that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were not letting Russian forces advance further into Kharkiv Oblast.

Ukraine's Defence Forces have stopped Russian attempts to break through the defences on the Kharkiv front. The situation has been somewhat stabilised, but fighting continues.

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WASHINGTON, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy to the United States on Wednesday criticized U.S. President Joe Biden's administration's tariff hikes on an array of Chinese products, saying Washington is "going further down a wrong path."

A spokesperson for the embassy said in a statement that the Biden administration's hiking of tariffs on Chinese automobiles, lithium batteries, solar cells, critical minerals and semi-conductors is an "arbitrary way" of the Section 301 tariff review process.

"Instead of correcting its wrong practices, the United States is going further down a wrong path," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said that the World Trade Organization (WTO) has drawn a clear conclusion that the U.S.'s Section 301 tariffs violate WTO rules and international law.

The U.S. move harms others without benefiting oneself. It will only significantly drive up the cost of imported goods, inflict more loss on American companies and consumers, and make the U.S. consumers pay even more, the spokesperson said.

As one of the founders of the WTO, the United States has not only failed to be a role model in complying with WTO rules, but taken the lead in breaching them, the spokesperson said, adding that by so doing, the United States can hardly embody the "fair competition" it champions, nor can it keep its credibility in the international community.

Over the past weeks and months, the United States, to secure its unipolar supremacy, has used trade issues as an instrument for political purposes, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the United States has frequently imposed unilateral sanctions, abused the Section 301 tariff review process, and waged a campaign against China's normal trade, economic and technological activities that borders on madness.

Taking unscrupulous actions against China does not prove the strength of the United States, but only reveals that the U.S. has lost self-confidence, the spokesperson said, adding that such actions cannot solve the U.S.'s own problems, but will further impede the normal functioning of global industrial and supply chains.

Those actions, the spokesperson said, will not stop China's development and rejuvenation, but will only spur the Chinese people to forge ahead with greater determination.

The latest move by the United States is typical unilateralism, political maneuvering and hegemonic bullying, the spokesperson said, adding that it runs counter to Biden's words of "not seeking to contain China's development" and "not seeking to decouple with China."

The move contradicts the spirit of mutual understandings between the two presidents and severely undermines the atmosphere of bilateral cooperation, the spokesperson said.

"We urge the U.S. side to earnestly abide by WTO rules, and immediately revoke the tariff increase. China will do whatever necessary to defend its own interests," the spokesperson said. 
The highest activity of Russian troops is currently observed on the Pokrovsk front (Donetsk Oblast).

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 16:30 on 16 May

Details: It is reported that the Russian forces continue to increase their efforts on the Pokrovsk front. The number of combat clashes there increased to 30. The Russians, supported by aircraft, were operating near the settlement of Umanske.

In general, the Russians continue offensive actions on the contact line, while Ukrainian soldiers hold the line of defence and respond firmly to Russian actions.

The number of combat classes increased to 79 over the course of the day.

Ukrainian troops continue to resist the Russian invasion in Kharkiv Oblast, where the occupiers have attacked Ukrainian positions five times since the beginning of the day. In particular, the Russians are trying to assault Ukrainian troops near the town of Vovchansk. Supported by aircraft, they are attacking in the area of Lyptsi, Vesele and Udy.

As a result of the fighting in this area, the Rusians lost 35 soldiers killed and injured, and 14 pieces of equipment were destroyed.

Another Russian attack took place on the Kupiansk front. As of now, a total of four combat clashes have taken place there.

On the Lyman front, the Russians slightly increased the intensity of hostilities. The number of attacks increased to five, one of which is still ongoing.

On the Kramatorsk front, the Russian forces tried to break through our defences 13 times and conducted an airstrike near Chasiv Yar.

On the Kurakhove front, Russian troops attempted eight assault actions. The Defence Forces successfully repelled all attacks near Kostiantynivka, Novomykhailivka and Krasnohorivka.

On the Vremivka front, the Russians made eight attempts to dislodge Ukrainian units from their positions near Staromaiorske, Mykilske and Urozhaine. The Russians received a decent rebuff and retreated.

On the Prydniprovske front, the Russians continue to try to dislodge Ukrainian defenders of the settlement of Krynky. Since the beginning of the day, the Russians have attacked our positions six times, suffered losses and retreated. The data is being clarified.

The situation on other fronts has not changed significantly.

Quote: "Ukrainian soldiers continue to hold back the enemy along the entire contact line and inflict heavy losses on them."

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Russian forces attacked 10 communities in Sumy Oblast on May 15, killing one civilian and injuring another, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported.

The communities of Khotin, Bilopillia, Krasnopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, Nova Sloboda, Esman, Shalyhyne, Druzhbivka, Seredyna-Buda, and Znob-Novhorodske were targeted.

The town of Esman and surrounding areas were attacked with mortars, multiple launch rocket systems, and artillery. One woman was killed in the shelling, according to regional authorities. In the Druzhbivka community, one civilian was injured in the shelling. No details were provided on the extent of the victims' injuries.

Throughout the day, Russia assailed the border communities with mortar, artillery, rocket launcher, and drone attacks. The community of nova Sloboda saw six mines dropped over the past 24 hours.

In total,183 explosions were recorded in 37 separate attacks on the region.

Sumy Oblast borders Russia's Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod oblasts. Russian strikes against Sumy Oblast have become increasingly destructive in recent months. Amid intensified attacks, Ukrainian authorities ordered increased evacuations from the region.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian forces stabilize situation in Kharkiv Oblast, partially push Russian troops out of Vovchansk

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's appointment of a new defense minister, Andrey Belousov, is seen as an attempt to streamline Russia's economy and mobilize it for the war effort.

Russia's military has faced numerous supply and logistics problems that thwarted its all-out war against Ukraine from the get-go. Two years later, the problems of poor logistics and lack of strategic planning persist.

The apparent task of Belousov, an outsider with no links to the military, is to solve these problems and make Russia's war machine in Ukraine more effective, a dangerous new development.

Read also: Russian banks post record profits. Is war helping them?

Belousov, who has regularly called for increasing military spending and government interference in the economy, is seen as a man able to put Russia's whole economy on a war footing.

Russian columnist Sergei Parkhomenko called Belousov the "prime minister of a military government."

"He is supposed to use the whole economy for military purposes," Parkhomenko told the Kyiv Independent. "He will make sure that everything works for the needs of the war and Russia's aggression."

Belousov's appointment with a mandate to restructure the country's military economy also implies that Putin is aiming for a long, protracted war against Ukraine, analysts say.

Meanwhile, the dismissal of Belousov's predecessor Sergei Shoigu and Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of Russia's Security Council, may be Putin's delayed response to the failures of the military and security services during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The exit of these officials is also seen by some analysts as an effort by Putin to sideline two heavyweights who have become too powerful in a country ruled by one person.

A statist approach

Belousov was Russia's economy minister from 2012 to 2013 and an aide to Putin from 2013 to 2020. He then served as the first deputy prime minister until May 2024, largely unknown to the general public.

Several high-profile Russian pro-war Telegram channels have come out with posts asking "who is Belousov?"

Belousov, who is largely absent from state TV, has consistently called for increasing government spending and imposing windfall taxes on Russia's commodity exporters.

Belousov has become somewhat famous for his rare but flamboyant anti-business statements.

In 2019, he proposed imposing a cumulative 500 billion ruble ($5.5 billion) windfall tax on the steel, chemical, and petrochemical industries in a letter to Putin. When businesses leaked the information to the media, he called them "fools" and "idiots."

Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov attends Russian-Chinese talks in Beijing, China on May 16, 2024. (Contributor/Getty Images)

Some Russian political analysts, including Georgy Satarov and Abbas Gallyamov, speculated that Belousov's statist and interventionist approach could ruin Russia's economy in the long run.

Another political analyst based in Russia told the Kyiv Independent that this is unlikely because Belousov will not have the tools to restructure the economy in general since he is not an economy minister or central bank chief. The analyst spoke on condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisals.

He said that Belousov's controversial statements are not an indicator of his competence.

"It's useless to hope that the Russian authorities will ruin (the economy), and everything will collapse," he said. "Instead, Ukraine should win the war on the battlefield."

Mobilizing the economy for war

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said on May 12 that Belousov's task is "to integrate the military-industrial complex into the country's economy."

"Belousov has developed a strategy for mobilizing the economy (for the war effort)," Gallyamov told the Breakfast Show on May 13. "He was the brain of a hawkish group (at the Kremlin). He believes that, since they started a war, they must wage it in a serious way."

Belousov believes in the war economy, Gallyamov added.

Journalist Sergei Medvedev, who has been acquainted with Belousov since 1993, compared him to Albert Speer, Nazi Germany's minister of armaments and war production in 1942-1945.

"Putin's Reich has its own Speer now... he has always been a convinced statist, a supporter of interventionism, an exemplary technocrat, and servant of the state," Medvedev wrote on Facebook on May 13.

Belousov's appointment implies that the Kremlin sees the war against Ukraine as a long-term commitment and wants Belousov to restructure the military and the defense industry in the long term, analysts say.

Read also: Russias descent into totalitarianism: How it happened

"We can also conclude that the war is seen (by the Kremlin) as a long-term affair," Russian political analyst Ekaterina Shulman said on May 13.

Parkhomenko echoes this sentiment.

"For Putin, war is his lifestyle," he said. "It's his method of running Russia and his only opportunity to keep his job."

Meanwhile, the Institute for the Study of War said on May 12 that Belousov's appointment "is a significant development in Putin's efforts to set full economic conditions for a protracted war."

Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov attends a meeting of Vladimir Putin with his new cabinet at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on May 14, 2024. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev /POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Gallyamov also believes that Putin "bets on a long-running war for years" and "gradually more and more resources will be mobilized for the front."

The Kremlin also expects Belousov to increase efficiency and reduce corruption in the military, Shulman said.

He is expected to create an army that will not suffer from supply problems, according to Shulman.

Some sources claim that Belousov will be more effective than Shoigu because he is not corrupt.

Russian independent journalists disagreed with this assessment.

Russian publication Metla reported in 2020 that Belousov's consulting firm Claire & Clarte had obtained lucrative contracts with state agencies. In 2023, Claire & Clarte received a record 593 million rubles ($6.5 million) in revenue, according to the Russian independent publication IStories.

"One corrupt official has resigned, another corrupt official has been appointed," Russian investigative journalist Sergei Yezhov wrote on X on May 12, commenting on Belousov replacing Shoigu.

Read also: Xi claims Beijing, Moscow want political solution to Russia-Ukraine war

Shoigu's failures

Putin's decision to replace Shoigu with Belousov could be his delayed reaction to Shoigu's failures during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, analysts say.

Shoigu has faced criticism from Russia's pro-war hawks, including warlord and convicted war criminal Igor Girkin and the late mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, for mishandling the war effort in Ukraine.

Specifically, Shoigu came under fire for Russia's failure to capture Kyiv at the beginning of the invasion and Russia's withdrawal from Kyiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv oblasts in April 2022.

Vladimir Putin (L) listens to Sergei Shoigu (R) while taking part in the wreath-laying ceremony at the Unknown Soldier Tomb, marking the Defender of the Fatherland's Day in Moscow, Russia, on Feb. 23, 2024. (Contributor/Getty Images)

Subsequently, Shoigu was lambasted for Russia's failure to stop a Ukrainian advance in Kharkiv and Kherson oblasts in September-November 2022.

Both Russian independent investigative journalists and pro-war bloggers exposed large-scale corruption at the Defense Ministry during Shoigu's tenure.

Two of Shoigu's top subordinates were recently targeted in corruption investigations.

In April, Shoigu's deputy, Timur Ivanov, was arrested in a bribery case.

On May 14, Yury Kuznetsov, head of the Defense Ministry's human resources department, was also arrested on charges of receiving a bribe.

Security council job

After being fired as defense minister, Shoigu was appointed secretary of Russia's Security Council, replacing Nikolai Patrushev.

Since the position is seen as important, some speculated that it may actually be a promotion, not a demotion.

However, analysts say that the job of the Security Council's secretary only becomes important when a political heavyweight occupies it and shapes it to fit his own interests.

Parkhomenko sees Shoigu's new appointment as a demotion. He believes the job was important due to Patrushev's political weight, but under Shoigu, it will be much less important.

"In Russia, there are no powerful jobs; there are only powerful people," he said.

Shulman agreed, saying that "the security council's influence depends on the person who heads it."

She said that the Security Council was initially insignificant but became very powerful when Patrushev became its secretary.

Then-Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (R) and Russia's Secretary of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev (L) attend President Vladimir Putin's inauguration ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on May 7, 2024. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

"Under Patrushev, the council became a shadow government that developed Russia's ideology," she said.

Patrushev accumulated immense power, serving as head of the Federal Security Service (FSB) from 1999 to 2008 and as secretary of the Security Council since 2008. Some analysts considered him to be Russia's second most powerful man after Putin.

Patrushev's ousting may have been caused by his increased power.

"This fits the logic of preserving power under authoritarianism: none of the political groups should become too strong," Shulman said. "The balance (of power between political groups) should be always maintained."

Russian political analyst Satarov agreed with this assessment.

"Patrushev has held this job for a long time," he told the Kyiv Independent. "Patrushev has built his own power vertical, which became dangerous."

Satarov also believes that Putin might have feared both Shoigu and Patrushev as potential threats.

"There are two sources of danger - the army and intelligence services," he said. "Putin minimized both of these dangers."

Satarov added that Belousov does not represent such a threat because he is not linked to the Defense Ministry and the military clans established under Shoigu.

Wagner mercenary group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin speaks in a video filmed in front of dozens of corpses, allegedly of Wagner fighters killed in Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, published on May 5, 2023. (Telegram)

The demotion of both Shoigu and Patrushev may also be linked to their failure to handle a conflict with Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenary group.

Prigozhin launched a rebellion in June 2023 following a long-running conflict with Shoigu.

Wagner troops marched towards Moscow, meeting virtually no resistance and killing at least 13 Russian soldiers. Short of reaching Moscow, Prigozhin concluded a deal with Putin and halted the mutiny.

In August, Prigozhin and other Wagner leaders were killed in a plane crash.

Gallyamov argued that Prigozhin's mutiny was an "epic fail" for Patrushev, who had failed to prevent and suppress it.

The security services, which are overseen by Patrushev, were also lambasted for their incorrect intelligence that led to the failure of Russia's plan to defeat Ukraine quickly and take over Kyiv at the beginning of the invasion.

Read also: Zelensky in Kharkiv: Situation difficult but under control, Russia suffers losses

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The UNs International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) has officially concluded after 29 years, the Office of the Prosecutor has announced.

It comes as the last two fugitives indicted by the tribunal -- Ryandikayo and Charles Sikubwabo -- were successfully accounted for, ultimately confirmed as deceased.

Ryandikayo and Sikubwabo were charged with several crimes including counts of genocide and the two were accused of leading mobs of the Interhamwe Hutu militia.

My Office and I are pleased that today, this work has been brought to a successful end, said International Residual Mechanism for Criminal tribunals (IRMCT) Chief Prosecutor, Serge Brammertz.

The IRMCT told ABC News that a total of 92 persons were indicted by the UN tribunal for crimes committed during the Rwandan genocide against the Tutsis.

Reflecting on the work of the last 29 years, Brammertz said the ICTR team faced immense difficulties and "significant" challenges tracking and locating fugitives, ranging from "sophisticated efforts by fugitives to conceal their identities and locations" and "political unwillingness of countries to execute arrests."

Many began to doubt that notorious fugitives, like Felicien Kabuga or Ratko Mladic, would ever be arrested, said Brammertz.

The U.S. State Department had issued a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest of Felicien Kabuga, the businessmen alleged to be the main financier and backer of political and militia groups that committed the Rwandan genocide.

PHOTO: Rwandan President Paul Kagame lights a memorial flame during a ceremony to mark the 30th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, held at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, in Kigali, Rwanda, April 7, 2024. (Brian Inganga/AP, FILE)

However, after 25 years on the run, he was arrested by French authorities at his home on the outskirts of Paris in May 2020.

The U.N.s International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda was the first international court established to prosecute high-ranking individuals for massive human rights violations in Africa, including those responsible for the 1994 Rwanda Genocide against the Tutsis -- one of the worlds worst genocides since World War II.

The Rwandan genocide, which began in April 1994, saw Rwandas extremist-led Hutu government launch a systemic campaign on the Tutsi minority group as divisions between the two ethnic groups came to a head. The violence began after a plane carrying Rwandas Hutu President, Juvenal Habyarimana, was shot down by unknown assailants.

By the time the genocide concluded about 100 days later in July 1994, the massacre had claimed the lives of over 800,000 civilians with thousands more left injured or maimed.

Our journey has been long and tough, said Rwandan President Paul Kagame in his address at the 30th commemoration of the 1994 genocide in April -- also known as Kwibuka 30 -- which means "To remember" in Kinyarwanda.

Rwandas tragedy is a warning. The process of division and extremism which leads to genocide can happen anywhere, if left unchecked, Kagame said. "Our hearts are filled with grief and gratitude in equal measure. We remember our dead, and are also grateful for what Rwanda has become.

In total, there are still more than 1,000 genocide suspects sought by authorities who still remain at large, said Brammertz.

Rwandas Prosecutor General national partners are set to continue efforts to bring individuals to justice, vowing to not stop until all perpetrators of crimes are brought to justice.

Rwanda genocide tribunal comes to end after almost 3 decades originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
The search for a suspect in a Sonoma County homicide ended Tuesday in Elk Grove with the arrest of a Sacramento man accused of shooting another man in the chest Monday night when an argument escalated to gun violence.

Diego Kona Kekhuna, 19, was arrested on suspicion of homicide in the shooting death of a 20-year-old man, the Santa Rosa Police Department announced Wednesday in a Facebook post. Kekhuna was booked at Sonoma County Jail.

The deadly shooting was reported shortly after 9 p.m. Monday. Numerous area residents called 911 to report hearing multiple gunshots coming from Slater Street in Santa Rosa.

Police said officers arrived at the shooting scene found the wounded man on the east sidewalk in the 700 block of Slater Street. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Sonoma County Coroners Office will release his name after his family has been notified.

Investigating officers learned Kekhuna arrived at a female acquaintances home uninvited and instigated an argument in front of the Slater Street home, according to the Police Department.

Kekhuna shot the victim in the chest multiple times as he walked toward Kekhuna and the suspects female acquaintance, police said. Kekhuna then hid the gun in the wheel well of a parked truck and ran away north on Slater Street, police said. Detectives later found the gun at the scene.

Detectives believe Kekhuna was the shooter and was hiding at a relatives home in Elk Grove, police said. The detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Kekhuna and a search warrant for the home in the 9400 block of Ranch Park Way in Elk Grove.

About 9 a.m. Tuesaday, Santa Rosa police detectives  with help from the Elk Grove Police Department SWAT team  served the arrest and search warrants at the home. The detectives took Kekhuna into custody without incident.

Investigators asked anyone with relevant information about this homicide to call the Santa Rosa police tip line at 707-543-3590.
Last month Gov. Gavin Newsoms administration announced a return-to-office mandate for state workers that will limit telework at every state agency beginning on June 17.

Prior to this sudden shift in policy, individual state agencies have had the flexibility to determine which jobs could be performed remotely. The California Environmental Protection Agency said telework has been an efficient and effective way to conduct business, while a California Health and Human Services internal survey found that remote work allowed for improved employee collaboration, and increased productivity, according to The Bee.

It is true that many positions are better performed in person  and thats still the case for the vast majority of state jobs. However, embracing telework for about a third of our workforce has significantly reduced costs for 74,000 employees and allowed the state to better compete with the private sector.

While there may be minor cost savings achieved in the short term by eliminating existing telework stipends that were introduced during the pandemic, in the long run, a one-size-fits-all plan to force state workers back to the office is counterproductive for a number of reasons.

Opinion

First, the proposed change eliminates an opportunity to help address our states $73 billion budget deficit in a meaningful way. The California Department of General Services currently manages 59 state office buildings totaling over 13 million square feet of office space and spends over $600 million per year on rent to maintain more than 2,000 leases for state departments in privately owned buildings. Telework has the potential to reduce this footprint and provide substantial budgetary savings.

The proposed change also undermines the ability of the state to meet its climate goals. In the past two years, state telework policies have eliminated nearly 400,000 metric tons of carbon emissions and saved workers hundreds of dollars per month in vehicle expenses. Walking back telework policies will not only increase emissions in the Sacramento region, it will also lead to a surge in highway congestion, making traffic even worse for those who are currently commuting downtown.

I recently proposed an audit of the impending return-to-office mandate to study the rationale, timing, legality and costs associated with the decision to rescind telework options for state employees. On May 14, my colleagues on the Joint Legislative Audit Committee approved it with bipartisan support. This is an important first step toward assessing the future of telework in state government.

I share concerns expressed by local leaders on the need to revitalize Downtown Sacramento and better support the citys small businesses. Adding housing, addressing homelessness and reimagining our urban core must all be a part of that solution. But it should not be done on the backs of state workers.

I urge Newsom to reconsider this misguided return-to-office mandate and allow state agencies to continue harnessing the advantages of telework. At the very least, we should wait for the results of the audit before making sweeping changes that will harm state workers, make it harder to balance the budget and undermine the states climate goals.

Asm. Josh Hoover is a member of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and represents the 7th Assembly District in Sacramento County. Follow him on Twitter/X @joshua_hoover or contact his office at Assemblymember.Hoover@assembly.ca.gov .
As a retired veteran of the U.S. Army, I served as a medic for seven-and-a-half years. I found profound fulfillment in my service until it was marred by sexual assault and intimate partner violence that lasted five excruciating years. It was a betrayal that cut me to the core, leaving me on a healing journey.

I have found myself navigating the corridors of Veterans Affairs hospitals in Washington, D.C., Batavia, New York, Atlanta, Georgia and now Sacramento. Here, the Sacramento VA Medical Center at the former Mather Air Force Base is simply not a friendly place to heal.

Entering the clinic requires women veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder to walk through the main entrance of a bustling facility where they are often subjected to harassment. These are women trying to recover from sexual trauma, assault or harassment experienced during military service.

Opinion

The simple act of stepping through the hospital doors feels like traversing a battlefield.

As I walk through the medical center, I am subjected to leering gazes, catcalls and inappropriate advances by male veterans. This unwelcome attention serves as a haunting reminder of the trauma I endured and the struggle I faced in reclaiming my sense of safety and dignity.

The womens clinic is wrongly located inside the central portion of the hospitals main building. Before entering the womens clinic, female veterans must pass the homeless veterans clinic, the pharmacy and two open waiting areas, where other veterans sit and wait for appointments or medication.

Just walking to my appointments means risking harassment or unwanted and intrusive attention. I am not alone in feeling overwhelmed: I have heard from many other women who also experience inappropriate or unwanted attention from male veterans while at the facility.

I reported my concerns to two Mather VA staff members. Both of them showed empathy toward my situation and provided mental health services to help me feel more comfortable going to the womens clinic. Additionally, we sent a memo to David Stockwell, director of health care for VA Northern California, regarding the issue and provided a possible solution. We are still waiting to hear back from him.

Before each appointment, I sit in my car and grapple with a torrent of emotions. I practice deep breathing exercises and recite affirmations in a desperate attempt to quell a rising tide of panic. To shield myself from prying eyes and intrusive remarks, I employ a variety of tactics to get others to ignore me: I don sunglasses and headphones, blare music and wear over-sized clothes.

Even when I avoid making eye contact, some men still persist in invading my personal space, striking up conversations and making unwelcome advances. This behavior is particularly distressing when I seek gynecological care at the womens clinic.

Its time for the Mather VA Hospital to confront the systemic issues that perpetuate this culture of abuse and provide survivors like me with the dignity, safety and respect we so rightfully deserve.

Mather should look to the Boise VA Medical Center, which provides primary and specialty health care services to about 42,000 veterans every year in Idaho and eastern Oregon. The entrance to the facilitys womens clinic is separate from the main entrance of the hospital, allowing female veterans to directly enter the clinic without walking through the rest of the campus.

Since moving to Idaho and attending the womens clinic here, I have felt my anxiety decrease, one female veteran in Boise told me. I love the womens clinic location here.

Relocating the womens clinic at the Sacramento VA Medical Center is an important first step to address the pervasive, systemic issue within the military and veteran community of women feeling unsafe. It is not too much to ask for a positive, friendly, healing environment.

Shanique Davidson is a student at the University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. Tia Preston, who is also a student at USCs Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, contributed significantly to this piece.
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  Utahns have a new convenient way to experience a tropical getaway at the Salt Lake International Airport.

Beginning Thursday, May 16, Hawaiian Airlines will begin operating out of Salt Lake City, offering daily non-stop flights to Honolulu.

The full seven-hour trip will be serviced with an 189-seat Airbus A321neo, offering travelers free high-speed internet and Hawaii-inspired food, snacks, and drink.

Provo Airport adds American Airlines to fleet of carriers with flights to Arizona, Texas

We know the Hawaiian Islands have a special place in the heart of Utahns and for some, a Hawaii vacation also means reuniting with friends and family, said Brent Overbeek, executive vice president and chief revenue officer at Hawaiian Airlines. Our new Salt Lake City service comes at the perfect time for travelers planning their summer vacations and we look forward to welcoming them with our warm Hawaiian hospitality.

The flight will depart from Honolulu at 6:50 p.m. and arrive in Salt Lake City at 5:15 a.m. the next day. The return flight to Honolulu will leave Salt Lake City at 7 a.m. and arrive in Hawaii at 9:55 a.m. giving travelers plenty of time in the day to enjoy the beaches or explore the destination hotspot.

We extend a warm welcome to Hawaiian Airlines as they join the SLC International Airport family, said Salt Lake International Airport Executive Director Bill Wyatt. Hawaiian Airlines has a reputation for excellence in hospitality and we look forward to many years of prosperity.

Both the Salt Lake City International Airport and Hawaiian Airlines celebrated the new flight by welcoming the first travelers in true Hawaiian fashion. The first fliers were given a festive gate-side celebration with a fresh orchid lei, passion-orange-guava juice, cake and live music.

If you missed out on the gate-side celebration but still want to celebrate, Utahns are invited to join Hawaiian Airlines for their 31 Days of Lei celebration at the City Creek Center on Saturday, May 18 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The event is free to attend with live music, POG-flavored cotton candy, hula, orchid hair pins and flower lei.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
(KRON)  A San Rafael teenager was arrested in connection to a double stabbing that unfolded near a 7-Eleven convenience store on Medway Road, police said. Violence flared around 11 p.m. Tuesday and triggered a flurry of 911 calls.

San Rafael Police Department officers found two stabbing victims who were rushed to a local hospital for emergency treatment.

Officers apprehended one suspect, 19-year-old Darwin Alexius Deleon, in connection with the attack.

Ivy League graduate vanishes in East Bay

On Wednesday SRPD wrote, Investigators are actively working to determine if other individuals were involved in the attack. The motive behind the stabbing remains under investigation, with authorities not ruling out the possibility of gang-related activity.

Investigators are looking for more witnesses. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call San Rafael police at 415-485-3000. Tips can also be made anonymously at srpd.org/tips.

Police said both victims are expected to survive.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
Provincial officials of east China's Jiangxi Province attend a press briefing on continuing Jiangxi's revolutionary glories, striving ahead in promoting high-quality development of its old revolutionary base areas, in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024.(Xinhua/Li He)

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- East China's Jiangxi Province, an old revolutionary base in China, pledged more efforts to promote high-quality development on Thursday.

Ye Jianchun, governor of Jiangxi Province, told a press briefing in Beijing on Thursday that Jiangxi witnessed a significant improvement in its comprehensive economic development, with its gross domestic product (GDP) increasing from 1.28 trillion yuan (about 177.4 billion U.S. dollars) in 2012 to 3.22 trillion yuan in 2023.

Jiangxi has entered the ranks of emerging industrial provinces from a traditional agricultural province. In 2023, Jiangxi's industrial added value reached 1.12 trillion yuan, and the proportion of manufacturing added value in GDP remained at about 33 percent, ranking among the top in the country.

Furthermore, Jiangxi has always kept a leading role in environmental quality, with a forest coverage rate at more than 63.1 percent, ranking second in the country. Its proportion of days with good air in 2023 was 96.5 percent.

To promote high-quality development, Jiangxi will implement in-depth actions to upgrade key industrial chains in the manufacturing industry. The province will strengthen 12 key manufacturing industry chains, such as electronic information, non-ferrous metals and equipment manufacturing, and build six advanced manufacturing clusters such as lithium battery and photovoltaic new energy.

Jiangxi also aims to speed up the development of green and ecological industries. It holds a bottom line that in the process of promoting economic development, it will never sacrifice the environment to achieve temporary growth, and will never trade pollution for GDP.

In the process of transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, Jiangxi will adhere to a high-end, intelligent and green path, and vigorously develop industries such as ecological agriculture, ecological cultural tourism, and ecological health care.

Measures will be also be taken to effectively promote the province's comprehensive rural revitalization, better serve the high-quality development of the Yangtze Economic Belt by ecological environment protection and green transformation and promote the rise of central China. 
GUADALUPE COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE)  The boat ramp at Santa Rosa Lake State Park is temporarily closed due to low water.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) recently planned a release of more than 25,000 acre-feet of water to help the Carlsbad Irrigation District. The release is expected to drop the lakes level by about 32 feet, the states Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department says.

Forest road near Cuba, New Mexico closed for elk calving

The boat ramp will remain closed until the lake returns to a safe level from monsoon rain and runoff, State Parks Division Director Toby Velasquez said in a press release. The water that makes up Santa Rosa Lake belongs to the Carlsbad Irrigation District. The State Parks Division manages the park, while the USACE manages the reservoir and the water in it. Camping is still available at the park, and we invite visitors to come out and enjoy the many other recreational activities until boating access returns to the lake.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
After being declared the winner in the Democratic primary for Marylands 3rd Congressional District, state Sen. Sarah Elfreth thought about all the work that brought her to this moment  on the campaign trail and in the state Senate.

People said they were voting for me because of the way Ive represented my Senate district and thats what theyre looking for in someone representing their congressional district, Elfreth said Wednesday. I was really blown away by that.

Elfreth said voters appreciated her efforts to get residents access to the COVID-19 vaccine in the early days of the pandemic, facilitate grants for small businesses when they were floundering during the pandemic, and replace damaged roofs on homes in the Annapolis area after tornadoes.

Next, Elfreth will face Republican nominee Rob Steinberger, an Arnold resident and business management and corporate law professional who has never held elected office. Steinberger defeated eight opponents Tuesday night for the GOP nomination to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes, a Democrat representing the 3rd District, which includes Howard County and parts of Anne Arundel and Carroll counties

I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to represent the Republican Party in Marylands 3rd Congressional District election this November, Steinberger said in a statement Wednesday. It is time to get to work and stop the partisan bickering and get things done in Washington, DC.

Elfreth said she centered her campaign on her record representing part of the district in the State House while her main opponent, Harry Dunn, leaned on his national profile. The former Capitol Police officer portrayed himself as a defender of democracy when he protected the U.S. Capitol building during the violent Jan. 6, 2021, attack.

Despite his loss, Dunn said hes glad he ran and was able to put a spotlight on this part of the state.

There is national attention on Marylands 3rd District right now and, as humbly as I can say it, that wouldnt have happened if I wasnt in this race, Dunn said.

Tuesday wasnt only a historic night for Elfreth but for Maryland women in politics, she noted.

Maryland hasnt sent a woman to Congress in 10 years and, after last night, we are hopefully going to send three, which is an incredible feat, she said, referencing two fellow Democrats who also won primaries  Angela Alsobrooks running for U.S. Senate and April McClain Delaney running in Marylands 6th Congressional District.

Not only were Elfreth and Alsobrooks, the Prince Georges County executive, up against nationally known figures in Dunn and U.S. Rep. David Trone, but they both also trailed their opponents in fundraising.

As of the late April reporting deadline, Dunn had raised $4.6 million while Elfreth had $1.5 million. Meanwhile, Trone, drawing upon his personal fortune, outraised Alsobrooks, $55 million to $7.8 million during the same period. The race became the costliest Senate primary in state history.

However, Elfreth received a boost from United Democracy Project, a pro-Israel group affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, which contributed $4.2 million to her campaign, according to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit that tracks election funds.

As Elfreth begins to focus on the general election race, she will also be devoting the next few months to ensuring Democrats are elected from the local level all the way to the presidency by traveling to swing states.

Im a big believer in a rising tide lifting all boats, Elfreth said. Its always worked for me in the past, and I think thats going to be our key to success in November.

_____
A monument to Harriet Tubman, which Tabernacle Baptist Church leaders will unveil June 1, the anniversary of the raid in which Tubman helped free more than 700 slaves. (Provided/Tabernacle Baptist Church)

This story originally appeared on South Carolina Daily Gazette.

A historic Black church in South Carolina will unveil a sculpture of Harriet Tubman on the 161st anniversary of the raid she led that freed more than 700 slaves from Lowcountry plantations.

The June 1 unveiling of the sculpture, which is eight years in the making, will add to the long history of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Beaufort, where Civil War hero and South Carolina lawmaker Robert Smalls was buried in 1915.

Born enslaved in Maryland in 1822, Tubman is the best-known conductor of the Underground Railroad, as she led at least 70 slaves in Maryland to freedom before the Civil War.

But her work in South Carolina during the Civil War often gets overlooked, said Rev. Kenneth Hodges, the churchs pastor for 29 years.

The monument will be the first in the state marking her daring mission in June 1863 along the Combahee River, he told the SC Daily Gazette on Monday.

The raid made Tubman, known as the Moses of Her People, the first woman ever to lead a major military operation in the U.S., according to the Smithsonian. She remained the only African American woman to lead troops in the Civil War, according to the National Park Service.

Harriet Tubman is a world-renowned figure, and right now, South Carolina isnt putting any resources into the fact that she was here, Hodges said.

In 2016, the members of Tabernacle Baptist Church decided to change that. Despite delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the church raised $600,000 for the sculpture itself, plus another $100,000 for other expenses such as landscaping.

The money, all private donations, also covered the funding for an interpretive center on church grounds nearby, where people can go to learn more about Tubman.

The church will unveil the sculpture as part of a three-day celebration of the anniversary of the Combahee River Raid. The celebration, beginning May 31, will feature speeches from experts on Tubman, as well as her great-great-great grand niece, said Hodges, who represented that area of Beaufort and Colleton counties for 12 years in the House.

The festival will also have food trucks, a nod to the fact that Tubman once worked in a bakery in Beaufort, Hodges said.

Tubman, who escaped slavery alone to Philadelphia in 1849, first arrived in South Carolina in 1862. Using a network of spies, the abolitionist spent the following year gathering information about the plantations lining Beauforts Combahee River, where thousands of slaves farmed rice, according to the National Park Service.

The night of June 1, 1863, Tubman led three steamships up the river that carried several hundred African American soldiers from the 2nd South Carolina Volunteer Infantry, a regiment consisting largely of freed men from the sea islands. Using Tubmans knowledge of the area, they avoided explosives and navigated to strategic points.

From the river, the ships sounded their whistles, and hundreds of slaves, including children, came running to the river. Soldiers waiting in rowboats took them to the steamships, where they escaped to safety.

Infantrymen burned the plantations behind them, striking a blow to the Confederacy with the destruction of several million dollars worth of homes and crops, according to the National Park Service.

The 14-foot-tall sculpture will show Tubman flanked by soldiers, with people running toward them, just as the slaves ran toward the boats.

The story was so evocative, the design came easily, said sculptor Ed Dwight, who lives in Colorado.

A monuement

That was the fun part, going back in history and seeing her being commissioned by the U.S. government, Dwight said.

Dwight finds that his sculptures, which include the African American History Monument on Statehouse grounds, teach white and Black people alike about parts of history they didnt know. Often, they walk away with more empathy than they had before, he said.

Thats the ever-so-quiet effect of doing memorials down there in the South, said the Black sculptor.

People might forget Tubmans operation in South Carolina without reminders like the sculpture or the bridge over the Combahee River bearing Tubmans name, Hodges said.

In 2006, while he was a state representative, Hodges sponsored the resolution to name the bridge before its construction.

If we didnt put emphasis on that, that part of her life would be void, Hodges said. Its going to be a big, big thing for South Carolina.

Tabernacle Baptist Church, officially organized the same year as the raid, is known for its historical connections, Hodges said.

The church itself is part of the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network.

Smalls, who was a state legislator and five-term congressman along with being a Civil War hero, is buried on the churchs ground.

Born enslaved in Beaufort, Smalls hijacked a Confederate ship to steer his family to freedom and deliver the ammunition on board to the Union on May 13, 1862. Last year, legislators approved designating every May 13 as Robert Smalls Day in South Carolina. Lawmakers agreed unanimously this year to create a commission tasked with recognizing Smalls on Statehouse grounds.

The monument will be the first to memorialize an individual Black person on the capitol complex.

Tabernacle is ahead of the state, Hodges pointed out: The church already has a bust commemorating Smalls.

Tabernacle has always been associated with history and culture, Hodges said. Thats just an extension of our ministry, of our service to the community.

SC Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. SC Daily Gazette maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Seanna Adcox for questions: info@scdailygazette.com. Follow SC Daily Gazette on Facebook and Twitter.

The post SC church to unveil Harriet Tubman sculpture commemorating raid freeing 700 slaves appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Sen. Tom Davis during a Senate Finance Committee meeting in Columbia, S.C. on Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (Travis Bell/STATEHOUSE CAROLINA/Special to the SC Daily Gazette)

COLUMBIA  As more states expand access to Medicaid, some legislators want a committee examining health care in South Carolina to consider the merits and drawbacks of the program.

This would be the first time Palmetto State lawmakers have seriously considered expanding Medicaid eligibility as intended by the 2010 federal health care law since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling two years later made it optional for states, said Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, who proposed creating the committee.

South Carolina remains among the 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid to cover all adults, including single adults without children, who have incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level.

In the time that Ive been here, there has not been an honest conversation about the pros and cons of availing ourselves to that option, Davis, first elected in 2008, said during last months Senate budget debate.

A clause included in the Senates version of the state spending plan would create a legislative committee to consider various ways to improve access to health care in South Carolina, including how to increase the number of physicians, lower drug prices, relieve medical debt and increase competition among health care providers. The panel would be tasked with reporting its recommendations by Dec. 1.

Whether the clause makes it to the final budget package for the fiscal year starting July 1 remains to be seen. Budget negotiations between the House and Senate on their separate spending plans have yet to officially start.

But Davis said hes optimistic that the House will agree to keep the health study committee. No senators raised concerns about the general idea of addressing health care barriers.

However, including Medicaid in the mix raised some eyebrows.

During floor debate on the budget, Sen. Wes Climer tried to remove the line asking the panel to consider what would happen if the state expanded eligibility for Medicaid as provided for in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

It is unconscionable to me that we would consider expanding that to more  to put more South Carolinians into dependency on the government instead of encouraging them to seek employment and private health insurance elsewhere, said the Rock Hill Republican.

Senators rejected his attempt to remove the Medicaid line 34-10, with all 10 votes coming from Republicans.

Nearly 1.2 million South Carolinians were enrolled in the states full Medicaid program, as of March 1, according to the states Medicaid agency.

Advocates for expansion acknowledged theres still a long way to go before the state seriously considers giving more people free health care access. But this could be a promising first step, said Sue Berkowitz, an advocate for the poor with Appleseed Legal Justice Center.

If we educate ourselves and we study, then we can make informed factual decisions, Berkowitz said. Thats all anybody would like to see at this point.

I want to know what those arguments are

When the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, took effect a decade ago, Republicans nationwide opposed it, saying expanding Medicaid was expensive, increased government control over health care and promoted peoples dependence on public benefits. In South Carolina, GOP lawmakers continually said the state cant afford the 10% match.

But in recent years, GOP-controlled states that once staunchly opposed Medicaid expansion have reversed course. Last December, neighboring North Carolina, the most recent to adopt the expansion, started enrolling more people.

The shift made Davis wonder: Why did those states change their minds?

My point is this: I want to know what those arguments are, he told his colleagues while asking them to keep Medicaid in the mix. I want us to have that debate. I want to know what it was that persuaded them and decide for myself whether it persuades me. But we dont do anybody any service by putting our heads in the sand and pretending that doesnt exist.

Simply including Medicaid expansion among a long list of things to consider doesnt guarantee anything. The committee could find that Medicaid isnt right for South Carolina, Davis said.

Plus, even if committee members recommend expanding Medicaid, the GOP-dominated General Assembly would then have to agree. Making it law could further take supermajority approval in both chambers to override a potential veto from GOP Gov. Henry McMaster, who has repeatedly opposed the idea of a full expansion.

Davis recognized convincing enough South Carolina Republicans to enact a Medicaid expansion would be a steep uphill climb, noting he too has long opposed the idea. But he said hes going into the discussion with an open mind, and its possible he could support it.

But its intellectually dishonest to say, Lets look at health care markets, and take something out that is clearly material to that discussion, Davis said. The report wouldnt be worth the paper we put it on if we exclude something that important.

During floor debate, Davis and Climer agreed on one thing: Neither wants the states health care to become fully government-run. How to avoid that, though, became the issue. While Davis said the state has the chance to customize its use of Medicaid dollars if it adopts an expansion, Climer argued expanding the program would only lead to more federal involvement in the market.

The antidote you prescribe in here is the disease itself, Climer said.

Im not prescribing anything, Davis replied. What Im doing is listing factors that any intellectually honest person is going to say are proper subjects of inquiry.

The federal government has become more lenient on granting states waivers for specific programs in recent years, Davis said.

I dont think a lot of people realize that there is that flexibility now, that there is that willingness on the federal governments part to let states shape and tailor what happens at the state level, Davis told the SC Daily Gazette.

But which programs are allowed often depends on who is in office, Climer said.

Work waivers

Take, for example, the states never-implemented work waiver program.

Lawmakers across the country have been pushing for waivers requiring people to work a certain number of hours each month as a way of expanding Medicaid. Including South Carolina, 13 states received permission under the Trump administration to require Medicaid recipients prove they were working.

South Carolinas two waivers, approved in December 2019, would have required that a person work or volunteer at least 80 hours per month.

The waivers included a number of exceptions. Children, primary caregivers, pregnant women, new mothers, elderly people and people with disabilities would not have had to work. And people enrolled in school or a job training program would qualify.

The income limit for parents without a disability to qualify for Medicaid would have gone from the current 67% of the federal poverty level to 100%  still shy of whats considered a full expansion under the Affordable Care Act.

State officials touted the waivers as a way of filling the gap for people who make too much to receive Medicaid but not enough for a subsidized health insurance plan. That could cover another 32,000 or so people, officials estimated in applications to the federal government.

Filling that gap could also encourage more people on Medicaid to work, or to work more, because they would no longer have to worry that falling in that gap would cause them to lose their health insurance, state Medicaid department spokesman Jeff Leieritz said in an email.

The current system creates an irrational disincentive for parents and caregivers who are enrolled in Medicaid to earn additional income and eventually transition to another form of health coverage, Leieritz said.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, the state paused putting the program into place in order to comply with a different federal program, which prohibited states from taking away benefits during the federal public health emergency.

In 2021, while the emergency was still in effect, the Biden administration withdrew approval of the work waivers for all 13 states that previously received permission.

The new requirements could cause thousands of people to lose their coverage in the first year because they were not working, administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure wrote to South Carolinas Medicaid agency in August 2021.

On top of that, the COVID-19 pandemic made it more difficult for people to work but increased potential health concerns, especially for low-income people, Brooks-LaSure wrote.

The program ended before anyone enrolled.

And the Biden administration has repeatedly turned down states requests since to impose work requirements.

But if Donald Trump wins the November election, McMaster will push again for the work program, his office confirmed.

Work waivers would be among options the committee could consider, Davis said. He said he would reserve his own judgment until he had all the facts from the study.

Proponents of expanding Medicaid have frowned on work waivers as unnecessarily burdensome for people trying to access health care. Many people on Medicaid already work, and requiring community engagement could unintentionally kick off people who cant get a job for some reason other than the listed exceptions, Berkowitz said.

But part of the committees job would be presenting those concerns, she said.

Why dont we look at all that before we just jump into things and say, This is how it has to be? Berkowitz said.

The post SC could consider merits, drawbacks expanding Medicaid, following other states appeared first on SC Daily Gazette.
At the beginning of the 2023 session, a few lawmakers introduced a bill that would enable prosecutors to try women for capital punishment if they had an abortion. The bill, which barely made it out of beginning stages to become a law, was part of the six- week abortion ban conversation.

State Rep. April Cromer, R-Anderson, a Freedom Caucus member, didnt write the legislation, but she was one of the co-sponsors on the bill. More than a year later, however, she posted a video Monday night saying she would never advocate for punishing women.

Today, my opponent stooped so low as to say I want to punish and even kill women who have an abortion, Cromer said in a video on social media platform X Monday evening. Its no secret that Im proudly pro-life and have supported equal protections for the unborn. But I have never and would never advocate for punishing women. Thats not who we are as a community.

She goes on to say she believes in supporting and uplifting those making these difficult decisions, not condemning them.

Cromers opponent in the SC House District 6 race, Kyle White, made a video about Cromers voting and record, including times he said she contradicted herself.

You also mentioned that you voted to protect life, but what you neglected to mention was that you also supported women who have abortion being prosecuted for murder, White said in a video posted on X May 4.

The bill, dubbed the South Carolina Prenatal Equal Protection Act of 2023 sparked outrage from both Democrats and Republicans. The bill defined an unborn child as a person at any stage of development. It said an unborn child who is a victim of homicide is afforded equal protection under the homicide laws of the state. The bill was read in the House on Jan. 10, 2023, then sent to Judiciary Committee, where it died. Cromer requested that her name be added as a sponsor to the bill on March 2, 2023, according to state house records.

A number of lawmakers who had originally added their name to the legislation ended up removing themselves, including state Reps. David Vaughan, R-Greenville, Fawn Pedalino, R-Clarendon, Brian Lawson, R-Cherokee, Randy Ligon, R-Chester and Patrick Haddon, R-Greenville, Kathy Landing, R-Charleston, Matt Leber, R-Charleston, Mark Willis, R-Greenville, Brandon Guffey, R-York, David ONeal, R-York, Joe White, R-Newberry, and Roger Nutt, R-Spartanburg.

Rep. Rob Harris, R-Spartanburg, was the main sponsor of the bill, and pre-filed it Dec. 15, 2022.

Cromers post was quickly called out by House Republicans, who have a history of clashing with Freedom Caucus members.

The clown show loves to give you boo-hoo tears ... but, in truth, April co-sponsored H. 3549, which could impose the death penalty on women who have abortions, Rep. Micah Caskey, R-Lexington wrote over X in response to her video. Was she lying when to you when she supported that or is she lying to you now?
SC mans body found in a neighboring yard, police search for his killer, officials say

A South Carolina man was killed in a shooting and a search is underway for the person who pulled the trigger, according to the Easley Police Department.

At about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, officers responded to an Upstate home after being called about a suspicious person, officials said.

Officers discovered a mans body in the yard, police said in a news release. The man was not a resident of the West B Avenue home where he was found, according to the release.

After arriving, officers called both emergency medical services and ultimately the Pickens County Coroners Office, police said.

Kavyza Brown, 24, was identified as the homicide victim who was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the coroners office. Brown had been shot in the chest, police said.

No other injuries were reported.

The coroners office said Brown lived in an apartment in the 100 block of North 3rd Street, which is less than a quarter mile from where his body was found.

Information about where the shooting happened was not available.

There was no word about a shooter or shooters, or anyone else involved in the gunfire. Information about a motive for the shooting was not available.

No arrests have been reported by police, who are continuing to investigate the shooting, along with the coroners office and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. An autopsy will be scheduled, according to the coroners office.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 843-554-1111 or submit an online tip.
After a few weeks of finger pointing and viral social media posts, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has found claims that the state was illegally attempting to register non-citizens to vote are unfounded.

State Rep. Adam Morgan, R-Greenville, who is running for Congress in District 4, sparked a frenzy of questions regarding non-citizens receiving voter registration forms. He said while hes happy the situation was taken seriously, the SLED review wasnt what he asked for.

Im thrilled that they didnt find any actually fraud, but I do hope that they actually do the investigation which we requested, which is that the inspector general investigate the agency which repeatedly sent these forms to non-citizens, Morgan said. I think its great the governor went above and beyond and had SLED see if anyone was registered fraudulently, but thats not the information that I brought to them.

On Thursday, SLED sent out an email detailing what they had found in their initial review.

After SLEDs initial review, the allegation that state agencies were attempting to illegally register non-citizens to vote is unfounded, Ryan Alphin, executive affairs director of SLED wrote in an email with the report. As noted in the report, federal law requires service agencies to provide voter registration forms to people applying for benefits, including non-citizens. Further, the first question on the South Carolina Voter Registration form asks, Are you a citizen of the United States of America? If you check No, the form clearly states in bold, DO NOT complete this form.

Morgan, chair of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus, posted a photo April 29 and message to the social media platform X about a state government office giving a voter registration form to a non-citizen, both in person and then by mail.

The post went viral, garnering more than 400,000 views. Within the same week, Morgan and the Freedom Caucus asked Gov. Henry McMaster to order an investigation of the office. McMaster responded with a letter requesting Morgan provide SLED information.

Morgans posts however, were met with skepticism. Multiple Republican House representatives posted messages questioning the reality of the situation, with some demanding to know who the refugee was.

Morgan originally said the refugee received the forms from the Social Security Office in Spartanburg. He later clarified it was from the South Carolina Medicaid Office. He called the form a voter registration form, however, it was a voter registration declination form. The photo of the form was not filled out, and it can be found online and printed out.

Its very sketchy that they sent it multiple times, thats the part that doesnt pass the smell test, Morgan said before the SLED review.

Morgan also said numerous times that SLED had opened an investigation. SLED, however, did not confirm an ongoing investigation with The State SLED provided a statement, SLED has received the Governors letter to Representative Adam Morgan and will review the allegations provided.

When asked by The State about proof before the SLED review, Morgan said the only thing that the family had showed him were the forms, and that the family was looking for the letterheads from the office that were sent to them. He said the proof is two people who saw the form and experienced the situation.

The 276-page SLED review includes about seven pages of written findings, with the other pages as attachments. SLED said the non-citizens sister, Natalya Camp, from Spartanburg, could not provide SLED with the envelopes that the forms came in. Camp said her sister did not wish to cooperate.

SLED interviewed state Director of the Health and Human Services Robert Kerr, and identified the form as one that HHS sends out to anyone who applies for benefits, which is required in order to be in compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. It is required to give mail application voter registration information to public assistance applicants whether they are eligible to vote.

The agency sent out a statement shortly after Morgans post on Twitter, and explained nearly the same thing SLED found. The statement said that the office does not believe they should have a role in voter registration, but without the legal authority to make this change, they remain required by federal law to provide voter registration application forms with each Medicaid application. It included that Morgan had not been in contact with Kerr about the topic.

The SLED review also included attachments from the Legislative Audit Councils review of South Carolina Elections from 2022-2023, which stated We found no incidences where non-U.S. citizens with state IDs or drivers licenses had voted.

McMaster released a statement after the SLED review came out Thursday afternoon.

The SLED investigation has confirmed the integrity of South Carolinas voter registration system, as previous official audits have confirmed, the press release stated. Agencies are properly complying with state and federal voter registration laws, and no evidence of unlawful activity was found. In addition, the SLED report highlights that the citizenship verification policies and procedures being followed by state election officials are designed to prevent non-citizens from becoming eligible to vote.

Morgan, however, said if the findings reveal that this is the way the system is set up, we better get busy on fixing that.

Im hoping that this isnt just the end of it since that isnt what we requested anyway, Morgan said about the findings. The main thing here is why are we sending non-citizens these forms on a taxpayer dime, and why is the agency doing it when they knew that they were non-citizens, it wasnt just an accident. Were kind of still in the exact same place.
After a few weeks of finger pointing and viral social media posts, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has found claims that the state was illegally attempting to register non-citizens to vote are unfounded.

State Rep. Adam Morgan, R-Greenville, who is running for Congress in District 4, sparked a frenzy of questions regarding non-citizens receiving voter registration forms. He said while hes happy the situation was taken seriously, the SLED review wasnt what he asked for.

Im thrilled that they didnt find any actually fraud, but I do hope that they actually do the investigation which we requested, which is that the inspector general investigate the agency which repeatedly sent these forms to non-citizens, Morgan said. I think its great the governor went above and beyond and had SLED see if anyone was registered fraudulently, but thats not the information that I brought to them.

On Thursday, SLED sent out an email detailing what they had found in their initial review.

After SLEDs initial review, the allegation that state agencies were attempting to illegally register non-citizens to vote is unfounded, Ryan Alphin, executive affairs director of SLED wrote in an email with the report. As noted in the report, federal law requires service agencies to provide voter registration forms to people applying for benefits, including non-citizens. Further, the first question on the South Carolina Voter Registration form asks, Are you a citizen of the United States of America? If you check No, the form clearly states in bold, DO NOT complete this form.

Morgan, chair of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus, posted a photo April 29 and message to the social media platform X about a state government office giving a voter registration form to a non-citizen, both in person and then by mail.

The post went viral, garnering more than 400,000 views. Within the same week, Morgan and the Freedom Caucus ordered Gov. Henry McMaster to investigate the office, and McMaster responded with a letter requesting Morgan provide SLED information.

Morgans posts however, were met with skepticism. Multiple Republican House representatives posted messages questioning the reality of the situation, with some demanding to know who the refugee was.

Morgan originally said the refugee received the forms from the Social Security Office in Spartanburg. He later clarified it was from the South Carolina Medicaid Office. He called the form a voter registration form, however, it was a voter registration declination form. The photo of the form was not filled out, and it can be found online and printed out.

Its very sketchy that they sent it multiple times, thats the part that doesnt pass the smell test, Morgan said before the SLED review.

Morgan also said numerous times that SLED had opened an investigation. SLED, however, did not confirm an ongoing investigation with The State SLED provided a statement, SLED has received the Governors letter to Representative Adam Morgan and will review the allegations provided.

When asked by The State about proof before the SLED review, Morgan said the only thing that the family had showed him were the forms, and that the family was looking for the letterheads from the office that were sent to them. He said the proof is two people who saw the form and experienced the situation.

The 276-page SLED review includes about seven pages of written findings, with the other pages as attachments. SLED said the non-citizens sister, Natalya Camp, from Spartanburg, could not provide SLED with the envelopes that the forms came in. Camp said her sister did not wish to cooperate.

SLED interviewed state Director of the Health and Human Services Robert Kerr, and identified the form as one that HHS sends out to anyone who applies for benefits, which is required in order to be in compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. It is required to give mail application voter registration information to public assistance applicants whether they are eligible to vote.

The agency sent out a statement shortly after Morgans post on Twitter, and explained nearly the same thing SLED found. The statement said that the office does not believe they should have a role in voter registration, but without the legal authority to make this change, they remain required by federal law to provide voter registration application forms with each Medicaid application. It included that Morgan had not been in contact with Kerr about the topic.

The SLED review also included attachments from the Legislative Audit Councils review of South Carolina Elections from 2022-2023, which stated We found no incidences where non-U.S. citizens with state IDs or drivers licenses had voted.

McMaster released a statement after the SLED review came out Thursday afternoon.

The SLED investigation has confirmed the integrity of South Carolinas voter registration system, as previous official audits have confirmed, the press release stated. Agencies are properly complying with state and federal voter registration laws, and no evidence of unlawful activity was found. In addition, the SLED report highlights that the citizenship verification policies and procedures being followed by state election officials are designed to prevent non-citizens from becoming eligible to vote.

Morgan, however, said if the findings reveal that this is the way the system is set up, we better get busy on fixing that.

Im hoping that this isnt just the end of it since that isnt what we requested anyway, Morgan said about the findings. The main thing here is why are we sending non-citizens these forms on a taxpayer dime, and why is the agency doing it when they knew that they were non-citizens, it wasnt just an accident. Were kind of still in the exact same place.
an image shows the word "public" becoming the word "private" in front of the word "school"

Photo: Getty Images

Think of the things that youll be doing over the next yearplanning a vacation to the beach, getting some tacos at a restaurant, hosting a regular game night with friends, or volunteering at a local food pantry. Imagine if you could receive thousands of dollars of public subsidy to do these activities you were already planning to do.

For wealthy North Carolina families who have already enrolled their children in a private school, this could be the reality. Senate leaders want to allocate thousands of dollars in public funds to pay for the private educations of families already planning to enroll their children in private schools. These families have already proven they can afford their childs private school tuition, but Senate leaders still want to put an extra $3,360 in the pockets of millionaires.

Rather than tackling the waitlist for pre-kindergarten slots, addressing record teacher vacancies, or increasing the unconstitutionally low levels of funding for public and charter schools, they have prioritized expanding the states voucher programs. This move only benefits the wealthy. H823 would increase Opportunity Scholarship voucher spending in FY 2024-2025 from about $284 million to approximately $526 million.

a graph showing the increased spending on student vouchers in 2024-25

Of the additional voucher money for vouchers in the 2024-2025 school year:

$96 million (40 percent) would be awarded to middle-class and working-class families earning between 185 percent and 370 percent of the federal poverty rate ($57,721 to $115,440 for a family of four).

$107 million (44 percent) would be awarded to upper-class families earning between 370 percent and 833 percent of the federal poverty level ($115,441 to $259,740 for a family of four).

$39 million (16 percent) would be awarded to wealthy families earning more than 833 percent of the federal poverty level (over $259,741 for a family of four).

Of the approximately 72,000 students newly applying for Opportunity Scholarship vouchers, it is unclear how many are currently enrolled in private schools. The agency in charge of issuing the vouchers, the State Education Assistance Authority, has failed to release any data on what schools these new applicants currently attend.

It is likely that nearly all of these new applicants are already enrolled in private schools.

Based on changes in the 2023 budget bill, the 2024-2025 school year marks the first time students already enrolled in private schools could get voucher funding. That is, theyre newly eligible for thousands of dollars to pay for private school tuition that they have already been paying.

The funding requested to clear the 2024-2025 waitlist implies that the agency anticipates 95 percent of new applicants awarded a voucher will accept and use that voucher. In prior years, when most applicants had previously been enrolled in a public school, the voucher uptake rate was only about 60 percent because the private schools had not yet accepted these students when the voucher was awarded. If the agency now anticipates an uptake rate of 95 percent, that implies that nearly all of the unfunded voucher applicants are already enrolled in private schools.

If House Bill 823 becomes law, about 75 percent of North Carolinas 127,000 private school students would be getting vouchers to subsidize their tuition. This is already a disproportionately wealthy group. The median North Carolina household with a child in private school earns nearly double the typical North Carolina household. These families are by no means in need of another leg up in the form of voucher payments.

H823 would also increase program funding in future years. The states voucher programs were already unique in being the only educational programs with guaranteed funding increases. Under current law, appropriations for Opportunity Scholarship vouchers are already slated to increase 88 percent over the next nine years. Under H823, program funding would nearly triple over the next nine years.

Under current law, North Carolina would spend $4.4 billion on vouchers over the next nine years. If H823 becomes law, the state will spend $7.0 billion on vouchers over this period.

a graph showing the amount of increased state spending on school vouchers between 2025 and 2033

Under these trends, H823 would put enough funding into the Opportunity Scholarship program to allow all private school students to get a voucher by the 2028-2029 school year.

Legislators push to subsidize wealthy North Carolinians comes at a time when the state is failing to meet its constitutional obligations to public schools. Under the 30-year-long Leandro court case, the courts have consistently found that the state is violating its obligation to provide the states 1.5 million public school students with decent public schools. The State Supreme Court most recently upheld this view in November 2022.

Nearly 40 percent of public school students are considered economically disadvantaged. Thats about 600,000 public school students. Students from families with low incomes face substantial educational barriers that their wealthier classmates do not face. These barriers are reflected in the persistently lower test scores and graduation rates of students from families with low incomes.

Legislative leaders have actively opposed research-based measures that would help boost the academic performance of students from families with low incomes. Theyve spent untold millions fighting the Leandro case in court.

Instead, with H823, they are rushing through legislation to give taxpayer money to the approximately 40,000 upper-class and wealthy families who have already proven that they can afford to enroll their children in private schools. The decision reflects a backward set of priorities by this legislature to benefit the upper class over normal North Carolinians. Sadly, its no surprise that the same legislators who have already set the state on a path to eliminate the corporate income tax are now looking to enrich wealthy private school families.

The post School voucher changes will benefit North Carolinas wealthiest households appeared first on NC Newsline.
CANBERRA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- An Australian senator has broken ranks with the ruling Labor Party to accuse Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

Fatima Payman, a Labor senator representing Western Australia, on Wednesday criticized Australian leaders for what she described as performative gestures defending the oppressor's right to oppress and called for Australia to end trade with Israel and immediately recognize a Palestinian state.

"My conscience has been uneasy for far too long. And I must call this out for what it is. This is a genocide, and we need to stop pretending otherwise," she told reporters at Parliament House.

"I ask our prime minister and our fellow parliamentarians: how many international rights laws must Israel break for us to say enough? How many lives does it take to call this a genocide?"

It marks the first time a federal Labor parliamentarian has described the ongoing conflict in Gaza as a genocide.

Payman, who was born in Afghanistan before migrating to Australia in 2003, was elected to the Senate at the 2022 general election and became the first hijab-wearing Muslim and first Afghan-Australian to serve in the federal parliament. 
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Egypts Great Pyramid and other ancient monuments at Giza exist on an isolated strip of land at the edge of the Sahara Desert.

The inhospitable location has long puzzled archaeologists, some of whom had found evidence that the Nile River once flowed near these pyramids in some capacity, facilitating the landmarks construction starting 4,700 years ago.

Using satellite imaging and analysis of cores of sediment, a new study published Thursday in the journal Communications Earth & Environment has mapped a 64-kilometer (40-mile) long, dried-up, branch of the Nile, long buried beneath farmland and desert.

Even though many efforts to reconstruct the early Nile waterways have been conducted, they have largely been confined to soil sample collections from small sites, which has led to the mapping of only fragmented sections of the ancient Nile channel systems, said lead study author Eman Ghoneim, a professor and director of the Space and Drone Remote Sensing Lab at the University of North Carolina Wilmingtons department of Earth and ocean sciences.

This is the first study to provide the first map of the long-lost ancient branch of the Nile River.

Ghoneim and her colleagues refer to this extinct branch of the Nile river as Ahramat, which is Arabic for pyramids.

Ancient Egyptians likely used the now-extinct Ahramat Branch to build many pyramids. - Eman Ghoneim et al

The ancient waterway would have been about 0.5 kilometers wide (about one-third of a mile) with a depth of at least 25 meters (82 feet)  similar to the contemporary Nile, Ghoneim said.

The large size and extended length of the Ahramat Branch and its proximity to the 31 pyramids in the study area strongly suggests a functional waterway of great importance, Ghoneim said.

She said the river would have played a key role in ancient Egyptians transportation of the enormous amount of building materials and laborers needed for the pyramids construction.

Also, our research shows that many of the pyramids in the study area have (a) causeway, a ceremonial raised walkway, that runs perpendicular to the course of the Ahramat Branch and terminates directly on its riverbank.

The Red Pyramid at the Dahshur necropolis is located near the now-defunct arm of the Nile. - Eman Ghoneim

Hidden traces of a lost waterway

Traces of the river arent visible in aerial photos or in imagery from optical satellites, Ghoneim said. In fact, she only spotted something unexpected while studying radar satellite data of the wider area for ancient rivers and lakes that might reveal a new source of groundwater.

I am a geomorphologist, a paleohydrologist looking into landforms. I have this kind of trained eye, she said.

While working with this data, I noticed this really obvious branch or a kind of riverbank, and it didnt make any sense because it is really far from the Nile, she added.

Born and raised in Egypt, Ghoneim was familiar with the cluster of pyramids in this area and had always wondered why they were built there. She applied to the National Science Foundation to investigate further, and geophysical data taken at ground level with the use of ground-penetrating radar and electromagnetic tomography confirmed it was an ancient arm of the Nile. Two long cores of earth the team extracted using drilling equipment revealed sandy sediment consistent with a river channel at a depth of about 25 meters (82 feet).

Its possible that countless temples might still be buried beneath the agricultural fields and desert sands along the riverbank of the Ahramat Branch, according to the study.

The researchers collected soil samples to confirm their findings. - Eman Ghoneim

Why this branch of the river dried up or disappeared is still unclear. Most likely, a period of drought and desertification swept sand into the region, silting up the river, Ghoneim said.

The study demonstrated that when the pyramids were built, the geography and riverscapes of the Nile differed significantly from those of today, said Nick Marriner, a geographer at the French National Centre for Scientific Research in Paris. He was not involved in the study but has conducted research on the fluvial history of Giza.

The study completes an important part of the past landscape puzzle, Marriner said. By putting together these pieces we can gain a clearer picture of what the Nile floodplain looked like at the time of the pyramid builders and how the ancient Egyptians harnessed their environments to transport building materials for their monumental construction endeavors.

The research team stands in front of the Unass Valley Temple, which would have acted as a river harbor in ancient Egypt. - Eman Ghoneim

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For more than half a century, particle physicists have theorized the existence of a glueball, a particle made entirely of gluons.

While the past few decades have produced some compelling candidates, researchers using the Beijing ElectronPositron Collider II (BEPC-II) in China have discovered another one known as particle X(2370), which contains the same mass as the expected glueball.

If scientists could confirm the existence of a glueball, whether X(2370) or some other particle, it would be a very good sign that the Standard Model of particle physics is on the right track.

The Standard Model is our current best-guess at understanding, well, everything. Often described as a periodic table of particle physics, this model describes the nesting doll-like structure of the subatomic world that underpins the universe. Atoms are made of protons and neutrons, which are in turn composed of quarks that are all held together by gluonsthe force carrier for the strong nuclear force (one of the four fundamental forces).

While providing an understanding of subatomic physics, the Standard Model also makes predictions as complicated equations can suggest that certain particles should exist even if theyve never been directly observed. One of these hypothetical particles is the ever-elusive glueball. As its name suggests, this ball is actually a particle composed entirely of gluonsquarks need not apply. However, finding such a particle requires firing protons and antiprotons at each other at incredible speeds and sorting through the explosive aftermath.

More than 50 years after the glueballs first theoretical description via quantum chromodynamics (QCD), the theory of the strong nuclear force, scientists have found a few compelling candidatesquite a feat considering we have no real idea what to look forbut havent definitively discovered a glueball. Now, a study from scientists working with the Beijing ElectronPositron Collider II (BEPC-II) in China has discovered whats perhaps the most convincing candidate yet. Scientists found the particle X(2370) by sifting through a decade of data made up of 10 billion samples and finding a candidate with an average mass of 2,395 MeV/c2, the expected mass of a glueball.

At first, this may seem like a strange predictionafter all, gluons famously have no mass. But it turns out that the energy that binds together gluons imparts some mass to the glueball itself (its the whole E = mc thing). The particle X(2370) decays from a specific meson (a particle composed of an equal number of quarks and antiquarks) called J/. But this all happens nearly instantaneously, so scientists work backward using advanced mathematics (e.g. Lattice QCD ) to understand the aftermath of the particle collision in its entirety.

In particular, the glueball is a unique particle formed via the interaction among gauge boson particles, the scientists said in a paper published in the journal Physical Review Letters. The radiative decay of the J/ meson is a gluon-rich process and is therefore regarded as an ideal place for searching and studying glueballs.

This isnt the first inkling of a glueball thats ever been discovered. In 2015, for example, scientists from the Vienna University of Technology published a paper highlighting another compelling candidate, a meson known as f0(1710). While this particle is known to decay into strange quarks (a type of elementary particle), this research confirmed that a glueball could behave similarly but its status as a bonafide glueball hasnt been confirmed.

In the end, the most important aspect of this hunt for glueballs is that theyre existence, whether X(2370), f0(1710), or some other particle, confirms the science behind the Standard Model and QCD theories. After all, these theories state that a particle composed of only the strong nuclear force must exist, and the more potential candidates we find, the more likely that our model of particle physics is pointing us in the right direction and toward discovering the subatomic mysteries of our existence.



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Scrambles of NATO jets against Russian aircraft up more than 20%, source says

By Sabine Siebold

BERLIN (Reuters) - Scrambles of NATO jets to intercept Russian aircraft approaching allied airspace over the Baltic Sea region went up 20% to 25% in the first quarter of 2024, a NATO source said on Thursday, with the increased Russian activity likely due to a hike in NATO drills.

The source declined to give a concrete figure for the number of Russian military flights encountered close to NATO territory.

Last year, NATO said allied fighter jets took off over 300 times to intercept Russian military aircraft, with most of the incidents occurring over the Baltic.

Since then, however, NATO has noticed a change in the mix of Russian aircraft spotted close to allied territory, the source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.

Unlike in the past, Western pilots these days barely detect any Russian fighter jets or strategic bombers approaching allied airspace, and most intercepts now involve surveillance aircraft or sometimes transport planes, the source said.

It is not clear why Russia has changed its behaviour but there is an assumption that Moscow needs its bombers and fighter jets in Ukraine as fighting there has been growing in intensity, the source added.

NATO says Russian military aircraft have a history of not transmitting a transponder code indicating their position and altitude, not filing a flight plan and not communicating with air traffic controllers.

Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Western military alliance ramped up its presence along its eastern flank, sending more fighter jets there and setting up ground-based air defences.

NATO also deployed extra fighter jets to Romania after repeated Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure close to the alliance's southeastern border.

At the beginning of the year, NATO launched its largest exercise since the Cold War, involving some 90,000 troops.

The drills are meant to rehearse NATO's execution of its regional plans - the first defence plans the alliance has drawn up in decades - detailing how it would respond to a Russian attack.

(Reporting by Sabine Siebold; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  The Shelby County Sheriffs Office has issued a warning to citizens regarding jury duty telephone scams.

This comes after SCSO along with the U.S Marshals Service say they have received several complaints about outstanding warrants or failure to appear for jury duty.

According to reports, the scammers pretend to be officials with General Sessions Courts, State Courts, or Federal Courts.

Sheriff fires back at mayors proposed cuts to his office

The SCSO says do not provide information to anyone claiming to be associated with the Shelby County Courts, the Sheriffs Office, U.S. Marshals Service, State Courts, or Federal Courts.

They also say not to send any money or go meet up with anyone at any location regarding the matter. No one will dispatch a law enforcement vehicle to come pick someone up to be arraigned for contempt of court.

The Shelby County Jury Commission will never ask past or prospective jurors for financial information, credit card/social security numbers, or instruct you to purchase pre-paid gift cards to have warrants removed for failure to appear for jury service.

If you or someone you know has been contacted by a scammer, please call law enforcement.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
Whatcom County authorities who conducted a recent search of a suspected drug dealers home discovered a collection of firearms and several handgun parts that were created using a 3D printer.

Deputies approached Austin Grimme, 34, of Bellingham on May 13 at the citys Cornwall Park.

Deb Slater with the Whatcom County Sheriffs Office said Grimme admitted to police that he was in possession of drugs, and when another vehicle drove into the parking lot, Grimme told police the occupants were there to buy drugs from him.

Deputies found around 3 ounces of fentanyl in Grimmes car, and acquired a search warrant for his home on Park Drive in Bellingham, where they found the weapons, according to Slater.

Detectives found three complete firearms without serial numbers; six handgun lowers (the lower part of a firearm) without serial numbers; a handgun silencer; a number of firearm magazines of varying capacity; hundreds of rounds of ammunition; handgun parts and a 3D printer that police suspect was used to create the lowers for the firearms, Slater said.

Firearm serial numbers provide a means of identification for law enforcement and owners to track the weapon in the event of theft or other criminal activity. It is illegal to remove the serial numbers on firearms or to possess a firearm without a serial number under Revised Code of Washington 9.41.140.

Grimme is a seven-time convicted felon with four pending felony charges, according to Slater. He was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to deliver, three counts of unlawful possession of a firearm in the first degree and manufacture of undetectable firearms.

Grimme remains in custody at Whatcom County Jail with bail set at $150,000.
Nicholas Karol-Chik pleaded guilty to reduced charges in the April 19, 2023, rock-throwing death of Alexa Bartell while driving near Denver. Photo by First Judicial District Attorney's Office/Jefferson County Sheriff's Office

May 15 (UPI) -- A second defendant accused of killing motorist Alexa Bartell by throwing a large rock through her windshield last year pleaded guilty Wednesday in Jefferson County (Colo.) Court.

Nicholas James Karol-Chik, 19, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and two other charges when he and two others tossed a large landscaping rock at the oncoming vehicle Bartell, 20, was driving near Denver on April 19, 2023.

The landscaping stone smashed through Bartell's windshield and killed her.

"Karol-Chik knowingly engaged in conduct which created a grave risk of death, under circumstances evidencing an attitude of universal malice manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life," the First Judicial District Attorney's office said in a statement.

Karol-Chik faces between 35 and 72 years imprisonment and is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 10.

His guilty plea comes a week after Zachary Kwak pleaded guilty to reduced charges of first- and second-degree assault and second-degree criminal attempt to commit assault.

Kwak faces between 20 and 32 years in prison following his guilty plea and is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 3.

Prosecutors said Karol-Chik, Kwak and remaining defendant Joseph Koenig targeted at least seven oncoming vehicles with large rocks by throwing them from Karol-Chik's Chevy Silverado pickup on the night they killed Bartell.

The rocks struck and damaged seven vehicles and injured three other drivers.

Karol-Chik, Koenig and Kwak each were 18 and high school seniors when they targeted vehicles while driving on roads in western Denver on April 19.

Police say Karol-Chik passed the rock to Koenig, who threw it at Bartell's vehicle.

The three teens were arrested a week later and charged with up to 15 offenses, including first-degree murder with extreme indifference.

Koenig has pleaded not guilty and has a trial scheduled to start on July 19.

Kwak and Karol-Chik agreed to testify against Koenig as part of their plea deals.

Prosecutors say Karol-Chik and Koenig also targeted vehicles in the same manner on Feb. 25, 2023, and April 1, 2023.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, passed a bill on Thursday that would alter the language in a previously vetoed Survivors Act bill.

Senate Bill 1835 was originally going through the legislative process as a trailer bill to help support the Survivors Act before it was vetoed by Governor Kevin Stitt on April 24.

LOCAL NEWS: New bill introduced in response to Gov. Stitt veto of Oklahoma Survivors Act

The Survivors Act protect victims of domestic violence, Pro Tem Treat said. Senate Bill 1835 was already going through the legislative process before the other bill was vetoed. My colleagues and I thought it was vital to get this passed. I dont know if there was a miscommunication or something else that led to the original bill being vetoed, but we collectively believe it is an important piece of legislation to help those who are suffering from abuse. I thank Representative Jon Echols and everyone else who had a hand in making this happen. I am confident it will now be signed into law.

In the veto, the Governor calls the Oklahoma Survivors Act bad policy. The Oklahoma District Attorneys Council supports the veto, arguing the bill is too broad. The Senate then voted to override the veto.

Majority Floor Leader, Rep. Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, and Pro Tem Treat wrote the bill to allow victims to use evidence of their abuse to receive a lesser sentence. It would also work retroactively.

LOCAL NEWS: Governor vetoes Survivors Act for domestic violence victims

On Thursday, May 16, the bill passed the Senate with changes to clarify the language without changing the original intent. It would lead a court to consider how the person had been abused physically, sexually or psychologically by their partner, family member or member of their household, a trafficker or other individuals who used the person for financial gain.

According to the Oklahoma Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board, Oklahoma is ranked one of Americas highest states for domestic abuse homicides.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
By Valerie Volcovici

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donald Trump would likely push to replace the head of the International Energy Agency if he wins the U.S. presidential election to shift the energy watchdog's focus back to maximizing fossil fuel output instead of fighting climate change, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Paris-based IEA has provided research and data to industrialized governments for more than half a century to help guide policy around energy security, supply and investment. The United States provides around a quarter of the group's funding.

In recent years, the organization has broadened its focus beyond oil and gas supply to include clean energy, as member governments seek input on meeting their goals under the Paris climate agreement and accelerate a transition away from fossil fuel reliance.

That shift gathered pace during President Joe Biden's tenure  resulting in prescriptions on energy policy that angered global oil producers including Saudi Arabia, and which clash with Trump's self-described drill, baby, drill energy agenda aimed at boosting the traditional oil and gas industries.

Reuters spoke with five people familiar with Trump's thinking on energy, including donors, policy experts and former Trump administration officials, all of whom said Biden's predecessor would likely pressure the IEA to bring it in line with his pro-fossil fuel policies if he was re-elected in November.

The Trump campaign declined requests for comment on the issue. Trump has not spoken publicly about the IEA.

Fellows at the Heritage Foundation, an organization that has drafted a policy blueprint for a new Republican administration and which is in regular contact with the Trump campaign, said they are suggesting the U.S. use its clout within the agency to push for the replacement of the IEA's director, Fatih Birol.

"The U.S. should definitely come up with a strategy to replace the leadership at the IEA," said Mario Loyola, a senior research fellow at Heritage, attacking what he called Birol's focus on "net-zero [emissions] fairytales" as "fossil fuel demand continues to increase."

Birol declined to comment for this article.

The IEA's director is elected by member nations, but the U.S. has outsized influence in the group because of its funding and geopolitical clout. The IEA's other 30 members are predominantly European, but also include Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico and South Korea.

A Trump push for the IEA to tilt back toward emphasizing fossil fuels in the global energy mix would go against the stated position and energy policies of the EU and other key members of the IEA.

A new Trump administration would prioritize other energy policy moves first, like reversing the Biden administration's pause on liquefied natural gas export licenses, expanding domestic drilling or withdrawing the United States from the Paris climate accord, said Heritage fellow Mike McKenna, a former Trump energy policy adviser who is in contact with the campaign.

"I could see it being a year-two focus to change leadership at IEA," he said.

Trump considered cutting U.S. funding to the IEA during his presidency but opted to keep it in place, in part because of the relatively low price tag, Dave Banks, special assistant for international energy and environment at the National Security Council when Trump was president, told Reuters.

The U.S. pays about $6 million per year in IEA dues.

But things could change if he is re-elected.

"There is a feeling among Republicans that the IEA is really run by the Europeans and prioritizes European energy security views, which aligns with Democratic priorities," Banks said.

CLIMATE TRUTH TELLER

Since his 2015 appointment as director of the IEA, Birol has pushed the agency to make fighting climate change central to its analyses. The agency projects oil demand will peak at the end of this decade.

In 2021, shortly after President Joe Biden took office, the IEA published a report that said a swift end to new drilling investment globally was necessary if countries were to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius as targeted by the Paris Agreement.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which groups Saudi Arabia and other big oil producers, has repeatedly clashed with the IEA since, and last year accused it of vilifying oil producers.

Birol had worked for OPEC at its Vienna headquarters in the early 1990s.

Birol's green turn led U.S. Republican lawmakers to accuse the IEA of aligning too closely with the policy agenda of the Biden administration, with two top Republican lawmakers saying in March that the agency has morphed into an "energy transition cheerleader".

John Kerry, who served as Biden's top U.S. climate envoy until March, told Reuters just before he stepped down from the post that the Biden administration "worked very closely with the IEA," relying on its modeling and analysis to shape some of its key policies to decarbonize the U.S. economy by 2050.

Kerry pushed back against the assertion that the IEA has an ideological bent towards green causes.

"Because of the climate crisis, and the leadership at IEA, they're really focused on becoming the truth teller about the climate challenge," Kerry told Reuters in March.

The IEA has defended its analyses as independent and fact-driven.

The IEA scenariosare the product of an independent and detailed analytical effort, informed by the latest data on markets, policies and technological costs, Birol said in an April letter in response to Republican lawmakers.

But if Trump were re-elected as president, the agency would face pressure to return to its original focus on oil and gas supply issues.

"I strongly expect that if President Trump wins, the U.S. will use its leverage in the IEA, working with like-minded members like Japan, to restore the agency to its past role as an objective, non-political security watchdog and energy analysis and forecasting agency," said Bob McNally, president of consultancy Rapidan Energy.

Dan Eberhart, a Trump campaign donor and CEO of Colorado drilling firm Canary, said it was all a matter of perspective.

"Trump's priority has always been energy security for the U.S.," he said. "As far as the IEA's work is discouraging needed investment in traditional energy development, Trump is going to view that as a risk to America's economy and security."

(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; additional reporting by Noah Browning in London, Nichola Groom in Los Angeles and Alexandra Ulmer in San Francisco, editing by Deepa Babington)
Secret FBI files allege former L.A. city attorney lied to feds, likely obstructed justice. He denies it

Then-Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer lied to government investigators and probably obstructed justice during a massive federal inquiry into a fraudulent lawsuit orchestrated by his office, according to an affidavit by an FBI agent that was made public this week.

Feuer, who has not been charged with any crimes, maintained his innocence in a statement issued after the confidential records' release.

He has long denied knowing about the fraud behind the lawsuit involving exorbitant Department of Water and Power bills and has similarly denied knowledge of a hush money payment to a Beverly Hills legal assistant who threatened to expose the scheme.

Not only did Feuer know about the legal assistants threats, but he impliedly directed one of his top deputies to handle her demands, FBI Special Agent Andrew Civetti wrote in the Jan. 31, 2020, affidavit in support of a warrant to search Feuers Apple iCloud account.

As federal agents investigated the city attorney's office and its role in the fraudulent lawsuit, Feuer misled the FBI about the timeline of events and the extent of his office's role in the scheme, Civetti said in the affidavit.

"Multiple sources of evidence provide probable cause to believe that Feuer obstructed justice [and] made materially misleading statements to the FBI" about his knowledge of key events in the scandal, Civetti wrote.

The affidavit and several others by Civetti were part of a sprawling federal criminal investigation that led to charges against three former top city officials and a New York attorney. Civetti's affidavits were part of a trove of documents in the criminal case released this week after The Times and Consumer Watchdog moved to unseal them.

Read more: Questions, anger after feds signal an end to DWP billing probe

Making false statements to the FBI and obstructing justice are federal crimes that can carry up to several years in prison, but prosecutors have not filed charges against Feuer.

The records indicate that federal agents were also investigating multiple attorneys involved in the DWP litigation, including Feuer, for other potential crimes, including conspiracy and perjury.

During a July 2019 interview, which occurred while federal agents were raiding City Hall and DWP headquarters, Feuer gave answers about the origins of the fraudulent lawsuit and his knowledge of it that were "material and misleading," Civetti wrote in the affidavit.

Feuer continued to speak by phone or in person to prosecutors, either directly or through his chief of staff, Leela Kapur, according to Civettis affidavit.

The FBI agent examined Feuer's responses alongside deposition testimony and witness accounts, including information provided by one of Feuer's former top deputies, Thom Peters, who oversaw civil litigation in the city attorney's office. Civetti cited calendar entries, text messages and an audio recording that he said appeared to support Peters' account.

Civetti believed that the misleading statements by Feuer provided probable cause for obstruction of justice. In the affidavit, Civetti wrote that Feuer's "narrative of apparent obfuscation, false and misleading statements, and omissions" were part of an effort to protect his political reputation.

"On multiple occasions," Feuer told investigators that he wanted to run for mayor in 2022 and "believed he would be among the favorites," Civetti wrote.

Feuer did run for mayor but dropped out before the primary. Last year, he launched an unsuccessful bid for the congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank).

Feuer this week said in a statement that the affidavits relied on "lies" from Peters, who later pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting extortion for his role in the hush money scheme.

Any claim that I knew about collusion and tried to conceal it is absurd," Feuer said in a statement.

"I cooperated fully with the U.S. Attorney's staff and am glad they ultimately obtained all the actual facts," he said. "After they did, and assessed each witness's credibility, they prosecuted the wrongdoers and stated there was no ongoing investigation into me."

In 2022, Feuer requested and received a letter from the U.S. attorneys office stating that he was not a target of their investigation. Late last year, prosecutors told The Times that the investigation was closed.

Reached this week, Peters told The Times: I am pleased, but not at all surprised, to see that my statements to the FBI about Feuer were corroborated by multiple, independent sources."

A longtime politician, Feuer served on the state Assembly and L.A. City Council before voters elected him to be the citys top lawyer in 2013. He grew up in San Bernardino as the son of an educator and survivor of a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp. Fastidious and ambitious, he earned the nickname Saint Michael from City Council members for his focus on ethics. His term as city attorney ended in December 2022.

The Times and Consumer Watchdog sought the roughly 1,400 pages of documents, which include more than 30 search warrants filed during the governments years-long probe, to better understand what investigators learned about Feuer.

In a ruling last month, U.S. District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. said the documents could be unsealed, with personal data and references to grand jury proceedings redacted.

The documents show prosecutors' desire to pore over Feuer's phone records and emails, and raise questions about why they never charged Feuer with obstruction of justice or lying to federal authorities.

Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles, declined to comment on the lack of charges against Feuer. McEvoy said the office has a "strong history" of convicting public officials.

"As we have stated before, where the evidence did not establish every element of a federal crime beyond a reasonable doubt, we have not pursued charges," McEvoy said.

Several people went to prison following the government's criminal probe, including David F. Alexander, a former DWP cybersecurity chief who was charged with lying to the FBI about his role in a bribery scheme and sentenced to four years. Peters was sentenced to nine months of home confinement.

The DWP corruption scheme originated after the launch of a new billing system by the utility in 2013, which resulted in thousands of customers receiving erroneous bills.

One couple in Van Nuys were sent a nearly $52,000 bill, one of several examples of government ineptitude that stoked public anger and prompted lawsuits against the city.

The city attorney's office quietly sought out a lawyer to file a class-action lawsuit against the city over the billing mess. With a "friendly" attorney on the other side colluding with Feuer's team, all the claims could be settled on terms favorable to the DWP.

Paul Paradis, a New York attorney hired by the city attorney's office who later worked as a government witness, wrote the sham lawsuit and recruited an Ohio-based attorney to file it.

The citys plan was endangered, however, when the Beverly Hills legal assistant threatened to go public about the citys handling of the DWP mess and demanded about $1 million to return sensitive documents that would expose the collusive lawsuit. The legal assistant, Julissa Salgueiro, formerly worked for a Beverly Hills lawyer, Paul Kiesel, who had partnered with the city on the DWP billing litigation.

Peters, the top Feuer deputy, admitted in his plea agreement that he instructed Kiesel to satisfy the legal assistants financial demands  and warned him he would be fired if he didnt. Salgueiro, the legal assistant, received $800,000 from Kiesel, according to court records.

Prosecutors, in their charging documents in Peters' case, made clear that other senior officials in the city attorneys office knew about the legal assistant's threats. Those officials went unnamed in criminal court filings and never faced charges.

Feuer has repeatedly told reporters that he didn't find out about the involvement of his attorneys in the collusive lawsuit until April 2019. After incriminating emails were discovered on a computer in the city attorney's office, his staff alerted reporters and the civil court, Feuer has said.

"I worked with our team to disclose that collusion immediately," Feuer told The Times this week. He also has said that he didn't know about the legal assistant's extortion threats until January 2022, when prosecutors announced charges against Peters.

The records unsealed this week tell a different story.

Civetti wrote in one of the affidavits that "there is probable cause to believe that Feuer was in fact aware of Salgueiros threats to reveal information about the City Attorneys Offices litigation practices unless she were paid for her silence.

Feuer was not only aware of Salgueiros threats and demands, but he impliedly directed Peters to ensure that Kiesel settled those demands by paying a large sum of hush money," Civetti wrote.

In an interview with investigators, Civetti wrote, Peters recounted telling Feuer in fall 2017 about the legal assistant's threats and demands.

Weeks later, Peters attended a Dec. 1 meeting with Feuer and other city staff where they discussed Salguiero's threats, according to the search warrant.

An attorney for Salgueiro has emphasized to The Times that his client was never charged with a crime.

Peters also told investigators about a pivotal January 2019 meeting with Feuer, according to the search warrant materials.

Read more: Key lawyer in DWP corruption scandal gets 33-month prison sentence

Feuer this week said that he was never told in 2017 about collusion in the lawsuit, and he denied that the January 2019 meeting took place. After The Times published its story online Thursday, Feuer clarified that a meeting could have occurred but that the discussion described in the affidavit did not happen.

In the affidavit, Civetti said calendars and email records support that the January 2019 meeting occurred, as did a recording of a subsequent phone call.

At that 2019 meeting, Peters told Feuer there was a strong likelihood that documents would become public, revealing the city attorney's office's role in the collusive lawsuit, according to Civetti's affidavit. Among those documents were records showing that attorneys under Feuer had drafted the complaint filed against the city, according to the affidavit.

Peters recounted to the FBI that Feuer was in a state of extreme shock.

Feuers reaction was like nothing Peters had seen before," Civetti wrote in his summary.

"Feuer was highly emotional and visibly upset, covering his face with his hands for a long period. Feuer repeated multiple times that this 'can't be so.'"

Afterward, Peters called Paradis and Kiesel, mentioning a plan to be carried out at Mikes request"  referring to Feuer. Civetti pointed to the phone call, which was surreptitiously recorded, as another piece of evidence showing Feuer's involvement.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
NEW YORK  Gold bars and $480,000 cash found in U.S. Sen. Bob Menendezs house isnt evidence of bribes  and the alleged quid pro quo the veteran lawmaker is accused of was actually proper and legal constituent services, his defense lawyer said Wednesday during opening arguments at Menendezs corruption trial.

The gold seized by the FBI actually belong to the powerful New Jersey Democrats second wife, Nadine, and he had no idea she had any gold other than her familys gold, Menendezs lawyer Avi Weitzman told jurors in Manhattan Federal Court.

And the cash, found stashed throughout the house, was money Menendez withdrew bit by bit over three decades, keeping it in the house because of generational trauma, Weitzman said. His parents were Cuban refugees who lost everything but the cash they hid in a grandfather clock, so he knew the value of keeping money in the house, the lawyer said.

Of course theres an elephant in the room, a green and gold elephant, Wieitzman said. There are innocent explanations for the gold and the cash.

Menendez, 70, whos served as a U.S. senator since 2006, is accused of accepting bribes from N.J. businessmen Wael Hana, Fred Daibes and Jose Uribe in exchange for using his influence as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to benefit Egypt and Qatar, and to interfere with criminal investigations in New Jersey.

Hana and Daibes are also standing trial, while Uribe has turned government cooperator. Menendezs wife, Nadine, faces a separate trial in July.

In an opening argument that stretched over an hour, Weitzman used a flashy slide presentation that riffed off the popular Wheres Waldo childrens books, with an image titled Wheres Bob? to suggest that he had no involvement with any financial dealings between his wife and businessmen like Dabies.

He started dating his wife in 2018 and moved into her New Jersey home in 2020, the year they were married.

Nadine had financial concerns that she kept from Bob. She was often supported by others, Weitzman said. But she kept Bob sidelined from those conversations. And youll see that in black and white.

Wheres Bob? Ill tell you where, he was doing his job, in the nations capital.

Weitzman said that the gold bars found by the feds, which prosecutors say came from Dabies, were actually found in his wifes locked closet, and Menendez didnt know what she had in there.

He knew that she had family gold, Weitzman said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Pomerantz argued that the gold and cash were the price of Menendez selling out his country, as was a new Mercedes Benz convertible for Nadine that Uribe paid for.

He was powerful. He was also corrupt. For years, Robert Menendez betrayed the people he was supposed to serve by taking bribes, she said. This was not politics as usual. This was politics for profit  Robert Menendez was a United States senator on the take.

Menendez, who was previously charged with corruption in a separate case that ended in a mistrial, was running a multipronged bribery scheme with his wife as a go-between, Pomerantz said.

The prosecutor described Hana as a failed businessman with connections to the Egyptian government. Hana, she said, bribed Menendez to leak non-public information about the U.S. embassy to Egyptian officials, to secretly ghostwrite a letter meant to respond to other senators concerns about human rights abuses, and to help approve the sale of almost $100 million of tank ammunition to Egypt.

Hana got a benefit of his own  a monopoly on the export of halal meat from the U.S. to Egypt, at the expense of other U.S. companies that used to do that business, the prosecutors said. And when a USDA official voiced concerns, Menendez tried to run interference and muscle that official into backing down, she said. The attempt didnt shake the officials attempts, but Egypt still gave Hana the monopoly, she said.

Menendez also tried to pressure the N.J. Attorney General and the states U.S. Attorney into dropping criminal cases against pals of Uribe and Daibes, the prosecutor said.

Menendezs defense lawyer said all of his actions were just part of the normal duties of being a senator  taking interest in international matters and issues that impact his constituents.The senator had no power over the criminal cases, Weitzman said, and he was just asking about allegations that Latino businessmen were being targeted for selective prosecution.

Thats not illegal. You may not like it. But its not illegal, he said. Listening to a friend is not a crime.

The trial continues tomorrow with opening arguments from Hana and Daibes lawyers.

_____
Guests cut the ribbon during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Chinese Film Week in Bucharest, Romania, May 15, 2024. The 2024 Chinese Film Week in Romania kicked off on Wednesday at the Hollywood Multiplex Cinema Hall of Bucharest Mall, as part of cultural events marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Romania.

The event, which runs until Sunday, features five notable Chinese films: Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms, 30,000 Miles from Chang'an, Never Say Never, Endless Journey and Lost in the Stars. Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms of the Fengshen Trilogy directed by Wu Ershan was the opening film. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

BUCHAREST, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The 2024 Chinese Film Week in Romania kicked off on Wednesday at the Hollywood Multiplex Cinema Hall of Bucharest Mall, as part of cultural events marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Romania.

The event, which runs until Sunday, features five notable Chinese films: Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms, 30,000 Miles from Chang'an, Never Say Never, Endless Journey and Lost in the Stars. Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms of the Fengshen Trilogy directed by Wu Ershan was the opening film.

Hosted by the China National Film Administration and the Chinese Embassy in Romania, and co-organized by the China Movie Channel and the Chinese Cultural Center in Bucharest, this film week is part of broader cultural celebrations.

Chinese Ambassador to Romania Han Chunlin emphasized the significance of film in fostering friendship and cultural understanding between the two nations. He expressed the hope that Romanian audiences would gain insights into China's history and culture through the films.

Irina Cajal, undersecretary of state of the Romanian Culture Ministry, highlighted the growing cultural cooperation between Romania and China. She noted that recent joint projects have enhanced mutual appreciation and understanding.

Ma Jia, vice president of China Movie Channel, and Dan Krizbai, deputy director of Romanian National Film Archives, also expressed their expectations for the positive prospects for future collaborations in the film industry. They expressed the hope that the film week would further strengthen industry ties and lay a foundation for more cooperative projects. 

Irina Cajal, undersecretary of state of the Romanian Culture Ministry, speaks during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Chinese Film Week in Bucharest, Romania, May 15, 2024. The 2024 Chinese Film Week in Romania kicked off on Wednesday at the Hollywood Multiplex Cinema Hall of Bucharest Mall, as part of cultural events marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Romania.

The event, which runs until Sunday, features five notable Chinese films: Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms, 30,000 Miles from Chang'an, Never Say Never, Endless Journey and Lost in the Stars. Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms of the Fengshen Trilogy directed by Wu Ershan was the opening film. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

Dan Krizbai, deputy director of Romanian National Film Archives, speaks during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Chinese Film Week in Bucharest, Romania, May 15, 2024. The 2024 Chinese Film Week in Romania kicked off on Wednesday at the Hollywood Multiplex Cinema Hall of Bucharest Mall, as part of cultural events marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Romania.

The event, which runs until Sunday, features five notable Chinese films: Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms, 30,000 Miles from Chang'an, Never Say Never, Endless Journey and Lost in the Stars. Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms of the Fengshen Trilogy directed by Wu Ershan was the opening film. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)
Sen. Bob Menendez reveals his wife has breast cancer as his trial focuses on FBI raid of his home

FILE - Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey and his wife Nadine Menendez arrive at the federal courthouse in New York, Sept. 27, 2023. Menendez said Thursday, May 16, 2024, that his wife has breast cancer and will require a mastectomy, a revelation made just as the presentation of evidence began at his New York bribery trial. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon, File)

NEW YORK (AP)  Sen. Bob Menendez said Thursday that his wife will undergo a mastectomy after she was diagnosed with breast cancer, a revelation made just as the first evidence  pictures of 13 gold bars and over $480,000 in cash seized from the couple's home  was shown to jurors at his New York bribery trial.

The New Jersey Democrat said he was revealing his wife's health crisis at her request after repeated inquiries from the media.

We are, of course, concerned about the seriousness and advanced stage of the disease, the senator said in a statement.

He added: She will require follow up surgery and possibly radiation treatment. We hope and pray for the best results.

Previously, lawyers for Nadine Menendez had requested her trial on charges in the case be delayed after she was diagnosed with what was only previously described publicly as a serious health issue.

Judge Sidney H. Stein had postponed her trial until at least July. Nadine Menendez, who married the senator two years after she began dating him in 2018, has pleaded not guilty.

One of her lawyers declined comment in response to Bob Menendez's disclosure Thursday.

The senator, on trial with two of three businessmen who allegedly paid him bribes, has pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery, fraud, extortion, obstruction of justice and acting as a foreign agent of Egypt. A third businessman has pleaded guilty in the case and will testify against the others.

Menendez's statement about his wife was released just after opening statements were completed and the presentation of evidence began at his trial in Manhattan federal court.

The trial's first witness was an FBI agent, Aristotelis Kougemitros, who described leading a June 2022 raid on the couple's Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, home.

He testified that two 1-kilogram (2.2-pound) gold bars, 11 1-ounce gold bars and $486,461 in cash were among valuables found in the home, along with cellphones and jewelry. In all, 52 items were seized.

At first, Kougemitros said, the FBI had directed agents to photograph any cash that was found, but not necessarily to seize it.

But he said that based on his experience and training, along with the totality of the circumstances, that he decided the amount of cash was so voluminous that it would be seized.

I believed there was evidence potentially of a crime, he said, drawing an objection from Menendez's lawyer that was sustained by the judge.

Through dozens of photographs and the agent's testimony, jurors were taken on a tour of the home as Kougemitros described where cash and the gold bars were discovered by a team of eight agents that was later supplemented by two Manhattan agents who brought cash-counting machines.

The gold bars were found in a safe and on the floor nearby inside locked closets in a bedroom, he said. Much of the cash was found stuffed in jacket pockets, in two pairs of boots and on a shelf in the home's basement, he said.

One pair of Timberland boots contained $14,500 in cash nearly evenly divided while another set of boots also had cash stuffed in each boot, he said.

A black jacket, which was among four jackets found to contain cash, had $21,000 in envelopes in its pockets, Kougemitros said. The other jackets, he added, had $4,300, $6,000 and $8,000.

On a shelf nearby, he said, a plastic bag contained $100,000, while another bag held $95,000.

Earlier in the day, lawyers for New Jersey real estate developer Fred Daibes and businessman Wael Hana delivered their opening remarks to jurors a day after a prosecutor and Menendezs lawyer gave opening statements.

Attorney Lawrence Lustberg, representing Hana, said prosecutors had built their case against his client on innocent acts.

He said Hana was longtime friends since 2009 with Nadine Menendez and that Hana and Nadine Menendez had exchanged expensive gifts over the years. He said there was never a time when Hana either directly to Bob Menendez or indirectly through Nadine Menendez gave a bribe in exchange for official acts by the senator.

Attorney Cesar De Castro, representing Daibes, told jurors the case was about relationships and prosecutors were trying to exploit facts about a three-decade friendship between the senator and Daibes to claim crimes occurred. He said they will conclude his client was not guilty.

On Wednesday, attorney Avi Weitzman, representing Bob Menendez, told jurors his client was unaware that his spouse had accepted gifts from the three businessmen and did not know about cash and gold bars hidden in a closet at their home.

The statement came after an opening statement by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Pomerantz in which the prosecutor repeatedly highlighted the gold bars and cash found in the home.

Menendez has held public office continuously since 1986, serving as a state legislator before 14 years as a U.S. congressman. In 2006, then-Gov. Jon Corzine appointed Menendez to the Senate seat he vacated when he became governor.

The trial, which began Monday, is projected to last up to two months.

___

Catalini reported from Trenton, New Jersey.
Nadine Menendez, a defendant in a sweeping corruption trial alongside her husband Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), has breast cancer and will be undergoing a mastectomy as treatment, her husband revealed on Thursday.

The senator announced his wifes cancer diagnosis in a statement from the courtroom where his trial on corruption and bribery charges began this week. Nadine Menendezs trial had been delayed because of the previously undisclosed health conditions, which are now clear.

Bob Menendez and Wife Ask for Separate Trials Over Federal Charges

Nadine is suffering from Grade 3 breast cancer, which will require her to have mastectomy surgery. We are, of course, concerned about the seriousness and advanced stage of the disease. She will require follow up surgery and possibly radiation treatment, Menendez said, asking for respect and privacy on behalf of his wife. We hope and pray for the best results.

The disclosure of Nadine Menendezs cancer diagnosis was peculiarly timed, given that defense attorneys for her husband had spent the first week of his trial arguing that she was largely to blame for the lavish gifts the couple received from Egyptian businessmen, allegedly in return for political favors.

Prosecutors alleged the Menendez couple accepted bribes from businessmen hoping to leverage the senators position as leader of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Those alleged gifts included gold bars, wads of cash, and a $60,000 convertible for Nadine, according to the indictment.

Defense attorneys for the senator painted his wife as a critical link between the businessmen and her husband in opening statements on Wednesday. The senator and his wife have each pleaded not guilty.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, pictured in this 2023 file photo, speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions confirmation hearing for Julie Su to be the labor secretary, on Capitol Hill, in Washington. | Alex Brandon, Associated Press

Should there be more oversight of federal employees working from home?

That was a question Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, had for the U.S.comptroller general and head of the Government Accountability Office, Eugene Dodaro, during a hearing of the Senate Homeland Securitys Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight Subcommittee.

Romney, who last week proposed a bill that would limit federal teleworking, made a point of saying at the Wednesday hearing that the federal workforce is in many cases extremely productive, hardworking. But he expressed concern others are not working quite so hard, and all the burden is falling on the few rather than the many.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone went home and interestingly, not everybodys come back to the office, said Romney, the ranking member. He added that would have been fine if the response time to the public at agencies like the Internal Revenue Service returned to pre-pandemic levels.

But in fact, the lines are longer. People are having a harder time getting in touch with the government, Romney said. And so, you wonder how well is teleworking working for us and do we need to oversee somehow in a better way, a more effective way, what happens when people are working from home?

Dodaro said the GAO is already taking a look across government, at a number of different agencies to see what impact continuing to permit working from home is having on customer service as well as getting the job done. Theres also an impact on recruitment and retention of federal employees, he said.

Theres issues there, Dodaro agreed, suggesting that Congress should be looking at outcomes when it comes to telework. I think more oversight would be effective. I think youre right to be concerned about this. But the focus, in my opinion, ought to be on are they achieving their missions, and if not, why not?

At the start of the hearing, Romney said hes concerned about the ability to maintain a strong and effective workforce at the federal government level, given the telework policies that we have, citing the vacancies in government buildings and questioning whether were really getting the productivity from our employees that we hope to do.

He called the bipartisan bill he is co-sponsoring with West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, an attempt to ensure that federal agencies are operating effectively by placing reasonable limits on the use of employee teleworking. A recent report by the GAO found that 17 of 24 federal agency headquarters were operating at an average capacity of 25% or less.
Terri Boyette, a Mesquite homeowner, on Wednesday describes her experience of having her home taken over by an unauthorized occupant to the Texas Senate Committee on Local Government. On the right, Rusty Adams, attorney at Texas A&M Real Estate Center, is watching the proceedings.

With a sense of urgency, Texas state senators gathered Wednesday to consider possible changes to the state's property laws, hearing harrowing stories from homeowners who said they lost access to their homes to "squatters."

As per a directive from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Senate, members met to look into the state's laws relating to squatters, which has become a common term for a person who takes adverse possession of a property without having the permission or legal ownership to do so.

Squatting, which in Texas law falls through the policy cracks between criminal trespass and an eviction proceeding, has left homeowners with few options to regain access to their homes in a process marred by confusing legal and financial bureaucracy.

"What we're here for quite simply is to come and take it back," Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, said in opening the hearing. "Because that's what we're going to do. We're going to get legislation put together that will come take these properties back from squatters who have no legal or moral ownership, or any other investment in a property."

"We're going to get legislation put together that will come take these properties back from squatters who have no legal or moral ownership, or any other investment in a property," said Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston.

In trying to strike a balance to ensure that rights of homeowners and tenants are respected as lawmakers look to craft a legislative fix for the gray area, Bettencourt said the need to act quickly is spurred by the fact that "people can still lose their homes to squatting in the state of Texas, and that's got to stop."

More: Florida latest state to target squatters after DeSantis signs 'Property Rights' law

The Senate committee hearing lasted throughout Wednesday afternoon as many invited guests gave testimony ranging from housing industry concerns, the judiciary's perspective and homeowners' experiences.

"We have attempted to contact any pro-squatting operation that exists," Bettencourt said. "We have not been able to find anyone willing to testify."

When Terri Boyette began to tell her story, the temperature in the hearing room steadily rose as she described a laundry list of homeowner nightmares. A contractor had broken into her home in Mesquite, just east of Dallas, and then refused to leave, leaving a wake of damage, garbage and narcotics paraphernalia.

"As of today  11 months later  I still don't live in my house and can't access it because of the damage that was done," Boyette said.

The squatting incident took place shortly after moving to Texas in 2021, leaving Boyette without a place to live and forcing her to stay in Florida, where she traveled from for Wednesday's hearing at the Capitol, as the situation gets resolved.

During the ordeal, Boyette testified, she also had to maintain payments for the property's water, utilities, home insurance and mortgage in addition to keeping the yard trimmed to avoid a city citation.

"As of today  11 months later  I still don't live in my house and can't access it because of the damage that was done," Terri Boyette told the Senate panel.

"The person in my home is a homeless crackhead; what am I supposed to sue them for? Nothing," Boyette said.

After seven months, Boyette's property was finally vacated, but not before her possessions and family heirlooms were sold off during a rushed yard sale, leaving her with a heavily damaged home where most items were either taken or left destroyed.

"I'm actually afraid to move back in the house, because I don't know what's going to happen," Boyette said, clearly rattled by her situation despite her sense of humor throughout the hearing. "Today, he's out walking on the street. And I'm $150,000 in debt to replace everything in my home and repair it."

More: 'Squatters' turn Beverly Hills mansion into party hub. But how? The listing agent explains.

Senate committee members sat in grave attention to Boyette's story, understanding that others in the room, and people across the state, have experienced similar instances of unexpected violations of privacy.

So much so, that during the hearing Sens. Royce West, D-Dallas, and Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, both agreed that they wanted to hear more from local officials in Mesquite about their response to Boyette's situation.

"It makes no sense," Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, said of the problems of dealing with squatters.

West, Hall and Boyette then left the hearing to take a phone call with city leaders to discuss their handling of squatters.

"It makes no sense," said West, the lone Democrat present during the committee hearing. "I'm starting to get outraged about that."

While Patrick made the nod to bring the issue to attention via his list of interim charges, which he released last month, Gov. Greg Abbott has also made clear that he is in favor of clarifying and stiffening penalties tied to squatting, calling the act a violation of the law.

More: Texas Silver-Haired Legislature brings seniors' needs to lawmakers' attention | Grumet

"In Texas, anyone 'squatting' in your home is breaking the law," Abbott posted to X, formerly Twitter, in the weeks before Patrick announced his list of legislative requests. "They are criminals violating TX laws like criminal trespass & criminal mischief (Tex. Penal Code 30.05 & 28.03). Also, the Texas Castle Doctrine empowers Texans to use force to defend themselves & their property."

The Senate Committee on Local Government held a hearing Wednesday to discuss protecting Texas property owners from squatters.

Senators will consider adding increased penalties for squatting, making the act more comparable to criminal trespassing, which would remove the large hurdle of squatting being viewed as a civil matter by the judiciary.

Outside of increasing penalties, senators were in lock step in discussing avenues to ensure law enforcement officers have a way to positively identify who owns or resides in a home in question, identifying documentation requirements for proving residency, having oversight of judicial and police responses in the future and creating a mechanism for homeowners to initiate a removal of a squatter despite protests.

Other states have recently implemented squatting laws, with fixes ranging from Louisiana's increase in penalties that tied burglary and squatting statutes closer together to West Virginia's move to clarify a squatter can't be considered a tenant and is therefore afforded fewer rights to stay in a location.

In Alabama, someone unauthorized to enter a property can be removed by the property owner if they provide law enforcement officers with a sworn affidavit detailing their ownership. The removal of the individual is mandated to occur within 24 hours.

Still months away from being able to consider any proposal dealing with squatters, Sen. Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound, said the committee is seriously looking at the issue with an intent to move quickly once the legislative session begins in January, saying whether it's a single bill or an omnibus package, Texas is looking to lead the way.

"I think the country will see very quickly how Texas solves this very rapidly next session to protect private property rights in the state and be the role model for how to do it across the country," Parker said.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Senate hears squatting horrors: 'I still don't live in my house'
Bill sponsor Sen. Nellie Pou said the states Aspire tax incentive program has helped to revitalize communities by offering tax credits for mixed-use, transit-oriented development. (Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor)

A Senate panel has unanimously approved a bill that would require some recipients of certain state tax incentives to temporarily cede their awards if occupancy falls too low and allow the Economic Development Authority to extend loans meant to fill funding gaps that tax credits do not.

The bill, which the Senate Economic Growth Committee approved in a unanimous vote Thursday, would be the latest update to the voluminous Aspire tax incentive program signed into law in 2021, one meant to encourage development, including in some of the states most beleaguered cities.

We all know of successes the Aspire program has realized in its short lifespan. It has offered unique opportunities that have helped revitalize communities by offering supports to mixed-use, transit-oriented and real estate development through tax credits that help to close financing gaps, said bill sponsor Sen. Nellie Pou (D-Passaic).

Among a host of other changes, the bill would require commercial projects to maintain at least 60% average occupancy within a given tax year beginning three years after the project receives a final certificate of occupancy. Those who fail to maintain occupancy at that level would be required to forfeit their tax credits and could not reclaim them until they brought average occupancy back up to 60%.

The provision is meant to send more workers to physical office buildings and the shops that surround them. In part, the states tax incentive programs are intended to boost economic activity in disadvantaged towns and cities, a mission made harder by the rise of remote work.

The legislation would create new incentives to redevelop abandoned commercial buildings, allowing the Economic Development Authority, which administers tax incentives under Aspire and related programs, to raise awards by up to 10% of a projects total cost.

Im here today before you because we are at a precipice in the commercial real estate industry in this country with regards to a number of office buildings that are being devalued because of the lack of revenue because of the new normal for working, said Tony Pizzutillo, a government affairs consultant for NAIOP, a commercial real estate development association.

The bill would allow smaller enhancements  5% and 3% of project costs, respectively  to residential projects where three-bedroom units account for at least 20% of low- and moderate-income units or to projects that hire local workers.

Tax credits from any source could cover no more than 80% of a projects costs, or 90% if the project receives credits through the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program.

Some questioned the need for more generous terms on tax incentives.

What is the problem this is actually trying to solve? Whenever theres some huge tax credit bill that has lots of changes in it, youve got to wonder what is the problem here? Peter Chen, a senior policy analyst for New Jersey Policy Perspective, told the Monitor. Theres already a decent number of Aspire programs. Theres lots of projects that have been funded.

Other provisions would allow the Economic Development Authority to issue bridge loans in cases where tax credits do not fully fill funding gaps and loans would enable project completion. The authority could issue loan guarantees under the same terms.

The bill would allow developers to propose terms for loans or guarantees through the agency, but the legislation would give ultimate authority on terms to the EDA.

Proceeds from the loans would go back into a revolving fund from which the loans would be issued. Within 90 days of the bills enactment, the EDA must recommend an initial appropriation for the revolving fund, though the size of that appropriation is yet unclear.

Other provisions would allow the state treasurer to redeem outstanding tax credits at a discount of not more than 10%. Developers would receive the outstanding value of the credit as a tax refund over one or more years.

Existing law allows the Treasury to recoup unused tax incentives, paying no more than 75% of their value, with some exceptions.

Though the bill met with little opposition Thursday, one hesitant supporter urged caution on provisions that would allow developers to skirt community benefit requirements tied to most awards under Aspire.

As its currently constructed, that certification with the municipalities could end up being a problematic portion, said James Williams, director of racial justice policies and government relations for the Fair Share Housing Center.

In nearly all circumstances, developers that receive awards under Aspire are required to enter agreements with the host town to offer job training, employment, youth development, and similar services.

Existing law allows developers to meet community benefit requirements if the host municipality certifies certain documents, but developers who do so must be overseen by a community advisory committee and certify they are providing the benefits they agreed to or risk losing tax credits.

The bill would exempt developers from that oversight if the host municipality adopts the same documents through a resolution.

If the whole purpose of this is these have benefits to the community, then it should be relatively easy to develop something that says this actually has benefits to the community rather than just an elected body essentially just certifying that, yep, it sure does have benefits and moving on, Chen said.

Appropriation committees in both chambers must approve the legislation before it reaches a floor vote.

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The post Senate panel approves changes to tax incentive program appeared first on New Jersey Monitor.
Michigan Capitol | Susan J. Demas

The Democratic-led Michigan Senate has passed its version of the Fiscal Year 2025 state budget after voting on Wednesday the final bill in the proposal.

While the Senate passed the majority of its budget bills last week, and five additional bills yesterday, the School Aid Fund  Senate Bill 751  was the sole proposal left for a vote, passing the Senate along party lines in a 20-16 margin, with Sens. Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan) and John Damoose (R-Harbor Springs) excused from attendance.

Although Republicans offered a number of amendments, including proposals on cyber-school funding, school safety appropriations and incentives to institute no-phone policies, 12 of the 13 amendments proposed were defeated, with another withdrawn.

Democrats did adopt one amendment to the School Aid budget, offered by the bills sponsor, state Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton), that clarified some of the language included in the bill.

The House approved its own $80.9 billion budget proposal on May 9. The proposal includes slightly more funding than Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmers proposed $80.7 billion budget. The Senates version of the budget totals more than $81.9 billion.

While Whitmer proposed roughly $20.6 billion for School Aid, the Senate Bills contain $20.3 billion in funding, compared to the $20.5 billion for School Aid passed by the House last week.

The Legislature has until July 1 to pass a new state budget; however there is no penalty if lawmakers fail to meet the deadline. The next fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

The Senate and House will negotiate the difference between their budget proposals in conference committee before the budget is returned for a final vote in both chambers before heading to the governors desk for her signature.

After the vote to pass the School Aid bill, Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Twp.) offered an explanation for his opposition to the budget bills passed by the Senate in recent weeks, with Sen. Kevin Daley (R-Lum) concurring.

Nesbitt accused Democrats of failing to help working families and properly support schools and infrastructure. He also criticized Democrats for blowing through the states $9.2 billion budget surplus which mostly consisted of federal funding from COVID-19 relief. The budget for Fiscal Year 2025 will draw from a $418 million surplus, as determined by the Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference scheduled on Friday.

It took less than two years for this governor and this Democratic majority to break the bank, and they have nothing to show for it, Nesbitt said. Surprise, surprise, it takes more than corporate welfare and [Diversity Equity and Inclusion] training to improve our states economy.

This budget and the process the past year and a half has been an insult to taxpayers and a gigantic waste of their money. They deserve better, Nesbitt said.

Sen. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, discussed highlights of the Senates budget proposal and called on members of the chamber to commit to finalizing the budget in a bipartisan manner.

This budget fosters the growth of our people and creates opportunity for all Michiganders, regardless of their race, their zip code, their gender and how much money they bring home every week. This budget builds on a strong foundation we began last fiscal year and adds innovative proposals that addresses the complex challenges facing the hardworking people of Michigan, Anthony said.

Ive appreciated the passion from some of our Republican colleagues and Im eager to engage in an open meaningful conversation with any and everyone thats interested in finding solutions that build up the people of our state. Colleagues, as we move forward in the next steps of this process, lets commit to a civil, collaborative tone, Anthony said.

While Whitmers FY 2025 budget request includes funding for free pre-K and community college, Anthony and Camilleri said the Senate took a different approach from the governors proposals.

Its one thing for us to say we want to do Universal Community College, but the devils in the details in terms of how we make sure that every student  regardless of whether youre in district, out of a community college district  that you have money to make college more affordable, Anthony said.

Under the Senates proposal, tuition aid for community colleges would differ depending on a students residency. Students attending a community college in the district where they live could receive full tuition coverage, but may not receive full coverage if they attend a college outside of that district.

When looking at schools, one of the biggest differences between the Governors budget proposal and the Senates is how universal pre-k is handled, said Camilleri who chairs the Senate Appropriations Pre-K-12 Subcommittee.

We are hoping to get to pre-K for all at one point in the future. However, the difference is that were taking a more measured approach, increasing it to a different poverty threshold and allowing our schools and communities, organizations to really online more classrooms to allow for  once we open up the opportunity for all Michigan residents  we will have enough slots, classrooms, teachers available in the pipeline, Camilleri said.

According to the nonpartisan Senate Fiscal Agency, this proposal would increase eligibility for Michigans Great Start Readiness program  which provides pre-K for four-year-olds  to 400% of the federal poverty level.

Democrats also touted investments into student loan assistance for teachers and a 3.1% increase in per-pupil funding for K-12, allocating $9,910 per student.

The post Senate passes School Aid budget bill, completing 1st round of the FY 2025 budget process appeared first on Michigan Advance.
Republican and Democratic senators accused one another of playing partisan politics Thursday in their responses to reports of a toxic workplace culture at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

While GOP lawmakers across the board have called on FDIC Chair Martin Gruenberg (D) to resign, Democrats have been split over how to respond, with some urging Gruenberg to make changes at the agency rather than step down.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who serves as ranking member on the Senate Banking Committee, suggested at the panels oversight hearing Thursday that the Biden administration has kept the FDIC chair in place to continue progressing its regulatory agenda.

The South Carolina Republican pointed to President Bidens decision to fire Martin Dickman, the inspector general of the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), in March on grounds of creating a hostile work environment.

I can only conclude with one question: What makes you so different from the inspector general? Scott said. Is it politics? Is it the fact that you are a necessary and easy vote for the Biden administrations economic policy agenda? I think the answer is yes.

If Gruenberg were to step down, he would be replaced by the Republican FDIC Vice Chair Travis Hill, he acknowledged Thursday in response to questions from Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.).

Its truly remarkable that anybody on this committee would be willing to ignore this report and what it so obviously requires, all for a few regulations at the Federal Reserve, Hagerty said. Does the Me Too movement now have an exception for technical regulations?

However, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) countered her Republican colleagues, accusing them of engaging in a purely political exercise with their calls for Gruenbergs resignation.

They want to replace you with Vice Chairman Travis Hill, who was the right-hand man to your Republican predecessor who allowed the cultural problems at the agency to fester, Warren said.

Your resignation would do nothing to improve the toxic culture at the FDIC, but it would give Republicans a veto over bank policy, she added.

Other Democrats, like Rep. Maxine Waters (Calif.), ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee, have accused the law firm that conducted a recent review of the FDIC of political bias, alleging it downplayed concerns and complaints that occurred under Republican leaders of the agency in its final report.

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamiltons report, released last week, confirmed allegations originally reported by The Wall Street Journal of a culture of sexual harassment, misconduct and retaliation at the banking regulator.

Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) also accused Republicans at Thursdays hearing of double standards for their failures to call out the actions of former President Trump, who is now the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.

I also expect that my colleagues from both sides of the aisle will be consistent in their commitment to investigating and holding perpetrators to account of perpetrators of sexual harassment to account and abuse, whether they serve at the FDIC or they seek to occupy the Oval Office, Butler said.

Its been interesting and a bit perplexing to listen to my colleagues mentioned the notion of double standards but also experience how they have not and will not call out the behavior of the former president, who not only is in court today but finds himself having already been found liable for sexual assault, she added.

Trump has spent much of the last few weeks in court in New York City, where he is on trial for falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments to porn actor Stormy Daniels.

The former president was also found liable last year for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll during an encounter in the 1990s.

It simply cannot be that this behavior is disgusting and unacceptable for manager at the FDIC, but its willfully ignored and therefore excused for a person who hopes to actually be the next president of the United States, Butler continued. What incredible hypocrisy.

Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) also suggested a double standard on the part of Democrats, questioning their commitment to fighting sexual harassment and discrimination.

I find revealing is that some of the same Senate Democrats who have sought to stake their political identities on fighting against sexual harassment and discrimination are sitting here today and, frankly, turning a blind eye to the very same abuses that are happening under your leadership at the FDIC, he said.

Its clear that the president and his party would rather ignore these damning findings out of political expediency, Daines added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence meets to discuss strategies to address foreign threats ahead of the November elections during Wednesday's first open hearing in the current campaign season. Photo by Sophia Didinova/Medill News Service

WASHINGTON, May 15 (UPI) -- The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence discussed the strategies to address foreign threats ahead of the November elections during Wednesday's first open hearing in the current campaign season.

The committee chairman, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., pointed out two main strategies foreign actors use: interference efforts that target election infrastructure and influence efforts that seek to affect elections through covert or other illegal tactics.

However, Jen Easterly, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, reassured that election infrastructure has never been more secure and the election stakeholder community has never been stronger.

"Election officials ran secure elections in 2018, 2020 and 2022, and there is no evidence that malicious actors changed, deleted or altered votes," Easterly said.

The director of National Intelligence at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, also noted that the U.S. government's efforts to protect the elections have improved significantly since the 2016 presidential election, when foreign interference was first found.

"It is my view that the U.S. government has never been better prepared," Haines said.

However, Warner expressed concern that the landscape is more complicated this year, and that foreign actors could be more sophisticated and aggressive in protecting their interests in global politics.

"In the case of Russia, [Vladimir] Putin clearly understands that influencing public opinion and shaping elections in the U.S. is a cheap way to erode American and Western support for Ukraine," he said.

Vice Chairman Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said Russia is expected to be the main, but not the only, foreign threat in the current elections.

"Russians are the best in it. They have been doing it for a long time, and they've perfected it," he said. "But every election cycle, more and more cast of characters are joining the parade. We will see more nation-states and maybe non-state actors."

Warner said he expects foreign interference from Russia, China, Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, terrorist organizations like Hezbollah and others.

In this election cycle, Warner said, foreign actors would go beyond traditional methods, like propaganda, since many Americans across the political spectrum do not trust the federal government and mainstream media.

"[They] increasingly rely on the wildest conspiracy theories," he said.

This mistrust provides opportunities for using artificial intelligence, and Warner expressed concern that the recently released bipartisan guidance on AI bills would not be enough to protect elections from constantly developing technology.

Moreover, Rubio highlighted that the use of AI for video and audio deepfakes poses the question of how to address foreign influence without being accused of governmental interference in the elections, as the existing process varies depending on the circumstances.

"Who is in charge of letting people know this is fake, that's influencing our election?" Rubio asked. "What are we doing to protect the credibility of the entity, whoever is in charge of saying it, so the other side does not say our own government is interfering?"
Bob Menendez is stranded between two different worlds: the courtroom and the Senate.

In the first one, he's a criminal defendant standing trial for grave bribery allegations and preparing to have his lifes intimate details spilled out in public  almost certainly ending his long career in Washington.

But back in the Capitol, hes still a senior senator with nearly two decades of service under his belt, access to classified briefings and a front-row seat to private Democratic caucus meetings. In that second world, Menendez has become the Hill equivalent of a pariah since the Justice Department indicted him last fall, charging him with accepting bribes to influence policy for the governments of Egypt and Qatar.

Bobs done a lot of great work over the years, policy-wise, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) said. I just find it so disheartening.

He may not be barred from those classified briefings, but hes suffered in bigger ways that are clear to those familiar with the subtleties of Senate communication. The New Jersey Democrat is often iced out by colleagues on the floor, tangles regularly with his biggest intra-party critic, and has been pushed to resign by more than half the caucus.



Still, Menendez is hanging on in a narrowly divided Senate where his party holds one-seat majorities on committees. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has repeatedly declined to push him to step down, and Democrats havent forced bigger consequences on him since Menendez gave up his Foreign Relations Committee gavel. Hes declined to rule out a surprise return to the campaign trail if his legal troubles ease up, though almost no one in politics expects a comeback.

For now, as much as Democrats might not like it, they need him  hes essentially been a team player despite his ostracization, generally voting for President Joe Bidens nominees and party legislation. Underscoring his point of leverage, there are probably some nominees Democrats cant put on the Senate floor while Menendez is in court this month, given the partys narrow 51-49 margin.

And while some fellow Democrats maintain sympathy for their erstwhile friend, party leaders are maintaining a notable degree of neutrality. Asked if theres a plan for if Menendez is convicted, Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Democrats are certainly not jumping ahead and taking over the role of the jury  let them decide.

That attitude is a stark contrast with the House GOP push to expel former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) in the House after his first indictment, an effort that ultimately succeeded. Yet it's also clear that Menendez is facing a colder reception in the clubby Senate than ever before. During his last trial in 2017, both Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) served as character witnesses for him.

This time around, both suggested they would pass on doing the same  a sign of how much worse this round of legal peril is for Menendez.



Graham said he doesnt have any plans to testify and that I dont know what I would talk about. Booker similarly did not commit to testifying; the two New Jersey senators are close, and calling on Menendez to resign last year was an emotional endeavor for Booker.

For Democratic senators in particular, Menendez's absence in Washington this week while the trial continues is making it harder to avoid the glaring spectacle of a sitting senator being prosecuted by the same government he serves in. As Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), the caucus no. 1 Menendez critic, put it: Its showtime."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said that she and other caucus colleagues whove called on Menendez to resign "believe he shouldn't be here.

That's been months now," she added. "And it's been part of living with it every single day.

Within a few weeks, a verdict could very well be handed down. Even if Menendez avoids conviction, he's unlikely to recover from the fallout; hes missed the filing deadline as a Democrat, and while he's talked about running as an independent, he'd almost certainly lose if he did. Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) is running for his seat and has cleared the field of any serious challengers in the blue state.

Senate leaders studiously avoided the subject on Wednesday as the trial played out in New Jersey. Both Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell declined to predict the consequences of a conviction, with McConnell wryly observing: Im really glad hes not a Republican.

Still, Republicans also lamented the sight of a sitting senator on trial  even if it could give them some talking points while former President Donald Trumps own trial plays out one state away from Menendez's.

There is an inescapable bipartisan history of criminally charged members of Congress, although its certainly rare for things to reach Menendezs level. He is accused of using his perch as a senator to benefit Egypt, Qatar and associates in New Jersey in exchange for bribes. His wife Nadine is also implicated in the alleged scheme. Menendezs office did not respond to a request for comment but hes denied the allegations.

You don't like to see that for anybody around here or anybody generally, said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee with Menendez. But it'll play out the way it does.  The government has an obligation to prove their case. He deserves the right to put up his defense and poke holes.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said that I 100 percent believe in his right to defend himself and his right to due process. I dont want to presume that hes guilty." He did acknowledge, however: It doesnt look good.

Hawley is the only Senate Republican to have called on Menendez to step down, joining more than half of the Democratic caucus. If Menendez is convicted, North Dakota GOP Sen. Kevin Cramer said more Republicans could join the cause.

But this is up to the people of New Jersey, Cramer noted. He works for them, not us.

Some things have settled down for Menendez after he bowed out of the primary and at least tried to act like a normal senator. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), who succeeded Menendez as Foreign Relations chair  the second time Cardin was elevated after a Menendez indictment  said the embattled New Jerseyan has been absolutely focused during committee work.

Cardin said hes conspicuously left the subjects of classified briefings and access to committee material to the full Senate to decide on. After all, a functioning majority only works if all Democrats are working together: I don't want to lose the one-vote margin we have on the committee. So it's up to the Senate and our caucus.

But the lack of more grievous punishment on the Hill is a bit confounding for Fetterman, who quipped that his own penchant for hoodies really activated a lot of my colleagues more than Menendezs alleged criminality.



For God's sakes, how can he be getting classified briefs on the two nations that are at the center of the Gaza negotiations? Its wild, Fetterman said. I don't know why more people didn't have a problem with that.

By next year, importantly, Menendez will almost certainly not be a senator, whether its due to the trial or his failure to win reelection. So after months of tough questions for Democrats about their embattled colleague, one senator alluded to a possible silver lining element of the trial for the party: Getting the whole thing over with.

It's now going to come to an end, one way or the other, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said.
NEW DELHI, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Two workers were killed and 25 others injured after a boiler exploded inside a factory in the northern Indian state of Haryana, police said Thursday.

The explosion took place Wednesday night inside the factory in Kundli town of Sonipat district.

"Last night, a boiler blasted in a factory, injuring over two dozen workers working inside it," a police official said. "The injured were immediately transported to the hospital, where two were declared dead and 25 others admitted for treatment of burns."

According to police, the workers were busy in their work at the factory when the boiler exploded all of a sudden with a huge bang.

The blast was so severe that it also damaged the adjoining buildings.

Police have registered a case and ordered an investigation to ascertain the reason behind the explosion. 
Serbia's president doubts Balkan states will be able to join EU before Ukraine

Aleksandar Vucic, President of Serbia, said on Thursday, 16 May, that he is not sure that Western Balkan states will be able to join the European Union ahead of Ukraine.

Source: N1 Info, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Vucic said that he was not sure that Western Balkan states would be able to join the EU ahead of Ukraine.

"Whether we join the EU alongside Ukraine is a whole other issue. You have your own opinion, but reason tells me Im right," Vucic said during a EU-Western Balkans summit.

"Maybe the EU is that popular in your countries, but in mine it isnt, just like were not popular even though were the largest part of this region," Vucic also said, adding, however, that European integration was important for Serbia.

When talking about the European Unions Growth Plan for the Western Balkans during a panel on the current situation, the future, and the EU growth plan, Vucic said that there is great enthusiasm around the plan and that the change in the EUs approach to the Balkans has opened up a lot of great opportunities.

Background:

Ana Brnabic, Serbias former prime minister, has said that European Union membership is the only path toward a sustainable and flourishing future for her country.

Serbia, which has traditionally been seen as Russias ally in the Balkans, has condemned Russias invasion in Ukraine at the UN and other international arenas, but refused to adopt international sanctions against Russia.

Since 2022, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy three times during international events; the presidents most recent meeting occurred during the UkraineBalkans summit in Tirana, Albania.

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Several area health agencies to receive state funding for mosquito control

Several area health agencies will be receiving state funding to help with mosquito control.

>>1 flown to hospital, seriously injured after crash on I-70

The Ohio EPA is awarding over $1 million in state grants to 58 local health departments and 47 Ohio counties to help with the states mosquito problem, according to a spokesperson.

This will help Butler, Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, and Warren counties.

The health departments and cities receiving state funding include:

Butler County General Health District- $18,551

Champaign Health District- $10,000

Clark County Combined Health District- $21,872

Darke County General Health District- $25,000

Greene County Public Health- $12,377

Miami County Public Health- $6,122

City of Sidney- $21,000

Sidney-Shelby County Health Department- $11,305

Warren County Health District- $11,500

They will spend the money on spraying and picking up scrap tires where mosquitos breed.

Mosquitos tested positive for West Nile in Clark, Greene, and Montgomery counties last year.
Just in time for Juror Appreciation Week, the Shasta County Superior Court announced Wednesday that people serving on jury duty can park for free in the parking garage near the corner of Tehama and California streets downtown.

The last thing that we want to do is impact jurors in a negative way. We want people to report for jury duty. We need them, Shasta County Superior Court Executive Officer Melissa Fowler-Bradley said Wednesday afternoon.

The California Legislature each year designates the second full week in May as Juror Appreciation Week to honor those who serve.

Fowler-Bradley said she secured an agreement with K2 Development and the company that manages the parking garage, ACE Parking.

It comes a month after the Redding City Council voted 3-2 not to pause parking enforcement of jurors vehicles around the new courthouse for 90 days while Fowler-Bradley worked to find more parking for jurors.

The new California Street Parking Garage in downtown Redding on May 6, 2022.

Fowler-Bradley told the council on April 16 that jurors who could not find a place in the jury parking lot on Oregon Street would park on the street, and then some would return to find a ticket on their windshield. Street parking for jurors wasn't a problem before the city started enforcement.

Mayor Tenessa Audette, Vice Mayor Julie Winter and Mayor Pro Tempore Jack Munns voted not to pause parking enforcement. Councilors Mike Dacquisto and Mark Mezzano voted for the grace period.

Fowler-Bradley told the Record Searchlight that the parking garage on California Street was the site she was working on to secure, and that after the April 16 council meeting, she went into overdrive to get it done.

We definitely put this on the fast track after that city council meeting, when it became apparent that we werent going to get any relief from the city, she said. I wanted to get something in place as soon as possible.

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The parking garage is about two blocks east of the courthouse and Fowler-Bradley said there should be plenty of spaces to accommodate overflow parking for jurors. "I made the walk. It's actually a very pleasant walk. It takes a little less than five minutes," she said.

Jurors parking in the California Street garage will not have to place their summons on their vehicle dashboard. They will take their parking ticket they get at the garage to the courthouse and at any time while on jury duty, bring it to the Jury Assembly Room on the first floor (Room 170) to get it validated.

Fowler-Bradley said jurors can park in any unrestricted space in the garage. Jurors also can park for free in the lot at 1501 Oregon Street behind the new courthouse.

Shasta County Superior Court has a six-month agreement with K2, Fowler-Bradley said, adding that it gives court officials time to collect data on how many jurors are using the parking garage.

At the end of the month, I will receive the invoice from the parking company that will show the number of hours jurors used to park in the garage, Fowler-Bradley said. But my hope and my anticipation is that it will develop into a much longer-term agreement, she added.

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: Downtown Redding parking garage gives jurors another place to park
CHICAGO  Tens of thousands of people across Cook County and even more throughout the state are still holding on to guns they shouldnt, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said Thursday, and hes calling on Springfield lawmakers to step in.

To legally possess firearms or ammunition, Illinois residents must have a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card issued by state police. But those privileges can be revoked for a number of reasons, including mental health issues, order of protection violations and felony indictments.

According to a report put together by Darts office, more than 39,000 people have their FOID cards revoked in Cook County. About 27,000 of those have not turned in their cards or guns to law enforcement. Across the state, the numbers are even higher: nearly 112,000 have been considered too risky to own guns, but about 84,0000 may still have them.

Tragedies already have occurred with this because people have not gone and gotten guns out of houses, Dart said at a morning news conference.

ISP received 10K+ clear & present danger reports in 2023

His office in 2013 put together a gun team that visits people with revoked gun privileges, accounts for guns and takes possession of any they find. Those efforts have led his office to handle 9,200 cases, collect 4,000 FOID cards and confiscate 1,500 weapons, he said.

In the areas that Im in charge of, that me and only me patrol, we have zero numbers of people whose rights are revoked that still have guns, Dart said.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart raises awareness for red flag law

Richard Pearson with the Illinois State Rifle Association echoed the demand to disarm those who shouldnt have guns but said that officers need to tread lightly when enforcing the law so the rights of law-abiding citizens arent taken away.

The databases go back so far that a lot of time there is no way for them to prove innocence because the charges were dropped and the court records werent kept, he said.

While Darts office has been assisting with taking guns from people whove lost their rights, Illinois State Police is the agency responsible for enforcing the law. ISP has been awarded grants to fund the revocation enforcement program, which has brought nearly 4,300 people into compliance. But Dart said recent data show the number of revocations is increasing and said the state is having a hard time keeping people in compliance.

This is something clearly thats not going in the right direction, he said.

Hes seeking $10 million from Springfield and called on state lawmakers to sponsor a bill that would increase the $2 fee on firearm purchases or transfers to $10.

In a statement, Illinois State Police said it works with law enforcement agencies around the state on enforcement, adding that it provides grants to other agencies for firearm enforcement.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL)  A Carter County man faces a first-degree murder charge for allegedly killing another man sometime around early February and then allegedly moving and hiding his body, which was found Wednesday inside a buried freezer in a remote area of Hampton.

Photo: The remains of Edward Elliot, 64, are believed to have been found after he was reported missing in March and last heard from in either late January or early February. (Courtesy of the CCSO)

Joey Guinn, 46, is charged with murder, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence after being arrested Wednesday in the death of Edward Elliott, 64, whose body search teams discovered off a remote road in Hampton Wednesday. His arrest follows an investigation and interviews that began in early April.

An affidavit for Guinns arrest states that friends and family of Elliott began reporting him missing on March 31, but told the Elizabethton Police and Carter County Sheriffs Office in separate reports they hadnt communicated with him since late January.

Various interviews by Carter County Sheriffs investigators led them to quickly interview Guinn after one tip put Elliott at Guinns home at 125 Mike Clawson Road in Hampton.

Guinn told officers Elliott had been at his house for a day or two a couple of months prior, then told them he believed Elliott was with a couple that included Elliotts daughter.

The affidavit said officers got an anonymous tip in mid-April that Elliott was violently beaten outside Guinns house by Guinn and another man and that two people witnessed the beating. Officers interviewed a couple on April 22, both of whom reported having witnessed a violent fight involving Elliott, Guinn and a third man. One witness said the incident occurred at the end of January or first of February, the other said early to mid-February.

One witness described seeing Guinn and (the other man) violently kicking Mr. Elliott, while Elliott pleaded with the two.

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Both described seeing a pool of blood the next morning where the fight had occurred, and both also reported that Guinn left in a truck that contained a job box container in the back for tools and later returned with the truck, but without the box.

Wednesday, the affidavit says, investigators from the Carter County Sheriffs Office, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Elizabethton Police Department searched Guinns Mike Clawson road property as well as two addresses on nearby Stout Hollow Road. A cadaver dog positively indicated an odor consistent with human decay, after which investigators deployed a metal detector that showed something under the soil.

Agents recovered a large freezer, opened it with a death investigator from the William L. Jenkins Forensic Center present, and found human remains believed to be Edward Elliott.

As of Thursday, Guinn was being held in the Carter County Detention Center. He was arraigned Thursday afternoon and placed on a $5 million bond.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.
Sheriff: Man found with dead woman in back seat in Washington County, Va.

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Va. (WJHL)  A man is in custody after he was reportedly found driving with a dead woman in his back seat, Washington County, Virginia Sheriff Blake Andis told News Channel 11.

According to Andis, the sheriffs office received a call around 2 p.m. Thursday regarding the incident in the Exit 7 area off I-81.

Police: Shots fired at Kingsport Burger King

The suspect was found in a shopping center parking lot and taken into custody around 2:15 p.m., Andis said.

No identities have been released pending the notification of next of kin.

Andis said the Virginia State Police are assisting in the investigation.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.
Showers and storms will continue overnight, with more storms on the way by Thursday afternoon. Locally heavy rainfall and severe weather are possible with some storms.

It was an even more active day across most of New Mexico Wednesday. A few showers and a couple thunderstorms continue tonight even. High-resolution forecast models have been consistent on a round of showers and storms developing in central New Mexico and the Albuquerque Metro by mid-Thursday morning.

More storms will develop heading into Thursday afternoon, especially across southeast New Mexico where severe storms are possible. These storms will push through the Highway 285 corridor by 3 PM Thursday. Large hail and damaging wind gusts will be the biggest threat with this line of storms that will move out of southeast New Mexico by the late evening hours. For the rest of the state, scattered to isolated showers and storms will be likely. These storms could also produce hail and gusty winds, along with locally heavy rainfall. A Flood Watch is in effect for burn scar areas in the Sangre de Cristo and Sacramento Mountains for Thursday. All showers and storms will end by midnight.

A drier and much warmer weather pattern develops starting Friday. By this weekend, high temperatures will be some of the warmest weve seen so far this year. Increasing westerly winds on Sunday will bring highs up to near 90 in the Metro and up to 100 in southeast New Mexico. Even warmer temperatures are on the way for some on Monday, with even stronger wind gusts. Temperatures will cool slightly by the middle of next week.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
Travelers are still experiencing issues after severe weather caused flight disruptions at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

The issues began Wednesday night, causing the Federal Aviation Administration to issue a ground delay, which was later lifted.

60 pounds of drugs, nearly $76K in cash found in luggage at Charlotte airport

At one point, around 750 flights were delayed, and more than 70 were canceled.

As of Thursday morning, 193 flights have been delayed and 45 have been canceled, according to reports from FlightAware.

The airport posted on X that the storms will have impacts into Thursday. Airport officials said the roads going into and out of the airport were going to be crowded.

Todays storms will have impacts into Thursday.  Please check with your airline on flight schedule and arrive early. #CLTairport pic.twitter.com/3uCinHyLxq  CLT Airport (@CLTAirport) May 16, 2024

>>Check your flight status here.

Not acceptable

Wednesday night, Channel 9s Glenn Counts observed large crowds in the terminals and gates and spoke with passengers.

Everywhere you looked its one line after another.

Well, its her birthday week and so were going up to see her family near Albany, New York, said passenger Shawn McQuaige.

She and Jody Richardson should have been in the air when Counts talked to them.

Its been a little scary because we keep getting alerts every few minutes about a delay for our flight, she said. It would let us know if it was one minute but now were three hours.

Alicia Jointer and her husband were returning from Punta Canta and headed to Baltimore but that flight was canceled.

Thats not acceptable, Jointer said. I am five months pregnant. Im not sleeping on an airport seat.

Passenger Ross Nicastri and his son were flying home.

So were headed back home to Sydney and were going to miss our flight out of Dallas because this flight is going to get in after the Dallas flight leaves, he said.

Thursday morning, Channel 9s Eli Brand spoke with passengers who were frustrated after being stuck in the airport overnight.

It was crazy. It wasnt disruptive at all, but everybody was just on the verge of losing it, passenger Eric Froysland said.

VIDEO: Plane returns safely to Charlotte airport after maintenance issue




Photo illustration by Getty Images.

Folks  and I cannot stress the enough  never, under any circumstances, mess with librarians.

That the State Library Commission was surprised that a group of librarians could give it the cold shoulder en masse shows how disconnected the two groups are. After all, librarians pride themselves on their ability to shush whisperers, so its not so hard to imagine them icing out commissioners.

And, rightfully so.

It turns out that the librarians mashed the feelings of the states library commissioners after most of them decided to make a statement by not saying anything at all. And if theres a more stone-cold librarian move than that, I havent seen it.

The offensive snubbing began at an annual meeting when librarians usually get together with the state government commission charged with overseeing the state library system. When it came time for the annual conversations between the commissioners and the librarians, no one showed up.

Well, thats not exactly accurate: A couple of librarians told the commissioners why no one else was there, and those librarians delivered an anonymous letter which had been circulating that seemed to encourage a boycott because of the commissions recent actions.

You may recall several notable issues have plagued the relationship between the commissioners and the public recently, taking the Montana State Library Commission out of relative bureaucratic anonymity into statewide headlines. Some of those debacles include the time that commissioners suggested the new logo was a subliminal reference to the rainbow flag used by the LGBTQ+ community. Using that logic, the states library logo should only appear in black-and-white.

That decision alone would seem outlandish if not for the another action taken by the commission to leave the national library association because of a concern the president was a lesbian and Marxist.

The librarians from around the state even seemed to handle those ridiculous situations with a certain amount of forbearance, but then the commission decided to lower the qualifications for library directors around the state, essentially dumbing down the requirements for an entire field that cherishes and upholds information and education.

And library commissioners seriously wonder why theyve been snubbed?

Maybe the problem doesnt center on educational requirements. Instead, maybe the reasons some people dont want to work in libraries is that theyve become the target of community and political attacks that have accused them of being pedophiles, groomers and perverts for simply having books that deal with such topics as human sexuality and political theory.

Id suggest that if you cant find one thing in a library that doesnt challenge your beliefs or make you uncomfortable or uncertain, then youre library isnt big enough.

But to listen to angry residents at school board meetings and in places like the Legislature, youd swear some people read books just to get offended.

Its like going to the grocery store for automobile tires and taking it out on the produce clerk.

If being challenged by ideas or sensitive literary passages arent your deal, the option is simple: Dont check out books  or even go to the library. And literally for Gods sake, dont read the Bible.

While state library commissioners spent part of a meeting last week trashing the librarians for their boycott, one commissioner, Carmen Cuthbertson, likened the librarians to the Ku Klux Klan, reasoning that both groups like sending anonymous messages.

Sadly and ironically, the only cure for Cuthbertsons stunning comparison is probably through reading more books. To compare a group of librarians to a racist, terrorist organization that lynched people is a disservice to the victims of those lynching and to the professionals who shelve books. It trivializes the brutality that hate groups have inflicted  and continue to use  on marginalized groups.

Still, the librarians demonstrated that you dont need the loudest or shrillest voice to get the spotlight. In fact, the librarians said nothing at all.

And this, dear friends, is why you shouldnt mess with librarians.

In a world of talking heads and screaming pundits, the librarians used their silence  essentially a librarians greatest weapon  to speak volumes about how they feel. They didnt get together and play nice, while assassinating each other privately. Instead, they sent a message that even congressional candidate and Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen could understand.

Arntzen, for her part as a member of the State Library Commission, called the librarians boycott childish  and to the extent that a former kindergarten teacher would understand that, its a debatable point.

Yet, like any good story, there are several ways to interpret what happened, including that most of the librarians employed a peaceful, non-violent and non-combative way to make a statement that spoke more loudly than words.

Its a crazy thought that in this world of never-ending sounds and pictures: The best form of protest is, instead, silence.

The post Silence is golden appeared first on Daily Montanan.
SINGAPORE, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Singapore Airlines transported 2.1 million passengers last month, up 20.3 percent year-on-year, according to the latest operating statistics.

The low-cost airline Scoot within the same group recorded 1.06 million passengers in April, a year-on-year growth of 13.2 percent.

The cargo loads of Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group increased by 26.4 percent year-on-year last month, supported by demand spillover from security concerns in the Red Sea.

The SIA Group's passenger network covered 122 destinations by the end of April, and the cargo network comprised 126 destinations. 
Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Lawrence Wong is sworn in as Singapore's fourth Prime Minister

Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Lawrence Wong is sworn in as Singapore's fourth Prime Minister

By Xinghui Kok

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Singapore's first prime minister in 20 years held an initial cabinet meeting on Thursday after taking office with a pledge to sustain what he called the miracle of the wealthy city state amid an uncertain global environment.

After being sworn in on Wednesday night, attending a party and receiving congratulations from world leaders, Lawrence Wong posted on Instagram that the government of the Asian trade and financial centre had "a full agenda ahead".

Continuity was his focus, he said. Wong, 51, took over as Singapore's fourth prime minister from Lee Hsien Loong, 72, now a senior minister in Wong's cabinet, in a protracted and carefully managed transition.

In an editorial on Thursday the government-funded broadsheet The Straits Times said: "The focus now needs to be on uniting the country in the face of global uncertainties with the aim of leaving no one behind in the pursuit of progress."

"PM Wong must inspire Singaporeans to believe that weve done it before, and we can do it again, together."

Wong said during his inauguration that the world was in flux and geopolitical tensions, protectionism and nationalism could stretch for decades. Wong said Singapore sought to be "friends with all, while upholding our rights and interests".

"My mission is clear: to continue defying the odds and to sustain this miracle called Singapore," he added.

Singapore's international standing was high, he said, with a brand that was admired globally, and would strengthen partnerships and continue engaging with the United States and China "even as issues inevitably arise between them".

Congratulations from overseas flowed in. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. looked forward to working with Wong "to further strengthen the U.S.-Singapore strategic partnership".

China said it believed China-Singapore relations will continue to advance during Wong's term, "bringing more support to our people and making contributions to regional peace, stability and development".

Taiwan's foreign ministry said ties between Taiwan and Singapore are close and friendly, adding it hoped "the two sides will continue to expand their cooperative relations". British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the relationship between the UK and Singapore "will continue to thrive in the years to come".

Malaysia, which sits north of Singapore and in the past had a turbulent relationship with the city state, also congratulated Wong.

Malaysia Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said: "We look forward to further deepening our partnership in areas of mutual interest, including economic development, education and trade."

Wong also posted on Instagram on Wednesday that he had spoken to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Indonesian President-Elect Prabowo Subianto and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida over the phone.

"I look forward to working with them to boost bilateral and regional cooperation. Theres much we can do with like-minded countries to achieve win-win outcomes, and steer developments towards continued peace, stability and prosperity for Asia and the world," wrote Wong.

(Reporting by Xinghui Kok; Editing by William Maclean and Jonathan Oatis)
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Carol Scott is suing her brother, John Jones, over their late mother's will - Champion News

A sister is suing her brother she dubbed a sicknote after their mother left him her 500,000 fortune, a court heard.

Carol Scott, 77, left home at 19, building a career and family, but her brother John Jones, 75, lived with their mother Muriel Jones his whole life until her death in April 2017.

Muriel had lived close to all her children in Surrey until 2012 when she uprooted and moved to rural Wiltshire with Mr Jones and his wife Bronwen.

She subsequently drew up a new will, leaving everything to Mr Jones, a retired builder, and cutting the rest of the family out completely.

Now Ms Scott, backed by her other brother Peter, is suing Mr Jones as beneficiary and executor of their mothers will.

She claims her brother, whom she called a sicknote who always had something wrong with him, had isolated their mother and used a drip drip of influence over the years which resulted in him inheriting her entire estate.

Ms Scott also claims her mother did not properly understand the contents of the will she signed.

They took her independence away

Lawyers for Mr Jones say he and his wife cared for Muriel round the clock in her final years and that her last will reflected the fact that he was the only sibling who didnt own a property of his own.

Judge Simon Monty KC, at Central London County Court, heard that Muriel lived with her husband Ronald in Ripley, Surrey, close to Carol and Peter, until 2012.

Mr Jones and his wife had shared his parents home, the judge heard, with her moving in, rather than him moving out when they got married.

In the aftermath of Ronalds death, it was decided that Muriel should sell her home, with Ms Scott believing she was planning to get a bungalow nearby.

Instead, two weeks before her house was sold, Muriel announced to her daughter that she was moving around 100 miles away to an isolated house down a farm track near Trowbridge, Wiltshire, with Mr Jones and his wife.

Ms Scott told the judge that she was shocked and upset by the news of the move, which she put down to her brothers influence over their increasingly frail mother.

When she moved down to Wiltshire she was so remote, it was down a dirt track facing a field, she said. It was down a long, narrow track. There was no way my mother could get out independently.

They took her independence away. She was quite a sociable person. She was dependent on them, because she couldnt get anywhere by herself. You couldnt take a wheelchair down that long drive because of the potholes.

She looked after them

She also criticised the lifestyle her mother had had with Mr Jones in Wiltshire where she lived in a granny annexe next to the main house.

She didnt have any heating when we went down. She was sat in a blanket with no fire on, she said. She was in bed every day until the afternoon, because the fire wasnt lit until [then]. She used to say it was dirty and not very nice.

Mr Jones barrister Oliver Ingham told Ms Scott: Your mother was living with my client for decades. They cared for her round the clock from 2009.

Ms Scott replied: For the last couple of years, yes. But they were living with her before that. She looked after them.

John wasnt very independent. She used to make his porridge on a morning and hed come home from work on a lunchtime and shed make him a sandwich. Most of the time, she looked after herself. She was quite capable.

Johns always been like a sicknote. Hes always had something wrong with him. This is why mum felt she needed to protect him. John has never been independent.

Ms Scott wants to uphold a 2010 will, which gives Mr Jones a lifetime right to live in his mothers home, but then leaves it equally between Ms Scott, another sibling Carl Jones who is not part of the court claim, and Bronwen.

Peter did not receive anything under either will, having received a gift of money from his parents during their lifetimes to set up a hairdressing business.

The case continues.

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held an offsite meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on 16 May to focus on the main challenges in the combat zone, specifically the situation in Kharkiv Oblast.

Source: Zelenskyy on Telegram

Quote: "The Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief [meeting]. Today, in the city of Kharkiv.

I have heard reports from Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Yurii Sodolia, Commander of the Khortytsia Operative-Strategic Group, and Mykhailo Drapatyi, Commander of the Kharkiv Operative Group of Forces. [The reports were about  ed.] the operative situation and the tasks and needs of each brigade involved, of each unit, mainly in Kharkiv Oblast, near Vovchansk and Lyptsi.

We analysed in detail the prospects of the combat situation, upcoming threats for the next few days and weeks, and our Ukrainian capabilities to counteract Russia's offensive plans."

Details: Zelenskyy stressed that as of 16 May the situation in Kharkiv Oblast is under control. The Defence Forces of Ukraine are inflicting considerable losses upon the Russians, but the situation on the front remains very complicated, so Ukrainian units will be reinforced.

Quote: "The heads of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine and the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine reported on the occupiers intentions, and the head of the Security Service of Ukraine reported on [Russian] counter-sabotage measures. A plan of further action was created  both for the authorities in Kharkiv Oblast and for all the agencies responsible for the regions security.

I heard reports from the leadership of other border and frontline oblasts on the current situation, main risks and key needs. I gave them corresponding orders."

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Skeleton Found in Music Store Chimney in 1989 Is Finally ID'd: Who Is 'Chimney Doe?'

Police in Madison, Wis., said the identification is "just the first major step in the investigation"

DNA DOE Project Reconstruction of remains.

The skeletal remains of a man found dead in a chimney in 1989 have finally been identified.

According to a press release from DNA Doe Project, the Madison Police Department in Wisconsin successfully identified the man  known as "Chimney Doe"  as Ronnie Joe Kirk.

The nonprofit organization stated that Kirk, whose body was found in a dress, was originally from Tulsa, Okla., and that his "last known ties" were in Madison. Kirks body was found on September 3, 1989, in the chimney of Good n Loud Music, which has since been closed.

The owners saw a skull through a pipe that connected the boiler to the chimney, and later authorities found a full human skeleton.

DNA DOE Project Ronnie Joe Kirk

Related: Man Pleads Guilty to Murdering Dylan Rounds One Month After His Skeletal Remains Were Found

An autopsy revealed that the remains were those of a white male, 18-35 years old, and roughly 5 feet, 7 inches tall.

The DNA Doe Project aided law enforcement and forensics experts in the identification of Kirks body after being consulted in December 2019 by Madison police.

The organization found that Kirk had been adopted, which presented a unique challenge in tracing his familial connections. Gwen Knapp, the DNA Doe Project Team Leader, said in the release: The shrewd genealogy work done by my team was amazing to tease out the various relationships. Were so excited that we can give Ronnie Kirk his name back and hope his family has some closure for Ronnie being missing for so long.

Related: Woman Allegedly Learned Boyfriend Was Married. Then He Burned Her Body, Left Remains in Cemetery: Police

During a press conference by Madison police on Monday, May 13, Chief Shon Barnes said the identification is "just the first major step in the investigation." Barnes said the next steps are figuring out "who Ronnie was and how he ended up in Madison."

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.

Barnes hopes that Kirks identification will encourage people within the community to come forward with new information to investigators.

Someone will remember him and well do everything that we can to try to trace down if he worked here, if he lived here, or if he was just passing through, or going somewhere else," Barnes said.



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Read the original article on People.
DENVER (KDVR)  After a possible attempted abduction on Wednesday, May 8, Parker police have released a composite sketch of what the suspect might look like.

The incident occurred in the 23000 block of East Bay Oaks Avenue around 7:50 a.m. and involved an elementary-aged victim walking to school.

Cherry Creek Schools parents call for accountability after attempted kidnapping

The victim described a white male, approximately 50 years old, with graying hair and a mustache. He was reportedly driving a black four-door Audi with Colorado plates, tinted windows and a rack. Parker police previously reported that the Frontier Valley Elementary School student told a staff member that the suspect approached him and began attempting to talk to him.

Parker police released this composite sketch of a man who allegedly attempted to abduct an elementary student on May 8, 2024.

Parker Police Department is asking residents near Frontier Valley Elementary School and Cimarron Middle School to review their security cameras for potential video of the incident, the suspect or the victim. The video would likely be taken between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 8.

Parker police commended residents who registered security cameras with the Video Increasing Safety In Our Neighborhoods program.

Knowing which residences might have video allowed our officers to obtain surveillance video quickly, the department said. Residents can learn more about the VISION program and register at parkerpolice.org/vision.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867 or submit a tip online at metrodenvercrimestoppers.com/anonymous-tips.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
Skittles Man and others in Sinaloa Cartel imprisoned for trafficking fentanyl in Florida

The Skittles Man  nicknamed for his huge supply of rainbow-colored fentanyl pills  is one of seven members and associates of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel sent to prison in recent months by a federal judge in South Florida.

The Skittles Man, whose real name is Roque Bustamante, supplied thousands of deadly Mexican-made fentanyl pills to Hector Apodaca-Alvarez, according to federal authorities. In recorded conversations, Apodaca-Alvarez and Bustamante asked an undercover agent if he would supply them with firearms, including .50 caliber high-powered rifles to be smuggled into Mexico.

Last year, Apodaca-Alvarez was arrested in South Florida while delivering 16 kilos of fentanyl and 2 kilos of cocaine to the undercover agent.

After pleading guilty to drug-trafficking conspiracy charges, Apodaca-Alvarez was sentenced to life in prison in March. Earlier this month, Bustamante got the same punishment. Then on Wednesday, one of their associates, Luis Tejada Velasquez, was sent to prison for 20 years by U.S. District Judge Michael Moore in Miami federal court.

Those three men conspired with four other members of the Sinaloa Cartel who have also been sent to prison for distributing fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine in several parts of the United States, including Arizona, California and Florida, Kentucky.

Between June 2022 and May 2023, Apodaca-Alvarez used the U.S. mail and his own trucking business to send tens of thousands of pressed fentanyl pills and multiple kilos of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine to the undercover agent based in South Florida, according to federal prosecutors with the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Apodaca-Alvarez told the undercover agent that he was working with members of the Sinaloa Cartel to distribute the drugs and said that the potency of his pressed fentanyl pills was dropping people everywhere, prosecutors said.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administrations (DEA) National Drug Threat Assessment, the Sinaloa Cartel is at the heart of the fentanyl crisis. The cartel operates clandestine labs in Mexico where it manufactures fentanyl, a synthetic form of heroin, and uses a vast network to transport the opioid drug into the United States.

Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat the United States has ever faced, killing 38,000 Americans in the first six months of 2023 alone, according to federal authorities.

The fentanyl epidemic ... has caused a deafening silence as thousands of people have overdosed and died, said Markenzy Lapointe, the U.S. Attorney in South Florida.

In the investigation, the Drug Enforcement Adminstration and other agencies seized about 21 kilos of pure fentanyl; 70,000 rainbow-colored fentanyl pills; 3,000 M30 blue fentanyl pills; 243 pounds of crystal meth; two kilos of cocaine; and 24 firearms, including 18 rifles and six pistol.

The DEA worked on the case with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firerms & Explosives, Homeland Security Investigation, the Broward Sheriffs Office, U. S. Marshals Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Closeup of election vote button with text that says 2024

(File/Getty Images)

COLUMBIA  Accusations by a South Carolina GOP legislator that agencies were attempting to register noncitizens to vote were false, the State Law Enforcement Division reported Thursday following a review.

The states top law enforcement agency concluded that the allegation is unfounded.

The report confirmed what officials with the states Medicaid and election agencies have been saying since Rep. Adam Morgan, whos running for Congress, posted on social media two weeks ago that a noncitizen refugee was provided voter registration information. The House Freedom Caucus, which Morgan leads, followed up with its own posts demanding an investigation into the states Medicaid agency for misspending taxpayer funds to illegally register non-citizens to vote.

The posts prompted a slew of calls and even some threats to the State Election Commission.

Gov. Henry McMaster, who asked SLED to evaluate the authenticity of Morgans claims, said the preliminary report confirmed the integrity of South Carolinas voter registration system.

Agencies are properly complying with state and federal voter registration laws, and no evidence of unlawful activity was found, McMaster wrote Thursday on X/Twitter, noting the report confirms an audit released earlier this year on state elections.

Under federal law, people receiving government benefits from the state must be provided with voter registration information regardless of citizenship, SLED noted in releasing the report.

Further, the first question on the South Carolina Voter Registration form asks, Are you a citizen of the United States of America? If you check No, the form clearly states in bold, DO NOT complete this form, SLED said in a one-paragraph synopsis of the 276-page report with attachments.

Morgan initially posted a photo April 29 on X of a voter declination form, which he said was given to a noncitizen refugee in his district whose family contacted him. The form in the posted photo, which is not a registration form, asks recipients of government aid if they want to register to vote and asks them to check a box.

Morgan brought it up again on the House floor during last weeks budget debate, as he unsuccessfully proposed inserting a ban on state agencies distributing forms to noncitizens about voter registration.

According to the SLED report, signed by Lt. Jeremy Smith who conducted many of the interviews, the information made its way to Morgan from Natayla Camp, a U.S. citizen in Spartanburg who came from Ukraine 21 years ago.

About a year ago, Camp sponsored her mother, sister and two nephews to come to the United States as part of a temporary resettlement program. The family received government assistance from a number of agencies, along with the declination form with a voter registration form on the back.

The report includes a partially filled out voter registration form from one of the family members, on which the family member hand-wrote Im noncitizen of USA.

Camp was very concerned that her sister was a non-citizen and was receiving a voter registration form in the mail, according to a memo attached to the report. Lt. Smith examined the form and read the first box out loud that explained if you were a non-citizen, you DO NOT complete the form.

Rep. Adam Morgan shares a laugh with other members before the start of the House Education Committee meeting in Columbia, S.C. on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. (File/Travis Bell/STATEHOUSE CAROLINA/Special to the SC Daily Gazette)

Morgan became involved after Camp reached out to a local candidate for county council, who then notified Morgan.

Smith concluded that the family was eligible to apply for government benefits and that the voter registration information was in compliance with federal laws.

Morgan did not respond to the Gazette for requests for comment.

But he told The State newspaper that SLED didnt do the investigation he wanted.

Im thrilled that they didnt find any actually fraud, but I do hope that they actually do the investigation which we requested, which is that the inspector general investigate the agency which repeatedly sent these forms to non-citizens, Morgan told the newspaper. I think its great the governor went above and beyond and had SLED see if anyone was registered fraudulently, but thats not the information that I brought to them.

The 4th District congressman Morgans trying to oust had his own take.

Adam Morgan was just caught in a lie, Rep. Williams Timmons of Greenville wrote on X. As a result of Morgans claims, tax dollars were wasted, and SC election workers faced death threats. Its clearer than ever, Adam doesnt deserve a promotion to Congress.

Morgan lashed back on X, accusing Timmons of attacking him for blowing the whistle and saying the SLED investigation ultimately corroborated that non-citizens are being sent registration forms, and its required by federal law!

A spokesman for the state Election Commission said the report confirms what we have been saying about this all along.

Elections in South Carolina are secure, accurate, and transparent, said spokesman John Michael Catalano. Ultimately, the report speaks for itself.

Editors note: This article has been updated with Morgans response to the SLED report.

The post SLED: Freedom Caucus accusations on noncitizen voter registration are false appeared first on SC Daily Gazette.
MADRID, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish National Police announced on Thursday the dismantling of the infrastructure of the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel in Spain during an operation resulting in the seizure of 1,800 kilograms of methamphetamines.

The operation, marking the second biggest drug seizure in Europe, was "very laborious and extremely important" due to the "great security measures taken" by the drug transporters, Marcelino Fernandez, the head of the Judicial Police Brigade said in a press conference broadcast by on Spanish state TV network RTVE.

Police raids in Tenerife (Canary Islands), Madrid, Valencia and Alicante (eastern Spain), were instrumental in disrupting a key supply route for synthetic drugs into Europe. The raids resulted in the arrest of three Spanish citizens, a Romanian and a Mexican, and the leader of the network was among those detained, the police confirmed.

The investigation began in early 2023 after authorities uncovered a Tenerife-based criminal group involved in smuggling cocaine from mainland Spain to the Canary Islands. According to the National Police, surveillance and follow-up operations revealed that the drugs were distributed from a property in a remote part of the Valencia region.

In addition to the drug seizure, law enforcement also confiscated five vehicles, communication equipment, documents, a detonating weapon and cash. The operation remains ongoing, with the possibility of further arrests. 
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia  It was business as usual at Slovakias flagship defense fair here on Thursday, less than a day after the countrys Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot and wounded in a town northeast of the capital.

A strangely normal atmosphere reigned on the last day of the IDEB defense show, shortly after news broke of the attack on the right-wing, populist leader, a mood that surprised industry executives queried by Defense News on the show floor.

Fico visited the fair on the occasion of the opening day on May 14 alongside Defense Minister Robert Kalinak, who is also the deputy prime minister.

A strong and dynamic defense industry is a fundamental prerequisite for the security and stability for us and our allies in the transatlantic space  Slovakia is aware of its role in this area and doesnt want to fall behind, Kalinak said during the opening ceremony.

No security measures were added on site following Wednesdays attack in the small town of Handlova some 190 kilometers away. Mixed groups of industry and military officers could be seen milling about between the exhibits of weaponry, discussing the news.

Slovakian leaders had banked on this fair to promote its growing defense industry and latest technology, including a new 120mm rapid-fire mortar system, unveiled on the first day. However, the event took place during an especially tense time.

In recent weeks, thousands of Slovaks have protested against a reform proposed by the Fico government that seeks to abolish national public broadcaster RTVS to replace it with an institution opponents have warned would suppress media freedom.
(Bloomberg) -- Slovak Prime Minister Robert Ficos injuries remain life-threatening even as his condition stabilized a day after he was shot, as a fuller picture emerged of a lone wolf assailant driven by political animus.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The first assassination attempt on a European leader in more than 20 years has sent shockwaves through one of the continents most polarized countries and highlighted the inflammatory politics that have become prevalent since the pandemic and turbocharged with Russias war on Ukraine.

We have crossed a red line in Slovakia that we have never before crossed since the foundation of our country, Peter Pellegrini, a Fico coalition ally who is set to take office as president next month, told reporters outside the hospital in the city of Banska Bystrica where Fico underwent a five-hour surgery. Fico escaped death by a hairs breadth, he said.

Pellegrini said he spoke with Fico, who was able to respond, but only a few sentences. The prime ministers conditions remains very critical, he said, adding that Fico is not yet completely safe.

Fico, 59, was fired on at close range in an attack by a 71-year-old assailant during a public appearance northeast of the capital on Wednesday. The premier underwent surgery to treat multiple gunshot wounds and is being attended by a team of doctors, hospital Director Miriam Lapunikova told reporters.

Lone Wolf

Authorities have identified the suspected assailant as Juraj C. from the western Slovak town of Levice. After a Security Council meeting in the capital Bratislava, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj-Estok said that while the suspect acted alone, police are focusing on a political motive for a man who participated in anti-government protests last year directed at Fico.

Clearly pointing a finger at critical media coverage, Sutaj-Estok said the suspect had been opposed to the governments effort to scrap a special prosecutors office, halt military aid to Ukraine and overhaul public media.

The shooter was interested in politics  he followed news you wrote, the minister said, repeatedly urging journalists to report only facts and challenging the veracity of their reporting on Ficos government.

Who Is Robert Fico, the Slovak PM Who Has Been Shot?: QuickTake

Pellegrini called on political parties to halt campaigning for the June European Parliament election, which has grown vitriolic in the nation of 5.4 million.

Suspend your election campaign at least until the situation calms down and we know more about the investigation into this heinous act, the president-elect told reporters earlier in the capital.

Political War

While Fico is hospitalized, the head of governments power devolves to his four deputies, though one may be tapped as an interim leader while the prime minister is incapacitated. Ficos three-party coalition has a comfortable majority in parliament.

Slovakias bonds, which tend to be illiquid, were largely unchanged after the assassination attempt  a testament to the countrys euro-area membership shielding it from market volatility.

Slovakias most dominant political figure since the country joined the European Union 20 years ago, Fico returned to power last year as a force of opposition to EU institutions in Brussels. But his Russia-friendly stance has put him at odds with partners, threatening to undermine EU unity in helping Ukraine. At home, Fico has wielded his power to restrict media freedoms and overhaul the judiciary.

Read more: Shooting of Slovak Premier Brutally Exposes Political Divide

Political acrimony was unleashed soon after shots rang out, with Ficos allies placing the blame on the opposition and liberal media. Andrej Danko, the leader of the Slovak National Party that governs in coalition with Fico, vowed to start a political war.

Slovakias outgoing president, Zuzana Caputova, called for calm after the shooting of a political figure who had branded her an American agent.

As a society, we live in a time of many conflicts, but please let us not bring them to the level of hatred, Caputova said Thursday.

It was the first shooting of a European head of state or government since the assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic in March 2003. The pro-European reformer who took a stand against organized crime in the Balkan nation was gunned down in central Belgrade.

Since his return to power, the Slovak leader has drawn protests nationwide for rewriting the criminal code and scrapping a special prosecutors office, tasked with fighting serious crime and corruption. Last month, he lashed out at the countrys media for what he called hostility to the government as his cabinet proposed tighter controls over public television and radio.

Sign up to the Eastern Europe Edition newsletter, delivered every Friday, for insights from our reporters into whats shaping economics and investments from the Baltic Sea to the Balkans.

--With assistance from Peter Laca, Andras Gergely and Zoltan Simon.

(Updates with president-elects comments from third paragraph.)

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Slovak PM assassination attempt: Fico stable but in very serious condition

The hospital where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was operated on after surviving the assassination attempt reported that his condition has been stabilised but is still very serious.

Source: European Pravda, citing Slovak news website Aktuality

Details: Miriam Lapunikova, the Chief Medical Officer of the hospital in the city of Banska Bystrica, said that the operation lasted for about five hours.

"The patient's condition has been stabilised, but it is very serious," she said.

Slovakia's Defence Minister Robert Kalinak, who joined her at the press conference, said that doctors are working to further improve Fico's condition. The official added that more information would be officially announced during the day.

An emergency meeting of Slovakia's Security Council and a government meeting will be held in Bratislava at 11:00 in connection with the attempted assassination of the prime minister.

Background: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is reported to have been shot after a government meeting on Wednesday.

Fico was shot on 15 May after a government meeting in the city of Handlova. Media reports indicate that Juraj Cintula, 71, was the one who carried out the assassination attempt.

The attempted assassination of Fico was condemned by Slovak politicians and world leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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Slovak PM 'no longer in life-threatening condition' after assassination attempt

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is no longer in life-threatening condition after being shot several times during an assassination attempt, a Slovak deputy prime minister said late in the evening on May 15.

Fico was attacked earlier on May 15 as he left a government meeting in the town of Handlova.

Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said that the suspected assailant fired five shots, three of which hit the prime minister.

"Fortunately, as far as I know, the operation went well, and I guess in the end he will survive," Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Environment Minister Tomas Taraba told the BBC's Newshour, adding: "He's not in a life-threatening situation at this moment."

A 71-year-old man is reportedly suspected of carrying out what Slovak government officials have called an assassination attempt and has been detained.

Estok said the attack was "politically motivated."

President-elect Peter Pellegrini, an ally of Fico's, said the shooting was a threat to Slovakia's democracy.



"I am appalled at where hatred for a different political opinion can lead," Pellegrini said.

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International leaders immediately reacted to the news and offered their support to Fico and Slovakia.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Fico's shooting was "appalling" and added that "we strongly condemn this act of violence against our neighboring partner state's head of government."

Many also linked hostile political rhetoric to the attack.

Czech President Petr Pavel said the attack on Fico "is unequivocally reprehensible, whatever the motivation."

"It should be a warning to us about how far the deepening of animosity and aggression in society can lead."

Estok urged the public to "stop attacks and hatred on social networks and media" and warned that the attack was a sign that "we are on the verge of civil war."

Elected in September 2023 on a populist, Ukraine-skeptic platform, Fico halted arms supplies from Slovakia's military stocks and has repeatedly criticized both defense assistance for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia.

Fico has since expressed support for Ukraine's accession to the EU.

Read also: Slovak citizens raise funds to buy over 2,500 shells for Ukraine

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Slovak PM shooting  everything we know so far about the assassination attempt on Robert Fico

Editor's note: This article was updated at 2:20 p.m. local time on May 16 to include Ficos latest condition assessment.

Slovakia was rocked on May 15 when the country's prime minister was shot in an assassination attempt as he left a government meeting in the town of Handlova.

Footage from the scene shows the suspected gunman among a small group of people on the street behind a metal barrier waiting to meet Fico, who is flanked by several members of his security detail.

The suspected gunman then reaches over the barrier, holding a gun. Five shots are heard, and Fico is quickly bundled into a waiting car.

What condition is Fico in?

In the hours after the attack, Defense Minister Robert Kalinak told a news conference outside the hospital in which 59-year-old Fico was being treated that he was "fighting for his life."

A statement on Fico's official Facebook page said he had been taken to a major trauma hospital in Banska Bystrica instead of the capital, Bratislava, because "an acute intervention" was necessary.

"The next few hours will decide (his condition)," the statement added.

Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Environment Minister Tomas Taraba told the BBC's Newshour late on May 15 that Fico was no longer in a life-threatening condition after an operation.

"Fortunately, as far as I know, the operation went well, and I guess in the end, he will survive," he said, adding: "He's not in a life-threatening situation at this moment."

He said that Fico "was heavily injured" during the attack, and one bullet "went through the stomach" while another "hit the joints."

Later on the afternoon of May 16, Miriam Lapunikova, director of the F.D. Roosevelt University Hospital in Banska Bystrica, said Fico was in a "very serious" but stable condition.

"At this point his condition is stabilised but is truly very serious, he will be in the intensive care unit," she told reporters.

While initial reports said Fico had been shot five times, later reports said he was only hit by three bullets.

What do we know about the shooter?

At present, very little. A man was detained at the scene, but he has yet to be officially identified.

According to Slovak media, he is a 71-year-old writer and political activist.

Security personnel apprehending a suspected gunman after Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot in Handlova, Slovakia, on May 15, 2024. (AFP via Getty Images)

What do we know about the motive?

There is no official information about the motive of the shooter at present.

Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok described it as a "politically motivated" assassination attempt.

President-elect Peter Pellegrini, an ally of Fico's, said the shooting was a threat to Slovakia's democracy.

"I am appalled at where hatred for a different political opinion can lead," Pellegrini said.

Why is Fico so controversial?

Elected in September 2023 on a populist, Ukraine-skeptic platform, Fico halted arms supplies from Slovakia's military stocks and has repeatedly criticized both defense assistance for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia.

He also blamed "Ukrainian Nazis and fascists" for provoking Russia's war of aggression, repeating false talking points of Russian propaganda.

Fico has since expressed support for Ukraine's accession to the EU.

Domestically, Fico's coalition government is pushing ahead with controversial reforms that would see penalties for corruption reduced.

The prime minister has already abolished Slovakia's special prosecutor's office, the body responsible for investigating politically sensitive corruption cases.

Fico's government is also seeking to shut down and replace the national broadcaster in a move that has been described by the Public Media Alliance as giving "greater political control" over the country's media.

Estok has already accused the media of stoking the atmosphere that led to the assassination attempt, telling reporters: "Many of you were those who were sowing this hatred."

He also warned that the attack was a sign that "we are on the verge of civil war."

How has the international community reacted?

International leaders immediately reacted to the news and offered their support to Fico and Slovakia.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Fico's shooting was "appalling" and added that "we strongly condemn this act of violence against our neighboring partner state's head of government."

Many also linked hostile political rhetoric to the attack.

Czech President Petr Pavel said the attack on Fico "is unequivocally reprehensible, whatever the motivation."

"It should be a warning to us about how far the deepening of animosity and aggression in society can lead."

Read also: Slovak citizens raise $4 million for Czech ammunition initiative after government refuses to contribute

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Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico speaks during a press conference with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the Carmelite Monastery in Budapest, Hungary, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024. Fico suffered life-threatening injuries on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, when he was shot and wounded in an apparent assassination attempt. | Denes Erdos

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico suffered life-threatening injuries on Wednesday when he was shot and wounded in an apparent assassination attempt that stunned his small Central European nation and sent shockwaves across Europe three weeks before EU Parliament elections are scheduled to be held.

A Reuters witness said they heard three or four shots as Fico exited a building to shake hands with a crowd of people who had been waiting to greet him. Police then wrestled a man to the ground. Slovak news media reported the shooter was a 71-year-old man, who was a former security guard at a shopping mall, an author of three collections of poetry and a member of the Slovak Society of Writers. Slovakias interior minister, Matus Sutaj Estok, said in a news conference that an investigation into the attack against Fico is ongoing, and initial evidence clearly points to a political motivation.

Fico, 59, was rushed to a hospital in the central Slovak town of Handlova, where he had been chairing a government meeting. He was then transported by helicopter to the regional capital of Banska Bystrica for urgent treatment, read a post on his Facebook page, adding that his condition was too serious for him to be taken to Bratislava, the nations capital.

The shooting, caught on video by local TV, drew an immediate chorus of international condemnation, reports The Associated Press.

From outgoing Slovak President Zuzana Caputova, Ficos political rival: What has happened is something that we cannot seem to realize because we cannot comprehend it. A physical attack on the prime minister is, first of all, an attack on a person, but it is also an attack on democracy. Any violence is unacceptable. Hateful rhetoric weve been witnessing in society leads to hateful actions. Please lets stop it.

President-elect Peter Pellegrini said: An assassination attempt on one of the highest constitutional officials is an unprecedented threat to Slovak democracy. If we express different political opinions with guns in the squares, and not in polling stations, we endanger everything we have built together in 31 years of Slovak sovereignty.

President Joe Biden said in a statement: I am alarmed to hear reports of an attack on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. Jill and I are praying for a swift recovery, and our thoughts are with his family and the people of Slovakia. We condemn this horrific act of violence. Our embassy is in close touch with the government of Slovakia and ready to assist.

Fico has served multiple stints as Slovakias prime minister, most recently returning to power after winning an election in the fall. He was forced out in 2018 amid public outrage over the killing of a journalist who had been investigating ties between his associates and the Italian mafia. But, reports The Washington Post, he staged a comeback by capitalizing on growing skepticism about the war in Ukraine and frustration with a cost-of-living crisis.

Fico, a reported admirer of Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has increasingly expressed opposition to allowing Ukraine to join NATO. After todays event, Orban said, I was deeply shocked by the heinous attack against my friend, Prime Minister Robert Fico. We pray for his health and quick recovery! God bless him and his country!

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly sent a telegram to Caputova, saying, There can be no justification for this monstrous crime. I know Robert Fico as a courageous and strong-minded man. I very much hope that these qualities will help him to survive this difficult situation.

Ficos opposition to aid for Ukraine did not stop Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from posting: We strongly condemn this act of violence against our neighboring partner states head of government. Every effort should be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country, form, or sphere.

The social media post announcing the shooting said Ficos condition was critical and that the next few hours will decide.
Juraj Cintula was arrested at the scene of the shooting - Radovan Stoklasa/Reuters

A suspected lone wolf gunman has been charged with the attempted murder of Robert Fico, the Slovakian prime minister, who was described as escaping death by a hair.

Juraj Cintula, 71, was arrested at the scene after Mr Fico, a pro-Russian populist, was shot five times as he greeted a crowd in the western town of Handlova.

Doctors described the prime ministers condition as stable on Thursday morning, but Tomas Taraba, his deputy, warned that he was not out of the woods yet.

The attack has been blamed on deep divides in Slovakian society between pro-Western and pro-Russian and anti-Nato sides, but Matus Sutaj Estok, the Slovak interior minister, said Mr Cintula was a lone wolf and did not belong to any political groups.

Mr Fico spent hours fighting for his life and underwent emergency surgery to his stomach after being airlifted to hospital.

His condition stabilised overnight but was still described as very serious on Thursday morning. It was reported that he had regained consciousness after surgery.

The medical team managed to improve the prime ministers condition, however he is not out of the woods yet, said Mr Taraba.

He told the BBC late on Wednesday: I was very shocked ... fortunately, as far as I know the operation went well, and I guess in the end he will survive. Hes not in a life threatening situation at this moment.

Zuzana Caputova, the Slovakian president, said the heads of all political parties would meet to seek calm after the shooting. He added that Mr Fico had escaped death by a hair.

Mr Cintula, a poet from the western town of Levice, has publicly expressed his dislike for Mr Fico and anger at Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Juraj Cintula has publicly expressed his dislike for Mr Fico and anger at Russia's invasion of Ukraine - Radovan Stoklasa/Reuters

On Wednesday, Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, sent a telegram to Ms Caputova after the shooting.

I was indignant to learn about the attempt on the life of the chairman of the government of the Slovak Republic, Robert Fico. There can be no justification for this monstrous crime, wrote Putin.

I know Robert Fico as a courageous and strong-minded man. I very much hope that these qualities will help him to survive this difficult situation.

On Thursday, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, told the Izvestia newspaper: Naturally, we condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms.

We consider it absolutely unacceptable  this is really a great tragedy. We hope that Mr Fico will be able to pull through and recover as soon as possible. We wish him a speedy recovery.

On Wednesday, Russian politicians claimed the gunman was a contract killer. Leonid Slutsky, the chairman of the Dumas foreign committee, said: There is a high probability that they wanted to kill Fico because of his political views, which do not fit into the stereotypes of the hegemony of the collective West.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, condemned the attack as appalling on Wednesday, saying: We sincerely hope Robert Fico recovers soon and express our solidarity with the people of Slovakia.

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BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- China urges the Philippines to face the facts, honor its word, stop infringement and provocations at once and return to the right track of properly settling maritime differences through negotiation and consultation, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Thursday.

Wang said that China has made its position clearly regarding the comments of Philippine senior officials on Chinese diplomats in the Philippines last week.

The information released by the Chinese Embassy is entirely factual, Wang said, pointing that whether it's the "gentlemen's agreement," or the internal understandings, or the "new model" on properly managing the situation in the South China Sea, they all have clear timelines and are supported by solid evidence. No one can deny their existence.

"The Philippines' persistent denial and breach of commitment and blaming it all on China shows exactly who is acting in bad faith, infringing the other side's sovereignty and making provocations on Ren'ai Jiao," he said.

Wang said that over the years, China and ASEAN countries, including the Philippines, have maintained close communication and cooperation, signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), been committed to advancing the consultations on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, and kept the South China Sea generally stable.

But in recent years, the Philippines has breached agreements and understandings with China, acted against the spirit of the DOC, and frequently encroached on China's rights with provocative behavior that creates new tension.

"The Philippines has escalated tensions in the South China Sea by involving non-regional actors in trying to create trouble. What the Philippines has done undermines solidarity and mutual trust among regional countries and peace and stability in the South China Sea. These actions bring no good but only harm to regional countries," he noted.

"If the Philippines does not change course, China will take necessary measures to firmly defend our legitimate rights and interests," Wang said. 
The newly elected president of the Slovak Republic Peter Pellegrini (L) and the president of the Slovak Republic Zuzana Caputova speak during a press conference on the Shot attack of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Bratislava. Fico was shot after a government meeting in Handlova on Wednesday. Jaroslav Novak/TASR/dpa

Following the assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, outgoing President Zuzana Caputova and her successor Peter Pellegrini have invited all political parties for consultations.

"Let's get out of the vicious circle of hatred and mutual accusations," Caputova appealed to the public in a televised speech in Bratislava on Thursday.

She said the attack on Fico had been an individual act. "But the tense atmosphere of hatred was our collective work."

During the speech, Caputova and Pellegrini made a joint appearance. "We want to send a signal of understanding in this tense situation," said Caputova, from the liberal Progessive Slovakia party. Both politicians once again condemned the attack on Fico.

Pellegrini, who joined Fico's coalition, called on the political parties to suspend or at least limit their election campaigns ahead of the European elections in June until the situation has calmed down.

After their speech, both left to attend a special meeting of the Security Council at the government office.

Pellegrini and Caputova met frequently for talks after Fico's third term as prime minister in the years after 2018 - both during Pellegrini's time in government from 2018 to 2020 as Fico's successor and during his years in opposition.

It was only when Pellegrini joined Fico's coalition that their personal relationship cooled.

The newly elected president of the Slovak Republic Peter Pellegrini speaks during a press conference on the Shot attack of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Bratislava. Fico was shot after a government meeting in Handlova on Wednesday. Jaroslav Novak/TASR/dpa

President of the Slovak Republic Zuzana Caputova arrives for a press conference on the Shot attack of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Bratislava. Fico was shot after a government meeting in Handlova on Wednesday. alek Vaclav/CTK/dpa
Slovakia Prime Minister Robert Fico is expected to recover after he was shot many times Wednesday, according to officials.

I guess in the end he will survive, Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba told reporters, according to The Associated Press, adding, Hes not in a life-threatening situation at this moment.

Fico was shot Wednesday after holding a Cabinet meeting in the Trencin region of central Slovakia, local media outlet TASR reported. He was struck in the abdomen and doctors worked to keep him alive in the hours after the shooting, Defense Minister Robert Kalina told reporters, per the AP.

A 71-year-old man was detained in relation to the incident, according to Slovak news outlet Dennik N, which also reported that the suspect used a legally purchased gun.

Slovak President Peter Pellegrini claimed the shooting was an assassination attempt.

An assassination attempt on one of the highest constitutional officials is an unprecedented threat to Slovak democracy, Pellegrini said in a post on the social platform X. If we express different political opinions with guns in the squares, and not in polling stations, we endanger everything we have built together in 31 years of Slovak sovereignty.

Slovak Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said Thursday that the suspect charged was a lone wolf who did not belong to any political groups.

President Biden said he was alarmed to hear of the shooting.

We condemn this horrific act of violence, Biden said in a statement Wednesday. Our embassy is in close touch with the government of Slovakia and ready to assist.

Fico is Slovakias longest-serving prime minister, having served in the role from 2006-10 and 2012-18. He came back to power last year, according to the AP, on a pro-Russian and anti-American message, which resulted in more expansive worries from other European Union members that he would pull his country farther from the West.

The Associated Press contributed.

Updated at 10:34 a.m. EDT

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Bodyguards take Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico to safety in a car from the scene of the incident. Fico had been shot and injured after a cabinet meeting in the town of Handlova. Radovan Stoklasa/TASR/dpa

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was critically injured in an assassination attempt on Wednesday, has regained consciousness after an operation lasting several hours, local media reported.

However, neither the television station TA3 nor the newspaper Dennik provided any further information on Fico's state of health late on Wednesday night.

Earlier on Wednesday evening, according to official information, the 59-year-old's life had been in danger. There has been no new statement or explanation from the government since then.

The 59-year-old left-wing nationalist politician was flown to hospital by helicopter after being shot in the town of Handlova.

Eyewitnesses reported on television that five shots were fired in front of the House of Culture in Handlova, some 192 kilometres north-east of the capital Bratislava.

They said the attack occurred as Fico went outside to shake hands. One shot hit him in the chest. The local television station RTV Prievidza published a video of the incident showing a man pushing against the fence and shooting at the prime minister from close range.

Police announced that they had detained the attacker whom Slovak TV channel TA3 reported to be Juraj C., a former employee of a private security service. This was not officially confirmed at first.

Despite an information embargo, the broadcaster was able to obtain a video recording from a police station. In it, the dazed-looking suspected attacker said: "I don't agree with government policy."

In a slurred voice, he cited the government's plan to shut down the public radio and television station RTVS, against which thousands of people have been demonstrating for weeks, as a concrete example.

Interior Minister Matus Sutaj-Estok announced increased police protection for politicians and journalists. At the same time, he called on the media, politicians from all camps, and the public to stop "inciting hatred against political opponents on social media."

President Zuzana Caputova said that the attack was also an attack on democracy. "Any violence is unacceptable. The hateful rhetoric we have witnessed in society leads to hateful actions. Please, let's stop this."

Despite her popularity, the liberal president did not run for a second term in office because, in her own words, she "no longer has the strength" after years of political crises and several changes of government. The climate between the government and the opposition is considered poisoned.

Shortly after the news broke on Wednesday afternoon expressions of shock and support started pouring in from leaders across the globe.

US President Joe Biden has condemned the shooting as a "horrific act of violence."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the shooting "in the strongest terms" and called it shocking.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on X that he was "deeply shocked by the news of the cowardly attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, also writing on X, called the attack "appalling" and said "every effort should be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country, form, or sphere."

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the assassination attempt "a despicable crime," in a message to Caputova.

Political opponents repeatedly accuse Fico of taking "Russia-friendly" positions amid Putin's war against Ukraine,

Relations between Slovakia, an EU and NATO member state, and its neighbour Ukraine cooled noticeably when the left-wing nationalist Fico won the parliamentary elections in autumn and returned to power. During the election campaign, Fico had announced that he no longer wanted to supply Ukraine with weapons.

Just a few days ago, Fico had accused the liberal opposition of fuelling a climate of hostility against his government. He said that it could not be ruled out that the heated atmosphere could lead to violence at some point.

The founder and leader of the Smer-SSD left-wing party, which has recently become increasingly nationalistic, has been one of Slovakia's most popular politicians for almost 30 years. At the same time, however, he polarizes more than almost anyone else.

Opponents call him "pro-Russian" and accuse him of wanting to lead Slovakia on a similar course to Viktor Orban's Hungary.

Fico is controversial in Europe because of his often exaggerated statements on the EU's Ukraine and Russia policy. During the election campaign for the parliamentary elections in autumn 2023, which he won, he caused a stir by announcing that he wanted to supply "not one bullet" to Ukraine.

In fact, however, Slovakia has supported all EU sanctions against Russia since Fico's return to government in October and has also agreed to all EU aid for Ukraine - including the use of frozen Russian funds for Ukraine and support for Ukraine's accession to the EU - but not to NATO.

Contrary to misleading media reports, Fico does not reject sanctions against Russia in principle. However, he has said that some of them harm Slovakia, which is dependent on Russian gas, oil and uranium, more than Russia itself. Instead, he is calling for sanctions that hit Russia harder.

Rescue workers carry the shot and injured Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico on a stretcher to a hospital in Banska Bystrica. Fico was shot and injured after a cabinet meeting in the town of Handlova. Jan Kroslak/TASR/dpa

Robert Fico, Prime Minister of Slovakia, arrives for a government meeting at the House of Culture. Slovakian Prime Minister Fico has been shot and injured after a cabinet meeting in the town of Handlova. Radovan Stoklasa/TASR/dpa
Bodyguards take Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico to safety in a car from the scene of the incident. Fico had been shot and injured after a cabinet meeting in the town of Handlova. Radovan Stoklasa/TASR/dpa

The condition of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot and critically injured in an assassination attempt on Wednesday, has "stabilized but remains serious," Defence Minister Robert Kalinak told the news agency TASR on Thursday.

Environment Minister Tomas Taraba said earlier that Fico was no longer in a life-threatening condition. The previous evening officials had said his life could be at risk after the shooting.

Fico was flown to hospital by helicopter after the attack and immediately went into surgery.

Fico was in surgery for five hours, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

The suspected shooter, who was detained at the scene, is a 71-year-old man from the town of Levice, according to Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok. Initial questioning had revealed a "clear political motive," according to the minister.

Eyewitnesses reported on television that five shots were fired in front of the House of Culture in Handlova, a town nearly 200 kilometres north-east of the capital Bratislava.

The attack occurred as Fico went outside to shake hands after a Cabinet meeting. One of the shots hit him in the chest. The local television station RTV Prievidza published a video of the incident showing a man pushing against the fence and shooting at the prime minister from close range.

The government is set to convene for an emergency meeting at 11 am (0900 GMT).

Robert Fico, Slovakia's Prime Minister, opens a government meeting. Slovakian Prime Minister Fico has been shot and injured after a cabinet meeting in the town of Handlova. Radovan Stoklasa/TASR/dpa
On crisp winter mornings, the Utah Avalanche Center employee responsible for publishing daily public avalanche forecasts in the Salt Lake City, Utah, area arrives at an office near the international airport. There, they drink from the proverbial fire hose, translating raw data into digestible backcountry safety messaging. The task is weightyfailures to communicate where and when avalanches might occur could endanger hundreds, if not thousands, of backcountry skiers.

The UAC's director, Mark Staples, likens avalanche forecasting to storytelling: "This is an article that we're writing throughout the whole season, and we're just writing little chapters of it." To write each chapteror individual forecastany given avalanche forecaster has to know how the story started. Continuity is essential, as avalanche-producing instabilities in the snowpack can exist for weeks, months, or even an entire winter. Like a well-written antagonist, their threat always looms, forcing forecasters to build what Staples calls a "mental model" of the snowpack.

For forecasters, dialogue is a crucial element of this process. "The real secret sauce is just the informal ongoing communications," said Staples. UAC forecasters rely on each other throughout the season alongside outside sources of information, like ski resorts, weather data, and crowdsourced avalanche observations submitted by backcountry users. Time spent studying the snow's intricacies in person is vital, too. On average, a forecaster-conducted field day supports every two UAC avalanche forecasts. All the bits of knowledge forecasters accrue slot into their mental models.

"What [this] means is that when that forecaster walks into the office at 4 am, they're not just starting from scratch," Staples explained. "They have been watching the weather and the snowpack and avalanches and they've been discussing it with our other forecasters all season long."

Daily forecasting schedules sometimes differ from avalanche center to avalanche center. For instance, forecasts are published in the evening at Washington and Oregon's Northwest Avalanche Center. After conducting any necessary field snowpack observations, NWAC forecasters are responsible for writing, editing, and publishing two to three daily regional forecasts (NWAC positions its forecasters geographically to intimately know and write about two forecast zonesthe third potential forecast might arise when another forecaster takes time off). Each forecast is about 500 words.

"When I come in from the field until I press publish, it's pretty game on," said Dallas Glass, NWAC's deputy director. "I mean, you're kind of just go, go, go, go, go." Once, Glass told an Associated Press reporter about NWAC's evening forecasting schedule. Her paraphrased response? "That's the nuttiest deadline I've ever heard."

Similar to journalism, avalanche forecasts are a one-way transfer of information, meaning there's considerable pressure on forecasters to get it right. After a forecast is published, there usually isn't a public question-and-answer session where backcountry skiers can ask for clarification on sections that don't make sense. "To some extent, figuring out the avalanche problem, the danger rating and those thingsthat becomes the easier part of the job," Glass said, noting that the writing skills associated with avalanche forecasting are often underappreciated. "It's the communication piece that's so challenging."

When publishing avalanche forecasts, avalanche centers must meet their users at varying levels of backcountry know-how. What's useful for an advanced backcountry skier may not be for a complete novice, and vice versa. Avalanche centers tackle this challenge with an "inverted triangle" approach, which presents another parallel between avalanche forecasting and journalism. Reporters and avalanche forecasters both avoid burying the lede.

In avalanche forecasts, the simplest information typically comes firstthink a forecast zone shaded red to indicate danger on a digital mapfollowed by increasingly granular information like forecast discussions and specific avalanche problems. Most people understand a bright-red warning sign, but the implications of a wind-loaded, north-facing slope are more difficult to parse.

A red signthe simplest form of avalanche warning. Ryan McGinnis/Getty Images

"Everyone should check the forecast," Staples said, stating that, with its forecasts, the UAC aims to meet the needs of diverse users, from "a scout group going on a snowshoe hike" to "someone who's spent 20 to 30 years in the backcountry."

Storied snow scientist and educator Bruce Tremper first became involved in avalanche forecasting and snow science several decades ago. He was surrounded by fellow experts, many of whom, in his opinion, struggled to convey snow safety messaging to the public. "Boy, he sure talked like a scientist," Tremper said, describing one of his colleagues. "You kind of needed to be a scientist to understand what he was telling you." (He clarified that said colleague was "amazing"just too esoteric for the average backcountry skier.)

That gapbetween the experts and the publicprompted Tremper to pursue avalanche safety communication efforts, which, he said, comprised "90%" of his career. During our conversation, he quoted fellow avalanche expert Dale Atkins: "We don't have a forecasting problem. We have a marketing problem."

Tremper wrote the best-selling Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain. The book is full of metaphors, stories, analogies, anecdotes, and handy graphics that, to meand presumably a significant number of fellow skiersilluminated the risks associated with avalanches in a way I'd never experienced. It's how I wish every textbook I've read were written. This, of course, was intended.

"The human brain was designed for emotional response and social interactions," said Tremper. "So that's the way you have to approach people; you have to tell them stories and to give them analogies and metaphors. You need to put it in terms that they can understand." Humans often struggle with numeracythe ability to effectively use numbers, probabilities, and statistics in decision-makingforcing avalanche forecasters like Tremper to find better, more creative ways to communicate danger.

After working avalanche control stints at Bridger Bowl and Big Sky, Tremper became the director of the UAC in 1986 (Staples replaced Tremper in 2015). Back then, the UAC's public forecast system was a hotline. Backcountry skiers would call the phone number and hear a pre-recorded message describing that day's avalanche conditions. The UAC's recording machine only had a few available lines, so "people had to just sit at their phone and call over and over and over until they could finally get through," said Tremper. In what he believes was his second year as director, the UAC purchased a digital multi-line announcer, which eventually allowed the Center to increase its simultaneous caller capacity to roughly 20.

The internet changed everything. Avalanche centers, including the UAC, had the opportunity to publish forecasts with detailed, color-coded graphics as the internet evolved. Tremper noted that this development was "revolutionary." Suddenly, avalanche centers had a digital megaphone. During the 2022-2023 ski season, 4.3 million users visited the UAC's websitea far cry from the days of bottlenecked recording machines.

Most avalanche center websites in the U.S. feature interactive maps that shift colors based on the avalanche danger in a given zone, ranging from green to black. Avalanche center maps borrow these colors from a central element of avalanche forecasting: the North American Public Avalanche Danger Scale (NAPADS), which communicates daily avalanche danger with five levels across the U.S. and Canada.

The North American Public Avalanche Danger Scale. Avalanche.org

Despite the name, the NAPADS, like the Statue of Liberty, is a European import. Starting in the 1970s, the U.S. relied on a four-level rating system for public avalanche danger. Meanwhile, European avalanche rating systems across the pond differed widely from country to country. Some had four levelsothers had ten or more. "It was just a mess," said Tremper, explaining that you could cross a national boundary and confront a danger scale unlike the one you have at home.

The lack of consistency created confusion, which is the last thing you want as an avalanche forecaster. The Europeans alleviated this problem by developing a unified five-level scale in 1993. For the sake of international continuity, that scale came to North America in the mid-1990s. After an extended revision process that involved several avalanche scientistsincluding Tremperthe borrowed five-level North American scale became the NAPADS we know today. To finalize the NAPADS, the team drew on experts in risk communication and graphic design.

Years after its implementation, Tremper still thinks the NAPADS could be better. He takes particular issue with the use of the word "considerable," which describes the third level of avalanche danger (during the NAPADS infancy, the proposed word "considerable" generated controversy amongst other forecasters). Tremper views this word as imprecise, a thesis he tested by writing the five NAPADS avalanche danger levels on notecards"low," "moderate," "considerable," "high," and "extreme"before visiting a ski resort cafeterias and asking skiers to rank the five NAPADS categories in order of danger. The survey involved about 200 skiers.

"I could see that a quarter of the people were putting the word 'considerable' in the wrong place," he said, explaining how those he quizzed sometimes thought "considerable" designated lower avalanche danger than intended. "That's a big problem." Tremper conducted a follow-up surveyusing only colors and numbers instead of wordsand found that skiers almost always organized the NAPADS danger levels in the correct order: "The problem came with words, and only with the word 'considerable.'"

Tremper posits that the NAPADS, which underpins the modern public avalanche forecast system, isn't perfect, as do some contemporary researchers. Yet, yearly avalanche fatality numbers nationwide indicate that, overall, the forecasting project has made positive headway. "Way more people are in the backcountry than there used to be," said Staples, the UAC's current director. "But the number of people dying in avalanchesthat number has been fairly flat."

A letter to the editor written by snow science experts and published in Wilderness & Environmental Medicine estimated that if avalanche fatalities had increased alongside growing backcountry usage, the U.S. could be seeing 200-plus avalanche fatalities each winter. That hasn't happened. This season, avalanches killed 16 backcountry users in the U.S.

Staples noted that avalanche centers and forecasters are only one part of the encouraging avalanche safety communications picture. He pointed to backcountry guides and avalanche educatorslike the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Educationas valuable collaborators. The last piece of the puzzle? You. For every avalanche forecast that gets published, there needs to be a receptive backcountry traveler. "The bad news is that the enemy is us," wrote Tremper in Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain. "And that is the hardest enemy of all to conquer."

Related: Australian Ski Resort Fires Up Snowguns As Winter Approaches

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Snubbed by the Paralympics and Working as a Janitor? What Is (and Isn't) True About Oscar Pistorius's Life After Prison

Oscar Pistorius was released from prison on January 5. Here's what he's been doing in his first four months of parole

Alon Skuy/The Times/Gallo Images/Getty Oscar Pistorius at his sentencing hearing in the Pretoria High Court on October 16, 2014, in Pretoria, South Africa.

At the height of his running career, Paralympian Oscar Pistorius was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend on Valentines Day 2013

The South African runner was sentenced to 13 years and five months and was released early on parole in January 2024

Based on his parole conditions, Pistorius is restricted from giving interviews, but his lawyer, Julian Knight, tells PEOPLE what he has been doing since moving in with his uncle in Pretoria, South Africa

Life after prison is an adjustment for everyone.

Oscar Pistorius is no exception.

The former track-and-field Paralympic champion  known as Blade Runner for competing with carbon-fiber prosthetic legs  was later convicted of the Valentines Day 2013 murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

In January he was released from a South African prison, after serving more than eight and a half years of his more than 13-year sentence.

Now, four months later, Pistorius has settled into a quiet life in Pretoria, where he lives with his uncle, Arnold Pistorius.

Simon Bruty /Sports Illustrated via Getty Oscar Pistorius in the Men's 400M Track & Field Semifinals during the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Related: Oscar Pistorius's Shocking Fall from Grace in 6 Clicks

His uncle acts in the role of caregiver, who the Department of Correctional Services said in an earlier press release is charged with providing a support system to adjust to the normal way of living and coordinating with the departments monitoring officials.

Pistoriuss parole conditions allow limited time in the week to attend work commitments and church on Sunday, his lawyer, Julian Knight tells PEOPLE.

He is someone who gave everything he had to the world, Knight says, adding that his tragic mistake has cost him more than one can fathom.

WALDO SWIEGERS/AFP via Getty Reeva Steenkamp and Oscar Pistorius in a photograph taken Jan. 26, 2013, just weeks before he fatally shot her that Valentine's Day.

Related: We Are the Ones Serving a Life Sentence, Says Reeva Steenkamps Family After Oscar Pistorius Release

Despite published reports claiming Pistorius had been rebuffed in his efforts to link back up with the International Paralympic Committee following his release and had instead taken up maintenance and janitorial work at his uncles church, the former athlete has applied to neither job, according to the committee, church and Pistorius lawyer.

We are unaware of any contact between the International Paralympic Committee and Oscar Pistorius and believe our last interaction with him was in late 2012, a spokesperson for the International Paralympic Committee tells PEOPLE. There have certainly been no discussions that we are aware of regarding a collaboration or the potential for work.

The Dutch Reformed Church Waterkloof said in a statement to PEOPLE that Pistorius is not employed by the church in any capacity and there are no parole conditions obliging him to work at the church, but that they offer support to the family as members of the congregation.

At the height of his running career, Pistorius was charged with Steenkamps murder after fatally shooting her through a bathroom door with bullets designed with metal talons to destroy organs and maximize blood loss.

In a high-profile 2014 trial, Pistorius claimed that he mistook his 29-year-old model girlfriend for an intruder. (Prosecutors said she had hidden in the bathroom after the couple fought.)

A South African judge acquitted Pistorius of murder, convicting him instead of culpable homicide, which is akin to manslaughter. But ultimately, in 2015, an appeals court convicted him of murder.

He was released on parole January 5 and will remain under supervision until his sentence expires in 2029.

Chris Jude/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Oscar Pistorius escorted by police to the North Gauteng High Court for summary judgement on his trial on July 6, 2016 in Pretoria, South Africa.

Related: Oscar Pistorius Released on Parole After Serving Half His Sentence for Killing Reeva Steenkamp

An elevated public profile linked to Pistorius does not make him different from other inmates nor warrant inconsistent treatment, the Department of Correctional Services said in the press release, outlining some of his general parole conditions.

Like any other South African parolee, Pistorius is expected to be home at particular hours of the day, and required to participate in certain programs. (Among those programs was an anger management workshop, which his lawyer says is required for every inmate.)

The department adds that per general parole guidelines, Pistorius is prohibited from consuming alcohol and other prohibited substances, and restricted from conducting media interviews.

Pistoriuss lawyer confirms he is not required to wear an electronic monitoring device.

Justin Setterfield/Getty Oscar Pistorius of South Africa wins the Men's 400M on Day 10 of the London 2012 Paralympic Games on Sept. 8, 2012.

Related: Oscar Pistorius Trial: Testimony Attempts to Paint Blade Runner's Dark Side

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Reeva Steenkamp and Oscar Pistorius at the Feather Awards on Nov. 4, 2012 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Steenkamps mother is not convinced of Pistoriuss rehabilitation, she said in a victim impact statement in November.



Rehabilitation requires someone to engage honestly with the full truth of his crime and the consequences thereof, she said. Nobody can claim to have remorse if they are not able to engage fully with the truth. If someone does not show remorse, they cannot be considered to be rehabilitated.

In a statement she issued through a family lawyer after his release, she added: We, who remain behind, are the ones serving a life sentence.



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SoCal district to pay $360K to teacher who was fired after refusing to follow transgender policies

Jessica Tapia, who taught P.E. at Jurupa Valley High School, claimed in a lawsuit that her free speech and religious rights had been violated. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

A Riverside County school district has agreed to pay $360,000 to settle a lawsuit from a former teacher who was fired last year after refusing to adhere to policies regarding transgender or gender-nonconforming students, citing her Christian beliefs.

Jessica Tapia, who taught physical education at Jurupa Valley High School, claimed in her wrongful termination lawsuit that her free speech and religious rights had been violated. She had refused  hypothetically, in statements to district personnel  to use students' preferred pronouns, to allow them to use the locker room matching their gender identity, or to "withhold information" from parents about their child's gender identity, according to the federal lawsuit.

The Jurupa Unified School District did not admit any wrongdoing, but agreed to pay Tapia $285,000, as well as $75,000 for her attorneys' fees, according to the settlement agreement signed Tuesday. Tapia also agreed not to seek future employment with the district, and both sides agreed to not disparage each other or file future lawsuits.

Julianne Fleischer, one of Tapia's attorneys, called the settlement an "incredible victory."

"Her religious beliefs were not accommodated when they could have been," said Fleischer, legal counsel for Advocates for Faith & Freedom, a Murrieta-based nonprofit religious liberties group. We think it sends a strong message that theres a price to pay when you ask a teacher to lie and withhold information."

Read more: Transgender rights vs. parent rights. California goes to court to settle school divide

Jacquie Paul, a Jurupa Unified spokesperson, said the settlement was a "compromise of a disputed claim."

"The decision to settle this case was made ... in the best interest of the students, such that the district can continue to dedicate all of its resources and efforts to educate and support its student population regardless of their protected class," Paul said in a statement.

The case is just one of several lawsuits challenging how the rights of transgender students, their parents and teachers should be balanced  disputes that have formed the backbone of Californias education culture wars.

Under Californias anti-discrimination laws, federal and state laws, a transgender or gender-nonconforming students identity should not be shared, including with their parents, without the students permission, according to the California Department of Education.

But in Tapia's case, her attorneys argued there was never an instance when she didn't abide by school and state policies, because it never came up in her tenure.

Read more: Murrieta Valley board defies California, will keep policy to tell parents about LGBTQ+ transitioning

Instead, her termination stemmed from several of her social media posts, which students found offensive and reported for their content about transgender people and religion. When school officials asked her to curb her social media activity and agree to follow certain district policies regarding transgender students' privacy and rights, she refused, citing her Christian beliefs.

Tapia requested a religious accommodation, saying the district's policies went against her beliefs "regarding human sexuality and lying," according to her lawsuit.

Fleischer said her organization has respect for the transgender community, but this case affirms that religious rights are not second class.

Paul said the district will "continue to follow all local, state and federal laws, including laws against harassment and discrimination to protect its students and employees."

Read more: LGBTQ+ students have become a political target. Know your rights in California

Tapia was hired by the district in 2014, first as a substitute and later full time, and taught both middle school and high school physical education. She was fired in January 2023, according to the lawsuit.

Tapia publicly supported a bill last year that would have required teachers to disclose to parents if their child was gender-nonconforming or transgender. That bill has since died in committee.

She is now helping lead Advocates for Faith & Freedom's new campaign called "Teachers Don't Lie," to support other educators who feel their faith is being compromised by school policies.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yesterday, D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI) announced that Elektron Solar, an 80 MWac solar facility located in Tooele County, UT, had reached commercial operation.

The facility will provide power to Vail Resorts on behalf of Park City Mountain and Deer Valley Resort, alongside non-ski-resort customers that include Salt Lake City, Park City, Summit County, and Utah Valley University.

The completion of the Elektron Solar Project in Utah means that Park City Mountain's electricity will be 100% solar-powered directly through the local grid, said Deirdra Walsh, Vice President and COO of Park City Mountain.

Driven by Vail Resorts' Commitment to Zero, Park City Mountain achieved 100% renewable energy in 2022 and hopes to secure a net zero operational footprinta metric that includes carbon emissions, forest impacts, and landfill usageby 2030.

Deer Valley Resort President & Chief Operating Officer Todd Bennett explained that his resort will now receive 80% of its power from Elektron Solar. This initiative is a significant step in the right direction, Bennett said. Deer Valley plans to rely entirely on renewable energy by 2030.

Environmental Protection Agency metrics indicate that Elektron Solar will power approximately 19,700 homes each year.

The construction of Elektron Solar faced several hang-ups over the years caused primarily by the sourcing of required materials.

"The success of this project shows what happens when you set inspiring goals, work with the right partners, and refuse to give up," said Salt Lake City Sustainability Director Debbie Lyons. "It delivers on a promise Salt Lake City leaders made nearly eight years ago: to source the majority of our electricity for municipal operations from renewable energy. And starting this month, that promise becomes reality."

Related: Snow Science Storytellers: How Avalanche Forecasters Communicate Risk

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Yesterday the Government made a great show of trumpeting it wont allow solar panels on our best farmland, preaching the value of food security.

It was just that: a show. The reality is that the Governments definition of good farmland remains Grade 3a and above, so technically little has changed. Instead, the policy has been tweaked so that a number of strongly contested plans for solar parks will no longer be waved through by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Claire Coutinho.

Planning applications for nationally significant infrastructure projects controversially bypass local councils and go straight to her. In January, the government updated its policy to say that because it assists with a critical national priority, planning for low-carbon infrastructure should generally be approved by the Secretary of State.

Yesterdays announcement means that she will now have to take some other factors into consideration, such as where local communities and landscapes might be seriously blighted by an over-concentration of solar panels.

This might be enough to put a stop to plans for the very divisive Lime Down installation, part of which is on the Duke of Beauforts Badminton Estate. Locals are incensed and the area was becoming so festooned with anti-solar posters that they had to be removed from the verges.

The issue is a highly embarrassing one for Rishi Sunak. When he was campaigning to be leader in August 2022, he wrote that on his watch we will not lose swathes of our best farmland to solar farms. Instead, we should be making sure that solar panels are installed on commercial buildings, on sheds and on properties.

At the time best farmland was described by environment secretary George Eustice as above Grade 4 (the grades run from 5, the worst land, to 1, the best). But, in September 2022, Eustice backtracked, announcing that he had made an error and that Grade 3b land was excluded.

It was hard not to feel that the Government, perhaps desperate to meet net zero targets, perhaps also under pressure from solar lobbyists, had moved the goalposts. Certainly it appeared to open the floodgates to plans for solar farms on 3b land.

The backlash to this seems to have taken the Government by surprise, in part because they naively assumed that rural people were fools who would swallow three whopping half-truths.

The first of these is that Grade 3b land is not good land; this devious distinction is an absurd sophistry. Anyone with a basic understanding of farming knows that some of the worlds most productive dairy pasture would be classified as 3b for arable purposes. And 3b arable land is still capable of producing cereal yields that farmers in many grain producing countries could only dream about.

Build on it, and we might find ourselves having to import thousands of loaves of bread each year to make up for the grain currently grown on each acre, driving up food prices during a cost of living crisis.

Furthermore, many fields include both 3a and, on slightly wetter bits, 3b land. There are suspicions that unscrupulous developers may try to use this to rig the system by soil sampling in poorer parts of fields.

The second half-truth is that solar farms remain farmland because you can graze sheep under the panels. Well, yes, you can, but not at what Id consider a meaningful density that would put much lamb on British tables.

The third half-truth is the assertion that solar farms lead to net biodiversity gain. Pretty flowers sown under panels do not a healthy ecosystem make. Any real gain would only be achieved by greenwashing: taking other land out of production to re-wild it, worsening food insecurity.

Its frustrating that the Government has painted itself into this corner. It has allowed itself to be portrayed as enriching the few  large landowners, Chinese manufacturers and the offshore investors in solar projects  at the expense of the many: such as householders seeing their properties devalued on the edge of vast solar complexes.

In the meantime, on my farm alone, I have about an acre of roof space on my cattle sheds that the Government doesnt seem to want to make it worth my while to cover in solar panels. Surely that would be the truly small-c conservative way to proceed?

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An Army master sergeant with the 25th Infantry Division said his command revoked his selection for a company first sergeant position after he posted a celebratory social media video that highlighted his shaving profile.

Master Sgt. Darhem Victor Parker was set to take over as company first sergeant for the Alpha Company, 29th Brigade Engineer Battalion, but after he uploaded a video on TikTok about how people would be surprised to see a first sergeant with a beard, the position was suddenly withdrawn.

The Armys guidelines for facial hair standards are very strict and beards are only allowed if soldiers are given a shaving profile, or an exception typically based on medical or religious accommodations. Parkers shaving profile is approved as a medical accommodation based on a skin condition.

Medical accommodations are granted if a soldier has a medical condition that warrants facial hair and a medical professional has signed off. The facial hair must be groomed to not exceed one-quarter inch in length. Religious accommodations must be approved before a soldier begins growing their beard and must not exceed 2 inches from the chin to the beard.

In 2022, a Sikh Marine captain filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the Marines policy prohibiting the wearing of a traditional turban and beard in combat zones or recruit training was discriminatory. In March 2024, the Navy completed a study on whether beards interfere with the application of gas masks and appear to be in the process of making changes regarding religious and medical accommodations for beards.

Parker was informed by the brigade sergeant major in early April that he was offered the first sergeant position. He was set to fill the role on May 22. He had his command photo taken immediately so he could hit the ground running, he told Army Times.

For a week and a half, Parker said he sat in meetings for the first sergeant position and the outgoing first sergeant taught him about the company. During the process, Parker said he talked numerous times to the battalion sergeant major, who said nothing about his beard or haircut.

On April 30, Parker uploaded a video to his @blackunicorn2023 TikTok account showing off his newly acquired command photo. His social media profile has amassed more than 575,000 likes and has more than 25,000 followers.

In the video, Parker points to his beard and haircut in the photo, smiling as he says people arent going to believe they allowed a first sergeant to have a beard.

As of May 16, the April 30 video has more than 87,000 views.

Somebody in real life is gonna see that picture on their wall and gonna be pissed the fuck off, Parker said in the video.

Soon after the online post, Parker said, he was called into the battalion sergeant majors office, who informed him that higher-ups outside the chain of command alerted him to the video. All the battalion sergeant major told Parker was that it was a two-star on the other side of the world and someone in the Engineer Regiment, according to Parker.

Parker received a written reprimand for online misconduct, specifically for what was described as taunting in his video. His punishment was to stop posting on social media in uniform and teach a class on online misconduct to staff sergeants and above.

He disagreed but understood the commands perspective.

What came next blindsided him.

The battalion sergeant major told him he also needed to cut his hair, fix his beard, and retake his command photo.

Parker was specifically told his beard wasnt in regulation.

Parker said no one likes beards in the Army, but if you have one, you must abide by ambiguous, sometimes confusing guidelines. For instance, Parker said, you can grow your beard out, but you cant line it up, or shape the beard.

I would like to know who was on the other side of the phone call, Parker told Army Times. I truly dont think it was the battalion sergeant majors choice.

The 25th Infantry Division fully supports soldiers who require a shaving profile or request a religious exemption in accordance with Army policy and regulations. We encourage all of our soldiers to use the proper process for these profiles and exemptions and ask that our leaders continue to educate their formations, said 25th Infantry Division spokesman Lt. Col. Mike Barth in a written statement.

Neither Barth nor the command provided any further responses to Army Times queries regarding Parkers claims.

A day later, Parker was ordered to report to the division sergeant major. On his way into the meeting, he said he saw the battalion sergeant major leaving.

The division sergeant major reassured him that everything was okay.

I see nothing wrong with your video. It was not wrong. Your hair is good, your beard is good. He appreciated me for advocating for people with shaving profiles, Parker said the division sergeant major told him.

Parker told the division sergeant major that when he officially became a first sergeant, he wanted to be allowed to continue posting on social media. The division sergeant major assured Parker that he could, said Parker.

Parker figured that since the battalion sergeant major had spoken to the division sergeant major before Parker spoke to him, the whole ordeal was over.

He uploaded another TikTok video after the meeting on May 4 about how he was glad he got reported. In it, he says it gave him an opportunity to talk to the division sergeant major about issues with getting promotions for individuals with shaving profiles. He also says the division sergeant major commended him for shining a light on the issue.

They reported me, thought they was gonna take me down, but they brung me up, Parker said in the video.

Afterward, Parker was summoned to speak with the battalion commander and battalion sergeant major.

They revoked the company first sergeant position completely.

Instead, they reassigned him as the Division Engineer Noncommissioned Officer In Charge.

Despite the emotional highs and lows of the past few weeks, Parker said he was in good spirits and that he didnt take it personally, pointing to his past service record.

Parker said hes served in the Army for 18 years. He also said hes had four deployments, one in a first sergeant billet while holding the rank of sergeant first class; won noncommissioned officer of the year at a brigade level; served as a subterranean demolition instructor; an Advanced Individual Training instructor, teaching privates engineering and demolition; as a sapper instructor; and was the recipient of a de Fleury Medal, which identifies excellence in Army engineering.

Parker said his decision to wear his beard proudly, despite ongoing stigmas, goes back to an interaction he had several years ago with a private who asked Parker if he was treated differently because of his beard.

Parker said the young soldier looked hopeless and said his life was hell in his unit because of his shaving profile.

After that, Parker said he decided he wasnt going to be afraid of how others perceived him. He said he thought one thing walking away that day.

Fuck that, Im rocking my beard.
NANJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Red Cross Society of China has installed over 64,000 automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in key public venues in recent years, a health official said on Thursday.

The data was revealed at an event on public health held in the city of Liyang, east China's Jiangsu Province, and represents a significant surge compared to the previous count of 11,000 recorded in May 2021.

AEDs serve as life-saving medical devices designed to aid individuals experiencing sudden cardiac arrest.

Mao Qun'an, an official with the National Health Commission said at the event that the Ministry of Education has designated more than 1,200 pilot schools for first-aid education, covering all levels and types of schools.

Mao said that more AEDs would be installed in densely populated areas such as airports, train stations, schools and tourist attractions, pledging more efforts to promote first-aid knowledge and skills among the public. 
Son of Sam serial killer says he uses Anne Franks holocaust diary as inspiration

Police officers escort serial killer David Berkowitz, known as the Son of Sam, into the 84th precinct station on August 10, 1977. (Getty)

Son of Sam David Berkowitz says he hopes he can inspire people from his prison cell in a similar way to how Anne Franks World War II diary inspired millions.

Speaking days before facing a parole board, Berkowitz, who killed six people in New York City in the 1970s, told The New York Post the Jewish girls book has been more inspirational for him than the Bible.

She impacted the lives of millions, Berkowitz told the outlet. Little Anne changed the world with a pen. So I ask myself, what can I do with my trusty typewriter? Maybe I can change lives, too, with my message of hope in God?

The serial killer made the comparison in his interview with the Post days before his 12th parole board hearing over his murders in the boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.

The killing spree began on July 29, 1976, when the then-23-year-old shot Donna Lauria, 18, and wounded Jody Valenti, 19.

Police officers escort serial killer David Berkowitz, known as the Son of Sam, into the 84th precinct station on August 10, 1977. (Getty)

In the months following, he left five others dead and six more wounded. His main choice of victim appeared to be young women with long, dark hair, as well as couples sitting in cars.

On April 17, 1977 Berkowitz left a note after killing couple Alexander Esau, 20, and Valentina Suriani, 18.

I am a monster. I am the Son of Sam, he wrote. I love to hunt. Prowling the streets looking for fair game tasty meat.

As fear spread across the city, with women cutting their hair and wearing wigs to avoid being targeted, Berkowitz also wrote to tabloid newspapers to tease the New York City Police Department as they searched for him.

Hello from the gutters of NYC, which are filled with dog manure, vomit, stale wine, urine and blood  Sams a thirsty lad and he wont let me stop killing until he gets his fill of blood, he wrote to Daily News columnist Jimmy Breslin.

When he was finally caught on August 10, 1977, the killer asked police: What took you so long?

Berkowitz later explained that his neighbor Sams dog had told him to carry out the killings.

He faced three mental exams and was found fit to stand trial. He pleaded guilty to all charges and was handed six 25-years-to-life sentences. Berkowitz became eligible for parole in 2002 and has faced a parole board every two years since.

He claims to have found God, but in this latest interview referred to Anne Frank as an inspiration as someone else in captivity.

Anne Franks diary of her time hiding from the Nazis is a source of inspiration for David Berkowitz, he says (Anne Frank House, Amsterdam/Public domain)

Young Anne wrote her diary while in captivity. She shared her heart within its pages, the 70-year-old said of the girl hiding from Nazis during the Holocaust and whose diary became one of the prominent voices of life during the Holocaust.

Little did she know the influence her life and her writings would have in the future, he told the Post.

Berkowitz has referred to himself as the Son of Hope since finding religion in the late 1980s and has previously said he deserves to be in prison for the rest of his life for his crimes.

He sees himself as a father figure to other inmates, he told the Post, and now appears to want to share his beliefs and experiences more widely.

David Berkowitzs case drew widespread attention in the late 1970s (Netflix)

The convict said he would attend his upcoming hearing in order to not show defiance to those in authority, after skipping some in the past.

Most of all, I attend in order to openly apologize for my past crimes and to express my remorse, he added.

And I also attend so that I may share my faith in God, and how He can forgive, heal and restore even the worst of offenders.
The president of Sonoma State University was placed on leave Wednesday, a day after he released a controversial campuswide message on the Israel-Hamas war that said the university would pursue "divestment strategies" and endorsed an academic boycott of Israeli universities.

California State University Chancellor Mildred Garcia announced the decision in a statement posted to the CSU website, saying that Sonoma State President Mike Lee was taken off the job for "insubordination" in making the statement without "appropriate approvals."

In his letter, Lee promised to pursue "divestment strategies that include seeking ethical alternatives" in consultation with pro-Palestinian activists and said he supported an anti-Israel academic boycott.

"SSU will not pursue or engage in any study abroad programs, faculty exchanges, or other formal collaborations that are sponsored by, or represent, the Israeli state academic and research institutions," Lee's Tuesday letter said.

Read more: UC Berkeley to consider divesting from weapons makers as pro-Palestinian protesters break camp

Lee's statement stood out. While other universities have recently said they would look into divesting from weapons companies, including UC Berkeley and UC Riverside, nearly all in the U.S. have rejected calls to target Israel specifically or to boycott formal exchange or research partnerships with Israeli universities.

In opposing such calls, the universities have cited their support of academic freedom and anti-discrimination policies. Some have also noted that a 2016 state law signed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown banned giving state grants or contracts worth more than $100,000 to state universities that targeted Israel in endorsing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

Lee's letter immediately drew criticism from legislators and Jewish students, parents and community groups.

The office of state Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa) reached out to the chancellor's office Wednesday morning to express concern over President Lee's email and "to find out if it was approved by the chancellor, and if not, what steps they would take to address the situation," press secretary Paul Payne told The Times."We relayed that we had already heard from numerous people expressing hurt or concern and opposition to the presidents email."

Read more: Police arrest 47 at UC Irvine after sweeping protest camp, clearing barricaded building

In her letter announcing that Lee would step aside, Garcia said she was "deeply concerned" about his words.

"Our role as educators is to support and uplift all members of the California State University. I want to acknowledge how deeply concerned I am about the impact the statement has had on the Sonoma State community, and how challenging and painful it will be for many of our students and community members to see and read," Garcia said. "The heart and mission of the CSU is to create an inclusive and welcoming place for everyone we serve, not to marginalize one community over another."

Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) and state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), co-chairs of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, commended Garcia's decision, saying in a statement that Lee's support of an academic boycott "was totally unacceptable and evidence that former President Lee is unfit to lead one of our great state institutions. We look forward to working with Chancellor Garcia and the CSU Trustees to pursue a different path that will promote learning, respectful dialogue, mutual respect, inclusivity, and peace.

In his own letter on his departure, Lee apologized, saying he had "marginalized other members of our student population" and that "I realize the harm that this has caused, and I take full ownership of it. I deeply regret the unintended consequences of my actions."

"I want to be clear: The message was drafted and sent without the approval of, or consultation with, the Chancellor or other system leaders. The points outlined in the message were mine alone, and do not represent the views of my colleagues or the CSU," Lee wrote.

Speaking at a Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California conference in Sacramento on Wednesday, California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, who serves on the CSU Board of Trustees, criticized campuses for moving forward with agreements to quell protests.

"Each campus is handling these situations in their own way with inconsistencies and frankly, sometimes coming up with agreements that they really don't have the authority to come up with, said Kounalakis, who spoke before Lee was put on leave.

Kounalakis, a Democrat, said campuses were woefully unprepared for the recent protests.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who made a video appearance at the same Wednesday event to promote his plan to counter antisemitism, said last week that he did "not support divestment."

It was unclear how long Lee will be out. He has been on the job for a year and previously served at interim president for eight months.

In an interview with The Times, kinesiology professor Lauren Morimoto said she supported Lee.

"As of now, the Academic Senate has not made a statement about Mike Lee's announcement. However, I'm meeting with the Board of the Asian Pacific Islander American Faculty and Staff Association and we stand in solidarity with Mike Lee and the student protesters," said Morimoto, the former chair of the academic senate. "I will ask to be added to tomorrow's agenda to present a resolution of support for Mike Lee and the student protesters and the demands they were able to negotiate with the university."

Pro-Palestinian student encampment protesters celebrated when Lee released his Tuesday letter to the roughly 6,000-student member Rohnert Park campus. The agreement, they said, fulfilled enough of their requests for activists to dismantle their camp by Wednesday evening.

"SSU Demands Met!" said a post on the SSU Students for Justice in Palestine Instagram with the caption "brick by brick, wall by wall" that showed screenshots of Lee's letter.

As of Thursday, the camp was still gone, according to a student protester. It was unclear if it would return.

Times staff writer Mackenzie Mays contributed reporting.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Sony used to be a fairly major player in the smartphone space, but its offerings never quite made a splash in the US. Despite that, the company has been pumping out yearly refreshes of its Xperia line of smartphones and the just-announced Xperia 1 VI looks like the perfect device for both amateur and professional photographers. Sony, after all, is no slouch when it comes to cameras .

The sixth-generation of the companys flagship smartphone is filled with so many camera-centric features that it could actually lure people away from rival iPhone and Pixel devices. Theres a true optical zoom, AI-assisted autofocus and a telephoto camera for snapping macro shots.

This breaks down to three cameras on the back, in the form of a 24mm main camera with a 48-megapixel Sony Exmor T sensor, a 16mm ultrawide and the aforementioned 85-170mm variable zoom telephoto camera. That last one provides 3.5x to 7.1x magnification when compared to the main camera. The ladybug in your yard is begging for its closeup.

As for that AI-assisted autofocus, Sony touts a technology called human pose estimation that can recognize a persons body and head position to provide the perfect focus. The camera system also supports filming video in 4K HDR at 120fps. All of these features work together within Sonys new unified camera app, so people dont have to constantly jump between different software to get the job done.

Of course, this is a smartphone and not just a bunch of cameras attached to a rectangle. The Xperia 1 VI boasts the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, 12GB of RAM and a choice between 256GB and 512GB of storage. Sony says the integrated 5,000mAh battery should allow for up to two days of use before requiring a charge. To that end, the device supports both 15W wireless charging and wireless battery sharing to other devices.

There is an OLED display which is nice, but its 2220 x 1080 and the Xperia V shipped with a 4K screen . The aspect ratio gets a hit here too, downsizing from 21:9 to 19.5:9. This display does now offer a variable refresh rate between 1Hz to 120Hz, however, and it can achieve a 50 percent higher peak brightness when compared to last years model. Also, 4K resolution on a phone screen is kind of unnecessary and this thing can shoot in 4K, which is what really matters.

The Sony Xperia 1 VI is available for preorders now in the UK, starting at the jaw-dropping asking price of $1,640 in US dollars. Theres some more bad news for US consumers. Unlike previous versions, the company has no current plans to bring this phone stateside.

This article contains affiliate links; if you click such a link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission.
Source of oil leak into Galveston Bay following barge collision has been contained, say officials

Officials are monitoring an oil spill in Texas waterways after the partial collapse of a bridge that was struck by a barge, but the source of the spill itself has been contained, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The 321-foot barge, named MMLP 321, struck a pillar on the railroad portion of the Pelican Island Causeway on Wednesday morning, causing oil aboard the vessel to leak into Galveston Bay, according to officials. The span is the only bridge that leads from the island city of Galveston, on the Texas Gulf Coast, to nearby Pelican Island.

MORE: Ship that struck Francis Scott Key Bridge had blackouts 10 hours before crash, NTSB report finds

Engineers from the Texas Department of Transportation will inspect the roadway and determine if it also is damaged, officials said. No injuries were reported.

The barge was carrying 30,000 barrels of vacuum gas oil, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement on Wednesday. It is unclear how much oil leaked into the bay.

The U.S. Coast Guard is leading the response to assess the oil spill and will determine its extent and the cleanup process. The source of the leak from the barge has been contained, the Coast Guard said in a statement on Thursday.

PHOTO: A barge that crashed into a bridge, forcing the closure of a roadway, is seen in Galveston, Texas, May 15, 2024 in this handout photo. (County of Galveston via Facebook/Reuters)

Sheen from the oil on the water could be seen in aerial footage of the bay.

MORE: Why some states are discharging much more chemical waste into local waterways, according to new report

A Coast Guard plane as well as drones were deployed Thursday morning to evaluate the extent of the oil spill, the Coast Guard said. The Coast Guard also closed 6.5 miles along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, a busy shipping channel for the region.

"The harmful consequences of oil are once again impacting our coastal communities, wildlife, and waters," Joseph Gordon, campaign director for Oceana, an ocean conservation nonprofit, said in a statement regarding the spill. "...Whether it's spills at platforms like the Deepwater Horizon disaster, or spills due to accidents during transport, oil and gas drilling plays a destructive role in fueling the climate crisis."

PHOTO: A U.S. Coast Guard boat patrols the waters near the site where a barge hit the Pelican Island Bridge, May 15, 2024, in Galveston, Texas. (David J. Phillip/AP)

MORE: Coastal US cities are sinking as sea levels continue to rise, new research shows

The spill will probably have minimal long-term consequences, considering the volume of oil on board the barge, Danny Reible, a professor of environmental engineering at Texas Tech University, told ABC News.

"This volume would be widely dispersed pretty quickly," Reible said, adding that cleanup crews will likely deploy efforts like booms and collectors to mitigate the spread of the leak.

The Texas General Land Office, the state on-scene coordinator for the accident, is collaborating with other federal, state and local officials to ensure the safety of the public and responders, General Land Office Commissioner Dawn Buckingham told ABC News in an emailed statement.

"Other than safety, our top priorities include controlling the source of the pollution, containing and removing the spilled product from the water, re-establishing commerce, and protecting the Natural Resources of Texas," the statement said.

PHOTO: An spill boom is moved into position to contain a leak from a barge that crashed into the Pelican Island Bridge, May 15, 2024, in Galvestobn, Texas. (David J. Phillip/AP)

Pelican Island is home to a large shipyard, as well as industrial facilities and Texas A&M University's Galveston campus. While commencement ceremonies were held last week and classes are done for the spring semester, more than 200 people remained on the island and needed to be evacuated, ABC Houston station KTRK reported.

MORE: Map: Where ongoing water crises are happening in the US right now

First responders facilitated evacuations by allowing drivers to pass over the bridge one by one, at about 20 feet apart. Evacuations were temporarily halted while officials inspected the stability of the bridge. Hours later, the bridge was reopened for drivers leaving Pelican Island, but no one was permitted to enter, according to KTRK.

Texas A&M students, faculty and non-essential personnel were relocated from the island as of 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.

PHOTO: A section of railroad track hangs down from Pelican Island Bridge after a barge crashed into the bridge, May 15, 2024, in Galveston, Texas. (David J. Phillip/AP)

The bridge remains open to cars leaving Pelican Island and to pedestrians both ways, officials said.

On March 26, six people were killed after a cargo ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge spanning Baltimore Harbor, causing that bridge to collapse.

ABC News' Jennifer Watts contributed to this report.

Source of oil leak into Galveston Bay following barge collision has been contained, say officials originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Drones operated by Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) hit production facilities of the state-owned Russian weapons manufacturing company "Basalt" in the city of Tula overnight on May 16, a military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent.

Russian air defenses shot down two drones over Tula Oblast, one over Bryansk Oblast, one over Kaluga Oblast, one over Belgorod Oblast, and six over occupied Crimea at night, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed.

"Basalt" is reportedly the main defense enterprise for the production and supply of weapons and ammunition for Russia's Ground Forces, Air Force and Navy, headquartered in Moscow.

The source did not specify the scale of the consequences of the attack.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) targeted an oil depot in Belgorod Oblast and an electrical substation in Lipetsk Oblast on May 13, according to the Kyiv Independent's source in Ukraine's security services.

Two days earlier, Ukraine's military intelligence claimed it was behind the attack on the oil refinery in Volgograd. The Kaluganefteprodukt oil depot and the Novolipetsk metallurgical plant were also reportedly struck by drones.

Read also: Governor: Russian ammunition depot explodes in occupied Luhansk Oblast

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The International Court of Justice should order Israel to halt its Rafah offensive and step up efforts to protect civilians in Gaza, South Africa argued Thursday, as hearings in its genocide case against Israel got underway.

Lawyers argued before the UNs highest court that Israels attack on Rafah constituted an extreme risk to humanitarian aid delivery, to the medical system in the enclave, and to the very survival of Palestinians in Gaza as a group.

One South African official called on the court to order Israel to immediately, totally and unconditionally, withdraw the Israeli army from the entirety of the Gaza Strip.

Israel will respond to South Africas accusations on Friday.

While the legal fight is just beginning, Israeli officials are increasingly divided on how to end the war in Gaza and who will govern the strip after the conflict is over.

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Experts expect the ICJ to take action against Israel

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Sources: The Washington Post, Middle East Eye

While the ICJ is expected to deliberate on this weeks legal arguments for some time, experts predict it will likely call for Israel to take additional steps to protect civilians. However, the courts rulings are legally binding but not enforceable in practice, and it has already issued similar orders that Israeli officials have rejected. They might order Israel  to do what they can to achieve a ceasefire. Or they may go further and order a ceasefire directly, Juliette McIntyre of the University of South Australia told The Washington Post. Israel has described the case as wholly unfounded, and its lawyers are expected to push back against South Africas claims.

Divisions in Netanyahus war cabinet widen

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Sources: The Washington Post, Jewish News Syndicate, The Wall Street Journal

Tensions are high among Israels leadership, with defense officials and Prime Minister Netanyahu publicly sparring over the future of Gaza. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the only long-term solution was empowering local Palestinian actors backed by international actors, to avoid Israeli soldiers getting permanently stationed in Gaza. Netanyahu harshly criticized the proposal, saying I am not willing to exchange Hamastan for Fatahstan, a reference to Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbass ruling Fatah party. The long-standing tension between Gallant and Netanyahu means both men have sought to bypass each other on key decisions, The Wall Street Journal reported.

International peacekeeping isnt a popular solution

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Sources: Al Jazeera, Financial Times

A coalition of Arab countries on Thursday called for a UN peacekeeping force to be deployed in Gaza, the latest in a series of proposals that try to envision a longer-term security solution for the enclave. US officials told the Financial Times they want to cobble together an Arab peacekeeping force, and there is no desire from the Biden administration to deploy American troops in Gaza. But Arab states are skeptical about deploying their own forces in Gaza and worried about appearing complicit with Israel or facing a Hamas insurgency themselves. So far, the different plans appear to have little momentum. Israel is refusing to talk to anybody about it, its in denial. And everyone else is talking past each other, one Western official told the FT.

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South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo arrives to give a public statement at the government complex in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May 16, 2024. A South Korean court ruled in favor of the government's contentious plan to drastically boost medical school admissions on Thursday. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  A South Korean court ruled in favor of the governments contentious push to drastically boost medical school admissions on Thursday, posing a setback to concerted efforts by incumbent doctors to spike the plan.

A standoff between the government and doctors opposed to the plan has shaken the countrys medical system for months. With broad support from senior doctors, more than 12,000 junior doctors, who are medical interns and residents, remain off the job since February.

The Seoul High Court rejected a request from striking doctors and other opponents to block the plan, which would raise the yearly medical school enrollment quota by 2,000 from the current cap of 3,058.

Lee Byung-chul, a lawyer for the doctors, said he will prepare to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court. Lim Hyun-taek, the hard-line leader of an association of doctors, said his organization will issue a statement on Friday after reviewing the verdict.

Officials have said they want to add up to 10,000 doctors by 2035 to cope with the countrys fast-aging population and a shortage of physicians in rural areas and in low-paying yet essential specialties like pediatrics and emergency departments.

Doctors say schools arent ready to handle an abrupt increase in students and that it would ultimately undermine the countrys medical services. But critics argue that physicians, one of the best-paid jobs in South Korea, are mainly worried that having more doctors would lower their incomes.

The request to suspend the enrollment plan was filed by 18 people including doctors, medical students and others hoping to enter medical schools.

The Seoul High Court ruled the doctors and possible future medical students aren't qualified to file administrative lawsuits, calling them a third party in the case. The court acknowledged that current medical students can suffer possible damage from the enrollment plan, but still rejected their request to protect public welfare. It said a suspension of the recruitment plan could cause immense harm to efforts to increase doctors in rural areas and other essential roles.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo welcomed the decision, saying the government appreciates the wise ruling by the judicial branch. He said the government will take steps to finalize medical school admission plans for the 2025 academic year by the end of this month.

Han urged the striking junior doctors to return to work immediately, saying it's difficult to maintain the country's emergency medical system without them. But South Korean media cited some striking doctors as saying they have no intention of reporting back to work.

The striking doctors are a fraction of all doctors in South Korea, estimated to number between 115,000 and 140,000. But in some major hospitals, they account for about 30% to 40% of the doctors, assisting fully qualified doctors and department chiefs during surgeries and other treatments while training. Their walkouts have caused cancellations of numerous surgeries and other care at their hospitals and burdened South Korea's medical services.

In support of their action, many senior doctors at their schools have also submitted resignations, though they havent stopped treating patients.

Government officials earlier threatened to suspend the licenses of the striking doctors but later halted those administrative steps to facilitate a dialogue with the strikers.
Detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department are investigating two separate sexual assaults along Highway 39 in the Angeles National Forest and are seeking any additional victims, authorities announced Wednesday.

Both female victims were assaulted between the hours of 9:30 and 10 p.m. on May 12 and 13, a LASD bulletin stated.

Authorities arrested 40-year-old Eduardo Sarabia on May 13 in connection with the incidents. He has since been charged by the L.A. County District Attorneys Office with two felony counts of forcible rape and forcible oral copulation.

Eduardo Sarabia, 40. (LASD)

Eduardo Sarabias vehicle seen here on May 14, 2024. (LASD)

Sarabia is described as a male Hispanic, standing 5 feet 4 inches, weighing approximately 160 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

The suspects vehicle is described as a white Sprinter van with a rack on top.

Based on the nature of the allegations, detectives believe there may be additional unidentified victims, the bulletin noted. Detectives are seeking the publics help in identifying any such victims.

San Fernando Valley communities hit hard by skyrocketing car thefts

Anyone with any information about this investigation is urged to contact L.A. County Sheriffs Departments Special Victims Bureau at 877-710-5273 or by email at specialvictimsbureau@lasd.org.

Those wishing to remain anonymous can call L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or leave tips online at lacrimestoppers.org.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  Southwest University and Penske are celebrating their partnership milestone with the inauguration of a new mural, according to a press release sent by Southwest University.

For years, Penskes industry-leading tools have been integral to Southwest Universitys educational resources, enriching the student experience and preparing them for real-world success, read the press release.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Thursday morning, May 16 at the Southwest University Technology Trade Center for the inaugural of the new mural.

Attendees had the opportunity to tour the new section, witness demonstrations of Penskes tools and learn more about the ongoing collaboration between Southwest University and Penske, according to the press release.

We are proud of the partnership weve cultivated with Penske, which has empowered our students with invaluable skills, said Ben Arriola, president of Southwest University. This

new section represents our commitment to innovation and education.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong meets with Yoon Hee-keun, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong met with Yoon Hee-keun, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, in Beijing on Thursday.

Noting that China and the Republic of Korea (ROK) are important neighbors and cooperative partners, Wang said China is ready to work with the ROK to uphold the concepts of cooperation, innovation, rule of law and mutual benefit, and to strengthen the building of law enforcement and security cooperation mechanisms.

Wang said China is willing to work with the ROK to enhance cooperation in combating cross-border gambling, jointly crack down on prominent crimes involving telecom and internet fraud, drugs and finance, deepen cooperation in law enforcement capacity building, improve the level of law enforcement and security cooperation, and effectively safeguard the security and stability of the two countries.

Yoon Hee-keun expressed the willingness to strengthen law enforcement and security cooperation with China and jointly enhance law enforcement capabilities. 
From the Spa City to a KC shootout, learn how an Arkansas arrest led to the start of the modern FBI

HOT SPRINGS, Ark.  Only 50 miles from the bubbling namesake of the city of Hot Springs and just past the heavily secured doors of the Little Rock FBI stands a reminder of the bureaus history; a bronze statue of an infamous G Man, the government agent on his way to bust criminals complete with fedora and firearm.

But prior to 1935, the statue would have looked different; missing the F on the FBI armband he wears and the all-important government-issued Tommy gun. With firearms such an integral part of todays agents, its hard to imagine a time without them.

The story of how the FBI became armed starts 90 years ago, just a few dozen miles from branch headquarters. Its a story Robert Raines knows well. As the director of the Gangster Museum of America, Raines has studied all things mobster for decades, collecting the moments in time that make Hot Springs known for its history.

A lot of people attribute Hot Springs to the beginning of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Raines explained from the Outlaw room of his Hot Springs museum.

As Raines explained, in the 1930s, the Spa City was known as a haven for Americas criminal underworld, a bona fide resort town for gangsters.

All these bank robbers would come here and meet, he said while gesturing to a lineup of mug shots on the wall. Anytime the FBI was looking for really anybody back in those days, they could pretty much rest assured they were probably coming here.

Kevin Costner museum coming to Hot Springs

One of the best in the business was Frank Jelly Nash, a notorious bank robber with a flair for nitroglycerin and his signature style. Nash had escaped the Fort Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary in 1930 and was enjoying laying low in Arkansas for three years, frequenting the many clubs and gambling halls of Hot Springs.





One of his favorite spots was the White Front Club, just a few yards from the gangster museum on Central Avenue.

The building no longer exists after being cleared to make way for a parking lot, but it was at that location, nearly a hundred years ago, where federal and local law enforcement pulled Nash from the building, shoved him in a car and started the journey back to Leavenworth, setting in motion a series of events that would result in the deaths of five men and creating the FBI as it is known today.

The significance of Arkansas to the FBI isnt lost on Supervisory Special Agent Ryan Kennedy, an expert on the bureaus history.

To know that this is the starting point for some of those changes that had a huge impact on our agency, Kennedy explained, Its really neat and its also very humbling.

In the bureaus infancy, the FBI was just the BI  Bureau of Investigation. Investigators were just that  investigators with no authority to make arrests and who did not carry guns  a far cry from the image of agents today.

When Wild West legend Charlie Bassett got out of Dodge he ended up in Arkansas

All that changed with that ill-fated arrest of Nash and a failed violent attempt by his associates to free him during a transfer at Kansas Citys Union Station. The fatal shootout that took the lives of Nash, a federal agent and three other members of law enforcement became known as the infamous Kansas City Massacre and the catalyst for the modern FBI.

At the time, in 1933, it was the worst law enforcement shooting in our nations history, Kennedy explained. Congress got together and they enacted several statutes that gave agents the authority to carry firearms and to actually make arrests on their own.

Only one other major event in American history changed the very fabric of the FBI the way the massacre did  September 11, 2001. That tragedy led the gangster-focused mission of federal agents for 67 years to turn into one of counter-terrorism.

It is this type of hidden history that keeps Raines in Hot Springs and passionate about sharing the citys story with those who stop by.

And its that unique Natural State connection that greets those who enter the Little Rock FBI office as they pass by the gun-toting G-Men whose existence is all thanks to an Arkansas criminal who is still in the today, buried in Paragould with the rest of the Nash family.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
Spanish police said Thursday they had seized 1.8 tons of crystal meth that Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel was trying to sell in Europe, the country's "biggest-ever seizure" of the narcotic.

Police arrested five people during the raid in the eastern Alicante province, one of them a Mexican running the cartel's Spanish operation, a statement said.

"This is the biggest-ever seizure of crystal meth in Spain and the second largest in Europe," Antonio Martinez Duarte, head of the police's drug trafficking and organized crime unit, told reporters.

"Among those arrested is a Mexican citizen linked to the Sinaloa Cartel," he added.

He did not give his name but indicated the suspect was responsible for receiving the narcotics in Spain then distributing them within Europe.

Police officers and journalists stand by part of a haul of 1.8 tons of methamphetamine in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, May 16, 2024. Spanish police say they have dismantled a major methamphetamine distribution network of the Mexican Sinaloa cartel. / Credit: Manu Fernandez / AP

According to Martinez, the group used houses in isolated areas in the Valencia region to store the smuggled shipments of methamphetamines before using vehicles with false bottoms to send them on to other European countries.

Police released video on social media showing officers removing bags of the apparent drugs that were hidden inside machinery and fake vehicle bottoms.

The Sinaloa Cartel is one of Mexico's oldest, largest and most violent criminal groups whose influence remains strong despite the arrest of its founder Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and his son.

Both have been extradited to and jailed in the United States. Last month, "El Chapo" had his request for phone calls and visits with his young daughters denied by a federal judge.

During the operation, police also detained three Spaniards and a Romanian, seizing five cars, documents, a weapon and cash.

But police believe it was a one-off trafficking operation and that "Mexican organizations are not permanently based" in Spain, Martinez Duarte said.

"These organizations send a trusted person who carries out the operation in line with their interests" and once that is over, he goes back home, he explained.

The seized narcotics had been due to be shipped to central Europe.

Although Spain is one of the main drug gateways to Europe, seizures of synthetic narcotics are uncommon as most traffickers usually deal in cannabis and cocaine.

In December, Spanish authorities confiscated 11 tons of cocaine hidden inside shipping containers and arrested 20 people. Nine months before that, police in northwestern Spain refloated a homemade semi-submersible vessel  a so-called "narco sub" they suspected was used to transport cocaine.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE)  New Mexico lawmakers are preparing to meet for a special lawmaking session in July. The states governor has primary control over the session, but others, like the states attorney general, are asking for lawmakers to address issues like victims rights and providing faster DNA evidence processing.

We are tired of every year  year after year  living in a community that cannot provide the basic public safety that were all entitled to, New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez said during a press conference on Thursday. But this is something that we have the power to change.

Citing FBI data, Torrez told the governors office in a letter, 93% of rapes, 90% of robberies, 79% of homicides, and 70% of aggravated assaults in New Mexico go unsolved.

Police monitor says APD doesnt need outside oversight

Torrez outlined three requests his office hopes to see discussed during the special session. Those include (1) investing in rapid DNA analysis machines and software, (2) boosting transparency and accountability for the oversight of accused individuals waiting for their trials, and (3) fully funding a crime victim advocacy unit within the attorney generals office.

Torrez said these priorities are currently causing challenges in addressing crime. The current backlog at the state lab and other facilities sometimes means that DNA evidence can wait five, six, seven [months], sometimes up to a year before its actually analyzed, Torrez explains.

Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe agreed and added that the DNA analysis machines and software are hundreds of thousands of dollars  something smaller departments cant afford. This was something around the state you could have smaller agencies working together and kind of a regional collaborative to get into equipment like this and help them more quickly solve crimes and get more advanced leads, that would lead to the solution of crimes, Hebbe said.

When it comes to transparency around accused individuals waiting for trial, Torrez said the public has a right to better accountability for the whereabouts and monitoring of accused criminals that have been released into the community before their trial. Torrezs office recently filed a lawsuit against the Second Judicial District Court over those sorts of public records.

One mother, Angel Alire, whose son Devon Heyborne was killed by a man out on pretrial release, called for this change: During my sons killers trial, testimony was given by a court employee that within a six week period, there was 113 alerts that he left his residence. 113 times that he violated his terms of release. Yet, remained out of jail. 113 times that my familys nightmare could have been avoided.

Governor Lujan Grisham calls for special session in July

And for victims advocacy, Torrez said the states constitution protects victims of crime in theory, but in practice, the state has dropped the ball.

Weve had a lot of conversations in Santa Fe about expanding various opportunities for people to bring civil rights claims against the government, but never to the benefit of victims, Torrez said. Maybe thats something that a conversation should be had around.

In a press conference on Thursday, May 16, Torrez and Linda Atkinson, the executive director of the New Mexico Victims Rights Project, also asked for more support for victims of crime.

I think its time that we come into the 21st century, and treat victims of crime as human beings, with dignity and respect, Atkinson said.

The special session is only expected to last a couple of days, and that means theres limited time to discuss issues. Already, lawmakers expressed concern that there might not be time to tackle some of the governors priorities.



When were looking at a special session. Were naturally walking into a situation where time is limited, there is not as much opportunity to dig into some of these bigger issues, Torrez said. But these [priorities] were picked because they are things that I think the legislature can actually accomplish within the constraints of a special session.

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Sri Lanka wants to repatriate mercenaries fighting for Russia against Ukraine

Sri Lanka is sending a high-level delegation to Russia to locate and repatriate its citizens fighting against Ukraine.

Source: Reuters, citing Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Tharaka Balasuriya

Details: Reports state that members of the delegation will look into the fate of hundreds of citizens who may have participated in the fighting in Ukraine.

It should be mentioned that in Sri Lanka, the investigation has been continuing since early May.

Quote: "The primary challenge lies in determining the exact number of individuals in Russia. As per unofficial sources, approximately 600-800 Sri Lankan individuals are in Russia," the minister said.

The minister stated that the team would include Sri Lanka's Minister of Defence, Kamal Gunaratne, who previously served as Ambassador to the Russian Federation.

Reuters reported that at least 16 retired Sri Lankan troops were killed in Ukraine, according to the Ministry of Defence.

Reuters noted that former Sri Lankan military soldiers have been repeatedly urged to join Russia's fight against Ukraine for quite some time. They are promised great incomes and opportunities to obtain Russian citizenship. The Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence has frequently warned against agreeing to this deception.

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On Thursday morning, before his hush-money trial resumed, Donald Trump ranted and raved outside of court and, in the process, likely violated his gag order by attacking one of the prosecutors.



A lead person from the DOJ is running the trial, so Bidens office is running this trial. This trial is a scam, and it shouldnt happen, Trump said.

Trump wraps up his morning rant by attacking one of the prosecutors, Colangelo, which is a flagrant violation of his gag order pic.twitter.com/jEKmkr7pfF  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 16, 2024

Trump was referring to Matthew Colangelo, the lead prosecutor on the case and a former attorney for the Department of Justice. Earlier this month, the New York Post reported that Colangelo was a political consultant to the Democratic National Committee. Trumps gag order prohibits him from attacking court staff, jurors, the prosecution, witnesses, and their families. He has already violated the order 10 times, resulting in being fined $10,000, and Merchan has warned that any further violations would result in jail time.

Complaining that he wasnt allowed to respond to damaging testimony from his former fixer and attorney Michael Cohen, as well as adult film actress Stormy Daniels, Trump had his legal team appeal to have the gag order tossed outonly to be denied by a New York appeals court on Tuesday. That didnt stop Trump from trying other methods to get around the gag order Wednesday, having his political allies criticize the people off-limits to him.



Trump is accused of paying off Daniels in order to keep their affair under wraps before the 2016 presidential election with the help of Cohen, and faces 34 felony charges for allegedly falsifying business records with the intent to further an underlying crime. If found guilty, he would likely serve prison time. With these repeated gag order violations, though, Trump might see the inside of a jail very soon.
In 2016, the Miami Beach City Commission voted to proceed with a major resiliency project on First Street, a low-lying area in a city deeply vulnerable to the effects of sea-level rise.

But eight years later, and four years after officials approved a roadway redesign, construction has yet to begin.

At a City Commission meeting Wednesday, officials vowed to put an end to the years of delays and finally move the project forward  or, at least, to do so next month, after they hold one last meeting to consider locals concerns about the loss of parking spaces and the objections of one of the streets most powerful residents, developer Russell Galbut.

It was a similar story Wednesday for the second phase of a road-raising and stormwater project in the West Avenue neighborhood that was approved in 2017 after an initial phase was completed. Seven years later, residents gripes about the removal of street parking spaces are the latest holdup in a series of slowdowns, prompting the contractor to threaten to pull out of the project altogether because of repeated delays and escalating costs.

Now, the First Street and West Avenue projects are set to be discussed at a special committee meeting ahead of the next City Commission meeting in June  when officials will have no choice but to finalize the plans and move both projects forward to keep the city dry, Mayor Steven Meiner said.

Were on the record, Meiner said Wednesday. The pressure is on.

Facing more than two feet of sea rise by 2060, which could swamp thousands of homes and cause billions in property damage, Miami Beach committed nearly a decade ago to spending up to $500 million over five years to install 80 flood pumps and to raise roads and seawalls across the city.

But after completing several major road-raising projects under former Mayor Philip Levine, including on Palm and Hibiscus Islands and in the Sunset Harbour neighborhood, Miami Beachs ambitious plan has effectively stalled.

Several commissioners stressed Wednesday that both projects must get done.

Nobody wants to spend $100 million to prepare for the future, but its necessary, Commissioner Joseph Magazine said of the West Avenue project. We cant just keep kicking this down the road.

Commissioner David Suarez agreed.

We need to move forward and stop stalling these projects, because our children are going to be the ones that are going to pay the price, said Suarez, who proposed parking solutions to try to alleviate resident blowback.

For both projects, city officials have contemplated alternative approaches that would limit the loss of parking. Those details will likely be at the heart of discussions at the upcoming committee meeting.

Magazine said it was ironic that concerns about parking to accommodate cars would stand in the way of efforts to combat climate change.

Thats straight out of The Onion, he said during Wednesdays meeting, referring to the satirical news site.

Before and after images show that even with higher tides, the new raised roads in Miami Beachs West Avenue neighborhood stay dry.

Costs skyrocket amid delays

While Levines administration was successful in raising roads in multiple neighborhoods relatively quickly with his just get it done approach, the citys first few projects were highly controversial, in part because higher roads led to flooding of some lower-lying properties.

We literally ruined their island, Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez said of the Palm and Hibiscus project. Because we didnt have these discussions.

The city has since taken a more deliberate approach, including conducting a study that showed property values rose in Sunset Harbour after the road-raising project, and how dozens of floods have been avoided in neighborhoods with elevated streets.

Price tags for the First Street and West Avenue projects have more than doubled amid the slowdown.

The cost of the First Street project, for which construction was estimated at $46 million in 2021, has risen to an expected $178 million. Despite having $35 million in state grant funding for the project, the city now faces a nearly $90 million funding gap, according to a memo from the administration.

Miami Beach has spent $7 million on the design phase, which is considered to be 60% complete.

The West Avenue phase-two project, meanwhile, was first estimated at $44 million. But after a series of change orders expanding the scope and costs, the project is now budgeted at $105 million.

Pictures show the extent of king tide flooding on Sept. 30, 2019, on First Street in Miami Beach.

The pushback

Stephan Ginez, who owns Hotel Gaythering in the West Avenue neighborhood, told commissioners Wednesday that a lot of frustration has built up over the project because residents had to fight for every single item.

That fight has included relocating a pump station, rejecting a fee to connect to the stormwater system, ensuring harmonization to prevent the flooding of homes and, now, seeking to limit parking losses.

It is a constant battle, Ginez said, though he added he is optimistic that the parking issues will be sorted out.

Perhaps the greatest threat to the West Avenue project is the citys damaged relationship with its contractor, Ric-Man Construction, which sued the city in 2022 over the delays and rising costs. The City Commission on Wednesday authorized the administration to enter into arbitration with the contractor to try to resolve the disputes.

Rosen Gonzalez raised worries about both projects.

She said the First Street project, which contemplates raising the road by about 1.5 feet and installing a 96-inch pipe and a pump station near Washington Avenue to address flooding throughout the South of Fifth neighborhood, would disrupt one of the citys most successful business corridors.

This might be, in my opinion, one of the worst decisions we would ever make as a political body to ruin First Street, Rosen Gonzalez said during Wednesdays meeting.

The comment drew applause from Galbut, a prominent developer and longtime Miami Beach resident, who later told commissioners that he and his wife built their dream home on First Street more than 10 years ago.

Galbut is also the landlord for Papi Steak, a First Street restaurant that is co-owned by Miami nightlife entrepreneur David Grutman. In an interview with the Miami Herald on Wednesday, Galbut said his problems with the resiliency project have nothing to do with the restaurant.

This has to do with our home and the character of our street, he said.

Russell Galbut

Galbuts chief issues, he said, include the removal of mature oak trees and the lack of a plan to support the streets restaurants during construction. In addition to Papi Steak, First Street is home to seafood restaurant Estiatorio Milos and Fogo de Chao Brazilian Steakhouse.

Rather than installing one large pipe that will require the city to rip up the entire street, Galbut suggested the city could instead utilize several smaller pipes to limit the disruption.

There is a solution that should work for everybody, he said.

A road-raising project takes place in front of the Miami Beach Publix on 20th Street and Bay Road in 2015.

Galbut vs. Grieco

Galbut squared off Wednesday with Mike Grieco, a former Miami Beach city commissioner and state representative who also lives along First Street.

Grieco pointed out that a prior City Commission signed off on details of the project in 2020 and said it should have moved forward long ago.

You guys cannot kick this can down the road anymore, he said. You need to get one project done at some point in our lifetime.

Mike Grieco, a former Miami Beach city commissioner and state representative who ran unsuccessfully for mayor last year, is pictured during an election watch party at South Pointe Tavern on Nov. 7, 2023.

Grieco shared with the Herald an email Galbut had sent him in June 2022, when Grieco was a state representative, in which Galbut outlined a list of items they had discussed related to the project and said he appreciated how we worked together so well to come up with what is best for the community.

Their relationship has since soured. In recent text messages Grieco shared with the Herald, Grieco told Galbut that Galbut broke [his] word about supporting the project.

I never agreed to the total destruction of our street and restaurants. Nor would I ever, Galbut replied.

Several commissioners wondered Wednesday if it would be feasible to relocate the pipe away from First Street. The citys public works director, Joe Gomez, suggested that could derail the project entirely.

This has been looked at and re-looked at by our subject matter experts, Gomez said. We can look at it, but I want to warn everybody, full transparency ... that it will more than likely require moving the pump station, which is going to be a controversial item, which may end up killing this project.

Miami Herald Staff Writer Alex Harris contributed to this report.
'Stand Back And Stand By': Matt Gaetz Parrots Trump's Call To Violent Extremists At His Trial

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) on Thursday ominously invoked Donald Trumps call to far-right violent extremists while joining the former president at his criminal trial in New York.

Standing back and standing by, Mr. President, Gaetz wrote on social media, along with a photo of himself positioned behind Trump at his trial.

Standing back and standing by, Mr. President. pic.twitter.com/gGPeTLtWmv  Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) May 16, 2024

The phrase is a reference to Trump infamously refusing to condemn heavily armed white supremacists, namely the neo-fascist Proud Boys, during a September 2020 presidential debate. The Proud Boys had been tied to violence that summer in cities including Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Portland, Oregon.

Proud Boys, stand back and stand by, was all Trump finally said in the debate, before trying to blame others for violence.

Ill tell you what, somebodys got to do something about Antifa and the left because this is not a right-wing problem, this is a left-wing problem, he said.

Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) called out Gaetz for his Thursday message.

Standing back and standing by You know exactly what you are doing  blowing the Proud Boys dog whistle, Crow wrote on social media. Trying to be subtle in your call for violence; well we wont let you. This is unacceptable.

As HuffPost editor Andy Campbell reported in his book on the Proud Boys, the group put Trumps statement on T-shirts and saw a surge of new recruits and revenue from merchandise. They also took that phrase as marching orders and actively declared civil war when Trump said it.

Several Proud Boys were later convicted of seditious conspiracy for helping lead the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Gaetz is one of several GOP lawmakers who have flocked to Trumps trial in recent days to show their allegiance to him and carry out his attacks on the rule of law, which Trump himself can no longer do since hes under a gag order.

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), a far-right congressman who spoke at a February rally sponsored by the Proud Boys, appeared alongside Gaetz on Thursday. So did Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), who was heckled as she spoke outside the courthouse.

Beetlejuice! someone shouted at Boebert, a reference to her being kicked out of a Denver theater last year for vaping during a musical production of the movie.

Related...
Certain categories of draft-aged men will be required to show that they have registered with conscription offices at the border under the new mobilization laws that will go into effect on May 18, said State Border Guard spokesperson Andrii Demchenko in comments to Ukrainska Pravda on May 16.

Ukraine has sought to update the legal framework around conscription and introduce harsher penalties for draft evasion to ramp up mobilization in 2024. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed several laws on mobilization in April.

Under martial law, Ukrainian men aged between 18 and 60, with some exceptions, are not allowed to leave the country as they may be called up for military service.

According to Demchenko, some categories of men who are allowed to leave the country will still be required under the new laws to show that they have registered at military conscription offices when crossing the border.

The new law will not impact other categories of draft-aged men who are allowed to leave, such as men with disabilities or those transporting humanitarian goods.

Read also: Ukraine could recruit up to 20,000 convicts into army, Justice Minister says

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
State College Area School Districts superintendent updated families Thursday after the death of a Park Forest Middle School student, writing that reports of bullying are being investigated but evidence that a person or incident are responsible has not been found.

Eighth-grader Abby Smith died on Sunday, and in the days since the State College community has mourned the death of a girl described as a kind, bright young woman who brightened the lives of those around her.

In a letter to families on Thursday afternoon, Superintendent Curtis Johnson said that since Sunday, the district has received numerous communications and Safe2Say reports that singled out individuals for bullying. Abbys family was not aware of her being bullied and do not believe it was the reason for her death by suicide, Johnson wrote.

SCASD administration and law enforcement agencies are still investigating.

At this time, we have found no evidence that any one person or incident is responsible, Johnson wrote. Additionally, we did not receive any related Safe2Say reports beforehand.

Abby, an eighth-grade student at Park Forest Middle School, has two siblings in the district. A Meal Train donation page has been set up for the Smith family and has raised $48,650 as of Thursday.

A percussionist in the Park Forest Middle School band, Abby was looking forward to joining the marching band and taking culinary classes at State High, according to her obituary. She loved to craft with her mother and learned to cook with her father. She was preparing to be a leader in training at Shavers Creek Environmental Center this summer, the camp she had attended since she was four.

Abby was a loving, creative, fiercely protective, determined old soul with a large group of family and friends who loved her immensely, her obituary read.

The district asked that families not spread any misinformation and that parents talk with students about spreading rumors. Any credible information should be reported to the district or through Safe2Say, the anonymous school safety reporting system.

My hope is this information helps create more understanding, and our conversations turn to remembering Abby as the nurturing and loving young woman she was, Johnson wrote. In the coming days, lets focus on helping each other and caring for one another.

Additional mental health support professionals were brought in to help students at Park Forest Middle School and classrooms throughout the district on Monday. Counselors will continue to be available to students as needed, Johnson wrote.

SUICIDE PREVENTION RESOURCES

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 988

Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 or chat at 988Lifeline.org

Center for Community Resources: Visit 2100 E. College Ave., 24/7
State grants to fund repairs to highways in Dennison and Baltic damaged by April floods

TUSCARAWAS COUNTY  Two area highways damaged during flooding in early April have been awarded grants by the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) through its discretionary Emergency Program.

The agency awarded $359,550 to repair a road slip on Stillwater Avenue in Dennison. The highway carries Ohio 800 through town. In addition, $266,533 was awarded for slope stabilization on County Road 46 (Ragersville Road) near Baltic.

Repairs to Stillwater Avenue along the LIttle Stillwater Creek can be seen after road slippage was reported in April.

During the storms in April, a small portion of the bank along Stillwater Avenue was eroded by high waters. The highway runs along Little Stillwater Creek. The village of Dennison made emergency repairs to keep the road open.

Mayor Greg DiDonato said the village applied for a much larger grant from the OPWC, but after discussions with officials from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), they were able to come up with alternative ways to reinforce the bank that were less expensive.

The grant from the state will pay for 90% of the project. The village will be responsible for the remainder, which is $40,000. Dennison will be working to get funds to cover the rest of the cost.

Road problems: Flooding erodes stream bank in Dennison; village wants ODOT to help pay for repairs

The village plans to put the project out to bid in September or October, and have a contract awarded by the end of the year.

Site of new businesses

The mayor said it is essential to keep Stillwater Avenue open, because two new businesses there  Smart Sand, which supplies sand for the hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, of oil and gas wells, which has already opened, and Stillwater Crossing, a men's substance use treatment and recovery center, which will be opening in the near future.

A Gas Field Services LLC truck passes the SmartSand sign along Stillwater Avenue, Tuesday, May 14.

At the time of the slip, DiDonato had said he wanted Ohio 800 rerouted away from Dennison if ODOT was unwilling to pay for repairs. "At this point, there's no benefit to us to have 800 go through town," he said.

The state highway goes through the Thornwood Park section of town, a residential area. In the past, the road saw limited use. But in recent months, a well was drilled on Moravian Trail Road near the village. For 40 days, an endless stream of trucks used the state route. "That brought a lot of complaints," the mayor said. Stop signs were knocked over, and the village was replacing about one a week.

Construction is still in progress at Stillwater Crossing, a men's treatment facility, on Dudgeon Way and Stillwater Avenue, Tuesday, May 14.

"I made it clear to ODOT that this is putting a lot of stress on our roads," he said. More wells are likely to be drilled in the vicinity.

Since that time, village and ODOT officials have discussed the situation, and they are working on ways to share responsibility for maintenance, he said. ODOT officials were also helpful in getting the emergency grant, he added.

Slope failure

Near Baltic, heavy rains caused a slope failure that broke up the pavement on County Road 46, according to County Engineer Doug Bachman. "It's open, but we had to put cold mix to patch the cracks," he said.

He is not sure when final repairs will be made.

Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: State aid will fund repairs to area roads damaged by flooding
A convoy of vehicles are on their way to a funeral in Goma, North Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on May 15, 2024. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) held a funeral on Wednesday for the victims of recent bombings at several sites for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country's eastern province of North Kivu. (Photo by Zanem Nety Zaidi/Xinhua)

GOMA, DRC, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) held a funeral on Wednesday for the victims of recent bombings at several sites for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country's eastern province of North Kivu.

On May 3, at least five rockets fell in and around four IDP camps in the outlying neighborhoods of Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province. According to the provincial government, the toll rose to 35 dead and 37 injured.

The Minister of Social Affairs, Humanitarian Actions and National Solidarity, Modeste Mutinga Mutushayi, reaffirmed the DRC government's will and determination to spare no effort to restore peace in the eastern part of the country.

"May this mourning awaken in us a dynamic of national solidarity. Be more than reassured that you are not alone in this difficult, disturbing, and trying ordeal," he said.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned last Tuesday that the risk of further shell explosions "cannot be ruled out," as one of the fallen shells remains unexploded, and there is an escalation of hostilities in areas surrounding IDP camps.

The sites bombed last Friday are located on the axis between Goma and the town of Sake, one of the epicenters of hostilities between the DRC military and the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels, considered the last barrier to Goma.

Humanitarian access to IDP sites along the Goma-Sake axis has been "further restricted" due to persistent fighting, the OCHA said.

The DRC government has blamed the attacks on M23 rebels, who have taken control of some parts of North Kivu Province. The UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, known as MONUSCO, has called on all parties to take appropriate measures to reduce risks to the protection of civilians and to maintain humanitarian access. 

People attend a funeral in Goma, North Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on May 15, 2024. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) held a funeral on Wednesday for the victims of recent bombings at several sites for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country's eastern province of North Kivu. (Photo by Zanem Nety Zaidi/Xinhua)

People escort a coffin to a funeral in Goma, North Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on May 15, 2024. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) held a funeral on Wednesday for the victims of recent bombings at several sites for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country's eastern province of North Kivu. (Photo by Zanem Nety Zaidi/Xinhua)

People are on their way to a funeral in Goma, North Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on May 15, 2024. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) held a funeral on Wednesday for the victims of recent bombings at several sites for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country's eastern province of North Kivu. (Photo by Zanem Nety Zaidi/Xinhua)

People attend a funeral in Goma, North Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on May 15, 2024. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) held a funeral on Wednesday for the victims of recent bombings at several sites for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country's eastern province of North Kivu. (Photo by Zanem Nety Zaidi/Xinhua)

People carry a coffin at a funeral in Goma, North Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on May 15, 2024. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) held a funeral on Wednesday for the victims of recent bombings at several sites for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country's eastern province of North Kivu. (Photo by Zanem Nety Zaidi/Xinhua)

People are on their way to a funeral in Goma, North Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on May 15, 2024. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) held a funeral on Wednesday for the victims of recent bombings at several sites for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country's eastern province of North Kivu. (Photo by Zanem Nety Zaidi/Xinhua)

People carry a coffin at a funeral in Goma, North Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on May 15, 2024. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) held a funeral on Wednesday for the victims of recent bombings at several sites for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country's eastern province of North Kivu. (Photo by Zanem Nety Zaidi/Xinhua)
An infant in Fayetteville, Ga., receives one of several routine vaccinations typically required for children entering K-12 schools. On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic and with growing skepticism around vaccinations and government requirements, some state lawmakers want to end state vaccine mandates for children. (Angie Wang/The Associated Press)

Louisiana Republican state Rep. Kathy Edmonston believes no one ought to be required to vaccinate their children. So, she wants schools to proactively tell parents that its their right under Louisiana law to seek an exemption.

Its not the vaccine itself, it is the mandate, Edmonston told Stateline. The law is the law. And it already says you can opt out if you dont want it. If you do want it, you can go anywhere and get it.

Although Louisiana scores among the bottom states in most health indicators, nearly 90% of kindergarten children statewide have complete vaccination records, according to data from the Louisiana Department of Health from last school year. Thats even as Louisiana maintains some of the broadest exemptions for personal, religious and moral reasons. The state only requires a written notice from parents to schools.

Edmonston has sponsored legislation that would require schools to provide parents with information about the exemptions. The bill is intended to ensure parents arent denied medically necessary information, she said.

Vaccines protect not only the patient, but also those around them. Science has shown that a population can reach community immunity, also known as herd immunity, once a certain percentage of the group is vaccinated. That herd immunity can protect people who cant get vaccinated, such as those with weakened immune systems or serious allergies, by reducing their chances of infection. In the past few years, however, COVID-19 vaccines have terrified some people who oppose requirements to get the shot, even though research shows the vaccines are far safer than getting the disease.

Some lawmakers across the country are working to sidestep vaccine mandates, not just for COVID-19, but also for measles, polio and meningitis. Public health experts worry the renewed opposition to childhood immunizations will reverse state gains in vaccination rates. Meanwhile, cases of some diseases, including measles, have increased across the country.

Were against the government telling us what to do with our own bodies.

 Louisiana Republican state Rep. Kathy Edmonston

Edmonstons bill is one of dozens this session that aim to relax vaccine requirements, according to a database maintained by the National Conference of State Legislatures, a nonpartisan research organization that serves lawmakers and their staffs. Most of the bills have either died in committee or failed to advance, but a few have become law.

Idaho enacted a law, effective in July, that allows students of majority age  18 in Idaho  to submit their own immunization waivers to schools and universities, both public and private. And Tennessee passed a law, which took effect in April, that prohibits the state from requiring immunizations as a condition of either adoption or foster care if the family taking in a child has a religious or moral objection to vaccines.

Conservatives have really moved towards that medical freedom position of where people need to be really educated about whatever vaccine that they are taking, said Tennessee state Sen. Bo Watson, who sponsored his states legislation.

I think the public health community has really lost credibility during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Watson, a Republican. And theyre going to have to work really hard to restore some of that credibility.

Other bills that would have allowed some exemptions passed legislatures but were stopped short by governors.

In West Virginia, Republican Gov. Jim Justice vetoed legislation that would have allowed full-time virtual public school students, along with private and parochial schools, to avoid mandatory vaccine requirements. Justice said in his veto message that he heard constant, strong opposition to this legislation from our States medical community.

Similarly, Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoed legislation that would have required public colleges and universities to allow immunization waivers for health, religious or personal reasons.

Edmonston said shes tried before with her legislation in Louisiana; it either died or got vetoed by former Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards. But now, with Republican Gov. Jeff Landry in charge, Edmonston is confident the bill will get signed into law. Its already passed the House and is being debated in the Senate.

Both she and Watson said the push to relax requirements or create broader exemptions for immunizations is not tied to vaccines themselves. The debate tends to be centered around what many conservatives call an overreach of government.

Were against the government telling us what to do with our own bodies, Edmonston said.

Greater momentum after COVID-19

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends numerous vaccinations for infants as a standard regimen. And shots protecting against measles, mumps and rubella, chickenpox and hepatitis B, among others, are typically required to attend K-12 schools. States set their own requirements and exemptions, however, and there are variations.

Pushback against vaccine mandates goes back more than a century to the early 1900s, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court in 1905 ruled that states could require parents to vaccinate their children, according to Simon Haeder, an associate professor of public health at Texas A&M University, who has been tracking vaccine hesitancy for several years.

Although the opposition tends to exist mostly along partisan lines, with Republicans more likely to support vaccine exemptions, Haeder noted that far-left groups  which may tend to be skeptical of medicines in general  also support the loosening of vaccination requirements.

The scientific skepticism and opposition to state interference and the partisan nature of this issue has really escalated, starting during the COVID years, Haeder told Stateline.

Its very hard for states right now wanting to increase vaccination requirements, he said.

Among kindergartners, national coverage dropped from about 95% for all vaccines in the 2019-2020 school year to about 93% for all vaccines in both the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years, according to the CDC.

Nonmedical exemptions account for more than 90% of all approved vaccination exemptions and are allowed in all but five states. Exemptions increased from 2.2% among kindergartners in the 2019-2020 school year to 3% in 2022-2023, and 10 states reported that more than 5% of kindergartners had an exemption from at least one vaccine.

Jennifer Herricks, a microbiologist and founder of Louisiana Families for Vaccines, an advocacy organization in support of vaccines, has been tracking efforts to relax vaccine mandates since 2015.

I became a mom. And then it became even more personal for me, especially having those little infants who are too young to get a lot of the vaccines, Herricks said. And then you realize that they are vulnerable to these diseases and that they are depending on the people around them to be vaccinated so that they dont get sick.

But Jill Hines, co-director of Health Freedom Louisiana, a group that opposes vaccine mandates, said some parents just want the chance to opt out.

Believe it or not, my children are fully vaccinated. We were never informed of the states exemption law, Hines told Stateline. She added that some in her group feel that vaccine reporting requirements are an invasion of privacy.

We should not be denied access to society, access to a job, access to an education, simply because weve refused medical intervention, she said.

Growing concern among health professionals

Mississippi, which sits near the bottom of state rankings on most health indicators such as obesity and heart disease, hasnt had a measles case since 1992.

We have pushed back all the potentially fatal childhood infections from being commonplace in Mississippi to being extremely rare, Dr. Daniel Edney, the state health officer, said in an interview.

Immunizations against childhood diseases have been required by state law since 1979 for entry into K-12 schools and day care centers. The mandate has helped Mississippi lead the nation with some of the highest rates of childhood vaccinations, including a vaccination rate of nearly 99% among kindergarteners.

But last year, a federal judge ordered Mississippi to begin accepting religious exemptions after an interest group, Texas-based Informed Consent Action Network, sued the state in federal court. Since then, thousands of exemption requests have poured in.

Mississippi is approaching the approval of more than 2,800 religious exemptions, Edney said. He expects other states also will see more exemptions as lawmakers elsewhere find success with legislation to relax vaccine mandates or increase requirements on opt-out information.

If youre going to be against good, sound childhood vaccine policy  the vaccinations that have been proven safe and effective for decades  you need to be against clean water and against proper sewage and food protection, Edney said.

Dr. John Gaudet, a Mississippi pediatrician for about three decades, said he worried the COVID-19 vaccine controversy would spill into the nations ongoing childhood vaccine debate.

I think there was a point where you would go to the doctor, and you would just kind of take it almost as, Well, this is what the doctor recommended, he said. And so theres now more of a consumer mentality: Well, the doctor may say this, but maybe that doctor is not trustworthy.

Across the country, meanwhile, measles has surged, with at least 132 measles cases reported so far this year, according to the CDC. Two-thirds of those cases are among people under the age of 19, and over half of them have resulted in hospitalizations. The cases have spread to 20 states.

But not, so far, to Mississippi.

Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org. Follow Stateline on Facebook and Twitter.

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An infant in Fayetteville, Georgia, receives one of several routine vaccinations typically required for children entering K-12 schools. On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic and with growing skepticism around vaccinations and government requirements, some state lawmakers want to end state vaccine mandates for children. (Angie Wang/The Associated Press)

Louisiana Republican state Rep. Kathy Edmonston believes no one ought to be required to vaccinate their children. So, she wants schools to proactively tell parents that its their right under Louisiana law to seek an exemption.

Its not the vaccine itself, it is the mandate, Edmonston told Stateline. The law is the law. And it already says you can opt out if you dont want it. If you do want it, you can go anywhere and get it.

Although Louisiana scores among the bottom states in most health indicators, nearly 90% of kindergarten children statewide have complete vaccination records, according to data from the Louisiana Department of Health from last school year. Thats even as Louisiana maintains some of the broadest exemptions for personal, religious and moral reasons. The state only requires a written notice from parents to schools.

Edmonston has sponsored legislation that would require schools to provide parents with information about the exemptions. The bill is intended to ensure parents arent denied medically necessary information, she said.

Vaccines protect not only the patient, but also those around them. Science has shown that a population can reach community immunity, also known as herd immunity, once a certain percentage of the group is vaccinated. That herd immunity can protect people who cant get vaccinated, such as those with weakened immune systems or serious allergies, by reducing their chances of infection. In the past few years, however, COVID-19 vaccines have terrified some people who oppose requirements to get the shot, even though research shows the vaccines are far safer than getting the disease.

Some lawmakers across the country are working to sidestep vaccine mandates, not just for COVID-19, but also for measles, polio and meningitis. Public health experts worry the renewed opposition to childhood immunizations will reverse state gains in vaccination rates. Meanwhile, cases of some diseases, including measles, have increased across the country.

Were against the government telling us what to do with our own bodies.

 Rep. Kathy Edmonston, R-Baton Rouge

Edmonstons bill is one of dozens this session that aim to relax vaccine requirements, according to a database maintained by the National Conference of State Legislatures, a nonpartisan research organization that serves lawmakers and their staffs. Most of the bills have either died in committee or failed to advance, but a few have become law.

Idaho enacted a law, effective in July, that allows students of majority age  18 in Idaho  to submit their own immunization waivers to schools and universities, both public and private. And Tennessee passed a law, which took effect in April, that prohibits the state from requiring immunizations as a condition of either adoption or foster care if the family taking in a child has a religious or moral objection to vaccines.

Conservatives have really moved towards that medical freedom position of where people need to be really educated about whatever vaccine that they are taking, said Tennessee state Sen. Bo Watson, who sponsored his states legislation.

I think the public health community has really lost credibility during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Watson, a Republican. And theyre going to have to work really hard to restore some of that credibility.

Other bills that would have allowed some exemptions passed legislatures but were stopped short by governors.

In West Virginia, Republican Gov. Jim Justice vetoed legislation that would have allowed full-time virtual public school students, along with private and parochial schools, to avoid mandatory vaccine requirements. Justice said in his veto message that he heard constant, strong opposition to this legislation from our States medical community.

Similarly, Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoed legislation that would have required public colleges and universities to allow immunization waivers for health, religious or personal reasons.

Edmonston said shes tried before with her legislation in Louisiana; it either died or got vetoed by former Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards. But now, with Republican Gov. Jeff Landry in charge, Edmonston is confident the bill will get signed into law. Its already passed the House and is being debated in the Senate.

Both she and Watson said the push to relax requirements or create broader exemptions for immunizations is not tied to vaccines themselves. The debate tends to be centered around what many conservatives call an overreach of government.

Were against the government telling us what to do with our own bodies, Edmonston said.

Greater momentum after COVID-19

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends numerous vaccinations for infants as a standard regimen. And shots protecting against measles, mumps and rubella, chickenpox and hepatitis B, among others, are typically required to attend K-12 schools. States set their own requirements and exemptions, however, and there are variations.

Pushback against vaccine mandates goes back more than a century to the early 1900s, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court in 1905 ruled that states could require parents to vaccinate their children, according to Simon Haeder, an associate professor of public health at Texas A&M University, who has been tracking vaccine hesitancy for several years.

Although the opposition tends to exist mostly along partisan lines, with Republicans more likely to support vaccine exemptions, Haeder noted that far-left groups  which may tend to be skeptical of medicines in general  also support the loosening of vaccination requirements.

The scientific skepticism and opposition to state interference and the partisan nature of this issue has really escalated, starting during the COVID years, Haeder told Stateline.

Its very hard for states right now wanting to increase vaccination requirements, he said.

Among kindergartners, national coverage dropped from about 95% for all vaccines in the 2019-2020 school year to about 93% for all vaccines in both the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years, according to the CDC.

Nonmedical exemptions account for more than 90% of all approved vaccination exemptions and are allowed in all but five states. Exemptions increased from 2.2% among kindergartners in the 2019-2020 school year to 3% in 2022-2023, and 10 states reported that more than 5% of kindergartners had an exemption from at least one vaccine.

Jennifer Herricks, a microbiologist and founder of Louisiana Families for Vaccines, an advocacy organization in support of vaccines, has been tracking efforts to relax vaccine mandates since 2015.

I became a mom. And then it became even more personal for me, especially having those little infants who are too young to get a lot of the vaccines, Herricks said. And then you realize that they are vulnerable to these diseases and that they are depending on the people around them to be vaccinated so that they dont get sick.

But Jill Hines, co-director of Health Freedom Louisiana, a group that opposes vaccine mandates, said some parents just want the chance to opt out.

Believe it or not, my children are fully vaccinated. We were never informed of the states exemption law, Hines told Stateline. She added that some in her group feel that vaccine reporting requirements are an invasion of privacy.

We should not be denied access to society, access to a job, access to an education, simply because weve refused medical intervention, she said.

Growing concern among health professionals

Mississippi, which sits near the bottom of state rankings on most health indicators such as obesity and heart disease, hasnt had a measles case since 1992.

We have pushed back all the potentially fatal childhood infections from being commonplace in Mississippi to being extremely rare, Dr. Daniel Edney, the state health officer, said in an interview.

Immunizations against childhood diseases have been required by state law since 1979 for entry into K-12 schools and day care centers. The mandate has helped Mississippi lead the nation with some of the highest rates of childhood vaccinations, including a vaccination rate of nearly 99% among kindergarteners.

But last year, a federal judge ordered Mississippi to begin accepting religious exemptions after an interest group, Texas-based Informed Consent Action Network, sued the state in federal court. Since then, thousands of exemption requests have poured in.

Mississippi is approaching the approval of more than 2,800 religious exemptions, Edney said. He expects other states also will see more exemptions as lawmakers elsewhere find success with legislation to relax vaccine mandates or increase requirements on opt-out information.

If youre going to be against good, sound childhood vaccine policy  the vaccinations that have been proven safe and effective for decades  you need to be against clean water and against proper sewage and food protection, Edney said.

Dr. John Gaudet, a Mississippi pediatrician for about three decades, said he worried the COVID-19 vaccine controversy would spill into the nations ongoing childhood vaccine debate.

I think there was a point where you would go to the doctor, and you would just kind of take it almost as, Well, this is what the doctor recommended, he said. And so theres now more of a consumer mentality: Well, the doctor may say this, but maybe that doctor is not trustworthy.

Across the country, meanwhile, measles has surged, with at least 132 measles cases reported so far this year, according to the CDC. Two-thirds of those cases are among people under the age of 19, and over half of them have resulted in hospitalizations. The cases have spread to 20 states.

But not, so far, to Mississippi.

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Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org. Follow Stateline on Facebook and Twitter.

The post As states loosen childhood vaccine requirements, health experts worries grow appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator.
Statue of Rev. Billy Graham, who transcended politics, now stands in US Capitol

The Rev. Billy Graham now has a permanent home in the U.S. Capitol.

After a decade of trying, North Carolinas lawmakers were able to add a statue of Graham to The Statuary Hall Collection.

Today, North Carolina gives to our nation a symbol representing one of our dearest treasures, the Rev. Billy Graham, said Gov. Roy Cooper, in a ceremony at the Capitol on Thursday. A man of faith, a man of North Carolina. The Rev. Graham was known as a minister to millions, a pastor to presidents, a selfless man of God who lived out his calling by preaching and teaching across the world.

Cooper, a Democrat, added that no matter where Grahams ministry took him, he always returned to his home in the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina for rest, before returning to his mission field.

Graham was born and raised in Charlotte, and raised his family in Montreat, where he died, at 99, in 2018. He spent his adult life traveling the world preaching the Gospel to anyone who would listen.

Cooper said he was one of 200 million people who heard Graham speak in person, when Cooper was a child and Graham came to Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

North Carolina Sens. Ted Budd and Thom Tillis, both Republicans, said they were among the two billion who heard Graham speak through broadcasts.

I hope when members of Congress walk by his statue, they reflect on the standards of faith, ethics and decency that he exemplified throughout his extraordinary life, Tillis said. I believe that his presence here in the Capitol can help us find opportunities to unite around what makes our nation great.

He added that theres no North Carolinian more deserving.

A statue of Billy Graham becomes part of the Statuary Hall Collection in Washington, DC on May 16, 2024.

Replacing Aycock

Earlier in the program, Cooper told the audience that Grahams statue will replace one that brought painful memories of racism.

North Carolina is allowed two statues in the Statuary Hall Collection representing someone deceased from the state. Graham replaces Charles Aycock, who served as North Carolinas 50th governor beginning in 1901. But Aycock garnered power by stifling the Black vote, and his push for white supremacy is blamed for causing the Wilmington Massacre, an insurrection that killed dozens of Black people and overthrew the Wilmington government, which included both Black and white members.

After reading a book about Aycocks history of racism, Rep. Patrick McHenry, a Republican from Lincoln County, called for his removal from The Statuary Hall Collection and helped decide on Graham as a replacement.

McHenry said during the ceremony that his greatest moment as a congressman came in 2012, when Grahams staff asked for McHenry to meet with him. McHenry is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and was the first member of Congress in U.S. history to lead the House after it voted out its speaker.

To be able to speak with Rev. Graham in the home where he and Ruth raised their amazing family, to pray with him, to feel the warmth that so many felt, broadly and one-on-one, is a memory I will always treasure, McHenry said, before talking about Grahams legacy and how he transcended politics.

Speaker Mike Johnson and North Carolinas lawmakers watch as a statue of Billy Graham is unveiled in a ceremony at the Capitol in Washington, DC on May 16, 2024.

The ceremony

The statues unveiling brought many of North Carolinas leaders together Thursday, including Cooper, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, Senate leader Phil Berger, House Speaker Tim Moore, Chief Justice Paul Newby and all but four members of North Carolinas delegation.

Former Vice President Mike Pence also attended.

The ceremony was steeped in Christian messages, hymns and a performance by three-time Grammy winner Michael W. Smith.

It was led by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who shared his excitement that he was holding Grahams Bible, which included his handwritten notes inside.

A black cloth shrouded the statue until the lawmakers gathered together to unveil the 7-foot work sculpted by Chas Fagan, of Charlotte.

Republicans and Democrats stood together. They shook hands, talked and even gave an occasional hug to one another, encapsulating the message Cooper said Graham was known for.

He did not seek to bludgeon or demonize any political candidate or party, Cooper said. Instead he used his magnetic, loving and persuasive gifts to council and lift in prayer the political views of both parties.

Backlash from some Christians

Not everyone was as thrilled about Graham, or his familys presence, in the Capitol.

Outside, Faithful America, a grassroots organization of Christians advocating for social justice, sent a mobile billboard to draw attention to Franklin Graham. Franklin Graham is one of the evangelists five children and is an ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump and an outspoken opponent of LGBTQ rights.

He spoke during the ceremony, saying that his father would be uncomfortable with the attention, believing the focus should remain on God.

For several years, Faithful America has called out Franklin Grahams anti-democratic and hate-fueled discriminatory rhetoric, as well as his support for various far-right conspiracy theories, a news release from Faithful America said. The organization previously named Graham to their list of Christian nationalist False Prophets, calling him the nations most insidious Christian nationalist.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State President and CEO Rachel Laser spoke out against the statue itself, calling Graham exclusionary and divisive.

Recognition in the U.S. Capitols Statuary Hall is a unique honor that should be reserved for those who most purely embody our American ideals of freedom and equality for all, Laser said. The late Rev. Billy Graham  with his history of advancing Christian Nationalism, making antisemitic statements, crusading against LGBTQ+ equality and a less-than-stellar record on civil rights for Black Americans  does not deserve this honor.

Rep. Patrick McHenry looks at the statue of Billy Graham moments after a ceremony that added Graham to the Statuary Hall Collection.

Grahams legacy

Inside Statuary Hall, Cooper acknowledged that Graham was not perfect.

He would have been the first to acknowledge that, Cooper told his audience. Instead, he realized that he and all of us here today have feet of clay, we are imperfect. We have been found wanting, but he believed, as many of us do, that there is redemption and he gave his life to delivering that message.

Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican from Banner Elk, who is typically known for her harder demeanor, became emotional while she spoke of Grahams legacy.

She said that statues in the Capitol should represent the very best of America. Her voice cracked as she explained how many people Graham brought to faith.

That is why it is such a proud moment for me and North Carolinians to see Rev. Grahams statue take its place here, Foxx said.
Seattle Police is investigating a single-car hit-and-run in Seattles Rainier Valley Tuesday morning. The driver collided with multiple trees and a light pole before abandoning the car and taking off.

On May 14, shortly after midnight, patrol officers responded to a report of a crashed car blocking southbound traffic in the 6300 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way South. Luckily, no other drivers or pedestrians were hurt.

During the investigation, officers found that the crashed car was reported stolen on April 21. They also discovered a modified handgun inside the vehicle, with an extended magazine and a switch that allows for automatic firing.

The driver is still at large, and anyone with information is asked to call the SPD Violent Crime Tip Line at (206) 233-5000, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
A showcase of student talent put a spotlight on the trades.

Eastern Iowa Community Colleges partnered with the American Welding Society to host a welding competition at Blong Technology Center in Davenport. Over 60 college and high school students took part. Local industry experts were the judges, and organizers say it gives students a real-life experience.

This was the third year of the competition. Scholarships went to the top three finishers in three different categories. Local sponsors provided other prizes like welding equipment.

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Though the city of Chicago has lost residents in recent years, the suburbs in Cook County have lost more, while suburbs far from the city are booming, new U.S. census estimates show.

Chicago lost about 82,000 people, or 3% of its population, from April 2020 to July 2023, giving the city a total of 2,664,452 residents, according to the census. But the citys rate of population decline has sharply slowed, falling to just 0.3%  or 8,208 people  last year.

Cook County as a whole from 2020-2023 lost 188,000 people, or 3.6%, leaving the current population at slightly more than 5 million residents. Most of the departures occurred outside the city.

Census 2023 population estimates for the Chicago area: Did your city, town or village gain or lose residents?

Western suburbs like Cicero, Berwyn and Riverside lost about 5%, while south and southwest suburbs, including Summit, Oak Lawn, Dolton, Calumet City, Hazel Crest, Markham, Country Club Hills, Alsip and Palos Heights, lost 4.5% or more.

Meanwhile, far southwest suburbs including Yorkville, Plainfield and Oswego showed the most growth, with Yorkville growing by more than 3,000, or nearly 15%.

Statewide, Illinois lost an estimated 263,780 in the same three years, or 2%, to 12,549,689.

The losses reflect larger demographic changes in recent times, including a shift in population from the Midwest to the South and West; Black migration from the Chicago area; and a lack of in-migration, demographics analyst Rob Paral said.

While the 2020 census counted responses from household surveys, the annual estimates between the 10-year counts are based in part on counting births, deaths, and moves in and out, using the number of tax returns and Medicare filings.

The numbers do not reflect the recent influx of 41,000 migrants bused and flown to Chicago since August 2022. Census methodology does not account for migrant arrivals. Immigrants are typically hard to count because they may be transient, may not speak English and may want to stay under the radar, researchers said.

Oak Lawn Mayor Terry Vorderer, for one, didnt buy the new estimates, noting that his town has added new townhomes while not losing housing stock.

Im shocked, he said. I am skeptical of the numbers. I think our population is stable if not increasing. The town is very viable, new businesses are coming in all the time. Younger families are moving in and the schools are full.

One force that may be at work, census researchers said, is the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the height of the pandemic, many people were working remotely and moving out from cities and suburbs to outlying areas. That phenomenon is cooling but still has an effect, researchers said.

Gov. J.B. Pritzkers office also threw water on the results, highlighting past faulty counts made by the Census Bureau.

For the last decade, the narrative that Illinois is losing population was fed, by what turned out to be, inaccurate annual preliminary estimates, Pritzker spokesperson Alex Gough said in a statement. Illinois remains one of the most populous states in the nation and is on the rise.

International migration  which has risen nationwide  has nearly tripled in Illinois since 2021, Gough said. The state is in the process of challenging census data to ensure it receives adequate federal funding for programs like Medicare, affordable housing and homeland security, he added.

Mayor Brandon Johnsons administration did not challenge the results, but instead linked population loss to decades of insufficient support for parts of the city. A lack of affordable housing, job losses and closed schools and mental health clinics have disproportionately hurt Black Chicagoans in particular, Johnson spokesperson Ronnie Reese said.

The underlying causes of population loss in Chicago remain deeply rooted in historic disinvestment, Reese said. So when you ask questions related to population loss, you need to look at the resources in communities that traditionally keep residents tethered, and if there are none, therein lies the problem.

Reese highlighted investing in people through Johnsons new $1.25 billion borrowing plan earmarked for housing and workforce development as efforts to help people stay in Chicago.

Rising real estate prices have prompted some people in inner suburbs to sell and seek cheaper, larger housing farther out, said Matt Wilson, associate director of the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Crime and high taxes can also motivate people to move, and families in particular may seek safe communities with good schools.

Most broadly, I think the quality of life that neighborhoods of the south side and south suburbs have to offer for the prices people have to pay to live in those areas has made people decide to leave, Wilson wrote in an email to the Tribune. Population decline and economic decline (are) mutually reinforcing and I think those areas are on trajectories of disinvestment and decline.

In Oswego, 20-year-old resident Sam Terry just moved from Utah last month. Hes part of a team of about 40 workers who moved to a rented house to work installing solar panels for Sunrun.

I love Oswego so far, he said. Its a nice little area. Youve got everything you need five minutes away. Everybodys super cool, and its safe. We accidentally left the door open all day, and it was all good.

Ray Hanania, a spokesman for Cicero, Bridgeview and Lyons, said the census typically misses undocumented immigrants. He blamed fear of crime for driving some people away.

Chicago remained the third largest city in the United States, behind New York and Los Angeles. It also lost the third most people, behind New York and Philadelphia.

While the nations fastest-growing cities continue to be in Sun Belt states, the new estimates show that some of the top gainers nationally are on the outskirts of metropolitan areas or in rural areas.
Alerts Issued for Our Region

FLASH FLOOD WARNING until 10:15 PM for western Fayette County, including the Powellton and Montgomery areas, as well as Armstrong Creek regions. A quick 1 to 2 inches of rain has fallen in this region this afternoon from heavy downpours. Please remember that if you encounter high water while driving, turn around, dont drown!

FLOOD ADVISORY until 9:45 PM for western Greenbrier, Summers and northern Mercer counties. Heavy rainfall has resulted in some poor drainage and low-lying flooding issues, including in Hinton. More scattered showers and storms are expected over the next couple of hours, which could result in more heavy rainfall.

Tonight features scattered showers and a few rumbles of thunder, mainly before midnight. Showers will be working in a moist environment and also will be slow-moving in nature, which could produce locally heavy rainfall, as an upper level low continues to spin over the region. Well see low temperatures in the mid 50s. Expect wet roadways tonight and the potential for some patchy fog in the morning.

Thursday features a drop in rain chances, but a few isolated showers will be possible, primarily over the mountains with a northwest breeze kicking in as Wednesdays low pressure system shifts east and exits the region. Well see high temperatures in the low to mid 70s under plenty of sunshine.

Friday brings our next system toward the area, as an area of low pressure scoots up into the Great Lakes. Well see a warm front slide up to our north, which will usher in some warmer temperatures with a southwest flow returning, as high temperatures jump up into the mid to upper 70s. Scattered showers and storms will be expected with the combination of a warmer and more humid air mass and the aforementioned low pressure scooting in during the afternoon. Once again, downpours could produce heavy rainfall.

Saturday will be pretty soggy, with our low pressure system still nearby. As a result, numerous scattered showers and storms will be expected. The abundant clouds and showers will hold high temperatures down to around 70 degrees. This is not looking like a great outdoor day, overall. The best chance for rain will be in the afternoon and isolated locally heavy rainfall will once again be possible.

Sunday keeps the risk for scattered showers and storms, especially early, but there should be more dry time than Saturday in the afternoon as our low pressure system scoots off to the east. Well see high temperatures in the low 70s.

Monday looks great! High pressure will be in control and that should bring nice weather into the region with plenty of sunshine and highs in the mid 70s.

Severe Weather Awareness Week: Flash flood Safety

Tuesday will be dry for most of the day, but an isolated shower or two in the afternoon is possible as our next system begins to approach. High temperatures will be in the upper 70s.

Wednesday brings forth the potential for more rain showers, with a cold front approaching from our west. This will increase rain chances, especially by the afternoon, with high temperatures around 80 degrees.

Tick season is here: Heres how to protect yourself and your pets

Looking ahead, rain showers will continue Thursday with our front crossing. Well see high temperatures in the low to mid 70s. Rain chances will decrease but remain isolated Friday into Saturday with highs on Friday near 70 and highs on Saturday jumping back up into the mid 70s.

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!

TONIGHT

Scattered downpours likely, especially before midnight. Lows in the mid 50s.

THURSDAY

Isolated showers, otherwise partly sunny. Highs in the low to mid 70s.

FRIDAY

Scattered showers and storms likely in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 70s.

SATURDAY

Rain likely. Gloomy. Highs near 70.

SUNDAY

Showers likely, especially early. Highs in the low 70s.

MONDAY

Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 70s.

TUESDAY

Isolated PM showers. Highs in the upper 70s.

WEDNESDAY

Showers return. Highs near 80.

THURSDAY

Scattered showers likely continue. Highs in the 70s.

FRIDAY

Shower chances continue. Highs in the 60s.

SATURDAY

Isolated showers. Highs in the 70s.

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Not all marriages are made in heaven.

On paper, Iranetta Wright seemed like the perfect person to lead Cincinnati Public Schools and its nearly 36,000 students out of the doldrums of a pandemic and unprecedented learning loss and into a bright new academic future. But in practice, Wright was unable to garner enough support from the district's 6,000 employees and after just two years finds herself out of a job.

Wright resigned Wednesday following votes of no confidence from the district's six unions. Union leaders said Wright created a culture of fear and intimidation during her tenure, that she added to administrative bloat, mismanaged the district's budget, micromanaged workers and violated union contracts while making herself the face of the district. Wright disputed those claims and said she was surprised when the unions rallied against her.

In recent days, the district's breakup with Wright seemed inevitable. Once the no-confidence votes came, there appeared to be no viable path forward. It's hard to know which complaints against Wright are legitimate from those that are merely resistance to the sweeping changes she sought to bring to the district. But a few things are clear to us from this unfortunate series of events.

Cincinnati Public Schools students are the biggest losers

No one should be celebrating Wright's resignation today. There are no winners here, only losers for now. Four superintendents in five years doesn't exactly scream stability, clear focus or direction. And students are likely to suffer most from the current dysfunction.

While Wright's no-nonsense approach with staff might have ruffled some feathers, the district was showing signs of improvement under her guidance and students seemed to like her. Early indicators showed an improvement in student test scores and preliminary data showed downward trends in chronic absenteeism, disciplinary rates and bullying.

The question remains, how much of these gains might be lost in the interim as the district searches for a new superintendent? And once a replacement is found, how much more time will it take for that person to make an impact? Meanwhile, there's a budget deficit and looming cuts that certainly will have an impact on student outcomes. And how will tax-weary voters respond to all of this disruption when it comes time to cast their ballots for a levy renewal in November?

Both Wright and union leaders said they care about students and had their best interests at heart. If they were indeed putting students first, one has to wonder how they let this district reach such a toxic state. To us, it seemed most of the conversation revolved around adults not being able to get along, not student achievement.

District needs to decide if it's really ready for change

All six unions representing labor who works at Cincinnati Public Schools hold a press conference announcing their unanimous vote of no confidence of Superintendent Iranetta Wright by all members, according to union leaders on Monday.

Wright was hired to be a change agent for a district that, at the time, did not meet any of the five state standards on Ohio's report card. The district scored mostly two-star ratings in the categories of achievement, progress, gap closing and early literacy; for graduation, the district scored one out of five stars. As a rule, a three-star rating means a district meets state standards.

Wright was brought in to turn around that poor performance, which meant doing business differently than in the past. Change is hard in any place of employment and does not come without some adjustments, frustrations and bumps and bruises along the way. But when Wright began to implement her vision of change, she was met with resistance from the unions and, in the end, a majority of the board that hired Wright didn't back her up.

It appears the school board wasn't ready for the change it said it wanted. Or, at the very least, the board wasn't prepared to deal with the inevitable blowback that comes with it. This school board and its unions need to decide once and for all if they really want change and what success looks like.

Board President Eve Bolton said Wright "helped us figure out the things we love and want to maintain," adding "leadership changes can be unsettling." Yes, they can. And doing things the same way over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.

Cincinnati not very friendly to outsiders

Iranetta Wright, Cincinnati Public Schools new superintendent, visited a computer lab class at Taft Information Technology High School on her first day on the new job, Monday, May 2, 2022. She was formerly the deputy superintendent for Detroit Public Schools.

Let's be honest  Cincinnati can be brutal to outsiders. Our city has developed a bad reputation for how we treat leaders brought here from other places. Wright, who came to Cincinnati from Detroit Public Schools, is just the latest high-profile leader to be unceremoniously run out of town. Some have said Cincinnati is a graveyard for the careers of outsiders, strewn with the bones of ousted police chiefs, city managers, nonprofit directors and superintendents.

Wright told The Enquirer editorial board on Wednesday, before her resignation, that she didn't think race or gender played a role in the attacks coming at her. "I do believe it's because I'm not from Cincinnati," she said.

Wright said one of the things she kept hearing repeatedly during her tenure was that she "did not understand Cincinnati" or accept "the Cincinnati way."

"I often heard, 'That's not how we do things here,'" she said.

As a community, we have to keep our hearts and minds open to the ideas of people who didn't go to high school here. Being resistant to or dismissing such ideas will only make it harder for Cincinnati to grow. It also makes us less attractive to top-level candidates when we do have job openings in key leadership positions. We must do better.

School board must be held accountable

In a situation with plenty of blame to spread around, let's be clear on one thing: The tragedy that is Iranetta Wright's tenure as superintendent rests squarely on the shoulders of the school board.

They hired Wright. They gave her mostly favorable feedback after her first year. And a majority of its members didn't publicly speak up after the unions cast their votes. And now, they must search for a new person to lead the second-largest public school district in Ohio.

After this debacle, they have their work cut out for them.

Opinion and Engagement Editor Kevin S. Aldridge writes this on behalf of The Enquirer's editorial board, which includes Editor Beryl Love and Senior News Director of Content Jackie Borchardt.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Superintendent latest casualty of Cincinnati's parochialism | Opinion
The Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that a new congressional map that includes a second Black majority House district in Louisiana can be used in November after a lower court rejected that map earlier this month.

The high court issued a stay on a federal judge panels decision two weeks ago that halted the use of a new Louisiana House map signed into law by Gov. Jeff Landry (R) in January that includes two majority Black House districts.

The dispute pertains to long-standing litigation around Louisianas congressional maps. The initial map was subject to a Voting Rights Act lawsuit in 2022 after the state Legislature passed a House map that included one Black majority House district; then-Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) vetoed the map because Black residents make up a third of the state, but his veto was later overruled.

The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which kept the map in place for the 2022 midterms, but it ultimately decided last year to send the case back to a federal appellate court, which ruled the state had to create a House map with two majority Black districts.

Louisiana ultimately passed new maps that created two majority Black districts at the expense of Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) in the states 6th Congressional District.

Twelve non-Black voters in the state filed a lawsuit against the new House map in February, alleging that the State has engaged in explicit, racial segregation of voters and intentional discrimination against voters based on race.

A federal judge panel sided with those voters in a ruling earlier this month, arguing the new map violated the Equal Protection Clause. However, the Supreme Court on Wednesday was ultimately not persuaded by that argument, allowing the congressional map to be used in November.

Notably, however, the decision attracted the dissent of the courts three liberal justices, including Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who wrote in her dissent that she would have let the District Courts remedial process run its course before considering whether our emergency intervention was warranted, allowing the possibility of a new map to be considered.

The ruling is a win for Democrats because the party is likely to net a seat in Louisiana from the new congressional map. The party needs to flip only a handful of seats in the lower chamber in November to win back control of the House.

Democrats are also likely to net another seat in Alabama, while Republicans are set to net several seats in North Carolina after the state Legislature was allowed to pass new congressional maps.

The chair of the House Democrats campaign arm applauded the Supreme Courts decision in a statement.

Today the Supreme Court made clear that Louisiana voters will finally vote under a congressional map that ensures fair representation for Black communities that have been denied it for far too long, said Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. This news is a much-needed victory for democracy, and we are confident that, come next Congress, we will add an additional member from Louisiana to our new Democratic majority.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
KHARTOUM, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Thursday refuting claims that the Sudanese government had declined to grant an entry visa to U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello.

The ministry clarified, "The Sudanese embassy in Washington or any other capital did not receive a request from Mr. Perriello for an entry visa."

Earlier reports from Sudanese local media suggested that Perriello had stated during a meeting with a Sudanese civil group in Kampala, Uganda, that the Sudanese government had denied him a visa.

Responding to these reports, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry confirmed that the Sudanese embassy in Washington contacted the U.S. State Department, which affirmed that Perriello had not made such statements.

Perriello was appointed as the U.S. special envoy for Sudan on Feb. 26, 2024, with a mandate to lead U.S. efforts to resolve the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan.

Sudan has been witnessing deadly clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 15, 2023, which have killed 15,550 people and displaced 8.7 million others so far, according to recent estimates by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 
The Supreme Court cleared a Louisiana congressional map that would create two majority-Black districts for this years election, marking a win for civil rights groups and Republican state officials who had asked the justices to stay a lower courts order blocking the new map.

A three-judge panel had thrown out the newly redrawn map last month, siding with a group of plaintiffs  described in court documents as non-African American  who argued that a second majority-Black district discriminates against non-Black voters.

The Supreme Court decision only applies to the 2024 election, however, in order to allow the appeals process to continue as to which map will be used for future elections. The ruling came just in time for state officials, who said they needed a finalized map for 2024 by Wednesday to avoid chaos and confusion.

The courts three liberal-leaning justices dissented, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson writing she would have let the District Courts remedial process run its course before considering whether our emergency intervention was warranted. As The Washington Post noted:

The new map, with its two majority-Black districts, may upend the delicate power balance in the U.S. House, where Republicans hold a slim majority.

Roughly one-third of the population in Louisiana is Black. The new map was drawn up after a federal court ruled that the previous map violated the Voting Rights Act. Louisiana state lawmakers in January defied U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and sent the new map through the Legislature.

Civil rights groups and Democrats cheered the Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday. Stuart Naifeh, an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, which represents Black voters in the case, told the Post that it was the right outcome for Black voters in the state of Louisiana.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) proposed the creation of the consumer protection agency when she was a law professor. (Associated Press)

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the U.S. consumer protection agency that was created under President Obama and congressional Democrats to protect Americans from financial scams.

By a 7-2 vote, the justices rejected a constitutional claim brought by a coalition of payday lenders who had won before a panel of three Trump appointees on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The lower court had questioned the legality of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, ruling it was not properly accountable to Congress because it did not receive its funding through an annual appropriation.

Writing for the majority, Justice Clarence Thomas said early American history shows that Congress could fund the government through different means, not just through an annual appropriation.

Based on the Constitutions text, the history against which that text was enacted, and congressional practice immediately following ratification, we conclude that appropriations need only identify a source of public funds and authorize the expenditure of those funds for designated purposes to satisfy the appropriations clause, he wrote in CFPB vs. Consumer Financial Services Association.

Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Neil M. Gorsuch dissented.

Alito faulted the court for upholding a novel statutory scheme under which the powerful CFPB may bankroll its own agenda without any congressional control or oversight.

Consumer advocates welcomed the decision.

This ruling upholds the independent funding structure that has made the CFPB a successful advocate for protecting consumers and holding big banks, payday lenders, and other financial institutions accountable, said Devon Ombres, a legal policy director for the Center for American Progress. A ruling upholding the 5th Circuit Court could have placed the entire financial regulatory system at risk and roiled financial markets.

Predatory lenders and companies that rip consumers off with illegal junk fees have been trying to undermine the CFPB since it was created, said Lauren Saunders, associate director of the National Consumer Law Center.

In creating the new bureau, Congress decided to fund it with lending fees from the Federal Reserve. If the Supreme Court had ruled such funding was unconstitutional, its decision would have cast doubt on the Federal Reserve as well.

In defense of the bureau, Biden administration attorneys argued that throughout American history, Congress has created agencies and bureaus such as the Post Office, the National Mint, the Customs Bureau and the Patent Office that were funded by fees, not an annual appropriation from Congress.

Story continues

The CFPB called the decision a resounding victory for American families and honest businesses alike, ensuring that consumers are protected from predatory corporations and that markets are fair, transparent, and competitive. ... For years, lawbreaking companies and Wall Street lobbyists have been scheming to defund essential consumer protection enforcement.

Its statement said since the bureau opened its doors in 2011, it has delivered more than $20 billion in consumer relief to hundreds of millions of consumers and has handled more than 4 million consumer complaints.

Thursdays decision is the latest sign that the Supreme Courts conservatives are not ready to rubber stamp far-right rulings from Trump-appointed judges in Texas and Louisiana.

On Wednesday, the justices set aside a decision by two Trump appointees in Louisiana that would have blocked the use of a new state election map with two majority Black districts.

Still pending before the court is a conservative challenge to the availability of abortion medication. Since 2000, the Food and Drug Administration has said these pills are safe and effective for ending early pregnancies. But antiabortion doctors went to Texas and won rulings that could strictly limit dispensing the pills.

The consumer protection bureau that was upheld Thursday was conceived by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) when she was a law professor.

The bureau became the centerpiece of the 2010 Dodd-Frank overhaul of financial regulations following the collapse of the mortgage market.

Its mission was to protect borrowers and consumers from deceptive and unfair practices by banks and mortgage lenders.

But it has been steadily opposed by much of the lending industry and by many Republicans who say the agency has too much unchecked power.

Congressional Democrats who created the bureau tried to shield it from the politics of Washington but that led to problems in the courts.

Under the 2010 legislation, the bureaus director could not be removed by the president for political reasons, and the bureaus budget was off-limits to Congress annual process of appropriations. Instead, its funding comes from the Federal Reserve, which earns fees from lending. The bureau used $641 million of that money last year.

The Supreme Courts conservatives had cast a skeptical eye on the bureau. Four years ago, the justices in a 5-4 decision rejected the independent status of the director and ruled that person could be removed by the president for any reason.

The current dispute began as a challenge to a proposed regulation of payday lenders.

In ruling for the lenders, the three judges of the 5th Circuit, all appointees of then-President Trump, said it violated the Constitution to shield the bureau from an annual fight over its appropriation.

Judge Cory Wilson said the bureaus perpetual insulation from Congress appropriations power, including the express exemption from congressional review of its funding, renders it ... no longer accountable to Congress and, ultimately, to the people.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Supreme Court Has Restored A Voting Map In Louisiana. Here's Why That's A Win For Black Voters

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court made the decision to restore a congressional voting map in Louisianaand its a win for Black voters. The restoration occurred less than six months before the November presidential election.



This comes as an answer to emergency appeals filed after a federal three-judge panel in Louisiana discarded a newly redrawn map last month, ruling it was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.

Their actions left the state without a congressional voting map heading into a 2024 presidential election that willdetermine which party controls the House. Shockingly, conservatives on the court were in favor of reinstating the map with two Black-majority districts.

Liberal judge Ketanji Brown Jackson expressed concern over how quickly the matter was handled and that the court had more time to determine the right map for Louisiana.

She wrote that the question of how to elect representatives consistent with our shared commitment to racial equality is among the most consequential we face as a democracy. Ultimately, she objected to the Supreme Court now getting involved.

The high court faced pressure from Louisiana officials, who stated that they needed to know by Wednesday what map would be decided in order for them to correctly run the election.

The ruling will allow appeals to continue and may decide whether the map with two majority-Black districts should be used for elections in 2026 as well as even further down the line.

Back in 2020, the redistricting battle began when Republicans drew new congressional maps to supposedly reflect population change but would disempower the Black voters that make up a third of the electorate.

The court decided it probably violated the Voting Rights Act. Now, the legislatures newly approved map this year created a second majority-Black district that favors Democrats and runs diagonally Louisiana from Shreveport to Baton Rouge.

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(Bloomberg) -- The US Supreme Court upheld the Consumer Financial Protection Bureaus funding system, lifting a legal threat that could have derailed an agency set up after the 2008 financial crisis to regulate mortgages and other consumer-finance products.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Voting 7-2, the justices rejected arguments that the CFPB, which gets its money through the Federal Reserve, was set up in violation of the constitutional provision that requires a congressional appropriation for government spending.

A loss for the CFPB could have cast doubt on a dozen years of agency work, including rules governing credit cards, banking and loans. The decision reversed a federal appeals court ruling that the Biden administration said threatened to re-open even long-finalized rules and enforcement cases. The high court ruling rejected an industry challenge to a never-enforced payday lending rule.

The decision bolsters a bureau that under Biden-appointed Director Rohit Chopra has taken an especially aggressive tack. The agency has sought to stamp out abuses in the mortgage-lending market, scrutinize the use of artificial intelligence in credit underwriting and rein in bank overdraft fees.

The high court decision rejected a radical theory that would have devastated the American financial markets, the CFPB said in a statement. The court repudiated the arguments of the payday loan lobby and made it clear that the CFPB is here to stay.

A ruling against the government might have effectively killed the agency given that Congress would have had to provide funding  an unlikely prospect at the moment with Republicans in control of the House of Representatives.

Conservatives have targeted the CFPB, the brainchild of now-Senator Elizabeth Warren, since its creation, calling it a symbol of an unaccountable and overreaching federal bureaucracy.

Small businesses will feel the negative impact of this decision, said Beth Milito, executive director of the National Federation of Independent Businesss Small Business Legal Center. We are disappointed with the courts ruling, which will ultimately leave small businesses with expensive penalties and burdensome inspections at the hands of the CFPB.

Unusual Breakdown

Backers say the agency has provided crucial safeguards and an independent check against corporate power.

Woo hoo! Warren said outside the court. The United States Supreme Court followed the law and the CFPB is here to stay.

The ruling could help clear the path for new CFPB-mandated caps on credit-card late fees. A federal judge in Texas put the CFPB rules on hold last week while awaiting the Supreme Court ruling. The caps threaten billions of dollars in revenue at banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co., nonbank players like Synchrony Financial and retailers such as Macys Inc.

The case divided the court along unusual lines, with Justice Clarence Thomas writing the courts majority opinion and fellow conservatives Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch dissenting.

The decision is a rare victory for regulation at the Supreme Court, which in other contexts has cut the power of administrative agencies and put them under tighter presidential control. The lower court ruling, issued by the conservative 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals, represented a novel use of the Constitutions appropriations clause, which traditionally has been deployed as a restriction on executive branch spending power, not as a check on Congress.

Drawing Money

The CFPB isnt subject to the year-to-year congressional appropriation process and instead draws as much money as it needs  up to a cap it has never hit  from the Federal Reserve. In fiscal 2022, the agency received $641.5 million in funding, short of its $734 million cap.

The group challenging the payday-lending rule, the Community Financial Services Association of America, contended that Congress unconstitutionally gave away its appropriations power in setting up the bureau.

We continue to believe that the challenged CFPB rule is legally flawed, threatens access to credit, and harms the millions of American consumers who rely on small-dollar loans to manage budget shortfalls and unexpected expenses, said Chris Vergonis, who represented the association.

President Joe Bidens administration said the CFPBs funding system was little different from those for other regulatory agencies, including Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve itself.

Business groups took a careful approach toward the case. The US Chamber of Commerce and the American Bankers Association urged the justices to strike down the CFPBs funding mechanism but suggested the court take the unusual step of delaying the decisions effective date to give Congress time to set up a different system.

The mortgage-banking industry filed a separate brief asking the court to limit any ruling against the CFPB. The bureau has issued dozens of rules affecting consumer mortgages and the industry has invested billions of dollars toward compliance, according to three trade groups led by the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The case is CFPB v. Community Financial Services Association, 22-448.

(Updates with comment from trade association in 16th paragraph.)

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The US Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is financed. If the court had gone the other way, the watchdog agencys powers would have been severely curtailed  and all of its decisions would have been called into question.

The justices voted 7-2 in favor of the agency, which Congress created in response to the 2008 financial crisis. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the majority opinion. If the Supreme Court had decided the other way, it would have had broad implications for the funding of all regulatory agencies, including the Federal Reserve Board, Social Security, as well as payments to the national debt.

The high courts decision reversed a ruling by the conservative 5th Circuit appellate court, which said the funding structure Congress had used to ensure the agencys independence was unconstitutional. The agency drew ire from conservative groups because unlike most federal agencies, its funding comes via a mechanism outside of Congress annual appropriations process.

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Decision is a loss for broader conservative legal agenda

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Sources: The New York Times, Bloomberg Law, The Washington Post

The decision is a setback for an otherwise ascendant conservative legal movement in the US, which has long sought to curtail federal agencies power over both private companies and individuals. The goal has been to disable and delegitimize federal agencies, Bloomberg Law reported. But the court has several other cases to decide that could also rebalance governmental power, including over gun rights, medication, and religion. And if former president Donald Trump is reelected in November, federal agencies will remain under a microscope: The Trump administration identified the deconstruction of the administrative state as one of its top priorities in 2017.

Progressives cheer agency independence

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Sources: The Wall Street Journal, The Biden administration

Since the consumer protection watchdogs creation, more progressive lawmakers have hailed the bureaus independence, The Wall Street Journal wrote, and its mission to ensure consumers arent taken advantage of by banks and finance firms in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. President Joe Biden said the bureau has provided almost $9 billion in consumer relief under his administration, and said the Supreme Court decision was an unmistakable win for American consumers.

Conservatives decry blank check for federal agencies

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Sources: NBC News, The New York Times

In his dissent opinion, Justice Samuel Alito said the courts decision allowed the agency to bankroll its own agenda without any congressional control or oversight. He added that the ruling means there is apparently nothing wrong with laws that allow federal agencies to be funded independently of Congressional budget appropriations  and without an expiration date. The Competitive Enterprise Institute, a libertarian think tank, called the decision an alarming failure by the court to police the proper exercise of Congresss constitutional powers.







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Suspect arrested, charged in deadly shooting outside KCK Dollar General, police say

KANSAS CITY, Kan.  A 17-year-old male suspect is in custody and facing charges in connection to an April deadly shooting outside a Dollar General store in Kansas City, Kansas.

KCK police reports the U.S. Marshalls Fugitive Apprehension Task Force took the suspect into custody Wednesday in Kansas City, Missouri.

Missouri AG demanding accountability after Kansas Citys tweet on Harrison Butker

The Wyandotte County District Attorneys Office has charged the suspect with first-degree murder, according to KCKPD.

KCK police officers responded to the shooting just before 7 p.m. on Monday, April 22, near N. 61st Street and Leavenworth Road.

When officers arrived on scene they found a man, identified as 22-year-old Gerald Jones II, in the parking lot. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Man dies from injuries following shooting near Northland mall

The suspect is currently being held in the Jackson County Juvenile Detention Center awaiting extradition to Wyandotte County.

KCKPD said the incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information can call the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-8477.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
Suspect in attack on Slovak PM showed no signs of extremism, neighbours say

By Boldizsar Gyori, Karol Badohal and Jan Lopatka

LEVICE, Slovakia (Reuters) - A 71-year-old former security guard charged on Thursday with the attempted murder of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is the author of three collections of poetry who neighbours said had shown no sign of political extremism.

Fico, 59, was shot as he greeted supporters in the small town of Handlova, in central Slovakia, and underwent hours of surgery. A hospital official said on Thursday that the prime minister was in "very serious" but stable condition.

The suspect, who was apprehended at the scene, has not been named by authorities but scattered details about him began to emerge as the country struggled to make sense of the attack.

A neighbour in the modest seven-storey building in Levice, a town of about 36,500 inhabitants due south of Handlova, where the suspect lives, said he had known the man for 40 years and that he had never vented extreme political views.

"He was a polite man and wasn't strong about politics as such, but he did feel that some of the measures of the government weren't correct," pensioner Mile Ludovit, 68, told Reuters through an interpreter.

"Some of the media reports say he was planning it for a month already, but there was no sign of it."

The suspect was a former security guard at a shopping centre, the author of three collections of poetry and a member of the Slovak Society of Writers, local media reported.

News outlet Aktuality.sk cited his son as saying his father was the legal holder of a gun licence. "I have absolutely no idea what my father intended, what he planned, what happened," it quoted the son as saying.

The son said that all he could say about his father's views about Fico was that he did not vote for him and that his father was not a psychiatric patient.

A member of the Rainbow Literary Club in Levice told Reuters the suspect had been one of its founders. In a statement, the club condemned the attack and said that as a strictly apolitical group it had revoked his membership with immediate effect.

Peter Klinko, a club member, told Reuters he had last met the suspect about two years ago. "If I had to describe him, I can say in one word that he is a good person," he said.

"But even a good jug carries water only until it breaks. I can't tell you anything about his latest thought processes."

POLITICAL STRIFE

Monika Nemcekova, an editor at a magazine in Levice and a member of the same literary club, said the suspect's poetry sometimes dealt with difficult topics such as attitudes toward minority Roma.

In an undated video posted on Facebook, the suspect was seen saying: "I do not agree with government policy." Reuters verified that the person in the video matched images of the man arrested after Fico's shooting.

Reuters was able to confirm that a man seen in the footage from Slovak TV TA3 of a protest against the ruling party on April 24 matched the man arrested for the attack on Fico based on body type, facial features and hair.

The suspect appeared twice in pictures, verified by Reuters, on the Facebook page of a what media described as a since disbanded paramilitary group in 2016, but a man associated with the group told Reuters the suspect had not been a member and had only briefly met him once.

While the motives of the gunman remained murky, the shooting occurred against a backdrop of fierce political strife and polarised debate in Slovakia that intensified further in the run-up to a hard-fought presidential election last month.

"This assassination (attempt) was politically motivated and the perpetrator's decision was born closely after the presidential election," Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said.

He described the suspect as a "lone wolf" who had radicalised himself.

An ally of Fico won the election, helping him tighten his grip on power. Since returning as prime minister last October, Fico has shifted policy quickly in what opposition figures have called a power grab.

Fico's government has dialled back support for Ukraine and opened dialogue with Moscow while seeking to weaken punishments for corruption and dismantle a special prosecutor's office.

Long critical of Slovakia's mainstream media, Fico has also moved to restructure the public broadcaster in a move seen by opponents as curtailing media freedom.

Fico was forced to resign as premier amid mass protests in 2018 triggered by the contract killing of Jan Kuciak, a journalist who had been investigating high-level corruption.

(Additional reporting by Milan Pavicic, Anna Jaworska-Guidotti, Maria Laguna and Jason Hovet; writing by Niklas Pollard; editing by Nick Macfie)
Suspected hatchet attack lands Kennewick woman behind bars a week after her jail release

A 24-year-old Kennewick woman is in the Benton County jail after allegedly attacking another woman with a hatchet.

Whitney Rose Abbott was arrested about 1 p.m. Tuesday after police were called about an assault in a neighborhood just east of Highway 395 in Kennewick.

Officers say Abbott attacked another woman with a hatchet on the 2600 bock of West Bruneau Ave. The victim suffered minor injuries, police posted on Facebook.

The black hatchet was found in a grocery cart and was seized by police.

Abbott is being held on investigation of second-degree assault and an outstanding warrant. Her bail for both is set at $16,000.

Shed just gotten out of jail on May 9 after serving 14 days for another offense, according to online jail records.
FUZHOU, May 16 (Xinhua) -- In recent years, Fujian Province has been vigorously promoting the development of high-quality agriculture by utilizing high-tech methods to transform agricultural resources into characteristic industries.

The province has seen positive outcomes from the adoption of automated aquatic product processing technology and soil-free hydroponic farming technology, which has injected new momentum into local development.

This photo taken on May 15, 2024 shows an employee working at a vegetable test room of an agricultural base in Changle District of Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan)

Employees transport newly-picked vegetables at a greenhouse of an agricultural base in Changle District of Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, May 15, 2024. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan)

This photo taken on May 15, 2024 shows newly-produced grilled eels on a production line of a food processing factory in Changle District of Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan)

Employees monitor the production procedures of vegetables in an agricultural base in Changle District of Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, May 15, 2024. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan)





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SAN FRANCISCO (KRON)  Two suspects have been arrested in a series of violent armed robberies involving online marketplaces, according to the San Francisco Police Department. Police became aware of the robberies on April 25 of 2023.

The robberies, according to police, followed a similar modus operandi. Suspects would list an item for sale on an online marketplace, typically a vehicle for under $5,000. The suspects would then arrange to meet with interested buyers.

Video: Thieves ram car into Concord business in attempted burglary

The potential buyers would then be robbed at gunpoint at the arranged meeting before the suspects fled the area. During these incidents, several of the victims were assaulted and injured.

The robberies occurred at the following locations and dates, according to SFPD:

April 25, 2023, on the 200 block of Blythedale Avenue

May 1, 2023, on the 200 block of Blythedale Avenue

May 2, 2023, on the 100 block of Brookedale Avenue

May 2, 2023, on the 200 block of Blythedale Avenue

May 15, 2023, in the area of Ingerson Avenue and Griffith Street

May 18, 2023, in the area of Ingerson Avenue and Griffith Street

May 26, 2023, in the area of Ingerson Avenue and Griffith Street

June 5, 2023, on the 200 block of Blythedale Avenue

During the course of investigations led by the SFPD Robbery Detail, the suspects were identified as 19-year-old Jevonte Powell and 20-year-old Jermaine Williams, both of San Francisco. Arrest warrants were obtained for both men.

On April 9, 2024, SFPD officers located Powell and took him into custody. He was booked into San Francisco County Jail 1 and charged with:

9 counts of robbery

5 counts of kidnapping for robbery

11 counts of assault with a deadly weapon

2 counts of attempted robbery

On April 16, 2024, officers took Williams into custody. Williams was charged with 3 counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery. While arrests have been made, SFPD said investigations into these robberies remain open and active.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
Police in Westford are turning to the public for help as they investigate the deaths of two swans that were apparently shot, authorities announced Thursday.

The swans were found dead in a wooded area between Lakeside Terrace and Newport Drive on Nabnasset Lake on Tuesday, according to the Westford Police Department.

From observations made of the deceased swans it is believed that a projectile was used to kill the swans, authorities wrote in a Facebook post. The Westford Police Department is seeking any information that the public may have about this incident.

Anyone who heard or saw anything suspicious in the Nabnasset Lake area on Monday night or early Tuesday morning is urged to contact Westford Police Officer Jansen at 978-399-2345.

Residents of Newport Drive, Endmoor Road, Lakeside Terrace, Pondview Circle, Birchwood Drive, or Grassy Lane are also asked to review home surveillance footage.

Massachusetts Environmental Police and Westford Animal Control are assisting Westford police with the investigation.

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Turkiyes Ministry of Defence has announced that Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov paid a visit to Ankara on 14 May.

Details: Cumhuriyet, European Pravda reports

Details: Zeki Akturk, Press and Public Affairs Adviser to the Turkish Ministry of Defence, answered questions about what was discussed during the visit of Ukrainian Defence Minister Umierov to Ankara.

"We expressed our support for Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity, our belief in the need to prevent tensions in the Black Sea, our commitment to the uncompromising implementation of the Montreux Convention and our readiness to make efforts to restore the Black Sea Grain Deal," he said.

He said that the meeting was held "in a very warm and constructive atmosphere and manner to further strengthen our relations".

Background:

In April, the media reported that Ukraine and Russia, together with Turkiye, had been negotiating for two months on an agreement on the safety of navigation in the Black Sea, which was to be announced in late March.

Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine's Black Sea ports by Russia in July 2022, Turkiye and the UN helped to establish the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

As part of the agreement, Ukraine was able to safely export almost 33 million metric tonnes of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea through the so-called Grain Corridor. However, in July 2023, Russia withdrew from the agreement, claiming that its requirements had not been met.

It should be noted that the Turkish side then advocated for the resumption of the grain corridor with Russia's participation, while Ukraine was able to establish its own route across the Danube River.

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From the Boiling Frogs on The Dispatch

A few days ago an anti-Trump friend assured me that January 6 turned out just fine.

Which serves me right. As a devout misanthrope, I should know better than to have as much human interaction as Ive had lately.

The insurrection in its entirety was a disgrace, my friend and I agreed, but she insisted that the outcome had been satisfactory. Joe Biden was sworn in as scheduled; hundreds of MAGA foot soldiers were successfully prosecuted; populists learned their lesson well enough from the incident to have refrained from smashing up any government buildings in the three years since. Alls well that ends  not well, exactly, but just fine.

I dont think it turned out just fine.

Many cops were injured. It was dumb luck that the vice president wasnt lynched. The Republican base failed miserably to reckon with the depravity Donald Trump had wrought, retreating instead into theories about a false-flag operation orchestrated by the Justice Department and/or left-wing agitators. To this day, many members of the party believe that the insurrectionists core grievance was legitimate. The American right is now mobilizing to return the mastermind of the coup plot that precipitated the attack to office, and theyre doing so as he promises openly to grant clemency to the goons who did his dirty work for him at the Capitol.

Not fine.

Few conservatives know how un-fine it was better than Sen. Mitt Romney. He was inside the Capitol on January 6, of course, and might not have escaped without consequence if not for good police work and some dumb luck of his own. The following month he became one of seven Republican votes to convict Trump at his Senate impeachment trial, making him the only member of the party in either chamber of Congress to vote against the then-president both times he was impeached.

Romneys entire career in politics since 2016 has been an exercise in reminding Republicans loudly and often that MAGA populism is not fine. No one in the GOP has spent more political capital on holding Trump accountable for his misconduct than he has.

So imagine my surprise on Wednesday upon discovering that Romney no longer wants Trump held accountable for his misconduct.

Not criminally accountable, anyway. You may disagree with this, but had I been President Biden, when the Justice Department brought on indictments, I would have immediately pardoned him, the senator told MSNBC in an interview. As for the state prosecution thats happening right now in New York City, which the president has no official power to thwart, Romney suggested Biden could have thwarted it via unofficial means. If LBJ had been president, and he didnt want something like this to happen, he claimed, hed have been all over that prosecutor saying, You better not bring that forward or Im gonna drive you out of office.

This is madness.

Well-meaning madness, for sure, but madness. The tableau of impunity outside the courthouse in lower Manhattan this week helps explain why.

Weve plowed some of the intellectual ground for a potential Trump pardon before, but its been a while. The last time we considered it, it was questionable whether he would win the Republican nomination. As we consider it today, its questionable whether anything can stop him from winning the presidency.

So lets start fresh, from first principles. There are three good arguments for granting executive clemency to someone.

The first is if theres a strong moral case that the punishment is excessive. Imagine a nonviolent drug offender being sent away to prison for life under a three strikes statute. That wouldnt seem morally just, even though its within the letter of the law. The president or the governor might reasonably step in as a matter of fairness and reduce the penalty to make it fit the crime.

The second is if the criminal is sincerely remorseful. Remorse isnt and shouldnt be enough if the offense in question is heinousonly a fool would cut a rapist a break for getting teary at a parole hearingbut a repentant criminal is a better bet for clemency than an unrepentant one. Our highest concern in showing mercy is that an offender, once freed, will reoffend. Remorse is circumstantial evidence that they wont because theyve seen the error of their ways.

The last argument for a pardon is what we might call the greater good. Even if the offender hasnt been punished unduly and isnt remorseful, there might be a strong argument that granting him clemency will achieve something important. That was the rationale for Gerald Fords infamous pardon of Richard Nixon: Watergate was a wrenching crisis for America and the country needed to move on, whether or not Nixon deserved leniency.

Its also Mitt Romneys rationale for pardoning Trump. Asked why, if he were Joe Biden, he would have pardoned Trump, the senator replied, Because it makes me, President Biden, the big guy and the person I pardoned a little guy. If hes right, then granting clemency to Trump last year might have improved Bidens chances of reelection while diminishing his opponentswhich certainly qualifies as a greater good.

But he isnt right. None of the three reasons Ive stated justify a pardon for Trump.

Trump hasnt been punished excessively. He hasnt been punished at all! He probably wont even face a jury before Election Day on the serious criminal charges against him related to his coup plot and concealing classified documents, which means an electoral victory will grant him the power as president to abort those cases before trials are held. And if hes convicted in Manhattan for the minor offense of falsifying financial records in the Stormy Daniels matter, its hard to believe New York will undertake the logistical difficulty of trying to imprison him as a result.

Not only hasnt Trump been punished for his civic deviancy, it would be accurate to say that hes been rewarded for it. But for the four indictments against him, Ron DeSantis once argued, this years primary would have been more competitive. The martyrdom that Republican voters have granted their nominee for his criminal travails has effectively immunized him from meaningful criticism on the right. The political incentives created by that are so perverse that at this point Trump might rationally wonder whether he should commit another crime before Election Day just to give him a little boost in the home stretch.

But thats Romneys point, you might say. Were playing into Trumps hands by prosecuting him. Pardoning him would serve the greater good of defeating him by letting the air out of his deep-state martyr balloon.

Would it? Tell me, would Joe Biden gain votes or lose them on balance after pardoning Trump and proving himself to be a big guy?

No one whos leaning toward Trump would switch their vote to Biden because of it, however grateful they might be to see their candidate suddenly freed from criminal jeopardy. But many liberals who have grudgingly stuck with the president this far might be tipped into boycotting the election, I think, by seeing him suddenly crush their dream of accountability for an authoritarian menace. Reaction on the left to Romneys endorsement of a pardon on Wednesday wasnt great; if Biden actually took his advice, the outrage would be orders of magnitude worse. Its plausible that it would cost him the election, as it possibly cost Ford the election in 1976.

Democrats last best hope of goosing turnout among disgruntled progressives is reminding them of the revulsion theyll feel if and when Trump uses presidential authority next year to quash his own prosecutions. Why on earth would Biden forfeit a motivator as potent as that by quashing those prosecutions himself?

Well, fine, but a pardon would still serve the greater good by bringing about some conciliation between the two parties, you might reply. Wrong again.

Trumps movement runs on conspiratorial antagonism toward its political enemies. It wont be denied that antagonism, especially in an election year. If Biden had pardoned Trump, the reaction from Republicans wouldnt be gratitude that the president had behaved like a big guy. It would be accusatory: What secret development could have led Joe Biden to suddenly abandon his nefarious lawfare strategy against Trump? Does he really expect us to applaud him after he cynically impugned Trump with bogus criminal charges and then exploited the pardon power to pose as some magnanimous monarch? That weasel.

If you doubt that, peruse some of the hot takes from prominent populists on Wednesday after Biden finally acceded to Trumps demands by agreeing to debate.

Trump himself wouldnt miss a beat following a pardon, Im sure, shifting instantly from complaining that the deep state is targeting him with false crimes to complaining that the deep state will target him with new false crimes if he loses the election. They only pardoned me because the trials were polling badly for them, hell insist. Theyll charge me with something else if I lose.

Nothing will be healed by granting him clemency. No greater good will be achieved. Rather the opposite: If you yearn for a system of justice in which a coup-plotting psycho is placed beyond the reach of law enforcement simply because many Americans prefer to be governed by a coup-plotting psycho, our definitions of the word good are too incompatible to be reconciled.

Which brings us to the remaining theoretical argument for a pardon: remorse.

Not all cults require members to dress the same way. But some do.

The members of Heavens Gate famously wore all black and Nike sneakers when they headed off to the big spaceship in the sky. The Rajneeshees in Oregon favored red and orange as they went about their daily activities, like poisoning local salad bars.

Dressing alike signals commitment to the movement by advertising the fact of ones membership in it. Not only am I not ashamed to espouse these embarrassing beliefs, it says, Im so proud that I want everyone who sees me to know that Im involved. It also symbolizes the subordination of ones individual will to the will of the leader. Dress is a matter of choice and personal expression; in a cult, you forfeit that choice in order to communicate your faith that one person should rightly make choices for everyone.

Ahem.

Theres now apparently a uniform Trump surrogates/wannabe VPs have to don pic.twitter.com/sItitDucJo  Liz Mair (@LizMair) May 14, 2024

That was the scene outside the criminal court in Manhattan on Tuesday, which has lately become a see-and-be-seen venue for the most pitiful Trump bootlickers in the party. Not everyone whos made a cameo this week has donned the signature navy suit and red tie of the cult leader, but most have:

Someone holding a bootlickers sign above Matt Gaetzs head pic.twitter.com/1P7M54Ec83  Acyn (@Acyn) May 16, 2024

Mitt Romney was shrewder on that topic during his Wednesday interview than he was about pardoning Trump, calling the parade of minions outside the courthouse very difficult to watch. I agreebut I dont think he put his finger on precisely why its so bothersome.

There is a level of dignity and decorum that you expect of people who are running for the highest station in the land, he complained, rightly enough, and going out and prostrating themselves in front of the public to try and apparently curry favor with the person whos our nominee, its a little embarrassing. Even for Trump-era Republicans, a cattle call outside a criminal courthouse for the purpose of helping Trump evade his gag order is so tremendously undignified that one feels a physical urge to turn away from it.

The GOP has adopted the Chinese model of governance, economist Patrick Chovanec said of the spectacle. One divine ruler surrounded by a bunch of eunuchs. I wont belabor this column with another ramble about the emasculation of Republican men under Trump except to say that watching them put on daddys clothes for their big-boy outing in the city is an unusually garish example.

Another reason its been hard to watch is because it amounts to the wider leadership of the Republican Party ratifying Trumps project to delegitimize the American justice system. Admittedly, its a little silly to worry about that after the partys base reacted to 91 criminal charges being filed against him by crowning him their nominee via near-acclamation. The soulless clods like Rep. Matt Gaetz and Sen. J.D. Vance who descended on Manhattan this week are only doing what their constituents want them to do. Aint democracy grand?

Yet the crony parade feels significant as a portent of how far the new Republican establishment will be willing to go to serve Trump in a second term as president. If youre willing to denigrate a court for making his life difficult in a personal capacity, chances are youre willing to denigrate it for making his life difficult in a presidential capacity. And if youre willing to do that, maybe youre also willing to condone him simply ignoring court rulings once he regains the executive power to do so.

This isnt just a show of devotion to Trump personally, in other words; its a show of devotion to the authoritarian project and what it routinely entails.

Still, I think the real significance of the tableau of impunity in Manhattan is how it celebrates Trumps ethic of remorselessness.

Perhaps the gang would have been more reluctant to show up to Trumps federal trials, as they involve grave offenses and the Stormy Daniels case does not. But I doubt it: The point of this show of solidarity isnt to draw fine distinctions between the various charges against Trump, but rather to endorse his posture of relentless defiance and demagoguery toward anyone who would accuse him of wrongdoing, however credibly.

Remorselessness is the essence of his persona. That was clear within a month of him entering politics in 2015 and became clearer in time when defiance during the Access Hollywood episode became a litmus test inside his campaign for who could and should be trusted. To this day, vice presidential hopefuls aim to earn his favor by parading their remorselessness before him, up to and including boasting about their willingness to shoot a puppy in the face for misbehaving.

To apologize, to show remorse, to seek forgiveness is the essence of weakness: Thats Trump, and Trumpism. That a person who treats remorse as a failing of character would become the great political idol of conservative Christians, whose faith sacralizes remorse and repentance, is one of the most disgusting political developments in modern American history. And it helps explain why Speaker Mike Johnsons cameo outside the courthouse this week felt especially loathsome. Its not (just) that Johnson is the highest-ranking Republican in government. Its that he purports to be a serious Christian and yet there he was, extolling Trumps remorselessnessin a matter involving adultery with a porn star, no less.

The starkest expression of remorselessness came from (who else?) Matt Gaetz, who posted a photo of himself behind Trump at the courthouse on Thursday with the caption, Standing back and standing by, Mr. President. That phrasing echoed a notorious comment made by Trump during a 2020 presidential debate about the extremist Proud Boys, who ended up becoming key players in the January 6 riot. Gaetz understands that the GOP is now a party by and for insurrectionists, unrepentantly.

And thats the whole problem with a pardon. Where there is no repentance, there can be no absolution.

So, no, the remaining argument for clemency for Trump doesnt work either. Because he feels no remorse for what hes done, and because the leadership of his party feels no remorse for continuing to empower him to do it, it would be a moral horror to reward him and them with mercy. If, as Ive said, we seek evidence of remorse from offenders before granting them mercy to reassure us that they wont reoffend, the idea of a Trump pardon is farcically ridiculous. He will reoffend.

He cant stop talking about how eager he is to do so, frankly.

I realize that Mitt Romney meant well with his proposal, but Ill end this newsletter the same way I ended the last one that broached this subject by noting how the pardon idea unfairly makes Democrats responsible for Republicans catastrophic civic failures. Biden didnt acquit Trump at his second impeachment trial; the GOP did. Biden didnt nominate him again either; the GOP did that as well. If youre mad at the president for not easing a crisis that the right has foisted on America because he refuses to grant clemency that Trump plainly doesnt deserve, youre wittingly or unwittingly enabling the hostage crisis that Im forever writing about. End it already, for cripes sake.

Read more at The Dispatch

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Tacoma City Council member Catherine Ushka has died, the city announced in a news release Thursday morning. She was 55.

Ushka, who died Wednesday, served District 4 since being elected to council in 2017. After being reelected, she was selected in 2022 to serve as deputy mayor. That September, she announced that she had been diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer.

Ushkas loved ones mourned her in a Thursday social-media post.

Its with a heavy heart that we share the passing of our beloved Mom, Partner and Friend Catherine, the 9:39 a.m. post on Ushkas Facebook reads. Her warmth, love, and presence will forever be cherished. As we navigate this difficult time, lets hold onto the memories that brought us joy and comfort. Your love and prayers are deeply appreciated as we mourn this profound loss. We will share details on her celebration soon.

Council member Catherine Ushka poses next to the sign at a park renamed for her last month.

A U.S. Navy Reserve veteran, Ushka served eight years on the Tacoma Public Schools board  three years as its president, according to the city of Tacoma news release. She was a community leader even before her first council term.

Last month a park was renamed for her: Gas Station Park is now called Catherine Ushkas Gas Station Park.

Mayor Victoria Woodards said the city is deeply saddened by Ushkas death.

She will be remembered by many for her works seen and unseen, Woodards said in the citys news release. Here in Tacoma, she will be especially remembered for her fierce advocacy for the Eastside and South End, her willingness to stand for those whose voices are so often left out, and putting her hands in the dirt as well as rising to the highest levels of policy to make lasting change.

Many residents grieved Ushka in posts on social media.

One Facebook user wrote that they admired the city leader for her devotion, marking her death as a huge loss for South/East Tacoma. Another praised her as a great champion of the city and their neighborhood. A different commenter called Ushkas contributions immeasurable.

Ushka spearheaded the push to get funding to make over the toxic lot that would eventually become her namesake park; the space had once hosted a gas station. She brought together the South End Neighborhood Council, the city and Metro Parks for the effort.

Im overwhelmed and amazed, Ushka told The News Tribune after the park-renaming ceremony in mid-April. I do the work for community because I believe in community, and Im never looking for anything back. I mean, they named a park after me. How can I be anything but blessed by that?

Tacoma community pays tribute to Ushka city leader

District 2 City Council member Sarah Rumbaugh paid tribute to her late colleague in a Facebook post.

Catherine, you were a special person who brought us together in so many ways, Rumbaugh wrote late Thursday morning. I loved your fire, passion, persistence and love you had for all of us. My heart is heavy and sad. I have tons of memories and will keep you in my thoughts. In Judaism we say May her memory before blessing.

Leaders throughout Pierce County on Thursday honored Ushkas legacy.

Chantell Harmon Reed, director of the local health department, remembered Ushkas work as Board of Health chair.

She was tirelessly committed to the Departments mission of protecting and improving our community, especially in health equity and racial justice, Reed said in a statement posted to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Departments website. Her legacy will continue to influence our Health Department for years to come.

Reed noted that Ushka served as chair throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and during the social-justice movement sparked by the deaths of Manuel Ellis and George Floyd in police custody. As board leader, Ushka decried racism as a crisis in the public-heath realm, Reed said, even while fighting her own illness.

David Strong, executive director of the countys National Alliance on Mental Illness affiliate, commemorated Ushka on the social-media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

We lost a community servant leader, Catherine Ushka, who always had a smile on her face and words of encouragement, Strong wrote early Thursday afternoon. I was able to share these words with the family as we commend her back to God. but he shall give his angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways.

Derek Young, interim executive director of the Washington State Association of Counties, called Ushkas death a tremendous loss for the region in a post on X.

Councilmember Ushka was a fierce advocate for her community, Young said. I had the opportunity to serve with her on the Board of Health, where she was a steady leader in the most challenging times and a good friend.

Ushka is survived by her partner, Marty; daughter, Amelia; son, Gus; brother, David, and father, Mike.
While the debate rages on whether or not a hot dog is a sandwich, an Indiana judge has ruled that Mexican fare including tacos and burritos are apparently sandwiches as well. But while the ruling may be odd, it was necessary for the owners of a local Mexican restaurant to open a second location.

According to WISH-TV 8 News, the issue stemmed from commercial developer Martin Quintana seeking a zoning change for his Fort Wayne strip mall in 2019. At the time, to appease residents of a nearby Covington Creek Condominium Association, Quintana agreed to an agreement that would prohibit a fast food restaurant from opening in the commercial strip.

In addition to traditional fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, Arbys, and Wendys, the written commitments also excluded outdoor seating, drive-through service, and the sale of alcoholic beverages.

However, the cause did allow for "a sandwich bar-style restaurant whose primary business is to sell made-to-order or subway-style sandwiches" to open in the space, noting examples like Subway or Jimmy John's.

So when Quintana had plans to open a second location of a local Mexican restaurant, Famous Taco Mexican Grill in the strip mall in 2022, he proposed an amendment to the written commitments. But when planning commission officials denied his request for the amendment, he took his case before a judge.

And on Monday, Allen Superior Judge Craig J. Bobay ruled that an amendment wasn't necessary as tacos and burritos are considered "Mexican-style sandwiches."

"The proposed Famous Taco restaurant would serve made-to-order tacos, burritos, and other Mexican-style food, and would not have outdoor seating, drive through service, or serve alcohol," Bobay said in his ruling. "The Court agrees with Quintana that tacos and burritos are Mexican-style sandwiches, and the original Written Commitment does not restrict potential restaurants to only American cuisine-style sandwiches."

Bobay added that the original agreement would also permit a restaurant that serves made-to-order Greek gyros, Indian naan wraps, or Vietnamese banh mi as long as the establishment complied with the other conditions.

The planning commission is still within rights to appeal, so it remains to be seen whether tacos and burritos will legally remain sandwiches in the eye of the court. But in the meantime, the Famous Taco signage is already in place at the proposed location with an opening date to be determined.
In a visit to Milwaukee, Vice President Kamala Harris pressed the case on Thursday that the Biden-Harris Administration's economic policies have helped Americans and, in particular, addressed disparities that affect Black Americans and business owners.

Her trip marked the fourth time Harris has been to the critical swing state ahead of the November presidential election that is expected to be a rematch of the 2020 race between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Harris' visit was part of what the White House has dubbed an "economic opportunity tour."

"A lot of what this tour is highlighting is the various things that we are doing to acknowledge the various dimensions of who we are but in the context of economic opportunity, be it debt, be it homeownership, be it access to loans, be it access to counseling and the services that help people know how to start a business and keep a business," Harris said during a stop at Discovery World museum in Milwaukee, where she spoke with comedian, radio host and author D.L. Hughley.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks with D.L. Hughley highlighting how the Biden-Harris Administration has taken historic steps to advance economic opportunity by improving access to housing, creating jobs and investing in small businesses as part of her nationwide Economic Opportunity Tour on Thursday May 16, 2024 at Discovery World in Milwaukee, Wis.

Here are a few takeaways from Harris' visit:

Vice President Kamala Harris focuses on Black homeowners, businesses  a critical voting bloc

The conversation between Harris and Hughley before a packed room focused on the importance of access to information and relationships in building businesses and generational wealth  and the challenges faced by communities of color across generations.

She said the tour intends to acknowledge both the opportunities and disparities and obstacles for communities of color.

Harris' comments come as Democrats seek to maintain support among Black voters amid reports that the party's backing among the key voting bloc has slipped.

She said the tour was designed to share information about the resources available, and she sought help from the people in the audience, who she said were invited to attend because they are business and opinion leaders.

"Please help us get the word out," she said.

She said the administration was "dropping trillions of dollars on the streets of America" to rebuild infrastructure, invest in clean energy and build resilience to climate change.

Harris highlighted local business owner James Phelps

President of JCP Construction James Phelps introduces Vice President Kamala Harris as she highlights how the Biden-Harris Administration has taken historic steps to advance economic opportunity by improving access to housing, creating jobs and investing in small businesses as part of her nationwide Economic Opportunity Tour on Thursday May 16, 2024 at Discovery World in Milwaukee, Wis.

Harris highlighted James Phelps, president of JCP Construction who introduced her, saying that businesses like his bring to life the work that policy-makers in Washington D.C. envision.

On the issue of Black homeownership, she discussed the consequences of segregation, redlining and racial bias in home appraisals.

The administration, she said, is taking steps including requiring home appraisers to be trained on racial bias. She spoke to the administration's efforts to forgive student loan debt and remove a prohibition on accessing small-business loans for people who had been previously incarcerated.

Biden last week met with Black voters on a trip to Wisconsin and on Wednesday made his case on Sherwin Hughes' show on 101.7 The Truth, the news-talk radio station focusing on Milwaukee's Black community.

Milwaukee mayor, county executive highlight visits by Biden, Harris to swing state Wisconsin

That Biden and Harris are putting time and energy into Wisconsin was a key message from speakers who took the stage before Harris' arrival, including Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and County Executive David Crowley.

"The administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris has gone to great lengths to invest, to build and to reshape the relationship that Wisconsin residents have with the federal government," Johnson said.

He called Harris a true partner to Milwaukee.

Crowley said investments by the administration are showing up in affordable housing in neighborhoods and ensuring that Black and brown business owners have "the tools that they need to succeed."

Under this administration, we have witnessed the fastest growth of Black-owned small businesses in more than 30 years," Crowley said.

Like Harris  who made history as the first woman, first Black American, and the first South Asian American to be elected to her position  Johnson and Crowley are each the first African Americans elected to the positions they hold.

Republicans slam Biden-Harris economic policies

Republicans, in response to the Harris visit, took aim at the administration's economic policies. Republican Party of Wisconsin Chairman Brian Schimming said in a statement "voters know they cannot afford another four years of Biden and Harris in the White House.

Every time Kamala Harris visits Wisconsin, voters are reminded of the failed agenda of the Biden Administration," he said.

This is Vice President Kamala Harris' fourth visit to Wisconsin in 2024

The steady rhythm of visits by Democrats and Republicans alike speaks to the intense focus on Wisconsin as both parties seek control of the White House.

If history is any guide, whether Trump or Biden wins Wisconsin in November is likely to be decided by a small margin and both campaigns are making their cases to voters.

In 2020, Biden won the state by about 21,000 votes after Trump won Wisconsin by a similar margin just four years earlier.

Biden has visited the state four times this year while Trump has visited twice.

Alison Dirr can be reached at adirr@jrn.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Takeaways from Vice President Kamala Harris' Milwaukee visit
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping appear together before their talks in Beijing on Thursday. (Sergei Bobylev / Kremlin Pool Photo/Sputnik via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinas Xi Jinping put their countries partnership on red-carpet display in Beijing on Thursday, aiming to project a unified alternative to the West as each faces pressure amid Moscows war on Ukraine .

President Xi received Putin outside the Great Hall of the People while uniformed bands played, soldiers stood at attention and cannons and rifles fired.

The welcome and celebration of 75 years of diplomatic relations was followed by a 2-hour meeting and a joint news conference, where the leaders signed declarations to deepen cooperation between their nations.

China-Russia relations have withstood the test of time and become even stronger, Xi said in televised remarks after the meeting with Putin . The generational friendship and comprehensive cooperation between China and Russia have formed a strong driving force that allows us to move forward without fear of wind and rain.

Putins two-day visit, his first international trip since starting his unprecedented fifth term as president amid a crackdown on his opposition, came as both countries faced pressure or isolation from the West. The U.S. has warned Xi against enabling Putins assault on Ukraine through enhanced trade and economic cooperation.

Read more: What do Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping want from each other?

Its all about symbolism, said Alexey Muraviev, an associate professor of national security and strategic studies at Curtin University in Western Australia. It is a stepping stone that will mark the turn in bilateral relations for the next five to six years.

During the news conference, Xi referred to the meeting as a new start in history for the two nations, and touted rising bilateral trade that has nearly doubled in the last 10 years to more than $240 billion.

China has benefited from cheap energy imports from Russia, and Putin on Thursday said the country would buy more Chinese electric vehicles just as the U.S. has implemented tariffs on them.

But having China as a trade partner has been critical to keeping Russias war efforts afloat, after sanctions following Putins invasion of Ukraine crippled its economy. That economic reliance has given Xi a slight upper hand.

Back in 1950 the Soviet Union was the big brother. Now the situation is different. With its economy, China is a bigger brother to Russia, Muraviev said.

While Russia is more experienced in political negotiations, and has a more powerful military and nuclear arsenal, Muraviev said, Chinas economic might has been a significant determinant in the power balance. As Russia has made gains on the battlefield, that could tip the scales in Putins favor.

Given Russias current successes in Ukraine, it may put Putin in a stronger position with Xi, he said. Hes willing to negotiate, but on Russias terms.

Read more: Chinese President Xi's trip to Europe: Charm offensive or canny bid to divide the West?

Despite the exuberant commemoration of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the neighboring countries have often found themselves at odds.

Analysts have described their recent collaboration  a no-limits pact announced just before Russias full invasion of Ukraine  as a marriage of convenience and a desire to stand united against what they see as U.S. hegemony and containment.

Together, the two leaders pose a bigger threat to a common adversary and can work toward discrediting the U.S. on the global stage, said Philipp Ivanov, a China-Russia analyst and founder of the consultancy Geopolitical Risks + Strategy Practice.

China and Russia are working together on making American economic power look replaceable, Ivanov said. If both can credibly demonstrate that they can survive and thrive under enormous U.S. pressure  and in Russias case, isolation  this is another nail in the coffin of the U.S.-led international order.

Hu Xijin, the former editor in chief of the Global Times, the Communist Party tabloid, said on social media Thursday that China and Russia have been brought together out of necessity more than true alliance in cause.

Right now China is facing full-scale suppression from the U.S. and so is Russia, he said. These two great countries becoming closer in strategy and in geopolitics is inevitable.

Read more: As tensions grow, more Americans see China as an enemy

According to the Russian state news agency Tass, Putin said in his talks with Xi that the cooperation between Russia and China is not directed against a particular country.

Our cooperation in world affairs today serves as one of the main stabilizing factors in the international arena, Tass quoted Putin as saying.

Still, there are boundaries to how far Xi will go for Putin. On Thursday, Xi referred to Russia as a good partner, a good neighbor and a good friend. But both leaders have stopped short of declaring a formal alliance, indicating a reluctance to commit to a full backing of the other country.

Read more: News analysis: Why Putin is raising the specter of nuclear weapons again

They both have unique agendas. The other side might not want to get fully involved in that, Muraviev said. They recognize once they slip down that road, it might get uncomfortable for both of them.

China also has not supplied arms to Russia in its war against Ukraine, but has boosted trade in other goods such as components that Western officials said could be used to make weapons.

If China purports on the one hand to want good relations with Europe and other countries, it cant on the other hand be fueling what is the biggest threat to European security since the end of the Cold War, U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said during a trip to Beijing last month.

The U.S. has sought to deter China from assisting Russia, even drafting sanctions on some Chinese banks for aiding the war effort, media reports said.

Xi is not prepared to pay a price for supporting Putin or Russia, said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at University of London. He said he expected the countries would try to determine how they can work closer together, with China strengthening its support for Russia without triggering secondary sanctions against China itself.

Read more: Blinken, in a somber visit to Kyiv, reasserts U.S. support for Ukraine

As it has helped Russia withstand diplomatic and economic isolation, China has offered peace plans but has not called for Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.

Read more: The latest threat to China? The rise of the DINKs

As it has helped Russia withstand diplomatic and economic isolation, China has offered peace plans but has not called for Russia to withdraw from Ukraine. Xi has framed China as a neutral party in the conflict and a potential mediator. In the news conference with Putin, Xi said he advocates for a political solution to the Ukraine crisis.

In an interview with Chinas official state news agency Xinhua ahead of his arrival, Putin said he is open to a dialogue on Ukraine.

We have never refused to negotiate, Putin said in the Xinhua article. But such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours.

Special correspondent Xin-yun Wu in Taipei, Taiwan, contributed to this report.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Two Tarrant County jailers fired in connection with the death of Anthony Johnson Jr.

Read the latest in our coverage of the death of Anthony Johnson Jr. and other issues in Tarrant County jail.

Two Tarrant County jailers were fired this week in connection to the death of Anthony Johnson Jr.

Johnson, a 31-year-old Marine veteran, died April 21 following an altercation with detention officers at the Tarrant County Jail during which he was pepper-sprayed by jailers, according to the Sheriffs Office.

One of the jailers involved in the case was fired Thursday morning by Sheriff Bill Waybourn, and a supervisor was fired on Wednesday, according to their attorneys.

The names of the fired employees have not been released.

Jane Bishkin, an attorney with the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas who represents the employee fired Thursday, told WFAA that the termination letter did not give a reason for the officers firing, and she plans to appeal.

Waybourn did not give a reason for the termination, but of course we disagree, Bishkin said. We dont believe any of our members violated departmental policies or contributed to the inmates death in any way.

We feel that the sheriffs actions are premature as the medical examiners report has not been released. Therefore, we dont know the cause of death, Bishkin said. We believe the sheriffs actions are a response to the heightened public interest in this case.

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Randy Moore, the lawyer who represents the supervisor, said his client gave a voluntary statement to the Texas Ranger who is leading the criminal investigation and then was fired without explanation when he went to a meeting with internal affairs, WFAA reported.

Moore also called his clients firing premature because the investigation is incomplete and Johnsons cause of death is unknown. This termination is clearly an attempt on the Sheriffs part to avoid accountability and shift responsibility to line staff, Moore told WFAA. We will be appealing. The one thing in common on all these deaths is the leadership. Firing the rank and file obviously has not solved the problem.

The Star-Telegram has requested video of what happened leading to Johnsons death. The Sheriffs Office and Texas Department of Public Safety, which includes the Texas Rangers, will hold a news conference at 4 p.m. Thursday but have not said whether the video will be released then. Watch the news conference live at star-telegram.com.

Anthony Johnson Jr., pictured with his mother, Jacqualyne Johnson, died April 21 after an alternation with detention officers at the Tarrant County Jail, according to the Sheriffs Office.

Autopsy results are still pending, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiners Office website.

On Monday an attorney for Johnsons family, Daryl Washington, told the Star-Telegram that the family still hadnt heard anything from the Texas Rangers, who are investigating his death. Washington has said Johnsons body had bruises that suggested force was used.

The Sheriffs Office has said the altercation occurred when Johnson refused to come out of his cell during a routine check for contraband.

Johnson was arrested in Saginaw on April 19 amid a schizophrenic episode. His family told the Star-Telegram they tried to take him to a mental health hospital but were told he wasnt violent enough to admit.

Anthony Johnson Jr.s family demanded transparency from Tarrant County and its Sheriffs Office in front of a packed meeting room on May 7.

You cant see my pain right now, but I can make sure yall turn colors and see pain, Anthony Johnsons sister Janell Johnson told county commissioners.

Before allowing public comments, the commissioners listened to county administrator Chandler Merritt  who does not work for the Sheriffs Office  read statements that had previously been released to the media about Anthony Johnsons death in custody of the county jail.

Sheriff Waybourn, who is regularly in attendance at commissioners court meetings, was not present, nor was any representative of his office.

On their way out of the meeting room and following her and her two daughters public comments, Johnsons mother, Jacqualyne, told commissioners, We want that tape.

Washington has also called for the release of the video.

If its too much pressure for the sheriff to expose wrongdoing ... he needs to resign, Washington told the Star-Telegram on May 8. Theyre going to try to keep it from coming out for a long time. Its going to be damning. Youre going to see someone who didnt want to die.

County Commissioner Alisa Simmons asked for the video to be shown during the closed session of commissioners court. Her request was denied.

On May 9, County Commissioner Manny Ramirez called for transparency from the Sheriffs Office.

After observing the response to several recent critical incidents, including the most recent death in custody of Mr. Anthony Johnson, it has become apparent that we are not doing enough to share information with the public, Ramirez said in a statement last week.

While the statement from Ramirez  former president of the Fort Worth Police Officers Association  stopped short of calling for the videos release, it does lay out plans to set schedules for when videos are released, news conferences are held, news releases are disseminated and next-of-kin are updated.

The Texas Rangers have not responded to multiple requests for comment.
Read the latest in our coverage of the death of Anthony Johnson Jr. and other issues in Tarrant County jail.

Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn and Texas Department of Public Safety Regional Director Jeremy Sherrod are giving updates on the investigation and showing video that led up to the in-custody death of Anthony Johnson Jr.

The news conference was called after three weeks of silence from the Sheriffs Office and news Thursday that two jail employees were fired in connection with Johnsons death.

Sheriff Bill Waybourn released the names of the two employees who were fired, Detention Officer Rafael Moreno and Lt. Joe Garcia. Moreno used a technique thats not allowed and that he was not trained in when restraining Johnson, Waybourn said. He clarified that Moreno put his knee on Johnsons back after he which Johnson was unresponsive.

Garcia was terminated on the basis that he was in charge and allowing this to occur, and he was not urgent in carrying out his duties, Waybourn said.

The district attorneys office showed the over five-minute video to the family before the press conference.

Johnson, a 31-year-old Marine veteran, died April 21 following an altercation with detention officers at the Tarrant County Jail during which he was pepper-sprayed by jailers, according to the Sheriffs Office.

It is not clear if the Sheriffs Office will be showing video of what led up to Johnsons death.

The Star-Telegram has requested the video, and on Tuesday the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorneys Office, on behalf of the Sheriffs Office, asked the Texas attorney general to rule on whether the video was public record.

One of the jailers involved in the case was fired Thursday morning by Sheriff Waybourn, and a supervisor was fired on Wednesday, according to their attorneys.

The names of the fired officers have not been released.

Jane Bishkin, an attorney with the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, told WFAA that the termination letter for the employee fired on Thursday did not give a reason for the officers firing, and she plans to appeal.

Waybourn did not give a reason for the termination, but of course we disagree, Bishkin said. We dont believe any of our members violated departmental policies or contributed to the inmates death in any way.

We feel that the sheriffs actions are premature as the medical examiners report has not been released. Therefore, we dont know the cause of death, Bishkin said. We believe the sheriffs actions are a response to the heightened public interest in this case.

Randy Moore, the lawyer who represents the supervisor, said his client gave a voluntary statement to the Texas Ranger who is leading the criminal investigation and then was fired without explanation during a meeting with internal affairs, WFAA reported.

Moore also called his clients firing premature because the investigation is incomplete and Johnsons cause of death is unknown. This termination is clearly an attempt on the Sheriffs part to avoid accountability and shift responsibility to line staff, Moore told WFAA. We will be appealing. The one thing in common on all these deaths is the leadership. Firing the rank and file obviously has not solved the problem.

Autopsy results are still pending, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiners Office website.

What has the family of Anthony Johnson Jr. said?

On Monday an attorney for Johnsons family, Daryl Washington, told the Star-Telegram that the family still hadnt heard anything from the Texas Rangers, who are investigating his death. The Rangers are a division of DPS.

Washington has said Johnsons body had bruises that suggested force was used.

The Sheriffs Office has said the altercation occurred when Johnson refused to come out of his cell during a routine check for contraband.

Johnson was arrested in Saginaw on April 19 amid a schizophrenic episode. His family told the Star-Telegram they tried to take him to a mental health hospital but were told he wasnt violent enough to admit.

Johnsons family demanded transparency from Tarrant County and its Sheriffs Office in front of a packed meeting room on May 7.

You cant see my pain right now, but I can make sure yall turn colors and see pain, Anthony Johnsons sister Janell Johnson told county commissioners.

Before allowing public comments, the commissioners listened to county administrator Chandler Merritt  who does not work for the Sheriffs Office  read statements that had previously been released to the media about Anthony Johnsons death.

Sheriff Waybourn, who is regularly in attendance at commissioners court meetings, was not present, nor was any representative of his office.

On their way out of the meeting room and following her and her two daughters public comments, Johnsons mother, Jacqualyne, told commissioners, We want that tape.

Washington has also called for the release of the video.

If its too much pressure for the sheriff to expose wrongdoing ... he needs to resign, Washington told the Star-Telegram on May 8. Theyre going to try to keep it from coming out for a long time. Its going to be damning. Youre going to see someone who didnt want to die.

What have Tarrant leaders said about the jail death?

County Commissioner Alisa Simmons asked for the video to be shown during the closed session of commissioners court. Her request was denied.

Simmons echoed her call for the video to be released on Thursday after the Sheriffs Office announced the press conference.

Today, I am amplifying my call for the release of all video that captured the April 21, 2024, altercation that preceded the death of Mr. Anthony Johnson, Simmons statement said.

Clearly, todays termination of a jail staffer by the Sheriff is indicative of conduct so egregious in the Johnson case that it has warranted at least one termination.

The statement also called for the family to see the video before anyone else.

On May 9, County Commissioner Manny Ramirez called for transparency from the Sheriffs Office.

After observing the response to several recent critical incidents, including the most recent death in custody of Mr. Anthony Johnson, it has become apparent that we are not doing enough to share information with the public, Ramirez said in a statement last week.

While the statement from Ramirez  former president of the Fort Worth Police Officers Association  stopped short of calling for the videos release, it does lay out plans to set schedules for when videos are released, news conferences are held, news releases are disseminated and next-of-kin are updated.

None of the other three commissioners have publicly commented on the case, including Judge Tim OHare.

The Texas Rangers have not responded to multiple requests for comment or to a question on Thursday on whether or not they have completed their investigation.
Smoke rises after a rocket attack from southern Lebanon in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, on May 16, 2024. Dozens of rockets were fired by Lebanese armed group Hezbollah at northern Israel on Thursday in retaliation for overnight Israeli airstrikes in eastern Lebanon, Israeli and Lebanese sources said. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that about 45 launches were identified crossing from Lebanon toward the annexed Golan Heights and the community of Zarit in the Galilee, triggering sirens in the country's north. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)

JERUSALEM/BEIRUT, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of rockets were fired by Lebanese armed group Hezbollah at northern Israel on Thursday in retaliation for overnight Israeli airstrikes in eastern Lebanon, Israeli and Lebanese sources said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that about 45 launches were identified crossing from Lebanon toward the annexed Golan Heights and the community of Zarit in the Galilee, triggering sirens in the country's north.

"Several of the launches were successfully intercepted by the IDF Aerial Defense Array," the military said, adding that no injuries have been reported.

Later, the IDF carried out strikes in southern Lebanon, saying it targeted the sources of fire.

Hezbollah said in a statement that its fighters launched "more than 60 Katyusha rockets," targeting several Israeli military posts in the Golan Heights. The group said that the strikes were a response to Israeli attacks overnight between Wednesday and Thursday in the Baalbek area in eastern Lebanon.

Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border escalated on Oct. 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas' attack on Israel the day before. Israel then retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon. 

Smoke rises after a rocket attack from southern Lebanon in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, on May 16, 2024. Dozens of rockets were fired by Lebanese armed group Hezbollah at northern Israel on Thursday in retaliation for overnight Israeli airstrikes in eastern Lebanon, Israeli and Lebanese sources said. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that about 45 launches were identified crossing from Lebanon toward the annexed Golan Heights and the community of Zarit in the Galilee, triggering sirens in the country's north. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)

Smoke rises after a rocket attack from southern Lebanon in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, on May 16, 2024. Dozens of rockets were fired by Lebanese armed group Hezbollah at northern Israel on Thursday in retaliation for overnight Israeli airstrikes in eastern Lebanon, Israeli and Lebanese sources said. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that about 45 launches were identified crossing from Lebanon toward the annexed Golan Heights and the community of Zarit in the Galilee, triggering sirens in the country's north. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)
Teacher who was caught sleeping at Princes William and Harrys prep school was unfairly dismissed

Jason Smith worked at Wetherby Preparatory School for Boys in Notting Hill for 16 years before he was dismissed - Matt Crossick / Alamy Stock Photo

A teacher who was caught sleeping at Princes William and Harrys prep school was unfairly dismissed, a tribunal ruled.

Jason Smith, the head of religious education at Wetherby Preparatory School for Boys, insisted he dozed off because he had eaten a big lunch and told bosses he was not asleep and was instead a deep thinker who closed his eyes in order to think.

His 16-year career at Wetherby School was brought to an end after bosses said his absences and behaviour at school, including falling asleep, were having a detrimental impact on the 27,000-a-year establishment.

Mr Smith is now in line for compensation after successfully suing the prep schools owners, Alpha Plus, for disability discrimination and unfair dismissal after an employment judge ruled he had been sacked without being heard.

The Notting Hill school, which describes itself as one of the most sought-after prep schools in London, educated the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex as well as Romeo and Cruz Beckham.

Diana, Princess of Wales, with Princes Harry, left, and William, who attended the prep school - Princess Diana Archive/Hulton Royals Collection

The tribunal in central London heard Mr Smith began working there in September 2006.

The teacher had a glowing record at the school and the results students achieved in his sets were excellent, the tribunal heard.

Mr Smith was described as being passionate about the well-being of the boys and a classroom observation of his students said their enthusiasm was infectious and the learning atmosphere was excellent.

He has enjoyed an excellent relationship with the boys and is a caring, nurturing teacher who the boys respect, one report said.

Anxiety and depression

In January 2020, the teacher suffered a breakdown in his personal relationship and was off sick intermittently for a total of 18 days in the first three months of the year.

He was referred to occupational health and the teacher was found to have an underlying condition of anxiety and depression, and suffered from poor sleep due to his mental health.

He was signed off work but returned to his job without notifying the school in September 2021, at which point he was not initially provided with a timetable or desk and no return-to-work meeting was held.

When asked by a colleague if he was OK, he said: Yep, just slept badly and have no idea what Im doing at the moment as regards to my job as I have no table, and feel like I have no purpose.

Tearful at school

Throughout that month, Mr Smiths mood was up and down and the tribunal heard he was tearful at school and complaining about his treatment by management in the staff room.

The school said his mood was volatile and emotional and parents had complained about his treatment of the students, the tribunal heard.

The school said that on two occasions, he was found asleep.

An occupational health report advised that Mr Smith was not fit for full hours or duties at present and a phased return to work was recommended.

Only resting his eyes

The teacher returned to work in January 2022 but the following month, it was reported by two members of staff that he had fallen asleep in class.

When this was put to him, he said this was not true and that he was only resting his eyes.

In March 2022, the teacher was invited to an investigation meeting where he was told that falling asleep in class was unacceptable and this was not the only occasion.

The tribunal said Mr Smith gave various excuses.

Deep thinker

He said he was a deep thinker and closed his eyes in order to think, and he was not leading the lesson. And he said he had a big lunch, the tribunal said.

In the following days, staff members reported concerns over Mr Smith and said he was being too harsh on the boys.

An investigation report found Mr Smith had been asleep for approximately 10 minutes during a lesson in February 2022 and that he had previously fallen asleep on three occasions in that academic year in front of boys or staff.

It discussed his failure to follow absence protocol when he had failed to call in sick properly and said that parents pay high fees and expect proper teacher cover.

Detrimental impact on the school

In July 2022, Mr Smith was sacked on grounds of ill health.

He was told that despite the best efforts of all concerned, your continued absence is having a detrimental impact on the school and the children, and your behaviour when in school falls below the standard expected of an employee of Alpha Plus.

But Employment Judge Tamara Lewis said Mr Smith was dismissed without being heard.

She said: He had had no opportunity to comment on the investigation report.

These matters arose in consequence of [Mr Smiths] disability. His absence record was almost entirely due to his disability.

Low mood and anxiety

His failure to report absence in time or at all until chased up was due to his low mood and anxiety as well as the effects of his medication.

The unpredictable temperament was a reference to mood swings and tearfulness caused by [his] disability and anxiety about how he was being treated at work as a result.

Sleeping at work was also clearly due to the medication and sleep disruption caused by his anxiety.

We understand that [Mr Smith] had no self-awareness that he was sleeping at work.

Mr Smiths claims of unfair dismissal and disability discrimination were upheld.

Other claims were dismissed.

A remedy hearing to decide his compensation will be held later this 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.
Teacher with no diagnosed illness took his own life at suicide clinic without familys knowledge

A teacher with no diagnosed illness took his own life at a Swiss suicide clinic without the knowledge of his family.

Alastair Hamilton, 47, died by lethal injection at the Pegasos clinic in Basel after telling his parents he was visiting a friend in Paris.

His mother Judith, 81, visited the clinic for an ITV documentary after it apologised for failings surrounding the case.

She told the broadcaster: We werent given that chance to either be with him or in my case, drag him home, tooth and nail if I had to.

Pegasos, which is run by activist Ruedi Habegger, does not require people to be ill to have their death request approved, unlike Dignitas.

Mr Hamilton, a chemistry teacher from Hampton, south-west London, had been battling with low moods before he flew out to the clinic.

He had given up working full-time and moved back in with his parents as he began to lose weight and feel increasingly tired.

Doctors were unable to diagnose him with any condition, despite several private health checks.

His brother Toby, 52, told The Mail on Sunday that he had started mentioning suicide like he was talking about going for a pint down the pub.

Mr Hamilton flew to Switzerland on Aug 10. His father Edward, 85, drove him to Gatwick Airport, believing that his son was meeting a friend in France.

Remember mum that I love you

Mrs Hamilton told the newspaper that her son put his arms around me and gave me a big kiss the last time he saw her.

She added that he told her: Always remember mum that I love you very much, I always have, I always will, no matter what.

While abroad, Mr Hamilton stopped responding to his familys calls, texts and voicemails and they soon phoned the police to report him as a missing person.

The Metropolitan Police traced Mr Hamilton to Pegasos through his bank details and were told by the clinic that he had died.

The clinic refused to provide police with the date of his death or any other information.

In emails to Mr Hamiltons family, a Met Police sergeant criticised Pegasos for its lack of compassion and lack of transparency.

Judith Hamilton said her son hugged and kissed her the last time she saw him alive - ITV

The family were not sent his ashes until October and have still not received his personal items or letters which the clinic said he had left for them.

Pegasos has since apologised and promised to inform families in the future about their relatives deaths, according to ITV.

Standing outside the clinic, Mrs Hamilton told ITV: Its not the best place to be for your last view of Earth, is it?

Bless him. I just keep saying to myself: Oh Alastair.

Swiss law has allowed assisted suicide since 1942, while it is against the law in the UK and punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Between 2016 and 2022, 405 UK residents had assisted deaths in Switzerland.

According to a study, most of them had non-terminal illnesses, including Parkinsons disease, multiple sclerosis and locked-in syndrome.

The Pegasos clinic has apologised to the family, according to ITV - ITV

Campaigner Dame Esther Rantzen has sparked a debate on assisted suicide in the UK after revealing she had joined Dignitas and was considering assisted dying as she battles stage four lung cancer.

Sir Keir Starmer has promised to give MPs a vote on legalising assisted dying if Labour wins the next general election.

The last parliamentary vote on assisted dying, which was defeated, took place in 2015.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
The Ohio House has now joined the effort to protect thieves from stealing homes throughout the Miami Valley and across the state.

>> RELATED: I-TEAM: State lawmakers talking new legislation to stop house stealing

Two lawmakers said they were spurred to introduce legislation based on WHIOs I-TEAM investigation into house stealing through the filing of quitclaim deeds. Normally, a quitclaim deed is used to easily add a name to a property or transfer property between people who know each other such as family members, friends or business associates. Deed fraud occurs when someone files paperwork on a property to which they dont have rights.

WHIO I-Team Investigative Reporter John Bedells report about the problem of houses being stolen appeared earlier this month.

Things that came out of WHIO actually spurred interest in the fact that we had several issues going on, state Rep. Bernie Willis, R-Springfield, told Bedell.

State Rep. Willis Blackshear, D-Dayton, said, The one woman, when she told her story, it really touched me. So I figured we need to do something about it.

That woman was Janis Hayes, who told the I-Team in that report earlier this month that someone stole a building she owns in Dayton figuratively right from under her through a false quitclaim deed.

>> I-TEAM: Should seat belts on school buses be mandatory?

The legislation Willis and Blackshear are co-sponsoring would add an extra step to the process of transferring quitclaim deeds. People would have to prove they own a property and that property taxes on it are current before any transfer is recorded.

It really will, we think, stifle the efforts of those who have been just, you know, wheeling and dealing with paper on other peoples real property, Willis said.

Blackshear calls the legislation a preventative measure for fraudulent deeds and other scams that have become. . . increasingly prevalent here in Montgomery County.

The bill would not help people such as Hayes who have been victimized by deed fraud, but it aims to make sure it doesnt happen to other Ohioans.

Hayes offers a suggestion for enhancing the process to protect property owners.

I think the action is being taken because of the activity that has preceded the need for this to take place, she said. There should be and there should have been in place a system that would allow a person to come in and be identified upon filing deeds and upon getting deeds.

The Willis-Blackshear effort is being paired with an identical, companion bill in the state Senate, a move lawmakers are hoping makes passage quicker.

Timing is key because any legislation that doesnt reach Gov. Mike DeWines desk by the end of the year will have to start again in January. The goal of the Willis-Blackshear bill is to get it to a House committee by the end of May or early June to start the process

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY

The I-Team looked into ways you can protect your property. Our check shows:

 Every county recorders office in the Miami Valley offers free fraud alert systems.

 When property owners sign up, the recorders office will notify the owner whenever it records a document on the property. If any document filed on a property is deemed suspicious, the property owner(s) can report it.

 Every county in our area has online property records. You can go online and search using your name or address and make sure your house or other real estate you own is still yours.

Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. also provides consumer advice: The big thing to me is: not to use a quitclaim deed. Never buy a property simply by a quitclaim deed. They have their purpose, which is very limited in nature. But if youre going to buy a piece of property, you want to get a warranty deed or a limited warranty deed. And always go through either a title company or a lawyer. Its not that expensive.








Teen Who Died of Cancer Will Be Honored at Graduation After Backlash Over District Policy

Samantha Corey, a senior at American Fork High School in Utah, died on Jan. 11 at the age of 17

Provided by Kimberly Corey Samantha Corey

Utah teen Samantha Corey, who died of cancer in January, will be honored at her high school graduation after the school district following backlash over a district policy



Graduation "was something she worked her whole life toward," mother Kimberly Corey tells PEOPLE

We look forward to celebrating the accomplishment of Samantha and all of our other remarkable students who have achieved so much, the district said in a statement

A Utah teen who died of cancer four months ago will be honored at her high school graduation following backlash over a district policy.

Samantha Corey, 17, died on January 11 after being diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer, according to her obituary and a GoFundMe page established on behalf of her family.

The teen had been a senior at American Fork High School and her siblings were looking forward to accepting her diploma at the school's graduation ceremony on May 22, according to Fox affiliate KSTU. However, they were initially told by the school district that wouldn't be allowed.

"We were all pretty devastated," Kimberly Corey, Samantha's mother, tells PEOPLE.

Provided by Kimberly Corey Samantha Corey

Related: 11 Sets of Twins to Graduate from Same Pennsylvania High School Together

As NBC affiliate KSL previously reported, the district stated in its policy that schools should be consistent in their discretionary use of acceptable memorials or events and that schools, staff members, or students should not feel obliged or pressured to participate in any of the acceptable memorials or events.

The Alpine School District did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Provided by Kimberly Corey Samantha Corey with siblings

The districts policy prompted backlash and a petition titled "Let Samantha Corey Walk" was created, which called for the late teens family to be allowed to walk on her behalf at the graduation ceremony. As of May 16, the petition has garnered nearly 3,000 signatures.

Everyone included in the student body at American Fork High School loved Mantha and we are troubled by this problem, read the petition. We are determined to do whatever we can to change the districts minds and let her walk.

The matter even rose to the attention of American Fork Mayor Brad Frost, who told CBS affiliate KUTV officials were working with school officials in order to "find a resolution that honors Samantha appropriately."

Related: High School Graduate Who Was Rejected by Over a Dozen Colleges Lands 'Moonshot' Job at Google

On May 15, the school district announced they would be making an exception to the policy, ABC affiliate KTVX reported.

School administrators have historically applied the policy about student memorials to graduation ceremonies, the district said in a statement to the outlet. We also have procedures in place for administrators to request exceptions to policy This morning the District Leadership Team reviewed and approved an exception in this case.

We look forward to celebrating the accomplishment of Samantha and all of our other remarkable students who have achieved so much, the statement later added.



GoFundMe Samantha Corey

Corey tells PEOPLE that she didn't expect the attention that the situation generated.

"At first we were a little overwhelmed and uncomfortable because we didn't want to cause a fuss," she says. "I just want to make it clear that our community and the high school and administration and teachers have been incredible. I can't even tell you all the things they've done for our family."

Related: Twin Brothers Named High School Valedictorian and Salutatorian After Sister Graduated at Top of Her Class

More importantly, the district's decision has brought some closure for the family.

"We all wanted her to survive this milestone," the mom says, adding that graduation "was something she worked her whole life toward."

When you're undergoing treatment for terminal cancer, the mom says that school isn't "always something you need to finish because you're going through something so hard."

"But she always wanted to go every day she possibly could," her mom adds. "And the school made that an option for her."



Provided by Kimberly Corey Samantha Corey

Now, the family wants to turn the focus of the upcoming ceremony back to Samantha's fellow students.

"We want it to be a positive memory," Corey says. "The students are working really hard to do some extra things to make it special for her, but we also want to recognize that they've worked really hard, and I don't want it to be about her. "

"They're just going to say her name and her two siblings are going to walk across the stage in full cap and gown," she adds "And then I want it to be about [the students] because this is their day...This is their moment as well, and we're just glad she gets to be a little bit of part of their time."



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Read the original article on People.
The Ventura County Sheriffs Office is highlighting the relatively new ability to text 911 after a Spanish-speaking teen used it to save herself from human trafficking.

The girl, 17, was rescued in Casitas Springs in unincorporated Ventura County at about 3 a.m. May 9, officials said in a news release.

The teen, whose name was not released, only spoke Spanish, but she was able to text pleas for help, and at the Sheriffs Communication Center, the messages were received in Spanish and translated to English, the release said.

The call taker was able to quickly interpret and text back a response in English, which was quickly re-translated to Spanish for the victim, officials added.

Even through the language barrier, the girl was able to identify landmarks and other identifiable information, allowing help to reach her even though she didnt know where she was.

Her alleged abductor, 31-year-old Gerardo Cruz of Veracruz, Mexico, was taken into custody.

He is being held at the Todd Road Jail in lieu of $500,000 bail on charges of human trafficking, forcible rape, lewd acts upon a child, luring and sexual penetration with force, the Sheriffs Office said. He is due to appear in Ventura County Superior Court on Wednesday, according to jail records.

As for the teen, investigators say she had been trafficked out of Mexico two months ago, and shes been taken to Child Family Services until she can be reunited with her family.

Anyone with information about human trafficking operations or victims is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 (TIPS). Callers can remain anonymous.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
An Algerian man who had been missing for 26 years has been found in his neighbor's house, just a few minutes' walk away, the country's justice ministry said this week.

The man only identified as Omar B. had vanished at the age of 19 during the Algerian Civil War in 1998, and his family assumed he had been kidnapped or killed.

Now aged 45, he was found amid haystacks only about 200 yards away in the city of Djelfa after the captor's brother aired grievances on social media, reportedly due to an inheritance dispute.

Algerian media reported that when family members began searching the suspect's house, he became tense when they approached a haystack, and they eventually found Omar B. "sitting quietly" underneath.

The alleged culprit, a 61-year-old doorman at the municipality in the nearby town of El Guedid, was taken into custody after attempting to flee, the ministry said.

Algerian media reported that the victim said he had been unable to call out for help "because of a spell that his captor had cast on him."

The teen's alleged abductor has also been accused of killing his dog with poison, according to Algerian media, which published a photo of the dog with the victim the year he went missing.

The ministry said the investigation was still ongoing, adding that the victim was receiving medical and psychological care after the crime it described as "heinous."

Algerian media reported that the victim was examined by a doctor and transferred to a special psychological health ward.

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  The teenager who fired a bullet in a Las Vegas neighborhood, hitting a school employee about a quarter mile away, has agreed to plead guilty.

Jessie Rios, 19, agreed to plead guilty Tuesday to one count of attempted murder and one count of discharge of a firearm from or within a structure of a vehicle, records said. Rios, who was 18 at the time of his arrest, initially faced 13 charges.

The campus school monitor was shot outside of Ed Von Tobel Middle School on Monday, May 8, 2023. The 8 News Now Investigators first reported the man was struck by a stray bullet.

Jessie Rios, 19, agreed to plead guilty Tuesday to one count of attempted murder and one count of discharge of a firearm from or within a structure of a vehicle, records said. (LVMPD/KLAS)

The employee was standing outside the school when the bullet hit him. Police said Rios fired several rounds near Judson Avenue and Clifford Street, about a quarter mile south of the campus.

Detectives later learned Rios was a suspect and that two rival groups shot at each other near Shadow Rock Park and then again south of the school, which resulted in the employees injury.

A judge will sentence Rios on June 27.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Teenager Set Up Camera to Capture Planned Murders of Parents Because He Was 'Upset over His Upbringing': Police

Jeremiah Estel Blair, 19, had allegedly been planning to kill his parents for years, police claim

Chandler Police Department Jeremiah Estel Blair in May 2024 mugshot.

The Arizona teenager allegedly stood in the kitchen with a gun and a video camera and waited for his parents to wake up.

Jeremiah Estel Blair, 19, is charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder in connection to the non-fatal shootings of his parents, the Chandler Police Department confirms.

Blair allegedly later told police that he was upset over his upbringing because he was not treated as he should have been as a child, according to court documents obtained by AZ Family.

So, at around 1:00 a.m. Monday, May 13  about an hour after Mothers Day  Blair stood in the kitchen waiting to record himself killing his parents, he later told detectives, per the court documents.

When his father came down the stairs, Blair allegedly told him, per the court documents, that he knew this day was coming, and shot him.

Then, darting up the stairs, he allegedly fired at his mother, who was coming out of the bedroom.

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.

Allegedly planning to kill his parents for years, Blair had hidden a gun in his bedroom closet, according to the court documents, which claim that the teen had brainstormed alternative ways of murdering his parents but had settled on shooting them with a handgun.

Blair allegedly told police that he knew what he had done was wrong, per the court documents, which allege he was under the impression he had killed one of his parents.

Both parents survived the May 13 morning shooting, police confirm, noting that they were taken to the hospital and are alert and stable at this time.

Blair was booked into Maricopa County Jail on a $750,000 secured bond, per AZ Family.

It's not immediately clear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney to comment on his behalf.

Police say the shooting remains under investigation.



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Read the original article on People.
Consumer protection groups around the European Union have filed coordinated complaints against Temu, accusing the Chinese-owned, ultra low-cost e-commerce platform of a raft of breaches related to the bloc's Digital Services Act (DSA). Temu launched in the region only about a year ago but recently reported blasting past 75 million monthly users.

Penalties for confirmed breaches of the EU's online governance and marketplace safety regime can reach up to 6% of the global annual turnover of the platform's parent. For some reference, Temu's parent Pinduoduo reported revenues of nearly $35 billion for 2023, nearly double on the year prior; Temu was estimated to account for about 23% of that amount last year.

BEUC, the European consumer organization that represents 45 regional consumer protection groups across 31 EU countries, said Thursday it's filed a complaint against Temu with the European Commission -- calling for the EU to urgently designate it as a "very large online platform" (VLOP) under the DSA. (VLOP status would mean Temu has to comply with additional algorithmic transparency and accountability rules, including mitigating systemic risk. Other e-commerce VLOPs include Alibaba, Amazon, Booking.com, Google Shopping and Zalando.)

At the same time, 17 of the BEUC's member organizations around the bloc have filed DSA complaints with their national consumer protection authorities -- accusing Temu of breaching the regulation's general rules, which have applied to Temu since mid-February.

The coordinated complaints allege the e-commerce giant is failing to meet a raft of DSA requirements, including trader traceability requirements, rules against manipulative design, and transparency around product recommender algorithms.

Commenting in a statement, Monique Goyens, director general at BEUC, accused the marketplace of being "rife with manipulative techniques" designed to push consumers to spend more, and claimed insufficient information about traders "frequently leav[es] consumers in the dark about who they are purchasing products from."

"This lack of traceability prevents consumers from taking an informed decision or to know if a product complies with EU safety rules," she added.

The consumer protection groups are also raising concerns about minor safety, pointing out the extreme price discounting and gamification features baked into Temu's platform are likely to be attractive to children.

"Temu does not guarantee its users a safe, predictable, and trustworthy online environment as the law requires," they argue in the complaint. "Among other things, we have strong concerns that consumers are falling prey to manipulative techniques, that Temu fails to ensure the traceability of the traders operating on its platform, or that its overall functioning remains opaque, all of which breach the Digital Services Act."

"Ultimately, the high number of dangerous products sold on Temu by untraceable traders, through manipulative practices and opaque recommender systems, are ingredients of a toxic cocktail likely to impair minors privacy, safety, and security," the groups also warn.

The coordinated complaints follow some individual actions by consumer groups concerned about the safety and legality of products for sale on Temu's marketplace.

For example, last fall, Italian consumer group Altroconsumo ran a test of cosmetics purchased on the platform and found the vast majority failed to list (or fully list) ingredients. Earlier this year, the German consumer organisation vzbv raised concerns about misleading product reviews and price discounts displayed on the platform.

As Temu isn't currently a designated VLOP, its oversight with the DSA's general rules falls to competent Digital Services Coordinators in EU member states where its service operates. Ireland's media watchdog, the Coimisiun na Mean, is in the frame as Temu opened an office in Dublin a year ago.

However, the complaint is likely to amp up pressure on the EU to designate Temu as a VLOP. A Commission spokesperson told us it's aware of Temu recently reporting more than 75 million monthly active users (MAUs) in the EU -- which is the threshold for triggering VLOP status -- adding: "We are in contact with the platform in view of a possible designation in the future."

Temu has been contacted for comment. Update: The company sent a statement, describing itself as a "newcomer" to the region and saying it's been taking feedback from customers, regulators and consumer groups and claiming to have been adjusting how it operates to align with local expectations. The statement reveals that in the past week Temu entered into a "cease-and-desist declaration" with Germany's vzbv. It suggests many of this authority's concerns overlap with the BEUC's complaint about its practices, adding that it's committed to addressing the issues raised.

"Regarding the BEUC complaint, we take it very seriously and will study it thoroughly," Temu also wrote. "We hope to continue our dialogue with the relevant stakeholders to improve Temu's service for consumers. Where we identify areas for improvement, we are eager to work together to enhance our service and to rectify any shortcomings. We hold the interest of consumers at heart and strive to provide a safe and trusted service that is valued by consumers and adds significant value. We are committed to transparency and full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations."

Last month Shein, another Chinese e-commerce giant that's been locked in a fierce rivalry with Temu -- including in relation to international market expansion -- was designated by the EU as a DSA VLOP after reporting passing the 45 million MAUs threshold.

While, back in March, the EU opened its first DSA investigation on a marketplace, targeting another China-owned e-commerce platform -- Alibaba's AliExpress -- which had been named a VLOP in the first wave of designations in April last year.

The Commission said then that it suspects AliExpress of breaching DSA rules in areas linked to the management and mitigation of risks; content moderation and its internal complaint handling mechanism; transparency of advertising and recommender systems; traceability of traders; and data access for researchers. The investigation -- one of several the EU has opened into VLOPs since last year's compliance deadline for these larger platforms kicked in -- remains ongoing.

https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/26/shein-dsa-vlop
Will a tenfold increase in jury pay mean better justice? Pierce County is going to see

If youre called into jury duty in Pierce County, you receive $10 per day served. That rate hasnt changed since 1959 (a time when the average cost of a new house was $12,400 and a gallon of gas was 25 cents).

Until now.

This fall some Pierce County jurors will receive $100 per day as part of a pilot program designed to test whether increased compensation would allow more people to serve on juries and make jury pools more diverse.

The program tentatively is set to launch Oct. 1 and run through May 31, 2025, Frank Thomas told The News Tribune. Thomas is the senior court program analyst for the Washington State Supreme Courts Minority and Justice Commission, which has a mission to investigate and eradicate racial, ethnic and cultural bias in the Washington state court system, he said.

All Pierce County jurors summoned for a jury date at the County-City Building (including Superior Court, District Court and Tacoma Municipal Court) within that time frame will receive $100 per day served, as well as mileage reimbursement, Thomas said.

Researchers will be compiling data to measure how representative juries are and if increased compensation enabled more people to participate in the process, he said. At the end of the pilot, researchers will write a report and present their findings and recommendations to the state Legislature for its consideration in potential revisions to the jury pay statute, Thomas said.

When analyzing what barriers prevent people from serving on juries, Thomas said, one of the most commonly reported barriers was economic. Under state law, jurisdictions can pay jurors between $10-$25 a day, in addition to mileage.

The cost of taking time away from work, or otherwise the expenses incurred in participating on a jury, the practicality of driving to the courthouse, paying for parking, getting lunch, all of those things oftentimes adds up considerably more than $10 a day itself, he said. In addition to jurists really not being adequately compensated for the time they have to take away from their gainful employment, theyre also oftentimes incurring more expenses to participate as a juror than what has been presently compensated.

Chris Gaddis, the Pierce County Superior Court administrator, said he thinks jury compensation needs to be a statewide conversation.

In a typical year all Pierce Court courts will have about 35,000 juror days and use about 15,000 jurors, Gaddis said. To pay jurors $100 a day would cost the county more than $3 million a year in addition to current juror expenses, he said.

This pilot program is supported with $1.5 million from the state Legislature, Gaddis said. Pierce County will continue paying jurors $10 per day throughout the pilot, with the other $90 a day coming from the state, he said.

We want to break down barriers to service so that everyones voice is heard in the jury room, Gaddis said. Were just excited to be able to, at least for a short period of time, fully compensate our jurors for the work they do.

BIPOC, low-income people underrepresented on juries

Upon analyzing the demographic information of Washington jurors over a 17-month time period in 2022 and 2023, Seattle University researchers found that people of color and those of low socioeconomic status remain generally underrepresented when responding to jury summons.

Black, American Indian and Alaskan Native survey respondents were generally underrepresented, and on average the jurors who reported for service had annual household incomes above the median income in their respective counties.

Household income was found to be a significant indicator of a potential jurors ability to participate. Work-related conflicts, dependent care and personal health were the leading barriers cited by potential jurors, according to the final report.

In Pierce County, 71.4% of all respondents reported experiencing at least one conflict or hardship that was a barrier to their participation in jury service. Women across all racial groups reported significantly higher levels of dependent-care conflicts and hardships, the report said.

Improving jury representation is important for a number of reasons, Thomas said.

Its important that the public see and trust the judicial system as a foundational underpinning of our democratic system, he said.

First and foremost, its important as a means of equitable and democratic civic participation, Thomas said. And secondly,  a diversity of perspectives and backgrounds has been proven to improve the efficacy of juries as trier of fact in almost every instance that has been measured in the nation over the last many years.

Juries that are more diverse in almost every metric of demographic identity deliberate over fact for longer, they have a more accurate collective understanding of the facts and how to apply them to the relevant law and issue, and ultimately, diverse juries are found to be more accurate in terms of fewer wrongful convictions and overturned decisions than more homogeneous juries, Thomas said.

The Minority and Justice Commission are true believers in the promise of the rule of law and the democratic control over the legal process that a jury of your peers, as a constitutional right, really presents, he said. We are very proud and also humbled for this opportunity to try to expand access to one of the most critical exercises of civic power and democratic duty that we have in America.
BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Market supervisory authorities of Beijing and Tianjin municipalities, as well as north China's Hebei Province, said on Thursday that over 7,000 standards spanning various fields have been shared within the region.

The 7,478 shared standards used in fire fighting, engineering construction, tourism, transportation, civil affairs and other fields have helped enhance the competitiveness of industrial supply chains, advancing the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the authorities said.

Data shows that among the shared standards that have been realized, 2,131 belong to Beijing, 1,033 Tianjin and 4,314 Hebei. In addition, the three places have jointly built 35 metrological technical specifications and shared more than 200. 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  As you get ready to travel for summer vacation, dont let your packages pile up. Forbes ranks Tennessee as the 11th worst state in the nation for porch pirates.

Its an effortless crime, said Detective Sgt. Josh Combs with the Nolensville Police Department. Theres not a lot of intel to do; drive around, you see a package. Most of them are piled on top of each other, multiple packages at a time. Makes it pretty easy.

According to a study by Capitol One Shopping, Americans lost more than $13 billion to package theft last year. Det. Sgt. Combs said surveillance video is key to catching these criminals, especially if you can see their face.

Lebanon police see 70% increase in shoplifting from 2022 to 2023

There are tools, software we can utilize to identify somebody, especially if theres a very visible face, Det. Sgt. Combs said. We have software we can use to help identify them now, and you have a better success rate of solving those.

In 2021, Tennessee enacted the so-called Porch Pirate Law. It redefines mail theft to include packages. The first offense is a misdemeanor, but the second offense is Class E felony, punishable by up to a year in jail.

If you come to our community, were going to investigate it. We will follow up on each and every one of them, and we will do our best to prosecute, Det. Sgt. Combs said. Thats not something we accept in our community.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

Detective Sgt. Combs said thieves often recognize distinctive packaging for certain high-dollar items, so track your packages and take them inside ASAP. If youre not going to be home, have them held or delivered somewhere safe.

Around the holidays, we have our Operation Front Porch, which is where individuals, if theyre going to be out of town for a long period of time or going to be working odd hours and the packages are going be sitting out, they can have them delivered to the police department, Det. Sgt. Combs said. We will safeguard them. They can come show an ID and pick them up, and that way theyre not victimized.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL)  Tennessee High School seniors participated in a walk through their elementary and middle schools on Thursday.

The tradition allows graduating seniors the opportunity to return to their former schools to walk the halls once again. Younger students cheered on the seniors as they walked through the halls in their cap and gowns.

Tennessee High senior Keeley Canter said the tradition is nostalgic.

Sullivan County Schools asks for over $6 million to increase teacher pay

Its surreal, definitely coming back here, Canter said. Its crazy how you still feel like you know your way around the school after its been so many years and seeing all the teachers. Its really nostalgic.

Several Tennessee High seniors visited Haynesfield Elementary and were able to share with current students their fondest memories of the school.

WJHL Photo

WJHL Photo

WJHL Photo

WJHL Photo

WJHL Photo

WJHL Photo

Haynesfield Elementary teacher Ana Buckmaster, who taught the Tennessee High seniors in 3rd grade, said the group was special.

Im excited, Buckmaster said. They were a special group, and I never forgot any of them just because they always showed so much energy and excitement for them in the classroom. And they just made an impression on me back in 3rd grade.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.
Tennessee mayor channels Tom Cruise for State of the City address, says 'Mission Possible'

Franklin's State of the City 2024

Franklin showed its creative side during its annual state of the city address earlier this month.

The event began with a video presentation that involved Mayor Ken Moore running through town, watching a self-destructing "mission" tape and rappelling from a ceiling Tom Cruise-style while on his way to deliver the address, which included several city accomplishments from 2023 and plans for the future.

Over the past year, Franklin sent the world a message. We said that we like whats going on and we are a community that builds, not tears down, Moore said during his remarks. He reiterated the city's theme of Mission Possible," and told a large crowd of over 300 residents that Franklin was on track to either complete or start a number of projects in the coming months.

Here are the main takeaways from the presentation:

The City Hall project

Since 2020, there have been plans to expand Franklin's current city hall building, Moore said, adding that the hope is to make it one of the jewels of Franklin.

Four years later, funding has been approved and plans are coming along. The new building will feature a variety of new additions to ease traffic and draw more people into downtown.

We want to create a one-acre park on the corner of Third Avenue and Church Street to serve as a meeting space for the community, said Anna Ruth Kimbrough, of Studio Eight Design.

The new city hall will also feature shops for local business, various community amenities and underground parking to alleviate the structure on Second Avenue.

The $100 million project is set to be three stories and 96,000 gross square feet upon its completion, city leaders noted. If everything goes according to plan, the new city hall should be ready by 2027.

A budget overview

Franklin City Administrator Eric Stuckey released his recommended budget for fiscal year 2024-2025 on May 6.

We have added a competitive pay adjustment for city teams along with keeping our property rate the same, at $0.3261 per $100 of assessed value, which is the lowest in Tennessee for a population of 50,000 or greater, he said.

New business update

Construction at The Factory at Franklin has been a huge priority with the addition of several new businesses relocating to the area.

In the (coming) months, visitors will see new restaurants, a bubble tea shop and even a yoga studio open in this space, said Alderman Matt Brown and Allen Arender, of Holladay Properties. Another batch of restaurants, like Slim + Husky, is set to open in the fall.

Details on specific businesses were not immediately available.

The Factory will also restart its history tours this summer along with an Art Crawl, which has been expanded, adding more cultural options for visitors and residents. Specific details were not immediately shared.

Infrastructure gets a boost

The McEwen Phase 4 project is waiting on confirmation from the Tennessee Department of Transportation to move into the construction phase. The project was originally announced in 2020 when funding was secured. The city is receiving up to$22.4 million in Federal Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) funds to help pay for the project, leaders said.

Upon its completion, the project is set to connect the east side Franklin to Cool Springs, add additional streetlights along with ADA-compliant sidewalks and a multi-use path. Once construction starts, it is scheduled to take about three years from start to finish, according to City Engineer Paul Holzen.

City officials have also noted that the water reclamation facility project, which got underway in 2018 with the goal of upgrading the city's current capacity of 12 million gallons per day to 16 million gallons per day, has been completed. A ribbon cutting was held May 8 for the $132.8 million dollar project.

For more information about Franklin and other upcoming projects, visit www.franklintn.gov/our-city.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Growth, plans, Tom Cruise: Middle Tennessee city address has it all
NEW YORK  Former President Trumps attorney hammered Michael Cohen on Thursday as tensions in the courtroom boiled over on the second day of intense cross-examination of prosecutors star witness.

For hours, Todd Blanche, Trumps lead defense attorney, attempted to paint Cohen as a liar, pointing out that Trumps ex-fixer was untruthful under oath in numerous venues.

It was the same oath Cohen took before testifying in Trumps ongoing trial, Blanche repeatedly noted to the jury, eventually accusing the witness of lying on the stand this week when he told prosecutors about an alleged call with Trump to finalize the hush money deal at the center of the case.

That was a lie! Blanche exclaimed, deliberately pausing after each word. You did not talk to President Trump on that night.

Instead, Blanche asserted the call in question was a conversation with Trumps bodyguard, when Cohen expressed concerns about harassing calls he was receiving at the time.

As Trumps onetime fixer and personal attorney, Cohen offered some of the most damaging testimony against his former boss when questioned by prosecutors earlier this week, tying Trump to key documents at the heart of the case and the broader election interference conspiracy prosecutors say underpins the felony charges the former president faces.

Defense lawyer Todd Blanche attends the trial of former US President Donald Trump for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs, at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, on May 16, 2024. Trumps defense team Thursday continues the questioning of Michael Cohen, the key witness in the criminal trial of the former president. (Photo by JEENAH MOON / POOL / AFP)

On Thursday, Blanches questioning marked the most heated cross-examination yet of the trial, trying to portray to the jury that Cohen was a serial liar who cant be trusted.

Although he did appear frustrated and seemed to be answering some questions begrudgingly, Cohen, known for his loudmouth tendencies and bad temper, generally kept his cool on the stand. The two men were clearly at odds, however, sometimes telling each other thank you, your welcome and other pleasantries clearly meant in jest.

But even in the more heated moments, the confrontation stood in stark contrast to Cohens previous bouts on the witness stand, which were defined by heated back-and-forth, quippy outbursts and undeniable rage.

Trump turned his body toward Cohen for most of the day, keeping his eyes open much more than the former president did earlier this week. But he remained subdued, only whispering occasionally to his lawyers.

Defense attorney Todd Blanche stands making the swearing in hand gesture when cross examining Michael Cohen, as Donald Trump, left, looks on with Judge Juan Merchan presiding, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

The former president brought one of his largest entourages of the trial to observe Cohens cross-examination, bringing upwards of a dozen sitting members of Congress that included conservative firebrands like Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.). So many attended that they couldnt all fit in the courtroom gallery rows reserved for Trumps guests, so a few lawmakers had to sit in the back.

Many of the lawmakers directed their gaze toward Cohen as he testified, though some at turns were on their phones. They stood behind Trump in the hallway in the morning as he addressed reporters, and some of them also spoke just outside the courthouse, including some who were heckled by those nearby.

Inside the courtroom, Blanche tried to use Cohens words against him, bringing up his name-calling or other past statements suggesting a giddiness to see Trump convicted. Cohen conceded to the same sentiment Tuesday, but with less zeal.

I truly fing hope that man ends up in prison, Cohen said during a podcast episode that was played for jurors.

Blanche also tore into Cohen over statements hes made about his innocence since pleading guilty to federal campaign finance and other charges.

Blanche raised testimony Cohen gave in Trumps civil fraud trial last year, where he was tripped up by different Trump attorneys after denying he admitted to certain crimes to which he previously pleaded guilty. The attorneys accused Cohen of either lying when he took the plea before U.S. District Judge William Pauley III or on the stand that day.

You committed perjury in that proceeding, didnt you? Trump attorney Alina Habba pressed during the fraud trial. Did you lie to Judge Pauley when you said that youre guilty?

Yes, Cohen replied.

A different federal judge now overseeing Cohens criminal case, as Pauley has since died, suggested in March that Cohen must have perjured himself during the fraud trial because of the conflicting accounts. He chided Cohen for ongoing and escalating efforts to walk away from his prior acceptance of responsibility.

Top Stories from The Hill

Cohen has repeatedly tried to clarify his position  that he doesnt dispute the underlying facts of his guilty plea but believes he should not have been charged. Since breaking from Trump, Cohen has repeatedly said he accepted responsibility for his actions.

But Blanche asserted Thursday that Cohen was only doing so by continuing to lie.

When you got the credit at sentencing for accepting responsibility, you got that credit even though you lied! Blanche said. You lied to the judge when you pled guilty!

Cohen eventually conceded that his sentencing judge would have wanted to know he wasnt being truthful.

Cohen is expected to be the Manhattan district attorneys final witness in its criminal case against Trump.

Jurors were largely paying attention during the testimony, their heads moving back and forth between Cohen and Blanche as they each spoke. But as the proceedings dragged on, some jurors seemed to lose focus at moments, staring toward the gallery and taking fewer notes. A few rubbed their eyes.

The former president faces 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment Cohen made to a porn actress to keep her alleged affair with Trump a secret ahead of the 2016 election. He has pleaded not guilty.

After Cohens cross-examination concludes, prosecutors will seek to rehabilitate their star witnesss credibility before Trumps attorneys get the chance to present their own case in the former presidents defense.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
NEW YORK  Former President Trumps attorney hammered Michael Cohen on Thursday as tensions in the courtroom boiled over on the second day of intense cross-examination of prosecutors star witness.

For hours, Todd Blanche, Trumps lead defense attorney, attempted to paint Cohen as a liar, pointing out that Trumps ex-fixer was untruthful under oath in numerous venues.

It was the same oath Cohen took before testifying in Trumps ongoing trial, Blanche repeatedly noted to the jury, eventually accusing the witness of lying on the stand this week when he told prosecutors about an alleged call with Trump to finalize the hush money deal at the center of the case.

That was a lie! Blanche exclaimed, deliberately pausing after each word. You did not talk to President Trump on that night.

Instead, Blanche asserted the call in question was a conversation with Trumps bodyguard, when Cohen expressed concerns about harassing calls he was receiving at the time.

As Trumps onetime fixer and personal attorney, Cohen offered some of the most damaging testimony against his former boss when questioned by prosecutors earlier this week, tying Trump to key documents at the heart of the case and the broader election interference conspiracy prosecutors say underpins the felony charges the former president faces.

Defense lawyer Todd Blanche attends the trial of former US President Donald Trump for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs, at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, on May 16, 2024. Trumps defense team Thursday continues the questioning of Michael Cohen, the key witness in the criminal trial of the former president. (Photo by JEENAH MOON / POOL / AFP)

On Thursday, Blanches questioning marked the most heated cross-examination yet of the trial, trying to portray to the jury that Cohen was a serial liar who cant be trusted.

Although he did appear frustrated and seemed to be answering some questions begrudgingly, Cohen, known for his loudmouth tendencies and bad temper, generally kept his cool on the stand. The two men were clearly at odds, however, sometimes telling each other thank you, your welcome and other pleasantries clearly meant in jest.

But even in the more heated moments, the confrontation stood in stark contrast to Cohens previous bouts on the witness stand, which were defined by heated back-and-forth, quippy outbursts and undeniable rage.

Trump turned his body toward Cohen for most of the day, keeping his eyes open much more than the former president did earlier this week. But he remained subdued, only whispering occasionally to his lawyers.

Defense attorney Todd Blanche stands making the swearing in hand gesture when cross examining Michael Cohen, as Donald Trump, left, looks on with Judge Juan Merchan presiding, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

The former president brought one of his largest entourages of the trial to observe Cohens cross-examination, bringing upwards of a dozen sitting members of Congress that included conservative firebrands like Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.). So many attended that they couldnt all fit in the courtroom gallery rows reserved for Trumps guests, so a few lawmakers had to sit in the back.

Many of the lawmakers directed their gaze toward Cohen as he testified, though some at turns were on their phones. They stood behind Trump in the hallway in the morning as he addressed reporters, and some of them also spoke just outside the courthouse, including some who were heckled by those nearby.

Inside the courtroom, Blanche tried to use Cohens words against him, bringing up his name-calling or other past statements suggesting a giddiness to see Trump convicted. Cohen conceded to the same sentiment Tuesday, but with less zeal.

I truly fing hope that man ends up in prison, Cohen said during a podcast episode that was played for jurors.

Blanche also tore into Cohen over statements hes made about his innocence since pleading guilty to federal campaign finance and other charges.

Blanche raised testimony Cohen gave in Trumps civil fraud trial last year, where he was tripped up by different Trump attorneys after denying he admitted to certain crimes to which he previously pleaded guilty. The attorneys accused Cohen of either lying when he took the plea before U.S. District Judge William Pauley III or on the stand that day.

You committed perjury in that proceeding, didnt you? Trump attorney Alina Habba pressed during the fraud trial. Did you lie to Judge Pauley when you said that youre guilty?

Yes, Cohen replied.

A different federal judge now overseeing Cohens criminal case, as Pauley has since died, suggested in March that Cohen must have perjured himself during the fraud trial because of the conflicting accounts. He chided Cohen for ongoing and escalating efforts to walk away from his prior acceptance of responsibility.

Top Stories from The Hill

Cohen has repeatedly tried to clarify his position  that he doesnt dispute the underlying facts of his guilty plea but believes he should not have been charged. Since breaking from Trump, Cohen has repeatedly said he accepted responsibility for his actions.

But Blanche asserted Thursday that Cohen was only doing so by continuing to lie.

When you got the credit at sentencing for accepting responsibility, you got that credit even though you lied! Blanche said. You lied to the judge when you pled guilty!

Cohen eventually conceded that his sentencing judge would have wanted to know he wasnt being truthful.

Cohen is expected to be the Manhattan district attorneys final witness in its criminal case against Trump.

Jurors were largely paying attention during the testimony, their heads moving back and forth between Cohen and Blanche as they each spoke. But as the proceedings dragged on, some jurors seemed to lose focus at moments, staring toward the gallery and taking fewer notes. A few rubbed their eyes.

The former president faces 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment Cohen made to a porn actress to keep her alleged affair with Trump a secret ahead of the 2016 election. He has pleaded not guilty.

After Cohens cross-examination concludes, prosecutors will seek to rehabilitate their star witnesss credibility before Trumps attorneys get the chance to present their own case in the former presidents defense.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pardoned former U.S. Army Sergeant Daniel Perry, who had been sentenced to 25 years for the killing of Garrett Foster at a Black Lives Matter rally in 2020. Shortly after Perry's sentencing in 2023, Abbott said he wished to pardon Perry and asked a board to review the case. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI

May 16 (UPI) -- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday pardoned Daniel Perry, who had been sentenced to 25 years in prison for murdering a Black Lives Matter protester in 2020.

Abbott signed the proclamation after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted unanimously to grant Perry a full pardon and restoration of gun rights.

"Among the voluminous files reviewed by the board, they considered information provided by the Travis County District Attorney, the full investigative report on Daniel Perry, plus a review of all the testimony provided at trial," Abbott said in a statement.

"Texas has one of the strongest 'Stand Your Ground' laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive district attorney. I thank the board for its thorough investigation, and I approve their pardon recommendation."

After a jury found Perry guilty in April 2023, Abbott said he wanted to pardon Perry and asked the board to investigate the case.

The board on Thursday said "investigative efforts encompassed a meticulous review of pertinent documents, from police reports to court records, witness statements, and interviews with individuals linked to the case."

Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza, who prosecuted the case against Perry, said the board and Abbott's decision "made a mockery of our legal system."

"They should be ashamed of themselves," Garza said. "Their actions are contrary to the law and demonstrate that there are two classes of people in this state where some lives matter and some lives do not."

Perry, a former U.S. Army sergeant, was convicted for fatally shooting Air Force veteran Garrett Foster at an Austin Black Lives Matter rally two months after the murder of George Floyd.

Prosecutors said Perry instigated the fatal encounter when he drove into a crowd of protesters.

Foster, who was armed with an assault rifle which is legal in Texas, approached Perry's vehicle and motioned for him to lower his window. Perry responded by shooting Foster, prosecutors said.

Perry's attorney's argued Foster raised his weapon first, and that he shot Foster in self defense, which runs contrary to video evidence and witness testimony.

A Travis County court in April 2023 reviewed private messages sent by Perry, which included racist memes and one message where he said it was "to bad we can't get paid for hunting Muslims in Europe."

In his sentencing hearing last May, prosecutors asked for at least 25 years in prison, pointing to Perry's racist posts and the defense's own assessment of his mental health issues.

Perry's attorney's asked for a 10 year sentence, citing his lack of criminal history, issues with post-traumatic stress disorder and praise from fellow service members.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday pardoned Daniel Perry, an Army sergeant sentenced to 25 years in prison for shooting and killing a protester in 2020. The Republican governor issued his pardon after a unanimous recommendation by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.

The Board also unanimously voted to recommend a full restoration of Perry's firearm rights.

"Texas has one of the strongest 'Stand Your Ground' laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney," Abbott said in a statement. "I thank the Board for its thorough investigation, and I approve their pardon recommendation."

Texas law states that the governor can grant a pardon after a recommendation by the state's Board of Pardons and Paroles, whose members are appointed by the governor.

An investigation into Perry's case began on April 8th, 2024, at the request of the governor, the parole board said in a statement. The request came one day after Perry was convicted for the murder of Garrett Foster, 28, who was protesting for racial justice and against police brutality in downtown Austin.

Perry's attorneys said their client, a U.S. Army sergeant who was stationed at Fort Hood at the time of the shooting and working as a ride-share driver, was part of a "political prosecution" and claimed that he acted in self-defense. Foster, a U.S. Air Force veteran, was carrying an AK-47 on July 25, 2020, and Perry's lawyers argued that Foster approached their client's vehicle.

Prosecutors said witnesses never saw Foster raise his weapon  and that Perry didn't need to fire his gun.

Daniel Perry is seen on a pool video feed as he arrives for his sentencing hearing in Austin, Texas, on May 9, 2023. / Credit: Eric Gay / AP

Prosecutors also presented social media posts and messages that they said showed Perry's state of mind before the shooting. He had searched for phrases including "protest in austin today," "protest in dallas today" and "protesters in seattle get shot."

Members of the Board of Pardons and Paroles "delved into the intricacies of Perry's case" before arriving at their decision, the board said in a statement. "The investigation's efforts encompassed a meticulous review of relevant documents, from police reports to court records, witness statements, and interviews with individuals linked to the case."

Perry's attorney Doug O'Connell on Thursday thanked the governor in a statement to CBS News, saying the pardon corrected "the courtroom travesty which occurred over a year ago and represents true justice in this case." He said that Perry is "thrilled and elated to be free," and that he also wished "this tragic event never happened" and he "never had to defend himself against Mr. Foster's unlawful actions."

O'Connell also noted that Perry recognizes "that the Foster family is grieving."

Whitney Mitchell, who was Foster's girlfriend and with him when he was killed, said in a statement to CBS News, "I loved Garrett Foster. I thought we were going to grow old together. He was the love of my life. He still is." She added, "With this pardon, the Governor has desecrated the life of a murdered Texan and US Air Force veteran."

Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza, whose office oversaw the case, ensured that the board allotted time for prosecutors and Foster's family to make presentations before they issued their recommendations. In a statement signaling his disappointment, Garza said the recent actions of the Governor and Board "have put their politics over justice and made a mockery of our legal system."

"Their actions are contrary to the law and demonstrate that there are two classes of people in this state where some lives matter and some lives do not," Garza said.

Caroline Linton contributed reporting.

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By Steve Gorman

(Reuters) -Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday granted a full pardon to a former U.S. Army sergeant and Uber driver who was convicted of murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison for fatally shooting a Black Lives Matter protester in 2020.

Abbott, a Republican, in his pardon proclamation cited the state's "Stand Your Ground" self-defense law, one of the strongest such measures in the U.S.

The clemency proclamation was issued shortly after the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole unanimously recommended a pardon for Daniel Perry and restoration of his firearm rights following an investigation that the board conducted at the governor's request.

Perry, 37, was found guilty in April 2023 of murder in the death of 28-year-old Garrett Foster, a U.S. Air Force veteran who was gunned down at a Black Lives Matter rally in Austin, the state capital, in July 2020.

The demonstration came amid a storm of protests across the country against racial injustice and police brutality in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers in May of that year.

Perry has insisted he was acting in self defense when he shot Foster, asserting that he had no choice but to open fire with his handgun when Foster pointed the AK-47 he was legally carrying at Perry. Perry is white, as was Foster.

Perry was driving in Austin that night and had turned his Uber car onto a street where the demonstrators were marching, leading members of the crowd to believe they were in danger of being assaulted by his vehicle, according to media accounts of the incident.

At trial, the two sides presented conflicting accounts of whether Foster leveled his gun at Perry.

In his pardon proclamation, Abbott said the jury's verdict in effect "nullified" the state's "Stand Your Ground" self-defense law. The statute removes a person's duty to retreat from an unprovoked threat of violence before using deadly force if that person has a right to be there.

Perry's lawyer, Doug O'Connell, said the pardon "corrects the courtroom travesty" of his client's conviction," adding that Perry was "thrilled and elated to be free."

"Daniel Perry was imprisoned for 372 days and lost the military career he loved," O'Connell said in the statement, quoted by Austin television station KXAN. "We intend to fight to get Daniel's military service characterization upgraded to an honorable discharge."

According to KXAN, Foster's fiancee, Whitney Mitchell, shared her reaction in a joint statement with her mother, calling the pardon a "devastating blow" that "reopened deep wounds."

Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza, a Democrat whose office brought the case against Perry, decried the pardon, saying that the parole board and the governor had "put their politics over justice and made a mockery of our legal system."

The parole board gave no specific reason for its recommendation, but said its investigation "delved into the intricacies" of Perry's case, including a review of police reports, court records and witness statements.

(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Leslie Adler)
BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The China Coast Guard (CCG) on Thursday intensified on-site surveillance and evidence collection after Philippine vessels illegally gathered in waters adjacent to China's Huangyan Dao and engaged in activities unrelated to normal fishing operations.

The CCG has regulated the Philippine vessels at the scene in accordance with the law. 
FILE - Visiting Judge David Peeples prepares to listen to arguments in a hearing about the November Harris County elections at Harris County Civil Courthouse on Aug. 1, 2023, in Houston. Peeples has ruled, Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in favor of a Republican candidate challenging the results in a 2022 judicial race and ordered that a new election be held in the nations third-most populous county, a Democratic stronghold thats been beset by GOP efforts to dictate how ballots are cast. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP, File)

HOUSTON (AP)  A Texas judge has ruled in favor of a Republican candidate challenging the results in a 2022 judicial race and ordered that a new election be held in the nations third-most populous county, a Democratic stronghold thats been beset by GOP efforts to dictate how ballots are cast.

A losing GOP candidate in a November 2022 judicial race had filed a lawsuit calling for a new election in her contest in Harris County, where Houston is located. Republican Tami Pierce lost her race to be a criminal court judge to the Democratic incumbent, DaSean Jones, by 449 votes.

Pierce blamed her defeat on allegations that illegal votes were cast by people who did not live in the county and that some ballots lacked needed signatures and other information. In court documents, Jones attorney, Oliver Brown, argued that Pierce could not prove there were sufficient illegal or mistaken votes cast in the judicial race that would materially affect this election.

But in a 32-page ruling issued Wednesday, visiting Judge David Peeples ruled in favor of Pierce, saying 1,430 illegal votes were cast in the race.

Peeple wrote that among the illegal votes, 983 were cast by people living outside Harris County and 445 were cast by voters who did not show photo identification or did not show a substitute ID document.

The true outcome in the contest for Judge of the 180th District Court cannot be determined, and a new election is therefore ordered, Peeples wrote.

Peeples ruling, first reported by the Houston Chronicle, came after a two-day trial in April.

A date for the new election was not immediately set as Peeples wrote that he first needed to discuss this with attorneys in the case.

Brown did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment. He told other news outlets he planned to appeal the ruling.

Paul Simpson, an attorney for Pierce, praised Peeples ruling and said voluminous, detailed evidence revealed many problems with the 2022 election.

We hope Judge Jones will not further delay justice by appealing but, instead, face Harris County voters in a new election when ordered by the court, Simpson said in a statement.

Harris County GOP Chairman Cindy Siegel said voters can now have some faith restored in our electoral process.

But Mike Doyle, chair of the Harris County Democratic Party, was critical of the GOP's efforts to overturn the election results, saying in statement that because they wont stop fighting Harris County voting results when they lose, they will just need to lose again in a completely unnecessary and unjustified re-do."

Peeples ruling in Pierces lawsuit came six-months after he threw out most of the 21 lawsuits that had been filed by GOP candidates challenging their losses in the November 2022 election. Pierces lawsuit had been the sole unresolved case.

In his ruling from last year related to a lawsuit in another judicial race, Peeples wrote he had found many mistakes and violations of the election code in Harris County. But not enough votes in the race between candidates Erin Lunceford and Tamika Craft were put in doubt to justify voiding that election, he wrote.

Harris County, which President Joe Biden won by double-digits in 2020, has become a recurring target of GOP lawmakers who have rushed to impose stricter voting measures and passed a law in 2023 that could allow the state to take over the countys elections.

The lawsuits in Houston followed similar court challenges that have become more common around the country following baseless conspiracy theories spread by former President Donald Trump and his supporters alleging the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

Elections have been scrutinized for several years now in Harris County  which has nearly 5 million residents, most of whom are Latino or Black. Problems have included long lines, poll worker and ballot shortages and ballots that were not counted the day of the election.

Harris County, like much of the rest of Texas, previously voted Republican. But demographic changes in the county have been trending toward residents who are younger and minorities, groups who tend to vote Democratic, experts say. The states other large urban areas, like Dallas, El Paso and San Antonio, also vote Democratic.

In recent years, new elections have been ordered in races in other parts of the country due to various problems.

In November, a judge ordered a new election for mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut, after finding surveillance videos showed people stuffing absentee ballots into outdoor collection boxes. In December, a judge in Louisiana ordered a new election in a sheriffs race after finding evidence that a handful of ballots were cast illegally.

___

Follow Juan A. Lozano on X: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70
Welcome to the nightmare in my brain, said Heather Axford, director of Central American Legal Assistance, when I asked to interview her about a possible second Trump administrations impact on immigration issues. CALA was founded in 1986, in response to the wave of refugees fleeing the Salvadoran civil war, by Anne Pilsburyshe retired as director in 2023, but remains as senior attorneyand Sister Peggy Walsh, a nun, and operates from the basement and a small office of the Transfiguration Church in an ungentrified pocket of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, at the edge of a Hasidic neighborhood. I first met Axford in 2009, when she was a recent graduate of University of Virginia Law School and had been at CALA for one year. She had a radiant, energetic presence then and still does.

Stephen Miller, Trumps key immigration adviser, has vowed that Trump is planning such an enormously ambitious and spectacular immigration crackdown should he return to power that the immigration legal activists wont know whats happening.

But Axford knows what is coming if Trump is reelected. She wont be surprised by any of it. But thats what fills her with apprehension and sorrow. Axfords immigration attorney work has overlapped with four presidencies, from George W. Bush to Joe Biden. The shift from Obama to Trump was the most dramatic, she said. Axford, who also teaches a class in refugee and asylum law at New York Law School, recalled how, starting in January 2017, every class began with a recounting of the previous weeks changes to immigration laws and norms. Things that you took for granted, she said, that you didnt realize were just norms. For example, prosecutorial discretion. In immigration court, the prosecutors, like all prosecutors, are supposed to have prosecutorial discretion. That means you dont go to the mat on every single case just because. Your job isnt to deport everyone in front of you, its to enforce the law as the law stands. If you look at someone, and they are clearly eligible for a form of relief, you dont have to fight that. The first thing that happened in January 17 is that that ended. There was no more room to negotiate. The marching orders were to fight every case, to oppose every granting of asylum.

The new immigration policies, and changes, put forward during the last Trump administration, policies thateven though many were subsequently blocked or tied up in the courtsTrump and Miller have promised to bring back and expand in a second Trump term, include the following, and its a grim list: the travel ban that targeted even potential tourists from seven countries, most of which were majority Muslim; the termination of DACA, the popular Dream Act, offering protections and rights to young people brought to the United States as children; the ending of Temporary Protected Status, for migrants from unsafe countries such as El Salvador, Honduras, and Haiti, many of whom have been residing in the United States, working, starting families and businesses, paying taxes, for at least 20 years now; the Remain in Mexico policy, which denied people who have passed credible fear interviews the right to await the processing of their asylum claims here; the Covid-era closing of the border to asylum claims, the reinstating of which a new Trump administration would supposedly justify by arguing that migrants bring other infectious diseases; the denial of Fourth Amendment rights to undocumented migrants, encouraging Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies to make warrantless arrests in private homes and carry out workplace raids; and the infamous child separation policies, which Trump has refused to disavow.





Lets start with the border. The press has especially focused on Trumps promise to round up undocumented immigrants in the United States, 10 million or more, and to place them in vast, militarized detention camps near the border, most likely in Texas, to await, without any due process, their deportations. Such an assault on normative human and legal rights is bound, of course, to be contested in the courts. But the Supreme and lower courts are expected to be far more favorable to Trump this time around.

Much of the U.S. side of the border, then, would become a militarized landscape with bleakly sanitized detention camps warehousing and hiding from outside view the suffering of millions of adults and children removed from their homes to be sent back to countries many no longer know at all. Families will be divided, with U.S.-born children often left behind. Just as during the last Trump administration, some deportees will meet violent deaths at the hands of the same organized, criminal forces they or their parents originally fled. Remain in Mexico having been ruled illegal by Mexican courts, its harder to exactly foresee what awaits there. But, as before, migrants may mass in border cities with conditions like those of refugee camps. Denied access to asylum, the desperate families and children will seek out ever more dangerous crossings. Already, record numbers of dead migrants are being found in remote parts of West Texas and New Mexico. As president, Trump spoke admiringly of Israels separation walls and proposed that U.S. troops shoot migrants in the legs to slow them down. Perhaps now courts will bow to his wishes.

It took them a while to figure things out, said Axford of that first Trump term. It wont take them a while the next time around. The Trump administrations legal entanglements did little to blunt its assault on the right to asylum. U.S. asylum law is narrowly defined: It is limited to those with legitimate fears of violence resulting from persecution based on race, religion, nationality, social group, or political stance or opinion. Yet those laws undergird the perception of the United States as a country of refuge for those in flight from such potentially lethal persecutions, and as an upholder of our national obligations under international human rights law. In the landmark INS v. Cardoza-Fonseca case of 1987, the Supreme Court ruled that even a 10 percent chance of being shot, tortured, or otherwise persecuted should be enough to be granted asylum. Under Trump, asylum law began to undergo something like a macabre heart transplant: the replacing of a still beating heart with a cadaverous one.

By 2020, we had completely shut down access to the U.S. asylum system, Stephen Miller boasted during a November 14, 2023, interview on The Charlie Kirk Show. Everybody was being expelled, without any ability to apply for asylum in the United States. We were able to build that architecture under President Trumps leadership.

The specifics of how asylum laws came to be swiftly undone outside of legislative acts or the jurisdiction of higher federal courts, as Axford explained it, were a surprise to me. She cited cases of domestic violence as an example. Case law in this country allowed for grants of asylum to those who have survived severe domestic violence and who could show that there is no place in their country where they can be safe, and that they cant rely on their own government, said Axford. Its hard to prove, but domestic violence in these circumstances can be a basis for asylum, which with women from Central America is very important, because they are often bringing exactly that. Before Trump, the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals had recognized severe domestic violence as a basis for asylum. But U.S. attorneys general have broad unilateral powers in this area, and in June 2018, Attorney General Jefferson Sessions used this power in a case involving a Salvadoran woman to end this practice. The change extended to victims of gang and cartel violence, sexual abuse, child abuse, and LGBTQ cases. Overnight, a case I had that was a straightforward grantable claim suddenly was not, Axford said. In 2021, Attorney General Merrick Garland restored the old law. In 2022, said Axford, her client was granted asylum, and, in court, the government deferred.

If you stand to be killed simply because of who your family members are, because your dad pissed off the wrong people, thats the basis for asylum. Its hard to imagine a more obvious social group than the family, said Axford. It was a known practice of gangs to eliminate the families of their enemies. But in 2019, Attorney General William Barr decided that the law only applied to famous families  only being from a family well-known or important in the country could be the basis for asylum.

Decisions by attorneys general can be easily overturned by their successors. But if those decisions can be codified and published as new regulations, overturning them becomes a lot harder. The Trump Justice Department, Axford said, began publishing the new regulations that immigration attorneys called The Death to Asylum Regulations. Organizations sued, those regulations were enjoined, and the laws couldnt be enforced until the lawsuits concluded. Biden came in, and they walked away from those regulations. But theyve been written. Theyre just sitting there. I think about those all the time. In a second Trump administration, the courts wont necessarily save us from that.





For the last 20 years, Ive been visiting New Bedford, Massachusetts, to research the novel that I am now writing. New Bedford is the countrys number one fishing port in terms of profits. It is now mostly Central Americans, especially Mayas from Guatemala, who staff the ports fish processing houses. Many first fled to New Bedford as refugees from the wars of Central America, wars in which many, many more civilians were slain than combatants, and in which most of those civilians were murdered by U.S.-backed militaries. Many young women Ive interviewed and gotten to know in New Bedford first worked in the so-called fish houses at ages as young as 14, and some, working night shifts, still managed to go to high school. A few even went on to college; some already have daughters and sons in college. Working in fish houses is the classic job that nobody but immigrants, having no other choice, are willing to take, yet the health of New Bedfords commercial fishingdriven economy partly depends on them. Many of those women, Ive learned over the years, fled sexual abuse from gangs or aberrant family members; many, so rightly, were granted asylum. At the Community Economic Development Center, or CEDC, co-founded by Corinn Williams, which has been providing support of all kinds to New Bedford immigrants for over 20 years, springtime is when the offices are swamped every day, even Saturdays, by immigrants needing help filing their tax returns. On one wall, photographs have been displayed of new immigrant homeowners and the houses theyve purchased. Across the street, the Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores, a worker center led by Adrian Ventura, a Guatemalan Maya who was a war refugee, has organized fish plant employees, among others, on behalf of workers rights regardless of immigration status. Most recently, the center won protections against deportation and got work permits for fish plant workers whod been subjected to workplace abuses, a development Corinn Williams told me shes seeing reflected this year in immigrants tax filings.

In New Bedford, the best-paid employment by far, especially for young men, is on the fishing boats. The finest kind, as commercial fishermen are known there, until recently were made up mainly of Portuguese fishermen, immigrants, sons, grandsons, and those from other immigrant groups. Heroin, opioids, and now fentanyl addictions among fishermen have had a devastating and demoralizing effect on the fleet over the last two decades. So have the decline in fish stocks, other ecologically caused problems, the burdensome regulations these have occasioned, and perceptions of a threatened future for New England commercial fishing in general. Ive heard many stories about fish captains who, at first reluctantly, hired young Guatemalansmany from remote mountain communities and whod never even seen the oceanto work on their boats, only to find themselves impressed by how quickly and adeptly those young men adapted to the brutally hard and dangerous work. Now Mexicans and Central Americans comprise an ever-growing part of the fishing fleet. They are paid the same as white crewmates. One fishing boat captain told me about how terrible it was, back in the times of Trump and ICEs earlier Operation Return to Sender, when agents sometimes lurked on the docks, waiting for fishing boats to come in.

I thought of New Bedfords Central American community amid the spate of recent stories about a Congressional Budget Office assessment that recent immigrants are the cause of the current economys relatively robust state. The CBO even estimates that the surge in immigration will help bolster the U.S. economy by $7 trillion over the next decade.

But Stephen Miller claims: Mass deportation will be a labor-market disruption celebrated by American workers, who will now be offered higher wages with better benefits to fill these jobs. Who are these workers he foresees flooding into fish processing houses, clamoring to work 12-hour shifts some weeksother weeks, there might be no work at alland standing on their feet in those cold, wet, icy, malodorous workplaces, cutting fish, weighing and packing scallops, prying open clams, holding crab legs one at a time up to suction machines? And how well will they work, and for what wages? How will that affect seafood prices?

When I hear Trump rousing his followers at his rallies with his anti-immigrant slurs, talking about immigrants poisoning the countrys blood, calling them animals, and so on, my blood boils, too, but with something like the opposite of the xenophobic and racist euphoria so many of his followers exult in. The exact opposite of euphoria is also a violent feeling. But I do give thanks that my Mexican wife and I are raising our two daughters in Mexico and not in the United States. I dont know how I would be able to control myself, were my daughters to hear a U.S. president referring to them as animals, and worse. I think of the young children in New Bedford who are regularly exposed to such hatred, and my heart literally contracts and aches.

As I listened to Stephen Miller on The Charlie Kirk Show, his voice reminded me of a tense little finch skittering forward while plucking at a very long line of tiny seeds. Describing Trumps plans to implement the largest deportation operation since Eisenhower and his Operation Wetback, Miller said, Just imagine the logistics involved in getting illegal aliens back to Pakistan, Cambodia, and, yes, Mexico, the Northern Triangle, Brazil, South America, Panama, China, all throughout the Middle East, and so on and so forth, all throughout the continent of Africa. It is an undertaking every bit as significant, and every bit as daring and ambitious, for example, as building the Panama Canal. It is a great undertaking.

His insipid little seed-plucking finch voicePakistan, Cambodia, and, yes, Mexicoonly grew excited when he snarled, Fake stories, fake families, fake asylum claims! That all stops now!

Miller has promised a surge of ICE workplace raids such as the one that occurred in New Bedford in 2007 at a sweatshop-type factory. That led to about 150 mostly Guatemalan women being deported, separating over 100 children from at least one parent, mostly mothers, some who were breastfeeding. New Bedfords community rebounded from that initial trauma. Guatemalans are made of iron, said Ventura. They survived the war; they will survive Trump. Hes not a Putin. Well defend our rights.
Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden have agreed to participate in two presidential debates ahead of the November election, but those don't include the debate that had been planned at Texas State University in September.

Texas State University was set to be the first university in the state to host a presidential debate this fall, committing $5 million for the endeavor.

But President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump  the likely nominees  have different plans. The candidates are skipping the stop in San Marcos, about 30 miles south of Austin, as well as the two other planned debates by the Commission on Presidential Debates. Instead, they'll have two debates  one hosted by CNN in Atlanta on June 27 and another produced by ABC on Sept. 10. The Texas State debate was set for Sept. 16.

"We are aware of the latest developments surrounding the presidential debates. We are working closely with the Commission on Presidential Debates as we assess the situation," the university told the American-Statesman in a statement.

The nonpartisan, nonprofit Commission on Presidential Debates has produced and sponsored all presidential debates since 1988. The Republican National Committee in 2022, however unanimously withdrew from the commission, accusing it of bias, a claim Trump had also put forth. The Biden campaign has also expressed frustration with the commission, saying it didn't enforce its own rules in 2020, allowing Trump, then the incumbent, to constantly interrupt Biden during the televised events.

Biden-Trump debate: Who will moderate the 2024 presidential debates?

Both campaigns have also critiqued the commission for starting its debates after early voting has already begun in some states.

A letter from Jen O'Malley Dillon, the Biden campaign's chair, to the commission Wednesday said "the President will not be participating" in the debates and will instead participate in two debates hosted by CNN and ABC. Neither event is to have a live audience present.

"The Commission's failure, yet again, to schedule debates that will be meaningful to all voters  not just those who cast their ballots late in the fall or on Election Day  underscores the serious limitations of its outdated approach," the letter said.

Trump agreed to the two debates with Biden in a post on social media, though he said he'd prefer more debates, suggesting a third hosted by Fox News. The Biden team's parameters for debating Trump only involve two one-on-one forums.

The candidates are not obligated to participate in debates, and, in the event of a cancellation, the Commission on Presidential Debates will "refund those funds or contributions that have not been spent, expended or committed prior to the cancellation," according to documents previously obtained by the Statesman.

In a May 1 news release in response to criticism by the Trump campaign that the debates were being planned to be held too late, the commission said its planned Sept. 16 event was the "earliest televised general election debate ever held" and that it chose the date to make it accessible.

"It was claimed that the CPDs schedule does not begin until after 'millions of Americans will have already cast their ballots.' The CPD purposefully chose September 16 after a comprehensive study of early voting rules in every state," the commission's statement earlier this month said.

Eric Algoe, Texas State's chief financial officer and executive president for operations, previously told the Statesman that the university had been in nearly weekly meetings with the city of San Marcos and the Texas State University System to prepare for the debate.

Algoe also told the Statesman in December that the university has been preparing to host the presidential debate since 2020, when it was asked by the commission to be "on standby" in case it was selected as an event site.

Texas State was expected to pay a $2.7 million site fee to the commission and committed to "the full cost of all the goods and services," as outlined in the agreement obtained by the Statesman. It is not known how much of the $5 million, which included the site fee and was also expected to fund permanent and temporary improvements, is refundable.

Algoe also previously told the Statesman that renovations to the campus in advance of the Sept. 16 debate were expected to take place over the summer. It is not clear if those improvements will still be made.

Texas State and the Commission on Presidential Debates did not respond to Statesman questions Wednesday.

"We want to make sure that the American people get the most out of this conversation," Adrienne Elrod, a Biden campaign spokesperson, told MSCNBC, "and having the kind of spectacle we saw in 2020 doesn't always work out best for the American people."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Biden, Trump pick new debates, turn down Texas State presidential forum
"Our next available appointment is in February of next year."

Sadly, this is a common refrain in doctors' offices today. How many times have you tried to schedule a follow-up or a yearly physical, only to be given an absurd timeline? Meanwhile, many patients who move to a new geographic area can't find a doctor at all.

That's because we're in the midst of a nationwide physician shortage. The average wait time for a doctor's appointment in cities is 26 days. Rural residents have it worse. Their communities make up nearly two-thirds of all areas in the country with shortages of primary care providers.

Yet getting treated doesn't need to be this difficult. We may have a limited number of doctors, but there's another source of high-quality, professional care. Our hospitals and healthcare providers need to rely more on physician assistants  who at the moment, are often barred from working at the level for which they're trained. That needs to change.

Physician assistants are licensed medical professionals who handle some routine duties that would otherwise require doctors' time. Their ranks are increasing: in the past decade, the number of board-certified physician assistants grew by more than 75%.

As an emergency room doctor for more than 20 years, I witnessed their rising presence. I experienced, firsthand, how incredibly useful and even crucial physician assistants can be; they handled duties like suturing and treating minor injuries, freeing me up to focus on more complex cases.

In primary care practices, physician assistants order and interpret lab tests, prescribe medicine, and diagnose illnesses. In specialized settings, depending on their training and level of experience, they carry out countless responsibilities, from closing incision sites following surgery to performing biopsies and providing palliative care to the terminally ill.

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This essential work takes some responsibility off doctors' plates and allows more patients to be treated sooner. But in many states, physician assistants aren't allowed to practice to the full extent of their training  at the "top of their license" in industry speak. That means that even a physician assistant who had performed a procedure thousands of times would be prohibited from doing so.

Unfortunately, these limits exist in large part because doctors insist on them. Groups representing physicians are fighting legal changes that would expand the duties physician assistants may perform  known as their "scope of practice."

This could result in tragedy in medically underserved areas of the country like Mississippi, where bills to expand scope of practice were defeated last year. The Magnolia state has one of the worst physician-to-patient ratios in the country, with fewer than 200 doctors per 100,000 people. The number of certified physician assistants in the state increased by nearly half between 2018 and 2022.

Some states with similarly drastic physician shortages have taken steps to lighten the load for physicians and increase the number of patients treated. Last year, Arkansas passed legislation that enrolls physician assistants in Medicaid as "rendering providers," allowing primary care practices that serve Medicaid patients to hire physician assistants more easily.

Doctors who oppose expanding the scope of practice for other healthcare professionals say they're worried about patient safety. But physician assistants have completed two- or three-year master's degrees that include medical coursework and clinical rotations. They may have thousands of hours of experience. Moreover, a sick patient who can't see a doctor for weeks or months would surely be safer if they could see a nurse practitioner or physician assistant right away.

The real reason some doctors oppose scope expansions seems to be financially motivated. Because of insurance company rules, practices typically see less reimbursement for work done by physician assistants. Medicare compensates work performed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants at only 85% of the amount a doctor receives. Yet doctors worried about diminishing financial returns are perceiving a scarcity that doesn't exist: there's no shortage of patients.

Neither observation nor research supports the notion that expanding scope of practice for physician assistants will hurt patients. I witnessed the transition to allowing nurse practitioners to work at the top of their license. It was a boon for patients, healthcare facilities, and overworked doctors alike. And a study performed by Health Services Research found that primary care patients who see nurse practitioners have similar health outcomes compared to patients who see physicians.

For sure, it's tough to see a doctor. But physician assistants are helping patients every day. Lets ensure they are able to continue doing so.
Third night of riots in France's New Caledonia

People wait in line to enter a general store that remained open in the Magenta neighborhood of Noumea amid protests related to a debate over a draft constitution to expand the electorate for upcoming elections in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia. More than 130 people were arrested in New Caledonia as violent protests rocked the French archipelago in the Pacific. Theo Rouby/AFP/dpa

The capital of the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia was rocked by riots for a third night in a row after France's National Assembly approved contentious voting reforms to the territory that angered independence supporters.

Four people, including a police officer, have died so far in the unrest, while hundreds of others were injured, according to reports.

Local media published photos and videos of looted and destroyed supermarkets and petrol stations.

In response to the violence in the archipelago in the South Pacific, Paris declared a state of emergency on Wednesday for an initial period of 12 days. Declaring a state of emergency makes it easier for authorities to impose curfews and ban demonstrations, among other actions.

The riots began on Monday as France debated a bill to give thousands of French citizens in the territory the right to vote in provincial polls. The National Assembly in Paris then adopted the reform.

New Caledonia's pro-independence movement fears that the change will result in a weakening of political influence among the Indigenous Kanak people.

The High Commission in New Caledonia said that around 5,000 rioters were involved in the unrest in the greater Noumea area. Despite curfews, the situation was not yet under control.

For Paris, New Caledonia is important geopolitically, both militarily and because of its nickel deposits.

The territory, which is located some 1,200 kilometres east of Australia and has about 270,000 residents, has gained extensive autonomy through the Noumea Agreement.

Residents voted to remain part of France in each of the three referendums on independence held in 2018, 2020 and 2021. The independence movement boycotted the last vote, saying it would not accept the result.
Its a threat: Tampa man said he would plant a bomb in U.S. Reps office, DOJ says

Its a threat: Tampa man said he would plant a bomb in U.S. Reps office, DOJ says

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  Federal agents arrested a Tampa man accused of threatening to plant a bomb at the U.S. Representatives Tampa office earlier this month.

Rigoberto Albizar Martinez, 56, left the congressmember a profanity-laden, threatening voicemail on May 1, according to a criminal complaint from the Department of Justice.

Im going to plant a bomb in your office. Its a threat, Martinez said, according to a transcription of the alleged voicemail, translated from Spanish. Its a threat, so take it however you want you son of a f b-.

Im gonna kill your children: Florida man threatened California Rep. and his family, DOJ says

In the voicemail, Martinez also decried you Democrat sons of b, pro-Palestinians and those f black sons of b  all those Black Lives Matter, all those black people, according to the complaint.

Martinez left his phone number in the voicemail, which matched the caller ID from the phone call received by the Representatives office, a Special Agent with U.S. Capitol police wrote in the complaint. Martinez previously admitted to leaving a threatening voicemail to a U.S. Congressmember in 2021 that stated, in part, be careful with the package that you will receive in your mailbox.

When speaking to federal agents, Martinez admitted to leaving the voicemail and making the statement about planting a bomb, according to the complaint.

Martinez did not express any remorse for leaving the threatening voicemail and indicated that he would like to go to court with the victim, court documents stated.

During the interview, agents reported Martinez telling them, Tell (mispronounced victim name) to make sure she doesnt tell the Uber to cut my account. Its not a threat; its an alert. The agent believed Uber suspended his account after law enforcement contacted the rideshare company during their investigation.

Martinez was arrested and charged with making a telephonic threat to damage or destroy a building with an explosive device. He was ordered to be held under 24-hour house arrest.

The victim is not named in the complaint. WFLA reached out to the U.S. House member representing Tampa, Democrat Kathy Castor, for comment and did not immediately hear back.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
Three killed in Israeli raids in West Bank, Palestinian officials say

A man walks past a closed exchange office building that was damaged and targeted during an Israeli military operation, in Tulkarm

By Ali Sawafta

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli forces killed three men in raids across the occupied West Bank on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, during which money-changing shops were searched, the Palestinian Health Ministry and Palestinian officials said.

Ayman Ahmad Mubarak, 26, Husam Imad Dabas, 22, and Mohammed Yusif Nasrallah, 27, were killed as Israeli forces moved into the city of Tulkarm and took up positions in central areas, the Health Ministry said.

Israel's military did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Tulkarm is a flashpoint city in the West Bank, where violent clashes between occupying Israeli forces and Palestinians were already increasing before the Gaza war began in October.

Raids also took place in the governorates of Ramallah, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, Tubas and Qalqilya, and included more than a dozen arrests, the Palestine Monetary Authority said in a statement.

Increased violence in the West Bank, the largest and most populous Palestinian territory under Israeli occupation, risks wider escalation in the region as the Gaza war rages on.

Since the start of that conflict, triggered by the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Palestinian militants, there have been regular Israeli army raids on militant groups, rampages by Jewish settlers in Palestinian villages, and street attacks by Palestinians on Israelis.

Thousands of Palestinians have been arrested and hundreds killed during regular operations by Israeli army and police. Many of the victims were members of armed groups. Others were stone-throwing youths and uninvolved civilians.

The Palestine Monetary Authority condemned the raids on money changing shops, saying cash had been confiscated and workers interrogated.

The shops are "subject to the supervision of the Monetary Authority and are subject to strict compliance standards," the authority's governor Feras Milhem said in a statement.

Hani Abu Moyes, who owns a money changing company called al-Khaleej with 11 branches, said several of his employees had been detained. He accused Israeli forces of staging the raids to grab money.

"We don't do anything illegal and we work under the umbrella of the Palestine Monetary Authority," he said by phone. "So far I haven't finished my calculation of how much money has been confiscated but we are talking about large amounts".

Money changing shops are an important part of the financial landscape of the West Bank.

Many Palestinians in the territory prefer U.S. dollars or Jordanian dinars for big purchases such as land, houses or vehicles, though Israeli shekels are used for daily life. Many also have relatives living and working overseas who use money changers to send money home.

(Reporting by Ali Sawafta, Writing by Angus McDowall, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
Three people killed, two critically injured after fire in Dusseldorf

Debris lies on a street in Duesseldorf in front of a house in which a fire raged. Several people died and others were injured in the fire in Dusseldorf. According to the fire department, a kiosk integrated into a residential building caught fire on 16 May for reasons as yet unexplained. Federico Gambarini/dpa

Three people have died and two others were critically injured in a fire in the western German city of Dusseldorf overnight.

According to the local fire brigade, a kiosk in a residential building in the Flingern neighbourhood caught fire overnight. The cause of the fire is not yet known.

By the time emergency services arrived at the scene, the kiosk on the ground floor was already fully alight and flames had reached the first floor of the apartment block.

Several people standing on balconies were rescued by the firefighters as smoke filled the building.

Three people were found dead inside the apartment block, while 16 people were hospitalized, including the two with critical injuries.

More than 100 firefighters were deployed in the operation, attending to around 70 people on site.

A police spokesman said on Thursday morning that investigations were under way to clarify whether the fire was an accident or caused by a technical defect, for example. Attempts to identify the deceased are also ongoing.

Further safety measures are currently being carried out on the building and the fire brigades are expected to be in action for several more hours.
Three people killed, two critically injured after fire in Dusseldorf

Debris lies on a street in Duesseldorf in front of a house in which a fire raged. Several people died and others were injured in the fire in Dusseldorf. According to the fire department, a kiosk integrated into a residential building caught fire on 16 May for reasons as yet unexplained. Federico Gambarini/dpa

Three people died and 16 others were injured in an explosion and fire in the western German city of Dusseldorf in the early hours of Thursday.

Two of the injured people have life-threatening injuries, the emergency services said.

The fire brigade was alerted after residents heard a huge bang. Neighbouring houses were affected by flying debris and the blast wave. Flames quickly spread from a shop on the ground floor of the six floor apartment block.

The building's stairwells were blocked, so firefighters used three turntable ladders to rescue residents from balconies.

"We have carried out a massive rescue operation," said a fire service spokesperson.

The fire brigade also looked after around 70 people from neighbouring buildings on site, supported by counsellors. Residents praised the quick and professional response of the emergency services.

Three men were found dead inside the apartment block. Only one of them has been identified so far.

More than 100 firefighters were deployed in the operation.

A police spokesman said that investigations were under way to clarify whether the fire was an accident or caused by a technical defect, for example.

The interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Herbert Reul, said in the state parliament that the cause of is completely unclear. There are currently "no indications of anything at all," he said.

The street in front of the building was still strewn with rubble and shards of glass several hours after the explosion.

Dusseldorf Mayor Stephan Keller visited the scene and spoke of the "immeasurable suffering" that residents had experienced. He praised the "rapid intervention" of the firefighters, who he said had saved many lives.
MOSCOW, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that it will expel the defense attache at the British Embassy in Moscow as a retaliatory move.

The ministry on Thursday summoned a representative of the British Embassy and expressed strong protest over the United Kingdom announcing the expelling of defense attache at the Russian Embassy in London on May 8, it said in a statement.

"We regard this step as a politically motivated action with a pronounced Russophobic character, causing irreparable damage to bilateral relations," the ministry said in a statement.

In response, the Russian ministry declared the defense attache at the British Embassy in Moscow "persona non grata," the ministry said, adding that the diplomat must leave Russia within a week. 
Conservative Republicans attacks on gun control, abortion and climate-friendly investing practices are deeply unpopular  and costing Texas billions of dollars, according to a new poll.

The findings by progressive advocacy group Unlocking Americas Future (UAF) included a survey that found that nearly three-quarters of Texans said they believe their state has lost focus on pressing problems in favor of an extreme conservative agenda.

The survey shows that Texans do not support leaders who ignore real issues to push an extreme agenda, and were seeing that trend nationally, Kyle Herrig, a spokesperson for UAF, told The Hill.

An accompanying report argues that a conservative crackdown on policies such as climate-friendly investing is throwing the brakes on the states booming economy.

Every time lawmakers pass an extreme right-wing law, they send the message to businesses and investors that Texas is closed for business. Take your millions elsewhere, its authors wrote.

Whatever your outlook on what once led to the Texas Miracle  today, it is under threat.

The idea of the Texas Miracle was born after the 2008 recession, when the financial crisis that left mass layoffs and deserted housing tracts across the Sun Belt broke against the energy boom and the de facto industrial policy of then-Gov. Rick Perry (R), as one journalist told The Texas Tribune.

That policy, for example, laid the groundwork for Texass nation-leading renewables industry, which was established under Republican rule.

Over the past three years, however, Republican leaders including Perrys successor, Gov. Greg Abbott, or Attorney General Ken Paxton, have told a different story of Texass economic success: that it relies on the unchecked ability of the fossil fuel and firearms industries to access capital.

As Attorney General, my job is to uphold state law and ensure that Texas remains a friendly state for companies to do businessincluding those that produce the energy we depend on and the firearms that secure our safety and freedom, Paxton wrote last year.

Since 2021, Abbott, Paxton and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) have gone to war against financial firms they accuse of boycotting fossil fuels or firearms.

As part of this strategy, the state has barred state and local governments from doing business with 14 major banks that have policies around ultimately divesting from coal, oil or gas  the burning of which is the principal contributor to heating the planet.

These include UBS Group, Danske Bank and Societe Generale  companies that have been selling off their fossil fuel assets over the past several years, although they still hold billions.

The UAF poll suggests these findings are broadly unpopular; more than three-quarters of respondents said the Texas government shouldnt be doing business with companies with bad environmental or workplace safety measures.

The report by the progressive group also echoed findings by the Texas Association of Business that state policies targeting banks with a policy of avoiding investment in guns or oil had cost local governments $700 million per year and more than 3,000 statewide jobs.

Those fees could cost the state another $22 billion by midcentury, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Meanwhile, a report by the Institute for Womens Policy Research found that lack of abortion access had driven more than 93,000 women out of the state labor force  costing $23 billion per year.

Finally, there is the heavy financial cost to the state of gun violence  about $53 billion per year, according to advocacy group EveryStat.

Of the voters surveyed by UAF, wide majorities disapprove of GOP-proposed abortion bans, book bans and rollbacks of permits for handguns.

Over his career, Abbott has taken in nearly $53 million from the energy industry, followed by $13 million for Patrick and $5 million for Paxton  making energy the largest donor for all three, according to data from the National Institute on Money in State Politics.

About 77 percent of Texans surveyed  and 62 percent of Republicans  said Republicans in the state Legislature were working for their wealthy campaign donors.

And 66 percent of all voters  and 45 percent of Republicans  said they were too friendly to the fossil fuel industry.

The new survey of 1,114 likely voters, conducted April 7-12, has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

The Hill has reached out to Abbott, Paxton and Patrick for comment on the groups findings.

Updated at 10:42 a.m. EDT

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
SAN DIEGO (KSWB/KUSI)  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning people not to use COVID-19 tests that were manufactured by a California-based health care company.

Cue Health, headquartered in San Diego, received emergency use FDA authorization for two COVID-19 tests early in the pandemic to help people detect if they were infected with the virus.

The first test, intended for use in health care settings, was authorized on June 10, 2020. The at-home and over-the-counter test received authorization on March 5, 2021.

However, the FDA issued a warning letter to the company last week after an inspection revealed that Cue Health had made some changes to the tests and reduced their reliability.

Brown eggs vs. white eggs: Whats the difference?

Evidence obtained during the inspection demonstrated that your firm implemented several changes to your EUA-authorized devices and implemented those changes without authorization from FDA pursuant to the Conditions of Authorization, the letter states.

On Monday, the FDA told the public, caregivers and health care providers to dispose of Cue Healths COVID-19 tests due to an increased risk of getting false results.

The agency instead recommends retesting using a different brand authorized by the FDA if patients received a negative result on the Cue Health test and still show symptoms consistent with COVID-19.

The FDA added if testing was performed more than two weeks ago and a patient shows no symptoms of current COVID-19 infection, another test is not needed.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
The post TICKET Act Passed in US House of Representative, Increasing Transparency in Ticket Industry appeared first on Consequence.

The US House of Representatives has passed the TICKET Act, which would enact a series of polices increasing transparency in the ticket industry.

The legislation passed on Wednesday with a bipartisan vote of 338-24. The bill must now be voted on by the US Senate and signed by President Joe Biden before going into law.

The proposed legislation would require all ticket retailers  both primary and secondary sellers  to show the all-in price of a ticket (including an itemized list of all fees) prior to checkout.

The legislation would also deter speculative ticketing by barring resellers from selling tickets unless they actually have them in hand; prohibit deceptive marketing tactics; require that the ticket retailer provide a full refund or replacement ticket with buyers approval; and require the Federal Trade Commission to issue a report on the BOTS Act Enforcement, which passed in 2016.

The Fix the Tix Coalition and the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), which championed the TICKET Act, are also calling on Congress to pass the Fans First Act, which would strengthen the aforementioned BOTS Act and impose civil penalties on resellers who engage in illegal sale practices, among other policies.

We commend House passage of H.R. 3950, the TICKET Act, which will help to improve the ticket buying experience for fans, to protect the livelihoods of artists, and to preserve independent venues across the nation, Stephen Parker, executive director of NIVA, said in a statement. Not only has the U.S. House of Representatives moved to protect consumers from predatory and deceptive ticketing practices, but states across the country, including Arizona, Maryland, Minnesota and Nevada, have recently banned, without exception, speculative tickets on a bipartisan basis. We call on Congress to do the same, to build on the TICKET Act and adopt strong, enforceable, comprehensive ticketing reform legislation like the Fans First Act.

TICKET Act Passed in US House of Representative, Increasing Transparency in Ticket Industry

Scoop Harrison

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A TikTok video of a Chinese man lamenting over ethnically Chinese Singaporeans rejecting their Chinese roots has reignited a debate about national identity in Singapore.

Key points:

The 36-second video, which was posted on May 7, is narrated in Mandarin with English subtitles.

The TikTok user, believed to be originally from China, expressed surprise over Singaporeans of Chinese descent who dislike being referred to as Chinese.

In the comments, some Singaporeans defended their right to firstly identify as Singaporean with a distinct cultural identity separate from mainland China.

Meanwhile, others argued that acknowledging their Chinese ethnicity is compatible with being Singaporean.

The details:

Trending on NextShark: Hayao Miyazaki already has concept for next film, son Goro says

TikTok user @thesingaporeanson shared his initial belief that Chinese Singaporeans recognize their Chinese origin. However, encounters with locals eventually shattered that assumption.

When I first came to Singapore, I thought Singaporeans and I share the same ancestry. I then said to a Singaporean: Arent we all compatriots? Little did I know, the Singaporeans face turned black: Since when are we compatriots? Im Singaporean, not Chinese!

He said such conversations left him shocked, so he decided to avoid bringing up the subject again. They prefer to be called Singaporeans. With the passing of time, they have forgotten their culture and also their roots, he added.

As of this writing, the video has received over 150,000 views and generated nearly 2,000 comments.

TikTok users chimed in with various perspectives, with some highlighting that Chinese Singaporeans share the same ancestry as mainland China.

Others, however, opposed and highlighted the distinction between nationality and ethnicity. They argued that Singaporeans, with their unique cultural identity, prefer to be recognized as such.

Some viewers refuted the video's claim entirely, suggesting that some Singaporeans still acknowledge their Chinese ethnicity and only prioritize their Singaporean nationality.

The big picture:

Singapore, a Southeast Asian nation known for its racial diversity, has a population that is over 74% Chinese. However, Singaporean culture has distinguished itself over generations, and this cultural identity has become a source of pride for many Singaporeans.

Trending on NextShark: Researchers find microplastics in all human testicles studied

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Tim Scott turns to Kellyanne Conway to back his push to be Trumps VP pick

Former 2024 Republican candidate and South Carolina senator, Tim Scott, is lobbying hard among Donald Trumps inner circle in the hopes of becoming his pick for vice president.

Scott is leaning on Kellyanne Conway, Trumps 2016 campaign manager, as he pushes himself as the top choice, The Daily Beast reported on Thursday.

His private lobbying effort is coupled with a very public one - Scott has hit cable news and declared in recent days that he would do whatever it takes for the man who worked to overturn the 2020 election and is facing 88 felony counts.

Tim and Kellyanne have gotten close because, as she puts it, she is de facto head of Trump worldlike Trumps security blanket, one Scott ally told The Daily Beast. People underestimate how much the president relies on her counsel and they doubt her influence at their own peril.

Ms Conway retains Mr Trumps ear, and is pushing two candidates for his running mate considerations: Scott, and Florida Senator Marco Rubio, the outlet reported.

She worked as an advisor during Mr Trumps unsuccessful 2020 re-election bid and is back on board as he seeks the White House in 2024.The Independent has contacted Ms Conway for comment.

Kellyanne Conway ran Donald Trumps 2016 campaign for the presidency and retains his ear in 2024 (Getty Images)

President Trump seeks the counsel of many men and women on the VP pick, but he and he alone will decide, Conway said in a statement to the Beast.

The two have been spotted dining in Washington DC recently. Conway openly urged the former president to choose a person of color to run with him in a February op-ed for The New York Times.

Marco Rubio, who ran against Trump in 2016 before bowing out, has remained a loyal supporter of the former president.

Like Scott, he has made statements minimising Trumps responsibility for the January 6 attack on the Capitol  a crucial bar the former president has set for Republicans seeking his favour this time around.

Rubio said that he would be honored to be selected for the role of vice president in March.

Scott, meanwhile, has openly lobbied for the role in TV interviews and has already joined Trump at numerous campaign stops since bowing out of the presidential race last November.

Tim Scott, Doug Burgum, and Vivek Ramaswamy attend an event for Donald Trump ahead of the New Hampshire primary in January 2024 (Getty Images)

In January, he famously declared that he loved the former president when he was questioned by Trump in front of the cameras whether he hated the former presidents remaining rival Nikki Haley.

That display of loyalty has kept Scott high on the shortlist of potential VP contenders.

Mr Trump seemed to hint at selecting the South Carolina senator in February when he revealed during a Fox News interview that he had called Scott to praise him.

I called Tim Scott and I told him youre a much better candidate for me than you are for yourself,  he said.

Trumps selection of a running mate will be all the more important in 2024 given that the former president will be spending significant time wrapped up in court proceedings related to his hush money trial in New York along with other criminal proceedings.

Mr Trump is believed to be narrowing his shortlist to explicit loyalists after his last vice president, Mike Pence, famously defied him on January 6 and refused to interfere with the Senate certification of the results of the 2020 election.
The lawyers defending Donald Trump in his hush money trial will look to turn up the heat on Michael Cohen Thursday as the former presidents onetime attorney and personal fixer returns to the witness stand for what is likely to be a day of brutal cross-examination aiming to undermine his credibility.

Cohen, who once said hed take a bullet for his old boss, has already given hours of testimony earlier this week shooting down Trumps denials in the case, alleging that Trump directed him to pay off porn star Stormy Daniels to stop her from speaking about claims of an affair in order to protect his 2016 presidential campaign.

Crying Little Sh*t: Sparks Fly in Cohens Cross-Examination

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records stemming from the alleged attempt to hide reimbursements to Cohen for the $130,000 hush money payment made to Daniels. Trump also denies ever having sex with the adult film star.

Cohens testimony is crucial for the prosecutions case because of his central role in the scheme to shut down damaging stories and his knowledge of Trumps alleged involvement. He told jurors that Trump had promised to reimburse him for the hush money and claimed that the former president was kept informed at every step of the payment to Daniels.

The defense teamwhich has suggested that Trump was seeking to protect his family and personal reputation, not his campaign, from potentially harmful storiestook their first crack at Cohen with cross-examination on Tuesday. They have tried to establish that Cohen is an untrustworthy, proven liar who is now on a personal vendetta against his former boss.

The combative questioning Tuesday got off to an aggressive start, with Trump lawyer Todd Blanche asking if it was true that Cohen had called Blanche a crying little shit on TikTok. Sounds like something I would Cohen started saying in response before a prosecutor objected.

The two hours of grillinglikely a preview for the full day of cross-examination expected Thursdayalso saw Blanche seeking to show that Cohen had financially profited from trashing Trump and that he remained fixated on exacting revenge against him.

Prosecutors say they will rest once Cohens time on the stand is up, potentially making him the final witness in the trial. The defense can then begin its caseBlanche told Judge Juan Merchan that they might call a single expert witness, but said no determination had yet been made as to whether Trump himself will take the stand.

If he does decide to testify, it certainly wont happen Friday. The Manhattan trial will be off for the day in order to allow Trump to attend his son Barrons high school graduation in Florida.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Toddler found in the road at 5 a.m., and childs mother is arrested, SC police say

A South Carolina woman was arrested after her 2-year-old child was found alone on a busy Midlands road early Wednesday morning, according to the Sumter Police Department.

Emmani Kiana Wells, a 24-year-old Sumter resident, was charged with unlawful conduct toward a child, police said in a news release.

Officers got involved at about 5 a.m., after a passersby spotted a small child crossing North Main Street, according to the release. Thats among the more heavily trafficked roads in Sumter.

Information on the toddlers condition was not available, but no injuries were reported by police.

Officers knocked on doors in the area near the intersection of North Main Street and Stark Street, eventually finding the toddlers home and mother, police said.

Wells, who was in the upstairs portion of the residence, left the toddler downstairs to be watched by a friend, according to the release. Thats when the 2-year-old left the home without anyone knowing, police said.

The South Carolina Department of Social Services was notified about the incident, and the 2-year-old was placed with other family members, police said.

Wells was taken into custody and booked at the Sumter County Sheriffs Office Detention Center, according to the release. Information on her bond status was not available.

Despite the arrest, police said they are continuing to investigate the incident.

If convicted on the felony charge, Wells faces a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison, according to South Carolina law.

On April 27, Wells was charged with multiple traffic violations, including a child passenger restraint system article violation, Sumter County court records show.
Mr Vince severed ties with Just Stop Oil last year as part of his commitment to Labour - Aaron Chown/PA

Millionaire Labour donor Dale Vince has joined a campaign to block Britains biggest nuclear power station project.

The entrepreneur, who founded green energy company Ecotricity, has emerged as a patron to Stop Hinkley after accusing the Government of wasting billions of pounds.

He said the decision to use taxpayer money to fund Hinkley Point C, which is under construction in Somerset, was flawed because nuclear technology is hugely expensive and slow to develop.

His comments will be sure to raise questions for Ed Miliband, Labours shadow energy secretary, who has vowed to invest in nuclear energy.

The Opposition has accepted around 1.5m in donations over the past decade from Mr Vince, who severed ties with Just Stop Oil last year as part of his commitment to Labour.

The costs surrounding Hinkley have already risen to 46bn, compared to 18bn when it was commissioned a decade ago  making it one of the UKs most expensive infrastructure projects ever.

Mr Vince said: Im really pleased to be a patron of the Stop Hinkley campaign which is working to stop the Government wasting billions of taxpayers money on a technology which is hugely expensive and slow to develop.

The significance of a key green industrialist joining a campaign against nuclear, which the Government has promoted as a green technology, will not be lost on ministers or Mr Miliband.

Mr Vince founded Ecotricity in 1996 to supply customers with 100pc renewable electricity, excluding nuclear.

In 2004, he was awarded an OBE for services to the environment and was appointed the UN Ambassador for Climate Change in 2019.

Mr Vince has argued that nuclear power is uneconomic, claiming it soaks up huge amounts of investment which could be better spent on renewable solutions.

He has also warned that nuclear power stations will face a fuel crisis because global demand for uranium is growing far faster than supplies: The UK has no sources of Uranium [fuel] and by 2050 there will be a global shortage.

However, Mr Vince has come under increasing scrutiny in recent months, particularly given his previous ties to Just Stop Oil.

Conservative party chairman Richard Holden said last week: With Just Stop Oils backer helping to shape Sir Keirs energy policy, it is terrifying to think this is his guiding philosophy.

Last month, Reform MP Lee Anderson, speaking in the Commons, called Mr Vince a rich eco-fanatic.

A spokesman for Stop Hinkley said: At a time when nuclear power is rapidly losing ground to the astonishing growth in renewables, its great to have someone onboard who founded a company which allows ordinary members of the public to actually vote on the nuclear question with their electricity bill.

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Ukrainian servicemen place steel wire net on a self-propelled howitzer to protect it from Russian drones at a position in a front line in Kharkiv region

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO's top commander said on Thursday he did not believe Russia's military has deployed enough troops to make a strategic breakthrough in the region around Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine.

General Christopher Cavoli, NATO's supreme allied commander Europe, said he was confident Ukrainian forces would hold their lines in the region.

Russia last week opened a new front in the Ukraine war when small groups of highly mobile units pushed swiftly over the border into the Kharkiv region, forcing Ukraine to rush in troops from other areas.

"The Russians don't have the numbers necessary to do a strategic breakthrough," Cavoli told a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels after a meeting of military chiefs from across the transatlantic alliance.

"More to the point, they don't have the skill and the capability to do it, to operate at the scale necessary to exploit any breakthrough to strategic advantage," he added.

"They do have the ability to make local advances and they have done some of that. They've also made some local losses."

He did not give any figures for the number of troops Russia has deployed in the area.

Admiral Rob Bauer, the chair of NATO's military committee, told the press conference he expected "serious improvements" soon in the amount of ammunition Ukrainian forces would receive.

Russian forces have been outshelling Ukrainian troops sometimes by a ratio of 10 to one, according to officials.

Ukraine's ammunition shortage was partly down to a months-long delay in getting a major military aid package for Ukraine through the U.S. Congress.

Cavoli said Ukraine's allies were now shipping "vast amounts" of ammunition and short-range air defence systems and "significant amounts" of armoured vehicles that would help fight the Kharkiv advance.

"I'm in very close contact with our Ukrainian colleagues. And I'm confident that they that they will hold the line," he said.

(Reporting by Andrew Gray, Benoit Van Overstraeten and Tassilo Hummel; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The United States should earnestly abide by WTO rules and immediately stop further increasing additional tariffs on some Chinese goods, a spokesperson with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade said.

On top of existing tariffs under Section 301, the United States on Tuesday decided to raise additional tariffs on its imports of Chinese products including electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, solar cells, critical minerals, semiconductors, steel and aluminum, and cranes. 
Topeka was at the center of Brown v. Board. Decades later, segregation of another sort lingers

Fifth grader Malaya Webster, right, plays a game with other students at Williams Science and Arts Magnet school Friday, May 10, 2024, in Topeka, Kan. The school is just a block from the former Monroe school which was at the center of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling ending segregation in public schools 70 years ago. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  The lesson on diversity started slowly in a first-grade classroom in Topeka, where schools were at the center of the case that struck down segregated education.

I like broccoli. Do you like broccoli? Marie Carter, a Black school library worker, asked broccoli-hating librarian Amy Gugelman, who is white.

The students in the sunny, book-filled room were comparing what makes them the same and what makes them different. Its part of their introduction to Brown v. Board of Education, a ruling commemorated at a national historic site in a former all-Black school just down the street. Linda Brown, whose father Oliver Brown was the lead plaintiff in the case, was a student there after she was denied entry to an all-white school near her home.

Within a few questions, the first-graders at Williams Science & Fine Arts Magnet school watched the two women hold their arms next to each other. My skin is brown, Carter observed, and Mrs. Gugelmans skin is not.

And then Gugelman reached the heart of the lesson. Can we still be friends?

The students, themselves a range of ethnicities, screamed out yes! oblivious to the messiness of the question, to the history of this place, to the struggles with race and equity that continue even now.

Seventy years after the landmark Supreme Court ruling, segregation persists, not as a matter of law but as a reflection of underlying disparities, including in housing. In greater Topeka, as in school systems across America, students of color are concentrated in districts that disproportionately serve low-income families. That racial isolation has lasting consequences as students who attend high-poverty schools have lower graduation rates and less earning potential.

In school lessons, memorials and ceremonies, Topeka is marking its ties to the 1954 ruling that struck down separate but equal. But just as clear to many is the legacy of discrimination that stands in the way of its promise of equity.

RACIAL DISPARITIES DEEPEN BETWEEN DISTRICTS

MaKenzie Johnstone, who is white, enrolled two years ago at Williams, one of the magnet schools built to attract white students to historically Black neighborhoods. At her old district, Auburn-Washburn, which is 72% white, the 11-year-old said she rarely came across people of color.

Now her best friend, 10-year-old Malaya Webster, is Black. The fifth-graders spend recess together, chattering incessantly. Sometimes the subject strays to what happened down the street.

White people, Malaya, explained, couldnt be next to Black people, which is pretty bad, because we all should be treated the same.

MaKenzie was outraged, saying, It made no sense at all. She described the desegregation case as a piece of distant history  something that happened back in time.

To Tiffany Anderson, Topekas first Black female superintendent, that's not the case.

Being here in this magnet school environment, you get to see an array of diversity. But if you drive 20 minutes down the road, she said, you might not see any diversity in the student population or the staff population.

In Topeka, as in much of the rest of the country, court-ordered desegregations have ended but racial imbalances persist. Today, 36% of the Topeka districts students are white, down from 72% in 1987. The changes coincide with the nation growing more diverse. Yet none of Topeka's neighboring districts have a white enrollment below 64%; one district has a 94% white enrollment.

The concentration of students of color in districts with higher numbers of poor students partially reflects historic redlining and that poorer families couldn't afford to move to suburban districts with more costly homes, said Frank Henderson, who has served on the state and national school board associations.

A RECKONING WITH A REMINDER OF RACISM

Four years ago, the largely white suburban district of Seaman, north of Topeka, where Henderson was the first Black school board member, was forced to confront the darker aspects of its past.

In 2020, student journalists confirmed the districts namesake, Fred Seaman, was a regional leader of the Ku Klux Klan a century ago. After student protests, meetings and surveys, the school board voted unanimously to renounce Seaman and his KKK activities but to keep the name.

The vote followed an election in which two pro-name preservation candidates defeated incumbents. Nationally, critical race theory was in the news.

I felt it was probably the best that could be done to be able to address this hot issue, said Henderson, whose 16 1/2-year school board term ended in January.

Madeline Gearhart, who was co-editor-in-chief of the high school newspaper, was disappointed. But now she thinks the student journalists who broke the story laid the groundwork for the issue to be taken up later in a district that is 80% white.

I just think its so ironic that in a world where Topeka was a part of Brown v. Board, we still are maintaining the namesake of the district and not trying to disassociate, said Gearhart, who is white and now a junior at the University of Kansas.

I would say, she added, it speaks to the larger effects of how Topeka is divided up."

BUILDING BACK TEACHER DIVERSITY

Seven years after the historic ruling, Beryl New began attending the all-Black school, Monroe Elementary, where Linda Brown and another plaintiff child were students. It was still largely segregated, not by district policy, but by redlining.

Her family was friends with the president of the Topeka chapter of the NAACP who recruited the 13 families that sued the Topeka district. Their case was eventually joined by school desegregation cases from Virginia, South Carolina and Delaware. On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court overturned the doctrine of separate but equal in the case that bore Oliver Browns name. A similar case from Washington, D.C., was decided at the same time in a separate ruling.

The ruling embarrassed city leaders because they believed they had built equitable schools for white and Black students, said New, who serves on the African Affairs Commission for Kansas and is a former principal and district administrator.

But of course, there were issues that were deeper than just what a building looks like, she said.

Vicki Lawton Benson, 78, whose mother, Maude Lawton, was among the Topeka plaintiffs, said she didn't learn about her mother's involvement until she was in high school. Her parents, she said, shielded the family from the ugliness around them.

I think its amazing to have the strength of character, to build a legacy and want to be an integral part of changing history for the positive for all mankind, she said.

For New, the mission now is to diversify the districts workforce. In the wake of Brown, tens of thousands of Black teachers lost their jobs in newly integrated classrooms, and the effects of that are evident today.

Nationally, only about 45% of public school students are now white, but around 80% of teachers are, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

You hear all of the wonderful things about Brown v. Board, said Anderson, the Topeka schools superintendent. But the reality, is a lot of African-American teachers lost their jobs.

Her district is handing out symbolic teaching contracts to high schoolers and vowing to hire them when they graduate from college. And to clear roadblocks for Black aides who want to become full-fledged teachers, it sometimes pays their salaries while they student teach.

That is what allowed teacher Jolene Tyree, who is Black, to finish her degree. The longtime-aide hopes it makes a difference to her students to have someone who looks like them. Growing up, she recalls having very few Black teachers herself.

You just feel somewhat on the outer side, said Tyree, whose mother also attended Monroe and whose first-graders are now learning about the desegregation case.

Back in the library, Tyrees students lesson was ending. Anderson, the superintendent, strode to the front of the room, quizzing the children on whether they wanted to be teachers, doctors or even the president of the United States someday.

Hands shot into the air. Anderson said many of the kids wouldnt have done so in the past because they hadnt seen anyone who looked like them in those roles.

So, boys and girls, Anderson said, as Im looking out at the sea of differences that make you all special ... I just want to remind you, do differences really matter?

The children shouted no before trickling out of the room.

Seven-year-old Jamari Lyons stayed behind.

Its OK to be white. And its OK to be Black. You can still be friends. You can still be neighbors. You can still love each other, Jamari said, spreading his arms out wide.

Then he asked: Right?

___

The Associated Press education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
TOPEKA (KSNT)  The City of Topeka is releasing the results of a recent survey into which neighborhoods have the best and worst health rankings.

The health of the Capital Citys neighborhoods is something city officials have monitored since 2000 by ranking each neighborhood on a 1-4 scale based on five vital signs. These vital signs include: poverty level, public safety, residential property values, single family home ownership and unsafe structures.

The survey uses colored maps to show the health ratings for each part of the City of Topeka with healthier areas appearing blue and unhealthier ones appearing red. A total of 21 Neighborhood Improvement Associations (NIAs) are displayed on the maps alongside other sectors existing outside the NIAs, much of which includes west and southwest Topeka. The health classifications include the following:

Healthy (optimal conditions): 3.4-4.0

Out Patient (favorable conditions): 2.8-3.2

At Risk (emerging negative conditions): 2.0-2.6

Intensive Care (seriously distressed conditions): 1.0-1.8

Topeka Evel Knievel Museum to close for the last time in 2024 for move to Sin City

The City of Topeka Neighborhood Health survey for 2023 shows most of the healthy areas are located in west and southwest Topeka. Unhealthy neighborhoods include parts of the following NIAs:

Monroe

Historic Old Town

Central Park

Historic North Topeka East

Highland Crest

The survey identified 15 block groups in Topeka which are showing improvement and 10 block groups that are in decline. These block groups make up small pieces of each neighborhood and sometimes overlap or stretch into different NIAs in Topeka, leading to instances where part of a neighborhood, such as Oakland, is considered healthy while another part could be classified as at risk. You can read through a summary of the surveys findings in the document below:

Neighborhood Health 2023 Executive Summary by Matthew Self on Scribd

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HERVEY CITY, Ill. (WCIA)  Members of the Central Illinois towing community came together Tuesday night to honor one of their own killed in a shooting this week.

Gregory Hostetler was killed on Monday over what the Sheriffs Office said was a $50 tow. Officials said he got into an argument with Tiimon Perry, who shot the 48-year-old tow business owner in the head.

Champaign-Urbana bike groups honoring riders hurt, killed on roads

On Tuesday, family, friends, coworkers and fellow tow truck drivers gathered for a memorial procession in their trucks. Hostetlers nephew Wyatt Wages was among them.

I just want to thank J&K Towing, TMG towing, Owens, Precision, Lugari, Richards, Shaners for showing us amazing support, Wages said on Facebook. Greg would have loved this.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help pay for funeral and burial expenses. That fundraiser can be found here.

Courtesy of Wyatt Wages

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.
TPAC honors high school students at the 2024 Young Artists Awards

TOPEKA (KSNT)  Students at area high schools got some extra money for arts education.

The Topeka Performing Arts Center (TPAC) honored 10 high school students at the 2024 Young Artists Awards. These students were recognized for their contributions to their school and community.

Ranging from nine award categories such as dance, visual arts and more, they all received a scholarship from TPAC and Security Benefits ranging from $500 to $1000.

Officials discuss wind and solar energy farms in Shawnee County

Its honestly an honor, scholarship recipient Alaina Barry said. Im so grateful and appreciative that I got to be here, and Im chosen out of how many people did this. Its honestly really an honor.

Im just very happy to be here, and Im thankful to everyone whos gotten me here, scholarship recipient Elaina Sinclair said. It was my choir director actually who invited me to come here and Im very thankful that she did.

Mayor of Topeka Michael Padilla was a guest speaker at Wednesday nights event.

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.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
1 flown to hospital, seriously injured after crash on I-70

UPDATE:

One person was seriously injured after a crash in Harmony Township Wednesday night.

Around 8:40 p.m. Ohio State Highway Patrol was called to a crash on I-70 near the 68-mile marker.

>> Woman suffers multiple broken bones after being hit by car in Eaton; Driver arrested

An initial investigation found that a car was traveling west on I-70 when it hit the back of a semi, according to OSP.

The car then traveled off the side of the road, overturning into a nearby tree line.

The driver was trapped and once removed taken to Miami Valley Hospital by a medical helicopter.

Their injuries are described as serious, but non-life-threatening.

We are working to learn more and will update this story as we receive new information.




The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday sanctioned two Russian individuals and three entities for transferring weapons between Moscow and North Korea. File Photo by Roger L. Wollenberg/UPI

May 16 (UPI) -- The U.S. Treasury said on Thursday it sanctioned two Russian nationals and three Russian-based entities for transferring illicit weapons between Moscow and North Korea.

The Treasury said that Russia and North Korea have intensified their military cooperation over the past year where Pyongyang provided military hardware, including missiles and munitions to Moscow in exchange for Russia offering North Korea military assistance.

"Operating through networks located in Russia, these actors attempted to evade sanctions by using front companies to move military equipment to support Russia's illegal aggression against Ukraine," it said.

Among those sanctioned was Rafael Gazaryan, who the Treasury said worked with the previously sanctioned Ashot Mkrtychev on arms transactions involving North Korea and Russia, acting as a contact person for Mkrtychev.

Gazaryan is the owner of Russian-based Rafort Limited Liability Company, which was also sanctioned and used Trans Kapital Limited Liability to exchange weapons between the two countries.

The Treasury also sanctioned Aleksey Budnev, the sole owner of Tekhuologiva, who facilitated military communications equipment for Russia that likely originated from North Korea.

"Today's action reflects our commitment to disrupt [North Korea's] deepening military cooperation with Russia," said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson in a statement. "The United States will continue to take action to hold accountable those who seek to facilitate the shipment of weapons and other material to enable Russia's war."
Idyllic waterfront properties can be seen along the connecting canal between the Peetzsee and Werlsee lakes. On 16 May the Mueggelspreehalle in the Hangelsberg district, the Gruenheide municipal council will discuss expansion plans by US electric car manufacturer Tesla. Joerg Carstensen/dpa

Tree houses that were built as part of a protest camp to oppose the expansion of US car manufacturer Tesla's factory near Berlin can stay in place for the time being, according to a court ruling on Thursday.

The Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court rejected an appeal by the Brandenburg police against an earlier court ruling.

This means that the camp near tech billionaire Elon Musk's only European car factory cannot be evacuated for the time being. The higher court's decision cannot be appealed.

Activists have been occupying part of the forest designated for the expansion of Tesla's plant in Grunheide since February.

The forest occupation was originally registered until May 20. However, an extension of the protest had already been registered with the authorities, said a spokeswoman for the "Stop Tesla" initiative.

A sign reading "No drinking water" can be seen on a fountain in front of the town hall early this morning. On 16 May the Mueggelspreehalle in the Hangelsberg district, the Gruenheide municipal council will discuss expansion plans by US electric car manufacturer Tesla. Joerg Carstensen/dpa
Trial in killing of pregnant Amish mom Rebekah Byler will not occur before Nov. Here's why

MEADVILLE  The trial of the defendant charged in the killing of pregnant Amish mother Rebekah A. Byler has been tentatively scheduled for November in Crawford County Common Pleas Court.

The trial will not occur any earlier to give defendant Shawn C. Cranston's lawyer, "significant time" to review and investigate the "large amounts" of evidence the defense has received from the prosecution, according to a defense motion that Judge Francis J. Schultz granted on Tuesday.

Schultz also issued an order that sets a pretrial conference for June 24 at the Crawford County Judicial Center in Meadville. The prosecution and defense at the hearing are to discuss their ability "to try this case during the November 2024 term of criminal trials," according to the order.

Rebekah A. Byler, a 23-year-old Amish woman who was about six months pregnant, was found shot to death on Feb. 26 at her residence in Sparta Township, Crawford County. Police also said her throat was slashed.

Cranston, 52, of Corry in southern Erie County, is charged in the slaying of the 23-year-old Byler at her family's home in the Amish enclave of Sparta Township in eastern Crawford County on the morning of Feb. 26.

Byler was about six months pregnant, and her 2-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son were home when she was killed, Pennsylvania State Police said. Authorities said she was shot in the head and her throat was slashed.

Cranston lived about 10 miles north of the Byler home.

Cranston is charged with criminal homicide, criminal homicide of an unborn child, burglary and criminal trespass. He is being held in prison without bond since his arrest on March 2.

Authorities have not offered a motive in the case, which has drawn national attention because of a homicide occurring in an Amish community.

Cranston retains private lawyer after public defender represents him

The most recent court action in Cranston's case was his preliminary hearing on March 15. Titusville District Judge Amy Nicols ordered him held for trial on all charges.

The Crawford County Public Defender's Office initially represented Cranston. He retained a private lawyer, Louis W. Emmi, of Pittsburgh, on April 2, according to court records.

Emmi on Friday filed a motion seeking to move the trial to September. The motion said Crawford County District Attorney Paula DiGiacomo, who is prosecuting the case, consented to Emmi's request for more time to review the evidence.

In response, Schultz on Tuesday granted the motion, ordered that the trial not occur in June and moved it to the November term, according to court records.

State police used cellphone data, video surveillance to make arrest

The evidence against Cranston centers on a red Jeep.

At the preliminary hearing, state police troopers said several witnesses reported seeing a red Jeep at and near Byler's home at 21845 Fish Flats Road the morning Byler was killed on Feb. 26, according to information in search warrants and other documents related to the case.

The troopers said cellphone data from Cranston's phone and GPS data from his Jeep placed Cranston and the vehicle around the Byler residence that morning.

The troopers also said surveillance video showed the Jeep's movements from Cranston's home at 428 E. Main St. in Corry to the Fish Flats Road area and then back to Corry on Feb. 26.

Authorities believe Byler, who was estimated to be 21 to 25 weeks pregnant, was killed between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Feb. 26.

The investigation started when state police at Corry were summoned to Byler's residence shortly before 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 26.

A caller to 911, described by state police as a family friend who had given Byler's husband a ride to an outing earlier that day, reported that she and Byler's husband returned to the Byler residence to find Rebekah Byler unresponsive inside, police said.

Police said troopers found Byler on her back in a pool of blood in the home's living room.

Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@timesnews.com or 814-870-1813. Follow him on X @ETNpalattella.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Trial date scheduled in slaying of pregnant Amish mother Rebekah Byler
Jackson County Executive Frank White urged Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey on Wednesday to drop a civil lawsuit against the county for how it handled recent property assessments.

White said the lawsuit threatened significant financial problems for public services like schools and libraries throughout the county.

This lawsuit creates the potential for sizeable tax increases for tens of thousands of Jackson County residents to make up for the artificial reduction in valuations sought by the lawsuit, White said in the letter.

While the county remains confident in our legal argument as well as our reassessment process, the risk to our residents and our children is too great not to try everything we can to avoid the potential catastrophe that our school districts have warned the court about, he said.

Baileys office filed the lawsuit in December in Jackson County Circuit Court and accused county officials of illegally handling property tax assessments. Those assessments for 2023 meant an average increase in property values of 30%, and many county property owners received increases higher than 100%, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit alleges county officials did not properly notify property owners of increases, failed to do physical inspections and handled appeals using an an illegally performed and dysfunctional process.

In his letter Wednesday, White said the county had followed lawful and equitable assessment practices and said the lawsuit could result in large financial losses for school districts and other public services.

Recent property assessments in the county reflected a substantial rise in home values, and local taxing districts have set their tax rates accordingly, he wrote. The lawsuit, he said, threatened to cut large holes in their budgets, pointing to the Lees Summit School District, which would stand to lose $32 million.

White said the increases that some residents experienced in last years state-mandated reassessment came from a combination of economic changes that increased home values and assessments in the county over the years that had been inconsistent and unfair, that tended to have more to do with who you know than how much your property is worth, he said.

Taxpayers who believe their property is valued inaccurately can challenge their assessment with the countys Board of Equalization, which is made up of citizens who weigh appeals, and with the state tax commission, White said.

The lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial on June 6.

The Stars Kacen Bayless contributed reporting to this story.
Trial opens for California skydiving instructor charged with fraud. What his attorney said

Robert Pooley wasnt truthful when he was teaching courses at a skydiving center near Lodi. But his dishonesty wasnt meant to mislead his students, one of his defense attorneys said Thursday.

It was meant to trick the organization that licenses skydivers, the United States Parachute Association.

Rob Pooley is not charged with defrauding the parachute association, federal public defender Meghan McLoughlin said during opening arguments of Pooleys trial for wire fraud and aggravated identify theft. He is charged with defrauding these candidates.

Prosecutors claim Pooley in 2016 falsely led students to believe they could obtain necessary certifications to lead tandem jumps by completing courses at the Parachute Center in Acampo. Pooleys teaching credentials were suspended at the time and he couldnt certify students on his own.

He normally taught with another instructor. But when the other teacher, Yuri Garmashov, left the country for a few months, prosecutors say Pooley led the courses by himself. They accuse Pooley of signing off on student training, during that time, by using forms pre-filled with Garmashovs signature.

McLoughlin did not dispute that Pooley used the pre-signed forms.

The candidates knew what was going on, she said. They knew the deal.

Federal prosecutor Dhruv Sharma told jurors a different story during his opening arguments. Students trusted Pooley to get the certifications they needed, he said, and would testify to that during the trial.

He made promises he wasnt allowed to make. And he did it to line his own pockets.

Pooley watched stoically while seated next to his attorneys.

The doctored paperwork at the heart of the case was discovered after the death of Yong Kwon, one of the students Pooley taught when Garmashov was out of the country.

Kwon, 25, was leading a tandem jump with Tyler Turner on Aug. 6, 2016. Turner, 18, was skydiving for the first time and had gone to the center with friends.

Kwon had issues with the main and reserve parachutes during the jump. And he and Turner plummeted into a nearby vineyard. They are just two of at least 28 people who have died at the Parachute Center since 1985, an investigation by The Sacramento Bee found.

Pooley wrote a letter to the parachute association after Kwons death. It said Garmashov was not aware Pooley had completed paperwork with Garmashovs signature. And that Garmashov had done nothing wrong.

I am giving this statement freely, without being pressured by any threats or by being promised anything in return, Pooley wrote.

His defense attorneys, in court records, argue Pooley told someone at the association that he was forced to sign the letter. And McLoughlin told jurors Garmashov knew Pooley was using his signature while he was out of the country.

She asked them to consider Garmashovs motive to put himself in a good light following the incident. Garmashov has not been charged with any crimes related to the case.

Prosecutors indicted Pooley in 2021.

U.S. District Court Judge William Shubb told prosecutors they could not mention Kwons death in their opening statements, due to a concern that it could sway jurors since Pooley is not charged with causing it.

Sharma followed the order without incident. And prosecutors went on to call their first witness.
China unveils plan to galvanize NEV uptake in rural areas

Xinhua) 08:37, May 16, 2024

BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, in collaboration with four government bodies, has launched a nationwide campaign to bolster the new energy vehicle (NEV) uptake in China's rural areas.

The initiative will run from May to December 2024 and has been designed to bridge the current NEV consumption gap in rural regions, thereby enhancing residents' level of green, safe travel and contributing to the construction of beautiful villages and rural revitalization.

The NEV rural promotion catalog features an impressive array of 99 models from leading auto manufacturers, encompassing a wide range of NEVs for various sectors, including sedans, SUVs and multipurpose vehicles.

This diverse lineup includes models from state-owned heavyweights like China First Automobile Group to new auto-making powers like Xpeng. The catalog also includes several products from BYD.

A series of activities will be organized over the course of the eight months, including exhibitions, test drives and other consumer experiences, aiming to enrich market offerings and providing a variety of choices for rural consumers.

A key aspect of the initiative is the organization of support services such as those related to charging, battery swaps, insurance, claims, credit and after-sales maintenance, with these services set to be expanded to rural areas to address current infrastructure shortcomings.

The program will also implement policies to encourage NEV adoption, such as those related to vehicle trade-ins and improvements to county-level infrastructure.

The initiative will focus on county-level cities with currently low NEV uptake rates but high growth potential.

Participation from NEV manufacturers, sales companies, financial institutions, charging and swapping infrastructure providers, and after-sales services enterprises is encouraged.

These entities are being urged to develop promotional plans that align with the initiative's goals, and to establish comprehensive after-sales services systems to support rural consumers.

The campaign will combine on-site and online activities, leveraging the power of e-commerce and internet platforms to complement physical events with virtual ones, including online exhibitions and live interactions.

April saw a significant surge in China's production and domestic sales of NEVs.

Data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) shows that last month's NEV production hit 870,000 units and sales reached 850,000 units, with those figures respectively up 35.9 percent and 33.5 percent year on year.

In 2023, China's production and sales of vehicles both hit record highs, topping 30 million units apiece, according to CAAM data. And its production and sales of NEVs respectively exceeded 9.58 million and 9.49 million units, ranking first globally for a ninth consecutive year.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
MANAMA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The 33rd Arab League Summit kicked off in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, on Thursday to review various regional issues with the Gaza crisis as a leading agenda.

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa chaired the summit, which covers regional political, economic, social, cultural, media and security topics.

In the opening session, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose country hosted the 32nd Arab Summit, handed the presidency of the summit to Bahrain.

The Saudi Crown Prince highlighted his country's support for forming a Palestinian state. He called on the international community to support efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Bahrain's King called for an international conference for peace in the Middle East. He also supported the full recognition of the State of Palestine.

It is the first time that Bahrain hosts the Arab League Summit. Various topics will be discussed, including adopting comprehensive and sustainable peaceful solutions to end wars, settling conflicts and collaborating to build constructive and balanced Arab relations. 
Former President Trump asked New Yorks highest court to intervene in his fight to throw out the gag order in his ongoing hush money criminal trial, one day after an appellate court upheld it.

Trumps attorney filed a notice of appeal Wednesday, but it remained sealed on the court docket as of Thursday morning.

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told The Associated Press that the filing is a request for the states Court of Appeals to take up the gag order.

President Trump has filed a notice to appeal the unconstitutional and un-American gag order imposed by conflicted Judge Juan Merchan in the lawless Manhattan DA case, Cheung said in a statement, the AP reported.

The threat to throw the 45th President of the United States and the leading candidate in the 2024 presidential election in jail for exercising his First Amendment rights is a Third World authoritarian tactic typical of Crooked Joe Biden and his comrades, Cheung added.

The Hill has reached out to Cheung for a statement.

On Tuesday, a New York appeals court affirmed the gag order against Trump that bars him from publicly commenting on witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and Merchans family. It does not prevent the former president from attacking Merchan or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D).

Justice Merchan properly determined that petitioners public statements posed a significant threat to the integrity of the testimony of witnesses and potential witnesses in this case as well, the Tuesday decision from the five-judge panel read.

Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records over an alleged repayment scheme to Michael Cohen, Trumps then-fixer, who had paid porn actor Stormy Daniels $130,000 ahead of the 2016 election to stay quiet about an affair with Trump she says she had in 2006. Trump denies the affair, says there was no wrongdoing with the payments and has pleaded not guilty.

Trump has railed against his gag order as a violation of his First Amendment rights, arguing it prevents him from responding to political attacks being levied by high-profile witnesses and others.

The former presidents attorneys lamented how Cohen has regularly attacked Trump on social media and elsewhere in the lead-up to his testimony, which began Monday, while Trump was prohibited from responding.

Merchan directed prosecutors Friday to tell Cohen that he shouldnt make any more public statements about the case.

Merchan has also found Trump violated his gag order 10 times since it was imposed, ordering he pay a $1,000 fine per violation and warning that future violations could carry jail time.

Ella Lee and Zach Schonfeld contributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Trump asks New Yorks highest court to step in over hush-money trial gag order

Donald Trump is asking New Yorks highest court to intervene in the gag order imposed on him in his hush-money trial.

On Wednesday, Mr Trumps lawyers filed a notice of appeal to the New York Court of Appeals - the states top court, just a day after a lower appellate court rejected the former presidents attempt to modify the gag order.

The former president has been fighting the gag order that Justice Juan Merchan placed on him in March to prevent Mr Trump from damaging the integrity of the trial and witnesses.

Under it, Mr Trump cannot make or direct others to make public statements about trial witnesses and potential witnesses, jurors and prospective jurors, attorneys, court staff and their families.

Mr Trump and his lawyers argue the gag order violates his First Amendment rights. But so far, the court and an intermediate appeals court have rejected that argument. Judge Merchan has alrady found 10 violations of the gag order against Mr Trump, but has only fined him and not ordered him to jail.

Now, the Trump team is taking the issue to the states highest court.

President Trump has filed a notice to appeal the unconstitutional and un-American gag order imposed by conflicted Judge Juan Merchan in the lawless Manhattan DA case, Steven Cheung, Mr Trumps presidential campaign spokesperson, told The Associated Press.

Former President Donald Trump leaves Manhattan Supreme Court on the 15th day of his hush money trial filed by DA Bragg on May 10, 2024. (via REUTERS)

He added, The threat to throw the 45th President of the United States and the leading candidate in the 2024 presidential election in jail for exercising his First Amendment rights is a Third World authoritarian tactic typical of Crooked Joe Biden and his comrades.

However, a five-judge panel in the intermediate appeals court said on Tuesday that Justice Merchan, properly determined that petitioners public statements posed a significant threat to the integrity of the testimony of witnesses and potential witnesses.

In his civil fraud trial, Mr Trump faced a gag order after his attacks on court staff led to credible threats and harassment.

Justice Merchan placed the gag order on Mr Trump to prevent his attacks from interfering with the integrity of the trial. But that hasnt stopped the former president.

Judge Merchan warned Mr Trump that if the $1,000 penalty does not deter him from continuing, he will put him in jail.

Mr Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with alleged reimbursement to Michael Cohen for paying off porn star Stormy Daniels in a catch-and-kill scheme that buried her story of an alleged affair with the former president ahead of the 2016 election.

The former president has pleaded not guilty and has denied the affair.
Former President Trump brushed off the idea of losing voters who went for former GOP presidential primary candidate Nikki Haley in the primaries Thursday.

Well, she got very few voters relatively  I got almost, I guess, close to 90 percent, the former president said when asked if he will try to recapture voters who went for Haley in primaries like Wisconsin in an interview on Scripps News with the outlets Charles Benson.

She got very few voters, Trump continued. And those voters are all coming to me, and you may have a lot of Democrats in there because they have a very tricky little system. But those voters are coming to me. We just did a poll where were leading [President Biden] by a lot in Wisconsin  when I say a lot, were leading by 2 or 3 points, we have one where were leading him by 5 points.

Trumps comments come after a string of GOP primaries in which Haley garnered significant support from voters despite dropping out a few months ago. The former United Nations ambassador earned 20 percent of the vote in the Maryland primary, 18 percent in the Nebraska primary and 9.4 percent in the West Virginia primary, all of which happened earlier this week, according to election results from Decision Desk HQ.

President Biden and his campaign have made moves to attempt to woo Haley voters amid their apparent dissatisfaction with the former president.

Donald Trump made it clear he doesnt want Nikki Haleys supporters, Biden said in March. I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign.

The Biden campaign also dropped an advertisement earlier this year with clips of Trump criticizing Haley amid the GOP presidential primary, giving the warning, If you voted for Nikki Haley, Donald Trump doesnt want your vote.

Haley also received 21.7 percent of the vote in the Indiana primary last week, according to election results from Decision Desk HQ.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Looking reminiscent of John Gottis underboss, Salvatore Sammy the Bull Gravano, turning states evidence against The Dapper Don and taking down boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City in 1992 is Donald Trumps fixer, Michael Cohen, flipping on another so-called Teflon Don.

Hopefully, Cohen will be as successful in taking down the most powerful criminal to ever occupy the White House as Gravano was in taking down Gotti, the most powerful mafioso in U.S. history.

Putting aside the differences in Gotti and Trumps criminality, such as the formers convictions for five murders, conspiracy to commit murder, illegal gambling, and loansharking or the latters indictments for espionage, a failed insurrection or coup detat, and conspiracies to interfere in presidential elections, the two men have much more in common than the former president and President Richard Nixon ever did. I am referring to the fact that both Gotti back in his day and Trump today share in common the crimes of racketeering, obstruction of justice, tax evasion, and extortion. For comparative purposes, unlike Nixon who could honestly claim that he wasnt a crook, neither Gotti nor Trump can claim they were not crooks.

At the same time, neither Gotti nor Nixon were ever as powerful as Trump. It is not even close. Trump wins by a landslide. And neither Gotti nor Nixon ever posed any threat to American democracy and the rule of law.

Nothing showcases this threat any more than when Trumps crime family, including House Speaker Mike Johnson,R-LA, and other Republican congresspeople as well as GOP state attorneys generals, showed up both inside the Manhattan courtroom and outside the courthouse during Cohens testimony.

Inside the courtroom, Johnson and the other GOP hacks sat directly behind defendant Trump. The whole time they were staring down the former loyalist turned stoolpigeon as he testified. They were also sending evil eyes to the jurors as they were transfixed watching and listening to the back-and-forth between Cohen and the lawyers for the prosecution and the defense.

Outside the courthouse, these high-ranking Republican officials and House Speaker Johnson were blasting the proceedings as a sham and attacking Judge Merchants daughter in violation of Trumps gag order. Not only were they ignoring their own election interference and coverup of January 6, but they were also in addition to the Manhattan trial, casting aspersions on Trumps three other criminal indictments. As Speaker Johnson stated, These are politically motivated trials and they are a disgrace. It is election interference.

None of this would ever be something that the liar-in-chief could ever say in a court of law because the rule of thumb is that guilty people like Trump never take the stand in their own defense.

Moreover, Trumps surrogates or sycophants alike have gone much further than any organized gang of mobsters would ever dare to go to intimidate witnesses and jurors or to interfere with the administration of justice on behalf of their racketeering boss. Primarily, because they would be locked up for doing so just as Trump would be locked up for contempt of court regarding his numerous violations of gag orders if he were any other crime boss.

Not only were Trumps defenders demonstrating their loyalty and allegiance to the boss, some of them were also using the stage outside the courthouse to audition to become the presumed 2024 presidential nominees vice-presidential running mate. In any case, they were all looking, sounding, and appearing very gangster-like.

Although the meaning and the consequences of these actions are deadly serious, their televised performance was truly a public spectacle to laugh at as they were all making complete fools of themselves.

At the same time, their public display both inside and outside of the Manhattan courthouse announced and demonstrated for all the world that Trump and his political knaves have been running a protection racket against accountability, the rule of law, and the administration of justice for the past four years.

And most recently, with a little help from the Trumpian majority on the Supreme Court and a corrupt federal judge in Florida, they have been very successful at obstructing justice and protecting Boss Trump.

Overall, these political performances and previous actions by Trumps minions represent a full court press on our legal system and balance of powers. While attempting to obstruct and weaponize justice in every way possible from their seats, especially in the House, they are also doing their best to delegitimize the criminalization of Boss Trump. In doing so, they have been mirroring both the behavior of Trump while he was POTUS and of his corruptible Attorney General Bill Barr.

All of this gangster-like exhibitionism foreshadows what things will look like should the first authoritarian armed with an oligarchy of power and a crew of minions retake the Oval Office in 2025.
NEW YORK  Michael Cohen, Donald Trumps longtime fixer-turned-foe, is slated to face a full day of cross-examination Thursday as the former presidents legal team seeks to poke holes in his story and the historic hush money trial centered on an alleged payment to porn star Stormy Daniels nears its conclusion.

Defense lawyer Todd Blanche got off to a bumbling start on Thursday, accidentally posting the wrong exhibits and calling Cohen the defendant. Justice Juan Merchan sustained several objections in the first few minutes of testimony.

Trump arrived around 9:20 a.m. with another entourage of Republican supporters. He strolled into Merchans courtroom with Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, his son, Eric Trump, and an army of lawyers.

In fact, a lead person from the DOJ is running this trial, Trump said before entering the courtroom for the day  possibly treading into dangerous territory with a reference to prosecutor Matthew Colangelo, formerly a senior official at the U.S. Department of Justice. So Bidens office is running this trial.

During more than nine hours in the witness box on Monday and Tuesday, Cohen, 57, told jurors he hadnt spoken to Trump since his residences were raided by the feds in 2018, leading to his conviction for violating campaign laws when he paid off porn star Stormy Daniels and cementing their bitter feud.

From the day of his 2007 hiring at the Trump Organization until the feds closed in, Cohen said he answered to one person: Trump. He told the court he lied, bullied, or threatened anyone who got in the way of the task at hand to make his micromanager boss happy and acted as a campaign surrogate when Trump announced his first presidential run.

The presumed GOP nominee in this years election, 77, has pleaded not guilty to 34 felonies that allege he covered up hush money reimbursement to Cohen  masking it as payment for legal fees  to disguise an underlying scheme to hide information from the voting public.

He faces three other criminal cases in Florida, Washington D.C., and Georgia, but the Manhattan case is the only one expected to be resolved before the election.

In case you missed it

Cohen said he felt abandoned once Trump won the White House, expecting to get a top role in his administration but instead receiving an empty one as personal attorney to the president.

The former Trump lawyer said he worked all of 10 hours in that position in 2017 and that monthly checks he received for $35,000 were instead reimbursement for paying Daniels into silence 11 days before the 2016 election about her alleged claims of an extramarital tryst with Trump.

Cohen said the payment came more than a year after he, Trump, and former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker devised a scheme to identify and bury any negative information that could come to light about Trump, buttressing Peckers testimony earlier in the trial.

The former fixer alleged the reimbursement plan was orchestrated by Trumps convicted former finance chief Allen Weisselberg, now serving jail time for perjury, and got the green light from Trump at a January 2017 Trump Tower meeting. He said Trump confirmed he was getting paid back weeks later during a conversation inside the Oval Office.

Trump lawyer Blanche, who began his cross-examination late Tuesday, hammered the loyal one-time lawyer with questions about his public jabs at Trump, including dictator douchebag, boorish cartoon misogynist, and Cheeto-dusted cartoon villain, and suggested he was motivated by money and getting revenge against Trump.

Trumps lawyers, who have sought to paint Cohen as a liar whose role as fixer was to fix problems he made, have claimed Cohen went rogue in paying off Daniels and that Trump believed he was paying him for legitimate lawyering.

Prosecutors must prove Trump aided or caused his company honchos to reimburse Cohen for the hush money payoff to secure a conviction.

When they begin their deliberations, the jury will have copies of invoices, checks, and ledger entries documenting the reimbursement to Cohen and a bank statement reflecting the hush money transaction to Daniels with handwritten notes by Trumps finance chief calculating how much Cohen was owed.

---------
"At that time I was knee-deep into the cult of Donald Trump, yes."

That was Michael Cohen's answer from a Manhattan witness stand on Tuesday when asked by Donald Trump's attorney if he was "obsessed" with his boss in the decade that he worked for the criminal defendant. The lawyer, Todd Blanche, was trying to discredit Cohen by painting him as something like a jilted lover, a man who once worshipped Trump but, ever since going to prison for crimes committed at Trump's behest, now holds an epic grudge.

Much of what Cohen does with his time these days is indeed cringeworthy. Since being released from prison, Cohen has tried to rebrand himself as a #Resistance hero, unleashing a torresnt of anti-Trump content and trying to get on cable news as much as possible. But while his current behavior is not exactly classy, as his testimony in the campaign finance fraud trial shows, it pales in comparison to the heights of self-humiliation he performed daily while still in Trump's thrall.

Back then, as Cohen detailed, there was no demand too outrageous from Trump that Cohen wouldn't try to fill. Cohen has carefully detailed not just the astounding number of lies he told or corrupt actions he took for Trump  much of it to cover up Trump's extensive history of violence towards women  but also why he did it. Trump made him feel "on top of the world." He enjoyed being a "fixer," which seemed a lot more daring and romantic than being a boring old lawyer. It felt like a montage from the first half of a Martin Scorsese film, in which we see the gangsters reveling in both their wealth and their legal impunity. Before, of course, the inevitable crash and burn when the law finally catches up to them. If Cohen seems a little nuts now, it's a legible reaction to having spent years in an alternative reality created inside Trump's orbit.

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What Blanche was trying was a variation of the "Trump derangement syndrome" defense. Anyone who has been poltiical on social media has likely been subject to it: Some member of the MAGA tribe accusing a Trump critic of "TDS," short for this alleged syndrome. The insult is as self-refuting as it is popular, coming invariably from a Trump acolyte spewing unhinged and badly spelled conspiracy theories. Even the most embarrassing member of #Resistance Twitter seems even-keeled next to any random person pulled from a MAGA rally.

This contrast has been brought into full focus during Trump's trial. The two witnesses accused of being "deranged" by Trump  Cohen and Stormy Daniels  told stories that are coherent and fit with the documentary evidence. Even their anger, which has been a focal point for Trump's defense, makes perfect sense. They're two people whose mistake was trusting Trump. He sent one to prison and subjected the other to traumatizing sex she didn't want. It would be weirder if they didn't hate him.

Meanwhile, the entourage that Trump has finally coaxed into coming out for him  almost exclusively Republican politicians who are hoping for a payoff in debasing themselves for Trump  all act exactly like the cult member Cohen described himself as once being. One gaggle of minions even wore matching outfits, as if begging for comparisons to a cult.

Gov. Burgum calls hush money trial a "sham trial" and a "scam trial." pic.twitter.com/2e5Ik4oS8i  Emmanuel Touhey (@EmmanuelTouhey) May 14, 2024

Even more embarrassing are House Republicans claiming to have "bombshell" evidence that Cohen supposedly didn't even believe Daniels.

Michael Cohen's former attorney, Robert Costello revealed BOMBSHELLS to @JudiciaryGOP 



Michael Cohen didn't ever actually believe the Stormy Daniels allegation.



Cohen paid Stormy Daniels all on his own & without Trumps knowledge.

pic.twitter.com/XOe3kogfa1  Marla Hohner (@marlahohner) May 15, 2024

This behavior does little to discredit Cohen's story. Rather it is an alarming reminder of how Trump expects his followers to debase themselves to serve him. It's unlikely that anyone believes Trump's denials that he had sex with Daniels. As former federal prosecutor Ankush Khardori explained at Politico, Trump's obvious dishonesty on this front gave the prosecutors "an unmissable opportunity for them to tank the credibility of Trumps entire legal defense." Anyone who echoes Trump's denials sounds either terminally delusional or like a mortifying bootlicker. If the goal here is to make Trump critics seem "deranged," it's backfiring spectacularly.

Cohen's description of his time serving Trump neatly illustrated how Trump manipulates his followers, which follows the beats of your most famous cult leaders: First, find people who feel lost or mired in their own mediocrity. Second, convince them they, too, can rise above their current station by hitching their wagon to the leader. Religious cults promise spiritual transcendence, whereas Trump mostly just promises he'll teach his minions to cheat the system as he has.

Either way, the allure is in the hope of finding some secret pathway towards being superior to other people, all without having to actually put in the work of being good at your chosen vocation. Zooming out to the ordinary MAGA voter, we see Trump working the same manipulative magic over people. Trump makes them feel they can stick it to those smarty-pants liberals who they imagine are laughing at them, and all without having to put in the work of learning stuff and knowing things.

As Cohen testified, there's something deeply intoxicating about how Trump makes his marks feel like they're in on the con. He convinces not just the people around him, but millions of voters that, by sticking with him, they, too, can enjoy the impunity he has long enjoyed. As often happens to victims of con artists, they refuse to admit they're being taken for a ride. Instead, they lash out at the skeptics, insisting that people outside the in-group are those with a problem. Critics of the Church of Scientology are labeled "suppressive persons," for instance. Followers are told that people on the outside are dangerous and delusional, and members should shun them rather than give any credence to their concerns.

For MAGA, the term "Trump derangement syndrome" works like "suppressive person" does for Scientology. The Trump follower cannot defend their leader on the merits, since he is the worst in every possible way. So instead, they engage in a blunt form of psychological projection, accusing people who dislike Trump of being "obsessed" and "deranged." They speak as if he's just some random dude his critics have a fixation on, instead of admitting it's legitimate to be worried that a dangerous demagogue is perilously close to being the most powerful person in the world. Or that the people with an unhealthy obsession are those who cling to Trump like a barnacle, making daily excuses for his misogyny, his fascism, his babbling incoherence, and his staggering number of criminal indictments.

Cohen's self-description as a recovering cult member resonates, right down to his continued erratic behavior. One reason it's hard for people to leave cults is that the underlying issues that led them to join in the first place haven't been resolved. Indeed, under constant brutalization at the hands of the leader, their self-esteem often degrades further. Another reason is that the cult becomes the defining force in the lives of followers, so much so that it's hard for them to imagine what life would be like without it. It's not uncommon for people who leave cults to feel lost. They often fall into other cults or engage in irrational and self-destructive behavior. This is more evidence that cults themselves are dangerous, and it's not "deranged" to take their impact on followers seriously.

There's no way to know what a jury will make of all this, especially as Cohen isn't done testifying as of this writing. But, from a political perspective, the whole situation has illuminated the veneer of desperate self-delusion behind every "TDS" accusation made towards those who are sensible enough to loathe Trump. Insofar as Cohen has been "deranged" by his association with Trump, it happened when he was in thrall to the man, committing crimes and telling lies on Trump's behalf. Everything since has been fallout from that initial poor decision to ever link his fate to Trump. It's a lesson other MAGA people should learn, but are too proud to accept.
Former President Trumps Boeing 757 clipped a parked plane while taxiing at a Florida airport Sunday morning.

Trump landed in Cincinnati on Wednesday, his day off from his hush money trial, for an intimate, high-dollar fundraiser, but he arrived in Ohio without his jet nicknamed Trump Force One.

According to an accident and incident notice from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), no injuries were reported when his plane clipped another, and there was an unknown amount of damage.

The notice said Trumps plane landed at the Palm Beach International Airport around 1:20 a.m. on Sunday and was taxiing when one of its winglets, a tip on the end of a planes wing, struck the rear elevator of a parked plane.

No one was in the parked plane, registered to VistaJet, which is a private charter company, the FAA said, first reported by The New York Times.

The FAA said the incident occurred in an area of the airport that does not direct aircraft, but it would investigate what happened.

The Times reported the Boeing plane is registered to DJT Operations I LLC, one of Trumps companies he owned before becoming president.

It has been questioned whether Trump Force One might be seized as part of the civil fraud penalty that the former president faces in New York. Trump posted a $175 million bond in the case April 1 to avoid a possible seizure of his assets as he tries to appeal the $464 million judgement against him.

Trump, who is required to be in court each week for his hush money trial, has often had to make campaign announcements away from his supporters and in unusual places, like the Manhattan courtroom or airport runways.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
On Wednesday, Trump attorney Will Scharf was left tongue-tied after one simple question from CNNs Kaitlan Collins.



Collins asked Scharf, also a Republican candidate in Missouris race for attorney general, Youre an attorney, obviously: Have you ever gotten a legal retainer that was grossed up by hundreds of thousands of dollars?

The reference to Donald Trumps hush-money case caught Scharf off guard, and he scrambled to put together an answer.



Uh-uh-uh, I mean Ive received payment for legal services in many ways before: contingency fees, fee per hour, Scharf said. I think different people come to different agreements.

But Collins wasnt done. Have you ever been owed a certain amount, lets say $100,000 that you did in billable hours and you got $330,000? she asked.



Scharf still had to gather his thoughts. Kaitlan, I, respectfully, the point here is that the payments are ancillary to the case that the prosecution is trying to prove which relates to the records of the payments, not the payments themselves, he said. Hush-money reimbursement for hush moneynone of thats a crime.

The exchange is telling. While Scharf isnt part of Trumps hush-money case, he, thanks to his legal knowledge, clearly has trouble justifying Trumps actions. Trump is charged with 34 felony counts for allegedly falsifying business records with the intent to further an underlying crime by using his former fixer and attorney, Michael Cohen, to pay off adult film actress Stormy Daniels to cover up an affair before the 2016 presidential election. Trump made the grossed up payments to Cohen to reimburse him for paying off Daniels and to avoid taxes and scrutiny. Cohens testimony has made it clear that Trump was involved in every step of the alleged crime. If the Republican presidential nominee is found guilty in the case, how will his attorneys and surrogates justify it?


NEW YORK  Michael Cohen, Donald Trumps longtime fixer-turned-foe, faced a contentious cross-examination Thursday as the former presidents legal team sought to undermine his credibility and motives as the historic hush money trial centered on an alleged payment to porn star Stormy Daniels nears its conclusion.

After a meandering line of questioning all morning, Todd Blanches cross picked up the pace just before the lunch hour when he grilled Cohen about his previous testimony that he reached out to Trumps bodyguard, Keith Schiller, to speak with Trump to tell him about payment to Stormy Daniels.

But Blanche said phone records showed Cohen wanted to reach Schiller about pestering calls he was receiving from a 14-year-old.

That. Was. A. Lie, Blanche addressed Cohen, raising his voice to a shriek. You can admit it.

No sir, I cant, Cohen said, claiming he also discussed Daniels. Because Im not certain thats accurate.

Blanche continued by further accusing Cohen of lying, saying he wouldnt have had enough time to tell him about both during the minute-and-a-half-long call.

Exiting the courtroom on a break, Trump responded to a question from the Daily News about how Blanche was doing with a thumbs-up.

Earlier, Blanche repeatedly questioned Cohen about his 2018 conviction, specifically the tax evasion count  related to taxi medallions, not hush money  and public complaints about the case. Cohen said that he committed the crimes he pleaded guilty to, but his criticism was that he didnt think his prosecution was fair.

Blanche sought to frame that as perjury.

I never denied the underlying facts. I just did not believe that I should have been criminally charged, Cohen said, basing his feeling on him having been a first-time tax evader and historically filing his taxes on time.

Blanche challenged Cohens previous claims that he never asked for or would accept a pardon from Trump, asking, That was a lie, wasnt it? Blanche said representations his attorneys made behind closed doors refuted that.

At the time, it was accurate, Cohen said of his public statements on the matter.

Blanche, whos sought to portray Cohen as vengeful, pressed him repeatedly about his desires to come with Trump to the White House and whether he really wanted the job he got as personal attorney to the president.

He repeated his previous testimony that he wanted to be Trumps chief of staff for ego-driven reasons.

I may have expressed frustration at not being considered for the top job, Cohen conceded at one point, acknowledging he told his daughter he was disappointed.

Trump, the presumed GOP nominee in this years election, 77, has pleaded not guilty to 34 felonies that allege he covered up hush money reimbursement to Cohen  masking it as payment for legal fees  to disguise an underlying scheme to hide information from the voting public.

GOP friends in tow

Earlier Thursday, Trump arrived around 9:20 a.m. with another entourage of Republican supporters. He strolled into Judge Juan Merchans courtroom with Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, his son, Eric Trump, and an army of lawyers.

In fact, a lead person from the DOJ is running this trial, he said before entering the courtroom for the day  possibly treading into dangerous territory in violation of a gag order with a reference to prosecutor Matthew Colangelo, formerly a senior official at the U.S. Department of Justice. So Bidens office is running this trial.

During more than nine hours in the witness box on Monday and Tuesday, Cohen, 57, told jurors he hadnt spoken to Trump since the feds raided his residences in 2018, leading to his conviction for violating campaign laws when he paid off porn star Stormy Daniels and cementing their bitter feud.

From the day of his 2007 hiring at the Trump Organization until the feds closed in, Cohen said he answered to one person: Trump. He told the court he lied, bullied, or threatened anyone who got in the way of the task at hand to make his micromanager boss happy and acted as a campaign surrogate when Trump announced his first presidential run.

Trump faces three other criminal cases in Florida, Washington, D.C., and Georgia, but the Manhattan case is the only one expected to be resolved before the election.

In case you missed it

Cohen said he felt abandoned once Trump won the White House, expecting to get a top role in his administration but instead receiving an empty one as personal attorney to the president.

The former Trump lawyer said he worked all of 10 hours in that position in 2017 and that monthly checks he received for $35,000 were instead reimbursement for paying Daniels into silence 11 days before the 2016 election about her alleged claims of an extramarital tryst with Trump.

Cohen said the payment came more than a year after he, Trump and former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker devised a scheme to identify and bury any negative information that could come to light about Trump, buttressing Peckers testimony earlier in the trial.

The former fixer alleged the reimbursement plan was orchestrated by Trumps convicted former finance chief Allen Weisselberg, now serving jail time for perjury, and got the green light from Trump at a January 2017 Trump Tower meeting. He said Trump confirmed he was getting paid back weeks later during a conversation inside the Oval Office.

Trump lawyer Blanche, who began his cross-examination late Tuesday, hammered the loyal one-time lawyer with questions about his public jabs at Trump, including dictator douchebag, boorish cartoon misogynist, and Cheeto-dusted cartoon villain, and suggested he was motivated by money and getting revenge against Trump.

Trumps lawyers, who have sought to paint Cohen as a liar whose role as fixer was to fix problems he made, have claimed Cohen went rogue in paying off Daniels and that Trump believed he was paying him for legitimate lawyering.

Prosecutors must prove Trump aided or caused his company honchos to reimburse Cohen for the hush money payoff to secure a conviction.

When they begin their deliberations, the jury will have copies of invoices, checks, and ledger entries documenting the reimbursement to Cohen and a bank statement reflecting the hush money transaction to Daniels with handwritten notes by Trumps finance chief calculating how much Cohen was owed.

_____
JERUSALEM, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Installation of a floating pier off the Gaza coast to deliver humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave was completed on Thursday.

"In the upcoming days, trucks will begin entering," the Israeli army said in a press release, adding that the pier was successfully connected.

The pier was constructed by the U.S. military, in cooperation with Israeli authorities.

Multiple aid trucks attempting to enter Gaza via land have been vandalized by Israeli activists. Israeli troops recently took control over the Palestinian side of the Rafah Crossing, a key entry point of aid between Egypt and Gaza, and shut it down, further impeding aid shipments. 
Former President Trump delivered remarks Thursday following a day in court for his criminal hush money trial, saying Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are meeting to do damage while hes been sitting in an icebox.

President Xi of China, I know well, President Putin of Russia, know him well, theyre right now together working on plans where they  get together and do damage, because thats ultimately what theyre thinking about doing, damage, Trump said in New York.

Putin arrived in Beijing early Thursday local time, the first state visit of his new term. Putin and Xi are expected to discuss international issues and celebrate relations between the two countries.

His visit comes as Russian forces continue a major offensive in Ukraine, considered one of the largest assaults since the start of the war, which has resulted in thousands of civilians being forced to evacuate the northeastern region.

Xi is interested in Putin taking over in Ukraine, particularly because of what it could mean for Taiwan, the island that China considers a part of its own but has never been controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, reports The Washington Post.

Trump pointed to Xis interest in taking over Taiwan and compared it to his own situation.

The former president is under a gag order in the case, so he has to be careful about what he says about the ongoing trial but has often referred to the temperature in the Manhattan courtroom and said its being kept cold on purpose.

He fully expects to take Taiwan. He made that statement today. Thats a big statement, Trump said about Xi. And Im sitting here in an icebox.

Im sitting here, listening to a case that even people from CNN and MSDNC say should never have been brought. Ive been sitting here for almost four weeks, and we still have a long way to go, he continued.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump appears at court in New York

Former U.S. President Donald Trump appears at court in New York

By Jody Godoy, Jack Queen, Luc Cohen and Andy Sullivan

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Donald Trump's lawyer on Thursday accused star witness Michael Cohen of lying at the former U.S. president's trial about a phone conversation he claimed to have had with Trump about a hush money payment to a porn star shortly before the 2016 presidential election.

Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche said the phone conversation was about harassment from a prank caller and not, as Cohen had asserted in previous testimony, about a $130,000 payment that bought the silence of porn star Stormy Daniels at the center of the month-long trial.

"That is a lie," Blanche said. "You can admit it!"

"No sir I can't, because I am not certain that is accurate," Cohen responded. He said he believed that he spoke with Trump's then-bodyguard Keith Schiller about the harassment and also spoke briefly with Trump about the payment.

"We are not asking for your belief," Blanche said, raising his voice.

The exchange took place during several hours of questioning by Blanche designed to cast Trump's former fixer as a spiteful turncoat eager to see his former boss behind bars.

Blanche played jurors audio clips of Cohen saying that the case "fills me with delight" and that he felt "giddy with hope and laughter" imagining Trump and his family in prison.

He told them that Cohen had previously lied to Congress and to the U.S. Justice Department and had lied in court as well. He pointed out that Cohen had privately sought a pardon from Trump while publicly saying he would not accept one.

Cohen agreed that he had blamed others, including Trump, in the wake of his own criminal convictions on tax and campaign-finance charges.

"Does the outcome of this trial affect you personally?" Blanche asked.

"Yes," Cohen said, maintaining his composure while answering questions, in contrast with his aggressive and often profane public comments.

Cohen was due to return to the witness stand for more questioning when the trial resumes on Monday.

Trump has pleaded not guilty in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president and denies having sex with Daniels.

The New York case, one of four criminal prosecutions he faces, is likely to be the only one with a jury verdict before his Nov. 5 election rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden.

Cohen is central to the case. He testified earlier this week that Trump ordered him to pay Daniels to protect Trump's presidential campaign, and discussed a plan to reimburse Cohen, 57, through a series of bogus invoices for legal fees. Their chats included one in the White House Oval Office when Trump was president in 2017, Cohen said.

Cohen carries baggage as a witness. He has pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from the Daniels payment, and has admitted that he lied repeatedly about the Daniels scandal.

But some of Cohen's testimony has been corroborated by other evidence, including records from Trump's company.

He said he could clearly remember some conversations from the hectic 2016 campaign, including one where he spoke with Trump about an effort to buy the silence of another woman who claimed to have sex with him. "These phone calls are things that I've been talking about for the past six years," he said.

TRUMP STANDS ACCUSED OF FALSIFYING BUSINESS RECORDS

Trump, 77, faces 34 counts of falsifying business records in New York to cover up the payment to Daniels.

Under questioning by Blanche, Cohen said the hush-money deal itself was legal.

But prosecutors say the altered records covered up election-law and tax-law violations - since the money was essentially an unreported contribution to Trump's campaign - that elevate the crimes from misdemeanors to felonies punishable by up to four years in prison.

Trump characterizes the case and three other prosecutions as an attempt to interfere with his campaign to take back the White House.

Members of the far-right U.S. House of Representatives Freedom Caucus attended the trial on Thursday and echoed his complaints.

"We're seeing today what lengths the Democratic Party will go to to try to rig or steal another election," the group's chairman, Republican Representative Bob Good, said outside the courthouse.

UNCERTAINTY OVER WHETHER TRUMP WILL TESTIFY

Trump has argued that his monthly payments to Cohen throughout 2017 were for his work as his personal lawyer to the president, meaning there was nothing improper about the word "retainer" being written on the checks Trump signed.

Prosecutors say the reimbursement payments were falsely labeled as legal expenses in the Trump Organization's records to conceal the Daniels payoff, which they say violated U.S. election campaign finance law.

Cohen is the 20th and final witness to be called to testify by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office at the trial, which began on April 15.

It was unclear whether Trump would testify next week, when the defense will have an opportunity to present its case. Before the trial Trump said he would testify, but Blanche has since said Trump has yet to decide whether to do so.

The defense is not required to present a case, and Trump does not have to decide ahead of time whether he will testify.

(Reporting by Jody Godoy and Jack Queen in New York and Andy Sullivan in Washington; Writing by Andy Sullivan and Luc Cohen; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Howard Goller)
Antisemitism is on the rise in Kentucky, with incident rates more than doubling over the past two years.

Kentucky saw 47 separate antisemitism incidents in 2023, according to the Anti-Defamation League, an organization aiming to stop the defamation of Jewish people. Thats a steep increase from the 16 reported in Kentucky in 2022, of which only one occurred on a college campus.

Of the incidents reported last year in the commonwealth, eight occurred on college campuses.

We have never seen anything like the tsunami of hate and harassment that has sprung up since Oct. 7, Adam Lehman, the CEO of the nations largest Jewish student organization, Hillel, said at a meeting of the Kentucky Antisemitism Task Force Wednesday.

The task force acts as an advisory group to the governor. In the executive order creating it, signed by Gov. Andy Beshear in December 2023, the 18-person group was charged with conducting a comprehensive review of the growing threat of antisemitism in the commonwealth. Statistics from the Anti-Defamation League have been cited by Beshear to show the need for the task force.

Oct. 7 marked the official start of the Israel-Palestine war, which has since claimed more than 34,000 lives. A Palestinian militant group launched an attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages. Israel has since returned fire, leveling the Gaza strip.

To show support for innocent Palestinians stuck in the middle of conflict, protests and encampments have popped up all over the country, including at some Kentucky colleges. Lehman said some of those same protests have harbored antisemitic language, alienating Jewish students.

David Kaplan, a task force member and chairman of the Jewish Community of Louisville, shared that his own daughter is a student on the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill campus, one of the many campuses across the country housing student encampment protests in support of Palestine. He said a woman on campus called Oct. 7 a beautiful day.

This is a form of antisemitism that has, in the minds of the people who are guilty of it, a solid moral justification, he said. I dont think any amount of campus regulation of speech or sort of top-down regulation is going to address that.

Lehman said people should be able to talk about and criticize Israel without being labeled antisemitic, but said there is a fine line between criticism and hate.

Regardless of ones views of the Israeli government or even (how) the current war in Gaza may fall out  the complete demonization and advocacy for the destruction of the state of Israel can translate to antisemitism, he said.

A protester holds an Anti-Zionisim Is NOT Anti-Semitism sign during the peaceful Free Palestine rally at the William T Young Library lawn on UKs campus on May 1, 2024, in Lexington, Ky.

At Wednesdays meeting, the task force voted to create a subcommittee focused on antisemitic education in K-12 and higher education institutions. They will meet for the first time next month.

Antisemitism on Kentucky college campuses

Of the eight reported antisemitic occurrences at Kentuckys higher education institutions cited by the Anti-Defamation League, six happened after the Hamas attack on Israel.

Between Oct. 12 and Nov. 17, four protests at the University of Louisville had posters with antisemitic language, such as, From the river the the sea, Palestine will be free. The Anti-Defamation League labels this as antisemitic because it calls for dismantling of the Jewish state to extend Palestinian occupancy.

In late November, a poster raising awareness for the kidnapping victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack was torn down from an academic building at the University of Kentucky. In December, at the University of Transylvania, a Jewish student was called a genocidal Zionist on a social media app.

Jewish students werent free of harassment prior to the war in Palestine. Chabad of the Bluegrass, which is located near UK, received a threatening letter telling Jewish students to abandon their faith. The center got a similar letter in June.

UK Dean of Students Trisha Clement said UK has been particularly attentive to the Jewish community since the beginning of the Israel-Palestine conflict. She highlighted university sponsored listening sessions, where students were invited to tell administrators about their daily campus lives.

We truly make an effort to make sure that our students have the space and support that they need, she said. We wanted to make sure we provide the space and time for our students to talk to us about what theyre feeling and experiencing as they walk across campus  It is important that we all stay very connected.

Lehman said instances of antisemitism in Kentucky are not as severe as those seen in other states, which could make interfaith dialogue, a strategy he suggested to promote inclusion, easier to achieve on college campuses.

I think we have failed our youth across the county by not providing them safe spaces, task force member Muhammad Barbar said.
Two Centre County municipalities will soon spray to treat spongy moths. What to know

Summer is almost upon us, and with it comes an influx of spongy moths. To prepare, two Centre County municipalities will spray to help protect local foliage from the invasive pest.

Formerly known as a gypsy moth, the spongy moth was introduced to the Northeastern United States in 1969. The moths eggs typically hatch around late April to mid-May, and when they hatch, the moth larvae eats the trees leaves, defoliating them and leaving them vulnerable to diseases and other pests.

This spring, Ferguson and Patton townships have partnered to control spongy moth. The decision was based on the amount of egg masses in areas that present the likelihood of deforestation and potential tree loss from the insect, according to Ferguson Townships website.

The townships will spray an insecticide called bacillus thuringiensis (BtK) by helicopter early in the morning May 19 or May 20 (depending on the weather). Ferguson Township wrote in a press release that spraying would occur from 4-9 a.m., while Patton Township wrote on Facebook that it will take place sometime between 4-7 a.m.

A helicopter spraying to help control spongy moth caterpillar activity passes over the Oakwood neighborhood in Patton Township on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.

BtK spray is not harmful to mammals, birds or fish, and directly affects the spongy moths digestive system, eventually killing the invasive insect.

Ferguson Township is taking proactive measures to mitigate the detrimental impact of spongy moth on its residents and local ecosystem, a Ferguson Township spokesperson wrote in a press release.

Residents within the spraying areas have been notified via mail, according to the townships. Any resident that opted out will not see their property sprayed.

Residents who have opted out of having their yards sprayed in Patton Township still have the option of treating their trees though, as the township offers self-treatment options. The township will reimburse residents $62 per acre sprayed up to 10 acres of area treated, according to the townships website.

Ferguson and Patton townships also reached out to all other Centre Region municipalities, as well as Benner Township, to join in on their spraying efforts, with the contacted municipalities not responding yet, Patton Township Manager Amy Farkas told the CDT.

The spraying costs $62 per acre for the municipalities, and according to an email from Farkas, the cost will be split between the municipalities based on the actual acreage sprayed in each.

Baby spongy moth caterpillars on Marquette grape vines at University Wine Company on Tuesday April 30, 2024.

Additional information on future spongy moth sprays in either township is available through their websites.

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will also spray their lands with BtK via helicopter on the spongy moth-invested trees. Bald Eagle, Poe Paddy, Poe Valley and Penn Roosevelt state parks are among those in Centre County that will be sprayed.

Aerial suppression is needed to keep this invasive pest in check and protect our native forests from defoliation, with oaks being one of its favorite host, DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said in a press release. Keeping our forests healthy is of paramount importance, to protect all of the values our forests provide, including recreation, habitat, timber, clean air and clean water.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission oversees a separate spray program.
BALTIMORE  Another 24 men and women joined more than 200 other plaintiffs who say Maryland Department of Juvenile Services staff sexually abused them while they were incarcerated in juvenile detention facilities as children.

A new complaint filed Thursday in Baltimore Circuit Court by the New York law firm Levy Konigsberg and Maryland-based Brown Kiely said the department and the state failed to to adequately hire, train and supervise staff and to enact and enforce policies preventing sexual abuse.

Adults who say they were abused as minors in Maryland facilities have filed at least 10 lawsuits against the Department of Juvenile Services since October, when the Child Victims Act eliminated time limits for filing sex abuse lawsuits.

The other plaintiffs include 20 women who were at the former Thomas J.S. Waxter Childrens Center in Laurel, 37 mean at the Charles H. Hickey Jr. School in Baltimore County; five men at the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center, 25 adults at the Cheltenham Youth Detention Center in Prince Georges County, and 63 adults at 15 different juvenile facilities.

Some of the plaintiffs in Thursdays complaint, identified in the complaint by their initials, were as young as 12 years old when they were allegedly abused at juvenile facilities. The complaint names DJS facilities across the state and details abuse spanning from the 1980s to the 2010s.

One 12-year-old boy was abused by four officers, two men and two women, at the former Thomas J.S. Waxter Childrens Center in the late 1980s during multiple stints in detention. They attacked him in the shower and one officer in particular abused him at least 25 times.

A girl detained at Waxter around the same period was abused more than 20 times by a staff member who threatened that a judge would add more time to her sentence if the 12-year-old failed to comply. The woman called the girl a throwaway and meaningless, according to the complaint.

Guards and other staff tried to bribe victims with privileges and extra food and threatened them with physical violence or longer sentences so they would not report the abuse, according to the complaint. Some alleged abusers were identified by nicknames or physical descriptions, but the complaint said that plaintiffs hope to learn their identities during litigation.

A staff member at the Hickey School threatened to tell other detainees that a 17-year-old was a snitch to discourage him from reporting abuse in 1982. After he resisted an attempted rape, the staff member told other detainees the teen was a witness in a murder trial and let them physically assault him.

Two decades later, a different staff member who sexually abused a teenage boy at the Hickey School around 2001 to 2002 choked him until he lost consciousness and hit him to scare him out of reporting the abuse, the complaint said.

One teen did report the abuse she suffered at Waxter when she was between 12 and 16 years old to three staff members, the complaint said.

Survivors of systematic, institutional sexual abuse at Maryland juvenile detention centers are continuing to come forward to seek justice. These new filings show a consistent pattern of rampant sexual abuse in Marylands broken juvenile justice system, Levy Konigbserg attorney Jerome Block said in a statement. The courageous women and men that are filing these cases want justice, accountability and for sexual abuse in Maryland juvenile detention centers to end.

A spokesperson for the Department of Juvenile Services did not respond immediately Thursday to a request for comment.

The department takes allegations of sexual abuse of children in our care very seriously and we are working hard to provide decent, humane, and rehabilitative environments for youth placed in the departments custody, spokesperson Eric Solomon said in December in response to other lawsuits.

The complaint filed Thursday does not list a dollar amount plaintiffs are seeking, but said they are individually requesting damages from the department and the state in excess of $75,000.

_____
Two infants surrendered ahead of Wednesday blessing for first Little Rock baby box location

Two infants surrendered ahead of Wednesday blessing for first Little Rock baby box location

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.- On Wednesday, Little Rock officials and the community gathered to bless the Central Fire Station Baby Box, which has already provided the parents of two newborn babies with a safe way to anonymously surrender their child to care.

I know the significance of this being in this business for over 29 years and making those calls where you have a baby that has been left on the side of the dumpster, Little Rock Fire Chief Delphone Hubbard said.

Searcy Fire Department to open the 20th Safe Haven Baby Box in Arkansas

The first Little Rock Safe Haven Baby Box at the Central Fire Station has already facilitated two successful surrenders in the past few weeks.

Our ultimate responsibility in each of those cases was to protect the infants well-being, Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said.

At the blessing of the installation of the box, one of Safe Haven Baby Boxes surrendered newborns, who have been since placed in a loving home, attended.

Mayflower gets first baby box location

Oliver, or Olly, and his father, Dru Davis, shared how one surrender led to the happiest moment of his and his wifes lives.

For his birth parents, I would say thank you, thank you for giving him life because he saved my life, Dru Davis said.

A box just like the one at the fire station allowed Olivers biological mom to have anonymity, just like the two newborns who had already been surrendered.

I am very passionate about giving mothers another option to safely surrender a baby anonymously and lovingly, Mariah Betz with Safe Haven Baby Boxes said.

Calvary Baptist Church funded the project to provide the first Safe Haven Baby Box location in Little Rock.

If nothing else Olly being here today is the reason why we are all here today, Scott Jr. said.

Third baby surrendered in Benton Safe Haven Baby Box

The organization of Safe Haven Baby Boxes provides a confidential National Hotline, 1-866-99BABY1.

There are 228 Safe Haven Baby Box locations, 24 of which are in Arkansas.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
DAR ES SALAAM, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The East African Business Council (EABC) urged member states of the regional bloc to adopt a regional track-and-trace system to combat illicit trade.

John Bosco Kalisa, the executive director of the EABC, the apex body of business associations of the private sector and corporates from the eight member states of the East African Community (EAC), said the adoption of the system would help streamline cross-border trade, improve health and boost revenue collection by the EAC governments.

Kalisa made the call during a regional workshop on track-and-trace systems in the framework of the EAC held in Tanzania's port city of Dar es Salaam on Wednesday.

Tanzanian Deputy Minister of Industries and Trade Exaud Kigahe praised the EABC and EAC for organizing discussions on solutions to combat illicit trade, saying the workshop came at the right time, as countries worldwide implement measures like tracking and tracing systems to address illegal trade.

Member states of the EAC, a regional intergovernmental organization, are Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. 
Two men plead guilty to trafficking stolen human remains from Kansas to Pennsylvania

(WHTM) Two more people, including a man from Pennsylvania, were charged in a nationwide case of trafficking stolen human remains, the Department of Justice announced.

Andrew Ensanian, 38, of Montgomery, and Angelo Pereyra, 39, of Wichita, Kansas, pleaded guilty to their charge of interstate transport of stolen goods, according to signed documents filed Wednesday in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

The DOJ said in a news release the duo is among many other people who have been charged in the nationwide case within the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Three others have so far entered guilty pleas while another defendant was charged and convicted in Arkansas.

College student from York County charged with antisemitic hate crimes

Both Ensanian and Pereyra had stolen human remains to be transported between Kansas and Pennsylvania from 2018 to 2022, according to the release.

It was determined that the monetary loss from the stolen trafficked remains by the duo is between $6,500 but less than $15,000, court documents show.

If convicted there is a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison following a fine and supervised release.

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The case was investigated by the FBI and United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean A. Camoni is prosecuting the case.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.
Two Ukrainian Railways workers killed in Russian attack

A railway inspector and repairman working for Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) were killed by Russian shelling of civilian railroad infrastructure in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukrzaliznytsia reported on May 15.

The victims were Serhiy Derevytskyi, 48, and Oleksandr Prykhodko, 51 .

Russian forces have carried out deadly attacks against Dnipropetrovsk Oblas since 2022.

Dnipro is the region's administrative center and Ukraine's fourth-largest city. More recently, the city has become a key logistics and humanitarian hub.

Russias April 19 strike on downtown Dnipro killed three people and wounded 24 others, according to local officials. The UN's humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, later issued a statement condemning the attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Dnipro soon after the attack, calling on Western partners to provide meaningful air defense support.

Read also: Our readers questions about the war, answered. Vol. 6

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
TYE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC)  An 18-wheeler driver was arrested by Tye police for allegedly crashing into several fixtures, causing significant property damage, and then leaving the scene without notifying officials.

The Tye Police Department reported Alejandro Martin Delgado exited from I-20 at exit 277 eastbound on Wednesday morning, colliding with several fixtures, then left the scene.

The police were notified and found Delgado in a parking area where he was trying to rest. Tye PD shared that Delgado failed to stop and notify authorities, and pretended to be ignorant about the appropriate course of action after damaging others property.

Delgado was arrested for leaving the scene of the crash without reporting it to the authorities.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com.
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW)  He was deployed to Afghanistan twice. Once as a machine gunner who tip-toed through minefields every single day and again as an Apache helicopter mechanic. His priorities began to change when he and his wife started their family.

Zach Shryock is part of a deep military legacy. One of his grandfathers fought for the U.S. Army in World War II. His other grandfather was also in the Army during the Korean War.

His father and an uncle were in the U.S. Navy. His other uncle was in the Army. All three saw action in Vietnam.

U.S. Army Veteran served in Japan at end of Vietnam War

Shryock says the military is just in his blood.

I was 21. I was going to school for music at the time (at Hutchinson Community College). Realized I didnt want to teach music. Didnt really know what I wanted to do after that, and then, like I said, that blood. I kind of always felt like I was gonna be in the service anyway, explained Shryock.

So, the 2007 Cheney High School grad joined the Army in 2010. He was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia, for infantry training and jump school. The entire time, he knew he would end up in the dry deserts and forbidding mountains of Afghanistan.

Oh, 100%. Thats why I signed up. Sort of. In the back of your head, you know that they dont get to come home unless someone replaces em, said Shryock. You got to go. There was a war going on, you see.

Then I went to Fort Lewis. Second Infantry Division. Second Infantry ID, Washington State. Got put in 1-17. Started off in Charlie Company. I was one of their very first replacements after they came home from one of the roughest deployments that weve had since Vietnam. My one company lost 24 guys, and I was like the first guy to go fill in that replacement slot when they came home from Afghanistan, continued Shryock. And that was a difficult situation. They didnt really understand it at first. It made a lot more sense afterwards. They didnt want to see anybody else get hurt, I think before it was when they saw me, young and green. And they saw me as a potential casualty. I think they stood their distance from me for a little bit. They warmed up, I guess, but it took about a month, two months.

Shryock trained for 1.5 years at Fort Lewis before his first deployment to Afghanistan.

For the first 3.5 months in Spin Boldack, his company ran traffic control points, intercepted terrorists, and conducted raids to capture valued assets. He says those were scary times because of the constant bombings and the bombs and IEDs that couldnt be seen under the desert sand.

Theres a good chance you might get blown up out there. Just because thats what I mean, its a war, said Shryock.

Eventually, his company moved to a small, U.S. strongpoint. It was basically a small fort built by the troops that was fortified with 5-foot by 5-foot bags filled with dirt called a Hesko Barrier. The heavily fortified battle position housed sleeping tents, showers, stored weapons and fuel, was surrounded by attack bunkers, and anchored in the center by a raid camera.

The companys task was to cut off a supply road being built by the Taliban, cut their own road towards a new U.S. strongpoint, and, most importantly, protect the raid camera.

We took quite a bit of contact out there. That was a very interesting place to be. Three or four times a day, they (Taliban) would wake up and pray, and theyd come at you. And then they would eat, pray, and theyd come at you again. And theyd eat again and pray some more and come at ya. And sometimes theyd come at ya at night, said Shryock.

He basically lived in a minefield. Ground sweepers would use metal detectors to clear a 3 to 3.5-foot path in the sand and mark it with rocks dropped on both sides. The key to staying alive was staying within those rocks.

The company also conducted BIPs. If they found an explosive device, they would cover it with a C-4 explosive and Blow In Place.

We were disciplined, and we had each others backs. I tell you that. We made it. On the first one (deployment), Im not sure how. I could tell you luck. I think its just luck and discipline, said Shryock.

During one stretch in the desert, Shryock didnt shower for 32 days. One day, he met a clean, smiling Apache helicopter pilot and asked him, How can I be you? The pilot suggested Shryock would be a good fit as an Apache mechanic. So, in September 2013, Shryock reclassified to become an Apache helicopter mechanic.

The Apache is the most advanced, multi-role combat helicopter in the U.S. Army.

After he completed training in Virginia, Shryock and his new wife, Brittany, relocated to Korea for two years.

Then, in 2016

They sent me back to Afghanistan. And I was over there for about seven months that time, said Shryock.

About that time, the couple learned Brittany was pregnant. She returned home to Georgia, and Shryock was determined to make it back to the States to be with her for the birth of their first child. So, every single day, he e-mailed his First Sergeant and Sergeant Major, expressing his deep desire to be with his wife for the birth.

The strategy worked. Shryock was allowed to return to Georgia to be with Brittany when she delivered.

But the baby was coming earlier than expected, and Shryock had to hustle halfway around the world.

He flew 7,500 miles, changed planes six times, and arrived at the hospital just in time. 45 minutes after he got there, Myra Grace was born.

Thats when I decided I was done. When my daughter was born. I really wanted to be around my kids, said Shryock.

Air Force pilot flew over 100 bombing missions over North Vietnam

After seven years of service with the U.S. Army, Shryock was honorably discharged.

In the following years, he spent the Covid years hauling a camper and crisscrossing the country with his growing family, spending precious time at beaches and venturing into National Parks.

Until the Shryocks settled here in Riverside. His children are now ages 7 and 4. Zach still has a love for playing music. Hes a talented acoustic guitar player, but he says his favorite instrument is the bones.

He places the four wooden bones two in each hand and begins playing them almost as if hes playing a snare drum.

You hold them between your fingers like this, and then you wave goodbye! Shryock said.

Shryock says the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival in Winfield is his favorite place in the whole world. He has volunteered there in the past, but hed like to convince the festival organizers to put him on the payroll. He also drives for Uber.

He says the greatest feeling in the entire world was serving his country and the friendships and the lifelong memories he made.

If you want to nominate a veteran for our Veteran Salute, email KSN reporter Jason Lamb at jason.lamb@ksn.com.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV.
U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal

U.S. House Republicans are promoting a bill to curb voting by noncitizens. Though noncitizens can vote in some local elections, it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. (Marc Piscotty/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  Republicans on the U.S. House Administration Committee argued at a Thursday hearing that there is a need for legislative action to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections  even though voting by noncitizens in federal elections is extremely rare and already illegal.

American elections are for American citizens and we intend to keep it that way, the chair of the committee, Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, said in his opening remarks.

House Democrats said Republicans were laying the groundwork to instill mistrust in voting ahead of the November elections, drawing parallels to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol when then-President Donald Trump encouraged supporters to block certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

MAGA extremists are laying the groundwork to overturn the 2024 presidential election, the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, said in his opening remarks, using an acronym that is shorthand for Trump supporters.

Responding to local rules

Noncitizens are barred from voting in federal elections, but they can vote in local elections if a local law is passed allowing them to do so. Certain municipalities in California, Maryland and Vermont, as well as the District of Columbia, allow noncitizens to participate in local elections.

As the November elections approach, Republicans have taken aim at noncitizen voting and have made immigration policy a campaign issue. Trump, who is the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, has also made the issue a central campaign theme.

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana helped unveil legislation last week to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections, something that is already illegal.

Steil said that if a municipality allows noncitizens to vote it reduces confidence in our elections. He specifically called out Washington, D.C., for allowing noncitizens to partake in its elections.

Washington, D.C., is setting a new standard that could soon be applied across the country, Steil said.

This causes a host of problems for a state to maintain (a) clean voter registration list, Steil argued.

Researchers and studies have often disproved that noncitizens widely cast ballots in federal elections. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, conducted an analysis of election conduct from 2003 to 2023 and found 29 instances of noncitizens voting.

GOP members promote House bill

Republicans on the committee advocated for the election-related bill, H.R. 8281, which Johnson promoted on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The bill, sponsored by Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy, would require states to verify proof of citizenship to prevent noncitizens from voting in federal elections, which is already a felony.

Oklahoma GOP Rep. Stephanie Bice argued that jurisdictions that allow noncitizens to vote should have a separate voter roll. She asked one of the witnesses, Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, if there should be a federal law to require states to separate voter rolls. Von Spakovsky agreed with the idea.

Bice said that the biggest issue she has with localities allowing noncitizens to vote is that the voter rolls are not being cleaned up.

The Roy bill would require states to remove voters from rolls who do not prove their citizenship.

Georgia GOP Rep. Barry Loudermilk argued that Americans care about elections. When noncitizens are allowed to vote, we undermine and undercut the value of each and every vote, he said.

Bill would burden voters, Dems say

Washington state Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer said that bill would impact eligible voters, including members of the 12 tribes in his district. He said when tribal members vote, they use tribal enrollment cards, which dont necessarily contain information about citizenship.

Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama said the legislation would also make it harder for eligible voters  especially voters of color  to cast their ballots. She asked the witness tapped by Democrats, Michael Waldman, the president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, about Republican claims of widespread voter fraud when it comes to noncitizens voting.

Overwhelmingly, our (election) system is secure, Waldman said.

Waldman said that its an urban myth, that a high number of noncitizens vote in federal elections and warned that this year, the big lie is being pre-deployed.

He said that those who tried to overturn the 2020 presidential elections are now more organized and trying to set the stage for challenging the legitimacy of elections.

He added the rhetoric about many noncitizens voting was also used in 2020 by Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, who lost his D.C. and New York law license over false claims that tens of thousands of noncitizens in Arizona voted in the presidential election.

Lies, I should note, that were repeated by President Trump on the Ellipse as he sent the crowd up to the Capitol, Waldman said. This was not the central argument then, but it is now.

The post U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal

U.S. House Republicans are promoting a bill to curb voting by noncitizens. Though noncitizens can vote in some local elections, it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  Republicans on the U.S. House Administration Committee argued at a Thursday hearing that there is a need for legislative action to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections  even though voting by noncitizens in federal elections is extremely rare and already illegal.

American elections are for American citizens and we intend to keep it that way, the chair of the committee, Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, said in his opening remarks.

House Democrats said Republicans were laying the groundwork to instill mistrust in voting ahead of the November elections, drawing parallels to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol when then-President Donald Trump encouraged supporters to block certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

MAGA extremists are laying the groundwork to overturn the 2024 presidential election, the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. of New York, said in his opening remarks, using an acronym that is shorthand for Trump supporters.

Responding to local rules

Noncitizens are barred from voting in federal elections but they can vote in local elections if a local law is passed allowing them to do so. Certain municipalities in California, Maryland and Vermont, as well as the District of Columbia, allow noncitizens to participate in local elections.

As the November elections approach, Republicans have taken aim at noncitizen voting, and have made immigration policy a campaign issue. Trump, who is the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, has also made the issue a central campaign theme.

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana helped unveil legislation last week to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections, something that is already illegal.

Steil said that municipalities allowing noncitizens to vote reduces confidence in our elections. He specifically called out Washington, D.C., for allowing noncitizens to partake in its elections.

Washington, D.C., is setting a new standard that could soon be applied across the country, Steil said.

This causes a host of problems for a state to maintain (a) clean voter registration list, Steil argued.

Researchers and studies have often disproved that noncitizens cast ballots in federal elections. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, conducted an analysis of election conduct from 2003 to 2023 and found 29 instances of noncitizens voting.

GOP members promote House bill

Republicans on the committee advocated for the election-related bill, H.R. 8281, that Johnson promoted on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The bill, sponsored by Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy, would require states to verify proof of citizenship to prevent noncitizens from voting in federal elections, which is already a felony.

Oklahoma GOP Rep. Stephanie Bice argued that jurisdictions that allow noncitizens to vote should have a separate voter roll. She asked one of the witnesses, Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, if there should be a federal law to require states to separate voter rolls. Von Spakovsky agreed with the idea.

Bice said that the biggest issue she has with localities allowing noncitizens to vote is that the voter rolls are not being cleaned up.

The Roy bill would require states to remove voters from rolls who do not prove their citizenship.

Georgia GOP Rep. Barry Loudermilk argued that Americans care about elections. When noncitizens are allowed to vote, we undermine and undercut the value of each and every vote, he said.

Bill would burden voters, Dems say

Washington state Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer said that bill would impact eligible voters, including members of the 12 tribes in his district. He said when tribal members vote, they use tribal enrollment cards, which dont necessarily contain information about citizenship.

Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama said the legislation would also make it harder for eligible voters  especially voters of color  to cast their ballots. She asked the witness tapped by Democrats, Michael Waldman, the president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, about Republican claims of widespread voter fraud when it comes to noncitizens voting.

Overwhelmingly, our (election) system is secure, Waldman said.

Waldman said that its an urban myth, that there is a high number of noncitizens voting in federal elections and warned that this year, the big lie is being pre-deployed.

He said that those who tried to overturn the 2020 presidential elections are now more organized and trying to set the stage for challenging the legitimacy of elections.

He added the rhetoric about many noncitizens voting was also used in 2020 by Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, who lost his D.C. and New York law license over false claims that there were tens of thousands of noncitizens in Arizona who voted in the presidential election.

Lies, I should note, that were repeated by President Trump on the Ellipse as he sent the crowd up to the Capitol, Waldman said. This was not the central argument then, but it is now.

The post U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal

U.S. House Republicans are promoting a bill to curb voting by noncitizens. Though noncitizens can vote in some local elections, it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. (Marc Piscotty | Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  Republicans on the U.S. House Administration Committee argued at a Thursday hearing that there is a need for legislative action to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections  even though voting by noncitizens in federal elections is extremely rare and already illegal.

American elections are for American citizens and we intend to keep it that way, the chair of the committee, Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, said in his opening remarks.

House Democrats said Republicans were laying the groundwork to instill mistrust in voting ahead of the November elections, drawing parallels to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol when then-President Donald Trump encouraged supporters to block certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

MAGA extremists are laying the groundwork to overturn the 2024 presidential election, the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, said in his opening remarks, using an acronym that is shorthand for Trump supporters.

Responding to local rules

Noncitizens are barred from voting in federal elections but they can vote in local elections if a local law is passed allowing them to do so. Certain municipalities in California, Maryland, and Vermont, as well as the District of Columbia, allow noncitizens to participate in local elections.

As the November elections approach, Republicans have taken aim at noncitizen voting, and have made immigration policy a campaign issue. Trump, who is the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, has also made the issue a central campaign theme.

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana helped unveil legislation last week to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections, something that is already illegal.

Steil said that municipalities allowing noncitizens to vote reduces confidence in our elections. He specifically called out Washington, D.C., for allowing noncitizens to partake in its elections.

Washington, D.C., is setting a new standard that could soon be applied across the country, Steil said.

This causes a host of problems for a state to maintain (a) clean voter registration list, Steil argued.

Researchers and studies have often disproved that noncitizens cast ballots in federal elections. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, conducted an analysis of election conduct from 2003 to 2023 and found 29 instances of noncitizens voting.

GOP members promote House bill

Republicans on the committee advocated for the election-related bill, H.R. 8281, that Johnson promoted on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The bill, sponsored by Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy, would require states to verify proof of citizenship to prevent noncitizens from voting in federal elections, which is already a felony.

Oklahoma GOP Rep. Stephanie Bice argued that jurisdictions that allow noncitizens to vote should have a separate voter roll. She asked one of the witnesses, Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, if there should be a federal law to require states to separate voter rolls. Von Spakovsky agreed with the idea.

Bice said that the biggest issue she has with localities allowing noncitizens to vote is that the voter rolls are not being cleaned up.

The Roy bill would require states to remove voters from rolls who do not prove their citizenship.

Georgia GOP Rep. Barry Loudermilk argued that Americans care about elections. When noncitizens are allowed to vote, we undermine and undercut the value of each and every vote, he said.

Bill would burden voters, Dems say

Washington state Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer said that bill would impact eligible voters, including members of the 12 tribes in his district. He said when tribal members vote, they use tribal enrollment cards, which dont necessarily contain information about citizenship.

Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama said the legislation would also make it harder for eligible voters  especially voters of color  to cast their ballots. She asked the witness tapped by Democrats, Michael Waldman, the president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, about Republican claims of widespread voter fraud when it comes to noncitizens voting.

Overwhelmingly, our (election) system is secure, Waldman said.

Waldman said that its an urban myth, that there is a high number of noncitizens voting in federal elections and warned that this year, the big lie is being pre-deployed.

He said that those who tried to overturn the 2020 presidential elections are now more organized and trying to set the stage for challenging the legitimacy of elections.

He added the rhetoric about many noncitizens voting was also used in 2020 by Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, who lost his D.C. and New York law license over false claims that there were tens of thousands of noncitizens in Arizona who voted in the presidential election.

Lies, I should note, that were repeated by President Trump on the Ellipse as he sent the crowd up to the Capitol, Waldman said. This was not the central argument then, but it is now.

The post U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal appeared first on New Hampshire Bulletin.
U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal

U.S. House Republicans are promoting a bill to curb voting by noncitizens. Though noncitizens can vote in some local elections, it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  Republicans on the U.S. House Administration Committee argued at a Thursday hearing that there is a need for legislative action to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections  even though voting by noncitizens in federal elections is extremely rare and already illegal.

American elections are for American citizens and we intend to keep it that way, the chair of the committee, Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, said in his opening remarks.

House Democrats said Republicans were laying the groundwork to instill mistrust in voting ahead of the November elections, drawing parallels to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol when then-President Donald Trump encouraged supporters to block certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

MAGA extremists are laying the groundwork to overturn the 2024 presidential election, the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, said in his opening remarks, using an acronym that is shorthand for Trump supporters.

Responding to local rules

Noncitizens are barred from voting in federal elections but they can vote in local elections if a local law is passed allowing them to do so. Certain municipalities in California, Maryland and Vermont, as well as the District of Columbia, allow noncitizens to participate in local elections.

As the November elections approach, Republicans have taken aim at noncitizen voting, and have made immigration policy a campaign issue. Trump, who is the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, has also made the issue a central campaign theme.

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana helped unveil legislation last week to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections, something that is already illegal.

Steil said that municipalities allowing noncitizens to vote reduces confidence in our elections. He specifically called out Washington, D.C., for allowing noncitizens to partake in its elections.

Washington, D.C., is setting a new standard that could soon be applied across the country, Steil said.

This causes a host of problems for a state to maintain [a] clean voter registration list, Steil argued.

Researchers and studies have often disproved that noncitizens cast ballots in federal elections. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, conducted an analysis of election conduct from 2003 to 2023 and found 29 instances of noncitizens voting.

GOP members promote House bill

Republicans on the committee advocated for the election-related bill, H.R. 8281, that Johnson promoted on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The bill, sponsored by Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy, would require states to verify proof of citizenship to prevent noncitizens from voting in federal elections, which is already a felony.

Oklahoma GOP Rep. Stephanie Bice argued that jurisdictions that allow noncitizens to vote should have a separate voter roll. She asked one of the witnesses, Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, if there should be a federal law to require states to separate voter rolls. Von Spakovsky agreed with the idea.

Bice said that the biggest issue she has with localities allowing noncitizens to vote is that the voter rolls are not being cleaned up.

The Roy bill would require states to remove voters from rolls who do not prove their citizenship.

Georgia GOP Rep. Barry Loudermilk argued that Americans care about elections. When noncitizens are allowed to vote, we undermine and undercut the value of each and every vote, he said.

Bill would burden voters, Dems say

Washington state Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer said that bill would impact eligible voters, including members of the 12 tribes in his district. He said when tribal members vote, they use tribal enrollment cards, which dont necessarily contain information about citizenship.

Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama said the legislation would also make it harder for eligible voters  especially voters of color  to cast their ballots. She asked the witness tapped by Democrats, Michael Waldman, the president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, about Republican claims of widespread voter fraud when it comes to noncitizens voting.

Overwhelmingly, our [election] system is secure, Waldman said.

Waldman said that its an urban myth, that there is a high number of noncitizens voting in federal elections and warned that this year, the big lie is being pre-deployed.

He said that those who tried to overturn the 2020 presidential elections are now more organized and trying to set the stage for challenging the legitimacy of elections.

He added the rhetoric about many noncitizens voting was also used in 2020 by Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, who lost his D.C. and New York law license over false claims that there were tens of thousands of noncitizens in Arizona who voted in the presidential election.

Lies, I should note, that were repeated by President Trump on the Ellipse as he sent the crowd up to the Capitol, Waldman said. This was not the central argument then, but it is now.

The post U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal

U.S. House Republicans are promoting a bill to curb voting by noncitizens. Though noncitizens can vote in some local elections, it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  Republicans on the U.S. House Administration Committee argued at a Thursday hearing that there is a need for legislative action to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections  even though voting by noncitizens in federal elections is extremely rare and already illegal.

American elections are for American citizens and we intend to keep it that way, the chair of the committee, Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, said in his opening remarks.

House Democrats said Republicans were laying the groundwork to instill mistrust in voting ahead of the November elections, drawing parallels to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol when then-President Donald Trump encouraged supporters to block certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

MAGA extremists are laying the groundwork to overturn the 2024 presidential election, the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, said in his opening remarks, using an acronym that is shorthand for Trump supporters.

Responding to local rules

Noncitizens are barred from voting in federal elections but they can vote in local elections if a local law is passed allowing them to do so. Certain municipalities in California, Maryland and Vermont, as well as the District of Columbia, allow noncitizens to participate in local elections.

As the November elections approach, Republicans have taken aim at noncitizen voting, and have made immigration policy a campaign issue. Trump, who is the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, has also made the issue a central campaign theme.

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana helped unveil legislation last week to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections, something that is already illegal.

Steil said that municipalities allowing noncitizens to vote reduces confidence in our elections. He specifically called out Washington, D.C., for allowing noncitizens to partake in its elections.

Washington, D.C., is setting a new standard that could soon be applied across the country, Steil said.

This causes a host of problems for a state to maintain (a) clean voter registration list, Steil argued.

Researchers and studies have often disproved that noncitizens cast ballots in federal elections. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, conducted an analysis of election conduct from 2003 to 2023 and found 29 instances of noncitizens voting.

GOP members promote House bill

Republicans on the committee advocated for the election-related bill, H.R. 8281, that Johnson promoted on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The bill, sponsored by Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy, would require states to verify proof of citizenship to prevent noncitizens from voting in federal elections, which is already a felony.

Oklahoma GOP Rep. Stephanie Bice argued that jurisdictions that allow noncitizens to vote should have a separate voter roll. She asked one of the witnesses, Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, if there should be a federal law to require states to separate voter rolls. Von Spakovsky agreed with the idea.

Bice said that the biggest issue she has with localities allowing noncitizens to vote is that the voter rolls are not being cleaned up.

The Roy bill would require states to remove voters from rolls who do not prove their citizenship.

Georgia GOP Rep. Barry Loudermilk argued that Americans care about elections. When noncitizens are allowed to vote, we undermine and undercut the value of each and every vote, he said.

Bill would burden voters, Dems say

Washington state Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer said that bill would impact eligible voters, including members of the 12 tribes in his district. He said when tribal members vote, they use tribal enrollment cards, which dont necessarily contain information about citizenship.

Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama said the legislation would also make it harder for eligible voters  especially voters of color  to cast their ballots. She asked the witness tapped by Democrats, Michael Waldman, the president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, about Republican claims of widespread voter fraud when it comes to noncitizens voting.

Overwhelmingly, our (election) system is secure, Waldman said.

Waldman said that its an urban myth, that there is a high number of noncitizens voting in federal elections and warned that this year, the big lie is being pre-deployed.

He said that those who tried to overturn the 2020 presidential elections are now more organized and trying to set the stage for challenging the legitimacy of elections.

He added the rhetoric about many noncitizens voting was also used in 2020 by Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, who lost his D.C. and New York law license over false claims that there were tens of thousands of noncitizens in Arizona who voted in the presidential election.

Lies, I should note, that were repeated by President Trump on the Ellipse as he sent the crowd up to the Capitol, Waldman said. This was not the central argument then, but it is now.

The post U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal appeared first on North Dakota Monitor.
U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal

U.S. House Republicans are promoting a bill to curb voting by noncitizens. Though noncitizens can vote in some local elections, it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. (Marc Piscotty/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  Republicans on the U.S. House Administration Committee argued at a Thursday hearing that there is a need for legislative action to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections  even though voting by noncitizens in federal elections is extremely rare and already illegal.

American elections are for American citizens and we intend to keep it that way, the chair of the committee, Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, said in his opening remarks.

House Democrats said Republicans were laying the groundwork to instill mistrust in voting ahead of the November elections, drawing parallels to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol when then-President Donald Trump encouraged supporters to block certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

MAGA extremists are laying the groundwork to overturn the 2024 presidential election, the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, said in his opening remarks, using an acronym that is shorthand for Trump supporters.

Responding to local rules

Noncitizens are barred from voting in federal elections but they can vote in local elections if a local law is passed allowing them to do so. Certain municipalities in California, Maryland and Vermont, as well as the District of Columbia, allow noncitizens to participate in local elections.

As the November elections approach, Republicans have taken aim at noncitizen voting, and have made immigration policy a campaign issue. Trump, who is the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, has also made the issue a central campaign theme.

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana helped unveil legislation last week to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections, something that is already illegal.

Steil said that municipalities allowing noncitizens to vote reduces confidence in our elections. He specifically called out Washington, D.C., for allowing noncitizens to partake in its elections.

Washington, D.C., is setting a new standard that could soon be applied across the country, Steil said.

This causes a host of problems for a state to maintain (a) clean voter registration list, Steil argued.

Researchers and studies have often disproved that noncitizens cast ballots in federal elections. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, conducted an analysis of election conduct from 2003 to 2023 and found 29 instances of noncitizens voting.

GOP members promote House bill

Republicans on the committee advocated for the election-related bill, H.R. 8281, that Johnson promoted on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The bill, sponsored by Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy, would require states to verify proof of citizenship to prevent noncitizens from voting in federal elections, which is already a felony.

Oklahoma GOP Rep. Stephanie Bice argued that jurisdictions that allow noncitizens to vote should have a separate voter roll. She asked one of the witnesses, Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, if there should be a federal law to require states to separate voter rolls. Von Spakovsky agreed with the idea.

Bice said that the biggest issue she has with localities allowing noncitizens to vote is that the voter rolls are not being cleaned up.

The Roy bill would require states to remove voters from rolls who do not prove their citizenship.

Georgia GOP Rep. Barry Loudermilk argued that Americans care about elections. When noncitizens are allowed to vote, we undermine and undercut the value of each and every vote, he said.

Bill would burden voters, Dems say

Washington state Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer said that bill would impact eligible voters, including members of the 12 tribes in his district. He said when tribal members vote, they use tribal enrollment cards, which dont necessarily contain information about citizenship.

Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama said the legislation would also make it harder for eligible voters  especially voters of color  to cast their ballots. She asked the witness tapped by Democrats, Michael Waldman, the president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, about Republican claims of widespread voter fraud when it comes to noncitizens voting.

Overwhelmingly, our (election) system is secure, Waldman said.

Waldman said that its an urban myth, that there is a high number of noncitizens voting in federal elections and warned that this year, the big lie is being pre-deployed.

He said that those who tried to overturn the 2020 presidential elections are now more organized and trying to set the stage for challenging the legitimacy of elections.

He added the rhetoric about many noncitizens voting was also used in 2020 by Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, who lost his D.C. and New York law license over false claims that there were tens of thousands of noncitizens in Arizona who voted in the presidential election.

Lies, I should note, that were repeated by President Trump on the Ellipse as he sent the crowd up to the Capitol, Waldman said. This was not the central argument then, but it is now.

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The post U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator.
KALUGA, Russia, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A memorial plaque commemorating the former head of the Soviet expert group to China Ivan Vasilievich Arkhipov was unveiled in the Russian city of Kaluga on Wednesday.

The ceremony was attended by representatives from China and Russia as well as Arkhipov's descendants.

At the ceremony, Minister Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Moscow Liu Qinghua noted that Arkhipov significantly contributed to helping New China revitalize its national economy and achieve the goals of the first Five-Year Plan, adding that he made unremitting efforts to consolidate and continue the friendship between the two peoples.

"The unveiling of this commemorative plaque enables us to further strengthen the resolve and confidence in carrying forward and deepening the great friendship between the two countries," Liu said.

Vice-Chairman of the Russia-China Friendship Society Kirill Barsky told Xinhua that the unveiling of the plaque holds great significance.

"We will remember the contribution that Arkhipov has made to the development of our relations for many years to come. We will pass this memory on from generation to generation," he said.

Arkhipov led the work of the former Soviet expert group to China in the 1950s. He has received multiple awards from both countries for his contribution to the bilateral ties. Arkhipov died in 1998. 
U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal

the words "Start Here to Vote" are written in back marker on a white board at a voting site

U.S. House Republicans are promoting a bill to curb voting by noncitizens. Though noncitizens can vote in some local elections, it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections.(Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  Republicans on the U.S. House Administration Committee argued at a Thursday hearing that there is a need for legislative action to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections  even though voting by noncitizens in federal elections is extremely rare and already illegal.

American elections are for American citizens and we intend to keep it that way, the chair of the committee, Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, said in his opening remarks.

House Democrats said Republicans were laying the groundwork to instill mistrust in voting ahead of the November elections, drawing parallels to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol when then-President Donald Trump encouraged supporters to block certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

MAGA extremists are laying the groundwork to overturn the 2024 presidential election, the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, said in his opening remarks, using an acronym that is shorthand for Trump supporters.

Responding to local rules

Noncitizens are barred from voting in federal elections but they can vote in local elections if a local law is passed allowing them to do so. Certain municipalities in California, Maryland and Vermont, as well as the District of Columbia, allow noncitizens to participate in local elections.

As the November elections approach, Republicans have taken aim at noncitizen voting, and have made immigration policy a campaign issue. Trump, who is the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, has also made the issue a central campaign theme.

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana helped unveil legislation last week to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections, something that is already illegal.

Steil said that municipalities allowing noncitizens to vote reduces confidence in our elections. He specifically called out Washington, D.C., for allowing noncitizens to partake in its elections.

Washington, D.C., is setting a new standard that could soon be applied across the country, Steil said.

This causes a host of problems for a state to maintain (a) clean voter registration list, Steil argued.

Researchers and studies have often disproved that noncitizens cast ballots in federal elections. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, conducted an analysis of election conduct from 2003 to 2023 and found 29 instances of noncitizens voting.

GOP members promote House bill

Republicans on the committee advocated for the election-related bill, H.R. 8281, that Johnson promoted on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The bill, sponsored by Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy, would require states to verify proof of citizenship to prevent noncitizens from voting in federal elections, which is already a felony.

Oklahoma GOP Rep. Stephanie Bice argued that jurisdictions that allow noncitizens to vote should have a separate voter roll. She asked one of the witnesses, Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, if there should be a federal law to require states to separate voter rolls. Von Spakovsky agreed with the idea.

Bice said that the biggest issue she has with localities allowing noncitizens to vote is that the voter rolls are not being cleaned up.

The Roy bill would require states to remove voters from rolls who do not prove their citizenship.

Georgia GOP Rep. Barry Loudermilk argued that Americans care about elections. When noncitizens are allowed to vote, we undermine and undercut the value of each and every vote, he said.

Bill would burden voters, Dems say

Washington state Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer said that bill would impact eligible voters, including members of the 12 tribes in his district. He said when tribal members vote, they use tribal enrollment cards, which dont necessarily contain information about citizenship.

Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama said the legislation would also make it harder for eligible voters  especially voters of color  to cast their ballots. She asked the witness tapped by Democrats, Michael Waldman, the president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, about Republican claims of widespread voter fraud when it comes to noncitizens voting.

Overwhelmingly, our (election) system is secure, Waldman said.

Waldman said that its an urban myth, that there is a high number of noncitizens voting in federal elections and warned that this year, the big lie is being pre-deployed.

He said that those who tried to overturn the 2020 presidential elections are now more organized and trying to set the stage for challenging the legitimacy of elections.

He added the rhetoric about many noncitizens voting was also used in 2020 by Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, who lost his D.C. and New York law license over false claims that there were tens of thousands of noncitizens in Arizona who voted in the presidential election.

Lies, I should note, that were repeated by President Trump on the Ellipse as he sent the crowd up to the Capitol, Waldman said. This was not the central argument then, but it is now.

The post U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal appeared first on NC Newsline.
U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal

U.S. House Republicans are promoting a bill to curb voting by noncitizens. Though noncitizens can vote in some local elections, it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  Republicans on the U.S. House Administration Committee argued at a Thursday hearing that there is a need for legislative action to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections  even though voting by noncitizens in federal elections is extremely rare and already illegal.

American elections are for American citizens and we intend to keep it that way, the chair of the committee, Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, said in his opening remarks.

House Democrats said Republicans were laying the groundwork to instill mistrust in voting ahead of the November elections, drawing parallels to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol when then-President Donald Trump encouraged supporters to block certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

MAGA extremists are laying the groundwork to overturn the 2024 presidential election, the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, said in his opening remarks, using an acronym that is shorthand for Trump supporters.

Responding to local rules

Noncitizens are barred from voting in federal elections but they can vote in local elections if a local law is passed allowing them to do so. Certain municipalities in California, Maryland and Vermont, as well as the District of Columbia, allow noncitizens to participate in local elections.

As the November elections approach, Republicans have taken aim at noncitizen voting, and have made immigration policy a campaign issue. Trump, who is the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, has also made the issue a central campaign theme.

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana helped unveil legislation last week to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections, something that is already illegal.

Steil said that municipalities allowing noncitizens to vote reduces confidence in our elections. He specifically called out Washington, D.C., for allowing noncitizens to partake in its elections.

Washington, D.C., is setting a new standard that could soon be applied across the country, Steil said.

This causes a host of problems for a state to maintain (a) clean voter registration list, Steil argued.

Researchers and studies have often disproved that noncitizens cast ballots in federal elections. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, conducted an analysis of election conduct from 2003 to 2023 and found 29 instances of noncitizens voting.

GOP members promote House bill

Republicans on the committee advocated for the election-related bill, H.R. 8281, that Johnson promoted on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The bill, sponsored by Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy, would require states to verify proof of citizenship to prevent noncitizens from voting in federal elections, which is already a felony.

Oklahoma GOP Rep. Stephanie Bice argued that jurisdictions that allow noncitizens to vote should have a separate voter roll. She asked one of the witnesses, Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, if there should be a federal law to require states to separate voter rolls. Von Spakovsky agreed with the idea.

Bice said that the biggest issue she has with localities allowing noncitizens to vote is that the voter rolls are not being cleaned up.

The Roy bill would require states to remove voters from rolls who do not prove their citizenship.

Georgia GOP Rep. Barry Loudermilk argued that Americans care about elections. When noncitizens are allowed to vote, we undermine and undercut the value of each and every vote, he said.

Bill would burden voters, Dems say

Washington state Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer said that bill would impact eligible voters, including members of the 12 tribes in his district. He said when tribal members vote, they use tribal enrollment cards, which dont necessarily contain information about citizenship.

Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama said the legislation would also make it harder for eligible voters  especially voters of color  to cast their ballots. She asked the witness tapped by Democrats, Michael Waldman, the president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, about Republican claims of widespread voter fraud when it comes to noncitizens voting.

Overwhelmingly, our (election) system is secure, Waldman said.

Waldman said that its an urban myth, that there is a high number of noncitizens voting in federal elections and warned that this year, the big lie is being pre-deployed.

He said that those who tried to overturn the 2020 presidential elections are now more organized and trying to set the stage for challenging the legitimacy of elections.

He added the rhetoric about many noncitizens voting was also used in 2020 by Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, who lost his D.C. and New York law license over false claims that there were tens of thousands of noncitizens in Arizona who voted in the presidential election.

Lies, I should note, that were repeated by President Trump on the Ellipse as he sent the crowd up to the Capitol, Waldman said. This was not the central argument then, but it is now.

The post U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, conducted an analysis of election conduct from 2003 to 2023 and found 29 instances of noncitizens voting nationwide over that 20 year period. (Getty Images)

Policy, politics and progressive commentary

WASHINGTON  Republicans on the U.S. House Administration Committee argued at a Thursday hearing that there is a need for legislative action to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections  even though voting by noncitizens in federal elections is extremely rare and already illegal.

American elections are for American citizens and we intend to keep it that way, the chair of the committee, Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, said in his opening remarks.

House Democrats said Republicans were laying the groundwork to instill mistrust in voting ahead of the November elections, drawing parallels to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol when then-President Donald Trump encouraged supporters to block certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

MAGA extremists are laying the groundwork to overturn the 2024 presidential election, the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, said in his opening remarks, using an acronym that is shorthand for Trump supporters.

Noncitizens are barred from voting in federal elections but they can vote in local elections if a local law is passed allowing them to do so. Certain municipalities in California, Maryland and Vermont, as well as the District of Columbia, allow noncitizens to participate in local elections.

As the November elections approach, Republicans have taken aim at noncitizen voting, and have made immigration policy a campaign issue. Trump, who is the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, has also made the issue a central campaign theme.

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana helped unveil legislation last week to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections, something that is already illegal.

Steil said that municipalities allowing noncitizens to vote reduces confidence in our elections. He specifically called out Washington, D.C., for allowing noncitizens to partake in its elections.

Washington, D.C., is setting a new standard that could soon be applied across the country, Steil said.

This causes a host of problems for a state to maintain (a) clean voter registration list, Steil argued.

Researchers and studies have often disproved that noncitizens cast ballots in federal elections. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, conducted an analysis of election conduct from 2003 to 2023 and found 29 instances of noncitizens voting.

Republicans on the committee advocated for the election-related bill, H.R. 8281, that Johnson promoted on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The bill, sponsored by Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy, would require states to verify proof of citizenship to prevent noncitizens from voting in federal elections, which is already a felony.

Oklahoma GOP Rep. Stephanie Bice argued that jurisdictions that allow noncitizens to vote should have a separate voter roll. She asked one of the witnesses, Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, if there should be a federal law to require states to separate voter rolls. Von Spakovsky agreed with the idea.

Bice said that the biggest issue she has with localities allowing noncitizens to vote is that the voter rolls are not being cleaned up.

The Roy bill would require states to remove voters from rolls who do not prove their citizenship.

Georgia GOP Rep. Barry Loudermilk argued that Americans care about elections. When noncitizens are allowed to vote, we undermine and undercut the value of each and every vote, he said.

Washington state Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer said that bill would impact eligible voters, including members of the 12 tribes in his district. He said when tribal members vote, they use tribal enrollment cards, which dont necessarily contain information about citizenship.

Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama said the legislation would also make it harder for eligible voters  especially voters of color  to cast their ballots. She asked the witness tapped by Democrats, Michael Waldman, the president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, about Republican claims of widespread voter fraud when it comes to noncitizens voting.

Overwhelmingly, our (election) system is secure, Waldman said.

Waldman said that its an urban myth, that there is a high number of noncitizens voting in federal elections and warned that this year, the big lie is being pre-deployed.

He said that those who tried to overturn the 2020 presidential elections are now more organized and trying to set the stage for challenging the legitimacy of elections.

He added the rhetoric about many noncitizens voting was also used in 2020 by Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, who lost his D.C. and New York law license over false claims that there were tens of thousands of noncitizens in Arizona who voted in the presidential election.

Lies, I should note, that were repeated by President Trump on the Ellipse as he sent the crowd up to the Capitol, Waldman said. This was not the central argument then, but it is now.

The post U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal appeared first on Nevada Current.
U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal

U.S. House Republicans are promoting a bill to curb voting by noncitizens. Though noncitizens can vote in some local elections, it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images)

U.S. House Republicans are promoting a bill to curb voting by noncitizens. Though noncitizens can vote in some local elections, it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  Republicans on the U.S. House Administration Committee argued at a Thursday hearing that there is a need for legislative action to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections  even though voting by noncitizens in federal elections is extremely rare and already illegal.

American elections are for American citizens and we intend to keep it that way, the chair of the committee, Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, said in his opening remarks.

House Democrats said Republicans were laying the groundwork to instill mistrust in voting ahead of the November elections, drawing parallels to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol when then-President Donald Trump encouraged supporters to block certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

MAGA extremists are laying the groundwork to overturn the 2024 presidential election, the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, said in his opening remarks, using an acronym that is shorthand for Trump supporters.

Responding to local rules

Noncitizens are barred from voting in federal elections but they can vote in local elections if a local law is passed allowing them to do so. Certain municipalities in California, Maryland and Vermont, as well as the District of Columbia, allow noncitizens to participate in local elections.

MAGA extremists are laying the groundwork to overturn the 2024 presidential election.

 U.S. Rep. Joe Morelle, D-New York

As the November elections approach, Republicans have taken aim at noncitizen voting, and have made immigration policy a campaign issue. Trump, who is the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, has also made the issue a central campaign theme.

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana helped unveil legislation last week to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections, something that is already illegal.

Steil said that municipalities allowing noncitizens to vote reduces confidence in our elections. He specifically called out Washington, D.C., for allowing noncitizens to partake in its elections.

Washington, D.C., is setting a new standard that could soon be applied across the country, Steil said.

This causes a host of problems for a state to maintain (a) clean voter registration list, Steil argued.

Researchers and studies have often disproved that noncitizens cast ballots in federal elections. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, conducted an analysis of election conduct from 2003 to 2023 and found 29 instances of noncitizens voting.

GOP members promote House bill

Republicans on the committee advocated for the election-related bill, H.R. 8281, that Johnson promoted on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The bill, sponsored by Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy, would require states to verify proof of citizenship to prevent noncitizens from voting in federal elections, which is already a felony.

Oklahoma GOP Rep. Stephanie Bice argued that jurisdictions that allow noncitizens to vote should have a separate voter roll. She asked one of the witnesses, Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, if there should be a federal law to require states to separate voter rolls. Von Spakovsky agreed with the idea.

Bice said that the biggest issue she has with localities allowing noncitizens to vote is that the voter rolls are not being cleaned up.

The Roy bill would require states to remove voters from rolls who do not prove their citizenship.

Georgia GOP Rep. Barry Loudermilk argued that Americans care about elections. When noncitizens are allowed to vote, we undermine and undercut the value of each and every vote, he said.

Bill would burden voters, Dems say

Washington state Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer said that bill would impact eligible voters, including members of the 12 tribes in his district. He said when tribal members vote, they use tribal enrollment cards, which dont necessarily contain information about citizenship.

Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama said the legislation would also make it harder for eligible voters  especially voters of color  to cast their ballots. She asked the witness tapped by Democrats, Michael Waldman, the president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, about Republican claims of widespread voter fraud when it comes to noncitizens voting.

Overwhelmingly, our (election) system is secure, Waldman said.

Waldman said that its an urban myth, that there is a high number of noncitizens voting in federal elections and warned that this year, the big lie is being pre-deployed.

He said that those who tried to overturn the 2020 presidential elections are now more organized and trying to set the stage for challenging the legitimacy of elections.

He added the rhetoric about many noncitizens voting was also used in 2020 by Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, who lost his D.C. and New York law license over false claims that there were tens of thousands of noncitizens in Arizona who voted in the presidential election.

Lies, I should note, that were repeated by President Trump on the Ellipse as he sent the crowd up to the Capitol, Waldman said. This was not the central argument then, but it is now.

The post U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal appeared first on Tennessee Lookout.
A bill passed Thursday, May 16, 2024, by the U.S. House says military assistance withheld from Israel shall be delivered to Israel not later than 15 days after the bill becomes law and requires the secretaries of Defense and State to obligate all funding for Israel within 30 days of the bill becoming law. (Jennifer Shutt | States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  The U.S. House passed legislation Thursday rebuking President Joe Bidens decision to withhold some military assistance from Israel amid its ongoing war in Gaza.

The 224-187 vote approved a bill released over the weekend by a handful of Republicans that, in part, calls on the Biden Administration to allow all previously approved arms transfers to Israel to proceed quickly to ensure that Israel can defend itself and defeat threats from Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.

The measure says withheld military assistance shall be delivered to Israel not later than 15 days after the bill becomes law and requires the secretaries of Defense and State to obligate all funding for Israel within 30 days of the bill becoming law.

The legislation now goes to the Senate, but its unlikely that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, will bring it up for a vote. The White House issued a veto threat for the bill.

The president has already said hed veto it, so its not going anywhere, Schumer said Wednesday.

At a Thursday morning press conference outside the U.S. Capitol, House Speaker Mike Johnson accused Biden of emboldening Iran and using his authority to defend himself politically.

Israel needs to finish the job and America needs to help Israel extinguish the flame of terror that is wrought by Hamas. It wasnt that long ago when President Biden called for the elimination of Hamas. But hes not doing that anymore. And now its clear that Biden and Schumer have turned their back on Israel. Theyre carrying water for Iran and its proxies, Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said.

House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, of Oklahoma; Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert, of California; State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart, of Florida; and Financial Services Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman David Joyce, of Ohio, released the nine-page bill this weekend.

Quiet pause

The legislation comes weeks after the Biden administration quietly paused one shipment of heavy bombs to Israel over concerns that more civilians in Gaza could be killed by U.S.-supplied weapons.

The death toll has reached more than 35,000 in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Biden is facing severe opposition from progressives, including high-profile protests on college campuses, over Israels continued offensive following Hamas Oct. 7 attack.

The previously scheduled single shipment that was paused in late April contained 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, according to a Pentagon update on May 9.

Pentagon spokesman Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters on May 9 that the administration has not made a final determination on how to proceed with this shipment.

And as you know, weve provided billions of dollars in security assistance to Israel. Weve supported their efforts to defend themselves, most recently (during) Irans unprecedented attack. So there should be no question that we will continue to stand by Israel when it comes to their defense, Ryder said during a press conference.

The U.S. and allies shot down dozens of drones and missiles launched by Iran at Israel in mid-April, according to the Pentagon.

Israel has been the largest cumulative recipient of financial support from the U.S. since World War II, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.

Some House Democrats, including Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, expressed concern over the administrations paused shipment, though she voted against the bill Thursday.

President Biden has been ironclad in his commitment to Israel over the last seven months. His Administration must stay the course and avoid any impression that our support is wavering, Wasserman Schultz said in a statement Friday.

Targeting remaining Hamas fighters while minimizing harm to civilians will require the best of our combined efforts. I share the Presidents concern for Palestinian civilians used as human shields and understand the risks posed by a full-scale invasion of Rafah. However, we must remember that Hamas is eager to sacrifice as many Palestinian lives as possible and wants to maximize the civilian toll of this operation as part of their cowardly PR campaign, she continued.

Numerous media reports are citing congressional aides who say the White House is poised to sign off on a $1 billion arms transfer to Israel.

When asked by reporters Thursday about the reported deal, Johnson criticized it as window dressing to provide Biden with political cover.

White House strongly opposes bill

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday during the press briefing that the administration didnt support the legislation.

We strongly, strongly oppose attempts to constrain the presidents ability to deploy U.S. security assistance consistent with U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives, she said.

Jean-Pierre added the Biden administration plans to spend every last cent appropriated, consistent with legal obligations.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said during the same press briefing the administration had paused a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs because we do not believe they should be dropped in densely populated cities.

We still believe it would be a mistake to launch a major military operation into the heart of Rafah that would put huge numbers of civilians at risk without a clear strategic gain, Sullivan said. The president was clear that he would not supply certain offensive weapons for such an operation, were it to occur.

Sullivan said the Biden administration was working with the Israeli government on a better way to ensure the defeat of Hamas everywhere in Gaza, including in Rafah. He also noted that the U.S. is continuing to send military assistance to Israel.

The White House released a statement of administration policy on Tuesday further criticizing the legislation and issuing a veto threat.

The bill is a misguided reaction to a deliberate distortion of the Administrations approach to Israel, it states. The President has been clear: we will always ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself.

The post U.S. House rebukes Biden administration over pause in heavy bomb shipments to Israel appeared first on New Hampshire Bulletin.
A bill passed Thursday, May 16, 2024 by the U.S. House says military assistance withheld from Israel shall be delivered to Israel not later than 15 days after the bill becomes law and requires the secretaries of Defense and State to obligate all funding for Israel within 30 days of the bill becoming law. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  The U.S. House passed legislation Thursday rebuking President Joe Bidens decision to withhold some military assistance from Israel amid its ongoing war in Gaza.

The 224-187 vote approved a bill released over the weekend by a handful of Republicans that, in part, calls on the Biden Administration to allow all previously approved arms transfers to Israel to proceed quickly to ensure that Israel can defend itself and defeat threats from Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. North Dakota Republican Kelly Armstrong voted yes.

The measure says withheld military assistance shall be delivered to Israel not later than 15 days after the bill becomes law and requires the secretaries of Defense and State to obligate all funding for Israel within 30 days of the bill becoming law.

The legislation now goes to the Senate, but its unlikely that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, will bring it up for a vote. The White House issued a veto threat for the bill.

The president has already said hed veto it, so its not going anywhere, Schumer said Wednesday.

At a Thursday morning press conference outside the U.S. Capitol, House Speaker Mike Johnson accused Biden of emboldening Iran and using his authority to defend himself politically.

Israel needs to finish the job and America needs to help Israel extinguish the flame of terror that is wrought by Hamas. It wasnt that long ago when President Biden called for the elimination of Hamas. But hes not doing that anymore. And now its clear that Biden and Schumer have turned their back on Israel. Theyre carrying water for Iran and its proxies, Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said.

House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, of Oklahoma; Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert, of California; State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart, of Florida; and Financial Services Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman David Joyce, of Ohio, released the nine-page bill this weekend.

Quiet pause

The legislation comes weeks after the Biden administration quietly paused one shipment of heavy bombs to Israel over concerns that more civilians in Gaza could be killed by U.S.-supplied weapons.

The death toll has reached more than 35,000 in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Biden is facing severe opposition from progressives, including high-profile protests on college campuses, over Israels continued offensive following Hamas Oct. 7 attack.

The previously scheduled single shipment that was paused in late April contained 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, according to a Pentagon update on May 9.

Pentagon spokesman Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters on May 9 that the administration has not made a final determination on how to proceed with this shipment.

And as you know, weve provided billions of dollars in security assistance to Israel. Weve supported their efforts to defend themselves, most recently (during) Irans unprecedented attack. So there should be no question that we will continue to stand by Israel when it comes to their defense, Ryder said during a press conference.

The U.S. and allies shot down dozens of drones and missiles launched by Iran at Israel in mid-April, according to the Pentagon.

Israel has been the largest cumulative recipient of financial support from the U.S. since World War II, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.

Some House Democrats, including Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, expressed concern over the administrations paused shipment, though she voted against the bill Thursday.

President Biden has been ironclad in his commitment to Israel over the last seven months. His Administration must stay the course and avoid any impression that our support is wavering, Wasserman Schultz said in a statement Friday.

Targeting remaining Hamas fighters while minimizing harm to civilians will require the best of our combined efforts. I share the Presidents concern for Palestinian civilians used as human shields and understand the risks posed by a full-scale invasion of Rafah. However, we must remember that Hamas is eager to sacrifice as many Palestinian lives as possible and wants to maximize the civilian toll of this operation as part of their cowardly PR campaign, she continued.

Numerous media reports are citing congressional aides who say the White House is poised to sign off on a $1 billion arms transfer to Israel.

When asked by reporters Thursday about the reported deal, Johnson criticized it as window dressing to provide Biden with political cover.

White House strongly opposes bill

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday during the press briefing that the administration didnt support the legislation.

We strongly, strongly oppose attempts to constrain the presidents ability to deploy U.S. security assistance consistent with U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives, she said.

Jean-Pierre added the Biden administration plans to spend every last cent appropriated, consistent with legal obligations.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said during the same press briefing the administration had paused a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs because we do not believe they should be dropped in densely populated cities.

We still believe it would be a mistake to launch a major military operation into the heart of Rafah that would put huge numbers of civilians at risk without a clear strategic gain, Sullivan said. The president was clear that he would not supply certain offensive weapons for such an operation, were it to occur.

Sullivan said the Biden administration was working with the Israeli government on a better way to ensure the defeat of Hamas everywhere in Gaza, including in Rafah. He also noted that the U.S. is continuing to send military assistance to Israel.

The White House released a statement of administration policy on Tuesday further criticizing the legislation and issuing a veto threat.

The bill is a misguided reaction to a deliberate distortion of the Administrations approach to Israel, it states. The President has been clear: we will always ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself.

The post U.S. House rebukes Biden administration over pause in heavy bomb shipments to Israel appeared first on North Dakota Monitor.
A bill passed Thursday, May 16, 2024 by the U.S. House says military assistance withheld from Israel shall be delivered to Israel not later than 15 days after the bill becomes law and requires the secretaries of Defense and State to obligate all funding for Israel within 30 days of the bill becoming law. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

Kentucky delegation roll call

Yea: Barr, Comer, Guthrie, Rogers

Nay: Massie, McGarvey

Source: Clerk of the House

WASHINGTON  The U.S. House passed legislation Thursday rebuking President Joe Bidens decision to withhold some military assistance from Israel amid its ongoing war in Gaza.

The 224-187 vote approved a bill released over the weekend by a handful of Republicans that, in part, calls on the Biden Administration to allow all previously approved arms transfers to Israel to proceed quickly to ensure that Israel can defend itself and defeat threats from Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.

Kentuckys Rep. Thomas Massie was one of only three Republicans voting against the bill. The other two were Reps. Majorie Taylor Green of Georgia and Warren Davidson of Ohio.

The measure says withheld military assistance shall be delivered to Israel not later than 15 days after the bill becomes law and requires the secretaries of Defense and State to obligate all funding for Israel within 30 days of the bill becoming law.

The legislation now goes to the Senate, but its unlikely that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, will bring it up for a vote. The White House issued a veto threat for the bill.

The president has already said hed veto it, so its not going anywhere, Schumer said Wednesday.

At a Thursday morning press conference outside the U.S. Capitol, House Speaker Mike Johnson accused Biden of emboldening Iran and using his authority to defend himself politically.

Israel needs to finish the job and America needs to help Israel extinguish the flame of terror that is wrought by Hamas. It wasnt that long ago when President Biden called for the elimination of Hamas. But hes not doing that anymore. And now its clear that Biden and Schumer have turned their back on Israel. Theyre carrying water for Iran and its proxies, Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said.

House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, of Oklahoma; Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert, of California; State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart, of Florida; and Financial Services Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman David Joyce, of Ohio, released the nine-page bill this weekend.

Quiet pause

The legislation comes weeks after the Biden administration quietly paused one shipment of heavy bombs to Israel over concerns that more civilians in Gaza could be killed by U.S.-supplied weapons.

The death toll has reached more than 35,000 in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Biden is facing severe opposition from progressives, including high-profile protests on college campuses, over Israels continued offensive following Hamas Oct. 7 attack.

The previously scheduled single shipment that was paused in late April contained 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, according to a Pentagon update on May 9.

Pentagon spokesman Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters on May 9 that the administration has not made a final determination on how to proceed with this shipment.

And as you know, weve provided billions of dollars in security assistance to Israel. Weve supported their efforts to defend themselves, most recently (during) Irans unprecedented attack. So there should be no question that we will continue to stand by Israel when it comes to their defense, Ryder said during a press conference.

The U.S. and allies shot down dozens of drones and missiles launched by Iran at Israel in mid-April, according to the Pentagon.

Israel has been the largest cumulative recipient of financial support from the U.S. since World War II, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.

Some House Democrats, including Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, expressed concern over the administrations paused shipment, though she voted against the bill Thursday.

President Biden has been ironclad in his commitment to Israel over the last seven months. His Administration must stay the course and avoid any impression that our support is wavering, Wasserman Schultz said in a statement Friday.

Targeting remaining Hamas fighters while minimizing harm to civilians will require the best of our combined efforts. I share the Presidents concern for Palestinian civilians used as human shields and understand the risks posed by a full-scale invasion of Rafah. However, we must remember that Hamas is eager to sacrifice as many Palestinian lives as possible and wants to maximize the civilian toll of this operation as part of their cowardly PR campaign, she continued.

Numerous media reports are citing congressional aides who say the White House is poised to sign off on a $1 billion arms transfer to Israel.

When asked by reporters Thursday about the reported deal, Johnson criticized it as window dressing to provide Biden with political cover.

White House strongly opposes bill

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday during the press briefing that the administration didnt support the legislation.

We strongly, strongly oppose attempts to constrain the presidents ability to deploy U.S. security assistance consistent with U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives, she said.

Jean-Pierre added the Biden administration plans to spend every last cent appropriated, consistent with legal obligations.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said during the same press briefing the administration had paused a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs because we do not believe they should be dropped in densely populated cities.

We still believe it would be a mistake to launch a major military operation into the heart of Rafah that would put huge numbers of civilians at risk without a clear strategic gain, Sullivan said. The president was clear that he would not supply certain offensive weapons for such an operation, were it to occur.

Sullivan said the Biden administration was working with the Israeli government on a better way to ensure the defeat of Hamas everywhere in Gaza, including in Rafah. He also noted that the U.S. is continuing to send military assistance to Israel.

The White House released a statement of administration policy on Tuesday further criticizing the legislation and issuing a veto threat.

The bill is a misguided reaction to a deliberate distortion of the Administrations approach to Israel, it states. The President has been clear: we will always ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself.

The post U.S. House rebukes Biden administration over pause in heavy bomb shipments to Israel appeared first on Kentucky Lantern.
U.S. Capitol | Susan J. Demas

WASHINGTON  The U.S. House passed legislation Thursday rebuking President Joe Bidens decision to withhold some military assistance from Israel amid its ongoing war in Gaza.

The 224-187 vote approved a bill released over the weekend by a handful of Republicans that, in part, calls on the Biden Administration to allow all previously approved arms transfers to Israel to proceed quickly to ensure that Israel can defend itself and defeat threats from Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.

The measure says withheld military assistance shall be delivered to Israel not later than 15 days after the bill becomes law and requires the secretaries of Defense and State to obligate all funding for Israel within 30 days of the bill becoming law.

The legislation now goes to the Senate, but its unlikely that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, will bring it up for a vote. The White House issued a veto threat for the bill.

The president has already said hed veto it, so its not going anywhere, Schumer said Wednesday.

At a Thursday morning press conference outside the U.S. Capitol, House Speaker Mike Johnson accused Biden of emboldening Iran and using his authority to defend himself politically.

Israel needs to finish the job and America needs to help Israel extinguish the flame of terror that is wrought by Hamas. It wasnt that long ago when President Biden called for the elimination of Hamas. But hes not doing that anymore. And now its clear that Biden and Schumer have turned their back on Israel. Theyre carrying water for Iran and its proxies, Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said.

House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, of Oklahoma; Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert, of California; State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart, of Florida; and Financial Services Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman David Joyce, of Ohio, released the nine-page bill this weekend.

Quiet pause

The legislation comes weeks after the Biden administration quietly paused one shipment of heavy bombs to Israel over concerns that more civilians in Gaza could be killed by U.S.-supplied weapons.

The death toll has reached more than 35,000 in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Biden is facing severe opposition from progressives, including high-profile protests on college campuses, over Israels continued offensive following Hamas Oct. 7 attack.

The previously scheduled single shipment that was paused in late April contained 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, according to a Pentagon update on May 9.

Pentagon spokesman Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters on May 9 that the administration has not made a final determination on how to proceed with this shipment.

And as you know, weve provided billions of dollars in security assistance to Israel. Weve supported their efforts to defend themselves, most recently (during) Irans unprecedented attack. So there should be no question that we will continue to stand by Israel when it comes to their defense, Ryder said during a press conference.

The U.S. and allies shot down dozens of drones and missiles launched by Iran at Israel in mid-April, according to the Pentagon.

Israel has been the largest cumulative recipient of financial support from the U.S. since World War II, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.

Some House Democrats, including Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, expressed concern over the administrations paused shipment, though she voted against the bill Thursday.

President Biden has been ironclad in his commitment to Israel over the last seven months. His Administration must stay the course and avoid any impression that our support is wavering, Wasserman Schultz said in a statement Friday.

Targeting remaining Hamas fighters while minimizing harm to civilians will require the best of our combined efforts. I share the Presidents concern for Palestinian civilians used as human shields and understand the risks posed by a full-scale invasion of Rafah. However, we must remember that Hamas is eager to sacrifice as many Palestinian lives as possible and wants to maximize the civilian toll of this operation as part of their cowardly PR campaign, she continued.

Numerous media reports are citing congressional aides who say the White House is poised to sign off on a $1 billion arms transfer to Israel.

When asked by reporters Thursday about the reported deal, Johnson criticized it as window dressing to provide Biden with political cover.

White House strongly opposes bill

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday during the press briefing that the administration didnt support the legislation.

We strongly, strongly oppose attempts to constrain the presidents ability to deploy U.S. security assistance consistent with U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives, she said.

Jean-Pierre added the Biden administration plans to spend every last cent appropriated, consistent with legal obligations.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said during the same press briefing the administration had paused a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs because we do not believe they should be dropped in densely populated cities.

We still believe it would be a mistake to launch a major military operation into the heart of Rafah that would put huge numbers of civilians at risk without a clear strategic gain, Sullivan said. The president was clear that he would not supply certain offensive weapons for such an operation, were it to occur.

Sullivan said the Biden administration was working with the Israeli government on a better way to ensure the defeat of Hamas everywhere in Gaza, including in Rafah. He also noted that the U.S. is continuing to send military assistance to Israel.

The White House released a statement of administration policy on Tuesday further criticizing the legislation and issuing a veto threat.

The bill is a misguided reaction to a deliberate distortion of the Administrations approach to Israel, it states. The President has been clear: we will always ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself.

The post U.S. House rebukes Biden administration over pause in heavy bomb shipments to Israel appeared first on Michigan Advance.
Engage Miami Civic Foundation hosted a voter-registration drive to encourage voting among young, minority citizens in 2021. Credit: Engage Miami Civic Foundation

Quality Journalism for Critical Times

Ruling roughly six months before the November general election, a federal judge has declared unconstitutional a state law banning noncitizens from helping to register voters and ordered Secretary of State Cord Byrd and Attorney General Ashley Mood not to enforce it.

U.S. District Chief Judge Mark Walker in Tallahassee ruled Wednesday that the law discriminated against noncitizens based on their status. He cited the harm the law inflicted on Veronica Herrera-Lucha and Norka Martinez, two of the plaintiffs in the case.

Here, the record is clear that individuals like Ms. Herrera-Lucha and Ms. Martinez either can no longer work as paid canvassers or have had the terms of their employment substantially changed for fear of running afoul of the citizenship requirement. And defendant Moody has the authority to enforce the citizenship requirement, Walker wrote in a 12-page ruling.

Here plaintiffs have suffered  and continue to suffer  irreparable injuries. Indeed, the individual members in this case have been unconstitutionally discriminated against based on their non-citizenship status, he added.

This discrimination has prevented plaintiffs from registering new voters  a lost opportunity that cannot be remedied with monetary damages. The public has no interest in enforcing an unconstitutional law  especially one that facially discriminates based on alienage. On the other side of the ledger sits the individual plaintiffs rights to equal protection under the law. There is no comparison. Plaintiffs are entitled to an injunction, Walker concluded.

This court hereby declares that the citizenship requirement  violates plaintiffs rights under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. This court grants plaintiffs request for a permanent injunction. Neither defendant Byrd nor defendant Moody, nor their successors in office, deputies, officers, employees, agents, nor any person in active participation or concert with defendants Byrd and Moody, shall enforce, nor permit enforcement of, the citizenship requirement provision  , Walker wrote.

Additional plaintiffs include the Hispanic Federation and Poder Latinx plus two individuals suing under the Doe pseudonym, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Florida, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, Demos, and the Arnold & Porter law firm.

The restrictions included lawful permanent residents, many of whom have long-time, close ties to the communities in which they reside, the ACLU said in a written statement.

Temporary injunction

Press aides to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who supported the law, have not responded to a request for comment. Neither has Moodys press office replied regarding whether she plans an appeal.

Hispanic Federation spokesman Frederick Velez III Burgos said voter canvassing would soon begin. Due to Judge Walkers ruling enforcing a permanent injunction, HF is now ready to ramp up our voter registration efforts across Florida as well as our recruitment efforts for canvassers, he said by email.

Walker had already issued a temporary injunction against the law, enacted last year as SB 7050. The law erects barriers to third-party voter-registration organizations, including fines of $50,000 for each infraction, such as missing deadlines for filing voter-registration forms with the state or county supervisors of elections.

The law made sweeping changes to election administration, including banning people convicted of voting-related felonies from working as canvassers. It requires organizations to reregister following every election cycle and bars them from retaining peoples personal information. The law tightens regulations for election supervisors regarding removing dead people, felons, and the mentally incapacitated from the rolls, and allows them to accept vote-by-mail ballot requests only from individual voters or members of their immediate family.

During a pivotal election year, some organizations have put voter registration on hold under the risk of such crippling penalties.

That ruling is under appeal, Walker noted, but neither side has presented any argument for why this court should refrain from entering judgment at this juncture notwithstanding the pending appeal,  nor does this court see any reason to refrain from doing so.

Representatives of the plaintiffs issued written statements welcoming the ruling.

Todays order by Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker confirms what we have been saying all along: The noncitizen provision in SB 7050 is unconstitutional, discriminatory, and goes against the very fabric of U.S. democracy, said Frankie Miranda, president and CEO of Hispanic Federation.

Monumental victory

We are happy with this decision, but the truth of the matter is that we had to expend precious time and resources to file this lawsuit to protect the rights of Floridians. We hope this sends a clear message to Florida legislators, Gov. DeSantis and other states that Hispanic Federation and our partners will remain vigilant and continue fighting against attempts to restrict voting rights and upend democracy, Miranda added.

This is a monumental victory for democracy and our communities. By striking down this unjust law that threatened to silence lawful permanent residents, the court has upheld the right of all individuals to participate in their governance, said Yadira Sanchez, executive director of Poder Latinx.

Poder Latinx challenged this draconian measure to protect community-based organizations, which are crucial in voter registration efforts. Todays ruling reaffirms justice, inclusivity, and equal representation, sending a powerful message that attempts to suppress voter engagement will not be tolerated. We celebrate this triumph and remain committed to advocating for voter rights and ensuring every voice is heard in our democratic process, she continued.

Denying noncitizens the ability to help register eligible voters in their communities is unconstitutional and discriminatory. Our clients stood courageously against SB 7050 and we are thrilled that todays victory protects all Floridians wanting to motivate their community to vote. LatinoJustice PRLDEF is dedicated to breaking down barriers to civic engagement and fighting efforts to demonize our vibrant immigrant community, said Miranda Galindo, supervising attorney for that organization.

Note: This story has been updated to include comment by Hispanic Federation spokesman Frederick Velez III Burgos.

The post U.S. judge blocks FLs ban on noncitizen participation in voter registration appeared first on Florida Phoenix.
The U.S. military has finished building the floating pier that will help humanitarian aid flow into Gaza. While the basic construction work on the temporary pier was completed nearly two weeks ago , poor weather meant it was only moved into its final position overnight. Its now almost ready to begin accepting aid that is needed more than ever, especially as the Rafah land crossing to Egypt has been closed for more than a week.

The first photo of the completed pier was published on social media today by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), whose troops are responsible for providing security on the beachhead.

Construction of the Joint Logistics Over-The-Shore (JLOTS) capability was ordered two months ago by President Joe Biden. The cost of the project is around $320 million, the Pentagon says.

The pieces of this pier were loaded aboard ships on the east coast of the United States, Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the deputy commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), explained to members of the press, including TWZ, today. [They were] transported 6,000 miles across the ocean, and principally assembled off the coast of Gaza.

Assembly of the final few pieces took place in the Israeli port of Ashdod, around 10 miles north of Gaza, Cooper confirmed, from where they were moved into position by military vessels.

Previously, rough sea conditions had made it too dangerous for U.S. and Israeli troops to complete the installation of the two main components that make up JLOTS: a floating platform and a causeway. This work was finally completed at 7:40 a.m. local time this morning.

The floating platform, or Roll-On, Roll-Off Distribution Facility (RRDF), takes shape off the shore of Gaza, on April 26, 2024. Public Domain

U.S. officials say they expect the delivery of food and other crucial aid via the pier to begin within the next 24 to 48 hours. According to Vice Admiral Cooper, hundreds of tons of aid is now ready to be delivered, with thousands more tons in the pipeline.

Meanwhile, aid agencies warn that much of the population in Gaza faces imminent starvation amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

The process of getting this aid into Gaza starts on the island of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean, where it will be inspected, palletized, and loaded onto ships. Fourteen ships of different sizes are now expressly assigned to the mission, coming from the United States and partner nations.

Vice Admiral Cooper confirmed that three additional U.S. ships will join in the coming week, while the United Kingdom is providing the amphibious ship RFA Cardigan Bay for logistics support. We also expect others to join here in the coming days as we go forward, Cooper added.

These vessels will travel roughly 200 miles to the floating platform several miles off the Gaza coast. The palletized aid will then be loaded onto smaller U.S. military vessels: logistics support vessels (LSV) and landing craft utility (LCU), each of which can carry between five and 15 truckloads of aid. These vessels will shuttle the aid to the causeway, from where trucks driven by a third party  not U.S. troops  will bring the aid into Gaza itself.

CENTCOM confirmed that the United Nations would be responsible for receiving the aid and coordinating its distribution.

While delivering aid to a region on the brink of famine presents its own security issues, let alone the dangers of this being an active war zone, Vice Admiral Cooper confirmed that no U.S. troops would set foot in Gaza. However, around 1,000 U.S. service members are involved in the maritime corridor operation just off the coast.

U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) and sailors attached to the MV Roy P. Benavidez assemble the floating platform off the shore of Gaza, on April 26, 2024. Public Domain

Let me be absolutely clear, Cooper said today, the US militarys only role in this effort is to provide our unique logistics capability to enable the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza by USAID [the United States Agency for International Development], and our international partners.

The security situation will be monitored closely, U.S. officials said, and the maritime route could be shut down if needed, even just temporarily.

On station in the eastern Mediterranean are two U.S. Navy warships , the guided-missile destroyers USS Arleigh Burke and USS Paul Ignatius. These could potentially be called into action to protect U.S. troops offshore as well as allies on the beach.

This reflects concerns addressed by TWZ in the past , around the fact that the floating pier is in range of Hamas rockets and missiles.

Back in April, the coastal location where the causeway structure is now positioned was hit by mortar fire. The attack caused only minor damage and U.S. ships involved in the operation were offshore at the time, the Pentagon confirmed.

Humanitarian officials have said the population in Gaza needs at least 500 lorryloads of food, fuel, and other essentials each day, but has so far received only a small fraction of that. The situation was worsened after Israel put restrictions on some aid entering the Palestinian territory.

In particular, the major Rafah crossing into Egypt has now been closed for more than a week , after Israeli forces took control of the Palestinian side when it launched an offensive into the territorys southernmost city.

Aid trucks entering Rafah through the Karm Abu Salem border crossing after Israel gave permission for the entrance of 52 trucks to the region in Rafah, Gaza on May 15, 2024. Earlier, the IDF announced that it would close the Rafah border crossing in the southern part of Gaza to all entries and exits, including aid supplies, as part of its control of the Rafah border crossing and its ground operation in the region. Photo by Hani Alshaer/Anadolu via Getty Images

A nearby crossing, Kerem Shalom, remains open, but its capacity to receive aid is limited by fighting nearby and a lack of staff to operate it.

JLOTS is not supposed to be a substitute for the overland aid routes, Washington has stressed, with delivery by road routes being much quicker and more efficient  provided the border crossings are open.

Last month, U.S. officials said that JLOTS was initially expected to process about 90 trucks worth of aid each day, before working up to a total of 150 per day once at full capacity. Even this latter figure is notably well short of the 500 lorryloads officials say are required.

To complement the provision of aid through land routes, which we know is the most efficient and effective pathway to move the necessary volume of assistance, we are pursuing multiple methods to deliver aid into Gaza from the air and now from the sea, Vice Admiral Cooper added. To date, the U.S. with over a dozen partners has executed 38 humanitarian airdrop missions. These missions have focused on dropping humanitarian assistance from the air, predominantly into north Gaza. With our partners, we have cumulatively provided more than three million meals into Gaza by airdrops, more than one million of which have been from the U.S.

A U.S. Air Force C-130J loaded with pallets of food destined for Gaza via airdrop takes off from an undisclosed location within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, on April 25, 2024. U.S. Air Force photo

Cooper confirmed that airdrops will continue alongside the delivery of aid from the sea.

Clearly, there remain questions about the security of the temporary pier. It is also expressly considered an adjunct to existing aid routes rather than an answer in itself. Nevertheless, with JLOTS set to be processing aid for Gaza within the next day or so, it will provide much-needed relief for the region in a critical time of need.

UPDATE: 2:00 PM EST 

A picture, seen below, has now emerged looking to show the new pier anchored to the beach in Gaza.

UPDATE: 4:30 PM EST 

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has now released additional pictures showing the pier being established and anchored in position.

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to Amphibious Construction Battalion 1, and Israel Defense Forces emplace the Trident Pier on the Gaza coast, May 16, 2024. The temporary pier, part of the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore capability, will enable the maritime delivery of international humanitarian aid to the United Nations in Gaza for distribution to Palestinian people in need. CENTCOM

CENTCOM

A U.S. Army Logistics Support Vessel (LSV) is seen here docked at the end of the pier. CENTCOM

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
Chen Xi, president of the Party School of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee (National Academy of Governance), speaks at the opening ceremony of the second study program of the school's 2024 spring semester, May 16, 2024. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Officials participating in a study program at the CPC Party school have been encouraged to improve their political competence, leadership and working capabilities, ensuring all are in line with the need of advancing Chinese modernization.

Chen Xi, president of the Party School of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee (National Academy of Governance), made the call at the opening ceremony of the second study program of the school's 2024 spring semester on Thursday.

In his address, Chen urged the officials to unswervingly push forward high-quality development and promote comprehensive and in-depth reform.

They should keep striving forward with determination to advance the cause of building a strong country and realizing national rejuvenation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization, Chen said. 
The Treasury under Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday sanctioned two commanders of the breakaway Rapid Support Forces. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI

May 16 (UPI) -- The Biden administration has leveled sanctions against two commanders of the breakaway Rapid Support Forces amid mounting concerns over escalating violence in North Darfur.

Ali Yagoub Gibril and Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed were hit with sanctions Wednesday for leading RSF operations in the Sudaneses state.

The operations began last month, and the RSF has since surrounded the state's capital of El Fasher, putting the lives of some 1 million people at risk amid its fighting with the Sudanese Armed Forces.

"While the Sudanese people continue to demand an end to this conflict, these commanders have been focused on expanding to new fronts and battling for control of more territory," Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement.

According to an update early this week from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, about 570,000 people have been displaced in North Darfur since mid-April 2023 when the war began. More than one-third of them are being hosted in El Fasher, the last SAF-controlled region in the state.

For those there, the situation is dire. The fighting includes airstrikes and the use of heavy weaponry. El Fasher South Hospital, the only working hospital in the state, lacks medical supplies and medicine. And humanitarian access has been severely constrained with only 39 trucks of aid having reached the city this year, according to the OCHA.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statment Tuesday that he was "alarmed" by the use of heavy weaponry in densely populated areas in El Fasher, while calling for the warring parties to remember their obligations under humanitarian law to protect civilians.

Doctors Without Borders on Wednesday said that since Friday when the fighting began to intensify, more than 454 causalities have arrived at South Hospital, 56 of whom died.

"Until now, North Darfur had been a relatively safe haven compared to other parts of Darfur," it said in a statement. "Now, there are snipers in the streets, heavy shelling is taking place and nowhere in the city is safe at all.

The war between the RSF and SAF is now more than a year old, resulting in the deaths of more than 15,500 people, according to the conflict monitor Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project. Nearly 9 million of its some 50 million have beed displaced, with nearly 25 million in need of assistance, the OCHA said.

The Biden administration has imposed sanctions against those on both sides of war, and in December, the State Department declared war crimes had been committed in the conflict, emphasizing that the RSF and its allied militias had committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.

The Treasury on Wednesday accused Gibril, a 60-year-old RSF Central Darfur commander, of being a key player in the ongoing violence in Darfur, including the North Darfur offensive.

Mohamed, a 58-year-old RSF major general, was hit for being the military's head of operations.

The sanctions freeze all U.S. assets in their name and bar U.S. persons from doing business with them.
U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash

Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 46-49 vote on the Congressional Review Act resolution ended an attempt by several GOP senators to block the Biden administration from changing the definition of obligation as it relates to State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and the timeline for spending some of that money.

South Dakotas votes

South Dakota Republicans John Thune and Mike Rounds voted in favor of the failed resolution.

Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said during floor debate that the Treasury Departments change in guidance, which was released in November, was trying to pull a fast one on Congress.

Treasurys attempted sleight of hand to keep the COVID spending spigot on is an insult to Congress and those who believe in our Constitution, as well as a complete misuse of taxpayer dollars, Schmitt said.

The fund for state and local governments, Schmitt said, was intended to assist with revenue shortfalls tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and the law clearly stated that all costs incurred with money from this fund must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2024.

The interim final rule that the Treasury Department released around Thanksgiving extended that deadline by two years for administrative and legal costs, such as compliance costs and internal control requirements, he said.

This rule ensures that funding does not go to bridges or broadband, but to bureaucrats, Schmitt said.

Projects affected in multiple states

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against the CRA resolution during floor debate, saying it could have impacted 17 projects in Georgia, 160 in Michigan, 342 in Ohio, 50 in Arizona, 404 in Montana and 73 in West Virginia.

Nationwide there could be thousands of projects closed. Tens or even hundreds of jobs lost, Wyden said. This one is one of the most unusual votes that Ive seen recently, a true head scratcher.

Wyden said he didnt see a good reason for the United States Senate to backtrack on solid, bipartisan progress and have this chamber act in a way that leaves more of our nations infrastructure in a state of disrepair.

Schmitt said during a press conference before the vote that the claim the CRA resolution would have impacted projects already underway was a lie.

Essentially the obligations that are committed before the end of 2024, according to existing law, will be honored, Schmitt said. What this says is that you cant extend that out into 25 and 26. That was never the congressional intent here.

Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, also speaking at the GOP press conference, said the CRA resolution would claw back about $13 billion and went as far as calling it illegal spending.

The clock is going to run out, but Joe Biden is trying to circumvent the law once again, Marshall said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic is over and spending from those laws needs to wind down.

Counties, cities opposed

Schmitt introduced the two-page CRA resolution in February along with Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Marshall and Rick Scott of Florida.

The National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and the Government Finance Officers Association urged lawmakers to vote against the CRA in a written statement released Wednesday before the vote.

The $350 billion SLFRF provided $65.1 billion to every city and county in America, and since 2021, localities have used these crucial resources to meet the unique needs of residents and support long-term economic prosperity, the statement read.

The three organizations wrote that the Treasury Departments interim final rule recognized the importance of flexibility in facilitating the effective rollout of recovery funds, including our ability to use funds for certain personnel costs and to re-obligate funds where necessary.

The White House released a Statement of Administration Policy on Wednesday, saying that President Joe Biden would veto the CRA had it reached his desk.

The CRA resolution, it said, could result in projects being canceled midstream, reduced project management and oversight, and higher costs as state and local governments are forced to contract out programs.

Nearly all SLFRF funds have been committed to projects, including infrastructure and disaster relief projects made eligible by bipartisan legislation, the SAP read. S.J. Res. 57 would create unnecessary uncertainty for recipients that are executing on projects, jeopardize important work underway, and inappropriately constrain Treasurys ability to address ongoing implementation issues.

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U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash

Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 46-49 vote on the Congressional Review Act resolution ended an attempt by several GOP senators to block the Biden administration from changing the definition of obligation as it relates to State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and the timeline for spending some of that money.

Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said during floor debate that the Treasury Departments change in guidance, which was released in November, was trying to pull a fast one on Congress.

Treasurys attempted sleight of hand to keep the COVID spending spigot on is an insult to Congress and those who believe in our Constitution, as well as a complete misuse of taxpayer dollars, Schmitt said.

The fund for state and local governments, Schmitt said, was intended to assist with revenue shortfalls tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and the law clearly stated that all costs incurred with money from this fund must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2024.

The interim final rule that the Treasury Department released around Thanksgiving extended that deadline by two years for administrative and legal costs, such as compliance costs and internal control requirements, he said.

This rule ensures that funding does not go to bridges or broadband, but to bureaucrats, Schmitt said.

Projects affected in multiple states

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against the CRA resolution during floor debate, saying it could have impacted 17 projects in Georgia, 160 in Michigan, 342 in Ohio, 50 in Arizona, 404 in Montana and 73 in West Virginia.

Nationwide there could be thousands of projects closed. Tens or even hundreds of jobs lost, Wyden said. This one is one of the most unusual votes that Ive seen recently, a true head scratcher.

Wyden said he didnt see a good reason for the United States Senate to backtrack on solid, bipartisan progress and have this chamber act in a way that leaves more of our nations infrastructure in a state of disrepair.

Schmitt said during a press conference before the vote that the claim the CRA resolution would have impacted projects already underway was a lie.

Essentially the obligations that are committed before the end of 2024, according to existing law, will be honored, Schmitt said. What this says is that you cant extend that out into 25 and 26. That was never the congressional intent here.

Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, also speaking at the GOP press conference, said the CRA resolution would claw back about $13 billion and went as far as calling it illegal spending.

The clock is going to run out, but Joe Biden is trying to circumvent the law once again, Marshall said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic is over and spending from those laws needs to wind down.

Counties, cities opposed

Schmitt introduced the two-page CRA resolution in February along with Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Marshall and Rick Scott of Florida.

The National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and the Government Finance Officers Association urged lawmakers to vote against the CRA in a written statement released Wednesday before the vote.

The $350 billion SLFRF provided $65.1 billion to every city and county in America, and since 2021, localities have used these crucial resources to meet the unique needs of residents and support long-term economic prosperity, the statement read.

The three organizations wrote that the Treasury Departments interim final rule recognized the importance of flexibility in facilitating the effective rollout of recovery funds, including our ability to use funds for certain personnel costs and to re-obligate funds where necessary.

The White House released a Statement of Administration Policy on Wednesday, saying that President Joe Biden would veto the CRA had it reached his desk.

The CRA resolution, it said, could result in projects being canceled midstream, reduced project management and oversight, and higher costs as state and local governments are forced to contract out programs.

Nearly all SLFRF funds have been committed to projects, including infrastructure and disaster relief projects made eligible by bipartisan legislation, the SAP read. S.J. Res. 57 would create unnecessary uncertainty for recipients that are executing on projects, jeopardize important work underway, and inappropriately constrain Treasurys ability to address ongoing implementation issues.

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U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash

Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a May 15, 2024, news conference on Capitol Hill. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right.

Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a May 15, 2024, news conference on Capitol Hill. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 46-49 vote on the Congressional Review Act resolution ended an attempt by several GOP senators to block the Biden administration from changing the definition of obligation as it relates to State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and the timeline for spending some of that money.

Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said during floor debate that the Treasury Departments change in guidance, which was released in November, was trying to pull a fast one on Congress.

Treasurys attempted sleight of hand to keep the COVID spending spigot on is an insult to Congress and those who believe in our Constitution, as well as a complete misuse of taxpayer dollars, Schmitt said.

The fund for state and local governments, Schmitt said, was intended to assist with revenue shortfalls tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and the law clearly stated that all costs incurred with money from this fund must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2024.

The interim final rule that the Treasury Department released around Thanksgiving extended that deadline by two years for administrative and legal costs, such as compliance costs and internal control requirements, he said.

This rule ensures that funding does not go to bridges or broadband, but to bureaucrats, Schmitt said.

Projects affected in multiple states

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against the CRA resolution during floor debate, saying it could have impacted 17 projects in Georgia, 160 in Michigan, 342 in Ohio, 50 in Arizona, 404 in Montana and 73 in West Virginia.

Nationwide there could be thousands of projects closed. Tens or even hundreds of jobs lost, Wyden said. This one is one of the most unusual votes that Ive seen recently, a true head scratcher.

Wyden said he didnt see a good reason for the United States Senate to backtrack on solid, bipartisan progress and have this chamber act in a way that leaves more of our nations infrastructure in a state of disrepair.

Schmitt said during a press conference before the vote that the claim the CRA resolution would have impacted projects already underway was a lie.

Essentially the obligations that are committed before the end of 2024, according to existing law, will be honored, Schmitt said. What this says is that you cant extend that out into 25 and 26. That was never the congressional intent here.

Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, also speaking at the GOP press conference, said the CRA resolution would claw back about $13 billion and went as far as calling it illegal spending.

The clock is going to run out, but Joe Biden is trying to circumvent the law once again, Marshall said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic is over and spending from those laws needs to wind down.

Counties, cities opposed

Schmitt introduced the two-page CRA resolution in February along with Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Marshall and Rick Scott of Florida.

The National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and the Government Finance Officers Association urged lawmakers to vote against the CRA in a written statement released Wednesday before the vote.

The $350 billion SLFRF provided $65.1 billion to every city and county in America, and since 2021, localities have used these crucial resources to meet the unique needs of residents and support long-term economic prosperity, the statement read.

The three organizations wrote that the Treasury Departments interim final rule recognized the importance of flexibility in facilitating the effective rollout of recovery funds, including our ability to use funds for certain personnel costs and to re-obligate funds where necessary.

The White House released a Statement of Administration Policy on Wednesday, saying that President Joe Biden would veto the CRA had it reached his desk.

The CRA resolution, it said, could result in projects being canceled midstream, reduced project management and oversight, and higher costs as state and local governments are forced to contract out programs.

Nearly all SLFRF funds have been committed to projects, including infrastructure and disaster relief projects made eligible by bipartisan legislation, the SAP read. S.J. Res. 57 would create unnecessary uncertainty for recipients that are executing on projects, jeopardize important work underway, and inappropriately constrain Treasurys ability to address ongoing implementation issues.

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U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash

Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 46-49 vote on the Congressional Review Act resolution ended an attempt by several GOP senators to block the Biden administration from changing the definition of obligation as it relates to State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and the timeline for spending some of that money. Both of Pennsylvanias Democratic U.S. senators, Bob Casey and John Fetterman, voted against the resolution.

Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said during floor debate that the Treasury Departments change in guidance, which was released in November, was trying to pull a fast one on Congress.

Treasurys attempted sleight of hand to keep the COVID spending spigot on is an insult to Congress and those who believe in our Constitution, as well as a complete misuse of taxpayer dollars, Schmitt said.

The fund for state and local governments, Schmitt said, was intended to assist with revenue shortfalls tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and the law clearly stated that all costs incurred with money from this fund must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2024.

The interim final rule that the Treasury Department released around Thanksgiving extended that deadline by two years for administrative and legal costs, such as compliance costs and internal control requirements, he said.

This rule ensures that funding does not go to bridges or broadband, but to bureaucrats, Schmitt said.

Projects affected in multiple states

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against the CRA resolution during floor debate, saying it could have impacted 17 projects in Georgia, 160 in Michigan, 342 in Ohio, 50 in Arizona, 404 in Montana and 73 in West Virginia.

Nationwide there could be thousands of projects closed. Tens or even hundreds of jobs lost, Wyden said. This one is one of the most unusual votes that Ive seen recently, a true head scratcher.

Wyden said he didnt see a good reason for the United States Senate to backtrack on solid, bipartisan progress and have this chamber act in a way that leaves more of our nations infrastructure in a state of disrepair.

Schmitt said during a press conference before the vote that the claim the CRA resolution would have impacted projects already underway was a lie.

Essentially the obligations that are committed before the end of 2024, according to existing law, will be honored, Schmitt said. What this says is that you cant extend that out into 25 and 26. That was never the congressional intent here.

Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, also speaking at the GOP press conference, said the CRA resolution would claw back about $13 billion and went as far as calling it illegal spending.

The clock is going to run out, but Joe Biden is trying to circumvent the law once again, Marshall said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic is over and spending from those laws needs to wind down.

Counties, cities opposed

Schmitt introduced the two-page CRA resolution in February along with Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Marshall and Rick Scott of Florida.

The National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and the Government Finance Officers Association urged lawmakers to vote against the CRA in a written statement released Wednesday before the vote.

The $350 billion SLFRF provided $65.1 billion to every city and county in America, and since 2021, localities have used these crucial resources to meet the unique needs of residents and support long-term economic prosperity, the statement read.

The three organizations wrote that the Treasury Departments interim final rule recognized the importance of flexibility in facilitating the effective rollout of recovery funds, including our ability to use funds for certain personnel costs and to re-obligate funds where necessary.

The White House released a Statement of Administration Policy on Wednesday, saying that President Joe Biden would veto the CRA had it reached his desk.

The CRA resolution, it said, could result in projects being canceled midstream, reduced project management and oversight, and higher costs as state and local governments are forced to contract out programs.

Nearly all SLFRF funds have been committed to projects, including infrastructure and disaster relief projects made eligible by bipartisan legislation, the SAP read. S.J. Res. 57 would create unnecessary uncertainty for recipients that are executing on projects, jeopardize important work underway, and inappropriately constrain Treasurys ability to address ongoing implementation issues.

The post U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash

Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 46-49 vote on the Congressional Review Act resolution ended an attempt by several GOP senators to block the Biden administration from changing the definition of obligation as it relates to State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and the timeline for spending some of that money.

Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said during floor debate that the Treasury Departments change in guidance, which was released in November, was trying to pull a fast one on Congress.

Treasurys attempted sleight of hand to keep the COVID spending spigot on is an insult to Congress and those who believe in our Constitution, as well as a complete misuse of taxpayer dollars, Schmitt said.

The fund for state and local governments, Schmitt said, was intended to assist with revenue shortfalls tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and the law clearly stated that all costs incurred with money from this fund must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2024.

The interim final rule that the Treasury Department released around Thanksgiving extended that deadline by two years for administrative and legal costs, such as compliance costs and internal control requirements, he said.

This rule ensures that funding does not go to bridges or broadband, but to bureaucrats, Schmitt said.

Projects affected in multiple states

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against the CRA resolution during floor debate, saying it could have impacted 17 projects in Georgia, 160 in Michigan, 342 in Ohio, 50 in Arizona, 404 in Montana and 73 in West Virginia.

Nationwide there could be thousands of projects closed. Tens or even hundreds of jobs lost, Wyden said. This one is one of the most unusual votes that Ive seen recently, a true head scratcher.

Wyden said he didnt see a good reason for the United States Senate to backtrack on solid, bipartisan progress and have this chamber act in a way that leaves more of our nations infrastructure in a state of disrepair.

Schmitt said during a press conference before the vote that the claim the CRA resolution would have impacted projects already underway was a lie.

Essentially the obligations that are committed before the end of 2024, according to existing law, will be honored, Schmitt said. What this says is that you cant extend that out into 25 and 26. That was never the congressional intent here.

Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, also speaking at the GOP press conference, said the CRA resolution would claw back about $13 billion and went as far as calling it illegal spending.

The clock is going to run out, but Joe Biden is trying to circumvent the law once again, Marshall said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic is over and spending from those laws needs to wind down.

Counties, cities opposed

Schmitt introduced the two-page CRA resolution in February along with Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Marshall and Rick Scott of Florida.

The National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and the Government Finance Officers Association urged lawmakers to vote against the CRA in a written statement released Wednesday before the vote.

The $350 billion SLFRF provided $65.1 billion to every city and county in America, and since 2021, localities have used these crucial resources to meet the unique needs of residents and support long-term economic prosperity, the statement read.

The three organizations wrote that the Treasury Departments interim final rule recognized the importance of flexibility in facilitating the effective rollout of recovery funds, including our ability to use funds for certain personnel costs and to re-obligate funds where necessary.

The White House released a Statement of Administration Policy on Wednesday, saying that President Joe Biden would veto the CRA had it reached his desk.

The CRA resolution, it said, could result in projects being canceled midstream, reduced project management and oversight, and higher costs as state and local governments are forced to contract out programs.

Nearly all SLFRF funds have been committed to projects, including infrastructure and disaster relief projects made eligible by bipartisan legislation, the SAP read. S.J. Res. 57 would create unnecessary uncertainty for recipients that are executing on projects, jeopardize important work underway, and inappropriately constrain Treasurys ability to address ongoing implementation issues.

The post U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash

Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 46-49 vote on the Congressional Review Act resolution ended an attempt by several GOP senators to block the Biden administration from changing the definition of obligation as it relates to State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and the timeline for spending some of that money.

Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said during floor debate that the Treasury Departments change in guidance, which was released in November, was trying to pull a fast one on Congress.

Treasurys attempted sleight of hand to keep the COVID spending spigot on is an insult to Congress and those who believe in our Constitution, as well as a complete misuse of taxpayer dollars, Schmitt said.

The fund for state and local governments, Schmitt said, was intended to assist with revenue shortfalls tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and the law clearly stated that all costs incurred with money from this fund must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2024.

The interim final rule that the Treasury Department released around Thanksgiving extended that deadline by two years for administrative and legal costs, such as compliance costs and internal control requirements, he said.

This rule ensures that funding does not go to bridges or broadband, but to bureaucrats, Schmitt said.

Projects affected in multiple states

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against the CRA resolution during floor debate, saying it could have impacted 17 projects in Georgia, 160 in Michigan, 342 in Ohio, 50 in Arizona, 404 in Montana and 73 in West Virginia.

Nationwide there could be thousands of projects closed. Tens or even hundreds of jobs lost, Wyden said. This one is one of the most unusual votes that Ive seen recently, a true head scratcher.

Wyden said he didnt see a good reason for the United States Senate to backtrack on solid, bipartisan progress and have this chamber act in a way that leaves more of our nations infrastructure in a state of disrepair.

Schmitt said during a press conference before the vote that the claim the CRA resolution would have impacted projects already underway was a lie.

Essentially the obligations that are committed before the end of 2024, according to existing law, will be honored, Schmitt said. What this says is that you cant extend that out into 25 and 26. That was never the congressional intent here.

Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, also speaking at the GOP press conference, said the CRA resolution would claw back about $13 billion and went as far as calling it illegal spending.

The clock is going to run out, but Joe Biden is trying to circumvent the law once again, Marshall said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic is over and spending from those laws needs to wind down.

Counties, cities opposed

Schmitt introduced the two-page CRA resolution in February along with Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Marshall and Rick Scott of Florida.

The National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and the Government Finance Officers Association urged lawmakers to vote against the CRA in a written statement released Wednesday before the vote.

The $350 billion SLFRF provided $65.1 billion to every city and county in America, and since 2021, localities have used these crucial resources to meet the unique needs of residents and support long-term economic prosperity, the statement read.

The three organizations wrote that the Treasury Departments interim final rule recognized the importance of flexibility in facilitating the effective rollout of recovery funds, including our ability to use funds for certain personnel costs and to re-obligate funds where necessary.

The White House released a Statement of Administration Policy on Wednesday, saying that President Joe Biden would veto the CRA had it reached his desk.

The CRA resolution, it said, could result in projects being canceled midstream, reduced project management and oversight, and higher costs as state and local governments are forced to contract out programs.

Nearly all SLFRF funds have been committed to projects, including infrastructure and disaster relief projects made eligible by bipartisan legislation, the SAP read. S.J. Res. 57 would create unnecessary uncertainty for recipients that are executing on projects, jeopardize important work underway, and inappropriately constrain Treasurys ability to address ongoing implementation issues.

The post U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash appeared first on New Jersey Monitor.
U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash

Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom).

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 46-49 vote on the Congressional Review Act resolution ended an attempt by several GOP senators to block the Biden administration from changing the definition of obligation as it relates to State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and the timeline for spending some of that money.

Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said during floor debate that the Treasury Departments change in guidance, which was released in November, was trying to pull a fast one on Congress.

Treasurys attempted sleight of hand to keep the COVID spending spigot on is an insult to Congress and those who believe in our Constitution, as well as a complete misuse of taxpayer dollars, Schmitt said.

The fund for state and local governments, Schmitt said, was intended to assist with revenue shortfalls tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and the law clearly stated that all costs incurred with money from this fund must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2024.

The interim final rule that the Treasury Department released around Thanksgiving extended that deadline by two years for administrative and legal costs, such as compliance costs and internal control requirements, he said.

This rule ensures that funding does not go to bridges or broadband, but to bureaucrats, Schmitt said.

Projects affected in multiple states

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against the CRA resolution during floor debate, saying it could have impacted 17 projects in Georgia, 160 in Michigan, 342 in Ohio, 50 in Arizona, 404 in Montana and 73 in West Virginia.

Nationwide there could be thousands of projects closed. Tens or even hundreds of jobs lost, Wyden said. This one is one of the most unusual votes that Ive seen recently, a true head scratcher.

Wyden said he didnt see a good reason for the United States Senate to backtrack on solid, bipartisan progress and have this chamber act in a way that leaves more of our nations infrastructure in a state of disrepair.

Schmitt said during a press conference before the vote that the claim the CRA resolution would have impacted projects already underway was a lie.

Essentially the obligations that are committed before the end of 2024, according to existing law, will be honored, Schmitt said. What this says is that you cant extend that out into 25 and 26. That was never the congressional intent here.

Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, also speaking at the GOP press conference, said the CRA resolution would claw back about $13 billion and went as far as calling it illegal spending.

The clock is going to run out, but Joe Biden is trying to circumvent the law once again, Marshall said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic is over and spending from those laws needs to wind down.

Counties, cities opposed

Schmitt introduced the two-page CRA resolution in February along with Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Marshall and Rick Scott of Florida.

The National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and the Government Finance Officers Association urged lawmakers to vote against the CRA in a written statement released Wednesday before the vote.

The $350 billion SLFRF provided $65.1 billion to every city and county in America, and since 2021, localities have used these crucial resources to meet the unique needs of residents and support long-term economic prosperity, the statement read.

The three organizations wrote that the Treasury Departments interim final rule recognized the importance of flexibility in facilitating the effective rollout of recovery funds, including our ability to use funds for certain personnel costs and to re-obligate funds where necessary.

The White House released a Statement of Administration Policy on Wednesday, saying that President Joe Biden would veto the CRA had it reached his desk.

The CRA resolution, it said, could result in projects being canceled midstream, reduced project management and oversight, and higher costs as state and local governments are forced to contract out programs.

Nearly all SLFRF funds have been committed to projects, including infrastructure and disaster relief projects made eligible by bipartisan legislation, the SAP read. S.J. Res. 57 would create unnecessary uncertainty for recipients that are executing on projects, jeopardize important work underway, and inappropriately constrain Treasurys ability to address ongoing implementation issues.

The post U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash appeared first on Missouri Independent.
U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash

Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right. (Jennifer Shutt | States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 46-49 vote on the Congressional Review Act resolution ended an attempt by several GOP senators to block the Biden administration from changing the definition of obligation as it relates to State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and the timeline for spending some of that money.

Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said during floor debate that the Treasury Departments change in guidance, which was released in November, was trying to pull a fast one on Congress.

Treasurys attempted sleight of hand to keep the COVID spending spigot on is an insult to Congress and those who believe in our Constitution, as well as a complete misuse of taxpayer dollars, Schmitt said.

The fund for state and local governments, Schmitt said, was intended to assist with revenue shortfalls tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and the law clearly stated that all costs incurred with money from this fund must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2024.

The interim final rule that the Treasury Department released around Thanksgiving extended that deadline by two years for administrative and legal costs, such as compliance costs and internal control requirements, he said.

This rule ensures that funding does not go to bridges or broadband, but to bureaucrats, Schmitt said.

Projects affected in multiple states

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against the CRA resolution during floor debate, saying it could have impacted 17 projects in Georgia, 160 in Michigan, 342 in Ohio, 50 in Arizona, 404 in Montana, and 73 in West Virginia.

Nationwide there could be thousands of projects closed. Tens or even hundreds of jobs lost, Wyden said. This one is one of the most unusual votes that Ive seen recently, a true head scratcher.

Wyden said he didnt see a good reason for the United States Senate to backtrack on solid, bipartisan progress and have this chamber act in a way that leaves more of our nations infrastructure in a state of disrepair.

Schmitt said during a press conference before the vote that the claim the CRA resolution would have impacted projects already underway was a lie.

Essentially the obligations that are committed before the end of 2024, according to existing law, will be honored, Schmitt said. What this says is that you cant extend that out into 25 and 26. That was never the congressional intent here.

Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, also speaking at the GOP press conference, said the CRA resolution would claw back about $13 billion and went as far as calling it illegal spending.

The clock is going to run out, but Joe Biden is trying to circumvent the law once again, Marshall said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic is over and spending from those laws needs to wind down.

Counties, cities opposed

Schmitt introduced the two-page CRA resolution in February along with Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Marshall, and Rick Scott of Florida.

The National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and the Government Finance Officers Association urged lawmakers to vote against the CRA in a written statement released Wednesday before the vote.

The $350 billion SLFRF provided $65.1 billion to every city and county in America, and since 2021, localities have used these crucial resources to meet the unique needs of residents and support long-term economic prosperity, the statement read.

The three organizations wrote that the Treasury Departments interim final rule recognized the importance of flexibility in facilitating the effective rollout of recovery funds, including our ability to use funds for certain personnel costs and to re-obligate funds where necessary.

The White House released a Statement of Administration Policy on Wednesday, saying that President Joe Biden would veto the CRA had it reached his desk.

The CRA resolution, it said, could result in projects being canceled midstream, reduced project management and oversight, and higher costs as state and local governments are forced to contract out programs.

Nearly all SLFRF funds have been committed to projects, including infrastructure and disaster relief projects made eligible by bipartisan legislation, the SAP read. S.J. Res. 57 would create unnecessary uncertainty for recipients that are executing on projects, jeopardize important work underway, and inappropriately constrain Treasurys ability to address ongoing implementation issues.

The post U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash appeared first on New Hampshire Bulletin.
U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash

Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

Policy, politics and progressive commentary

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 46-49 vote on the Congressional Review Act resolution ended an attempt by several GOP senators to block the Biden administration from changing the definition of obligation as it relates to State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and the timeline for spending some of that money.

Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said during floor debate that the Treasury Departments change in guidance, which was released in November, was trying to pull a fast one on Congress.

Treasurys attempted sleight of hand to keep the COVID spending spigot on is an insult to Congress and those who believe in our Constitution, as well as a complete misuse of taxpayer dollars, Schmitt said.

The fund for state and local governments, Schmitt said, was intended to assist with revenue shortfalls tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and the law clearly stated that all costs incurred with money from this fund must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2024.

The interim final rule that the Treasury Department released around Thanksgiving extended that deadline by two years for administrative and legal costs, such as compliance costs and internal control requirements, he said.

This rule ensures that funding does not go to bridges or broadband, but to bureaucrats, Schmitt said.

Projects affected in multiple states

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against the CRA resolution during floor debate, saying it could have impacted 17 projects in Georgia, 160 in Michigan, 342 in Ohio, 50 in Arizona, 404 in Montana and 73 in West Virginia.

Nationwide there could be thousands of projects closed. Tens or even hundreds of jobs lost, Wyden said. This one is one of the most unusual votes that Ive seen recently, a true head scratcher.

Wyden said he didnt see a good reason for the United States Senate to backtrack on solid, bipartisan progress and have this chamber act in a way that leaves more of our nations infrastructure in a state of disrepair.

Schmitt said during a press conference before the vote that the claim the CRA resolution would have impacted projects already underway was a lie.

Essentially the obligations that are committed before the end of 2024, according to existing law, will be honored, Schmitt said. What this says is that you cant extend that out into 25 and 26. That was never the congressional intent here.

Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, also speaking at the GOP press conference, said the CRA resolution would claw back about $13 billion and went as far as calling it illegal spending.

The clock is going to run out, but Joe Biden is trying to circumvent the law once again, Marshall said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic is over and spending from those laws needs to wind down.

Counties, cities opposed

Schmitt introduced the two-page CRA resolution in February along with Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Marshall and Rick Scott of Florida.

The National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and the Government Finance Officers Association urged lawmakers to vote against the CRA in a written statement released Wednesday before the vote.

The $350 billion SLFRF provided $65.1 billion to every city and county in America, and since 2021, localities have used these crucial resources to meet the unique needs of residents and support long-term economic prosperity, the statement read.

The three organizations wrote that the Treasury Departments interim final rule recognized the importance of flexibility in facilitating the effective rollout of recovery funds, including our ability to use funds for certain personnel costs and to re-obligate funds where necessary.

The White House released a Statement of Administration Policy on Wednesday, saying that President Joe Biden would veto the CRA had it reached his desk.

The CRA resolution, it said, could result in projects being canceled midstream, reduced project management and oversight, and higher costs as state and local governments are forced to contract out programs.

Nearly all SLFRF funds have been committed to projects, including infrastructure and disaster relief projects made eligible by bipartisan legislation, the SAP read. S.J. Res. 57 would create unnecessary uncertainty for recipients that are executing on projects, jeopardize important work underway, and inappropriately constrain Treasurys ability to address ongoing implementation issues.

The post U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash appeared first on Nevada Current.
President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua meets with Andrey Kondrashov, director general of Russia's TASS news agency, in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua met with Andrey Kondrashov, director general of Russia's TASS news agency, in Beijing on Thursday.

Witnessed by the two heads of state, the two agencies signed a new agreement on news exchange and cooperation, Fu said, adding that it is expected that both sides will fully implement the agreement and make new contributions to deepening the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era.

Fu said that Xinhua supports TASS in hosting the BRICS media forum to create a favorable atmosphere for the meetings of BRICS leaders. He thanked TASS for actively participating in various activities under the World Media Summit mechanism, and hoped that both sides will continue to strengthen cooperation within the framework.

Noting that TASS and Xinhua have maintained long-term friendly cooperative relations, Kondrashov said the signing of the agreement witnessed by the two heads of state has great significance. He expected that both sides will continue to enhance cooperation in areas such as economic information exchange, artificial intelligence applications, and personnel visits. 
U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash

Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 46-49 vote on the Congressional Review Act resolution ended an attempt by several GOP senators to block the Biden administration from changing the definition of obligation as it relates to State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and the timeline for spending some of that money.

Maines Senate delegation split, with Republican Susan Collins supporting the measure and independent Angus King opposing it.

Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said during floor debate that the Treasury Departments change in guidance, which was released in November, was trying to pull a fast one on Congress.

Treasurys attempted sleight of hand to keep the COVID spending spigot on is an insult to Congress and those who believe in our Constitution, as well as a complete misuse of taxpayer dollars, Schmitt said.

The fund for state and local governments, Schmitt said, was intended to assist with revenue shortfalls tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and the law clearly stated that all costs incurred with money from this fund must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2024.

The interim final rule that the Treasury Department released around Thanksgiving extended that deadline by two years for administrative and legal costs, such as compliance costs and internal control requirements, he said.

This rule ensures that funding does not go to bridges or broadband, but to bureaucrats, Schmitt said.

Projects affected in multiple states

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against the CRA resolution during floor debate, saying it could have impacted 17 projects in Georgia, 160 in Michigan, 342 in Ohio, 50 in Arizona, 404 in Montana and 73 in West Virginia.

Nationwide there could be thousands of projects closed. Tens or even hundreds of jobs lost, Wyden said. This one is one of the most unusual votes that Ive seen recently, a true head scratcher.

Wyden said he didnt see a good reason for the United States Senate to backtrack on solid, bipartisan progress and have this chamber act in a way that leaves more of our nations infrastructure in a state of disrepair.

Schmitt said during a press conference before the vote that the claim the CRA resolution would have impacted projects already underway was a lie.

Essentially the obligations that are committed before the end of 2024, according to existing law, will be honored, Schmitt said. What this says is that you cant extend that out into 25 and 26. That was never the congressional intent here.

Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, also speaking at the GOP press conference, said the CRA resolution would claw back about $13 billion and went as far as calling it illegal spending.

The clock is going to run out, but Joe Biden is trying to circumvent the law once again, Marshall said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic is over and spending from those laws needs to wind down.

Counties, cities opposed

Schmitt introduced the two-page CRA resolution in February along with Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Marshall and Rick Scott of Florida.

The National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and the Government Finance Officers Association urged lawmakers to vote against the CRA in a written statement released Wednesday before the vote.

The $350 billion SLFRF provided $65.1 billion to every city and county in America, and since 2021, localities have used these crucial resources to meet the unique needs of residents and support long-term economic prosperity, the statement read.

The three organizations wrote that the Treasury Departments interim final rule recognized the importance of flexibility in facilitating the effective rollout of recovery funds, including our ability to use funds for certain personnel costs and to re-obligate funds where necessary.

The White House released a Statement of Administration Policy on Wednesday, saying that President Joe Biden would veto the CRA had it reached his desk.

The CRA resolution, it said, could result in projects being canceled midstream, reduced project management and oversight, and higher costs as state and local governments are forced to contract out programs.

Nearly all SLFRF funds have been committed to projects, including infrastructure and disaster relief projects made eligible by bipartisan legislation, the SAP read. S.J. Res. 57 would create unnecessary uncertainty for recipients that are executing on projects, jeopardize important work underway, and inappropriately constrain Treasurys ability to address ongoing implementation issues.

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The post U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash appeared first on Maine Morning Star.
U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash

Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 46-49 vote on the Congressional Review Act resolution ended an attempt by several GOP senators to block the Biden administration from changing the definition of obligation as it relates to State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and the timeline for spending some of that money.

Iowa Sens. Charles Grassley and Joni Ernst were among the 46 senators who voted in favor of the resolution expressing congressional disapproval of the administrations new rule.

Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said during floor debate that the Treasury Departments change in guidance, which was released in November, was trying to pull a fast one on Congress.

Treasurys attempted sleight of hand to keep the COVID spending spigot on is an insult to Congress and those who believe in our Constitution, as well as a complete misuse of taxpayer dollars, Schmitt said.

The fund for state and local governments, Schmitt said, was intended to assist with revenue shortfalls tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and the law clearly stated that all costs incurred with money from this fund must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2024.

The interim final rule that the Treasury Department released around Thanksgiving extended that deadline by two years for administrative and legal costs, such as compliance costs and internal control requirements, he said.

This rule ensures that funding does not go to bridges or broadband, but to bureaucrats, Schmitt said.

Projects affected in multiple states

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against the CRA resolution during floor debate, saying it could have impacted 17 projects in Georgia, 160 in Michigan, 342 in Ohio, 50 in Arizona, 404 in Montana and 73 in West Virginia.

Nationwide there could be thousands of projects closed. Tens or even hundreds of jobs lost, Wyden said. This one is one of the most unusual votes that Ive seen recently, a true head scratcher.

Wyden said he didnt see a good reason for the United States Senate to backtrack on solid, bipartisan progress and have this chamber act in a way that leaves more of our nations infrastructure in a state of disrepair.

Schmitt said during a press conference before the vote that the claim the CRA resolution would have impacted projects already underway was a lie.

Essentially the obligations that are committed before the end of 2024, according to existing law, will be honored, Schmitt said. What this says is that you cant extend that out into 25 and 26. That was never the congressional intent here.

Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, also speaking at the GOP press conference, said the CRA resolution would claw back about $13 billion and went as far as calling it illegal spending.

The clock is going to run out, but Joe Biden is trying to circumvent the law once again, Marshall said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic is over and spending from those laws needs to wind down.

Counties, cities opposed

Schmitt introduced the two-page CRA resolution in February along with Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Marshall and Rick Scott of Florida.

The National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and the Government Finance Officers Association urged lawmakers to vote against the CRA in a written statement released Wednesday before the vote.

The $350 billion SLFRF provided $65.1 billion to every city and county in America, and since 2021, localities have used these crucial resources to meet the unique needs of residents and support long-term economic prosperity, the statement read.

The three organizations wrote that the Treasury Departments interim final rule recognized the importance of flexibility in facilitating the effective rollout of recovery funds, including our ability to use funds for certain personnel costs and to re-obligate funds where necessary.

The White House released a Statement of Administration Policy on Wednesday, saying that President Joe Biden would veto the CRA had it reached his desk.

The CRA resolution, it said, could result in projects being canceled midstream, reduced project management and oversight, and higher costs as state and local governments are forced to contract out programs.

Nearly all SLFRF funds have been committed to projects, including infrastructure and disaster relief projects made eligible by bipartisan legislation, the SAP read. S.J. Res. 57 would create unnecessary uncertainty for recipients that are executing on projects, jeopardize important work underway, and inappropriately constrain Treasurys ability to address ongoing implementation issues.

The post U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash

Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right. (Jennifer Shutt | States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 46-49 vote on the Congressional Review Act resolution ended an attempt by several GOP senators to block the Biden administration from changing the definition of obligation as it relates to State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and the timeline for spending some of that money.

Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said during floor debate that the Treasury Departments change in guidance, which was released in November, was trying to pull a fast one on Congress.

Treasurys attempted sleight of hand to keep the COVID spending spigot on is an insult to Congress and those who believe in our Constitution, as well as a complete misuse of taxpayer dollars, Schmitt said.

The fund for state and local governments, Schmitt said, was intended to assist with revenue shortfalls tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and the law clearly stated that all costs incurred with money from this fund must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2024.

The interim final rule that the Treasury Department released around Thanksgiving extended that deadline by two years for administrative and legal costs, such as compliance costs and internal control requirements, he said.

This rule ensures that funding does not go to bridges or broadband, but to bureaucrats, Schmitt said.

Projects affected in multiple states

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against the CRA resolution during floor debate, saying it could have impacted 17 projects in Georgia, 160 in Michigan, 342 in Ohio, 50 in Arizona, 404 in Montana and 73 in West Virginia.

Nationwide there could be thousands of projects closed. Tens or even hundreds of jobs lost, Wyden said. This one is one of the most unusual votes that Ive seen recently, a true head scratcher.

Wyden said he didnt see a good reason for the United States Senate to backtrack on solid, bipartisan progress and have this chamber act in a way that leaves more of our nations infrastructure in a state of disrepair.

Schmitt said during a press conference before the vote that the claim the CRA resolution would have impacted projects already underway was a lie.

Essentially the obligations that are committed before the end of 2024, according to existing law, will be honored, Schmitt said. What this says is that you cant extend that out into 25 and 26. That was never the congressional intent here.

Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, also speaking at the GOP press conference, said the CRA resolution would claw back about $13 billion and went as far as calling it illegal spending.

The clock is going to run out, but Joe Biden is trying to circumvent the law once again, Marshall said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic is over and spending from those laws needs to wind down.

Counties, cities opposed

Schmitt introduced the two-page CRA resolution in February along with Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Marshall and Rick Scott of Florida.

The National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and the Government Finance Officers Association urged lawmakers to vote against the CRA in a written statement released Wednesday before the vote.

The $350 billion SLFRF provided $65.1 billion to every city and county in America, and since 2021, localities have used these crucial resources to meet the unique needs of residents and support long-term economic prosperity, the statement read.

The three organizations wrote that the Treasury Departments interim final rule recognized the importance of flexibility in facilitating the effective rollout of recovery funds, including our ability to use funds for certain personnel costs and to re-obligate funds where necessary.

The White House released a Statement of Administration Policy on Wednesday, saying that President Joe Biden would veto the CRA had it reached his desk.

The CRA resolution, it said, could result in projects being canceled midstream, reduced project management and oversight, and higher costs as state and local governments are forced to contract out programs.

Nearly all SLFRF funds have been committed to projects, including infrastructure and disaster relief projects made eligible by bipartisan legislation, the SAP read. S.J. Res. 57 would create unnecessary uncertainty for recipients that are executing on projects, jeopardize important work underway, and inappropriately constrain Treasurys ability to address ongoing implementation issues.

The post U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash

Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 46-49 vote on the Congressional Review Act resolution ended an attempt by several GOP senators to block the Biden administration from changing the definition of obligation as it relates to State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and the timeline for spending some of that money.

Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said during floor debate that the Treasury Departments change in guidance, which was released in November, was trying to pull a fast one on Congress.

Treasurys attempted sleight of hand to keep the COVID spending spigot on is an insult to Congress and those who believe in our Constitution, as well as a complete misuse of taxpayer dollars, Schmitt said.

The fund for state and local governments, Schmitt said, was intended to assist with revenue shortfalls tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and the law clearly stated that all costs incurred with money from this fund must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2024.

The interim final rule that the Treasury Department released around Thanksgiving extended that deadline by two years for administrative and legal costs, such as compliance costs and internal control requirements, he said.

This rule ensures that funding does not go to bridges or broadband, but to bureaucrats, Schmitt said.

Projects affected in multiple states

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against the CRA resolution during floor debate, saying it could have impacted 17 projects in Georgia, 160 in Michigan, 342 in Ohio, 50 in Arizona, 404 in Montana and 73 in West Virginia.

Nationwide there could be thousands of projects closed. Tens or even hundreds of jobs lost, Wyden said. This one is one of the most unusual votes that Ive seen recently, a true head scratcher.

Wyden said he didnt see a good reason for the United States Senate to backtrack on solid, bipartisan progress and have this chamber act in a way that leaves more of our nations infrastructure in a state of disrepair.

Schmitt said during a press conference before the vote that the claim the CRA resolution would have impacted projects already underway was a lie.

Essentially the obligations that are committed before the end of 2024, according to existing law, will be honored, Schmitt said. What this says is that you cant extend that out into 25 and 26. That was never the congressional intent here.

Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, also speaking at the GOP press conference, said the CRA resolution would claw back about $13 billion and went as far as calling it illegal spending.

The clock is going to run out, but Joe Biden is trying to circumvent the law once again, Marshall said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic is over and spending from those laws needs to wind down.

Counties, cities opposed

Schmitt introduced the two-page CRA resolution in February along with Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Marshall and Rick Scott of Florida.

The National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and the Government Finance Officers Association urged lawmakers to vote against the CRA in a written statement released Wednesday before the vote.

The $350 billion SLFRF provided $65.1 billion to every city and county in America, and since 2021, localities have used these crucial resources to meet the unique needs of residents and support long-term economic prosperity, the statement read.

The three organizations wrote that the Treasury Departments interim final rule recognized the importance of flexibility in facilitating the effective rollout of recovery funds, including our ability to use funds for certain personnel costs and to re-obligate funds where necessary.

The White House released a Statement of Administration Policy on Wednesday, saying that President Joe Biden would veto the CRA had it reached his desk.

The CRA resolution, it said, could result in projects being canceled midstream, reduced project management and oversight, and higher costs as state and local governments are forced to contract out programs.

Nearly all SLFRF funds have been committed to projects, including infrastructure and disaster relief projects made eligible by bipartisan legislation, the SAP read. S.J. Res. 57 would create unnecessary uncertainty for recipients that are executing on projects, jeopardize important work underway, and inappropriately constrain Treasurys ability to address ongoing implementation issues.

The post U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash

: Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

: Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 46-49 vote on the Congressional Review Act resolution ended an attempt by several GOP senators to block the Biden administration from changing the definition of obligation as it relates to State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and the timeline for spending some of that money.

Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said during floor debate that the Treasury Departments change in guidance, which was released in November, was trying to pull a fast one on Congress.

Treasurys attempted sleight of hand to keep the COVID spending spigot on is an insult to Congress and those who believe in our Constitution, as well as a complete misuse of taxpayer dollars, Schmitt said.

The fund for state and local governments, Schmitt said, was intended to assist with revenue shortfalls tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and the law clearly stated that all costs incurred with money from this fund must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2024.

The interim final rule that the Treasury Department released around Thanksgiving extended that deadline by two years for administrative and legal costs, such as compliance costs and internal control requirements, he said.

This rule ensures that funding does not go to bridges or broadband, but to bureaucrats, Schmitt said.

Projects affected in multiple states

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against the CRA resolution during floor debate, saying it could have impacted 17 projects in Georgia, 160 in Michigan, 342 in Ohio, 50 in Arizona, 404 in Montana and 73 in West Virginia.

Nationwide there could be thousands of projects closed. Tens or even hundreds of jobs lost, Wyden said. This one is one of the most unusual votes that Ive seen recently, a true head scratcher.

Wyden said he didnt see a good reason for the United States Senate to backtrack on solid, bipartisan progress and have this chamber act in a way that leaves more of our nations infrastructure in a state of disrepair.

Schmitt said during a press conference before the vote that the claim the CRA resolution would have impacted projects already underway was a lie.

Essentially the obligations that are committed before the end of 2024, according to existing law, will be honored, Schmitt said. What this says is that you cant extend that out into 25 and 26. That was never the congressional intent here.

Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, also speaking at the GOP press conference, said the CRA resolution would claw back about $13 billion and went as far as calling it illegal spending.

The clock is going to run out, but Joe Biden is trying to circumvent the law once again, Marshall said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic is over and spending from those laws needs to wind down.

Counties, cities opposed

Schmitt introduced the two-page CRA resolution in February along with Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Marshall and Rick Scott of Florida.

The National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and the Government Finance Officers Association urged lawmakers to vote against the CRA in a written statement released Wednesday before the vote.

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn. (Photo: John Partipilo)

The $350 billion SLFRF provided $65.1 billion to every city and county in America, and since 2021, localities have used these crucial resources to meet the unique needs of residents and support long-term economic prosperity, the statement read.

The three organizations wrote that the Treasury Departments interim final rule recognized the importance of flexibility in facilitating the effective rollout of recovery funds, including our ability to use funds for certain personnel costs and to re-obligate funds where necessary.

The White House released a Statement of Administration Policy on Wednesday, saying that President Joe Biden would veto the CRA had it reached his desk.

The CRA resolution, it said, could result in projects being canceled midstream, reduced project management and oversight, and higher costs as state and local governments are forced to contract out programs.

Nearly all SLFRF funds have been committed to projects, including infrastructure and disaster relief projects made eligible by bipartisan legislation, the SAP read. S.J. Res. 57 would create unnecessary uncertainty for recipients that are executing on projects, jeopardize important work underway, and inappropriately constrain Treasurys ability to address ongoing implementation issues.

The post U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash appeared first on Tennessee Lookout.
U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash

Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt / States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 46-49 vote on the Congressional Review Act resolution ended an attempt by several GOP senators to block the Biden administration from changing the definition of obligation as it relates to State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and the timeline for spending some of that money.

Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said during floor debate that the Treasury Departments change in guidance, which was released in November, was trying to pull a fast one on Congress.

Treasurys attempted sleight of hand to keep the COVID spending spigot on is an insult to Congress and those who believe in our Constitution, as well as a complete misuse of taxpayer dollars, Schmitt said.

The fund for state and local governments, Schmitt said, was intended to assist with revenue shortfalls tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and the law clearly stated that all costs incurred with money from this fund must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2024.

The interim final rule that the Treasury Department released around Thanksgiving extended that deadline by two years for administrative and legal costs, such as compliance costs and internal control requirements, he said.

This rule ensures that funding does not go to bridges or broadband, but to bureaucrats, Schmitt said.

Projects affected in multiple states

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against the CRA resolution during floor debate, saying it could have impacted 17 projects in Georgia, 160 in Michigan, 342 in Ohio, 50 in Arizona, 404 in Montana and 73 in West Virginia.

Nationwide there could be thousands of projects closed. Tens or even hundreds of jobs lost, Wyden said. This one is one of the most unusual votes that Ive seen recently, a true head scratcher.

Wyden said he didnt see a good reason for the United States Senate to backtrack on solid, bipartisan progress and have this chamber act in a way that leaves more of our nations infrastructure in a state of disrepair.

Schmitt said during a press conference before the vote that the claim the CRA resolution would have impacted projects already underway was a lie.

Essentially the obligations that are committed before the end of 2024, according to existing law, will be honored, Schmitt said. What this says is that you cant extend that out into 25 and 26. That was never the congressional intent here.

Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, also speaking at the GOP press conference, said the CRA resolution would claw back about $13 billion and went as far as calling it illegal spending.

The clock is going to run out, but Joe Biden is trying to circumvent the law once again, Marshall said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic is over and spending from those laws needs to wind down.

Counties, cities opposed

Schmitt introduced the two-page CRA resolution in February along with Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Marshall and Rick Scott of Florida.

The National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and the Government Finance Officers Association urged lawmakers to vote against the CRA in a written statement released Wednesday before the vote.

The $350 billion SLFRF provided $65.1 billion to every city and county in America, and since 2021, localities have used these crucial resources to meet the unique needs of residents and support long-term economic prosperity, the statement read.

The three organizations wrote that the Treasury Departments interim final rule recognized the importance of flexibility in facilitating the effective rollout of recovery funds, including our ability to use funds for certain personnel costs and to re-obligate funds where necessary.

The White House released a Statement of Administration Policy on Wednesday, saying that President Joe Biden would veto the CRA had it reached his desk.

The CRA resolution, it said, could result in projects being canceled midstream, reduced project management and oversight, and higher costs as state and local governments are forced to contract out programs.

Nearly all SLFRF funds have been committed to projects, including infrastructure and disaster relief projects made eligible by bipartisan legislation, the SAP read. S.J. Res. 57 would create unnecessary uncertainty for recipients that are executing on projects, jeopardize important work underway, and inappropriately constrain Treasurys ability to address ongoing implementation issues.

The post U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash appeared first on Source New Mexico.
U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash

Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right.

Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding Congress approved during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 46-49 vote on the Congressional Review Act resolution ended an attempt by several GOP senators to block the Biden administration from changing the definition of obligation as it relates to State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and the timeline for spending some of that money.

Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said during floor debate that the Treasury Departments change in guidance, which was released in November, was trying to pull a fast one on Congress.

Treasurys attempted sleight of hand to keep the COVID spending spigot on is an insult to Congress and those who believe in our Constitution, as well as a complete misuse of taxpayer dollars, Schmitt said.

The fund for state and local governments, Schmitt said, was intended to assist with revenue shortfalls tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and the law clearly stated that all costs incurred with money from this fund must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2024.

The interim final rule that the Treasury Department released around Thanksgiving extended that deadline by two years for administrative and legal costs, such as compliance costs and internal control requirements, he said.

This rule ensures that funding does not go to bridges or broadband, but to bureaucrats, Schmitt said.

Projects affected in multiple states

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against the CRA resolution during floor debate, saying it could have impacted 17 projects in Georgia, 160 in Michigan, 342 in Ohio, 50 in Arizona, 404 in Montana and 73 in West Virginia.

Nationwide there could be thousands of projects closed. Tens or even hundreds of jobs lost, Wyden said. This one is one of the most unusual votes that Ive seen recently, a true head scratcher.

Wyden said he didnt see a good reason for the United States Senate to backtrack on solid, bipartisan progress and have this chamber act in a way that leaves more of our nations infrastructure in a state of disrepair.

Schmitt said during a press conference before the vote that the claim the CRA resolution would have impacted projects already underway was a lie.

Essentially the obligations that are committed before the end of 2024, according to existing law, will be honored, Schmitt said. What this says is that you cant extend that out into 25 and 26. That was never the congressional intent here.

Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, also speaking at the GOP press conference, said the CRA resolution would claw back about $13 billion and went as far as calling it illegal spending.

The clock is going to run out, but Joe Biden is trying to circumvent the law once again, Marshall said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic is over and spending from those laws needs to wind down.

Counties, cities opposed

Schmitt introduced the two-page CRA resolution in February along with Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Marshall and Rick Scott of Florida.

The National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and the Government Finance Officers Association urged lawmakers to vote against the CRA in a written statement released Wednesday before the vote.

The $350 billion SLFRF provided $65.1 billion to every city and county in America, and since 2021, localities have used these crucial resources to meet the unique needs of residents and support long-term economic prosperity, the statement read.

The three organizations wrote that the Treasury Departments interim final rule recognized the importance of flexibility in facilitating the effective rollout of recovery funds, including our ability to use funds for certain personnel costs and to re-obligate funds where necessary.

The White House released a Statement of Administration Policy on Wednesday, saying that President Joe Biden would veto the CRA had it reached his desk.

The CRA resolution, it said, could result in projects being canceled midstream, reduced project management and oversight, and higher costs as state and local governments are forced to contract out programs.

Nearly all SLFRF funds have been committed to projects, including infrastructure and disaster relief projects made eligible by bipartisan legislation, the SAP read. S.J. Res. 57 would create unnecessary uncertainty for recipients that are executing on projects, jeopardize important work underway, and inappropriately constrain Treasurys ability to address ongoing implementation issues.

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The post U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator.
U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash

Nebraska Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Also pictured, from left, are Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson.

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 46-49 vote on the Congressional Review Act resolution ended an attempt by several GOP senators to block the Biden administration from changing the definition of obligation as it relates to State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and the timeline for spending some of that money.

Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said during floor debate that the Treasury Departments change in guidance, which was released in November, was trying to pull a fast one on Congress.

Treasurys attempted sleight of hand to keep the COVID spending spigot on is an insult to Congress and those who believe in our Constitution, as well as a complete misuse of taxpayer dollars, Schmitt said.

The fund for state and local governments, Schmitt said, was intended to assist with revenue shortfalls tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and the law clearly stated that all costs incurred with money from this fund must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2024.

The interim final rule that the Treasury Department released around Thanksgiving extended that deadline by two years for administrative and legal costs, such as compliance costs and internal control requirements, he said.

This rule ensures that funding does not go to bridges or broadband, but to bureaucrats, Schmitt said.

Projects affected in multiple states

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against the CRA resolution during floor debate, saying it could have impacted 17 projects in Georgia, 160 in Michigan, 342 in Ohio, 50 in Arizona, 404 in Montana and 73 in West Virginia.

Nationwide there could be thousands of projects closed. Tens or even hundreds of jobs lost, Wyden said. This one is one of the most unusual votes that Ive seen recently, a true head scratcher.

Wyden said he didnt see a good reason for the United States Senate to backtrack on solid, bipartisan progress and have this chamber act in a way that leaves more of our nations infrastructure in a state of disrepair.

Schmitt said during a press conference before the vote that the claim the CRA resolution would have impacted projects already underway was a lie.

Essentially the obligations that are committed before the end of 2024, according to existing law, will be honored, Schmitt said. What this says is that you cant extend that out into 25 and 26. That was never the congressional intent here.

Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, also speaking at the GOP press conference, said the CRA resolution would claw back about $13 billion and went as far as calling it illegal spending.

The clock is going to run out, but Joe Biden is trying to circumvent the law once again, Marshall said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic is over and spending from those laws needs to wind down.

Counties, cities opposed

Schmitt introduced the two-page CRA resolution in February along with Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Marshall and Rick Scott of Florida.

The National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and the Government Finance Officers Association urged lawmakers to vote against the CRA in a written statement released Wednesday before the vote.

The $350 billion SLFRF provided $65.1 billion to every city and county in America, and since 2021, localities have used these crucial resources to meet the unique needs of residents and support long-term economic prosperity, the statement read.

The three organizations wrote that the Treasury Departments interim final rule recognized the importance of flexibility in facilitating the effective rollout of recovery funds, including our ability to use funds for certain personnel costs and to re-obligate funds where necessary.

The White House released a Statement of Administration Policy on Wednesday, saying that President Joe Biden would veto the CRA had it reached his desk.

The CRA resolution, it said, could result in projects being canceled midstream, reduced project management and oversight, and higher costs as state and local governments are forced to contract out programs.

Nearly all SLFRF funds have been committed to projects, including infrastructure and disaster relief projects made eligible by bipartisan legislation, the SAP read. S.J. Res. 57 would create unnecessary uncertainty for recipients that are executing on projects, jeopardize important work underway, and inappropriately constrain Treasurys ability to address ongoing implementation issues.

The post U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash

Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 46-49 vote on the Congressional Review Act resolution ended an attempt by several GOP senators to block the Biden administration from changing the definition of obligation as it relates to State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and the timeline for spending some of that money. North Dakota Republican Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer voted yes.

Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said during floor debate that the Treasury Departments change in guidance, which was released in November, was trying to pull a fast one on Congress.

Treasurys attempted sleight of hand to keep the COVID spending spigot on is an insult to Congress and those who believe in our Constitution, as well as a complete misuse of taxpayer dollars, Schmitt said.

The fund for state and local governments, Schmitt said, was intended to assist with revenue shortfalls tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and the law clearly stated that all costs incurred with money from this fund must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2024.

The interim final rule that the Treasury Department released around Thanksgiving extended that deadline by two years for administrative and legal costs, such as compliance costs and internal control requirements, he said.

This rule ensures that funding does not go to bridges or broadband, but to bureaucrats, Schmitt said.

Projects affected in multiple states

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against the CRA resolution during floor debate, saying it could have impacted 17 projects in Georgia, 160 in Michigan, 342 in Ohio, 50 in Arizona, 404 in Montana and 73 in West Virginia.

Nationwide there could be thousands of projects closed. Tens or even hundreds of jobs lost, Wyden said. This one is one of the most unusual votes that Ive seen recently, a true head scratcher.

Wyden said he didnt see a good reason for the United States Senate to backtrack on solid, bipartisan progress and have this chamber act in a way that leaves more of our nations infrastructure in a state of disrepair.

Schmitt said during a press conference before the vote that the claim the CRA resolution would have impacted projects already underway was a lie.

Essentially the obligations that are committed before the end of 2024, according to existing law, will be honored, Schmitt said. What this says is that you cant extend that out into 25 and 26. That was never the congressional intent here.

Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, also speaking at the GOP press conference, said the CRA resolution would claw back about $13 billion and went as far as calling it illegal spending.

The clock is going to run out, but Joe Biden is trying to circumvent the law once again, Marshall said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic is over and spending from those laws needs to wind down.

Counties, cities opposed

Schmitt introduced the two-page CRA resolution in February along with Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Marshall and Rick Scott of Florida.

The National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and the Government Finance Officers Association urged lawmakers to vote against the CRA in a written statement released Wednesday before the vote.

The $350 billion SLFRF provided $65.1 billion to every city and county in America, and since 2021, localities have used these crucial resources to meet the unique needs of residents and support long-term economic prosperity, the statement read.

The three organizations wrote that the Treasury Departments interim final rule recognized the importance of flexibility in facilitating the effective rollout of recovery funds, including our ability to use funds for certain personnel costs and to re-obligate funds where necessary.

The White House released a Statement of Administration Policy on Wednesday, saying that President Joe Biden would veto the CRA had it reached his desk.

The CRA resolution, it said, could result in projects being canceled midstream, reduced project management and oversight, and higher costs as state and local governments are forced to contract out programs.

Nearly all SLFRF funds have been committed to projects, including infrastructure and disaster relief projects made eligible by bipartisan legislation, the SAP read. S.J. Res. 57 would create unnecessary uncertainty for recipients that are executing on projects, jeopardize important work underway, and inappropriately constrain Treasurys ability to address ongoing implementation issues.

The post U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash appeared first on North Dakota Monitor.
RFK, the former home of the then-Washington Redskins, was in the news again Wednesday.

A U.S. Senate subcommittee met regarding the administration of RFK being transferred to the city (Washington) from the National Park Service.

However, Republican Steve Daines of Montana spoke up, saying he represents his constituents in Montana: Im here representing a voice that is not being listened to, and that is the Blackfeet Tribe in Montana and the Wetzel family. I serve them

The U.S. House has approved the transfer, which would provide the city the go-ahead to redevelop the area where RFK stands deteriorating presently. The District mayor has, in the past, declared she wished for affordable housing and retail shops in the area. However, then she was opposed to the former owner Daniel Snyder and the name Redskins.

Daines appeared at the hearing with two posters dating back to the Redskins history with Walter Blackie Wetzel and Robert F. Kennedy and the Redskins old logo, which was actually suggested by Wetzel and approved by the franchise, resulting in their iconic helmet worn from the 1972 through 2019 seasons.

Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) has two posters at the hearing. 1. Walter Blackie Wetzel with Robert F. Kennedy from the 1960s. 2. The teams old logo with Chief Two Guns White Calf. Background on why Daines opposes the RFK bill: https://t.co/CdG81lYZdk pic.twitter.com/OIFntoyWWb  Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) May 15, 2024

The shorthand of the entire presentation by Senator Daines was that he was actually not demanding the Washington Commanders reach back and take on again the name Redskins.

He is, however, demanding the Commanders bring back the old historic logo. Daines threatens that if they do not, he will block the RFK site bill.

Prior to Wednesdays subcommittee meeting, the Commanders released this statement, We have spoken directly with the Wetzel family and are working collaboratively to recognize Blackie Wetzel for his contributions in creating our former logo, a Commanders spokesperson said in a statement.

Commanders fans have no reason to get excited. Nothing here points to the Harris Ownership Group making a huge leap back to the team being named the Redskins.

However, perhaps there will be some sort of utilization of the old logo in limited circumstances.

In 2020, in the wake of the George Floyd death, former minority owner Fred Smith began an attack upon majority owner Daniel Snyder threatening Snyder should drop the Redskins name. Shortly afterward, Federal Express, Nike, and Pepsi withdrew their support from Snyder, and the name Redskins was dropped.

Story originally appeared on Commanders Wire
JINAN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The ecology and environment department of east China's Shandong Province on Thursday released a white paper on biodiversity conservation in the Yellow River Delta, showcasing the concept and practices of biodiversity conservation in the region.

According to the white paper, Shandong has fundamentally established a biodiversity protection and governance system through the coordinated efforts of various government departments.

Last year, Shandong introduced the country's first provincial-level biodiversity protection regulations for both land and sea areas.

It has initiated the construction of sample fields for long-term investigation and monitoring work. So far, 527 such fields have been established across all 136 counties in the province, covering seven ecology types: forests, grasslands, oceans, wetlands, water bodies, farmlands, and urban and rural areas. 
The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily cleared the way for Louisiana to use a voting map with two majority-Black districts in this year's election, as the court's three liberal justices dissented. File photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI

May 15 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily cleared the way for Louisiana to use a voting map with two majority-Black districts in this year's election, a decision that could help Democrats pick up a seat in the divided House of Representatives.

The high court's decision Wednesday comes after Louisiana state officials and voting rights advocates made an emergency request in an effort to finalize a map this week and meet election bureaucratic deadlines.

The court's three liberal justices dissented, including Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson who said it was premature for the Supreme Court to intervene in the lower court's case.

"Redistricting raises unique and unusual timeliness concerns, with important deadlines weeks and even months before an election," Jackson wrote. "There is little risk of voter confusion from a new map being imposed this far out from the November election."

"The three-judge District Court in this action, after holding a full merits trial and finding the current map unconstitutional, scheduled the imposition of a remedial map for no later than June 4. In doing so, it rejected the state's argument that the real deadline for settling on a map is May 15," Jackson added.

"Rather than wading in now, I would have let the District Court's remedial process run its course before considering whether our emergency intervention was warranted."

In previous cases, the liberal justices have objected to changing district maps during an election year when it benefited Republicans.

In 2022, the Supreme Court reinstated Louisiana's Republican-drawn congressional map, freezing a lower court's ruling that said it violated the Voting Rights Act. The court's decision reset the map for the midterm election, despite arguments it was racially biased and would dilute the power of Black voters. Republicans won five of the six districts in the 2022 elections.

In January, Louisiana lawmakers approved a new congressional map in an effort to increase the number of majority-Black districts to represent the state's population which is nearly one-third Black.

On Wednesday, Democratic congressional candidate Cleo Fields -- who is running in Louisiana's new second majority-Black district -- applauded the Supreme Court decision to restore the map.

"The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision is a pivotal victory for Louisiana and resonates deeply with the essence of democracy," Louisiana state Sen. Fields wrote in a post on X.

"It reaffirms our collective commitment to justice and fair representation, ensuring that the voices of all Louisianans are heard and valued."
PINE BLUFF, Ark.  A student attending the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff shared his experience of surviving the Russian invasion of Ukraine amid his journey as a nursing student.

Kennedy Abanihe is originally from Lagos, Nigeria and he said he went to Ukraine to become a nursing student with hopes of eventually becoming an anesthesiologist.

When I left Lagos, Nigeria, I thought it was just going to be a smooth journey, oh six years in Ukraine easy, and it didnt happen that way, Abanihe said. The war happened I had to leave and stay with my cousin in Germany for a while.

U.S. leaders push allies to step up aid to Ukraine as they await further funding from Congress

While living with his cousin after the invasion of Ukraine, he began applying for schools in Germany and in the United States.

I got a scholarship here at UAPB, and one in Germany but I was trying to redirect my life, Abanihe said.

He said he didnt know anyone in Arkansas but he knew UAPB was the right move to make.

A Kremlin shake-up of Russias Defense Ministry comes at a key moment in the Ukraine war

Abanihe said many international students ask to hear his story and want to know why he kept going after leaving so much behind.

Perseverance. I had to focus on where I wanted to be and I didnt let the distractions get me off track, he said.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
Uber unveils new shuttle service, discounts for students, Costco partnership and more

Consumers are pulling back on spending because of inflation and Uber is hoping to help encourage more riders with new promotions and services that will make it easier and cheaper to get to their destinations.

Uber Shuttle bus service

Uber Shuttle is a new way for riders to get to their favorite big events like concert venues or the airport for their next flight, without the dreaded surge pricing.

Customers can reserve a seat up to seven days in advance for the new service on a local shuttle that holds between 14 to 55 people, with other riders heading to the same place, for what the company said will cost "a fraction of the price of an UberX."

PHOTO: An example seen here of the user experience for the newly announced Uber Shuttle. (Uber Shuttle)

At launch, Uber Shuttle will be available in Miami, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Charlotte, with plans to expand.

Uber shared exclusively with "Good Morning America" that the concert shuttle planned for Miami this summer will cost just $15 to $25 per seat, which is a fraction of the cost of a regular Uber during big events.

New scheduled UberX rides

Another part of the new Go-Get 2024 launch includes scheduling a shared ride in advance, which the company said will help "save an average of 25% compared to UberX."

Commuters can reserve a seat in an UberX Share anytime from 10 minutes to 30 days ahead, and lock in the price.

Students save 50% on UberOne membership

PHOTO: Uber One for students is just $4.99 per month or $48 per year. (Uber Shuttle)

The new membership program offers the same savings that come with UberOne at half the price for college students, $4.99 per month or $48 per year.

The membership ensures $0 delivery fees and up to 10% off orders, plus there will be special student deals and free items on orders from Domino's, Starbucks and Taco Bell.

Starbucks: 5% off all orders daily from 12-6 p.m. and a free Refresher beverage every Monday when you spend $15 or more.

Taco Bell: Enjoy 5% off all orders every day and get a free soft taco every Tuesday when you spend $20 or more.

Domino's: The membership offers 5% off all orders daily and a free pepperoni stuffed cheesy bread every Wednesday with a $20 purchase.

Uber Eats partners with Costco

The product delivery arm of the company is now working with the wholesale club to make summer entertaining a breeze, offering Uber Eats delivery on Costco orders.

Costco members can also get 20% off an annual UberOne membership.

Uber Caregiver

Customers will be able to add caregivers directly in their Uber app so that caregivers can easily book them rides to doctor appointments, purchase medical supplies and over-the-counter items, and even order groceries.

Plus, it will apply their health care benefits when eligible to minimize out-of-pocket costs. There's also a built-in three-way chat in the app to help caregivers more easily communicate with the driver or courier.

Uber Eats Lists

Users can discover recommendations and share their own curated favorites with the new lists feature.

Uber unveils new shuttle service, discounts for students, Costco partnership and more originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
47 people arrested at UC Irvine after police, sheriff called in over protest

Tensions at the University of California, Irvine campus escalated Wednesday as a group of several hundred pro-Palestinian protesters entered a lecture hall and surrounded the building, according to school officials.

The Irvine Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff's Department were called to the scene after the university called for mutual aid from local law enforcement agencies, UC Irvine said in an emergency update.

Authorities were seen putting protesters in zip-ties and escorting them away from the main protest area.

MORE: Organizing massive campus protests required logistical savvy. Here's how students pulled it off.

The school initially said Thursday that 50 people were arrested during the incident, but later corrected that number to 47 individuals, mostly for failure to disperse, though some were arrested for trespassing.

Among the total number of arrests, 19 individuals were not affiliated with the university, two were school employees and 26 were students.

"I was prepared to allow a peaceful encampment to exist on the campus without resorting to police intervention, even though the encampment violated our policies and the existence of the encampment was a matter of great distress to other members of our community," Chancellor Howard Gillman said in a letter to the community Thursday.

"And so after weeks when the encampers assured our community that they were committed to maintaining a peaceful and nondisruptive encampment, it was terrible to see that they would dramatically alter the situation in a way that was a direct assault on the rights of other students and the university mission," he continued.

PHOTO: In this screen grab from a video, pro-Palestinian demonstrators stand in front of a line of police as they clear an encampment at the University of California, Irvine, in Irvine, Calif., on May 15, 2025. (KABC)

Police took down barricades from the encampment and people were asked to leave the building.

Protesters entered the Physical Sciences Lecture Hall on the UC Irvine campus at approximately 2:30 p.m. local time, according to the university.

PHOTO: A pro-Palestinian demonstrator clash is arrested by police as an encampment is cleared after occupying and barricading the Physical Sciences Lecture Hall at the University of California, Irvine, in Irvine, Calif., on May 15, 2025. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Classes for the remainder of the day were canceled and school officials urged anyone in the immediate area to evacuate until further notice.

"Anyone currently in buildings in the vicinity of the protest are advised to exit buildings & leave area at this time," UC Irvine wrote in an update on X. "Please disregard all previous orders to shelter in place. If able, please leave immediately & continue to avoid the protest area until further notice."

By Wednesday night, police had broken up the campus encampment.

UCI said classes on Thursday would be remote.

"UC Irvine will move to remote instruction on Thursday, May 16. Unless specifically noted, all employees should work remotely. Resident students may still access dining facilities. Protest activity continues. Please avoid area until further notice," read a post on the school's X page Wednesday night.

PHOTO: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators stand in front of a line of police as they clear an encampment after students occupied the Physical Sciences Lecture Hall at the University of California, Irvine, in Irvine, Calif., on May 15, 2025. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

"Im sorry this campus I love so much had to experience this terrible and avoidable situation," Gillman wrote Thursday. "I remain steadfast in my commitment to protecting the rights of all members of our community to express whatever viewpoints they believe are essential for others to hear and engage."

Pro-Palestinian protesters have been present on the UC Irvine campus since establishing an encampment on April 29, according to the university.

MORE: College encampments protesting Israeli military operations in Gaza grow nationwide: What students are saying

Wednesday's unrest comes amid weeks of protests breaking out at universities across the country, calling for institutions to divest from companies that financially support Israel.

On Tuesday, UC Chief Investment Officer Jagdeep Singh Bachher announced that investments from companies that students are targeting in their call for divestment represent $32 billion, which is nearly one-fifth, of the UC system's overall assets.

Last month, the University of California president said the institutions would not boycott or divest from Israel.

ABC News' Marilyn Heck and Vanessa Navarrete contributed to this report.

47 people arrested at UC Irvine after police, sheriff called in over protest originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Scores of law enforcement personnel from various agencies descended on UC Irvine on Wednesday to move hundreds of demonstrators protesting the treatment of Palestinians and the UC system's investments in Israeli interests. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

A clash between police and pro-Palestinian protesters at UC Irvine now includes the mayors of Irvine and Newport Beach.

After his city's police department responded to a request for mutual aid at the Orange County campus Wednesday, Newport Beach Mayor Will O'Neill took umbrage at a social media post by Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan, who asked the college administration to avoid a "violent scenario" with the protests.

The scene played out in a similar fashion to other pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses across the country, with police in riot gear clashing with student protesters.

The UC Irvine administration put out a call for police agencies from across Orange County to join the Irvine Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff's Department "as protesters swarmed the campus joining a group of protesters who had established an encampment on the campus," the university said Wednesday afternoon in an emergency bulletin.

Khan, who took the mayoral office in 2020, wrote in a post on the social media platform X that it was "a shame that peaceful free speech protests are always responded to with violence. Taking space on campus or in a building is not a threat to anyone."

The university's "leadership must do everything they can to avoid creating a violent scenario here. These are your students w/ zero weapons," Khan said.

Police officers from Newport Beach are currently in Irvine providing assistance at the request of a mutual aid call. Your careless wording makes it appear that you are preemptively accusing our officers, and officers from the many law enforcement agencies who responded, of  Will O'Neill (@RealWillONeill) May 16, 2024

Khan, a Democrat elected to the City Council in 2018, is the first Muslim woman to hold the Irvine mayor's office.

Her comments drew a swift response from O'Neill, who accused her of "careless wording." The post, O'Neill said on X, "makes it appear that you are preemptively accusing our officers, and officers from the many law enforcement agencies who responded, of violence."

"If thats what you meant, then your message is beneath the office of Mayor. If it is not, then clarify immediately," said O'Neill, a Republican who is currently serving in his second term as Newport Beach's mayor.

O'Neill said in an emailed statement to The Times on Thursday that Khan's "preemptive insult" to the police agencies who responded to the request for law enforcement on campus was "reckless and ill-advised."

He's asked for clarification or an apology to the Newport Beach Police Department, but said he hasn't heard from the city of Irvine.

"Her words, though, will not stop the Newport Beach Police Department from providing mutual aid to the good residents of Irvine in the event that assistance is required again," O'Neill said. "Our Newport Beach Police Department answers the call, and Im proud of them."

Khan did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The actions at UC Irvine began around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday amid protesters' calling on the university to divest from companies with ties to Israel. The campus announced in a social media post that a group of protesters had entered a lecture hall, with the building takeover broadcast over Instagram. Protesters hung signs that read, "UC Divest from genocide," while others erected a barricade with wooden pallets.

Police officers moved into the campus Wednesday evening armed with nonlethal projectile launchers and ripped down the makeshift barriers and encampments.

The university, which moved classes online Thursday, reported that 47 people were arrested, including 26 students and two UCI employees.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Editors note: This story is available as a result of a content partnership between WFTV and the Orlando Business Journal.

The University of Central Florida Board of Trustees on May 17 will replace Vice Chair Harold Mills after he resigned from his position earlier this week following his May 9 arrest tied to a prostitution sting in Seminole County.

Harold has always looked out for the community, and until the case is resolved, he felt this was the best course of action, his attorney Mark NeJame told Orlando Business Journal about why Mills decided to resign from the board.

Mills on May 13 pled not guilty to two misdemeanor charges of alleged indecent exposure and prostitution, according to court documents.

Read: National Barbecue Day: 4 Rivers offering $5 sandwiches

Click here to read the full story on the Orlando Business Journals website.

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UK plan to tackle rise in superbugs criticised as words not action by major charity

The UK governments new plan to tackle the global rise in superbugs has been criticised as words not action by a major British charity and a cross-party group of MPs.

Despite saying it intends to invest in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programs abroad to help curb the spread of drug-resistant infections, the foreign office has cut overseas funding in this area by 77 per cent since 2018, according to the charity WaterAid.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is set to kill 10 million people every year by 2050, far surpassing the death toll from infectious diseases like HIV and malaria.

A lack of safe water is a major contributor to the spread of resistant infections, and currently around 700 million people  mostly in Africa  do not have access. Unhygienic conditions spread disease, and in turn the need for drugs like antibiotics.

Poor sanitation and wastewater management also means resistant microbes can spread to other humans and animals through contaminated water, soil, and food.

A lack of safe water is a major contributor to the spread of resistant infections - Ranita Roy/WaterAid

In its latest report on AMR, the government said it will support health systems to strengthen their water, sanitation, and hygiene provisions  which helps to reduce the need for antibiotics in countries overseas, but was vague on how it would do so.

Theres an alarming mismatch between the governments words and actions, and they need to put money where their mouth is, said WaterAid CEO Tim Wainwright.

The foreign office has cut its funding for WASH significantly over the last six years, which now represents just 0.45 per cent of the governments overseas aid budget.

Consequently, programmes designed to provide safe drinking water, modern toilets, and waste management systems in partner countries like Mali and Zimbabwe have been forced to descale  or completely cease  operations.

Despite this, the government said that it recognises the importance of assisting other countries to address AMR, including providing financial and technical support to build capacity for water and sanitation.

The plan says all the right things, but were in an environment where investment in WASH has been far lower than it should have been, Wainwright added.

AMR doesnt respect borders

Termed the silent pandemic, AMR is directly responsible for 1.27 million deaths every year as bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens further evolve to evade modern medicine.

But its not just a problem for the developing world  in England alone, 58,224 people had an antibiotic-resistant infection in 2022, up by 4 per cent from the previous year.

Like Covid, AMR doesnt respect borders  just because we have a good domestic record on this issue, its meaningless if we dont tackle it worldwide, said Tory MP Julian Sturdy, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on AMR.

The MPs have now urged Foreign Secretary David Cameron to up the UKs overseas aid budget for WASH to at least 10 per cent to tackle AMR on a global scale.

The budget might even need to go beyond that 10 per cent figure, and I certainly agree with the principle that we need to spend more on WASH, Sturdy told The Telegraph.

The UK is far from immune from the spread of infectious diseases, and while Covid-19 has reminded us of this, we are still sleepwalking  and inadequate WASH, especially in healthcare settings, is fueling this threat, added Fleur Anderson, Labour MP and member of the APPG on AMR.

UK cuts on aid spending have affected overseas development projects across the board in recent years. In November 2020, the Government announced aid would be temporarily cut from 0.7 per cent of gross domestic income to 0.5 per cent, owing to the effect of Covid-19 on the economy.

Between 2020 and 2022, UK spending on global health fell by 38.6 per cent and now represents just 10.1 per cent of the nations foreign aid contribution.

Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security

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CARACAS, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Participants from member countries of Latin American regional bloc Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People's Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) and the Venezuelan government gathered here Wednesday in an event to show solidarity with the people of Palestine.

The participants raised a giant flag of Palestine atop one of the highest mountain peaks in Caracas at Waraira Repano National Park.

The ceremony took place on the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, or Catastrophe, referring to the Palestinian exodus.

Executive Secretary of ALBA-TCP Jorge Arreaza said in a speech that the bloc's 10 member countries recently voted at the UN General Assembly in favor of the full recognition of Palestinian statehood.

He called for "permanent action" from governments and people around the world to press for the "free existence of the Palestinian state."

Palestinian Ambassador in Caracas Fadi Alzaben thanked Venezuela and the ALBA-TCP bloc for the "symbolic act" of flying "our Palestinian flag at majestic Waraira Repano." 
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Tusk. Photo: Getty Images

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk agreed in a telephone conversation on 16 May to immediately begin preparing a bilateral security agreement.

Source: Zelenskyy on Twitter (X), European Pravda writes

Details: Zelenskyy and Tusk discussed the situation in Kharkiv Oblast, where Russian forces have launched a new offensive, and Ukraine's need for air defence "to protect Kharkiv and other oblasts".

The president also noted that the two discussed the threat posed by Russia to gas infrastructure in the west of Ukraine and ways to counter it.

"We also directed our teams to begin working on the bilateral security agreement text right away. Such an agreement between historical partners must be as ambitious as possible," Zelenskyy concluded.

Earlier this week, Ukrainian Ambassador to Warsaw Vasyl Zvarych stated that interagency coordination of the security agreement text was underway in Poland and that the draft should be handed over to the Ukrainian side in the coming days.

Background:

So far, Ukraine has signed bilateral security agreements with nine countries, Latvia being the most recent. Another is expected to be signed with Norway.

In early May, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the preparation of security agreements with seven countries, including the United States.

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Ukraine war latest: Zelensky says situation in Kharkiv 'difficult' but 'under control,' Russia suffering 'significant losses'

Key updates on May 16:

Zelensky in Kharkiv: Situation 'difficult' but 'under control,' Russia suffers losses

Denmark announces more than $815 million in new military assistance for Ukraine

Minister: Russia captures, shoots civilians in northern Vovchansk

Source: Ukrainian drones attack Russian defense manufacturer's facilities in Tula

Partisans: Ammunition depot hit at Belbek airfield in occupied Crimea

President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Kharkiv on May 16 and received reports from military commanders on the battlefield situation in the oblast.

Russia launched a new offensive with 30,000 troops on May 10, targeting Kharkiv Oblast, which is situated at the two countries' shared border in northeastern Ukraine.

Moscow's troops have focused their efforts in the directions of Lyptsi and Vovchansk, two settlements a few kilometers south of the border. According to the latest information, there is ongoing combat in the northern outskirts of Vovchansk.

Zelensky said that he had received detailed reports on the situation from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of the Khortytsia group of forces, Yurii Sodol, and the commander of the operational-tactical group "Kharkiv," Mykhailo Drapatyi.

"As of today, the situation in Kharkiv Oblast is generally under control, our soldiers are inflicting significant losses" on Russian troops, Zelensky said.

"However, the situation remains difficult, we are reinforcing our units."

The president also received reports from the heads of intelligence services on Russian plans.

"A plan for further actions has been defined, both for Kharkiv Oblast's regional authorities and all security structures in the region," Zelensky said.

Read also: Russias new Kharkiv offensive pushes Vovchansk to the brink of annihilation

Denmark announces more than $815 million in new military assistance for Ukraine

The Danish government announced a new package of military assistance for Ukraine on May 16 worth 5.6 billion Danish kroner (~$815 million).

The package is the 18th such delivery of military aid, the Danish Defense Ministry said. It includes 2.4 billion Danish kroner ($349 million) earmarked for air defense, as well as artillery pieces, shells, and other ammunition.

The package also allocates funds for future support of Ukraine's F-16 fighter jets, which will likely begin arriving in the summer. The Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, and Norway have pledged to supply Ukraine with dozens of U.S.-made fourth-generation jets.

Denmark earlier confirmed it would send the first batch of the fighter jets to Ukraine this summer, while the Netherlands plans to start delivering them in the autumn.

"With today's donation, we meet Ukraine's urgent need for more air defense, artillery, and ammunition," said Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen.

"The situation in Ukraine is very serious. There is no doubt that the Ukrainians need continued and massive support from allies," said Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.

"With this package, we are sending an unequivocal signal to both Ukraine and the outside world."

According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), which tracks international aid for Ukraine, Denmark is the fourth largest provider of military aid to Kyiv, committing around 4.7 billion euros ($5.1 billion) as of February 2024.

At 1.3% of GDP, Denmark is the second largest provider of military aid in terms of percentage of GDP.

Read also: Denmark donates $33 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine

Minister: Russia captures, shoots civilians in northern Vovchansk

Russian forces are taking Ukrainian civilians captive and preventing their evacuation in the embattled northern part of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on May 16.

"We know of (the) first cases of executions of civilians by the Russian military," Klymenko said on his Telegram channel.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry confirmed on May 15 that Russian units had entered the northern parts of the town, but the Ukrainian military reportedly prevented them from establishing a foothold deeper in Vovchansk.

Klymenko reported on a case when a Vovchansk resident was killed by Russian soldiers after he refused to obey their orders and attempted to escape on foot. Police investigators had opened a criminal case on the grounds of violations of rules of war.

Other civilians are being taken into captivity and forced into basements, according to the minister.

Ukraine's police officers continue evacuating people in spite of the ongoing hostilities, he added.

As of February, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has verified 30,457 civilian casualties, including 19,875 injured, as a result of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The OHCHR noted that the real number is likely higher. Russia does not allow monitoring in occupied territories, some of which likely suffered the heaviest costs in civilian lives, such as Mariupol.

A U.N. report from last December said that the international organization had documented 142 cases of summary executions of Ukrainian civilians by Russian forces.

Read also: Author of famous Azovstal photos on documenting Ukraines iron resistance in Mariupol

Source: Ukrainian drones attack Russian defense manufacturer's facilities in Tula

Drones operated by Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) hit production facilities of the state-owned Russian weapons manufacturing company "Basalt" in the city of Tula overnight on May 16, a military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent.

Russian air defenses shot down two drones over Tula Oblast, one over Bryansk Oblast, one over Kaluga Oblast, one over Belgorod Oblast, and six over occupied Crimea at night, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed.

"Basalt" is reportedly the main defense enterprise for the production and supply of weapons and ammunition for Russia's Ground Forces, Air Force and Navy, headquartered in Moscow.

The source did not specify the scale of the consequences of the attack.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) targeted an oil depot in Belgorod Oblast and an electrical substation in Lipetsk Oblast on May 13, according to the Kyiv Independent's source in Ukraine's security services.

Two days earlier, Ukraine's military intelligence claimed it was behind the attack on the oil refinery in Volgograd. The Kaluganefteprodukt oil depot and the Novolipetsk metallurgical plant were also reportedly struck by drones.

Partisans: Ammunition depot hit at Belbek airfield in occupied Crimea

The main missile and artillery depot of the Russian Belbek military airfield near occupied Sevastopol was damaged on the evening of May 15, according to the partisan group Atesh.

The Crimean Wind Telegram channel claimed earlier that the Belbek airfield was attacked, and a fuel depot caught fire as a result of the strike, according to eyewitnesses. Explosions were reported in occupied Sevastopol, Simferopol, Dzhankoi, and Hvardiiske.

The partisans claim that the damaged depot stored "most of the missiles" for Russian Su-27 and Su-30 fighter jets as well as MiG-31 aircraft, a carrier of Kinzhal ballistic missiles that Russia uses to attack Ukraine. The partisans did not explicitly say whether the stored ammunition included Kinzhals.

"There was also significant damage to the airfield's infrastructure as a result of (a) secondary detonation," Atesh claimed.

Russia's Defense Ministry alleged that five U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles were intercepted overnight by air defenses.

The Ukrainian military has not commented on the attacks. The Kyiv Independent could not verify all these claims.

Explosions were reportedly heard in occupied Sevastopol, and fires were burning near the Belbek military airfield earlier overnight on May 15.

Sevastopol is also home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet and is frequently targeted by Ukrainian missile and naval drone strikes.

Russian authorities regularly claim to have downed Ukrainian missiles and drones without reporting damage, though later reports at times emerge showing military targets or infrastructure that appear to have been struck.

Read also: Updated: Ukraine destroys Russian fast attack craft in occupied Crimea

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Screenshot from the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine video

The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine has shared footage of fighting taking place on the outskirts of the city of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast.

Source: State Border Guard Service of Ukraine

Details: Ukraines State Border Guard Service said that the border guards are fighting as part of Ukraines Defence Forces on the Kharkiv front.

The video shows a group of border guards making their way to join their brothers-in-arms despite intense Russian shelling.

Previously: On 16 May, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Ukraines Defence Forces disrupted Russias plans to drive a wedge into the built-up area of the city of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast and gain a foothold there.

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Ukraine's getting more longe-range missiles that leave the Russians with 'nowhere to hide'

Ukraine's getting more longe-range missiles that leave the Russians with 'nowhere to hide'

Ukraine's Western allies have promised to send it more long-range missiles.

Kyiv has already demonstrated it can use ATACMS and Storm Shadows to hit high-value Russian targets.

Former US military officers say more of these missiles will expose Russia on the battlefield.

NATO countries are outfitting Ukraine with additional long-range precision missiles that have already been used by the country to strike Russian airfields, naval headquarters, bridges, and other high-value targets.

These Western-provided missiles give Ukraine's deep-strike capability a major firepower boost. Former US military officers told Business Insider that the munitions could help Kyiv go after locations that are essential to Russia's operations, and leave its combat and support forces with "nowhere to hide."

Ukraine is facing Russian offensives that may get more intense going into the summer, but these weapons could help hamstring Moscow's efforts.

"If you're worried about Russian forces overrunning your defenses, you want to go after the headquarters and you want to go after the logistics that would enable Russian attacks," said Ben Hodges, a retired lieutenant general and former commander of US Army Europe.

An Army Tactical Missile System during live-fire testing at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico on Dec. 14, 2021 White Sands Missile Range/John Hamilton

The US last month acknowledged that it had secretly shipped Ukraine a number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, also known as ATACMS  earlier this spring as part of a $300 million weapons package it announced in March. The number of missiles isn't publicly known, but ATACMS missiles average about $1.3 million each.

Jake Sullivan, the Biden administration's national security advisor, said in late April that the US would send Ukraine more ATACMS after passing a $61 billion aid package that spent months held up by Republicans in Congress. The legislation required that Washington transfer the munitions.

ATACMS are tactical ballistic missiles that come in several variants. Ukraine previously received ones that have a range of 100 miles and can disperse nearly 1,000 submunitions over a large area, making them particularly damaging to airfields. Last fall, Kyiv used the missiles for that exact purpose.

The US also has ATACMS that can travel up to 190 miles; one variant has a unitary warhead, while the other can scatter some 300 submunitions. Ukraine has long pressed Washington for these extended-range missiles, though it's unclear what Kyiv has actually obtained.

A still from a video shared by the Ukrainian military of ATACMS in use. General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces/Screengrab via X

Around the same time, in late April, the UK announced it would send Ukraine additional Storm Shadow cruise missiles as part of the country's largest-ever weapons package (500 million, or $633 million), which included over 1,600 strike and air-defense munitions.

Days later, Britain's defense minister Grant Shapps disclosed for the first time that Italy had, at some point, also supplied Kyiv with Storm Shadow cruise missiles (France has sent Kyiv its own version of the munition called SCALP-EG).

These air-dropped missiles can fly at low altitudes to avoid detection and have been used to strike Russian naval headquarters and vehicle-repair depots in the occupied Crimean peninsula. Their 155-mile range puts them in between the ATACMS variants.

It's unclear exactly how many ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles have already arrived in Ukraine this spring, nor is it known how many more the country can expect to receive in the coming weeks as it tries to stall Russia's momentum on the ground. Kyiv previously obtained a limited number of both munitions from the US and its European allies.

A MBDA Storm Shadow/SCALP missile at the Farnborough Airshow in UK on July 17, 2018. Ben Stansall/AFP Photo via Getty Images

A larger arsenal of missiles could strip Russia of its ability to stage crucial assets within 100 miles of the front lines, said Dan Rice, a former US Army artillery officer who previously served as a special advisor to Ukrainian military leadership. "That puts tremendous pressure on all of their key high-value targets."

"You have a 600-mile front and then you've got a hundred miles deep  where do you hide everything?" said Rice, a longtime advocate for sending cluster munitions to Ukraine and now the president of American University Kyiv. "Your transportation nodes, your railway stations, your supply depots, command and control  most importantly, your anti-aircraft systems."

Ukraine's battlefield reach has steadily grown throughout the full-scale war. What started out with short-range artillery improved over time with the arrival of US-provided High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS. These game-changing weapons suddenly put Russian logistics centers, ammunition dumps, and command and control nodes within firing range.

Russia adapted to the HIMARS by moving its critical assets out of reach and jamming the munitions. The arrival of Storm Shadow missiles  and, several months later, ATAMCS  presented new challenges for Moscow, but Ukraine has received so few it has had to bee choosy over what to target.

A M142 HIMARS launches a rocket in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on May 18, 2023. Serhii Mykhalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

Hodges and Rice say a larger arsenal of ATACMS and Storm Shadows can give Ukraine both the reach and inventory to smash the high-value targets that sustain Moscow's war efforts like supply depots and maintenance facilities. Indeed, Kyiv has used the American missiles in recent weeks to strike Russian airfields and troop gatherings.

"When you start taking those off the board, then it doesn't matter how much untrained, mass infantry  cannon fodder  that the Russians have," Hodges said. "I think long-range precision strike is becoming the dominant factor on the battlefield."

Missiles like ATACMS and Storm Shadow "will enable Ukraine to neutralize Russia's advantages and eventually enable them to regain the initiative," he added. Ukraine has also long sought Germany's Taurus missile, whose range is more than a 100 miles farther than ATACMS, but Berlin has so far declined to provide them.

The increased arsenal comes at a critical point. Russia is making gains on the battlefield as its bigger war industry shifts to mass-producing the drones and glide bombs that are pounding Ukraine's defenses.

Russian Su-34 bombers used FAB-500 bombs with high-precision guidance hit Ukrainian fortifications and troops in the direction of Avdiivka on March 8, 2024. Russian Defense Ministry/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images

Ultimately, however, the effectiveness of Kyiv's long-range strike regime depends on how many munitions it receives  and how it uses them. Ukraine had long been restricted to using ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles only inside occupied territory, although the UK recently agreed to let Kyiv use its weapons to strike inside Russia.

Whether or not the US follows suit remains to be seen. Analysts and officials have said that US restrictions went on to prevent Ukraine from putting up an effective defense and have essentially allowed Russia to conduct a new assault in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

The advances appear to be the start of Moscow's anticipated summer offensive, as Ukrainian forces are increasingly stretched out across the front, Jack Watling, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, warned in an analysis this week.

"The outlook in Ukraine is bleak," Watling said. "However, if Ukraine's allies engage now to replenish Ukrainian munitions stockpiles, help to establish a robust training pipeline, and make the industrial investments to sustain the effort, then Russia's summer offensive can be blunted, and Ukraine will receive the breathing space it needs to regain the initiative."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Drones of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) damaged the production facilities of the Bazalt, Russian defence industry state enterprise, based in the city of Tula, on the night of 15-16 May.

Source: Ukrainska Pravda source in DIU

Quote: "A military facility in Tula was struck overnight into Thursday as a result of DIUs planned operations. The facility directly manufactures military products for the war against Ukraine."

Details: Open-source intelligence monitoring has confirmed that the incident was captured by street surveillance cameras.

     ,    

Osint- pic.twitter.com/SAe23Y3Xtn     (@ukrpravda_news) May 16, 2024

Russian media, on the other hand, claim that in Tula Oblast, the air defence system shot down two drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Note: Open sources indicate that Bazalt is a Russian defence facility focused on the development and supply of weapons and ammunition for the ground troops, the air force, and the navy.

Apart from its main division in Moscow, it includes a research and production unit in Krasnoarmeysk, Moscow Oblast, as well as production units in Tula and Kostroma oblasts.

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Ukraines Defence Forces have disrupted Russias plans to drive a wedge into the built-up area of the city of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast and gain a foothold there, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has reported.

Source: report by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 10:30 on 16 May

Quote: "Since the beginning of the enemys offensive actions on 10 May 2024 on the Kharkiv front, the Defence Forces of Ukraine have forced the Russians to significantly decrease the intensity of their actions. The enemys plans to drive a wedge as deeply as possible into the built-up area of Vovchansk and gain a foothold there have been disrupted. Since the beginning of the day, our units have continued to perform combat actions in the built-up area of Vovchansk in the northern part of the city and kept the enemy under fire control. Combat action is ongoing, and the situation is under control."

Details: 23 combat clashes have occurred since the beginning of the day. The Russians have launched two missile attacks, four airstrikes using eight guided aerial bombs and 48 attacks with kamikaze drones, as well as 564 attacks on Ukrainian positions.

On the Kupiansk front, the Russians, supported by armoured vehicles, are attempting to attack Ukrainian positions on the Krokhmalne-Berestove axis.

On the Siversk front, the Russians conducted one attack on the Vesele-Zvanivka axis. There have been no changes to the position of Ukrainian forces. Fighting is ongoing on the Yakovlivka-Rozdolivka axis.

On the Kramatorsk front, the Russians made three attempts to breach Ukrainian defences on the Bakhmut-Klishchiivka and Bakhmut-Andriivka axes, but to no avail.

On the Pokrovsk front, Ukrainian forces repelled three Russian attacks on the Vodiane-Netailove and Pervomaiske-Netailove fronts. Fighting is ongoing. The situation is under control.

On the Kurakhove front, the Russians launched three attacks on the Vodiane-Netailove and Slavne-Novomykhailivka axes.

On the Vremivka front, the Russians launched three attacks on the Staromlynivka-Urozhaine and Zavitne Bazhannia-Staromaiorske axes, but to no avail.

On the Prydniprovske front, the Russians have not given up their attempts to dislodge Ukrainian forces from the left bank of the Dnipro River.

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WELLINGTON, May 16 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand and Tuvalu reaffirmed their close relationship on Thursday, stressing cooperation in strengthening climate change resilience, improving water security, digital connectivity, and maritime safety.

New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters is in Funafuti, Tuvalu's capital, leading a delegation on a visit to the Pacific island country, highlighting New Zealand's commitment to supporting Tuvalu's development goals and priorities, said a New Zealand government statement.

Peters, also New Zealand's deputy prime minister, and the delegation have met with Tuvalu's senior leaders and government ministers for discussions.

"There's no denying the scale of the challenges Tuvalu faces, particularly those caused by the impacts of climate change," Peters said.

Tuvalu is the final stop in this week's Pacific tour of the New Zealand delegation before it returns home on Friday, following the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu. 
By Emma Farge

GENEVA (Reuters) -The U.N. aid chief warned on Thursday that famine was an immediate risk in Gaza with food stocks running out, describing fresh challenges since the start of the Israel's Rafah operation that made planning and distributing relief almost impossible.

As Israel has pounded southern Gaza, some 600,000 people or about half of the uprooted population sheltering there have fled to other areas of the besieged enclave, sometimes returning to bombed-out houses or empty fields.

Martin Griffiths said the global body was struggling to help them, with imports of aid all but halted through southern Gaza and fresh fighting adding to distribution challenges.

"Stocks of food which were in place already in southern Gaza are running out. I think we're talking about almost none left," Griffiths told Reuters in an interview in Geneva.

"And so the humanitarian operation is stuck, it's completely stuck. We can't do what we want to do," he said, calling the relief operation "unplannable".

Israel's military says its operation in Rafah is meant to kill Hamas fighters and dismantle infrastructure used by the group, which governs the blockaded Palestinian territory. Israel accuses Hamas of diverting aid, something the group denies.

Griffiths had previously warned that a military operation in Rafah would be deadly and put the U.N.'s fragile humanitarian operation "at death's door".

"What I think is so deeply, deeply tragic is that all the predictions that so many people, including us, but so many other member states and society have made about the consequences of an operation in Rafah are coming true," he said.

People who had moved to areas such as Al-Mawasi had no food or water and tents had run out, he added. "What is the hope for these people? They don't know what's coming next."

'ANGRY WORLD'

Aid officials have repeatedly warned of famine in the seven-month conflict, though their fears ebbed slightly in April as Israel ceded to international pressure to boost supplies.

Israel says U.N. agencies are to blame for not distributing aid more efficiently within the enclave, creating backlogs of supplies.

Asked about the current risk of famine, Griffiths said: "I think it's an immediate, clear and present danger because of the facts on the ground tell us we don't need to be scientists to see the consequence of the removal of food."

Griffiths, a British former diplomat who has also worked as a conflict mediator, is set to step down next month for health reasons after three years as the head of the UN's humanitarian branch which manages a multi-billion-dollar relief budget.

Griffiths voiced concern for the future given the high number of conflicts in what he described as an "angry world".

"It has never been as bad as this," he said.

"I'm very worried, I think that it's a world which has lost its way and we need to help find its way back to those norms that we all lived to create," he said.

(Reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by William Maclean and Andrew Heavens)
Students walk along South Road after a report of an armed and dangerous person on the University of North Carolina campus on Monday, August 28. 2023 in Chapel Hill, N.C.

In a response to last falls fatal on-campus shooting, UNC-Chapel Hill is receiving a recommendation that would require all faculty and staff to complete active-shooter training.

But it remains unclear whether university leaders will heed the guidance.

The recommendation comes as part of the after-action review the university commissioned in the months following the Aug. 28 shooting that locked down the campus for hours and left professor Zijie Yan dead. The university released a summary of the reports findings Thursday.

The News & Observer reported after the shooting that the universitys active-shooter training was not mandatory. Some UNC students recounted to The N&O in the days following the Aug. 28 shooting that they felt their professors were not prepared for the emergency.

The university was previously urged in a 2020 internal audit to require such training for faculty and staff, but the university failed to implement the recommendation, The N&O first reported.

Among other findings, the report recommends that the university create a mandatory active assailant training program for faculty and staff that includes general best practices and additional, specified information based on the variety of cross-campus facilities. The report also recommends students receive the training during new-student orientation programs, and that faculty and staff review classroom-specific safety procedures, including how to properly lock and secure their doors, with their students each semester.

In an interview with The News & Observer, UNC Police Chief Brian James said any decision to implement required training campus-wide would rest with the universitys chancellor  currently Lee Roberts, who is serving in the role in an interim capacity.

That would have to be a recommendation of university leadership to make it mandatory, James said. But we would certainly be prepared to support that.

Roberts said in January that he would wait for the report to be issued before weighing in on whether he believed training should be required. But he said people may be more willing to participate in such a requirement following the August shooting.

Theres generally a resistance ... to mandatory training, especially for faculty, but this might be an exception to that, Roberts said at the time.

Aside from training, the report also includes recommendations related to improving surveillance and security technology and bettering the universitys emergency notification system, Alert Carolina. In some cases, the improvements are already underway. In others, the process to fully implement the recommendations may take months or years, UNC Vice Chancellor for Institutional Integrity and Risk Management George Battle said in a campus message Thursday.

This report is just the beginning. It is the findings, it is the recommendations of an independent review, UNCs emergency management and planning director, Darrell Jeter, told The N&O. We now want to take that report and develop an improvement plan so that we can have actionable steps, in the form of corrective actions, to address those recommendations and to put in place enhancements in those areas where we need to improve and enhance in the coming weeks and months.

Report recommends training

While the university currently offers active-shooter training on a voluntary basis by request, it is not required. The report noted that the university has accessible preparedness materials available, but it stated that the university should work toward establishing a unified approach to campus preparedness and training.

James told The N&O that the university saw a noticeable increase in the number of people who requested and participated in the training after the shooting. His department taught 93 in-person training sessions this academic year, with more than 2,800 campus members participating in them, an uptick from just 21 sessions the previous year, he said.

Obviously, the shooting in inspired an increase in demand for that, James said.

The report recommends the university actively explore practical options to implement standard active assailant training for faculty and staff within the upcoming academic year.

James said that such a requirement would likely rely on the use of virtual training, which is currently available as an option for those seeking out training voluntarily.

The virtual option certainly would have to be employed in order to accomplish training all faculty and staff, he said.

The report also recommends the university provide active-shooter training and other safety resources to incoming students during their orientation programs. James said the university does not currently have plans to implement such training into orientation  and he feels that doing so might not be the best approach or venue for students to receive the information.

Theres so much information thats being delivered to students at that time. We certainly dont want the importance of it to get lost in everything else  which, of course, all that information is important, James said. But I feel, personally, as UNC [police] chief, that that should be a separate delivery, separate and apart from New Student Orientation.

At least one member of the universitys Board of Trustees supports requiring training for faculty, staff and students. Trustee Dave Boliek advocated to his fellow board members in the days following the August shooting that the university should adopt a policy to implement such requirements. He later told The N&O that he believes university leaders owe students and faculty direct information and training.

James said he hopes his department will also complete active-shooter training for officers each summer, which they did last summer prior to the shooting and was very helpful to us. He hopes those drills, as the report recommends, will include other local law enforcement agencies that may be asked to respond to campus during an emergency.

Improving campus surveillance

The after-action report also includes several recommendations to improve campus security technology, particularly those elements related to surveillance.

UNC-Chapel Hill should conduct a feasibility study to centralize access, monitoring, maintenance, management and storage of camera surveillance footage, reads one recommendation.

The University should use multiple approaches to prioritize campus and building safety, including upgrading existing camera systems and ensuring the ability for offices and all classrooms to lock from the inside, reads another.

The university had already begun making improvements related to both recommendations prior to the August shooting, but some of the work remains ongoing.

Last summer, for instance, new security cameras were installed at the entryways of campus residence halls as an extra security measure, James said. But he noted that there are still blind spots around campus that do not have cameras installed or have very little camera coverage, and that some existing cameras on campus are outdated.

When The N&O previously requested surveillance video of Caudill Labs, where the August shooting took place, from the day of the shooting, the universitys public records office said no such records existed.

James said the university will work to address the current shortcomings of the campus security cameras identified in the after-action report, and that the technology will remain a priority going forward.

The university could soon receive additional funding to support its camera infrastructure. As part of its budget priorities for the current legislative session, the UNC System Board of Governors included a $4 million request from UNC-Chapel Hill for an enterprise security camera system. And even more funding is likely on its way to the campus police department, after the Board of Trustees voted to send $2.3 million previously allocated for diversity efforts to public safety instead.

The university has also entered into a contract to install license plate readers on campus, an effort that will cost about $221,000, The N&O previously reported.

The university expected to spend roughly $14 million on the UNC police department in the current fiscal year, according to its budget.

Improvements to Alert Carolina system

In another recommendation related to technology, the report also suggests improvements for the universitys emergency notification system, Alert Carolina.

Jeter, the universitys emergency management director, said members of the campus community had expressed a keen interest in seeing some enhancements with the messaging through Alert Carolina after the shooting.

Some faculty members told former Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and Provost Chris Clemens following the shooting that they felt the system did not provide enough, or precise-enough, information during the Aug. 28 lockdown.

Some asked for the alerts to provide more specific information about where campus emergencies are unfolding, or to provide clearer instructions for how they could stay safe during the lockdown. Others expressed concern about how often messages were delivered, as well as the frequency varying depending on the platform  text messages or social media, for instance  being used to deliver them.

The report anticipates the outcome of the recommendation to be that the university will explore improved language for Alert Carolina messages and opportunities to provide more frequent updates during an incident and create an education campaign so the campus will know what communications to expect in an emergency.

We are certainly going to be looking at how we can provide more clear messaging with the notifications that we send out, Jeter said.

Jeter said the Alert Carolina messages are meant to notify the university community of verified and confirmed threats on campus, and that they do not serve as breaking news notifications. He also noted that information can change rapidly during an emergency and that the alerts should provide information and instructions that regardless of the changing dynamics of the situation, it provides you with the best option you can take to stay and remain safe until our law enforcement agencies are able to issue an all-clear.

The report also includes recommendations for the university to better incorporate mental health resources, including counseling, into the universitys emergency response and coordination efforts.

Jeter said he hopes the university will use a collaborative approach to continue improving campus safety and making members of the university aware of the resources, such as training and other preparation materials, that are available.

James said he hopes the report empowers all members of the campus community  but particularly those in leadership roles  to take steps to prepare themselves for emergencies, whether they be active-shooter incidents, natural disasters or other events.

Safety is an ongoing process, James said, and we all play a role.
Even as the UNC System Board of Governors appears poised to join a growing national trend and repeal mandates for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across North Carolinas public universities, public details about the exact implications of the move remain sparse.

But there are some clues about the policys potential impacts.

The board, which dictates policy for all 16 public universities in the state and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, is expected to vote May 23 on a proposed policy that would eliminate existing DEI requirements, including a mandate that each school employ a top-level administrator to oversee diversity and inclusion efforts.

Records obtained by The News & Observer showcase existing diversity-related programs and jobs across the UNC System  potentially indicating which efforts could be on the chopping block if the Board of Governors approves the new policy.





People walk through the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill on Monday, Oct. 31, 2022, in Chapel Hill, N.C. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday will hear oral arguments in Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina, a case regarding race-conscious admission practices at institutions of higher education.

What the new policy would do, and what is unknown

The proposal emphasizes equality, freedom of expression, success and well-being for students and employees, and institutional neutrality  the idea, enshrined in state law, that universities cannot weigh in on political matters or social issues  over the stated ideals and requirements related to diversity and inclusion in the existing policy.

Our aim is to protect the freedom of students and faculty to teach, research and advocate, while insisting that administrators and staff will follow the law when it comes to institutional neutrality. Our universities will support intellectual freedom, not promote a particular ideology, Board of Governors Chair Randy Ramsey said in a written statement.

That statement came after a board committee took the first step to advance the proposed policy at a meeting last month, approving it in less than five minutes with no discussion. Now, the policy is expected to be included on the consent agenda for the May 23 meeting  a normal process for the boards committee-approved policies, but one that means the proposal is likely to pass as part of a package of administrative items at the beginning of the meeting, and without discussion.

A group of students from UNC-Chapel Hill wait outside of the Alex Ewing Performance Place building on the campus of UNC School of the Arts after a meeting of the UNC System Board of Governors University Governance committee went into closed session on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Winston-Salem, N.C.

If the board approves the proposal, UNC System legal staff are expected soon after to provide university leaders with guidance on how it should be implemented and what steps the schools should take to comply by Sept. 1, the deadline listed in the policy. Ramsey and UNC System President Peter Hans have issued statements about the proposal, which included vague language about its intentions and possible effects, but they did not answer questions from reporters on the record after the committees vote, which they often do.

Without that guidance, and with limited public comments from system leaders on the topic, it will likely take weeks, if not several months, for the full intentions and effects of the policy to be seen and realized.

What records show

Under the systems existing diversity policy and accompanying regulation, universities are required to produce annual reports to their campus-level governing boards detailing, among other information, major diversity-related programs they sponsor and the number of employees who spend at least half of their work time on diversity efforts.

Through public records requests, The N&O received the most recent reports from 14 of the systems 17 campuses by the time of publication. The universities represent a wide range, from large flagships, to historically Black universities, to smaller, regional schools. Eight universities, representing the majority of those that fulfilled The N&Os request, provided the reports from the 2021-22 fiscal year, which were generally submitted to their respective trustee boards last summer. Three universities provided reports from the 2022-23 fiscal year, and the remaining reports reflected either the 2020-21 or 2019-20 fiscal years.

The reports offer insights into the diversity-related programming that universities currently offer, the jobs that could be eliminated or forcibly revised under the proposed policy, and how much in spending cuts might be achieved by targeting the efforts.

And there is already one example of how the policys direction to redirect money from DEI is being interpreted at the campus level, with UNC-Chapel Hill trustees voting to move funds previously dedicated to diversity efforts to campus safety efforts instead.

Prior to publishing this story, The N&O asked UNC System spokesperson Andy Wallace whether Hans or Ramsey would provide additional comments about the boards upcoming vote on the proposed policy and its implications. Wallace said they would defer to their written statements on the issue.

Existing policies and related spending

Under the existing policy on diversity and inclusion, all schools in the university system are required, at a minimum, to employ one senior-level administrator who is responsible for policy development and strategic planning to promote and advance diversity and inclusion.

Under the proposed policy, the existing mandate for those positions would be eliminated, and university chancellors would have to certify to Hans by Sept. 1 that they have made appropriate changes on their campuses to comply with the proposal. That includes reporting any reductions in force and spending, along with changes to job titles and position descriptions that result from the policy, and how any savings achieved from those actions could be redirected to initiatives related to student success and wellbeing.

The exact number of diversity-related positions, job descriptions and spending patterns on the efforts currently vary widely between schools, according to the annual reports.

UNC Wilmington, which enrolls about 18,000 students, employed 10 people under diversity-related positions in the 2021-22 fiscal year, mostly centered in the universitys Office of Institutional Diversity & Inclusion, which aims to create an environment where individuals feel a sense of belonging and connection. The positions accounted for personnel spending of roughly $1 million, primarily funded by the state.

NC Central University, a historically Black university that enrolls about 8,000 students, in the same year employed two people with job responsibilities primarily related to diversity and inclusion: a chief diversity officer and a program coordinator for the campus LGBT center. The positions accounted for personnel spending of roughly $150,000  the majority of which did not come from state funds, according to the universitys report.

People wait to cross Fayetteville Street on the campus of North Carolina Central University on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, in Durham, N.C.

NC Central stays committed to fostering a community of opportunity as it awaits the Board of Governors vote, according to a statement from the university. Quiana Shepard, NCCUs director of communications, referred the N&O to that statement in response to a request for comment.

And at least in some cases across the university system, the amount of money universities spend on diversity-related jobs and other efforts account for a small portion of their overall budgets.

For instance, NC State University, which enrolls more than 38,000 students, spent more than $3.4 million on diversity efforts in the 2022-23 fiscal year. That included roughly $1.7 million for personnel  funding a total of 27 positions  and about the same amount for non-personnel spending. According to its annual report, the universitys total diversity-related spending in the last fiscal year amounted to less than one fifth of one percent (0.17%) of the total University budget of roughly $2 billion.

An early case study at UNC-Chapel Hill

In the 2021-22 fiscal year, UNC-Chapel Hill, which enrolls more than 32,000 students across its undergraduate and graduate programs, reported employing 25 people who spent at least half of their working time on diversity-related efforts. Collectively, the positions accounted for more than $1.8 million in personnel-related spending, most of which was funded by the state.

The positions ranged from high-level administrators, such as the universitys chief diversity officer and vice provost for equity and inclusion, to the director of the campus LGBTQ center and the director of the Office of Rural Initiatives in the UNC School of Medicine.

UNC Chief Financial Officer Nate Knuffman told the universitys Board of Trustees at a March meeting that the universitys spending on employees who spend more than half of their time on diversity efforts was only a small fraction of the university overall spending on personnel.

Still, UNC trustees have argued against spending funds on diversity efforts  a position they have solidified by directing all of the universitys diversity-related expenditures in its upcoming annual budget to instead be redirected to campus safety and police.

And while the proposed Board of Governors policy to repeal diversity and inclusion requirements appears to leave room for diversity-related jobs to remain  provided that any titles or descriptions explicitly tying the jobs to diversity efforts are revised  the UNC-Chapel Hill boards vote indicates that might not be the case.

UNC trustee Dave Boliek told The N&O Monday that the move to redirect diversity spending, which came prior to the Board of Governors finalizing its new policy, will likely result in related jobs at the Chapel Hill campus being eliminated.

My personal opinion is that theres administrative bloat in the university, Boliek said. ... Any cuts in administration and diverting of dollars to rubber-meets-the-road efforts like public safety and teaching is important.

Shaun Harper, a professor of education, business and public policy at the University of Southern California, said the fallout in other states that have targeted and banned DEI efforts likely indicates that few, if any, jobs will be salvaged under the new policy.

In Florida, for instance, more than two dozen DEI-related positions and administrative appointments were eliminated at the University of Florida after that states legislature and university system enacted bans that prohibited state and federal funding from being spent on DEI. In Texas, more than 60 people lost their jobs at the University of Texas at Austin after a state law banned DEI initiatives at public universities.

While some people employed in positions that are eliminated may be invited to apply for other openings at the university, Harper said it would be dishonest to think that the Board of Governors proposed policy would not result in the loss of jobs.

I think we have at least two other cases where that has not played out that way, Harper said, pointing to the fallout in Florida and Texas.

How existing jobs, programming might change

The proposed policy under consideration by the Board of Governors could also impact campus offices or centers dedicated to advancing diversity efforts, though it does appear to leave room for some to remain.

The policy includes a provision permitting universities to implement programming or services designed to have a positive effect on the academic performance, retention, or graduation of students from different backgrounds, provided they comply with institutional neutrality and other federal and state regulations. The policy also directs campuses to ensure that employee wellbeing remains a priority.

But it remains unclear exactly which programs will be permitted to remain in place, or exactly how other programs might be changed to comply with the policy.

The universities annual diversity and inclusion reports include a wide range of programming, including several examples that appear to already be dedicated to ensuring success for a wide swath of students and employees:

 East Carolina University in the 2022-23 fiscal year, for example, had a stated goal of making good faith efforts to remove barriers, expand employment opportunities, and produce measurable results consistent with our obligations to ensure equal employment opportunity and in keeping with our mission-driven commitments to student success, serving the public, and transforming our region.

The university provided several examples of programming it offers to achieve that goal, including offering access to an online Faculty Success Program, which is designed to teach tenure-track and tenured faculty the skills to increase research and writing productivity while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

 UNC Pembroke, which was originally established as a school to train American Indian teachers, in the 2021-22 fiscal year listed its Native Strong program as a major diversity-related effort. The program, which is offered to incoming first-year students, is intended to foster academic success among American Indian students by allowing students an opportunity to build a sense of community with other American Indian students, faculty, and staff.

UNCP, along with UNC Greensboro, also touted  among several other programs  a Green Zone training as one of their signature diversity efforts. At UNCP in the year captured by the report, the program attracted 120 participants, who learned about the issues and concerns faced by military-affiliated students and how they can contribute to the students success.

 UNC-Chapel Hill included eight examples of its signature diversity programs, including a recruitment program in the School of Medicine dedicated to inspiring and supporting students who wish to become primary care providers in rural North Carolina.

Interim University of North Carolina chancellor Lee Roberts addresses the board of trustees during their meeting at Alumni Hall on Thursday, January 18, 2024 in Chapel Hill, N.C.

To address the needs of our diverse state population, the program aims to populate underserved regions with well-trained physicians that can address health care disparities, UNCs report on its diversity efforts stated.

Beyond the somewhat uncertain fates of each universitys unique diversity-related programs, the Board of Governors proposed policy would not impact positions of employment, offices or training intended to ensure compliance with federal or state laws. That includes those dedicated to ensuring compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, and the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities, among several other nondiscrimination regulations.

We have well-established laws and policies that prohibit discrimination, protect equal opportunity, and require a safe and supportive learning environment for all students, Hans, the UNC System president, said in his written statement last month. We will continue to uphold those responsibilities.

UNC System President Peter Hans speaks during a meeting of the UNC System Board of Governors on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Raleigh, N.C.

Harper, the USC professor, said the policy could mean that some groups of students could lose support services that are specialized and unique to their identities.

These various student populations have population-specific needs, issues and expectations of their institutions, Harper said. Therefore, doing the same thing for all of them in a race-less way, or in a way that doesnt account for their veteran status and all that comes with that, is guaranteed to fail. Its guaranteed to under-serve them.

Both Hans and Ramsey, the Board of Governors chair, stated that the universities will still fulfill their missions to serve and welcome diverse students and employees  despite changes that the policy might force.

The University of North Carolina will continue serving students of all backgrounds and beliefs, Hans said. There is broad and deep commitment to that goal, and support for the UNC Systems longstanding efforts to reflect the diversity of North Carolina.

Politics reporter Kyle Ingram contributed to this report.

NC Reality Check is an N&O series holding those in power accountable and shining a light on public issues that affect the Triangle or North Carolina. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email realitycheck@newsobserver.com
by Raheela Nazir, Tang Binhui

ISLAMABAD, May 16 (Xinhua) -- China's remarkable economic and social transformation over the past few decades has offered new opportunities for global growth, setting an example of rapid modernization with valuable lessons for countries around the world striving to achieve high-quality development, said Pakistani and Chinese officials and experts on Wednesday.

The new idea of switching its economy from high-speed growth to high-quality growth is incredible, injecting a new impetus into the global economy and opening new avenues of socio-economic development for countries including Pakistan, experts said at a seminar titled "Transformation of China's Economy to Quality Growth Model: Opportunities for Pakistan."

Talking to Xinhua on the sidelines of the event, former Pakistani Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani said that Pakistan-China relations are of utmost significance, highlighted by shared history, cultural ties, and economic cooperation.

Pakistan and China always supported each other on core issues of national interests and enjoyed fraternal relations, the former minister said, adding that under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), China has helped Pakistan in improving infrastructure and overcoming severe energy crisis.

Launched in 2013, CPEC, a flagship project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, is a corridor linking the Gwadar Port in southwest Pakistan's Balochistan province with Kashgar in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which highlights energy, transport, and industrial cooperation in the first phase, while in the new phase expands to fields of agriculture and livelihood, among others.

Speaking of China's energy technologies and products, the official highlighted the positive role of China in reducing global carbon emissions and promoting green development, saying it is beneficial to the world.

"Pakistan would introduce electric vehicles by 2035 and explore collaborating with Chinese companies like BYD, a world-leading seller of electric vehicles."

Moin ul Haque, a diplomat and former ambassador of Pakistan to China, said Pakistan could take a leaf out of China's book in promoting industrialization and enhancing exports.

"Pakistan should establish scientific and technological cooperation platforms between China and Pakistan institutions to take advantage of the opportunities ... Also we need to invest in education and skills development of Pakistani youth to prepare human capital for new industries to promote development and common prosperity," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong said that leaders of China and Pakistan have expressed their good wishes and reached important consensus on promoting the development of bilateral relations in the new era.

It has set the direction for the next step to promote the partnership and relations between China and Pakistan and accelerate the building of a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future, according to the Chinese ambassador. 
Under the Dome: Final votes coming up on ICE cooperation mandate?

Good morning!  Heres what you need to know in North Carolina politics today.

A few weeks after the Senate sent back to the House the ICE cooperation bill weve written about extensively, it looks like GOP lawmakers are ready to move forward with the bill.

To recap: this is legislation that Republicans have been trying to pass since 2019. Its aimed at compelling sheriffs in largely Democratic counties who vowed to limit or end their cooperation with the federal immigration enforcement agency, to comply with requests by ICE to temporarily detain people who had been arrested and were suspected of being in the country illegally.

The Senate passed House Bill 10 earlier this month after not taking it up at all last year. Before sending it back to the other chamber, senators amended it to include an enforcement provision that would allow anyone to file a complaint with the attorney general, if they believed a sheriff wasnt complying with the proposed laws provisions.

Instead of concurring with the Senates amended bill, the House voted on Wednesday to create a conference committee to hash out some final changes.

Rep. Destin Hall, the chair of the House Rules Committee and the bills main proponent, told The News & Observer that the conference report could be ready for final votes to send it to Gov. Roy Coopers desk next week.  Avi Bajpai

Keep reading for more from our politics team and Stephanie Loder, correspondent.

WILL LAWMAKERS TAKE A LEAP OF FAITH TOGETHER?

A group of lawmakers from both parties is getting together to plan a bipartisan parachute jump sometime later this month or in June.

Reps. Caleb Rudow, Laura Budd, and Jarrod Lowery sent lawmakers an email on Tuesday that Rudow assured his colleagues on the House floor Wednesday wasnt fake, or an Onion article, encouraging them to sign up for the chance to go skydiving to raise money for food banks in their districts.

Also, Rudow said, to show the people of North Carolina something that I think is really important, which is us getting along, working together, and in this instance, taking a leap of faith together.

Rudow said the choice of parachute jumping as a means for lawmakers to bond was inspired by GOP Rep. Diane Wheatley, who told him when he first arrived at the General Assembly that skydiving was on her bucket list. Rudow said hes never gone skydiving, but has always wanted to.

The goal is for each lawmaker who participates to raise at least $500 for a local food bank.

 Avi Bajpai

Pro-Palestinian protesters interrupt UNC board meeting

Protesters disrupted a meeting of the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees on Wednesday, urging the board to cut financial ties with Israel amid its war in Gaza.

Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest, the protesters chanted before being escorted out of the building by police.

Samuel Scarborough, a rising sophomore at UNC, compared the situation to historical calls for universities to desegregate or oppose apartheid in South Africa.

We know that it took fighting tooth and nail to get this institution on its knees and negotiating with students and community members directly, he told The N&O. This institution will not negotiate with us on fair play. We have to bring them to the table.

Trustee David Boliek asked that the protesters be arrested. The demonstrators returned to their cars shortly after being escorted outside and police did not appear to make any arrests.

Later on in the meeting, Trustee Perrin Jones said the universitys endowment would not be politicized.

 Kyle Ingram

Juvenile justice bill passes the Senate

A bill that critics say would reverse criminal justice reforms  including provisions known as Raise the Age  but that supporters say will streamline processes, passed the Senate with bipartisan support on Wednesday. It now goes back to the House.

This bill would require 16- or 17-year-old juveniles who commit Class A-E felonies to be tried in superior court initially as adults. Currently, these cases go first to juvenile court and then must be transferred to superior court after probable cause is found or the teen is indicted.

Robeson County Republican Sen. Danny Britt said on the Senate floor that the bill is trying to deal with these violent A-E felonies, trying to deal with these individuals that are mostly prosecuted in superior court but through a lengthy transfer process, a very convoluted transfer process. What were not doing is rolling back Raise the Age.

Before the bills passage in the Senate, where it faced no debate, it was heard in committees. On Wednesday, during the Senate rules committee, Liz Barber with the ACLU of North Carolina said the bill was not just a clarification on procedure.

Starting in adult court, she said, will make it harder to get youths to testify against more culpable people, will lead them to forever have an adult record, and will be a harder lift for juvenile defense attorneys to convince prosecutors to remand cases back down, she said.

Barber said Wednesday Its simply not true that A-E felony cases always end up in adult court. She said she talked with a juvenile prosecutor Wednesday morning who said that they did keep some youths charged with D and E felonies in juvenile court.

 Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi

MASK BILL HEADS TO HOUSE

The state Senate voted Wednesday to repeal a health and safety exception to North Carolinas ban on mask wearing in public and also boost penalties for mask wearing during the commission of a crime.

The bill, introduced last week, was approved in a 30-15 vote on Wednesday afternoon. The bill will head to the House.

The bill additionally imposes new penalties for anyone taking part in a demonstration that blocks traffic.

Pushback regarding the bill has come from critics who contend the bill is an anti-protest measure in response to pro-Palestinian protests on state campuses where protesters have worn masks.

Democratic Sen. Sydney Batch spoke Wednesday afternoon against the bill, arguing it would leave immunocompromised people at risk.

Get the full story from Avi Bajpai here.

AUDIT FINDS NC TOWN OFFICIALS MISUSED TOWN FUNDS

A state auditors report that reviewed expenses from 2014 to 2021 in the Town of Fremont, in Wayne County, says hundreds of thousands of dollars in funds were misused or misreported  and a former mayor let two people live in Town Hall.

The report by Auditor Jessica Holmes also found:

An unnamed former town administrator and ex-mayor let two people with pets live in Town Hall for half a year.

The people living in Town Hall had access to documents with personal information.

The former administrator authorized $3,450 in town money to add a shower and hot water heater to Town Hall.

The town paid its administrator $32,424 for unearned vacation hours.

A former payroll clerk falsified town records to pay herself, the public works director, and the former town administrator more than $14,000.

Holmes, who is running against Republican candidate Dave Boliek in November, was appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper to finish the term of state Auditor Beth Wood, who resigned.

Current Fremont Mayor Eddie Yelverton, in a call with The News & Observer, identified W. Darron Flowers as the former mayor mentioned in the report.

Yelverton didnt share the names of anyone else, but assured the employees in the report are no longer with the town.

Get the full story from Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi here.

BILL WOULD PUNISH SCHOOLS FOR OBSCENE BOOKS

North Carolina lawmakers areplanning to introduce legislation to allow parents the chance to have public schools penalized over books that they consider obscene.

Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of the N.C. Values Coalition, said Wednesday the legislation would remove public schools from being exempt from the states obscenity laws and set a statewide criteria for selection of books for classrooms and libraries.

The bill sets up penalties and would help control inappropriate material from being in the hands of children, said state Rep. Jeff Zenger, a Forsyth County Republican speaking at a news conference at Freedom Park in Raleigh.

A copy of the bill wasnt available Wednesday.

However, Mary Summa, general counsel for the N.C. Values Coalition, said elements of legislation that would have made it easier to prosecute librarians would be included. The bill was removed last year from the state House Education Committee.

Get the full story from T. Keung Hui here.

CORRECTION

Wednesdays Under the Dome newsletter should have said that House Bill 834 would modify the states definition of a delinquent juvenile to exclude those 16 and older who commit Class A-E felonies. The classes of felonies included were incorrectly reported in the newsletter.

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.

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.
Thousands of unionized student workers across Californias premier public universities on Wednesday blessed a potential strike in the aftermath of crackdowns on recent campus protests.

Of the 19,780 votes cast by members of a local unit of the United Auto Workers, about 79 percent were in favor of authorizing a strike, easily clearing the two-thirds threshold necessary.

Earlier this week graduate students, teaching assistants and post-docs represented by UAW Local 4811 began voting to authorize a work stoppage in response to labor violations allegedly committed by university officials amid the turbulence earlier this spring. Among their demands is amnesty for students and faculty members arrested during the unrest.

At the heart of this is our right to free speech and peaceful protest, UAW 4811 President Rafael Jaime, who is also a Ph.D. student in the UCLA English Department, said in a release. If members of the academic community are maced and beaten down for peacefully demonstrating on this issue, our ability to speak up on all issues is threatened."

Beyond the prospect of work stoppages, labor unions that represent members at a host of colleges including the University of Southern California and UCLA have filed unfair labor practice charges alleging that officials violated workers rights in the process of shutting down pro-Palestinian encampments and other demonstrations this spring.

Nationally, the UAW was ahead of many other unions in calling for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, and much of its membership growth in recent years has been by organizing grad students and other campus workers  putting it at the vanguard of recent labor clashes with college administrators struggling to control protests over Israels war against Hamas.



Union President Shawn Fain spoke out against universities forceful response two weeks ago, saying that if they cant take the outcry, stop supporting the war.

The local unit has not said when any stoppage would begin. Instead, it has sought to emulate the stand-up strategy UAW deployed to great effect in last years negotiations with a trio of U.S. car companies, in which individual units go on strike with little notice  allowing leadership to dial up pressure over time rather than everyone stopping work at once.

The student workers would deploy the same strategy campus by campus, at the direction of the union's executive board.

At the same time, with spring terms recently ended, a work stoppage over the summer months may be less of a blow to universities. In an explanatory post, the union said a "strike will go on no longer than June 30th."

The union has issued a series of demands to UC leadership  ranging from the amnesty to divesting from defense companies with ties to Israel  to head off a strike. However, its doubtful that officials are willing to negotiate on such issues.

UC believes that a strike sets a dangerous precedent that would introduce non-labor issues into labor agreements, a spokesperson said in a statement.

While we acknowledge the profoundly troubling issues about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and understand their impact on our students and employees, the University maintains that these issues fall outside the scope of negotiation for employment and the implementation of existing labor contracts.
Pro-Palestinian encampments have been cleared from more US college campuses as school officials have called in law enforcement in recent weeks to quell mounting demonstrations over the institutions ties to Israel amid its military action in Gaza. Here are the latest developments:

Arts and sciences faculty at Columbia University have passed a vote of no confidence in the Ivy League schools president, Minouche Shafik, who has been under intense scrutiny for her handling of campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war and her congressional testimony on the subject.

Sixty-five percent of participants said they had no confidence in Shafik, a spokesperson for the New York university confirmed to CNN on Thursday, adding some 900 of its 4,600 full-time faculty voted.

Among their concerns were that Shafiks leadership had not only endangered our students; more broadly, it represents a serious threat to the core values of the university: academic freedom, shared governance, freedom of expression, and the right to peaceful assembly, the Barnard College and Columbia University Chapters of the American Association of University Professors said in a Thursday news release.

Shafik continues to consult regularly with members of the community, including faculty, administration, and trustees, as well as with state, city, and community leaders, Columbia spokesperson Ben Chang said in a statement.

Shafik a day earlier sent a message to graduates  after their university-wide commencement ceremony was canceled following weeks of Gaza war protests  wishing that the challenges you faced during this difficult era will inspire you and make you stronger.

I know that the last few weeks have been very difficult, and I am sorry that we were unable to celebrate your commencement in the traditional manner, she said in her message. Columbia cited security concerns in canceling the large event, a school official told CNN, and instead is holding smaller ones.

Acknowledging an extraordinary and tragic set of events in the Middle East and that as a great university, we must engage with these issues, the polarization at Columbia has caused conflict on campus, Shafik said.

Canceling the traditional commencement ceremony was one of the toughest calls in a year of many tough calls, Shafik wrote in an op-ed in the Columbia Daily Spectator, noting her top priority has been the safety of students, faculty and staff.

The conflict between the rights of pro-Palestinian protesters and the impact that their protests have had on some members of our Jewish community is what makes this moment singularly fraught, she said.

UC Irvine returns to in-person classes after nearly 50 protesters detained: The University of California, Irvine, will resume in-person instruction and campus operations will return to normal on Friday, according to a school spokesperson.

Classes went remote Thursday after law enforcement personnel used zip ties to restrain demonstrators the prior evening at the university before escorting them away from a pro-Palestinian protest encampment and toward a parking lot.

University spokesperson Tom Vasich said 47 people were arrested, including 26 students, two employees and 19 other individuals. Those who were arrested were taken to the Orange County Jail, where booking and processing were completed. They were then released on citation, Vasich said.

Vasich had earlier told CNN 50 people were arrested, but revised the number to 47 later Thursday.

Most of those taken into custody were cited for failure to disperse after a direct police order and a few were arrested for trespassing, Vasich said, adding a full breakdown of how many of those arrested are students or faculty is expected to be released later on Thursday.

A group of several hundred protestors entered the UC Irvine campus and began surrounding the schools Physical Sciences Lecture Hall at around 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, the school said in an emergency update.

The university put out a mutual aid call to local law enforcement and got help from the Irvine Police Department and Orange County Sheriffs Department, it said. Authorities cleared what looked like at least half of student protesters at the encampment, aerial footage from CNN affiliate KABC showed.

Pro-Palestinian protesters had set up a campus encampment on April 29, when the university also called in local law enforcement. Days later, the schools chancellor said the university would continue to negotiate with student protesters demanding their university cut financial ties to Israel over the nations military action in Gaza.

UC Berkeley Pro-Palestinian protesters arrested after occupying building:

Law enforcement arrested at least 12 people Thursday evening as they cleared a condemned building at the University of California, Berkeley, that was being occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters, school spokesperson Dan Mogulof told CNN.

Protesters broke into the universitys Anna Head complex with sticks and bolt cutters on Wednesday, where they broke windows and spray-painted walls, police said. The university on Thursday estimated about 60 people were in the building and said the occupation was not nonviolent civil disobedience.

The protesters were arrested on suspicion of destruction of property, breaking and entering and trespassing, according to Mogulof.

During the occupation, a Palestinian flag hung from the building, where protesters had set up tents, footage from CNN affiliate KGO shows.

Images from the Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area show the buildings interior walls covered in what the group called antisemitic graffiti, reading, Zionism is Nazism and Martyrs never die.

The Star of David, the most recognizable symbol in Judaism, is seen equated with a swastika, the council said Wednesday in an X post. This is not protest, this is pure hate.

The buildings takeover came a day after the UCB Divest Coalition agreed to end its campus encampment following discussions with university leadership. The coalition did not initiate the break-in at the Anna Head complex, Mogulof said.

UC Berkeleys chancellor was relieved to bring the encampment protests to a peaceful end, noting the schools leadership does not support full divestment from Israel at this time, she said.

Pro-Palestine protesters on Wednesday take over a vacant building at the University of California, Berkeley. - Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

The sale of direct investments is not within the authority of the Office of the Chancellor but rather lies with the UC Regents, Carol Christ wrote Tuesday in a letter to the Free Palestine Encampment.

If all divestment demands by students were met, the University of California system would have to sell $32 billion of its $175 billion portfolio, UCs Chief Investment Officer Jagdeep Singh Bachher said Tuesday during an Investments Committee meeting held as part of this weeks monthly UC Board of Regents meeting at its Merced campus.

University of Washington president calls for encampment break-up as antisemitic graffiti found on campus: After protests escalated at the University of Washington  with offensive graffiti across multiple buildings all over campus, some quite clearly both antisemitic and violent  the schools president is calling again for the voluntary dismantling of a pro-Palestinian encampment on the Seattle campus.

Students and faculty on Wednesday discovered the graffiti, which has creat(ed) an unwelcome and fearful environment for many students, faculty and staff, especially those who are Jewish, President Ana Mari Cauce said later that day in a statement, calling the situation untenable.

Cauce asked for the tent camp to break up, echoing her entreaty last week to demonstrators to dismantle the encampment voluntarily for everyones safety.

Demonstrators rally May 7 at a protest encampment of supporters of Palestinians in Gaza at the University of Washington in Seattle. REUTERS/David Ryder - David Ryder/Reuters

Much to my dismay, given the relatively cordial tone of many of our discussions, the representatives also said the new graffiti is an intentional escalation to compel the University to agree to their demands, she said Wednesday, adding university officials have engaged sincerely and openly.

Among protesters escalating demands is a new department that would have an anti-Zionist litmus test for faculty hiring, Cauce said in the statement. Many of these demands, especially the most recent, are contrary to academic freedom and/or to state or federal law.

While I strongly support free speech and peaceful protest, I also strongly support the rights of all our community members to live, learn and work without fear, she said. The Universitys response to students calls for change will not be based on an encampment.

DePaul University protest encampment removed by police: Police in riot gear moved protesters away and dismantled tents Thursday morning at a pro-Palestinian protest encampment at DePaul University in Chicago, video from CNN affiliate WLS shows.

Two protesters accused of blocking nearby traffic were arrested, school spokesperson Russell Dorn told CNN, adding no arrests were made in the campus quad.

The decision to dismantle the encampment came after good faith efforts to negotiate with organizers, DePaul President Robert Manuel said.

From the beginning of the encampment, I have said that we would protect free speech and the ability to dissent until it either prevented us from carrying out the operations of our university or threatened the safety of the members of our community, Manuel said in an open letter to students and employees. I am deeply saddened to say the encampment has crossed that line.

University buildings have been vandalized with graffiti, and the cost to repair the physical damage to the quad, which will be closed to everyone until further notice, appears to be nearly $180,000, Manuel said in his letter.

The DePaul Divestment Coalition  a multiethnic, multifaith student group  has been calling on DePaul to divest from killing and harm abroad since its encampment was set up April 30.

DePauls administration chose to use violence to disperse the encampment and unilaterally withdrew from negotiations, Benjamin Meyer, an attorney representing the coalition said. The students sent administration a calendar invite for a meeting on Monday, in which none of the administrators attended.

Morehouse College could stop graduation if Bidens speech is disrupted: Morehouse Colleges president has vowed to combat any disruptive behavior during President Joe Bidens scheduled graduation speech Sunday at the preeminent historically Black institution by shutting down commencement on the spot.

So, for example, prolonged shouting down of the president as he speaks, Morehouse College President David A. Thomas told CNNs Victor Blackwell on Thursday. I have also made a decision that we will also not ask police to take individuals out of commencement in zip ties.

If faced with the choice, I will cease the ceremonies on the spot if we were to reach that position.

Bidens visit to the Atlanta campus approaches as he seeks to convince young voters to send him to the White House for another term, even as many have expressed frustration for his administrations continued support of Israels military campaign in Gaza.

CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

CNNs Amanda Musa, Matt Egan, Julia Vargas Jones, Andy Rose, Chris Boyette and Melissa Alonso contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Michael Cohen, the former Trump fixer now testifying for the prosecution at his former boss' hush money trial, might have turned in such a strong performance earlier this week that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is not bringing in any more witnesses afterwards.

Former U.S. Army prosecutor and MSNBC legal analyst Gregg Kirschner said in a video that this is "an unmistakable sign that the prosecutors in Donald Trump's criminal case up in New York believe that Michael Cohen is doing extremely well on the witness stand."

At the beginning of the trial, Bragg suggested that his team had lined up other witnesses to follow Cohen. But he appeared to reverse that position at the end of Tuesday, announcing instead that Cohen would be the last witness before prosecutors' rest their case. Cohen's past proximity to Trump means that his testimony is critical component of the prosecution's case, linking the former president directly to the hush money payments that he stands accused of illegally covering up.

Cohen's testimony may have benefited both from low expectations for his performance and a series of unforced errors by Trump's lawyer, Todd Blanche, who sought to tar Cohen as motivated by money and pettiness in his cross-examination, drawing rebukes from Judge Juan Merchan.

And the prosecution's case, in turn, may benefit immensely from Cohen's testimony, which alleged that Trump was actively participating in meetings where the scheme was cooked up. "Prosecutors will take full advantage of their rebuttal argument by urging the jury that the evidence overwhelmingly shows that Donald Trump was absolutely part of this criminal scheme," Kirschner said.
Bunker or menhaden fish, seen while whale watching off Long Beach, N.Y. (Vicki Jauron, Babylon and Beyond Photography via Getty Images)

A recently unsealed federal lawsuit alleges that the lone menhaden reduction fishery in the Chesapeake Bay broke federal law by creating a shell company to cover up its foreign ownership, routing profits to a Canadian company instead of keeping them in Virginia.

Benson Chiles and Chris Manthey, two private investigators involved in environmental conservation efforts, brought forward the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in 2021 against Omega Protein under the False Claims Act, saying the company violated the Jones Act and American Fisheries Act by not disclosing that its owners are family.

The lawsuit is the latest in a long series of events around the menhaden reduction fishery that Omega Protein says creates economic activity for the state, a claim countered by fish conservationists who say its practices lead to Bay ecosystem harms. Meanwhile, Virginia lawmakers are considering scientific reports to determine what is actually happening.

Everyone knows you cannot lie to the federal government, said Brendon DeMay, an attorney for the two plaintiffs. You just cant do it. Its pure fraud.

Ocean Harvesters, the company more specifically accused of wrongdoing, said in a statement the lawsuit is without merit and will be vigorously defended.

Throughout this period, American citizens have owned more than 75% of the vessel entities as is consistent with citizenship requirements under federal law, the statement reads. Ocean Harvesters is committed to compliance with all applicable laws and to continuing to conduct responsible, sustainable fishing operations along the Atlantic coast and in the Gulf of Mexico.

Under the False Claims Act, the case went under seal to let the U.S. Department of Justice conduct its investigation, which can either result in a recommendation to dismiss the case or take it over, or to let the case proceed on its own. In this instance, the DOJ is letting the case proceed on its own.

The lawsuit alleges that Canadian-based Cooke Inc. acquired Reedville, Virginia-based Omega Protein in 2017 with financial backing from outside investors. As part of the pitches for funding, Cooke assured investors the company would create a company called Alpha Vessels, which operates under the designated business name Ocean Harvesters, to run the ships Omega Protein buys the menhaden catches from. Alpha Vessels would be run by Seth Dunlop, investors were told, a U.S. citizen and nephew of Cooke Inc. CEO and Canadian citizen Glenn Cooke.

That U.S.-based ownership of Alpha Vessel was needed because under the Jones Act, certain vessels sailing within U.S. waters must be owned and operated by U.S. citizens. The Jones Act was enacted to build up the American maritime industry. Under the American Fisheries Act, the U.S. citizen ownership requirement under the Jones Act must be met.

But Alpha Vessels didnt disclose the alleged ultimate control leading back to the foreign-based Cooke company to the Maritime Administration (MARAD), under the U.S. Department of Transportation, or U.S. Coast Guard, both of which are responsible for enforcing the federal laws, the lawsuit states. After initially failing to be forthright with that information, the company renewed its approval year after year through 2021 via an online portal that prevented any verification of the ownership structure being satisfied by MARAD, the lawsuit states.

Breaking the federal laws would mean that a Virginia-based company is not reaping the profits of a fishery that primarily exists within the Chesapeake Bay and off the coastal waters of Virginia, and are instead going to a Canadian-based company.

Why do they go to Canada? DeMay said.

According to an industry insider who wished to remain anonymous because of the pending litigation, familial connections between companies is a common occurrence. Its a structure used for the bait fisheries operating in the crabbing industry in the Bering Sea off of Alaska, and scallop fishers, according to the source..

Thats very typical, the source said.

The lawsuit is the latest from the two plaintiffs who have targeted Omega Protein before: in 2010 Chiles and Manthey sued the company for PCB contamination in fish oil supplements, resulting in a lawsuit settlement, the source noted.

Im not surprised a pair of individuals that have filed suit and acted in the regulatory regime in the menhaden fishery have taken this up, said the source. This industry just gets really attacked.

Now that the case is unsealed, Omega Protein will have a chance to file a response to the complaint in court, as the proceedings continue and could head toward a trial as the lawsuit requests. Based on the penalties that are assessed to violators each day for non-compliance of the federal laws, the lawsuit says Omega Protein should be fined in excess of $2 billion.

Editors note: This story has been updated to more accurately reflect Ocean Harvesters relationship to Omega Protein.

The post Unsealed federal lawsuit alleges Omega Protein skirted U.S. citizen ownership requirement appeared first on Virginia Mercury.
By Jonathan Landay and Michelle Nichols

WASHINGTON/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The United States anchored a floating pier in Gaza on Thursday to boost aid deliveries, but Washington is facing the same challenges that have beset the United Nations and aid groups for months when it comes to distributing assistance to millions in need amid a war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas.

These include a dire shortage of fuel and working in a conflict zone. The United Nations said on Thursday it was still finalizing its operational plans to handle the distribution of aid once it comes off the pier.

Aid trucks are expected to begin moving ashore in the coming days, the U.S. said on Thursday when announcing the anchoring of the temporary pier. But the U.N. and humanitarian agencies said there were challenges still to be resolved.

"If you've got an active war zone like Gaza is ... internal distribution security is really difficult, compounded by the lack of fuel," U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.

President Joe Biden announced the pier in March as the U.N. implored Israel to improve access for relief supplies into Gaza over land routes. By opening a route to deliver aid by sea, the U.S. hopes to combat the humanitarian crisis that has put hundreds of thousands of people at risk of famine.

The project has been expensive and slow. Bad weather has delayed the pier that is estimated to cost $320 million and involve 1,000 U.S. troops.

The U.N. has been adamant that maritime access was no substitute for land.

"To stave off the horrors of famine, we must use the fastest and most obvious route to reach the people of Gaza  and for that, we need access by land now," deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Thursday. "Getting aid to people in need into and across Gaza cannot and should not depend on a floating dock far from where needs are most acute."

The United Nations and aid groups have long complained of the dangers and obstacles to getting aid in and distributing it throughout Gaza.

The U.N. has so far lost 191 staff - including its first foreign staff member on Monday - during the more than seven-month-long war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas in the coastal enclave of 2.3 million people.

"The first few days of any operation like this, there will be a lot of trial and error," said a U.N. official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "And we just hope that this trial and error doesn't end up in someone getting killed."

Israel is retaliating against Hamas over an Oct. 7 attack in which Israel says militants killed about 1,200 people and took more than 250 people hostage. Gaza health authorities say Israel has killed more than 35,000 people in Gaza since then.

Top U.N. officials and aid groups accuse Israel of impeding aid deliveries into and within Gaza, but Israel denies that it has constrained aid operations and instead blames the United Nations for any problems.

A COMPLEX PATH FOR AID

Aid deliveries via the maritime corridor are already on the way. A British shipment of nearly 100 tonnes of aid left Cyprus on Wednesday, while a U.S.-flagged vessel left Cyprus last week.

Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, said on Thursday that thousands of tonnes of aid was in the pipeline, adding: "We're going to get (onshore) about 500 tons in the next couple of days."

U.S. officials have said the pier would initially handle 90 trucks a day, but that number could go to 150 trucks.

The United Nations has said 500 trucks a day are needed to enter Gaza. In April, it said the highest volume of humanitarian and commercial supplies that have entered Gaza since the war started has been an average of 189 trucks a day.

But aid access has dwindled since Israel began a military operation in Gaza's southern Rafah region.

A severe fuel shortage in Gaza has forced the U.N. to warn that aid operations could be shut down. Haq said: "It doesn't matter how the aid comes, whether it's by sea or whether by land, without fuel it won't get to the people who need it."

Sonali Korde, assistant to the administrator of USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, said on Thursday that she expected to have the fuel necessary to operate the pier.

The Israeli military, a source with knowledge of the operation said, agreed to make sufficient supplies available for the operation "on a regular, predictable" basis.

Aid will be shipped from Cyprus, where Israel will first inspect the cargoes. U.S. troops operating the pier will not step ashore in Gaza.

Once on land, the aid coming off the pier will follow a challenging, and still uncertain, path to reach Gaza civilians.

According to U.S. and U.N. officials, a third party will collect the aid from the pier, drive it a short distance and then offload it for U.N. collection. The U.N. official said another third party - contracted by the U.N. - will load the aid on to trucks and take it to distribution points across Gaza.

The U.N. official said there is a plan for U.N. staff to be stationed near the pier to oversee and direct aid trucks to distribution points throughout Gaza, but that it has not yet been approved by the U.N. Department of Safety and Security.

A U.N. team visiting the pier site late last month had to shelter in a bunker after the area came under fire. The U.N. has been concerned about ensuring neutrality by remaining an appropriate distance from the Israeli military, which will provide security and logistics support for the pier.

The U.N. official said "at no point" will there be any contact between the Israeli military and U.N. staff.

(Additional reporting by Emma Farge, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Trevor Hunnicutt; editing by Don Durfee, Diane Craft, Ros Russell, Alexandra Hudson)
BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the opening ceremony of the China-Russia Years of Culture and a special concert celebrating the 75th anniversary of China-Russia diplomatic ties on Thursday in Beijing.

Noting that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties, Xi said that the history of China-Russia relations over the past three quarters of a century shows that consolidating and developing bilateral lasting good-neighborliness and friendship, comprehensive strategic coordination, and mutually beneficial cooperation serve the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples, and conform to the expectations of the international community and the trend of the times, which has irreplaceable significance.

Xi said that holding theme years in each other's countries has become a fine tradition of people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and Russia, as well as a feature and highlight in the history of bilateral relations, which has been widely welcomed by the two peoples.

"Last year, President Putin and I agreed to make 2024 and 2025 the China-Russia Years of Culture. The two sides officially launched this cultural event today," Xi said, adding that the two countries will hold a series of cultural exchange programs to further release the potential of bilateral cultural cooperation and jointly open up a new future of China-Russia cultural exchanges.

It is believed that it will inject new impetus into the course of carrying forward China-Russia friendship from generation to generation and enhancing mutual understanding and building a closer bond between the two peoples, Xi said. 
US announces $2 billion to help Ukraine make its own weapons

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday announced a $2 billion aid package for Ukraine largely intended to help the embattled country grow its indigenous defense capabilities and move away from Soviet-era equipment.

The $2 billion in Ukraine Foreign Military Financing mostly comes from the $60 billion economic and security aid for Kyiv Congress passed in April after months of delays. The State Department said the $2 billion will be used to establish a Ukraine Defense Enterprise Program.

Blinken, during a trip to Kyiv, said the new fund would assist Ukraine in acquiring additional weapons while investing in Ukraines defense industrial base, helping to strengthen even more its capacity to produce what it needs for itself but also to produce for others.

Finally, using this fund [will] help Ukraine purchase military equipment from other countries, not just the United States, for Ukraines use, he added.

Most U.S. Foreign Military Financing in previous Ukraine aid packages has gone to eastern European countries supporting Kyiv in its war effort against Russias invasion. The $2 billion tranche is the largest amount of Foreign Military Financing the U.S. has ever given Ukraine.

Foreign Military Financing is cash assistance the State Department gives to friendly countries to allow them to purchase military equipment from U.S. defense contractors. Israel and Taiwan are the only two recipients who have previously been granted permission to use some Foreign Military Financing on their own defense companies through a special mechanism called offshore procurement.

The State Department said the $2 billion Foreign Military Financing for Ukraine may also facilitate co-production between Ukrainian and U.S. industry and help support Ukraines defense industrial base to strengthen Ukraines capacity to produce weapons to defend itself.

The Biden administration scaled up an effort to help Ukraine build defense equipment on its soil in December with the Commerce Department hosting a U.S.-Ukraine defense-industrial base conference.

Lockheed Martin and RTX, formerly Raytheon Technologies, signed a memorandum of understanding in September to produce Javelin anti-tank missiles in Poland.

Most U.S. assistance has come in the form of arms transfers from existing U.S. weapons stockpiles and through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which allows the Pentagon to place contracts on additional weapons systems for Kyiv.

But the Biden administration has not allowed Kyiv to use long-range U.S. weapons to strike military assets in Russian territory, citing escalatory risks. The U.K. recently reversed a similar restriction on Ukraines use of long-range British weapons.

Those restrictions do not apply to Kyivs indigenous capabilities. For instance, Ukraine has used its own drones to strike Russian oil facilities  drawing protests from the Biden administration.

A group of Ukrainian parliamentarians visited Washington this week in a bid to get the U.S. to lift its ban on using American weapons to strike inside Russia, Politico reported Tuesday.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the country where Lockheed Martin and RTX will co-produce Javelins. The two companies will produce the missiles in Poland.
US Army veteran to be honored at Rome event, receive Quilt of Valor

A U.S. Army veteran will be honored at the second annual Northwest Georgia We CARE Vet Fair Thursday afternoon.

According to a release by United Military Care, U.S. Army Major Sylvia James will receive a Quilt of Valor at noon at the Forum River Center in Rome.

James served in the U.S. Army from 1993 to 2005 both domestically and overseas.

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United Military Care said her assignments while in active service took her to Fort Liberty in North Carolina, K-16 Army Airfield and Yongsan in Seoul, South Korea, Fort Lee in Virginia, Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, Fort Belvoir in Virginia, the Pentagon and Fort Hood, Texas.

During her service, James received the Meritorious Service Medal, the Armed Services Expedition Medal and the Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge.

Currently, James works as a Delivery Station Manager for Amazon at their Fairburn facility.

During the event at the Forum River Center, Amazon will be providing groceries to 200 veteran families in need as part of the We CARE Vet Fair.

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US ban on striking Russia with their weapons undermines Ukraine's ability to defend itself in Kharkiv Oblast  analysts

Experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have noted that the US ban on strikes with provided weapons against military targets in Russia undermines Ukraine's ability to defend itself against the Russian offensive operations in the north of Kharkiv Oblast.

Source: ISW

Details: It was noted that the US Helsinki Commission had stated that the United States should allow Ukraine to strike military targets in Russia's border areas amid Russia's ongoing offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, although US officials continue to express reluctance to support such strikes.

The US Helsinki Commission is convinced that the United States should "not only allow, but encourage" Ukrainian forces to strike at Russian forces that are firing and deployed in Russia's border areas. At the same time, the commission added that Ukraine should decide for itself how to conduct this war.

The ISW assessed that the US restrictions on Ukraine's ability to strike military targets in Russia have created a safe haven in Russia's border areas from which Russian aircraft can launch bombs and missiles at Ukrainian positions and populated areas, and where Russian troops and equipment can freely gather before engaging in combat.

"This US policy is severely compromising Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russian offensive operations in northern Kharkiv Oblast," they said.

Background:

The Biden administration's limitation on the use of US-made weapons in Russia has been in place since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

In May, the UK government lifted a similar restriction on the use of UK weapons in Russia, as announced by UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron during his visit to Kyiv.

Ukraine has been conducting strikes on Russian territory for several months, using its own small drones to attack oil facilities. But officials in Kyiv insist that they need more powerful American missiles to penetrate Russian air defences along the border.

Ukrainian parliamentarians in the United States are making new attempts to force the Biden administration to lift the ban on the use of US-made weapons for strikes on Russian territory.

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The United States Capitol Police (USCP) said they are launching an investigation after a small bag of cocaine was discovered inside its headquarters.

Police found a roughly one-inch by one-inch zip lock bag with a small amount of a white powdery substance, which field tested positive for cocaine.

It was found on the floor inside the Capitol Police headquarters, in an area thats used for a staging spot for furniture and supplies and is heavily trafficked by employees and various contractors, USCP said in a release.

The bag was found by an officer just before 1 p.m. Wednesday and was immediately reported to a supervisor.

USCP headquarters is not at the Capitol, but a few blocks away on D Street and Second Street.

USCP said it has opened an investigation into the incident and will conduct further testing, including DNA testing on the bag.

The Hill has reached out for additional comment from USCP, but the release said they will provide more information when it becomes available.

Last July, the Secret Service confirmed that it had found cocaine at the White House. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at the time the cocaine was found in a well-traveled area and that West Wing tours took place in the days prior.

President Biden was not at the White House at the time when it was found. The bag was found near where visitors are asked to leave their cellphones on part of the West Wing tour.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
US completes Gaza pier as delivery of critical aid to commence in days

The US has successfully anchored a temporary pier near a Gaza beach, with the delivery of critical humanitarian aid expected to commence in the coming days.

On Wednesday afternoon, the US military began towing the floating dock system an estimated 20 miles from the Israeli port of Ashdod to the north of Gaza.

The pier, known as a Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore system (JLOTS), was installed early on Thursday, the US Central Command (Centcom) announced.

It looks to support the humanitarian mission to deliver additional humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians, it said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

The dock is anchored between three to five miles off Gazas coast, with a causeway expected to be installed overnight on a beach to the north of the city.

Hundreds of tonnes of food, shelter kits and other supplies has arrived in Cyprus, which will be screened before being loaded onto ships. Deputy commander of Centcom, Vice-Admiral Brad Cooper, said ships would then deliver the packages to the pier.

Gaza pier being constructed (U.S military's Central Command)

It comes as the UK government announced on Wednesday that a shipment of humanitarian aid , including 8,400 temporary shelters, is in transit from Cyprus to Gaza.

Once JLOTS is fully-operational, it has the capability to supply dramatically more supplies than the airdrops.

The US Navy will chaperone boats to move its stockpiles from the pier to the causeway, which will be connected to shore.

Officials said that aid could begin to be delivered within 24 to 48 hours after it was installed.

As part of this effort, no US troops entered Gaza, Centcom said.

Trucks carrying humanitarian assistance are expected to begin moving ashore in the coming days, it added.

The United Nations is expected to receive the aid and coordinate its distribution.

The JLOTS system was assembled and waiting in Ashdod earlier this month, costing an estimated $320 million.

Components of the pier were shipped from Virginia to the Mediterranean in March after president Joe Biden announced plans for JLOTS in his State of the Union address.

Weather and security concerns delayed the Pentagon giving the approval for it to be moved towards the Gaza coast.

Permission was given by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for Centcom Commander General Michael Kurilla to move the pier on Tuesday, according to officials.
MANILA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Philippine troops killed two suspected rebels during a clash in the southern Philippines early on Thursday morning, the military said.

In a report, the military said the troops were combing a village near Lebak town in Sultan Kudarat province when they clashed with around 10 New People's Army (NPA) rebels before 6 a.m. local time on Thursday.

No government soldier was killed or injured in the fighting.

The NPA rebels have been fighting against the government troops since 1969. They concentrate their attacks on rural areas and have skirmishes with the military.

Military data showed that the NPA's personnel strength has declined since its peak of around 25,000 armed members in the 1980s. 
The US Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday suspended funding to EcoHealth Alliance, a virus research organization tied to controversy about the origins of the virus that causes Covid-19. The agency also proposed the group be blocked from receiving federal funds in the future, possibly for years.

Before Covid-19 emerged, a US government grant to EcoHealth had funded studies into bat coronaviruses at the lab in Wuhan, China. Although US-funded research at the lab has not been linked to the pandemic, the US suspended funding to EcoHealth in 2020. The grant was later reinstated it. US funding to the Wuhan lab has since been blocked.

In a new letter to EcoHealth Alliance and its president, Dr. Peter Daszak, HHS lists 30 pieces of information, some dating back to 2013 to support its decision. HHS said in a memo that EcoHealth failed to adequately monitor virus growth in experiments at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, notify the National Institutes of Health that viruses studied there appeared to grow beyond permissible thresholds laid out in a grant or provide requested information in a timely manner.

HHS believes there is adequate evidence in the record for this debarment cause and that immediate action is necessary to protect the public interest, Henrietta Brisbon, an HHS suspension and debarment official, wrote in the letter.

In a statement, a spokeperson for EcoHealth Alliance said the organization is disappointed by HHS decision today and we will be contesting the proposed debarment. We disagree strongly with the decision and will present evidence to refute each of these allegations and to show that NIHs continued support of EcoHealth Alliance is in the public interest.

An HHS Office of the Inspector General report last year found that despite potential risks from research performed through the EcoHealth grant, the group was late to report information and the NIH failed to follow up. EcoHealth Alliance has said it was unable to access the NIH reporting system because of technical problems, but in a new HHS action memo, it says a forensic report found the group was never locked out of the system.

Earlier this month, House lawmakers questioned Daszak about EcoHealths record on research and safety, including at the Wuhan lab. In a statement on Wednesday, Brad Wenstrup, the Ohio Republican who chairs the House Oversight Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, said its investigation into EcoHealth and the origins of Covid-19 is far from over.

The origin of the virus that caused Covid-19 continues to drive research and investigations by scientists, intelligence officials and lawmakers. Previous scientific studies have suggested the virus that causes Covid-19 likely emerged naturally in a Wuhan seafood market, but they have not identified a specific origin. The US intelligence community has maintained its plausible that Covid-19 originated in a laboratory or in the wild.

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By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday that would force President Joe Biden to send weapons to Israel, seeking to rebuke the Democrat for delaying bomb shipments as he urges Israel to do more to protect civilians during its war with Hamas.

The Israel Security Assistance Support Act was approved 224 to 187, largely along party lines. Sixteen Democrats joined most Republicans in voting yes, and three Republicans joined most Democrats in opposing the measure.

The act is not expected to become law, but its passage underscored the deep U.S. election-year divide over Israel policy as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government seeks to wipe out militants who attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Palestinian authorities say at least 35,272 civilians have been killed during Israel's campaign in Gaza. Malnutrition is widespread and much of the population of the coastal enclave has been left homeless, with infrastructure destroyed.

Republicans accused Biden of turning his back on Israel after facing widespread pro-Palestinian protests.

"This is a catastrophic decision with global implications. It is obviously being done as a political calculation, and we cannot let this stand," Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told a news conference with other party leaders on Wednesday.

Democrats also accused the other party of playing politics, saying Republicans are distorting Biden's position on Israel.

"It is not a serious effort at legislation, which is why some of the most pro-Israel members of the House Democratic caucus will be voting no," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told a news conference before the vote.

Israel, a major recipient of U.S. military assistance for decades, is still due to get billions of dollars of U.S. weaponry, despite the delay of one shipment of 2,000-pound (907-kg) and 500-pound bombs and the review of other weapons shipments by the Biden administration.

As recently as Tuesday, the State Department had moved a $1 billion package of weapons aid for Israel into the congressional review process, U.S. officials said.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, additional reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Alistair Bell)
US imposes sanctions on Russians who helped Moscow get weapons from North Korea

The US Department of the Treasury announced sanctions on 15 May against two Russian individuals and three legal entities that facilitated arms transfers between Russia and North Korea.

Source: a statement by the US Treasury Department, European Pravda writes

Details: The arms supply scheme between Russia and North Korea is linked to Slovakian citizen and arms dealer Ashot Mkrtychev, against whom the United States imposed sanctions in March 2023. Despite this, Mkrtychev and his accomplices continued their activities through intermediaries.

One of them is Russian Rafael Gazaryan, who negotiated on behalf of Mkrtychev to obtain various types of weapons and ammunition for Russia from North Korea and headed one of his companies (which the US also sanctioned).

Another Russian, Alexei Budnev, according to the US Treasury Department, facilitated the supply of military communications equipment to Russia, "that likely originated from the DPRK intended to support the Russian military".

Trans Kapital and Rafort companies are associated with Gazaryan, and Budnev is the sole owner of Tekhnologiya LLC, which was involved in military supply agreements between Moscow and Pyongyang. All of them are now under US sanctions.

Background:

Russia and North Korea have stepped up their military cooperation over the past year. It is known that Moscow has received North Korean ballistic missiles and ammunition and has promised Pyongyang its own technologies for satellite and missile programmes in return.

The United States is concerned that the "strong embrace" between Russia and North Korea could push DPRK leader Kim Jong-un to take risks in terms of threats to South Korea, arms exports, and ignoring calls for nuclear talks.

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US imposes sanctions on Russians who helped transport weapons from North Korea to Russia

The U.S. Treasury on May 16 imposed sanctions against Russian citizens who helped Russia get weapons from North Korea.

With Russia's military stocks running low and domestic production capacity simultaneously hampered by Western sanctions, North Korea has been shaping up as Russia's leading weapons supplier, reportedly providing Moscow with extensive military packages, including ballistic missiles and over 3 million artillery shells.

The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) introduced sanctions on two Russian individuals and three Russia-based entities for facilitating weapons transfers between North Korea and Russia.

New Zealand introduced similar sanctions earlier this week, targeting actors involved in the transfer of North Korean arms to Russia.

Todays action reflects our commitment to disrupt the DPRKs deepening military cooperation with Russia, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson said. The United States will continue to take action to hold accountable those who seek to facilitate the shipment of weapons and other materiel to enable Russias war.

In March 2023, OFAC imposed sanctions against a Slovakian national, Ashot Mkrtychev, and associated entities for facilitating weapons transfers between Russia and the DPRK.

The U.S. has now sanctioned another associated individual, Rafael Anatolyevich Gazaryan, for working with Mkrtychev on arms exchanges between Moscow and Pyongyang. According to the report, Gazaryan has acted as a point of contact for Mkrtychevs negotiations to obtain arms for Russia. Gazaryan also worked as a company director at Verus LLC, a company associated with Mkrtychev's sanctions evasion network.

Gazaryan also used two Russian-based companies, Trans Kapital Limited Liability and Rafort Limited Liability, to facilitate weapons and munition transfers between the two countries. The Russian national is also reportedly the director of Rafort Limited.

The U.S. Treasury identified one more individual involved in arms shipments to Russia from North Korea. Aleksey Budnev has helped maintain shipments of military communications equipment to Russia from North Korea since March 2023. He is also the sole owner of a Russian-based company, Tekhnologiya, OOO.

OFAC will impose sanctions on Gazaryan, Trans Kapital Limited Liability, Rafort Limited Liability, Aleksey Budnev, and Tekhnologiya, OOO.

New Zealand introduced similar sanctions earlier this week, targeting actors involved in the transfer of North Korean arms to Russia.

Ukrainian prosecutors announced in March that Russia had fired around 50 North Korean missiles to attack six Ukrainian oblasts since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Around half of these missiles malfunctioned and exploded in mid-air.

Read also: Reuters: UN says North Korean-made missile struck Kharkiv in January













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The U.S. military has finally anchored its new pier to the coast of Gaza, and officials are expected to soon begin delivery of crucial humanitarian aid to the besieged region.

The pier was completed earlier this month, but its anchoring was delayed by bad weather.

Officials are expected to begin delivering around 500 tons of humanitarian aid in the coming days, offering much-needed relief for Palestinian civilians who lack access to basic necessities including food and water as Israel carries on a war against militant group Hamas in Gaza.

In a press call, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, said the pier was successfully anchored to a beach in Gaza in the early morning hours on Thursday.

Cooper said there are hundreds of tons of humanitarian assistance immediately ready for distribution in the coming days.

Weve got thousands of tons in the pipeline, he added.

Sonali Korde, assistant to the administrator at the United States Agency for International Developments Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, said the pier would help address a gap in humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza.

Were at a point in time when we cant spare any effort, she said.

Aid distribution will begin at the island nation of Cyprus, where barges will bring in tons of assistance to a floating dock miles off the coast of Gaza. The aid will then be ferried to the pier on ships before being unloaded off the shore for distribution.

Around 1,000 U.S. troops are taking part in the humanitarian aid mission, but Washington has been firm there will be no boots on the ground. Instead, they will work closely with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the United Nations and humanitarian aid groups to get the aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

Some Republicans have raised concerns about how the U.S. military can stay out of harms way, especially after the area near the port on the shore was attacked last month.

But Cooper said the U.S. military has worked closely with the IDF to come up with a security plan, and that Israel has been a supportive partner in the process.

We worked very closely with the IDF to develop a series of protocols, he said, saying they had a high level of confidence in the mission.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Aid for Gaza will soon flow from pier project just finished by US military, Pentagon says

The image provided by U.S, Central Command, shows U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), U.S. Navy sailors assigned to Amphibious Construction Battalion 1, and Israel Defense Forces placing the Trident Pier on the coast of Gaza Strip on Thursday, May 16, 2024. The temporary pier is part of the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore capability. The U.S. military finished installing the floating pier on Thursday, with officials poised to begin ferrying badly needed humanitarian aid into the enclave besieged over seven months of intense fighting in the Israel-Hamas war. (U.S. Central Command via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Pentagon said Thursday that humanitarian aid will soon begin flowing onto the Gaza shore through the new pier that was anchored to the beach and will begin reaching those in need almost immediately.

Sabrina Singh, Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters that the U.S. believes there will be no backups in the distribution of the aid, which is being coordinated by the United Nations.

The U.N., however, said fuel imports have all but stopped and this will make it extremely difficult to deliver the aid to Gazas people, all 2.3 million of whom are in acute need of food and other supplies after seven months of intense fighting between Israel and Hamas.

We desperately need fuel, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. It doesnt matter how the aid comes, whether its by sea or whether by land, without fuel, aid wont get to the people.

Singh said the issue of fuel deliveries comes up in all conversations with the Israelis.

The U.S. military finished installing a floating pier off the Gaza Strip early Thursday, and officials were making final checks before trucks begin driving onto the shore to deliver pallets of aid.

The pier project, expected to cost $320 million, was ordered more than two months ago by U.S. President Joe Biden to help starving Palestinians as Israeli restrictions on border crossings and heavy fighting hinder food and other supplies from making it into Gaza.

Fraught with logistical, weather and security challenges, the pier project is not considered a substitute for far cheaper deliveries by land that aid agencies say are much more sustainable.

The boatloads of aid will be deposited at a port facility built by the Israelis just southwest of Gaza City and then distributed by aid groups.

U.S. officials said Thursday as much as 500 tons of food will begin arriving on the Gaza shore within days and that the U.S. has closely coordinated with Israel on how to protect the ships and personnel working on the beach.

But there are still questions on how aid groups will safely operate in Gaza to distribute food to those who need it most, said Sonali Korde, assistant to the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, which is helping with logistics.

There is a very insecure operating environment" and aid groups are still struggling to get clearance for their planned movements in Gaza, Korde said. Those talks with the Israeli military need to get to a place where humanitarian aid workers feel safe and secure and able to operate safely. And I dont think were there yet.

Fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants on the outskirts of the southern city of Rafah as well as Israel restarting combat operations in parts of northern Gaza have displaced some 700,000 people, U.N. officials say. Israel recently seized the key Rafah border crossing in its push against Hamas.

Pentagon officials say the fighting isnt threatening the new shoreline aid distribution area, but they have made it clear that security conditions will be monitored closely and could prompt a shutdown of the maritime route, even just temporarily.

Already, the site has been targeted by mortar fire during its construction, and Hamas has threatened to target any foreign forces who occupy the Gaza Strip.

The protection of U.S. forces participating is a top priority. And as such, in the last several weeks, the United States and Israel have developed an integrated security plan to protect all the personnel," said Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, a deputy commander at the U.S. military's Central Command. "We are confident in the ability of this security arrangement to protect those involved.

Central Command stressed that none of its forces entered the Gaza Strip to secure the pier and would not during its operations. It said trucks with aid would move ashore in the coming days and "the United Nations will receive the aid and coordinate its distribution into Gaza.

The World Food Program will be the U.N. agency handling the aid, officials said.

Israeli forces will be in charge of security on shore, but there are also two U.S. Navy warships nearby, the USS Arleigh Burke and the USS Paul Ignatius. Both are destroyers equipped with a wide range of weapons and capabilities to protect American troops offshore and allies on the beach.

Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani confirmed that the pier had been attached and that Israeli engineering units had flattened ground around the area and surfaced roads for trucks.

We have been working for months on full cooperation with (the U.S. military) on this project, facilitating it, supporting it in any way possible, Shoshani said. Its a top priority in our operation.

The U.N., U.S. and international aid groups say Israel is allowing only a fraction of the normal pre-war deliveries of food and other supplies into Gaza since Hamas' attacks on Israel launched the war in October. Aid agencies say they are running out of food in southern Gaza and fuel is dwindling, while USAID and the World Food Program say famine has taken hold in Gazas north.

Israel says it places no limits on the entry of humanitarian aid and blames the U.N. for delays in distributing goods entering Gaza. The U.N. says fighting, Israeli fire and chaotic security conditions have hindered delivery. Under pressure from the U.S., Israel has in recent weeks opened a pair of crossings to deliver aid into hard-hit northern Gaza and said that a series of Hamas attacks on the main crossing, Kerem Shalom, have disrupted the flow of goods.

The first cargo ship loaded with food left Cyprus last week and the cargo was transferred to a U.S. military ship, the Roy P. Benavidez, off the coast of Gaza.

Military leaders have said the deliveries of aid will begin slowly to ensure the system works. They will start with about 90 truckloads of aid a day through the sea route, and that number will quickly grow to about 150 a day. Aid agencies say that isn't enough and must be just one part of a broader Israeli effort to open land corridors.

Because land crossings could bring in all the needed aid if Israeli officials allowed it, the U.S.-built pier-and-sea route is a solution for a problem that doesnt exist, said Scott Paul, an associate director of the Oxfam humanitarian organization.

Under the new sea route, humanitarian aid is dropped off in Cyprus where it will undergo inspection and security checks at Larnaca port. It is then loaded onto ships and taken about 200 miles (320 kilometers) to the large floating pier built by the U.S. military off the Gaza coast.

There, the pallets are transferred onto trucks, driven onto smaller Army boats and then shuttled several miles (kilometers) to the causeway anchored to the beach. The trucks, which are being driven by personnel from another country, will go down the causeway into a secure area on land where they will drop off the aid and immediately turn around and return to the boats.

Aid groups will collect the supplies for distribution.

___

Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Julia Frankel in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.
US removes Cuba from list of countries not fully cooperating on counterterrorism efforts

The US State Department took Cuba off the list of countries that are not fully cooperating with the US on counterterrorism efforts, a State Department official said Wednesday.

Multiple factors contributed to Cubas change of status. The US and Cuba resumed law enforcement cooperation in 2023, including on counterterrorism, the official said. Cuba also no longer found itself refusing to engage with Colombia on extradition requests for National Liberation Army (ELN) members because Colombias attorney general announced that arrest warrants would be suspended.

As a result of these changes, the Department determined that Cubas continued certification as a not fully cooperating country was no longer appropriate, the official said.

The State Department still includes North Korea, Iran, Syria and Venezuela on the list of countries that are not cooperating on counterterrorism efforts.

While the Cuban government celebrated the State Departments decision, it also called for the US to remove the country from another list that designates it as a sponsor of terrorism.

The US has just admitted what is known to everyone: that Cuba collaborates fully with efforts against terrorism, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla wrote on X. All political manipulation of the issue should cease and our arbitrary and unjust inclusion on the list of countries sponsoring terrorism should end.

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U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will visit two Georgia communities this week to discuss access to healthy, fresh food and efforts to improve equity for food producers, as well as investments by the federal government aimed at economic improvements for small business owners and producers.

According to an advisory from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Vilsack will travel to south Georgia on Thursday for an event in Albany to speak at the USDAs Regional Equity Convening for the Southeastern Region.

The Albany visit will include Vilsacks participation in the Sherrod Institutes Farm Field Day, where Vilsack is expected to highlight the USDAs ongoing and holistic efforts to center equity; lift barriers to inclusion or access; and address systemic discrimination or racial, economic, health and social disparities across the Department, according to the department.

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On Friday, Vilsack will travel to Columbus in middle Georgia to join Rep. Sanford Bishop in an Investing in American Roundtable event.

In Columbus, Vilsack is expected to talk about how the USDA is working to create more rural prosperity and additional income opportunities for business owners and food producers by building more, new and better markets, as well as giving more options for shoppers to buy healthy, locally grown products, according to the USDA.

Additionally, Vilsack will be discussing infrastructure investments and job creation, along with efforts to strengthen local and regional supply chains in Georgia and across the United States as part of President Joe Bidens Investing in America agenda.

The USDA said the investment plan by the Biden administration is aimed at rebuilding the U.S. economy from the middle out and bottom up while creating transformative economic opportunities for small and mid-size producers, families and busineses.

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Julius Thairu, chief commercial and customer officer of Kenya Airways, receives an interview with Xinhua in Nairobi, Kenya on May 9, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Yahui)

NAIROBI, May 16 (Xinhua) -- As the Chinese market is a competitive one with a promising future, it will always be a pillar of our global business, a senior executive of Kenya's national carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) has said.

"We see a good fiscal year ahead since China's aviation performance is robust, which has given us confidence in the Chinese market," Julius Thairu, chief commercial and customer officer with the airline, said during a recent interview with Xinhua.

After entering the Chinese market in 2005, the Kenyan carrier flies weekly routes from Nairobi to South China's Guangzhou city. Thairu said that next year, the 20th anniversary of the company's entering the Chinese market, a new direct flight from Nairobi to Beijing will be launched.

"From capital to capital, and from Kenya to other African countries, easier transportation will bring us closer," he said, adding that China remains Africa's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years.

Kenya is China's largest trading partner in East Africa, while China is Kenya's largest trading partner and source of imports. With its rich tourism resources and eased visa policy for foreign visitors, Kenya has become a popular destination for Chinese tourists.

According to Thairu, KQ is partnering with several Chinese airlines on interline agreements, ground operations, and code sharing. It has been recruiting Chinese-speaking cabin crews to better serve the expanding market.

After visiting Beijing to attend the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2006, Thairu has been to cities like Shanghai, Guangzhou and Changsha, and was amazed at how modern those cities are.

"After years of high-speed growth, I think China's economic development has entered a new phase, shifting to a high-quality mode," said Thairu.

With the ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to be held in Beijing later this year, Thairu expressed his hope that more cooperation deals would be inked with Chinese airlines.

"KQ's footprint may extend to more places in China and across Africa," he said. 
An American solider imprisoned in Russia on charges of stealing from his girlfriend in the country pleaded guilty to theft, Russian media reported.

The soldier, Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, was arrested in Vladivostok, Russia, May 2 and placed in pretrial detention. A Russian court ordered him to remain in custody at least until July.

Black admitted guilt and is cooperating with the investigation with the help of an English translator, Russian state-run media outlet Tass reported Wednesday, citing a representative of law enforcement agencies.

He admitted guilt and is cooperating with the investigation. The investigation into the criminal case continues, the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Primorsky Territory told news outlet Interfax.

Black, 34, was stationed at Camp Humphreys in South Korea before making an unauthorized trip to Russia. The U.S. Department of Defense said he was processed out of the South Korea station on April 10 and was leaving to be stationed in Texas when he made the trip to Russia for personal reasons.

In an interview with NBC News, his mother said she thinks he was lured to Russia by his girlfriend, Aleksandra Vashchuk, where he was set up.

The couple reportedly had a conflict when he arrived in Russia, and his girlfriend discovered money was missing and turned to law enforcement for help, Tass said.

The U.S. Army has opened an administrative investigation into Blacks travel.

The Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry office said Blacks detention has nothing to do with politics or espionage, but the U.S. Defense Department said is investigating the circumstances of his arrest.

The Hill has reached out to the White House, Pentagon and State Department for comment on the Russian media reports.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
US to speed up immigration cases of recent border crossers in new program

FILE PHOTO: A woman walks towards the U.S. at the Paso del Norte International Border bridge, in Ciudad Juarez

FILE PHOTO: A woman walks towards the U.S. at the Paso del Norte International Border bridge, in Ciudad Juarez

By Ted Hesson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Biden administration will speed up the immigration court cases of some single adults caught illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border under a new program announced on Thursday, part of a broader effort to reduce illegal immigration in the run-up to Nov. 5 elections, senior administration officials said.

Single adults with court dates heading to five cities - Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City - could be placed in a "recent arrivals docket," senior administration officials said on a call with reporters. U.S. immigration judges will aim to resolve their claims for asylum in 180 days instead of a process that can now take years because of major backlogs, the officials said.

U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat seeking reelection in November, has toughened his approach to border security in recent months as immigration has emerged as a top voter concern. Biden's Republican challenger, former President Donald Trump, has criticized Biden's approach and vowed to reinstitute hardline polices.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a statement urged Congress to pass a bipartisan Senate bill that would increase border enforcement.

"This administrative step is no substitute for the sweeping and much-needed changes that the bipartisan Senate bill would deliver," Mayorkas said.

Biden administration officials declined to say how many people could be placed in accelerated case processing, but at least 10 judges will initially be assigned to the new program, one official said.

The Biden administration on Wednesday imposed visa restrictions on more than 250 members of the Nicaraguan government and levied sanctions on three Nicaraguan entities in a move partly related to migrant smuggling through the Central American country.

The administration also intends to finalize a proposed regulation later this year that would allow asylum officers to quickly deny claims of migrants convicted of a serious crime, linked to terrorism or posing other dangers to public safety.

(Reporting by Ted Hesson; Editing by Mica Rosenberg, Leslie Adler and Daniel Wallis)
The first day of the court's new term in Washington

By John Kruzel

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding mechanism in a challenge brought by the payday loan industry, handing a victory to President Joe Biden's administration and a setback to the agency's conservative critics.

The 7-2 decision, authored by conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, reversed a lower court's ruling that the CFPB's funding design violated a provision of the U.S. Constitution called the "appropriations clause" giving Congress the power of the purse. The agency draws money annually from the Federal Reserve instead of from budgets passed by lawmakers.

Biden called the decision "an unmistakable win for American consumers," touting how the agency under his administration has provided nearly $9 billion in consumer relief and is working to save Americans $20 billion annually going forward on credit card late fees, overdraft fees and other "junk fees."

"In the face of years of attacks from extreme Republicans and special interests, the court made clear that the CFPB's funding authority is constitutional and that its strong record of consumer protection will not be undone," Biden said in a statement.

Thomas wrote that the CFPB's funding design was constitutionally sound.

"The statute that authorizes the bureau to draw money from the combined earnings of the Federal Reserve System to carry out its duties satisfies the Appropriations Clause," Thomas wrote.

The CFPB was established under a law signed by Democratic former President Barack Obama in 2010, when Biden was vice president, to curb the kind of predatory lending that contributed to the 20072009 financial crisis. The agency has delivered more than $20 billion of relief to consumers including a $3.7 billion settlement in 2022 with Wells Fargo.

Many conservatives and their Republican allies have portrayed the CFPB as part of an overbearing "administrative state," the network of agencies responsible for the array of federal regulations affecting businesses and individuals.

Four of the court's six conservative justices joined its three liberal members in the ruling.

Justice Samuel Alito wrote on Thursday in a dissent, joined by fellow conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch, that the ruling "turns the Appropriations Clause into a minor vestige."

"The court upholds a novel statutory scheme under which the powerful Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) may bankroll its own agenda without any congressional control or oversight," Alito wrote.

"The Framers would be shocked, even horrified, by this scheme," Alito added, referring to the Constitution's 18th century authors.

The justices, who heard arguments in the CFPB case in October, are expected to rule by the end of June in other cases that could curb the power of other federal agencies including the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Supreme Court's conservative majority has taken a dim view of expansive authority for federal agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency in important rulings in recent years.

REPUBLICAN OPPOSITION TO CFPB

Republican lawmakers overwhelmingly opposed the CFPB from the start, contending it wields too much power and burdens banks and other lenders with unnecessary red tape.

Patrick McHenry, who chairs the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee, said his fellow Republicans will continue to seek legislation ensuring that "the CFPB is held accountable to the American people," calling it a "rogue" agency.

In contrast, a CFPB spokesperson said, "For years, lawbreaking companies and Wall Street lobbyists have been scheming to defund essential consumer protection enforcement. The Supreme Court has rejected their radical theory that would have devastated the American financial markets. The court repudiated the arguments of the payday loan lobby and made it clear that the CFPB is here to stay."

Payday loans are short-term and high-interest loans typically due on the borrower's next payday after the loan is made, with the annual percentage rate usually steep - 390% or more, according to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

In 2018, the Community Financial Services Association of America and the Consumer Service Alliance of Texas, trade groups representing the payday loan industry, sued the agency, taking aim at a 2017 regulation designed to curb "unfair" and "abusive" practices by certain high-interest lenders. The regulation stops lenders from trying to charge a borrower's bank account after two unsuccessful attempts in a row.

A federal judge in 2021 sided with the CFPB. But the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2022 ruled that the funding structure violated the appropriations clause in a decision that also invalidated the regulation at issue.

Biden's administration had told the Supreme Court that invalidating the CFPB's funding arrangement could have endangered similarly structured agencies including the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve Board.

CFPB supporters also had said a ruling against it would have left consumers vulnerable to deceptive and abusive practices, and could have jeopardized the CFPB's existing regulations.

(Reporting by John Kruzel; Additional reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham)
The US is worried about an invasion, but China could take control of Taiwan without firing a shot, war experts warn

The US is worried about an invasion, but China could take control of Taiwan without firing a shot, war experts warn

The US and its allies are focused on preventing a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

A new report argues there's a lack of readiness for other ways China could take control of Taiwan.

An aggressive Chinese coercion campaign is far more likely than an invasion and already happening, experts warn.

With the US and its allies focused on what a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could look like, and how American forces could defend Taiwan if necessary, they're missing a glaring alternative strategy China could employ to capture Taiwan, a new report argues.

Defense experts say that an aggressive Chinese coercion campaign, short of war but still threatening, is more likely than a full-scale invasion and the US needs to prepare for such an event.

A new report co-authored by war experts from the American Enterprise Institute and the Institute for the Study of War explores a scenario where China undergoes a "coercion campaign that remains far short of invasion but nevertheless brings Taiwan under Beijing's control," identifying such an event as a "significant gap in US strategic thought."

Elements of such a campaign are already underway and include China's military exercises both in the Taiwan Strait and around the island, which are growing in scale and raising worries about escalation. Economic and diplomatic pressure is notable, and Chinese misinformation operations and the potential to slowly set up a blockade of Taiwan are also concerns.

The increasing Chinese military presence around Taiwan, the report says, could exhaust and overwhelm Taiwan's military and fuel a narrative that it is unable to defend the island, decreasing "trust in the military and feelings of security among the Taiwanese populace."

Taiwan's AAV7 amphibious assault vehicle maneuvers across the sea during the Han Kuang military exercise, which simulates China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) invading the island, on July 28, 2022 in Pingtung, Taiwan. Annabelle Chih/Getty Images

The report identifies four things key to resisting Chinese coercion. The first is a US-Taiwanese strategic relationship that foregoes concerns that "cooperation directly precipitates further escalation, whereas peace and prosperity are just around the corner if this partnership is halted."

Second, Taiwan's government must function despite Chinese efforts to undermine it in the eyes of the Taiwanese people through things like "economic warfare, cyber warfare, sabotage, rigorous (and pseudo-legal) inspections of ships carrying goods to Taiwan, air and sea closures, electronic warfare, and propaganda critical of government mismanagement."

These efforts include significantly degrading Taiwan's essential services, like clean water and electricity.

The third point is that Taiwanese people must resist Chinese "cognitive and psychological campaigns" aimed at breaking their rejection of the Chinese government, including "intimidating supporters of resistance, sowing doubt and fear among the population, and generating demands to trade political concessions for peace."

And lastly, there has to be resistance against "widespread information campaigns" that "aim to decrease the US public's and political leadership's willingness to support Taiwan." Such campaigns are already occurring, prompting anxiety that the US public and government may see getting involved in defending Taiwan as heightening risks of war at a significant cost with little to gain. The AEI and ISW experts argue that is not the case.

Notably, the report says that "Taiwan is strategically vital to the larger US-led coalition to contain" China, arguing that a US-friendly Taiwan links America's allies in the northwestern Pacific with US partners and allies to the south."

A China-controlled Taiwan, however, "would become a springboard for further PRC aggression and would seriously compromise the US-led coalition's ability to operate cohesively."

A US-made AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter launches flares during an annual drill at the a military base in the eastern city of Hualien on January 30, 2018. MANDY CHENG/AFP via Getty Images

The authors of the new report present coordinated actions China could pursue to prompt Taiwan and its partners to accept reunification, referring to it as a "short-of-war coercion course of action."

Some of Beijing's biggest problems are Taiwanese resistance to China, which continues to grow, especially after the historic election of Democratic Progressive Party candidate Lai Ching-te, who is currently the vice president, in January, and continued support from the US and its regional allies.

The new report looks at a hypothetical timeline that begins with the inauguration of Lai this month and leads into 2028, imaging how China and Taiwan could, by that point, come to a "peace" agreement. China could ultimately be successful in such a campaign, the authors say, if the US and its allies fail to recognize Beijing's coercive tactics or strategically plan to deter them.

The US must clearly "recognize the possibility and danger of a coercion campaign that is far more intense than the one currently ongoing against Taiwan and develop ways to prevent Taiwan's isolation through means short of war," they write.

The report's authors argue that "increased efforts in the information domain will be key to ensuring that the US government and friendly international audiences do not fall prey to [Chinese] information operations intended to reshape the way Americans and key international actors think."

CM-11 tanks fire artillery during the 2-day live-fire drill, amid intensifying threats military from China, in Pingtung county, Taiwan, 7 September 2022. Ceng Shou Yi/NurPhoto via Getty Images

US-Taiwanese relations and concerns about an aggressive China in the Pacific region are often at the forefront of the minds of US officials and experts, but the focus is frequently on hard power elements, even if there is recognition of some of the coercive aspects of Chinese behavior.

In March, US Navy Adm. John Aquilano, then the commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, stressed that China was pursuing a massive military build-up not seen since World War II and "all indications" pointed to it "meeting President Xi Jinping's directive to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027." He also told the US Armed Services House Committee China's actions indicated it would ready to unify Taiwan by force, if necessary.

Aquilano urged lawmakers to intensify the US' military development and posturing in the Pacific in order to deter such a fight.

And, earlier this month, over a dozen US lawmakers wrote to US Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro and Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, raising concerns about what preparations were being made to harden the US presence in the Pacific and deter military action from China.

Of the lawmakers' concerns, the most prominent appeared to be the lack of active and passive defenses protecting US bases in the area, specifically on Guam and in Japan. "We are concerned about the alarming lack of urgency by the Department of Defense in adopting such defensive measures," they wrote, adding that "it is apparent that the Pentagon is not urgently pursuing needed passive defenses" to harden US bases and airfields from a vicious, preemptive strike by China's threatening missile force.

Read the original article on Business Insider
USPS workers in Rhode Island charged in mail theft ring; authorities estimate losses to be massive

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI)  Federal investigators have broken up a well-organized and wide-ranging conspiracy to steal valuables from the mail in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, they announced Wednesday.

The alleged conspiracy involved a supervisor and six other workers at the U.S. Postal Service processing and distribution center in Providence, Rhode Island, which handles all incoming and outgoing mail for Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts.

The facility handles roughly 3.5 million pieces of mail every day, according to U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha, who, alongside special agents from the USPS Office of Inspector General, announced the arrests of the seven suspects.

Heres what the USPS does with lost mail  and how you might get it back

Investigators allege that from March 2023 through February 2024, the accused workers would pull certain envelopes out of the stream while sorting mail, then smuggle them out of the facility in backpacks. The group would later meet up to divide the take.

As an example, Cunha said that during the holiday season, the suspects would target brightly colored envelopes that may have contained cash, checks or gift cards.

USPS sorting box on display at announcement of mail theft arrests (Photo: Shiina LoSciuto/WPRI-TV)

U.S. Postal Service processing and distribution center in Providence (Photo: Alexandra Leslie/WPRI-TV)

Its currently unclear how much was stolen in total, but Cunha indicated there were massive losses. In one instance, he said, one of the suspects was caught with a backpack stuffed with business envelopes containing approximately $1.3 million worth of checks.

I would emphasize that these thefts were not isolated occurrences, Cunha said. Surveillance conducted during the investigation showed multiple members of the conspiracy engaged in taking, setting aside and then smuggling stolen mail out from the facility on any given day.

Major changes coming to Visa: How will it affect you?

The following people have been charged with theft of mail by a postal employee and conspiracy:

Cyril Murray, 44, of Pawtucket (supervisor)

Darren Camacho, 30, of Providence

Fernando Camacho, 28, of Providence

Willie Estrella, 31, of Providence

Ryan Lee, 43, of Cranston

Angel Rivera, 27, of Providence

Andre Williams, 31, of North Providence

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone in Rhode Island our southeastern Massachusetts who believes their mail went missing between March 2023 and February 2024 is urged to call the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General hotline at 1-888-USPS-OIG (1-888-877-7644), email hotline@uspsoig.gov, or file a claim online.

While cash and gift cards are typically spent immediately in these cases and will likely not be recoverable, Cunha said any information thats provided can help their investigation.

Todays charges should make clear: this kind of public corruption will not be tolerated, he added. Postal employees who help themselves to valuables that they are entrusted to deliver safely to their destinations will be held to account.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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YOKOSUKA, Japan  A U.S. Navy strike groups flagship aircraft carrier left its Japanese homeport on Thursday, wrapping up nearly nine years of deployment in the Indo-Pacific, where it served a key role in the U.S. effort to bolster defense ties with Japan and other partners in the region.

The departure of USS Ronald Reagan  one of Americas largest warships and a nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier  comes at a time of growing tension in the face of increasingly assertive China in the Indo-Pacific.

USS Ronald Reagan pulls into the Philippines amidst tension with China

It will be replaced later this year by USS George Washington, another Nimitz-class carrier. Japan has been accelerating the buildup of its military capability and significantly increased joint naval operations with the United States.

Family members and friends of the crew were on hand to wave the carrier off from Yokosuka Naval Base after its final patrolling mission earlier in the day.

Hundreds of sailors stood along the rails while others on the flight deck stood forming the Japanese saying dewa mata, or see you. The carrier was accompanied by two guided-missile destroyers, USS Robert Smalls and USS Howard.

Speaking at the ceremony, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel ensured a seamless transition.

The USS Ronald Reagan and her crew have ensured that millions of people across the Indo-Pacific have been able to live their lives free of coercion, aggression and suppression, Emanuel later told reporters.

USS Ronald Reagan first arrived in Yokosuka in 2015. Earlier, during its deployment near the Korean Peninsula, the carrier contributed in Operation Tomodachi, following the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in northeastern Japan.

USS Ronald Reagan was the only American aircraft carrier deployed as a flagship of the Carrier Strike Group 5 under the U.S. Navys 7th Fleet to a homeport outside the U.S.

During its tenure, it participated in dozens of multilateral exercises and visited more than a dozen foreign ports, including its historic port call to Da Nang, Vietnam, last year.

While tensions have escalated in the South China Sea between China and the Philippines and a number of other countries over maritime and territorial disputes, Japan is concerned about its dispute with China over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.

Japanese and Chinese coast guard ships repeatedly face off in the waters there.

Former Defense Minister Tomomi Inada, who recently joined an environmental survey trip near the disputed Senkaku islands, which Beijing calls the Diaoyu, said Thursday that cooperation with the U.S. and other like-minded countries is key to defending the international order.

We have a sense of urgency that we must not let the East China Sea become another South China Sea, she said.

Landing on the islands is not permitted, so Inadas group flew drones for land and vegetation survey of the area. China protested the trip.

Inada said experts should be able to land on Japans territory for research, calling for a parliamentary debate.

Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo.
Power lines lead into the coal-fired Intermountain Power Plant on March 28, 2016 outside Delta, Utah. The IPP generates more then 13 million megawatt hours of coal-fired energy each year to Utah and Southern California. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)

The Utah Legislature will hold a special session likely in June to discuss a controversial bill that would extend the life of the coal-fired Intermountain Power Plant, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Thursday.

We did have some changes that needed to be made to the bill dealing with a phased-out power plant in Millard County. So, as I mentioned when I signed that bill, we would be working with the sponsor and others for some changes, Cox said during his monthly news conference on PBS Utah.

He referred to SB161, Energy Security Amendments, a bill that would prevent plans to close two coal-fueled generators at the Intermountain Power Plant, located near Delta.

The bill would require the Intermountain Power Agency, owned by 23 Utah municipalities, to allow the state to buy the generators. Ultimately, Utah would try to find a third party interested in purchasing them.

Gov. Spencer J. Cox speaks to reporters during the Governors Monthly News Conference at the PBS Utah Studios in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Pool photo by Laura Seitz/Deseret News)

Those municipal owners opposed the legislation, asking the governor to veto SB161 citing a rushed approval process in the House and Senate, risks for the construction of a multibillion-dollar natural gas facility, and the potential of heavier federal regulations.

The agency also argued that as California, its largest client, moves away from fossil fuels, costs to keep the coal plants running would move to Utah municipalities and ratepayers. However, for the majority of Republican lawmakers, retiring the generators would take a toll on Utahs energy supply.

When asked about the possibility of a special session, Sen. President Start Adams said the Legislature is committed to making Utah energy independent and investing in innovative solutions without abandoning reliable and affordable energy sources.

Let us know what you think...

We are having discussions with the governors office regarding SB161 and a possible special session to ensure the best possible path for our states long-term prosperity that will benefit all Utahns and keep our energy sector strong, Adams said in a statement.

A House spokesperson also confirmed they are working on a special session to address some technical changes. But, details are still uncertain.

The state is trying to avoid litigation with Intermountain Power Agency, Cox said on Thursday. But, the state acknowledges that might not be possible.

Cox signed the bill in March, but included some remarks about it in his veto letter.

We signed these bills with the express understanding that we will work together to address those concerns, he wrote about SB161 and SB273, which would require the Salt Lake County District Attorneys Office to track time spent on criminal cases and provide an annual, written report to a legislative committee.

During his March PBS conference, Cox said the state would exhaust every possibility to keep the power plant running while ensuring environmental regulation compliance.

Well continue working very closely with IPP, well be continuing to work closely with regulators, Cox said in March. However, he added, he doesnt expect any monumental changes.

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Todd Brickhouse, CEO of Basin Electric Power Cooperative, participates in a roundtable discussion on the energy supply during the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference at the Bismarck Event Center on May 15, 2024. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

Basin Electric Cooperative plans to build another natural gas-fired power generation facility in North Dakota, a top company official said Wednesday.

Todd Brickhouse, CEO of Basin Electric, revealed the plans while speaking on a panel at the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference in Bismarck.

Brickhouse said it would be a 1,400 megawatt power-generating facility and become the utility cooperatives largest power-generating facility.

It will be the largest capital expenditure project that Basin has ever done, Brickhouse said.

Brickhouse did not specify a location for the facility, saying it will depend on pipeline negotiations.

In an interview, Brickhouse said the power plant should be in service by 2030 or earlier and would have a price tag in the billions of dollars.

He said it would use about 7% of the natural gas currently produced in North Dakota.

Brickhouse called the natural gas plant an extension of Basins historic strategy of having coal-fired power plants at the mouth of the coal mine.

He said the goal would be to site the plant near the source of the natural gas.

Basin Electric operates two natural gas-fired power plants in North Dakota, the Pioneer Generation Station near Williston and Lonesome Creek Station near Watford City. Each facility produced at least 1 million megawatts of electricity in 2023, the highest amount since the facilities began operating in 2013, the cooperative said on its website.

North Dakota has an excess of natural gas, a byproduct of oil production.

The state produced an average of nearly 3.4 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day in February, according to the Oil and Gas Division.

Brickhouse said the facility would still need board approval and would not be presented to the board until a site is chosen. It also would need regulatory approvals, including from the Public Service Commission.

Julie Fedorchak, a Public Service Commissioner who led the discussion, called the announcement great news, despite the unknowns.

We need more generation in North Dakota and it would be a great use of gas, Fedorchak said. We have more gas than we need and we can get it out of state, so thats a win for that as well.

During the panel discussion, Brickhouse noted that North Dakota saw a 60% increase in electricity consumption from 2013 to 2022.

Much of that consumption is related to North Dakotas oil boom and energy industry.

Brickhouse also highlighted investments in transmission lines in northwest North Dakota.

The discussion began with Fedorchak criticizing recent federal regulations that will make it harder for North Dakotas coal-fired power plants to continue operating.

In light of that, Pierce Norton, CEO of ONEOK, which operates several natural gas processing facilities and pipelines in North Dakota, said natural gas can play a critical role in power generation.

He wrapped up the discussion by saying that each of the three main power sources  fossil fuels, renewable energy and nuclear power  each has a weakness.

For fossil fuels, its emissions; for renewable, its reliability; and for nuclear, its cost.

All three can work together to solve the others problems, Norton said.

The Williston Basin Petroleum Conference, which is marking North Dakota passing 5 billion barrels of Bakken oil produced, will wrap up Thursday.

The post Utility plans another gas-fired power plant for North Dakota appeared first on North Dakota Monitor.
HANOI, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's southern economic hub Ho Chi Minh City led the country in export revenue in 2023 with 42.46 billion U.S. dollars, according to Vietnam's import-export report published by the Ministry of Industry and Trade on Thursday.

Despite the leading position, the city's export revenue in 2023 declined 10.8 percent year on year, Vietnam News Agency reported.

The northern province of Bac Ninh was ranked second with over 39.3 billion dollars in revenue in 2023.

According to the report, localities have strived to boost industrial production, trade and import-export activities in 2024.

Ho Chi Minh City set industrial production growth at 6.5 percent this year.

Export turnover of businesses through the city's border gates is set to rise 10 percent.

Vietnam's exports in 2023 reached nearly 354.7 billion dollars, down 4.6 percent year on year, said the report. 
Vancouver police arrest man accused of stabbing woman in the neck at Clark College

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A man accused of stabbing a woman in the neck on the campus of Clark College in Vancouver was arrested Thursday.

The Vancouver Police Department announced that 31-year-old Salvador Aguilar was booked into the Clark County Jail Thursday morning on multiple charges.

Mother charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting 15-year-old son in neck

Around 10 a.m., police said officers were near the 2600 block of St. Johns Boulevard following up on a lead for the suspects whereabouts when they located a man matching his description. Authorities said Aguilar was sleeping in a car at a residential property.

Aguilar was charged with first-degree assault and car theft.

On Wednesday, students at the college who spoke with KOIN 6 News were shaken up over the incident, with many recalling what the campus was like when it briefly went into lockdown Tuesday. The suspect fled as police released images of him to the public from surveillance footage in hopes of locating him.

Gov. Kotek proposes $40 million investment to save container services at Terminal 6

The woman who was stabbed suffered non-life threatening injuries, authorities said.

On Monday, an individual matching the same description as the stabbing suspect allegedly tried to pry his way into a womans car in one of the colleges parking lots. However, the woman screamed and he ran away. Clark College security responded and later relayed this information to Vancouver police.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and no further details could be released at this time.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center. (Photo: John Partipilo)

A years-long dispute over Vanderbilt University Medical Centers plans to build a new hospital in Rutherford County has landed in Davidson County Chancery Court.

St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital on Monday filed a legal challenge to the Tennessee Health Facilities Commissions decision to grant approval for Vanderbilt Rutherford Hospital, a proposed 42-bed, acute care facility to be built near Murfreesboro.

The commission concluded in February that the hospital would add much needed acute care capacity to Murfreesboro and Rutherford County and provide those residents with an additional hospital option.

The commissions decision marked a sharp reversal of an earlier decision by an administrative judge, who in 2023 denied Vanderbilt a so-called certificate of need, siding with three area hospitals who disputed a new hospital in the same market was necessary.

The judge concluded that all of the hospitals already operating in the area provide quality care, none of them was near capacity, all Rutherford County residents had reasonable access to care and that Vanderbilt was not seeking to provide services to underserved population groups  all criteria that state may use to approve a new hospital.

The challenge by St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital names Vanderbilt and the Tennessee Health Facilities Commission and asks the court to reverse the commissions final order and deny Vanderbilt a certificate of need, required by state law before establishing a new hospital.

The other two hospitals who have previously contested Vanderbilts plans  TriStar StoneCrest Medical Center and Williamson Medical Center  have yet to file legal challenges.

st thomas

The post Vanderbilt faces renewed challenge over plans for Rutherford County hospital appeared first on Tennessee Lookout.
The Vatican is offering insight on apparitions and other supernatural phenomena on Friday in a press conference set to be streamed live on YouTube.

The press conference has been scheduled for Friday at 6 a.m. ET, when the Vatican is set to present guidance on new provisions from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, according to a news release from the Holy See Press Office. The center of discussion will surround apparition, which the Encyclopedia of the Bible refers to as a supernatural or spiritual visitor.

Vatican officials are also set to publish updated documentation about apparitions on Friday.

This photo taken on Dec. 25, 2023 by The Vatican Media shows Pope Francis during the Christmas Urbi et Orbi blessing in The Vatican.

Current guidance outlines direct steps officials must take when someone reports an apparition, including establishing whether the claim is valid under a positive and negative criteria. Guidelines also instruct officials to cautiously "permit some public manifestation of cult or of devotion" and express a judgment on the merit of the supernatural claim.

Three speakers are scheduled for the conference including Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, Monsignor Armando Matteo and Sister Daniela Del Gaudio.

How to watch Vatican press conference livestream

The Vatican is set to stream the news conference on its official YouTube page at 6 a.m. ET.

What is an apparition?

In a biblical context, apparitions refer to "any appearance of a dead and disembodied person. This is rare, and mostly reflects popular belief," the Encyclopedia of the Bible definition states.

Apparition primarily relate to divine entities including saints or the Virgin Mary.

Last apparition guidance revisions made in 1978

The new guidelines mark the first revisions to its doctrine regarding apparitions since 1978.

In April, the dicastery was "in the process of finalizing a new text with clear guidelines and norms for the discernment of apparitions and other phenomena," the dicastery told the National Catholic Register.

Pope Francis recently spoke to CBS anchor Norah ODonnell in the first in-depth one-on-one interview to a U.S. broadcast network, the network said. An extended version of the interview will air on CBS "60 Minutes" program on Sunday, May 19 where the pope will address several of the Church's controversies and "the steps hes taken to bring the traditional institution into a modern era."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Vatican press conference to discuss apparitions: How to watch
Hannah Blythyn has been sacked from the Welsh Labour government as the minister for social partnership - Ben Evans/Huw Evans/Shutterstock

The First Minister of Wales has sacked a member of his government who he claims leaked a message suggesting he had misled the Covid Inquiry.

Labours Vaughan Gething, who became First Minister in March, said on Thursday that he had no alternative but to dismiss Hannah Blythyn, the minister for social partnership.

Mr Gething told the Covid Inquiry in March that he did not intentionally delete pandemic WhatsApp correspondence  only for a leaked iMessage earlier this month to emerge suggesting he had done so.

Having reviewed the evidence available to me regarding the recent disclosure of communication to the media, I have regrettably reached the conclusion I have no alternative but to ask Hannah Blythyn to leave the government, he said.

Ms Blythyn denied responsibility for the leak, saying she was deeply shocked by the dismissal.

I am clear and have been clear that I did not, nor have I ever leaked anything, she said. Integrity is all in politics and I retain mine.

Mr Gething, who was the health minister during the pandemic, told the Covid Inquiry that lost messages were not deleted by him but by the Welsh Senedds IT team during a security rebuild.

But an iMessage leaked to news website Nation.Cymru earlier this month cast doubt on his version of events.

In a message posted to the ministerial group chat on Aug 17 2020, Mr Gething appears to have said: Im deleting the messages in this group. They can be captured in an FOI [Freedom of Information request] and I think we are in the right place on the choice being made.

He denied last week that the message contradicted the evidence he had given to the inquiry in March, claiming that the message did not relate to pandemic decision-making but comments that colleagues make to and about each other.

Vaughan Gething, the First Minister of Wales - Francesca Jones/REUTERS

But Rhun ap Iorwerth, the leader of Plaid Cymru, has called for Mr Gething to consider his position.

The sacking of one of his ministers and the allegations and counter allegations which surround it, demonstrates again that the First Ministers priority is self-preservation rather than the public interest, he said.

Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, told The Telegraph: The First Minister needs to take responsibility for his actions.

He should have provided all of the evidence, including his messages, to the UK Covid Inquiry, but he failed to do so despite stating to them that he had.

Vaughan Gething has instead decided to punish the person that he claims is the whistleblower.

A spokesman for the Covid Inquiry previously confirmed it had been made aware of the leaked message and was considering whether Mr Gething needed to provide further information.

Telling lies at a statutory public inquiry amounts to perjury, which on conviction can lead to a prison sentence of up to seven years.

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Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado addresses supporters gathered in Sabana de Mendoza, Venezuela, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia became the opposition Unitary Platform's candidate for president after Machado, who won the opposition's presidential primary in 2023, and her handpicked alternative were banned from registering for the July 28 election. (AP Photo/Regina Garcia Cano)

SABANA DE MENDOZA, Venezuela (AP)  At an intersection packed in four directions, rallygoers scream and light up cellphones in the evening as Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado climbs onto a flatbed truck like a presidential candidate.

She has been barred from the July 28 election. Still, she crisscrosses the country, shaking hands, taking selfies, blowing kisses and promising the defeat of President Nicolas Maduro  all as a surrogate for a quiet former diplomat who has not yet begun to campaign.

Maria Corina! Maria Corina! the people yell, sometimes in unison, in the small Andean foothill town of Sabana de Mendoza. Their cheers are deafening.

Machados challenge is whether she can translate her fame and charisma into votes for Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who was chosen by the chief opposition coalition after Machado was unable to overcome a ruling blocking her candidacy.

I dont remember what his name is, seamstress Danis Cegarra, 48, said of Gonzalez while she waited with her two children for Machado. Although we dont know much about him, we are going to support him. Well, I am going to support him, because I want a change above all because I have children.

Gonzalez is the third candidate that the Unitary Platform opposition coalition has promoted as its own this year.

Machado, a former lawmaker, entered 2024 as the groups candidate after easily winning an October presidential primary, but a top court loyal to Venezuela's ruling party affirmed an administrative decision to ban her from office. She appointed a substitute in March, former academic Corina Yoris, who also was barred. Four days later, the coalition picked Gonzalez.

Machado, a free-market proponent who has been campaigning for more than a year, is now introduced as opposition leader instead of candidate at her rallies. Gonzalez, 74, has not yet appeared at rallies together with Machado. He will officially launch his campaign Saturday, though he gave a brief address Thursday to supporters with the characteristic subdued tone of a diplomat.

He seems to be a very quiet, consensus-based diplomat. Maria Corina is out there on the stump fire breathing, said Ryan Berg, director of the Americas Program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Her job is to bring out people to vote for Edmundo, but it will be interesting to see what hes like if he ever goes out there because its going to be quite a character mismatch to see him next to her."

Gonzalez began his career as an aide to Venezuelas ambassador in the U.S. in the late 1970s. He had postings in Belgium and El Salvador and served as Caracas ambassador to Algeria.

His last post was as ambassador to Argentina during the first years of the presidency of Hugo Chavez, who came to power in 1999 and transformed Venezuela with socialist policies like nationalizing industries and launching welfare programs. Chavez handpicked Maduro to replace him before dying of cancer in 2013.

More recently, Gonzalez worked as an international relations consultant and wrote a historical work on Venezuela during World War II.

He told The Associated Press last week he expects various opposition leaders, in addition to Machado, to be his surrogates.

Gonzalez, appearing Thursday before several dozen supporters and leaders of the opposition in Caracas, spoke of a nation dedicated to provide education, healthcare and employment to all citizens, regardless of their political leanings. Attendees chanted President! President! and he said Venezuela would work toward reconciliation starting July 29.

Only united and organized can we overcome the obstacles as we have done until now, Gonzalez said at the headquarters of the Venezuelan College of Engineers. The Venezuela that is to come will be the country of opportunities.

In Sabana de Mendoza, about two and half hours after Machado was scheduled to appear on a recent weekday, she delivered a fiery 20-minute, yes-we-can speech from the truck's roof. She spent one of those minutes talking about Gonzalez.

This community is going to elect this person, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, our candidate for the presidency, Machado said while holding a banner with Gonzalezs headshot. He is a good man; he is an honest man. I ask all of you, who have accompanied me and have given me your trust and affection, that we vote firmly and safely for a man who will do a great job.

Machado has not only helped to unify the fractured, personality-driven opposition, her campaigning has drawn the attention  and rivalry  of the ruling party.

At least twice in the past month, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela has held rallies on the same day and the same community where Machado was expected to address supporters.

Gonzalezs headshot will appear three times in the July 28 ballot, one for each party he will officially represent. Meanwhile, the headshot of Maduro, who is seeking a third term, will appear 13 times.

Maduros 11-year presidency has been marked by a social, political and economic crisis that obliterated the middle class, pushed millions into poverty and turned some government allies into millionaires. Under his watch, more than 7.7 million Venezuelans have abandoned their homeland, settling primarily in Latin America and Caribbean countries.

The effects of the crisis are evident along a country road that leads to Sabana de Mendoza. Abandoned homes and businesses stretch for several hundred meters. Shuttered gas stations are rusting. People fan themselves because there is no electricity for an air cooler.

Hermogenes Alvarado, 56, an unemployed truck driver, said he will vote for the other candidate, Gonzalez, even if he knows next to nothing about him. He said he thinks anyone other than Maduro will bring back jobs to his community.

But next to Alvarado while waiting for a gas station to open, Moises Mendoza, 29, said he is not so certain about Machados replacement. The maker of maracas, hammocks and ceramics does not see his vote as automatically transferable. For him, staying home on Election Day is an option.

I dont know who Edmundo is, and I imagine that people with the opposition are going to support him to be able to remove this government, Mendoza said. If he doesnt convince me, I wont vote.

___

Follow AP's Latin America coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
MANHATTAN (KSNT)  Originally from Madison, Kansas, Army Sergeant Bob Harlan would serve overseas in the middle of the growing Vietnam conflict.

Graduating from Kansas State University in the late 1960s, Harlan knew the draft was calling his name.

To avoid going into the infantry, they give you the option of changing your draft to an enlistment, which I did, Harland said, and thats how I got into the radio relay operator side of it.

In that radio relay role, Harlan would connect soldiers all across the country.

We would set up on a site, Harlan said, they would run their lines from their field telephones into our band, and then we would broadcast it over the air back to the next station or wherever. So we provided the communications for the different groups.

Making communications happen in that manner during that time period was pivotal for everyday operations.

Veteran Salute: Fighting the enemy and the ocean

It was so much more important then, because it was way before cell phones or anything like that, Harlan said. It took more equipment like that to make the communications between sites, so the troops could be coordinated, artillery fire or whatever. That side of the communications was really important so everybody knew.

He wouldnt stay in that role for long though, taking his skills to the Motor Pool Dispatch. When Harlan returned stateside to Fort Riley, hed serve as a Team Leader in radio equipment, until a unique opportunity presented itself.

First infantry division was getting geared up for Reforger, Harland said, which is the return of forces to Germany. They needed to build up their manpower a little bit for that, so then I was transferred to first infantry division in the signal unit. Drove to Forge air force base and loaded them on a C130, and they flew us to Germany for that. That was quite a trip too.

Harlan would continue supporting the troops after his time in the military came to an end. Working in Marysville on projects like a trailer for the military, and as the inspector for aircraft deicers for the air force.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
HUTTO, Texas (KXAN)  The family of Faith Monreal, a 15-year-old shot and killed by another teen, said navigating the juvenile justice system after Faiths death made everything even more painful.

We didnt get the justice we feel she deserved, Faiths mother Vanessa Brown said. Itit hurts. It doesnt feel real.

The juvenile system focuses on the rehabilitation of the person responsible for the crime just as much as it works to get justice for victims. Protections for respondents  the term used for the accused and/or responsible minors  include anonymity and shielding details of the case from the public.

Faith Monreal, 15, died after spending months on life support.

Even though KXAN has covered this story for two years, because of those protections, this is the first time were getting a glimpse into the other side. The case is over. The teen respondent pleaded guilty to Deadly Conduct and her father pleaded guilty to making a firearm accessible to a child, according to one of the defense attorneys on the case.

In this story, we explore both sides of this case: the difficulties Faiths family endured in a system thats also designed to protect the teen who took their daughters life, and the reason the juvenile justice system is designed the way it is.

A nightmare: Faiths story

In December 2021, Faith went to a friends house.

What was supposed to be a harmless sleepover turned into a nightmare, Vanessa said.

Police said Faith was shot in the head. After spending a few months on life support, she died the following February.

She was my everything, Vanessa said.

Faith was a sophomore at Hutto High School at the time. She was supposed to graduate this month. Her parents still picked up a cap and gown for her and made a graduation invitation with re-purposed photos of Faith showing her wearing graduation garb.

Instead of celebrating with her and watching her walk the stage, well be celebrating with her at her gravesite. Vanessa Brown, Faith Monreals mother, on the fact that Faith should be graduating from high school this year.

Vanessa said Faith loved animals and had dreams of becoming a veterinarian. She was a big sister to three younger siblings.

Oh, they looked up to her. She was the mama  the second mama in the house, Vanessa said.

This pain, Vanessa said, was only just the beginning. As the case went through the courts, we got told multiple times, Shes 16  shes 15. Theres multiple things they cant tell us, Vanessa said.

When it came time for the sentencing, Vanessa said a judge denied the family the opportunity to read their impact statements in front of the respondent.

We were told it was too hard for the defendant, Vanessa said. For a simple letter, for how I feel about how she took my daughters life and I couldnt even express that.

Goal is to have them rehabilitated: How the juvenile justice system worked in this case

KXAN public safety reporter Brianna Hollis speaks with one of the attorneys who worked the case.

If a court believes the reading of victim impact statements could be disruptive to the proceedings, they dont have to allow them to be read, Claire Carter, one of the defense attorneys on the case, said.

Carter said evidence showed this was a tragic accident.

There was never a question about the profound remorse in this case, she said. It was clear from the first 911 call, it was clear throughout the reports, it was clear through all interviews with the juvenile respondent.

She said the teen received an eight-year Determinate Sentence Probation and accepted responsibility for engaging in deadly conduct, a third-degree felony.

Heres how that sentence works. The teen will be on juvenile probation at least until their 18th birthday. After that, Carter said, a judge will decide if she has worked diligently toward their probation, and if so, the case can be terminated at that time, meaning the sentence would be complete. If a judge rules the other way, the probation can continue into the adult system for the remainder of the original eight-year sentence.

The goal is to have them rehabilitated and go into society without being haunted by events that happened when they were young, Carter said regarding the protections given to minors. Between 10-16 specifically, children are not fully developed in terms of brain development, social development, emotional development.

Thats a big reason why, Carter said, teen respondents arent named publicly and the details of their cases are kept out of public record.

When a case involves a juvenile, a victims family is often frustrated by the same anonymity, the same protections used to shield the person accused of the crime. And thats frustrating for people who are victims of a crime because they dont feel they have the same level of transparency, Carter said. It would be impossibly difficult to participate in proceedings or observe proceedings where the interest and concern appeared to be about somebody other than your own child.

Moving forward

The Monreals are now trying to work with county and state leaders on gun safety campaigns with a focus on safe firearm storage.

I never thought in a million years I would have to ask a parent that is going to be watching my child if they have loaded guns just lying around, Vanessa said.

Faith continues to be recognized at crime victim events in Williamson County, including one, pictured below, that included a gallery of some of her art.

Faith Monreal was honored at a crime victims event in Williamson County. (Courtesy: Vanessa Brown)

Faiths family plans to hold an honorary graduation celebration for her next week.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
When the founders gathered in Philadelphia to draft the Constitution, they debated for months to decide how a president should be elected. At first, they liked the idea of Congress picking the president  as the British Parliament chooses the prime minister  but discarded that proposal over concerns it would lead to corruption between the executive and legislative branches.

Eventually, they settled on a little-known compromise called the contingent election, which has been mostly ignored by our history books. If no candidate emerges from the Electoral College with an electoral majority, the outcome is decided by the House of Representatives, where each state delegation gets one vote. Thomas Jefferson believed this was the most dangerous blot in our Constitution, and one which some unlucky chance will some day hit.

Fortunately, we havent come close to a contingent election since 1824, when John Quincy Adams won the presidency over populist Andrew Jackson. But as distant as it may seem, a contingent election is a real possibility this fall, at a time when confidence in American democracy is already fraying. As Ethan Bauer details this could be a dangerous mix. With just 16 percent saying they trusted the government in 2023, a contingent election could be the poison pill embedded in the U.S. Constitution that causes the rest of the electoral system to fail.

With so much at stake this election season, were making a special effort at the magazine to focus on what truly makes America great. In that vein, this months cover story highlights the Great Salt Lake in a gorgeous photo essay by Chris Carlson. When I met with him to see his photos for the first time, I was inspired by the spiritual connection he feels with this endangered natural wonder. He told me how his ancestors were among the first white settlers to build homes on Antelope Island. Now, he hopes his work, will spur others to take action while the vanishing lake can still be saved. Walk the shores, Carlson implores. Listen to the stories. See the beauty. Witness the plight.

We love this land and believe in the institutions dedicated to preserving our democracy, but every good fight starts with good people. As Ive noted in this space before, one important way to help is by listening respectfully to those who hold opposing views. But as Joshua DuBois points out in this months Commentary that doesnt mean compromising our deeply held beliefs. In fact, sometimes it requires the courage to call out what we see as wrong. We need an active, lived civility that is not quiet, DuBois writes, that doesnt take a backseat, but leans into the healing of this country. I like to think our forebears  from Mason to Jefferson and Carlsons pioneer ancestors  would agree.

This story appears in the May 2024 issue of Deseret Magazine. Learn more about how to subscribe.
(Bloomberg) -- A logistics firm which won over 1 billion ($1.3 billion) worth of UK government contracts during the pandemic is embroiled in a trial over whether it was justified in breaking off a contract with a supplier during the race to source medical equipment during the first wave of Covid-19.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Uniserve Ltd., the company owned by businessman Iain Liddell, walked away from a deal in June 2020 with a Jordanian supplier, to buy 80 million face masks after finding a cheaper Chinese supplier in June 2020, lawyers for Hitex, the Jordanian firm, told the UK High Court on Thursday. Hitex is seeking $23 million in compensation from Uniserve.

Uniserve denied the claim and alleged Hitex overstated their production capacity and delayed delivery of the masks. I cant put my name to this and they cant produce so we have to cancel, Liddell was quoted as saying in court documents.

The government, desperate for medical equipment at the start of the pandemic, handed contracts to firms with little experience in manufacturing or procuring them, which then rushed to meet the large demands. Almost 400 contracts worth 7.9 billion were handed to VIP lane suppliers including Uniserve, according to UKs National Audit Office.

Uniserves 70-million contract to supply 80 million face masks to the health department was part of over 1 billion worth of contracts it won. The company was referred by Theodore Agnew, then a minister of state at the cabinet office and the Treasury.

Uniserve denies any liability, its lawyers said. Uniserve terminated the contract in June, 2020 after Hitex failed to meet the delivery schedule for the masks, they said.

The Upminster, Essex-based shipping firm launched a counter claim and alleged it was induced to sign the contract based on deceit and misrepresentation about production capacity of Hitex.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2024 Bloomberg L.P.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Li said that in recent years, under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China and Russia have been developing bilateral relations on the basis of non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party. He added that their practical cooperation in various fields has been steadily promoted, people-to-people and sub-national exchanges have flourished, and public support for friendly relations between the two countries has been increasingly consolidated, setting an example of peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation between major countries.

Noting that this year marks the 75th anniversary of China-Russia diplomatic ties, Li said China is willing to work with Russia to follow the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, consolidate and carry forward their long-standing friendship, deepen cooperation in various fields, promote the common development of China and Russia, better benefit the two peoples, and contribute to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Li said China is ready to work with Russia to further synergy and deepen cooperation between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union, promote regional integration and the development of regional economic integration, enhance trade liberalization and facilitation, and deepen cooperation in such areas as economy, trade, energy and connectivity.

The two sides should take the China-Russia Years of Culture as an opportunity to further promote cooperation in the fields of cultural tourism, sports, youth, medical and health care, and continuously enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, Li said.

Putin said Russia-China relations are based on mutual equality, mutual benefit and win-win results, and conform to the interests of the two countries and two peoples.

Noting that Russia-China relations have reached the highest level, Putin said Russia is willing to work with China to take the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties as an opportunity to further strengthen cooperation in such fields as economy, trade, energy, agriculture and infrastructure construction, make the Russia-China Years of Culture a success, deepen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and push the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era to a new level. 

Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Tao)
BATH, N.Y. (WETM)  A Virginia man has been arrested in the Village of Bath after police say they found him with a gun and drugs during a welfare check early Tuesday morning.

According to the Village of Bath Police Department, Richard F. Clark, 53, was arrested on the charges of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, a class C felony; two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, a class D felony, and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree, a class C felony.

Corning man charged, allegedly had meth in jail

Clarks charges stem from an incident that occurred on Tuesday, May 14, around 1 a.m. in Bath when a police officer was on routine patrol and noticed a vehicle parked in the parking lot of a closed business on West Washington Street, with what appeared to be an unresponsive person in it.

After a welfare check was performed, the officer determined that the person, identified as Clark, had fallen asleep in the vehicle.

Elmira man arrested on felony weapon charge

Upon further investigation, police found that Clark had a loaded AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, a large-capacity ammunition feeding device and a quantity of meth.

He was processed and transported to Steuben County Jail where he is being held without bail. Clark is a seven-time convicted felon out of the state of Virginia.

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Del. Rodney Willett, D-Henrico, speaks at Main St. Station in Richmond for Rx Partnership's 20th anniversary event.

As the cost of living rises, many low-income Virginians often have to choose between paying for vital medication or putting food on the table. This is where Rx Partnership comes in  a nonprofit that works to expand medication access across the entire state and has done so for 20 years.

Rx Partnership executive director Amy Yarcich said the organization obtains medication either by purchasing it or through pharmaceutical company donations, where it is then sent to free clinics across the commonwealth. Since its first shipment of medication in 2004, Yarcich said Rx Partnership has supported over 80,000 patients across 31 free clinics.

Yarcich said the access to medication along with health care services provided by free clinics can help patients be healthier and have one less worry when theyre looking at juggling so many things in their life.

The nonprofits origin dates to 2003, when a group of healthcare professionals collaborated to create a more efficient way to access medication in Virginia for patients who need it.

There were processes with pharmaceutical companies that were really cumbersome, time consuming and just not working well, Yarcich said.

Now, Rx Partnership sees a significant demand in medication from clinics serving low-income, uninsured patients, despite the jump in Virginians with Medicaid coverage after the state expanded the program in 2019.

A patient may turn up to a pharmacy counter to find out an inhaler costs $125 and they may abandon that prescription because they just dont have that, Yarcich said. Theyre making tough decisions about whether to get dinner that evening or be able to afford medication.

Rx Partnership also works with free clinics to provide medication for the underinsured  patients who dont qualify for Medicaid but cant afford to pay large out-of-pocket expenses through commercial insurance. Free clinics can help enroll eligible patients on Medicaid and provide medication in instances where a person is waiting to receive benefits.

Additionally, Yarcich said because there are so many free clinics with pharmacies, Rx Partnership helps alleviate medication access in pharmacy deserts  areas where no traditional pharmacies are available. According to a June Board of Pharmacy report, five Virginia counties  Rappahannock, Nelson, King and Queen, Surry and Charles City  dont have a single pharmacy. Fifteen counties only have one pharmacy.

Patients who face barriers like lack of transportation can receive medication through mail delivery, a program Rx Partnership started in response to COVID-19.

Were there to catch people who fall through the cracks, Yarcich said. We want to make sure there is that safety net and people dont go without things and find themselves in crisis in the emergency room.

The average Virginian may not realize this support system exists, Yarcich said, because Rx Partnership mainly works behind the scenes with free clinics and pharmaceutical companies. In an effort to raise awareness during its 20-year anniversary, the nonprofit is displaying an exhibit of its work and accomplishments at Main St. Station in Richmond. The display will remain until May 31.

Maybe its not today, maybe its next week, next year, Yarcich said. Increased awareness means a person can find themself in conversation with someone struggling and they can mention Rx Partnership.

Editors note: This story has been updated to reflect Rx Partnership has supported 80,000 patients since 2004, not 8,000.

The post Virginia nonprofit celebrates 20 years of expanding medication access appeared first on Virginia Mercury.
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The combination of memory foam and its semicircular shape makes this pillow the relaxation upgrade you need  and it's over 40% off.
Want to hear a great idea thats going absolutely nowhere?

Thomas Arnhold, a retired attorney writing in the nonprofit Kansas Reflector, has one such great idea: He says Democrats should campaign for the Kansas Legislature this fall on a grand promise to bring direct democracy to the state in the form of a new citizen-led initiative-and-referendum process.

If Kansans really want popular policies the GOP-controlled legislature refuses to give them  stuff like Medicaid expansion and medical marijuana  they could force those ideas onto a ballot and then vote them into law. Just like their voters next door in Missouri have already done.

Its a winning issue for Democrats and whoever else wants to join the cause, Arnhold writes.

I love it.

Kansans overwhelmingly support the Republican Party, but I have long believed the electorate at large is far more moderate than the right-wing GOP representatives they so often send to Topeka. The result? Our representative democracy isnt so representative.

Polling tells us that measures such as Medicaid and marijuana are broadly supported by the states voters, but conservative legislative leaders keep ignoring them. So it would be great if Kansans had an option to do an end run around those stubborn so-called leaders. I suspect Arnhold is right when he argues that such a measure would be popular with voters, including moderate Republicans.

How, Arnhold wrote, can you argue against a process that is democracy in its purest form?

Its funny he should ask.

The answer comes (again) from next-door Missouri, where Democrats in Jefferson City this week have been conducting a heroic record-breaking filibuster intended to preserve the Show-Me States referendum process.

Missouri Republicans didnt love when the people circumvented them to pass Medicaid expansion and legalize marijuana. Now theyre downright alarmed that voters have brought them a petition for a statewide vote that would reverse Missouris draconian abortion ban.

Their solution? Less democracy in its purest form.

POWER GAMES

The measure being pushed now by Missouri Republicans would undo the one person one vote nature of the current referendum process and essentially give conservative rural areas a veto over initiatives that have broad support in the more liberal bastions of Kansas City and St. Louis. As few as 20% of Missouri voters could block measures backed by the broader electorate.

Not very democratic, is it?

The reasoning behind the proposal seems obvious. Missouri Republicans say the state constitution shouldnt be so easy to change. What they more likely mean is that the state constitution shouldnt be so easy to change in ways that conservatives dont like.

Republicans have a great deal of power in Missouri. The initiative process means they dont have total power.

Which brings us back to why Arhnolds great idea  bringing the initiative-and-refendum process to Kansas  is almost certainly going nowhere.

The referendum process already exists in Missouri. GOP leaders there probably cant get away with trying to get rid of it entirely: That would need approval from a majority of the states voters, ironically. So theyre tinkering with the details instead and hoping the voters dont catch on.

Kansas Republicans dont have to bother. Its too easy to stick with the status quo.

As Arnhold points out, adding an initiative process to the Kansas Constitution would require a two-thirds majority in both houses of the Legislature before going to the states voters for approval. The GOP right now happens to hold  two-thirds majorities in those chambers.

And it is nearly impossible to imagine legislative leaders surrendering even a small bit of their power back to voters. Who can make them?

We already know what Kansas Republicans think about the will of those voters. They put the anti-abortion-rights Value Them Both amendment on the ballot in August 2022 and saw it overwhelmingly rejected by Kansans eager to preserve abortion rights. GOP legislators have spent the two years since then continuing to pass anti-abortion-rights legislation anyway.

Republicans who control the Kansas Legislature are accustomed to ignoring the people they represent. Its why we wont get the referendum process, at least not anytime soon  and also why we need it.

Joel Mathis is a regular Kansas City Star and Wichita Eagle Opinion correspondent. He lives in Lawrence with his wife and son. Formerly a writer and editor at Kansas newspapers, he served nine years as a syndicated columnist.
WANTED: Instructors to Help New Mexico Kids Read, Pay Starts at $35 Per Hour

This article was originally published in Source New Mexico.

State officials are looking to hire workers  teachers and non-teachers alike  to teach elementary and middle school students how to read this summer.

The New Mexico Summer Reading Program will provide reading instruction in small group, four-hour classes of children ranging in age from those becoming kindergarteners to ninth graders.

People hired to help children read will start the program in June and continue for four to six weeks through July, according to a news release.

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The deadline to apply is May 24; however, the state is encouraging people to apply by May 17 so they can start in June.

More information and the application can be found at literacy.nm.gov. The programs website shows 42 summer reading locations across New Mexico.

Three state agencies, the New Mexico Public Education Department, the Higher Education Department and the Early Childhood Education and Care Department said Monday they need hundreds of additional instructors for the program, which has a goal to serve 10,000 students.

You do not need to be a licensed teacher to become a literacy instructor, but we encourage retired educators and educators on summer break to consider joining this historic statewide literacy effort, said Public Education Secretary Arsenio Romero.

Summer reading instructors would make $35 per hour, according to the news release. Thats significantly higher than the median hourly wage in New Mexico of $20 per hour.

People would have to commit to working for at least 25 hours per week.

The weeklong training will be paid at the same rate $35 per hour rate.The specialized training will be done by literacy experts prior to the program, at the end of May or the beginning of June.

New Mexico ranks 50th in literacy with 79% of fourth grade students reading below grade level, according to the childrens literacy nonprofit Reading is Fundamental.

Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Source New Mexico maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Shaun Griswold for questions: info@sourcenm.com. Follow Source New Mexico on Facebook and Twitter.
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US health authorities warned Thursday that a deadlier version of mpox (formerly monkeypox) spreading in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could soon cross international borders, urging those at risk to get vaccinated.

While the mpox subtype, which has a higher death rate especially among children, has yet to be detected outside Africa, the Centers for Disease Control warned that vaccination rates have dropped since the 2022 outbreak that led to more than 30,000 cases in the US.

Previous outbreaks of the virus, which spreads through physical contact, have hit gay and bisexual men particularly hard, and authorities are concerned that Pride festivities in June could accelerate cases if the virus jumps to the US.

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Mpox-hit DRC lacks critical access to vaccines

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Source: Health Policy Watch

While the West now has extensive access to mpox vaccines, the DRC has no stockpile despite suffering the largest surge of cases ever recorded. The DRC is one of the most vaccine-hesitant societies in Africa, which, coupled with stigma surrounding same-sex activity, has meant that regulatory approval of vaccines and medicines has thus inched forward at snails pace, according to Health Policy Watch, an independent network of health journalists. Current mpox vaccines either require two doses or are injected intradermally  which requires special training for healthcare workers  making vaccine rollouts more complicated in the conflict-torn DRC, a World Health Official told the group.

US vaccination rates dropped after cases fell

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Source: The New York Times

An initial shortage of vaccines during the 2022 outbreak led many gay and bisexual men  accustomed to following public health messaging similar to HIV prevention programs  to curb their sexual activity, causing cases to decline rapidly, The New York Times reported. But the drop in infections may have produced a false sense of security, because vaccination rates for mpox have declined since 2022, according to one virologist. Fewer than one in four Americans received two doses of the vaccine, considered the most effective method to prevent the disease. Behavioral changes are difficult to sustain, the NYT wrote, and public health experts are still pushing for vaccination over celibacy.

Researchers warn mpox less symptomatic than previously thought

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Source: Journal of Infectious Diseases

The 2022 mpox outbreak was likely accelerated by many infected people being asymptomatic, according to a new study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. About 1 in 15 patients who visited New York City sexual health clinics during the outbreak had mpox antibodies despite not being vaccinated or having visible signs of infection such as lesions, a fever or respiratory symptoms, researchers found, adding that future strains of the virus could follow similar patterns. Using contact tracing that solely relies on testing patients with lesions may be insufficient to completely curb future mpox outbreaks, the researchers wrote.

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) celebrated the Supreme Courts Thursday decision to reject a GOP challenge to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureaus (CFPB) funding structure.

The United States Supreme Court followed the law, and the CFPB is here to stay, Warren said outside the Supreme Court.

This is so terrific, this news is fabulous, she said.

The courts decision Thursday preserves the agencys funding mechanism as constitutional. The 7-2 vote ends a battle that was the organizations biggest legal threat since it was created after the 2008 financial crisis.

Warren was one of the key creators of the CFPB, which was established to enforce consumer protection laws and crack down on predatory lending through the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law.

She was joined Thursday by Cassandra Gould, a reverend and senior strategist with Faith in Action, who also celebrated the decision.

When you have an agency that is this good at doing its job to protect consumers, then a lot of banks, a lot of payday lenders, a lot of Republicans come after it and try to shut it down, Warren said.

Two lender trade associations, backed by business groups and each of the countrys Republican state attorneys general, attempted to attack the agencys funding from the Federal Reserve, saying it violates Congresss authority.

Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the majority and rejected the argument, ultimately siding with the Biden administration.

Warren said President Biden helped make the CFPB stronger because he believes in what it does.

While she said Thursday is about celebration, the Massachusetts senator warned that more challenges may be coming.

We dont fool ourselves. Theyll come back again, theyll have another attack, theyll figure out another way to go after the agency. Theyll do it again and again and again, she said.

Warren argued that Republicans would attack CFPB because the agency costs the banks and payday lenders a lot of money.

So, yeah, we know theyre out there. They got plenty of money, theyre gonna keep fighting, but so are we, she said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Wash. Dad Allegedly Shot 9-Month-Old Son in Head at Point Blank Range as He Slept

Dion Lamont Montgomery allegedly told police he was using PCP when he shot his baby boy, court records show

Seattle Police Department; GoFundMe Dion Lamont Montgomery and son Alaisea Matai Montgomery

A Washington man is facing criminal charges after allegedly shooting his 9-month-old son while the baby was sleeping, say police.

On May 8 at about 6:30 p.m., Seattle police were called to the home in the citys Magnolia neighborhood by a woman saying her child had been shot, police said in a statement.

Members of the Seattle Fire Department arrived and pronounced the child dead at the scene.

On March 9, the childs father, Dion Lamont Montgomery, 35, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, first-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm, according to online jail records.

He is being held at the King County Correctional Facility on a $5 million bond.

It is unclear whether Montgomery has retained an attorney who can speak on his behalf or entered pleas to the charges he faces.



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Court records allege that after shooting his son, Montgomery fired four to five shots at two people nearby before fleeing, KIRO 7 reports.



No one was injured, according to the court records.

When police found Montgomery three blocks away from the scene, he allegedly told officers he had been using PCP and that demons made him fire the gun, court records show, KIRO 7 reports.

The boys mother told police that her husband told her he had fired a blank when she heard the gun fire, court records show.

In a GoFundMe set up to help the baby's mother defray funeral costs, Reyna Cruz paid tribute to the loss of "our sweet innocent boy, Alaisea (Ala-see-uh) Matai Montgomery."

Ala, she wrote, was "a strong, angelic, smart, sweet, witty young boy whos life was taken far too early."

"Tragically, his life was taken in an horrific way. Not only has this hurt affected our family, but he has touched the lives of our community," she wrote.



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Read the original article on People.
Washington is among the top ten states with the most billionaires in the U.S., Forbes says

The U.S. is home to over 700 billionaires, but have you ever wondered which state is home to the most billionaires?

Forbes recently released their Where The Forbes 400 Live list which ranks the top 10 states that are home to the wealthiest people in the U.S.

According to the list, more than half of the 400 richest people in the U.S. live in one of four states, but there is one state that has more wealth per Forbes 400 member: Washington.

Washington is home to eight billionaires including three of nine Americans who are worth more than $100 billion, according to Forbes.

Michigan, Nevada and Washington are all tied on Forbes list of states with the most billionaires with each state having eight.

These are the Top 10 states that are home to the most members of the Forbes 400:

1 - California

2 - New York

3 - Florida

4 - Texas

5 - Illinois

6 (tie) - Pennsylvania

6 (tie) - Georgia

8 (tie) - Washington

8 (tie) - Nevada

8 (tie) - Michigan

Each of the billionaires who call Washington home are worth an average of $54 billion each. But who are they?

These billionaires call Washington home

The following eight billionaires are part of the Forbes 400 and call Washington home.

 Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos made his way into the billionaire club after starting e-commerce giant Amazon in 1994 in his garage in Seattle.

Although his primary residence is in Miami, Florida, Washington is his home away from home. Bezos owns property in Medina, an affluent suburb just east of Seattle that was ranked among the most envied suburbs in the country last year.

Bezos has gone on to found aerospace manufacturer and sub-orbital spaceflight services company Blue Origin and owns The Washington Post. Bezos was ranked No. 2 on the Forbes 400 list in 2023 and No.3 on Forbes 2024 Worlds Billionaire List. As of May 15, 2024, his worth is $201.5 billion, according to Forbes.

 Bill Gates

Bill Gates is best known for co-founding the software giant Microsoft in 1975 and for his charitable efforts through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to which he has donated over $59 billion, according to Forbes.

The Seattle native owns two homes in Medina, a 2,400-square-foot home and a 66,000-square-foot custom built mansion nicknamed Xanadu 2.0. that sits overlooking Lake Washington.

According to Realtor.com, his smaller home made up of four bedrooms and three baths hit the market last month for $4.9 million.

Since making his fortune he has become the largest shareholder of waste disposal firm Republic Services and tractor maker Deere & Co., according to Forbes.

Gates was ranked No. 6 on the Forbes 400 list and No. 7 on the Forbes 2024 Worlds Billionaire list. As of May 15, 2024, Gates is worth $131.2 billion, according to Forbes.

 Steve Ballmer

Steve Ballmer is the former CEO of Microsoft who led the company for 14 years from 2000 to 2014 after joining the company as an employee in 1980, according to Forbes.

Ballmer, who is originally from Detroit, Michigan, owns a $43 million mansion in Hunts Point, which is located about two miles north of Medina and east of Seattle.

After retiring from Microsoft in 2014, Ballmer purchased the NBAs Los Angeles Clippers which is valued at $4.65 billion, according to Forbes. He also recognized as a philanthropist and has given away nearly $3.5 billion to donor-advised funds.

Ballmer was ranked No. 9 on the Forbes 400 list and is currently worth $121.9 billion.

 MacKenzie Scott

MacKenzie Scott is a philanthropist and author who was formerly married to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. According to Forbes, Scott received a 4% stake in Amazon as part of her divorce from Bezos.

Scott, who is originally from San Francisco, currently resides in Seattle, according to Forbes.

After her divorce, Scott signed the Giving Pledge in which she promised to give away at least half of her wealth over the course of her lifetime. This past March, Scott donated $640 million to different organizations including 10 Washington organizations.

Scott was ranked No. 14 on the Forbes 400 list and No. 13 on Forbes list of Powerful Women. Scott is currently worth $34.2 billion.

 Melinda French Gates

Melinda French Gates is one of the most well-known philanthropists who was formerly married to Bill Gates.

French Gates received at least $5 billion worth of stock in various companies and an additional $5 billion on other assets, according to Forbes.

According to Business Insider, French Gates purchased a $1.2 million home in the North Broadway neighborhood in Seattle just a few weeks before she and Gates filed for divorce in 2021.

French Gates and Gates founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, which they continued to co-chair after their divorce. On Monday, May 13, French Gates announced that would resign as the co-chair of the foundation.

French Gates was ranked No.188 in Forbes list of Billionaires and No.10 in Forbes list of Powerful Women.

 Charles Simonyi

Charles Simonyi is a software architect who was an early employee of Microsoft and the person that built the initial versions of Microsoft Word.

According to Forbes, after leaving Microsoft in 2002, he founded Intentional Software which is a software company that develops platforms for productivity apps. Microsoft purchased Intentional Software in April 2017 which brought Simonyi back to the tech giant based in Redmond.

Simonyi is another tech billionaire that calls Medina home. According to Curbed Seattle, a real estate and urban design website, Simonyi owns a modern house nicknamed Villa Simonyi or The Windows 2000 House.

Simonyi, who is currently worth $7.5 billion, was ranked No.164 on the Forbes 400 list and No. 364 on Forbes list of billionaires.

 Gabe Newell

Gabe Newell co-founded and has led Valve Corporation, a video game developer, since 1998. Newell also got his start in tech when he joined Microsoft and helped build the first versions of Windows.

Newell also led to the development of Steam, Valves digital distribution service, which continues to play a big role in PC game sales.

According to Forbes, Newell is estimated to own at least one quarter of the company, which operates out of Bellevue, Washington.

As for Newell, he owns a home in Seattle.

Newell is currently worth $4.3 billion and was ranked No. 267 on the Forbes 400 list and No. 734 on Forbes list of billionaires.

 Howard Schultz

Howard Schultz is the man behind Starbucks worldwide success, so its only right that he calls Seattle home.

According to Forbes, Schultz was able to expand the coffee company from 11 stores to more than 35,000 stores worldwide after taking charge of the company in the 1980s.

Schultz served three stints as CEO before stepping down as CEO of the company in 2023.

He also has a foundation named the Schultz Family Foundation which focuses on investing in training and hiring veterans and youths as well as helping veterans ensure a smooth transition back into civilian life, according to Forbes.

Schultz is currently worth $3.1 billion and was ranked No. 356 on the Forbes 400 list and No. 1,062 on Forbes billionaire list.
HANOI, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's Communist Party Central Committee on Thursday accepted the resignation of Truong Thi Mai, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, upon her personal request, local media reported. 
Flames were spotted at the back of the 747-400 aircraft as it lifted off the runway

A Boeing passenger plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Indonesia after an engine caught fire during take-off.

Streaks of flame were spotted shooting out the back of the 747-400 aircraft as it lifted off the runway with 468 passengers onboard.

The flight, operated by Garuda Indonesia, was departing the city of Makassar for Medina in Saudi Arabia, where many on the flight intended to make the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

The incident forced the pilots to circle back immediately after taking off, safely completing the emergency landing 90 minutes later, with all passengers and crew evacuated safely.

The fire is the latest incident involving an aircraft made by Boeing, which is under scrutiny for the safety and quality of its planes.

Last week, scores of passengers were forced to flee a burning Boeing plane after it aborted take-off and veered off the runway in Senegal.

Footage of the incident at Dakars Blaise Diagne airport showed passengers screaming as they fled flames, leaving 16 people injured.

The accidents follow allegations against the manufacturer by a whistleblower, Santiago Paredes, who claimed one of Boeings largest suppliers regularly allowed aircraft fuselages to leave its factory with up to 200 defects.

Mr Paredes told the BBC he often found defects on parts being prepared for shipping to Boeing.

Boeing declined to comment to the BBC on Mr Paredess claims.

There are wider fears that the safety crisis at Boeing may set off a wave of flight cancellations this summer as airlines scramble to secure enough planes.

Avia Solutions, the worlds largest aircraft leasing company, said European airlines were likely to slim down their schedules in the coming months after a slowdown of deliveries in the sector.

Boeing has not yet issued a statement regarding the incident in Indonesia.

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A hungry bear in La Canada Flintridge, California helped itself to a watermelon in a family's garage, opening their refrigerator.

All bets are off when a bear has the munchies, one Southern California family learned recently.

A brown bear was caught poking around Chris Yees garage on Sunday, checking out the contents of his refrigerator in search of a snack.

Yee, who lives in La Canada Flintridge, about 14 miles north of Los Angeles, caught the whole thing on video, according to reporting by FOX11.

In the video, the bear opens the refrigerator and freezer doors, clearly planning to take its pick from all the edible treasures inside. It doesn't have the chance to check out the merchandise for too long, however, as it is soon startled by the garage door beginning to close.

The bear darts out of the garage, stopping outside. But the furry intruder isnt discouraged easily, instead choosing to return to its post at the refrigerator once more. The bear eventually decides on a slice of watermelon and walks across the driveway to enjoy its ill-gotten gains in peace.

Watch the video below.

Bear steals slice of watermelon from California fridge

No one was more astounded than the Yee family to discover the bear's ability not only to open a refrigerator but to saunter off with a juicy slice of watermelon.

"Dad, it opened the freezer ..... Oh my god. Oh my god. It opened the fridge," a young girl can be heard saying in the background of the clip. One of the children even nicknamed the bear, calling it "bear-y."

Yee told FOX11 that the bear promptly left after enjoying his watermelon slice in their front yard.

'Did you see that': Video shows bear attack, smash truck windshield in Japan

Preventing bear banditry

The bear's choice of snack is not a huge surprise, according to the National Park Service (NPS), as the species are omnivores with a love of fruit and veg, often found nourishing themselves with plants, berries, fish, and small mammals.

Human food that is not properly secured can easily fall prey to these creatures, who are known to dig in trash and even break into homes. To avoid being robbed by a fuzzy bandit, experts advise humans living in bear territory to remain vigilant.

"Its important that people who live in bear country are especially diligent with food storage since these creatures are very intelligent, curious, and skilled at finding food, NPS says.

If bears eat too much human food, they can lose their fear of people and their preference for natural food sources. Over time, they may begin approaching humans in search of food.

"They can become aggressive, unpredictable, and dangerous. Bears looking for human food and garbage can damage property and injure people, according to NPS. " Not only can this be dangerous for people, but it is also harmful to bears."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video shows bear stealing snack from SoCal fridge, enjoying in front yard
A disturbing video has been released showing police dismissing a high-speed chase to attack a Black bystander filming the scene on a public street in California.

On May 5, Richmond police followed a speeding driver who parked outside of a store so he and the cars passenger could step out of the vehicle and surrender to authorities, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Kwesi Guss had filmed police-related incidents before as a bystander and was nearby when he heard sirens. So, he pulled out his phone and planned to record what was happening, but ended up in the throes of the mess himself. The Richmond police redirected their focus from the high-speed chase.

In security footage from the store of the incident the Chronicle uploaded to YouTube, a police cruiser pulls up to the sidewalk next to a manidentified as Gussholding a phone. An officer who was driving the cruiser, rather than running forward to the parked car from the chase, runs around the back of the cruiser and into Guss while approaching the other officers on the scene.

Get out of the fucking way, the officer directed to Guss, according to the Chronicle.

Shut your bitch ass up, Guss reportedly replied.

California Cops Probing Insane Video of Drivers N-Word Meltdown

The officer circles back around towards Guss, tells him to repeat what he said, and shoves him five times, causing Guss to stumble, before a woman runs over to intervene.

An officer who was already at the location, runs from one of the other police cruisers towards the scuffle, but the original officer continues to push Guss. The assisting cop pulls Guss left arm back to aid the first officer in handcuffing him and kicks Guss in the ankle to make him kneel on the ground.

The video does not have audio.

I felt the asphalt just cutting in my face, Guss said, according to the Chronicle.

The news outlet reported that Guss endured cheek abrasion and bruised ribs and that the handcuffs were so tight that they were digging into his wrists. Guss said officers manhandl[ed] him because they claimed he was resisting. However, he said he wasnt moving.

The Richmond Police Department did not immediately respond to The Daily Beasts request for comment Thursday.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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An Ohio police department is commending one of its own for thinking on his feet to rescue an animal.

Body camera video shows Defiance Police Officer Eric Rubio at a storm drain where a cat could be heard meowing.

>> PHOTOS: New list of top baby names in Ohio

The video shows Rubio using his quick thinking and lasso skills to help pull the kitten out of the drain.

We couldnt be prouder of the work of Ptl. Rubio does for the City of Defiance. Great job! the department shared on social media.
Gov. Jim Justice expressed his disappointment with the budget the Legislature passed during his administrative briefing on Thursday, March 14, 2024. (Screenshot from Gov. Jim Justices briefing)

Does journalism have a fourth wall?

The fourth wall is a concept usually reserved for film, theater, and fiction  a convention that imagines a wall between actors and their audience. Performers act as if we, the audience, are not there. They leave the viewer to become a kind of voyeur, observing the story.

For several years, weve watched Gov. Jim Justices administration craft specific strategies to communicate with the media and control the public narrative. Its become highly choreographed, with specific boundaries in place to control the flow of information.

For example, since the onset of the pandemic, Gov. Justice has held what he calls media briefings or administrative update briefings where reporters arent even in the same room. Its all his stage. Journalists are merely expendable players. If they ask the wrong question, they wont be invited back.

We watched in late 2022 as investigative reporter Amelia Ferrell Knisely was unceremoniously fired from West Virginia Public Broadcasting in apparent retaliation for her dogged reporting on our states child welfare system. And we watched during the last legislative session when the legislature passed Senate Bill 844, a bill that strips away our states public media from editorial independence and places the authority to hire West Virginia Public Broadcastings executive director in the hands of the administrations cabinet secretary for the Department of Arts, Culture, and History.

Weve watched state public information officers for government offices stop sharing public information. Government employees stopped returning reporters calls for comment. Our state systems have stopped honoring Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. FOIA allows the public to request access to records from any federal agency. West Virginia Code 29B-1-1 requires government entities to provide full and complete information when requested unless the information falls under specific, relatively narrow exemptions. The code reads, in part:

The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know.

Public records are just that. And yet, here we are.

In March, an elderly man in the states custody died after being burned alive in a whirlpool with water at 134 degrees. For context, hot tub water is usually around 100-102 degrees. Del. Amy Summers, chairwoman of the House Health Committee, submitted an op-ed to state media, saying that a legislative oversight meeting with the Department of Health Facilities secretary had been canceled without notice. The secretary didnt even bother to respond to her requests to explain why they did it.

Thats right: An elected official took to the media to articulate her frustration with continued stonewalling from our government because she couldnt get answers from them in her role as chair of the House Health Committee.

And then theres the terrible story of Kyneddi Miller, the 14-year-old girl whose emaciated body was found on a foam pad in the familys bathroom. Days after the story became public, during his daily streaming show, the governor said that CPS knew nothing. He walked that back days later.

Last Friday, the secretary of the West Virginia Department of Human Services told a reporter that CPS had never been referred to the family  didnt even have a piece of paper with this childs name on it in their system.

Except on that same day, the state police responded to a FOIA request showing that they had referred the family to CPS over a year ago.

That was almost a week ago since that FOIA request uncovered what looks like a blatant lie, and we havent heard a word from the governor or CPS since.

Are you angry yet?

Even if you hate the media, you know that government transparency is a good thing. They work for us! And yet, our state government is acting as if they have no obligation to the public. Its all a show, and theyre hoping no one is watching.

Thats why we really have to hand it to our local media. Instead of shying away from reporting on stories where state systems refuse to divulge information  even when required by law to share it  theyre making the stonewalling the story.

Theyve adapted  from writing simple lines like a government official couldnt be reached for comment to detailing their process of investigating stories and the obfuscation tactics employed to keep them at bay. They share graphics of wildly redacted FOIA documents. They amplify each others articles on social media when one of them makes headway on a story theyre all working on but not getting anywhere because government agencies wont respond to their requests.

If a reporter is disinvited to the governors streaming events, another may continue the same line of questioning that got the other one removed. And theyll talk about it on social media, so we can see whats going on.

Local media is pulling down the fourth wall to let us, their audience, know why we dont know what we dont know, and its making a big difference. Where our government systems have built a wall, the media has pulled back the curtains. Lets hope that letting us in on the process illuminates the problem and forces our state systems to be more transparent and accountable to the public.

The post In West Virginia, the media cannot be played appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Herbert Reul, North Rhine-Westphalia Minister of the Interior, comments in the state parliament on a raid against a Hamas support group in Duisburg. Police and the Ministry of the Interior have taken action against the Palestine Solidarity Duisburg group for allegedly supporting Hamas. Oliver Berg/dpa

Security forces searched four properties in the western German city of Duisburg on Thursday morning in a raid on a local group accused of supporting the Palestinian militant organization Hamas.

Ahead of the raid, the Interior Ministry in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia had officially banned the organization known as Palestine Solidarity Duisburg.

"A red line was crossed," said the state's interior minister, Herbert Reul. "We have confiscated all the organization's assets."

The raid targeted four properties belonging to the group's leaders, including flats in several apartment blocks, according to dpa sources. More than 50 officers participated in the operation. They reportedly seized boxes containing documents, as well as computers, mobile phones and cash.

The banning of the organization was reportedly ordered by North Rhine-Westphalia's State Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

According to the ministry, Palestine Solidarity Duisburg is a pro-Palestinian organization which has shown solidarity with Palestinian resistance in all its forms, including Hamas' armed struggle against Israel.

It has also maintained ties with other pro-Palestinian organizations, including Samidoun, which was outlawed in Germany in November.

In a statement, the ministry said that the group's ideological orientation is "characterized by an anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic world view."

"Palestine Solidarity Duisburg continuously agitates against the state of Israel and holds it solely responsible for the Middle East conflict," the statement read. "In doing so, it is spreading hatred and violence in the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians and, not least, jeopardizing the life and limb of Israelis and Jews living in Germany."

Under the ban, the group's assets have been confiscated, and its online presence and social media activities have been curtailed.

Since the deadly attacks on Israel led by Hamas on October 7, which triggered the war in Gaza, there has been a global surge in anti-Semitic discrimination, with fears growing about the safety of Jews in Germany.

At the beginning of November, the German government issued a ban on all activities by Hamas, which was already designated as a terrorist organization by the European Union. The move made it easier for police to take action at rallies held in support of Palestinians.

Germany's domestic intelligence service puts the number of Hamas operatives living in the country at 450. So far, their activities have been limited to spreading propaganda and collecting donations.

Germany is among Israel's staunchest allies, and political leaders in Berlin have repeatedly stated that Israel has a right to self defence in the wake of the October 7 attacks.

Domestically, authorities have been quick to crack down on pro-Palestinian protests citing fears of anti-Semitism, with critics saying the current climate has led to a suppression of pro-Palestinian voices.

Herbert Reul (R), North Rhine-Westphalia Minister of the Interior, comments in the state parliament on a raid against a Hamas support group in Duisburg. Police and the Ministry of the Interior have taken action against the Palestine Solidarity Duisburg group for allegedly supporting Hamas. Oliver Berg/dpa
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The highest-ranking United States military officer said Thursday that Western armies will provide military trainers to Kyiv at some point  a step that would mark a significant departure from NATO countries reluctance to put boots on the ground in Ukraine.

Well get there eventually, over time, Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters. Gen. Brown stressed that doing so now would put a bunch of NATO trainers at risk and tie up air defenses that would be better used protecting Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield, The New York Times reported.

A growing number of European countries have signaled willingness to consider sending military personel to Ukraine in supporting or training roles. Frances President Emmanuel Macron went further, saying nothing should be ruled out. An Estonian official said they are seriously discussing the possibility of sending troops into western Ukraine in non-combat roles, while Lithuanias foreign minister said training missions in Ukraine might be quite doable.

Other NATO countries have been more skeptical. When asked by Semafor at a briefing last week, Admiral Tony Radakin, the United Kingdoms top military official, said the logistics and politics of training Ukrainian soldiers inside the country meant training outside Ukraine is going to endure.

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European boots on the ground risks escalation

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Sources: Carnegie Europe, The Moscow Times

Western boots on the ground in Ukraine would help Kyiv ramp up training to help solve its manpower deficit, but it would also introduce a new level of risk for NATO. Any stray missile from Russia could provoke a direct U.S.-Russia escalation, the Council on Foreign Relations Liana Fix wrote. Moreover, if Western forces were wounded or killed in Ukraine, it could test the limits of NATO and the EUs mutual defense agreements and potentially spark tensions within these coalitions, Ulrike Franke of the European Council on Foreign Relations said. Russian officials have frequently denounced Western counterparts who talk about sending troops to Ukraine; a Kremlin spokesperson called Macrons refusal to rule it out a completely new round of escalating tensions.

Western training may have fallen short of Ukraines needs

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Sources: Politico, OpenDemocracy

Ukrainian soldiers have complained that Western training so far has prepared them for the wrong kind of war, focusing on counterinsurgency rather than on drone combat and trench warfare. But Western officials have said their training has evolved to better meet Ukraines needs, with one French trainer saying the program is not set in stone, we have integrated those criticisms in the training preparation. One Ukrainian soldier told OpenDemocracy that it would be better if either [the instructors] came here to see what were facing or we went there to train their instructors to train our troops.

Ukraine looks to boost troop numbers with mobilization reform

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Sources: Foreign Affairs, The New York Times

Ukraines new mobilization law comes into effect on May 18, enabling the military to summon more people to serve in an army that hasnt had enough soldiers since the end of 2023. Mobilization and training means it will take months before a larger army emerges, but increased capacity to train new recruits inside Ukraine will be particularly useful, three defense experts wrote in Foreign Affairs. Meanwhile, Russia launched a new offensive in Kharkiv in an effort to stretch Ukraines forces. By thinning out the front line, you are increasing the odds of a breakthrough for Russia, a military analyst said. To compensate for its lacking forces, Ukraine has been forced to move its best troops to wherever there is active fighting, meaning they have little time to rest and recover.

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As the anniversary of George Floyds death swiftly approaches, we must remember Darnella Frazier, the young woman who recorded the video that showed the world what happened to him by the hands of crooked Minneapolis police officers.

Frazier was just 17 years old back on May 25, 2020, walking her cousin to the corner store when she witnessed the commotion between ex-Minneapolis officers Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and most notably, Derek Chauvin.

Frazier whipped out her phone to record the scene, capturing Chauvin kneeling on Floyds neck for nearly ten minutes as he screamed for his mother until he lost consciousness. Floyd died later at the hospital.

The Minneapolis Police Department attributed his death to suffering medical distress. However, Fraziers video was the only thing showing what truly happened that day and we all know what followed the videos circulation.

Protests erupted around the world demanding police accountability, other police brutality cases were brought into the limelight and finally, the officers involved were criminally charged with Floyds murder, convicted and handed both state and federal prison sentences.

Fraziers boldness - recording in the face of the three officers trying to push back the bystanders - landed her a PEN America award in 2020 and a Pulitzer Prize in 2021.

For courageously recording the murder of George Floyd, a video that spurred protests against police brutality around the world, highlighting the crucial role of citizens in journalists quest for truth and justice, said Pulitzer on Fraziers work.

Frazier has kept her life pretty private since that fatal day, not taking too many interviews and recalling reporters showing up randomly to her door. According to her statement one year after the incident, shes still trying to heal from witnessing a murder.

I still hold the weight and trauma of what I witnessed a year ago. A part of my childhood was taken from me. My 9-year-old cousin who witnessed the same thing I did get a part of her childhood taken from her. I couldnt sleep properly for weeks. I used to shake so bad at night my mom had to rock me to sleep. Having panic and anxiety attacks every time I seen a police car, not knowing who to trust because a lot of people are evil with bad intentions. I hold that weight, she wrote on Facebook.

Other users flooded the comments praising her for her bravery, thanking her and even offering their help in any way she needed to move forward.

You have incredible courage and strength. I cant imagine your pain, only try to follow your example. Thank you for your gift to ensure the truth was told and the leadership to make a difference. May you find healing and strength in community, wrote one user.

Based on her social media, she just celebrated her 21st birthday in March and spends her time learning to cook, spending time with family, traveling and seemingly trying to adjust to her new normal.

A lot of people call me a hero even though I dont see myself as one. Behind this smile, behind these awards, behind the publicity, Im a girl trying to heal from something I am reminded of every day, she wrote.

For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Photo taken on Nov. 15, 2023 shows a Kenya Airways plane at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, capital of Kenya. (Photo by John Okoyo/Xinhua)

Kenya is China's largest trading partner in East Africa, while China is Kenya's largest trading partner and source of imports. With its rich tourism resources and eased visa policy for foreign visitors, Kenya has become a popular destination for Chinese tourists.

NAIROBI, May 16 (Xinhua) -- As the Chinese market is a competitive one with a promising future, it will always be a pillar of our global business, a senior executive of Kenya's national carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) has said.

"We see a good fiscal year ahead since China's aviation performance is robust, which has given us confidence in the Chinese market," Julius Thairu, chief commercial and customer officer with the airline, said during a recent interview with Xinhua.

After entering the Chinese market in 2005, the Kenyan carrier flies weekly routes from Nairobi to South China's Guangzhou city. Thairu said that next year, the 20th anniversary of the company's entering the Chinese market, a new direct flight from Nairobi to Beijing will be launched.

"From capital to capital, and from Kenya to other African countries, easier transportation will bring us closer," he said, adding that China remains Africa's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years.

Kenya is China's largest trading partner in East Africa, while China is Kenya's largest trading partner and source of imports. With its rich tourism resources and eased visa policy for foreign visitors, Kenya has become a popular destination for Chinese tourists.

According to Thairu, KQ is partnering with several Chinese airlines on interline agreements, ground operations, and code sharing. It has been recruiting Chinese-speaking cabin crews to better serve the expanding market.

After visiting Beijing to attend the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2006, Thairu has been to cities like Shanghai, Guangzhou and Changsha, and was amazed at how modern those cities are.

"After years of high-speed growth, I think China's economic development has entered a new phase, shifting to a high-quality mode," said Thairu.

With the ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to be held in Beijing later this year, Thairu expressed his hope that more cooperation deals would be inked with Chinese airlines.

"KQ's footprint may extend to more places in China and across Africa," he said.
Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder and assault. Reader discretion is advised.

Paul Flores was found guilty of the first-degree murder of Kristin Smart in October 2022. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. The conviction came over two decades after Kristin Smart, who was a freshman at California Polytechnic University disappeared while walking back to the dorm at 2 a.m. on May 25, 1996. Flores is currently incarcerated at the Pleasant Valley State Prison in Fresno County, according to KSBY News.

Although his father, Ruben Flores was also charged with being an accessory to the crime and was accused of helping Paul conceal the crime. He was declared innocent after his trial in 2022. In August 2023, CBS News reported that Paul Flores had been hospitalized after he was attacked at the Pleasant Valley State Prison where he was serving time. He was moved to a hospital outside the facility and was reportedly in a serious condition at the time.

Kristin Smart was reported missing on May 28, 1996. Paul Flores has remained the primary person of interest in the case ever since. He was the one to last see Smart. According to Flores, he accompanied Kristin back from an off-campus party and dropped her off just one block away from her dorm before he headed back to his dorm. Both of them were college freshmen at the time. However, Kristin never reached her room and never contacted her family and friends since then, according to FBI records.

According to the New York Times, an elaborate search included combing through the remotest locations on campus. They used helicopters to scan through the area, and sent cadaver dogs to Paul Flores room.

How was Paul Flores caught?

Although Flores was named the only primary person of interest in the case, no remains of Kristin Smart had even been found. She was declared legally dead in 2002.

Two days after Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores went to the Arroyo Grande Police Department as he had an outstanding DUI warrant. The officers there took a mugshot of Flores which revealed a black eye on him. When asked about it during the questioning, he reportedly offered several different stories that were inconsistent with each other, CBS News reported. Flores was also known to have groped several women in the college.

In October 1996, Mary Lassiter who had been renting Paul Flores mother, Susan Flores home, contacted authorities. She reportedly found a single earring that matched one of Kristins necklaces from the missing posters. She reportedly found the piece in the backyard of the home. However, the earring was reportedly lost before it could be marked as evidence and investigated. Several searches of the houses backyard followed.

In March 2021, Pauls father, Ruben Flores home was searched by officials. Biological evidence was then found under a deck in the backyard. Paul Flores was then arrested and charged with the murder of Kristin Smart. Ruben Flores was charged with being an accessory to the crime. Prosecutors argued that Paul attempted to rape Kristin Smart in his dorm room on May 25, 1996, and killed her during the attempt.

In a 2024 report by NBC News, it was revealed that Kristin Smarts family accused the California Polytechnic State University of negligence. Many people had reported Flores harassing, threatening, and stalking behavior before. However, no action had been taken by the management.

The post Where Is Kristin Smarts Killer Paul Flores Now? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
An Environmental Protection Agency whistleblower told ABC News the United States EPA wasted critical time gathering data in the days immediately following the catastrophic derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio, last year.

Senior research scientist Robert Kroutil alleged the EPA delayed days in deploying one of its most effective tools in assessing chemical incidents: The Airborne Spectral Photometric Environmental Collection Technology (ASPECT) plane.

Kroutil helped develop the EPA's ASPECT plane  a one-of-one specialized aircraft equipped with radiological and infrared sensors. He had been part of the project since 1984, writing its software and helping interpret its data.

ABC News obtained a sworn affidavit submitted as part of a complaint by the Government Accountability Project requesting an EPA investigation. In that affidavit, Kroutil said since 2001 the aircraft has responded to nearly 180 chemical incident missions including Gulf oil spills and hurricanes.

According to Kroutil, the ASPECT plane is able to identify 78 different compounds using artificial intelligence and collects data allowing scientists to identify another 530 compounds by hand. These compounds include vinyl chloride and many of the VOC's independent scientists have tested for since the derailment.

The Government Accountability Project, which represents Kroutil, is now requesting a formal investigation into the use of the EPA's APSECT plane.

MORE:New body camera footage shows East Palestine toxic train derailment evacuation efforts

The aircraft, which is based near Dallas, has a dedicated crew that can scramble to have the single-engine Cessna in the air within an hour of a disaster alert.

In a statement to ABC News, EPA detailed that it requested the plane late in the day on Feb. 5, 2023 -- two days after the Feb. 3 crash -- when dozens of train cars derailed, 11 of them containing hazardous material. The wreckage burned and forced hundreds of people from their homes. The ASPECT aircraft began flying over East Palestine on Feb. 7, 2023.

PHOTO: Portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed the night before burn in East Palestine, Ohio, Feb. 4, 2023. (Gene J. Puskar/AP, FILE)

"It was very unusual," Kroutil told ABC News. "When I saw a news feed, I wondered why the plane would not be deployed to this particular type of accident because of the technology on the airplane and being able to assess the situation immediately."

Kroutil insists the plane could have provided first responders critical information, that would have indicated it wasn't necessary to blow open five tank cars and burn the vinyl chloride inside. He says the plane's sensors would have detected the cars' temperatures more accurately than the responders on the ground who were having trouble safely getting close enough to check.

The EPA refuted Kroutil's claims of a delayed deployment, calling them "false" in a statement to ABC News. The agency also cited weather conditions caused a delay for the ASPECT aircraft.

MORE: NTSB on East Palestine toxic train derailment: '100% preventable'

"EPA Region 5 requested ASPECT to fly to East Palestine late in the day on February 5, 2023. As soon as the request was made, the aircraft was deployed the same day from its home base in Addison, Texas to Pittsburgh. Due to low ceilings and icing conditions, the flight crew made the determination that the aircraft was unable to fly safely on February 6, 2023, the day of the controlled burn. Weather conditions were favorable for data collection on February 7, 2023, and the aircraft conducted two flight missions, providing the information it was requested to collect consistent with previous ASPECT responses."

The EPA told ABC News its responders were on-scene within hours of the derailment, establishing a robust air monitoring network at the site of the crash and within the community. They said the ASPECT plane is just one component of a comprehensive air monitoring and sampling network.

PHOTO: A view of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters, March 16, 2017, in Washington, D.C. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

However, Kroutil also alleged there were other key inconsistencies with the EPA's response. According to him, when the ASPECT aircraft did fly over East Palestine, it only gathered eight minutes' worth of data. A normal operation, he told ABC News, would involve hundreds of minutes of data collection. Thus, he and his team labeled their findings incomplete. However, according to the affidavit, the EPA managers changed the report to declare their controlled release successful because the plane found so few chemicals. ABC News has not independently verified these reports.

"It was very worrying based on what I looked at in the data, but it took me a while to assess that," he said. "I just analyzed the data and it is what it is."

Kroutil says he and the contractor he worked for, Kalman and Company, complained. He says he sent emails and monthly reports outlining deficiencies in the data and never got a response. He also claims on June 1, 2023 he wrote a FOIA request asking about a government quality assurance plan. He left his job in late January over frustrations with the East Palestine assessment.

Kroutil told ABC News, "I believe that EPA has no deployment model. They don't know how to use technology."

"The contractor mentioned was not part of the ASPECT flight crew responsible for the determination of flight safety. EPA does not comment on internal personnel matters relating to contractors," a spokesperson for EPA told ABC News.

Whistleblower claims EPA wasted critical time after devastating Ohio train derailment originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden on Thursday blocked Republicans request for audio recordings of his interviews with former special counsel Robert Hur.

In a letter to the Republicans leading an impeachment inquiry against Biden, White House counsel Edward Siskel said the president had asserted executive privilege over the recordings, arguing Republicans dont need the audio because they already have a full transcript of the interviews.

The absence of a legitimate need for the audio recordings lays bare your likely goal  to chop them up, distort them, and use them for partisan political purposes, Siskel wrote to House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and House Judiciary chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

Hur declined to prosecute Biden for retaining classified documents from his time as vice president partly because Biden seemed forgetful during the interviews, leading Hur to write in his final report that the president would come off to a jury as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.

Republicans have been chasing unrelated corruption allegations against Biden in a formal impeachment inquiry since last year, but havent turned up credible evidence of wrongdoing by the president. Instead of impeachment articles, they seem to have settled on contempt proceedings against U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland for refusing to hand over the Hur audio.

The transcript showed Biden struggling to place key events of his life during and after the vice presidency in a chronological sequence, with aides frequently chiming in to help. The audio would likely be useful for ongoing Republican efforts to portray the president as senile.

Clearly President Biden and his advisors fear releasing the audio recordings of his interview because it will again reaffirm to the American people that President Bidens mental state is in decline, Comer said in a statement responding to the White House.

In a separate letter on Thursday to Comer and Jordan, the Justice Department said it had already given Republicans the transcript, so they know exactly what Biden said, and also that the contempt proceedings against Garland are bogus.

It is the longstanding position of the executive branch held by administrations of both parties that an official who asserts the Presidents claim of executive privilege cannot be prosecuted for criminal contempt of Congress, assistant attorney general Carlos Felipe Uriarte wrote.

Comer and Jordans committees are marking up their contempt citation against Garland on Thursday, with a full House vote expected next week.

During the judiciary markup, Republicans said that since they already had the transcript, the White House might as well hand over the audio, adding that it would provide demeanor evidence the transcript doesnt convey.

That tape must be quite something if the administration, the president, has decided to assert executive privilege to keep it from the committee in the course of an impeachment inquiry, Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.).

The committees top Democrat, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), said Republicans were hiding from the mounting evidence that Trump is mentally incompetent to hold the office of the president.

Related...
WASHINGTON (AP)  Two House committees moved ahead Thursday with contempt charges against Attorney General Merrick Garland for refusing to turn over audio from President Joe Bidens interview with a special counsel, advancing the matter after the White House's decision to block the release of the recording earlier in the day.

In back-to-back hearings that nearly spilled into early Friday, the House Judiciary and Oversight and Accountability committees voted along party lines to advance an effort to hold Garland in contempt of Congress for not turning over the records. But the timing of any action by the full House, and the willingness of the U.S. attorneys office to act on the referral, remained uncertain.

The department has a legal obligation to turn over the requested materials pursuant to the subpoena, Rep. Jim Jordan, the GOP chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said during the hearing. Attorney General Garlands willful refusal to comply with our subpoena constitutes contempt of Congress.

The rapid sequence of events Thursday further inflamed tensions between House Republicans and the Justice Department, setting the stage for another round of bitter fighting between the two branches of government that seemed nearly certain to spill over into court.

If House Republicans efforts against Garland are successful, he will become the third attorney general to be held in contempt of Congress. The White House slammed Republicans in a letter earlier Thursday, dismissing their efforts to obtain the audio as purely political.

The absence of a legitimate need for the audio recordings lays bare your likely goal  to chop them up, distort them, and use them for partisan political purposes," White House counsel Ed Siskel wrote in a scathing letter to House Republicans ahead of scheduled votes by the two House committees to refer Garland to the Justice Department for the contempt charges.

Demanding such sensitive and constitutionally-protected law enforcement materials from the Executive Branch because you want to manipulate them for potential political gain is inappropriate, Siskel added.

Garland separately advised Biden in a letter made public Thursday that the audio falls within the scope of executive privilege, which protects a presidents ability to obtain candid counsel from his advisers without fear of immediate public disclosure and to protect confidential communications relating to official responsibilities.

The attorney general told reporters that the Justice Department has gone to extraordinary lengths to provide information to the committees about special counsel Robert Hur's investigation, including a transcript of Biden's interview with Hur. But, Garland said, releasing the audio could jeopardize future sensitive and high-profile investigations. Officials have suggested handing over the tape could make future witnesses concerned about cooperating with investigators.

There have been a series of unprecedented and frankly unfounded attacks on the Justice Department, Garland said. This request, this effort to use contempt as a method of obtaining our sensitive law enforcement files is just most recent.

The Justice Department warned Congress that a contempt effort would create unnecessary and unwarranted conflict," with Assistant Attorney General Carlos Uriarte saying, It is the longstanding position of the executive branch held by administrations of both parties that an official who asserts the president's claim of executive privilege cannot be held in contempt of Congress."

Siskels letter to lawmakers comes after the uproar from Bidens aides and allies over Hurs comments about Bidens age and mental acuity, and it highlights concerns in a difficult election year over how potentially embarrassing moments from the lengthy interview could be exacerbated by the release, or selective release, of the audio.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson slammed the White Houses move, accusing Biden of suppressing the tape because he's afraid to have voters hear it during an election year.

The American people will not be able to hear why prosecutors felt the President of the United States was, in Special Counsel Robert Hurs own words, an elderly man with a poor memory, and thus shouldnt be charged, Johnson said the during a press conference on the House steps.

House Democrats defended Biden's rationale during the back-to-back hearings on Thursday, citing the massive trove of documents and witnesses who have been made available to Republicans as part of their more than yearlong probe into Biden and his family.

Rep. Jerry Nadler, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said on Thursday that Republicans want to make it seem like theyve uncovered wrongdoing by the Justice Department.

In reality, the Attorney General and DOJ have been fully responsive to this committee in every way that might be material to their long dead impeachment inquiry, the New York lawmaker said. Sometimes, they have been too responsive, in my opinion, given the obvious bad faith of the MAGA majority.

The contempt effort is seen by Democrats as a last-ditch effort to keep Republicans' impeachment inquiry into Biden alive, despite a series of setbacks in recent months and flailing support for articles of impeachment within the GOP conference.

A transcript of the Hur interview showed Biden struggling to recall some dates and occasionally confusing some details  something longtime aides say hes done for years in both public and private  but otherwise showing deep recall in other areas. Biden and his aides are particularly sensitive to questions about his age. At 81, hes the oldest-ever president, and he's seeking another four-year term.

Hur, a former senior official in the Trump administration Justice Department, was appointed as a special counsel in January 2023 following the discovery of classified documents in multiple locations tied to Biden.

Hurs report said many of the documents recovered at the Penn Biden Center in Washington, in parts of Bidens Delaware home, and in his Senate papers at the University of Delaware were retained by mistake.

However, investigators did find evidence of willful retention and disclosure related to a subset of records found in Bidens Wilmington, Delaware, house, including in a garage, an office and a basement den.

The files pertain to a troop surge in Afghanistan during the Obama administration that Biden had vigorously opposed. Biden kept records that documented his position, including a classified letter to Obama during the 2009 Thanksgiving holiday. Some of that information was shared with a ghostwriter with whom he published memoirs in 2007 and 2017.

_____

Associated Press reporters Zeke Miller and Eric Tucker in Washington contributed.
President Joe Biden has asserted executive privilege on audio recording of his interview with special counsel Robert Hur over handling of classified documents, to prevent House Republicans getting tapes of an exchange where he reportedly showed poor memory.

Republicans on the House Oversight Committee and House Judiciary Committee had demanded that Attorney General Merrick Garland turn over the recording of Mr Biden and Mr Hur, who investigated how classified documents ended up at the presidents Delaware home and former office in Washington, DC.

The White House rejected the demand, telling Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan and Oversight Committee chair James Comer that Mr Biden was heeding Mr Garlands request to deny the GOP-led panels access to the tapes.

The attorney general told the president in a letter that audio recordings of your interview ... fall within the scope of executive privilege.

The decision both stops Congress accessing the recordings and shields Mr Garland from criminal contempt of Congress charges, that could emerge from a House vote expected later on Thursday.

The executive privilege decision is also in line with actions by previous administrations, including those of George W Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

Separately, Assistant Attorney General Carlos Uriarte told Mr Comer and Mr Jordan that the GOP plan to hold Mr Garland in contempt of Congress would not have any legal validity.

He cited the longstanding position of the executive branch held by administrations of both parties that an official who asserts the Presidents claim of executive privilege cannot be prosecuted for criminal contempt of Congress.

Still, it is expected that Republicans will nonetheless claim that the decision is politically motivated, as the White Hous has also done on the GOPs demand for the recordings.

In a letter to Mr Comer and Mr Jordan, obtained by The Independent, White House counsel Edward Siskel admonished the committee chairs for turning the investigations against the president into a circus, and accused them of seeking to undermine the very independence and impartiality of the Department of Justice.

Mr Siskel added that the White House had not asserted privilege over the release of Mr Hurs report to Congress, nor had it blocked the special counsel from sitting for a marathon hearing with lawmakers in the Judiciary and Oversight committees.

Mr Hurs report stated there was evidence that Mr Biden had mishandled classified materials. But the former Trump-appointed US Attorney wrote that he had not found that Mr Biden had done so wilfully  and had therefore not met the legal standard under which he could be charged.

The special counsel did not recommend criminally charging Mr Biden, in part due to the perceived difficulty of convincing a jury that he intentionally violated the law.

The decision was a blow to Republicans, who have sought any and all avenues to embarrass Mr Biden as their own candidate for the White House, Mr Trump, faces a historic 88 felony charges including two criminal prosecutions related to his attempt to thwart the peaceful transfer of power in 2020.

Nonetheless, the House committees have been pushing for the recording despite having the transcript of Mr Bidens words, in hopes of using the audio content in campaign advertisements meant to damage him politically.

Mr Siskel told Mr Comer and Mr Jordan that the transcripts and other written materials that theyve already received more than satisfy [their] articulated needs for this information.

The White House counsel noted that neither chair had articulated a legitimate legislative purpose for the audio recordings.

The absence of a legitimate need for the audio recordings lays bare your likely goalto chop them up, distort them, and use them for partisan political purposes. Demanding such sensitive and constitutionally-protected law enforcement materials from the Executive Branch because you want to manipulate them for potential political gain is inappropriate, he said.
Whooping cough cases rising at Lexington high schools. Heres what you need to know

Pertussis, or whooping cough, is spreading at Lexington schools with six total cases so far, and all central Kentucky families should look for symptoms while ensuring kids are up-to-date on their vaccines, Lexington-Fayette Health Department officials said Wednesday.

Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory illness spread by coughing and sneezing. It affects people of all ages but can be most serious in infants and those with chronic diseases., officials said.

Fayette Countys six cases are all in school-aged children and have been reported since late April, including two confirmed cases Tuesday at Lafayette and Henry Clay high schools

The previous cases have been at Bryan Station, Lafayette and Lexington Catholic high schools, health department spokesperson Kevin Hall said Wednesday.

The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department is investigating to see whether a possible connection exists in the cases. It continues to work with Fayette County Public Schools to make caregivers aware of the threat of pertussis.

The Health Department is recommending preventive antibiotics for high-risk students who were exposed to pertussis.

Thy include students with a chronic illness or weakened immune system and those who live in households with the following: a family member with a chronic illness or weakened immune system, an infant or a pregnant woman.
President Joe Biden invoked executive privilege Thursday to keep House Republicans from obtaining audio recordings of his interview with special counsel Robert Hur.

The move came at the request of Attorney General Merrick Garland, who warned that cooperating with the request could jeopardize future investigations and witnesses willingness to participate in them. In his letter to Biden, made public Thursday, Garland said that lawmakers efforts are plainly insufficient to outweigh the deleterious effects that the production of the recordings would have on the integrity and effectiveness of similar law enforcement investigations in the future.

White House counsel Ed Siskel also questioned the motivations of Republicans seeking the tapes when they already possess a lengthy report and full transcript of the interview.

The absence of a legitimate need for the audio recordings lays bare your likely goalto chop them up, distort them, and use them for partisan political purposes, Siskel wrote in a letter obtained by The Hill. Demanding such sensitive and constitutionally-protected law enforcement materials from the Executive Branch because you want to manipulate them for potential political gain is inappropriate.

Hurs 388-page report condemned the 81-year-old president as having a memory with significant limitations. Republicans have since seized on the analysis, developed after a year-long investigation and a two-day interview with Biden days after Hamass October 7 attack in Israel, as an opportunity to attack the president as being mentally unfit for the job.

Democratic lawmakers joined the outrage at the request, including Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin, who called the effort to obtain the tapesand Republicans failed impeachment effort of Bidena comedy of errors.

The Attorney General gave Republicans the information they asked for, and its delightfully absurd to suggest that listening to the Presidents words instead of just reading them will suddenly reveal the mystery high crime and misdemeanor the Republicans have been unable to identify since 2023, Raskin wrote in a statement shared with The New Republic. Will this hopeless scavenger hunt ever end? Perhaps the Republicans should play the Beatles White Album backwards and the impeachable offense will emerge!
Why Cincinnatians are upset about zoning: Here are today's top stories | Daily Briefing

Zoning. Its an intimidating word, I know. But it's arguably the hottest topic in Cincinnati right now. Let me tell you why.

Sydney Franklin here. I worked with city government reporter Sherry Coolidge to answer some of your most pressing questions about Connected Communities, the citys plan to overhaul its 100-year-old zoning code.

This is a really big deal. Over a hundred other cities across the country have done it or are currently undergoing zoning reform in an attempt to increase their housing supplies, reduce rents and desegregate communities.

Sounds important, right? Thats why Cincinnatians are upset they havent been engaged on the plan in way theyre used to, which has led to a mess of confusion and controversy. So we polled neighborhood community councils, listened in on public meetings and talked to average citizens about their thoughts on the citys rezoning proposal.

The short of it: They (you) dont like it. Heres more on why  and what the mayor has to say about the pushback.

Click or tap here to learn more.

What else you need to know Thursday, May 16

 Weather: High of 77. Some sun.

 Kroger CEO pay dropped 18% in 2023 as grocery sales slowed.

 Reds LHP Nick Lodolo to IL for groin strain in latest blow to struggling team.

 Cincinnati a top market nationally for converting offices, factories to apartments.

 Western Hills Viaduct bottom deck closure scheduled Saturday; detours planned.

 New here? Subscribe to the Daily Briefing today 

Today's Top Stories

Through tinted glass of a Suburban, former President Donald Trump waves to supporters at Wheels Up Private Jet Center ahead of a fundraiser in Indian Hill later in the day, Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in Hebron, Ky.

 Donald Trump lunches with JD Vance and wealthy Cincinnati donors

Cincinnati Public Schools Superintendent Iranetta Wright submitted her resignation, effective Monday, following votes of no confidence from the district's six unions.

 Cincinnati Public Schools Superintendent Iranetta Wright submits resignation

May 15, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Cincinnati Reds outfielder Will Benson (30) reacts after striking out in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

 Few answers, more questions for reeling Cincinnati Reds after sixth straight losing series

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday granted a request made by an attorney for Sittenfeld during oral arguments last week.

 P.G. Sittenfeld released from prison as court considers his appeal

Northside has staged a Fourth of July parade nearly every year since 1854. It hopes this year won't be an exception.

 'Funnest parade in Cincinnati': Northside July 4 event in jeopardy

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why Cincinnatians are upset about zoning | Daily Briefing
Israeli representatives are seen during a hearing of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands, on May 16, 2024. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) opened its two-day hearings on Thursday regarding South Africa's request to halt Israel's military offensive in Gaza. (Photo by Sylvia Lederer/Xinhua)

THE HAGUE, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The International Court of Justice (ICJ) opened its two-day hearings on Thursday regarding South Africa's request to halt Israel's military offensive in Gaza.

South Africa's Ambassador to the Netherlands Vusimuzi Madonsela told the judges that his country has returned to the court "due to the continuing annihilation of the Palestinian people, with over 35,000 now killed, and most of Gaza reduced to rubble."

"Israel continues to show utter contempt for Palestinian life, operating with impunity," he said, explaining the reason behind South Africa's continued call for the protection of "the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people."

Since its initial application to the ICJ on Dec. 29, 2023, South Africa has made subsequent requests in February and March 2024 for additional "provisional measures" to halt Israel's "persistent acts of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza."

In the renewed request, Ambassador Madonsela emphasized the escalating "gravity of the situation in Gaza" and "the destruction of Gaza on a scale not witnessed since World War Two."

Madonsela urged the court to order Israel to cease its military operations in Gaza, including in Rafah, and withdraw its troops from the entire Gaza Strip.

Additionally, the ambassador called for Israel to take "all effective measures" to ensure unimpeded access to Gaza for the United Nations and humanitarian aid.

Israel's argument will be presented to the ICJ on Friday, with a judgment expected in the coming weeks.

Judges attend a hearing of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands, on May 16, 2024 The International Court of Justice (ICJ) opened its two-day hearings on Thursday regarding South Africa's request to halt Israel's military offensive in Gaza. (Photo by Sylvia Lederer/Xinhua)

Judges attend a hearing of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands, on May 16, 2024. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) opened its two-day hearings on Thursday regarding South Africa's request to halt Israel's military offensive in Gaza. (Photo by Sylvia Lederer/Xinhua)

South Africa's Ambassador to the Netherlands Vusimuzi Madonsela (R) is seen during a hearing of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands, on May 16, 2024. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) opened its two-day hearings on Thursday regarding South Africa's request to halt Israel's military offensive in Gaza. (Photo by Sylvia Lederer/Xinhua)
This is why SC state lawmakers like me voted to ban transgender health care for children

This month, the South Carolina General Assembly sent the Help not Harm bill concerning so-called gender-affirming healthcare to the governors desk. The appropriately-named legislation prohibits the performance of experimental, life-altering gender transition procedures upon minors.

An investigation by Reuters labeled Youth in Transition showed in 2022 that gender dysphoria diagnoses among youth are skyrocketing. In her recent book, psychiatrist Dr. Miriam Grossman offers a snapshot of the rapid growth of gender-affirming care: London is home to the worlds largest gender clinic for minors. Serving the entire United Kingdom, it opened in 1989 and over its first decade saw an average of fourteen patients a year. By 2021-2022, that number exploded to 3,585 patients a year with a waiting list exceeding 5,300.

Gender-affirming care is the standard of care, according to the testimony of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) before a Senate Medical Affairs subcommittee in February. But what does gender-affirming care entail?

The World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH) is the foremost voice in gender-affirming care. The organization is responsible for a document known as the Standards of Care, a guide for providers treating gender dysphoric individuals, with which the AAP is aligned.

The guidance offered in the Standards is revealing. According to WPATH, puberty blocking drugs, cross-sex hormones, and even surgeries are appropriate for some children. I have been told over and over again that gender-conforming surgeries are not happening in South Carolina. That may be the case for now. Nevertheless, these life-altering procedures are prescribed within the Standards themselves. When the AAP and others defer to the Standards of Care, they prop up a dangerous model of treatment that can include surgeries and other harmful procedures.

Consider the claim in the Standards that there may be a benefit for some adolescents to having these procedures (genital surgery) performed before the age of 18. Or, the troubling recommendation that Chest masculinization surgery can be considered in minors when clinically and developmentally appropriate... In making the latter recommendation, the Standards refers to a study of girls as young as 13 who have had mastectomies.

Remember that the next time someone says gender-affirming care is simply the standard of care.

Another glance at the Standards reveals a startling recommendation: in some cases, parent(s)/caregiver(s) may be too rejecting of their adolescent child and their childs gender needs to be part of the clinical evaluation process. You read that correctly: parents who are too rejecting could simply be cut off from the process.

Perhaps this is why activists are frustrated with a provision in South Carolinas Help not Harm bill (House Bill 4624), which prohibits public schools from hiding a students transition from his or her parents.

Further review of the Standards offers no comfort. The Standards indicates there is only limited knowledge of the effects of blockers on brain development and suggests that pubertal suppression may lead to decreased bone mineral density. The document also concedes that the long-term effects of blockers and hormones are not fully known.

I believe the standard of care is harmful to children. So, whats the answer? Several studies have shown that children who are not exposed to transition procedures are mote likely to desist from gender dysphoria over time.

Contrast this with the reality that in almost all circumstances, children who begin puberty blockers receive subsequent cross-sex hormones. This relationship between puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones was essential to the 2020 decision by Englands High Court which found that children were unlikely to be able to give informed consent for puberty blockers. Western Europe is reversing course on gender-affirming care for minors. South Carolina must avoid it altogether.

Senators voted to do just that, and the House agreed to our changes. We voted to ensure children are left to simply be children and experience a natural childhood, as God intended. We chose to help, not harm.

Sen. Danny Verdin is a Republican state senator who represents Greenville and Laurens counties. He chairs the Senate Medical Affairs Committee.



Editors note: For another view on this bill, please read this commentary by Eric Childs.
This article was originally published in Wisconsin Examiner.

A year after the state Legislatures budget committee rebuffed demands for a major cash infusion to sustain Wisconsins child care sector, providers say theyre struggling to survive and child care resources remain stretched thin.

We are hearing just an endless story about child care programs that cannot hire and cannot retain staff, more classroom closures, increased rates of pay for parents, said Ruth Schmidt, executive director of the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association (WECA).

None of those have improved in the last year, Schmidt added in an interview. I would say it has gotten slightly worse  and will get worse still, she contended, without a state budget that includes substantial child care support.

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On Monday, providers, parents and advocates gathered across the state to call attention to the continued challenges child care providers and families face. The events, part of a nationwide campaign called A Day Without Child Care, were held to rally support for expanding access and improving affordability for working families who need child care.

At one of those events, held in New Glarus, speakers emphasized that the early education trained child care workers provide helps childrens brains develop and helps them gain social and emotional skills that allow them to thrive throughout their school years.

Kids who get high quality early care and educational opportunities, they do better in school, theyre more likely to graduate, said Jeff Pertl, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF). They earn more in their lifetime. Theyre less involved in criminal activity. They need fewer special education supports and interventions. They grow and thrive because caring, stable adults are there to take care of them.

Sarah Kazell, a child care worker and volunteer advocate, argued that early education is a public good that merits public investment along with K-12 education.

This is the reality of a lack of public investment in early education, Kazell said. Women like me are earning a poverty wage to do it. And we are effectively subsidizing the ability for any middle class family to afford care at all. Thats the subsidy program that America has right now  its exploitative labor of the people who provide the care.

Child care workers should be acknowledged and paid as professionals that they are, professionals who are providing an essential public good to their communities, she added. And I want to stop the trend of child care becoming exclusively available to affluent families  thats wrong.

The New Glarus event was organized by Corrine Hendrickson and Brooke Legler, who operate child care centers in the community. The pair founded Wisconsin Early Childhood Action Needed (WECAN), an advocacy group, to marshal support for providers and families.

Along with other advocates, they reminded their listeners that 2024 is an election year. They offered materials to help people contact their legislators and make an appeal for robust state support for child care.

In November, we need to think about and research who we are voting for and make sure that they align with our own values, Legler told the crowd.

A workforce necessity

Child care makes it possible for more people to enter the job market, advocates said. State Rep. Mike Bare (D-Verona), whose district included New Glarus until the legislative maps were redrawn this year, said in an interview that the communitys largest employers have cited housing for workers along with child care as their top concerns when it comes to hiring and keeping employees.

The same is true of Wisconsin teacher workforce, state schools Superintendent Jill Underly told the rally.

In a recent Department of Public Instruction (DPI) report, teachers tell us that the lack of access to affordable, high quality child care is a barrier for them to return to the classroom after having kids of their own, Underly said. We cannot afford to continue to lose amazing teachers because they cannot afford child care. And of course these effects are similar for lots of other families across Wisconsin.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated challenges that providers faced for years. Keeping fees affordable for families kept providers from raising wages, which made hiring workers more difficult, according to advocates.

The number of regulated child care providers in Wisconsin has declined over the last decade. From 2014, when there were nearly 6,000, the number dropped by about 25% to less than 4,600 by February 2020, according to DCF, which maintains a child care data dashboard.

During the same period the number of licensed family care providers  who care for up to eight children in their homes  also fell by about 25%, from just under 2,000 to less than 1,600. The number of certified family providers  who care for three or fewer children and who are certified typically by counties rather than licensed  has fallen even more dramatically, from nearly 1,400 to just over 500  a 60% drop.

The loss of family providers really disadvantages rural populations in significant ways, according to Schmidt, the WECA director, because those communities cannot support larger centers the way urban communities can.

Providers stabilize  but strain persists

With the pandemic, the strain increased. Providers lost workers due to illness or fear of illness. Some parents working at home decided to forgo the cost of care. Others, unable to get care, decided to cut back their jobs.

At the same time, though, because of the pandemic the state and federal governments offered greater support to providers. In Wisconsin that came in the form of Child Care Counts  a $20 million-per-month subsidy to child care providers funded by the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

Over the subsidy programs nearly four-year span, some centers have opened and others closed, but the number of providers has held relatively steady, in the range of 4,600.

The capacity of those providers is about 177,500 children, according to DCF. That might overstate the actual number of openings, however. DCFs child care dashboard lists capacity based on a providers license, according to the departments communications director, Gina Paige.

If a provider cant hire enough staff and limits enrollment below the licensed capacity as a result, that doesnt show up in the state numbers. Schmidt of WECA said she doesnt have concrete data, but based on her conversations with providers and others in the field, she believes as many as half of Wisconsin providers could be operating below their official capacity.

Gov. Tony Evers proposed continuing the Child Care Counts program with $340 million  first in the 2023-25 state budget, and when the Legislatures Republican majority declined, in a special session bill later in 2023 that also was rejected by the GOP majority.

The Evers administration has since been able to extend Child Care Counts, but at about half its original size, repurposing $170 million in ARPA funds that were not spent elsewhere. That has continued the program into mid-2025.

At the New Glarus rally, Kazell criticized the lawmakers who ignored those proposals despite a vigorous campaign by child care providers and families.

When we meet with them and ask for state investments to stabilize our workforce  because we are the workforce behind the broader workforce  we are told that we should just be doing it for the children, not for the money, Kazell said. And we are treated as though the broken child care market is our fault for running our businesses badly, instead of the natural consequence of letting a public good languish in the private market.

Advocates now are focusing on a federal proposal for a $16 billion child care stabilization program, Hendrickson told the New Glarus audience. At the same time, theyre starting to prepare for the 2025-27 budget.

Pertl, the DCF deputy secretary, told the rally that the current Child Care Counts extension would give us one more chance to go back to the Legislature and build a sustainable future for child care.

Schmidt told the Wisconsin Examiner that she expects Evers to include a big ticket item for child care in his proposal for next years budget.

The state did some really cool, wonderful, great work to help stand up child care during this time, Schmidt said of the last three years. And it was still hard for families to find. And it was still hard for families to pay for. And so when you roll back the growth and the benefits of what weve done in the past couple of years with all this investment of our funds  I dont know how we think were going to retain a workforce in child care.

Wisconsin Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Wisconsin Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Ruth Conniff for questions: info@wisconsinexaminer.com. Follow Wisconsin Examiner on Facebook and Twitter.
An empty high school classroom. (Dan Forer | Getty Images)

A Wisconsin school board member and Dodge County supervisor was arrested on Wednesday after carrying a gun into a school building, according to the Dodge County Sheriffs Office.

Dan Siegmann, who won his seat on the Herman Neosho Rubicon School Board last month, told the Wisconsin Examiner on Wednesday before the arrest that the incident was an accident. The Dodge County Sheriffs Office said in a Facebook post Wednesday night that it was unacceptable for an unauthorized gun to be brought into a school building.

Siegmann was attending a scheduled meeting at Honor Elementary School and brought the gun with him having forgotten he was carrying it, he told the Examiner. When he noticed he had the gun with him, he notified District Administrator Chris Nesemann and was then escorted out of the school.

Families were notified about the situation in an email on Wednesday.

At no time did the board member pose any kind of threat and the board member agreed to be escorted out of the school, Nesemann wrote to families, adding that he notified law enforcement about the situation.

The Dodge County Sheriffs Office said in a Facebook post Wednesday night that it received four separate reports including a phone call from the school about the Tuesday incident.

The Dodge County Sheriffs Office said that the Ozaukee County Sheriffs Office was requested to assist with the investigation into the incident because Siegmann has been highly critical of sheriffs office operations as a county board member.

It was determined that the Dodge County Sheriffs Office should not conduct this investigation, but rather an outside agency should conduct the investigation and make appropriate decisions after the investigation to avoid the appearance of bias, the Dodge County Sheriffs Office stated.

As a result of the Ozaukee County investigation, Siegmann was placed under arrest on Wednesday prior to a school board meeting and taken to Dodge County Jail. According to the post, charges will be requested for possession of a firearm in a school.

Under state law, any person who knowingly possesses a firearm at a place that the individual knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, is in or on the grounds of a school is guilty of a Class I felony.

As always, all persons are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, the Dodge County Sheriffs Office said.

Siegmann told the Wisconsin Examiner Wednesday afternoon before the arrest that the incident was an accident. He said he typically carries his gun, which he said he has legally carried for over 25 years, when he works on his farm. He said forgot he had it with him when he went to the school because he didnt change out of his work clothes.

I was oblivious to it. I was just so used to carrying it. I didnt even knowingly do it, Siegmann said. He said he didnt want to hide the fact that he had the gun, which is why he told the district administrator when he realized.

In reaction to the incident and before the arrest, Siegmann voluntarily resigned his position from the school board. He was elected to the Herman Neosho Rubicon board in April after running a write-in campaign that he launched because of his passionate opposition to a school referendum request, which failed.

Siegmann said he resigned because he thought it would look best if he did so and because he wanted to try to de-escalate tensions within the community, which has been sharply divided over the referendum.

Lets just let it go. Its not worth it, Siegmann said. Im not saying it was right but it wasnt intentional. There was zero intent to do this.

The Dodge County Sheriffs Office said it was releasing the information about the incident because there was a great deal of concern and frustration in the community over this incident.

It is important that all remember that the safety of our schools is of paramount importance, and while the right to carry a firearm is a constitutional right afforded by our constitution, it comes with great responsibility, the Dodge County Sheriffs Office stated. That responsibility is knowing where it is, and is not, appropriate to carry a firearm. That responsibility is even more paramount when you are an elected official.

Carrying a firearm in a school without the proper authority to do so in light of the school shootings that occur in our country is unacceptable, the sheriffs office added.

The post Wisconsin school board member arrested after carrying gun into school appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
While a freshman at Gettysburg College in 2013, Shannon Keeler says she was raped by Ian Cleary, who she says followed her home

AP Photo, U.S. Marshals via AP Shannon Keeler, Ian Cleary

Shannon Keeler was floored when she read a Facebook message from a man she had accused of sexually assaulting her in 2013 when she was a freshman in college.

I need to hear your voice, Ian Cleary, now 31, of Saratoga, Calif., allegedly wrote to her in a 2019 message she discovered in 2020, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE. I need to know if I did it or not.

In an even more chilling message, he allegedly wrote, "So I raped you.

Keeler had spent years trying to convince authorities to arrest the upperclassman she accused of raping her when they were both students at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa., to no avail.

After receiving the Facebook messages from Cleary, she notified police, but nothing happened. In 2021, she also spoke to the Associated Press for a story about how difficult it is to prosecute sex crimes on college campuses.

Weeks later, Adams County District Attorney Brian Sinnett filed a felony arrest warrant charging Cleary with sexual assault.

U.S. Marshals via AP A U.S. Marshals Wanted poster for Ian Cleary

Now, after a three-year search, a prosecutor in Metz, France, confirmed on Tuesday that Cleary has been detained since April 24 after being taken into custody as part of a police check, the AP and The New York Times report.

He is being held in French custody pending extradition proceedings, the AP reports.

Related: 'So I Raped You': Facebook Message Leads to Arrest Warrant in Alleged 2013 Campus Assault

An attorney for Cleary did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs requests for comment.

Keeler's attorney, Andrea Levy, declined to comment on the arrest.

In 2021, after the warrant was issued for Clearys arrest, Keeler said in a statement shared with PEOPLE through her attorney, Laura Dunn, that "While I am moved to tears by this result, which I have waited for (for) over seven years, I am mindful that this moment came because I went public with my story, which no survivor should have to do in order to obtain justice.

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.

Keeler's ordeal began on Dec. 15, 2013, when she had a friend walk her back to her dorm after a party to celebrate finals, where a kid had been creeping her out, the affidavit alleges.

The kid, later identified as Cleary, who was 20 at the time, allegedly followed her and her friend back to the dorm, offering the friend $20 so he could be alone with Keeler, according to the affidavit.

The friend told Cleary to go away, the affidavit says. Ten minutes later, Keeler heard a knock on the door and opened it thinking it was another friend, the affidavit says. It was Cleary, who walked in, began kissing Keeler before assaulting her, the affidavit alleges.

Keeler texted friends saying, Help please and OMG please Help me, before the alleged assault, according to the affidavit.

Keeler reported the alleged attack to police, underwent a rape kit test and found witnesses who saw Cleary that night, the affidavit says.

Authorities reopened the case after Keeler told them about the online messages and after the AP story about her case ran.

Police linked Clearys Facebook account with a matching cell phone number.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.



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Read the original article on People.
A Maryland woman has pleaded guilty for her role in a neo-Nazi plot to attack power grids in Baltimore.

Sarah Beth Clendaniel, 36, pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to conspiracy and felony possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

Clendaniel conspired with Brandon Russell, founder of the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen, to target electricity substations around the Baltimore area in the hopes of creating chaos and starting a race war.

Maryland woman Sarah Clendaniel has pleaded guilty to plotting with neo-Nazi group Attomowaffen to destroy power grids in the Baltimore area. Department of Justice

Clendaniel and Russell espouse a white supremacist ideology and advocate a concept known as accelerationism, the Justice Department said in a statement. Accelerationism is an idea among white supremacists that acts of violence are necessary to hasten the collapse of society so it may be rebuilt in a fascist, whites-only state.

Clendaniel and Russell first met in 2018 while both serving separate prison sentences. Starting in 2022, Russell discussed using Mylar balloons to short out a power transformer and said an attack should be carried out when there is greatest strain on the grid and when everyone is using electricity to either heat or cool their homes, according to the Justice Department.

Clendaniel discussed her desire to use a rifle in the attack, and in conversations obtained by the Justice Department, said if they hit multiple electrical substations in one day, they would completely destroy this whole city, and that a good four or five shots through the center of them ... should make that happen.

Clendaniel added that the attacks would probably permanently completely lay this city to waste if we could do that successfully, the Justice Department said.

And in a 2023 encrypted chat obtained by the FBI, Clendaniel said that If we can pull off what Im hoping... this would be legendary. This is MAJOR tier, and definitely doable, according to her charging documents.

Ms. Clendaniel, a felon, spent months plotting, planning and taking steps to inflict grave damage to Marylands power grid in furtherance of her white supremacist ideology, FBI Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno said in a statement. Todays guilty plea highlights the commitment of the FBI to hold individuals accountable for their actions. The FBI will continue to investigate violent threats as the safety and security of all Marylanders remains a priority.

Clendaniel faces 20 years in prison on the conspiracy charge and 15 years on the felon in possession charge. Her sentencing date is Sept. 3.
Erma Wilson is suing former prosecutor Ralph Petty, who she has accused of violating her right to due process. | Institute for Justice; U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit

The job of the prosecutor is to hold the public accountable. But when the tables are turnedwhen the prosecutor is the one who allegedly flouted the lawit is, paradoxically, enormously difficult for victims to achieve recourse. Lawyers yesterday sparred at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit over one such barrier preventing someone from suing a former assistant district attorney accused of misconduct so egregious that one judge on the 5th Circuit described it last year as "utterly bonkers."

At the center of the case is Ralph Petty, whose yearslong career included work as both an assistant district attorney and a law clerkat the same time, for the same judges. In practice, that means his arguments as a prosecutor were sometimes performance art, because, as a law clerk, he had the opportunity to draft the same rulings he sought in court. It doesn't take a lawyer to deduce that the set-up presents troubling implications for due process.

One of Petty's alleged victims, Erma Wilson, would like the opportunity to bring her civil suit against him before a jury. In 2001, she was convicted of cocaine possession after police found a bag of crack on the ground near where she and some friends were gathered. Law enforcement offered to let her off if she implicated the guilty party; she said she didn't know.

Years later, that conviction continues to haunt her. Most notably, it doomed any chance of her fulfilling her lifelong dream of becoming a nurse, because Texas, where she lives, does not approve registered nursing licenses for people found guilty of drug-related crimes.

Wilson's conviction coincided with the beginning of Petty's dual-hat arrangement in Midland County, Texas. Though he was not the lead prosecutor on her case, she alleges he "communicated with and advised fellow prosecutors in the District Attorney's Office" on her prosecution while simultaneously working for Judge John G. Hyde, who presided over her case, giving him "access to documents and information generally unavailable to prosecutors." (Hyde died in 2012.)

"Further undermining confidence in Erma's criminal proceedings, Petty and Judge Hyde engaged in ex parte communications concerning Erma's case," her lawsuit reads. "Consequential motions, such as Erma's motion to suppress, were resolved in the prosecution's favor throughout trial. And despite the weak evidence against her, Erma's motion for a new trial was not granted. Any of these facts by itself undermines the integrity of Erma's trial. Together, these facts eviscerate it."

Typically prosecutors are protected by absolute immunity, which, as its name implies, is an even more robust shield than qualified immunity. But that issue is not before the 5th Circuit, because Wilson must overcome another barrier: Someone who has been convicted of a crime may not sue under Section 1983the federal statute that permits lawsuits against state and local government employees for alleged constitutional violationsunless "the conviction or sentence has been reversed on appeal or otherwise declared invalid," wrote Judge Don Willett for the 5th Circuit in December. "The wrinkle here is that Petty's conflicted dual-hat arrangement came to light only after Wilson had served her whole sentence."

But Willettthe same judge who characterized Petty's alleged malfeasance as "utterly bonkers"did not appear happy with his own ruling, which he said came because his hands were tied by precedent. He invited the 5th Circuit to hear the case en banc, where all the judges on the court convene to reconsider an appeal, as opposed to a three-judge panel (the usual format for evaluating cases).

The court accepted. "The defendants say that [Wilson is] forever barred from invoking that federal cause of action or any other federal cause of action unless she first persuades state officials to grant her relief. If they never do, she can never sue," Jaba Tsitsuashvili, an attorney at the Institute for Justice who is representing Wilson, argued yesterday. "In most circuits, that argument would be rejected, and rightly so."

At the center of the case is Heck v. Humphrey (1994), a Supreme Court precedent that, as Willett noted, forecloses Section 1983 relief for plaintiffs alleging unconstitutional convictions if his or her criminal case was not resolved with "favorable termination." The catch: Most federal appeals courts have established that Heck does not apply when federal habeas relief is no longer available, as is the case with Wilson. The 5th Circuit is an exception.

Perhaps soon it won't be. Yet even if the judges agree with Tsitsuashvili's interpretation of the law, Wilson is not in the clear. She will then have to explain why Petty is not entitled to absolute immunity, which inoculates prosecutors from facing such civil suits if their alleged misconduct was carried out in the scope of their prosecutorial duties. It is nearly impossible to overcome. But Petty may not be a candidate for it, because his malfeasance was technically not committed as a prosecutor. It was committed as a law clerk.

Should Wilson be granted the privilege to sue, it will be the first time an alleged victim of Petty's gets a tangible chance at recourse. There was, of course, the fact that he was disbarred, but defendants whose trials were marred by Petty likely take little comfort in that, particularly when considering it came in 2021two years after he retired.

The post Can This Woman Sue the Rogue Prosecutor Who Allegedly Helped Upend Her Life? appeared first on Reason.com.
"I wonder whether the jury is getting bored": Expert blasts Trump lawyer's "meaningless" questions

Legal experts say the Trump teams cross-examination of former Trump fixer Michael Cohen has focused little on the central focus of the Manhattan criminal trial: whether Trump caused the falsification of checks, invoices and ledger entries in a scheme to disguise hush money as legal fees.

Trump lawyer Todd Blanche on Thursday instead continued to press Cohen about his long history of telling lies to help Trump, as well as boost Cohens own interests.

The defense is engaged in a theatrical play that has little bearing on the facts, Bennett Gershman, a former New York prosecutor and law professor at Pace University, told Salon.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his legal team have argued that the Trump campaign was thrown into turmoil by the "Access Hollywood" recording, prompting increased interest in silencing others with potentially damning stories to tell. Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records to, prosecutors say, cover up a $130,000 payment to Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.

Blanche questioned Cohen at length about his desire for a job at the White House, his lies to authorities in official proceedings and his efforts to reduce his prison time by cooperating with authorities.

Gershman said he questions how the repeated recitation of Cohens lies in particular were landing with jurors.

The defense is going over and over that Cohen has a history of lying, Gershman said. But everybody knows that, including the jury. I wonder whether the jury is getting bored by the repetition. It may be that Blanche is doing what his client wants, not necessarily whats best for an effective defense.

Gershman said jurors have already seen ample evidence of Cohen evolving from establishing himself as a Trump devotee, to feeling cast aside after the election, to shifting to a new career as one of Trumps most gleeful detractors.

The heavy-throttled attack by the defense on Cohens credibility, his motives for testifying against Trump, and his despising Trump, is really meaningless, as the prosecutors will argue in summation to the jury, Gershman told Salon. Everything Cohen says about adulating, and then despising Trump, is bolstered and corroborated by massive other evidence.

And Gershman said jurors have already seen evidence presented about the catch and kill scheme to bury the Stormy Daniels story by buying her off; the payment to Daniels; the voluminous records showing the way the payment was falsely disguised as a legitimate business expense; the fact that the payments were legally required to be documented as political campaign expenses.

Cohen was an extra, Gershman said. Sure, his testimony was the glue that connected the dots more clearly, more comprehensively. But Cohen added few new facts.

David Schultz, professor of political science and legal studies at Hamline University, said Cohen did help connect Trump to the plan to reimburse Cohen for $130,000 in hush money payments to Daniels.

Cohen did an excellent job connecting Trump to the payment scheme by showing it was his idea, Schultz told Salon. He also did a good job  following up on Hope Hicks  establishing Trump's motive for the cover up and that it was campaign related.

Trump has said he was worried how salacious stories of extramarital affairs he denies would impact his wifes feelings  but legal experts say prosecutors could argue that Trump simply had multiple motivations.

Schultz said Cohens testimony could put more pressure on Trump to testify and refute his testimony.

Whether Trump will testify, and whether his defense will call its own witnesses, remains unclear.

Though Cohens baggage is well-established, Schultz said Cohens credibility could come into play when jurors weigh the evidence specifically tying Trump to the plan to disguise hush money reimbursements.

Prosecutors have provided crucial financial records: including checks from Trump's bank account to Cohen's LLC with Trump's signature on it, a handwritten plan by his employees to reimburse Cohen through monthly $35,000 payments in 2017 and ledger entries that described the payments as legal fees.

In Cohen's testimony, he said he provided "very minimal" legal services to Trump in 2017.

He described Trump as orchestrating the plan: telling him to "just take care of it" and wait to pay Daniels until after the election. Cohen said at a Trump Tower meeting before the former president's inauguration, Trump "approved" the plan to reimburse him at a meeting with Cohen and former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, who showed Trump a bank statement he brought along with the handwritten reimbursement plan. Cohen also said Trump assured him he'd be reimbursed for the payments to Daniels in an early 2017 Oval Office meeting.

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Trump's lawyers have repeatedly said there is no link between Trump and the reimbursement to Cohen  and alleged that Cohen paid off Daniels all on his own.

Cohen testified how Trump avoided email as a way to avoid a paper trail.

Normally this would be devastating testimony except that Cohen is flawed, Schultz said. He is a convicted felon with a motive to get even with Trump. Defense is doing its best to challenge his credibility and argue Cohen and not Trump was the mastermind of this coverup.

Schultz said Cohen was cool and collected on the witness stand.

Schultz added: The question will be whether a jury finds him credible.

Blanche has warned jurors that Cohen is not to be trusted, and his cross-examination has appeared aimed at urging jurors not to trust a word he says  which would include his descriptions of meetings where he said Trump asked him to pay off Daniels and approved the reimbursements to Cohen.

Also on Thursday, Blanche grilled Cohen on the substance of an October 2016 call he had with Trump.

Cohen said he told Trump on the call that he had paid off adult film star and director Stormy Daniels. Blanche asked him whether he was being truthful about the brief call, or whether he just spoke to Trump's bodyguard to complain about a 14-year-old prankster leaving him annoying phone calls.

The New York Times reported that Cohen wasn't definitive in his response to Blanche: I believe I spoke to Mr. Trump.

Blanche pressed Cohen on his track record of lying or fudging the truth to authorities: including his testimony at Trumps civil fraud trial, where Cohen testified that he lied when he pleaded guilty in 2018 to tax evasion and making false statements to a bank.

You started saying that you had not committed the tax crimes? Blanche asked Cohen, according to MSNBC host Katie Phang.

Cohen replied: I have stated I dont dispute the facts of the case, but I should not have been prosecuted. First time tax evader
Woodstock man sentenced to 30 years in prison for child molestation

A Woodstock man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for child molestation and cruelty to children.

According to the Cherokee County Sheriffs Office, Romualdo De Pedraza, 27, sexually assaulted a girl under the age of 10.

After the assault, a family member called 911 to report the allegations.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

In August 2020, the girl participated in a forensic interview where she provided details on what happened.

In addition to the victim, six witnesses were called to the stand during Pedrazas trial, including law enforcement officers and an expert in forensic interviews and the dynamics of child abuse.

The State presented 18 exhibits, including a video recording of the girls forensic interview.

TRENDING STORIES:

The trial took four days and the jury deliberated for four hours.

After the guilty verdict, a judge sentenced Pedraza to 30 years in prison followed by life on probation for aggravated child molestation and first degree cruelty to children.

Nearly four years ago, this defendant told an innocent child they were just playing a game, then committed unspeakable sexual acts on her, said Assistant District Attorney Meaghan Frankish. A family member became her hero when he called 911 and ensured that this crime would be investigated and prosecuted, giving her the justice she deserves.

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Worker hospitalized after trapped under equipment at Brook Park cemetery

BROOK PARK, Ohio (WJW)  A worker was sent to the hospital after investigators say he became trapped under a piece of equipment at a Brook Park cemetery Thursday afternoon.

Brook Park firefighters and police were called to Holy Cross Cemetery on Brookpark Road just after noon for reports of someone trapped.

Woman indicted after driving through Hopkins Airport fences

According to the Brook Park Police Department, before first responders arrived, other workers were able to free him and start providing first aid.

Paramedics then stepped in and the worker was taken to a nearby hospital.

Ohio bill would prohibit deepfakes without consent

The extent of his injuries are unknown at this time, according to Brook Park police.

Police officials say the incident remains under investigation at this time. They expect to have more information available Friday afternoon.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
BERLIN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The European defense project Eurodrone has passed a preliminary design review, Airbus said on Thursday. The review was originally planned for September 2023.

In addition to physical tests of aerodynamics and operational capability, a digital twin was also included in the review, Airbus said. The project developed by Germany, Spain, Italy and France can now enter the final phase of planning -- the critical design review.

"Performing the Preliminary Design Review for the development of Eurodrone represents an important step forward for this key European defense program," said Jean-Brice Dumont, head of Air Power at Airbus Defense and Space.

According to the German Ministry of Defense, the delayed schedule has already led to additional costs of around 1.4 billion euros (1.5 billion U.S. dollars). This was caused by coordination problems between the main contractor Airbus Defense and Space and the French company Dassault.

The project, fully called Medium Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (MALE RPAS), is intended to make Europe autonomous in building unmanned aerial systems. It is expected to be used in intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance missions. The drone, with a planned wingspan of almost 30 meters, will also be capable of carrying weapons in the future.

The first flight of the Eurodrone prototype is scheduled for January 2027. Delivery of the first aircraft and ground control station for Germany is planned for April 2030, according to the country's latest armaments report. (1 euro = 1.09 U.S. dollar) 
Russia tested a space-based anti-satellite weapon with potential nuclear capabilities in 2022, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on May 16, citing unnamed U.S. officials.

The officials said that Russia had launched a satellite into space in February 2022 to test components for a potential anti-satellite weapon that would carry a nuclear device. However, the satellite that was launched doesnt carry a nuclear weapon, the WSJ reported.

The U.S. House Intelligence Committee warned in February of a "serious" but unspecified security threat from Russia. Reports then followed that the threat relates to Russia's desire to "put a nuclear weapon into space."

U.S. President Joe Biden later said that Moscow was indeed developing an anti-satellite space weapon, but it did not endanger people on Earth. He added that there had not yet been a decision to launch the weapon into space.

The Russian satellite, named the Cosmos-2553, was launched in February 2022 and has been orbiting Earth since then, operating as a platform to test "nonnuclear components of the new weapon system," officials told the WSJ.

Russian officials have claimed that the Cosmos-2553 is "intended for scientific research," which the U.S. officials say is unlikely. The Kremlin has previously denied that it has any intention to put nuclear weapons in space.

If Cosmos-2553 or a similar satellite were equipped with nuclear weapons, it could destroy hundreds of satellites in low orbit with a blast.

Outgoing Pentagon official John Plumb told Congress that it would be an "indiscriminate weapon" that has no "national boundaries, (and) doesn't determine between military satellites, civilian satellites, or commercial satellites."

Moscow has repeatedly resorted to nuclear saber-rattling throughout the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Critics say such statements are bluffs instead of Russia's genuine plans and are intended to scare the West into making concessions.

Read also: Bloomberg: US tells allies Russia may deploy nuclear anti-satellite weapon into space this year

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Chinese President Xi Jinping has assured Russian President Vladimir Putin of close cooperation during his visit to Beijing.

A steady development of Sino-Russian relations contributes to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world, Xi said in talks with Putin on Thursday, according to state media.

China is Russia's most important ally, which is largely isolated internationally due to its invasion of Ukraine.

Beijing serves as an important trading partner for the country, which has been targeted by multiple Western sanctions.

Germany, the US and other supporters of Ukraine accuse China of not exerting enough pressure on Russia and even indirectly supporting Moscow's invasion of its neighbour.

As he greeted Putin, Xi congratulated his "old friend" on his fifth term in office and expressed confidence that Russia's development would make "great progress" under him.

According to state media reports, the Chinese leader did not mention the war against Ukraine in his welcoming speech. Xi said that China-Russia relations had become stronger and had withstood the "test of a changing international landscape."

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping inspect the guard of honour during a welcoming ceremony during a two-day state visit to China. -/Kremlin/dpa
Xi and Putin are talking about peace  but preparing for war

As Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing, Xi Jinping welcomed an old friend, hailing the strategic guidance the two countries had provided to each other.

In comments to the cameras before behind closed doors talks, the two leaders spoke about global stability and solving conflicts such as the war in Ukraine.

But as they sat down for talks on Thursday morning, it was clear that this was not all about peace.

Putin, the Russian president, had arrived with a coterie of senior security officials including Andrei Belousov, his new defence minister.

Sergei Shoigu, his former defence minister, who was promoted to head of the National Security Council a few days ago, sat by his side across the table from Mr Xi, the Chinese president, and his officials. The heads of Rosatom, Russias nuclear power company, and Roscomos, its space agency, were also in attendance.

Putins visit to China underscores the rapidly expanding military cooperation between the two allies that has alarmed western capitals.

He and Mr Xi have made no secret of their willingness to collaborate together in a no-limits partnership to reshape the US-led global order.

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping review a military honour guard during an official welcoming ceremony in Beijing - AFP

Much of the US and Europes concern has been directed at Beijings continued trade with a heavily sanctioned Moscow since the invasion of Ukraine, as well as a weapons technology alliance that has seen Chinese chips and machine components boost Russias war machine.

China has refused to condemn the war and backs Moscow diplomatically, accusing the West of undermining Russias security. Russia, meanwhile, has consistently emphasised support for Beijing on issues related to Taiwan, which China has threatened to invade.

Putin may also be keen to discuss the construction of a pipeline across Siberia, taking natural gas to China that would have gone to Europe. One of the deputy prime ministers in his entourage, Alexander Novak, is a key official for Moscows oil and gas.

When Putin speaks of his approval for Chinas plan for peace in Ukraine, he is referring to a vague 12-point plan published by Beijing that would apparently cement Moscows control of the Ukrainian regions it has captured through military force.

Some analysts argue that Chinas support for Russia helps draw attention and resources away from the Pacific and the long-term security of Taiwan.

Russian and Chinese war games, including naval drills and patrols by long-range bombers over the Sea of Japan, and ground force exercises on each others territory have also begun to change US calculations around the issue of Taiwan.

Russia's Putin and China's Xi Jinping shake hands prior to their talks in Beijing - SERGEI GUNEYEV/AFP

Air Force Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse, the director of the Pentagons Defence Intelligence Agency, said their cooperation in the last two years had caused the Pentagon to take a fresh look at its own analysis and become even more concerned about what are our joint force requirements in the region.

A joint declaration released after Mr Xis three-day visit to Moscow in March said Russia recognises Taiwan as an inalienable part of Chinas territory in one of its most explicit statements of support to date on the issue.

In early May, US defence officials warned the US Senate armed services committee over Chinese and Russian joint military drills in the East China Sea near Taiwan.

Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence, told US senators: China definitely wants Russia to be working with them, and we see no reason why [Russia] wouldnt.

Ahead of his visit, Putin told Chinas Xinhua news agency that the meeting would boost joint efforts to strengthen the territorial integrity and security of our countries as part of a strategic partnership of coordination for the new era.

As for the full extent of what that means for military and geopolitical cooperation, the two autocratic leaders are likely to keep the West guessing.

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In our In the Spotlight stories, Herald-Leader journalists bring you continuing coverage of news and events important to our Central Kentucky community. Read more. Story idea? hlcityregion@herald-leader.com.

The Lexington Herald-Leader has reported for the past seven years on the mistreatment of youths held by the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice.

The department has been saddled with numerous and often-tragic problems, dating back to the administration of former Gov. Matt Bevin and continuing under the watch of Gov. Andy Beshear. Repeated investigations, an occasional audit, outcry from youth advocates and criticism from legislators have done little to erase its repeated missteps and poor decisions.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it was launching an investigation of the agencys eight detention centers around the commonwealth. Federal officials, in a Washington, D.C., statement, said enough is enough.

Confinement in the juvenile justice system should help children avoid future contact with law enforcement and mature into law-abiding, productive members of society. Too often, juvenile justice facilities break our children, exposing them to dangerous and traumatic conditions, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division said.

We are launching this investigation to ensure that children in Kentucky youth detention facilities are safe from harm, receive adequate mental health care and get appropriate special education services, Clarke added.

All children held in the custody of the state deserve safe and humane conditions that can bring about true rehabilitation and reform.

The Herald-Leaders reporting by veteran investigative reporter John Cheves reflects the staffs commitment to protecting Kentuckys most vulnerable, said Richard Green, the newspapers executive editor.

For years, John has doggedly pursued tips, plowed through thousands of pages of public documents and tapped into sources across the state to reveal the extensive and grim problems inside the Department of Juvenile Justice, said Green, in the Herald-Leaders top newsroom position since September 2023.

Its not hyperbolic to say Im convinced the DOJ investigation wouldnt have happened had it not been for Johns work. And he wont rest on his laurels. You can expect more revelatory details about how this troubled state agency operates in the days ahead.

Here is a timeline of some of the newspapers bigger stories  and responses from public officials:

 Dec. 29, 2017: Nearly two years after a 16-year-old girl died alone and unnoticed in an isolation cell, state officials acknowledge that the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice still has serious problems to correct at its seven detention centers.

In a sharply critical inspection report given to the department Oct. 31, the Center for Childrens Law and Policy of Washington, D.C., cited a near-total absence of mental health care in the detention centers; chronic staff shortages and inadequate employee training; a lack of special education for youths with learning disabilities; and few opportunities for residents to file grievances that could reveal abuses.

Gynnya McMillen died in an isolation cell in 2016 in the custody of the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice.

 Sept. 22, 2021: The Herald-Leader reviewed thousands of pages of department records, state personnel files, police reports and other documents and identified at least 116 substantiated special incidents involving the departments employees from February 2018 to May 2021.

The majority of these incidents involved youth workers  the title the department gives to security guards  using force on juveniles that was determined to be excessive by the agencys Internal Investigations Branch. ...

The way I was trained to write reports, they never wanted you to use direct words like hit or struck, or push or shove, youth worker Jezreel Bell told the Herald-Leader on his last day on the job in early September.

Bell quit after serving as a youth worker for more than two years.

You never pushed somebody down, you assisted them to the floor, he explained.

Series logo.

 Oct. 7, 2021: State officials were questioned Thursday about the mistreatment of youths housed by the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice following a series of stories last month in the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Members of the legislatures Interim Joint Committee on the Judiciary asked about excessive use of force by staff during restraints, back-to-back riots last year at the DJJ facility in Paducah and racial slurs used on a Black teenager at the Lexington facility, among other incidents reported in the stories.

 Dec. 7, 2021: The Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice is temporarily reassigning different kinds of employees to serve inside its detention facilities as youth workers, who ended November with a nearly one-in-three job vacancy rate.

 Oct. 13, 2022: State officials on Thursday acknowledged serious errors were made over the summer inside the Jefferson Regional Juvenile Detention Center in suburban Louisville that allowed youths to smuggle in dangerous contraband, set fires and escape.

And a review of recent internal reports by the Herald-Leader shows the problems are not limited to one troubled center. There have been about two dozen substantiated cases at juvenile justice facilities across the state of drug use, inappropriate use of force, poor supervision and other problems in the past 18 months, according to reports.

 Nov. 14, 2022: Kentucky State Police are investigating the alleged sexual assault of a youth inside a females-only unit in the juvenile detention center where a riot took place late Friday, state officials have confirmed.

State and local police were needed to restore order inside the Adair Regional Detention Center, a maximum security facility in Columbia, after a youth assaulted a staff member, confiscated the staff members keys and released other juveniles from their cells, according to state police. Those injured were taken to a hospital.

An emergency crew responded to a riot at the Adair Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Columbia, Ky., in 2022.

 Dec. 8, 2022: Lexington police say they are investigating a youth worker who quit the Fayette Regional Juvenile Detention Center this year after officials questioned his text messaging with a girl who was in custody.

Three years earlier, the same man was suspended from his job at the facility for telling a girl in custody that he would like to buy her a drink when she was released, according to state records.

 Dec. 13, 2022: The people who run Kentuckys overwhelmed juvenile detention facilities spent the year 2022 all but begging their bosses in Frankfort for help, even before a series of dangerous attacks and riots  and the sexual assault of a teen girl during a riot at the Adair County facility  made headlines this fall.

In monthly reports from around the state, obtained by the Herald-Leader, facility superintendents told senior officials at the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice that they had nowhere near enough employees to keep control of their facilities or comply with the staffing requirements of the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act.

 Dec. 15, 2022: Lawmakers on Thursday said theyre losing confidence in Gov. Andy Beshears ability to reform Kentuckys long-troubled Department of Juvenile Justice following still more disclosures of assaults and riots inside its detention facilities.

I think we have fallen so far behind and were seeing major, severe incidents occur now, Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Benton, said at a hearing of the Interim Joint Committee on the Judiciary. The system doesnt work, its broken. Its completely broken.

 Jan. 19, 2023: Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday said he plans to spend tens of millions of dollars raising the pay of youth workers at the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice, where under-staffed juvenile detention centers have been plagued by riots, assaults and escapes.

At a news conference, Beshear said he will raise the starting salary for youth workers in detention centers to $50,000 a year, which would be a $10,000 to $15,000 increase from current levels.

 Jan. 23, 2023: In the months leading up to the riot and sexual assault of a teenage girl at the Adair Regional Juvenile Detention Center last November, employees warned that youths were being mistreated in various ways, often isolated in cells not as punishment but because that made it easier for the thinly stretched staff to keep control.

A grim picture emerges of life inside the facility run by the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice in Adair County based on interviews with four former employees and internal documents obtained by the Herald-Leader.

I have witnessed abuse and neglect on a stomach-turning scale, nurse Joanne Alvarado wrote in her Aug. 1 letter resigning from the facility.

 Feb. 2, 2023: An independent party should be allowed to inspect Kentuckys violence-plagued juvenile detention centers and speak freely with the staff and youths, a panel of lawmakers said Thursday.

The legislatures Juvenile Justice Work Group, which has met in recent weeks, announced recommendations at a Capitol news conference. Among them, it called for leadership changes at the state Department of Juvenile Justice and an audit of the agency.

 Feb. 3, 2023: Former nurses at the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice say they suffered whistle-blower retaliation for reporting the inhumane and dangerous mistreatment of youths last year.

In a lawsuit filed this week in Franklin Circuit Court, Nina Burton and Joanne Alvarado said they tried to provide compassionate medical care for youths held at the states juvenile detention facility in Adair County, and especially for a 17-year-old girl with worsening mental health who was locked in isolation for extended periods.

 March 7, 2023: At least 239 youths booked into Kentuckys juvenile detention centers in 2022 werent the significantly more violent predators about whom Gov. Andy Beshear and legislators warn as they call for guards to be armed with Tasers and pepper spray, according to a state database obtained by the Herald-Leader.

Instead, they were so-called status offenders, charged with minor, age-specific violations like truancy or running away from home. On average, they spent a week in custody, although five were locked up for a month or more in pre-trial detention.

The McCracken Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Paducah.

And more than 100 youths held in juvenile detention last year were wards of the state, usually teenagers from broken homes who were assigned to caseworkers at the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services, according to a separate set of state records.

 March 13, 2023: A psychiatrist who worked with youths in custody at the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice was relieved of his duties in January after he was caught on video pouring an Adderall pill into his mouth and then going to sleep in the Breathitt Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Jackson, according to state records.

 March 20, 2023: Before starting a two-week break on March 16, the Kentucky legislature sent two bills to Gov. Andy Beshear that would spend tens of millions of dollars while making several changes to how the state runs its juvenile detention centers, where riots, assaults and chronic neglect of youths in their cells have become commonplace.

Unlike some other measures during the legislative session, the juvenile justice bills ended up with bipartisan support, praised by outside observers.

 April 13, 2023: A former employee of the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice sued the state on Wednesday, saying that he was wrongfully fired for reporting the physical abuse of a boy held in custody.

Its at least the second lawsuit this year filed by DJJ employees who claim they lost their jobs because they tried to expose the mistreatment of youths in the states chaotic juvenile detention centers.

 April 17, 2023: For at least the third time this year, a lawsuit alleges the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice harassed and ultimately fired an employee for reporting the mistreatment of youths held in state custody.

 Aug. 18, 2023: Despite promises of reform at the troubled Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice, it has seen serious trouble this year at its all-girls detention center in Northern Kentucky, including excessive use of force by staff, failure to monitor suicidal youths and the recent alcohol-related firing of its superintendent, according to a Herald-Leader review of state records.

Also, the Kentucky State Police is investigating potential criminal activity involving a male correctional officer and one or more girls housed at the Campbell Regional Juvenile Detention Center that was captured on security video May 23 and May 30, according to Morgan Hall, spokeswoman for the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet.

 Sept. 7, 2023: Staff at a state juvenile detention center in Adair County improperly used pepper spray on youths as punishment at least three times in March, sometimes forcing youths to wait more than 30 minutes before washing off the burning chemicals, according to internal reports obtained by the Herald-Leader.

At least twice, staff fired pepper spray on youths through the small slot in their cell door while they were confined alone inside, with nowhere to hide, according to the reports.

 Oct. 11, 2023: The Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice fired a male correctional officer June 6 and notified Kentucky State Police after a review of security video footage suggested the officer kissed and had other inappropriate contact with one or more teenage girls inside the all-girls Campbell Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Newport.

 Oct. 13, 2023: A Kentucky legislative committee Thursday heard more information about problems at the state Department of Juvenile Justice that were previously disclosed in Herald-Leader news stories, including the misuse of pepper spray on youths and the failure to act quickly on complaints of sexual misbehavior by a male correctional officer.

The Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee also heard a critical report from lawyers at the state Department of Public Advocacy. They warned that youths rights have been violated at the Adair Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Columbia, which the department operates.

Youths have been locked alone in their cells for days or weeks for so-called non-behavior isolation, even when they didnt commit any offenses in the facility, according to the report.

 Nov. 16, 2023: Kentucky Juvenile Justice Commissioner Vicki Reed, who has been criticized for assaults, escapes, riots and the abuse and neglect of youths at juvenile detention centers under her watch, will resign effective Jan. 1, Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday.

Vicki Reed

 Jan. 17, 2024: Two young women say in a lawsuit they and other girls were abused, neglected, humiliated and deprived of health care, education and basic hygiene in 2022 at the state-run juvenile detention center in Adair County.

Among their claims: Detention center staff often exposed girls nakedness to members of the opposite sex, either through conducting the forcible removal of clothing or by withholding clothing while in view of employees and other detainees, the suit alleges. Male staff regularly conducted cell checks on girls detained without clothing.

 Jan. 31, 2024: The Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice has failed to comply with reforms called for in a 2017 critical inspection report, including better security and medical staffing, on-site mental health care and less use of solitary confinement for the teenagers in its custody, according to an independent audit released Wednesday.

As a result, despite years of outside scrutiny, the departments eight juvenile detention centers continue to be mismanaged, with cruel isolation policies and high levels of extreme use of force, according to the audit.

 Jan. 31, 2024: A mentally ill 17-year-old girl spent much of the summer of 2022 locked  sometimes naked  in a filthy isolation cell in one of Kentuckys controversial juvenile detention centers, where security staff mocked her smell and ignored her cries for help, according to a federal lawsuit filed this week.

Neglected for weeks, the girl grew increasingly confused and paranoid. She reached her hands through a narrow flap in her cell door and called out, They are going to kill me, according to the suit.

 Feb. 13, 2024: Last September, the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice described several wrongful uses of pepper spray on youths in detention as isolated errors that happened in early 2023 while employees learned how to use the newly available defensive weapon.

But at least seven more confirmed reports followed over the next few months as teenagers were unjustly blasted with pepper spray, not for fighting or starting riots but because they had failed to follow instructions, according to internal investigative reports the Herald-Leader obtained under Kentuckys Open Records Act.

 March 21, 2024: Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday named former prison warden Randy White as the new commissioner of the embattled Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice.

Juvenile Justice Commissioner Randy White

 May 9, 2024: Scores of substantiated youth grievances at the juvenile detention centers in Adair, Campbell, Fayette and McCracken counties over a 15-month period reveal problems with poor sanitation, safety concerns, staff misbehavior and bad or unclean food, according to documents the Herald-Leader obtained through the Kentucky Open Records Act.

In a prepared statement, the Department of Juvenile Justice said reforms are underway to do a better job fixing the problems revealed by teens complaints.

 May 15, 2024: A federal civil-rights investigation into how youths are treated inside the eight detention centers run by the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice has been launched, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11)  A New York City assistant principal was arrested at John Adams High School in Queens on Wednesday after allegedly making sexual advances toward a student, according to police and sources.

Police identified the Department of Education employee as 52-year-old Michael Budhu.

Screaming and yelling: Brawl broke out before girl, 12, shot in Queens

Budhu allegedly made two sexual advances toward a 15-year-old girl on separate occasions this month, according to sources. He was arrested at school during the day, sources said.

The website for John Adams High School lists Budhu as the assistant principal.

Budhu was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and sexual abuse, according to police.

In a statement to PIX11, a spokesperson for DOE said the employee has been reassigned.

This alleged behavior is reprehensible, and nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of our students. This employee has been reassigned pending an investigation, the spokesperson for DOE said.

Jonathan Rizk is a digital journalist who has covered local news in New York City and Washington, D.C. He has been with PIX11 since August 2022. See more of his work here, and follow him on X and Facebook @OfficialRizk. Get in touch at jonathan.rizk@pix11.com.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
New York dog gets City Council citation for rat kills in war against vermin

A New York City dog named Luna received an award Thursday for killing rats.

City Council Member Chi Osse posted on the social platform X awarding Luna a City Council Citation for the work shes done.

We just presented an official @NYCCouncil citation to Luna the Dog for being New Yorks strongest solider in our war against the rats, Osse posted.

With over 200 confirmed kills, including over 60 this year alone, Luna is holding the front line and making us proud, he said.

He shared a photo with Luna and of her citation, which said its given to individuals who give exemplary service to their communities.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has said he hates rats and would hire a rat czar to help rid the city of its vermin. Its been a years-long effort for Manhattan leaders to try to tackle the citys rat problem.

In April, Adams announced that Kathleen Corradi, a former elementary school teacher, would lead the citys efforts to battle the potentially millions of rats in Manhattan.

In both New York and Washington, D.C., a group of dogs and their owners head out late at night to catch rats.

They walk in dark alleyways and behind restaurants to unleash their dogs, trained to bite, rip and efficiently kill rats, which the owners say is more humane than traps or poison, The Washington Post reported last year.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
New York dog gets City Council honor for rat kills in war against vermin

(The Hill)  A New York City dog named Luna received an award Thursday for killing rats.

City Council Member Chi Osse posted on the social platform X awarding Luna a City Council Citation for the work shes done.

We just presented an official @NYCCouncil citation to Luna the Dog for being New Yorks strongest solider in our war against the rats, Osse posted.

With over 200 confirmed kills, including over 60 this year alone, Luna is holding the front line and making us proud, he said.

At least 9 GOP lawmakers are at Trump trial, which could be a problem for Republicans

He shared a photo with Luna and of her citation, which said its given to individuals who give exemplary service to their communities.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has said he hates rats and would hire a rat czar to help rid the city of its vermin. Its been a years-long effort for Manhattan leaders to try to tackle the citys rat problem.

In April, Adams announced that Kathleen Corradi, a former elementary school teacher, would lead the citys efforts to battle the potentially millions of rats in Manhattan.

In both New York and Washington, D.C., a group of dogs and their owners head out late at night to catch rats.

They walk in dark alleyways and behind restaurants to unleash their dogs, trained to bite, rip and efficiently kill rats, which the owners say is more humane than traps or poison, The Washington Post reported last year.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
U.S. Senate lawmakers introduce plans to regulate artificial intelligence. From left: Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Martin Heinrich, (D-N.M.), Todd Young (R-I.N.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.). (Screenshot of livestream.)

The United States should invest billions of dollars into artificial intelligence (AI) to check Chinas influence on the technology, U.S. Sen. Todd Young of Indiana and three others said Wednesday.

Our goal is to maintain U.S. leadership in this field. We lead the way right now, Young said.

Hes one of four members of the Bipartisan Senate AI Working Group, which released a policy roadmap for congressional committees to use in devising both AI innovation incentives and regulations. Itll take at least $32 billion annually, the group announced. Thats not including yet-to-be-announced defense spending estimates.

Bipartisan Senate AI Working Group membership:

Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.

Mike Rounds, R-S.D.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Todd Young, R-I.N.

Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota said U.S. involvement would ensure that the technology would incorporate U.S. values, like privacy.

With general direction and regulatory certainty out to AI developers and users, Young said, the country could unlock AIs potential and harmonize with ally countries.

Well share (U.S.) standards as it relates to privacy, consumer protection, openness, transparency: all, notably, things that are not associated with the Chinese Communist Party, Young continued. (Theres a) geopolitical dimension to this which cannot be overlooked.

The funding levels were recommended by the National Security Commission on AI and would ramp up across several years: $8 billion in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, $16 billion in FY 2025, and $32 billion in FY 2026 and thereafter.

The plan

The group held nine forums on eight topics, ranging from innovation and intellectual property protection to election security and privacy rights.

Innovation: The group recommended money be allocated to various research and develop efforts, unfunded sections of the CHIPS and Science Act, a new National AI Research and Development Institute, and more. It also suggested committees write bills that leverage public-private partnerships, help AI startups and so on. Workforce: Americans are worried about how AI will affect their jobs. So the group suggested plenty of stakeholder engagement, training, up-skilling and other ways to combat disruptive workforce displacement. Tailoring existing laws: The policy roadmap asks committees to find and address gaps in how existing laws apply to AI, with special attention on critical infrastructure, financial service providers, the housing sector and the federal procurement process. The document also highlights concerns about AI-generated child sexual abuse material and AI fraud, and asks lawmakers to consider a ban on AI social scoring. It also delves into health care. Elections: The bipartisan group agreed on no specific recommendations but encourage committees and AI developers to consider watermarking and digital content provenance on AI-generated or -altered election content. Liability and privacy: AIs varying degrees of autonomy, can make it harder to assign legal liability to AI companies and users, the group said. It suggested committees look at clarifying or adding to current liability standards and backed a strong comprehensive federal data privacy law to protect personal information. Intellectual property and copyright: The group recommended legislation on transparency, data sets that contain copyrighted or sensitive personal data, and protecting against the unauthorized use of ones name, image, likeness, and voice, consistent with First Amendment principles. It also suggested reviewing copyright and patent reports on AIs impact and a public education campaign about AI. Risks: The group endorsed a capabilities-focused risk-based approach, which could include developing uniform risk tests, auditing standards, cyber-security standards and more. Research and development legislation could also help AI developers, deployers and users identify and manage risks. National Security: The group pushed some agencies to develop AI or digital engineering career pathways and training programs, and to work with AI developers to prevent cutting-edge AI technology from leaking sensitive or classified information.

As Russia and China push their cyber agenda of censorship, repression, and surveillance, the AI Working Group encourages the executive branch to avoid creating a policy vacuum that China and Russia will fill, to ensure the digital economy remains open, fair, and competitive for all, including for the three million American workers whose jobs depend on digital trade, the document concludes.

Whats next

Senate Maj. Leader Chuck Schumer of New York State emphasized a balance between encouraging transformational innovation and minimizing harms to the American people.

Congress cant and wont solve every challenge AI presents today, but we can lay down a base of smart, bipartisan policy proposals, guided by both urgency and humility, Schumer said. And we can do so this Congress.

But dont expect a big AI bill.

Lawmakers plan to bring narrow proposals to the floor as theyre ready, according to Schumer. Several pieces of legislation are already moving.

Though its Senate-led, the group appeared optimistic the House would get on board.

The Senate cant make a law on its own. So I plan to meet with (House) Speaker (Mike) Johnson in the very near future to see how we can make this bipartisan effort bicameral, Schumer said. And weve talked a little bit about it here and there. And I think hes very interested in doing that. Because after all, this is not and should not be a partisan issue.

Young concurred.

Ive been in touch with (California Republican) Congressman (Jay) Obernolte over in the House whos working very hard on this effort, along with a number of colleagues in a bipartisan way, Young said. Hes been encouraging, and I think this will be highly well received by our colleagues in the House.

The group hoped to help all Americans.

We want what AI can do for the quality of life, to actually be beneficial to every single citizen in our country, Rounds said.

Lawmakers in Indiana are also getting serious about AI.

They approved legislation last session requiring disclaimers on altered election materials and criminalizing synthetic nonconsensual nude images. Theyll also take a closer look at the topic in an upcoming interim study committee.

The post Young, others seek to combat Chinas influence in AI policy roadmap appeared first on Indiana Capital Chronicle.
Kenyan President William Ruto (C) welcomes visiting Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni (L) at the State House in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 16, 2024. Kenya and Uganda on Thursday signed a number of agreements to enhance bilateral cooperation. (Photo by Fred Mutune/Xinhua)

NAIROBI, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Kenya and Uganda on Thursday signed a number of agreements to enhance bilateral cooperation.

One of the agreements allows Uganda to import and transit refined petroleum products through Kenya from producer jurisdictions, resolving challenges faced by Uganda's petroleum sector, Kenyan President William Ruto said.

"We are confident that these instruments will consolidate our strong relationship and anchor it on a transformative trajectory," Ruto said during a joint press briefing with visiting Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.

Ruto also highlighted the importance of expanding Kenya's standard gauge railway (SGR) from Naivasha to Kampala, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as a sustainable and effective infrastructure route for goods transportation. Both countries have instructed their ministers to mobilize resources for this project and report progress by the end of 2024.

Additionally, Kenya pledged to collaborate closely with Uganda on addressing security challenges in the sub-region, including in Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and the DRC. 
New Zealand announces new sanctions over Russia's war against Ukraine

New Zealand announced on May 16 a new package of sanctions against 28 individuals and 14 entities over their support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The restrictions target actors purportedly involved in the transfer of North Korean arms to Russia for use against Ukraine and Iranian actors providing military assistance to Moscow.

"Russia is directly supported by its military-industrial complex in its illegal aggression against Ukraine, attacking its sovereignty and territorial integrity," New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters said.

"New Zealand condemns all entities and individuals providing this military support."

North Korea has been shaping up as Russia's leading weapons supplier, reportedly providing Moscow with extensive military packages, including ballistic missiles and over 3 million artillery shells.

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Iran has supplied Russia with Shahed drones and reportedly helps the country with their production in Russian factories. These "kamikaze" unmanned aircraft are widely used in attacks against Ukrainian civilian targets.

The sanctions also target those facilitating the abduction of Ukrainian children to Russia and Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories.

Over 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 brought back home, according to the Children of War database.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova over the children's deportations.

"With this announcement, New Zealand has imposed sanctions on more than 1,700 individuals and entities since the Russia Sanctions Act entered into force in March 2022, along with a range of trade measures," the government's press release read.

Read also: South Korean intelligence: North Korea suspected of supplying Russia with weapons made in 1970s

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New Zealand is imposing sanctions on 28 individuals and 14 entities providing military support to Russia in the war against Ukraine.

Source: New Zealand government announcement

Details: It was noted that the sanctions were announced by Foreign Minister Winston Peters.

Quote from Peters: "Russia is directly supported by its military-industrial complex in its illegal aggression against Ukraine, attacking its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

New Zealand condemns all entities and individuals providing this military support."

"As part of this new tranche of sanctions, New Zealand is targeting individuals and entities who are involved with the transfer of weaponry from the DPRK into Russia, for use against Ukraine, as well as Iranian actors involved in the provision of military assistance to Russia.

The transfer of Iranian drones to Russia facilitates its illegal war in Ukraine."

Details: It was also noted that these sanctions are aimed at those who are facilitating the forced relocation of Ukrainian children to Russia and the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.

Quote from Peters: "In continuing to facilitate the deportation of Ukrainian children, Russia is seeking to advance its objectives in invading Ukraine, including efforts to undermine Ukraines identity as a sovereign country."

Details: The government added that New Zealand has imposed restrictions on over 1,700 individuals and entities, and implemented a range of trade measures since the adoption of the Russia Sanctions Act in March 2022.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has described the situation in Kharkiv as stable during a visit to the region, which has come under renewed attack by Russia.

"As of today, the situation in the Kharkiv region is generally controllable, our fighters are inflicting noticeable losses on the occupiers," he wrote on his Telegram channel on Thursday.

Zelensky said reinforcements are to be deployed to the Kharkiv region.

The Ukrainian general staff said in its latest situation report that there had been successes in slowing down the major Russian offensive that had been underway for almost a week.

"The enemy's plans to penetrate as deep as possible into the urban neighbourhood of Vovchansk and entrench themselves there were thwarted," the report said. Fighting was taking place in the northern part of the city, which is only five kilometres from the border with Russia. The general staff also declared that the situation was under control.

Russian troops began a ground offensive in the Kharkiv border region at the end of last week. According to independent observers, the pace of the offensive has slowed considerably after initial rapid territorial gains. Russian troops have not penetrated more than 8 kilometres into Ukrainian territory, according to the latest estimates by experts from the US think tank ISW.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) visits an injured soldier during a working trip to Kharkiv. -/Ukraine Presidency/dpa
Ukraine cannot afford to lose the city of Kharkiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky told in an interview with ABC News on May 16, calling the situation "very serious."

At the same time, Zelensky said that Ukraine could prevent Russia from occupying the city with two additional Patriot anti-air systems.

Russia launched a new offensive with 30,000 troops on May 10, targeting Kharkiv Oblast, which is situated at the border with Russia in northeastern Ukraine.

Moscow's troops have focused their efforts in the directions of Lyptsi and Vovchansk, two settlements a few kilometers south of the border. There is ongoing combat in the northern outskirts of Vovchansk as of the morning of May 16.

When asked if the U.S. is to blame for what is happening in Kharkiv Oblast, Zelensky said, "It is the world's fault."

"They gave (Russian President Vladimir) Putin the opportunity to occupy. But now the world can help."

According to ABC News, Zelensky refrained from openly criticizing the U.S., keeping in line with his typical approach to Ukraine's largest provider of military assistance.

The president nonetheless appeared more "frank" than usual and displayed visible signs of "frustration," ABC News wrote.

When asked about concerns from some portions of the U.S. electorate about the amount of money being sent to Ukraine, Zelensky refuted the narrative and said, "That money is not given to Ukraine."

"It's money spent in American factories, creating American jobs And we are not just fighting for our freedom. If not Ukraine, it would be another country."

Studies have indicated that at least 31 U.S. states are producing weapons or military equipment for Ukraine, using money earmarked by Congress.

Read also: 48 hours in Kharkiv, Ukraines most-bombed major city

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Kharkiv Thursday for military briefings and visits with wounded soldiers as Russia attacks the region with 30,000 troops. He said while the situation is extremely difficult, Russian losses are heavy and the Kharkiv region is generally under control. File Photo by Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA-EFE

May 16 (UPI) -- President Volodymyr Zelensky Thursday visited Kharkiv as intense Russian attacks raged on Ukraine's second-largest city, thanking defenders wounded trying to repel Russian invaders.

He held a meeting of Ukraine's Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff in Kharkiv, according to Ukraine's state news agency Ukrinform. Zelensky said while conditions are "extremely difficult," the situation in the Kharkiv region is generally under control and Ukrainian soldiers are inflicting heavy losses on Russian troops.

Zelensky said he also met with wounded soldiers and the commander of an assault brigade.

"I spoke with them and presented them with state awards," Zelensky posted on X. "I am grateful to our warriors for their service and bravery. Ukraine is proud of them all. I also want to thank our medical workers, who are currently facing a difficult challenge as we defend our Kharkiv region."

Zelensky met with fighters from the 92nd Assault Brigade "Ivan Sirko" and was briefed by the brigade commander on the situation as Russians pressed their Kharkiv offensive.

Ukrainian rescuers work to extinguish a fire at the site of an overnight missile strike on private buildings in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, Friday amid the Russian invasion. Photo By Sergey Kozlov/EPA-EFE

Russia targeted the Kharkiv Oblast on May 10 with an estimated 30,000 troops, focusing the attack on Lyptsi and Vovchansk, settlements just south of the border about 45 miles from Kharkiv.

According to the Kyiv Independent Zelensky got detailed reports from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, who leads the Khortytsia group of Ukrainian military forces as well as a briefing from Yurii Sodol, the commander of the operational-tactical group in Kharkiv.

A Ukrainian police officer inspects a damaged building during the evacuation of local people from territories bordering Russia, in the city of Vovchansk, Kharkiv region, northeastern Ukraine, Monday, amid the Russian invasion. Photo By George Ivanchenko/EPA-EFE

Zelensky said the situation was analyzed in detail and plans were made to counter Russia's offensive.

"A plan of further actions has been determined -- both for the Kharkiv regional authorities and for all structures responsible for security in the region," he said.

Wednesday Ukraine said its forces were forced to withdraw from several towns and villages close to the northeastern border with Russia in Kharkiv province after heavy Russian fire. Ukrainian Armed Forces said despite the withdrawal said they were "not allowing the Russian occupiers to gain a foothold."

Ukraine has sent reinforcements into the Kharkiv region and more are expected to be deployed there.

Zelensky's Kharkiv visit came just after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Binken made a surprise visit to Ukraine to assure Ukraine that military aid, weapons and ammunition are being rushed to the frontlines.

Blinken said some supplies from the recently passed $62 billion aid package for Ukraine had already arrived and much more is coming, including an addition $2 billion in defense funding.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has noted that Russian forces have not stopped bombarding the area of the town of Vovchansk (Kharkiv Oblast) but that Ukrainian troops are firmly holding the line.

Source: Zelenskyy's address on 16 May

Quote: "At present, thanks to our forces, our measures, we have managed to boost confidence in the Vovchansk area. But Russian bombardment does not stop, there are threats.

Today, in particular, the head of the administration of Vovchansk was injured. Our counterattacks are ongoing, including in other parts of the Kharkiv border area. And there should be more results in repelling the assaults, in destroying the occupier."

Details: The president noted that Russia must be compelled to make a real and fair peace by all means. Zelenskyy also discussed the operational situation in Donetsk Oblast.

Quote: "Today, we also thoroughly analysed the situation in Donetsk Oblast - on the relevant fronts. Pokrovsk, Kramatorsk and others. There, the greatest number of combat encounters and the toughest conditions are observed. Of course, we are not neglecting this direction."

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Zelenskyy dressed up in a vyshyvanka from Etnodim, worth UAH 4,400, or about US$110, and the first lady in Yavorivs dyvotsvit (wonder flower) from Gaptuvalnya, worth UAH 9,950 or about US$250. Photo: Zelenskyy's Instagram

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife, Olena Zelenska, greeted Ukrainians on Vyshyvanka Day by posting their own holiday-themed photo together on social media. [A vyshyvanka is a traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirt, part of Ukrainian national dress  ed.]

The couple coordinated their outfits, choosing black-and-white shirts: Volodymyrs with traditional Ukrainian designs and Olenas with floral motifs.

Source: Tabloid

Quote: "Visible or not, it [the vyshyvanka] is always under the defenders pixel [Ukraines military camouflage pattern  ed.] and under the emergency workers uniform, under the medic's white coat, the power engineer's jacket; its worn by volunteers, teachers, everyone who holds the defence," Zelenskyy said in his Instagram post.

"Its been familiar to our children since they were little. It symbolises the unity of all generations of Ukrainians down the centuries.

Its pattern is unique because it is embroidered by our deeds on a canvas woven by our values. Over the years of resistance to aggression, it has become an unofficial uniform for all who defend humanity, freedom, and the right to identity. Happy Vyshyvanka Day, Ukraine, Ukrainians, and friends of Ukraine!" the Zelenskyys said.

Background:

Last year and the year before, the President and First Lady greeted Ukrainians separately on Vyshyvanka Day.

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TUNIS, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian authorities foiled the attempts of more than 21,500 undocumented immigrants to reach Italy via the Mediterranean in the first four months of 2024, the Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP) reported on Thursday.

"During the same period, Tunisian Maritime Guard units foiled 751 illegal immigration attempts towards the Italian coast," TAP quoted Houcemeddine Jbabli, spokesman for the Tunisian National Guard, as saying.

There has been a notable increase in the influx of sub-Saharan immigrants into Tunisia, particularly after Tunisia abolished visas for citizens of many African countries in 2014.

Jbabli added that many Africans come to Tunisia without identity documents, despite Tunisian laws enforcing strict controls related to residency and passports.

Located in the central Mediterranean, Tunisia is one of the most popular transit points for illegal immigration to Europe. Although Tunisian authorities have adopted rigorous measures to tackle the problem, the number of illegal immigrants heading to Italy has been on the rise. 
Green Townships Zwanenberg Food Group USA has agreed to pay a $1.7 million fine and make safety improvements to its local plant to resolve multiple investigations by the Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The processed food supplier, which employs about 175 local workers, agreed to invest $1.9 million into the plant for additional safeguards after it received citations in September 2022 and April and December 2023 following the injuries of two temporary workers. Federal safety inspectors determined the company exposed workers to hazards by allowing machinery to operate without required safety guards during production and not ensuring equipment remained powered off when it was being cleaned.

Earlier story Cincinnati-area meat plant fined over second finger amputation in two years

The regulatory settlement is expected to be finalized during a June 13 meeting of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

The company also agreed to make several safety improvements, including:

Enhance machine guarding.

Ensure each employee use locks during third-shift sanitation.

Develop and re-write lockout procedures for all equipment.

Train employees on the new machine safety procedures.

An analysis by an independent third-party auditor of all equipment. A third-party consultant must also audit all personal protective equipment, hazardous communication and lockout programs.

Meet with OSHA at least quarterly to discuss safety and health issues.

Zwanenberg is a subsidiary of Hollands Zwanenberg Food Group, which has 12 production facilities in the U.S., Netherlands and United Kingdom. The companys products includes cooked ham, chili, luncheon meat, soups, stew, corned beef hash and pastas marketed under brand names Vietti, Southgate, Halal and various private label brands.

Zwanenberg Food Group has taken important steps to improve plant safety but the work of training new and existing employees on machine safety procedures to prevent injuries never ends, said OSHA Area Director Ken Montgomery in Cincinnati.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Meat processor Zwanenberg to pay $1.7M to settle OSHA investigation
By Blake Brittain

(Reuters) -Two voice actors sued artificial-intelligence startup Lovo in Manhattan federal court on Thursday, accusing the company of illegally copying their voices and using them without permission in its AI voiceover technology.

Paul Skye Lehrman and Linnea Sage said in the proposed class-action lawsuit that San Francisco-based Lovo is selling AI versions of their voices without permission after tricking them into providing voice samples for the company. The actors, seeking damages of at least $5 million for the class, accused Lovo of fraud, false advertising and violating their publicity rights.

The case is the latest in a growing wave of high-stakes lawsuits in which tech companies have been accused of misusing content including books, news articles and song lyrics to power generative AI systems.

"We want to make sure this doesn't happen to other people," lawyer Steve Cohen of Pollock Cohen, representing the plaintiffs, told Reuters. "We don't know, of the thousands of voices Lovo says they use, how many people know that their voices were used and may still be used."

Representatives for Lovo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lehrman and Sage were approached on freelancer marketplace Fiverr to provide voiceover work for anonymous clients, according to the lawsuit. Lehrman was told his voice would be used only for a "research project," while Sage was told her voice would be used only with "test scripts for radio ads," the lawsuit stated.

Instead, Lehrman later heard AI versions of his voice in YouTube videos about Russian military equipment and in a podcast episode about "the dangers of AI technologies," according to the lawsuit. Sage's voice was used to give voiceovers for Lovo promotional materials, it added.

Lehrman later learned that his Fiverr client was a Lovo employee, the lawsuit said.

The actors said they later learned that Lovo was selling the use of Lehrman's voice to subscribers as "Kyle Snow" and Sage's as "Sally Coleman." According to the complaint, the company responded to a cease-and-desist letter by saying the actors' voices were "not popular" and that their sales were "negligible."

The actors filed the lawsuit on behalf of a proposed class of people whose voices Lovo also is accused of misusing. The complaint said Lovo's website also offers celebrity soundalike voices under names like "Barack Yo Mama," "Mark Zuckerpunch" and "Cocoon O'Brien."

The case is Lehrman v. Lovo Inc, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 1:24-cv-03770.

(Reporting by Blake Brittain in WashingtonEditing by Will Dunham and David Bario)
Work-life balance seems like it wouldn't be controversial, but some of the world's biggest business leaders aren't big fans of the term. Photo by Lucas Schifres/Getty Images

Over the years, CEOs and business leaders have shared their thoughts on the idea of work-life balance.

Some aren't a fan of the phrase and think workers should take a different approach to navigating work and life.

Jeff Bezos, for example, thinks the relationship between work and life is a "circle" instead.

You wouldn't necessarily think the phrase "work-life balance" would be controversial.

But while some people view it as an important equilibrium to maintain, some CEOs outright hate it or call it a "lie."

Google's former CEO, Eric Schmidt, came under fire in August after he pointed to work-life balance as a contributing factor to why the tech giant was trailing startups like OpenAI in the AI arms race (he has since walked back the remarks).

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Here are some of top business execs' hottest takes on work-life balance.

Jeff Bezos says work and life should make a circle, not a "balance"

Jeff Bezos has called the phrase "work-life balance" debilitating. Clive Mason - Formula 1

In 2018, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said that workers should aim for work-life harmony, not "balance," at an event hosted by Business Insider's parent company Axel Springer. Bezos also called the concept of work-life balance "debilitating" because it hints that there's a trade-off.

Bezos said that it's not a work-life balance, but "it's actually a circle."

Bezos said that if he feels happy at home then it energizes him and makes him more productive at work, and vice versa.

Satya Nadella thinks you should focus on "work-life harmony"

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella thinks people should strive for work-life "harmony." Associated Press

Microsoft's CEO also thinks that "work-life balance" isn't the goal. Instead, he says to focus on work-life "harmony." In 2019, he shared his thoughts with the Australian Financial Review, saying he used to think that he needed to balance relaxing and working. But, he's since shifted his approach, aligning his "deep interests" with his work.

TIAA's CEO thinks the entire concept is a "lie"

TIAA's CEO says work-life balance is a "lie." Paras Griffin/Getty Images

"Work-life balance is a lie," TIAA CEO Thasunda Brown Duckett told Fortune CEO Alan Murray in 2023. Brown Duckett has previously said she used to struggle with guilt and balancing her demanding job with being a mother.

Story continues

Brown Duckett says that she views her life as a "portfolio," and that she takes time to perform different roles like mother, wife, and business executive. Though she may not always physically be with her children, she says she strives to be fully present during the time she is able to spend with them.

Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt walked back comments that work-life balance was why Google was behind in AI

Former chairman and CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt. Shahar Azran/Getty Images

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt criticized Google's remote work policy and work-life balance during an April lecture at Stanford University, saying they contributed to the company's trailing of AI startups like OpenAI.

"Google decided that work-life balance and going home early and working from home was more important than winning," the former Google exec said in a recording of the lecture that was posted online in August. "And the reason the startups work is because the people work like hell."

He added that those looking to start successful companies today are "not going to let people work from home and only come in one day a week if you want to compete against the other startups."

After his comments gained attention, Schmidt walked back the comments.

"Eric misspoke about Google and their work hours and regrets his error," a Schmidt spokesperson wrote in an email to Business Insider.

Arianna Huffington says you shouldn't have to choose between work and life

Arianna Huffington prefers "work-life integration." Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images

Arianna Huffington, founder of Thrive Global and HuffPost, told Great Place to Work that we shouldn't view productivity and relaxation as two opposing forces. Huffington said that when one area of your life improves, the other does as well.

According to research from Oxford University in 2019, happy employees are 13% more productive compared to those who aren't happy. Huffington told Great Place to Work that employees should focus more on "work-life integration" since "we bring our entire selves to work."

Still, Huffington believes that your personal life should always come first.

"While work is obviously important and can give us purpose and meaning in our lives, it shouldn't take the place of life," she told Great Place to Work. "Work is a part of a thriving life, but life should come first."

Don't expect work-life balance if you work for Elon Musk...

Elon Musk is famous for demanding grueling work hours and personally sleeping overnight at work. STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Elon Musk is a known workaholic, and he expects those who work beneath him to be as well.

In 2022, just after Musk took ownership of X, formerly Twitter, he sent out an email to employees telling them to either dedicate their lives to working or leave the company. Musk reportedly made X employees work 84 hours a week. While some people think remote work improved their work-life balance, Musk has often criticized it and called it "morally wrong."

According to Walter Isaacson's biography about Musk, Musk held an even tighter working schedule for himself. The billionaire would stay at the office overnight and shower at the YMCA when he joined the workforce in 1995, Isaacson wrote. Musk has continued the habit while working at Tesla and buying Twitter, often spending the night at work.

In 2018, Musk said that he works 120 hours a week, amounting to 17 hours a day.

Jack Ma has also actively endorsed long work hours

Jack Ma supports the "996" work culture popular in many workplaces in China. Firdia Lisnawati/AP

One of China's richest men, Alibaba cofounder Jack Ma in 2019 expressed his support for the controversial "996" work system in many Chinese workplaces, which refers to working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. He's called "996" culture a "huge blessing" for younger workers.

"Many companies and many people don't have the opportunity to work 996," he said in 2019. "If you don't work 996 when you are young, when can you ever work 996?"

"If you find a job you like, the 996 problem does not exist," he added. "If you're not passionate about it, every minute of going to work is a torment."

China's government called the grueling 996 schedule "illegal" in 2021, though it's believed to continue to be an expectation at many Chinese companies.

Read the original article on Business Insider
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The world is lagging behind China on EV battery innovation to the extent that global manufacturers are barely able to compete.

Japanese auto giant Nissan, for instance, last month announced a breakthrough in the development of solid-state batteries  light alternatives with longer range compared to traditional lithium-ion EV batteries.

But China beat them to the punch. In April, EV maker Nio became the first manufacturer to commercially roll out solid-state batteries in their cars, complete with the promise that they are fully replaceable. Meanwhile, China also opened its first large-scale sodium-ion battery energy storage station, which could pave the way for next-gen EV batteries that do not rely on scarce, pricey lithium.

The race underscores the concern in Europe and the US that China faces little real competition when it comes to EVs.

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Japan needs solid-state batteries to make its EV sector run

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Source: Nikkei Asia

Japans need for lots of solid-state EV batteries, fast, is particularly urgent, Nikkei Asia wrote, as the country  a large auto exporter  struggles to emerge as a key player in the EV market. Multiple Japanese companies are pumping millions of dollars (some of it from the government) into research and development to accelerate their production  but it might not be enough. One Japanese engineer said there is no chance solid-state batteries will replace more than 10% of lithium-ion batteries by 2030.

Sodium-ion batteries could replace lead-acid for gas-powered cars

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Source: TechCrunch

While sodium-ion batteries hold the potential to significantly reduce the price of EVs, some battery makers see a more immediate use for their technology under the hood of traditional gas-powered vehicles, according to TechCrunch. US companies like Bedrock Materials see the value in a disrupt from the bottom approach: Sodium-ion batteries arent quite good enough to replace lithium in EVs, but they can replace the lead-acid in typical cars batteries. The strategy enables the company to improve the tech and make money while doing it. But again, Chinese battery manufacturers are already years-ahead in the development process.

Solid-state batteries offer more efficiency for EVs, but they arent the only way

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Sources: CNN, Harvard University

Solid-state batteries are not the only way automakers could achieve lighter, cheaper and faster charging electric vehicles, CNN automarket journalist Peter Valdes-Dapena reported. The current designs for solid-state EV batteries tend to conduct electricity slowly, meaning they take longer to charge and dont allow for fast vehicle acceleration (although Harvard University researchers said they are on the cusp of a new design framework that charges in minutes). Solid-state appeals because they can be made with fewer rare earth minerals, including lithium, but right now, they tend to use more lithium than other EV batteries, according to Valdes-Dapena. In turn, some automakers like GM see more promise in making lithium-ion batteries more efficient instead, he wrote.

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China's Nio aims to launch one new car model per year under Onvo brand

SHANGHAI (Reuters) -Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio said on Thursday it would launch one new model per year under its lower-priced Onvo brand and price them similarly to gasoline vehicles, as the firm expands its lineups to family cars in the country's overcrowded auto market.

The announcement came a day after the company unveiled the Onvo L60 SUV with a sticker price starting from 219,900 yuan ($30,476), 12% below the price of Tesla's Model Y which starts at 249,900 yuan in China.

Nio said on Thursday it would have a second Onvo model targeting larger families coming up next and expected the newly launched brand to positively contribute to its overall profitability when monthly sales reach 20,000 units.

"China has 110 auto brands... and it's now already consolidated to 20-30 active players," Nio Chief Executive William Li said.

"The consolidation will continue but will not be very severe."

EV makers in China, the world's biggest auto market, are grappling with thin margins and slowing sales after more than a year of bruising price war amid weakening consumer demand. Many players are now shifting their focus to overseas markets.

Nio, which has a third affordable brand under development, is among the smaller players struggling to turn profitable. Its sales account for around 3% of China's overall EV market by volume and the company has been focusing on cost cuts to stay afloat.

The company said the Onvo L60 sacrificed acceleration speed that many EV models have focused on and instead prioritised safety and comfortableness to target buyers looking for family cars and to lower its price tag.

"People don't need family cars for racing... It is thus very important for them to save unnecessary costs in high-performance electric motors, which would also improve insurance and maintenance-related cost savings," said Alan Ai, president of Onvo.

REVENUE STREAM

Nio - which has spent heavily in EV infrastructure such as battery-swapping and charging stations, raising concerns over financial burden - said it would invest further, hoping to monetise it with increased user numbers.

Li expects the company's battery-swapping services to earn $10 billion annually when its user base grows by 100 times from half a million units currently.

"That's why we believed it (battery swapping) is worth our long-term investments," Li said, announcing a plan to add 1,000 more battery-swapping stations this year on top of the existing 2,415.

Nio has been in partnership with at least six Chinese EV makers since late last year to allow access to its battery-swapping stations.

They include Geely Holding Group, which owns eight car brands such as Zeekr and Volvo, as well as Guangzhou Automobile Group and Changan Automobile.

(Reporting by Zhang Yan and Kevin Krolicki; Editing by Miyoung Kim and Subhranshu Sahu)
BLUEFIELD, WV (WVNS)  The Computer Doctor officially cut the ribbon on their new location in Bluefield on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.

First virtual integrated career services website in West Virginia launched by Concord University

The business first opened in Princeton nearly a decade ago, and has now moved locations to Bluefield in order to better serve their customers.

The new location is larger and allows for a more centralized location for all clientele.

Andrew Davis, the Computer Doctor himself, said he is excited about the move.

Im excited, I like this place. I think we have more visibility from the street. I think people will be able to find us easier here, said Davis. For all of these years, Ive supported Bluefield, Ive drove over here three, four times a week. So now Im over here all the time. And with the university so much closer, I think Ill be able to help the students there a whole lot more.

The Computer Doctor offers several services from general computer repair to server maintenance to custom building computers for customers.

Davis said hes looking forward to further serving the Mercer County community.

The Computer Doctor is located at 1601 Bland Street in Bluefield, West Virginia.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS.
SpaceX is targeting Friday evening for the launch of another batch of Starlink satellites, according to Geospatial and FAA navigational warnings.

SpaceX has confirmed they are targeting a liftoff time of 8:32 p.m. as of Thursday evening. Should SpaceX not be able to launch at that time, backup opportunities exist until 11:30 p.m..

The Falcon 9 rocket will lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) and follow a southeast trajectory.

After roughly eight and a half minutes into flight, the Falcon 9 will land on a droneship in the Atlantic Ocean. The booster will be flying its 21st flight, and is most remembered for the Inspiration4 mission, which was the first all civilian mission to orbit, as well as the Axiom-1 mission.

When is the next Florida rocket launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA, ULA rocket launch schedule in Florida

How many SpaceX Starlink satellites are in orbit?

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Sunday, May 12, 2024. The rocket is carrying 23 Starlink satellites Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK

This will be the latest launch of SpaceX's internet satellites, which deliver internet to some of the most remote locations on Earth, including out at sea. According to Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the HarvardSmithsonian Center for Astrophysics, SpaceX currently has 5,941 functioning Starlink satellites in orbit. If Starlink 6-59 contains the typical Space Coast 23 satellite payload, it will bring SpaceX to 5,964 satellites delivering internet to customers.

Amazon Kuiper Constellation launching soon

Recently, FLORIDA TODAY reported on the progress of Amazon's satellite internet constellation: Project Kuiper. During a May National Space Club Luncheon in Cape Canaveral, Brian Huseman, vice president of public policy at Amazon, spoke on the company's plans to begin launching as soon as later this year.

We had an incredibly insightful conversation with Brian Huseman, Vice President of Public Policy and Community Engagement at @Amazon, and members of the Space Club today. We delved into Amazon's choice of Florida for expanding @ProjectKuiper and the significant impact it has on pic.twitter.com/3QJtz2kVbN  Space Florida (@SpaceFlorida) May 14, 2024

With over 80 launches already secured, the mega-company, founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, aims to have half of the constellation in orbit by July of 2026. While Jeff Bezos may no longer be the CEO of Amazon, his rocket company, Blue Origin, is contracted to launch these satellites on its New Glenn rocket from Florida.

It's not solely Blue Origin, as Amazon has enlisted ULA, Arianespace, and even SpaceX to launch their Kuiper satellites.

Amazon's goal, much like SpaceX, is to deliver fast and affordable internet to underserved areas on Earth.

Follow the latest space news from the FLORIDA TODAY Space Team at floridatoday.com/space.

Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX Falcon 9 will light up the sky late Friday over Space Coast
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Microsoft reportedly asked hundreds of its China-based employees to consider relocating as competition over artificial intelligence technology heats up between the US and China.

The relocation offers to countries like the US, Ireland, and Australia, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, were made to about 700 to 800 employees, mostly engineers of Chinese nationality working in cloud-computing and machine learning operations for the US-based tech giant.

The employees could choose to remain in China, though the South China Morning Post reported that Microsoft has stopped hiring there. Chinese state media emphasized that rumors of a collective relocation to the US were exaggerated and inaccurate.

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AI talent a top concern for both countries

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Sources: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, MacroPolo

The possibility of Microsofts Chinese workers moving overseas and staying there carries indirect risk for Chinas AI aspirations, the Journal noted, given the global dearth of top AI engineers and researchers, who have become one of the most geopolitically important groups in the world, The New York Times wrote. Think tank MacroPolo recently found that China now produces more AI talent, but much of that pool goes to the US for graduate school, and the US remains their top destination to work. Still, compared to 2019, more Chinese researchers are staying at home.

Pressure builds on private sector over US-China tensions

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Sources: South China Morning Post, The Diplomat, Rhodium Group, Bloomberg Law, Roll Call

The offers show how the geopolitical tensions between the US and China are being transmitted from the national level to the corporate level and spilling over to private American companies operating in China, Beijing-based think tank Ambound said. In March, Washington made it harder for China to access cutting-edge AI chips and chipmaking tools, as economic complaints of an uneven playing field are blending with national security concerns, the Rhodium Group wrote in a report this week. Washington is also considering new rules for cloud service providers like Microsoft that would crack down on bulk sales and transfers of sensitive data to China, and some US lawmakers have tried to limit how US businesses can invest in China.

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NAIROBI, May 16 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan's Transitional Government of National Unity and opposition groups signed a pact on Thursday to enhance efforts toward lasting peace and stability in the country.

By signing the declaration of commitment to the Tumaini initiative, meaning "hope" in Swahili, the two parties pledged to support efforts to end hostilities and promote inclusive growth in South Sudan.

The signing ceremony, held in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, was attended by senior government officials, diplomats, opposition groups, civil society and bilateral partners, all witnessing the commitment to the South Sudan peace process.

Abraham Korir SingOei, principal secretary in Kenya's Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, hailed the signing of the new pact to boost the quest for peace, justice, inclusivity and good governance in South Sudan.

SingOei added that parties to the South Sudan peace process including the government and opposition groups had an obligation to promote justice, governance, economic growth and security sector reforms, to achieve long-term stability in the East African country.

This week, Kenya hosted high-level mediation talks initiated by President William Ruto earlier this month. The talks aim to establish a foundation for lasting peace in South Sudan.

In addition, the talks that brought on board government officials and opposition groups as well as civil society members were expected to discuss the modalities of holding general elections slated for December.

Albino Mathom, the head of the South Sudan government delegation, said the mediation talks, whose climax was the signing of the declaration of commitment to the South Sudan peace process, reaffirmed the vitality of home-grown initiatives to tackle regional conflicts.

Mathom added that given the calamities that civil strife has visited South Sudan in the last four decades, leaders and ordinary citizens were committed to closing that painful chapter and forging a future of hope, peace and justice.

Pagan Amum Okiech, the spokesperson for the Real Sudan People's Liberation Movement (R-SPLM), an opposition group, said the signing of the declaration of commitment to the Tumaini Initiative ushered in a new era of durable peace, unity and respect for political pluralism.

The South Sudan opposition groups, according to Amum, are committed to rescuing the country from multiple crisis, forge national consensus on designing a future of freedom, prosperity and justice for all citizens.

Meantime, Lazarus Sumbeiywo, the chief mediator of the ongoing high-level mediation process for South Sudan in Kenya, expressed faith in the commitment of all parties to ending hostilities that bode ill for stability in the region.

In December 2023, South Sudan President Salva Kiir reportedly asked his Kenyan counterpart, President Ruto, to assume the lead in mediating peace talks, taking over from the Community of Sant'Egidio in Rome. Kiir expressed concerns that the talks had lingered without resolution under Sant'Egidio's mediation.

The Rome-based community adjourned the peace talks in March 2023 due to disagreements between the parties regarding the agenda. 
Microsoft is reportedly telling hundreds of AI and cloud staff to consider leaving China

Microsoft is offering to relocate hundreds of employees working in China.

The offer has been made to machine-learning and cloud workers, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The report comes amid escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing over a range of issues.

Microsoft is reportedly asking up to 800 employees in China if they'd consider leaving the country as tensions between the US and China continue to grow.

The company is offering transfers to workers involved in machine learning or cloud computing to countries like the US, Ireland, and Australia, sources told The Wall Street Journal.

Representatives for Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

A Microsoft spokesperson told the Journal that internal-transfer opportunities were a normal part of business and that the company remained committed to its operations in China.

The report comes amid escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing over issues such as AI chips. The Biden administration is considering new rules that would require US tech companies to have licenses before giving Chinese customers access to AI chips, the Journal reported.

There have been concerns that harsher rules could escalate a fight with Beijing over the chips.

Chinese officials have also been asking domestic tech giants to buy locally made AI chips. Major companies like Alibaba , Baidu , Tencent , and TikTok's parent company, ByteDance , were told to cut spending on foreign-made chips like those from Nvidia, The Information reported this week, citing unnamed sources.

The move is a blow for Nvidia, which sees China as a critical market and key revenue generator.

Other tech companies have also been caught up in geopolitical tensions.

Apple has been having a rough ride in China recently, with iPhone sales taking a beating from local suppliers in this key market. Apple also appears to be working to diversify its supply chains away from China.

Beijing has been cracking down on officials' use of iPhones. Chinese officials across at least eight provinces had been told to stop using Apple devices, Bloomberg previously reported.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Musk scheduled to visit Indonesia for Starlink launch, ministers says

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Tycoon Elon Musk, the owner of SpaceX, is scheduled to visit Indonesia to launch its satellite unit Starlink this Sunday, according to two cabinet ministers.

Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, a close ally of President Joko Widodo, said Musk would launch the service on the holiday island of Bali alongside the Indonesian leader.

While Indonesian officials have several times previously announced Musk would visit the country to attend events or discuss possible investments by his auto firm Tesla, this would be his first in-person visit.

He has spoken before via video link at a conference held in Indonesia.

Musk is also scheduled to speak at the World Water Forum in Bali, Luhut said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

The Starlink launch will be held at a clinic in Bali's capital Denpasar, where Musk was scheduled to sign an agreement on connectivity for the health sector, Communications Minister Budi Arie Setiadi told Reuters on Thursday.

Starlink's Indonesia representatives could not immediately be reached for confirmation of the Musk visit and the company did not immediately respond to an email sent outside of U.S. business hours.

Starlink secured a permit to commercially offer its internet services in Indonesia earlier this month for retail consumers, Budi told Reuters last week.

Starlink will cooperate with local network access providers and Indonesia expects the firm to provide internet services to its remote areas.

(Reporting by Ananda Teresia and Stefanno Sulaiman; Editing by Martin Petty)
The Navys top acquisition official told lawmakers this week his service has three projects  including one from the Marine Corps  involved in Replicator, a Pentagon effort to quickly field large numbers of uncrewed systems.

The Navy has been very supportive of Replicator, Nickolas Guertin, assistant Secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, said at a May 15 hearing. We actually brought two Navy, one Marine Corps project to the first tranche of replicator in partnership with the [Office of the Secretary of Defense.]

It wasnt immediately clear whether Guertin meant that the service had proposed three projects or that all were selected. A Navy spokesman refused to clarify his statement or comment further on the systems, as did a spokesman for Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, whos leading Replicator.

While new details have trickled out in recent weeks, the Pentagon has been light on specifics about Replicator, which promises to create a repeatable process to buy urgently needed commercial technology. The first iteration is a push to field thousands of drones by the spring or summer of 2025, within 18 to 24 months of the programs start.

The program has selected the systems it will buy as part of Replicators first tranche, which will lean heavily on existing production lines and programs that have already begun within the services. Hicks confirmed in a statement last week that AeroVironments Switchblade 600, which the Army is already buying, will be part of the first round of Replicator.

No other systems have been announced, though Hicks said there will be a set of counter-drone capabilities and some uncrewed surface vessels included in the first tranche. The maritime systems are part of a Defense Innovation Unit program called Production-Ready, Inexpensive, Maritime Expeditionary, or PRIME.

DIU  which is playing a key role in helping coordinate Replicator  expects to award contracts as soon as this summer.

Guertin and other Pentagon acquisition officials told lawmakers it helps to have Hicks office behind Replicator. However, they stressed that in order to achieve the programs broader goals, that high-level leadership must be tightly coupled with the bottom-up elements of the military services, which control much of the acquisition and fielding process.

Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, technology and logistics, said thats especially true given the programs focus on fielding systems in large numbers.

When it comes to scale, the most productive efforts are ones that are paired with the services, meaning they are collaborative and cooperative with a clear path to us, he said. There needs to be a service partner identified in advance before the money gets too big.

That partnership is not only about finding a means to buy a new item, said Bill LaPlante, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment. There must be a plan for how a service partner will incorporate it into its doctrine and operational concepts, he stressed.

That plan should extend beyond initial procurement to long-term sustainment support, according to Guertin.

When were looking at these kinds of initiatives, we want to make sure we carry forward the sustainability and support work to make sure that our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, guardians can actually use this stuff in a reliable way when they need to in a fight, he said.
FILE PHOTO: Reddit app is seen on a smartphone in this illustration

FILE PHOTO: Reddit app is seen on a smartphone in this illustration

(Reuters) -Reddit has partnered with OpenAI to bring its content to popular chatbot ChatGPT, the companies said on Thursday, sending the social media platform's shares up 12% in extended trade.

The deal underscores Reddit's attempt to diversify beyond its advertising business, and follows its recent partnership with Alphabet to make its content available for training Google's AI models.

ChatGPT and other OpenAI products will use Reddit's application programming interface, the means by which Reddit distributes its content, following the new partnership.

OpenAI will also become a Reddit advertising partner, the company said.

Ahead of Reddit's March IPO, Reuters reported that Reddit struck its deal with Alphabet, worth about $60 million per year.

Investors view selling its data to train AI models as a key source of revenue beyond Reddit's advertising business.

The social media company earlier this month reported strong revenue growth and improving profitability in the first earnings since its market debut, indicating that its Google deal and its push to grow its ads business were paying off.

Reddit's shares rose 10.5% to $62.31 after the bell. As of Wednesday's close, the stock is up nearly 12% since its market debut in March.

(Reporting by Arasu Kannagi Basil and Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)
What ransomware is and how to avoid it

ROCKFORD, Mich. (WOOD)  Most systems at Rockford Public Schools were operating again Thursday after the district was the target of a ransomware attack the day before.

As the district recovers, an expert is sharing the dangers of ransomware and how to limit its impact.

Ransomware is a form of malicious software that creates serious headaches for victims.

It basically locks you out from the files and materials that you would need, explained Tom Holt, a professor with the Michigan State University School of Criminal Justice. Depending on how quickly it spreads, it can affect databases or systems that are vital for the function of an organization.

Rockford Public Schools targeted by ransomware attack

Holt said regaining access to files usually involves negotiating payments with hackers.

The operators themselves are making millions of dollars, just based on what we can observe in the public about the payments they receive. So its a high-value kind of attack, Holt said.

Ransomware attacks are also high risk: Schools and hospitals are two major targets.

Youre talking about attacking targets, in the case of a hospital, you can essentially generate the loss of life, Holt said.

Holt said ransomware has mostly become an organizational problem, making it important to secure infrastructure as much as possible.

The trade-off is you have to be able to use these resources. So you dont want to have people constantly changing passwords or using two-factor authentication thats hard to use, Holt said. So you have to find the balance between security and usability.

He also said individuals within organizations can also help avoid problems by being vigilant because ransomware attackers often again access to an IT system using text messages and emails.

Its an email that appears to be legitimate, (but) maybe its got a bad link out to a site where youre downloading malware, Holt said. So you just need to be cognizant of what the email is, who its coming from, what the request is like.

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Because its hard to go after hackers, caution is considered the best way forward.

Most of them live in Russia and theres no extradition relationship with Russia. So we cant prosecute our way out of this problem and that means were left to deal with this as individuals, Holt said.

Organizations are also encouraged to have their data backed up in case of an attack.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
Mike Copeland takes a sharp right onto Grand River Avenue in Brighton, shifts gears and punches the throttle of his cherry red 1948 Chevrolet pickup. It's a warm, sunny day in early May, and the 67-year-old Copeland flies down the road with the windows wide-open to let in the wild, warm wind and deafening roar of the 500-horsepower engine.

You'd swear you were in a gasoline-powered hot rod leaving a trail of exhaust fumes. But Copeland's ride is powered by hydrogen and oxygen, producing no carbon emissions from his tailpipe, only water that is so pure you could drink it.

"We've spent $1 million in developing a hydrogen tank and this engine," Copeland bellowed over the hum of the engine. "But we solved issues that others have not been able to solve."

The 3-kilogram hydrogen tank that powers a 1948 Chevrolet pickup that Mike Copeland debuted at the SEMA show in 2021. The vehicle has a 2014 supercharged 6.2-liter engine from a Cadillac CTS-V. Copeland of Arrington-Hydrogen in Brighton.

Copeland is CEO of Arrington-Hydrogen in Brighton. By "we" he means his team and his chief engineer, Al Butlin. Both Copeland and Butlin are retired engineers who worked together at General Motors. The issues they have solved center on getting extreme power from compressed hydrogen to propel internal combustion performance engines that haul butt. Most hydrogen-powered vehicles work best at steady and moderate speeds and require an extra boost from a backup engine for high acceleration.

Copeland's company debuted his hydrogen-powered red pickup in 2021 at the SEMA show in Las Vegas and then proved its speed the next year, racing it there. After that, Copeland started getting calls that have not stopped.

"I've got people all over the world reaching out to me," Copeland said. "Australia wants 1,000 cars done right now. They're building a carbon zero airport, and the cars would be at the airport for support. Right now, we're the only people who've run the carbon emissions test and have proof we're zero carbon."

Retired GM executive Mike Copeland at his Arrington Performance shop in Brighton on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Inside the shop, Copeland and others develop hot rods that are fueled by hydrogen, including this 1948 Chevy 3100 pickup truck that gets 250 miles on one tank of hydrogen.

The testing, which the Free Press reviewed and verified, was completed at Roush Industries in Livonia. It showed the truck measured zero carbon and low nitrogen oxide levels. Nitrogen oxides are a family of poisonous, highly reactive gases that form when fuel or hydrogen is burned at high temperatures, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

A history of ingenuity at GM

Copeland said he does not have a timeline for submitting his results to the EPA because he thinks he can get the numbers even lower. But by later next year, Copeland said he will be ready to start selling his hydrogen conversion kits to certified shops that will convert tens of thousands of gasoline-burning fleet vehicles to hydrogen to achieve zero emissions. It is a business he believes is "going to be massive."

Copeland's talent for finding new ways to do things stems from his 26 years working at GM, he said.

He started at GM in 1985 as a skilled trades employee who hand built prototypes in Cadillac's engineering division. Later, he worked at GM's former engineering and development center in Flint called Great Lakes Technology Assembly. There, he developed electrical systems in prototype cars.

Everything we built was experimental and preproduction," said Copeland, who has a degree in mechanical engineering from Baker College in Owosso.

At GM, Copeland also worked on advanced vehicle integration, which means he helped build the initial suspension system, engine or architecture on a vehicle and then tested it. Starting in 2004, he was the project manager of GM Performance Division, a job he held until he retired in 2011.

Simultaneously, from 2004-11, he and his wife opened Diversified Automotive Creations in Brighton, a performance and off-road parts and accessories showroom they still own, where he knows many of his customers by name.

"How ya doin' Mark? You push that head gasket up?" Copeland asked a customer in early May as he helped carry out a box of parts.

Saving classic cars for a grandson

Copeland's use of hydrogen is not new. Many automakers, including Honda, Hyundai and Toyota have offered hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for sale in recent years. Toyota has been the most devoted to hydrogen and has sold about 14,300 hydrogen fuel cell Mirai sedans across two generations in the U.S. since 2015, according to Car and Driver, which noted Toyota had to substantially discount them at times to sell them.

Ford recently said it is doing a hydrogen pilot program with the Transit. In March, General Motors said it is starting a pilot program that demonstrates real-life applications of hydrogen fuel cells for fleet and commercial customers of medium-duty work trucks.

The difference between hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen-burning ICE engines is in a fuel cell vehicle the hydrogen is burned as it passes through a fuel cell to generate electricity. That electricity is used to recharge a battery pack, which then drives electric motors to make the car move. In Copeland's cars, the hydrogen is injected into the engine the same way gasoline is in an internal combustion engine car to power it and propel the vehicle. His program is intended for existing vehicle conversion whereas others who are working on hydrogen-powered vehicles, such as automakers, are intending it for new vehicles.

Copeland's inspiration to experiment with hydrogen to power performance engines started with his baby grandson some four years ago.

A 1948 Chevy 3100 pickup truck fueled by hydrogen is driven by Arrington Performance owner Mike Copeland in Brighton on Wednesday, May 8, 2024.

Copeland, a dedicated hot rodder, and his wife share a collection of 20 classic cars. They wanted their grandson, who is now 6 and who loves cars, to be able to drive their classics one day. But given the aggressive push by regulators and most automakers  including Copeland's former employer GM  to go all-electric in the next decade, he and his wife worried the gasoline used to fuel their cars may not be around when the boy grows up.

"When you look at whats going on in the auto industry, all the carbon and emissions, I feel unless theres a major change, he may not be able to drive gasoline cars by the time my grandson turns 16," Copeland said.

Why hydrogen is better than electric

As the Free Press reported in 2021, there has been a growing trend of shops popping up to convert classic cars to battery electric. The cost to turn a classic car into an EV can top $100,000, depending on the car, how much driving range a customer wants and amenities.

For Copeland, converting his hot rods to electric wasn't the solution he sought. He preferred hydrogen, arguing it can be a greener solution than a battery electric vehicle.

Green hydrogen can be made with wind or solar, made from plants or capturing heat and extracting energy from the heat and creating hydrogen from it. Hydrogen is the most abundant element known to man," Copeland said. "It requires no precious metals and you dont have to mine for the materials like you do to make battery packs.

Also, Copeland said a driver can fill a tank with hydrogen in the similar fashion and five-minute time frame as they do now with gasoline, rather than waiting for an EV to charge. It also keeps the internal combustion engine, with all its glorious revving sounds, intact. When the vehicle's lifespan is over, there is no battery to recycle or discard. Plus, Copeland believes hydrogen conversion would one day be less expensive than electric.

A 1948 Chevy 3100 pickup truck being built with a hydrogen fuel tank that can get 250 miles on one tank.

Our goal is that, to convert it, would be less than a quarter of the price of replacing a vehicle," Copeland said. "It wont be inexpensive by normal peoples standards, but it will be considerably less to do a conversion from gas or diesel to hydrogen than to replace a 3- to 5-year-old battery pack in an electric vehicle.

Experts have estimated that the average cost to replace an older, used lithium ion battery could cost half of the EV's value. So for a $30,000 EV that would be about $15,000. But EV proponents have said that often the entire battery does not need replacing, just one or two modules might, and that is considerably less.

More cars hydrogen conversions

It took nearly a year of work for the Arrington team to modify the 6.2-liter engine from a 2014 Cadillac CTS-V that powers the 1948 Chevrolet pickup so that it worked with the 3-kilogram tank of hydrogen in the truck's bed. It cost nearly $1 million to do it because parts were so expensive. For example, one injector to feed hydrogen to the engine cost $20,000. Copeland needed 16 of them. Today, the cost of an injector has dropped to less than $400 each, he said.

He debuted the 1948 pickup at the SEMA show in Las Vegas in 2021. He fine-tuned it and came back to the show a year later to race it. We were the first hydrogen-powered (internal combustion engine) to ever compete in a race series in North America, Copeland said. We did not win. But we had a darn good showing."

He got people's attention. Most did not believe that hydrogen alone could produce such power, given that most hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on the market now have a high-voltage low-capacity battery in them for backup power for short periods of intense acceleration, according to Car and Driver. His vehicle does not have that battery.

"I wanted to prove that we could actually make a performance vehicle and compete on hydrogen," Copeland said. "We had hundreds of people crawling under the truck looking for a gas tank. They didnt believe it ran on hydrogen."

Since then, the company also converted a 1964 Falcon with a Mustang GT engine in it to burn hydrogen that debuted at SEMA in 2022. It then built a Monster truck that runs on a Dart Super Charged Big Block engine powered by hydrogen. That debuted at SEMA in 2023.

"It makes 1,000-horsepower on it right now, but the goal is to get it to 1,500," Copeland said. "Most Monster Truck rallies are in stadiums and create a lot of carbon monoxide. But on hydrogen, that problem ceases to exist."

The truck is being driven by Team Throttle Monster and it will be featured at Monster Jam events later this year to show it off with the goal to start competing with it in the series in 2025, Copeland said.

Public hydrogen fueling only in California

Copeland has been approved by the state to fuel his hydrogen vehicles at Michigan Alternative Fuel Center in Grand Blanc for about $27 a kilogram, he said. He can get 200 to 250 miles on a tank, he said.

Hydrogen has drawbacks, namely its lack of availability, said Sam Abuelsamid, principal analyst for transportation and mobility at Guidehouse Insights in Detroit. In the United States, all the public hydrogen fuel stations are in California, which has 53. It is sold by the kilogram, and at True Zero, Californias largest hydrogen fuel retailer, it was about $36 a kilogram as of September 2023. One kilogram has roughly the same energy as 1 gallon of gasoline, Abuelsamid said.

And while hydrogen may be the most common element on Earth, it's never found in its pure state and only a fraction of it today is made using solar or wind  an expensive process, Abuelsamid said. The bulk of it is made using high-pressure steam to heat methane that splits into carbon dioxide, hydrogen and carbon monoxide to then be made into compressed hydrogen. That process produces greenhouse gasses, Abuelsamid said.

Also, water isn't the only thing that comes out of the exhaust when using compressed hydrogen: There are trace amount of nitrogen oxide emissions too. Fuel cells produce only water vapor, he said, so depending on the application and size of the engine, a hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine might need nitrogen oxide after-treatment similar to those used on diesel engines, raising the cost, Abuelsamid said.

But if demand for hydrogen grows, so will the use of solar or wind power to make it, Abuelsamid said. There are cases where hydrogen makes better sense than battery electric. When it comes to light duty cars, battery electric is a better solution, he said, because with modern batteries you can get as much range as you can with a hydrogen vehicle. At the end of life, the batteries will be recycled, he said, solving those environmental concerns.

But as vehicles get larger and heavier, than hydrogen makes more sense than adding thousands of pounds of lithium ion batteries to such vehicles, Abuelsamid said.

I fully understand what he wants to do and why he wants to do it, and I support it," Abuelsamid said. "But from a realistic standpoint, having compressed hydrogen available at every gas station in the next 25 to 30 years is an extremely small to nonexistent chance."

Both agree there is no silver bullet answer to achieving total carbon neutrality and the reality of ease of performance.

A 1948 Chevy 3100 pickup truck being built with a hydrogen fuel tank that can get 250 miles on one tank.

In my opinion, electric has its place and works well in certain applications," Copeland said. "But I go to Indianapolis every year for an auto event and I usually tow a car. Its about 250 miles. If I took a Ford electric truck and put a car to tow it, Id have to charge it three times to get there. In my diesel truck, its a tank of fuel. With a hydrogen truck, Id do a bigger tank and carry more hydrogen and if I had to stop its a five-minute fill."

More: GM's key to EV production and profits rest on ramp-up of new battery cell plants

More: Stellantis joint venture to sell Chinese EVs in Europe, other parts of globe

Contact Jamie L. LaReau: jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Retired GM engineer shows how hydrogen can power performance cars
Turkish competition board fines Google over failure to comply with regulation

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The Turkish competition authority said on Thursday that it decided to fine Google over its failure to fulfil obligations regarding a part of its local search services.

The authority said it will fine the company daily five ten thousandths of its 2023 revenues until it complies with the competition board's decisions, starting from April 15.

The board said the fine was imposed as previously implemented measures by Google to address the competition authority's concerns over local search services failed to include hotel inquiries.

(Reporting by Birsen Altayli; Writing by Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Daren Butler)
LUSAKA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is an important platform for building strong partnerships between China and African countries, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has said.

In a globalized world, it is important for African countries to understand that platforms such as the FOCAC are important as they bring the much-needed investment for economic growth and improving the livelihoods of ordinary Zambians, Hichilema told Xinhua on Wednesday.

"By deriving investments of FOCAC, and our own like this one, these investments create job opportunities for our people and contribute to economic development which brings about markets for various goods and services," he said.

A new FOCAC meeting will be held in autumn in Beijing where Chinese and African leaders will discuss future development and cooperation and hold in-depth exchanges of governance experience. 
AMMAN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Jordan Armed Forces on Thursday conducted three airdrops of humanitarian aid over various locations in the southern Gaza Strip.

The operation came amid ongoing war and intensified fighting between armed Palestinian factions led by Hamas and the Israeli forces, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

The aid delivery came in support of civilians in Gaza facing severe supply shortages due to the continuous Israeli aggression on their homeland, according to the report.

The operation involved aircraft from the Royal Jordanian Air Force, Egypt, and Germany, it noted.

The Jordan armed forces reaffirmed their commitment to sending humanitarian and medical aid to the war-torn Palestinian enclave, either via an air bridge from the country's Marka Airport to Egypt's Al-Arish airport and airdrops or through land aid convoys.

Since the start of the Israeli aggression on Gaza last October, the armed forces have conducted a total of 94 airdrops of humanitarian aid, with an additional 244 airdrops carried out in cooperation with other countries. 
Members of a Chinese business delegation from Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, exchange contact information with their Moroccan counterparts during a business matchmaking event in Casablanca, Morocco, May 15, 2024. (Xinhua/Huo Jing)

CASABLANCA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A business matchmaking event between Morocco and China's small commodity production hub Yiwu was held in Casablanca on Wednesday.

Wang Jian, party secretary of Yiwu, a county-level city in east China's Zhejiang Province, said that Yiwu is an important window for China's opening up to the world.

Since the inception of the Belt and Road Initiative, economic and trade exchanges, as well as cultural interactions between Yiwu and Morocco, have been increasingly frequent and deepening, Wang said, adding that Morocco has become an important trading partner for Yiwu.

He hoped the matchmaking conference would serve as a new starting point for deepening cooperation and exchanges, and inject continuous vitality into the economic and trade cooperation between the two sides.

Zheng Wei, economic and commercial counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Morocco, said China is Morocco's largest trading partner in Asia. In recent years, a growing number of Chinese companies have come to Morocco to explore the market. Zheng hoped that the matchmaking meeting will contribute to the win-win cooperation between China and Morocco and provide more development and investment opportunities.

Ahmed Afilal, vice chairman of the Casablanca Municipal Council, said that Morocco is the first North African country to sign a cooperation plan for the joint construction of the "Belt and Road Initiative" with China, and China is one of Morocco's most important partners. Morocco hopes to strengthen cooperation with Yiwu and bring Yiwu's experience and resources to Morocco.

At the matchmaking meeting, delegations from China and Morocco conducted in-depth communication on business and investment, and signed three cooperation projects on the spot.

Hala Fadhil from a Moroccan lighting company expressed her appreciation for China, considering the matchmaking conference constructive.

Zhang Jiying, a representative of a Chinese company in the umbrella business, hoped the conference could provide more business opportunities with potential clients from Morocco. 
Peter Szijjarto, the foreign minister, has called Wednesdays shooting of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico shocking and appalling.

Who would have thought that such a brutal attack could happen in central Europe?! Szijjarto said in a post on Facebook. We hope and pray for his speediest possible recovery, the minister said, emphasising Ficos importance to Slovakian and European politics.



Slovakias ethnic Hungarian Alliance party condemned the attack, saying violence and polarisation are not the right path, as violence only breeds more violence. We deeply condemn all forms of violence, and we must fight against it together, the party told MTI. We wish Robert Fico a quick recovery, they said in a statement.



World leaders have also condemned the shooting.



The Slovak prime minister was shot in the town of Handlova (Nyitrabanya), some 150 kilometres northeast of Bratislava. He was taken to hospital and a suspect has been detained.



Kover Expresses 'Deep Shock' Over Attack on Slovak PM Fico

Speaker of Parliament Laszlo Kover has expressed his deep shock and total indignation over the brutal armed attack against Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.



I would like to express my sincere sympathies to the family and the Slovak nation on behalf of myself and the Hungarian parliament at this difficult time, Kover said in a statement, adding that he was praying for Ficos speedy recovery.



Orban: 'Violence Must Stop!

"Violence must stop! We must go to vote for peace on June 9!" Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Facebook.



Orban said that thanks to the change of government in Slovakia, the country had started out on the road towards being pro-peace. This was great help for Hungary and now this process has been halted, shot through.



A left-wing activist has committed an attack against the Slovak prime minister. Robert Fico has dropped out of work in the most important months. We trust that he will recover but now we must be fighting for peace alone, he added.



From now on, we must be fighting alone, at double strength. The European election has greater significance than ever before, Orban said.



Visiting Kecskemet, in south-eastern Hungary, as part of his campaign tour of the country ahead of the European parliamentary elections, he told local voters that with its changing governments at the latest election, Slovakia set off on the path to becoming a pro-peace country.



This was a great help to Hungary, but the process has been interrupted by a leftist activists attempt to assassinate the Slovak prime minister.



Robert Fico is out of work in the most crucial months he added.



Viktor Orban posted on Twitter: I was deeply shocked by the heinous attack against my friend, Prime Minister Robert Fico. We pray for his health and quick recovery! God bless him and his country!



Karacsony Expresses Sympathies to Slovak PM Fico

Gergely Karacsony, the mayor of Budapest, has expressed his sympathies to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico over Wednesdays shooting that left him seriously injured.



In the letter addressed to Pavol Hamzik, the Slovak ambassador accredited to Budapest, Karacsony wished Fico a speedy recovery, expressing hope that his attacker would face trial as soon as possible.



Karacsony said the horrific and violent act was not just an attack on an elected official, but also on the democratic values that both nations held dear.



He said Hungary and Slovakias ties were rooted in their shared history, mutual respect for each other and their joint efforts for a peaceful and prosperous future.



The attack against Slovakias democracy is an attack on democracy in general, and it is vital that we take a united stand against such threats, the mayor said.



He expressed Budapests and Hungarys solidarity with Slovakia, asking Slovakias ambassador to convey the sympathies of Budapests residents to Fico and the Slovak people. Budapest is prepared to help its Slovak friends and neighbours in any way possible, he added.



Gergely Karacsony posted on Twitter:Im shocked after the tragic attempt on the life of Slovak PM @RobertFico. This heinous act of violence is not only an assault on an elected leader but also a blatant attack on democracy. We must stand united against such threats. Budapest stands in solidarity with Slovakia.



Orban: Attack on Fico 'More Painful' Ahead of Important Election

Prime Minister Viktor Orban wished a speedy recovery to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, adding that the attack was all the more painful because of the significance of the upcoming elections. Slovakia had started on the way to peace, and that was great help for Hungary. We have lost that support now, he said.



Suggesting a link between the assassination attempt and the war would not be unjustified, Orban said, adding that forceful centres of power have an interest in a continued Russia-Ukraine war.



There have not been many [countries] speaking in the voice of peace  apart from Hungary it has been the Vatican, and Slovakia has just turned in the direction of the peace camp, Orban said.



Referring to the attack on the Slovak prime minister, he said one of those countries has dropped out, which means that Hungary must double its efforts and its work will become more difficult in Brussels, in fights with pro-war politicians.



While an investigation into the assassination attempt is under way, it is certain that the perpetrator was progressive, leftist, and pro-war, he insisted.



Therefore, assumptions of a link between the attempt and war are not unjustified; there are great forces behind pro-war politicians  from the Soros empire through weapon manufacturers, lenders, the top dogs and forceful power centres have an interest in a continued and escalating war, he said.



Orban suggested that the assassination attempt coincided with other developments showing preparations for war.



The pro-war camp are in negotiations; that is when the head of the Soros empire and the American secretary of state have gone to Kyiv, and want to give more and more money to Ukraine, he said.



The ink hasnt even dried on the agreement aimed at providing aid to Ukraine from a joint EU loan and NATO is already organising a mission to Ukraine, proposing to ensure a further 100 billion dollar financing for the war, he said. Meanwhile, he warned that NATO is not a charity of peace corps but a defence alliance, and it had better not prepare for a military mission outside the territory of NATO countries.



The Hungarian government, he added, needed to make serious efforts to prevent Hungary from being dragged into the war.



The war cannot be resolved on the battlefield  settlement can only be achieved through a ceasefire and at the negotiating table, therefore politicians must take over the command from generals, Orban said. Let diplomats again take over from the soldiers, he said.



The war in Ukraine destroys the economy, Orban said, pointing to wartime prices, higher interest rates and energy prices, as well as more expensive shipping in Europe, which he said were all to be paid by citizens. Those for peace must not be afraid; they must face the Soros empire, and if necessary,



American foreign policy, and they must make clear that it is in Europes interest that the parties return to the negotiating table rather than keep pushing for a hopeless military solution, the prime minister said.



Szijjarto: Politically Motivated Assassination Attempt on Fico Serious Attack on Slovak Democracy, Sovereign Politics

The politically motivated assassination attempt against Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is a grievous attack against Slovak democracy and the countrys sovereign politics based on the will of the people, Peter Szijjarto, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, said on Facebook, after a phone call with Peter Ziga, Slovakias interim speaker of parliament.



My friend Peter said hope is growing as the days go by, but it will be a good many days before they will know anything definitive about the Slovak prime ministers recovery, Szijjarto said.



Szijjarto lamented Fico dropping out at a time when the work of all pro-peace politicians is sorely needed. He conveyed Hungarians best wishes and said they were praying and hoping for Ficos recovery.



MTI Photo: Szilard Koszticsak



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Marton Nagy, the national economy minister, announced the launch, from May 16, of 150 billion forints (EUR 388.2m) in subsidies to bring Hungarians over the age of 30 back to the labour force at a press conference.

The programme is expected to support the placement of at least 77,000 people in jobs, including 50,000 or more disadvantaged Hungarians, Nagy said.



The government aims to tap Hungarys 300,000-strong labour market reserve, he added. The European Union-funded scheme targets jobseekers and inactive Hungarians over 30 with subsidies for wages, the cost of commuting or accommodations, and training.



The government aims to increase the employment rate in the 20-64 age group to 85% by 2030 from the current 81%, Nagy said.



Hungary, he said, had one of the highest employment rates and lowest jobless rates in the EU, but the government wanted to improve these indicators further.



He said the aim was to get the economically inactive to enter the job market, adding that guest workers could be brought in once the existing labour reserves were exhausted.



Nagy said 40,000 jobseekers from the 300,000-strong reserve could be brought into the labour force in the short term, while another 50,000 had a good chance of finding jobs if they received training.



Around 60,000 of the economically inactive could be motivated to work, and 150,000 are in need of more complex assistance and training, the minister said.



From Hungary Matters: Govt Official: HUF 150 Bn Employment Scheme Launched

A 150 billion forint (EUR 390m) employment support scheme aimed to help job-seekers over the age of 30 is available from Thursday, the state secretary in charge of employment policy said.



Sandor Czomba told public television M1 that the scheme is expected to reach out to 77,000 people, to support 50,000, and to involve 23,000 in training.



There are 120,000 inactive Hungarians who could hold a job, and the number of registered jobseekers is around 230,000, he added.



The scheme has five elements: wage subsidy available up to a monthly 250,000 forints, accommodation subsidy up to a monthly 186,000 forints, travel subsidy for commuting, training subsidy, and services to assist people to become mentally prepared to return to work after a lengthy period of unemployment.



The target group are the long-term unemployed, people living in underdeveloped regions, those aged over 50 and those that hold only primary education, he said.



Subsidies will be available for six months for disadvantaged people and four months for those without a disadvantage.



Czomba said the employment rate among 20 to 60 year-olds in Hungary is 81%, which is the seventh best in the European Union.



The aim is to increase it to 85%, to be in the top three in the EU, he added.



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Guangzhou's new quality productive forces soaring high

   2024-05-16 21:52

This year's government work report proposes to foster new growth engines in fields such as biomanufacturing, commercial spaceflight, and the low-altitude economy. In Guangzhou, low-altitude economy and commercial spaceflight have become the new tracks for developing new quality productivity.

The market size of China's low-altitude economy is expected to reach 1.5 trillion yuan by 2025 and is expected to reach 3.5 trillion yuan by 2035, according to data released by the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Flying car is one of the important carriers of low-altitude economy. Located in Guangzhou, XPENG AEROHT is the largest flying car company in Asia, providing products and solutions in the field of 3D transportation like urban aerial transportation, personal travel and other low-altitude scenarios.

It is said that the company has developed five products. In January 2023, the XPENG X2, one of the products, officially obtained the special flight permit issued by the Central South Regional Administration of Civil Aviation of China, becoming the first manned eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) product in China to be approved.

And before that, XPENG X2 had stepped towards the global market. In October 2022, it obtained Dubai's special flight permit and completed the first global public flight.

The upcoming new generation of flying car developed by the company is also aimed at both domestic and overseas markets. According to Zhao Deli, founder and president of XPENG AEROHT, Our upcoming product is the modular flying car, which we plan to launch in November this year and then we will start accepting orders from all over the world. After all the testing, the product'll be ready at the end of next year.

What's the modular flying car? Zhao Deli said the it consists of the ground module and human-piloted air module. "It's like we would have a small aeroplane in the car when we go on a road trip, which could carry two people. It'll take us on a flying trip."

The development of the low-altitude economy is inextricably linked to Guangzhou's support in flight operation and infrastructure. Last month, the country's first low-altitude economic application demonstration island settled in Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, Panyu District. The Panyu District People's Government of Guangzhou Municipality and XPeng AeroHT signed the framework agreement to cooperate in establishing a low-altitude economic think tank, constructing flying car infrastructure, exploring flying car application scenarios, and promoting cooperation on cutting-edge low-altitude technologies.

In addition to the low-altitude economy, commercial spaceflight is also developing rapidly in the city. Located in Nansha District, Guangzhou, CAS SPACE industrial base is China's first commercial aerospace industrial base. It is said that the base could carry out rocket production and testing, with a production capacity of up to 30 rockets per year.

The operation of the base is expected to spur the development of aerospace's upstream-downstream industries in the area. Li Qinfeng, Vice Manager of CAS Space Guangzhou Corporation, said that Nansha was chosen because of two unique advantages: "On the one hand, Nansha is located in the geographic geometric centre of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area; on the other hand, Nansha has a strong advantage in the industrial base of AI, automated driving, integrated circuits, semiconductors, etc., which makes the company easier to better cooperate with outstanding enterprises."

At the exhibition hall in the base, a model of a tourist cabin with four seats for a space tourism vehicle was displayed. CAS Space has signed a cooperation agreement with CTG Travel (China Tourism Group) to research and develop technology for space tourism. The guide of the exhibition hall said: "This is a one-to-one reproduction of our travel capsule, but the actual interior may look different from the one on display. It could take seven people to space at once. When they reach the 100-kilometre altitude of the Karman line, they will experience three minutes of weightlessness and then return to Earth by parachute."




A recent incident aboard an Air India flight from Delhi to Vadodara has left passengers in a state of panic after a note mentioning a 'bomb' was found in the aircraft's lavatory. According to a report by PTI, this incident occurred at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Wednesday evening, nearly at 7:30 pm, just as the flight was preparing for takeoff.

Panic sparked after a crew member found a tissue paper with the word 'bomb' scribbled on it. After that, a thorough search of the plane was initiated. Authorities, including the Central Industrial Security Force and the Delhi Police, were informed, and passengers were asked to deboard the flight.

Fortunately, after a comprehensive search, no suspicious items or activities were detected on the aircraft. Passengers were later accommodated on another flight to continue their journey to Vadodara, ensuring their safety and peace of mind.
YAOUNDE, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Two security soldiers and two civilians were killed in a separatist attack in Cameroon's war-torn English-speaking region of Northwest, security and local sources said on Wednesday.

Separatist fighters ambushed two members of Cameroon security Tuesday night in Bambui locality of the region, said a senior security official.

"The soldiers were drinking in a bar and were about to leave when the terrorists who were hiding opened fire. In the clashes that ensued, the two soldiers, the bar owner and a woman were killed," the official who opted for anonymity told Xinhua.

A 26-year-old lady was also injured in the clashes and is receiving treatment in the hospital, the official added.

Separatist fighters have intensified attacks in the English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest as Cameroon prepares to celebrate the national day on May 20. 
New Delhi: American multinational corporation, Microsoft is encouraging around 700 to 800 employees working in its cloud computing and artificial intelligence divisions based in China to consider relocating outside the country, as reported by Wall Street Journal.

The move comes at a time of escalating tensions between the US and China. The Biden administration has been tightening regulations on several Chinese imports such as electric vehicle batteries, computer chips and medical products. (Also Read: PhonePe Users Can Now Make Payments Through UPI In Sri Lanka; Collaborates With LankaPay)

Most of the employees affected by this move are engineers holding Chinese nationality. They were recently given the option to relocate to countries such as the U.S., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, as reported by individuals familiar with the situation. (Also Read: New Zealand Probes Indian Spice Brands Over Contamination Concerns)

A Microsoft spokesperson informed the Journal that offering internal opportunities is a standard practice in their global operations. The company confirmed that it had presented an optional internal transfer opportunity to a specific group of employees.

Reuters reported earlier this month that the U.S. Commerce Department is considering a new regulatory push to restrict the export of proprietary or closed source AI models, whose software and the data it is trained on are kept under wraps. The spokesperson, however, told the newspaper that the company remains committed to the region and will continue to operate in China. (With Reuters Input)
TS TET 2024: The Telangana Department of School Education will release the TS TET 2024 hall ticket today, May 16, 2024, according to a notice on the website. Students who will take the exam can download their hall tickets once they are made available on the official website - tstet2024.aptonline.in.The TS TET 2024 examination consists of two levels: paper 1 and paper 2. Paper 1 is intended for primary teachers aspiring to teach Classes 1 to 5, while paper 2 is tailored for secondary teachers aiming for Classes 6 to 8. Candidates aiming to teach across Classes 1 to 8 need to sit for both papers.

TS TET Hall Ticket 2024: Exam Date

Scheduled from May 20 to June 3, the TS TET 2024 will take place at various exam centers across 11 districts in the state. The exam will be conducted in two sessions: from 9 am to 11:30 am and from 2 pm to 4:30 pm. It will be an online computer-based test.

TS TET Admit Card 2024: Steps To Download

- Visit the official website of TS TET.

- Click on the "Hall Ticket" link provided on the homepage.

- Enter your application ID and date of birth to access the admit card.

- Click on the "Submit" button.

- Your admit card will then be displayed on the screen.

TS TET 2024: Exam Details

Each paper of the TS TET 2024 exam contains 150 objective-type multiple choice questions (MCQs). Both paper 1 and paper 2 carry a total of 150 marks each, with a duration of 150 minutes for each paper. Paper 1 includes sections on child development and pedagogy, language-1, language-2, mathematics, and environmental studies. Paper 2 comprises sections on child development and pedagogy, language-1, language-2, and a choice between mathematics and science or social studies and social sciences.
The Supreme Court issued a criminal contempt notice to Delhi Development Authority vice-chairman Subhasish Panda on Thursday for allowing large-scale tree felling in the southern Ridge's Satbari area in order to build a road from Chhattarpur to Saarc University, news agency PTI reported. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan expressed displeasure with the vice chairman's misleading affidavit, which presented incorrect facts in court. It also required the planting of 1.

The top court expressed strong disapproval of the DDA vice-chairman's affidavit, which stated that 642 trees were cut without his knowledge, saying it "cannot trust the DDA now". "I have been a judge in Constitutional courts for over 20 years, and I have never seen a body misrepresent facts or file incorrect affidavits. There must be some00 new trees for every tree felled by the DDA. limit, never before seen," Justice Oka stated orally.

The top court noted that tree felling continued for 10 days and that the DDA suppressed this fact despite knowing that no tree could be touched in the ridge area (per a 19995 order) without the court's permission. It was also noted that DDA officials misled the Delhi LG by failing to provide accurate information about tree felling.

"Such conduct (by DDA VC) and suppression constitute interference with the proper course of court proceedings and the administration of justice. We've already issued a show cause notice for civil contempt. As a result, the bench issued a criminal contempt notice. The Supreme Court also directed the DDA to halt all road construction activities.



"We believe that for every tree felled, the DDA should plant 100 new trees. As a result, we have directed the Forest Survey of India, Dehradun, to visit the road stretches to determine how many trees may have been cut and to assess the damage. "The entire record of the contractor must be shared. We request that the FSI team submit a preliminary report to this court by June 20," the bench stated.

The top court had previously issued a contempt notice to the vice-chairman of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for razing over 1,000 trees for the construction of an approach road. On March 4, the Supreme Court denied DDA permission to fell 1,051 trees, citing a lack of clarity in their application.



The Supreme Court ruled that, as an instrumentality of the State, the DDA must first attempt to protect the environment by requesting the felling of only those trees that are absolutely necessary. "They must consider whether alternatives can be explored to save the trees. Furthermore, they plan to build the road through a forest. There is no permission granted under the Forest Act.



"We direct the DDA to re-examine the proposal using experts in the field. The DDA's exercise is necessary to ensure that when public work is carried out, the bare minimum of trees are felled," the Supreme Court said.
The BJP attacked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday for avoiding media questions about the alleged assault on his party MP Swati Maliwal at his residence in Delhi, accusing him of behaving more like a "goon". The Aam Aadmi Party convener was speaking at a press conference earlier in the day in Lucknow with Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, when the Delhi chief minister was questioned about the incident. Kejriwal avoided the question, which was fielded by AAP MP Sanjay Singh, who was also present. Singh stated that his party has already taken a clear position on the issue.

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva chastised the chief minister for avoiding media questions and demanded his resignation immediately, accepting responsibility for the incident.

BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia claimed Kejriwal is the main "criminal" in the incident in which his aide Bibhav Kumar allegedly physically attacked Maliwal at the chief minister's residence. Bhatia also mentioned a phone call Maliwal made to the Delhi Police on the day of the incident.

"Kejriwal's silence speaks volumes. "Out of jail, he's more of a 'goonda' than a chief minister," Bhatia told journalists. Bhatia noted that Bibhav Kumar was photographed with Kejriwal during his visit to Lucknow.

At the press conference, Sanjay Singh used incidents of crimes against women in Manipur, women wrestlers' complaints against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and the Prajwal Revanna case to criticise the BJP.



The AAP has made its position clear in the Maliwal case, and no one should politicise it, Singh said.

Bhatia noted that Singh admitted that a condemnable incident had occurred against Maliwal, and that Kejriwal was expected to act in a case involving a party colleague. Instead, he described the accused as a "twin brother" travelling with him.

"This shows Kejriwal has no commitment to justice for women, while the BJP is fighting for justice for an opposition leader," he said, accusing him of cowardice. Bhatia demanded that the AAP leader break his silence or, if he is a coward, resign. He said that the woman The Rajya Sabha MP has been incommunicado since the incident, and the BJP leader wondered if she had been kidnapped or forcibly removed from the public eye.

He also criticised Yadav for attempting to downplay the incident by claiming that it is not a big deal. Targeting the Samajwadi Party, Bhatia recalled the late SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav's controversial defence of some men accused of rape, claiming that "they are boys, they make mistakes."

Sachdeva echoed Bhatia's attack on Akhilesh Yadav, saying nothing more was expected of him. Sachdeva stated that Kejriwal was photographed with Bibhav Kumar and Sanjay Singh at Lucknow airport, demonstrating how seriously the Chief Minister is taking the matter.

"They are travelling with Kumar, whom they consider an offender. "Lies, deception, and cunning are the hallmarks of Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party," the Delhi BJP president charged. "Was it not a responsibility of Kejriwal who holds the constitutional post of chief minister and was present at his home at the time of the incident, to lodge a police complaint," he asked.
Voting in West Bengal has been divided into four phases, with the fifth phase set for May 20. Because violence has been a part of every phase thus far, residents are asked to be cautious. The political landscape of the state has been tarnished by the blood of party employees who were killed in between voting dates. The level of violence has prompted comparisons to Kashmir in the 1990s, which raises concerns about the political environment in West Bengal.



In today's DNA, Zee News' Saurabh Raaj Jain analysed the culture of political violence and bloodshed during the Lok Sabha Elections in West Bengal.

The Lok Sabha elections, which will soon enter their fifth phase and involve 49 seats in eight states, are approaching. It used to be a difficult undertaking to hold elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Election participation could even be fatal, as terrorist groups would use election boycott pamphlets to scare the public. Threats were used to force candidates to withdraw their nominations, and as little as 10%, 20%, or 30% of voters cast ballots.



Nonetheless, Jammu and Kashmir's average voter turnout in the current elections has been 60%, and there have been no reports of election-related violence. On the other hand, West Bengal has experienced four phases of voting with an average voter turnout of 79%; however, each phase has been marked by violence.

Watch tonight's DNA show for a detailed anaylsis on the widespread and bloody political violence in West Bengal:
A The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) was passed by the Central Government on August 23, 2005, and launched on February 2, 2006, by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. Under the NREGA Scheme, citizens from every state in India are provided with regular employment for about 100 days through their Gram Panchayat.

The Ladli Behna Yojana was initiated by the Madhya Pradesh state government on March 5, 2023. Under the Ladli Behna Yojana, women beneficiaries receive Rs 1250 every month under the Social Security Pension Scheme. This financial assistance aims to support the women of the state, making it easier for them to sustain themselves. The scheme, started by former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, initially provided Rs 1000 per month, and the amount has recently been increased to Rs 1250.

The NREGA scheme is administered by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. Reports indicate that around 15.4 crore workers in India were registered under the MNREGA scheme in the year 2022-23 and have been benefiting from it. To avail the benefits, individuals need to possess an NREGA job card. If you do not have this card, you can easily apply online to access its benefits.

What is MP Ladli Behna Yojana?

The Madhya Pradesh government provides financial assistance to women in the state through the MP Ladli Behna Yojana. Its objective is to empower and make women self-reliant. According to the National Family Health Survey, around 23.0% of women have a body mass index below the standard, and 54.7% of women aged 15 to 49 years suffer from anemia. In response, the MP Ladli Behna Yojana was launched by the state government to bring about changes in the lives of women and reduce these figures. The scheme targets women aged 21 to 60.

What is the NREGA Yojana?

MNREGA, also known as NREGA, is a government scheme launched by the Central Government to improve the livelihood security and economic condition of rural families. This scheme, administered by the Ministry of Rural Development, is one of the largest work guarantee schemes in the world. It provides 100 days of guaranteed employment in a year to any member of a rural family who has turned 18 years of age. To be eligible, the beneficiary must be at least 18 years old and part of a local family.

How to apply for Ladli Behna Yojana?

The Ladli Behna Yojana is available only for women residing in Madhya Pradesh. To access the benefits, you can apply at the Panchayat Center within the state. Alternatively, you can apply through the Panchayat Secretary, Head, or Special Camp Office. Online applications require filling out an offline form available from the Gram Pradhan, Ward Office, Gram Panchayat, and Anganwadi Center. During the application process, the beneficiary woman must be present at the center for a live photo. Required documents for the Ladli Behna Yojana include Samagra ID (mandatory), Photograph, Aadhar Card, Bank Passbook, Mobile Number, and Domicile Certificate. Women can also check the status of their application at https://cmladlibahna.mp.gov.in.

Married, divorced, widowed, and abandoned women of Madhya Pradesh can benefit from this scheme, provided there are no taxpayers or pension holders in their family, and the annual family income is less than Rs 2.5 lakh. The family includes the husband, wife, and children.

How to apply for NREGA?

NREGA is available for citizens across India. Those without an NREGA job card who wish to benefit from 100 days of guaranteed employment can apply online through the Umang app or https://web.umang.gov.in/.

You can also obtain information about getting a job card from your Gram Panchayat. Once you have the job card, you have the right to request and receive work within 15 days. Required documents include a Voter ID Card, Aadhar Card, Ration Card, Bank Passbook, Mobile Number, and Driving License. For more information, you can also visit the official website https://nrega.nic.in/

(This article is part of IndiaDotCom Pvt Ltds Consumer Connect Initiative, a paid publication programme. IDPL claims no editorial involvement and assumes no responsibility, liability or claims for any errors or omissions in the content of the article. The IDPL Editorial team is not responsible for this content.)
In a major breakthrough, a Mumbai Police team tracked down and arrested Bhavesh Bhinde, the owner of the hoarding that crashed in Ghatkopar on May 13, from his hideout in Udaipur, Rajasthan, news agency IANS quoted sources as saying on Thursday. Bhinde, a director at EGO Media Co., has been on the run since Monday's massive billboard crash, which killed 16 people and injured 88 others.



Soon after the tragedy, the Mumbai Police filed a case against Bhinde under the stringent charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. According to an official source, the Bhandup police have formed multiple teams to track down Bhinde, who is constantly on the move and changing locations, making it difficult for the police to apprehend.

Finally, a Crime Branch team pursuing him tracked down Bhinde in Udaipur. He's being brought to Mumbai. Aside from the hoarding crash case, Bhinde, who claims to be politically connected, is facing several other cases at various police stations throughout the city. Bhinde is expected to be brought before a Mumbai court on Friday.



Aside from human casualties, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced on Thursday that civic teams had recovered the mangled remains of 71 vehicles, including two trucks, 31 four-wheelers, 8 autorickshaws, and 30 two-wheelers.


Slovakias Prime Minister Robert Fico suffered a bullet injury after being shot at by an assailant. He was hospitalised and survived the surgery, says the latest report. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed shock at the incident. Fico is currently fighting for his life in hospital. Multiple shots were fired at him in a small town of Bratislava. Slovakia's Defence Minister Robert Kalinak said that the surgery took more than three hours and PM's condition is still critical.

The moment when a man shot Slovakia PM Robert Fico. pic.twitter.com/pvSeSXAaEC May 15, 2024

"Deeply shocked at the news of the shooting at Slovakias Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Robert Fico. I strongly condemn this cowardly and dastardly act and wish PM Fico a speedy recovery. India stands in solidarity with the people of the Slovak Republic," said PM Modi.

Deeply shocked at the news of the shooting at Slovakias Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Robert Fico. I strongly condemn this cowardly and dastardly act and wish PM Fico a speedy recovery. India stands in solidarity with the people of the Slovak Republic.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 16, 2024

The attack happened when PM Fico was greeting people in front of a cultural community centre following a government meeting. According to reports and the video footage, a man standing in the front row raised a gun and fired five times at the prime minister before being subdued by Fico's bodyguards. Other security officials took Fico into his car and after that he was airlifted by helicopter to a nearby hospital before being flown to another hospital in Banska Bystrica.

While the security agencies are yet to confirm the identity of the accused, unconfirmed media reports claimed him to be a 71-year-old writer and political activist.
Trouble mounts for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as the Swati Maliwal Assualt Case intensifies. Now, Delhi Police team has arrived at the residence of AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal. Earlier, National Commission for Women (NCW) has summoned the ruling AAP chief's private secretary Bibhav Kumar to appear on Friday in connection with the alleged assault on Rajya Sabha MP and former DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal. Bibhav Kumar has been accused of assaulting AAP MP Swati Maliwal at the CM's residence in Delhi. A Delhi Police Special Cell team, including senior officers, has now left AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal's home after a four-hour long interrogation. Maliwal was allegedly assaulted at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's official residence. Additional Commissioner of Police. Pramod Kumar Kushwaha, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, and other officers visited Maliwal's residence.

#WATCH | Delhi Police team arrives at the residence of AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal.



Bibhav Kumar has been accused of assaulting AAP MP Swati Maliwal at the CM's residence in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/d4HSu8hJSA May 16, 2024

"The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo moto cognizance of a media post captioned "DCW chief Swati Maliwal accuses Arvind Kejriwal's personal secretary of assaulting her. The post reported that Ms. Swati Maliwal, RS MP and former DCW chief, has alleged that the Private Secretary of (the) Chief Minister of Delhi had brutally assaulted her at the Chief Minister's residence," read the notice issued by the NCW on Thursday.

"In view of the above, the Commission has scheduled a hearing in this matter on May 17, 2024, at 11 AM. All concerned parties are required to appear before the Commission in person," it added.

Arvind Kejriwal's Silence

Earlier in the day, as Chief Minister Kejriwal entered the venue for his joint press conference with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, reporters tried questioning him on the alleged assault on the AAP Rajya Sabha member.

However, the AAP supremo evaded all queries on Maliwal.

As the issue was raised at the joint presser, Akhilesh brushed aside the query saying "There are other issues that are more important than this."

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh's Reaction

Coming to his party's defence thereafter, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh accused the BJP of playing 'political games' on the issue, alleging that the ruling party at the Centre was behind an earlier incident in which Maliwal was 'dragged and manhandled' by Delhi Police personnel during the wrestlers' protest near Jantar Mantar.

BJP Slams AAP

Earlier in the day, the BJP's national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala claimed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was shielding his personal assistant Bibhav Kumar, the accused in the case.

Sharing an image of AAP leaders at the Lucknow airport in which party boss Kejriwal, along with Sanjay Singh and Bibhav Kumar are seen, Poonawala posted from his official X handle on Thursday, "72 hours No FIR on Bibhav Kumar instead Kejriwal is protecting him! Roaming around with him.." The BJP spokesperson claimed that the assault on Maliwal was done at the behest of Kejriwal and she was subjected to violence."It is clear: attack on Swati Maliwal was done at (the) behest of Kejriwal himself Sheesh Mahal is Apradh Mahal & just like Draupadi cheerharan--a woman Rajya Sabha MP was subjected to violence, assault," Poonawala added.

What Is The Allegation?

The alleged assault by the former chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has triggered a major political slugfest between the BJP and the AAP, with the former accusing the CM of shielding his accused aide.
The Delhi Police filed a FIR on Thursday in connection with the alleged assault on AAP MP Swati Maliwal at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence, naming his personal assistant Bibhav Kumar as an accused, according to officials. According to them, the FIR was filed under sections of the Indian Penal Code that address violence against women. The case was registered after Maliwal filed a multi-page complaint.

The AAP Rajya Sabha member on Thursday broke her silence over the alleged assault on her. AAP Rajya Sabha MP has recorded her statement with the Delhi Police. Swati also urges the BJP should not indulge in politics over the incident.

Taking to X, Swati Maliwal wrote, "What happened to me was very bad. I have given my statement to the police on the incident that happened to me. I hope appropriate action will be taken. The past days have been very difficult for me. I thank those who prayed. Those who tried to indulge in character assassination, said that I was doing it at the behest of the other party, God bless them too." The alleged incident took place at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence three days ago. Kejriwal's close aide Bibhav Kumar allegedly "assaulted" Maliwal.

The FIR has been registered under sections 354, 506, 509, and 323 among other sections of IPC for offences including assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, criminal intimidation, word gesture or act of intent to insult and assault.

Earlier in the day, the National Commission for Women (NCW) summoned Bibhav Kumar to appear on May 17 in connection with the alleged assault. "The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo moto cognizance of a media post captioned 'DCW chief Swati Maliwal accuses Arvind Kejriwal's personal secretary of assaulting her'. The post reported that Ms Swati Maliwal, RS MP and former DCW chief, has alleged that the Private Secretary of (the) Chief Minister of Delhi had brutally assaulted her at the Chief Minister's residence," read the notice issued by the NCW on Thursday.

"In view of the above, the Commission has scheduled a hearing in this matter on May 17, 2024, at 11 AM. All concerned parties are required to appear before the Commission in person," it added.

Earlier during the day, when reporters asked Kejriwal, during a joint press conference with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, about the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, the AAP supremo refused to answer any questions.
JUBA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Sudan Transitional Sovereign Council led by Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan commenced talks with the opposition Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, on Thursday, with the aim of opening humanitarian corridors amid ongoing conflict.

SPLM-N Secretary-General Amar Amoun Deldoum said they are negotiating with the Sudanese governing body to allow humanitarian aid to reach conflict-affected people in South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Western Kordofan States, which are under control of the movement.

"We are here today to launch a negotiation session to sign a document that facilitates the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the needy people," Deldoum told reporters.

He also noted that the agreement would include providing humanitarian assistance to the population in the Nuba Mountain region, Khartoum, Gezira region, and Darfur region, where deadly fighting is ongoing between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) led by Al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) headed by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

Yassin Ibrahim Yassin, Sudan's minister of defense and head of the government's technical team, said the delivery of urgent humanitarian assistance is contingent on all warring parties ceasing hostilities.

"We need a cessation of hostilities to deliver humanitarian assistance and alleviate the humanitarian crisis in conflict-affected areas, both in government-controlled and opposition-controlled areas," Ibrahim said.

In October 2020, the SPLM-N refused to sign the peace deal between the Sudanese government and five other armed opposition groups in Juba, demanding a democratic and secular state with freedom of religion. 
Had it not been caught on camera, no one would have believed it. While political rivalries are most common in movies and have been the subject of many films - from South to Bollywood, witnessing a real-life incident is rare. However, it appears that while movies are inspired by the lives of politicians, the leaders are also taking inspiration from the movie plots. A filmy plot has come to light from Andhra Pradesh where an assassination attempt on Telugu Desham Party's leader Bhuma Akhila Priya was caught on CCTV.

The incident took place in Allagadda of Nandyala district during nighttime when former Andhra Pradesh minister Bhuma Akhila Priya's bodyguard Nikhil was standing outside her house. While he was talking to another person, a car rushed at high speed towards him. Seeing the car coming towards him, Nikhil tried to avoid the collision by moving to his right, but the car hit him throwing him in the air.

Watch CCTV Footage Here

Nandiyal jilla aligadda Attack on Bodyguard of akhilpriya was Attacked yesterday night ,

The Incident Was Recorded in cctv footage ..#AndhraPradesh #Nandyala #TDP pic.twitter.com/53sLohuoaa  Dilip Kumar (@dilipkumar_Pti) May 15, 2024

However, upon seeing Nikhil surviving the accident, three people came out of the car with weapons in their hands and tried to kill him. However, the bodyguard entered the house in time but suffered serious injuries. Nikhil, who was seriously injured, was rushed to a hospital in Nandyala and is being treated there. Doctors have said that his condition is serious.

Why Was Nikhil Attacked?

Nikhil came to the limelight when he hit TDP leader AV Subbareddy during party General Secretary Nara Lokesh's Yuvagalam Padayatra. The incident created a stir and now police suspect that AV Subbareddy's relatives tried to take revenge by attacking Nikhil. The police were alerted by this incident.

The police personnel have been deployed outside the houses of the leaders as a precaution. As per reports, a case has been registered against TDP leader AV Subbareddy, Chandra and four others at the Allagadda police station.

Differences between Bhuma Akhila Priya and AV Subbareddy date back to the 2019 elections. AV Subbareddy had earlier accused Bhuma Akhila Priya of giving supari to a gang to kill him. A gang was arrested by the police after his complaint. Even after that, there was a war of words between the two leaders.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Thursday that his Delhi counterpart, Arvind Kejriwal, had lost his mind after being imprisoned. Yogi Adityanath made the statement while responding to claims made by Kejriwal earlier in the day at a press conference in Lucknow. The convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claimed that if the BJP retains power, Yogi Adityanath would be removed as Chief Minister.



"Kejriwal, who sabotaged Anna Hazare's dreams, is now using my name. He organised Anna Hazare's protest against the Congress and now wears the party around his neck. He ruined Anna Hazare's dreams. "Anna Hazare will never forgive him for this sin," CM Adityanath said during a rally in Hamirpur. Meanwhile, he stated that there is a significant difference between the Bundelkhand of ten years ago and today.

"Earlier, the mafia ruled here, and there was fear of the mining mafia, land mafia, forest mafia, and dacoits. The Samajwadi Party and the Congress have protected the mafia and dacoits. These people used to send such elements from here as public representatives, and the same mafia and dacoits would exploit the people and steal resources.



"The youth of Bundelkhand -- a region which is rich in natural resources, had to migrate, daughters and sisters were forced to fetch water from miles away with pots on their heads," the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh stated. He also stated that the Samajwadi Party, Congress, AAP, and RJD are on the same page.



"When they come to power, they suck the blood of ordinary people. It is our good fortune to have witnessed the changing India. Today, the country's international standing is rising. Lord Ram has been seated after 500 years. He claimed that when Ram set out for the forest, he chose Chitrakoot and Bundelkhand.


In an unusual comment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded to the Congress with a pointed accusation of stoking communal tensions in the nation for six decades. He went on to assert that he, himself, has unmasked the true face of the Indian National Congress. Modi added that from wherever, whatever strength the opposition gathers, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will not be terminated.

The Prime Minister was speaking at a rally in a public meeting in Uttar Pradeshs Azamgarh when he said, You (the Congress) are a hypocrite. You left this nation to burn in communal fire for 60 years.

He asserted that it's Modi's guarantee that "desh-videsh kahin se bhi, jo bhi taakat ikatthi karni hai kar lo, you cannot end CAA.

Attacking the INDIA-bloc over 'appeasement politics', Modi said that the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress are two separate parties, but their ideologies of lies, appeasement, and corruption are the same. He claimed that these parties have now come up with a triple dose of appeasement.

He stated that the CAA has granted citizenship to the refugees who have been living in this country for a long time. Modi asserted, They are the people who have to suffer because of the partition of the country based on religion.

The PM attacked Congress for forgetting the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi; he said, They (Congress) seek power in the name of Mahatma Gandhi but don't remember what he used to say. He added that the grand old party does not care about the people who are not their vote bank.
TVS Launches Operations In Italy: Worlds fourth-largest two and three-wheeler manufacturer and third in market capitalization, TVS Motor Company (TVSM) has launched its operations in Italy. The company will introduce a selection of its thermic (gasoline-powered) and electric Two-wheelers (scooters and motorcycles).

Now, TVS Motor Company is expanding its operations in Italy via its branch office, TVS Motor Italia, headed by Giovanni Notarbartolo di Furnari, who has extensive experience from senior managerial roles in major automotive companies in Italy, Latin America, the UAE, and Europe.

This significant move marks a major expansion for the company, solidifying its position as a key player in the international market. TVS Motor already markets its products in 80 countries.

Commenting on the companys Italian launch, Sharad Mohan Mishra, President, Head Group Strategy, at TVS Motor Company said, "Our move into Italy is a strategic step towards our global ambitions. We are eager to introduce Italian consumers to our vehicles."

Speaking on the launch, Giovanni Notarbartolo di Furnari, Director, TVS Motor Italia, said, "Our focus will be on two fundamental pillars: product quality and customer satisfaction.

"In establishing a branch office and by offering a broad suite of products, both thermic and electric, TVS Motor has underlined its confidence and long-term strategy for the Italian market", he said.

TVS Product Range For Italy

The initial offering includes a diverse range of vehicles to cater to different needs and preferences. TVS Motor Company will sell its Apache 310 Series (RR and RTR versions), Ronin 250, Raider, NTORQ, Jupiter 125, and TVS iQube in Italy. iQube stands as TVSM's flagship electric two-wheeler, launched in 2020.
New Delhi: Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is all set to grace the Cannes Film Festival again this year. Fans wait for her look at the red carpet because she sizzles no matter what. Last night, Aish was spotted at the airport as she headed for Paris with her daughter Aaradhya but her appearance worried the fans.

The actress was clicked wearing an arm sling on her right hand as she reached the airport. In a video, shared by Bollywood paparazzo Viral Bhayani, Aishwarya and Aaradhya greeted paps with a big smile. Aishwarya looked casual in a blue-colored long coat and black pants, Aaradhya, on the other hand, looked cute in a white sweatshirt and black joggers. As momma has an injured arm, Aaradhya can be seen holding her bag and it has caught netizen's attention.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan made her first appearance at the Cannes Film Festival in 2002, wearing a saree by designer Neeta Lulla. Ever since, fans have been waiting every year for her flawless walk and look at Cannes. Over the years, Aishwarya Rai has served some stunning looks as she walked the red carpet in gowns and sarees. Fans are eager to see what she has in store for the red carpet this year.

Other than Aish, Bollywood divas like Kiara Advani, Sobhita Dhulipala, and Aditi Rao Hydari are all set to walk the red carpet at Cannes 2024.

On the work front, Aishwarya was last seen in Mani Ratnams pan-Indian film Ponniyin Selvan: II. She is allegedly the lead actress in Anurag Kashyap's next.
Mumbai: The 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival will always hold a special place in actor Prateik Babbar's life as his mother Smita Patil's film 'Manthan' is scheduled to be screened at the prestigious gala.

During the early hours of Thursday, Pateik was spotted at the Mumbai airport as he left for Cannes. He was all smiles while shutterbugs clicked him.

The film premiere will be attended by Naseeruddin Shah, the producers of the film and Film Heritage Foundation's Shivendra Singh Dungarpur. It will be screened at the festival on May 17.

'Mathan', which starred Naseeruddin Shah and late actress Smita Patil, is the only Indian film to be selected under the Cannes Classic section of the festival this year. Presenting at the Cannes Film Festival for the third time in a row, the Film Heritage Foundation has previously premiered 'Thamp' (2022) and 'Ishanou' (2023) at the prestigious film festival, read a statement.

Fronted by Smita Patil, the film was inspired by the pioneering milk cooperative movement of Verghese Kurien, who led 'Operation Flood' to transform India from a milk-deficient country to the world's biggest milk producer and is credited for creating the billion-dollar brand 'Amul'.

Shyam Benegal's directorial won two National Film Awards in 1977: for Best Feature Film in Hindi and Best Screenplay for Tendulkar. It was also India's official entry to the 1976 Academy Awards in the best foreign language film category.

Elated about it, Shyam Benegal said, "I was absolutely delighted when Shivendra told me that Film Heritage Foundation was going to restore 'Manthan' in collaboration with the Gujarat Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. Manthan is a film that is very close to my heart as it was funded by 500,000 farmers and was instrumental in the growth of an extraordinary cooperative movement that was aimed at breaking the shackles of economic inequality and caste discrimination whilst empowering the farmers. It will remind the world of the power of cinema as a vehicle of change and also the legacy of the great Verghese Kurien, the Father of the White Revolution. Govind Nihalani and I have been following the progress of the restoration closely and I am amazed by the meticulous approach to the restoration. It is wonderful to see the film come back to life almost like we made it yesterday. Film Heritage Foundation has been doing remarkable work in film restoration. Not only are they beautifully restoring films from every region of India, but bringing them back to the public at festivals and screenings around the world in a way that showcases our unique film heritage to contemporary global audiences."

Naseeruddin Shah stated, "I started my career as an actor with 'Nishant' followed by 'Manthan', both directed by Shyam Benegal. 'Manthan' was a runaway success when it was released almost 50 years ago and it is a film that is remembered even today. I remember that during the shooting of 'Manthan,' I lived in the hut, learnt to make cow dung cakes and milk a buffalo. I would carry the buckets and serve the milk to the unit to get the physicality of the character. I am so glad that the Film Heritage Foundation has restored this remarkable film and that this small film made with the support of the farmers has been restored with so much love and care. It is thanks to the persistence, hard work and efforts of Film Heritage Foundation that the film will be premiered in its second life, as it deserves to be, at the Cannes Film Festival and I am so glad that I will be there to present it myself."

After getting to know about the film's screening at Cannes, megastar Amitabh Bachchan also expressed happiness.

Taking to X, Big B wrote, "T 4992 - So proud that Film Heritage Foundation will be at the Cannes Film Festival for the third year in a row with another world premiere of a remarkable restoration - Shyam Benegal's film "Manthan" that had compelling performances from an exceptional cast including Smita Patil. Just amazing the work that Film Heritage Foundation does to preserve, restore and showcase the best of India's film heritage to the world."
New Delhi: Salman Khan is indeed the biggest superstar in the nation. The star of the masses enjoys a crazy fan base across the globe. Despite being the biggest bankable name in the nation, Salman Khan is known for his generosity and being large-hearted. Time and again, several other actors and members of the film fraternity have been seen addressing the big-hearted nature of Salman Khan.

A recent example of this was witnessed when Manoj Bajpayee highly praised Salman Khan for his generosity. The actor nowadays is seen promoting his upcoming films and during promotional interviews, Manoj Bajpayee said that Salman and he were both were front runners for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The actor shared an incident from an award function in the early 2000s saying, "When Salman Khan's name was announced as a winner for 'Best Actor In Supporting Role' for Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Salman graciously went up to the stage and said ." I don't know why I am getting this award, more than me Manoj Bajpayee deserves this award for his performance as Bhiku Mahatre in Satya".

Manoj Bajpayee went on to say, " It requires a large heart to say such statement on the stage and Salman did that. I really felt that there are good people like Salman Khan in the industry"

The statement from Salman Khan not only throws light on his kind-hearted nature but also addresses that the superstar never keeps himself away from valuing other actors in the industry.

Meanwhile, Salman Khan is coming to the next Eid 2025 with Sikandar, produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and directed by AR Murugadoss.
Entrepreneur and 'Shark Tank India' judge Namita Thapar made her debut at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival. On day 2 of Cannes 2024, she attended the premiere of Chris Hemsworth-starrer Furiosa A Mad Max Saga.

Taking to Instagram, Namita shared pictures from the French Riviera. She looked stunning in a ruffled, off-the-shoulder gown by Lebanese fashion designer Elio Abou Fayssal.

she captioned the post, Cannes 2024 :) thanks, leaving her fans elated.

"So proud of you," a social media user commented. "Woww... you look just fabb and you are truly breaking stereotypes about entrepreneurs," another one wrote.

Check Post :

Like every year, this time also many Indian stars are expected to slay at Cannes Film Festival 2024. Celebrities like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Aditi Rao Hydari, and Sobhita Dhulipala will also mark their presence at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.

The Cannes Film Festival opened on Tuesday night with the world premiere of Quentin Dupieux's 'Le Deuxieme Acte (The Second Act),' starring Lea Seydoux, Vincent Lindon, Louis Garrel and Raphael Quenard. During the opening ceremony, Oscar winner Meryl Streep received the honorary Palme d'Or.

On Wednesday, Bharat Pavilion was inaugurated at Cannes.

Representing the country, Secretary, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Sanjay Jaju along with H.E. Jawed Ashraf, Ambassador of India to France attended the event.

Hosted each year at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Government of India, Bharat's participation is spearheaded by the National Film Development Corporation as the nodal agency and FICCI as the industry partner.

The pavilion marks India's continued commitment to showcasing its rich cinematic heritage and fostering international collaborations with the global film fraternity. Many states/UTs like Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra among others are present representing India at Cannes Film Market this year.

Tholoana Rose Ncheke, Chairperson, National Film and Video Foundation, South Africa, Christian Jeune, Director of Films Department, Deputy General Delegate, Cannes Film Festival, and Filmmaker Richie Mehta also marked their presence during the inauguration of Bharat Pavilion.

Speaking at the inauguration, Sanjay Jaju said, "Heartening to have more Indian projects in the Cannes official selection this year, one each in the competition in uncertain regard and let me also confess that both these projects have been the beneficiaries of the support from the government in terms of the incentive as well as the official core productions."

"The Bharat Pavilion here would serve as a hub for networking, collaboration, and promotion of Indian Cinema on the global stage. We would like to foster a greater collaboration between the Indian audio-visual industry and international counterparts, thereby enhancing the visibility and accessibility of Indian Cinema worldwide and serving the national goal of using the power of Cinema to enhance the country's soft touch," added the Secretary.

Richie Mehta also shared his thoughts on the festival."It's such a momentous occasion for Indian cinema here. Personally, for me, I wouldn't have a career if not for the film festival community. The festivals have helped me unlock a career.

It's a real honor to be a part of this inaugural," said Richie Mehta. "India is gaining attention worldwide, both geopolitically and economically, due to its philosophical contributions, thoughts, and ideas. Its role in a multipolar world of great uncertainty is significant as we transition from the existing international order into a new one. All these aspects are interconnected, making it increasingly important for us to have a greater presence abroad, particularly in cinema", said Jawed Ashraf.

It is for the first time that the country will host a Bharat Parv at the Cannes Film Festival to engage with film celebrities, filmmakers, directors, producers, buyers, and sales agents from across the world and showcase the creative opportunities and a rich bank of creative talent.

The official poster and trailer of the 55th India International Film Festival (IFFI), to be held in Goa from November 20 to 28, will also be unveiled at the Bharat Parv.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing early on Thursday for talks with Xi Jinping that the Kremlin hopes will deepen a strategic partnership between the two most powerful geopolitical rivals of the United States.

China and Russia declared a "no limits" partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing just days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, triggering the deadliest land war in Europe since World War Two.

By picking China for his first foreign trip since being sworn in for a six-year term that will keep him in power until at least 2030, Putin is sending a message to the world about his priorities and the depth of his personal relationship with Xi.

In an interview with China's Xinhua news agency, Putin praised Xi for helping to build a "strategic partnership" with Russia based on national interests and deep mutual trust.

"It was the unprecedentedly high level of the strategic partnership between our countries that determined my choice of China as the first state that I would visit after officially taking office as president of the Russian Federation," Putin said.

"We will try to establish closer cooperation in the field of industry and high technology, space and peaceful nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, renewable energy sources and other innovative sectors," Putin said.

Putin, 71, and Xi, 70, will take part in a gala evening celebrating 75 years since the Soviet Union recognised the People's Republic of China, which was declared by Mao Zedong in 1949.

Reuters reported exclusively in March that Putin would travel to China in May.

Xinhua confirmed his arrival for what China's state press has described as a state visit from an "old friend".

The United States casts China as its biggest competitor and Russia as its biggest nation-state threat while U.S. President Joe Biden argues that this century will be defined by an existential contest between democracies and autocracies.

Putin and Xi share a broad world view, which sees the West as decadent and in decline just as China challenges U.S. supremacy in everything from quantum computing and synthetic biology to espionage and hard military power.

Putin will also visit Harbin in northeastern China, a city with strong ties to Russia. It was not immediately clear whether or not Putin would drop in on any other capitals in Asia after Beijing.

Xi And Putin

China has strengthened its trade and military ties with Russia in recent years as the United States and its allies imposed sanctions against both countries, particularly against Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine.

The West says China has played a crucial role in helping Russia withstand the sanctions and has supplied key technology which Russia has used on the battlefield in Ukraine.

But China, once the junior partner of Moscow in the global Communist hierarchy, remains by far the most powerful of Russia's friends in the world.

Putin's arrival follows a mission to Beijing late last month by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in part to warn China's top diplomat Wang Yi against deepening military support for Russia.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said that the two leaders would hold informal talks on Thursday evening over tea and that they would touch on Ukraine, Asia, energy and trade.

Putin's newly appointed defence minister, Andrei Belousov, as well as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu and foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, will also attend, along with Russia's most powerful CEOs.

It was not immediately clear if Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller would go to China as he was on a working visit to Iran on Wednesday.
LILONGWE, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The African Development Fund (ADF) announced on Wednesday its board's approval of a 22.7-million-U.S.-dollar budget support grant for Malawi.

The support, intended for implementing a national program to reform the agricultural sector and strengthen resilience to climate change, was confirmed in a statement by the organization, which serves as a concessional window of the African Development Bank (AfDB).

The Agricultural Productivity and Marketing Program, as described in the statement, is designed to catalyze economic growth and ensure food security in Malawi. It also aims to optimize efficiency, transparency and accountability in agricultural sector spending, while reinforcing disaster preparedness.

Malawi's Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Simplex Chithyola Banda confirmed to local media the support that had been approved, saying it was part of the foreign support expected following the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The ECF was intended to help stabilize the economy of the southern African country, which is recovering from a forex crisis.

In November 2023, the IMF approved a four-year, 175 million-dollar loan program to help stabilize Malawi's forex situation. The minister's budget statement in March said that the IMF program had helped restore donor confidence in the country's fiscal and monetary policies, leading to anticipated increased foreign support to address macroeconomic imbalances. 
VIENTIANE, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Lao Airlines is launching direct flights between Pakse district of southern Laos' Champasak province and Guangzhou, the capital city of south China's Guangdong Province, providing another travel option during Visit Laos Year 2024.

An Airbus A320 will operate this route, with one flight a week departing from Pakse on Sunday and the return flight departing from Guangzhou on Monday, Lao National Radio reported on Thursday.

The number of Chinese tourists visiting Laos has increased significantly. In 2022, some 45,000 Chinese tourists came to Laos, soaring to 641,314 in 2023, and 242,193 Chinese tourists visited Laos in the first three months of 2024.

The Lao government and tourism-related businesses are making every effort to raise the country's tourism industry standards to attract visitors.

Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism has set an ambitious plan for 2024 to attract over 2.2 million domestic and about 4 million international visitors, with an expected revenue of about 1.3 billion U.S. dollars. 
This photo taken on May 16, 2024 shows a scene during a handover ceremony for two public schools rebuilt with Chinese assistance held in Dolakha, Nepal. Two public schools rebuilt with Chinese assistance in Nepal's Dolakha district were handed over to local authorities on Thursday.

The schools in Jilu and Singati of the district were damaged in the 2015 massive earthquake, and Sinohydro Bureau 6 Co., Ltd. under the Power Construction Corporation of China undertook their demolition and reconstruction under an assistance agreement signed by the governments of Nepal and China. (Photo by Nirana Raj Bana/Xinhua)

KATHMANDU, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Two public schools rebuilt with Chinese assistance in Nepal's Dolakha district were handed over to local authorities on Thursday.

The new buildings have well-furnished classrooms, laboratories, computer labs, libraries, dormitories, halls and teacher rooms, noted Shankar Babu Shrestha, chairman of the district's education development and coordination unit.

"These buildings stand as the symbols of friendship between the two friendly nations," Shrestha said at the handover ceremony held in Dolakha. "Now it is our responsibility to manage, protect and use these facilities for the better education of our children."

The schools in Jilu and Singati of the district were damaged in the 2015 massive earthquake, and Sinohydro Bureau 6 Co., Ltd. under the Power Construction Corporation of China undertook their demolition and reconstruction under an assistance agreement signed by the governments of Nepal and China.

Two teaching buildings, one dormitory building and a canteen were built on each campus as the main part of the public school recovery project.

"China has been attaching special importance to our bilateral education and human resources cooperation," said Xie Yu, counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Nepal.

Noting that China has built other schools in Nepal in recent years, Xie added that "Dolakha schools will also be a life changer for local kids, honoring China's enduring commitment to help Nepal to pursue prosperity and sustained development."

On the occasion, Sinohydro Bureau 6 Co., Ltd. donated bookshelves, books and schoolbags to the schools along with China Foundation for Rural Development and Yunnan Energy Investment Co., Ltd. of China.

The schools in Jilu and Singati have 874 and 570 students, respectively. 

This photo taken on May 15, 2024 shows the newly-rebuilt Sarba Secondary School in Jilu of Dolakha, Nepal. Two public schools rebuilt with Chinese assistance in Nepal's Dolakha district were handed over to local authorities on Thursday.

The schools in Jilu and Singati of the district were damaged in the 2015 massive earthquake, and Sinohydro Bureau 6 Co., Ltd. under the Power Construction Corporation of China undertook their demolition and reconstruction under an assistance agreement signed by the governments of Nepal and China. (Photo by Nirana Raj Bana/Xinhua)
A journalist works outside a hospital in which Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico receives medical treatment, in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, on May 16, 2024. Fico was wounded Wednesday afternoon after attending a government meeting in the town of Handlova, some 150 km northeast of the capital. (Xinhua/He Canling)

BRATISLAVA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is in stable condition after surgery, local media reported late Wednesday night.

According to local media TA3, BBC quoted Slovak Environment Minister Tomas Taraba as saying that the prime minister's life is not in danger.

"I was very shocked ... fortunately as far as I know the operation went well -- and I guess in the end he will survive ... he's not in a life threatening situation at this moment," Taraba said.

According to Taraba, one shot hit the stomach and the other a joint.

Fico was in critical condition while undergoing surgery, Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Robert Kalinak said earlier Wednesday evening at a press conference.

The attack has been classified as a politically-motivated assassination, according to Slovak Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok.

Fico was wounded Wednesday afternoon after attending a government meeting in the town of Handlova, some 150 km northeast of the capital.

Fico had been transported by helicopter to the Roosvelt Hospital in Banska Bystrica, as the flight to the capital would take a longer time.

The suspect, who was detained on the spot, is reported to be a 71-year-old man. 

Media staff work outside a hospital in which Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico receives medical treatment, in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, on May 16, 2024. Fico was wounded Wednesday afternoon after attending a government meeting in the town of Handlova, some 150 km northeast of the capital. (Xinhua/He Canling)
BRATISLAVA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The condition of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot Wednesday, is still serious, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Robert Kalinak said here Thursday afternoon.

Fico's injuries caused by gunshot wounds are extensive. Though doctors managed to stabilize his condition, his life isn't out of danger yet, Kalinak told reporters following a special session held by the Security Council.

Fico sustained four gunshot wounds in an attack when he greeted supporters after chairing a government meeting in the central Slovak town of Handlova.

The attacker, who is reported to be a 71-year-old man, was detained on the spot. He has been charged with attempted premeditated murder, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said Thursday, adding that the shooter is a lone wolf.

Fico was appointed as prime minister in October last year when the government was facing a series of challenges, including rising energy prices and poor fiscal conditions. Fico has pledged that the new government would bring about a better life for the people through professional performance.

After assuming office, Fico has implemented many reform measures, including requiring media outlets to reform and restructure. He opposed military assistance to Ukraine and advocated for a peaceful solution to disputes through negotiations, sparking discontent among some domestic figures.

The attack shocked the small central European nation and drew international condemnations.

Slovakia's outgoing President Zuzana Caputova said Thursday that heads of the country's political parties would meet to seek calm while describing the shooting as an "attack on democracy."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said "such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good."

European Council President Charles Michel shared the same view, noting that "nothing can ever justify violence or such attacks." 
Photo taken in Arlington, Virginia, the United States on Oct. 22, 2020 shows C-SPAN live stream of U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden attending their final debate in the 2020 presidential race. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

The debates between Biden and Trump will be hosted by two television networks CNN and ABC, respectively.



WASHINGTON, May 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the presumptive presidential nominees for the Democratic and Republican parties in this year's presidential election, on Wednesday agreed to hold two campaign debates in June and September.

The debates between Biden and Trump will be hosted by two television networks CNN and ABC, respectively.

"I've received and accepted an invitation from @CNN for a debate on June 27th. Over to you, Donald. As you said: anywhere, any time, any place," said Biden in a post on X, formerly know as Twitter, adding that he has also "received and accepted an invitation to a debate hosted by ABC on September 10th."

"Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020. Since then, he hasn't shown up for a debate. Now he's acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, pal," Biden said.

Trump also confirmed that he will debate Biden at the two proposed times in June and September, adding that he would strongly recommend more than two debates.

According to CNN, the debate will be held in the network's Atlanta studios with no audience present. ABC also reported that Biden and Trump agreed to a prime-time debate at ABC News studios. 
OTTAWA, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Canada's Quebec court on Wednesday rejected McGill University's request for an injunction to remove a pro-Palestinian encampment from the downtown campus in Montreal, local media reported.

In Canada, encampments started with 20 tents at McGill University in late April, followed by several others including University of British Columbia in Vancouver, University of Ottawa, Western University in Ontario and University of Toronto.

The demonstrators are "part of a North American movement present in a few dozen universities in the United States in connection with the current events in the Gaza Strip where tens of thousands of Palestinians have died, been injured or dispossessed by the Israeli army," Quebec Superior Court Justice Marc St-Pierre wrote in a six-page decision.

After hearing arguments on Monday, St-Pierre rejected the request, according to local media.

On Monday, one of McGill's lawyers argued that the injunction should be granted as a preventive measure to help protect members of the school's community.

St-Pierre disagreed, writing that he would not "issue an order of injunction as a preventive measure in the case where something purely hypothetical would happen in the future."

Late last week and over the weekend, University of Alberta in Edmonton and University of Calgary called in police to clear protest encampments within hours of tents going up.

In their statements, the universities said that they respect free speech but that the encampments violated trespassing rules and risked escalating into violence. 
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1 in 24 New Yorkers are millionaires despite reports of rich Americans fleeing south. How does your city fare?

Since the pandemic, news stories and economic pundits have suggested rich folk are leaving New York faster than you can say Sun Belt or no state income tax. Official data does show that the state has been losing a few thousand millionaires a year.

But the Big Apple still boasts more millionaires than Cincinnati, Pittsburgh or St. Louis have people.

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While all those major-league cities have populations slightly higher than 300,000, New York is home to 349,500 millionaires  the most of any city in the world and up nearly 50% from a decade ago. That's according to the Worlds Wealthiest Cities Report 2024 from Henley & Partners, an immigration consultancy for high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals.

This means roughly 1 in 24 New Yorkers are millionaires, an astonishing fact given a total population of 8.3 million as of 2023. The city now has more millionaires  defined in the report as those with liquid investable wealth in the seven digits or more  than Shanghai, Chicago and Toronto combined. Its also home to 744 centi-millionaires (investable wealth of over $100 million) and 60 billionaires.

Together New Yorkers hold wealth of more than $3 trillion, easily exceeding the GDP of France, Russia or Canada.

Heres how the Big Apple  or the Big Golden Apple, if you prefer  compares to major cities in America and worldwide.

How NYC stacks up (the cash) against other cities

As you might expect, the San Francisco Bay area with its cadre of high-tech tycoons finishes second to New York in the rankings of top cities for millionaires.

While its home to a mere 305,700 millionaires, dont shed a diamond-crusted tear, dear readers: San Fran boasts a world-topping 68 billionaires, leaving NYC in the second spot with 60.

Among the top 10 cities worldwide, youll find Los Angeles as the only other American city. It ranks sixth, with 212,100 millionaires; Chicago, the next U.S. metropolis on the list, takes the 12th spot with about 120,500. Combine those two cities, and you still dont top New Yorks mind-boggling numbers.

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Read more: This little-known investment strategy can save you thousands on your taxes

All four American cities share healthy double-digit millionaire growth. Between 2013 and 2023, San Franciscos millionaire club jumped 82%; Los Angeles is up 45% and Chicago by 22%. By comparison, three top 10 cities on the list have seen a decline in millionaire residents: Tokyo, London and Hong Kong (ranked third, fifth and ninth) are down 5%, 10% and 4% respectively.

Three Texas cities in the report are also worth highlighting.

Houston is among the top 20 cities for millionaires with 90,900 calling it home, a staggering jump of 70% from 2013.

Meanwhile, Austin has enjoyed the third-highest millionaire growth rate in the world, behind Chinas Shenzhen and Hangzhou. The number of millionaires in what is being called "Silicon Hills" has more than doubled to 32,700 in a single decade. California tech workers moving to the city have had a major impact on its real estate market.

Dallas is in the 22nd spot with 68,600 millionaires, ahead of global hubs like Mumbai and Shenzhen.

Wall Street South vs. Wall Street North

Miami may not rival New York: Its home to 35,300 millionaires and ranked 33rd. But so much has been made of the Sunshine State attracting the well-to-do that a recent Bloomberg article refers to it as Wall Street South. The count is up 78% from 2013, which coincides with an exodus of New Yorkers during the pandemic. Many went to Florida, which passed the Empire State to become the nation's second most valuable housing market last year, according to Zillow.

New York Citys population dropped an estimated 5% during the pandemic years, U.S. Census Bureau figures show. It's speculated that factors like the lack of a state income tax and warm weather made Florida a destination.

Yet the Sun Belt stampede cant be that bad if you can still fit 10 Miamis in New York as millionaire counts go.

And New York, Manhattan especially, will always appeal to the wealthy for reasons that never fade. Its a cultural mecca as home to the Metropolitan Opera and Metropolitan Museum of Art, the No. 1 city in America for dining and drink as ranked by Food & Wine  and since Brexit, the financial capital of the world.

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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.




Image source: Getty Images

When you think of items to buy at Costco, odds are that purchases like groceries and electronics come to mind. But there's also plenty of other practical essentials you can pick up at the warehouse club.

Prescriptions are one of them. If you've never bought your medications from Costco before, you should seriously think about doing so. Here are three big reasons why.

1. It can be a lot cheaper

There's one clear reason why you should consider getting your medications from Costco's pharmacy: You most likely will save a lot of money by doing so.

A Consumer Reports investigation in which secret shoppers obtained quotes on drug costs, revealed that Costco's prices for five common drugs were $46 less than Sam's Club's for the same medications. They were $413 less than Walmart's and $823 cheaper than the prices at CVS and Target. In fact, Costco had the lowest prices of any major retailer and often by a big margin.

To help you keep even more money in your bank account, Costco also offers a Member Prescription program that provides up to 80% in savings on the cost of popular medications. Many drugs, including Lovastatin and Ritalin, can be bought for just $9.99 for a 90-day supply.

There's really no reason to pay more for drugs than you absolutely have to. Since Costco consistently comes in cheaper, you should always check there first to see if you can save.

2. You can get prescriptions delivered to your door

You don't even have to visit a Costco store to get your medications. That's another great perk that makes buying them there worth it.

You can shop at Costco's Mail Order Pharmacy, order medications 24 hours a day, and have them delivered for free via USPS with six- to 14-day shipping. If you need your meds faster, two-day delivery is also an option, although that will add $13.95 to your bill.

This makes it convenient to use Costco's pharmacy and save money -- even if you don't happen to have a warehouse nearby.

3. Costco offers an auto-refill program

Finally, the last great reason to fill prescriptions at Costco is so you can take advantage of the pharmacy's automatic refill program. When you sign up, you'll get an email before your auto shipment renews. You'll have 72 hours to consent to refilling the prescription.

The automatic refill program helps ensure you never forget to buy drugs before your prescription runs out. And the confirmation process helps you to avoid getting unnecessary meds delivered to your door.

Now, to be fair, some other pharmacies also offer deliveries and automatic refills as well. But some charge more than Costco for these services. Plus, you won't get the benefits of Costco's rock-bottom prices if you get your meds from these other places.

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Since Costco drugs are typically cheaper and its pharmacy makes getting your meds convenient, there's really no reason not to purchase your prescriptions from the warehouse club. That's especially true since you don't even have to be a member to do so.

So, next time you're ready to refill your prescription, check out Costco to see if it's the right place for you to get your meds and save money.

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We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Christy Bieber has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale, Target, and Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

3 Good Reasons to Buy Your Prescriptions From Costco's Pharmacy was originally published by The Motley Fool
The energy and utilities sectors are known for their high yields. Dividends compensate patient shareholders for enduring the cyclicality of the oil patch. Meanwhile, utilities often choose to reward investors with dividends, given the sector's low growth.

However, focusing too much on yield alone can lead to poor investment decisions. The key is to find a company that blends a high yield with a sound business model that can support earnings growth, and in turn, a higher dividend.

Here's why Brookfield Renewable (NYSE: BEPC) (NYSE: BEP), Vitesse Energy (NYSE: VTS), and Chevron (NYSE: CVX) stand out as three high-yield stocks to buy now.

Image source: Getty Images.

Brookfield Renewable excels at translating green power into generous passive income

Scott Levine (Brookfield Renewable): Finding companies with high-yield dividend stocks is easy. Weeding through them, however, and identifying those companies that are in sound financial health and have business models that suggest they can sustain their dividends for decades? That's a significantly more challenging feat -- but not impossible.

Brookfield Renewable fits this criteria exceptionally well. Operating a massive portfolio of green energy assets, Brookfield Renewable has demonstrated a strong commitment to rewarding shareholders, and its 4.8% forward-yielding stock certainly warrants attention from income investors looking for prime dividend stocks.

Inking power purchase agreements with customers that can be 20 or 30 years long, Brookfield Renewable has excellent foresight into future cash flows, helping it to plan for capital expenditures like advancing projects out of backlog and paying dividends accordingly. The company, for example, has grown its distributions per unit at a 6% compound annual growth rate from 2012 through 2023, and it's targeting consistent 5% to 9% annual distribution growth in the years ahead. With 134 gigawatts worth of projects in its backlog, it seems well-positioned to achieve this target.

With its ample solar, wind, and hydroelectric assets, Brookfield Renewable is not only a great dividend stock for those with a multi-decade investing horizon, but it's one of the most compelling renewable energy dividend stocks that investors can power their portfolios with right now.

A high-yield energy stock

Lee Samaha (Vitesse Energy): The small-cap oil and gas company Vitesse is an interesting way for oil bulls to invest. It's unusual in that Vitesse isn't the owner/operator of oil wells. Instead, its highly experienced management team (led by Bob Gerrity, founder of Gerrity Oil) invests in wells operated by other operators, primarily in the Bakken oil field in North Dakota. It currently has an average working interest of 2.7%, including 6,932 wells across more than 30 operators, such as leading energy players Chord Energy, Hess, and ExxonMobil.

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Vitesse uses a proprietary system developed by the company to identify and allocate capital to assets. It is responsible for nearly 200 acquisitions totaling $580 million.

Vitesse currently pays a fixed dividend of $0.525 a quarter, which results in an annualized yield of 8.5% at the current price. However, its dividend may not prove sustainable over the long term; after all, Vitesse is still a company whose asset value depends on the long-term price of oil.

That said, Vitesse also operates a hedging strategy to protect its earnings and dividends from adverse oil price movements. As Vitesse President Brian Cree noted on the earnings call, "We have approximately 60% of our remaining oil production hedged at above $78 per barrel and a portion of our 2025 oil production hedged at above $74 a barrel."

As such, investing in Vitesse is as much about believing in management's ability to continue to identify productive investments and management's ability to predict the right time to increase/decrease hedging on the price of oil as it is about playing on the price of oil.

That might not suit some investors, but for those who have faith in its management team, Vitesse is an excellent way to get high-yield exposure to energy.

Chevron's dividend is built to last

Daniel Foelber (Chevron): Chevron stock has gained over 55% in the last three years compared to a 22% increase in its dividend. So naturally, the yield has come down. But it may surprise you that Chevron still yields 3.9% despite the stock hovering around an all-time high.

In February, Chevron raised its dividend by 8%, marking the 37th consecutive payout increase. Record profits have allowed Chevron to accelerate reinvestment in the business and boost its buyback program. Over the last 12 months, Chevron has spent $14.2 billion on buybacks -- which is even more than the $11.5 billion it has spent on its dividend.

Taking Chevron's market cap of $304 billion and its trailing 12-month capital return of $25.7 billion, the company would have a yield on its capital return program of 8.5%.

Capital return yield is a term I coined that factors in both buybacks and dividends. There's a similar term called shareholder yield that looks at cash dividends, net share repurchases, and net debt reduction as a percentage of market cap. Looking at the full extent of the capital return program better illustrates how much money a company is returning to shareholders -- and in a theoretical sense -- what the dividend yield would be if the company funneled the entire capital return program toward the dividend.

An 8.5% capital return yield is massive. Even Apple, which is famous for its buybacks, only has a capital return yield of 3.5%.

Chevron's results have been excellent, but investors may wonder how long it can keep generating outsized returns and how the business will perform if oil prices fall. Chevron has positioned its business to cover capital expenditures and dividends even if Brent crude oil is $50 a barrel. As of this writing, Brent crude oil prices are $83.

So if oil prices fall, we can expect Chevron to pull back on stock repurchases but still raise the dividend as it has done throughout severe downturns for several decades.

It's also worth mentioning that Chevron has a very healthy balance sheet and low leverage ratios. Its debt-to-capital ratio and financial debt-to-equity ratio are both around their lowest levels in a decade -- which shows that Chevron has done a good job managing its debt despite the capital-intensive nature of the oil and gas industry.

Chevron is well-positioned to thrive in the current oil price environment. But it also has the financial health and portfolio to endure a downturn without compromising its dividend.

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*Stock Advisor returns as of May 13, 2024

Daniel Foelber has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Lee Samaha has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Scott Levine has positions in Brookfield Renewable. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple, Brookfield Renewable, Chevron, and Vitesse Energy. The Motley Fool recommends Brookfield Renewable Partners. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

3 Powerhouse High-Yield Dividend Stocks to Buy Now and Hold for Decades to Come was originally published by The Motley Fool




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Costco has two membership tiers. You can become a Gold Star member for $60 a year. Or you can upgrade to the Executive membership for $120 a year. While both memberships share some common traits, including access to the warehouse club, there are important differences between them as well.

Deciding which one is better for you isn't always easy, but if you're currently a Gold Star member, you should watch for these signs that suggest an upgrade is worth it.

1. You're spending at least $3,000 a year at Costco

If you spend at least $3,000 per year at Costco, there's no question about it. You should upgrade to an Executive membership. This membership tier comes with an annual 2% reward on qualifying Costco purchases. You can earn up to $1,000 per year in total cash back.

A little quick math shows that if you spend at least $3,000 at Costco annually, a 2% reward would equal $60. That's enough to cover the upgrade to the Executive membership, which makes it essentially free. Each additional dollar you spend on top of that will net you bonus cash back that puts more money in your pocket.

2. You're booking a trip through Costco travel

Costco has an awesome travel service that allows you to score bargains on trips across the globe. Any Costco member can book travel, but Executive members get to earn the 2% rewards mentioned above when they do.

Not only do you get the bonus cash back, but many vacation packages offer additional special deals to Executive members. For example, if you book a vacation package at the Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico and you're a Costco Executive member, you'll get a $100 resort credit to use on your trip.

Similar upgrades for Executive members are also offered at around a dozen other destinations including packages in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Vallarta, Cook Islands, and more. The added benefits you get can more than cover the extra $60 you're paying for an Executive membership.

3. You're buying insurance coverage

Costco offers a variety of options to help you get insurance coverage, including pet insurance, auto insurance, and homeowners insurance.

Executive members who get covered through Costco are entitled to extra benefits when they put their protection in place. For example:

Executive members will get their $15 enrollment fee waived if they sign up for Figo Pet Insurance coverage.

Free roadside assistance is provided to Executive members who sign up for auto insurance coverage.

Insurance buyers with Executive membership will be eligible for lifetime renewability.

Home glass repair reimbursement is available to Executive members who buy homeowners insurance coverage.

You can get Home Lockout Assistance if you're an Executive member who buys home insurance through Costco.

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These additional perks can provide significant value and are, by themselves, often worth paying the extra $60 to upgrade to Costco's higher-tiered membership plan.

Remember, you get to take advantage of all of these benefits when you upgrade your membership -- as well as other discounts on partner services, as well. There's plenty of reasons to give Executive membership a try.

The good news is, if you aren't satisfied, Costco will allow you to downgrade or cancel your membership at any time and receive a refund. So if you regret becoming an Executive member, you can alway drop back down to the Gold Star tier.

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We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Christy Bieber has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool recommends Hyatt Hotels. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

3 Signs Upgrading Your Costco Membership Is Right for You was originally published by The Motley Fool
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As a tech wunderkind, aggressive entrepreneur and multi-billionaire who was, at one time, the richest person in the world, Elon Musk is a source of fascination, scrutiny and, sometimes, confusion. Hes difficult to predict, doesnt always come off as particularly even tempered and doesnt seem to mind shaking the boat, even if he has a lot to risk by doing so.

Read More: 6 Reasons the Poor Stay Poor and Middle Class Doesnt Become Wealthy

See Next: 4 Genius Things All Wealthy People Do With Their Money

Though a divisive personality, Musk is clearly doing something right: hes worth $179 billion, according to Celebritynetworth.com. How did Musk build his fortune and what can he teach the rest of us about not only amassing wealth, but also keeping it? To find out, lets look at Musks investment strategy. After all, investing is key to his financial empire.

Also see three career moves Musk made that you should, too.

Focus on Just Two Investment Categories

Most financial experts advocate for heavily diversifying your investments in order to hedge against risk and protect your money should the stock market bottom out. But Musks success shows theres something to be said for putting all your eggs in just a couple of baskets. As far as we know and according to The Motley Fool, Musk investments fall into just two categories: companies he founded or has a stake in and cryptocurrencies.

For You: Robert Kiyosaki: 7 Ways To Become Wealthy Beyond the 9-to-5

Own Your Company? Dont Sell It Off Entirely

Entrepreneurs looking to build and keep wealth might want to follow Musks lead and invest heavily into their own companies. Take SpaceX, Musks space exploration technology company, for example. Its speculated that Musk holds close to it by owning about 44% of this private company, which is valued at $180 billion and presently worth more than Disney or Comcast.

And then look at Tesla. Musk nearly sold the pioneering electric vehicle company to Google for $11 billion when the company was in a financial crisis. Tesla began to bounce back and Musk eluded the deal. Today, Tesla has a market cap of $554.88 billion and is the worlds 15th most valuable company. Think of all the wealth Musk would have lost out on had he sold to Google.

Say No to Passive Index Investing and Go For Active Investing Instead

Musk isnt one to preach the practice of passive index investing; in fact, hes condemned it. Along with the investor and entrepreneur Cathie Wood, Musk blasted passive index investing in a 2022 tweet on X, formally Twitter (which, yes, he mostly owns and took private, also in 2022). The two argued that passive investments have controlled too much of the stock market.

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There should be a shift back towards active investment, Musk said on X. Passive has gone too far.

For an ostensibly complex person, Musks wealth-keeping approach is fairly simple: Believe in yourself by investing and hanging onto your companies and dont take a backseat in your journey to becoming, possibly, one of the richest people of all time.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 3 Things Elon Musk Can Teach Us About Keeping Wealth
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Europe is the dream vacation destination for many Americans, but the prices in some cities can be a nightmare. If you have a middle-class income and are eyeing an affordable European vacation, then you can forget about traveling to most Swiss cities  as well other pricey locales like Paris, Monte Carlo and Copenhagen. On the bright side, there are numerous European destinations that wont break the bank.

Check Out: 5 Vacation Destinations That Middle-Class Families Cant Afford Anymore

Read Next: 5 Genius Things All Wealthy People Do With Their Money

You dont have to sacrifice the usual amenities, either. There are plenty of European cities that fit a middle-class budget and also offer the combination of charm, culture, cuisine, scenery and history you want out of a European vacation.

Here are nine European vacation destinations even the middle class can afford (listed alphabetically).

Athens, Greece

The 2023 Post Office City Costs Barometer ranked Athens as the cheapest location for an autumn city break in Europe, Conde Nast reported. Hotels in Athens are of particularly good value, with prices at some central locations as low as $70 a night.

Learn More: 11 Expensive Vacation Destinations That Will Be Cheaper in 2024

Budapest, Hungary

Hungarys capital offers plenty of free attractions, including Heroes Square and the Szechenyi Chain Bridge. Dining is affordable as well, with coffee and drinks averaging around $2 each and multicourse meals (including a bottle of wine) averaging about $20 or less per person, U.S. News & World Report detailed.

Klagenfurt, Austria

Conde Nast calls Klagenfurt one of Austrias most affordable cities to visit. You can get a main course at many restaurants for only $7 or so  and if youre looking for an even better bargain you can visit the farmers market on Benediktinerplatz. June is the cheapest time to go, before the city fills up with summer crowds.

Lille, France

If you want to soak up the French experience in all its cultural and gastronomic glory, Lille is a much cheaper alternative to Paris. Cultural attractions average about $15 in Lille, and you can stay at the five-star LHermitage Gantois hotel, which was built in the 15th century, at starting rates of less than $220 a night.

Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon is a great spot for foodies on a budget. You can enjoy a three-course meal for two with a bottle of house wine for an average price of $42, according to the Post Office City Costs Barometer. For affordable five-star hotel accommodations, consider the 1908 Lisboa Hotel, which costs about $200 a night.

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Prague, Czech Republic

According to the U.S. News, you wont have to dish out too much dough to experience Prague because many of its main attractions are free. These include wandering around Old Town Square, the Charles Bridge and Petrin Hill. You can also find five-star hotels for less than $350 a night here, plus plenty of three- and four-star accommodations for even less.

Valencia, Spain

This beautiful beach destination has fewer crowds and lower costs than Barcelona and other Spanish coastal cities. You can often find flights and train routes from Barcelona or Madrid to Valencia for less than $100 round trip, U.S. News reported. Theres plenty to do here as well, with popular sites including Plaza del Ayuntamiento, Museum of Fine Arts and Central Market.

Vilnius, Lithuania

The Post Office City Costs Barometer ranked Vilnius ranked No. 2 as an overall affordable European destination, No. 1 for most affordable accommodations, No. 4 for lowest-priced meals and No. 5 for lowest-cost cultural attractions. You can stay at a four-star hotel, such as the Congress Avenue Hotel, for as little as $53 per night.

Zagreb, Croatia

The average cost in Zagreb for a three-course dinner for two with a bottle of house wine is $61, and the average cost to visit cultural attractions such as museums and heritage sites is $12.50. One of the best ways to spend a day is to walk around the city center and enjoy the grand architecture and many boutiques.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 9 European Vacation Destinations the Middle Class Can Afford
(Reuters) -A majority of Adidas shareholders backed the re-election of chairman Thomas Rabe at the company's annual general meeting on Thursday, securing his role for a fifth year, with the German sportswear brand set to appoint a successor in 2025.

Prominent proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) had recommended in April that investors vote against Rabe's reappointment due to what it argued was an "excessive" number of roles at other companies.

Adidas said Rabe's reappointment would serve to ensure a smooth handover of the chairmanship, which he has held since 2020. Rabe is also CEO of German broadcaster RTL Group and CEO of media conglomerate Bertelsmann.

"The succession planning for the Supervisory Board as a whole and for myself as Chairman of the Supervisory Board are paramount for me," Rabe said in a letter to shareholders ahead of the AGM.

Adidas' executive pay was also approved in a shareholder vote, although Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the fifth-biggest shareholder in Adidas, voted against for the second year in a row.

(Reporting by Linda Pasquini and Helen Reid; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
(Reuters) -U.S. insurer American International Group said on Thursday it would sell a 20% stake in Corebridge Financial to Japan's Nippon Life Insurance for $3.8 billion.

The deal is part of AIG's efforts to reduce its holdings in the life and retirement business, which it had listed as a separate company in 2022 following years of pressure from activist investors.

AIG will sell 120 million shares at an average price of $31.47 each. It did not specify what the proceeds from the sale would be used for, but has previously said they could be used for stock buybacks.

The insurer had a nearly 53% stake in Corebridge before the latest deal, according to regulatory filings. Peter Zaffino, CEO at AIG, has committed to sell the company's remaining ownership in Corebridge, but the firm agreed to maintain a 9.9% stake for two years after the deal closes.

Corebridge shares surged 13% to a record high, while AIG's stock climbed 1.3%.

The sale would help Nippon Life boost its presence in the U.S. market. With 15 million clients, the company is one of the biggest life insurers in Japan, and also operates in Australia, India, Myanmar, China, Thailand and Indonesia.

J.P. Morgan Securities advised AIG on the deal, which is expected to close by the first quarter of 2025.

(Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Krishna Chandra Eluri)
By Stephen Nellis and Max A. Cherney

(Reuters) - Ampere Computing on Thursday said it was pairing its chips with those from Qualcomm in a new offering aimed at lowering the power bills from operating artificial intelligence chips.

Founded by Renee James, a former president of Intel, Ampere uses technology from Arm Holdings to make central processing chips that are used by Oracle, Alphabet's Google and others. The startup has focused on making chips that are more energy efficient than industry leaders Intel and Advanced Micro Devices.

Qualcomm, which dominates the market for mobile phone chips, has been working to break into the market for AI chips in data centers since 2019 with a power-efficient offering of its own. Ampere and Qualcomm said on Thursday they have integrated their chips into a single data center server.

"Treat this as ... the first of the things that we're working on," said Jeff Wittich, Ampere's chief product officer.

"Obviously, can do things that are much bigger than the building server level solutions as we get out in the future given that we're both tackling a similar type of problem."

The joint Ampere-Qualcomm offering will not compete directly against AI chip leader Nvidia, whose chips are used to train AI systems with huge amounts of data.

The Ampere-Qualcomm servers are instead meant to run those models efficiently after they are trained.

Both Ampere and Qualcomm also compete indirectly with Nvidia because AI chips are often sold in systems that pair more than one kind of chip. The two working together can block potential rivals from gaining inroads with customers, said Jim McGregor, founder of Tirias Research.

"For both of these companies, it's about keeping their competition out of the data center," McGregor said.

Ampere on Thursday also announced the next generation of its central processing unit, which will have 256 processing cores, up from the current chip's 192. The new chip, due out next year, is being manufactured on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing's 3-nanometer manufacturing process, Ampere said.

(Reporting by Stephen Nellis and Max Cherney in San Francisco; Editing by Tom Hogue)
Anax Metals has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Greentech Metals to evaluate potential collaboration on copper-focused base metal assets in Western Australia (WA).

The non-binding and non-exclusive MOU outlines the terms for assessing the treatment of Greentech's base metal assets, with a focus on the open-pittable Whundo deposit, at the fully permitted Whim Creek processing hub, which is majority owned by Anax.

Located in WAs West Pilbara region, Whim Creek is situated 115km south-west of Port Hedland and 100km north-east of Greentech's Whundo deposit, which lies 40km south of Karratha.

Under the MOU, each company will contribute resources and information to the joint assessment, which will focus on technical studies and regulatory approvals at Whundo.

Furthermore, the two companies are setting up a Pilbara Base Metal Alliance, which will include base metal explorers looking to monetise assets that are within trucking distance of Whim Creek.

Anax owns an 80% stake in the proposed Whim Creek Project while the remaining 20% stake in held by Develop Global.

The project includes plans for a new 400,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) concentrator and a refurbished heap leach facility.

It is expected to support production of up to 30,000tpa of copper equivalent, across a mine life of more than ten years.

Together, Whundo and Whim Creek will have a measured, indicated and inferred resource base of 17.2 million tonnes with 185,000t of contained copper and 256,000t of contained zinc.

The inclusion of Whundo is anticipated to increase Whim Creeks open-pit mine life.

It is also expected to offer various other benefits such as more favourable funding and offtake terms, a decrease in fixed costs, operational efficiencies and a reduction in environmental footprint through the use of a single processing facility.

The companies have signed a non-disclosure agreement and begun the assessment process for the collaboration.

GreenTech executive director Tom Reddicliffe said: This is a great opportunity for GreenTech that could see a formalised Alliance with Anax taking significant steps towards establishing near-term mining operations at our Whundo Project.

Our project already has defined open-pittable copper and zinc resources and potential to define additional near-surface resource tonnes at both Yannery and Ayshia.

The alliance could be the catalyst that the West Pilbara needs to become a significant copper producer and we look forward to working closely with Anax to make this a reality.

Last year, Anax Metals received approval for the stage two mining proposal for the Whim Creek project.

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"Anax, Greentech enter copper-focused Pilbara base metal tie-up" was originally created and published by Mining 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.
By Clara Denina and Felix Njini

LONDON (Reuters) - Anglo American has been looking for partners for its fertiliser project in North Yorkshire for around six months, Chief Executive Duncan Wanblad told Reuters, reiterating the business will be one of three pillars of the revamped miner, even as work there stalls.

The London-listed miner outlined a radical plan on Tuesday to shrink by divesting less profitable coal, nickel, diamond and platinum businesses, as it moves to fend off BHP Group's $43 billion takeover offer.

As part of the plan, Anglo said it would slow the development of its Woodsmith fertiliser project in northeast England, pushing back first production from 2027.

"We have been in the market looking for partners for the better part of six months now and we have to stall to get the partners to the point where they are prepared to invest," Wanblad said in an interview with Reuters on Thursday.

Woodsmith, on which the miner announced a $1.7 billion writedown a year ago, has the world's largest known deposit of polyhalite, a naturally-occurring mineral containing nutrients including potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulphur, which it is marketing as POLY4.

A feasibility study for the project is only expected to be ready by the beginning of 2025. This would have been followed by a board full notice to proceed in the first half of the year if the wider assets restructuring had not got in the way.

"(When) we're delevered materially compared to where we are now, we're going to be in a much stronger position to move this forward and that's the plan," Wanblad said.

The company's net debt swelled to $10.6 billion by the end of 2023, from $6.9 billion a year earlier.

Analysts estimated total spending on Woodsmith at around $9 billion.

Wanblad also said a plan to spin off the company's platinum unit in South Africa, sell off or demerge the diamonds and coking coal businesses wasn't rushed by the takeover threat from BHP.

Anglo last week rejected a second proposal from the world's No. 1 miner.

"I started an operational restructure last year ...in May, it was completed in December," Wanblad told Reuters.

In February, Anglo announced an asset review having earlier outlined plans to implement deeper cost cuts to preserve cash.

"None of this is a response that we've caught up or concocted up in the last 10 days," Wanblad added.

"You can see the clarity of the thinking and the depth of the thinking that's gone into this, it's not days' worth of work, it's many months' worth of work."

(Reporting by Clara Denina and Felix Njini; Editing by Susan Fenton)
ATA wants drug testing safeguards in proposal to reschedule marijuana. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

WASHINGTON  The Biden administrations anticipated move to recategorize marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act will likely lead to more truck crashes unless safeguards are put in place, the American Trucking Associations has warned.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced the Justice Departments notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to reschedule the drug at a press briefing on Thursday.

If finalized, marijuana will no longer hold the higher-level classification it currently holds over fentanyl and meth drugs driving our nations overdose epidemic, and it will remove burdensome, long-standing barriers to critical research, Jean-Pierre said.

This announcement builds on the work President Biden has already done to pardon a record number of federal offenses for simply possessing marijuana.

According to DOJ, the proposed change is consistent with the view of the Department of Health and Human Services that marijuana has a currently accepted medical use as well as HHSs views about marijuanas abuse potential and level of physical or psychological dependence. HHS recommended the change to the DOJs Drug Enforcement Agency last year.

In responding to the proposal, ATA noted that the Department of Transportations current drug and alcohol testing authority is limited by HHS Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs, which allow motor carriers to test for Schedule I or II drugs but not for Schedule III drugs.

If this rulemaking is permitted to move forward without appropriate regulatory review, oversight and deliberation, ATA is concerned that it will severely curtail the ability of motor carriers and other employers of safety-sensitive positions to maintain a safe working environment, threatening the safety of all road users, said Dan Horvath, ATAs senior vice president of regulatory affairs and safety policy.

In a letter Wednesday to DOJ, HHS and DOT in anticipation of the rescheduling, Horvath pointed out that marijuana represented close to 60% of all positive employer drug tests of regulated commercial drivers reported to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrations Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse, based on FMCSAs latest data.

He also cited recent examples of fatal crashes involving truck drivers who had used marijuana, including a multivehicle crash in Indiana last year that killed seven people and a crash this year in Texas involving a cement-truck driver who hit a school bus head-on, killing one child.

Rescheduling marijuana without an explicit drug testing carveout for safety-sensitive workers could ultimately lead to more devastating tragedies like these and add to the ever-increasing death toll on our nations roadways, Horvath wrote.

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The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association had a more cautious response to the proposed rule.

OOIDA has a large, diverse membership and we are in the process of garnering feedback, said OOIDA spokesman George OConnor in a statement.

There are still plenty of questions to be addressed on the topic, particularly because a person who tests positive is not necessarily under the influence and may not have been under the influence for weeks.

Related articles:

Click for more FreightWaves articles by John Gallagher.

The post ATA red-flags DOJs proposed marijuana policy change appeared first on FreightWaves.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

The tariffs signal that the US won't accept another wave of Chinese imports, Paul Krugman wrote.

The previous "China shock" was damaging to US employment, given the localized nature of US industry.

China is relying on heavy production to manufacture its way out of an economic slump.

President Joe Biden's fresh set of China tariffs are a signal that the US will not absorb another flood of Chinese products, Paul Krugman, a top economist, wrote in an op-ed for The New York Times.

"Biden's moves are more than a symbolic gesture," the Nobel Memorial Prize winner said Tuesday. "They're a shot across the bow  a signal that the United States won't accept a second so-called China shock, a surge of imports that could undermine crucial parts of the administration's agenda."

The administration's recently announced tariffs target $18 billion worth of Chinese goods, taking aim at products from solar cells to semiconductors. To protect the US auto industry, these measures go as far as a 100% tax on electric-vehicle imports.

It's all to avoid a reiteration of the trade imbalance that cropped up in the 1990s, when massive inflows of cheap manufactured goods from China eroded US employment through the next decades, Krugman said.

By one estimate, 1.5 million jobs were eliminated between 1990 and 2007, he said. While this isn't much in the grand scheme of the US economy, those job losses were highly localized and wreaked havoc on individual communities.

Now, a second China shock is mounting as Beijing looks to escape domestic economic turmoil, Krugman wrote.

While the original shock was a sign of the country's strength, today, sending products abroad is a sign of low domestic demand and a lack of sustainable investing.

"China was able to mask these problems for a while with a huge housing bubble and a bloated real-estate sector, but that game appears to be up," Krugman wrote, referencing the massive property-market fallout that's sent Chinese developers into default.

To the economist, a simple solution would be to provide households with more income, which would boost domestic demand. But Krugman added that Chinese leadership remained inexplicably averse to direct payments to consumers, which he's previously explained as an ideological dislike for welfare and stimulus.

Instead, the country remains focused on boosting advanced manufacturing and unloading the product onto the global market. Other analysts have similarly said that this is likely to spur protectionism and could eventually lead to a trade war.

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"What the Biden administration is basically saying is: No, you don't get to do that," Krugman wrote. "You're too big a player in the world economy to dump the results of your policy failures in other countries' laps."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Bill Gates-Backed Battery Tech Company Files For Bankruptcy Amid 9% Decline In Energy Sector Investments In 2023

Ambri Inc., a Massachusetts-based company specializing in battery technology and supported by prominent investors such as Bill Gates through his company, Gates Frontier, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The company, under a stalking horse purchase agreement, aims to secure higher bids to fund its operations during the sale process, expected to conclude by July 2024.

"Ambri continues to make progress on advancing cell technology into its 3rd generation and moving towards its objective of establishing a commercial business," said Dan Leff, Executive Chair and President of Ambri. "We are taking steps to build on this progress by strengthening our financial position and working with our lenders to support our future success."

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The decision to declare bankruptcy was made during a special board meeting on May 3, with the official filing occurring on May 5 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

Ambri was "founded with seed money from Bill Gates," after Gates saw the Leff's online lectures at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2009 and "mentioned if there were a startup company based on the liquid metal battery research, he would be interested in helping fund the company," according to their website.

In addition to Gates's company, who invested via his $40 billion investment firm fund, Gates Frontier, Ambri also attracted investments from firms such as Paulson Partners, and Reliance New Energy. The company raised $211 Million, according to Crunchbase.

Trending: Invest like a millionaire. Exclusive opportunity to invest in Epic Games $17 billion gaming empire.

Despite raising such substantial amounts from investors since they were founded, Ambri faced difficulties securing additional funding in 2023 for its Series F round. Their attempt to raise $50 million in financing fell through when a potential $8 million investment was withdrawn, leading the company into financial distress.

Ambris technology, which revolves around patented liquid metal battery innovations with over 103 issued and pending patents, represents a significant advancement in energy storage solutions. However, the company struggled to transition from research and development to market viability.

According to Global Ventures, Energy startups saw a 9% decline in corporate-backed investments in 2023 compared with 2022. This trend reflects a broader cautious approach among investors due to uncertain market conditions.

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"In 2023, we have really slowed down our investments, waiting for the markets in cleantech to follow the rest of the VC sectors, but suspect it still has some way to go (down). I do believe investment from us might pick up again by H2 of 2024," says Geert van de Wouw, the head of Shell Ventures.

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Frank McCourt, the former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, this week announced he is putting together a bid to buy the popular social media platform TikTok as the companys future in the U.S. remains uncertain after President Joe Biden signed a bill that could get it banned nationwide.

In a statement released Wednesday, McCourt announced that his Project Liberty organization is building a consortium to acquire TikToks U.S. operations in consultation with global investment bank Guggenheim Partners and law firm Kirkland & Ellis.

We see this potential acquisition as an incredible opportunity to catalyze an alternative to the current tech model that has colonized the internet, McCourt, a longtime critic of big tech, said.

By bringing leading academics, technologists, behavioral scientists, psychologists and economic experts together with community partners, parents and citizens, we believe we can preserve  and enhance  the TikTok experience by giving individuals and creators on the platform the value and control they deserve regarding who has access to their data and how it is used, he continued.

Leading technologists, including Sir Tim Berners-Lee, best known for founding the World Wide Web, support the effort, the press release said.

ByteDance last month signaled it doesnt have plans to sell TikTok.

McCourt, a real estate mogul, first spoke about his plans to Semafors Ben Smith on Tuesday, where he explained he wants to reshape TikTok to be a new and better version of the internet where individuals are respected and they own and control their identity and their data.

It connects 170 million people and allows them to be creative and build things and enjoy things and do things, he added. On the other hand, they dont get to really share in the value thats created, and their data is scraped and stolen and shipped to China.

Under his vision, McCourt told Smith, TikTok users accounts would move to software that works with Project Libertys Decentralized Social Networking Protocol, which would, in turn, give users more control over their personal data.

McCourt, who is worth about $1.4 billion, according to Forbes, told Semafor he will seek funding from foundations, endowments, and pension funds, but also from the public to finance the bid. Its unclear how much TikTok could be sold for.

McCourt has been a vocal critic of big tech and their user data practices for years.

Project Liberty, founded by McCourt, aims to create a more equitable internet and promote the transition to an open data economy.

Last month, President Joe Biden signed a foreign aid package approved by Congress. The package included a provision forcing the Chinese parent company of TikTok, ByteDance, to sell its stake in the platform within a year or risk a nationwide ban on the social media site.

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A group of eight TikTok creators on Tuesday sued the U.S. government over the legislation, saying it violates their First Amendment rights. Their lawsuit is funded by TikTok, which, together with ByteDance, has also taken legal action against the federal government, claiming the bill is unconstitutional.

McCourt is not alone in wanting to purchase the social media site. Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin previously told CNBCs Squawk Box he was also planning to mount a bid to buy TikTok. Shark Tank investor Kevin OLeary has also expressed interest in acquiring the popular platform.

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Bitcoin

Theres much to learn about cryptocurrency. Many will already have an understanding of how it works, and that Bitcoin is the worlds first  and largest  digital token.

But a lesser-known feature of Bitcoin is its halving events. There have been four halving events so far, with the most recent in April 2024  and they can have a significant effect on its price.

Here, Telegraph Money explains what halving is, and how you could use the next event to your advantage:

Bitcoin halving explained

Bitcoin halving does not affect the amount of Bitcoin in circulation, and therefore will not affect any holdings.

Instead, it affects the mining rewards, reducing the frequency of new coins into the system.

Bitcoin is stored and exchanged securely through an online digital ledger, known as blockchain.

The people (or organisations) who mine Bitcoin race to solve complex mathematical puzzles to add a new block (unit of transaction data) to the chain.

As an incentive to participate in this process, they are then usually rewarded with a certain amount of Bitcoin.

Rather than being determined by dates, a halving event automatically happens when the number of blocks that the network has processed reaches 210,000.

The first Bitcoin halving took place on Nov 28, 2012, and saw the block reward drop from 50 Bitcoins to 25 Bitcoins. The second halving took place on July 9, 2016, and saw the block reward being cut from 25 Bitcoins to 12.5 Bitcoins. The third halving took place on May 11, 2020, and brought the mining rewards down from 12.5 Bitcoins to 6.25 Bitcoins.

The latest took place on April 19, 2024 and brought the mining rewards down from 6.25 Bitcoins to 3.125 Bitcoins.

The reason for halving events is that Bitcoin is finite. There will only ever be 21 million Bitcoin in existence  this was written into the code when it was first created. The halvings will continue until all Bitcoins have been brought into existence through the block rewards, which means it could take until the year 2140 to complete the mining.

Each event, however, presents challenges for the profitability of miners, who face decreasing rewards for their efforts.

What impact does halving have on price?

Halvings lead to increased attention and speculation on the crypto world and how they will affect market value.

The events reduces the incentive for bitcoin miners to continue their activities, this can create a supply shortfall if demand stays steady or increases. This has typically led to an increase in the price of Bitcoin.

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In the month before the most recent halving event in April 2024, the price of Bitcoin hit an all-time high, rising past $69,000 (54,353) for the first time in its history and surpassing the previous record reached in November 2021.

However, price rises were partly prompted by a move in America to allow US securities firms to launch ETFs that invest in Bitcoin, bringing cryptocurrencies further into mainstream investing.

Since the US regulator the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) authorised the first spot Bitcoin ETFs in January, several funds have been launched including ETFs from major brands such as BlackRock, Fidelity and Invesco.

After the previous Bitcoin halving in May 2020, the cryptocurrency market went on a bull run, with the price of Bitcoin increasing fivefold in the next calendar year.

The limited number of Bitcoins that can enter circulation makes them a so-called scarce asset, which for some people is enough to make them valuable.

Simon Peters, cryptocurrency market analyst at investment platform eToro said: The cap on the number of Bitcoins is actually less than 21 million. This number is closer to 17 million because so many have been lost on hard drives and memory sticks where investors have mined their own Bitcoin or taken it into custody themselves, rather than holding it via a platform.

Scarce assets, such as crypto, property and gold, are attractive to investors because generally they increase in value. The halving events in crypto mean there are known price changes coming, with the peak increases coming around 12-18 months after such an event. The squeeze on supply has definitely had an impact, though there are many other factors to prices with crypto being a global asset.

Should I take any action?

Cryptocurrency markets are notoriously difficult to predict with big price swings occurring, sometimes without much warning. Timing an investment is a full-time job and even then its impossible for a professional to know exactly where the market is going.

As a halving event approaches, existing investors could consider offloading some Bitcoin if they needed to raise cash for something or wanted to take profits.

But again, you need to factor in that cryptocurrency prices are extremely volatile and unpredictable so you cant bank on prices rising as they have done in the past as external, wider economic factors count.

Dont forget that there are tax implications of selling off Bitcoin, which should be a consideration in terms of timing. Cryptocurrency is treated as a form of investment, and regulated in a similar way to stocks and shares.

As such, profits on selling some or all of your crypto holdings will trigger capital gains tax (CGT) over and above the 3,000 annual CGT allowance.

In December HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) launched a voluntary disclosure campaign, encouraging investors who had not declared any gains from crypto assets to come forward and pay up.

The risks of investing in crypto

While a furore around a halving event will create heightened expectation and momentum surrounding Bitcoin trading, remember to invest wisely and not get caught up in the hype.

Remind yourself of the risks, which include that cryptocurrencies are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), so buyers have no protection under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme which covers losses up to 85,000 on fully regulated accounts and investment products including pensions.

It also means crypto investors cannot complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service to settle any claims of unfair practice.

Fraud is also rife within cryptocurrency trading. In Britain alone, losses to crypto fraud jumped by more than 40pc in the 12 months to March 2023, taking the estimated total losses to in excess of 300m, according to analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics by law firm RPC.

The FCA is clamping down on the advertising surrounding crypto and the use of so-called finfluencers who take to social media to promote fraudulent schemes.

Buying Bitcoin

As long as youre comfortable with the risks, you can purchase Bitcoin  and other cryptocurrencies  from online exchanges, which make it easy to buy and sell from your smartphone, tablet or computer.

UK cryptocurrency exchanges include Coinbase, Robinhood, Gemini and eToro. They will either charge a percentage of a trade or a fixed fee, though some offer free trades. There might also be a subscription option where you pay a regular sum and trades are free.

At eToro youll pay 1pc for buying and selling Bitcoin, but at Robinhood theres no fee.

There might also be an account minimum so make sure you check the terms, though this tends to be low at around $10.

Some offer incentives when you open an account, such as free tokens, but dont let that determine your choice. The terms of service and the charges are more important than freebies.

Youll need to add funds to your account before youre able to start trading, usually using a credit or debit card or bank transfer.

Your Bitcoin  or cryptocurrency of choice  can be stored in a digital wallet on the platform. You can also transfer it onto your hard drive.

Crypto can also be bought directly from individuals via marketplaces.

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The headquarters of Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kansas - Nick Oxford/Reuters

A major Boeing supplier is to make up to 450 workers redundant after its biggest customer was forced to cut aeroplane production.

Spirit AeroSystems, which manufactures fuselages for Boeing, faces mounting losses after the mid-flight blowout of a plug door on a Boeing 737 Max plane in January sparked safety concerns and attracted massive regulator scrutiny.

The company sent a memo on Thursday to staff at its main plant in Wichita, Kansas, saying that a redundancy process was coming. The memo was first reported by KSN TV.

The recent slowdown in the delivery rate on commercial programmes compels a reduction to our workforce in Wichita, a company spokesman told Reuters. In the coming weeks, we will inform affected employees. We are committed to implementing this transition in as compassionate a manner as possible.

Spirit had already begun to limit overtime and hiring as production declines due to lower output of 737 Max jets.

A week ago, Spirit announced that losses had more than doubled in the first quarter of 2024, compared with a year earlier, to $617m (487m) as orders from Boeing slowed and the company was weighed down by the costs of investigating the January incident.

It burned through $444m in cash during the quarter, but Boeing has subsequently agreed to pay it $425m in cash advances, in a move to shore up its finances.

Spirit confirmed in March that it was currently engaged in discussions with Boeing about being taken over. The fuselage maker had previously been part of Boeing until a 2005 sell-off.

In addition to financial pressures, Spirit faces scrutiny from regulator investigations alongside Boeing following the January incident.

In February, Boeing said Spirit AeroSystems had discovered mis-drilled holes on some fuselages, affecting the window frames on some planes. Spirit said it was working closely with Boeing on the matter.

Spirit AeroSystems shares rose 1.6pc in trading on Thursday.

Boeing declined to comment. Spirit was approached for comment.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Aerospace supplier Spirit AeroSystems announced plans to lay off around 400 members of its workforce in the coming days, amid issues at one of the companys key clients, Boeing.

The large airplane manufacturer has been dogged in recent months with in-flight issues and allegations of quality control oversights on its 737 Max 9 jets, leading to an FAA investigation and the worldwide grounding of the aircraft in January.

Joshua Dean, a former quality auditor at Spirit AeroSystems, which was spun off from Boeing in 2005, was among those who publically claimed that Boeing leadership ignored manufacturing defects in the 737 Max.

He died in early May after a sudden infection, the second Boeing-related whistleblower to die in recent months.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information.
NEXT-ChemX Corporation

Bolivian Qualification for 3rd Phase of the 2024 Convocatoria

Las Vegas, Nevada, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NEXT-ChemX Corporation (OTC: CHMX), (NEXT-ChemX) is pleased to announce, the Bolivian State Lithium Company (YLB) received technical materials submitted by its strategic partner, Clontarf Energy plc, (Clontarf) in relation to Phase 2 of the invitation for proposals (convocatoria) for seven priority salares (salt pans) in Southern Bolivia.

YLB confirmed on the 14th of May, 2024 that the partnership through Clontarf is one of the 21 companies approved to enter Phase 3 of the (5-phase) process. The Phase 2 was centered upon a technical aspects of state-of-the-art Lithium extraction technologies, especially emerging Direct Lithium Extraction technologies.

Phase 3 of the process will include confirmation of the Clontarf/NEXT-ChemX JV partnership's financial capacity as well as demonstration of NEXT-ChemXs pilot plant that is being built in India. Clontarf and NEXT-ChemX have been working closely together on the Bolivian extraction opportunity since 2022.

Clontarf announced in its Press Release yesterday, that it had broadened its "Team Europe" partnership to include financing and offtake partners representing key OEM manufacturers in the German Mittelstand, which includes high tech, battery-quality lithium off takers. Clontarf further acknowledged the European Commission's leadership and strong support for the European companies involved, including initiating high-level negotiations over infrastructure financing, and issuing a Letter of Comfort for the qualified European companies. More Lithium from more environmentally friendly from brine sources may be classified as a strategic project under the EU's Critical Resource Minerals Act.

CEO of NEXT-ChemX Corporation, Mr. Wilcoxon, states, Our acceptance into Phase 3 of the 5-phase process is a significant milestone for our iTDE technology. There are still challenges ahead of us and while there can be no assurances we will receive final approvals; we remain confident in our technology and will need to wait until pilot plant testing of the selected brines to determine the cost effectiveness of our environmentally friendly solution.

About NEXT-ChemX Corporation

NEXT-ChemX Corporation is an innovative technology company preparing to introduce its proprietary, patented novel Membrane-Based Ion Extraction Technology, known as iTDE technology (ion Targeting Direct Extraction) that has been proven to extract very low concentrations of certain ions from liquid solutions, while reducing the harmful impact to the environment using current processes. Our system uses a unique hollow fiber technology to extract lithium directly from brines, leach solutions, or recycled battery solutions. The extraction process is continuous, proven and can be used for a range of metal ions and radioactive ions. In addition, the system performs exceptionally well and more economically when purifying bio-oils and biodiesel. Our unique technology is easily scalable, and we are currently developing a modular extraction pilot plant which would allow for the rapid deployment of an extraction facility and its onsite assembly even in remote and difficult environments.

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NEXT-ChemX Corporation, is a Nevada company trading on OTC Markets as CHMX. Please visit the Companys website at www.next-chemx.com

Safe Harbor and Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Making such forward looking statements involves substantial risks and uncertainties. Our actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. You can usually identify these statements by the use of forward-looking terminology such as may, could, will, should, expect, likely, anticipate, project, estimate, potential, intend, continue or believe or the negatives thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by us, are inherently uncertain. You should read statements that contain these words carefully because they discuss our plans, strategies, prospects and expectations concerning our business, operating results, financial condition and other similar matters. In spite of the difficulties associated with making forward looking statements, we believe that it is important to communicate our future expectations to our investors even though there may be events in the future that we are not able to predict accurately or control. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release speak only as of the date on which we make it. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, for a number of reasons including, without limitation, economic, political, access to capital, competition and other risks discussed in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, which filings are available from the SEC. It is not possible for us to predict all of these factors or events. We caution you, therefore, not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update, revise or modify publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of changes in assumptions, new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. If we do update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those same or other forward-looking statements in the future.

Contact:

J. Michael Johnson,

President, NEXT-ChemX Corporation

Phone: +1 725-867-0789

email: info@next-chemx.com




A long line of potential new hires stand outside waiting for doors to open for the Bryan County Palooza Wednesday.

Norma Precision, C&H Precision and Orafol were among 12 employers at the Bryan County Palooza job fair Wednesday at the Georgia Tech Savannah Campus.

According to Zachary Dykes, project manager for the Development Authority of Bryan County, there were at least 240 positions among the dozen companies looking for hires. Over the last five years, the DABC has assisted with projects that have created nearly 12,000 jobs.

Soon-to-be veteran Kevin Stewart is hoping to land a position focusing on the environmental side of the house for Hyundai.

Im excited for a new career, said Stewart. This is the first time Ive applied for a job because I wont be getting out of the military until October.

More: Water, warehouses and traffic study in the works in Bryan County

Buck Holly, owner of C&H Precision, spoke to the challenges he has faced when looking for new employees. The biggest challenge our applicants face is finding housing they can afford in our local area or the challenge of driving to Richmond Hill from where they currently live.

Holly said his company has 16 job openings and hopes to hire between 1-3 from todays event.

The jobs we are trying to hire for range from $15 to $30 per hour based on the position and the experience of the applicant, said Holly. At C&H, we pride ourselves in being an engineering innovation hub and we leverage the best design tools and software, manufacturing processes and production equipment. Lastly, we offer very competitive benefit programs and an annual bonus up to 20% of an employees annual salary.

Buck Holly, President and CEO of C&H Precision in Bryan County

Rebecca Graham, human resources manager for adhesive graphic manufacturer Orafol, said they have six positions available, including warehouse specialist and converting operator. Base pay is $20 per hour. Graham said the company has a slight advantage when it comes to attracting new hires because no experience is required and training is done in-house.

It has helped with our recruiting, said Graham. We are looking for soft skills and people that are dependable, reliable, looking to grow and looking to learn.

According to independent news organization Business Insider, on average, it took employers 44 days to bring on a new hire. A regional workforce study commissioned by the Savannah Economic Development Authority proves good talent is hard to come by, meaning companies like C&H have to keep their foot on the gas to get the best talent in the door.

When we identify a qualified candidate, we onboard them as quickly as possible, said Holly. With such a shortage of qualified talent in the region and the upcoming surge in jobs from larger companies, we cant afford to allow great candidates to get away.

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Latrice Williams is the general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham counties. You can reach her at LWilliams6@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Bryan County holds job fair to bolster workforce
A North Carolina businessman has been convicted once again for trying to bribe North Carolinas insurance commissioner for favors.

The Department of Justice says Greg Lindberg offered money in exchange for moves by the Department of Insurance, which would have benefited his company.

NC man indicted for alleged $2 billion insurance fraud scheme

Lindberg was convicted of the same crime in 2020 and sentenced to seven years in prison.

However, a judge vacated that conviction and ordered a new trial. He faces a maximum of 30 years in prison, and a sentencing date has not been set.

VIDEO: Who is Greg Lindberg and why is his company scrutinized in bribery case?
Canada-based private-label manufacturer Commercial Bakeries has acquired US better-for-you baked goods maker Imagine Baking for an undisclosed sum.

The US company is a manufacturer of crackers, cookies, biscuits and brittle. Its portfolio is focused on the gluten-free and organic categories.

Commercial Bakeries said: Imagine Baking provides an opportunity for the combined company to expand its capabilities and capitalise on the growing trend towards private-label baked snacks in the North American cookie and cracker market. 

The move marks the first add-on acquisition for Commercial Bakeries since it was acquired by investment Graham Partners in September last year.

Imagine Baking is headquartered in Sandusky, Ohio, where it operates a 114,000-square-foot facility. Commercial said Imagines manufacturing lines, multiple packaging capabilities and R&D laboratory will help to unlock additional opportunities for the combined businesses.

Shawn Warren, CEO of Commercial Bakeries, said he is confident that together the two businesses will accelerate towards their goals.

We are delighted to welcome John and Adrienne O'Donnell [founders of Imagine Baking] and their Imagine Baking team into the expanded business," he said.

Adrienne and John O'Donnell added: "This will be a win-win for both our companies, as we look forward to adding our innovation focus to the strong product offerings at Commercial Bakeries.

Together we will create a compelling solution for both national brands and private label needs."

Commercial Bakeries, headquartered in Toronto,, is a producer of better-for-you, and seasonal cookies in the private-label sector. It primarily serves the retail and co-manufacturing channels, partnering with many retail grocery chains and brands in North America.

Meanwhile in the US, Sweetmore Bakeries announced earlier this week that it has completed the acquisition of Sweet Eddies, a wholesale manufacturer of cinnamon rolls.

The company said the move will add to its already expansive set of premium products across retail and foodservice channels.

Sweetmore Bakeries CEO David Veenstra said: Our goal is to serve the very best retail and foodservice customers with high quality baked goods, and by adding the complementary cinnamon roll and yeast-raised categories to our portfolio, along with a great team at Sweet Eddies, we will be even better positioned to do so.

Sweet Eddies founder Ed Allen added: Our partnership with Sweetmore Bakeries will allow us to continue to invest in our facility and team and enable our growth with current and future customers.

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Sweet Eddies is a wholesale bakery specialising in the production of cinnamon rolls and other yeast-raised sweet goods for top retail chains across the US. The business, founded in 1998, is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Sweetmore Bakeries is headquartered in Chicago. It has speciality bakeries with more than 300 employees and four facilities across the US.

Its product portfolio includes biscotti, brownies, dessert bars, cakes and cookies.

"Canadas Commercial Bakeries snaps up better-for-you peer Imagine Baking" 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.
Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant brand CAVA has opened a new food production and packaging facility in Verona in the US state of Virginia.

The 55,000ft facility entailed an initial investment of $35m.

It will manufacture CAVA's signature dips and spreads including tzatziki, harissa and Crazy Feta, as well as select dressings.

The Verona facility can produce 100,000 pounds of product daily using high-pressure processing.

Cold pasteurisation technology has been chosen for its ability to retain the flavour and nutritional value of the ingredients used in CAVA's products.

Together with an existing facility in Laurel, Maryland, the new Verona site is set to support 750 restaurants.

It will also facilitate the expansion of CAVA's consumer packaged goods business.

CAVA co-founder and CEO Brett Schulman said: CAVA Foods Verona is part of a vertically integrated model that supports our business now and over the long term. By centrally producing our dips and spreads, we reduce complexity in our restaurants, improve costs overall and maintain the quality, consistency and integrity of our chef-crafted recipes at scale.

Were excited to be part of the Verona community and grateful for our ongoing partnership with Augusta County and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

In April 2024 CAVA opened its first location in Wicker Park, in the Chicago area.

The move marked CAVA's entry into the upper Midwest US market.

The 3,100ft Wicker Park restaurant includes a 30-seat dining room.

CAVA Wicker Park is part of the brand's growing portfolio, which now includes 325 restaurants across 25 states and the District of Columbia.

In June 2023, the company raised $318m through its initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange.

The company sold more than 14 million shares at $22 each, after initially marketing them between $19 and $20.

The IPO valued CAVA at $2.5bn, exceeding earlier valuations based on a price range of $17 to $19 per share.

CAVA has ambitious plans to open 1,000 restaurants up to 2033.

"CAVA opens new food packaging and production facility in Virginia, US" was originally created and published by Verdict Food Service, 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.
Moroccan officials have said that Chinese automotive battery manufacturers Hailiang and Shinzoom will build two separate plants in the country, Reuters reports.

It comes as Morocco sees an increasing automotive sector due to greater demand for electric vehicles.

Earlier this year its industry and trade minister Ryad Mezzour said the government is in talks to attract more electric battery makers.

Hailiang is planning to build a copper plant worth $450 million, and Shinzoom, part of Hunan Zhongke, will invest $460 million in an anodes facility.

Another Chinese manufacturer, CNGR Advanced Material is expected to build a cathode plant in Jorf Lasfar, 100 kilometres south of Casablanca, Reuters reports.

Major automakers such as Stellantis and Renault have production plants in the country, with GlobalData analysts citing the country is transforming into a manufacturing hub success story, having created two industrial platforms in the Cite de lAutomobile in Tangier and the Cite de lAutomobile in Kenitra.

It has ambitions to become one of the worlds major car manufacturing locations.

"Chinese auto battery makers invest in Morocco" was originally created and published by Just Auto, 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.
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  With hurricane season just over two weeks away, Citizens Property Insurances Board of Governors met to discuss a new requirement that aims to cut down on risk.

Reinsurance is insurance for insurance companies. In Citizens case, it ensures the states insurer of last resort will be able to pay out their claims if disaster strikes.

This comes a year after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the company is not solvent and implied consumers should knock on wood, hoping a major hurricane wouldnt collapse the market.

According to a report from NBC affiliate WBBH, the Board of Governors said the company will not pay more than $750 million for $5.5 billion in coverage. If the company ends up paying that $750 million, customers rates should not go up.

Whats really being done to fix Floridas property insurance crisis?

Citizens CFO Jennifer Montero made it clear the company wont pay above market rate for reinsurance, saying, we have walked away before and I think the market knows that.

The board worries they may have prematurely shown their hand by revealing how much the company is willing to spend.

Its hard to negotiate or play a poker game when youre showing people your poker hand, board member Carlos Beruff said, according to WBBH.

Earlier this year, Citizens CEO Tim Cerio said that the company should shrink as Floridas insurance market becomes healthier. Mark Friedlander with the Insurance Information Institute told WBBH that isnt happening.

Other companies continue to pass off their customers to the insurer of last resort, which has racked up nearly 1.2 million policyholders.

Florida lawmakers move to push Citizens customers off on unregulated insurers

Theyre actually growing again, Friedlander told WBBH.

According to the companys 2023 annual statement, Citizens has $17.8 billion in reserve on top of the potential $5.5 billion in reinsurance.

When WBBH asked Friedlander if he thought $5.5 billion was sufficient to cover Citizens, he said private insurers would probably face a ratings downgrade if they made that decision.

In a situation where claims exceed Citizens reserves, Friedlander warned that the citizens of Florida themselves could be on the hook through a so-called hurricane tax.

Citizens also announced Tuesday that the company does not plan to remove any customers during hurricane season. In the meantime, many policies are expected to be taken over by a handful of other companies.

Citizens ignored both emails: Senate panel accuses Florida insurer of not cooperating with probe

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A U.S. Senate budget committee launched a probe into Citizens last year to investigate its underwriting policies and to prepare for the possibility that Florida lawmakers may ask for a federal bailout. The committee doubled down on its quest for answers in a letter written by committee chairman Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) in March, which claims Citizens provided an insufficient response to their inquiry.

In an April 12 letter sent to Whitehouse by Citizens CEO Tim Cerio, he pointed out laws passed in the latest Florida legislative session promise significant reforms to the states insurance market.

After reviewing our response we hope, as we expressed in our last correspondence, the Budget Committee will recognize Florida as a model of sound financial stewardship and meaningful property insurance reform, Cerio wrote.

Representatives for Sen. Whitehouse and the Senate Budget Committee did not respond to WFLAs requests for an update on the probe, which were sent earlier this month.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
Indian state-run mining companies Coal India and National Mineral Development (NMDC) are exploring lithium mine opportunities overseas, reported Reuters, citing Indian Mines Secretary V L Kantha Rao.

This search extends to Chile and Australia, with the aim of bolstering India's mineral reserves.

The ministry is not only focusing on these two companies but is also encouraging other state enterprises like ONGC Videsh to seek out critical minerals abroad, Rao told reporters at the sidelines of an industry conference in New Delhi.

Rao was quoted by the news agency as saying: We are looking at four state-owned companies to become active.

Looking ahead, India plans to send a delegation to Zambia this June, where discussions with the Zambian Government will revolve around joint exploration ventures.

Tata Group and Vedanta representatives will be part of the initiative in Zambia, aiming to secure critical minerals such as lithium.

Another delegation is set to visit the Republic of Congo, further expanding India's search for critical minerals.

Rao said that the government is looking to potentially widen a trade agreement with Chile to include critical minerals and exploring trade routes with Mongolia for copper and coal assets.

"Mongolia has good coal, copper assets, and some of the companies have shown interest," Rao added.

The Indian Government's global mineral strategy includes Bolivia and Argentina, with the latter being considered for additional lithium block opportunities.

In the domestic market, India is preparing to auction off ten offshore mineral blocks within the next two to three months.

Additionally, a fourth tranche of critical minerals auctions, involving around 20 blocks, is expected to be announced by the end of June 2024, Rao said.

The results of the first tranche of critical minerals auctions are expected to be declared by 15 June.

Last year, Reuters reported that NMDC was in talks with Australias Hancock Prospecting for the exploration and mining of lithium.

"Coal India and NMDC on global hunt for lithium mines" was originally created and published by Mining 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.
A UPS Boeing 767-300 waits for its next trip at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The express carrier operates 88 of the aircraft type. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

The Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill approved Wednesday by the U.S. House of Representatives includes language allowing Boeing an extra five years to produce 767 freighters for FedEx and UPS beyond the date when international standards mandating cleaner engine types kick in.

The bill gives Boeing (NYSE: BA) a bridge, in case the express carriers need extra capacity, until it can develop a new freighter next decade. Multiple industry sources familiar with the process said FedEx (NYSE: FDX) and UPS (NYSE: UPS), via surrogates, joined Boeing in lobbying Congress for a reprieve from the Jan. 1, 2028, production deadline. The legislation previously passed the Senate and will be sent to President Joe Biden to sign into law.

At face value, a split from international consensus would limit operation of freighters produced between 2028 and 2033 to the domestic U.S. market, but its possible some countries could permit access, according to experts. Freighters delivered before the end of 2027 arent covered by the enhanced carbon emission rules and wont face any restrictions.

Under International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) agreements, commercial aircraft manufacturers effectively cant sell aircraft that dont meet the 2028 carbon emissions standards. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adopted the fuel efficiency standard in 2021 with the FAA following suit in February.





Even if post-2027 freighters end up being limited to domestic flying, it makes sense for FedEx and UPS to buy them, said Tom Crabtree, a Seattle-based industry consultant and former Boeing market analyst, in an interview.

The 767-300 production and converted freighter provides the lowest trip costs of any widebody freighter in production today while simultaneously allowing service to smaller markets where 50 metric tons of payload, or more, simply isnt needed. They also have sufficient range to serve international markets to/from Europe and/or northern South America from the US, he said.

Boeing stopped making the 767 as a passenger jet many years ago. It also supplies a tanker variant for militaries. FedEx and UPS are the only customers for the 767-300 freighter. Traditional cargo airlines opt for used 767s that have been converted to a cargo configuration because they dont have the consistent, daily volumes of integrated express carriers and cant afford more expensive new models.

UPS was the launch customer for the Boeing 767 freighter in 1995. The parcel logistics giant has 88 B767-300s in its fleet, including 10 converted freighters, and 19 additional factory aircraft on order from Boeing.

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We expect to receive all outstanding orders before that time, said UPS spokeswoman Michelle Polk.

FedEx has 137 B767s flying in its network, with 15 more deliveries scheduled through mid-2026, according to the companys latest statistics.

Aviation publication The Air Current was first to unearth the 767 freighter waiver, tucked away on page 1,038 of the FAA bill. The language doesnt mention the 767 by name, but the maximum takeoff weight of 180,000 kilograms to 240,000 kilograms squarely fits the 767.

Boeing officials have increasingly signaled that they plan to develop a freighter version of the 787 Dreamliner as a replacement for the 767F, but the first delivery is expected to take at least eight to 10 years.

The 767F continues to be the most environmentally sound mid-size freighter available. We are working with our customers and are in communication with regulators regarding the requirements for this market segment, Boeing said in a statement before the vote. As we look ahead to future medium-widebody freighter options, the 787 is a natural place for us to look. We continue to evaluate our options in this space and are listening to our customers. Any future decisions regarding whether to launch a new program, will be largely driven by customer needs and market demand.

FedEx operates 137 Boeing 767 freighters (pictured) in its parcel and freight network. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Without the exemption, FedEx and UPS could be limited to Airbus A330 converted cargo jets, a model neither currently operates, if they need more medium-widebody aircraft in four or five years. The feedstock for 767 conversions is drying up because passenger airlines like Delta and United are holding on to aircraft longer than anticipated in response to supply chain, manufacturing and engine-related problems that have delayed delivery of replacement aircraft. The airlines probably wont be ready to let go of the 767s until they are well beyond the age of conversion or have too many flight cycles and flight hours accumulated on them to make it worth a while to convert, said Crabtree.

The new law will enable Boeing to compete with Israel Aircraft Industries, which installs 767 conversion kits, and an Airbus subsidiary that rebuilds A330s into freighters, and give it time to bring a 787 freighter to market, said the former chief editor of the biennial Boeing World Air Cargo Forecast. And A330 conversion providers would be able to demand higher pricing without that competition.

Express firms like the certainty of production freighters even though they are more expensive than conversions of the same airplane models, he added. That certainty takes the form of more consistent delivery schedules and meeting of specifications.





FedEx and UPS put pressure on Congress to keep the 767 option open and keep the playing field level until Boeing brings out the 787 freighter, the sources said.

Many have interpreted the carve-out to the international fuel efficiency standards to mean that noncompliant aircraft will be prohibited from flying outside the United States. But there is no universal enforcement mechanism. ICAOs carbon emission standard will be implemented by individual countries as new domestic regulations updating their system for certifying aircraft types. Production will essentially be banned starting in 2028 because noncompliant models will not be certified for sale by civil aviation authorities in their area of jurisdiction.

Countries that ban the sale of noncompliant models are likely to ban aircraft with an exemption from entering their airspace on the basis of having an unfair advantage.

But an aviation industry source, who didnt want to be identified because of the political sensitivity of the topic, said FedEx and UPS access to airspace in foreign countries would depend on what individual governments are willing to accept. Smaller countries that typically follow FAA and European Union regulations rather than certify aircraft themselves might have fewer qualms with allowing exempted 767s to operate.

Boeing also continues to deliver 777 cargo jets to FedEx and other airlines around the world. The FAA reauthorization doesnt provide a waiver for the 777 because Boeing expects to have a next-generation 777-X ready sometime in 2027.

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RECOMMENDED READING:

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Living a comfortable life in the 50 biggest cities in the United States requires earning an income of at least $50,000 annually  and in many cities, homeowners and renters need to earn six figures.

To determine how much it takes to live comfortably in the 50 biggest U.S. cities, GOBankingRates analyzed the 50 largest cities by total population, total households and median and mean household incomes. The average home value, along with the 30-year national fixed rate average mortgage rate, was also sourced to calculate each citys average mortgage cost. The average expenditure cost was also calculated using the cost of living indexes and this cost along with housing costs were summed to find the average cost of living for a renter and a homeowner in each city.

Ranked in order of cities with the lowest to highest total population, keep reading to find out how much it costs to live comfortably in these 50 major cities.

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50. Arlington, Texas

Population total: 393,469

Household total: 137,519

Household median income: $71,736

Household mean income: $92,583

Livability index: 78

Home value (March 2024): $320,847

Average expenditure cost: $2,043

Average mortgage cost: $1,954

Average rent cost: $1,621

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,665

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $3,998

Annual income needed for renter: $87,957

Annual income needed for homeowner: $95,945

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49. Wichita, Kansas

Population total: 395,951

Household total: 156,054

Household median income: $60,712

Household mean income: $84,475

Livability index: 66

Home value (March 2024): $192,411

Average expenditure cost: $2,102

Average mortgage cost: $1,172

Average rent cost: $1,029

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,132

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $3,274

Annual income needed for renter: $75,157

Annual income needed for homeowner: $78,584

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48. Bakersfield, California

Population total: 404,321

Household total: 124,744

Household median income: $73,827

Household mean income: $99,270

Livability index: 58

Home value (March 2024): $389,888

Average expenditure cost: $2,069

Average mortgage cost: $2,375

Average rent cost: $1,948

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $4,016

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $4,444

Annual income needed for renter: $96,393

Annual income needed for homeowner: $106,645

Story continues

47. Tulsa, Oklahoma

Population total: 411,938

Household total: 169,783

Household median income: $56,648

Household mean income: $86,593

Livability index: 75

Home value (March 2024): $205,381

Average expenditure cost: $1,975

Average mortgage cost: $1,251

Average rent cost: $1,230

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,204

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $3,225

Annual income needed for renter: $76,898

Annual income needed for homeowner: $77,411

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46. Minneapolis

Population total: 426,877

Household total: 185,674

Household median income: $76,332

Household mean income: $108,980

Livability index: 78

Home value (March 2024): $337,927

Average expenditure cost: $2,157

Average mortgage cost: $2,058

Average rent cost: $1,628

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,784

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $4,215

Annual income needed for renter: $90,823

Annual income needed for homeowner: $101,155

45. Oakland, California

Population total: 437,825

Household total: 170,282

Household median income: $94,389

Household mean income: $139,468

Livability index: 74

Home value (March 2024): $878,112

Average expenditure cost: $2,524

Average mortgage cost: $5,348

Average rent cost: $2,500

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $5,024

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $7,872

Annual income needed for renter: $120,576

Annual income needed for homeowner: $188,928

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44. Miami

Population total: 443,665

Household total: 186,137

Household median income: $54,858

Household mean income: $90,171

Livability index: 79

Home value (March 2024): $629,115

Average expenditure cost: $2,060

Average mortgage cost: $3,832

Average rent cost: $3,125

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $5,185

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $5,891

Annual income needed for renter: $124,430

Annual income needed for homeowner: $141,394

43. Virginia Beach, Virginia

Population total: 457,900

Household total: 178,915

Household median income: $87,544

Household mean income: $113,388

Livability index: 83

Home value (March 2024): $410,347

Average expenditure cost: $2,262

Average mortgage cost: $2,499

Average rent cost: $1,874

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $4,135

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $4,761

Annual income needed for renter: $99,249

Annual income needed for homeowner: $114,265

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42. Long Beach, California

Population total: 462,293

Household total: 170,174

Household median income: $78,995

Household mean income: $104,313

Livability index: 70

Home value (March 2024): $910,466

Average expenditure cost: $2,184

Average mortgage cost: $5,545

Average rent cost: $2,245

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $4,429

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $7,730

Annual income needed for renter: $106,292

Annual income needed for homeowner: $185,509

41. Raleigh, North Carolina

Population total: 465,517

Household total: 189,830

Household median income: $78,631

Household mean income: $112,110

Livability index: 84

Home value (March 2024): $450,529

Average expenditure cost: $2,041

Average mortgage cost: $2,744

Average rent cost: $1,669

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,709

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $4,785

Annual income needed for renter: $89,023

Annual income needed for homeowner: $114,833

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40. Colorado Springs, Colorado

Population total: 479,612

Household total: 193,149

Household median income: $79,026

Household mean income: $102,139

Livability index: 80

Home value (March 2024): $462,214

Average expenditure cost: $2,082

Average mortgage cost: $2,815

Average rent cost: $1,809

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,891

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $4,897

Annual income needed for renter: $93,374

Annual income needed for homeowner: $117,528

39. Omaha, Nebraska

Population total: 489,201

Household total: 197,842

Household median income: $70,202

Household mean income: $97,761

Livability index: 82

Home value (March 2024): $279,525

Average expenditure cost: $2,233

Average mortgage cost: $1,703

Average rent cost: $1,315

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,548

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $3,936

Annual income needed for renter: $85,154

Annual income needed for homeowner: $94,453

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38. Atlanta

Population total: 494,838

Household total: 227,388

Household median income: $77,655

Household mean income: $128,965

Livability index: 78

Home value (March 2024): $448,366

Average expenditure cost: $2,038

Average mortgage cost: $2,731

Average rent cost: $1,939

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,977

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $4,769

Annual income needed for renter: $95,458

Annual income needed for homeowner: $114,464

37. Mesa, Arizona

Population total: 503,390

Household total: 193,316

Household median income: $73,766

Household mean income: $95,399

Livability index: 82

Home value (March 2024): $451,000

Average expenditure cost: $1,998

Average mortgage cost: $2,747

Average rent cost: $1,689

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,688

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $4,745

Annual income needed for renter: $88,501

Annual income needed for homeowner: $113,883

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36. Kansas City, Missouri

Population total: 505,958

Household total: 216,513

Household median income: $65,256

Household mean income: $87,670

Livability index: 77

Home value (March 2024): $237,778

Average expenditure cost: $1,952

Average mortgage cost: $1,448

Average rent cost: $1,361

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,312

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $3,400

Annual income needed for renter: $79,498

Annual income needed for homeowner: $81,601

35. Sacramento, California

Population total: 505,958

Household total: 196,524

Household median income: $78,954

Household mean income: $102,258

Livability index: 76

Home value (March 2024): $489,601

Average expenditure cost: $2,231

Average mortgage cost: $2,982

Average rent cost: $2,089

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $4,319

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $5,213

Annual income needed for renter: $103,665

Annual income needed for homeowner: $125,110

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34. Tucson, Arizona

Population total: 541,033

Household total: 220,769

Household median income: $52,049

Household mean income: $69,553

Livability index: 74

Home value (March 2024): $337,388

Average expenditure cost: $1,900

Average mortgage cost: $2,055

Average rent cost: $1,484

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,384

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $3,955

Annual income needed for renter: $81,226

Annual income needed for homeowner: $94,918

33. Fresno, California

Population total: 541,528

Household total: 177,757

Household median income: $63,001

Household mean income: $85,872

Livability index: 65

Home value (March 2024): $387,273

Average expenditure cost: $2,077

Average mortgage cost: $2,359

Average rent cost: $1,825

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,902

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $4,436

Annual income needed for renter: $93,644

Annual income needed for homeowner: $106,464

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32. Albuquerque, New Mexico

Population total: 562,551

Household total: 239,800

Household median income: $61,503

Household mean income: $83,679

Livability index: 71

Home value (March 2024): $332,230

Average expenditure cost: $1,893

Average mortgage cost: $2,024

Average rent cost: $1,483

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,376

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $3,917

Annual income needed for renter: $81,028

Annual income needed for homeowner: $94,002

31. Milwaukee

Population total: 573,299

Household total: 230,759

Household median income: $49,733

Household mean income: $67,046

Livability index: 78

Home value (March 2024): $198,370

Average expenditure cost: $2,048

Average mortgage cost: $1,208

Average rent cost: $1,294

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,342

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $3,257

Annual income needed for renter: $80,212

Annual income needed for homeowner: $78,157

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30. Baltimore

Population total: 584,548

Household total: 247,232

Household median income: $58,349

Household mean income: $85,857

Livability index: 75

Home value (March 2024): $181,941

Average expenditure cost: $1,987

Average mortgage cost: $1,108

Average rent cost: $1,687

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,674

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $3,095

Annual income needed for renter: $88,170

Annual income needed for homeowner: $74,282

29. Louisville, Kentucky

Population total: 629,176

Household total: 261,105

Household median income: $63,114

Household mean income: $88,552

Livability index: 60

Home value (March 2024): $243,630

Average expenditure cost: $1,874

Average mortgage cost: $1,484

Average rent cost: $1,370

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,244

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $3,358

Annual income needed for renter: $77,855

Annual income needed for homeowner: $80,583

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28. Memphis, Tennessee

Population total: 630,027

Household total: 251,586

Household median income: $48,090

Household mean income: $74,176

Livability index: 69

Home value (March 2024): $146,180

Average expenditure cost: $1,933

Average mortgage cost: $890

Average rent cost: $1,287

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,220

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $2,824

Annual income needed for renter: $77,278

Annual income needed for homeowner: $67,765

27. Detroit

Population total: 636,787

Household total: 249,518

Household median income: $37,761

Household mean income: $54,054

Livability index: 73

Home value (March 2024): $70,144

Average expenditure cost: $1,900

Average mortgage cost: $427

Average rent cost: $1,273

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,172

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $2,327

Annual income needed for renter: $76,133

Annual income needed for homeowner: $55,844

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26. Las Vegas

Population total: 644,835

Household total: 240,462

Household median income: $66,356

Household mean income: $93,515

Livability index: 82

Home value (March 2024): $436,591

Average expenditure cost: $2,057

Average mortgage cost: $2,659

Average rent cost: $1,732

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,790

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $4,716

Annual income needed for renter: $90,951

Annual income needed for homeowner: $113,194

25. Portland, Oregon

Population total: 646,101

Household total: 283,896

Household median income: $85,876

Household mean income: $117,687

Livability index: 77

Home value (March 2024): $562,695

Average expenditure cost: $2,157

Average mortgage cost: $3,427

Average rent cost: $1,746

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,902

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $5,584

Annual income needed for renter: $93,658

Annual income needed for homeowner: $134,014

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24. Boston

Population total: 665,945

Household total: 276,053

Household median income: $89,212

Household mean income: $132,509

Livability index: 77

Home value (March 2024): $789,164

Average expenditure cost: $2,451

Average mortgage cost: $4,807

Average rent cost: $3,277

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $5,729

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $7,258

Annual income needed for renter: $137,485

Annual income needed for homeowner: $174,191

23. Washington, D.C.

Population total: 670,587

Household total: 315,785

Household median income: $101,722

Household mean income: $150,292

Livability index: 73

Home value (March 2024): $730,878

Average expenditure cost: $2,557

Average mortgage cost: $4,452

Average rent cost: $2,445

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $5,001

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $7,008

Annual income needed for renter: $120,033

Annual income needed for homeowner: $168,201

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22. El Paso, Texas

Population total: 677,181

Household total: 239,624

Household median income: $55,710

Household mean income: $75,349

Livability index: 80

Home value (March 2024): $222,484

Average expenditure cost: $1,829

Average mortgage cost: $1,355

Average rent cost: $1,521

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,349

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $3,184

Annual income needed for renter: $80,387

Annual income needed for homeowner: $76,411

21. Oklahoma City

Population total: 681,088

Household total: 270,070

Household median income: $64,251

Household mean income: $88,664

Livability index: 81

Home value (March 2024): $204,229

Average expenditure cost: $1,978

Average mortgage cost: $1,244

Average rent cost: $1,261

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,239

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $3,222

Annual income needed for renter: $77,728

Annual income needed for homeowner: $77,326

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20. Nashville, Tennessee

Population total: 684,103

Household total: 291,884

Household median income: $71,328

Household mean income: $102,258

Livability index: 78

Home value (March 2024): $450,819

Average expenditure cost: $2,013

Average mortgage cost: $2,746

Average rent cost: $1,887

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,900

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $4,759

Annual income needed for renter: $93,601

Annual income needed for homeowner: $114,206

19. Denver

Population total: 710,800

Household total: 322,964

Household median income: $85,853

Household mean income: $122,771

Livability index: 75

Home value (March 2024): $620,346

Average expenditure cost: $2,247

Average mortgage cost: $3,778

Average rent cost: $1,991

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $4,239

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $6,026

Annual income needed for renter: $101,726

Annual income needed for homeowner: $144,616

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18. Seattle

Population total: 734,603

Household total: 345,246

Household median income: $116,068

Household mean income: $161,694

Livability index: 76

Home value (March 2024): $965,541

Average expenditure cost: $2,214

Average mortgage cost: $5,881

Average rent cost: $2,202

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $4,416

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $8,095

Annual income needed for renter: $105,984

Annual income needed for homeowner: $194,270

17. San Francisco

Population total: 851,036

Household total: 360,842

Household median income: $136,689

Household mean income: $197,408

Livability index: 79

Home value (March 2024): $1,423,316

Average expenditure cost: $2,630

Average mortgage cost: $8,669

Average rent cost: $3,288

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $5,918

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $11,299

Annual income needed for renter: $142,032

Annual income needed for homeowner: $271,172

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16. Charlotte, North Carolina

Population total: 875,045

Household total: 354,442

Household median income: $74,070

Household mean income: $113,613

Livability index: 80

Home value (March 2024): $407,320

Average expenditure cost: $2,033

Average mortgage cost: $2,481

Average rent cost: $1,762

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,794

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $4,514

Annual income needed for renter: $91,066

Annual income needed for homeowner: $108,324

15. Indianapolis

Population total: 882,006

Household total: 356,357

Household median income: $59,110

Household mean income: $82,697

Livability index: 77

Home value (March 2024): $227,467

Average expenditure cost: $1,945

Average mortgage cost: $1,385

Average rent cost: $1,376

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,322

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $3,331

Annual income needed for renter: $79,720

Annual income needed for homeowner: $79,937

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14. Columbus, Ohio

Population total: 902,449

Household total: 382,140

Household median income: $62,994

Household mean income: $82,282

Livability index: 79

Home value (March 2024): $259,081

Average expenditure cost: $1,993

Average mortgage cost: $1,578

Average rent cost: $1,422

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,415

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $3,571

Annual income needed for renter: $81,957

Annual income needed for homeowner: $85,698

13. Fort Worth, Texas

Population total: 924,663

Household total: 326,648

Household median income: $72,726

Household mean income: $97,226

Livability index: 80

Home value (March 2024): $306,285

Average expenditure cost: $2,048

Average mortgage cost: $1,866

Average rent cost: $1,700

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,747

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $3,913

Annual income needed for renter: $89,937

Annual income needed for homeowner: $93,914

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12. Jacksonville, Florida

Population total: 950,203

Household total: 375,851

Household median income: $64,138

Household mean income: $87,378

Livability index: 80

Home value (March 2024): $307,321

Average expenditure cost: $2,024

Average mortgage cost: $1,872

Average rent cost: $1,627

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,651

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $3,896

Annual income needed for renter: $87,629

Annual income needed for homeowner: $93,508

11. Austin, Texas

Population total: 958,202

Household total: 423,079

Household median income: $86,556

Household mean income: $122,474

Livability index: 83

Home value (March 2024): $572,223

Average expenditure cost: $2,053

Average mortgage cost: $3,485

Average rent cost: $1,730

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,783

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $5,538

Annual income needed for renter: $90,796

Annual income needed for homeowner: $132,914

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10. San Jose, California

Population total: 1,001,176

Household total: 324,842

Household median income: $136,010

Household mean income: $179,853

Livability index: 81

Home value (March 2024): $1,561,409

Average expenditure cost: $2,529

Average mortgage cost: $9,510

Average rent cost: $3,142

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $5,672

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $12,040

Annual income needed for renter: $136,119

Annual income needed for homeowner: $288,953

9. Dallas

Population total: 1,300,642

Household total: 521,147

Household median income: $63,985

Household mean income: $102,023

Livability index: 81

Home value (March 2024): $331,957

Average expenditure cost: $2,037

Average mortgage cost: $2,022

Average rent cost: $1,710

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,747

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $4,059

Annual income needed for renter: $89,930

Annual income needed for homeowner: $97,419

Try This: 7 Ways the Upper Middle Class Can Become Rich in 2024

8. San Diego

Population total: 1,383,987

Household total: 515,475

Household median income: $98,657

Household mean income: $132,533

Livability index: 77

Home value (March 2024): $1,147,699

Average expenditure cost: $2,367

Average mortgage cost: $6,990

Average rent cost: $3,000

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $5,367

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $9,357

Annual income needed for renter: $128,805

Annual income needed for homeowner: $224,579

7. San Antonio

Population total: 1,445,662

Household total: 542,817

Household median income: $59,593

Household mean income: $80,313

Livability index: 80

Home value (March 2024): $259,103

Average expenditure cost: $1,941

Average mortgage cost: $1,578

Average rent cost: $1,417

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,359

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $3,519

Annual income needed for renter: $80,610

Annual income needed for homeowner: $84,466

Read More: How Far a $100,000 Salary Goes in Americas 50 Largest Cities

6. Philadelphia

Population total: 1,593,208

Household total: 659,129

Household median income: $57,537

Household mean income: $84,435

Livability index: 77

Home value (March 2024): $211,411

Average expenditure cost: $2,115

Average mortgage cost: $1,288

Average rent cost: $1,726

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,842

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $3,403

Annual income needed for renter: $92,200

Annual income needed for homeowner: $81,674

5. Phoenix

Population total: 1,609,456

Household total: 591,169

Household median income: $72,092

Household mean income: $99,862

Livability index: 75

Home value (March 2024): $440,188

Average expenditure cost: $2,007

Average mortgage cost: $2,681

Average rent cost: $1,715

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,722

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $4,688

Annual income needed for renter: $89,320

Annual income needed for homeowner: $112,510

Learn More: What Income Level Is Considered Middle Class in Your State?

4. Houston

Population total: 2,296,253

Household total: 897,510

Household median income: $60,440

Household mean income: $97,458

Livability index: 74

Home value (March 2024): $275,085

Average expenditure cost: $1,991

Average mortgage cost: $1,675

Average rent cost: $1,583

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $3,574

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $3,666

Annual income needed for renter: $85,778

Annual income needed for homeowner: $87,991

3. Chicago

Population total: 2,721,914

Household total: 1,129,908

Household median income: $71,673

Household mean income: $108,346

Livability index: 76

Home value (March 2024): $298,606

Average expenditure cost: $2,142

Average mortgage cost: $1,819

Average rent cost: $2,126

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $4,268

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $3,961

Annual income needed for renter: $102,436

Annual income needed for homeowner: $95,052

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2. Los Angeles

Population total: 3,881,041

Household total: 1,399,442

Household median income: $76,244

Household mean income: $116,961

Livability index: 70

Home value (March 2024): $1,043,649

Average expenditure cost: $2,199

Average mortgage cost: $6,357

Average rent cost: $2,803

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $5,003

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $8,556

Annual income needed for renter: $120,070

Annual income needed for homeowner: $205,347

1. New York

Population total: 8,622,467

Household total: 3,282,804

Household median income: $76,607

Household mean income: $122,667

Livability index: 76

Home value (March 2024): $777,303

Average expenditure cost: $2,682

Average mortgage cost: $4,734

Average rent cost: $3,462

Total monthly cost of living for renter: $6,144

Total monthly cost of living for homeowner: $7,417

Annual income needed for renter: $147,460

Annual income needed for homeowner: $177,999

Heather Taylor contributed to the reporting for this piece.

Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed the 50 largest cities by population as sourced from the US Census American Community Survey. Along with the total population, the total households, median household income, and mean household income were also sourced from the US Census American Community Survey. The average home value was found from Zillow Home Value Index for March 2024, and using the 30-year national fixed rate average mortgage rate as sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data, the average mortgage cost was calculated for each city. The average expenditure cost was calculated by using the cost-of-living indexes as sourced from Sperlings BestPlaces and the national average expenditure costs as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2022 Consumer Expenditure Survey for all residents. The average expenditure cost and the housing costs were summed to find the average cost of living for a renter and a homeowner. The livability index was sourced for each city as supplemental information. Using the 50/30/20 rule that states that needs should not be more than 50% of income, the income needed for each city was calculated by doubling the annual total cost of living. The cities were sorted from the most to the least populated. All data was collected on and is up to date as of April 29, 2024.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: This Is the Cost of Living Comfortably in Americas 50 Biggest Cities
Australia is home to many of the world's richest critical mineral reserves.

Furthermore, the country is a major raw material producer and aims to become a key player in the global critical minerals sector.

Investments in processing and manufacturing capabilities, along with supportive policies and international alliances, aim to reduce the countrys reliance on China, which currently dominates the market.

Why are critical minerals important in the global minerals space?

Critical minerals are the twenty-first centurys oil barrels.

Today's five key critical minerals are lithium, cobalt, copper, nickel, and rare earth elements (REEs).

REEs are elements that belong to the lanthanide series of the periodic table.

REEs and critical minerals are essential to consumer electronics and energy transition technologies (batteries, semiconductors, and wind turbines, for example).

Their demand is mainly driven by the net-zero goals of developed countries, therefore, their role in the supply chain contributes to these countries economic prosperity and national security.

Australias position in the critical mineral supply chain

Being a leading raw material producer is insufficient for a country to position itself in the global critical mineral sector.

It needs to make investments to become a downstream processor.

While Australia is well-positioned from a critical mineral reserves standpoint, the country is struggling to become a favoured supplier to the downstream global market.

More investments need to be made in its processing and manufacturing capabilities.

As a first step, in April 2022, Iluka Resources committed to building Australia's first RREs refinery to diversify the countrys critical minerals supply away from China.

In March 2024, Australia's national government agreed to invest A$840m ($550m) in the Arafura rare earth project, located in Central Australia, to develop the country's first combined rare earth mine and processing facility.

Policy will also play a role in the Australian plan.

Policies and incentives must take aim at foreign investments and the countrys control of its resources, but they must also consider the mitigation of national security risks.

In June 2023, the Australian national government released its Critical Minerals Strategy 2023-2030 initiative, setting out its vision to grow Australias critical minerals sector.

Later in December 2023, Australia and the US made an alliance, the Critical Minerals and Clean Energy Transformation Compact, to enhance cooperation in terms of policies and investments in the critical minerals supply chain.

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Competition with China

Behind Australias investments and policies is the primary aim to reduce reliance on China, which has dominated the global critical minerals supply for decades.

By doing this, Australia will be less exposed to fluctuating commodity prices.

According to leading data and analytics company GlobalData in its Critical Minerals report, China currently accounts for over 60% of REE mining, over 80% of rare earth refinement and processing, and more than 90% of rare earth magnet production.

China has major critical mineral reserves, supported by substantial state financing and loose environmental regulations.

As a result, China dominates much of the critical mineral refinement and processing market.

Australia is already a strong contender in the lithium mineral market; however, its rare earth industry is less developed than Chinas.

Nevertheless, Australias mineral wealth presents a strong opportunity to diversify mineral supply chains outside of China.

Australia has what it takes to compete with China but government financing, regulatory support, and international cooperation will be essential.

"With its critical mineral strategy, Australia seeks to break free from China" was originally created and published by Mining 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.
A pair of recent ransomware attacks crippled computer systems at two major American health care firms, disrupting patient care and exposing fundamental weaknesses in the US health care systems defenses against hackers.

In both cases, federal officials and private cyber experts scrambled to try to limit the damage and get computers back online. But the cascading effects from the hacks, with ambulances diverted from hospitals and pharmacies unable to process insurance, has underscored for some US lawmakers, senior Biden administration officials and policy experts that the health care system is ill-prepared for the ripple effects of a cyberattack and needs new security regulations. Health care lags other industries such as big financial institutions and energy providers when it comes to IT security, according to some experts.

Industry has successfully demanded voluntary cybersecurity for years  and this is what we get, Joshua Corman, a cybersecurity expert who has focused on the health sector for years, told CNN.

Sen. Ron Wyden, the Oregon Democrat who chairs the finance committee, told CNN that every new devastating hack hammers home the need for mandatory cybersecurity standards in the health care sector, particularly when it comes to the largest companies that millions of patients depend on for care and medicine.

Without action, the senator said, patients access to care and their personal health information will be compromised and ransomed by hackers over and over again.

In 2023, 46 hospital systems in the US, comprising 141 hospitals, were impacted by ransomware, according to a tally from cybersecurity firm Emsisoft. Thats up from 25 hospital systems hit by ransomware in 2022, according to the firm.

The two ransomware attacks hit different nerves of the health care system. In February, cybercriminals broke into an unsecured computer server used by Change Healthcare, an insurance billing giant that processes about 15 billion health care transactions annually. The hack cut off health care providers from billions of dollars of revenue, snarled service at pharmacies across the US and may have compromised the personal data of a third of Americans.

In early May, cybercriminals used a different type of ransomware in an attack on Ascension, a St. Louis-based nonprofit network that includes 140 hospitals and 40 senior living facilities in 19 states. The hack forced the health network to divert ambulances from some hospitals.

The Biden administration is preparing to issue minimum cybersecurity requirements for US hospitals, senior White House cyber official Anne Neuberger confirmed this month. The details of that proposal have yet to be finalized. But the American Hospital Association, which represents hospitals across the United States, opposes the proposal, saying it would effectively re-victimize victims of cyberattacks by imposing penalties after they are hacked.

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Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services previously said they are willing to use a number of measures, including imposing monetary fines, to both force and encourage health care organizations to better secure their systems.

Momentum is also growing on Capitol Hill to force health care organizations to meet basic cybersecurity standards.

A bill introduced in March by Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, would allow advanced and accelerated Medicare payments to be sent to hacked health care providers as long as those providers and their contractors meet minimum cybersecurity standards.

An unhealthy situation

The ransomware attacks on Change Healthcare and Ascension have spotlighted the health sectors cybersecurity weakness like no other events before it, experts told CNN.

And even if there are new regulatory requirements for cybersecurity, the sector will continue to struggle from such attacks if the business of providing healthcare remains financially fraught [and forces] leaders to prioritize only revenue generating investments, Carter Groome, chief executive of cybersecurity firm First Health Advisory, told CNN.

The Change Healthcare ransomware attack, in particular, has brought fresh attention from policymakers and experts on what many see as the over-consolidation of the US health care industry. If hackers can defeat security measures at one company, millions of patients who rely on that health network can be affected.

US healthcare is in a death spiral, said Corman, who co-founded I am the Cavalry, a volunteer group that focuses on cybersecurity for resource-poor organizations in the health sector, among others. Distressed hospitals get acquired into too-big-to-fail conglomerates. Ransoms cause distress for the little ones, and multi-week, multi-state outages for the ones saved by the big ones.

Any new cybersecurity regulations should be strong enough to force meaningful improvements in the sectors cybersecurity, Corman argued. Yes. cybersecurity is costly, he said. As we can clearly see neglect is more costly.

Change Healthcares parent firm, UnitedHealth Group, owns a significant portion of the US health care market. The company, which reported $371 billion in revenue last year, handles one in three American patient records, according to the American Hospital Association. Optum, a UnitedHealth subsidiary, employs about 90,000 physicians.

Your revenues are bigger than some countries GDP, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, told UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty in a Senate hearing this month. 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?

The Justice Department has been pursuing an antitrust investigation into UnitedHealth Group, the Wall Street Journal reported in February.

More broadly, the Justice Department last week announced a task force to examine health care monopolies and collusion that will guide the departments approach to civil and criminal enforcement in health care markets, where warranted.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
The Biden administration is testing its antitrust push far from Washington as it seeks to unwind the dominance of Big Tech.

No longer is the nations capital the go-to trial venue of choice for the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission as they file competition challenges against the biggest names in Silicon Valley.

Instead, its New Jersey where the government chose to sue Apple (AAPL). Or California, where it challenged Microsoft (MSFT). Or the state of Washington, where it confronted Amazon (AMZN). Or Virginia, where it filed a second antitrust suit against Google (GOOG, GOOGL).

"Theyre clearly filing these tech cases in different jurisdictions where the law is less developed," said Douglas Ross, a professor of antitrust at the University of Washington School of Law. "And they're doing it for a reason."

Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a news conference on March 21, as he announced a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against Apple. The case was filed in New Jersey. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

A variety of strategies could explain the multi-jurisdictional approach, according to antitrust lawyers.

Prosecutors could be targeting appeals courts with case law more favorable to their legal theories, since all of the district courts selected by Bidens FTC and DOJ report to different courts of appeals.

The government could also be weighing the speed of a court in handling litigation and the convenience to anticipated witnesses, said Juan Arteaga, a partner with Crowell & Morings antitrust litigation division.

Its also possible, he added, that government officials may want to showcase vigorous anticompetitive enforcement to the rest of the country.

"I think the current leadership team and the DOJ antitrust division have really made it a point to try to take antitrust enforcement out of the D.C. bubble," Arteaga said.

Ross is more skeptical of a strategy that seeks out jurisdictions where judges have less antitrust experience and fewer controlling antitrust cases are on the books.

Outside of D.C. and a few other popular antitrust districts, Ross said, "antitrust is like a hen's tooth  there are very few cases, and most average federal district judges have heard zero antitrust cases."

D.C.'s dominance

D.C. has long been the chosen spot for many of the most prominent antitrust cases in US history, including landmark cases against AT&T (T) and Microsoft in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

Its dominance extends back even further in time.

Since 1899, the earliest year records are available, the DOJ filed 391 antitrust cases in the district.

That is nearly double the next closest counts of 222 filings in the Northern District of California and 220 in the Southern District of New York.

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Then-Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates at a June 2000 press conference in Redmond, Wash., to discuss the Justice Department's antitrust case against his company. (DAN LEVINE/AFP via Getty Images) (DAN LEVINE via Getty Images)

It held its dominance for most of the last decade as well. D.C. was home to the most new cases or tied for that title from 2015 through 2022.

That changed last year. In 2023, the government filed more antitrust cases in several places outside D.C., including states like Michigan and Oklahoma.

When factoring in private antitrust suits, the district with the most combined competition suits last year  totaling 42  was the US District Court for the Northern District of California. Federal district courts in New Jersey, Illinois, and New York followed.

The government's shift away from D.C. is happening at a time when there are rising concerns within the legal community about judge shopping in hopes of sympathetic rulings and state and federal governments intervening in private antitrust litigation.

Bills to disrupt judicial power in single-judge districts have been introduced in the Senate, and the Judicial Conference recommended changes to the case assignment process in March.

Changing course

The Biden White House started its campaign against Big Tech close to home, in the D.C. District Court. That's where the FTC, under its Biden-nominated Chair Lina Khan, refiled an action against Facebook in 2021.

That case, first brought during former President Trumps administration, alleged that the social media giant illegally blocked competition through its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp.

It also took over another case filed in D.C. by the prior administration, against Google, challenging the companys online search dominance. A ruling from the judge in that case is expected soon.

Then prosecutors changed course and veered away from D.C.

In December 2022, the FTC chose the US District Court for the Northern District of California to challenge Microsofts acquisition of video gaming giant Activision Blizzard. The effort failed, and the regulators appealed the matter to the Ninth Circuit.

A month later, in January 2023, the DOJ, joined by eight state attorneys general, went after Google in a second antitrust case, this time in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Prosecutors alleged Google abused its monopoly in the digital advertising technology market.

In September of 2023, the FTC and 17 states sued Amazon in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington. The suit accused the retail giant of illegally monopolizing online marketplace services.

Then this year in March, the DOJ and a group of state attorneys general sued Apple in the US District Court in New Jersey. The prosecutors claimed Apple illegally abused its dominance in the smartphone market.

'Trying to avoid the D.C. Circuit'

New Jersey is a less logical place for the government to challenge Apple when compared to some of the other cases outside D.C.

Amazon was targeted in the Washington district, where the company is headquartered, and Microsoft was sued in the Bay Area, where it has a significant physical footprint.

But Apple isn't domiciled in New Jersey nor does it have dominant operations there.

One factor that may help explain the government's choice is that appeals from New Jersey's federal trial courts are heard by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, which in recent years has handed down decisions that could favor the government's claims against the iPhone maker.

"I think I think that the DOJ concluded that the case law was much more favorable for the Third Circuit as opposed to the Ninth Circuit," Arteaga said.

Apple CEO Tim Cook in April. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

As for the case against Google in Virginia, the DOJ may be looking for a quick turn. The Eastern District court has earned its "rocket docket" nickname for the speed with which it handles litigation.

"I think there probably is an element of trying to avoid the D.C. Circuit," Ross said."Whether that's going to pay off for them or hurt them, I don't know."

The tactic, he said, could lead to more chaos in the law and increase the chances of getting one of the cases heard by the Supreme Court.

Keith Harrison, also a partner in Crowell & Morings litigation practice, said bringing the cases against the country's most dominant and consumer-facing companies could prove valuable for the administration, win or lose, as it tries to communicate its agenda to a broader population.

"This [Apple] case is going to be a big case, wherever it's brought," Harrison said. "But in New Jersey, its going to be the biggest case in that courthouse, and in local news on a regular basis."

Alexis Keenan is a legal reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow Alexis on Twitter @alexiskweed.

Click here for the latest technology news that will impact the stock market.

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President Joe Biden discusses his administration's efforts to cancel student debt and support students and borrowers at the White House on Oct. 4, 2023. File Photo by Shawn Thew/UPI

May 15 (UPI) -- Americans making federal student loan payments have through June 30 to apply for loan consolidation to obtain a beneficial payment count adjustment.

Student loan borrowers who have direct loans or loans through the Federal Family Education Loan program and held by the Department of Education will see a "full and accurate" accounting of their progress toward loan forgiveness starting in September, the U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday.

"The department is working swiftly to ensure borrowers get credit for every month they've rightfully earned toward forgiveness," Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal said in a press release.

"FFEL borrowers should consolidate as soon as possible in order to receive this benefit that already has provided forgiveness to nearly 1 million borrowers," Kvaal said.

The accounting will help borrowers know when they qualify for student loan forgiveness instead of paying in perpetuity. Any amounts forgiven will be reported to the IRS as income and are subject to federal income tax.

Borrowers with non-federally held FFEL loans can apply for debt consolidation by June 30 and still benefit from a payment count adjustment. The prior deadline was April 30.

Education Department officials in April 2022 initially announced the pending payment account adjustment after learning many student loan borrowers don't have a full accounting of their remaining time to make payments before qualifying for debt relief.

The Education Department also said many student loan servicers did not follow federal regulations and contracts regarding forbearances, which caused many student loan borrowers to spend an excessive amount of time in forbearance.

Such loan forbearances convert unpaid interest into principal during the forbearances, which leads to runaway interest and accelerated debt amounts well beyond the original amounts borrowed.

Student loan borrowers who are unsure about their qualification for consolidation can log in to StudentAid.gov and click on the "Loan Breakdown" link to view a list of their loans.

Loans are listed as "direct," "FFEL" or "Perkins" for those with Perkins loan balances.
In the United States, the number of adults aged 65 and over is expected to grow sharply over the next three decades, rising 47% from 58 million in 2022 to 82 million by 2050. It is vitally important to study new drugs in subject samples that represent the types of patients who will receive the therapy in daily practice, and older adults account for approximately 34% of all prescription medicine consumption in the US. The underrepresentation of geriatric patients in clinical research as highlighted in numerous papers is therefore a serious issue that must be overcome as the aging population continues to grow.

Recruitment and enrollment challenges are understood to be a key factor. Alzheimers Disease is a prime example, with the literature revealing a history of trials that are slower to enroll study participants, take longer to complete, and are more expensive than trials in most other therapeutic areas.

Projections from GlobalDatas clinical trial feasibility planner do indeed highlight future challenges in the Alzheimers space. The table below provides estimated metrics on the number of subjects recruited per site per month and the likelihood of trial completion for a Phase II or III Alzheimers trial conducted in various countries.

DCTs have come of age

The decentralization of clinical trials has strong potential to improve challenges in geriatric trials. Since 2018, 5.8% of all clinical trials included at least one component of decentralization such as mobile visits, eDiaries, telemedicine, or direct-to-patient IMP delivery. Comparing this against trials from the same period that specified minimum participant ages of at least 65 years, the adoption of decentralized components was 8.9%. This means that the use of decentralization was 1.5 times higher in trials that sought to exclusively enroll geriatric patients.

Moreover, by comparing data from 2018 and 2022 across four different geriatric-specific indications, DCT adoption grew in three of the four disease areas. The increase in decentralized Dementia trials is particularly significant, with 1 in every 6 new Dementia trials using an aspect of decentralization in 2022.

Understanding the trends  what is driving this growth?

Minimizing site visit requirements is a key strategy in reducing the overall burden of trial participation, and it can have a profound impact on geriatric patients. By conducting all or part of the protocol in the patients own home, it is possible to expand access for older adults faced with mobility issues, travel constraints, or compromised immune systems. For patients with a neurodegenerative disease like Dementia or Parkinsons, every trip outside the house could be a stressful, draining endeavor. Anxiety symptoms are present in as many as 3 in 4 Alzheimers patients, with feelings of uneasiness or fear often culminating in challenging behaviors like aggression.

The impact on the patients caregiver/s must also be considered. Older patients typically rely on help getting ready for the outing, as well as transportation to the clinic and support during the visit. Many psychiatric or neurodegenerative disease protocols require a primary caregiver to act as an informant or proxy, providing a more accurate assessment of longitudinal changes in the patients symptoms where the patients own account may be unreliable.

Whatever the caregivers role in the trial, the burden it can introduce onto that friend or family member and the subsequent guilt the patient themselves may feel as a result is often a huge factor to an older patient withdrawing from a trial or deciding not to enroll in the first place. It should also be noted that not every patient will have someone to depend on for practical and emotional support, making their participation in a clinical trial highly unlikely.

Decentralization can solve or at least alleviate many of these challenges. Regular mobile research visits facilitated by a familiar nurse in a familiar setting can go a long way in reducing the burden and stress of trial participation on older adults living with debilitating conditions, as well as their caregivers.

In some cases, a decentralized trial model supported by mobile visits can enable data collection of an otherwise impossible scale. Funded by the National Institute of Aging and currently in its fourth phase, the Trial of Parkinsons and Zoledronic acid (TOPAZ) set out to enroll 3,500 Parkinsons patients over the age of 60. The researchers opted for a home-based approach supported by a network of mobile nurses tasked with administering the IMP intravenously, taking a blood sample for rapid point-of-care testing, and performing other protocol-required checks and care. With more than 2,000 patients currently enrolled, TOPAZ is now the largest double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial ever conducted in people with Parkinsons.

Home visits by research nurses made it possible for us to imagine TOPAZ, says Dr Steven R Cummings, Executive Director, San Francisco Coordinating Center. It was possible to imagine doing something that was very large and that could be done conveniently for older patients with a disabling disease. It became possible to imagine US-wide recruitment. From previous conversations with PCM Trials [the company facilitating the nurse visits], we knew that it was feasible to do all of this and a multi-step protocol from home.

The data on mobile visits

Since 2018, 2.6% of all trials with a mobile visit program enrolled geriatric patients only  a percentage that is almost three times higher than the average of 0.9%. The data shows that in-person visits supported by mobile research nurses have become an important element in overcoming challenges in the geriatric space, something which can be seen most notably in the infectious disease and central nervous system (CNS) fields.

Moreover, initial data suggests this strategy could save sponsors time and money on their study. In a group of matched trials, enrollment was shorter by an average of 6.18 months while trial duration was less by 10.97 months. The two groups of studies were matched by therapy area, region/country, and modality (small molecule, antibody, vaccine, and peptide), though sample sizes were small on the mobile visit trial side due to data availability.

What about the digital element?

DCTs have often become synonymous with virtual trials, where patients communicate with physicians over digital platforms like Zoom and use online portals to log symptoms and fill out questionnaires. Limited IT skills and broadband access among the older generation could result in digital exclusion in a DCT of this nature.

According to Age UK, 46% of British adults over the age of 65 are unable to complete all eight of the most fundamental tasks required to use the internet safely and successfully, including one in four being unable to turn on a device and enter login information. Internet access and digital literacy amongst seniors varies around the world, which could make it difficult to plan a multinational trial. For instance, one 2020 study revealed that 94% of 65 year olds to 74 year olds in Denmark said they had used the internet in the last three months compared to just 25% in Bulgaria. Even within a single country, cultural and socioeconomic factors play a huge part.

Not everyone is familiar with digital technologies or might have limited access to hardware that is needed for a digital-only DCT, notes Jenifer Ngo Waldrop, Executive Director, Rare Disease Diversity Coalition. Participants with lower technological literacy or those uncomfortable with digital tools may face challenges in using and navigating the required platforms, potentially leading to dropout rates or inaccurate data. Training would be difficult for those individuals and/or equipment might need to be provided.

To decentralize or not?

While technology is often a key element in DCT protocols, there is no replacement for the human component. Nurse visits are often necessitated by specific tests, scans, and methods of drug administration (e.g. infusion or injection) that must be done in person and by a healthcare professional. They also play an important role beyond this, enabling better opportunities for patient monitoring and improving the individuals overall experience of the trial and continued compliance with the protocol. This is particularly important when a trial seeks to be inclusive of older adults, who may require and value the support of a nurse more than any other patient type.

To learn more about the implementation of mobile nurse visits in a clinical trial, particularly one that involves the administration of intravenous infusions, please download the whitepaper below.

"Decentralized Clinical Trials for older adults: Mobile research trends and recommendations" was originally created and published by Clinical Trials Arena, 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.
Despite a comparable-store decrease, Dillards Inc. still managed to increase retail gross margin in the first quarter.

While the consumer environment remained challenging, we focused on profitable sales by offering interesting product combined with inventory control, Dillards CEO William T. Dillard, II said in a statement. As a result, our retail gross margin was 46.2 percent and inventory was down 2 percent. For the first time in our history, we reported cash and short-term investments exceeding $1 billion.

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The department store retailer said the first quarter continued to see a challenging sales environment. Cosmetics was the strongest performing merchandise category, while mens apparel and accessories was the weakest performing category.

It also said retail gross margin, excluding CDI, was 46.2 percent versus 45.6 percent a year ago. Gross margin increased moderately in home and furniture, and in womens accessories and lingerie. Gross margin rose slightly in mens apparel and accessories, womens apparel, and juniors and childrens apparel, but was flat in shoes and cosmetics.

The retailer posted a 10.7 percent decline in net income for the three months ended May 4 to $180 million, or $11.09 a diluted share, from $201.5 million, or $11.85 a share, in the same year-ago quarter.

Net sales, which includes operations of CDI Contractors LLC, the firms construction business, fell 2.2 percent to $1.55 billion from $1.58 billion. Total retail sales, excluding CDI, slipped 1.5 percent to $1.49 billion from $1.52 billion a year ago. Comparable store sales fell 2 percent.

Wall Street was expecting adjusted diluted earnings per share of $9.63 on revenue of $1.55 billion.

Dillards said increased payroll expense helped to kick up its operating expenses (consolidated selling, general and administrative) to $426.7 million, or 27.5 percent of sales, from $406.4 million, or 25.7 percent of sales, a year ago.

During the quarter, the retailer opened a new location at The Empire Mall in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, marking it 30th state of operation. Dillards said it also will close a store at the Eastwood Mall Clearance Center in Niles, Ohio, this July. The retailer operates 274 Dillards stores across 30 states. The stores include 29 clearance centers. Dillards also operates its online site at dillards.com.
Foxtrot and Doms parent company Outfox Hospitality filed for bankruptcy Tuesday, weeks after the companies abruptly shuttered all stores.

Outfox, the parent of both companies since they merged nearly six months ago, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation in Delaware. In court documents, Outfox estimated no funds would be available to pay unsecured creditors after administrative costs were paid. The company estimated its assets at between $10 million and $50 million, and estimated its liabilities to be worth the same.

Foxtrot had 33 stores, about half of which were located in Chicago, while Doms had two locations, one in Lincoln Park and one in Old Town. All the stores closed suddenly April 23; some employees told the Tribune they learned they were out of jobs in the middle of their shifts that day.

Three lawsuits were swiftly filed against the company in federal court in Chicago alleging violations of the federal and/or state Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Acts, both of which require 60 days notice for mass layoffs by certain large employers. The Illinois Department of Labor said it had received a complaint about the closures and had opened an investigation into whether the company had violated the state WARN Act.

FAQs provided to workers said they would only be paid through the date the stores closed. The lawsuits filed against the company seek backpay for laid off staff.

The company is also facing a lawsuit from suppliers Anthony Marano Company and Market Cuts LLC, which allege Doms failed to pay them for $208,000 worth of products.

Former Foxtrot and Doms executives have not responded to the Tribunes requests for comment since the closures. A source familiar with the companys prior expansion plans, however, previously told the Tribune that Outfox had been meeting with investors, landlords and bankers in the weeks leading up to the closures in hopes of staying afloat.
Elon Musk reportedly fired virtually all of Teslas Supercharger vehicle charging team after a presentation and argument with a top executive.

Mr Musk made the decision to fire most of the personnel on the 500-member team after a meeting with charging chief Rebecca Tinucci, according to anonymous company sources who spoke with Reuters.

During the meeting, Ms Tinucci reportedly pushed back against Mr Muskss calls for deep cuts to the charging team.

He reportedly responded by ordering the mass firings, part of a larger round of layoffs at the EV company as the company struggles with declining profits and increased competition.

The Independent has contacted Tesla for comment.

Since then, the company has begun quietly rehiring some members of the Supercharger team.

Following a decade of investment, Teslas network of rapid charging stations now includes more than 6,200 facilities across the world, and formed a core part of Teslas sales pitch to customers, promising to match the scope and convenience of conventional refueling infrastructure for gasoline-powered cars.

The cuts at the Supercharger team could throw a wrench in the works of the companys larger plans. Scores of automakers have signed agreements for their EVs to be compatible with the Supercharger network, set to take effect this year.

In a post earlier this month, Mr Musk promised continued investment in Superchargers.

Tesla will spend well over $500M expanding our Supercharger network to create thousands of NEW chargers this year, he wrote on X. Thats just on new sites and expansions, not counting operations costs, which are much higher.

Company insiders, however, told Reuters that contractors and municipal governments whod made long-term plans based on the Supercharger network were frustrated with the firings.

Its just unfortunate that now theyre stuck holding the bag on all these different projects, a former employee told the wire service. Its really sad to see all these relationships burned and people be really angry - rightfully so.
As of May 2024, the French market, along with broader European indices, has shown resilience with the CAC 40 Index climbing by 3.29%, buoyed by better-than-expected corporate earnings and a growing sentiment that central banks might soon reduce interest rates. This optimistic backdrop sets an intriguing stage for investors interested in growth companies with high insider ownership, which are often seen as having aligned interests between management and shareholders, potentially fostering long-term value creation amid favorable market conditions.

Top 10 Growth Companies With High Insider Ownership In France

Name Insider Ownership Earnings Growth VusionGroup (ENXTPA:VU) 13.3% 25.8% Groupe OKwind Societe anonyme (ENXTPA:ALOKW) 24.8% 37.7% WALLIX GROUP (ENXTPA:ALLIX) 19.9% 101.4% La Francaise de l'Energie (ENXTPA:FDE) 20.1% 37.6% OSE Immunotherapeutics (ENXTPA:OSE) 25.1% 92.9% Adocia (ENXTPA:ADOC) 12.9% 104.5% Icape Holding (ENXTPA:ALICA) 30.2% 30% Arcure (ENXTPA:ALCUR) 21.6% 41.7% Munic (ENXTPA:ALMUN) 29.2% 150% MedinCell (ENXTPA:MEDCL) 16.6% 68.8%

Click here to see the full list of 21 stocks from our Fast Growing Euronext Paris Companies With High Insider Ownership screener.

Here's a peek at a few of the choices from the screener.

Simply Wall St Growth Rating: 

Overview: Lectra SA offers industrial intelligence solutions tailored for the fashion, automotive, and furniture sectors, with a market capitalization of approximately 1.28 billion.

Operations: The company generates revenue from its operations across the Americas and Asia-Pacific regions, totaling 170.33 million and 110.28 million respectively.

Insider Ownership: 19.6%

Lectra, a French growth company with high insider ownership, is trading at 17.9% below its estimated fair value, highlighting potential undervaluation. The company's earnings are expected to grow by 28.6% annually over the next three years, outpacing the broader French market's 10.9%. However, its revenue growth forecast of 11.3% per year lags behind the significant growth threshold but still exceeds the French market average of 5.8%. Recent financial results show a slight dip in net income and EPS compared to last year's same quarter despite an increase in sales from EUR 123.65 million to EUR 129.56 million.

ENXTPA:LSS Earnings and Revenue Growth as at May 2024

Simply Wall St Growth Rating: 

Overview: OVH Groupe S.A. is a global provider of public and private cloud services, shared hosting, and dedicated server solutions, with a market capitalization of approximately 1.22 billion.

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Operations: The company generates revenue from public cloud (140.71 million), private cloud (514.59 million), and web cloud services (179.45 million).

Insider Ownership: 10.5%

OVH Groupe, a French growth company with significant insider ownership, reported an increase in half-year sales to 486.09 million from 439.34 million, alongside a reduced net loss of 17.24 million compared to last year's 26.59 million. The appointment of Benjamin Revcolevschi as head of operations is expected to boost innovation and international expansion efforts. Despite its high revenue growth forecast at 11.3% annually, OVH's share price remains volatile and its Return on Equity is projected to stay low at 3.8% over the next three years.

ENXTPA:OVH Earnings and Revenue Growth as at May 2024

Simply Wall St Growth Rating: 

Overview: Solutions 30 SE offers support solutions for new digital technologies across several European countries including France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, and Spain, with a market capitalization of approximately 237.61 million.

Operations: The company generates 1.06 billion from its Computer Services segment.

Insider Ownership: 16.2%

Solutions 30 SE, a French growth company with high insider ownership, is trading at 35.7% below its fair value and is expected to become profitable within three years, with an anticipated profit growth of nearly 100% per year. Despite a volatile share price recently, the company has reaffirmed its earnings guidance for 2024, expecting revenue growth acceleration in key European markets. This outlook is supported by significant contracts like the recent comprehensive deal to upgrade Flanders' electricity network over the next five years.

ENXTPA:S30 Earnings and Revenue Growth as at May 2024

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Reveal the 21 hidden gems among our Fast Growing Euronext Paris Companies With High Insider Ownership screener with a single click here.

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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 analysis only considers stock directly held by insiders. It does not include indirectly owned stock through other vehicles such as corporate and/or trust entities. All forecast revenue and earnings growth rates quoted are in terms of annualised (per annum) growth rates over 1-3 years.

Companies discussed in this article include ENXTPA:LSS ENXTPA:OVH and ENXTPA:S30.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
Everrati has announced a strategic partnership with luxury hypercar manufacturer and mobility solutions provider W Motors.

By joining forces, the two companies will bring together their vehicle design and engineering expertise to further the development and manufacturing of bespoke electric vehicles across multiple sectors in the Middle East and beyond.

The collaboration will see W Motors become Everratis manufacturing partner for the region, enabling the production of its electrified portfolio to take place in Dubai, expanding Everratis global footprint, enabling it to meet soaring international demand.

In turn, Everrati, through its Powered by Everrati B2B division, will develop and supply advanced electric powertrain solutions for W Motors for upcoming zero-emission vehicles. Thanks to its unique blend of proprietary EV technology combined with in-house expertise, Powered by Everrati enables B2B clients to rapidly bring almost any type of specialist electric vehicle to life, leveraging proven, flexible, scalable premium electric powertrain and software technologies.

Everrati will also establish an Expertise Centre in the Middle East region, located within W Motors n automotive factory in Dubai

Everrati Founder and CEO, Justin Lunny, said: I am absolutely delighted to announce this strategic partnership with W Motors, a company that has not only rapidly established itself as a leading luxury hypercar manufacturer, but also a pioneer in sustainable bespoke mobility solutions. This agreement will enable Everrati to expand our footprint in the Middle East, a key market for our redefined and electrified icons, while at the same time allowing W Motors to leverage our in-house developed, OEM-grade advanced electric powertrain technologies for its future vehicles.

W Motors Chairman, Founder & CEO, Ralph R. Debbas added: For more than a decade now, W Motors has garnered a reputation as a leader in the design, development, engineering and manufacturing of the worlds most luxurious and desirable hypercars. Such vehicles are in our blood and fuel our collective passion, but we also have one eye firmly on the future of mobility.

Everratis electrified icons and its proprietary powertrains set new standards, we are proud to partner with such a trailblazing brand, playing a key role in its further expansion in the Middle East and beyond, at the same time taking advantage of its technical expertise to support W Motors growth in the creation of bespoke electric vehicles, across both the luxury and sustainable mobility sectors. This partnership will also give us an opportunity to explore electric vehicle options for the GHIATH Program, developed in partnership with Dubai Police and that falls under our security and defence division.

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"Everrati and W Motors join forces" was originally created and published by Motor Finance Online, 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 Ron Bousso

LONDON (Reuters) -Chevron said it is set to launch the sale of its remaining UK North Sea oil and gas assets, in a move that would mark the U.S. energy giant's exit from the ageing basin after more than 55 years.

The planned divestment, confirmed to Reuters on Thursday, comes as Chevron prepares for the $53 billion acquisition of rival Hess which it previously said will include $10 billion to $15 billion in asset sales around the world.

The exit will be the latest step in a steady retreat of top oil and gas companies from the declining British basin which pioneered deepwater production in the 1970s, as they focus on newer assets around the world.

Chevron's assets include a 19.4% stake in the BP-operated Clair oilfield in the West of Shetland region, the largest in the British North Sea with production of 120,000 barrels per day.

BP has said it is considering a third development phase for the field, known as Clair South, which is one of the largest remaining untapped fields in the North Sea.

UK oil and gas production has dropped from a peak of around 4.5 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) in the late 1990s to around 1.2 million boed in 2023.

Chevron is also seeking to sell its marginal interests in the Sullom Voe oil terminal, as well as its stakes in the Ninian and SIRGE pipeline systems which are both linked to the hub, it said in a statement.

The sale could raise up to $1 billion excluding tax benefits, one industry source said. The process is expected to be formally launched in June, industry sources told Reuters.

It will not impact the operations of Chevron's international headquarters in London or its technology centre in Aberdeen, the company said.

The exit follows a review of Chevron's global portfolio as CEO Mike Wirth seeks to focus on the firm's most profitable assets, Chevron said.

In 2018, Chevron sold its stake in the Rosebank field development to Equinor. A year later it sold many of its North Sea assets to Ithaca Energy. Other major oil companies, including Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips and Shell, have sold assets in the basin since the 2000s.

"Chevron continues the trend that has seen the North American majors seek to exit the UK," David Moseley, analyst at consultancy Welligence said. Potential acquirers for Chevron's assets include independents looking to grow, he added.

Chevron has said it would sell up to $15 billion in assets as part of its planned acquisition of Hess, which has hit a stumbling block due to a legal conflict with rival Exxon over assets in Guyana.

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It said the North Sea sale process is not related to a 35% windfall tax the British government imposed on North Sea producers following the surge in energy prices in 2022.

"As part of Chevron's focus on maintaining capital discipline in both traditional and new energies, we regularly review our global portfolio to assess whether assets are strategic and competitive for future capital," it said.

The process is expected to take months, it added.

(Reporting by Ron Bousso; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle and Jan Harvey)
By Rishika Sadam

HYDERABAD (Reuters) -Britain's food watchdog has applied extra control measures on all spice imports from India, it said on Wednesday, becoming the first to ramp up scrutiny of all Indian spices after contamination allegations against two brands sparked concerns among global food regulators.

Hong Kong last month suspended sales of three spice blends produced by MDH and one by Everest, saying they contained high levels of a cancer-causing pesticide ethylene oxide.

Singapore also ordered a recall of the Everest mix, and New Zealand, the United States, India and Australia have since said they are looking into issues related to the two brands.

MDH and Everest - two of India's most popular brands - have said their products are safe for consumption.

In the most stringent crackdown so far impacting all Indian spices, the UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) said that in light of the concerns it has "applied extra control measures for pesticide residues in spices from India which includes ethylene oxide".

The agency did not elaborate on the exact steps it is taking.

"The use of ethylene oxide is not allowed here and maximum residue levels are in place for herbs and spices," James Cooper, Deputy Director of Food Policy at the FSA, said in a statement to Reuters.

India's Spices Board, which regulates exports, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. India is the biggest exporter, consumer and producer of spices in the world.

In 2022 Britain imported $128 million worth of spices, with India accounting for almost $23 million, data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity website shows.

MDH and Everest export their products to many regions including the U.S., Europe, South East Asia, Middle East and Australia.

Indian regulators have also conducted testing of all spice products and inspected samples of MDH and Everest products, though no results have been made public so far.

MDH has since 2021 seen an average 14.5% of its U.S. shipments rejected over the presence of bacteria salmonella, a Reuters analysis of U.S. FDA data has found.

On Wednesday, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency told Reuters in a statement it was aware of the concerns around MDH and Everest's products and "continues to monitor the situation".

"Based on current information, we have no evidence to suggest that the issues raised affect products currently in the Canadian market," it said.

(Reporting by Rishika Sadam; Editing by Aditya Kalra and Jan Harvey)
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  Finlands national carrier Finnair said Thursday that it will resume flights to Estonias second largest city in June after two of its planes were prevented from landing in Tartu last month because of GPS disruptions.

The cause of the GPS interference that forced the two flights to return to Helsinki on April 25 and April 26 was not immediately known. Estonian officials blamed the jamming in the region on Russia.

Finnair said Tartu Airport now uses radio signals sent from ground stations instead of GPS signals to direct plane landings.

Jari Paajanen, head of Finnair's operations control, thanked the Estonian Air Navigation Services for finding an alternative method "so swiftly.

The airline said earlier this month that it was suspending flying to Tartu until May 31 because of the interference. The Finnish carrier, which is the only airline operating international flights to Tartu, has flights from Helsinki to Tartu twice a day, six days a week.

The airline said GPS interference has significantly increased since 2022. Earlier Finnair said interference has been reported especially near Kaliningrad, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has said that the jamming was carried out by Russia and could eventually lead of a crash, adding that this can be considered as a hybrid attack.

Finnair said its aircraft systems detect GPS interference and its pilots are well aware of GPS interference and know how to prepare for it.
Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) Reports Q1 In Line With Expectations

Packaged bakery food company Flower Foods (NYSE:FLO) reported results in line with analysts' expectations in Q1 CY2024, with revenue up 2.8% year on year to $1.58 billion. On the other hand, the company's full-year revenue guidance of $5.13 billion at the midpoint came in slightly below analysts' estimates. Its non-GAAP profit of $0.38 per share was flat year on year.

Is now the time to buy Flowers Foods? Find out in our full research report.

Flowers Foods (FLO) Q1 CY2024 Highlights:

Revenue: $1.58 billion vs analyst estimates of $1.58 billion (small miss)

Adjusted EBITDA: $159.4 million vs analyst estimates of $168.2 million (5.2% miss)

EPS (non-GAAP): $0.38 vs analyst expectations of $0.41 (6.2% miss)

The company reconfirmed its revenue guidance for the full year of $5.13 billion at the midpoint

The company reconfirmed its EPS (non-GAAP) guidance for the full year of $1.25 at the midpoint (slightly above expectations)

Gross Margin (GAAP): 49.4%, up from 47.8% in the same quarter last year

Free Cash Flow of $71.82 million, up 19.7% from the previous quarter

Sales Volumes were down 0.8% year on year

Market Capitalization: $5.39 billion

"Our solid first quarter results highlight the increasing effectiveness of our portfolio strategy and investments in marketing and innovation," said Ryals McMullian, chairman and CEO of Flowers Foods.

With Wonder Bread as its premier brand, Flower Foods (NYSE:FLO) is a packaged foods company that focuses on bakery products such as breads, buns, and cakes.

Perishable Food

The perishable food industry is diverse, encompassing large-scale producers and distributors to specialty and artisanal brands. These companies sell produce, dairy products, meats, and baked goods and have become integral to serving modern American consumers who prioritize freshness, quality, and nutritional value. Investing in perishable food stocks presents both opportunities and challenges. While the perishable nature of products can introduce risks related to supply chain management and shelf life, it also creates a constant demand driven by the necessity for fresh food. Companies that can efficiently manage inventory, distribution, and quality control are well-positioned to thrive in this competitive market. Navigating the perishable food industry requires adherence to strict food safety standards, regulations, and labeling requirements.

Sales Growth

Flowers Foods is larger than most consumer staples companies and benefits from economies of scale, giving it an edge over its smaller competitors.

As you can see below, the company's annualized revenue growth rate of 5.7% over the last three years was mediocre for a consumer staples business.

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Flowers Foods Total Revenue

This quarter, Flowers Foods's revenue grew 2.8% year on year to $1.58 billion, falling short of Wall Street's estimates. Looking ahead, Wall Street expects revenue to remain flat over the next 12 months, a deceleration from this quarter.

Todays young investors likely havent read the timeless lessons in Gorilla Game: Picking Winners In High Technology because it was written more than 20 years ago when Microsoft and Apple were first establishing their supremacy. But if we apply the same principles, then enterprise software stocks leveraging their own generative AI capabilities may well be the Gorillas of the future. So, in that spirit, we are excited to present our Special Free Report on a profitable, fast-growing enterprise software stock that is already riding the automation wave and looking to catch the generative AI next.

Volume Growth

Revenue growth can be broken down into changes in price and volume (the number of units sold). While both are important, volume is the lifeblood of a successful staples business as theres a ceiling to what consumers will pay for everyday goods; they can always trade down to non-branded products if the branded versions are too expensive.

Flowers Foods's average quarterly volume growth was a healthy 3.3% over the last two years. This is pleasing because it shows consumers are purchasing more of its products.

Flowers Foods Year-On-Year Volume Growth

In Flowers Foods's Q1 2024, year on year sales volumes were flat. This result was a well-appreciated turnaround from the 7.3% year-on-year decline it posted 12 months ago, showing the company is heading in the right direction.

Key Takeaways from Flowers Foods's Q1 Results

Revenue and adjusted EBITDA both missed. While the company reaffirmed full year revenue guidance, it is below expectations at the midpoint. Offsetting this bad news is the fact that the company reaffirmed full year EPS guidance as well, and that came in slightly above Wall Street estimates. Overall, the results were mixed but could have been better. The stock is flat after reporting and currently trades at $25.7 per share.

So should you invest in Flowers Foods right now? When making that decision, it's important to consider its valuation, business qualities, as well as what has happened in the latest quarter. We cover that in our actionable full research report which you can read here, it's free.
CHAMERSTRASSE, SWITZERLAND / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / In the ever-evolving world of cannabis and CBD, where products are securing a growing foothold in the global wellness market, navigating regulatory frameworks is as intricate and delicate as a Swiss watch. A recent legal dispute between Formula Swiss , a Swiss-based CBD company established in 2013, and the Office for Consumer Protection in the Kanton of Zug highlights these challenges. This landmark lawsuit raises crucial questions that reverberate throughout the global CBD industry regarding product classification, consumer protection, and the evolving landscape of cannabis regulation.

Formula Swiss, known for its unwavering commitment to product quality and compliance, has invested heavily to meet stringent regulatory demands. The company, which has been producing certified organic and vegan hemp products since 2013, has spent over CHF 2 million since 2019 to classify its hemp products as cosmetics, meticulously following every directive from the Office for Consumer Protection in the Kanton of Zug. The legal dispute centers around the classification of Formula Swiss's hemp products, as the company argues that its products are cosmetics, while the Office for Consumer Protection in the Kanton of Zug insists that they are food and food supplements.

To clearly communicate that their products are cosmetics, Formula Swiss has made extensive changes since 2019. This includes modifying thousands of pages on their website, which is available in 15 languages, along with updating product labels, packaging, inserts, and instructions. The company also brought in compliance specialists from Belgium to ensure their labeling met international standards. They have developed comprehensive Product Information Files (PIFs) with safety experts and conducted skin testing on 50 people in laboratories in Germany. These efforts demonstrate the company's determination to comply with cosmetic regulations and clearly differentiate their products from food and food supplements.

Despite this diligent compliance and significant investment, Formula Swiss found itself embroiled in a legal dispute with the Office for Consumer Protection in the Kanton of Zug, alleging that the Office had hindered the legal distribution of its products. "We are shocked by the treatment of the Office for Consumer Protection in the Kanton of Zug," remarked Robin Roy Krigslund-Hansen, CEO of Formula Swiss. "We have spent years of manpower and millions of Swiss Francs doing exactly what the competent authorities told us to do to ensure our hemp products are correctly registered in Switzerland, EU Member States, and in the United Kingdom. Yet, the Office for Consumer Protection has done everything possible to prevent our legal and compliant products from being on the market."

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Since 2020, Formula Swiss has engaged a strong legal team to fight its case and is confident that they will ultimately prevail. Mr. Robin Roy Krigslund-Hansen stated that the company would not be starting such an expensive legal case, which may take years to reach a decision in the Supreme Court, if they were not at least 90% confident that they would win the case against the Canton of Zug. This optimism stems from the company's diligent adherence to regulatory guidelines, significant investment in compliance, and the unwavering belief that the Swiss regulatory system will ultimately side with fairness and transparency.

The discrepancies in classification are stark. The exact same products from Formula Swiss that Swiss authorities classify as food supplements are consistently categorized as cosmetic products in countries such as Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Adding to the inconsistency, many other Swiss companies sell the same products as cosmetics without issue, creating unfair competition due to differing interpretations of the same laws. This incongruity raises questions about the Swiss authorities' decision-making process. Despite meticulously following guidelines, Formula Swiss's efforts have been undermined by regulatory inconsistencies.

Switzerland itself doesn't have a classification system for CBD products , instead relying on EU databases like the Novel Food Catalogue and the CosIng database, where CBD was classified in January 2019 and October 2019, respectively. This classification permits the sale of CBD as a cosmetic. Yet, interpreting these guidelines has led to inconsistency across Swiss Cantons and other EU countries. For Formula Swiss, which sells its products in over 60 countries worldwide, the differing regulatory interpretations are highly frustrating. While all other countries classify the hemp products from Formula Swiss as cosmetics, the Office for Consumer Protection in the Kanton of Zug interprets the same rules differently, classifying the products as food supplements.

Formula Swiss has previously taken successful legal action against authorities in Sweden, but they prefer a cooperative approach based on constructive communication and dialogue. Unfortunately, Formula Swiss experienced a sudden change in communication from the Office for Consumer Protection in the Kanton of Zug, which, for years, has refused to meet representatives from Formula Swiss and their legal team in person and stopped replying to letters sent to them. Instead, the Office involved the police and unsuccessfully attempted to turn the case into a criminal investigation against Formula Swiss.

The company suspects that external pressures might have influenced the sudden reevaluation of hemp products in Switzerland, forcing Formula Swiss into a corner with no option but to pursue legal action against the Office. Despite recognizing the challenges ahead, Formula Swiss remains steadfast. While the initial legal battle in the Court of Zug might present biases favoring local authorities, the company is confident in their case's merits. They believe they will ultimately prevail when the case reaches the Federal Supreme Court in 2025, potentially setting a precedent for the CBD industry in Switzerland and beyond.

Formula Swiss feels compelled to seek legal clarification not just for themselves but for the entire Swiss hemp industry, so everyone can be treated fairly and equally. The Swiss hemp industry deserves this clarity. Establishing a successful business in the cannabis industry takes many years and requires substantial capital investment. An unstable legal situation is the last thing cannabis entrepreneurs and investors want.

In addition to seeking justice over product classification, Formula Swiss plans to follow up with a substantial financial claim against the Kanton of Zug. The company is seeking CHF 5 to 10 million in compensation for documented financial losses and the significant impact on its business. However, Formula Swiss is not taking this legal action purely for financial reasons. Their primary goal is to establish a fair and stable business environment and to hold the authorities accountable for the financial damages caused by inconsistent regulation. This underscores the company's unwavering determination to fight for a predictable regulatory framework that will allow businesses in the CBD industry to thrive without the fear of arbitrary legal hurdles.

The company believes that by pursuing this legal action, they will set an important precedent, ensuring that all CBD businesses in Switzerland are provided with a clear regulatory framework. This case serves as a reminder that regulatory bodies must apply the laws consistently and fairly, providing the kind of stability that is crucial for businesses that require significant investment and time to grow.

Formula Swiss alleges that the Office for Consumer Protection in the Kanton of Zug has not only undermined its business in Switzerland but has also actively tried to impair their sales outside the country. Despite these challenges, the company has found support from many other nations, allowing it to shift operations abroad. Authorities in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway have been notably supportive, expressing their confusion over the Office's classification of the products as food or food supplements. These countries support Formula Swiss in its stance that the products are indeed cosmetics, enabling the company to operate local warehouses in these countries without any legal or compliance issues.

This unwavering support has been crucial for Formula Swiss as it continues its operations amidst a challenging regulatory landscape. The backing from these supportive jurisdictions has allowed the company to maintain its commitment to quality and compliance while providing its CBD products to customers in over 60 countries worldwide.

Though they have operated as a Swiss company since 2013, these regulatory challenges have forced them to temporarily relocate operations. This frustrating move is seen as a logical consequence of the ongoing legal dispute, expected to resolve in 2025. Until then, Formula Swiss companies will be paying their taxes in the United Kingdom , Denmark , Portugal, and Romania as they continue their operations in these supportive jurisdictions.

Formula Swiss is a Swiss company producing and selling Swiss products, so they naturally want to return to Switzerland once the legal battle against the Kanton of Zug has been won. However, the company is very unlikely to base its operations in the Kanton of Zug again, as it fears future discrimination and harassment could continue even after the legal case is resolved.

The journalist of this article has attempted to reach Dr. Mattias Fricker and Ms. Kristine Hotz from the Office for Consumer Protection in the Kanton of Zug to obtain their opinions on the pending legal case against them. However, they have not responded to the request to be heard.

Media Contact:

Name:- Formula swiss

Email:- support@formulaswiss.com

Website:- https://formulaswiss.com/

SOURCE: Formula Swiss





View the original press release on accesswire.com




Gina Rinehart and her portrait by Vincent Namatjira. Getty Images

Australia's richest woman has demanded an unflattering painting of her be taken down.

The portrait, by Vincent Namatjira, shows mining magnate Gina Rinehart with a double chin.

The National Gallery of Australia and Namatjira have both rejected Rinehart's request.

Australia's richest woman wants a portrait of her taken down from the country's national gallery, outlets including the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Both mining magnate Gina Rinehart and associates at her company, Hancock Prospecting, have made multiple approaches to the gallery with the demand, the newspaper reported.

The painting is by Vincent Namatjira, a First Nations artist who, according to the National Gallery of Australia has "established himself in the past decade as a celebrated portraitist and a satirical chronicler of Australian identity."

The portrait of Rinehart is part of a career-survey exhibition titled "Vincent Namatjira: Australia in colour."

It is one of 20 other paintings depicting Rinehart alongside Australian and international figures including Queen Elizabeth II, Jimi Hendrix, and the artist himself. All are painted in Namatjira's distinctive distorted style.

Rinehart, who is worth more than $22 billion and is in 84th place on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, is depicted in shades of mottled pink with a double chin.

Vincent Namatjira sits in front of his "Australia in colour" installation. National Gallery of Australia

She reportedly approached the gallery director personally to ask for the portrait to be removed. According to the Herald, Hancock Prospecting has said the gallery is "doing the bidding of the Chinese Communist Party" by showing her in an unflattering light.

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

The gallery "welcomes the public having a dialog" about its displays, it said in a statement shared with Business Insider.

The gallery also shared a statement from the artist, who said that he emphasizes painting wealthy and powerful people who have influenced Australia "whether for bad or for good."

"People don't have to like my paintings, but I hope they take the time to look and think, 'why has this Aboriginal bloke painted these powerful people?'" Namatjira wrote. "'What is he trying to say?'"

"Some people might not like it, other people might find it funny, but I hope people look beneath the surface and see the serious side too."

The episode illustrates a rare exception to billionaires' power and influence  this time in the name of artistic freedom. In the meantime, the flurry of attention has arguably brought more viewers to Rinehart's portrait than ever anticipated  a classic example of the "Streisand effect."

Story continues

Rinehart made her fortune turning around her father's ailing mining company. She is politically outspoken, advocating for lower taxes and looser regulation and last year showed up at former President Donald Trump's presidential campaign launch.

Gina Rinehart at a White House state dinner for then-Australian leader Scott Morrison in September 2019. Paul Morigi/Getty Images

Rinehart is listed on the National Gallery of Australia's "friends" list as having contributed between $4,999 and $9,999 Australian dollars, or a minimum of about $3,300.

Multiple elite swimmers, who are sponsored by Rinehart, have also called for the painting to be taken down, per the Herald.

The exhibition closes on July 21 in Canberra.

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Reuters) -U.S. parcel delivery giant UPS has enlisted the asset management arm of Wall Street titan Goldman Sachs to manage its $43.4 billion pension fund assets in the United States and Canada, the investment bank said on Thursday.

The deal underscores the growing significance of the asset management business as Goldman looks to reduce its dependence on the volatile trading and investment banking.

Closest rival Morgan Stanley has been more successful in steering away from its traditional investment banking roots by expanding into wealth management.

Goldman Sachs supervises more than $2.8 trillion of assets as of March 31, compared with nearly $7 trillion for Morgan Stanley.

For UPS, the arrangement will help it increase focus on its core business. Big employers often outsource the management of their pension funds to firms that have more experience navigating the financial markets.

"This decision also allows UPS to place our focus more squarely on serving our customers while adding more oversight and expertise that will benefit retirees," said PJ Guido, Investor Relations Officer at UPS.

The in-house investment management team of UPS will join Goldman Sachs' Atlanta office and continue to provide services to the pension plans.

The companies expect the team transition to Goldman Sachs to take place in the third quarter.

This change will not alter any benefits plan participants receive or how the plans are administered, a UPS spokesperson said.

(Reporting by Shivansh Tiwary and Niket Nishant in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; Editing by Pooja Desai and Arun Koyyur)
Hampshire Trust Bank (HTB) has offered a 3.19m development finance facility for the construction of five eco-friendly residential buildings on farmland in Oxfordshire, UK.

The project, which involved the demolition of existing farm structures at Andersey Farm in Wantage, is now progressing, adhering to the planned schedule and budget.

Adam Stiles, a mortgage broker from Helix Financial Partners, introduced the deal to the parties.

The developer's commitment to creating properties with energy efficiency ratings has been a cornerstone of this initiative.

Stiles said: This was a highly unusual case because of the environmental focus from the developer. It is really unusual to secure such high energy efficiency ratings on rural properties, but the developer was clear about what they wanted to achieve.

HTB excels in delivering a personal service on development cases, getting to know the borrower and understand their plans, which is why they were the perfect funding partner on this project.

HTB head of distribution for development finance Scott Apps said: HTB is committed to improving the efficiency status of housing stock across the UK, so while this was an unusual case it was one we were keen to work on.

We are proud to have built a broad team of regional Lending Directors, who are able to bring their own local knowledge and expertise to determining the viability of potential projects. That experience is also crucial when it comes to working with inexperienced developers, as was the case here - even if a developer doesnt have an extensive portfolio, if they have a quality team around them then we will look for ways to support them.

Earlier this month, HTB shifted its headquarters from 55 Bishopsgate to a contemporary 14-storey building at 80 Fenchurch Street in the City of London.

Further strengthening its team, HTB also welcomed Joseph Lethbridge last month as a new business development manager (BDM).

Lethbridge joins forces with Danny Kiely, BDM for the City of London and West End, to enhance broker relations and introduce new intermediaries to HTB's offerings.

The expansion of the BDM team is HTB's response to the increased demand from London-based brokers this year.

"Hampshire Trust Bank offers financing for eco-friendly construction " 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.
Value stocks are shares in companies trading for relatively low prices relative to earnings and growth potential. While investors shouldn't expect multibagger returns, these companies are ideal for those who prefer a slow and steady approach to long-term investing.

With a low valuation and consistent profits, MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM) fits the bill. Let's explore why it could have a place in your investment portfolio.

Why MGM Resorts?

Anyone who has been to Las Vegas should be familiar with MGM Resorts. The casino operator is known for its iconic properties like the Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, and its namesake, the MGM Grand. The company also has a footprint in America's regional casino markets and the Chinese market via that nation's famed gaming hub, Macau.

Like many in-person entertainment companies, MGM was hit hard by the pandemic at the start of the decade. However, it managed to navigate this challenging time without destroying its balance sheet because of the well-timed $4.25 billion leaseback sale of the Bellagio in 2019.

Leaseback sales involve selling a casino's real estate assets to a third party in return for cash while renting it back to use for operations. The Bellagio deal gave MGM the extra cash it needed to deal with the pandemic without over-relying on debt financing or selling new stock. In 2021, management completed an additional $3.89 billion leaseback sale of its Aria and Vdara properties to free up more capital to pursue new growth opportunities.

These moves highlight MGM's transition to a more nimble, asset-light business model and its commitment to source capital without potentially shareholder-unfriendly tactics like debt issuance or equity dilution, which can reduce investors' claims on future earnings.

Slow and steady wins the race

MGM Resorts is a mature blue chip company, so investors shouldn't expect breakneck growth. That said, its recent performance looks encouraging. Net revenue increased by 13% year over year to $4.4 billion, mainly because of the strength in MGM China, which is still recovering from the impacts of COVID-19 restrictions in Macau. Over the next five years, the company will enjoy some potentially transformational growth drivers.

Image source: Getty Images.

MGM is partnering with the financial services company Orix Corporation to build a new $10 billion integrated resort in Osaka, Japan. Despite being a large, wealthy economy, Japan's gambling industry is virtually untapped, as most casino games were banned until 2018. Industry watchers believe the Osaka resort could generate a whopping $3.9 billion in annual revenue when fully operational in the mid-2030s.

To put these numbers in context, MGM generated sales of around $16.2 billion in the full year of 2023. So, the Japanese resort could represent a substantial boost to its top-line growth over the long term while providing much-needed diversification outside of the U.S. and China.

Returning value to investors

With a solid and steadily growing top line, MGM Resort is an attractive investment. But its rock-bottom valuation is icing on the cake. The stock trades at a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of just 19, which is significantly lower than the S&P 500 average of 27.

And while the company doesn't pay a dividend, management returns value to investors via a generous buyback program that has reduced shares outstanding by a whopping 36% since 2021. Investors generally like buybacks because they can increase investors' claims on future earnings and cash flow by reducing the number of shares outstanding.

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Here's My Top Value Stock to Buy Right Now was originally published by The Motley Fool
JM's eMERALD technology selected for HIF Global's Paysandu eFuels facility which will support the decarbonisation of the marine and automotive sectors.

Located in Uruguay, it would be the largest e-methanol plant in South America with an expected production capacity of 700,000 tonnes per year of e-methanol.

This project will be the 11th sustainable technologies project win using JM's sustainable technologies since April 2022.

LONDON, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson Matthey (JM), a global leader in sustainable technologies, has been selected by HIF Global, the world's leading eFuels company, as the methanol licensor for HIF Global's Paysandu eFuels project in Uruguay. The facility would be the largest e-methanol plant in South America and will use electrolytic (green) hydrogen and waste CO2 from an ethanol plant to produce e-methanol. E-methanol, through use of renewable feedstocks, enables the production of a lower carbon fuel versus traditional methanol[1].

HIF Global selects Johnson Mattheys methanol technology

JM's e-methanol eMERALD technology has been proven as a credible route to decarbonise methanol production and this technology will be deployed at the HIF Paysandu eFuels facility, with expected production capacity of 700,000 tonnes per year of e-methanol. The e-methanol will be utilised to support the rapidly growing demand from the marine market, as well as a feedstock to produce e-gasoline (via a methanol to gasoline process) which will facilitate the decarbonisation of over 150,000 vehicles.

This collaboration builds on the successful demonstration of the eMERALD technology in the HIF Haru Oni eFuels facility, where JM licenses its technology and supplies the catalyst. The demo plant has successfully operated for over 12 months, producing methanol that is further processed into gasoline.

Additionally, HIF Global has announced other planned eFuels projects to be built in the US, Tasmania, and Chile. JM is already working with HIF Global to support the development of these projects.

HIF Global will invest $4 billion in the facility, making it the most significant investment in Uruguay's history. Construction of the plant is planned for 2025 and is expected to create approximately 1,500 jobs during construction with an additional 300 permanent operational positions.

Alberto Giovanzana, Managing Director  CT Licensing at Johnson Matthey, said: "The market for sustainable methanol fuels is growing rapidly and presents an important solution to decarbonise the shipping, road transport, and other industries. As the world's leading methanol synthesis technology and catalyst supplier, JM has a great wealth of experience working in the methanol industry. We look forward to continuing our partnership with HIF to provide our e-methanol technology for this exciting project."

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Victor Turpaud, CEO HIF Latam, said: "eFuels are a replacement for fossil fuels and are a necessary solution for decarbonising global transport. We have already demonstrated the capability to produce eFuels with green hydrogen and recycled CO2, using Johnson Matthey's technology at our Haru Oni eFuels facility in southern Chile. Expanding our collaboration with Johnson Matthey represents the importance of long-term relationships to HIF and to achieve our common goals".

About Johnson Matthey

Johnson Matthey is a global leader in sustainable technologies. For over 200 years we've used advanced metals chemistry to tackle the world's biggest challenges.

Many of the world's leading energy, chemicals and automotive companies depend on our technology and expertise to decarbonise, reduce harmful emissions, and improve their sustainability.

And now, as the world faces the challenges of climate change, energy supply and resource scarcity, we're actively providing solutions for our customers. Through inspiring science and continued innovation, we're catalysing the net zero transition for millions of people every day. For more information visit www.matthey.com.

About HIF Global

HIF Global is the world's leading eFuels company, developing projects to convert hydrogen, produced with low-cost renewable power, into carbon neutral liquid eFuels that can be transported and utilized in existing infrastructure. The name HIF represents the mission of the company: to provide Highly Innovative Fuels to accelerate decarbonisation. HIF Latam, HIF USA, HIF Asia Pacific, and HIF EMEA are wholly owned subsidiaries of HIF Global. HIF intends to produce 150,000 barrels per day of eFuels from global facilities by 2035. HIF Global is already producing eFuels in its Haru Oni eFuels Facility in Magallanes, Chile, and expects to begin construction of the commercial scale HIF Matagorda eFuels Facility in Texas in 2024. HIF Global's first Australian development, in Tasmania, was announced in July 2022. The company's first Uruguayan project, at Paysandu, was unveiled in June 2023. For more information, visit www.hifglobal.com.

[1] Methanol technology Life Cycle Assessment | Johnson Matthey

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2413758/Johnson_Matthey.jpg

Cision

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/hif-global-selects-johnson-mattheys-methanol-technology-for-the-largest-e-methanol-plant-in-south-america-302146921.html
In some areas of England and Wales, more than one in 10 addresses are holiday lets - Manfred Gottschalk/Stone RF

Airbnb owners are being targeted in a tax probe surge following a boom in holiday let investment.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) launched nearly 2,000 holiday let enquiries in 2023-24  up from 375 the prior year and just 95 the year before that, according to official data.

The figures, obtained by The Telegraph in a freedom of information request, show there was a 20-fold increase in investigations between 2021-22 and 2023-24.

The tax office said it was investigating holiday home investors suspected of failing to declare income following a post-pandemic boom in staycations, while experts warned taxpayers could be caught out by coronavirus easements on tax rules which no longer apply.

It comes after the Government announced a 300m tax raid on short-term rentals, with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt unveiling the abolition of the Furnished Holiday Lettings regime (FHL) in the Budget.

It is part of a wider bid to disincentivise out-of-towners purchasing second homes in holiday hotspots, a rising trend which has been blamed on pricing locals out of the property market.

There are around 70,000 holiday homes in the UK, according to the latest Census data. In some areas of England and Wales, more than one in 10 addresses are holiday lets.

David Hollingworth, of L&C Mortgages, a broker, said HMRC had been looking at the sector more closely ever since the pandemic when holiday lets soared in popularity.

During the lockdown, people wanted the option of getting out of urban areas, he said. It also seemed like a good investment because more staycations meant there was more competition which intensified the appeal to property investors who could therefore command a higher income.

In May 2023, the platform Airbnb was forced to share users income data with HMRC so the tax office could identify holiday let owners it suspected had not paid enough tax.

John Hood, of accountancy firm Moore Kingston Smith, said HMRC had been clamping down on owners taking advantage of the generous tax breaks on holiday lets.

Currently owners of short-term rentals are able to offset their mortgage interest payments from profits and claim capital gains tax relief on the sale of the property.

Mr Hollingworth said many property investors switched to holiday lets following the loss of mortgage interest tax relief in the buy-to-let sector between 2017 and 2020.

The holiday let sector was left out of many of the changes that happened in buy-to-let  so for example, you had the ability to offset costs whereas in the standard market you could only get 20pc relief.

Story continues

For a property to qualify as an furnished holiday let, it must be commercially let for at least 105 days each year. During the coronavirus lockdowns, HMRC relaxed this condition.

Mr Hood said: HMRC took the sympathetic view during Covid and lockdown that people understandably migrated to the countryside and the coast to take advantage of their holiday homes.

After the pandemic, HMRC likely feared that homeowners had become too comfortable and were either using their holiday let as their main residence or failing to let it out for 105 days, Mr Hood added.

In many cases, owners will not be deliberately seeking to avoid their tax obligations  but this naivety would not stop HMRC seeking to recover any tax lost.

The abolition of tax breaks on holiday threatens to leave investors nearly 3,000 worse off a year from April, according to calculations by wealth manager Quilter.

Councils will soon be able to double council tax bills for owners of second homes that have been left empty for more than a year, under enhanced powers. These rules are already in place in Scotland.

An HMRC spokesman said: The short-term property rental market is growing fast and its our role to ensure owners pay the right tax, creating a level playing field for all. We have dedicated specific resource to opening enquiries where there is evidence that those renting out holiday lets have not declared income.

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.
IHG Hotels & Resorts has signed a management agreement with Mansarovar Amusement Park & Resort for the development of Crowne Plaza Resort Nepalgunj in Nepal.

The property is expected to open in early 2028, bolstering IHG's network in South West Asia.

It will feature more than 100 rooms catering to the needs of leisure and blended travel enthusiasts.

It will also feature two meeting rooms and a ballroom, addressing various meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) demands.

The resort will offer easy access from Nepalgunj Airport and the India-Nepal border.

IHG Hotels & Resorts South West Asia managing director Sudeep Jain said: We are delighted to announce the signing of Crowne Plaza Resort Nepalgunj, further expanding IHG's presence in Nepal.

The strategic location of the hotel will provide us with a great opportunity to offer world-class premium hospitality and cater to the demands of our guests across leisure, business and blended travel.

Mansarovar Amusement Park & Resort managing director Om Prakash Mishra said: We are thrilled to partner with IHG Hotels & Resorts to bring the Crowne Plaza brand to Nepalgunj.

We look forward to harnessing the benefits of IHGs global systems and robust loyalty program to maximise our mutual success.

Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts is a hotel brand with more than 520 properties either open or in the pipeline.

In South West Asia, IHG has 50 hotels operating across five brands and a pipeline of 64 hotels that are anticipated to launch over the coming three to five years.

Earlier this month, IHG Hotels & Resorts introduced two new luxury and lifestyle brands  Hotel Indigo and the Vignette Collection - in Vietnam.

"IHG signs Crowne Plaza Resort Nepalgunj in Nepal" was originally created and published by Hotel Management 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.
Some Reddit users express disbelief and frustration at the student's actions, while others expressed concerns about its implications, such as potential legal consequences and impact on their credit score.

Meanwhile, some discussed the challenges of companies pursuing repayment across borders, noting that they cannot do much about the situation. Nothing will come of it. People do this all the time, the credit card companies just take the hit. His credit is ruined in America but if he doesn't come back it doesn't really affect him anywhere else. It technically is not illegal to default on your debts, one claimed.
JasonDoiy / iStock.com

In 2022, Congress passed the CHIPS Act to promote semiconductor development within the United States, rather than from foreign providers. Specifically, the act appropriated $39 billion to help wean U.S. dependence on semiconductor manufacturers in Taiwan and South Korea for chips needed in everything from spy satellites and telecom gear to medical devices and missiles.

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In March, 2024, semiconductor giant Intel became the biggest single beneficiary of the deal, receiving a loan and grant package to expand domestic semiconductor manufacturing at the companys plants in New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon and Arizona.

Here are the particulars of the deal, including how other semi companies stand to gain, and a look at whether or not this makes Intel a good buy right now.

What Is the Deal Intel Struck With the Government?

The U.S. government, under authorization by the CHIPS Act, awarded $8.5 billion in federal grants and an additional $11 billion in loans to use four new semiconductor plants across the country. This is on top of the $100 billion in private capital that Intel itself has already invested in domestic semiconductor production.

Analysts project this will be enough to allow Intel to produce 20% of the worlds bleeding-edge logic chips, critical for military and AI applications by the end of the decade. Currently, the U.S. doesnt produce any of these chips, so this will mark a dramatic shift in the balance of power when it comes to essential semiconductors.

Does This Make Intel a Good Investment?

Anytime the U.S. government throws money into a business, it provides a financial tailwind that is a definite positive. However, when it comes to determining whether or not Intel is a good investment, many other factors come into play.

Although Intel will likely convert these billions of dollars into future earnings, it may take months or even years for those effects to be felt. Its also important to note that although $19.5 billion in grants and loans seems like a sizable amount of money, Intel itself generated a whopping $54.2 billion in revenue in 2023 alone.

As the company is already so large, the $19.5 billion government package may not move the needle a whole lot compared with the earnings and revenue the company already generates. In fact, the stock hardly moved at all when this announcement was made in March 2024.

If youre a believer in Intels long-term business, however, this could indeed be a great time to pick up some shares. In the midst of a strong tech stock rally in 2024, Intel shares are actually down by more than 35% YTD, and 33% over the past five years. The 35 analysts covering the stock have a consensus buy rating, with a $38.96 average 12-month price target. This suggests a potential gain of over 27% over current levels in the next year.

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How About Other Semiconductor Stocks?

Although thus far Intel has gotten the lions share of the 2022 CHIPS Act money, other firms have gotten a piece of the pie as well, including the following:

GlobalFoundries, which has been awarded $1.5 billion in order to expand its facilities in Burlington, Vermont, and Malta, New York.

Microchip Technology, which was granted $162 million to modernize its facilities in Gresham, Oregon, and Colorado Springs, Colorado.

BAE Systems in Nashua, New Hampshire, granted $35 million to produce chips for military applications.

GlobalFoundries, which trades under the stock symbol GFS, had $7.4 billion in revenue in 2023. The 15 analysts following the stock have a consensus strong buy rating and a $58.50 average one-year price target.

Microchip Technologies, stock symbol MCHP, posted $8.5 billion in revenue during 2023. Analysts see it rising 7% over the next year, to $98.73.

BAE Systems is an underfollowed stock that has only one analyst covering it. Although the analyst has a strong buy rating on the stock, the price target of $64.81 is below the current market price of $70.31. However, the stock has already provided gangbuster returns to shareholders, and the analyst may revise the price target upwards. Over the YTD, one-year, three-year and five-year periods, the stock has returned 19.92%, 40.72%, 161.47% and 235.54%, respectively.

The Bottom Line

Of course its great news for Intel that its getting grants and loans from the government for domestic semiconductor development, but thats just a piece in the whole picture when it comes to investing in the company. Analysts see future growth ahead and the stock has suffered in recent years, so if it can right the ship with this new CHIPS Act money, the company may prove to be a value at current levels.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Heres Why You Should Consider Investing in Intel Today
TOKYO (AP)  Japanese automaker Honda reaffirmed its commitment to electric vehicles Thursday, saying it will invest 10 trillion yen ($65 billion) through fiscal 2031 to deliver EV models around the world, including the U.S. and China.

Honda has not changed its belief that EVs are the most effective solution in the area of small mobility products such as motorcycles and automobiles, the Tokyo-based company said in a statement.

By 2030, battery EVs and fuel cell EVs will make up 40% of Honda Motor Co.s global auto sales, and it will have global production capacity for more than 2 million EVs, it said.

The so-called 0 Series, a key part of Hondas EV strategy, will be a totally new EV series created from zero, Chief Executive Toshihiro Mibe told reporters in an online presentation.

The 0 Series will be introduced in North America in 2026 and then rolled out globally, with seven models launched by 2030. In China, Honda will introduce 10 EV models by 2027, with 100% of its auto sales there EVs by 2035.

We will become a frontrunner in changing lifestyles to attain sustainability goals, not wait for someone else to tackle them, Mibe told reporters.

Despite some talk of a slowdown in electric vehicles in some markets, the move toward EVs remains solid in the long run, becoming dominant in the latter half of the 2020s, according to Honda, which makes Acura and Civic sedans and Gold Wing Tour motorcycles.

Hondas determination to pursue battery and fuel-cell EVs appears to contrast with domestic rival Toyota Motor Corp.s more varied or multiple powertrains approach, focusing on hybrids and other models that still have engines.

Honda is keeping hybrids in its lineup as it ramps up output of EVs, beefing up battery production, and making them thinner, aiming for zero accidents, Mibe said.

Of the 10 trillion yen ($65 billion) investment in the works, about 2 trillion yen ($13 billion) will go into research and development on software and another 2 trillion yen ($13 billion) into setting up comprehensive EV value chains in key markets such as the U.S., Canada and Japan.

About 6 trillion yen ($39 billion) will go into monozukuri, or the art of making things in Japanese, such as the construction of next-generation EV production plants, electrification of motorcycles and EV model development, the company said.

Mibe stressed Hondas various partnerships, such as the one on developing EVs and intelligent driving technology with Japanese rival Nissan Motor Co., announced earlier this year.

Honda announced Wednesday it signed a deal with IBM to work together on computer chips and software for future vehicles, meeting the upcoming demand for better processing and lower power consumption.

Story continues

We are steadily and surely moving ahead to be prepared for electrification, Mibe said.

___

Yuri Kageyama is on X: https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
The Switzerland market recently displayed robust performance, closing on a strong note as optimism was fueled by favorable U.S. economic data that eased interest rate concerns. This positive backdrop saw the benchmark SMI index climb nearly 1%, reflecting a buoyant mood among investors. In such an encouraging market environment, dividend stocks like Julius Bar Gruppe can be particularly appealing for those seeking steady income streams combined with potential for capital appreciation.

Top 10 Dividend Stocks In Switzerland

Name Dividend Yield Dividend Rating Roche Holding (SWX:ROG) 4.22%  Cembra Money Bank (SWX:CMBN) 5.63%  Vontobel Holding (SWX:VONN) 5.39%  Banque Cantonale Vaudoise (SWX:BCVN) 4.57%  St. Galler Kantonalbank (SWX:SGKN) 4.15%  Novartis (SWX:NOVN) 3.47%  EFG International (SWX:EFGN) 4.84%  TX Group (SWX:TXGN) 4.16%  Julius Bar Gruppe (SWX:BAER) 4.74%  Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank (SWX:BLKB) 4.60% 

Click here to see the full list of 27 stocks from our Top Dividend Stocks screener.

Let's take a closer look at a couple of our picks from the screened companies.

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: Julius Bar Gruppe AG, a global wealth management firm operating in Switzerland, Europe, the Americas, and Asia, has a market capitalization of approximately CHF 11.22 billion.

Operations: Julius Bar Gruppe AG generates CHF 3.24 billion from its Private Banking segment.

Dividend Yield: 4.7%

Julius Bar Gruppe offers a dividend yield of 4.74%, placing it in the top 25% of Swiss dividend payers. Despite this, the sustainability of these dividends is questionable with a high payout ratio of 117.8% and coverage issues both currently and projected over the next three years. The company has experienced a decline in profit margins from 24.6% to 14% over the past year, although earnings are expected to grow by 19.73% annually. Recent executive changes could influence future strategic directions, potentially impacting financial stability and dividend policies.

SWX:BAER Dividend History as at May 2024

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: Helvetia Holding AG operates in life and non-life insurance, as well as reinsurance, across Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, France and other international markets with a market capitalization of CHF 6.64 billion.

Operations: Helvetia Holding AG generates CHF 1.81 billion from its life insurance segment and CHF 7.09 billion from its non-life insurance operations.

Story continues

Dividend Yield: 5%

Helvetia Holding AG recently proposed a dividend increase to CHF 6.3, reflecting a nearly 7% rise, despite a drop in net income from CHF 438.8 million to CHF 283.2 million year-over-year and earnings per share decreasing from CHF 8.03 to CHF 5.24. The company's dividend yield stands at 5.02%, ranking in the top quartile of Swiss stocks, but concerns linger about its sustainability given a payout ratio of 120.3%. While dividends have been consistent over the past decade, the coverage by earnings is weak, though cash flows with a payout ratio of just 36.5% offer some support.

SWX:HELN Dividend History as at May 2024

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: Meier Tobler Group AG is a Swiss trading and services company specializing in heat generation and air conditioning systems, with a market capitalization of CHF 357.83 million.

Operations: Meier Tobler Group AG generates CHF 104.67 million from its services and CHF 441.25 million from distribution activities.

Dividend Yield: 4.1%

Meier Tobler Group AG's dividend yield of 4.1% places it favorably within the top Swiss dividend payers, supported by a sustainable payout ratio of 54.8% from earnings and 50.7% from cash flows. Despite a recent decline in annual sales to CHF 545.9 million and net income to CHF 27.1 million, the company has maintained its dividend commitment with regular payments, including a recent CHF 0.65 distribution on April 11, 2024. However, its historical volatility and unreliable growth in dividends over the past decade suggest caution for long-term stability expectations.

SWX:MTG Dividend History as at May 2024

Where To Now?

Delve into our full catalog of 27 Top Dividend Stocks here.

Are any of these part of your asset mix? Tap into the analytical power of Simply Wall St's portfolio to get a 360-degree view on how they're shaping up.

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Companies discussed in this article include SWX:BAERSWX:HELNSWX:MTG

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Visa-free entry allowed for tour groups at all cruise ports

08:40, May 16, 2024 By YANG ZEKUN ( China Daily

An aerial drone photo taken on April 7, 2024 shows cruise ship Serenade of the Seas docking at Tianjin International Cruise Home Port in North China's Tianjin. [Photo/Xinhua]

China announced and implemented on Wednesday a policy allowing visa-free entry of foreign tourist groups aboard cruise ships via all cruise ship ports along the country's coastline.

Foreign tourist groups comprising two or more individuals and organized or received by China's domestic travel agencies can enter the country visa-free via cruise ship ports in 13 cities and stay for up to 15 days, according to a statement issued by the National Immigration Administration.

All members of each group should travel together on the same cruise ship to the next port until the vessel leaves China, with activities limited to coastal provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, as well as Beijing.

The visa-free entry ports are in Tianjin, Shanghai, Dalian in Liaoning province, Lianyungang in Jiangsu province, Wenzhou and Zhoushan in Zhejiang province, Xiamen in Fujian province, Qingdao in Shandong province, Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong province, Haikou and Sanya in Hainan province, and Beihai in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

The NIA also announced that seven cruise ports in Dalian, Lianyungang, Wenzhou, Zhoushan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Beihai have been designated as visa-free transit ports for nationals from 54 countries.

The move facilitates the transfer and departure of foreign travelers from these ports via cruise ships under China's visa-free transit policy, the statement noted.

"The full implementation of the visa-free policy for foreign tourist groups arriving by cruise ships will support the development of the cruise industry, attract more foreign tourists to China, and enhance exchanges between Chinese and foreign nationals," said Mao Xu, director of the NIA's Foreigners Management Department.

Shanghai has been piloting China's visa-free policy for cruise tourists since October 2016, leading to a 10 percent average annual increase in the number of cruise passengers.

Buoyed by the success in Shanghai, the NIA decided to expand the policy to other coastal cities, promoting the intensive development of cruise-related industries in these areas, Mao said.

To make cruise port entry and exit procedures more convenient, the NIA has introduced a range of measures facilitating customs clearance for international passengers, easing crew disembarkation and promoting cruise ship maintenance, among other services, he said.

Based on cruise ship schedules and passenger numbers, immigration officers will handle border inspection procedures in advance and adopt a convenient clearance certification code to ensure smooth disembarkation and boarding, Mao said.

Foreign passengers on the same cruise trip will be exempt from fingerprint collection and stamping of entry and exit permits. Simplified procedures will also be applied to international crew members, he said.

During international cruise ship maintenance, immigration authorities will provide services around the clock for handling permits for boarding and mooring foreign vessels. They will also issue nationwide permits for personnel engaged in cruise ship supply, maintenance, inspection and operational services, he added.

International cruise transportation to and from Chinese ports fully resumed in September 2023, and China handled over 107,000 cruise passengers last year, according to the Ministry of Transport.

Zhu Zhenyu, deputy director of the ministry's Water Transport Bureau, said there are currently 21 international cruise ships operating at Chinese ports.

"The cruise transportation market is thriving, and passenger numbers are expected to steadily recover and increase in 2024," he said.

Shi Zeyi, deputy director of the International Exchange and Cooperation Bureau of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, noted the positive growth of the inbound cruise tourism market, saying that from February to April, over 14,000 tourists from over 40 countries and regions visited China aboard cruise ships.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism and other departments are streamlining the entire inbound tourism process, addressing issues and optimizing visa and customs policies, improving tourism services, and enhancing the management of and the shopping environment at cultural and tourism sites, Shi said.

To address payment difficulties faced by foreign tourists, the ministry, the People's Bank of China, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange and the National Cultural Heritage Administration issued a notice in April requiring all 5A- and 4A-rated tourist destinations, national- and provincial-level tourist resorts, national-level tourist culture streets, and three-star to five-star hotels to accept domestic and international bank cards.

Major cultural and tourism places should maintain manned ticket windows and support cash payments, the notice said. Currency exchange services at cultural and tourism venues with a large number of foreign visitors should be enhanced, and mobile payment services should also be optimized, it added.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Although KRAS and its links to cancer were discovered decades ago, the characteristics of its protein structure were thought to make it undruggable.

KRAS is a gene that provides instructions for making a protein called K-Ras, which is part of the RAS/MAPK pathway. As the most frequently mutated oncogene, KRAS has been a target of cancer scientists for decades, but the lack of accessible drug-binding sites kept it from being a druggable target.

This changed when scientists from the University of California San Francisco developed a KRAS G12C inhibitor in 2013, tapping into a targetable switch II pocket within the KRAS protein structure. Switch II pocket is a region where inhibitors can block the activity of G12C. This breakthrough is significant given that KRAS G12C mutations are found in approximately 13% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

It then took nearly 10 years until the approval of Bristol Myers Squibbs (BMSs) Krazati (adagrasib) and Amgens Lumakras (sotarasbib), both of which are KRAS G12C inhibitors indicated to treat NSCLC. Their FDA approvals, which occurred in 2021 and 2022, respectively, were a breakthrough for the scientific community.

Soon afterwards, many other pharmaceutical companies began to develop their own KRAS-targeting drugs and therapeutics. The potential sales with these drugs are a big driver of development for companies, considering Krazati and Lumakras are forecast to reach combined sales of up to $3 billion in 2029, according to a GlobalData analysis.

The next frontier in the NSCLC space appears to be drugs that go beyond targeting the G12C domain and can treat other types of cancers, even potentially cross the blood-brain barrier. This is the decade for RAS, says Shubham Pant, professor of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.

Crossing the blood-brain barrier

Asfar Azmi, leader of the Molecular Therapeutics Research Program at Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, Michigan, explains that Krazati has shown early signs of some central nervous system (CNS) activity in ongoing trials. However, in completed studies, patients with active, untreated brain metastases have been usually excluded from participation, meaning little is known about the CNS efficacy of Krazati.

This is significant due to the amount of NSCLC patients who present with brain metastasis at the time of diagnosis. About 40% of lung cancer patients have brain metastasis. That's a big number, says Azmi.

Now, if you have a drug that can cross the blood-brain barrier as being shown by adagrasib, and to some extent sotarasib as well, then that would definitely be a game changer. [You] would now involve the 40% of patients who were earlier neglected or ignored in these trials, Azmi adds.

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Amgen and BMS are not the only companies with active programs in this space. AstraZeneca has developed a molecule called AZD4747, a potent and selective inhibitor of KRAS G12C that is designed to cross the blood-brain barrier.

In a presentation at the European Laboratory Research & Innovation Groups (ELRIGs) Research & Innovation 2024 conference in Manchester, UK, Jason Kettle, senior scientific director at AstraZeneca, said that AZD4747 has demonstrated high CNS exposure in dogs and primates. He concluded that the molecule is uniquely positioned to treat CNS metastases relative to approved agents based on monkey positron emission tomography (PET) data.

Azmi added that chemists designing KRAS inhibitors may aim for compounds that penetrate the blood-brain barrier and exhibit brain activity.

Moving beyond G12C

The replacement of the amino acid glycine at position 12 on KRAS leads to mutations that have been dubbed G12C, G12D, G12R, or others, depending on which amino acid replaces the glycine. Krazati and Lumakras both target KRAS G12C, which is a prominent mutation seen in NSCLC. However, certain cancers such as pancreatic cancer most commonly have the G12D mutation in the KRAS gene.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the high priorities. It's a deadly disease. There is no cure for it. Now 8090% of patients with pancreatic cancer have KRAS mutations, with the most prominent being G12D, says Azmi.

Redwood City, California-based Revolution Medicines is taking a broader approach and developing a pan-RAS inhibitor, RMC-6236. The drug is a multi-selective non-covalent inhibitor designed to treat patients with cancers driven by a wide range of common RAS mutations. Pan-RAS inhibition means that all RAS isozymes co-expressed in the tumour cell population are targeted by a single inhibitor to block constitutively activated RAS regardless of the underlying mutation.

Combination therapies

Despite the efficacy, a KRAS G12C inhibitor by itself is not a simple, guaranteed solution. KRAS G12C inhibitor monotherapies have demonstrated limited clinical efficacy due to primary and acquired resistance mechanisms. Therefore, even if the treatment initially appears to work, the cancer can relapse.

Multiple combinations of KRAS G12C inhibitors with other targeted therapies, such as receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK) inhibitors, are being investigated in clinical trials to overcome the resistance, demonstrating promising efficacy.

For example, in April 2024, BMS reported positive data from its Phase I/II KRYSTAL-1 study evaluating Krazati plus Erbitux (cetuximab), an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor developed by Eli Lilly. The trial met its primary endpoint, with 34% of the 94 metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) patients reaching a median progression-free survival of 6.9 months. The FDA accepted a supplemental new drug application for the combination treatment in February 2024 for previously treated KRAS G12C-mutated locally advanced or metastatic CRC for priority review, with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date set for June 21, 2024.

Combination is the way to go forward. You cannot kill a tumour by just blocking KRAS. But what that combination is has to be very cautiously evaluated, Azmi added.

KRAS in the adjuvant space

Krazati and Lumakras are currently approved for use in metastatic NSCLC after cancer progression on chemotherapy and immunotherapy. However, new inhibitors are now being developed in the early cancer space, and away from primary treatments. The success in the lung [cancer] area has propelled the field to explore more and has given us innovators. Not just small molecule drugs, but now vaccines, says Azmi.

Pant is leading a clinical trial testing an adjuvant vaccine ELI-002 2P, developed by Boston, Massachusetts-based Elicio Therapeutics, with the potential to prevent the relapse of KRAS-mutated pancreatic cancers.

In the trial (NCT04853017), patients with pancreatic and colorectal cancer who were considered to be at high risk of relapse received a maximum of 10 doses of the ELI-002 vaccine targeted toward KRAS G12D and G12R mutations. T cell responses were seen in 84% of all patients and in 100% of those in the two highest-dose cohorts, including those who received the recommended Phase II dose of 10mg. The data from this trial has led to a Phase II trial, which is currently ongoing.

Cancer vaccines as an adjuvant treatment can stimulate the immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells after primary treatment like surgery or chemotherapy. Pant says there is a high risk of relapse in this setting, but the potential for effecting a change is also high. I think that's where we can truly achieve the cure, says Pant.

"KRAS inhibitors: The next frontier beckons" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.







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Uber Freight releases a new spot market solution. (Photo: Uber Freight)

ARLINGTON, Texas  Managed transportation and freight technology provider Uber Freight on Wednesday launched a spot market solution under its premier offering Uber Freight Exchange.

Uber Freight Exchange was initially released in September as a contract procurement platform enabling shippers to run bids with both their own and Uber Freights carrier network. At the time, the product brought Uber Freights technology to the contract market while providing messaging tools, bid functions and performance reporting and mitigating lane coverage risks in a wide variety of market conditions.

The new spot function, unveiled at Uber Freights Carrier Summit, completes Exchange and combines Uber Freights brokerage and managed transportation solutions to offer an improved freight procurement experience through a tech-driven approach, according to the company.

Uber Freight Exchange is an open, neutral marketplace where shippers and carriers can come to meet. Its not tied to the brokerage or the managed transportation business, Eric Berdinis, head of carrier product management, told FreightWaves. Shippers who are using email or phone calls for their RFPs or for getting a spot rate now have one place to help them find the best carriers, get the best rates and create fairness in the market.

Combining the technology of Uber Freight and its acquired company, Transplace, Exchange now allows carriers to procure both spot and contract loads on a single platform, accessing loads from thousands of shippers. It brings together Uber Freights capabilities in automated pricing and load recommendations developed over seven years with Transplaces relationships with hundreds of shippers.

Uber Freight Exchange Spot board. (Photo: Uber Freight)

The platform also brings greater transparency to the spot load procurement process, according to Uber Freight. It provides carriers access to key load details upfront, like facility ratings, hazmat requirements and potential backhaul opportunities. The goal is to help carriers make more informed bidding decisions quickly without needing to seek out additional information from shippers.

Ran Sun, senior product manager of marketplace dynamics at Uber Freight, explained to FreightWaves how Exchange makes it easy for carriers to work between spot and dedicated markets in its updated solution.

If [carriers] are continuously booking spot loads on a certain lane, we want them to know there is an opportunity to book continuous freight on that lane. The system will string together a bunch of spot loads in order to form a three-month contract. The carrier can bid now on that dedicated lane and have business lined up over the next couple of weeks rather than having to go book one-off loads every week, Sun explained.

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Berdinis elaborated on that scenario, pointing out that combining the spot and contract opportunities creates an advantageous network effect.

A single unified carrier portal where we can show load opportunities and reloads and backhauls across our shipper network gives carriers the opportunity to form complete schedules. That should drive efficiency for them and then also drive prices down for the shippers who otherwise would be paying for empty miles. The more loads we have in one place, the more of those network effects you start to see that benefit both parties, he said.

Sun told FreightWaves that this new Exchange experience has been rolled out to all of its 95,000 brokerage carriers, and that the company has slowly been integrating its managed shippers into the new platform, with 180 shippers already transitioned, including those shippers carrier networks.

By the end of the summer, we are anticipating the entirety of our managed transportation business on this platform. The initial feedback has been very positive and those customers carriers also feel the platform is easy to use and very intuitive, said Sun.

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Macrae's new Partners are (from L to R): Eleonora Waktare (London), Justine Donahue (Washington, D.C.), Rachel Nonaka (Washington, D.C.), Adil Lalani (London), and Sarah Morris (San Francisco Bay Area). (Photo: Business Wire)

Elite Transatlantic Legal Search Firm Promotes Recruiters Justine Donahue, Adil Lalani, Rachel Nonaka, Sarah Morris, and Eleonora Waktare

PALO ALTO, Calif., May 16, 2024--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Macrae, a premier transatlantic legal search firm that places partners and groups at the worlds leading law firms, announced today that five managing directors have been promoted to the firms partnership. The new partners are Sarah Morris in the San Francisco Bay Area, Justine Donahue and Rachel Nonaka in Washington, D.C., and Adil Lalani and Eleonora Waktare in London. Macraes team of 20 recruiters firmwide now includes 11 partners.

"I couldnt be happier to welcome Sarah, Justine, Rachel, Adil and Eleonora to the partnership. Macraes clients, candidates and team members firmwide have benefited tremendously from the skill and passion each of them brings to their work," said Joe Macrae, Founder and Chairman. "The recruiting profession is often stereotyped as a fiercely competitive individual sport, even among colleagues  and theres truth in that. We set out to build a different kind of firm, one powered not by sharp elbows but by transparency, the sharing of intelligence across markets, and the recognition that every win requires a group effort. The fact that a record five recruiters have achieved partnership status this year, including two who began their recruiting careers here, is a testament to our distinct business and cultural model."

The new partners:

Justine Donahue (Washington, D.C.): Donahue represents partners, partner groups and senior government attorneys across practice areas, with a special interest in antitrust. Prior to becoming a recruiter in 2014, her career as an antitrust lawyer encompassed a decade in private practice and several years at the Department of Justice, Antitrust Division. Donahue, who holds a JD from American University, Washington College of Law, joined Macrae in 2021.

Adil Lalani (London): Lalani has more than 20 years of experience executing a range of exclusive partner searches and representing partners and teams across practice areas. In the course of his career, which has included operating his own boutique search firm for six years, he has acquired a deep understanding of the London market and, critically, how it ties into international firms global presence and ambitions. He joined Macrae in 2023.

Sarah Morris (San Francisco): Morris represents partners and partner groups across practice areas, including private equity M&A, public company M&A, capital markets, tax, restructuring and bankruptcy, and litigation. Before transitioning to recruiting in 2012, she was a corporate attorney for five years at Skadden, with a focus on M&A and corporate finance. Morris, who holds a JD from Berkeley Law School, joined Macrae in 2021.

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Rachel Nonaka (Washington, D.C.): Nonaka represents senior government attorneys, partners and partner groups across practice areas. Prior to joining Macrae in 2020, she served for over a decade as a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, investigating and bringing white collar securities enforcement actions. She holds a JD from the Villanova University School of Law.

Eleonora Waktare (London): Waktare represents partners and partner groups across practice areas in London, Brussels, Paris, Germany and Luxembourg, and advises global law firms seeking to strengthen their presence in these markets. Prior to joining Macrae in 2019, she practiced competition law at WilmerHale and Covington & Burling and was a case-handler at the Directorate-General for Competition at the European Commission. She holds an LLM from the College of Europe and a law degree from the University of Liege.

About Macrae

Macrae is a transatlantic legal search firm with offices in London, New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Palo Alto. Macrae works with the most successful and innovative law firms in the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe to bring on top lateral partners and partner groups and open new offices. The firms expertise also includes representing high-performing partners seeking to make strategic moves and senior government attorneys transitioning to private practice. Its commitment to furthering inclusion and diversity in the legal industry is reflected in the candidates it represents as well as within the firm. Macrae is a majority women-owned business, and over 80% of team members identify as belonging to demographic groups that are underrepresented within the legal industry. To learn more about Macrae, please visit Macrae.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240516627292/en/

Contacts

Media Contact:

Lauren Gard

lauren.gard@macrae.com

(510) 246-1366
Major Insurer Delivers Massive Sticker Shock To California Homeowners

California homeowners who were looking for relief from high insurance premiums may want to brace themselves for a nasty surprise if they carry Travelers Insurance. The national insurance giant recently announced they would be hiking homeowners' premiums in the Golden State by an average of 15.3%. The move will affect an estimated 320,000 policyholders and goes into effect in June of this year.

Although the average premium increase is 15%, some homeowners will see their rates increase by as much as 25%, which will only place further strain on the budgets of California homeowners. As hard as it may be to believe, the homeowners receiving the premium increases may be the lucky ones in this equation. Travelers also announced plans to cancel 6,600 policies for California homeowners.

The New York-based insurer is citing the increased risk and costs associated with wildfires and other natural disasters like mudslides or floods as the motivation behind both the premium increases and the cancellations. Regardless of whether they received a policy increase or a cancellation, the homeowners affected by this move will find a very difficult market waiting for them if they try to shop for new rates or a replacement policy.

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In recent years, California's insurance market has been getting increasingly difficult for consumers as more and more insurers opt to quit the market entirely rather than deal with the risk of writing policies. In addition to Travelers, major insurance carriers with national recognition like State Farm, Allstate, and Farmers have recently reduced policies and dramatically raised premiums for the policies they renewed.

As recently as March, State Farm announced it would drop 72,000 California homeowners' policies. Like Travelers, all the insurers backing out of California are making these moves based on their fears over covering natural disasters, which are striking the state with more frequency and potency every year. In what can only be taken as an acknowledgment of the deep challenges facing the industry, California's Insurance Commission approved Travelers' rate increases.

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Travelers released a statement to Los Angeles-based KTLA News about the increases, which said in part "The approved adjustments to our California homeowner's insurance rates are a necessary step toward aligning pricing to the risks that our customers are facing." The increases, from Travelers, also come on the heels of a recent proposal by California's Insurance Commissioner to let insurers use predictive modeling to calculate rate increases.

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The Commissioner is also proposing to streamline and expedite the process of approving rate increases. Both moves could pave the way for even higher insurance premiums because currently, insurers are limited to using actual losses from past claims as the basis for rate increases. That specific limitation was introduced in 1988 under a measure known as Proposition 103 which also required insurers to get California Insurance Commission approval before increasing rates.

Since then, property values in California have skyrocketed and insurers say the current model for calculating rates is out of step with the cost and risk of providing homeowners coverage. California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has said these industry concessions are part of his "Sustainable Insurance Strategy" plan which is designed to keep as many private insurers operating in California as possible.

Another pressing issue with California's insurance market is that as more insurers exit the state, it only increases the number of homeowners relying on California's state-run FAIR Plan for insurance. Although FAIR advertises itself as an option of last resort, its website is getting thousands of applications per week from homeowners who are priced out by private rates.

Of course, all this only adds to the misery for any Travelers policyholder who just opened up their renewal envelope. They are likely to shop around and discover that they are the lucky ones to have gotten the option to renew at all. Many of their neighbors could be even worse off. The California insurance crisis has not yet affected homeowners as badly as the one in Florida, but it's trending in that direction.

Whatever happens, both the California Insurance Commission and the private insurers operating in the state will have to come to some sort of mutually beneficial arrangement. If they cannot, one of the world's most lucrative real estate markets could be in for an incredibly bumpy ride because it's simply impossible for a multi-trillion-dollar real estate market to exist if property owners can't get insurance.

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As of May 2024, the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) has shown a robust performance with nearly all sectors closing in the green, signaling a positive momentum across various industries. This backdrop provides an intriguing context for investors interested in growth companies with high insider ownership, as these firms often benefit from aligned interests between management and shareholders, potentially enhancing stability and confidence amidst fluctuating market conditions.

Top 10 Growth Companies With High Insider Ownership In Australia

Name Insider Ownership Earnings Growth Hartshead Resources (ASX:HHR) 13.9% 86.3% Cettire (ASX:CTT) 28.7% 29.9% Gratifii (ASX:GTI) 15.6% 112.4% Acrux (ASX:ACR) 14.6% 115.3% Doctor Care Anywhere Group (ASX:DOC) 28.4% 96.4% Hillgrove Resources (ASX:HGO) 10.4% 45.4% Alpha HPA (ASX:A4N) 28.3% 95.9% Liontown Resources (ASX:LTR) 16.4% 63.9% SiteMinder (ASX:SDR) 11.4% 69.4% Plenti Group (ASX:PLT) 12.6% 68.5%

Click here to see the full list of 90 stocks from our Fast Growing ASX Companies With High Insider Ownership screener.

We'll examine a selection from our screener results.

Simply Wall St Growth Rating: 

Overview: Emerald Resources NL is a company focused on the exploration and development of mineral reserves in Cambodia and Australia, with a market capitalization of approximately A$2.47 billion.

Operations: The primary revenue for the company is generated from mine operations, totaling approximately A$339.32 million.

Insider Ownership: 18.5%

Emerald Resources, an Australian growth company with high insider ownership, has shown robust performance with a 53.4% increase in earnings over the past year. The company's earnings are expected to grow by 22.76% annually, outpacing the Australian market's average of 13.6%. Despite trading at 73.1% below its estimated fair value and experiencing shareholder dilution last year, EMR's revenue is forecasted to grow faster than the market at 19.4% per year. Recent financials indicate a significant rise in sales and net income for the second half of 2023.

ASX:EMR Earnings and Revenue Growth as at May 2024

Simply Wall St Growth Rating: 

Overview: Mineral Resources Limited is a mining services company based in Australia, with operations extending to Asia and internationally, and has a market capitalization of approximately A$15.21 billion.

Operations: The company generates revenue from three primary segments: lithium (A$1.60 billion), iron ore (A$2.50 billion), and mining services (A$2.82 billion).

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Insider Ownership: 11.6%

Mineral Resources, an Australian growth company with high insider ownership, is trading at A$29.3% below its estimated fair value, indicating potential undervaluation. While its revenue growth of 10.7% per year is expected to outpace the Australian market average of 5%, its earnings are projected to surge by 29.19% annually over the next three yearssignificantly higher than market forecasts. However, concerns linger as profit margins have declined from last year's 16.3% to 7.9%, and interest payments are not well covered by earnings, reflecting some financial strain despite strong growth prospects.

ASX:MIN Ownership Breakdown as at May 2024

Simply Wall St Growth Rating: 

Overview: Vulcan Steel Limited operates in New Zealand and Australia, focusing on the sale and distribution of steel and metal products, with a market capitalization of approximately A$906.72 million.

Operations: The company generates revenue primarily through the metals segment, which contributed NZ$638.86 million, and the wholesale miscellaneous segment, which added NZ$532.02 million.

Insider Ownership: 34.5%

Vulcan Steel, a growth company with high insider ownership in Australia, is anticipated to see its earnings grow by 27.1% annually, outpacing the Australian market average. Despite this robust profit outlook and very high forecasted Return on Equity of 40.1% in three years, revenue growth is sluggish at 2.4% per year, below the market's 5%. Additionally, Vulcan has a high level of debt and its dividend coverage by earnings is weak. Recent insider activities show more buying than selling, although not in large volumes.

ASX:VSL Ownership Breakdown as at May 2024

Taking Advantage

Dive into all 90 of the Fast Growing ASX Companies With High Insider Ownership we have identified here.

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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 analysis only considers stock directly held by insiders. It does not include indirectly owned stock through other vehicles such as corporate and/or trust entities. All forecast revenue and earnings growth rates quoted are in terms of annualised (per annum) growth rates over 1-3 years.

Companies discussed in this article include ASX:EMRASX:MIN ASX:VSL and

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
The Grandma McFlurry, made with syrup and crunchy candy pieces, will be available for purchase at McDonald's locations nationwide starting Tuesday, May 21.

McDonalds latest source of inspiration is none other than your grandma.

The chain is dropping a new McFlurry flavor on Tuesday in honor of the women who always know how to make us feel special - and it's steeped in some sweet nostalgia.

The Grandma McFlurry is described by the company as the epitome of sweetness thanks to a flavor inspired by the calling card of grandmothers everywhere: wrapped candy pieces. You know, the ones you found bouncing around in your grandma's purse or sitting in her candy dish back in the day.

The fast food giant is pulling out all the stops for this nostalgic treat, inviting customers to celebrate and recreate memories with grandma by purchasing the new McFlurry flavor, which will be available for a limited time.

The new treat was even created by a culinary team member who is a grandmother herself, McDonald's said.

She was relentless in perfecting a deliciously craveable treat meant to evoke special memories with grandma or the grandma-figure in your life, drawing from her own experiences, said a statement by Marcelo Fajnerman, vice president of menu strategy.

Heres how to get it.

When will I be able to purchase a Grandma McFlurry from McDonald's?

The Grandma McFlurry will be available at McDonald's restaurants nationwide starting Tuesday, May 21.

What does the Grandma McFlurry from McDonald's taste like?

The Grandma McFlurry tastes just like the wrapped candies kept in your grandmas purse or the fancy dish on her coffee table.

"Delicious syrup and chopped candy pieces are mixed into the classic soft serve to create the sweet treat, according to McDonalds.

More McDonalds for grandma

Grandma McFlurry will only be available at McDonald's locations nationwide for a limited time and while supplies last.

McDonalds is also giving customers a couple of extra sweet ways to connect with grandma, working with Remi Wolf and Jay Wheeler to release original covers of songs How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) and Piel Canela.

A Grandmas McFlurry Mobile will also hit the streets of New York City on Friday, May 17 and Saturday, May 18, to offer a first taste of the limited-edition McFlurry before it becomes available at locations nationwide.

Heres where the ice cream truck will be:

Friday, May 17:

Herald Square  104 W 35th St, New York, NY 10018 (on the corner of W 34th St. and Broadway) between 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 18:

Grandmas McFlurry Mobile will be making stops at senior centers and assisted living homes in East Harlem from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. and Flushing from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The fun doesn't stop there. McDonalds is also planning to make donations to Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly, a non-profit organization working to end loneliness and social isolation among older people in the United States.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New Grandma McFlurry flavor available at McDonald's
Here's a look at promotions, hirings, movers and newsmakers in the Memphis area business scene:

Arnautovic

Semmes Murphey Clinic neurosurgeon Kenan Arnautovic was named First Vice President of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies. The collective of 129 neurosurgical societies worldwide appointed him to the role, in which he will serve as a voting officer for the federation dedicated to improving neurosurgical care, training and research worldwide. Arnautovic joined Semmes Murphey in 2003 specializing in brain tumor treatments and complex spine diagnoses.

van der Merwe

Marie van der Merwe, an associate professor in the College of Health Sciences at the University of Memphis, recently received the 2023 Higher Education Science Educator of the Year Award from the Tennessee Science Teachers Association. This statewide award recognizes leadership roles in promoting science and outstanding contributions to science education that positively impact the community. Van der Merwe earned her doctorate in molecular pharmacology from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and received her postdoctoral training in the Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

The Society of Entrepreneurs recently hosted its New Member Reception and introduced into membership were Chris Brubaker, Brett Grinder, Fred Grinder, Justin Grinder and Stacy McCall. During the festivities was the announcement of the 2024 recipient of the Master Entrepreneur Award, Bob McEniry. The award is given in conjunction with Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South, to the Society of Entrepreneurs member who best exemplifies the full range of characteristics necessary for membership. McEniry is retired Chairman of nexAir, a multigenerational company with headquarters in Memphis that was founded in 1940 as Standard Welders Supply and was purchased by McEniry's father in 1950.

Iris Restaurant Group, which owns the brands Restaurant Iris, The Second Line, The Swamp Bar at Second Line and Iris Etc., is expanding ownership by adding father-daughter team Tim Romanow and Kimberly Guthrie of Romanow Guthrie Investments. The two will add to the current ownership of Chef Kelly English, and Steve and Sylvia Richey.

The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis appointed four new members to its Community Development Advisory Council. Among them is Keith Turbett, community development manager of First Horizon Bank, Memphis. The council keeps the St. Louis Fed president and Community Development staff informed about relevant issues in the Eighth District and suggests ways to support local community development efforts.

Story continues

Lebel

The board of directors of the architectural and engineering design firm Allen & Hoshall elected Michel Lebel as a member. He is senior principal and lead architect, overseeing project teams in the Memphis headquarters, as well as in Mississippi and East Tennessee. He joined the firm in 2013.

Duvvuri

Baptist Heart Institute at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis added Dr. Padmaraj Duvvuri to its Advanced Heart Failure Program. Duvvuri earned his doctorate at Shri Vasantrao Naik Government Medical College in Yavatmal, India, and completed a fellowship in general cardiology at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois, and a fellowship in critical care medicine and advanced heart failure cardiology at Cleveland Clinic.

Noteworthy

Rhodes College has joined the American Talent Initiative, a collective of 137 top public and private colleges and universities across the nation working collaboratively to expand access and opportunity for highly talented low- and moderate-income students. Formed in 2016, the initiative is funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies and coordinated by the Aspen Institute's College Excellence Program and Ithaka S+R. Members include regional and flagship public institutions and leading private colleges and universities.

 Compiled by Daniel Ginsburg

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis business news: Promotions, hirings, achievers and company news
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  The deadline to file your tax return for 2023 has come and gone.

Some taxpayers may have asked for a little more time to get things done, by requesting an extension from the IRS before April 15. But Chief Tax Information Officer for Jackson Hewitt Tax Services, Mark Steber, said that wasnt the case for everyone.

Something thats not as highly publicized, is, theres another about 10 million people who do not extend and just fall to filing later and just resign themselves to the fact that theyll just pay the penalties and interest, Steber said.

FBI most wanted suspect found and arrested in Columbus

And when it comes to those penalties, Steber said it could end up costing you big.

The Failure to File penalty, which is a pretty big penalty, said Steber. It can be up to 25% of the amount of tax that was due with the tax return, plus interest. And its not a one time fee. It compounds daily. So, its in your best interest to take care of it if you miss the deadline. Theres also a Failure to Pay penalty, separate from the Failure to File penalty, and it is also a 25% penalty, and it also continues to compound daily for the penalty and the interest. And then theres an Underpayment penalty if you didnt pay your taxes throughout the year.

Even if you requested an extension, Steber said that is merely a request for more time to send in your paperwork, not a request for more time to pay.

You had to pay in the vast majority, Steber said. And by that amount, its about 90% by the due date. If you miss that, then youre at risk.

In summary, Steber said the best thing you can do is file, as soon as possible, to avoid paying even more.

If the IRS is good at one thing, its helping taxpayers. If theyre good at a second thing, its getting their money, and they always get their money, all of their money, and you cant hide, despite what TikTok will tell you, said Steber. They have your name. They have your social. Theyre very good at collecting cash. Whether its your savings, your checking, assets that you own, or even retirement monies. And the time doesnt matter. It never goes away if you owe, and they find you, and they start the collection process.

Steber said there may be some leniency in certain situations, but a tax professional can help you to determine the best course of action to take.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
First, damaging hurricanes drove up home insurance costs in Florida. Now, wildfires are causing premiums to spike in other states like California.

Insurance rates in ritzy Sunshine Stater enclaves including Bel-Air, Beverly Hills, Montecito, and even Napa Valley are facing hikes so extreme that potential buyers are reconsidering whether they want to purchase a new home or forgo home insurance altogether. In the Hollywood Hills, one woman who was supposed to sign-off on a $25.6 million mansion in February was presented with a fire insurance quote to the tune of $200,000 per year. She almost fell off her chair, Peter Mac, a broker with boutique real estate firm, The Agency, told Bloomberg. She wanted to renegotiate.

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Then, in March, State Farm announced that it was discontinuing fire insurance policies across the state ahead of the 2024 wildfire season. A whopping 72,000 property owners are expected to lose coverage and almost 70 percent of the homes are in ZIP codes where the median sale price was $1 million and above last year, Bloomberg reported.

First, damaging hurricanes drove up home insurance costs in Florida. Now, wildfires are causing premiums to spike in other states, like California.

Insurance rates in ritzy Sunshine Stater enclaves, including Bel-Air, Beverly Hills, Montecito, and even Napa Valley, are facing hikes so extreme that potential buyers are reconsidering whether they want to purchase a new home or forgo home insurance altogether. In the Hollywood Hills, one woman who was supposed to sign off on a $25.6 million mansion in February was presented with a fire insurance quote to the tune of $200,000 per year. She almost fell off her chair, Peter Mac, a broker with boutique real estate firm The Agency, told Bloomberg. She wanted to renegotiate.

Then, in March, State Farm announced that it was discontinuing fire insurance policies across the state ahead of the 2024 wildfire season. A whopping 72,000 property owners are expected to lose coverage, and almost 70 percent of the homes are in ZIP codes where the median sale price was $1 million and above last year, Bloomberg reported.

Longtime Bel-Air resident John Morris is one of the homeowners who will have his coverage cut off in 2025. Morris told the news site that after the American International Group canceled his policy in 2022, he switched over to a $22,000 per year plan with State Farm. However, hell now have to scramble to replace his current coverage. There will be options, but theyre going to be a lot more expensive, Morris said. Its a problem thats not going away.

Story continues

Longtime Bel-Air resident John Morris is one of the homeowners who will have his coverage cut off in 2025. Morris told the news site that after the American International Group canceled his policy in 2022, he switched over to a $22,000 per year plan with State Farm. However, hell now have to scramble to replace his current coverage. There will be options, but theyre going to be a lot more expensive, Morris said. Its a problem thats not going away.

Insurance companies including State Farm have pulled out of California due to wildfire risks.

Its a similar story in Florida, where insurance rates tripled over the last three years. On the ultra-exclusive Star Island, homeowners are now paying upwards of $600,000 for annual policies due to climate risk factors. There are implications for other states as well. Across the country, premiums have surged 23 percent since January 2023, CNBC reported. Both the Midwest and Southwest are among the areas where rates have risen the most, according to a report by Bankrate. Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Kansas were among the most expensive states for homeowners insurance, per the analysis, and in Louisiana, the average premium shot up 63 percent compared to last year due to hurricane risk.

Insurance is where many people are feeling the economic impacts of climate change first, Carolyn Kousky, associate vice president for economics and policy at the Environmental Defense Fund, told The New York Times. That is going to spill over into housing markets, mortgage markets, and local economies.

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Crisis in India-based Church: Pope Francis Again Warns of Schism

Pope Francis once again warned the Syro-Malabar Church against the risk of a "schism," welcoming a delegation from this Indian community to the Vatican on May 13, 2024. In the morning, the Pope also received the new head of this Church. The Church is currently grappling with a serious liturgical quarrel, with some priests refusing to comply with a reform.

The issue: Priests want to face the people

The long history of the Syro-Malabar Church is linked to that of the Chaldean Church, which is present mostly in Iraq today. Like the Chaldean Church, it underwent Nestorian influences before undergoing a Latinization of its rite from 1599, in order to draw closer to Rome.

In the 1970s, following the Second Vatican Council's call for the Eastern Churches to return to their ancient traditions as a bridge to the Orthodox, the 35 dioceses of the Syro-Malabar Church were invited to discontinue their Latinization and return to the Chaldean rite.

But while the more traditionalist -- and therefore more Chaldean -- southern province is returning to the strong tradition of its origins, the more Latinized northern province is resisting.

The latter prefers to follow the Latin Church, which has instituted Mass celebrated while facing the faithful, while the south, encouraged by Vatican II, celebrates with its back to the faithful, according to the Chaldean rite.

Addressing the group, the Pope praised the fidelity to Rome of the Syro-Malabar Church.

This ancient Catholic community numbers 5.5 million faithful, most of them in Kerala, India. Its foundation is said to date back to the Apostle St. Thomas. "You are obedient, and where obedience is present, there is the Church. Where there is disobedience, there is schism," declared the Pope, before insisting that "apart from Peter, apart from the major archbishop, there is no Church."

The 266th Pope then openly referred to the liturgical conflict involving 400 priests from Ernakulam-Angamaly -- the Church's largest diocese -- who refuse to comply with a liturgical reform approved by vote of their Synod back in 1999. The reform

Against a backdrop of protests, Rome has sent several administrators and apostolic delegates to the area, without success.

"Remain in the Catholic Church!"

Last December, with the resignation of Cardinal George Alencherry -- who had been at the head of this Church since 2011 -- Pope Francis sent an unprecedented video in which he threatened dissident pastors with excommunication on December 25 if they didn't implement the new "unified" Mass, which is partly celebrated with the priest facing the altar with his back to the people.

"Re-establish communion, remain in the Catholic Church!" the Pontiff implored, warning them against the risk of becoming "a sect."

Now, he warned them again "of the dangerous temptation to focus on one detail, and an unwillingness to let it go, even to the detriment of the good of the Church."

"Showing a grave lack of respect for the Blessed Sacrament [...] by arguing about the details of how to celebrate the Eucharist [...] is incompatible with the Christian faith," he said.

Although the liturgy was respected throughout the diocese on Christmas Day, tensions remain high, as some of the faithful continue to voice their opposition. At the end of 2023, some Vatican officials warned that the specter of excommunication was "very real."

The Pope's appeal to recalcitrant priests

At the audience, the Pope saw in this crisis a tendency towards "self-referentiality," which he translated into a Spanish expression: "I, me, with me, for me, everything for me."

"It is here that the devil, the divider, who truly exists, creeps in," he warned, asserting that "guarding unity is not a pious exhortation but a duty." And he added: "It is especially so when it concerns priests who have promised obedience."

Turning to the new head of the Church, Archbishop Raphael Thattil, elected on January 9, the Argentine Pontiff urged him to "leave the doors open and our hearts open" to those refractory priests who could return "once they have repented."

"We are waiting for them," said the Pope. He invited all to "pray tirelessly that our brothers and sisters, tempted by a worldliness that leads to rigidity and division, may realize that they are part of a larger family that loves them and waits for them."

The Pope also said that he had given the major archbishop, whom he met privately before the audience, jurisdiction over the faithful of the Syro-Malabar Church who have emigrated to the Middle East. Many of them work in the Persian Gulf.

In his address, Francis also underlined the "special heritage" of this particular Church, rejoicing that the state of Kerala is "a treasure-trove of vocations."

"I am close to you in prayer and carry you in my heart every day," he said. He urged those present not to allow themselves to be overwhelmed by "a sense of helplessness in the face of problems," nor to shut themselves away in "prejudices," but to "respond to evil with good."

A conflict that has dragged on for decades

In 1999, the Syro-Malabar Synod -- the assembly of this autonomous Church -- reached agreement on a liturgical compromise, with one part of the liturgy facing the congregation and another with its back to the congregation.

But the eparchy -- equivalent to a diocese -- of Ernakulam-Angamly, with its great vitality and 655,000 faithful, continues to resist. Yet traditionally, the head of this northern diocese is also the head of the 5.5 million-strong Church, giving even more weight to the dissension: a dissension that experts see as a rejection of Rome's authority.
Chemical manufacturing company NatureWorks has gained financial support from Thailand's Krungthai Bank for its new fully integrated polylactic acid (PLA) manufacturing facility in the country.

The Bt12,600M ($350m) financing from Krungthai Bank, Thailands third largest, is one of the largest loans in the banks decades-long history.

The funding will support the plant's construction and its ongoing manufacture of PLA biopolymer, a biobased material created by NatureWorks under its Igneo range, used in plastic and fibre applications such as packaging.

NatureWorks chose a site in the Nakhon Sawan biocomplex for its strong agricultural base providing abundant, locally available feedstock of sugarcane and established infrastructure to process this into a sugar feedstock for the fermentation process.

The new manufacturing facility includes production sites for lactic acid, lactide and polymer. With an annual capacity of 75,000 tons of Ingeo biopolymer, it will produce the full portfolio of Ingeo grades.

NatureWorks intends to achieve rapid market growth in the Asia Pacific region, including 3D printing, nonwovens for hygiene, compostable coffee capsules, tea bags, flexible packaging and compostable food service ware.

NatureWorks CEO and president Erik Ripple commented: The funding will enable us to expand our international customer access to fully biobased, low-carbon biomaterials that feature performance attributes valued by global downstream packaging and fibre markets.

Krungthai Bank chief wholesale banking officer Suratun Kongton added: Weve provided NatureWorks with the financing because it meets the requirements to drive Thailands bio-circular-green model forward, and aligns with our commitments to address climate change and facilitate the transition to a circular economy.

"NatureWorks secures funding for biopolymer facility in Thailand" was originally created and published by Packaging Gateway, 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.
Newgen Software announced a strategic partnership with ASEAN Business Partners (ABP), a multi-disciplinary professional services firm specialising in assisting international companies, to expand their business in the ASEAN region.

Newgen aims to empower Southeast Asian enterprises

Through this collaboration, Newgen aims to leverage ABP's vast expertise and local presence to introduce its advanced banking solutions to Southeast Asian markets, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

With a focus on onboarding, lending, and trade finance solutions, Newgen intends to empower Southeast Asian enterprises with its industry-recognised low-code platform.

The configurable low-code platform, NewgenONE, will enable banking leaders to unify front, middle, and back-office functions, infuse intelligence into operations, and achieve end-to-end automation, at scale, across thousands of bank-wide applications and processes.

Sumit Dutta, Founder and CEO of ASEAN Business Partners, said, "I am delighted to announce the partnership between Newgen and ABP. We are committed to identifying and introducing the best of global technology into the fast-growing ASEAN market and are privileged to partner with a global IT pioneer to add value."

"As ASEAN companies adopt technology to enhance productivity and cut costs, we believe our clients will value Newgen's innovative solutions, characterised by its customer-centric approach and commitment."

Pramod Kumar, Head of Business, APAC, Newgen Software, said, "We're excited by the potential for a positive change. The NewgenONE platform is designed to be a game-changer for banking leaders and teaming up with ABP brings even more expertise to the table, and we're excited to accelerate digital progress in the region."

This year Newgen formed a partnership with Finastra to transform lending processes. The API-driven integration streamlines the creation of loan documents, covering various consumer collaterals. It minimises manual effort by eliminating the need for data mapping while ensuring data validation before transfer. The solution integrates with core banking and third-party systems and helps banks adhere to compliance requirements.

"Newgen partners with ASEAN Business " was originally created and published by Retail Banker 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.
New Jersey's highly competitive real estate market has resulted in 26 of its towns ranking among the top 150 hottest homebuying markets in the country in April, according to the latest data from Realtor.com. And, nearly half of those towns are right here in North Jersey.

There weren't any New Jersey towns that ranked among the nation's top 10 markets this month, but seven places were able to claim spots in the top 50 and 16 places were named in the top 100.

What North Jersey towns were the hottest for homebuying?

Downtown Ridgewood over Labor Day Weekend 2020.

The overall hottest New Jersey real estate market to make the list was Ridgewood, which ranked 16th. While the town's ranking has dropped after being named the overall third-hottest town for homebuying across the country last summer, Ridgewood has still consistently maintained a hot real estate market in both the state and the nation. With a hotness score of about 99.55, the town had a median listing price of just below $1.3 million and homes stayed on the market for about 11 days.

Ranking 19th, Montclair was the second highest ranked town in both North Jersey and across the state. The town had a hotness score of about 99.47 in April, with a median listing price of about $1.3 million. And, homes stayed on the market for about 8 days here. Montclair was the only New Jersey town to have two of its ZIP codes ranked in the top 150, with the other ranking 86th overall.

As the third hottest homebuying town in both North Jersey and the state, as well as the only Passaic County town in the ranking, Ringwood placed 26th in the ranking. With a hotness score of about 99.3, Ringwood had a median listing price of about $437,225  the third lowest of the New Jersey towns on the list  and homes stayed on the market for 14 days.

Other North Jersey towns to make the top 150 include Wyckoff (28th), Oakland (34th), Lincoln Park (58th), Montclair (86th), Morristown (99th), Caldwell (101st), Ramsey (110th), Randolph (123rd) and Madison (142nd).

What other New Jersey towns were hot for homebuying?

A photo of the Somerville train station.

The other New Jersey towns to make the top 150 hottest real estate markets in April had hotness scores of above 96.78 and include Somerville (30th), Basking Ridge (45th), Old Bridge (55th), Metuchen (59th), Bedminster (62nd), Mount Laurel (78th), Cranford (81st), Medford (93rd), Voorhees (104th), Bridgewater (108th), Trenton (112th), Westfield (115th), Cherry Hill (135th) and Scotch Plains (139th).

Here's the full ranking of the 150 hottest real estate markets across the country in April 2024:

Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering all things worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay , on X @maddiemcgayy , and sign up for her North Jersey Living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or terrific house she should know about? Email her at MMcGay@gannett.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ best towns: 150 hottest real estate markets for homebuying in US
The Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) and Wellbeing Services County (WSC) of Finland's North Savo region have agreed a 100m ($108.7m) credit facility to finance healthcare services in North Savo.

The 20-year loan will fund the renovation and construction of hospital buildings in Kuopio, focusing on modernising existing facilities to align with contemporary healthcare requirements.

It is the second financial collaboration between the NIB and North Savo WSC.

The North Savo WSC will use the loan facility to finance upgrades and other construction works at the Uusi Sydan central hospital, as well as consolidate ward operations at the central hospital in Kuopio and build a psychiatric hospital.

Established in 2022 as part of Finland's Social, Healthcare and Rescue services reform, the North Savo WSC manages social, healthcare and rescue services in the region.

It employs around 12,800 colleagues across 19 municipalities, serving a population of nearly 248,000.

The NIB said the investments were intended to enhance infrastructure, optimise operations and increase efficiency within the North Savo healthcare system.

These improvements are expected to increase service capacity and reduce waiting times for patients in North Savo, whose population has an ageing demographic.

NIB president and CEO Andre Kuusvek said: Investments in healthcare services are crucial for higher service capacity, more efficient operations, and better infrastructure.

Moreover, NIB can support the recently established Wellbeing Services County with stable long-term financing and diversification of its funding sources.

NIB is owned by eight member countries, namely Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Estonia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, and Latvia.

It supports both private and public sector projects within and beyond its member states.

"Nordic Investment Bank agrees 100m loan facility with Finlands North Savo WSC" was originally created and published by Hospital Management, 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.
JUNCTION CITY (KSNT)  The Kansas Department of Revenue (KDOR) says it seized a northeast Kansas bar this week as it owed thousands in delinquent taxes to the state.

Aubrey Challquist, a KDOR spokeswoman, told 27 News in a press release that KDOR agents and Geary County Sheriffs Office deputies executed 11 tax warrants against Coyote Saloon Inc., located at 130 W. Seventh Street in Junction City, at 10:30 a.m. on May 13. Assets were seized and the saloon, referred to locally as Coyotes or Coyotes Saloon, was sealed shut for failure to pay corporate, liquor drink, sales and withholding tax amounting to a little more than $81,000.

Sales tax  $3,516.61

Corporate tax  $54,770.07

Withholding tax  $1,117.66

Liquor drink tax  $21,912.31

Kansas counties offer $12,500 to help home buyers

The KDOR seized assets including all known bank accounts, on-site cash, business inventory along with personal property belonging to the owner. A notice was also posted on the business to inform the public of the seizure.

Challquist says all of the seized assets will be sold through a public auction with the proceeds going towards paying off the delinquent taxes owed by Coyote Saloon Inc. Customers, employees or others who had items at the business are encouraged to reach out to the KDOR by calling 785-296-3289.

KDORs policy and practice is to work with taxpayers in delinquent status to voluntarily enter into repayment agreements. It is only after these efforts and multiple failed collection attempts that the Department is forced to execute a tax warrant, utilizing such actions as bank levies, till taps, and ultimately asset seizure to ensure compliance with the law. KDOR press release excerpt from Aubrey Challquist

What happened to these Kansas counties and why do they no longer exist?

27 News has reached out to Coyotes Saloon for comment on the situation.

For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for The New York Times; Chelsea Jia Feng/BI

Nvidia's monster rally won't last as the chipmaker faces long-term challenges, according to Gil Luria.

The DA Davidson analyst has predicted as much as a 20% decline in Nvidia stock by the end of the year.

Nvidia's largest customers could turn into competition as they develop their own AI chips, Luria warned.

Nvidia stock can't keep soaring forever, and the chip behemoth will eventually suffer as demand for its GPUs softens, according to DA Davidson analyst Gil Luria.

Luria told BNN Bloomberg on Tuesday that Nvidia probably won't see a meaningful decline over the short term. Profits over the last quarter will likely be "fantastic," he said, predicting the company would report over $25 billion in revenue.

However, the chipmaker's decline over the long run is inevitable, as the company will battle more competition over the coming years, even from its own customers, he warned.

"The reason we're not quite as bullish as everybody else is we're looking at the horizon. What's going to happen next year? What's going to happen in 2026? We think there's accumulating more and more evidence this can't continue," Luria said. "Whenever one company extracts this much profit out of the market, competition does come in, and in Nvidia's case, it's coming in from its customers.

Most of Nvidia's business comes from its five largest customers, Luria said, which include Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Tesla. Those firms are also big competitors in the AI race, and companies like Apple and Microsoft are reportedly developing their own AI chips.

And while some of Nvidia's customers are stockpiling its GPUs, demand is bound to run out eventually, Luria previously told Bloomberg, as firms can only accumulate so many chips.

"Since our expectations are considerably lower than consensus expectations for those out years, our perspective is that there will be a day where revenue starts declining, and if nobody is expecting that, the stock would have a significant downside if that were to happen," Luria warned.

Nvidia has enjoyed a meteoric rally over the last 18 months, with the stock nearly doubling over the past five months alone as the AI hype continues to grip Wall Street. That's led some analysts to grow concerned over the company's lofty valuation, which is now higher than other tech titans like Alphabet and Amazon.

Luria has among few forecasters who are bearish on Nvidia stock. Previously, he called for as much as a 20% drop in the company stock by the end of the year, as the company was unlikely to keep up its rapid pace of growth.

Read the original article on Business Insider
LONDON (AP)  They appear like ghosts in the night, standing outside your house, one holding up an antenna while the other crouches next to the car parked on the driveway. Within seconds, your car is gone, yet another victim amid a surge in auto theft enabled by the technology designed to make it easier to unlock and start vehicles.

Auto technology has evolved and many newer cars use wireless key fobs and push-button starters instead of traditional metal keys. The fob sends a short-range signal, so when the driver approaches the car, it automatically unlocks the door. This saves you the hassle of digging out your keys when you've got your hands full with groceries.

But that technology also makes things easier for thieves. The wireless fob will continue to emit a signal even if you're not using it. Thieves prowl neighborhoods at night looking for cars parked outside so they can carry out so-called relay attacks. Using portable equipment that can pick up the faint signal from a fob inside the house or parking lot, they relay it back to a transmitter that can clone the signal.

Officials have urged carmakers to reduce the security vulnerabilities and warn owners about the risks.

So what can you do to reduce the odds that your car will be gone in 60 seconds? Its relatively easy for drivers to protect themselves, said Steve Launchbury, principal engineer of automotive security at Thatcham Research, a U.K.-based automotive risk intelligence company. Here are some tips:

USE A SIGNAL BLOCKER

A simple but effective way to stop auto bandits from purloining your key fob signal is to use a Faraday bag or pouch. They're lined with a conductive metal mesh that blocks the transmission of electromagnetic signals.

The pouches aren't expensive, and you can also get boxes that do the same thing. But experts advise testing to make sure they work. Just put the key fob inside and approach your car. If the doors don't automatically unlock, then the signal is being blocked.

It's also important to remember to use it whenever you leave your vehicle, and don't forget to put all of your key fobs inside, including any spares.

But ignore some advice making the rounds on the internet telling you to put your fob in the microwave or freezer. It doesn't have the same effect as a Faraday bag, and you risk damaging your key.

GET AN OLD-FASHIONED LOCK

Try an old-school solution by using a physical lock. Some police forces advise car owners to use them to make your vehicle look less tempting to steal. The reasoning is that a would-be thief might be deterred by the effort needed to cut through the lock and instead turn their attention to an easier target.

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Locks, in the shape of a disk or a long bar, clamp onto the steering wheel and make it difficult to steer. There are also versions that prevent the car from being put in gear. The downside is you'll need extra time to attach or remove it whenever you aren't driving.

CHANGE UP YOUR SETTINGS

For many cars, it's possible to deactivate the wireless setting so that you can't open the door remotely. For Fords, Hondas and Audis, use the touchscreen menus. If you own a Toyota, you can temporarily disable the signal by holding down the fob's lock button and at the same time pressing the unlock button twice. If you've done it correctly, the fob's indicator light should blink four times. Be aware that the next time you press any button, remote unlocking will be reactivated.

The method will vary depending on make and model so consult your owners manual for the exact process. If it sounds complicated, there are YouTube videos that walk you through it. Don't forget that in most cases youll now have to manually press the fob's unlock button.

Automakers have started adding motion sensors to key fobs. If the sensor doesn't detect recent movement because it's been, say, left on the kitchen counter after you come home, the fob goes into sleep mode and stops transmitting. If it lacks this capability, check with your dealer whether it's possible to upgrade it.

If you buy a used car, some experts also advise getting the keys reprogrammed, just in case the previous owner kept one of the fobs.

WATCH OUT FOR NEW METHODS

Researchers have uncovered a new auto theft technique that doesn't target radio signals. The controller area network, or CAN, is a feature of modern cars which allows different components and systems to communicate, (and) has recently been targeted and exploited by thieves, said Thatcham's Launchbury.

The network allows sensors and control modules to talk to each other directly, instead of going through a central node. Thieves take advantage by accessing the network from the cars exterior, usually by removing a headlight and connecting a device that can inject a signal, tricking the car into unlocking and starting.

While automakers work on improving CAN security, "there are steps drivers can take today to add layers of security and deter criminals," such as using a physical lock, Launchbury said.

Aftermarket electronic immobilizer systems should render a criminals theft tool useless, and might even get you a discount on auto insurance, he said. Thatcham and other companies offer them but the downside is they can be quite pricey.

___

Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.
(Reuters) -Reddit has partnered with OpenAI to bring its content to popular chatbot ChatGPT, the companies said on Thursday, sending the social media platform's shares up 12% in extended trade.

The deal underscores Reddit's attempt to diversify beyond its advertising business, and follows its recent partnership with Alphabet to make its content available for training Google's AI models.

ChatGPT and other OpenAI products will use Reddit's application programming interface, the means by which Reddit distributes its content, following the new partnership.

OpenAI will also become a Reddit advertising partner, the company said.

Ahead of Reddit's March IPO, Reuters reported that Reddit struck its deal with Alphabet, worth about $60 million per year.

Investors view selling its data to train AI models as a key source of revenue beyond Reddit's advertising business.

The social media company earlier this month reported strong revenue growth and improving profitability in the first earnings since its market debut, indicating that its Google deal and its push to grow its ads business were paying off.

Reddit's shares rose 10.5% to $62.31 after the bell. As of Wednesday's close, the stock is up nearly 12% since its market debut in March.

(Reporting by Arasu Kannagi Basil and Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)
Indonesian Government-backed oil company Pertamina and ExxonMobil are set to conduct appraisal drilling for a CCS hub in Indonesia, reported Reuters.

This initiative aligns with Indonesia's strategy to utilise its depleted oil and gas reservoirs and saline aquifers for storing CO, with the potential capacity for hundreds of gigatonnes.

During the Indonesia Petroleum Association (IPA) annual conference, the companies signed an agreement outlining preliminary work to design a commercial model for the Asri Basin Project CCS hub.

Pertamina Hulu Energi CEO Awang Lazuardi said: "Pertamina Hulu Energi and ExxonMobil will carry out appraisal drilling in order to collect data, which will later become a reference for the development of the hub."

A joint study by Pertamina and ExxonMobil revealed that the Asri basin, located in Pertamina's Offshore South East Sumatra block, could store up to three gigatonnes of carbon dioxide and would necessitate an investment of approximately $2bn (Rp31.82trn).

In addition to the appraisal drilling plans, Pertamina and ExxonMobil have entered into a framework agreement with South Korea's KNOC.

Pertamina CEO Nicke Widyawati stated that this partnership allows KNOC to join the project and inject emissions into the facility.

The CCS initiative comes after Indonesia launched its first oil and gas auction of the year, offering five blocks to stimulate exploration and address the country's declining production.

Out of 128 hydrocarbon basins in Indonesia, 68 remain unexplored.

Separately, ExxonMobil has made a new oil discovery off the coast of Angola in Block 15.

The Likembe-01 well, part of the Kizomba B development area and operated by ExxonMobil alongside partners Azule Energy, Equinor and Sonangol, was drilled to a depth of 3,013m and encountered Miocene-age reservoirs.

"Pertamina and ExxonMobil team up for CCS hub development in Indonesia " was originally created and published by Offshore 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.
Indonesian Government-backed oil company Pertamina and ExxonMobil are set to conduct appraisal drilling for a CCS hub in Indonesia, reported Reuters.

This initiative aligns with Indonesia's strategy to utilise its depleted oil and gas reservoirs and saline aquifers for storing CO, with the potential capacity for hundreds of gigatonnes.

During the Indonesia Petroleum Association (IPA) annual conference, the companies signed an agreement outlining preliminary work to design a commercial model for the Asri Basin Project CCS hub.

Pertamina Hulu Energi CEO Awang Lazuardi said: "Pertamina Hulu Energi and ExxonMobil will carry out appraisal drilling in order to collect data, which will later become a reference for the development of the hub."

A joint study by Pertamina and ExxonMobil revealed that the Asri basin, located in Pertamina's Offshore South East Sumatra block, could store up to three gigatonnes of carbon dioxide and would necessitate an investment of approximately $2bn (Rp31.82trn).

In addition to the appraisal drilling plans, Pertamina and ExxonMobil have entered into a framework agreement with South Korea's KNOC.

Pertamina CEO Nicke Widyawati stated that this partnership allows KNOC to join the project and inject emissions into the facility.

The CCS initiative comes after Indonesia launched its first oil and gas auction of the year, offering five blocks to stimulate exploration and address the country's declining production.

Out of 128 hydrocarbon basins in Indonesia, 68 remain unexplored.

Separately, ExxonMobil has made a new oil discovery off the coast of Angola in Block 15.

The Likembe-01 well, part of the Kizomba B development area and operated by ExxonMobil alongside partners Azule Energy, Equinor and Sonangol, was drilled to a depth of 3,013m and encountered Miocene-age reservoirs.

"Pertamina and ExxonMobil team up for CCS hub development in Indonesia " was originally created and published by Energy Monitor, 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.
(Reuters) -Pfizer will pay up to $250 million to settle more than 10,000 U.S. lawsuits over cancer risks associated with its discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

The drugmaker was set to pay between $200 million and $250 million in the settlement, the newspaper reported, citing two people briefed on the deal.

The settlement was disclosed in a court filing in Delaware last week, and is aimed at reducing Pfizer's potential liability, the report added.

Pfizer did not immediately reply to Reuters' request for comment.

First approved in 1983, Zantac became the world's best selling-medicine in 1988 and was one of the first drugs to top $1 billion in annual sales.

However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked drugmakers to pull Zantac and its generic versions off the market in 2020, after a cancer-causing substance called NDMA was found in samples of the drug.

(Reporting by Utkarsh Shetti in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee and Varun H K)
Zurich-backed insurance technology company Qover has forged a partnership to offer travel insurance to customers of bunq, a Netherlands-based neobank.

The new insurance option, which includes worldwide coverage with a one-time activation, is available for bunqs Easy Bank Pro XL subscribers in Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain.

The partnership, which was launched in six weeks, aims to provide a seamless user experience with features such as fast claims processing and customer care powered by AI.

Through bunqs app, users can access travel certificates and utilise a data dashboard provided by Qover to facilitate claims.

Qover CEO and co-founder Quentin Colmant said: Collaborative spirit is the cornerstone of our successful partnership. Together with bunq, we prioritised delivering an exceptional user experience for Eva, bunqs model user.

This commitment extends beyond the insurance product itself, encompassing outstanding AI-powered customer care and a streamlined claims process.

bunq founder and CEO Ali Niknam said: We are making travel insurance effortless together. It is exactly the peace of mind we want our users to have, whether they spend, save or travel with bunq.

Earlier this year, Qover launched its motor insurance solution in the UK, enabling car makers to offer insurance across Europe.

With the launch, the UK became the ninth country in which Qover offers its digital motor insurance products. It aims to expand across all European markets by the end of 2025.

The company received full authorisation from the UK's Financial Conduct Authority in September 2023 and in July last year raised $30m in its Series C funding round.

"Qover teams up with neobank bunq to offer travel insurance " 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.
A research team at Newcastle University in the UK and Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will initiate a 250-patient study after research showed how AI can improve the treatment and outcomes of laryngeal cancer.

Amar Rajgor and his team at Newcastle University used pre-biopsy, contrast-enhanced CT scans from 72 advanced larynx cancer patients, analysing them with AI radiomics software called LIFEx. Radiomics is a field of medical study that involves the extraction and analysis of quantitative features from medical images such as CT scans, MRI scans, or PET scans.

The research, published in the Journal of Laryngology & Otology, identified two important imaging markers: shape compactness and grey level non-uniformity (GLNU). If these markers are high, it indicates a patient has a greater chance of dying sooner. The risk of death nearly tripled with an increase in shape compactness and doubled with a rise in GLNU.

Medical Device Network spoke to Amar Rajgor, who outlined the study: The other thing we did is look at clinical factors such as smoking status, their age, the treatment they had, and we accounted for that in our model.

What we showed is when we add radiomic markers, our model performs much better at determining which patients are going to survive compared to just using the traditional factors that we use as doctors.

Advanced larynx cancer has poor outcomes, with many patients having to undergo a laryngoscopy  a procedure where the whole voice box is removed. According to a report on GlobalDatas Pharma Intelligence Center, there will be 338,790 cases of head and neck cancer, which includes laryngeal, in the eight major markets (8MM: UK, US, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Japan, and Urban China) in 2030.

Rajgor emphasised the importance of ensuring patients receive the correct type of treatment so that their quality of life is maintained: The complex thing about larynx cancer is the treatments are so life-changing. With larynx cancer you are removing the voice box, so there's quality of life that we're going to have to think about how to integrate that into the patient group.

Following an award from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), Rajgor said the team is now planning a multi-centre prospective study which will enrol more than 250 patients. The study will focus on survival and observe which patients respond to chemotherapy and radiotherapy within the group.

He explained that in the future, radiomics scores could be part of a patients oncology treatment plan: Hopefully at some point, we'll be able to say, well, this is their radiomics score. What does that mean? What treatment should they receive? That's going to be the next steps, concluded Rajgor.

Story continues

"Radiomics research identifies new imaging markers in laryngeal cancer" was originally created and published by Medical Device 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.
Is Ramji a Boglehead? Will Vanguard Pivot on Crypto?

Salim Ramji

The appointment of Salim Ramji to lead Vanguard Group, a company whose ETFs and mutual funds hold trillions of investor dollars around the world, may represent a pivot point in the history of the nearly 50-year old asset manager thats been criticized recently about its technology, customer service and refusal to sell spot bitcoin ETFs.

Then again, maybe not.

The appointment of Ramji, 53, appears to have rattled few Vanguard watchers. ETF industry watchers including Bloombergs Eric Balchunas said the former BlackRock Inc. executive was on their short list of candidates to take over from Tim Buckley, the long-time Vanguard employee who announced in March that he was leaving after six years as CEO.

Still, Ramjis appointment came with at least one surprise: hes the first outsider named to run the company, which has $9.3 trillion in assets and 50 million investors. The Malvern, Pennsylvania company has $2.56 trillion in 86 exchange-traded funds, second to iShares $2.77 trillion.

Ramji may share an earlier connection with Vanguard: etf.com columnist and financial advisor Allan Roth said Buckley had praised McKinsey & Co. in a conversation with him, and Ramji had once led McKinseys wealth and asset management practice.

If McKinsey was working with Vanguard then, he may have been known to the Vanguard Board, Roth said in an emailed comment.

Bogleheads, Vanguard Customer Service

Ramji praised Bogle in Balchunass 2022 book The Bogle Effect, when he was at iShares: Bogle had incredible clarity of vision and was a huge advocate for individual investors... We spend a lot of time making investing more accessible and affordable, and I think if Bogle were alive, he would approve, Balchunas posted on X. Balchunas yesterday told etf.com that Ramji is a kind of a Boglehead at heart.

In the wake of Buckleys announcement of his exit, complaints about the companys customer service and technology problems surfaced. Some saw those issues as part of the deal when keeping an account with a company known for offering mutual funds and ETFs with low fees. Still, some would like to see a change.

"Im hopeful he will bring a focus to improving technology and customer service, Roth said.

Is a Vanguard Bitcoin ETF Next?

Ramji's arrival potentially marks a shift in posture regarding cryptocurrency at Vanguard, which declined to offer spot bitcoin ETFs on its platform after they began trading in January. Ramji was instrumental in BlackRock's launch of the iShares Bitcoin ETF (IBIT), which in March set the mark of reaching $10 billion faster than any other ETF. Buckley, who announced his retirement March 1, days later reiterated his opposition to spot bitcoin ETFs, saying the asset must change and they don't belong in a long-term portfolio.

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Still, change is afoot, and Ramji will be tasked with shepherding the massive firm into a future that may include digital tokenization of assets, lower costs and rising competition.

"The culture already feels like its changing a bit with them adding fees and closing business lines, said Jeff DeMaso, editor of The Independent Vanguard Adviser newsletter. He will have to take meaningful steps to improve the technology and service issues.

The company may be in the right place as change hits, said Adam Dell, founder and CEO of New York-based Domain Money Advisors.

The wave of increasing access by eliminating unnecessary fees and high minimums is only growing in strength, he said. Anachronistic elements of financial planning, such as AUM fees are also under assault.

etf.com Wealth Management editor Jeff Benjamin contributed to this article.





Permalink |  Copyright 2024 etf.com. All rights reserved
Polish industrial group Industrias plan to construct a power plant based on Rolls-Royces SMR has been approved by the Polish Ministry of Climate and Environment.

Last December, Industria submitted its application for a decision-in-principle to Polish Climate and Environment Minister Paulina Henning-Kloska. The application detailed plans to construct a nuclear power plant using Rolls-Royce's 470MW small pressurised water reactor and a used nuclear fuel storage facility.

Stating that the investment would be in public interest and in line with Polands energy and climate policies, Henning-Kloska issued the ministrys decision-in-principle on 10 May. The application was positively assessed by the head of the Internal Security Agency and the minister of state assets.

The decision-in-principle is the first in the process of administrative permits for investments in nuclear power facilities in Poland. Industria can now apply for further permits such as a citing decision or construction license.

Alan Woods, Rolls-Royce SMRs director of strategy and business development, said: Today's decision-in-principle by Poland's environment minister is extremely positive news and allows us to advance our commercial and technical discussions on the deployment of Rolls-Royce SMR power plants in Poland.

Poland is one of a number of key export opportunities for Rolls-Royce SMR as we look to build on our progress in the UK and exploit the important competitive advantage our SMR design has over its competitors.

The International Atomic Energy Agency initially gave Poland the green light to launch the nations nuclear programme in September last year. Construction of its first nuclear power plant will begin in 2026 at Lubiatowo-Kopalino in the province of Pomerania. The project will consist of up to six reactors in two or three locations, with a total generation capacity of 69 billion watts.

"Rolls-Royce SMRs construction approved by Polish Ministry" was originally created and published by Power 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.
San Francisco Taxpayers Forced To Fund Free Alcohol For Homeless; California Tax Rates Increase Further, Prompting More Exodus

California already held the distinction of having the highest state income tax in the country, with its top income tax rate at 13.3% for a decade. It was raised even higher to start 2024, with the top rate now reaching an astronomical 14.4%.

High earners contributing to California's economy might be disappointed to hear of a new taxpayer funded program in San Francisco that's sparked outrage among some locals.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the city spends $5 million a year on the "Managed Alcohol Program," a program providing free alcohol to the city's homeless alcoholics.

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City public health officials argue the program's benefits, citing emergency room declines, savings from reduced hospital visits, and relief for the city's already strained emergency services.

However, residents such as Adam Nathan, a small-business owner and chair of the Salvation Army San Francisco Metro Advisory Board, question the city's approach.

Mr. Nathan, who raised attention to the controversial program, explained it as "set up so people in the program just walk in and grab a beer, and then another one," and that "inside the lobby, they had a kegs set up to taps where they were basically giving out free beer to the homeless who've been identified with [alcohol use disorder]."

While questioning the program itself, Mr. Nathan continued to voice outrage at the use of taxpayer dollars for the relatively unknown program, saying "I am a taxpayer. When did this Managed Alcohol Program get approved? Where were the public hearings? Why is it hidden away in an old hotel?"

Trending: Invest like a millionaire. Exclusive opportunity to invest in Epic Games $17 billion gaming empire.

While California's homeless population continues to climb, even amounting to 28% of the nation's homeless, its overall population statistics show a decline. 2023 marked the third straight year of population decline.

LA Times economic reporter, Don Lee, noticed a troubling trend in those now leaving, saying "in years past, the tendency has been that California would lose more relatively lower-income people, people with less education than those coming into the state. That, in recent years, has reversed. We've had tens of thousands more that are better educated and have higher incomes leaving than those that have come in."

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As more taxpayers leave the state, those who remain are forced to foot the bill to support the state's high spending, including, controversial programs such as giving out free alcohol to the homeless struggling with alcoholism.

Given the high levels of frustration some residents had in providing tiny houses to the city's homeless, it's easy to see how free alcohol rubbed many the wrong way.

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This article San Francisco Taxpayers Forced To Fund Free Alcohol For Homeless; California Tax Rates Increase Further, Prompting More Exodus originally appeared on Benzinga.com

 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
(Corrects CEO Goh Choon Phong's surname in second and subsequent references to Goh from Phong)

By Lisa Barrington

SEOUL (Reuters) -Air travel demand from China is not back to pre-pandemic levels for Singapore Airlines, but a visa-free scheme for Chinese citizens to the Asian hub has helped fill seats and the airline will add more China capacity this year, its CEO said on Thursday.

Global aviation capacity returned to pre-pandemic levels this year, but recovery has been slower in Asia's aviation industry due to still-sluggish international demand in China, the world's second-largest economy.

"Travel into China has been strong, travel out of China has not yet recovered fully," Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong told media.

He said the visa-free scheme between China and Singapore which began in February has provided "some lift to load factors" for Chinese flights.

The airlines group was progressively restoring China capacity and would increase seats to Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou this year, Goh added.

The flag carrier suspended April flights to China's Chengdu, Chongqing, and Xiamen, citing a lack of regulatory approvals. These are now in place and flights will operate until July, when permissions must be re-sought, Goh said.

Singapore Airlines posted a record annual profit for the second year in a row on Wednesday, raising its dividend.

However, the carrier's net profit fell around 4.5% year-on-year for the March quarter, with profit growth sliding in the preceding two quarters.

The company also expects passenger yields  a measure of average fare paid per mile, per passenger  to continue to moderate as airlines expand capacity, and flagged geopolitical woes and supply chain pressure.

SIA's shares were down 1.6% for the day at 13:30 pm (0430 GMT).

Singapore Airlines is set to take a 25.1% stake in Air India as a result of the Indian airline's merger with Vistara, its joint venture with Singapore Airlines. Goh said he was hoping to hear about regulatory approvals this year.

The airline has a current fleet of 200 aircraft, which it expects to rise to 209 this fiscal year. Goh said Singapore Airlines still expects a delivery of the Boeing 777-9 - a model yet to be certified by U.S. regulators - next year.

(Writing by Lisa Barrington; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)
Suffolk has teamed up with businessperson Darryl Shaw and real estate development company KETTLER for the construction of Gasworx, a mixed-use development in Ybor City, Tampa, US.

The project is set to break ground in mid-2024.

It will comprise up to 5,000 modern residences, 500,000ft of office space, and 140,000ft of retail space.

Suffolk will deliver various projects within the Gasworx development, including a new 100,000ft office building and a parking structure that will be enveloped by a five-storey residential building.

Suffolk, Shaw, and KETTLER say they plan to engage with local residents and stakeholders throughout the duration of the project.

Suffolk Tampa general manager James Scarpace said: Suffolk is honoured to work with Darryl Shaw and KETTLER on this incredible Gasworx project in Ybor City, a unique community driven by arts, culture and history, that continues to attract residents, businesses and visitors because of its high quality of life.

Our wealth of experience and strong and diverse project portfolio in Tampa, appreciation and track record for delivering historic renovation projects, and use of sophisticated technologies and processes will allow us to deliver a seamless and successful project that will make Shaw, KETTLER and the Ybor City community proud.

With annual revenues of approximately $5.5bn, Suffolk provides preconstruction, construction management, general contracting, and design-build services.

The Gasworx development will join Suffolks existing portfolio in Florida, comprising The Residences in St. Petersburg and The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood.

In November last year, Suffolk broke ground on the Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School in Fall River, Massachusetts, US.

"Suffolk announces partnership for Gasworx mixed-use development" was originally created and published by World Construction 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.
Today marks the dawn of the Sustainable Finance Summit 2024, a pivotal gathering in the heart of Paris where delegates from across Europe convene to delve into the evolving landscape of transition finance.

With over 20 distinguished speakers and thought leaders, the summit promises to be a forum for robust discussions, networking opportunities, and strategic insights into navigating the complexities of sustainable finance.

Sarah Kemmitt, Secretariat Lead of the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, will deliver the keynote address. Her expertise will set the stage for a day packed with informative sessions, including addresses, fireside chats, and panel discussions.

The agenda is rich with pertinent topics, reflecting the pressing issues facing the finance industry today. Among them, "Transition plans: managing expectations and regulatory compliance" takes centre stage, exploring the delicate balance between ambitious transition goals and regulatory realities.

Another critical theme under scrutiny is "The elephant in the room: greenwashing," where experts will dissect the challenges of discerning genuine sustainability efforts from mere token gestures. This discussion is vital for maintaining trust and integrity in sustainable finance practices.

Furthermore, with climate litigation on the rise, companies are navigating uncharted legal waters. The session on "Climate litigation is on the rise: what companies should be careful about" offers invaluable insights into mitigating legal risks and ensuring compliance in an increasingly litigious landscape.

The summit boasts an impressive lineup of speakers from renowned organisations, including the United Nations UNEP FI & Net-Zero Banking Alliance, Invigors, PEAC Solutions, Siemens Financial Services, Solifi, ABN AMRO, Standard Chartered, BNP Paribas, Belfius, and Reed Smith, among others. Their collective expertise promises to offer diverse perspectives and practical strategies for driving sustainable finance initiatives forward.

As delegates gather in Paris, the Sustainable Finance Summit 2024 stands as a beacon of hope and progress in the journey towards a more sustainable future. Through collaboration, innovation, and shared commitment, Europe's transition finance landscape is poised for transformation.

The summit will culminate in an awards ceremony, where 12 prestigious accolades will honour top financial institutions for their commitment to sustainable objectives. Recognising innovation, comprehensive coverage, and meticulous data utilisation, these awards will be unveiled during an evening gala at the Saintclair Pavillon Dauphine in Paris.

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Charting a sustainable path at the Sustainable Finance Summit 2024

Finalists unveiled: Sustainable Finance Summit 2024

"Sustainable Finance Summit 2024: shaping Europes transition finance landscape" 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.
As global markets exhibit mixed signals with some regions showing robust gains while others navigate through economic softness, the Swedish market presents a unique landscape for investors. In this context, companies with high insider ownership can be particularly compelling, as such ownership often aligns with strong confidence in the company's future prospects and stability amidst broader market volatility.

Top 10 Growth Companies With High Insider Ownership In Sweden

Name Insider Ownership Earnings Growth CTT Systems (OM:CTT) 16.9% 21.6% Sun4Energy Group (NGM:SUN4) 12.6% 49.6% BioArctic (OM:BIOA B) 35.1% 48.2% Spago Nanomedical (OM:SPAGO) 16.1% 52.1% Calliditas Therapeutics (OM:CALTX) 11.6% 49.9% InCoax Networks (OM:INCOAX) 14.9% 104.9% KebNi (OM:KEBNI B) 37.8% 90.4% Egetis Therapeutics (OM:EGTX) 17.6% 98.4% SaveLend Group (OM:YIELD) 24.8% 88.5% Yubico (OM:YUBICO) 37.5% 43%

Click here to see the full list of 81 stocks from our Fast Growing Swedish Companies With High Insider Ownership screener.

Let's review some notable picks from our screened stocks.

Simply Wall St Growth Rating: 

Overview: Attendo AB (publ) operates in the health and care services sector across Scandinavia and Finland, with a market capitalization of approximately SEK 6.91 billion.

Operations: The company generates its revenue primarily from care and health care services, totaling SEK 17.63 billion.

Insider Ownership: 14.9%

Attendo, a Swedish growth company with significant insider ownership, demonstrates robust potential through its strategic share buybacks and consistent dividend payments, signaling confidence in its financial health. Recently reporting a substantial year-over-year earnings increase and outpacing the Swedish market's revenue growth expectations, Attendo shows promising profitability forecasts. However, challenges such as an unstable dividend track record and the upcoming departure of a key executive might affect continuity and investor sentiment.

OM:ATT Ownership Breakdown as at May 2024

Simply Wall St Growth Rating: 

Overview: Humble Group AB, a company based in Sweden, refines, develops, and distributes fast-moving consumer goods both domestically and internationally, with a market capitalization of SEK 4.42 billion.

Operations: The firm operates primarily in the refinement, development, and distribution of fast-moving consumer goods across both Swedish and international markets.

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Insider Ownership: 22.2%

Humble Group, a Swedish growth entity with considerable insider transactions, recently showed improved financials with Q1 sales rising to SEK 1.84 billion and a shift to a net income of SEK 23 million from a prior loss. Trading at 45.6% below estimated fair value and expecting revenue growth above market forecasts, the company is poised for profitability within three years despite a forecast of low return on equity at 9.1%. Insider buying trends support positive sentiment without substantial selling reported recently.

OM:HUMBLE Earnings and Revenue Growth as at May 2024

Simply Wall St Growth Rating: 

Overview: Storytel AB (publ) operates as a provider of audiobooks and e-books streaming services, with a market capitalization of approximately SEK 4.31 billion.

Operations: The company generates its revenue primarily through the streaming of audiobooks and e-books.

Insider Ownership: 19.7%

Storytel, a Swedish audiobook service, recently reported improved Q1 earnings with sales reaching SEK 891.89 million and a reduced net loss of SEK 24.82 million. Despite significant board changes including a new Chair, the company is navigating leadership transitions as it prepares for a CEO change in fall 2024. Trading significantly below its estimated fair value, Storytel shows promise with expected revenue growth outpacing the Swedish market average and forecasts indicating profitability within three years. Insider buying trends suggest confidence among those closest to the company.

OM:STORY B Ownership Breakdown as at May 2024

Where To Now?

Unlock more gems! Our Fast Growing Swedish Companies With High Insider Ownership screener has unearthed 78 more companies for you to explore.Click here to unveil our expertly curated list of 81 Fast Growing Swedish Companies With High Insider Ownership.

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Interested In Other Possibilities?

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 analysis only considers stock directly held by insiders. It does not include indirectly owned stock through other vehicles such as corporate and/or trust entities. All forecast revenue and earnings growth rates quoted are in terms of annualised (per annum) growth rates over 1-3 years.

Companies discussed in this article include OM:ATT OM:HUMBLE and OM:STORY B.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
TBO co-founders and joint managing directors, Gaurav Bhatnagar (middle) and Ankush Nijhawan (left) with Skift CEO Rafat Ali at the Skift India Summit.

Travel distribution platform TBO Tek made its debut in the Indian stock exchanges Wednesday, and raised a little more than INR 15.5 billion ($180 million) from its IPO subscription last week.

One use of the funds may be acquisitions, the companys leaders told Skift.

Its important, to always maintain a pipeline. However, acquisitions can be a huge hit and miss, so its very hard to say. But we are actively evaluating, said Gaurav Bhatnagar, co-founder and joint managing director of TBO.

TBO plans to allocate INR 400 million ($4.8 million) of its net proceeds in the IPO towards strategic acquisitions and/or investments.

In February 2023, TBO acquired B2B accommodation wholesaler BookaBed, further expanding its presence in Ireland and the UK. Then in December, it acquired Jumbonline, a distribution platform based in Spain serving wholesalers and tour operators.

Ankush Nijhawan, the co-founder and joint managing director of TBO, highlighted the positive investor sentiment during the roadshows held in India and Asia. We are an asset light company and our global playbook is only growing, Nijhawan said.

TBOs Playbook

TBO Tek (formerly known as Tek Travels) was established in 2006 with the aim of simplifying airline ticket bookings for travel agents. Now its a global B2B travel platform: It does not sell directly to travelers  its a hub where travel agents can book flights, hotels, car rentals, transfers, cruises, insurance, cargo, marine, rail, and sightseeing.

The TBO top bosses said that they would be looking at acquisitions in two ways. The company plans to expand geographically, deepen its presence in existing regions, like what theyve done in Europe, Southeast Asia and Latin America. The company also wants to boost its existing buyer base in India, the Middle East and Latin America.

Second, the company looks to potentially diversify its services and look to add a new line of business to the platform or add ancillary services.

Looking ahead, TBO intends to establish local sales and marketing teams globally, bolstering its supplier base and improving accessibility for clients.

The company also looks to invest in technology to help reduce friction for its clients, and looks to add more payment options. The TBO platform supports payments in over 55 currencies.

TBOs Listing

On Wednesday, the shares listed at 55% premium for its market debut and closed at INR 1404 ($17), almost 53% over the issue price of INR 920 ($11).

We are happy that our listing was received by the market so positively. We will be working hard to live up to the expectations of our new public shareholders, said Bhatnagar.

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The travel tech companys IPO garnered significant attention last week, with an overall subscription rate exceeding 86 times. Retail investors showed keen interest with a subscription rate of over 25 times, while qualified institutional buyers subscribed 125.5 times, and non-institutional investors subscribed 50.6 times.

Despite launching the IPO during an election period in India, Bhatnagar said the timing wasnt a strategic consideration. We have strong belief in the business model that we had built and the fundamentals of the company are extremely strong. So, we hit the market as soon as we got the SEBI approval, he said.

Get breaking travel news and exclusive hotel, airline, and tourism research and insights at Skift.com.
DENVER (KDVR)  Dozens of Teamsters protested outside the Molson Coors annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday in Golden, an attempt to raise awareness of a three-month strike in Fort Worth, Texas, where hundreds of members continue to hold a strike line.

The group reported that 420 members of Local 997 went on strike on Feb. 17 after failing to agree with Molson Coors on a new contract. The union is seeking pay raises, improved retirement benefits and good Teamsters health care.

Bustang will provide rides to Estes Park for 5th consecutive year, adds Juneteenth

Theyre going to hear from us that the workers deserve a fair wage, said Jeff Padellaro, director of Brewery Bakery Soft Drinks and a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. They reward their CEO and their members of management with these lucrative deals, they need to do the same thing for their employees. Were not asking for anything unreasonable, we just wanted to be treated fairly.

The group is calling for a boycott of the beer maker until the union members in Texas receive what the Teamsters deem a fair contract.

Teamsters protested outside of the Molson Coors shareholder meeting held in Golden on May 15, 2024.

FOX31 reached out to Molson Coors for comment but had not yet heard back as of Wednesday evening. In the past, Coors has remarked on its commitment to doing what is right for everyone and has said it offered highly competitive wages and benefits during negotiations.

Coors markets itself as the fourth-largest brewer in the world, according to its investor site, and reported approximately $11.7 billion in net sales revenue last year. In its first quarter of 2024, the brewing company reported net sales increased by 10.7% and a U.S. GAAP income before income taxes of $265.4 million, a 160.5% increase.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
Thousands of taxpayers in metro Detroit and elsewhere are dealing with the ugly fallout from some truly awful tax advice during the past tax season. Tax refunds remain in limbo. IRS letters are piling up, including demands that individuals verify their identities. Many will need to file amended 2023 returns to clear up the chaos.

And some will need to pay back generous refund cash that they got when they wrongly claimed dubious tax breaks touted by shady preparers.

Many people now aren't getting the actual tax refund money they're owed  or the extra refund cash from the wrongly claimed tax credits  until things are straightened out, as the IRS has flagged questionable returns.

How shady tax preparers used key credits to try to inflate refunds

On Tuesday, the IRS acknowledged that "thousands of taxpayers" filed inflated refund claims during the past tax season. Some of these taxpayers expected tax refund jackpots that amounted to five figures.

Typically, tax filers didn't come up with these wild ideas on their own. Shady tax preparers seemed to be spreading these schemes like wildfire this tax season. Maybe, the tax filer listened to a friendly face in the neighborhood who worked with some preparer who promised to get them $10,000 or $20,000 or more in extra refund cash. The filers either got it wrong, trusted the wrong preparer, or knowingly tried to scam the system.

Scam artists constantly prey on peoples hopes and try to use the complexity of the tax system to convince people there are secret ways to get a big refund," IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a statement Tuesday.

Possible signs of these complex tax headaches cropped up a month ago. After the IRS flagged trouble, many taxpayers received a letter asking them to verify their identity, if they claimed certain questionable tax credits. Some might have rushed to IRS offices to verify that identity in order to free up frozen refunds.

Some troubled taxpayers lined up in April

Chaotic lines formed where hundreds of taxpayers stood outside of IRS buildings for hours at special Saturday events held on April 13 at a variety of IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers across the country, including Detroit, Atlanta, Houston, and Miami, according to local TV station reports and videos on social media.

Many people told camera crews on the scene that they went to the IRS centers to get help after receiving letters to verify their identities. Many ended up angry that they got nowhere in light of the overwhelming turnout. The Houston office, for example, closed early April 13 because a fight broke out, according to Fox 26 Houston.

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Tempers flared outside the IRS building in Houston "as hundreds of people trying to file their taxes and get identity verification were turned away," according to the Houston TV station.

The IRS wasn't offering to prepare returns at these events, but instead offered no-appointment-necessary hours on a Saturday to solve other problems. Other Saturday events in the past didn't generate such massive turnouts.

The IRS alert Tuesday noted that these taxpayers who wrongly claimed key credits, including a fuel-related credit, do not need to visit a Taxpayer Assistance Center to verify their identity. You wouldn't go to the center to amend your return, either.

The IRS has another no-appointment Saturday event scheduled to address other issues from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 18 in several cities, including the Detroit office at 477 Michigan Ave.

More: Tax pros warned that 'new client' could be a scammer, as crooks seek sensitive data

IRS is sending other notices

Taxpayers with questionable returns might be confused by another type of letter from the IRS, which asks them to provide proof that that they qualify for the very specific tax credits. These letters are dubbed "IRS Notice 3176c" and apply to potentially frivolous tax returns, which include incorrect claims for fuel tax credits, sick and family leave credits, and household employment taxes.

"Taxpayers who verified their identity in-person may receive these letters," the IRS said Tuesday. "Taxpayers who havent verified their identity yet and receive one of these letters asking for additional documentation should follow the advice on the most recent letter."

Scam artists use the complexity of the tax system to convince people there are secret ways to get bigger refunds, said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel.

Luis Garcia, a spokesperson for the IRS in Detroit, said tax filers who got caught up in these "secret" tax techniques need to amend their returns as soon as possible to avoid future tax trouble.

Taxpayers must file an amended return to remove false claims for these credits to avoid potential penalties.

Typically, the IRS sends out letters asking people to verify their identity when the IRS believes a bad actor filed a return to steal refund cash using someone's ID. If you filed the return, you don't need to verify your identity.

"If you got a letter from us asking to verify your identity and you know it is incorrect, do not visit a Taxpayer Assistance Center," Garcia said. "Amend your tax return to remove the improperly claimed credit."

One clue that you've got bad advice: See if the tax preparer actually signed that return. Fraudsters aren't signing these returns.

"Regardless of whether you are a victim or knowingly participate in the fraud, remember that you, the taxpayer, are responsible for what is on the tax return you signed," Garcia said.

Social media claims fueled the frenzy

Much of the tax fraud frenzy this tax season appears to have been cooked up on social media.

Scam artists and social media posts have perpetuated a number of false and misleading claims that have tricked well-meaning taxpayers into believing theyre entitled to big, windfall tax refunds, Werfel said.

The IRS warned taxpayers that they might have been "scam victims" if they filed for big refunds based on misleading advice relating to the key frequently misused tax breaks.

The IRS, Werfel said, spotted many bad claims during its fraud review process, including returns claiming the fuel tax credit, the sick and family leave credit, and household employment taxes.

Taxpayers now, Werfel said, are looking at an "extensive review process and a long potential wait if theyre owed a refund for other things.

Many taxpayers already trying to amend returns

It's an unsettling time for many taxpayers, including lower income households, when the overall tax season seemed to go fairly smoothly for many people.

Angela Aaron-Benifield, director of financial mobility services for the Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency, which offers free tax help services to lower income households, said some local taxpayers have already sought help to get their 2023 returns amended after the IRS notified them that their tax returns contained improperly applied tax credits. The taxpayers ran into trouble with returns filed by paid preparers elsewhere.

But Aaron-Benifield said the agency couldn't prepare the amended returns since the original return wasn't prepared by the Wayne Metro volunteer tax program. Instead, the tax filers needed to go back to the original preparer or turn to another tax professional for help. The Wayne Metro tax service program completed 2,138 tax returns from Oct. 1, 2022, through April 30. The service is available year-round. See www.waynemetro.org/taxes for information.

Volunteer sites offer free tax help for those filers who generally make $64,000 or less.

Through much of the tax season, the IRS warned that dubious tax advice was exploding online, including videos on TikTok.

Back in March, the IRS highlighted a spike in wrongly claimed fuel tax credits, which are meant for off-highway business and farming use. You're not getting this credit for driving to your job or hauling the kids to school.

Unscrupulous tax return preparers inflated refunds by erroneously claiming the fuel tax credit by filing Form 4136, Credit for Federal Tax Paid on Fuels.

Promoters are pushing the accelerator on bad Fuel Tax Credit claims and driving honest taxpayers to a bad choice, Werfel said when mentioning the credit among the "Dirty Dozen" list of scams in early April.

Shady preparers charge taxpayers inflated fees, direct huge chunks of the tax refund to themselves and steal key information, like Social Security numbers, that can be used in a variety of ID theft schemes.

"While the scammers drive away with the fees, the taxpayers are left behind with a bad claim and all the risk and responsibility to make it right," Werfel said. "Taxpayers must remain cautious and seek out a reputable tax professional rather than a reckless promoter.

The IRS said it had implemented new identity theft screening filters and processing systems that were "stopping a significant number of suspicious fuel tax credit refund claims."

Back in early March, the IRS highlighted a scam that involved fraudulently filing Form 7202, Credits for Sick Leave and Family Leave for Certain Self-Employed Individuals. This unique credit was available for self-employed individuals for 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic only. It's not a credit that anyone can claim on a 2023 tax return.

Another scam involved people making up fictional employees hired to do work in their household. That scam would improperly file Schedule H, Household Employment Taxes as part of the return.

Don't ignore one of these IRS letters, if you receive them. Review the exact guidelines for any of these unique credits, if you claimed them. Talk to a trusted tax preparer, not the tax clown who encouraged you to file a false claim.

People who dont qualify for these credits risk facing a penalty of up to $5,000 per return for filing a frivolous claim. The IRS said returns filed by individuals and tax preparers who knowingly claim a credit to which they are not entitled "may face fines and even be subject to federal criminal prosecution and imprisonment."

Unfortunately, some people who haven't filed their 2023 returns yet could still be scammed, so it's key to pay attention to these alerts.

Some Michigan taxpayers hit by severe storms last August have been able to wait until June 17, instead of April 15, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments.

The tax relief applies to any area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, including Eaton, Ingham, Ionia, Kent, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, and Wayne counties. Individuals and households that reside or have a business in these localities qualify for tax relief.

If you haven't filed a 2023 tax return yet, carefully review any heavily promoted credits, and don't claim them if you don't qualify. You won't get an extra-large sized refund, instead you'll be triggering super-sized tax headaches.

Contact personal finance columnist Susan Tompor: stompor@freepress.com. Follow her on X (Twitter) @tompor.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Taxpayers get letters to verify identity after they filed bad returns
Another earnings release appeared to leave Palantir (NYSE: PLTR) in a range-bound state. Shares had again surged above $25 per share, but investors sold the stock following the announcement of its results for the first quarter of 2024.

Palantir has not risen significantly above $25 per share since late 2021. Given the seeming inability to break through that ceiling, investors may now wonder whether the gains in the stock have already been realized.

The state of Palantir stock

Admittedly, Palantir's relatively short history brings with it uncertainty. The big-data company launched its initial public offering (IPO) in late 2020. After surging as high as $45 per share in early 2021, the stock fell quickly back to the mid-$20 per-share range, and it has not exceeded that level since.

Indeed, the stock had probably become oversold in late 2022 when it briefly fell below $6 per share, and investors who bought at that time are sitting on considerable returns.

But now, with the stock just above $20 per share, it may make sense to question whether investors have any hope of the stock rising beyond the mid-$20s per-share range.

In the first quarter of 2024, Palantir's revenue of $634 million increased by 21%. While that is a considerable increase, it does not compare to a stock like Nvidia, which has experienced triple-digit revenue growth in recent quarters.

Moreover, Palantir reported a net income attributable to common shareholders of $106 million, the sixth-consecutive profitable quarter and well above the $17 million profit in the year-ago quarter. Unfortunately for shareholders, that leaves the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio at around 172, and measuring the valuation by the forward P/E ratio of about 63 still makes Palantir a pricey stock.

Additionally, the full-year 2024 revenue forecast calls for just under $2.7 billion. That would mean a 20% annual revenue-growth rate, which may not be enough to sustain the current valuation.

Palantir's customer growth

The level of revenue growth is perplexing, given Palantir's value proposition. Palantir operates in both the national security and commercial industries. Given the limited number of governments available to buy Palantir's services, most of the growth has come from the commercial side.

Its U.S. commercial customer count rose 69% compared to year-ago levels. Also, the remaining deal value in the U.S. commercial sector increased by 74%.

Furthermore, when talking about its latest artificial intelligence platform (AIP), the company has reported eye-popping productivity gains. Palantir stated on its Q1 2024 earnings call that Lowe's utilized AI in its customer-service department and reduced overdue tasks by 75%. Also, Cleveland Clinic was impressed enough to commit to a 10-year plan to deploy AIP across a network of hospitals.

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Considering such improvements, organizations appear remiss to not contract with Palantir. However, unless that value proposition brings faster revenue increases, investors may hesitate to buy shares at today's prices.

Are investors too late?

Given Palantir's growth prospects, investors are likely not too late to buy the stock. In fact, the recent sell-off may be a good time to slowly add shares of the AI stock.

Admittedly, Palantir stock sells at a pricey valuation, and it may take some time for the stock to grow beyond the mid-$20s per-share range in the near term.

Nonetheless, the company appears to have achieved sustained profitability, and earnings should grow at a rapid clip for the foreseeable future. Moreover, the productivity gains from AIP should lead to more long-term agreements like the one signed with Cleveland Clinic.

Such improvements have made Palantir an essential AI tool for numerous companies. That factor should take its stock price back to the mid-$20s per-share range and eventually beyond.

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In 2019, Purdue Pharma, the maker of opioid painkiller OxyContin, faced extensive litigation for its role in the opioid epidemic and filed for bankruptcy. It was one of several landmark legal actions that opened the door to industry accountability, addressing the role of big pharma in fuelling the opioid crisis.

This eventually led to Purdues $6 billion settlement with several US state attorneys aimed to resolve thousands of lawsuits and allocate funds to address the opioid crisis, including addiction treatment and prevention programmes.

Major lawsuit settlements

Legal claims against pharmaceutical companies typically include accusations of deceptive marketing practices, downplaying addiction risks, and oversupplying prescription opioids. A multitude of lawsuits, filed by states, municipalities, and individuals, have accused major pharmaceutical companies of prioritising profits over public health.

The US National Opioid Settlement lists companies involved and settlements reached. In 2021, nationwide settlements were agreed upon in response to legal action brought by states and local political subdivisions against the three largest pharmaceutical distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen, and against manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceuticals and its parent company Johnson & Johnson. These agreements have been finalised and payments have begun. In total, the distributors will pay up to $21bn over 18 years, and Johnson & Johnson will pay up to an additional $5bn over nine years.

Towards the end of 2022, settlements were reached with three pharmacy chainsCVS, Walgreens, and Walmart. In addition, two manufacturersAllergan and Teva  also announced agreements. In January 2023, all companies confirmed that a sufficient number of states had agreed to the settlements to move forward.

The opioid settlement fund allocation guide

More than $54bn in settlement funding is now being distributed to combat the huge public health crisis. The opioid crisis has severely impacted individuals and healthcare systems, with an estimated 1.2 million people projected to die from opioid overdose by 2029 in the US and Canada unless intervention measures are successful.

However, the process is challenging with decision-makers across the US grappling with how best to action the process.

In January, CHESS Health announced the publication of its Opioid Settlement Fund Allocation Guide, a free, online resource that provides background, strategies and best practices intended to assist officials in navigating a complex process that differs by locality and state.

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We created the online guide after hearing from our industry partners and others about the complexity of the Opioid Settlement Fund allocation process, says Hans Morefield, CHESS Health CEO. The actual allocation of the more than $54bn varies greatly by locale and has little oversight to date, and no two states will spend the money in the exact same way. Our goal is to help decision-makers in the US learn how to most effectively allocate the funds to address the ravages of addiction in their diverse communities.

Many of the opioid settlements stipulate that states must spend at least 85% of the money they receive on addiction treatment and prevention, specifically. But how the funds are spent will differ by locality, which may impede state and municipal officials from learning from each others mistakes or replicating each others successes.

A commitment to best practices helps a diverse group of decision-makers in achieving success, because the allocation process is not consistent across the nation, he explains. Best practices will vary due to demographics, while others are more universal in nature. He adds, By focusing on health equity and the social determinants of health (SDOH), decision-makers will reach a much broader population  and more underserved individuals  in need of assistance.

In addition, the online guide outlines how technology, especially when coupled with more traditional approaches, can help to amplify the impact of settlement dollars.

Opioid settlements: challenges and criticisms

One key concern with these settlements is the allocation of funds and whether they adequately address the diverse needs of affected communities. Critics argue that funds should be directed towards evidence-based prevention and treatment strategies, rather than being diluted through bureaucratic channels.

Some of the challenges are not yet known because its still early in the allocation process, says Morefield. Were also in unchartered territory. RAND [an American think tank] has identified several pitfalls, including using settlement funds to repay debts or replace current funds; spending the funds immediately; turning to ineffective programmes; ignoring equitable resource distribution; and disbursing settlement funds without evaluation or monitoring.

While no amount of money can guarantee an end to the ongoing crisis of substance use disorder (SUD) in the United States, the billions now flowing from opioid settlements to state and local governments will make a vital difference for generations to come. In addition, there are universal areas of focused investment over time that will boost the impact of settlement dollars.

One area is empowering more individuals to initiate treatment, Morefield explains. People can now start treatment via myriad pathways in their communities. However, making sure people stay in treatment remains a formidable challenge. Another universal area of focused investment should be amplifying the ability of local and state governments to do more in terms of prevention. Then, we can change the trajectory of a crisis that already has killed so many.

The opioid crisis is deeply entrenched in complex social and economic factors, and lawsuits alone may not be sufficient to address its root causes. Legal action combined with public health initiatives, education, and community support is essential for long-term solutions. However, despite the challenges, opioid lawsuit settlements present opportunities for systemic reform. The legal proceedings have brought attention to the need for greater transparency and oversight in the pharmaceutical industry. Stricter regulations and monitoring mechanisms promise to help prevent similar crises in the future by ensuring that key industry players prioritise public health and safety.

"Tracking the opioid lawsuit settlements amidst calls for oversight" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical 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.
2023 milestones include the distribution of the organizations 100,000th light worldwide

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., May 16, 2024--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Watts of Love is a non-profit making a global impact by empowering the most vulnerable people in the developing world to lift themselves out of poverty through its financial literacy program and patented solar light. The organization is poised for its most impactful year yet in 2024 after receiving a transformative $1 million gift to cap off a 2023 filled with effective anti-poverty action.

In celebration of the International Day of Light, Watts of Love is raising awareness about the significance of sustainable lighting solutions in improving lives, particularly in underserved regions. Watts of Love's innovative approach addresses the immediate need for illumination and fosters long-term economic development by equipping individuals with the knowledge and tools to manage their finances and build brighter futures.

The transformative gift from the Kathleen S. Craft Foundation is a catalyst for ending poverty through Watts of Loves unique program, bringing light and hope to thousands of families in Malawi. The investment is helping to create the infrastructure for delivering a sustainable solution to end poverty there.

Watts of Loves vision is to end the cycle of generational poverty. They offer a sustainable solution that combines financial literacy education and empowerment training with their patented solar light that lasts at least 10 years. Through their program, families learn how to save money they would have spent on alternative light sources, such as kerosene and batteries, and then reinvest those savings, earn more, and realize their big dreams. Watts of Loves unique approach impacts education, health, safety, the environment, and economic development.

The founding trustee expressed, "It is our hope that this contribution will not only brighten the lives of those in need but also bring attention to the impact Watts of Love is making. Our goal is to inspire others to join the cause of creating brighter futures for all. Together, lets light up the world!"

Nancy Economou, founder of Watts of Love, expressed her gratitude for the donation. "We are profoundly grateful to the Kathleen S. Craft Foundation for their commitment to Watts of Love and to families living in darkness and poverty. Their generosity allows us to empower more communities in Malawi, bringing sustainable lighting solutions that dispel darkness and create new opportunities. By fostering self-worth and financial freedom, Watts of Loves program has an immediate and positive impact on families struggling in the endless cycle of poverty."

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That gift capped a remarkable 2023 for Watts of Love, the organizations 10th anniversary year, which started with a team trip to the Philippines, where Economou was first inspired to start Watts of Love. In addition to outreach trips to Malawi, Ghana, and the Navajo Nation, other 2023 milestones included:

Distributing Watts of Loves 100,000 th light since the organizations founding

Distributing 20,000 lights in Nkhotakota, Malawi, thus completing their first lighthouse, a multi-year initiative to light an entire community

Launching monitoring and evaluation work to measure progress, identify areas of improvement and maximize the organizations global impact

Premiering "Ukwati," Watts of Loves first short film, winner of 30+ international awards

In its first decade, Watts of Loves program has helped more than 124,000 familiesincluding more than 865,000 individualsin 55 countries. Click here for stories of families whose lives the Watts of Love program has changed.

The organization has partnered with Molex and UL Solutions since its inception. Molex was the first manufacturer of Watts of Loves solar lights, which are certified by UL Solutions, demonstrating that the lights meet stringent safety requirements. Watts of Love also works closely with many other corporations, foundations, organizations, individuals, and nonprofit partners.

In each household provided with one solar light and financial literacy training, Watts of Love helps seven people, on average (Pew Research, 2020), leading to the following overall global impact, as of April 30, 2024:

$19,229,455 saved per year (GOGLA 2018)

29,774,640 additional hours of study time per year (World Bank 2017)

271,693,590 additional hours of productivity per year (GOGLA 2018)

54,586,840 fewer pounds of CO2 released per year (Solar Aid Impact Report 2014)

58,060,548 batteries saved/kept out of landfills

For more information about Watts of Love, please visit www.wattsoflove.org.

About Watts of Love

Watts of Love is a non-profit that empowers the most vulnerable people in the developing world to lift themselves out of poverty through its financial literacy program and patented solar light. With nearly 1 billion people living without access to reliable electricity, impoverished families can spend up to 30 percent of their income to light their homes after dark, forcing them to sacrifice food, medicine, and education. By giving people the tools they need to succeed, Watts of Love is ending cycles of generational poverty with a simple, sustainable solution that has an immediate impact. With light, there is safety, opportunity, and hope for a brighter future. To learn more, visit www.wattsoflove.org.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240516911728/en/

Contacts

Christa Carroll, Outlook Marketing Services, christa@outlookmarketingsrv.com
(Bloomberg) -- An explosion from a chemical truck at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.s construction site in Arizona killed the driver, according to statements from a local construction union and the Phoenix Police Department.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Cesar Anguiano-Guitron, 41, was transporting waste material from the project site and stopped to inspect the tank when he was made aware of a potential problem, according to a police report seen by Bloomberg News. Following an uncontrolled pressure release, he was hit by a blunt object and thrown 20 feet (6 meters) from the vehicle. The local fire department transported him to the hospital, where he died from his injuries. The police department is investigating the incident.

The Arizona State Building and Construction Trades Council, a coalition of unions with around 3,000 members working on the TSMC project, confirmed the death of the worker late Wednesday in a statement.

The safety and well-being of construction workers are our top priorities, and we expect all regulatory agencies to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident, the union said. The goal should be to determine whether adequate safety measures were in place, the cause of the accident, and to implement any necessary measures to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.

TSMC said in an emailed statement earlier that it was aware of an incident that occurred whereby a waste disposal truck driver was transported to a local hospital, and that there was no damage to its facilities. No TSMC employees or onsite construction workers have reported any related injuries, according to the company. A spokeswoman for TSMC did not respond to a further request for comment on the workers death.

TSMC, the main chipmaker to Nvidia Corp. and Apple Inc., is investing $65 billion to build three chip factories in Arizona as part of efforts to diversify from its home base. The project, which is set to win $11.6 billion in federal grants and loans from the 2022 Chips and Science Act, has a fraught history with organized labor in Phoenix, including a monthslong dispute over safety and management issues on the site.

Read More: Bidens $100 Billion Chips Bet Ensnared in Arizona Union Fight

The company and unions reached a labor accord in December, establishing a new committee focused on workforce training programs and transparency around safety issues as they arise.

Story continues

(Updates with additional information from police report.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2024 Bloomberg L.P.
By Toby Sterling

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC does not necessarily need to use ASML's next generation "High NA EUV" machines for an upcoming generation of chip manufacturing technology called A16, which is under development for the second half of 2026, an executive said on Tuesday.

The High NA lithography tools are expected to help shrink chip designs by up to two-thirds, but chipmakers must weigh that benefit against a higher cost and whether ASML's older tech may be more reliable and good enough.

Speaking at a conference in Amsterdam, Kevin Zhang said that it is possible that the company's A16 plants could be designed to accommodate the technology, but that is not certain. TSMC, the world's biggest contract chipmaker, is the largest user of ASML's regular EUV machines.

"I like the technology but I don't like the sticker price", Zhang told reporters. TSMC's A16 node will follow its 2 nanometer production node, which is expected to enter mass production in 2025.

"When actually High NA EUV will come in play, I think it depends on where's the optimum economic and the technical balancing we can achieve," he said.

High NA tools are expected to cost more than 350 million euros ($378 million) each, from 200 million euros from ASML's regular EUV machines.

ASML, Europe's largest tech firm, dominates the market for lithography systems, machines that use beams of light to help create the circuitry of chips.

Lithography is one of many technologies chipmakers use to improve chips, but it is a limiting factor in how small the features on a chip can be - smaller means faster and more energy efficient.

Intel last month said it had become the first company to assemble one of ASML's new High NA EUV lithography tools, as an important part of the U.S. computer chip maker's drive to outshine rivals.

($1 = 0.9262 euros)

(This story has been corrected to show that the A16 node is due in late 2026, not 2027, in paragraph 1)

(Reporting by Toby Sterling, editing by Bart Meijer and Emelia Sithoel-Matarise)
As the FTSE 100 continues its record-breaking run, buoyed by strong performances in global markets, investors remain keenly focused on the health and trajectory of the United Kingdom's financial landscape. In this context, growth companies with high insider ownership present a unique appeal, as such stakes often signal confidence from those who know the businesses best amidst evolving market conditions.

Top 10 Growth Companies With High Insider Ownership In The United Kingdom

Name Insider Ownership Earnings Growth Getech Group (AIM:GTC) 17.2% 86.1% Gulf Keystone Petroleum (LSE:GKP) 10.6% 54.6% Petrofac (LSE:PFC) 16.6% 115.4% Spectra Systems (AIM:SPSY) 23.3% 26.3% Integrated Diagnostics Holdings (LSE:IDHC) 26.7% 27.9% Plant Health Care (AIM:PHC) 19.7% 94.4% TEAM (AIM:TEAM) 25.8% 58.6% Afentra (AIM:AET) 38.3% 198.2% Velocity Composites (AIM:VEL) 29.5% 140.5% Judges Scientific (AIM:JDG) 11.6% 25.3%

Click here to see the full list of 61 stocks from our Fast Growing UK Companies With High Insider Ownership screener.

Let's explore several standout options from the results in the screener.

Simply Wall St Growth Rating: 

Overview: Mortgage Advice Bureau (Holdings) plc operates in the United Kingdom, offering mortgage advice services through its subsidiaries, with a market capitalization of approximately 500.65 million.

Operations: The company generates 236.92 million from its provision of financial services.

Insider Ownership: 20.2%

Mortgage Advice Bureau (Holdings) demonstrates a solid growth trajectory with its earnings increasing by 10.1% over the past year, and an expected annual profit growth rate of 19.3%, outpacing the UK market average of 12.7%. Despite this, its dividend coverage is weak, suggesting potential re-investment of earnings into business expansion rather than shareholder payouts. Recent executive appointments, including Emilie McCarthy as CFO, indicate a strategic push towards enhancing financial and operational leadership to support sustained growth.

AIM:MAB1 Earnings and Revenue Growth as at May 2024

Simply Wall St Growth Rating: 

Overview: IWG plc operates globally, offering workspace solutions across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific with a market capitalization of approximately 2.06 billion.

Operations: The company generates revenue from workspace solutions across several regions, with 1.32 billion from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, 1.05 billion from the Americas, and 273 million from the Asia Pacific.

Story continues

Insider Ownership: 28.9%

IWG has shown modest revenue growth, reporting a slight increase to $912 million in Q1 2024 from $911 million the previous year. Despite facing challenges with a significant net loss of 215 million in 2023, the company is expected to become profitable within three years. IWG's forecasted revenue growth at 7.8% annually is above the UK market average of 3.7%. The firm also completed a share buyback program, underscoring confidence from management despite current financial difficulties.

LSE:IWG Ownership Breakdown as at May 2024

Simply Wall St Growth Rating: 

Overview: Playtech plc is a global technology company that offers gambling software, services, content, and platform technologies with a market capitalization of approximately 1.47 billion.

Operations: The company's revenue is segmented into Gaming B2B at 684.10 million, Gaming B2C at 946.60 million, and specific B2C operations including HAPPYBET and Sun Bingo totaling 91.60 million.

Insider Ownership: 13.5%

Playtech plc, despite a slower revenue growth rate of 4.4% per year, is set to expand earnings by 20.5% annually, outpacing the UK market's 12.7%. The stock is currently valued at 55.3% below its estimated fair value, indicating potential for price appreciation. Recent financials show a robust increase in net income from EUR 87.6 million to EUR 105.1 million year-over-year and the addition of Doreen Tan as an Independent Non-executive Director could bring valuable insights and networks to foster further growth.

LSE:PTEC Earnings and Revenue Growth as at May 2024

Summing It All Up

Access the full spectrum of 61 Fast Growing UK Companies With High Insider Ownership by clicking on this link.

Are these companies part of your investment strategy? Use Simply Wall St to consolidate your holdings into a portfolio and gain insights with our comprehensive analysis tools.

Unlock the power of informed investing with Simply Wall St, your free guide to navigating stock markets worldwide.

Want To Explore Some Alternatives?

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 analysis only considers stock directly held by insiders. It does not include indirectly owned stock through other vehicles such as corporate and/or trust entities. All forecast revenue and earnings growth rates quoted are in terms of annualised (per annum) growth rates over 1-3 years.

Companies discussed in this article include AIM:MAB1 LSE:IWG and LSE:PTEC.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
job centre

Taxpayers have been hit with a 5.6bn Universal Credit fraud bill despite a Government crackdown on criminals abusing the system.

The amount of money lost to fraud through the benefit rose by more than 700m in the financial year to April, official figures show.

It comes as ministers face calls to toughen up Universal Credit application requirements which were relaxed during the pandemic.

Last month Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the architect of Universal Credit, said there was no question that checks on applicants should be reimposed to tackle high levels of fraud.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been racing to tackle high levels of fraud in the benefit since the pandemic, when a record 8.3bn was lost to fraud and error between 2020 and 2021.

Universal Credit overpayments due to fraud alone were worth 5.6bn last year, a rise of 14pc from 4.9bn between 2022 and 2023.

Fraud levels in the overall benefits system have also increased to 7.4bn in the financial year ending in 2024, up 17pc from 6.3bn in the previous year.

This included an increase in levels of fraud for Pension Credit, which sits outside of Universal Credit, from 120m to 210m over the same period.

Officials have been racing to crackdown on benefit fraud, which remains substantially more prevalent than before the pandemic.

The DWP this week announced that a 2,500-strong team will be tasked with vetting claims for Universal Credit.

The move comes as controversial legislation is set to come into force requiring banks to share some customer information with the Government to check their eligibility for the benefit.

It would enable civil servants to identify applicants with savings of more than 16,000, who cannot make a claim under current rules.

Previous efforts to curtail fraud have included retrospective checks on applicants who were granted payments during the pandemic and the restoration of most of the approximately 200 rules that were relaxed during lockdown.

However, there is growing concern among senior MPs that criminals are continuing to abuse the system, costing the taxpayer billions of pounds every year.

Sir Jacob Rees Mogg, a former cabinet minister, and Dame Meg Hillier, chair of the public accounts committee, joined calls last month for officials to reimpose all rules designed to vet applicants for Universal Credit.

A Bulgarian criminal gang were convicted last month of stealing more than 50m from taxpayers through thousands of bogus Universal Credit claims. The false claims were made between October 2016 and May 2021 in the largest benefit fraud in British history.

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The DWP has so far refused to elaborate on the exact nature of the rules which have been relaxed since the pandemic, citing concerns the information could be used by fraudsters. It is understood that 31 were dropped permanently.

It is believed one is the requirement for claimants to provide a fit note from doctors to prove they are too unwell to work for the first seven days of an illness. Applicants are now asked simply to declare evidence of a medical condition.

The Department for Work and Pensions was approached for comment.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
PHOENIX (AP)  Blas Sanchez was nearing the end of a 20-year stretch in an Arizona prison when he was leased out to work at Hickmans Family Farms, which sells eggs that have ended up in the supply chains of huge companies like McDonalds, Target and Albertsons. While assigned to a machine that churns chicken droppings into compost, his right leg got pulled into a chute with a large spiraling augur.

I could hear crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, Sanchez said. I couldnt feel anything, but I could hear the crunch.

He recalled frantically clawing through mounds of manure to tie a tourniquet around his bleeding limb. He then waited for what felt like hours while rescuers struggled to free him so he could be airlifted to a hospital. His leg was amputated below the knee.

Nationwide, hundreds of thousands of prisoners are put to work every year, some of whom are seriously injured or killed after being given dangerous jobs with little or no training, The Associated Press found. They include prisoners fighting wildfires, operating heavy machinery or working on industrial-sized farms and meat-processing plants tied to the supply chains of leading brands. These men and women are part of a labor system that  often by design  largely denies them basic rights and protections guaranteed to other American workers.

The findings are part of a broader two-year AP investigation that linked some of the worlds largest and best-known companies  from Cargill and Walmart to Burger King  to prisoners who can be paid pennies an hour or nothing at all.

Prison labor began during slavery and exploded as incarceration rates soared, disproportionately affecting people of color. As laws have steadily changed to make it easier for private companies to tap into the swelling captive workforce, it has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry that operates with little oversight.

Laws in some states spell it out clearly: Prisoners arent classified as employees, whether theyre working inside correctional facilities or for outside businesses through prison contracts or work-release programs. That can exclude them from workers compensation benefits, along with state and federal laws that set minimum standards for health and safety on the job.

Its almost impossible to know how many incarcerated workers are hurt or killed each year, partly because they often dont report injuries, fearing retaliation or losing privileges like contact with their families. Privacy laws add to the challenges of obtaining specific data. In California, for instance, more than 700 work-related injuries were recorded between 2018 and 2022 in the states prison industries program, but the documents provided to the AP were heavily redacted.

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At Hickmans Family Farms, logs obtained by the AP from Arizonas corrections department listed about 250 prison worker injuries during the same time frame. Most were minor, but some serious cases ranged from deep cuts and sliced-off fingertips to smashed hands.

They end up being mangled in ways that will affect them for the rest of their lives, said Joel Robbins, a lawyer who has represented several prisoners hired by Hickmans. If youre going to come out with a good resume, you should come out with two hands and two legs and eyes to work.

The AP requested comment from the companies it identified as having connections to prison labor. Most did not respond, but Cargill -- the largest private company in the U.S. with $177 billion in revenue last year -- said it was continuing to work to ensure there is no prison labor in our extended supplier network. Others said they were looking for ways to take action without disrupting crucial supply chains.

Prisoners across the country can be sentenced to hard labor, forced to work and punished if they refuse, including being sent to solitary confinement. They cannot protest against poor conditions, and its usually difficult for them to sue.

Most jobs are inside prisons, where inmates typically earn a few cents an hour doing things like laundry and mopping floors. The limited outside positions often pay minimum wage, but some states deduct up to 60% off the top.

In Arizona, jobs at Hickmans are voluntary and often sought after, not just for the money, but also because employment and affordable housing are offered upon release.

During a daylong guided tour of the companys egg-packaging operations and housing units, two brothers who run the family business stressed to an AP reporter that safety and training are top priorities. Several current and formerly incarcerated workers there praised the company, which markets eggs with brand names like Land O Lakes, Egglands Best and Hickmans, and have been sold everywhere from Safeway to Kroger.

We work on a farm with machinery and live animals, so it is important to follow the instructions, said Ramona Sullins, who has been employed by Hickmans for more than eight years before and after her release from prison. I have heard and seen of people being hurt, but when they were hurt, they werent following the guidelines.

AP reporters spoke with more than 100 current and former prisoners across the country  along with family members of workers who were killed  about various prison labor jobs. Roughly a quarter of them related stories involving injuries or deaths, from severe burns and traumatic head wounds to severed body parts. Reporters also talked to lawyers, researchers and experts, and combed through thousands of documents, including the rare lawsuits that manage to wind their way through the court system.

While many of the jobs are hidden, others are in plain view, like prisoners along busy highways doing road maintenance. In Alabama alone, at least three men have died since 2015, when 21-year-old Braxton Moon was hit by a tractor-trailer that swerved off the interstate. The others were killed while picking up trash.

In many states, laws mandate that prisoners be deployed during emergencies and disasters for jobs like hazardous material cleanup or working on the frontlines of hurricanes while residents evacuate. Theyre also sent to fight fires, filling vital worker shortage gaps, including in some rural communities in Georgia where incarcerated firefighters are paid nothing as the sole responders for everything from car wrecks to medical emergencies.

California currently has about 1,250 prisoners trained to fight fires and has used them since the 1940s. It pays its Angels in Orange $2.90 to $5.12 a day, plus an extra $1 an hour when they work during emergencies.

When a brush fire broke out in 2016, Shawna Lynn Jones and her crew were sent to the wealthy Malibu beach community near Californias rugged Pacific Coast Highway, which was built by prisoners a century ago. The 22-year-old, who had just six weeks left on her sentence for a nonviolent crime, died after a boulder fell 100 feet from a hillside onto her head  one of 10 incarcerated firefighters killed in the state since 1989.

Unlike many places, California does offer workers compensation to prisoners, which Jones mother, Diana Baez, said covered hospital expenses and the funeral.

Baez said her daughter loved being a firefighter and was treated as a fallen hero, but noted that even though she was on life support and never regained consciousness, When I walked behind the curtain, she was still handcuffed to that damn gurney.

The California corrections department said prisoners must pass a physical skills test to participate in the program, which encourages incarcerated people to commit to positive change and self-improvement. But inmates in some places across the country find it can be extremely difficult to transfer their firefighting skills to outside jobs upon their release due to their criminal records.

In most states, public institutions are not liable for incarcerated workers injuries or deaths. But in a case last year, the American Civil Liberties Union represented a Nevada crew sent to mop up a wildfire hotspot. It resulted in a $340,000 settlement that was split eight ways, as well as assurances of better training and equipment going forward.

Rebecca Leavitt said when she and her all-woman team arrived at the site with only classroom training, they did a hot foot dance on smoldering embers as their boss yelled Get back in there! One crew members burned-up boots were duct-taped back together, she said, while others cried out in pain as their socks melted to their feet during nine hours on the ground that paid about $1 an hour.

Two days later, Leavitt said the women finally were taken to an outside hospital, where doctors carved dead skin off the bottoms of their feet, which had sustained second-degree burns. Because they were prisoners, they were denied pain medicine.

They treated us like we were animals or something, said Leavitt, adding that the women were afraid to disobey orders in the field or report their injuries for fear they could be sent to a higher-security facility. The only reason why any of us had to tell them was because we couldnt walk.

Officials at Nevadas Department of Corrections did not respond to requests for comment.

Chris Peterson, the ACLU lawyer who brought the womens lawsuit, said Nevadas Legislature has passed laws making it harder for injured prisoners to receive compensation. He noted that the state Supreme Court ruled five years ago that an injured firefighter could receive the equivalent of only about 50 cents a day in workers compensation based on how much he earned in prison, instead of the set minimum wage.

At the end of the day, Peterson said, the idea is that if I get my finger lopped off, if I am an incarcerated person working as a firefighter, I am entitled to less relief than if I am a firefighter thats not incarcerated.

HELP ME! HELP ME!

A loophole in the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution passed after the Civil War makes forced labor legal, abolishing slavery except as punishment for a crime. Efforts are underway to challenge that language at the federal level, and nearly 20 states are working to bring the issue before voters.

Today, about 2 million people are locked up in the U.S.  more than almost any country in the world  a number that began spiking in the 1980s when tough-on-crime laws were passed. More than 800,000 prisoners have some kind of job, from serving food inside facilities to working outside for private companies, including work-release assignments everywhere from KFC to Tyson Foods poultry plants. Theyre also employed at state and municipal agencies, and at colleges and nonprofit organizations.

Few critics believe all prison jobs should be eliminated, but they say work should be voluntary and prisoners should be fairly paid and treated humanely. Correctional officials and others running work programs across the country respond that they place a heavy emphasis on training and that injuries are taken seriously. Many prisoners see work as a welcome break from boredom and violence inside their facilities and, in some places, it can help shave time off sentences.

In many states, prisoners are denied everything from disability benefits to protections guaranteed by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration or state agencies that ensure safe conditions for laborers. In Arizona, for instance, the state occupational safety division doesnt have the authority to pursue cases involving inmate deaths or injuries.

Strikes by prisoners seeking more rights are rare and have been quickly quashed. And the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that inmates cannot join or form unions. They also cant call an ambulance or demand to be taken to a hospital, even if they suffer a life-threatening injury on the job.

The barriers for those who decide to sue can be nearly insurmountable, including finding a lawyer willing to take the case. Thats especially true after the federal Prison Litigation Reform Act was passed almost three decades ago to stem a flood of lawsuits that accompanied booming prison populations.

Kandy Fuelling learned that all too well after being gravely injured in 2015 while assigned to work at a Colorado sawmill. She said her lawyer never met with her face-to-face and her suit was dismissed after a court ruled she could not sue state entities, leaving her with zero compensation.

Fuelling, who said she received only a few hours of training at the Pueblo mill, was feeding a conveyor belt used to make pallets when a board got stuck. She said she asked another prisoner if the machinery was turned off, but was told by her manager to hurry up and dislodge the jam. She crawled under the equipment and tugged at a piece of splintered lumber. Suddenly, the blade jolted back to life and spiraled toward her head.

That saw went all the way through my hard hat.  Im screaming Help me! Help me! but no one can hear me because everything is running, Fuelling said. All I remember is thinking, Oh my God, I think it just cut my head off.

With no first aid kit available, fellow prisoners stuck sanitary pads on her gushing wound and ushered her into a van. But instead of being driven to a nearby emergency room, she was taken to the prison for evaluation. The 5-inch gash, which pierced her skull, eventually was sewn up at an outside hospital.

Despite being dizzy and confused, she said she was put back to work soon after in the prisons laundry room and received almost no treatment for months, even when her wound oozed green pus. She said she had privileges stripped and eventually was diagnosed with MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant infection. She still suffers short-term memory loss and severe headaches, she said.

The Colorado Department of Corrections had no comment when asked about prisoner training and medical treatment for those injured on the job.

While prisoners have access to low-cost care in correctional facilities nationwide, a typical co-pay of $2 to $5 per visit can be unaffordable for those earning next to nothing. Many inmates say its not worth it because the care they receive is often so poor.

Class-action lawsuits have been filed in several states  including Illinois, Idaho, Delaware and Mississippi  alleging everything from needless pain and suffering to deliberate medical neglect and lack of treatment for diseases like hepatitis C.

Some prisoners conditions worsened even after getting care for their injuries.

In Georgia, a prison kitchen workers leg was amputated after he fell on a wet floor, causing a small cut above his ankle. He was susceptible to infection as a diabetic, but doctors in the infirmary did not stop the wound from festering, according to a lawsuit that was handwritten and filed by the prisoner. It was an unusual case where the state settled  for $550,000  which kept the prison medical director from going to trial.

Noah Moore, who lost a finger while working at Hickmans egg farm in Arizona, had a second finger later amputated due to what he said was poor follow-up treatment in prison after surgery at a hospital. Thats in a state where a federal judge ruled two years ago that the prison medical care was unconstitutional and plainly, grossly inadequate.

I think the healing hurt worse than the actual accident, Moore said.

The Arizona corrections department would not comment on injuries that occurred during a previous administration, but said prisoners have access to all necessary medical care. The department also stressed the importance of workplace safety training.

Prisons and jails can struggle to find doctors willing to accept jobs, which means they sometimes hire physicians who have been disciplined for misconduct.

A doctor in Louisiana, Randy Lavespere, served two years in prison after buying $8,000 worth of methamphetamine in a Home Depot parking lot in 2006 with intent to distribute. After his release, his medical license was reinstated with restrictions that banned him from practicing in most settings. Still, he was hired by the Louisiana State Penitentiary, the countrys largest maximum-security prison. His license has since been fully reinstated, and he now oversees health care for the entire corrections department.

Over the years, physicians who have worked at Louisiana prisons have had their medical licenses restricted or suspended following offenses ranging from sexual misconduct and possessing child pornography to self-prescribing addictive drugs, according to the state Board of Medical Examiners.

Lavespere could not be reached for comment, but corrections department spokesman Ken Pastorick said all prison doctors are licensed and that the board does not allow physicians to return to work unless they are deemed competent and have the ability to practice medicine with skill and safety.

NO REMEDY FOR HARM

Across the country, its not uncommon for the relatives of prisoners who died on the job to struggle with determining whos liable. When workers compensation is offered, the amount awarded is typically determined by the size of the workers paycheck and usually closes the door on future wrongful death suits.

The few cases that make their way to court can result in meager settlements compared to what the survivors of civilian workers might receive, in part because those behind bars are seen as having little or no future earning potential.

Matthew Baraniak was on work release in 2019 when he was killed at a Pennsylvania heavy machinery service center while operating a scissor lift. He was using a high-heat torch on a garbage truck that was rigged precariously with chains when its weight shifted, causing Baraniak to hit his head and lose control of the burning torch. His body was engulfed in flames.

Ashley Snyder, the mother of Baraniaks daughter, accepted a workers comp offer made to benefit their then 3-year-old child, paying about $700 a month until the girl reaches college age. Family members said their claim against the county running the work-release program was dismissed, and their lawyer told them the best they could hope for was a small settlement from the service center.

There are no rules, Holly Murphy, Baraniaks twin sister, said of the long and confusing process. Its just a gray area with no line there that says whats acceptable, what the laws are.

Michael Duff, a law professor at Saint Louis University and an expert on labor law, said some people think, Well, too bad, dont be a prisoner. But an entire class of society is being denied civil rights, Duff said, noting that each state has its own system that could be changed to offer prisoners more protections if theres political will.

Weve got this category of human beings that can be wrongfully harmed and yet left with no remedy for their harm, he said.

Laws sometimes are amended to create even more legal hurdles for those seeking relief.

Thats what happened in Arizona. In 2021, a Hickmans Family Farms lawyer unsuccessfully tried to get the corrections department to amend its contract to take responsibility for prisoner injuries or deaths, according to emails obtained by the AP. The next year, a newly formed nonprofit organization lobbied for a bill that was later signed into law, blocking prisoners from introducing their medical costs into lawsuits and potentially limiting settlement payouts.

Billy Hickman, one of the siblings who runs the egg company, was listed as a director of the nonprofit. He told the AP that the farm has hired more than 10,000 incarcerated workers over nearly three decades. Because they arent eligible for protections like workers comp, he said the company tried to limit its exposure to lawsuits partially driven by what he described as zealous attorneys.

Were a family business, he said, so we take it very seriously that people are safe and secure.

At the height of the pandemic  when all other outside prison jobs were shut down  Crystal Allen and about 140 other female prisoners were sent to work at Hickmans, bunking together in a large company warehouse. The egg farm is Arizona Correctional Industries biggest customer, bringing in nearly $35 million in revenue in the past six fiscal years.

Allen was earning less than $3 an hour after deductions, including 30% for room and board. She knew it would take time, but hoped to bank a few thousand dollars before her release.

One day, she noticed chicken feeders operating on a belt system werent working properly, so she switched the setting to manual and used her hand to smooth the feed into place.

All of a sudden, the cart just takes off with my thumb, said Allen, adding she had to use her sock to wrap up her left hand, which was left disfigured. Its bleeding really, really bad.

She sued before the new state law took effect and settled with the company last year for an undisclosed amount. In legal filings, Hickmans denied any wrongdoing.

THE PAIN LIVES ON

When a 2021 tornado flattened a Kentucky factory that made candles for Bath & Body Works and other major companies, Marco Sanchez risked his life to pull fellow employees from the debris. Eight people were killed, including the correctional officer overseeing Sanchez and other prisoners on a work-release program.

Sanchez fractured ribs and broke his foot and, after being treated at a hospital, was taken to the Christian County Jail. According to an ongoing civil rights lawsuit filed last year, he was sent to solitary confinement there and beaten by guards frustrated by his repeated requests for medical attention, which he said went unmet.

They were retaliating against me, said Sanchez , who was homeless when he talked to the AP. They were telling me, It should have been you  instead of one of ours.

Christian County Jail officials would not comment, citing the pending litigation. But attorney Mac Johns, who is representing the correctional officers, disputed Sanchezs characterization of the care and treatment he received while incarcerated, without elaborating.

A few months after the tornado, Sanchez was portrayed on national television as a hero and given a key to the city, but he questions why he was treated differently than the civilian workers he was employed alongside.

He noted that they got ongoing medical attention and support from their family members at a difficult time. I didnt get that, he said, adding that strong winds and sirens still leave him cowering.

The man who lost his leg while working at the composting chute in Arizona said he, too, continues to struggle, even though nearly a decade has passed since the accident.

Blas Sanchez settled for an undisclosed amount with Hickmans, which denied liability in court documents. He now runs a motel in Winslow along historic U.S. Route 66 and said hes still often in agony  either from his prosthetic or shooting pains from the nerves at the end of his severed limb.

And then theres the mental anguish. Sometimes, he wonders if continuing to live is worth it.

I wanted to end it because its so tiring and it hurts. And if it wasnt for these guys, I probably would, he said, motioning to his step-grandchildren playing around him. End it. Finished. Done. Buried.

-

The Associated Press receives support from the Public Welfare Foundation for reporting focused on criminal justice. This story also was supported by Columbia Universitys Ira A. Lipman Center for Journalism and Civil and Human Rights in conjunction with Arnold Ventures. The AP is solely responsible for all content.



Contact APs global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org or https://www.ap.org/tips/
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The Scoop

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, known for calling Wall Street executives to task for management failures, has been running a behind-the-scenes campaign to protect a top banking regulator from documented allegations that he presided over a toxic workplace.

Ex-top aides to the Massachusetts Democrat helped FDIC Chair Martin Gruenberg prepare for congressional hearings this week, when he was set to be grilled about a scathing report from an independent law firm that found widespread sexual harassment and bullying at the agency, which oversees thousands of US banks, people familiar with the matter said.

Gruenberg testified before the House yesterday, when he apologized and said he would take anger management classes, and will appear before a Senate committee at 10 a.m. today.

Rohit Chopra, a former Warren protege who now runs the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, went to the FDICs headquarters last week to run Gruenberg through likely questions he would face and practice his answers, the people said. Chopra is a board member of the FDIC.

When that session went poorly, Warrens former chief of staff tried again. Dan Geldon, who worked for Warren until 2020 and now runs a Washington consulting firm, went through a mock hearing with Gruenberg over the weekend, some of the people said.

Warrens office and the CFPB declined to comment. The FDIC and Geldon didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

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An investigation by law firm Cleary Gottlieb found an agency rife with sexual harassment, bullying, and discrimination, where complaints were ignored and offenders went unpunished. The findings have put pressure on Gruenberg, who has been a fixture at the FDIC since 2005, in rotating stints as its chair and a board member. The report found that Gruenberg contributed to a culture of bullying and that underlings, scared of being berated, were reluctant to bring him bad information.

That information breakdown has led some critics to tie Gruenbergs temper to lapses at the FDIC last spring, when three regional banks failed and the agency was slow to seize them, spurring worries about a contagion that forced the government to guarantee deposits at two of the banks. Republican members of Congress and at least one Democrat have called on him to resign.

But Gruenberg, a progressive who has pushed tougher rules on Wall Street throughout his career, is key to a financial-regulation agenda that includes forcing banks to hold more capital, reining in bonuses, and intensifying merger reviews. If he were to be forced out of his role, the FDIC would be paralyzed, split evenly between Democratic and Republican board members and at least temporarily run by a Republican, Travis Hill.

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Theres plenty of blame to go around, said Dennis Kelleher, of the progressive think tank Better Markets. This is outrageous, but to attack the Democrat only, which has the inevitable result of stalling this important work, is so clearly partisan politics.

(In a bit of good news for Warren, the Supreme Court this morning rejected a constitutional challenge that would have dismantled or gutted the CFPB. Warren first proposed the idea of a consumer-focused financial regulator in 2007 when she was a professor at Harvard, and was appointed by former President Barack Obama to create the agency after the global financial crisis.)

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Lizs view

Neither Gruenberg nor Warren nor progressive allies in DC who have fallen into line now would let a bank CEO who fostered a workplace this toxic stay in the job. Your definition of accountable is to push the blame to your low-level employees who dont have the money for a fancy PR firm to defend themselves, Warren told John Stumpf, the then-CEO of Wells Fargo during its fake-accounts scandal. Its gutless leadership.

Their entire exchange, from 2016, is worth reading and comparing to Warrens statement to the American Banker after the FDIC report was released: Chair Gruenberg has accepted responsibility, and I support his work to implement the action plan to improve the FDICs culture.

Its a strange hill to die on. The agenda that Democrats are rallying around Gruenberg to protect isnt particularly robust or likely to go anywhere. Proposed rules requiring banks to hold more capital are likely to be significantly watered down, and may not even be reworked before the election in November. Rules curbing banker bonuses were mandated by the Dodd-Frank law 14 years ago and still havent been finalized, and the latest version lacks the needed support of the Federal Reserve.

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Room for Disagreement

At Wells Fargo, you had people as a regular-way business practice breaking the law, Kelleher told me. I dont think thats anywhere near comparable to what were talking about here.

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PROVIDENCE  While trying to convince legislators that the state can save millions of dollars on leases by purchasing a Citizens Bank-owned building in East Providence that's been on the market for at least two years, the McKee administration on Thursday acknowledged it had not looked at other properties.

How much would the state pay for the building and refurbishing? $33.7 million.

How much would the purchase cost over a projected 10-year borrowing term? $44.5 million without voter approval.

What is the assessed value of the property? $16.9 million.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Administration acknowledged, in response to a Journal inquiry, that there was no request for competing offers from other property owners before presenting this building acquisition proposal to lawmakers in the closing weeks of the legislative session.

And she said state law does not require one.

But why not?

Members of the House Finance Committee did not ask this question of Administration Director Jonathan Womer when he appeared before them Thursday night to explain this and a second budget amendment Gov. Dan McKee proposed last week that could benefit Citizens.

One lawmaker voiced concern about the half-mile distance to the closest bus stop, while travel along the half-closed Washington Bridge remains dicey. Another asked how much East Providence would lose in taxes if the property shifts to state hands. (Answer: Citizens paid a discounted $384,297 in 2023.)

"Is there a reason why there's a rush for this?," asked Democratic Rep. John Edwards. "None of these buildings are in falling down type condition," he said of the state-owned buildings where some of the agencies targeted relocation are now.

Womer's answer: the administration wanted to get a head start on needed renovations before the Department of Environmental Management's lease expires in July 2026.

After getting administration officials to confirm Citizens' asking price is $27 million, Republican Rep. George Nardone noted the two years the building has been on the market and said: "Just make sure you get the taxpayers the best price. These buildings are not in demand right now."

(The other McKee budget amendment would revise the state's "financial institutions tax" in a way that might make Rhode Island more competitive with Massachusetts but cost the state $15.6 million in annual revenues.)

McKee administration explains the Citizens building purchase

When asked by The Journal how the state knows this is the best deal, spokeswoman Christina O'Reilly said: "It is rare to find buildings of this size and condition on the market."

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"Knowing a space so large could accommodate the needs of multiple agencies, the state felt it prudent to explore the Tripps Lane property as an option," she said. "The unique features of this building make it appealing, specifically the 60,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art data center, large single-story layout, ample parking, and public access for customer service.''

She said the state "used an independent appraisal and other market factors to inform negotiations and ensure best use of taxpayer dollars."

More: Inside McKee's 11th hour pitch to keep Citizens Bank - and its jobs - in RI. Here's the deal.

What is driving McKee's new Citizens-centered tax-and-spending plans?

The stated reason for the proposed taxpayer purchase of 115 Tripps Lane - a 225,458 square foot, 1979-built Citizens building that previously housed the Citizens One Home Loan Center: the opportunity to relocate one or more state agencies from "costly" leased space a potential savings.

An example: The Department of Environmental Management has two years left on a lease that costs roughly $2.5 million a year. Getting out of that lease would save the state a potential $25 million over 10 years.

The other examples involve the relocation of state employees from what is already state-owned space, such as the relocation of state police, Treasury and the state technology offices out a building at 50 Service Avenue in Warwick that the state purchased in 2010 for $4.5 million.

That building now reportedly requires $10 million in repairs.

Another example: The relocation of the Department of Human Services out of another state-owned building on the Pastore Complex in Cranston to avert "significant long-term investment(s)."

The presentation given to a Senate committee earlier this week anticipated a potential $39 million in savings and averted maintenance costs over 10 years, which would offset the potential $44.5 million cost of buying and refurbishing the Citizens building.

"If successful, the timing of the negotiations coincides with an appropriate runway to transition 115 Tripps Lane to state use and the conclusion of ongoing leases, as well as future planning and budgeting," O'Reilly said.

How are key lawmakers reacting?

Citizens has a top-ranked legislator on its payroll, Senate Majority Leader Ryan Pearson who, by day, is a senior vice president in "partner lending" at the bank.

Asked this week if he had discussed the potential state purchase of the Citizens building or the rewrite of the state's bank tax law with other legislators  or the governor, Pearson texted a one-word answer: "No."

House Majority leader Rep. Christopher R. Blazejewski, left, Senate Majority leader Ryan Pearson and Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos listening to interfaith speakers in the State House on Jan. 4, 2023.

But Citizens has a powerhouse lobbying team that includes:

Former House Speaker William J. Murphy at $25,000 a year

William Farrell & Associates at $5,000 monthly.

House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, asked about McKee's late-game asks of the legislature, told The Journal on Wednesday: "There'll be a robust, open, transparent, public hearing and we'll allow the governor's people to make their case."

"I try to keep an open mind on every issue," he said.

But when asked if he had any concerns about the price of the building and the potential $15-million annual revenue loss from the proposed tax move, he said:

"I am always concerned about the fiscal stability of the state ... So yes, if you ask me, 'Speaker, what's the one thing that keeps you up at night?' It's always making sure that we pass a balanced budget. I'm always concerned with the fiscal realities of the current day situation."

Any upside? He said "the rent that we're paying for several state agencies is very high. So we have to look at this in the long term."

But "I'm sure there'll be questions from the public and I'm sure there'll be questions from the members of the committee. I look forward to the administration's response to those questions and their presentation."

What about the bill to change the banking tax approach?

"We always want to be competitive and we want to look at what our neighbors are doing, but we have to balance ... the fiscal realities of the present day situation," said Shekarchi, acknowledging his growing concern about the "evolving" cost of demolishing and rebuilding the failed Washington Bridge, last pegged at $679 million, including borrowing costs.

"Even the latest numbers we have may not be the last numbers," Shekarchi said of the bridge.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: McKee pushing purchase of Citizens Bank-owned building
Joseph & Andrew Guyton of Guyton-Forge receive prestigious Financial Industry Award: Presidents Council Qualifier

PORTSMOUTH  Father and son team Joseph Guyton, Owner of Portsmouth-based The Guyton Group, and Andrew Guyton, Founder of Forge Financial, also in Portsmouth, have each earned the prestigious designation of Presidents Council Qualifier. Joseph is winning for the sixteenth time and Andrew is winning for the third. The Presidents Council Qualifier is a prestigious industry award for financial professionals that provide exceptional customer service and nurture long-term relationships.

Joseph Guyton

Im honored to be recognized with this esteemed award, which is a testament to the high-quality service I provide to my clients and the long-term relationships I build with them. I truly enjoy working with each of my clients, providing customized advice to meet their specific needs and goals, giving them confidence in their financial planning, and helping them prepare for long-term financial health, Joseph explained. This recognition is particularly meaningful, as Im winning it alongside my talented son.

Andrew Guyton

Its such a thrill to be named a Presidents Council Qualifier for the third time, a goal that Im happy to have achieved once again. I work hard to provide extraordinary client service, customizing comprehensive plans to help each client meet their individual financial goals. I counsel my clients through the different stages of their financial journeys, from buying their first house to saving for their retirement, helping them achieve long-term financial health, Andrew explained. Im so pleased to be named a Presidents Council Qualifier with my extremely knowledgeable father, and I know Im in very good company in the winners circle.

We congratulate both Joe and Andrew on being recognized as Presidents Council qualifiers, which is a true testament to their exceptional client service, explained Seth Medalie, CLU, ChFC, President and Founder of The Bulfinch Group. Being named to the Guardian elite group of Presidents Council further proves what remarkable assets Joe and Andrew are to both our firm and to their clients.

Joe works with clients on a wide range of issues including financial protection, retirement income, and business exit strategies, using a comprehensive planning method that coordinates all aspects of their personal economies.

Andrew works with clients on a broad spectrum of services, including financial planning, protection, and wealth accumulation strategies, using a comprehensive planning method that coordinates all aspects of their personal economies.

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Newburyport Charitable Foundation Donates $5,000 to Portsmouth Historical Society

NEWBURYPORT, Mass.  The Newburyport Bank Charitable Foundation has donated $5,000 to the Portsmouth Historical Society to support its Community Programs. Community connection is at the heart of the work at the Portsmouth Historical Society. They fill each season with a wide variety of events designed to bring people together to learn, to reflect, to share, and to celebrate those who have made and continue to make Portsmouth a cultural landmark.

Founded in 1917, the Portsmouth Historical Society opened the John Paul Jones House as a museum in 1920. For more than a century, the organization has gathered a diverse collection that fulfills its mission to illustrate and understand the history and material life, broadly conceived, of Portsmouth and the immediate Seacoast area from the seventeenth century to the present.

The historical significance of Portsmouth and understanding its connection to overall American history cannot be underestimated, said Newburyport Bank CEO Lloyd Hamm. Fortunately, we have the Portsmouth Historical Society that keeps history alive, and connects with people, young and old alike, to give them a wonderful perspective on the past, and how it has shaped the present. The Societys work is invaluable and we are most happy to support their efforts.

Boldly Rising: A conference and retreat for women leaders set to empower and inspire

DURHAM  In a landscape where women's leadership is increasingly recognized yet still faces hurdles, Boldly Rising emerges as a beacon of empowerment and advancement. This immersive and interactive conference and retreat, designed for seasoned, new, and aspiring women leaders alike, aims to foster connections, elevate consciousness, and accelerate professional growth.

Despite strides in workplace gender equality, the journey towards fully embracing and leveraging the talents of women leaders remains uncertain. Boldly Rising addresses this gap head-on, offering a platform for women to resonate with peers, elevate their thinking and being, and accelerate their path to fulfillment.

Taking a holistic approach grounded in positive psychology, neuroscience, and cutting-edge research, Boldly Rising equips attendees with the tools they need to overcome barriers and thrive in leadership roles. The program focuses on deeper self-awareness, skill development, courage-building, and actionable strategies tailored to the specific challenges and opportunities faced by women leaders today.

Boldly Rising is not just a conference; it's a catalyst for change, empowerment, and progress in women's leadership. Join UNH PD&T on June 13 & 14 to take the lead in shaping your leadership journey. For more information about the Boldly Rising and to register, visit https://bit.ly/BoldlyRising2024

Sanford/Springvale Chamber welcomes Ann Brannan of Coldwell Banker Realty

From left to right are Sean Dumont Edward Jones Investments, Rick Stanley Chamber President, cutting the ribbon Ann Brannan Coldwell Banker Realty and Al Hebb Town Square Realty Group.

SANFORD, Maine  The Sanford/Springvale Chamber welcomes Ann Brannan as their newest chamber member. Brannan as your dedicated real estate partner combines trustworthiness, motivation, and client focus. Clients can rely on her unwavering integrity and honesty. She will prioritize your best interests throughout the real estate journey and actively listen, understand your goals and tailor her services accordingly.

As a military spouse Brannan understands the unique challenges faced by military families and will support you during relocations and transactions. Brannan's professional affiliations include National Association of Realtors, Maine Association of Realtors, York County Council of Realtors and now the Sanford Springvale Chamber of Commerce.

Brannan can be reached at 120 Main Street Bldg 4 Ste 243 in Saco, Maine, ann.brannan@cbrealty.com, website https://annbrannan.com, office 207-282-5988 or direct at 207-337-5217.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Women Leaders conference, Industry awards: Seacoast business news
YouTube has blocked access to a popular protest song in Hong Kong, a week after a court in the city granted a government request to ban the anthem.

In a statement on Wednesday, YouTube said 32 web links playing Glory to Hong Kong have been geoblocked and are now unavailable in the semi autonomous Chinese city following a court order.

Attempts to access the videos, which include instrumental and sign language versions of the song, from Hong Kong yielded messages such as This content is not available on this country domain due to a court order or This video isnt available anymore.

We are disappointed by the Courts decision but are complying with its removal order by blocking access to the listed videos for viewers in Hong Kong. Well continue to consider our options for an appeal, to promote access to information, a YouTube spokesperson said in an emailed reply to CNN.

Google (GOOGL), which owns Youtube, told CNN in an emailed reply last week that it is reviewing the courts judgment.

CNN has also reached out to Meta (META)  which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram  and Spotify (SPOT).

Glory to Hong Kong was composed by a musician under a pseudonym in August 2019 and became the unofficial anthem of pro-democracy protests. The authorities have long taken issue with what they say is the songs separatist undertones.

The ballad contains lyrics that reference the phrase liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times, a protest slogan that was already outlawed in 2020. The Hong Kong government and courts had said the phrase had secessionist and subversive connotations.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters Wednesday that preventing anyone from using and disseminating relevant songs with the intention of inciting secession and insulting the national anthem is a legitimate and necessary measure for Hong Kong to fulfil its responsibilities of safeguarding national security and the dignity of the national anthem.

The Asia Internet Coalition, which counts Spotify and Meta as members, said it is assessing the implications of the decision, including how the injunction will be implemented, to determine its impact on businesses.

We believe that a free and open internet is fundamental to the citys ambitions to become an international technology and innovation hub, said Jeff Paine, the groups managing director.

A Hong Kong government spokesperson said freedoms are not absolute.

Over the past two years, Glory to Hong Kong has been mistakenly played at international sporting events involving Hong Kong teams, instead of Chinas national anthem March of the Volunteers.

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Pro-Beijing politicians and officials, including the citys justice minister, Paul Lam, have mostly blamed Googles algorithm for letting the song come up at the top of searches.

Last June, Hong Kongs Department of Justice filed a court injunction to seek a ban on the broadcasting or distribution of the song. The injunction was initially rejected but was overturned last week following an appeal.

Hong Kong was promised key freedoms and autonomy to run its own affairs after it was handed over from British rule to China in 1997. As a result, it had flourished as a bastion of free speech and creative expression within authoritarian China.

But a crackdown on dissent in the aftermath of the democracy protests has since transformed the city, especially after a sweeping national security law was imposed by Beijing in 2020. This year, a second local security bill, known as Article 23, was passed targets seditious acts, espionage and foreign interference.

China and Hong Kongs leaders say the laws are needed as part of their drive to restore stability following huge and often violent democracy protests in 2019 and argue their legislation is similar to other national security laws around the world.

CNNs Chris Lau contributed reporting.

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MIAMI, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- During Covid telehealth became a key element for individuals to seek care, and telehealth utilization was at an all-time high. Post-Covid numerous health plans are ending or limiting their telehealth offerings, while other health plans still believe in the importance of telehealth. Zuniga Health LLC, an innovative health plan for small and medium-sized businesses has continued its commitment to free unlimited telehealth while most other health plans charge fees of $40+ for telehealth visits.

Among telehealth's many benefits is convenience: users don't have to leave the house and can contact a doctor even outside regular office hours. These advantages are especially interesting for employees who work irregular hours or live in underserved locations, where access to facilities is limited. It is also a savior for many employees with families, who have little time to spend commuting to and waiting in a doctor's office. Telehealth offers services like prescription refills, provider consultations for pain, fever, seasonal flu, UTI, skin infections, etc. Telepsychiatry services keep experiencing stark growth, as patients realize how convenient it is to conduct counseling and therapy from home.

Zuniga Health offers 24/7 unlimited telehealth and telepsychiatry on all plans, even the most basic ones. Services are offered in English and Spanish. Zuniga Health directly addresses the needs of Hispanic small businesses and their employees, as studies have shown that non-English speaking people often struggle using telehealth.

Zuniga Health is the only Hispanic-owned health plan in the US to address the Hispanic business market. Zuniga Health's mission is to increase the number of Hispanic employees obtaining affordable and accessible health benefits, and telehealth plays a big role in it. Insurance premiums across the US are rising in double-digit percentages. These accelerating costs are a threat to the small businesses' economic stability, and the worker's access to healthcare. Zuniga Health's plans are very affordable and customizable on a 'pay-per-need' basis.

Zuniga Health's Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC) and Minimum Value Plan (MVP) are designed to meet every employee's budget. Besides unlimited telehealth, all plans have free preventative care and free preventative drugs. Employees choose the amount of doctor and lab visits they would like for the year and pay accordingly. MVP options include hospitalization days. All plans use a premier provider network with thousands of Spanish speaking providers.

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Brokers and Agents - To work with Zuniga Health, visit here.

CONTACT: Sonja Reians, sreians@zunigahealth.com

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View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zuniga-healths-unlimited-telehealth-is-a-unique-offering-post-covid-302147087.html

SOURCE Zuniga Health
Summary: Headquartered in San Diego, UFB Direct is an online division of Axos Bank. It offers checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as home loans. As an online bank, UFB Direct does not have any physical branches.

UFB Direct products and services

Heres a look at the products offered by UFB Direct:

Freedom Checking Account: UFB Directs Freedom Checking account has no monthly maintenance fees or minimum deposit requirements. Customers can boost their earnings by bundling this account with the UFB Secure Savings account, allowing them to earn a combined APY of up to 5.03%. The Freedom Checking account also comes with a complimentary debit card and access to over 90,000 ATMs.

Portfolio Savings: The UFB Portfolio Savings account is a high-yield savings account that offers up to 4.57% APY on all balances. There are no maintenance or service fees and no minimum balance required. It also comes with a debit card. This account ranks among our list of the 10 best high-yield savings accounts available today.

Portfolio Money Market Account: This account offers up to 4.57% APY with no monthly maintenance fees for balances of $5,000 or more. If your balance falls below this threshold, youll be charged a $10 monthly maintenance fee.

Mortgages: UFB Direct offers home loans through Axos Bank, which will waive its full lender fee for loan amounts of $250,000 and above, or reduce its lender fee by $200 for loan amounts of less than $250,000 when certain conditions are met.

See our picks for the 10 best online banks in 2024>>

UFB Direct fees

Heres a closer look at the fees you may be responsible for as a UFB Direct customer:

UFB Direct pros and cons

Here are some of the major pros and cons to consider before becoming a UFB Direct customer:

Pros: Competitive rates on checking and savings accounts: UFB offers over 4% APY for its checking and savings accounts. 24/7 customer service: Customers can get assistance 24/7 via telephone and secure messaging.

Cons: Monthly maintenance fee for money market account: For account holders with a balance of less than $5,000, a $10 monthly fee applies. No physical branches: UFB is an online-only bank, meaning that customers dont have the added convenience of having a physical branch location to visit.



Customer service and mobile banking experience

The UFB Direct mobile app allows customers to bank from their mobile devices, with the ability to deposit checks, review account balance and history, transfer money between accounts, pay bills, contact a customer service representative, and more. The app is available for download on both the App Store and Google Play and has an average rating of 4.8 on both storefronts.

UFB Direct customer service representatives are available 24/7 via telephone and secure message.

Frequently asked questions

Which bank owns UFB Direct?

UFB Direct is an online division of Axos Bank.

Is UFB Direct covered by the FDIC?

Yes. As part of Axos Bank, UFB Direct is an FDIC-insured financial institution. This means customer deposits are protected up to $250,000 per depositor, per ownership category. Note that deposits at UFB Direct will be combined with any deposits you have at Axos Bank or other divisions of Axos Bank for determining FDIC insurance coverage.

What is UFB Directs routing number?

UFB Directs routing number is 122287251.

Is UFB Direct bank legit?

Yes. UFB Direct is a legitimate and reputable online bank. It provides several deposit account options with low fees and competitive interest rates, as well as low-cost home loans.
Cole Finegan on Wednesday announced hes stepping down as United States Attorney for the District of Colorado at the end of the month.

Finegan, who was appointed by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, took the oath of office on Dec. 1, 2021. His last day on the job will be May 31.

During his time as U.S. Attorney, Finegans office represented the U.S. in criminal and civil court matters in Colorado and the in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of Colorado, Finegan said in a new release announcing his resignation. I am equally thankful to the career attorneys and professional staff who work every day to help keep our citizens safe, to make sure that the rule of law is applied equally, and to protect the civil rights of every citizen. We are fortunate to have these outstanding public servants in our state. Serving the people of Colorado alongside them will always remain one of the most significant experiences of my life.

Finegan, a former city attorney for Denver, was known for his collaborative approach during his tenure, partnering with state and local law enforcement to prosecute violent criminals, protect civil rights and recover money lost due to fraud.

Finegan also had several high-profile cases under his offices watch. He secured a life sentence for a drug dealer who distributed fentanyl that killed drug users in 2023. He also earned a conviction of a dentist who murdered his wife while on safari in Zambia, and negotiated a guilty plea on federal hate crimes for the assailant in the mass killings at Club Q in Colorado Springs.
Members of the Colorado Supreme Court appeared hesitant last week to endorse automatic reversal of an El Paso County defendant's convictions because he was seemingly unaware his lawyer was simultaneously being prosecuted by the same district attorney's office.

However, some justices agreed the system failed to adequately protect the rights of Matthew Rodolfo Vansant Lopez from his lawyer's conflict of interest.

"The facts of this case are, Im gonna say, pretty shocking," said Justice Melissa Hart at the May 8 oral arguments. "This man feels like he was treated poorly by his lawyer and by the court."

Lopez's appeal revolved around the question of whether he needed to prove the criminal cases of his now-disbarred attorney, Dennis Hartley, negatively affected him. Previously, the state's Court of Appeals rejected that idea, believing it would be too high a burden for defendants asserting their right to conflict-free representation.

Hartley was facing multiple drunk driving and vehicular charges even before he began representing Lopez. Days before Lopez's trial, Hartley resolved four pending sets of charges with the Fourth Judicial District Attorney's Office, resulting in a sentence of home detention and probation.

At one point in Lopez's case, District Court Judge David A. Gilbert asked if Lopez was aware of "current circumstances," without elaborating what those were, and if Lopez was fine with Hartley representing him. Yes, Lopez replied.

On the second day of trial, the prosecutor approached Gilbert to say then-District Attorney Dan May wanted to be sure Lopez knew Hartley was serving a probationary sentence in the same jurisdiction where Lopez was on trial, and the same DA's office would be involved in prosecuting Hartley for any violation. Without speaking to Lopez directly, Gilbert asked Hartley if Lopez had any concerns

"No, none whatsoever," Hartley responded.

A jury convicted Lopez for multiple sexual assault-related offenses. Soon after, Colorado's presiding disciplinary judge disbarred Hartley for, among other things, failing to "diligently pursue clients' interests," disobeying a prior suspension order and misleading a client about his suspension.

A three-judge panel for the state's Court of Appeals subsequently reversed Lopez's convictions. It reasoned Hartley had an actual conflict of interest while representing Lopez and a laywer in that position would have the incentive to curry favor with the DA's office to help his own criminal case.

Moreover, Gilbert had a duty to ensure Lopez knew he was giving up his right to conflict-free counsel. But "nothing in the record indicates that Lopez was informed of the nature and potential consequences of the conflict beforehand," wrote retired Supreme Court Justice Alex J. Martinez, who sat on the appellate panel at the chief justice's assignment.

On appeal to the Supreme Court, the government maintained Hartley only had a "potential" conflict, and Lopez needed to prove Hartley's choices in Lopez's case negatively affected him.

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"For me, I dont know that the dispute is whether there's an actual conflict. I think theres an acutal conflict here," said Justice Richard L. Gabriel.

From Lopez's point of view, "everybody in the room knew what was going on except him. And what was going on was not OK," Hart said.

Elizabeth A. McClintock, representing Lopez, argued there was a "cloak of protection" around Hartley's criminal cases such that Lopez did not know what was happening with his lawyer. She cited statistics showing that only 0.22% of Colorado attorneys were the targets of criminal complaints in 2022, meaning conflicts similar to Hartley's are rare.

"The problem is that you have defense counsel basically putting their own interests above their clients interest," she said.

"Or you just cant tell. You dont know," added Justice Maria E. Berkenkotter.

McClintock agreed with the Court of Appeals' reasoning that a lawyer's conflict from his own prosecution is difficult to measure and, therefore, it would be unreasonable to require defendants to show how the conflict disadvantaged their case.

"Your point is that it's so pervasive that it becomes hard throughout the course of the representation to know exactly when the attorney might be pulling his punches," observed Justice William W. Hood III.

Chief Justice Brian D. Boatright noted there are other situations in which defendants must show they were harmed by specific decisions or pieces of evidence before a court will reverse their convictions.

"Why is this situation so remarkably different?" he wondered.

Because, said McClintock, a conflicted lawyer cannot operate effectively "from the get-go" when his own charges are hanging over his head.

"The defendant is put in such a situation that hell never know what could be different if his attorney was not in a situation where hes beholden potentially to two masters," she said.

The case is People v. Lopez.
There was no dispute that Justin Brendan Martinez shot and killed his friend, Ismael Huerta, inside Martinez's house. Martinez and another witness described the shooting as a freak accident, one in which Martinez fired his gun at the floor but happened to fatally wound Huerta.

Adams County jurors acquitted Martinez of murder but convicted him of reckless manslaughter. However, Martinez contended on appeal that jurors may have similarly acquitted him of manslaughter if they had been permitted to consider a specific self-defense instruction related to home intruders.

In Colorado, people may use deadly force in self-defense against imminent physical harm if they believe lesser force is inadequate. However, deadly force is always authorized against home intruders under the "Make My Day" law if the person using force believes the intruder is also about to use force, "no matter how slight."

Both concepts operate as affirmative defenses, meaning prosecutors, in addition to proving the crime itself, have to disprove at least one component of self-defense or the Make My Day defense.

Last week, the state Supreme Court considered whether Martinez's jury should have evaluated whether Make My Day is a defense to the reckless use of force, not simply the force used to commit murder.

"This is pretty complicated and confusing stuff," public defender Joseph P. Hough told the justices at the May 7 oral arguments.

In Martinez's case, he and Huerta had been out drinking with another friend and they came back to Martinez's house. Martinez attempted to drive to another bar, but Huerta intervened and started punching him. Huerta continued beating Martinez inside his house. Huerta started to leave but Martinez grabbed a shotgun, fired at Huerta and hit him.

Martinez characterized it as a "warning shot" and the friend who witnessed the shooting called it a "freak accident." Prosecutors charged Martinez with murder, but jurors found him guilty of the lesser offense of manslaughter.

The state's Court of Appeals initially agreed Martinez could not assert an affirmative defense to manslaughter under the Make My Day law. Manslaughter involves acting recklessly, explained Judge Elizabeth L. Harris, meaning ignoring an unjustifiable risk.

"Under the force-against-intruders statute, any risk of harm to the intruder is, by definition, 'justified,'" she wrote.

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Before the Supreme Court, Hough argued that normal self-defense accounts for proportionality when determining whether force was justified, but the Make My Day defense authorizes any degree of force based on a reasonable person's perceptions of an intruder's actions.

"Self-defense inherently requires the actor to regard the risk of harm to others and to conform his conduct to the reasonable standard of care, while 'make-my-day' justifies even that conduct that consciously disregards risks that are substantial and unjustifiable," Hough wrote.

"Doesnt the force-against-intruders statute require justifiable conduct? It requires reasonable belief in two or three different ways," observed Justice Richard L. Gabriel.

Some members of the court suggested they already answered the question in the 2011 case of People v. Pickering.

"The problem for you is Pickering isnt it? Pickering is in your way," said Justice Carlos A. Samour Jr.

In that 4-3 decision, the Supreme Court concluded normal self-defense did not apply to reckless actions, so prosecutors do not face a higher bar to securing a conviction.

"Essentially, acts committed recklessly or with extreme indifference or criminal negligence are 'totally inconsistent' with self-defense," wrote then-Justice Nancy E. Rice for the majority. "For example, it is impossible for a person to act both recklessly and in self-defense, because self-defense requires one to act justifiably, while recklessness requires one to act with conscious disregard of an unjustifiable risk."

The dissenting justices deemed it illogical that prosecutors can prove a defendant committed reckless manslaughter without also proving the defendant did not act in self-defense.

Hough asked the Supreme Court to issue a rule that would prevent juror confusion.

"If Im struggling with how to figure this out," he said, "what would a jury think?"

The case is Martinez v. People.
The preliminary hearing of one of the men accused of the 2019 shooting of aspiring rap artist William Underwood began Wednesday in a case that stretches over years, involving multiple players, gang activity and a "beef" between rappers in the local Colorado Springs music scene.

Underwood, who went by the rapper name "FYL Jackk," was found dead on a sidewalk in the 1900 block of Shawnee Drive in the Cimarron Hills area on Sept. 17, 2019, after officers arrived to a shots-fired call.

Wednesdays defendant, 26-year-old Aeeshawn Mathews, is one of the two men arrested in Underwood's death. Mathews was taken into custody on March 11 on charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

Derrick Bernard, 35, was also arrested in the shooting by the El Paso County Sheriffs Office on March 7 and is being held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and solicitation of first-degree murder. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

The arrest affidavit in the case show that investigators believe that Bernard, while incarcerated on an unrelated charge in prison in Sterling, arranged a firearm for Mathews and gave him permission to commit the shooting.

In phone and email messages from the El Paso County Jail, Bernard denies any involvement in Underwood's killing, and likewise says that Mathews had nothing to do with it either.

Mathews appeared in custody Wednesday morning, represented by attorney Josh Tolini. The prosecution, led by attorneys Jordan Welch and Tony Gioia called Sheriffs Deputy David Glenn as the first witness Wednesday morning.

Glenn, who was a detective with the Sheriffs Offices criminal investigations special victims unit in 2019, was one of the officers who responded on Shawnee Drive in 2019.

The prosecution entered multiple pieces of evidence verified by Glenn to be photographs of the crime scene. Glenn described the pictures to the court, which depicted Underwood lying on concrete outside the Shawnee Drive residence with multiple gunshot wounds to the head.

It (the crime) was very violent in nature, Glenn added, continuing that the homicide appeared to be personal.

Welch then called Agent Courtney McCormack to the stand. Now an agent with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation in Pueblo, McCormack worked with the EPCSO homicide and major crime team at the time of Underwoods murder.

McCormack told the court Wednesday she was assigned to monitor social media, specifically Facebook, overnight on Sept. 17, 2019, to search for leads in the shooting.

McCormack said because of Underwood's popularity in his community as an aspiring rap artist who was featured on multiple online platforms including Facebook, YouTube and Soundcloud, she observed, thousands of comments and posts the night of the incident in response to Underwood's death.

As we continued to go through leads we found it (the crime) spanned back to March 2019, McCormack said, involving multiple local players, including defendants Mathews and Bernard.

McCormack went on to explain the discourse between those involved erupted in the comments section of a KKTV article posted to the station's Facebook page in late March 2019.

The article posted by KKTV featured the arrest of Mathews co-defendant, Derrick Bernard, in connection with a major drug trafficking case, in which Bernard is accused of playing a part in the trafficking ongoing at the two Colorado Springs locations of Hoppz Cropz.

According to the KKTV report, Bernard entered a plea agreement in March 2019 for charges of possession of a weapon by a previous offender and was sentenced to 32 months in the Colorado Department of Corrections.

According to McCormack, an argument between multiple women in the social circles of Bernard, Mathews and Underwood erupted online, in which a friend of Underwood, Christine Davidson, publicly questioned Bernards involvement in the reported drug trafficking case on a Facebook post by KKTV.

McCormack went on to clarify the relationships of the players involved in the case. While Davidson was previously romantically involved with Bernard, Bernard was with Samantha Gains in March 2019, and they have a child together. Gains and Davidson did not like each other. The defendants, Mathews and Bernard, were very close friends. Bernard has a child with Mathews' sister, Emonie Wallace. Davidson was also a close friend of Underwood and worked as his, promoter for his music and clothing line.

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Additionally, McCormack said Bernard, Mathews and Underwood were all formally a part of the local hybrid gang and music collective, The 900s.

These comments are what ultimately sparked Bernard to ask Gains to beat up Davidson, McCormack said.

She explained the argument then spiraled from an online dispute to a physical altercation when Bernard called Gains from the Department of Corrections, requesting her to touch Christina Davidson, meaning to, beat her up on the night of March 27, 2019.

McCormack said that while Gains eventually left without a physical altercation on the night of March 27, the dispute continued to escalate.

Within the following days, on April 1, a fire was started at Davidsons apartment, McCormack said. Ultimately, Mr. Mathews was sent to handle the situation, as Gains did not.

McCormack went on to describe the escalating tension in their community as Davidson and Underwood publicly named Mathews, Gains and Bernard on social media as the individuals responsible for starting a fire at her apartment.

Underwood, who described Davidson as his sister online, went on to release a song, or dis-track, titled "F---k You" on April 3, 2019, which directly accuses Mathews and Gains of starting the fire at Davidsons apartment.

Additionally, Underwood and Davidson livestreamed a video of a phone call between Underwood and Bernard, who was calling from the Corrections Department, on Facebook, in which Underwood directly threatens Bernard, saying, I beat your a-- and Ill do it again. When youre out of jail Im going to beat your a-- every time I see you. Youre going to have to shoot me.

Bernards talking about guns. Underwood is talking about fists. The big takeaway for me from that call is Bernard says hes (Underwoods) eradicated. I take that as a death wish, saying you (Underwood) are done, McCormack said.

Continuing in her testimony Wednesday morning, McCormack outlined several additional incidents of discourse between Bernard, Mathews and Underwood, citing an instance in which Underwood allegedly stole a girl, from Mathews, a fistfight between Bernard and Underwood before Bernards incarceration, and the ongoing perceived disrespect from Underwood toward Bernard.

He feels disrespected and he wants it handled. He wants Mr. Mathews to handle it, McCormack said.

The last witness called to the stand Wednesday, Sheriff's Detective Jon Price spoke about portions of recorded phone calls between Mathews and Bernard as part of the over 1,000 hours of recorded conversation he helped to review amid the investigation.

In the reviewed recorded phone calls between Bernard and Mathews, Price speaks on Bernards alleged involvement with the fire at Davidsons residence when Bernard said to Mathews, The concert went well, it was a go, only two days after the fire was set.

Price told the court a concert is slang for a violent event. Based on his professional interpretation, Price believes the two are referring to the fire set.

Additionally, in a phone call between the two defendants in July 2019, Bernard is heard telling Mathews to turn off all locations, vacation time at all times.

Price told the court Wednesday that he interprets that phone call as Bernard telling Mathews to be wary of a phone's ability to track a person's location and to remember to turn it off.

Bernard is scheduled to appear in court for his preliminary hearing regarding the murder of Underwood on Thursday morning. Mathews is scheduled to appear in court for his arraignment hearing on June 20.
One of the two brothers charged with selling drugs out of their Colorado Springs liquor store was sentenced to 13 years in the state Department of Corrections on Wednesday.

Steve Yi, 45, appeared in court for his sentencing hearing after pleading guilty to possession with intent to manufacture or distribute fentanyl, a Level 1 drug offense, in January.

Yi originally faced six felony drug possession and distribution charges and had pleaded not guilty to all of them, but later accepted a plea agreement.

The plea came after the brothers were arrested in 2022 on suspicion of selling thousands of dollars in illegal narcotics out of Austin Bluffs Plaza Liquors. Police said undercover officers bought $1,800 worth of "blues," a slang word for oxycodone, from Brian and Steve Yi. Law enforcement said that after the brothers were arrested, investigators recovered 2,000 fentanyl pills, 2.36 pounds of cocaine, 14.6 grams of Xanax, 11.3 grams of oxycodone and just over 3.5 pounds of marijuana products.

Police also reported finding $36,100, three handguns and an assault rifle at the Yi brother's liquor store after their arrest.

According to his plea agreement, Steve Yi admitted to intending to sell nearly 240 grams of fentanyl.

On Wednesday, Yi appeared to court facing a range of 12-17 years in the Department of Corrections for accepting the plea deal. Yi spoke to the court before sentencing and stated that he accepted full responsibility for his actions, and that he has a great deal of remorse for providing drugs to the community, and the impact doing so had on his family.

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"I would like to take today to apologize for my crimes," Yi said through tears to Judge Jill Brady. "I understand the sale of narcotics is not a victimless crime. I am truly sorry."

Yi also apologized specifically to his brother Brian Yi, 41, for "influencing" him to get involved in the sale of narcotics and weapons with him.

Brian Yi's case remains open, he currently faces several felony drug possession and distribution charges. He is slated to return to court on May 29 for a plea hearing.

After hearing the statements from Steve Yi, Brady opted to sentence the defendant to 13 years in the Department of Corrections with three years mandatory parole. Brady said that she chose to lean toward the lower end of the sentencing range from the plea agreement, because she found Yi to be "genuinely remorseful," as well as noting the lack of any previous criminal history.

Yi was also given one day's credit for time served.
In the past few months, the employees of three Colorado Springs nonprofits have walked in on the aftermath of burglaries at their offices and headquarters. While the unsolved thefts have not been confirmed to be linked by police, some of the victims are urging caution for other organizations that might be vulnerable.

"We feel targeted," said Jaime Garcia, chief development officer at Silver Key Senior Services. Her organization was broken into overnight on May 1.

Thieves broke into the South Murray Boulevard location via a glass window, gaining access to locked rooms and cabinets to steal electronics and gift cards, according to Garcia. She said that the organization keeps gift cards to hand out to users of the nonprofit's food pantry to buy food when supplies are low.

While Garcia said a security camera showed the thief inside and loading stolen goods into a car, the office was not outfitted with security monitoring or alarms.

"Somebody is on to the fact that we don't have very good security and we have what they want," she said.

The burglary at Silver Key was preceded by a break in at Pikes Peak Hospice and Palliative Care in February and followed by another at Junior Achievement of Southern Colorado on May 6.

Pikes Peak Hospice president Dawn Darvalics said that mainly electronics, like computers and projectors, were stolen, along with "a variety of things" in the offices. She said that the break in caused minimal damage, and that the organization, funded through a separate nonprofit foundation, was still going through insurance claims.

Darvalics said that police "really just didn't find anything" during a subsequent investigation. While Pikes Peak Hospice has security footage, she said none of it showed the burglary.

"Was this completely random, was it someone who knew us? I have no idea, and that's unsettling," she said.

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The latest burglary at Junior Achievement of Southern Colorado left staff attempting to replace stolen items and repair damage right before the organization's biggest fundraising night of the year. Anji Roe Wood, president of Junior Achievement, said that thieves came in time to steal items set aside for a fundraising auction that was set for later in the week.

"It was super disconcerting," said Wood.

She estimated that thieves took close to $10,000 in items, later racking up bills at Target and Walmart with stolen charge cards.

A spokesperson with the Colorado Springs Police Department confirmed that all three nonprofits had burglary calls for service but was not able to say whether any connection was being investigated.

Garcia said her organization was considering added security measures. Silver Key saw an incident in 2023 in which thieves stole catalytic converters off vehicles used for a medical transport program, but neither of the other nonprofit employees remembered any other theft incidents in past years.

Wood said that she did not know if the burglaries were related, but that she felt "concern" for fellow nonprofits in the area.

"These programs do a lot of extraordinary work in this community, so it's unfortunate that this is happening," said Darvalics.
As a food service professional with 25 years of experience, Kathleen Schneider understands how vital nutrition is to education.

Nutrition is extremely important, especially for young people who are still growing, said Schneider, Vista Ridge High Schools nutrition services manager. Were not just feeding their bodies; were also feeding their minds. Thats why we make sure we dont feed them junk here.

Schneiders proactive approach to nutrition has earned her recognition as one of the top professionals in her field. The School Nutrition Association, a national nonprofit, recently named her the Mountain Plains regions Manager of the Year.

Schneider, who has run Vista Ridges cafeteria since the school opened in 2008, said she was floored when she was told about the award.

When I got the call from the (School Nutrition Association) I thought, Really? Me? she said. I didnt even know I had been nominated, and Im still not quite sure why they picked me. But its an honor, and very humbling.

Driven by a passion for helping students maximize their potential, Schneider has worked in high school nutrition service for more than two decades. She started at Sand Creek High School in 1999 before taking on a managerial role at Vista Ridge nearly 16 years ago.

Ive seen a lot of staff come and go, she said. And Ive seen a lot of changes  most of them for the better.

3 favorites on the menu As Vista Ridge's nutrition services manager, Kathleen Schneider has always felt a measure of responsibility for the health and well-being of her students, so she tries to encourage them to make healthy meal choices. They either listen, or they dont, Schneider said. Theyre kids. They tend to choose their favorites. Here are the three most popular dishes among Vista Ridge students, according to Schneider: Spicy chicken sandwiches. Thats always been a big one. Maybe the most popular entree. Pork chops with mashed potatoes and gravy: Its comfort food. Very popular. Pizza: Kids love pizza, and anything having to do with pizza. Schneiders personal favorite? I love fish. We used to have a Greek oregano fish, with rice. It was wonderful.

The one constant at Vista Ridge has been Schneider, who has worked to make the cafeteria a comfortable, welcoming space for the thousands of students who have come through over the years.

Its important for kids to feel like theyre welcome here, she said. I hope Ive been able to do that.

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Kathleen fosters a positive cafeteria environment by prioritizing the well-being of students and the professional growth of her kitchen staff, said School Nutrition Association president Chris Derico, She creates a supportive workplace culture where kitchen staff feel valued, motivated and empowered to deliver their best.

Schneiders impact has reached far beyond the Vista Ridge cafeteria, SNA officials said. She has collaborated with the schools transition program to help special needs students learn life and job skills, prepare them for post-school employment and gain confidence in their abilities. She has worked with Vista Ridges business department to provide students with hands-on experience in operating a coffee cart business, and has directed a culinary internship program.

Im glad Ive been able to do some good here, she said. But I wouldnt have been able to do any of it without my staff. Theyre some of the best people in the world.

The SNA regional Manager of the Year award, Schneider said, is a really nice way to wrap up a career; she is retiring at the end of the school year.

I decided it was time for me to step down and let someone else take over, she said.

When August rolls around, and the new academic year begins, Schneider knows shell have to resist 25 years of muscle memory.

I know Ill be thinking, Dang it, I should be there! she said. Im going to miss being there a 5 a.m., making sure everything is ready to start the day. I know its time to retire, though.

But who knows? I might stop in and say hi once in a while.
The man accused of causing the death of an aspiring rap artist in 2019 requested to represent himself in court on Thursday and pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Derrick Bernard, 35, is accused of ordering Aeeshawn Mathews, 26, to kill aspiring rap artist William Underwood, who went by the rapper name "FYL Jackk," on Sept. 17, 2019.

Mathews appeared in court on Wednesday for his preliminary hearing, where an El Paso County judge reviewed evidence and testimony presented by the prosecution and ruled that there was probable cause to bind over all charges faced by Mathews, including first-degree murder.

Bernard appeared in court on Thursday for his preliminary hearing, which began much differently than his co-defendants. Bernard requested to hold a conflict hearing to have his attorney fired and to represent himself pro se moving forward.

Bernard went on to clarify that he would like to be represented by an attorney, but only one who wouldn't be "coerced" like he claims his representation from the public defender's office has been.

Judge Gregory Lammons approved the request from Bernard to represent himself pro se at Thursday's preliminary hearing.

The prosecution called the same three witnesses to testify on Thursday as they did on Wednesday in Mathews' case. The three law enforcement officials testified primarily to the same evidence presented on Wednesday, speaking about how the sheriff's investigators came to believe that Bernard had Underwood killed due to an ongoing "beef" that started on social media.

The online dispute escalated to a point where Bernard allegedly had Mathews burn down the door of an associate of Underwood's which led to the rap artist making a retaliatory song about the incident.

The song titled "f--- you" was played by the prosecution in court on Thursday, and as the song played over the courtroom speakers Bernard could be seen mouthing along to the lyrics and dancing in his chair.

Some of the lyrics to the song included "you and your dumba-- girlfriend is a doofus," and "Im lit like the fire you set." The prosecution alleges those lyrics were directed at Bernard and a girlfriend he had at the time who helped start the fire.

The social media feud continued despite Bernard being in custody at the Department of Corrections at the time in 2019, including a Facebook Live between the two where they spoke on the phone while Bernard was in custody.

Despite being in custody at the El Paso jail since July, Bernard's Facebook page continues to be very active.

Two days ago Bernard's Facebook page made a lengthy post where he alleged that he and Mathews are being illegally detained and had nothing to do with Underwood's death.

"I havent been charged with these crimes because theres any guilt, let alone actual evidence. Ive been charged in order to discredit the actual truth being told regarding law enforcement and public officials from illegally robbing the hell out of the citizens of 'Olympic City USA,'" part of the Facebook post uploaded on Tuesday stated. "Ask yourselves this, 'If police had enough probable cause to arrest me in 2019, why are they now arresting me 5 years later, on the eve of a politically charged trial that threatened the careers of countless individuals within El Paso County?'"

The law enforcement officials went on to testify that Bernard and Mathews were identified as subjects because of a litany of phone calls made from the Department of Corrections by Bernard to Mathews in the lead up to Underwood's death and immediately after it. In those calls, some of which were played in court Thursday, Barnard and Mathews can allegedly be heard talking cryptically about planning Underwood's death.

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A piece of evidence presented on Thursday by El Paso County Detective Courtney McCormack was that Bernard allegedly attempted to send Mathews to Florida to kill his own father, Derrick Bernard Sr., because he was worried his father was going to take the money that was willed to him when his mother passed away. McCormack testified that Bernard bought Mathews a plane ticket to Florida to "deal with his father," but Mathews missed the flight.

Lemmons raised some concern to the presentation of this evidence describing it as "speculative" but allowed it for the purposes of the preliminary hearing.

Bernard cross-examined the three law enforcement officials himself, and brought up some issues on multiple occasions that he believes proves his innocence.

Bernard asked all three who testified how many suspects there were identified in the case between 2019 and 2024, if police were bribed by one of the witnesses with "marketing services" by one of Underwood's friends and why they didn't arrest a different individual who allegedly confessed to shooting Underwood.

McCormack stated that while a friend of Underwood's offered marketing services at one point, nobody involved in the investigation ever accepted that offer.

McCormack also testified that it is true that one individual confessed to being involved on Facebook, but through further investigation it was determined that the individual was in the Department of Corrections at the time of the shooting and that it was likely his girlfriend who sent the message. McCormack added that the individual in question was in custody because of an ongoing domestic violence case with the girlfriend that McCormack said sent the message on Facebook.

During cross-examination, Bernard also asked McCormack and El Paso County Detective Sean Price if there was an agreement between the Sheriff's Office and the Colorado Springs Police Department to keep the cases of Underwood and Kenneth Pritchett Jr. unsolved because of the profit that both agencies would receive from the "ensuing crime wave that keeping both cases unsolved would cause." Price and McCormack both stated they had no knowledge of any such agreements.

According to previous Gazette reporting, Pritchett was shot and killed in February 2014 near Galley Road and Delaware Drive, just north of The Citadel mall.

Bernard's conduct in court throughout the day came under scrutiny of Lammons. Bernard objected to nearly every piece of evidence presented by the prosecution, and often had verbal and physical reactions  including outright laughing  to claims being made in testimony.

"Ms. McCormack are you a liar and obsessed with me," Bernard asked during cross-examination at one point.

"No," McCormack responded.

Bernard's antics came to a head at the end of the hearing after Lemmons ruled that there was sufficient probable cause to bind over all charges.

As Bernard attempted to file a motion to dismiss the case Lemmons yelled at Bernard  who was attempting to interrupt the judge speaking for the fourth time in a row  to "knock it off."

Instead of going with the standard procedure of setting an arraignment date several months out to enter a plea, Bernard opted to enter not guilty pleas to all three charges on the spot. Bernard faces one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted solicitation of first-degree murder. His trial is now slated to begin on Oct. 8.

He will return to court before that on Sept. 3 for the beginning of a second trial, where Bernard is accused of the attempted homicide of a Colorado Springs police officer back in 2020. Bernard on social media and in direct email communications has also claimed to be innocent of these charges.

Several friends and family of Underwood packed the prosecution's side of the courtroom on Thursday. Bernard's side of the courtroom was empty with the exception of a pair of El Paso County deputies and one woman who Bernard identified as his investigator and power of attorney.

"My team on the streets will be handling investigation," Bernard said right as Thursday's hearing came to a close.
One person died in a huge tanker truck fire Thursday which closed a portion of Interstate 70 Thursday morning and backed up traffic for miles.

As of early afternoon, I-70 was closed in both directions between Exit 254 - US 40 and Genesee and Exit 260 - C-470, on the west side of the Denver metro area.

Wait times to get through the area of Morrison and I-70 were between 33 minutes to almost an hour, the Colorado Department of Transportation reported. By mid-afternoon, east-bound wait times were down to just under thirty minutes.

Alternate routes which included the US 40 frontage road paralleling I-70 or US 6 through Clear Creek Canyon were already getting stacked up by early afternoon and the Colorado. Department of Transportation advised for travelers to avoid I70 at Morrison Road until late afternoon.

The driver of the tanker truck was taken to St. Anthony Hospital according to hospital spokesperson Lindsay Radford. She said that he was in stable condition.

The Jefferson County Sheriff Department and Colorado Department of Transportation reported that a westbound semi overheated and when it parked on the right shoulder to cool down, a car crashed into it from behind. It was the driver of the oncoming car who died, according to sources close to the crash investigation who wished not to be identified.

According to a post on X, the Colorado State Patrol said that "spilled fuel overflowed through a culvert and across the eastbound lanes." That culvert is being inspected, leading to further traffic delays.

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That stretch of I70 is heavily traveled route for freight trucks. Tamara Rolleson with the Colorado Department of Transportation said that "crews will be assessing where there was damage to the highway infrastructure from the fire."

Colorado Politics reporter Marianne Goodland was on her way to Rifle for work at around 9:30 am when she first saw the smoke.

"It was a good hundred feet in the air and it was very black smoke," Goodland said. "My immediate reaction was 'thats not a forest fire.'"

After around 45 minutes, the smoke had turned white and by 10:45, the fire was out, but the roads were still closed as fire fighting crews in hazmat suits doused the tanker truck. Crews were also dumping water on the side of the highway to stop the spread of the fire.

Aerial views of appeared to show a car or SUV, also scorched by fire, which may have crashed into the back of the tanker.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said that a tanker truck and six cars were "fully involved" in flames and advised to stay away from the area at least until around noon.

This story is being updated as information becomes available.
The Perk Downtown Coffee & Tea House at 14 S. Tejon St. in Colorado Springs, will shut its doors May 26.
Visitors watch an exhibition at the Palace Museum in Beijing, capital of China, April 1, 2024. The exhibition "The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles: Exchanges Between China and France in the 17th and 18th Centuries" opened at the Palace Museum in Beijing on Monday, showcasing about 200 cultural relics. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

A presentation held on Tuesday in Malta showcasing China's cultural heritage and conservation, including the Forbidden City and Dunhuang Grottoes, sparked interest amongst a diverse audience in China's rich history.



In his opening remarks, Peng Yijun, counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Malta, said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malta, both sides have maintained close exchanges and cooperation in the field of culture, resulting in enhanced understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

At the event, Wang Xudong, director of the Palace Museum and former director of the Dunhuang Academy, provided insight into the efforts made to conserve and study renowned cultural heritages of the Mogao Grottoes situated in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, and the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City in Beijing.

The Forbidden City, once the imperial palace of China's Ming and Qing dynasties, stood as a testament to the country's grandeur and rich cultural heritage. Wang highlighted its unique architecture and historical importance, engaging the audience with tales of royal life within its walls.

The presentation also explored the unique Dunhuang Grottoes, the caves known for their Buddhist art engravings. Wang's portrayal of the caves as the pinnacle of cultural exchange along the ancient Silk Road ignited interest from the participants at the presentation.

"Cultural heritage is a valuable resource to safeguard diversity, strengthen equal exchanges, and promote mutual learning," Wang emphasized, underscoring the role of cultural exchange in strengthening ties between peoples and nations.

"Chinese culture is diversified and rich, and we have a lot to learn from the Chinese culture," Heritage Malta Chairman Mario Cutajar told Xinhua. Despite being a small island country, Malta has a huge heritage as well, he said, adding that Malta and China can learn from each other on cultural heritage conservation, and more exchanges and cooperation are expected.

Among the participants, Stephen Cachia, a lecturer in Chinese history at the University of Malta, applauded the presentation, stating that Maltese people, especially the youth, are interested in China's historical and cultural legacy, adding that cooperation on cultural heritage conservation will further strengthen China-Malta relations.

Martin Azzopardi, the founder of "China Corner" at St. Margaret College Secondary School in Cospicua, said that the appeal of experiencing Chinese cultural and historical heritages is growing within the international community, emphasizing the transformative power of cultural exchanges.

Hosted by the China Cultural Center in Malta, the event underscored the growing interest and appreciation for Chinese culture in Malta, paving the way for enhanced cultural cooperation and understanding between the two nations.
Slovak PM still under surgery, in critical condition

Xinhua) 08:51, May 16, 2024

A man is detained on the site where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot and wounded in Handlova, Slovakia, on May 15, 2024. The wounded Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is still in critical condition and is undergoing surgery, Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Robert Kalinak said Wednesday evening. The attack has been classified as an assassination, with the gunner firing five shots, according to Slovak Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok. He added that the attack was "politically motivated." Fico was wounded Wednesday afternoon after attending a government meeting in the town of Handlova, some 150 km northeast of the capital. (News Agency of the Slovak Republic/Handout via Xinhua)

BRATISLAVA, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The wounded Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is still in critical condition and is undergoing surgery, Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Robert Kalinak said Wednesday evening.

The attack has been classified as an assassination, with the gunner firing five shots, according to Slovak Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok. He added that the attack was "politically motivated."

Fico was wounded Wednesday afternoon after attending a government meeting in the town of Handlova, some 150 km northeast of the capital. The suspect, 71, was detained on the spot. Police have sealed off the area in front of the Culture House in Handlova.

Fico was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Banska Bystrica after being shot.

Following the shooting, politicians from Slovakia and abroad condemned the attack.

Slovak president-elect Peter Pellegrini, who is scheduled to take office in June, described the shooting as an unprecedented threat to Slovak democracy.

"I am horrified at what hatred of a different political opinion can lead to," Pellegrini wrote on social media, emphasizing that there are many ways to express disagreement democratically and legally in Slovakia. He warned that resorting to violence instead of using polling stations threatens the progress made over the past 31 years.

Slovak President Zuzana Caputova expressed her shock at the "horrific and malicious" attack, stressing that the shooting is not only an attack on an individual but also an attack on democracy.

Parliamentary Vice-Chair Peter Ziga, who has temporarily assumed the powers of the House chair, echoed these sentiments. "I see the armed attack as an attack on the principles of Slovak democracy," Ziga stated at a press briefing in Parliament. He emphasized that political conflicts should be fought with arguments, and violence must never have a place in politics.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the "shocking attack carried out today against the prime minister of Slovakia," his office said Wednesday.

Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Jens Stoltenberg said he was "shocked and appalled" by the shooting.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said, "Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good." European Council President Charles Michel shared the same view, declaring that "Nothing can ever justify violence or such attacks."

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also condemned the "cowardly attack," saying that violence must not exist in European politics. French President Emmanuel Macron said he was shocked by the shooting and strongly condemned it. Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics stated, "Whatever political or other differences there are, violence is completely unacceptable."

Rescuers transfer wounded Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico from a helicopter to a hospital in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, on May 15, 2024. The wounded Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is still in critical condition and is undergoing surgery, Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Robert Kalinak said Wednesday evening. The attack has been classified as an assassination, with the gunner firing five shots, according to Slovak Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok. He added that the attack was "politically motivated." Fico was wounded Wednesday afternoon after attending a government meeting in the town of Handlova, some 150 km northeast of the capital. (News Agency of the Slovak Republic/Handout via Xinhua)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
More types of agricultural products from Europe have been permitted to enter the Chinese market, the General Administration of Customs said on Wednesday.

Pork from the Netherlands, prunes and fresh blueberries from Serbia, and fresh cherries from Hungary have been allowed to be exported to China on the condition that they meet the country's quarantine and health requirements, the administration said.

Agricultural and food products have become an important area of China-Europe economic and trade cooperation.

In 2023, China and the European Union (EU) were each other's second-largest trading partner, according to a recent report from the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

Last year, China was the largest partner for EU imports of goods and the EU's third-largest export market, while the EU was China's second-largest source of imports and second-largest export market, the report said.
The United States should earnestly abide by World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and immediately stop further increasing additional tariffs on some Chinese goods, a spokesperson with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) has said.

On top of existing tariffs under Section 301, the United States on Tuesday decided to raise additional tariffs on its imports of some Chinese products including electric vehicles (EVs), lithium-ion batteries, solar cells, critical minerals, semiconductors, steel, aluminum, and cranes.

"China's industry and commerce community firmly opposes this U.S. act," said the spokesperson.

On behalf of China's industry and commerce community, the CCPIT and China Chamber of International Commerce have called on the United States to earnestly abide by WTO rules and immediately revoke these tariff increases.

They encouraged the industry and commerce communities of both sides to enhance mutual trust and cooperation, jointly maintain the stability and smooth operation of industrial and supply chains, and work for the accelerated recovery of the world economy.

China's EV, lithium-ion battery, and solar cell industries, among others, have injected strong impetus into the global energy conservation drive, boosted emission reduction efforts, as well as promoted green innovation and development via continuous technological innovation, active participation in market competition, and deep integration into the global supply chain, the spokesperson said.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has ignored WTO rules and continued to abuse the Section 301 tariff review procedure to substantially increase tariffs on some products imported from China, said the spokesperson, calling it a typical form of unilateralism and trade protectionism practice.

At the same time, the United States provides a large amount of subsidies for its own electric vehicle, semiconductor and other industries, which obviously violates the principle of market economy and international economic and trade rules, and seriously undermines the stability and security of global industrial and supply chains, said the spokesperson.

The additional levy will cause tariffs on Chinese EV imports to rise to 100 percent this year, while the tariff rate will increase to 50 percent on solar cell imports this year. In addition, tariffs on certain Chinese steel and aluminum products will climb to 25 percent this year, and semiconductor tariffs will soar to 50 percent by 2025.
A compromise of the kernel.org servers that host Linux kernel development lasted from 2009 well into 2011, with a rootkit known as Phalanx being used to effect entry, the Slovakian security firm ESET says in a detailed report published on Tuesday.

In a 2014 report, ESET claimed a second piece of malware, Ebury, an OpenSSH backdoor and credential stealer, had likely been also placed on these systems ar the time of kernel.org breach.

"Data now at our disposal reveals additional details about the incident," ESET researcher Marc-Etienne M. Leveille wrote on Tuesday. "Ebury had been installed on at least four servers belonging to the Linux Foundation between 2009 and 2011.

"It seems these servers acted as mail servers, name servers, mirrors, and source code repositories at the time of the compromise. We cannot tell for sure when Ebury was removed from each of the servers, but since it was discovered in 2011 it is likely that two of the servers were compromised for as long as two years, one for one year and the other for six months.

"The perpetrator also had copies of the /etc/shadow files, which overall contained 551 unique username and hashed password pairs. The cleartext passwords for 275 of those users (50%) are in possession of the attackers. We believe that the cleartext passwords were obtained by using the installed Ebury credential stealer, and by brute force."

As iTWire reported, it took 17 days for the administrators at kernel.org to find out that their systems had been compromised. The breach was disclosed on 31 August 2011, but the admins kept mum about the fact that they had taken so long to find out about it.

The Linux Foundation published a long article about the breach written by prominent kernel developer Jonathan Corbet  but it didn't offer the public this fact either. That article has now disappeared from the Web.

The Linux team has never published a detailed account of the attack, preventing anyone from learning from the incident.

ESET described Ebury as "a shared library that, when loaded, alters the behaviour of the OpenSSH client and server, injects itself into programs that use the curl library so as to exfiltrate HTTP requests made by the system, and tampers with terminal sessions spawned over SSH to hide itself".

It was "used to deploy additional malware to monetise the botnet (such as modules for web traffic redirection), proxy traffic for spam, perform adversary-in-the-middle attacks, and host supporting malicious infrastructure. Its operators have used the Ebury botnet to steal cryptocurrency wallets, credentials, and credit card details", Leveille wrote.

ESET's 2014 report, titled Operation Windigo, pointed out that this was a campaign that used Linux malware to make money.

Leveille wrote: "The arrest and conviction of one of the Ebury perpetrators, following the [publication of the] Operation Windigo paper did not stop the botnet from expanding. Ebury, the OpenSSH backdoor and credential stealer, was still being updated, as we reported in 2014 and 2017.

"We maintain honeypots to track new samples and network indicators. However, it has become more and more difficult to run such honeypots as Ebury evolved. For instance, one of our honeypots did not react exactly as expected when Ebury was installed.

"After spending hours trying to debug what was going on, Ebury operators finally abandoned the server and sent a message to show that they knew about our attempts at tricking them, as shown in Figure 1 [see below]."

Interactions between the Ebury perpetrators and an ESET-operated honeypot, showing that the operators had flagged this system as a honeypot.

Leveille said the Dutch National High Tech Crime Unit had reached out to ESET in 2021 after finding Ebury on the server of a victim of cryptocurrency theft. "Working together, we gained great visibility into the recent activities of the group and the malware it uses," he added.

The new methods that Ebury uses to infect servers are shown in the figure below.

Different methods used by the Ebury gang to compromise new servers.

Leveille noted that many hosting providers were among the victims. "The gang leverages its access to the hosting providers infrastructure to install Ebury on all the servers that are being rented by that provider," he explained.

"As an experiment, we rented a virtual server from one of the compromised hosting providers: Ebury was installed on our server within seven days."

He said another interesting method was the use of adversary in the middle to intercept SSH traffic of interesting targets inside data centres and redirect it to a server used to capture credentials, as summarised in the figure below.

Overview of AitM attacks perpetrated by the Ebury gang.

"Ebury operators leverage existing Ebury-compromised servers in the same network segment as their target to perform ARP spoofing. According to Internet telemetry, more than 200 servers were targeted in 2023," Leveille said.

"Among the targets are bitcoin and ethereum nodes. Ebury automatically steals cryptocurrency wallets hosted on the targeted server once the victim types the password to log into it."

All graphics courtesy ESET
Communications, networking, and cloud solutions provider Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise (ALE) has partnered with engineering, installation, and maintenance solutions provider Fredon to enhance the smart and digital building sector in Australia.

Combining the capabilities of ALE and Fredon, the companies say customers can expect connectivity and simplified operations through federated systems, promoting workflows and integration.

The alliance will integrate HVAC, security, and alarm systems to enhance resource optimisation.

It will foster human-centric solutions to prioritise well-being through cognitive technologies.

Fredon is sought after for its expertise in building large and complex building projects including hospitals and data centres while ALEs design of smart buildings enhances connectivity, efficiency, and sustainability.

ALE provides solutions to federate physical, communications, and application layers of a smart building deployment to enable connectivity with Internet of Things (IoTs), applications, business processes, and people.

"We are excited to combine ALE's cutting-edge networking solutions with Fredon's unparalleled expertise in critical engineering and installation services," said ALE country manager Maud Holvast.

There is a strong synergy between Fredon and ALE, especially around our shared vision and expertise for smarter buildings with native digital capabilities, said Fredon digital buildings manager Joseph Moss.

This partnership establishes the ideal alliance for the creation of digital buildings as we move into a smarter, more connected future in Australia.
HR platform provider HiBob has announced the appointment of Nadav Goshen as its new Chief Business Officer (CBO) to spearhead future HRIS business growth.

HiBob says Goshen, based in New York, specialises in preparing for and advancing businesses into their next stages of maturity, maximising growth through strategic team collaboration, and driving sustainable operational excellence.

With a proven track record of leading the expansion of publicly traded companies, Goshen understands the critical intersection of people strategy and technological innovation in driving growth and scale. His insights are especially attuned to the needs of modern workforces and the rapidly evolving technological environment that companies now need to use to their competitive advantage, notes HiBob.

"We are at a time when businesses must rethink their approach to people management amidst rapid changes in how organisations operate. With distributed workforces and the emergence of artificial intelligence, HiBob's role as HR technology partner becomes increasingly vital," says Nadav Goshen. "The fusion of AI-driven productivity with human creativity is reshaping the future of work, and HiBob is uniquely positioned to empower businesses to prepare for such a shift in the way we manage, evaluate, and reward employees."

Goshen, an accomplished CEO with extensive experience leading global and US-based software, SaaS, and robotics companies, brings a distinctive blend of technical acumen and creative vision to his role, stemming from his unique background in coding and cinematography, says HiBob.

Over the past decade, Goshen has excelled in building exceptional teams and orchestrating successful turnarounds, positioning companies as market leaders in their respective industries. Known for his maverick strategies, product development prowess, and effective go-to-market initiatives, he values diversity as a catalyst for long-term success.

"I've always seen software as a means to an end  a tool to create something meaningful and transformative," Goshen explains. "The future of work demands a shift in the way we approach and define the role of people in organisations. Whats unique in HiBob is our modern approach for people management that extends beyond mere productivity measures, focusing instead on the holistic engagement of employees. I'm excited to see how HiBob continues to reimagine our vision of HCM for everyone to support tomorrows businesses during this next productivity revolution."

Ronni Zehavi, CEO at HiBob comments: We are on an exhilarating journey of growth, and I'm incredibly optimistic about what lies ahead for all of us. As Chief Business Officer, Nadav will spearhead a new centralised organisation at HiBob, aimed at uncovering synergies within our sales, upselling, business development and partnership strategies. I am confident that we will expand, scale, and operate globally, more efficiently. His wealth of business knowledge will unlock our full potential and propel us to new heights."

HiBob notes that Goshens appointment confirms the companys dedication to assisting businesses in preparing for the evolving needs of future workforces and the changing landscape of work.
[Provisional translation]

On 15 May (local time), H.E. Mr. Lawrence Wong was appointed as Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, and Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio sent a letter to H.E. Mr. Lee Hsien Loong, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore and a congratulatory letter to Prime Minister Wong.
Part 2 (Kimetsu no Yaiba Hashira Training Arc x Hollywood Dream - The Ride) (Photo: U.S.J. LLC)

Grab your sword, practice your demon-hunting techniques, and head to Universal Studios Japan (USJ)!

From July 19, 2024 to January 5, 2025, USJ will open two new Demon Slayer-themed rides:

Kimetsu no Yaiba XR Ride - Race to Swordsmith Village Kimetsu no Yaiba Hashira Training Arc x Hollywood Dream - The Ride

From July 18, 2024, USJ will also be offering a Tanjiro Gourd Bucket filled with sweet soy-glazed popcorn.

Kimetsu no Yaiba XR Ride - Race to Swordsmith Village

Kimetsu no Yaiba XR Ride - Race to Swordsmith Village (Photo: U.S.J. LLC)

Can you help Tanjiro before it is too late?

Swordsmith Village is under attack by a group of Upper Rank Demons, and the Demon Slayer Corps, including Tanjiro, Tokito, and Kanroji, are doing their best to fend them off. However, Tanjiro needs a new sword. To aid Tanjiro in battle, you (an apprentice swordsmith), Genya, and some other familiar faces set out on a mission to search for and deliver a new sword to Tanjiro. Time is of the essence! Will you be able to complete your task and help save Swordsmith Village in time?

XR Ride (Photo: U.S.J. LLC)

Race to Swordsmith Village follows an original storyline and is an XR Ride that combines a high-speed roller coaster with VR technology for a truly immersive experience. Please visit the official website to review the ride precautions and safety rules.

Kimetsu no Yaiba Hashira Training Arc x Hollywood Dream - The Ride

Train alongside Tanjiro, and commit yourself to Hashira training!

This attraction is split into two parts: Part 1 (July 19, 2024 - October 7, 2024) and Part 2 (October 8, 2024 - January 5, 2025). Both Parts will utilize the Hollywood Dream - The Ride roller coaster but will have different audios to match the stories. The roller coaster, also called story coaster, uniquely blends the thrilling movements of the coaster with audio of the characters voices.

Part 1 (Kimetsu no Yaiba Hashira Training Arc x Hollywood Dream - The Ride) (Photo: U.S.J. LLC)

Part 1 story: Tanjiro and you engage in an intense training session with Kanjiro, Tokito, Iguro, and Shinazugawa aboard a training craft that can withstand gravity.

Part 2 (Kimetsu no Yaiba Hashira Training Arc x Hollywood Dream - The Ride) (Photo: U.S.J. LLC)

Part 2 story: Tanjiro and you start whitewater training on a raging river. However, as the training session continues, you crash into a boulder and get swept down a waterfall!

Tanjiros Gourd Bucket with Sweet Soy-Glazed Popcorn

Tanjiros Gourd Bucket with Sweet Soy-Glazed Popcorn (Photo: U.S.J. LLC)

After an exhausting day of fighting demons and training, recharge with some delicious popcorn served in a gourd bucket adorned with a tiny Tanjiro. The iconic gourd shape makes it an excellent Demon Slayer souvenir to immortalize your exciting and productive day.

More info

Find out more about Universal Studios Japan (USJ).

Japan Travel
Fast-developing artificial intelligence technology has the potential to revolutionize various industries and provide strong support for sustainable business growth of major Chinese tech companies, industry experts said.

They added that enterprises can develop new business models, products and services that cater to rapidly changing market demand by leveraging generative AI technology, which is expected to speed up its integration with a wider range of fields and bolster transformation and upgrade of traditional industries.

Their comments came as Chinese tech heavyweight Alibaba Group Holding Ltd reported on Tuesday that revenue from its cloud computing business rose 3 percent year-on-year to 25.6 billion yuan ($3.5 billion) during the January-March period.

Its core public cloud products recorded double-digit growth in revenue, while AI-related revenue saw accelerated growth and continued to record triple-digit expansion year-on-year.

Wu Yongming, CEO of Alibaba Group, said in an earnings call with investors that this wave of generative AI-driven technological innovation is in the early stages of development and they have seen a rapid increase in customer demand for AI since the beginning of this year.

Alibaba is actively investing in its cloud computing products, especially in AI infrastructure, to capture monumental opportunities, and it will continue to focus on executing a user-first and AI-driven strategy, Wu said.

AI-related revenue was generated from various sectors including foundational model companies, internet firms as well as customers from industries such as financial services and automotive, Alibaba said.

"Going forward, a lot of the incremental growth we can expect to see in the cloud business will be related to investment that customers are making in AI," Wu added.

The company recently slashed prices for over 100 core public cloud products in the Chinese market. Over 90,000 enterprises have adopted Alibaba Cloud's AI-powered large language model Tongyi Qianwen since it debuted a year ago.

Tencent Holdings Ltd announced on Tuesday that its online advertising sales jumped 26 percent year-on-year to 26.5 billion yuan in the first quarter after it upgraded its advertising infrastructure and deployed AI to more precisely target advertisements on its instant messaging platform WeChat.

Jiang Han, a senior analyst at market consultancy Pangoal, said AI technology has made great contributions to the growth of Alibaba's cloud computing business.

"Alibaba Cloud can provide customers with more accurate and personalized services through the introduction of AI technology, which helps the company expand market share and drive business growth."

Jiang added that AI technology is playing a vital role in improving user experience by analyzing customer behaviors and interests and then offering tailor-made content and recommendations, so as to increase user engagement and retention rates.

The technology will also help companies optimize and adjust advertising strategies, and reduce the cost of advertising, thus improving their business performance, he said.

Global market research firm International Data Corp said the IT sector will feel the impact of AI more than any other industry, as every company races to introduce AI-enhanced products or services and to assist their customers with AI implementations. Moreover, Chinese companies respond faster to AI deployments compared to their foreign counterparts.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for efforts to let more people know about the Great Wall and engage more people in its protection to pass on the ancestors' precious heritage to future generations.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a reply letter sent Tuesday to villagers living at the foot of the Badaling Great Wall in a northern suburb of Beijing.

Residents of Shixia Village in Yanqing District recently wrote to Xi, reporting their work in protecting the Great Wall and changes taking place in the village.

In the reply letter, Xi said he was pleased to learn that the villagers had taken the initiative over the years to protect the Great Wall, inherit the Great Wall culture, and rely on its resources on their way to prosperity.

The Great Wall is a representative symbol of the Chinese nation and an important symbol of the Chinese civilization, Xi said. "It is our common responsibility to protect and pass on this historical and cultural heritage."

Xi voiced the hope that the villagers will continue protecting the Great Wall as they protect their homes, carry forward the Great Wall culture and tell stories about the Great Wall well.

The villagers are encouraged to contribute to building a strong socialist culture in China and promoting Chinese modernization.

The Great Wall is the largest-scale existing cultural heritage in China. Since 2012, Xi has paid great attention to the work concerning tapping the cultural values and inheriting and protecting cultural relics of the Great Wall, and made multiple instructions on advancing the building of the Great Wall national cultural park.
The Chinese police investigated and solved approximately 95,000 cases related to economic offenses from 2023 to March this year, the Ministry of Public Security said Wednesday.

According to the ministry, police forces across the country carried out a number of crackdowns on various economic crimes over the past year, including the transfer of illicit funds abroad via offshore companies and underground banks, currency counterfeiting, and tax-related offenses.

To strike economic crimes that affect the interests of a large number of people, Chinese police have launched special operations targeting peer-to-peer lending, illegal fundraising in the elderly care sector, and online pyramid schemes.

The police have also worked with securities regulators to investigate and solve cases involving insider trading and manipulation of the securities and futures markets, according to the ministry.

The police will further coordinate with administrative law enforcement, criminal justice and industry regulation departments as well as financial institutions to raise public awareness of economic crimes, according to an official with the ministry.
JERUSALEM  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fended off criticism Wednesday that he is not planning for a postwar reality in the Gaza Strip, claiming it was impossible to prepare for any scenario in the embattled Palestinian enclave until Hamas militants are defeated.

Netanyahu faces increasing pressure from critics at home and allies abroad, especially the United States, to present a plan for governance, security and rebuilding of Gaza.

He indicated Israel seeks to maintain control over security affairs and rejected a role for the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority.

That position stands in contrast to the vision of the Biden administration, which wants Palestinian governance in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank as a precursor to Palestinian statehood.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration told key lawmakers it plans to move forward on a new $1 billion sale of arms and ammunition to Israel, three congressional aides said Tuesday, after it paused another arms transfer this month.

It's the first weapons shipment to Israel to be pushed ahead since the administration put another arms transfer, consisting of 3,500 bombs, on hold this month.

The new package disclosed Tuesday includes about $700 million for tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles and $60 million in mortar rounds, the congressional aides said. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an arms transfer that has not yet been made public.

The Biden administration has come under criticism from both parties over its handling of Israel's now seven-month-old war against Hamas in Gaza, with President Joe Biden's stewardship of the conflict threatening to sap support from Democrats as he runs for reelection against former president Donald Trump.

Some of Biden's fellow Democrats have pushed him to limit transfers of offensive weapons to Israel to pressure the U.S. ally to do more to protect Palestinian civilians. Protests on college campuses around the U.S. this spring have only amplified the anger from progressives and young voters against Biden and his handling of the war in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers have said any lessening of U.S. support for Israel  its closest ally in the Middle East  weakens it as the country fights Hamas and other Iran-backed groups. Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the GOP whip, told reporters Wednesday that initiating the process for this round of arms sales doesnt make up for the Biden administration withholding the bomb transfers last week.

Fighting in Gaza

The debate over a postwar vision for Gaza comes as fighting erupted again in places Israel targeted in the early days of the war and said it had under control, as well as in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, which has sent hundreds of thousands fleeing.

For Palestinians, that displacement renewed painful memories of mass expulsion from what is now Israel in the war surrounding the countrys creation in 1948. Palestinians across the Middle East marked the 76th anniversary of that event Wednesday.

The latest war began on Oct. 7 with Hamas' rampage across southern Israel, through some of the same areas where Palestinians fled from their villages decades earlier. Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people that day, mostly civilians, and took another 250 hostage.

Israel's response obliterated entire neighborhoods in Gaza and forced some 80% of the population to flee their homes. Gaza's Health Ministry says over 35,000 Palestinians have been killed, without distinguishing between civilians and combatants in its count. The U.N. says there is widespread hunger and that northern Gaza is in "full-blown famine."

'The day after'

The renewed fighting in areas where Israel's military largely asserted control, as well as a recent uptick in rocket fire from Gaza toward Israel, suggests that Hamas is regrouping. That prompted criticism in Israel that Netanyahu is squandering military gains in Gaza by not moving toward a postwar vision for the territory.

Netanyahu said Israel has been trying for months to find a solution to "this complex problem," but that a postwar plan could not be promoted so long as Hamas was not defeated.

"All the talk about 'the day after,' while Hamas stays intact, will remain mere words devoid of content," Netanyahu said.

Senior members of his Cabinet disagree. In a nationally televised statement Wednesday, Netanyahu's defense minister increased the criticism, saying he repeatedly pleaded with the Cabinet to make a decision on a postwar vision for Gaza that would see the creation of a new Palestinian civilian leadership.

Yoav Gallant, a member of the three-man War Cabinet, said the government refused to discuss the issue.

Gallant said not doing so would produce a reality where Israel could again exert civilian control over the Gaza Strip, which he said he opposed. Israel withdrew troops and settlers from the territory in 2005 after capturing it in the 1967 Mideast war.

Hamas' top leader Ismail Haniyeh said Wednesday in response to the debate over Gaza's postwar future that "the Hamas movement is here to stay."

Disagreements over Gaza's future have led to increasingly public friction between Israel and the U.S., its closest ally. The U.S. has also been outspoken against an Israeli incursion into Rafah, which Israel sees as essential to defeating Hamas but where more than half of Gaza's population of 2.3 million have sought shelter.

Israeli troops launched operations in Rafah last week, seizing the nearby crossing into Egypt and moving into eastern districts of the city in battles with Hamas fighters. Though still short of the full-on invasion Israel has threatened, the incursion has already caused chaos.

The United Nations said Wednesday that over the last week, as Israeli forces have moved into parts of Rafah, some 600,000 have fled the city. During that time, another 100,000 have fled parts of northern Gaza that the Israeli military has reinvaded.

Photos: Israeli-Palestinian conflict eight months long
An aerial drone photo taken on May 13, 2024 shows the vessel "China Coast Guard (CCG) 3502" carrying out replenishment for other vessels in the South China Sea. [Photo/Xinhua]

The China Coast Guard on Wednesday issued radio warnings to Philippine ships trespassing into the waters under China's jurisdiction.

On the same day, when answering a foreign media question on Filipino fishing boats heading from the Philippines to the surrounding waters of Huangyan Dao, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that Huangyan Dao has always been China's territory and China has indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Dao and its adjacent waters.

China made a goodwill arrangement in 2016 for Filipino fishermen to fish with a small number of small fishing boats in the adjacent waters of Huangyan Dao, while China continues to oversee and monitor relevant activities of the Filipino fishermen in accordance with the law, he added.

If the Philippines abuses China's goodwill and infringes upon China's territorial sovereignty and jurisdiction, China will defend its rights and take countermeasures in accordance with the law, he said, adding that relevant responsibilities and consequences shall be borne solely by the Philippines.
On 15 May a Guatemalan court granted house arrest to, a prominent journalist and founder of investigative daily elPeriodico.

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This photo taken in September 2023 shows Gao Wenyuan (2nd R), a professor at the School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, leads his team to conduct a research at a lab in north China's Tianjin Municipality. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese researchers have developed a novel bio-fungicide to combat root rot disease in cultivating Astragalus membranaceus, commonly known as Huangqi or Astragalus root, according to an article published in Chemical Engineering Journal.

The bio-fungicide can suppress the root rot disease and promote the growth metabolism of Astragalus membranaceus, said Gao Wenyuan, a professor at the School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, who led the research team.

Root rot disease is a kind of plant cancer and a common disease in Chinese medicinal herb planting areas, caused by a complex of pathogenic fungi. It poses a significant threat to the cultivation of Astragalus membranaceus.

Mechanistic studies have revealed that this novel bio-fungicide exerts its antifungal effect by inhibiting the growth genes of Fusarium oxysporum, stimulating the production of antifungal compounds in Astragalus membranaceu, and activating its resistance genes.

"This bio-fungicide is as effective as currently available pesticides, but the cost is lower and it is more environmentally friendly," Gao said, adding that it holds great potential as an alternative to traditional pesticides and has enormous applications in plant protection.

The researchers plan to further optimize the cost and promote widespread application in the future.
On 15 May Catholic bishops in Mexicos southern state of Chiapas warned that areas of the state particularly affected by violence and drug trafficking organisations (DTOs) would not have the necessary conditions to host upcoming elections in June.

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On 15 May Brazils Presidentannounced more measures to address the severe flooding in Rio Grande do Sul state, including the creation of a new ministry dedicated to overseeing relief and reconstruction efforts.

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Dorothy Jean Tillman II of Chicago, Illinois took her first college class at age 10. This month, she became the youngest person to earn a doctorate in integrated behavioral health at Arizona State University.

When she completed her study program, she was 17.

Arizona State professor Leslie Manson told the television program Good Morning America, Its a wonderful celebration, and we hope ... that Dorothy Jean inspires more students. And she added, But this is still something so rare and unique.

Her friends and family, though, call Tillman by another name, Dorothy Jeanius. A genius is a very smart person.

When most students her age were still in middle school, Tillman took classes through the College of Lake County in northern Illinois. She studied psychology and completed her associates degree in 2016.

She earned a bachelors in humanities from New Yorks Excelsior College in 2018. About two years later, she finished her master of science degree from Unity College in Maine. In 2021, she started work on her doctoral degree at Arizona State.

Most of her work has been done online while living at home.

Tillman told the Associated Press that she credits her mother and grandmother for her educational success.

Everything that we were doing didnt seem abnormal to me or out of the ordinary until it started getting all of the attention, said Tillman.

But she did not get to do all the normal things for young people. I didnt have the everyday school things like (school) dances or spirit weeks or just school pictures and things like that ... she said.

She did find time for a dance program and started an organization called the Dorothyjeanius STEAM Leadership Institute. STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and math. The program helps young people interested in those subjects during school breaks.

Now that she has finished her studies, Tillman who is now 18, plans to work on raising money to expand her organization. She hopes to bring it to other places beyond Chicago.

Manson, the Arizona State professor, said Tillman is creative and energetic, and that she is a true leader.

Her mother Jimalita Tillman said she is proud of her daughters ability to deal with success while making good choices between taking part in social activities and her studies.

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by The Associated Press.

______________________________________________

Words in This Story

doctorate adj. a top-level degree that leads to a Ph.D

inspire v. to give people good feelings about doing something

unique adj. special or unusual

associate adj. a first-level college degree that takes two years to complete and leads to entry into a four-year college

bachelor adj. a degree granted to a student after four years of undergraduate study

master adj. an advanced degree that comes after a bachelors degree

We want to hear from you. Do you know anyone else who is ahead of schedule in their education?
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The South Central Public Health District (SCPHD) honored five Health Heroes on Monday at the Twin Falls location.

Every year, SCPHD asks Magic Valley residents to nominate neighbors, organizations and businesses that make a difference in the community through their efforts in improving health of people.

Nate Francisco, employee at Southern Idaho Solid Waste; Erin Buell, community outreach coordinator at St. Lukes in Hailey; Cooper Smith, kitchen manager of Everybody House; Tejay Holstine, a Magic Valley student who focused his senior project on mental health awareness; and Simply Hope Family Outreach, a non profit organization in Mini-Cassia, won an award for their work in the community.

CEO Nancy Winmill and Project Manager Sheri Allred of Simply Hope Family Outreach accepted the award on behalf of the organization.

Im super grateful, like was said earlier, it couldnt have happened without the collaboration and partnerships in this community, Smith said during the event. I cant say enough about Chobani, St. Lukes, you know the Methodist Church who provides the space to do these things.

Just grateful to serve this wonderful community with all you lovely people.

Winmill and Allred told the Times-News in an interview after the event that they couldnt have done it without the support of the community and the state.

Were honored, Winmill said. It takes a community to tackle the issues we have.

We started as a support group in 2015 and then we opened Teen Hope in 2022 so theres been a lot of expediential growth, especially starting with the states support through the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections and the Office of Drug Policy, Allred said.

They really helped us make an impact.

SCHPD is a leading public health service in south-central Idaho, with locations in Twin Falls, Gooding, Heyburn, Jerome and more. For more information about the winners and services, go to https://phd5.idaho.gov/.
 Flash

People spend time under wisteria flowers at Villa Bardini in Florence, Italy, on April 24, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

After eight years of debate, the European Union (EU) on Tuesday approved a new Pact on Migration and Asylum that overhauls the entire framework for managing asylum and migration.

The package aims at reducing the burden of member states on the EU's external borders, and would include tougher checks on asylum requests. It is also expected to change the way EU countries share responsibility for asylum seekers.

The Pact was backed by a majority of EU countries but Poland and Hungary voted against it while the Czech Republic and Slovakia chose to abstain in the majority of files.

A message ahead of EU vote

The reform comes at a sensitive time, with European elections scheduled in early June and immigration expected to be a top issue in the political debate.

"One thing is surely changing with the new Pact: the EU has decided to signal that it will get tougher on asylum seekers," Matteo Villa, senior research fellow with the Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI), told Xinhua.

"The clear message is that asylum is going to be assessed with increasing strictness, whether because requests will be screened more quickly or because more external countries will be considered 'safe' for repatriating those not deemed as entitled to protection," he explained.

New rules

The new Pact, made of 10 legislative acts, is expected to enter into force by 2026. Under the new rules, asylum seekers will have to be identified within a few days of arrival in one of the EU member states. Their personal data will be stored in an EU database, with the goal of building a common framework of information to judge whether an individual poses a threat or should be allowed to stay.

In case an asylum claim is rejected, the Pact would allow a faster repatriation of people to their country of origin, or country of transit, if those countries are declared 'safe' by the EU.

Finally, the Pact introduces a new mandatory solidarity mechanism to share responsibility during emergencies. EU governments will have three different options: relocate some asylum seekers to other EU states, pay 20,000 euros (21,740 U.S. dollars) for each person they reject, or provide other measures (such as supporting operational activities at EU external borders).

The initial target for relocation is up to 30,000 people at the EU level per year.

Reform still divisive

Humanitarian groups voiced concerns the Pact will violate asylum seekers' rights, and that the EU will end up dealing with external countries that are not truly safe, just to find a way to repatriate people.

Experts also noted the Pact would be far from a comprehensive overhaul. "Too many aspects remain unclear to call it a full reform," Villa said.

On paper, first-arrival countries, such as Italy, receive asylum allowances to redistribute migrants in emergencies, the analyst noted. Yet, the relocation mechanism is currently limited to a maximum of 30,000 people per year. Only last year, asylum requests at the EU level exceeded 1 million, according to EU data.

"Plus, several countries were against relocation, and alternative measures were provided, such as paying in order not to receive asylum seekers, but even this is not certain, because Poland and Hungary have already said no," Villa explained.

"Therefore, the possibility of a real change seems limited."
First and foremost, I believe that political parties should establish a quality platform to define their goals and general philosophies. However, the question arises: should the Idaho Republican Platform be strictly enforced, akin to the U.S. or Idaho Constitutions? That is the crux of the matter.

When does a platform evolve into a manifesto, and who determines the actions of its members? Throughout history, certain dates stand out, notably in February 1848 and 1920. In both instances, documents were enforced beyond constitutional law by dictatorial leaders, stifling dissent. Conversely, the U.S. Constitution was crafted through compromise, considering minority views openly. Never in our national history have we censured or prohibited opposing views and votes. A platforms value lies in providing direction and a general mission for a party. Yet, when used as an enforcement tool, it escalates to the level of a manifesto, which history has shown to be disastrous.

Our nation is founded on a republican form of government, with democratically elected representatives, including mayors, governors, and the president, all subject to the will of the governed. Historically, we have operated with a two-party dominated system, where minority voices remain relevant. Similarly, factions within a party should not be sidelined. The Republican Platform, comprising a preamble and nineteen articles within sixteen pages, pales in comparison to the U.S. Constitutions concise framework. Changes to the platform are adopted at a bi-annual convention over three days, contrasting with the rigorous ratification process of the U.S. Constitution.

We elect a representative government through a democratic process, mandating legislators to swear allegiance to the U.S. and Idaho Constitutions. However, there is no mandate for interpreting the platform according to party leaderships dictates. Each legislator must serve their constituents varied expectations, be it agriculture-dependent districts or urban or industrial-based ones. Ultimately, trust lies in the electorate to choose their representatives, whose votes reflect public satisfaction or dissatisfaction with candidates.

While the U.S. Constitution is often revered as a divinely inspired document, elements of the Idaho Republican Platform call for the nullification of federal laws and U.S. Supreme Court decisions. If the platform advocates nullification actions at the state level, why should party leadership be empowered to censor duly elected Idaho representatives or senators who disagree with their interpretations? The GOP Platform evolves, offering guidelines, but it is not flawless, nor divinely inspired, and certainly not a manifesto demanding absolute adherence to leaderships interpretations.

On May 21st, you have the opportunity to influence how the platform is written and enforced. The precinct Committeeman vote, one of the last positions on your ballot, holds significant weight. I urge you to research the candidates, determining whether they represent you or certain factions of Republicans, separate from the County Central Committees, steering policies to their liking. Groups like the Idaho Freedom Foundation, the Idaho Freedom Action PAC, the John Birch Society, and Magic Valley Liberty Alliance have invested considerable resources to influence the Republican Party and Legislature. If youre weary of dishonest mailers portraying candidates they do not support in a negative light, question why they resort to such tactics. If they cannot prevail with honesty and based on their own records, do not be deceived.
The Atin Ito coalition announced a significant breakthrough on Thursday in its mission to reach Bajo de Masinloc. In a statement, the group said it sent an advance team a day before its civilian mission successfully breached Chinas imposing blockade at the reef also known as Panatag Shoal.

Atin Ito reported that its advance team departed for Bajo de Masinloc on the morning May 14, Tuesday, one day prior to the official launch of their voyage.

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The 10-member advance team were comprised of members from Akbayan Party, Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Samahan sa Kanayunan (PKSK), and the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM). They arrived within 25 -30 nautical miles of the general vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc on Wednesday, May 15.

They swiftly delivered crucial provisions, including fuel and food, to Filipino fishers working in the area. Their efforts resulted in the distribution of 1,000 liters of diesel and 200 food packs. This is despite a Chinese Navy ship with body number 175 constantly shadowing them, according to Atin Ito.

LOOK: Fisherfolk participating in the civilian convoy pulled up a net of fish while conducting a simbada with the Atin Ito Coalition.#WPSAtinIto #CivilianizeWPS #AtinIto pic.twitter.com/L8cA5lx9pQ  Akbayan Party (@AkbayanParty) May 16, 2024

Akbayan president and Atin Ito co-convenor Rafaela David said the feat mirrors the success of their inaugural mission last December when their smaller supply boat, ML Chowee, navigated past a Chinese vessels harassment near Ayungin Shoal to deliver supplies to frontline workers on Lawak Island.

Despite Chinas massive blockade, we managed to breach their illegal blockade, reaching Bajo de Masinloc to support our fishers with essential supplies. Mission accomplished! David said.

This stands as a testament to the ingenuity, resourcefulness and bravery of the Filipino spirit amidst formidable challenges. China may possess larger and more vessels, and wield strong water cannons, but we possess a secret weapon: our diskarteng Pinoy, which, when coupled with determination and love for fellow citizens and country, can surmount even the most daunting adversity, she added.

David declared the Atin Ito second civilian supply mission a tremendous success.

We have achieved so many things despite the extraordinary challenges. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas at ang mamamayang Pilipino. (Long live the Philippines and the Filipino people). West Philippine Sea, atin ito! (This is ours!) she said.

Earlier, former US Air Force official and defense attache Ray Powell posted on X (formerly Twitter) that China moved the rest of its blockade into position to prevent the Atin Ito convoy from reaching Bajo de Masinloc.

The Chinese force included one Peoples Liberation Army Navy ship, eight China Coast Guard vessels, and 34 militia crafts, according to Powell.

#China has finally moved the rest of its blockade into position. Combining @jaytaryela's report (which includes "dark" ships but not just-arrived reinforcements I'm tracking) is 1 PLA Navy, 8 CCG & 34 militia vessels to intercept the #Philippines civilian convoy. [1/x] https://t.co/hN0CXcM4Bw pic.twitter.com/fnsBweopCG  Ray Powell (@GordianKnotRay) May 15, 2024

Bajo de Masinloc, a fish-rich reef, is about 240 kilometers (150) miles west of the Philippines main island of Luzon and nearly 900 kilometers from Hainan, the nearest major Chinese land mass.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, brushing off rival claims by the Philippines and other countries and ignoring an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis. With AFP
TODAYS WORD is appellative. Example: The appellative term "Big Apple" is often used to describe the city of New York.

TUESDAYS WORD was mid, meaning mediocre, unimpressive, or disappointing. Example: His attempt at a joke fell flat among his friends, who found it to be quite mid in terms of humor.

Bears

Stroller readers tell us that bear sightings in Martinsville and Henry County are becoming increasingly common.

The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (VDWR) says bears are mostly attracted to residential areas by the smell of foods people commonly put out around their homes.

"In reality, most problems caused by bears are really 'people problems,'" the VDWR says on its website. "It is up to humans to change their own behaviors to avoid conflicts."

The highest concentration of bears in Virginia are in the Blue Ridge and Alleghany mountains and around the Great Dismal Swamp, but sightings occur in at least 92 of Virginia's 98 counties and cities, the VDWR says.

Granite

The Stroller was asked about the granite quarry in Mount Airy, North Carolina.

A little more than an hour's drive from Martinsville, the quarry is considered the largest in the world, reaching an estimated 8,000 feet into the ground.

Granite from the quarry was used in the construction of the Wright Brothers National Memorial at Kitty Hawk, the U.S. Bullion Depository at Fort Knox, the Albert Einstein Memorial and Arlington National Bridge in Washington.

Cruise In

The ninth season of the Bassett Cruise In kicks off this Saturday from 3-7 p.m. at Bassett Furniture Headquarters, 3525 Fairystone Park Highway.

There will be lots of music, delicious food, a $100 cash door prize, and a 50/50 drawing with proceeds donated to support the Bassett Community.

Admission is free, but everyone is reminded to leave your booze, guns, dogs and tents at home.

Rooster's Automotive Refinishing will be sharing secrets of automotive detailing and new painting products for all automotive enthusiasts.

The event, sponsored by Bassett Funeral Service, is held in collaboration with other local merchants.

Chuckle

"In English," the MIT linguistics professor said, "a double negative forms a positive, but in Russian, a double negative remains a negative. But there isn't a single language, not one, in which a double positive can express a negative."

"Yeah, right," said a voice from the back of the room.

Quote of the day

The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.  Dale Carnegie

TUESDAYS TRIVIA ANSWER: The chemical element iodine gets its name from the Greek for "Violet-colored." Iodine was discovered in seaweed by the French chemist Bernard Courtois in 1811, and named by the French chemist Louis-Joseph Gay-Lussac, when he proved it was an element in 1814.

TODAYS TRIVIA QUESTION: What sailor's disease resulted from a deficiency of Vitamin C?
The Martinsville School Board heard a presentation on the division literacy plan on Monday.

The Virginia Literacy Act was passed in 2022 by the General Assembly to address concerns across the nation and the state about proficiency levels on reading on the NAP Assessment, MCPS Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Angilee Downing said.

NAP (National Assessment Program) is administered to fourth, eighth and 12th graders randomly and has been administered in MCPS several times.

This challenge with literacy existed before the pandemic but, as we know, closing schools exacerbated it, Downing said. The Virginia Literacy Act provides guidelines and resources and requirements for school divisions to work on addressing the concerns with reading proficiency.

Downing then presented on the MCPS division literacy plan. The division literacy team consists of Downing, MCPS Superintendent Zeb Talley, MCPS Director of Academic Supports Dr. Tamra Vaughan and MCPS Coordinator of Humanities and Advanced Programs Cary Wright.

That team travelled to Salem for four sessions starting in February to work with the Virginia Department of Education on guidance for how to develop the division literacy plan and its various components.

Section one of the plan consists of the school division literacy vision to empower literacy success one learner at a time by nurturing engaged readers and writers to comprehend, analyze and respond to complex text and digital media.

They plan to do this through leveraging diverse materials grounded in the science of reading and student-centered instructing that aims to build knowledge and meaning making abilities through vocabulary development and active literacy engagement.

We provide equitable access to evidence-based literacy education, breaking down barriers for each learner, Downing said. By empowering success through research-based language arts development, we prepare lifelong learners to effectively communicate ideas that shape the evolving world.

Also in the first section is the plan for disseminating the information which started with the division and school leaders who were asked for feedback on the plan.

Teachers, the school board and community stakeholders were also presented with the plan for any feedback on the plan, which is currently a working document, that is due June 30.

Section two is on selection high quality instruction materials that go through state level for approval before a list is provided to school divisions.

MCPS took a multi-tiered approach through a teacher review session where rubrics were filled out to analyze and evaluate the different materials. The division literacy team and administrator leadership teams also reviewed the materials.

Section three is on Virginia Literacy Act evidence-based research training. MCPS started implementing increased training in 2019, before the Act was passed.

All elementary level core teachers, reading specialists, principals, instruction coordinators and assistant principals are trained in the science of reading. Division wide, special education and English learner teachers are also trained.

So, were at a very good place with that, Downing said. That will really help us going forward.

Additional training will begin once the everything is adopted and finalized.

Section four is on monitoring student assessments and progress and section five is on how the division will assess progress.

Section six is on engaging parents, caregivers and the community through meetings with reading specialists as appropriate when students do not meet benchmarks. Individualized plans may be implemented in those cases.

Also at Mondays monthly meeting, the board heard from Patrick & Henry Community College on its TRIO program, received presentations from both Odyssey of the Mind and Robotics teams, recognized School Lunch Hero awardees and heard from Liz Lynch on her position as a finalist for the Presidential Math & Science Teaching Award.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has officially enacted the long-awaited National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill into law, despite vocal opposition. The move formalizes plans for universal healthcare coverage in South Africa just days before the upcoming general elections.

Ramaphosa defended his decision in the face of criticism from affluent individuals and groups. He vowed to pursue equality in vital areas like healthcare access whether people like it or not. Business organizations and opposition parties like the Democratic Alliance have threatened legal challenges, accusing the president of pushing through the NHI law for political gain ahead of the polls.

The Economic Freedom Fighters party leader Julius Malema also dismissed the ruling ANCs version of the NHI as insincere. However, Ramaphosa argued the comprehensive healthcare overhaul is long overdue. He maintained that South Africa cannot move forward while inequalities persist in providing essential services.

The president is set to officially sign the legislation during a ceremony at the Union Buildings in the nations capital. While the NHI aims to provide quality healthcare for all South Africans regardless of income, opponents argue it will overwhelm the already strained public health system and require significant tax increases to fund. Ramaphosa insists the reform promotes a more equitable society.
In a historic ruling applying universal jurisdiction over grave crimes, a Swiss court on Wednesday convicted former Gambian government minister Ousman Sonko of crimes against humanity committed under ex-dictator Yahya Jammehs regime. Sonko was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The Federal Criminal Court found Sonko guilty on multiple counts of intentional homicide, torture, and unlawful deprivation of liberty. He was acquitted of rape charges. According to the court, Sonko carried out these crimes as part of a systematic attack against the civilian population while serving under Jammeh.

This represents the highest-ranking official ever prosecuted by a European nation using the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows the most egregious offenses to be tried anywhere they occurred. The Geneva-based group TRIAL International had filed the original complaint against Sonko.

Sonko denied the allegations, accused the plaintiffs of lying, and denounced his seven-year pre-trial detention, part of which was spent in solitary confinement. He fell out of favor with Jammeh toward the end of the dictators 22-year oppressive rule, which ended when Jammeh fled into exile in early 2017 after his election defeat. Sonko was arrested that month in Switzerland while seeking asylum.

Swiss prosecutors had sought a life sentence against Sonko. Human rights advocates hailed the conviction as a significant step toward justice for Jammehs victims. One group expressed hope the ruling deters future abuses by officials, though some wished Sonko could serve his term under Gambias harsher prison conditions his victims endured.
The International Crisis Group (ICG) warned on Wednesday that South Sudan is confronting an economic crisis as the ongoing conflict in neighboring Sudan disrupts its oil exports. Oil revenues are not only crucial for maintaining unity among South Sudans fractious political elites, the ICG stated, but also represent the governments primary source of income.

The landlocked nation, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, remains dependent on its northern neighbors ports to access international oil markets. However, one of South Sudans two oil pipelines to the coast, responsible for roughly two-thirds of its exports, broke down in February and is expected to be inoperable for months.

The ICG cautioned that the consequences for South Sudan will be severe. The government will deplete its funds, and the national currency will plummet in value. Chronic food shortages, already affecting the fragile nation, will intensify, potentially sparking renewed instability and conflict.

Moreover, hundreds of thousands fleeing Sudans civil war have sought refuge in South Sudan, straining the host countrys limited capacity to feed its population. A staggering 7.1 million of South Sudans 12 million people currently face acute hunger, while cross-border trade with Sudan has stalled.

As preparations lag for Decembers landmark electionsthe first since independenceSouth Sudans leaders confront myriad challenges according to the ICG, including a struggling economy, rampant corruption, catastrophic flooding, and deadly clashes across the countryside. However, the group identified the damaged pipeline and its financial ramifications as the most urgent threat to peace.

The ICG urged regional and global partners to prepare emergency relief aid for South Sudan while intensifying efforts to end the war in neighboring Sudan.
 Flash

Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong visited Uzbekistan from Monday to Wednesday and held a meeting with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

During his visit, Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, held talks and co-chaired the Seventh Meeting of the China-Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee with Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov.

Liu conveyed cordial greetings from President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang to President Mirziyoyev and Prime Minister Aripov.

Liu said that the heads of state of both countries have jointly announced developing an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era and promoting the building of a China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future from a higher starting point, ushering in a new chapter in China-Uzbekistan relations.

China is willing to work with Uzbekistan, guided by the consensus of the two heads of state, to firmly support each other on issues of core interests, and continuously deepen and expand cooperation in various fields, enriching the substantive content of the China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future, Liu said.

Mirziyoyev and Aripov asked Liu to convey their warm greetings to President Xi and Premier Li. They said that Uzbekistan highly values its relations with China, will steadfastly adhere to the one-China principle, continuously elevate the level of comprehensive reciprocal cooperation between the two countries, and contribute to the common development to benefit the well-being of the people of both countries.

On Monday, Liu and Aripov co-chaired the Seventh Meeting of the China-Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee, where they thoroughly reviewed the cooperation between both countries. They exchanged views on cooperation in key areas such as economy and trade, energy, transportation, agriculture, science and technology, cultural exchanges, and poverty reduction, and made new arrangements for future cooperation. After the meeting, both sides signed the minutes of the meeting.

During his visit, Liu inspected several bilateral cooperation projects, including the Peng Sheng Industrial Park and the China-Uzbekistan Medicine Technical Park.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Meta Getman and her husband had spent more than three years struggling with infertilityincluding four rounds of intrauterine insemination (IUI), three rounds of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and a six-month pause to weigh next stepsbefore eventually opting to conceive through IVF using donor eggs.

Their twin daughters are now 7 years old, and their family is complete. But for people across the country whose hopes for such a future hinge on IVF, the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that embryos should be considered childrenand the resulting legal implications for clinics that store patients' frozen embryosthrew everything into question.

"I felt like I was tossed back into the raw emotions of my infertility experience in that I was really mad, I was really sad, I was shocked that people would think that," Getman, 43, said of the Feb. 16 ruling. "I couldn't believe that I lived in a country where this was happening, to be honest."

Though Alabama lawmakers and Gov. Kay Ivey quickly signed off on legislation protecting the state's doctors from potential legal liability, patients and advocates say they're still worried about restrictions cropping up elsewhere. For Minnesota, such a shift in the national health care landscape could mean an uptick in out-of-state patients seeking IVF care here, stretching a system already experiencing high demand.

Dr. April Batcheller, medical director at fertility clinic CCRM Minneapolis, said practitioners are accustomed to coordinating care for out-of-state patients.

"To me, what is worrisome about this is, it really perpetuates the haves and the have-nots," she said. "It is very possible to do a really good job of managing people remotely, but it requires a patient with the resources to fly here, to stay in a hotel. And that's probably where we're going to see an increased discrepancy in health care disparities."

Minnesota law protects reproductive health care, and the state has become an island for abortion care in the Upper Midwest with about 40% more out-of-state patients since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, according to Maggie Meyer, executive director at Pro-Choice Minnesota.

Our Justice, a Minnesota-based abortion fund, distributed $243,097 in 2023 to patients for medical expenses related to abortion care, a 66% increase from 2022, the organization said. In addition, the fund spent more than $9,700 on lodging for patients who traveled for care.

Though IVF and abortion are different procedures with different outcomes, they are linked.

"There are embryos that don't get used; there are eggs that don't get used. And there are also, at times, selective reductions, which is not used as commonly as other forms of abortion," Meyer said, referring to a procedure in which multiple embryos are transferred successfully and one or more are aborted.

"But by granting the rights of children to the embryo, it can really, really affect the cost of IVF as well as just the availability for people, and it can increase hesitancy."

Still, some argue states are unlikely to restrict IVF in the way they've restricted abortion.

"I think there has been an unprecedented outpouring of outrage, and elected officials have heard that and responded to it," said Sean Tipton, chief advocacy and policy officer at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

Not everyone is convinced. Julie Berman, a former board member of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, pointed to a recent Iowa bill that could have posed a risk to IVF. She also mentioned federal legislation that would define human life as beginning at the moment of fertilization and congressional inaction on efforts to protect IVF.

"This is of concern," she said. "People might be saying they're protecting it, but they're not doing anything to actually protect it."

Democrats at the Minnesota Capitol are looking to expand a bill codifying abortion rights, passed last session, to include protections for IVF and fertility treatments. Republican lawmakers have said they support those pursuing fertility treatment to expand their families.

The Legislature is also weighing a bill this session that would require insurers to cover infertility treatment. One round of IVF, in which a lab fertilizes a retrieved egg before doctors transfer the resulting embryo to the uterus, costs $15,000 to $20,000 on average with no guarantee of success.

Katie Bissen-Zaffke, 30, has gone through one egg retrieval and five embryo transfers, including one resulting in a second-trimester pregnancy loss. Going through IVF is "a roller coaster," she said, between medication side effects, frequent clinic visits and the overall emotional toll.

Though there is no one reason patients pursue IVFit can be a path to parenthood for LGBTQ couples, as well as single people starting families on their ownmany have an infertility diagnosis, which brings with it the same anxiety and depression levels as people with cancer, heart disease or HIV, according to the Mayo Clinic.

"Luckily, my husband and I are really good at communicating and going through it. But even then, it can just be tough to try to explain how you're feeling and how they're feeling," Bissen-Zaffke said. "And then when you have things that don't work out, which it has for us a lot of times, it can be really discouraging."

Miraya Gran and her husband took out a second mortgage on their home to pay for their first round of IVF, which was unsuccessful. A family fundraiser paid for a second round, after which their 3-year-old daughter, Isla, was born. They want to have another childand have two embryos remainingbut can't afford it without insurance coverage.

Experiencing the financial barriers to IVF makes the possibility of legal restrictions loom even larger.

"I can't imagine being in a state or a world or a country where the science is there, the medical treatment is there, but I don't have access, which I'm kind of experiencing now without being able to afford transferring another embryo already," said Gran, 39. "So just simply not even being able to do it, it's just mind-blowing to me, and it gives me a lot of fear."

Jamie Heard, 37, traveled from Birmingham, Alabama, to St. Paul in April to lobby for the insurance bill alongside local patients and advocates. Insurance coverage made IVFand her toddler sonpossible, she said. But the Alabama Supreme Court decision, which came down just as she was starting a second IVF cycle, has made it unclear whether she and her husband will be able to have another child.

"It was scary because I felt like my future family was being attacked and like I had no choice in the matter; like there was nothing I could do about it," Heard said. "Right now, we're just taking it day by day."

In Minnesota, patients and providers are also waiting to see what happens next.

"I feel like we're one of the best states to be in, so I feel lucky to be here today," Getman said. "But I am worried that if different people are elected here in the state that even things that we're doing now could be rolled back."

2024 StarTribune. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Heather Crivilare was a month from her due date when she was rushed to an operating room for an emergency cesarean section.

The first-time mother, a high school teacher in rural Illinois, had developed high blood pressure, a sometimes life-threatening condition in pregnancy that prompted doctors to hospitalize her. Then Crivilare's blood pressure spiked, and the baby's heart rate dropped. "It was terrifying," Crivilare said.

She gave birth to a healthy daughter. What followed, though, was another ordeal: thousands of dollars in medical debt that sent Crivilare and her husband scrambling for nearly a year to keep collectors at bay.

The Crivilares would eventually get on nine payment plans as they juggled close to $5,000 in bills.

"It really felt like a full-time job some days," Crivilare recalled. "Getting the baby down to sleep and then getting on the phone. I'd set up one payment plan, and then a new bill would come that afternoon. And I'd have to set up another one."

Crivilare's pregnancy may have been more dramatic than most. But for millions of new parents, medical debt is now as much a hallmark of having children as long nights and dirty diapers.

About 12% of the 100 million U.S. adults with health care debt attribute at least some of it to pregnancy or childbirth, according to a KFF poll.

These people are more likely to report they've had to take on extra work, change their living situation, or make other sacrifices.

Overall, women between 18 and 35 who have had a baby in the past year and a half are twice as likely to have medical debt as women of the same age who haven't given birth recently, other KFF research conducted for this project found.

"You feel bad for the patient because you know that they want the best for their pregnancy," said Eilean Attwood, a Rhode Island OB-GYN who said she routinely sees pregnant women anxious about going into debt.

"So often, they may be coming to the office or the hospital with preexisting debt from school, from other financial pressures of starting adult life," Attwood said. "They are having to make real choices, and what those real choices may entail can include the choice to not get certain services or medications or what may be needed for the care of themselves or their fetus."

Best-laid plans

Crivilare and her husband, Andrew, also a teacher, anticipated some of the costs.

The young couple settled in Jacksonville, in part because the farming community less than two hours north of St. Louis was the kind of place two public school teachers could afford a house. They saved aggressively. They bought life insurance.

And before Crivilare got pregnant in 2021, they enrolled in the most robust health insurance plan they could, paying higher premiums to minimize their deductible and out-of-pocket costs.

Then, two months before their baby was due, Crivilare learned she had developed preeclampsia. Her pregnancy would no longer be routine. Crivilare was put on blood pressure medication, and doctors at the local hospital recommended bed rest at a larger medical center in Springfield, about 35 miles away.

"I remember thinking when they insisted that I ride an ambulance from Jacksonville to Springfield  'I'm never going to financially recover from this,'" she said. "But I want my baby to be OK."

For weeks, Crivilare remained in the hospital alone as COVID protocols limited visitors. Meanwhile, doctors steadily upped her medications while monitoring the fetus. It was, she said, "the scariest month of my life."

Fear turned to relief after her daughter, Rita, was born. The baby was small and had to spend nearly two weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit. But there were no complications. "We were incredibly lucky," Crivilare said.

When she and Rita finally came home, a stack of medical bills awaited. One was already past due.

Crivilare rushed to set up payment plans with the hospitals in Jacksonville and Springfield, as well as the anesthesiologist, the surgeon, and the labs. Some providers demanded hundreds of dollars a month. Some settled for monthly payments of $20 or $25. Some pushed Crivilare to apply for new credit cards to pay the bills.

"It was a blur of just being on the phone constantly with all the different people collecting money," she recalled. "That was a nightmare."

Big bills, Big consequences

The Crivilares' bills weren't unusual. Parents with private health coverage now face on average more than $3,000 in medical bills related to a pregnancy and childbirth that aren't covered by insurance, researchers at the University of Michigan found.

Out-of-pocket costs are even higher for families with a newborn who needs to stay in a neonatal ICU, averaging $5,000. And for 1 in 11 of these families, medical bills related to pregnancy and childbirth exceed $10,000, the researchers found.

"This forces very difficult trade-offs for families," said Michelle Moniz, a University of Michigan OB-GYN who worked on the study. "Even though they have insurance, they still have these very high bills."

Nationwide polls suggest millions of these families end up in debt, with sometimes devastating consequences.

About three-quarters of U.S. adults with debt related to pregnancy or childbirth have cut spending on food, clothing, or other essentials, KFF polling found.

About half have put off buying a home or delayed their own or their children's education.

These burdens have spurred calls to limit what families must pay out-of-pocket for medical care related to pregnancy and childbirth.

In Massachusetts, state Sen. Cindy Friedman has proposed legislation to exempt all these bills from copays, deductibles, and other cost sharing. This would parallel federal rules that require health plans to cover recommended preventive services like annual physicals without cost sharing for patients.

"We want  healthy children, and that starts with healthy mothers," Friedman said. Massachusetts health insurers have warned the proposal will raise costs, but an independent state analysis estimated the bill would add only $1.24 to monthly insurance premiums.

Tough lessons

For her part, Crivilare said she wishes new parents could catch their breath before paying down medical debt.

"No one is in the right frame of mind to deal with that when they have a new baby," she said, noting that college graduates get such a break. "When I graduated with my college degree, it was like: 'Hey, new adult, it's going to take you six months to kind of figure out your life, so we'll give you this six-month grace period before your student loans kick in and you can get a job.'"

Rita is now 2. The family scraped by on their payment plans, retiring the medical debt within a year, with help from Crivilare's side job selling resources for teachers online.

But they are now back in debt, after Rita's recurrent ear infections required surgery last year, leaving the family with thousands of dollars in new medical bills.

Crivilare said the stress has made her think twice about seeing a doctor, even for Rita. And, she added, she and her husband have decided their family is complete.

"It's not for us to have another child," she said. "I just hope that we can put some of these big bills behind us and give [Rita] the life that we want to give her."

About this project

"Diagnosis: Debt" is a reporting partnership between KFF Health News and NPR exploring the scale, impact, and causes of medical debt in America.

The series draws on original polling by KFF, court records, federal data on hospital finances, contracts obtained through public records requests, data on international health systems, and a yearlong investigation into the financial assistance and collection policies of more than 500 hospitals across the country.

Additional research was conducted by the Urban Institute, which analyzed credit bureau and other demographic data on poverty, race, and health status for KFF Health News to explore where medical debt is concentrated in the U.S. and what factors are associated with high debt levels.

The JPMorgan Chase Institute analyzed records from a sampling of Chase credit card holders to look at how customers' balances may be affected by major medical expenses. And the CED Project, a Denver nonprofit, worked with KFF Health News on a survey of its clients to explore links between medical debt and housing instability.

KFF Health News journalists worked with KFF public opinion researchers to design and analyze the "KFF Health Care Debt Survey." The survey was conducted Feb. 25 through March 20, 2022, online and via telephone, in English and Spanish, among a nationally representative sample of 2,375 U.S. adults, including 1,292 adults with current health care debt and 382 adults who had health care debt in the past five years.

The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for the full sample and 3 percentage points for those with current debt. For results based on subgroups, the margin of sampling error may be higher.

Reporters from KFF Health News and NPR also conducted hundreds of interviews with patients across the country; spoke with physicians, health industry leaders, consumer advocates, debt lawyers, and researchers; and reviewed scores of studies and surveys about medical debt.

2024 Kaiser Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade nearly two years ago, paving the way for states to usher in new restrictions on abortion, doctors started seeing more young adults seeking vasectomies or getting their tubes tied, emerging research has found.

An analysis by University of Utah researchers , released as an abstract in the Journal of Urology, found that after Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a rising share of vasectomy patients were under the age of 30. That percentage went from 6.2% to 9.8% after the Supreme Court decision, based on their analysis of a national database that includes hundreds of millions of patients. Among the young patients who pursued the procedure is Kori Thompson, who decided to get a vasectomy in the aftermath of the court ruling. In Georgia where he lives, abortion is illegal roughly six weeks into a pregnancya point before some people may learn that they are pregnant. The University of Utah researchers found that before the Supreme Court ruling, vasectomy rates were consistently higher in states categorized as "hostile" or "illegal" for abortion by the Center for Reproductive Rights, compared to states that were not as restrictive. The same was true after the ruling. Yet researchers also found an overall uptick in vasectomy rates after the Dobbs decisionboth in states where abortion is heavily restricted and those where it is not. In California, where state leaders have vowed to protect abortion rights, the rate of men getting vasectomies rose after the court decision, from roughly 7 to 13 per 100,000 potential patients, the Utah team found.

"We're just seeing an overall increase in vasectomiesregardless of political climate" in each state, said Dr. Jessica Schardein, a urologist at the University of Utah. Schardein said the Supreme Court ruling and increased marketing for vasectomies may have gotten more people thinking about the procedure.

"People in general, even if they don't have a uterus, are taking responsibility for their reproductive health," Schardein said.

Her team also examined tubal sterilizationsa medical procedure often called "getting your tubes tied," performed on the fallopian tubes connected to the uterusand found that after the court decision, there was an increase in the percentage of patients ages 18 to 30 among those undergoing the procedure.

In Riverside County, Jacob Snow decided to get a vasectomy after the birth of his third child, concluding it was a safer option than his wife had for sterilization. "There's no reason why all the blame and stress and trying to stop a pregnancy should be placed on the female when I can stop it at my end," the 28-year-old said.

Even though Snow was already a parent, the doctor balked because of his age, he said. "They said I might change my mind in the future," Snow recalled. "They flat out just refused."

Vasectomies are intended to be permanent. The surgery may be able to be reversed with other procedures, but physicians caution that doing so is not a guaranteed option.

Snow ultimately found another doctor to do the procedure. Besides the pushback from the first physician, Snow said some men have been aghast when he tells them he had a vasectomy, saying it would make them feel like less of a man. But Snow said he doesn't "feel that reproducing is how I need to prove that I'm a man."

The University of Utah findings, presented at the annual meeting of the American Urological Assn., have been echoed in other recent research.

Last month, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health and Boston University published findings in JAMA Health Forum showing "an abrupt increase" in vasectomies and tube tying following Dobbs, with a sharper increase in tubal ligation.

The difference "likely reflects the fact that young women are overwhelmingly responsible for preventing pregnancy and disproportionately experience the health, social and economic consequences of abortion bans," University of Pittsburgh assistant professor Jacqueline Ellison said in a statement.

Another analysis in the Journal of Urology that included multiple medical centers around the countryincluding UCLAfound that after the Dobbs decision, the typical patient seeking a vasectomy was younger than before. Researchers also found that an increased share were childless.

There was also a rise in the number of patients consulting doctors about the medical procedure, said Dr. Kara Watts, a urologist at Montefiore Medical Center in New York Cityand longer waits to get the surgery after a consultation. If wait times weren't an issue, Watts said, "the numbers would probably be even more dramatic."

Researchers detected a similar trend in the UC San Diego health system, where there was a rise in men seeking consultations about vasectomies after the Dobbs decision, as well as increased rates of patients going through with the procedure after their consultations, according to another review presented at the urology meeting.

Even though California has enshrined abortion rights in its state constitution, "I think that vasectomy consultations and completion rates still increased due to the national media coverage on the Supreme Court ruling," said Dr. Vi Nguyen, one of the authors of the analysis.

And at Ohio State University, urologists surveyed patients about why they chose to get vasectomies and found that after the Dobbs decision, they were more likely to cite concerns about abortion access or say that "they did not want to bring children into the current political climate."

Other reasons for wanting a vasectomy, such as health concerns, did not change after Dobbs, the survey found. Dr. Jessica Yih, an assistant professor of urology at the Ohio State University, wasn't surprised.

"Immediately after the Dobbs ruling, many people were extremely concerned about their reproductive rights," Yih said in an email. "We had a threefold increase in referrals of patients who were wanting to be scheduled to discuss vasectomies and the number of vasectomies performed around this time increased dramatically."

Abortion has been a sharply contested issue in Ohio, where a law banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy initially went into effect after the Dobbs ruling. That ban was later put on hold in court, and Ohio voters have since backed protections for abortion access in its state constitution.

"Many patients told us at our clinics that they wanted their vasectomies done as soon as possible due to concerns about restrictions in abortion access," Yih said.

2024 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Cell-based therapies can potentially restore normal immune function and treat organ failure in sepsis. Medical researchers have embarked on clinical trials and pre-clinical studies to investigate the efficacy and safety of such therapies, signaling a promising new avenue in sepsis treatment. Credit: Professor Xiangming Fang of Zhejiang University, China

Imagine the human body mounting an excessively heightened reaction to an infection, causing multiple organ failures and posing a risk of death. This condition, recognized as sepsis, affects approximately 49 million individuals worldwide annually. To reduce the mortality rate and the global burden of sepsis, the World Health Organization has classified it as a priority research area.

When coupled with surgical trauma, anesthetic drugs, and various invasive procedures, the impact intensifies, resulting in additional impairment to vital organ functions such as respiration and circulation, making the situation even more perilous and complex. How to improve the perioperative prognosis of patients with concurrent sepsis constitutes a formidable challenge for anesthesiologists.

Bundled therapies form the crux of current sepsis management and treatments that focus on patient revival through fluid administration, timely administration of antibiotics, stabilization of cardiovascular function and blood flow, and supportive care to prevent organ failure. Nevertheless, the constrained efficacy of bundled therapies, especially in treating multiple organ failures over the past two decades, encourages medical researchers to discover novel sepsis therapies.

With the advent of cell-based therapies, there is now the potential to restore normal immune function and protect against multiple organ failures. Medical researchers worldwide are exploring the impact of cell-based therapies on sepsis management and treatment. Advancing the understanding on this front, a research group led by Professor Xiangming Fang from the Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, China, reviewed the existing literature on such cell-based therapies.

Prof. Fang says, "This review provides a concise overview of immune cell therapy, its current status, and the strides made in the context of sepsis research, discussing potential strategies for the management of patients with sepsis during perioperative stages." Their findings were published online in the Chinese Medical Journal in April 2024.

The research group found that mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapies are emerging as a promising approach for treating sepsis. MSCs have progressed to phase II clinical trials, reflecting the growing interest in the therapeutic potential of these MSCs. They also highlighted that future investigations could concentrate on determining the ideal dosage, administration routes, and storage methods to maximize the efficacy and safety of the treatment.

Importantly, the researchers found that innate immune cells called macrophages, particularly those expressing high levels of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2high), have shown significant promise in pre-clinical studies addressing surgical sepsis.

The phagocytic function (engulfment and digestion of the infectious agents) of these cells, along with debris clearance, tissue repair, and organ perfusion abilities, may ultimately modulate outcomes in surgical sepsis cases. Moreover, latest studies show that targeted administration of these macrophages may facilitate organ function recovery, like heart function, enhancing postoperative outcomes in patients with sepsis.

Furthermore, the researchers highlighted that various immune cell subsets, including neutrophils, natural killer (NK) cells, dendritic cells (DCs), T cells, and B cells, exhibit therapeutic potential in sepsis management. Although neutrophils are essential players in the immune defense against infection, they can behave abnormally during sepsis, contributing to immune dysregulation and organ dysfunction.

Similarly, NK cells help fight viral infections but ambiguously affect the body during sepsis. DCs help initiate immune responses, but their numbers decrease and function diminishes during sepsis, making them a potential target for treatment. Various subsets of T cells help regulate immune responses but undergo suppression during sepsis. B cells have been conventionally associated with antibody production but also play complex roles in sepsis, with some evidence suggesting they may have a protective function.

Moving forward, the researchers also emphasize the need for further studies on the behaviors of these immune cells to uncover potential applications as therapeutic targets. The review also discussed the distinctive challenges in the clinical implementation of cell-based immunotherapies for managing and treating sepsis, including precise cell modification, safety, delivery routes, and cost-effectiveness.

Prof. Fang adds, "Future studies should delve deeper into aspects such as optimal dosage, administration route, and storage methods."

Overall, the advent of cell-based immunotherapies for managing and treating sepsis provides hope to millions of patients and their caregivers. We certainly hope that these research endeavors lead to a new era of better sepsis management.

More information: Hui Ye et al, Advancing cell-based therapy in sepsis: An anesthesia outlook, Chinese Medical Journal (2024). DOI: 10.1097/CM9.0000000000003097

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The FDA never inspected Johns Dental Laboratories during more than a decade in which it made the Anterior Growth Guidance Appliance, or "AGGA," a dental device that has allegedly harmed patients and is now the subject of a criminal investigation.

According to FDA documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, the agency "became aware" of the AGGA from a joint investigation by KFF Health News and CBS News in March 2023, then responded with its first-ever inspection of Johns Dental months later.

That inspection found that the Indiana dental device manufacturer didn't require all customer complaints to be investigated and the company did not investigate some complaints about people being hurt by products, including the AGGA, the FDA documents state. The FDA requires device companies to investigate complaints and forward them to the agency. Johns Dental had "never" alerted the FDA to any such complaints, according to the documents.

The AGGA, which its inventor testified has been used on more than 10,000 patients, was promoted by dentists nationwide, some of whom said it could "grow" or "expand" an adult's jaw without surgery and treat common ailments like sleep apnea. But these claims were not backed by peer-reviewed research, and Johns Dental has settled lawsuits from 20 patients who alleged the AGGA caused them grievous harm. The company has not admitted liability.

Two former FDA officials said the AGGA was likely able to stay on the marketand off the FDA's radarfor so long because of the lack of inspections and investigations at Johns Dental. Madris Kinard, a former FDA manager who founded Device Events, which analyzes FDA data, said it defies belief that Johns Dental never received a complaint worthy of relaying to the FDA.

"That's a red flag for me. If I don't see a single report to the FDA, I typically think there is something going on," Kinard said. "When they don't report, what you have is devices that stay on the market much longer than they should. And patients get harmed."

Johns Dental Laboratories declined to comment when reached by phone and its lawyers did not respond to requests for an interview. The family-owned company, which has operated since 1939 in the western Indiana city of Terre Haute, sells dozens of products to dentists and makes hundreds of retainers and sleep apnea appliances each month, according to its website.

Twelve of Johns Dental's products are registered with the FDA as Class II medical devices, meaning they carry at least a moderate risk, and some have been featured on the company website for at least two decades, according to screen captures preserved by the Internet Archive.

The AGGA, which was invented by Tennessee dentist Steve Galella in the 1990s, was not registered with the FDA like Johns Dental's other devices. Company owner Jerry Neuenschwander has said in sworn court depositions that Johns Dental started making the AGGA in 2012 and became Galella's exclusive manufacturer in 2015 and that at one point the AGGA was responsible for about one-sixth of Johns Dental's total sales revenue.

In another deposition, Johns Dental CEO Lisa Bendixen said the company made about 3,000 to 4,000 AGGAs a year and paid Galella's company a "royalty" of $50 to $65 for every sale.

"We are not dentists. We do not know how these appliances work. All we do is manufacture to Dr. Galella's specifications," she said, according to a deposition transcript.

The FDA's lack of knowledge about the AGGA likely contributed to its loose oversight of Johns Dental. When asked to explain the lack of inspection, the FDA said that, based on what it knew at the time, it was not required to inspect Johns Dental until 2018 when the company registered as a "contract manufacturer" of other medical devices.

Prior to 2018, the FDA was only aware of Johns Dental operating as a "dental laboratory," which normally do not manufacture their own products and only modify devices made by other companies to fit dentists' specifications. The FDA does not regularly inspect dental labs, although it can if it has concerns or gets complaints, the agency said.

Kinard said that based on her experience at the FDA she believes the agency prioritizes medical devices over dental devices, which may have contributed to the lack of inspections at Johns Dental.

"There hasn't been much attention to dental devices in the past," Kinard said. "Hopefully that's going to change because of dental implant failures, as well as this device, which has quite obviously had serious issues."

The AGGA resembles a retainer and uses springs to apply pressure to the front teeth and upper palate, according to a patent application. Last year, the KFF Health News-CBS News investigation revealed the AGGA was not backed by any peer-reviewed research and had never been submitted to the FDA for review.

At the time, at least 20 patients had alleged in lawsuits that the AGGA had caused grievous harm to their teeth, gums, and boneand some said they'd lost teeth. Multiple dental specialists said in interviews that they had examined AGGA patients whose teeth had been shoved out of position by the device, sometimes causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage.

"The entire concept of this device, of this treatment, makes zero sense," said Kasey Li, a maxillofacial surgeon who published research on AGGA patients that appeared on a National Institutes of Health website. "It doesn't grow the jaw. It doesn't widen the jaw. It just pushes the teeth out of their original position.

Johns Dental and Galella have negotiated out-of-court settlements with the original 20 AGGA plaintiffs without publicly admitting fault. At least 13 more AGGA patients have filed similar lawsuits since the KFF Health News-CBS News investigation. Johns Dental and Galella denied wrongdoing or have not yet responded to the allegations in the newer lawsuits.

Galella declined to be interviewed in 2023 and neither he nor his attorneys responded to recent requests for comment. One of his attorneys, Alan Fumuso, said in a 2023 statement that the AGGA "is safe and can achieve beneficial results" when used properly.

In the wake of the KFF Health News-CBS News report, Johns Dental abruptly stopped making the AGGA, according to the newly released FDA documents. The Department of Justice soon after opened a criminal investigation into the AGGA that was ongoing as of December, according to court filings. No charges have been filed. A DOJ spokesperson declined comment.

Spurred by the March 2023 news report, the FDA inspected Johns Dental in July. The FDA's website shows that Johns Dental was issued seven citations, but the substance of the agency's findings was not known until the inspection report was obtained this year.

FDA investigator David Gasparovich wrote in that report that he arrived unannounced at Johns Dental last July and was met by five attorneys who instructed employees not to answer any questions about the AGGA or the company's complaint policies. Neuenschwander was told by his attorney not to talk to the inspector, the report states.

"He asked if he could photograph my credentials," Gasparovich wrote in his report. "This was the last conversation I would have with Mr. Neuenschwander at the request of his attorney."

The FDA requires device companies to investigate product complaints and submit a "medical device report" to the agency within 30 days if the products may have contributed to serious injury or death. Gasparovich's inspection report states that Johns Dental had "not adequately investigated customer complaints," and its complaint policies were "not adequately established," allowing employees to not investigate if the product was not first returned to the company.

Johns Dental received four complaints about the AGGA after the KFF Health News-CBS News report, including one that came after the FDA announced "safety concerns" about the device, according to the inspection report.

"Zero (0) out of the four (4) complaints were investigated," Gasparovich wrote in the report. "Each complaint was closed on the same day it was received."

In the months after Gasparovich's inspection, Johns Dental sent letters to the FDA saying it revised its complaint policies to require more investigations and hired a consultant and an auditor to address other FDA concerns, according to the documents obtained through FOIA.

Former FDA analyst M. Jason Brooke, now an attorney who advises medical device companies, said the FDA uses an internal risk-based algorithm to determine when to inspect manufacturers and he advises his clients to expect inspections every three to five years.

Brooke said the AGGA is an example of how the FDA's oversight can be hamstrung by its reliance on device manufacturers to be transparent. If device companies don't report to the agency, it can be left unaware of patient complaints, malfunctions, or even entire products, he said.

When a company "doesn't follow the law," Brooke said, "the FDA is in the dark."

"If there aren't complaints coming from patients, doctors, competitors, or the company itself, then in a lot of ways, there's just a dearth of information for the FDA to consume to trigger an inspection," Brooke said.

2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Research led by the University of Southampton shows particular regions of England have suffered over a decade of increasing mental health inequalities, but finds the picture varies greatly across different parts of the country.

The study, in collaboration with the University of Liverpool, examines the relationship between socioeconomic conditions within local areas and the mental health of people who live there.

The researchers analyzed data covering a 12 year period and mapped "hot-spots" across the country where people have been coping with a very low standard of living and where there has been, and continues to be, high levels of depression in the community.

They found deprivation accounted for up to 39% of the recorded levels of depression across all the regions of England. However, the link between the two is highly variable across the nation, with pockets of the country where the association is very strong and other areas where it is not.

This suggests that different interventions are needed in different areas to tackle depression.

Dr. Dalia Tsimpida, Lecturer in Gerontology at the University of Southampton and honorary lecturer in public health at the University of Liverpool, states, "Understanding where and why depression rates are increasing is key to tackling widening mental health inequalities. Our study provides the first comprehensive nationwide picture of these patterns, offering valuable insights for targeted public mental health interventions.

"Our research underscores the importance of spatial context in understanding mental health outcomes. Populations with similar characteristics living in close proximity often share common experiences and mental health challenges, leading to varying levels of 'spatial mental burden' across different areas."

The findings are published in the journal SSMPopulation Health.

The researchers examined rates and geographical distribution of depression using an NHS database which records the annual percentage of adults diagnosed with the condition across some 32 thousand small census areas of England.

By combining this with a corresponding index showing rates of deprivation, they were able to be the first to analyze in detail the spatial relationship between the two. The research covers a period between 2011 and 2022.

The study revealed that during these 12 years, the North West and North East of England experienced very significant "hot-spots" of both depression and deprivation. In the North West these clusters accounted for around 17% of the geographical area of the region and in the North East, 10%.

The North West had the largest percentage in England of areas with a high rate of increase in depression prevalence, at 43%. This indicates that mental health inequalities are widening rapidly here. In the North East, mental health inequalities are also widening at a higher rate compared to other regions in the country. Here, one in three people reside in areas marked by persistently high depression rates, which stands as the highest proportion among all regions nationwide.

By contrast, London had the lowest percentage of hotspots for depression and deprivation, with only 0.38% of its overall area falling into this category. The city also had a very low percentage (0.005%) of its population living in these areas.

These low levels are echoed across much of the South East of England, leading the researchers to suggest there is a North / South divide in mental health outcomes, with areas around Newcastle, Preston, Liverpool, Manchester and Leicester all showing high levels of both depression and deprivation. Towns and cities in the South show much lower rates, although hotspots still occur in areas of the South West, near Bristol, Plymouth, the Dorset coast and the east of Kent.

Dr. Tsimpida comments, "The relationship between socioeconomic deprivation and depression is complex and varies across different regions, suggesting that traditional randomized controlled trials (RCTs) may not fully capture these spatial influences. To better understand depression, future mental health research should consider contextual factors beyond individual characteristics."

The study authors say their results show a need for region-specific strategies to effectively target areas with the highest need, particularly in the North West and North East. By identifying hotspots, policymakers can allocate resources more effectively, focusing on prevention and intervention strategies that address the root causes of mental health inequalities.

Co-author, Rhiannon Corcoran, professor of psychology and public mental health at the University of Liverpool, adds, "Our study suggests that treating depression may involve addressing not only individual issues but also the characteristics of the neighborhood in which a person lives.

"This new level of understanding, focusing on geographical context, can guide evidence-based public mental health interventions. By identifying and monitoring high-priority areas with the greatest need, resources can be more effectively allocated for targeted support."

More information: Dialechti Tsimpida et al, Unravelling the dynamics of mental health inequalities in England: A 12-year nationwide longitudinal spatial analysis of recorded depression prevalence, SSM - Population Health (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2024.101669
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PD-1 is required for neonatal heart regeneration. Credit: Nature Cardiovascular Research (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s44161-024-00447-7

When the heart is injured, as in a myocardial infarction, the damaged heart muscle cannot regenerateinstead, scar tissue forms. Cardiomyocytes, the heart muscle cells that generate contractile force, are lost for good. Yet, in mouse models, the hearts of newborns regenerate readily after injury.

How are newborn hearts able to recover? What are the necessary ingredients for regeneration? Miao Cui, Ph.D., began asking these questions as a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Eric Olson at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Continuing the investigations in her own lab in the Department of Cardiology at Boston Children's Hospital, Cui has been finding factors that support heart regeneration. They include a pathway that cancers have co-opted to escape attack.

Could interventions reactivate some of these factors to treat cardiomyopathies in children and heart disease in adults?

An audit of the newborn heart

Early on, Cui and Olson identified a unique subpopulation of cardiomyocytes that retain regenerative capacity. Looking at RNA sequencing data from these so-called CM4 cells in a mouse model, Cui has identified several regeneration-friendly factors.

One, a transcription factor known as NFYa, is involved in mitochondrial metabolism and is key in activating genes involved with cell proliferation in the growing fetal heart. As recently described in Developmental Cell, loss of NFYa led to a decrease in immature, regenerating cells; an increase in mature, non-regenerating cardiomyocytes; impaired mitochondrial metabolism; and failure of the heart to grow.

Another transcription factor, Nrf1, regulates a genetic program involved in adapting to cellular stress. As Cui and colleagues detailed in Nature Communications, loss of Nrf1 prevented newborn hearts from regenerating. Conversely, increasing expression of Nrf1 in adult mouse hearts protected them from ischemia/reperfusion injurya promising lead Cui is investigating further.

Heart regeneration, immunosuppression, and cancer

The latest work, co-led by Stephanie Vargas Aguilar, Ph.D., at UT Southwestern and published in Nature Cardiovascular Research, identified a surprising factor that helps the newborn heart regenerate: the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway. This well-known pathway suppresses the immune system; cancers use it to avoid immune attack by the body's T cells. In oncology, it's the target of many checkpoint inhibitor drugs.

In the newborn heart, activation of the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway maintains an immunosuppressive environment that enables regeneration, the researchers found.

"We found systematic downregulation of PD-1 and PD-L1 in the immune system after birth," notes Cui, who also holds an appointment in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School. "It is possible that, during the pregnancy, high PD-1/PD-L1 activity is beneficial for escaping the maternal immune response. However, once the mice are born, it is critical to quickly reduce the levels of PD-1/PD-L1 to prevent infections."

When the researchers suppressed the pathway in newborn mice with a cardiac injury, they saw increased inflammation and T-cell activation and impaired heart regeneration.

"We surmised that activation of T cells is promoting the death of cardiomyocytes," Cui says. She thinks the findings could also explain why cancer patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors often develop myocarditis.

Exploring therapeutic approaches

Cui's next step is to investigate ways to up-regulate the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway in the heart through gene therapy or cell therapy (transferring newborn-like T cells) to get heart tissue to regenerate after a heart attack.

That's just one potential therapeutic target Cui hopes to explore. Her lab aims to uncover additional factors through a systematic survey of genetic networks that regulate regeneration. The goal would then be to over-express them through gene therapy in animal models to see the effects on cardiac development and recovery from stress and injury.

Cui also hopes to apply her studies to human heart tissue in collaboration with Sarah Morton, MD, Ph.D., in the Division of Newborn Medicine. Morton's research focuses on the genetics of congenital heart disease (CHD). The two plan to investigate whether patients with CHD have mutations in the genes Cui has connected with heart regeneration.

"I am looking forward to this collaboration," says Morton. "Appreciating how genetic variation could contribute to cardiac regeneration and resiliency could help us understand differences in outcomes among patients with CHD and might enable new therapeutic options to improve their health."
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Shared fingerprints of anti-PF4 antibodies in VITT and VITT-like disorders after adenovirus infection. Credit: New England Journal of Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc2402592

New research led by Flinders University and international experts is expanding understanding of vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (known as VITT).

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, VITT emerged as a new disease following adenovirus vector-based vaccinesnotably the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

VITT was found to be caused by an unusually dangerous blood autoantibody directed against a protein termed platelet factor 4 (or PF4).

In separate research in 2023, researchers from Canada, North America, Germany and Italy described a virtually identical disorder with the same PF4 antibody that was fatal in some cases after natural adenovirus (common cold) infection.

Flinders University researchers Dr. Jing Jing Wang and Flinders Professor Tom Gordon, Head of Immunology at SA Pathology in South Australia, led a previous study in 2022 which cracked the molecular code of the PF4 antibody and identified a genetic risk factor related to an antibody gene termed IGLV3.21*02.

Now, the Flinders group has collaborated with this international group of researchers to find that the PF4 antibodies in both adenovirus infection-associated VITT and classic adenoviral vectored VITT share identical molecular fingerprints or signatures.

The research will also have implications for improving vaccine development, says Flinders University researcher Dr. Wang, first author on the article published in the New England Journal of Medicine and titled "Antibody Fingerprints Linking Adenoviral Anti-PF4 Disorders."

"These findings, using a completely new approach for targeting blood antibodies developed at Flinders University, indicate a common triggering factor on virus and vaccine structures that initiates the pathological pF4 antibodies," explains Professor Gordon.

"Indeed, the pathways of lethal antibody production in these disorders must be virtually identical and have similar genetic risk factors.

"Our findings have the important clinical implication that lessons learned from VITT are applicable to rare cases of blood clotting after adenovirus (a common cold) infections, as well as having implications for vaccine development," he says.

More information: Jing Jing Wang et al, Antibody Fingerprints Linking Adenoviral Anti-PF4 Disorders, New England Journal of Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc2402592 Journal information: New England Journal of Medicine
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Listening to mental health podcasts reduces stigma, supports the development of mental health literacy and increases help-seeking, a new study finds.

The study shows that mental health podcasts helped listeners to learn coping strategies, deepen their sense of self-compassion and effectively directed them to other services and resources. Researchers found that podcasts are a driving force in shifting perspectives from stigma to shared experiences.

The research is published in the journal Rural and Remote Health.

Led by researchers at University College Cork (UCC), the research highlights the importance of ethical practices in the podcast industry highlighting the need for professionals to endorse particular podcasters who are not engaging in erroneous or misleading advice.

Podcasting is projected to become a $4 billion industry in 2024. There are reportedly over 400m monthly podcast listeners worldwide, while in Ireland, 46% of the public listened to a podcast on a monthly basis. Mental health podcasts have emerged as powerful tools, offering insight, support and guidance to listeners.

Reducing mental health stigma

Participants said they gained new perspectives by listening to mental health podcasts which in turn enhanced their increased understanding of mental health topics and reduced mental health stigma.

Naoise O Caoilte, MA Applied Psychology (Mental Health) graduate in UCC School of Applied Psychology, said, "Our research found that listeners furthered their own knowledge of and language around mental health topics. Participants noted the importance of gaining access to trusted experts was key to this psychoeducation."

"Our study also reveals that a range of professionals, including therapists, teachers and health care professionals, are using podcasts as a channel for continuing professional development and gaining new perspectives," Caoilte said.

Increased compassion for self and others

Researchers found that participants became equipped with language to help understand their own mental health in a more self-reflective manner. Mental health podcasts provided the language to describe thoughts or emotions that may have been difficult to articulate previously.

The study found that podcasts helped listeners to develop self-compassion and increased compassion for other people through developing different and new perspectives.

Participants indicated that mental health-related podcasts have helped them to develop a sense of connection to others, through learning that experiencing mental health issues is "normal". Many individuals noted the value of connection, mental health-related podcasts helped them to feel "less alone" in their struggles.

The research finds that social disconnection is a major contributing factor and outcome for poor mental health, particularly in the context of experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings offer evidence for the success of mental health podcasts as an accessible and informative tool.

Dr. Sharon Lambert said, "Our results indicate that a strong sense of 'connection to others,' 'validation,' and 'normalization' of mental health issues has been central to participants' experiences. The effect of this increase in connection and normalization has on a person's mental health cannot be understated. The study shows that podcasts are valued by the public as an effective medium to decrease stigma, increase hope and connection."

Highly accessible platform for education

With podcasts' unique ability to offer on-demand and low-cost access, the study found that podcasts are changing attitudes to help-seeking behavior and can effectively signpost to more formal mental health services.

Caoilte said, "Commentators have previously expressed concern about the use of mental health podcasts, saying that listeners could utilize podcasts and forgo professional supports. In fact, our study finds that listening to mental health podcasts encouraged participants to develop a deeper sense of self compassion and increased positive attitudes towards help seeking behavior."

The study found that podcasts can offer a highly accessible platform for education and practical guidance. Participants contrast this accessibility with barriers they perceive in formal mental health services, particularly for those who live in rural and remote locations where there might be an absence of any service provision, long waiting lists and high costs.

"The study shows that mental health podcasts are informative with significant potential to reach people in underserved communities. Given that our data indicates that podcasts are being utilized by mental health professionals, it may be advisable that mental health-related podcasts be endorsed by professional bodies. This will allow the public to feel assured that the content is evidence-based, safe and appropriate," Dr. Lambert said.

More information: Caoilte et al, 'There's no waiting list, just press play': listeners' experiences of mental-health-related podcasts, Rural and Remote Health (2024). DOI: 10.22605/RRH8213
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Intravascular imaging using neuro optical coherence tomography (nOCT). The nOCT probe is compatible with standard neurovascular microcatheters, integrating with the procedural workflow used in clinical routine. nOCT captures high-resolution three-dimensional optical data sets providing volumetric microscopy of tortuous cerebral arteries, surrounding structures, and therapeutic devices. Credit: Science Translational Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adl4497

A large international team of micro-engineers, medical technologists, and neurosurgeons, has designed, built and tested a new type of probe that can be used to take pictures from inside arteries in the brain.

In their paper published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, the group describes how the probe was designed and created and how well it has performed during initial testing.

When patients develop medical problems in their brains, such as clots, aneurysms or hardened arteries, the tools available to doctors to diagnose them are limited to imaging technology that takes pictures of veins and arteries from an outside-of-the-brain view. Such images are then used as maps to direct catheter-like devices through veins and arteries into and through parts of the brain to make repairs.

The problem with such an approach is that the imagery used is not always clear, or precise. It also does not allow the surgeon to see what is happening inside of the vein or artery as it is being repaired, resulting in semi-blind procedures.

In this new study, the research team has created a camera-carrying probe that is small enough to fit inside a catheter, which allows for the capture of near-real-time imagery from inside veins and arteries in the brain.

The movie provides an example of a 2-second acquisition encompassing the M2 and M1 segments of the middle-cerebral artery and the distal internal carotid artery. The movie is played in slow motion, at a speed of approximately 20% of normal speed. The scan is approximately 50 mm long, and collected 500 cross-sectional images with a longitudinal spacing of 0.1 mm. Credit: Science Translational Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adl4497

The new probe is based on optical coherence tomographya type of imaging technology that has been used by eye and heart surgeons to treat patients. It generates images by processing backscattering of near-infrared light. Until now, such devices have been too bulky and stiff for use inside the brain.

To overcome this problem, the research team replaced the components with smaller parts, such as a fiber-optic cable as thin as a human hair. They also used a modified type of glass to forge a distal lens that makes up the head of the probe that allows for bending.

The resulting probe is mostly hollow and has a wormlike appearance. It also spins at 250 times per second to help it move easily through veins and arteries. The camera takes pictures at a rate proportional to need. The entire probe fits easily inside a catheter, which facilitates its placement and movement inside the arteries and veins of the brainand also its removal.

Intracranial in-stent restenosis assessment using nOCT imaging. nOCT visualizes in high-resolution the implanted stent, the pattern of in-stent restenosis, and the microstructure of the arterial wall, providing a detailed assessment of the arterial wall pathology. Credit: Science Translational Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adl4497

After testing in animals, the probe has been moved to clinical trials at two sites, one in Canada, the other in Argentina. To date, 32 patients have been treated using the new probe. The team reports that thus far, they have found it to be safe, well-tolerated and successful in all cases. They conclude by suggesting their new probe is ready for general use.

More information: Vitor M. Pereira et al, Volumetric microscopy of cerebral arteries with a miniaturized optical coherence tomography imaging probe, Science Translational Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adl4497 Journal information: Science Translational Medicine

 2024 Science X Network
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Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin jointly met the press in Beijing on Thursday.

Xi noted that Putin's state visit to China is his first visit abroad since starting a new presidential term. It speaks to the high importance that President Putin and the Russian side attach to the relationship. Xi extended a warm welcome to Putin.

Xi said that he and Putin had just concluded a sincere and cordial meeting covering many topics. They had a comprehensive review of the successful experience in developing the China-Russia relationship over the past 75 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, had an in-depth exchange of views on the relationship and on major international and regional issues of mutual interest, and charted the course forward for Sino-Russian relations and cooperation across the board.

Xi added that he and Putin also signed and issued the Joint Statement of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination for the New Era in the Context of the 75th Anniversary of China-Russia Diplomatic Relations, and witnessed the signing of a number of important intergovernmental and interagency cooperation documents, which inject new, strong impetus into the sound development of China-Russia relations.

Xi stressed that this year marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Russia. In the past three quarters of a century, the China-Russia relationship has grown stronger amidst wind and rain. Since entering the new era, the relationship has been further elevated, cooperation increasingly enriched, and lasting friendship taking deeper root in the heart of the two peoples. The China-Russia relationship has become a prime example of a new form of international relations as well as good-neighborly relations between two major countries. The notable progress in China-Russia relations is attributable to the two countries' commitment to five principles.

First, Xi said, China and Russia are committed to mutual respect as the fundamental principle of relations, and always render support for each other's core interests. The two presidents agree that the key to the two countries' finding a new path to growing relations between major and neighboring countries lies in mutual respect and equality as well as steadfast mutual support on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns. This is central to the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era.

The two sides will continue to uphold the principles of non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party, deepen two-way political trust, respect each other's choice of development path, and realize development and revitalization with each other's firm support, Xi added.

Second, Xi said, China and Russia are committed to win-win cooperation as the driving force of relations, and work to foster a new paradigm of mutual benefit. Last year, two-way trade exceeded 240 billion U.S. dollars, close to 2.7 times of that of a decade ago. This is a good indication of the all-round cooperation of mutual benefit that continues to deepen between the two countries. The presidents agree that the two countries need to look for areas where their interests converge, tap into their comparative strengths, deepen the integration of interests, and enable each other's success.

The two countries need to make further structural improvements to their cooperation, consolidate the good momentum in trade and other traditional areas of cooperation, support the formation of platforms and networks for basic research, continue to unlock cooperation potential in frontier areas, step up cooperation on ports, transportation and logistics, and help keep the global industrial and supply chains stable, Xi said.

Third, China and Russia are committed to lasting friendship as the foundation of relations, and carry forward the torch of Sino-Russian friendship. Both China and Russia have a time-honored history and a splendid culture. Works of Pushkin and Tolstoy are household names in China, and Peking Opera and Tai Chi are much loved by the Russian people. By focusing on implementing the Roadmap for China-Russia Cooperation on People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges Before 2030, the two countries are expanding people-to-people and cultural ties, Xi said.

The two presidents have set 2024 and 2025 as China-Russia Years of Culture, proposed a series of cultural activities that are down to earth, close to people's hearts and popular among them, and encouraged closer interactions between various sectors and at subnational levels, so as to enhance mutual understanding and affinity between the two peoples, Xi noted.

Fourth, Xi said, China and Russia are committed to strategic coordination as an underpinning of relations, and steer global governance in the right direction. The two countries are firmly committed to safeguarding the U.N.-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law. They stay in close coordination and collaboration in multilateral platforms such as the U.N., APEC and G20, and advance multipolarity and economic globalization in the spirit of true multilateralism.

With Russia chairing BRICS this year and China taking over the chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization later this year, the two sides will support each other's chairmanship, build a high-quality partnership that is more comprehensive, close, practical and inclusive, and build the unity and strength of the Global South, he added.

Fifth, China and Russia are committed to fairness and justice as the purpose of relations, and dedicated to the political settlement of hotspots. Cold War mentality still exists, and unilateralism, hegemonism, bloc confrontation and power politics threaten world peace and the security of all countries. The two presidents are of the view that it is urgent to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. U.N. resolutions must be earnestly implemented and the question of Palestine must be solved on the basis of the two-State solution, Xi said.

The two sides believe that a political settlement is the right way forward for the Ukraine crisis. China's position on this issue is consistent and clear, including observing the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, respecting the legitimate security concerns of all parties, and building a new security architecture that is balanced, effective and sustainable. China hopes that peace and stability will return to the European continent at an early date, and stands ready to play a constructive role to this end, he said.

Xi pointed out that as a Chinese saying goes, "A mountain is formed by accumulation of soil and an ocean is formed by accumulation of water." After 75 years of solid accumulation, lasting friendship and all-round cooperation between China and Russia provide a strong impetus for the two countries to forge ahead despite wind and rain. Having reached a new starting point, China and Russia will always remain committed to their founding purpose and jointly shoulder responsibility to create more benefits for their peoples and make due contribution to global security and stability.
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Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Since the earliest days of the pandemic, health officials have gauged the threat of COVID-19 by comparing it to the flu.

At first, it wasn't even close. People hospitalized in 2020 with the then-novel respiratory disease were five times more likely to die of their illness than were patients who had been hospitalized with influenza during the preceding flu seasons.

Immunity from vaccines and past coronavirus infections has helped tame COVID-19 to the point that when researchers compared the mortality rates of hospitalized COVID-19 and seasonal influenza patients during the height of the 202223 flu season, they found that the pandemic disease was only 61% more likely to result in death.

Now the same researchers have analyzed data for the the fall and winter of 2023 and 2024. Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, director of the Clinical Epidemiology Center at the VA St. Louis Health Care System, and his colleagues expected to find that the two respiratory diseases had finally equalized.

"There's a narrative out there that the pandemic is over, that it's a nothingburger," Al-Aly said. "We came into this thinking we would do this rematch and find it would be like the flu from now on."

The VA team examined electronic health records of patients treated in Veterans Affairs hospitals in all 50 states between Oct. 1 and March 27. They zeroed in on patients who were admitted because they had fevers, shortness of breath or other symptoms due to either COVID-19 or influenza. (People who were admitted for another reason, such as a heart attack, and were then found to have a coronavirus infection weren't included in the analysis.)

The COVID-19 patients were a little older, on average, than the flu patients (73.9 versus 70.2 years old), and they were less likely to be current or former smokers. They were also more likely to have received at least three doses of COVID-19 vaccine and less likely to have shunned the shots altogether.

Yet after Al-Aly and his colleagues accounted for these differences and a host of other factors, they found that 5.7% of the COVID-19 patients died of their disease, compared with 4.2% of the influenza patients.

In other words, the risk of death from COVID-19 was still 35% greater than it was for the flu. The findings were published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"There is undeniably an impression out there that (COVID-19) is no longer a major threat to human health," Al-Aly said. "I think it's largely driven by opinion and an emotional itch to move beyond the pandemic, to put it all behind us. We want to believe that it's like the flu, and we diduntil we saw the data."

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases specialist at UC San Francisco, said the study results are right in line with what he sees in his hospital.

"COVID continues to make some people in our community very ill and dieeven in 2024," he said. "Although most will not get seriously ill from COVID, for some people it is like 2020 all over again."

That's particularly true for people who are older, who haven't received their most recent recommended COVID-19 booster, and who haven't taken full advantage of antivirals such as Paxlovid. Chin-Hong noted that only 5% of the COVID-19 patients in the study had been treated with antivirals before they were hospitalized.

Even if the mortality rates for the COVID-19 and flu patients had been equal, COVID-19 would still be the bigger health threat because it is sending more people to the hospital, Al-Aly said.

Between Oct. 1 and the end of March, 75.5 out of every 100,000 Americans had been hospitalized with influenza, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During that same period, the hospitalization rate for COVID-19 was 122.9 per 100,000 Americans, the CDC says.

"COVID still carries a higher risk of hospitalization," Al-Aly said. "And among those hospitalized, more will die as a result."

Yet Al-Aly noted with frustration that while 48% of adults in the U.S. received a flu shot this year, only 21% of adults are up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations, according to the CDC.

Chin-Hong added that more than 95% of adults hospitalized with COVID-19 this past fall and winter had not received the latest booster shot, according to the CDC.

Considering all the tools available to prevent hospitalizations and deathsand especially the fact that they are readily available to patients in the VA systemthe 35% relative risk of death from COVID-19 compared with the flu was "surprisingly high," Chin-Hong said.

And it's not like the flu is a trivial health threat, especially for senior citizens and people who are immunocompromised. It routinely kills tens of thousands of Americans each year, CDC data show.

"Influenza is a consequential infection," Al-Aly said. "Even when COVID becomes equal to the flu, it's still sobering and significant."

The researchers also compared the mortality rates of VA COVID-19 patients before and after Dec. 24, when the omicron subvariant known as JN.1 became the dominant strain in the United States. The difference was not statistically significant.

In just the last two weeks, JN.1 appears to have been overtaken by one of its descendants, a subvariant known as KP.2. It's part of a family of subvariants that's taken on the nickname "FLiRT," a moniker that references some of the mutations that have cropped up on the viruses' spike proteins.

So far, there's no indication that KP.2 is any more dangerous than JN.1, Al-Aly said.

"Are the hospitals filling up? No," he said. "Are ER rooms all over the country flooded with respiratory illness? No." Nor are there worrying changes in the amount of coronavirus detected in wastewater.

"When you look at all these data streams, we're not seeing ominous signs that KP.2 is something the general public should worry about," Al-Aly said.

It's also too early to tell whether KP.2or whatever comes after itwill finally erase the mortality gap between COVID-19 and the flu, he added.

"Maybe when we do a rematch in 2025, that will be the case," he said.

2024 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A new study suggests that the tobacco company Philip Morris International (PMI), is successfully increasing public trust in industry-funded science by portraying itself as a generous supporter of scientific research while simultaneously concealing its involvement through third parties.

The paper, published in Frontiers in Communication, was co-authored by researchers in the Tobacco Control Research Group (TCRG) at the University of Bath, University of Colorado and University of Bristol.

In 2017, while publicly proclaiming itself to have transformed into a transparent organization funding robust science, tobacco producer Philip Morris International (PMI) launched a new scientific organization: the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW). On 13th May 2024, FSFW rebranded itself Global Action to End Smoking.

The new study aimed to understand the extent to which the public trusts PMI's involvement in science, and whether channeling funds through the third-party organization, FSFW, affected levels of trust in its science. 1,580 UK residents were asked to rate their level of trust in: PMI, FSFW, or Cancer Research UK (CRUK), on a scale from 1 (no trust) to 7 (complete trust). CRUK was selected as a control group as a highly trusted scientific organization, wholly independent from the tobacco industry.

Key Findings:

Overall trust in PMI was 4.66 on a scale from 1 (no trust) to 7 (complete trust), compared to 5.79 out of 7 in Cancer Research UK, indicating moderate trust in PMI's scientific endeavours.

Overall trust for FSFW was 5.04 out of 7. After participants were informed that FSFW is funded by the tobacco industry, the overall trust rating dropped to 4.77 out of 7. This suggests that when research is funded through a third-party scientific group such as FSFW, people are more likely to trust the science that emanates.

Dr. Tess Legg, Research Associate from the University of Bath's Department for Health and lead author of the paper, said, "This work is important because tobacco companies use their involvement in science as 'proof' that they are credible research organizations. They also funnel research funds through third-party companies and historically this has involved attempts to obscure their involvement in the resulting science."

Up until now, there has been no clear understanding of whether and to what extentthese two strategies work to build trust in the industry and its science. This study is the first in the UK to try to gain quantitative evidence of how effective these tactics are at making people trust the tobacco industry and its science.

The study's authors warn against the ongoing acceptance of tobacco industry funding and dissemination of scientific findings. They call for increased efforts to educate the public about the subtle yet harmful tactics employed by these industries.

Dr. Legg notes, "As it stands, FSFW still has an immense amount of money from PMI at its disposal and so the risk of it continuing to further the industry's interests is high. Our findings suggest that more needs to be done by the tobacco control and public health communities to help the UK public understand how underhand the tobacco industry's attempts to rebrand really are, and to stop scientific front groups from muddying the water by lending the industry an air of credibility.

"While the findings don't make particularly happy reading for those of us working to counter the tactics used by the tobacco industry, it's important to build up a quantitative picture of the effects the strategies used by industries to influence science are having.

"Beyond this, at a time when the tobacco industry continues its abhorrent attempts to infiltrate science as part of its pseudo-transformation,' we need to focus efforts on reforming science to ensure it works in the public interest."

This work builds on TCRG's previous work mapping the tactics that the tobacco industry (and other industries) use to influence science. It also builds on the group's work on the FSFW which has demonstrated that the tobacco industry continues its attempts to influence the evidence base on its products and paint itself as a credible partner in science.

More information: Tess Legg et al, The UK public's trust in tobacco industry involvement in science  an experimental survey, Frontiers in Communication (2024). DOI: 10.3389/fcomm.2024.1360277
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Its fans swear it can cure heart palpitations, dodgy stomachs and even impotence. Yet every year hundreds of people end up in hospital after gorging themselves on Turkey's "mad honey".

But beekeeper Bayram Demirciler is adamant the honey his bees make high in the mountains above the Black Sea "has never caused any problems".

In good years his hives in the province of Rize in northeast Turkey produce up to 350 kilos of "mad" rhododendron honey.

The lush green Pontic Alps is home to a subspecies of rhododendron whose purple flowers drip with pollen that give "mad honey" its color. They also contain a neurotoxin called grayanotoxin which can slow the heartbeat and that also packs a hallucinogenic punch.

"This honey is very good for people with hypertension," said Mustafa Oguz Alparslan, whose hivesprotected from sweet-toothed bears by an electric fenceare even higher up the mountains at 1,400 meters (4,600 feet).

But eat too much and "it can also cause a rapid fall in blood pressure", warned the beekeeper, who said he always "tests his honey as it takes it out the hive".

Knocked out a bear

Doctorswho recognize its virtues in small homeopathic dosessay the honey can slow the flow of blood to the brain, causing dizziness, fainting and even hallucinations.

Intoxication with "mad honey" was even documented in ancient times.

The Greek historian Strabo, who was born in the Black Sea region, said three of Pompey's Roman cohorts were put out of action by allies of the Pontian king Mithridates who left "pots of mad honey" in their path.

And it also figured in Agatha Christie's novel, "A Haunting in Venice", filmed last year by Kenneth Branagh.

The "Queen of Crime"who wrote part of "Murder on the Orient Express" in Istanbulhad Rowena Drake kill her own daughter with it and even used it to give Belgian detective Hercule Poirot visions.

The honey can even put beasts on their back. A young brown bear made headlines in August 2022 when he was found unconscious near hives in Duzce province at the other end of Turkey's Black Sea. It had keeled over after overindulging on "mad honey", according to the ministry of forestry and agriculture.

The same month a bus driver traveling between Rize and the port city of Trabzon blamed the honey for him passing out and crashing into cars at a traffic light.

In his hospital in Trabzon, Professor Abdulkadir Gunduz treats between "30 and 100" people who have been knocked sideways by the honey in bad years.

The doctor said it was "possible that there are thousands of cases" across the wider region.

"If we have a sunny May and June, the bees will feast on the rhododendrons," making the honey even stronger, said Professor Gunduz, who has long researched the subject.

One particular detail pricked his interest. "More than 80 percent of the intoxicated patients are men over 50. Some believe (the honey) ups their sexual performance," he said.

'Almost died for nothing'

In his shop in Cayeli, 20 kilometers from Rize, Necmettin Colak recommends his customers "take a soup spoon of the honey on an empty stomach".

For more mature clients in search of a sexual pick-me-up, he advises his chestnut honey instead, which he swears is "more efficient".

He stores his "mad honey" for several months to allow its more problematic attributes to dissipate before tasting it himself and selling it at 55 euros a kilo.

But not everyone takes such precautions. Alaattin Demirci, from Trabzon province, had to be taken to hospital after eating some "mad honey" in January 2021.

A few days later the sixtysomething posted photos of himself on Facebook on a drip, insisting that he would "never again" try it, saying he "almost died for nothing".

 2024 AFP
An airplane went down Tuesday afternoon near Forsyth, Montana, killing two people.

The federal government is investigating the wreck, and details are sparse regarding the circumstances of the crash.

The crash occurred Tuesday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The two people, a pilot and a passenger, were traveling in a Piper PA-18, a two-seat single-engine plane. Rosebud County authorities could not be immediately reached for more details on the accident.

Although local officials contribute to investigations in the wake of plane crashes, the ultimate authority in determining the cause of aircraft wrecks in the United States falls on the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board. In the past 10 years, NTSB has opened 26 investigations into aircraft crashes in Montana, according to data from the organizations website. The majority of those wrecks involved single-engine, light aircraft.

The deadliest year for aviators over the past decade in Montana was in 2014, when six people died in just as many plane crashes. More recently, a man from Belgium died when he lost control of his experimental aircraft while he was flying over Dawson County. Last month, a helicopter crashed near Anaconda, according to reporting from the Montana Standard, killing its pilot.

Although NTSB investigations into plane crashes can take years to complete, the agency usually publishes preliminary crash details within weeks of the wreck.